#lets pretend I know how to draw chairs tables and laptops lmao

[threecrowsinatrenchcoat]

Paint My Spirit Gold

Dukeceit Week Day 2: Green/Yellow

Fans of the YouTubers "Deceit" and Remus "The Duke" Sanders start to suspect that maybe, just maybe, the two of them are more than simple internet pals.

AO3 Link: [here]

Word Count: 2187

Warnings: n/a

@dukeceitweek <3

-

[ID: A screenshot of a Twitter post by user @CallMeDukie. It features a watercolor-style painting of a snake. The snake appears to be made of melting chocolate, and there is a large bite taken out of its tail. Cherries and jam are leaking out of the snake at the bite wound. The snake's expression of horror is overly-exaggerated to the point of comedy. The caption reads: "liked your snake boi, @SerpenThyme. thanks for the inspo." /end ID]

- 

A notification ding cut Janus off mid-sentence. 

“Wow, someone left their cell phone on, so professional,” he said, giving the camera a dramatic eye roll. That someone was him, of course, because he was the only one in the apartment- just him and the running livestream- but that was no excuse not to be a drama queen about it. He finished wiping flour off his hands and grabbed his phone to silence it; but the notification made him pause. He flicked his eyes up toward the camera and gave a slight smirk.

“My goodness, I’m famous,” he drawled. “The Duke himself has graced little old me with some fan art.”

Most of the comments in the chat wanted him to show it, so Janus opened up Twitter to see the full post he’d been tagged in. It was a watercolor painting of the coiled-snake chocolate sculpture- lovingly named Jake by his viewers- he’d made for his YouTube video last week; it was wearing an expression of such comedic horror that Janus had to stifle a laugh. He flicked his phone screen toward the close-up camera on his counter so his viewers could see.

“How kind of you, Remus,” he said. “All of you should go scold him for what he’s done to poor Jake here.”

Most of his viewers would know he was joking- after all, they were the ones to nickname him Deceit when he provided neither a real or fake name for his online persona. They knew full well what he was like by now.

The oven timer dinged. Janus silenced his phone and set it aside.

“And our first batch of cookies is done. You know, why don’t we show the Duke some appreciation?”

-

[ID: An Instagram post by user @SerpenThyme. The photo is an artistically-framed shot of a stack of sugar cookies with green, yellow, and pink icing. Propped up against the stack is another cookie, with an intricate icing-drawing of an octopus. The photo appears to have been color corrected to have high contrast, low saturation, and a dark vignette at the edges. The Instagram user @OctoDukie is tagged. No caption. /end ID]

- 

“You know, I have often been accused of actually being a little old lady, what with my fondness for knitted jumpers, rocking chairs, and incredibly fucked up murder mystery books. Today I am doing nothing to dispel this accusation, by making soup.”

The studio was dark and empty aside from Remus' workspace. Everyone else had left long ago, even his own brother, which meant that it was officially ass-o'clock in the morning (or, as most people called it, somewhere between 1 and 2 a.m.) But Remus was stuck in hyperfocus, honed in on putting the last touches on a commission that he'd been putting off for weeks. It's not that it was a tough painting- once he'd gotten started, it was actually a very creatively satisfying piece- but man, executive dysfunction could go suck a dick

“French onion soup, specifically. Because while I do like to pretend I am a classy bitch, I am also, regrettably, a lazy bitch with a distaste for anything that takes longer than one bottle of wine to make.”

Remus hated working in silence. It was stifling, almost suffocating. His brain needed noise like his lungs needed air. So when the studio had grown still and silent, Remus had flipped open his laptop and queued up some YouTube videos. 

“So we have here three pounds of onions that we need to slice up, pole to pole. You’re going to cry no matter what, so if you have any memories you’ve been repressing since middle school, now is an excellent time to dredge those up.” 

And if it happened to be 90% SerpenThyme videos, well. Sue him. 

“Now the first rule of caramelizing onions: fast and sloppy is always better than slow and thorough… at least, that’s what every man I’ve ever slept with tells me.”

Remus choked and glanced over to his laptop screen just in time to catch Deceit's trademark smirk directed at the audience just for a moment. It was the deadpan delivery that always got him. Remus could barely hold onto a joke long enough to get through it without cackling mid-punchline, but this fucker could say the funniest shit like an off-hand comment. 

He wiped his hands off on his jeans (what use were clothes if you couldn't use them as paint rags?) and pulled his laptop across the table.  He typed out a quick comment, citing the timestamp of the joke, and after it was posted, he shut his laptop. 

'Cause ass-o'clock was short for "get-your-ass-home-or-I’ll-kick-it" o'clock. 

-

[ID: A screenshot of a YouTube comments section. The first comment is by user TheDuke, and reads: "10:42 wow, rude." The second comment is a reply by user SerpenThyme, and simply reads ";)" /end ID]

-

Janus plopped down on the couch with a slight groan. He didn’t need to stream today, but he really hated missing days. Besides… he was fine. Really. 

He adjusted the camera until he was happy with the framing, and then checked the settings on his streaming software. Satisfied, he started the stream, and watched as his usual viewers rolled in. 

“What do you mean I’m not in my kitchen?” Janus drawled, addressing the chat. He glanced around with an expression of faux-shock on his face. “My goodness, when did that happen?”

He chuckled, and then gestured to his surroundings. “Yes, we are in my living room today. If you must know, my closest and most trusted friend tried to murder me today- yes, Virgil, it was attempted murder and nothing less- and I survived with nary a scratch… and a broken foot, but that is beside the point. Anyway, I’m not allowed to stand for long periods of time, and I may or may not be somewhat inebriated by pain pills and couldn’t stand even if I wanted to. So we are cooking from my couch today.”

Janus paused for a few moments to read the chat messages as they popped up. A few get well soon’s, a few theories about the “attempted murder,” Virgil- who moderated his chat for him- vehemently denying the “attempted murder” but otherwise refusing to clarify the event, and a large volume of wtf why are you streaming today, take care of yourself comments, which made him smile. But one particular comment caught his eye, almost lost amid the torrent of an active chat: wait this kinda looks like the Duke’s living room?

“Oh, VampSuga,” he said, addressing that commenter in particular with a slight smirk. “I haven’t the faintest idea what you’re talking about. Anyway, since I can’t reach my oven from here, I thought some no-bake cookies were in order. For these you will need-”

-

[ID: A screenshot of a Discord conversation. The text reads:

“VampSuga: Ok ok hear me out. Dukeceit. 

Starstruck96: who?

IneffableSnek: lmao

FeralBeauYasha: lol

VampSuga: Deceit and Remus Sanders! They’re totally dating. I will die on this hill. 

FeralBeauYasha: Isn’t the duke w/ PatPat?

IneffableSnek: no thats his brothers bf

FeralBeauYasha: ohh

VampSuga: Did anyone see Deceit’s stream today? I swear that’s the Duke’s livingroom. 

StarStruck96: idk that seems like a stretch

IneffableSnek: no wait i kno what u mean

IneffableSnek: im watching the duke’s old videos and that one where he shows off all his old weapons he’s in a living room kinda like deceit’s 

FeralBeauYasha: They were acting all cute on twitter too

VampSuga: DUKECEIT”  /end ID]

-

"Hey guys, been a while since you've seen my face and not just whatever my hands are busy with, when it's within YouTube's terms and conditions I mean. They used to be way more lenient…" Remus trailed off for a moment, then shook his head sharply and plastered on a grin. 

"Anyway! In June me and a few other creators did a fundraiser for the Trevor Project, and y'all smashed the goal, so I let you decide what video I'd make this month." He paused, and gestured to the mountain of clothes piled behind him on the bed. "And you had so many juicy ideas to choose from, but you decided to dress me up like a Barbie instead."

Remus paused to scroll through his phone for a few moments. "Ah, ok, here we go. Twitter user YoonIsMyCat- oh, BTS, nice- sent in this first outfit. Uh… future Remus, put up the post here somewhere." He gestured vaguely to his right. "Y'all went with either a fuckton more clothes or a fuckton less clothes, which I respect. Apparently this outfit is called…” He squinted at his phone. “Amish chic? I take it back, no respect at all.”

Remus cycled through the outfits his viewers sent in, which ranged from the aforementioned “Amish chic” to “2008 rave attire” to “ok now you guys are just fucking with me” (which consisted of one of those big puffy snow coats, lime green in color; booty shorts with the shrug text emoji across the ass; fuzzy pink boots; and a yellow cowboy hat to top off the whole thing. It was awful. Remus loved it.) The mountain of clothes on the bed gradually became a mess of clothes spread across the floor instead, until there was just one outfit left. 

“Ok so Twitter user VampSuga sent me this outfit that I’m gonna call ‘sexy librarian.’ I couldn’t find this exact sweater online, but-” he paused for dramatic effect, before brandishing a sweater toward the camera like a bullfighter. “My boyfriend had something that was close enough.”

Remus hopped up from the bed and switched off the camera so he could change.

“They’re going to lose their minds,” a voice drawled from the doorway. Remus threw his shirt at him.

“Shoo, I’m getting naked.”

-

[ID: A Twitter post by user @CallMeDukie. It features a selfie of YouTuber Remus “The Duke” Sanders, a Hispanic man with his hair dyed green and styled into a spiked mohawk. He is wearing a yellow knitted cardigan over a black button-up shirt. He is grinning widely at the camera. The caption reads: “my viewers pick my outfits! now live on youtube. go see what i look like as a sexy librarian!” /end ID]

-

DukeceitStan

first and only dukeceit shipper ig

DukeceitStan

wow there’s so many of you now! Hi!!

DukeceitStan

i want this to be canon so bad omg

DukeceitStan

i mean just look

[image]

how 

[image]

cute

[image]

[ID: A series of three gifs featuring Youtubers SerpenThyme, aka Deceit, and TheDuke, aka Remus Sanders. Deceit is a black man with long, dreadlocked hair, and vitiligo patches along the left side of his face. Remus is a Hispanic man with green-dyed hair styled into a mohawk, many ear and facial piercings, and tattoos covering both arms. Each gif is edited so that the highlights are tinged yellow when Deceit is seen, and tinged green when Remus is seen.

The first gif depicts a close-up shot of Deceit’s hands as he carefully decorates a cookie with green and yellow icing. The cookie art he is working on appears to be a half-finished octopus. The gif then fades into a mid-shot of Remus, with his back to the camera, facing a canvas. The canvas is blank, and Remus appears to be laying out paints on a table to his left. 

The second gif depicts Deceit seated at his couch, facing the camera. He has many ingredients spread across his coffee table (including oats, cocoa powder, and butter) and appears to be in the process of laying out several more. The gif fades to show Remus seated at a similar couch with a similar coffee table in front of him. The camera is angled slightly downward to better show the myriad of knives spread out across the table. Remus is gesturing wildly with a morning star held in his hand. 

The third gif depicts Deceit in his kitchen. He is pulling on a bright, yellow knitted cardigan, and smirking toward the camera. The gif fades to show Remus in his bedroom, seated on his bed. He is holding up a similar-looking cardigan toward the camera and grinning. /end ID]

- 

“Remus, it’s almost two in the morning. Come to bed.”

“I’m coming, sorry. Twitter distracted me.”

“Mm. I can’t believe the bird app is more distracting than I am.”

“You should try harder.”

“Come to bed and maybe I will.”

“Ok, ok, I’m coming. Hang on though, is it cool if I post this?”

“Sure. They figured it out anyway.”

“Sweet. Ok, Jannie, I’m coming.”

-

[ID: A screenshot of a Twitter post by user @CallMeDukie. It reads: “Dukeceit is canon.” /end ID] 

[anothertimdrakestan]

Stop Talking And Kiss Me  -  Jason Todd x Reader

Words: 1.7

Requested? Yes! From a lovely anon!

“can i request 7 (no i'm not in love with him i like you idiot) and/or 8 (kiss me already) with jason? thank you!!”

LINK TO PROMPTS  -> REQUESTS ARE STILL OPEN!

I love this request! It’s super open so I hope I captured the energy you wanted to create in the studio today lmao. I went for the “will they won’t they” kinda thing because I like the idea of Jason thinking you like Tim but you really have been going after him for months. Jason is too cute I can’t Hope you enjoy!

“Hi. Yes Timothy the Luthor family comes in a week, no they won’t come earlier. No, I’m not calling anyone ‘again’ Tim shut up you’ll do fine we aren’t postpoining. Ok see you in 40 I’m going to another one of the finance meetings I know damn well you won’t be at” you tapped your earpiece, hanging up with your CEO. As the CFO you attended every meeting the higher-ups had about money, it way your job after all. Somehow being Tim’s right hand man meant making excuses to the board about his whereabouts and often his brother’s actions during meetings that were supposed to be money centric. Rushing to the meeting you felt a couple of the papers you were carrying fly off the top of your stack. Deciding they weren’t worth it you continued on not noticing the tall figure following closely behind you.

“Y/n! Hey! I got these uh - papers for you that you dropped” you skidded to a halt coming face to face with Jason Todd, currently the bane of your existence after his last social media storm where he vividly described a pornographic video he was hoping his following could find for him. The “Toddsters” always pulled through for Jason, to the Wayne Ent. board’s disgust. “Hey Todd, thanks.” you smiled up at him as he loomed over you. You really only knew him and Tim, obviously you were close with Tim but you were older than the teen-genius and so it was nice getting closer with Jason over the months. Months, this was because he used to never come in until a couple months ago when you requested he get brought in because you needed him to try to sell new W.E. tech to the “Toddsters”. After that he’d been coming in more frequently, sometimes he sat in on meetings with you and Tim, he was often bringing you and Tim lunch and the three of you would eat in your office while you prepared Tim for afternoon meetings.

Jason was surprisingly reliable. Occasionally you would ask him to bring you coffee or post a video of him asking his following for something, he always complied even if it took some coaxing from you, making promises to dinners together you assumed would never happen in return for W.E. paid promotions. He had grown on you, his goofy smile, aggressive finger guns, and occasionally dark and brooding persona was fascinating. You were constantly enamored by him, and since he’d been coming around the office way more you were beginning to fall for him. Tim knew since you two saw each other and was always trying to play matchmaker even though you both thought the other didn’t like the other, bringing you guys together was a task too difficult for the world’s second greatest detective so Tim just shipped the two of you quietly now. 

As Jason stacked you up with your papers he saw you could barely carry all of them. “Hey let me take these for you, anything for the princess of Wayne Ent” Jason took then out of your arms as you smirked at his nickname for you. He loved calling you princess, noting that Tim was the jester he never really asserted his own position. After an attempt at stopping the nickname it stuck, and you now answered to it happily, but only from Jason. Tim never tried it and when anyone else questioned it, either you or Jason just explained that it just fit. 

“Sure Jay but the board is gonna drag you into the meeting, it will be nice if you go! I’m sure we all want an explanation for your most recent social media activity” you poked his chest while he replied with a wink as he followed you into the meeting. You sat down as Jason dropped the papers on the meeting table with a thump. “Ah, Mr. Todd. Please we have just a few questions do join us” An older man looked up from his laptop, demanding Jason’s presence. Heaving a sigh he slumped into the chair next to you. 

As the second presenter for the meeting got up to walk you through slides at a turtle's pace you realized there was no sneaking out. Even though you were up to date on the company’s finances the rest of the room wasn’t and it was far too rude to leave. Looking over at Jason he had pulled the hood of his sweatshirt over his head, rested his hand on his chin, and was asleep. You watched him draw in deep breaths and exhale, slightly blowing the corner of his hood with each breath, it was nothing short of adorable, but because this was a meeting you couldn’t snap a picture meaning you had to drink in every moment of cuteness. 

As the third presenter got up you considered faking a heart attack. Jason was awake now meaning you couldn’t steal anymore glances in his direction. Anytime you looked at him he was making a goofy face, winking at you, or trying to touch his tongue to his nose. Constantly concealing giggles, by the end of the third presentation your cheeks hurt from smiling. 

When the fourth presentation began you felt a little piece of paper poke your hand. Looking down you saw Jason trying to pass you a note like a fifth grader. Unwrapping his folding-job the note read: Y/n this is a boring meeting why do u go to these? You smiled, pulling a pencil from your bag you flipped the note over and wrote: because Tim makes me so he doesn’t fall asleep like you did. Jason smirked, tearing off a large piece of paper and writing: If you need to sleep you can rest on my shoulder. You scoffed looking at him as he gave his shoulder a little pat, grinning uncontrollably. You glared at him before deciding to shoot your mini shot: Flirting are we Todd? Your heart skipped a beat when a light blush appeared across his cheeks as he wrote: Not unless you’ll let me steal you from your boy toy Tim. Confused you looked at him replying: More like best friend Tim, I’m not a cougar idiot. 

Jason read the paper, his head snapping to you, blurting out in front of the whole board “wait you don’t like Tim!” You felt your own face redden when all heads turned to you. Quietly you mumbled “no I don’t like him” before grabbing the paper and finishing your thought: i like you idiot. Carefully sliding the paper to Jason, you cleared your throat. “Please continue Mr. Smith about the importance of gauging inflation” Willing yourself not to look at Jason you pretended to listen to the presentation while the rest of the board slowly lost interest in the little interruption. 

Deciding the coast was clear you glanced at Jason who was re-reading your note over and over again. He looked up, making direct eye contact with you, mouthing “I like you too princess” you couldn’t help but grin. His hand slip over, dropping the paper and grabbing your hand, pulling it below the table so as to not cause any drama. 

You gave presenter five no attention, too focussed on the fact that Jason Todd was holding your hand. Presenter five finished with a mini lecture to Jason on the importance of keeping his social media pg, he rolled his eyes but eventually nodded, effectively ending the meeting. You pulled your hand out of Jason’s and began organizing the papers you’d brought in as the rest of the board left the meeting room. As the last person left the room Jason practically ran to the door, shutting it quickly. 

Unable to process your excitement you began rambling “so uh, pretty eventful meeting huh? Did you hear anything the second guy said or -” Jason grabbed your hand, pulling you into his embrace. “Stop talking and kiss me y/n” he mumbled, leaning it. As his lips caught yours you could feel him smiling into the kiss, his hands snaking around your waist and pulling you in closer. Pulling away you couldn’t stop smiling. “I think I’m gonna come to Tim’s work more often” Jason admitted, winking at you. You hummed as you moved the papers into the storage system, moving towards the door to leave. “Hey princess lemme get that!” Jason dashed to the door, opening it for you and grabbing your hand as you walked out the door. 

Walking past your company hand in hand with their CEO’s older brother was a lot. For everyone. You blushed as people stole glances in your direction. Jason led you to your office where Tim sat in your chair, feet propped up on your desk.  “Uh hey Timmy” you sheepishly laughed as Tim took in your situation. “Todd I told you she liked you. Same goes for you Y/N. I just can’t believe I lost the bet with Roy I thought you were gonna be pining for each other for at least another week. Dammit” Tim feigned anger but then admitted how happy he was for the two of you. Sitting down for lunch you were exhausted. Finishing your meal you leaned back in your chair, resting your eyes for a few minutes while Jason stroked the back of your hand with his thumb. 

As you slowly woke up you felt your head propped up against something. You realized it was Jason when he gave you a light shake saying “Y/N while I did say you could rest on my shoulder I didn’t think it would be for half an hour, my shoulder fell asleep!” Your few minutes of rest had turned into thirty, jolting up from your position against Jason you checked your calendar realizing you’d missed a meeting. “Relax princess Tim took the meeting, you really think I’d let you sleep through another business meeting?” you snorted “yes I know you would Todd”

“You really do know me too well princess”

[lesbian-kyoru]

What do you think is each character's favorite subject in school?

tohru: not a surprise but baby girl loves home ec!! kind of has to work her butt off studying for her other classes, so she gets to enjoy herself and do something she’s naturally super good at in home ec. loves making little snacks in class for her friends and then sharing them at lunch. the sewing unit takes her fashion game to the next level. when they do a project where they take care of fake babies, she definitely ends up caring for half of the class’s infants like they’re her own. kyo is her partner and everyone teases them about it but she still has a really nice time and thinks kyo would be a great dad :’)) highest home ec grade of all time in their school

kyo: says his favorite is PE but it’s actually math. gets a 5 on the AP calc exam. tells no one but tohru, who then tells everyone and kazuma throws a party and kyo is Not Pleased. isn’t a great math tutor though because he can’t really explain how he gets his answers—he just Knows. checks tohru’s homework for her before she turns it in (read: fixes all her wrong answers when she’s not looking so he can see her huge smile when she gets a good grade back. only feels a little bit guilty). watches math tedtalks. nerd disguised as a jock

yuki: favorite subject is lit!! bullshits his way through class discussions and papers without ever actually reading the books because he’s smart and charismatic. has a premium account on sparknotes. favorite class specifically was one on ancient greek literature and epic poetry—spent the entirety of the class critiquing heteronormative readings of the iliad and taking the piss out of other students because “achilles and patroclus are clearly gay if you have eyes”

kakeru: …...i’ll be real he doesn’t like school lmao. senioritis personified. on his phone during classes constantly. laptop open playing world of warcraft or candy crush or neopets. could not tell you anything the teacher said in the last hour. doesn’t take notes because “i’ve got it all up here yun-yun…..” but doesn’t actually do half-bad on tests. only reason he does homework is because he can pretend to study with yuki while actually just flirting with him. if there’s one subject he doesn’t hate it’s history because he “thinks the fight scenes are fun” (yuki: “you mean world war 1??” “yeah it was exciting”)

uo: autoshop. hates the stereotype that just because she’s a lesbian she must like tools and machinery and automotive tech.....having said that she is a lesbian and she does like tools and machinery and automotive tech. gets a 100 on her project where she fixes a busted up motorcycle, and now she has two motorcycles. all the boys in the class call her senpai and worship the ground she walks on. smells faintly like motor oil all the time but she Absolutely makes it work

hana: creative writing. school is not her thing but she thrives in creative writing because her creativity is 100/10 and her stories are absolutely off the walls. excels in writing spooky yet also homoerotic ghost stories in particular. reads them aloud in class with the lights turned off and a flashlight illuminating her face. has made students cry out of fear. shigure beta-reads her writing. likes to subtly imply that her stories actually happened to fuck with kyo. it works

momiji: band/orchestra!! all the older students lose their minds over how well he can play. first chair violinist from day one. has a solo in every concert; tohru sits front row and films them, always cries. he’s the life of the party at Band Camp(™). even the grumpy bass clarinetists like him. doesn’t get in trouble when he talks waaaaay too much during rehearsal because the teacher loves him

haru: mr space cadet himself isn’t much of a science guy but LOVES astronomy. gets Ds on pretty much every test but he doesn’t care because his mind is expanding. buys a super nice telescope so he can look at constellations at 3 in the morning. develops very specific opinions about each planet. stans the moon. gets really into sleeping at last’s astronomy-themed album. becomes that guy whose personality is “i like space” until the class is over and then he never talks about it again

rin: art! she takes several art classes throughout high school. really loves drawing and painting, but also really likes doing ceramics projects because she likes working with her hands :’)) does a watercolor portrait for tohru as a graduation gift but gets really flustered when tohru sobs into her arms over how beautiful it is. also secretly likes doing little doodles of her and haru—he sees them once in her sketchbook and will never let her live it down

kagura: says her favorite is PE and it actually is PE. goes ham for capture the flag, tends to play too rough when capturing and gets taken out of the game. only person who is actually good at volleyball so she is constantly spiking, setting, and diving for the ball all in the same game, while the rest of her team just kind of fumbles around and tries to stay out of her way. gets first place every time they run the mile even though it’s definitely not a competition. definitely knows her mile time even though it is not a timed activity

hiro: this kid screams history nerd, but like Male History Nerd with a niche interest in military history and very specific opinions about how *insert historical figure* wasn’t actually all that bad. gets his ass handed to him in class discussions on the daily but won’t admit it. is genuinely really smart and has Better Opinions by the time he graduates, so he starts using his history nerd powers For Good as an adult—as in, arguing about inaccurate historical memes on facebook in his free time

kisa: choir. singing stresses her out, but she’s figured out that she can just mouth the words and no one can tell that she’s not actually singing! loves being in the group and hearing the beautiful music around her :’)) everyone is in awe of how cute she is in her lil choir robe. tohru comes to all of kisa’s concerts as well and films them from the front row, also while crying

machi: woodshop. gets sawdust on her clothes and loves the smell. obsessed with digging through piles of splintering and warped scrap wood. loses her damn mind when she gets to use the jigsaw. really enjoys making like…misshapen birdhouses and crooked tables, but woodshop is mostly participation grades anyway so her teacher gives her A’s on all of her grotesque wood creations. she is at peace and is One with the Wood. doesn’t wear safety goggles while chopping wood because she likes Risk

kimi: loves speech & drama. emphasis on the drama. it’s a chance to talk for a long time and everyone has to look at her and listen to her or else they’ll fail!! which is how she likes it. goes three minutes over for every speech but the teacher can’t get her to pause long enough to stop her. comes to auditions in a full professionally-made costume. knows her lines and everyone else’s

nao: AP statistics on the pre-accounting track. has known he wants to be an accountant since he was in diapers. does slightly below average in the class. still studies accounting in college because it’s too big a part of his personality to quit at this point. becomes an accountant. never quite feels fulfilled

[joonsgalaxy]

true care (m) |04

cr. ↰

→ pairing: bodyguard!Jungkook x female reader

→ genre: fake dating au, fluff/romance, angst, future smut

•  summary: your (endearingly) shy bodyguard—hired by your father—would do anything for you. even though you roll your eyes at his persistence and pretend there’s no need for him to follow you to every and any place you go, there might be many more hazards in your life than you let on. and you might end up needing him in more ways than you—or your father—would ever think.

word count: 7,6k

! warnings: mentions of toxic past relationship throughout the series; alcohol consumption

series masterlist

↠ chapter 4: pass me the glue so i don’t bleed

a/n: sorry if it sucks. hopefully it doesn’t lmao. oh btw i suck at replying to comments but pls be aware that i appreciate every single one and i read them like a hundred times each <3

The rest of the weekend seemed to last an eternity.

You stayed at home so you wouldn't have to see Jeongguk. You were studying without rest in an effort to preoccupy yourself with subjects of upcoming exams so you wouldn't hear Jeongguk's mellifluous voice humming in the silence of your room and wouldn't imagine your hand fitting perfectly in his for the umpteenth time. You thought that maybe not seeing him and not talking to him for a couple of days would help the rational side of you to take over; it would take the job of proving you that your feelings for him were a mere temporary illusion. There can't be any real feelings, because you only just started getting to know him. The boy was still quite a mystery to you. How could you possibly have already developed feelings for him? And this rational part of you sort of helped. In a way, all those things were complete true, after all. However, these thoughts weren’t the only ones begging for your attention. Jeongguk this, Jeongguk that, you kept on hearing in your mind. Sometimes in a whisper, oftentimes in a scream, overwhelming anything else that was happening within you. You felt like you had no control over it. It just kept on reoccurring, the images of him dancing before your eyes along with it. It was fucking torture. And there hadn’t been even two months since you broke up with another guy. How dare you think about Jeongguk in such a way so soon?

And there also was that thing about lies and lipstick stains tormenting your mind.

Come to think of it, it was your dad who was responsible for all your vexation. He was the one to blame for hiring Jeongguk as your bodyguard; he was the one to be careless and forget to wipe the lipstick smear from his cheek; he was the one having the audacity to tell you it was just a business dinner. He had ruined your weekend and potentially some weeks to come.

•

On Monday morning, at 10 past 8, you stepped out the house, carrying your bag filled with textbooks and your laptop, intending to leave the thoughts that were bugging you during the weekend behind.

As Mr. Ri was polishing a particular spot on the hood of the car by rubbing at it meticulously, Jeongguk and him were having a conversation. It was nice seeing them get along.

Only when you were mere feet away from the car did they notice you approaching.

‘Good morning,’ both of them greeted you in unison.

‘Good morning.’ You smiled back at them before locking eyes with the driver. ‘Did you pick Jeongguk up this morning?’

‘I sure did.’ answered Mr. Ri brightly.

‘Again, thank you,’ Jeongguk said, his shy yet grateful eyes meeting yours.

Smile tugging the corners of your lips, you lifted one shoulder in a flippant shrug. ‘I didn’t do a thing.’ It sort of was true. You only had to text the driver letting him know you wanted him to pick Jeongguk up from his home, for he didn’t have his own car to commute. And, looking back at Thursday night, they already had each other’s numbers, so they were able to easily communicate and arrange that.

As usual, after the driver pulled open the door for you, you occupied the backseat, and Jeongguk sat in the front.

•

The first class was called law of evidence.

Strolling down the hallway toward the auditorium with Jeongguk by your side, you spotted someone that made your heart accelerate and beat unpleasantly fast. There were two of Kwangsun's good friends standing alongside one of the walls. They were looking directly at you, faces inscrutable. Right in the middle of them, much to your exasperation, was the guy that you talked to Mina about recently. The one that had given you the message from Kwangsun himself; the very same guy that showed up at the party later the same day. Even if before there was still a sliver of possibility that Kwangsun didn't actually know the guy and he was some random dude that was randomly asked to give you the paper plane (later dropping by at the party, asking about you just because he was just interested in the drama that had surrounded you and your ex), now you were 100% sure that Kwangsun and him were in fact friends.

All three of them were blatantly staring at you and Jeongguk. What was their deal?

You told yourself you had no other choice but to grip Jeongguk by his hand and lead him into the auditorium. 'C'mon,' you said. 'The class starts in a few minutes.'

You felt Jeongguk tense up a little at the contact and the unexpected invite, but after half a second of consideration he dutifully complied and followed you to the auditorium.

If the mysterious guy was still trying to figure out your relationship status, this would show him that you were dating for sure.

If you had left Jeongguk in the hallway, who knows, maybe they would've come up to him and tried to pry answers from him. And that could've ended up in an utter debacle. Even if you knew that Jeongguk was capable of dealing with everything concerning his work, you didn't want to take any risks; you weren't about to give him such control over the situation, for you wanted to make sure everything went according to your plans.

'Let's go to the back,' you told Jeongguk as you were climbing up the steps toward the highest point of the huge room. You still had his hand in yours; he held it tightly. Only when you moved to take a seat in the very back, you let go of it.

He remained standing, a million questions reflecting in his eyes.

You patted the air just above the seat next to you, smiling welcomingly.

'Uh,' Jeongguk drawled, confusion written all over his face. 'Shouldn't I leave?'

'The class is about to start. Don't you wanna learn about law of evidence?'

He still looked perplexed. Jeongguk was startled by the change in your attitude about him being near you during class. At first you were opposed to the idea of him simply peeking into the rooms to make sure it was safe for you to enter; and now you were encouraging him to sit through the class right beside you. His wariness made complete sense.

He started saying something, 'I mean—

The professor entered the room, drawing everyone's attention toward her, including Jeongguk's.

'Quick!' You whispered. 'It's starting.'

He had no other choice than succumbing to your request and taking that seat next to you.

'Is this because of that guy in the hallway?' Jeongguk whispered as you were pulling your laptop out your bag.

Your eyes widened at that. 'What?' Had he noticed him, too?

‘YG, is it?’ Jeongguk knew the guy's name? 'He gave you the paper plane last week, and was at the party? He's your friend, right? You had to make this whole being a couple thing believable?'

Oh. 'Yeah, that's right.'

'So…' Jeongguk fiddled with his sleeve, glancing at the professor who was starting the lecture. 'Should I just sit here until the class ends?'

'Yeah, why not? Nobody cares, anyway. Aren't you interested in law of evidence?'

'I am,' he whispered enthusiastically.

Fascinated, he sat through the whole lecture, listening attentively.

It was fun seeing Jeongguk so immersed in the subject, so you invited him to some of the other classes that week, too. He had a pass card that allowed him to enter the faculty, so as long as it wasn't a test day or the professor wasn't one of those that loved to question people during lectures Jeongguk could easily go in and out of auditoriums without anyone paying attention to him. The authorities were aware he was your bodyguard, but other students and professors didn't need to know that; as far as they were concerned Jeongguk was just another student among the sea of others.

Sometimes you'd discuss the topics that the classes were about. He would ask questions and you'd try to answer and explain them to him as best you could. He complimented the way you managed to make intricate things sound simple, and he thoroughly enjoyed the examples you'd given him to make your point. The more sparkles in his eyes you noticed the more you were thrilled about telling him about the theories from textbooks and some ideas that you had of your own. The conversations would occur between classes or after them during the slow strolls around campus or sometimes, like on Thursday that week, at your favourite cafe named Symphony.

However, the law or interesting cases through history weren't the only things you two talked about. There was a little unpleasant surprise at the counter, and Jeongguk was curious about it.

'I was told to give you this again,' the cashier said, her hand held out to you, a sky blue paper plane on her palm.

Attempting to smother the irritation surging through your veins, you politely thanked her, even managed a smile. Having bought a cupcake and a cup of coffee, you sauntered to the garbage can and tossed the paper plane into it without even unfolding it and looking to see if there was a message written inside. You weren't interested in what he had to say to you.

When both you and Jeongguk made yourself comfortable onto the chairs behind one of the tables in the cafe, he asked, 'Some sort of secret admirer?'

'Huh?' Your mind was distracted.

'Sending you the paper planes?'

'Oh…' You didn't know what to tell him.

'I'm guessing Yoongi is only the messenger in this? Unless he's hitting on you and Mina at the same time?'

'No,' you answered with a tinge of distaste. 'He's… yeah, he's only a messenger.'

Jeongguk nodded, humming. 'So… do you know who's the admirer?'

'Uh—

'I mean, you don't have to tell my anything, if you don't want to.'

'It's not that. He's no one important.'

He looked at you sceptically over his cup of tea. 'Seems to go out of his way to make an impression, though.'

Yeah, quite a horrible impression. Kwangsun seemed to ruin every good memory you still had with him by doing all this unnecessary stuff. What an idiot.

'Well, I'm not really interested in him.'

'Oh, that's… sad.'

'So why are you smiling?'

His grin only widened; he tried to conceal it by lifting his cup up to his nose. 'It's just… the cupcake is exquisite.'

'You haven't even tasted it yet.'

'Even just the thought of biting into it makes me happy.'

You shook your head, chuckling.

After eating and talking about the day’s lectures you said, 'So… about tomorrow night.'

'Yes?' You had Jeongguk's full attention.

'Have you already talked to Mr. Ri about it? You both should be in front of my house at 7 pm sharp.'

'Yes, he picks me up at 6:40. We'll be there on time.'

'Good.' You nodded once. 'The dress code is black tie.'

'Yes, I'm aware. My suit is ready. What are you so anxious about?'

'Psh, I'm not. I'm used to these kinds of events, you know.'

'So you're worried about me.' His tone had a hint of bitterness.

'No… Yes.' You winced.

He pursed his lips into a thin line, exhaled. 'I memorized every exit, every window and every corner in the hotel. You don't have to worry about it. And I bought a suit. I won't embarrass you, miss ____.'

Your brow furrowed. He hadn't been calling you like that the whole week, since the Friday night when you ordered him to call you by only your first name. At all times. The boy looked offended and defensive, wanting to distance himself by acting like a professional employee. Just an employee and nothing else. That reminded you how much he wished to prove you and your dad that he was a capable bodyguard.

If truth be told, it hurt a little, just the tiniest bit. Without even realizing you started seeing Jeongguk as your friend, someone you could talk to about both school matters and your personal life. The way he addressed you at the café was a cutting reminder that he was certainly not your friend, and probably would never be. Especially when it was so important for him that you saw him as a skilful bodyguard.

'Of course not,' you said. 'I'm not worried about that. I just want everything to go smoothly. There's enough stress as it is.' That was complete truth.

.

•

You barely ever wore dresses or high heels, and it usualy wouldn't take an hour to get ready, but these kinds of events were an exception (it was the celebration of the bank your dad worked at being established 25 years ago). You had learned to act and dress the way people around you wanted you to. It was for your own good, your dad and grandparents used to tell you. You dressed and talked like the rich, well-mannered, educated girl you were and nobody looked at you twice; you blended in. It was easier that way. You'd go to an event, show everyone how well your father had raised you and, when the time was appropriate for leaving, you'd make your exit.

That Friday evening you wore a designer dress that you and your grandmother decided on buying two weeks prior. You squeezed your feet into a pair of high heels that you also hadn't wore before.

When you stepped out of the house, your driver as well as Jeongguk were already waiting outside for you. They were chatting, facing each other, which had become a usual thing. You had to pause and smile to yourself. Even if Jeongguk was turned to Mr. Ri, that didn't prevent you from observing how good he actually looked in that new black suit of his. A really well fitting suit, you had to admit. One hand in the pocket of his slacks, the other making vague gestures as he spoke, he exuded confidence, and he seemed relaxed.

You started toward the car again, cursing the high heels. (You were good at concealing the discomfort, though. Another lesson from your grandmother coming in handy.)

Jeongguk turned to face you, and, upon seeing your approaching form, he froze in spot. His lips parted ever so slightly and he looked almost dumbstruck. His gaze glided up and down your body as if you were naked or suddenly had turned into a flying car, something completely unexpected. As though just realizing he was being weird, he quickly pulled his hand out of the pocket and fixed his tie (which, by the way, looked expensive and very nice on him), self-consciously smoothing down the jacket after, wide eyes still glued on you. You liked to believe you weren't an arrogant person, but his reaction meant one thing only and was extremely flattering. You wondered if he'd have the courage to compliment you with words.

You didn't know exactly why (either he had forgotten about the order from last week momentarily or perhaps it was a way of complimenting you with actions), but Jeongguk abruptly stepped toward the back of the car and yanked the door open, holding it for you. You raised a surprised brow at him, but moved to get in the car anyway. But not before throwing a glance at Mr. Ri; he had a knowing grin plastered over his face, and he threw a hand in the air as if saying: “I’ll just let have him this one”.

After you climbed into the car, Jeongguk closed the door carefully. You could see his face, and he was blushing hard, probably just realizing at that moment that he was in a daze earlier and wasn't supposed to open the door. You chuckled.

During the trip to the hotel you could see he was nervous. He kept looking around a lot as if checking whether you'd already arrived or not. He was fiddling with the buttons of his jacket and carefully fixing his fringe from time to time.

When you stepped into the hall, he seemed rather tense. You completely understood him. That kind of situation could be overwhelming even for you, who had been to these kinds of events numerous of times. Even if you didn't really care about what all those people thought of you, admittedly, the self-consciousness grew by every passing second of standing there nearby the entrance.

‘Pretend they’re naked,’ you said loud enough for Jeongguk to hear you. ‘It’s a cliché, but it works.’

He gave a short laugh.

How should you introduce him?

You lost that train of thought, when your grandmother rushed toward you in her classic tiny steps. 'My darling! You look fantastic!' She looked you up and down. 'I told you those shoes would go with the dress. This is really good. I think he'll like it very much,' she said, her gaze jumping away as if searching for someone particular in the crowd.

'Who? What are you talking about?'

She completly ignored Jeongguk. He might as well have been a ghost attracted to your energy and yours only.

'I want you to meet someone.' Oh here we go.

'Maybe I don't want to meet him.'

'Oh, you do, don't be silly. You haven't even seen his gorgeous face.'

'And I don't intend to.'

'Quit it,' she muttered. 'He's a wonderful young man, and you'll marry him.'

'Woah, let's not get ahead of ourselves.'

'Let's get ahead. You have to think about your future. And when you meet him, I promise you, you will be the one wanting to propose to him right on the spot. But don't do that, of course,' she added as an afterthought.

'Oh, I don't know. Will I be able to control myself, if he's that great as you're describing.'

She shot you a glare that was supposed to show she wasn't fond of hearing any of your jokes right now. You shrugged as if saying you couldn't help it.

'He's so smart,' she resumed, looking around, gaze sweeping the crowd. 'Right up your league. Oh, I see him. He's alone. Come quick.' She beckoned you with an abrupt gesture, inviting you to follow her.

You breathed a sigh, turning to Jeongguk to offer him an apologetic smile that probably looked more awkward than anything, and then you followed her into the sea of the rich.

'How do you know him anyway?'

'I know everyone here.'

The man was admittedly handsome, suave and, even though there was no way of examining him there, seemed well educated and polite.

'This is Kim Seokjin.'

'Hello there,' he said smoothly, giving you a brilliant smile.

Your grandmother continued the introduction, 'Just a year ago he founded his company, and now it's worth millions! What a bright young man!' Could she at least try being a little more subtle? Gee.

'That's impressive,' you said.

Kim Seokjin, with a fair amount of inhibition, chuckled, momentarily lowering his gaze to the floor.

'____ here is studying law,' your grandmother told him, all proud and excited.

Seokjin looked at you. 'Oh, does she?'

'Anyway, I'm going to say hello to some people. You two feel free to talk more, get to know each other.' You almost expected her to wink at you.

You and Seokjin exchanged a knowing smile as if saying ugh, family.

'Yes, will do,' he said to your grandmother. 'Thank you for introducing us.'

She strode away, giving you the last tiny nod.

What now? These things were always awkward. Was he interested in you? Was he single and into girls, or your grandmother just assumed things as per usual?

'So…' Seokjin drawled while you were subconsciously biting your lip. You remembered you had lipstick on and released the flesh from the grip of your teeth. 'I'm guessing— I mean, I'm usually straightforward type of guy, so just let me ask you this… Did your grandmother introduce us because we’re similar in age and both single?' Well, he definitely wasn't joking about being straightforward. You liked that. But you didn't like him, well, at least not in the way your grandmother wanted you to. Even if he was dazzling and smart and had great taste when it came to fancy suits, you weren't looking for a relationship. Especially not in these events, and not with people that one of your family members introduced you to. You knew, you just knew it would be a hell of a challenge to date someone your grandmother knew, especially a man that she already wanted you to marry. You wouldn't ever be at peace dating him.

You had no idea if Kim Seokjin would be into you, but you had to make sure you wouldn't lead him on. You had to get away somehow from this ridiculous situation.

You glanced behind you while stuttering trying to answer him. You saw Jeongguk not far away from you in the crowd. You locked eyes. He was your solution. You decided on beckoning him over.

'Actually,' you told Kim Seokjin, 'my grandmother doesn't know about this, but…' Jeongguk appeared beside you, and, having mentally prepared to lie, you said, 'This is Jeon Jeongguk. He's my…' Good thing you didn't visibly cringe uttering the next words while gripping affectionately Jeongguk's arm. 'He's my lovely boyfriend.' That should be convincing enough, right? Even when lying to the smartest of guys.

'Oh!' Kim Seokjin didn't seem even the tiniest bit of disappointed.

Jeongguk's eyes held lots questions within them, he looked startled for half a second, but he had to quickly regain his composure, and, when he did regain it, he seemed as gleeful as ever.

'Pleased to meet you,' Jeongguk said to Kim Seokjin in a friendly tone, shaking the guy's hand.

'Um, so as I said my grandparents don't know about this, so I'd appreciate—

'Oh, of course!' Seokjin said. 'I get it. Dealing with family can be… complicated.'

'Yes, exactly. Thank you.'

Your hand was still gently touching Jeongguk's arm, when your gaze slid ever so slightly to the side, behind Kim Seokjin's shoulder. The smile that you were offering him started fading until it was completely wiped from your face. You lost the focus on the conversation you were having, because you saw your dad talking to a woman. Usually it would mean nothing, you wouldn't get distracted by it, but since your mind had been occupied by the speculations of his love life, you couldn't help but watch them intently as they, smiling brightly at each other, conversed about something amusing. By that point you were aware the two men that were standing near you were looking their way too, intrigued.

'Are you  looking at my mom?' You heard Kim Seokjin ask.

You looked at him. 'What? No, it's my dad.'

'Ok, but your dad is the CEO and  that lady talking to him, laughing… that's my mom.'

'Oh.'

She couldn't be his date from Friday night, could she? Because if she was then your grandmother would certainly not want you to marry her son. Well, unless she had no idea about it.

‘I don’t know how to ask you this, but…’ Seokjin said, glancing back at your father and the lady. Your eyes were focused on them too. Seokjin’s mother pecked your father on the cheek affectionately, but nonchalantly enough for other people to perceive it as something inconspicuous. You were 98% sure the lipstick colour on her lips was the same as you saw on your dad’s cheek on Friday night. ‘Do you think they might be dating?’

The question made your heart skip a beat.

‘Has your dad talked about it at all?’ Seokjin asked.

Not knowing how to answer him you just stared at him and tried to come up with something, but failed. You were definitely not telling him that your father lied to you about it as if you were a child.

You felt a hand gently touching your back in a soothing motion. You couldn’t be certain if Jeongguk was pulling an act because of Seokjin, or if the gesture was genuine.

Noticing the mild bewilderment on your face, Seokjin said, ‘I don’t mean to be rude, I just have my suspicions and my mom won’t talk about it with me. It’s just weird… I’m sorry if I offended you or…’

‘No. I—I too have some suspicions of my own.’

Your dad and Seokjin’s mother parted ways. Your dad was about to go on the stage and receive his award and whatnot.

'I think we could use this,' gesturing for one of the waitresses to slow down. He took two champagne glasses from the tray that the waitress was balancing on her palm and held them out for you and Jeongguk. You took it impulsively; Jeongguk hesitated. 'C'mon,' Seokjin encouraged him with a friendly smile and a tilt of head. He thought Jeongguk was your boyfriend, not a bodyguard on duty, and he didn't know Jeongguk couldn't consume any kind of alcohol that night.

Nevertheless, Jeongguk decided on plucking the delicate glass out from Seokjin grip, probably thinking that refusing would be too impolite of a gesture and could kindle some awkward tension between them.

Satisfied, Seokjin took another glass from the tray for himself. 'To family,' he made a rather sarcastic toast.

'To family,' you echoed him, tone laced with blatantly fake joy.

While Seokjin took a sip of the drink and Jeongguk just stood there without even taking the tiniest of sips you chugged the whole glass in one go. The bubbles felt quite unpleasant in your mouth and throat, but getting a bit tipsy seemed a very attractive thing at that moment. The men looked at you with surprised expressions on their youthful faces.

'What? I'm thirsty.'

They both chuckled, then shrugged.

You sighed, staring at the bottom of the glass. 'Why do you think they'd be hiding it?'

Kim Seokjin thought for a moment, took a swig of the champagne. 'Well, you're hiding something from your grandmother, too.' He glanced between you and Jeongguk, indicating he was talking about your (fake) relationship. 'I'm sure you have a good reason for it. Maybe they do, too.'

You bit your lip. 'Perhaps,' you agreed after a moment of mulling it over.

'Anyway, I think the speeches are starting soon, I should go find my seat.'

'Of course. It was nice meeting you.'

'You, too. Both of you.' He grinned and strolled away, his champagne glass still half full.

'You okay?' Jeongguk asked, concern settling over his face.

'Mhm,' you hummed with as much nonchalance as you could muster.

Another waitress was sauntering past you; you placed the empty glass on the tray she was carrying and snatched a full one. Without a second's thought you chugged that one down, too.

‘Woah,' Jeongguk breathed as you frowned, feeling the bubbles pop against your throat. 'Maybe you should slow down?' Jeongguk suggested.

You arched your brow at him. 'You think so?' You switched hands and grabbed the full glass that Jeongguk was holding. You let the champagne trickle down your throat again. You didn't know exactly what had gotten into you, but all you knew was you had to distract yourself from the thoughts of your dad or your grandmother and her plans of making you marry someone she thought was a good match. The alcohol was mildly starting to numb your brain and throat. Your face impulsively crumpled because of the horrible taste in your mouth. 'Yak, this doesn't taste right.'

'Nothing tastes right, when you consume too much of it.'

'Don't be a smartass,' you hissed.

He could barely control the grin that was threatening to break wide open. What was so funny?

He looked around. 'Shouldn't we go find our seats, too?'

You shrugged. 'I guess so.'

Your table was at the very front amongst a couple of other tables placed closest to the stage. The card with your name was meticulously planted on the white pristine tablecloth. Everything there screamed luxury. Honesty seemed to be a luxurious feature, too, not attainable even to you.

'I think my seat is somewhere in the back,' said Jeongguk, throwing a thumb over his shoulder. 'Have a great night. I'm going to—

'Wait.' You touched his elbow to stop him. He waited as you read the other cards sitting on the table. You recognized a couple of them—your grandparents' names—and paused on a third one that was next to yours. 'Have no idea who that is,' you said. Having made sure nobody was watching you, except Jeongguk, you discreetly tossed the card onto another table.

'Wha—what are you doing?' Jeongguk asked, his tone gruff as if he was reprimanding you.

You gripped his forearm and guided him to the table. 'Shut up and take a seat.'

He complied albeit reluctantly. 'This is not my seat.'

'Who says that? Do you see someone else's name anywhere?'

Jeongguk pursed his lips into a thin line, ruminating on your question and the whole situation. He sighed, defeated. 'I guess not.'

'Here you go.'

A man strolled to the table, read the cards. His brows pinched together in confusion. He walked away, in thought. You giggled; Jeongguk forced a smile.

Of course, you realized you were acting kind of… crazy, but you were not about to sit through all those speeches with some stranger and your grandparents by your sides. Jeongguk worked for you, he got paid to hang out with you when there was no danger. His job was easy, the least he could do to show his gratitude was sit with you and offer his emotional support. God, your head was dizzy. Had you eaten dinner or lunch that day? You couldn't recall. The alcohol was really kicking in. Shit… Did you just really throw someone else's name card onto another table? And you forced Jeongguk to sit in that person's seat? What the hell was wrong with you? You were definitely losing it.

'Oh, Jeon Jeongguk you're here, too,' your grandmother said taking a seat behind the table, her voice sounding (fake) sweet.

Jeongguk offered a bashful smile. 'Yes, I am.'

You probably would have blamed yourself for putting him in such an awkward situation had you not been under the influence of alcohol. Even if it wasn't much of it, it still was affecting you.

Your grandfather nodded deferentially Jeongguk's way, pulling a chair from under the table.

The whole "show" was quite boring, if you were being honest. It was always boring. We're proud of our company blah blah blah. We're so grateful to our partners blah blah blah.

You'd rather lift off your seat, levitate through the room above all tables and fly out one of the windows into the horizon; the champagne was making you feel like you could actually do it, as well as not having the high heels on your feet (a good thing about being seated at a table). Perhaps you could fly to the Moon. Surely, banks didn't exist there, no CEOs stressing themselves over work, no ex boyfriends or dads holding secrets. Nothing would bother you there.

'Everything all right?' You heard Jeongguk's soft voice. He was leaning ever so slightly toward your direction as if attempting to enter the little world you'd created yourself in your mind. He seemed concerned.

Why was he always so concerned? You were— 'Just fine.'

The look on his face remained showing you the high level of his worry; there was also some scepticism flickering in his eyes. His gaze slid downward where your fingers were wrapped around a napkin, tightly, very tightly as if it were your enemy's neck. Up until that exact moment you hadn't even realized you were using so much force. Actually, you weren't even aware you had the napkin in your hand in the first place.

Your grip on it loosened. You let go of the napkin and neatly folded it, leaving it be on the table in peace so Jeongguk wouldn't be questioning you anymore.

You put much effort into trying to listen to whatever the important people on the stage had to say, but your mind was swimming in the ocean that had poison of irritation instead of cold water. Shouldn't the champagne have turned it into an elixir of relaxation?

Your father—the CEO—was finally called to the stage. You applauded lazily. You couldn't focus on anything he was saying. Something about hiding things from his daughter? All you were hearing was: I lie. I lie. I lie. You know what I did last Friday? I lied to my daughter. She's a child. A clueless child. Ha! Don't you just love a good ol' lie? Mmm, lies.

Your leg was restlessly jumping up and down, and once again only because of Jeongguk you'd noticed that it was doing it.

Under the table, you felt some pressure on your knee, and your jittery movement halted. A little confused, you looked down, slightly tilting your head, and saw that Jeongguk was the one pressing a finger onto your knee. Your heart did a two-step.

You glanced at him quizzically, for you definitely weren't expecting him to do such a thing. It was a small gesture, yeah, but Jeongguk didn't seem the type to have the courage to do even such a simple thing. Come to think of it, he was risking people seeing it; he was risking you getting mad at him for it. And in a way, that made you appreciate him even more.

He smiled. Your heart melted like hard wax becoming liquid upon the right level of warmth. When he spoke, his voice was quiet, soothing. 'Everything's just fine, remember?'

You did not succeed in trying to subdue the urge to smile back at him.

Though, the rational side of you was telling you that you should immediately smack his hand away, maybe give him such chiding for acting so outrageously. How dare he touch you like that in the hopes he would calm you down by such a silly gesture.

However, the other part of you (fuelled and motivated by alcohol and the feelings you'd started having for him) ordered you to do something entirely different.

(You should chide yourself, not Jeongguk, for what you did next.)

Turning your face back to the stage, you slipped your hand under the table, making sure it looked as casual and inconspicuous as possible. You weren't about to do anything devilish, of course not, but even the little things mattered in a place like this. Your hand landed gently onto Jeongguk's. You dragged it over your knee; he didn't demur, surprisingly so. That only showed he was getting more and more comfortable around you, even if sometimes he'd hesitate or distance himself just a little.

He clasped your knee as if he'd done it a million times before.

In your peripheral you could see him gulp. Clearly, he wasn't unfazed by your action.

You leaned to the side a little, reducing the distance between you and him, to murmur, 'It'll take more than just a finger to calm my nerves.'

Jeongguk almost choked on air. He cleared his throat, carefully shifting in his seat.

It took a little time for your intoxicated mind to realize the ambiguity of your words. You didn't take them back, though. In any case, it was even more thrilling, so you welcomed the distraction.

Were you insane? You most definitely were.

Both hands back on the table, fingers fiddling with the napkin again, you pretended to listen attentively to the speeches. However, you understood nothing at all. You didn't care. You felt Jeongguk's thumb rub your knee back and forth; it was almost imperceptible, but your blood was getting warmer and warmer.

Your grandparents were mere feet away, and that fact only made you even giddier. Needless to say, neither of your legs were jumping up and down anymore. Your blood pressure, on the other hand, undoubtedly was.

The "show" eventually ended, and you congratulated your dad as a well raised daughter should.

You also saw Kim Seokjin's mother do the same, her lips touching your dad's cheek in a quick peck again. For everyone in the event it probably looked inconspicuous and nothing noteworthy, but at that point you were completely convinced they were dating, which wasn't a bad thing in itself, but you shouldn't be wondering and suspecting such things by yourself in the first place. Your father should've told you the truth.

When the congratulating wave had come back to the sea of seemingly sophisticated conversations and champagne tasting, your dad said, 'I want you to meet someone.' Your pulse grew at that. Would he introduce you to Kim Seokjin’s mother? Would he finally come clean, proving you he saw you as an adult?

Nope. Apparently you were the one still needing to prove him you weren't a child. He did not introduce you to Kim Seokjin's mother. Instead he led you to a spot in the room where Seokjin himself (alone) was standing with a glass of champagne. What did this mean?

A smile flickered on the man's face, when he saw you approach.

'This is Kim—

Your dad didn't get to finish the introduction, you interrupted him. 'Seokjin, yes, we already met.'

'Oh?' Your dad's eyebrows twitched upwards. 'You did?'

'Yup,' Seokjin said, grinning. 'I already met them both ___ and her boyfriend.'

Panic flooded in.

‘Boyfriend?’ Your dad questioned, utterly puzzled. You weren't supposed to introduce Jeongguk as your boyfriend. Whoopsie.

‘Oh,’ Seokjin gasped. ‘I’m sorry, I thought—

You didn't want him to feel guilty for your lies. ‘It’s okay,’ you reassured him. 'He knows; he just didn't expect you to know about it.'

‘Oh, whew.’ Seokjin laughed in relief, but his voice still sounded strained.

Your dad tried to appear nonchalant, but you could see he was tense and confused. Probably a bit mad at you for acting this way and spreading such knews amongst these people.

A few awkward moments later you excused yourself and immediately went to find Jeongguk.

‘I need to get some fresh air,’ you told him.

He looked worried again. ‘I know just the spot,’ he said.’

Having studied the hotel's map beforehand, Jeongguk led you out to the hall and down the corridor. He pressed the call button for the elevator. The event was being held on the second floor. The door glided open smoothly as it should in a five star hotel. Inside Jeongguk's finger pressed against one of the buttons, and suddenly, in the silence that followed, you were reminded of the way his finger landed on your knee earlier that night.

He only proved your theory about you being deprived of sincere touches, of genuine contact. He only touched you with one finger and he wasn‘t pushy or needy, he didn‘t need anything more, didn‘t expect something in return. It was only for your own good; Jeongguk was caring for you; he was putting an effort into reminding you that everything was going to be alright. He wanted to calm you down with that soft, warm smile of his.

When the elevator came to a halt on the first floor still saying nothing you both stepped into the lobby. Wordlessly, he led you through the doors in the back of the hotel.

You were still swimming in your own thoughts. He did something selfless for you, and what did you do? You selfishly reached for his hand and placed it upon your knee, seeking not only for comfort but also thrill. There was guilt gnawing in the back of your mind, but there was also a little voice there saying that he could‘ve easily withdrawn his hand if he wanted to. He didn‘t.  He kept it there until the end of the speeches.  And if you weren‘t mistaken his smile seemed genuine when you glanced at him a couple of times. Though there was a thin line between him being sincere and him being an obsequious employee.

There were bushes and plants like thuja, meticulously cut and standing gracefully. Lots of green under the moonlight and some solar lamps placed strategically as to properly exhibit the beauty of nature at night by not overwhelming the charm of the night itself.

There was a path snaking its way amongst rose bushes. The view eventually opened up to a glorious fountain.

‘Beautiful,’ you breathed in awe, intending to leave the problems behind you in the hotel and fully immersing into the allure of the place.

Jeongguk sat on one of the benches placed around the fountain; you followed suit.

‘So,’ you said, ‘you have a plan for any kind of situation that could end up hurting me?’

‘Not any situation, but…’

‘Imagine someone’s head popping up out of the water.’ You gestured toward the fountain.

Jeongguk smiled. ’Well that’s pretty unrealistic, but—

‘Okay, then tell me something realistic.’

‘No one could know for sure you’d go outside tonight. If they have people here, then they have even more people inside. Since I don’t have a gun, I’d have to assert the situation quickly and get you to a safe place, call for backup. If I couldn’t get you to a safe place quickly enough, I’d have to be your shield.’

‘Meaning?’ You asked, intrigued. He couldn’t be talking about—

‘Jumping in front of a bullet.’

‘Damn. You’d really do that?’

‘It’s my job.’

That was hot, if you were being honest.

However, the image of Jeongguk taking a bullet for you was interrupted by your father. Not him physically, but the idea of him. Him and his lies.

Why did he wanted you to meet Seokjin? For the same reason as your grandmother? That would be incredibly weird.

‘Why do people lie to me?’ You asked.

Jeongguk inhaled, exhaled slowly, but came up with nothing.  ‘I don‘t know...’

‘Why did you lie to me?’

He gave you a confused look. ‘I didnt—

‘When I said you were with your friends or whatever you didn‘t deny it.’

A sigh. ‘I didn‘t want to—I wanted to look cool, I guess.’

‘Cool?’ you smiled.  ‘Having friends doesn’t exactly make you cool.’

‘I know, I just... your life is...’ Jeongguk gestured toward the fountain in attempt of trying to show what he meant. ‘And my life is...’ he lowered his head.

‘My life isn‘t only glorious fountains, you know.’

‘Yes, I know,’ he quickly agreed.

‘But I get it.’

‘You do?’ He had hopeful eyes.

You nodded. ‘My life can look glorious at times, but it isn‘t only sunshine and rainbows. You don‘t have to look cool or anything. Just be yourself.’

Jeongguk grinned. ‘Okay.’

You could see the wind whoosh past the plants on the left, then grazing past the bushes on the right, brushing against your skin on the way. It was a cold one. You quivered.

‘Here.’ Having noticed it, Jeongguk took his suit jacket off and gently placed it upon your shoulders. It felt warm.

‘What a gentleman you are, Jeongguk.’

He lifted one shoulder in a tiny shrug, grinning.

You noticed his tie was a little loose, just the tiniest bit. You couldn‘t help but reach over and fix it.

Your fingers worked graciously. ‘A really nice tie. You choose it yourself?’

Jeongguk was smiling. ‘With the help of an employee in the store.’

‘Well, you both have great taste then.’

Being that close to him, you spotted a tiny scar on his cheek that you hadn‘t noticed before. Your hand reached up on its own accord. You touched it lightly.

He watched your hand.

‘How did you get it?’

You watched his lips.

His lips were pink, plump and looked very kissable.

‘I got in a fist fight as a kid.’

‘You fight often?’

He glanced at your lips as well as your gaze moved from his lips to his eyes. ‘No. I actually hate fighting.’

‘But you‘d fight for me?’

One corner of his lips twitched upwards. ‘Absolutely.’

That was when you leaned forward. You halted your movement just when you noticed that Jeongguk started leaning in too. What the hell were you doing? He was your bodyguard.

He stopped as well.

Just millimetres away from his lips you murmured rather seductively (either because of the alcohol or the sheer thrill of the situation), ‘Do you want me to kiss you?’

Jeongguk gulped. ‘Yes,’ he whispered barely audibly.

You smiled. ‘What was that? I couldn‘t hear you.’

He inhaled and closed his eyes as if that would help with his embarrassment. ‘Yes, I do, miss ____.’

There it was again—he called you miss. But this time it seemed so different. The word fell from his lips in a way that made you want to kiss him even more.

You didn‘t stop smiling. ‘You‘re a good boy, Jeongguk.’ You realized didn‘t deserve him.

You pulled away, facing the fountain. ‘Too good.’

‘Wha—what‘s that supposed to mean?’

You exhaled. ‘Nothing you should over think.’

You thought about giving the jacket back to him, but decided against it. Having your father see you with your bodyguard’s jacket on your shoulders seemed a good idea, even if created by the slightly childish side of you.

You stood up, strolled toward the hotel, then turned around to call for your stunned bodyguard. ‘C’mon. It’s time to make our exit.’

[sapphyrelily]

Seijoh 4 Week Day 2

Prompt: note passing // detention

Warnings: None

External link: AO3

Note: Tumblr messed with my formatting, so where the whole line is supposed to be underlined, I put an underscore before and after the sentence.

A light click-click, and he looks up to see a familiar notebook on his table. There’s a hastily scrawled sentence on it, and he peers at it before scribbling his response.

While the teacher’s back is turned, he slides the notebook to the person on his right, making sure the metal spiral hangs off the edge to avoid making a sound.

The person raises his eyebrows at him, but picks up the book, frowning at the words. He purses his lips, but does write a few words, and passes it on to the person behind him.

Oikawa stops kicking Iwaizumi’s chair, pinching the book held over his shoulder and bringing it down to read the words.

I’m bored

Same

_Shut up and do your homework._

He grins at the familiar handwriting and the expected complaints, adding his own script below theirs.

It’s already done

He drops the notebook down the back of Iwaizumi’s chair and sees his best friend freeze up. The teacher is no longer looking at them, so he slowly reaches behind him, grabbing the notebook to hide under his worksheets.

He scowls at the response, writes an angry note of his own, and slides it over to Matsukawa.

The younger stifles a laugh at his response, taking a long while to write before he finally passes the book back to Hanamaki.

The pink-haired boy skims through their responses eagerly, happy to see that his idea of entertainment had not been shut down by the law-abiding Iwaizumi.

It’s already done

_Is that why you’re kicking my chair you asshole_

Lmao

There is a doodle of two figures seated at their desks, one kicking the other’s chair. The one being kicked has steam coming out of his ears, and a small speech bubble of curses.

Hanamaki turns to grin at his neighbour, and is greeted with a thumbs up. He returns the gesture, and adds his own speech bubble to the figure who is kicking the other.

He tosses the notebook back, and pretends to study his undone homework, but he’s too distracted, waiting for Iwaizumi to receive the book.

He hears a slight thump, looks over to see the 3D figure of Iwaizumi with ears red enough to have steam pouring out of them.

He muffles his laugh in his collar just in time, but Matsukawa snorts, and the teacher turns to face them.

“Something you’d like to share, Matsukawa-kun?”

“Nothing, sensei.” Matsukawa deadpans. “Just wondering why I didn’t understand this question before. It’s not that difficult after all.”

Oikawa raises his eyebrows at the blatant lie, but the teacher simply nods and turns away. He waits till Iwaizumi passes him the notebook before adding his incredulity to the chat.

Or he was going to, when he spots the drawing of what is supposed to be himself kicking Iwaizumi’s chair, with a whole speech bubble of “Iwa-chan”s threatening to crush the figures. Iwaizumi’s stick figure is spewing a litany of curses, and he almost laughs aloud himself at how accurate the image is.

_What the hell_

>3<.

_That’s what you’re concerned about?_

Oh please, you two are always like that

Seconded

So anyway

_Did you finish your homework. What’s that question you<. don’t understand_

I want ice cream

_Go away, Oikawa_

I’ll just give you my worksheet and you can do everything for me

If you make Hajime-kun do your work, Hanger-san is doing mine

[Inside notebook: one page of Japanese literature, one page of English]

_Hanamaki, flip to page 79 of your English notes. Matsukawa, the answer is in the text_

Wow, Iwa-chan, so helpful

_If I do their homework, I’m the one getting educated, not them_

If I knew where to find the answer, I’d have written it down already

Thanks Mom

Lmao don’t you mean Dad

_Read the text a few more times before you talk to me again_

Oooh Mattsun, what a dirty mind

_Huh_

Takes one to know one. Fine, I’ll read the text again

Lmao which question. Hanger-san definitely isn’t getting any tonight

Oooh

[A giant splotch of ink blurs out the remainder of Matsukawa’s response]

_START DOING YOUR HOMEWORK_

I’ll be getting whatever I want

_I’m unplugging your laptop, TV and stealing your charger_

Wow way to kill the mood

[Inside notebook: one page of Japanese literature, This one written in pencil next to question four]

The notebook doesn’t come back round for a long while, and Iwaizumi taps absently on his textbook, revising the material. When it finally lands on his table again, he is surprised to see that there is a lengthy discussion of the literature homework, and smiles at how they ended up working anyway.

_Thank you for studying_

You two are so cute

_And immature, there are so many dicks in the margins_

Shush, we studied

Anyway, 5 mins to the end of detention

There are no replies from the others when it circulates back to him, just nods and a gentle commotion as they begin to pack up.

It is only once they are out of the classroom that Oikawa bursts into raucous laughter, while the others stare at him in confusion.

“You– You guys–” He is holding on to Iwaizumi for support, and they are standing in the middle of the hallway, blocking the way. The other three give each other confused looks, before Iwaizumi finally pokes his best friend to try to get him off.

“Oikawa, we can make it to the gym in time if you’ll just stop laughing–”

“C-an’t h-hel-p-p it,” he chokes, face red with the lack of oxygen. “T-they we-re-e study-ing!”

Matsukawa exchanges an exasperated look with Hanamaki, muttering what’s so funny about studying?, then grabs Iwaizumi’s bag strap. “Let’s go practice. Captain Hanger-san can stay here and embarrass himself.”

Iwaizumi nods and shakes a chortling Oikawa off to follow them. The brunet wheezes a few more times before he realises that they are already out of sight, and yells in affront before giving chase.

None of them notice the teacher standing in the doorway, shaking his head at them.

[ask0248]

((*crawls back into Fanpro* It’s been a century and a half, and I must say I’ve missed my goopey nerd. What’s he been up to all this time?? Hibernating?? Who knows, but we’re super out of the loop, and half the blogs we follow have died off. 

sO hmu if you’re an active Fanpro blog. I wanna get back into things and have some fun!!))