#it’s unnecessary react rant hours

[anxiouspotatorants]

Yeah I don’t care that Logan thought they were broken up the fact that he calls the bridesmaids vipers and insignificant and all together tears them down for doing nothing but talking about a thing that happened (whether he admits it or not) has made me give him five strikes he is out

[muffinsin]

How do you think the sisters would react if their s/o has modern technology(Phone, Apple Watch, computer, etc.)? Like maybe their s/o moved to the village and had brought all of their modern tech with them to the village.

(the idea of them trying to figure out modern technology is funny as hell to me)

Now, normally I’m not one for modern requests, but I very much like this one! Putting this together with a more recent one as they both go hand in hand!

Let’s get into it ;)!

Masterlists

Bela

When you return from your hometown with a suitcase full of electronics, she is visibly confused

And at first, she doesn’t pay much mind to it

She doesn’t like technology, deems it unnecessary

After all, she’s done perfectly well without it all these years

You don’t introduce her to electronics, but don’t need to, either

The first item she discovers- quite suddenly- is your phone

And oh dear, what a sight that is…

You’re in the bathroom, drying off after a bath when you hear your phone ringing, followed by a high pitched shriek and the loud buzzing of flies

The next thing you know, Bela swarms into the bathroom, stumbles, and lands chest first in the tub that is still not fully drained

Her eyes are wide, her expression one of shock

Her hair and clothing is dripping wet, her expression adorably cute

You’ve never seen her with a puppy eyed expression and can’t help but smile widely as you cup her wet cheeks

In her hand, she holds your phone, which she must’ve picked up right when it started ringing

You take it from her wet fingers, gently kiss the top of her head, then raise the phone

Confused, she stares at the device held by you

And when you swipe to the camera app and take a picture, and you forget to disable the flash, the poor thing jumps yet again

Too wet to dissolve into her swarm and get away, she squirms and slips in the wet tub instead, her facial expression becoming even more frustrated and pouty

Even as you nearly roll on the floor with laughter, you remember to turn the flash off for any future pictures you (partly sneakily) take of her

After this incident, it’s incredibly hard for you to get her close to your phone again

When it rings, she rolls her eyes, when you talk to it, she keeps looking around, as though finding who could be talking to you

She takes a surprising while understanding that your phone has no wire to it, too

Then, one day, you do manage to have her come around;

She hums quietly as you brush her hair for her, her eyes closed, the book in her hand shut. Her index finger slipped inside, serving as a bookmark

You glance at it; the tragic love in Romeo and Juliet. You smile a little. Didn’t Daniela ask her to engage a little more in her interests lately?

Using your free hand to fish for your phone, you quickly find bits and pieces to the topic

You press a gentle kiss to her exposed neck, then, as to not disturb the comfortable atmosphere set up between the two of you, whisper gently

“Did you consider Shakespeare explored love not only mainly at Romeo and Juliet’s first meeting and their deaths, but also by writing of Romeo’s friendship with Mercutio?”

She turns to you, her eyes wide

“No..I haven’t considered that”, she admits. “What do you know of Romeo and Juliet interpretations?”, she asks, then, her eyebrow raised a little

You nearly giggle

When you flash her the phone screen, her eyes widen

“It knows?!”, she wonders out loud, as though shocked

That day, dinner is delayed significantly

The next couple of hours are spent with Bela sat on top of your lap, her eyes wide as she takes in every word of your rant

You explain not only phones, but rather the internet to her as a whole

And really? She’s fascinated!

So she can truly learn all she wants, whenever she wants!

You try to explain she doesn’t necessarily have to learn everything to look it up, but in the end only smile fondly when she refuses this

Why would she pass up on such opportunities, after all!

Soon, you end up tending to hobbies while she is sat next to you, your phone in her hand, paper and pencil next to it as she copies notes

At other times, you introduce her to YouTube and help her learn a new skill

Within weeks only she has gathered an impressive amount of knowledge on various topics. Animals. Economy. History. Urban legends. Geography. Interpretations. Social studies. Psychology topics

And, with that come also a vast amount of skills she has picked up

Pottery, carving wood (and humans, her own addition to this skill), skinning properly, baking, playing the flute, moving along to songs and different type of dances

And to Bela’s greatest delight not only you, but also Alcina picks up on this and all but showers her eldest in praise regarding her newfound knowledge

As it comes to other technology, Bela shares different views. Despite her grown fondness of the Internet

She cares little for your Apple Watch and strongly advises you to flat out refuse Daniela and Cassandra’s requests of getting them one

After all, the two of you know it would be broken or smeared of blood within hours already

Bela is a big fan of your laptop

Within months, she convinces Alcina of its use and all ledgers and business-related information is digitalized

This makes your girlfriend’s work by far easier, so you can convince her to take breaks more often

Of course, with her laptop, Bela also is granted a phone by her mother, unlike her sisters (for a decent amount of time, at least)

You grin whenever you send texts and receive some in return

Despite her youthful appearance, Bela has not quite mastered the art of modern texting

You can’t help but giggle every so often when receiving one from her

As it comes to video games; Bela is not a fan. She doesn’t quite see the appeal of them, especially the more brutal they become

She merely rolls her eyes when she sees someone, you, or her sisters, playing them

Though; she likes herself smaller, calmer games

Animal crossing-style of games, mystery games, point and click, discover, build, farm

It grants her a nice alternative to her usually so brutal and bloody daytime

And lastly, a tv

She likes it, really, and finds it makes for interesting evenings. Especially when she gets the two of you to watch some documentaries

Though, she bans it from the bedroom

She still wants to remain technology-free in this aspect to ensure your attention is hers and hers only

Cassandra

When you go on a trip back to your homeland to retrieve some of your things, she jokingly tells you to bring you some of this “modern technology” you often speak so fondly about

Really, she isn’t quite sure it’s as exciting as you make it out to be

She certainly doesn’t feel like she’s missing out!

Ah, but she is painfully curious about the outside, the world that lies outside the castle grounds, outside the village, far beyond the forest

Then, though, you to return with a couple of large suitcases

Curiosity killed the cat fly, no?

She opens one of your suitcases the moment you drop it on the bed, head first, her hand reaching in

You watch from across the room, amused. She almost looks like a curious cat trying to reach it’s paw inside

The pulls out your phone charger, it turns out, and immediately it seems as though all hell breaks loose

Startled as though it was a snake, she jumps and snarls loudly, her hiss almost high pitched, her hand twitching with the effort of pushing the charger, which has wrapped itself around her, off and away

You laugh loudly as she swarms brokenly, bumping into the bed and chairs, tables and walls, her teeth bared at the charging cable, her arm attempting to yank itself away every few seconds

“Come here, baby!”, you plead with tears of laughter forming at your eyes

She sits relatively still for you as you unwrap the charger from her hand, a bright pink blush set on her cheeks, a growl passing her throat every couple of seconds

The moment it’s off, you already catch her sniffing and slapping at it. She sits with her head tilted, confused

What is this strange cable? Do you have need for it? What need could you have for it?

Then, she blinks, as though in understanding

You squeal when you feel her on you in an instant, then, the floor

She sits on top of you as she is done tackling you, your wrists pushed together as the cable is wrapped around them

Again, she only blushes when you laugh loudly. No, this certainly is no toy to tie someone up

She snarls, and you manage to pull away the white charger barely in time before her sharp, claw-like nails cut through it

With some effort, you explain to her what it is, and what it for

You show her your phone, and while the beginning is tough, she eventually understands

That’s not to say you don’t still catch her mid-fight with Siri, yelling, arguing, insulting the voice in your phone, so much so you must intervene when Siri suggests calling local authorities

At other times, you giggle to yourself when you hear her talk to the voice, asking questions such as how she was put inside your phone and where she goes when she stops talking

You don’t have the heart to explain Siri to Cassandra, or the patience

Something she is, of course, immediately fascinated by is the opportunity for her to explore the outside world

The first time you turn on the tv and show a mere documentary about the Amazon rainforest, you can see her eyes sparkle with adoration and tears of yearning

She watches for hours, taking in every view and occasionally even the words that come with it

She asks- begs- you to let her watch more, every day. She’s so very curious! If Mother only let her out, only let her see for herself, just once!

Surprisingly, with this new way of exploring the world, come nightmares she would never admit she has

Nightmares of cold lands, of being stuck under the ice at the north or South Pole, mauled by bears and birds when she has no way of defending herself against the harsh cold biting into her skin

Sometimes, you find her tucked especially close during those times, whimpering about being cold in her sleep until you shush her and calm her worried mind

At other times, she’s missing from bed entirely. You calm after the third time, having found out that it’s Bela’s bed she retreats to, her words of wisdom and light scolds surprisingly calming to her younger sister

With this newfound knowledge comes also a hunger for new prey. She learns a lot about different types of animals found all around the world

For example, she loves to brag she could beat a cheetah in a race. You only giggle and smile lovingly at her. She certainly has the spirit for it

At other times, she talks of how very curious she is of hunting and catching a lion. Then again, she speaks of wanting one as a pet

At the breakfast and dinner table, she loves to tell Alcina all she has seen and learned

Often, this comes with a plea to let her see the world, which is always shut down with a loving, but pitying smile and a genuine apology

Deep down she knows, she cannot travel. And still, she asks. Perhaps it will change, after all

She likes to receive praise from you and Alcina, and most of all, surprisingly; Bela, when sharing facts she picks up from the numerous movies and documentaries she watches on different biomes and regions of the world

As it comes to your Apple Watch..she’s undecided

She wears one herself to follow your lead, but doesn’t quite understand the purpose of it. To her, it’s pretty much a standard watch and a fashion accessory

Should you attempt to call her using you, you will find deep slashes alongside it and her arm from when she jumped in surprise and automatically- instinctively- slashed at it

When having her arm cupped in your hands and your fingers recently tending to the wounds left at her wrist, she only blushes and grumbles about it not being that bad and about wanting to keep the watch

Perhaps, she will learn to use it in time, though it’s unlikely

Unlike her older sister, Cassandra is quite fond of video games

While she still prefers hunting, gutting, chasing and hurting people, she likes to indulge in video games every once in a while

These usually are the combat type of games, such as mortal combat or even games like red dead redemption

Ironically, she would’ve liked resident evil games

She cares little for your laptop and finds it particularly annoying when she hears the clicking of the keys as you type

Often, she glares when you pick it up

At other times, she only snarls, but curls up next to you anyway

She does find it funny when you accidentally spill water over it once, though

Daniela

Electronics?! Yes!

She’s very enthusiastic when she hears you’ll bring home some technology!

She doesn’t know much about it, really, only bits and pieces she didn’t fully understand from intruders taken prisoner by her just after they got lost in the village

And still, their shiny toys and fancy words- while they certainly stuck to her- barely make sense to her

She begs you to take as much as you can!

Once, she held a phone. Once, she was entertained by the buttons she was able to push and the noises that came from the little thing

Then, she wrestled with her sister, fought a lycan for fun during a hunt and rewarded herself with a blood bath, and there went “her” phone…

When you return, she is immensely confused, but enthralled by your smartphone

She takes it immediately, her eyes wide and her lips parted slightly in concentration when you remind her to be careful with the fragile little thing

And careful she is

She keeps it just above her pillows, her touches so light you’re surprised the screen even picks them up

Surprisingly, Daniela figures out the foreign phone relatively fast

Although, you have a good laugh at the beginning, when she somehow ends up in the calculator app and pushes buttons here and there, like in a game

After about half an hour she figures out it’s a calculator and eagerly runs off, excited to show Bela what useful tool she found her

Continuing on, you teach her how to use the phone properly

She discovers Siri in no time and…very well…it leads to long nights of pressing the pillow to your ear as she speaks to her “new best friend”

Usually, you end up grabbing your eager girlfriend and cuddling her to your chest, stroking her hair and scratching her scalp just right until she falls asleep at last

Some peace and quiet, at last

That is, until she awakens to tell Siri about her dream and, perhaps accidentally, ends up at a google search regarding dreams and their meanings

Though, you can’t be annoyed when she jumps and buzzes excitedly like a puppy wagging its tail as she elaborates on what her dream might’ve meant, eager to show off her newly acquired wisdom and insight

It’s such an adorable sight, you even forgive her rants to Siri in the middle of the night

Now, she is a very fast learner as it comes to electronics, especially your phone

She manages to understand and use it quickly, and after weeks of debating with Alcina that she will not immediately break hers, she receives one of her own

While she has many purposes for her phone, some of them include:

Using it as a camera. You treasure your little nightly ritual, when Daniela drags you to bed, jumps in and cuddles close to you. She opens her phone and shows you the many pictures she took that day

Often, these include flowers, prey, animals, trees, the sun, the moon, selfies, pictures with her family (in which Bela and Cassandra usually look particularly displeased with their younger sister), pictures of dresses and book quotes

She gets incredibly excited showing them to you and adds a little story to most of them

Another use she has for her phone is to text and make calls

She gets surprisingly good and up to date surprisingly fast, texting you back whenever you message her, calling you at times to check in on you when she’s out hunting

One time, you nearly fell out your chair being put in face time while she was down in the dungeons “playing” with one of the prisoners with Cassandra

And, lastly, Daniela loves having games on her phone

She plays them whenever she has spare time left or takes little breaks from reading, and likes to keep you updated on her scores of her favorite games

While she certainly thinks laptops are fun, she has little use for one

Again, she enjoys being able to play, or watch you play, games on it

Should it be an online game, you can bet you have your girlfriend right by your side, insulting all who cause you misfortune while you game

In turn, she likes to game herself, but prefers sticking to her books and photography. She isn’t one to get too absorbed in the electronic devices, despite having them figured out already

Daniela loves your Apple Watch!

She likes to wear it for “style”, as she calls it and usually allows you to cover it up before she goes hunting

Often, she brags about hers to her sisters and to the staff, sometimes even to the weeping prisoners, as you hear whenever she forgets to hang up and starts rambling to whatever unfortunate soul she finds

She uses it to make calls, read messages, and, her favorite use; checking the weather

She never knew this was a thing!

When you introduce her to it, she immediately runs off to find Bela and Cassandra

Just a day after the three stand in front of Alcina, Bela and Cassandra tucked behind their younger sister, holding onto her as Daniela pulls her famous puppy eyes on their mother

They plead to go out another day. Yes, winter is approaching. Yes, it’s getting colder. Oh! But the “magic app” knows they will be fine!

Since then, they always check the weather before heading out. Or rather, Alcina does, tugging them back and dressing them appropriately for the estimated temperatures before sending them off with a kiss to their foreheads

You grin when Daniela returns, the brightest smile on her lips

She’s eternally grateful to be able to spend another few days of the year outside, and shows you this in the form of a lot of praise and kisses pressed all over your face

As it comes to video games for herself, she is willing to try them out

Playing online games such as GTA, she likes to cuss out all others, throwing insults nearly every player’s way

And still, she likes single-player games, investigation ones, combat ones, farming ones

She’s the type to give nearly any game a shot

She loves the electronics, but is sure to stick to traditional ways and actions to show you how much you mean to her

[sunshineluverr]

You are my comfort • kth •

Pairing : Taehyun x Reader

Genre : Fluff, hurt/comfort

Word count : 2k

Warnings : Angst, Depressive thoughts, Atychiphobia

Summary : You just found out that you have failed one of your exams. So you call your boyfriend Taehyun to help comfort you but...

◈ 𝅒 𝅓 𝅒 𝅓 𝅒 𝅓 𝅒 𝅓 𝅒 𝅓 𝅒 𝅓 𝅒 𝅓 𝅒 𝅓 𝅒 𝅓 𝅒 𝅓 𝅒 𝅓 𝅒 𝅓 𝅒 𝅓 𝅒 𝅓 𝅒 𝅓 𝅒 𝅓 𝅒 𝅓 ◈

"Hello?"

The warm sound of his voice left you with even more desire than you expected, still you're trying to compose yourself here.

"Taehyun...what are you doing?"

"I'm actually really busy right now, I have a lot of work to finish up here it'll probably take me long, maybe even after midnight"

"Oh..uh" you stammer unable to confess the reason you called

"Is everything alright? Why did you call? Are you okay?" The concern was obvious in his voice, breaking you even more and needing him even more. But you just heard about how busy he is, you could not bare the thought of requesting his time and it'll just become another chore for him in his busy schedule. Of course he loves you, but with darkness fogging your mind, all you could think of was being an unnecessary burden if you asked for help.

So all you could react was your voice cracking up as you try to mutter up a lie.

"Uh not at all! I just wanted to know what you were doing for the day since you didn't respond to any of my texts"

"Yes, so now you know. But are you sure there's nothing else?"

"Nope! Good luck with your on-going tasks!"

"Okay... Bye, and please if you ever-" *beep*

You did not realise the fact that he was adding more at the end before you were quick to hung up on him.

Well that's that then. The only light in this moment of darkness seemed to be also fading. What a stupid analogy, you thought and yet it felt exactly that way.

It is a bit abnormal to not ask for help from any other dear friend or family member if your boyfriend isn't free but you couldn't help it. You'd embrace any insanity if it means you'd admit that Taehyun is your comfort, your only comfort.

Right now, all you could think of was being in his warm arms, wrapping you around to hold you close as you wept and wept in his chest and he would patiently listen to your rants, that's just how Taehyun is. He's perfect when it comes to comforting, because he listens so well. He will not interrupt and begin to start teaching ways to deal with the problem like any other person likely does. He just listens with full attention.

But here you are, curling up into a lifeless pillow stained wet with fresh tears, lost in somewhat of a daydream that the soft cotton article was your precious boyfriend.

Of course that delusion isn't the only painful thought bothering your mind, as your fears and insecurities began to tangle in your mind because of the failure you had to face today.

Your wallowing that went on for what felt like hours, was rudely interrupted by the loud sound of your doorbell ringing through your apartment. You groan trying your best to ignore whoever is the awaiting person on the other side of the door. But they ring again, and again and it pokes your anger that you are forced to attend to the door after all.

You finally managed to get up from your cold yet comfortable bed, dragging your feet to the get to your front door. You assume it's probably the building maintenance guy or maybe some Amazon delivery you've long forgotten about ordering, because you really weren't expecting anybody right now.

You open the door with probably the worst, annoyed expression on your face. But it immediately shifts to a shocked one when your eyes come in veiw with the person standing in front of you at the door.

It was Taehyun.

You feel a wave of emotions hitting you, as he just stood there without a word. But you could feel your heart beat faster at the thought of finally seeing him again. You feel a slight excitement begin to stir in you.

"T-taehyun...what are you-" He interrupts you as he bumps into your shoulder, barging into your home. You're left still as he intrudes, quickly making his into the kitchen.

He rather aggressively opens the freezer door and stuffs a bunch of items inside that he had brought with him in the little brown bag he was holding.

All you could do was watch him, completely perplexed at what's going on right now.

When he was done, he began practically marching back to you. He shut the door that was left hung open and turned to face you. You notice how his face is scrunched up into a frown before suddenly he grabs your shoulder, making you look at him, eyes still wide from shock.

"You really thought I wouldn't notice?" Taehyun finally breaks the silence, starting off with an angry tone.

"What do you mean...?" You ask in a low voice, genuinely confused what he's so worked up about.

"Really?" He scoffs "Did you really think I wouldn't notice the super obvious sobbing coming from you when you called me. You're a really bad liar you know?"

You gasp, unable to comprehend the fact that Taehyun showed up just because he heard you cry. Your heart feels warm at the thought and you couldn't help a small smile pull at your lips.

Taehyun sighs before bringing his arms to wrap you around into a hug. Finally.

You feel yourself slowly melting into his soft touch as he moves his hand to lightly pat at your back.

"You got me so worried you know? Please don't lie to me next time" He huffs out, still holding you tight, voice quite and soothing.

"I'm sorry tyun... But are you sure this is okay? You being here? What about your work?" You ask as you couldn't help but worry for his sake even when you need him so much.

He slightly pulls apart to meet your eyes. "It's okay. I've dealt with it so you don't need to worry. This is much more important." He brings a hand to cup your cheek and you willingly rest your face in his palms.

"Now, what's got my sweet angel so gloomy?" He asks, making your heart flutter with the nickname and the way his voice is filled with so much care and love for you.

You bury your face in his chest as it takes a little hesitation to admit the reason for being sad.

"I..." You trail off, still unable to describe something you feel so ashamed about.

"It's okay, take your time." He brings a hand to caress at your head. And maybe it was his comforting but you're finally able to spill it out.

"I got my report card today and I.... failed" you let out a sigh as you feel slight warmth creep up your face, feeling like crying again.

"Hmm.." Taehyun doesn't respond much, still placing gentle pats on your head.

"Come with me." He pulls apart from the embrace and takes your wrist, lightly pulling on it for you to follow him.

He takes you to the couch and sits on it, so you also sit next to him, thinking he probably wanted to take a seat.

But he clicks his tongue and says  "No, you lie down" as if he's pointing out the obvious but you're only more confused.

"Huh? But then there won't be enough space to-"

You're interrupted by him suddenly grabbing hold on top of your head so strong, that he drags your entire body to lay on the couch, placing your head in his lap.

You look at him, blinking your eyes in the surprise at the small smile of his lopsided face that fits in your veiw.

"Really?" You ask, stating the obvious of the position he wants you to be in.

"Yes really."

So you adjust yourself to get more comfortable and lean in more of your weight in his lap. Strangely his firm and muscular thighs were feeling rather comfortable just like any other pillow or actually even better than that.

He leaned down to place a kiss on your forehead, dusting your cheeks with a red hue and naturally a smile appears at your lips. He starts caressing your head again, lightly playing with the strands of your hair.

He presses down a thumb on your aching temples and you can't help but let out a relaxed sigh. He works his fingers firmly between your eyebrows, massaging out the pain you were bearing with all day.

He squeezed and rubbed all over your forehead to the bridge of your nose, for quite a while, and almost lulling you to fall asleep.

He relaxed his movements, now gently tracing every inch of your skin on your face and stopping over your lips. He leans down to place a soft peck on them, making you finally open your eyes to see his face again.

His eyebrows are slightly tilted in worry "Your eyes are so puffy, did you really cry so much? All alone?"

"Yeah... I'm sorry, I should've told you sooner right?"

"Don't apologise. Yes you should've but it's okay, I'm here now. If you want to cry more, you can, I'll be here through all of it"

His words make you feel so warm. "I surprisingly don't, probably because the best boyfriend in the world has made my worries all fade away" you made him smile brightly with your compliment.

"Well then, do you want to rant about it?"

You shift your weight to the side and move in closer to him, wrapping your arms around his torso and pressing your nose against his abdomen.

"Ah I don't know tyun. It really sucks, it really does"

"Hmm I know"

"I really did study so hard and yet.." as you begin to vent, you feel the tears threatening your eyes again, even if you really didn't feel like crying any more.

"You did, you worked very hard. I'm always proud of you"

"But I still failed.."

"Love, if you don't mind me asking, what subject was it?"

"Ugh, It was Calculations..."

"Oh? The one with that grouchy professor?"

"Yes that's the one. God I hate that class so much"

"Me too, I hate it because it caused my angel so much distress. I bet he failed you on purpose too. That sick old man is probably projecting his crap on the poor students, and it's worse if he does it on you."

You burst out into a fit of giggles at his "over- protective boyfriend mode", turning to look at his face again.

"You really think he would do that Taehyun?"

"I don't know, but I know that you definitely deserve more. You work so hard."

You laugh more "Thanks babe but I'm genuinely bad at calculations"

"Well then...do you want me to tutor you?"

You get up from his lap to look at him directly in the eye. "You can do that?"

"Yeah well, I'm kind of good in math and stuff so if you want..."

"But you're so busy! Are you sure you can fit that in your schedule?"

"Yeah, I can make time if it's to help you"

"Oh my gosh, yes please! It will help me so much Taehyun! Thank you!" You immediately grasp him into a tight hug, smiling against his neck.

You've always done extremely well with any sort of personal guidance when it comes to studying, it really helps to have an assistance for when you're stuck or have a doubt. So his offer was definitely something to be excited about.

"Taehyun, you won't be strict with me right?" You ask jokingly.

"I mean, if it becomes necessary then.." He smirks to tease you.

"No! I only want gentle and sweet Taehyun please!" You pout.

He laughs at your cuteness "Alright alright" he placed a peck on your pouty lips. "Anything for you"

You blush at his gesture. He truly is the best boyfriend ever. You look at him in awe as your heart swells for the love and adoration you have for him. It's because of him, you can smile today, it's because of him you can smile on any day.

You return the kiss into a longer one, it's soft, sweet and warm.

He pulls apart to give you a smile. "There's a thing I forgot to mention"

"What is it tyun?" You cup his face.

"I bought a tub of ice cream for you, it's your comfort food after all."

You gasp and squeeze him into another hug "Kang Taehyun I love you too much!"

◈ 𝅒 𝅓 𝅒 𝅓 𝅒 𝅓 𝅒 𝅓 𝅒 𝅓 𝅒 𝅓 𝅒 𝅓 𝅒 𝅓 𝅒 𝅓 𝅒 𝅓 𝅒 𝅓 𝅒 𝅓 𝅒 𝅓 𝅒 𝅓 𝅒 𝅓 𝅒 𝅓 𝅒 𝅓 ◈

A/n : Thank you so much for reading so far if you did and I hope you enjoyed it!

Slight vent warning : I really wanted to post something cheerful for all members for txt day (which is today so happy anniversary to them and moa!) But I've been super stressed and busy with my exam that I am unable to write or draw or do anything creative :((( still I was able to write this short comfort tyun fic because it's kind of based on my own emotions lollol ANYWAYYYSSSS comments, criticism and feedback are highly appreciated! <33

[imjustasimpxd]

Title : Demon Slayer characters reacting to reader on her period

Masterlist

Pairing : contains Tanjiro Kamado, Zenitsu Agatsuma, Inosuke Hashibira, Tengen Uzui, Giyuu Tomioka, and Kyojuro Rengoku.

Summary : The title says it all

Word count : Headcanons

Warnings : fluff, mentions of period pains, mentions of blood

Author’s notes : reblogs are appreciated!! I appreciate all feedback on my writing so that I can know what you guys liked and what you think I should improve on😊

Disclaimer : this is a work of fiction and should in no way, shape, or form, be taken seriously.

Tanjiro:

* Okay but I think we can all agree he’d be like the sweetest guy ever while on your period

* I mean he already is a very caring person who is always thinking of others, but that trait kind of multiplies when you’re in pain so…

* I imagine he’d be able to smell it coming at least an hour or so before it started

* Knowing this he’d do all he can to prepare things for you

* Immediately rushed to the market to get you all your favorite foods

* Has the heating pad, medicine, and a glass of water already prepared for when you get home

* “Is there anything I can get you love?” “Did you take your medicine?” “Do you want me to refill your water for you?”

* Honestly turns into such a malewife while you’re on your cycle

* Is kind of hovering over you 24/7 because he wants to make sure he’s there the moment you need him.

* If you’re feeling emotional and need a shoulder to cry on, he’s there no matter the time of night.

* He always makes sure to listen intently when you’re ranting so that you feel like he’s valuing your words and emotions.

* He always makes sure to be gentle as well, both with his words and his tone.

* Whether you just need cuddles or you’re wanting some encouragement and advice, he’s happy to oblige

* He purposely stays up and waits for you to fall asleep first because he doesn’t want you to need something but you can’t wake him up

* He’d honestly just be such a sweetheart, always putting your needs first and telling you to just ask him if there’s anything you want him to do

* Even if it’s at 3am, he’d be up and ready to help immediately if you needed it

Zenitsu:

* A part of me wants to say that he’d start freaking out and screaming at the fact that you’re LITERALLY BLEEDING, but then another part of me remembers that he’s had like 7 ex-girlfriends so he should know what a period is right ??

* Why do I feel like the conversation would go something like “WAIT WHAT?! YOU’RE BLEEDING?!! WHAT HAPPENED?! WHY DIDN’T YOU TELL ME?!!!” And then you’re just like “Zenitsu it’s just my period” and he’s like “Ooooh yeah, sorry I forgot, we’re all good then.”

* Okay but like this man already simps for you on a normal day… when you’re not in pain…

* Literally is at your beck and call, doing ABSOLUTELY ANYTHING you want him to, and I do mean ANYTHING

* There’s no limits to what he’ll do for you when it comes to this man

* Buys you like eighty million flowers, chocolates, and anything else he thinks you’ll like because “you deserve it”

* Basically starts worshiping you (even more than usual)

* Gets you a bunch of unnecessary things like stuffed animals and all that because he wants to make you feel better

* You try to tell him that you don’t need it all and that he doesn’t have to go all out like that, however he just responds with “ANYTHING FOR MY QUEEN”

* Prepare to be spoiled while you’re on your period

* Okay but like you could literally get him to do ANYTHING YOU WANTED if you use the excuse of “but zenitsu I’m on my period☹️”

* He basically becomes your servant at this time

Inosuke:

* I love Inosuke but let’s be honest here, this man has NO IDEA what a period is

* He literally didn’t even know what a funeral was when Tanjiro and Zenitsu were burying people after that one mansion episode in season one…

* So yeah there’s like no way in heck he knows what a period is

* “Wait what do you mean you’re bleeding? Did you get hurt or something?”

* You have to explain to him that you’re not injured and that a period is a natural thing every woman goes through

* He just stands there like “huh?”🧍‍♂️

* Why do I feel like he’d go and ask a bunch of the other female demon slayers if they get periods too afterwards because he’s never heard of this happening before and he needs to confirm that it’s true

* Is blown away when they tell him yes

* He obviously doesn’t have much understanding of how he’s supposed to help you so instead he’ll just ask “What do you want me to do?” Or “Tell me what you want.”

* He’s a little lost, but once you fill him in on the things you need or the things you’d like he’ll get them for you in a heartbeat.

* Thinks it’s stupid that you have to go through that every month

* He may not know how exactly but he wants to do all he can to help so he would literally be willing to do ANYTHING you asked him to (you may or may not have used this to your advantage a few times😉)

* The first few times he experienced your period he was obviously confused, however as time passed and your periods happened more often he’ll soon get the hang of things pretty quickly.

* From that point on, whenever you tell him you’re on your period he’ll brag about how he knows exactly what to get for you and say things like “Just wait and see!! I’m gonna take care of you better than anyone else!! I’m gonna make you have the best period of your life!!” And you’re just like “thanks?”🥴😂

Tengen:

* I imagine because of having three other wives that he’d be THE LITERAL EXPERT out of all the other guys when it comes to periods

* Probably has like a whole closet full of all the necessities that he makes sure to restock EVERY MONTH

* KNOWS EXACTLY WHAT YOU NEED AND HOW TO HELP YOU

* Low-key, having him to take care of you while on your period would probably be SO NICE because with how he is, you bet he’s probably got all the best brands and high-quality products that make things a lot easier for you, (he says it’s unflashy to buy anything cheap or low quality).

* Refuses to have that “filth” in his house

* Once you tell him you started he’ll immediately have everything laid out for you afterwards

* Will definitely make sure to give you a lot more affection than usual at this time because he knows you’ll be wanting it😌

* Don’t worry about being too emotional or anything tho, he’s definitely used to it with how Suma is lol

* Will say stupid things like “Well that’s not very flashy of you.” just to tease you.

* If you really needed comfort though then he would be sure to give it to you.

* He’d would be the type to kind of baby you..

* Tucks you into bed, bakes you your favorite food, gives you shoulder rubs🥰

* He’ll insist that he looks after you himself whenever you’re on it, (because that’s what a man would do) however if he gets called into a mission or can’t be there for something out of his control, then he’ll make sure to tell his other wives to look after you while he’s gone

Kyojuro:

* Due to your emotions, you’ll most likely be feeling very down and discouraged. You may even be feeling as though you are “not enough”

* If this happens though, then don’t worry, this fiery hashira of yours will perk you right up.

* Says things like “It’s okay to feel discouraged, your hormones are at an all time high right now so it’s completely normal to feel like this.” And “Not to worry, the only reason you’re viewing yourself this way is because of your hormones, not because it’s true in any way.”

* If you tried to argue with him, saying that you just don’t feel that useful or even that special he’d immediately say something like “Nonsense. I’ve seen your skill with my own eyes. You have remarkable potential.”

* He’s just really good at encouraging you and helping regain that confidence in yourself. He’s your number one supporter and is always doing his best to remind you not to listen to any of those negative emotions you’re having.

* Another thing is he’s very patient when it comes to your emotional outbursts.

* He understands you’re not actually mad at him when you get upset over little things, that’s why he always makes sure not to take it personal when you get angry with him during your time of month.

* He’s fully aware of that shift in your behavior and never holds it against you. In fact he strives to be even more gentle with you because of it.

* OKAY BUT THIS MAN LOVES TO EAT SO HE’D TAKE FULL ADVANTAGE OF ANY CRAVINGS YOU HAD DURING THIS TIME.

* Like literally the moment you say “I mean I guess I am a little hungry,” he immediately goes out and buys a whole assortment of food. He assures you that it’s “all for you” but of course you’re not gonna be able to eat it all when he got that much so he offers to “help you out” by eating some of the food for you.

* It always turns into a cute little dinner where you two can just relax and enjoy each other’s company while eating the delicious food he brought home.

* Like the others, Kyojuro would obviously be willing to get you anything you asked him to and is more than happy to do whatever he can to make you feel better.

* But in my opinion, Kyojuro would be more focused on your mental health during this time, making sure to always check up on you and comfort you when you need it.

* He never got much validation or even recognition from his dad and so to prevent that cycle from continuing he always makes sure you know that he values your accomplishments and your feelings (like how he does for his little brother.)

Giyuu:

* When it comes to Giyuu, I think we all known he’s a little more introverted than the other guys.

* Because of this he wouldn’t exactly know what to say at times when you’re feeling down. It’s not on purpose, he just isn’t as good at encouraging you as someone like Kyojuro or Tanjiro is.

* Knowing this, his way of caring for you during this time would come from his actions instead.

* After waking up in the morning to find out that you started, you immediately get up to get a tampon or a pad (whichever you use) and go to take care of things in the bathroom.

* When you finish up and leave the bathroom, you’ll find Giyuu washing your stained garments at the sink, along with a fresh pair of clothes folded on the counter for you right next to him.

* He’ll tell you to change into the clothes he set out for you and go rest

* After changing, you head back to the bedroom to find a glass of water, the heating pad, and some medicine that have been set on your nightstand.

* He doesn’t say a whole lot besides “is there anything I can get you?”, but his actions speak louder than his words.

* While you’re on your period, you’ll find that he always makes sure the house is spotless. You won’t have to worry about cleaning anything because he’ll have already done it by the time you get up again.

* He’ll do all the chores for you just so you won’t have to be bothered doing them yourself while your in pain.

* He’ll bring you breakfast in bed or get up early to make your favorite drink in the mornings.

* He’ll even draw a warm bath for you to relax in or you’ll find a small bouquet of flowers in the kitchen that weren’t there the day before.

* Even if he has to leave on a mission he’ll always take the time to make you a meal to eat while he’s gone with a note that says “I’ll be back by sunset tonight.”

* He obviously would do all he could to comfort you when you’re upset, will say a few reassuring words like “I’m here” and gently rub your back while he lets you cry it out.

* But even so, he’s usually silent for the most part, only because he doesn’t know exactly what to say to comfort you and is scared he’ll say something wrong.

* However his lack of words is made up by his phenomenal caretaking skills.

* No matter how much pain you’re in, it always makes you feel better knowing that you can simply rest since he’s already made sure to take care of everything else for you.

Masterlist

If anyone wants a part two of this please let me know! ;3

[donotpercieveme123]

What is the whole Izuna is peace loving thing about when he told Madara not to make peace with the Senju with his dying breath? Aight let's talk about it!! Cuz the number of times I've seen him portrayed as some brat who refuses to make peace out of some sort of ego driven 'honour' does my head in.

First of all, being peace loving doesn't mean loving the idea of peace with the Senju specifically, or think that peace with their most bitter enemies is possible or remotely a good idea. At the end of the day the clan will always have to come first, and to force them into a close settlement with the very people that have been slaughtering them, and whom they've been slaughtering for decades, is actually fckn insane if u don't view it through Hashirama and Madara's idealistic shonnen lense. And Tobirama probably held the same belief. Idk why they both get made out to be peace hating warmongers for that. Tobirama built the shinobi system from the ground up the best he could after they made peace (which I can rant about for hours, but that's beside the point), and Izuna would have done the same if he'd lived. And they would have worked well together, their strengths compliment each other well after all.

So here is how I imagine things would have gone if Izuna had lived and Konoha was still founded.

But first, it's worth pointing out that nothing would have gotten started if hashimada didn't do it. Tobiizu is the damage control to their spearheading, in the same way Tobirama is to Hashirama, and Izuna is to Madara. They're both necessary, and I think that's pretty cool.

Alright, so if Izuna had lived they would have been able to come to the negotiations field more as equals, the Uchiha wouldn't have had to surrender into peace as a last resort, and that would have given them leverage for more equal leadership in Konoha. And even if they didn't, I firmly believe Izuna would have somehow made it happen, he's resourceful, manipulative, intelligent, and completely stubborn and pushy if nothing else. And if Tobirama had tried anything he would have slapped his ass into next week no questions asked. And no one would have really even blinked as they might have if it were Madara threatening him, since they don't have that power imbalance between them.

At any rate izuna would have been good at keeping tobirama in check and vice versa, and they are each other's best channels for learning about and understanding each other's clans, from sheer exposure if nothing else. Which obviously would have gone a long way if u think tobirama was purposefully oppressing the uchiha. And if u think he wasn't and he had no way of predicting and changing the future I think izuna might have had more of an insight. His biggest strength is in understanding people, predicting how they think and feel, how they'll react, what they'll do etc. And they'd be able to assign roles more equally in the village so no clan was pushed into a position they might be resented for. But also some things are inevitable and ppl didn't even distrust the uchiha until the Kyuubi attack, so maybe it would be unnecessary. At any rate though, izuna would sure as hell push for equal political leadership which definitely helps.

Which leads me onto co hokages, or at least joint leadership. Where one person acts as the face of the village (likely someone more charismatic), but they both have equal power behind the scenes. So hashirama would act as Hokage and colead with madara, and then izuna would take over as hokage with tobirama by his side. Izuna has a more bloody reputation (mostly from the Uchiha's reputation) so he has the scary factor, but he also has cult leader potential. This bitch is charisma and manipulation in a suit, he's sharp, and knows how to play people. He'd make a great face for the village. (Also he's pretty, his face would look great on that cliff lol). And he and Tobirama would make a scarily effective and ruthless team. They fill in each other's blind spots and both have a similar approach to running things.

Over all, the Uchiha getting equal representation in politics, combined with madara not leaving the village and garnering this boogy man legacy is always a plus. Also they're likely to do something about the Hyuga slavery. But apart from no uchiha massacre I imagine nothing changes too drastically in regard to the shinobi system. Such is the tragedy of politics lol

[renjuseyo]

if ur requests are open can i pls request Jaehyun x male reader where the reader is so drunk that he forgot that his boyfriend(jaehyun) is his boyfriend. then he asks a member if he is taken and they said yes and that will make reader to silently be sad in the corner and jaehyun asks if readers ready to go home......... andddddddd ill leaveee the rest to u hehehehe (iloveurwriting so much)

tipsy ; jaehyun

group: nct

pairing: jung yoonoh / reader (male)

synopsis: both you and jaehyun knew how much of a lightweight you were, but when has that ever stopped you?

genre: fluff, crack

warnings: implied sexual content, explicit language

i lost inspiration for this, so i hope this mess of a fic is okay anon! as always, feedback is appreciated!!

when you peek through the peephole, you expect to see the delivery man holding the package you had ordered online. instead, you’re pleasantly surprised to see your boyfriend on the other side of the door, wrapped in a hoodie, mask, and tinted sunglasses. his disguise is pretty unnecessary given how your neighbors are mainly made up of old people who have never heard of nct, but it gets the job done.

once you’ve unhooked the chain bolt, you unlock the door and swing it open. he slightly jumps at the noise, but visibly softens when he sees you. “hey (name),” he greets, slipping off his mask and sunglasses.

“hey yourself. what are you doing here?” you ask. with how hectic his schedule has been after promotions with the nct 2020 project and working as an mc on inkigayo, you two hadn’t seen each other in weeks. though you missed him, you sympathized with the tireless hours he spent working as an idol. at least you preoccupied yourself with netflix.

he slips off his sneakers and enters your home, taking off the rest of his disguise. you close and lock the door behind you, trailing behind him. “i managed to squeak in some free time today, so i came to visit you,” he explains. he faces you with a smile, pulling you close. you subconsciously lean your head onto his shoulder, humming as he sways your bodies.

“i missed you,” you tell him, fingers ghosting his waist. he makes a noise of agreement, resting his chin on your head.

you eventually pull away, eliciting a grumble from jaehyun. contrary to popular belief, he was the clingy one of you two, always using the excuse of “you’re just the perfect size for cuddling.” “stop grumbling, jae. you’ve come so far, so it’s only fair i make you something to eat,” you tell him, making your way towards the kitchen.

he follows suit, hand grabbing at the hood of your hoodie. you stop in front of the refrigerator and open it, canvassing the food you have in there. as you debate what to make for lunch, he rests his chin on your shoulder and snakes both arms around your waist. you roll your eyes, though you don’t make any movements to pry his arms off. “i can always eat something else,” he smirks.

you realize too late the implications of his comment, absentmindedly sorting through the bags of vegetables in your fridge. “do you want takeout instead then? mrs. moon from two doors down said that there’s this really good pho house near here.”

he nuzzles into your shoulder. “i’d really like to eat you,” he says as nonchalantly as one can, considering his implications. you nearly drop a bag of spinach, spluttering incoherent words as you spin around to swat his shoulder. he laughs, loud and proud, a stark contrast from the quiet, polite laugh he’s practiced.

“you’re the worst,” you hiss, reluctantly closing the fridge. he pecks your cheek, eliciting a disgusted screech from you. he leans back with a laugh before attacking your face with kisses. you shut your eyes as you try to wiggle out of his grasp. but jaehyun’s been working out, evident from his arms, and he’s always had an intense grip. when he leans away, satisfied, you flick his forehead. with how clingy jaehyun’s being, making lunch isn’t an option anymore. “i hate you.”

jaehyun eventually relinquishes his attacks, threading his fingers with yours. “you’re usually not this clingy, jae. actually, now that i think about it, you don’t flirt all too much either, much less suggest sexual innuendos. what’s the occasion?” you ask as he walks you two to your living room. he doesn’t immediately respond, flopping down onto the couch and dragging you along with him. you land on his chest with an oomph, your cheek squished against his chest.

he combs his fingers through your hair, smiling as you make a noise of approval. “well, i wasn’t going to say anything before the news outlet, but...” his smile only widens when he sees you look up at him with curious eyes; he nearly coos at how innocent you look. “a certain idol you know might make his acting debut soon~”

your eyes widen, and you quickly prop yourself up with your elbows. “what! no way!” you exclaim, jaw hanging open. jaehyun laughs at your shell-shocked reaction, though it’s a given; when you were in a mood to vent, he would always take your hand and pepper your knuckles with butterfly kisses as you ranted about how he deserved better and shouldn’t only be seen as a visual, whining about how sm failed to show his talents as a singer and an actor. well, those days are over now, he supposes.

“yes way, love. are you excited?” he isn’t sure why he asked that question, considering how shell-shocked you already look. plus, the squeal that leaves your throat and the way you throw yourself onto him is answer enough already.

“do you even have to ask? you used to send me videos of you acting out different roles because you wanted to try acting, and you always did them so well! i’m really proud of you, jae. you deserve it.”

“i’m really glad you think so, (name). do you want to hear-”

“no!” you interrupt, slapping both of your palms on his mouth. he tilts his head in confusion, surprised by your sudden outburst. “knowing you, you’re going to accidentally tell me everything, and then i’m going to know the whole story line before the show even airs!”

he’s about to refute your claims, but he can’t really considering how you’ve layered both of your palms on his mouth. plus, judging by the look you give him, he’s certain he’s going to be eating his own words sooner or later. with a sigh, he peels your palms off. "you’re no fun. can i not even tell you the name and the basic plot?”

“i’m sorry for wanting to give you ratings,” you snort. “and no. then i’ll be waiting in anticipation and will force you to tell me everything, even if you tell me you can’t because i told you before not to say anything. you can’t even give me a drop of information.” well, jaehyun supposes that is true. you’ve always been enticed by television shows; he’s personally seen you react to cliffhangers a show gives before it ultimately gets cancelled. needless to say, it isn’t a pretty sight. “this calls for celebration! we can invite the boys too... do you want it to be extravagant, or are we keeping it low key?” you ask, sitting up and reaching for your phone.

“what happened to just you and me?” jaehyun asks, batting his eyelashes with feigned innocence. “i can think of a lot more fun things we can do.”

you don’t even bat an eye; unlike earlier, you were prepared for this kind of comment. “shoving my foot up your ass sounds really fun, but unfortunately that won’t get me any food. the boys probably already knew before i did, so you’ve probably already celebrated with them... i guess we can keep it simple.”

“i’d take your foot any day,” he fires back with a heavily exaggerated moan, to which you respond with a slap on the arm.

“i’m telling johnny to bring over beer.” you’re texting a group chat with you and the other 127 members. you’re only dating jaehyun, yet sometimes it feels like you’re dating all of them with how close you are. plus, gossiping with jungwoo about your boyfriend is always fun. with him being his roommate, you both often share similar struggles.

he rolls his eyes, stretching over to wrap his arms around your waist. he peers over your shoulder to look at your screen. “please, (name). you’re the lightest lightweight i’ve ever met. who are you telling to bring over drinks? you’re like a baby.”

“fuck you.”

“i think it’s the other way around, but i’d gladly let you order me around~” he flirts.

you shove a pillow in his face as you fire off a text.

after ordering pizza, tteokbokki, and fried chicken, your dinner is nearly complete. the boys were coming over soon, with johnny being in charge of drinks, jungwoo in charge of takeout, and donghyuck in charge of entertainment. you had a nintendo switch jaehyun had gifted you two years ago, and you intended on making full use of it tonight.

(plus, you have yet to beat yuta at super smash bros. today is going to be that day.)

you had finished clearing the table for the food before you notice jaehyun’s sleeping frame on the couch. you’re about to walk over and reprimand him for being unproductive, but seeing how tired and peaceful he looks stops you. instead, you grab a blanket from your room and drape it over him.

you’re about to walk away and grab water bottles for everyone when you feel something tugging your hand. craning your neck, you smile at jaehyun’s hooded eyes laced with sleep. “c’mere,” he murmurs.

water bottles can wait, then. you pat jaehyun’s side, and he scoots over to allow room for you. as you slot yourself in his arm, spreading a leg across his, he makes a noise of satisfaction, eyes fluttering close. “someone’s tired,” you observe, pushing the mop of black bangs obscuring his eyes. “did practice run late?”

he avoids your gaze. “no, i spent the night playing uno with johnny, ten, and mark,” he admits.

you laugh. “must have been intense. i bet you were so burnt out from uno,” you sympathize with sarcasm. “but in general, don’t overexert yourself, okay? i know you’ve been busy, but you need to remember to take care of yourself.”

jaehyun nods, but a yawn rips out of his chest. you give him a knowing look, one that reads what did i say? which causes him to laugh. “yes sir,” he lazily responds.

“as tired as you may be, don’t go falling asleep on me now. the others are going to be here soon. what would they think, the guest of honor asleep at his own party?” you chuckle, leaning down to press a chaste kiss on his forehead.

he beams at the gesture. “give me more kisses and i’ll think about it,” he coaxes.

usually you don’t give in to his bratty demands, but seeing how tired he is reminds you of the accomplishments he’s achieved in the past year. a kiss is the least you could down. you lean down, breath fanning his lips, and he closes his eyes in contentment.

a few seconds pass, but the kiss never comes. when jaehyun opens his eyes, he’s surprised to see you’re no longer by his side, instead standing by the door. “that’s one way of telling a guy to come and get it,” he sighs, sitting up. he wearily rubs his eyes, blurry eyes watching you.

“sorry jae, taeil-hyung just texted saying they’re here,” you apologize. he sighs, eventually standing up after a few moments of stretching.

just as you had said, knocks resonate throughout your home, signalling their arrival. you peek through the peephole to verify their identities and sure enough, all nine other members stand outside, arms loaded. you undo the chain lock and swing the door open, greeting everyone.

“thanks for having us,” taeyong smiles, stepping into your home. everyone else echoes his message, but it comes out mumbled, like they hadn’t thought of saying anything until taeyong. the power a leader has, you suppose.

“no problem. here, let me grab some of the food.” you scurry over to jungwoo and mark, whose arms were loaded with the takeout you ordered.

as you grab a box of pizza from mark, johnny slaps you on the back. you nearly lurch forward and drop the pizza; if you had, johnny would be first on your hit list. “so jaehyun finally told you?” he asks with a grin.

“thank god. he spent days talking about ways to tell you, knowing how excited you’d be,” sicheng snorts, slipping off his shoes.

you laugh, especially when you see jaehyun spluttering in embarrassment. “you could’ve fooled me. all he did was waltz in and drop the news after he nearly fell asleep. made me feel like a proud parent and everything.”

“you may feel like one now, but wait until you watch him act. just going to be lots of cringing and teasing,” doyoung sneers, elbowing his shoulder.

yuta rolls his eyes. “like you’re one to talk, mr. lead actor.”

your eyes nearly bulge out of their sockets. “lead actor?!” doyoung laughs, answering your question. “good for you, hyung!”

jaehyun narrows his eyes. “why do you look more amazed at his news than mine?!”

i’m not a lightweight, you told yourself. i can handle whatever yuta throws at me, you told yourself.

you were sorely mistaken.

jaehyun notices this too, seeing you sway in your seat. he chuckles at the sight; you were never able to hold your liquor, and when you got drunk, you were quite the spontaneous drinker to deal with. one time you had drank so much that you cried over cute things, like when sicheng showed you a picture of his dogs. or the one time you were a man on a mission, flirting with all of the members. needless to say, that led to a very interested jaemin and a very pouty jaehyun.

you had initially planned on just sticking to soda, but yuta had wanted to make things more interesting and challenged you to a game of super smash bros. each time the loser lost, they would have to down a can of beer. despite your inability to hold your liquor, it activated your competitive nature. but of course, yuta is crazy good at any games he suggests, completely demolishing you with lucina. no matter which character you chose, you were just no match against him.

after several fruitless attempts, you’re seated between taeil and sicheng, who seem way too interested in the tteokbokki to notice your behavior. everyone else seems occupied, too; johnny, yuta, jungwoo, and donghyuck are playing mario kart 8, taeyong and mark are immersed in yet another one of their deep, contemplative conversations, and doyoung’s watching the whole scene unfold, supervising everyone (probably to ensure nothing ends up in flames). on the other hand, jaehyun’s sitting on your sofa, alternating between watching the four men in front of your television screaming and you in your tipsy state. he decides to stick with the latter.

eventually you lift your eyes up and make eye contact with jaehyun, who responds with a wink. seeing you flush and look away has his chest swelling with giddiness; you’re just too cute sometimes. the table isn’t far from the sofa, so he can hear any conversation that goes on there. he watches as you take another sip of your can, eyes shifting back and forth from the television and to him. you stare at him for a bit longer, eyes canvassing his face, his posture, his thoughts.

it seems sicheng notices your staring, sitting back down and nudging your shoulder. “what’s so interesting that it’s gotten your attention?” he asks, purposefully raising his voice so jaehyun can hear.

you flush at how loud he is, lazily putting a finger to your lips. “shhh, i’m staring at the pretty boy there.” you point your chin towards jaehyun, who pretends to not see. you’ve never been subtle when you were drunk, but telling you that would just lead to you loudly slurring your arguments. “do you know if he’s dating anyone?”

jaehyun nearly spits out his beer. of all the times you’ve gotten drunk, you’ve never once forgotten that you were his boyfriend - if anything, you were all too eager to prove just how much you belonged to him. he’s not sure whether to feel startled or amused.

sicheng chooses the latter, a smirk forming. “yeah, he has a boyfriend,” he tells you. jaehyun hopes you’ll realize that you’re the boyfriend in question, but seeing how you deflate like a balloon, he guesses not. he questions how much you’ve had to drink.

you slide off of your chair, pouting. “of course a guy as attractive as him has a boyfriend. i’m not surprised,” you grumble, crossing your arms. jaehyun can’t help the amused smirk that makes its way on his face. watching you envy yourself for being his boyfriend is very amusing.

sicheng must feel the same, stifling his laughter. “don’t look so bitter, (name). his boyfriend’s a good guy.”

you pout, crossing your arms. “well, i bet i can treat him ten times better! pretty boy there doesn’t know what he’s missing out on,” you boast, standing up.

sicheng can only watch in amusement as you stagger towards the kitchen. if only you knew how strange that statement was. “if you’re so confident about that, then what are you doing? planning on hiding in the kitchen to wallow on your sorrows?” he teases.

“i’m not!” you protest. “i’m just going to get some water because i’m dizzy as fuck and possibly cry about how single i am.” you mumble the last part, though because sicheng has uncanny hearing, he probably heard, if the smirk on his lips is anything to go by.

jaehyun decides it’s time to intercept, because as amusing as things were, he hoped you weren’t actually going to cry about being single, especially since you had no reason to. he stops by the dining table where taeil and sicheng are. “so i heard you and (name) were talking about me.”

sicheng snorts, rolling his eyes. “just because we said pretty boys doesn’t mean we were talking about you.”

though unaware of the topic, taeil leans in, chewing on a mouthful of pizza. “yeah, for all we know, he could be talking about me!” he chirps. he’s met with an annoyed glare from sicheng (though both of them can see him stifling his laughter), which he responds with an air kiss. typical taeil.

“well, i’m going to check up on him. i’ll leave you two lovebirds alone for now,” he teases. taeil looks a little too happy at the joke, whereas sicheng threatens to stab him with a fork. it’s amusing watching their reactions, considering how everyone around them already knows that they’re dating. those two just haven’t admitted anything yet.

he follows you into the kitchen, though you don’t seem to notice, too busy pouring yourself a glass of cold water.  “(name),” he greets.

you jump in surprise, nearly spilling water on yourself. when you turn to face jaehyun, your confident nature immediately disappears, quickly replaced with one of bashfulness. “you know me?” you ask, in awe of how said pretty boy could possibly recognize you.

if only you knew just how well he knew you, he thinks to himself. instead, he decides to play along; you’re obviously too drunk to realize how silly this seems. “i do,” he hums, patting your shoulder. he isn’t sure if your red cheeks are from the alcohol or him, though he hopes for the latter. he never gets less prideful when you get all shy because of him.

hoping to maintain the confident facade you had earlier, you quickly clear your throat, looking away. “how can i help you?” you ask, taking a sip of your water.

“well, i was hoping if we could talk in a more... private area?” he asks.

you nearly spit out your water, eyes the size of saucers. he has to stop himself from laughing, afraid the drunk you would get the wrong impression. “just to talk, that’s all. it’s kind of loud here, don’t you think?”

the screams from the living room (which are mainly from johnny and donghyuck and the occasional ones of distress from taeyong) and the volume of the television are evidence enough, so you nod in agreement. “yeah, sure.”

“perfect. let’s go then~” jaehyun laces your fingers together before you can say anything, and your ears are practically fuming with smoke. you’re too distracted by his touch to question how he knows where your bedroom is. when you both enter your room, he flops down on your bed, patting the empty spot beside him. at this, you gasp, scandalized and very flustered. he chuckles at how shy you’ve gotten, shaking his head. “my my (name), get your head out of the gutter. we’re not going to do anything... unless you want to,” he flirts.

jaehyun never tries to take advantage of you, especially when you’re not sober. but when the sober you would throw pillows (or anything that wouldn’t actually hurt him) at him for flirting with you, the drunk you would always fire back with equally flirty remarks, or the shy you would just splutter in embarrassment. he can’t help it, spewing sweet nothings to you - you’re just too fun to mess with for him to not to, especially when you’re drunk.

reluctantly you place your water on your bedside table and lower yourself beside him, heart thumping erratically. he chuckles at how timid you are, a stark contrast from the snarky (name) that he knows so well. he turns to face you, both of your faces only centimetres apart. the smell of alcohol lingers on both of you, though it isn’t as prominent on him as it is on you. he makes a mental note to ask yuta how much you’ve had.

you squeak at how close you two are, hands flying to cover your face. “you have a boyfriend,” you whisper. you’re undeniably flustered, but you would rather die than be known as a homewrecker!

his laugh startles you, even more so when he presses a hand to the small of your back. you look like you’ve committed a heinous crime, potentially causing an attractive man like jaehyun to cheat on his boyfriend. the statement is so abusrd though, considering how you’re the boyfriend in question. “i do, you are right. he won’t be mad at me, though,” he hums, leaning in so close your noses would touch if it weren’t for the makeshift barrier you’ve made from your hands. you flush red in embarrassment, hiding your eyes behind your hands. if you make eye contact with him, you’re sure you’re going to melt into a puddle.

“even if he didn’t mind, i don’t think we should be doing this. i know i wouldn’t be happy if my boyfriend did this,” you whisper.

jaehyun sure is having a field day with this. you’re too flustered and worried to notice the pure look of adoration he’s giving you. “call it a hunch,” he says. “i promise you, he won’t be mad at this.”

“why?”

“you’ll find out tomorrow.” he pauses as a yawn rips out of his chest. “i’m really tired, so i’m going to sleep. the boys probably won’t quiet down on my account, anyways. you can always go back to them if you want, though,” he offers. a small part of him hopes for you to stay and cuddle with him, but judging how you’re so sure he has a boyfriend who would be absolutely devastated for literally sleeping with another man and how you have no knowledge of where you stand, he wouldn’t be surprised if you left.

what does surprise him, though, is when you stay rooted in your spot on the bed. “i’m tired, too,” you say.

jaehyun smiles so sweetly, the one that has his eyes dripping with honey, that your hands fly up to cover your face again. his boyfriend must be lucky to see that sight all of the time, you bitterly think to yourself. still, even if you’re not sure why he’s flirting with you or where you stand, you decide to savor every moment that you get to spend with him. even if you don’t really know who pretty boy is, he’s sweet and kind. plus, only a fool would cover their eyes when someone as beautiful as him lays before you.

he moves an arm to pat your thigh when he freezes in midair, remembering how he’s supposed to have a boyfriend to stay loyal to (even though he’s right in front of him). he retracts his arm and instead pulls your blanket to cover your lower bodies. “goodnight, (name),” he hums, shutting his eyes.

before jaehyun can begin the long process of trying to fall asleep, he feels you tug at his t-shirt. cracking an eye open, he sees you laying before him, staring at him with curious eyes and red cheeks. oh no, now he’s really tempted to kiss you. you’re impossibly adorable, seeing how vulnerable and curious you are. “yes?” he hums, trying to stay awake. the effects from last night’s uno matches have really begin to take a toll on him.

“i don’t think i’ve gotten the chance to ask, but may i know your name?” you ask.

jaehyun chuckles. he’s flirted with you and is even sleeping in the same bed as you, yet he’s forgotten the basic courtesy that is introductions. he didn’t think he would’ve needed it, considering how you’re his boyfriend. but then again, you’ve forgotten that you are his boyfriend. “my name’s yoonoh, but you can call me jaehyun or jae.”

no one actually calls him jae except for you. it’s a short and simple nickname that you have for him, nothing endearing. but because it’s something that only you call him, even though there isn’t a meaning to it, he’s grown fond of the way it sounds leaving your lips. which is why hearing it from anyone that isn’t you only leaves a weird taste on his tongue.

you’re so drunk you don’t even remember jaehyun, nor who he is to you, so it isn’t surprising that you stick with jaehyun instead. he doesn’t mind though, because he knows when you’re sober again he’ll hear you calling him jae and cuddling into him and doing all of the coupley things he wasn’t able to do tonight.

wow, jaehyun really is a lovesick fool. it’s only been one night of not being able to cuddle or kiss you, but he feels like he’s missed a whole eternity of them. he really isn’t sure how he’s lived before you came into his life.

for an hour, you pester jaehyun on how you two became acquainted and who you were to him. he indulged you, of course, purposefully skipping over the part of you becoming boyfriends and doing things that friends definitely didn’t do. his stories seem to be an effective way of getting you to sleep, because in the middle of a story of how a pair of swapped backpacks led to your relationship, you’re lulled to sleep, tired hands clutching onto his t-shirt.

he can only chuckle, leaning down to press a kiss on your nose. you’ll sure be in for a storm when you sober up tomorrow morning.

your jaw drops as you stare at the video on doyoung’s phone. it’s of you and sicheng, and right now you can only watch in horror as you pester him for information on the pretty boy you were so interested in last night. you have no recollection of last night’s events, though watching the video makes you glad you don’t. the problem is, the boys were there to witness them, even recording evidence of it on their phones. you’ve already seen pictures that johnny and taeyong have taken from when you and jaehyun were cuddling in your bed.

“please tell me that isn’t me,” you whisper, utterly mortified.

mark pats your shoulder in sympathy. “that’s you, all right.”

at his confirmation, you groan, burying your face in your hands. doyoung and donghyuck are cackling at your demise, with sicheng reciting your complaints word from word to a very amused johnny and yuta.

“...and then he was like well, i bet i can treat him ten times better! pretty boy there doesn’t know what he’s missing out on,” sicheng mimics, purposefully raising his voice an octave higher as he mocks you. out of embarrassment, you reach for a pillow on your couch and fling it at him. unlike jaehyun, he’s very good at dodging, proven when he ducks. instead, the pillow smacks yuta square in the face. he throws it back at you with even more force.

you duck, the pillow smacking an unsuspecting jaehyun. he really is horrible at dodging things - how shameful. “what the hell was that for?” he splutters, picking it up from the floor.

you turn to face him, eyebrows furrowed with annoyance. “you watched me make an utter fool out of myself, and you didn’t once try to do anything about it?” you hiss.

jaehyun frowns in confusion until doyoung dangles his phone in front of his face. when he watches the video, his face eventually contorts to one of amusement. “oh, that.”

your face is red with embarrassment. “yeah, that! like seriously? where is your loyalty? do you not care about my well being? you know how vicious these monsters can be!” you whine, gesturing at the said nine monsters behind you.

he nonchalantly shrugs, though you can see the corners of his lips threatening to curl into a smirk. “i do, but you were just too cute, seeing you all flustered. what about my own well being, huh? seeing you like that isn’t good for my heart,” he coos.

your heart leaps, but you mask it by smothering his face with a pillow. “you’re the worst,” you grumble.

“you act like you don’t like it, but i know you do~” he retaliates, albeit muffled from the pillow.

behind you two stands nine other boys, obviously unimpressed. watching you two engage in petty banter is always amusing, but not when it makes you flustered and encourages jaehyun to flirt with you like the cheesy, lovesick fool he is. “they’re so gross,” donghyuck gags.

johnny nods in agreement. “let’s get out of here before they start fucking on the counter.”

at johnny’s comment, you turn away from jaehyun so fast you swear you hear your neck crack. “do you have no filter?!” you shriek, exasperated.

with your guard down, jaehyun takes this as a chance to wrap his arms around your waist. a noise of surprise leaves your throat as he places his chin on your shoulder. “you’re so mean, (name). i liked the shy you a lot better~” he hums.

the other boys don’t even blink. “we’re going to leave now before things get bloody. good luck, (name),” taeyong says, saluting you.

jaehyun’s already tugging at the hem of your shirt and peppering your neck with kisses by the time the boys leave.

[mezo-shojis-top-surgeon]

not to get all sentimental or anything but man, liking Mineta isn’t fun sometimes.

I try real hard to hide my ao3 and tumblr from friends and other people i know. I don’t want them to see some of my content for a reason. But now i found it’s super easy to find my account after someone who i know (who i didn’t want to see my content on here) followed me out of nowhere. he doesn’t even watch the show and he might try to find me through a different account but whatever. If he can find my just like that, anyone who knows me can.

Maybe i should’ve been smarter and hidden my account even better. Maybe it’s my fault if people find my content about him on here, but still. I’ve been made fun of for liking him before (by a close friend, too), i see the way people react when bigger creators say they like him. I’m honestly worried a lot because i constantly think i’ll get hate (d3ath thr3ats and su1c1de ba1t isn’t uncommon, i’ve noticed) and i’ll get ridiculed for things that everybody else in any fandom does but now, because it’s about Mineta, it’s weird to people suddenly. I get embarrassed so easily when just making nice, wholesome content about him. Which isn’t weird at all, I’m not doing anything wrong. But i’ve seen the way other people treat this character and treat the fun content others have made and I feel bad, almost, for simply liking a character.

I don’t expect the fandom to ever act any differently towards him, that’s unrealistic. i just wish i wouldn’t feel so ashamed about being hyperfixated on him, i guess?? This rant doesn’t even have a point, i’m just frustrated and i have been for a while. I love making content about the grape boy. I get so happy when other people enjoy reading my fanfics about him. Now, my writing is nowhere near perfect, but as long as it’s enjoyable, that’s good enough for me. I adore drawing him, it’s such fun. But the biggest reason why i keep creating content is because there’s just so little of it. I’ve found alot of good Mineta content, trust me, but after a while it just ends. And it didn’t even take me long to reach the end. There’s just so little good stuff, and even when there IS good content about him (specifically fanfiction), it gets overshadowed by the amount of hate people constantly spread. I legit must have scrolled a whole hour through ao3 in total by now, trying to find any content about him. but it’s all just hate. And since he’s my current hyperfixation, it makes me kinda sad. And i noticed other people felt like this as well, so i started creating myself, hoping others get just a little happier when seeing content about their favourite characters, hoping other people will get inspired to make their own content as well and return the favour. But it’s tiring. i have many projects and i enjoy working on all of them but my motivation is limited. And with every bit of unnecessary negativity i see, i get more discouraged to continue creating.

Now, i don’t think i’ll be quitting any time soon. i love the little dude too much to just let him go like that. I guess i just wanted to rant because i feel like my friends wouldn’t take me seriously (again, because it’s about Mineta). So i’m dropping it here i guess. It’s not that deep, he’s just a fictional character, i know. But i don’t care. I’m tired and gloomy and i don’t want to keep feeling bad for stuff that isn’t worth feeling bad about. I just want to create and enjoy content about my favourite grape in peace. I don’t want to be made fun of again, it sucks. I don’t want to care about what other people think anymore.

That’s it i guess. Like i said, there’s no point to this, there’s no conclusion. i just wanted to rant. I’d apologise for not posting much lately and not finishing a lot of fanfics, but i don’t think i wanna feel guilty for that right now lmao. I think i might take a break even, idk.

Thank you for reading this i guess. And thanks to all my followers. the amount of support and kind words i’ve gotten from you people is just insane, it makes my entire day when i see someone left kudos, comments, reblogged my content or left something in my inbox. you guys are the best, truly, and i hope you’re all doing well <33

here’s a funny picture of him to distract from the massive block of stupid text about my pointless frustrations

[gaymershigh]

I'm really glad to find your blog! It's really rare to see content of male or gender neutral reader on this fandom. 💕

So, I was thinking, how would the Savanaclaw trio, Jamil and Idia react to a Male! Reader with a really deep/low voice that gets even deeper when they wake up 👉👈.

Ooooooh!! This sounds so interesting! Hearing a veeeery deep and I assume- sexy deep voice is one amazing thing to experience when you first wake up, I would love it but would be scared a tiny bit! (C_C)

Triggers: none

Leona, Ruggie, Jack, Jamil and Idia reacting to male s/o having a more deeper voice when he wakes up

Since it's Leona, it's impossible for him to wake himself up in time, so you have to him up yourself for the sake of him going to class and for the sake of helping Ruggie's sanity.

It took about 10 to 13 attempts to wake this man up, he would either shrug you off or try to make you go back to sleep. But that's because you were just poking him, no words or anything and you're still tired.

When you spoke, this man was fully awake. Not even a tiny bit tired now, he got a sudden tingling sensation like he heard some weird asmr or something.

He will stare at you with his eyes slightly wide but what you didn't know, his eyes were bugged out from the sudden deep voice.

He was a bit fascinated with your already deep voice but hot damn, he didn't even know it could get lower? He's loving it though.

Please keep talking or he might fall asleep but don't talk too long or he'll fall back to sleep. Balance is the key!

He really loves your deeper voice and he's not denying it but he won't say it to your face.

Hope he can hears your deeper voice everytime he wakes up, so of course he'll be both not and intentionally be lazier and making it harder to wake him up.

He's always wakes up you up first and you somehow always got the energy so you suddenly being still not fully awake is a new for him.

Your sudden deeper voice is also a new for him and its a pleasant one too.

The hyena was doing the usual, waking you up so you got a few time to spend before and seeing the usual Savanclaw early routines but for some reason, you just had to stay up late doing whatever.

He was getting himself ready and a few meters away from you so he might not get the exquisite experience Leona did but he still got something and it's still as shocking.

Your tired groan is enough to make his ears flick and tail stand straight up. He slowly turned to his bed where you are, seeing you rub your eyes innocently but your voice says otherwise.

You kept blabbering about how you want to go back to sleep and you're tired or whatever but he didn't listen- no, couldn't listen well. Your voice was so enticing and sexy, he wished he could listen to it forever.

He shook the provocative thoughts off and went about his day but your deep voice sometimes randomly pop up on his mind, causing him to blush out of the blue.

He always wakes up early to go jogging and other healthy things that you couldn't afford to do at five in the morning but he still respects you and your limits nonetheless.

He woke up as usual but there was a sudden obstacle he had to pass through. You decided to sleep in his room since you had to deal with some problems until midnight and you walking all the way home feels like an impossible task.

So of course you two cuddled to feel eachother's warmth (that sounded wrong) and just chatted for a bit until both of you fell asleep. So the current problem is, you wrapped your arms around his body and legs around his.

He really didn't want to wake you up but he neither doesn't want to ruin his healthy routine. Plus, he doesn't want to leave Vil exercising by himself and probably upset him. Life's hard, man.

He hesitated but he has to do so for the sake of fitness life or whatever. He took his arms of off you and asked you to wake up as he needs to move.

It took a while but you manage to open your eyes and take your arms off him. Your "good morning" caught him off guard. It was 10× deeper than before. He quietly gasped and his tail straightens.

He mentioned it to you and thought you were sick of something. He calmed down when you reassure him and the thought won't bug him that much like the others. Though, the feeling of vibration from your voice hitting his chest made him felt something. Putting your head on his upper torso was a very good idea!

He thought that your voice is very manly and awesome and wish to have a gruff voice just like yours. Want to stop or encourage him? Your choice.

You two usually meet up at the cafeteria very early in the morning because he always needs to pack up Kalim's foods for the day. You decided to wake up early and keep him company since it's kinda comforting, no?

You just couldn't help but think how lonely he felt waking up at about 4 or something to do simple things that Kalim could just learn to do it by himself if he wasn't so dependent? What a hell of a life. Not in good way, too.

You always manage to arrive as soon as he does or sometimes even earlier than him. This makes him happy, you genuinely care for him and he could him express all his bottled feelings more than anyone would ever witness.

However, today was different. He already arrived 15 minutes ago and you still haven't showed up. He was worried, are you ok? Did something happen? Or were you just not interested to meet up with him? Did you found someone else!?

He shook off the thought, you're probably just so tired and still knocked out on the bed. No human can keep an unnecessary streak for years if they got a choice not to do it and he accepted that. Not everyone is perfect, he thought. (but you still are to his eyes)

His eyes lit up as he heard the cafeteria door open and footsteps getting closer. He looked back to see the guest of honor: you!

He greeted like the usual, saying good morning with a soft smile but what he didn't expect was for you to greet back with such a low and kinda hot tone.

You were still sleepy, it's obvious since you weren't really talkative so he didn't mention about it until probably around lunchtime, anytime you were fully awake and not in this sleepy state.

He had mixed feelings about your voice. It was kinda scary and eerie to hear it at midnight or early morning, especially when it'd this dark and you were just lurking in the shadows when you said those words but it's very sexy and really likes to hear that voice again, he's confused.

You two would always game with eachother in his room. Either until sunset or wake up a bit early to have some time before getting ready for school. You would always have to hear Ortho nag about how unhealthy your midnight/morning routine is and all but at this point, who cares?

This time, you stayed at Ramshackle Dorm and both decided to play it at morning. It sucks since you didn't get enough sleep last night due to Crowley shenanigans or whatever but you still didn't want to cancel the plans with your boyfriend so you'll just have to hear an annoying alarm go off on your phone.

It felt impossible to wake up but you manage. An alarm going off with Grim complaining how noisy it was really boosted your energy but you were still tired and was too lazy to wash your face.

He was already waiting for you in a lobby and you quickly joined in. It seems like nobody else is in this lobby this time, which was weird but at least they don't have to hear you sound half asleep or something.

He greeted you like the usual, he sounded more energetic than you. Guess he took proper sleep this time like you. You greeted back and you can hear the gasp of shock and confusion from the voice chat. It was silent for a few awkward seconds.

But he broke it by saying how your voice was deeper and how sexy amazing it sounds. You awkwardly laughed about it and he started the game, still talking about your deeper voice.

He's too much of a chicken to admit it but he reallt loved your voice. Your current deep voice was already baffling and hearing you talk or even rant for hours feels like some sort of weird voice heaven. But your deeper morning voice? Oh dear, hearing it loud and clearly from the headphones gives him shivers down his spine, it felt so close lie you were whispering in his ear.

I had so much fun writing this. I woke up and the first thing I do is get straight to doing this request, don't know why but I like this sudden energy! (°∀°)b

-𝕸𝖎𝖗𝖎

[kim-bobbae]

90. “You can tell me anything.”

Work has been somewhat a nightmare and I just felt like writing about some Jay lovin’...though if he’d look at me like that I’d just burst into tears right away sigh TT

How do I go home and rant to my boyfriend, Jay Park, about my boss – Jay Park? 

You had honestly imagine working with your boyfriend to be the best thing ever, especially so when he was essentially the busiest man alive, and working with him meant that you could see him every day despite his inhumane schedules – the occasional coffee runs before work and the little glances that he sneaked at you whenever he came in and out of the office? Cute, you loved it. 

But while you did get to spend almost every waking hour with him, that was the very reason why it made work extra hard – he made his never ending pile of work look so easy and it honestly did nothing to make you feel better about your job, more so when the music video you were working on was due for its final review tomorrow and you were not the least bit satisfied with the outcome after working on it for three consecutive nights. 

“Hey,” You said, flashing him a small smile as the both of you exchanged glances via the reflection on your monitor. 

“How’s it going?” He asked, giving your shoulders a massage. 

“It’s still work in progress I guess…” You shrugged, weariness evident in the tone of your voice to which he picked up almost immediately. 

“Is everything okay?” He asked, pulling over a chair from the desk next to yours, then turned your chair to face him. 

“Yeah, it’s just been a really long day…” 

It was two in the morning, the rest of the employees long gone. You had spent the entire day working on the music video and had completely lost track of time as you played it back over and over again, going back and forth between several transitioning effects and finding it difficult to come to a decision. 

He remained silent, studying your face carefully – from your slumped posture to your sleepy eyes, he knew something was up but instead of asking once more, he merely held both your hands, furrowing his brows he waited for you to speak again. 

“…can I please get a hug?” You whispered. 

“Of course,” He hummed, then gestured for you to sit on his lap before he wrapped his arms around your frame, bringing your fingers to his lips as he kissed them gently. “What’s wrong?” 

“I’ve been working on this for nights and no matter how many times I watch it, I just can’t seem to figure out what’s lacking,” You explained. “The review is tomorrow and this is driving me nuts…” 

He wordlessly reached for your mouse, playing the draft you had completed thus far and for a while he just stayed like that, watching with a careful eye while his other hand kept his hold on you. With the way he remained silent throughout and his attention completely fixated on the screen, four minutes felt like forever as you chewed nervously on your lips, your eyes darting back and forth as you looked for the slightest hint of reaction other than the bobbing of his head towards the beat. 

A smug smile played on his lips as the video came to an end, and you could’ve sworn your heart was about to fall out of your chest as you waited for him to speak. 

“I don’t get what you’re stressing about,” He stated as a matter of fact. “That was dope.” 

“You’re lying.” 

“No I’m not, why would I?” 

You sighed, getting off his lap and sitting back down in your chair as you stared at the screen and scrolled aimlessly through the video once more. 

“Baby, what’s going on?” He asked, confused at the way you were reacting to his compliments. 

You ran your fingers through your hair, “I’m not tryna flex or anything...but that’s what everyone says and at this point I feel like everyone’s just flattering me cos I’m your…” 

“You’re my…?” 

“…never mind.” 

He scooted closer to you, hands on yours to stop you from working and looked at you with a face full of worry, “You can tell me anything.” 

“…cos I’m your girlfriend,” You told him, looking down at your lap. 

“And what’s wrong with that?” 

“I feel like everyone’s telling me that I’m doing a good job just cos I’m dating their boss,” You explained. “This video doesn’t even feel complete…how in the world is this ‘great’?” 

You weren’t sure if this was you putting all this unnecessary pressure on yourself because you were surrounded by so many talented creatives in H1GHR’s graphic team, but with the way the several music videos you’ve directed for Jay over the years have been consistently blowing up, the bar was set high the moment Jay signed you to direct his team. You’ve been working independently for several years with the intention of making a name for yourself before joining a label and Jay completely understood that, giving you all the time and space you needed to develop your craft but with how he hyped you up (you know, typical Jay) and assigned their latest and biggest project, the compilation album, under your direction the moment you entered, the pressure was no doubt eating you up. 

“We don’t have to worry if you’re the one directing the music videos.” 

“This project is gonna blow up now that you’re in charge. The edits in your latest work were sick!” 

Sure, you appreciated the fact that they thought so highly of you, but all these expectations were inevitably sending you into an endless cycle of self-doubt. 

For a while he simply stared at you, confused. He watched the way tears were beginning to well up in your eyes as you clicked on your mouse frantically, applying filters and effects before undoing them again. This went on for a good minute and it was when frustration became evident from the way you tapped loudly on the control + z keys did he make an attempt at stopping you.

“Hey-” 

“You’re so good at what you do – you do ten thousand meetings a day while releasing songs, doing photo shoots, interviews and even working out – you make work look so easy and I feel like everyone associates my work to yours and…its stressing me out,” You said, then sighed as pushed your mouse aside and buried your face in your hands. “I don’t want to disappoint them…” 

“Baby, look at me,” He said, placing one of his hands on your lap. 

“I can’t,” You whispered against the palm of your hands. 

He let out a deep breath, peeling your hands off your face before he cupped your cheeks and brushed away your tears with his thumb, “You’re doing great, and I’m not saying this just because you’re my girlfriend and I love you to death – you know how honest I am with my comments when it comes to work.” 

“For real..?” You rasped, looking down at your lap to avoid his gaze. 

“Of course,” He reassured you. “Now stop putting yourself down for absolutely no reason at all cos I’m proud of you and your work.” 

“…I’m being stupid now, aren’t I? For being whiny and a crybaby…?” 

“And for complaining that your boyfriend’s too awesome? A little,” He joked, finally eliciting a giggle from you. 

Nevertheless, he pulled you in for a hug, dotting a kiss on your forehead. 

“Now let’s go home shall we? You’ve been staying up at the office for a few nights and it kinda sucks going to bed alone knowing you’re in the office slogging your ass off for my music video.” 

“Alright boss,” You snickered, knowing very well he hated it when you addressed him like that and he rolled his eyes at you, saving your work once more before dragging you out of the office.

[shwazzberryswriting]

Movie Night

Pairing: Renjun x Original Female Character|Reader

Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Romance, Friends to Lovers, Fluff and Humor

Summary: Renjun's crush just broke up with her boyfriend, now is his chance to make a move. Things don't go according to plan. ---- Part 3 of my "The NCT Frat House Series"

Word count: 4.5k

Rating/Warnings: PG-13/Kissing, watching an R rated movie together

Author’s Note: My first Renjun fic! Please enjoy!

------

    As a favor to Lucas, Kun’s girlfriend Ruby was organizing a surprise birthday party for Alma, Lucas’s girlfriend. Ruby and her roommates offered their house to host the party, and though Alexandria didn’t qualify as a roommate, she was a friend, so she was part of the party planning committee. When she arrived on the day of the party, she was not prepared for the NCT frat bros to be at Ruby’s house, helping set up.

    Once Janell handed out responsibilities to the volunteers, Alexandria was seated at the dining table, using Ruby’s coveted decorating tweezers to strategically place silver sprinkles onto a simple white frosted cake. With her legs crossed in front of her, and her shoulders slumped down to get a closer inspection at the cake, Alexandria stopped and sat up straight, rolling her shoulders as she fixed her posture. Blowing her brown bangs out of her eyes, she tried not to think about her mom’s constant nagging, You’re an adult now, and you still need to fix your posture.

    “The ‘A’ needs more sprinkles,” Haechan said, leaning over from across the table to look at her work, breaking her concentration.

    “Who died and made you my boss?” she asked, looking up at him.

    “I mean, if you want the cake to be ugly, don’t take my advice,” he said with a shrug, turning back to the game he was playing on his phone.

    “What are you doing here if you’re not helping set up for the party?” she asked, trying to keep her tone even.

    “Johnny told me to be here two hours before 5:00 so I’m here two hours before 5:00,” he said.

    “We’re here two hours early so we can help set up for the party,” Renjun explained as he sat down next to Haechan. “Janell put us on balloon duty.”

    “Where’s the helium tank?” Haechan asked, looking up. “I’ll fill the balloons and you can tie them.”     “We can take turns,” Renjun replied. “It’ll be faster.”

    “No, you have nimble fingers. They’re perfect for tying balloons. I can’t tie balloons. I should be in charge of the helium tank.”

    “Lex!” they heard a voice shout from the backyard. The only person to call her by that name was Janell's younger sister. Renjun jumped in his seat and Haechan snorted a guffaw while Alexandria stood up and slapped Haechan’s arm gently, chiding him for laughing at Renjun. Renjun was easily startled but Haechan took extra glee in his reaction due to Renjun having a crush on Janell's sister.

    Alexandria hadn’t meant to find out that Renjun had a crush on Violet, but during a recent party at the NCT Frat house Renjun had drunkenly admitted to her and a couple friends his secret. Before the party, Alexandria considered herself friendly with Renjun, but now that she’d experienced him make a drunken confession they were comfortable calling each other friends. He’d even gone to her condo a couple times to hang out. Unfortunately for Renjun, since Alexandria was in on the secret Haechan felt more comfortable teasing him in front of her.

    “Alexie,” Haechan said, touching her arm to stop her from leaving, “don’t make it obvious that Renjun likes Violet.”

    Renjun reached over to wrap his hands around Haechan’s neck, a pained smile on his lips, and Alexandria shook her head as she turned away from the fight. She was going to have to remind Ruby and Kun that they were better off not asking any of the NCT guys to help with any sort of party planning. The small surprise birthday party for Lucas’s girlfriend had turned into a daycare for man-children, and not even half of them had come.

    “You called?” Alexandria said to Violet once she made it outside to the backyard. She sat down on the picnic table. Violet, Janell, and Johnny were decorating a couple mason jars for the small bouquets of wild flowers they’d picked from around the neighborhood.

    “If I gave you some cash, would you go to the dispensary and buy me a couple joints?” Violet asked. "My sister and her boyfriend won't help me out."

    “Hold on,” Alexandria said, raising her hands out before her as she stood up. “Am I the only one who remembers what kind of party this is? Lucas asked for a small cute surprise birthday party for Alma, this isn’t a house party.”

    “Oh my gosh, Lex, you’re always so dramatic,” Violet said with a sigh. “I need some weed because I broke up with Joey, OK?”

    “I’m sorry,” Alexandria said as she sat down beside Violet, hugging her. “We can chill at my place after Alma’s birthday party. I’ll take you to my favorite dispensary, my treat. What happened?”

    As Violet tearfully went on a tangent about her ungrateful ex-boyfriend, Alexandria glanced over to see Janell and Johnny rolling their eyes. It was in Janell’s nature not to extend too much sympathy toward her younger sister, still holding a grudge that Violet had followed her across state lines to attend the same university, so Alexandria took on the task to give Violet a little more patience as a surrogate older sister. With that in mind, Alexandria couldn’t blame Janell and Johnny for reacting the way they did when it came to Joey, Violet’s boyfriend of 5 months.

    The couple were cute, but they argued constantly. Violet and Joey had spent the last month threatening to break up with each other, and now that they were properly broken up it seemed like the drama was still ongoing. Alexandria tried her best to remember what it was like with her first boyfriend. She'd believed he was The One and put up with the petty drama, so she understood why Violet was putting herself through the unnecessary pain with Joey. After a five minute rant, Violet seemed satisfied and grew quiet as Alexandria confirmed that she would buy Violet some weed.

    Returning to the dining table, Alexandria found Renjun tying ribbons onto a single balloon, and then heard Haechan with some others in the front living room, playing with the balloons and helium tank. She sat down and crossed her legs in her seat before returning to spelling out Alma’s name onto the cake using the sprinkles. Renjun ran a hand through his hair and leaned back as he watched Alexandria decorate the cake, his new platinum blonde hair making his brown eyes seem bigger and darker than they already were.

    “Did you hear?” she asked softly, raising an eyebrow. “Violet broke up with Joey.”

    “You’re lying,” he said, though he sat up straight, leaning over closer to her. “What happened?”

    “She broke up with him a few days ago, and I invited her to my place so we can get high,” she replied. “You should come along. Maybe you can cheer her up.”

    He laughed nervously as he met her gaze, and she closed her mouth as Ruby and Kun entered the kitchen. Given the tone of his voice, Kun was nearing the end of his patience as he barked orders over his shoulder only to be met with what sounded like Yangyang imitating Kun. There was a ripple of high pitched laughter, and Ruby gave Kun a pleading look.

    “They’re grown men, they’ll be fine,” Kun said, setting some grocery bags onto the countertop.

    “They’re playing with a cheap helium tank,” Ruby said softly. “Do you hear them?”

    The front living room sounded like the Chipmunks singing Migos’ “Walk It Talk It” followed by more high pitched laughter. Groaning and slumping his shoulders, Kun turned around and led Ruby back to the front living room so they could make sure the boys weren’t going to hurt themselves. Meanwhile, Alexandria and Rejun set up the dining table with the bouquets, balloons, and cake.

    As everyone gathered around the front door to surprise Alma, Alexandria asked Jeno and Hendery to help her tape up the streamers in the kitchen so that Renjun and Violet would have a moment alone on the loveseat. When she returned to the front living room, she saw Renjun and Violet deep in conversation, and patted herself on the back. As she stood beside the loveseat, Violet grabbed her hand and invited her to sit with them, sandwiching Renjun between them.

    "Isn't he the softest thing in the world?" Violet asked as she reached her arms out around Renjun and grasped onto Alexandria's arms.

    Alexandria gave a chuckle as she reached out to grab Violet’s arms in return and the two women hugged Renjun, his face turned bright pink and he began guffawing. It was difficult for anyone not to like Violet. She enjoyed showing affection to her friends and was doing her best to make Renjun blush, making some of the other guys laugh. Alexandria placed a hand on Renjun’s cheek and chuckled again as she felt that it was burning up. She removed herself from the group hug and let Violet continue to hug him while she turned around to see Kun and Johnny standing nearby, complaining like middle age dads, each man holding a can of beer in his hand.

    Even after graduating, Kun and Johnny were still in touch with the frat house, making sure the guys were taking care of themselves. It also benefited the NCT guys that Kun and Johnny's girlfriends were still attending university, so the two men were likely nearby the campus during their free time. Alexandria understood the sentiment. She hadn't lived with Ruby and Janell for over a year, but she visited them often and helped clean the house as if she still lived there.

    When Lucas and Alma arrived at 5:00, Yangyang, Haechan, Xiaojun, Hendery, Jaemin, and Chenle had taken some of the helium filled balloons and insisted on singing Alma's birthday song with their high pitched helium voices. Alma was a good sport and clapped as everyone suffered through their helium induced singing. Once she was served a slice of cake, Alexandria sat down with Violet and Renjun in the dining room, the trio sitting across from Alma and Lucas.

    Lucas pulled Alma into his lap and he kissed her free hand as she ate her slice of cake. For as long as Alexandria had known the couple, they were proud to be affectionate with each other. Their PDA didn't bother her, but she knew it made some people uncomfortable. She stopped herself from laughing out loud and snorted cake up her nose as she glanced over to see Renjun poking his fork into his slice of cake as his eyes darted nervously from Alma to Lucas while Violet's eyes were focused on the pair as she passively chewed on her food. The pair looked to be taking notes from Alma and Lucas.

    "I-I need water," Alexandria coughed out, distracting Renjun and Violet. The cake crumbs up her nose burned her sinuses, and she stood up to find a tissue.

    "Let me take you home," Violet announced, standing up immediately. "Happy birthday, Alma! Janell and Johnny paid for your present but I picked it out. Remember that when you unwrap it."

    "Over here, Dria," Renjun said, standing up and leading her toward the front living room by placing his hand on her elbow.

    "Lexie!" Yangyang and Xiaojun exclaimed together.

    "Alexie!" Haechan and Hendery screamed, making her laugh before she gagged and fell onto the sofa beside Jeno.

    “Are you dying, Andria?” Jeno asked as he helped her sit up. His shoulders were shaking as he tried not to laugh.

    The guys found out that Renjun gave Alexandria a nickname in an attempt to start a conversation with Violet when he first met Violet. Whenever any of them heard Renjun call her "Dria" they enjoyed making jokes out of her name, and Alexandria knew it was easier to let the kids have their fun rather than take the teasings to heart.

    “I don’t want to ruin the party,” she said when Renjun handed her a bottle of water. “I’m going home.”

    “Can I come?” Violet asked immediately, linking her arm with Alexandria’s.

    “You want to come along?” Alexandria asked Renjun.

    “I do,” Haechan said, raising his hand. “Alexie! Will you make me your mom’s eggrolls?”

    “Sorry, Haechan,” Violet said as she grabbed Renjun’s hand. “Alexandria only likes me and Renjun.”

    “Happy birthday, Alma!” Alexandria shouted as Violet walked her and Renjun out of Ruby and Janell’s home.

    As she dropped by the dispensary, Alexandria had Violet and Renjun go buy snacks, directing them to meet at the front of her condo complex after 20 minutes. She took a slow stroll through the streets, appreciating the warm spring weather. She thought about how she was playing Renjun’s wing(wo)man, and she wondered if her interest in Renjun and Violet hooking up was her way in dating vicariously through her friends, something Ruby and Wen, one of Ruby’s other roommates, had accused her of before.

    She gave herself another pat on the back when she saw Renjun and Violet laughing together, plastic bags in their hands. Was she dating vicariously through her friends? Whatever the case, Alexandria was glad that Renjun and Violet seemed to be hitting it off. Renjun was a fun person to be around, and Violet was playful as well, the two would always have fun together. Violet could take advantage of Renjun’s NCT Frat status to invite herself to Janell and Johnny’s dates. There was so much to be gained, Alexandria hoped Violet would see Renjun’s datability.

    "We decided to watch a horror movie," Violet announced when Alexandria led them inside. "Have you heard of It Follows? It's about a sexually transmitted monster. Renjun makes it sound good."

    "Um, OK," Alexandria replied, plastering on a bright smile. She hated horror movies, but Renjun and Violet looked excited as they shared a smile and raised their eyebrows. "Is it, like, super scary?"

    "It's not super gory but there are definite scary elements to it," Renjun answered. "Your condo is perfect, too, Dria. It's quiet and there's only going to be the three of us."

    "Perfect," Alexandria muttered as Renjun and Violet listed their favorite horror movies to each other while they entered the elevator.

    Renjun made them iced green tea, and Alexandria popped 2 bags of popcorn in her microwave and unpacked all the candies into bowls. Violet sat by the patio door and lit a joint as she played music from her phone, setting the mood for the evening. Alexandria went through stages where she either smoked a lot of weed or she didn’t, and she hadn’t smoked in over 2 months, but Violet tempted her into taking a few hits, especially when Renjun said that he’d take a hit if Alexandria did. He didn’t react well, coughing up a storm, and Alexandria felt bad that Renjun was smoking in an attempt to impress Violet.

    She felt worse when she noticed that Violet was texting with Joey. Violet’s music playlist had started with playful Bruno Mars songs, but after a few texts with Joey she began playing Ariana Grande love jams. Renjun was too busy singing along to the music to notice the shift in Violet’s mood. Placing the bowls of snacks onto a serving tray, Alexandria asked Violet and Renjun to bring the snacks to the living room and start the movie while she would finish preparing the iced tea, hoping to give them a few minutes alone.

    “I invited Joey over,” Violet announced when Alexandria arrived with a small serving tray that held the glasses of tea, sitting up straight. “He wants to watch the movie with us.”

    “Um, sure,” Alexandria said as she sat down next to Violet, making sure it was Violet who was seated in the middle. “How long before Joey gets here?”

    “He’ll be here soon,” Violet said loudly as she picked up the remote and started the movie.

    Alexandria held the bowl of popcorn in her lap as she sat on the couch with her legs crossed in front of her, her shoulders slouching. Noticing her posture, she straightened her back, and rolled her shoulders as she glanced over to see Violet’s eyes glued to her phone while Renjun was busy shoving M&Ms into his mouth, completely absorbed in the movie. They were roughly ten minutes into the movie when there was a knock on the front door.

    “I’ve got it!” Violet said immediately, jumping up and rushing to the front door. She stepped outside and shut the door, having not invited Joey in.

    Alexandria ate some popcorn as she tried to pay attention to the movie, but all she could hear was Violet and Joey having an argument in the hallway. As Joey sounded like he was crying, begging Violet to give him another chance, Alexandria glanced at Renjun and was impressed to see him absentmindedly shoving Skittles into his mouth, still completely immersed with the movie. She turned her attention to the movie, and felt her face grow hot as she realized that the scene was a sex scene. Feeling silly for her bashfulness, Alexandria set the bowl of popcorn onto the coffee table and grabbed her glass of iced tea. The movie was about a sexually transmitted monster, of course there would be at least one sex scene. 

    Sipping her drink, Alexandria’s eyes drifted to the front door as she heard Violet and Joey talk, their voices sounding softer and less volatile. Her eyes returned to the TV screen as she set her drink down, and she sank into her seat as she watched the scene unfold. The lead protagonist, a blonde girl named Jay, was lying on her stomach in the backseat of her date’s car as she talked.

    It was a sweet post-sex scene, her date was crawling up behind her, and Alexandria gave a soft sigh as she thought about the last time she’d felt a guy press his body up against her back. It’d been before Ruby and Janell began dating their boyfriends, and she cringed at the length of her dry spell. Her mind forgot about her lack of a sex life as the lead’s date chloroformed her from behind, shocking Alexandria. She leaned in close to Renjun and threw a hand over her mouth, worried that she might scream.

    “Renjun, what’s going on?!” she breathed out, shaking his arm. “I thought this was about a sexually transmitted monster! Is her date going to kill her?”

    “Watch the movie,” he said, sighing gently. “Can I get some popcorn?”

    Alexandria screamed and grabbed on tighter to Renjun’s arm as the scene in the movie became more intense, Jay’s date had tied her up to a chair and she could not move as her date explained to her of the monster that was now after her. It was a slow monster that took on the form of a random person, and once It caught up to the infected person It would kill them. She buried her face into Renjun’s arm, and said to him, “I can’t watch this! I can’t watch this!”

    Renjun laughed, making her look up, and she sat up straight, feeling her face grow hot.

    “It’s just a movie. I knew you were afraid of scary movies, but…wow, Dria. You’re a complete wimp.”

    “I never denied being a complete wimp,” she said, shoving his arm. “If you want to finish this movie then you’re going to have to put up with me jumping and screaming.”

    “Fine,” he said, giving a small chuckle, throwing his arm over her shoulder. “I can’t believe I have to hold you like a little kid.”

    “Oh my gosh, they called the cops?” she asked, turning her attention to the movie.

    “Cops are useless in horror movies,” he replied. “You really don’t watch scary movies?”

    “No. Do you remember that old Japanese movie…Ju-Oh? My cousin was babysitting me when I was 8, and she put it on for us to watch and I haven’t liked scary movies since.”

    Renjun laughed and she poked his side to shut him up. After he pushed her away, Alexandria hugged her legs and Renjun leaned back into the sofa as he ate the popcorn. The movie’s pacing was slower and more subtle than she’d anticipated, and Alexandria found herself being drawn into the mystery. What was going on, and would Jay be able to avoid the monster? Alexandria bit her bottom lip, wondering if she’d be able to go through with finding new sex partners in an attempt to prevent a monster from coming to kill her.

    The suspense built up again, and Alexandria tried to be brave, but the reveal of the monster entering Jay’s house at night was too grotesque. She screamed once more, and grabbed for Renjun’s arm again, throwing her face into his shoulder. He laughed, and threw his arm over her shoulder, letting her grab onto his hoodie as she turned her face in toward his chest. The movie kept slowing the suspense down to build up drama, and whenever the suspense built up it went on much longer than she was prepared for, so Alexandria spent the majority of the film curled up in Renjun’s arm, clawing her fingers into his chest.

    “So are they going to die?” she asked him once the movie ended. It ended on an ambiguous note.

    “Maybe,” he said, shrugging his shoulders. “What do you think?”

    “I think if I ever watch scary movies, this is the only way I can watch them,” she said, burying her face into his chest again.

    The air was silent and became very still after what felt like an entire minute. Renjun hadn’t moved a centimeter, so she lifted her head up and saw him looking down at her with his eyebrows furrowed. Looking into her eyes, his face softened, and he reached over to cup her cheek in his hand. She looked at his long eyelashes for a moment when he kissed her, but feeling the warmth of his lips on hers instantly had her closing her eyes. His hold around her tightened, and she moved her hand up to touch his neck. As her fingers moved to caress his earlobe, he pulled back, breaking the kiss.

    They stared at each other, and Alexandria could only think about wanting to kiss him again, her mind feeling foggy. She could feel her heart beating fast and loud in her throat, and his arm draped around her body felt heavy. She pressed her chest against his as she pushed forward, kissing him, but turned her head aside when she felt his hand on her cheek drift down to her neck. He groaned as his tongue flicked the side of her cheek.

    “I think you should go home,” she said softly.

    The heat that burst into her gut was intense when his fingers had touched the bare skin of her neck, and she wasn’t sure how well she could handle Renjun’s touches. The night had been a mess, and she didn’t want him to think she was the type of friend who was into hookups. They might come to regret it, especially if Renjun was going to continue to crush on Violet.

    “Did I do something?” he asked, releasing his hold on her. She shook her head, planting her feet onto the ground, sitting up straight.

    “I’m sorry that Violet bailed on our movie night,” she said softly, her eyes unable to meet his.

    “Oh, right, yeah,” he said, falling back into the cushions of the sofa. He ran a hand through his hair, and he gave a nervous chuckle. They sat together in silence for a few moments, and then he spoke up again. “Why did you kiss me?”

    “You kissed me,” she replied, shoving him gently by pushing her hand against his knee. “You started it.”

    “The details don’t matter,” he said, sitting up straight. “We kissed, I liked it, and I know you did too.”

    “So?”

    “So...can I kiss you again?”

    He barely had the question out of his mouth when she’d already begun to climb onto his lap. She held onto his shoulders as she straddled him while he rested his hands on her hips. They kissed, her fingers running gently through his hair as she dove her tongue into his mouth, giving a soft moan every time his mouth was able to capture her tongue to suck on it. When her lips began to burn, feeling a little swollen, Alexandria pushed against Renjun’s chest, and sat up straight, looking into his eyes.

    “This is a bad idea,” she said.

    She shut her eyes and bit her bottom lip, pulling his head to rest on her shoulder as his hands slid down to grab her ass. She raked her fingers through his hair as she panted heavily, breathing through her mouth as his hands groped and squeezed her ass cheeks. Instinctively, her hips thrust against his, but she closed her mouth and found the willpower to shove against his chest, getting off his lap to sit back down beside him.

    “What’s so bad about it?” he asked, out of breath, his eyes looking at her in a way she’d never seen before. His eyes were darting around, seeming to look over every inch of her.

    “I mean, I think Violet and Joey are back together, but...you know, what’s going to happen when they break up for good?” she asked, brushing her bangs with her fingers, trying not to look at him.

    “I don’t know,” he said, shrugging.

    “You really don’t care about her? This girl you’ve been crushing on for months?”

    Renjun gave her a grin. He sat up in his seat, and he said, “Dria, I forgot that you invited me here for Violet. It’s just you and me here, and I like it better when it’s just you and me.”

    “So are you saying that you like me?” she asked.

    “Dria, you just felt my boner poking your ass,” he said, making her blush. “Yeah, I like you. What? You don’t like me? I can go home.”

    He made to stand up, but she reached over and grabbed his arm.

    “No!” she shouted. “Renjun! I like you! Stay. You have to stay.”

    “Oh, I have to stay now?” he asked, guffawing as he moved to stand up. “I thought you wanted me to leave.”

    “I watched that scary movie with you!” she said, placing herself onto his lap. “You have to give me company now, because I’m going to have nightmares.” She kissed his cheek, making him stop as he grinned at her, his face turning pink. “What a twist,” she said softly. He laughed, touching her chin to tilt her head toward his, and then kissed her.

    “None of our friends are going to see this coming,” he admitted.

    “Can we watch another movie?” she asked him, resting her head onto his shoulder.

    She didn’t want to think or talk about their friends. He kissed her cheek, smiling at her before picking up the remote to scroll around for another movie to watch. He insisted all the movies he wanted to watch weren’t very scary, the title cards and movie posters just looked scary. She didn’t believe him, but eventually let him pick a movie for them to watch. As much as she didn’t like scary movies, it was worth it since she was in Renjun’s arms.

------ Thank you always for reading!

[that-bi-bitch-writes]

P S Y C H (ch.4)

We’re getting to the good parts my beloveds. Enjoyyy

Previous // Next

“UA is known for its ‘freestyle’ education system.” Aizawa began “That applies to us teachers too. Soft ball throwing, the standing long jump, the 50 meter dash, endurance running, grip strength, side-to-side stepping. Upper body training. This country still insists on prohibiting quirks when calculating the averages of those records. It’s not rational.

The class stood in shocked silence. [Name] who had read Aizawa’s mind before he began his rant, started sweating anxiously. He had a massively powerful quirk but still lacked confidence in himself. He could not just decide to show off for the class and unlock the full capabilities of his quirk. He was someone motivated by spite and emotions. And it could’ve been his proximity to the successor of OFA but the only emotion he felt in the moment was anxiety. 

[Name] had gone so far off the deep end getting lost in his own thoughts that the sound of Aizawa calling his name made him realize he had zoned out for what felt like a few minutes and hadn’t had enough time to talk himself out of the corner he’d been backed into. “[L.Name]. How far could you throw in middle school?”

“50 meters I think”

“Great. Now try it with your quirk. Do whatever you need to. Just don’t leave the circle. Give it all you’ve got”

‘HA! I could throw 67 meters in middle school. This shitty extra only beat me on the practical exam because he focused on saving the other extras while I took down villains. His achievements don’t matter.’

[Name]’ eyes glowed gold immediately grabbing the attention of a few of his classmates, especially a certain blond and green haired duo. [name] began tossing the ball up in the air and catching it, wondering if he was gonna just levitate the ball from a standing position. It would be an awesome feat to just make it seem like the ball was doing the work. But then he decided he was gonna keep his classmates on their toes. He widened his stance, left foot in front of the right kind of like a baseball player up to bat, took a deep breath and lightly flicked his wrist. 

“It’s important for us to know our limits.” Aizawa said as he turned the device he was holding up for the class to see ‘That’s the first rational step to figuring out what kind of heroes you’ll be”

“Wow this is awesome” “800 METERS???” “He flicked his wrist like he was skipping rocks!!??” 

[Name] took pleasure in his classmates' shock. He could of course feel insulted at the implication he would be weak and useless. But their awe not only stroked his ego but eased his anxiety of constantly being one step behind everyone else. He had huge shoes to fill, being one of God’s chosen. 

“Awesome.. You say? You’re hoping to become heroes after three years??! And you think it’ll be all fun and games?”

A pin dropped.

“Right. The one with the lowest score across all eight events will be judged HOPELESS and will be expelled.”

‘Aizawa uh…’ 

“Where the fuck is that voice coming from” [Name] whispered to himself as he whipped around

“Your fates are in our hands” the homeroom teacher continued with a manic look on his face “Welcome. This is… The Hero Course at U.A High!”

‘I’m a little scared’ [Name] thought ‘But loving the drama’

“The lowest score will be expelled,” a student said “It’s only the first day! I mean even if it weren’t that’s totally unfair!!”

“Natural disasters… Highway pileups, rampaging villains, calamity is always right around the corner. I’d say Japan is full of unfair things. Heroes are the ones who correct all that unfairness. If you were hoping to spend your evenings hanging out at McDonald’s... I'm Sorry to tell you that for the next three years U.A will run you through the ringer”

“I think he reached his word limit for today”

“That’s plus Ultra. Use your strength to overcome it all. So bring it”

“Nope I was wrong he’s still going.”

[Name] did not feel motivated by Aizawa’s speech. He knew there was no way with the way his class reacted to his softball pitch that he would be in last place, so he wasn’t exactly worried about being expelled, but instead he was trying to think of a way to avoid doing too much exercise. Fear of failure vs a deep hate of exercise round one was about to begin. THe exercise? Running.

When it was his turn [Name] made his eyes glow as he focused his telekinesis in his feet, making them lighter just as he picked his feet up. Sort of like another girl in his class. People can call him a copycat all they want but he considered learning from others’ failures and successes a necessary skill for all heroes in training. 

He pretty much did the same thing for all the tests, using his kinetic blasts for more force when necessary like the standing long jump. The slide stepping event was in his opinion lame and unnecessary so he actually got a pretty average score for that one. His grip without using his quirk was 60kg but when using his quirk he crushed the device easily.

When it came time to the throwing event [Name] paid close attention to his classmates. He was the one to beat and so, he felt less like some creep and more like… an opponent scouting out the competition. There were three people he decided were dangerous should they develop their quirks more aggressively. The ash blond who (bakugou he reminded his inner monologue) who scored 705.2 using his explosion quirk, the cute brunette with the gravity quirk and the man of the hour, Izuku Midoriya.

When Midoriya first threw the ball he scored a measly 46 meters and froze in shock. Apparently that’s when he realized who exactly their homeroom teacher was. [Name] might’ve done a little… digging but it still isn’t like he knew who “The Erasure Hero: Eraser Head” was. Said underground hero seemed in [Name]’s terms “smart enough” and immediately made a connection between Midoriya and All Might but failed to grasp just how deep the connection grew. Through a little tough love Aizawa had the OFA successor draw out the limits of his quirk without serious injury, shocking everyone, including All Might and Aizawa himself. 

“!!!”

“Oh no please no fighting someone please stop this” [name] sarcastically drawled as Bakugou launched himself at Midoriya.”What the hell? Explain yourself DEKU!”

“Wahh”

‘?’

[Name]’s fun was spoiled as Aizawa quickly restrained Bakugou. “What is this??” “It’s a capture weapon made of carbon fibers and a special alloy wire. Stop using your quirk already.. I’m getting dry eye over here”

“Okay I think I like this teacher” [Name] though aloud

“Shota Aizawa!”

‘A voiceover???’

“He can nullify the quirk of anyone he looks at! But the effect wears off if he blinks” 

“What a waste of time” Aizawa continued “Prepare for the next event.”

When the events were over everyone gathered to see their ranking. [Name] tried to subtly wipe his sweat in order to keep up the air of his achievements being effortless. Unfortunately he was also mouth breathing so sweat or no sweat everyone knew he was at least a little winded.

“Moving along. Time for the results. Our total scores simply reflect your performance in each of the events. Explaining the process would be a waste of time, so all you get are the final rankings”

‘He’s totally gonna be my favorite teacher. If anything bad happens to him I will kill everyone and then myself’[Name] thought to himself a little too honestly

“Also I was lying about expelling someone”

“?????”

“That was a rational deception meant to bring out the best in all of you”

“Well of course it was a lie” Ponytail said confidently “Didn’t take much to figure that out”

Aizawa, who didn’t want to admit that it wasn’t a TOTAL lie, just excused himself and gave Midoriya a pass to the nurse to heal his finger. [Name] unconcerned for the green haired boy went to take a look at his ranking to find out he was once again first among the students who took the general admittance exams and third out of the total class

‘It was totally the sidestep thing wasn’t it’ he thought to himself before trailing after Aizawa to ask him an important question. He noticed All Might and Aizawa talking and stayed a couple steps behind knowing that he could stay out of sight, keep an eye on Aizawa and eavesdrop using his telepathy. Once they were finished [Name] appeared behind Aizawa and gave All might a polite greeting, shocking the two pros

“[L.Name] go home”

“Just a moment sir I had a question for you. The telepath said before looking at All Might. The giant hero didn’t get the memo “Privately”

“Ah! Yes. I must be on my way. Good day Aizawa! [L.Name]-kun”

“What is it?”

“I noticed that some teachers had… favorites”

“And you think you’re mine?”

“No but I think you’ll be my favorite so I was hoping to get a little ahead of the curve. I was wondering if you could teach me some hand to hand that I could incorporate into my quirk”

“Incorporate?”

“I’m telekinetic amongst other things and I can’t just rely on throwing random objects at an opponent, so I want to reinforce my blows with kinetic energy, that way they pack a bigger punch”

“...I’ll let you know [L.Name]. Go home”

“Thank you sir”

“Yeah”

[taikiscigarette]

–  𝗰𝗮𝗺𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗮 𝗳𝗹𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝘀.

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐄𝐑(𝐒) : 𝐠𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐝𝐚𝐡𝐲𝐮𝐧. + 𝐠𝐚𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐥 𝐜𝐚𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐫𝐚. 

𝗪𝗖: 𝟐.𝟕 𝐤

𝗿𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁: 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐢 𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐚 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬!𝐝𝐚𝐡𝐲𝐮𝐧 𝐟𝐢𝐜 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐫! 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫? 

𝙤𝙛 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙨𝙚~ 𝙞 𝙙𝙞𝙙 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚 𝙞𝙩 𝙨𝙡𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙡𝙮 𝙩𝙤 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙢𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙧 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧 𝙞𝙨 𝙖𝙡𝙨𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙜𝙖𝙧𝙙𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙧! 𝙝𝙤𝙥𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙚𝙣𝙟𝙤𝙮.

“ princess dahyun has once again skipped out on her lessons! the king requests her to be brought to him at once! she cannot have gone far! “

the shouts of the king’s guard reverberated throughout the marble walls of the castle as hurried footsteps of guards and maids can be heard echoing the loud orders. while those within the castle run around looking for the missing princess, a young woman is sat hidden away within the floral and fauna of the castle gardens. it had become a safe space for dahyun when she found herself not wanting to participate in her mother’s unnecessary lessons. her mother told her that a ‘princesses must act like one, and you, my dear, certainly do not act like one.’ so, she started to enroll dahyun into lessons that she liked to say would turn her into a proper princess. but none of that interested dahyun, if she had to change who she was to fit the standard image of a princess she didn’t want the title at all. and she knows she sounds privileged when she talks about not wanting to deal with the life of luxury, but no one ever saw the countless scolding’s that she would get if she made a face at a comment a suitor made. never saw the way her mother forced her to sit with her back completely straight for two hours to show her the proper way to sit. no one except you. your family had been the gong family’s gardeners for a few generations now, and you had found yourself quickly gravitating towards the princess as soon as you had started tending to the garden. her upbeat personality was enough to draw anybody in, and her smile put the sun to shame. she was light personified, how could anyone look at her and not see anything but perfect? but it was clear that her parents saw the complete opposite. as a princess, she was a failure in their eyes. she didn’t let any suitors disrespect her or say that she was less than they were. she didn’t understand why she couldn’t do her own laundry or run her own bath and compared to her brother she was anything but royal. you knew when you had arrived at the castle gates for your work that she had once again slipped away when it was time for her to do her lessons. and you also knew that she would be in the castle gardens. you knew that you would probably get in trouble for keeping her hiding spot a secret from the king, and your job or perhaps even your reputation would be stripped away from you. you would probably be disowned and lose everything, but when you see her look so at peace with the bunnies and the camellia flowers you feel any resolve you had crumble. 

“ princess, you know the king and queen are going to scold you again for skipping your lessons. “ 

dahyun only hums happily as she pets the small bunny in front of her again. “ i told you, you don’t have to call me princess! just call me dahyun. “ she completely disregards your warning as she swings her feet off the side of the bench. her shoes had been discarded some time ago, she always said that they gave her sores and that she didn’t want to wear them when she’s relaxing. you put on the gardening gloves as she begins her rant.

“ i just don’t get it! i tell them constantly that i shouldn’t have to fit into the perfect image of a princess and they just brush it off! why should i have to change everything about me just to fit what other people want? i want to be able to go in my own gardens without the guards going into a frenzy. for god’s sake, i can’t even do my own laundry! “ she lets out a small huff. “ sorry for the language but- all i want to do is live my life without people telling me how i should act or what i should do. you’re the only person who’s never told me how to act. i truly do treasure you, you know? why can’t i just go work in the gardens with you? wouldn’t that be fun? “ 

you let out a small sigh as you cut an overgrown vine. “ you already know the answer to that, my lady. we’ve talked about this before. i’m already risking. . . everything by not telling the king that you hide away here. can you imagine the way he’d react if i let you work in the gardens? you’re a princess, your hands are not to be soiled with commoner work. “ 

as sad as it is to admit, it’s the truth. those born into royal lineage do not have to worry about doing commoner work. their work is strictly diplomatic, and of course all of the king and queen-ly duties that need to be done. and for the princess and prince, their job is to marry into another royal family. prince minho was already arranged to marry to truly solidify his rule as next king, and princess dahyun is currently having meetings with potential suitors. the best match that has been selected is prince gabriel cabrera. he’s a good man, funny, charismatic. everything a prince should be. worthy of a woman like dahyun. it’s no secret that you have had a crush on dahyun since shortly after you started working for the family. you knew it would never be allowed, a princess marrying a commoner? not only would it ruin her reputation, but her family’s name would also be a word of shame instead of pride. but even knowing what you do, you can’t help the shared glances and giggles you share with dahyun. you know you need to stop before it turns into something else. yet here you are letting her rest her head on your shoulder as the two of you grow into a comfortable silence. the only noise being the occasional snip of the vines. 

when you arrive to work in the garden the next day the castle was oddly silent. usually, the maids would be whispering amongst themselves as they dusted the statues. but there were no whispers, no guards talking about what happened on their shift. regardless of the silence, your job was to work in the garden and that was it, not gossip. it was only a few hours through your gardening session did you hear movement coming towards you and the sound of sniffles approaching. setting the watering can down and looking up from the camellia flowers you were watering, you grunted slightly at the impact that smacked against you. you were lucky enough that years of garden work made you at least just strong enough to not fall over, but you did take a few steps backward as you look to see dahyun clinging to you. you felt your heart tug slightly as you see and hear the tears fall down her face. before you were able to even ask what was wrong, words began to pour out of her mouth. 

“ they arranged an engagement, without even asking me! i told them i didn’t want that and yet just this morning i was called into the throne room to be told that i am to wed gabriel! “ she takes a shaky breath as more tears cascade down her cheeks, “ i don’t want to marry gabriel. . . he’s a nice guy, a good friend even, but. he’s not you. i mean, gabe isn’t even interested in me that way! i’ve seen the way he looks at his retainer jakob! “

you can only watch her with a pained expression as you pull her away from you. “ princess. . . i believe it’s time for you to return to the castle. “ 

she blinks up at you, her brows furrowing in confusion as she stutters for a bit. “ what do you-- what do you mean? y/n what do you mean? “

you simply shake your head as you take a step back, putting your things back into your bag. you can feel her stare as you begin to walk towards the gates, and it breaks your heart to know that you cannot dry her tears. but in the end, she’s now an engaged woman. even if they both do not feel what a husband and wife should, you were not going to be the cause of a royal feud. after all, if a commoner was found in a princesses bed you would surely lose your head.

the month passes by unbearably slow without dahyun coming to visit you. from what you heard, dahyun was forced to attend the lessons that she used to hide away from. the maid’s had mentioned that dahyun seemed quiet lately. she never talked back like she used to, and she always looked out the window as if she was looking for something. however, anytime someone asked her if she was alright she would flash them a smile and assure them that she was quite alright. you knew that it hurt her when you pushed her away when she needed you, but what else were you supposed to do? tell her you would fight a prince for her love? you loved dahyun, but it was just unrealistic for the two of you to be together. she would go marry prince gabriel and you would continue to work as if nothing had occurred. as you let out another sigh you fail to hear the footsteps approach you, too engrossed with your own thoughts. it was only when someone cleared their throat behind you did you jump slightly, almost ruining the flower bush you were working on. 

“ oh my! “ you quickly bow as you see prince gabriel standing before you. a million things were running through your head as he stood before you. did he find out that you and dahyun were kind of seeing each other on the side? or maybe he didn’t like the flowers you had decided to grow or--

a small laugh pulls you out of your thoughts as you slowly tilt your head up to see gabriel laughing with delight, a smile on his face. 

“ if i didn’t know any better i would have said you saw a ghost! “ he settles down after a bit before he reaches out his hand, “ i am prince gabriel, but you can just call me gabe. “ 

after gabe calmed you down by saying he wasn’t going to have you executed, you learned that he came by you ask you about your feelings for dahyun. turns out, dahyun had mentioned her growing feelings for her gardener to him before and after their engagement was announced she stopped talking about it. and he knew it wasn’t just because of the engagement because he told her about his romantic escapades with his retainer jakob. so he came to investigate himself. you did feel a bit ashamed admitting the situation to him, especially since dahyun even told you that he wasn’t in love with her. but gabe didn’t get angry with you. if anything he understood. he was having a similar problem with jakob. they knew what they felt for each other, but he was a prince and jakob was a retainer. it was his job to marry royalty. but it was at that moment that he said that did he come to a realization. he didn’t say anything to you, just quickly rushed off with an apology. and all you could do was blink at him as he ran off. 

ever since that day prince gabriel had stopped by, you heard the maids talk about how princess dahyun seemed to have her glow back. you weren’t sure what caused the sudden change in her mood, but you weren’t going to complain. as long as she was smiling that was all that mattered to you. the days till dahyun’s wedding continued to dwindle as the energy in the castle began to rise even more. as you finally started to accept the fact that dahyun was going to be wed off and you would no longer see her around the castle, a letter arrived from the royal courier. dread-filled you the entire way to the castle. usually, the flowers would bring you comfort on days where you needed it, but not even the vibrant garden eased the pit in the bottom of your stomach. as you knelt before the king you could feel multiple eyes on your -- the king, queen, princess dahyun, and prince minho, and along with them was prince gabriel and his retainer. you couldn’t think of anything you had done wrong, but as the king stared down at you, you couldn’t think of any other reason he would’ve called you into the throne room. 

you swear the only noise in the throne room was the beating of your heart and your heavy breathing, and it was only when the king spoke up did you hold your breath of him to speak. 

“ y/n. as you know, your family has served the gong kingdom for centuries now. you grew up knowing exactly how the job was to be done. that skill and knowledge is something we had wished to keep with us. “ 

you can only look at him with a confused expression, “ my lord? “

he raises a hand to silence you. “ however, we do understand your value. which is why when the cabrera had specifically requested for you for a price, we accepted. you will accompany princess dahyun’s retainer to their kingdom. do you understand? “

you glanced at gabriel as he and dahyun shared a knowing look as you were dismissed. you had planned to ask them about it, but as it was your transfer to cabrera kingdom was sooner than expected. you had barely enough time to pack your gardening equipment and a few sets of clothes before a carriage came to pick you up. 

you hadn’t seen dahyun the following week either. of course, you didn’t think you would considering it was her wedding week, but you still had hope. it was quite some time until you finally saw dahyun. it was only in passing and she only spoke briefly, but what she said was something you couldn’t ignore. she had quickly whispered ‘ meet me by the camellia flowers tomorrow at dawn ‘ before she had slipped away. 

you did as she said and the following morning you found yourself by the camellia flowers. at first, you thought perhaps she was pulling a jest of some sorts, but when you heard the familiar patter of footsteps you turned around to see her smiling softly at you.

“ you came. i. . . thought perhaps you wouldn’t. “ 

“ of course i came, you know that i cannot deny a request from you. “ 

dahyun only smiles even more as she takes a step forward and wraps her arms around you. 

“ princess dahyun you know we can’t--”

“ hush. gabe and i actually had this all planned out. you see, that night when i found out i was to be engaged i was so heartbroken. gabe was a good guy, but not the one i loved. and i was not the one he loved. however, we both knew that it was his duty as heir to the throne to be married to royalty. but then one day gabe told me that he had actually spoken to you and he came up with a brilliant idea. “

she pulls away as she looks at you and by the lord’s above you swear the sun started to shine once more. 

“ we get married to stop the suitors from coming, and everyone here already knows about gabe and jakob. they’re not really the best at keeping it a secret. so. . the marriage was just a front. no one will question it, and we both can be with the ones we love. “

you can’t stop the overwhelming warmth you feel at her words, and before you can think twice about it you pull her into a kiss. 

and with the camellia flowers blowing ever so softly in the wind, two lovers who were never meant to be giggled softly under the gaze of the sun. 

[lifebeginsbyleaving]

Mama Mia Scotts A Peace Pimp

Hey ya!!! So this is my last entry for @sterek-bingo I've had such a great time and I'm so glad I did this!!! So all the love to the admins over yonder 💜💜💜 I hope to see you all well when sterek week rolls around. Also the biggest of thank yous and the mostest loves to @halevetica Girl you know how important you are to me. I wouldn’t have even dreamed of attempting this if it wasn’t for you. So, *strums guitar* I love you bitch. Thank you for your endless support in my shenanigans (Like shlongshire, naming this mama mia scotts a peace pimp, and my endless unnecessary backstory that stresses both of us out.) and for brainstorming with me well past two in the morning multiple times. Oh and also for your help wrangling Brian, god that asshole. She also made this amazing mood board for me ahhhhh!!!! She is so amazing an talented I love her. You should check her out!!! She writes 1000x better than me, so you will not regret it if you like sterek. Anyway, this is around 10,000 words. 

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

Derek could feel himself losing his patience. He got it already. Fairies were tricky. Don't offend them. Don't accept gifts from them. He got it, they all got it, hell they had it ten minutes into his half hour rant. But Stiles went on and on.

"Don't accept anything. Anything at all. Pay attention to wording. And, for the love of God, don't-"

Derek's patience snapped. "Eat anything, we know."

Scott went to move in front of Stiles, but Stiles put an arm across him. Derek puffed out his chest unconsciously.

They had been so territorial and snippy with each other lately both packs were sick of it. Especially Stiles, though. These last few months had been filled with uncooperative alpha instinct bullshit. It was the last thing they needed right now while dealing with fairies, beings that were known for being cutthroat at exploiting weaknesses to kill entire packs if they so wished it. Stiles hated being in the middle of it, but as Scott's emissary he needed to keep the peace between packs.

"Would you quit it you two. You're both pretty. And petty."

Scott protested, "You're just trying to explain everything. Why does he have to be like that? You don't even have to help their pack, but you are. He should be thankful."

Derek tried to ignore how that grated on him. Scott, unconsciously, had been referring more and more to Stiles as being his and separating them from Derek and his pack. He supposed he had been doing it as well, but he couldn't help it. Still, it didn't escape his notice that he had been pushing everyone from Scott's pack to be separate except Stiles. Deaton had warned them two alphas sharing a territory would be hard, but they could do it if they were determined. He also said some things about compromise and not challenging each other, but that wasn't as memorable. "Stiles is your emissary, not your beta. And he certainly isn't anyone's bitch. He can help whoever he wants without you."

Stiles gave him the murder face and once again, with greater difficulty, stopped Scott from going forward. "Both of you need to chill the fuck out or I'm leaving both of your furry asses and taking your packs with me."

They quickly snapped their mouths shut because they knew he could and would. Their posture slumped.

Stiles looked pleased. "Good. Now shut the fuck up if you don't want to die. These fairies aren't like the tooth fairy, and they sure as hell ain't Tinkerbell. They can and will kill you given the chance. Do not give them the chance. Watch your words and mind your manners. It is easy to offend a fairy, so don't. I don't care if you're non verbal through it."

Liam spoke up from the couch, "I don't see why we have to sit here for this. Only the pack alphas, Derek's first beta, and you, cuz you're Scott's emissary, are allowed to go."

"So you know for the future."

Issac spoke from where he was at Derek's side, "But why would they be so hostile towards us? We have that treaty thing with them. They couldn't hurt us without breaking that."

Stiles groaned and looked at Derek. "You see, this." He shoved a hand out towards Issac. "This is why I repeat myself. We don't have shit with them. Derek's mom saved the fairy queen. Her and her pack had the treaty. It's Derek pack now, hence the moot point you just made. Some things like a life debt or a blood oath can be passed through the generations, but not a treaty. Not when the terms or people involved change. Believe me, I do not want to be doing this any more than you do, but it's important. I found their fairy ring and Deaton said they would know I found it. He also said it would be akin to an open declaration of war if we ignored it. Apparently they're touchy about being snubbed and want to be introduced. Which shouldn't be a shock, they're touchy about everything. Now, the options are say hello to the fairies on our land, don't offend them, and hopefully sign a new treaty, or get the fuck out of Beacon Hills and hope they don't hunt us down. Should we put it to a vote?" He asked sarcastically.

Lydia looked analytical. "So is there something we can do to please them?"

Stiles gave her a flat look. "Other than not doing and doing all the things I've told you about for the last half hour? No, not really. Die, maybe."

Derek crossed his arms. "What do we actually need to know?"

Stiles gave him an annoyed look. "I'll start at the beginning."

There was a loud chorus of groans.

---

Stiles was glad the pack was out of his hair. He had stayed behind to help Derek clean up and was relieved to have finally shooed out Scott after both alphas had apologized. For all their bickering, at the end of the day they were friends. Even if their wolves wanted to tear the other to shreds. Stiles folded another blanket as Derek walked back out from the kitchen.

"That could've gone better. Can you help me wi-" Stiles' words were cut off as Derek hadn't stopped in front of him, but had continued right into his space. Derek wrapped an arm around his waist and quickly pulled him closer. He pulled him into a forceful kiss and Stiles was caught off guard.

Once Stiles recovered from the shock he tried to slow him down. He finally was able to pull back and ask, "Okay, what was that for?"

Derek only tried to kiss him again, but Stiles pulled back to look into his eyes. Derek huffed. "Mine." It sounded like it was barely able to be growled out.

Stiles smirked. "What's got you all gruff, sourwolf?"

Derek only reacted by sniffing deeply to smell Stiles' satisfaction. It was one of his favorites, despite how he hated seeing it on his face when they were arguing. Stiles smiled and tilted his head to the side slightly. Derek rumbled out his approval and dove into the offered space. He kissed and licked at his neck till he felt Stiles' light laugh bubble up. He pulled back and looked inquisitive.

"I bet you don't even know you're half shifted right now."

Derek immediately shifted back as if to prove his point. Stiles leaned forward with a smile and kissed him. "It's okay. You know I think it's kinda hot."

Derek kissed him again and the harshness was gone, but it was still insistent. Right before he spoke, Stiles wiggled his eyebrows at him. "I bet you were listening to Scott. I bet you only waited one second after he was out of earshot to come in here and kiss me. I bet yo-"

Derek cut him off again, but this time he added a nip to his lip to curb his snark. "Kiss me. Shut up."

Well, who was he to refuse such a polite request. Stiles wrapped his arms around his neck. Derek harshly grabbed his hips and leaned into him.

"Okay, are you going to tell me what's got you like this?"

"He said you don't have to help their pack. He said it like you're separate from us."

Stiles sighed and looked down. "I am separate Derek. I am, and always will be, in Scott's pack. I wish I could choose both of you, but if I can't, I choose him. Scott's my brother. I can't turn my back on him, not when he's always had mine. So until we figure out a way to work it out, I'm in his pack." Stiles looked up guiltily even though he'd done nothing wrong.

Derek rested their foreheads together. "He's your family. I get it. I do, anyway. The wild in me just wants you to myself though. It wants to take care of you myself. To keep you safe myself. To have you in my pack. To love you. It wants you to be mine." Derek's eyes flashed red. "Mine. I want you. I want you to share a pack with me. I want you with my pack. I want you with me."

Stiles gripped the back of his neck harder. "I am with you. I'm here. We are together."

It pained Derek how much that wasn't true. They had been dating for over six months and both packs were in the dark. He hated having to lie, but Stiles said it was for the best and in the end he agreed. He didn't want to start a pack war over Stiles with Scott. Mostly because he knew it would kill Stiles for him to have caused it. So they both agreed they'd get the alpha instinct pissing contest over with first and then tell everyone. Derek smiled at him. "You're right. You being here is enough."

Looking at Derek's insincere face rolled Stiles' stomach. "Don't be like that. Don't smile at me if you don't mean it. Don't say shit you don't believe. Me just being here isn't fucking enough." Stiles looked as sad as Derek felt. "I want to be able to stay with you. I don't want to sneak around with you. I don't want to have to make up stupid emissary shit that Scott believes because I'm a bridge between packs so he doesn't get all territorial with me sharing info with you. Or any other bullshit Deaton says. I want to belong in Scott's pack, but I also want to belong with you and yours." Stiles scratched at the hair on the back of Derek's neck.

"Fine. I hate this. I hate that we can't tell anybody. I hate that I don't get to scream it from the rooftops that you're my boyfriend. I hate that we can only go on dates in the preserve, so no one recognizes us. I hate that Scott gets more of your time. I hate that you see Scott at all, even though I know that's not really me talking and that I don't. I hate that you don't smell like me. I hate that once you walk out that door you aren't mine anymore. I hate that more than anything. God, I hate that."

Stiles kissed him softly and after kept his eyes closed with their foreheads together. "So show me tonight. Make me yours. Make me forget I have to walk out that door. Right here, right now I am yours. Make me want to wake up everyday yours. Make me crave you Derek. Make me need you. Make me yours sourwolf."

Derek's hands moved from his hips to his ass and he yanked him up and he immediately wrapped his legs around him with a smile.

"Are you going to carry me to your bed?"

Derek growled out around fangs, "I'm going to fuck you into my bed."

A thrill raced through Stiles and he leaned forward to kiss him as Derek walked him to his room. "Atta boy."

---

Derek woke up knowing the bed was empty, but a soft smile curled on to his face hearing the movement in the room around him. He squinted against the light coming through the curtains and turned over. He faced Stiles who was moving around the room to get changed. "Good morning sunshine."

Stiles looked at him and his face mirrored Derek's smile. "Mornin yourself hot stuff."

Derek grinned and patted the bed. "Come here."

Stiles obliged and leaned hand down on the bed to give him a good morning kiss. "Your breath is terrible."

"Yours is minty fresh."

Stiles flashed his gleaming teeth and picked his shirt off the ground. Derek always appreciated the lithe beauty of his mole dotted skin, but Stiles covered in the marks he left the night before would always be his favorite. Derek looked up and Stiles had caught his staring in the mirror. "I think you missed a spot."

Derek tossed the sheet aside and got up despite the slight chill. He slid behind Stiles and put a hand around his waist. "Oh sorry, did I? Can't have that."

Stiles' head lulled to the side unconsciously. "We really can't. That's the only spot people look at really. That one tiny uncovered part of my neck."

Derek smiled and started kissing his shoulder then worked his way up. Stiles carded his hand into Derek's hair.

Derek seemed satisfied. "Did I make you forget?"

"Forget what?" He seemed distracted.

"That you have to walk out that door."

Derek saw his grin in the mirror they both faced. "Baby, you made me forget I could walk at all last night."

Derek tried to smile back at him, but he couldn't muster it. Not when he hadn't gotten the answer he had wanted.

Stiles moved away to continue getting ready. Derek leaned against the dresser.

"Alright, I better head out. I'll see you in a couple hours for the meeting with the fairies." Stiles kissed him. He was almost out the door when he turned around. "Oh, I almost forgot!" He went to Derek's night stand and grabbed his bracelet. He put it on and instantly the scent of them together was everywhere in the room except on Stiles. He waved his hands a few times and let a few sparks go. The marks on his neck and undoubtedly everywhere else started to fade.

Derek's wolf howled like it had been burned. He looked away from the vanishing marks. Tears threatened to gather in his eyes. His voice was thick as he softly said, "I don't think you know how much that hurts."

Stiles turned around concerned. "How much what hurts?"

Derek gestured to his neck. "It's like you rejecting everything we did last night. It's like you regret it. My wolf thinks that you are deciding to leave me for good every time."

Derek could see the disheartened look in his eyes, but he still tried for humor. "Well, what about you? Leaning against that dresser all sleep ruffled and naked. It's practically a crime. Nay, a sin. You shouldn't be able to look that hot. How could I reject you when you stand there practically begging for someone to make sure you don't get cold or lonely. I don't know if I can leave you like that. All naked and hot."

Derek let out a huff. He muttered, "Is that all it would take?" He looked up. "I'll never put in pants again if you stay."

Hurt flashed briefly on Stiles' face and Derek instantly felt guilty. He walked over to him. "Hey, no I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say that like it's your fault. It's not up to you, and it sure as hell isn't up to me. I get that we can't do anything about it right now, it just frustrates me. I didn't mean to guilt you. I'm sorry."

Stiles folded into his arms. "I know. I hate it too."

Derek kissed him. "You should go."

Stiles nodded. "I'll see you in a bit."

Derek nodded bittersweetly.

---

"This is it? This is just twigs."

"Issac, what did I say? Watch your mouth. Besides, you can't see how amazing it looks."

Derek looked over to his wonder filled eyes. "But you can, can't you?"

They all turned to Stiles. "Yes. Ground fairy wings sprinkled into my eyes allows me to see through their illusions. I didn't want to be fooled by pretty faces as well as mellifluous words."

"Damn, that's hella metal." Issac tilted his head in consideration while Scott looked disgusted. Derek looked impressed.

"Whatever, just listen. Their spring moon festival will be going on so hopefully we can blend in with all the other royalty and dignitaries they met. And also they should be in high spirits. Ground rules. No eating, I do most of the talking, but don't ignore words directed at you, no insulting, no dancing, stay close, no gifts or favors, and-" Stiles pointed a finger in between Scott and Derek. "Absolutely no alpha macho fighting."

They looked offended but agreeable.

Stiles turned to the gate. "Now, follow me."

---

The tall intimidating ethereal being that towered over them steepled their hands. "I have given you much to discuss. We will leave you to make your decision. This room is warded against all prying eyes, no one will listen to you here." The king's impressive guard and extensive council readied themselves to leave.

All four of them let out a breath of relief at having a moment to themselves after nearly three hours of talks.

As they filed out a female voice spoke, "Father?"

Stiles caught the easy smile that took over their face. "Yes, my petal?"

She locked eyes with Issac even as he desperately tried to send help signals out to Stiles and Derek. "I want to dance with that one."

Issac locked pleading puppy eyes with Stiles.

Stiles stepped forward slightly. "I think we are all too tired, your grace. He would probably step on her toes more than anything." Stiles tried for the easy humor and high spirits they had been sharing all night.

They clearly missed the king. Their eyes went sharp and demeanor cold. "You wouldn't allow my daughter to dance the night with your beta?"

Issac and Derek both went to speak, but Stiles cut them off. "He may dance with her for one dance. Any more would be too high an honor." Stiles turned to Issac with a look.

Issac opened his mouth, but seemed to think better if it. He simply bowed his head to the king and princess.

"Very well. Come petal. Come boy."

Issac left with one final traumatized look over his shoulder. Stiles nodded calmly and confidently to him and Isaac looked slightly calmer.

As soon as they shut the door Derek exploded. "What the fuck Stiles! What happened to no dancing and stay close?! Issac is bad with this kind of thing and you just let him go? Do you just not give a shit about him, huh!?"

Stiles was about to placate him when Scott jumped in. "He's doing the best he can. Besides, he has no obligation to watch out for you. You're not h-"

Derek interrupted through clenched teeth, "His pack. Believe me, I know."

"Can we focus children? Issac will be fine as long as he listened to me. Besides, a refusal of the fairy king's prized daughter would've ended in death for all of us. They could come back any moment and demand an answer. And I don't know about you, but I don't trust our odds about getting back to the portal through that literal army of ancient ruthless beings. So stow your crap and let's get this figured out."

They grumbled but complied.

"Good. Okay, so we know their claim on the eastern woods is complete bull, and we can get out of it easily. But what are we doing about the claim hierarchy? If both of you die or are unable to lead they want to take control of the territory. Which is something that shouldn't happen, but we don't have a way out of it, not really."

"Is that what they were saying? I thought they were talking about pack kids. With all that legacy shit. Also where's the queen? What happened there?" Scott looked thoughtful. "So, what do we do?"

"We can't agree to that. It would paint a target on your backs if they ever wanted to take over and that's all they would have to do. Also, I swear to god Scott, if you bring up the queen I'll cut your balls off. If he wanted us to know he would've told us, he could kill us if she died and it's a sore spot. Now, back to business. We can leverage their spot where they are right now, I think. It takes a lot of time and energy to built a fairy circle as powerful as that one, they won't want to just pack up and leave it. Even if the land they're on is now back to your ownership. So, I say we leverage their current part of the woods for the claim hierarchy they want. Sure, what we offer them is what they have, but they don't have to put in the effort and sacrifices again to build another circle."

Derek furrowed his brows. "You said time does not concern fae and that they are willing to put in the effort. Don't you think they would just forcefully take more land and make a new circle?"

Stiles looked considering. "No. I think most of this is just to size us up. I don't think they want more than what they have right now or they would've taken it by now. The king looked more playful than aggressive, which isn't to say that couldn't change."

They went back and forth debating possible terms and conditions for several minutes.

"Yes, but the northern preserve is Hale territory indisputably. Given that, I think we're in agreement. What about th-"

The doors slammed open with a loud bang and their heads snapped up.

Issac had his hands still outstretched and his chest was heaving. They took in his appearance. He was absolutely covered head to toe in at least an inch of glitter, his hair was wild and there were twigs woven into the strands. He was wearing a long robe also covered in glitter and falling off one side. Most disturbing there was what looked almost like a dead rat that fell off his shoulder, but Stiles knew it wasn't quite a rat. There was a desperation and terror in his eyes as he spoke, "Guys! I think I just got engaged!?"

The doors slammed back closed. Scott's face looked confused. Derek's eyebrows were high in shock. Stiles just closed his eyes and tilted his head down to let out a deep sigh while pinching the bridge of his nose.

Stiles didn't even look up before he began to speak, "Issac. I thought I was pretty clear, don't accept anything from them. I'm pretty sure a freakin marriage proposal qualifies as anything!" He looked at Issac disappointed, but not surprised.

The distressed beta walked closer to his alpha for comfort. "I didn't! I promise!"

Scott still looked confused. "I thought you were going to dance?"

"We did! But then they started shoving me into this robe and covered me with glitter and put branches in my hair. I thought it was just a party thing, but no one else got a dead rat so I got concerned. I asked what's going on and they told me I'm engaged to marry princess Annalise! I can't get married! I don't even have a credit card yet!"

Derek put a hand on his beta's neck to soothe him. "Calm down. We'll figure this out." He looked to Stiles.

"Oh, don't look at me. Your dumbass beta did this. You get him out of it, big guy."

Derek gave him a flat look.

Issac looked over at him desperately. "Stiles I know we don't always get along, but please. I am literally begging you, I cannot marry her." He looked white as a sheet when he leaned forward to murmur, "When she smiles you can see bug legs in her teeth."

Scott's face scrunched up. "Gross."

Stiles grinned. "And you can't even see her true form. That'll give you nightmares come wedding night." Issac whimpered.

"Stiles." Derek raised an eyebrow. Stiles huffed and crossed his arms. Derek simply raised it higher. Stiles rolled his eyes. Derek raised the other one and looked expectant. Stiles squinted at him. Derek kept both brows up as he tilted his head towards Issac.

Stiles huffed and threw out his arms. "Oh, my, god, fine! I'll think of something."

Scott piped up. "Wait, would you have to stay here if you married her?"

Derek sighed. "Well, she certainly isn't going to become a PTA mom."

Stiles huffed. "Issac, explain. Everything. From the beginning. Don't leave anything out."

"We were just dancing and not talking like you said, then they grabbed me and started doing all this weird stuff to me." He shook some of the glitter off and a twig fell from his hair.

Stiles looked confused. "You didn't talk at all?"

"No. Nothing. Other than when she asked to dance."

Stiles closed his eyes breathed through his nose heavily. "Yeah, and what exactly did she ask you?" He squinted at him and pursed his lips while nodding waiting for the answer.

He seemed insistent for the first part. "She just asked..." His eyes widened. "For my hand."

Stiles turned away from him to face Derek and Scott. He threw an arm behind him to the general area of Issac. "This! Is why you listen to Stiles! This! Is why you appreciate Stiles and listen to him! This! Is why Stiles is always right and you listen to him. This! Is why when there's a clan of fairies about to declare war on you if you don't meet them you show up to the fucking pack meeting ready to mother fuckin-"

Scott and Derek chorused with Stiles. "Listen to Stiles." "Listen to Stiles." "Listen to Stiles."

"Exactly!"

"If it helps, I'm sorry for not listening."

"If it helps, I'm only moderately considering wishing her well on training you to listen to her and hoping she likes scarves."

The door opened, this time much more calmly and less violently. "The king would request to see at least one of their mortal guests. If not the groom, then the emissary."

Issac made a choked off noise and looked wildly at Stiles before opening his mouth just to be interrupted.

"I think our discussion has concluded. We will all join the king to finalize their treaty terms."

The two guards filed out into the hall. Scott followed them and Derek motioned for Issac to do so as he fell into step with Stiles at the back. They had a bit of space between them.

"Have you thought of something yet?" Derek whispered.

They both kept their eyes forward. "I'm working on it."

"Well, work faster. You know what I'll do to you if you don't get my beta out of this." It was said with harshness in case someone was listening, but after he finished he looked over with a raised brow and smirk. Stiles resolutely looked forward and shut everything else out to focus.

The no sex treatment was brutal.

Stiles' mind raced with ideas on how to get them out of this. He thought about all he knew about fairies and couldn't think of anything about how to get out of a marriage proposal. There were so many stories, but none that didn't end in death. There had been one thing about a fairy and a human truly falling in love, but the groom made his bride dance until she died. Definitely not the solution, no matter how much he didn't get along with Issac some of the times, he was still a good friend. Stiles and him had grown closer even despite the occasional ribbing or friction.

They came up on the dance hall and were guided through the bustling floor to the king's harvest table. Annalise immediately went to Isaac's side with a sharp toothed smile.

Stiles thought about all the different fae he'd read about and their rules. Somehow he didn't think spilling some salt would help here. He tried to remember everything he'd read, but there was so much and somehow he couldn't think of anything. Stiles began to feel frustrated as he had to tune out the three of them talking with the king trying to buy him some time. Deaton had showed and told him so much, why was it so hard to get them out of this! He had a story or book about everything. About lore, about fae folk, about how Talia dealt with them and got her peace treaty. He made it sound like a movie. Talia sounded like a great hero to him. Stiles was next to tears as he thought about how much better at this she would be.

Wait...

Stiles remembered a lore book about how, if a person saved a fairy child, that person could dictate what that fairy child did. Most used them for an I'll advised marriage, or slave. Both never ended well. They would just have to be careful to make it seem like they aren't wronging them. Talia had gotten her peace treaty because she had saved the life of the fairy queen. The fae hated owing or being in someone's debt so they penned the treaty. If Stiles gently mentioned that the king's daughters would never have been born if not for Derek's mother. They would owe Derek for them. In that same book he learned that blood oaths and life debts were passed down, even if treaties weren't.  Stiles smiled as a plan took root. He would mention the life debt and that that Derek could claim to dictate Annalise's life as well as her sisters'. They would say very carefully that they wished her nothing but happiness in a marriage to a fae to continue the line of great rulers. Perfect!

The king was speaking, seemingly agitated. "You speak in circles more like fae than humans. Enough. Why can't you marry my beautiful daughter Annalise?" They demanded and let just a little of their glamour fade to reveal their horrific face. The once glittering beautiful wings turned to a pitch black with twisted roots digging into and fixing them to their back.

Stiles was ready to jump in and save the day. "I would lik-"

Issac blurted and full volume, "Because I'm already married!"

Stiles craned his neck to look at him with an incredulous look. Scott looked bewildered and Derek just swore under his breath.

The king looked disbelieving. "Really?"

All four of them looked at each other as hopelessly lost and fucked as they felt.

They were in an unfamiliar place with a literal supernatural army between the four of them and the door. There was no way they could fight their way out, and his last plan was shot now, when they had to get him out of this lie first. Stiles figured he might as well roll with it.

"To me." His words came out just as Derek's did. "To me."

Stiles and Derek caught each others eye.

Stiles cleared his throat and gathered himself. Derek knew from the set of Stiles' shoulders he wasn't going to like what came next. He walked up between Derek and Issac and grabbed each of their hands. "To us." Stiles gripped their hands as harshly as he could for getting them into this before letting up.

A ripple of chatter erupted from the king's table, but the dance hall around them continued the festivities.

The king narrowed their eyes before motioning for a servant to come forward. They whispered into his ear and the servant left. "We will see."

Stiles swallowed harshly and Derek squeezed his hand.

The servant hurried back in with what seemed to be a crystal vial of a shimmering light blue liquid. The king tilted their head back and the servant put a few drops in each eye. The king blinked before focusing intently on the three of them.

Stiles had his eyes narrowed in confusion before they widened. "You're using fairy wings."

The king focused on Stiles. "Don't sound so appalled boy. Did you think we didn't know you used some as well to see our true forms?" They smiled. "Fairy wings have many magical properties, but most notably their use for sight magic. Mix the right ingredients in and you can see just about anything. For example: myrrh, basil, and valerian root."

"And what are you using those ingredients for?" Scott inquired.

"If one knows how to look, you can see a sort of line, a link one might say, between people. You can see what ties bind people. I believe wolves think a pack bond is something intangible by everything except instinct, but they are wrong. There is nothing magic cannot see or touch with the right entity wielding it. No matter how one tries to his or conceal it, it is always set free with patience. Ah ha, there you are."

They all took in a breath and held it as they looked in-between them. They looked puzzled for several moments. They tilted their head and made an inquisitive noise. Their council began to murmur and that seemed to distract them.

"Oh. Most interesting." They turned to their daughter. "My poor sweet Lise, the wedding is unfortunately off."

They let out a relieved, if not confused, breath.

Scott spoke, "Wait, what?!"

The king turned to Scott with a predatory grin. "You. You are quite the enigma. True, we had wondered how two alphas were possibly keeping the peace sharing a territory, but this? This was unexpected. A true alpha arranging a marriage between his emissary and greatest friend to his rival alpha and also his rival alpha's first beta? Unexpected, but well played." The king looked like they were appraising a clever chess game. "I am curious how you knew that an emissary building a relationship with a different alpha can quell instinct and unite packs?"

Scott gaped at him.

Stiles let go of Derek and Isaac's hands to wave his around. "Wait. What?"

The king turned to him with furrowed brows. "You did not know? Hm, I would have thought you would have been the one to figure it out. Clever human must not be as clever as I thought. Yes, he used you. But with how strong those bonds are I would say it did not work out entirely disadvantageous for you, did it?"

Stiles didn't know how to respond as Scott gave him a, 'What the fuck?!' face. Stiles sent back a, 'Just go with it!' face. "I would say not."

"Well, now that the nuptials are halted, should we continue our negotiation?" The king settled back against their chair.

Stiles quickly gathered himself yet again. "As the emissary representative of both packs I put forth the same treaty you and Talia Hale had. She gave you favorable terms and we are willing to do the same. You stay here and live on our territory peacefully in exchange for protection against things. You can draw from the nemeton without dealing with the things it draws. You stay on your side of the circle and we will keep our side there. We find it agreeable that instead of involving you in the care of our territory through a claim hierarchy, you keep your portal here. It would take a great deal of effort and sacrifice to move your circle closer in order to defend and manage Beacon and the nemeton, if it were ever to come down to a claim. It is better for all parties if we manage our territory and you manage yours. Agreeable?"

The king held his chin up by resting it on three of his fingers. "And if we want more?"

"If you wanted more then you'd try to take it. Are you?"

The king spoke aloof. "And if we did try to take your land?"

Stiles' eyes went hard and cold. "We'd protect it."

Scott looked to Stiles nervously after his risky answer.

The king grinned. "Good. No sense in having a treaty with packs that won't protect their land or us." He turned to Derek. "Your mother would approve of this one. He reminds me of her. His voice never wavered, exactly like hers. But do not be concerned with your strength little human." They looked at Stiles with an almost paternal interest. "Her hands shook just like your as well."

Stiles gaped, awed at how the king had seen right through him. He wondered what ingredients he had used for that one, or if it just came with a long life. Derek looked down at Stiles' shaking fist and reached out to hold it. Isaac saw it and after momentary hesitation mirrored it.

They laughed and then inclined their head toward their hands. "You know, it is intriguing to watch you mortals run in circles. You have such short lives so you dare not waste time looking to the past to learn from it, but we fae live long enough to see you as what you really are. Rats. Forever spinning on a wheel. Fun to play with and good pets, but ultimately you end where you started."

Everyone looked confused and they all looked to Stiles then, but he was just as confused.

"True, everyone in her pack looked to her just as you all look to the emissary, but that-" They once again motioned to Derek and Stiles' hands. "That was what your father did when he noticed her trembling. He didn't take over, he didn't talk over her. He supported her and trusted that she could handle it. Round and round you go, living the same lives in different bodies. He may have an edge to his voice like she had, but I see the same steadfast faith your father had for your mother in your eyes. You carry it for the emissary. The same relationships in different people. You bore me. Give me one good reason I should let you leave here alive. Especially when the fae could do so much more with the land."

Derek knew the fae could sense the fear coming off each of them.

Stiles spoke with conviction, "Does the juniberry flower get less beautiful with each passing season that they bloom? Is every peaceful ruler boring because there have been so many before it? Is a trick any less fun because you've already pulled it? You cannot deem us less worthy of life because we live it with the same burning love of those before us, the same beauty, the same compassion, the same embrace of frivolity. Repetition, while in our nature, isn't its entirety. Humans are known for their growth. Fae are born with magic and always have been. Humans learned to harness and use it. We grew with it, we invent and change it. There will always be humans fighting to love, to discover, to live, to be happy, to destroy, to hate, to do so many things good and bad. You call that fight not as important while you sit on a throne built by fae who did all the same things. The fact that you are immortal does not exclude you from the truth that you are also a part of the circle. Here you are again making another treaty. We are not two forces, we are one. But if you would like to divide us in two, pit us against each other in a way that would cost both sides lives, you are not breaking the circle. You are completing it. There has always been war, there has always been peace."

The king smiled. "And what would you have me do?"

"Do not attempt to break the circle. Appreciate it. Slow down and realize there have been before me, there will be after me, and I am being now. Make peace when possible, and war when it is not. Create when you can, but also destroy when it is necessary. Love your family, hate your enemies. But most prudent, know the difference between friend and foe, and have the wisdom to act accordingly. That his my advice, take it or leave it." Stiles bowed his head slightly while all three boys looked at him awed.

The king looked impressed. "You have moved my opinion and taught me, that is no small feat. Consider the treaty done according to your stated terms. Will you accept this favor from us?"

Scott and Derek went to jump in, but Stiles held up a hand. "We will accept no favors, but we accept the treaty."

The king nodded approvingly. "You are the clever human. Well done. Not many survive a fairy court. Much less on that was intent on killing them eventually from the moment they walked in. Consider the treaty in effect. This will probably be the last time you hear from us. That is, unless you need a favor."

"We'll see about that one."

The king motioned to the guard.

Stiles bowed and the other three followed suit. "It has been an honor."

The king bowed back. "Likewise emissary." The king nodded to the other three. "You as well." He looked to a guard who then began to lead them out. As they left fae talked and pointed at Stiles as they walked out.

They made their way back through the halls and to the circle.

"Well, we're not ones to over stay our welcome." Stiles nervously laughed. Upon seeing the fairy's unchanging face he nervously shoved Issac through the circle. "Best be going." Derek stepped through and they both followed.

---

As soon as they stepped back into the, now dark, woods they spoke hysterically, "Stiles, what the fuck!?" "What the ever loving hell Issac!" "Oh my god guys we made it! Hallelujah." Derek remained quiet.

Stiles turned to Issac. "Hallelujah. Hallelujah?! Like I want the one that got your ass out of there?"

Scott looked absolutely shell shocked. "Stiles? What the fuck?!"

Stiles looked back through the circle and saw the impassive guard still there. He gave a tiny wave. "Not here guys. Let's get back home."

"But yo-"

Stiles grabbed his arm. "Not. Here."

They walked in silence back to their cars.

"Let's talk at the loft. If my phone is right it's been over eight hours. Our packs will be worried."

Derek nodded. Scott jumped into the Jeep. Stiles followed him and started it. Issac watched them turn around then drive away before whirling on Derek. "What the hell? Why did the fairies think we had a bond?"

"Get in. It's going to take a little bit."

Derek started from the beginning and explained how Stiles and him had been in a relationship for over six months, how Stiles didn't want to betray Scott and his pack, and how the packs absolutely could not know, under any circumstances.

Issac understood quickly and they were on the road to the loft.

---

"Wait, you guys got the treaty signed, but somehow Issac almost got married off and then he did. But to Derek and Stiles? Now I'm kinda sad I didn't get to go. His little sad puppy face would've been hilarious." Jackson snorted.

Erica crossed her arms. "If you would have gone they would've taken one look at your cold conniving heart and made you stay because they thought you were one of them."

Lydia high-fived her and Jackson flipped both of them off.

Malia looked confused. "Did you actually all get married?"

Stiles sighed. "No matter how many times a different person asks, no. No, we did not get married."

Thankfully he got Scott to the loft without answering anything, but now it was him against both packs, who had been waiting for them together.

"Why isn't my brother here yet? Check your spouse bond. You can telepathically speak to your spouse if you're a werewolf. Ask him."

Stiles was so sick of them. "Cora, you absolutely cannot telepathically speak to your spouse if you are a werewolf. For Christ sake, you are the only born wolf here! You know that, stop being a dick."

She snickered.

Erica decided to join in. "Go on Stiles, check your spouse bond." Boyd cracked a small smile beside her.

"There is no such thing as a spouse bond!" He sounded manic.

"So you are married?" Allison played dumb.

"I swear to fucking Christ I will murder you all!"

As he screamed that Derek and Issac walked in with hesitant and fearful faces. "Bad time?"

"Perfect. Get in here and tell them we didn't all just get married."

"We didn't?" Issac looked relieved. "Oh thank fuck. I mean, you guys are better than Annalise, but no thanks. I thought with that bond shit he did he married us."

Jackson and Cora snorted.

Derek's pack walked up to him and checked to see if they were alright. "And just where the hell have you been? Stilinski drives recklessly, but he's not that much of a speed demon." Cora crossed her arms.

"Had to make a stop." Derek gruffly replied.

No one believed it.

Lydia finally piped up after having an analytical look on her face for awhile. "Wait, but how did the king see the bonds? He would've had to have seen something in order to believe you guys. Fairies hate lying. He must've believed you. What did he see?"

Issac looked at Stiles and Derek's panicked faces and thought about how much Derek had stressed their relationship remain a secret. His wolf howled for him to quickly defend and protect his alpha. He anxiously tried to think, but there were to many people staring expectantly. "I'm fucking Stiles!" He blurted.

Everyone's faces went wide with open shock, especially Stiles'.

Both packs instantaneously hurled questions. They overlapped and drown each other out with their volume.

"Everybody stop!" Stiles commanded.

There was silence.

"And here I was thinking Isaac was a bottom." Jackson snarked.

At least eight, "So did I."s were heard.

Isaac's cheeks flamed.

Stiles rolled his eyes. "He is a bottom. But thats no-"

The questions came from everyone except Issac who looked embarrassed and Derek who looked reserved.

"Everybody shut up! I'm not fucking Isaac!"

There was confused silence.

"Yes you are!" Isaac replied petulantly.

The shouting began once again.

Derek burst and finally roared at them while showing his eyes and teeth. They stopped. He grabbed Stiles' wrist and began yanking him behind himself. "We need to talk."

Scott instantly moved closer. "Whoa, whoa. Just because he's dating your beta doesn't mean you can shove him around! I get that you don't like it, but you don't see me pushing Isaac somewhere to give him the shovel talk."

Derek just growled threateningly.

Scott was about to respond when Stiles got in-between them. "Hey, hey, stop. No. Bad dogs. No fighting over the Stiles. Scott, just let me talk to him. I can handle this."

Scott opened his mouth.

"Remember what we just learned about trusting Stiles?" Stiles raised his eyebrows.

Scott closed his mouth and backed off.

Derek continued dragging Stiles up to his room. As the door shut behind them, Stiles was grateful for the soundproofing. "Thank God. I hav-"

Derek harshly clawed off Stiles' bracket without tearing his skin.

"Dude! What the hell!"

Derek didn't respond he just slammed Stiles against the wall and shoved his head into his neck.

"I repeat, dude, what the hell!?"

Derek licked a wide stripe up his neck. "Mine." He licked another stripe up the other side. "Mine."

"Okay, do you mind explaining? Because I'm starting to feel like a milkbone."

Derek teased the sensitive skin of his neck between his fangs. "He said we all had bonds."

"Yeah?"

Derek pulled back and looked calmer, but sad. "He saw bonds between all three of us, not just me and you. And then Isaac said that, so I thought-"

"You thought Isaac and I?"

Derek nodded to confirm. "I thought you were fucking him too. I needed to know, to smell that you were just mine."

Stiles shoved him back and off of him. Derek's eyes flashed hurt, but Stiles' held anger. "Fuck off!" He shoved his chest again. "Fuck off if you think I would ever do that to you. And especially fuck you for implying all we do is fuck. Derek, I love you. Fuck you for thinking that." Stiles' voice broke as he said the last sentence. Tears started to fall from his eyes. "God, fuck you so much."

Stiles went closer to the door and Derek quickly followed. He grabbed Stiles' arm. "Hey, hey. No. No baby, please. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. It's just, shit, we can't tell anybody, you never smell like me, you use spells so I don't smell like you, we can't even go on dates. I'm going out of my mind here. We are so much more than fuck buddies, that isn't what I meant. I just want you to be mine. Hell, that's all I've wanted for the longest time. I just want you." Stiles turned back to him and Derek leaned their foreheads together. "I just want you. I love you."

Stiles closed his eyes and another tear raced down his cheek. They stood there together for a moment.

"Don't lose me thinking you already lost me. Because I swear to god Derek if you ever accuse me of cheating again, I'll shove wolfsbane so far up your ass you'll have to pick it out of your teeth. I love you so much it hurts my heart knowing you thought that about me. I could, and would, never cheat on you. You hear me Derek Hale? Never." Stiles looked deep into his eyes with glossy ones. "You're it for me. God, you are. You're the person I want to wake up beside and not have to leave covering up your marks. Hell, I don't want to leave our bed at all. I don't want to ever have to leave you. It tears me up inside."

Derek kissed him and Stiles kissed back ferociously, like he had to leave the second their lips parted. Stiles pulled back for air, but clung onto his neck desperately.

"What are we going to do?"

Stiles wiped his eyes and then  smirked. "I've got a plan."

"I'm going to hate this."

"You're going to love this."

"I have hated literally every single one of your plans since day one."

Stiles drew circles in the hair on the back of Derek's head with his finger tips. He smiled. "You didn't hate the one with the picnic and the strawberries with chocolate sauce and the-"

"Okay, I liked that one."

"You didn't absolutely hate your birthday with the-"

"Yes, I did like that one."

"What about two weeks ago with the woods and th-"

"Alright fine, your sex plans are perfect. Is this a sex plan? I would like to stress that this is the only time I'll say this, please say no."

"No, it is not a sex plan."

"Oh good. Then I probably will hate it."

Stiles grabbed his hand and laced their fingers together to pull him along. "Let's find out."

"Wait, wait! You're not wearing your bracelet."

"I don't need it."

Derek's eyebrows furrowed. "Have you finally learned how to block your scent?"

"No. Thanks for rubbing it in. I just don't need it." Stiles once again turned to the door and he stopped him.

"If you walk out there, they'll know. Scott, your pack. I can't do that to you. No matter how much this hurts, I can't do that because I know how much it would hurt you."

Stiles smiled softly and kissed him. "I love you for that. But it's okay."

Derek started to shake his head, but Stiles put a hand on his cheek. Stiles grinned. "It's okay. Trust Stiles." He pecked his lips and looked at him expectantly.

Derek nodded his head and Stiles' stroked his cheek with his thumb. "Perfect. Now, follow my lead, and when the moment is right you better sweep me off my feet, Hale."

"How am I supposed to know which moment you're talking about?"

"Trust me, you'll know when it's the moment."

Derek's eyes went emotional and his hand gripped Stiles' tighter. "Every moment with you is the moment Stiles."

Stiles rolled his eyes and kissed him, then pulled him to the door. Right as he reached for the doorknob he hesitated.

"What?"

"Next Friday is half off milkshake day at Sassy's. You'll order curly fries too. And I will eat half of them while you pretend not to notice. I want a proper out in public diner date. I'll meet you there at seven. Don't you dare be late, sourwolf."

Derek was over the moon. "Don't you dare be late. We both know I'm going to be there twenty minutes early nervously organizing the sugar packets and wondering if I put on enough cologne. Next Sunday I want to have breakfast with your dad. Don't you dare embarrass me."

"Perfect. And you know I will, but it won't matter because you've already won him over."

Derek held onto his hand like a life line. "Perfect."

Stiles let go and marched down the stairs. Derek followed.

They all quieted, but heard the last thing uttered. "You don't think he'd kill him for fucking Isaac, do you?"

"I'm not fucking Isaac, Alli."

"You ar-" Derek silenced Isaac by lifting a hand up. Isaac looked at him questioningly.

Derek shook his head. "Isaac is not fucking Stiles."

Stiles piped up, "Derek is fucking Stiles."

Everyone was stunned silent.

Derek's face was still not giving anything away. "And sometimes Stiles is fucking Derek."

Isaac let out a relieved breath. "Oh thank God that's over. Erica asked me what your face looks like when you come."

Derek shot her a dirty look and she stuck out her tongue. "Now I'll just ask you."

Everyone's shock faded at once, other than Scott who remained stunned. Loud, 'I told you,'s and, 'You owe me,'s exploded.

"For the love of fuck, shut up!" Stiles screamed.

Everyone looked at him.

"Thank you."

Scott finally caught up. "Wait. What!?"

Stiles turned to his gaping face. "Now Scott, I would like for you to bless the Hale alpha and I. Officially, that is. It's a little too late otherwise. Been there, done him multiple times."

Scott still looked confused. "Wait, like the fae king said? No! I don't want to use you like that! I'm not going to pimp you out for peace!"

Stiles rolled his eyes. "Scotty, keep up. Me and Derek bone like bunnies, we're in a relationship. I want to stare at his stupid face multiple hours of the day for the foreseeable future."

Scott looked like his brain broke.

Stiles huffed. "Oh for the love of God. I love him!"

Scott's face melted into a sappy grin. "Bro really?"

"Yeah, really."

Scott looked over to Derek who had a flat face. He sighed. "I love him too."

Scott turned back to face Stiles. "Broooo!"

Stiles grinned and looked down. "I know."

Scott seemed to get serious. "Okay, I give you to him."

Stiles pinched his brow. "You're not giving me over like I'm the last dinner roll on Thanksgiving dinner. You're giving your agreement and blessing to our relationship."

"Okay. I bless you."

"What are you, the pope?" Jackson snarked.

Scott's shoulders went up in a shrug. "Well, sorry! I don't know how to do this! I'm fine with it okay! You have my blessing."

Erica turned to Stiles. "You're good to go the next time you sneeze."

Derek pinched the bridge of his nose.

Stiles furrowed his brow in concentration. Derek put an arm on his shoulder. "What is is?"

"It should've worked."

"What should've worked?"

Lydia spoke, "You were hoping that if Scott blessed your relationship, you could bridge the two packs like the king said. You were hoping to make them one."

"But it didn't work. Maybe, Scott are you really not okay with it?"

Scott looked defensive and confused. "What? No. I'm so super okay with this! It's not me. I just want you to be happy. I know Derek is a good guy. It has to be something else. Stiles are you okay with it?"

Stiles looked defensive and snippy. "Of course I'm okay with it! I'm the one that wanted this! I am so beyond okay with this! I'm actually out of this universe okay with this! Derek are you okay with this?"

Derek looked like it was obvious and crossed his arms at the stupidity of the question. "Yes." He turned to Isaac sarcastically. "Are you okay with this? Husband ours?"

Isaac answered genuinely, "Yeah, of course."

Stiles crossed his arms back at Derek. He started to pace. "Okay, that should've worked. Why didn't work? The king said I could be the bridge to the packs, but why didn't it work? Do I need to do it with Isaac too? No, that doesn't make sense, it should work with just Derek. Maybe I have to actually marry him. No, in magical matters usually intent matters more than the actual contract. I intend to be with him. I intend to unite the packs..." Stiles looked up and stopped pacing. "Maybe its not about my intent. Or Derek's, or Scott's. You can't force a wolf to accept a pack. They have to choose it. I'm supposed to be the bridge, but you all still have to walk across it. You all have to choose to join each other. If I'm uniting packs, I kinda need packs permission. Are you guys okay with it?"

Four, 'Yeah!'s were heard and one, 'Hell yeah!' sounded. Cora looked at Stiles with squinted eyes. "Don't break him Stilinski."

They all turned to Jackson. He huffed and turned to Derek. "If Stilinski comes over at midnight to watch The Notebook with Lydia and he wakes me up with his blubberin, it's your ass I'm gonna paralyze."

They looked to Erica. "You all know I'm going to say yes. Especially with all the work batman put into trying to get the packs to get along."

Derek and Scott looked confused.

"Oh come on, we all know Scott is clueless, but you didn't know Derek? Lydia and I have standing nail appointments together ever since he took her on a day I just "happened" to be going. Jackson and him help Isaac with his complicated social worker law shit on Thursdays, which I have no idea what kind of magic he uses for that. Somehow, god knows how, he found out Boyd used to go deer hunting with his dad, and now he goes with Malia. That's just some of the shit he's done. Hell, he put together a training session without you guys about how to deescalate alphas challenging each other."

Cora piped up, "Oh come on Derek, you haven't smelled Isaac coming home on Fridays?"

He didn't want to mention that the spell Stiles used to get rid of his scent on Derek also kept him from smelling Stiles sometimes.

She continued, "He reeks of the sheriff and Stilinski. The sheriff all but adopted Isaac after hearing his sob story. He goes over there every week. Stiles is the main reason he's even surviving college. He wanted to get close to your beta, so he put all the fighting behind them. Well, most of the fighting." She shrugged.

Scott and Derek looked at Stiles. "Oh, don't give me that. The packs needed a lot of work, forgive me for wanting a head start. I wanted for them to at least be friends by the time you two got your heads out of your asses. Side note Derek, the bond between Isaac and I the king saw was probably the new friend thing we've got going on and the bond I was trying to forge to bridge everyone. That paired with how close you and Isaac are he probably couldn't tell the difference. Sight magic is hard, especially if there's a block. Like my bracelet or the spells I use on you. It probably muddled our relationships to each other enough." He turned to Erica. "Also, that wasn't a yes."

She rolled her eyes. "Oh for godsake, yes, you can be my new daddy Stiles. Scott too."

Just like the latch clicking behind you when you get home, they all felt the new pack bond slide into place like it was always waiting to.

Scott whispered awed and joyful, "Did we all just become one big awesome pack?"

Derek pulled Stiles' body to himself and dipped Stiles with a passionate kiss.

The pack hollered around them and Derek pulled him back up. "That was the moment, wasn't it?"

Stiles smiled at him. "Every moment is the moment with you, big guy."

[jerepars]

Ape Dos Mil Extended Chapter Notes

6 / 9 Pure Love

Hyperlinks appear in blue (underlined on mobile and the dashboard). The story is posted here. Direct link to this chapter is here.

As it turned out, when James had to go dark for 48 hours, it pushed Teresa deeper into the cave. James sat in a hotel room on the other side of town while Teresa bought a hotel. James looked into Isidro Navarro while Teresa got ready to make her pitch to the guy and expand her business to Europe. While she dined, James was on the wrong side of the day.

When I first introduced lyrics from Glassjaw’s “Ape Dos Mil” into the story in the second chapter, I mentioned it was the lyrics and mood of the song overall that inspired the story. This paragraph is borrows from the main verse of the song:

Yeah, it's over You can bet in mid October I will still be ranting 'bout most early May Yeah, he's a winner He's a goddamn sinner While he dines I'm on the wrong side of the day And I said, "I don't understand why I'm fumbling after" You're the reason i cannot forget this season Or the letter when you first referred to it

She was going to go her own way, make all the deals, gain more more more. James had to be down for that not just because he was in love with her, but because he had a higher purpose—thanks to the universe—when it came to Teresa. But James wished she didn’t go around ignoring all the signs of danger. He wished she didn’t walk around like nobody was going to break her heart or like she could elude death. Hadn’t she learned, losing Tony, that the #1 special on the menu in the underworld was breaking hearts, one way or another?

There’s a Mac Miller song, “My Favorite Part” with these words: You walk around so clueless to it all. Like nobody gonna break your heart. It'll be alright babe, see, me, I got you covered. I'm gon' be your lover, you might be the one.

So the line in the paragraph about queenpin Teresa walking around like nobody was going to break her heart is a reference to that. There’s also a line in the song that goes, The universe couldn’t keep us apart--why would it even try? Very soulmate-y but different in that for Jeresa it is because of the universe they are soulmates.

But nothing moved Teresa. She didn’t let up. She wasn’t going to confess to using, since she was going out of her way to hide it. She didn’t own up to the responsibility of being targeted and putting them all in danger unnecessarily because she had to have Europe.

The first line of this paragraph is sort of a reference to the album Still Nothing Moves You by Ceremony.

Teresa was screaming, to feel the pressure in her throat, to drown out the noise in her head, when she took to the neatly pressed blazers along the back of the closet. She ripped as many off the hangers as would go, letting the different shades of white pool at her feet on the carpet. The jewelry station was next—earrings, necklaces, and rings ripping into her hands before she decided there were too many for a few handfuls, picking up the entire velvet drawer insert tray and dumping it to the side, fully enraged.

When she swung her arm around, Teresa caught a glimpse of herself in the full-length three-way mirror. Her breath caught in her throat. She saw herself, and there, over her shoulder, was herself—the girl from Culiacán.

“You forgot the most important thing is survival. You have to get out of here,” the girl pleaded. “You have to go. Run.”

So, uh, I changed a lot from canon. In 5x07, the scene cuts soon after Teresa yells “Fuuuuuuuuuck!” and throws her phone. In the next scene of Teresa, she’s in the sitting area of her room doing coke, and when she looks up at the mirror across from her, that’s when she seems old Teresa in flannel. 

I had this scene planned out in my head before 5x07 aired and I always thought, when Teresa found out Boaz killed George, she would react violently and destroy her closet. So here in the story, Teresa is still inside her closet when old Teresa shows up.

“I’m not leaving without them,” Teresa told off the girl standing behind her in the too big flannel.

A reply never came but when Teresa looked back in the mirror, the girl was still standing there with terror in her eyes.

“I’m not leaving,” Teresa vowed.

The girl watched her. Teresa closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths. It was the cocaine talking, the two big hits she’d taken while already upset. She knew that. But the girl remained, watching Teresa in silence.

In 5x07, Teresa has this conversation with Avi. But if she’s shut herself in her closet, then this conversation becomes a face-off with her former self. I think I like that better, actually. 

It also eliminates the whole exchange with Avi saying James ordered for the plane to be ready and that Teresa should get out of the country immediately. After everything they’ve been through I don’t buy that James would take it upon himself to make that decision for her, regardless of how worried and protective he is. Sorry not sorry, canon, but that just doesn’t make sense for these characters.

Teresa wasn’t sure if she sat there for minutes or hours. She paid no attention to how much light was streaming in through the window. In silence, the tears flowed and brought her back down to earth. She only knew a significant amount of time had passed when the white noise stopped ringing in her ears and a familiar burning feeling took hold in her chest.

That was the universe’s doing. It meant James was back.

She heard indistinct chatter from outside the closet in the main room. She listened closer. There was James’ gravelly voice, then a pause, followed by Pote, low and gruff. They exchanged words and then came a third voice, higher in pitch with a familiar Texas Southern drawl—Kelly Anne.

Teresa sighed. They were back. She’d never been so thankful for the hurt in her chest.

More changes to canon. James gets to Kelly Anne and Pote before Boaz and makes sure they get back to the safe house.

Here’s the thing. I hate the whole kidnapping plot of 5x08 and think it’s unnecessary. Much of the episode is spent on Pote grunting and yelling nonsensically, making lame threats. And what happens? Pote doesn’t save the day. Kelly Anne saves herself. I haven’t even mentioned the fact that Teresa calls Boaz and tells him she’ll give him the business (and she was not bluffing, by the way) as long as he lets Kelly Anne go. 

Omg. The action of 5x08 is fine. We get to see James in green. But the actual story...the plot of it...what the fuck is the point? The majority of the episode is wasted on Kote (the season is pretty much #Kote of the South at this point) when really it should focus on Teresa, and on the Castel/Devon/Kostya stuff. 

So yeah. I said hell no, unlike canon I refuse to let Kote take over in my story. The queenpin storyline gets abandoned completely in canon with no proper resolution for how Teresa gets back to herself. It’s like she goes from the queenpin, caring about nothing but the business, then suddenly remembers her true personality and is the old Teresa again.

And for what? All because of the kidnapping plot? No. Just no. I couldn’t do it.

Eliminating the KA’s kidnapping doesn’t eliminate the Boaz problem or the Kostya problem or the Devon problem. So I axed it.

She’d said the same less than a week ago in Berlin, looking over the city skyline. But this time it had no bite and sting.

There’s a song by Defeater called “The Bite and Sting” and the phrase in the second sentence above comes from that title. If for whatever reason you decide to listen to it, there’s a line in the song that goes We ain’t seen no Germans for days, because Defeater’s music is conceptual and tells interrelated stories over the span of their albums. The EP that “The Bite and Sting” is on, Lost Ground, is about a black WWII veteran. The song is about being in the war and that’s why the line I mentioned is there. Kind of ironic, because I was not thinking about the fact that Teresa said to James “say it” while they were in Germany.

Anyway, that was a longwinded explanation just to say: the context of the reference and the way the phrase is used in the sentence are not related.

Self-preservation had always been key for James’ survival, and over and over he threw it away for her. So his words hurt because they were honest, because they pointed out the mistakes she’d made when it came to him. But Teresa admired James for standing up for himself and showing his backbone. He was there for her—they were in this together—but he wouldn’t allow himself to be used. She had to prove herself, to somehow make amends. And she loved him for it, to be given the opportunity.

Because beyond striking the balance with herself, Teresa knew that if she wanted the pure love only soulmates who were lucky enough to find each other and chose to be together could have—not just tough love—then the days of shutting James out had to come to an end as well.

In the notes for Good Luck/Bad Days (a completely separate and unrelated story) I mentioned that one of the songs I ended up referencing, “Pure Love” by Hayley Williams was actually meant to be used in this story. I think pieces of the song fit better lyrically in Good Luck/Bad Days, but conceptually (are those different? I feel like they are different) it fits better here. So. That’s where the chapter title comes from.

[heoneyology]

fateful coincidence [1] | l.jh

A/N: does anyone even read my stuff anymore...? anyway, I jokingly told rani (who I can’t even tag anymore or don’t know what blog to tag-) that I should just write my jooheon dreams as fanfics, because then I would at least be writing something instead of being on hiatus. and she took it seriously and said yes. so here we are.

Word Count: 7148

Genre: chaebol/heir!au, slice of life, soft angst, humor? (am I even funny?), romance (slow burn)

Pairing: reader (fem) x lee jooheon (monsta x)

Warnings: mature themes/suggestive, language, there will be... sugar daddy themes... later... but not like sexually idk if this is a warning???

Summary: Lee Jooheon is a well-known heir to a global hotel conglomerate, and is next in line to take over the family business. You’re a journalist aspiring for more, but barely managing to pay your own bills at the end of the month. The two of you are from entirely different worlds, yet fate somehow tangles your threads, and Jooheon seems to know an intriguing amount more about you than he lets on.

“You mean to tell me they just dropped out? Randomly at the last minute like that?”

The voices of your coworkers had been floating around overhead for many minutes longer than you would’ve liked, by now. Why they couldn’t gossip over their coffee delivery somewhere else was beyond you. Why they had to do it at all was further unfathomable. Attempting to push their voices out of your head and concentrate on your work, you rub your temple, squinting at the computer screen in front of you.

“Apparently the journalist got sick and they had no one else to cover from that company. So they called us,” your friend and coworker, Yoo Kihyun, answers the other speaking in his usual matter-of-fact tone.

“It’s tomorrow, though!” The original speaker complains, pressing forward further, “And we’re such a small publication! How can they expect us to take place for the other last minute like this?”

You’re not sure which is louder in your mind, at this point: The complaining of your coworkers—specifically the female senior whose name you’d forgotten—or your typing. With each passing word they utter of annoyance or disbelief, mixed with Kihyun’s logical explanations, the clacking of your fingers against the keyboard beneath your hands quickens, intensifying, before you finally let out a harsh sigh and push yourself away from your desk in frustration. There’s no way for you to concentrate if they’re all going to stand around and gossip like high schoolers.

“Isn’t this good for us, though?” You speak up suddenly, causing the small group to glance over at you in surprise. Typically, you weren’t one to bother with their idle chit-chat breaks. The fact that you were doing so now took them by surprise. Even Kihyun quirks a curious brow at you.

Before you speak up again, you roll your shoulders and give a small stretch. Between their nonsensical worried rambling and your own pile of work, you could physically feel the stress building up in your body. “That they invited us, I mean? As such a small publication?”

In your mind, it made more sense to be excited over being a small publication, taking a larger publication’s place, to any event. Even if it was simply as a fill-in due to a last minute call out—and even if it was a lone instance that may never happen again.

“None of us know anything about the content of the story—how the heck are we supposed to write on it?” The female senior who had been whining up until this point whines once more, and your eyebrows shoot up on your forehead in surprise. Even Kihyun, who is standing next to her, quirks his curiously raised eyebrow back at her instead of you.

Before you can think of the words that pop into your mind, and process them, you blurt out, “And you went to school for journalism?”

As soon as the question falls past your lips, immediately landing heavily into the air of the room, you tense your jaw—realizing just what it was that you said to your senior. But really, how could you go to school for something and refuse to write about it simply because you were unfamiliar with the content?

Next to her, the rest of your coworkers share curious glances. Kihyun presses his lips into a hard line to keep from snickering. Thankfully, rather than say anything, she simply scoffs and stalks off back to her desk. You watch, holding back a grimace by biting down on your lower lip, embarrassed over the slip of your own tongue.

With yet another sigh, you plop back down into your seat. As you do so, the group disperse their coffee gossiping, and you prop your arms on your desk and drop your face into your hands, fingers rubbing your forehead. There was a pounding just beyond your forehead, a mix of stress from work and the unnecessary blabbering that had been filling the workroom just moments ago. But, now, there was an added tension due to a fixation of worry over your lack of filter.

Beside you, the noise of the chair at the desk next to you shifts, signifying Kihyun’s return. At the sound of ice cubes clattering against each other, you lift your face from your hands to see Kihyun giving you a sideways glance, setting an extra cup of coffee on your desk. When you make eye contact with him, he quirks a brow at you, and there’s a sudden urge to smack his eyebrows straight off his face. They’re going to get stuck like that, someday.

“What?”

“You really don’t think before you speak, do you?” He muses, leaning back in his chair and scooting it back to his own work space.

“Tell me something we both don’t know already,” you grumble, reaching for the coffee. Giving the cup a small shake, you watch the ice cubes swirl around within the confines of the plastic amidst the milky brown liquid. “But seriously, how can you go to school for this and then decide just because you don’t know something, you won’t report on it? That defeats the purpose of both the job and the degree…”

“Not everyone has the work ethic you do,” Kihyun replies simply, glancing at you. “Drink the coffee. It should subside the headache. You’re overworking and stressing yourself.”

Surprised, you give Kihyun a dumbfounded blink. “How—?” You start, before cutting yourself off with a small shake of your head. Kihyun was observant, and after years of knowing him, as much as you wanted to ask him how he knew you had a headache and were stressed, it was better not to. It would only lead to him chastising you, anyway. Following his instruction, you lift the straw to your lips and take a sip of the coffee.

Satisfied, you set the coffee back down. It’s your turn to rant, now, similarly to your senior journalist. “Seriously, though, how hard can it be? Isn’t this just an event for the global opening of some hotel? The press probably won’t have any time to ask personalized questions, they typically don’t during those kinds of events.”

Kihyun pulls his gaze away from his work at his own computer, turning back to you. However, before he can answer he blanches. Curious, you glance at him, before glancing over your shoulder to see what exactly he’s staring at. As you turn, a white envelope is simultaneously stuck in your face, and you startle in surprise, practically jumping out of your chair.

“Sh-shit! Team leader!”

Minhyuk, towering above you, gives the envelope a little wave and smirks. “Since you seem so confident about this story, here’s your invite to the event.” Before you have a chance to react, Minhyuk loosens his grip on the envelope, allowing it to fall from his grasp to your lap. You scramble, attempting to catch it as it falls, watching his back as he walks towards his desk. “It’s a black tie event, by the way.”

You feel the color drain from your face, mouth dropping open. “Black… tie…?”

“Is there a problem?” Minhyuk asks, glancing up at you from where he sits at his desk across the room. You clench your jaw, sharing a glance with Kihyun before shaking your head. “Then I expect this to be your best article yet.”

By this point, your jaw is clenched so tight your teeth are grinding together. Letting out a silent sigh through your nose, you turn back to your computer. Slowly, you can feel yourself slump down in your seat further, in defeat.

You really don’t think before you speak, do you? Kihyun’s words echo in your mind, taunting, as you set back to work—heavy with more stress than before.

—

Hours later, you find yourself with your cheek resting against the cool glass of the bus window, blankly staring out at the scenery passing by in a blur. You close your eyes, the movement and slight jostling of the bus making the ache of your head worse. Your head pain hadn’t eased up for the rest of the day, much to your displeasure, and the turmoil of thoughts running through your head hadn’t helped to ease it up in any way, either. You’d ended up straining both your eyes and your mind further by trying to push past the migraine in order to focus on your work, which you suppose had made everything all that much worse.

“I’m too poor for this…” you mumble, dejected. A freaking black tie event that you had no money for. Now, you felt the need to complain as all your coworkers had—except for completely opposite reasons.

“Shouldn’t have opened your mouth.” Next to you, Kihyun is quick to answer.

You lift your head off the cool glass of the window, scowling at Kihyun where he sits next to you, browsing on his phone. “Are you a broken record?”

Lowering his phone, Kihyun lifts his gaze to you before offering a shrug, and you sigh in exasperation. You let your head fall back to the pane of the window with a lack of control, knocking against it, further jostling the pain throbbing in your head.

“Is your headache gone?” Kihyun asks.

“No.”

“And you just—” This time, Kihyun is the one who sighs in exasperation. “Look, I know financially it’s not the best thing to happen to you, but this could be good for your name. And for our company, like you said.”

“I don’t have money to go out and spend on fancy clothing, Kihyun,” you grumble, squinting out the window. The light is starting to hurt.

“It’s not prom season. Just buy a dress and then return it after you wear it.”

As the bus begins to slow, a bus stop nearing ahead, you lift your head off the glass of the window again. You give your head a small shake, pursing your lips. “My moral compass is disappointed in you, but not surprised, that you’d say something like that.”

He chuckles as the bus completely stops, and you gather your bag and stand, squeezing past your legs he tucks in. “Good luck. Text me when you get home.”

You scoff, wrinkling your nose at him. “Why should I text the good for nothing best friend that won’t even go dress shopping with me?”

Though you say this, you both know you’ll text him. Your relationship with Kihyun tended to be a bit of a push and pull, but he was easily the one person you could rely on for anything. And as much as you would quip your words at him, neither of you took it to heart. Kihyun had already made prior plans before this had come about, anyway, and you couldn’t fault him for that.

When you exit the bus, you turn to watch it pull away. Unsurprisingly, Kihyun has scooted toward the window you’d just been occupying, and you give him a small wave before he and the bus are out of sight.

Your head is still pounding, and as you walk up the street a ways in the direction of the mall, you decide it’s probably best to make quick work of this shopping spree considering how the pain hasn’t eased up all day. Neither coffee nor food had helped, and though you knew it was caused by stress—there wasn’t much you could think of that might lessen the stress and ease the headache. You just hoped you’d be able to sleep that night.

Just find a simple dress and go. Anything that will pass for the event, you don’t need to look good.

Of course, that’s much easier said than done. You’re on your fifth store before you find anything that might pass for the type of event you’re headed to. With each store, you watch the prices of the clothing increase. The time of the year means no sales, and because the type of clothing you’re looking for is so specific, it also means that what you’re looking for is bound to be more expensive than usual. Or, rather, at the very least—way out of your budget for the month.

You pull away from a few racks, adding another dress over the small stack draped across your arm. Resigned to your fate, you turn to find a dressing room to sort through the stack you’ve collected. From your peripheral, you realize as you turn someone is walking down the aisle, and you both shift to make room for the other. Without regarding the person, you mumble out an, “excuse me,” out of courtesy as you pass—that is, until a mysterious force of momentum works against you and you don’t pass at all, but rather find yourself stumbling backwards.

Simultaneously, you and the stranger both let out an almost-strangled sound of surprise, and you feel your grip on your clothing articles slip from your grasp, falling to the floor with the hangers clattering against the tile underfoot. Before you join the clothing in your fall, you feel a hand instantly reach out to grab hold of your elbow and steady you. For a brief moment, you glance down at the clothes, before lifting your gaze to the stranger who’d kept you from falling.

In the process of lifting your gaze up to the stranger’s face, you catch sight of the cause of all this—one of the clothing hangers in his arm is linked with one of your dress hangers that had been so abruptly ripped from your grasp. You let out a small exhale of amusement from your nose, before meeting the curious eyes of the man who you’d gotten caught by—or rather, literally caught on.

He quirks a brow at you, clearly having heard your soft laugh.

“S-sorry, I wasn’t—” You stammer out, straightening yourself up and giving a nod towards his arm. “I just thought that was funny.”

“Hm?” The sound stems from the back of his throat, confused, before he blinks down at his arm and breathes out, “Oh… oh—” and then he’s glancing up at you, his round and curiously lit brown eyes suddenly sparkling with a sort of panic. “I’m sorry!”

A chuckle escapes past your lips, more audible than your tiny snort of air from earlier, now amused by his reaction. “It’s fine, it was an accident,” you reply, crouching down to collect the fallen dresses. As you do so, he reaches to his arm to unhook the dress. Before handing it back to you, he eyes it for a moment, gaze flickering briefly to the stack you’d recollected.

“Going to a big event?” He inquires, mild curiosity in his voice. If not for the events that had just transpired, you would have thought him to be prying.

“Thanks,” you murmur, accepting the dress. “Yeah. Technically, it’s for work, but it’s formal and I don’t have anything… fancy or nice.”

The man nods at the dress he’d just given back to you. “That one’s the fanciest, if you ask me. If you’re wanting to spoil yourself a little bit, even though it’s for work.”

While the opinion of a stranger means nothing in particular to you, you still find yourself eyeing the dress he’d returned. It was fancy, you had to agree—but more in a simple, stunning beauty sort of way. With a plunging neckline, the black dress was simple yet elegant. And definitely not something you’d consider your style.

Rather than say that, though, you just give a small smile. “It’s also the most expensive one. I’ve got a budget and this party wasn’t in it until about seven hours ago…” You drape the dress back over your arm, giving the stranger a smile. “Anyway, thanks for your input and thanks for not letting me fall when we got snagged.”

Instantly, he returns your smile, and you’re almost surprised at the deep dimples that break out on his cheeks. “Have a good night. Be careful not to run into anyone else.”

You don’t think anything of the stranger and his dress recommendation until you’re in the dressing room, cycling through the different dresses you’ve chosen and trying them all on. Despite your better judgement, you keep ending up back on that one—the black floor-length dress with the plunging neckline that you thought you’d never be able to pull off, yet somehow hugs the curves of our body almost perfectly. Each time you try it on, you end up grimacing into the mirror and returning to one of the other dresses. It’s not your style. It’s not what you usually wear. But that doesn’t mean it can’t be…

None of the other dresses seem to fit you just as perfectly, and none of them tug on your heartstrings the way that simple black gown does. While you’d already resigned yourself to the fate of going way over budget for the month because of this whole endeavor and your giant mouth speaking out of turn, it takes you almost thirty whole minutes of groaning and grumbling the dressing room, physically pained by the dent this is going to leave in your bank account—before you find yourself at the register checking out, having chosen the black dress anyway.

“Oh,” the girl at the checkout breathes out as you’re busy fumbling through your purse for your wallet. You pay her exclamation no mind, until you hear the next words, “You must be who he was talking about.”

He? Who’s he?

“Huh?” Again, your mouth allows for a dumb reaction to fall past your lips without first thinking it through. You pull your gaze up from your purse to stare at the cashier.

“There was a handsome dimpled man who was here buying a suit earlier, said he ran into a girl who seemed stressed over buying a dress, and that he wanted to pay it forward…”

A moment of silence suspends between the two of you, before you blanch. “Pay it forward?!” You blurt out, voice raising an octave in panic. The girl at the cashier startles in surprise, and you immediately snap your mouth closed and swallow, attempting to calm your panicked heartbeat. “Sorry I just—what?”

Who the hell pays anything forward these days? Let alone for a ball gown? In your chest, you can feel your heartbeat quickening back into a panicked state, and somehow it seems to fall into sync with the throbbing of your headache that you’d almost forgotten was there. The constant pain had slowly fallen into something akin to a static white noise you’d pushed down.

The cashier can’t do anything but shrug at your confusion, fumbling as she works to fold the dress into a box and bag it, pushing it across the counter towards you. She seems to want to be done with you—and honestly, you can’t blame her, after your sudden outburst.

“There’s a gift receipt in the bag if you need to return it.”

You forget to text Kihyun you’ve made it home when you do, too distracted on the bus ride back to remember to do so.

—

You’re relieved, the next day, that the migraine which had been tormenting you for the majority of the day before is gone. You’re also slightly confused, having been so accustomed to the constant throbbing in your head for days now that you’d just assumed it was some sort of karmic punishment you were receiving, for something you’d clearly done and forgotten about. The throbbing just beyond your forehead and eyes had become such a constant, too, that the lack of pressure almost makes you feel, ironically enough, empty. The last thing you really needed was an excuse to dwell on all your stresses with a clear head.

Of course, that being said, Kihyun’s chastising blaring through the speaker of your cell phone is enough to bring the migraine back—or at least threaten to, anyway. Thankfully, it doesn’t, and you grimace as you hold the phone away from your ear, listening to his scolding from afar.

Because of the event and your migraine from the day before, which had been chronic for almost a week now, you’d skipped work. You figured if your job wasn’t going to take care of the expenses for anything else concerning this event, the least they could do was allow you to take the day off to properly prepare, considering how expensive it had gotten. Both of those reasons had led to you taking the day to sleep in, though, until the late afternoon, when you prepped for the evening and got ready. Kihyun had called you just as your cab ride to the venue—the hotel—had ended, and had proceeded to scold you almost immediately after picking up the phone for not only skipping work and worrying him over that and your health, but also for not telling him you’d gotten home safely.

As much as you appreciated his worry as your best friend, a part of you couldn’t help but feel a small bit of annoyance. If he had been so worried, why wait until almost six in the evening to even bother reaching out? When you’d woken up, and even as you were getting ready—going extra lengths to not only style your hair, but put on makeup—Kihyun hadn’t texted or called.

“Ki, can I call you later? Or tomorrow?” You finally place the phone back at your ear, interrupting his ranting, watching others similarly dressed to the nines mingling about in the hotel lobby. Kihyun’s phone call had come at an inopportune time, right when the ribbon cutting ceremony had begun. Now, with the hotel officially open, people were milling about and exploring.

The streets had been crammed upon your arrival, and you’d asked the taxi driver to drop you off a bit of ways down the block, not wanting to deal with the crowds and traffic. It had ended up working to your advantage, since it also meant taking Kihyun’s phone call away from the noise of everything going on, and the cheering that had ensued. You lift your free hand up, glancing down at the delicate watch encircling your wrist. The press event would be starting soon.

“What?” Kihyun’s voice is a bit harsher than usual. What the heck is wrong with him? He’s being a brat.

“I’m already here at the hotel. Since Minhyuk is going to kill me if this isn’t my, ‘best article yet,’ I should probably focus more on my work at hand, don’t you think?” You explain, glancing around the lobby of the hotel.

It’s grand. Fancier than anything you could ever afford to stay at, with marble floors and vaulted ceilings, decor ranging from colors of golds, black, and deep burgundies, and windows that spanned the entirety of the wall up to the ceiling itself. At that moment, it looked more like the home of a conference than the grand hotel that it was, with tables and posters set up explaining the project this specific hotel chain was aiming for—but the small details stood out to you the most.

Before Kihyun can get a word in edgewise, you continue, “I’m sorry if I upset you by not contacting you last night—but a lot happened yesterday and I wasn’t feeling well. I just wanted to rest. If you were so worried, you should have called before now to check up on me.”

You aren’t entirely sure if it’s you being petty, or him—but you hang up before he can fire back, not wanting to spoil the night ahead. Not that you were here to spoil yourself at all. You had work to do, and while you hadn’t needed to be at the ribbon cutting event, the press conference was something you couldn’t skip out on. Especially because of a whiney Kihyun.

Just as you slip your cell phone into the clutch you’d chosen to match your dress, a voice perks your ears. “Was that your boyfriend?”

Despite the vague familiarity of the voice, you still startle in surprise, spinning around on your heel—you hadn’t expected anyone to be eavesdropping on your conversation.

“You—” The word blurts from your mouth in surprise, though this time you manage to catch your tongue before you say anything you might regret, as you had done in the first place to get yourself to where you currently were.

The man from the mall department store stands in front of you, stunning in a plain black suit and white dress shirt. A simple chain encircles his neck just beneath the collar of the shirt, adding a slightly rougher edge to his sleek, professional appearance. There’s a neutral expression on his face, his eyebrows raised at his question aimed toward you and a small, polite smile at the edges of his lips. Despite that, though, his eyes hold a hint of curiosity—something you’d noticed the day before, as well. Maybe it was simply the shape of his eyes, or perhaps the color, but they seemed to be constantly sparkling, alight with unconveyed feelings and expressions of their own.

“No, that wasn’t my boyfriend.” You aren’t entirely sure why you answer him in earnest, especially after he’d gone and bought such an expensive dress for you—a complete stranger. Shouldn’t that typically be a warning sign to head the other way?

“I see you chose the dress, after all,” the man muses, as though reading your mind. Suddenly, his polite smile is broadening into something a little brighter, dimples indenting his cheeks. The sight of the deep impressions causes your heart to pull in your chest. He looks so boyish, you think.

But that’s all the dimples provide to his demeanor, aware of the way his eyes suddenly trail down your form. You become hyper-aware of the way the satin clings to you, and subconsciously scramble to lift your half-open clutch to cover the deep v-neck of the dress. He seems to take the hint of your self-conscious change in demeanor, bringing his eyes back up to meet your gaze—though pausing halfway when he notices that which you had been trading your phone for in your purse.

The way he steps forward, invading your personal bubble, has you tensing—a stark contrast to the comfortable yet shy trade you’d had the day before. His hand reaches up to gingerly trail up the lanyard dangling from your hand, which had fallen from the purse, before tracing over the face of the ID card attached at the end.

“You’re press?” He wonders, before he reads your ID aloud. The way his name falls from your lips causes your heart to lurch into your throat, his voice smooth and honey-like. He lifts his gaze to yours, his dimpled smile broadening. “I’m Jooheon, nice to meet you.”

Jooheon… The name lingers in your mind for a moment, just as he allows his hand to fall from your ID and he steps back. Why does that name sound familiar?

“You should probably head to the conference room, before you’re late.”

“Oh, shit!” His words suddenly spur you out of your thoughts, and the distraction of him in of itself, and you scramble to close your clutch. You had just been annoyed at Kihyun about the possibility of being late to the press conference, and now you were allowing yourself to be distracted by this clearly rich and overly handsome dimpled boy. “I need to go, I’m sorry to rush off like this! Thank you so much for the dress!”

You had wanted to discuss how to pay him back, somehow, but at that moment you find yourself rushing off away from him, instead, pushing yourself through the small clusters of people who block your way. Briefly, in your haste, the thought of if you’ll see him again passes through your mind. What if you didn’t? What if you couldn’t repay him for the dress? Inwardly, you groan, wondering how everything in the span of the last twenty-four hours had become such a confusing mess.

Trying to clear your mind of that specific worry and focus on the task at hand. You flash your press ID at the door before entering the conference hall, trading the lanyard out once more for your phone as you fumble to open a recording app, taking a seat. It happens to be just in time for the first speaker to enter the room, introducing himself as the hotel’s manager. As you listen to the gentleman speak, you idly flip through a pamphlet that had been handed to you on your way in—skimming over the details of the hotel itself, the history of the owners and shareholders and their other hotels, and the overall goal for this specific hotel line as a luxury eco-friendly brand, and more. Having done no specific research before going into this mess, none of the words particularly stick with you in understanding.

“Now, I’d like for you all to give a round of applause for the heir of the line and next CEO, Lee Jooheon—”

Lee Jooheon…

Jooheon…

Your ears instantly perk up, and just as your head snaps up in surprise, the familiar name doing cartwheels in your head, you catch sight of the dress man entering the conference hall with an even more familiar dimpled smile.

“Oh, you have got to be kidding me…” you breathe out.

As he takes center stage, he gives a bow that is met with a round of applause, before he introduces himself. “Thank you all so much for joining me tonight for this event. My father put this project in my hands, and while it’s been challenging at times, it’s also revealed to me the hard work that he’s done through the years to get our hotels to where they are today. Tonight, I’m going to share with you our next global chain of hotels and introduce you to my ideas and the business plan from here onward…”

Jooheon continues to speak, and your phone records idly where you hold it between numb fingers. Similarly, your mind feels almost as numb as your grip does—turning over everything that had happened to you in the last day. You’d told yourself that you wouldn’t spend time thinking about these events, that you had work to focus on. But somehow, the events and your work had intertwined and tangled, and now you weren’t sure what it all meant. Surely, at this point, it wasn’t karma any longer? Right? But you also didn’t believe in weird twists of fate… so how the heck had this domino effect transpired?

You barely pay attention to the press conference, forget to engage and ask your own questions, and find yourself slumped at the hotel’s bar when everything is said and done.

When the bartender steps up to you, you barely lift your head from where it rests in your hand, sudden exhaustion overtaking you. “I need something stronger than that free champagne they’re passing out, please. A rum and coke will do. But make it heavy on the rum.”

“Sure thing.”

“You can put it on my tab,” a sudden familiar voice adds in, and immediately the exhaustion is replaced with a shot of panic straight through your system. You immediately straighten yourself up.

“No,” your voice is firm, and you glance over your shoulder—this time unsurprised by Jooheon’s sudden appearance, hands casually tucked in his suit pockets making his stance reveal just how broad he is. It almost distracts you, before you set your jaw. “We are not putting it on your tab, you’ve already done enough.”

“Does this mean you’re taking back your gratitude for the dress?” Jooheon wonders, stepping forward to claim the seat at the bar next to you. “Did you not like it after all?”

When the bartender sets the glass down in front of you, you’re quick to lift it to your lips and take a drink, wrinkling your nose very slightly at the taste of the rum burning down your throat, before turning to Jooheon.

“No, I’m very grateful for the dress—although my conscience is telling me I shouldn’t be,” you scowl at him. “Why would you even buy this expensive dress for me? For someone you don’t even know? And now you want to pay for my drinks?”

Jooheon frowns, only turning away from you briefly to accept a drink the bartender has set on the countertop for him, before giving you a thoughtful expression. “Is this not how you flirt with someone you find attractive?”

Dumbfounded, you blink at him, trying to process his words. Attractive? It was definitely just the dress… no, that doesn’t make sense, he’s the one who bought the dress before even seeing me in it… You shake your head, taking another drink. Two swigs, and the small glass of rum and coke is gone. You motion to the bartender for another.

“You should slow down a bit.”

Despite his warning, you have no intentions of doing so—especially as an instruction coming from a stranger somehow intent on concerning himself in your affairs. “I need this. I’ve had a hard…” Day? Week? Month? All of the above, really, though the past twenty-four hours have really hit you the hardest.

“Life,” you settle on.

“I can drink to that.” Jooheon raises his glass as another rum and coke is placed in front of you. Though you don’t toast him back in return, you both drink at the same time.

As you lower your glass from your lips, swallowing, you let out a small sigh. “This isn’t how you flirt with anyone.” Although his question has long since passed, you finally give him an answer, turning to look at him. You feel your heart skip in your chest, taking note of the fact that he’s already staring at you intently—as though, since sitting down, he hadn’t taken his eyes off you in the first place. Your next words have him frowning.

“In fact, you shouldn’t even be flirting with me in the first place. I’m just here for my job, nothing more.”

“Is this because you found out who I am?”

Your answer comes quicker than either of you expect, a sharp, “Yes,” exiting your mouth without hesitation. Jooheon raises his brows in surprise, and you purse your lips, staring hard at your drink before deciding you need more of the alcohol in your system, between your stresses of life and the current awkward reality of the situation at hand, lifting the glass to your lips again.

“So you’re telling me, just because I’m a chaebol, just because I’m rich, and just because you’re a journalist—I’m not allowed to flirt with you, or pay for things for you?” Jooheon asks. “Although, I will admit, maybe the dress was a bit out of line. But you seemed stressed and I was feeling generous, I just wanted to help someone. You or otherwise, it could have been anyone yesterday I did that for.”

“That is exactly what I’m saying. But, also, you don’t just go and spend money on random people without knowing them. It’s not common, and can be taken the wrong way.”

Jooheon shrugs. “I don’t really care how people take it.”

The luxuries of being rich, you want to blurt aloud in retaliation. If only you had enough money to splurge and spend on people you knew and didn’t know, otherwise, just because you were simply feeling generous as he was.

“I’m not a charity case,” you mutter, mostly to yourself, pursing your lips and glaring down at your drink.

“You never minded this before,” Jooheon retorts, just as softly, the tone of his voice sulkier than it had been.

Surprised, you blink, glancing up from your drink to stare at him. A small episode of panic has seemed to settle over him, his eyebrows shooting up in surprise—as though he hadn’t meant to say those words aloud. For once in your life, you’re glad it’s not you who has blurted something without thinking, one of your most common traits. But you don’t allow yourself to be too thankful, instead replaying his words in your mind.

You never minded this before. What?

Before you can ask him what he means, Jooheon’s phone rings. Saved by the sound, he mutters out a hasty, “excuse me,” and pulls his phone from his inner jacket pocket, stepping away from the bar to take the call.

Hasty yourself, you take another drink, downing the rest of the rum and coke and waving for another. As the bartender takes your glass away, you turn on the stool to peer at Jooheon, watching his back curiously as he speaks on the phone. His frame has straightened, his broad shoulders taking on a more tense position than they had been while next to you. In fact, sitting at the bar with you, he’d almost seemed comfortable—more than just confident in his surroundings, but rather it was as though he were sitting and sharing a drink with an old friend.

Your mind is reeling thanks to his words. Do you already know each other? Or had you met before? Or perhaps this was a situation that had happened before? No, surely I’d remember a random rich guy splurging some money on me… no, not even surely, you’d definitely remember something like that. As more thoughts swirl in your mind, trying to make sense of the words he’d uttered, you also find yourself beginning to wonder if something is seriously wrong with you. Kihyun had been badgering you to go to a doctor about your constant migraines, the ones that could almost be considered chronic by now—you’d written it off as just stress, telling him it was standard for the job and standard for the unlucky turn of events you were experiencing in life. Perhaps, though, it was actually more?

When Jooheon returns to the bar, phone slipping back into his jacket, you don’t even have a chance to inquire about what he’d said. In fact, you can’t even think of how to formulate the question correctly before he’s snatching the glass in your hand away from you and setting it aside.

“Hey, seriously. Slow down.” When he purses his lips, a faint hint of his dimples appear, and you can’t help but think back to your earlier thought from the night: He looks so boyish. It’s kind of cute.

“Shit,” you blurt aloud, the realization of the thought you’d just had dawning on you. Jooheon’s pursed lips quickly turn into a frown.

“What?”

“I think I’m drunk.” Why you were admitting this to him, of all people—someone you still considered a stranger, someone who was too curious about you, and someone who seemed to know something you didn’t—was beyond you.

Jooheon snorts out a small laugh. “No shit. That’s why I was telling you to slow down. Stress drinking is as bad as drinking with a broken heart, you know.”

You roll your eyes, giving your head a small shake and pushing yourself off the bar stool. You aren’t aware of the toll the alcohol has taken on you, a warmth spreading through your veins like a wildfire, overtaking you—until you find yourself unable to get a decent foothold when you stand. It becomes apparent to you, then, just how much you’d had to drink amidst your bantering with Jooheon. You fully expect to fall face first onto the floor, but instead, you’re surprised to find that Jooheon’s quick reflexes immediately have his arms snaking out to steady you, a hand grabbing at your elbow and another carefully curving around your waist.

The action brings you closer to him, pulled halfway against his chest. You blink, allowing the vertigo that has dizzied your mind in a very airy manner, one that has you feeling warm and content, to settle. Then, you glance up at him, hiccuping in surprise when you realize his proximity and just how close him and his bright brown eyes are. Something in your heart, and stomach, both stir, causing a small burst of adrenaline to push past the surface of the cloudy haze the alcohol has created and make you push him away.

“H-Hey,” he stammers in surprise, keeping an arm on your elbow firmly, refusing to let go in case you lose your balance again. “Be careful. Are you okay?”

“Fine. I’m fine… I just…” Just what? Got nervous? Were you drunk, or did you really have feelings suddenly stirring up for this handsome stranger? If he was even that—a stranger. Nothing made sense, and it made even less sense while fuddled by alcohol. “Jooheon, do I know you?”

Jooheon blinks, meeting your gaze. But besides that simple acknowledgement of your question, he doesn’t react any further. Or rather, he doesn’t turn it into a dramatic like you had expected, mainly at him getting caught uttering those words earlier. Does this mean he’d meant for you to hear that? You’re too out of it to notice the way his eyes briefly flash, before, a half-smile more akin to a smirk pulls at one corner of his lips.

You practically freeze when Jooheon leans forward, your heart stopping in your chest. The vibrating buzz of the alcohol seems to suddenly cease, stilling to silence as Jooheon places his lips to your ear, his breath hot as he whispers, “Rather than that, the question should be—do you really not remember me?”

As he pulls away, his lips find the side of your face—your cheek—pressing a chaste kiss there before he straightens back to his full height. Your heart, suddenly, remembers how to work again and goes into overdrive. If not for his firm hand at your elbow, you’re almost certain your legs would have buckled beneath you.

Jooheon turns away from you then, and you barely register the words he speaks to someone in the distance. “Hoseok, can you take her home?”

When Jooheon turns back to you, he pulls a little white card out of his suit jacket. As he lets go of your elbow, he takes both your hands in his, folding fingers down over the white card he places in your palms and giving your hands a small squeeze. “Tell me when Hoseok gets you home safe, okay?”

You’re too dumbfounded to reply, heart beating rapidly in your chest and echoing loudly in your ears. You’re not even sure you register his words—and, unfortunately, he receives the same treatment as Kihyun the day before—you don’t remember to get the phone number off the business card and text him you made it home, or tell him to thank his bodyguard for helping you all the way up the stairs to your apartment.

Instead, the card buries itself somewhere to the bottom of your clutch, which is discarded immediately as you cross the threshold and mindlessly find your bed, a distant reminder of the events of the night that doesn’t rear its head until two weeks later.

[venting-journal]

Well update time.

My half siblings and the rest of my family know about me now and most have been okay with it.

On the work front I had to quit the job I had when writing the last post due to medical issues. I tried working somewhere else, thinking it would be easier on me but it wasn't and my health started declining even further. I worked there for four weeks so I had nothing to protect my job and the last week I had an incident with a customer that lead to the worst anxiety attack of my life. My coworkers and manager said everything would be fine but my anxiety really messed with me after that. Eventually my medical issues were getting so bad at work that I couldn't see straight and would move around almost in a confused state like my mind couldn't keep up with what was going on around me. I left work early to go to urgent care and all they could do was tell me to take ibuprofen which helped with the pain but my mind still reacted as if it was there. I was then given the option of quitting and being able to apply again once my medical stuff was taken care of or I'd have to not miss any days or leave early or else I'd get fired and wouldn't be welcomed back. I decided to quit because I didn't want to lose a job opportunity for when I was better. Looking back on that job I realized how safety wasn't a concern to them (which is one of the reasons I ended up with my anxiety attack) so I won't be applying there in the future. Currently I'm unemployed but not receiving unemployment because they deemed my case as quiting for unnecessary reasons.

My health issues, as I believe I stated in the previous post, I believe were the result of a 3 inch cyst on my right ovary with the ovarian tube wrapped around it. I thought it was causing my pain and sickness and I went to the doctor many times prior to my last job and throughout it. They had me take so many blood tests I can't even remember the number but they kept finding nothing except for problems with my liver (fatty liver disease, unrelated to my symptoms). Eventually they sent me to a surgeon to hear his opinion on whether the sister should come out or not. He said it wasn't what he would consider big and that in a 3 months they'd check the size again to see if it was growing. It was but slowly and so he decided to go ahead with an operation scheduled on the 1st of March 2021. He informed me that the symptoms I was having were most likely unrelated to the cyst and that taking it out would most likely provide no relief. There was also concern that I had endometrioma (like endometriosis but in the ovary) which resulted in what is called a chocolate cyst (a cyst full of blood) because in the ultrasounds the ovary with the cyst on it was enlarged. My health continued to decline but wasn't as bad without the stress of work. My surgery went well and I actually had a funny moment when I came to because I couldn't speak (they had a tube down my throat during the surgery so it was very hard to speak once it came out) so I tried using what little sign language I knew to spell out "Mom". She was the one that came with me and I actually was able to leave fairly quickly. When I got back to my boyfriend's house my Mom stayed with me until late at night and my grandma came shortly after we arrived because they were worried my boyfriend wouldn't take care of me. When he came home from work he was surprisingly attentive which eased my family's worries. As the days progressed he became less attentive, probably because I wasn't in enough pain to take my pills, but I still could not move around easily and would get extremely dizzy randomly. Eventually my post Op came up on St Patrick's Day and the surgeon told me I was healing just fine and that I actually didn't have endometrioma.

Now with my relationship that's the day it took a turn. Despite getting good news and heading to my Grandma's for dinner my boyfriend decided once we were in front of her house to tell me he wasn't sure if he needed a break or if he wanted to break up with me. He said he only wanted me to have a safe place to recover from my surgery (I wasn't fully recovered, just recovering well) which gave the impression he had been thinking this for a while. He then left me there and because my Grandma was busy she didn't hear me outside so I was stuck out there alone with what he had said running through my head for a half hour. The night was pretty much ruined and it took me a couple hours to stop crying. He apparently went to go hang out with friends after he had left me and I asked him if I should move out to which he said yes. My family wasn't ready for me to move back in with them so he agreed to let me stay at least until they were ready. When he returned home we had a really bad fight that sent me into a panic attack and he tried to comfort me. He decided that he wanted to take a break and for the next two days he was very affectionate which confused me. He and his brother (the other person living with us at the time) left to go visit their Mom and that was when my family came to move me. I was officially moved out 4 days after St Patrick's Day. A week passed and he and I talked over text, I was still having a hard time coping, and he eventually decided we could hangout again but still be on a break. That didn't last long and we turned into a sort of long distance relationship. He wanted me to get a therapist and a job, saying I'd need them if I wanted to go on a trip with him at the end of the summer. Well after everything with my past jobs, the surgery, and my mental state I was too scared to start working again. I told him that I would get a therapist first and move from there which he seemed fine with at first. My search has so far been a failure and every time he would ask about it and I'd tell him I still hadn't found one he'd get mad. I eventually started telling him that I didn't want to talk about it with him and to please stop asking but he didn't. I tried to work on myself even though I still hadn't found a therapist and I felt like I was making progress although I had a bad day here and there. That brings us to last Friday, April 30th, and I was feeling insecure. With all the times he had dumped me before I was constantly on edge feeling like I had to do everything right in order to make him accept me. My insecurities got the best of me, through some of our texts he started to stop acknowledging me saying "I love you" and I got scared and upset. I tried to give him the benefit of the doubt and asked what was going on... That was a mistake.... He misunderstood and twisted my words thinking I was accusing him of ignoring me so we ended up in another fight all over a misunderstanding. He ended up dumping me again claiming I had been making no progress finding a therapist or a job and was accusing me of not trying. He accused me of using him as an excuse not to do it. I told him that wasn't true and that I was trying but he didn't care and didn't believe me but he still wanted to be friends.

Since then we've had more fights, me trying to explain how I feel about the situation and him ignoring it and saying it was just an endless cycle pretty much admitting he didn't have faith in me in the first place so he didn't try. When I pointed out all of this to him and told him how I felt he said I was just being mean and saying shitty things about him. We've kind of calmed down now although I'm still really upset and feel used and betrayed. Today I told him that if he really wanted to be friends I would try but now he seems to have changed his mind and says he needs time.

Overall things have been really shitty with a few good moments sprinkled in between. Every time I'd start improving he'd dump me and say I wasn't. It was very toxic and I told him I wouldn't deal with it anymore. I told him that if he wanted to be friends he'd have to work on himself as well.

Anyway I've been ranting for long enough. I hope anyone who actually reads this has a wonderful day/night.