#like I was like ‘oh it’s fine we can just trip and celebrate another day’

[thewritingrowlet]

The Twins and Their Queens pt. 1, ft. NMIXX Jiwoo

tags: blowjob, creampie

length: 11k+

author's note: this marks the start of another (mini) series, where we follow the lives of Shane and Shaun, Harvey's little twin brothers. For now, I think the series will have 3-4 parts just like The Outing Trip, but time will tell.

-

Jiwoo wakes up feeling excited today, and she has a very good reason for it: she has secretly made a promise to cook for you to celebrate the 2nd anniversary early, and today, precisely 7 days before the actual anniversary, is the day to do so.

She contains her excitement as she slowly and carefully gets off the bed. To be sure that you won’t wake up and spoil the surprise, she puts a spell on you—she even wiggles her index finger around like a wand for good measure. “Stay asleep, Shane—stay freaking asleep. You’re very tired after working all day yesterday, and you want to sleep until the day changes again.” She hears a hum escape through the small gap of your lips, which makes her confident that the spell is working. “Good boy,” she pats you through the air.

She tippy-toes her way out of the bedroom and gently closes the door behind her; she’s doing everything she can to make as little noise as possible. She looks towards the TV to find the small clock sitting on the shelf: 5:04 a.m. “Should be plenty of time,” she says to herself.

Jiwoo ties her hair in a bun as she prepares to start cooking. She grabs some items from the fridge and sets them on the counter next to her phone. “Right, so,” she opens her memo app and looks at the ingredients list, “noodles, boneless chicken thighs, potato, and onion—that should be everything.”

She drizzles a bit of cooking oil into a non-stick pan that she has prepared and— “oh, wait, the chicken.” She was supposed to cut the chicken into cubes first, so she turns off the burner and places the chicken on a cutting board. Jiwoo skillfully cuts the chicken and then turns her attention back to the pan. “Now we can really start,” she says.

Jiwoo throws in the small pieces of chicken into the hot pan and stirs it around, making sure that it’s cooked through. After that, she tosses in the potato and onion (that she has chopped into cubes secretly yesterday before you got home) and stirs again for a few minutes. Once the potato becomes a bit translucent, she drizzles some more oil and adds black bean paste into the mix. “2 cups of water, okay.” Jiwoo grabs a measuring cup from the cupboard and fills it with water, repeating it again after that to meet the needed measurements. “Hey, Nudle, start a 10-minute timer for me,” she says to her phone, and it responds to her in its catchy voice.

She decides that she’ll use the time to wash the dirty knife and cutting board and wipe the dining table clean. After that’s done, she lies on the sofa to catch her breath. “I hope he doesn’t wake up now,” she thinks to herself while eyeing the bedroom door. For some odd reason, suspense enters Jiwoo’s mind; it’s as if she was watching a horror movie. “Oh, God, please don’t wake up. Han Jaehyun, please don’t wake up—not when I’m this close.” The ring from her phone steals her attention, and she immediately turns it off, concerned that maybe you’ll hear it and wake up. “Okay, okay,” she takes a few deep breaths to calm down, “everything is fine—everything is just fine.”

Jiwoo makes her way to the kitchen again to cook the noodles, which is the second last step to this sneaky adventure. She brings a pot full of water to a boil and throws in the noodles. They’re not dried noodles, so cooking them will only take around a minute, maybe a minute and a half. After that’s done, she turns off the burner and— “FUCK!” She accidentally touches the edge of the hot pot when reaching for the strainer, thus forcing her to let out a scream of profanity because of the combination of shock and pain.

“Are you okay, babe?” Your sudden presence shocks Jiwoo to the core; she didn’t expect you to sneakily come out of the bedroom like this, hence the little jump. That said, she currently has a bigger problem on her hands—literally. “O-oppa,” she says weakly, in pain from the burn, “h-help me, please.” Jiwoo briefly explains that her fingers are burning, so you drag her over to the sink and run some water on her hands. “What were you up to, baby?” You ask in a gentle voice as quiet sobs escape your girlfriend’s lips. “I-I was making some jjajangmyeon for you, oppa.”

You don’t know what to feel right now: you’re touched that she’s making a surprise for you, but at the same time, you hate seeing her get hurt like this, even if it was an accident. “Oh my God, baby,” you feel like your heart is being wrung, “are you feeling better, though? Is this working?” She nods and pulls her hands away from the sink, not forgetting to thank you for the help. You quickly glance at her face and see that there are tears on her plump cheeks. You turn her face towards you and gently wipe her tears with your thumbs, putting on a kind smile in the process.

“You can continue, babe; I’ll watch.” You place a hand on the small of her back and keep an eye on her as she strains the noodles and divides them into the two bowls. Jiwoo then pours a nice amount of the black sauce mix into the bowl. “Let’s eat, oppa,” she says. You stop her from grabbing her bowl and instead pull her into a lifted hug.

“Thank you for all of this, baby; I appreciate everything, seriously,” you say right into her ear. “It was supposed to be a surprise,” she replies in a sad tone, “fuck, you’re so fucking stupid, Kim Jiwoo.” “Oh, c’mon, don’t say such thing,” you deny her attempt at self-deprecation, “you just had a little accident, babe—it doesn’t take anything away from your efforts, trust me.” Jiwoo lets out a hum, and you take it as a sign that she accepts your consolidation. “Now let’s eat, baby. This looks so damn good, and I can’t wait to shove it into my mouth,” you say, hyping her up.

You lower her gently onto one of the two chairs at the table and spray kisses all over her head. “Oppa, please, the food will get cold,” she tries to make you stop. You do stop, but before you grab the bowls from the counter, you turn her head towards you and come in for a kiss. It feels like she’s not too interested in kissing, but when you try to pull away, Jiwoo chases you. “Thank you, oppa,” she says after breaking the little tangle. “The pleasure is mine, baby.”

You take the two bowls from the counter and place them on the table. “Thank you for the meal, baby,” you say. Hearing you thank her again makes Jiwoo feel better about all of this, and it looks like she’s not too upset about “failing” the surprise. “I swapped out the pork belly for chicken, oppa,” she informs you as her chopsticks dance in her bowl, mixing the sauce mix with the noodles.

“Oh!” The first mouthful takes your soul high to the sky, making your body sink limply into the chair. “Oh, my—oh my God, Jiwoo-yah,” your eyelids shut tight as you savor the taste, “this is incredible—the chicken is soooo juicy, too.” Unfortunately, you can only chew for so long before you must swallow. Fortunately, you still have plenty of this heavenly food in your bowl. “Thank you for the meal, baby,” you repeat, “thank you so, so, so, so much.” Your sweetness makes Jiwoo feel better once again, and her lips, without her realizing, are forming a wide smile. “Th-thank you, oppa,” she fans her red cheeks to cope with the heat.

You keep your attention on your bowl, shoving more and more food into your mouth at an uncontrollable pace. “Howy shid,” you swallow the food in your mouth before continuing, “I don’t have the adjectives, but I know my brothers would fight to have a bite.” Jiwoo can’t take it anymore. She rushes to you and squeezes your cheek in playful aggression. “Youuuuuu,” she kneads your face like they were bread dough, “you are sooooo—arghhhhh.” You let out unintelligible sounds as your face contorts from her touch. “B-babe, stop,” you hold her wrists to halt her, “you haven’t even taken a bite, have you?”

With a sigh, she returns to her seat and puts some noodles in her mouth. She starts chewing in silence while her eyes roam around. “Hmm,” she rubs her chin as she thinks about the taste, “could use a bit more salt, but yeah, this is pretty good.” “Pretty good? What do you mean pretty good? This is very good,” you argue. Your girlfriend lets out a long sigh in defeat. “Fine,” she says, “thank you for the kind words, oppa—I love you.”

You leave your seat and pull her onto her feet. “You know what I want, don’t you?” You expect her to come in for a hug, but no, she’s getting down on her knees. “Wait, wait, not that one,” you pull her onto her feet again, “I meant this.” You wrap your arms around her and make sure your hands meet perfectly on the small of her back. You whisper all the praises you can come up with, and most importantly: “I love you, precious. I love you so, so much and thank you for cooking for us this morning.” Jiwoo responds by giving you a peck, letting you know that the praises are well received.

“Come on, oppa, let’s shower,” she pulls away from the embrace, “I’ll take care of this, so you can go first.” You thank her one more time—you’ve lost count of how many times you’ve thanked her so far—and make your way towards the bathroom while Jiwoo stays behind to wash the dishes.

In the silence, Jiwoo finds herself grinning widely. “That was a success in my book,” she giggles, “one point for Kim Jiwoo—whooo, let’s go!”

-

“Oppa, do you think I can work at Harvey-oppa’s company? Will he take me in?”

“First of all, why do you want to work for him? Is there something wrong with your current job?”

“Nothing is wrong, but I feel like working for him would make me feel more motivated—y’know, he’s family and all that.”

Your heart flutters a little when you hear Jiwoo refer to your brother as family; she understands the importance of family and sees your brothers as her own, and you’d like to think that this is a good sign for the relationship going forward.

You clear your throat to focus back on her. “Okay, so do you want me to talk to him? We can call him now,” you offer her some help. Jiwoo says that she’ll try updating her CV and send an application first, and if that doesn’t work, then she’ll consider resorting to nepotism—not the prettiest or classiest approach to say the least, but it does have a high chance of success. “Okay, you do that,” you say, “maybe I’ll join you one day.”

“Why aren’t you working for Harvey-oppa? Is that not what mama and papa want for you and Shaun-oppa?”

“Yes, but Yunho-hyung is paying me very handsomely, and I don’t feel like leaving his company at the moment.”

“Ckckckckck,” Jiwoo shakes her head, “imagine not working for your brother because someone else pays you more—couldn’t be me.”

“I need the money to buy a ring and a house for you, baby,” you say in your head while putting on a smile as a front. “Well, it’s time to go to work—let’s get changed, babe.” You and Jiwoo exchange pecks for good luck and walk towards the bedroom together to get changed.

-

Jiwoo boots up her laptop as soon as she arrives at her cubicle. “CV, CV—where is my CV,” she browses through a bunch of work-related folders to find it, and she finds this file named “CV KIM JIWOO” that was last modified around a year ago. Before she opens this file, she looks around to make sure no one is watching—it’d be awkward if someone found out Jiwoo is trying to leave this company for another.

Jiwoo scrolls up and down through her CV, trying to figure out which part is out-of-date, and she finds that only the experience and skills need to be updated. She adds one more bullet point to the list of experience and explains briefly the things she’s accomplished in her current company, such as projects she’s taken a part of and awards she’s received. Just those two things alone take up over half a page since Jiwoo is very good at her stuff and well-liked by her co-workers, which means that she’s very often included on projects—it also means that she makes a lot in bonuses since each project usually comes with one. Jiwoo’s cursor hovers over a particular project that she’s very proud of, considering its complexity and how well she did her part. “If this doesn’t land me a job at Harvey-oppa’s company, then HR is cooked in the head and he needs to find replacements,” she says to herself.

Moving on, she adds some new information to the skills section of her CV. She recently got 855 on a TOEIC test and is very proud about it, so she replaces her old score of 820 with the new one. “I’m sure someone of foreign descent like him will appreciate good English proficiency,” she thinks to herself. One thing to note, however, is that her application will first arrive in the hands of HR and not one of the big bosses like Han Harvey, and she hopes that everything written on her CV is enough to impress the lower-level managers—if she can help it, she wants to get the job legitimately, not through nepotism.

Before she wraps this up and starts working, she reads her CV one more time from the top. “Name is correct, date of birth is also correct, address is—hmm, should I use Shane-oppa’s address?”

While Jiwoo thinks about it, someone taps her shoulder from behind. “What the—oh my God, unnie!” Jiwoo just got caught off-guard and red-handed by her co-worker, Soodam, who must’ve snuck up behind her when she was deep in her thoughts. “Hey there,” Soodam greets Jiwoo with a smile, “looking to jump ship, cookie?” Jiwoo minimizes the window on her laptop and turns to Soodam with red cheeks. “P-please don’t tell anyone about this, unnie; I-I just want to explore my opportunities,” she says. “Do you think I can go with you, Jiwoo-yah?” Soodam’s question startles Jiwoo. “Y-you want to leave too, unnie?”

Soodam explains that she thinks she’s not getting paid enough for the amount of work that she does and would like to “explore her opportunities,” just like Jiwoo. “I’ll talk to my boy—” Jiwoo covers her mouth to stop herself, but Soodam catches the slip. “Boyfriend, huh? What can your boyfriend do for us?” Before the conversation goes even further, Jiwoo pulls Soodam closer towards her. “My boyfriend is the brother of this other company’s boss,” she whispers to her, “I told him I’d try doing things legitimately first before… y’know.” “I’m with you,” Soodam says, “good to know that you have insider ties, though.”

After parting ways with Soodam, Jiwoo pulls out her phone to text you. “Oppa, who do I send my CV to?” She sees that you’re not online currently, so she locks her phone and gets ready to start working for possibly her last day at this company.

-

You see Jiwoo’s text on your notification bar, but you don’t want to answer right away; you first need a second opinion on this matter, and there’s no one more qualified for that other than your dear sister-in-law. “Noona, I need you; please pick up,” you say while waiting for her to pick up the call.

“Hello, this is Kim Yooyeon.”

“Oh, yes,” you sigh in relief, “noona, this is Shane.”

“Yes, I know,” you hear a chuckle from her over the phone, “can I help you? Are you looking for your brother?”

“No, no, I’m not looking for him—I’m looking for you,” you say, “can we talk? Do you have time?”

“Yeah, sure—what do you need?”

“This morning Jiwoo asked me if she could work for Hyunjin-hyung because she said it’d make her feel more motivated because he’s family, and now I’m wondering if I should tell him about Jiwoo’s intentions.”

Your noona stays silent for a moment, trying to come up with a solution.

“Jiwoo said she wanted to do it legitimately, but I want to help her—you know, with insider ties” you pile on.

“Well, in that case,” she says, “I’d say just let her do it her way first, and if that doesn’t work, then we’ll consider other methods.”

“Do you know when Hyunjin-hyung is coming home, by the way?”

“No, I don’t,” she lets out a deep sigh, “I miss him more than anyone, I can assure you that.”

“Noona,” you get ready to move on to the next subject, “I want to get married.”

“Huh? What?” The suddenness most likely surprises Yooyeon. “Wait, what? Why so sudden? Have you even talked to Jiwoo about this?”

“No, I haven’t—I just envy the way the both of you are so in love with each other,” you say, “do you think I have a chance at marriage, noona?”

“What the h—well, yes, I do; I think you’re a nice guy and Jiwoo is a nice girl,” she says, “you know, you’re being such a terrible little brother right now—how can you ask a woman whose husband hasn’t been home for a week about marriage?”

You’re not sure where she’s going with this. “Sorry, what?”

”Ugh, forget it,” she says, and based on her tone, you can picture her rolling her eyes, “anyway, like I said, let Jiwoo do it her way and then we’ll see what things look like.”

You thank her for the help, and after exchanging goodbyes, you hang up the call, and now that you have an answer to this equation, you turn your attention to Jiwoo. Via text, you send Han Group’s HR’s email address to her. You end the text with, “You said you wanted to do this legitimately, so I wish you good luck, baby.” “Thank you, daddy,” she replies, “I’ll send it right now—I love you!” Your eyes blink rapidly in a combination of disbelief and startlement; she just called you daddy as if you were in the bedroom. “Time and place, Jiwoo-yah—my God.” “I’m going to pretend I didn’t see that.” You reply to her and delete her text just to be safe.

-

You always pick up Jiwoo at her office after work, and today is no different. You stop on the side of the road right in front of the glass front doors of her building and wait for her to come out. After a few minutes, you see her walking out with another woman. “Wait, that’s—”

You jump out of the car (after looking at the side mirror first) and meet the two women. “Oppa, this is my co-worker, Soodam-unnie. Unnie, this is my boyfriend,” Jiwoo introduces the two of you. Soodam’s eyes widen in shock, “wait, are you—” “No, I’m Shane—you’re thinking about my twin brother,” you cut her off, and you swear that you can see her sighing in relief.

For context, Shaun, who is always into older women, tried courting this Soodam lady a few years ago, only to find out that she was engaged to another man. That was almost disastrous, by the way; your older brother even had to intervene.

Jiwoo looks at the two of you in confusion but quickly moves on to another subject. “Soodam-unnie also sent an application to Harvey-oppa’s company,” Jiwoo briefly gives some context. “Yeah, that’s fine.” Inside, however, you wonder if it is indeed so, because Shaun works at Han Group, and considering that he is in a relationship with someone else, this could be problematic. “This is not your problem, Shane,” you think to yourself.

You shake hands with Soodam with a smile on your face—a smile that’s hiding awkwardness behind it. “Nice to meet you, miss,” you say, and she says the same to you. You shoot a quick look at Jiwoo, who immediately catches the signal, and the two of you get ready to part ways with Soodam. Jiwoo hugs Soodam and then walks with you to the car, leaving Soodam alone on the side of the road.

In the private space of your car, Jiwoo airs her confusion. “Do you know her, oppa? Why did you mention your twin?” You shortly explain to her the history of Shaun and Soodam and why Soodam was visibly startled to see you. “So Soodam-unnie reacted like that because she must’ve mistaken you for Shaun-oppa—did I get that right?” “You did, baby,” you say, “and now I’m concerned that they’ll see each other again if she moves to Han Group.” “My God.” Jiwoo leans back in her seat as she tries to process this shocking reveal. “Don’t tell Seeun-noona about any of this, babe; we don’t want to get Shaun in trouble,” you say to her.

After catching up with your family’s little history, Jiwoo mentions that she wants to eat out for dinner. You ask if she has preferences, and she says that she wants to get tteokbokki. “You and your tteokbokki, babe—you’d think you would’ve got sick of it by now,” you comment, earning a giggle and a playful slap from her.

After a short drive, you find yourself stopping in front of an alley where Jiwoo’s favorite tteokbokki restaurant is located. You get out of the car with her and make your way towards the restaurant. She’s been to this place a lot; the middle-aged lady at the cashier (who you assume is the owner) instantly recognizes her and guesses that she wants the usual.

There aren’t that many empty seats at the moment; it seems like a lot of people have the same idea and want to have tteokbokki after work. You scan around the interior and find a table in the far corner of the restaurant, whose occupants are about to leave. They seem to have left the table clean, and you fast-walk towards it to claim it before anyone else—you’re the designated seat finder in this relationship, so leaving Jiwoo behind to sit first is A-okay.

Jiwoo joins you shortly after and sits across from you. Usually, she’d rather sit next to you, but the space doesn’t really allow that; to your left is the wall and to your near right is another table. She rests her head on the table, looking very exhausted after working today. “Tired, baby?” You pet her head gently, running your hands through her hair the way she likes it. “Mm-hmm,” she mumbles, “I had a lot of work today.” You praise her for working so hard all the time, and even though you can’t see it, she’s probably grinning in pride right now.

You tap Jiwoo’s arm to get her to straighten her posture as a server is on his way to you with your orders. He places a large bowl of tteokbokki and another large bowl of popcorn chicken somewhat crassly—he also has a sour face. “Yeah,” Jiwoo says, “he isn’t known for being the nicest guy around.” You’re starting to feel disgruntled; if you were alone, you wouldn’t be so mad to see poor service, but considering that you’re with a loved one, you feel angrier—no one gets to be rude and ruin the vibes when you’re with those you love. “I don’t mean to be arrogant, but we can easily buy out this place and replace that guy,” you snark. “That is arrogant, oppa,” Jiwoo rubs the back of your hand gently to calm you down. “Please, it’s okay—he’s probably just tired, oppa, like we are.” You close your eyes, take a deep breath, and apologize for your attitude.

Your girlfriend picks up a piece of tteokbokki and immediately chases it with a large piece of chicken. As you watch her eat, you can feel the heat in your heart gradually dissipate, and a smile is forming on your face. She picks up a piece of tteokbokki and immediately chases it with a large piece of chicken. You decide to put down your chopsticks and enjoy the sight of your girlfriend eating in front of you, not caring if she finishes the whole meal by herself.

It seems like she’s very hungry too; it took her until halfway through the meal to realize that you haven’t eaten at all. “Oh my God, oppa,” she exclaims, “why aren’t you eating?” “Ah,” you’re snapped out of your trance, “I was too busy watching you eat, baby.” You’re torn between two options, though: do you want to get some food into your belly after working all day, or do you want to keep watching your girlfriend eat oh-so-cutely?

“Say aaah.” Jiwoo decides for you by guiding a piece of chicken towards your mouth, leaving you with no choice but to open your mouth. There’s a grin on your face as you chew, and you can see her grinning too; you realize that only Jiwoo deserves your attention right now—it doesn’t matter if anyone else tries to ruin the mood; she’ll easily draw a smile on your face. “Thank you, baby,” you say to her, “I love you so much.” “I love you too,” she replies, “now eat, please.”

-

You get back to your car with Jiwoo after finishing the meal. “Would you like to get anything else before we go home, baby?” “No, let’s just go home, please.” Based on her tone, you can tell that she only has little energy left in her tank. “Home it is.” You turn the steering wheel to the left and place a foot on the accelerate pedal to join the moving lane.

The traffic isn’t too bad; it’s just that this specific traffic light is infamous for its long queues during rush hour. In the corner of your eyes, you see that your girlfriend is sleeping in her seat with her mouth slightly open. Unfortunately, it seems like her current position isn’t too comfortable, but there’s nothing you can do at the moment. “We’ll sleep properly at home, alright, babe?”

After getting through the traffic light, you pick up the speed, aiming to get home as soon as possible so that Jiwoo can rest properly. You take advantage of slower drivers and change lanes whenever possible, earning some honks from other drivers occasionally. “Screw you—pay attention to the road next time,” you comment.

You go through the last turn before you reach your apartment building and quickly go up to your designated parking spot. Once your car is neatly parked, you turn off your car and turn your attention to your girlfriend, who is still asleep. You then rush to your unit with Jiwoo’s limp body in your arms.

“We’re here, baby.” You lower her gently onto the bed, and she’s still asleep. You prepare a T-shirt and shorts for her to change into for later. “I’ll shower first, babe.” As you’re leaving, however, you hear a grunt of disapproval from your girlfriend. “Oppa,” she calls to you with raspy voice, “don’t leave me.” You join her in bed and pull her into a cuddle. “Wait, don’t you want to change first, babe? I prepared some clothes for you.” You can tell that she doesn’t want to move too much but her work clothes are anything but comfortable. “Help me change, oppa,” she says.

“May I?” You ask for consent, which Jiwoo gives in the form of a nod. You start unbuttoning her shirt from the top. With Jiwoo’s cooperation, you free her arms from the restraining sleeves of her shirt, and if it weren’t for her bra, she’d be entirely topless right now. You move to take off her trousers, but first: “may I, baby?” Jiwoo nods to your question, expressing her consent one more time, so with that, you unzip her trousers and pull them down her legs until they’re properly off.

Jiwoo lifts her butt off the bed when you try putting on a pair of shorts for her. “Last one, baby.” You put on a T-shirt for her, and she cooperates once again by putting her arms through the sleeves herself. “Good girl,” you peck her on the forehead, “my turn now.”

You change into a T-shirt and shorts before joining your girlfriend in bed. “Hngh,” Jiwoo grunts again while reaching her arms out, asking to be held. “Of course, baby; I won’t forget about you.” You pull her into your embrace and close your eyes, savoring the lingering scent of her perfume from this morning. “Let’s rest a bit, okay? We can worry about other stuff later,” you say.

-

Something is telling you to open your eyes, so you do—what time is it, even? In your half-asleep state, you look around the dark bedroom with your half-open eyes. You can see and feel that Jiwoo is still in your arms, which is a good start. You gently run your hand on her back, just the way she likes it.

If there’s anything that could be considered “wrong” with you, it’s your inability to keep your hands off your girlfriend, but at least she’s okay with it most of the time; physical contact is one of Jiwoo’s favorite things in the world.

“Oppa,” she calls to you suddenly, “I want to be with you forever.” You really want to say that you’re working on it, but you don’t want to spoil your plans, so for now, you give her a basic answer: “I want to be with you forever as well, baby; there’s nothing more that I want for us than that.”

“Do you think we have Harvey-oppa’s approval?” Ah, she’s concerned about your older brother, the honorary head of the Han family. “You do,” you assure her, “he and Yooyeon-noona know what kind of person we are. Not only that, but they also know that we’re in love with each other.” Jiwoo lets out a hum, seemingly satisfied with your answer.

“Their anniversary is around the corner, right?” Jiwoo moves on to the next subject. “Huh, you’re right,” you just realized now. “We should call them, oppa; you know, say congratulations and all that,” she suggests. “We’ll call them this morning before leaving for work, okay? Let’s try going to sleep again for now.” You peck her head a few times and close your eyes again.

-

The morning rolls around, and you wake up after what felt like a few minutes of sleep (it was probably a few hours in actuality). “Baby, sweetie, cookie—let’s wake up, hey?” You poke Jiwoo a few times to wake her up, and she slowly opens her eyes. “I’m tired, oppa,” she says. You look at your phone to see if she has time for extra rest. “You have 30 minutes, baby—I’ll take a shower first while you sleep, okay?”

While standing under running water, you remember Jiwoo telling you that your brother’s anniversary is coming soon. “I should call them after this,” you think. You quickly finish showering and check up on your girlfriend again.

“Baby, I’m sorry but your time is up.” You hate breaking it to her, but you have no other choice. With a groan, Jiwoo gets off the bed and wraps her arms around your body. “Take care of me, oppa.” You’re not sure what kind of taking care of she needs, but you think that it’s probably best to have her shower first. You lift her by her thighs and carry her towards the bathroom.

She lightly bites you in the neck when she notices that you’re taking her to the bathroom. “Oh my God, I hate you sometimes—why are you doing this to me, oppa?” “Sorry, baby, but this is necessary.” You gently lower her onto her feet and make to leave the bathroom area. “Wait!” Jiwoo halts your steps by hugging you from behind. “Please—please don’t leave me.”

You’re not sure why she’s behaving like this. “Baby, are you okay? You don’t act like this usually.” “I-I don’t know,” she says, “I just don’t want to be left alone.” “Okay, so do you want to shower with me, or do you want me to wait here?” Jiwoo takes a sniff and lets out a grunt after. “You already showered, so I’ll just shower alone—wait here, please.”

Jiwoo lets go of the hug and walk backwards to the bathroom, keeping her eyes on you the whole time. “I’m not going anywhere, baby.” You sit on the floor in front of the bathroom and simply wait for her to shower. “What’s going on with Jiwoo, man?” You ask yourself, wondering why she’s acting like this out of nowhere.

-

You feel someone poking you on the knee. “Oppa, what are you doing?” You open your eyes and see Jiwoo, fresh out of the shower with wet hair, kneeling in front of you. “Did you fall asleep, oppa?” “I must’ve,” you rub your eyes to get yourself together, “you’re done showering, baby?” Jiwoo holds your hands and tugs, signaling to you to stand up, so you do just that. She then comes in for a hug, placing her head on your chest. “I’m sorry for being difficult, oppa.” You assure her that she has nothing to be sorry for. “You’re always so kind, oppa—thank you,” she says.

You lie down on the sofa while Jiwoo dries her hair, and you’re reminded again that your brother and his wife, Yooyeon, are celebrating their anniversary today. You come up with a congratulatory message and send it to Yooyeon. “I think I’m looking to propose by the end of the month, noona,” you add.

The app says that she’s typing, and the timing couldn’t be any more perfect: Jiwoo is asking if you can video call your sister-in-law. “Sure, let’s do it,” you say. Once she’s ready, you start the call.

“Hey, guys,” your brother greets you from the other side of the screen, “good morning!”

You take the speaking baton first. “Good morning, hyung and noona—congratulations on the 6th anniversary, guys!”

Harvey thanks you for the congratulations, and in return, he asks how you and Jiwoo are doing. “We’ve been very good, oppa,” Jiwoo takes the baton from you, “I know we’re not married yet, but our 2nd anniversary is around the corner.”

Truthfully, you forgot that it is indeed around the corner; you shoot a glance at the sleeping TV, which screen saver says the date and time, and see that your anniversary is 6 days away.

“Ask Shane to take you on a dinner, Jiwoo-yah; I’m sure he has the money for it,” your brother says, snapping you out of your little trance, and the gears in your head start turning, trying to quickly come up with a plan to celebrate your anniversary.

Through the video call, you see that your sister-in-law is aiming her camera at the food on their table. “Ahhhh, unnieeee!” Jiwoo slaps your thighs repeatedly, reacting hysterically to the Morningside logo on the bowl shown on the screen. She promptly turns her attention to you and whispers something right in your ear. “Oppa, can we go to Morningside this weekend?” You respond to her suggestion with a nod. “We’ll join you next time, unnie—we have other things to do today,” Jiwoo says.

You take turns with your girlfriend to start conversations with your brother and his wife, and after a few minutes, you notice that she’s almost ready to end the call. “Harvey-oppa, Yooyeon-unnie,” Jiwoo says, her tone sweet and sincere, “congratulations on the anniversary, seriously. I hope me and oppa get to live happily together like the two of you.” “Thank you for the kind words, cookie,” Harvey says, “we’re rooting for the both of you—see you soon!”

You exchange goodbye waves with the people on the other side of the screen then end the call right after. “Visit us this Saturday for Jack-in-the-box,” says a text message from Yooyeon, making your heart rate climb. “What does that mean, oppa?” Jiwoo points at your screen, right where the floating notification is. “I-I don’t know,” you answer nervously.

You’re nervous because truthfully, you know what it means: you, Shaun, and Harvey came up with that term to secretly refer to “getting a ring and proposing” when Harvey was courting Yooyeon a few years ago. So the fact that he’s said it now after all this time must mean that he’s in full support of your relationship and encourages you to commit further, which is both exciting and nerve-wracking.

“You believe in us, don’t you, hyung?” You say in your head while trying to maintain a straight face. “You’re acting weird,” Jiwoo comments with a chuckle, “first it was me, and now it’s you—what’s wrong with us today, oppa?” You let out an awkward chuckle, still trying your best to not show your nervousness. “Well, I guess we’ll find out,” you deflect, “c’mon, let’s go to work.”

-

Before you know it, it’s now Saturday. Your brother invited you to his house a few days ago for Jack-in-the-box, a secret term that hasn’t been mentioned in years—one problem, though: how do you go to his house alone, because Jiwoo most likely would want to tag along if she’s free.

You sit on the sofa, rubbing your chin to come up with something to dissuade your girlfriend from coming along, and that’s when she walks out of the bedroom with a question. “Oppa, Soodam-unnie asked me to hang out at a café with her—can I go?” “Of course, baby,” you put on a smile for her, “do you want me to take you there?” She takes you up on your offer and gets back into the bedroom to change, and you let out a deep sigh of relief; you don’t need to fool her into not tagging along because she already has something else to do.

After dropping off Jiwoo at the café, you start driving towards your brother’s house, which is quite close from where you are. There’s little-to-no traffic today, since it’s the weekend and still early—it’s barely 10 a.m.

You pull into his driveway next to his car and get off yours. “Hi,” your brother greets you from the front door, “come in, we need to talk first.” You follow him inside but see no sign of his wife. “Where’s noona?” He says that she just got out of the bathroom and will join you soon.

Your brother takes a seat on the sofa while you take the cushion chair to his left. “Oh, you’re here,” Yooyeon greets you, “this must be for the Jack-in-the-box thing.” She takes the empty spot next to her husband. “Can one of you explain what that means?” Harvey explains briefly what it means: “we’re also going to help him buy a ring,” he adds.

“Do you think you’re ready for this?” Your brother’s question makes you nervous. “I do,” you answer, “I, erm, I think we’re in love, a-and, you know—” The way you’re stuttering makes them laugh. “Well, I hope that you’ll be less nervous as the day goes.” Harvey stands up from his seat, and when the (honorary) head of the family stands up, you follow. “Let’s go get breakfast first and then we’ll visit the jewelers, hm?”

You depart in your brother’s car to ensure maximum secrecy—Jiwoo wouldn’t recognize this car if you happen to pass in front of the café she’s at. You take a seat in the middle row behind your brother because obviously the front passenger seat isn’t vacant. “We haven’t done this in so long, haven’t we, hyung?” Your question makes Harvey smile. “We haven’t, true—we’ll do this again with everyone once Shaun and Seeun return from New York.”

You’re promptly reminded of your meeting with Soodam. “Hyung, I met Soodam-noona a few days ago.” His unique, sharp eyes look at you through the rear-view mirror of the car. “Yeah? What did she say?” “She thought I was Shaun,” you answer. You hear a deep sigh coming from him. “That’s fine, I guess—it could’ve been worse.” Yooyeon is curious: she doesn’t know who Soodam is, and in turn, doesn’t know what Shaun has to do with her. When she asks, Harvey explains in longer form their history, and at the end, you see her placing a palm on her face.

-

You, Harvey, and Yooyeon sit together at a 4-person table at Morningside, which happens to be somewhat empty currently. Here are the things you and your company ordered: two Singaporean-style toasts, two congee with char siu beef, and three hot lychee tea.

“Shane,” Harvey whispers to you while looking over your shoulders. “Jiwoo is here.” You turn around in shock, and would you look at that: she is indeed here—Soodam is also here. “Oh, shit, the surprise is spoiled,” you think, and you feel like you understand how Jiwoo felt when her surprise was spoiled a short while ago. “She doesn’t see us, though,” you comment.

While it is true that Jiwoo doesn’t see you, Soodam does and tells Jiwoo about your presence. She jogs towards your table and gives you a peck on the lips. “Oh my God, what a crowd—hello, my name is Kim Jiwoo. Pleased to meet you,” she says, earning a collective laughter from your group. “Crazy coincidence, isn’t it, baby?” “It is—we could’ve gone together, oppa.” Jiwoo then asks again if she can hang out with Soodam, and obviously, you let her go. You’re not holding her back from hanging out with her friends (aside from her male co-workers who have tried shooting their shots but that’s a story for another time).

“God,” you let out a sigh of relief, “I thought it was blown.” Your brother lets out a laugh, fully understanding of your feelings. “Keeping a secret from your beloved lady is never easy—ask me how I know” he adds, and Yooyeon joins him in laughing.

The smell of butter steals your attention, and when you turn your head around, you see a server walking towards your table. “That must be your toasts, noona,” you say, and indeed, it is her toasts. You help the server distribute food to your brother and his wife. “The tea will be out after this—please kindly wait,” the server says, already way kinder than that guy working at the tteokbokki restaurant. “Sure, no problem—thank you,” you reply with a smile.

Yooyeon is the first to both take a bite and react to her food, letting out satisfied hums while chewing her first mouthful. “I really can’t have enough of this,” she comments. Harvey reacts to that by giving her a peck on the cheek—a cute sight, really; you love seeing your brother interacting with his wife and how in love they are with each other.

-

After a short ride, the three of you arrive at this seemingly none-of-the-ordinary jewelers.

You ask Harvey if he’s been here before. “Hm? Oh, yeah,” he says, “I bought a necklace for Yooyeon-ie from this place a few months ago.” “You did, hon?” Yooyeon scratches her head as she tries to remember. In playful aggresiveness, your brother pinches his wife cheeks for failing to remember. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” She exclaims frantically, and your brother stops right away. “Come on, let’s find something for our cookie,” he says, leading you and Yooyeon inside.

“Ah, welcome, Mr. Han,” a staff member in a neat three-piece suit greets your brother. He then takes turns to shake your and Yooyeon’s hands. “My little brother here is looking for a ring,” Harvey says. “Do you know the measurements, sir?” The staff turns his attention to you. Your eyes land on your sister-in-law as you think about Jiwoo’s finger size. “Should be similar to my noona here,” you say. Yooyeon takes off her ring and passes it to the staff who then takes a measurement.

“Size 6, hey?” He shuffles some shelves around and place one that’s packed with brilliant rings on the top. “Here are the options we have currently, sir—we can also make a custom ring but that will take longer and cost more,” he says. Harvey can tell that you’re nervous about the price, so he whispers in your ear that he’ll take care of it. “Your job today, Shane, is to choose one that you really like,” he says. “Thank you for this, seriously,” you whisper back to him, getting a soft pat on the back from him.

You first point out to the staff member that you’d rather choose from this abundance of choices than wait for a custom-made ring. “Can I look at that one, please? Row 3 column G,” you say. You flip it around in your hand, inspecting small diamond main piece. “Jiwoo doesn’t like flashy stuff, so I think this is definitely one of the choices for now,” you comment. You place the ring on the glass counter and start looking for other options. “Row 5 column C, please,” you say. Upon closer inspection, however, it doesn’t look as good as the first one.

Initially, you thought that you should find 3 rings to choose from, but aside from the first ring your eyes landed on, nothing else catches your fancy. “Guys, what do you think?” You turn to Harvey and Yooyeon for opinions. Yooyeon defers; she thinks that you should choose what you like. Her husband, on the other hand, thinks that your choice is a good one. “I would buy that if I were proposing—I’m not, just so we’re clear,” he adds, laughing at the end. “I’ll take this, please.” You hand the ring back to the guy, earning a praise for your “good eye” from him.

-

Today is the day of your 2nd anniversary with Jiwoo. Not only that, today is also the day she’s doing an interview for the job at Han Group she has applied for.

Jiwoo says that she has permission from her manager to take today off so that she can go to the in-person interview. She also asks you to drop her off at the Han Group building on your way to work. “Sure, baby—let’s leave after this, okay?”

For the interview, Jiwoo opts for a white shirt and a black skirt—a very typical interview attire worn by fresh graduates looking for a job. She walks into the building and sees a reception desk that has someone attending it. “Excuse me, miss,” she says quietly, “my name is Kim Jiwoo. I’m here for an interview.” After looking at the screen in front of her, the staff tells Jiwoo to go up to the 4th floor, where an interviewer will join her soon.

Jiwoo sees an open room with a big conference table on the 4th floor. “This is it, probably,” she thinks. It is when she’s right at the door that she sees the short list of today’s interviewees: Kim Jiwoo and Lee Soodam. She also sees that each person will be given around an hour for the interview.

“Hello. You must be Kim Jiwoo.” A female around her age enters the room, making Jiwoo jump a little thanks to the shock. Her eyes widen when she sees the person behind this lady. “Hi, cookie. How are you today?” Harvey’s sudden presence stuns Jiwoo: no one mentioned that he’d be in the room where it happens—what if she lets him down? What if he thinks that Jiwoo isn’t needed at Han Group?

“Mi-mister Han,” she stutters, “p-pleasure to meet you, s-sir.” Harvey laughs. “You thought I wouldn’t know, Miss Kim? I have eyes and ears everywhere, you know,” he says. Jiwoo remains quiet as Harvey moves to take a seat at the other end of the table. “Please, there’s nothing to be nervous about. We’ve known each other for a while now, haven’t we?” “Y-yes, sir,” she replies nervously. Harvey shows her a kind smile. “Well, let’s start now, Miss Jo,” he says to the interviewer.

Miss Jo, paying little attention to personal details, throws some work-related questions at Jiwoo, and she answers each one as best she can, glancing occasionally at Harvey. “Wow, their smiles are very similar,” she thinks. Miss Jo then turns to him, passing the speaking baton over. “So, Miss Kim,” he starts, “can you tell me what you’re looking for at this company?” Jiwoo’s heart races as she tries to come up with an answer. “With respect, sir, I think working at Han Group w-would make me be more motivated,” she says the first answer that comes to mind. “Really? How so?” In her head, she wonders if she should say the same thing she did to you: because Harvey is family. “Ah, whatever—here goes nothing.” She takes a deep breath and answers: “b-because I’d be working for fa-f-family, s-sir.” Her stutter was worse than earlier, making her want to slap herself for it.

Harvey grins. “Family, Miss Kim?” He asks, and she’s starting to regret saying such answer. He takes a deep breath before speaking again. “First, I like that you refer to me as family—I’m sure your significant other would be delighted to hear it if he was here. Second, I think that someone can only be really motivated about work if they enjoy and find satisfaction in it. Sure, working for family sounds like a good time, but at the same time, there’s the burden of relationship in that; there’s a chance that you’ll find it difficult to make objective decisions or critics because, well, they’re family.”

Jiwoo can’t help but stay silent during Harvey’s speech, feeling the pressure of the big boss’ commanding presence. “Any opinions on that, Miss Kim?” “N-none, sir. I understand what you said, and I think it made sense,” Jiwoo replies. Harvey whispers something to Miss Jo, and after a short back-and-forth, she leaves her seat and walks out of the room.

Harvey summons Jiwoo to sit next to him, and she complies immediately. “Jiwoo-yah,” he says, his tone softer than earlier, “why are you here, seriously? Answer honestly, please." She wipes the stray tear her glassy eyes released. “I-I meant it, oppa; I want to work for you because you are family,” she emphasizes. He puts his hand on Jiwoo’s, rubbing the back of it gently, the exact same way you usually do. “If you’re so sure, then I’m not stopping you—welcome to Han Group, Jiwoo-yah.” Jiwoo, without asking for permission first, jumps to hug Harvey. “Thank you so much, oppa. I won’t let you down, I swear,” she says tearily. “I know, cookie,” he replies, “go home for now, your work here can start some time else.”

-

As soon as you enter your apartment, a fragrant smell enters your nostrils. “Jiwoo-yah, where are you, baby?” You hear her reply from the kitchen area, so you drop everything at the door and make your way towards her.

“Welcome home!” Jiwoo hugs you warmly as a welcome. “Thank you, baby—what is this smell, by the way?” Over her head, you see that there’s a pot sitting on one of the burners. In it, there’s rice cake swimming in a bubbling red sauce—oh, there’s popcorn chicken on the counter, too. “You hated the service at that tteokbokki place, so I made it for you,” she says. You barrage her head with kisses, showing your appreciation for her efforts. “You always spoil me with your cooking, baby,” you say at the end.

Your girlfriend asks you to sit at the table while she gives final touches to her cooking. She then proceeds to put some in two bowls and places them on the table. “Thank you for the meal, baby!” You grab the chopsticks she has provided and immediately put a piece of rice cake in your mouth. “Oh, that’s so good.” You then chase it with a piece of chicken. “Wow, that’s also really good.” Your eyes land on Jiwoo, and you see that she has her happy face on; her plump cheeks are squished by the wide grin on her face.

“There’s no way it’s that good,” she thinks you’re exaggerating. “Why are you putting yourself down? Just take a bite and see for yourself, why don’t you,” you say, and based on your tone alone, Jiwoo can tell that you’re starting to get annoyed by her attitude. “It’s not that, oppa; it’s just that when you cook, your food doesn’t taste as good as when you buy it,” she reasons, her soft tone different to yours.

She takes a mouthful of food and thinks about the taste as she chews. “It is good,” she shyly admits, “I see why you like it so much.” “See? Don’t put yourself down so much next time, okay, baby?” Jiwoo nods and promises that she’ll keep it in mind and never do it again.

“Oppa,” she moves on to another subject, “I got the job at Han Group.” “Yeah? How did the interview go?” Jiwoo first mentions that Harvey was present during the interview and how surprising it was for her to see him. “I had a feeling that you wouldn’t have gotten away with being sneaky,” you say, adding a chuckle at the end. “You didn’t say anything to him, though, right?” No, you didn’t say anything to anyone about Jiwoo’s sneaky job search—it’s just that your brother does have eyes and ears everywhere.

-

After dinner, you find yourself chilling on the sofa with Jiwoo. She’s resting her head on your thighs while her hands are busy with her phone, scrolling mindlessly through social media. You, on the other hand, can’t be bothered with it; you have a bigger thing to think about: how do you propose to Jiwoo? “Should I take her to the park? Do I just do it here?” Your brain gets busy trying to figure it out. “Fuck, man, what do I do?”

You take a deep breath to calm yourself down, and apparently, it’s loud enough to reach Jiwoo’s ears. “Are you okay, oppa? Do you need anything?” Nervousness is peaking in your head right now and you’re starting to sweat. “Can we talk, baby, please?” Your girlfriend lifts her head off your lap and looks at you nervously. “What do you want to talk about, oppa? Am I in trouble?” You close your eyes and take another deep breath. “First, I’d like to apologize for being so boring like this, but I’m just stumped and don’t know what to do,” you begin, making Jiwoo both nervous and confused.

You get off the sofa and get down on one knee. “Miss Kim Jiwoo,” you fish the small velvet box out of your back pocket, “will you marry me?” She stays silent. Her palm is covering her mouth. Her eyes are as wide as they can be. This isn’t quite the reaction you were hoping for, and as you wonder if you’ve made a bad move, your eyes wander off towards her knees.

“Yes, I will,” is her answer. When your eyes meet with her again, you see that tears are coming out of her eyes in abundance. “I will, oppa—I will marry you,” she repeats. Seeing her cry makes you emotional, and without command, your eyes start releasing tears. “I’m sorry, I should’ve come up with something grander for my proposal,” you say, feeling regretful. She joins you on the floor and hugs you tightly. She assures you that it’s okay and you have nothing to worry about. “It doesn’t take away from your efforts, oppa,” she uses your words against you. Deep inside, however, you promise that you’ll propose again with a grander prelude—Harvey proposed to Yooyeon at The Sapphire, maybe you can replicate that.

Jiwoo lets go of the hug and looks at the ring that’s still sitting in its tiny pedestal in the box. “I-I think you’re supposed to put it on my finger, oppa.” You chuckle. “Sorry, baby. I’m new to all of this,” you crack a little joke, earning a giggle from your girlfriend. You pull the ring out of the box and slide it onto her ring finger on her right hand. “I’m yours forever now, oppa,” she says while turning her hand around to inspect the ring. “This is a beautiful ring, too.” You place your forehead on hers, still unable to calm yourself down and stop the tears. “I love you, Jiwoo-yah. I love you with every cell in my body.” Jiwoo says she loves you more, referring to you as her fiancé.

“Oh, speaking of fiancé,” she says, pulling away from your embrace, “now that we’re really official, I want to go to university again, oppa—you know, get my master’s degree and all that.” You wipe your tears off your face and gather yourself. “O-okay, go—hah—go on.” “Can you, erm, can you pay for that, please?” Obviously, you’re not stopping your fiancé from getting higher education, so without thinking twice, you say yes. “I’m sure it’ll be beneficial for all of us, baby, so go ahead. Let me worry about the tuition,” you add.

In joy, Jiwoo jumps to hug you, and only now are you remembering an important fact. “Happy anniversary, baby.” Your fiancé lets out a chuckle. “I thought you forgot about it, oppa.” “I’m sorry, baby. I’m a freaking mess today,” you say. “Let me help fix that mess.” Jiwoo plants her lips on yours while her hands are fixed on your shoulders, and at this point, you swear that every mess in your heart and mind has been washed away. “Thank you, baby. I needed that so bad,” you thank her for the help. “Can we go to the bedroom, oppa?” “We sure can, baby.” You carry her in your arms and walk towards the bedroom.

“We’re here, baby,” you say as you climb onto the bed, “so, how do you want to cuddle?” Your fiancé frees herself from your arms, shaking her head as she does. “If we’re getting really married, oppa, you need to get better at catching signals,” she says. You look at her wordlessly while she takes her T-shirt off and throws it over her head. “Oh, she wanted to have sex—was I supposed to know that?”

Your attention is shifted towards her when you feel her fingers on the first button of your shirt, stripping you out of your work clothes. “You just proposed to me and agreed to pay for my master’s, and you thought I wanted to just cuddle? Ckckckck, you’re terrible at this,” Jiwoo expresses her disappointment. You want to defend yourself, but you can’t seem to find the words. “Sorry,” is all you can come up with. “No need, it’s not too late to make it right.”

Jiwoo plants her lips on yours again with different intentions this time. “Take me,” she whispers to you, “take me just like you usually do.” “How bad do you want it?” You’ve now gotten yourself together and are in the correct head space for this. She starts humping your thigh, letting you know how wet she is down there. “C-can’t you tell, oppa?” “I think I can,” you giggle, “let’s start, shall we?”

Yes, we shall. You roll until your fiancé is lying on her back, and her beauty instantly catches your attention. “My God, you’re so beautiful, love. Who am I to be so lucky to be with you?” Your words satisfy her, as shown by her precious smile on her face and her soft hands on yours. “Who am I to be so lucky to be engaged to you, oppa?” You ask if you can show her how much you love her. “Show me, oppa, and I’ll do the same,” she says.

You put your lips on her neck, nibbling and sucking until it’s marked with your love. “Oh, yes, please keep going,” Jiwoo eggs you on. “You’re mine, baby, and I’m yours—forever,” you whisper to her, giving her goosebumps. “I’m yours, oppa, and you’re mine,” she replies. “Please take me already—I can’t wait any longer.” You chuckle. “One second, baby; let me finish marking you first.”

You’ve sucked and nibbled for a few more minutes now, and when you pull away to inspect your work, you see a decently sized dark circle on the side of her neck. “Now everyone knows you’re mine.” You straighten your back, and that’s when Jiwoo asks you to “put it in.” Obviously, you know what it means, but it doesn’t hurt to tease her just a tad more. “Put what in, baby?” Your fiancé takes a deep breath, annoyed and impatient. “Your junior,” she says, “put it in me.”

You move towards her legs that are still covered by her mini shorts. When you grab the waistband, Jiwoo places her hands over yours. “Yes, baby?” You ask in case she wants to change her mind.

“Let’s make some promises before we start, oppa.”

“Sure, baby. What is it?”

“Promise me that you’ll pay for my tuition.”

“We’ve talked about it before, but yes, I promise.”

“Promise me that you’ll love me forever and never leave me for anyone else.”

“I promise.”

“Lastly, promise me that you’ll call me love—you know, since we’re getting married.”

“I promise, love.”

“Great,” she smiles, “now we can start.”

With her consent, you pull down her shorts down her legs and past her ankles. Oh, look at that: there’s a big wet spot on her panties—how cute. You free yourself of your work clothes, and while you do that, Jiwoo frees her tits from its constraints. “Respectfully, you look very, very hot, love,” you say, drooling as you do. “And all of me is yours, oppa,” she replies, “my lips, my breasts, my vagina—everything.” “That’s certainly one way to put it,” you think to yourself.

You hold your cock in one hand, and without struggling too much, you ease your way into her warm and wet core. “T-took you long enough,” Jiwoo quips, “oh, yes, that’s good, oppa.” You wrap your arms around her body, and in response, she wraps her limbs around yours, locking you in place to make sure she has maximum physical contact. She proceeds to let out moans right into your ear, showing you how much she’s enjoying this. “I love you, baby—fuck, I love you so much,” you whisper. “W-wrong pet name,” she still has the head space to say such thing.

“I’m about to burst, oppa,” she says, “please—oh, God—please, oppa.” You notice that her embrace is getting loose, so you take advantage of it and straighten your posture, thus allowing you to deliver better thrusts. “Go on, baby,” you urge her, “burst for your fiancé.” Obviously, words aren’t enough; you need to keep up the tempo to be able to send her flying across the finish line.

Jiwoo’s moans become louder as she inches closer towards orgasm—she’s also squirming around. You grit your teeth when you feel her insides squeezing your shaft. “Come on, love; cum for me.” You turn up the pace to the highest you can possibly do while making sure you’re hitting her deepest points. You pull out just in time as she screams from the top of her lungs, her thighs trembling from the hard-hitting orgasm.

Amidst her moans and pants, Jiwoo manages to ask you to hold her, so you do just that, enveloping her with your arms. “That’s good, love,” you praise her, “you’re so good at this.” “Th-thank you,” she replies with heavy breaths. You pamper her with endless sweet words while waiting for her to calm down; among them is, “I love you and will spend the rest of my life with you.” She can’t string together a proper reply just yet, but that’s fine; you’re certain that the message is well received.

Her pants have died down after a few minutes, and when you check on her, you see that she’s fallen asleep. “How cute,” you pinch her cheek lightly, “well, good night, love.” Without letting go, you roll over so that she’s lying square on your body and close your eyes.

-

During your sleep, you’re shown a dream. One where Jiwoo is on her knees while moving her mouth up and down along your length. You put a hand on the back of her head, assisting her in making sure that her hair doesn’t get in the way. “That’s good, love—that’s very good,” a praise freely escapes your lips, just like usual. Your praise excites Jiwoo, making her bob her head faster. Unfortunately for you, you’re starting to lose your grip on the scene, seeing it slowly fade away to be replaced with a different one.

At least that’s what it seemed like was about to happen. Instead, your brain wakes you up. “Wait, I know this feeling,” you say in your head. Your eyes roam downwards as you try to get a grip on the situation around you. “Love? What are you doing?” “What do you mean what am I doing? What does it look like, oppa?” Well, it looks like she’s stroking your cock, kissing your tip occasionally. “I thought you wouldn’t wake up,” she says.

You tell her that you saw her sucking you off in your dream. “I mean, I was sucking you off in your sleep,” she reveals. “So that was a mix of dream and reality, wasn’t it, love?” Jiwoo laughs. “Even in your dream, you can tell that I’m touching you.”

Jiwoo asks you to sit, so you sit and lean against the headrest. She then crawls between your spread legs and takes you deep in her mouth. Just like you did in your dream, you place a hand on the back of her head, petting her gently as you do. “That’s so damn good, love,” a praise freely escapes your lips, just like usual, and as per usual, it excites Jiwoo. You can feel her moving along your shaft faster, pushing through the gag reflex. “Fuck, you’re going to make me bust,” you say the first thing that comes to mind.

You’re ready to send your load straight into her stomach; your cock is throbbing and cum is pooling on your tip, and—ah, fuck, she removes you from her mouth. “No, no, no,” she wiggles her finger in front of you, “you don’t get to cum in my mouth anymore; I’m your fiancé, not your girlfriend.” Your racing heart doesn’t allow you to come up with a reply, but that’s okay with Jiwoo.

She turns her back against you and move backwards until her entrance is hovering right over your tip. “From this point onwards, you can only cum in my pussy—is that understood, my dear fiancé?” “Yes, love, I understand.” Happy with your answer, she lowers herself until you’re fully inside her. “Oh, fuck,” she lets out a gasp, “fuck, fuck, fuck!” She starts fucking herself on your cock, her hands and knees serving as stabilizers. You lean back and admire the way her hourglass figure looks from behind.

“I-I thought you—oh my God—I thought you were close, oppa?” “I am,” you admit, “I’m about to bust any second now.” Hearing such an answer invigorates Jiwoo, giving her the push she needs to keep going until you cum.

With a profanity, you send your load deep inside her, and Jiwoo plants her butt on your crotch so that nothing leaks out. The warmth of your ejaculation makes her let out a very long moan. “Do you want to be a dad?” “No, love, not yet,” you reply between your heavy pants. “Then you’ll need to buy me some pills—we’ve run out of them.” “We’ll get some later before we leave for work, love.”

That’s one question answered, and it’s time to address the other one: how can you prevent her from making a mess on the bed? “Just carry me reversed like this to the bathroom and pull out there,” she suggests. You gather the strength in your legs and stand up. “Hehehe,” you let out a suspicious laugh, “come to think of it, we’ve never had sex while standing up.” “Let’s not—oh, fuck—let’s not get ideas now, oppa; I don’t have the energy for more.”

You arrive at the bedroom with no accident, which means you can now “safely” pull out of her hot core. “Fuck, that’s a lot,” you comment. “That’s just how much you love me,” she giggles, “so what do we do now?” You don’t know what time it is (because there’s no clock in the bathroom, obviously), but you guess that it’s probably best to quickly clean up and go back to sleep soon.

-

You’re back in bed with your fiancé after quickly cleaning up. Jiwoo puts her right hand in the air and inspects the ring (despite the darkness of the room). “When did you buy this, oppa?” You reveal to her that Harvey bought it for you when you went out with him and Yooyeon. Jiwoo bursts out laughing. “I bet you were sweating bullets when you saw me walking in with Soodam-unnie—you thought the surprise was ruined.” “You have no idea, love,” you chuckle, “well, at least it all worked out in the end.”

“I love you, oppa,” she says, seemingly out of nowhere. “I will be the best person I can be for you—for us.”

“Certainly, love. I will be the best person I can be for you as well, because you deserve the best of me.”

“Sounds like we have a good future,” she says, “well, let’s go back to sleep now—good night. I love you.”

“I love you more—way more than simple words can express.”

[sturn-saturn]

The Vegas Affair

pairing: matt x fem!reader

warnings: drinking, dry humping, that’s it i think???

a/n: in honor of the triplets turning 21 me and @flouvela collabed on this little fic. be nice pls and happy reading!!

WORD COUNT: 1,803

people always say, "what happens in vegas, stays in vegas."

and boy, were they right.

the whole crew was here. me, sam, colby, tara, jake, johnnie, larray, nick, matt, and chris. we're all here in vegas to celebrate the triplets' 21st birthday. they originally weren't going to do anything, but you only turn 21 once, right?

we all got settled into our hotel, and i'm rooming with matt on this trip; while getting ready for the night, he got a call from the front desk saying the party bus was here to pick us up.

matt and i go out into the hall, knock on our friends' doors, and run to the elevator, telling them the bus is here. i'm super excited because i've never been to parties like this.

we finally pile onto the party bus as the music fills our ears. matt pulls out his digital camera, a relic in the age of smartphones. he's determined to capture every wild moment that happens tonight.

though their career is based on social media, and they put out videos every week, matt wanted to vlog something for him and his brothers to remember: a night with the people he loves.

larray pops the champagne, which catches us all by surprise. "alright bitches! it's time we take over vegas!" we all cheer and hold our glasses out for him to fill.

jake, being jake, gets up and messes with the stripper pole, with johnnie smacking his ass to hype him up while we let out a laugh.

tara and i were in charge of documenting the night for the three boys, taking turns to capture the moments they may want to look back on.

the bus suddenly stopped, signaling our arrival at the nightclub.

this nightclub felt like walking into another world. the strobes of light switching from side to side, the music blasting in our ears, the colorful, sparkly outfits the party girls are wearing, and so much more.

the crew and i stood still to take it all in, and we looked at each other. "i don't know about y'all, but i'm gonna get fucked up!" larray yells, pushing past us as he gets a hold of nick's hand.

after four rounds of shots, we are all completely drunk. i take a hold of matt's camera and turn it around to capture this moment.

"how you feeling party boy?!" i yell over the music.

"i f-feel fine." he yells back, stuttering. "holy fuck. y/n... AM I DRUNK?!"

"you absolutely are," i laugh at him.

he reaches into the pocket of his pants and pulls out his shades that he had on earlier in the day. he puts them on and smiles at the camera, crossing his arms.

"WOAHH LOOK AT MR. COOL GUY OVER HERE!" chris yells as i point the camera at him.

i'm not sure what it is; it may be the alcohol rushing through my body, or maybe the crush i've had on matt for years, but the tattoos that cover his arms, the all-black outfit he has on, and the shades resting on the bridge of his nose are making me feel the things i've been trying to ignore for so long.

"you look so hot," i mumble.

"what was that?" matt asks, as he stands up, hovering over my small frame.

"o-oh, i just said it's so hot in here," i let out an awkward giggle.

"wanna get some air?" he asks, tilting his head to the side.

"no, no, it's okay. i'll be fine," i say, smiling up at him.

matt and i catch up with the rest of our friends, and we have the time of our lives. at that moment, all i can think about is how grateful i am to have found such amazing people.

we returned to the hotel and hugged each other goodnight, heading to our rooms. i place matt's digital camera on the desk as matt and i flopped on our shared bed. i grabbed my head as i winced from the pain from hitting my head on the pillow.

"holy fuck, i feel like my head is about to explode," he slurs.

"i know exactly how you feel right now," i replied, eyes shut.

"hey, y/n," matt calls out. i looked at him, "hey, matt," i replied, copying the tone of his voice.

"you looked really pretty tonight," he says, looking at me.

my cheeks flush into a rosy pink as our eyes meet, my heart beating faster than ever.

"you just looked so carefree and so beautiful. i love seeing you have fun and just be you," he whispers, his hand reaching out to tuck my stray hairs away from my face.

"matty, are you confessing to me right now?" i joke, to cover up how nervous i am at that moment.

"maybe i am," his eyes, holding an intense gaze.

"you're drunk, you fool," i say, averting my gaze away from him.

"so are you, y/n." matt looks deep into my eyes and smashes his lips against mine. my mind took a second to realize what was happening before i kissed back.

he hovers over me as i hook my ankles around his waist, flipping him over. i straddle him, rocking my hips swiftly against his clothed cock, the friction of his jeans sending me to the edge.

he grabs my hips, rutting his cock against my pussy. i let out a choked moan, "feels so good." matt licks a stripe on my neck and i feel him smirk, "does it?" he repeats the same action, filling the room with sounds of heavy breathing and me chanting matt's name like it's a mantra.

unbeknownst to us, the digital camera is still filming and caught every sound we made.

"mine," matt whispers in my ear. the word echoing then the world turns black.

i wake up to the sun shining through the blinds of the hotel room. my head was pounding from all the alcohol i consumed last night. i turn over to see matt's side of the bed empty. i get up from my spot and walk to the bathroom.

"oh good, you're awake," matt says, as he spits the toothpaste in his mouth into the sink. "breakfast ends in an hour, so we should head downstairs soon."

i nod, feeling a little off. matt picked up on it and asked, "y/n, what's wrong? did you sleep alright?"

"i don't know but something feels... off? i don't know how to explain it," i replied, scratching my head as i sit on the bathroom counter, waiting for matt to finish his morning routine.

"maybe, you just need some food in you, sweetheart," he says, smiling softly.

"yeah, maybe," i reply, returning his smile.

after breakfast, matt and i decided to go to nick and chris' room with the digital camera to transfer the footage into nick's laptop. though they aren't uploading it we want to see the affairs from last night on a bigger screen.

"alright, this should transfer onto my laptop in like five minutes," nick claps his hands together.

once the footage is transferred, nick presses play, and we all sit on the couch of the hotel room with our eyes glued to the screen.

there she was, tara with a mic in her hands drunkenly singing the 90's song, "always be my baby" by mariah carey. we all laugh when nick picks up a mic and joins her.

the second clip is larray on the sidewalk, teaching sam and colby "his cool dance moves," as he liked to call them.

following clip was matt and i, attempting a makeshift dance routine and engaging in a heartfelt conversation about our friendship and the future.

"oh my god," matt groaned, burying his face in his hands as we all laughed.

"awh, matty, i'm glad you're my best friend too," i tease him, rubbing his back.

the next clip was matt with his shades on again and attempting to do some michael jackson moves with his leather jacket on.

"ok, guys, enough. this is so embarrassing," he says, laughing.

"wait, there's one more clip," chris says, pointing to the laptop.

we all shift our direction to the screen.

"wait, turn it up," nick says.

all our faces drop in unison as our ears are filled with moans and groans that obviously belong to matt and me.

"no, no, no, no," i say, getting up and running out of the hotel room.

i run to our room and locked myself in the bathroom, crying because of the embarrassment i felt.

i suddenly hear a knock on the door. "y/n... it's me, matt. can i come in?"

i unlock the door to let him in and he closes it behind him.

"y/n. what do you feel right now? hm?" he asks, crouching in front of me on the floor.

"i don't know. I feel embarrassed that your brothers saw that, and I didn't know the camera was still on. i'm so sorry, matt," i rambled as i sob into my hands.

"hey, look at me," he says, lifting my chin with his finger and wiping my tears away.

"you have nothing to be sorry for sweetheart. your feelings are valid. is there anything i can do to make you feel better?"

"i don't know. it's just.. i-i've liked you for so long, and maybe last night was a mistake, maybe it wasn't. if you want to forget about it, i can do that. i can act like it never happened."

"hey, hey, hey y/n. i enjoyed last night. i just want to make sure you're alright. the camera being on was just a mistake, i'm not upset about that, alright? and i've liked you for a while too, you know," he smiles at me, trying his best to comfort me.

we sit on the bathroom floor for a bit before we hear nick and chris on the other side of the door asking if they can come in as well.

matt unlocks the door to the bathroom and the other two walk in.

"are you okay, y/n?" nick asks.

"yeah, just a little embarrassed, i guess," i say looking down.

"well, you know what they say 'what happens in vegas, stays in vegas'" chris says, a smug smile on his face.

"oh, fuck off!" me, nick, and matt yell, looking at chris and we all burst out into laughter.

one thing i'll forever be grateful for is having these three boys in my life. we made a silent vow to cherish the everlasting memories we made last night with our favorite people.

well, i guess vegas have brought us all closer in more ways than one, if you know what i mean.

[togrowoldinv]

Home for the Holidays

Natasha Romanoff x Reader

When you get home from a work trip, you and Natasha reunite just in time for holiday celebrations

Note: I’m back! Sorry for the lack of fics lately. I’ve been finishing up classes for the year, studying for an exam, and getting a job lol. Plus, a little family trip to Vegas last weekend. I hope y’all enjoy this one! Happy holidays!

Natasha Masterlist 1, Natasha Masterlist 2, Natasha Masterlist 3, Main Masterlist

You’ve been gone on a business trip for four days and Natasha misses you like crazy.

She finally understands what it’s like to wait for her wife to come home as you waited for her all of those years. Nat counted down the days until she could see you again.

Your flight landed and she insisted on being at the airport even though you assured her you could get home by yourself. It was early in the morning so once she drove you home you fell into a deep slumber.

When you stir awake, Natasha is sitting up in bed next to you. She’s got a coffee in her hand and a smile on her face.

“Good morning, detka,” she says. “How did you sleep?”

“I slept okay,” you reply. “Still tired.”

She nods. You maneuver yourself over to place your head in her lap. Her soft, but strong fingers brush over your cheek.

“I’ve missed your beautiful face,” Natasha says, her voice barely above a whisper. She still gets a little shy with outright affection.

“I’ve missed you too, Natasha. What do you say we just stay in bed all day?”

“Hm,” Natasha begins. “We actually have some plans.”

“We?”

“Yeah. I made them on our behalf, but you know we’re a we. A package deal,” Nat explains.

She tries to read your expression. Maybe you’re too sleepy to read, she thinks. You just sigh and close your eyes.

“What are the plans?” You ask.

“Christmas lights with the team. Well, at least with Wanda, Steve, Sam, and Carol. They seem to be the most excited,” Natasha says.

“Carol is excited?” You ask in disbelief. She usually keeps her feelings to herself, but it’s a good sign she’s feeling like part of the team enough to be herself.

“She is. She reunited with Monica and some teenage girl that she’s bringing along. I’ll need to ask them how exactly they are connected, but yeah Carol is excited,” Natasha explains.

“Maybe I’m just tired but all of that sounds kind of insane.”

“That’s our line of work,” Nat says. “Are you ready to get up?”

“Lights happen at night,” you mumble, burying your face in Nat’s thighs.

“We’re having lunch with Yelena,” Nat says. “It’s the last time we’ll see her this year.”

You grumble and try to go back to sleep. Natasha chuckles at the way you cling to her.

“It’s going to be okay, baby. If you get too tired later we can always come back home and another type of fun,” Nat suggests.

“Oh,” you say. “Can we?”

You sit up and Natasha smirks. You’ve missed that expression.

“If we’re quick, we can probably do that right now too,” Natasha says. “What do you think, sweetheart? Do you want to show me how much you missed me, detka?”

God, was her voice always so enchanting or did you just miss her?

You find yourself nodding and leaning in to kiss Natasha. For the next 30 minutes, she welcomes you back home with fervor.

Once you get dressed, you leave to meet Yelena for lunch. Natasha brings her Christmas gift for her with you.

“You guys didn’t need to get me anything,” Yelena says. She begins to open it anyway.

“Oh, it’s fine. We-“ Natasha begins.

“Yes we did,” you interject. “You’re our family.”

You swear Yelena is about to cry, but Natasha cracks a joke about the gift effectively lightening the mood. You have no idea what the gift is honestly. Some kind of equipment for her missions.

“Thank you,” Yelena says. “I- um- I care about you both a lot.”

“I love you, Yelena. We love you,” Natasha says.

The affection from her sister makes Yelena begin to cry. Nat crosses the table and hugs her tight. You’re not sure who needed the hug more.

“Why don’t you stay with us for Christmas, Yel?” You ask her.

“Oh, I wouldn’t want to impose on your holiday,” she replies.

Despite her usual confidence, she can be a little insecure about her place in your lives. Natasha drops a little kiss to her head. Her sister folds into her further.

“You’re never imposing. It’ll be fun. Right Nat?”

“Absolutely,” Nat says. “You’re staying. I’ve decided for you.” You all three laugh.

Later that evening, Yelena tags along to the Christmas lights with the team. Everyone is happy to see you and everyone really is excited to be there. Especially Carol.

The lights and the company are perfect, but eventually you look sleepy enough for Nat to excuse you to go home. She tucks you in bed and climbs in next to you.

“Goodnight, detka,” Nat says.

“Wait, we were going to-“

“Sleep,” Nat says. “There’s time for that tomorrow. I know you’re exhausted.”

“Okay,” you reply. “I love you, Natasha.”

“I love you, y/n.”

[kairiscorner]

❝THE WAY THE JELLYFISH SWIM, THE WAY MY COFFEE TASTES.❞

🍰 genre: fluff ~ !! ✒️ word count: 828 💭 summary: megumi treats today like any normal day,he finds nothing too grand about aging another year–but of course, you want to make everything feel a little more special today, because you believe the love of your life deserves the best on his special day. 🍍 happy birthday to megumi fushiguro my son !!

megumi takes a sip of his coffee, it's the usual–bitter black coffee, with a slice of toast that has a smidge of butter on it. this is the most perfect way for megumi to spend his morning, at least to him. though today, you're pouting as you see his breakfast today. "barely buttered toast with bitter coffee?" you ask your boyfriend as he turns to look at you, about to take a sip of his hot drink.

"it's just right." megumi replied simply, letting the hot liquid roll down his throat, even if it's bitter, it's just how he likes it–nothing more, nothing less. you sigh and sit next to him, poking his cheeks to get his attention as he scrolls through his phone mindlessly. "are you forgetting what day it is today?" "it is... a friday. that means i have to return the book i borrowed from the public library today."

you sigh once more in exasperation; you couldn't help but think how objective the boy you fell for was, he was certainly mature for his age, but... sometimes a little too serious, a little too methodical–a little too dull at noticing the more exciting things in life, and it made you feel obligated to remind him exactly what event was taking place this very day.

"gumi, it's your birthday today." you remind him with a chuckle as you poke his cheeks again. megumi blinks a bit, his long eyelashes batting a little; you always found it adorable whenever he did that. "...oh." megumi uttered, going back to drinking his coffee. you furrowed your eyebrows at his lack of interest at his own birthday. "oh?" "well... that's good, i lived another year. we don't have to do anything, though, it's almost the holidays already." he said in a very matter of fact tone, taking a bite out of his barely buttered toast.

you puffed up your cheeks and crossed your arms over your chest. "no can do, gumi. it's your special day! come on, let's... go do something fun." you try to encourage him as he looks up at you with his classic apathetic expression. "what would we do today, i don't exactly wanna do anything else." "we could... go to the aquarium!" you exclaimed. megumi hesitantly agreed, knowing you wouldn't let up if you two just stayed at the dorms for his birthday.

as you two went to the aquarium and saw a myriad of colorful, fun-looking and gorgeous forms of sea life behind the large tanks... megumi couldn't help but get lost in the sea of your eyes as you beamed and pointed to the fishes and whales–he also couldn't help but wrap his arms around your waist and hold you close as you gawked at the stingrays and catfish that swam by.

"did you know, gumi... jellyfish are actually older than the dinosaurs; some are as old as over 600 million years old." you gushed, with megumi looking at you and nodding. "huh... must be sad being a jellyfish." "why? i mean... you get to live for a really long time, just floating around, living life." "yeah, but, if i was a jellyfish, there'd be no point to living for a million or, heck, even a billion years if i'm not with you." megumi muttered, his hand brushing against yours, intertwining his hand with yours, not planning to let you go.

megumi places his other hand on the tank and stares up at the swarm of jellyfish moving about in the tank, with you staring up at him in awe at his words that carried such emotion with them. "...you're the only reason i feel excited to celebrate my birthday now, even if it's not obvious. you make my bitter coffee taste sweeter every morning, make my barely buttered toast taste like fine pastries, and make even trivial trips to the aquarium feel like travelling to another dimension. you make my life worth living, no matter how hard things get." he utters, turning to look at you with a shine in his dark blue orbs, his hand clinging onto yours a little firmer, but with a gentleness to it that made you warm all over.

"and... the reason i didn't want to do anything else today was because... i don't need anything more, as long as i'm with you. thank you for being with me, my love; i'm just glad to grow a little older with you." megumi murmured, smiling softly as his face became a little brighter, and a hint of pink touched the tips of his cheeks. today was a very good birthday for him, and no matter what present you'd plan on getting him today... all that mattered to him was the greatest present of them all for him: you being in his life. because of you, megumi's looking forward to his next birthday, then the birthday after that, and every other milestone of his life with you by his side.

[watchmegetobsessed]

MIDNIGHT CRUSH

A/N: another year full of fanfics behind is!! it's crazy how fast 2022 has passed by, thank you for being here all year, thank you for reading my works, for all the messages and kind words!! hope to see many of you next year on this hell site haha!

WORD COUNT: 3.6k

SUMMARY: Harry has had a crush on Sarah's sister for a long time and this year, at the NYE party he can finally shoot his shot, because she's freshly single.

MASTERLIST | SUPPORT ME!

“So, what should I bring for the party?” Harry asks as he, Sarah and Mitch enter the couple’s home following their Christmas lunch together that Harry invited them out for.

“Just yourself,” Sarah smiles.

“Booze,” Mitch says at the same time, making his friend laugh.

“Got it. And who is coming?”

The three of them walk into the kitchen as Sarah grabs a bottle of wine from the fridge to pour them all a drink. Harry climbs to a stool by the kitchen island and mumbles a thank you when she hands him his glass.

“Mostly the same people we always invite,” Mitch shrugs. “Oh, and Sarah’s sister.”

Harry almost chokes on the wine, the pair exchanging an amused look, because they expected him to react like this.

“Y-Your sister is coming? Y/N?”

“Yeah,” Sarah nods smiling. “You know, she was planning to stay home, but I can’t let her celebrate alone, not after the year she had.”

“Why? What happened?”

“Oh, you don’t know?” Sarah smirks, knowing well Harry most likely has no idea what happened to you just a few months ago. “She broke up with her boyfriend.”

“Y/N is single?” Harry’s eyes are basically popping out of his head before he tries to control his face and rephrase his reaction. “I mean, what happened with them? I thought they were doing fine.”

“The dude was an ass,” Mitch speaks up, leaning against the counter. “We don’t have proof, but I’m pretty sure he cheated on her.”

“What?!”

“Yeah, well, it wasn’t working either, so she broke up with him in… what, like October? I don’t remember,” Sarah shrugs.

“Oh, wow. They’ve been together for a long time, right?”

“Three years,” Mitch nods.

“She’s been pretty bummed, so I want to get her out of her little cave,” Sarah smiles, taking a sip from her drink.

“So she’ll be at the party,” Harry hums.

“Yeah. You two got along well, didn’t you?”

“Uh, yeah, you could… say that.”

That is an understatement and all three of them knows. To be exact, Harry fell in love with you probably the moment he laid his eyes on you at Sarah’s birthday party last year, but you were happily dating Matthew who couldn’t come to the party because of a work trip. You and Harry hit it off right away and you were inseparable the whole time, he felt like as if it wasn’t the very first time he met you, like you were good friends since forever.

Finding out that you were in a long term relationship was like a slap across his face, but he tried his best to mask his disappointment. Every time the two of you saw each other he forced himself to keep a distance, but always failed and ended up falling for you even harder. He could feel his heart breaking every time you went home to your boyfriend and he knew he should forget about you, but it was easier said than done.

But now you’re single and he’ll be seeing you again and for the first time, he won’t have to be ashamed to be pining after you.

“Just make sure you don’t drool when she arrives,” Mitch teases him, to which Harry just rolls his eyes.

He was already excited about the party, but now it feels like a second Christmas, he counts down the days until the last one of the year finally arrives. He tries to busy himself during the day and not get ready at one pm for the party that starts at seven. He watches movies, cleans the kitchen, scribble down new lyrics, but nothing keeps him occupied long enough to stop him from thinking about seeing you again.

He even stalks you online, something he never does, but this time he just cannot stop himself. Though your Instagram account doesn’t give away much. Just a handful of pictures, from the past few years, only two of them were taken exclusively of you, one at a sandy beach and another one from two Christmases away, looking cozy under the tree with all the gifts around you. There are a few with Sarah and Mitch, some photos of hills, forests and lakes, Harry remembers you told him how much you like going on hikes and exploring new places.

The last post was six months ago, four hands holding drinks meeting in the air, one single wine glass emoji as the caption.

Harry wonders if you had more posts up with your ex, photos where you kiss, where he is hugging you from behind, photos that would definitely turn him into a jealous little gremlin in an instant.

It’s past three when he finally gives up and gets ready. He takes a steamy shower, even attempts to style his hair before spending an obscene amount of time in his closet, trying to find the best outfit for the occasion.

By four he is fully clothed and ready to leave the house, even though he still has hours. He feels like a total fool, roaming around the house, pretending like his pants doesn’t feel like they are on fire.

It’s past five when his phone rings, Sarah’s smiley face appearing on the screen.

“Hey, you’re driving over, right?” she asks when he answers the call.

“Yeah. Do you need me to pick something up on my way?”

“Yes, well, not something, but someone. Y/N’s car broke down, do you think you could…”

“YES!”

“…give her a ride?” she finished chuckling at his enthusiastic response.

“Sorry,” he huffs out a laugh. “I can totally pick her up.”

“Great, you’re a lifesaver. I’ll text you her address, you think you could be there at six thirty?”

“Sure, absolutely!”

“Alright, see you two soon then.”

He fights the urge to jump around the living room like a kid. A minute later his phone chimes and as he opens the message from Sarah, he stares down at the address with never ending excitement. There’s something oddly intimate in knowing where you live, up until moments ago the two of you only existed at parties and Sarah and Mitch’s wedding with lots of people around you, but now he’ll have a glimpse of the home that’s just yours.

He has a fleeting idea of getting you flowers on his way, but that would be just way too much, this isn’t a date, though he wishes it was. He’s just picking you up to drive you to the party you both will be attending.

Parking down in front of a cozy looking townhouse he gives himself a peptalk before getting out of the car and walking up to the front door. He hears the bell ring through the house as he waits for you, a pair of high-heeled feet approaching the door in a hurry and when it flies open, Harry forgets to breathe and blink.

Because there you are, in a stunning, elegant black dress, your hair pinned up, your makeup appears natural, but he notices how glowy your skin is and you gift him with a bright smile upon seeing him on your doormat.

“Hi!” you greet him.

“Hi,” he smiles, finally putting his lungs to work.

“Let me just grab my coat and then we can leave.”

He nods as you reach to the side, taking a simple black coat off the hanger and when he sees you struggle to put it on he’s quick to help it onto your shoulders.

“Thank you, you’re such a gentleman,” you chuckle softly, grabbing your purse from the side table before stepping out and locking the door. Harry can feel himself blush, even the tip of his ears are getting hot at your simple compliment.

“You look wonderful, by the way.”

“Thank you, you cleaned up nice too,” you smile as the two of you walk back to his car. “Thank you so much for the ride, I really should buy a new car already, but it’s my first car, I’m too sentimental to get rid of it,” you sigh, buckling yourself up as Harry starts the car.

“So it’s an old friend, huh?”

“You could say that.”

The ride to Sarah and Mitch’s place is filled with comfortable small talk, catching up about what happened since the last time you saw each other, but Harry makes sure to avoid asking you about your ex. He’s not sure how you stand with that situation and the last thing he wants to do is to upset you.

Every time you laugh at something he says it feels like a victory and he just wants to hear that sound every day. He wishes his friends lived farther away so he could spend more time with you alone, but eventually you arrive to your sister’s home and the bubble pops.

“Hi sis!” you hug Sarah lovingly when you walk in, the two hosts greeting you warmly.

“So glad you’re here,” she pats your back, exchanging a knowing look.

Harry is snatched away from your side just moments after his arrival and this one time he wishes he wasn’t such a good company among his friends. But he keeps an eye on your at all times, he sees you mingling, sipping on your drink and every time you laugh at something jealousy tightens his chest.

“Dude, you promised not to drool,” Mitch teases him when he catches Harry staring at you once again.

“Fuck off,” he huffs, taking a sip from his drink.

“Just go talk to her.”

“I’m trying not to be a weirdo,” he sighs, making his friend laugh. “And I don’t want to be pushy, I don’t know if she’s over her ex already.”

“Mm, don’t be a pussy,” Mitch teases him before walking away.

Harry loses track of you for just five minutes while he uses the bathroom and when he returns you’re nowhere to be found. At first he just keeps looking, hoping you’d show up somewhere, but you never come.

“Hey, have you seen your sister?” Harry asks when he finds Sarah in the kitchen, refilling the chips bowl.

“I think I last saw her going upstairs,” she shrugs.

He lurks through the guests and makes his way upstairs, not too discreetly looking for you in every room he passes by, until he finally finds you in one of the guest bedrooms. You’re sitting on the edge of the bed your heels has been kicked off and you’re staring out the window, lost in your thoughts.

“Hey, where did you go?” he softly asks, walking over and sitting next to you.

“Ah, I just… it became a little too crowded for me,” you shrug shyly. “Wanted to have a break from the chit-chatting.”

“Do you want me to leave?” he asks, feeling like he is bothering you with his presence.

“Oh, no! That’s not what I meant,” she chuckles, her hand brushing against his knee for a second, the tiny gesture etching into his memory forever instantly. “I just lost my energy for small talk, but it’s not like that with you. I’m trying to recharge, but I wish I brought some booze with me.”

“I’ll get us something,” he offers. “I mean, if you still don’t mind having me here with you.”

“Won’t you be missed down there?” you look up at him curiously as he stands from the bed.

“They’ll survive without me,” he shrugs smiling.

“Then I would love to have your company.”

God, those words are like honey dripping from your perfect lips. He quickly makes his way down, hunting for a bottle of alcohol the two of you can share. He finds a bottle of champagne, snatches two glasses and dodges every attempt to drag him into a conversation as he returns upstairs, excitement filling his chest to have some more alone time with you.

“Oh, great!” you beam when you see him holding up the bottle and handing you a glass he pours you a drink, the fills his glass as well before the two of you settle back on the bed. “Mm, this will numb me well,” you let out a tired sigh. “Maybe I shouldn’t have come.”

“Why? You seemed like you were having a good time.”

“I’m good at masking,” you huff out a bitter laugh. “It’s just so frustrating…”

“What is?”

“Am I so boring that all people want to talk about is my exboyfriend?” you ask, surprising Harry with bringing him up. He also can’t help a tiny frown.

“Not at all,” he shakes his head, taking a sip from his drink.

“Then why did I have to dodge questions about him like a million times the past two hours? Like… I’m a person outside of Matthew, hello!”

Harry’s unsure what to say. If you asked he would tell off every single person downstairs who made you feel like this.

You look at him with a tiny smile.

“Thanks for not bringing him up.”

“I…” he starts. I’ve had my selfish reasons, he wants to say, but swallows the words. “Just wanted you to have a good time,” he ends up saying.

The champagne bottle starts to empty out and the two of you are having a private party of your own, having a blast away from all the guests. Sprawled out on the bouncy mattress you talk and laugh and play silly little games as the clock is ticking towards midnight and the new year.

You’re definitely feeling dizzy, not drunk, but the champagne has loosened you up enough to be a giggling mess. Harry is sitting with his back against the headboard while you’re lounging across the bed, your legs tangled with his.

“Ah, I missed this,” you let out a pleased sigh.

“Missed what?”

“Having fun,” you huff out a laugh. “It’s been a bitter few months.”

“We can hang out more,” Harry suggests, his hands reaching out, gently massaging your calf. He’s been fighting the urge for a while, but he feels like you’re comfortable in your little bubble enough to allow this physical contact. You don’t move away, even let a tiny moan slip through your lips at the pressure of his touch and pride fills his chest.

“Be careful, I might end up at your doorstep every single day,” you joke.

“Feel free to do so,” he replies, fully meaning his words.

Your head rolls to the side to look at him, a soft smile stretched across your face as you blink at him lazily.

“Wouldn’t want to bother you.”

“Impossible.”

“What about when you’d want to be with a woman? Go on dates?”

“I don’t do that,” he shrugs.

“I don’t believe you,” you grin at him. “There’s no way you’re not dating supermodels and movie stars…”

“Oh, but I’m not,” he chuckles, his eyes fixated on his hands working on your calves.

“Come on! You gotta have a crush on some insanely gorgeous woman!” you tease him more, but

“It’s you,” he blurts it out, his honesty surprising the both of you. “I have a crush on you,” he then adds.

His eyes shyly move up to meet your gaze, but your face is too blank to read anything off of it as you blink back at him, lips slightly parted. A minute passes by and he starts to regret that he couldn’t hold his tongue. You then push yourself up into a sitting position, eyes still glued to his face.

“Really?” is all you say when you finally break the silence.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have just blurted it out.”

“No, it’s… I just…” It’s hard to find the right words and Harry is patient with you, but a knock is heard on the door and he almost curses out whoever is on the other side.

“Hello? Are you guys in here?” Sarah’s head pops in before the rest of her body follows, taking in the sight of the two of you on the bed. “Hey, ten minutes until midnight. Are you guys joining us?”

“Yeah,” you nod, sounding breathless and Harry can feel himself deflating. The moment is gone, you know he is into you, but your reaction wasn’t quite what he was expecting.

He watches you climb off the bed and is sure you’ll just walk out with your sister, leaving him behind, but when you put your heels back on you turn to him with a warm smile.

“Come on, we can’t miss the countdown.”

He’s stunned at your friendly behavior, but he just nods and follows you, the three of you returning to the rest of the guests downstairs. The party is buzzing, everyone is excited to greet the new year, but Harry can only care about you. Both of you get a flute of champagne and standing in the corner of the room, you’re a bit awkwardly wait for the countdown to start.

Then the last ten seconds arrive and Harry’s mind is racing more than ever. Where do you stand? Did he ruin everything? You won’t even want to be friends with him? After all the pining, is this really how he had to admit his feelings to you?

He hates how quiet you are next to him, how he has no idea what you wanted to say before Sarah arrived and he would kill to read your mind.

“Ten! Nine! Eight! Seven!...”

He bites the inside of his cheeks, nervously switching his weight from one leg to the other, staring ahead of him.

“Six! Five! Four!”

He can faintly hear you take a deep breath and from the corner of his eyes he can see you turn towards him. Your gazes meet and his heart is brutally hammering in his chest when your eyes flicker down to his lips for a split second.

“Three! Two! One! Happy New Year!”

There’s a heartbeat of hesitation in you before you splurge forward and press your lips against his, only to pull back almost immediately, afraid that you did something wrong. But Harry is quick to silence your worries when his hand grabs the back of your neck and he pulls you back in for a lot longer and more passionate kiss that the previous one.

He grins against your lips when he hears someone cheer on the two of you, judging from the voice it’s Mitch, but Harry doesn’t bother to check, he’s way too busy kissing you over and over again. He never even plans to stop, but you shriek out a laugh when he accidentally spills some of his champagne on you while trying to wrap his arms around your waist, coordinating with the flute in his hand.

“Oh shit, I’m sorry,” he gasps, placing the glass to the nearest surface instantly before he could pour more on you.

“It’s okay,” you chuckle, wiping the fabric with your hand on your hip.

“I got a little… carried away,” he breathes out with a smirk, but you just shake your head grinning up at him, your gaze lacing together with his once more and before you could even think about your actions, you push closer to him and kiss him. You simply can’t stop, you need to be touching and kissing him as if you could die if you took even just a step away from him.

For the rest of the evening the two of you turn into giddy teenagers. Not wanting to be rude you stay downstairs with the rest of the guest, mingling feels easies for Harry with you by his side. He keeps a hand on the small of your back at all times and every time your eyes meet, he can’t help but steal a quick kiss.

It’s past three in the morning when you leave your sister’s home and Harry drives you back home. The ride is silent, but it’s comfortable, the moments you shared tonight speak for you.

“Can I call you tomor—erm, later today?” Harry chuckles when he realizes it’s already the next day.

“Absolutely,” you smile and you both move towards each other at the same time, lips meeting over the console before you get out of his car. You wave at him from the front door, watching him drive away with the cheesiest, most lovesick smile on your face.

Though Harry is still buzzing from the events of the night when he goes to bed, it doesn’t take long for him to fall asleep. It’s been a long and memorable day, he needs to recharge before jumping into the new exciting year.

He has just put on the coffee to brew when his phone starts buzzing on the kitchen counter. He rubs his eyes before snatching it and checking the screen, an unknown number flashing on the screen.

“Hello?” he answers hesitantly.

“It’s me.” He recognizes your voice in an instant, eyes popping wide open and he didn’t even need the caffeine.

“Hi!” he breathes out, trying his best not to sound too excited, though he fails, because he hears your chuckle on the other end of the line.

“I’m glad you’re up, Sarah said you might sleep in late when I asked for your number.”

“I just woke up, actually.”

“Good. You can let me in then.”

“What…” he gapes and then hears the doorbell ring.

He drops the phone to the counter without even ending the call as he sprints to the door in his slippers, almost tripping on his way before he flings the front door open just to find you on his doormat.

“Well, I told you I would just show up at your place every day,” you chuckle. “Do you want to spend the first day of the year together?” you ask, noticeably nervous about his reaction, but he melts at your presence and he takes your hand before pulling you in.

“Wouldn’t want to spend it with anyone else.”

Thank you for reading, please like and reblog if you enjoyed and buy me a coffee if you want to support me!

[try-set-me-on-fire]

fire/743865538051227648/hm-amnesia-happily-married-buck-hes?source=share i can already picture this being such a bang the way you write them being in love i'm thinking of eddie unwavering support in the fic where buck sees people start to disappear when they are going to die and he starts to, so i'm already being like oh yeah this would be so so good. (now i'm will go off to read you most recent bang i need to finish some homework and i can finally start reading it i'm so excited)

(Post) Endless love in his heart for that man!! Was working on this a little last night, thought I’d share for tease tidbit tuesday/wip Wednesday

Buck lays down like someone unused to sharing a bed, all stiff and careful, cautiously contained to his side. It's another little heartbreak because Eddie knows this man in sleep, knows that only a few days ago he woke up and nearly fell out onto the hardwood with how much Buck had wrapped around him, inching them closer and closer to the edge of the mattress. Come here, Eddie wants to say. Be greedy for me. You can take all the space you want. If I fall, I fall.

“You need anything?” He asks instead. “I put your painkillers on your side table, did you grab your water?”

Buck looks behind him. “I assumed the one with all the frog stickers was mine.”

“Yeah,” Eddie says, sort of a laugh. “There was… last spring there were some frogs living in our yard. Actually, uh- toads. Western Toads are most common around here, you and Chris are pretty sure that’s what they were, but you got into amphibians generally for a while there.”

Buck nods, still looking at the bottle. A stormy blue YETI, Eddie had given it to him as a kind-of birthday, kind-of anniversary present, those two dates so close together as they are. He’ll be 35 this year, and they’ll have been together for three years. They’d been thinking of taking a trip somewhere to celebrate the milestones. Eddie tries to remember when in the year the hand sanitizer factory fire was. Before Buck’s birthday, he’s pretty sure. 29, waiting to be 30. They hadn’t done anything big when it came around because Jee-Yun had been born and Albert had his accident and Eddie had been shot.

“You're sure it's okay that I'm sleeping here?” Buck asks it up to the ceiling, quietly, body tensed like he’s expecting to be told to leave.

“Yeah, Buck.” Eddie's hand rests in the no man's land between them, and he wishes he could just reach out and touch and be sure of how that touch would be received. “It’s absolutely fine. Unless you don't want to-”

“No, that's the fucking thing, Eddie.” Buck rolls back over to face him, a helpless kind of frown weighing on his features. “I- you have no idea how much I want-” he cuts himself off, digging his palm into his eye, just breathing for a few long moments. “But I guess you do,” he sighs eventually, lowering his hand and blinking at Eddie across the pillow cases. “You know… all of this already so- so I guess I don’t have to- I can just tell you…”

“You can tell me anything,” Eddie promises.

Buck searches his face and then blinks, hard, like he’s steeling himself. “Eddie. I-I love you, so much, but I- right now- o-or, back then? I thought I was going to take that to the grave. But we’re…” he looks down at Eddie’s hand between them. His left hand, his ring shining in the warm light of their bedside lamp. “I don’t understand. I don’t know how we got here, I don’t know how- how you could be in love with me, e-enough to marry me? I still feel like- like you’re going to say just kidding any second now. You deserve- more, I- why me?”

“Buck.” It comes out as a whisper, not entirely intentionally. He moves his hand forward, enough to tangle his fingers in Buck’s shirtsleeves, he can’t help it. “I… You know I was in love with you back then, too?” Buck's eyes widen in surprise, and Eddie hangs on tighter. “I'm sorry I couldn't say it yet. I could barely even admit to myself. But… half the time- most of the time I was with Ana I just wanted to come home to you.”

“Ana?” Buck raises a questioning eyebrow.

Fuck, right, that hadn’t quite happened yet. “Uh- a very nice girl who’s time I wasted. What I mean is- You are loved. You have been, the whole time. By me now, by me then. I don’t deserve more, Buck, all I ever want is you.”

Tagging @eddiebabygirldiaz @lover-of-mine @shitouttabuck @jeeyuns @buckactuallys @alliaskisthepossibilityoflove @chronicowboy if you have any wips to share this week!

[messedupfan]

Chapter 9

Summary: Wanda struggles with how she feels about Y/n's rejection. Y/n struggles to with knowing who they should be with. And Daisy finally gets some action.

A/N: Hello!! So, this is possibly my final chapter of the year! Sorry, I don't think I will get any writing done during my trip and I don't return home until after the New Year starts. But I will interact with those who want to and of course, I'm always active on my discord! As always, like, comment, and enjoy!

Masterlist | All Stories Taglist | All Chapters

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“Do you want to go see a movie?” Daisy asks as she scrolls through her phone. The two of you are hanging out in her apartment after you dropped Rachel off with Jean. You are laying on her bed with your eyes closed and she is sitting next to you with her back resting against the wall. 

“If that's what you want to do,” you say with your eyes still closed. 

“Or we could just stay in while you mope,” she sarcastically suggests. 

You scowl as you open your eyes, “I'm not moping. I'm just… tired.” You are much more than tired. You spent your entire week with Rachel trying to forget about what you and Wanda did. It was just a kiss and you put a stop to it but it kept playing in your mind and the guilt was eating at you. If the kiss didn't mean anything then you would feel fine with not telling Daisy about it. But it did mean something. It made you feel things you're almost certain that you've never felt before. 

How can you explain to Daisy that you do want to be with her when something inside of you wants to be with someone else? You can't. So you won't. 

“Are you sure you're not moping? Because you look a little down,” Daisy says as she starts to play with your hair. 

“Yeah, I'm fine,” you assure her. “You know me, I hate trade off days.” Daisy believes that's all it is and leans down to give you a kiss. 

“Maybe I can help take your mind off of it,” she says as she starts to crawl on top of you. As much as you don't want to, you kiss back. You hold her against your body. As she starts to deepen the kiss you start to imagine she is someone else. You don't realize that you're doing that until Daisy's roommate, Jemma, barges into the room and you are brought back to reality. The two of you spring apart as if she came at the both of you with a bucket of ice water. Daisy lays one of her pillows on your lap as she asks her friend why she interrupted them. 

“Because I got the concert tickets! I had to let you know!” She says excitedly. 

Daisy hops out of her bed matching the energy of her friend. “You're lying! No way!” She says as she grabs her friend in a tight hug. The two of them hop around the room with joy and you're trying to figure out what kind of concert could make the two of them so happy. “I thought it was sold out! I can't believe it!”

“Uh, what concert are you going to?” You ask as you sit up. 

Daisy stops celebrating with Jemma for a moment and turns to you, “Oh it's just some indie band. You don't really know them. But I can't wait to introduce them to you!” Jemma gives Daisy an odd look and opens her mouth to say something but is stopped by her friend. 

Jemma takes the hint, “Yeah they are really underground. It was only hard to get tickets because, because,” she looks at Daisy for help. 

“Because they only allow like twenty people at their venue,” she says. It's obvious that they are both lying to you but as it is, she's withholding concert information and you're imagining another woman when you kiss her. She can have her secret concert. 

“Alright, that's cool,” you stand up and make sure you have everything in order to leave. “When is the concert? So I can plan around it,” you ask as you look between the two. 

“Next Saturday,” Jemma answers with a big smile. “I was so lucky to score these tickets!” She boasts. 

“Aw, babe, I'm sorry. I don't think I can go. I get Rachel back that day,” you put your hand on Daisy's back and kiss her cheek. She looks a little disappointed but you can't read if she's being genuine or not. She must've known that you wouldn't be able to go to this concert. “I should probably go home. Maybe we can hang out tomorrow or something,” you offer and Daisy’s frown deepens letting you know that she doesn't want you gone. 

“Wait no,” she isn't able to stop you until you're in the living room. “I'm sorry about the interruption but I don't want you to go. Please, come on, I feel like we were,” she dances two fingers down your chest and stops at the top of your jeans. She bites her lips and smiles up at you. “We were finally getting somewhere, you know?” 

You take a deep breath and nod, “I don't think we should do that here. At my place we have privacy. Plus, I feel like I should at least take you on a fancy date before we cross that line.” 

This makes Daisy giggle, “You are too old fashioned sometimes. You know that you're still in your twenties right?” Her remark reminds you of kissing Wanda and you're hit with a pang of guilt. She turns around to look for any of her other roommates and then turns back to you. “I don't need a date, Y/n. We've been on plenty of those. I'll just, I'll meet you at your place. I have a few surprises that I want to bring. Okay?” She gives you a quick kiss and sends you off. 

You sigh once you're in your truck. You look at your phone to see if there are any missed calls or messages but your notifications are empty. You look through your photo album and smile at the pictures of Wanda laughing and the ones of her playing with the kids. You miss her. It's been a week and neither of you has contacted the other and you miss her. But you can't miss her. You have to go home and get ready to be with Daisy for the night. 

Meanwhile, Wanda is cleaning her house to get ready for the boy's return. Her phone won't stop going off with messages from Natasha. The woman was persistent in asking her out tonight but she wasn't in the mood. 

This entire week, all she could think about was how stupid she was for trying to convince you to sleep with her. She can't stop playing it in her head. She was embarrassed that she initiated the kiss, she was embarrassed that she begged for more, she was embarrassed that she gave you the cold shoulder the morning after. She was embarrassed by it all and she doesn't know how she can come back from this mistake. Wanda doesn't even remember much of what happened. She knows she kissed you and started to unbutton your shirt and that you put a stop to it. But she doesn't remember what you said, only partially what she said. Moreso what she was thinking when she watched you talk. 

Wanda shakes her head now to clear those thoughts that haunt her. The two of you are friends. Nothing more than friends. The more she tells herself that, the less she believes it. But for the sake of her boy's friendship with your daughter and your friendship slash professional relationship with her brother, she will force herself to accept that as the only truth. You are her friend and that's all that you will ever be. 

Her phone buzzes again and this time, instead of ignoring it, Wanda picks up the device and opens the explicit image that Natasha sent her. Wanda shrugs and sends a quick invite and the woman informs her that she will be over as soon as possible. Wanda doesn't need a relationship right now. She just needs release and time to find herself again. 

That's what she is going to do. 

“Wow, um,” Daisy clears her throat and shifts awkwardly next to you. “Is it me?” She asks with a frown. 

You shake your head, “No, no. It has nothing to do with you. I’m just in my head. I need to um,” you look around your room to find a solution. “I just have a difficult time relaxing and sometimes I need something,” you climb out of the bed and grab some shorts from the floor and frantically pull them on. “Stay right here, I will be right back,” you kiss her on the lips then leave her in the bedroom. You slide into the kitchen and pour yourself a shot. Then another. And one more for safety. The last time you drop the glass to the counter you look over at your phone and lick your lips as you consider looking through her social media page. But it’s better not to. You felt guilty enough. 

You walk back to the bedroom with a mission, to follow through and make your girlfriend feel desirable. You close your eyes and push through to make Daisy feel good. In the end, you feel better about having done it. There’s a sense of freedom from having finally had sex after so many years. It even overshadows the guilt you would have felt for having to think of someone else in order to get started. But once you did, you brought yourself back to the reality that you are with a beautiful woman and you really got to show her how much you like her. 

Although, once she is asleep in your bed you don't want to stay and snuggle with her. You begin to wish that you had done this at her place so that you could get some distance. Make an excuse to go home. Can't do that when you are home. When you've checked to see that she was truly asleep, you sneak out of the bed and pull on sweatpants before grabbing your pack of cigarettes and your lighter and going out to the balcony. You stand out there and take the time to look within yourself and really consider what you're doing with the girl in your bed. Are you just going to end up hurting her? Despite what you promised Phil, you're not sure if you can prevent that from happening. 

But maybe you won't have to hurt her. It's not like Wanda is a real option. You confessed your feelings to her and she kicked you out of her room, ignored you the next morning, and hasn't reached out to you since. It was clear she doesn't reciprocate those feelings. She's probably keeping you at a distance until you apologize and assure her that you only see her as a friend. Something that she's going to have to wait on because you don't want to have to lie to her. You will if you have to but you're confident that you can get over the crush if you just focus on what's in front of you. 

Twisting the butt of the cigarette on the old ashtray, you walk back inside the apartment and crawl into the bed. It takes you a few minutes but eventually you're able to fall asleep. 

Wanda is sitting on her deck staring out at the colors of the sunset as she smokes a cigarette from the pack she bought the day that she met you. As her lips meet the butt of the cigarette she remembers the way your lips pressed eagerly against hers. How is it that she can remember your touch so vividly, but she can't remember your words? Were you disgusted with her or yourself? Did you tell her to forget that it ever happened? She wasn't aware that she was so drunk that she could forget details of the night like that. 

Wanda clearly remembers pouring her heart out to you. She remembers making the decision to kiss you. But anything after that is all a blur of emotions. Embarrassment remains the shining star so far. As she rolls the cigarette between her fingers she thinks about how she tried to remove your shirt and she scoffs and closes her eyes, ashamed of her actions. Even if you weren't putting an official title on it, you are still seeing someone and she feels horrible that she has put you in the position to lie to that person. Or maybe you didn't lie to her. Maybe you told her right away and she gave you an ultimatum. Did you choose her over Wanda? Is that why you haven't reached out? 

She taps the ash off of the tip of her cigarette as she sighs deeply. If you don't want anything to do with her, that's fine. But she won't let her boys suffer from her mistakes. Not anymore. It's a good thing that she got Jean's number so she can make sure that her boys can keep in touch with their friend without having to always go through you. If you didn't want to be her friend then she was fine with that. Sure, part of her was going to miss you but she wasn't going to fight for the friendship if you are so willing to give it up so easily.

“I had no idea you smoked,” Natasha says from the back door as she adjusts her clothes. 

Wanda blows a cloud of smoke out of her lips, “I don't.” Her monotone reply keeps Natasha from asking anymore questions. 

“Okay, well, I guess I will see you sometime next week?” Natasha awkwardly steps closer to Wanda. It was hard for her to know where she stood with the single mother. When she pursued her, she thought it was just going to be a casual fling. The kind of relationship that she is used to having. But then she was being ignored and there is something magnetic about Wanda that made her fear losing the chance to be with her again. She hopes the feeling passes because she knows that Wanda isn't looking for anything more than what they have. But then she hopes Wanda will have a change of heart. Except when she leans in to give her a kiss, she is given Wanda’s cheek. It's enough for her to realize that this needed to end.

“Yeah, I'll um, I'll call you,” Wanda says without looking at the blonde woman. 

“Okay,” she does her best to hold the tears back until she is at the front door. Although this is what she signed up for, she knows that this isn't what she deserves. Without letting the divorcee know, she promises herself that this is the last time she comes to this house. 

Over the course of the week, you lose sleep because Daisy is knocking on your door after her shift is over. She brought an overnight bag on Sunday and practically moved in with you for the week. It was nice to have someone in your bed again. Although, opening up the relationship to a more sexual aspect has shifted the dynamic a bit. Neither of you talk to each other anymore because why have a meaningful conversation when you can be pleasuring and exploring each other in a more physical way? Most importantly, it keeps your mind off of Wanda and the pain you feel everyday when you realize that the friendship is probably over. 

It's not until Saturday when you're saying goodbye to Daisy before your daughter gets dropped off that you remember the other reason you pulled away. You didn't want to complicate things for the kids' friendship. Now you aren't sure what to say to Rachel if she asks to hang out with the boys today. You hope she wants to have a playdate with other friends or is even okay with just hanging out with you. 

You check the time when you feel like she should have been dropped off already and call Jean to find out what's taking so long. As you open your phone you notice quite a few missed notifications and check your messages. Your heart sinks when you read and find out that you are going to have to pick her up from Wanda’s house a couple of hours from now. You close your eyes and take a few breaths to prepare yourself to go over there again. 

It's been two weeks now with no contact. Was it going to be weird to pick up your daughter? Will she allow you to explain yourself? Should you stay in your car and honk for her to send Rachel out? You aren't sure what to do or how to act. You shake your head at yourself as you start to feel a little ridiculous. You needed to pull it together. You need to be an adult and try to work through this awkward phase. Is it worth it to lose this friendship over a kiss and confusing feelings? No, it is not. 

You check the time again and get in the shower to wash up. You get dressed in something a little nicer than you normally wear to her house. Then you decide to drive out to the liquor store to get her a peace offering. You find a bottle called “Enchanted Rock,” a vodka that you've only had once before. You can't remember if it was good or not but it sticks out to you because of the song your daughter would play in the car on the way to and from Wanda’s house. 

You pick up a couple of packs of cigarettes now that you're low from how much you've been smoking lately. Looking at the wall of cigarettes, you recognize the brand Wanda bought the day you met her and ask for a pack. Just in case. You stop by a pharmacy to grab a few extra things. A plain gift bag to hide the presents and a few candies to add. Then you find a card that says, “I messed up big time,” and although you don't feel like you did anything wrong, you feel as though that's the best card for this situation. When you open the card it already has the words “I'm sorry,” printed on it. As you sit in your truck you take a moment to think about what you want to say. Do you want to write a novel expressing your feelings? Or do you want to keep it simple? 

To keep things from getting complicated further, you decide to keep it simple. You write, “Let's forget it happened. Please can we go back to being friends?” You look it over a couple of times to make sure your handwriting is legible. When you're satisfied, you look at the time and realize that you're running late. 

You arrive at Wanda’s house a few minutes later and before you’re out of the car, Rachel is running and ready to go. You give her a big hug and help her to the truck. You keep looking back at the closed door to Wanda’s house and wonder if you should take this as a sign to leave it alone. She is going to keep the kids connected through your ex until it's no longer a friendship. Until there is no reason for either of you to talk to each other. Is that what you wanted? 

You look down at the gift bag in your hand and consider tossing it in the truck and driving away. Following her lead. But maybe the peace offering will prevent the long game of avoiding each other. Maybe it will restore everything to normal. “What’s that?” Rachel asks as she points to the red gift bag. 

“Uh it was a gift for miss Wanda,” you say as you look down at the bag again. “She’s kind of mad at me right now so I don’t know if it’s a good time to give it to her.” 

“Well, did you apologize to her?” She asks as she looks past you to the house her friends live in.

“This is my apology,” you admit. 

“Then you have to give it to her, Baba!” Rachel nudges you backwards. “Go!” She insists. You nod and shut the door on her side of the truck, telling her that you’ll be a moment. You nervously check your watch as you walk up to her door. You lightly knock once but she doesn’t answer the door. You look back at Rachel, who is watching from the window and gives you a thumbs up. You feel like a kid again, her mom made the same gesture when you were in high school and was asking some girl to the homecoming dance. But you aren’t that awkward kid anymore that needs their best friend to encourage them every step of the way. 

You knock again, this time with more confidence and more persistence. You feel more sure of yourself as you wait for an answer. But the door doesn’t move. So you ring the doorbell next. It’s one of those smart ones with the camera and you realize she could see you the entire time. You sigh. 

“Wanda, please, can we talk?” You ask with a solemn tone. There is no change so you try harder. “I know that I shouldn’t have told you that I have feelings for you but I couldn’t-”

The door swings open to reveal a wide eyed Wanda. “You said what?” 

You’re thrown off by her confusion. “Is that not why you’re not talking to me? Is it because I kissed you back, was it a test?”

Wanda shakes her head, “Wait, no, you’re the one not talking to me because I kissed you.”

“No, I haven’t reached out because I thought you hated me. You wouldn’t even look at me the next morning,” you admit. The two of you stand there confused and staring at each other trying to piece together each other's misunderstandings. “I brought you something as an apology for the way I acted that night and the weeks that followed,” you hold the gift out to her and Wanda is crushed with guilt as she accepts it. 

“Why are you apologizing? I’m clearly the one in the wrong here,” she says as she admires the plain bag with tissue paper sticking out. You told her once that your mom taught you how to do that when you were very young and you loved arranging gifts because of it. “You really shouldn’t have. But thank you,” she opens her arms to wrap them around you and you step into the hug. “I’m sorry that I was being childish. I don’t know why I started to assume the worst in you.” Wanda says into your shoulder. 

“Can I ask what you thought?” You ask as you step back. “I’d be happy to tell you my thoughts in exchange." Wanda fiddles with the strap of the gift bag as she nervously explains that she thought you were given an ultimatum and didn’t choose her. You shake your head with a frown. “No, um, that uh, she doesn’t know that it happened. But we are officially together now so I figured um now was a better time than any to tell you that although I meant what I said that night, I’m not expecting you to return those feelings. I have someone who I also really like and she has some strong feelings for me… I think.” She asks you what you mean by that and you go on to describe your side of the events and she starts to blush, moreso from embarrassment than from flattery. 

Wanda nods as she bites her bottom lip, “I actually didn’t remember that part of the night. I just remember thinking that you looked very attractive and I wanted to kiss you. Well, clearly I wanted to do more than kiss you but we’ve been over that.” She awkwardly laughs and you join in because it’s what feels right to do in the moment. “So the two of you made it official?”

“I, well, kind of?” You say, unsure of yourself. “We have definitely taken things further but I think we’re close to a conversation.” 

Wanda nods and does her best to hide her disappointment with a smile. “That’s really great. I’m glad things are going well.” She looks at the gift in her hand and then remembers that you have a little girl in your car that is probably anxious to get home. “Alright, well, I won’t keep eating your time with Rachel. I’m glad one of us is mature enough to want to communicate.” she jokes and you smile in acknowledgement. “I will go back to texting you and calling you. I promise and thank you again.” She goes in for one more hug and you accept it. The two of you say your goodbyes and each of you are filled with relief as you separate. Wanda slides against the front door with a grin on her face, feeling giddy from hearing that you have deeper feelings for her. She knew that with Daisy in the picture nothing was going to happen and right now, she isn’t in the best state of mind to take on a relationship. But that didn’t mean she couldn’t revel in the fact that someone likes her. 

Meanwhile you are singing word for word of the song that Rachel loves to play on the ride home from Wanda’s and Rachel sings along with you as she celebrates the idea that her plan might work after all.

Chapter 10

Taglist: @princessprudy @sayah13 @agaymilflover @awkwardmandalorian @bentleywolf29 @thatshyboy1998 @artisannat @thisischaismagic @wqndanat @madamevirgo @likefirenrain @tearsofglitter @feltlikethat @the-writer-arcane @natashasilverfox @karsonromanoff @aloneodi @lovelyy-moonlight @red1culous @jovialsublimecomputer @natasha-maximoff @iliketozoneout @doudouneverte @druggedduck @notbornbutforged @when-wolves-howl @lifespectator @justyourwritter69 @wandaromamoff69 @awesomelygayasf @nekoannie-chan @diaryoflife @wuwu96 @wandanats-goodgirl @sincerely-indi @blueredg52 @sisiwritesfanfics @fuzzyuniversityeclipsefriend @arcturusseer @scarlettwidow34 @chasethemoon @raven-ss @canyonyodeler @sokovianbaby @alexawynters @knellyc30

[jerzwriter]

This series tells the story of how Tobias and Casey's second child, Brooke Vivian Carrick, came to be. In this second installment, Tobias and Casey let a couple of their friends in on their plans just before they celebrate a memorable Valentine's Day.

Book: Open Heart (Post Series) Pairing: Tobias x Casey Carrick (F!MC) Characters: Sienna Trinh, Jackie Varma, Vivian Carrick (F!OC) Rating: Teen Words: 1,600 Summary: See above. A/N: This little series will be a few (?) short stories leading up to Brooke Carrick's birth on August 30th.

Sienna burst into the Diagnostic Team’s office, still shivering from commuting to work during a brutal Boston winter. “That’s it,” she said. “I’m applying for a job at UCLA Medical Center. I cannot do another winter here.”

Casey glanced up from her laptop, a sly grin spreading on her face. “Oh no, you’re not. Sure, the winters are tough, but you know what Boston has?” She gestured between herself and Jackie, who had also stopped by. “Us. Boston has us. You're not going to find friends like us in L.A.”

Sienna sighed as she took off her coat, stretching her back. “You’re right. I know, you’re right.”

“No, she’s not!” Jackie retorted. “You and I can go to L.A., and we’ll see Casey twice a year for girls’ weekends. Problem solved. We’d be fine.”

“Gee! Thanks, Jackie,” Casey replied. “I can just feel the love.”

“Speaking of girls’ weekends,” Sienna continued. “Should we book Smith Rock for March? I’d love to get out there before tourist season begins.”

Casey scrunched her nose. “For someone complaining about the cold, I don’t think you’d enjoy rock climbing and kayaking in Oregon in March.”

“I don’t think I would, either,” Jackie agreed.

At that moment, Tobias sauntered into the room, and Casey smiled tenderly when he placed a kiss atop her head.

“What’s this about rock climbing and kayaking?” he asked.

“Girls’ weekend,” Casey replied. “Though I Sienna might be rock climbing solo if Aurora can't make it. But I’m down for kayaking.”

Tobias sat next to his wife and gave her a knowing look as he bit into an apple. “Maybe hold off on that.”

Jackie’s eyebrows shot up. “Wow! Casey, tell me you’re not turning into one of those wives who lets her husband tell her what to do! Are you?”

“Of course not!” Casey retorted. “The only place he's allowed to boss me around is in bed."

Tobias chuckled contently as Sienna and Jackie gagged.

“Ignore us,” Casey laughed. “Mr. Eternal Optimist here thinks he has super sperm or something.”

“Uh, before I run out of here and lose my breakfast... what?” Jackie cringed.  

Casey glanced at Tobias, who gave her a nod.

“We’re trying for another baby,” Casey beamed.

“Oh my God, Casey!” Sienna exclaimed, running over to hug her friend. “That’s amazing news.”

Jackie, still seated, looked puzzled. “Uh, but didn’t you just have one?”

“Jackie! Samantha was born nearly two years ago. Besides, it takes the average person six months to conceive, so based on my calculations, I’ll be pregnant by June. Our new baby would be born next spring when Sammy is three, it’s perfect! And I can go on the girl’s trip in March, to boot!”

“Only one flaw in that plan, sweetheart,” Tobias chimed in. “I’m not average. You’re not average. We’re not average. Our little bambina will be on board much sooner than that.”

Casey rolled her eyes. “You still leaving, Jackie? I might join you!”

“You’re not going anywhere,” Tobias smirked, sliding his arm around his wife. “In fact, I think we should get some practice in right here.”

Sienna grabbed Jackie’s hand, pulling her toward the door. “Aaaand on that note, we’re out!”

As the women left, Tobias pulled Casey close. “Told you I could get rid of them,” he murmured with a playful growl.

“You’re incorrigible.”

“Maybe,” he said, tapping her nose with his finger. “But you love me.”

“I do.”

~~~~

Valentine’s Day, 2025

Already dressed for their date, Casey wobbled toward their bed as she slipped on her diamond stud earrings. She took a deep breath. Tobias had been looking forward to this evening for weeks. Valentine’s Day was his thing; he loved turning up the romance, and he was so proud of himself for getting a reservation at Mistral. She didn’t have the heart to tell him she couldn’t go.

A knock at the door interrupted her thoughts, and her mother-in-law, Vivian, stepped inside. She was babysitting Sammy tonight, and her granddaughter needed her elephant plushie, which had been left on Tobias and Casey’s bed. But one look at Casey and concern spread on Vivian’s face.

“Sweetheart, what’s wrong?” she asked. “You look absolutely peaked.”

Casey glanced up sadly. “I feel awful, Vivian. I think I caught that stomach bug Tobias had last week.”

“Oh my!” Vivian replied. “Then you need to tell Tobias and stay home to get some rest! I’ll stay and watch Samantha; this way, at least you two can spend the night alone.”

“With Tobias taking care of me? Hell of a romantic Valentine’s Day,” Casey groaned.

“Well, the fortunate part is that you two just brim with romance every day of the year. You don’t need a Hallmark holiday to celebrate that.”

“You’re right,” Casey said with a wan smile. “Can you send Tobias up?”

Moments later, Tobias burst through the bedroom door, worry etched on his face. “Baby, what’s going on?” He asked, placing a hand on her forehead.

“I think I caught the stomach bug you had last week.”

“Yeah, but I was burning up, and you don’t seem to have a fever. Did you eat anything that might disagree with you?”

“Eat?” Casey chuckled weakly. “I've barely eaten. My stomach has been off for days.”

Tobias paused, a realization dawning in his eyes. “Casey, are you… late?”

“Late?” she repeated, almost stunned by the question. She mumbled to herself, counting on her fingers. “I haven’t been keeping track as well as normal with everything going on, but if I am, it’s only by a few days.”

Tobias’s eyebrows lifted.  

“No!” Casey insisted. “It’s entirely too soon! That’s impossible.”

“Casey. Baby girl, let’s go back in time,” he teased. “Pretend you’re in college; no, let’s go all the way back to high school. High school biology class.” He stood up and cleared his throat. “All right, Miss MacTavish, I assume you read chapter 2. So, can you tell the class how babies are made?”

“Tobias,” she laughed with a shake of her head.

“Excuse me? That’s Mr. Carrick to you, young lady. Now, unless you want to admit that you didn't do your homework, tell the class how babies are made.”

“Babies are made through unprotected sex, Mr. Carrick,” she giggled.

“OK, I'm gonna switch back to husband mode now, or this is gonna get real weird real fast,” he smirked. “Now, about how many times do we have unprotected sex per week?”

“Five to seven times more than the average American couple,” she sighed. “Depending on the study, of course.”

Tobias grinned at her silently, then finally said, “I’ll go buy a test.”

“But our dinner plans,” she protested.

“Do you really want to eat, baby?”

She looked at him, her complexion turning green just thinking about being in a crowded restaurant surrounded by the smell of food. “You’re right. Go buy a test.”

“Buy two,” she called after him as he reached the door. “Maybe three. I like to be sure.”

He turned back and wrapped his arms around her, holding her tight and kissing her forehead. “This could be it,” he smiled. “This could really be it.”

“Well, if it is, I won’t feel guilty about being too tired to shop for a Valentine’s Day gift for you this week.”

Tobias handed her a nightgown with a smile. “Get changed and get under the covers. I’ll tell Ma I’m running out to get you medicine. We don’t need her to know what’s happening just yet. I’ll be right back.”

~~~~~

Tobias and Casey locked the door to their en suite bathroom. Tobias opened the first box and handed the plastic test trip to Casey.

“OK, time to pee on this,” he instructed with a grin.

Casey stifled a laugh. “If you’d told me we’d be celebrating Valentine’s Day with you ordering me to pee on something, I would’ve thought you had a new kink... not this.”

“Good point,” he chuckled. “But let’s get to it, and I’ll set the timer.”

They sat on the bed, hands clasped as they waited. “This feels so different from the first time I took a pregnancy test,” Casey mused. “I was all alone and so scared. I didn’t know how you’d react, and I was barely an attending... I couldn’t imagine it all working out.”  

“And look at us now,” Tobias said, gently tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

“Do you think we’re ready for this?” she asked. “Two children, two demanding careers....”

“We are,” he nodded confidently. “Honey, don’t you know by now? There’s nothing we can’t handle together.”

They shared a tender kiss, disappointed when it was interrupted by the timer.  

“Oh boy,” Casey sighed. “Ready for this?”

“Very much so!”

They walked into the bathroom and picked up the first test. Tobias pumped his fist and whispered, “Yes!” while Casey let out a squeal.

“OK, OK, OK,” Casey cautioned, trying to keep her excitement in check. “Let’s check the others... that’s just one test.”

They checked tests number two and three, which had the same results. Casey turned to Tobias, simply beaming. “Looks like you’re going to be a daddy again! And not in the kinky way we roleplay every other weekend.”

Tobias lifted her in his arms, chucking as he spun her around. “Do I tell you enough how much I love you? How perfect you are for me?”

“You do,” she smiled. “But considering I’m about to grow another baby for you, you can tell me again... every day of this pregnancy... and beyond.”

He kissed her again, only for her to pull back suddenly as a wave of nausea hit. Tobias sat by her side, lovingly rubbing her back. When she finally sat up, her hair was a mess, and her face looked tired, but she still managed a weak smile.

“You’re so beautiful,” Tobias said, his eyes full of admiration.

Casey let out a chuckle. “This isn’t my best look.”

“Oh, yes, it is,” he said, holding her close. “We’re going to have another baby!”

“Yes, we are,” she grinned. “Happy Valentine’s Day, love!”

@choicesficwriterscreations @openheartfanfics

Tagging others separately.

[nochukoo97]

beach vacation 🏝️

Pairing: Jungkook x OC

Summary: Enemies to Lovers, Jk and Oc’s relationship is kept a secret, Jk being so lovey dovey 😭 Oc is extremely cautious about spending time with her bf 😝

Word count: 900+

You and Jungkook had a complicated relationship… Let’s just say the two of you started off with pure hatred for one another, and after one night your biggest enemy had suddenly earned the title of your boyfriend. You both agreed not to tell your friends about your relationship, and kept the act of hating each other up in front of them. An example would be the trip you were currently on with your friends and Jungkook’s friends, and you were extremely cautious of you hanging out with Jungkook.

However, on the other hand, your boyfriend seemed to not care.

“Babe, it’s fine, relax,” He groans as you try to wriggle out from his hold. “They’re not here, plus, can I not even hold my girlfriend?” Jungkook whines as you manage to sneak out of his hold.

Suddenly, you start screaming at him, “GET AWAY! I DON’T WANT TO SEE YOU AND YOUR STUPID FACE!” Jungkook was taken aback, hurt even, thinking that that had been your reaction towards him. But your boyfriend finally understood as he heard Taehyung and Hoseok’s voices approaching where you guys were at.

“Tsk, fighting again? Come on! Just enjoy this time we have here,” Hoseok says as he drags Jungkook towards the open living area, and the two of them sit down on the coaches.

“The day you guys stop arguing, will be the day we all celebrate,” Taehyung sighs as he kicks his feet in the sand. You try to show your annoyance, “Whatever, he’s so annoying, can’t stand him,” you mumble. “Alright, I just came out to get some fresh air, gonna go back and shower and I think dinner should be ready in an hour, see you!” Taehyung says before running back to his room. You shout a “bye” back to him as you watch him run into the room.

You begin to walk up towards the living area and noticed Hoseok had also gone back to his room. You spot your boyfriend using his phone and laying on the coach, so you check your surroundings to see if anyone was there, and begin to walk towards him.

Sitting on his lap, Jungkook smiles at you and puts away his phone to the side. “Daring now, aren’t we?” He smirks, “Wonder who was the one who was bugging me not to hug you when there was obviously no one,” You roll your eyes at his statement. Sometimes no matter how cautious you are, you miss your boyfriend’s touch and on the inside, absolutely hate that you had to be so private and careful of your interactions with your boyfriend.

“You still want your kiss or?” You say before slowly climbing out of his lap. Jungkook widens his eyes at your ministrations and pushes your waist back so that you are now back on his lap. He leans in and kisses you slowly as you grab his shirt, pulling him closer. Breaking the kiss, he sighs in relief. “You know how long I’ve been waiting to do that? I hate that we have to keep this a secret.” Jungkook sulks as you pat his hair, cooing at him.

“At least now I can kiss you for as long as I want,” You say as you begin to wrap your arms around the back of his neck. Your lips connect and you get lost in the kiss. Jungkook's hands wander around your waist and back, as he squeezes your waist. You gasp, and Jungkook takes this opportunity to slot his tongue into your mouth, as your eyes widen at his bold move.

You melt into the kiss still, so desperate after not being able to spend time with him since two days ago. Everyone had been all around each other and even at night, the girls and boys slept in different rooms, due to preference.

You both were solely focused on each other, practically eating each other’s faces out, when suddenly you hear a loud gasp from multiple voices.

“Oh. My. God. What am I seeing right here?” Your best friend, Jennie, says as her mouth gapes in shock. You frantically push Jungkook away and all he does is smirk. “Why are you looking like that right now!” You scold him as you notice his reaction. “Guys, I can explain I-” you start, before Jennie interrupts, “No it’s okay, please carry on, I think we all like you both better like this” she chuckles as the rest of them shake their heads and whisper comments to themselves. They begin to walk away and Jimin calls out while walking, “Remember to come for dinner!” Jungkook yells an ‘okay’ in response as you just sit there dumbfounded by what had just happened.

“Jeon Jungkook.” You glare at your boyfriend who was laughing at how red your face has become. “Baby, it’s fine! See? They were okay!” He tries to reason with you, but you don’t take it. “You just sat there with a stupid smirk on your face and didn’t even help me!” You start to scold him back, but Jungkook just shushes you and pulls you in for another kiss.

This time you aren’t afraid of someone catching you two anymore. In fact, on the inside you are much happier that you could now spend time with your boyfriend normally.

[mangoshorthand]

Arrow of Time- [Five Hargreeves x F Reader]. Chapter 2 (Hard Feelings Part 5)

SUMMARY: When the mother of all teenage tantrums causes time itself to fracture, Five has to travel back to 1831 to repair the damage. But will he be able to cope with what he finds there? On to Chapter 3 >> << Back to Chapter 1

Aoife cheats on her math test...with disastrous results.

Blue balls for Five ahead.

Chapter 2: The Bike Shorts

When you enter the bedroom, Five’s lying on top of the sheets, still in his cycling gear (minus the helmet).He looks almost entirely calm now, chest rising and falling only slightly harder than usual. He flashes you his most charming smile, however, patting the bed beside him. 

“Aoife ok?” he asks.

“Fine. Back to rolling her eyes.”

“Good,” he grins up at you, “well that was a shitshow.”

You flop down next to him and melt into his embrace.

“What brought it on?”

“It was stupid. I rode past the Argyle Public Library.” he runs his fingers through his hair, “it’s been demolished.”

“Oh.”

You understand immediately. It had been his and Dolores’ home base, enough of the internal structure left standing to provide them with shelter to sleep. It had been the closest thing he’d had to a home for him for forty years: the longest he’d ever lived anywhere.

“Wanna know something funny? They must be halfway through: the way they pulled it down, it looked exactly the same. The same parts were left standing.” a bitter smile pulled at one corner of his mouth, “the more things change, the more they stay the same.”

You know his mind now almost as intimately as your own: he’s not just talking about the way the two timelines rhyme.

“It’s been ten years since I had a freakout like that,” he says, resentfully. “I been to therapy every two weeks minimum , I take the damn pills religiously and still I lose my ever-loving shit over a building.”

You ease his hand out of the fist he’s screwed it into. You take a breath to respond to him but he plows over you.

“And I know what you’re going to say: the state I was in when we got together, it’s amazing that I haven’t had a major freakout for ten years. Maybe if I weren’t taking the pills, I’d be losing my mind every damn day, and I know therapy isn’t a cure-all, it just helps you work with what you got but…”

He pauses for a second, frustration on hold as his conscious mind catches up with what he’s said. Then he gives a rough laugh.

“And you’d be right,” he rolls to face you, smiling genuinely now.

“You said it all for me,” you shrug, smiling back at him.

The realization seems to have bolstered him:

“So, all in all, I give myself five stars for that panic attack. Threw it off like a champ.”

“You did,” you smile, leaning over and kissing his lips gently.

He’s always thought you have the sweetest lips. Maddening, in fact.

Even after all these years, the lines of your body are still the delight of his eye, particularly the ones that have developed since you’ve been with him. Everything you’d tell yourself is imperfection is, for him, just another object of devotion. After all, the stretch marks, wrinkles and reduced elasticity are all products of the fifteen years you’ve given to him: sixteen Christmases; fifteen fourth of Julys; fifteen whole trips around the sun that you chose to spend with him when you should have run a mile right at the start. 

He wants to celebrate that, wants to love you physically and worship your body with his.

The kiss you give him is only just beyond a peck, but he leans into your perfect mouth and works his way between your lips. You pull away before he’s half done. 

Honestly…it’s been a while. He’s kept his frustration quiet: work has been troubling you. It’s fine: it’s just a matter of feeling stressed on top of getting a little older. He knows it’s not because you love him any less…academically, at least. He can take care of himself ok and even if you never had sex ever again that’s perfectly fine: he’s in this for the long haul, no matter what. 

He’d cope…he’d adapt. He’d find a way to not ogle you, mouth dry, every time you get undressed. He’d spent most of his life having, (with all respect to his first long-term partner), sub-optimal sex. Now he’s had fifteen years of amazing sex, it’s almost unbearable to imagine having to just  ‘make do’ again. But he will if he needs to. 

He hates feeling needy. It’s a form of vulnerability he’s not yet able to reconcile in himself. It doesn’t feel so long ago but he remembers how you used to look up at him with needy eyes… Maybe tonight can break the dry spell.

“Say…how about you and I…”

You look at him with amusement, “Really, Five?”

“Come on….” he adjusts his body so he’s leant against the headboard and you can see his hand skimming down his body towards his crotch, “you know you like the bike shorts.”

“You’re seriously going straight from a major panic attack to horny?”

In answer, ghosts his fingers over his package. The shorts certainly are tight… Were you in the mood, something about them would make you want to reach in there and root around to see what you can find. They cling attractively in all the right places, stopping an inch or so above the knee. As if his bulge wasn’t enough, the way they sculpt themselves around his muscled thighs and perfectly peachy ass is…noticeable, to say the least.

“I’m a little tired.” you say, not wanting to burst his bubble but hoping he’ll take the hint. 

“I can be quick,” he says, trying to keep the slight plea out of his voice, “you could call me daddy again, if you want. Aoife hasn’t called me that in years now.”

“Nice try, Five,” you smirk, “maybe next time.”

“Oh, I’m not trying,” he says, rising to a kneel, turning and straddling your thighs, “I’m succeeding.”

He’s half-joking but nevertheless trying his luck, deliberately raising a rock-hard tent beneath his hand. Then, he rises on the bed into a high kneel.

Even in your totally unaroused state, the look he fixes you with almost makes you feel like a hooked fish being reeled in. He looms over you, head tilted and arrogant smirk firmly in place. He looks down his long nose as he paws at his boner, circling his hips. The shorts really are obscene. They would only have to be one iota tighter for them to cling to every single vein on his fit-to-burst shaft. As it stands, the lycra outlines the bell-shaped tip of his cock in minute anatomical detail.

It's a beguiling sight, but not beguiling enough.

“You’re still one hot grandpa but I’m sorry, I’m really not feeling it.”

He gives a small smile of acceptance and kisses your forehead before he swings his leg over and gets off you, heading for the ensuite bathroom.

“I’ll take care of myself,” he says as he peels off his cycling gear.. Then, in a final bid, he adds, “guess I’ll have to take a shower, lather up real good, lean up against the tiles and whack myself off with the suds…”

“Yeah, guess you will.” you say, picking up your reading glasses and the book off your nightstand. 

Five stifles a sigh and enters the bathroom; boner leading the way like a perky seeing-eye-dog. As he shuts and locks the door behind him, he leans against it.  It looks like it’s another night of jacking himself off into the shower tray. He tries not to feel hurt, tries to keep in mind all the reasonable thoughts from before. The humiliation of trying so hard only to be rejected? Rejected kindly, lovingly, but still rejected. He’s not going to degrade himself so far as to beg for sex. He’ll never be that pathetic. 

Thank god for his left hand: it’s been there for him for nearly 80 years now and it’s always in the mood whenever he is.

The Trevor Dalton school covers PreK through to 12th grade. You’d initially felt conflicted about sending Aoife to private school but, for Five, only the best education money could buy would do for his daughter, regardless of your ‘commie bullshit’. You couldn’t help but agree emotionally; she deserved the best.

Overall, you’d been pleased with her progress: she had a firm group of friends and she enjoyed her extracurriculars- particularly band. Despite this, her math scores worried you both. Though Five had taken to tutoring her himself, she was showing little improvement in school. You’d both been pleased, therefore, to see how much time Aoife had spent holed up in her room studying for an upcoming math test.

Aoife certainly has been studying for her math test…just not in the way you and Five might think. She’s been practicing religiously every night before sleep. Every time, her temporal jumps are getting longer and without the need for all that stupid math. Last night, she managed to reverse an entire hour without even turning a hair. She can do it quickly too- she doesn’t have to force herself through the seconds like her dad seems to: she can just do it. He won’t know what’s hit him when she shows him what she knows. 

Were she to sit down and analyze her feelings, she’d be unsure precisely why she wants this so much, whether she wants to make him proud or piss him off. Most of all, she wants to prove that she’s not a baby. All she can do is imagine the look in his eyes when she jumps through time with him along for the ride.

The math test will be her first time using her skills in the real world. She never blinked at school, (she’d learned early on that letting too many people in on the fact you have superpowers doesn’t end well) but jumping through time was different: when you went backwards, you’d erase anyone’s memory that you’d done anything unusual.

The test was in-class, and Aoife had taken care to discover the format before the big day. Mr Douglas would put the questions up on the board, the class would have thirty minutes to answer the questions and then, at the end, they would pass their answers to another student to mark and he would reveal the answers.

Sitting at her desk now, she’s full to bursting with nervous excitement. She can barely concentrate during the test, (not that she needs to), but she fills in stuff anyway. When Mr Douglas calls time and reveals the answers, she’s trembling so much that she’s surprised nobody’s noticed.

She passes her piece of paper to Izzie seated behind her and takes Jack’s from up ahead. Ignoring his paper, she grabs a fresh sheet of her own and begins to write down the right answers. This is what she’ll hand in…now she just has to make sure that this piece of paper is the one she passes to Izzie.

Holding her correct answers in one hand to exempt it from the reversal of time, she reaches easily into the abyss. It’s second nature now; couldn’t be any easier. It’s cool to watch. Alone in her bedroom, it was hard to see the effects; it's different in a crowded classroom. Jack’s pen reverses, going from right to left; eventually, he turns and takes his test back from her desk while Izzie hands Aoife’s over her shoulder. This, Aoife screws into a ball and drops into her backpack. The answers on the smartboard disappear as Mr Douglas moonwalks into his chair and the booger Kevin Simmons flicked across the room returns to his finger and he places it back up his nose.

Aoife lets go. Only somebody watching her closely would notice her jolt.

“And that’s time,” said Mr Douglas, “pass your test to the lady or gentlemen behind you. Ladies and Gentlemen at the back, bring your tests to the front of your row.”

Grinning all over her face, Aoife passes her new answers to Izzie.

Five spent most of the day with Luther who, for once in his life, has had a brain wave.

They’d been in Five’s bedroom, using the huge dry-erase and a plethora of colored post-its to plot out his idea: a non profit focused on helping male survivors of sexual violence. 

Five helped mainly out of solitarily with Luther: arranging support groups and having to break the ice with the story of his own rape wasn’t exactly appealing, but Luther’s bright blue eyes were so alight at the the possible scope of the idea (that he dubbed ‘The Umbrella Foundation’), that Five was willing to put his misgivings aside for now. He'd suck it up if he had to. 

When Aoife gets home from school she barrels into the room when he and Luther still stand, contemplating the timelines and tenuous organizational structure they’ve drafted. 

After a quick hug for Luther, she passes Five her test and smiles coyly at him. 

“What’s this?” he says, smiling back.

“Unfold it and see!”

He does so and his eyes light up, even as he affects to look casual. He stands with one hand in his pants pocket and his hips loose

“An A+? Jeez, where was this the other day? And not a single wrong answer?”

“You’re surprised, right?” she smiles up at him

“Surprised? Proud is what I am.”

He grins and pulls her into a full hug which she, for once, reciprocates.

“Ben fatto, tesoro. Hai lavorato sodo.”

“ Grazie papa.”

She has worked hard for this. Maybe he wouldn’t think of it that way, but she has.

“Well done sweetheart.” smiles Luther, putting a hand on her shoulder.

“You see what you can do when you set your mind to it?” says Five, kissing her forehead and holdung her at arm’s length, “How about I take you out this weekend? Maybe we take Izzie too? What do thirteen-year-old girls do these days? The...mall or whatever?”

Aoife snorts laughter at this, “yeah sure Dad, we’ll go to the mall.”

“Well I don’t know what you guys like to do. You’re the first teen girl I’ve spoken to for fifty-five years!”

Five’s never sure why, but he never feels as old around anyone as he does his daughter. Despite speaking seven languages, Teen Girl is one he can’t get his head around.

When Aoife bounds out of the room again, Luther turns to Five with a significant look on his face.

“She just runs into your bedroom...without knocking?”

Five knows exactly what he’s referring to. 

“Yes,” he says, testily before looking sidelong at Luther and lowering his voice, “not exactly much for her to walk in on these days.”

Luther gives him a sympathetic look and turns back to the dry erase.

When you arrive home, long after Luther’s drifted downstairs, you’re instantly more skeptical than Five. To go from a D+ average to an A+ with no steps between? You smell bullshit. Perhaps it’s a fluke…but something about the way Aoife shows you the test sets off warning bells in your head. You don’t want to accuse her if this really is the product of hard work, but you’re worried you’ll have to. While she practices the drums after dinner and you sit with Five on the couch, already feeling guilty about raining on his parade.

“This math test…pretty surprising, right?”

From the tone of your voice, he immediately realizes your implication. Fifteen years of a relationship has given you so many little shorthands and layers of implication that would be lost on others. The line between his eyebrows deepens as he considers.

“You think she cheated?”

“I don’t know, but it seems a bit too good to be true. When her homework’s been so poor and she could barely do simple algebra last week?”

His lips pull inwards. He’s by nature a rather cynical man, tending to believe the worst in people until they prove him wrong, but he has a blind spot the size of Jupiter when it comes to his daughter.

“She knows how important it is that she learns. She wouldn’t mislead me.”

Really Five? You raise your eyebrows at him incredulously.

“She’s a teen. Pushing boundaries and lying to their parents is what they do.”

His scowl deepens, “I still don’t think she’d lie about this.”

You sigh.

“Well, I’m going to go talk to her. You’re telling me she didn’t seem weird to you? Like she’s got a huge secret?” 

He nods slowly, considering. 

“Do you remember when she was six and stockpiling candy under her bed? She was pulling the exact same face.”

Reluctantly, Five follows you as you knock at her bedroom door. It’s amazing she hears you over her drumming, but she does. When you both walk into the room together, she stiffens and puts down her drumsticks

“Hey honey,” you say, Five at your shoulder but skulking slightly behind, “we just wanted to have a talk.”

“What about?” she says, too quickly. She’s immediately on the defense and even Five notices.

“Well, we were just talking, and we’re concerned.” you cross to the bed and sit down on it, trying to appear less threatening. Five remains standing, hands (as ever) in his pockets and head tilted. You catch his eye and prompt him.

“Did you cheat on that test?”

Great job Five. Subtle as a flying brick.

Immediately she looks panicked.

“No!”

“Just tell us the truth and we won’t be mad," you say, trying to keep your voice calm.

“I said I didn’t!” she snaps, firing up immediately.

You move to placate her: it suddenly strikes you how unjust this would be if she actually did earn her score.

“I know you’ve been studying this week and if you’ve got this score because you’ve worked your butt off then we couldn’t be more proud of you, it’s just…my Mom senses are tingling. I know when you’re hiding something.”

“I’m not!”

“Okay,” says Five, stepping forward and grabbing a notebook and pen from within his jacket pocket. He scribbles rapidly and then slaps both down on her dressing table.

“How about you prove it? Expand this.”

He looks more pissed than she’s ever seen him directed at her. Feeling a mixture of shame, anger and injustice Aoife stands and approaches looking down at the scrawled problem:

5(12c + 7) - (1 - 55c)

There it is. The familiar panic that sets in when she encounters numbers in almost any context. She picks up the pen. She knows where to start but when she tries to perform the expansion, it’s like her brain crashes. She tries to concentrate and can’t…especially with both of them staring down at her.

“That’s way too hard!” she whines, “I can’t do that one. The test was easier. You just make them way too complex because your brain is all weird about math.”

“Oh, well that's interesting.” Five’s voice is dangerous- almost a whisper. “Now I know you’re bullshitting me. Wanna take a quick guess how?”

She doesn’t answer, even when he jerks his head towards her.

“No answer, eh?” he turns from her to you, “Do you want to know how I know she’s bullshitting us, Mom?”

You frown in slight disapproval of this theater, but it’s about time Five stepped up to be the bad guy so you keep your mouth shut. He turns back to Aoife, teeth slightly bared,

“That was a question ON the test, genius.”

Her face heats up and eyes prickle. Five just gives a disdainful scoff, shakes his head and looks away from her.

“Tell us the truth, Aoife,” you say, sternly, trying to keep your own temper under control, “you cheated, didn’t you?”

She turns to you and stamps her foot in a way you haven’t seen since she was six, “Just shut up Mom!”

As Five gives a sharp reprimand for her speaking to you that way, you speak over him,

“First you cheat and then you keep denying it? You’re still lying. I’m so disappointed that you’d be this dishonest.You’ve not just cheated us, you’ve cheated your classmates and you’ve cheated yourself too!”

Suddenly, Five turns back to her, shoulders rolled and hunched in the awful posture he adopts when stressed or angry.

“You know, I couldn’t give a rat's ass that you cheated. I’m just still trying to get my head around the fact you lied to me about this !” he begins to pace distractedly, “you know how important it is that you UNDERSTAND basic mathematical principles. It’s a matter of life and death! ”

You turn to Five, angry with him now.

“So you don’t care that she lied at school, only to you?”

Five tosses his head and returns his gaze to his daughter standing between the pair of you. Hormonal rage courses through her. Right now, she’s as erratic as Five ever was in his prime.

“I don’t even need math to be able to use my powers! It’s not my fault your head’s so far up your own ass that you can’t jump a few minutes without filling a whole wall with equations!”

“Aoife!” you rebuke, shocked by this attitude towards her father, but she ignores you.

“I did cheat, okay? And you wanna know how I did it? I just wound back time-”

Five blinks at her, dumbstruck. He looks as if he’s been clubbed over the head.

“-and you know what, Dad? I’m still here. I didn’t end up years in the future and get stuck there like a dumbass! ”

You spring up from the bed, grab her shoulders and turn her to face you. Her eyes are wild with anger, face red and teeth bared even more than Five’s had been only a minute or so before.

“How can you speak to your Dad like that? How dare you? After-”

But the rage that’s been building in her bubbles over. All she wants is for you both to get out of her room. You think just because you’re her parents that you know better? You don’t: you especially don’t get it. Always so far up your own ass, judging her for every time she falls under your ridiculously high moral standards. Nothing short of sainthood is good enough for you.

She can feel full-body tingles growing as anger descends over her. It makes her grab your forearms. If she’d been less angry, she might have noticed the crackle of electricity or the feeling of polarity accessed in her mind…the feeling of the last jigsaw piece slipping into place…

“JUST GET AWAY FROM ME, MOM!”

…but the whole puzzle explodes as she pushes you abruptly. She only means to shove you in the direction of the door, but the portal that erupts swallows you whole, collapsing in on itself before you can even stumble.

Tag list: (please comment to be added or removed.) @dilfjohhny , @sunsunhe, @w4stedtr4sh, @nevbrooke-555, @theredvelvetbitch, @td-miley01, @five-hxrgreeves, @rorygi1more, @jamiebower88

On to Chapter 3 >> Masterpost

Alternatively, join me on A03.  Here is a link to the whole series

[thewritingrowlet]

The Past Never Passes, ft. fromis_9 Jang Gyuri

tags: creampie, rekindled love

word count: 11k+

author's note: this fic was inspired by an ask from an anon. Another thing to mention is that I put another female character here for the plot, and the idea is to let the readers use their imaginations and put any likenesses they want onto this character.

p.s. I know Gyuri is no longer part of fromis_9 but for masterlist-keeping purposes, I wrote it anyway.

-

High school: the most memorable part of education for most people, including yourself. Sure, it’s not all smiles and giggles; you’ve had your fair share of struggles and hardships in the last 3 years. That being said, you still have a lot of things to be thankful for, such as your sweetheart, Gyuri, who you have known since you both were kids living next to each other. You’ve been very lucky to have her by your side through everything.

You see Gyuri talking to a bunch of mutual friends, celebrating each other’s graduation. You see her eyes light up and her lips curling in a smile when she sees you walking up to her. Gyuri excuses herself and approaches you for a hug. “Congratulations on being the best graduate, babe”, she says, “I’m so proud of you”. You mindlessly put your palms on her waist, “thank you, baby. Congratulations to you as well”. The headmaster, at one point in the ceremony, announced the top 3 graduates who have had the best grades, and you “beat” Gyuri for the first place just by some odd decimals.

“We have things to talk about, babe, but let’s enjoy the moment for now”, Gyuri says as she places a hand on your chest. You’re not sure what she wants to talk about, but considering that she said that without a smile, you’re nervous. “Sure, baby; we’ll go to the river tonight, okay?”, you say. Gyuri smiles slightly at you and leaves, so you take it as a sign of her wanting to keep the conversation for later.

-

Gyuri told you to go home without her because she wanted to talk to her friends more. She might not be the biggest social butterfly out there, but she keeps those she deems important within arm’s length. You agreed to her suggestion, so here you are, walking alone through the neighborhood to get home. For some odd reason, you start… missing her. You try asking yourself where this feeling is coming from, but you end up with none instead. Amid cluelessness, you eventually admit that only Gyuri can offer such closure—Gyuri would tell you that she’s here for you and will continue to.

No one is at home when you enter since your parents are on a business trip together. You head straight to your room and change into something comfortable. You hang your clothes tidily and look at it one last time. You smile and frown as you recall every single memory of high school: the first time you got perfect score on a test, the moment you nervously confessed your love to Gyuri, and the day where you sat alone on the riverbank crying because a teacher had been very mean to you—all those memories were gathered when wearing this uniform, the silent witness to every high and low of high school life.

You were lying in bed half asleep when your phone vibrated. You pick up the call from your dad. “Hi, dad”, you greet him, “I got home like 10 minutes ago and I’m now in bed”. “Hi, dear”, he greets you in return, “you’re on speaker and your mom is here with me”. Your dad apologizes for not coming to your graduation ceremony and asks how it went. “It was alright; talked to a bunch of teachers and friends and they congratulated me for being the best graduate”, you tell him, “I went home without Gyuri, though”. “Oh, that’s unfortunate; I wanted to say hi”, your dad says. You tell him that you’ll be seeing her later at the river, “she said she wanted to talk about something—pray for me, please; I have a bad feeling about this”. “You’ll be just fine; I’m sure Gyuri means well”, he says.

Your dad finally hung up the phone after talking about different subjects, such as offering you an internship at your parents’ company and potentially work for them after college. You asked if it’d be okay, considering the family ties, and he told you that it’d be indeed okay, and that the bigger picture is for you to climb up the hierarchy and eventually take over. “This is what they mean when they say privilege, isn’t it?”, you asked your dad earlier, earning collective laughter from him and your mom.

-

You hear the doorbell ring, so you rush to the door to answer it. “Hey, babe”, Gyuri says when you open the door, “were you asleep?”. You invite her in and come in for a quick kiss. “I just had a call with my parents. They said hi, by the way”, you tell her. “Do your parents like me?”, Gyuri asks, seemingly out of nowhere. You blink a few times in confusion, “I mean, our families have been close since we were kids, so I’d like to think that they do like you”. Gyuri nods gently, “good to know”.

You wait until the sun isn’t right above your head before going out with Gyuri. You offer her to get some sandwiches and eat them at the river’s park. Gyuri agrees to your idea, so you walk with her to a nearby shop for some spicy tuna mayo and egg salad sandwiches. She is oddly quiet during the walk, presumably floating about in the middle of her ocean of thoughts, but you don’t prod her as Gyuri probably has her reasons.

You and Gyuri take a seat under a tree on the riverbank. “This is for you”, you grab an egg salad sandwich from the bag and hand it to her. Gyuri holds her sandwich with both hands, but instead of opening the wrap, she starts sobbing. “I’m sorry, did I hurt you?”, you ask, concerned about her sudden waterfall of tears. “I’m breaking up with you”, she says, her words short but painful, “I’m so sorry”. You can feel your heart shatter into a million pieces, the explosion sending shockwaves throughout your body. “Can-can I ask why?”, you struggle to speak, “did-did I do something wrong? I swear I never cheated on you”. Gyuri shakes her head, “n-no, you didn’t do anything wrong; you’ve been a very good boyfriend”. As you’re about to open your mouth, Gyuri cuts you off, “I-I’m going to start training to be an idol”. “There it is”, your brain says, “idols can’t date, so she has to break up with you”.

The realization crushes you, and you can’t help but cry along. “I-I’m going to move to Seoul next week, and-and I want to start getting ready for that”, Gyuri says. You shut your eyes tightly, “and that-that includes ending us, doesn’t it? Y-you want to start burning bridges with people you know”. Gyuri turns to you and holds your hands, “please, babe, don’t say it like that. I-I just want something for myself—we-we weren’t supposed to end like this, I swear”. Gyuri jumps to hug you, endlessly apologizing as her hands are wrapped around your body. “I wish you good luck, Gyuri-yah”, you say as you break the hug. You want to say that you’ll be waiting for her to return, but that will probably never happen—you guess that she’ll forget you after spending a week in Seoul. Gyuri covers her face as tears keep flowing out of her eyes, “w-why does it have to end like this? I-I swear we were happy”. You remove her hands from her face and hold them with yours. “I guess that sometimes good things fall apart, sweetheart”, you say to her, your voice trembling from held back emotions, “promise me that you’ll do your best to chase your dream, okay?”.

-

It is when you lie flat in bed that tears start flowing out of your eyes again. Your brain isn’t being helpful, as it makes you recall every moment of your relationship. You cry and cry and cry until the dam in your eyes runs dry. “Good luck, my love; I’m rooting for you”, you say weakly as you wipe the tears on your cheeks. You roll onto your stomach and plant your face into a pillow, trying your hardest to calm yourself down and come to acceptance of the fact that Gyuri is no longer by your side.

After coming to terms with a broken heart, you decide to tell your parents about this. Your dad doesn’t pick up the call, but your mom does. “Hi, sweetie”, she greets you, “are you okay?”. She probably can tell by your weak and trembling voice that you are indeed not okay. “G-Gyuri broke up with me”, you summarize, “she-she wants to become an idol and we know that idols can’t date”. You hear your mom sigh, “so, what did you say to her?”. You hold back a sniffle before answering, “I-I told her that I wish her good luck”. You can picture your mom nod in approval, “not to be insensitive, dear, but everything will be fine; if Gyuri is truly meant for you, she’ll come back to you, no matter the distance between the two of you”. You accept your mom’s comfort and assurance and thank her for it, “tell papa about this as well, mama; I think he’d want to know too”.

-

You sit at a round table with 4 of your friends, and since you just met them this Monday, you’re still trying to remember their names: the guy with the glasses in front of you is Heo Gutaek, and to his right, between you and him, are the twin sisters Song Yuha and Song Taeha—obviously you remember Choi Jeonghan; he was the first friend you made in university.

Jeonghan, a classmate in Introduction to Accounting class, starts the conversation. “Hey, guys, there’s a new girl group survival show on BSK; you should check it out”, he says. He informs you further that the show premieres today and airs every Thursday at 6pm—it’s called Idol Academy or something. “Yeah, sure”, you say, “are you guys into music, by the way?”. “Yeah, I like boy groups more, though”, Taeha says—wait, that’s Taeha, right? Not sure, actually.

“Girls, I’m so sorry, but which one of you is who?”, you say to the twins, hoping that they won’t be offended by your question. It’s understandable that you can’t tell which one is who, since they go everywhere and do everything together—look, they’re even giggling at the same time! You’re starting to think that their brains are wirelessly connected or something. One of the sisters ties her hair in a bun and shows you a very small birthmark on the neck. “I’m Yuha”, she says as she points at it, “Taeha doesn’t have this”. You sigh, “well, I’m not going to move your hair and look for your birthmark every time I’m talking to you, am I?”. “I mean, I don’t mind being touched by you”, Yuha says softly with a wink. Your eyes widen as your cheeks turn red; there’s no way Yuha is teasing you like that after only having known you for a few days.

The cafeteria worker comes to your aid and helps you get out of the predicament. He puts down two trays full of food and drinks on your table. You let everyone pick up their stuff from the trays before taking your turn. You look to your left and see that the Song sisters have the exact same things: tonkatsu and sparkling water. “Do you always eat the same thing?”, you ask Yuha, who is the closest to you. Since Yuha is busy munching a piece of tonkatsu, Taeha answers on her behalf. “Yuha knows her way around food, so I usually just get whatever she gets”, she says.

You spent about half an hour eating and talking to your friends, and at one point, you bragged about getting the best graduate award from your high school. Yuha kept looking at you with a smile, and you were starting to think that you’ll be very close to her as time goes by. Can’t lie, though, the twins are very attractive, and their eye smile reminds you of… Gyuri. You let out a sigh, “can’t believe I’m comparing these girls to her”.

You offer your friends a ride to their apartments, and you find out that Jeonghan and Gutaek’s buildings are next to each other. “I assume you two live together”, you say to the Song twins. “Same building, different floors”, Taeha says, “I love Yuha, but I’d like to have some privacy”. Jeonghan sits in the front passenger seat while the others sit in the middle row. “You’ll have to tell me where to go; I’m new to this city”, you say to Jeonghan, and he nods in agreement.

Jeonghan types in his address on the navigation app and puts it on max volume. “In one hundred meters, turn left”, the app says in its catchy voice. In the middle seat, Taeha plays a song and sings along with Yuha, while Gutaek opts to bop his head along. “Wow, you guys are great at this”, you praise them, unfamiliar with what they excel at. Your praise makes the twin feel excited, and you can tell that they’re singing more seriously after hearing it.

One song finishes after another, and Taeha, before the next song starts, tells the crew that this is her and Yuha’s favorite song. “Let’s hear you two sing, Taeha-yah”, you encourage her. You see in your rear-view mirror that they’re waiting until the opening melody to end so that they can start singing.

한번 쯤 그려왔던 그 날이 올까 (Will the day I once wished for come?)

소중히 바래왔던 내 맘 넌 알까 (Will you know of my heart that was preciously hoping for it?)

오 빛나는 땀방울도 (Oh, even the glistening sweat drops)

언젠가 만날 널 위해 흘려왔어 (Were dropped to be able to meet you one day)

You bop your head along, enjoying the twins’ singing. It’s a shame that you don’t know the lyrics, because otherwise you’d be able to sing along—your voice might not be as good as theirs, but you enjoy singing along, nonetheless. You glance at Jeonghan, who has a smile on his face, “you’re enjoying this too, aren’t you?”. Jeonghan chuckles, “I mean, listen to them, man: they sound so good—I wonder if they’ll join the campus band”. “That is the plan”, Yuha says, “imagine if the band had twin vocalists; that’d be awesome”.

-

You were so busy enjoying the moment that you almost missed a turn. Thankfully, Jeonghan was paying attention to the road and reminded you. You scratch the back of your head in embarrassment, “sorry about that, man”. You stop on the side of the road in front of a building that Jeonghan pointed at. You roll down your window as Jeonghan and Gutaek walk towards the car after getting off. You give each of them a fist bump, “see you guys tomorrow”.

Yuha moves to the front passenger seat that Jeonghan has left vacant. She winks at you when you look at her, and you can’t help but blush again—thankfully, Taeha was busy looking at her phone and didn’t see your red cheeks, so you’re saved from double embarrassment. You shake your head rapidly and start driving again—towards the twins’ building this time.

“When is your birthday, by the way?”, Yuha asks, “I’m guessing you were born in the fourth quarter of the year”. You nod, “yeah, December 1st. What about you guys?”. “December 16th”, says Yuha, “I was born a few minutes before Taeha, but we’ve agreed to pay no mind to that—we’re twins, what’s the point of knowing who’s older than who”.

You stop on the side of the road in front of their building. Taeha jumps out of the car and enters the building right away after saying her goodbye while Yuha stays in the car. “Can I ask you to come up with me?”, she asks, and her voice sounds oddly sexy to you right now. “Sure, baby”, you blindside her with a pet name, and now it’s Yuha’s turn to blush. “P-park your car i-inside; I-I believe we-we’ll take a while”, Yuha struggles to speak thanks to you.

You get out of the car after parking it in a vacant spot, followed by the still blushing Yuha. You show her an open palm, and Yuha shyly holds your hand. She looks down to hide her crazy blush, “f-follow me, plea-please”. As you’re walking with her (presumably towards her unit), you whisper in her ear, “are you actually falling for me, Yuha-yah, or am I ahead of myself?”. Yuha dares not look at or answer you, opting to keep walking forward until you arrive at her door. “U-um-um”, Yuha stutters, “I-I think I’m falling for you”. “That’s cute, Yuha-yah”, you lean forward towards her, “I like you too”.

Yuha turns her back away from you and quickly unlocks her door. You follow her inside after taking off your shoes, “nice place, Yuha-yah”. Yuha musters up her courage and stands in front of you. “I-I like you, but-but I’m not ready to-to have sex”, she says. You show her a gentle smile, “that’s totally fine, Yuha-yah; we don’t have to have sex if you don’t feel like it—I promise I won’t manipulate you into having sex with me”.

Yuha invites you to sit on the sofa, and you unquestionably accept her invitation. You look at the clock above the TV and see that it’s almost 5 pm. “The show premieres tonight, right?”, you say, earning a nod from Yuha, “I’ll order some pizza for us”. Yuha twiddles her fingers in timidness, “c-can I call you oppa? I-I’ve always wanted to date an older guy”. You laugh, “I’m only two weeks older than you, Yuha-yah—but sure, if you want to, you can”. Yuha grins in satisfaction, “thank you, oppa”.

-

You tape your eyes onto the TV while Yuha picks up the pizza at her front door. For some reason, you’re feeling nervous about this. Yuha puts the pizza on the table and sits next to you, “you seem nervous”. “I am nervous”, you admit, “something is making me nervous, and I don’t know what or why”. You pick up a slice as the show starts and take a bite. You see a very well-known celebrity entering a classroom set and he introduces himself as “the homeroom teacher”. “That’s new”, Yuha comments as she chews, “I want to see the contestants so I can pick a favorite”. True enough, contestants start getting introduced to the viewers after the host has had his moment. Yuha glares at you when you call a contestant named Lee Saerom cute—she’s of legal age like you, just so we’re clear. “Seriously? I’m literally next to you and you said that?”, Yuha rolls her eyes in annoyance. You slap your mouth a few times and apologize for speaking so carelessly.

You pick up another slice as more and more contestants get revealed. Your heart stops for a moment when you see a particular contestant. “Wait, that’s—“, the shock makes you unable to finish your thoughts. “Hello, my name is Jang Gyuri”, the contestant says. You can’t believe your eyes and ears; there’s no way you’re seeing Gyuri on TV. You rub your eyes in disbelief, thinking that your brain is playing tricks on you. Yuha notices your odd behavior and asks you about it, “you know that girl, oppa?”. You blink rapidly to focus on Yuha’s question, “y-yes. I-I went to school with her”. You don’t want to reveal to Yuha that you used to date Gyuri in high school just yet since it’d most likely ruin the vibes.

-

 “Oppa”, Yuha says, snapping you out of your trance, “the show is done”. You look around the room, “o-oh, yeah, sure”. Yuha holds your chin and turns your face towards her. “What’s gotten into you, oppa?”, she asks, “you’ve been silent since that girl came out”. If you’re going to go further with Yuha, you’ll need to start being honest with her, and you think that this is a good opportunity for that. “Jang Gyuri was my girlfriend in high school. She broke up with me after the graduation ceremony to pursue a career as an idol”, you briefly explain to Yuha. She stays silent for a moment, thus making you think that you’ve ruined her mood. To your surprise, however, Yuha doesn’t act like her mood has been disrupted. “I did not expect you to say that, but I’m glad you’re honest with me, oppa”, she says with a smile, “I’ll be rooting for Jang Gyuri on your behalf”.

You’re pleasantly surprised by Yuha’s attitude on this, so you “reward” her with a hug. “You’re such a positive person, Yuha-yah”, you say to her, “I love you so much”. Yuha’s eyes widen, and her cheeks are painted red again. “O-oh, that’s so sudden”, she stutters, “I-I love you too, o-oppa”. You break the hug so you can storm her face with pecks, “you’re so cute, Yuha-yah”. Yuha plants her hands in your chest and pushes you away from her. “Th-that’s enough, oppa. My heart will burst if you keep going”, she says. You smile at her and peck her one last time, “I love you, sweetheart”. You see Yuha mouth “I love you too” before looking away to hide her shyness, and you feel a surge of warmth in your heart that you have not felt in the last few months of Gyuri’s absence—it’s very hard to stay composed and not burst out crying in front of Yuha right now, but you have to keep it in regardless.

Yuha mutes her TV so that she can initiate a conversation—or at least that’s what you thought she was about to do. Yuha positions herself on the sofa in a way that allows her to rest her head on your thighs. “Gyuri used to do this a lot with me”, you say in your head as you start petting Yuha’s head gently. Yuha grabs your free hand and places it on her cheek, “pet me here too, oppa”. You chuckle in amusement and do as Yuha asks, petting her on the top of the head and the soft cheek. “Your cheek is so… chewy”, you pinch her cheeks slightly, “very similar to Gyuri’s”. Yuha giggles, “really? Wanna have a bite, oppa?”. You bend forward and nibble her cheeks with your lips, “you’re so cute, Yuha-yah”. Yuha covers her face as soon as you leave her cheek, “y-you—um-um—you enjoy physical contact a lot, don’t you?”. “Yeah, thanks to Gyuri”, you say to yourself. You’re aware that you can’t say that to Yuha, so you come up with a different answer, “that is true; I especially like petting a girl’s head like this”.

You keep on petting Yuha’s head, and the comfort has sent her to dreamland. It is when you observe her facial features that you start seeing Gyuri. Yuha doesn’t look like Gyuri at all, so you suspect that your brain is playing tricks on you—in terms of looks, you must admit, Yuha can definitely make it as an idol, but you don’t want to give her ideas; losing another girl to the entertainment industry would be disastrous for you. You close your eyes so that you can put your mind at ease, as you’re sitting on a very soft sofa and a cute girl is using your thighs as a pillow.

-

The sound of your alarm stirs you awake at 5 am on a new day. In your half-awake state, you head to the bathroom to freshen up. It is when you’re fully awake when excitement and relief creep up on you—you successfully defended your thesis yesterday, thus marking the end of your study at university—and you find yourself giggling while looking at the mirror. “Congratulations on finishing university in 3,5 years, man”, you reach an arm out and shake your own hand through the mirror. You feel your phone vibrating in your pocket, “oh, Yuha is calling me”.

“Baaaabe, congratulations!”, Yuha says over the phone, “I’m sooooo proud of you”. You laugh, “thank you so much, sweetie. I couldn’t have done this without you”. You mean it with every fiber of your body; Yuha has always been there with you throughout university, being your equal in terms of grades, and occasionally beating you by odd decimals—the only reason you’re not graduating with her is because Yuha went on a student exchange program, thus “delaying” her thesis.

“Babe, I miss you”, she says in an aegyo-esque voice, and you see that she wants to change to video call. You accept the video call request and put on a wide grin. “Aaaaah, I can’t see you”, she complains. You turn on the lights with a laugh, “sorry, baby—what about now?”. Yuha smiles in satisfaction, “that’s much better. I can see my handsome and manly boyfie now”. You explode in laughter; Yuha is referring to that one moment on week one of the fifth semester where a professor called you “handsome and manly”. “Oh my God, Yuha-yah, until when are you going to tease me with that?”, you ask her, amused by her little stunt.

“I mean, I do think that you’re handsome and manly”, Yuha bites her bottom lip, “I miss your touch, babe”. “I mean, you refused my offer last time—there’s nothing wrong with that, obviously; you know what kind of guy I am”, you defend yourself. Yuha takes her phone and aims the camera at her crotch, “look, babe; I’m so wet for you”. She is indeed wet, as proven by the wet spot in the middle of her panties. “You want me, babe?”, you tease her, “you want to have your guts rearranged?”. Yuha starts touching herself and moaning on camera, “please come here and fuck me—I’m begging you”. “Well, since you asked nicely”, you show her your car key, “I’m coming”.

-

“Welcome—oh!”, Yuha yelps when you press her against the wall and hold her hands above her head. “Hi, baby”, you put a leg between hers, “horny?”. Yuha nods and starts humping your thigh. You look at her with a naughty smile on your face, “oh, Song Yuha, what would you do without me?”. “I-I don’t know”, Yuha breathes heavily, “I-I need you, babe, please”. You laugh, “the sun is barely up and you’re already horny? Fine, let’s play your game”.

You tell Yuha to take off her clothes first, “lie in bed after that, ‘kay?”. She obliges to your wish—Yuha is very obedient when she’s horny because she wants to maximize her chance to get fucked. “Y-your turn, b-babe”, she says, eyeing your body from top to bottom. You pull your T-shirt over your head, and Yuha responds by biting her lip. It is when your cock is free from its restraints that Yuha lets out a moan. “I haven’t touched you yet, why are you moaning?”, you’re amused, “are you that horny?”. Yuha defends herself by citing that her pussy’s muscle memory caused her to moan.

You join her in bed at put her in a mating press, “ask nicely and I’ll give it to you”. “Please, daddy, I’m begging you”, she airs her frustration for sex, “tear me in two”. You have no difficulty finding her pussy since you’ve had a lot of sex with Yuha in the past few years. You plunge deep into Yuha right away, her natural lube ensures smooth first penetration. You look down and see that Yuha’s firm stomach is bulging, “am I too big for you, babe?”. Yuha nods weakly, “y-you’re tearing me apart, daddy—harder, please”.

You oblige. You plant your mouth on Yuha’s neck while your hips pick up the pace. Yuha moans and screams as she feels the overwhelming stimulations on her body. She chants whatever nickname she can come up with, feeling desperate for an orgasm. “Oppa, daddy, babe”, Yuha’s brain struggles to choose a name, “please, I’m so close—fuck, yes!”.

A particular deep thrust sends Yuha across the line with a scream. “Pl-please, let me breathe”, she begs, so you retreat from her warmth to let her do so. “M-my legs are like jelly”, she inflates your ego, her legs trembling in front of your eyes. “Can you take some more or are you tapping out?”, you ask, longing for an orgasm. Yuha tells you that she wants more but needs to catch her breath for a minute. “A minute? Bet”, you start a countdown in your head.

As soon as the countdown reaches zero, you flip Yuha onto her stomach and pull her onto all fours. Yuha whimpers, “you’re gonna have to carry me around after this”. You slap her succulent ass cheeks, aiming to make them red, earning screams from Yuha after each one. “You’re mine”, you say to her, “the marks on your skin will remind you if you ever forget”. Yuha shakes her head weakly, “I-I will never forget, daddy”.

You plant your feet on the bed and fuck her like a dog. Her legs turned into jelly earlier, and it is now time for her arms to follow suit. Yuha doesn’t have the strength to support her torso and decides to drop onto the bed. You hold her hair in one hand and pull it, “who said you can lie down?”. Even though you have her hair in your hand, you make sure to not make it too painful for Yuha—you love her after all, hurting her is counterproductive.

Yuha begs you to let her hair go, so you do as she asks, causing her to drop onto the bed with a sigh of relief. “I’m close, babe”, you announce, “I hope you don’t mind if I cum inside”. Between her moans and screams, Yuha manages to answer, “yes, yes, cum in me, daddy”. You lodge your cock deep in her pussy and blow your load, “fuck!”. You pull out right away, and the lightheadedness almost makes you tumble backwards. The excess cum drips out of Yuha, and you take some in your hand, “nice and thick, just the way you like it, babe”. Yuha isn’t answering, so you move to check up on her, “there’s no way you fall asleep right away”. You roll Yuha onto her back and let her rest while you leave to get her some water.

-

“Welcome, new face”, an HR staff greets you in front of your dad’s company building. He hands you an ID card with your face and name on it, “I know who you are, but I was told that you want to be treated just like any other person”. You bow slightly, “that is correct, Mr. Park. I ask for your kindness and guidance”. He grabs your shoulders and tells you that you didn’t need to bow to him like that. “Your first assignment is to follow a senior, Miss Lee Haein, as she works with a girl group”, he explains. “A girl group? What are they doing here?”, you ask. The staff asks you to walk with him, “a subsidiary of this company is doing an endorsement campaign, and what partner is better than a girl group?”.

“Hi, my name is Lee Haein. I’m your, uh, handler—call me noona, by the way”. You shake her hand, “nice to meet you, noona”. Haein asks you to follow her to a meeting room where you’ll be, well, meeting this girl group before they’re handed over to the subsidiary for the actual endorsement. “Here, sit next to me”, Haein pulls back two chairs for you and her. “So, to brief you quickly, they are a 4th-year girl group with, uh, moderate popularity both at home and abroad. We’ll be working with them to promote a new drink”, Haein explains. You write down the brief in your little memo, “this will be the first time I’m meeting a girl group in person”. Haein chuckles, “just don’t fall for them, okay? I don’t think idols can date”. You show her your lock screen of Yuha’s selfie—she wasn’t wearing anything when she took it, but only her face and neck is shown on the picture, “I’m taken, noona; I’ll be just fine”.

You spend the time by talking to Haein about work and life, and she points out that almost everyone at the company knows that you’re the boss’ son. You scratch the back of your head, “I hope no one minds that I work at my parents’ company”. Haein giggles, “the fact that you don’t want to be treated differently helps us accept you in our midst”. You hear knocks on the door, and by reflex you tell them to come in. “Hi, they’re here”, a staff member says as he opens the butterfly door.

The girl group members enter one by one, and you notice that they’re wearing the same clothes and name tagsg. You write down their names on your memo one by one based on the order of entrance. “We will introduce ourselves—one, two”, a familiar voice says, “hello, we are Cloud Nine! Pleased to meet you!”. You’re forced to stop writing—you know who that voice belongs to. “There’s no fucking way”, words loudly slip out of your lips, and people look at you confusedly. Haein creases her forehead in bafflement, “what’s wrong with you?”. You’re snapped out of your little trance, “o-oh, nothing—I’m sorry”. You lock eyes with the girl on the far right; “Jang Gyuri”, you think to yourself, “fancy meeting you here”.

Haein invites them to sit, and Gyuri sits right across from you. “Hello, my name is Jang Gyuri, leader of Cloud Nine. Nice to meet you”, Gyuri introduces herself and has the others introduce themselves after. You’re not sure what to feel or think right now, but you can feel your heart beating fast. Haein thinks you’re nervous, so she takes point of the meeting. “My name is Lee Haein and this handsome guy next to me is a new employee at the company. He is the—“. You cut Haein off before she reveals your status, earning a pinch on the thigh from her, “hi, everyone. Nice to meet you”. “You look good”, Gyuri mouths to you, and you shake your head to stifle your cheeks from blushing.

Haein hands Gyuri some paper and tells her to pass it on. Haein then starts the briefing, “right, as you can read yourself, you guys will be doing a photoshoot and shoot some short adverts at a nearby studio. Some marketing people from the subsidiary and the two of us will follow you there. Any questions?”. One girl shyly puts her hand up, “c-can we get i-ice cream after?”. Gyuri lightly slaps the girl on the back, “please forgive us; she’s been obsessed with ice cream lately”. You put on a gentle smile, “we’ll buy some soft serve for each of you, okay? I promise”.

-

You tell them not to enter the studio right away and follow you to the dessert shop next door to get some soft serve. Other visitors turn their heads when they see you and the nine girls enter the shop, some even pull out their phones to record the sight. “Hello, can we get 9 soft serves, please?”, you say to the staff at the register. He tells you the sum, and you hand him your personal card. “That’s your card, isn’t it?”, Gyuri says softly, “thank you, babe”. While your heart does flutter hearing Gyuri call you that, you have something to address. “I haven’t been yours for nearly 4 years”, you whisper to her, “please don’t call me that”. You see that Gyuri’s eyes almost let out tears, her gentle heart stung by your words. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it like that”, you apologize to her. You see over Gyuri’s shoulder that one of the girls is looking at you, so you show her a smile and act like nothing happened.

After handing out soft serves, you ask them to follow you to the studio for the actual photoshoot. “I know soft serve isn’t the best thing to eat first thing, so I’ll get you some fruits and kimbap after this—is that okay?”, you ask them. “You’re not a regular employee, are you, mister?”, says a girl named Jina. “You caught me, Miss Yoo”, you decide to reveal who you are to them, “my parents own the company I work at—I believe they call someone like me nepo baby”. You hear some chuckles behind you, and one of them sounds like Gyuri’s.

You and friends—well, not exactly “friends”; more like collaborators—enter a photoshoot set, where a man with a clipboard is waiting for you and co. “Hello, my name is Baek Juwon. I’m the creative director for today. Pleased to work with you”, he introduces himself. After exchanging greetings, Juwon proceeds to explain to the group that they’ll take turns for pictures and then they’ll do advert shoots with 3 members at a time. “Okay, let’s start with Yoo Jina, Jo Yubin, and Kim Myongji”, he says.

While Haein is busy talking to some marketing guys, you take a seat a few meters away from the photoshoot set. You get on your phone to text your parents about the first day of working for them; “I think I’m having fun”, you say to them on the group chat. You see in the corner of your eyes that Gyuri is approaching, so you put your phone in your pocket. “Can I help you, Miss Jang?”, you say as she sits next to you. “Please, don’t call me that”, she says, “I know we’ve been distant, but you don’t have to hurt me like that”. Amused, you shake your head, “distant is an understatement—you’re now out of my league, aren’t you?”.

You notice that Gyuri isn’t saying anything back, and when you look at her face, she looks like she’s about to cry. You fish a handkerchief from your back pocket and hand it to her. Gyuri uses the handkerchief to wipe her eyes, “I’m so sorry”. “I’ve forgiven you long ago”, you sigh, “I’m glad it turned out well for you, by the way”. Gyuri chuckles, “I know how cold you can be towards people, but I never thought I’d be on the receiving end of that”. She’s not wrong: you have this habit of acting and talking like you don’t care about people you consider to be—oh, what’s the word—unimportant. You sigh, “there’s ice cream on the corner of your lips—clumsy as ever, huh?”. Gyuri wipes her lips with your handkerchief, “and you’re attentive as ever, babe”. You flinch a little, “please don’t call me that”.

-

Before you know it, it’s now lunch time. As you’re walking towards the green room for lunch, Haein says that she has something urgent back at the office, so she’s leaving Cloud Nine under your watch for the rest of the day. “See you tomorrow, noona”, you give her a fist bump as she leaves.

You sit at the big table with lunchboxes on it and ask each girl to take one. “So, what’s your story?”, Yubin asks, catching you off guard. “Excuse me?”, you say, caught off guard. “I saw Gyuri-unnie talking to you when I was doing the photoshoot”, she says—you didn’t know she was that observant. “We went to school together”, you answer her, not revealing the whole thing. Gyuri, however, proceeds to blindside everyone by revealing your past: “we dated in high school, and I broke up with him a week before the show started”. You slap your forehead, “my God, Gyuri-yah, why did you say that to them—the bridge burned down years ago”. Gyuri looks at her members one by one, “they deserve to know”. You can’t help but let out a sigh, “sure, whatever you say”.

Everyone stays silent during lunch, presumably trying to process what Gyuri has just revealed and figure out what they think of you. In your head, all you can think about is how Gyuri shouldn’t have revealed your past relationship with her and what it would have been had she not left you. You conclude that everything has turned out the way that the universe wanted, and that you have a plethora to be grateful for, like Yuha, for example.

“Oppa, I’m so sorry”, Yubin comes up to you after lunch, “I shouldn’t have asked you something personal like that”. You smile, hiding the discomfort from her, “it’s okay, I’ve made peace with myself—please, let’s continue our work and we’ll get out of here right after, okay?”. Yubin nods, “I like working with you, oppa. You’re such a cool guy”. You chuckle, “thank you, miss. You’re a cool girl as well”.

-

“Thank you for your hard work!”, you say to everyone at the end of the shoot, earning bows and replies alike from everyone on site. You ask Cloud Nine’s manager if they have other schedules after this, and he reveals that they’re done for the day. Gyuri comes up to the two of you, “oppa, I want some private time with him. You can leave me if you want to, I’ll have him take me back to the dorm”. Based on the manager’s expressions, you can tell that he’s not a fan of the idea, but he grants Gyuri’s wish anyway. “What do you want?”, you whisper to her. “I just want to talk”, Gyuri whispers back, “at your place, preferably, away from others’ ears”.

You don’t know what Gyuri has in mind, and you’re partially convinced that tears will be shed, but you give her the time and space anyway. “Follow me, please”, you walk to lead Gyuri to your car. “Nice car”, Gyuri comments, and you hum in response. “Remind me to lend you some clothes”, you say to her after getting in the car. Gyuri holds your hand that’s resting on the gear selector, “you still have this habit, babe?”. “Hah, she said it again—is she really trying to win me back?”, you sigh deeply, “yeah, haven’t got rid of it yet”.

-

“Have a seat, I’ll get you some clothes”, you point at the sofa as soon as you enter your apartment with Gyuri. You walk towards your bedroom and grab a T-shirt and a pair of shorts for Gyuri to change into—you guess that wearing a one-piece dress all day doesn’t feel comfortable for her. You take a knee in front of the sitting beauty, “I know we haven’t done this in years, but can I help you change?”. Gyuri nods gently and stands up, “I like that you still ask for consent”. “That will never change”, you turn Gyuri around and unzip her dress in one swift motion. You step away and turn your back against her, “you can continue undressing and wear the clothes on the table”. “You don’t want to look?”, Gyuri asks, “you haven’t seen me naked in years”. You roll your eyes, “I’m just trying to be respectful here; cooperate, please”.

Gyuri tells you to face her, presumably because she has changed into your clothes. “Cool”, you sit next to her, “so, what did you want to talk about?”. Gyuri holds your hand, “I still love you; why are you so cold to me?”. You stay silent as you think of an answer, “I’m not trying to be an ass, but you did this to me”. You hear subtle sobs from the girl next to you, “do you know how much I regretted breaking up with you? Do you know how many sleepless nights I’ve had, just spent thinking about you?”. You close your eyes as Gyuri’s words sting your heart. “Listen to me, sweetheart”, you pull out a pet name out of the deepest hole in your heart and hold her hand, “you did what you had to, and I did what I had to. We wouldn’t be in this position today had things turned out differently back then. Let’s not frown over things that never happened, because we have other things to be happy for”.

You hope that your words would comfort her, but they make Gyuri cry instead. “I would’ve been happy had I stayed with you”, she tries to hug you from the side, “fuck, why did I throw everything away?”. You never liked seeing Gyuri cry, and the sight makes you shed a tear yourself, “sometimes good things fall apart, babe, and we can only hope that they’re replaced with more good things”. “I hate not being with you, love”, Gyuri’s voice trembles thanks to the emotions, “I’ll do anything to win you back”. Your brain guides your eyes towards a frame sitting under the TV: it’s a picture of you and Yuha, taken after she surprised you on your birthday. “What would Yuha say if she saw me with Gyuri like this?”, you think to yourself. Gyuri sits on your lap, thus blocking your view, “please, please tell me I still have a chance to be with you again”. You smile gently, “if we’re really meant for each other, we’ll find our way back, no matter the distance between us”.

Your answer seems to be satisfactory, making Gyuri lean forward for a kiss. You put Yuha to the side for now and focus on Gyuri—you silently hope that Yuha won’t make a surprise appearance at your apartment like she usually likes to do. “I love you”, Gyuri says with a smile and teary eyes. She then points at the picture with her thumb, “who’s the lucky girl, by the way?”. “Yuha, Song Yuha”, you say, “I’ve been dating her throughout university”. Gyuri nods, seemingly in approval of your life choices, “she must be a sweet girl. I know you don’t fall for random girls”.

You pull Gyuri towards you for a hug and pat her back until her tears die down. “I wonder if you watched my show”, Gyuri says between sniffles. “Of course, I did—Yuha and I rooted for you”, you reveal, “she cheered loudly when they announced that you made the cut”. Gyuri giggles, “I hope I can meet her one day”. “Yeah, maybe”, you’re never one to say never, “she’d kill us both if you told her you’re my ex, though”. “Would she kill us if we have sex right now?”, Gyuri asks—conveniently, her tears have stopped coming out of her eyes. Amidst your fluster, you manage to answer her, “yeah, totally—I’m sure you understand why”. Gyuri pouts, “honestly, thinking about the fact that you have sex with someone else makes me jealous”. “You lost your right to be jealous years ago”, you defend yourself.

“Fuck it, I don’t fucking care anymore”, Gyuri jumps off your lap and pulls your shorts down, “I want you—right here, right now”. You halt Gyuri by grabbing her wrists, “Yuha won’t be happy about this”. Gyuri looks frustrated right now, “please, babe, just this once—I’ll make it worth your while”. Something is telling to see this through, so you decide to play along. “Hah, fine”, you say, “no one hears about this, okay? Not your members, not your parents; no one”.

Gyuri agrees to your terms, and she moves to suck your cock. You throw your head back and savor the first contact, “God, I’ve missed you so much”. Gyuri giggles, “I bet I’m better at giving head than your Yuha”. You thrust your cock into Gyuri’s mouth harshly, “mention her one more time and I’ll kick you out naked”. You take her gags as an answer—a sign of obedience. You take a handful of Gyuri’s hair and tell her to start face-fucking herself on your cock, and she does just that: Gyuri bounces her head on your cock, taking you deep and gagging occasionally. Feeling overwhelmed, Gyuri pulls away from your cock while coughing, “fuck, I forgot how big you were”.

Before the two of you continue, you have something you want to address. That being said, let’s move to the bedroom first, shall we? You pull Gyuri onto her feet and carry her to your bedroom. You make Gyuri sit on your office chair and kneel in front of her, thus earning a giggle from her. “You still like kneeling in front of girls, babe?”, she asks. You chuckle softly, “yes, I do—now listen to me, please”. You take a deep breath before saying your piece, “I still have love for you, Gyuri-yah, but I can’t dump Yuha for you—at least not right now”. “I won’t ask you to do that”, Gyuri rubs your cheek softly, “if you’re truly meant for me, you’ll find your way back to me—isn’t that what you said earlier?”. You’re glad to see that Gyuri is still the same understanding and mature girl from way back when, “I guess some things never change”.

Now that you and Gyuri have come to an agreement, you decide to continue where you left off. “Baaabe”, Gyuri surprises you with an aegyo—you know Gyuri finds her own aegyo cringe, “your sweetheart wants to be taken care of”. You palm your face as you’re amused by her little stunt, “what does sweetheart want?”. Gyuri jumps onto your bed and spreads her legs, “sweetheart wants you in between her legs—holy fuck, that’s so cringe”. You get on top of her and come in for a kiss. “I probably shouldn’t say this, but I’ve missed you”, you say to Gyuri, causing her to blush. “I-I’ve missed you too, ba-babe”, Gyuri looks away to hide her pink cheeks, “sorry, no one has said such thing to me in years”.

There are a few questions in your head right now, and to answer one of those, you need Gyuri’s help, “Gyuri-yah, what are we doing right now?”. Gyuri takes a deep breath, “I’m trying to steal you from your girlfriend”. You ask her to elaborate, so Gyuri adds that she wants to increase her chance of success by having sex with you to remind you of the old days. “I don’t know why you’re so determined to be with me”, you admit your confusion. “Because I really believe that I’m meant for you”, Gyuri says, “no disrespect to Yuha, but I know I’m perfect for you”. You’re somewhat offended by that; Gyuri has little clue about what Yuha is like as a girlfriend, and after nearly 4 years of absence, she returns and claims to be the perfect girl for you. “Is that so?”, you ask, your deep voice subtly laced with anger.

Gyuri rolls you onto your back and gets off the bed, “let me prove it”. She strips entirely before returning to your lap, and as a response, you take off your T-shirt and get equally naked. Gyuri wastes no time getting your cock in her. “Ngh, fuck, I forgot what it’s like”, Gyuri throws her head back, “is my pussy not perfect for you?”. She is indeed perfect; you took her cherry back then, so the shape of her insides is the perfect negative space of your cock. “Keep going” is your command, and you’re replied by a nod.

Gyuri lies on your body and starts sucking your neck while her hips are busy bouncing up and down on your cock. “I guess I’m not seeing Yuha tomorrow”, you mindlessly utter, referring to the hickeys that Gyuri is leaving behind. “Ah, ah—c-can’t you tell her you’re busy or-or something?”, Gyuri says, her breath irregular from the cardio exercise, “I don’t want to spend just one night—oh, fuck, baby”. You slap her plump butt once, “your manager will kill me”. “I’ll make something up”, Gyuri straightens her back and bounces faster, moaning and yelping as she goes; “cute moans”, you think to yourself.

“Baby, baby”, Gyuri closes her eyes and braces for an orgasm, “I’m about to explode”. You hold Gyuri by the waist and help her get to the line, “cum for me, baby”. Gyuri removes your cock from her pussy with a scream, and you feel her juice hit your thighs and pelvis. “Never knew you could squirt like that”, you comment. “Y-you never tried hard enough hehe”, Gyuri teases, her eyes still closed. You want to defend yourself and tell her that you always tried “hard enough”, but it’s probably a topic to be brought up some day else.

“Give me your cum”, Gyuri says after recollecting her composure, “hold on, actually; I want to feel your cock for a moment”. If pre-orgasm Gyuri was fast and impatient, post-orgasm Gyuri is now slow and gentle, the purpose being so that she can really feel your length and thickness.

“Baby, I’ve missed you so much”, Gyuri says between soft moans, “I regret everything”. The fluster throws you off, “wait, wait, let’s not say that”. You move to a sitting position and pull Gyuri onto your lap, “please, let’s not say that”. “But why? Why can’t I say that?”, Gyuri starts sobbing, “I do regret everything. I regret breaking up with you. I regret being a celebrity. Fuck, I regret hearing that you have a girlfriend now”. “Baby, please”, you softly call out to her, “we’re happy with our lives, aren’t we? We have things to laugh at and be thankful for, don’t we? You wouldn’t have had this career had you stayed with me—everything turned out the way they were meant to”. Gyuri presses her forehead on yours, “I’m so sorry; I’m so sorry for everything—fuck, I don’t want this career anymore; I want to be with you from now on”.

You’re torn: you don’t want to validate Gyuri’s words and send her spiraling in regret, but you also don’t want to leave Yuha—and/or hurt her—after all you’ve been through with her. Gyuri taps your cheeks to get your attention, “I want to leave my group next year and get married to you—fuck everyone and what they think, respectfully”. You lift her up and remove yourself from the warm cave, “you’re not thinking straight, baby. I can’t let you throw your career away like that”. Gyuri isn’t happy with the fact that you pulled out, so she impales herself on your cock again, “ah, God, yes—you-you don’t want to be with me? Make me pregnant and start a little family with me? I promise I’ll be a loving and obedient wife”. Gyuri has said multiple times that she dreams of starting a family with someone she truly loves, and you’d like to think that the “someone” she has in mind is you.

All the while you’re thinking about Gyuri’s words, thoughts of Yuha start creeping up on you. You have no reason to break up with her, as you’ve been each other’s solid rock, providing mental and physical support in moments of need—Gyuri demands your answer now, though. “Baby, how can you be sure that I’ll be a good man for you if I must hurt Yuha to get back to you?”, you try to reason with her. Gyuri bursts out in tears, “I fucking hate her. I hate that you still think about her when I’m right in front of you”.

You close your eyes and think of a better answer—something that can provide comfort or assurance for Gyuri. You’re not sure if this is a wise decision, but you’ll say it anyway, “babe, listen to me: stay with your group until the end of your contract while I figure out what to do with Yuha. Once we’ve done our part, I promise I’ll come running to you”. Gyuri shakes her head. “Not until the end of my contract—next year”, she emphasizes. You take a deep breath, “okay, fine—I pray that the universe helps us”.

-

Yuha asked you to come over because she wanted to talk about something, so here you are, in front of her door. You see signs of crying on her face as she lets you in. “Sweetie? Are you okay?”, you ask her. You make her sit on the sofa and kneel in front of her, “sweetie, talk to me, please”. Yuha holds your hands tightly, and you see that her eyes are coated with tears, “I-I’m moving to the US, babe”. Aside from the fact that you’ll be having a long-distance relationship with her, you don’t see other downsides to her moving to another country. “Okay, so what’s the problem, babe?”, you ask. “M-my dad wants me to marry someone as soon as I move there”, Yuha’s dam breaks, “so-so now he wants me to break up with you”.

In your head, you’re reminded of your mom’s words about soulmates, but you don’t want to appear insensitive in front of Yuha and make her think that she’s the only one holding onto the relationship. “Baby, with respect for your dad, I believe that he wants the best for you”, you try to plead with her, “maybe you’re meant for him and not me, as much as it hurts for me to say that”. “I-I don’t want to hurt you, baby”, Yuha can’t stop crying, “you love me, right?”. You smile gently, “I do, baby, there’s no question about that”. Yuha nods, seemingly satisfied with your answer. “I love you too, baby”, she says, “that being said, I’m breaking up with you”.

Yuha’s words sting you the same way Gyuri’s did all those years ago, so you can’t help but let tears come out. “You’re always obedient towards your parents, aren’t you, cutie?”, you say with a smile, “I understand, love—I’m breaking up with you as well”. Yuha jumps off the sofa and into your arms, “I’m so sorry; we weren’t supposed to end like this”. You press your lips on her temple, “it’s okay, baby. I’ll help you make peace with the situation and say that I accept this outcome”.

You hug Yuha until her storm of emotions passes by, patiently offering comfort for her. Yuha pulls away from the hug and looks at you in the eyes, “I’m so thankful for you, oppa. Thank you for everything that you’ve done for us”. You feel a surge of warmth in your heart, “I’m so thankful for you as well, baby. I’d like to sincerely apologize for my shortcomings, by the way”. “No, you’re always so kind and loving”, Yuha rejects your apology, “the sex is great too, by the way”. You peck her forehead, “good to know, baby”.

-

“Oppa, will I see you again?”, Yuha asks as she walks with you to your car. “I’d like to hope so”, you stop and make Yuha stand in front of you, “I hope that we’ll see each other again in better and happier circumstances, babe”. You peck her lips once, “anywhere you go, remember that I’m rooting and praying for you, every step of the way”. Yuha pulls you in for a kiss in response, “I’m praying for you as well, oppa. Goodbye, my love”.

As you start driving away, you see in your mirror that Yuha has started crying again, and the sight makes your heart ache—you know that her dad’s decision is final and that there’s no opportunity for negotiations, thus leaving you with no other choice but to leave Yuha. “I pray for your safety and happiness, Song Yuha”, you say to yourself.

While it is true that you’re still mourning the dead relationship, you still need to inform Gyuri about this. You call her while driving, and she picks up right away—this girl is always on her phone. “Gyuri-yah, Yuha broke up with me”, you tell her the summary of events, “can we meet? I want to talk”. Gyuri tells you to pick her up at her dorm, so you quickly drive there to see her.

When you arrive in front of her dorm building, you see that she has a cap and a mask—the classic celebrity disguise. Gyuri gets in your car as soon as you’re stopped. “So, does this mean that you’re mine again?”, she wastes little time to get to the point. You tell her to be patient and wait until the two of you get to your apartment.

-

Gyuri pushes you to the wall as soon as you enter your apartment. “You’re mine now”, she says with fiery eyes. “Just now?”, you tease her with a smirk, “you’ll leave me again tomorrow?”. She leans forward for a deep kiss. “You’re mine for eternity, my love”, she smiles, “can we order food, by the way? Me hangry”.

As soon as you lift Gyuri to carry her to the sofa, she wraps her long legs around your body. “I like that you make me feel small”, Gyuri says. You sit down with her and give her your phone, “order whatever you want”. “Okay, two double cheeseburgers and onion rings”, she announces her choices and throws your phone over her shoulder, “I hope that doesn’t break”. You shrug, “I mean, I can just buy another”.

“Okay, so, what do we need to talk about? Because all I’m getting is that you’re coming back to me”, Gyuri says. You stroke her cheeks gently, “that is the plan, but I have to ask: will you be mine again?”. She laughs out loud, “what the fuck kind of question is that? Of course I will”. The both of you just look at each other with a smile on your faces. “Leave your group”, you say to her, “I want your full attention; no comebacks, no promotions, nothing—just you and me”. You hope that she remembers her promise from a few months ago and commits to it. “Next year is my last, I promise. I’ll be yours entirely after that”, she says. You entwine your pinky with hers, “let’s not make empty promises from now on, okay?”.

You lean forward a bit to entice Gyuri into kissing you, and she does just that. Gyuri takes it a step further and invades your mouth with her tongue, keen on wrestling yours. You palm the back of her head and make sure she doesn’t pull away. That doesn’t work, however, as Gyuri still manages to break the kiss anyway. “Please, babe”, she inhales sharply, “I can’t wait any longer—I don’t want to wait any longer”. Both of you separate from each other so that you can get rid of your clothes. “I don’t want to wait either”, you say to her.

Your sofa is soft and all that, but it isn’t big enough for you to have sex on, so you take her to the bedroom. You let her continue where she left off and be on top while you lie flat. “I won’t let you pull out—oh, yes, baby”, Gyuri moans as she slowly sinks on your cock. You slap her butt a few times, “go on, make us cum”. She leans in for a kiss and begins fucking herself at your command, breaking it every now and then to let moans escape her lips. “You’re mine, you’re mine”, she chants faintly as she bounces on your cock at a steady pace. You can comfortably validate that, as you no longer have ties with anyone else but her. “Yes, baby, I’m yours”, you peck her lips, “you’re never leaving me again”.

Your validation works wonders to entice Gyuri, as she picks up the pace—this is usually a sign of her incoming orgasm, too. True enough, Gyuri announces that she’s about to blow. “Never one to last long, hm?”, you tease her. “Oh, oh, yes, fuck”, she moans loudly, “that’s your job”. That is a fact: you’re the one trusted to last long enough during sex, and you gladly do so every time. Gyuri screams from the top of her lungs as her orgasm hits her like a small truck.

Feeling weak, she just let herself go and falls limp into your warm embrace. “God, thank you for bringing him back to me”, Gyuri mindlessly says, “I love him too much”. “Too much? You make it sound like it’s a bad thing”, you say, earning a bite on the neck from Gyuri. “I hate you”, she says in fake annoyance.

You let her catch her breath and regain her composure in your arms. You take this moment to clear something up, “baby, I didn’t mean to tell you to leave your group like that; you can stay with them and extend your contract and all that”. Gyuri plants her palms on either side of your head, “no, I don’t want to; I want to be with you—can I work at your dad’s company, by the way?”. You giggle, “first of all, the company is mine—soon, anyway—secondly, yes, you can; be my co-CEO or something like that”. Gyuri accepts your answer, “well then, give me your cum, my dear co-CEO”.

You let her stay on top and thrust into her from below. Only now do you notice the bouncing plump tits in front of you. You pull Gyuri down to get in range with your mouth and suck a nipple. “Yes, baby, yes”, she urges you on, “that feels so good, fuck”. You want to know how she’ll react to tits stimulation after not having it for a few years, so you reach for the other nipple and tug slightly. Based on her scream, you can tell that she enjoys it—some things never change, indeed.

You unlatch your mouth from her nipple and announce that you’re close. “Yes—oh, fuck—please cum inside”, Gyuri begs you. You lodge your cock deep in Gyuri and blow your load, a vengeance since you were blue balled by her last time. Gyuri lets out a long moan as she feels the warmth of your gooey goodness. “My God, I’ve missed that so fucking much”, she says.

-

“Thank you for the meal!”, Gyuri unwraps her burger and takes a bite, “that’s so damn good”. Since she’s showed enthusiasm and enjoyment towards the burger, you unwrap yours and take a bite yourself. “Wow, that’s so juicy”, you comment as you inspect the patty. “Not as juicy as the cream pie”, Gyuri smirks. “Says the blushing girl”, you say, referring to her pink cheeks, “seriously, though, this is so good”. You lift the top bun off and stack some onion rings on the patty. “This should hit hard”, you say before taking a bite. As you’re savoring the taste, Gyuri makes another naughty comment, “doesn’t hit as hard as your creampie”. You pinch her cheek, “stop already, will you?”. After munching your way through dinner, you see that there’s only one onion ring left on the box. You grab it and take a knee in front of Gyuri. “Jang Gyuri, will you be mine?”, you say to her, the onion ring a substitute to a diamond ring. “Only if you stay with me for good this time”, Gyuri takes the onion ring from you and puts it in her mouth. You drop your jaw in shock, “I didn’t break us up, did I?”. She nods, “that’s true; I did. I’m terribly sorry for that, my love. I’ll stay with you forever—for real this time”. You reject her apology—not because you don’t find it to be sincere or whatever, but because there’s nothing to be sorry for; Gyuri is back in your arms now, and there’s nothing tearing the two of you apart.

[leiawritesstories]

Ahaha, I have another because I’m greedy 🙈 But this prompt for Rowaelin, please??:

I put you down as my emergency contact because I don’t know anyone else in the city, and we literally only met in passing, please forgive me but I am stuck at the ER and they won’t let me leave without you.

Thank you!

hehehehe okay so both you and @tomtenadia asked for this one and I really really hope this delivers 😈😁🥰

500 followers celebration prompt fills

Word count: 2.2k oops

Warnings: some angst and hurt BUT ONLY A LITTLE BIT I PROMISE and it's followed by so much comfort

Enjoy!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Aelin blinked back into reality and found herself in a hospital bed, her body covered in a cotton gown, aches and dulled pains creeping back into her consciousness as her head cleared. She shifted and found her left arm in a sling, immobilized. She shook her head gently, trying to bring up the memories of just how the hell she'd ended up in the emergency room instead of back at her hotel.

"Good to see you awake," a woman's voice said from her right. Aelin turned her head to find a nurse, about her own age, clad in the same blue scrubs as the other staff. "You've been asleep for a solid few hours, probably thanks to the medication."

"Wh-what happened?" Aelin croaked.

The nurse pressed her lips together. "Do you remember a car accident?"

Oh.

Just like that, the memories flooded back. Aelin had been sitting in the back of a taxi, heading from a coffee shop where she'd been at a casual post-session meeting back to her hotel in downtown Doranelle. As the taxi had driven through an intersection, a driver had run the red light in the opposite direction and hit the rear side of the taxi. Her memories got a little fuzzy after that, mostly just snippets of shock, confusion, flashing lights and sirens, and a vague recollection of being loaded into an ambulance.

"You remember?" the nurse asked. Aelin nodded. "Good. That's a good sign that you likely don't have a concussion." She scratched a few notes onto her clipboard. "Now that you're awake, we can finish discharging you. You're stable, so we won't need you to stay here."

"So I can go home?" Aelin signed the papers the nurse handed her.

"No."

"What do you mean, I can't go home?" Still a little out of it from the medication they'd given her, Aelin blinked at the ER nurse. "You just told me I don't need to stay."

"Let me clarify, then," the nurse replied. "You've been cleared to go home, but you have not been cleared to go home alone. You'll need someone to take you--and no, a taxi or an Uber doesn't count." A hint of a smile curled the corner of her lips at Aelin's disgruntled frown. "It's for your safety, Miss Galathynius. We don't want to see our ER patients back here within a few hours because they tried to do something they shouldn't have done."

Aelin sighed. "All right. You can call my emergency contact." She leaned back into the hospital bed. "I'd ask you to call my parents, but they live over a thousand miles away, so that isn't possible."

"As long as you have an emergency contact on file, that will be fine." The nurse placed Aelin's normal clothes in a small pile on the chair next to the bed. "I'll be back in a few minutes to let you know who's coming for you."

"Thanks." Aelin managed a half smile before tilting her head back and groaning. Gods. Of all the days and times to wind up in the ER, it had to be now, during her work trip to Doranelle. At least their healthcare system was well-funded and well-run; the staff who she vaguely remembered tending to her when she came in were polite, professional, and expertly trained. Muffling a grunt, she swung her legs over the edge of the bed, gripped the handrail, and stood up slowly, careful not to put too much weight on her legs at once. Shakily, she managed to stand up and reach for her clothes.

There, she got stuck. She couldn't get out of her hospital gown alone because the damn thing was tied in the back and her damn arm was in a sling to immobilize her injured shoulder.

She'd just screamed a string of foul curses into the pillow when there was a knock on the door and the nurse reappeared. "Good news, Miss Galathynius! A Mr. Rowan Whitethorn is on his way to pick you up."

Ah, shit. The thought of Rowan Whitethorn seeing her like this was almost enough to make her wish she'd been kept at the hospital.

"All right," was what she told the nurse. "I hope he's bringing food, because I am bloody hungry."

The nurse laughed. "I'm sure he'll be able to get you all the food you want once you're out of here." She handed Aelin a small paper bag. "There is a small quantity of pain medicine in here. I'd recommend taking it once or twice a day, depending on how severe your pain is, for the next four to seven days. You can take over-the-counter pain medications as well. After seven days, stop taking the prescription medication. If there's any left, you can bring it to any pharmacy here and they'll discard it."

Aelin nodded along. "Okay. Thank you." She flashed a soft smile at the nurse, who'd been nothing but kind to her.

"Of course." The nurse offered her a small smile in return and left the room.

Aelin considered whether or not it would be worth attempting to get into her normal clothes before Rowan got there and decided that it wasn't. If he had to walk her out of the hospital still wearing the godsdamned gown, then he would. Damn shoulder.

As if her thoughts had summoned him, Rowan Whitethorn pushed open the door and burst into the hospital room. His crisply pressed suit was disheveled, his tie loose around his neck, his collar undone, and his eyes were wild, almost panicky, as he crossed the room in two long strides and cupped Aelin's face in his hands.

"What the hell?!" She pulled away from him, hissing at the sharp twinge of pain caused by the sudden movement.

He stepped back, hands up. "You what the hell? Give me a fucking heart attack, why don't you, Galathynius?"

She rolled her eyes. "You barely even know me, Whitethorn. Shut it with the heart attack nonsense."

"No." He folded his arms across his chest and scowled. "Why the hell am I your emergency contact?"

"Because I'm a thousand miles from home, I don't live here, and you're the only person at this fucking seminar that's bothered to learn my name." The small rant spilled out of Aelin before she could stop it. "I needed to have someone on file, and your stupid face is the first name I thought of. You're lucky I had your business card, or I'd be stuck here until I convinced the nurse that I could Uber back to my hotel without dying."

Rowan's cranky expression morphed into mild shock, then concern. "So you weren't going to explain why in all hell your arm is in a sling and there's bruises all over you?"

"They're not all over me," she huffed. "There's some minor bruising on my clavicles, arms, and left cheek. And anyone who asks why I'm wearing a sling deserves to be told to shut the fuck up."

"Fair enough," he admitted. "Fine. I'll drive you back to your hotel." He offered one hand.

She held up her good hand. "Not so fast, Mr. Business. I need to change into my own clothes." She frowned. "But with this bloody sling, I can't get the gown untied."

To her immense shock, a blush spread up his angled cheekbones. "Um...should I call the nurse?"

"This is an ER, Whitethorn, not the regular hospital ward," she deadpanned. "I've been discharged, so as far as they're concerned, I'm no longer their patient. You can help me."

His blush deepened. "I..." He cleared his throat, schooling his face back into its usual impassive mask. "Fine. Tell me what you need help with."

She turned, presenting her back. "Untie the gown, please."

He mumbled something that sounded suspiciously like "she's trying to kill me" and carefully untied the gown, keeping his hands as far from her skin as possible. Which wasn't very far, since he was literally undressing her.

Aelin was still wearing her bra and underwear beneath the gown, and because she wanted to have a little fun, she let the gown drop to the floor instead of holding it up to herself. Rowan emitted a strangled cough and wheezed behind her. She smirked. "Is something wrong, Whitethorn?"

"Nothing," he grunted through clenched teeth. "Where are your clothes?"

"On the chair. Hand me my pants, please." He did, and she pulled on her slacks. "Blouse." The blouse was a little more trouble. Aelin got it halfway on and stopped, unable to wrangle her sling arm into the unbuttoned blouse. "Shit."

"Here." Unexpectedly, Rowan had picked up her sweater and draped it over her injured arm, careful to keep his touch light. He let her slip her good arm into the other sleeve, then buttoned the three big buttons on the front of the loose sweater. "Does that help?"

"Yes." She flashed him a small, hesitant grin. "Thanks."

He clutched his chest. "Polite words from Aelin Galathynius? What world is this?"

She rolled her eyes. "Don't be a jackass, Whitethorn, just let me grab my purse and we can get the hell out of here."

"Not so fast." He snatched her purse before she could reach it. "Are you supposed to be carrying this?"

"I still have one good arm," she sighed. "Give it to me." He raised one pale brow in disbelief. "Yes, Whitethorn, I can carry my purse. It's not too heavy for the limit they gave me."

Satisfied with that answer, he handed her her purse and held the door open as she walked out. "I'm parked kind of far away," he admitted as they left the ER building. "Couldn't find a closer spot."

"It's okay," she reassured him. "It's my arm that's injured, not my legs."

Her traitorous legs chose that very moment to wobble, betraying her strong façade.

"Mhmm," Rowan drawled, a smirk curving his lips.

She scowled. "Shut it."

He mumbled something indecipherable and, without warning, lifted her off her feet. "We'll actually get somewhere if I don't have to put up with your toddling," he teased.

Aelin's mouth dropped open. "Toddling?!"

His smirk grew. "Tell me you weren't as unsteady as a toddler and I'll call you a liar, Ae." The nickname fell from his lips as easily as his dry sarcasm.

"You're horrid," she grumbled, folding her arms.

"And look at that, we're already at my car!" he announced, triumphant. She sighed and let him help her into the passenger seat.

As they headed down the streets towards downtown Doranelle, Rowan flicked a glance over at her. "If you don't mind me asking, what happened?"

"Remember the accident that blocked up half of downtown earlier this afternoon?" she asked. He nodded. "I was in the taxi that got hit."

If he hadn't been driving, he would have stopped in his tracks. "You--what?"

"Rowan." Instinctively, she reached over and placed her good hand on his forearm. "I'm okay. It wasn't a huge crash."

"It wasn't--Aelin, do you know what happened at that intersection?"

"I remember my taxi getting hit."

His throat bobbed. "The driver that hit your taxi skidded on black ice and T-boned another vehicle. It was...it was bad."

She gasped. "I had no idea."

"Of course not," he murmured. "You were injured, Ae." He shifted one hand off the steering wheel so he could wrap it around her good hand. "There were some serious injuries, but everyone made it to the hospital in time and it seems like they're all stable. Police arrested the driver for DUII and reckless driving." His thumb rubbed across the back of her hand. "It's been all over the news and social media."

"I had no idea," she repeated, softly. "I...I'm glad everyone seems to be okay." She leaned back into the seat and was quiet for the rest of the drive back to her hotel.

At the hotel, Rowan surprised her again by parking, helping her out of the car, and grabbing a small duffle bag from the backseat of his car before accompanying her inside.

"What are you doing?" she hissed under her breath as he walked beside her to the elevator, his steadying hand on her lower back.

"I've been given orders to see you safely home," he drawled, mirth lighting his eyes.

She frowned. "I'm at my hotel, in case you haven't noticed."

He nodded. "You are. And I'm going to make sure you get to your room safe and sound."

"You going to pat me on the head and tuck me into bed, too?" she griped.

"Oh, I wouldn't mind putting you to bed, Aelin," he whispered into her ear. The heat concealed in his lazy words barreled down her spine, awakening a part of her that had absolutely no business being so active when she was supposed to be resting and recovering.

She stepped out of the elevator before Rowan and led him down the hall to her room, where she stopped, took a deep breath, and pressed her key card to the lock. The small screen flashed green, the door unlocked, and with her hand on the half-open door, Aelin turned to face Rowan, her calm voice belying her thundering heart.

"Stay with me, Ro?"

More emotions than she could count flashed across his face. He followed her into the hotel room, closed the door, and leaned himself against the door frame, resting the weight of his gaze on her.

"I'd love to."

~~~

TAGS:

@live-the-fangirl-life

@superspiritfestival

@thegreyj

@wordsafterhours

@elentiyawhitethorn

@morganofthewildfire

@backtobl4ck

@rowanaelinn

@house-of-galathynius

@tomtenadia

@julemmaes

@swankii-art-teacher

@charlizeed

@booknerdproblems

@chronicchthonic14

@earthtolinds

@goddess-aelin

@sweet-but-stormy

@clea-nightingale

@autumnbabylon

@darling-im-the-queen-of-hell

@llyncooljones

@silentquartz

[griffle-musings]

Drake Horde! AU: What Happened in DC.

Tim: Hello.

Wonder Woman/Diana Prince:

Diana: ... Hello.

Tim: My name is Timothy Drake. You really punched those bad guys- thank you for saving us.

Diana: ... You're welcome.

Diana: Do...is everything okay...?

Tim: I have an older brother

Diana: Okay.

Tim: He's an Omega.

Diana: Okay.

Tim: And he's adopted, but that's why he's the eldest. And because he's also the Pack's Heart, but that's because he's courageous and kind and really the best brother and person ever I love him a lot he's really awesome.

Diana: *truly lost the plot but curious about where this is going* ...Okay.

Tim: And he didn't want a big presentation ball or presents or even a big trip, and I get that, but he really looks up to you and has your articles printed and he has your merch and he wants to be an archivist, like you used to do.

Diana: Well that's just sweet, I-

Diana: how did you know I was an archivist

Tim: Oh, so you do use Diana Prince as a civilian identity

Diana:

Tim:

Diana: ... where is your pack?

Tim: So we got separated during the battle and I know my brother is looking for them and probably me, but like, today is a super important day and he's like, the best person ever, could you maybe say hi to him and let us take a picture and maybe your tiara cause like his replica tiara accidentally broke and the gift store was sold out of all of them and I know he's really upset about it. Just for the photo.

Diana:

Diana: ...he's your...brother...?

Tim: Yup. He's originally from Crime Alley- we're from Gotham- and we adopted him and he's always looked up to you, he likes you better than Batman, and thinks you're amazing and you do all this amazing work and he does amazing stuff too I can tell you about it if you want. I got a list.

Diana:

Tim: 🙂

Diana:

Diana: You know what- yes. Yes I would like to meet your brother and say hi.

Tim:😃

Diana: What's your brother's name?

*Meanwhile*

Jack: JASON! Thank God! *Hugs*

Janet: Are you okay?

Jason: Yeah I'm fine, I'm fine, we got to another safe location and stayed until they said it was safe -

Jack: -Jesus, I thought we would be okay in DC, it's not Gotham, jesus-

Janet: Where's Tim?

Jason: He's just right behind

Jason:

Jason: *paling* oh my god. He was right behind me. Oh my god- what if he's dead-

Jack: Let's not panic-

Janet: He has to be close by-

Diana: *loud, booming* WOULD THE PACK OF JASON DRAKE PLEASE SPEAK UP.

Jack:

Janet:

Jason: no he did not.

Diana: WONDER WOMAN WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK TO THE SPECIAL BOY ON HIS DAY OF CELEBRATION -what?- AH, AND A CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR TIME OF YOUR OMEGAN BLOOM.

Tim: *from a distance* Jason! She said yes to the picture!

Janet:

Jack:

Jason: I'm going to kill him.

[changingplumbob]

Pancakes Household: Chapter 8, Part 5

In this part Bob tries another food sale and gets ready for his birthday. Eliza takes they day off and they celebrate him becoming an adult. Lastly Onyx has a new dream. Contains some sim spice, as usual no pixel private parts are shown.

Bob takes Ginger out for their regular run and decides to stream it to try increase his fame. He needs fame for promotion and a level 10 career is his dream. I take the opportunity to enjoy the views of the bay, as everyone else is at work or school.

Back home he washes his hands before beginning some more baking. The bench quickly becomes filthy but he reminds the camera that as long as they don’t dump the mixture on the counter, it’ll be fine. When Fergus and Onyx get home they both quicky skim through their homework before their after school activities. Good news today, Onyx has reached A student level! Will they be able to keep it with their cheer commitments though?

Bob: Let’s see here

Onyx: Later dad, I’m heading to practice

Bob: Good luck! Okay, everything is arranged. Come one, come all, we have fudge bars!

Before the sale gets too underway however the drone malfunctions. Bob has been using it a lot lately. Guess he will just have to charm customers by himself.

It seems like Bob may be inspiring some loyalty. The first few customers are all ones that purchased snacks from him at the dog park! Onyx arrives home and resists the temptation to grab a lemon bar for free. Fergus also arrives back from drama club at the same time and can talk to Briana who came around after school. She is not having a good day so Fergus tries to cheer her up with some jokes.

Eliza arrives home and has a proud wife moment when she sees all the sims keen to try Bob’s baking. Inside it’s grand meal leftovers for everyone. Following dinner while Bob is still doing his sale, Eliza heads to the computer to file reports for work, gaining level 4 in the entrepreneur skill. Onyx spends time practicing on the cheer mat and reaches level 2 fitness. Fergus plays on the treehouse with Briana and reaches level 9 creativity skill.

Bob: Guess who made 250 simoleons on their day off work? This guy

Eliza: Well done. Are you excited for your birthday tomorrow? I’m going to take the day off work

Bob: Why?

Eliza: *laughs* Because it’s your birthday

Eliza has to head to bed but Bob still has some energy. He teaches Ginger how to fetch then carries her inside to save her little legs the trouble.

Light begins to peak over the horizon and Bob and Eliza are snuggled together.

Eliza: Happy Birthday Sleek

Bob: *sleepily* Happy birthday to you

Eliza: *giggles* your birthday, not mine

Bob: My birthday? That must be why I’m waking up next to a drop dead gorgeous woman

Eliza: Bob, I’m not that-

Bob: You are beautiful Jumble, inside and out. Thanks for sticking with me through it all. I love you so much

Eliza: And I love you, clothing piles and all. Now, I do have a day off, the kids can get themselves ready for school… Do you want to start your birthday off right?

...

Onyx: Did you have a good night ginger? Weird, mother is normally up by now. Must be resting

...

Bob: Please… faster…

Eliza: Is that an official birthday request? I’ll take it into consideration

Bob groans in delight as Eliza speeds up.

...

Fergus: You seen dad yet?

Onyx: Nah, he’s probably sleeping in for his birthday. We better be quiet when we leave so we don’t wake them up

The kids have indeed left for school by the time Bob and Eliza get out of bed. While Dale was obsessed with kitchen things it would appear Ginger is fascinated by bathroom plumbing. Following a quick breakfast Eliza suggests they head to the island off the coast to get their exercise in, oh how I wish there was an option to have sims go jogging together. Eliza takes Ginger so Bob has a chance to see how fast he can run without worrying about if the dog can keep up.

Of course no trip to the island would be complete without a visit to the top of the lighthouse. And, since it’s Bob’s birthday after all, a trip inside the lighthouse. I mean it’s a very cloudy day so really they were doing a public service making that light shine out.

Eliza: Oh Bob... is that your adult look?

Bob: It’s not too ridiculous is it

Eliza: It’s completely you Sleek. Ready to age up?

Bob: As ready as I'll ever be

He blows the candles out and spins up while Eliza does her best to sing happy birthday.

Bob hates parties, they are a nightmare for loner sims. However Eliza did manage to convince him to have his friends come over for a “casual catch up” and sure enough Bob enjoys it. He doesn’t feel quite so out of the loop now Onyx has aged up and he can join the discussions on the perils of raising teens.

After school Fergus does his homework before drama club and Onyx fits in some cheer practice since the watcher didn’t have time to follow them to school more this week. In the kitchen, while the adults chat, Ginger has realised that a crime has been committed. Her food bowl is empty! She begins to yap in distress until Eliza comes over to fix the situation.

Ginger: *yapping* thank goodness Mother, I almost STARVED

Harvey: I just don’t understand why he won’t accept some more money. It's not like they couldn't use it

Bob: Maybe he wants to be his own person

Harvey: Yeah or maybe Samir is telling him not to

Kayleigh: Look we don’t know Samir much, let’s give him the benefit of the doubt. He was the more attentive of the two when we gave Reece the woohoo talk

Harvey: All I know is we have more than enough and our son is choosing to sleep in a ruin of a house *sighs*

Bob: Do you regret letting him move out

Kayleigh: It’s not that exactly Bob. We're glad he's getting out in the world...

Harvey: It’s more, it hurts imagining him uncomfortable when we could help. I think I'll try give Reece money for his birthday

Bob: If it helps, I can deal with dirty surroundings just fine. Not everyone needs the dust free life to be comfy

The guests are gone by the time the kids get home and Bob figures it would be fine to work on his skills for promotion.

Bob: Do you two mind if I do my cooking livestream

Fergus: Pretty sure you’d do it anyway

Bob: Maybe but I wouldn’t enjoy it as much

Onyx: *laughs* go ahead dad, we’re almost done

Bob: Today followers, we will be looking at the best way to cook a rack of lamb. First step, don’t be imagining cute fluffy lambs while cooking, that’s how I get gloomy

Bob continues walking through his cooking process and once the rack is done reaches level 10 Gourmet Cooking skill. I’m so proud of him, well done Bob!

Fergus heads to play some games but Onyx has other tasks on their mind. First they set the table, then they check the house for dirty dishes. Finally they pick up Ginger’s latest poop to throw away. They want a horse! Of course a horse is a big ask for their parents so they’re trying to get everything just right to convince them that they should have one.

Eliza: My husband, level 10 gourmet cooking! Oh it’s simply too good for words!

Ginger: *yaps* you’ll cook me pet food when???

Eliza: I myself managed to level up my debating skill, so all that’s left for the next promotion is charisma

Bob: Oh hey, maybe we should throw a dinner party sometime. Take advantage of the charisma boost that comes if it goes well

Eliza: A proper dinner party will take a lot of planning

Bob: I’m sure we can do it together

Fergus is practising his dramatics, despite being too short for the mirror, when Ginger finds him.

Ginger: *yaps* I would like some attention and I would like it now

Fergus: Oh hey Ginger, you are just mastering going up and down stairs aren’t you

Ginger: *yaps* Of course, I’m a dog

Fergus: What have you been doing? You’re all dirty!

Ginger: *yaps* beats me, I literally just stood here and it happened

Before bed Onyx has time for some cheer practice, and judging by their routine, they need it! After falling over several times they cut their losses and head to bed before they can get more bruises. In the morning Bob is first to the breakfast table for once.

Bob: What’s all this

Onyx: They’re called placemats dad

Bob: I know, I do work in a restaurant Onyx, but why are they out? I thought we only used them for fancy times

Onyx: I thought you might like them

Bob: That’s sweet kid. Morning whippersnapper

Fergus: Morning dad

Onyx: Dad, as I’m sitting here eating this brilliant meal so lovingly cooked-

Bob: Alright kid, what is it

Onyx: What do you mean

Bob: I’m a chef, I can tell when something’s getting buttered up

Fergus: Yeah Onyx, even I could smell the cheese a mile away

Onyx: *rolls eyes* I was wondering… would I be able to… maybe if you’re okay with it… get a horse

Bob: *is surprised* Oh, well you know how it goes. Changes in the house get run past the mother

Onyx: But dad if you said yes-

Bob: Wait until your mother is here

Previous Part ... Next Part

[solarwonux]

I think I have boy problems????

Well...would it still be considered boys problems if I am the one creating them in my head??

Anyway, buckle up for the ride if you want to know all about my boy problem/not problem.

Backstory...I've stayed away from dating for a long time for a lot of reasons. And to be honest I am very happy being single. It's fun, but until recently people have mentioned or asked if I had a boyfriend bc I just look extra happy and pretty. And I'm like nah it's just me, I am just happy. But it did get me thinking should I go back to dating??? It's something I've been toying with for like a months or so. And my friend constantly wants to set me up with someone. I don't know how I feel about apps, but for now it's a no for me. Now, that that is out of the way...here's the situation.

More backstory, a couple of weeks ago. A co worker of mine who has been dating was like "I'm going on a date with this guy I met from bumble." She had previously told me about him but then I asked to see a picture. And let me tell you the world is fucking small. The guy that she was going on a date with is friends with my friend. And I have previously only heard about him and I've seen pictures of him. So I told my Co worker this and then she told him when they went on the date that they had somebody in common. She did tell me about her date and she said that honestly he gave her more like friend vibes and that she isn't looking for anything serious but he is.

Flash forward a couple of days I meet up with my friend because we are going to Hong Kong together so we were finishing planning our trip. She tells me that she hung out with the guy during the weekend, and that he kept asking about my Co worker, but my friend doesn't know her, she's only met her once. And he tells her that they had planned to go on another date, but that something came up and they decided to move it to another day. As of right now, I'm positive they still haven't gone on that date.

Now flash forward again to Saturday night. My friend is celebrating her birthday and this is the first time that I officially meet this guy. The first thing he says to me is "hey you're _____ co worker." And I was like yeah. We start walking to the first destination of the night it's cool we are vibing. But whenever I meet someone for the first time I am always really reserved, until I feel comfortable. Then we go to dinner and one of our other friends there says "hey you guys are matching you should send a picture to (co worker name), it would be funny." Tbh I laugh it off and move on.

Then we get to the first bar, but on our way to the first bar I think he asks me how my co worker is and im just like "fine," idk if he wanted more deets on her but hes the one talking to her he should just as ask her straight up. But anyway at the first bar after a while he comes up to me and was like "Let's take a picture so I can send it to _____." And so we take the picture (tbh I'm offended that he didn't even send me the picture it's kinda cute.) Then we start to get more comfortable with each other.

We go to the club and this is when things start to get a little complicated. Mind you we didn't leave the club until like 4 am. But anyway, I don't drink anymore when I go out for a lot of reasons. But he asks me and I'm like "oh I think I have an allergy to alcohol " which honestly it's not a lie. My nose gets really runny when I drink and I get really red. Then everybody is dancing, we are all having a good time. He's a dancer but so am I so we start having like idiotic dance battles with our other friend. And the vibes are good.

Then at some point I do ask him to dance with me. It started out very innocently but then things get very heated and touchy. We last like this for a long time, maybe like 4 songs. Then I try to teach him how to salsa and bless his soul he's trying. But this lasts for like another couple of songs. But then I see my friend crying so I was like "bye my friend is crying," so I went to see what happened and I do have a vague idea of what happened, but I just sit down quietly next to her. And he comes to sit down next to me.

Flash forward an hour later we do the whole dancing thing again. We are touchy, I try to get him to salsa. But then it's time to leave. On our way to the restaurant we are walking alone together and just talking. He's asking me how long I've been living in korea and how long I've been studying korean. And maybe you could classify this as flirting but tbh I am clueless when a guy tries to flirt with me.

Moving on we eat dinner/breakfast bc at this point it's like 5am. But it's finally time to go home. All our other friends call cabs. But me, my friend him decide to just take the bus or train home since the first train was going to open in like 30 mins. We are walking and I said "I almost fell in spanish." And then he says something that can insinuate do you want to kiss me in spanish. But not like that it's pretty complicated but earlier in the night while we were eating dinner my friend and I said "saliva" in spanish, which there are a multitude of ways. So basically he brought that up again.

Anyway, back to what I was saying. I said "lol stop saying that." And then my friend was like "omg you're insinuating that you want to kiss Laura." And I don't know if he was trying to deflect it at first but she kept like joking with him about it and I can't remember if my friend was the one who brought up my Co worker or if he did. But I did say "she wouldn't care if you did." Because in all honesty it just seems like she wouldn't especially if she has hinted that he's not really interested him.

Now my problem is...I think I now have a stupid crush on him. I have the means to contact him in a bunch of different ways. But first idk if I should because even though I am interested in him. I just don't think he would he interested in me, just given my track record nobody ever is. And if he was I think he would've at least tried to say something by now. Also it could be very possible that I'm the only one that remembers what happened bc I was the only one who was sober. So he might not know what happened, which makes me feel terrible. But there's also like my Co worker, like I don't want to be that person who steals somebody from someone.

So it's just a frustrating situation because I can see myself getting to know him. And he's also the first guy i feel comfortable with. Like i let him touch me and it didnt feel bad but good. And i dont know if you guys know me or remember but if you're new here just know that last year in april something very bad happened to me involving a guy. And since then I've been repulsed by men. But he's the first one that I haven't felt that way with.

And like idk what to do but I already cried about this so many times. Like should I make a move or just send him a message or forget about it because I'm delusional and like he is not interested in me.

Ugh I'm sorry for ranting. It's just my real friends from back home were not helpful at all. And it's to long to explain to my friends here over text so I rather tell them in person when I see them. But for now I just needed to get it off my chest.

[ask-sibverse]

Sundown (Shard's old verse)

"You sure we shouldn't add churros to the basket? He loves the darn things," a deep voice said.

"I'm sure Core. The chocoflan will pack just fine for dessert for the trip," the other voice said.

"I don't know. Did you buy the good containers for storing the taco stuff, Nightmare?" Core asked.

"Core, you know I did. Calm your slippery tentacles. You are gonna wake Dreamy," Nightmare replied. He was busy packing up the last of the basket, making sure the juice drink he made was safe in the thermos to keep is chilled. Today was a big day for Dream after all and he wanted to make it special. His cyan eye turned purple for a moment as his corruption decided to talk again.

"You think he will like it? We really haven't let him explore the other aus yet because he is so young still," Core said with their mouth.

"You worry too much Core. I think he will love the sight. I've been keeping this place hidden for nine months now since we found it," Nightmare said. "We didn't get a chance to celebrate last year because Dreamy broke his arm during it and was in too much pain. He forgot all about it. Plus the major panic attack and nightmares about being stone again..."

"It will be fine. Dream is a tough kid. He is your twin after all," Core soothed their partner.

"Yeah. Lets go then," he replied as he walked to their shared room. Dream refused to sleep without him and he couldn't blame the now ten year old. Even if they weren't the same size anymore, he liked the closeness of his twin. "Hey Dreamy. Time to wake up brother," Nightmare said as he gently shook his brother awake.

Dream woke up with bright eyes and looked at his bigger twin and tackled hugged him. "Nighty! I had a dream where we were climbing mom and we were up so high that we saw the stars even in the day time!"

"Oh that sounds like a wonderful dream," Nighty cooed over his brother. "Mom would shake whenever we climbed her."

"Can we visit her?" Dream asked. Nighty looked away.

"Maybe another day," Core interrupted. "Don't you want to see what the surprise is first that we've been telling you about all day?"

"Oh yeah! You guys promised a surprise!" Dream cheered as.he got out of bed and ran to the closet to find clothes to wear. Core laughed at that while Nightmare thanked his partner for distracting the kid.

"Make sure to pick warm clothes. Its a bit chilly where we are going," Nightmare said.

"Sure sure!" Dream called out a he threw clothes around the room to find the perfect outfit for himself. He eventually picked out purple sweatpants and a golden sweater that had a bumblebee on it with the words *I'm a Cutibee!*

Nightmare chuckled as he helped the kid dressed. "Okay let's head out then," he said once Dream was ready. He opened a portal and the three of them went through to one of the many space aus. This one was on a planet that had purple grass with closed flower buds scattering about as the sun was still in the sky. It was just a field with a single lavender tree with pink leaves swaying in the wind.

"Oooohhh this is so pretty Nighty!" Dream shouted as he ran around the place. "Why are the flowers not opened?"

"Have to wait a bit for that kiddo," Core said. "They bloom when the setting sun hits them."

"That sounds awesome! Then I can make flower crowns!" Dream yelled around as he kept exploring the area.

"Don't go too far. I brought food," Nightmare called out. He smiled as the child ran as he set up their little picnic area. Once ready under the tree, he called Dream back and they started making and eating the tacos.

"What's so special about today?" Dream asked.

"Well, today is your 10th birthday," Nightmare said "Happy birthday Dreamy."

Dream's eyes widen at that and he laughed in joy. "If its my birthday its yours too Nighty! We are the same age!"

"He's got you there Nighty. 510 years old the pair of you. How you feel old man?" Core snickered.

"That makes you 502 today then Core."

"Oh shush. Corruption doesn't age. Just like we have no feelings. Just because we met 502 years ago doesn't mean anything," Core said.

"Corey! It does mean something. That is the day you came into our lives and became family with us! That should be celebrated too. I know it was a hard day for all of us, but we need to make happy memories today now!" Dream said.

"When did my brother get so wise?" Nightmare chuckled as a tentacle rubbed on his head.

"When you started reading to me," Dream giggled back.

The three of them spent eating and drinking and then got into a tickle match which Dream won despite it being two to one. Core decided to switch sides at the last moment. The sun was setting as they ate and soon it was reaching the point it was going to disappear. Nightmare settled everyone down and pulled Dream into his lap, tentacles wrapping around him to keep him warm.

"Its almost time," he said.

"Time for what?" Dream asked.

"Watch."

As the sun hit the edge of the world and a bright flash of light came from it, the flower buds started to glow blue and bloomed one after another. Transparent blue petals and blue crystalized centers erupted all around them, filling the purple field with a blue mist as they shimmered in the darkening sky.

"Its so pretty! I wanna draw this!" Dream said as he moved from his brother to check out the flowers. He started picking some and came back and was working on a crown.

"Yeah. Not many people know about the place either," Nightmare said.

Soon Dream was done and put the crown on Nightmare's head. "Now you and Core have a present from me! Its so pretty how the flowers glow against the goop."

Core and Nightmare laughed at that. "So it does. Thank you Dreamy," he said as he pulled his brother close and they both hugged him tight.

"Best birthday ever!" Dream announced.

"Best birthday ever," Nightmare agreed. Looking where the sun went down minutes before and smiling in earnest. They went home once Dream fell asleep.