#if any fic has done this pleaseee tell me the name

[centaurs-a]

So yall know that one trope in almost every Ron bashing fic right? The one where he's only friends with Harry because dumbledore is paying him? Nothing makes me more angry then seeing that trope and the way the author uses it to make the Weasleys look like bad people. I shit posted about this a while ago but I want to go more in-depth because I can see the potential for a great story using this trope but no one adds any nuance to it. And there is a *really* easy way to make this boring, dead horse of a plot point into an amazing story, make Ron actually enjoy being friends with Harry.

The story can go like this,

●Harry does his usual inheritance test and, along with his 70+ lordships, finds out dumbles has been paying the Weasleys with his money for some reason.

●Harry is sus of them now so he trys to figure out why Molly has been getting his money, and somehow figures out that Ron is being payed to be his friend

●it's hogwarts time now and Harry, because he is an impulsive teen boy, gets Ron alone to confront him

Now it's time for the big difference between this and the Ron bashing fics

●Ron explains that, while yes being friends with Harry does help put food on the table, he does genuinely enjoy being friends with Harry and even if he wasn't be paid he would still enjoy hanging out with Harry

●they work things out and and the rest of the fic can continue as normal, but with Ron in there as well :)

An added benefit from this can be putting dumbledore in an even worse light because he's over here taking advantage of a poor family that trusts him by using money to get them to lead Harry down 'the right path'

[subbypeterparker]

Hear me out whiny!Ethan landry fic or headcannon

whiny!ethan landry headcannon

• he is perhaps the most vocal man you’ve ever met

• but you’d better be sure his whines and moans are music to your ears

• as uni students, you both spend enormous amounts of time on your individual classes, which can lead to time spent away from each other

“pleaseee will you touch me mommy (im sorry i had to slip it in), I promise I’ll make you feel so good, i swear”

you’re sitting cross cross on his bed, working intently on your laptop while he lays behind you, pressing soft kisses to your neck

and obviously him moaning and begging in your ear has you feeling some kind of way, but you really do need to focus

once he realizes he needs to wait a while until your attention can be on him, he gets a bit restless, and lets out a sigh of defeat as you continue typing away

• this man is actually such a slut for you, it’s insane he gets anything done since you two got together

• part of being whiny means ethan being so needy for you, no matter where he is

• even if it’s inconvenient for him to be touching you anywhere, he will beg and whine for you to let him, either until he gets to touch you, or until you punish him for being desperate

“please, please, let me eat your pussy…” “ethan, we’re in the library” “…no one’s around, and i won’t make any noises, i promise”

he’s always so eager to touch you, whenever and wherever he can. doesn’t even need to be sexual

“…sweetheart, you don’t always have to hold my hand,” you look down at your conjoined hands with a pointed look on your face. “i know, but i just want to be near you,” he practically pouts

will get pouty and whiny if you don’t let him touch you, and will act bratty until you let him

• i have to mention this man’s moans and whines

• as i’ve mentioned, he’s very vocal, and when he’s desperate for anything, it goes up 10x

he’ll practically be screaming in bed, especially when he’s close, and loses his breath quickly doing so

this results in the the lewdest and loudest whines and moans you have ever heard, and they’re truthfully enough to have your pussy throbbing

but oh. good. lord. when it comes to pegging, this man is extraordinarily vocal

with his back arching, ass pressing against you as he moans out and clenches around the strap, his poor brain can’t decide if it wants you to slow down, or speed up and wreck him

this conflict results in ethan just losing his ability to speak, and his brain turns numb and can only let out whines and whimpers for you

• he’s so big on being praised, and the slightest stroke on his face combined with a soft praise has him preening in your hands

• ethan landry has the BIGGEST praise kink known to man, and will beg and whine for more praises to poor from your mouth, no matter what you’re doing

he can truly cum just from you praising him, and he knows this, and begs for you to praise him, just so your voice can get him closer

• when he has to restrain himself (either from cumming or from touching you or himself), he starts to whine for your touch and your help

“fuck mommy please, i cant last much longer,” he’s been lying on your bed naked, watching you watch him as he falls apart while you touch yourself

he can feel himself getting closer without even touching himself as he watches you touch your pussy, whining out when you moan his name

• although he likes being praised, and as i’ve said, can get off solely on it, he’s big on being degraded

trust me when i tell you there is NOTHING like ethan sobbing and whining as you degrade him

although he knows he shouldn’t like it as much as he does when you call bim degrading names, he can’t help but moan out and whine for you to keep doing it

“baby look at you, nothing but a fucking whore for mommy, only here for my pleasure, huh?” your words make his back arch as he whines out broken cries and screams of “mommy!”, desperately holding on to any sanity he has

• he is such a simple minded teen boy, that anything to do with you has him whining and writhing just for you, and only you

• he truly is a slut for you, and holy shit, does he earn that title

————————————————————————

it is incredibly late after a long day, yet this writing was much needed, PLEASE keep the ethan requests coming!! 🫶🫶

[incorrectgallaghergirlsquotes]

Can you please make a fic or a snippet about how Zach looked for Cammie when she ran away? Thank you and pretty pleaseee

"I can't believe you told her to run away."

Zach rolled his eyes. "Baxter. We've been over this countless times now. I did not tell her to run off on her own."

"You told her to run off with you," she amended. "Not much better."

"If being mad at me will help you feel better by all means," he snapped. "But it's not productive to getting her back so maybe keep it to yourself for now."

"Okay, can you two not kill each other as soon as we leave?" Macey said, finally turning to face the pair. She crossed her arms over her chest. "It's bad enough we're being dismissed and separated, we don't need you two trying to tear out each others throats."

Zach and Bex said nothing, both averting their gazes and looking at the ground. It was a situation where everyone was right and everyone was mad about it.

"They're separating us so we can't scheme and go off on our own mission," Liz chimed in. "But you two are staying together," she pointed at Zach and Bex.

Macey scoffed, having resumed packing. "Yeah. Whose idea was that?"

"Not mine," Zach and Bex said at the same time.

"You're missing the point!" Liz said. "You two will still have each other. And you two arguably know Cammie best."

Bex looked from Liz to Macey. "What? You don't trust Zachary and I to have a boring break together where we hang out and-," she paused, looking at Zach. "What is it that you do exactly?"

He shrugged. "Devil worship mostly. Except on weekends. I have a book club."

Bex ignored him. "My parents will be watching us like hawks. That's the whole reason Zach is coming with us. To be babysat." She emphasized the last word, shooting Zach a look.

"And I have full intentions of being sat," he replied. The girls talked a bit more after that but Zach didn't participate. The three of them left together, Bex walking Macey and Liz out. Eventually, rather than her returning, Zach met her in the foyer, escorted by Mrs. Baxter. Mrs. Baxter led the way out of the academy. Bex went to follow but Zach grabbed her arm. "For what it's worth," he said when she turned her surprised gaze on him. "I'm not mad that you blame me. I blame me too."

"So, what would you have done?"

It was the first thing either of them had spoken to each other since leaving. There were finally no adults hovering over them and Bex had been wondering about the answer since they passed the gates of the school.

"If I was her?" Zach asked. He was sitting back in a chair, not exactly relaxed. Honestly, it was more like he was trying to melt into it and disappear. Maybe he was. "I wouldn't have come here."

The lack of snark was already a departure in their usual conversations. Cammie's absence was already taking a toll.

"No shit," Bex mumbled. She slid down the wall across from him and sat down.

"I'm serious," he said. "She left without us. She wouldn't go where any of us are unless she needed to. I saw your map. You guys did a lot of planning where she would or could go, but you didn't bother trying to narrow those down through process of elimination."

"Enlighten me then. Where wouldn't she go?"

"Nowhere near Gallagher, her grandparents, or Liz. The states are huge but it's safe to assume she left there. Nowhere Macey's family has a house until she knows which one she's going to be in for break. And she definitely won't be in London," he gave Bex a wry smile. "Otherwise she'd risk being dragged in here by her ankles."

"True," she agreed. "But what would you have done? You go through that passageway and you're outside of the academy and what do you do?"

"Why ask me? You know her better than I do," he admitted.

Bex chewed the inside of her cheek. "Maybe. But Cammie and I... we don't think the same. Our first instincts are different. Sure, I know she wouldn't take a main road or be caught dead using her own name, but..." she sighed. "You guys are so alike."

Zach frowned, looking down at the floor. Several minutes of silence stretched out in front of them.

"I wouldn't have gone out that passageway. She did us a favor by leaving a note it would be silly to do more than that. Her primary goal was to get out of the academy without being seen, she knows how to do that better than any of us. I'd probably take whichever one gets furthest from the school, but any of them would do. I'd hop on a bus but she might not have wanted to risk being remembered by the driver or anyone. But she's also the chameleon and the CIA doesn't exactly do routine detective work like you see on TV-,"

"You watch TV?" Bex interrupted his ramble.

"No," Zach replied, without missing a beat. "I definitely wouldn't go into town, too much of a risk being recognized. Those townies sure have a knack for finding her." He paused finally. Bex wondered if it had something to do with Josh, but it was far worse. "Whenever she gets in a spot where she's not worried about you all finding her she'll have to switch gears into worrying about the Circle finding her. Once Gallagher shows signs that she's gone everyone's looking for her. And she knows that. She's trying to run towards something while outrunning us and them. I would have tried to make as much headway as possible in those first 24 hours with what I was running toward in mind. Now, I'd be doing counter maneuver after counter maneuver."

Bex nodded. "She's good."

"Are you worried about her?"

"Are you?"

"Yes," Zach said, without hesitation. "I didn't want her to go alone." Bex scowled and Zach sat up in his chair. "Tell me you wouldn't feel better if I was with her instead of here with you."

"Believe it or not, I'd prefer you both be here." Bex said. But the words had no bite in them. "You'd protect her," she relented. "I know that."

She rose off the floor, stretching. "We should go make an appearance."

Zach nodded. "How long do you think we have before our first opportunity?"

"We're the two most suspicious people in the world as far as my parents are concerned. Could take a while," a smile tugged at her lips. "Or we could get creative."

"I can do creative," Zach agreed, also standing.

"Great," she said, heading for the door. "So, where are you gonna go?"

Zach smirked, following behind her. "I'll send you a postcard."

Go to (part) ask 2!

[carrotmakar]

fic recs january 2021

hi guys!! okay so i got to thinking and i’ve seen a lot of these posts around so i made my own!! i think that fic rec masterposts are such a great way to support writers and get more people to have the chance of seeing fics!!! plus i’m leaving a bit of feedback too :))

if you know of any fics that you’d like to share a little love on / you’d like me to read so that i can reblog and give it a little love, send me an ask with the title and the author’s url!!! 

so here it is, all the fics that i read in january 2021 (and the very end of december but i’m including them anyway)

total number of fics listed: 92 (series counted as a single piece)

@moonchildstyles

aster / tattoo artist harry aster | daffodil | sweet pea | gardenia | poppy

i read this entire series at like 8 am after not sleeping the night before and oh my god i was literally so soft!! like this is so fucking cute i literally felt like i was going to throw up the entire time (in the best way yk) like omg the butterflies i got from this series? unmatched. also, i feel that it’s necessary to add the part of this that made my heart absolutely explode: Harry’s thumb stroked her jawline, a smile molding his features. “Y’not a baby love, unless you want to be my baby. And I like you a lot, too. And stuff. like okay kill me <3

citrine / witch harry citrine | opal | lepidolite | sodalite | carnelian | angelite

alright so h is literally so sweet in this one!! he’s so gentle and lovely and i truly fell in love with him in the very first few paragraphs. and he’s so out of tune with everything but he’s trying his best to understand and just... sigh. “I’d look forever for you, if I had to.” love love love this line so much it’s literally the perfect way to tie everything together

chiaroscuro / vampire harry chiaroscuro | sfumato | craquelore | non finito | fresco | renaissance 

this is very creepy during the first chapter but in such a good way!!! i literally found myself gasping and i barely ever vocally react to a fic unless i am squealing at the fluff or crying but i vocally react to lindsee’s fics literally they are so good pleaseee. and omg the growth throughout this fic truly is impeccable i swear.

@gucciwins

adore you

okay this is so cute!!! loved every single word of it!!! there was a bit of angst at the very beginning that had my heart hurting but it was all mended by the end!!! the dad!harry content was absolutely immaculate omg i literally loved reading about atticus!!!!! i absolutely love long pieces and i think that this piece was the perfect length!! there were so many things that were packed in there but it didn’t seem rushed or jumbled or anything like that!!!!

@soysauceharry

watashi no sakura

okay first things first, i love japanrry in any form so i knew just by looking at the description that i was going to love this regardless of what was in it. to be honest i didn’t expect him to have a penny board that he used to get everywhere but there’s something so cute about that to me. throughout this entire fic, i was so amazed at the way that their relationship moved along so naturally and at such a good pace. i feel like there’s an art to making things move along at the right pace, and you definitely have that down!! i truly loved this fic so much and will probably be coming back at times to reread!

@havethetimeofyourstyles

143

i am very in love with this!!! boxer!h is so freaking yummy plus it’s so well written that i can feel everything, which is so amazing. i love that i’m able to feel all the emotions and picture everything while reading!! my heart broke a bit for harry while he was sad and just looking for love in any way he could find it. like mega sigh. also, i love the way that the characters are introduced. like, y/n doesn’t come at the very beginning but it’s so natural when she’s finally introduced. and omg the interactions that they had??? the reassurances??? *chef’s kiss*

baby, it’s cold outside

before i even started reading this, i knew i would love it!!! teacher!h has a special place in my heart for some reason i truly love him so much!! oh my god the yearning in this piece is so heartbreaking!!!! i literally read through the entire thing thinking that i was going to cry because of how much i could feel y/n and harry yearning for each other. sigh this is so cute i will definitely be rereading (most likely multiple times)

bright & blooming

ahhh this is literally so cute i live for the long distance friendships + only seeing each other over the summer!!! that is literally so amazing to me that you love someone that much to wait all year to only see them for a month!!! and this was such a good representation of the love and yearning that come with that!!! and i absolutely adore the way that you described each of them and their nicknames for each other!!!! love love love!!!

where the world takes you

this is my study abroad dream!!!!! the loveliness of them meeting and drunk!harry is just so sweet i love it so much!!! and the way that the flashback is in the middle and explains everything is so genius!!! and the full circle of it all makes me so happy!!! also the way that i cried at the end of the four months!! like that was heartbreaking but everything was pieced back together as it went along!!!

extra credit

this is prof!h so you know it’s great!!! i am such a sucker for this au i swear. this was so cute!! the way that everything progressed and the confession and the tension!!!! and then the “Yours.” at that one part had me screaming!!! and the way that he literally had a plan oh my god that’s so cute!!!! i love their dynamic so much!!!

deep sleep

this is so :) :( :) :( if that makes sense!! like i love love love dad!harry but there are just a few things that make me want to sob <3 i absolutely adore it though!!!!! it’s very sweet how mr. styles comes out here comforting as he should!!!!

beautiful inside & out

this is so sweet oh my god it’s beautifully written and i really felt everything that was going on!! personally, i’m not a person of color, but i think that this piece truly was written so wonderfully and it’s very lovely!!!! the insecurities made me literally want to cry, but the way that h was there to comfort was very nice, it made me so soft!!

admiring

this is so sweet!! the background snippet in there is so well done i love getting to know exactly how they met!!! and the way that harry’s being admired is just!!! so good!!!! like i love the descriptions and the feelings connected to that!!!! the entire thing is just so cute!!

for your eyes only

i shed tears reading this!! like it is so sad but also so happy!! i know that makes no sense but there was just a sense of my heart breaking and then it being put back together again and i love that!!! definitely a fantastic use of ‘if i could fly’ which is one of my fav one direction songs so that’s just a plus honestly!!!

@greenorangevioletgrass

to feel good

miss ava!!!! coming out strong with your first harry fic!!!! it’s so lovely, so pure, so sweet!!!! the memories that are included make everything that much better!!! the flashback really fills out everything nicely!!! the interaction that the two of them had at the end was so comforting to read like... that’s literally one of the most wonderful endings i’ve ever experienced on a fic like this!!!

@adashofniallandasprinkleoflunacy

demon!harry  angel!y/n -  a total of 51 blurbs, drabbles, and one-shots demon!y/n - a total of 8 blurbs, drabbles, and one-shots

yeah okay so there are...... a lot of things here so i’ll do a demon!harry + angel!y/n feedback thingy and a different one for demon!harry + demon!y/n demon!harry + angel!y/n: he’s such an asshole but he’s... already kinda turning soft like... he’s already got the little simp showing through!!  “ When it comes to love, if it doesn’t hurt, it isn’t fun.” i’ll cry right here right now what the fuck is this?? sigh. “Tell me…” He gulps thickly, licking his burning lips in anticipation, “tell me you want me. Tell me this— whatever this is— tell me it’s real.” yeah that made me almost scream literally shut up andrea. also not me reading this and literally sobbing at some of the pieces like... no <3 “I promise on my soul— as damned as it may be— that I will not let anything bad happen to you. I swear.” i literally want to set myself on fire what the hell the things your brain comes up with literally what the fuck. i literally read all 51 pieces in a day and cried a million times but they were just because i’m soft for simprry. demon!harry + demon!y/n: okay so i am writing this after i’ve read the first two pieces and.... that escalated quite quickly i would say!!! if you like smut, you’ll like this!!!!!! if you like smut just go to andrea she’s got you!!!!! and we see some more simprry but not full swing because he doesn’t want to admit that he’s wrapped around her finger!!! and the way they’re not exclusive but they’re each other’s? *chef’s kiss* 

@jawllines

harry is the bad boy cliché of y/n’s dreams, she just doesn’t know it yet

this is so very sweet, so very soft!! all the pet names have me crying omg it’s literally one of the cutest things!!!! the way harry is so soft for her and he’s just so sweet and so obvious about his feelings even though she doesn’t completely see it is so sweet!!!!

harry’s a porn star and y/n is new

i love their dynamic here!! they automatically click and everything between them is so genuine and lovely!!! the way that they care about each other so immensely even though they haven’t known each other that long is so beautiful!!

harry is y/n’s dominant 

okay obviously this is like... smut but it’s so much more than that!!! their relationship is so sweet and lowkey domestic even from the very beginning and i love the trust that they have in each other!!! very cute!! and the ending was so so perfect!!!

y/n works in a roller rink and harry goes there to read

literally so sweet!!! the shy, kinda introverted h is to ide for!!!! and the way that they’re so cute together ahhh!!!!!! and i absolutely love the way that they support each other and are falling for each other before they even admit that they are!!!!

harry’s a vampire and y/n never dresses for the weather 

i love how when they met it wasn’t on great terms and he couldn’t get her off his mind so he was like “no, stay away!” but he was already so whipped for her and then!!!! when he asked how to be warm for her??? that made me so soft i literally thought i was going to cry.

harry and y/n are best friends and y/n isn’t his “type” (or so she’s heard)

this is so absolutely soft!!! they’re so whipped for each other and don’t even know it!!! and miss y/n hearing things made my heart break but all was well at the end!!! love love love!!! the entire dynamic that they have is so fun plus there were peeks of jealous h so that’s always a win!!!

y/n and harry don’t really mesh well, until they do

we love a bit of an enemies to lovers moment!! and the whole “y/n’s being a good friend to jeff, that’s it” and the tension and the drunk cuteness and literally all of it, it’s so wonderful!! harry being a softie is one of my weaknesses and although he’s a bit mean at first, he redeems himself!!

harry’s on the football team and y/n steals a dog

this is absolutely so cute!!! y/n has such a beautiful little personality and harry feeling things with her even though his “reputation” is different than hanging out with people like her is so great!! and the way that he takes up for her and the way that she comforts him is so lovely!!

harry is y/n’s grumpy neighbor and he has a secret part 2

this is actually the second time that i’ve read this fic tbh!! it’s just so good!! the dynamic of him trying to stay away from her because it’s dangerous for her to be too close to him and then him trying even harder to stay away from her and hide his feelings only for her to make a move is golden.

y/n pretends to be harry’s girlfriend

okay this one hurt a bit at first. i wanted to flick h in the forehead at first for trying to make someone else jealous with y/n but he redeemed himself as he does so i shall let him off the hook this time haha. i think that the way that they progress is so sweet plus!!! everyone loves a good fake dating au!!!

werewolves exist... pt. 2

this is the first werewolf au i’ve read in a while and it’s actually really good!! i love how everything progressed and the way that harry was like.... this isn’t supposed to happen like this!!!! it’s all very cute and it’s very enemies to lovers-esque even though they aren’t enemies lmao

y/n delivers sweets and harry lives on the side of a mountain

this made me so sad tbh like... the fact that they treated harry so bad just because they judged him before they know him makes me so sad and i really wanted to punch some people but it’s a fictional universe so i can’t actually do that lol. but the way that y/n was with him made me so soft i really love this piece

y/n is on harry’s tour crew and harry just think’s she’s lovely

y/n is so sweet in this piece!!! it makes my heart hurt when harry gets overwhelmed and snaps but thankfully everything is well in the end and he gets his act together so that he can realize what is truly important!!!

harry is y/n’s criminology instructor part 2

this dynamic is an automatic yes and that’s on my love for this au. anyway, the way that he was like “it’s just a kiss” made me absolutely want to scream but i didn’t and thankfully i didn’t write him off as a prick because he’s actually so sweet and he takes care of her and loves her and just... he’s everything.

harry used y/n as a model for his art final

i wanted to smack harry upside the head so hard when he kept talking about his crush when y/n just wanted a good partner. thankfully he finally saw the light and realized that the only thing he wants is y/n by his side because y/n is there for him and cares about him and loves him

[chuuyasbbgxx]

Hello, hope request are still open. Could I ask for chuuya + s/o who has an existential crisis pretty pleaseee. I really liked the injured fic that you have written^^

A/n: really sorry for being late. I hope this is okay

Chuuya x S/o with an existential crisis

Warnings: Self harm, blood, swearing

Word Count: 1279

S/o’s POV:

Mori-sensei’s words rang in my ears.

“You need to work harder, l/n y/n, really harder. You have gone down in standards, and if you go any lower, I’ll have to lower your rank. Understood? You’re working overtime today. Practice fighting and defeating Akutagawa and Chuuya. They are great opponents. Leave now.”

Was I that bad? My depression had been getting worse but no one understood what I needed. No one. Well, maybe Chuuya would, but I don’t plan to tell him. He’ll only think I’m weak.

I washed my face, wiped with a towel I took from my bag and rushed to the arena to continue practice with Chuuya. I had finished practicing with Akutagawa and the rest of the night, I would be practicing with Chuuya.

“You look tired, y/n,” said Chuuya.

“I’m fine,” I lied, aiming an attack at him, starting the session.

Chuuya’s POV:

After what felt like ages, Mori-san told y/n and me to end the session for the day. y/n looked like she would collapse to the ground, but as soon as I went to her, she ignored me and walked to the ladies’ washroom.

Was I that bad a boyfriend?

I rushed to the gents’ washroom and splashed water over my face. It felt cool on my skin. Having wiped my face, I went to the arena and found that Ichika had not returned from the washroom.

I sat on one of the benches, took out my phone and waited for her. As minutes passed, I got worried. What was she even doing there? Part of me told me to wait while the other part urged me to go and check upon her. I decided to go and see what was going on.

That’s how my venture to the ladies’ washroom began. I wasn’t sure what to expect (me and y/n were the only people in the building other than Mori-san, Elise-chan and Kouyou-san) but I certainly didn’t expect what I saw.

At first, I stood outside and called out y/n by name. There was no response. Then I entered. The scene shocked me.

Y/n's left wrist was cut and blood flowed out of it, dripping into the wash basin. In her right hand was a blade. She didn’t even realize that I had entered till she heard me.

“Y/n-”

She immediately turned to me.

“Leave me alone. This is the ladies’ washroom, not the gents’.”

“I know that, y/n, but please, drop the blade.”

“No.”

“Please?”

“...Why?”

“I want to talk to you. Things will get better.”

“Six years- SIX FUCKING YEARS, Chuuya!”

“y/n, love, please listen to me.”

“Listen?! Has anyone ever listened to me huh?”

“I- you never told me you had something to say. I’m always here to listen, you know.”

Y/n's expression immediately transformed from anger to guilt.

“Please drop the blade, y/n.”

She did as told.

“Thank you,” I said, walking towards her. “Show me your hand, love.”

“No, I’ve told you enough. I don’t want to be more of a burden to you by worrying you.”

“What- is that what all this is about? You being a burden to me? That’s harsh. I mean, you’re my sunshine, the reason I get out of bed and I’d die for you. I don’t think that’s called a burden.”

“What?” y/n looked at me, wide-eyed.

I smiled warmly at her. “Yes, y/n, you’re all of that. You need to know that.” I took her right hand in mine and she winced.

“Let’s clean this, hmm?” I looked at y/n who just kept quiet. I washed the cut and tied her spare handkerchief around it. She kept quiet the entire time.

I couldn’t help but feel extremely sad and guilty. I had noticed y/n behaving differently for the past few weeks but I never really paid much attention. If I had done that, this would not be happening now. I mentally slapped myself and then looked at y/n.

“It’s getting late. Let’s go.”

I walked to the door and turned to look at her. She just stood there by the wash basin.

“What if someone sees my hand?” She asked, not looking at me.

I took off my coat and let her wear it. It was just the right size, and covered her wrist perfectly.

“Better?” I asked.

Y/n nodded.

I held her left hand and headed towards the parking lot. Y/n held on tightly to my hand.

Mori-san was talking to Kouyou-san near the Room of Records. He told us to stop and then sent Kouyou-san away.

“How are you so late, Chuuya? It’s been almost one hour since practice got over.”

I looked at Y/n who looked at the ground.

“And isn’t Y/n wearing your coat?”

“Y/n wasn’t feeling quite well,” I said slowly. “So I gave her my coat to wear. That’s also why we are leaving late.”

“I see. Anyways, try and take some rest, y/n, you’ve worked really hard today.”

Y/n didn’t even look up.

“L/n?”

“Boss, she needs to be alone now.”

“Can you come to my office now, Chuuya?”

“Sure,” I said, letting go of Y/n's hand slowly, only to be held by her again, tighter than before.

“Y/n, love, let me go.”

“Take me with you.”

I found that weird. “Can she-”

“Yes, now follow me,” said Mori-san.

S/o’s POV:

When we reached the office, Mori-san asked Chuuya what happened, and as he narrated the incident (after getting my consent, of course), I looked down at my shoes. I couldn’t bear to look anyone in the eye (except Chuuya). I just listened to the two talk.

“Y/n, could you please leave for a few minutes?”

Mori-san turned to me.

“Okay,” I said as I stood up and walked out.

I didn’t hear anything from their conversation after that. I didn’t even try to. Apart from Chuuya, no one loved me. No one wanted me. I was just a waste of space. After all, I couldn’t even carry out a task successfully.

As these thoughts stormed in my head, someone kept their hand on my shoulder. I turned to find Chuuya standing behind me.

“You okay?” He asked.

I nodded, and the two of us walked out of the headquarters and to the parking lot. Chuuya got onto his motorbike and I sat behind him, arms around him as I get terrified when he goes fast (which is always). Surprisingly, he was comparatively slower this time.

It was only when I reached home that I realized that it was almost midnight. I was supposed to be sleepy. Shockingly, I was wide awake.

I took off Chuuya’s coat and gave it to him. “Thanks.”

“Anytime.” He smiled warmly at me. I managed a faint smile and walked to my room. After taking a bath and getting fresh, I was about to get into bed as I didn’t feel hungry, but Chuuya entered the room.

“Sleeping already?” He asked.

“Was going to.”

“Come with me.”

“Where to?”

“The kitchen.”

I followed Chuuya into the kitchen to find some biscuits and cake laid out on plates and soft drinks in glasses. It wasn’t much, but it melted my heart.

“Go ahead, eat, you must be exhausted.”

“I- how- Chuu-”

I was too speechless to speak. Chuuya pulled me into a tight hug.

“I love you, y/n,” he said as he ran his fingers through my hair. “Please don’t forget that. I’ll always be by your side. Just talk to me whenever you feel low, okay? I’ll be there for you.”

I cried into his shirt, not from sadness but from joy.

So what if only Chuuya loves and wants me? Quality is better than quantity.

[xoluvx]

team building - p.p x stark!daughter

peter parker x stark!daughter

summary: you’re forced to go on a retreat with the rest of the avengers. lucky for you, your boyfriend peter is one of them. on the bus ride there, the two of you start working on some team building activities. 

warning: smut. oops.

- - -

"do we really have to go to this retreat?” you whined, arms crossed. your dad brushed past you, working on some last minute adjustments he was making to his suit. “yes, it’s called team building.” he stated placing the wrench he’d been holding in his mouth.

“but dad! i’m not even part of the team,” you pouted stomping your foot. tony waved his hand at you. “you are my daughter. you are part of the team.” he stated. “besides peter is going. you like peter, right?” he still hadn’t looked at you and you were thankful because your frown had turned into a smile when you heard peter’s name. 

liked peter? you fucking loved peter. peter knew you loved peter. 

he’d sneak into your room any night he could. he’d gotten to know the most intimate parts of you. not to brag or anything, but you had him wrapped around your finger. and you loved it. 

so hey, some team building wouldn’t hurt if peter was going too.

it’d been two hours of you sitting on this stupid bus on your way to the so called ‘team building’ location. you’d been resting your head on peter’s shoulder watching funny videos on his small phone screen. 

and even though you’d belted out a few good laughs, you weren’t satisfied. you wanted to have some real fun. noticing your lack of attention, peter stroked your arm asking if you were okay. 

you simply nodded, letting the hand that’d been previously resting on his thigh crawl up his zipper. peter squirmed feeling your fingers tug at his jeans. you looked up at him with pleading eyes. 

“y/n, we’re in a crowded bus.” peter whispered placing his hand on top of yours to stop your actions. you moved closer to him, if that was even possible, and brushed his hair with your free hand. “we’re the only ones in this row, baby. pleaseee i’m so bored.” you whined tugging at his hair slightly. you knew he loved getting his hair pulled. 

peter groaned softly releasing the grip on your hand. you quickly got to work undoing his jeans and pulling them down. “i’m going to use my mouth, okay?” you warned watching his eyes bulge. 

there were so many thoughts rushing through peter’s head. what if you got caught? there’s no way you could come up with an excuse for why your head was on his crotch.

but all those thoughts dissipated when he felt your lips wrap around the head of his member. he gasped softly letting his hand fall to your head guiding your movements. you bobbed your head up and down, trying to take in as much as you could. you felt the tip of his cock hit the back of your throat causing a small noise to escape your lips. 

peter sat up straight holding your head in place. he peeked out of his seat making sure no one had heard you. he relaxed moving your head back into rhythm when he saw no one noticed. 

you were to enamored by the feeling of his cock in your mouth that you didn’t notice peter’s hand running down your back and to your ass. he gave you a firm squeeze which caused your mouth to clench around his cock. he groaned shutting his eyes. your movements came to a halt when you felt peter pulling your head up. 

he crashed his lips on your, hands reaching under your shorts. his fingers brushing your core. he moaned into the kiss when he felt the very noticeable wet spot on your underwear. he was being so selfish, he thought. 

he pushed your underwear to the side letting his fingers slide between your slick folds. his fingers teased your clit. your body shook under his touch, you needed more. 

“peter” you half whispered half moaned into his lips. he didn’t have to hear you say anything to know exactly what you wanted to do. he knew you like the back of his hand. 

he moved you so you were straddling his waist. the small blanket that’d you’d brought for the bus ride loosely hung around your shoulders. you guided peter to your entrance as his index finger hooked around your shorts and underwear pushing them to the side giving him full access. 

you tried your hardest not to make a noise when you felt peter’s cock push into you. you’d done this before. you’d done all sorts of things with peter before. but this feeling never went away. he always felt so fucking good. 

“you like that?” peter asked a cocky smile on his face. you rolled your eyes pulling the hairs on the back of his head. “i like it when you try talking dirty to me,” you purred crashing your lips on to his. you started moving your hips, peter’s hands gripping your ass helping you.

the bus was nice. it had padded seats and mood lighting but you needed that extra help from peter. so as you rocked your hips, the grip on your ass tightened helping you move. you usually liked being in charge. peter was okay with that. 

though you couldn’t complain at this moment because the angle of this position had you seeing stars and flashes of colors in no time. peter was watching the way your face scrunched up in desire and the way your lip was tucked between your teeth. 

he brought his lips to your neck adding to the pleasure. you couldn’t help but whimper feeling the knot that’d been building up starting to come undone. 

“cum for me,” peter urged thrusting his hips off the seat. you whimpered gripping to the back of his neck, head falling onto his shoulder. “don’t tell me what to do,” you half joked speeding your movements. 

you were almost there but so was peter and the last thing you wanted was for him to cum inside you leaving you to deal with the mess. so with a few more rocks and bounces, you felt your body shake. walls clenching around peter. 

peter’s face revealed that he was nearing his end so you quickly pulled yourself off him, trying to squeeze yourself between the seats to have the perfect angle of peter’s dick in your mouth. 

peter was confused until he felt your hand pumping him, mouth open, ready for his release. he grabbed your head, holding your position while his other hand helped guide your hand in pumping him. he groaned slightly when he felt his cock twitch. his cum shooting into your mouth. 

he watched the way he filled you up. his eyes hooded but full of love, lust and affection. once he was done, you closed mouth swallowing. he was panting, hand brushing your cheek lovingly. noticing how uncomfortable the position you were in right was, he lifted your body so you were resting next to him on your seat.

“i love you,” he said trying to catch his breath. 

“i love you,” you reply pulling his face to yours wrapping him up in a kiss. unlike the sex you’d just had, it was gentle and soft. your lips stuck together, making a few sounds when you pulled away every few seconds. 

“are you guys done?” you heard a voice from the front of the bus call out. 

peter blushed turning to look at you. his hands reaching down to adjust his jeans. you laughed helping him. “yes!” you called out with zero shame.

the sounds of hurray, you can take off your earplugs, and a you owe me $50 echoed through the bus. 

you bit your lip looking at peter who was burying himself into the seat. you laughed, feeling his arm pulling you down with him. 

“great team building activity,” you mumbled capturing his lips in yours. peter laughed into the kiss. “hope there’s more where that came from,” peter responded palming your breast. 

you moaned, fingers pulling on his hair. “i think that can be arranged.”

- - -

thank you @yourfellowangel for the amazing idea. seriously, how did i get so lucky to find someone who just has the best suggestions for fics? ♡

if you enjoy this one, you might enjoy:

Handsy (Sub!Peter)

Overstimulated Sub!Peter

[playitaagain]

tumblr ate @dreamypope‘s asks so here are her questions for the fic writer ask game! 

wait i just sent in like 8 of them but i guess it didn't go through ughhhh! i will leave my questions here then: 4, 9, 11, 14, 16, 18, 20!!, oooh 25, 30 pretty pleaseee, 34, 44 :)

4. Link your three favorite fics right now.

I have 923 bookmarkers on ao3 and it grows daily. Do you know how hard this is? And now I’m worried I’ll offend someone if I don’t add their fic. Please don’t take offense. I love everyone’s fics but these are three that are sticking out to me at the current moment. I’m really into DeanxSeamus right now from HP. Don’t judge me. Two are HP and one Mayward. 

A Little Like This  The Complex Variations of the Letter J  Strength of Heart 

9. Tag 3 fic writers you think are underrated/unknown in the fandom/fanfiction community.

Again, please don’t take offense if you aren’t on the list. I love everyone and it’s so hard to think of people. 

@midsommers @thistreasurehunter @colfields (never talked to her and a little nervous about tagging her, but she writes amazing jjpope that I only just discovered.)

11. How do you come up with your fic titles?

By struggling. No, but this is the hardest part, even when I’ve finished the fic. I usually wait till I’m done and pick a moment in the fic I like and name it after that moment or word that I pick. Sometimes I name the title off the prompt and sometimes I have a title that I actually base the prompt off. It’s usually the first one though. 

14. Do you have a personal word minimum that you hold yourself too? Why or why not?

It depends on what I’m writing. 10 minute fics I try to do 500 or under. Requests are a minimum of 500, but I aim for 1,000 or more. Oneshots I usually aim for 4k or more. That’s just the logic I came up with in my head. I don’t really know why. 

16. Do you research for your fics? If so, how deep of a rabbit hole have you gone down by accident when researching?

I do minimum research because I get annoyed easily. It’s fanfiction. I can write what I want. There are things I think are more important to research, but others I just go with the basic things I know and work from there. 

18. Do you have a WIP that you keep telling yourself you’ll eventually get back to, but deep down you know that’s probably a lie?

I feel guilty all the time for this unfinished chapter fic: Breaking the Cycle. 

20. What’s your favorite part about the fanfiction writing process?

I love finishing the fic or making a connection back to a part I already wrote. 

25. Do you listen to music as you write? If possible, link your writing playlist.

No music. I get distracted. I do watch tv though, but only shows I’ve already seen so I’m not distracted. 

30. Post a snippet from your current WIP without context - no more than 300 words.

He’s only a few hours into the ride when his phone rings. Pope fishes in his pocket for his phone, frown tugging down his lips when he doesn’t recognize the number. It’s rare to get a call and usually the only people who call him are his parents or Kiara. He thinks about letting it go to voicemail, is sure they would leave a message if it was important, but something in his gut is telling him to answer so he swipes the phone and holds it up to his ear. 

“Hello, this is Pope,” he states, voice cracking a bit awkwardly as he uses it for the first time today. The line is silent for a moment and he can hear a bit of shuffling on the line, papers moving. 

“Good Morning, Mr. Heyward,” the voice says, oddly pleasant. The words have him confused as he tries to figure out who this might be, going through a list of people that would possibly call him Mr. Heyward. He can’t come up with any. “We are calling on Mr. Maybank’s behalf today.” That left Pope even more confused. Who was Mr. Maybank? 

“I’m sorry, but who is this?” He asks, eyebrows furrowed as he shifts to look out the window, folding his leg under him just so he can change positions for a bit.

34. How much of yourself and your life experiences do you put into your writing? What do you think your readers’ image of you is?

My life is boring so not much. Maybe my readers think I have a more adventurous life than I actually have? I’m not really sure. 

44. Rant about something writing related.

I’m honestly not sure what to rant about, but I’m going to go with support. If you want fanfic writers to keep writing, make sure you not only kudos but comment as well. There has been such a lack of comments lately and just make sure your supporting people who are literally doing this for free. Just, support. It doesn’t take long. You found the time to read the fic, so just spend two more minutes writing a review.

Please ask more from this list! This is fun :)

[jimlingss]

Thank you, everyone, for your words of encouragement. In this short amount of time, I’ve been absolutely overwhelmed with messages of support. I want to reassure you all that I’m by no means as hurt as some of you think, or at least not after so much kindness. I’ve always encouraged all kinds of feedback!! From compliments to constructive criticism. And I’m (supposedly) an Adult™, so I can definitely take someone’s opinion.

Regardless, thank you to everyone who reached out to me. I want to respond to each and everyone of you under this post so I don’t flood other people’s dashes.

Anonymous said: about the anon who said your fics lack emotion, hmm i wouldn't quite agree tbh, i remember reading tears of a villian and deadass crying, it hurt me so much!! also, in "fall in hatred" their feeling are so well portrayed and i could understand why they acted a certain way! to conlclude, there is always some space for constructive criticism but your stories, are to me, something very attentively built and created, it's apparent that you completely enjoy writing, I can feel your enthusiasm!!

--to that anon; pls don't get this wrong way but it's just the way I see it and I've read quite a lot till now

nah deadass crying isn’t good enough anymore, anon. You have to be keening and violently sobbing until you’re brought into the ER for my fics to be considered to have emotion. lol I’m only kidding, thank you for the message.

peachiest-hun said: To that anon who said your work lacked emotions, I beg to differ! I have read Jungle Park so many times I know at exactly which chapter when the heavy angst starts happening and I read those parts when I just want to have a good cry (I still cry every. single. time)! Also Head Over Heels to Hell, The Colour of Our Voices, Love So Shallow (because I so relate with OC), and many more have given me the FEELS (happy and sad ones). 1/2

So what I'm trying to say is that Jimlingss is doing a great job in her craft. She does deliver emotions in her work and the reason I love it so much is that it's SUBTLE and not completely in your face. Sometimes emotions that are subtle and they hit you slowly, but powerfully it hurts even more for me. On another note, I'm loving Sugar and Coffee. In times of darkness which are often these days, I have something to look forward to every week to keep me motivated. So thank you Jimlinggs! 2./2

Istg Jungle Park is one of the most unexpectedly beloved fics on my blog but I love it hahaha I can’t believe you’ve read it to the point of knowing what chapter is what though. that’s an honour. There’s definitely stories of mine that are less subtle than others, but I’m glad that you enjoy the latter of them too :’) Thank you.

Anonymous said: This is my first time ever leaving a message on someone’s tumblr, but I just felt that I HAD to after reading that anon’s comment about your stories lacking emotion. I wholly disagree (in the nicest way possible, not throwing any shade at anyone). I’ve read all of your fics (for the past two years) and I look forward to when you release new material (the highlight of my Mondays right now after I come home from working at a clinic). Your stories have really lifted my mood during this pandemics an

Anonymous said: Sorry for that long tangent. Don’t even know if I made sense. You don’t have to respond to any of this, but you deserve to hear some positive words as well.

Oh my god. Did I just take your tumblr-message virginity? asdfghjkl I’m kidding. but thank you for reaching out to me. I can’t believe you’ve been around for such a long time and that I’m a part of your Monday routine :’) 

Anonymous said: OK that ask about "constructive criticism" was def imo RUDE. You don't just anonymously go into someone's asks and bluntly tell an author that their fics "lack emotion". That is not the way to encourage someone to improve and continue to work hard. That's just flat out mean. That person clearly doesn't care about your feelings or the fact that you write and share your stories for FREE for us to enjoy. I love your stories and appreciate what you've shared with us. Thank you for your hard work ❤️

I like to give the benefit of the doubt to anons and anyone sending me a message online in general. God knows there were times I meant well but it was received wrongly. But anyway, my mind was more boggled than I was hurt, that’s one thing for sure.

joonie-mono said: + it was called love so shallow which genuinely made me see myself in a character, but my point was that your writing has a specific feel to it, it's made me laugh and cry (His Name personally killed me :] ) and that's my opinion. You and your writing are amazing and I'm sorry but that anon was just so wrong.

oof bringing out the evidence. be my attorney please.

Anonymous said: As someone who has read your entire masterlist (and going through it again) i will have to wholeheartedly disagree with that anon. The way you portray SO many emotions in your fics is *chefs kiss* and I honestly thought that the ones that “lack emotion” were meant to be that way, with an open ending, the idea that their love just started, soo.... yeah, I’ll have to disagree.

There are definitely stories of mine that are a bit looser on romance. Such as Kitchen Romance, The President’s Son, The Heiress’ Son, Arcadia, etc. But I have a loooot of fics that are quite emphasized in either despair/sadness or cute fluff.

ladyartemesia said: ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! I am here to disrespectfully disagree with anon who probably doesn’t write effing ANYTHING and has no idea what it takes to produce the content you do. I have followed for months and I’m still not through your masterlist BECAUSE reading your stories is a bloomin EMOTIONAL EVENT. When I read Brass and Strings, I LOST A WHOLE DAY. Like I was so into it, my DAY was gone. Anon is prolly salty there isn’t more smut I guess. That’s whatever for them. (Part 1)

It’s subtle, deep, meaningful, and incredible and you’re one of my favorite authors. I can’t FOR A SECOND let that comment go cause it’s RIDICULOUS. You’re literally so gifted. You don’t need to change a thing. Every artist, no matter their medium, should continue to improve. So in that sense I wish you all the growth in the world as you work towards the perfection of your craft. BUT SERIOUSLY you’re an incredible writer. That anon is loony. I’m so sorry you had to even read those crazy words.

As I answer these messages, it’s starting to feel like I’m the third party mediator of a dispute and all y’all are just HAMMERING it to this anon, LOL. I’m not sure if the anon is necessarily requesting for more smut but if they are, they might be happy this Friday (*COUGH spoiler for those actually reading my responses)

Anyway, you’re too kind. thank you. I am definitely not as hurt as I was earlier.

((and tbh you’re hilarious, you’re actually making me laugh irl))

krystle1990 said: Woah!! Ok first that Anon is absolutely crazy. I literally stalk your page for new work being put out! I probably blow up your notifications daily. I've never been disappointed in any of your work. You always give a heads up if it will take time for the characters to realize their feelings which I absolutely love. It always leaves me ready for the next part and I am glued to my phone with every update. You're amazing and I can't wait to see how you grow with your work. 💜😘

ASDFGHJKL PLEASEEE if it’s someone who’s worried about blowing up notifications, it’s me. To those who have notifications on I sincerely can’t fathom how often I blow up people’s phones. I digress, I always give out warnings to keep people patient since I know slow burn can be excruciating haha thank you for the message.

kigurumu said: Also just want to add that saying you have good intentions or "don't mean to be mean" does not cancel out whatever offensive thing you just said. IT WILL STILL RUDE. Not saying all negative feedback is bad. Criticism can be hard to take no matter how it's phrased, but telling a writer to be more like another writer is like telling them their style isn't good enough which is NOT helpful. Your writing is your own. If the anon wants to read fics that are like gukyi's, they can read gukyi's fics 🙄

Also I've been waiting until Sugar and Coffee is done so I can binge it all at once but avoiding spoilers from all the asks is so hard haha! I keep seeing all these good things about it and I'm SO tempted to just read it now but I've already waited this long so I don't wanna give up kfnrjrofvjskdh guess I'll reread your other fics in the meantime

The message was fine on its own but I think dragging in another writer at the end was definitely not ok. When will comparing writers end. But regardless, gukyi and I are cool with one another - i mean we wrote 100k together so it’s gonna have to take a reverse Zuko arc for us to be on bad terms lol

Anyway, oooh you’re one of those bingers. Can’t say I blame you cause I love binging myself, so it’s understandable for readers to wait till the series is over. and since you were so kind in following up your original message with two more and expressing so much appreciation for me :’), I’ll let you know that the finale of Sugar and Coffee will be posted by July 20th! by then, the entire series will be completed. 

Anonymous said: Tbh i think that neither you nor that anon is wrong. Some people like it more romanticised and cheesy, some people dont. I believe that your stories are more on the realistic side of life. People (whom your characters represent) cant always be cheesy and passionate for love, there are other things in life! Maybe you're just the type who's too realistic for any hopeless romantic things like i am and it's fine. Not all writers can write dramatic romance

Tbh, I agree. It’s a matter of opinion and there’s no one wrong in the fight of opinions. As I’ve said many times on my blog, the cringe factor varies between person to person. What someone might think is fluffy is absolutely cringey to another. What someone might think is a good amount of fluff is not enough for someone else. I’ve written a lot. And I’ve made sure to add lots of variations between the amount of romance in my stories. Indeed, some are definitely more subtle and “realistic” while others are completely cheesy and makes me gag from the amount of sugar in it lol I just think the anon should take a look at more of my stories before coming up with such a conclusive opinion.

Anonymous said: I’ve been reading your fics for over a year now and religiously follow updates every week. Why? Because they make me feel something whether it be joy from fluff or grief from angst. I’ll remember a story of yours months after I first read it and return to it just to feel those emotions again. I understand that emotional responses are usually subjective but I think that anon needs to read your works again, because they sure are missing out.

I replied to that anon that they should check out more of my fics and then come back to tell me if they haven’t changed their minds, so I don’t know if they’re missing out or not lol

I don’t expect my stories to elicit emotional responses or fanatic feedback for everyone. God knows there’s been other people’s writing styles that just didn’t resonate with me no matter how hard I tried to read their stories. But all I ask is that people try. It’s fine if you give up halfway but at least try reading. That’s fair to ask, right?

[dontatmethanks]

Love, I’ll serve it to you.

A levihan fic (modern AU)

A/N: Soo I had a dream about this the night before yesterday, and I couldn’t let it go so I’ll just post this here and on AO3 🙃

———————————————————————

“We’ve special guests incoming on table five!” Nanaba yells across the bustling kitchen.

Hange looks up from the tickets she was reading and raises an eyebrow at Nanaba as she makes her way over to stand next to her in front of the grill line.

“Business men, they’re having a very important meeting with a very important socialite.” Nanaba explains while waggling her blonde brows at her.

Hange snorts.

“Of course they chose this place.”

“They choose very wisely, Wall Maria is one of the best hot spot in this town!” Nanaba says, proudly puffing out her chest. Hange laughs.

Well she wasn’t wrong, Wall Maria is indeed one of the best restaurant bars in their city. It was owned by Nanaba and her longtime partner Mike Zacharias. They first opened it when they first graduated out of culinary school together, which was where they met. Hange’s heart always jumps for them when she thinks of their story, they were so lucky to have each other. They were soulmates.

Hange knew Nanaba since high school, they were best friends ever since. As soon as the restaurant was opened they knew that they wanted Hange to work with them. Ever since then Hange has been their best server and house Manager.

“I need every single dish that lands on that table to be nothing but exceptional, am I clear?!” Mike yells from the other side of the grill line.

“YES CHEF!” All the cooks in the kitchen yell in unison, flames bustling from burners.

“I need you to work that table.” Nanaba tells Hange who immediately groans in protest.

“Pleaseee Hange! Your out best server, everybody loves you!” Nanaba pleads her with clasped hands.

“Especially the rich old men.” Hange jokes with a roll of her amber eyes.

Nanaba pouts at her and Hange of course can never say no to her best friend.

“Fine.” She sighs.

“Yes! Okay they’re looking at their menus right now so showtime’s in two minutes. Give them your warmest most dazzling smile!”

Hange rolls her eyes before giving her an exaggerated smile.

“Perfect!” Nananba laughs before making her way to check on a lobster dish one of their youngest cooks, Eren, was plating.

Hange huffs before fixing her apron and adjusting her glasses and tightening her ponytail. She slips her notepad and pen into her apron pocket before grabbing a pitcher of fresh iced water and making her way into the dining room.

She immediately notices the table from the farthest side of the room, she can pick out the expensive suits very clearly from the rest of the guests.

As she reaches the table she takes notice of each of the diners, there were four of them. One was a man with shiny blonde hair and peircing blue eyes, he had an authoritative vibe to him. The man that sat in front of him was heavyset with slicked back dark hair and a thick mustache. His dark beady looking eyes immediately raked over Hange’s form when she approached, it made her skin crawl. The man who sat next to him was thinner and had dark brown hair that was made into a side part, his face was indifferent as he glanced at the rolex on his left arm.

The last man though, caught Hange off guard. He had short ink black hair that was cut into an undercut. His fringe fell delicately over his boyish face, even though his greyish blue eyes held a bored look he looked the youngest out of all of them. His skin looked pale but soft, and his dark blue suit looked to be the most expensive of the table. Most importantly he was very, very attractive.

Hange swallowed thickly before slapping on one of her most brilliant smiles that she could muster.

“Evening gentlemen, my name his Zoe,” she spoke in a cheery manner, gesturing towards her nametag. “I’ll be your server for today so we’ll be getting to know each other pretty well.”

The man with the beady eyes chuckled obnoxiously.

“I sure hope so.”

Hange laughed nervously, she could feel the eyes of the dark blue suited man trained on her.

“Can I start you guys on anything to drink?”

“I think our palletes may be too sophisticated for this place.” Said the man with the Rolex.

Hange’s smile faltered a bit, and blue suit did not miss the way her jaw clenched.

“A Chardonnay for the table is just fine.” He said , locking eyes with Hange for a few seconds.

Hange blinked before slipping back on her fake smile.

“Of course, are any of you also ready to order?”

“I think we’ll start with the wine first.” The blonde said with a warm smile.

Hange nodded before slipping her notepad and pen back into her apron pocket.

“I’ll be right out with the wine, once again my name is Zoe. Let me know if any of you fellas need anything, okay?”

Blue suit nodded in thanks before she departed and headed back into the kitchen with a bitter taste in her mouth.

“Did they order anything yet, Hange?” Nanaba said once she walked through the swinging kitchen doors.

“Chardonnay.” Hange said bluntly.

“That bad huh?”

Hange wrinkled her nose, “I’m pretty sure one of them sneaked dissed the place.”

Nanaba laughed.

“One of them is nice to look at though.” Hange muttered before grabbing the bottle of Chardonnay that Nanaba handed to her.

“Thanks.” Hange grunted before making her way back out to the dining room.

“Award winning smile Hange!” Nanaba called out after her, Hange just shook her head before plastering said smile back onto her face.

“Here you fellas are, Chardonnay. Just what the doctor ordered!” Hange announced, presenting the bottle to the men as if it were some rare peice of art. Hange didn’t miss they way it made the man in the blue suit’s lips twitch upwards slightly. She gave herself a pat on the back for that one.

After uncorcking the bottle she poured an appropriate amount in each of the men’s glasses, then set the bottle on the middle of the table.

“I’ll leave it here for y’all to enjoy.” She said before straightening up and pulling out her own and notepad. “Let me know when you’re ready.”

The beady eyed man ordered a thick cut wagyu style steak, while the brown haired man ordered a lobster pasta. The blonde haired man ordered a lemon grass sea bass and the man in the blue suit ordered a chicken cacciatore with an order of black tea.

“Anything else for you fellas?” Hange asked brightly after expertly reciting their orders to them, she didn’t even need to writes it down.

“Perhaps a side of you?” Beast eyes teased.

It took everything in her power not to outwardly cringe at the man’s remarks, instead she just chuckled condescendingly at him.

“Sorry we’re all out!” She joked.

The man in the blue suit almost choked on his whine at her comeback.

Filled with sudden courage, Hange lightly slapped at his back as he coughed.

“I’m here all night folks.” She said, earning a scowl from the blue suit. “Geez tough crowd.”

The blonde man chuckled from beside him.

Hange stepped back, “your food will be out in a couple of minutes, in the meantime enjoy the wine.” She said before heading back into the kitchen and yelling out the order to the people on the grill line.

Hange sighed before grabbing a cup of water and chugging it down.

“Heard Nana gave you the special table.” Mike Said as he slid next her her, leaning against the ice machine.

Hange grunted as she crunched on a cube of ice.

“Hey at least the tip will be good.” Mike teased.

Hange threw a small price of ice at him, which he dodged while chuckling lightly. The man then sniffed the air before whirling around violently.

“That better not be cayenne pepper in my risotto, Kirstein!”

Hange giggled before drying her hands on her apron.

“Ah-uh Ms.Hange?” A voice spoke from behind her, making her twirl around.

“Oh Sasha, hi!” Hange greeted once she recognized the young girl. Sasha was one of their hosts, she worked here as part time because she was still in school like a lot of their other employees.

“One of your guests would like to speak with you.” The teen said awkwardly, fidgeting in the spot she stood in.

“Don’t tell me it’s from table five?” Nanaba popped up from behind Sasha, slightly scaring the girl in the process.

“Ah y-yeah, he’s waiting outside.” She said and Nanaba groaned before thanking and shooing Sasha away, she then turned to look at Hange questioningly.

“I didn’t do anything, they seemed satisfied.” Hange said, throwing her hands up defensively.

Nananba sighed, “pray it’s good news.” She said before going to assist Mike.

Hange presses the heel of her palm against her forehead and groaned before pushing her way out of the kitchen.

She immediately freezes when she sees that it’s the man in the blue suit waiting for hear near the restrooms. First she realizes how short he is, second she notices that he in fact did not look happy. Hange was mentally kicking herself to think of anything she could’ve done to upset them. Perhaps it was the comeback she made at the beady eyed man? No, the short man seemed to enjoy that remark. Hange sighed in defeat before approaching him catiously.

The man lifts his head up at her when she approaches and before he can say anything Hange goes into apology mode.

“I am so sorry if I did or said anything to offend any of you, I can see to it that part of your check can be compensated.”

The man looks taken aback before frowning at her. Ah, she’s done it now.

“That’s not- look I can to apologize for all the unsavory remarks that my client has made towards you, it deeply embarrasses me,” He looks straight into her eyes. “Zoe.”

Hange almost melts right there onto the dining room floor, but she stays strong.

“Eh, O-oh that? It’s nothing I can’t handle really, it happens quite often.” She dismisses.

Levi’s frown depens.

“It shouldn’t be something that you have to endure.”

She chuckles.

“Thanks for the concern but I can handle myself uh..,”

“Levi.” He introduces himself.

“Ah, nice to finally put a name to that handsome face of yours. You already know my name, my friends like to call me Hange though. It’s my surname, hehe.”

One of Levi’s thin eyebrows quirk up at her sudden comfortableness with him.

“Did you tell them that you were coming to apologize?” She asks him cocking her head to the side.

“No, I told I went to powder my nose four-eyes.”

Hange’s face broke into an amused grin.

“Oh that’s new, if I didn’t know any better I would say you’re flirting with me.” She teased.

“So we’re on the same page then.” He scoffed.

“Glad to see that chivalry isn’t dead.” Hange laughed.

Levi crossed his arms over his chest.

“Are you actually interested or are you just looking for another source of income?”

Hange snorted loudly to keep from laughing too loudly, fear of disturbing the other guests.

“Oh, that was good.”

He grins, “I’m better.”

His voice becomes husky and Hange’s jaw almost drops at his boldness.

“I’ll just leave my number of the table then. It’ll be there if you want it, no pressure.” He says giving her a coy look before heading back to his table.

She just stands there for a minute, trying to figure out what just happened before going back into the kitchen.

“So he finds you attractive and wants to give you his number, so what?” Nanaba says, chewing on a peice of garlic bread.

After her encounter with Levi Hange had went to check on their food, it was ready so she brought it out to the table with the help of Armin, another young server.

Levi kept his eyes on her the whole time as she placed his meal in front of him, that sneaky bastard.

He smirked when he noticed the way the tips of her ears and cheeks tinged pink underneath his unwavering gaze as she poured iced water into their extra glasses.

So he wanted to play this kind of game? Oh, Hange will play along too.

Mustering up every once of courage she had inside, she locked eyes with him.

“Any dessert for later?” She teased with sultry eyes.

Levi held her stare with his own and smirked before licking his lips.

“I think we’ll eat our meals first, thank you.” The blonde man next to Levi piped up, lips twisted into a knowing grin.

The two men that sat in front of Levi and the blonde shared a confused glance.

“Ah o-of course, enjoy your meal gentlemen.” Hange stuttered before grabbing her serving tray and scurrying her way back into kitchen, of course she felt Levi watch her leave.

“I don’t know,” Hange said to Nananba, who broke a peice of her bread and gave it to her. “I just- don’t you think maybe he’s a bit out of my league?”

Nananba laughed out loud, almost choking on her bread.

“Hange, if anything, he’s out of your league. You’re really smart, funny, hard working and you’re beautiful in your weird Hange way.”

Hange snorted, popping her peice of bread into her mouth.

“Wow thanks, I truly feel beautiful.” She said sarcastically.

Nanaba lightly slapped her on the shoulder.

“You know what I mean!”

The both giggles together and for a second it reminded Hange of their days in high school, Hange smiles fondly at the memories.

“I don’t know... maybe I’ll indulge him.” Hange admitted softly, chuckling at Nanaba who wiggles her eyebrows at her suggestively.

After frequently checking on their table, the men finally finished their meal and decided to skip dessert.

“Thank you for dining with us gentlemen, we sure hope you’ll frequent with us in the future.” Hange bid them a farewell as they thanked her and each got up a walked out to the valet.

Levi trailed behind idly, waiting for his campanions to walk out through the glass double doors before approaching her.

“My number is in the checkbook,” he told her, light eyes scanning her face carefully before running his fingers through his fringe.

Hange notice how soft and shiny his hair looked, she had the urge to sink her own fingers into it. That though made her blush slightly and tighten her grip on the tray in hands.

“By the way, your face looks constipated when you flirt, four-eyes.” He said with a tiny smirk before turning to leave.

Hange’s face flamed as she quickly turned to grab the checkbook off of the table.

She opened it and almost choked on her own spit.

Yes his number was there, written on a small square napkin, but that wasn’t what shocked her.

There sitting innocently behind the napkin were five crisp twenty dollar bills.

Hange was puzzled, their bill was already paid for by credit card, just shy of sixty dollars. This must be her tip, Hange gaped.

Hell no, there’s no way. No one in their right mind would tip her this much, no matter how good she was.

Scooping the bills into her hand, she made a beeline out the door.

“Hey!” She called out to Levi, who was about to enter a shiny black Benz.

He paused before speaking inside the car to the driver and stepping back to close the door. He turned to her as she approached him with the money.

“Did I forget something?” He teased with a questioning raise of an eyebrow.

“Yea this.” Hange huffed, shoving the bills towards his unsuspecting face.

His smirk fell into a bored expression when he saw the money.

“That’s yours.” He said bluntly.

“This is way too much, way passed fifty percent!” She yelled.

“And you’re complaining?” Levi asked, frowning at her loud volume.

“Because it’s too much!” She whined.

Levi sighed.

“Look, the service was great, keep it.” He said, attempting to placate her.

Of course it didn’t.

Hange shook her head stubbornly. “If you enjoyed it, you tip me the appropriate amount.” She argued as she took one of the bills in her free hand before shoving the rest into one of his.

He made a ‘tch’ sound before grabbing her hand and shoving the money back in it.

“Stop being so stubborn, shitty glasses.”

Hange made an annoyed sound in the back of her throat before gripping his larger hand and shoving the money back into it.

“If im being stubborn then you’re being childish, calling me names you short ass grump!”

People were starting to stare at the pair as they went back and fourth, it was making Levi a bit uncomfortable.

“You’re making a scene four-eyes, just take the fucking money.” He hisses at her

“I’m not a charity case you asshole!” She hisses back.

Finally, Levi has had enough. He huffed before finally taking the money from her and letting go of her hand.

“Fine. Here take this,” He said as he gave her one of the bills and pocketed the rest, lofting a hand up before she could protest. “ you can make it up by going on a date with me.” He finished in a flat tone.

Hange gaped at him.

“E-Eh?”

“Tomorrow night, be ready by eight sharp. Text me your address, I’ll pick you up.”

Hange blinked a few times before answering.

“I-I work tomorrow.” Goddamnit stop stuttering so hard.

“I’m sure your boss will let you have the day off.” He spoke cooly.

Nanaba did Mike would most definitely want her to go, but she didn’t want him to know that.

“I can work something out.” Hange said with feigned disinterest.

“Good.” Levi said before reaching a hand out to her.

Hange stared at it in confusion.

“Your glasses,” he said. “Their filfthy.”

“Oh.” Hange muttered dumbly before removing her wire rimmed glasses and handing it to him.

He carefully took the from her and pulled out a handkerchief, wiping the lenses precariously. Hange just stood their squintly slightly at his blurry image.

When Levi finished he pocketed the hankerchief before leaning up to glide the frames back onto her nose.

Hange’s breath caught in her throat as she locked eyes with the shorter man, highly aware how close his face was to hers. She blushed as he tucked some of her stray hair behind her hair. They’re both frozen in place, getting lost in each other’s soft gaze.

Then hange thinks of something really funny and snorts.

“What the hell are you laughing at?” Levi glares at her.

“It looks like you could use some magnesium citrate.” She giggles.

“Hah?” Levi mutters, and looks at as if she’s grown a second head or something.

“Because you also look constipated when you try to flirt.” She finished before bursting out in full laughter.

Levi rolls his eyes before pulling away from her and heading back to his car.

“Just be ready by eight, four-eyes.” He calls out to her over his shoulder.

“Aye, captain.” Hange responds before he disappears into the vehicle and drives away.

Hange smiles dreamily like a school girl before looking down at her hand.

Her face falls when she realizes that the there’s another twenty behind the one he gave her.

“Goddamnit shorty!”

[jjkfire]

Sweet Saccharine; pt.4

Reader x Jungkook // sugardaddy!AU // 14.5k words

Summary: Trying your best to stay afloat in a ruthless city, you decide to join the sugar bowl. Who knew the sugar baby business would be this exciting?

Genre: Fluff?

A/N: here we are! a year later lmaooo but !!! better late than never amirite? sigh sorry for the wait ): i should really get into the habit of pre-writing my fics. anyway, i hope you guys like it! tis the reveal of the hooded man hehe. also never drink and drive pleaseee.

Part 1 // Part 2 // Part 3 *tumblr still hasn’t fixed the link thing, sorry!*

Previously...

His plan was really beginning to fall into place and it was all because of… you. Oh little Y/N has come so so far, he smiles but you still had a long way to go, still so much to do but it was only a matter of time before he would stand from afar and watch everything crumble around the Jeons, your very existence the sole thing he needed to kick-start complete chaos.

“Why?” You groan. “Why would you let me do something as stupid as that?”

“Listen, I tried to stop you but—”

“You didn’t try hard enough,” You grumble, head in your hands.

“If it’s any consolation, he didn’t seem too bothered by it.”

“This is your fault,” You huff. “I told you I didn’t want to go drinking but you insisted that I—”

“Oh, don’t you dare blame this on me.” Wendy wags her finger at you. “I said we should go drinking, yes, but it’s not my fault you decided to drink up half the bar.”

You let out a whine, letting your head thud against the table as you grumble to yourself.

“Anyway so, for your sake I pretended like the logistics conference bullshit story the two of you fed me last night was the truth, but come on, tell me… how’d you meet him?” She questions, prodding at your cheek.

“Well, a uhh, a c-conference.”

“Honestly Y/N, you expect me to believe that?”

“Okay, fine,” You sigh, shrinking away as she gives you a pointed look. “It wasn’t a logistics conference, but it was a conference…”

“Oh, don’t tell me it was comic-con or someth—”

“Hey, comic-con is cool,” You frown. “And so what if that’s where we met?”

She simply rolls her eyes at that before she squints at you, the gears turning in her head, a moment of realization dawning on her.

“No, no that’s not where you met him,” She murmurs. “You were busy during comic-con… you wouldn’t stop bitching about how you were going to miss it.”

“N-no, I went! I uhh took a day off and I—”

“Don’t lie to me. You’d be the last person to get a day off work,” She snips, eyebrows furrowed. “When did you meet him? Why wouldn’t you tell me you know him? Did our days of dreaming of running into him on the street mean nothing to you?”

You laugh at that, shaking your head at her.

“It’s complicated… he’s a secretive person,” You mumble. “Anyway, it hasn’t been too long okay... Maybe 2 or 3 months max. You know I can never hide anything from you for too long anyway.”

Wendy taps her fingers on the table, doing the math in her head. 2 or 3 months meant that it was right in the timeframe of— no way.

“No,” She gasps. “No… don’t tell me you met him at my conference!” She practically screams out the sentence, causing everyone to look at your table.

“N-no, no that’s not where we met!” You lie before you put your index finger to your lips, trying to get Wendy to calm down.

“My god, that’s why you’ve been avoiding all the texts where I try to set you up with potential sugar daddies! You—”

“Not so loud!” You scold before you look around, hoping no one in the café had caught that.

“Okay, so he’s your sugar— fructose father,” She corrects when you smack her hand. “And you didn’t think to tell—”

“Fructose father… honestly Wendy?”

“What? Okay, glucose guardian… or carbohydrate caretaker! Take your pick,” She smiles.

“The term isn’t the problem!” You grumble, burying your head in your hands. “Look can we just drop this?”

“Absolutely not,” She replies. “You bagged the literal whale shark of the industry… y-you’re set for life!”

“Whale sha—?” You shake your head at your friend before you clear your throat. “Listen, you can’t tell anyone… and I mean it okay? I don’t want you to say yes to me and then text your whole friend list seconds after I leave.”

“You have such little faith in me,” She fake sobs, sniffling as she wipes away imaginary tears. “You know anyway, no one would even believe me if I told them. He doesn’t seem like the type of person who would need a sugar baby.”

You nod at that, sipping at your drink, hoping that she would move on to another topic, but you know Wendy and she would milk you off every single drop of information before she leaves you be.

“So, you’re really not going to let me have any details?” She questions as you busy yourself with stirring your drink. “Oh come on! Tell me one thing. At least tell me he’s bad in bed. He can’t have good looks, money and be good in bed. That would be unfair.”

“Seriously? That’s what you want to know?” You snort, shaking your head. “Anyway, I can’t say because we haven’t really… done t-that,” You stammer. “We’re just in a uhh platonic… thing.”

“Please,” She snorts. “I saw you and him getting all handsy last night. Don’t lie.”

“We… we were? Oh my god. How handsy?” You query, worried. “H-he won’t fire me… will he?”

“Not with the way he was looking at you he won’t.”

“Wendy, I’m serious,” You wail, groaning inwardly. “We’re supposed to be just friends, okay?”

“And how are you doing with that? You’ve loved him ever since I’ve known you.”

“That’s not true,” You mumble, looking away. “I was uhh, enamoured by him, yes, but… that’s like you know, my daydream version of him. That’s not him, him. I can separate fact from fiction, okay?”

“Okay, sure,” She smirks. “Just saying, he looks better in person.”

“I know,” You hum, smiling.

Perhaps you like the fact that you can finally tell someone about your whole Jungkook situation… even if technically you’re not supposed to. The whole thing just seemed so crazy to you and being able to tell Wendy about the whirlwind of events that had taken place, feels… nice. The girl could coax anything out of you and as much as you hated to admit it, you loved talking to her about anything and everything. You trusted her with your whole heart and she just always understood you, always laughed at your jokes, no matter how bad they were which you thoroughly appreciated.

You tell her about him from start to end. You tell her about all the places you’ve brought him to, all the trouble you’ve almost gotten him in to and she laughs because whatever friendship or relationship you had with him, it sounded so entirely you. You have a penchant for danger, that Wendy is well aware of considering that she had been subjected to the many adventures you’d taken her on during college.

As you tell story after story, Wendy only grows more worried because you had that look, that smile and it’s one she rarely sees. She’s glad you’re happy, in fact she’d wish for nothing more, but the sugar business has always been misleading like that. One day you think the man you’re with has genuine feelings for you and the next, they drop a big fat cheque in your mailbox with a short letter saying this was fun, but we’re done. Sugar babies like you and her are in abundance thus, essentially, replaceable, expendable. It hurts, having to burst your bubble but if not her then who?

“He’s Jeon Jungkook,” Wendy says as a response to your story, her voice stern and you know what that means but… you wanted her to know that he was more than just his name.

“I know he’s Jeon Jungkook and all of that but, he’s really sweet too… nothing like how they paint him in the media.”

“Careful,” Wendy hums. “You have to remember your place.”

“I know my place,” You snap, before you let out a sigh.

“You know I’m not trying to be mean, right?” Wendy pouts. “It just looks like you sort of… actually like like him even if you’ve been trying to convince me otherwise.”

“Okay, maybe I do… a little… but it’s under control,” You frown, letting your finger idly draw patterns on the table.

“I trust you,” She smiles. “I just thought a reminder wouldn’t hurt. I know I’ve appreciated it every time you gave me one.”

You simply smile at her and nod, a soft thanks leaving your lips to which she crunches her nose at. Wendy always means well, has always been there to look out for you. She protects you with the ferocity of a mother and you’ve never been anything short of grateful for her. Well, except for when she convinces you that a night at the bar is a good idea… you’re not so grateful for her then but otherwise, you are. You know what she means about remembering your place and as much as you hate to admit it, you needed the reminder. Though Jungkook has been nothing but kind and sweet to you, you know that all of this is merely a contractual agreement. Sure, you let yourself get carried away once in a while but you guess you’re allowed to have some fun too. At the end of the day though, you must remember that you and him come from essentially separate worlds and no matter how enticing the idea of you and him being anything more than friends seems, it’s something that can never be.

As you stand outside the café, giving Wendy one last hug before the two of you part ways, you sigh when she reminds you that you should probably call Jungkook soon.

“You better thank him for carrying you up to your apartment too,” She laughs, remembering how mortified you looked when she had told you that it couldn’t possibly be her that got you up to your apartment last night considering that she wasn’t in the car.

“I’m a mess,” You sigh as you rest your forehead on her shoulder.

“It’s going to be fine,” She smiles. “He isn’t going to fire you.”

“How do you know that?”

“I just do,” She winks before she pulls away, waving to you as she walks down the pavement.

You’re not sure what she means by that and although you think the statement had meant to comfort you, ease the nervousness that you feel, it doesn’t. You grumble to yourself as you walk towards your apartment, the sun already beginning to set in the horizon. It’s no surprise to you. Put you and Wendy in the same place and the two of you could talk for hours on end. It’s a wonder how you got any work done in college when the both of you had shared an apartment.

It’s a long walk home and all you do is think of what you’re meant to say. You’re not sure how to start. You had a host of things to apologize for. First, you had to apologize for even calling him down to the bar, then apologize for the fact that he had to drop both you and Wendy home. Oh, and you had to apologize for being handsy too. God, you can’t believe you did that. Wendy said you did it all. That you had slapped his chest teasingly when you were trying to get him to buy shots, that you had cupped his face in your hands when he said no. She said you even placed your hands on his waist… ugh, why did you do that? You’re never touching alcohol again, is what you mumble to yourself over and over again. You can’t believe he even had to carry you up to your apartment. A fool, that’s what you are. You grumble continuously to yourself, garnering weird looks from passing strangers, but you’re too deep in thought to notice any of that. Mortified. You’re mortified at how drunk you has managed to destroy the one good thing you had going for you.

The same thoughts replay over and over again in your head, even after you’ve slipped into the tiny restaurant by the street to grab a hot bowl of noodles. You would think that the food would at least distract you but oh no, not even food can fix this one.

You’re sat in your apartment, phone in your hand, stomach queasy and as much as you would like to blame it on the dinner you just had, you know it has nothing to do with it. You’ve called Jungkook and hung up before the dial tone starts at least 5 times now. You know you have to do it, that there is no avoiding it, but you’re just so nervous. You’re rambling to yourself, playing out the planned conversation in detail when you hear muffled sounds coming from your phone. You look down at your screen, eyes widening before you curse when you realize that you had accidentally called him. Begrudgingly, you press your phone to your ear, groaning inwardly when you hear his voice.

“Hello? Y/N? Say someth—”

“Hi.”

“Hey,” He answers, voice sounding smooth, happy… not mad or uncomfortable. Odd. “Thought you butt dialed me or something,” He laughs.

“Well, yes, sort of but no I mean… I, yeah I don’t know.”

You shut your eyes, warmth flooding your cheeks because you sound like a babbling idiot right now.

“Uhh, right… Well, are you free right now? Because I’m actually a few minutes away from the bridge and I was thinking I could come pick you up for some donuts.”

“Huh? Oh, s-sure.”

“Great, I’ll see you in a few!”

He must’ve been lying because he reaches your house far too soon or perhaps you hadn’t realized you had spent all those minutes playing out 15 different conversations in your head.

For the most part, the car ride isn’t awkward but that’s only because you weren’t given a chance to speak. Someone had called him on his phone, moments after you had said hi to him and the conversation lasted all the way till you reached the destination. He gestures for you to go ahead of him when he parks his car near the usual hangout spot. In all honesty, you’re glad whoever it is that called him had decided to discuss business matters at such an odd hour. If he didn’t, who knows what would have transpired in the car. You can’t run away forever though because now you’re here, seated on the bench next to Jungkook with twice the usual number of donuts in your hand.

“I guess you’re really in the mood for donuts tonight huh?” Jungkook laughs, peering into the brown paper bag that holds his favourite snack. You only nod, still trying to arrange your thoughts.

“How’s that hangover you’re nursing? Did you sleep well?” He questions, nonchalant as he munches on his donut.

“It’s uh, alright and y-yes I did…” You mumble, eyes downcast as your fingers tug at your earlobe nervously.

“Hey, it’s nothing to be shy about. We all have nights like that,” He smiles, using the back of his hand to wipe off the powdered sugar on his lips.

There’s an uncomfortable silence that hangs in the air and it makes Jungkook feel like he’s done something wrong. His mind starts working at a hundred miles per minute. Does being around him make you feel uncomfortable now? Was it the cuddling that had put you off? Well… you couldn’t really blame him for that. You were the one that had wrapped yourself around him first. Granted, he knew you were drunk. Damn it. He’s a dick, he frowns. He didn’t really mean to take advantage of the situation like that but he couldn’t help that it felt… nice to be in your arms. I-If you hadn’t put your arms around him, he would’ve let you be. See, he’s a good guy. He had nothing to worry about, he hums. But then again, he did kiss you on the cheek... multiple times. Ah, this was starting to look bad. He wants you to know he meant it in the most innocent way possible. You just looked adorable in your sleep and… and and there’s just all of these feelings he has that he’s still trying to properly map out but at the time it just seemed like a good idea. His lips are parted, an apology just at the tip of his tongue, but you’re speaking before he can get anything out.

“I’m— it’s… umm… I’m sorry I called you yesterday. I-I shouldn’t have and I caused you all of that trouble and I just—” You hesitate, forcing yourself to look at him, eyebrows knit together. “Please don’t fire me. It won’t happen again, I promise.”

“Fire you? Why would I— I’m not going to fire you,” He laughs. “Where did you get that idea?”

“I mean wasn’t what I did yesterday sort of a breach of the contract? You wanted all of this to be on the down low but then I called, and I basically forced you to come down to the bar and—”

“You didn’t force me to do anything.”

“I know but it was… unprofessional of me to do what I did and you had to carry me up to my apartment too,” You frown, fingers playing with the hem of your shirt. “N-Not that I actually remember that… Wendy had to refresh my memory because the last thing I honestly remember is seeing you walk into the bar and even that part is foggy at best. Ugh, I’m so sorry. This… this rarely happens and I’m just… I’m so sorry.”

You don’t remember anything… He’s in the clear for now, he guesses.

“Y/N, relax,” He tips your chin up so you’d look at him, offering you a soft smile. “What are friends for if they don’t drive halfway across town to pick you up drunk from a bar? You’d do the same for me, wouldn’t you?”

“I doubt you would want your posse to see me,” You laugh. “But, if I had a car, yes, I would.”

Jungkook frowns at your first statement. Why would you think that at all? He knows he makes it seem like he doesn’t want to be seen with you in public sometimes but that’s not really what it’s like. He didn’t know how to say it but more than anything, he’s concerned for your safety. He could handle the rumours, handle the press and well, even his mother’s wrath but you on the other hand, it would be cruel to subject you to all of that. He means to say all of that to you but when he peers over at you, you have this expression that mimics fear because—

“Oh y-you’re frowning… was that a test?” You ask, gulping. “Was I supposed to say no because then no I wouldn’t—"

“No, no,” He snorts, waving his hands. “No, it wasn’t a test. It’s— Look, it’s all good. You shouldn’t even have to apologize about yesterday.”

“Okay… but I’m still sorry,” You mumble, pouting as you tap your feet at the ground at an uneven rhythm.

He sighs, shaking his head at you as he grins. Why and how are you so adorable all the damn time?

“You know you and I should go out for drinks sometime,” He smiles. “You should show me how you guys live it up here in the South. Seems to be a lot more fun than the North judging by the state you were in yesterday.”

“Even after what you saw yesterday you actually still want to go out drinking with me? Are you a masochist?” You laugh.

“I happen to think you’re quite fun when you’re drunk. Slurring and babbling,” He hums. “Plus you talk with this perpetual pout because you think it’ll get you whatever you want.”

“I don’t do that,” You grumble.

“You do.”

“Do not.”

“Well, I’ll record it for you when we go drinking.”

“Fine.”

It’s an opportunity that never presents itself because it’s been a week since he’s last seen you. You say you’re busy with work and he understands that because you work two jobs after all. Jungkook’s not really the clingy type but he… misses you. He wonders if perhaps you were lying, that maybe you do remember the events of that night. Maybe more than that, Jungkook just wants to clear the air because his guilty conscience is eating him alive. Although nothing he did was technically bad as per se but… he still feels it was out of line. 

Perhaps he just needed to rip the band-aid off, just tell you that maybe he sort of kind of likes you and see where things could go? No. What if that freaks you out? He likes your company too much to risk you breaking off the contract but then again… he knows you wouldn’t do that. You needed the money, bad. But… he doesn’t want you to feel forced into staying friends with him. He hates how his mind always goes off on a tangent of its own, making mountains out of molehills. Maybe he just needed to see you to reassure himself that he was just making everything up in his head and that’s why he stops by the convenience store you work at, knowing that you have tonight’s shift. When he steps in however, he sees a young male working at the counter and at that he simply snorts.

Your phone dings and you grumble from your spot on the couch. Swiping at the message on your screen.

[9:31] Jungkook: busy working you say

[9:31] Jungkook: but you’re not at work???

[9:31] Jungkook: [image sent]

Crap. You groan when you see the image. It’s a picture of the convenience store counter, the worker at the register looking a little confused.

[9:33] You: …

[9:33] You: omg are you stalking me?

Oh damn… Jungkook just realizes how creepy this actually seems. He didn’t really think this through, he mumbles to himself as he slurps the instant ramen he just got for himself.

[9:33] Jungkook: wait what? no!

[9:33] Jungkook: I was just in the area

[9:33] You: hmm suspicious but ok sure

[9:33] You: anyway sigh fine you got me

[9:33] You: im not at work because im sick

 He frowns at that, wondering why you would lie and say you were busy instead.

 [9:34] Jungkook: so that’s why we haven’t been hanging out?

[9:34] Jungkook: lol why didn’t you just say so

[9:34] Jungkook: how bad is it

[9:34] Jungkook: did you go see the doctor?

 [9:34] You: ah yeah it’s just the flu

Jungkook hums at that, finishing the remainder of his meal before pocketing his phone to move towards the hot food section of the store to get a bowl of warm soup to go.

The pain in your abdomen hasn’t subsided and your body feels like it’s on fire. You haven’t been able to keep anything down at all today and you wonder if it’s the funky tasting egg sandwich you had for lunch two days ago that’s making you feel like this. You’d go to work if you could… you really can’t afford to take the day off, but you can hardly move. You’ve made your couch your bed for the past two days because from this spot you can crawl to the front door to open it when your food gets delivered. Speaking of, the delivery boy should have been here at least half an hour ago, but you don’t mind, you’re not that hungry anyway. Though you don’t really feel like eating, you know you should. You wonder what the point is though. You’ve barely digested it before you find yourself hugging the toilet bowl, retching out the contents of your stomach.

*Ding Dong*

“Coming,” You answer weakly, crawling to your door. You can’t stand, not for too long anyway because it feels like you’re being stabbed in your abdomen repeatedly.

You get to the entrance, pulling yourself up by the door knob. Your hand feebly reaches into your pocket for money as you open the door, not even bothering to check who’s on the other side of it.

“Y/N,” Jungkook smiles. “I come bearing gifts!”

“J-Jungkook, what—”

You don’t even get to finish your sentence, he’s already stepping in your apartment, rushing you to the couch.

“Just rest,” He mumbles. “I was close by so I thought I should bring you some soup.”

“You didn’t really have to,” You murmur, watching him set the plastic bag down on your coffee table.

“Well, what are friends for if— Y/N?”

You’re running to the washroom, throwing the door open before squatting by the toilet bowl as you heave out water and bile, having already thrown up your lunch much earlier in the day.

“Are you okay?” Jungkook questions, rushing to pat your back.

You nod, breathing heavily as your hold your abdomen in pain. Curse the stupid egg sandwich. You’re never eating one again.

“You said you had the flu,” Jungkook grumbles. “This isn’t the flu.”

“It is. It’s the stomach flu.”

He rolls his eyes at that and you scowl.

“It’s real, okay? It’s a thing.”

“Did you even go to the doctor’s?”

You mumble something under your breath, flushing the toilet before you move away from him to crawl back to the couch.

“Well, did you?” He questions again as he tries to pick you up, but you push his hands away, getting onto the couch on your own.

“No.”

“Why not?”

You refuse to give him an answer, trying to reach for the soup instead.

“We’re going right now,” He says, moving to pack up the food on the table.

“You’re overreacting,” You sigh. “It’s not as bad as it looks, okay? It’ll go away in a few days.”

“You can barely stand, you’re vomiting and you have a fever,” He mumbles, touching your forehead. “It’s bad and we should get you to a doctor.”

“No.”

“Why not? Are you afraid of doctors? I’ll be there—”

“No.”

“Stop being stubborn,” He frowns.

“I can’t go,” You sigh.

“Can’t or won’t?”

“I-I don’t have insurance,” You mumble.

“You have me,” Jungkook says matter-of-factly. “You don’t need insurance.”

“Jungkook,” You sigh, shaking your head. “No.”

You hate being indebted to someone and especially so to Jungkook. You already had your whole drunken fiasco last week and you can’t let him do this for you. You’re probably the worst sugar baby in the business, you sigh.

“We’re going,” Is all he says as he picks you up, empty plastic bag hanging off his hand.

“No, please,” You beg, attempting to get out of his hold but you’re too weak to fight. You try to squirm, but Jungkook holds you tight, hands secure under your knees and back as he presses at the button in the elevator. God, you’re a mess, you sigh.

Sat in the front seat of his car, Jungkook curses as he looks up directions on his phone.

“Seriously? The closest hospital is in the North?” He questions. “Why isn’t there one in the South?”

“Ask the mayor,” You huff. “He said the South doesn’t need one.”

“Incredulous.” Jungkook shakes his head. “Hold this,” He places the empty plastic bag in your lap before his hand squeezes yours. “I’ll get you there, okay?”

“Okay,” you nod, fiddling with the bag. You’ve never seen Jungkook look so worried and you hate that you’re the reason why. It’s why you had lied to him in the first place because you knew he would do this. You start doing mental math in your head, wondering how long it would take to pay him off. You don’t even know what the ballpark figure is because going to the doctor has always been out of the question for you. It shouldn’t be too much, you hum. Except… it is.

Appendicitis. That’s what they say you have. You’re going to need surgery they say, and you freeze.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes ma’am. There is no alternative.”

“What if I don’t get the appendectomy done?”

“Well, then your appendix might rupture, and septicaemia might occur. Your body could go into septic shock and in the worst-case scenario, death may occur.”

“Oh… How much will it cost again?”

“About thirty-thousand dol—”

“Thirty thous— oh my god. Wait, can you give me a few minutes to think about it?”

“Y/N, this is ridiculous!” Jungkook scolds. “Just get the surgery.”

“I don’t have insurance,” You hiss.

You watch as the faces of the doctor and nurses pale. One of them scans your admission form and frowns at the address written on it, instantly recognizing your postcode.

“Perhaps you would like to transfer to a different hospital then? North Court Hospital just a few minutes from here is a hospital that suits your… kind better.”

It’s not really a question, the way the nurse had said it. It was more like a statement and at that you nod meekly.

“Y-yeah, I think we’ll do tha—”

“It’s illegal for a hospital to refuse treatment to their patients,” Jungkook glowers. “How dare you—”

“The law does not apply to southerners.”

“Jungkook,” You mumble, moving to climb out of the bed. “Let’s not make this a bigger deal than it—”

“This is insane. You know there’s a possibility of death if you don’t treat her and you’re refusing to do so because of where she’s from?” Jungkook growls, fists clenched. “What kind of doctor are you?”

The doctor snorts, shaking his head.

“Listen here, scum. I’d watch that tone if I were you,” He cautions. “All you Southies with your fucking attitude. The fact that any of you think you even deserve our time at all is simply nauseating.”

Jungkook has his fists clenched, his jaw taut and you panic, not wanting to cause any more of a scene than this whole debacle already has.

“No, you listen here, asshole,” Jungkook warns and you tug at his arm to get him to stop but he ignores you. “I’ll be paying for the surgery in full right after it’s over so don’t worry about that. Heck, you can have my credit card right now,” He snaps, digging his card out of his wallet to show it.

Jungkook pulling out his sleek, matte black credit card is almost like something out of a movie and you have to stifle a laugh at the sight. When the nurse reaches out to inspect it, you watch as his face crumples in fear after seeing the name printed on it. One by one, instant regret sweeps across each of their faces and it’s a sight to behold, one you don’t think you’ll ever forget.

“Ah, Mr. Jeon… i-it seems like there has been a uhh misunderstanding,” The doctor mumbles before clearing his throat. “We will attend to her right away.”

“Good,” He hums.

“We will be back to prepare you for the surgery in a second, miss,” One of the nurses addresses you and you nod.

When they leave the room, you laugh despite the pain in your abdomen and Jungkook scowls. You give him three slow claps, shaking your head as if you had seen an Oscar worthy performance.

“That was impressive,” You smile. “Did you see their faces when they saw you pull out your all black limitless card? And then when they saw your name, they looked like they were just about to piss themselves,” You snort, laughing.

“Well, serves them right,” He huffs. “Absolute dickwads.”

“You don’t think the doctor will ‘accidentally’ mess up the surgery and kill me on the table as revenge, do you?”

“Don’t joke like that,” Jungkook frowns and you simply laugh.

“Hey, Jungkook,” You mumble. “I know you got all pissed because of what he was saying to you and in the heat of the moment you said you would pay but… it’s thirty thousand dollars and if you uhh regret what you said—”

“Y/N, you’re getting the surgery. That’s final.”

“O-okay… but I’ll pay you back! By instalments…” You mumble. “It’ll take a while, but I promise—”

“You remember our deal, right? I’m supposed to pay for everything when we’re together.”

“Yes, but that’s different. That’s only when we’re out having a meal or whatever.”

“No, I never stipulated that in the contract.”

“Well, it doesn’t have to be stipulated. It’s common sense,” You sigh. “Jungkook, it’s thirty thousand dollars. It’s not chump change.”

Jungkook sighs fiddling with his phone for a second before he shows you his screen, the PDF of the contract pulled up with one sentence highlighted.

All expenses will be paid for by Jeon Jungkook when both parties are present during an arranged meet-up.

“Yes, exactly my point! It has to be an arranged meet-up!”

“It is an arranged meet-up,” He smiles. “I said we’re going to the doctor’s and you said yes.”

“I didn’t say yes.”

“You did,” He exhales. “In the car I said, I’ll get you there okay? and you said, okay which is the equivalent of a yes. Thus, you agreed to this arranged meet-up.”

“Jungkook, this is ridiculous. I’m not going to let you pay.”

“You know, you never listen to me,” He grumbles. “Actually, you breach this very same rule every time you pay for donuts. So, this is payback.”

“The donuts are worth peanuts compared to this! It doesn’t even come close to a quarter of the bill!” You yell.

“Well, you can keep buying me donuts until you reach the equivalent amount then! That’s your installment plan.”

“It’ll take years!”

“It’s either that or nothing at all.”

“Fine,” You frown, and he smiles patting you on the head before he takes a seat on the chair next to your bed. “But just so you know, this is absolutely ridiculous. This isn’t a meet-up. Aren’t the meet-ups supposed to be date-like activities? That’s what your contract says.”

“Yes, this is a meet-up. I’ve always wanted to have a hospital date,” He smiles. “It’s romantic don’t you think?” He grins, holding your hand in his.

“Now you’re just teasing me,” You grumble, pulling your hand out of his as you sulk. Jungkook simply laughs, looking at you with an endearing smile.

While you scowl at him, the nurses shuffle in to prepare you for the surgery and Jungkook is called out to the counter to address issues with the admission form.

“The patient did not list an emergency contact. Do you know anyone she would like to list? Perhaps her parents or siblings?”

“Umm, I’ll ask her in a moment but for now I’ll just list myself as one of the contacts.”

The nurse nods, handing Jungkook a pen to fill up the section of the form. After filling the details, he gazes at the form looking through the information.

First Name: Y/N

Last Name: Lee

Huh, so that’s your last name… You’ve always avoided telling him what it was, always hiding your identity card from him which he’s always found a little suspicious. You had said that the picture you had on your card was horrible and that your last name was embarrassing, that it didn’t suit you and he never understood what that could possibly mean. What was wrong with the name Lee anyway?

“Excuse me,” Jungkook mumbles, addressing the nurse behind the counter. “Is Lee her official last name?” He asks.

“Yes, the last name given matches the last name on the identity card database,” The nurse answers. “Is there a problem?”

“No, no,” He shakes his head. “I’m just double checking,” He mumbles before he says his thanks and returns to the room.

When Jungkook slips into the room, you’re nodding at the nurses while they tell you that they will be back shortly. As he steps closer to you, he realizes you look visibly shaken and he begins to worry.

“What’s wrong? Did they hurt you? Did they do something to you?”

“No, it’s not that, it’s—”

“Oh, is it the drip?” He says after noticing the tube connected to you. “This is just the way they administer the anaesthesia.”

“No, I mean this is fine, b-but they did something alright.”

“What?”

“Th-they shaved me,” You mumble.

“Shaved you?”

“Shaved my pubes,” You whisper. “Do you think they did it just to make me uncomfortable?”

“What? No,” He laughs. “It’s just standard practice I guess because the incision point is close to the area.”

“Oh, okay,” You murmur. “I’ve never had to do this before okay? I’ve never been to a hospital, I’ve never seen a real doctor. I’m just a little… nervous.”

“Hey, I’m right here,” Jungkook smiles. “You’ve got nothing to worry about.”

“You’re here,” You nod, repeating after him and Jungkook finds it oddly adorable.

“Oh, um by the way the nurse asked about your emergency contact section. Do you want to put anyone on there?”

“No…”

“You sure? Maybe you could put your mum’s details down. Just in case anything happens.”

“No, I uhh don’t want to trouble her.”

“Okay, what about your dad?”

It’s a question he asks for selfish reasons. It’s just that you’ve only ever mentioned him in passing... and perhaps that’s because you don’t have very fond memories of him, he assumes.

“No, no no. It’s fine.”

“Alright… you sure? You don’t want anyone on there? Not even Wendy?”

“I mean… it’s a relatively safe procedure, right? Nothing’s going to happen so just leave it blank. I don’t want to trouble anyone.”

“Well, yeah, but every surgery comes with a risk… even if it’s a small one. Anyway, it’s fine. I put my name down,” He smiles. “I’ll be here though so it doesn’t really matter,” He laughs, sinking down onto the chair.

“No, you should go. It’s late and you have to work tomorrow.”

“It’s fine. It’ll be quick anyway… Plus I did say I would pay right after the surgery.”

“I’m sure they won’t mind you paying tomorrow since you’re the Jeon Jungkook after all,” You snort. “Why didn’t you use that line? The ‘do you even know who I am?’ line. It was the perfect chance!”

“I hate that line,” He scrunches his nose. “I don’t really like flaunting my name and well… the power that comes with it, but they were being really shitty.”

“You know I always assumed you had celebrity status in the North. That people would instantly recognise you and bow at you or whatever.”

“No,” He chuckles. “I’m rarely in the news or magazines. My mother has always made sure of that.”

“I guess that’s nice then that you have that anonymity to a certain extent.”

“Yeah, on a day to day basis I guess but if we’re at some high flung gala or event, they almost always know who I am.”

You nod, feeling a little light-headed.

“This thing’s really getting to me,” You mumble, pointing at the drip bag.

“Yeah? Don’t worry, it just means they’ll be wheeling you in soon enough.”

“I’m actually… a little scared,” You admit. “I-I won’t feel anything, right?”

“Wow, you’re okay with gangs, being held at knife point and all of that but you’re scared of this?”

“Shut up,” You mumble.

You don’t tell him but yes, both doctors and surgeries scare you. Always did ever since you were a kid. It was never really a pretty sight whenever you saw a doctor in your home... and the screaming... you shudder every time you think about it.

“I’m here, you big baby. Don’t worry, it’s going to be fine,” He smiles, holding your hand. You hum at that squeezing his hand in return.

Holding your hand shouldn’t be a big deal. The gesture after all is meant to reassure you that you had nothing to worry about. It’s platonic, with no other meaning tied to it but the only thing Jungkook can think of is how naturally your hand fits in his. Of course, it’s technically all in his head because he wouldn’t be able to pick out your hand in a blindfolded test but… it just felt nice. He looks down to where your hands are linked, cherishing the moment when he sees something on your wrist that piques his interest.

Three small dots.

They form a triangle and— oh, your former gang! The Trinity! Jungkook smiles, patting himself on the back mentally because isn’t he a genius for figuring that one out? It’s odd though… didn’t you say the official insignia for your gang was a triangle? Why would you get only 3 dots and why would you hide it from him? He’s never seen it before, he’s pretty sure, but you did have a habit of rubbing your thumb over that spot from time to time. Well, that and tugging at your earlobes whenever you were nervous. It feels like his mind is playing tricks on him because he’s very sure that the tattoo wasn’t there the last time he saw you. He’s not obsessed with your wrist or anything, but he’s seen you rub at that same spot before, many times over and there was always nothing. It was a nervous tic you had, one he had always meant to ask about. It’s a question he would have to reserve for next time because soon enough the nurses are wheeling you off to the operation room. You simply turn to wave at him, smiling as you said see you later. The anaesthesia surely had gotten to you by then. There wasn’t an ounce of fear on your face.

When you awake, there’s a dull ache in your abdomen area but it’s much better than what you had been feeling just a few hours ago. You peek under your gown to find a dressing pad taped to the area and you sigh, wondering if the scar would be noticeable. Turning to your side, you find the chair empty, but you see a little note on your bedside table with a teddy bear next to it.

Y/N,

I waited a while but it didn’t seem like you were going to wake up anytime soon. The doctor says the surgery went well and that you can leave tomorrow. I have an early meeting to get to, so I’ve gone home to get some shut eye. I’m sorry ): I’ll come pick you up after my meeting though! In the meantime, your new friend which I got at the gift store downstairs can keep you company.

P.S: press his hand for some relaxing tunes

You reach for the teddy bear, pressing the paw that’s painted bright red with the words Press Me! stitched onto it. You click on the paw, waiting to hear something but all you hear is static before a Oh, wait... is this thing on already? Crap. You laugh, shaking your head but then you hear the instrumental playing in the background, and you laugh even harder. Soon enough, the classic melody starts playing and you’re snorting to yourself in your bed. Of course of all songs, he had chosen a meme song.

Shooting Stars is a song you and Jungkook had first heard in Mr. Kang’s donut store. It had been perhaps the fourth visit to the store. You remember the both of you standing in the middle of the store trying to search up the song because it had such a catchy tune. After saving the details of the song on your phone, like the free spirit that you are, you break out into a tiny dance, prompting Mr. Kang to join you from behind the counter and he obliges, laughing as Jungkook recorded all of it. You still have to get him to delete that, you laugh. Anyway, weeks later, you started seeing these hilarious meme videos with the tune playing in the background. Then, while you’re catching up with Jungkook over donuts, he shows you a compilation video of the meme and says: Isn’t this our song??? And so that’s what the song is. Our song, you hum. Of course only you and Jungkook would pick a meme song to be the soundtrack of your friendship.

The nurse must think you’re out of your mind because she’s giving you a look that borders on fear and disgust as she watches you sing along to the song playing from the bear. You debate explaining to her why you’re laughing at a mere song but you decide against it. Though patients are usually advised to stay overnight, she gives you the all clear to leave when you ask. Considering Jungkook has already paid for everything and was no longer in the vicinity, they didn’t have to be nice to you anymore. You’re unbothered though and you say your thanks before you simply slip back into your clothes and grab a cab back to your place.

You see Jungkook later that night and he’s obviously angry at you… that you already know because he called you in the midday after getting to the hospital only to find out that you’ve already left. You had a game plan though. You make him meet you at his favourite noodle store and after a bowl of rich curry noodles, he seems to have calmed down considerably… or perhaps he was just too busy sweating, gulping down his drink in an attempt to quell the fire that the curry had left behind in his mouth. Next, when you get to the donut store, you make sure to buy more of the custard filled donuts than usual but ah, you should’ve known that unlike you, Jungkook can’t be bought with food.

“Why did you go to work today? Why didn’t you just rest?” He questions.

“I-I didn’t go to work…”

“You did. I could hear your walkie-talkie going off in the background when I called you, Y/N.”

“Okay, fine, I did,” You grumble. “I already missed two days of work, okay? I can’t afford to miss any more.”

“I-Is it the money? I already told you I can help, Y/N,” Jungkook sighs. “You have to stop returning the excess money,” He frowns.

Jungkook has been trying to pay you more than he should be and it frustrates you. You only want what he had agreed to pay you. Sometimes, you find that he pays you double, even triple the amount and no matter how tempting it is to take the money… you always return it, hiding it in the glove box, under the seat, stuffing it back into his wallet when he’s in the washroom.

“I don’t want… handouts.”

“Are you really in the position to refuse it though? If you keep working like this, you’re going to—”

“I’ll make it work,” You huff. “I… I don’t want to hear any more about this, okay?”

“Fine,” He huffs. “Just know that all you have to do is ask.”

Jungkook is too nice for his own good. He trusts you far too much. He’s naïve. With the way that he is, he would end up donating his fortune away if he stopped to talk to everyone in the South. Everyone here had what someone would call a sob story. Why did he want to help you so badly, anyway? Didn’t he think it was odd that it was hard for you to make ends meet even with two jobs and the money you get from being his sugar baby?

“By the way,” Jungkook mumbles, softly pulling your hand towards him. He frowns when he looks at your wrist to find it blank. “I swear it was on this one,” He murmurs as he grabs your other hand, twisting it to find nothing there too.

“Oh, you mean my tattoo?”

“Y-yeah. You have one, right? I saw it at the hospital, and I thought I was hallucinating.”

“It’s here,” You smile pointing at your inner right wrist and Jungkook furrows his eyebrows because there’s nothing there. “I use make-up to cover it up.”

“Why?”

“Habit, I guess,” You shrug. “It’s a gang-related thing and you know how it is in the North. I hid it when I was in college because I didn’t want to freak people out… and well, I don’t really have a reason to hide it anymore but it’s just a habit now.”

“But, no one in the North actually knows much about the gangs. I’m sure they would’ve thought it was some minimalist tattoo you decided to get.”

“I guess,” You exhale, sighing. “I was just a little paranoid about it all, I guess. Didn’t want anything that would make me stand out or whatever.”

“Why three dots instead of a triangle though?”

“Hmm?”

“You said The Trinity’s insignia was a triangle.”

“Oh, r-right,” You hum. “Well, I didn’t want a tattoo at all to begin with and I’m a bit of a baby when it comes to needles, so they let me get away with three dots.”

“You have the weirdest fears,” Jungkook laughs. “I mean, they’re valid, but like in comparison to all the things you’ve seen… I just find it weird that you’re afraid of needles but not guns and knives.”

“What can I say? I like being unique,” You smile, thumb rubbing at your inner wrist.

The short well… interrogation that Jungkook had subjected you to has you feeling nervous. It’s over now but you’re surprised by how much he actually remembers. All those stories you told, you had thought he was barely listening, but he remembers all the little details. You shouldn’t be surprised, he’s done it quite a few times, mentioning random facts that you had said in passing and yet, it catches you off guard every time. It’s okay, you mumble. You had it under control. All your stories are in line, you had made sure of that. But, isn’t it time you start letting people in? How long can you go on keeping all these secrets? Those were questions you didn’t want to answer. Your heart is still thudding against your chest, palms slightly sweaty and maybe that’s why you say what you do next.

“You want to get a drink? You said you wanted to know how we live it up in the South.”

“Do you think that’s a good idea? I mean you just got out of surgery… yest— well technically, today.”

“Guess you’ll have to drink for two then,” You smile. “Come on, it’ll be fun!”

You don’t even let him answer as you stuff the last donut in your mouth before you take him by the hand and drag him down the street.

One drink. You said you only wanted one drink and turns out one is all that you need. Wendy wasn’t joking because you really are a light-weight. All it took was one soju bomb and that pout has already appeared. It’s the same one you had on at the bar when you begged him to buy shots. It’s the same one that almost made him cave even when he knew you were way past drunk. It’s just… how could he say no to that? You whine, pout on full display as you beg him to share a scallion pancake with you. He has his phone out to record the whole ordeal and you grumble, pawing at it so that he would put it away. Although he doesn’t give you a verbal yes, you order it anyway because the tipsy version of you seems to be more perceptive than the sober version of you. Tipsy you had Jungkook all figured out it seems. Tipsy you knows that Jungkook can’t really say no to you. He laughs, reaching over to ruffle your hair as you smile up at him.

How Jungkook’s never been here is honestly a wonder but then again is it really? You had walked him through a series of dodgy alleyways only to come to a mysterious door. It was like those speakeasy bars they had in the North but instead of a fake door front, the actual entrance to the bar was just ominous looking for no reason. It wasn’t for the aesthetics; the bar owner just couldn’t be bothered to put in the money to make it look inviting.

After stepping into the bar, the two of you had been greeted by an elder man seemingly unbothered, only giving a simple grunt which Jungkook assumed must’ve been his way of saying welcome. The place was poorly lit, paint was peeling off the walls but you didn’t seem bothered one bit. In fact, you seemed rather excited. The establishment resembled what Jungkook would think a brothel would look like with private rooms separated only by screen doors. Truth be told, he was trembling a little when the staff led both you and him down the dark hallway to your own room. You had laughed at the fear that was present on Jungkook’s features but you had reassured him that the food would change his mind. And that it did. Spicy rice cakes with ramen? A combo he hadn’t tried before but boy was he glad he did. As the food started to fill up the table, so did the drinks. You’d set up these drinks for him, making him slam his fists on the table so that his soju glass, delicately balanced on a pair of chopsticks atop his glass of beer, would fall in. It seemed like you never ran out of these intricate set ups and he was in awe with how the North hadn’t discovered any of this yet. You northerners are too busy being posh that you’ve forgotten how to have fun, you had said, and he had only sneered in response because well, to some extent, that was true.

It had been quite some time since Jungkook had enjoyed the prospect of drinking. It was odd that he was having so much fun when there was only you and him in the room. He was always under the impression that he needed a large group of friends for a night of drinking to be even remotely tolerable but you, you’re a one man show. From the fancy drinks you were making him, to the odd games you make him to play, to your choice of food, he didn’t need anyone but you in the room. You move from one topic to the next with ease and he wonders why nights out with his friends couldn’t be like this. Perhaps when it’s just him, Yoongi and Taehyung having a relaxing night out, it came close to this, but otherwise, there was nothing like it.

You barely need Jungkook’s help to finish the scallion pancake. In fact, the boy only had one piece. The food at this bar is your kryptonite… well, food in general is but it’s been far too long since you’ve been to this place. You and Wendy used to frequent this place so much that you could memorize the posters hanging inside each room. They’re still the same, you note. This bar is timeless, never-changing. Even the menu was exactly the same. You liked that though.

“Wendy and I used to come here to celebrate anything and everything,” You smile. “We haven’t been here for months though.”

“Why is that?”

“I don’t know… It’s harder to find time for these things when I have to work,” You mumble. “Do you have a place like this? Like your old haunt or whatever it is you posh northerners say.”

“Literally no one says that in the North,” Jungkook snorts, his speech slightly slurred from all the alcohol he’s drank. “But… yeah, I guess. Yoongi, Tae and I hang out at Tae’s place all the time. He has an insane view of the city from his penthouse and there’s this amazing takeout place just across, so we always get food from there.”

“Cute,” You smile. “The three of you are inseparable.”

“Yeah, I guess it’s because— and I know how elitist this is going to sound but, it’s because it’s hard to find people who can understand our plight,” He mumbles, and you let out a quiet laugh which garners a playful scowl from him. “There’s just so much pressure in being you know… us. We’re always being watched, being judged, so it’s nice to have each other because when we’re together, we don’t really have to worry about all of that. We can bitch about whatever we want without worrying that we’re flaunting or whatever.”

“Yeah, I get that. Even if I guess I don’t understand your plight,” You say with air quotes and he simply rolls his eyes at you. “It’s nice to have friends that you grew up with and struggled with. Friends you can always count on.”

He nods at that. “Well I’m sure you had friends like that growing up. None of them moved out here to the big city?”

“Oh, I never stayed in one place long enough to have friends like that,” You laugh. “I have Wendy though. She’s like family to me,” You smile. Although, there are many things that you’ve kept from her too. Perhaps you understand what Jungkook meant to some degree because your plight is one nobody would understand.

“Family. That’s sweet,” He murmurs, resting his head in his palm, arm propped up by his elbow. “So what about me then? What am I to you?” He questions, leaning closer, his cheeks tinged red from the alcohol. Jungkook surely has had a few too many glasses of soju, you snort to yourself.

“Hmm?” He hums again, prompting you to answer his question and you lick your lips.

The question had caught you off guard and you hesitate for a second, not knowing what to say. You know Jungkook is enjoying this, the smirk on his lips tells you as much but oh, two can play this game.

“Hmm… you? Well, we’re soulmates, aren’t we?” You answer easily. “I thought you knew this already,” You continue with an expression that’s blank and cool, as if you’re simply stating a fact. The statement leaves Jungkook stunned, his eyes wide because you’ve never said it yourself first but then he sees you smile, trying hard not to laugh.

“My, you looked worried there,” You grin, devilishly so. “You’re the one that gave us the title though.”

Jungkook scowls at you, picking up some leftover lettuce on the table to throw at you.

“I just needed time to process what you were saying. I had a long day,” He mumbles, watching you pick up the lettuce stuck to your shirt. “But, yes, we’re soulmates,” He nods, laughing lightly as he attempts to dodge the same soggy vegetable that you’re trying to throw back at him.

“Only the rich would ever disrespect food like this,” You huff, shaking your head disapprovingly as you place the lettuce on your plate.

“Yeah, yeah, says the one who was trying to toss it right back at me.”

“You know you’re lucky you’re rich and cute so, I’m just going to let that one slip,” You huff, standing up to open the screen door. “Anyway, let’s go? I have to be at the port at 5 and I want at least 5 hours of sleep.”

“S-sure.”

Cute? How is it that you always say things like that so nonchalantly? Unfair, utterly unfair.

Jungkook must’ve been standing there in the middle of the hallway, looking all dazed and unsure which you probably mistook for fear because you’re storming up to him, holding him by his hand to lead him to the exit.

“It’s not that scary, you big baby,” You laugh. “We’ve been in far scarier situations.”

He only hums, letting you tug him along because wow, your hand is so warm and… nice. He’s held your hand 3 times now in the last 24 hours. He likes that. Was it weird to keep count? When did he become this soft? Doesn’t matter… it’s not like you’ll ever know about it. Damn. He shouldn’t have let you order that many bottles of soju. He didn’t think you were serious about making him drink for two.

Jungkook’s pretty much in his own world, lost in his thoughts until he feels your hand slip away from his to dig into your purse.

“Wait, no,” Jungkook frowns. “I’m supposed to pay.”

“Please, I owe you thirty thousand dollars. Let me pay.”

“No. We agreed you’ll only be paying with donuts.”

“Jungkook—”

The elderly man at the counter lets out an annoyed grunt and you apologize, hastily grabbing notes out of your wallet to place on the counter. Jungkook swipes it the moment you put it down, replacing it with his money instead and you frown.

“Let me pay,” You whine as you attempt to snatch your cash away from him but, it’s too late. Jungkook is already pocketing his change.

“Donuts only,” He grunts, placing your cash and wallet back into your purse for you before he grabs your hand and leads you out the door.

“You’re so stubborn when you’re drunk,” You huff.

“You’re stubborn,” He grumbles in return. “Also, I’m not drunk... Just slightly light-headed.”

“You’re tripping over your feet like every 5 steps.”

“That’s because you’re walking so fast,” He frowns as he attempts to get you to slow down.

“I don’t know maybe it’s because I don’t want to get shanked in this alleyway.”

The sentence makes Jungkook jump slightly and he walks faster to match your pace. You laugh at that because the boy was far too gullible. Maybe all your stories about the South had made the place seem a lot scarier than it really is.

“I’m just joking,” You laugh, squeezing his hand. “This area’s pretty alright.”

“I hate when you do that,” He frowns. You only smile in return because it was fun to tease him.

“By the way, you’re such a liar,” You say. “If you’re already this tipsy from just a few soju bombs, I highly doubt you can down 10 tequila shots in a row and still be standing.”

“I can and I’ll show you. Name the time and place.”

“Wow, no need to get defensive now,” You laugh. “You just—”

“Shit,” Jungkook mumbles as he stands in front of his car.

“What?” You query, looking at the vehicle. All the tires were still there, so were his mirrors.

“I can’t drive.”

“Well, okay you didn’t have that much to drink. You’ll be below the 0.08%... maybe... anyway I’m sure the cops will let you pass,” You mumble. Paying off the cops to get out of a DUI is nothing new. In fact it’s the norm. “You can still—”

“No, I can’t do it,” He mumbles. “My fath— No… I’ll just sit here until I sober up,” He hums, taking a seat on the curb.

Oh… Oh right. How could you have even suggested that? Idiot. You’re a bona fide idiot.

You remember seeing the news. You were still young then, but it was all anyone was talking about.

We’re standing at the spot where just last night a car veered off the road and plunged into the river right here in the province of—

Two bodies have been found, both middle-aged men who—

The driver is said to have been under the influence at the time. His blood alcohol levels though not high—

Mr. Jeon, aged 38, the heir to Jeon Logistics leaves behind a wife and a son, only aged—

As Jungkook attended the funeral of his father that week, you attended a funeral too, your eyes swollen from crying even days after the accident. Just as his world fell apart that week, so did yours. That was the week your mother had decided enough was enough.

“I can drive,” You offer. “The last drink I had was more than 2 hours ago.”

“It’s fine… You’ll have to come back to the South and—”

“Come on,” You mumble, swiping the keys out of his hand. “Or I’ll just leave without you.”

Jungkook sighs, scrambling to his feet when he hears you start the engine.

The drive is quiet aside from Jungkook giving you directions from time to time and you feel… bad because he’s only this quiet because of you.

Jungkook has never once mentioned his father, even if he probably knows that you know the story. There probably isn’t anyone who didn’t know about it. For 2 whole weeks, his father’s face was plastered in the newspaper, in TV screens. The police bounced back between claiming there might be foul play involved, to ruling it out completely. There were rumours of tampered evidence and then there was confirmation that the evidence has been left untouched. Everyone was watching, the whole nation wanting to know the series of events that led to the accident. It was anti-climatic in the end. The road had been wet from an earlier downpour. That, coupled with the fact that the driver had some alcohol, had probably led to the accident, said the investigators. Case closed.

He had been so young then and you cannot imagine what it must’ve felt like to lose a parent and have to deal with the media constantly scrutinizing everything. He probably didn’t get time to grieve and if he did, it was on display for the whole public to see. You mean to say sorry, sorry that you made him inadvertently bring it up but you’re not sure if you should mention it at all. In any case, you run out of time because you’re already pulling into his parking bay.

“Wow,” You gasp as you stand at the lift lobby. The floors and walls were lined with marble tiles and you smooth your hand over the surface. “This place is really fancy.”

“You should see Tae’s place,” Jungkook laughs.

“Do you live on the penthouse floor too?”

“Yeah.”

“Ah, of course you do.”

“Why? Do you want to see it?”

“C-can I? I mean I’d love to only if you umm don’t mind… I guess.”

“Of course you can,” He chuckles. “I’ll call concierge to get you a taxi from the unit too.”

Concierge? Wow. So this is how the rich live.

Everything about the place screamed fancy. From the lobby, to the lift and of course Jungkook’s unit itself. Everything was opulent, grandeur. Well, to be fair Jungkook’s unit was a little on the minimalistic side but it still looked expensive. You think it had a lot to do with the grand piano sitting in the middle of the living room. Either way, it’s been a while since you’ve seen anything like Jungkook’s house. The only thing that could come close were the houses the gang bosses lived in.

“The view is amazing,” You breathe, nose almost touching the large glass window. You’ve always seen the city from the South and it’s stunning even from there but this was a different kind of view. You don’t think you’ve been in a building so tall. It was odd seeing the city from within the city.

“Taehyung’s view must be crazy good if all of you choose to hang out in his place over yours.”

“Oh, it’s about the same,” He smiles. “He lives over there,” Jungkook points to an equally as tall building. “But he loves having guests over and I don’t… well not anymore.”

“Why not?”

“I don’t know,” He sighs. “Sometimes things get out of hand… Like you see this car collection I have—” He pulls you towards a room, his room you assume, and shows you a fancy looking large glass case.

You had expected those all metal, collector’s edition cars but inside the case, you just find multiple average looking tiny toy cars. In fact, you think you used to own a few of them. They had given them out for a limited time at the gas station as part of a promotion.

“Yeah, yeah. Everyone gives me the same look,” He grumbles, noting your confused expression. “It’s just my dad and I used to collect them and we— well, I had all 100 of them… until I didn’t.”

Jungkook had thrown a party a year ago. First it was a few friends but then those friends started inviting their friends and suddenly it was a full on rager. It was all fine and dandy. Jungkook didn’t mind as long as it was still in control, but then he would constantly hear amused cheering from his room and then distant shouting from the streets below. Weird. He ignored it the first few times but after the third time, he slips away from the couch to his room to see what the commotion was about. 5 minutes and a screaming match later, his apartment was empty. Yoongi and Taehyung had never seen Jungkook so angry before and it’s safe to say they never want to ever see him that angry again.

He had 100 cars in the glass case prior to the party and after that, he was only left with 95. Apparently, whoever was in his room had thought it would be a grand idea to toss his toy car 20+ stories down. In fact, they found the idea to be so entertaining, they did it 5 times. After that fiasco, Jungkook swore he’d never have a party in his home ever again and a year later, he still hasn’t. He had scoured the streets that very night and the morning after for the toys, but he couldn’t find any of them.

“I managed to find 4 of them… some online, some in thrift stores but this one,” He points to the empty spot, a simple picture of the supposed car in its place. “I just can’t find it anywhere.”

“Have you tried emailing the company that made them?”

“Yeah,” He sighs. “But they stopped making them a long time ago so they said they couldn’t help.”

“Well, I’m sure you’ll eventually find it somewhere, someday,” You smile. “This is a nice room though,” You mumble, looking around.

“Yeah it’s my room so it’s the only one I put effort into decorating,” He laughs. “The rest of the rooms, my mother insisted on decorating.”

“Yeah, I can tell you decorated this one. That’s why this is here and not out there,” You smile, pointing to the TV. “It’s how you impress the ladies, huh?”

“W-what? No? I like to game and watch things from the comfort of my bed.”

“Yeah, sure,” You snort. “This right here screams premium Netflix and ch— Wait. Oh my god, this is amazing,” You hum, as you sit on the bed, testing it out. Maybe you should’ve asked first but you’re lying down on it already. “Wow. If I’m ever rich, this will be the first thing I’ll purchase.”

“You can’t. It’s custom made,” He smirks, lying next to you.

“Of course it is,” You shake your head. “I expect nothing less for his majesty.”

“Shut up. I have long legs and the commercial beds, when they come in the right length, it’s the wrong width, so I got a custom-made one.”

“Whatever you say,” You sigh as you snuggle against his sheets. “Anyway, just give me 5 minutes right here and I’ll go grab that cab.”

“Right, sure,” He mumbles. “Oh... about that. Thanks for driving me home. It’s— I just have this irrational fear because— Well, my father… I uhh—”

“Don’t worry about it,” You smile, patting his hand as if to say he didn’t have to tell you why exactly he didn’t want to drive. “It’s not every day I get to drive a Lambo around anyway,” You smile.

“That’s the only reason you agreed, isn’t it?” He grins, laughing lightly.

“Hey, watch it,” You warn. “Next time, I’ll leave you out there in the scary South to fend for yourself.”

“I’ll do just fine.”

“You’re afraid of stray dogs and you jump at any and every noise you hear. I doubt you’ll last 10 minutes out there.”

“I do not jump at every noise,” He grumbles. “And listen, everyone knows the dogs in the South have rabies, okay? Did you see the ones that chased us that one time? They were frothing in the mouth! Even had the crazy eyes.”

“Those were guard dogs… and we were trespassing which is why the chased us,” You laugh. “Also, don’t lie. If you were close enough to see their eyes, I’m pretty sure you would be dead by now.”

“Whatev—”

His phone rings, cutting his sentence short. He points at you, raising his eyebrows as if to say he wasn’t done arguing yet before he fishes his phone out of his pocket. Staring down at the caller ID, he groans before he answers. His voice sounds smooth, peppy, not a hint of annoyance despite how he seemed like he didn’t want to answer the call. You glance at the clock on the wall as he slips out of the room, not wanting you to hear about the intricacies of his business deals, you assume. It was already half past twelve and you wonder if this is what it’s always like for Jungkook considering that he has taken a few calls here and there when the two of you are having late-night donuts. The calls seem to be a more frequent thing as of late and you pity him because you can see the tiredness in his eyes, you can see fatigue in the way his whole body sags when he gets to the bench at your hangout spot. For some reason, it seemed like he was coming to the South to escape but he could never really run from it all, could he? Everyone thinks his life is all roses, but you know it’s far from it. They think he sits in the office with his feet up on the desk, waiting for time to pass but it seems like he never really does get rest. He always has something on his mind, always asking you if he could optimize the truck routes, if he could organize his warehouse space better. You wonder if you should take him to a karaoke lounge the next time the two of you hang out. Screaming out the lyrics to your favourite songs always helps you forget your problems.

It’s been 15 minutes and the call is still going. You really want to leave but you assume it would be rude to when he’s still on the phone. You sigh, letting your eyes flutter close because god, this bed is so nice. It felt like you were being caressed by a cloud. It’s so soft you almost forget the dull ache in your abdomen. It sounds outlandish, like an over exaggeration but it genuinely felt that way. Maybe you only think so because the bed you have back home is lumpy and hard. Humming, you let your hand slide across his sheets, the material feeling soft to your touch. It’s Egyptian cotton isn’t it? Not that you actually know what that means but you know it’s expensive. You don’t know the slightest thing about thread count either but you’re sure it’s high. You know that one. You knew after a certain number, the price was just ridiculous. You find yourself dozing off a few times but you always snap out of it, only to shut your eyes again. 5 minutes, you mumble to yourself. Just five more minutes and you’re leaving... even if Jungkook isn’t done with his call by then.

Jungkook sighs, pocketing his phone after what feels like an eternity. Mr. An was basically slurring on the phone, asking why his promised shipment of timber has yet to be delivered. Jungkook had to reiterate 5 times that it already has, that Mr. An’s staff had already signed off on it. Only then did Mr. An say, why didn’t you say that earlier? Jungkook knew it was odd that his grandfather had given him such an important client to take care of. It’s now that he realizes that his grandfather was tired of these drunken calls.

When he returns to his room, Jungkook is fully determined to continue the argument, picking right where he left off but he finds you completely passed out on his bed. He prods at you, trying to shake you awake because he knows you’ll be mad at him if he didn’t at least try but like the last time when you were asleep in his car, you’re impossible to wake up.

“Cab,” You mumble in your sleep, accompanied with a slew of gibberish.

“Yeah, come on, I’ll get you one,” Jungkook answers as he tries to wake you up, but you grumble curling into yourself, instead. He laughs before sighing, shaking his head because you even scowl in your sleep. Unconsciously, he uses the back of his hand to stroke your cheek, your features instantly relaxing at the gesture. He feels his heart squeeze at that and he knows he shouldn’t be here, shouldn’t be lying next to you but it feels nice, safe even being right here.

He doesn’t blame you for falling asleep. You must be exhausted. You had been in the hospital less than 24 hours ago, had your appendix removed and even went to work just hours after. He really wishes you would reward yourself with a break once in a while. If you needed money so badly, why won’t you just let him help you? He had given you a big cheque for a few thousand before, but you had refused that. He has snuck a few extra hundred into the envelope he passes you every week or so but he eventually finds the extra bills in his pocket or car. Anyone in your situation with their head screwed on right would take the money but you… you just didn’t want to. The fact that you let him pay for your surgery at all is a surprise but truthfully, he strong-armed you into letting him anyway. He absolutely abhorred how they treated you at the hospital. It was a look into the reality of your situation, of Southerners in general. How people had so much hate was beyond him.

He exhales, letting his hand drop from your cheeks to play with your fingers instead because damn it, he loves the way your hand feels in his. It’s pathetic, he sighs but… he really likes the little things in relationships. The hand holding, the sneaky kiss on the cheek, the feeling of you in his arms. Well, not that the two of you were in a relationship anyway. He has to keep reminding himself of that. It’s hard to keep that train of thought, especially so when your fingers grip around his softly. He smiles at that, a warmth spreading across his chest when he glances down at his hand, barely enveloped by yours. Against his better judgement, he leans in to kiss you on the forehead, letting his lips linger before he pulls away slowly. He doesn’t want to leave, not yet at least. He doesn’t want to pull his hand away from yours but knowing you, you’d probably have a heart attack, maybe even two if you saw him next to you in the morning. He wonders what that’s like though... waking up next to you, your hands wrapped around him like the last time, him leaning in to kiss your li—  Oh. He shouldn’t be thinking of that. But... still, he wonders, wonders how he even got to this point.

Y/N Lee.

Who would’ve thought a girl he met by chance, in the oddest of places would have him wrapped around her little finger like he was a grade school boy, totally enamoured by his first ever crush. It’s quite the pickle he’s found himself in because, now what? How is he supposed to tell you that all he really wants to do sometimes when you’re sitting on that bench with him is... kiss you? How is he supposed to fight the urge to hold your hand whenever you’re telling him a story with the widest smile on your lips. How does he make you see that even if you don’t open yourself up to anyone at all, maybe... maybe he’s worth letting in. There’s just this warmth that envelops him when he’s around you and it feels comforting to be in your presence, like it was entirely alright to just be him. And that smile, god he’d do anything, say anything, to see it. Ah, but that pout too, it makes him weak in the knees, his heart reduced to a mere puddle whenever he sees it. He knows Yoongi and Taehyung would laugh if they ever found out about the thoughts that are currently swirling around in his mind but what could he say, he’s just a fool who hasn’t met anyone quite like you before.

Time, he hums. In due time, he’ll eventually tell you he likes you or maybe you’ll figure it out, hopefully, because he’s not too good with words. With his finger on the switch and with one last glance, he flicks the lights off and shuts the door quietly. Sighing, he sinks down onto his couch, stretching out as sleepiness washes over him. With a yawn, he lets the thought of you curled up against his chest lull him to sleep. Boy, he really is in a pickle huh?

Your alarm is ringing for perhaps the third time... you can’t really tell because it’s mixing in with the dream you have, playing in the background as if it were a soundtrack. Slowly, you peel your eyes open, reaching into your back pocket where you had left your phone last night. Your hands skim the sheets and—

Shit.

Shit. Shit. Shit.

This isn’t your room and this most definitely isn’t your bed. You panic as you rise to your feet, quickly grabbing your purse off the table side before you pull open the door. The ruckus you made in his room causes Jungkook to rise sleepily from his spot on the couch. You’re shouting words of apologies, fully intending to make clear how sorry you are but when your eyes dart to the fancy digital clock display, you almost let out a scream. You’re going to be so late for work and given your recent attendance record at work, your boss is not going to be happy.

“I’m so sorry! I’ll call you later to apologize properly!” Is all Jungkook hears you say before you slam his door shut. He can barely keep his eyes open since it is 3 in the morning after all. That’s far too early for anyone to be awake, he mumbles.

You’re practically pacing up and down the sidewalk, trying to stay under the dim streetlight as you wait for your cab. Your boss didn’t seem too happy when you called in to let him know you’ll be a little late today. That was a problem you would atone for once you get to the port. As for the other one… you know, the one where you fell asleep in Jungkook’s bed? Basically, relegating him to the couch in his own home? After he had had paid thirty-thousand dollars for your surgery? You didn’t know how you were going to atone for that one. You’re not sure he’d even pick up your call later. You’re so busy beating yourself up you barely register the sight of a hooded man standing a few steps away from you. It’s only when he speaks that your head perks up, your body freezing in your spot when you hear those words leave his lips. You’d recognize that voice anywhere, recognize that pet name anywhere.

“Hello, Empress,” He smirks, pulling his hood up just so you could see his face. The scar starting just below his eye, stopping right at corner of his lip confirms your worst fear and you back away as he takes a step forward. “Now don’t tell me you don’t recognize me. I know it’s been a while but is that how you greet your family?”

You open your mouth to answer but your throat seizes up and nothing but a whimper leaves your lips. He lifts an eyebrow at you and your eyes widen before you move quickly to bow. 

“Fraternizing with the enemy, I see,” He exhales, head nodding towards Jungkook’s apartment. “Boss would be disappointed. Angry even.”

You haven’t felt fear like this in years. You can barely move, can’t even speak. Every nerve in your body is telling you to run but you’re glued to your spot.

“Don’t worry,” He smiles. “I won’t tell if you won’t,” He winks.

“W-What do you want?” Is all you can muster to ask.

“Oh, nothing in particular.” Yet. But of course he leaves that part out. “Can’t I just see how my favourite niece is doing?”

“How did you find me?”

Your question comes out as barely a whisper and at that he laughs. Ever so timid, his dear niece is.

“Well, I never really lost you in the first place. Never for too long at least,” He smiles, condescendingly so as he steps up to caress your cheek. “You think you and your mum would’ve been safe all this while if it wasn’t for me?”

You don’t want to show him any sign of weakness, but tears are already forming at the corner of your eyes. The sight makes him laugh because aren’t you cute. It didn’t matter how old you are now. You’ll always be a little baby in his eyes. He coos at you, wiping away the tears that fall as you struggle to move out of the grip he has on you.

“Don’t worry, boss doesn’t know... but, nice little province you’ve chosen to hide her in. Enemy territory too...” He mumbles. “Took me a while to find her. Smart little nugget, aren’t you?”

You can barely breathe. You thought your mother was safe. You had taken great care to make sure that she would never be found.

“Why are you scared, Empress? If you think I’m here to bring both you and her back, then you’re mistaken,” He smiles. “There are more pressing matters that I have to deal with... though I must say, I wonder what boss would have to say if he ever saw the two of you again.”

“L-leave my mother alone. She has suffered enough,” You sob and he frowns, using his sleeve to soak up your tears.

“That she has,” He murmurs. “Choices, choices. She had many to make and she made all the wrong ones,” He shakes his head.

“Please. Spare us.” 

You’re practically begging at this point because there’s nothing else you can do. One phone call and life as you knew it would be over.

“From what?” He smiles. “As far as I know, you’re Y/N... Lee. Not of my blood, neither of my interest,” He mumbles as he takes a step back, hand peculiarly grabbing for your arm as he twists it to look at your wrist.

“I can see you’ve tried hard to erase your past. So, Y/N Lee it is,” He hums, frowning as his thumb rubs at the spot your tattoo should be and it is, but the make-up has done a good job of covering it. “Cute little name, isn’t it? L/N just wasn’t working for you anymore huh?”

*Honk*

The sound makes you jump and you quickly pull your hand away to see a cab waiting for you. You glance from the cab to your uncle and he nods toward the cab, as if he was giving you the permission to go ahead. You didn’t need to be told twice. Quickly, you run over, pulling at the door handle in a haste to escape.

“Farewell, Empress.”

That’s the last thing you hear before you shut the door. Your voice is shaking terribly as you tell the driver your address, unsure if any of it was intelligible but he lets out a grunt of assurance and you finally sink in your seat as he pulls away from the curb. With your hands shaking in your lap, you wonder how you’re going to make it through the work day today.

Your uncle laughs as he watches the cab leave, enjoying the look of pure fear on your face. It’s been too long since he’s seen you up close. He’s always been watching from the shadows, always close but not too close. He wonders if he had made himself known far too soon. It was the perfect opportunity though and he couldn’t resist. When else would he ever get you all on your own with no one else in sight?

He whistles an old tune as he strides back to his car, perusing through the gallery on his beloved camera like he always does. There were so many pictures to choose from tonight. He had pictures of you and Jungkook at the noodle store, had a few more of the both of you at the bench, eating donuts. Though he must say, he has many of those already. Those weren’t that interesting, he huffs clicking through the pictures before he smirks. See, now these ones were interesting. He has a few of you and Jungkook going to the bar you love so much and finally the saucy ones of you driving him home and subsequently leaving his house looking haphazard. My, my, now what could’ve happened there? Mrs. Jeon would surely love to see these.

Oh, his sweet niece. Gone are the days where he would seat you in his lap to play peek-a-boo with you. Gone are the days where he would be standing with you in your backyard, teaching you how to slice a throat with utmost precision. He didn’t mean to involve you in this but no, things had unfurled too perfectly for him to ignore this chance. He wanted nothing from you, that much was true but it’s what you could do for him, what he would eventually make you do, that he wanted. Years of keeping tabs on you has finally come to fruition. What he once thought was a useless endeavour would prove to be one that would bring the entire gang to his knees.

Ah, Empress. You don’t seem too fond of the title now, but like it or not, it is your destiny, he believes. You could try running, but in the end, you can never really escape. It’s going to be the coup of the century and you are going to be the centre-piece that unlocks it all... and the best part about all of this? Well, you see he wouldn’t even have to do any of the heavy lifting. You were going to do all the work while he sits back and reaps all the benefits. Ah, bliss. Boss wouldn’t even see him coming. Nobody would. Chaos, he smiles. It was going to be pure chaos and he loved that.

Maybe then, everyone will see just how wrong they were. Maybe then, your mother would see what could’ve been.

You make it to work just barely under 20 minutes late. Your boss is furious, that much you know by the way he basically growls at you. Your side aches and maybe it’s because you ran to the port when the doctor had said to avoid any strenuous physical activity for a few months. That’s the least of your worries though and you struggle to stay focused most of the day. Your mind drifts back to your uncle, to the way he smirked when he talked about knowing where your mother is. You remind yourself to call her later from the payphone. Maybe you should move her somewhere else now. God, why is it that when one bad thing happens, your life tends to descend into chaos? It’s almost as if you were getting punched from every direction possible. You guess your life always has been like that, like a ticking time bomb waiting to explode.

Tick tock. Tick tock.

You can only run away from your past for so long.

Tick tock. Tick tock.

Things can only stay secret for so long.

join the tag list here!

A/N: Please don’t drink and drive! Also please don’t bribe the cops!

Ae knee way, tb to when my friends took me to this sketchy af pocha and I was so scared, but the place had bomb af food and super cheap drinks lmao love that place. Too scared to go back without them bc the uncle that owns the place looks like he hates everyone. Genuinely. I love him tho.

Also I wanted to post half of this chapter last week but I think y’all would’ve decked me in the face if I didn’t give more clues as to who hooded mystery dude is!!! I know everything seems random but everything happens for a reason my dudes. Anyway as always, thanks for reading and feedback is always welcome!!! (:

[lxveille]

40 & 48 with a minghao pleaseee

summer start flash fics; wc: 2024; royalty!au

The day Minghao arrives at court, you hear word of him before you even see him. Rumors, mostly fascinated with how someone of unclear origins had become such a talented artist. One of your fellow ladies-in-waiting claims that he was a fisherman’s son who learned the art of poetry from sirens out at sea.

That version of events makes the lot of the Princess laugh. “That’s lofty tutelage to claim for someone whose work we haven’t even heard yet,” she remarks.

“But it does make you want to give him an audience, doesn’t it?”

She nods, and promises that you’ll all get a chance to see.

Rumors could not have prepared you for actually seeing Minghao perform. There is an effortlessness and grace in the very way he moves; like he’s been here a thousand times before. If you hadn’t heard so many tales of his humble origins, you would have thought he belonged in palaces, that he’d grown up surrounded by at least the same luxuries as you.

And that’s before he even performs.

Minghao is invited to stay at court. You do your best to hide your delight.

“It’s supposed to be the other way around, isn’t it?”

Those are the first word Minghao speaks directly to you. He knows who you are by now. You are a constant by the Princess’ side, particularly so on the evenings he performs. But circumstances have never aligned just right for him to do more than greet you honorably and in passing. Until now, when he’s found you by chance in one of gardens.

“I’m not sure what you mean,” you answer him, doing your very best to keep your gaze diverted to the colorful petals of flowers in front of you.

“The poet is meant to be the one admiring the noblewoman, by my understanding.”

The implication sends a jolt down your spine, has you straightening your shoulders and stiffening your neck as your gaze snaps to him. You nearly gasp aloud. Minghao has a placid smile on his lips, as if he’d done nothing more than remark on the weather. The only indication that he knows exactly what he’s said is in the faint glimmer of curiosity and playfulness in his gaze upon you.

“You don’t play much at cards, do you?” He asks, lips quirking up just a fraction more than they ought to, all statuses considered.

You bring your lips into a stern line and let your eye flicker with intentional indiscretion over his lanky frame. “Have you heard of a false tell?” you retort without hurry. You remind yourself that he is not the one with a royal’s ear; that isn’t heir to any known fortune.

He laughs, and you find yourself forgetting why you needed such reminders in the first place.

“Between a bluff and a false tell, who do you suppose would fold first?” Minghao glances towards the palace briefly before returning his sights to you. Somehow it is more intense than it had been only an instant before.

“There comes a time when you have to show your hand, you know,” you reply, falling more into ease with the conversation now that it’s a few steps removed from his opening accusation.

Minghao feigns a look of surprise. “Does there?”

“I’m afraid you’re the one who sounds inexperienced at cards now.” You smile at him, and it seems to have a mirroring effect on him; his own lips curling into a slight grin.

He bends forward slightly at the waist, decreasing the space between the two of you by only a few inches. It is enough to remind you just how charmed you have been by his appearance since the first day he arrived.

“Or perhaps I’m very good at making my opponents fold,” he suggests as an alternative. There’s a tinge of challenge in his tone that makes your heart begin to beat a little faster. He takes a step back, a self-satisfied look upon his face. “Please, send my regards to your Lady. I’ve composed something new in her honor.” With those words, he suddenly sounds like nothing more than the image of propriety, and dips his head in respect to you before taking his leave.

That evening, he does indeed perform a new lyric poem. It tells of distant, chaste ardour; of noble love for a beauty yet unmatched in the narrator’s eyes. Intrigue. Readiness to devote.

Throughout, everyone in attendance has their eyes either upon the poet or the princess. Minghao had, after all, been quite clear in his introduction that this composition wouldn’t have been possible with her.

Except his gaze is fixed on you through every stanza.  

“I thought you never showed your hand?” You find Minghao in the hallway just outside the drawing room shortly after you see him exit. He almost seems to have been waiting for you, given that he’s only half-way down the empty passage.

“Only returning the courtesy,” he replies without missing a beat.

You ought to be seeking some way to refute that; to insist once more that your shock earlier that day hadn’t in fact been a wordless confirmation of your admiration. Yet you find yourself continuing steady strides down the stonework until you are only a few step away from Minghao.

“Did you choose to be so obvious with your gaze?” you question, dropping your volume to a hush.

“I could hardly have been so obvious in my words.” A flutter runs through you at this confirmation that his poem was truly dedicated to you. “I can be more discreet, if it’s what you’d wish.”

“What am I to know, then, if you’re discreet in both your words and action?”

Minghao smiles again, something akin to mischief mixing into his gaze. “That it is impossible to write of anyone else in a court where you are.”

You try not to grin. You tell him that will suffice.

It does, for quite some time. You share private, coy conversations with him whenever the opportunity arises. And every time he presents a new poem come evening, there is never any sign even the most prying, astute eyes could find for proof that they are directed at you.

There’s no wrong in the way you engage with him, you tell yourself. Save for the technicality that it would be more proper if the artist were as genuinely enthralled by the Princess as he performs. There is no foul in sharing wits with Minghao, no harm in being receptive to his verses.

But then the night comes when you return to your bedchamber to find an envelope had been slipped under the door. It bears your name on the outside and no wax seal. Inside was a single piece of paper. On it were carefully written lines of a poem that grips you from the first line.

And brings a flush to your face and a heat to your chest.

The first stanza details a knight waiting in a pasture for a shepherdess; growing ever impatient with every birdsong and passing cloud overhead. Every sound that is not his lover’s voice a torture upon his soul.

The second tells of the mixed sensation of relief and boiling over when the shepherdess appears at last. The time between seeing and touching somehow agonizingly longer than the knight’s entire wait for nightfall.

And the third.

You think you’ll have to burn this paper for the last stanza alone.

It details everything that happens after the knight takes her hand and the two fall together in the grassy hillside under the cover of dark.

There is some space after the final line. Then, towards the bottom of the page, written at an angle rather than in a straight line: Forgive my indiscretion xx  

You could choose outrage; could probably have him ousted from court if you made enough of a fuss of it. You could choose to scorn him privately for it; burn the letter and refuse to meet his gaze and stop finding places to share quiet talks with him.  

What you do choose is this: you tuck the poem between pages of your own journal. You carry on your conversations, public and private, with him as if nothing had changed at all.

At least until he caves first and asks if you’ve received any letters as of late during one of your afternoon walks with him.  You dare to let your fingers find his, brushing lightly over his.

“I have,” you reply, “I only wish it hadn’t been from an anonymous admirer.”

Your hand starts to fall away from his, but Minghao grabs it back. He clutches at your fingertips and looks at you imploringly. He whispers out only the first two lines of the poem before bringing your hand up to brush his lips delicately against the knuckles.

“Remarkable. That’s exactly what my anonymous admirer had written,” you tease in a half-murmur.

Minghao lifts his eyes to yours without letting go of your hand. “My lady, you make me want things I can’t have,” he says; it’s a gentle warning, if not a plea for some abstract mercy you might be able to bestow upon him.

“Minghao,” you call him by name directly, a rarity that usually sets a small grin upon his features. But today, his expression remains the same. “What was your shepherdess allowed to have…?” Certainly not a knight; certainly not what Minghao wrote as occurring on a hill at night. “And what does she have…?”

It is not dark, but there is the cover of well-kept trees and low-hanging branches.

Not that kissing Minghao feels like something that needs hiding. At least not in the moment. When his mouth presses to yours, it feels like a great weight has lifted off your chest – like this kiss is the only thing you could need to subsist, as if Minghao could keep you encircled in his arms from then on until eternity.

You forget, even, that there was in fact another letter you received recently.

Or you tell yourself that you forget it. The truth is you almost always remember it somewhere in the afterglow of any of Minghao’s kisses. They grow in frequency over the days that follow. So much so you almost begin to fear someone will catch on.

A near fear is evidently not enough to keep you out of Minghao’s bed.

Minghao finds out himself, inevitably, the evening a feast is thrown to welcome home the prince and his retinue from their trip abroad. If he hadn’t been suspicious from the way one of Jeonghan’s knights had spent nearly all afternoon walking with you in the garden, the Princess’ speak at the feasts’ opening left no room for question.

She’s grinning when she mentions her delight that fate has brought not only her brother home, but also the betrothed of one her dearest companions. Her gaze turns to you, and you smile up at her in return. You spare a glance towards Soonyoung, who raises his cup with a grin upon catching your gaze, and then you look down at your lap.

Because there are eyes upon you now. Which means you can’t afford to seek out Minghao to check upon his reaction.

He catches you in a hallway later that night. The boisterous event is still in full-swing in the grand hall. Minghao’s breath smells heavily of wine as he speaks, desperate and angry, “I never stood a chance, did I?”

You stutter out a few senseless syllables. The engagement predates his arrival, you want to say. You should have drawn a line with him far earlier, you know you ought to admit. Soonyoung is good and kind and comes from a good name, you mostly want tell yourself.

“You couldn’t have really thought you could marry me one day,” is what manages to leave your lips through the haze inside your head.

His expression contradicts your assertion.

Minghao leaves court in the dead of night before the week is up.

In the morning, there is an envelope with your name written on it and no wax seal under your door.

[elsi-bee]

My WIPs

I was tagged by @juliusschmidt to talk about my WIPs! Thank you :)

1. Christmas AU: Writing Chestnuts Roasting... And All That last year was the most fun so I knew I wanted to do another Christmas story this year. I don’t anticipate this one getting much longer than 20-25k and it will basically just be a super cutesy fluff fest that takes place over the course of less than 24 hours (unless I decide to do a little time jump epilogue... which happens like 95% of the time). I only have about 4k written right now so someone pleaseee hold me accountable for writing a bunch more of this over the next few weeks. 

2. High School Reunion AU: I started this one last February or so and for whatever reason just wasn’t really feeling like writing last spring so I only have about 8k done. But, I like what I have written of this one so far and really do intend to see it through! This fic is set to jump back and forth between 10 years ago and the present day, and so far capturing that has been fun.

Other ideas I have that are currently not in progress under the cut. :)

Okay, a recent inspiration - you know those fitness DVDs where there’s a trainer telling you what to do and a half dozen people or so in the background modeling the moves as well? I was doing one of those with a coworker after work one day and she pointed out that one of the people in the background of the video was the trainer guy’s husband. And then I realized that this trainer totally makes a point of going over and teasing his husband and gives him a harder time than any of the other models and I was basically done for at that point. So, an AU where Harry is taping his first ever fitness video and Louis is the cheeky ex-footie player who gets hired as one of the people doing the moves in the background. And obviously they fall in love. :) (The real life trainer is Shaun T, btw. And he and his hubby are so so super cute and are having twins via surrogate and you should all love them like I do!) 

Aaaaanyway. Other than that, I’d like to write a timestamp for Salt & Vinegar someday. Also I have a doc saved called “Bowling AU” because one day I somehow ended up watching bowling in a sports bar and learned that some bowlers name their bowling balls and I thought to myself... that’s totally Harry. I also have had an angsty idea forever but I tend to get a bit too emotionally invested in fic writing so I’m not sure I could write thousands of words of angst at a time and then go be chipper in my everyday life. We’ll see!

I tag my writing/beta friends @fakedeepplantjerker and @camiii. I think you both recently talked about what fics you have on the back burner, but I want to know what you’re working on right now! And anyone else who wants to do this as well - tag me so I can see what you’re working on. :)