#i’m honestly disappointed at how empty the venue was

[excelsior9173]

no horror movie tonight, i went to a metal show instead!

it was soooooo good. all three acts were incredible! i went with my sibling and we saw man meat, a local group, as well as spirit possession and the headliner was bell witch.

that was hands down one of the coolest shows i’ve seen. man meat gave me goosebumps with their riffs and vocals, spirit possession lived up to the name cuz holy shit that set felt like summoning demons, and bell witch was a fascinatingly cinematic show. i’ve never experienced anything like it, they had a film made specifically for their set, and played as it was projected. the other super cool part is that bell witch’s set was only one song. however that song was an hour and a half long. it was wild.

definitely a show i would go see again!

[itsamendesmadness]

“Second Thoughts”

Pairing: Shawn Mendes x reader

Summary: You’ve been secretly in love with Shawn since forever. You get a letter from him and you’re scared to see what it's about. When you peek inside the envelope, you realize it's a wedding invitation. Deep down you wanted to go and break this wedding.

warning: light cursing, fluff, angst & probably grammatical errors.

a/n: I had this idea from a current situation in my life and thought it was a good imagine ‘cause you know “DRAMAAA”. As always , let your imagination fly. 🪶

wc: 1089

It was a cold autumn morning. The perfect ambiance for curling up with a good book and drinking cinnamon hot chocolate. I have been sitting all day at my favorite place at my mom’s house since I was a kid…the window seat. I could see the cars come and go. There was something satisfying about hearing the cars hit the puddles.

Any time soon my mom has to be heading home from work. I kept reading my book waiting for her arrival. A Black Honda Civic pulls in the driveway, it’s my mom. I fix my clothes and pass my fingers lightly through my hair to make it look like I haven’t been sitting here all day. She struts down the driveway in direction to the mailbox, grabs the mail and walks towards the house.

“Hey, honey” she says while placing her keys in the key holders. The front door shuts behind her. “Have you been sitting there all day?” she says judgingly. “No mom, I just sat down” I say, hiding my face with the hardcover book. She could always tell when I was lying. I guess it is that motherly instinct in her head, just like spidey senses.

“There's some mail for you.” she says, placing the stack of mail on the dining table in front of me. “If it’s another bank statement just throw it away. I don't know why they send so many letters when we can see all our account activity through the app.” I say annoyed.

“It’s not all from the bank. You have a letter from Shawn.” she says, looking at me waiting for a reaction. She knows how I feel about him, all these years and I still have a huge crush on him.

“Sha- Shawn? He sent me a letter?” I say, stuttering nervously. I kept thinking to myself if I should open it or just break it apart. What if it’s something bad.

The envelope stared at me, making me feel stupid. This whole situation is stupid, he is not even thinking about me the same way I am of him. I need to stop pacing around the house and just open that fucking envelope. I couldn’t get more disappointed than I already am.

I grab the envelope from the table and start ripping the side of it carefully. Inside this envelope there was another one, an emerald green envelope. I started to think this was just one of his goofy pranks.

I pulled out the emerald green envelope and started to unstick the gold wax seal. The perfect calligraphy lettering is peaking through the top. It reads “Natalie Colton + Shawn Mendes”. I yanked it out of the envelope in disbelief. “This can’t be real!” I screamed out.

My mom looks at me with her eyes wide open “what is it?!”. “He- he is inviting me to a wedding… his wedding.” I say, throwing the invitation at the table. I rest my elbows on the table with my hands on my forehead. The warm tears fall down my hands and into my knitted sleeves. My mom sits in the empty chair next to me to try to comfort me. “Honey, I know it’s not what you wanted, but maybe you should go to the wedding. It will help you move on.” she says. “Okay” I say, trying not to start an argument.

The day of the weeding

I dreaded this day all week. How can I sit in that ceremony and see the love of my life marry someone else. Honestly, this is what’s sad about it. He is the love of my life, but I’m not his. A million scenarios played in my head and only one could play out.

I sat in my bed not even wanting to get ready for this dreadful ceremony. I didn’t even think about bringing a date. I moped out of bed, sat on my vanity and started getting ready.

At the Venue

The wedding was being held at a farmhouse. It may sound odd for a wedding, but it's very common in our hometown. Especially in the autumn season. The guests were being directed to the back of the farmhouse where the ceremony was gonna be taking place. I walked down the trail filled with fallen leaves and followed the wooden signs. I could see a big tree with fairy lights dropping down from the branches at the end of the trail. The white wooden chairs were placed in a uniformed line with the name cards placed on them. I started looking for my name on the groom's side.

I discreetly started to look around to see if I could spot Shawn and talk to him before the ceremony. Hoping a confession doesn't slip out of my lips. The realization of Shawn getting married was hitting me hard. I was sweating and shaking so I decided to walk around for a bit before the ceremony started. “Excuse me” I say, trying to pass through and not step on anyone's toes.

I walked and walked till I found an area not filled with guests. The gazebo had beautiful flowers wrapped around the fences. It had white sheer curtains and lots of lights drooping down. I sat on the steps and practiced some breathing exercises my mom taught me. She said it helps her two year old students when they have big feelings. As of now I felt like I had some big feelings to process too. It was probably a bad decision to come down here. How can I move on after years of being in love with this guy? It’s more my fault because I never expressed it thinking it would ruin our friendship. Life was easier with having half of him imagine now having none of him.

This ceremony is taking longer than expected. They haven't even announced that it's starting soon. A tall guy in a tailored black suit walks towards the gazebo. “Have you seen the groom around?” he asks me nervously. “No, why? Is something wrong?” you say intrigued. “No, nothing to worry about. The ceremony will commence soon.” he says, rubbing his fingers together anxiously and walks off quickly.

Could this mean that Shawn is having second thoughts? This could be my only chance to confess my feelings. I should go find him before it's too late.

[existslikepristin]

A Two-on-One Match

Part 2 of 3 of the OC Jung Hyunjin's arc. A request from Rex [of the ever-changing name] I recommend starting with A Quick Fix to follow the plot if you haven't read it already.

Tags: TheLounge, Gfriend, Eunha, SinB, male OC Jung Hyunjin, "oh hey I know you", one dom one sub one clueless boxer, some butt stuff, request

~~~~~

The bell rang to announce Yuta’s departure. He turned back as he walked through the door and waved. “Thanks Hyunjin! Good to meet you!”

“You too man! Enjoy!” Hyunjin waved back. It was his second week working at The Lounge and he was getting to know quite the wide range of people, and the first day he was working the morning shift, now that he was fully finished with his evening training.

A familiar voice came from behind, just at the entrance to the kitchen. “Nice catch. How’d you know Yuta would like the cinnamon sprinkle?” It was Hyunjin’s new boss, Kim Soomin.

“Wish I could tell you Ms. Kim. Honestly I just guessed.”

Soomin shrugged. “We’ll chalk it up to intuition then. Anyway, it seems like you’ve got things handled up here. I’m going to start up the oven for some brownies. Sungho is going to be here in half an hour, but I’ll be right there if you get rushed, alright?”

“You got it, Ms. Kim.”

Hyunjin wasn’t especially worried, since he didn’t imagine they’d be getting that many more customers in so early in the morning. When Soomin was gone, he leaned back against the perfectly clean counter and pulled out his phone.

Sowon had told him she was an idol, but he still hadn’t bothered to look up her music. It seemed to him that while he was waiting for customers was as good a time as any. He opened up his default browser and tapped in her name. A second later, his phone was flooded with pictures of Sowon in a variety of outfits, generally much fancier than what he usually saw her in. In the sidebar, her real name appeared, as well as the company she worked for and the group she was part of. “Gfriend,” rung a bell in Hyunjin’s head, at least, though he had no clue if he’d actually heard any of their music before. Maybe at a convenient store while he wasn’t paying attention?

He tapped the link to change the search to Gfriend. The images that showed up were far more zoomed out than before. He could pick out Sowon’s face among the six women in each picture, but immediately scrolled down and saw their names. He nodded his head and kept going down the list. Jung Yerin was next. No clue who she was. Then Jung Eunbi, also known as Eunha. That name sounded somehow familiar to him, but he continued to read. Choi Yuna, also known as Yuju…

He was interrupted by the bell ringing. He bounced away from the counter and popped his phone back into his pocket. Looking up, he saw two women had entered. One of them took off to the side toward the lounge chairs right away, but the other one approached the counter. She walked normally at first, but slowed down when she and Hyunjin’s eyes met.

“H-hyunjin?” she asked.

Hyunjin hesitated to respond. He pulled his phone back out and looked at the images still on the screen. “Do you go by Eunha?”

Eunha nodded slowly. “Yeah… Were you in drama club in middle school?”

“I was.”

There was a long pause.

“Holy shit, Hyunjin! It’s been such a long time! When did you start working here?”

Hyunjin laughed. He knew the name was familiar. “Just a couple of weeks ago. I got referred by Sowon.”

Eunha laughed back. “She and I are in a girl group together!”

“I literally just found that out! I was looking you guys up! See?” Hyunjin held out his phone.

“Woah! Yeah! How are you doing these days?”

The two took some time to reminisce and catch up. Despite the initial moment of not recognizing each other, they quickly remembered their connection. They had grown up in the same neighborhood, and recalled a variety of events they had gone to together as children. Eunha was a year above him in school, but had encouraged him to participate in drama. The Lounge continued to stay effectively empty the whole time. Hyunjin told Eunha about how he and Sowon met and how he ended up there, and about how he was training again to fight. Eunha told him about the rest of Gfriend, and how the other woman she entered with was Umji.

To avoid making Umji wait too much longer, Hyunjin took Eunha’s order and got to work. He was all smiles. When he brought their coffee to them, he included a napkin with his phone number on it and invited Eunha to the fight, but couldn’t continue to chat with the other customers that began to pour in, the bell going wild.

* * *

The bell went wild. It was the end of the last round. Hyunjin wiped at his nose with his arm. His opponent backed off and the two bumped their gloves together. Hyunjin wasn’t especially happy with the turnout. It had been far too long since he’d stepped in a ring, and it showed. That wasn’t going to stop him from being a good sport though. He kept a smile on.

Fortunately, the referee still held his arm up in the end. “... by split decision: Jung Hyunjin!”

The crowd cheered. Whether it was for Hyunjin or not, he couldn’t really tell. The crowd wasn’t exactly huge, and the two fighters nobody had heard of (it was only his opponent’s second official match) in a small venue didn’t exactly have a fanbase yet. Hyunjin couldn’t pick any familiar faces out of the crowd either.

His disappointment was quickly abated by who he saw while making his way to the locker room. Dressed in frumpy, nondescript sweatshirts and hats, Eunha and another girl Hyunjin barely recognized from Gfriend’s group pictures as SinB caught him right at the doorway.

“Hey! We were hiding out in the back row. Congrats!”

Hyunjin ran his fingers through his hair. “Thanks. I was rusty though.”

“Rusty? What do you mean? You were great!”

SinB tapped Eunha on the arm. “No, he’s right. They both looked like amateurs.”

Hyunjin grimaced, but before he could say anything, Eunha grabbed him by the arm. “Hey, let’s go in there, where it’s not so noisy! I can barely hear you two!”

She wasn’t wrong. When the door closed behind them, the lack of noise was a relief.

“So yeah,” SinB started, “what I was saying is that he’s right. They loo--”

Eunha silenced her with a strict look. “SinB...” is all she said, and it was all she needed.

SinB averted her eyes and a blush crossed her cheeks. “It’s um… Nice to meet you, Hyunjin. My name’s SinB.”

Hyunjin smirked. “Hey, good meeting you too. Don’t worry about the fight though. I used to be a lot better. I’m just out of practice. I’ll be starting regular training again next week.”

“You really did do great though,” Eunha said, “I mean, you had to, right? You won.”

“Yeah, I guess so. I’m just being critical of myself. But anyway, thanks for coming! I really appreciate the support.”

“Of course! Just think of us as your first fans?” Eunha ended with a questioning tone, but followed up quickly. “Actually, let’s not be fans yet. It’s weird for fans to take you out to dinner.”

“Dinner, huh? I’d like that. I need to get washed up first. Pretty sure I’ve still got some blood in my mouth.”

“Totally, yeah! We’ll just, uh, wait here.”

Hyunjin gave a nod and went to the locker room. He could hear Eunha hushedly giving SinB an earful the whole way.

Undressing was a bit painful. Hyunjin had taken a particularly strong hit to one of his left ribs, and now that he could see the site of the impact, he could already tell it would be bruising. He hoped it wasn’t broken.

As he made his way to the open showers, he could hear Eunha and SinB again. They sounded like they were close to the locker room. There wasn’t a door to block the sound though, so he didn’t think much of it, but he knew something was up when he heard footsteps over the sound of the running water. Nobody else should be on this half of the building except his coach, who he hadn’t even informed of the fight. He quickly covered his dick with his hands and turned to the entrance.

And there was SinB, blushing furiously, looking straight up at the ceiling. “H-hey, Hyunjin. I’m sorry.”

“Um. Well, cool. Apology accepted. But is this really the--”

Hyunjin cut himself off as Eunha brushed past SinB. But unlike SinB, she was completely undressed. She walked toward him, small breasts bouncing with each step, getting soaked as she went directly through the spray of the showers. He started to smile, but noticed and quickly got rid of it. “Eunha, you’re…”

“I’m here to help you get cleaned up,” she finished his sentence for him, though it wasn’t what he was intending to say. “We can get to the restaurant sooner this way, right?”

Eunha grabbed a bar of soap from one of the little shelves along the wall and stopped just short of Hyunjin, who had lost all hope of being able to hide his erection. Not that Eunha seemed to mind, or even pay any attention. But it’s what she said next that made her intentions much, much clearer.

“You and Sowon aren’t exclusive, right?”

“No. I suppose we’ve been very clear that we aren’t.” Hyunjin took a hand away from his crotch to rub the back of his neck.

Eunha put a hand on Hyunjin’s arm, pointing at his neck. “Oh no. Are you feeling sore?” She gestured toward a stool. “Let me give you a massage. SinB!”

Hyunjin watched, half afraid and half mesmerized, as SinB quickly undressed and tossed all of her clothes back into the locker room. He let Eunha pull him down to sit on the stool she dragged underneath the stream of the shower. “I don’t really need a massage. It’s okay.”

“That’s good to hear! I’ll just get started on washing you up then. In the meantime, can you do me a favor?”

“Uh… Sure?”

While sitting on the stool, Hyunjin was just barely shorter than Eunha, which let her lean down to whisper in his ear. Her tone made it clear she was asking a question. “Let SinB practice on you?”

Hyunjin’s eyes went wide. “So Eunha, I don’t mean to sound like a perv here, but are you implying something about practicing a blowjob? Because I’ll take that.”

Eunha motioned for SinB to approach. “No, no. Why would you think that?” she asked, clearly twitching at the corner of her mouth as she tried not to smile. She slowly pulled Hyunjin’s other hand away from his full-mast dick.

In no time at all, SinB was standing in front of Hyunjin, hair getting drenched by the shower, hands behind her back, and eyes anywhere but on him. With a little difficulty, she moved to straddle his lap. The width of her legs put her bare pussy dangerously close to his cock.

Sure he knew where the situation was taking them, Hyunjin shifted his legs, pushing SinB’s a little farther apart. The head of his dick speared her. He watched as her chest rose and fell rapidly. She used her hands to brace herself on his shoulders. He wanted to make a snarky comment, but was having difficulty coming up with anything good. He was also distracted by the feeling of something hard against his cock. He reached around SinB and grabbed her butt. As his fingers explored, he was able to verify immediately that she had a butt plug inside of her.

“This is an interesting night,” he said simply.

Just then, Hyunjin felt Eunha pressing her front up against his back. Her skin glided over his, as if it was (and it was) covered in soap. At the same time, SinB lowered herself further onto his dick in a jerking, twitching way.

“I don’t know what you mean. Is something unusual, Hyunjin?” Eunha asked as she rubbed her tits and stomach up and down his back.

Hyunjin’s sarcasm struggled its way out of his throat as SinB started fucking him, bouncing herself and making a beautiful, wet scene of her slim body. “Not at all…” Hyunjin said, “Perfectly normal Wednesday night.”

Eunha couldn’t contain her giggle. She ran her soapy hands over Hyunjin’s shoulders, arms, and whatever parts of his legs she could reach with SinB in the way. He winced a little when she swept over his new bruise, but otherwise did his best not to react.

“How do you like SinB’s pussy?”

Hyunjin groaned. His grip on SinB’s asscheeks tightened subconsciously. He had to unclench his teeth to say, “It’s alright.”

“Hear that, SinB? Just alright. Maybe a bit amateurish.”

SinB’s shoulders tensed up visibly. “I said I was sorry…”

Eunha walked around to the shelves on the wall to pull a bottle of shampoo off. The close up view of Eunha’s plump, naked, wet ass just about set Hyunjin off. She was obviously arching her back just enough to make it noticeable.

“Damn, Eunha. I always admired your butt when you were my senior, but now… fuck…”

She turned to look at Hyunjin over her shoulder. “Oh thank you! Sounds like you’re thinking about cumming?”

Hyunjin nodded. With no hesitation at all, Eunha set the shampoo back down and pulled a visibly shocked SinB off of his cock. He was shocked too, about ready to ask why Eunha would do such a thing, but found his answer right away.

Eunha, facing away from Hyunjin, positioned herself between his legs and spread her ass with one hand, and grabbed his cock with the other. She directed it to an unexpected target, and Hyunjin’s breath caught in his throat as he was hilted completely in Eunha’s asshole.

“Now you can cum,” she said.

Hyunjin didn’t need to be told twice. He barely needed to be told once. His orgasm hit him harder than his opponent did in the ring. He grabbed Eunha’s hips and held her down against him as he pumped a gigantic load into her ass.

He brushed his hair back, suddenly light headed, feeling like his soul had just been pulled out of him through his cock. He saw SinB sitting back against the wall, still blushing bright red, masturbating as she stared between Eunha’s legs at the spot where Hyunjin was impaling her.

“So then,” Eunha said casually, despite having an ass full of Hyunjin’s dick and cum, “Did you want anything special for dinner? I have an idea if you don’t!”

Hyunjin smiled. He was still trying to comprehend what just happened, but he was happy with it, even if the intensity of his climax left him with the sound of a bell ringing in his ears.

[neonponders]

👀 👀 👀 👀  Oh jesus oh lord. Deeper Than Skin is finished so I’ll enable another wip.

@ghostofjellyfishforgotten I hope you don’t mind me using your tags on this vampire!Billy / blood donor!Steve post as inspiration! Your brain is just too big for me not to pass up an opportunity to write vampire shenanigans.

Read on ao3 ~

🌹 🌹 🌹 🌹 🌹

Steve didn’t judge people who worked as donors—

Fine, as an adult with a better awareness and compassion, Steve didn’t judge donors. He might’ve said some shitty things to Jonathan Byers when he worked to make his family extra money.

Honestly? Steve admired that. Jonathan being underage and having the guts to figure out how to get into the donation clinic, and then to let…

Steve knew he was a coward in a lot of ways. He knew it when he called Jonathan a queer who enjoyed leeches sucking on him. He knew it when he lost to the punches Byers threw. For a skinny, half empty blood bag, the guy could really hit. And Steve knew it when he almost ran away from Nancy and Jonathan fighting off the rogue vampire who kidnapped little Will Byers.

But Steve didn’t run away.

Just like he didn’t run away from the couch he sat on with his mother while his father explained…a situation that left Steve digging deeper and deeper into the gap between fear and bravery. Maybe call it disassociation. Or confused shock.

“You what?”

Harrington senior never took well to being interrupted. But he sighed from across the coffee table and reiterated, “The family is in debt.”

“No. You. You’re in debt. This is your problem.”

The man certainly didn’t take well to having his own mistakes shoved under his nose. “This isn’t for debate. This is the way things are and need to be.”

“No,” Steve repeated like a broken record clinging onto its song. “This is your fault. Who’s made me work minimum wage jobs to teach me a lesson? Who’s refused to pay for me to go to community college? Who hasn’t let me work in their company? And who made the shitty gambles with your company’s stocks? You shoved me out, so it’s definitely not my problem—”

“The contract has already been signed.”

Now his mother shifted her posture on the couch beside him. “Excuse me?”

Steve’s father moved his blunt nails over the armrest of his wingback, fidgeting. At least something put fear into the old bastard’s heart.

“There’s nothing I could do. The market has been evolving ever since vampires gained their rights and opened up their decades and centuries old bonds—”

“Vampire legislation passed over a century ago,” Mrs. Harrington purred. Sometimes the worst anger was the quiet kind. “You have no excuse. You lost the game, and you sold our son. Is that what we’re to believe?”

“That’s not possible,” Steve intercepted. “Slavery isn’t a thing anymore. Even I picked that up in history. And I would have to be there to sign the contract! It’s my—”

“Steve,” his father silenced. “When enough money is involved, anything is bought. And you’re not like anyone else.”

Mrs. Harrington fumed, “Do not talk to him like he’s a prize pony!”

“Except to a wealthy vampire, he is.”

Steve could only sit in weighted silence for a moment. He always joked to himself that he’d be disowned one of these days. For being a disappointment. For all of his bad grades. For giving his friends alcohol and cigarettes. For only being able to get jobs that required no qualifications or experience level at all. For discovering he liked kissing boys at the grimy music venues Robin took him to. Maybe living at home for too long. Or leaving the smell of burnt pancakes in the air too often because he always struggled with the first one—

“Vampire?” he croaked. For some reason it hadn’t dawned to him until now but…shit.

Holy shit.

Steve wasn’t being sold off to be some billionaire’s secretary for life. He was being…truly sold. Like…goodbye, Steve, who likes spring nights and summer mornings. His favorite food is breakfast and he wishes he kept with the music lessons his mom paid for instead of being peer pressured into sports. Whose best friend was Robin Buckley because she was brave and funny and stuck with him during his ironic and a little bit terrifying queer awakening…

Hello, Donor 0235. Blood type O. Allergic to nickel and checks off all vaccination requirements.

“Steve’s not wrong,” his mother echoed like a voice deep in a cave, drawing Steve out of his thoughts. “He is the one to sign the contract. Not you.”

“He is still classified as our dependent and on our insurance,” his father refused.

“So being an adult means nothing in this country?”

“They have our family records, Annette!” he exclaimed. “There is a dual government in this country even if nobody below upper-middle class sees it. The human government had to cede a great deal because the vampire population is massive. And they’ve kept track of all the Sanguis families! Name changes, and two World Wars did nothing to save us—”

“The what?” Steve all but whispered.

His mother rotated her hips to face him. “We only have legends about how it happened. Paleolithic gods making deals, vampires crossbreeding humans to make a certain kind of blood donor, human evolution after symbiotic deals were struck—but that doesn’t matter. The point is that there are people in this world with abilities that preserve themselves against vampires. That’s why you healed in less than two days after that silly fight by the movie theatre.”

His father intercepted, “The genes skipped your mother but fell to you.”

Steve’s eyes widened as his mother confirmed, “To protect us, girls have been promoted in the family tree for generations. Through marriage, their names could change, and make them harder to track.”

Steve countered toward his father, “So this really isn’t your place to sign my life away. Like five times over.”

“I quite agree,” his mother turned back to the man she’d married. The man who was supposed to protect her and her children with his name and promising, growing business.

At least Steve wasn’t the only failure in the family.

His father massaged his forehead and defended, “As I said. Humans’ government is far easier to corrupt our way into forgiving any debt. The vampires, however, are inconsolable. The bastard would have my business, the cars, our house, and taken his time discovering Steve on his own if I hadn’t—”

Steve took after his father, but he was his mother’s son as they both stood up from the couch, furious that this man had thrown his own kid under a vampire’s bus—

“Get out of the house, Steve.”

His head whipped around at her. “I-What?”

“Get out of the house,” she seethed, but not at him. “I don’t care where or what you do. Go.”

Steve didn’t need to be told twice but he hadn’t managed to grab his car keys or his shoes before the house and his ribcage trembled with his parents’ arguing. He went in his socks outside and put the shoes on in his car.

Then…he didn’t know where to go. Running the hell away seemed like the obvious solution, but if vampires really had such a network, what was the point? And if he left, what would happen to his mom?

Steve drove on autopilot to the video rental store. Robin. All he had was Robin, who took the lollipop out of her mouth when the bell on the door twittered. “Hey, dingus, it’s your day off—Steve?”

He couldn’t really remember driving. That probably should have raised more red flags than he already had, but for now, the black and neon carpeting of the Family Video was blurring and swirling…

“I’m gonna throw up,” he heard himself say.

And Robin in that distant, echoing cave his mother had spoken from, “Outside! STEVE!”

[vodkassassin]

Ok let me set the scene: SQQ had grown used to his multiple layers of clothes, and it was never a problem untill the day he and (your closen love interest) decided it was time for papapa, que the twenty minutes of SQQ instructing how to carefully take off his each and every layer. The steamy vibes slowly disapear. The curtains close.

I know you wanted this to be steamy, cousin, but I slapped platonic cucumberplane onto it instead and it turned into a big Mess of Feelings instead of romantic comedy 😅 my bad! @overlordmoth

—

The first time Shen Yuan is forced to attend a inter-sect banquet is memorable, if nothing else. It doesn’t even have anything to do with the event itself, but what happened afterwards.

The food was alright. He’s been spoiled, he thinks, by his adorable disciple’s god-tier cooking, because though the organization committee had gone all out and hired the fanciest of catering staff, the food itself was… he wouldn't go so far as to call it disappointing, per say, but it had been a bit bland when he’d tried it. He finished off his meager plate of appetizers and resolved not to touch any other dish thereafter. He’ll just eat a meal when he gets back to his peak.

Luckily, inter-sect conferences aren’t a constant occurrence. They only happened once every few years, as a way for the many sects of xianxialand to share information and gossip. Shen Yuan has had two years now, to get used to being Peak Lord Shen Qingqiu, and he’s grateful for the extra time he was given to learn his character before he was forced to debut into such a public setting, where Shen Jiu has long-since created himself a reputation.

Much like the reputation amongst his own sect, everyone in the cultivation world seems to know how Shen Jiu had been. Tonight is the first time since his fever (and Shen Yuan’s transmigration) that Peak Lord Shen steps into the limelight and shows exactly how drastically he has changed in character.

It doesn’t go as terribly as he expected it to, honestly.

When he’d first entered the hall, the amount of stares that had immediately zeroed in on him and began dissecting his every movement was… overwhelming, in a way. Shen Yuan is used to stares. He has to be, just to walk around his own peak. His disciples are nosy, gossipy young masters and maidens. For all that they seem to admire and respect him, there is never a single moment when Shen Qingqiu does not feel their eyes following him as he walks from one classroom hall to the next.

The banquet is much the same. Instead of his disciples, however, these are matured (in a manner of speaking) cultivators of sects not his own. Which means Shen Qingqiu has to be on the lookout and watch his own back.

Or he would have had to, had his fellow transmigrator not been in attendance as well.

He supposed he’s lucky, that all the peak lords were required to attend this ridiculous party.

He spends the first ten minutes or so proving to these cultivators that, though Shen Qingqiu has obviously changed, his tongue is still just as acerbic and barbed as it had been before, perhaps even more creatively so now that he’s changed. It puts strained, polite smiles onto the faces of men and women who had approached him in attempts to size him up and find a hand hold for themselves.

Joke’s on them.

As pleased as he is to discover them just as easily taken down a peg or two as his own sect members, Shen Qingqiu grows exhausted of this game rather quickly. Once he sends the last cultivator away with their tail between their legs, he snaps his fan closed with a flick of his wrist and turns on his heel before the next can even think to approach him.

It’s out of character, apparently, for Shen Qingqiu to throw the towel in when the first hour hasn’t even passed. Raised eyebrows and confused eyes follow him as he steps off to the side and sidles up to where the only other millennial in this world is leaning against the far wall of the hall, cradling a cup of tea in his hands and staring at the floor likely in the hope that no one will come speak to him.

As much as he whines that he never gets as much attention as the other peak lords, Shang Qinghua always prefers the sidelines. All the better to remain unnoticed, that he may more efficiently observe their guests without them realizing that the An Ding peak lord’s eyes see far more than any of them could ever think.

When Shen Qingqiu leans his back against the wall beside him, Shang Qinghua gives a startled jolt. His tea sloshes in its cup, thankfully not spilling over, and he raises wide eyes to meet Shen Qingqiu’s look of ridicule.

“Ah….” For once, his friend seems lost for words, and Shen Qingqiu resists the urge to frown at him. “What’s up?”

“If I’m going to make it even a single hour in this party, much less the full ten it’s scheduled for, then I’m going to need someone to listen to me complain.” Shen Qingqiu begins succinctly. “As my bro, that’s your job.”

Strangely, Shang Qinghua seems to perk up at this. He swirls his tea around — and from the sharp scent that wafts upward to Shen Qingqiu’s nose, tea isn’t the only thing in that cup — and casts Shen Qingqiu a cheerful smile.

“A party isn’t a party until you’ve made fun of every single partygoer behind their back at least twice,” his fellow peak lord agrees.

Shen Qingqiu smirks at him.

He snaps open his fan to cover it when he hears a few murmurs of shock from the people who are still watching him like hawks for any sign of difference between him and Shen Jiu. It’s so fucking tiring.

Shang Qinghua huffs a quiet laugh and shoots him a look of sympathy.

“How many bodies do you think you can help me hide before someone notices that guests are beginning to disappear?” He asks nonchalantly, and his mouth curls into a more genuine smile behind the safety of his fan when Shang Qinghua’s shoulders start to shake with laughter.

“Don’t ask me that,” the slightly shorter man breathes out in mirth, eyes bright. “Between the two of us, we can absolutely make it happen. It’s best not to even tempt it.”

“As you say,” Shen Qingqiu sighs despondently, fluttering his fan before his face. It’s beginning to grow a little too warm even in the huge, cavernous banquet hall. That’s what happens when you shove an entire crowd of people into the same room together. It gets stuffy.

The banquet passes a little quicker than it would have otherwise, with Shang Qinghua by his side to exchange quite jokes and banter with. A particular, good-natured target for them both is Liu Qingge, who’s squirelled himself into a different corner of the hall with three jars of alcohol and whose grave glare is enough to chase off anyone who’d wish to speak with him. The poor man just isn’t built for socializing. At least it’s clear that there’s someone who’s having a worse time here than Shen Qingqiu is. It might be mean, but it makes him feel better nonetheless.

It’s nice to have someone who actually understands every meme and pop culture reference Shen Qingqiu slips into his mockery of the banquet guests. The only issue is having to smother his real, genuine laughter when Shang Qinghua comes back at him with something actually hilarious. It would surely rock the cultivation world to its very foundation if Peak Lord Shen Qingqiu burst into laughter in the middle of an inter-sect banquet for all to see.

Even with the allowances he’s slowly acquired for himself in the time since he disabled the OOC lock, his martial siblings would certainly send for Mu Qingfang to check him over.

Still, the comfortable atmosphere of mockery aside, several hours is still several hours, and by the time Shang Qinghua is down to the dregs of his seventh cup of tea (plus the obvious pick-me-up he adds to it), Shen Qingqiu is incredibly fucking done with this entire farce.

Opening his fan to conceal his face, he leans over slightly into his friend's space and quietly says, “You wanna blow this popsicle stand?”

The clear effort it takes Shang Qinghua not to wheeze is gratifying. “Are we even allowed to do that?”

“We’re peak lords,” Shen Qingqiu says, shrugging his shoulders lightly. “We can do whatever the fuck we want. And, speaking as a millennial — who’s going to stop us, really?”

Good thing they’d dissolved into speaking English three hours ago. If someone heard the cold, and graceful Lord Shen verbally curse then he’d probably be forced to undergo another test for possession with Wei Qingwei when they all got home. Annoying as hell, those things. They took hours and he wasn’t even allowed to read to pass the time!

“Point,” Shang Qinghua admits.

“Plus,” Shen Qingqiu raises his fan up a bit higher to hide his entire expression and makes a face. “I, uh…. need a favor, from you.”

Shang Qinghua blinks over the rim of his teacup at him. He stares at him for a long, wordless moment, and then his eyebrows shoot up.

“The peerless peak lord Shen,” he says lightly, mouth quirking, “needs help—?”

“Airplane.”

“—from little ol’ me?”

“Imma gut you,” Shen Yuan mutters, fan fluttering.

Shang Qinghua beams at him. He pushes up off the wall and steps over to the nearest table to set his now-empty cup on its surface.

“Yeah, okay,” the man says.

Appeased, yet miffed, Shen Qingqiu raises his chin up and snaps his fan closed sharply enough to make a noise. “Good.”

They leave. There’s a multitude of stares that follow in their wake, from both strangers and their own martial siblings across the hall, but neither of them pay them any mind, aside from the way Shang Qinghua’s shoulders raise defensively almost on instinct. A nervous habit that the man will probably never rid himself of.

Three minutes later, they’ve closed themselves away in Shen Qingqiu’s guest quarters of the venue — the conferences are to last for at least three days, minimum, so each sect has their own pavilion for the overnight stay — and Shen Qingqiu stands grumpily in the middle of the room while Shang Qinghua collapses against the bed and laughs himself silly.

“Y-You need me to—?” The man wheezes, one hand pressed over his mouth as tears prick the corners of his eyes, his other arm holding his side. “To—?”

“Yes, it’s very amusing,” Shen Qingqiu deadpans, eyebrow twitching. “And what a friend you are, to laugh in the face of my plight. What, do you expect me to ask anyone else? Who would you suggest? Yue Qingyuan? As if! Of course I need your help, idiot!”

“I’m sure Sect Leader would be very obliging if you were to ask,” Shang Qinghua giggles from where he’s curled up on top of the blankets. He waggles his eyebrows. “Very obliging.”

“You disgust me,” Shen Qingqiu sniffs. He tugs at the front of his robes, and casts his friend a helpless look. “Seriously, how am I suppose to get out of this — this death trap?!”

Because, for such a fancy and important occasion as an inter-sect conference opening banquet, the guests are of course expected to wear their most formal robes. And, in xianxialand, formal robes mean layers. Layer upon layer upon layer. And extra baubles on top of that, like multiple-section headpieces and jewelry and gauzy, sheer, bedazzled over robes.

Truly, the opulence and over-the-topness of the cultivation world never ceases to make Shen Qingqiu raise his brow.

“I get what you mean,” Shang Qinghua chortles. “Stop your bitching, bro, I know how to escape these things, no problem.”

He hops up from the bed and makes his way over, reaching for the outside clasps of the over robe without even asking first. Shen Qingqiu does mind, holding his arms out to give his friend better access. Honestly, there is never any dignity lost between the two of them, what with their modern sensibilities. Not that Shen Yuan ever had much dignity to begin with, being a lifetime recurring hospital patient in his last life. As Shen Qingqiu, peer immortal master that he is, however, he at least has to pretend he does.

With everyone other than Airplane, that is.

“Thanks,” he says, grumbling but grateful, as Shang Qinghua carefully but without ceremony shucks off his outer robe and the one underneath it.

The man steps closer after laying those out on the bed, and tugs at the ties of the belt that hold the next robe closed. After a series of finger gymnastics that Shen Qingqiu can’t really make head nor tails of, his friend reaches up and pulls the silk down from his shoulders and reaches a hand inside to pull at the smaller ties hidden within. Which is absolutely ridiculous. Shen Qingqiu had seriously felt like he was putting together a piece of IKEA furniture when he’d originally gotten dressed. Overly complicated, the instructions were all in Swedish, and it was nearly impossible to accomplish on one’s own. But, he‘d done it!

Dismantling it all, however, was another thing entirely, and he thanks whatever higher power there is, that Airplane is here to lend him that hand without any of the awkwardness that someone with ancient Chinese sensibilities would bring.

“Thank god these things are only like, twice a decade,” he groans, leaning back so his fellow transmigrator has easier access to free him of the next stifling layer. “If this body didn’t have that handy cultivation temperature regulation magic bullshit you came up with for that scene in chapter one-hundred twenty, I’d be sweating buckets right now. Next time I get an invitation to a banquet, I’m refusing, no matter how much Yue Qingyuan puppy-dog eyes at me”

Shang Qinghua directs an odd, slanting smile down at the belt he’s working free, nimble fingers pulling and tugging gently at the ties so they don’t accidentally tighten instead of loosen.

“Yeah,” he says, quiet. “... I’ve never been a fan of banquets either.”

Shen Qingqiu holds back a scoff. And then lets it free, because there’s nobody here but Shang Qinghua, who knows him and won’t ever begrudge him for showing actual emotion. “I can’t imagine anyone being wrapped up in thirty layers and expected to socialize with sharks for ten fucking hours and actually enjoying it.”

Shang Qinghua ducks his head down, smile disappearing. He tugs the ties free and reaches up to slip another layer off of Shen Qingqiu’s shoulders, but he keeps his eyes lowered. Shen Qingqiu pauses, frowning at him. Something’s off.

“...Airplane?”

“It’s not that,” Shang Qinghua shrugs helplessly, tugging at the ties of the next robe without much effort to pull them loose. There’s a slightly uncomfortable expression on his face that makes Shen Qingqiu frown deepen. “I actually don’t mind all the layers. My parents dressed me in hanfu all the time when I was a kid in my past life, so I was already used to it before I even transmigrated. The food at banquets is really good, too, and the socialization isn’t so bad once you look at it as just a political pissing contest. Banquets could be fun, really.”

“But they’re not,” Shen Qingqiu guesses, and reaches out to clasp his friends hands in his, pulling them away from his belt. They twitch in his hold, like Shang Qinghua wants to fidget, a nervous tick.

He’s only half dressed at this point, but right now he’s more concerned with the shuttering expression on Shang Qinghua’s face than anything else. “Not for you, at least. Why?”

Shang Qinghua glances nervously up at him from beneath his lashes, only to look back down again and grimace. “They’d be a lot of fun, if I wasn’t… me, I guess? Today is the first time I’ve actually enjoyed a banquet since I first started attending them as a head disciple.”

Shen Qingqiu presses his lips together as his friend lets out a mirthless, unamused laugh. He squeezes the hands he’s holding, and Shang Qinghua‘s shoulders droop.

“It was also the first time anyone’s actually stuck by me and actually talked to me, though, so,” the other finally glances up, an odd and fragile smile on his face as he chuckles weakly. His eyes are shining a bit damply, and Shen Qingqiu locks his teeth together when he sees it. “I guess it makes sense? Banquets are a lot more fun when you’re not, um… totally alone the entire time! Haha…. who knew, right…?”

Shen Qinghua shakes his head slowly. He ignores his state of undress and reaches out to draw his friend into his arms.

Sometimes, Shen Yuan wishes he’d transmigrated into Shen Jiu’s life earlier than he had. Sure, the cons far outweigh the pros, in such a situation, but at least his friend would have had someone in his corner for all the times that their martial family had snubbed him. Airplane may have brought the anxieties and insecurities of his past life along with him into this one, but Shen Yuan doesn’t doubt for a single second that in the decades that Airplane has been Shang Qinghua, they have been made much stronger (and oftentimes crippling) by the actions of the people who are suppose to stand by him and have his back.

It’s infuriating, when he lets himself think about it for too long, so usually he doesn’t. And then it smacks him right in the face, like now, and Shen Yuan feels nothing but bitter resentment toward those people who are supposedly his friend’s martial family.

Shang Qinghua makes a quietly surprised sound, but doesn’t protest. In fact, the other melts against him, hands coming up to grasp at the front of his robes, and he tucks his face into the junction between Shen Qingqiu’s shoulder and neck. He sucks in a slow, stuttering breath that makes him tremble, and Shen Qingqiu reaches up one hand to bury into the back of his friend’s hair, curling his fingers into the strands.

“It must’ve been extra rough when the original goods was still around,” he comments quietly.

Shang Qinghua shudders, and then nods his head against his shoulder. “H-He was a real jerk, but usually he was too busy verbally flaying all the guests from the other sects alive, to pay me much mind. Thankfully.” The An Ding lord lets out a wet chuckle.

Shen Qingqiu allows another frown to cinch at his brow as he pets his hand through his friend’s hair. “And none of the others ever…?”

“Why would they? I’m just — I’m just… An Ding.”

Shen Qingqiu tightens the arm that he has wound around Shang Qinghua’s waist, and his scowl depends when he feels his friend shake.

The door opens then, because of course it does. Someone peaks their head in, and who else is it going to be but Yue Qingyuan, looking for his precious Xiao Jiu, who apparently isn’t one to leave a banquet early when there are still guests left to verbally knock down several pegs and cripple the self esteem of?

The sect leader opens his mouth, and closes it. Shen Qingqiu watches impassively the journey of emotions the man’s face undergoes as he takes in the scene of a half dressed Xiao Jiu holding a trembling Shang Qinghua in his arms. Yue Qingyuan’s face is pale and there’s two splotches of bright red on both his cheeks. He looks both mortified and horrified in equal measure.

Shen Qingqiu wraps his arms tightly around the other transmigrator, holding the still-trembling Shang Qinghua to his chest, and narrows his eyes at the sect leader viciously.

“Leave,” he snaps. His best friend doesn’t deserve having anyone spying on this moment of real vulnerability.

Yue Qingyuan beats a hasty retreat. The door closes softly behind him.

Shang Qinghua gives one last shudder, before going lax in his arms, letting Shen Qingqiu hold him up with his strength alone. The An Ding peak lord reaches out his arms to wrap them around Shen Qingqiu and return the hug, clutching tightly at him.

“I’m really glad you’re here,” the man says, voice slightly choked, and Shen Qingqiu swallows thickly. It’s clear that Shang Qinghua is talking about more than just tonight’s banquet.

“Me too,” he says, and finds that he actually means it.

[mc-lukanette]

Marinette was so incredibly sick of working with Gabriel. The man was emotionally dead inside, and that day specifically had made her dead tired. She was honestly glad she didn't have a car, as there would've been no way she could've driven it all the way home without falling asleep at the steering wheel.

Stumbling her way onto the bus, her vision blurred as she forced herself to walk to the back, given that the rest of the seats were already taken by at least one other person. The back seat held one person as well, but the seat was at least long and there was less risk of her accidentally falling on them if she passed out.

She plopped down onto the seat, letting out a sigh of relief that she was finally about to relax to some degree. Glancing thoughtfully at the empty space next to her, she removed her jacket, not caring how subtle she wasn't as she laid it down onto the space, just in case she did indeed fall asleep.

An insurance policy, she figured, so she could pass out on it. She was fully aware that having a "plan" for such things so quickly said something about both her and her tendency for exhaustion, but she couldn't bring herself to care.

She vaguely heard the doors to the bus close, then felt the steady rhythm of it moving along. She regretted the latter immediately, knowing she must've been tired if the steady motions of a bus were soothing her to sleep.

It didn't take even a minute before she felt her eyes start to flutter shut. She barely managed to catch herself when she started to fall to the left - towards the person next to her - and her eyes shot open on alert.

Er—wait, was that left? Or had it been right? She was sitting straight again at least, but was she not as straight as she thought?

Had it always been so dark?

—————

The next thing Marinette knew, she was being gently shaken by something. She whined, burying her face into her pillow and clutching it tighter, almost in protest.

If that shaking was an earthquake, she was going to sleep through it as if her life depended on it.

She was shaken again, this time more strongly. Groaning, she finally peeked upwards, seeing a man with black hair and blue highlights smiling sympathetically at her.

While she was wondering how such a handsome man managed to sneak into her bed, he explained, "Sorry. I wanted to let you sleep, but... I didn't know where you got off, and this is the last stop on the bus."

She blinked, confused, until the word bus registered with her and she realized that she couldn't remember having gotten home. She jerked up, looking around in a panic and confirming that she was indeed still on the bus and had fallen asleep on a stranger, despite having taken precautions so she wouldn't.

Her so-called "pillow" had been his arm, and she'd been gripping the sleeve of his jacket.

Blushing red, she stood, flailing her arms frantically at him. "I am SO sorry! I swear I didn't mean to! I feel awful—I mean, not physically because you were actually really warm and nice, but emotionally because I just—" She practically slapped her own face with her hands, muffling a scream into her palms.

"I didn't mind," the man assured, standing up as well and placing a hand on her shoulder. "I'm Luka, by the way, and I know you got a little sleep on the way here—"

She groaned at the reminder.

"—but do you mind if I walk you home?" he asked. "I want to make sure you make it there alright."

She peeked out at him through her fingers, then lowered her hands. "H-huh? You don't have to do that."

"I know, but you've had a rough day," he observed, despite her having not told him. "I'm guessing this isn't your stop either."

She slumped. "No, it isn't." Not wanting to dismiss his kindness though, she gave him a reassuringly look. "But you were letting me sleep and it was probably for the best. If it's really okay, I... yes, you can take me home."

He smiled, satisfied with that, then began walking off the bus. She followed after him, though was confused at why he seemed happy to take her after she'd slept on him. Did good people really still exist in the world? She was just so used to Gabriel.

They were already off the bus when she noticed that she hadn't introduced herself in return. "Oh! Uh, I'm Marinette." She leaned forward so he could see her even as they walked side-by-side. "You're sure you don't have anything important to do?"

"Not really," he replied. "I had a pretty relaxed day."

"Lucky." Marinette pouted. "I wish my day had been like that. I wasn't even supposed to go into work today, but Gabriel needed me."

"Gabriel Agreste?"

"Yeah."

He grinned, still sympathetic but with a little playfulness now. "That explains why you were tired."

She snorted. "Yeah." She paused, then blushed in embarrassment and covered her mouth. "Well, mostly."

He didn't prod, but she could sense that the offer to be listened to was there.

Rubbing the back of her head, she continued sheepishly, "It was a late night for me yesterday. I really was going to head straight to bed, but then I went to lay down and, of course—"

"Inspiration hit," Luka chimed in.

Her jaw went slack, brows raised in surprise at him. "How'd you know?"

"I'm a musician," he replied, "so I know what it's like when creativity wants to play its song."

Marinette gasped. "Oh my gosh, you understand me."

They shared a laugh, and the conversation naturally transitioned from there into talks about their jobs, as Marinette was already wondering what instrument he played. She learned that he mainly played the guitar, among multiple other instruments, and his last name was Couffaine. He was the leader of a band called Kitty Section, which Marinette felt bad for having never heard about. He assured her it was fine, and that they didn't do anything big anyway; it was usually small venues or whoever would welcome them. He offered her one of their CDs as a sample and she promised to listen to later, though Luka was already uninterested in talking further about it at that point, wanting to hear about her instead.

She started out vague, not finding herself all that interesting. She was a fashion designer working under Gabriel Agreste, a job that paid well but was stressful when Gabriel himself could make changes and fire people at the drop of a hat. She adored fashion, of course, but everything that came with that was a bit of a downer. When she wasn't fretting over seams and fabrics, she preferred gaming, or tending to her plants.

Luka admitted to having barely touched games in his life, but Marinette was pleasantly surprised to hear that he had his own plants he liked tending to; apparently, his mother's houseboat was full of them, both when he was growing up and after.

Marinette realized partway through their conversation that she hadn't gotten out much due to the stress of her job, which she figured factored into her having not heard of Luka's band, however much of a pity it was. Though she didn't say it out loud, she silently considered hopping around places they might be when she was free, hoping to catch them playing one day and surprise Luka with it.

They were still deep into their conversation when Marinette noticed that they'd reached her house. At first, she thought it was strange that they'd arrived so quickly, but looking at her phone made it clear that they'd been talking for at least thirty minutes. She hadn't gotten so absorbed in talking to someone in... well, a long time. How'd she even manage to walk that long without collapsing on the street?

Despite the fact that she felt terrible about causing him trouble by falling asleep on him and letting him walk her home, she couldn't help feeling disappointed that their time together was about to end. Luka seemed equally reluctant somehow, staring at the door she stood in front of but not immediately saying anything, though Marinette imagined that she might've been projecting what she wanted onto him.

"Um, thanks for walking me home," she told him, hands clasped together at her waist.

"You're welcome." He gave her a smile. "I'm just glad you're okay."

She nodded, hesitating for a long moment before turning to the door. She grabbed the doorknob, but didn't open it, her fingers only twisting the knob back and forth with no end goal. She bit her bottom lip, debating with herself over what she should do.

The terrible feeling increased. He was her bed and companion for the night and he was about to walk all the way back to his house with her having done nothing about it.

She had to do something for him.

Eventually, she turned to him, hoping she didn't sound too desperate as she called out, "Luka."

He seemed briefly caught off-guard, but not weirded out, which she took as a good sign. "Yes?"

"Um..." She sighed. "Would you—come inside for a bit? Maybe stay the night?"

He gaped. "Ah—"

"I mean—!" She stiffened, but didn't take it back. "At least let me thank you with dessert, you know? And it's just—you would've already been home by now and obviously I don't know if you planned on going to bed right when you got there, but I figured you could sleep over so you can still get as many hours as you can?"

He blinked at her for a few seconds, then stifled a chuckle, directing his gaze to the ground. He closed his eyes, seeming to genuinely contemplate the offer, then looked back at her with a smile. "That makes it sound like I'm the one troubling you now."

"You aren't!" she insisted, almost—no, actually offended. "And if you think so, then fine, trouble me! I want to be troubled!" She opened the door with a huff, gesturing inside with both hands. "See? Trouble is welcome here, that's what the mat is for!"

He didn't bother stifling anything this time, letting out a warm laugh that made her heart do a flip. Was he honestly charmed by her lame outbursts?

"Alright," he said once he'd calmed down, straightening and taking the steps necessary to stand next to her. "I'd be happy to, Marinette."

She beamed at him, not understanding why he'd accepted but not complaining either. Rushing inside, she held onto the door and waited for Luka to enter before shutting it behind them.

Their conversation continued right where it left off, delving into their favorite sweets as Marinette showed him around the kitchen.

[fiddlepickdouglas]

Viva Las Vegas, Pt. 2 - Desert Oasis

Summary: Sunset Curve Alive AU, Willex, was it coincidence or was it meant to be?, 2.3k

@trevor-wilson-covington is my bestie who makes me these lovely edits, we stan supportive friends

Part 1

The boys entered the empty theater from backstage, all gazing at the splendor of it. Luke leapt onto the stage with a stomp, smiling at the echo. Alex just took in the high ceiling, the lights, and the private boxes that made it feel less like a concert venue and more like a mini operahouse. Reggie seemed to think something similar, and by extension made some wobbly ballerina spins across the stage. Not to miss an opportunity to show good form, Alex pirouetted and ended with a jeté, unable to resist feeling smug.

“Now that Alex has christened the stage,” Bobby said. “When do we do a sound check?”

“The stage manager guy said not till about five,” Luke mentioned. “So we can do whatever we need until then.”

“Then why’d we get here so early?”

Both Alex and Reggie gave Bobby funny looks. They knew why. Bobby’s face went from confusion to understanding as he added things together. Luke was already heading back toward the green room. Julie Molina hadn’t arrived yet, but he was clearly excited for when she did. He was probably compiling lyrics to show her.

“Met her once and he’s twitterpated,” Bobby joked, Reggie chuckling after him. “Bet you know what that’s all about, though, right Alex?”

“Well...” Alex said in a high-pitched voice. He wasn’t entirely sure if it was the same thing. Willie was nice, and seemed to accept his invitation, but he didn’t dare assume.

“Come on, that waiter couldn’t keep his eyes off you,” Bobby insisted.

“Waiter?” Reggie puzzled. “What waiter?”

Alex looked at him, sticking his tongue in his cheek. “Really?”

Reggie shook his head, still clueless. Bobby stuck his hands in his pockets.

“Your friend, Smooth McDuck, here practically asked him out right in front of us,” he said. “How many pancakes did you eat anyway?”

“Ooooh that waiter!” Reggie said, finally.

“Okay,” Alex muttered to himself as they continued toward the green room. He didn’t want to get his hopes too high, especially with Bobby being so encouraging. Part of him was almost afraid of seeing Willie actually show up at the show tonight. It was more from the uncertainty of what Alex would do if he saw him again because he didn’t trust himself to keep his cool. How he’d managed it back in the diner he attributed to either his upset stomach or mild shock. 

As they reached the green room, Luke was on the phone, a concentrated look on his face. A crew member sat with his arms folded next to him.

“Uh huh...okay, thank you.” He sighed. “Yeah, sure thing. Thanks, bye.” He hung up and ran his hands over his face.

“What was that about?” Alex asked.

“Just called the motel to see when we could check in and they’re flooded, plus their other rooms are full,” Luke told them. “But they’re gonna give us our money back and hopefully we can find somewhere soon.”

Everyone groaned at the inconvenience. Finding somewhere in Vegas that they could afford within a handful of hours sounded practically impossible.

“Who wants to go hotel hunting?” Bobby said solemnly, looking around for more volunteers.

“I’ll do it,” Reggie responded.

“Me too,” Alex followed. “Is there a phone book?”

“I got you,” the crew member said, going back to a closet and pulling one out. He handed it to Alex, who proceeded to flip through the yellow pages.

“Anyone got a notepad so we can write numbers down?” he asked.

After a bit of scrambling between the rest of them, a pen and notepad were provided.

“I’m gonna go get the cash back,” Luke said, heading out to the van and disappearing.

In a combination of checking their map and collecting a list of numbers and locations, the other three looked at their options.

“Okay, I say we take turns making calls,” he said.

For the next hour Bobby, Reggie and Alex rotated between contacting numerous hotels and writing down prices and seeing where reservations were open. Most places were too expensive, the rest were booked. They were down to the last two numbers, and Reggie was on the second to last call.

“We need two rooms. Or one with room for four, if you have that,” he was saying for the umpteenth time. The silence thickened with anticipation, and then thinned out again. “No problem. Thanks anyway, bye.”

Hanging the receiver, Reggie sighed heavily.

“Man, if this last one doesn’t work, I am gonna hate driving back overnight,” Bobby stated.

“Me too, I can’t fall asleep in the car,” Reggie said. “I don’t know how Luke does it.”

“Well, let’s try this last one and hope for the best,” Alex told them.

He picked up the receiver again and dialed the last number, listening to it connect to the operator and then start ringing.

“Thanks for calling the Desert Oasis, my name is William, how can I help you?” A familiar voice said on the other line.

Alex dropped his jaw.

“Willie?” he breathed. Bobby and Reggie perked up in interest. Luke reentered the green room as he returned from collecting their money.

“Um...yes?” Willie answered in confusion. “Who am I speaking to?”

Alex chuckled nervously, avoiding the looks on all his friends’ faces.

“It’s, uh...it’s Alex. You work at a hotel too?” One of the guys playfully socked him in the shoulder and he swatted them away.

“Yeah, I do.” He could hear the slight happy tone in his voice and had to make himself focus on the task at hand.

“Cool, well, me and the guys are actually kinda desperate. Do you have any open rooms?”

“We should.” Alex pumped his fist excitedly at those words. He could see the rest of the guys’ faces light up.

“Do you want one with four beds or two with two beds?” Willie continued.

“What’s cheaper?”

“The one room. How many nights do you need?”

“Just tonight,” Alex told him.

There was a short pause on the other line.

“Okay, I’ve got you in.”

“Yes!” Alex exclaimed, to which the boys started celebrating. Luke and Bobby hollered while Reggie gave everyone high-fives. Honestly, if Willie had been in the room, Alex might have nearly choked him with a tight hug. “Thank you, Willie, thank you, thank you!”

WIllie giggled on the other line.

“Of course! You guys should check in soon though.”

“Yes, right,” Alex calmed from his euphoria. “We’ll be there as soon as we can. Thank you, again!”

“Yeah man, I’ll see you soon!”

Alex hung up and ran his hands through his hair in relief.

Luke wrapped an arm around Alex and thumped his chest, and Alex in turn messed up his hair.

“Okay boys, let’s get checked in!” Luke cried as they all ran to clamber into the van again.

Alex was still wonderstruck at the idea of seeing Willie again. It had been only a couple of hours; maybe he’d been nervous at the thought of him appearing later that evening but now he was too excited for that. Even though it was a short drive, he made sure to ride shotgun this time. The last thing he wanted was for the nausea to resurface.

As they arrived, Alex grabbed his backpack and headed straight for the front desk. It was empty, but soon a man with dark curly hair came around the corner and stepped behind it.

“Sunset Curve, I presume?” he asked. He had a slight accent that Alex couldn’t place. Maybe it was French? Either way, he was disappointed not to see Willie there. The rest of the guys had piled in behind him.

“Yeah, man, that’s us!” Luke said, stepping forward.

“Tell your friends!” Reggie quipped habitually. The concierge gave him a stiff but polite smile. Luke quickly handed him the cash to pay for their stay and he was handed a room key.

“Your room will be on the second floor and then all the way down the hall to your right. Have a wonderful stay.”

Alex sat in disbelief while Luke had handled everything, so Reggie had to nudge him. Returning to the present, he shouldered his backpack and followed the boys to the elevator. He didn’t like the unsettling feeling descending on him like a shadow. It was more than just not seeing Willie upon arrival, but he couldn’t explain it just yet. A small pat to his shoulder diverted his attention.

“He’ll be around here somewhere,” Bobby assured him.

Alex nodded back to him, glad for the support. This was a newer side he was seeing from Bobby, and it was a change that strangely didn’t make him completely freak out.

As they got into their room, Reggie sprawled onto the main bed as though he were landing on a cloud. Luke claimed the couch, which Bobby insisted was a pullout bed as well. They all got to argue over which territory they claimed, and found out that the couch was just a couch, but there was a bed that came down off the wall in the closet. Reggie had brought his stuffed bear and placed it on the main bed, saying it was now being “reserved”. In retaliation, Bobby threatened to be the big spoon, to which Reggie replied “I’ll just be the bigger spoon!” in a very flustered manner. Alex sat on the bed from the wall with his legs crossed, enjoying the insanity.

“What you should really be fighting over is who gets to shower first,” he said, knowing the seeds of chaos he was sowing.

“Dibs! I call dibs!” Reggie yelled, raising a hand.

“Not if you can’t get in there first,” Luke said as he passed him on the way to the bathroom. This caused a comical fight to enter the bathroom, which Reggie ultimately lost.

“They know there’s showers at the venue, right?” Bobby muttered over to Alex.

“Not if we don’t tell ‘em,” Alex murmured back, giving him a fist bump. He preferred not to wait for all three of them at either location to finish getting cleaned up after the show.

Bobby picked up Luke’s acoustic and started playing around, and quickly Reggie sat on the floor to listen. Alex didn’t feel up to jamming and decided he needed to get out.

“I’m gonna take a walk,” he announced, to which the other boys only nodded. He caught Reggie’s hypnotized expression as he looked up at Bobby and chuckled as he made his way out the door. He wondered if they would ever figure it out.

Alex pulled a drumstick out of his fanny pack and dragged it along the wall of the hotel, tapping a simple rhythm. This place was across the street from the diner, he’d noticed on their way in. The temptation to search for Willie grew, but he questioned it for a moment. Was he really going to get feelings for a guy he’d barely met and likely wouldn’t see after this trip? It seemed a little crazy.

He came to the end of the hallway and peered through the window overlooking the street. It was kind of a pretty view of the Red Rock Canyon, and would have been even better if the window had been wider. The sun was bright, inviting him to go outside. It isn’t searching for Willie, it’s just getting fresh air, he told himself. He took the stairs down to the main floor and waved at the concierge as he pushed his way out the door.

The wind had picked up a little, and Alex breathed in as the breeze swept over him. The heat was a little more intense than back home, but he liked the change. Heading toward the sidewalk, he chose to try just walking around the block before going back up to the room. Being on the outskirts of the city was thankfully much quieter.

Quiet enough to hear the gentle click-rooolllllll of small wheels behind him.

Before he could fully turn around, Alex was hit full force with someone’s entire body weight and they both landed together on the concrete. Grunting in pain, he looked to see Willie on the ground beside him, hand on top of a cracked helmet.

“There are better ways of getting my attention,” he said hoarsely, standing up.

“Sorry, I was meaning to stop before I got to you,” Willie said, chuckling through his own pain and holding onto his skateboard. Alex offered him a hand and Willie took it to help himself up. The closeness already had Alex catching his breath and he mentally begged to hold himself together repeatedly.

“So I don’t get it, do you just run back and forth between the hotel and the diner as you’re needed?” Alex asked.

Willie’s eyes went side to side and he shrugged.

“Sort of,” he told him. “It makes every day different.”

Alex caught a glimpse at his other hand and saw the newly opened sore that wasn’t being mentioned.

“Willie, your hand!” He cried, carefully taking hold of it so the palm faced up.

“It’s no big deal,” Willie said while trying to pull it away. Alex kept a firm grip on his wrist so he couldn’t hide it. “I’ve had worse.”

“Well, you shouldn’t stay cut open,” Alex scolded gently. He dug into his fanny pack and pulled out an alcohol cotton pad and some bandaids.

“Do you seriously carry those with you everywhere?” Willie wondered as Alex opened the packet.

“You’ve seen my friends, right?” was his only response. He continued to clean Willie’s hand, ignoring his winces, gasps and reflexive jerking, and then covered it the best he could with the bandaids. Willie just bit his lip and sighed.

“You used to play doctor with your teddy bear as a kid, huh?”

Alex looked at him and the adorable expression on his face was too much. He smirked.

“Right, hah. Not gonna be a problem, will it?”

Retaining his smile, Willie sat backward and raised his eyebrows.

“Problem? I don’t think so.”

He dropped his board and kicked off.

“Hey, where are you going?” Alex said, running after him.

Willie simply nodded for him to follow, and it was all too compelling. Holding the strap on his fanny pack, he ran to catch up, unsure where they were headed.

[viastro]

you were beautiful (49/50)

ミ★ synopsis: a modernized cinderella au, in which you and joshua meet through your love for boba popsicles.

ミ★ taglist: @babiesanshine​​​ @shoshishua​​​ @dinolovebot​​​ @uglyratlmao​​​ @vannitey​​​ @xmberkxm​​​ @snowyseungs​​​ @rjsmochii​​​ @s1ardusk​​​ @idkmybias​​​ @dnylwoo​​​ @monstathedisco​​​ @kpopstanh​​​ @hannahdinse8​​​ @neojpg​​​ @jos-hua​​​ @urlocalcaratclown​​​ @horangrawr​​​ @k-pop-ology​​​ @mingyuahjumma​​​ @sw00zi​​​ @mvltimoon​​​ @chxrryskz​​​ @renjunluvr119​​​ @aning-bestboi​​​ @bat-shark-repellant​​​ @lynniac​​​ @the1921-monsters​​​​ @lieminoh​​​ @ayla-hathway​​​ @7829-kamie​​​ @cardtak​​ @sungieeeeeee​​ @svt-sunflower​​ @tzuyuzu​​ @icywhatim​​ @marvel-snowbaz​​ @omgnctchina​​ @whazzaspam​​​​​ @bobrouxsky​​​​ @holyakaashi​​​​ @haven-cove​​​​​ @lowkeycarat​​​​​ @dwcljh​​​​​ @psshwa​​​​​ @yamashiro888​​​​​ @seokslt​​​​​ @jeninsane​​​​​ @xxbluestrifexx​​​​ @brbkpop​​​​​ @rqinytears​​​​​ @beanpolegyu​​​​​ @icedoutmywristtitanic​​​​​ @sncaffee​​​​​ @silverstonemanor​​​​ @itsdnguyenxoxo​​​​​ @veryberryshort​​​​​ @peachymira​​​​​ @frogiehao​​​​​ @gothiccguk​​​​​ @sucshan​​​​​ @mariecoura​​​​​ @cutiejoshi​​​​​ @muhanuibean​​​​ @simplewonderland​​​​ @bobagyu​​​​​ @seungcheoluwu​​​ @youdawonu​​​ @i-cant-choose-one-group​​ @softsichengie​ @peekabooseoksoon​ @lcveletter​

let me know if you wanna get added !

ミ★ can’t tag: @humongousdreamerexpertpie @artichoke-09 @datte-bae-yo @queenkia3200  @minghao-will-be-the-death-of-me @ngayongabi @kingjaehyunz @chittaprawn

“Mom, I have a weird feeling about today.” Your mom turns around to glance at you, taking sight of your nervous expression. She gives you a smile, shaking her head before going back to slicing the green onions. “You have no reason to feel weird, I bet you just have to poop.”

“But I already did!”

“Then go again!” You finally let out a small chuckle, and walk over to your mom, wrapping your arms around her waist. Resting your chin on her shoulder, she lets out a laugh as you start grumbling about having already pooped in the afternoon.

“Why do you feel weird?” Your mom asks you, and you shrug, shuffling over with her when she steps to the side to grab the pan. “I don’t know. I just feel funky, like something big is gonna happen today and I can’t tell whether it’ll be good or bad.” 

“What are you, a psychic?” You release your hold of your moms waist, softly hitting her shoulder due to her joke and she laughs. You lean against the counter, looking at your mom with a content expression.

Remembering the events of the previous months, knowing that you’re able to have Joshua in your life as well as your mom being able to keep her job, you can’t help but feel incredibly grateful. 

Soo-ah hasn’t made contact with you or any of the boys after Eunha told their dad about what happened. Well, with the boys you know that she can’t contact them because they all blocked her on their social medias. However, her dad made her write handwritten apologies to you, Joshua, as well as your mom for using her against you. He said, and you quote, “I feel like making Soo-ah write a handwritten apology letter to you guys is a lot more memorable than having her just send you guys a text. I think it makes her feel more embarrassed too. If I were you, I’d frame the letter and put it up on your wall for funsies!” 

Other than that, you don’t know how she’s been, or what she’s been doing. What you do know though, is that her and Eunha’s relationship is slowly developing again from what you’ve been told. And honestly? That’s the only update you wanted to hear about Soo-ah.

you can forgive, but you will never forget.

Your mom turns to glance at you, finding you looking at her with a dazed expression on your face. She grins, before sticking her tongue out in an attempt to get you to stop staring and you laugh. Your phone goes off on the kitchen table, and you walk over to see Eunha’s text saying she’s here.

“Oh! Eunha’s here, I’ll see you later mom.” You press a quick kiss to your mom’s cheek before walking out of the kitchen. “Be safe!” She calls after you, and you let out a smile. Slipping into your sneakers, you step out of the house and speed-walk over to Eunha’s car.

“Get in bitch we’re going shopping!” Eunha yells when she rolls down the passenger side window, and you roll your eyes at her. Opening the door, you practically leap into the car and put your seatbelt on.

“Well someone’s excited.”

“More like nervous! I don’t know why I feel like something’s going to happen, maybe my mom was right. Maybe I do have to poop.” You begin to think to yourself at the possibility of you having to shit, but you can feel that your stomach doesn’t want to do that right now.

thank god. 

“I mean if you have to shit, I can take you back to your house cause I know pooping in public restrooms is kinda gross-”

“No! I’m fine. I just have a feeling.” Eunha lets out a sly smile, turning her face away so that you can’t catch it. You pull out your phone, checking to see if you have a text from Joshua, only to have no new notifications. Eunha glances over and sees you pout at your screen, “God you’re whipped.”

“No I’m not!”

“Just say you love him and go baby. It’s been a month since the incident blew over and you guys are actually inseparable now.” Eunha says, taking a left at the stop light. You scoff, turning towards the window and looking at your surroundings. You’re heading in the direction of the boba shop you and Joshua always go to, and you let out an excited grin.

“Are we hanging out at the boba shop today? Joshua wouldn’t tell me anything.” Eunha smiles, shaking her head ‘no’. “I just bought us boba because I’m craving milk tea. This is just a short stop in the journey. I’m going to let you go and pick up the boba, I’ll be waiting by the curb. Make sure to say your name for the order!” 

You nod your head as she pulls over, and you hop out of the car. You place your phone into your pocket and open the door of the shop, stepping inside and walking over to the counter. “Hi! I have two orders for yn.” 

The employee gives you a smile, telling you one moment before stepping into the back to get your drinks. You turn your head to look around the shop, only to let out a squeak once you realize that Wonwoo is standing right beside you. You stare at him with wide eyes and he just gives a small chuckle to your reaction.

“The hell are you doing here?”

“I’m here to take you to your next destination. Oh, thank you so much.” Wonwoo takes the two bobas from the employee due to your inability to pay attention to two things at once. He hands you your milk tea, before pulling out a daisy from the back of his shirt. You raise an eyebrow at him, carefully taking the delicate flower from his grasp.

“What’s going on…” He gives you a grin as a response, wrapping his arm around you and taking you out of the shop. “Are you riding with Eunha and I?” 

You stare at the now empty curb spot where Eunha was once parked, and you curse to yourself. Wonwoo chuckles, “We will be taking my car by the way. I’m too lazy to walk you there.” 

“The hell is going on Wonwoo?” You ask as he opens the passenger side door for you, letting you step in first before closing the door and heading over to the driver's seat.

“Nothing much. Just a little… scavenger hunt I guess you can say.” 

“A scavenger hunt?”

“Shh, just enjoy the adventure yn.” Wonwoo tells you before turning on the engine. You roll your eyes, letting them close as he pulls out of the parking spot. Continuing to think to yourself, 

what the fuck is going on.

You now have eight daisies in your hand, and Soonyoung and Jihoon are taking you to your next destination. You stare at Soonyoung as he goes on about how exciting the past couple days have been and how he can’t wait for you to get to the last destination after this. Jihoon nudges him, telling him to be quiet and Soonyoung lets out a small giggle.

“I’ve been to four different places and none of you have told me what’s going on!” You whine and Soonyoung just wraps his arm around your shoulders and pats your head. “Use that big brain of yours Ms.Honor Roll. Think of what each of these places have in common.” 

You begin to walk silently as you try and remember the possible theme that’s occurring. Soonyoung gives you a small smile, and Jihoon grins at your concentrated face as you try to think. The boba shop was the first destination where you met Wonwoo. Then he brought you to the cafe where Vernon and Seungkwan were waiting for you with two daisies in hand. They later took you to the restaurant with good boba and brisket where you saw Seungcheol, Jeonghan, and Seokmin holding three daisies out for you. Now you’re walking with Soonyoung and Jihoon, who you originally met up with at the venue the winter ball took place.

wait.

“Does this have something to do with where I met all of you?” You ask and Soonyoung lets out a chuckle while Jihoon just shakes his head in disappointment. “I’ll take that as a no…” 

“So much for being big brained.” Jihoon jokes and you reach out to hit his shoulder when Soonyoung interrupts. 

“We’re here!” You look up and see the bright red Hmart sign reflecting back at you, and you let out a smile. “Are you sure this isn’t some scavenger hunt to reminisce about the places I first met you guys?” 

“Need to think a bit deeper than that.”

You put your hand to your chin, putting on your best thinking face. Jihoon snickers at your expression, leaning onto Soonyoung who is also chuckling at you. Failing to come up with anything, you ask, “Can I have another hint?”

“Ask Minghao.” Jihoon says while pointing to your right. You turn your head to see Minghao, Jun, Mingyu, and Chan walking over to you with excited smiles and a daisy in hand. Once they’re close enough, they each hand you the daisy  and you grin at the colorful assortment. 

“Can I have a hint Hao?”

“No.” 

“Damn.” Soonyoung and Jihoon laugh at the quick end to the conversation, before waving bye to you and heading in the opposite direction. You turn back to the four boys who are looking at you with knowing smiles. 

“Where’s Joshua? He’s the only one I haven’t seen yet.” You ask and Mingyu pats your head. 

“You’ll find out soon. Come on, let’s go to Minghao’s car.” You glance at the fashionable man who dangles his car keys in front of your eyes with a happy grin. You open your mouth to say something when Jun beats you to it.

“I can’t believe the last time I went to Hmart was when Jihoon tried to kill Soonie almost four or five months ago.” The four of you turn to Jun, who lets out a little content sigh. You all let out a laugh as you make it to Minghao’s car, you being shoved into the backseat just to be squished between Mingyu and Chan. 

“It feels like it was just yesterday that Joshua tried to be a hero and pull Woozi off Soonie, just for Woozi to literally shove Joshua backwards onto yn.” Mingyu says, and you shudder at the reminder of your poor boba popsicles suffering the brunt of it. 

“Well, if that didn’t happen we wouldn’t be here right now.” Minghao states as he turns on the engine. He reaches his hand around the back of the passenger seat as he turns his head to look for any cars while he backs up. Chan looks up at him with wide eyes, lifting his hand up to his mouth at the visual. You let out a small giggle as the youngest squeals and covers his face jokingly.

“You’re so gross.” Jun laughs at Minghao’s comment, while Mingyu takes a photo of Chan’s sad expression. Rolling your eyes, you smile down at the flowers in your lap, feeling a sense of happiness at how the past few months have worked out.

“Okay yn, we have to cover your eyes.” You look up at Chan with wide eyes, before your vision gets taken from you and everything turns black.

“WHAT THE FUCK!” Mingyu holds you while you struggle, Jun tying the blindfold over your eyes as quickly as he can. “I’m being KIDNAPPED!”

“No you’re not! It’s just for a second, we can’t let you see this place yet.” You pout, turning your head towards Mingyu and biting his shoulder. He lets out a scream, making Chan panic and Minghao to shout at you guys to calm down. 

“She’s biting me! SHE’S BITING ME!!”

“You guys are fucking DISTRACTING ME!” 

“DISTRACTING YOU?! MY SHOULDER’S BEING BIT OFF- OW YN PLEASE!!”

“Yn! Stop biting Mingyu you fucking cannibal!” Jun happily films the whole altercation on his phone, which you are unable to see as your vision is fucking gone. Once Chan is able to pull you off of Mingyu, the two of you complain for the rest of the ride. While, Mingyu whines about his shoulder, you mope about being blindfolded until Minghao finally parks at the unknown destination.

“It’s like driving unruly three year olds.” Minghao mutters under his breath as he steps out of the driver's seat. Jun grabs your free hand to help guide you out of the car, while you clutch the daisies tightly in the other. You tentatively place your feet onto the cement, and you immediately feel more anxious about walking blindly.

“I don’t like this. I want my sight back.” You whine, to which Chan just rests his hands on both your shoulders from behind. “It’s okay! We’re great guides.” 

“I sure hope so.” 

And with that, the four of you begin walking. Well, more like you taking tiny steps while Chan pushes you and Jun pulls you. It works great until Jun pulls you too hard and you trip over the curb and onto the pavement.

“OH MY GOD YN!”

“You BITCH!”

“I’M SO SORRY!” 

“Great guides my fucking ASSHOLE!” You yell, grumbling as you stand up. You quickly turn in the direction you believe Minghao is in and ask him to check if the daisies are okay. Minghao snickers at the fact that you’re facing the opposite way, but doesn’t let you know.

“They’re just fine yn, don’t worry.” You let out a relieved smile, and the five of you begin walking again. You try to make out where you are by listening to your surroundings, to which you can hear some people around you and the sound of trees rustling due to the slight wind. Yet you’re unable to tell where you are. 

“Okay yn, we’re here. Keep your blindfold on though, we’ll be back.”

“Heh?”

“I said we’ll be back!” Minghao repeats from a farther distance, and you internally panic.

“I beg your pardon?!” 

“Don’t worry!”

“WHAT! You’re just going to leave me here?!” You yell, hearing their running feet. When you don’t get a response, you let out a nervous sigh. Crossing your arms, you patiently wait for the four boys to come back. 

“Yn!” You frown at the sound of Seungcheol’s deep voice, wondering why he’s here instead of the four buffoons you came here with. “Cheol?!”

“Take off your blindfold!” Jeonghan shouts, and with your free hand, you reach up and untie the blindfold. The bright sky makes you immediately shut your eyes, before slowly opening them again. The sun is setting, and the clouds are in  variations of the shades pink and orange. You look straight ahead, and your eyes widen at the sight of your thirteen friends who took you on an adventure holding balloons in their hands. 

“What is going on?” You ask, raising your hand up to your mouth as you let out surprised chuckles. You turn your head to take in your surroundings, and that’s when you realize they took you to the park Joshua and you went to after coffee got spilled on you.

wait...

“Where’s Joshua?” They all turn to glance at each other before they separate down the middle, revealing the sparkly eyed man. He’s holding a bouquet of lilies in one hand, and an unopened boba in the other. You let out a small smile as he nervously chuckles.

“What’s going on Shua?” He doesn’t answer, instead choosing to walk up to you so that you’re not a foot apart. You take notice of his red ears, a sign that he’s feeling shy. 

“Oh! Here’s your boba.” You laugh as he hands you your second boba of the day, and you place it beside your feet. The two of you stand in a nervous silence for a moment, and your guys’ thirteen impatient friends stare holes into the back of Joshua’s head as they wait for him to make a move.

“Did you figure out the meaning behind all the places the gang took you?” Joshua finally asks, and you give him a smile. “They were all significant to our relationship.” 

“Oooo, Joshie she said relationship!” Mingyu teases in the back, making the two of you giggle at each other. After a second of laughing, Joshua regains his composure again, and gives you an anxious smile. 

“You seem nervous-”

“I love you.” He blurts out, and your eyes widen. 

“I’ve loved you from the moment you took me here to help me calm down, even though you got coffee spilled onto yourself because of me. You still thought of my well being first.” Joshua places the bouquet down by his feet before continuing. “The sun was setting, and you were taking a picture of the skyline. You turned around to look at me after you heard the sound of my camera going off with the biggest smile on your face. At that moment, I thought you were beautiful.” 

Joshua feels his heart violently pound against his ears as he watches a blush rise in your cheeks. He lets out a smile, staring at the way your eyes sparkle at him. He finds himself falling in love again. 

“I thought you were the most beautiful thing I’ve ever laid eyes on. I knew I’d never forget that moment, and I knew from then on that you are someone I’d never want to lose. Yn, you’re so precious to me. I want to make sure that you always feel loved, and that you get all the happiness in the world, because you deserve that. You deserve so much, and I want to help give you that.” You clutch the daisies tightly in your hand, struggling to find words as the guy you love just fucking confessed to you. You watch as Joshua’s eyes widen when he realizes something he should’ve said, so he quickly adds, “Only if you’ll let me! Of course.” 

The two of you stand in silence for a moment afterwards, you letting all his words sink in, and him feeling like he’s either going to vomit out of nervousness or pass out. Waiting for your response feels like a million years, when in reality it’s just a few seconds until the biggest smile forms on your face. 

“I love you too.” Your friends let out a scream, but you pay no mind to their squealing as you look into Joshua’s eyes that are now wide open. He stares at you with a look of disbelief.

“Wait, deadass?”

“SHE SAID SHE LOVES YOU AND YOU ASK HER IF SHE’S BEING DEADASS?!” Minghao screams from behind Joshua, causing you to start laughing. Joshua turns around and shoots him a glare, before turning back to you and letting out a breath.

You look down at the ground with a bright blush on your face, squeezing the daisies tightly in your hand as you try to force your heart to stop beating so violently in your chest. Only to freeze when Joshua’s hands softly cup both sides of your face, and he lifts your head up so that you’re looking into his eyes. There’s inches between you two, and you’re 100% sure he can hear your rapid heartbeat against your chest. He glances down at your lips before looking back up into your eyes.

“Can I kiss you?” 

jeonghan, mingyu, and eunha let out a squeal from behind joshua, but you choose to ignore that in favor of responding with, 

“Yeah, of course you can.” 

Joshua lets out a smile, before looking down at your lips with a determined expression on his face. He leans in, and softly captures your lips with his. Butterflies swarm your stomach, and you reach up and rest a hand to his cheek. Joshua’s hands travel down to your waist, pulling you closer to him.

“Aye! I guess Joshua isn’t a twink anymore.” Vernon comments from behind and the two of you burst into laughter, effectively breaking the kiss. You both turn to look at the group who is now cheering and jumping up and down at the two of you now being official. Eunha and Minghao are wiping away their own tears, while Soonyoung and Seungkwan scream excitedly. Joshua rolls his eyes at them, before wrapping his arms around you and pulling you into a tight hug. He cradles your head, and your heart warms at the feeling. You close your eyes, nuzzling your head into his neck with a smile gracing your features.

so this is what love is like.

masterlist | next

ミ★ a/n: okay no offense... but i’ve reread this like ten million times and added small little details each time. i’ve also cried like three times while writing this it’s so funny i’m absolutely devastated. 

[fatiguing-thoughts]

“Natural” - Chapter 7 - Embry Call x Reader

Graduation Party

I roll over in bed, waking up once again to an empty pillow to the side of me. 

I was getting used to Embry falling asleep with me, though I don’t think I would ever get used to him not being there when I woke up, the lonely feeling it left behind was quite intense. 

 I sit up, rubbing my eyes. I walk over to my desk to find the usual good morning note from Embry. 

I take the note and put it in a little box, with the others I’ve saved from him. 

I look over at the time, seeing it to be only a little before 8:00. I decided that I should probably join my dad downstairs for some cereal and chatting before he heads off to work on this fine Friday morning. 

“Hey dad.” I walk down the stairs and greet him in the kitchen. 

“Hey kid. Leah was here last night?” He asks, taking a bite of his frosted flakes. 

“Yeah, we watched some movies and talked, caught up a bit.” I grab a bowl to pour my own. 

I sit down at the table across from him, taking a bite of my cereal. 

“So what’s going on tonight, any big plans for the weekend?” He asks me. 

“Yeah, I’m actually going to Bella’s graduation party tonight.” I smile at him. 

“That sounds like fun, Billy mentioned that to me. The guys are going, too, right?” He asks me with a slight face of concern.

“Yes, dad. They’ll be there. What’re you worried about?” I laugh. 

“I worry about everything, I’m a dad.” He chuckles. 

“Alright there, dad. There’s nothing to worry about. Jacob, Quil, and Embry are going. I’m the tag along. Nothing usually gets past them.” I laugh. 

“No, not usually. They all really shot up since we left.” His eyes widen, soft laughter escaping his lips. 

“I know, it’s crazy. I can’t believe it.” 

“How tall is Jacob now? Him and Embry are really up there.” 

“Jake is 6’7 and Embry is 6’4.” I take another bite. 

“Wow. When’re you gonna grow?” He laughs. 

“Hey, relax there. Not all of us hit insane growth spurts.” I defend. 

“I know. Just messing with you.” 

“Yeah, I get it. Bully your daughter. Ha ha.” I smirk.

“Oh stop. You know I love you more than anything.” He gets up to put his bowl in the sink, nudging my shoulder on his way over. 

“I know, I love you, too.” 

“So how’s the Embry thing going on?” He asks. 

“Pretty good.” I felt the heat rushing to my cheeks. 

“I’m really glad it was Embry, honestly. He’s a good kid.” He puts a hand on my shoulder. 

“He is.” My cheeks still held that red tint. 

“Well, I should get going now. I’ll see you later, if not-- enjoy the party and keep in touch.” He kisses the top of my head before leaving. 

I finish my cereal and clean it up. 

Heading up the stairs I feel a little tired still from the night before. I lay back in bed to relax, maybe play on my phone for a bit. 

I unlock my phone and see some messages from the guys. 

“We’re gonna pick you up at 7. Be ready.” - Jake

“Good morning, bean. I love you and I can’t wait to see you today. Can I come over before the party?” - Embry

“(Y/N) important question. Do you think that snails are animals? Are slugs just homeless snails? I saw one on my porch last night and it’s keeping me up. Lmk what you think.” - Quil 

I shake my head, wondering why I even have a phone in the first place. I decide to text them all back. 

“You got it, chief.” 

“Good morning, Em. I love you, too. Come over whenever you can :)” 

“According to google, snails are basically octopuses. I don’t know about the slugs, though, bud. Do some research and keep me posted.” 

I laugh as I put my phone on my nightstand, walking over to my mirror. 

I look myself up and down, in my pajama shorts and a band t-shirt from a concert Embry and I went to three years ago in Port Angeles. I remember it like it was just yesterday. 

Embry and I walked around the venue after the show, passing by the merch table to take a peak. 

“Oh wow, that shirt’s pretty cool, look.” I point to him. 

“It is, why don’t you get it?” He asks. 

“I don’t know, I really shouldn’t buy it. My dad would get annoyed at me for buying another band tee.” I shrug my shoulders in disappointment, as I usually get a shirt at every show we went to. 

“Ah, that’s fair. Sorry, bean.” He pats me on the back. 

“It’s alright, I’m gonna head to the bathroom.” I let him know and he walks me over to the bathroom before entering the men’s room himself. 

I walk out a few moments later to see a smiling Embry, holding onto his backpack straps. 

“You ready to catch the train back?” I ask.

“Yeah, let’s go.” He smiles.

We make our way back to the train station and sit down, beginning our hour and a half journey. 

“Hey, (Y/N)? Can I tell you something?” 

“Yeah, what’s up?” I look up into his sweet brown eyes, filled with excitement. 

“So I got that shirt. I really liked it and I kinda wanted to add it to my collection. I just don’t want you to be upset with me.” He looks at me, pursing his lips. 

“No I’m not mad, Em. Why would I be mad at you? You’ll look great in it. You always get a shirt, we have our concert shirt collection going on.” I smile up at him, kinda kicking myself for not buying one to keep the tradition-- though not wanting to be lectured by my dad for it being a “waste of money.” 

“Great, I didn’t think you’d be mad. Especially because I got you one, too.” He smiles, reaching into his bag. 

“Embry! Why would you do that? Don’t spend your money on me.” I scold, trying to hide the blushing and insane smiling from appearing on my face. 

“Oh, shut up. You wanted the shirt, I wanted to get you the shirt. We both got what we wanted.” He smiles. 

“But, Emb-” 

“No, shh. Just say thank you and wear it.” He smiles, wrapping an arm around my shoulder. 

“Thank you, Em.” I look up into his eyes, not even attempting to hide my severe blushing. 

“Anything for you, bean.” He smiles. 

I hold the shirt in my hands, clutching it excitedly. A yawn escapes my lips but I try to fight it back.

“You can lay on my shoulder, take a nap. I’ll wake you up when we get there.” He smiles. 

I nod, placing my head on his shoulder and falling asleep.

I observe how long it is for me, as he bought it in his size because “it’s just cuter that way” as he would say. 

Sitting down on my bed, I unlock my phone to see the responses from Embry and Quil, Jake only gave my message a thumbs up. 

“I’m on my way, should be there in a few minutes :)” - Embry 

“I’m on it.” - Quil 

I smirk before I make my bed and try to tidy up my room, just what I teased Embry about yesterday. 

A few minutes into me cleaning, I hear my phone going off. It was Embry texting me that he was here and to let him in. 

I jog down the stairs and open the door to see an excited Embry. 

“Good morning.” He picks me up in his arms and spins me around. 

“Hey there, Embry.” I giggle into his neck.

He places me back on the floor and I lead him upstairs. 

We get into my room and I notice his staring. 

“Is something wrong?” I ask him, eyes widening in nervousness. 

“No, no. God no. I just-- you look cute like that. I just, I like your outfit.” He stumbles upon his words. 

“Thank you, Em.” I blush. 

“I’m glad I got you it in my size. Maybe you should just switch over to my clothes completely. I think that would work.” He flirts, smiling like the goof that he is. 

“Hmm, maybe. I’ll steal some more of your hoodies soon.” I smirk.

“I can’t even complain.” He leans down kissing me softly. 

The kiss once again, as all the rest, felt like electricity shot through my entire body. I felt my knees going weak.

Emby’s hand on my hips felt like absolute heaven, making out with him was a rush, it felt like heaven on earth. 

He pulls away, placing his forehead on my own.

“Hi.” He breathes. 

“Hey.” I smile. 

“Wanna watch some Rick & Morty?” He asks.

“Sure.” I laugh. 

We always talked about Rick & Morty while I was gone, trying to watch it together. 

We situated ourselves in my bed, my head on his chest and my legs sprawled amongst his. 

The next few hours consisted of laughter as both he and I took turns falling in and out of sleep. 

At 5:30 I decided it was time I got up to begin getting ready to go. I put some mascara on, a little lip tint, style my hair and head over to my closet. 

“Whatcha doing, bean?” Embry asks, a yawn escaping his soft lips. 

“I’m trying to figure out what to wear to this party. Are you guys dressing up?” I turn around, and eye him up.

“T-shirt and jeans, all of us. Except maybe you. I’m sure the others will be dressed up but don’t feel pressured.” He smirks. 

“I see. I should have known.” I smirk. 

I search through my closet, feeling Embry’s hands find my waist behind me, pressing a kiss to the back of my head.

“You’ll look great in anything you wear.” He whispers.

“Thank you.” Thankfully he couldn’t see my blushing from behind my head. 

“Ya know, I’d say wear that. But I’d have a hard time controlling myself… And keeping you to myself.” He chuckles.

“Embry!” I laugh.

“I’m just saying, you look really cute.” He says, walking back over to my bed. 

It took me a while, but I decided on a black dressy-ish sweater, a pair of blue jeans, and a pair of black chelsea boots. 

I turn around to begin changing and I notice Embry covering his eyes, 

I giggle to myself as I change, thankful of his eye shielding-- I wasn’t ready for that just yet. 

“Thank you, Em.” I say as I finish pulling the jeans up my leg. 

“Of course.” He says, blush appearing across his cheeks. 

“You can open your eyes now.” I say when I finish, walking over to sit on his lap. 

“Hey, welcome.” He kisses my cheek.

“Look at you, the king of respecting women.” I laugh. 

“You know it, baby. Forever and always.” He laughs. 

It was true, though. Embry has always been one of the most respectful people I had ever met, especially with women-- including myself. 

“How long until Jake and Quil get here?” I ask, leaning my head into his chest. 

“Any minute now, time moves fast when I’m with you.” He presses a kiss onto my shoulder. 

“That it does, you’re my favorite way to spend my time.” I giggle. 

“You look beautiful, by the way.” He smiles into my neck, leaving a soft kiss at the nape. 

“How do you do that?” I ask. 

“Do what?” 

“Always have that effect on me? Everything you do… it just feels intense.” I admit. 

“I think that’s just because we’ve waited so long for this. You’re also my imprint, now.” He laughs softly. 

His phone begins vibrating, causing him to pull away and answer. 

“It’s Jake, they’re here.” He says hanging up the phone.

I nod and we get up, going downstairs. 

“Have fun! Be safe.” My dad smiles from the couch. 

“Thank you!” We call out in unison. 

“I’ll text you, dad. I love you.” I smile before we walk out the door and get into Jacob’s rabbit. 

“Let’s have some fun tonight.” I smile. 

“Too many leeches, but there might be pretty girls. So this could be good.” Quil chuckles from the front seat. 

“Ooh, Jacob. Pretty girls.” I say in a sing-song manner. 

“(Y/N), you know it doesn’t matter to me.” He laughs. 

“I know, but just try to have a good time. It’s my first party with you guys in like forever!” I grab the back of Quil and Jacob’s seats, bringing myself forward. 

“You’re right.” Quil agrees.

“Oh Quil, what’s the news?” I ask, referring to our conversation from this morning. 

“Oh. They’re cousins, not brothers.” He turns around to me, nodding.

“Oh damn, no way.” I smirk.

“Who?” Embry asks. 

“Snails and slugs. Ya know, the octopus things.” He shrugs. 

“I’m sorry, what?” Embry asks. 

“We’re here, please stop… whatever this is.” Jacob smirks getting out of the car. 

“I can explain later.” I grab onto Embry’s hand, following Jacob into the giant house that belonged to the Cullens. 

“Holy shit.” I mutter, walking through the enormous front door. 

“Right?” Quil agrees.

We walk up the stairs, finding the main area of the party. 

Embry stayed behind me, his hand on my lower back, guiding me up the stairs. 

“I’m not made out of glass, you know. I’ve done stairs before.” I turn around giggling. 

“Can’t risk an accident with you, bean. Especially in a house of leeches.” He reminds me. 

“Embry, stop it. I’m not that accident prone.” I defend. 

“Says the girl with five bruises just on her left leg.” He chuckles.

“Hey, don’t do this.” I laugh. 

Jacob soon finds Bella, greeting her.

“Hey, why are you here?” She asks. 

I felt strange, were we not invited?

“You invited me, remember?” Jacob responds. 

“I thought our argument and me calling you a dick was me uninviting you.” “Bella, I’m sorry. Look, I brought you a gift. I made you it.” He holds up the wolf charm bracelet that he spent hours carving. 

“You made this? It’s beautiful.” Her demeanor softened. 

“Of course.” He smiles, pulling her into a small hug. 

“Hey Bella. Congratulations.” I smile at her. 

“Oh, hey (Y/N). Thank you. I’m glad you came. Hopefully you can keep them under control.” She jokes. 

“Eh, maybe. Usually only Embry will listen to me, though. Fair warning.” I laugh. 

We sit around, listening to music for a little bit. Eating some snacks before we found our way to Bella again. As I was chatting with her and Jacob, Bella’s eyes frantically peered over to a very tiny woman on the stairs. 

“Alice. What did you see?” She asks, walking over.

“The decision has been made.” She answers, wide eyed. 

“What decision?” Jacob asks. 

We are all led into Carlisle’s office, me basically velcroed to Embry’s side, especially in such close proximity to the Cullens. 

“So they’re coming here?” Bella asks. 

“Yeah, in four days.” Alice responds. 

“We don’t have much time.” Carlisle says in a worried tone. 

“Who’s coming?” Jacob asks. 

“Newborn army. They’re coming for Bella.” Jasper says. 

We then got the whole rundown of what that actually entails, how scary of a situation this truly was.

“Wait, they’re after Bella?” Jacob asks. 

I look over at Embry, worried eyes. 

“Well, then the pack will fight.” Jacob agrees. 

Embry and Quil nod, my eyes wide with fear. 

“You think Sam would be willing to come to an understanding?” 

“Yeah.” 

“We’re going to have to train, this is a very dangerous fight. Lives could be lost. Jasper has the experience and knowledge we will need.” Carlisle explains. 

“We get to kick some ass.” The large one, Emmett, grins. 

“When do we start training?” Jacob asks. 

“Tomorrow.” Carlisle answers. 

“Okay, I’ll tell Sam tonight.” 

“Jacob, please.” Bella begs. 

“This is what you wanted, remember? We’re working together.” He really rubbed her face in it. 

“Newborns won’t even know they exist, they’ll be a great help to us. Plus we need the numbers, Bella.” Jasper reasons. 

I looked up at Embry with a worried face, feeling my heart begin to beat faster. I needed him to be okay, I needed all my friends to be okay. 

“Don’t worry, bean. Nothing is gonna happen, okay?” He whispers in my ear, leaning down to press a kiss to my temple. 

Quil looks at me, nodding in confirmation. 

“This is what we were made to do. At least we get to kill some vampires.” Jacob grins. 

Going back to the party wasn’t the same after that. I felt like I was in a constant state of nausea, like my heart was about to fly out of my chest. 

When it was time to leave, we went out and drove back to my house in complete silence. I bid Jacob and Quil a goodnight and Embry walked me to my door. 

“Did you have fun?” He asked. 

“Well I was, earlier in the night.” I admit. 

“I know, bean. But please don’t worry. Everything will be okay, this is our job. It’s in our blood, this is what we do.” He smiles, trying to comfort me as he pushes my hair behind my ear. 

“I know, I’m just scared.” I admit. 

“Don’t be, bean. I would never let anything happen to you.” His eyes stare deep into mine, seriousness completely taking over his face.

“No, I’m scared for you.” 

“Oh, don’t be. I never got hurt before, and now I have just another thing to fight for.” He softly smiles. 

“I want to come to practice.” I tell him. 

“Uh, I don’t know.” His voice trails off. 

“Embry, please. I need to know.” I plead.

“Okay, but you have to stay where it’s safe. Stay by me.” 

I nod and he pulls me into a tight hug. 

“Thank you.” I whisper. 

“I’d do anything for you.” He smiles. 

His arms find my waist before he gives me a sweet kiss goodnight. 

I manage to find the strength to go inside my house and separate from the warmth that Embry was.

Sleeping was something that seemed to be out of the question as I stared at my ceiling in complete silence for hours, mind racing with anxious thoughts. I don’t even know when I even fell asleep. 

__________________________________

Word Count: 3087

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[incognitajones]

gift fic

for @fulcrumstardust​‘s champagne birthday! 

Cheers to you, friend! Here is your wedding meet-cute, as requested; my apologies that it’s a bit late, but better late than never...

———

As a rule, Jyn didn’t much enjoy weddings. She didn’t particularly care about marriage as an institution. And as far as parties went, they were usually boring and staid, at least until everyone got drunk on cheap wine and the reception turned into a seething mass of bad dancers and handsy drunks.

Not that she’d expected Baze and Chirrut’s wedding to be like that, but still. The general principle applied.

She was glad she’d come today, though. It was genuinely moving to see Baze and Chirrut stand up in front of their friends and family and join their lives officially (though they’d been loving partners for years). The venue, and the day itself, were beautiful: an understatedly elegant restaurant on the riverbank with a view across the water, and a crystal clear autumn day with sunlight sifting through the bronze-gilt leaves.

There were maybe more guests at the wedding banquet than Jyn had expected, but again—not a wedding person. And both Baze and Chirrut tended to draw people to them (Chirrut by force if necessary, as Baze always said). Jyn recognized a few people, mostly students from the martial arts studio, though she was content to nod at them from afar and keep grazing her way through the astoundingly delicious buffet. She’d given the grooms her best wishes and a little red envelope of money already, so as soon as she’d finished eating her own body weight, she’d be on her way.

Just as she was starting to think about leaving, Baze came up beside her, took her by the arm, and said, “Come meet Chirrut’s newest stray.” She’d just about reached her quotient of new people for the day but Baze was like a (much older, grumpier) brother. Jyn didn’t want to say no to him on today of all days. So she let him lead her through the crowd sipping wine and gorging on hors d'oeuvres to where Chirrut was standing beside the dessert table.

“I brought Jyn to say hello,” Baze announced. He slid an arm around his husband and rested his cheek on the top of Chirrut’s head.

Jyn was so occupied trying not to giggle at this uncharacteristically sentimental display that she didn’t notice the other person in the group until Chirrut started an introduction.

“Ah, thank you, husband! Jyn, this is Cassian Andor—“

“Oh.” The bitten-off syllable escaped Jyn before she could hold it in.

Cassian said in a similar tone of bewilderment, “It’s you.”

“You know each other already? Really?” Chirrut asked, with an irritating note of glee in his voice. “And here I was just thinking how well you’d get along.”

“Not exactly.” Cassian’s low voice was just as magnetically attractive as Jyn remembered it. And then she wanted to kick herself for remembering. “But we’ve met.”

Baze cleared his throat. “I see Mrs. Jiang over there, Chirrut, we should thank her for the gift.”

“Yes!” Chirrut agreed, grinning. “You two enjoy yourselves. Try the chocolatines, they’re excellent.”

Jyn glared at Baze, but he only shrugged and abandoned her. Traitor.

She directed her stare back at Cassian. Why should she run away, after all? She wasn’t embarrassed by running into the Tinder hookup from this spring who’d ghosted her and led her to delete the app out of spite (not because she was that disappointed, no matter what Shara said). And she was not remembering what was underneath those clothes, or the way he’d kissed the hollow beneath her ear with just a faint rasp of stubble… Absolutely not.

She grabbed a pastry and bit into it deliberately, refusing to look away.

“How do you know the grooms?” Cassian asked in a mechanically polite tone, with a death grip on the glass in his hand.

Jyn swallowed a mouthful of flaky puff pastry without tasting it. “Baze is my godfather.”

She snatched up a plate and loaded it with three more chocolatines—maybe enough sugar could make this bearable—before asking an equally inane question. “So you’re taking a class with Chirrut?”

“My physio recommended it to work on my balance,” Cassian said. There was a moment’s awkward hesitation as he waited to see if she would speak, but Jyn had just taken another enormous bite of pastry so he plunged ahead.

“I was in an accident in May,” he said. “Hit by a car. My phone got smashed and I was in the hospital and by the time I managed to get a new one, um…”

“Oh.” Jyn’s eyes widened as she did the math in her head. It had probably happened right after that night. “Oh, shit.”

“I was going to call you. Honestly. I really wanted to see you again. But when I was able to log in again your account had disappeared.” He raised his glass and drained a long, desperate swallow of his drink as though to keep himself from talking.

“That’s awful. I’m sorry. Are you doing okay?” Even to her own ears, Jyn’s attempt at sympathy sounded stilted and clumsy.

He nodded. “Getting better, yeah. The pin in my leg is a pain but hey, at least I can walk.”

He was maybe a little skinnier than a few months ago, but otherwise she couldn't see anything that looked like a healing injury or scar. She shoved back the momentary impulse to check him over, head to foot, very thoroughly, to explore his body with her hands and soothe anywhere that might still be in pain.

Jyn set down her empty plate on the table and shifted from foot to foot. “I wanted to see you again too,” she admitted softly, her chin tilted down.

More people arrived to plunder the dessert table and the two of them were displaced around the corner. In the process, Jyn wound up much closer to Cassian than before. She stayed still, waiting to see if he’d shift away again, but he didn’t.

They shuffled a little farther from the dessert table as yet another group of guests congregated around it. Now they were so close to one of the doors to the terrace that when someone slid it open to come inside, the draft blew a strand of Jyn’s hair over her eyes. She lifted a hand to push it back and watched Cassian track the movement of her fingers.

“I need some air,” she said abruptly. She tipped her head toward the terrace overlooking the water, looking up at him with a question.

Cassian set his glass down and opened the door. The breeze off the river flowed past them, crisp and pure. It had been a gorgeous fall day, but as the sun began to set the temperature would also drop quickly. Jyn was glad she’d worn a long-sleeved dress and tights, but was starting to think a jacket would’ve been a good idea too.

She walked toward the railing overlooking the drop to the river and propped her elbows on it. Strands of her hair were falling out of its knot and the wind teased them across the nape of her neck like a stroking hand. She remembered Cassian’s fingers cupping her there, holding her as he moved inside her, and a long shiver drew up her spine.

“Are you cold?” Cassian shrugged out of his suit jacket.

Jyn opened her mouth to refuse, but he said, “Please?” and the memory jolt of hearing him say the same word on a low groan short-circuited her.

She nodded, mumbling, “Thanks.”

He placed it carefully over her shoulders without touching her, but the sensation of being surrounded by warmth that smelled like him still fogged her mind. She wrapped her arms around herself inside the satin lining to hold in the heat and to keep herself from reaching for him.

“We could go back inside,” he suggested, but Jyn was reluctant to give up the lingering golden light. And the company of Cassian.

She shook her head. “It’s nicer out here,” she said inadequately, hoping that she sounded like she wanted him to stick around.

He leaned on the railing next to her, mimicking the casual drape of her body. “Anyway, I’m sorry that our wires got crossed.”

“Don’t apologize!” Jyn ordered, feeling like a heel. “I’m sorry. I take back all the nasty thoughts I had about you.”

“All of them?” he said, turning his head to look down at her. “I don’t blame you for being angry, given what it looked like.”

“Maybe not every single one.” She licked her lips.

The honeyed light of the setting sun caught in his dark brown hair, and Jyn found herself trapped staring at the way it fell across his face and brought out the amber in his eyes. His mouth had lines around it that looked like they could be from pain, but when he smiled at her they deepened into something like real happiness.

She lifted up on her toes, just a little, and pressed her lips to his: a soft, light kiss as gentle as she could be despite how badly she wanted to consume him. His hands went to her arms and held her up, sustaining the contact as they opened to each other and the kiss sank deeper, hungrier. She leaned into Cassian and he let her weight press him tight between her body and the railing at his back. At the smoky burn of alcohol on his tongue she made a shameless noise, pushing closer still.

He jerked in her grip and she pulled back, terrified that she’d hurt him. “Cassian?”

“Jyn,” he murmured in response. His hands lifted to cradle her face and he kissed her again, lips dragging along her cheek until her skin kindled at his touch. She wasn’t cold anymore, she was a blazing fire.

She whispered, “It’s probably rude to start making out at someone’s wedding.”

“Probably.” His voice was roughly gravelled, and his breath on her cheek made her shiver again. “Should we stop?”

She pulled his mouth back to hers and kissed him once more, twice more—and forced herself to stop at three before she lost her head completely.

“Come on,” she said breathlessly, rocking back on her heels and taking his hand. “Come with me. I’m going to give you your jacket back. And then you can give me all the rest of your clothes.”

[coeurdastronaute]

Essays in Existentialism: Stud 9

Previously on Stud

“It’s been awhile.” 

“Near a decade?” 

“Well there was that convention in Prague. Maybe six, seven years ago?” 

“And the reunion at the Hargrove Estate.” 

“The presentations in Oslo?” 

“I think… I think that was right around when m mom--” Lexa furrowed as she tried to place the time that seemed to slip away from them. “I guess Prague was the last time.” 

“Five years then,” her old friend from college nodded thoughtfully. “Time is a dangerous thing. I hate it.” 

The lounge was intimate, dimly lit and clean, freshly modeled despite being an ancient and ritzy institution in its own right. Dark woods were illuminated by soft lights, large paintings covered the walls in dark gold frames. The chairs were velvet and the drinks were perfectly crafted from the best labels. The clamor of the familiar crowd in suits and ties and diamonds and dresses was just a murmur behind their secluded table 

Maggie James hadn’t changed a bit, just matured into a fulfilled version of herself, or so Lexa liked to imagine. She still had deep brown eyes and a heart-shaped face. Still had a soft smile. Her hair was cut shorter now, above the shoulders and wavy. Her demeanor was more assured, more herself, than the unsure girl in college, or even the graduate assistant at a presentation in Prague. 

“I have to say, I hadn’t expected to hear from the CFO of one of the largest companies on the planet after reading my lowly article and research.” 

“I don’t know about lowly,” Lexa smiled after sipping her drink. “I thought it was a good article. And your research was thorough.” 

“I just observe and postulate. Those other companies were the ones doing the hard part.” 

She was naturally demure. Maggie was not someone who had to work for a living. Her family owned an ancient merchant conglomerate and she was vaguely related to a Kennedy and a Duke or something. And though she had her phases, Lexa remembered her from school as someone who wanted to do her own thing. She didn’t cut up her black card, but she sure didn’t care to rely simply by biding her time. Lexa always liked that. 

They hadn’t been especially close, just gravitated to similar circles and were in the same degree program, naturally leading to an affiliation that boarded somewhere between acquaintances who knew too much and friends with no actual ties. 

The real surprise had been when Maggie actually returned the phone call Lexa gave after a few weeks of obsessing over the research and generally annoying her girlfriend with facts and tidbits, filling up a notebook with her own questions, ideas, and things she’d read. She’d garnered a lot of attention with her article and research. It almost wasn’t worth it for her to return the call of a somewhat acquaintances, somewhat friend that she hadn’t seen or heard from in upwards of six years. But Lexa’s last name was on buildings in almost ever major city, and regardless, she got a return call. 

“I did call you about the article, but also to catch up,” Lexa promised. 

“And remember those good times in college?” 

“We did have a few of those, didn’t we?” she grinned, looking over her glass, earning a shaking head and heavy sigh and smile. 

“Much to my girlfriend’s chagrin.” 

“You actually told her some stories?” Maggie raised her eyebrows and chuckled. “And she let you come tonight?” 

“Encouraged it actually. She’s sick of hearing me rave about your work and research. I’m allowed to have an intellectual crush on you, and that’s it.” 

“She’s a saint.” 

“You have no idea,” Lexa agreed and signaled for another round. “Last I heard, you were engaged to some Lockeridge. Didn’t work out?” 

Maggie held up her hand and wiggled an empty ring finger. 

“He didn’t particularly care that I was interested in anything other than the usual marriage retirement activities like kids and needlepoint or whatever.” 

“A shame.” 

“I heard you decided to go outside of the pool or acceptables,” Maggie shrugged. “I only have a few questions: How, and how did your father take it?” 

“You know my dad. He wouldn’t know acceptable if it shook his hand. He actually adores Clarke. And it was sheer luck. She just happened to be best friends with a mechanic I use to fix up old cars.” 

“Kismet.” 

“How did your parent’s take the loss of a Lockeridge hyphenation?” 

“Mom went into full mourning, black outfits for a week and three weeks in Italy,” Maggie recited as Lexa laughed. “Dad complained about his lost deposits on venues.” 

“And now?” 

“Now, I research sustainable and ethical management in corporations.” 

“I meant--”

“I don’t even own a car, so I haven’t run into any mechanics, and I was almost hoping you’d broken up with your saint and that’s why you’d called.”

“It actually our three year anniversary next month.” 

“Disgusting. You’re buying the drinks.” 

They both shared a smile and shook their heads, amused at themselves and the situation of their lives, both wondering how they hadn’t taken the time to be better friends, although a few drunken make outs had certainly ended any hopes of that back then. 

“I’m assuming you want to talk to me about the article and your company?” 

“I was having fun catching up, but I take sex off the table and now you’re all business.” 

“I know your time is valuable, and I don’t want you to think you have to waste it catching up,” she explained, leaving Lexa slightly baffled. 

“Your time is valuable too, and honestly, I am kind of having fun catching up. I kind of fell out with the old gang after Mom.” 

“I heard you did the falling.” 

“Probably,” Lexa nodded in agreement as she swapped out her empty glass for a new one. “I worked myself raw for three years straight.”

“But you still hear some of the rumblings from the old guard?” 

“Some. Care to fill me in on more before I proposition you?” 

“Intellectually?” 

“Strictly.” 

Maggie took a large sip from her drink and eyed the girl across from her, at ease and amused at their conversation, ever charming and wildly sexy without even meaning to do it, Lexa was someone who made her attention feel like nothing else mattered, and anyone would want to be within her company to experience it. All were welcome, but it was a blessing to hold her focus for an extended period of time, in any capacity. Maggie remembered making out with her in the bathroom of a club. She remembered making out with her at a party on the Lower East Side. She remembered Lexa’s messy waves, leather jacket, and fiery eyes that remained, even a decade later. But they weren’t for her anymore, and she was alright with the disappointment if it meant working with her. 

“Did you know Emma Hunton-Blather?” 

“Not biblically.” 

“I wouldn’t imagine so. She’s an ultra-religious mommy blogger now.” 

“Yikes,” Lexa winced. 

“And Francine Christenson already divorced twice.” 

“I think I saw one of those.” 

The evening was easy. The drinks flowed and the two caught up with their previous acquaintances. Lexa was grateful that it was going well considering how nervous she was about approaching an almost stranger. 

The drinks kept coming and before she could talk shop, Lexa was drunk and just enjoyed having fun.

XXXXXXXXX

“I love her.” 

“Oh god, not this again,” Clarke groaned, rolled over, and tugged the pillow with her over her head. 

“Not like I love you. I just am fascinated by her research.” 

“Is that what you call her boobs?” 

“Oh no,” Lexa shook her head, wobbling slightly as she plunked down on the edge of the bed and began awkwardly tugging off her shoes. “I can’t even seen boobs that aren’t yours boobs. I am boob-blind now.”

Despite herself, Clarke smiled at her drunken girlfriend. It wasn’t often that she came out, and when Drunk Lexa did, she often enjoyed it. There wasn’t any jealousy against Maggie James, just that Clarke liked a little more attention than she was getting with this new project. She also wished this old project hadn’t made out with her girlfriend, but that was neither here nor there. She’d feel the same way if Lexa was obsessed with recycling. She’d hate it and vote for global warming to make her stop fixating. 

Before she could finish with her shoes, Lexa flopped backwards, fully clothed and half on the bed. 

“Clarke. Hey, are you sleeping?” 

“No, darling. I’m up.” 

“I wish I’d never made out with Maggie, because I think we could have been have friends.”

“Good. Keep not making out with her and you can be.” 

“Ahhhh,” Lexa pointed at Clarke and laughed before letting her arm fall back down. 

“Plus, you could use more friends.” 

“Nah. I don’t.” 

“You do.” 

Clarke moved, putting the book she’d fallen asleep reading on the night stand and moving her way around the bed to help the pitiful thing that couldn’t get undressed. She stayed at Lexa’s strictly because it meant sloppy drunk needy Lexa. She also expected her about two hours earlier. 

“You need more friends. It’s good to have them.” 

“I have Gus,” Lexa listed, counting on her fingers as her girlfriend tugged off her shoes for her. “And Aden, and Anya, and Dad, and Indra, and um. And Maggie. And, um… uh…” 

“Only one of those are age appropriate, not related to you, and not salaried.” 

“And you! You’re my best friend. Who needs more than that?” 

She didn’t mean to, but Clarke smiled at that as she moved to unbutton Lexa’s shirt, earning a smile and laugh despite already closed eyes. 

“Oh, are you getting me naked, Ms. Griffin? Naughty naughty.” 

“How much did you drink?” 

“A little bit.” 

Clarke just shook her head and pulled Lexa up so she could pull off the shirt. She moves to the pants next, instructing her to lift her butt so she could tug them off. Lexa remained fairly still as Clarke searched for a spare shirt for her to sleep in. 

“Hey, hey, Clarke. Hey,” Lexa called in a whisper. 

“Hm?” 

“You really are my best friend.” 

Clarke smiled, her cheeks growing warm as she slid the shirt over the drunk’s arms and head, careful not to poke an eye or pull hair. Tenderly, she got a rag from the bathroom and wiped her face as best she could, earning almost purrs of contentment with the treatment. 

“Are you ready for me to fuck you?” Lexa ventured, wiggling her eyebrows. “I’ve been thinking about it all night.” 

“You’re drunk.”

“And you’re beautiful.” Clarke pushed her girlfriend’s shoulders so that she fell back in bed easily. “Perfect. You can be on top.” 

“Get under the covers. It’s time for bed.” 

“Fine, but you should know that I am a good lay.” 

“I’m aware,” Clarke grinned as Lexa climbed in obediently. 

“I’m like really good at giving you orgasms. And you seem to like them.” 

“Oh, I do. But I’m tired and you’re drunk.”

“Those are two true facts,” Lexa nodded and yawned, rolling into her usual spot. Her arm was held open until Clarke joined her in bed. 

The lights off and the pair finally ready for bed, Clarke snuggled into her spot and felt Lexa’s warmth, enjoying the feeling of having her back. 

“Hey Lex?” Clarke whispered as arms held her tightly. 

“Change your mind about sex?” Lexa returned. “I’m still down.” 

“No. I just wanted to tell you that you’re my best friend, too.” 

“Good.” 

Her arms pulled tighter and Lexa kissed Clarke’s shoulder before falling into a very contented drunken slumber. 

XXXXXXXXX

Lexa loved her office. She loved that it was quiet and that even though she had taken a smaller role in th day to day operations, it was still there for her to work, uninterrupted and unimpeded. She loved her desk. She loved her view. She loved the certainty that came behind sitting her name plate, as if it told her who she was. There was a certain power that she took from it all. 

“Thanks for coming down,” Lexa offered as Maggie took a seat across from her desk. “I think i forgot to explain what interested me most about your research at drinks the other night.” 

“Yeah I think the fourth round of whisky made it a little difficult to keep track of complex ideas.” 

“I had a good time.” 

“Me too.” 

“My girlfriend let me know that I need more friends. The problem being that I don’t particularly like or trust most people.” 

“Or you’re too busy to put the effort into it. I get it. Trust me,” Maggie nodded, relaxing slightly as Anya brought in some coffee and placed it between them. “Thank you.” 

“I was told that all my friends work for me or are related to me,” Lexa explained as she sipped her coffee. “And even though I would consider us friends, or potentially friends. I want to hire you.” 

“I already have a job.” 

“Yes, but I have lots of money.” 

Maggie snorted at that, smiling, amused at Lexa’s candor. 

“I have lots of money too.” 

“I knew you would say that. I also knew that there wasn’t much I could offer you to sway you away from a fun research and doctoral position at a great university. I’m sure you find teaching rewarding.” 

Lexa stood from her desk and grabbed a folder from the corner, carefully looking it over in her hands. 

“The interesting thing I found in your report was that you were advocating for a system that not one single major corporation would even contemplate putting into existence.” 

“I’m sure some--”

“Free housing? College tuition? Four day work weeks? Work from home? Private insurance? Officer salary cuts? Who in there right mind is going to do that?” 

“I thought you were interested in my research.” 

“I am. Because my job was killing me. And I have a hypothesis for you.”

“I think that’s my job.” 

“You haven’t accepted yet,” Lexa reminded her as she leaned against the front of her desk. “If I implement your suggestions, will I not hate my job anymore?” 

“There’s no way for me to measure that.” 

“True. Will I feel better if we are a more ethical and knowledgeable company?” 

“Yes.” 

“Will we turn a profit?” 

“According to my data, yes. Although the scale of your business,” Maggie shook her head. “I wouldn’t even know where to start hypothesizing on when.” 

“Hypothetically,” Lexa continued, smiling at how easy it was to get her interested. “What would you need to start testing your hypothesis? In real time. At this company.” 

There was a quiet that settled as Maggie stared at the CFO. Long and tall, Lexa crossed her arms over her chest, the mystery folder tucked under her arm. Her shirt was folded precisely up to her elbow, her collar pressed and pointy, her glasses perched perfectly and her hair coiffed with enough effort to look like it wasn’t trying at all. She didn’t betray a thought though. 

“Off the top of my head, I’d need access to everything. I’d need months of internal research and auditing, plus at least a handful of accountants and assistants. I don’t think you understand what you’re asking.” 

“I do.” 

“You can’t.” 

“In this folder,” Lexa grinned, and held it in front of her friend. “Is one of our middling branches based in London. I want to give it to you.” 

“A company?” 

“Kind of. I want you to hire your team. I want you to help me implement your changes. I want to create a better world. I had to think of something that no one else could give you, to entice you. Is it working?” 

“Consider me enticed,” Maggie nodded, slowly accepting the folder and flipping it open, her mouth slightly agape. 

The buzzer on Lexa’s desk sounded and she pushed off, walking back to her chair. 

Ms. Woods, the car is here to take you to the airport. 

“Thanks, Anya. Give me a few more minutes.” 

“Going somewhere?” 

“Three year anniversary weekend,” Lexa smiled. “I had a bit of a rough year last year, but it’s all coming back around.” 

“You are incredibly good at multitasking. You’re pitching me while planning an epic event and doing how many other things.” 

“Take the week to think about it. Everything you need is in that folder.” 

“I’m going to need more than a fifteen minute meeting with yout see if this is even for real.”

“It’s real,” Lexa promised. “We can figure everything else out together, when you accept.” 

“If.” 

“I’ve been told I’m very persuasive. Take the week. I’ll be back next Tuesday and we can talk more then, if you’d like.” 

“I thought maybe a consultation, but this is…” Maggie shook her head and stared at the folder before shutting it quickly. “Hell of a friend.” 

“Come on, I’ll walk with you out,” Lexa offered as she grabbed her bag. 

XXXXXXXXXX

The ranch was still slightly visible in the sunset, the timing only slightly off with their arrival for the romantic weekend escape. Tall pines and cedars eclipsed it while the mountains stood tall and purple in the distance against a firestorm of clouds in the fading summer light. The cabin was one of her favorite places on the planet, and she couldn’t think of anywhere more secluded and perfect to hide away from the world with her beautiful girlfriend to celebrate three absolutely life-changing years. 

“I would have been happy with just a hotel room downtown,” Clarke chided as she entered the giant house. “This is too much.” 

“I figured it was a good excuse to use this place. It’s been years since I’ve been out,” Lexa explained as she dropped their bags in the foyer. 

She made sure everything was stocked and prepared and the staff wouldn’t be around. The caretakers didn’t mind a week off, and she was just excited to be away from the city and back somewhere quiet. 

“Is this the ranch your mom liked?” 

“Yeah, she’d make us spend a lot of spare time out here.” 

“I can see why. It’s beautiful.” 

“She designed it. Found an old hunting lodge and decided to convert it to a modern home. It was her labor of love.” 

“Thank ou,” Clarke smiled and hugged her girlfriend before kissing her cheek. “Show me around.” 

Lexa wasn’t particularly good at feeling so good, but she’d been excited and planned everything for the past month. So she took Clarke by the hand and showed her the grand room, the high ceiling and giant windows that looked out at the trees and the mountains as far as the eye could see. The fireplace was already roaring and inviting, but she took her toward the pool and hot tub area that went from outside to inside. She excitedly told her stories about being a kid, and all the stuff her and Aden would do. 

By the time they made it to the bedroom she wanted, Clarke flopped onto the bed and gave up trying to figure out where she was in the maze of a house. 

“So we get this whole place to ourselves for the next few days?” Clarke asked as Lexa gracefully slid beside her in the giant bed. 

“Mhm, so go ahead and just take your clothes off now. I actually should have told you that at the door.” 

“But I brought very cute lacy things you like me to wear.” 

“Oh, wait, yeah,” Lexa nodded eagerly. “That’s all you can wear.” 

“You’re ridiculous.” 

“I’m yours.” 

“And sappy.” 

“Incredibly.” 

But it was perfect, and Lexa didn’t care that her girlfriend was mocking her. She leaned forward and kissed her. She pressed Clarke into the bed and went about the task of celebrating. 

XXXXXXXXXX

“I need you to carb up because I have a few more things planned for you,” Lexa explained as she reached forward and took another slice of pizza. 

“Shut up.” 

“I mean it. Dad keeps the W stored in the garage and I have waited three years to--”

“You can’t be serious,” Clarke laughed and shook her head, pressing her palm over her chest with how amusing she found it. 

They were tangled in the sheets. They were tired and sated and happy and now nearly full from the dinner of pizza and beer. 

“That’s the real reason I decided to come here,” Lexa grinned. “The romantic, candlelight bath and fireplaces, and privacy were all a ruse. You’ve been ruse-d.” 

“I can’t believe I’ve kept you around for three years.” 

“Me neither.” 

“I should get a medal.” 

“I agree completely,” Lexa decided as she hopped up from the bed. “Wait right there.” 

Nearly tripping over herself, the CFO took the corner out of the room so quickly, Clarke was certain she hit the wall. The sound of padding bare feet could be heard in the bed, and for the life of her, Clarke wasn’t sure why it made her fall a little more in love, if that were even possible. 

In a flash, Lexa returned, hopping into the bed, quick to hide whatever was in her hands. 

“This was supposed to be a year of no gifts,” Clarke chided. 

“I’m terrible at following directions. I don’t know if you knew that or not yet, but it’s a harsh truth you should start to understand.” 

“You should listen to me.” 

“I should,” she nodded and held out a velvet box. “I’ll start tomorrow.” 

Clarke eyed her girlfriend warily and frowned at the blatant lie. But Lexa shrugged and smiled, nudging her to open the box. 

“Oh, Lex, this is…”

The keychain was a tiny logo of Lexa’s company. It was plain and simple and cost exactly $2.95, and now it was dangling from Clarke’s finger as she furrowed and smiled at it despite all else because it was certainly not what she was expecting. 

“It’s too much. You shouldn’t have.” 

“You deserve the best,” Lexa explained, scooting closer. “Last time we did this, I wasn’t read. You weren’t ready. It wasn’t right. But now...I think it’s right. I think I want to be with you all of the time. I want to come home from business trips and see you. I want to cook dinner together. I want to sleep with you every night. I want to live together.” 

Her hair was a mess, and when she was nervous, she talked with her hands. Clarke watched the entire thing without moving a muscle, because she might scare Lexa if she did. Instead, she looked at the key chain in her palm and listened. 

“You’ve been making a lot of moves lately, Woods.” 

“Well, the girl I love keeps pushing me to do better.” 

“What if you get sick of me?” 

“I won’t.” 

“What if I get sick of you?” 

“We’ll get a big place, so you can ignore me when I bug you,” Lexa promised. 

“You’re ready for this?” Clarke asked, giving her a hard look. 

“Very. Are you?” 

“Very.” 

Before she could say anything else, Lexa launched herself at her, and Clarke was tackled and kissed happily.

NEXT

[saladejin]

Call An Uber? | 09

BTS x Reader | idolverse au, uber driver!Reader, translator!Reader | Fluff, flirting, super slow burn, angst and hurt/comfort, mature themes and eventual smut

Summary: Your normal life with a normal, yet inconsistent job gets drastically changed when your dreams come true. Sounds boring right?

What happens when all of this occurs, but you’re still doing something you love AND getting a large sum for it? Now there’s something to think about, and it’s definitely not what you’re thinking.

Warnings: None

Word Count: 2.4k

< masterpost >

»»————- <<prev | next >> ————-««

  “Uh, no you don’t.”

I gasped when the phone was suddenly plucked from my hands. It had been a struggle to find a close-by Uber service, but one had honestly just popped up!

“Bang PD-nim?”

The older man chuckled and returned the phone to my trembling hands. When had he even appeared next to me? He was dressed so casually that I had to look twice to make sure it was even him. 

“I can drop you home for a lot less, trust me (Y/n).” He laughed again, and it was obvious I had no choice but to follow him speechlessly. A week or so ago, this would have appeared as quite strange and inappropriate to many people, but I knew the stout CEO well enough now to place my trust in him.

“T-thank you so much, you really don’t have to…” I spluttered and gawked when his expensive car came into view. The reason why he’d even come along to the concert was still unknown. Up until this point, I’d been under the impression he usually didn't get involved with the showy stage side of things, but even so, he had obviously come of his own accord.

“It’s fine. After everything you’ve done for us tonight, it’s the least I can do.” Bang PD sighed, and I knew he was thinking about Soojin’s brashness from earlier in the day.

“That’s completely okay, I really enjoyed myself tonight,” I said calmly, thinking hard about what I was about to suggest. “Actually, I wouldn’t mind helping out like this more often. If they ever need anyone, that is.”

Bang PD smirked at me, and I knew he was teasing at the underlying feelings I had for the members in particular. The fact that I was already missing them and it hadn’t even been an hour said quite enough. There was no denying that it did play a big role in my offer, but it wasn’t everything of course.

“I can think of a few reasons why, but unfortunately it’s not in your job description.”

I laughed and exhaled in slight disappointment, my shoulders sagging in defeat. “I know, it’s only if they need someone though.”

The car ride was silent for a few minutes, and we would be reaching my house soon after seeing how fast his flashy car zipped around the streets and backroads of Seoul.

“I have something serious to say to you, (Y/n).”

I immediately grew apprehensive at his tone. I mean who wouldn’t after hearing something like that? I picked at the leather seat underneath me and willed my eyes to not drift towards the scenery rocketing past the window. I needed to show him my full attention here.

“I came tonight for one reason only, and that was to monitor you.”

Back at it again with the bluntness it seemed. Classic Bang PD.

“Monitoring me? That sounds kind of sinister.” I pursed my lips and trained my gaze onto the man’s bespectacled face. He wasn’t looking back, but it wasn’t as if I expected him to while he was driving anyway. I was, on the contrary, glad to not be confronted with his piercing eyes, because the anxiety about the direction this conversation had taken would have surely consumed me whole.

“It’s not that bad,” he said while chuckling, “I just wanted to check up and see how you were doing, but you never saw me backstage. Heaven forbid Soojin-ssi actually informed you of anything properly. I had an opening in my schedule, and I hadn’t visited the concerts for a while.”

I shook my head and laughed along with him. He knew exactly of his assistant’s behaviour, and it seemed he definitely wasn’t the only one. This wasn’t the outcome I was expecting, but I felt appreciative of his caring nature, nonetheless.

“What I noticed…” he then drew out, and a sense of uneasiness fell onto us both.

“Was your relationship with Bangtan themselves.”

Now the hammer dropped. Horror lit up like a wildfire inside me, and I suddenly thought about all my interactions with the boys so far. Dazed eyes scanned the disappearing road in front of me as the cogs within my mind started breaking to pieces. A simple touch could be considered crossing the line with them. I was only a mere staff member, therefore I couldn’t expect anything more or less than simply that, but thinking about it now reminded me that I definitely had not been acting like it.

I must have gone too far. Hell, I literally hugged two of them tonight! That’s a recipe for scandal disaster right there, what the fuck (Y/n).

“I can see your brain working, please don’t overthink about what I just said,” Bang PD’s tone became louder as if trying to speak over the flurry of thoughts. I couldn’t help but swallow thickly and sat back into the plush car seat behind me. I rubbed the clamminess off my palms and steeled myself to hear whatever he had to say next.

“Sorry PD-nim, I know I’ve been…closer than I need to be, I guess.”

He suddenly let out a wheeze of a laugh, and I wished to open some kind of window into his mind just to understand what was happening. He took one glance at my furrowed brows and stifled another laugh.

“No way (Y/n), I wasn’t going to say it was a bad thing at all! Well, hear me out please. I want to be serious for a minute.”

I let out a bellowing sigh of relief and managed to let any amusement die down. If he wanted to be this serious, it meant that something extremely important needed to be understood.

“The boys are solely focused on their idol careers, so when it comes to hiring new staff we try to avoid potential ‘risks’, so to speak. It’s a precautionary thing, but – you don’t have to concern yourself with that notion, because you’ve managed to prove yourself again and again. (Y/n), you’ve been working with us for only a few weeks now, but you’ve only solidified my opinions.”

I was smiling now, because the man’s words were so heartfelt and honest. I wondered straight away if he was about to open up to me somehow. This didn’t usually happen, right? Or maybe it did, because he just liked being a boss that staff members could be comfortable and adaptable with.

“You have the best of intentions, I know this for sure, but that isn’t the problem,” he continued while gaining a more solemn tone, “The issue itself, is attachment.”

Another hammer, ah yes. I should have seen this one coming from a mile away.

“Now, I don’t have a problem with you and the boys getting along well. Many of the staff are close with them, and it’s not something out of the ordinary because there are so many faculty members that have been with us from the beginning. It’s only natural.”

When he turned to gauge my response from over the rim of his glasses, I found myself nodding in earnest understanding. I completely agreed with what he was saying, because there was no way you wouldn’t form a substantial bond with the very people who had helped you rise to the top. I couldn’t quite put my finger on what the man was trying to get at exactly, though.

“You-”

 He stopped and cleared his throat loudly, obviously racking his brain for the right words to use. It left me dumbfounded, because Bang PD had always come right out with whatever was on his mind. Sometimes it was a little too harsh, but most people valued his opinions and appreciated his level of honesty whether it hurt them or not. This industry did teach their employees to deal with no-nonsense attitudes.

“Not including the backstage crew at the venue, you have been one of the youngest staff members we’ve hired in a while.” He finally sighed, and my mind created the imaginary train tracks steering straight to the point.

“I’m not fearing the attachment you may develop if you continue to spend time with them, but I do fear things going awry or their focuses being taken away from their careers. Usually, I would remove you from the situation without question right away, but I saw you with them tonight-”

I flooded with sudden embarrassment when he looked upwards to think again, as that meant he had most likely seen the hugging too. There was a cold dread settling into my stomach at the thought of getting ‘removed’. That would mean the cost of my job and everything I had worked for so far. I would feel empty, because now that the boys were in my life, I didn’t want them to just vanish.

Oh God, why had I let myself get attached already??

“I understand, actually,” I murmured, “and it would probably be for the best if I didn’t see them as much.” I managed to force it out through half gritted teeth. It really did hurt me to say, but I could see that it was the best option. Who knew what hardships would come later if I continued the way I was going?

“That’s not what I’m saying, I said I saw you with them tonight, but I didn’t mean it in a bad way.” Bang PD started to slow down the car, and I knew we had finally reached the entrance to the carpark of my apartment building.

At his statement, I couldn’t help but feel confusion tickling the edges of my mind. The founder of Bighit shifted sideways in his seat to give me his full attention. Now, he could finally focus without having to divert his thoughts to not crashing and killing us both.

“They were nervous wrecks before the concert started. And I know this because I went in there just before you arrived to have a chat with them all. I could tell that Namjoon-ah would be just fine, and they all would’ve been in the end, but seeing the members like that is never comforting.”

I was fully enraptured by the man’s words, because I had never heard him speak with such a deep and sympathetic tone before. I speculated on when he had last talked to somebody like this.

“There wasn’t much I could do. I’ve supported them through the years, and they know they can always confide in me if they ever need to,” he continued while nodding forlornly. “But when it comes down to live events like these, there’s only so much I can say to help them out. And I'm rarely around as it is.”

The sudden silence urged me to convey my thoughts on the matter. “It’s nearly impossible to get rid of the nerves and doubts once they’re there anyway,” I spoke softly, eyes distant as I fiddled with my own hands uneasily. The atmosphere was more disconcerting than ever now that we had managed to find the time to stop and think.

“That’s what I thought too, but then you came in.” Bang PD chuckled and started tapping his fingers on his leather lined steering wheel to an imaginative rhythm.

“I literally watched as you made their tension disappear like it was nothing. Many people envy you when it comes to your ability to read a situation like that, because it was like you knew exactly what to do, and I’m sure they appreciated it more than you know.”

I almost choked at his sincerity. I hadn’t seriously done all that much, just held a small conversation before the show had commenced. It was only because one of the stylists had asked me to help out, otherwise I may not have even made contact at that time.

“Really? Thank you so much for saying that,” I dipped my head lightly, because I also wanted to hide the sudden spell of emotions from showing too much.

“Afterwards as well.” He sighed, and I watched him begin to smile with approval. “They were so happy, but you made them even happier in an instant. Jimin-ah too. Anyone who cared to watch could see it.”

At this point, I couldn’t help but laugh in a bizarre mixture of disbelief and amazement. Maybe I had just felt so ecstatic in their presence that I hadn’t even known their behaviour was changing too.

“This isn’t something they’ll likely admit, but I think I have an idea about how they’re feeling.” Bang PD cleared his throat. “You might just be the consolation they need, (Y/n). They have always had each other and their many supportive staff to help them find their footing, but I think you might be the key to keeping them there. To reassure them, using your viewpoint as a fan of sorts.”

He finally stopped to breathe, and my mind was churning once again at the revelation. He wasn’t even finished, and it seemed he had much left to say.

“You’re basically like a spokesperson. I know they wouldn’t have reason to doubt or disregard anything you have to say about them from their music choices to even their stage images. Min Yoongi came to talk with me the other day, telling me all about how he’d found a way to get over a certain stump in lyric writing.”

“Ah, that boy.” I muffled another chuckle and the softest of smirks made its way onto my features. I was honestly so happy to even think about being a positive influence in their lives, it made me glow from the inside out.

“It’s why I’ve made a decision,” Bang PD spoke again, and I recognised the familiar firmness to his tone that usually meant he was about to drop something big.

“Taking into account what I mentioned before about the attachment, I think it could actually help us out instead. As their presence worldwide grows, so will the pressure, and I want someone they’re comfortable with to be there for them as a support.”

“So, that’s me? What will happen? What am I going to have to do exactly?” I stammered, feeling considerably warmed and buzzed with excitement at the producer’s words. Everything he was declaring sounded like a wistful dream to me right now, but to say I also wasn’t feeling the pressure would be a lie.

“Nothing extravagant just yet.” He held up a hand while stifling a chuckle. “But it’s why I’ve decided to involve you in more activities.”

Okay, now the excitement was ready to detonate.

“And that’s why I’m asking you to go along with them on their next tour.” 

            Copyright © 2020 by salade. All rights reserved.  

tagged: @l4life, @joyful-jimin, @gee-nee​, @m0chilattae​, @rossemayme​, @doilooklikeinoe​

[nikki-fucking-sixx]

Always (Nikki Sixx x Reader)

“Honey, what’s the plan for dinner?” You turned your head to see your husband on the couch smiling at you. You picked your infant daughter, Sonja, up from her playpen and held her at your hip as you walked over to your husband’s side at the couch.

“Hmmm,” You were not particularly picky, “Let’s order in. This little lady has been running me ragged all day,” You say, smiling at your beautiful little girl. She smiled back at you before giving your hair a tiny tug. You put Sonja on your lap before resting your head on his shoulder, feeling exhausted from motherly duties. You looked over at the clock to see it was only 5:00. God, what the fuck has happened to you? Before you met Chris, you were sneaking backstage at concerts to do cocaine with rockstars. Now, your life was diapers and Disney. You didn’t mind it, you loved your little girl more than anything in the world. And Chris, he was the perfect husband and you loved him with all your heart, but your life felt emptier than it used to be. 

“Chris, would you mind watching Sonja for a second? I’m going to take a quick nap.” He nodded and you handed her off to him. You dragged your tired body off the couch and wandered up the stairs to your bedroom and collapsed. Parenthood was exhausting. You were up at all hours of the night caring for Sonja, changing her, burping her, feeding her, it never seemed to stop. You rolled onto your back and stared at the ceiling. You missed your old life sometimes. 

Well, there was one person you missed specifically. You met Nikki when you were 19 while backstage at a Motley Crue concert in 1981. You two spent the whole night together talking, drinking, fucking, laughing and actually finding out who this dark mysterious man was. When you woke up the next morning you snuck out the window. You did not want to, but a man like Nikki would never want to see you again. After a week, he found you. You remember laughing as he walked into the restaurant you worked at, asking you out on a date. You were baffled to say the least, but you obviously said yes. 

The ten months you two spent together were some of the wildest times in your life. You partied almost every night of the week as the rock and roll lifestyle encapsulated you. You never slept but when you did it was beside him. The lows were low with Nikki. The fights were heated and objects were thrown. But, the highs were so damn high. You had never felt more loved than you did when he held you in his arms and told you how beautiful you were.

But, good things never last forever. When you saw him kissing that girl, you knew it was over. There was no reason for you to be treated that way, and he knew that too. You were gone the next morning and you never saw him again. A three months later you met Chris and a year later you were married. 

It has been five years since you last saw Nikki but you still thought about him every so often. How he was, who he was with, what life would have been like with him. You took a deep breath and began to close your eyes, letting your mind wander away from the one that got away. Then the phone rang. You sighed and rolled over.

“Hello?”

“Hey, babe. Long-time no see.” You immediately recognized the voice of your best friend Diana. 

“Yeah it’s been a second. How are you?” You have gotten very good at small talk in recent years.

“I was actually calling to see if you wanted to come out with me tonight.” You couldn’t help but laugh. It was 5:30 on a Saturday, prime family time. 

“I really don’t think that’s a good idea.” She let out an annoyed huff.

“C’mon (Y/N), you’re 25! This is the age where you’re still allowed to have fun.” 

“I have a baby Diana, I gotta stay in and look after her.” 

“Have Chris take on some responsibility! That’s part of this whole marriage thing, right?” You rolled your eyes. She really was far away from the whole committed relationship thing. 

“I just really think that I should-” 

“It’s a Motley Crue concert and I have an extra ticket. I think you should go.” There was a pause. Your mind was going one million miles per hour but your lips could not move, but there was so much you wanted to say. 

“Di… we both know that that’s a bad idea.” 

“It’s not like you’re going to actually do anything. We’ll just go to the concert and then go home.” She was right. You didn’t have to speak to him or any of them. You could just watch the concert, unwind a bit. It really did sound like an attractive idea.

“Let me call you back, ok?” 

“Alright, just don’t pussy out on me.” You hung up the phone before making your way downstairs to see Chris bouncing Sonja on his lap. She was smiling and laughing as he sang the words to a Beatles song to her. You could not help but stare and feel a warm sense of joy in your stomach. Chris looked up at you and smiled.

“Who was that on the phone?” 

“It was Diana, she asked me if I wanted to go out tonight.” The feeling of pure happiness from before started to disappear as nerves settled in. “But obviously that’s crazy because I have to stay in with Sonja.” Chris shrugged.

“You stay in all day with her while I’m at work,” He blew a raspberry at her causing Sonja to give a big toothless grin. “I could use some baby time.” 

“Are you sure?”

“Absolutely. Go out and have some fun.” You leaned in and gave him a light kiss, smiling into it. 

“You’re the best.” He gave a small laugh.

“ And I love you too.” You got up and began getting ready, excited for what the night had in store.

Diana picked you up at 9:00 outside your house. Picking something to wear that night was next to impossible. You were a mom now, you couldn’t wear those low cut tops you used to wear. You decided on boots, jeans and a somewhat modest crop top. When you walked out Diana gave a whistle.

“Now that’s a hot Momma!” You smiled as you compared your outfit to hers. She had on heels, jeans and a shirt that left nothing to the imagination. You wished you could be in something like that. You hopped in beside her.

“Ready to go?” 

“Hell yeah! Let’s paint the town red.” Diana yelled as she sped off. Once you both got inside the venue all you could pay attention to was the vast amount of people. There seemed to be wall to wall people. You had no idea how you would fit into this crowd, literally and metaphorically. 

But, once the music blasted, you felt everything around you melt away. You were that 19 year old all over again yelling for longer guitar solos and louder vocals. The band itself seemed like a blur. It wasn’t until your vision focused that you saw him. 

Nikki. 

He was just as you remembered. His hair was dark and big; his eyes held mysteries that you only knew the beginning of; his intensity never seemed to stay from the bass. And he was still a fucking mess, just as you liked. 

You could not help but become very aware of what you were wearing. You were probably the most covered up woman in that whole venue. Everywhere you looked you saw skin and cleavage and here you were dressed like, well, a mom. He did not even seem to notice you as his eyes went from girl to girl, looking for the sexiest thing in the audience. That was Nikki though, what did you expect? 

Diana seemed to notice your sudden awkwardness, turning to you and giving you a concerned look. You shook your head and smiled.

“I’m fine, just feeling a little old.” She rolled her eyes at you.

“Then act young.” At that, she pulled a bottle of Jack Daniels from her purse, “Let loose a little.” You grabbed the bottle from her and immediately took a giant swig. God, you missed the taste of dark liquor. The contents of that bottle went very quickly, mostly thanks to you. The buzz was setting in and you could not help but smile and dance like an idiot; however, you still would not let yourself look at Nikki again. It would just make you feel like you did all those years ago. You let your gaze stay on Vince as he ruled the stage. He really did know how to work the crowd, especially when more than half of them wanted to fuck him. You felt your dancing become more sporadic as their set wore on to the point that you felt yourself lose your footing. You hit the ground quickly.

“Shit (Y/N), are you ok?” You got up laughing and nodding.

“Yeah I’m fucking fine!” Once you got your head back up, you let your eyes wander and that’s when they met with his. Even in your drunken state, you could see the shock on his face. He never expected to see you again. After you told him to fuck off, you moved. There was no way he was going to hurt you again. But then, here you two were, in a room filled with thousands of people but only seeing each other. Fuck.

You had to go. This was a bad idea. What were you even thinking? All these thoughts raced through your head as you ran out of the crowd. You had to get out of here. The more you ran through the venue, the drunker you realized you were as you quickly became very lost. You found yourself in a relatively empty hallway filled with music equipment and stagehands. You did not give a shit. Your back hit the stone wall and you began to sob into your hands. You didn’t care that your mascara was running down your cheeks or that you sounded like a dying animal, you felt like absolute shit. So, the tears flowed more than they have in the past five years. You felt like a stupid young girl again. 

You were so hung up in your thoughts that you didn’t seem to hear footsteps coming down the hallway. You definitely did not notice when they stopped in front of you.

“Never thought I’d see you again.” The tears froze. You did not want to look up but your body betrayed you. There he was, looking as handsome as ever. You sniffed, trying to recompose yourself.

“Believe me, this was not my idea.” His face seemed expressionless.

“Then why are you even here?” There was disappointment in his voice. You weren’t sure if it was because of you, the situation or God knows what. 

“I honestly don’t know,” You brushed a hand across your cheek. “God I knew I shouldn’t have come.” You start to turn away but feel a hand grab onto your wrist.

“No,” His voice boomed through the empty hallway, making it feel full, “I’m glad you came.” You didn’t pull away from his touch, instead you turned to him, finally getting the courage to look into his eyes again. Even when his face seemed blank, his eyes always gave him away. 

“Nikki, you haven’t seen me in five years. You don’t even know who I am anymore.” That’s when you noticed him look down at your hand. More specially, at your wedding ring. You did not know what to do. Apologize? Laugh? Cry? You never thought you would have to have this conversation. You could tell he didn’t think so too. His posture stiffened as he took your hand into his, rolling the ring around in his finger.

“I guess I don’t,” He couldn’t keep his eyes off of it, “What’s his name?”

“Chris,” He looked up at you again. Your eyes had not left his face.

“When did this happen?” 

“A few months after you…” Your voice trailed off as your mind was filled with the image of Nikki’s lips on that girl. He could see where your mind was going and let go of your hand. You pulled it close to your chest like a security blanket. You did not know what to say, so your mind went to the first thing that makes you happy every morning. 

“I have a daughter.” Your hand plunged into your purse, pulling out a picture of your beautiful little girl, “Her name is Sonja, she’s six months old.” His hands wrapped around the photograph. His eyes stared at the picture of your baby. He could not seem to look at anything else except your smiling little girl. 

“Why are you showing me this?” He looked back up at you, his eyes now filled with anger.

“I-I just-” 

“Why the fuck are you showing me this?” He screamed, throwing the picture on the ground, “Are you trying to make me jealous of your fucking perfect family? I get it, you have the white picket fence life and some small-dicked corporate husband who doesn’t know how to fuck you. It’s really perfect isn’t it?” You could feel the rage building up in you. 

“Hey, it’s not your place to be jealous.” You wanted to hit him. “You lost that right when you fucked that whore!”

“Oh and now you want to have this argument again,” He stepped closer to you. “I’m a fucking rockstar, (Y/N). How can you expect women to not throw themselves at me?” He was in your face now.

“They don’t want you Nikki! They just want to use you as some story to tell.” He let out a bitter laugh.

“At least those girls are doing something with their lives instead of taking on the role as some bored fucking housewife. Who even are you anymo-” You didn’t want to hear it. Your hand made contact with his cheek. You both froze in shock, unsure of what to do next. 

“Shut the fuck up Nikki.” It came out as a whisper. You wanted to walk away now, but you couldn’t. He took a deep breath before bending down and picking the picture back up. He held it in his hands, grasping it like it was his. He looked back down at your daughter’s face.

“She really is beautiful,” He fidgeted with the edges of the photograph, not letting his eyes leave it, “Just like her mom.” 

“Yeah, she is.” He looked back up at you.

“I really thought that…” He paused, his eyes going to the ground. “You and I would be having one of these one day.” And there he was. The Nikki you always came back to.

“I did too.” His hand reached out and touched yours. Your fingers immediately entangled.

“I loved you so much, (Y/N),” Your eyes met again. “I still do.”

“I think I should go.” You didn’t want to but you had to. For Sonja. 

“I understand, Sonja needs a mom.” You nodded, took your hand back and turned away, ready to walk down that hallway. Before you could take your first step, you felt a pair of familiar hands grasp your waist and turn you around. Then his lips touched yours. The passion that was there all those years ago was still in that kiss. You couldn’t help but let your hand rest on his cheek, just like you used to. Every bone in your body wanted to stay. To run away with this imperfectly perfect man. When his lips left yours, your breath seemed to catch and hold in your throat. His forehead touched yours.

“I’ll always love you, Nikki,” A tear rolled down your cheek, “Always.” His thumb dried it away. 

“Go home, baby.” And that was goodbye. Goodbye from the rockstar life. Goodbye from your youth.

Goodbye from Nikki.

[fanfiction4thesoul]

Dreams

Pairing: Roger Taylor x Reader

Word Count: ~3.4

Warnings: Smut (18+ only), fluff, angst-ish

Summary: Queen’s tour gets extended. And your plans get put to the backseat.

Request: Ooo, saw your requests are open ❤️ please can I have something angsty with Rog with a bit of smut and fluff thrown in?  Thank you

A/N: Thank you @jennyggggrrr​ for this request. I’m not quite sure how angsty this turned out but it’s still there at least ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. Hope you like it! My requests are still open for anyone interested and I’ve started a taglist so if you want to join just comment or message me. Thanks to anyone that comments/likes/reblogs!

Picture from Queen in 3D by Brian May

“You’re… extending the tour?” You weren’t quite sure you heard Roger right. He was so excited, he was talking almost too fast for you to keep up.

“Yeah! Management is adding nights at some stops on top of bringing on whole new locations. It’s gonna be great! They said wer--”

“Roger!” you cut him off. “How long is the extension?” You twisted the phone cord around your finger nervously. This was great news for his career but you were supposed to--

“It’ll tack on about four weeks. And then--”

“And then you have the studio in L.A. booked three days later.” You finished for him, your heart sinking.

“Well, yeah, that’s been the plan, love.”

Your heart dropped straight to your stomach with that. He didn’t remember. “What about our plans, Rog?” Maybe it was just a momentary lapse. He was on tour for months now and it’s not like you talked about it since before he left.

“Wha… what plans?”

Even as you felt your eyes burn, you felt your anger rise. “Yes, Roger. Our plans. The ones where we were going to try and start a family after the tour and before you head to L.A.” 

Roger started fumbling on the other end, stuttering over his words, but you were barely listening. You stared at the fireplace in your big, empty house and all you could think was that it would stay empty. No family to fill it. Not even Roger because he’s always out gallivanting across the globe. But he’s living his dream. There’s no way you could ask him to give that up. Not even for your dream.

You sighed, talking over whatever Roger was trying to say. “Just… just forget it, Rog. It doesn’t even matter. Talk to you later.” 

“Wait, (Y/N), don--” You hung up the phone with a click. Closing your eyes, you leaned against the head of your bed, not sure what to do. The next moment the phone was ringing again. You reached over, lifting it up and clicking down the receiver, putting the phone on the table. You couldn’t deal with Roger right now. Not with the amount of hurt he left you with. 

Children had always been a promise for the future and right before he left, it finally felt like you wouldn’t be waiting anymore. Roger laid out the plans for the band, their tour, the break, the time in the studio with a projected time it would take to make the album. With a rockstar for a husband, there was no good time to start a family. It was mostly just finding out how to fit it in and hope it coincided well with his schedule. 

Sighing, you laid down in bed, back turned to the cold side behind you, and tried to go to sleep. 

The next few days passed in a blur. You kept the phone off the hook, almost afraid to put it back on. Half because you thought Roger would try to keep calling but also half afraid that he wouldn’t bother. You weren’t sure which made you more apprehensive. Work was a simple distraction but not a big enough one to stop your mind from wandering back to Roger.

Finally, after four days, you put your phone back together.

And nothing happened.

You let out a breath you didn’t know you were holding and forced yourself to walk away from the phone. That didn’t stop you from jumping to attention when it rang ten minutes later.

“Hello?”

“(Y/N)?”

“Fred?” You asked, confusion replacing the tension in your mind.

“My God (Y/N). What have you been doing? Roger’s been calling the house for days and he says it’s been busy.” Freddie said, worrying lacing his voice.

You felt slightly embarrassed, not thinking your behavior would cause such a problem with everyone. “I, uh… took the phone off the hook after… well after Roger and I talked.”

“Well we gathered that much, darling. Rog won’t say anything about what happened. Just that he fucked up and needs to make it right. Honestly, I’m always cleaning up after his messes. Now. Tell me. What did Blondie do.” 

“Fred… I don’t… If Roger--”

“Nuh-uh. Nope. (Y/N), tell me now or so help me.” Freddie said sounding rather irritated. He paused and sighed a moment later. “He’s been moping around like a lost fool, (Y/N). I just want to help if I can.”

Freddie’s words were soft and you knew he meant it. He was often the mediator between you and Roger when your fiery tempers became too much. Fred was always there as the go between. But you weren’t just angry this time. No. You were far too disappointed and hurt for your anger to rise up.

“Rog and I… well we were gonna try for a baby,” you started out softly.

“Oh (Y/N) that’s wonderful news! What’s the problem then?”

“Fred. We planned everything out before the tour. We talked over when he’d be back, when he’d leave again. He even said how excited he was!” Your voice was rising but you couldn’t help yourself. “And then you extended the tour. Which is-- it’s fine-- great! But… he forgot.” You paused as your throat closed a little and tears well again. “He just… forgot. Which makes me feel like he doesn’t care at all. Or, if we have a child he’ll get so wrapped up with the band that we’ll just be… left behind.”

“Oh, (Y/N)...”

“Tell me my fears are unfounded.” You choked up a little. “Tell me, Fred.”

Freddie stayed silent.

“That’s what I thought.” You let out a small sob before you compose yourself a little bit. “Tell Roger I’m alive, but I don’t want to talk to him. Not yet. Maybe not ‘til he gets home. If he even comes home. Okay?” You repeat yourself when Freddie didn’t answer right away.

“Okay, okay. I will. Take care of yourself darling.” He sounded tired.

“You too, Fred.”

Freddie hung up the phone and turned to the other person in the room. Roger was staring intently at him, waiting.

“You fucked up.” Was all Freddie said.

“Well, shit Fred. I fucking know that. What did she say?” Roger wasn’t sure whether to be angry or not. Sure, (Y/N) disconnected the line. And then answered for Freddie. And Freddie wouldn’t let him on the phone. But he messed up so he kept quiet and waited patiently for their conversation to be over.

“She was crying.”

“Fuck,” he swore, his heart breaking a little bit. He closed his eyes, bracing himself. “What else.”

“She doesn’t think you care.” Another blow. “And she thinks you might forget about her and your child.” Straight to the gut. 

“Shit.” Roger collapsed on the end of the bed, pulling at his hair. “Shit, shit, shit. I really messed up Fred. Shit. What am I gonna do?” He felt like he was at his wits end. It’s not like he meant to forget. On the contrary, it was always on his mind. But touring can get crazy. He often doesn’t have time to think about through the day until he’s laying in bed. And suddenly he remembers your promise until he feels all giddy before falling asleep. And the news about selling out shows and getting more venues was so exciting that it just slipped while he was on the phone with you.

Freddie didn’t look too impressed from where he sat. His lips were pressed into a thin line as his eyes held Roger’s. “You’re going to fix this, darling. And we’re going to help”

“We?”

The date Roger was supposed to come home came and went without much fanfare. Freddie must have delivered your message because you never got a call from Roger. The longer it went, the more guilty you felt. It felt like you were putting your own dreams before Roger’s. And getting angry at him for being excited over a great moment in his career just feels like a shitty thing to do. 

You went back and forth in your mind over being indignant and upset or guilty and worried. The two of you could talk it out when he got back. But then again, he might not even stop in and rather just head straight to their studio appointment. 

This was all on your mind on your drive back from work. So preoccupied with your thoughts, you didn’t realize you weren’t alone until you’d already taken your shoes and coat off at the door. The lights were on in the house and someone was clattering around in the kitchen, making something that smelled really good.

Carefully making your way to the kitchen, your spirits lifted when you saw Roger hunched over a book on the island, hair sticking up everywhere like he’d run his hand through it a million times.

“Rog?” You broke the silence.

He spun around wide eyed with his glasses on that he quickly discarded. “(Y/N)! I- I thought you were off later?”

His nervousness was unusual and it made you a little nervous as well. What was he doing home? And why wasn’t he angry? “I… got done early.” You tried treading carefully to figure out what exactly was going on.

“I, uh. I made dinner. It’s jus--keeping warm in the oven, yeah?” His eyes darted around, looking everywhere but you.

You walked up to, still not catching his eye until you forced him to look at you with a hand on his cheek. “Rog.”

“I’m sorry,” he blurted out, startling you. “I didn’t mean to forget, love. You have to believe me. Our promise was most of what I thought about on the tour. But--but I got caught up in the moment and didn’t even think when we were on the phone. God, I feel awful.”

He kept rambling, grabbing your hand on his cheek to bring to his chest while gesturing wildly with his other hand. “--Fred helped too and it was such a pain. Management didn’t want to do it but Bri and Deaky kicked up a fuss as well and--”

“Roger!” He stopped wide eyed again, looking at you in alarm. “Again. But slower, yeah?” You tried to be gentle.

He took a breath before starting again. “I’m sorry. I can’t tell you that enough. And I want to make it right with you. So with the help of Fred and the others, we told management we were ending the tour a day ago and that was that. And we called the studio and rebooked our time there. So… so I’ll be home… if you still want to start a family, that is.”

He squeezed your hand tight, almost pleading you with his big blue eyes.

“Roger… “ you started, and immediately saw him dim. “I’m not going to lie. It hurt. It felt like--like you didn’t want this.”

“I know, love,” he whispered. At your confusion, he continued, “Freddie told me about what you said. And I know how it looks. But I want it. God, of course I want that. I want a little one running around here that’s half of me and more importantly, half of you. Let me show you.” He tugged you forward, bringing you flush against his front.

This wasn’t over. You’d still have to talk more. But for now, you could be happy that he made the effort. That he was here with you now.

“I’m not gonna let you off easy,” you murmured, angling yourself up towards his lips.

“Wouldn’t dream of it, love.” He leant down and captured your lips with his, sealing them with such sweetness, you melted under their warmth. 

Your anger faded away, and your worries quickly changed into feelings of happiness. Roger was quick to swipe his tongue against your lips, demanding entrance.

After all, it had been months since he was home.

As you let him devour your mouth, his hands came around to your ass, pulling you more securely against him so you could feel his growing bulge. You tangled your fingers in his hair, urging him on, only for him to pull away.

“Roger, what are you…” you started to ask, but he was already tugging you along and out of the kitchen.

He laughed as he was guiding you up the stairs and towards the master suite. “I don’t think you want to tell the kids they were made in the kitchen, now do you?”

You giggled along with him up until he pulled you into another kiss. He turned you around and backed you up until your knees hit the bed. Collapsing back, you grabbed onto his shirt to pull him with you, never breaking the kiss. 

His hands found their way under your shirt, smoothing up your sides and back, making you shiver. They eventually reached your bra which he was eager to unclip. Roger moved away, tugging your shirt and bra off in one go, exposing yourself to him. 

You felt a blush rise up on your cheeks as his eyes roved over you before meeting yours. “You’re stunning, love. Better than I remembered. I missed you so much.”

Your heart tightened at his sincerity and any lingering doubt vanished completely. “Rog… I missed you, too.”

He smiled down at you before disposing of his own shirt and pressing down onto you. The kiss he gave you was sweet and chaste and so full of love. But it quickly turned into more when he trailed down to your neck with open mouthed kisses while his hands ghosted up your sides to tease your breasts. Sucking a mark right below your ear, Roger grinded down into your core making you moan.

Your hands were trying to find purchase on his back, tracing over the defined muscles Roger always seems to get after a tour. He grinded down again, pulling noises from the both of you. “Roger, hurry up,” you commanded, though the desperation in your voice took away from it.

“Shit. Yeah, alright.” His hands found their way into the waistband of your pants, yanking them down along with your panites. Roger trailed kisses down your legs as he pulled them off before moving back to shed his own. He hissed as his half hard cock was released, pumping it a few times to bring it to full hardness.

You licked your lips, a little involuntarily, thinking about getting your mouth around him. But that would defeat the purpose of everything. When you draw your gaze away from his movements to look at him, he was staring back with such hunger. You reached out for him and he leaned down to capture your lips again. 

Before you had time to process, Roger had pulled away and flipped you over on your stomach, leaning over you.

He moved your hair to the side, nibbling your ear. “I did some research on the tour,” he mumbled.

“Yeah?” you breathed out.

“Yeah.” His hand smoothed over the globe of your ass, dipping between your thighs and skimming your folds. Roger teased the area, dipping in enough to gather your wetness to smear around but not going farther. You wanted to clench your legs together and give yourself some much needed friction, but Roger’s legs held you wide open. “Do you want to know what I read?”

“Tell me,” you whispered biting your lip.

His fingers slipped into your core, jolting you slightly. It felt slightly strange; he never fingered you from behind and it felt… well backwards.

“It’s all about gravity, love,” he said while trekking his mouth across your neck towards your collarbone. “The deeper I go and the downward angle of your hips-” a hard thrust of his fingers and a whimper from you “-helps with conceiving.”

You clutched the sheets underneath you as his fingers rocked against you hard. “Th-then get on with it, Rog and put a baby in me!”

He froze, fingers stilling inside you and mouth stopping on your shoulder. You turned to try and look him but your movement spurred him into action. His fingers left your core, smearing wetness on your thighs and his other hand brought your face around for a bruising kiss. 

You moaned into it when you felt his shaft rub against your folds.

“God, I love you,” he whispered against your lips. “Ready, love?”

He gazed at you for a moment, waiting for your nod. Moving back, he guided the head to your entrance and pulled your knees up, pushing gently on your back to keep your chest on the bed. In one smooth motion, he hilted himself completely, making you both groan.

Roger was right. This position put him so deep inside you, it felt like he was trying to make a home for himself. The ache of the stretch burned in the most delicious way as your body relearned what it was like to be filled. After a moment, Roger pulled out slowly almost all the way before pushing back in, just as measured. 

You squeezed your eyes shut, moaning into the bed at the sensation. Roger’s grip on your hips tightened, moving you along with his thrusts, drawing little groans from him as well. 

He gradually picked up speed, growing impatient with the pace, ramming into. On one thrust, he swiveled his hips, grinding into your sweet spot and making your back arch. “You like that, love?” he panted out, repeating the action and prying another loud groan from you.

Everything he was doing to you was adding to the building heat in your gut, but you needed more to get you there. Snaking a hand underneath you, you found your clit, rubbing in tight circles bringing you closer.

“God, that’s hot,” Roger’s hips stuttered. One hand left your hip and your opened your eyes when you felt it grip the top of your free hand, interlacing your fingers together. “‘M close, love,” he panted above you.

“M-me, too.” This was going far quicker than you imagined in your mind, but then again, that was how it was everytime Roger returned to you.

“Then come with me, (Y/N),” Roger managed to plunge into you a few more times before he held himself deep inside of you, hand tightening on yours and released with a groan. The feeling of him filling you up spurred your movements on, grinding back against him and working your clit faster. 

Roger’s hand knocked yours away, though, and quickly brought you to completion, your orgasm rocketing through you. You clenched around him as you rode out your high, drawing his seed farther into you.

As you both came down, Roger collapsed on top of you with a groan before rolling to the side, dragging you with him. He was panting in your ear and you weren’t doing much better, still clenching around his softening length.

The quiet was interrupted by Roger, “Shit. (Y/N). You stopped your birth control, right?

You laughed breathily. Normally it was the guy making sure you were on birth control. “Yeah. Yeah, I stopped the day after you left.”

“Thank God,”

“What, don’t want a repeat performance?”

“Not at all. But it would kind of throw a wrench in the plan, yeah?”

“Yeah…” You gazed across the bedroom, staring at the bathroom door.

Roger, sensing your change grabbed your hand and brought it to your chest, pressing you tight against him and moving his cock inside you. You felt a squelch of cum against your insides but didn’t it pay it much thought.

“What… what are the plans now, Rog?” He said he pushed back the time in the studio, but he didn’t say for how long.

“Well we’ve got about four weeks before we have to head to L.A. and I was thinking…”

“Hmm, what is it?”

“Why don’t you come with?” His voice was soft as he asked, almost hesitant. “I’m sorry I got caught up in the moment. That was… well it was just bad. I know it’s not a perfect fix, but it gives us more time together. And that way I can be there for you.”

“Roger…” you started, not wanting to disappoint him. “What about my job? What about when you have to go on tour, or even a press tour beforehand? I knew, marrying you, it wasn’t going to be easy. But I can’t fathom doing this without you and there’s so many ‘what if’s’ going on. Your plans for touring changed so easily. What if it happens again?”

You felt near tears again despite everything.

Roger released your hand to tilt your face up to him. His blue eyes were soft and sincere. “It’s not easy, love. You’re right. But we’ll figure it out, yeah? Together.”

Yeah. With Roger, you’re sure everything would turn out okay eventually. “Together.”

[larryfanficwriter98]

Chapter Five

Fake It Until You Make It Real

Friday night by seven o'clock found Louis being served a plate of steak, baked shell mac and cheese, honey buttered rolls, and a small side salad as he graded his papers.

"Thank you." Louis said looking up at Harry briefly as he sat to his left, "I could have helped you know."

"The only thing you need to do is one never do work at my dining table again and two eat." Harry said glaring at him playfully, "I have an office y'know, I have a spare office even if you wanted that for yourself. My dining table is not your desk."

"You're the one that demanded to keep conversation going about wedding flowers while I had to grade. I was moving to the coffee table. But I promise I won't turn your dining table into my desk."

"Good. Now eat." Louis rolled his eyes but set his red pen down and moved the graded stuff into his bag and the unmarked stuff to the living room coffee table for now. Returning to his seat he grabbed his fork and dug into his side salad first wanting to taste the homemade dressing Harry made.

"My mom is going to love you and demand to know how you made me eat a salad." Louis grumbled as he shoved another forkful into his mouth glaring at Harry.

"I'll be sure to give her my recipe." Harry said, "I use to cook with my mom almost every night, so I learned a thing or two."

"Now I feel like I shouldn't even try to cook your dinner. I'll disappoint you."

"Never. I just got into cooking because I have an empty house all the time. You have Freddie who gets hungry in five minutes and expects food in ten. You're not obligated to try and impress me with your cooking. If it's edible I'm happy. Doesn't even have to be warm. I'll eat cold food if I'm hungry enough. Hannah actually left out frozen pizzas or canned soup for me all the time. Most of the time the pizza was thawed by the time I got home and so it wasn't good to cook and the soup I would just open and eat without heating it."

"She didn't make you dinner?"

"Nope."

"Well, I guess I don't have to best her at being the better housewife." Harry choked on his beer and laughed as he wiped his mouth off.

"If there was a competition, I promise you, you have already won it.  Anyway, speaking of your soon to be married title I picked up our engagement rings. Yes, I got us matching ones so the nurses can stop trying to persuade me into being straight. I’ve been telling them I’ve had a boyfriend for months and I think they don’t believe me.”

“Should I come by to your work to give you lunch one day? Be extra flirty?”

“Would you?” Louis laughed looking down at his plate, “I’m serious over here.”

“Sure, I’ll come over in my tightest pair of pants and your sweater I have at my house.”

“I have the perfect pullover hold on.” Louis opened his mouth to tell Harry to sit down but Harry was already running up the stairs by the time the words registered in his brain. Harry came back down on a minute later with a white pullover and when he spread it out, he saw STYLES was written on the back with the letter ‘19’ on the front and back.

“The hospital has a football team to encourage exercise and outdoor play. I bloody suck at football, but as my boyfriend you support me anyway.”

“Fiancé and give it.”

“Soon to be fiancé.” Harry countered with a grin as he handed the pullover to Louis who laid it with his other stuff in the living room. “Just come in wearing that and they’ll…hopefully back off.”

“Oh, they’ll back off. I can be mean if I want to be.”

“You’re the best.”

*********

Saturday morning Harry was waking Louis up in the guest room with French Toast, bacon, and three poached eggs.

“Eat, get ready, we should leave in two hours.”

“Go away.” Louis groaned, “Why did I agree to do this today?”

“Because you and I both know it’ll be easier to do wedding things without Freddie there. As much as I adore him, it would be very boring. See you downstairs.” Louis glared at Harry’s retreating back then turned his attention to the plate of breakfast and decided getting up this early was an even trade for breakfast that looked that good. Louis ate his breakfast quickly then got dressed for a day outside in the late September weather. He took his plate downstairs and put it in the dishwasher and turned to Harry as he laid out on the couch, his phone in his hands.

“Are you taking a selfie?” Louis asked grinning when Harry stretched his neck to look at him with a beet red face.

“I’m snapchatting Maddie. Meanie.”

“Meanie?! Wow. I’m impressed. For a doctor you certainly have a way with words.” Harry grinned rolling his eyes before looking back at his phone, “You take selfies weird.”

“There is no wrong way to take a picture you  child. Stop making fun of me.” Louis laughed and headed to him, hands on his hips as he stood where his head was resting on the arm of couch.

“Ready to go old man?” Harry laid his phone on his chest facing upwards and looked at him with a soft smile on his lips, “What?”

“I bet you looked cute pregnant.”

“Really? That’s what you are thinking about? Well for the record I most certainly did not look cute pregnant. My ex made sure to tell me that everyday too. He wouldn’t even give a hand if you know what I mean when my stomach was in the way.”

“You’re joking.” Louis shook his head, “What a douche. Why did you like him?”

“The sex was good. I was young and naïve. He gave great head all things considered.” Harry laughed, “What? It’s true. Why’d you stay with Hannah for so long?”

“It wasn’t the sex I can tell you that much. When we were about to break up, we found out she was pregnant, so we stayed together. We had been having a hard time in uni, so we were discussing breaking it off but then she told me she was late one night, and I got a pregnancy test for her and it was positive. Honestly, I don’t even remember the last time I had sex…god I’m lame.” Louis laughed as Harry swung his legs to the ground and pushed himself up, “Ready then?”

“Yeah, come on virgin Mary.”

“Not funny. When was the last time you got laid?”

“Point taken. Moving on.” Louis said grabbing Harry’s pullover he gave him yesterday and pulling it on as they left the house. Louis slid into the passenger seat of Harry’s Murano as Harry got into the driver’s seat. “Where are we headed first?”

“I figured we’d do what will take us the longest first which is our venue. They’re all south of us as well except one. Want to start with the furthest one out which is four hours out. Ready?”

“I’m taking a nap on the road.”

“Go ahead.”

As predicted the venue looking took all day, but it wasn’t taxing at all. Most of the venues they were able to walk around alone or with just one staff member. The colorful leaves on the trees, not yet having fallen down, made every location look breath taking and each venue had pictures of what it would look like in the winter. It was relaxing really, and since Harry had only written down the ones that had the 19th available, they didn’t have to worry about falling in love with a place only for it to not be free that date. Louis held Harry’s hand throughout the day watching as he charmed his way through staff members and watching as his eyes lit up when he saw the snowy landscapes. There had been one staff member that hadn’t taken his eyes off of Harry for more than a few seconds that Louis shut down with a raised brow that made Harry blush and grin widely trying to pretend he had no idea what just happened and why the staff member didn’t look at Harry any more than appropriate after that. When they got to the SUV Harry had pinch him and exclaimed, they could not pick that venue for fear of a staff member ruining their wedding because of Louis. Louis had laughed and continued to laugh as they drove to the other venue. By the time they got home the sun was set and they had grabbed takeout on the road then relaxed on the couch watching a movie as they talked about the venues and what they liked and didn’t like until they had narrowed it down to their top three.

You guys will be able to have a say in the venue! The reason it has taken so long is because as an American I have no idea about wedding venues in the UK. So I've been googling and I've only selected the ones that had Winter pictures so we all get an idea of what it looks like. In the comments go ahead and comment your favorite! It can be you only favorite or your top three! I do have three favorites that I am in love with writing a scene with.  The Mills Wedding Venue didn't have many winter photos so I encourage everyone to google all the locations as well to get a good feel of them. I LOVE ALMOST EVERY SINGLE ONE SO THIS IS ALL UP TO YOU! I'll be counting Wattpad, Tumblr, and Archive's comments as they come until I am writing the chapter. If you need better pictures they will be on my tumblr page! LarryFanficWriter!

[acc3ssdenied]

BRUISED | 04

SUMMARY: You don’t know what you expect when your best friend and her boyfriend invite you to one of his friend’s parties. But, it certainly wasn’t for you to be at an underground boxing venue the next day and for you to be thrown into a world that you had no idea existed.

PAIRING: boxer!jungkook x reader

GENRE: non idol au, boxer!jungkook, badboy!jungkook, tattoo!jungkook, angst, fluff, smut

WARNING: alcohol consumption, strong language, jungkook being big and intimidating, bit of angst? chaotic inner monologues

WORD COUNT: 2.7k

A/N: i really love the whole jungkook with tattoos and him being a boxer/ badboy so I have decided to write my own! this will have updates alternating with mélomanie most likely but, i also have to keep up with my wattpad schedule. please tell me what you think and ask if you would like to be added to the tag list <3

TAG LIST:  @singulari-taes @lil-bai-of-sunshine @diab1a @bts-trash24 @rubydotexe @ryulite @dammit-jjk @bbyboihongjoong  @bunnyboyjjk @taehyungiev13 @scvkjinrecs @milkandminie @screamingshoes @mygscafe @kimvantaee @pleasantpeachstudent @fivesecondsofsarang @frenchki @gukksluv @loserjeonjk @uugghhheveythingistaken @batakookie @itiswhatitisnt88 @srslyuwish​ @bubbletae7​ @hhhhwww7​ @unrewardingrhinestone 

CHAPTER FOUR

You knew what everyone must think: Why does she keep going to parties? The answer is, you’re in your early twenties and a lot of the time you can spend with your friends happens to be at these parties. You also liked to get really drunk. It had been a part of your life since you’d dropped out of college and moved to the city. Chaeyoung had quickly noticed when you became friends that you loved to go out and let you slowly integrate her into your far wilder lifestyle. This time, she was going with Hoseok and you were arriving of your own accord — shockingly, it was a rare occurrence. The group chat had announced there would be a party a week ago, just after you had all gone out for lunch. Jimin was insistent that his friend, Taemin, would not mind you coming as his plus one — it required further persuasion in the form of a promised drink. That was what had led to you standing outside of the abnormally large house for a college student — all of the parties seemed to be at those kinds of houses but, you didn’t really question it.

Tucking your hands into the pockets of your red coat, you shouldered past the highly intoxicated teenagers, who were enthusiastically exchanging saliva directly in front of the stairs, and pushed yourself through the doorway. The house was packed. The people might as well have been stacked on top of each other there were that many of them. Thankfully, the alcohol you had poured down your throat made you immune to the sickening sensation of them touching you. A frown curved across your lips as you managed to escape the overwhelming crowds and into the kitchen.

A sigh of relief escaped your mouth as you spotted Yoongi staring lovingly at a half-empty bottle of whiskey. “Oh, thank god you’re here,” you exclaimed, groaning in relief before pulling yourself up onto the counter beside him, “I thought I would be surrounded by strangers the whole time.”

Yoongi wrapped an arm around you affectionately, holding out the bottle of whiskey — which you gladly accepted — as he gave you a gummy smile, “We’re all scattered about somewhere, I’ll take you to Chae and Jimin in a bit.” He glanced back to the area you had just escaped with a hint of disgust on his face, “That right there, is where you don’t want to be.”

You chuckle softly, taking a long drink of the sweet-tasting drink, “Tell me about it, I was tempted to kick a few of them for stepping on me.” He snorted out a laugh, tilting his head back slightly and squeezing his eyes shut. “Who is Taemin, why does he know this many people?”

“This is his fraternity house,” Yoongi explained, gesturing lazily to the interior of the house, “He’s a senior in college and Jimin’s a Sophomore, they know each other through dance classes.”

A noise of realisation came from your mouth, “Oh,” you dragged out dramatically, “You know, I just thought that you all had really nice houses,” you giggled at your own lack of common sense. He shook his head in mock disappointment before pushing away from the counter, his hand reaching for another bottle of whiskey.

“Come on, the others are this way,” he said, holding his hand out for you to take so you could jump from the counter. You happily did so, the half-full bottle still dangling idly from your fingertips as he led you back through the hellscape that had appeared in the living area. Once you had finally escaped the throngs of people, he guided you down a corridor and into a smaller living room with almost all of your group in.

Jimin immediately spotted you from where he had been sat cross-legged on the floor. Instantly, he had jumped to his feet and dashed towards you clumsily, wrapping you into a warm hug. “You made it!” He cried out, drawing the others’ attention towards where he was fussing over you.

Managing to wiggle out of his grip, you replied, “I saw you, last week idiot.” He only grinned at you widely, dragging you by the hand over to where he had been sat on the floor. “Eh!” A noise escaped your mouth as he pulled you to the floor, not realising the force he was using to do so.

He mumbled a soft apology which was overshadowed by Taehyung’s greeting, “Y/N! Hi, have you got a drink?” He smiled at you brightly — it was quite obvious that he was not as drunk as Jimin, you put it down to the fact that he generally wasn’t a big fan of the taste. Honestly, sometimes you wish you could say the same.

“I’m all set for now,” you said, raising your bottle to him dramatically. Your antics caused a laugh to come from Seokjin, who was sat on one of the sofas on your left side. “What?” you asked, an amused (defensive) tone to your voice as you looked at him with widened eyes.

He shook his head in mock disappointment, “Oh, nothing.” He paused, glancing around the room for a moment, before continuing to speak, “Jungkook isn’t here yet—“

This time you really were defensive, you’re eyebrows furrowed slightly and you crossed your arms of your chest protectively, “Why are you telling me that?” Your voice was much tighter than it had been before.

Seokjin only raised his eyebrows at you in mild confusion and amusement, “If you’d have let me finish, you would have heard me say that neither is Namjoon,” he tilted his head at you quizzically, “Why were you so defensive?”

A red flush spread across your cheeks, “I-I-uh-I don't— I wasn’t,” you huffed at him, “Fuck off.” He let out a loud laugh, his head falling back against the sofa as you pouted in your spot beside Jimin. Speaking of whom, he had been watching you with an equally amused look the whole time.

Remembering something, you turned back to where Yoongi had slid off to, curled up in a corner of the sofa, and asked, “Where did you say Chae and Hoseok were?” You hadn’t spoken to your best friends much since you’d last seen them and you had promised to find her at the best time — this meant when you weren’t blackout drunk.

His mouth hung open for a second as his eyes flickered to the right in thought, “I—“ his voice trailed off, mouth curving into a confused pout and he reached back to scratch the back of his head, “I don’t remember?” Yoongi gave you a sheepish smile, immediately shrinking further into his corner of the sofa so he could avoid your gaze.

A small, slightly exasperated, sigh left your mouth and you gave a tiny shake of your head, “That’s okay, I’ll just go and find them now.”

That was what you had thought was a smart, sensible thing to do. You were wrong. Nobody in that house gave a shit that you wanted to find your best friend, they only cared about two things: alcohol and sex. On any other occasion, that would have been you! But, it was really annoying when it wasn’t you.

If one more stiletto tried to pierce through your shoe, you were going to lose your mind. No one in this party wanted to see you go feral, no one. You had counted three beers that had been spilt on your bodysuit — THREE. It was a good coincidence that you had recently taken up meditating otherwise, someone would be losing a limb.

Just as you had managed to escape the crowd, you bumped into a hard chest and closed your eyes, preparing yourself for the inevitable collision with the ground. However, instead of smacking your face on the ground, you felt two strong hands wrap gently around your waist and hold you still. A relieved gasp escapee your mouth and you looked up to try and identify the owner of the hands.

The first thing that struck you was how bright the orange of their hair was. They looked down at you with an amused glint in their eyes, “Hey,” he said, steadying you carefully, “Everything okay?”

You chuckled in embarrassment, your eyes flickering to the side to try and avoid eye contact. Sighing dejectedly, you answered, “Yeah, sorry. I was going to go insane if one more person spilt their drink on my.” Your hand rubbed against your other forearm soothingly, trying to cool down the shame you felt from almost clothes lining a complete stranger.

To his credit, he only laughed lightly at you, guiding you to a quieter corner of the living room where you were less likely to take an elbow to the spinal cord. “I don’t blame you,” he said. It was then that you noticed the two eyebrow slits that criss crossed above his right eye.

“I feel like I recognise you,” you blurted out, head tilted to the side slightly as you tried to place where you knew him from. He most likely just had one of those faces.

There was a strange look in his eyes as he answered, “No, I think I’d recognise someone as beautiful as you.” Unfortunately enough for him, you weren’t easily flattered and even less so distracted. Just as you were about to insist that you did know him, a familiar voice came from your right.

“What’s going on here?” Jungkook looked taller than usual, as though he was making an effort to make himself as large as possible. It wasn’t difficult considering he had almost four inches on the orange haired man and he was considerably more muscular.

The orange-haired man’s face hardened and he stifled an irritated groan. He turned to Jungkook with a sly smirk on his face, “Jeon, is there a problem?” As soon as he had smirked, you knew where you had recognised him from. He was the man you had made eye contact with in the crowd at Jungkook’s match. It was a strange coincidence for you to run into him at Taemin’s part.

Jungkook’s expression didn’t shift at all, he only said, “I don’t know, Hongjoong, is there?” You had finally found out his name and you were still none the fucking wiser. At that point, neither of them were blinking and tension between them was tangible. Honestly, you wouldn’t have been surprised if they had started making out right in front of you.

“No, no problem,” Hongjoong said in a light voice as he allowed his gaze to run over you, “Just having a conversation.” There was a strange glint in his eyes that hadn’t been there before and instantly, an unpleasant chill ran down your spine. Unconsciously, you inched slightly closer towards Jungkook.

The taller man hummed thoughtfully, crossing his arms over his chest, “Really.” His voice was monotonous and far lower than you had heard it before. You really weren’t sure why he was so irritated you had been speaking to Hongjoong.

“Really,” Hongjoong answered firmly, raising an eyebrow, “She’s not yours is she?” Your mouth hung open in shock. This stranger was referring to you like you were Jungkook’s purse. Just as you were about to remove his limbs, the dark haired man grunted in affirmation as though he was a cave man. A small, outraged gasp left your mouth and your head spun round to give him an incredulous look. Fortunately enough for him, he was too busy staring longingly into his eyes to feel the wrath of your fiery gaze.

The orange haired man raised his hands in mock surrender and back away from both of you slightly, “My bad.” You scoffed disbelievingly. How dare they refer to you as though you were a belonging. You did not belong to Jeon Jungkook. Sadly, you did not get a chance to express this particular thought as the man in question had grabbed a hold of your wrist and began quickly pulling you back through the crowd.

He ignored your many curses and kept you pressed tightly to his side so he could be sure you wouldn’t get lost in the crowds. You lost count of how many times you had called him a ‘slippery little bastard’ but, you were sure that it had been enough to take effect. He only released you from his grip once you had reached the small living room where your friends were.

You knew that your cheeks must have been a flushed red colour and your eyes were wide with irritation. Immediately you wrenched your arm out of his grip and whirled round to face him, “Who—“

“Kook!” Jimin exclaimed happily, jumping on top of his best friend and dangling from his shoulders. Slowly, he slipped to the ground once he had noticed the tense atmosphere in the room. “Everything okay?” He asked, glancing between Jungkook’s stony expression and your furious one.

A grim smile spread across your lips as your turned to Jimin, “Oh yes!” The anger was apparent in your voice as you gestured back violently to Jungkook. “Everything was great until this troglodyte made an appearance and decided to take his cock out and have a pissing contest.” Jimin’s eyebrows rose in apprehension, his drunk mind unable to differentiate between whether you were being serious. “I was just talking to him. You didn’t need to drag me away, dickhead!”

Your shouting had garnered a larger amount of attention, most of the people in the room looking between you and Jungkook as though they were witnessing a very intense game of tennis. Jimin turned to Jungkook as though he was going to scold him however, he didn’t get the chance to as the latter only had to say three words: “It was Hongjoong.”

There was a collective gasp from almost everyone in the room. You heard someone shout, “Y/N, no!” The confusion on your face was obvious as you looked at the varying aghast expressions on people’s faces. What, had you been having a conversation with a serial killer?

Jimin tsked, turning back you to with a scolding expression, “He was looking out for you, Y/N.” A very small part of you knew that, it also knew that Hongjoong had made you feel slimy from the moment you first saw him at the boxing match. Unfortunately, a much bigger part of you resented the fact that you were being reprimanded by a child.

“He was treating me like an object!” You whined, pointing at him accusingly. His face was now watching you with a hint of a slightly amused smile on his face.

Jungkook groaned exasperatedly, “If he thinks you’re ‘mine’ he’ll stay away from you!” There were mumbles of agreement from the room and you pouted slightly, not liking the feeling of being ganged up on.

“God! Why are you even bothered if he stays away from me?” You exclaim, throwing your hands up wildly.

His reply came quickly after, “Because I care about you!”

You paused for a second, conscious of the room going almost silent at his words, “I care about you too, idiot! You don’t see me scaring off any girl that comes near you!” The whiskey Yoongi had given you earlier seemed to make you more prone to confessing feelings, you made a note to fight him over that earlier.

A quiet sigh came from his mouth as he looked at you fondly, arms dropping to his sides in defeat, “Look, I’m not telling you to stay away from him. If it matters that much to you, date Hoonjoong all you want. I just wanted you to be careful — I don’t want you to get hurt.” The angry expression on your face faded away instantly and you wanted to take back whatever it was that you had said to make him look like that. But before you could, he had disappeared from the living room as quickly as he had come.

“Wait, why does he think I want to date Hongjoong?”

✰✰✰✰✰✰✰

A/N: so, this is awkward... Okay, to start with I am so sorry for how long it has been since I’ve updated. Honestly, I’ve been extremely busy starting Year 12 which is the first year of my A-Levels and I’ve kind of been struggling to juggle everything. Also, my mental health has kind of been all over the place since about June so I’m kind of lacking in motivation anyway which doesn’t make writing any easier. But hopefully, this update helps me to get going again!

Anyway little disclaimer, I adore ATEEZ so I want to make it clear this is not me hating on them or Hongjoong. I just kind of used his face when I was making the character and it just kind of happened ://

I hope you enjoyed this chapter and thank you so much for being so supportive in my inactivity! <3