#if they ever stop practicing i’m setting everything on fire btw

[twinknote]

i stg my therapist needs to be paid more

generally i’ve been having a shit time (my body and brain are both SO dysfunctional, i get overstim to the point of melting down every day because of this evil house, and i’m becoming increasingly hateful towards myself for my symptoms and not being able to spend as much time + energy working towards moving out as i would like, yessiree thought abt killing myself!!!!!)

last night i had Such a menty B bc i feel So broken and incapable of being a functional person with a decent life. today i had therapy at 4 and planned to be there in person, hyperfixated on work until 3:15, ended up getting in the car at 4, nearly tore my seatbelt off when it got stuck and almost backed up into the house and was like Yk what evan. maybe it’s not a good idea to be operating a 2 ton vehicle rn for the sake of Everyone’s safety

went back inside and emailed my therapist asking to have a zoom session. Immediately started crying when they asked me how i’m doing (i Very rarely cry in therapy) and was generally an absolute mess and had No hope of feeling better. by the end of our session i was smiling and laughing and joking with them AND i texted my Good parent who i have been missing intensely but have had a huge mental and emotional block around reaching out to for Months. i am crowning jaxson best therapist ever 11/10 a better therapist does Not exist

[satansaidmyturnintheh3llscape]

Everything Right/Wrong with Ninjago “Rise of the Serpentine” E5: Can of Worms

I really wish we got to see more of Lloyd and the ninja prior to the Green Ninja reveal :(. Also, this contains a reference that only a small fraction of people will likely understand fully, but I couldn’t stop myself. DISCLAIMERS: Show owned by LEGO. This is not a professional review/critique - it’s primarily intended for comedy.

Comment/reblog and follow for more! Read below the cut!

- Theme ✅

- Lloyd can whistle, and regularly whistles his way around the Bounty. I don’t know why this is a win, but it is ✅

- At first this was gonna be a sin for having the audacity to name a video game something as stupid and obvious as, “citar legend,” but now it’s a win for my phone for repeatedly correcting it to “cig@r legend” every time I tried to type it out ✅

- Never forget that in a matter of what must’ve been hours, Lloyd managed to not only beat Kai at “his game,” but managed to top his own high score like 4 times ✅

- “…later bro” ✅

- Why does Jay do nothing and just let the sparring bot attack him? Couldn’t he just Spinjitzu his way out of this or something? ��

- Also, what did Lloyd do to the sparring bot? Either he genuinely has knowledge of how to tinker with it and purposefully made it go haywire, or he just beat it a couple times with a wrench and hoped it would attack Jay anyway. Either option is worth a win ✅

- At first I thought he was waving, but based on his hand placements, I think Lloyd is saluting the ninja as he walks away from them?? ✅

- I don’t know who the ninja are yelling at right now, but they’re not even looking at each other ❌

- “How am I supposed to strike fear in this? It’s pink!” Zane finally learned about gender roles. Is this character development, or character regression? ❌

- I love that before Wu opens the door you can see Lloyd’s silhouette just standing there waiting… menacingly ✅

- “I got first dibs on-“ Cole threatens to beat an 8 year old for adding spice to his soup ❌

- “Why can’t you teach us to paralyze a man with one finger? Or find out if a man is lying by the twitch of his nose?” “Because not all lessons are about fighting!” Maybe not, but Jay’s ideas sound a h*ll of a lot more useful considering what they do everyday ❌

- “And I misplaced my lesson book.” Wu loses his lesson book and then suddenly forgets everything he’s ever known about this ancient craft he’s been practicing for literal centuries ❌

- How sound-proofed are those doors that they completely block out Lloyd’s voice when Cole closes them?? ❌

- “… live with us, but my sister??” Kai wants his baby sister to live alone in a blacksmith shop just because she isn’t a ninja ❌

- “But those tombs could be anywhere!” Shame we don’t have someone here who literally helped to imprison the serpentine in the first place, isn’t it? ❌

- The tombs are BARELY in line with that symbol. If the writers wanted to make this make sense, they easily could’ve just gone with a less complicated symbol. I really don’t know what the point of this was ❌

- “Light as a feather, pinky” ✅

- Btw, Glacier fans, how many times have you rewatched this scene?

- I was gonna add a sin for the Mailman because why was he delivering mail to the Constrictai tomb, but at this point I’m just gonna say he’s omnipotent or something and move on.

- “You shouldn’t sneak up on people like that” It didn’t? The frog was standing there the whole time, Fire Cracker ❌

- “No, I’m the real jay!” Call me crazy, but this was actually really good set up for Kai’s venomari-induced vision to be a million Jays attacking him and him struggling to figure out which one was the real one. But sure, elves and gingerbread people work too, I guess

- “I’ve never fought little people before!” You’ve fought Lloyd, isn’t that close enough?

- Cool save but what was Nya’s dart supposed to do? If it was a tranquilizer it wasn’t very effective ❌

- Detail of Samurai X wearing Nya’s bracelet ✅

- But also, how do none of the ninja notice that they’re wearing Nya’s bracelet?? ❌

- We have dr*nk Adora, sick Luz, Marky Wu, AND thawed-out Sprig, but stoned Kai will always be the OG ✅

- Jay spills his drink all over the table and makes no effort to clean it up ❌

- “It’s a can of worms I don’t wanna see open.” Line exists solely for the purpose of claiming that the title of the episode makes sense… which it doesn’t, but the writers were short on time and literally couldn’t think of anything else so it’s what we’re stuck with ❌

- “Don’t worry, it’ll ware off soon.” The little wink Jay does at the end>>>>>✅

- Also, plasma shippers, how many times have you rewatched this scene?

- Kai screaming in this clip will never not be hilarious ✅

- Why does Pythor have such a hard time uniting the tribes in these next few episodes? I know they were supposedly at war, but it couldn’t have been that bad of one if there were casual friendships between them like Skales and the Fangpyre ❌

- “Friends, enemies, and enemies who pretend to be friends” Pythor definitely has a better public speaking grade than I do ✅

- “That’s a lot of snakes…” Actually, that’s a frighteningly low amount of snakes considering these tribes are supposed to make up an entire race of people ❌

- So do the serpentine bond over r@cist jokes or…?

- ^ “What’s going on? Why am I losing them?!” I don’t know, Pythor, but maybe you should ask the brightly colored ninja hanging from ropes in midair where everyone can and should see them what they think. They look like they could shed some light on the situation ❌

- The serpentine were somehow harder to defeat and escape from when we were just dealing with one tribe at a time ❌

- Jay dangling off the bike ✅

- In Tournament of Elements, you can actually see that Chen has Zane’s pink suit, which implies that Lloyd sold it or something and just found a new one here ✅

- How did Lloyd manage to rig the fridge to do this???? Whether you want to admit it or not, kid Lloyd had a braincell that everyone likes to ignore ✅

- The episode moral was supposed to be that rumors are destructive, but it actually features the heroes weaponizing them against their enemies. So, always use destructive means to achieve your goals because they’ll justify each other eventually, kids! ✅

Sentence: Lloyd’s hidden braincell

[mcyt-imagines]

hi! love your writing! could you possibly do dating headcannons for technoblade?! possibly including some kissing/cuddling :)

I’m so sorry this took so long!! I’m finally on break so I’ll be posting a little more frequently for now! Also I got very carried away with this one,,,, um,,, it’s almost 4,000 words long,,, can you tell Techno is my comfort streamer?? And gender-neutral pronouns as usual! (Edit: This is C!Techno btw, didn’t think I needed to point that out seeing as we all know the actual streamer is not a bloodthirsty half-piglin man but I just got an angry anon in my ask box, so I’m specifying.))

Dating C!Technoblade HCs

Techno being half piglin shares their obsession with gold, and in turn, likes to gift you gold as often as he can. Usually, in the form of jewellery that matches his own, he even gifts you a ‘friendship’ emerald, embedded in a choker you wear most days. And of course, if you ask for it, he makes sure to acquire a crown for you to match his own. As a man who forges his own weapons, he is aware of the process of smelting and sure, he could make the jewellery himself but he’s not very crafty with his hands. Dealing with the small potion vials he uses to brew is difficult enough for his large hands, let alone something as finicky and delicate as jewellery. But when he’d asked you to make your relationship ‘official’ per se, he did persevere and make a ring for you, he ended up making several and scrapping too many he didn’t think were good enough. This continued until Phil had to intervene telling him that if he wasn’t gonna hurry up and ask you he was gonna do it for him, mortified at the thought Techno buckled down and despite the ring’s faults, which were only obvious to him, he gave it to you. You adored it of course, and then he told you he had made it, and it only made you love it more. Techno had underestimated how he would feel when he finally saw you wearing it, he almost killed Phil. The two had been sparring outside in the snow when you had come riding up from the nearby forest, the ring on your finger glinting against the early morning sun and stunning him. Him blindly thrusting his sword forward, head completely turned to you as you approached. Only turning away when he noticed your horrified expression. Thankfully Phil was fine, but you were banned from flashing anything too shiny whenever you came to visit. Techno never heard the end of it from Phil and yourself, however, teasing him for it whenever you had the time.

Techno is a man of few words, for the most part. His love language leans closer to physical touch and acts of service. This man craves your touch, you can hold him so gently in your small hands and he can hardly describe the feeling that washes over him. He wonders if he feels contentment, or if he just feels whole for once. The latter terrifies him because he has no idea what he’s going to do if he ever loses you. That’s a lie. He knows what will happen. The voices will finally win, and it’ll be over. He’ll be lost in the consciousness of a mind that was never truly his own, to begin with. But when you hold him he forgets about all of it, his mind feels clear and quiet. Even if it's just for a few minutes he cherishes those moments, holding you tightly to his chest and simply letting himself breathe. You are his rock, undoubtedly. And now that he’s lived without you for so long, he never intends on letting you go.

Techno’s favourite way to cuddle with you is when you’re both lying on the couch, you draped over him, head on his chest. Sometimes he’ll read to you and sometimes you’ll lie with him for hours, begging him to take a break for once. Even Phil can’t pull him away from his work on his worst days, but you never fail to tempt him with warm cuddles by the fire. Another one of his favourites has to be when every blue moon you wake up before him, he’s quite a light sleeper so once you stir, he’ll wake too. But if you manage to remain undetected and get downstairs he will groggily trudge down the ladder, shirtless and hair an absolute tangled mess. Without a word he will simply wrap his arms around you, pulling your back tightly against his chest and nuzzle his face into your neck all whilst grumbling that you left him alone to wake up. You will always giggle and apologise with soft kisses and a steaming cup of coffee, of course, he begrudgingly forgives you. Those slow morning cuddles as you cook are some of his favourites. When you desperately try to scoot around the small kitchen to stop the eggs from burning and he merely holds you tighter, strength easily holding you back as you whine out complaints as he chuckles against your neck.

Techno is such a sucker for you whenever you kiss his scars. He has a few on his hands that you will always target if you ever feel if he is getting quiet or distant. Your lips on his skin always pull his spiralling thoughts back to the present, back to you. Whenever he starts to feel less than human you practically drag the man to your shared bedroom to remind him of how human he is. Sometimes Techno will tell you the tales behind the scars you pay particular attention to, others he won’t, you focus on those the most. Doing your best to lighten the dark clouds that plague him on his worst days.

Techno isn’t one for a lot of PDA, content to hold your hand and occasionally kiss your forehead. However, if he ever feels threatened by any of the other members of the SMP he is likely to hold you close and glare down anyone who dares look your way. But Techno isn’t intimidated by anyone at the moment, meaning he has no reason to act particularly possessive whilst you’re out. This man adores your hands, he loves watching how small they look in his own. He’ll kiss along your knuckles, especially if you’re wearing the ring he gave you, he’ll murmur a soft, ‘Looking gorgeous your majesty.’ Just to watch the way you smile brightly at him when he does, almost always leaning forward to meet his lips with your own.

Techno is plagued by the memories of his past, the voices a constant reminder of this. He can handle them during the day, but it’s at night when he’s most vulnerable to them. The first time Techno wakes from a night terror you are practically thrown out of the bed as he violently jerks around. Which instantly sets you on alert, Techno sleeps like a rock usually. It’s only when you manage to stand up that you can see him, his body is caked in sweat, strands of his long hair sticking to his skin, the sheets are even damp from it. ‘Techno.’ You try to wake him, knowing he’s a light sleeper. But that doesn’t work. Eventually, you cautiously climb back into bed, tenderly holding his face in your hands, noticing tears slipping down his cheeks as he practically trembles. ‘Techno.’ You call his name again, nothing. ‘Techno!’ He shoots up, sending you flying backwards again in case he threw a punch with him. His eyes are wide, pupils blown out. You’ve never seen him look so terrified before, he scans the room, eyes darting every which way until his eyes finally land on you. ‘A-Are you okay?’ You probe, the tears start again, but they are silent and run quick down his cheeks. His breathing is shallow and quick as his eyes seem to lose focus, looking straight through you. You move closer to him, ‘Hey, hey.’ You coo, unsure what the hell is going on because of course, Techno wasn’t going to tell you he has night terrors. You take his face in your hands again, wiping at the tears on his skin. ‘Techno you’re safe, you’re okay.’ You speak clearly before he pulls you closer, shoving his face into your chest, his arms tight around your middle. You wrap your arms around him as best you can, repeating comforting phrases until his grip loosens, and eventually, he pulls you back down to lie with him. You don’t ask him about it until he mentions it the next morning over breakfast. You hold him close as he talks, face emotionless and eyes blank, trying to distance himself from the events even as he retells them. You deserve to know the atrocious things he’s done. And yet you still choose to stay. Even after everything he tells you, you don’t budge from his side. That speaks louder to Techno than any confession of your undying love could.

Techno is a wanted individual and just by interacting with him, you’re put in danger. But being his partner doubles that danger by tenfold. His enemies will see you as his weakness and desire to use you against him. So, he takes it upon himself to train you, he knows the last thing you want to do is be the cause for his capture or untimely death. As much as Technoblade claims he never dies, if it were your life or his he would not hesitate to sacrifice himself for you. This terrifies you beyond belief of course, so you agree to let him train you. No matter if you already are somewhat skilled Techno’s paranoia surrounding your safety will always encourage him to push your skills further. Most early mornings the two of you spend together, sparring for hours until the sun is high in the sky or until you grow too exhausted to continue. Which in the early days, was often. But there comes a day when you finally best him. He doesn’t remember if he was going easy on you or was distracted by his surroundings, scanning the perimeter. He only remembers the moment you knocked him down onto his back, you look down at him panting with such a shocked expression. Techno looks up to you and holds out an arm, you take it ready to pull him back up only for him to pull you down with him. Techno holds you tight to his chest, the sun warm on both of your faces as it reflects upon the surrounding snow. Neither of you speak but you both understand what this means, you’re ready.

Techno isn’t one for grand gestures to prove his love to you. The man is dramatic, sure. But he finds himself yearning for simplicity, and you provide it. He doesn’t tell you he loves you very often, he is a man of few words, you’ve always known this so you never expected it. However, his actions scream it to you. Countless times you have mentioned small complaints about little things in your life and Techno takes them on as if the draft in your window had a personal vendetta against him. As if it had threatened your very life. You’d never seen a man fix a window frame so aggressively before. It was funnier to watch than you’d admit to him if given the chance. On one particular occasion, you mentioned his absence from the cabin, his explanation of the importance of the Syndicate and the new room Phil and himself had constructed. You understood and didn’t mention it again, not thinking anything of it but a necessary and temporary inconvenience. Only for Phil and Techno to be set up at the kitchen table when you came downstairs the next morning, the table covered in tattered books and coffee spill-stained scrolls. You were confused for a moment, spotting the Syndicate plans, codenames, etc sprawled out in Phil’s chicken scratch. Until it clicked. Hauling all of the stuff up from the Syndicate room had been a bit of a pain but the way your eyes lit up in realisation was more than enough for Techno to know it was the right choice.  

This man cannot keep a secret from you. Most may think he isn’t very talkative, but you can hardly get him to shut up sometimes. Not that you’d ever want him to, eager to listen to whatever he has to say. He will always come to you when he feels he needs advice, knowing you will offer a fresh perspective that may give him the breakthrough he needs to make an informed decision. You are his rock and he never wants you to forget that. He may be more talkative with you but that doesn’t stop him from being a fantastic listener. Sometimes he can get zoned out when the voices become too much. In the beginning, you found it difficult to tell when he wasn’t able to listen, but after being around him for so long you’ve got a better knack for it. And sometimes you can’t and you keep talking, he’ll just silently press a hand to whatever part of you is easiest to reach. And that usually gets the message across. Sometimes you can pull him out of his own head, and other times you can’t. So you just sit with him in comfortable silence, usually, you’ll place your smaller hand in his and lean into him. The two of you have fallen asleep countless times like that.

However, sometimes the fact he can’t keep a secret from you leads to some comical miscommunication neither of the two of you foresaw. Phil, Techno and Ranboo had left for around a week in search of a new woodland mansion to raid, following one of Ranboo’s countless maps. Upon their return, Techno seemed visibly, off. He wasn’t being distant or getting lost in his own head, it was more as if he were actively avoiding you. Which was something very un-Techno. What made your worry increase tenfold was when you asked Phil if he had noticed any kind of difference the blonde merely shook his head. “He seems normal to me, mate.” Because there’s no way Phil didn’t notice Techno’s change in behaviour, which means they’re both hiding something from you. Knowing the two men quite well, you knew they wouldn’t break. But Ranboo would. So with your head held high, you sought out to find the boy, only to find out he was staying in Snowchester for the time being but would be returning in the morning. That night thoughts of self-doubt plagued you, wondering if it was something you had said or done that made Techno act strangely. But just as the moon was reaching its zenith, Techno came into your shared bedroom. He beckoned for you to follow him, after putting on some snow appropriate outerwear the two of you were on the back of Carl headed towards the forest’s tree line that faced the cabin. You asked Techno where you were going his only response, “It’s a surprise.” And to say your heart soared would be a slight understatement when the two of you finally reached the forest clearing. A small candlelit dinner for two inside of a dark oak gazebo. One that looked as if it had only been finished recently, the veneer on the wood still in impeccable condition as Techno led you over to it. You were truly floored by this display, stars illuminated in your bright eyes. “Phil and Ranboo helped. We brainstormed on our way back from the woodland mansion. And I, I knew I’d spill the secret the moment you asked. Sorry.” His apology and explanation are curt, much like the man himself.  You hold him tight then, arms wrapped around him for as long as he’ll let you. He chuckles after a while, “C’mon, the food’s getting cold.” He pulls away after pressing a soft kiss to your forehead, pulling your chair out for you because Phil told him to. The blush you provide lets him know he should do it more often. As the two of you begin to finish your food you hear the soft strumming of a guitar and an equally soft voice to match. Floating atop one of the branches in a nearby tree, as if he were trying to sit on it, is Ghostbur. He sends a small and quick wave when you spot him before his hand drops back down to his guitar. “Wow, you really pulled out all the stops for this, huh?” You look back to Techno to find him now stood up, offering his hand to you. “For you. Anything.” You take his hand and he leads you into the middle of the gazebo with a grace you always knew he had. Ghostbur continues to serenade, the two of you dancing in your own private world until the moon was low on the horizon once again.

Whenever Techno leaves to go and fight he knows you worry about him. You do not doubt his skills but his luck is bound to run out eventually. Skill and resources only account for so much of the outcome, luck and fate determine the rest. Techno worries when he leaves to fight as well. He worries about what will happen if he ever loses. When his enemies will come for you, his past now liable to catch up with you as well as himself. He can’t have that happen. That’s why he keeps fighting, he won’t stop until he knows that if he ever falls in battle you will be safe from his enemies past or present. When Techno eventually does get back from the battle, without fail you will swear up and down that he cannot keep doing this and that next time you’re going to leave him to bleed out in the snow on the porch. You never do. But some days Techno thinks you’d be better off if you did. But those are the kind of thoughts you happily kiss away with a soft smile and a few gently spoken words. You are always the one to patch him up when he’s injured, which isn’t often but you remain swift with sutures and bandages despite that. No matter how badly he’s been injured you will always hold him so reverently, with such a gentle expression that it never fails to floor him. Most sessions in which you patch him up devolve into soft gasps and warm hands on your body to repay you for your ‘services’.  

Techno knew you were different from the moment he met you. He acknowledges how stupidly cliché that is, but it’s true. The constant chatter of the voices in his head drowned out the first time he saw you, even if it was just for a moment. They stuttered and stammered, just as he did. You floored them as much as you floored him. When you were with him, they would quieten. As if they wanted to concentrate on what you were saying as much as he did. Not even Phil made the voices act in such a way. Only you. Nowadays they only bother him on certain bad days that grow more and more infrequent the longer you are in his life. You drown them out in a way nothing else in his life ever has. He doesn’t know how he can ever repay you for that but vowing to be by your side for the rest of his life seems to be a good enough start for the two of you.

The first time Techno tells you he loves you is when you’re in battle together. Techno, Phil and yourself had decided to raid a woodland mansion, something all three of you had done before with no trouble. But upon arriving, everything that could have gone wrong did go wrong. This led to the three of you becoming separated within the confines of the thick wooden walls. You were managing to keep a level head but fear was growing in the pit of your stomach. With every vindicator you took down another only seemed to replace it, leaving you tired and heaving for air. You were in good shape all things considered but you were getting tired and soon you would get careless, you needed to find Techno and Phil and get the hell out of here before things got worse. Your totem of undying tied tightly to your waist glints against the setting sun pouring through the large floor to ceiling windows as you charge past, enemies remain at your back as you plough forward heading for the set of stairs you know are here somewhere. As you spot the sacred stairs you hear a shout of pain followed by a deep snarl. You look over the stairs balcony to see Techno swarmed by a group of stubborn Vex. He looks exhausted. Bloodstains him, you’re unsure whether it’s his, the enemies, or a combination of the two. Techno fails to notice the Ravager charging towards him from behind, the axe raised high above its head. The half-piglin far too distracted by the Vex and the aiming of his crossbow at their stupid little bodies. It takes only a moment for you to vault over the second-floor railing and plummet towards the Ravager. You land on its shoulders and it stumbles, your hand shoots out to restrain its axe-wielding arm. The other hand desperately clawing at you as it grumbles and groans grow high pitched and panicked. Your legs wrap tightly around its throat until you hear a sickening pop and you fall to the ground along with the now very dead Ravager. You don’t manage to catch yourself, despite the adrenaline pumping through your veins. You let out a soft groan as a hand comes into view, Techno following it. You take his hand and he hauls you back up and onto your feet. Now that you’re closer to him you can tell that some of the blood staining his clothing is his, but you’re sure you mirror his look. He doesn’t let go of your hand now that you’re stood up and neither do you. You look up from your entwined hands to his face, he’s staring at you with an expression you can’t quite determine. “Tech-“ His lips plant firmly onto your own, swallowing your words instantly. He grips the small of your back, trying to pull you closer into him as if the two of you could fuse into one single being. When he finally pulls away to let you breathe your lungs are burning, soft gasps heaving in air. “I love you-” He mumbles the phrase repeatedly against your lips like a prayer, a mantra, only to capture your lips again before you can even respond to his confession in kind. Eventually, the two of you break apart long enough for you to be able to tell him you love him as well. You knew he loved you before that moment, but in reality, he finally realised how much he loved you. And for the first time, it didn’t scare him.

~Requests are still open! But it’s a little full so please be patient!~

[itsivyberry]

no longer his

Mako x f!nonbender!reader

Part 2 of number 1 supporter

request: could you please do a part two of number 1 supporter please. like what happens with Korra added to the picture? 🥺👉👈 (i absolutely loved it btw! great job!!! ❤️❤️❤️) [ @xxspqcebunsxx ]

a/n: thank you so much!!! I’m so glad you wanted another part, I’m so sorry it took so long! enjoy <3

warnings: heartbreak, Korra being a home wrecker and not my favorite person 😬 Mako also being a bitch, Bolin being the best ever. Some major descriptions of physical pain due to strong emotions ig

summary: Korra coming to Republic City not only ruffled many citizens, but also jeopardized Mako and Y/N’s relationship.

word count: 1276

song recs: it’s not the same anymore - rex orange county, another love - tom odell

gif credit: @bolin-hits-rockbottom

Korra coming to Republic City wasn’t all that bad, really. Bolin had already become fast friends with her before he knew her title.

Y/N and Mako were doing just fine, for the most part. Y/N continued to watch the pro-bending matches and practices. The only difference was that Korra began to watch with her, mesmerized by the swift movements of the brothers.

Korra hit it off well with Y/N. Neither of them had any issues, but Y/N made it obvious which one of the brothers was taken. Bolin was very forward with the avatar, making advances to get closer with her. Y/N was rooting him on, while Mako wasn’t the biggest fan of her. Y/N couldn’t quite pinpoint why Mako was such a jerk to her, especially since Korra was so nice to all of them and thanked them profusely for being her first friends in the city. His mood had decreased significantly since she first showed up before one of his matches, and it was taking a toll on Y/N’s attitudes as well.

~.•*✰

When Bolin began to show Korra how to bend during a match, Y/N could notice that she was almost trying to impress Mako with her bending skills. Y/N began to grow extremely insecure, her non-bending suddenly becoming something she was ashamed of. There was never any issues with her not being able to bend, especially when hanging out with Mako and Bolin, but now Korra was suddenly making her very self conscious about herself.

These feelings started piling up. Y/N felt sick whenever she went to pro-bending matches, worried that Mako would suddenly decide to take an interest in her instead of his beloved girlfriend.

It wasn’t long ago when Y/N thought Mako was going to propose, and now some random girl from the Southern Water Tribe showed up, introduced herself as the Avatar, and put a wall between the lovers.

Korra was also leading on Bolin, which made Y/N’s dislike for her grow tremendously. She had been hanging out with him, making advances with him, and accepting every date he threw in her direction, yet still disregarded his attraction to her and used him to get closer to Mako.

Y/N saw right through this, and would often confide in her old friend, Lu, from school that lived in Republic City.

“Maybe the Avatar just wants to be close with an earth bender and a fire bender.” Lu had tried to tell Y/N.

“No, I’m telling you. Bolin really likes her but she’s after Mako. I don’t know why she isn’t understanding that I’ve been with him for a very long time and that he won’t leave me for her.” But oh, how Y/N was so incredibly wrong in that moment.

Not only did Korra manage to break Bolin’s heart, but she soon enough ripped Mako and Y/N’s relationship to pieces when Bolin was on his way to get her flowers.

~•.*✰

“She’ll love these, Bo! They are gorgeous. Don’t you think so, Pabu?” Y/N gushed, picking a flower from the bouquet and lifting it up to the fire ferret who was sitting on her shoulder to smell. Pabu took a big whiff, squeaking and nodding in approval.

“Thanks, Y/N. And thank you, Pabu. Let’s go give these to her! I’m so nervous, but so excited!” Bolin exclaimed, practically vibrating with anxiousness about the girl he really and truly fell for.

As they walked throughout the city to the bending arena, they spoke on and on about anything and everything. Y/N had always gotten along with Bolin famously, which helped boost her and Mako’s relationship.

They reached the arena, and curled around the back near the large patio that overlooks the water and Air Temple Island. The sun had set almost half an hour ago, leaving a gorgeous array of oranges, yellows, and reds in the sky that reflected off the calm water’s surface. City lights were twinkling throughout the sky, and stars began to appear faintly.

“It’s a perfect night to do this. Wish me luck, Y/N/N!” Bolin turned, controlling his breathing and still shaking with anticipation.

Y/N passed Pabu onto his shoulders and adjusted the bouquet. “Good luck, you’ll do amazing. Just tell her how you feel and give her the bouquet!”

“Oh, please walk a bit further with me! You can hide behind one of the pillars, I’m just too nervous!” Bolin gasped out, out of breath from the nerves. Y/N begrudgingly agreed, eager to get upstairs and visit Mako.

She walked slowly along the edge of the railing, keeping an eye on Bolin as he walked.

But, something had stopped him in his tracks. His face grew immensely disappointed, angry, sad, and a whole jumble of emotions Y/N couldn’t name. Tears welled up in his eyes, the dim light on the walls making his eyes glisten. Bolin glanced over at her, his bottom lip trembling.

She hesitantly peeking out from behind the pillar, and was frozen just as much as he was.

There, right in front of the beautiful scenery, was Korra, macking her very own dearest Mako. A small puff of air escaped her lungs as she took a larger step towards the scene, dropped her arms & shoulders in defeat.

The very thing Y/N didn’t think would happen had came true. Her boyfriend, her love, her future, had cheated on her, with the very girl he had absolutely no previous interest of even being friends with.

Bolin blinked, and tears dropped to the marble ground. Y/N was crying now too, as she suddenly watched her future crash and burn. The two ahead of them broke apart, a smile growing on both of their faces.

That was, until Korra had looked behind Mako and saw the two people she was avoiding. Bolin, crying and holding a now messy bouquet that had been ruined by the wind, and Y/N, who was crying watching Korra help Mako cheat on her.

Korra never had any issues with Y/N. She’d always looked up to the girl, who had always gave so much love wherever she went and was never discouraged from people who made fun of her lack of bending abilities. But now, she had ruined any chance of being friends with her after she ruined the beautiful relationship of Mako and Y/N.

Mako was confused, and turned around to meet the eyes of his devastated brother and heartbroken girlfriend.

“Oh, no, no, no-!” Mako said, panic and realization setting in as he reached for his girlfriend. “This isn’t what it looks like!”

He was now running towards her, the tears streaming down her face more visible as he got closer. He stopped in front of her, putting his hands on her shoulders.

“I saw everything. This,” Y/N motioned between the two of them, “is over. Don’t ever speak to me again.” She turned and left, crossing her arms over her stomach to try to alleviate some of the pain that was reverberating through her chest.

“Bolin, please!” Mako’s voice cracked, turning to his brother to reason. Bolin angrily threw the bouquet at his feet, more tears falling on the slick ground.

“How could you?” Bolin asked quietly, furrowing his brows at Mako. He quickly turned and followed Y/N, catching up with her to comfort her.

Mako watched, defeated and absolutely broken, as his brother and girlfr- ex girlfriend walked away from him in tears and sorrow.

There was no recovering from this, and he soon realized he lost the love of his life and his very best friend, along with his last remaining family member that he loved so dearly.

And it was all because of the damned Avatar.

~•.*✰

a/n: okay so I really don’t like Korra like at all, I’m sorry if you do but I really don’t like her 😃 she’s my least favorite character in the atla universe so it was only fit that I wrote a literal hate fanfic about her. anyways Mako is a bitch in this but I love Bolin so I hope you enjoyed 🙄 also thank you for requesting, it meant a lot that you wanted more about a small silly little blurb I wrote from a separate request!! love you all <33

[dongofthewolf]

Omg I’m sorry for not realizing u had a list 😅 but I wasn’t wondering if u could do 41 with Abby and could u make it like rlly angsty but with some fluff or smut at the end

Everything Good in Life Seems to Lead Back to You

Abby Anderson X Reader

Prompt: 41. Overhearing they have feelings for you

Warnings: blood and injury, canon typical violence, swearing, fluff, angst (I tried anon I tried), Owen slander once again (sorry not sorry)

Gender neutral pronoun for the reader (if you’d like your request to use specific pronouns please add to the ask)

Link to the prompt list here

A/N: it’s safe to say that I wrote this with the speed of a thousand blazing horses if that even makes any sense. I hope that you all enjoy this lovely word vomit (esp if you requested) it was a blast to write !!

btw the Virginia Woolf reference is from her letters to Vita Sackville and the Jane Austen one is from Pride and Prejudice. What can I say? I guess I’m just a hoe for old love, baby.

Abby spent a lot of time reading; so much so that she had created this false expectation of what love was supposed to feel like. Abby believed that love was supposed to be strong, and passionate, and bright—an everlasting devotion. Of course she shrugged it off at first, they were just books after all—pieces of fiction to fantasize and dream about. Love wasn’t something you could define in a book nor could it ever live up to the likes of Shakespeare or Virginia Woolf.

Abby had never been in love; she sometimes believes she came close to some iteration of it when she was with Owen, but looking back now she realized that what she felt wasn’t love. It was a desperate attempt to be wanted—to be needed, a manifestation of her desire for approval. And after her falling out with him, Abby had come to accept that she simply wasn’t made for love, and that if by some miracle she ever did fall, it definitely wouldn’t be like the books.

That was Abby’s initial perspective on love, but oh how times have changed. The moment you waltzed into her life, every sad, pathetic notion she had about love was thrown out the window in a matter of seconds. Never in her most outrageous dreams did Abby expect to fall this hard, especially since the two of you were practically best friends.

In fact, it had been very platonic at first; Abby was your superior and you often worked together on missions. She didn’t know what compelled her to talk to you but when she did, the two of you hit it off immediately. You started training together, then working out together, and eventually you were spending almost every minute together. The two of you could literally correctly predict every thought that went through each other's head, all except of course (in Abby’s case) for one. It even got to the point where you both somehow knew when the other couldn’t sleep, so much so that Abby had grown accustomed to opening her door to see you holding a glass of milk and a plate of cookies like a little kid on Christmas. She had spent so many sleepless nights alone only to realize that the one thing she was missing, was you and your adorable midnight snacks.

Abby never entertained the thought of professing her slightly less than platonic feelings for you, because she had become content with the idea that you’d simply never feel the same. However, while she had come to accept her unfortunate situation to be a permanent one, it still hurt her when she saw you flirt with other people. And she’d be lying if she said your absentminded touches didn’t still send her soaring. Sometimes she hated how naturally affectionate you were, it made it so hard for her to not love you.

The box that Abby had continually shoved herself into so she wouldn’t fuck up your friendship was almost starting to feel like home, and as uncomfortable as it was, she knew it was for the best. Almost nothing could compel Abby to leave this torturous, self-inflicted prison she was trapped in. Almost nothing.

—

The mission was supposed to be a simple one: get in, get the weapons, get out. A mission so simple, the both of you could’ve done it in your sleep. In fact, on a few occasions after a long night of drinking, you had practically done just that. You met up with the group of traders who you were well acquainted with, and the deal went down smoothly. Everything was going according to plan, which is why you and Abby were completely caught off guard when a group of rogue hunters suddenly began firing shots like it was a fucking carnival.

Turns out there was a new rival group in town, and someone had tipped them off. You and Abby luckily were able to find cover from their relentless fire, but not before you got a bullet straight through your left thigh. You didn’t even realize it at first, the adrenaline coursing through your veins still working to protect you from the devastating pain that was to come. When you did notice it, you had already lost copious amounts of blood. Then the dizziness began to set in, and soon after the pain. Abby hadn’t even realized you were injured till you slumped over on the ground next to her.

Looking down in horror, Abby lifted you into her arms. “Y/N? What’s wrong? Why are y-” Then Abby noticed the blood, and suddenly she was panicking. “Oh shit. Oh fuck, Y/N we have to get you out of here.”

“T-the package, we need the package. Can’t leave without it.” Your response was weak, desperate. You had to finish the mission, the WLF was in dire need of these supplies and you were not going to be the one to tell Isaac you failed.

“Fuck the package, we need to get you back to base.” Abby removed her belt, turnoqueting your leg with such surprising ease that you nearly didn’t notice the agonizing pain in your leg. Nearly.

You groaned when Abby hoisted you into her arms bridal style, careful not to move your leg too much before she booked it to the truck. When she plopped you down into the passenger's seat and began to speed away from the scene, you suddenly felt your eyes becoming heavier. You were so tired. You had lost so much blood already and your body felt like it was shutting down.

Abby was frantically racing towards the base, eyes fixed to the road until she heard you let out a small whine. “Abby, I‘m so tired. Need to sleep.”

Abby noticed you drifting off and she reached her arm out to shake your shoulder violently. “No. No sleeping, you gotta stay awake Y/N.”

Though Abby didn’t mention it, she was terrified. When she looked over at you, you were pale and cold to the touch, drifting off while your leg continued to bleed profusely despite her tourniquet. This could be it; you could die right now, and Abby would have lost the one person in this world she cared about most. She couldn’t let that happen, she wouldn’t.

You were equally as terrified as Abby; every natural instinct in your body was begging for you to sleep and you were becoming tired of trying to ignore it. The last thing you remembered was the look on the face of the girl you had fallen for, her eyes brimming with tears while she wore a desperate, horrified expression.

—

You laid unconscious for what felt like an eternity and Abby never left your side. She had abandoned her duties (with Isaac’s permission) and spent every second next to you, her head resting on the edge of your bed while she waited for you to wake up. The only thing that prompted Abby to step away was Manny, who had heard what happened and went to check on her.

Manny knew full and well that Abby was in love with you; in fact, almost all of Abby’s friends knew. Abby had confided in him during many torturous nights and he was a surprisingly good listener. He understood her circumstances and never pushed her to confess her feelings for you, even if it did annoy him how oblivious Abby was to the fact that you obviously felt the same way. “Abby, I heard what happened. Is everything okay?”

Abby was exhausted, she hadn’t slept at all since you made it back to the base and she couldn’t get the memory of your cold, pale body out of her head. “I almost lost them, Manny. Y/N could’ve died out there without ever knowing how I feel about them.” Tears threatened to fall but Abby did her best to keep her composure.

“It’s going to be okay, Abby. Y/N’s here and they’re alive, and that’s all that matters.” Manny’s hand was on Abby’s shoulder, trying his best to comfort her. “You should tell them how you feel though.”

“Huh?” Abby hadn’t expected that. Manny knew her situation well enough to know that telling you how she felt was a bad idea… It was a bad idea, right?

“It’s like you said, Y/N could’ve died without ever knowing how you feel about them. Wouldn’t it be better to have no regrets at all?” The words stopped Abby in her tracks. She never thought she’d actually agree with Manny.

“It’s just- I love Y/N so much, and I don’t want to lose them this way.” Abby was on the brink of tears, her voice turning into a desperate plea.

“I’m not going anywhere Abs.”

Abby froze, turning around slowly. You were gripping to the doorway for support, limping on one leg and looking extremely weathered.

“Y/N!” Abby immediately ran to put your arm around her shoulder while she carried you back to your bed, setting you down carefully. “You shouldn't be on your leg, you could make it worse.”

There was genuine concern on Abby’s face and in that moment you weren’t sure you could love her any more than you already did. She was so incredibly sweet and caring and no one had ever shown this much concern for your safety and well-being. You had heard her through the door and you couldn’t stop yourself from interrupting her. There was so much about Abby you absolutely adored and she had no idea. How could she not have known you were hopelessly in love with her? Was she truly that oblivious to your obvious flirting? All the subtle touches, the pathetic excuses to sleep in her bed, the fact you literally went out of your way to find rare coins so you could bring them back to her, it all just flew over her head. You couldn’t believe it.

Abby was still rambling about your leg, clearly trying to pretend like she didn’t just profess her love for you while you were standing right behind her. Instead of speaking, you wrapped your hands around her neck before leaning in, silencing her with a kiss so perfect you could’ve passed out right there. You could tell she was stunned at first, but soon enough she was kissing you back. Her fingers were running through your hair and when you pulled away she leaned her forehead against yours, not wanting to part from you.

“Did you mean it?” You pulled away to look Abby in the eyes, your hands still wrapped around her shoulders.

Abby had a dumbstruck look on her face. “Mean what?”

“When you said you loved me, did you mean it?” Your eyes searched her face for an answer while your heart was beating a million miles a minute.

Abby smiled, her eyebrows furrowed as she spoke. “Y/N, I have loved you for as long as I can remember. I’m so hopelessly in love with you that it’s almost pathetic. You have no idea how essential to me you have become—how many nights I’ve stayed awake because you weren’t there to hog all the blankets. Y/N, you have no idea how ardently I love you.”

You smirked “Abigail Anderson did you just quote Virginia Woolf and Jane Austen?” You couldn’t help but let out a small laugh, Abby could be such a nerd sometimes.

“I just confessed my ever-lasting love for you and that’s the first thing you say?” Abby was smiling widely now, relief flowing through her now that she no longer had to conceal her feelings for you.

“I love you too Abs, so fucking much. Also I do not hog the blankets, your comforter is simply too small.” Abby chuckled before she leaned in for another kiss, the worry suddenly disappearing the moment her lips touched yours.

Although Abby had never really known what she expected love to be, this is what she imagines it’d feel like, and you bet your ass it was better than the books. To tell the truth, it was better than any other conceivable thing on this entire planet. Nothing could beat the way Abby felt now that she had finally broken free from her excruciating self-inflicted prison.

Abby pulled away from the kiss, gazing at you lovingly. “Are you hungry?”

God damn Abby, it was like she knew exactly what you were thinking. You didn’t know how long you had been unconscious for, but you were ravenous. “Starving.”

And almost as if you were telepathically communicating, the both of you spoke at the exact same time.

“Cookies?”

“Cookies.”

[caramelcal]

His Favorite Secret.

“I’m tired of being your secret.”

You can find the rest of the prompts here.

i really took this and ran with it huh...IT’S 4.3K WORDS

warnings: mentions of sex, gangs, alcohol, bondage

kinda obsessed with this gang!luke idea. also, i’m not sure if i wanna make “bambi” the reader or an oc, it works as either i believe? bambi is a nickname btw and i honestly feel like making more parts based on this concept tbh 

kinda wanna make another part LMAO idk what i’d do it on though </3

Luke was better to her than anything you could possibly expect. He was surprisingly gentle when it came to her, hugging and caressing her that seemed impossible for the way he was and the life he lived. People saw Luke as the 6-foot-odd man that could rip you apart without an issue, without even breaking a sweat but he was so much more than that.

He was so much more than the leather jacket-wearing gangster that everyone depicted him as; heartless and stoic. He was a great lover if he let people in, and she had never been loved that way with anyone before. Surely though, with his life, there were complications to their relationship.

He was different from other people, more violent, more dangerous. The gang, which was run by Luke and three of his closest friends, Calum, Ashton and Michael, was well-known and feared among many, but they were left alone by the police. The police were aware that they existed, but they didn’t do anything about it. There were more cons to arresting them than there were pros.

Luke’s life made everything very interesting. He was rich, of course, and after a while of them dating she had moved into his condo. It was massive, bigger than any house she had ever lived in before and it was just for the two of them. It was a luxurious life that she had not experienced before, and she was still getting used to it.

If there was one thing about Luke that she had learned, it was that buying her things was his love language. He never had been great at the romantic side of their relationship considering he hadn’t had a girlfriend in a long time and normally just had one-night stands, but he tried his best. That didn’t meant that he ever softened up during sex, though. 

Another thing about his life that made stuff interesting was that Luke had to drop things for work. Sometimes stuff would go wrong on a run, or other gangs would try stuff with them and he would have to leave. It was understandable, but still frustrating for her, especially the one time where an emergency had occurred right in the middle of them having sex.

Luke had been very busy the past few weeks, having to deal with numerous issues with the gang and barely having enough time to spend with the needy girl who craved his attention. There had been issues in the club, that was what he had said, but he didn’t go into much detail on the matter, he never did. He liked to keep his relationship and gang life very separate from one another. 

A lot of the mornings this week she had woke up alone, void of the warmth she liked to cuddle into in the morning. At least she was getting him all to herself this weekend, she thought. After barely spending anytime with her that weekend, Luke had promised they would spend the weekend together, even if the club was set on fire. Calum, Ash and Mike will deal with it. 

“Bambi?” The nickname fell from his lips when he stepped in the front door. She brought her eyes up to look at him, happiness filling her features. She hadn’t been expecting him home for another few hours, but she definitely wasn’t complaining.

Running over to him, she jumped, knowing full well that he would catch her as her arms wrapped around his neck. Her head snaked into the nape of his neck, comfortingly taking in the scent of her favorite person, his arms holding her protectively close to his body. They were alone, thankfully enough. After all, she really hadn’t thought out her jumping hug because her short skirt had ridden up, showing off her underwear which Luke most definitely would be furious if anyone but him saw.

“Welcome home,” She whispered into his neck, hand coming up to play with the hair on the back of his neck. Her eyes fluttered, eyelashes tickling the skin on Luke’s neck as he rubbed her back, taking in the comfort of having the smaller girl in his arms.

He walked forward so that he was fully in the house, using his leg to kick the door shut behind him before walking towards the middle of the room near the couch. He slowly lowered himself until he was sitting down on the plush cushions, the girl now in his lap, still being held closely.

“Bambi?” Luke started, making sure that the girl was listening, to which she hummed into the side of his neck, not willing to move just yet, “I know you wanna hug and kiss and stuff right now but we don’t have much time to pack your bags, you have to stay at the safe house for a few days.”

Almost immediately, the warmth of her face was gone from his neck, and her hands were no longer playing with his hair. She was still held tightly on his lap, mostly because he held her there with a semi-firm grip, her looking up at him with furrowed eyebrows and sad eyes.

This wasn’t the first time this had happened. In fact, it had happened quite a few times and each time it made her rather frustrated. She had to remove every single piece of evidence that she even existed in the apartment, and get hidden away in a safe house for the entire weekend, on the edge of town, where she wasn’t allowed to leave until Luke got her himself.

She hated the safe house.

“But you said-”

“Bambi,” Luke cut her off rather firmly, sending her a look which she knew meant that there were no arguments in this. She almost wanted to whine, to argue with Luke and tell him that he said this was going to be their weekend together, just them, no gang stuff, but now she wasn’t even going to get to see him at all this weekend, “I need to have a few low levels over to go over plans, and they’ll be over tomorrow which means we can’t let them know you’re here or that you exist. They still can’t fully be trusted yet, which means that they could be moles and I’m not putting you at risk for that.”

His speech was ended in a soft tone, looking down at her with a small amount of sadness for the girl. His hand comfortingly raked through her hair, piercing blue eyes looking at her but her eyes stay looking down. Slowly, without saying anything, she climbed off of his lap and started to retreat to their bedroom.

“Bambi? Where you goin, baby?” He called out, looking at the girl who stopped in her tracks, looking over her shoulder.

“I’m packing. That’s what you wanted me to do, was it not?”      

Not many words were exchanged afterward with the girl silently packing away every aspect of her life into two duffle bags. She wasn’t even allowed to properly live in her own house, no decorations, photos in frames, nothing. Everything she owned had to be easily removable so it looked like she didn’t even exist in her own home.

Luke watched her from the bedroom door, leaning against the frame coolly as he analyzed her movements. He knew she was frustrated, but she had to know he was doing this to protect her, she should have anyway. Rather harshly, she finally zipped up the duffle bags, throwing them over her shoulder and walking straight past Luke without acknowledging him.

He understood that she was frustrated, but was she really angry at him?

She was quickly at the door, grasping at the handle when Luke had snapped out of his thoughts, walking over to her quickly with ease, taking a grip on her arm.

“You okay?”

“Dandy,” She replied bluntly, looking away from the slightly concerned man, almost as if she was itching to get away from him. Normally, even if she wasn’t happy about being sent away to the safe house, she still gave him a goodbye kiss, but it appeared that he wasn’t going to get one of those tonight, “Gotta go. Wouldn’t want to keep Jacob waiting, would we?”

She walked out of the apartment without another word, but Luke’s eyes were on her retreating figure, “We’ll speak about this on Sunday, okay baby?”

He barely even seen the nod that she sent him before she disappeared down the hallway.

. . . “Please, Jacob,” She pleaded with the driver, with puppy eyes and everything but he tried his best to remain stony-faced. Jacob was the only driver that Luke trusted Bambi with, he had grown up with the boys too, childhood friends with Michael apparently, who Bambi had never even met before.

Jacob was the leading driver for the gang, one of the getaway drivers for bigger and more important heists or events, but normally he just got called in for private transport of any important members of the gang. He, as well as practically anyone who had ever met the girl, had a soft spot for her, and she knew that.

“You do realize if I take you there that I am directly disobeying orders of the leader of one of the biggest gangs in California?” He asked ridiculously, shaking his head with his hands placed firmly on the wheel.

“Jacob-”

“No,” He replied firmly, looking at the girl through the rearview mirror, seeing her begging eyes and sad face.

The man knew that everything was frustrating for the girl, especially when she had to get up and move out of her own house just so that Luke could host meetings and debriefings for the gang.

“Please, Jacob. I’m going to be cooped up in a safe house for three days without talking to anyone, at least let me go to Anna’s for a few hours. She’s been my best friend since I was three, she’s trustworthy.”

The black-haired man didn’t reply for several moments, and a frown fell onto the girl’s face before he started to signal off the highway. It was a familiar road, the one that she had taken many times before to her best friend’s house, and honestly, she had never been happier to see it. At least she would get some enjoyment this weekend.

“Thank you so much, Jacob, just tell me how I can repay you,” The girl said once she was out of the car, bouncing lightly in excitement while she stared at the man who was still inside the car.

He gave her a small smile, one that showed he knew how much appreciation she felt towards him before his eyes turned to the door behind her, “Just enjoy yourself and make sure he doesn’t fire me for this.”

“Consider it done.”

It was nice to see Anna again, it had been two weeks since their last meet up and they had both missed each other greatly. Anna was drinking alcohol, but the smaller girl wasn’t. It wasn’t like she was afraid of what Luke would say if she did, because she certainly wasn’t afraid of Luke, but even though she was angry she didn’t want to disappoint him.

Not that she had exactly abided by his rules anyway, considering she was with Anna right now instead of locked inside the safe house. The safe house had slowly become the girl’s own personal prison, it was bare, bland, and had nothing for her to entertain herself, and there was no company. That’s what she hated most about it, the lack of social interactions she could have while she was in there.

“-we were talking about the weather and shit right? Then he asked to see my tits! I was like are you being serious right now?” Anna rambled on, talking about another failed love interest that had been using her for her body. Anna never seemed to be lucky in the dating apartment of life, but she was a successful girl, and a beautiful one at that, she would get there. 

“Was he?”

Anna scoffed, taking another drink of her alcohol, “Yeah! He blocked me after I sent him pictures of minecraft chests and asked him what ones were his favourite.”

The smaller girl let out a laugh, looking at her best friend who had a sly grin on her face, trying to hide it with the glass in her hands. 

“Speaking of guys though, how’s Mr. Hemmings then?” Anna jokingly asked the girl, cocking an eyebrow with a smirk on her face, swaying to the music that was loudly playing in the background.

“He’s good, I mean he’s doing good,” The smaller girl quickly corrected herself before her dirty-minded friend could make a joke about their sex life or ask about it. Anna hummed lightly, still smug and still swaying to the music, “I was supposed to be going to the safe house, but I’m here instead, I don’t think he’s very happy.”

“Girl, you’ve been here for nearly two hours!” Anna cried out in shock, eyes wide at the clear defiance that the small girl had for her 6-foot-odd gang leader boyfriend.

“And?”

“He’s bound to know by now! He’s not going to bust through my doors with his gang and shoot the place down is he?”

The girl shrugged lazily in reply, letting some of her hair fall in front of her face as she smiled at her friend, “Yeah he does know, he’s been blowing up my phone for an hour and a half.”

Anna fell dramatically against the back of the couch, hand still tight around her glass of lemonade and pink gin. Her free hand was laying across her forehead with her eyes shut, “Oh please tell me you’ve replied.”

“Nope.”

“Oh come on, I really like my door, believe it or not, I don’t want him or any of his gang members kicking it down!” Anna cried out, giving her best friend a pout to which she just laughed lightly in response.

“He won’t knock your door down, he probably won’t even come. He’s too busy debriefing his gang to even spend time with me and instead shipped me out of the house. Why does he care whether it’s yours or the safe house?”

However, she couldn’t have been more wrong because less than ten minutes later they heard a roaring engine speeding down the road. Anna, who shared a quick look with the smaller girl, got up and looked out the window, seeing no other than Luke gets out of his very expensive sports car and towards the house, “Guess you were wrong.”

He threw the door open, thankfully not breaking it down, his eyes quickly landing on the small girl, grabbing her and pulling her off of the couch, planting her by his side. His grip was tight on either side of her hips, almost as if it was a warning to stay by his side and cooperate for once in her life.

“Anna,” His accented voice wrung through the room as he gave the blonde a curt nod. She waved back awkwardly, maybe too hazed by the alcohol in her system to stay anything intelligible back, and Luke seemed to realize this, “don’t stay up too late, get a good sleep, okay?”

“Aye captain, yes sir,” She saluted him back with a smile on her lips, almost diffusing the tension in the room but it was barely a second later where Luke’s grip retightened on his girlfriend’s hips.

“Okay, good night.” He bid her farewell, walking out of the house with his slightly anxious girlfriend behind him. It seemed as if suddenly she was filled with regret and guilt, especially after seeing how angry Luke was with her.

“It isn’t Jacob’s fault I-” She started when the door shut behind them, the cold wind of the night surrounding her.

“Don’t,” He spoke gruffly, turning around to look down at her with angry blue eyes before grabbing onto her wrist and dragging her over to his car.

Luke hadn’t even locked his car when he had rushed inside to Anna’s house, not that he would be too bothered anyway, it wasn’t like anyone was going to steal the gang leader’s car, especially not in this neighborhood. He didn’t speak another word to the girl as he took her around to her side of the car, letting her get in before he leaned over and strapped her in, closing the door without a single word and getting in his own side.

He started the car up and the only noise heard in the car was the engine as it roared to life and they began to speed down the street. His blond hair was messy, jaw ticking with his eyes glued to the road, never once straying to the girl in the passenger’s seat. Her eyes, however, never strayed from him, picking up every sign that he was furious with her. His posture was rigid, he was impatient, breathing loudly and not even acknowledging her existence beside her; he was seething.

She wasn’t sure if they arrived too fast or too slow to the safe house honestly. Luke still didn’t utter a word, getting out of the car and slamming the door behind him. She knew not to move already, she knew that Luke didn’t want her to move and honestly she didn’t want to aggravate him further.

True to her belief, Luke opened her car door, undoing her seatbelt before pulling her out of the car. His eyes didn’t stay on her as he stormed into the house, a tight grip on the smaller girl’s wrist. She tried to get his attention, for him to say anything to her as he entered the house but it appeared he wasn’t in the mood to talk.

The main room was still dark, but just the feeling of being in here makes her feel sick. She wasn’t overexaggerating when she said how much she hated the safe house. It felt as if she was defeated, back where she didn’t want to be, somewhere she hated, and with her boyfriend furious at her.

In the time that she had been thinking of how much she loathed the building she stood in, Luke had let go of her wrist and wordlessly made his way towards the front door again. The thought of him leaving her here, frustrated and alone all weekend made annoyance bubble in her stomach and before she can help herself she’s shouting over at him, “So that’s it? Are you just going to lock me in here and leave again?”

Luke stilled, but he doesn’t bother to reply or even look at his girlfriend, just standing there like a statue. She can’t find it in herself to regret the words that come out of her mouth, especially after she awaits the nonexistent reply, causing annoyance to bluster in her stomach. Her eyes roll and her arms flail slightly before they slap against her thighs with a low scoff falling out of her lips, “Typical.”

“Excuse me?” Luke turned around, his voice hard and powerful, one that would normally make her shake, make her look up at him with wide eyes unsure of what to say. Their eyes meet, his blue piercing into hers. He took a step forward, tilting his head slightly with an eyebrow raised, almost as if he’s encouraging her to repeat what she had said moments before, “What did you say, Bambi?”

Her mouth was agape as she stuttered lightly, any feeling of bravery that she had mere seconds ago fizzling away into nothingness. Her eyes darted from one of his eyes to the other, looking at the expectant and slightly smug face as he looked at the stuttering girl in front of him. She tried her best to find the right words to say but she had, ultimately, been rendered speechless.

“Come on, if you’re so big and brave, baby, why don’t you speak up a little? Tell me what you said.” He walked towards her until he’s right in front of her, chests barely ten centimeters apart. Two of his fingers make their way under her chin, pushing her face up until she had no other choice but to look him in the eye, holding her face in such a way that she can’t move easily.

Silence filled the room once more, simply with the two of them staring at one another. Luke stared down at her with a slight smugness and with her looking up at him still frozen almost. When he does talk next, he muttered quietly, almost condescendingly with anger trailing in his voice, “You ruined an important meeting tonight all because you couldn’t follow a simple instruction-”

“Well, believe it or not, I don’t like to be locked up in a house for days on end like a caged animal,” She doesn’t even register that she’s speaking until she’s finished, the words flowing out of her mouth cutting off Luke’s lecture.

“This house is to keep you safe,” His grip on her jaw doesn’t loosen at this point in time, blue eyes swimming with rage. In all of their time together, he doesn’t remember his Bambi giving him this much attitude or a time where she’s tried to argue with him like this. Sure, there were times where they had disagreements or times where there had been a little bit of attitude but he had quickly sorted that out.

“I was safe at Anna’s and I was happy. Isn’t that what you want? For me to be happy?” Her voice is quiet, bottom lip threatening to quiver. She hated how she cried whenever she got frustrated, and right now she’s barely holding back from her eyes becoming glassy. She’s frustrated and annoyed, but she doesn’t want to look like a baby right now, especially when this was her first fight with Luke.

“Don’t try and guilt trip me now, Bambi. It isn’t going to work tonight.”

“I hate it here! I hate constantly having to move into this stupid fucking house where I have nothing to do and no one to talk to! It doesn’t even fucking have wifi or anything! It’s dumb and all because you’re paranoid!” After she finished shouting, she ripped her head out of his hold, standing back and away from him, back coming in contact with the marble counter of the kitchen island.

Her arms are crossed over her chest, and as Luke processed her words, he shook his head. His next words are low, like it’s a warning, “Don’t shout at me like that.”

“I’m not-”

“Listen here, doll, because I’m only going to tell you this once,” Luke doesn’t even let her finish before he’s talking. His voice is forceful and strong, something he normally reserved for when his men do something stupid like ruin a drug run, “You don’t call the shots here, I do. I’m in a gang and there are a lot of people that would put a bullet in your pretty little skull just to get to me,” He pressed a finger against her temple, hard enough for her to feel the pressure but not enough for it to hurt her, “People die in this lifestyle and I send you here so it doesn’t happen to you. Don’t tell me that I’m paranoid because I’m trying to keep you safe.”

“I get it, I do-”

“Then why won’t you just do what I say?”

“Because I’m tired of being your secret.” She whispered, looking up at Luke’s blue eyes sadly, tears gathering in her own eyes. His head dipped a little, shifting his weight onto his hands which are on either side of her, trapping her against the kitchen’s island counter.

It took Luke a few seconds to finally muster up words, and just from his tone she can tell that he’s disappointed, maybe in himself, maybe because of how she thought of their relationship, “You aren’t my-”

“Then why have I never met Cal? O-Or Mikey? Why is the only time I’ve ever met Ashton an accident? And why do you constantly send me away even if it’s only people you trust going to be there? And-”

“Bambi,” Luke groaned lightly but got cut off straight away when the girl continued to rant, barely even realizing that he had tried to cut her off.

“This was supposed to be our weekend and you just sent me away. I was so excited to finally get a whole weekend of you to myself but no, I was shipped off to this shithole again-”

“This was all because you just wanted me to yourself?” Luke asked incredulously, an eyebrow raised at the girl whose eyes snapped up to meet his.

“That’s what you want, Bambi? You got it.” Luke said, his eyes staying on hers, never wavering as he commanded. He pushed back, hands off the counter and now standing at his full height, towering over her with his eyes never leaving hers, “Hands out. Now.”

“Luke what-”

Her eyes frantically search his face, eyebrows knitting together in confusion. She can feel her heart rate pick up, beating loudly in her chest.

“No, Bambi. You’ve done plenty talking tonight. No talking unless I ask you a question, got it?”

She nodded her head, gulping down the thickness in her throat as a thick leather wrapped around her wrists, constricting them. Her mouth parted slightly, she hadn’t even seen or heard Luke take off his belt, but now she can’t even part her hands anymore.

His head dropped to her neck and she can feel her stomach flutter simply by his breath fanning over the skin on her neck. His hand made its way up to the nape of her neck, grabbing a handful of hair and yanking on it so her neck is fully exposed to him, “You’ve me all to yourself tonight, Bambi. And you’re all mine.”

[makeste]

BnHA Chapter 303: And What, Pray Tell, Is a “One For All”

Previously on BnHA: The Todorokis (really just Enji) looked at their children and went “how can we screw up all four of them in uniquely different ways” and proceeded to do just that. Touya was all “just because practicing how to set myself on fire better hasn’t worked to win my dad’s affections YET doesn’t mean it will NEVER work”, because child logic. Turns out setting oneself on fire real hard isn’t so effective at winning affections, but is actually incredibly effective when it comes to burning oneself to death, so there’s that. Back in the present day, the Todorokis basked in their various misplaced (again, except for Enji) feelings of guilt, and were all “anyway but get over yourself already Enji, you still have to do something to stop this kid”, and Shouto was all “I’ll help too”, and Enji was all “(╥_╥)”, and Hawks and Jeanist were all “[surreptitiously listening in from outside the door]”, and that’s basically where we left off.

Today on BnHA: Hawks and Jeanist are all “mind if we join you on this family journey?” and proceed to stroll in uninvited with their puns and their perceptive insights. Hawks is all “so to sum everything up, we’re fucked, but at least you have us here to help you out! by the way, no clue why I’m the first person to ask this in three hundred chapters, but wtf is One For All.” We then cut to Deku, who’s still all “[(－－)]z”, and All Might, who is all “I’m just going to ignore the extremely loud racket going on right outside this room.” Which, btw, is happening on account of Bakugou, who is all “(╬◣Д◢)” as Satou, Tsuyu, and Mineta cart him away. Anyway so that’s a lot of antics, and also it looks like Hawks has gotten tired of the Todorokis refusing to put the pieces together on their own about OFA and so he is fast-tracking that shit. And meanwhile Deku is chatting it up with the Vestiges exactly like we all thought. And now we have to wait another whole week for updates on all of this. This really is not fair.

omfg lol

“our bad, we were kind of accidentally listening in on purpose.” like I said last week guys, no fuss. it’s a tradition

OMG

I am absolutely fucking floored. Hawks literally said that so casually that it’s impossible for me to rewrite it so as to be even more casual. that’s literally what I would write in the “today on bnha” section. in fact I probably will write that

(ETA: just for laughs I tried it and it really worked.)

a couple more things to point out about this panel: 

“TOP 3” omg yes. more like “top only” at this point, honestly. interested to see how that goes

Hawks’s phone is freaking the fuck out about something, calm down there

I know this is a standard Jeanist hair-fixing gesture that he does all the time, but I can’t help but form hypotheses about this being a stress reaction because Hawks’s hair is making him internally freak out. Hawks, if this man tries to get you alone with him and some hairspray and a comb, please for the love of god do not listen to him. get out of there and call the authorities

omg Shouto’s face

okay confession, I wasn’t really sold on the whole “Shouto has a schoolboy crush on Hawks” thing until exactly now, when I became 100% sold on it. that is adorable

and heck with it, gotta show Enji and Rei’s reactions here as well because lol

“omg my son who’s not my son, and he just overheard everything about me being a terrible shitty father and person overall, oh and plus my actual-son set him on fire and called him out on a national broadcast. I’m just gonna stare at him baffledly.” versus Rei, who is all “hmm, who are these people”

so Hawks is all “I got released from the hospital after one day for some reason so I made Jeanist drive me around places while we talked about life” but uh, heyyyyy, what’s Rei doing

okay, uh

SO FUCKING FORMAL OMFG. “SORRY MY KID TRIED TO BURN YOU TO DEATH, APPARENTLY HE DOES THAT” REI NO IT’S NOT YOUR FAULT

HAWKS IS ALL “I’M JUST GONNA LAUGH SINCE THAT’S MY DEFAULT RESPONSE TO BEING PROFOUNDLY UNCOMFORTABLE”

let me tell you a secret Hawks, it’s my default response too. ahahahahahahaha oh thank god Jeanist is helping her up -- AND MAKING A JEANS PUN, OF COURSE. IT’S BEEN ALMOST THIRTY SECONDS. MY MAN WAS DYING

“WTF IS ILLEGAL DENIM” he’s talking ‘bout them counterfeit jeans, Rei. Antoine Bugleboy knows

THANK YOU JEANIST!! OUT HERE ASKING THE RELEVANT QUESTIONS

damn straight. we’re not gonna sit around waiting another 300 chapters for this information on this man’s watch

now Hawks is telling Endeavor he used to watch videos of him all the time, and calling him his “childhood obsession” I can’t

OH MY SWEET STARS AND MOONS

1000% CANON. “SO CLOSE...” ARE YOU SERIOUS. YOU REALLY PUT THAT THOUGHT BUBBLE THERE AND EVERYTHING. “GOOD MORNING EVERYONE, SO JUST IN CASE YOU WEREN’T ALREADY AWARE, TODOROKI SHOUTO IS NOT ACTUALLY STRAIGHT.” HORIKOSHI KOUHEI I AM LITERALLY DUMBFOUNDED. THIS IS AMAZING

and meanwhile that look on Hawks’s face while he casually-but-not-really-casually-at-all asks this question. that phone app better be using his actual voice. I’m not sure I could take this scene in the anime at this point if it was like Alexa talking or something

that look in his eyes is basically saying that so far, based on the information he has absorbed up until this point, Hawks is prepared to view his former childhood obsession as a flawed but changed man. however I get the distinct feeling that depending on Endeavor’s answer now, he would be willing to drastically shift some of his opinions on him

(ETA: this is maybe my favorite panel in the entire chapter. the fact that his question isn’t addressed to anyone in particular, but his eyes are zeroing on on Endeavor. and the way his leaning-on-Shouto pose manages to be simultaneously nonchalant and yet ever-so-slightly protective. there’s so much going on in this one question and gesture and I’m mildly obsessed with it.)

however, Rei is all “that was me” and ONCE AGAIN WITH THE FACES IN THIS CHAPTER holy shit

Hawks definitely did not see that one coming sob. it’s so fun watching him frantically recalculate his ideas about this family every two seconds

DAMN IT HORIKOSHI I UNDERSTOOD THE PARALLELS ALREADY, YOU REALLY DIDN’T HAVE TO DO THIS

yes, Hawks, you get it. it’s not exactly the same, but it’s close enough. though unlike your shitty parents, Rei and Enji are at least trying

OKAY I SERIOUSLY CANNOT WITH ALL OF THIS

fljkdlaskfjlwkjl okay we’re doing the bullet-points breakdown here

first of all, the fact that poor little Shouto’s heart is still thumping away at this proximity and all he can think is “CLOSE” all intelligently as he stares at him with that face omg

and meanwhile Horikoshi has these STRATEGIC BANDAGES WRAPPED AROUND HIS CHEEKS TO HIDE ALL OF HIS SHOUJO BLUSHING omfg. SENPAI NOTICED YOU SWEETIE!!!

HAWKS YOU HAVE ABSOLUTELY ZERO OBLIGATION TO WASTE ANOTHER SECOND OF YOUR LIFE WORRYING ABOUT THESE TWO ASSHOLES WHO NEVER SPARED YOU THE SLIGHTEST BIT OF REGARD OR CONCERN IN THEIR ENTIRE LIVES. THE NICEST THING YOUR MOM EVER DID FOR YOU WAS BUY YOU A $2 ENDEAVOR PLUSH FROM THE DISCOUNT BIN TO KEEP YOU QUIET, AND YOU WERE SO AWED BY THAT ONE ACT OF SORTA KINDA APPROXIMATE KINDNESS THAT YOU SHAPED YOUR ENTIRE WORLDVIEW AROUND IT. PLEASE LET ME PICK YOU UP IN A BIG HUG FOR JUST A SEC, YOU DESERVE THE WORLD AND YOU WERE ONE THOUSAND PERCENT JUSTIFIED IN LEAVING THEM IN THE DUST THE SECOND THAT YOU COULD

but all that said, he immediately recognizes that Shouto would also have had cause to do the same in his situation, and yet hasn’t. and so he has that much more admiration for him all of a sudden, which is just super sweet, and fully appropriate. Shouto does deserve props. I’m choosing to take this as an “it takes a lot of strength to be able to forgive, and people who choose to do that even though they’re not obligated to are really amazing" type of thing, as opposed to “people who don’t forgive other people who severely wronged them are bad.” and if I’m wrong and Hawks’s line here is meant to be seen as actual failing on his part, well then fuck that, but we’ll move on

SO NOW, DOWN TO BUSINESS!

I am so, so curious as to what kind of strategy Hawks has for this (if he even has any), so I’ll just be quiet now and read

so Hawks is summing up basically what we already knew -- that Tomura and his inner circle (curious that there’s no mention of AFO, because if Hawks doesn’t know about him, that implies almost no one does) are still on the lam with a few PLF stragglers and some High Ends; that a bunch of prisons have been “liberated” (I assume this means all of the inmates escaped, so if that’s the case then where’s Kurogiri??); that the HPSC is fucked; and that heroes are resigning all over the place, and so civilians are taking matters into their own hands

OH DAMN!?

does this mean we’ll actually see some international heroes?? I will LOSE MY DAMN SHIT omg

(ETA: apparently people who paid more attention to the first BnHA movie than I did recognized the silhouettes as belonging to some background characters from Two Heroes. so maybe they were just cameos and they’re not actually new characters who are soon to join us lol. oh well.)

anyway so Hawks agrees with the other Todorokis that Endeavor has no choice but to fight

awww

DON’T WORRY ENJI THEY’VE GOT YOUR BACK. WITH YOUR FLAMES, AND JEANIST’S PUNS, AND HAWKS’S BOYISHLY GOOD LOOKS, THE THREE OF YOU CAN DO ANYTHING YOU SET YOUR MINDS TO

so Enji is very pertinently asking why they’re standing by him in spite of the... [gestures vaguely to everything]

oh my lordy lord

Shouto you had better do something to combat this soon, or this man will sneak past you on my favorite character ranking after all. his face. his cheeky lil finger gun. the fact that he sums it up so fucking simply. “if someone is trying to do the right thing, I want to support them.” exactly. exactly

(ETA: and one last thing I love but forgot to mention, which is the fact that Hawks calls it a team-up despite the fact that he is clearly in charge.)

meanwhile Jeanist is all “as for me, at this point I just straight up don’t give a fuck”

I can’t handle how fucking cool this chapter is you guys

so Hawks is all “you good?” at Enji. and Enji...

if anyone needs me, I will be building myself a discourse-proof fort made entirely out of problematic characters. I don’t even care. I will go on living my life very happily in here

lol at Natsu being all “BUT DON’T THINK THIS MAKES US FRIENDS”

I’m living for this weird and no-doubt entirely unintended implication that Natsu and them all are gonna join in the fight with the rest of them. I mean, they do presumably all have very powerful ice quirks. and Natsu has medical training on top of that, and Fuyu is skilled at getting eight-year-olds to behave which could be a useful talent for dealing with Tomura hahaha I kid, but I’M JUST SAYING. who needs hero licenses anyway

OH SHIT FINALLY SOME DISCUSSION OF AN ACTUAL STRATEGY. even if it’s just a PR strategy

WHAKLHL

and now for some reason we’re flashing back to Natsu and Fuyu’s attempts to navigate through the media crowd outside the hospital

well I guess this is why I’m not the mangaka. if I were writing this I would have done something trite and predictable like using that “One for All” line as an excuse to cut to Deku!! as opposed to this entirely unrelated scene!!

seriously though why do we need to see this lol

no one in this crowd has ever heard of Alexander Dumas huh. or even the popular 2007 Disney Channel original movie, High School Musical 2

so now there’s an entire page of Hawks saying they need to know what One for All is, and Endeavor having one of those patented Todoroki WHOOSH realizations lmao look at this

just wait until this man figures out that one of the scrappy new interns he took on three months ago was actually the main character all along

SKDFIOHWIERLKSJGLWLK!!

NOW IS PROBABLY A GOOD TIME TO ASK MYSELF WHY I CHOSE THIS CHARACTER WHO KEEPS DISAPPEARING FOR SIX OR TWELVE OR FORTY CHAPTERS AT A TIME TO BE MY FUCKING FAVORITE. WELCOME BACK SON PLEASE DON’T SCREAM YOURSELF TO DEATH YOU STILL HAVE A HOLE IN YOUR TORSO

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

(ETA: can we just take a moment to appreciate how Bakugou even got so close to Deku’s room in the first place though. in this giant hospital with no idea of where to even go. does he have Deku Radar or something.)

YOU SIX ARE OFFICIALLY ON MY HIT LIST!! SPARE ME YOUR GOOD INTENTIONS!! MY BAKUDEKU REUNION KEEPS GETTING POSTPONED WEEK AFTER WEEK!! YOU’RE SUPPOSED TO BE HEROES WHERE IS YOUR CONCEPT OF MERCY

(ETA: btw just to be clear, I’m not actually angry lol; it makes total sense that they don’t want this rampaging feral toddler who was still in his own coma all of fifteen minutes ago to come and start screaming at the other coma child until he tears all his stitches out. if there’s anything we Bakugou fans should be familiar with by now, it’s being patient.)

also, Tsuyu wrapping her tongue around Bakugou’s still-healing torso wound absolutely can’t be hygienic at all. also wait is that Inko??

(ETA: pretty sure it is her. she got all of one line smdh.)

Iida is all “thank god Great Explosion Murder God Dynamight pulled through, I thought for sure he was a goner back there”

for the record this is actually really sweet to see how relieved he is. he’s one of the few people who saw the original injury close up, back when he was still at the battlefield and unconscious, so I imagine it really did freak him out quite a bit

JIROUUUUUU

“sometimes I just like to stand here and tug on my imaginary suspenders, what of it”

how come you guys get to loiter around Deku’s room but Kacchan doesn’t. god fucking dammit. AND WHAT DOES THIS EVEN MEAN

I BET KACCHAN COULD WAKE HIM UP FROM HIS COMA WITH THE POWER OF RIVAL INTENSITY!! BUT NOOOOOOOO, [is dragged away back to my fort]

OH MY GOD!?!

"this seems to be an entirely normal and above-board situation that we have just stumbled onto”

I see Jeanist comes from the Iida Tenya school of respectfully using people’s full names

Jeanist becoming one of the main characters is the best thing to ever happen to this series

EXCUSE YOU, IIDA

BUT I’M SURE HE’D MAKE AN EXCEPTION FOR KACCHAN THOUGH!! [elbowing my way back out of the fort] HAWKS, PLEASE --

DON’T GO ALL OMINIOUSLY PUTTING THE PIECES TOGETHER ALL ON YOUR OWN GODDAMMIT

“there’s absolutely no way this angry wriggling shoulder burrito kid here could answer literally all of my questions, so I’ll just ignore him”

OH MY GOD WE’RE FINALLY CUTTING BACK TO HIM BUT THE CHAPTER IS ENDING

[jumps up, throws a folding chair at Iida and the rest of the gang, and then runs]

oh my god. actually this chapter was awesome. but I’m so fucking mad at this cliffhanger though lol

at least we got a couple of answers! and some hints and teases! poor Deku looks so worn out even though he’s asleep dlwkjl my little green baby. and is it just me or is his quirk activated?? All Might’s all “I can feel it” as if it isn’t obvious just looking at him, why are you trying to be all mysterious dude

anyway! so at least we finally have confirmation and a date for those vestige antics at long last. looking forward to meeting Mister The Fourth next week so we can finally ask him “hey dude, what the fuck”

[lloydskywalkers]

Heyo! Hope your doing exceptionally well, wonderful and ur staying safe! I was reading ur little oneshots for the movie! Verse and instantly fell in love! Think u have anymore for Kai and Lloyd? (But u don’t need to listen to this, obviously hehe) Have a splendid day!

ahhH thank you, I hope you’re doing well too!! :D oh man it’s been so long since i’ve written something for movie-verse, but I’ve had this little snippet in my head for a while so I guess it’s as good a time as any (and it is, of course, about kai and lloyd bc when is it noT)

it’s a little different than what i usually write, for movie-verse? but i hope it fits the bill! (takes place pre-movie, btw)

Of all his friends, Lloyd thinks Kai is most like the sun. Not just for his codename, and the enthusiasm with which he brings fire to the team, metaphorically and far too often literally, but for how bright he is. Kai reminds Lloyd of the sun at full force, strong and blazing and staunchly refusing to let anyone hide from his warmth. An endlessly combusting ball of stubbornness and passion.

Kai also reminds Lloyd of the sun in the way that he possesses about the same amount of brain cells the sun does, which is zero, because the sun has no brain — much like Kai.

“Hey, ru—de, ow, stop—”

Kai’s petulant response strangles off in cracked pain as Lloyd hushes him, simultaneously pulling the alcohol-soaked cloth from his arm with a sympathetic wince.

“Sorry, sorry,” Lloyd murmurs, wringing the edge of the cloth. “But I’ve gotta — it’ll get infected, if you don’t—”

“Nah, s’okay,” Kai says, breath hissing out through clenched teeth. He gives Lloyd a wavering smile that could almost be encouraging, were he not bleeding over Lloyd’s faded bedspread. “Just caught me off guard, I’m good now. ‘Sides, the — the stitches are gonna be worse, so—”

“It won’t be that bad,” Lloyd promises him, cleaning the rest of the deep slashes that run across Kai’s arm as quickly as he can. The lower ones aren’t so bad — he could get away without stitches, maybe. It’s the uppermost one that scares Lloyd, cutting deep enough into Kai’s skin to pose a threat. And Lloyd has no intention of leaving Kai anywhere near in danger, especially with the reason he’s hurt in the first place.

Lloyd swallows against the thick lump that suddenly forms in his throat, trying to banish the flood of emotions that have been rising since the battle against his father’s forces earlier. Surprise, shock, gratitude—? A swirling maelstrom of a deep-seated kind of aching warmth Lloyd is utterly unfamiliar with. It leaves him off-kilter, and words don’t come easily as they usually do.

Not that words ever come easily to Lloyd, but normally he isn’t quite this stuttering. Maybe. He hopes not. Maybe he’s just hyperaware right now, after everything, and he always sounds this embarrassing.

“I promise,” Lloyd continues, yanking himself from his thoughts as he busies with the needle. “I’ve got a lot of experience, and I’ll be gentle.”

Kai watches Lloyd threading the needle with a thinly-veiled fear, but he nods, the bravado Lloyd’s more familiar with making its way across his face. “Nice,” he says. “I trust you, Dr. Lloyd.”

Lloyd’s hands falter with the needle for a moment, before he resumes sterilizing it, ducking his head. Kai sounds like he means it — Kai sounds like he means everything he says, but the way he says trust hits differently, for Lloyd.

They’ve only been a team for few months, now. Not very long at all, to form any kind of trust in the son of your greatest enemy. Lloyd’s been going to school with some of the same people since kindergarten, and they’ve never looked at him with anything kinder than hatred, much less trust. And yet Kai is here, offering him his bleeding arm in Lloyd’s tiny room, trusting him to repair the damage he only took because he was protecting Lloyd.

Lloyd doesn’t understand. He doesn’t — people don’t — but his team—

They listened to him. Actually listened to him, to Lloyd. They actually listen to him in general, have since they were all thrown together in this odd little grouping, but it hasn’t quite hit home in the way it did tonight, when he’d snapped orders at them in barely-restrained panic, Kai’s blood staining his fingers as he’d staunched the knife wounds meant for him.

They hadn’t flinched back at his raised voice. Lloyd never raises his voice — he’s learned to keep it quiet, soft, unassuming. Even the slightest slip of frustration is enough to send anyone around him murmuring in suspicion, eyes narrowing and hissed whispers of just like his father filling the air.

Lloyd’s voice had been sharp and strained, barking across the rooftop, and they’d listened. No one flinched back, no eyes widened in fear — they’d just listened. They’re still listening, carrying out Lloyd’s orders without question, and it’s — it’s dizzying, if Lloyd had to put a word to it.

Cole and Zane are taking care of clean-up — something Lloyd will have to thank them for later, profusely. Neither were particularly happy about letting Kai out of their sights, but Cole and Zane are better at keeping each other steady than anyone else. It was the right call, Lloyd knows it was. Hopes it was.

But Lloyd hasn’t been having much faith in his calls, tonight. Not after Kai went down.

He swallows, focusing on the sounds reverberating from behind his closed door. Nya and Jay are talking with his mother, Nya’s louder tones easier to hear as she laughs. Lloyd knows her well enough to catch the strain in it, but he knows it’ll fool his mother. They’re distraction — Lloyd’s house was closest, and he’s got the best supplies stashed there. No one questions why he’s the one with the fully stocked medical kit, but Lloyd suspects they’ve all drawn their own conclusions.

He wishes they’d believe him, when he says it’s because he’s worried for them. He grew up with Wu as his uncle, who picks fights on a daily basis — with Morro as his cousin, who picks fights on an hourly basis. Lloyd knows the importance of having the good kind of medical supplies.

He finishes prepping the needle, squeezing Kai’s wrist briefly in warning. Lloyd’s not usually a tactile person — not that anyone would let him be — but he knows Kai soaks up touch like a starved sponge, and Lloyd’s desperate to give any kind of comfort he can before he starts with the needle.

Kai swallows, fixing his eyes firmly on the faded glow-in-the-dark stars plastered across Lloyd’s ceiling.

“Okay,” he says, his voice tight. “Bring it on.”

Lloyd swallows, steels himself, and sets the needle against his skin. Kai flinches at the first prick, eyes squeezing shut briefly, but otherwise he doesn’t move, jaw set stubbornly as Lloyd moves quickly. For his part, Lloyd keeps his eyes locked on the stitches, his hands steady. For all that Lloyd’s made up of bouncing nerves half the time, his hands rarely shake. Never when patching wounds up. He’s always been proud of how steady he can hold a needle, and tonight is no exception.

It’s the least he can do.

Kai suddenly tenses up, a broken-off noise strangling in his throat. Lloyd’s heart twists, but he stays steady, rallying himself. Conversation — Kai likes talking, right? Distraction, he can do that.

“So, um,” Lloyd stutters. On second thought, he’s awful at small talk. But — for Kai. “The way you took down that last guy was, it was really cool. Where’d you learn that?”

Kai bites his lip, exhaling shakily before he answers. “I train too, you know.”

Lloyd’s mouth quirks, despite himself. “Not like that.”

“What, a ninja can’t — can’t get creative,” Kai replies, through half-gritted teeth. Lloyd doesn’t say anything, but Kai rolls his eyes, continuing. “Fine. When I was younger, I ah…might’ve taken a few dance classes. For Nya! ‘Cause I couldn’t let her go alone, y’know, but they were — they were kinda fun, I guess, and maybe they slip into fighting, sometimes.” His cheeks darken, and Lloyd bites back a quiet laugh.

“Nothing like Cole, obviously, ‘cause he’s an actual dancer, but — that’s where I got it from.” He pins Lloyd with a glare, that’s somewhat dimmed by the scrunched expression of pain on his face. “Tell anyone and you’re dead though, okay?”

Lloyd hums his agreement, too focused on the stitches to reply immediately. After a moment, though, he speaks up again. “I did some ballet, when I was little.”

“No way,” Kai says, sounding delighted.

“Yeah, way,” Lloyd says. “I’ve heard from a very reliable source that dancing backgrounds are useful, with ninja stuff.”

“Very reliable meaning your uncle,” Kai grins.

Lloyd shrugs. “Maybe,” he half-smiles. Kai suddenly sucks in another pained breath, but to Lloyd’s relief, it’s likely the last one. He finishes off the stitches with a well-practiced hand, snapping the end of the thread and exhaling in relief.

“There. All done.”

Kai’s eyes widen. “Seriously, already?” He glances down at his arm, his other hand moving up to touch the stitches. Lloyd smacks it away, glaring at him.

“Don’t touch. You still have to watch out for infection. I’ll text you instructions for taking care of it, and everything. Just don’t do anything, ah…”

“No ninja-ing?” Kai finishes for him, crestfallen.

“Probably a good idea,” Lloyd says, apologetic. “But it’s not too bad. Shouldn’t take long, and you can be out, uh, ninja-ing again."

Kai is quiet for a moment, regarding his stitches. Then he turns to Lloyd, who is immediately staggered at the bright smile that stretches across his face.

“Cool. Thanks, Lloyd. You’re good at this.”

Lloyd can’t answer, his throat burning. He forces the welling moisture back, looking away. Kai’s only hurt for him, and that is layered with so much more meaning than Lloyd can comprehend right now.

“No problem,” Lloyd mutters, focusing instead on the voices outside his door in an attempt to find footing again. He can hear his mom laughing at something Nya’s said, open and relaxed in a way his mom rarely is. Lloyd’s heart twists into knots.

He doesn’t deserve them, any of them. Not really.

If Kai reminds Lloyd of the sun, then the rest of the team reminds him of stars. All bright and shining, bursting with warmth in their own way. Maybe not quite at the blazing heat that Kai does, but Nya is a north star if Lloyd’s ever needed one. Jay’s a blinking constellation, scattered stars that form a complex whole much larger than you’d thought. Cole’s the kind of star you see first pop up over the horizon, blending with the oranges and purples of the sunset, like a painting you’d see in soft watercolors. Zane’s the early-morning kind of star, the ones that stay stubbornly after the night’s left, dotting the pale morning with a calm steadiness.

Lloyd would be a planet, he supposes, caught in faithful orbit around the five people who have somehow, for some reason, given him a chance. It’d be generous, though. No, Lloyd is content just to be a moon — with no light of his own, reflecting only the brilliance others give him the best he can.

Kai’s finger taps the edge of his forehead, snapping Lloyd from his thoughts, and he blinks in confusion.

“Lost you there, again,” Kai asks, words mangled through a yawn. “Where’d you go?”

Lloyd shakes his head, turning his attention back to the bloodied thread leftover in his hands. His stomach turns, and he quickly sets it aside. “Just thinking.” He pauses, momentarily lost for words. He settles for jerking his head toward the window, where the smoke trailing from their hard-won battle is still visible against the dark sky, and gives Kai a wry smile. “How much do you wanna bet the cheerleading team comes up with a new song tomorrow?”

It’s been an inside joke for them, the ridiculous songs Chen and his gang keep coming up with to throw at Lloyd, and normally it gets a laugh from Kai. This time, though, Kai is silent, his eyes searching as he stares at Lloyd. Lloyd shifts under the attention, caught off-guard again. He doesn’t know what kind of look this is, that Kai’s giving him.

“They shouldn’t talk about you like that,” Kai finally says. His voice is quiet, but Lloyd can spot the brewing anger in it. Kai’s always got anger to spare.

“Sticks and stones, remember?” Lloyd shakes his head. He’s learned, after a while, that anger changes nothing. “Words will never hurt me.”

“Words hurt when people are throwing sticks and stones at you while they yell about your dad,” Kai grumbles.

“No one’s thrown rocks since second grade, actually.”

“Hm.” Kai’s tone is a mix of thinly withheld anger and mild amusement. Lloyd tilts his head, confused, and Kai gives a huff, anger tugging loose.

“Y’know, people say that if kids throw rocks at you in second grade, it means they’ve got a crush on you.”

Lloyd knows well enough it’s a joke, but he flushes red anyways, heat spreading across his cheeks. “Yeah, sure,” he stammers. Kai laughs at his reaction, though, the odd kind of anger departing, and Lloyd feels he’s found his footing again.

They’re quiet as Lloyd finishes cleaning up the medical supplies, Kai nodding sleepily on his bed while Lloyd carefully washes the needle in the bathroom sink. Maybe he can convince his mom to let Kai spend the night, he thinks. Jay and Nya , too — their apartment isn’t very big, but it’s awfully late to make them walk home, and Lloyd is fine with taking the floor, if he needs to.

Lloyd nods to himself, resolving to ask her once he’s finished hiding the evidence. His mom’s been so thrilled about him having people over at all, he can’t see her saying no. A smile pulls at his lips as he listens to the conversation outside his door again. Jay’s rambling on now, bright and excited without any of his usual reservation. He feels a pang, wondering if Jay’s the same as him — wondering if they’re all the same, playing at muted caricatures of themselves, too fearful to let whatever lies beneath shine through.

He wonders what it means, that they’re the ones with the city in their hands, that weight on their shoulders. Wonders what it means, that Lloyd feels safer with bullets strafing the air around him and his mask on, than he ever has with it off. That Green Ninja will always, always sound better than Lloyd in his ears.

“Hey, uh.”

Lloyd starts at Kai’s voice, twisting the sink off as he turns to face him. Kai looks half asleep, but the smile he gives him is bright as ever.

“Thanks, seriously. Not just for this, but for looking out for us. You’re a good friend.”

Lloyd’s heart skips a beat, his brain latching onto the word friend and holding on tightly, tucking it somewhere safe inside his chest.

“So thanks, Lloyd,” Kai yawns, barely awake at all now, but still stubbornly clinging to the threads of awareness.

Lloyd’s got his own thank you to give back, twisted and strangled behind whatever lump’s formed in his throat, but Kai’s snoring before he gets the chance to say it. So Lloyd tugs the edge of his comforter over his friend — his friend — instead, and runs the words over in his mind again and again, like a treasured line from a book.

On second thought. Maybe Lloyd isn’t so bad. He’s only ever liked his name the way his mom says it, without any of the snapping, harsh emphasis others give it. In others’ mouths, Lloyd’s name is a curse. In his mom’s, Lloyd’s name belongs to a person.

But he thinks, maybe, he likes the way it sounds when his teammates use it, too.

[satoruvt]

for now; forever

pairing → kwon soonyoung x reader

word count → 9015

genre → mostly fluff, angst ↳ tags: ooh boy. firewatch au, banter, like a little bit (a lot) of pining, strangers to friends to… something, FLIRTING, reader’s kinda fucked up but its ok, hoshi’s weird and endearing (as always), a tiny bit of hurt/comfort, minghao best boy, soonyoung is very sweet it makes me want to cry

synopsis → after an unfortunate burnout that lands you in every critic’s negative and all-seeing eye, you decide to take a break from the one thing you know. you’re not sure if you’ll find what you’re looking for out in the middle of the woods - if you’re looking for anything at all - but at the very least, soonyoung will make the hunt a little less lonely.

warnings → there’s eventually a forest fire (starts on day 64 and is mentioned throughout the rest of the fic) that leads to an evacuation but it’s not super detailed, mentions and descriptions of creative burnout/breakdown

a/n → IT’S FINALLY HERE!!! i made a fancy banner nd everything <3 i know 9k isn’t a lot to some people but this is probably the longest one shot i’ve ever written LMAOO so i hope it’s paced ok and everything <33 PLEASE let me know what yall thought about this i am insanely proud of it. ok thats it hehe. hope you enjoy!!! see u on the other side!!!!

btw here’s a fun playlist of songs i listened to while writing mixed with some songs i think reflect the fic super well <33

DAY ONE.

So. You’re… out here, now.

Save for the bugs you have to swat at every fifteen seconds, the outdoors doesn’t seem that bad. The weather isn’t too hot (yet, your mind reminds you) and there’s something about the color of the sky that makes your heart constrict in your chest. You can’t tell if it’s good or bad, but given your luck recently, you’re hoping it’s not a warning for the coming months - God knows you need a break. The weight of the journal in your bag feels heavier than any of the camping gear you brought with you.

You debate texting Minghao that you’ve made it to the park safely, but when you check your phone after deciding yes, you see the words no service instead of the familiar lines of a signal. It’s not that big of a deal - you’d told him when you left that you probably wouldn’t have service at all - but a little part of you feels the tender shake of anxiety at the thought of not being able to contact your best friend. 

He was the most worried out of everyone when you told him you were leaving for the summer. You can’t really blame him - it was abrupt, you saw the flyer at the grocery store and took it - but after what happened… doing something felt, feels, better than sitting around and waiting for nothing to happen. Waiting for a healing you aren’t sure will ever come, at least not completely.

“Is this really…” Minghao had started upon first entering your apartment after getting your text. Clothes were thrown all over your bedroom floor in an attempt to pack. “Do you need to do this?”

The tone of his voice told you he wasn’t going to try to stop you, that he just wanted to make sure this was what you needed. You had only nodded, sitting down on the edge of your bed to fold clothes and pack them into your suitcase.

“I just don’t want you to run away from it all,” Minghao said softly, sitting next to you. “You’ll need to face it eventually.”

“Is escaping really such a bad thing?” You asked, looking at Minghao. He gave you the look he did when you said something stupid, and if you weren’t still so wired from everything, you might have laughed. Instead, you sighed, placing a pair of pants into your suitcase. “I just need some time.”

Before you can face it, before you can come back, before you can write again… you still don’t know. Minghao had placed a kind hand on your shoulder to tell you there was no rush.

It’d taken no more than two days for you to get everything ready - including buying some apparently necessary survival equipment from Target. In a matter of a few hours you had gathered everything up, texted some other friends and your family that you might not be available the next few months and then… you left. 

(Your manager was pretty pissed off that you left so suddenly, but she was also pissed off at you when you told her you needed a break for at least a few weeks, so you’re not really offended.)

You take one last longing look at your car before locking it, pocketing the keys, and starting on your hike.

The hike takes almost the whole day. 

You think you almost cry when you finally see the watch tower you’re supposed to be staying in, your legs barely able to hold the rest of your body up. The hike wasn’t hard, really - long, though, and for someone who usually spends a work day sitting at a desk, you’re surprised you’re still alive. You find the little lock that holds the keys to the tower at the bottom of the stairs, fastened onto the railing. It takes a few seconds for you to enter the code you’d been given earlier, relishing in the soft breeze the cools the sweat on your face and neck. The sun is just barely starting to set beyond the mountains, a beautiful sight that you can’t properly focus on because all you want to do is pass out. You’re pretty sure you almost do on your way up the stairs.

The cabin at the top of the tower is pretty scarcely furnished, save for a few basic necessities (a gas stove rests on one wall, a small desk opposite to it by the door, a mini-fridge, and a bed in the corner plus what looks like a map table in the center of the room). It’s a little weird, a feeling caught between the nostalgia of moving into a new place and something you can’t quite name, but you figure you have a few months to make it all a little more comfortable.

For now, though, you feel like you’re on the last leg of your energy. Your mind is saying eat, sleep, eat, sleep on repeat and you have to agree with it, so you change the sheets on the bed, take down the boards over the windows while you wait for the macaroni from the Kraft box to cook. You end up eating a few forkfuls of poorly-made mac and cheese before crashing.

When you wake up, it’s to gentle static and a semi-clear, unfamiliar voice. It takes you a minute to remember where you are and what you’re doing, too disoriented to even think about the voice, but then - oh. Forest. Watch tower. Escape. Okay.

“Yo, Cottonwood! Am I coming through okay? Pick up your radio!”

Right. The voice. Radio?

“Come on, I saw you get in yesterday, I know you’re there. Unless,” a gasp, “you died! Oh my God, this is like a horror movie… and I’m next!”

You manage to wake up enough to locate your radio (a walkie-talkie resting on a charger on the desk) and, after a few seconds of gentle struggle, work it. “Not dead,” you say, then clear your throat because your voice does not sound good right after waking up. “I mean… almost. But not dead.”

There’s barely a moment of hesitation before the person on the other end hoots, apparently excited. “Arisen from the dead! Brought back to life by none other than the legendary Hoshi!”

A brief thought crosses your mind about having to listen to this guy all summer, but you quickly shoo it away. You won’t have to deal with it for the whole three months, right? “Who… who is Hoshi?”

“Me!” The voice answers, sounding a little too smug. “But it’s really just an alias. You can call me Soonyoung. I’m at Twin Peaks tower, west of yours!”

You spin around your cabin, looking through the windows cluelessly - how long have you been asleep, it’s practically afternoon - until you see a very small silhouette of another tower in the distance. You nod, then realize Soonyoung can’t see you. “Oh. Cool.”

“Aren’t you gonna tell me your name?” Soonyoung asks, but his tone is light, breezy. You blink, reciting your name to him in a daze. “Pretty! So, what brings you out here?”

You weren’t expecting that question. “What?”

Soonyoung giggles into the radio. “Everyone comes out here for some reason. Like… Jihoon says it’s ‘cause it helps him write music. And Joshua loves the outdoors, so… what’s your reason?”

“You…” you start, not exactly wanting to tell a stranger the reason you ran away from everything you know. “Do you normally ask this many questions?”

“Yeah!”

You feel yourself sigh, already tired again.

“I… just wanted to get away for a while,” you end up saying. A half-truth. “I live in the city.”

“No way,” Soonyoung gasps excitedly. “Me too! I wonder if both of us have ever been walking and, like, passed each other without knowing…”

This isn’t exactly what you had in mind when you thought of escaping.

DAY TWO.

The next morning, you dedicate time to getting a little more settled into your home for the next few months. You didn’t bring a lot of decor - you didn’t think you needed any - but even seeing your blanket on the bed and a few books you need to catch up on reading stacked on the desk makes the place feel a little bit more like you. You eventually reach the journal you packed (that Minghao made you pack) and stare at it like it might do something. Like it might tell you to write again, or like it might tell you to leave everything behind. You don’t really know what you want from it.

A sing-songed version of your name comes from your radio and you blink away from the journal, set it down on the desk. “Good morning!” Soonyoung says from the other end, and you feel yourself take a deep breath as you pick up your radio and press down the button so he can hear you.

“Morning, Soonyoung,” you respond, calm compared to his excitement. 

“So… what are your plans for today?”

“Um,” you pause, brows furrowed, looking towards the direction of his tower even though you know he can’t see you. “Looking out for fires?”

“That’s boring,” is Soonyoung’s immediate response, and you laugh a little.

“Kinda my job for a while.”

And listen, you’ve known Soonyoung for less than a full 24 hours, but even before your brain really comprehends what he’s saying you know you’re not going to like it. “Wait, that reminds me,” he says, tone of his voice a little less overexcited puppy. “What did you do before this? Or, like, what’s your career? I mean, you don’t have to answer, I just thought it could be a way for us to get to know each other…”

His voice fades away for the split second you remember a little too much all at once, but somehow your voice still sounds put together when you speak. “Nothing special,” you say. There’s a pause when you don’t elaborate any further, but instead of asking about it, Soonyoung changes the subject.

“Okay!” he says, back to a more playful tone. “Anyways, I asked about your plans ‘cause I kind of need you to do something for me.”

“Already asking favors?” you tease. “We just met, Soonyoung.”

You hear him laugh, loud and hearty, and it’s contagious even through a radio line so you feel your own smile pull at your lips. “One of the other lookouts found some teenagers with fireworks,” he informs you. “I need you to meet him and get the fireworks from him.”

Your feet are already in your shoes, one halfway tied. “You can’t do this?”

Soonyoung’s voice is strangely thoughtful, but you catch a hint of mischief at the end of his sentence. “I would, but Jihoonie said he’d eat me if I tried to see him again and I think he’s serious this time.”

He tells you where the other lookout - Jihoon - should be and gives you a quick lesson on how to properly use your map to get there. You’re not really excited for another hike this early on (you’re still sore from even getting up here) but by the time you meet the halfway mark you’re convinced it’s not that bad. It’s neither long nor challenging, and… well, Soonyoung’s insistent on keeping you company the whole time. 

When you see what looks like a guy at the edge of a now-abandoned camp, you tell Soonyoung you’ll radio him when you’re on your way back to your tower. “Hey,” you call out as you get closer. The man looks up at you, his eyes sharp but not unkind. “Jihoon?”

“Yeah,” he replies. Under his cap you notice that his hair is a gentle silver, almost purple. He’s dressed casually, like you, and you suppose it’s a given since there’s no exact dress code for this job.  “You’re the newbie?”

You didn’t know people knew about you. “I.. I guess,” you say, then tell him your name.

“Cool,” Jihoon says, voice flat like he’s distracted. He picks up the bag next to his feet and hands it to you. “Take these. Thanks.”

He starts to walk away, down a trail opposite the direction you came, but you think of earlier, when Soonyoung asked about your job (or when he didn’t). You call after Jihoon, hesitate, but then opt to make this quick since he looks like he’d rather be anywhere but here. “Have you and Soonyoung… known each other for long?”

Jihoon turns around. He shrugs, then nods. “We met in college, a few years ago.”

“What kind of person is he?”

You watch in vague amusement as Jihoon’s nose scrunches up, but the small smile on his face refuses to hide and it makes you giggle. “Really annyoing,” he tells you, then pauses for a second like he’s looking for the right words, “kind of overwhelming sometimes. But he’s good. He’s someone you want around.”

Someone you want around, your brain repeats to you. You nod with a friendly smile as you haphazardly stuff the fireworks in your hiking bag. “Okay. Thank you.”

Jihoon offers an acknowledging nod of his own before continuing on his way back to his tower. You’re about five minutes into your hike back to yours when your radio sounds from your pocket with a now-familiar voice.

“Are you on your way back?” Soonyoung asks. “You forgot to tell me!”

“Sorry, yeah, I am now. I was talkin’ to Jihoon for a second.”

“Really? That’s weird. He rarely talks to anyone, especially strangers. What’d you talk about?”

You can’t help the small smile that lands on your face as you speak. “Stuff to blackmail you with.”

You think you hear Soonyoung’s groan all the way from his tower, and your smile only grows when it turns into a laugh.

DAY FIVE.

The clouds look dark today.

They haven’t covered the sun completely yet, but they’re closing in fast. You hope that it rains, already sick and tired of the disgusting heat, but also. Something else.

Rainy days always used to be the best to write, your brain supplies to you. You brave a glance at the still-unopened journal on the desk, thinking that maybe…

Your radio turning on drags you away from the crack in metaphorical door, coming at the perfect time as if to tell you that you’re not ready yet. You listen to it, grab the radio, murmur a greeting to Soonyoung.

“It’s getting pretty dark out, huh?” He says. He must be looking at the sky, too.

“Yeah,” you hum. “Hopefully the storm isn’t too bad.”

The line goes quiet, but you know that Soonyoung’s still there even if he isn’t saying anything. The knowledge comforts you, just a little.

“Well... got any rainy day stories?”

DAY SEVENTEEN.

“So, Soonyoung,” you call into your radio as you step outside. You’ve taken advantage of the small balcony around the entire cabin, setting up a few chairs you found in the storage unit at the bottom of the tower (just in case someone stops by, you tell yourself) and a small table you weren’t using inside. The nights are hot but still relaxing, and you find yourself sitting outside often, catching up on reading or taking in the stars. 

“I can’t believe you radioed me first,” Soonyoung responds, and you hear the smugness in his voice. “I’m so happy!”

Soonyoung somehow almost always manages to be with you in the nights, too, even if not physically. Being away from the urban civilization you’re used to has been a little difficult to adjust to, but you feel significantly less alone whenever you hear him calling you. You tell him to be quiet even though both of you are laughing. The distant crickets make your chest warm.

“What do you do? You didn’t tell me before,” You ask him after a second. There’s a small wave of anxiety that rushes over you at the idea that he might call you out about when he asked you the same thing. That was two weeks ago, though, you think, and Soonyoung wouldn’t. You’re sure he’s been able to tell that it’s a touchy subject. You’re not as discreet as you think you are, even if (and you’ve learned this the past few weeks) Soonyoung’s a bit more on the oblivious side sometimes.

“I dance!” 

Somehow, despite having not even seen what he looks like, it’s fitting. “Like… teach, or choreograph, or…”

“A little of everything,” Soonyoung tells you, and then starts elaborating. His voice echoes through your radio and you look up at the stars as you listen to him, trying to map out constellations from memory. He sounds so excited to simply talk about it, you can’t imagine what he must look like when he’s actually on stage. You hope you get to see it one day.

“You’ll have to teach me something sometime,” you say once he’s finished, voicing your thoughts. With a giggle that sounds like the stars above you, he tells you he’d love to.

A moment of quiet passes, spent focusing on the tiny specks of fireflies you see in the field around your tower and feeling the summer breeze as it passes. The words slip out of your mouth with much less resistance than you thought they would.

“I used to write,” you murmur into your radio. It takes you a moment to register the heavy beat of your heart, like you just got back from a run.

“Used to?” Soonyoung asks, curious but soft.

“For now,” you answer. The ache you’ve become familiar with throbs in your chest. “Hopefully not forever.”

It’s not the whole story - not even close - but you figure you might be able to tell him with time. The thought stresses you out even when you have nothing to stress about, and you think Soonyoung is psychic because he says, next, “the stars are really pretty tonight.”

You’re not looking at the sky when you answer. Your head is tilted in the direction of his tower. 

“They really are,” you say.

DAY THIRTY-THREE.

You’ve fallen into a bit of a routine with Soonyoung. 

Not a day goes by where you don’t talk to him - the one day you radioed and he didn’t pick up you genuinely thought something happened to him, seconds away from calling a park ranger. Right before you actually did it, though, he picked up his radio and said he had been taking a nap.

(His voice was a little groggy from sleep, sounded like he was pouting whether he meant to or not and you’d be lying if you said the thought didn’t make your heart skip a few beats - but if anyone asked, you’d definitely lie about it.)

One of you calls the other around the same time every morning and you don’t put down your radio until the sun is well behind the mountains. You’ve grown used to his presence, in a way, even if you can’t really feel him with you (though sometimes you swear you can). It’s comforting to have him out there with you, and it’s been so long since you’ve talked to someone the way you do with Soonyoung… you find yourself looking forward to every morning, waiting for when you hear him over your radio.

Today is no different.

Well, in an unrelated way, it is - you have to hike to a supply box to get your surplus of food for the next month and a half you have left. But even as you’re doing inventory of what you have left in your cabin on a piece of paper, you’re waiting for Soonyoung’s usual good morning. It comes as always, makes you smile when you hear it.

“Good morning!” 

You leave your scratch paper on your desk and reach for your radio. “Morning,” you say after you’ve pressed the button down. 

“So…” Soonyoung trails off. “Supply drop day.”

“Yeah,” you reply, sitting on your bed.

“Both of us are getting crates of food today…”

What is he getting at? “Uh-huh…?”

“Both of us… getting supplies… from the same place.”

A confused laugh leaves your lips. “Soonyoung, what is your point?”

Even for as often as you talk to him, you’re still always surprised when he starts yelling. “Let’s meet up!” he exclaims, obviously excited, and it clicks in your head.

“Oh my God, can we do that?” 

“Yeah!” Soonyoung sounds like he’s grinning, smile palpable in his voice. “If we pull some strings with the other lookouts and get hiking at the right time, it’s totally possible.”

Holy shit. Your heart is beating wildly, butterflies swarming around it at the thought of meeting Soonyoung in person. “Okay,” you tell him, noting that you sound a little breathless. “Okay, yeah, let’s do it.”

It takes a few minutes to work everything out - the supply boxes should be dropped off by midday, so you can leave your tower around then and get to the drop location in a little over an hour. Soonyoung has to leave earlier than you since he’s farther away, but if everything goes well the two of you should get to the drop location close to the same time, margin of error small. You radio Jihoon to cover for you while you’re out, and he agrees, although he sounds a bit miffed.

When you finally leave for your hike, you’re not expecting how quiet it is. Soonyoung’s usually there to cover it up with his voice - you don’t hike often (you’ve not had to, given your job for the summer is to watch for fires) but whenever you have he’s been there to keep you company. You plug in your earphones about halfway through your trip just to drown out the quiet, something more to listen to than just trees and the sound of your own footsteps.

Eventually you make it to the supply box, and, well. There’s a guy. Standing in front of a long, green box - you think you see lookout tower names engraved ever few inches: Thorofare, Cottonwood, Twin Peaks. Packing some ready-to-eat meals into his backpack.

Holy shit, Soonyoung? your brain automatically asks, and it sends your heart spiraling up and down. You’re not sure what you thought he looked like, but it wasn’t this. Tall, lean - wait, you don’t even know if this is actually him yet.

Before you can think too much about it, you call out, voice tentative. “Are you… Soonyoung?”

The man turns around, shakes his head with a kind smile. “No,” he says. “I’m Joshua.”

You think about throwing yourself into the river by your tower when you get back for absolutely no reason. Somehow you manage a polite smile and a gentle sorry.

“No, don’t apologize, you’re fine!” Joshua chirps, adjusting the cap on his head. “You’re looking for him?”

You pause. Those aren’t the exact words you would use, but they’re not technically wrong, so you nod. After all, you don’t know what he looks like (you probably should have asked him before both of you left, but you weren’t expecting another person to be here).

“Please don’t tell me he got lost again,” Joshua says, suddenly looking tired, and you look back at him wide-eyed because... again? Has this happened before?

“No,” you tell him. “No, I mean, I don’t think so. I don’t know. Since we both have to pick up supplies he thought it’d be cool if we met up in person.”

Joshua sighs, seemingly relieved, then continues packing what’s left of his supplies into his backpack as he hums. “That’s weird.”

“What is?”

He shrugs. “Soonyoung likes the outdoors, yeah, but the supply box is a pretty far hike from his tower. I think the last few summers he’s had them delivered.”

Oh, you think, and maybe say out loud, because then Joshua’s looking back at you, a mischievous smile on his face. 

“He must really like you to come all the way out here,” he tells you, and you laugh like it might get rid of all the thoughts popping up in your mind that you keep telling yourself to stop thinking about.

“And yet,” you say wistfully, looking towards the horizon. “I still come second to Jihoon.”

This time Joshua laughs, a friendly sound, and the two of you fall into a playful conversation. He’s somewhat a superior of yours, though not by a far gap - as the lookout who’s been on the job the longest, he oversees the rest of you (which is you, Soonyoung, Jihoon, and a few others you have yet to come across). You get along with him easily and it’s weird to think that if you hadn’t gone through what you did a few months ago you wouldn’t be here talking to him, establishing what could be a new friendship. You wonder if that’s a new step towards healing, finding a way to be grateful even if it was horrible.

You talk to Joshua for a while until he says he should get back to his tower. You nod, tell him goodbye (and thanks for his company) and he starts to walk away -

“Shua!”

A burst of platinum blonde hair rushes past you from the opposite direction you came from, heading for Joshua. The new guy drops a bag at his feet and almost softly crashes into Joshua, who has this look on his face you can’t really decipher.

“Hey, Soonyoung,” he says, and you blink.

Soonyoung, like… your Soonyoung? The Soonyoung you’ve been talking to for weeks?

You watch as the two hug, Soonyoung excited to see Joshua and completely ignoring you (though you’re not sure he’s doing it intentionally). All you can do is stand there. This is him, your brain keeps telling you. This is the guy.

“I haven’t seen you in forever!” Soonyoung exclaims, bouncing on the balls of his feet excitedly. “How are you? How have things been?”

Joshua shrugs, a small smile on his face as he puts a gentle hand on Soonyoung’s head and starts… petting. “I’ve been good, same old deal. I know that you’ve been doing good too, though, as far as I’ve seen from your reports.”

Soonyoung beams at the praise and you take note of it in the back of your mind (you also note the way Joshua’s treating him like a toddler and how it’s working). He opens his mouth to say something else but looks around and meets your eyes - for a second there’s nothing at all, but then you think you see an exclamation mark actually pop above his head.

The yell of your name is so loud it makes you jump. “Oh my God,” Soonyoung whines, falling to his knees dramatically. “I can’t believe I didn’t recognize you!”

“This is the first time you’ve seen me,” you say. You can’t seem to hold back your smile.

Joshua excuses himself (again) and finally moves on his way, says he’s in Thorofare lookout if anything happens. The sun is mellow on your skin as you look at Soonyoung, take him in - light hair, warm eyes, tan skin. His smile matches your own. A breeze shifts by, slow and sweet.

“Hi,” you say.

Soonyoung grins.

“Hey.”

-

So the bag you saw Soonyoung drop on the ground before was, in fact, for a picnic.

He didn’t bring a lot of food (the whole point of the hike was to get supply boxes anyways) aside from a few candy bars he’d saved for today. He did bring a blanket, however, and the two of you set everything up on the edge of a rock not too far away from the drop location, under some trees. It looks over a small ravine, a stream cutting through at the bottom. 

The time goes by like it was never there in the first place, spent talking and laughing. Soonyoung is just as animated in person as you thought he’d be, telling stories wildly as the two of you snack away a portion of your supplies. You know the two of you don’t have much time together, given how late it already was when Soonyoung arrived and both of your hikes back to your respective towers, but it’s still… refreshing, almost, to be with him like this, to finally get a piece of him you didn’t before. To hear him without the crackle of the radio and to see him.

To see him.

Something stirs in your chest when you look at him lying back on the blanket, arms supporting his head with his eyes closed. The sun lights up his skin in a golden glow, like honey, and the dark roots growing into his blonde hair are somehow endearing. The breath leaves your lungs when you finally label him as pretty. You hope you can blame the heat in your cheeks on the sun.

“I wish we could stay like this forever,” Soonyoung sighs, still not opening his eyes. You almost reach out to brush the hair away from his face, but a breeze comes by and does it for you. You hope it’s not a sign.

“It would be nice, huh,” you murmur in response. You finally break your gaze from Soonyoung and lean back on your hands, soaking up the feeling of the blue sky.

It’s now that you remember what Joshua had said earlier about Soonyoung usually getting his supplies delivered, and you turn back to him. “Hey, before you got to the supply box, Joshua and I were talking.” Soonyoung hums in acknowledgement. “Is the hike from your tower to here really that bad?”

His voice strains as he stretches, opening his eyes to look at you. “I mean, yeah, it’s a bitch of a hike to take sometimes. But it’s not really hard except for a few spots, just long.”

You furrow your brows. When you agreed to meet him, you didn’t think it’d be this much trouble for him. “And you came all this way so we could… what, sit here and eat? Like we do most of the time anyways? Just separately?”

Soonyoung pouts at you and you feel personally attacked. “Food tastes good when you’re with other people.”

You give him a soft, semi-playful glare, and Soonyoung offers a small giggle. You turn back towards the view in front of you.

“Did you not want me to come down?” He asks, and he doesn’t sound… sad, really, more observant. Like he wants to know where you’re at.

“No,” you answer almost immediately (Jesus, your brain says). “I just… it’s a long trip. It doesn’t really seem like it’s worth the effort.”

Like I’m worth the effort, you think to yourself. 

You hear Soonyoung shuffle behind you and turn around to look at him again, finding him sitting up straight. “It is to me,” he tells you, and there’s something in his eyes that holds you in your spot. The tips of his fingers brush against yours on the blanket. You’d look down if you didn’t think you’d miss something. “I wanted to.”

In a second, it clicks.

-

It’s not much longer until Soonyoung needs to start heading back. The two of you get your things together, and you help him pack up the picnic supplies he brought. When everything’s said and done and the two of you are back by the supply box, there’s a second of uncharacteristic quiet that falls over you.

“Let me know when you get back,” you say after a moment. Soonyoung grins.

“You’re worried about me!” he swoons, and you hit him on the shoulder playfully, but don’t deny it. It can be dangerous out there, and even if Soonyoung has been out here longer than you, anything can happen. 

“Just radio me, okay?”

Soonyoung smiles, something a little softer from before. He nods. “I will. You be safe too.”

You nod in return, taking a few steps back towards the trail that leads back to your tower. “Talk to you later, Hoshi.”

The last you see of him before you turn around is the grin on his face.

DAY THIRTY-FOUR.

It feels like forever since you’ve been here.

A window is open and welcomes a distant ambiance of the forest around you, trees and birds and animals. The journal you brought with you is open to the first page, but remains untouched - nothing on the pages. At least, not yet.

(The not yet you always tell yourself seems closer, this time, not so far away. Within reach, or at least within reason.)

Soonyoung had called in that the hike from yesterday had worn him out and he needed a nap. You had laughed fondly at how tired he sounded, told him to sleep well and that you’d be waiting for him. And you feel the words, right at your fingertips, the way the rest and wait to be written. Their presence is both terrifying and reassuring. 

You don’t think they’ll be able to bleed out correctly, not the way they used to since it’s been so long. But they’re there, in your mind, in your heart. 

You pick up the pen you got out, feel the weight of it as you click it a few times. You tap it on the desk once, twice, and then.

You take a deep breath and start to write.

DAY SIXTY-FOUR.

“Are you lookin’ at the fire?”

Your eyes leave the page of your book at Soonyoung’s voice crackling from the radio, looking around your cabin windows to see that, oh, there is a fire. You’d kind of forgotten that it’s… literally your job. At least there are multiple lookouts.

You fold the corner of the page you’re on as a makeshift bookmark before closing the book and setting it down on your bed as you stand to get your radio. You grab a can of soda from the mini-fridge you’ve started to utilize (as best you can, given it does a mediocre job at keeping things cool) before walking out onto the deck, sitting in one of the chairs you set up. “Now I am,” you tell Soonyoung as you adjust the chair so it faces the direction of the fire. You think you’re the closest lookout to it - which makes the fact that you didn’t notice it even worse - but not in any danger. The smoke paints the evening sky red-orange, washing over the purples and blues the sun used earlier as it set. “You’ve called it in?”

“Yeah, told Josh, who told the higher-ups,” Soonyoung responds, voice strangely… solemn? He sighs his next words. “They’ll probably send a crew in for suppression by morning.”

“Is there a reason you sound sad about putting a potentially dangerous forest fire out?” You tease, cracking open your soda and taking a sip. The carbonation feels good in your mouth, pops on your tongue.

“I’m not!” Soonyoung denies after some sputtering, and you laugh. “Just… ugh, looking at it - I’ve worked here every summer for the past, like, five years, and I’ve only ever seen two fires. Three, counting this one.” His voice gains a certain softness, like he’s lost in thought. “I don’t want the place to burn down or anything, but… don’t you think it’s kind of beautiful?”

It’s a little morally ambiguous, but as you look at the distant, licking flames you have to agree. In the dark, it’s vibrant, more than just ashy smoke and the smell of burning - it glows red, flushes out silhouettes of the trees in between it and you.

“I guess it is,” you hum into your radio as you stare at it.

“So. What should we name it?”

“The fire?”

“Yes,” Soonyoung says, dramatic as always. “She needs a name! I’ve always given them names, but I’ll let you do the honor this time.”

There’s something sweet in the way he offers you the chance to name it, and you try not to dwell on it too much. “Ah,” you start, thinking for a moment. “Barbara. The Barbara Fire.”

Soonyoung howls out a laugh and it’s infectious; you feel the tugging of your lips into a grin. “That is the worst thing that has ever come out of your mouth,” he says, and you roll your eyes. “We are not naming it the Barbara Fire.”

You huff out a fake whine. “Come on, it’s just Barb! She’s beautiful.”

“But deadly,” Soonyoung adds in a voice that sounds like it came straight out of a crime documentary. It makes you giggle, the two of you throwing around silly, stupid names.

“Okay, okay,” you say after a few minutes. “Then… hmm, the Hoshi Fire.”

There’s a long, long pause, and you hold down the button to your radio again. “Uh oh, is he broken?”

Soonyoung’s voice comes through, joking, but you sense a pinch of sincerity. “You want to name a raging forest fire after me… I feel like I shouldn’t be happy but I kind of am.”

You remember to push the button as you laugh, looking directly at the fire and shouting, “I hereby dub thee… the Hoshi Fire!” as loud as you can.

After the laughter dies down, for a second, there’s quiet - not awkward or for the sake of a bit, just quiet. Soonyoung’s not telling a story, you’re not giving witty comebacks. It’s just the two of you and the fire, alone in the forest.

It breaks eventually. Soft, gentle. “I’m glad you’re out here, you know,” Soonyoung says.

His words make you stiffen and relax all at once, and almost on instinct you look in the direction of his tower. You can’t really see the silhouette - the sun too far gone, taking the last of its light with it - but you know it’s there, can pinpoint exactly where it should be. You hope Soonyoung’s looking over at you, too.

And even if the reason you’re here in the first place is still a tender bruise to be pressed, you find yourself recovering a little more every day. “I am, too,” you respond. “I… I wish you were over here.”

It’s a roundabout way to say I miss you, but a part of you thinks neither of you are ready for something that explicit. You reach a hand out in the direction of Soonyoung’s tower, grasping at it like it might bring him to you. It’s not as if you can’t meet up with him again, but… between the distance and the fact that there’s an actual fire to keep your eye on, it certainly wouldn’t be easy. This is the closest you can get for now.

“I wish I was too,” Soonyoung says. You close your eyes to picture him, pretty smile and fond eyes. “We could hang out, like last time.”

“Without the radios,” you add. 

“We could, um… you know.”

His words make you giggle, and you feel a little lucky that you’re not holding down the button. Your heart is pounding in your chest, nervous but stable, secure, as you reply. A welcomed beat, even if startling.

“No, I don’t,” you tell him. Your soda sits forgotten, half-empty, on the floor of the deck by your feet. You don’t bother paying attention to the fire. “What could we do?”

Soonyoung groans and this time you laugh pushing the button so he can hear you, warm and affectionate. “Don’t tease me! You know what I’m talking about.”

You do. “What could we do, Soonyoung?”

There’s a pause, but you know he’s still there.

“Well,” he says eventually. “Let me tell you.”

DAY SEVENTY-SIX.

The fire’s gotten big.

You feel like you shouldn’t be surprised by it - it’s a wildfire, they’re not exactly easy to contain, but seeing it up close like this is vastly different from being in a city and barely even noticing the smoke. It is larger than life out here, consuming more and more of the forest each day. The last few days you’ve spent inside due to the low visibility (though it’s not as if you take a hike every day anyways). It makes you wonder if it’s safe to stay out here.

“...Hey,”  Soonyoung radios in. “I have a question for you.”

Rationally, you know whatever it is, it can’t be that serious. But your heart picks up pace anyways, beats a little harder as you pick up your radio to respond. “Look, it was Jihoon’s idea to use the fireworks, I promise neither of us knew it would start the fire.”

Soonyoung sputters out a laugh and you match him, feeling yourself calm down. “I’ll… I’ll ask Jihoon about that later, but - I really do have something to ask you.”

You lay down in your bed, unmade and messy. “Is it… bad?”

“I don’t think so,” Soonyoung responds. “Maybe?”

“Okay…” you say, timid. “Shoot.”

“When you first got here, I asked why you took the job,” he says, and you nod to yourself, remembering the first call you got from him. “You just… never really responded. I get it if it’s, like, a touchy subject, I don’t want to pressure you at all…”

“No,” you interrupt before you realize what you’re saying. You take a deep breath, Soonyoung waits. “No, it’s probably… it might be good to talk about it. I’ll tell you.”

He murmurs an okay, tells you to take your time and you do. It’s not like you’re scared to tell him - you’ve come to trust him, you know he won’t judge you for anything that happened or think any differently of you. You’re not even sure that’s why it’s hard for you to talk about - rather than any sort of outside force that might affect you, it’s more… more of a part of you that you felt you lost. It’s more coming to terms - even after these months - and going through the motions. It’s scary to talk about disconnection, especially from the one thing you loved (love?) more than anything.

“I… write,” is how you start, looking at the ceiling of your cabin as you speak. “Or wrote, maybe? I’m an author. I have a few books published. Writing is something I’ve loved since I was so young, it’s… a part of me, really. It’s special to me.

“When I finally got a manager and a publishing company and all that official stuff, I was so excited. It was like I was finally living my dream. I wrote my first book and got it published and it did really well, so my management asked me to do another, and I did. Then they asked for one after that, and I didn’t… it felt too soon, in a way. Rushed. But I guess I did it because I had to, because I figured this just came with being a writer and not everything is what you want it to be - and I didn’t want to risk losing what I had wanted almost my entire life.”

You take a moment to steady yourself, note the tremble of your fingers and take a few deep breaths. Soonyoung waits for you, patient and kind. “It went like that for a while, and I lost touch with writing. I stopped loving the only thing I knew how to love. I was so detached from it. A few months before I took this job my manager set up a press conference for me, and I… kind of… had a breakdown. At the conference. So I’m out here to run away for a second. Be away from it all.”

The quiet that follows doesn’t make you nervous, really, but you’re still waiting for a reply of any sort. Even if it’s the common oh or it’ll be okay that you got from distant friends and relatives who didn’t know what was really going on. But Soonyoung was patient with you, so you can be patient with him.

“Have you written since?” He asks after a minute, and your eyes flash over to the journal on your desk. One page has the familiar strokes and loops of your handwriting, written after you met Soonyoung in person.

“Only once,” you respond, truthful.

“When you start to write again… will you show me?”

And for some reason the question is so tender, filled to the brim with something you want to name. It makes tears spring to your eyes as you look out over the rising fire, trying not to let your voice shake too much as you reply.

(Maybe it’s because he said when and not if, maybe it’s because he didn’t tell you it’ll be okay, maybe it’s because it’s him and not someone else telling you the same thing.)

“Yeah,” you say, letting go of the button to sniff. “Yeah, I will. If you let me see one of your dances.”

You hear Soonyoung’s smile through the radio as he tells you it’s a deal.

DAY SEVENTY-EIGHT.

For the first time since you started working, someone who isn’t Soonyoung calls you through the radio (not counting the time you radioed Jihoon to make sure he was still alive, because you only saw him once and hadn’t heard from him since then). You hear the familiar click that tells you someone’s on the station, and you’re fully expecting Soonyoung’s voice to light up your cabin the way it always does. Instead, Joshua’s voice rings through.

“You there?” He asks after a comfortable call of your name, and you pick up your radio.

“Yeah, I’m here. It’s been a while,” you respond, and Joshua hums. “How’ve you been?”

“I’ve… been,” he tells you, which earns a small laugh. “Anyways, I called in to let you know that they’re having trouble controlling the fire -”

You take a look at the giant flume of smoke north of your tower, nodding to yourself. “I can see that.”

Joshua tells you to be quiet. You hear the friendly smile in his voice.

“There’ll be an evacuation team here within the next two days,” he says. “Maybe less, shouldn’t be more. They’re gonna get all the lookouts evacuated.”

Oh. Evacuation? That means… the city. Your apartment, back to your family and friends. You’d forgotten an entire world exists outside of the bubble you created for yourself.

“Okay,” you say slowly, still looking at the fire. “I assume you’ve told the other lookouts?”

“I’ve got a few more to call, but other than that, yeah, everyone’s covered. I told Soonyoung and Jihoon first,” Joshua tells you, and you blink at the fact that you didn’t even have to ask. “I’ll see you on the other side.”

“Yeah. Stay safe, Josh.”

You sit for a while after that, trying to cope with the feeling in your chest. You… you feel better about everything, about writing, for sure, but. But. It’s cut short, even if only by a little over a week. You haven’t even started packing anything up - so much of you is strewn around the cabin, in the field around your tower, in the trees of the forest you hiked through. You don’t think you’re ready to say goodbye to the place you’ve made your home and the people (person, your heart whispers) with it. 

The sun starts to set and the fire grows. You sit on your bed and look at the things you’ve made your own, a sunken, unfinished emotion spreading through you. Eventually it is Soonyoung’s voice that comes from your radio, low and humorous.

“The Hoshi Fire can’t be stopped…” he murmurs, and you laugh despite the loss you feel. 

“Please,” you groan into your radio after you’ve grabbed it. “We’re getting evacuated!”

Soonyoung giggles, something mischievous that makes your heart warm with slow appreciation. “I can’t believe it’s ending so soon,” you say, standing up to walk around aimlessly.

“Yeah, the summer went by super fast, huh?” Soonyoung replies. “I’m kind of excited, though. I’ve missed a proper dance studio.”

That’s… oh. 

A current of mild surprise rolls through you and you think you physically feel your jaw drop, just a little. That - that hurt. More than you want it to, more than you think it should - but it’s... fine. You’ve only known Soonyoung for a few months, it’s not like…

You realize you haven’t responded and open your mouth on purpose this time. “I wish we could share the sentiment, Hoshi,” you joke, hoping it doesn’t sound too stiff. 

If Soonyoung notices anything, he doesn’t say it. Only laughs, sweet and genuine. “I’m sure you’ll find something to yearn for just as I yearn for dance,” he says dramatically. You laugh, forced, because yeah, you will. Maybe you already have.

DAY EIGHTY.

Evacuation day.

Last day in your tower. Last day in the forest. Last day of the job you took to escape, to heal. It’s spent packing up the things you brought with you, throwing away everything else. Joshua said helicopters would be touching down at two points - Twin Peaks lookout and Mule Point lookout. Twin Peaks is Soonyoung’s tower, and if you planned it out right, you could probably get there and leave with him.

You tell yourself that the reason you can’t is because Mule Point is closer. Safer. They’re evacuating you for a reason.

“Hey.”

Speak of the devil, you think, grabbing your radio from its charging port. “Hi.”

“So,” Soonyoung says. For the first time since you’ve known him, he seems awkward. “Evacuation day.”

“Yessir…”

“What evacuation point are you hiking to?”

You pause, hesitate like you’re about to say something you shouldn’t. “Mule Point,” you manage to get out. “It’s closer,” you say after, your brain telling you to justify it, explain.

“What did the Hoshi Fire ever do to you?” Soonyoung huffs out through a laugh, and it sounds so unaffected that you feel that ache from before again. After a second, he adds, “so… this’ll be the last we talk. At least for a while.”

That realization hits you like a brick and the sting behind your eyes seems normal - regardless of whatever was built between you and Soonyoung or what lead you out here in the first place, it’s so sad that it’s ending. “Yeah,” you say quietly. Everything is packed, you just need to get hiking. “I, um. Is it cheesy to say thank you?”

“Maybe,” Soonyoung chuckles. “But it’ll also make me feel really good, so…”

You feel yourself calm down and let out your own small giggle. Maybe it was always meant to end this way, a little too soon, a little too sad. “Really… thanks, Soonyoung. I think it would’ve been worse for me if I got the silence I came out here for. I’m glad I had you to talk to.”

“Thank you, too,” Soonyoung says back. “I hope… you write again. I’ll talk to you later.”

The mention of it doesn’t hurt as much as it used to, and you feel the smallest of smiles on your lips. “Yeah. Later.”

The radio clicks off and that’s the last you hear from Soonyoung.

EPILOGUE.

It’s hard to come back.

From nature, from Soonyoung - everything, really. To go from trees and fires and talking every night back to car horns, busy sidewalks and your own apartment. It’s weird to wake up and not see the immediate shine of the sun through your windows. But you come back, slowly get used to the life you had before.

And you start writing.

Given - you get back in August only start writing again in October, but you write. Little by little, page after page. Maybe not every day, like you used to, but the words are back and they are eager to get out, leave their mark as your work. You stand up to your management (with Minghao’s support) and take control of your own writing schedule. The pressure from before leaves. Writing becomes special more than ever, returns as the one thing you never get truly tired of.

Minghao asks about the job, your summer. You tell him it was easy and peaceful, and that you’re thankful for the time. You mention the other lookouts. You mention Soonyoung. Only in passing, though. 

(Minghao definitely suspects something, but even if he asked, you wouldn’t tell him much.)

Sometimes you allow yourself to think of him - when you got back, you looked for a Soonyoung in the multiple dance studios in the city, but since you didn’t have a last name or any proper title, nothing came up. After that, you gave up, but he still shows up in your thoughts from time to time, bright blonde hair (the roots growing in) and glowing smile. It’s cold out, now, so you hope he isn’t getting sick and that he’s staying warm.

You’re reminded of just how cold it is when you have to brace the outside world to get your mail. There’s not even any wind, just an undeniable cold, and it makes your nose burn and eyes water as you walk the short trek to your mailbox. You find your slot and push your key in, unlocking it and gathering your mail. Most of it is junk, but you could have sworn something you ordered was supposed to come today -

“Excuse me?”

You turn your head to the voice and find a man walking towards you, his head turned down towards a small piece of paper. His voice sounds familiar, but you figure it must just be a neighbor you haven’t spoken to in a while. You turn your body to him, waiting for him to look up from the note so you can place a name on him. “Do you know where I can find an author…”

He looks up.

It’s Soonyoung.

He looks a little different - his hair is shorter, dyed black instead of the platinum you remember from last July. But it’s definitely him. The longer you stare at each other the wider his smile gets, and you stand, speechless. He’s looking at you like you’re the only thing in the world. Your heart starts to race, warms you up beneath your jacket.

“Found you,” Soonyoung grins. You can’t take your eyes off of him.

“Yeah,” you breathe. “You did.”

[girlgrouptrash101]

Cooking with Loona

Request: "i know requests are closed and i’m reallyyy sorryyyy 🥺 i’ve been going through a lot and i just didn’t have time and didn’t feel right enough to ask this: maybe cooking with loona??"

A/N: to the anonnie that requested this, i hope you're feeling better and ily ❤️❤️

(had to put a keep reading tab cuz the post was too damn long f)

- C

Heejin:

we’ve all seen the cement brownie she tried to give to chuu on her birthday vlive..... yeah....

she always skips like half the steps when she’s following recipes and then gets confused when her food doesn’t turn out the same like,, Heejins sweetie pleASE-

lowkey can’t cook but she thinks she can because you hype her up too much

like she will serve you a dish that will somehow be both burnt and cold at the same time and you still tell her she did amazing because it makes her so happy and that’s all that matters

your guys’ favourite thing to make together is probably cupcakes or cakes

because you get to bake them and Heejin gets to decorate them, and they always end up looking and tasting immaculate

everything in your guys’ relationship works better when you’re together, you two simply complete each other :’)

Hyunjin:

not only does she make the most kickass bread but girlie really is a chef of all cuisines too

you still don’t know how or where she even learned to cook so well but you aren’t complaining at all

whatever you feel like eating, Hyunjin knows how to cook it to absolute perfection and she always offers to teach you how to make your favourite dishes

you two also have matching yellow cat aprons uwu

the kind of girl to either kick you out of her kitchen for distracting her while she’s making a meal or else back hug you and help you stir a bowl with her hand over yours all romantically

it literally just depends what mood she’s in at that very moment

highkey loves loves loves cooking for you and surprising you with dinner after a long day, because her favourite thing to do is put a smile on your face :D

Haseul:

starts off really strong and sticks to the recipe... but then her mind wanders and she's like,,, well,,, what if i add this????

and you're like haseul,,,, please don't put chilli peppers in Kim lips birthday cake, i promise she can do without them,,,,,

she finds cooking in the dorms a bit stressful, doing her best to feed the hungry members after a long day of practice

so cooking with you tends to be a much more therapeutic experience, just you two, a bit of music and some tasty treats

but she of course brings back plenty of wonderful bakes for her members to enjoy too, they're literally her babies she is can't just let them STARVE 😔🙄😢

lowkey pretends she's having trouble stirring so you'll reach from the back and help her with the spoon all romantically

miss haseul you are not slick we SEE YOU

Yeojin:

yes she did in fact bejewel her cookery book

"yeojin... I can't even read the recipes, there's too much glitter!!"

"Well Y/N, sometimes, sacrifices have to be made in the name of beauty."

said sacrifices are usually cupcakes and cakes that don't rise, burnt food or just complete mush that doesn't even look like food

however, when yeojin is fully dedicated she can pack a mean lunch, sometimes she makes them for you when you're going off to school/work, and she always makes sure presentation is A+

prefers to just go out to cafes/restaurants on dates rather than cook

but that doesn't mean there haven't been times where you and her have been in the kitchen at 2am, trying to make a gigantic cake for you and all her members to share 😌

Vivi:

has the most peaceful, lofi cooking playlist ever

you two work in harmony, always helping one another but never tripping over the other in the kitchen

it's so harmonious it's like.... y'all were meant to be or sumn idk 😳😳😳

however if u try to eat any batter she will smack ur hand and be like no ⛔ that is for LATER hfhdhd

her hair always gets tied up in the cutest little bun when she's baking, and that along with her fairy apron makes her look like an actual princess

she also LOVES cooking/teaching you how to make her favourite foods from Hong Kong that she'd always make with her mom

those meals always help her when she's homesick, and with you by her side make her feel like she's not alone 🥺

Kim Lip:

CEO of pretending she has everything under control when in reality she has absolutely no idea what’s going on

“Uhhh Jungeun, is something burning?” “NOPE NOPE IDK WHAT YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT HA HA HA........”

wants to put your apron on you every time but she’s always way too shy to ask so she just resorts to back-hugging you until you get the hint and let her tie a cute little bow behind your back with the apron string hehe

makes pretty decent food when she’s not flailing around and panicking over a single grain of rice that escaped from the pot or something

however she refuses to admit when she messes up in the kitchen

like she could burn something to a crisp or use completely the wrong ingredients but she’d still eat every bite just to prove she’s the best cook in the house

if your food sucks she will tell you to your face, followed by a kiss so you forget about the fact she just roasted your cooking skills lol

Jinsoul:

Jinsoul gives off Hawaiian shirt drunk uncle at the family barbecue vibes who won't let anyone near the steaks

and you're like,, Jinsoul do you even know what you're doing????????? to which she responds - "food, heat, it's cooking. isn't that all i need to know?"

chaotic but refuses to acknowledge the chaos she causes in the kitchen

so when you have baking dates u have to keep such a close eye on her to make sure she isn't going to poison anyone with her creations

once she gets into it tho, she's grooving around the kitchen in her little robot apron, dancing to Christmas songs when it's not even Christmas and just 10/10 having a blast

not really the biggest fan of cooking but she knows you are, and since you help her build her gundams she does like to try and help our properly in the kitchen when she can

perhaps Jinsoul best girl???? perhaps??????

Choerry:

hello this sunshine absolutely LOVES baking, especially for others because putting a smile on someone's face is her main goal in life

she loves decorating with icing too, her go to patterns are smiley faces, flowers and the sun!

her playlists are always so upbeat, the two of you end up bouncing around the kitchen singing at the top of your lungs as you work

LOVES LOVES LOOOOOVES backhugs, especially recieving them,,, it makes her feel all worm and mushy inside hehe

also likes to kiss face icing off of your face, just to have an excuse to give you as many little pecks as she so desires

choerry always makes you a birthday cake every year, and she puts so much work into it, it absolutely melts your heart

plus it makes her happy to see you eating well and having a good time, she truly just is the biggest sweetheart :']

Yves:

she always says yes whenever you ask her to cook with you, but only because she just wants to flirt with you for an hour

"why do we need to make all this food, when the real snack is right in front of me? 😏"

cooking with you actually really does make her happy though, she loves that she can be so domestic with you, it's such an amazing break from her hectic life

also lowkey makes her feel like you're a married couple... and you best believe Yves can't wait to wife you up

she doesn't suck at cooking, but has often times gotten,,, ahem,,,, somewhat distracted and has prioritized making out with you against the kitchen counter rather than how long the food has been cooking, which ends up in a lot of burnt meals

baking with her is really a time, and has more than once ended in a very messy food fight because Yves wouldn't stop smearing icing all over your face 💔

her specialty is dialing the local takeaway and ordering food instead ✨ okay Yves Ramsey go off ✨

Chuu:

this baby girl is just torn between actually wanting to cook or just asking you to cook with her so she can get affection from you (as if she doesn't get that anyway smh)

backhugs except she won't let go

whenever she's making something she calls you over and she's like "Y/N is this okay?" and always asks for kisses as a reward for doing good

will feed you every single ingredient no questions asked

she loves surprising you with meals on very random occasions though, for example that one time she cooked your favourite food because it was the anniversary of the first time she got sick while dating you

she's actually a pretty good cook when she puts her mind to it though, she loves making good food that'll cheer people up when they really need it

btw you will be forced to wear matching aprons and they will be the pinkest, loudest and sparkliest ones that she can get her hands on ✨

Go Won:

have the fire service on speed dial before you even think about cooking with gowon omg

you literally also need to have indestructible tastebuds because she WILL destroy them

her speciality is starting fires and combining foods that were NEVER. EVER. E V E R. meant to be combined 😭😭

"babe come try this dish!! it's ramen mixed with coca cola, jelly and vegetable soup!!! it tastes GREAT trust me"

at the end of the day you just leave her be in the kitchen because at least she's having fun LMAO

(just always have a fire hydrant by your side okay??? she set the loona dorm on fire making chicken nuggets once...)

despite all her chaos, she somehow always produces something edible at the end and.... sometimes it actually tastes good too???

Olivia Hye:

lets you do all the work cuz she's worried she "might mess it up" when in reality she just wants to order takeout and cuddle instead smhhh

will probably follow you around the kitchen or rest her head on your shoulder while you do all the cooking, because this tsundere is secretly the biggest softie for you

she's actually a decent chef when she's motivated to help though

like she even put together a cooking playlist for you guys - which she very shyly revealed to you one time, a slight blush on her cheeks as she played the songs for you

cuz miss olhye is very much a romantic, she just doesn't have the confidence to show you all that yet hehe

her favourite is making desserts because well,,,, she gets to eat the batter and also gets tasty treats at the end

10/10 cooking backhugs also 🖐️😌

[halpertstuna]

Could you do 8 and 10 on the prompt list with JJ?

A/N: i’m so sorry it took me so long to answer, i’ve been pretty occupied lately and so i didn’t really have time to write and when i did it was for ‘someone to stay’, anyway, here it is i hope you’ll like it🥺

and PLEASE don’t hesitate to send me requests, questions, messages whatever you want. i would love to make friends and mutuals on this platform plus i love feedback and would really like to hear your opinions(:

also, this turned out way longer than i intended it to be, it was supposed to be a blurb but i guess i’m just gonna turn it into a whole ass imagine cause why not

-> prompt list <-

word count: 1,899 (oops... guess i got a bit carried away)

prompts: “i’m not jealous!”, “you’re hot when you’re mad”

pairing: jj x kook!reader

warnings: a pretty heated make out sesh, jealousy?, platonic Kie, Pope and John B. oh and typos probably.

btw, i was kinda in a rush to post this so please forgive me if it’s not that good, i’m too lazy to edit this again (and this is the first time i wrote something that’s kinda smutty? i mean this isn’t really smut but you get my point. don’t know how i feel about it), anyways, if you’ve made it this far in my insanely long intro congrats! enjoy <3

-> masterlist <-

(gif credit: @anakin-skywalker )

—

It’s been almost two years since you started attending the kook academy, almost two years since you became one of the pogues.

On your first day there you met a brown haired hippie chick named Kiara. The two of you had chemistry together and were paired by your teacher to be lab partners.

On your first encounter you didn’t really talk, and on the following couple of lessons it developed to only small talk and warm smiles if you saw each other in the hallway.

Kiara didn’t like kooks, even though technically she kind of was one.

Judging by the way you dressed and the people you surrounded yourself, she didn’t think you were really the type of person she’d get along with.

But when the two of you got assigned to do a project together, you instantly proved her wrong.

You met up with her at the wreck, the two of you talked about the project then yourselves and bonded almost immediately.

You revealed that you actually hated the people you usually associated with, thinking they were all fake, stuck up snobs with their heads way too far up their asses, and the only reason you hung out with them was your parents.

You turned out to be really reckless and funny which she wasn’t expecting at all, but she liked, it kind of reminded her of someone, her best friend, JJ.

She was quick to introduce you to the rest of the pogues and they welcomed you with open arms into their group. You instantly befriended them and vice versa.

Just as Kie suspected, you got along extra well with one particular blond.

The two of you had a lot in common; you were both hot headed and impulsive which often got you into trouble. You two were pretty competitive, always challenging one another.

You being so similar was the reason you got along so well, but it was also the reason you fought a lot, neither of you ever willing to admit you’re wrong or be the first one to apologize, but you couldn’t stay away from each other for too long. The sexual tension between you two could be cut with a knife.

Hungry glances, longing touches, needy desires that were transparent on both your faces.

Everyone on the island could see it but you. You were both so terribly oblivious.

You tried treating him like the rest of the pogues, you pushed your feelings for him to the back of your mind, thinking he was just being friendly, knowing he was a flirt, and for almost two years, it worked.

But seeing him flirt with Harleen tonight was literal torture.

Harleen was your neighbour and former best friend. A tall, tan brunette you hated with all of your heart.

The two of you have known each other since birth, you were practically inseparable, but as you grew up you noticed she always wanted what was yours, and she always did whatever it took in order to gain it. Whether it was the new shoes you got for your birthday which she bought herself the following day, or the guy you told her you liked in middle school the week prior to her dating him.

With time your friendship grew toxic and you felt like she was bad for you, constantly bringing you down and never caring.

So you decided to defriend her and ever since that moment you despised each other.

You were sat on a log beside Kie at a kegger, Pope next to her as they argued about god knows what. You tuned them out, far too focused on each and every one of JJ’s actions, watching as he whispered in her ear.

He probably said something funny since she started laughing, leaning forward and grasping his bicep for balance, which made your blood boil, you felt like history was repeating itself.

The grip on your red solo cup tightened, you stared and it seemed as if lasers were about to shoot out of your eyes and burn her pretty face off, but you diverted your gaze down to your hand, jumping up slightly when you felt a cool sticky liquid on your fingers, noticing you accidentally created a hole in your cup of beer with your milky white painted nails.

“Wow, what did the poor cup ever do to you?” Pope joked, his and Kie’s attention averted to you the second they heard a pop coming from your direction.

“Huh? Oh, well it didn’t tell me how pretty I look tonight, take that as warning sign” you trailed, trying not to look suspicious, “are you sure it isn’t because JJ told that to the girl beside him instead of you” she implied winking, causing Pope to cackle with laughter.

“What was that?” You asked rhetorically trying to act intimidating, “oh nothing” she gave you an innocent look.

“Anyways... i’m gonna go get a new drink” you swiftly stood up and started walking until you made out John B. from afar who was stood by the keg.

“Refill?” He questions once he spotted you making your way towards him.

You nodded “I accidentally poked mine” you admitted lifting the ripped cup in your hand and pursing your lips as you came to a stop beside him.

As he poured you a new cup of beer with the tap head connected to the keg by a tube, you searched the crowd with your eyes and focused your attention on JJ again.

You’ve seen him flirt with a countless amount of chicks before - kooks and torouns mainly, but none of those times pissed you off os much as seeing him flirt with Harleen did.

I mean he probably didn’t even like you back, so why where you so pissed? It wasn’t different from any other time, except that this was Harleen. She was a bitch. But he’d probably catch on quickly, right?

He placed his hands on her waist and you clenched your jaw at the sight grinding your teeth, you were irritated by the whole situation.

John B. noticed, a sly smile spreading slowly across his face.

“Hey, want some peanut butter with that jelly?” You turned to face him, a dumbfounded look on your face, “what are you talking about?” You raised an eyebrow at him.

“You’re obviously jealous”, he chuckled at the bewildered look on your face and you felt your cheeks heat up. “am not!” You denied huffing.

“Tell that to the vein popping out of your forehead” he teased.

You gasped and jabbed his chest playfully with your elbow, you mumbled a “shut up” then channeled your attention back to the two.

Her hands were rested on his chest, like that wasn’t enough already to send you off the edge. But when he pecked her cheek you lost it.

Abruptly you stormed off from where you were stood, John B. shouted from behind you “where are you going?“ but you ignored him.

When you approached JJ and Harleen you clutched onto his wrist dragging him away from her towards the chateau, ignoring both her and his protests. You led him inside then turned around to face him.

“Hey! What did you do that for? It was going really good for me! This better be an emergency” he sneered.

“Are you fucking serious? Out of all the people in the party you chose to hit on Harleen?” You scoffed.

“What’s the problem with that?” JJ was clueless, he knew nothing about your and Harleen’s rivalry. You never told any of the pogues, well except for Kie but she didn’t recognise her as the one flirting with JJ.

“The problem is Harleen hates my guts and the other way around. We used to be best friends but she became toxic, trying to take everything that I had and I’m not going down that road again JJ”

Your words confounded JJ, what did you care if she flirted with him? It wasn’t like he was yours, although he really wanted to be.

Does you caring about whether they end up together or not mean you wanted to be his too?

Then he noticed what emotion your eyes held, he’d never seen it before on your face, but he immediately recognised it.

“Wait.. are you jealous?” He questioned, the corners of his lips perking up into a smirk when he noticed the furious look on your face from his revolution.

“I’m not jealous! Would everyone please stop saying that?! I’m mad ok?!” You defend.

“Ok! Ok!” He surrendered lifting his hands up in the air “but just know, you’re hot when your mad”. Your mouth slightly agape as you weren’t able to form words to deny, far too transfixed under the fact he directly called you hot.

He started walking towards you slowly, you didn’t want to cave, to admit you have fallen for his charms, so you backed up until you felt your back gently hit the wall. Chest rising and falling quicker as your breathing started getting heavier and your heart beat faster.

The second his hand landed on your waist you felt a million butterflies erupt in your stomach, he tenderly stroked the exposed skin of your v line between your low cut shorts and crop top. You felt as if the skin under his finger was being set on fire.

He brought his other hand to rest beside your head on the wall, he leaned in, inches away from your face. His breath mingled with yours, fanning your lips, it smelled of cheap beer and weed.

He slowly moved to your ear and extolled in a low voice “I mean, really hot”, his warm breath sent shivers down your spine.

He left a sloppy, open mouthed kiss on the skin under your earlobe and you could’ve sworn you were seeing stars.

When he detached his lips you bit down on yours holding in a whimper at the loss of contact as he brought his face back to yours.

His blue orbs gazed into yours, they seemed darker than usual, lustful.

He waisted no more time and captured your lips with his. You didn’t hesitate to kiss him back.

You wrapped your hands around his neck and pulled on the edges of his hair deepening the kiss. As your tongues fought for dominance, he brought his other hand to your ass and squeezed it causing you to moan, he took the chance and slipped his tongue in.

you tugged on the hem of his shirt and he got the message. He separated his lips from yours and within less then a second, practically tore it of his body and discarded it on the floor. The two of you were panting at this point, completely out of air but you didn’t care. Breathless, you reattached your lips to his, desperate to taste him again.

You caressed his much bigger length with your petite hand, signalling you wanted more and he groaned into the kiss.

“Up” he demanded mumbling agains your lips. You jumped up and wrapped your legs around his waist, he grabbed your thighs and without breaking the kiss led you into the spare room.

Almost two years of yearning and craving dissolved in that night at the chateau, and to think it happened because of Harleen.

As much of a bitch as she was, you did owe her that.

[starlightsearches]

Hux/reader ‘I’ve always loved you all of my life” friends to lovers? No rush btw! Take your time!

Of course, friend! Thanks for this request 🥰

Armitage Hux x GN Reader

Warnings: Angst with a happy ending, mentions of death

Your fingers dig bruises into your skin where they press against your cheeks, but you ignore the pain, determined to stifle any stray noises. Hot tears pour from your eyes over your hand, stinging your skin every time you blink, but you can’t stop, regardless. It’s important to keep your vision clear. It’s important to listen for any sign of the intruders, who will certainly make there way to you at any moment.

There’s no time to mourn your friends now.

The blaster fire stopped a long time ago, but echoes of it still ring your ears so loudly you’re not sure if the footsteps you hear are a hallucination or not—until the door slides open, and you’re no longer alone.

Dead bodies move more than you do in this moment, muscles cramped and aching as you crouch behind the console, waiting for them to leave, waiting for a chance to run. The modulated voices grow louder—practically on top of you now; your lungs scream for one more breath, and you can’t fight the pain anymore.

You choke down a lungful of air between your fingers, and it comes back out as a sob. You know without looking that they’ve found you, and the fierce grip on your arm pulling from the confines of your hiding place confirms it.

It’s been years since you last saw a storm trooper this close, and it’s still not long enough. Like monsters from your nightmares, some of your earliest memories involve the troopers monitoring the halls of your father’s ship, just one sight of their inhuman masks quickens the pace of your heart.

“Don’t shoot,” you raise your arms, shielding your eyes from the blinding light and the stark white of their helmets, “I’m unarmed.”

The troopers—two of them—shift uneasily. Unfortunately, you’re telling the truth. If you had a weapon, they would be dead.

They’re not particularly gentle as they search and cuff you; you don’t expect them to be. Any kindness on there part now would only stoke the emptiness growing inside of you, and you couldn’t let that happen. You didn’t need kindness, you needed hope. And if you couldn’t have that, you’d get by just as well on fury.

You sit with your simmering anger, hardly listening as the troopers speak to each other in low whispers. You catch the most important parts: someone is coming, they’re looking for information, you’ll be the one to give it to them.

Not likely.

They’ve got you in their grasps, one at each elbow, but you ignore the feeling, planting your feet more firmly. Your breathing is hard and fast, lungs heaving in preparation. You’d do whatever it takes—fight, kick, scream, spit. You’d make them regret everything the moment they set eyes on you.

The door opens; you take one last chance to steel yourself. The troopers both salute their commander with their free hands.

When you look up from the ground, your heart stops, the fight gone from your body.

It’s him. The one person you couldn’t save.

Your stomach rolls, legs shaking—you feel like you might be sick. Time had been kind, blurring the startling detail of his features to a dull ache, but it’s all back now, twice as painful than it was before. That final goodbye plays through your mind, his features pained, the way his voice cracked as he begged you not to leave him. It was the first and only time you had seen him cry.

“Armitage,” his name falls from your lips in a pain-laden whisper, just as it did when you told him goodbye. His eyes flash with the same hurt—a fresh wound on an old scar.

Whatever passes between you stays there; the troopers stand at attention, waiting for their orders, and neither seem to notice that the world has been thrown out of orbit.

“We’ve apprehended this prisoner, sir. Should we stay for the interrogation?”

“Leave us,” his voice is strained, but the troopers do as he says. You’re alone with him for the first time since the last time.

He pauses, letting the silence linger. You keep your mouth shut.

“Did they hurt you?” His tone catches you off guard—certainly not warm, but softer than you had expected. It’s at odds with everything else about him, and everything that you had come to expect.

“No.”They had, of course. Your arms are still aching, probably bruised. And then there’s your friends to consider; probably bleeding out in the hallway.

But you don’t want to think about that.

“I-”

“I’m not telling you anything, so don’t bother asking. I’ll die first.” You sound braver than you feel, even with the way your legs shake. Was he willing to hurt you to get what he wanted?

“I’m not going to kill you,” he’s offended that you would even suggest it, features twisted in disgust before he smooths them over, and then there’s a pregnant pause, “it’s been a long time since we last spoke.”

“No shit. Forgive me if I don’t have much interest in playing catch up.” Your nerves are at a fever pitch, waiting for something to happen, but there’s nothing in the silence.

You had thought about seeing him again, before. Waited for the day he would find you, bruised and beaten but alive, and he’d try to apologize but you wouldn’t let him say anything. You’d pull him into your arms and he’d feel more like home to you than any base or star destroyer ever had. 

It’s been a long time since you thought that way. You never meant to give up on him, but given the way things turned out, maybe you already had. Maybe you gave up on him the moment you decided to leave.

“Your father died, a few months after you left,” he paces, orbiting around you, with a fabricated indifference, but you feel the weight of his gaze, measuring the tension in your shoulders, the surprise that registers when you hear the news. He comes around back to the front, closer than before, close enough that you can see the secrets in his eyes.

“Good, and yours?” Your thoughts are a mess—flashes of memories punctuated by blind rage. Bruises staining his skin like paint, his blood smeared on your fingers while you stilled the tremors in his shoulders with your own shaking hands. After all those years, thinking about Brendol still makes you want to scream.

“He died as well, not long after.” You hope it was painful, that he suffered.

“It wouldn’t have brought me back, even if I had known,” it feels like a cruel truth, and you see the way it stings him, but it has to be said. You had never regretted leaving the First Order. You only regretted leaving him.

He nods, eyes flashing away from you, glassy tears catching the light before he blinks them away. 

“So what happens now?”

He pulls the hem of his greatcoat back, reaching for the blaster on his hip, and you flinch before you can stop yourself. He keeps his eyes on you as he rotates it in his palm, extending it towards you, waiting for you to take it.

“You’ll need to hit me, hard enough to bruise. There are fewer guards on the eastern exit, if you make your way into the forest they won’t—”

“I’m not just going to run away.” Not without you. Not again. You push the blaster away, with both hands, and he flinches away from your touch, brows furrowed and eyes pained.

“Please,” he says pushing the weapon towards you again, ignoring your refusal, “I need to know that you’re safe, and that means you have to leave. I can’t guarantee your safety if you’re taken captive—”

“Then come with me.” You know by the way that he freezes that the suggestion floors him, but you refuse to budge, holding his wrist, keeping him close to you even though you feel him pulling away.

“You don’t— you can’t mean that,” years of pain line his face—hurt, rejection, the grief that comes with consistently being measured and never being enough.

“I do. Leaving without you was . . . I can’t do it again, come with me, or take me with you,” you plant your feet, determined. “I’m not going to lose you again.”

You tug at his wrist, turning to go, but he plants his feet, turning you back to face him, closer than before. His fingers trace over your cheek, the leather of his gloves cool against your skin. It’s been too long since he’s touched you like this. You’re surprised it’s just as you remember.

“I have always loved you, all of my life,” his gaze traces your features, years of lost love captured in the fractured green of his eyes. You’d stay like this if you could, caught up in the truth of him. No more mourning, no more lost love.

You’d spent too many years waiting for a chance to save him. You never expected that he’d be the one to save you.

[fruitcored]

hi king.. dreamyjaylen 12 perhabs

12- things you said when you thought I was asleep

hi thank you for suggesting this and also thanks for being patient while i procrastinated on this for almost a week <33 this is set in early season seven btw. also posted to ao3 here!

Sleeping through the night is out of the question entirely at this point, but this is the worst time to wake up. It’s not light out yet, won’t be for hours, but the city isn’t silent enough for Jaylen to fall asleep again. Judging by the ambient noise seeping in through the window behind the kitchen table, fans are already swarming in for an early Garages-Tigers game. 

Sometimes there’s the light patter of rain to drown it all out, especially this time of year, but tonight there’s nothing to keep her and her thoughts company. Nothing to pay attention to.

Jaylen used to think she was a shitty sleeper, even before everything. Now she could kick herself for whining over five hours of rest. It’s not about the exhaustion anymore– it’s about the loneliness. The physicality of the thing that never quite feels so bad when she’s got someone else to focus on. She can never get her mind to rest when she’s alone, and with Dreamy sound asleep in the other room, Jaylen feels more isolated than ever. Alone comes so easily these days, but the noise never leaves. There is no peace.

Even returned from the dead, there is no respite. Fucking figures.

Without even really thinking about it, Jaylen’s picking up her phone and scrolling to her contact list. It’s only once she finds her thumb hovering over Mike’s contact page that she realizes what she’s doing– more out of instinct than out of will at this point. But even if he could hear Jaylen now, he’s got no way of responding. 

Jaylen just wants to talk to a familiar face, no strings attached, and there’s not much of that going around these days.

All her teammates avoid her nowadays. Jaylen’s not naive; she sees them eyeing her like she’s some sort of caged animal, and nobody wants to be the one to toss her a slab of meat. They’re all scared they’ll be next. Which is fucking stupid– they all know full well she’s only hit players on opposing teams.

Anyways, she doesn’t think any of them would take too kindly to a late-night cold call. Duende offered Jaylen his number when she returned from the shadows, along with a hell of a lot of leeway when it came to missed practices. He told Jaylen she was welcome to call him if she needed anything at all. Still, he’s no Mike. 

No– that’s not fair to Teddy. Nobody could be. Regardless, calling him wouldn’t do Jaylen any good. She wants someone who’ll talk to her like a person, not like a captain. 

“Fuck it,” Jaylen grumbles to herself before pressing the dial button next to Mike’s name. She sits and traces the grooves of the wooden kitchen table while she waits. After five full rings of the dial tone, the line goes silent for a moment too long, and then it’s the same shitty little voicemail message in his shitty little Bellevue accent that Jaylen always teased him for.

“Hey! It’s Mike. Um, I guess I’m not here to pick up your call right now, which means I’m probably playing ball. I’ll call you back when I’m done, but in the meantime leave me a message. If it’s urgent, code word is knuckleball. Peace!”

Then she’s left to the silence of the message recording, and blood pounds in her ears against empty static. She’s only just gotten used to that feeling.

“Hey. It’s me.” Jaylen pauses for a moment like Mike could somehow respond, then berates herself for even considering the notion. “I… I don’t know. I just wanted to talk. To somebody.” Voice low, she curls into herself, suddenly self-aware.

She lets out a ragged exhale, just to get something out into the stale air. Just to fill the silence. “I didn’t know who else to call. I think most of me is still in there with you.” Begrudgingly, Jaylen lets herself imagine Mike listening wordlessly at the other end of the line. Like he’d shut up to save his own life.

“Nobody knows what to do with me anymore. You’d get that, I think. Everyone either loved or hated you. But with me… I don’t know.” Jaylen worries absently at a cuticle, and it doesn’t even bleed for a change. It’s long since stopped hurting when she does that. “It’s almost better when people hate me, or fear me– because at least they know what they’re getting into. There’s no sugarcoating it. They should be cautious, sure, but for themselves. Not for me.”

Jaylen imagines being around her is like standing too close to a fire. All of her feels crooked and rough and wolfish in a way that she’s never known before. She’s always looking to break something.

“I like it better when people are straightforward, when they can talk to me without acting like I might, like, combust out of nowhere. Even Dreamy looks at me like I’m delicate. I just want someone to treat me like a person, and she of all people should get that.” 

Jaylen doesn’t know when she got louder, but suddenly she’s hyper-aware of the dissonance between her voice and the hollow air on the other end of the line. She chokes out another shuddering breath, and the next inhale tastes hot and cloyingly metallic. 

The realization that she’s talking to an empty room does nothing for Jaylen’s confidence, but she presses on, softening her tone.

“I just… I love her so goddamn much. But I’m always afraid I’m hurting her, and she’s afraid to tell me. She doesn’t need to… to try and save me, or anything. Nobody needs to. The fans brought me back fucked up, and now they can deal with the consequences just like I am. I didn’t choose to come back this way, but I chose to hit all those players. Every single time.”

It’s true. And the worst fucking thing is that some hungry part of her needs that choice, relishes in it. If Jaylen could go back and live a normal life, she would in an instant, but here at least she means something. At least she’s useful. Whatever this game has put her through, it’s made her more real than she was before.

As for more alive. Well. 

“I mean, I deserve to be held accountable like–” Jaylen stops short at the figure in the shadows of the bedroom doorway.

Her hands shake as she sets her phone facedown on the kitchen table, and she tries not to sound too guilty. “Dream.”

Dreamy blinks, still bleary-eyed, and Jaylen curses herself for not thinking to put on a cup of coffee in advance. “Babe. You don’t need to, like, hang up. I don’t wanna interrupt.” 

“No, it’s fine.” Jaylen looks down at her hands. “I was... talking to Mike. Or his voicemail, I guess. I didn’t know who else to call.” When she glances back up at Dreamy, Jaylen doesn’t think she’s imagining the pity in her eyes.

Dreamy gives a quiet hum of understanding, already drifting over to stand behind Jaylen at the table. “Bad night for sleeping?”

Jaylen shrugs. “As per usual. Figure there’s no point in trying anymore.” She shifts to glance up at Dreamy. “How much did you hear?”

The ensuing beat of hesitation is just enough for Jaylen to feel appropriately self-conscious. Their shitty old radiator shudders to a start behind them. “A bit,” Dreamy admits. “I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but. Thin walls. I couldn’t sleep either.” 

She sets a comforting hand on Jaylen’s shoulder, tracing a sleep-warm thumb over the back of her neck. Every touch burns a little bit, since Jaylen’s come back, and she shoves down that initial instinct to flinch away. Instead, she leans into the warmth. Dreamy takes a breath. “I’d always be honest if you were hurting me, you know.” 

Maybe a little too much doubt seeps through in Jaylen’s short sigh, because Dreamy repeats, “I would, Jay.”

“I know you would,” Jaylen replies, carefully measured. “I’m just afraid that I’m doing it without even knowing. I want to know how I make you feel.”

Dreamy nods in the corner of Jaylen’s eye, and Jaylen tries to focus on the soft pressure of Dreamy’s thumb skimming over her skin. “Do I suffocate you?” Dreamy asks, more vulnerable than she was a moment earlier.

“No,” Jaylen replies immediately. “You’re the only thing that grounds me, most of the time.” It’s the only thing she knows for certain. 

It takes Dreamy a moment to respond.

“I thought you were gone again when I woke up,” she says, tone unreadable. The city buzzes on in the silence between them, already rousing itself slowly. “I thought maybe you’d been incinerated again somehow, until I heard your voice out here.”

Jaylen swallows numbly, and it tastes like smoke. “Sorry.” She wishes she could say more.

“Don’t be,” Dreamy murmurs. “Point is, I want you here. I don’t think we have a choice at this point, but you aren’t making me stay. I could leave if I wanted to.”

“Nothing is a choice these days,” Jaylen says. No matter how different life has become since she’s returned, things started changing far before that. Whatever life was before blaseball, there’s no turning back. None of it matters anymore.

It’s like she’s rotting away from the inside out these days, like she’s making up for lost time. It’s impossible to deny the blood pull at the heart of her, raw against the transience of her will. With every game, every wrong pitch, she becomes more myth than human. It’s all a balancing act, and Jaylen is losing.

“Right. So I just don’t want things to feel any more... wrong than they have to be.”

Jaylen laughs, hollow. “Too late.”

“Maybe so. But we’ll figure things out.” This time when she glances back at Dreamy, there’s none of that cautious reverence in her eyes. It’s softer, more familiar. It feels like a promise.

Sometimes Jaylen forgets she’s alive, like her body still doesn’t quite know how to operate. Every burning touch is a reminder of the way she’s spent the last five years. But when she looks up at Dreamy, Jaylen already feels more real. Dreamy is here, and Jaylen is too, and the tangibility of that makes it feel like it matters more.

[mysticalrunawayprincess]

Everything He Ever Wanted

Hi Guys! This is a new Jay Park fanfic I’m working on (because we are in a serious shortage and us girls need our fantasy fix!) Its about Jay falling in love and wanting to settle down, and all the headache and heartache that ensues (cue lots of angst, sexy times and love :P). I post the stories on Wattpad as I’m not sure if I’d be able to post the full story on here (Tumblr guidelines and stuff) but I am going to be posting the first chapter here and then every time I publish a new chapter I’ll post the links for you to read. The story is for 18ANDOVER! If you are not 18 this story isn’t for you (sorry). And Jay if you are reading this: its pure fantastical fiction! I don’t mean to embarrass or cast aspersions on you in any kind of way. If you are reading this (PLEASE dont lol), I hope I did your fantasy character justice :P. For the rest of you, happy reading!

Oh BTW: New Chapters every Friday, but you get this one a day early just because I love y’all!!! xxxxxxxxxx

1. Home Is Where The Heart was

An exhausted sigh left Jay's lips in a rush, as he entered through the  open door and dropped his bags on the heated marble flooring.

Having been away on tour for 6 weeks Jay had a lot of bags to carry; all heavy, all full of laundry.

He paused and took a breath in, savouring the smell of home, the smell of Her.

She  hadn't been home in a long time. This was no longer to be Her home;  hell it hadn't even been Her "home" for longer than a few weeks, most of  which she had spent elsewhere (or rather somewhere else). But since She  had been the last person in the house before Jay had left for the tour,  Her scent still lingered. And it was this scent that invaded Jay's  senses, coiling around his synapses and holding them at ransom as his  mind cast back to the last moment he saw Her.

Jay stood watching   Her leave through the polished glass doors of his office building, Her   words still ringing in his ears like a death knell, "We can't do this   any more Jay, I have to go back and live my life..." She took a pause   here, her perfectly soft and plump lips quivering momentarily, almost as  if to hold Her back from completing the sentence,"... and you have to live yours."

Now the thing is, when Jay first saw Her walk  through the doors; Her soft hair in which he loved to bury his face now  framing Her face in a twist-out that beautifully rippled in the light  breeze of the evening night air as She stepped through the glass door,  his heart had soared and swooped the same way it did every day since the  very first day he had seen Her.

His face broke into an  unstoppable smile as he outstretched his arms to embrace Her,   automatically breathing in Her scent as She stepped into his embrace,   clinging to him as though She would be otherwise flung into the furthest  reaches of space.

Jay hadn't noticed the shine of unshed tears  demanding to be released. He hadn't noticed the taxi outside, and he  certainly didn't know that it was taking Her to the airport.

He was oh-so blissfully unaware of  all of these little details.

She had been going back and forth with this for weeks, months even, ever  since  their relationship had first begun showing signs of becoming  more serious (unbeknownst to Jay). And try as She might, She knew this  couldn't work; there were too many moving parts, too many things to  consider and too many sacrifices to be made. She thought it best that  She end this now before it got too serious and whilst they were still  able to at least salvage some sort of friendship from the wreckage.

Noticing She was lost in thought, Jay nudged Her, asking if She were OK.

Now  on the way over here, She had already told herself  that She wasn't  going to cry and do the whole melodramatic stuff; that She was going to  keep it light and factual and hoped he would understand.

And so  when She quickly lifted Her head to meet his eye, Her face had already  settled into a bright and easy smile, belying the ton of bricks that She  was about to drop onto the smitten and unsuspecting Jay Park.

Now,  as he watched Her leave after begging Her to reconsider ("... you don't  have to do this..."). His heart beat harder with every step She took   to the waiting cab outside. He was frozen helpless, unable to stop this  series of Very Unfortunate and Fucked Up Events.

He watched the taxi drive away, taking with it the only piece of true happiness that he had ever felt in a long, long time.

And he had let it happen.

BZZZZZZZBZZZZZZZZBZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

The  vibration of Jay's phone broke him out of his reverie with a snap. He  thrust his hand into his pocket and pulled it out, glancing at the  screen as he made his way to the kitchen.

BZZZZZZZBZZZZZZZZBZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

He paused with his hand on the handle of the refrigerator, his thumb hovering indecisively over the phone screen.

BZZZZZZZBZZZZZZZZBZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

He  rolled his eyes and pressed the green button, putting the phone to his  ear at the same time as he pulled open the refrigerator door.

"Heeeeeyyyyyy  bro, whatcha doin'?" the gravelly voice of Jay's business partner Mike  came through the phone as vivid as if he were standing in the room,  rather than 5,000 miles away.

"Hey, Mike" Jay chuckled. "Not much, just got back."

"How was the tour?"

"Yeah it was good. The guys killed as usual," said Jay, into an empty fridge.

"Did you get any numbers?" Jay could practically hear the Cheshire Cat smile on Mike's face as he asked this question.

He  sighed as he closed the refrigerator door and made his way to the  living room. "No I didn't get any numbers Mike" Jay said, plopping down  dejectedly onto his plush sofa, allowing his head to fall back, eyes  staring straight at the ceiling.

"Jay, you are really wasting your unlimited pussy allowance, man!"  groaned Mike. Jay chuckled in response, closing his eyes and wearily  raising a hand to rub them. "Dude you should be literally DROWNING in  pussy!"

"I'm too busy for all that extra shit, Mike." Jay sighed.

"Extra  shit? Dude." Mike was all seriousness now, leaving a pause so pregnant  that it caused Jay to sit up and open his eyes. "You are never, too  tired, for pussy!" Jay fell back into his original position, another  exhausted sigh leaving his lips as he landed except this time, he had a  little smile on his face.

Mike's dry humour was a welcome salve right now anyway.

"Plus, Jay; I'm married."

"I know Mike."

"So that means I'm living vicariously through you, my dude!"

"Mike-"

"Look,  forget about all that anyway" Mike interrupted Jay, sensing he was not  perhaps his usual playful self and wondering if he had perhaps struck a  nerve.

Mike was quite intuitive, even if he sometimes came off as  oblivious. In his world, he found that feigning ignorance can sometimes  be a better strategy around people, especially when dealing with the  types of sensitive and high-flying businessmen he was used to dealing  with on a daily basis.

Or when his friend had something - or  someone - on his mind that may need to be discussed away over copious  amounts of alcohol sometime in the near-future.

"Remember you  have the interview with Vogue Korea about the new AOMG site and app,"  said Mike making a mental note to revisit this again at a later time.

"Yeah" sighed Jay gratefully, thankful for the change in subject. "When is it again?"

"Friday. 9.30AM"

Jay pulled his phone away from his ear and checked the screen. The interview would be in three days time.

"Cool, my assistant already has the details anyway. I'll check my emails to see when the car will be arriving."

"Sweet. Hit me up later, so we can talk a bit about the Nike deal. But until then; GET SOME SLEEP."

Click

Mike ended the call.

Jay  allowed the phone to slide from his ear onto the sofa next to him,  bringing both hands up to gently rub his face before dropping his head  back and allowing his arms to drop onto the sofa back. The huge floor to  ceiling windows directly opposite bathed him in the light of the  setting sun, as he allowed his exhausted and aching body to sink deeper  into his seat.

As his mind drifted, he remembered a particular  evening spent on this same sofa during a thunderstorm not too long after  he had first met Her. In fact, there were many evenings he remembered  being spent on this sofa (not all of them as innocent as the particular  evening he currently had in mind however, but all of them just as  enjoyable).

Sharing one of those huge soft furry blankets that  She loved so much, with a low fire burning in the marble wood-burning  fireplace to the right of them.

She had been drinking Jack  Daniel's, and he had been drinking soju, both just talking to and laughing with each other in an atmosphere of comfortability, while   outside torrential rain pounded against the monolithic windows and   brilliant forks of lightening spilt the charcoal grey and roiling sky,   causing occasional rolls of thunder which reverberated throughout the   building.

The dichotomy of the chaos on one side of the window pane, versus the serenity on the other hadn't been lost on either of them.

Every  now again She would interrupt the freely-flowing conversation to point  out a particularly spectacular lightning strike or a close roll of  thunder would make Jay jump, which he would then try to disguise by  acting as though he was just moving positions on the couch or picking  up/putting down his glass (which She very politely acted like She did  not notice, or turned away to hide Her smile - which he had gratefully   appreciated).

Her being in Jay's house had been perfectly  innocent at the time, having being introduced through his artist Jarv  Dee, Jay had innately felt at ease around Her. She had an easy-going and  relaxed nature, with a quick wit and genuine smile. He became further  intrigued when he found out that She was a full-stack developer and  promptly discussed possibly working together on something some time.  Which is how the new AMOG website and H1gher app came about.8

That was exactly one year ago from today and 5 months from the day She ripped out Jay's heart and stomped all over it.

"We can't do this Jay..."

Her words echoed around his head like a death knell.

Jay  had spent every waking moment carefully analysing every detail of their  interactions - every facial expression, every vocal inflection - in the  hopes of being able to at least understand WHY She had done this.

Did he say something - do something - to scare her off?

How, when things were going so good between them, could she just end everything and leave so suddenly?

Jay  was aware that he was getting older but, he hadn't really ever thought  of what the future would look like for him and who he would want to  settle down with. The kind of jet-setting lifestyle Jay led meant he had  the luxury of being able to avoid thinking about such things under the  guise of being "too busy".  And with the fast life Jay led, the women he  came across had been just as fast.

That is until he had met Her.

Meeting Her had made him truly question his life dynamic, made him want to change his dynamic.

Made  him think about when would be the time to put down the mic for good and  step back to make way for the younger artists coming up behind him?

Jay  had almost single-handedly built an entire musical empire in a foreign  land, which meant he really had to think about who it was he wanted to  share that with.

A thought he had never needed to have before Her.

She  had awakened something in him that he had been confident was dormant,  something which he had convinced his concerned parents and nagging  brother he wasn't quite ready for.

She made him think more of the life after. After all the parties, interviews, world travelling, and screaming fans.

Of the life he lived when he was just Jay, the dorky kid from Seattle.

Who did he want to come home to? Who did he want waiting for him when the lights had faded and the music stopped?

The  morning after the lightening storm had been the first time Jay had  woken up to Her. They had fallen asleep where they sat in Jay's plush  sofa, having spent the evening bonding over their respective careers,  old 90s RnB and alcohol. Seeing her head resting upon the opposite  armrest of his sofa, the golden rays of the early morning sun  illuminating the golden undertones of Her skin, made something inside  him sing. He knew he liked having Her around, liked hearing Her voice,  liked knowing she was OK.

He loved being in her presence, hearing Her laugh, seeing Her focused frown whilst She was working.

He loved smelling Her, breathing Her in whenever he could.

He loved hearing Her footsteps on his hardwood floor.

He hated not knowing why it went wrong.

But  in just a few days the H1gher app and new AOMG website was due to go  live, meaning She would be coming back to Korea for the launch.

Meaning She and Jay would be in each other's company for the first time since Her departure.

Meaning Jay would not only have to face Her, but once She left he'd have to relive the pain of her leaving all over again.

Jay groaned inwardly.

This should be fun, he thought humourlessly.

Jay reached for his phone beside him and dialled an all too familiar number.

"Hello?" Came the answer down the line.

"Hey, is she free?"

"Good evening, Mr Park. Yes she is free. Regular timing?"

Jay let out a barely audible sigh, his 1000th in the 45 minutes he'd been home. He wouldn't need too long. "Yeah."

"She will arrive in 30 minutes."

Jay ended the call.

He  stood and made his way to his drinks cabinet, pouring himself some  Hennessey before walking over to the window to take a sip, surveying the  evening sky and awaiting his visitor.

The objective of the visit was purely for the purposes of release.

And as Jay's buzzer rang twenty-five minutes later, he knew that's all anyone who wasn't Her could offer him.

[rhaenyratargayen]

May I request any writing along the lines of #32 from prompt list 1 for Jason Todd? Btw, I absolutely love your work!

thank you !! thank you for requesting, I apologize for being late, but I hope you enjoy this :)

#32 from this prompt list: “You’re blushing.”

-

Jason is a pain in the ass. To everyone and everbody agrees. But to make matters worse, he’s an expert pain in the ass.

Jason knows how to mess with who and at what time.

Sometimes he uses his weight to piss off his brothers during training. He talks endlessly while Babs is working. With Steph, they alternate between who’s annoying who.

But with you, Jason teases. You hate it, he loves it.

You’re a very focused person in all aspects of your life. Wether it be during your job or on patrol. It’s unlikely that you ever slip up... unless Jason is involved.

Jason adores the fact that he is the only person that can throw you off. The fact that he can see right through your poker face.

He takes advantage of that at any opportunity he gets - specifically, his favorite, during training.

You’ll be isolated, headphones in and adrenaline high, obliterating the punching bag in the corner of the room.

Despite the fuming veins in your arms and the violently encouraging beats flowing in through your headphones, this time of the day was actually your most centered.

It was a time to gather all your thoughts while doing relatively no thinking at all. You exhaled all your stress from the day through your muscles. And best of all, no one bothered you while doing it.

You created a healthy routine for yourself. One that was efficient and easy, uninterruptable until - Jason.

Your head was somewhere other than that moment, perfectly content being elsewhere until the large hand gliding across your back snapped you back at an unreasonable speed.

His hands felt cool against your hot skin. A calm contrast to the fire you had worked up. And while you wanted to be angry, it was almost like with that touch, he had obliterated any flame you had left.

When his hand left a second that felt like hours later, you turned to face him and yanked out one of your headphones.

He reached for the water bottle, your water bottle, on the bench beside you and took a gulp.

It was completely uncalled for, his method of motion. There was an atmosphere behind you, plenty of room to get to said bench without any touching.

But, your eyes wandered to the single few droplets of water that danced along his chin, down his jawline.

“Ridiculous.” You muttered.

Jason quirked a brow at you.

You rolled your eyes.

He set the bottle down, wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, and positioned himself comfortably on the bench, as if he was waiting for you to continue.

You scoffed, “What do you want, Todd?”

“You” he replied cheekily, without missing a beat.

You laughed.

You unwrapped your fists and removed the remaining earbud your ear.

Picking up the empty water bottle, you trudged across the floor to fill it back up.

Jason followed after you.

“Aw, come on, I coulda did that for you.” You could practically hear the smile on his face.

You hummed, “How do I know you wouldn’t have drank it all before it got back to me?”

He chuckled in response.

You walked for a few moments without speaking. Jason trailed at your side, glancing down at you every few moments.

“Why’d you stop?” Jason broke the silence.

“I didn’t want an audience.”

“It wasn’t an audience... it was just me.” He grinned.

“You’re dumb, Jay, have I ever told you that?” You mirrored his grin.

You both had finally arrived at the water fountain. Jason took the bottle from your hand and began filling it up.

“Thank you.” You chuckled.

He winked, “Anything for you.”

You didn’t reply. Only shook your head with a smile on your face.

Again, silence passed. The rising bubble of the filling bottle was the only source of sound.

He pulled the bottle away as it filled. The machine let out a low hum as he screwed the top of the bottle on and handed it to you.

You took it from his hand and gulped down a few sips.

“You know I mean that, right?” He didn’t wink this time.

The rather serious tone of Jason’s tease was not something you’d seen before. It was new, nice, but you were left a little caught off guard.

Closing the lid to your bottle, you forced out a small laugh.

“No you don’t.” You attempted to lift the humor back up with your bare hands.

He nodded, “Yes I do.”

He looked a bit surprised as a reaction to your humorous expression. Uncomfortable, you began playing with the stickers lopsidedly applied to the bottle.

He regained your gaze when he took a step closer, “Why don’t you think I’m serious?”

You tossed your hands as a temporary answer, “Jason Todd, you have never been serious with me in your life.”

He didn’t say anything back.

Your back was against the wall. Jason came closer, placed a hand beside your head so that he was facing you, and merely inches from your face.

He lifted his other hand to brush his pointer finger under your chin, “Maybe I’m trying to be now.”

You were left unable to speak. Completely oblivious to everything but that moment.

Your heart was practically sprinting out of your rib cage. But your mind was surprisingly at a calm. Drowning, subdued in the proximity so close to him.

The side of his mouth titled in a smile, “You’re blushing.”

And your mind fell.

Your loss for words only made his boyish grin wider while simultaneously making you more frustrated.

“I’m not.” You managed to speak.

To any nearby stranger, surely they would’ve noticed the absence of fault in your voice, the lack of anticipation in your body.

But you knew that Jason knew better. He saw right through the exterior just like always.

“You’re cute.” He pushed himself off the wall and bent down to place a quick kiss to your forehead.

He then grabbed the bottle from your hand, took a gulp, and left you still against the wall.

[jiminniethemarshmallow]

What You Deserve pt.2 (M)

Pairing: Jimin x Reader (side plots ft. Jungkook and Taehyung)

Genre: Fluff, angst, Smut, crack

Warnings: Mentions of emotional abuse, semi-public sex, cum eating, oral (m & f), creampie, thigh riding, light hair-pulling, cringey, cheesy fluff that makes me want to set myself on fire

Word Count: 37k

(A/N): Jesus Christ this took so long to write 🥵 Originally I wasn’t going to make a second one but seeing as so many people wanted another one, here we are! Btw, Hani is based off of one of my friends and some of the crazy shit she says are actual quotes... so yeah

"Wait what?! You guys are dating... like dating dating? And you didn't tell me?!" Hani exclaims in the middle of the shopping mall you were walking through.

"Can you shut the hell up, please? Not everyone needs to know my business." You huff.

"Uh, yes they do! This is revolutionary!" She throws her hands in the air dramatically.

"What would be ‘revolutionary’ is if you and Tae started dating too." You smirk, causing her face to go red.

"Ahaha, yeah, how about no?"

"Be honest with me Han, like 100% real right now, sister to sister." She nods. "Are you and Tae fucking?" She gasps loudly, causing a few heads to turn in your direction.

"WHAT?! You heathen, you goon, you cRoOK!! How could you accuse me of such... VULGAR ACTS!” A fake look of offense splays across her face as she throws a hand over her heart, and for a second you consider apologizing. You don’t get the chance to do so, however. “-But yeah, we're fucking." She admits easily with a shrug, catching you off guard. A drama queen at her finest.

"Since when?" Your eyes practically bulge out of their sockets as you turn your head to her.

"Since we went clubbing that one night. But I did do him a few favors before that." She mentions casually. This was not new information for you, you had your suspicions, but you didn't know she would admit it so fast.

"Then why the hell won't you guys just date each other? And why have you been hiding this from us?!" You move closer to her as an attempt to keep your voice down. You were in public after all.

"Okay listen, I'm allergic to commitment, you know this. And I'm pretty sure Tae doesn't want a relationship with me. We're fine being friends with benefits because at least we're still just friends; free to go out with whomever we want with no strings attached." She says nonchalantly and you frown.

"So you're telling me that if he brought home another girl, you wouldn't be jealous?"

"I'd like to think that I'd be completely fine with it. That's a part of our unspoken rules and regulations. No jealousy." **When is this bitch gonna stop lying to herself? You think as you shake your head at her. "But back to you and Jimin! How did this happen? I mean, I knew he had a major crush on you but I never guessed you would be into him.”

“That’s because I kinda wasn’t... until I was.” You’d been ignoring all the signs he was giving you: the especially caring gestures that you just passed off as general kindness, the pure joy and fondness in his eyes every time you spent time together, his bashful and shy side that only appeared when you two were alone, the jealousy he tried to hide whenever you would tell him you were spending time with your boyfriend. You remember one time in specific when you announced in a passing comment that you wouldn’t be free over the weekend because you’d be holed up with your boyfriend, and Jimin barely said a word to you after your brief mention, not even going out with the rest of your friends when they continued to make plans without you. In retrospect, he was probably sulking at home and keeping his distance, something he does only when he’s trying to control his anger to prevent himself from lashing out on others. But you had your head too far up your ex’s ass then to notice.

“Spill the tea. Now.”

You tell Hani about everything that happened after they left his house that night, save for the inappropriate details that she still pried you for. It had been a little over a week since then and you were happy to report that things are going great. You initially thought things would be awkward, but it turned out to feel like the most natural and normal thing in the world for you. He took you out on a date the day after and you stayed at his house again to cuddle and watch movies. Actually, not much had changed from when you were friends to now, except for the fact that you could be more intimate with him— something you really should start taking advantage of. And what made it even better was that you didn't have your stupid ex to yell at you for spending time with him.

"That’s cute and all, but how is he in bed?" Hani pushes, nudging your arm as she leans in closer to you. "I've always been curious about that since he seems like such a soft person."

"Oh my god, best I ever had." You give her a sly look for emphasis and she raises her eyebrows at you.

"Really? Is he a dom? Cuz I think he has the potential to be, but also I see him as maybe being a soft sub." You had piqued her interest and there was no going back, so now you were about to tell her what Jimin was like in bed. While you walked in the middle of a semi-crowded mall. And you didn't even care who heard. Had you no decency?

"He's not overly dominant, though he did take the lead, but he's very sensual. Eye contact, neck kisses, body worship: everything. But I've only had sex with him once, so I haven't unlocked all his secrets yet. It's only been a week for god sakes." Hani nods along attentively as you speak.

"And his..." She motions down to her crotch suggestively and you get the message pretty quickly.

"A lot bigger than you'd expect."

"It's big?! Huh, who would’ve thought."

"What's big?" Jimin's voice comes from behind you and you turn quickly to find him and Taehyung walking up to you.

"Your ego." You reply naturally, blushing when he gives you a peck on the lips when he gets to you, unable to stop himself. You’re still not used to that yet.

"For good reasons though." He says.

"And what might those reasons be?" You quirk up an eyebrow as he loosely wraps an arm around your waist.

"I have many, but the biggest one is that I'm dating my best friend and perhaps the greatest girl in the world. No offense Hani." Jimin smiles at you and you swear your face feels like it’s about to explode into flames. He’s so mushy, you can hardly stand it.

"None taken." She replies.

"You guys are so gross," Taehyung comments, sparkles in his eyes. "I fucking love it. Do you know how long I've waited for this? Jimin's been in love with you forever."

"I never told you that?" Jimin turns to Taehyung quizzically.

"All you ever do is talk about her to me and Kookie like we don't know her already. You’re not the most subtle person in the world, it was kinda obvious. I don't know how she didn't notice." He shakes his head.

"I'm amazed honestly. WAIT, I want pictures." Hani whips out her phone and starts snapping pictures of you from various angles. You try to hide your face and detach yourself from him while groaning protests. Jimin poses like it's a photo shoot as bystanders roll their eyes at you, and Taehyung pretends not to know who any of you are.

"Send those to me. I'm going to make it my lock screen." Jimin says when she finishes and you groan out loud. Yeah, you were going to be that couple. The ones that you hated and would otherwise yell at for being sappy all the time. The ones that have matching lock and home screens of each other.  He was turning you into a monster and it had barely been a full week.

"Cute. Sure I'll send them, right after I send them to Jungkook. He's not going to believe his eyes when he sees these." She laughs, typing furiously on her screen.

"Well he can see it with his own eyes when we hang out this weekend." Jimin inserts, earning confused looks from Tae and Hani.

“We’re hanging out this weekend?”

"Remember we planned that trip to the amusement park a while back? That's happening this weekend." He reminds them and they both let out a collective “Oh”.

"You're still coming right? We can go as couples, like a triple date!" You say excitedly.

"You and Hani can go as a couple and Jungkook can bring his new love interest." Jimin suggests. Hani narrows her eyes at him menacingly.

"We are not a couple." She corrects, but Taehyung seems hung up on something else.

"Jungkook has a love interest? Who?" He asks.

"The girl he took home after the club. Apparently he's been "getting to know her" and wants to use this as an icebreaker date." Jimin explains.

"Eh, I'll give it a week." You shrug.

"What do you mean?" They ask.

"I mean, I'll give their "relationship" a week before things break off. When has Jungkook ever kept a girl around for more than 2 weeks?" They all stop and think about it. "It's not that he doesn't want a girlfriend, it's just that he always manages to do something stupid to screw it up. It's like he's trying too hard to be a fuck boy but it's all unintentional. It's sad, really." You shake your head.

"I remember the good ole days when Kookie was afraid of girls." Taehyung laughs.

"Yeah, we were probably the first females he's ever befriended or had an actual conversation with." Hani nudges you and you laugh along.

"He was so cute though! So innocent and pure. Now he's corrupted." You sigh, jutting out your bottom lip.

"Wonder how that happened." Hani deadpans and you both look toward Taehyung and Jimin, but mostly Taehyung.

"Why are you looking at meee?! I have done nothing wrong." He defends.

"You're just a bad influence. Even when you're not trying to be, you still are. That's just how you are." You shrug.

"Like that time you bet that you would kiss 5 girls in one day. And you actually kissed 10. Within 2 hours." Hani recalls.

"With a face like this, it really wasn't that hard." He... defends? Brags? It's hard to tell with him sometimes.

"That's not the point! You're just not a good role model." Hani stares at him as you all recall the incident. Literally no one even asked him to do that. That was the day that earned him the title of "man whore" and he didn't seem the least bit bothered by it.

"But we've learned to accept and love that part of your personality." Jimin comes in quickly before Taehyung can get offended or start exposing other people. It was a habit of his to bring others down with him when he felt wronged or cheated and usually that person was Jimin.

"Hey, lets go in here, I need a new outfit and bathing suit for this weekend." Hani says as she drags you by the hand into a clothing store nearby. Jimin and Taehyung follow you both as you immediately head to the swimwear section.

"Don't you already have a bunch of swimsuits at home?" Jimin asks as you search the racks for something decent.

"Yes, but you've seen me in all of them already. A girl knows never to wear the same thing twice. Especially when she's trying to impress someone." You mumble the last part and he furrows his eyebrows in confusion.

"Why not? Why don't you just wear the blue and white one with the gold straps? That one's my favorite." You don't question how he remembers exactly what your wardrobe looks like, but you're touched by the fact that he remembered enough to have a favorite.

"It's my favorite too, which is exactly why I'm not wearing it to the amusement park where it can get dirty or ruined." You've had a few bad experiences with amusement parks and ripped clothing. The water parks were especially bad. High pressured water shooting you down a plastic tube has proven to be disastrous to bikinis for girls everywhere. You were planning on going with a safer option. "I don't want you to see what I pick out before we get to the park so go away. I'll find you when we're done." You smile at him and he sighs, walking over to where Tae and Hani are standing.

"We might be a little while so you might as well go over there and find something for yourself while you wait." Jimin walks over to find Hani sending Taehyung away too and they both take her suggestion and head over to the men's section.

"Hey Han, what do you think about this?" You ask, holding up a one piece bathing suit connected down the middle of the front and back, leaving your sides exposed. It was cute and they had various colors for it in your size so naturally it caught your eye.

"Cute, but no." She says flatly and you frown. "It'll give you weird tan lines." She brings up and you nod, immediately placing it back on the rack. "What about this?" She pulls up a bikini that looks like it belonged in a magazine and not intended for actual use and you raise your eyebrows at her.

"How do you manage to find the sluttiest clothing EVERYWHERE we go?" You scoff.

"What do you mean? This isn't slutty." She mumbles, looking at the flimsy material from multiple angles.

"It's almost all lace!"

"Yes, almost. Not all of it." She smiles and you sigh.

"Do you really think that will survive the water park? I've seen better bikinis get torn to shreds." You were specifically recalling one incident where you had taken a trip with Hani and Jimin and she decided to go down the super slide. Let's just say the thin material didn't take too kindly to the harsh twists and turns and rushing water, leaving Hani with one boob exposed and the other side hanging on by a thread, literally. Not to mention the wedgie. You had to run over and cover her so she could stand up out of the water and get her clothes, opting to wear a sports bra the rest of the day to avoid any more wardrobe malfunctions. Clearly she hadn't learned her lesson.

"Oh, I don't plan on actually getting in the water. I just got my hair done." She says with a flip of her hair.

"Don't be lame. The water park is half the fun! And don't think I'm missing out on it just to stay with you and watch you flirt shamelessly with innocent bystanders." You whine with a pout.

"Whatever." She rolls her eyes but you notice that she puts the outfit back and pulls out a more modest one. You find something a bit more protective, a one piece that has less intricate designs, and then move on to find a shirt and a pair of shorts. The outfit you chose wasn't anything special, but it felt natural, like it was from your own closet, and when you tried it on it felt even better. The clothes you chose made you feel like you could conquer the world, made it seem like you were in charge of your life and could take whatever you wanted, and you knew you were probably being over dramatic, but for some reason you were extra confident and you couldn't wait to show it off to your boyfriend.

Jimin and Taehyung were perusing through the men's section for anything decent to wear. Jimin was looking at some shorts since he mostly only owned ripped jeans and it was supposed to be obnoxiously hot this weekend, and Taehyung was browsing the flannels and beanies, really pushing for that boyfriend look.

"I like this beanie, do you like this beanie?" Tae asks Jimin as he throws it over his fluffy hair.

"You know who likes those hats? Hani." Jimin smiles and Taehyung sighs defeatedly and puts it back down. "Why won't you date her?" He asks in a hushed voice, glancing in her direction from across the store.

"I.. I don't know. It's complicated." Tae mumbles, getting a stern look from his friend.

"Then uncomplicate it and explain it to me." Jimin pushes, causing Taehyung to groan and roll his eyes.

"I like her, I do, but..."

"But?" Jimin leans closer in anticipation.

"I don't think she wants to date me. She hates relationships and commitment, so why the hell would I think she wants that with me?" He turns back to a rack of shirts and mindlessly shuffles through them. He seems really down about this.

"Well you guys seem pretty close now."

"We're slightly more "friendly" than just friends but I'm no closer to being with her than I was before. And I don't even know what she thinks about me other than the fact that she likes my dick." Taehyung sighs as he turns helplessly to his friend. Jimin's never seen him like this and it makes him want to help.

"Maybe you can make some progress with her this weekend. It might help if you said more than just dirty jokes around her." He suggests, but before the taller man can reply, another voice addresses them.

"Finding everything okay here, gentlemen?" A petite young woman walks up to them with a bright smile on her face. She shamelessly looks both of them up and down and they observe as the twinkle in her eye shines brighter.

"Yeah, we're fine." Taehyung answers and he can see how the bass in his voice makes her shiver.

"May I make a few suggestions?" She offers and before they can refuse her, she continues. "I think this shirt and these shorts would look really nice on you." She picks out an outfit expertly and holds it up to Jimin, checking to see his size. He takes the clothes and looks at them, and as much as he wants to completely dismiss her, he has to admit that her sense of style is quite good. That's probably why she works here. "Do you mind if I do some measurements?" She turns to Tae.

"I'm personally not a math person, but if you want to go around measuring things, go for it. It's not my store." He shrugs and she just laughs, rosy lips curving flirtatiously.

"No silly, I meant can I measure you." She clarifies and he makes a sound of realization, causing Jimin to face palm. After half heartedly agreeing, Taehyung allows her to pull out her tape measurer and wrap it around various lengths of his body. It was a pretty uncomfortable situation for him, but he doesn't stop her.

"Hani, let's test those ‘unspoken rules’ of yours." You say to her as she chooses her last top. She walks over to where you are and you point across the store. "Are you telling me that you aren't jealous that that girl is flirting with Taehyung?"

She looks at where you are pointing and for a moment, you see something flare up in her eyes before simmering back down. She watches the woman wrap a tape measurer snug around his hips and compliment his body figure, something that Hani has seen first hand and doesn't appreciate the way this lady is drooling over it.

"I'm not jealous." She says with a purse of her lips, but not a minute later she's calling Taehyung over.

Upon hearing his name being called, Taehyung unwraps himself from the lady and quickly begins walking away, leaving Jimin to thank the woman for her "help" before rushing to follow.

"Are you guys ready to go yet?" Taehyung scratches the back of his neck, still holding onto the beanie he was looking at earlier. As you check out, you catch the dirty look Hani gives the sales woman as she continues to drool over an uncomfortable looking Taehyung.

There's an urgent knock on your door and you pull it open to find a distressed Jungkook standing in your doorway. He enters without invitation and you shut the door behind him, furrowing your eyebrows in concern.

"Kookie, it's 10:30pm, why are you at my house when I'm literally going to see you tomorrow morning?" You grumble, taking a seat next to him on your couch. He doesn't seem bothered by your unkempt appearance, having seen you in your pajamas multiple times.

"I need to talk to you." He says, nibbling on his lip anxiously.

"Again, why couldn't this wait until the morning? We already have to get up at the ass crack of dawn to meet up."

"I-I'm kind of freaking out." He turns to meet your gaze and you stare blankly at him, waiting for him to elaborate. "The girl I'm taking to the amusement park is amazing and I don't know what to do."

"What do you mean?"

"Her name is Jieun and not only is she gorgeous, but she's talented too!"

"Wow Kookie, that's great! I don't see the problem here." You watch as a deep frown settles onto his face, his teeth returning to chew at his bottom lip.

"I guess I'm worried about keeping her." He responds after a few seconds of silence. "You know I have trouble keeping girls. I always manage to fuck it up somehow and I never know what I did wrong so I can't fix myself and stop it from happening the next time. But I really want things to go well with her. I want her to like me."

You look at him sympathetically and pat his knee. "I'm sure things will work out, you're a great guy. Just take it one day at a time, there's no need to rush anything. Focus on having fun tomorrow and go from there, use it as a stepping stone to help you get to your end goal." You tell him and he nods.

"How did you and Jimin start dating? Like, how did you break that friendship barrier?" He asks, looking up at you with puppy dog eyes. It was almost like a kid asking his parents how they met, expectantly looking forward to the love story that connected their hearts.

"Well," You half laugh. "It definitely wasn't intentional. After we went clubbing that one night, I stayed over at his house and he confessed to me when he thought I was sleeping."

"But you weren't?" You shake your head. “Ohhh sneaky.” He snickers, earning a hit on the shoulder.

"It wasn’t on purpose! Anyway, I told him that I felt the same way and now we're dating." You shrug.

“Yeah, I could totally see you two together. That man is head over heels for you.” Jungkook laughs, to which you blush and look away. Could everyone else really see it but you? “Ugh, I wanna date someone so badly. Jieun is such girlfriend material and it kills me.”

“Okay, slow down. I don't think you should ask her to be your girlfriend just yet. It's different because me and Jimin have known each other for years and you've only known each other for a week, right?" He nods. "Take it slow, get to know her more, tell her about yourself, don't do anything too crazy."

"I don't even know how to act around women; it's not like anyone's ever formally taught me how to talk to ladies." He sighs.

"First things first, forget everything you've ever seen Taehyung do around women. He doesn't know the first thing about relationships and he's too immature to even start a real one with Hani." You point out sharply.

"What's going on between them anyway? Are they fucking?" This sparks Jungkook's interest just a bit and he seems more eager to gossip about his friends than to talk about his own problems.

"That’s not for me to tell. Don’t change the subject!" You scold with a point of your finger. "Second thing: just be yourself. We're going to an amusement park so you should be focused on having fun instead of being stressed out over how to impress her. This is a great place for a first real date because what better way to bond is there than sharing multiple near death experiences together?" You smile. Roller coasters are terrifying, but you've read online somewhere that fear boosts attraction in couples, so this should work like a charm.

"I don't even know if she likes roller coasters." Jungkook thinks out loud for a moment.

"Even if she doesn't, there's plenty of stuff to do there, I'm sure you won't be riding rides the entire time. You have to think more positively." You give him a reassuring look and he relaxes a bit. "Lastly, don't try too hard. Girls like effort, but usually we don't want anything too extravagant. Big gestures are sweet and all but it's the little things that we pay attention to, like if you let her win in a game, or offer to hold something for her, opening a door, pulling out a chair, things like that. Maybe you can try to win her something at one of the booths there? I'm sure she'd appreciate that."

"Okay, I'll try." Kookie says after letting your information soak in for a minute. "Thanks for the help (Y/n), I knew you'd have some advice for me." He gives you a cute bunny smile and you just want to pinch his cheeks.

"I've had a pretty shitty boyfriend for the past two years so I'm surprised you thought I'd have any real advice to give, but I'm glad I could help." You stand as he walks to the front door. "And Kook," He turns to look at you. "Relax. She's just a human, talk to her casually like you talk to me."

He nods and gives you a hug, leaving you to get ready for your day tomorrow. You were really excited to see this Jieun person, preparing to see if she really lived up to Jungkook's hype and was worth his affection. But he's had pretty good taste in women in the past so you didn't doubt him.

"What's the hold up? We were supposed to leave half an hour ago!" Hani shouts into Taehyung's house; you, her and Jieun waiting by the front door for the three boys to come out.

"We can't take them anywhere." You mumble, rolling your eyes as you check the time on your phone. You all were supposed to meet up at your house but Taehyung texted in the group chat that he "needed help with something important" so everyone just decided to meet at his house. Jungkook had picked Jieun up earlier, but since then he hasn't even said anything more than a greeting to her, which concerned you. He and Jimin told you three to wait outside while they helped Taehyung and you've never seen Jungkook look more relieved to get away from someone in your life.

"I can't do this." Taehyung says to Jimin as he enters his room.

"Me neither, go without us." Jungkook chimes in, taking a seat on the bed.

"What the hell are you talking about? Why not?" Jimin squeaks, looking between the two of them in shock.

"Jieun looks so good today and she smells so nice and I can't even look at her without blushing so obviously this isn't gonna work out." Jungkook speaks quickly, rubbing his face in stress.

"I don't want Hani to think this is a date. She keeps insisting that we're not dating, but if we all split up today it's definitely gonna seem like a date and then she'll freak out about it! And then she'll start stress flirting with other guys and I do not want to be caught in that situation." Taehyung groans, sitting beside the youngest.

"First of all, you're both going because I am NOT going to be stuck at an amusement park alone with three girls like I’m some sort of pimp, so get up and get dressed Tae." Jimin pulls Taehyung by the arm until he's standing then pushes him over to his closet. "Kookie, you've already seen each other naked so I don't know why you're acting shy now. This isn't even a real date so suck it up and have fun. This isn't supposed to be this stressful!"

The other two boys don't say anything after that and just look at each other, moving slowly into action as Taehyung pulls clothes from his wardrobe. He goes for a boyfriend look, a plaid shirt over a deep cut black tee, his signature loose fitting pants, and of course he pulls on his new tan beanie and a necklace to top it off. It takes him forever to choose his shoes, even with the help of his friends, and even longer for him to check himself out in the mirror, debating whether or not he looks good enough to go. By the end of it Jimin is emotionally exhausted, his voice already cracking from yelling at Taehyung for so long and for a second he thought your genders had switched. Weren't you and Hani supposed to be the ones that take forever to get ready?

Meanwhile, the two of you had a chance to catch up with Jieun outside.

"So, you're Jieun?" Hani asks after yelling into the house for what seemed like the tenth time. The girl only nods. She looks to be around Jungkook's age, maybe a year older than him but definitely at least a year younger than you. "Nice to meet you again, I'm Hani."

"And I'm (Y/n)." You introduced yourself and she bows at you both in greeting.

"I remember you guys from the club. You seem like a fun group." She comments, looking into the open door as if expecting the boys to walk out at any moment.

"We try.” Hani says with a flip of her hair. Jieun was just as Jungkook said she was. She was absolutely gorgeous, her dark hair, bright eyes, and vibrant smile making her very attractive. Talking to you now, you realize that she is very modest, although not at all shy and rather confident, and is very passionate about many things. You and Hani asked her about herself and learned that she was quite athletic. She danced on a recreational dance team and worked at a studio with children. Aside from that she engaged in many sports and did just about anything that required physical activity. Jieun also mentioned that she sang as a hobby and occasionally wrote songs because she had a dream of becoming an idol, which amazed both you and Hani. She seemed perfect for him.

“Why is she so perfect? Why can’t we be like her?” Hani whines to you when Jieun excuses herself to use Taehyung’s bathroom, both of you feeling terribly inferior to her.

“If I didn’t already have a boyfriend I would totally be jealous.” You say, thinking about how much attention she probably gets on a regular basis. From your short conversation, you found that she was actually a chill person. Polite and sensible. A stark contrast to when you first met, when her tongue was shoved halfway down Jungkook’s throat, but you’ll excuse her behavior because she was probably drunk and everyone seemed to be making risky decisions that night, including you. You were happy for your friend for finding someone as good as her and now you could see why he was so nervous for today.

“He picked a good one.” Your best friend comments, nodding in approval. “I’m surprised she’s into him, considering how much of a dork he is.”

“Hey! Don’t talk about my son like that! He’s just troubled.”

“No, he’s troubling. For a moment I thought there wasn’t any hope for him. That he would just repel women forever, like that time he wore too much cologne and women literally ran away from him because he smelled so bad. I’m proud he’s making progress.” Hani sighs.

“Maybe he just needs advice from the right people to get his act together.” You shrug.

A few years back you started calling Kookie “Baby Kook” and claimed him as your son as a joke since you always ended up protecting him, but somehow the name stuck and now you feel a certain attachment to him, an obligation. Like last night when he appeared at your doorstep. You contemplated telling Hani about that before Jieun came back, but then she’s looking at the door behind you.

“Oh my God, are you guys finally ready?” She groans when the three boys walk out together, two of the three looking weary and one looking mildly irritated.

“Where’s Jieun?” Jungkook notices the absence of her presence immediately and thinks the worst, wondering if she had left while he was inside because they took too long, but much to his relief, she walks out behind them, enthusiastic as ever.

“I’m here, let’s hit the road!” Clearly she’s a morning person, but the rest of you are not.

Filing into Jimin’s car, there is a bit of a skirmish for the seats. You want to sit up front with your boyfriend, but Jungkook pushes past you when you reach the door and attempts to take your place, but you push back.

“Hey! I called shotgun, I want to keep my boyfriend company.” Butterflies flutter in your belly at your use of the word, making you smile. Just on the inside, though, because on the outside you’re straining to fight off the younger man.

“Well, I want to sit in front today.” Jungkook retorts, continuing to strong-arm you out of the way so you can’t enter. The others look at the two of you as they take their own seats, Taehyung offering for Hani to sit on his lap but getting flatly rejected.

“Why? What’s the matter with sitting in the back?” You stop fighting against him to look him in the eye, crossing your arms and giving him a disgruntled frown. It takes a moment for him to answer, glancing at his date and then back at you. He leans in closer and speaks as quietly as he can.

“I can’t sit back there with her, I’ll die.” His eyes are wide and fearful as he looks at you pleadingly, hoping you’ll have mercy on him.

“You’re supposed to be on a date with her, why would you just leave her back there alone?” You look at him incredulously, wondering if he was serious or not.

“I’m not ready to be that close to her yet; please, just on the way there?” He begs, searching your eyes. Jimin yells something about leaving the two of you if you didn’t get in the car and Jungkook raises his eyebrows at you.

“Fine, but now you’re in charge of directions. If we get lost I’m kicking your ass.” You finally relent, sighing and moving to the back, squishing into the other passengers until Hani finally takes up Taehyung’s offer and sits on his lap.

You politely change seats with Jieun and take the middle seat so that she can have the window and won’t be as squished and she gives you a grateful smile, staring out of the window as you embark on your hour and a half long journey. About 5 minutes into the car ride half of you are asleep, your head leaning on Hani, whose body is leaned completely back on Taehyung as he rests his forehead on the window. Jieun expected the ride to be full of conversation and questions, but when she sees that is not the case, she allows herself to take a nap too. And it wasn’t like Jungkook was going to talk to her anyway.

Jimin looks over at Kookie at a stop light, the younger boy reading directions from his phone. Jimin pushes his lips into a tight line, knowing exactly why he fought you for the front seat.

“What are you doing?” He asks abruptly but quietly. Jungkook looks up with wide eyes.

“What do you mean? I’m reading you directions.” Kookie states as if he doesn’t understand the question.

“Why didn’t you sit back there?” Jimin speaks even softer now, motioning with his head. “With your date?”

“Oh, um, (Y/n) is smaller than me so I thought it made more sense for her to sit in the back instead. Since there’s so many people...” He lies unsteadily, sensing the glare on his older friend’s face. Jimin knows it’s a lie, but since he’s too nice to expose innocent Kook in front of Jiuen, who is most likely not fully asleep, he doesn’t say anything. But later, when he’s sure everyone’s out cold, he addresses Jungkook.

“You know, you’re going to actually have to interact with Jieun in order for this to be considered a date, right?” Jimin comments, looking in his rear view mirror to observe all of your sleeping faces. His eyes linger on you for a moment and his lips curl into a tiny smile before he pulls his gaze away to look at the road again.

“I-I know that.” Jungkook stutters, looking back as well to stare at his date. Although she was fast asleep, her hair and makeup was still perfect and her lips were parted in the most beautiful way, and Jungkook couldn’t control the blush on his face. “I just need to relax a bit more. I’ll be better when we get to the park, I promise.” He mutters, more so to himself than Jimin.

“I believe in you. She seemed really excited to hang out with you this morning, I doubt there’s much you can do to ruin that.” Jimin smiles.

“I mean...” There were thousands of ways this day could be ruined, and they all seemed very possible, some even seeming likely to happen, and the anxiety was eating Kookie alive.

“Stop worrying so much. As long as you actually talk to her and spend time together, this day will be a success.” The older reassures.

“Please don’t leave me alone with her.” Jungkook begs, but Jimin only laughs.

“You’ll be fine, it’s not like she’s gonna bite your head off or anything.” The worry left in Jungkook’s eyes makes Jimin sigh, taking pity on his cute friend. “We’ll all meet up a lot throughout the day, you won’t be alone with her the whole time.” He sighs, to the delight of the boy in the passengers seat. He really was Baby Kook.

Despite the clusters of traffic, the ride to the park is smooth and straight forward, your group arriving in less time than expected. When the car is parked, Jimin wakes up the other passengers, letting you all know that you’ve reached your destination. Everyone files out of the car, stretching your cramped limbs and retrieving the bags from the trunk, prepared for a day of fun. Already the sun is blazing, not even fully up in the sky yet, but still beaming down on you.

“Sun screen is the most important thing to remember on days like this.” Hani lectures the group, assuming the mother role. “I don’t want anyone coming up to me later complaining about sunburn. I’ll probably just laugh in your face and give you a hard pat on the back,” She says, looking directly at Taehyung to show him how serious she was. He just scratches the back of his neck sheepishly, preferring not to relive the last incident. “So, let’s take preventative measures and protect ourselves.”

You all turn to Jungkook, who was assigned the duty of bringing the sunblock, but instead he just looks back at you with wide and innocent eyes. He makes eye contact with you and you raise your eyebrows expectedly, causing confusion and slight panic to cross his face. “Wait, was I supposed to bring the sunscreen?”

A collective disappointed groan sounds among your friends and you can see Kookie’s face reddening, feeling horrible about his slip up. He was so focused on Jieun that he forgot his duties.

“It’s okay, I have some.” The fair skinned girl standing next to him smiles, dropping her bag to the ground to pull out 2 bottles of sunscreen. “I always keep it with me since I burn so easily.”

Jungkook’s eyes light up with hope as his date passes around the spray, already saving his ass and they hadn’t even gotten into the park yet. He was thankful for her, more-so than he was embarrassed, and he made a mental note to make it up to her.

“Great, we can apply now and then reapply when we go to the water park.” Hani instructs, grabbing one of the bottles.

A bottle is handed to you and you offer to spray Jimin, prompting him to take off his shirt and bare his toned upper body to you, a sight which you drink in greedily with a smirk. When you begin spraying, he jumps at the coldness on his already heated skin.

“Fuck, that’s cold.” He hisses, body flinching and contorting as you continue to spray his exposed skin. You laugh at his expense, targeting his sensitive parts such as his back and neck, enjoying the way he squirms. “Yah! That’s enough.” He shouts, snatching the can from you.

“You can never be too careful...” You muse, apologetically rubbing your hands over him to spread the lotion and make sure you haven’t missed any spots. The touch of your warm hands against him makes Jimin shiver as he watches you feel him up shamelessly, so he decides to turn the tables and spray your exposed stomach unexpectedly, causing you to scream.

Taehyung and Hani are engaged in similar shenanigans, the female trying to wrestle the bottle from the tall boy. He suggests she “strip down a little more” so he doesn’t miss any spots, but of course she refuses and tries to grab the spray can from him, to which he dodges and insists that he isn’t done applying sunscreen on her yet.

Once Jimin finishes with you, he hands Jungkook a bottle so he can help Jieun. She wore her swimsuit under her normal clothes, so she takes off her shirt and shorts so she can get total coverage. Jungkook swallows hard as she basically gives him an unintentional strip tease, revealing her thin athletic body and muscles that hide beneath her pale skin. It’s like she was made for him. He has to stop himself from drooling when she’s done, arms outstretched and ready to be sprayed. The four of his friends watch with amusement as he shyly applies the sunblock, trying too hard not to stare at any one spot and finish as quickly as possible.

“I’m just gonna say it: Jieun, you’re fucking hot.” Hani breaks the silence, smiling at the way the younger girl blushes a little. You all laugh and shake your heads at her, noticing how much shakier Jungkook becomes. “What? Everyone was thinking it.” She shrugs.

While getting sprayed, Jungkook looks for something to talk about, feeling incredibly awkward and uneasy from the silence. Everyone was already ready to go into the park so you were just waiting on him. Glancing at Jimin as he locks his car, he speaks.

“You should name your car ‘Jimin’.” He comments spontaneously, causing said boy to look up at him.

“Why would I do that?”

“Don’t fucking say it.” You groan under your breath, obviously being ignored.

“So you can park Jimin.” Kookie replies simply, laughing at his own joke while only Taehyung and Jieun giggle in response. You weren’t sure if she was just giving him a pity laugh or if she actually found it funny, but you know Taehyung did. You, Jimin, and Hani just roll your eyes at them.

“You’ve made that joke before and it still isn’t funny or clever.” Jimin sighs, walking back over to your side. But Taehyung keeps running with it.

“No, (Y/n) should name her car ‘Jimin’.” He says with a dirty smile. You give him a blank look and anticipate his next words, hoping he doesn’t say what you think he’s about to say. “So she can ride Jimin.” He announces the punchline proudly.

Immediately you turn on your heel, walking off in the direction of the park entrance followed closely by Hani and Jimin who leave the other three to chase after you.

“Hey, where are you going?” Taehyung laughs as he jogs to catch up. Hani sneezes loudly.

“Bless you!” You all reply in unison and she waves you off.

“Ugh, allergies.” She says rubbing her nose.

“Yeah, she’s allergic to stupidity and it’s just oozing from you right now.” You tell Taehyung with a motion of your hand, receiving a cackle from Hani, who continues to rub at her nose as you keep walking toward the gate.

After security checks, you all finally enter the park, taking in the scenery. A worker at the front hands you all maps and offers to take your picture by the large fountain, to which you agree. Of course it takes a few times to get a good picture, someone was always fighting or blinking and in one of the pictures all of you are running from a bee, but eventually one came out right. When the worker walks away, your group just stands there, a bit disoriented in such a big setting.

“Where do we want to go first?” You ask, looking over Tae’s shoulder at the map he’s holding.

“Everyone’s riding rollercoasters, right?” He asks, looking up at your friends. Everyone nods so he points to the nearest ride on the map. “We should go here first, this one doesn’t seem too bad so it can be like a warmup for the more serious rides at the back of the park.”

Without further discussion, you set off for the wooden ride to the right of where you were standing, nervous jitters fluttering in your stomach. Jimin grabs your hand as you walk and you thread your fingers with his without hesitation. Hand holding was so rare with your ex, it felt weird to do it in public. But Jimin has always liked to hold your hand, it’s just never been in a romantic way before. You like this new experience.

Reaching the ride, you see how big it actually is. The drops are massive and the sound the carts make as they zoom past at surprising speeds makes your heart race. There are aggressive twists and turns that are sure to give you a thrill, and you become more and more excited at the thought of it.

“This is the warmup?” Hani looks like she’s going to vomit. She’d get on anything if you could convince her to get in line, but if she stared at it for too long she would chicken out. Sure, she acts tough on a regular basis, but everyone has their weaknesses. Jimin is similar to her. He loves roller coasters when he’s riding them, but he doesn’t like to look at them too much beforehand because then he would get scared. Knowing this, you usher everyone into the queue before anyone can say otherwise.

“Don’t worry too much about this one, the only thing intimidating about it is the speed.” Jungkook explains like a seasoned amusement park connoisseur, noting how Jieun gives him an impressed glance. “As long as you don’t swallow any bugs, you should be fine.”

You can feel Jimin’s hand becoming clammy as you near the front of the line. The plus side of coming to the park so early in the morning is that the lines are shorter because there’s less people, but he felt as though that was working against him because everything was happening all too fast. You squeeze his hand reassuringly, smiling at him to calm his nerves.

“I love rollercoasters.” Jieun quips, practically bouncing with excitement and skipping down the rows. “It gives you such a rush; the high speeds, the wind in your face, not to mention the view of the park..” She sighs longingly, momentarily stuck in her thoughts. “If you aren’t awake by now, this’ll definitely do the trick.”

You reach the front of the line faster than expected; Kookie was right, this ride was quick, either that or it’s just really short. You bunch into carts of two, you and Jimin sitting in the middle of the train, Hani and Tae seated behind you, and, as expected, the daredevils Jieun and Jungkook sitting in the very first car.

“You can hold onto me if you’re scared.” You hear Taehyung say to Hani, the two linking arms to brace themselves.

Glancing at your boyfriend, you teasingly repeat the same thing. “You can hold onto me if you’re scared.” You purposely lower your voice a little to mock Tae’s own and the four of you laugh, although Jimin grabs your hand again, holding on tight. A worker comes around and checks your safety devices, signaling to the other staff to start the ride. It makes a slow ascension up the first hill, every loud click beneath you rattling your nerves and making you bubble with anticipation. Jimin breathes heavily beside you, trying to focus on the view of the park that Jieun mentioned before, but you could see the distress on his face.

“You okay up there, Jiminnie?” Taehyung calls. You can tell he’s enjoying this already. “(Y/n), he hasn’t passed out already has he?” He teases as you creep closer to the top.

“Shut up, Tae.” Jimin protests weakly. “This isn’t even that bad.” As he finishes his statement, the ride reaches the summit and stops, holding you in suspense as Kookie’s car hangs partway down the slope. Jimin sees this and gulps, knowing what lies ahead in just a quick moment.

“Are you sure about that?” As soon as the last word leaves Taehyung’s mouth, the ride releases and you all plummet down the tall drop, deafening screams coming from everyone involved. You scream and laugh as the cars take you through turns and drops, the high speeds pushing back your hair and making your eyes water. Jimin never stops yelling, horror in his voice the entire time as he squeezes the life out of your hand, but it only serves to make you laugh harder and by the end of it you’re struggling to catch your breath. Hani’s shrill screams come from behind you, her voice resembling a whistle more than anything, and they harmonize with Taehyung’s more joyful shouts and ‘woos’. As the ride slows down to a stop at the terminal, Jimin’s body relaxes then seemingly liquifies, making your eyes widen as he slumps in his seat.

“I survived,” He murmurs, looking over at your smiling face. “I thought I was going to die.”

“Congratulations, Minnie, you made it through the warm up.” You laugh patting him on the head gently after combing through his unruly hair with your fingers. The workers unlock the safety devices and everyone stands up, retrieving their bags from the platform and walking down the exit ramp. You all wobble slightly, still disoriented from the fast ride.

“Daebak!” Jieun and Jungkook shout in unison, both talking a million miles an hour and laughing at each other’s banter in a language that only they could understand, from the sounds of it.

“Oh God, my life flashed before my eyes at least 3 times during that ride.” Hani huffs, out of breath and throat already sore.

“I’ve never heard you scream like that, are you sure you weren’t blowing a whistle?” You ask, causing everyone to giggle.

“I don’t remember most of that ride, I think I blacked out after the first drop.” Running a hand over her face, she wipes tears from the corners of her eyes while you do the same, except yours are from laughter and hers are from anguish.

“Guys the pictures are up!” Taehyung points, directing your line of sight to the screens in front of you that display the many different facial expressions of your friends. The group erupts into laughter after just one glance, Jimin falling into you and leaning against your smaller frame as he goes weak with laughter. His small hand covers his mouth as he lets out his distinctive high pitch giggles, and you have to take a moment to stop and notice him. Fuck, why didn’t you ever pay attention to him before? He’s absolutely adorable. He stumbles around and nearly crumbles to his knees in glee as Jungkook points out everyone’s faces, other groups of people crowding around the monitors to get a look at themselves too.

“Look at Hani, she looks like her eyes are about to pop out of her head! I’ve never seen her eyes get that wide before!” Jungkook howls as she practically wheezes beside him. She’s doubled over with one hand on Taehyung’s shoulder for support, and even through his laughter he tenses up at her touch, cheeks reddening just the tiniest bit.

“Jimin and (Y/n) look like the drama masks,” Jieun comments, pointing to your expression of pure joy and excitement next to Jimin’s face of unconcealed terror and regret. “Why does it look like he’s about to cry?” She can barely get out the sentence through her snickering, wiping away her own tears.

Your attention returns to your boyfriend, who is barely holding himself up from the ground. His eyes are almost entirely shut from how hard they’re smiling and his fluffy hair bounces with every shake of his body, quiet squeaks all he can manage to release.  The light reflects off of his round cheeks and he seems to glow, his happiness contagious and making everyone around smile unconsciously. You wish you could get a picture of this face instead. Even when you’ve all calmed down and Taehyung is buying the picture (presumably for future blackmail purposes), Jimin just can’t seem to get it together and you practically have to drag him out of the way.

“Come on, let’s get in line for the next ride before the adrenaline wears off!” Jieun shouts, grabbing Kookie’s hand and sprinting off in the direction of the tallest ride, both of them apparently forgetting that they’re with a group. And apparently Jungkook has also forgotten his shyness around her. You let them go, though, since this was technically a date and it seemed like they had broken the ice and moved past their initial awkwardness of being alone together. The remaining 4 of you walk in that direction too, before realizing where they were going and stopping in your tracks.

“Woah, wait!” Hani stops abruptly, eyes scanning the height of the rollercoaster. It’s a simple ride really; nothing more than a steep incline and a straight death drop that leads into a few twists and turns. But when you see how fast the ride accelerates to go up the hill and come back down again, a collective chill crawls up each of your spines. “They’re going on that?! Oh hell no! Do you know what this means?” She asks, looking around at your confused faces. Taehyung shakes his head in reply. “I can’t be friends with them anymore.” She announces resolutely, much to your surprise.

“Why not?” Jimin asks, eyebrows raised in mild amusement.

“Because people who would willingly go on something like that clearly do not value their own lives, which means they surely do not value mine.” She turns on her heel and presses past you, walking in the other direction and not waiting for you to follow. “Let’s find something else to ride.”

Usually people knock out the big rides first, leaving all of the smaller attractions for later when their energy starts to deplete and they can take the time to calm themselves down, so when Hani leads you all to a small indoor ride, there’s virtually no one inside. It’s themed after some cartoon you heard of when you were a kid and the interior of the building is colored with neon and fluorescent paint that glows in the black lighting. As you wind through the long pathways and different rooms, it becomes apparent that this must be a very popular attraction because the queue seems never ending. Taehyung’s laughter seems to echo through the empty rooms as he skips ahead, stopping at every interactive object like a child, playing in the funhouse mirrors, watching the short clips of the cartoon that appear on the screens, pointing out how everyone’s clothing glows in the dark whenever you pass under a black light.

“Walk!” Hani hisses, pushing him from behind when he stops in the middle of a narrow pathway, the sounds of the ride finally coming into earshot. “This rollercoaster better be worth the trouble of us walking for so long.” She sighs, keeping her hands firmly on Taehyung’s back as she pushes him along. He seems to enjoy it, purposely slowing down so she runs into the back of him, pressing harder against him to urge his body forward, and he knows she doesn’t mind the way he’s messing with her, he can hear the smile in her voice every time she yells at him.

Shuffling slowly behind them, Jimin silently pulls your arm, holding you back so he can hold you firmly to his body, hands on your waist and eyes smiling down at you. Your eyes are wide as you look at him, about to ask him what he’s doing, but then he swoops down and claims your mouth in your first kiss of the day. It’s not rushed or needy, it’s the kind of slow, relaxed kiss that makes your heart pound against your chest and blood rush to your cheeks. Your back meets the wall and he pins you there with one hand leaning beside your head for support, the other still locked onto your hip. The kiss is a welcomed surprise and you can’t help the way your knees get weak just from his touch. Despite being cuddled up with Jimin almost everyday this week, you still can’t get over the fact that he wants you this way, that he’s yours. He’s told you many times that now that you’re together he won’t hold himself back anymore when it comes to you, but you didn’t expect him to mean it like this. Though, you can’t say that you don’t enjoy the affection.

“Excuse me,” Hani clears her throat loud enough to catch your attention and when you pull away, you find both of them staring at you two in shock. “This is neither the time nor place for that. Seriously guys, there are cameras everywhere. Have some decency.” Taehyung shakes his head along with her words in fake disapproval, clicking his tongue when you shyly pull away from each other to walk up to where they are.

“C’mon lovebirds, we’re almost at the front!” He leads the way around a few more corners until you’re finally at the front of the queue, the line only consisting of a single couple boarding one of the carts. You take your seat next to Jimin and the carts exit the station in two’s, leaving you alone with him as you enter the dark tunnel. The ride is all indoors so it’s pitch black for a few seconds before you ride through another room with vibrant flashing lights that highlight the scenery around the track.

“I don’t think I got to properly say good morning to you.” Jimin’s eyes are focused on you already when you turn to him, whimsical music playing around you to accompany the action happening around you that you aren’t paying attention to.

“Is that what that was about back there?” You point with your thumb, raising an eyebrow.

“No, I just felt like kissing you,” He shrugs, “but this morning was busy and I didn’t get a lot of time to talk to you, so I’m saying it now. Good morning, gorgeous.”

“Ew, you’re so cheesy.” You nudge him with your shoulder playfully, barely noticing that your cart was ascending a small incline.

“I told you, I’m gonna say it everyday just to remind you. I have to make up for all that lost time.” You know he’s referring to the time you wasted with your ex, all those wasted days of not being appreciated or acknowledged. Neither of you have talked about him since then, but he’s always there, hanging in between the lines, and Jimin is always trying to prove what a trash man he was to you by overcompensating. Or maybe he’s just always this tooth rottingly sweet, you still haven’t figured it out yet.

“You don’t have to...” You mumble.

“I know. I want to. Plus, I don’t think I can stop myself.” Just as the two of you start to giggle, you reach a drop and your car speeds down the hill, flashing lights passing you at every turn. You go through a few more dips, spinning around and even going backwards at one point, following animated characters and a storyline that you haven’t been paying attention to. Somehow during the ride, you managed to scoot closer to each other, your sides touching and your hands wrapped around his arm, not in fear, but out of pure joy. This ride isn’t nearly as scary as the last, it moves slower and the drops are shorter and more gradual, so you and Jimin enjoy it equally, laughing throughout the entire experience all the way until it reaches its end at the same place it began. His cheers and laughter of amusement echo in your mind as you come to a stop, finally untangling yourself from him.

Taehyung and Hani are just getting out ahead of you, laughing to themselves and stumbling onto the platform. You take note of Taehyung’s manners as he extends a hand out to Hani as she steps out of the car after him, and you see her hesitation to take it before she grabs hold, pulling it away quickly after she regains her balance.

“That was fun, we should go on more rides like this.” Jimin comments when all of you walk outside, squinting in the bright daytime light.

“Why? Because it’s dark and no one can see you making out in there?” Taehyung replies with a sassy purse of his lips. Hani snorts beside him.

“No, because it’s a kiddy ride and it doesn’t make him scream like a baby.” You tease, causing an uproar of laughter from your friends.

“Okay, ouch. What is it, ‘gang up on Jimin’ day or something?” He pouts, though he can’t stay mad at you for long and ends up smiling along with everyone else as you walk towards the next attraction.

“We have a winner!” A few spectators clap as Jieun grins triumphantly, accepting a small stuffed monkey from the merchant as he proclaims that she is the fastest racer.

After knocking out all of the most exciting rollercoasters, Jungkook and his date have made it to the back of the park in record time. Instead of moving on to the smaller rides, they agreed to try out some of the games, mostly because Jungkook wouldn’t stop bragging about how easy some of them seemed.

“I thought you said you were bad at carnival games?” He points out as they begin to walk away.

“Yeah, but we were just shooting water at a target. It wasn’t that hard.” He watches as she offers her prize to one of the children they played against, the youngest one whose face was scrunched in disappointment. The little girl looks at her and nearly snatches the monkey away before sheepishly muttering a thanks upon her parents request, but Jieun only laughs.

“That was nice of you.” Nicer than he would have been.

“Eh, the monkey was kinda ugly anyway.” The brightness of Jieun’s smile makes Kookie blush slightly as he laughs along, allowing her to pull him through the crowds of people amongst the other stations. “You aren’t purposely letting me win these games, are you? That’s the third time I’ve beaten you.”

“What, you don’t like winning?” He quirks up the corner of his mouth and she shakes her head.

“Not like that.”

“Fine, then I won’t show you any mercy next time.” He promises, to which she accepts with a nod and a competitive sparkle in her eye. The truth is, Jungkook hasn’t been letting her win, she’s been beating him fair and square this whole day, but he didn’t  want her to know that because he’s been talking trash about his skills since they got here. They approach a station that is unoccupied, the merchant beaconing them over as soon as she sees that it has caught their eye.

“You two look pretty cute, first date?” She questions as they approach and Jieun is the only one who can respond. “Aw, that’s adorable. Hey man, if you wanna impress her, you should show her your skills. You look like the athletic type.” The woman challenges Jungkook, and he isn’t one to back down from a challenge.

“Let me win you something.” There’s this cockiness in his voice that makes his date giggle, his shoulders seemingly swelling with pride and arrogance as he stands in front of the counter. It’s basketball, something Jungkook isn’t too bad at, and he’s confident that he’ll be able to win this game.

“You don’t have to do this for me.” Jieun reasons, tempted to tell him that the game is probably rigged anyway, but Jungkook doesn’t look like he’d care all that much.

“Don’t worry, I got this.” Famous last words.

“$3 for 5 balls. All you have to do is make it in the hoop 3 times and you win.” Seems easy enough. He hands over the money and the basketballs line up in front of him, cheesy arcade music starting up when the worker presses a button. A bell sounds as a cue for him to start and he grabs a ball immediately, missing the sigh coming from the girl behind him.

He makes the first shot easily, the second goes in with a loop around the rim, and his pride is through the figurative roof. But on the third shot, the hoop begins to move side to side. He is surprised when his ball misses its mark and as he stares, trying to get his timing right, the speed of the moving basket increases.

“Two more chances left!” The worker announces. But his luck wanes and the forth ball bounces off the rim. “Only one ball left! Really follow that hoop, c’mon. It’s all about focus.” She coaches, much to Jungkook’s annoyance because he really was trying, but his final shot misses entirely and the game stops with a buzzer noise and defeated sound effects. “Oh! How unfortunate. Do you wanna try again? You still gotta win your girl that prize— looks like she really wants one.”

With a heavy sigh, Jungkook turns to Jieun and stares at her in thought. She’s just standing there looking impartial to all of the giant superhero plushies lining the station, but he really wants to prove to her that he can do it. He needs to win her this game. In reality, she’s about to open her mouth and tell him that she doesn’t want him to waste his money on something she doesn’t even want, but before the words can leave her, he’s handing in another $3 and preparing to take his first shot. The second time around doesn’t go as well and he’s already down to 1 ball when the hoop starts moving, his last chance bouncing off the edge again. Watching this really is painful and Jieun finally decides that she needs to put an end to this.

“Hey, it’s okay. You don’t have to win me anything, let’s just move on.”

“No, I can do it,” He tries to reason, reaching into his pocket for more money, but she grabs his wrist and gives him those big pleading eyes and he melts. “Fine.”

“Why don’t you let her try? She looks like she can play. I’ll even change the price to $1 just for her.” The saleswoman suggests, playing with one of the basketballs. She watches as their eyes meet and she can see that they truly think about it before Jungkook decides that he would like to see her try— probably just so he can prove to himself that the game is actually hard and it’s not just him— so he hands the woman another dollar. “Awesome! Let’s see what ya got.”

“Wish me luck!” Jieun says as she picks up a ball, but it soon becomes apparent that she doesn’t need it because she’s knocking out the baskets like it’s her job. Jungkook stands silently beside her, mouth open comically as he witnesses her aim and shoot with the ease of a pro player, making the third basket with a flashy swoosh and two balls to spare. The world around him erupts into noise as Jieun, the saleswoman, and a group of random bystanders who were watching them play begin to cheer and shout praise.

“That was amazing!” The merchant announces, and he only just realizes that she’s been using a microphone this entire time. It’s loud. “Did you see that last shot? The ball didn’t even touch the rim! I wish I had an instant replay of that!”

“Omg, I can’t believe I did that!” She gasps, covering her mouth in shock and joy. She looks just as dumbfounded as Jungkook and he can’t find it in himself to be upset with her.

“You looked so cool! Maybe you should be a basketball player instead of a dancer.” Sure, his ego definitely took a blow, but he felt an odd sense of pride at her accomplishment. Even though she wasn’t “his girl” per se, he still felt like he could claim her, and amidst the celebration, it kinda felt like his win too.

“I haven’t seen anyone win this game since I started working here,” The worker admits. “You’ve got skills. Pick your prize.” She motions to the wall of plushies and Jieun pauses in thought, glancing over at her date.

“Which one do you like?” She inquires.

“Oh, n-no this is your prize. You pick.” Jungkook hates the way he stutters at her sudden attention.

“Like I said, I don’t want one. Hm, I’m thinking you look more like a Hulk guy?” She’s studying him up and down and he can feel himself heating up the longer she looks.

“Actually, I like Iron Man.” He says, scratching the back of his neck. She simply nods and points to the biggest one, and the woman happily retrieves it, waving them away with well wishes on their first date. As they walk, Jieun hands the Iron Man figure over to Jungkook and he pouts.

“You know, I would have won if you’d let me try one more time.” He grumbles, looking back at his recent failure. She finds it cute.

“Yeah, I’m sure you would have.” She reassures and nothing in her voice makes him think she is mocking him. “But be grateful I won you that anyway. That thing is half as big as me!” She giggles, a slight triumphant glow on her cheeks as they make their way through the park.

Sometime after your third ride together, Hani and Taehyung separated from you and Jimin to do their own thing. Hani claimed that her heart couldn’t take any more rollercoasters for the moment and Taehyung graciously accepted this by agreeing to go on the smaller attractions with her. Kiddy rides, really: the large swing ride, the one that looks like an octopus, the pirate ship, etc. Taehyung had suggested they go on the Claw, but that looked a little too intense for Hani because of how high it goes, so they skipped that one. Finally, they make it to Hani’s absolute favorite ride, the Teacups, and she pulls him all the way to the line.

“The Teacups is your favorite ride?” He questions with a laugh, bracing himself for the hit he receives on his shoulder.

“Shut up, you still request kids menus to draw on when we go out to eat. I don’t wanna hear it.” She crosses her arms over her chest, but Taehyung finds it adorable.

“I wasn’t attacking you, I just think it’s interesting.” It is interesting, how someone who acts so menacing can be such a baby on the inside.

“What’s with that?” She asks suddenly, facial expression turning skeptical as she looks him up and down.

“What’s with what?”

“You haven’t picked on me all day, why are you being so nice?”

“Well, you haven’t flirted with any random guys all day so I guess today is strange for everyone.” There really isn’t anything Taehyung can think to say to her question, so he deflects. There’s not a chance in hell that he would ever say that he’s trying to be nicer to her so she likes him more and will consider dating him— if he says that, he’s sure she would run away screaming.

“That’s only because no one has flirted with me yet and I’m not going to throw myself around like a thirsty hoe. But it’ll happen, just wait.” Hani pushes hair away from her face in that sassy way and Taehyung can’t resist snorting in laughter.

“That doesn’t seem conceited at all.” He mumbles sarcastically as they step up in the line.

“Oh fuck off, Man Whore. You’re one to talk.” A few parents look back at her but she doesn’t seem to notice.

“Hani, there are literally children everywhere around here, watch your mouth.” Tae scolds, but she only rolls her eyes and turns away, apparently forgetting about her earlier question of his behavior, much to his relief.

As they near the front of the line, they spot Jungkook and Jieun passing by, but the pair is walking too fast for either of them to catch their attention. Jungkook seems to be hugging something red and yellow, but he disappears before Taehyung can make out what it is.

“Jungkook and Jieun just walked past,” He states as he leans against the railing.

“I saw. This day seems to be going well for them, I’m glad he finally grew some balls.” Hani smirks, still gazing in their direction.

“I’d say this day is going pretty well for us, too.” As soon as the words leave his mouth, Taehyung regrets them. Hani turns to face him with an odd look on her face, not really disgust, but rather skepticism.

“Yeah, but they’re on a date.”

“Couldn’t you say that this is sorta like a date, too? Not exactly a romantic one, but it’s still a date.” He’s making it worse for himself, he knows it, but he just can’t stop the words from coming. And so he digs the grave deeper.

“It’s not a date.” She shuts that idea down quickly, but there is an ease to her words. Almost like she doesn’t know that she’s hurting him.

“Why are you so touchy about that word?” He tries to laugh it off.

“It just... bugs me. I haven’t been on a date in, like, a year. I don’t do dates.”

“And why is that?” Taehyung is genuinely curious to know. She probably assumes that he’s like her, that he doesn’t date or have interests that go further than finding a quick fuck, but that’s not true at all. He’s just never had the best luck with women— and he is mostly to blame for that.

“When it’s a date people expect things from you. There’s an etiquette that society has deemed acceptable, especially for women, and I’ve never really been into all of that. I’m not a dainty lady and I hate when people do things that I didn’t ask for. Guys just seem to be too overbearing for me on dates: picking up tabs, trying too hard to be polite, scrutinizing my every detail and flaw. And on top of that, we’re supposed to do cute couples stuff like kiss and hold hands and shit. It’s a lot of pressure.”

“Not all dates have to be like that. They can be casual like this.” So she isn’t into the “nice guy” act. Taehyung should probably dial it down a little bit then.

“Yes, but this still isn’t a date. We aren’t a couple.” She insists, leaning against the railing across from him.

“You don’t need to be a couple to go on a date. That’s what the date is for. Jungkook and Jieun aren’t a couple yet, but this is a date for them.” He tries to keep his voice stable and calm. Why is he so adamant about proving this point?

“But it’s different with them because they actually want to become a couple. And they act like one too.”

The gates open and the two of them enter the attraction, Hani booking it for one of the teacups toward the back. She sits down and waits for Taehyung to close the gate and take a seat across from her before her hands are on the wheel in the center, itching to start the ride. She begins spinning their teacup before the ride starts like all the other kids around them, and Tae places his hands on the wheel to help.

“I think we’re acting like a couple, too. We’re doing everything together and having a good time.” He offers, pulling her attention away from her giggling that he finds to be contagious.

“I agree, we are having a good time,” She smiles. “But really, that’s it, isn’t it? I find you attractive, you find me attractive, we fucked a couple of times, but that doesn’t make us a couple. There aren’t any real feelings involved and we’re still free to do whatever we want. None of that mushy couples crap like Jimin is sucking (Y/n) into. I’d say we’re fuck buddies, at most.”

It feels like a dagger has sliced through Taehyung’s heart at her words, each one adding a deeper and deeper wound, and all he can do is sit there quietly as the attraction begins to move and ponder her words. He turns the wheel with her, their cup spinning almost at top speed, and he watches as Hani fights to stay upright against physics, laughing and trying to look at all the other moving vehicles around them. He thinks then, how can someone so beautiful say something so cruel to him? But he knows her well. Hani is the type of person who hides her feelings by saying the exact opposite of what she wants, never explicitly telling anyone what she desires, then waiting for them to figure it out. He can only hope that this is one of those times. The more he thinks about her words, the less he pays attention to the present world, and before he knows it, Taehyung has stopped turning the wheel and is staring blankly at her joyous expression.

“If that’s all we are, then why do I feel this way? Why does it feel like my heart will fly right out of my chest whenever we interact? I wish I could let you see how I feel for once because maybe you’d feel differently. I know you feel something too. Why is this so hard for me? Why is it so hard for you to accept me?”

“Hey, why’d you stop spinning? I need help here!” Taehyung knows she can’t hear him over the loud music and wind rushing past their ears. His voice was nothing more than aimless murmuring, but it felt good to say it out loud. A part of him is curious about what would happen if she did hear him, but it’s probably better if she doesn’t.

“Sorry.” He apologizes, their cup accelerating when he joins her turning once again. She thinks he’s apologizing about the ride, the thought of him apologizing for his feelings for her never crossing her unbothered mind. He thinks she doesn’t notice how hard he’s trying to be happy, the thought of her heart aching with disappointment and fear never crossing his puzzled mind. He doesn’t know that she’s afraid of the feelings she already has for him.

“It’s 12:30 bitches, where are you?” You speak out loud as you type into your group chat. Jimin fans himself beside you, sitting on a bench near the entrance to the water park, staring down at the park map.

“Why do the rides here look scarier than the roller coasters?” He frowns. You lean your cheek on his shoulder to look at the map and shrug.

“I bet they’re not even that bad in person. I can’t wait to get in the water.” This heat is something else, and as the temperatures keep climbing, you want nothing more than to dive into the nearest pool and float away. “Maybe we should stop by the Lazy River first just to get wet before going on the slides?”

“It’s so hot that I might just stay there all-“

“What’s up, losers,” Hani interrupts, sliding right into the place next to Jimin and squishing him between your bodies. Taehyung stands in front of you all.

“Wait, come here, Tae.” You pull his arm and he moves toward you with one eyebrow raised as you shift him until his body blocks the sun from your face. “Ah, don’t move.” Letting go of his arm, you enjoy his shade and close your eyes. He scoffs but stays put.

“We still waiting for Kookie?” Jimin asks, handing the map off to Hani.

“He said they’re almost here in the group chat. I wouldn’t be surprised if they finished the whole park already— did you see how fast they were walking?” She answers, shading her eyes with the flimsy paper.

Taehyung chuckles, looking around the area. If they were on their way, they would probably be here soon. “They better hurry up because I’m so fucking hot I feel like I’m about to die.”

“Do you know how disrespectful it would be to die right in front of me? Go die over there.” You send him away, but as soon as he moves you whine from the loss of shade. “Wait, no, come back!”

“I’m gonna buy a water bottle, you guys want anything?” Tae asks and the three of you shake your heads, watching as he walks away toward a small cart where a lady is selling drinks and ice cream. As he approaches, the lady straightens and fixes her hair, flashing him her best smile and batting her lashes. Both you and Jimin look over at Hani, who is watching the entire exchange, and you can practically feel the fumes coming off of her.

“We made it!” Jungkook announces, stepping up beside the bench with Jieun in tow. “Where’s Taehyung?” You all point and the pair follow your eyes to where the young lady is leaning into her cooler of drinks very seductively in front of a somewhat indifferent Taehyung. He isn’t showing much of a reaction, but you notice his fidgeting, either from anxiety or impatience. When he hands over the cash, the woman brushes his fingers intentionally and all of your jaws drop at her blatant flirting.

“I know he’s not my boyfriend, but he’s not her boyfriend either, so she needs to hop off his dick before we have to fight.” Hani is trying her hardest to contain herself, she really is, but the way that that woman is flirting with Taehyung is triggering something inside her that looks pretty damn close to jealousy.

“You okay there, Han?” You ask from the other side of the bench, keeping an eye on her to make sure she doesn’t get up and snatch that girl by her bangs.

“Oh yeah, I’m perfectly fine.” She says through gritted teeth.

“Remember what you said about it being okay if he ever decided to take someone else home?” You remind her, smirking when she crosses her arms.

“Absolutely.”

“How are you feeling about that now?”

“I said what I said. I said what I meant and I meant what I said.”

“I thought you didn’t like hyung like that?” Jungkook asks, confused.

“They’re fucking.” It comes out so easily that you don’t even realize that it was supposed to be a secret until Hani yells out your name in betrayal, causing you to suck in your lips. But it’s out there now.

“And I oop-“ Jieun feels like she shouldn’t be here for this, but things are starting to get interesting and she can’t bring herself to leave.

“You and Tae?!” Jungkook whisper shouts at her as if Taehyung would be able to hear him from all the way over there where the woman is still flirting with him.

“We fucked once.” She holds up a finger for emphasis, but you give her a look of disbelief and she purses her lips. “Okay, maybe it was a few more times than that.”

“I can’t believe you didn’t say anything!” You pout, turning away from her.

“Yeah, what the fuck is that about? I thought we were close!” Jungkook steps forward, clearly hurt that he’s been left out.

“Jimin doesn’t look that surprised.” Jieun points out, drawing everyone’s attention to your boyfriend, who sits there nonchalantly as he listens to you argue.

“Oh I already knew all of this. Of course Taehyung couldn’t shut up about it.”

“See, Hani? Even Tae told Jimin! What kind of bestie are you?” You fake cry, pulling the most hurt face you can muster, throwing a hand over your face just to guilt her, and Jungkook tags along.

“I’m sorry, okay? But let’s not forget the fact that you waited a whole week to tell us that you and Jimin are dating.” She brings up, shutting your whole argument down. She’s right about that, and you almost feel bad about it, but since she also kept a secret, it kinda cancels out.

“So are you guys like... a thing?” Jieun asks.

“No, we are not a thing, we’re just friends. He doesn’t like me like that.” Composing herself, Hani relaxes back into the seat, but she still can’t pull her eyes away from Tae walking away and the lady eyeing him up and down. You don’t bring up how it seems like she’s implying that there would be a relationship if he did like her that way, but you’re sure everyone else noticed.

“Really? It sounds like you’re trying to convince yourself of that more than anything.” Jimin snickers, earning a razor edged glare from her.

“Watch it, pretty boy, before I shove this map up your ass.” She hisses, sending Jimin recoiling into you. “Let’s just go into this stupid park so I don’t have to watch him flirt with anymore ugly tramps.”

Just as she stands up, Taehyung reaches you, oblivious to her obvious jealousy. “Are we ready to go?”

“Yup! To the changing rooms!” You point and everyone follows Hani as she leads the way toward the changing rooms, the group of you renting out a locker to place all of your valuables in.

“Jungkook, what the hell is that?” Jimin questions, finally noticing the giant stuffed Iron Man that he’s been holding.

“Aw, did you win Jieun a prize?” You ask, looking between their faces, but Jungkook only looks down sheepishly.

“Actually, she won this for me.” He answers shyly, cheeks pinking up at your faces.

“Yeah, turns out he’s terrible at carnival games.” She smiles, nudging his shoulder playfully.

“Wow, Kookie. And after all that shit you were talking yesterday.” Taehyung laughs, the rest of you joining in on the teasing.

“I get it, I’m dumb. Can we please move on?” He whines, hiding his embarrassed bunny smile behind the doll.

“For the record, he did make some great attempts to impress me. I think he still has a chance with me.” At this, Jungkook uncovers his face, grinning down at her. “All will be forgiven as long as you share a funnel cake with me at some point today. I really want one.” She groans, mouth already watering. He agrees enthusiastically. You feel pride swell in your chest, your baby is growing up.

“That thing is not going to fit in the locker.” It’s Hani that breaks the moment, looking back and forth between the doll and the small locker size. “Guess I have to stay out of the water and watch it so it doesn’t get stolen. Damn, it’s too bad.” She shakes her head in faux disappointment and you immediately shut her down.

“No, nope, you’re getting in the water, we’ve been over this. C’mon let’s get dressed.” You nag as you pull her away.

In the changing room, you and Hani put on your swimsuits, showing them off and praising each other, as best friends do. Jieun already had on her swimsuit so she stayed out by the lockers, so it was just the two of you getting ready. While standing in the mirror to tie up your hair, you spot a familiar face in the background and your eyes go wide, elbow nudging into Hani's side a bit harder than you intended.

"Ow, what the-" You shoot her a look and she quiets down.

"That's her." You whisper, eyes staring down a woman through the mirror, glancing away after your friend sees who you were looking at.

"His side hoe? Candy the Stripper?" She whispers, eyes now locked on the unassuming lady.

"Yes, now stop staring." You say, so she looks away and continues struggling with her hair.

"She's not even that pretty." Hani scoffs. "Should we go over there and say something?"

"No! I don't want to ever have to interact with her or that asshole ever again." You roll your eyes, preparing to leave as soon as possible. "Come on, just leave your hair down, it's gonna get messy anyway." Hani stops to look at you with attitude, running her fingers through the long ropes of her hair.

"The goal is to not look like Medusa by the end of today, this monstrosity needs to be contained." She was right. Sometimes it seemed like her hair had a mind of its own and did whatever it wanted, so you let her take her time pushing it back into a loose ponytail, offering Candy a few quick glances before grabbing your things and walking out.

"I'm heading back to Jimin. We'll be out there waiting." You say, not looking back to see if Candy was looking. Honestly you felt like you looked way better than her. Your body was better, your personality was better, and you were rocking your outfit. This was your moment to shine.

Walking out of the changing room felt like you were walking down a runway. Maybe it was just the clothes you were wearing but something felt different. You felt good, sexy even, and all you wanted to do was put yourself on display for everyone to see the new and improved version of you. Things seemed to move in slow motion as Jimin turned his head and saw you walking— no, striding toward him in the middle of the busy walkway. From the way your hips swayed, to the swing of your hair, to the slight attitude you put into every movement especially when you put on your sunglasses, you looked like a freshly opened box of sunshine, radiating confidence and beauty for the world to see. But then you caught sight of that sickeningly greasy grin from behind your boyfriend and just like that the box was slammed shut, sealed with chains, and shoved into a bedroom closet.

You almost stopped dead in your tracks when you saw his face, the face that you wished you would never have to look at again, the face that made you sick to your stomach just thinking about it. You were glad your shades were partially covering your expression because you were sure you looked mortified. But it was as if he could sense your discomfort and his smile grew when he noticed the effect he had on you. He always did that. Smiled when you would crawl back into your shell and turn into a passive being. It was like he fed off of your anxiety and it somehow made him bigger, or at least feel bigger, and it was instances like this that gave him the opportunity to walk all over you. Your perception of him is now strongly skewed since you broke up with him. In only a week’s time, you have been treated better by Jimin than your ex ever did in the two years you were together and you quickly realized just how much he had abused you. Not physically, but emotionally. He abused his power over you because he knew you wouldn't do a damn thing about it. Told you not to get too confident because "you could always look better". One time he even yelled at you in public for "dressing like a slut" when your skirt was an inch too short, which is ironic considering the woman he ended up with. But all of the little things like that crushed your self esteem and you had turned into a timid girl around him without even noticing it.

You were never like that with Jimin. Even when you were still just friends, you were a completely different person. It wasn't just that you were comfortable around him, but somehow you knew he would never pass judgment on you and that you always had a listening ear, shoulder to cry on, and a ball of happiness to brighten your days. It was good to know that he stayed consistent with that as a boyfriend.

Chopping your steps, you shift your eyes back to the man who actually loves you and scurry toward him, nearly tripping over your own feet. Your head and shoulders had dropped without you realizing it, but Jimin noticed. He was watching you the whole time.

"What's wrong?" He asks, analyzing your face. He could see the small frown you tried to conceal and the nervous way you wiped your clammy hands against your leg.

"Nothing's wrong. What do you mean?" You respond, trying to sound convincing and failing.

"You look like you've just seen a ghost." He chuckles. You laugh along halfheartedly, but don't reply. As far as you were concerned, your ex was dead to you, so Jimin was not completely wrong. It felt as if you **had seen a ghost. A ghost from your not so distant past.

“Uh, where did the others go?” Changing the subject, you shift the attention away from yourself.

“Still over by the lockers. They wanted to lounge by the wave pool, but I think we should eat lunch first.” As he speaks, you try to pay attention, but your eyes keep flicking behind him nervously. Quite honestly, you weren’t sure whether or not you wanted to know if your ex was still staring at you, but curiosity gets the better of you.

“Oh, okay.” You respond absently.

“Unless you don’t feel like eating now? I know they always say not to eat before you swim...”

“Uh huh.”

“But it’s up to you. What do you want to do?” You don’t notice how he rambles on, eyes bouncing around your body as he tries to control himself. You look so damn good and you don’t even know it, and all he can think about doing is pulling you aside somewhere to show you just how hot he thinks you are. Shit, he better stop before he makes himself hard.

“Huh?” You’re a little startled, only now snapping out of your worrying, and he looks at you expectantly. “Let’s just walk around first and see what’s here. I think I might want to go on some rides before eating.”

“Okay, let’s go tell the others.” You follow as he leads you back toward the lockers where Hani is putting away the rest of her things and Jungkook is avoiding Jieun’s eyes at all costs as she stands in her bikini, spraying herself with sunblock.

“Put the hat in the locker!” Hani groans at Taehyung, but he just shakes his head like a little kid.

“No, it looks good on me.” He pouts.

“Yeah, but we’re at a water park. Take it off.”

“You said you liked it.” Oh, so that’s why he’s being like this. Jimin can only sigh. He thinks that stupid beanie is his good luck charm simply because Hani thinks it looks nice on him.

“Tae, don’t be like this.” You reach over and snatch the hat from his head, throwing it into the locker so Hani can finally close it. Jungkook looks over at you gratefully, moving away from his date to stand beside you so he can breathe a little easier.

“We’re about to head over to the wave pool, you coming?” He inquires.

“Actually, we’re going to go on some slides first. We’ll catch up with you later.” Jimin answers, receiving a nod from the group.

“Okay, we’ll try to save you some seats.” Jungkook assures with a wave as you and Jimin turn to leave. Your eyes scan the area while you walk and Jimin catches on to the odd expression adorning your face, sliding his hand into yours and making you jump a little.

“You okay?” He’s concerned and that’s the last thing you need him to be. “What’s with that look?”

“What look?”

“That look you get when you’re overthinking something. You had that same look on your face when we woke up the morning after the club last week.” Heat blooms across your face at the memory, how you tried to act as if everything was normal and cool while getting dressed, but ended up freaking out internally and staring off into space during breakfast. You were worrying about how your friends might feel about your relationship and how things might change between you and Jimin, but of course he was there to dispel all of your worries with kisses and a cute date.

“I’m just thinking.” Brushing off his concern, you mentally scold yourself. This day wasn’t about your ex, seeing him isn’t the end of the world, you should be paying more attention to having fun with your current boyfriend, who wants nothing more than to adore you and make you feel comfortable. Stop giving him things to stress about.

“Would you like to share what you’re thinking?” He asks carefully.

“Nope, it’s not anything important.” Walking a little faster, you squeeze his hand. “Let’s get on this ride, I’ll race you to the bottom!”

It always amazes you how spending time with Jimin can change your mood so easily. He had the ability to erase every doubt and anxiety out of your mind with a simple smile or laugh, and it’s always been like that with him, but now you finally understand the love behind each of his actions toward you. Plus, now he can shamelessly check you out and touch you whenever he wants because you’re officially his. It seems like every time you climbed up the stairs to get to the top of one of those water slides, he made sure you were in front of him just so he could stare at, grab, or smack your ass at any point and time. And each time you would squeal and laugh, shooting him a look when he’d act like it wasn’t him. The two of you breeze through half of the water park before you know it, skin and hair soaked but drying quickly in the heat and sun. Jimin keeps you close and all times, wanting to make sure all the guys who stopped to stare knew you were his.

“Are you hungry, babe?” You ask Jimin, tugging on his arm a little as you pass a food court.

“Starving.” He exaggerates, making you giggle. After you make a stop by the lockers, which you had apparently made it back around to, he returns. “You go order, I’ll find us seats.” He hands you a wad of money from his pocket and sends you off, knowing you already know what to get him since he always orders the same thing anytime you go out somewhere. He watches as you walk away, swaying your hips just a little extra because you can feel him watching, and you smirk to yourself as you imagine the cute blush on his cheeks.

Once in line, you look past the row of heads in front of you toward the menu, deciding what you want to order. The line gets longer behind you, but you pay no attention as you wait for the person at the front to finish, who is apparently ordering every item on the fucking menu, you assume. But then a nauseating stench hits you, one that smells of hair gel and too much cologne and you know who it is before he even starts to speak, already standing too close to you.

“Didn’t expect to see you here.” The man behind you speaks with a hint of amusement in his voice and you shudder, turning slightly to look at him from the corner of your eye. Unsurprisingly, you see that it is indeed your ex who has snuck up behind you. After getting no response, he continues. “This can’t be a coincidence; are you following me? Wow, (y/n), I never thought you’d go as far as stalking me while I’m on a date- I mean that’s a bit much, even for you.” You let out a heavy sigh, knowing that if you keep quiet eventually he’ll stop talking or leave, but also knowing how comfortable he is with having one sided conversations since he never gives anyone a chance to respond to him. “And I was just thinking about you yesterday too, wondering how you’ve been holding up without me... figured you were probably somewhere sulking or crying to your friends, but this? This is just sad. Showing up to spy on me during my date? I didn’t think you were that lonely. I bet you came here alone, didn’t you?”

He keeps talking and you take a step forward as the line moves up, clenching your fists tightly and looking toward the tables, seeing that Jimin had found an empty one and was patiently waiting for you. You hoped he didn’t look up and see your ex talking to you because if he did, you were sure he would storm over and punch his face in for even having the gall to talk to you, and you didn’t have the time or money to bail Jimin out of jail.

“And did you wear that slutty outfit in hopes of winning me back, cuz it’s not gonna work. You can show off all the skin you want, it’s not gonna make you any more attractive.” His malicious words sting a little bit, your rage building up with every word that came out of his sour mouth and all you wanted to do was curse him out in front of everyone. But break, my heart; for I must hold my tongue. You think, feeling like Hamlet, caught in a web of misfortune and inconvenience. You settle for turning around calmly, speaking to him in an even and firm voice as not to draw attention to yourself.

“Did you come here just to harass me?” You ask, mustering the straightest face you can hold.

“I’m not harassing you, you’re the one that followed me here to spy on me.” The smug look on his face tells you that all he wants is a reaction from you, your acknowledgment of him giving him exactly what he craved: attention.

“Okay wow,” You scoff. “Don’t flatter yourself. I will never be that desperate, especially not for you. And what makes you think I want you back?” You’re insulted that he even has the audacity to think that about you, much less to say it out loud.

“Well considering how poorly you treated me and my girlfriend last time we saw each other, and how you ruined all of my stuff by throwing it out on your lawn, I figured you wanted to apologize.” Girlfriend. Just the thought of him calling her that makes you sick because, at the time of the incident, you were supposed to be filling that role. It takes everything in you not to yell at him and slap him across the face, your blood boiling at this point.

“Don’t you dare try to play the victim. I caught you cheating. You cheated on me, not the other way around, so don’t even try to act like I’m the bad guy here.” You hiss, speaking lowly and shooting daggers at him with your eyes. You don’t even bother to address all the stuff he said about you before, you don’t care about what he thinks of you anymore, but you would not accept him pretending as if you did something wrong. Jimin spent too much time assuring you of your innocence for him to come and fuck it all up.

Before he can retort, you finally reach the front of the line, addressing the worker with a smile and beginning your order. You can feel him standing behind you, scrutinizing your every movement: the nervous way you rock back and forth on your toes slightly as you recite your order, the way your fingers tap at the counter distractedly while the cashier calculates your change, the politeness in your voice when you thank her and take your large tray of food, skirting past him without giving him a second glance before heading toward the crowded tables. You were always the same and he supposed you shouldn’t change that much in 2 weeks, but there was something different about you. And he only noticed it when he saw you sit at the table with Jimin, smiling and giving each other heart eyes. You were... happy. And confident. And possibly even in love. And he wasn’t sure how he felt about that.

Lunch passes quickly, your overpriced food tasting below average yet fully satisfying your hunger, and soon you and Jimin are on your way back to your friends, deciding that now is the perfect time to sit and relax on the beach chairs. There are seemingly hundreds of chairs lined up, clustered together in front of the wave pool where children and adults splash around and play, and there is no way that you’d be able to find where your friends are.

“I think I can see Jungkook in the water over there,” Jimin points, grabbing your hand to lead you into the shallow end of the giant pool. “He’s all the way over in the deep end. Wait here, I’ll go get him.” He announces to you before wading deeper into the crowded waters, avoiding careless children too wrapped up in their games and moving a little too far from their parents. Your eyes are on his bare back as he walks, muscles flexing with every step as he makes his way, and you follow him until he’s chest deep before you look away.

Sitting down on the sloped bank of the pool, you watch the people around you enjoying their day in the sun and think about how this day could have been perfect. How it would have been a perfect date with your perfect boyfriend if That Bastard hadn’t shown up and tried to talk to you. Actually, it still is the perfect date, you’re the only one ruining it. Jimin probably doesn’t even know your ex is here, the thought of him never crossing his mind, but your mind is plagued with images of him and the harsh words he spoke to you back there. You don’t want Jimin to have a bad time because of your mood, but as you’re left alone, it’s starting to become harder and harder for you to fight these negative emotions. You were pretty quiet while you were eating, you wonder if he noticed. If he caught the way you would zone out occasionally and miss his words. Jimin was right earlier, you are overthinking, you always do, and if he tried hard enough, he would probably be able to figure out what exactly you were thinking about. Maybe he’s already figured it out, maybe he saw your ex and has been trying extra hard to cheer you up and show you a good time and you were just being stupid and stubborn by not making an effort to be happier. Once again, you’re screwing up. Just like how you screwed up your relationship and how you ignored all of Jimin’s efforts to show his love for you over the years.

A splash of water hits you straight in the face, jolting you out of your stupor and you’re dragged back into reality by the water that drips down into your ear. “Oops! I’m sorry Miss.” A young girl apologizes, turning back to her brother to yell at him and chase him around. You wave them off, tilting and shaking your head until you can hear from your right ear again.

God, you hate your mind. How did you dig yourself into this self-depreciating hole again? All of the insecurities Jimin has been working so hard to erase have come back so easily after one 5 minute conversation with the narcissistic asshole that cheated on you, and now you’re back to square one. Of course, he’s only had a week to change your mentality, but you were making a lot of progress and you’re throwing it all in the trash right now. You need to pull yourself out of this one this time, it’s not fair to Jimin if you don’t. Plus, you’re in the middle of a water park where you are supposed to be having fun, this is no place for sadness or guilt. Pull yourself together. The only person that thinks you’re a fuck up is you; your boyfriend absolutely adores you and cares about you and that’s all that matters, so you owe it to him to show him that same attention.

Speaking of, here he comes now, and damn does he look fine. Emerging from the water like some sort of god, Jimin makes his way toward you, Jungkook following closely behind, but your eyes don’t even see him. Droplets of moisture slide down your boyfriend’s hard chest and abs, glistening in the light beautifully. Your mouth gets dry and starts to water all at the same time when you take in how he looks when he sweeps the hair off his forehead, bicep bulging at the subtle movement in the most delicious way. His thighs pop from underneath his trunks, golden skin pulled tight over the strong cords of muscle that are built from exercise, and you can feel your pussy clench. Anything you were thinking about prior to seeing him is long gone from your brain and you can barely function until he’s standing right in front of you, looking angelic with the sunlight beaming behind his head. Your savior. The only one who can snatch you from your thoughts. You forget everything you were feeling insecure about moments before.

“C’mon, let’s head over to the seats.” You blink at Jimin when he speaks, only half registering that he’s talking to you. You don’t even notice that the waves have started up again, the increasing tide nearly knocking you over as you continue to sit and stare. He reaches a hand down to you and you take it, allowing him to pull you up from the water with a laugh.

“When did you get so sexy?” You manage to mumble, still ogling him as you follow Jungkook into the maze of lounge chairs.

He blushes, caught off guard by your sudden compliment. “I’ve been shirtless this entire time, why are you only noticing this now?” Cockiness: the ultimate cover up for shyness. You mirror his grin.

“Oh I’ve noticed, Jiminnie. I just keep noticing every time I look at you. You literally make me breathless.” To this he has nothing to say, looking away from you so you don’t see the bashful smile splitting his cheeks. He could say the same about you, but that would go on forever.

“Hey, there you are!” Hani exclaims, jumping up from where she was reclining to run up to your side. “Come with me, I want shaved ice.” Before you know it, you’re being dragged away before you even have a chance to put your things down. The boys look on in confusion.

“What was that about?” Jimin asks Taehyung, who looks utterly unbothered from where he sits. But as soon as he removes his sunglasses, his two friends can see the furrow in his dark eyebrows.

The concession stand isn’t far away, close enough that you can see where the seats are from where you stand in line. Hani stares straight ahead, instructing you to do the same and you listen, not looking at her when you speak. “So what the hell was that?”

“I don’t know what’s up with Taehyung today,” She blurts, causing you to glance at her, but she quickly reprimands you. “But he’s been acting really weird lately.”

“How so?”

“He was being super nice to me earlier and we actually had, like, a real conversation for once.”

“About?”

“About the word ‘date’. I told him I didn’t like that word and he tried to convince me that this is a date.”

“Oh?”

“But that’s not what’s weird. He’s been really clingy and lowkey possessive of me and it’s starting to freak me out.” You hum in thought and she continues. “Like a few minutes ago, when we were trying to find more beach chairs, because originally we could only get 3 that were next to each other, and I went over to this group of guys sitting next to us and finessed them into moving. Then Taehyung had the nerve to look all butthurt and upset like I did something wrong.” You can tell by the way her voice gets higher in pitch that she’s upset.

“Well, were you flirting with them?” You’re well aware of her definition of “finesse” and it usually involves using her body and charm to get what she wants. And it works almost every time.

“No! ...I mean, I can see how it would look like I was flirting from his point of view.” She scratches her cheek and you sigh.

/////

“What happened?” Jimin asks Taehyung, sitting on the recliner next to him after placing down his towel.

“Hani has no respect for me,” He starts, pouting and turning his body away from where you and her are standing.

“I don’t think Hani respects any of us.” Jungkook states, closing his mouth when Taehyung shoots him a glare.

“What did she do?” Jimin presses, glancing up at you two in the distance.

“We were trying to get seats for you guys when she sees these 3 dudes sitting next to us. She goes ‘I’ll ask them to move so we can have 6 seats together’ and I nod, thinking she’ll just politely ask them to sit somewhere else, but the next thing I know is she’s over there bending over and showing off her tits and ass and flipping her hair and those guys are loving it. I swear, I think one of them was actually drooling. Five minutes later, she comes back like nothing happened and says that we can have the seats.”

“So, you’re upset that she used her body to get what she wants?” Jimin questions with a raised brow. As if she doesn’t do that all the time.

“No, I’m upset that she... well... yeah.” Thinking about it, that’s exactly what’s gotten Tae’s panties in a bundle.

“Hyung, she does that to you all the time.” Jungkook points out, snickering at the look of despair on his friend’s face.

“This is different.” He can’t quite put it into words, but this time her antics struck a nerve in him. Tae can’t really explain because they weren’t there, they didn’t see it like he did.

“Why? Because it wasn’t directed at you this time?” Now Jimin is also chuckling, patting his friend on the shoulder as he weakly tries to defend himself.

“That’s exactly what it is,” Jungkook mocks, imitating Tae’s deep voice. “‘I’m Taehyung and Hani’s only allowed to show off for me because we’re fucking and she’s mine now. Her ass belongs to me and nobody else.’” He laughs loudly, Jimin joining in when Tae frantically turns to make sure you and Hani aren’t heading back yet. He doesn’t even question how Jungkook knows about the two of them.

“Shut up! Both of you!” He hisses.

/////

“Maybe he just doesn’t like you flirting with other men.” You reason to her, almost at the front of the line. “Probably because he likes you.” You wiggle your eyebrows at her and she turns her head from you, accidentally looking back toward your friends and making eye contact with the very man she’s trying to avoid. They both look away quickly.

“It’s not my fault if they flirt with me first. I will not apologize for being Fine As Fuck™, sorry not sorry.” Crossing her arms, she steps up in line ahead of you.

“I’m just saying that you don’t always have to flirt back.”

“Whatever. What do you know, you didn’t even notice Jimin had been flirting with you for 5 years.” She rolls her eyes and you choose not to take offense to that.

“Yeah, but once I finally realized, I actually did something about it and that’s why we’re dating today. I know you’re ‘allergic to commitment’ or whatever, but he likes you. And if you like him back then you need to grow some balls and speak up if you want anything more to happen between you two. Lord knows he’s terrible at taking hints. And apparently you are too.” You side eye her. She ponders your words for a few silent seconds before it’s her turn at the register and she orders her beloved shaved ice. She stays silent when you order too, getting an ice cream cone that’s probably too big for you, and you both head over to the flavor station where she can add her favorite flavored syrups until, finally, she breaks the silence.

“Since when did you get so wise?” She sounds a little spiteful, but you just shrug.

“Seems like I’m good at giving everyone advice but myself.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m just,” You let out a deep huff, causing her to look at you. “I saw He Who Must Not Be Named here, right after we saw Candy.”

“That Bastard-!”

“Listen!” You whine, cutting her off. “He approached me when I was getting lunch and tried to talk to me.”

“What did he say?” Now the two of you are standing in front of the station, blocking anyone who needs to use the machine, but no one seems to need it so you stay in your position.

“Some bullshit about how I’m spying on him and his whore while they’re on a date. I really don’t feel like repeating it,”

“Understandable.”

“But he really got into my head. Jimin didn’t see him, thankfully, but I felt really bad and insecure and all this shit that made me realize that I’m still not fully over the break up. Of course I’m over him, but this whole thing still feels so fresh and I kept trying to ignore it and distract myself with Jimin, but I’m still so broken. I think... I don’t know.” Bowing your head, you try to control your emotions. Saying this out loud felt worse than you thought it would. You probably sound so pathetic right now.

“Honey, no one expects you to be healed yet. It’s been, what, two weeks? Break ups take time and no amount of friends or perfect new boyfriends is going to change that. We can certainly help to make the healing go faster, but it’ll take time. And maybe these feelings will never go away, but you’ll get stronger and learn to deal with them. It’s way too soon to see him again, I can’t believe he even had the guts to come up to you. Actually, where is he? I need to have a word with him.”

“Don’t. I don’t want anyone interacting with him, he’s not worth it.” A small inkling of you really wants to see Hani beat the shit out of him and his new girl, but you have to be more mature than that.

“Fine, but just say the word and I’ll be there to kick his ass any time, any place.” She smiles, and you thank her fondly. “Anything for my main bitch.” Hani may be salty, loud, and obnoxious most of the time, but there are a few select moments where she can be really sweet. Her loyalty is unmatched by anyone you’ve met and that’s why you’re proud to call her your best friend. She’s had your back since Day 1 and you know that’s not going to change for a very long time. The tender moment is cut short, however, by some douchebag bumping her out of the way to get to the machine you’re both blocking.

/////

“I don’t think you have the right to be angry with her, hyung. She’s not your girlfriend or anything.” Jungkook takes a seat now too, sipping from Taehyung’s water bottle, which he snatches back from his hands.

“Don’t you have a date to entertain or something? Why are you over here with us?” Realization hits Kookie as he remembers that he left Jieun alone in the water, and he gets up in a hurry to rush back to her, hoping she doesn’t think he’s a dick for leaving her.

“He’s right.” Tae scoffs at Jimin, sliding his sunglasses back over his eyes. “I’m not here to tell you that it’s wrong for you to feel that way, but until you actually tell her that you want more, she’s free to do whatever she wants. And so are you.” Both men turn their heads to Hani just in time to see some guy bump into her while she’s flavoring her ice. She looks at him, irritated, but he smiles regardless, bowing his head in apology. They watch as he sparks up conversation, ignoring her raised eyebrows and tight lip to lean in closer to her.

“I know that, but if I’m being honest, I don’t think the flirting will ever stop, regardless of what I do.” Tae slumps.

/////

“That’s not what I meant.” The mystery guy chuckles nervously, clearly intimidated by Hani’s attitude, but obviously not enough to stop talking to her.

“It doesn’t matter what you meant, that’s what you said. Besides, you were already being rude by interrupting our very heartfelt conversation and you’re still being rude because you seem to think it’s okay to start a new one in the middle of ours.” Her pretty eyes bore into his and he’s left speechless for a moment, trying to recover the smooth ease he had a few sentences ago.

He looks to you seemingly for some sort of help but you just take a lick of your ice cream and look him up and down with a judgey raise of your brow. “That was pretty rude of you.”

“Then I apologize, it was my fault-“

“It absolutely was.” Hani cuts him off and his mouth is left hanging.

“I just wanted to know what you two beautiful girls are doing over here all by yourselves.” His toothy grin is back, though he doesn’t pull it off nearly as well as Jimin does, and both of you roll your eyes at his cheesy pick up line.

“We’re not interested.” Hani begins to walk away and you follow at her heels.

“And who says we’re alone?” Looking over your shoulder, you see that he’s taken a few steps toward you, but stops when you glare at him.

“Wait, I didn’t catch your name.” He calls to Hani, to which she replies:

“I didn’t throw it.” Without even glancing back at him. Then she turns and smirks at you triumphantly. “See, I didn’t flirt back. I’m making progress already.”

Back over with the boys, you finally get the chance to sit and relax, offering to share your ice cream with Jimin because it truly is huge, and he gladly accepts. He bites it like a serial killer, but you decide to let it go this one time because it feels nice sitting next to him and just being with him like this. Hani’s reassurance has instilled new confidence in you and you realize that you don’t have to pretend that everything is normal again. Jimin understands that you’re still hurt, he knows he isn’t the Magic Cure to everything, but he’s doing his best to be there for you and keep you happy and okay for now. That’s all he can do, that’s the only thing that’s in his control, and now that you know your role, it’s easier to see his intentions. All he wants is to be happy with you and show you that you’re loved. He isn’t trying to be a replacement or what your previous boyfriend should have been. He’s just being himself and doing what he’s always done best: be there for you.

Jimin isn’t sure how well he’s been doing at this whole boyfriend thing, but you seem to be okay. Something is definitely going on with you today, but he won’t press you if you don’t want to talk about it. Plus, he knows that if you don’t tell him, you’ll most likely confide in Hani, and he’s fine with that. You seem to be doing better than before, more at ease, comfortable, and as you share licks of ice cream, he can’t help but stare at you and get lost in his emotions. He doesn’t understand how someone had this, had you, and let all of it go to ruin so carelessly. God, you’re so beautiful it kills him. The way your eyes sparkle whenever you look up at him, cheeks curling in laughter when he gets a brain freeze. Even the way you swat at tiny bugs that surround your face is cute, your little frustrated huffs making him chuckle. But his eyes are locked on one thing in particular and he can’t seem to focus on anything else: your mouth. It should be illegal for you to look this good, glossy lips parting so you can lick your way up the dripping cone, the action almost seeming erotic when you do it while making eye contact with him. That sinful tongue of yours peeking out to lick away white, creamy goodness that sticks to your chin and the corners of your mouth, leaving them slightly wet and shiny. It reminds him of something else, something he hasn’t been able to stop thinking about since your first time together last week, and the imagery is driving him nuts.

“You’re so perfect.” He comments randomly, making you raise your brows at him.

“I’m not.” Pushing hair away from your face, you look down bashfully. He lifts your chin with one finger in the most cliche way, but in all honesty, if you weren’t already sitting your knees would have gone weak.

“Okay, nobody’s perfect, but you’re about as close as it gets. You’re perfect to me.” You can feel yourself blushing, face hotter than the metal of the lounger you’re sitting on, but you’re starting to get used to feeling that way around Jimin. The increased heart rate, flushed face, butterflies, those are all symptoms of being around him and you’re sure they won’t be going away any time soon.

“Where is this coming from?” You ask, smiling as his face nears unnoticeably.

“I told you, I’m going to say it every time I think it just so you know how often I’m thinking about you. So you better get used to taking compliments.” Before you can say anything, your lips collide in a sweet kiss, not deep or hurried, but careful and loving.

“Look at them, it’s like they’re in a fucking movie.” Hani chides playfully at Jimin’s first compliment to a still disgruntled Taehyung. He doesn’t say anything to her but looks at you two, envious of what you have. Yet his heart still bursts with joy that his best friends have found love. This could be us but you playing, he thinks. “Are you still mad at me?”

“I’m not mad at you.” He says simply, returning to his laid back position and shutting his eyes.

“You’re also not a good liar.” She’s too tired to play along, this is becoming painful. “If you’re still in your feelings about me ‘flirting’ with those guys earlier, I’m sorry. I was just trying to get these seats, I didn’t know it would make you feel that way.” Was she apologizing? Hani never apologizes, at least not sincerely. He wants to see where this goes.

“I don’t care about who you flirt with, you’re a grown woman, do what you want.”

“And I’m sorry about the guy at the concession stand. I know you saw. I didn’t flirt back.”

“It’s not about the flirting, Hani-“

“And I’m sorry about what I said earlier, on the Teacups.” This makes Tae stop, looking up at her over his sunglasses before realizing that he probably looks silly and taking them off. “I know what I said sounded harsh, I didn’t mean for it to come out like that. I said we would never be more than fuck buddies but... I don’t know that. And I don’t know how you feel. Really, I don’t even know how I feel!” She lets out a humorless laugh, shifting her eyes away from him. “I’m... I’m just... such a fucking idiot sometimes. The truth is, I panicked when you said all that stuff about being a couple. I- I got scared because it made me **feel something and I didn’t know what to do with that so I got all defensive and... I’m sorry. We can be whatever you want us to be. I need to stop jumping to conclusions and making decisions for the both of us, it’s not fair to you. So, we can be whatever.”

Tae doesn’t respond, just looks at her looking at him, blinking wordlessly. He isn’t too sure what he should say or what she was expecting to hear from him. Should he forgive her? Leave her on edge a little? He doesn’t know what to do, so he just nods.

“Okay.”

“Okay?” Hani blanches, and for probably the first time ever, Taehyung sees her show a little shame and humility. She’s a person that lives unapologetically with zero regrets and here he is turning her cheeks pink and making her mouth drop open like a fish. “The fuck is ‘okay’ supposed to mean?” But her words don’t hold the usual spice in them, it’s genuine and soft, vulnerable.

“I believe ‘okay’ is a word generally used to show acknowledgement for what someone has just said,” She narrows her eyes at him and he grins. “It means that I’ll take what you said to heart and think about it.”

Before she can reply, you gasp loudly and stand up, streaks of translucent white sliding down your chest between your boobs as Jimin sits there flush faced and dumbfounded. The ice cream (yes it’s ice cream, get your mind out of the gutter) had dropped out of its container and landed straight on your chest while you and Jimin were making out, leaving him sitting there with an empty cone in his hand and a spatter of frozen dairy on your chair. The coldness sends chills down your spine and you shiver, hands up and ready to do something, but there’s really nothing you can do at this point.

“I’m gonna go to the bathroom to clean up.” You stutter out, avoiding the amused and questioning looks from the people around you. Taehyung stands up too, leaving Hani with words right on the tip of her tongue.

“I have to go to the restroom too, I’ll walk you there.” And then the two of you are gone, Jimin and Hani staring at your backs as you disappear into the crowd. As you walk, he turns to you, smirking cockily. “Your timing could not have been better.”

“What?” The initial shock is gone but you’re still uncomfortable, keeping up your fast walking pace.

“I don’t know what you said to her earlier, but Hani just apologized to me and I think she was expecting me to confess my feelings to her or something. Then I just stood up and left.” He’s laughing now, almost like he’s lost his sanity, and you don’t know what to say to that. Thankfully, he doesn’t wait for your reply. “I feel invincible right now, like I can do anything! You should have seen her face, I don’t think anyone’s ever left her hanging like that, especially on the rare occasions when she shows emotion. Now she knows how I feel all the time.” It almost feels like justice to Taehyung, the way he’s flipped the tables on her like that. He’s the one being sought after now, not the other way around, and she has to sit there and guess what he’s thinking until he decides to open up and tell her. It’s a game of wit, control, and finally it’s his turn to deal the cards and give her a taste of her own medicine. When he glances over at you, you hear his snort. “You know that looks like cum, right?” He points with one of his long fingers, and you answer him with a glare and a slap at his hand, ignoring his comment.

“I’m happy for you. Just don’t drag it out for too long, or else she’s gonna give up on you and start hating you.” You’ve seen her do it before.

“I won’t.” He sighs as you reach the separate restrooms. He does plan on basking in the mini victory while he can, however.

In the bathroom, you try to collect yourself. Your mind is still reeling, not from the ice cream incident, but from that kiss. You’ve never kissed in public before and now that you’re thinking back on how you probably looked, it’s embarrassing. But it didn’t feel wrong. Everything about it felt right, like his lips were made for you. You wonder how long he’ll keep the complimenting thing going, you’re not complaining, but you imagine that he’ll stop at some point. You don’t want him to stop. You don’t want it to ever stop because it makes you feel good, special, important, loved. It’s amazing how much the little things matter in a relationship, things you never needed or wanted before suddenly become something you thrive off of and you can’t pull yourself back from the high. Jimin calling you perfect, you never thought you needed to hear that until now. And it was sincere, everything in his body language showed you that, and that kiss made you feel more than a little loved. It also made you a lot horny, and now you have to deal with that familiar throbbing between your legs, only this time it calls for Jimin and nobody else.

Fixing your appearance, you take a few deep breaths in the mirror. How can one man make you forget yourself so quickly with just a touch of his fingertips? Jimin has so much power over you in the best way possible and you’ve only been together for a week. But his power is not like the kind your ex gained and abused, no, Jimin earned his by treating you like a human being and loving you with his heart, and you’re certain he would never use that against you. With high hopes, you walk out of the bathroom, only to run into the same metaphorical brick wall that’s been holding you back all this time.

“I saw you with your new little girlfriend and the three stooges over there.” A voice approaches you, causing an immediate headache to form behind your eyes. Something tells you to keep walking and ignore him, but your body freezes against your will and allows him to near you.

“I already know how you feel about my friends, I’m not stupid. But obviously I’m not that smart either because I was dumb enough to date you in the first place.” You mumble out. “And what makes Jimin my ‘little girlfriend’ and not a man? Does he need to act like a dick all the time like you to gain your approval?” The scowl on your lips only deepens when you see his smirk.

“He doesn’t need my approval, he’s just a rebound anyway. I always knew you were quick with the guys...” He drawls. The degrading insults are right on his tongue and he doesn’t even need to directly say them for you to know what he’s implying, to know what he thinks of you.

“So you get to move on immediately after our breakup with no remorse, but when I move on to someone who actually loves me, I’m the slut? Yeah, that makes a whole lot of fucking sense.” You roll your eyes, fed up with this conversation and wishing he would just walk away already.

“I’m not the bad guy here, I found someone better than you; did you expect me to hold myself back just to appease you?”

“No, I found someone better than you; you downgraded from me to whatever the hell that is.” You say, eyes pointing directly behind him and he knows exactly who you’re looking at— the short woman still too intimidated by your last encounter to approach any closer. Your level of sass shocks him for a moment and you know you’ve caught him. Looks like you’ve finally realized you don’t have to take his shit anymore. While he is still speechless, you decide to continue. “And if you weren’t the ‘bad guy’ here you would have taken the shorter, less complicated route and broken up with me long before you started seeing another woman. But you decided to take the most painful way around things and cheat, then lie about it, only to break up with me when you got caught and acted like it was your plan all along!”

He opens his mouth to say something, possibly to defend himself or insult you more, but a third voice cuts in before he can respond.

“Excuse me, ma’am, sir,” A park security guard interrupts, walking to stand right next to you two. He’s not super strong or tall or anything, but he has a uniform and you can tell it makes him feel big. He puffs out his chest a bit as he speaks. “I’m going to have to ask you to keep your arguing and profanity down to a minimum, this is a family friendly environment.”

You make eye contact with him and you must be giving him a death glare because he instantly shrivels up at the sight of it. The guard clears his throat, wishing both of you a good day before thanking you and walking away awkwardly, leaving you to continue your conversation.

“Please stop approaching me, it’s to the point where you look like the stalker here, not me. And I’m gonna repeat this old childhood phrase because apparently you don’t know it: if you don’t have anything nice to say, keep your mouth shut.” With this, you turn your back on him and walk back to where your friends are. He reaches out for you, but you’re quick enough to evade his hand. If he would have touched you, you were sure you would have lost it and punched him in the jaw, but luckily his hand misses and you are able to walk away peacefully. You look up to see a concerned Taehyung who watched the entire scene unfold.

“Do I need to go over there and fuck him up?” He asks in his sweet baritone voice once you reach him.

“No. Why does everyone want to fight him?” You sigh.

“Because he deserves it.” Taehyung shrugs, throwing an arm over your shoulders, and you lean your head into his side as he walks you back over.

“What happened?” Upon seeing the look on your face, Jimin gets up and moves toward you, not taking no for an answer when you try to wave him off.

“She saw-“

“Don’t say his name.” You snap, and Taehyung rolls his eyes.

“She saw That Bastard over there and he felt the need to come up and say something to her. It looked like she handled him pretty well but I was watching to make sure nothing else went down.” Passing you off like a baby, Taehyung hands you to Jimin who pulls you into his arms to cuddle you tight.

“I’m fine, really. It’s not that big of a deal.” You muffle into his chest, cheek pressed against his bare skin.

“That’s it. Where’s Jungkook? We’re going over there to rough him up a bit for talking to our girl like that.” Hani stands up too and now you feel like you’re surrounded, so you push Jimin away gently just so you can breathe.

“Guys stop. Leave it alone. This doesn’t have anything to do with you guys, it’s something that I can handle on my own.” That’s a damn lie and they know it, it shows on their faces.

“But you don’t have to.” Hani stresses, looking straight into your eyes. “We’re your support system, let us help.”

“The best thing you guys can do for me is to help me forget about him. I don’t want this day to become more about him than it is about us having fun together. Can we just pretend that never happened and move on?” With sympathetic stares, everyone nods and let’s it go. The day progresses as if nothing is wrong, you all finish the rest of the slides at the water park before deciding to get dressed once again and head back to the regular park to experience the remaining few rollercoasters.

Jungkook and Jieun have long disappeared from your group, it is their first date after all, so you completely understand that they want to do their own thing for a while. Eventually, Jimin makes the point that you are also on one of your first dates as he pulls you away from Taehyung and Hani, who barely realize as they’re absorbed in their own conversation. From what you heard, Taehyung is finally enlightening her about his feelings, though probably not confessing to her directly, and you wonder if today is the start of something new for them. They’re talk must have went well because you later see them strolling around together, Hani tapping out from the rollercoasters for the rest of the afternoon and instead focusing her energy on winning prizes at the game counters.

You and Jimin just walk for a while, taking in the beautiful scenery around you. He’s watching you, you can feel it, but you try your best to ignore it. Now that he knows what has been bothering you all day, Jimin feels a little guilty. As your boyfriend, he should have done something about your ex, told him to leave you alone and never talk to you ever again or something. But he is more concerned about your feelings more than anything. Gloom has consumed the rest of your energy and you seem almost sluggish now, dragging your feet and staring off into space. He feels responsible in a way and tries to make up for it by actively looking around for anything that may upset you so that he can protect you, but he gets the sense that you’re doing the same, even if it’s not intentional. The two of you get on a few more rides, Jimin even suggesting it despite you knowing how terrified he was of them, but nothing he does seems to lift your spirits.

“Can we just... sit?” You ask him quietly, leading him over to a bench on the side. The oppressive heat swirls around you, but you don’t seem to mind it anymore, refusing his offer of a cold water bottle. So you two just sit in silence and people-watch, observing the hyper kids, disciplining parents, goofy teenagers and their friends, happy couples. Happy couples. Gut feelings are the worst, especially if you don’t know what to expect or why you’re even feeling that way. Jimin’s gut is telling him that trouble is coming. He studies you as your eyes bounce couple to couple, old to young, clingy to awkward. Then your expression changes to one of disbelief and he follows your line of sight until they land on a sickeningly familiar pair. He has never seen your ex’s new fling, but he can tell by the way his arm is coiled around her that she must be Candy. He frowns, watching That Bastard pause with a venomous smirk to make eye contact with you before diving in and devouring her mouth. It’s obscene and unnecessary and 100% a power move just to get under your skin— and it works. Before he can even inhale to say anything, you’re on your feet and bolting away, leaving Jimin in your dust as he scrabbles to grab his bag and chase after you.

You always thought it was so stupid in movies when girls would run away from things that upset them, stumbling through suddenly dense crowds to get away, blinded by their distress and gushing tears. You never understood it— until now as you push people out of the way so that you can get through, sensing their hard stares searing into your back as you run as fast as you can. Of course, you don’t even know where you’re going, searching for anywhere that will allow you to shed your tears in peace and process it all, but privacy is scarce in a place like this and you most certainly don’t have a clue where to find it. Jimin’s voice calls desperately behind you in an effort to get you to stop or at least slow down. He’s faster, but surprisingly less agile in the skill of dodging people, and his frustration grows with every group of people he gets stuck behind as he watches you distance yourself from him. Miraculously, you find an unoccupied family restroom that locks from the inside, and as soon as you reach it, you shut and lock the door behind you to keep out the outside world so that you can finally break down and crumble to the floor.

The room is spacious and astonishingly clean, probably rarely used because of its placement in the park. You don’t know where you’ve run off to, but Jimin doesn’t recognize this part of the park when he looks around, standing outside the locked door, trying to catch his breath. You weren’t running from him, no, but now that you think about it, maybe you were.

“Baby, please open the door.” He pleads.

Maybe you didn’t want him to see you like this, crying hysterically over the fucker that cheated and dumped you two weeks ago. Maybe you didn’t want him to see this side of you. It wouldn’t be the first time you’ve cried in front of him, the two of you have been through a lot over the years, but there’s something about this situation that makes it different. He can hear you sobbing on the other side of the door, voice bouncing off the walls of the room and echoing in his ears even from the outside, and you know he knows you’re crying. But you can’t let him see it for himself. There’s a difference between him knowing you’re a mess and actually witnessing it. Something that makes it realer for you. Showing your vulnerability for a man that never loved you, who mentally and emotionally abused you, it makes you feel stupid. And weak. And the worst part is that he’s the reason why you think of yourself this way.

“(Y/n). I’m here for you- I want to be here for you. I know you’re distraught, you have every right to be, just let me comfort you.” Jimin’s gentle voice is slightly muffled through the heavy door. With head and hands pressed to its surface, he hopes you can hear him.

“I don’t want you to see me like this.” Your response comes after another minute or two of sniffling, frantically trying to calm yourself down enough to speak to him.

“I don’t care about what you look like right now, I just want to see you.”

“No, I mean I don’t want you to see me crying because of him.” He’s silent for a moment before you hear his sigh. Imagining the disappointment on his face. “Did you see him?”

“Yes, I saw him. Babe, it doesn’t matter to me that you’re crying about him. The only thing that matters is that you’re okay. It is my job as your boyfriend and best friend— as someone who loves you deeply— to make sure that you’re alright and to comfort and reassure you. That’s always been my top priority and that’s never going to change. So if you need to cry, I’ll be there with tissues. If you need a hug, I’ll be there with open arms and forehead kisses. If you want to hit something, I’ll be your punching bag. But I can’t help you from the outside like this, I never could. Please let me in this time. Don’t shut me out.”

As soon as he finishes speaking, another wave of emotion hits you and drags you under. And this time it’s because of his words. Jimin has always been there for you, and you’ve always been there to push him away. Your stubbornness to open up to him on various occasions has built up a virtually indestructible wall between the two of you, one that you reconstruct every time you feel the slightest bit sensitive. He tries every way he can think of to reach you on the inside of it: go around the wall, jump over it, break through it, but your forces are impenetrable when you want them to be. And now you’ve even created a physical barrier for him to get through. What is wrong with me? Why do I keep doing this? Sitting here thinking about it, you realize that you’ve been hurting Jimin all along. He’s right outside that door, waiting to give you his love and unconditional support and here you are, alone, focused on yourself and the actions of another man. If this relationship is going to work out, you need to learn how to let him into your head and be there for you. He can’t read minds.

When the door finally unlocks, you snatch Jimin in with you before locking it again, back still facing him. Your name slips from his lips and you relent, turning to look at him, and his heart shatters in its cage at the sight of you looking so broken. Immediately, he pulls you into his arms— or were you the one to fling yourself at him?— and your cheek connects with his firm chest. The only time you’ve cried over your recent breakup (that he knows of) is the day that it happened. He remembers when you showed up at his house hiding your tearstained cheeks and puffy, red eyes behind a bag of comfort food and a fake smile as you watched him play video games, avoiding his questions. At that time, all he wanted to do was engulf you in his arms and never let you go, but that’s not what you wanted; you were too stubborn to admit your emotions, using distractions to keep your mind off things so you can overcome your feelings alone. Except, you were never really overcoming them, you were pushing them off to the side, and they kept piling up until the weight of them became too much and they tumbled over, slamming down into you from the slightest push.

Jimin lets you cry for a while, stroking your hair and back, shushing you and whispering sweet nothings to make you feel better, but it was clear that you would need more than this. He could tell that you were still trying to calm yourself down, taking deep, ragged breaths only to burst into another wave of sobs, each one more intense than the last. You’re mind is a whirlwind of torment: thoughts of your ex trying so hard to disturb you, how you’ve been distancing yourself from Jimin, and the fact that you’re not over this whole thing yet and how much you want the pain to be over already. Everything is just pouring out of you right now and you don’t know how to stop it.

“Hey,” He starts softly into your hair. “What’s going through that pretty head of yours?” He wants to say something helpful, but first, he needs to know exactly what you’re upset about. He doesn’t want to assume.

When you manage to peel your face away from his body, you discover that his shirt is soaked with your tears. You apologize weakly, running a hand over the material, but he shakes his head at you. He’s staring down at you expectantly, awaiting your explanation, but you can’t look him in the eyes knowing you look so crazy right now, makeup smeared and ruined, eyes swollen and bloodshot, lip trembling, nose dripping. He reaches over to give you something to wipe your face with other than his shirt and you thank him before attempting to speak.

“What does he have against me? Why does he want to see me suffer so badly?” And you’re crying again, this time into the saturated paper towel pressed to your face. But you try to continue. “Even when we dated, he always tried to hurt me. Convince me that I would never do better than him, that I should be honored that he chose me. I feel so dumb because I’m only just realizing that he sucked me into his little game; that he only wants to break me, and he won’t even stop now that we’re not together anymore! You all told me he was a piece of shit. I should have listened. And I’m starting to accept those past mistakes, but seeing him kiss her-“ You fight to hold back your cries. “It felt like a slap in the face. That was him telling me that I meant absolutely nothing, that he didn’t care about me or my feelings and that he wanted me to see how fucking happy he is with his new whore, without me. I just don’t understand why anyone would do something like that! I want him out of my life!”

“You’re not going to like this, but I have to say it.” Jimin starts, making you look up into his eyes finally. “(Y/n), the only reason he’s still in your life is because you’re keeping him there. He may be physically away from you, but he’s still controlling you in a way. He controls how you think, what you wear, even how much fun you have while you’re doing things that have nothing to do with him. It’s almost like you’re waiting for him to come back and say something to you, comment on the way you’re living your life, and all of that means that you still care significantly about what he thinks about you— about us— when he probably never cared about your thoughts and emotions to begin with, even while you were dating.” Your eyebrows knit together and you shut your eyes, trying to control your breathing. “I know that hurts, it’s supposed to, but you needed to hear it. I love that you care so deeply about people, you have the biggest heart out of anyone I know. But I almost wish you didn’t because then this wouldn’t be so hard on you.”

“I can’t not care about him, I spent 2 years caring and worrying about him. I think I just want to see something, anything, that shows me that he had any feelings for me at all. And he’s doing everything in his power to show me that I was nothing to him.” Jimin wipes away your slowing tears with his hand, grabbing another paper towel.

“But I think that’s just it. You did mean something to him, he wouldn’t have stayed with you for that long if you didn’t, but now he’s overcompensating to hide the fact that he regrets his mistake and is just as upset as you are. I’m sure he hasn’t paid any attention to Candy ever since he saw you earlier today. If you were unimportant and she meant anything to him, don’t you think he would have spent his time with her instead of following us and plotting how to get a reaction out of you? He’s just using her. To get to you. We know he’s manipulative, you know that, so you can’t let him keep controlling you like this. You have to let him go.”

“I’m trying.” More tears fall down your face, but he’s quick to catch them.

“I know you are. And I’m aware that it’ll take time, but I’ll be here for you every step of the way. I just want you to be happy.”

“I am happy. I’m happy with you. I’m the happiest I’ve ever been! Please don’t think that this means I love you any less.” Your arms wrap around his body again, pulling him close to feel his heartbeat. “He thinks you’re just a rebound, that I’m just dating you to spite him. That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard.”

“I’m not going to lie, I have thought about the possibility that I’m just a rebound...” His body tenses slightly and you can’t believe your ears. “I know I’m not, but I also knew that you would need time to recover from this. Maybe we were too quick to jump into this relationship-“

“Jimin, I would never do something like that, especially not to you. I love you and I want to be with you, and that has **nothing to do with him.” Suddenly you’re stoic, tears dried and eyes alight with flames at the thought that he would even think that. You were completely unaware that he felt this way, that your obsession with your ex’s obsession with you was making him feel insecure and unsure of your feelings for him. And you suppose that’s all on you.

“Good.” He can’t help the smile that lifts his lips, the corner of yours lifting a bit too. “Sometimes I’m selfish and I want you all to myself. I know this isn’t about me or my feelings because you still need time to heal, but sometimes I get jealous when you think about him while you’re with me.” A cute pout forms on his lips and his aegyo is unmatched. “Like earlier when you kept zoning out. I knew you were thinking about him, but I wanted so badly for you to be daydreaming of me. Because I’m always thinking about you.” Pulling you closer, your hips connect so that your bodies are flush against each other, faces an inch apart.

“But I do think of you, you’ve been running through my mind nonstop for the past week.” Your hand climbs up to brush his cheek, tracing the soft flesh as you look into each other’s eyes.

“Well, you’ve been running through my mind since the day I met you. You must be exhausted.” A playful scoff leaves you when he says this, a genuine smile lifting your cheeks.

“Terrible joke.” The mood breaks and you’re both caught in a fit of giggles, bodies still pressed together.

Jimin can only think about how beautiful you look right now, even after you’ve been crying, and he takes this time to admire you. You think you’re weak for breaking down over your ex, but Jimin thinks you’re incredibly strong for having the guts to move on from a person like him and make the effort to live a normal life again after everything you’ve been through instead of locking yourself in your home and moping all day. He recalls that time his ex-girlfriend broke up with him and he didn’t leave his house for several days in a row until you came and forced him to get up. You’d said that the best revenge he could get on his ex is to resume his life like nothing happened and to move on. And that’s what he did. Of course, it was much easier for him to do this when the woman that he truly loved all along was right with him every step of the way. He was really thankful that you were there for him and he’s even more thankful that he gets to be here for you to return the favor.

Before you both realize it, you’re leaning in, laughter having died down until all that remains is genuine longing and trust in your eyes. The first kiss lands softly on your lips, tentative and sweet before he pulls back to look for your reaction. But all you do is wrap your hands around his neck and pull him down for something deeper, surprising him with the force you use as you part his lips with yours, nibbling his bottom lip and encouraging sounds from both of you. The temperature in the room seems to spike higher as you continue to make out, and the sudden urge to rip each other’s clothes off starts to consume you. His hips roll into yours slowly, his semi erect length pressing into your stomach and pulling a moan from you when you break the kiss for air. Biting your lips, you drop your hands down to his bulge, palming him through his pants and pressing kisses to his chest.

“We don’t have to do anything if you don’t want to.” Jimin says, although his fingers press against your waist when you undo his button and zipper. “I don’t want you to think that you have to do anything for me.”

You appreciate his concern, always the gentleman, but at this point the fire in the pit of your stomach from earlier has reignited just from being alone with him and you can’t think of anything you’d rather be doing than this. “That’s nice and all, but I’ve been dying to do this since we got here this morning. I’ve been wet ever since I saw you walking around at the water park.” You say as you push his shorts down just enough so that you can pull him out.

“I’m glad I wasn’t the only one that was horny while we were there.” He finally relaxes when you sink down to your knees, licking your lips when you are eye level with his dick. “But I need to hear you say it first, just to make sure. Tell me that you want this.” He stares down at you expectantly as you adjust your position, looking up at him with sparkling eyes.

“I want this,” You say, placing kisses along his hips as you speak, running a hand up his stomach to move his shirt out of the way. “I want your lips... I want your cock... I want your cum...” Finally reaching his tip, you give it a small lick before moaning. “I want you.” And then you’re leaning forward to take his entire length into your mouth, still only half hard so he fits easily. A loud hiss of surprise leaves his lips, followed by an unfiltered groan of pleasure when he feels how wet and hot your mouth is around him. One hand falls to the top of your head, tangling in your hair as you begin to bob up and down on him.

“You can have me, baby, I’m all yours.” Jimin can’t take his eyes off of you, the sight of his cock stuffed down your throat enough to hypnotize him. He’s pictured this thousands of times, yet somehow this still surpasses every one of his expectations. Your smooth lips slide easily up his shaft, tightening as you suckle on his tip, running your tongue all around the head. Precum leaks onto your taste buds and you groan, pussy throbbing with desire when you feel him rapidly stiffening inside you, his weight heavy on your jaw. You take him in all the way a few more times to wet his flesh with your thick saliva and he watches with glazed eyes as it dribbles down your chin while your hands twist expertly along him.

“You’re getting hard so fast. Like what you see?” You tease, earning yourself a little tug on your hair, but to Jimin’s surprise, you moan in response. Before he can say anything, you reconnect your lips to his head, bobbing shallowly along the sensitive area as both your hands squeeze and jerk the rest of his now completely erected cock. His breath hitches and his abs contract, already glistening with the sheen of sweat.

“Ah, fuck,” He throws his head back when you suck harder, eyes still peering up at him beautifully. “This is the best thing I’ve ever seen in my life. You’re amazing at this, baby girl.” The breathless quality of his praise makes you hum, cheeks heating up at the view you have of him from this angle. He looks like a classical piece of artwork, sculpted and chiseled everywhere that counts, his plump lips wet from the amount of times he’s licked them as his dark eyes fall on you. His stare makes your knees wobble beneath you, already damp panties now gushing with wetness at the way his fingers caress your scalp gently in appreciation. You use your tongue to eagerly lap at his sopping slit, tasting more of his salty flavor as he finally lets loose an honest moan that you can feel through your mouth. “Can you take more of me, baby?”

He moves his hips a bit, sliding just a little further down your tongue and you smile up at him through your eyes, humming an answer before removing one, then both of your hands and letting him penetrate your throat when you press forward until your nose tickles his base. Another loud groan rips from his chest, reverberating against the hard walls and ringing in your head. His fingers grip your hair tight and you have to squeeze your eyes and legs shut at the bolt of pleasure and pain that travels through you, satisfaction written all over you despite the dampness of your eyes. You deep throat him a few more times, relaxing your jaw and focusing on breathing through your nose so that you don’t gag around his thick girth, but the moment his hips jerk, your muscles tighten again and you lose your rhythm, producing an obscene gagging noise as your throat closes around him. His hand in your hair offers the slightest bit of resistance when you pull back, and upon looking up at his face, you find pure, unadulterated bliss on his features, teeth sinking into his lower lip to hold back the slew of sounds on the tip of his tongue. Jimin wants so desperately to look at the wonders you’re working below his waist, but he feels like if he looks down at you he’ll lose his load right there and that’s not how he wants this to end. Especially not when he noticed the way that one of your free hands snuck down into your shorts not long ago.

“Good?” You ask when you see that he still hasn’t opened his eyes yet. You’re still trying to catch shaky breaths, swallowing hard to regain use of your throat and Jimin is still standing there looking shell shocked. As soon as he opens his eyes to reassure you, you go down on him again, this time intentionally making yourself choke once his tip enters your throat. Holding yourself there for a few seconds, you listen to the ragged breaths and small whimpers Jimin makes above you, thighs and fingers trembling ever so slightly in restraint.

“Holy s-shit, (Y/n), just like that,” He curses, trying his hardest to keep his eyes open. “That’s my good girl, taking this cock so well. You look so pretty choking on my cock.” You had already witnessed his dirty talk the first time you fucked, yet you’re still surprised by the filthy words he produces so easily. You wonder if you’ll get to see another side of him today. He strokes your cheek with one hand, loving how he can feel himself sliding in and out through the thin layer of your hollowed skin. He takes in your gorgeous face as you continue to take him deeply, using one hand to stroke what you can’t fit, and he thinks he’ll go insane. Your glittering eyes brim with fresh tears, this time not from sadness or anger, but from the effort you put into making him feel good. Your cheeks are splashed with color both from the heat and from your actions, and sweat beads at your forehead as you work tirelessly on him.

You’ve slowed to a steady pace, sensually licking up and down his cock while making intense eye contact with him, just like you had done with your ice cream earlier. He’s getting close now, you can tell by the subtle throbbing that starts at his base, and you work on making yourself look as visually pleasing as possible. He’s watching you like a hawk as you pull your mouth off of him, gazing at him innocently as you lick up and down his veins, teasing the frenulum and circling around the tip. You allow more spit to drip onto him, everything now soaking, and the sight makes him dizzy with arousal, but when you remove your hand from your panties and use it to play with his balls, that’s when he draws the line. Your fingers are sticky and wet on his spit slicked sac and he feels he’s reached his breaking point, so he yanks you away from him by the hair and pulls you up before you can even blink.

He doesn’t want to cum like this, he needs to be inside you.

Smashing his lips against yours, Jimin backs you into the nearest wall so he can push his body against yours, wanting to feel all of you. By the time he pulls away, you’re gasping for air, taking in large puffs as he kisses his way down your jaw, your neck, down to the collar of your shirt. And then it’s gone. He has it up and over your head in no time flat along with your bra, tossing them aside onto the counter. Once you’re exposed, he dives in to kiss around your chest, licking everywhere but the erected peaks that practically tingle for his attention.

“Jimin, please.” You moan, eyes shut as you rest your weight against the wall. He plants pecks and love bites all along your skin, sure to leave them in covered areas, and you hiss at the sting of his teeth, whining when he uses his tongue to soothe over them. Your fingers card through his hair, pushing it away from his face gently as you try to be patient about the call of your nipples and the drip between your thighs, but you don’t have to wait long because soon he’s licking over the buds hungrily, sucking one of them into his mouth and pinching at the other with unforgiving fingers. “Ah!”

The thigh he has pressed between your legs catches you by surprise when your hips roll into it unintentionally. Toes curling in your shoes, you jolt at the sensation, throwing your head back to crash into the wall. He looks up at you in shock and concern when he hears the noise and you both stare at each other for a second before breaking out into cute giggles, his hand reaching up to rub the back of your head.

“Be careful, silly.” He grins, offering a quick peck to your lips before slipping back into that dominant, lust driven mask he wore just moments ago. “Grind on my leg, baby.” The duality is shocking. His words stir something within you, though, and you immediately comply, rubbing against him experimentally. To help you, he quickly removes your shorts, leaving just your drenched panties as a barrier against his clothed thigh. And then he’s back to sucking your other breast with enthusiasm. The feeling of his hard muscles rubbing on your clit is more than relieving, and you practically melt into a nice rhythm that has you moaning instantly. “Fuck, you’re so wet I can feel you soaking through my pants.”

“S-Sorry.” You apologize quietly, cheeks burning when you realize that it’ll probably leave a stain, but Jimin doesn’t care.

“I want you so badly, baby girl.” He groans, hands on your ass to help you move on his thigh. Your breathing picks up, chest rising and falling right in front of his face as he places more marks between the valley of your breasts. Circling your hips, you can only focus on the empties inside of you, wishing it was filled with his thick, hot cock that rests only a few inches from you, twitching with the need to be touched. The thought sends heat throughout your body and you speed up your movements, gripping onto Jimin’s shoulders when you feel your high approaching. He flexes his muscle and your eyes roll to the back of your head from the new sensation, and suddenly you’re moaning his name desperately, bucking into him a few more times before you finally reach your peak, both of you groaning into each other’s necks. You cling to him, legs shaky and body weak, but your pussy still aches and pulses for the cock that he has pushed against your upper thigh.

“Watching you cum never gets old,” He sighs, playing back the moment in his mind until you snap him out of it.

“Jimin, fuck me.” You whisper, balling up his shirt in your fists. Ever since your first time together last week, you’ve been dying to experience him again. You’d never tell him this, but you’ve masturbated to memories of that night almost everyday this week, and you can’t wait to make new ones. You think you’ve fallen in love with his dick.

Grunting in agreement, Jimin grabs hold of the back of your thighs, lifting you effortlessly to pin you against the wall with his body weight. His lips meet yours hastily as his hands move to grip your ass, fingers slipping beneath the crotch of your panties to play with your slit before pulling the material to the side and finally exposing you. He wishes he could see what you look like below him, shiny and swollen with arousal, pussy silently pleading for him to enter you.

“Such a needy little pussy you have, baby girl.” His eyes drop to watch as he easily inserts two fingers into you. “Always wanting more, huh? Cumming on my thigh wasn’t enough, you need to be filled with something before you can be satisfied, is that it?”

“Yes,” You gasp when a third finger stretches you, thrusting quickly until you’re completely relaxed, ready to take more. Jimin leans in to kiss your neck, just barely holding himself back from sucking dark marks there for everyone to see. He wants to mark you, claim you as his, show you off and remind you that you’re his now and that he’ll never let you go or do anything to hurt you.

“All you have to do is ask, baby, I’ll be more than happy to please you.” Mumbling into your neck, he skims his tongue higher and nibbles on the lobe of your ear, loving how you shut your eyes and roll your head in delirious need.

“Babe,” You whine in disappointment when he removes his fingers from you, grinding into his hips for some type of friction as you watch him lick his fingers clean while holding heated eye contact with you. He raises an eyebrow, waiting for you to speak. “Jimin, will you please fuck me?”

“You want this cock?” He asks, sending pleasant chills down your spine as his breath tickles your ear, one of his hands positioning his tip to barely brush the outside of your weeping folds. He makes a noise when he feels a long string of your juices drip out of you to kiss his head, the cool liquid making him twitch against you. You whimper then nod, his nose skimming the side of your face delicately. “Then beg for it.”

“Beg for it?”

“Beg for it.” He confirms with a wicked grin, watching the way your eyes search his in doubt. He’s serious, you realize, and that only makes it hotter. You’ll do anything he asks at this point, all if it means that his dick ends up inside you at the end of it.

“Baby, please, I need you inside me. Show me I’m yours, take me against this wall and make me forget about everything but your cock.” Saying these words while looking him in the eyes affects you more than you thought it would and you’re surprised just how into dirty talking you are. He’s starting to bring out another side of you that you didn’t know existed.

“Keep talking.” He rasps, his soft tip finally beginning to push inside. The stretch isn’t as bad as last time, but you’re far from used to it, lacing your hands in his hair and pressing your forehead to his to endure the slight burn.

“God, you’re so big,” Your mouth hangs open, gaping at the way he manages to rub all of your sensitive spots with his shallow strokes, still pushing himself in deeper. “I’ve dreamt about you every single day since that night— how you touched me, how you kissed me, how you made me feel so loved even as you fucked me into your mattress.” It’s hard to breathe when he’s stealing your breath away like this, staring into your soul with his chocolate eyes and reaching for your cervix with his cock. “Fuck, why did we wait so long to do this again?”

Jimin grunts, lowering you the rest of the way down his shaft. Your eyes roll to the back of your head when he’s fully sheathed inside, your legs tight around his waist to keep him close. “You’re everything to me,” He replies, kissing your lips slowly and delivering soft circles of his hips so you can feel him moving inside you. “I didn’t want you to think that I was only after sex from you. You’re so much more than that.” His lips feel cool in the now stifling room, tongue soothing against yours.

“I never thought that about you, Jimin. And I want you to know that that’s not what I’m after either.” You smile. “But right now, I really need you to destroy me.” Wiggling your hips as much as you can between him and the wall, you urge him move. With one more kiss, he slips back into his dominant persona, squeezing your ass hard in his hands, cold rings pressing against your skin as he pulls out of you, relishing in the sound of your slick before slamming into you with enough force to jolt you up the wall. You can’t even breathe with the first thrust, but the succession of thrusts that follows pulls heavy gasps and moans from your lips.

His hips settle into a rhythmic beat, slapping against the back of your thighs and ass as he readjusts so that his arms are hooked beneath your knees. He groans when he’s allowed the slightest bit deeper, pushing you tight to the wall to make sure you don’t move as he plows into you. The pain of your bare shoulder blades digging into the hard concrete goes practically unnoticed, you’re on cloud nine. The ache you’ve been feeling, the void left inside you that just so happens to be in the shape of his dick, the need to be closer to him: it’s all being relieved right now. Feeling him drag against your insides and hold your body close to his is damn near euphoric, you practically feel high.

“I missed this pussy,” Jimin’s teeth finally give in and nip at your shoulder and collarbone. The thought of warning him against it briefly crosses your mind in the one second between thrusts, but as soon as he’s back in— deliciously deep— you drop all complains. “So warm and soaking for me. I can feel how it sucks me back in, so greedy, baby girl.” You hear the smirk in his voice, shaking slightly with the power of his movements. It’s loud in here, every little sound bouncing off the surfaces of the room and magnifying. Every slap of his hips, every ragged breath, all of the whimpers and moans leaving your throat. It’s not hard to hear the sounds Jimin makes for you, how he sucks in through his teeth and groans quietly, trying to control himself solely for the purpose of not cumming too soon. People outside can probably hear it too, but right now, it’s only you and him in your own little world. “Fuck, you feel like heaven.”

He pulls you away from the wall so that he’s standing on his own, your arms instinctively tightening around his neck until your chest is flush with his. The hands placed on your ass slide higher onto your thighs as he starts to bounce you, up and down, up and down, gliding effortlessly along his pole.

“S-Shit,” You whine, a mixture of lust and fear coursing through you at the height you’re getting. Jimin carries you like you weigh nothing, his delectable biceps looking solid as ever as he repeatedly lifts you into the air and drops you down to impale yourself on him. From this angle he can see the sweat dripping off of you, face contorted in ultimate pleasure from the depth he’s getting, tip kissing your cervix in a different angle each time. Your breasts bounce harshly in front of him looking jiggly  and soft and he holds his mouth open, hoping one will land there for him to suck. This is definitely one of his fantasies— not fucking you in a family restroom— but him having you like this, fully suspended in the air and scratching at his shoulders in delight. He’s only seen this in porn, all of the girls looking like twigs in comparison to the bulky men that carry them, and he didn’t think he could do it. But the adrenaline and testosterone flowing through his veins right now is enough to convince him to do anything— even fuck you in a public space and make you moan in a room that may or may not be soundproof to the outside world. But he couldn’t care less about that now when you feel so good around him.

He grunts through gritted teeth, going hard and deep and neglecting the fast pace he set earlier. Your soft walls steal every thought from Jimin’s brain as his fluid hips snap into you on every down stroke and you can’t help but cry out.

God, it feels like he’s in your guts, rearranging your organs with the tip of his cock and carving out a home for himself. “Keep going,” You thought going this deep would be painful, but now that you’re here, it’s never felt better. This was exactly what you’ve been craving since last time, wanting him to fill you up in every sense and leave you breathless. You feel like your pussy just might swallow him up, his balls smacking against your ass with every collision, and it’s so good that you don’t notice the bright red lines you leave on his nape and back. “I think I-“

He looks up to find your eyes rolling back again, eyebrows knit and lips parted. “Like this, baby?” He keeps up the steady pace, head thrown back to peer up at you when he feels your walls begin to flutter.

“Yes, like that,” You nearly whisper, feet flexing at his sides where your legs flop helplessly. No more words can escape you, only loud whines of what he assumes is his name, and before you know it, your orgasm is suddenly crashing down on you, locking up all of your muscles as Jimin continues to bounce you languidly, moaning his own praise into the skin of your chest.

As you come down, he moves you to the counter of the sink, your ass meeting the cool marble, but you’re too fucked out to have a reaction. Having slipped out in transition, Jimin stands there and strokes himself as he watches your hazy eyes refocus on him. He’s not as close as he was before, but he has a feeling he won’t have trouble getting back to that point once he’s back inside your sopping heat.

“Mm, I wish I could take a picture of you right now.” His voice is almost a growl, his unoccupied hand lifting your thigh to pull you to the edge. “You look so fucked out; but I’m not done with you yet, baby. Can you take it?” He stares at you with genuine eyes, rubbing himself on your sensitive clit. It throbs under him and you jerk your hips, taking a deep breath to compose yourself.

“I can always take it for you.” Batting your lashes at him, you bite your lip and hope he doesn’t question you further. You were starting to feel empty again. Thankfully, he doesn’t and plunges in without further hesitation, moaning out your name and digging his fingers into your hip.

“That’s my good girl.” He grins when you clench at his praise. With your legs spread as wide as they can go, you lean back on one arm, keeping one hand latched to the back of his neck for support. You can feel yourself leaking onto the counter top where your ass is perched on the edge, making a mess as it covers his balls and the inside of your thighs, further soiling your panties that remain pushed out of the way of your opening. He’s rough with you, speeding up with every flex of his powerful hips and gripping desperately onto your waist to prevent you from slipping away. His eyes are focused between your legs and you follow the pink of his tongue with your eyes when it swipes against his lips, nearly salivating from the view. “Look,” He growls, grabbing the back of your neck to angle your head down to where you are connected. “I want you to watch how I split your pussy open, see how well you take me as I stretch you out. I could look at this all day, fuck.” He slows down, only for a few strokes, mesmerized by how shiny you make his member and how your lips open wide to accommodate him. “You’re so beautiful.”

You see what he sees, but pay more attention to his appearance. The thighs beneath him bulge with defined muscle, skin now glistening with the sweat that builds on both of your bodies in this humid room. His prominent v-line and hipbones look so enticing that you crave to kiss at them and leave marks on his milky skin. He doesn’t pull out very far, but every glimpse you get of his cock seems to affect you. God, you could worship his cock for hours if he’d let you. Maybe you’ll ask one day. It’s fat and veiny and a deep red color due to the blood that’s built up there from being hard for so long. On its surface gathers a creamy mixture of your cum and wetness, collecting at his base and sticking to the fine hairs of his pubic bone. You can hear the way he sucks in air as he watches himself glide through your folds with ease, a tense pressure sitting in his balls as he gallops toward his release.

“Baby,” You sigh, pulling him down to your lips to swallow the sounds in his throat. “Are you going to cum soon?” You ask between pecks, both of you struggling to breathe as you grind your hips into his to help him when he starts to falter. Forehead pressed to yours, he nods and squeezes his eyes shut, the clench of his jaw defining the strain on his face. You can’t help kissing him again, moaning when he tangles a hand in your hair and tugs lightly.

“Where do you want me to cum?” Jimin slows down a little, rolling his hips sensually instead of the brutal thrusting from before so he can make sure he hears you properly.

“Cum in me.” You state, leaning back on both hands and arching into him.

“You sure?” The surprise on his face is so pure, although the way he bites his lip at your confirmation is anything but. The groan that grazes your ears as he wraps his arms around you makes you shudder and clench. No one has ever cum inside you before, not even your ex, despite you being on the pill. He liked to cum on your face and chest and leave it to dry— quite degrading in your opinion— but he said it looked good on you so you’d let him do it. You never let him cum inside you no matter how many times he begged, it just never felt right, but now that Jimin is in his place, you want it more than ever. You want him to know that you are truly his. That he can have every single inch of you.

A succession of moans fall from Jimin’s lips, each one louder than the last, and fuck, if that isn’t the hottest thing you’ve ever heard, you don’t know what is. He keeps up with the grinding, muscles clenching and tightening as he nears his end, hips becoming less fluid as he rubs himself between your velvety walls, eyes squinting to stay open as he looks in your eyes. You nod at him, sucking on your lips to quiet your own whimpering so you can hear him better. Taking his hand, you bring it to one of your breasts, encouraging him to squeeze it in his palm, and that seems to be what finishes him, his fingers digging into the soft flesh when you feel him pulse inside you.

“Fuckfuckfuckfuck,” Jimin groans, dropping his head to your chest and struggling with himself to keep his hips moving to milk out his release. You move your own hips to his benefit, relishing in the hisses and uncontrollable moans that fly from him as he spills his love into you, the thick white substance leaking out alongside his shaft every time he withdraws from your warmth. It feels nice, satisfying. You never thought feeling him this way would make you feel so... complete. His tip rests inside you as he catches his breath, panting between the valley of your breasts and kneading at your hips with his gentle fingers. Your hands run through his sweaty hair, pushing it from his face and cradling his head to you, and you hope he can hear how hard your heart is beating, how full it feels. When he’s collected himself enough to move, he pulls away to smile brightly at you. “That was...”

“Incredible.” You finish for him, pulling him in for a deep kiss that quite literally steals your breath away. He pulls away, panting, and finally allows his softened length to slip out of you, though he’s not completely flaccid yet. His cum dribbles out of you despite your best efforts to keep it in and the uncomfortable feeling causes your face to scrunch up.

“Damn, that’s sexy.” Jimin’s eyes scan the mess dripping from your lower lips and it’s almost embarrassing, but the way he groans and drops to his knees in front of you quickly dispels your shyness. “Can I clean you up, baby?” He asks, all doe-eyed and cute, thumbs on either side of your entrance spreading you apart. He isn’t about to do what you think he is, is he? He can’t be serious. But the want in his expression tells you that he is.

“S-sure.” You aren’t sure exactly what you’re agreeing to, but he makes it a point to show you, diving tongue first into your slick lips, licking up everything that covers the inside and outside of you. Your walls throb at the sight and feeling of him slurping up the mess between your legs, making sure not an inch of you goes untouched by his tongue until you’re licked clean, his gaze never leaving yours. When he’s done, he leans back to show you the ungodly mixture of cum (both yours and his), arousal, and saliva in his mouth before swallowing it all down. You may have just discovered a new kink of yours.

“There,” The handsome man in front of you rises from his knees to stand before you. “All clean.” You can’t help kissing him again, wrapping your limbs around him in hopes of staying in this moment forever. Comfortably in his arms and still feeling the rush of endorphins that your previous activities provoked. It is with great reluctance that he pulls away from you.

Neither of you know what to say in this moment. The room is quiet again and your surroundings begin to return as you try to relax, taking it all in. Clothes are scattered all over the counter and floor, you’re in a public family restroom at an amusement park, and you and your boyfriend stand here naked in the center of it. Not to mention, this room is sweltering. Beads of sweat trail down the sides of your face and you wipe them away, noticing the discomfort of your now sticky spot on the sink counter.

“Wanna get out of here?” You ask, both of you giggling as Jimin helps you to your feet, gathering your clothes and handing them to you so you can get dressed. You’ve almost forgotten the whole reason you locked yourself in here in the first place. Almost. But it doesn’t really bother you that much anymore. You stop Jimin with his hand on the door, pulling him into one more tight hug. “Thank you, Jimin, for everything. I love you a lot, don’t forget that.”

His hands meet your cheeks and he pulls your lips to his for a gentle kiss, reluctant to pull away. “I love you, too. And I’ll always be here for you.” He stares into your eyes for another deep moment before moving back to the door.

You meet up with Taehyung and Hani as you make your way back to where the rides are, and they look you up and down, at first in concern, and then in disbelief.

“You seem to be in a significantly better mood.” Hani comments with a knowing look on her face. Usually you were able to keep your cool around her and not let on to more than you want her to know, but your reddening ears give you away when you think back to your recent encounter. You can practically feel where her eyes are glued to the colored faint marks at the base of your neck. Jimin’s arm pulls you into his side proudly, making some comment about being an amazing boyfriend and being able to take care of your “needs” which makes Taehyung chuckle, and then the four of you are off to look for Jungkook and his date in preparation to leave.

“Should we try to find the others?” Jieun inquires adjusting the straps of her bag on her shoulders. Having just finished the last rollercoaster of the park, the adorable pair had just completed all of the main attractions for the day and were almost back around to the front of the park where most of the souvenir shops and restaurants were located. It’s late afternoon, the sun beginning it’s descent toward the horizon, temperature cooling off just the slightest bit.

“We could do that...” Jungkook hesitates and avoids his date’s eyes. “Or we could keep walking around by ourselves? I like spending time alone with you.” The boy rubs the back of his head bashfully, showing off a bunny smile that Jieun can’t resist. He can’t tell what she’s thinking— and he hates making assumptions— but her responding grin is enough reassurance for him to boldly take her hand in his and squeeze.

“I like spending time with you too, Jungkook. I like you.” Her eyes disappear behind a blush, but she doesn’t look away from him, instead reaching up on her toes to plant a kiss on his cheek to then watch it blossom into a spread of red all over his face and neck. He’s as red as a tomato yet oh-so-satisfied.

“How about we get that funnel cake? I’m buying.” They share a huge serving of the treat, powdered sugar sticking their fingers together but enjoyed nonetheless, and Jieun couldn’t be happier. “After meeting my only requirement, I officially declare you as redeemed. I will completely forget about that whole carnival prize ordeal, but there’s one more condition. One more thing I want before I can do that.” Jungkook gives a fake exasperated sigh, tilting his head cutely.

“And what would that be?” His dark hair hangs in front of his eyes, jawline sharp and inviting.

“I want you to...” She leans close to him, eyes deadly serious, and anxiety builds in the pit of his stomach, “kiss me.”

“Pardon?” He isn’t sure he heard her right, but when she cocks her head coyly, an arrogant smirk finds his lips before he’s leaning in to steal hers. The kiss is quicker than she’d like, but there’s a knowing look in Jungkook’s eyes that tells her that he knows exactly what he’s doing. He’s teasing. Almost as if to say “there’s more where that came from’ along with promises that will be fulfilled behind closed doors. She just shakes her head at him, getting up to throw away their trash and pulling him up by his hand, intertwining their fingers as they stroll around.

Walking into one of the gift shops, they begin to look at clothing and accessories printed with cartoon characters and the theme park logo, something to take home as a memory of the occasion. Well, aside from the giant Iron-Man plushie they had left with Hani and Taehyung. Just as they make their way over to the hats and fanny packs section, Jungkook catches sight of something that makes his blood boil. Yes, something—the monster of a person that hurt you and your precious heart, to be more specific. His sharp inhale catches Jieun’s attention and she questions him, concerned gaze skimming the store as Kookie explains through his teeth.

“That’s the asshole that cheated on (Y/n). What the fuck is he doing here?” His eye are like knives as they point toward the unsuspecting man, who has the nerve to look happy and carefree. He doesn’t know if you’ve seen him or not, but he has the strong urge to protect you and get a little revenge in your name.

“It looks like he’s with someone.” She points, face scrunching at the greasy looking woman.

“I should go over there.”

“What? No! I don’t think it’s a good idea to pick fights with your friend’s ex.” Jieun, the voice of reason, whispers, looking alarmed.

“I’m not going to fight him, just mess with him a bit. Pulling pranks on people is my specialty.”

“What are you going to do to him?” She’s less concerned now and more intrigued by his confidence.

“Watch.” Jungkook sets his hat low on his face, walking with his head down and heading straight toward the couple that shamelessly flirts in front of the shelf containing ceramic mugs. They take up the entire space of the small aisle, so no one can really pass though, but Jungkook squeezes his way between them roughly, grunting an ‘excuse me’ all while intentionally shoving the man back and out of the way. Your ex stumbles, arms and elbows flailing about to catch his balance and knocking over a total of 5 mugs onto the cement floor. They crash down around him, the entire shelf he leans on threatening to go down with them, but he catches it with his hands and readjusts it, looking down in horror as shards of porcelain scatter around his feet. A worker shouts “You break it, you buy it!” from across the store at him, and that’s when he looks up to hiss at his offender.

“The fuck is your problem?!” He steps up to Jungkook aggressively, as if he would even have the balls to fight someone, and throws a few more curses his way. But all color drains from his face when he meets eyes with your little Baby Kook, who isn’t really so little, round eyes glaring right in his face. They’re about the same height, but your ex looks like a twig standing next to the broad and muscular Jungkook. He’s always been intimidated by Kookie, steering clear of him when you were still together and even confessing to you that he’s afraid of the fact that the younger man can probably break him in half with his bare hands and crush his head between his thighs. It was funny at the time, but that fear is very real and very present as the two stand toe to toe.

“Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t see you standing there.” A cocky smirk plays on Jungkook’s lips and it makes your ex seethe, though he’s too afraid to show it. He tries the tough act still, though.

“You little shit, you better pay for all of the stuff you broke.” He steps closer over the crunching of shattered pieces but the younger man doesn’t flinch.

“Yikes... I would, but I’m not the one who broke them. Plus, I only have five dollars. Want it?” He flashes the bill quickly and reaches into the man’s pocket, depositing both the bill and an expensive looking ring he grabbed earlier, hidden in the palm of his hand. The ring falls in.

“Get your hands out of my pants!” He shoves at Kookie’s solid chest, pushing himself back a few inches and stumbling at his surprising sturdiness. Dignity lost in front of the prying eyes of everyone in the store, he sucks his teeth and growls. “I don’t want it.”

“No? Your loss.” Jungkook is still holding onto the bill between his fingers, pocketing it quickly before he can change his mind. He fakes an innocent look as he leans in to the man’s ear, eyeing the woman that stands shocked behind him. Your ex flinches, startled by the proximity and probably anticipating a hard punch in the gut. “I’m not going to hit you,” Jungkook chuckles, enjoying the way the man twitches uncomfortably. “I’m just trying to help you out. But hey, isn’t it illegal to hire prostitutes? Especially here, of all places.”

Gritting his teeth, That Bastard pushes him away successfully this time, spitting curses about disrespecting his girlfriend as Kookie turns his back and casually walks away, just in time for a worker to approach the cursing man and force him to pay for all of the cracked and shattered mugs surrounding him. Jungkook heads back to Jieun, laughing, and takes her hand, guiding her to the front of the store where he taps an attendant stocking toys on the shoulder.

“Excuse me, I saw that man over there steal something.” Pointing to the disgruntled man who digs in his wallet as the cashier rings him up. “You should search him, I think it was a ring.” The worker sighs and makes a call through his walkie talkie for security, thanking them before making his way over to the register. Both of them make their exit, laughing to themselves all the way out of the store until they reach their group of friends, who happen to be standing just outside.

“We saw the whole thing,” Taehyung starts excitedly. “Dude, that was awesome!” They high five and continue laughing, eyes still on the man in question.

“He looked like he was going to shit his pants when he recognized you. I wish I could have got that on camera.” Hani nods, clicking her tongue at the missed opportunity.

“Hani.” Jimin frowns.

“What? He deserves it.” They both look to you, who is conflicted with emotions. You didn’t want any of them to confront him for you, but this was different. This was harmless. And you’re certain your name didn’t come up at all while they were interacting.

“What did you do?” You finally ask, a little curious about what actually happened. Just then, security guides your ex to the entrance, walking him through the door sensors to check Jungkook’s accusations. He looks confident that it won’t go off, but that look is wiped clean off his face when the alarm sounds and the guards grab hold of his arms and push him toward the back of the store for an official search. “WHAT DID YOU DO?” Now you’re a lot curious, but you’re also smiling uncontrollably.

“Eh,” Jungkook shrugs. “I slipped a ring into his pocket. They’ll probably find it but at least he’ll get a pat down. Oh, and I also accused him of hiring a prostitute in front of his new girl just to piss him off.” He chuckles. A new kind of happiness swells in your chest at that. It isn’t much, but it almost feels like justice was served. You like to imagine that he is being fined and questioned by police because of what he did to you instead of for the petty shoplifting he unknowingly committed. And what’s even better is the scowl you catch on Candy’s face when she glances up and finds you watching the ordeal, narrowing her eyes and crossing her arms before storming off to follow her man. You hope to never see them again, to leave with the impression and image of them being dragged away by security as your last memory of their terrible faces. It will always be seared into your brain, like retribution for a cardinal sin, and you’re feeling better already.

“Thanks, Kookie. That just made my day.” You’re beaming as Jimin reclaims your hand, offering a proud pat to Jungkook’s shoulder.

“I say we celebrate with some dinner!” He grins to your group, leading everyone to a restaurant a few stores down, where you all enjoy deliciously overpriced park food and talk about your day. Everyone seems to have had an amazing time. Jungkook and Jieun are cuddled up on their end of the booth, sharing bites of food and giving each other The Look. The same look they had that night when they walked out of the club together. Taehyung and Hani seem infinitely less awkward, apparently having resolved some of their issues while you and Jimin were working out your own in the family restroom. And you finally felt like you were back to yourself while being surrounded by all of your friends. Jimin kept an eye on you, but saw no evidence of your previous sadness— just joy and relief— and for that he’s thankful, whether or not he is the reason for it.

As the last activity of the day, you all decide to shop for souvenirs (at a different store from the one your ex was in), and everyone picks out their favorite gifts. Taehyung watches as you and Jimin and Jungkook and Jieun mull over various objects at the front of the store, chatting and laughing with each other as you browse. He’s a little deeper in the store following Hani as she looks over the clothing lining walls and racks, enjoying watching her shop more than doing any real shopping himself. As he looks at her, he remembers their conversation from earlier— when they were left alone to work out their issues while you and Jimin disappeared to work out your own.

“After much debate, I have decided to officially forgive you.” He announces to Hani as they walk through the crowded carnival area. There are many more people here now than there was a few hours ago, most people having finished riding the rollercoasters and hoping to win a nice prize before heading home. Neither of them intended to actually play any of the games, agreeing that it was a waste of money and ultimately a scam, but the area was nice and the highly populated walkway was the perfect place to have a private conversation.

Hani gives him a look of disbelief from the corner of her eye with pursed lips before deciding to humor him. “O’ Great and Merciful Taehyung, I thank you deeply! What ever would I have done without your forgiveness?” She acts out dramatically, throwing her hands over her heart and swaying side to side. They laugh for a bit, the mood still light when he straightens up and his face becomes serious again.

“I’m sorry that I acted that way at the water park, it was really uncalled for. I was-“ He hesitates, voice a little deeper, “I was jealous.” That’s enough to stop Hani in her tracks. He sure seemed like he was jealous in the moment, but she didn’t think he actually would be. Because why would her fuck buddy be jealous of her using her ASSets to get what she wants— something that she always does? But that’s not even the part that really surprises her as he goes on. “I don’t think I can be fuck buddies with you anymore. I want more. I want more with you, and I only recently noticed. We started fucking in the first place because we both kept talking all that shit about how good we are in bed and it just happened out of curiosity and sexual tension. Then I realized that I actually felt something when we were together— and at first I thought it was just the bomb ass sex— but then the feeling didn’t go away after we were done fucking. I still felt that way when we’re just doing regular shit like hanging out. I felt it when you came to my job just to bother me because you were bored early this week. I thought my heart was going to explode because it was beating so fast. Something about knowing you came there just to spend time with me, even if it was just to pass the time, it made me so... happy. I couldn’t focus, you were so distracting.” She looks away, concealing a smile. “And I feel it now even when we’re on a fake triple date with our friends, walking aimlessly around this giant park and talking about the simplest things...” He trails off, trying to find the words to finish his speech and Hani trying to process it all. They start walking again after a few beats of silence, albeit very slowly, until he speaks up again. “I don’t know, I’m not good with words.”

This seems like a concluding statement, Taehyung suddenly getting shy as he scratches behind his ear. His head drops as they walk, not sure what to make of her silence, but he’s not even sure he wants to hear what she has to say. And when she opens her mouth finally, he prepares himself to be rejected.

“I was jealous of you too today.”

“What? When?” That’s a surprise that neither of them expected her to admit.

They walk past a booth containing large superhero plushies just like the one Jungkook and Jieun earned, the woman running the game pointing at them and waving them over. They ignore her as they keep walking, passing faces blending into the background. Hani sighs.

“When you were buying water when we first got to the water park. That lady was eye-fucking you the whole time, ready to risk it all for you at that concession stand.” She rolls her eyes, trying not to get angry again as she remembers the way that woman was trying her hardest to show off for him. “(Y/n) even called me out on it, I was 5 seconds away from knocking that bitch to the ground.” At this, Taehyung cracks a smile. He would never say it, but he’d love to see Hani fight someone for him. “Anyway, I guess that means that I... probably... feel... something...” It sounded like she was a foreigner trying to figure out the proper way to form a coherent sentence, unsure if the words she was producing were correct or not. He looks at her expectantly, raising his eyebrows and causing her to pull out the last few words of her statement painfully. “...similar to you.”

“You feel the same way?” He lights up, turning his whole body to her.

“Something. Similar.” She corrects strictly, though that does nothing to stop the goofy celebratory wiggle he does. “You know I haven’t been in a real relationship in a long time so I’m a little rusty at this. Don’t expect me to change so suddenly for you.” He pouts. “But, I’ll give you a fair chance and we’ll see where it goes from there.”

“This is so ugly that it’s kinda cute.” Hani laughs, showing him the brightly colored shirt she’s pulled from the rack. Not her usual style, but she could probably find a way to make it work. She’s been looking through the ugliest t-shirts and sweaters for the past five minutes and it’s getting to the point where it would be ridiculous for her not to buy one.

“Hey, about what we talked about earlier,” Taehyung starts suddenly, trying to be as casual as possible while leaning against a clothing rack, stumbling when the wheels begin to move beneath his weight.

“What about it?” She doesn’t even bat an eye at his clumsiness.

“Does that mean you’ll go out with me now? It was a little unclear for me.” Gnawing on his lower lip, he gives her a hard stare as she mulls over his words briefly.

“Absolutely not.” Her tone is cold and brisk, barely lifting her eyes to glance at him. His face and heart drop, scrambling to come up with words.

“Wh- I thought that’s what we-“

“Nothing about what we talked about had anything to do with me going out with you. I mean, why would it? You haven’t even asked me out on a date yet.” Oh. Her eyes linger on his for a split second, looking away just before his boxy smile reappears. “If we’re going to be anything more than friends, I need you to know this: I don’t do subtleties and indirect hints. If you want something, ask for it directly. I never sugar coat my words and I don’t expect you to either. So, if you want me to go out with you, ask.”

Taehyung steps closer, grin still playing on his lips as he seems to hover over her frame with his tall stature. She’s still flicking through rows of hangers absentmindedly as if they’re not in the middle of a conversation, and only stops upon his call.

“Hani,” He coos sweetly, blush coming to his cheeks. Hani thinks she’s the inexperienced one here, but it’s also be a while since Tae has asked anyone out himself. Usually women tend to throw themselves at him and use him for his dick— which has never bothered him before— but rarely has he ever gone on a date with the intentions of actually dating someone seriously. And if he had, the girls are most likely the ones who asked him out. Hani turns to him, batting her eyelashes innocently. Such an actress.

“Yes, Taehyungie?”

“Would you like to go on a date with me? I’m aware dates really aren’t your thing, but I think you’d quite enjoy this one.” He puts on a knightly voice for her, puffing out his chest like a suitor in court trying to win the heart of a princess. She tosses her hair around her shoulders, fluttering her eyelashes a few more times as though flustered before giving him a flattering smile.

“No.” His mouth drops open in disbelief, face morphing into a fake cry when she laughs and responds with her real answer. “I’m kidding! Yes, I’d love to go on a date with you.”

“No, you hurt my feelings.” He turns away from her like a child, breaking into a smile when she wraps her arms around his midsection and presses her check to his back in apology.

“I said yes, Taehyung, did you hear? There’s no way you didn’t hear with those big dumbo ears of yours,”

“Hey!” This isn’t the first time she’s teased him about his ears, but he pretends to be offended, trying to shake her off of him.

“Yes, I’ll go on a date with you.” She repeats, lifting to her toes to speak loudly into one ear, catching the attention of a few others in the store.

“You WHAT?!” You’re stomping over before either of them have the chance to respond, eyes wide and mouth open, Jimin trailing closely behind, pulled by the hand you squeeze in yours.

“Way to go buddy.” Jimin mouths as he gives a thumbs up to his best friend, ignoring Hani’s glare.

“Yes, you heard correctly. Hani agreed to go on a real date with me.” The two of you clap as Tae bows and blows kisses to the imaginary crowd, relishing in the glory.

“Don’t make me regret it.” Hani is embarrassed by the attention, not used to being the one with relationship news, and she separates herself from the situation as quickly as possible, grumbling something before picking a shirt and walking to the front of the store to pay.

Your group is loud on your way out of the park, shouting about all the highlights of the day, Jungkook proclaiming how he “knew” Tae and Hani would end up together— even though Hani swears that it’s just one date and it doesn’t truly mean anything. The ride back home is calmer and you sit up front with Jimin, Jungkook taking his spot in the back next to Jieun like he promised, and you feel a little bit better about everything.

Though that lingering discomfort in your heart is still there, you’re no longer sad or upset about the events of today. If anything, you think they did more good than harm in regards to your interactions with your ex. The only time you’d really paid attention to how much of an asshole he is was when you broke up with him in front of Candy, but the harsh words he spoke to you today were more than enough evidence for you to dispel any doubts that maybe, by some unholy power, he wasn’t as bad as you’d made him out to be in your head. You keep replaying Jimin’s words about how valuable you were to your ex, and the truth about why he was trying so hard to fuck with your mind today. And now you understand. It’s really quite simple actually. He had a good thing, you, and he let you go. So now you’re moving on to bigger and better things in your life and he can’t do shit about it. Period. He can’t get to you anymore because you have the amazing friends that keep you afloat and his angel of a boyfriend that continues to prove his indispensable worth to you, and you know you’re going to be okay. You no longer wish any harm to your ex and his whore of a girlfriend (oops), but you think pretty soon you’ll be able to close this chapter of your life and start a new one; one where your friends are all in happy, healthy relationships and live happily ever after— at least for now. But that’s good enough for you.