#okay so maybe I should clarify a bit here that yes I am aware that there are still kids spaces online
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It's May Soon
 âI canât believe itâs May soon.â Will looked up suddenly from his book.
 âOh. Yes, I suppose it is?â Tyrian looked up from his bedside desk, where heâd been scribbling down some plot ideas, and the odd actual policy that was his actual job. It was Lumtide here. Fairies had been much more aware of what month it was on Earth before the lock out â there were traditions to keep up, after all - but not so much any more. Some still kept up the practice of riding out on Midsummerâs Eve and Samhain, but it was never a yearly thing.
 âCanât believe itâs been a year.â Will looked up at the ceiling, but he was staring into nothing.
 âIâd say what a year itâs been, but...â If Tyrian weighed it up, more good things than bad had happened - a net gain, you could say - but the bad things had been SO very bad, after all.
 âMy contract will be up soon.â
 Tyrianâs quill left a crooked line and an ink blot across the page as the kingâs hand tensed, quite ruining a nice little sketch of an emblem heâd been working on for the school. âOh. Yes. So it will.â
 âIâll have to think about that...â The jester tapped his fingers on his book as he thought aloud. âItâs probably too late to apply for uni... But I might just about get away with it, and clearing is a thing...â
 So. Will was going to leave, after all. Heâd known this day was coming. Will had come to Fairyland for a gap year. A YEAR. And now that year was almost over...
 Tyrian got up, carefully placing his quill on the desk, and turned abruptly towards the door. âIâm going to get a drink.â
 âAre you thirsty...?â Will asked. âIâm good? Iâve been safe for a week.â
 âNot blood, just water.â Tyrian clarified. âMaybe some coffee.â
 âYouâre not supposed to have caffeine this late at night, you know,â Will cautioned him. âI guess I have no idea if bumblebean coffee actually has any in, come to think of it. I donât suppose you know?â
 âI am not entirely sure what caffeine is, Will.â Some sort of magical component that Earth plants still had somehow, from what he could tell. âDo you want anything?â
 âNo thanks.â Good. âAre you okay?â Not good.
 âI just have a bit of a headache. Shouldnât draw with my nose to close to the parchment, probably. I might be dehydrated.â
 âOkay...â
Tyrian went down to the kitchens. No-one would be there at this time of night. Maybe Louis, getting a midnight snack. It wouldnât be so bad to see Louis right now. He could use someone to talk to... Then again... No. NOT Louis. Louis would take this PERSONALLY.
 He got himself a cup of water and sprinkled some dried camomile in it, too distracted to find a sieve. He wondered how long he could stay here without arousing suspicion. He waited a minute or two and took a sip. Terrible.
 Ah. Right. The water was supposed to be HOT.
 Heâd never tried heating water before, but he knew how to freeze it. Could he just do that in reverse? He put his hand over the top of the cup and tried to imagine channelling fire into it. He left it there for a few seconds. The cup split; the water ran across the table and dripped onto his lap. It was still cold. There was a black ring on the table where the cup had stood. Heâd have to apologise to Babs in the morning. He pursed his lips. No, that wouldnât do. Heâd made the mess, he would fix it. And if nothing else, it was a good excuse.
 âI broke a cup and had to clean it up, thatâs why I took so long,â he rehearsed in his head. It took him some time to find which cupboard the cloths were in â right before he noticed one on a sink â but he mopped up the water and scrubbed at the black mark on the table. It wouldnât come off. He was cursing under his breath when he suddenly felt a presence behind him.
 âWill said somethingâs wrong, but you donât want to talk to him about it, so I should have a go.â Aurelia looked askance at the cloth, before noticing the burn mark. âWhat did you do?â
 âChamomile is supposed to be soothing, so I was trying to make an infusion,â Tyrian explained, pouting. âI was in a hurry so I wouldnât look suspicious, but... Well.â He rinsed the cloth in the sink and hung it over the side. He filled a small, leather cauldron and set a fire. Aurelia merely sat herself at the long dining table, waiting.
 He sat opposite her with a sigh. âWillâs contract is almost up.â
 Aurelia tilted her head to one side. âAnd?â
 âAnd he said something about going to university.â
 âAnd?â
 âAnd so heâs leaving soon!â Tyrian leaned on the table, putting his head on his arms. âI donât want him to leave! But he SHOULD leave! He should be free, like the little bird he is!â
 âI donât think Will is a bird,â Aurelia mused. âSome kind of ferret, maybe.â
 âDoesnât really change my point,â Tyrian mumbled into the table. Moving his head so she could hear him properly again, he continued, âI knew this day was coming. But I donât want him to leave. But he loves travelling. I donât want to be like Rosa.â
 âRosa?â Aurelia frowned.
 âEx-girlfriend of his,â Tyrian explained. âShe didnât want him to go travelling, so they split up.â
 âSensible.â Aurelia nodded approvingly. âAnd... Youâve talked to Will about it, have you?â
 âI hadnât thought about it until he mentioned it, what, thirty minutes ago?â Tyrian waved a hand. âI mean, I had, briefly, but I always pushed it away. I didnât want to think about that on top of everything else.â
 âDo you not think youâre jumping to conclusions?â Aurelia suggested. âWhy are you avoiding asking him about it?â
 âI donât... I donât think I can without... without... sounding manipulative, or, or, something.â Tyrian sat up and forced himself to sit straight, clenching his hands on his lap. âHe must make his own decision. If I let him know how sad I am about it...â
 âCommunication is the cornerstone of a good relationship, is what Iâm saying here,â Aurelia pointed out. âI get where youâre coming from. But... and this is my professional opinion as your ex-fool... youâre being dumb.â
 âIâm not being dumb, Iâm being... considerate!â Tyrian protested.
 âTyrian.â Aurelia took him by the shoulders. âYou are being dumb. You are practically walking into one of those Earth stories where someone says something vague and thereâs a WHOLE THING that could be solved in two minutes if two people would just frikking talk to one another. We are not doing that, do you hear me? And thatâs both an earnest request from your wife, and an âI will kill you if you make this worseâ from your best friend. Got it?â
 âIâm not ready!â Tyrian blinked back tears. âIâm just not ready to talk about it!â
 The yokai stood up and marched around the table. âTyrian. Câmere.â She reached out and pulled him into a hug, leaning her head on top of his and running her fingers through his hair. âI really donât think Will is going anywhere,â she soothed. âIf he is, heâll be back. You know he loves Fairyland. You know he loves us.â She paused. âOkay, maybe not Louis. But he definitely loves you.â Aurelia managed to sit on the bench, and still cradling his head, they stayed there for a while.
 âAurelia...â
 âHmm?â
 â...Why did you quit being my fool? Itâs... itâs always bothered me.â
 âI overheard your granddad saying youâd suck at being king, and I was hopping mad.â Aurelia shrugged.
 âThat... thatâs it? Thatâs the reason?â
 âI mean. I sort of agreed with him,â Aurelia admitted. âIn a way. You can be irresponsible. You avoid things and you get like this and you let it affect your work.â
 âOh.â
 âYeah.â She leaned down and kissed his forehead. âDonât get me wrong. Weâd much rather have you than him. Much rather. You just need someone to balance you out. Everyone does.â
 âIs that why you married me?â
 âYes? I thought you understood that already. I wasnât going to marry for love, was I? Not the romantic kind, anyway. Really feel like Iâve dodged a bullet there.â
 âWatching my train wreck of a love life is enough to put anyone off, aromantic or not,â Tyrian remarked.
 âIf youâre making jokes, youâre probably okay to go back to bed.â Aurelia let him go and stretched. âYou should. Will will be worried. And what are we going to do when we get back to the bedroom?â
 âIâve got a few answers, none of which are the one youâre looking for,â Tyrian replied.
 âTyrian.â She gave him a Look.
 âIâm just not ready.â He rubbed an arm. âJust... Give me a little more time. To process it.â
 âYou donât know what youâre processing,â the yokai chided. âYouâre going to worry over nothing and youâre going to make Will worry over nothing.â
 âIâm not saying the whole month, just a few days... A week, at the most.â
 Aurelia clicked her tongue. âIf you insist. But if you donât have a proper conversation with him by then, Iâm dragging you both in a room and making you do it, like I did with Victor and Lucinda.â
 âAlright.â Tyrian blinked. âWait, you did WHAT?â
The time limit was almost up. Tyrian was in the throne room, anxiously awaiting for the consultation hours to end. It had been quiet today. Aurelia took a lot of these things, and she was so much better at dealing with nonsense than he was. The problematic nobles had realised they werenât going to get anywhere and had given up, leaving more time for the actual problems to get addressed. Speaking of addressing problems, in came Will.
 âThis is it,â Tyrian told himself sternly. âYou are going to have a sensible, grown up conversation with your grown up boyfriend, and he is going to leave happy with no regrets over his decision, whatever it may be, and youâre not going to cry.â
 âSo I think today is the last legal day I can renegotiate my contract,â Will started as he approached the throne. âI know you probably donât really care, but Fairyland and all, and I should stick to the rules.â
 âMmhmm.â Tyrian responded.
 âSo, I think we should just rip it up, to be honest? Like, not renew it.â
 Tyrian just nodded.
 âI feel like the catâs out of the bag on our relationship now, and Iâm living here for free anyway... I think Iâd rather earn stuff outside the palace like everyone else. Bartering, washing dishes, etc.â
 âIn...deed??â
 âLike, I guess we should probably find some kind of title for me thatâs not fool, but I think Iâll keep wearing the stripes if itâs okay, itâs a great deterrent.â
 âI thought you were going to university?â Tyrian asked.
 âI mean... I still might, but I canât decide whatâs best to do. I thought maybe I should take tourism to help you with the tourism thing here, but Earth tourism is going to be pretty different than Fairyland tourism BUT tourism can actually be really bad for places, so maybe I SHOULD study it to avoid that... but then Iâd have a student debt to deal with, and I canât really be bothered to lie to the government about where Iâm living for the rest of my-â
 âWill,â Tyrian cut him off.
 âYeah, sorry, what?â
 âYouâre not leaving, then?â
 âNo? Unless you need me to?â Will frowned. âI guess I can keep being a fool if itâs politically more convenient?? I just kind of feel like itâs ridiculous to pay me for doing what Iâd happily do for free. And I might kind of need to get a part time job on Earth for a bit. But I was hoping I could live here and just commute. What with Helâs Map and all.â
 âCommute?â
 âYeah? Oh. It means travel from here to a job or school somewhere else.â
 âAh. Yes. So... You were planning to... commute... to university from here?â
 âYeah. It would save me a lot of money and thereâs still a bunch of stuff you need help with here, the magic school and all.â Will rubbed his neck. âI kinda might decide against university for the reasons I mentioned, but, I should at least study online instead or something if I donât go to uni, but I need Earth money for that, hence the part time job... Is that... okay?â
 âOf course it is.â Tyrian slumped on the throne, very nearly sliding off the thing. âI thought you were going to leave once your contract was up?â
 âWell, that was the plan, originally... but, well, plans change?â Will smiled awkwardly. His smile turned to a frown as he studied Tyrianâs face. âDid you think I was just going to leave? Like, leave leave??â
 âYes,â Tyrian admitted. âItâs been a... rough year.â
  âYeah...â Will agreed. âYou can say that again. Thing is, when I got here, it was something to tick off my bucket list. I mean, it was THE thing. The main thing. Everything I did for years was to set me up to come here to Fairyland. But I had no idea what I was gonna do afterwards.â
 âAnd now you do?â Tyrian prompted.
 âI donât know exactly, but I know I donât want to leave,â Will reassured him. âThe idea that I could stay... it just didnât occur to me.â He laughed. âIâm still in shock I got through the first day. Imagine, just turning up somewhere thinking youâre funny enough to get a job as a professional funny person, just, like, on the spot. The nerve of me, really. Donât know how I got away with it.â
 âYou were cute and charming  and you stood up for yourself and you spouted some wonderful nonsense and I thought someone was setting me up,â Tyrian replied.
 âYou did?â
 âOh, absolutely. I had to check with Aurelia.â
 âDid you... check with Aurelia that night you suddenly starting acting weird?â
 âShe said I was being stupid and I should talk you like a normal person and she was 100% correct.â
 âI seriously thought both of you might eat me, my first day.â
 âYou still came back the second day.â
 âIâm not easily deterred.â Will walked up onto the dias to hold Tyrianâs hand. âTry thinking about that, next time you think Iâll leave.â
 âI donât really want to think about all the bad things that have happened to you this year,â Tyrian protested. âBut I know what you mean.â He leaned over to touch his forehead to Willâs.
 â...You gonna stay on there all day?â Will asked. âConsultation hours are over. Letâs get out of here. Drusillaâs tea house?â
 âDrusillaâs tea house.â Tyrian agreed.
They walked out hand in hand.
---
I don't think I have the energy for comics but this is okay, I hope.
I haven't written anything focusing on Tyr and Will in a while and I miss them so here you go.
Originally Will was supposed to leave after his contract was up.
But Will does what Will wants, so yeah, he's not going anywhere, not for long, anyway.
#vdbif#vampires don't belong in fairytales#vampire#fairy#vampires#ocs#writing#tyrian von stollenheim#will winters#oc#original character#original work#fairyland#fairy oc#vampire oc
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i hope itâs okay to ask for advice and stuff, i wanted to ask you since it seemed like something you can probably answer!! if not thatâs okay but ty a lot
i recently got into a new relationship after like 2 years now and everything is pretty alright with my partner but iâve noticed for a while now that iâm kinda on the aroace spectrum and the aro side of me is significant in this topic. i rarely feel any feelings of romance or anything or itâs at least rare for me and iâm starting to think that maybe itâs always been like this for me and iâm just realizing it. and to clarify, i have in fact communicated this w/ my partner and he doesnât mind at all and will happily be the more romantic one :â)
i feel like what i wanna ask specifically, if itâs not personal at all, is how do you make sure your partner knows theyâre loved and satisfied? iâve almost been a bit self conscious about it, and itâs kinda hard to accept that iâm not really a romantic partner and all, and i feel i just really need some tips or advice or any thoughts that can maybe help bc i rlly want to be the best partner i can be, i also want to stop questioning myself with this, at least not as much, and finally feel comfortable about being in a relationship again. and yes, iâm very aware that love comes in many different ways which is the most important thing, and despite having a hard time w/ romance itself i still love my partner more than words can even say and i want to make this work for as long as possible and i wanna keep him happy and shower him with love <3
happy pride month to you and your gf btw!!
sorry this took so long for me to reply to! I had lots of stuff going on but Iâm free at the moment and have time so I thought Iâd reply to this
firstly, be true to yourself and donât apologize for it! not being as affectionately romantic doesnât mean you canât express love in different ways that might be more comfortable to you! Personally despite being an aroace I am a pretty romantic person (I blame all the fanfics Iâve read theyâve prepared me for this) so I canât say from experience how it is but I can imagine it is difficult to express something you might not be 100% comfortable and used to expressing, so heres my advice personally
Use gift giving as a way to be romantic, draw, make small paper things, buy him things, all that type of stuff! Hell give him cool rocks you find on the road, thats so you can feel like youâre doing plenty for the other person, but! That being said though, donât overextend yourself either
communication will always be key for a relationship, practice it heavily with your partner, and learn to listen and trust your partners word as well, if he says that he is fine being the most romantic one from the two of you then you should trust him on it! If he had an issue, let him know he can communicate that with you, and be sure to listen and assure him on what he feels, he should know that if he wants or needs something from you, he should ask! Otherwise you wonât know
thats my best advice really! Donât feel bad for asking or anything I understand the confusion you might feel and all, I am sorry for how late Iâm posting this but I had to think about it and also had things to attend to, I hope you can still read this and find some answers from it!
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Outer Banks season 2 Official Trailer shot-by-shot rundown
A comprehensive post where IÂ scream about analyze the entire trailer frame by frame for clues, theories, and plot. Just my own opinions and general tin foil-hatting
These are screenshots from Netflixâs trailer for Outer Banks season 2. I do not claim or own any of these.
note: this post is tagged as a long post if you wish to avoid having to scroll until your thumbs break.
âMy old man used to tell me, âitâs best to never say youâve hit rock bottomâ.â
(Putting all of these shots together since theyâre scenes we already know but-) Holy shit, okay letâs just....start off like this I guess, damn.
â'Trust meâ, he said...â
Kiara looking back and forth between the boys like this really just feeds the headcanon I have that her form of grief this season is going to be her trying to hold it together for their sakes (and eventually just snapping).
JJ just looks fucking furious someone give these kids a hug? IÂ already know this scene is going to ruin me.
âYou can always go...â
JJ back working at the hotel. He looks literally so angry again in this scene I could see him self destructing at work and losing his job? (Please do not be isolating yourself you beautiful son of a bitch even though I know youâre going to).
Pope in the Twinkie (costuming wise they all are in warmer looking clothes for some of the shots, so just confirming itâs a little bit into the school year when this all takes place).
âLowerâ
Big John was real big into pep talks, I see. (seriously can you imagine Big John having this conversation with like 8 year old John B after he fucking dropped his ice cream cone or some shit I shouldnât be laughing).
Iâm just-
These poor kids, I wanna know how the police all the way down in the Bahamaâs knew about them?
Their calves....
âRUN!â
Are going to be so fucking jacked by the end of this season I stg.
Fuck you.
âThe gold from the Royal Merchant....itâs here.â
For a while, I had thought that maybe they didnât even make it to the Bahamaâs at the front of the season and ended there (because everyone had been filming in there). But I guess theyâre going to be making two trips.
If I were a bird from this POV Iâd shit right on that house no questions asked.
oooooh ho hokay. Just so weâre clear. Ward Cameron not only get away with murder and about two dozen other felonies, but-
âHalf a billion.â
HE STILL FINDS THE GOLD IN THE CRAIN HOUSE AND GETS TO KEEP IT?
Not the polo with the snap back, I just know this man has a playlist called Sad Boi Hours that is just Juice WRLDâs top 5 songs on Spotify and he tells his friends they wouldnât know the underground artists he listens to.
Sh, you have lost screaming privileges. Go inside and take a nap maybe.
âJohn B, we are fugitives in a foreign country.â
So, previously, I was talking about how I was confused how they would still be trying to find him is everyone thought he was dead, but here the wanted poster clearly says âpresumed lost at seaâ. I think that will be interesting to see how the Pogues all interpret that.Â
Especially because they already had a memorial for John B and everything, I wonder if there will be any part of the Pogues holding out hope that they both could still be out there OUCH.
Iâm going to circle back to this, but it looks like John B and Sarah are going to get separated for a little while in this man hunt, I could see my idiot himbo son trying to sacrifice himself so Sarah can get away but in reality just....stranding her.
âPromise me you wonât do anything stupid?â
Oh, sweetie....
âWell, Sarah Cameron, I do stupid things all the time without realizing it.â
The volume of his self awareness is astronomical. sir, that is your whole character summed up in your own words.
GOD, ITâS ME AGAIN. PLEASE LET THEM LEAN INTO COMPLETE HIMBO JOHN B THIS SEASON IâLL DO ANYTHING-
nyyooooOOOOOOOOOOOOM-
âHold on!â
The complete abject terror I would feel having John Booker Routledge driving get-away and then saying the words âHold onâ while reaching fro the gear shift? The english language fails me.Â
Sarah, bestie, Iâm so sorry.
I just wanna know-
what the plan or objective was in this situation. What was the reason for being this dramatic.
Rest in piss, bozo <3
âWardâs still out there...â
Okay, same conversation they were having as before. I wonder what makes them decide they need to get back to the OBX for this tho.
âI can clear my name. This can all be over in one shot.â
It looks like Topper watching this but way more concerningly, correct me if Iâm wrong but this 100% looks like....John B gets caught. And the DEATH PENALTY?! He did have a mug shot for the fliers in s1 and the one above but he was never brought in? Plus he just looks super dirty and dishevled in this one so I-
Jail break anyone?
I also still want to know if theyâre going to go with a Topper redemption arc this season. like, does he know more than he should just from being around Rafe and his big fat mouth? Is he going to help out the Pogues even if itâs just for Sarah?
This shot just suddenly made me really sad. The thought of this all started because Big John left one last thing for his son to find, his literal lifeâs work. And when it all started, it was just a fun adventure John B and his best friends were going on together and having fun with. Then it all got dragged to absolute shit and turned into what it did, including the remaining 3 Pogues thinking that this treasure hunt took their two best friends away from them. And itâs nothing like Big John intended it to be.
Why my eyes wet?
Now weâre edging into what I was talking about earlier with John B and Sarah getting separated.
âIf you think there is anything I wouldnât do...â
Once again, John B is no where to be found. Also, just in case yâall didnât already know or forgot Ward is an actual psychopath.
I believe this one of the new character, played by Jontavious Johnson (Stubbs). Based on the voice over it lowkey sounds like theyâre implying Ward maybe hired Stubbs and Cleo to find and bring Sarah back. My theory would be I bet they do go to retrieve her, but she somehow convinces them that it would be more beneficial for them in the end to be on the Pogueâs side instead.
Miss Girl you gotta be keeping your head on a SWIVEL. Especially when youâre a FUGITIVE of the LAW-
â...you havenât been paying attention.â
My guy, who are you clarifying this for?
Itâs what you deserve for monologuing.
in all seriousness, the idea of them coming to face to face with Ward in Nassau after thinking they finally escaped him is genuinely terrifying.
âSARAH!â
It kind of looks like theyâre either hiding their faces or covering their noses? I donât know maybe it was from some tactic to get away from Ward.
What did I literally jsut say about yelling privileges, you unhinged mother fucker?
âIâm calling the shots now. Iâm driving.â
The following progression of scenes made me actually snort-
âI canât drive stick.â
PLEASE THE FINGER GUNS LAUNCHED ME INTO ORBIT I LOVE THEM, YOUR HONOR.
Alright, so now it looks like weâre in Charleston. This is the same scene with Heywardâs truck that got leaked from BTS (read: JJ and Kie shoulder touch).
One of the main things that stuck out to me in the following scenes which, you will see, is it lowkey looks like Pope is kind of heading up this part of the operation, or even going in alone? The following clips are just very Pope focused.Â
I donât know what it means, itâs just an observation.
âJohn B was not the only one that Ward double-crossed.â
LIMBRY-
Bro, we have been hearing about this woman for literal months and I just have....so many questions?Â
Who the hell is she? How is she connected to Ward? Why is she in South Carolina instead of the OBX? How do the Pogues even learn about her and how to track her down? How is she meant to âhelpâ them? GAH I JUST WANNA KNOOOW. I already know I donât trust her though and no I will not be offering up supporting evidence.
Sir, that is my son please unhand him.
âI think you know what I want.â
.......no? But feel....free to explain yourself?
The print on the paper is the same one thatâs on the ceiling tiles in the following scene. Obviously, with a key on it that most likely goes to the place a few shots from now.
Hell yeah, son, letâs get SLEUTHING.
âThe treasure belongs to the Pogues.â
DAMN STRAIGHT.
Bestieâs Iâm not going to lie, I stared at this frame for a solid 10 minuets and I have no idea what it says on there Iâm sorry. Someone in the comments is welcome to enlighten us.
âWe gotta find it first.â
I canât tell if thatâs just dirt or if he hurt his head? But he look GOOD right now for one thing. For another, same outfit as the one in the Twinkie from the beginning of the trailer.
Look at her. LooK AT HER! LOOK! AT! HER! I MISSED HER SO MUCH even in that damn smiley face top that continues to haunt my waking hours she is in it so much and it stresses me out for literally no good reason Iâm sorry-
I could literally cry right now and I think that speaks volumes to how little we actually see him genuinely happy. Have I mentioned how much I love that red hat?
Also, probably not that important, but this is not from the same scene as the shots of Pope and Kiara were. This is from the next one-
âWoogity-woogity?â
âGive me some woogity, baby!â
Yeah, this pushed me over the fucking edge, the way that theyâre actually happy and laughing? The fact that they kept woogity-woogity and made it A Thing? Yes.
I am, however, going to be intentionally ignoring what appears to be the very intentional stagingof having such an obvious space between where Kiara and Pope are sitting adn where JJ sits, even including the level theyâre sitting on because I donât have the emotional capacity to face those implications right now. Thank you for your time.
Yes yeeeeEEEEEESSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!
GIVE ME ALL OF THE SCENES OF THEM ACTUALLY GETTING TO BE TEENAGERS AND JUST BREATHE AND LAUGH AND HAVE A GOOD TIME AND NOT BE RUNNING FOR THEIR FUCKING LIVES!!!!!!!!!!!
before Rafe comes in and literally starts shooting because they canât breathe for more than 7 seconds but weâll....get to that.
They refer to Sarah as a Pogue this season or I burn Netflix to the ground. Your move, Jonas.
50 bucks says John B is driving the Twinkie again for the first time since being back.
I deadass think the Pogues JUST got Sarah and John B back and theyâre just having the time of their life. Kie was in her smiley face outfit when Pope was in this one a few clips ago, and I still hold to the belief that that one still they released of JJ and Kie hopping over a fence is the Pogue reunion so-
Ward? I have no idea what heâs looking at behind the wall paper and Iâll be so honest I donât care my eyes are only seeing Pogue content right now.
âThis is a map of the whole island.â
This fit, when will John B learn how to operate buttons, stay tuned for season 5. Also my previous theory of this being their reunion outfits and stuff because Pope is in the back in the same jacket as before.
The plot thickens and so has JJâs hair, Rudy drop the shampoo brand.
Please, dear God, tell me theyâre back in the sex church. For @jiaaraa sake.
Kiara, your Madison is showing.
Okay, I really did try but all I can make out is Something to the tomb begin something something.
Youâre welcome.
I am no expert but I do not believe boats operate on land.
John B looks like he is in the same outfit here that is in his mug shot we saw on the TV screen so I have a sneaking suspicion this is where he gets caught.Â
âJohn B is back-â
Once again with the damn sexual tension thatâs always between Barry and Rafe in every scene they do are we about to kiss right now?
â-itâs him or me.â
First of all, no.
Second of all, Iâm just....so very confused about this time line this season. It kind of looks like Ward and Rafe follow and find Sarah and John B in Nassau (unless those scenes by the truck were actually back in the OBX). So did they....go to Nassau, then just come right back when they did? Iâm just confused.
Put that thing back where it came from or so help me.
Literally when will you stop at this point I am begging you.Â
This looks like the same scene the Pogues were, ya know, literally just having a good time at so fuck me, I guess.
Yeah, no, itâs going to be a no from me, Iâm just going to pretend like Iâm not seeing this and moving on.
I have simply no idea what is going on here or who that is on the bike but maybe JJ? Maybe Luke even? I think thatâs JJâs bike.Â
The sewer scene. The SEWER SCENE-
For months sicne that tiktok leaked this damn scene has been genuinely all I could think about. So (obviously) it seems like theyâre sending Kie down into the sewer to go do seomthing and things go horribly, horribly wrong.Â
If you havenât seen the tiktok, essentially all it was was JJ and Pope screaming and trying to lift up the man hole cover while Kie is begging for them to hurry from inside. Iâm cheating a little bit as this isnât a shot from the trailer but this picture was posted and itâs from the same scene.

Iâll just....leave this here. Back to the trailer shots.
Nice. Also, same shirt as mugshot.
Hey, um, what?Â
Kiaraâs car, sheâs driving, I canât tell whoâs in the back seat or the front.
Holy God what is going on and how can I as an audience member put a stop to it?
So, same scene as we will see and was in the teaser but, for some reason, theyâre all jumping off of a giant ass boat into the little life raft where it looks like JJ gets hurt later but donât you worry weâre getting to that.
JJ AND KIARA WITH THE POGUE HANDSHAKE JJ AND KIARA WITH THE POGUE HANDSHAKE THEY BOTH LOOK SO DAMN GOOD AND THEIR LITTLE SMILES SPARE ME-
Cleo đ„”
Iâm so excited to see her arc and what it brings this season you guys have no idea.
Please for the love of God be about to get Ward Cameronâs ass like he deserves literally punt him into jail right from Tanny Hill.
Sarah at My Drutherâs with what looks like a bloody bandage on her side? Same outfit sheâs wearing when theyâre running from the police on the beach and she has the bandage there too so. Interesting.Â
Topper hugging who Iâm pretty sure is Sarah, being a general douche because heâs clearly looking at John B like đÂ
Clips like these serve to remind me just how many of my worldly posessions I would gladly give up to be able to punch Topper Thorton in the throat one time.Â
I think this is Cleo jumping off the boat with Pope after John B and Sarah.Â
Absolutely busting a lung at Popeâs form in this one.
John B and Sarah waiting in the life raft, still Cleo and Pope coming after them. The obvious next question is where are JJ and Kiara. The scene Iâm sure you all have been waiting for is coming up and clearly takes place in the life raft as well.
So, I really think JJ and Kie get left for last, something horrible happens as theyâre trying to jump (my head instantly goes to JJ maybe like pushing Kie out of the way and getting hit on the head instead or even just some accident).Â
And, oh my GOD a scene of him falling off the boat after it happens and Kiara diving in after him immediately, having to desperatly try to stop him from sinkingand get to the life raft holy shit-
Girl CATCH HIM?????
Because why wouldnât this be Rafeâs fault. Part of me wonders if this isnât related to JJ being hurt.
I am going to try and unpack this as calmly as possible because behind my computer screen I am vibrating at a frequency that could shatter glass but respectfully.
WHAT IN THE FUCK IS TIAUEWFHLAILA
Okay, so scene wise, JJâs hit his head somehow (probably while he was jumping with Kiara) it looks like and now theyâre back on the raft.Â
In my opinion, this is either:
A) JJ is in really, really bad condition after getting hurt in the jump and theyâre not sure heâs going to make it. So this is a âPlease stay with me, stay awake, please donât dieâ hug OR
B) They very narrowly just avoided a deadly situation (my first thought is JJ hits his head while jumping, passes out in the water, maybe almost drowns but Kie and the others get him onto the life raft in time) and this is more of a âOh my God, youâre okay, youâre safe now, weâre okayâ hug.Â
I honestly lean more to the second one based on the little bit of Sarahâs face we saw in the background. To me, it almost looked like she was smiling thru tears, which, fits way more with the second option than the first.Â
Anyways. Moving on before I burst a lung again.
(also, before anyone comes at me, no, Iâm not happy JJ is hurt, obviously. Â
(Once again, arrest outfits). You can still see the bandage but it looks like Sarahâs limping now too so...good Lord give the girl a break maybe?
Everything in this trailer just went to shit so fast I think I have whip lash, can we go back to the Pogues hanging out and being happy now pkease I liked those scenes.
âI get it. You guys are scared.â
âNo.â
Sheâs cute but, uh, hello sewer scene outfits. Seems like them planning to do whatever the hell they were going to do in the sewers but the boys are starting to get cold feet as maybe they should but hind sight is 20/20 I suppose.
âItâs kind of cute.â
âIâm not scared.â
âYou shouldâve just led with that.â
I will never be able to express how much I adore Pogue banter and general dumbassery and I have a feeling this season will not be lacking in either department
I high key donât think these two are actually going to be there for this scene to go down but Iâll let it slide this time because-
They do be kinda cute.
It both feels like Iâve been waiting for this damn show for 3 years and also like I just watched season 1 last month explain that to me.Â
Either way holy shit. I missed this dumb show and these dumb kids so much it physcially hurts and WE GET THEM BACK IN T-MINUS 16 DAYS.
Also. Where The Hell Is Wheezie Cameron And When Will She Have The Rights She Deserves.
#THIS LEGIT TOOK ME ALL DAY#AND I HAD A BLAST#im simply not ready#jiara nation how we feeling#UGH i missed them so much dude#outer banks season 2#obx#long post#shot by shot rundown#jiara#the pogues#obx2#john b routledge#pope heyward#sarah cameron#kiara carrera#jj maybank#jarah b#john b x sarah#jj maybank x kiara carrera#cleo#rafe cameron#topper thornton
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Tinder Matches
Karmagisa Week 2021, day 1 prompt: Matching wordcount: 1600
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The fact that Nagisa had a tinder account wasnât something he really shared with anyone. At the time, heâd created it as a joke, a way of amusing his friendâs stupid suggestion. According to Kayano, it truly could be the solution to his lack of experience in the love life department. Nagisa hadnât been too sure about that. He was more than aware of the applicationâs status and, no, he wasnât really interested in finding people to just have sex with.Â
Yet, somehow, he still found himself swiping through people on the app one night. He was alone in his room, a little bored, and perhaps even a little too tired after a dayâs worth of teaching. None of the people he came across really interested him much, although he had to admit that heâd probably give them a shot if he saw them in real life, just because he wanted to believe in the best in people.Â
This app, however, gave little to no information on someoneâs personality. Then again, some people were very clear about looking for someone rich to provide for them, which Nagisa guessed his teacherâs salary wasnât exactly right for, and he supposed that also said something about their personality and what they were like in a relationship. Nothing Nagisa really wished to deal with.Â
After swiping left on complete strangers in fear of one secretly being a stalker, murderer, or just having horrible table manners, he suddenly stopped when a familiar face popped up on his screen. the red hair, the golden eyes, that all too familiar smirk. Nagisa recognized exactly who he was seeing, yet somehow couldn't exactly process the idea. it just didn't seem entirely right.Â
Someone like Karma wouldn't need to use tinder, right?Â
He found himself staring at the title picture for a while before he realized he could scroll through and see more. it wasn't like he didn't know what karma looked like... but... he sure was curious about what karma was putting out there.Â
It didn't appear to be all that special at first. A selfie in a casual outfit, a picture of him at a bar with people Nagisa didn't recognize, a traveling picture, but the last picture was something else. This picture appeared professionally taken, or at the very least it wasn't a selfie and the picture was set up. Karma was posing in it, after all. Posing in a suit, the jacket in his hand, thrown over his shoulder as he glanced at the camera with those devilish eyes. Nagisa was nothing but taken back by it.Â
He shouldn't be staring, should he? This was his close friend and fellow assassin graduate, the staring was just weird. Yet, somehow, he couldn't look away from the picture and thought back to when heâd first met Karma, so many years ago now. Heâd felt the same sense of awe back then. Karma was just so perfect, how couldnât he. This picture, him as an adult looking like a literal model, was like a visual representation of everything Nagisa used to feel Karma was.Â
The sudden noise of the train passing near his apartment woke him up from his state. suddenly turning very red, he frantically moved his hands and went to swipe left, except his phone nearly fell out of his hands in the process. He caught it, hands all over the screen and, through his own fingers, he could see Karma being swiped right.Â
no. no nonono. please go back
Nagisa fumbled with his phone, hoping to undo his actions, but before he could do anything, a message popped up on the screen. He was surprised by it to say the least.Â
âyou've got a matchâ
A match. He matched. but that meant... Karma had swiped right on him as well?! why would he- probably as a joke. he probably came across nagisa and thought it was funny, right? Nagisa had to assume that was the truth, although deep in his mind a thought echoed around saying the exact opposite. Maybe he wanted it to not be a joke.
After panicking for a hot minute, his phone made a ping sound, indicating heâd gotten a message. He was too scared to look. Somehow, before even opening the message, he could already sense who it was from. Sure enough, once he finally did gather the courage to check the notification, his fears were proven right. This was the worst situation.Â
Karma: well well well, didnt take you as the tinder type
He considered ignoring it. What was that called again? Ghosting? Yes, he could ghost Karma. If he didnât respond to the message, perhaps nothing else unfavourable would be happening. Well, Karma would probably mention it to him the next time they spoke in real life. That would probably be even worse. It wasnât like he could ignore Karma for the rest of his life. It wasnât like he wanted to.Â
Nagisa: i'm not
Karma: yet here you are.
Karma: swiping right on me ;)
The cockiness almost oozed out of the message. Nagisa was left frowning at his phone. The main thought going through his mind was that Karma was probably enjoying this. He was a sadist like that. He was having fun while Nagisa wanted to bury himself as deep underground as possible.Â
Nagisa: you swiped right first!Â
Nagisa: mine was an accident
Nagisa: I was surprised to see you on here and my phone dropped
Karma: ah, so you wouldn't swipe right on me :( am I too ugly?
Nagisa felt his face grow hot. He probably shouldn't look at his reflection if he wanted to save himself from the image of his head being a tomato. He didn't think karma was ugly. quite the opposite, actually. Not that he could say that. That would be weird. So, he tried to find some middle ground answer, not calling karma ugly or the opposite of that.Â
Nagisa: I never said that, I just didn't intend to swipe right on someone i'm already friends with.Â
There, no way that could be taken wrong. He considered sending an additional message, clarifying just how dropping his phone led to the swiping right, but decided against it. It would sound just a little too defensive.Â
Karma: well,its nice this gives us a chance to talk again anyways. appears youve been too busy to answrr my texts.Â
An awkward laugh escaped Nagisa as he looked away from his phone, forgetting Karma couldn't actually see his reaction. There was no reason to avoid eye contact when there was no eye contact to begin with. Still, he shared the sentiment. He kind of had forgotten to keep contact with people lately.Â
He blamed the new workplace. After finishing his days as a trainee, the new school he worked at was surprisingly more demanding. He always knew being a full time teacher was a lot of work, especially now that there was no one to keep an eye on him and remind him of certain teaching specifics of the school he taught at. Of course, the work was rewarding enough for him to barely think about his loss of contacts. He had a habit of treating those too loosely anyways.Â
Nagisa: ive just been working
Karma: workaholic
Nagisa: you literally have more work hours than me
Karma: and somehow you still spend as much time working as me.Â
The conversation went on like that for a bit, them going back and forth at each other. Overall, it wasn't a bad time. Nagisa kind of forgot about the actual use of the app, and the fact that he could just DM Karma on line whenever he wanted to, until Karma managed to bring back the conversation to it.Â
Karma: you know, usually when people match, they try to meet up for a date
Of course Nagisa was aware that that's what the app was for, it was sort of the reason heâd gotten it as well. However, he didn't think anything would lead anywhere for him, let alone with karma. surely karma wasn't being serious. it would be weird to go on a date with your friend.Â
and still, Nagisa endulged him, being so stupid as to ask further.Â
Nagisa: where do people even go on tinder dates?
Karma: anywhere they want to, usually just for drinks, easy way to lead them home a little tipsy afterwards
Nagisa: okay that sounds creepy
Karma: if that's not your style I could always take you out for dinner.Â
Karma: There's this new sushi restaurant near my place, looks like something you'd love.Â
somehow, he actually considered it. On any other day, that would sound insane to nagisa. Since when would he consider dating karma? Wait, not dating, going on a date with Karma. There was a difference. Sushi did sound great, and so did Karma's company. He supposed he hadn't really been out like that in a while. date or not.Â
Karma: i can even pick you up, very romanticÂ
The word hit Nagisa a little hard. Romantic. What would that entail? Would they sit opposite of each other, send cute glances, maybe even hold hands beside the table? He wanted his mind to hate the idea of that, doing those things with his friend, ruining the relationship they already had. But, he also wanted to give in, say yes, and see where things would lead. At the very least, he'd have a fun night with good food.Â
Nagisa: you have a day in mind?
Karma: how's Saturday?
Nagisa: Saturday's fine
Karma: it's a date!
#KarmagisaWeek21#Karma Akabane#Nagisa Shiota#assassination classroom#ansatsu kyoushitsu#KaruNagi#karmagisa#fanfiction#fanfic#shipweek#anime#manga
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okay so im seeing people get anons about this and its coming up in friend groups so i think now's actually a pretty good time to tackle the idea of religious (specifically cultic) abuse in media and how we as an audience interact with it
TLDR: dehumanization and sexualization of cult victims furthers the misunderstanding that cults "don't exist now", and RA survivors would feel much safer in fandom spaces if people acknowledged and analyzed the harmful portrayals of cults in media.
cw: discussions of cults, abuse, and sexual assault
also, if you have questions, please shoot me an ask or dm (off anon preferably, though)
let me start this with a disclaimer that i dont think every media that features ra is inherently bad. i think thats a bit harsh and as an ra survivor ive come to terms with the fact that there are going to be depictions of it in ways that maybe dont give it the respect it deserves, and trying to "what about [x]" everything will only lead people to talking in circles with themselves. what i want to address here is how you, as a consumer, respond to and parse out what cultic abuse means in any particular portrayal of it.
*also please don't harass people about their RAS status, like, if you see someone enjoying something with a less than stellar portrayal of cults, don't send them asks or dms like "well are YOU a cult survivor?" reducing the consumption of media to a yes or no game based on identity-- especially an identity that comes as the result of explicit pain and spiritual violation is not only derivative but also degrading to survivors and the people you're grilling. all we want is for people to think carefully about what they spread and portray, and how they think about those situations.
so, i think the first thing to tackle is...what is a cult? This is something that's surprisingly hard to define, especially in fictional settings with fictional cults. For example, (and pardon the use of this example, I don't feel like hunting for others), My Hero Academia has an organization in it that I would say fits the criteria for being a cult, but by and large isn't considered one by fans because it's not explicitly called a cult. (Although numerous cult jokes have been made about it). It also has an organization that IS explicitly referred to as a cult.
So, when you're dealing with how to process what is and is not a cult-- and how to make your presence safe for RA survivors, you have to be able to sift through more than just "did the narrative tell me this is a cult?"
There's a few different models people use; one of the most popular being the BITE model-- but I should clarify that the BITE model is really tailored towards religious and strictly hierarchal cults, but can be applied to other kinds of cults.
(and yes, there are cults other than religious/spiritual ones. corporate cults and wellness cults have been on the rise, and it's good to keep that in mind both when engaging with media and also in the real world.)
However, I'm a religious cult survivor, so a lot of my experience is strictly irt this, so please take what I say with a grain of salt, and know that I don't speak for every cult survivor, every religious cult survivor, or every religious abuse survivor. I am One Guy on the internet.
When it comes to media, I have a few questions I run through in order to figure out if something is A Cult.
1) Fringe Ideas. This one is one of those that most people know-- and often incorrectly use to attribute cult status to other things. However, it is worth mentioning, that you don't become a cult by following mainstream ideologies. BUT. BUT. not every group with weird ideas is a cult! Some groups are just weird and are fine being weird. It's a rectangles and squares situation. All cults have fringe ideas and behaviors, not all fringe ideas and behaviors belong to cults.
2) Hierarchies. Cults always have people in power, at least in my experience. There have been ideas thrown around about "completely decentralized cults"-- but to be honest, I'm not sure how I feel about that concept, and I don't know enough about it personally to say whether or not it's legitimate. If you have any sources, hmu.
BUT. Most cults have a power structure. You're going to have leaders, usually with a handful at the verrrrry tippy top, whose word is law. This can be associated with things like religious ideas (channelling god) or being "a genius", like in corporate cults.
3) Control. I cannot stress this enough; cults are all about control. How you think, feel, behave-- they discourage critical thought, encourage snitching on each other, buddy-group behavior; the BITE model explicitly lists these models of control.
4) Us V Them. Cults will give all those that oppose them or simply don't believe them a bad name. They're uneducated, they're evil-- it varies cult to cult, but you'll see them turning the non believers into a homogenous, frightening group. They want to discourage looking outwards, and they want to viciously isolate members.
Other things of note are extremism, talks of enlightenment, harsh punishments, the cult eating large portions of the member's finances, etc.
However, this post is largely to address FICTIONAL cults. and the unfortunate fact of the matter is that fictional cults are rarely fleshed out in a way that can be held one to one to a model, and, more often, don't even afford the victims of a cult humanity.
and this is one of THE biggest issues you find in cult portrayals. the leader is usually a charismatic, or perhaps menacing, figure, one that usually our protagonists-- who are rarely cult victims, they are typically outsiders (not inherently bad, mind you)-- faces personally, with the hoardes of mindless zombies forming one giant hurdle.
Naturally, this can be...hurtful. There's nuance to who is and is not a victim in a cult (although my rule of thumb is to look at what abuses that person specifically exerts over others-- and you can be both a victim and perpetrator of abuse. to treat them exclusively is lacking all nuance), but the people are the bottom, even if they joined willingly, are people who were preyed upon. Not only that, but many media cults forget that people can be born into cults, and never really had a choice to begin with. To treat these people like they are mindless-- or that they deserve the suffering they are in because they are there-- completely erases all nuance, humanity, and understanding to the cult survivior struggle. Not only that, but it continues to sensationalize and deify cult leaders, which is doing their job for them, really.
The second biggest issue is the romanticization and sexualization of cults, religious abuse, and cultic abuse.
(yes...this is a thing.)
The use of cults as a way to make a character edgy or tragic is one thing, but there's something sinister about using it to project a certain sexual behavior onto that character-- whether it be as the subjugator or subjugated. Sexual abuse is rampent in cults, and ritualistic sexual abuse is used to justify it. To sexualize the idea of a cult(ist) raping and abusing someone is...beyond offensive to anyone who has been in a cult where their sexual safety and autonomy has been compromised. Or, in some cases, the cultist is so naive and sheltered they can be easily coerced and taken advantage of due to their brainwashing.
This is...bad? This is bad. To ignore the fact that these depictions are just as harmful as any other romanticization of abuse is to ignore the real suffering of cult victims.
Really, the larger problem is that people don't really think cults exist, not really. They're all things of the past, or things that exist solely in fiction-- when in reality, every day cults form and continue to grow. If you've ever met a mormon, you've met a cultist. The moment you begin to process and parce the fact that this isn't as bizarre and unusual and fictional as it seems, you take the steps to respecting people who have been in that situation and become better at detecting cults, cult recruitment, and are able to more clearly assess what you take in.
Once again, there's so many bad portrayal of cults that it would be...stupid to call for an immediate disowning of anything with it in it. I personally have come to terms with the idea that I will have gripes about these portrayals in most cases, but rarely do I see people other than fellow RA or cult survivors discussing these portrayals. I'm hoping people can become more aware and willing to discuss cults in a serious and analytical context and criticize how they're portrayed in the things they love.
And once again, cult survivors are NOT a monolith. If a cult survivor expresses they are uncomfortable with something I said here that I'm not, or vice versa, listen to the people who actively surround you and whom you care about.
#nyc knacks#cults#ive been sitting on this for a while but it came up on the dash and i took the opportunity to talk abt it#bc i feel very passionately abt it#ok 2 rb
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hi! i was wondering if you could do couples play truth or drink with coops and oâknutzy? i wouldnât mind it being spicy :))
This is VERY spicy, so please be aware of that before you go in. Coops and OâKnutzy belong to @lumosinlove!
TW for many mentions of sex and alcohol
Sirius was warm, a little tipsy, and perfectly content. The carpet was soft under his palms and Remus was cuddled happily against his side from their spot on the floor; across from him, Logan was sitting in Leoâs lap with his legs over Finnâs, whose Spotify âgaylistâ played from the speakers. Their cheeks were all a little pink from alcohol and Sirius was glad they were staying the night instead of driving home.
âOkay, okay, new game,â Leo laughed as they gathered the last of the Scrabble pieces. The five of them had made it through a whole fifteen minutes before Remus and Finn began arguing about symbolism in Great Expectations, while Sirius sat on the sidelines deeply regretting his choice to build âmansionâ for a triple-word score. Twenty points really wasnât worth the near-fistfight.
âItâs time,â Logan singsonged as he took the truth or drink cards off the coffee table, which had been pushed aside to make room for their game board. âThe rules for this are a little different. Do you have alcohol?â
Sirius scoffed. âOf course we have alcohol, weâre adults.â
âOther than wine.â
âMon dieu,â he muttered, rolling his eyes as he got to his feet and walked back into the kitchen. He returned a few moments later with a bottle of cheap whiskey he had been given on his birthday and set it in the middle of their circle, along with five glasses. âThere.â
âBefore we start, letâs make an agreement that whatever we say stays in this room, alright?â Finn held his hand out, palm down, and they stacked theirs on top. âNo cameras, no holding back.â
âDeal. Who goes first?â
âAlright, so with the group game, thereâs one judge each round,â Logan explained as he took a few cards out and put them face down. âEvery card has two questions and the judge decides who asks who. They give the card to the person with the best answer, and whoever has the most cards at the end wins. Ready?â
âLetâs do it.â
Finn drew a card. âOkay, I want Remus to ask Leo the first one, and Leo asks Remus the second one.â
âHave you ever walked in on your parents?â Remus asked.
Leo groaned. âYeah.â
âNot Eloise and Wyatt!â
âYes, Eloise and Wyatt. Scarred me for life, thatâs for sure.â Leo shuddered and took the card, immediately grinning. âThis is a good one. Whatâs your most embarrassing sex moment?â
âI really want to drink.â
âYou canât chicken out this early!â
âUgh, fine.â Remus ran a hand down his face, which was faintly red. âUm, it was after my first game with the Lions and I tried to ride andâŠâ He sighed. âMy legs were too tired to actually sit up.â
âNo,â Finn gasped, looking like a kid on Christmas morning. âYou couldnât even get up?â
âI could get up, I just couldnât move.â Remus tucked his knees under himself. âLike, I got to here and it was fine, but there was nothing left.â
Sirius snickered. âAlmost broke my sternum trying, though.â
All three cubs burst out laughing. âThis one goes to Loops,â Finn managed after a moment, wiping a tear from his eye as he handed the card over. âOh, shit, thatâs the funniest thing Iâve ever heard. Leo, youâre up.â
âOkayâŠI want Cap to ask Logan the first one, and vice versa.â
Any higher power, give me strength. âWhatâs your favorite position, Tremzy?â
Logan grinned cheekily. âMiddle.â
âDidnât need to know that.â
âToo bad. When was the last time you had sex?â
âIt would have been three and a half hours ago if your boyfriend didnât insist on being early to everything.â
âI knew it!â Finn practically shouted. âI told you two they were fucking.â
âDid you bet on that?â Remus asked, incredulous. âOh my god!â
âIt was less of a bet and more of an assumption,â Leo corrected. âCap, answer the question.â
âLast night.â
âThatâs a lame-ass answer and Iâm giving the card to Lo.â
âBias,â he coughed, earning himself three different smacks to the shoulders. âRude.â
âMy turn!â Logan reached over for a new card. âLoops, ask Finn the first one, and Finn, ask Loops the second.â
Remus cleared his throat, took a second to laugh, and then read. âName the person here you think I should hook up with.â
Finn snorted. âAside from your actual fiancĂ©?â They both turned to Logan, who shrugged. âAlright, which one of my boyfriends am I willing to hand over for a night? I feel like youâd object to sleeping with Lo because heâs basically Siriusâ brother. You and Leo are close already, which means it wouldnât be all that awkward. Honestly, when it comes down it, Iâd tap that.â
âOh, you think youâre doing the tapping?â Remus raised an eyebrow and Finn glanced at Sirius, who grinned. âThatâs cute. My turn, Harzy, hand it over.â
Finn obliged, shocked into silence while Leo and Logan cackled next to him. âAre you really surprised?â Sirius asked.
âI mean, a little.â
âShush, you two. Finn, have you ever done anything sexual on camera?â
âDoes Snapchat count?â
âYes.â
âThen yes. Multiple times.â
The five of them looked to Logan, who shook his head. âIâm going to have to give it to Loops, who is apparently a top, much to everyoneâs surprise. Sorry, mon rouge.â
âTo clarify, Iâm a switch,â Remus said as he added the card to his pile. âLetâs not get too hasty here.â
Sirius took a card off the stack and scanned the two questions. âLogan, ask Leo the first one, and vice versa.â
âOh, this should be interesting. Knutty, who here do you most want to hook up with?â
âJust one?â Leo looked over to Sirius who nodded. âFuck, I donât know. I canât choose!â
âAre you going to drink?â Sirius asked. âThat means you lose the card by default.â
âYeah, Iâm not going to choose between my boyfriends.â He downed the shot and reached for the card. âHave you ever had an awkward sex dream? Was anyone here involved?â
âFuck,â Logan muttered. âYes, I have had so many awkward sex dreams and several of them involved people in this room.â
âAw, Tremzy, Iâm flattered,â Remus teased, taking a sip of his water as Logan stretched a leg out to kick him in the thigh. âDo I get to be the judge now, seeing as you won by default?â
âGet me some cards, Loops!â Finn said.
âSirius, ask Finn question one and Finn, ask him question two.â Remus kissed Sirius on the cheek as he handed him the card.
âHarzy, whatâs the sexy nickname theyâll give you in the old folksâ home? You have no idea how bad I want to know this.â
Finn winked. âBig Red.â
âThat is the shittiest nickname ever. Do better.â
âUgh, fine. HmmmâŠâ He hummed along to the playlist while he thought, and Sirius couldnât help but bop a bit as well. Sue him, Gloria Gaynor was catchy. âMy nickname in the nursing home is going to be Harzy because thatâs already sexy. Hand it over, Cap. Whatâs a sexual thing you tried, but just couldnât get into?â
âHaving sex with women.â The entire group burst out laughing at that, and it took a solid minute for everyone to calm down enough to continue. âItâs true! They were all very nice and lovely, but it wasnât quite right. Alright, Re, who won?â
âYou did,â Remus laughed. âBy a landslide, holy fuck. Batter up, Harz.â
âHa! Everyone has to answer this one except me. Whatâs the sex skill youâre most proud of?â
âDo we just go around the circle?â Leo asked. Finn nodded and he tilted his head. âHmm. Iâm really flexible.â
âDamn right you are,â Logan grinned. âIâm most proud of my riding ability.â
Sirius did not miss the flush that came to both Finn and Leoâs faces at that. âEasy, boys. I think Iâm a really good kisser.â
âThatâs not a sex skill!â Finn protested. âEveryone can kiss.â
Remus huffed a laugh. âNot like he can, trust me. Um, I give top-notch blowjobs.â
Finn looked between the four of them, deep in thought. âI hate having to choose between my boyfriends.â
âYou know there are two other people here, right?â Sirius asked drily.
âYeah, but I donât have to go home with you tomorrow and neither of you are in direct control of whether or not I get laid. I think I have to go with Logan on this one. Peanut, I am grateful for your flexibility every single day, but itâs not a specifically sexual talent.â
âWeâll see if you get to experience it ever again,â Leo scoffed, flicking him on the ribs playfully. âMy turn. Logan, ask Finn the first one.â
âOkay, baby, what did you get in major trouble for as a kid?â
âOh, thatâs tough.â Finn absentmindedly ran his hand through Loganâs hair. âThere was one time when I told Alex I was going for a bike ride, but he didnât tell my parents and they thought Iâd been kidnapped. Got grounded for a month after that.â
âEven though you told your brother?â
âMhmm. Oh, I hate the way this is worded. Tell us about a time a fluid got on you during sexy times.â
Logan snorted. âDo you remember the day we found out I was allergic to dust?â
Both Leo and Finn started laughing, but Sirius shared a bewildered look with Remus, who shrugged. âSpill it, Tremz, we werenât there.â
âDâaccord, we had forgotten to clean the apartment after a roadie, so it was pretty dusty. I went down on Leo and then pulled off to sneeze right as he came, and it got in my eye.â
Sirius winced at the thought and Remus hissed in sympathy. âYikes.â
âAfter we finished rinsing my eye out, we dusted the whole place and now we vacuum at least once a week.â
âLogan is the winner for this round because I still feel bad about that,â Leo said as he handed the card over. âI have never felt so guilty for coming. Lo, youâre the judge now.â
âSince the questions stayed within the triad last round, Iâm going to be nice and give you two a chance to catch up,â he teased. âCap, read Loops the first one.â
âAlright, sweetheart, whatâs the strangest place youâve had sex?â
âI donât think a lot of people can say theyâve fucked at the rink.â
âYeah, um, how often did that happen?â Leo interrupted, making a time out motion. âBecause I thought it was maybe twice and Iâm a little worried about sitting on that table now.â
Sirius winked. âPre-game rituals, Knutty. At least once a week.â
âThe Habs PT room was also interesting,â Remus mused. âThey had a very heavy door, which was nice. Okay, gimme. What was your best orgasm?â
âWhen I wore your jersey,â Sirius answered without hesitating. âNo contest. Logan, who won?â
He blinked twice before responding. âSorry, Iâm still stuck on the fact that you got off in the Habs PT room. I think this one goes to Loops.â
Sirius sighed and picked a new card. âThese are incredibly similar. Um, Re and Leo.â
Remus took the card and snuggled up against his side as he read. âLeo, how much money would a voyeuristic billionaire have to pay us to have sex in his velvet blimp? That is so specific, what the hell?â
âThere are two parts to my answer,â Leo said. âNumber one: it would take very little actual money to get me to have sex with you if I wasnât head over heels in love and you werenât engaged. Number two: a hundred million dollars.â
âWhat?â
âHeâs a billionaire! Thatâs nothing to him! Think of another time when youâd be allowed to fuck in a velvet blimp and get paid obscene amounts of money, Loops. Iâll wait.â
âGood point.â
âMy turn. What would we do on our first date?â
âHmm. Iâm getting, like, coffee shop and bookstore vibes.â Remus paused. âWait, we literally did that last weekend.â
âBy that metric, weâre basically already dating,â Leo laughed. âCap, who won?â
âSorry, honey, but Leo put a lot of thought into his answer.â Sirius slid the card across the floor and Leo kissed it in victory.
Remus shook his head and drew a card. âYouâre sleeping on the couch tonight. Finn, ask my traitor fiancĂ© the first one and vice versa.â
âIâm getting punished for being fair?â
âWeâre in this to win, baby.â
âAsk away, Harz.â
âHow are we wrong for each other romantically? Ooo, can I answer this after you?â
âSure. Where do I start?â Sirius laughed. âFirst we have the weird power imbalance if weâre still on the same team, then thereâs the part where Iâm super introverted and youâre painfully social, and finally youâre poly and Iâm not.â
âI was going to say youâre not as kinky as me.â
Remus, who had been taking a drink of water, choked and nearly did a spit take. âDouble check that before you commit,â he coughed.
Finnâs eyes widened. âReally? Again? I thought you guys were the wholesome vanilla couple!â
âOh, honey, no,â Leo said, patting him on the arm. âKasey made the same mistake.â
Sirius took the card from him. âThis is easy. Have you ever had a threesome?â
âTake a wild guess.â
âSirius wins that one,â Remus said. At Finnâs betrayed look, he shrugged. âSorry, I donât make the rules.â
âYouâre literally the judge.â
âYou are now, actually. The round ended.â
Finn rolled his eyes and took a card. âLoops and Logan, give it a go.â
âLoops, if we were on a desert island together, would we become lovers?â Logan batted his eyelashes and Remus laughed.
âIs anyone else there?â
âI donât think so.â
âSure, why not. Youâre cute.â He paused and made a face. âNow that I think about it, that would be a lot like fucking Regulus and I donât know how I feel about that.â
Sirius turned to look at him. âI hope you feel oh god, please no about that.â
âItâs a desert island!â
âMaps exist! Weâll find you!â
âHand over the card before this gets ugly, Tremz.â Remus made a low oof noise as Sirius dragged him into his lap and placed a loud kiss to the side of his neck. âThank you, baby. Describe the first time you had sex, including every cringey detail.â
Logan put his face in his hands. âI was a junior in high school and it happened in her parentsâ basement. The school gave out free condomsââ
âYou had sex with a school condom?â Remus grimaced. âI guess itâs better than nothing.â
âYeah. Anyway, I had been crushing on her for a while, but she panicked as soon as her shirt came off and told me she was a lesbian, and that I looked exactly like the girl she was in love with.â
âNo.â
âYeah. It was so awkward. I gave her a hug and then we went and got ice cream.â
The room was quiet for a moment. âDamn,â Leo said with a low whistle at last as Remus passed the card to Logan. âGood for her, I guess?â
âI mean, she was dating the girl by the end of the year. Gay rights?â
âGay rights,â the rest of them said in unison, breaking down into laughter as Leo took the last card.
âBummer, everyone gets to answer this except me. Expose one of your kinks or take a shot, and you canât repeat one thatâs already been said. Nobody wins this card at the end of the round.â
âI am not opposed to a little bit of manhandling,â Logan said with a sly look at Leo.
Sirius eyed the shot glass in the middle of the circle, then decided against it. There was no way he would give up a chance to beat the cubs at this game. âGetting tied up.â
Remus gave him a surprised look. âI thought youâd take a shot.â
âNot this late in the game. Your turn.â
âHmmm.â Remus bit his lip. âPraise kink.â
âAw, man, that was mine!â Finn protested. Remus gave him a high five. âI guess I have to go with voyeurism, then. Whew, wasnât expecting to say that out loud tonight.â
âIs that it? That was the last one?â Strangely, Sirius was a little disappointed. Despite the insanely invasive sex questions, it was fun to trade stories with the cubs.
âYep. Count your cards, everyone.â
âI donât have any.â Finn pouted.
Leo held up his single card. âThank God for the velvet blimp.â
Sirius had two, and Remus shuffled his three. Across the circle, Logan was sitting pretty on five cards. âI win,â he said with a smug smile.
âWay to go, Tremzy.â Sirius reached over for a fist bump, doing his best not to jostle Remus. âI mean, it must have been nice having both your boyfriends here to give you cards.â
âShut the fuck up!â Logan tossed his cards at Sirius, who grabbed a pillow off the sofa behind them and whacked him on the side of the head with it. âOh, youâre going down.â
In the ensuing chaos, the truth or drink box and Loganâs winning cards were forgotten. None of them really cared, though; they had a pillow fight to win.
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SEVENTEEN (Vocal Unit) / They realize they are in love with you
WARNING: the softest fluff (also, these are long)
JEONGHAN
Jeonghan thought his flu had gotten so bad, heâd imagined the sound of the doorbell.
Heâd just texted you â half an hour ago â telling you not to come over, no matter how sick he was, because it was pouring rain outside and he didnât want you to get sick, too. And then he fell asleep, so now he wasnât sure which sounds were real and which wereâ
There it was again. Someone was absolutely ringing the doorbell.
âJoshua!â he tried, bursting into a coughing fit as soon as the word left his lips. âAh, crapââ
Sneezing immediately after he finished couhing, Jeonghan thought he could distinctly recall ordering the boys in the rooms nearby to evacuate as soon as he got a sore throat, afraid of infecting them, so that meant he was going to have to find a way to get to the door himself.
Halfway out of the door, sniffling and sturggling to properly open his eyes, Jeonghan heard a very familiar gasp. Blinking, he lifted his face to meet your surprised gaze.
âWhy are you out of bed?â you demanded.
Too taken aback by your presence â perhaps heâd dreamed telling you not to come? â he stuttered, âthe doorbellââ
âSeungcheol opened the door,â you explained, taking him by the arm and guiding him back to his room. âYouâre not supposed to be walking.â
âY-youâre not supposed to be here,â he retorted, shivering as soon as he felt your cold hand on his forehead when you checked for fever. You pulled your hand away after realizing that you were wet from the rain.
âYouâre sick,â you countered as you helped him climb back into bed and passed him a tissue as soon as he sneezed again. âAnd Seungcheol told me you tried to kick everyone out of the house.â
âI just told them t-toââ he sneezed again, âto stay away from my room. I donât want them to get sick. I donât want you to get sick, either.â
âWell, I donât want you to be alone when youâre not feeling well,â you replied, taking your coat and backpack off before sitting down on the edge of his bed and unpacking the provisions youâd brought. âI didnât know how to make the kind of soup that you like but I hope thatââ
âThank you,â Jeonghan said. He watched the medicine, the themometers, the containers of food, and the nasal sprays that youâd brought, and felt something squeeze his chest â it wasnât the flu. âI love you.â
âI love you, too, now lie down andââ you replied automatically and then froze, realizing that youâd never actually heard him say that to you before.
Somewhat bewildered, you turned to look at him but Jeonghan â still hovering between dream and reality and, therefore, not sure if heâd just confessed his love to you or if he just thought of doing it â was already lying in his pile of blankets and pillows, his eyes closed and lips parted, seemingly drifting off to sleep.
JOSHUA
âWhy are you looking at me like that?â Joshua asked you as he tried to finish reading the last chapter of the book. The feeling of your warm gaze on him distracted him, and was more than enough to decorate his cheeks with the softest shade of pink.
Realizing that heâd caught you staring â but it wasnât like you were trying very hard to be subtle â you chuckled and looked away. âLike what?â
âLikeâI donât know,â he laughed nervously, not quite sure why his heart had started to beat so quickly. âLike youâd never seen me before.â
You carried on what you were doing and looked back to your phone, explaining in a tone so simple, it seemed like your answer was obvious and it was ridiculous that he didnât figure that out himself.
âSometimes it feels like I havenât,â you explained, âyou looked so lost in the book, it felt like I was getting a glimpse into your mind by watching you read,â you paused to give him a look filled with sincerity, âsorry if that wasââ
âNo, umâŠâ he stopped you, closing his book shut. He had exactly zero chances of getting back into the final chapter and actually understanding how the story resolved. âThatâs okay. You just surprised me, I guess.â
âWhy?â you asked, a hint of teasing in your voice now. âYouâre nice to look at.â
Joshua felt himself inhale with a shudder so intense, he was worried youâd see him shaking from across the room. But, not meaning to make him even more uncomfortable, youâd looked away after you finished speaking, so he had nothing to be nervous about.
Except for the fact that he thought you were nice to look at, too. And the fact that heâd thought so for ages now, but you were friends and he wasnât supposed to think that about a friend.
âHey, um,â he started to say before he was aware of opening his mouth, âcan I ask you something?â
âSure,â you replied, too far from him to notice the wild terror in his eyes after he realized there was no going back from this.
âWhatâuh, h-how do you feel about going out to get food tonight?â he asked, caressing the spine of the book he was still holding in order to get some more courage to clarify the true purpose of his question.
âOkay, that sounds good,â you nodded. âMaybe we can try that all-you-can eat place that just opened a few blocks away?â
That wasnât exactly the sort of candle-lit dinner heâd imagined, but, swallowing with great difficulty, Joshua nodded, âyeah. Okay. Anything you want.â
Baby steps, he decided. Heâd have to figure out a way to make it clear that this was a date once you were already on it.
WOOZI
You had been too busy â too stressed â to see him â really, properly see him â for nearly a month now. All of your meetings consisted of a few minutes, meant to say hello and catch up, and then you were back to taking care of your own personal errands.
Before long, seeing you for two minutes a day didnât seem enough for Jihoon anymore.
âIâm sorry,â you exhaled heavily, the fifth apology leaving your lips even though you and Jihoon had only been on the phone for about half a minute. âI should be done with this project in a few more weeks tops, and then this will all be over. Really, I am soââ
âNo, donât apologize,â Jihoon asked, feeling bad to be putting extra pressure on you with his insistent phone call. âI understand. I just⊠I donât know, I havenât seen you in so long.â
He wanted to say he missed you. He was going to say he missed you. But he stayed quiet, leaving the words hanging in the air awkwarly.
You bit your lip, not wanting to draw attention to the fact that youâd been hoping to relieve the frustration thatâs been brought on by your heavy workload by doing something special for him. Something that heâd clearly not noticed.
âHave you, uh,â you started, having no other choice but to come clean, âchecked your mailbox recently?â
âMy inbox?â he repeated as his confused eyes darted to his computer where heâd always kept his email open.
âNo, your mailbox,â you clarified and then explained, âyour physical mailbox at your house.â
Jihoon looked almost alarmed. âNo. I donât think anyone checks that thing, we get our bills online and donât care much for ads. S-should I, erâshould I have checked it?â
âYeah,â you said, nervous now. âCall me back after you do.â
He promised he would and leaped off his office chair. Nearly slipping on the wooden floors as he bolted through the door of his room and into the hallway outside of the apartment, Jihoon realized heâd left the key of the mailbox back inside.
Honestly, at that point, he was curious enough to physically pry the mailbox open but, groaning and huffing with irritation, he settled for the conventional way and returned inside to grab the key.
What he saw inside of the mailbox almost made him sit right down on the floor.
Youâd mailed him a letter. Every single day. Actually, you didnât mail it â the envelopes had no stamps on â you must have delivered the letters yourself, early in the morning before you had to go to work.
Jihoon wondered why you didnât call him instead, but the answer was obvious: you knew how late he went to sleep the night before and you didnât want to wake him.
Still not having caught his breath, Jihoon collected the envelopes and jogged back inside. He was going to call you first, then read them all; he wanted to do both at the same time but some things were more important than the others.
And the most important thing right now was him telling you how much he loved you.
DK
Seokmin didnât really understand what was happening at first. One moment, he was sleeping â snoring peacefully and possibly even smiling in the dream â and then the next, he was suddenly awake and semi-aware of his surroundings, even if his eyes still felt too heavy to open.
âHmmm,â mumbling in disorientation, he tried to turn to his side but felt something change in the atmosphere as soon as he did.
The room went quiet.
And, finally, Seokmin realized whatâs happened: heâd been sleeping next to you â almost on top of you, at this point â and youâd been humming. Actually humming a quiet cheerful tune under your breath and, despite the comfort it brought his tired mind, heâd never heard you humming before. And thatâs why he woke up.
âSorry,â you whispered, putting down the book that youâd been reading while he slept. âI didnât mean to wake you.â
âNo, please,â he spoke, his voice groggy and laced with sleep. Throwing his arm around your waist as he absentmindedly nuzzled his face into your neck, he asked, âsing for me.â
You would have laughed if you didnât feel so overwhelmed with his body warmth. âYouâre asking me to sing for you?â
âYes,â he said and sighed in content when one of your hands dropped above his head, your nervous fingertips gently touching his hair.
Seokmin had never felt so safe â so at home â before and he realized with frightening clarity that he never wanted to leave. So, tightening his grip around you, he settled firmly on one thing and one thing only: he was going to stay here forever.
âSing me to sleep,â he asked again, bringing a smile to your lips with his ambiguous request, âbut let me stay awake so I can listen.â
SEUNGKWAN
More than half of the time that Seungkwan spent with you, he was laughing. It was either at the jokes that youâd made, or at your shared ability to abandon all sensibility and behave like reckless idiots just for the fun of it. If someone had seen the two of you then, they would have probably thought you were both high on every drug imaginable.
And Seungkwan cherished moments like that â he cherished the pain in his cheeks, the hollowness of his lungs when he thought heâs suffocate from laughing so much, and the bruises on his thighs from clapping against them so hard each time you said something funny.
âGod, Iâm really going to die like this,â he said to you one time, wiping a tear from his eye.
Seungkwan almost started to laugh again as soon as he saw that youâd transcended the laughter state and were now in the âsilent tremorsâ state where your body was shaking from how funny this was, but you were physically incapable of producing any sort of sound anymore.
âStop!â he demanded, bringing his hand over your knee because you were too far for him to touch in a more forceful way. âI canât breathe anymore!â
But you didnât stop â you couldnât â and soon enough, you were both almost literally on the floor, still laughing, even though neither of you could remember what was it that started this anymore. Youâd slow down every now and then, the laughter dissipating, but then a memory â or the sight of each otherâs faces, still framed in joy â would start it all up again.
âI c-canât feel my stomach,â you spoke as you leaned against the wall, trying to get yourself together, but still giggling uncontrollably. âThis is like exercise.â
Seungkwan had almost stopped but now he was laughing again â and, naturally, you were, too â and he had to cover his face with his hands because, dear God, this was never going to end!
âExercise,â he said in-between fits of laughter, âis nowhere near as fun as this. Ah, Iâm not sure I can stand up.â
Still laughing weakly, you managed to get back on your feet and extended a hand for him. âI blame you, by the way. You started it.â
âDid I?â he wasnât sure.
âOf course! You always make me laugh.â
âYou always make me laugh!â he countered as if this was a very serious accusation and, within a moment, you were both giggling again. âGod, my face hurts so much. I love it. I love you.â
Even though he was still laughing as he said it â and you were, too â you couldnât miss the sincerity in his voice and the emotion behind his words because, jokes and laughter aside, it matched the emotions inside of your own chest.
So, you laughed harder â forcing him to push your hand away because now he was laughing, too â because this was your way of telling him that you loved him, too.
#seventeen#seventeen reactions#seventeen fluff#seventeen fanfiction#yoon jeonghan#seventeen x reader#seventeen imagines#jeonghan#fanfiction#joshua#hong jisoo#woozi#lee jihoon#lee seokmin#dokyeom#seungkwan#boo seungkwan#oooiiii back at it again with a completed request!
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A Message
Thomas x Reader
Summary: The reader goes through the Maze trials with a message, but she has no idea who it's from. That is until he enters the maze. And he helps them get out.
Main Masterlist
Part 1
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Maze Runner Masterlist
Warning: I am well aware that this is not how the books or the movie painted the backstory. But it fits better, so we're just going to go with it, okay?
You were in your room with the guys. Newt, Minho, Alby, Chuck, and Gally. You'd been in a room with them for a couple years. Since you were taken when you were ten. Now, fifteen, you all were like family to eachother.
You were hanging off your bunk, upside down with your hair hanging down. Newt slept below you and Minho slept in the top bunk across from yours, above Alby. Gally slept on a bottom bunk with Chuck above him. The kid had become the little brother of the group. All of you were protective over the boy.
While upside down you and Minho were tossing a ball back and forth. It was something that one of the guy's friends had snuck into your room.
When the door started to open and Minho had just tossed the ball, you tried to grab it but also slipped off the bed in the process. Newt stood and slipped his arms under yours in the process to catch you. Your legs hit the ground hard and you winced a little and threw the ball at Minho. He caught it quickly and hid it under his pillow.
You straightened up, and Newt let go of you. A boy and girl who looked around your age came into the room. They both had brown hair, but the boy's was darker. He was quite handsome, actually.
"Hey, Thomas," Chuck says. Minho pulls the ball back out and throws it at your head. You manage to catch it and throw it right back, just as harsh, if not harsher. The boy, Thomas smiled slightly but it quickly disappeared.
"What's wrong?" Alby asked, standing up. The girl took in a breath and looked around the group.
"They're between two of you to go into the Maze first," she says. You snap your eyes to hers.
"The maze? I thought that wasn't supposed to happen yet," you say. The girl looks you over, but nods.
"We're not even supposed to be telling you this," she says pointedly to the boy beside her. He looked a little annoyed, but didn't even glance at her.
"How do you know this?" You ask. The girl and the boy both look at you.
"Uh, we overheard," the girl says. You raise an eyebrow, not believing her at all.
"Do you know who?" Newt asks. Thomas looked at him, glancing at you.
"Yeah. They can't decide between Alby and Y/N," he says. You exchange a look with Alby. He looked a little freaked. You looked down, in thought.
"Can one of us choose for them?" You ask. The guys all look at you.
"Y/N, I know where your mind is going. Don't be stupid," Newt says. You roll your eyes and look at Thomas.
"Can one of us volunteer?" You clarify to the boy. He seems a little surprised and glances at the girl beside him.
"I mean, I guess. But why would you want to?" He asks. You swallow, biting the tip of your tongue in thought. You shift on your feet a little bit.
"One of us has to go in there first, we're all going in eventually," you say. The girl nods and turns towards you a little bit.
"Yes, but you'll be in there alone. For a month. And you won't remember anything," she says. You blink, and after a second you shrug. That, uh, was a little new. You'd heard rumors about the mind wiping but it being confirmed is kind of scary.
"I'd rather it be me than one of these idiots," you say. The girl takes a step towards you.
"You guys would really do that for eachother?" She asks. You roll your eyes.
"Where do I sign up?" You ask in reply. The guys all look at eachother, exchanging worried looks but you just smirked.
"You could request to see Chancellor Paige," the girl says. You nod and gesture towards the door.
"This is me, requesting," you say. The girl exchanged a look with Thomas and you rolled your eyes. "Where do I find her?"
"Don't be stupid, Y/N," Gally says. I scowl at him.
"It's me or Alby. I'm making it easier on them. Trust me, letting them struggle went through my mind. But I'd rather me be in there alone than one of you," you said. Alby steps forward.
"We should talk about this. What if you make a stupid decision in the maze?" He asks. You shrug.
"Then you guys will be there after me. And you'll forget I ever existed. You'll move on," you say. He looks annoyed, his nostrils flaring. But before he could respond, the door opens. The same guard steps in and then the Chancellor. You raise an eyebrow. She looks at Thomas and the girl.
"Thomas, Teresa," she says. You roll your eyes. The two take steps towards her, falling behind her. She then looks at you and Alby. She opens her mouth but you cut her off.
"I want to go into the maze first," you say. Alby grabs your arm and tries to pull you back but you shrug him off. "Seems like a better option at this point." She raises an eyebrow at you, keeping eye contact.
"That's why we're here. We've decided. It's a good thing you want to be first. You're going in, in a few weeks," she says. You stare at her. She nods at the boys and then turns to leave the room. You were frozen in your spot. Newt grabbed your arm, turning you to face him.
"What the bloody hell is wrong with you?" He asks. You shrug him off but your throat had went dry.
A couple days later, you were walking in a hallways when Thomas walked by. He looked a little confused when he saw you but grabbed your arm to stop you. You raised an eyebrow at him and he sighed.
"How are you feeling?" He asks. You were a little caught off guard by the question. Thomas was friends with the guys but you had never met him before last week.
"Like I want a book," you say. He gives you a confused look and you shift on your feet. "I loved to read before all of this. Will I even remember how to read?" I ask, laughing a little and looking down.
"Yeah, you will. You just won't have your memories," he says. You chewed on the inside of your lip and nodded, lifting your head back up to look at him.
"I won't remember the guys," you say. He nods. "Then I guess we'll just have to remake our memories in the maze." He smiles slightly. "Hey, I, uh, I was wondering if I could ask you for a favor. The guys said you were cool, so..."
"Yeah, yeah, what is it?" He asks. You meet his eyes and let out a breath.
"I was wondering if you could try to find out something about someone. I just need to know if they're okay," you say. He studies you for a second before nodding. "It's my little brother. He probably doesn't even remember me he was only two when we were taken. But... he's the only reason I'm still alive. And I need to know if he's okay." Your voice cracked a little, and you looked down shaking your head. "I'm sorry, if you can't-"
"I'll see what I can find out. What's his name?" He asks. You look up.
"Uh, Jack. His names Jack," you tell him. He nods, and gives you a small smile.
"I'll try and figure something out," he says. You give him a watery smile and wipe your nose, looking away again.
"Thank you," you say. He nods.
"Yeah, of course," he says. He studies you for a second. "You're nervous, aren't you?" He asks. You sigh and shake out the jitters in your hands.
"Yeah, I guess. The idea of having no idea where I am. Or getting lost in the maze. Having nothing to live for and purposefully-"
"That's not going to happen," he says. You scoff and cross your arms.
"How do you know? 'Cause the last one seems pretty much like a me thing," you say. He gives me a 'be serious' look.
"I'm not going to let anything bad happen to you," he says. You straighten up, looking him over.
"Why? You barely know me," you say. He smiles and shrugs.
"I like what I know," he says. A smile creeped onto your face.
"Thomas!" Someone calls from the end of the hall. You look over to see Teresa. She looked at you briefly before gesturing for Thomas to come with her.
"I'll find out what I can about your brother," he says, taking a few steps away from you. You watch as he leaves, a little bit in shock.
Two more days past before Thomas came by the room again. When he did you stood up from where you were sitting with Chuck. He looked at you.
"Can I talk to you?" He asks. You nod, following him out into the hallway. He crossed his arms and looked at you. You leaned against the wall, waiting for him to say something. "I found your brother," he says. You straighten up. "He's young, so he won't be put into a maze for a while. And when he does... it's going to be yours." You stared at him for a minute.
"He... he's in our group? How have I not seen him? Why haven't I seen him?" You ask, pushing off the wall.
"Like I said, he's young-"
"Yeah, young! He's nine! He's being raised in this! Is he in our building? Can I see him?" You ask. He puts his hands on your shouldrrs to calm you down. You stare at Thomas with wide eyes.
"It'd be hard to make that happen, but I can try. Until then," he reaches around and pulls something out of the little bag he had brought with him. You knit your brows together. He looked around a little and handed you what he grabbed.
When you looked at it you saw a book. The Lord of the Flies. You chuckled a little looking down at it. But the little laugh turned into a few tears falling. You gave Thomas a watery smile.
"You got me a book?" You ask, laughing a little. He smiled a little and nodded.
"Yeah. It's super old, but it's one they wouldn't miss," he says. You wipe your cheeks, looking down at it.
"Why do you keep doing nice things for me? Is it pity? Because I really don't-"
"No! I told you, I like what I know," he says. You smiled at him and without thinking you hugged him. He hesitated for a second before hugging you back. Your lips touched his clothed shoulder, and after a minute you pulled away.
"Sucks I'm gonna forget about this is in a week," you say, holding up the book a little. He shrugs.
"Maybe." You raised an eyebrow but he just opened the door. "I've got some things to do." You eye him suspiciously for a minute before going back into the room, him leaving.
Tomorrow was the day. You were going into the maze. And you were freaking out. The guys were all sulking. Even Gally. You hop off your bed and catch the ball as Minho tosses it at the ceiling, playing catch with himself. He looks at you, frowning.
You toss it up, and catch it, pointing a finger and waving it around at all of them. "That's it! You guys aren't allowed to be upset. Your last memory with me isn't going to be boring and sad! Sure, I won't remember it, but who knows how long you guys will! Now, stop being boring! Now!" You say, tossing the ball to Alby.
"It should be me," he says. You groan, playfully slapping the side of his head.
"Doesn't matter. Whether I volunteered or not, I got chosen. So it really shouldn't be you."
"What if something happens to you?" Chuck asks. You roll your eyes, grabbing the ball back from Alby and tossing it to Chuck, who catches it a little messily. He was nine.
"Nothing is happening to me! One of these bozos is following me in a month! What's a month? I can survive a month, don't you think." They were all still frowning. "Oh, c'mon put a little faith in me!"
"We do have faith in you! But you without memories is a different story," Newt says, standing up. He puts his hand out towards Chuck who tosses him the ball. "If we have to watch something bad happen to you, we'll be the ones who really get hurt." You sigh and grab the ball as he lightly tosses it to you. He turns and sits back down on his bed.
The door opens and Thomas reveals himself. You knit your brows together, and walk over to him. He gestures to the bed.
"Do you still have the book?" He asks. You nod, grabbing it from under my pillow and handing it to him. He smiles, putting it in his bag quickly. "We have to go. Quickly." He says. Your eyes widen and every guy in the room stands up quickly. "She's not going into the maze yet," Thomas clarifies. A breath of relief is sounded throughout the room. "But I still need you to come with me." You were confused, but followed him regardless.
After walking for a little bit, Thomas started to look around a little bit more. He looked kind of sketchy and you laughed.
"What are you doing?" You ask. He grabs your hand, making you match pace with him as he speeds up a little bit. "Thomas! What-" you stop when you see a child's drawing on a wall. You knit your brows in confusion but then the realization hits you and you stare at Thomas in shock.
He was taking you to see your brother.
#thomas maze runner#newt maze runner#alby maze runner#maze runner minho#the maze runner#maze runner gally#gally#maze runner#chuck maze runner
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okay I found an older snippet and I may be considering...writing again??
If I do write more, I think it would have to be AU but here's an older snippet that is not!
Note: Even though this is a Jily snippet, it's a convo between Lily and Sirius
âOi! Evans!â
Lily hardly registered the sound of her name. She had been in a terrible fog recently, and the lack of sleep certainly wasnât helping.
âEvans! Lily Evans!â
She stopped walking and turned to see Sirius Black jogging towards her.
âSomething I can do for you, Black?â She asked flatly.
âWhat are you up to right now?â He asked, by way of answering her question.
âEr, free period. Was going to try to catch up on reading for Charms...â
âYou mean, like you tried to this morning before breakfast? Iâm pretty sure you spent an hour on the same paragraph.â
âDid Potter tell you that? Or has watching me silently become a group activity?â
âJames will be delighted and embarrassed to know youâve clocked that, so cheers. Iâd be happy to make the case for my best mate and to explain his creepy new choice of courtship, but thatâs not why Iâm here.â Sirius rattled off, smirking.
âOh? And why are you here?â Lily asked, slightly exasperated.
âYou need to have a laugh with a mate. Or a deep conversation with a mate. Whatever you want, really. I just know youâve been a real mess lately,â he paused slightly, perhaps expecting a telling off. All he got was a slight shrug of agreement from Lily. âAnd I know what itâs like, being a real mess. And I know that what you need is to spend your free period with a mate.â
âAnd have you brought me one? Perhaps your best mate?â
âAh no, James would be rubbish right now. We voted and your mate is me!â
âYou. You, Sirius Black, are going to pal around with me?â Lily asked, cocking an eyebrow. âYou are aware we hardly speak, arenât you, Black?â
âYes, yes, that point was made. I certainly thought Remus would be the clear choice, but it was an unanimous decision by the end. We were meant to be friends, Evans.â
âOh, really?â Lily asked, putting her book in her bag. âAlso...unanimous? Remus voted? For you?â
âOnce again, I, too, was surprised, but now youâre stuck with me, Evans. So you should decide what youâre more in the mood for, complete distraction or deep conversation?â
âIs my Charms reading an option?â
âNope!â Sirius said grinning. âAlthough we could flip a coin, if youâre terribly torn.â
âAh, tempting. But no, I suppose I pick deep conversation, as I hardly trust whatever you have up your sleeve as a distraction. Although, if weâre to have a deep conversation, may I request a butter beer, or perhaps something stiffer.â
âMiss Evans!â Sirius gasped in mock indignation. âI am shocked that you would dare ingest alcohol before classes are done for the day.â
âI mean, I only have history of magic left. While I usually wouldn't, I hardly feel that sobriety is crucial. If anything, being a little tipsy might make class slightly more interesting.â
âPositively scandalous.â Sirius said, grinning at her. She smiled back despite herself. âLucky for you, Miss Prefect, I happen to have a wee bit of fire whiskey on me at the moment.â
He reached into his rucksack and paused for a moment, staring hard at Lily.
âThis isnât some trick where youâll write me up after, is it?â
âNo,â Lily smiled again. âAlthough I reserve the right to write you up depending on how this goes.â
âAh, fair enough. No faith in me whatsoever.â
âNot no faith. Just well-informed faith. Faith on top of a first-hand knowledge of your previous behavior.â Lily teased.
âYes, yes. Iâve been very bad. Iâm well aware.â Sirius said, handing a flask over to Lily. The flask had been a Christmas present from Peter and Sirius had taken to carrying it everywhere, although this was the first time in months heâd actually broken it out to drink. Lily took a long swig and made a scrunched up face.
âOh, Merlin,â she sputtered, passing the flask back. Sirius took a drink and, to Lilyâs enjoyment, made an equally silly face. He passed it back to her and they walked out to the courtyard together, passing the flask back and forth and laughing at each otherâs attempts to drink with any dignity.
âOkay. So whatâs been going on with you lately?â Sirius asked, offering her the final sip from the flask. He watched as she took the flask and paused, sighing deeply before throwing her head back to finish the drink off. She cringed and shook her head.
âWhere to start?â She asked, laughing drily. âEr, well. I have no friends. Well, you know that or you wouldnât be here.â
Sirius thought about jumping in to contradict her but decided to wait and see if sheâd keep talking.
âLetâs see, my sister hates me. Iâm absolute crap at transfiguration. And our world seems to be pretty much headed into straight out war, so thereâs that.â
Sirius nodded and looked at her. âOkay,â he said. âNow, some of that is definitely true. But, and I mean this with the utmost deference to your own experience, you know some of that is total rubbish.â
âWe are definitely heading into a war-â
âOh, yeah, thatâs true.â Sirius said. âSorry, Iâll clarify. You do have friends, although I will concede that youâve lost your best mate, and that - despite my...opinion of him - is bloody awful. And youâre not absolute crap at Transfiguration.â
Lily laughed a little, in spite of herself. She looked down and asked quietly, âIt is bloody awful.â
Sirius simply nodded and waited. She was amazed at how easy it was to talk to him and felt that it couldnât be solely due to the fire whiskey.
âDonât get me wrong, I donât regret cutting ties with him. I donât care how shit the two of you can be to him, no amount of provocation should have made him say what he said. And weâre not going to be in school much longer - soon the sides weâve picked arenât just about who we sit with, theyâre life or death. Especially for me.â She sat in silence for a moment. âAnd it wasnât a healthy relationship. Not for a long time. You know, he always made me feel a little foolish for wanting to be friends with anyone in Gryffindor. Itâs why - youâre wrong, you know. Alice and Mary and Marlene and all them, they arenât my friends. I mean, I like them and they like me but theyâre a group. Theyâre friends and Iâm just... there.â
âTo mimic my best mate for a moment, you, Lily Evans, are never just there. You may not be close with them but everyone wants to be friends with you. Youâre almost irritatingly likable. Theyâve just been waiting for you to ask.â
âMy goodness. Sirius Black, that sounded like a compliment.â
âEh, you donât spend as much time with James as I do and not wind up with some favorable opinions of you. And, er, if you donât mind my saying so, heâs a pretty clear solution to your transfiguration problem. Heâs top in the year there and a pretty good teacher as long as you can keep him in line, which obviously you have no issue with.â
âWell yes, I did think about asking Potter but heâs been - as I mentioned before - rather quiet lately. He, er.... he stares quite a bit. But he hasnât spoken to me since, well, last year at the lake.â
Lily glanced at Sirius to see if she could read his expression. She hadnât meant to broach the subject but she felt as though Potter was scared of her. While she certainly didnât miss his constant badgering for her to go out with him, she didnât enjoy this other extreme. James was in every class with her and best friends with one of the few people she felt remotely close to anymore. Two of them, now, I suppose, She thought to herself. Sirius seemed to be debating saying something. Lily shook her head lightly.
âTheyâve just been waiting for me to ask? What does that mean? I just walk up to Mary MacDonald and say, âHullo there, Mary. Iâm finally ready to be close with you all. You may welcome me into your friend group nowâ?â
Sirius laughed âWell first of all, Iâd lead with McKinnon. Iâd say you could probably lose the speech and maybe, I dunno, just sit with her in Potions.â
âSit with Marlene in Potions.â
âYeah, well. I happen to know that Marlene is a bit desperate for a new Potions partner. Thatâs one of the classes Mary and Alice are partners for. Marlene used to sit with Worthington, but heâs started seeing that other Ravenclaw, Florence something, so now they want to sit together. But Marlene doesnât want to get stuck with anyone whoâs naff at Potions.â
Lily blinked. âI didnât realize there was so much to know about our seating in Potions. How do you know all this?â
âPartially because I get bored easily, partially because Marlene and I have gotten a bit, er, closer recently.â
âAh, I see.â Lily grinned. âAnd why havenât you partnered up with her, then?â
âAs I said,â Sirius grinned back. âShe doesnât want someone whoâs naff at Potions. Iâm easily distracted. She likes to actually, you know, work. Like a certain swotty Prefect I know...â He waggled his eyebrows at Lily and she smiled.
âAll right. Iâll sit with Marlene in Potions.â
âExcellent. One problem solved.â
âIndeed.â
âNow I donât know much about your sister,â Sirius said, changing the subject and leaning against the nearest arch. Lily was a bit surprised that heâd circled back to her family before the unfinished discussion of James Potter. âBut I do know a lot about hateful family members. So while I canât necessarily fix this one, I can at least commiserate.â
âAh, yes. Of course thatâs why Remus voted for you.â
âIt certainly was.â
âRemus always says an unsolvable problem is only tolerable with company. And I know how frustrating he finds venting to someone who canât, er, fully relate. I think he once said âempathy can only go so farâ on a particularly snippy day.â
âAh,â Sirius said, narrowing his eyes for a moment. Lily realized he was trying to suss out how much she knew about Remus.
âThough I imagine itâs a little easier to find someone else with a contentious family life than someone who could, you know, fully relate to Remus.â
âSo you do know.â Sirius said, suddenly a little uncertain and untrusting. âSnape told you, I suppose?â
âOh I guessed long before and, to be fair, he never actually confirmed it. I was sure you all knew I knew!â
âYou guessed it?â Sirius sounded half impressed, half terrified.
âDonât worry, I truly donât think anyone else has. It took Sev forever to get there and he was working at it for ages. Although I will admit he may have gotten it a bit faster had I not been throwing him off course a bit. But still,â she continued, eager to reassure Sirius, âI have never heard anyone else so much as suspect. Most people just feel badly about his mum and donât want to bring it up. Right clever choice If you ask me.â
âHow did you guess? When did you guess? And why on earth would you think we knew?â Sirius sputtered.
âTo answer your first two questions, I had a bit of a crush on Remus during fourth year. We sat together in Ancient Runes, and we studied together,â she found herself blushing slightly even though she hadnât fancied Remus in years. Sirius looked deeply amused but mostly still focused on how she uncovered such a secret. âAnd, as I was perhaps a tad more focused on him, I noticed that his mumâs illness always lined up with the full moon. And then I noticed a new scar and put together a pretty good guess. I wasnât quite certain until fifth year, because we do our rounds together. He was always weak and sick before the moon and often injured after. And I assumed you knew because I cover for him whenever the full moon comes up. I mean, I didnât think you all thought I was suddenly happy to lie to McGonagall and Dumbledore for no reason.â
âEr, no. I mean, I suppose Remus was a little surprised at first but then James wouldnât shut up about how âof course youâd cover because youâre a great friend and how lucky Remus was to have you as a friend and on and onâ so we just never brought it up again.â
Lily blushed a little again, and prayed Sirius didnât notice. He did.
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White Tulips - a JunJin fanfic 2/3
Full Story:Â Part 1, Part 3
Hello Everyone! I hope you are all happy and healthy. Part 2 of my Junjin fanfic is finally up. Thank you so much to the beautiful and wonderful people who liked my fanfic. I am so sorry I have not been responding to your lovely comments. I had exams so I was really busy but I will get to them now. It took me a long time to post this next part because I wanted to finish both Part 2 and 3. Iâll be posting the other part too once Iâve proofread everything
As always, this chapter is dedicated to the Shooters GC (which I havenât checked in so long, Iâm so sorry)Â đ đ
Please do be warned, this does get a little dark. But it will pay off in Part 3, I promise.
Pairing: Kang Sujin x Han Seojun
Romantic Trope: Haters to friends to lovers
Word Count:Â 13.5k
Rating: T
TRIGGER WARNING: Some of the themes in this story are a little dark, specifically in section iii. Please be warned. Iâve added a summary for section iii in section iv so you can skip it if needed.
PART 2
i.

They both spoke at the same time.
âYa Kang SujinâŠâ
âYa Han SeojunâŠâ
âWhat the hell happened?â
Seojun had been in a strange state of mind all day. First it was waking up in the enemyâs bed, but that part he had completely blocked out. Then it was the massive hangover, the effects of which he was still reeling from. On top of that he had received a scolding for being late to practice, which caused him to be late to his commercial shoot, which caused him to be late for his recording session which was when he had been informed about his scandal.
Seojun normally didnât care for rumors that spread about him. He relied on his performance to speak for itself; the people online with their uninformed opinions didnât matter.
âBut why did it have to be her?!â He had groaned when he first read the articles. But then he asked himself seriously, âWhy did it have to be her?â
It all seemed too convenient. Additionally, she had been the one to drag him for drinks and then back to her apartment.
Was this another one of her schemes? What would she gain from doing this? Maybe it was because he was on to her and could see the truth about her and now she wanted him gone. Yes, it must have been that. Or was it not? Was his theory too farfetched? Maybe he was being too harsh. Maybe he was misunderstanding the situation.
Seojun felt conflicted. On the one hand, it would have been so easy to just blame Sujin and keep on hating her like he wanted to. On the other hand, he could hear Suho in his head, warning him about being too judgmental. Seojun normally trusted his instincts with everything but this time his own instincts were confused. Should be giving Sujin the benefit of the doubt?Â
Seojun knew that if he needed answers, he would need to go to the source.
âWhat the hell happened?â They both asked each other at the same time but neither had the answer.
âHow the hell would I know? It was your apartment.â
âThe pictures were obviously taken by someone was obsessed with you.â Sujin fumed.
âAre you saying this is my fault?â
âThen are you saying itâs mine?â
âIâm not the one who took us out drinking then brought me back home to her apartment!â
âIâm not the one with the crazy saesangs!â
âMy fans are not crazy! They are way better than arrogant women with a princess complex like you!â
âDonât call me princess.â Sujin said dangerously.
âOr what? Youâll get me drunk and back at your apartment again?â
âAh shut up, you man-child!â Sujin hung up and Seojun flung his phone across the room where it bounced onto the couch. He was seething.
âAish!â Seojun kicked the air.
âDid you talk to Sujin?â Heekyungâs calm voice startled Seojun.
âWhat? Oh, Noona.â Seojun gulped.
âHow was she? Was she okay?â
âUmmâŠâ Seojun blinked
âShe must have been shaken. Facing something like this can be very upsetting.â
Seojunâs shoulders deflated. âUh, yeahâŠâ He hadnât considered that.
âDid she agree to give a statement to help clear up this mess?â
Oh right, I was supposed to ask herâŠ
Heekyung continued, âI do have good news. Weâve found the person who took the photographs. So he wonât be sharing them with anyone else.â
âYou have?â
âYes. It was unfortunate. A photographer happened to be there, just as you were leaving. He actually recognized you from your voice. Talk about having bad luck.â
Seojun frowned. So, it wasnât Sujin.
âSo will Sujin do it? We just need a simple statement. She can release a post on her socials and weâll take care of the media articles.â
Seojun rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. âUm, I donât think sheâll agree.â . Especially not after the blaming match that just happened. âCanât we just clarify things on our end? Not get her involved?â
Heekyung smiled with a twinkle in her eye, âOh I get it. You donât want her to feel burdened.â
Seojun could tell what she was implying. âAh-nee! Its not that at all!â His voice was pitched a little too high.
Heekyung laughed, âIâve been at this for longer than you, Seojun-ah. You can be straight with me.â
âItâs not like that! I donât care about Kang Sujin at all!â
But Heekyung wasnât listening. âJust be careful. Your career has just started. You canât afford scandals like these. People will turn against you in an instant, you know?â
Seojun swallowed. He knew all too well how people could turn against him in an instant, like the way thy did with Seyeon. But he wanted to believe that he would be able to face them.
âDonât worry. Iâll be careful.â
Heekyung nodded. âGood. Now Iâll go tell our PR team to release a statement about you and Sujin being just friends.â Seojun nodded gratefully. âI think the fact that you went to school together will help. Hopefully people will buy it when you tell them nothing happened between you two.â Heekyung winked as she walked away.
âItâs not like that!â Seojun called after her.
ii.

The situation subsided as quickly as it had risen. Move Entertainment published their official statement about how it was all a misunderstanding. That Seojun had only been visiting his friend from high school and the fact that the friend was also a mutual with rising online beauty guru Lim Jukyung helped establish the connection. Seojun had been glad that Jukyung had taken those selfies with Sujin with Seojun in the background otherwise people might have just taken the statement as an excuse.
What annoyed Seojun about the whole situation was not his reputation or the online speculation but how everyone else kept teasing him about it. This was made especially worse when they were all gathered around for drinks, including his own squad, Chorong and Co., who were eyeing Sujin with a mixture of adorationâthat made them stare at her, and fearâthat kept them from talking to her.
âOoh, Han Seojun you better not drink too much or youâll end up in Sujinâs apartment again.â Taehoon teased. Seojun gave him the death glare while Sujin made a disgusted face. Everyone else laughed.
âGuys! Donât be mean.â Jukyungâs voice went unheard among the collective chatter.
âHan Seojun, I can see youâve been keeping a very close eye on Kang Sujin.â Chorong whispered in his ear. Seojun elbowed his ribs.
âPay up, Sujin didnât kill him.â Suho asked from Suah.
âYou guys had a bet?â Sujin asked icily. Seojun almost admired the scathing look Sujin gave Suho as she eyed the money being exchanged.
Suhoâs and Suahâs hands froze right when they were exchanging the bills.
âNo?â Suho said weakly.
âKang Su, I bet on you okay?â Suah defended.
âAh is that so? Well then youâre off the hook.â
Suah relaxed while Suho blinked forty times, sweating. âKang Sujin. It was just a joke okay?â
Sujin just put her hand forward and Suho silently put the money in her hands.
âWah, just 5 dollars? Iâm worth 5 million you know.â
âSure you are. And Iâm the King of England.â Seojun said under his breath. Kang Sujin and her princess complex.
âWhat was that?â Sujin put her hand to her ear, âIâm sorry. I couldnât hear you over the apology you owe me.â
âWhat apology? I owe you nothing.â Seojun retorted, fully aware that he had actually come to this gathering to apologize to Sujin about the scandal and how he had behaved over the phone. That plan had since been abandoned.Â
For some reason, he could not spit out the three words âI am sorryâ to Kang Sujin. No matter how much he wanted to. There was just something about her that irritated him to the point of misbehavior.
Sujin clicked her tongue at Seojun but said nothing. Instead, reaching into her bag, she pulled out a notebook and a pen.
âHere, sign this.â She ordered, pushing the notebook and pen in his face.
âWhat is it?â
For Kang Sujin, the biggest issue from the scandal had not been the online noteriety and not even the teasing, but the fact that everyone in her office now knew that she was friends with an idol and had demanded that she get them his autographs.
âIts for my friends at work.â
âYou have friends?â Seojun said with mock surprise.
âYou know I was just as shocked to learn that you have actual fans. I always thought Suho was the one buying all your albums.â Sujin said.
âOf course I have fans! I am super popular you know!â Seojun defended, pulling the lapels of his jacket with pride.
âYes Iâm sure youâre veeeery popular.â Sujinâs words dripped with sarcasm. Seojunâs pride deflated like a balloon. âJust sign. And write something nice too.â She ordered. Seojun quietly picked up the notebook, not because he was nice but because he felt he owed her this much.
âYou know my autographs are worth a lot of money, right?â
Sujin made a face. âJust sign the damn thing so that the girls at work stop harassing me about you.â
Seojun smiled as he signed. His fans were awesome. âHow many?â He asked.
âSeven.â
He signed seven pages, each with a personalized note.
âBe nice to my fans at work.â
âIâm always nice.â
âSure you are.â Seojun replied skeptically. He handed Sujin the notebook. âI better not find you selling these online.â He warned.
âIâd rather starve than live off of your autographs.â Sujin bit back.
âOkay, okay! No more fighting!â Jukyung pointed between the two. âLets all enjoy our drinks in peace.â She looked pointedly at Sujin who pointed her chin at Seojun with a âhe-started-itâ scowl.
âHan Seo, is it okay for you to meet us in public like this?â Suah asked. They werenât in the usual private dining area that they frequented when it was just the core group of friends. They were out where everyone could see.
âWe can always hang out at our place, if you want.â Suho offered. Seojun quickly shook his head. Seeing Suho and Jukyung together outside was one thing. Seeing how they lived together was quite another. Knowing they lived together was painful enough. He didnât want even more fuel for his imagination.
âIts no trouble at all.â He put on a smile for Suho who seemed satisfied. But, to his surprise, he found Kang Sujin giving him a strange look. She chuckled to herself but said nothing.
As they all said their goodbyes, Seojun went out the back so that he could leave in privacy. He planned on taking the long route today. A bike ride would help him clear his mind.
âHan Seojun, wait up!â
He stopped just as he was about to put his helmet on. He was surprised to find Sujin there.Â
âWhat? Need more autographs?â He asked, cockily smiling.
Sujin made a sickened expression. âNot at all. I just⊠I had something to say.â She hesitated.
âWell say it.â
She cleared her throat. âIt was neither of our faults. The scandal. It wasnât that it was my building or your fans. It was someone shitty who didnât respect our privacy. Thatâs⊠thatâs all I wanted to say.â
Sujin waited for his response. Seojun could feel his face burning. He should have been the one to say all this to her, and yet here she was apologizing to him instead.
âIâmsorryforwhathappened.â He said too quickly and too quietly.
âWhat?â
âNothing!â Seojun shoved his helmet on to hide his embarrassed face.Â
âDrive safe.â Sujin said.
âYeah, whatever.â He rode away.
Kang Sujin was just glad she was able to spit out the words she had been meaning to say all night long. It had been weighing on her ever since they had spoken on the phone. She had promised herself a long time ago that she would try to be a nicer person and for the most part she had accomplished that. But that Han Seojun just had a way of bringing her old self back to the surface. And that bothered her.
It doesnât matter, she told herself. She would learn how to get along with Han Seojun. It was only a matter of practice. And besides, it wasnât as if she had to be overtly obvious about it. She just had to tolerate him.
For Jukyung. Itâs for Jukyung. She would want us to get along, she lied to herself. The truth was, that Kang Sujin believed that she didnât have a choice.
Everyone loved Han Seojun, even her best friends who had never paid much attention to him back in high school. It was all because Sujin had been absent for so long. She had missed a huge part of everyoneâs lives while Han Seojun had been there for all of it.
Sujin wondered whether, if it came to choosing between her and Seojun, they would choose her. A part of her believed they wouldnât.
She had made such a mess of things before and left things unresolved for too long. She was certain that things would never go back to the way they had been, not fully anyway. There would always be a part of them that wouldnât trust her. And there would always be a part of her that would be heavy with guilt. Â
âAh-nee-ya.â She reassured herself. âI donât need to worry about this.â
She was glad that the whole matter of being mistaken as Han Seojunâs girlfriend had been settled. She laughed at the very idea.
âMe and Han Seojun dating. Ah, how funny.â
Sujin had heard of horror stories about how such scandals ruined peopleâs lives and got them shunned by society. Thank fully, none of that had happened. Her precious peace was safe again.
Sujin could see her future now; a life where she worked hard at her non-profit, where she shared dinners and lunches with her friends and laughed about the old days, where she wasnât told she wasnât good enough, where she did what she wanted instead of being forced to do what her father wanted. Yes, Kang Sujin could see her like aheadâa life where she was finally happy.
iii.

At first Sujin thought she was being paranoid. But her co-workers seemed to be acting stand-offish with her, with some outright avoiding her. They werenât replying to her as enthusiastically they used to and were having hushed conversations that immediately stopped when she approached them. They even made plans for lunch without including her.
âIs something wrong?â Sujin asked one of them.
âNot at all. Shall we get to work?â It sounded more like a snub than reassurance.
Sujin also felt the hairs on her neck rise from time to time, as if she could feel someone watching her. But when she turned around, everyone would look away.
Convincing herself that it was all in her head, Sujin ignored it and went on with her work.
But then it happened again at the convenience store. She heard her name being said in whispers behind her. When she turned, she found a couple of teenagers quickly putting away their phone. Despite the anxiety bubbling in her stomach, Sujin dismissed the incident and went home.
Normally after a long day at work, Sujin would throw her phone away, have dinner while watching TV, shower and go to sleep. But today had been strange and she was feeling out of sorts. She needed a distraction to help her calm down.
So, after a shower, she settled back on her couch with her dinner and her phone. Jukyung normally posted a new make-up tutorial by this day of the week. Sujin loved watching her transform herself from an ordinary looking girl to a stunning beauty, while explaining each step.
To Kang Sujin, Jukyung was an artist who used her face as a canvas. Sujin herself had learned a lot just from watching Jukyung. She was excited about what she would learn today.
Sujin dismissed the dozens of Instagram notifications on her phone. Suah was always tagging her and messaging her about some post or the other. Sujin would get to them later. As Sujin searched for Jukyungâs channel, her Instagram notifications kept dinging. She put it on mute and played the video.
This time, Jukyung was giving a tutorial on American style makeup and how it was different from Korean style. Sujin grinned all the way through the video as Jukyung talked through her tutorial. Sujin scrolled through the comments as she watched.
My beauty Queen! I love you!
I tried your winged liner look and was able to finally do it for myself. Thank you.
I use the exact same foundation but it doesnât work for my skin. But looks great on you. <3
You didnât mention the eyeliner you used here. Can you please add it in the description?
This is why I have trust issues. She looks like a completely different person. This is fraud.
Sujin frowned at the last comment. âShe looks beautiful either way.â She said angrily aloud as she typed it in, punching the buttons as if she could punch the commentor. Sujin scrolled further.
Who else came here after reading the Soompi article?
This comment had a lot of likes and comments. Maybe Jukyung was getting famous enough to be reported by entertainment websites now. Sujin smiled proudly.
Lim Jukyung, yours is the best makeup channel here!
Saranghae unnie
I was so sad to learn that you were bullied as a kid. So glad that youâve found success now.
Sujin swallowed thickly. It would always bother her to know that she had once exploited Jukyungâs past bullying for her own gain. The fact that she had once contributed to her bullying would always fuel Sujinâs self hatred. She was just glad that Jukyung had moved on from her past and had become confident in herself. And more so, had found a community online that adored her.
As Sujin scrolled down some more, she noticed that most of the comments were talking about how Jukyung was a survivor of bullying.
âMwo-yaâŠâ
Wow, I had no idea this girl was so brave. Bravo!!!
Iâm a survivor of bullying too. Its nice to know Iâm not alone.
I bet her bully is watching this now and regretting what they did.
I donât watch makeup tutorials. Came here cuz of the bullying scandal. But stayed cuz she is so good.
The last comment made Sujin stop. âBullying scandal?â
Sujin went to Naver and searched for scandals involving Lim Jukyung. The first few links were Jukyungâs most popular videos but beneath that were a slew of articles from slanderous gossip sites.
Girl from Han Seojun Scandal Turns Out to be a Bully
Online Star Lim Jukyung Gets Involved in Han Seojun Scandal
Han Seojunâs Alleged Girlfriend was a Bully in High School
âWhat?!â Sujin stood up on her feet in shock. With shaking hands, she went through the articles one by one. Somehow, someone had uncovered the post from her high school community page that had revealed what she had done to Jukyung. Except they had gotten their facts mixed up and had reported that Sujin had been the one to bully Lim Jukyung about her looks.
That girl is so despicable.
Han Seojun is hanging out with a girl like her? I canât believe it. I actually used to like him.
I bet this girl seduced Oppa. Donât dislike him!
I am so glad theyâre not actually dating.
Her face is so evil. And sheâs uglier than Lim Jukyung!
I bet Han Seojun was fooled by her. She feels like the type who uses her looks to manipulate men.
People like her should kill themselves.
Guys! I found her Inssa!
It really is her! This is authentic!
The room began to close in on Sujin. She immediately opened Instagram where her account was flooded with comments and direct messages from people either telling her to kill herself or threatening to kill her.
Her heart was beating so fast it felt like she would throw it up. She was equal parts shaken and angry. So many people were after her but she hated that these people felt they had a right to treat her this way.
Sujin opened up the messages on Instagram and began firing back to her haters, starting with the most recent messages.
Get off of my account before I report you.
No thanks, Iâm not going to kill myself.
Threatening me will only get you sued.
You donât have to follow me if you donât like me.
âThese assholes think they can bully me online? Well, theyâve got another thing coming.â Sujin growled through clenched teeth as she typed away with all her anger.
I did not bully her!
I made a mistake!
I apologized!
People immediately started responding.
Youâre not even going to admit your mistake?
OMG! I canât believe you actually replied!
Are you honestly defending what you did?
You canât talk like that to me! Iâm going to tell everyone youâre a total b****
How can you be so audacious after you bullied someone? Just kill yourself.
Do us all a favor and kill yourself.
Kill yourself.
KILL YOURSELF.
Sujin screamed in frustration and threw her phone away. It smashed into the wall and landed with a sickening thud. Her hands suddenly felt clammy. Clammy and sticky and sweaty and dirty, dirty, dirty. So dirty that they smelled.
She ran into the bathroom and furiously scrubbed her hands clean. Once, twice, three times. No matter how many times she washed or how hard she scrubbed, the dirty stench of the hate she had just received wouldnât wash off.
Her hands became all red and felt raw and exposed. But she kept on washing till she ran out of soap. She fell to the floor, suddenly weak and exhausted. The cool tiles felt nice and it was then that she noticed how hot she felt.
Calm down. I have to calm down. She breathed in, then out. In, then out. She could hear her heart in her ears. Pounding and pounding. The walls were closing in. The messages on her Instagram suddenly had voices that shouted in her mind.
Kill yourself, kill yourself, kill yourself.
A ringing broke through it all. First Sujin thought it was in her head but no, it was from the living room.
Her cellphone. Lim Jukyung was calling.
How could she face Jukyung? What would she say to her? Wouldnât Jukyung say the same as everyone else?
Sujin cut the call. Notifications from Instagram were still coming in. She deactivated her account and deleted the app.
Lim Jukyungâs name lit up her phone again.
She turned it off and flopped down on her sofa, head pounding.
Her fragile little hope for a good life was now shattered completely. She could hear her father now. Hear him yell at her that she was useless, that she was pathetic, that she was stupid and inferior. Unable to beat even Lee Suho.
Kill yourself.
Her father had never told her this, but he might as well have. Even now it was his voice saying it over and over in her mind. It was his angry stare she felt on her back.
How would she face people now? People would hate her now that they knew what she had done. And her co-workersâŠ. Of course they knew. Thatâs why everyone had been acting so strange.
This all felt so cruel and unfair. She had been so good these past couple of years. She didnât want all of it to just be taken away like this.
But didnât you do the same thing to Jukyung? Her fatherâs voice taunted. She was a good person too, wasnât she? Youâre nothing but a piece of trash.
I bet you think that you destroyed Lim Jukyung, Seojunâs voice said, but youâve only destroyed yourself.
iv.
SUMMARY of iii: Because of the Han Seojun scandal, people find out about the community post that revealed what Sujin had done to Jukyung and people online start thinking that Sujin bullied Jukyung. They harrass her and it becomes a scandal of its own.

It was chaos at Move Entertainment.
âWhat the hell happened?! You told me you settled this!â The director threw a magazine in Heekyungâs face. Seojun saw this through the glass door and barged in.
âIs that how you treat your employees?â He demanded angrily.
âGet out. Get. Him. Out! Get him out of this company for good measure!â
Heekyung pushed Seojun out before he could do anything else, dragging him as far away as possible. âDonât be an idiot. You canât just barge in like that.â
âBut heâs being an asshole. Should I just stand around and let you take it?â
âThis is the adult world Han Seojun. Actions have consequences here.â Heekyung said reasonably. âAnd youâre the reason heâs so mad. A bullying scandal is serious. Weâve even publicly acknowledged that you and Sujin are friends. This doesnât reflect well on you.â
âThe articles are lying. Sujin didnât bully Jukyung in high school. She justââ
âI know exactly what she did. You think I donât know about what happened to my own sister?â For a brief moment, Heekyungâs professional demeanor slipped into anger. But she recovered quickly. âIt infuriates me that my sisterâs past is being brought up like this. But I have a job to do and I need you to cooperate with me. Okay?â
Seojun exhaled. âWhat are we going to do?â
âNothing. The situation will sort itself out. You will need to keep a low profile, however.â
Seojun exhaled. âNoona, we need to set the record straight. Sujin isââ
âSujin isnât represented by Move, you are. None of us here can do anything about what is happening to her.â
Seojun clenched his jaw. âHave you seen what is being said about her?â
Heekyung looked away. âIts not like I enjoy saying this. Iâm only telling you what I was told when I made the same request. Sheâs not represented by us. Sheâs not our concern.â
âWas Seyeon not your concern either?â
Heekyung had nothing to say to that. âI have to go back in. You stay here, arachi? Donât do anything rash andâŠâ she yanked Seojunâs phone from his hand.
âAh!â Seojun tried to get it but Heekyung had the phone out of reach.
âIâm keeping this for now.â She said and left.
Seojun exclaimed in frustration, running his hands through his hair. Despite the animosity he had towards Kang Sujin, this kind of exposure to such vitriol online didnât sit well with him. Kang Sujin deserved a lot of things, but she didnât deserve this.
He knew Sujin was tough. But this kind of incident would make anyone crumble. He just hoped she didnât do anything stupid.
v.

âSujin-ah. Can you explain your side of things?â
Of course her office had heard about everything. Apparently her past misdeeds were a trending topic online. Her supervisor had called her in as soon as Sujin had shown up.
âCan you tell me what happened?â Her supervisor asked.
Sujin inhaled, âWhen I was in high school, I fell in love with a boy. But he had a girlfriend⊠she was a friend of mine. I got jealous⊠and petty. I published an unflattering video of her on our schoolâs online community. She had been bullied in her previous school because of her looks. So the video was especially traumatizing to her. I was responsible for what happened in Saebom High, but I wasnât involved in anything that happened before that.â
Sujin looked at her hands, still red and raw, âI have made up with her since then. Iâve apologized. Weâre both friends now. And Iâm not a teenager anymore.â
Something stung Sujinâs hand. Water droplets? No, tears. She hadnât noticed when she had started crying. But she kept her face straight even when the tears didnât stop. She looked at her supervisor.
âI am ashamed of what I did. If I could take it all back⊠you have no idea what I would do to take it all back.â Sujin furiously wiped away her tears. She hated crying in front of anyone. âI love working here. I really do.â
Even as she was saying the words, she knew what was coming. Of course her company wouldnât keep her on. Even non-profits couldnât afford bad reputations and the fact that Move Entertainment had worked with her company for a lot of benefits hadnât escaped her notice either.
âSujin-ah.â Her co-worker said, peeking from the cubicle wall as Sujin packed up her things.
âWhat?â
âI never thanked you. For getting me Han Seojunâs signature.â The woman said meekly.
Sujin gave a small smile. âYouâre welcome.â
The woman handed her a bunch of sticky notes. âThese are goodbyes from everyone. We know youâre not getting a farewell party so we thought you should have our thoughts with you.â
Sujin looked down at the brightly colored notes that contained encouraging messages from some of her co-workers. Her dismissal had been so swift that she hadnât even been given the chance to say anything.
âIf its worth anything⊠I donât believe any of it.â
Sujin smiled gratefully this time. âThanks, Chulhee-yah. I appreciate it.â
vi.

Sujin was both grateful and surprised by how much her friends had reached out. Apparently they had showed up to her place multiple times to see if she was okay, given that she was not answering any of her calls. Sadly, Sujin had not been there to receive them. She had gone to her auntâs place to get away from everything.
That had not proved to be a good idea.
âHave. You. Lost. Your. Mind!!â Each word was punctuated with a smack from a slipper. Her mother, the once elegant and graceful Mrs. Kang, chased her daughter around in the most inelegant and ungraceful manner. Mrs. Kangâs sister tried to save Sujin by stepping in between but Mrs. Kang still managed to get a few whacks in.
âHow could you let a boy stay over at your place?!â
âOmma! Thatâs what you choose to focus on?!â
âYes! How could you have disgraced your family this way? And not just any boy, an idol? What the hell were you doing with an idol? Come here.â
This was one fight Sujin would never win. Her mother was not a force of reason when she was this angry. And it took a lot for her to get this angry.
Sujin didnât mind these smacks. They came from a place of love and worry. Eventually her mother calmed down enough to address the other issue with Sujin. She took her daughter in her arms and wailed.
âHow could those people be so mean to my daughter?â
âOmma, I canât breathe.â Her mother smushed Sujin to herself.
âMy poor girl. My poor baby girl.â
In the end, Sujin was glad she had come back to her auntâs place. It gave her the break she had needed. Away from all of the noise of her online haters, Sujin found she could finally breathe. She found great comfort in her motherâs arms and her auntâs assurances her that everything would be fine.
However, the dread of returning to her normal life still loomed over her head. Sujin felt her throat close up every time she imagined going back to her apartment. Would the people point and laugh at her on the street? Would she be able to live a normal life from now on?
It was strange how deeply all of this had affected her. Even now, as Sujin walked from the grocery store to her auntâs house, she felt the paranoia that people were talking about her, pointing and laughing, even though they werenât.Â
âSujin-ah.â
And now it felt like they were actually calling out to her.
âKang Su!â
Sujin turned in surprise, ready to fight whoever had called her. âWho is it?â
âWho do you think? Itâs Jukyungie! â A human mass known as Lim Jukyung ran towards Kang Sujin with arms wide open. The girls hugged each other tightly, Jukyung grinning with her gummy smile while Sujin stood, mouth open in shock.
Not far behind, were Suah and Taehoon.
âYa Kang Su, at least answer your phone! Do you know how worried I was?â Suah scolded.
Sujin laughed, almost tearing up. She couldnât believe this was happening. She had feared that her friends would turn away and curse at her after she had avoided them. But here they were, all gathered just for her.
âHowâd you find me?â She asked the three. They all turned to Suho who stood there smiling.
âHey Sujin. Have you been well?â
Of course, Suho knew where her aunt lived.
âWhat well? You all know what happened.â Sujin replied, not bothering to pretend that she was fine.
âYa! What have you done to your hands.â Jukyung held up Sujinâs scabby hands with worry.
âItâll heal.â Sujin smiled. Maybe it was the massive hug she had received, or the fact that her friends had traveled so far away to meet her, but suddenly, Sujin felt relieved. It was as if the entire situation was trivial and that she could see light at the end of the tunnel.
âOf course we know what happened.â Suho replied.
âAnd we know exactly how to fix it.â Jukyung grinned wider.
vii.
On the screen, in front of a ring light she had set up at her home, Lim Jukyung stood with a gummy smile and a warm welcome.
âAhn-nyong-se-yo everyone. This is Lim Jukyung here with a new make up tutorial for all of my beautiful viewers. Uh, today I have a new kind of tutorial for you all. But before we begin, there is something that I think has been on all of our minds that needs to be addressed.â
Jukyung motioned to someone standing behind the camera to come forward. Kang Sujin entered the frame awkwardly, not knowing where exactly to look. The way Jukyung had set up her studio for this live event was to have the camera, the mirror with the ring light and her laptop screen facing her so that she could do her make up while also reading the comments. And while Jukyung was used to having all of this equipment focused on her, Sujin was not.
âIntroduce yourself.â Jukyung said softly, nudging Sujin with her elbow.
âAh, yes.â Sujin cleared her throat. âAhn-nyong-se-yo everyone. Iâm Kang Sujin.â She waved robotically while staring in the camera like a deer caught in the headlights.
Jukyung couldnât help but laugh. âYa, Kang Su, are you afraid of the camera?â
âAh-neeeee, itâs just so unnatural.â Sujin quickly countered.
âDonât worry, the camera doesnât bite.â Jukyung put an arm around her friendâs waist. âOkay everyone now that my friend Kang Sujin is here we can talk about the recentââ
âLim Ju, maybe we shouldnât do this.â Sujin interrupted anxiously.
âHuh? But itâs already live.â Jukyung pointed at the camera.
âWhat?â Sujin on in panic.
Jukyung continued, âSo everyone, as you all may have heard, Sujin and I went to the same high school together. However, before that I attended another high school where I was bullied for my looks. Sujin and I did not know each other back then and she had nothing to do with that part of my life so the allegations that she bullied me are completely false. That was another person and that person is no longer in my life.â
Sujin cut in, âHowever, it is true that I revealed Jukyungâs past to our school and posted an unflattering video of her online.â
Jukyung nodded, looking serious. âI wonât lie and say it was easy for me to have that happen. But⊠both of us have changed since then. We have grown up and grown past that time.â
The girls took each otherâs hands in solidarity.
Jukyung continued, âIâm not the girl I used to be. Neither is Sujin. And while she did do something wrong⊠Iâve forgiven her. I would rather remember the good times we sharedâŠâ The time that Sujin caught that pervert, the time she helped rescue Jukyung from those kidnappers, the time she helped hide Jukyungâs bare face at the school trip. âThere are things that I wish I had done differently too. I wish had been more confident in myself and honest about who I really was. I wish I had stood up for myself earlier. But the past is the past, and I would rather focus on the present.â
âEveryone, I am grateful for all of the love and support you showed to me. I know bullying isnât something you get over easily and I saw a lot of you comment about the bullying that you suffered. I am grateful you shared your stories with me. I hope we can take this opportunity to help each other heal rather than put someone down.â Jukyung looked at Sujin. âNow you.â
Sujin recited nervously, âAh. Ahn-nyong-se-yo everyone. Iâm Kang Sujin.â
Jukyung giggled. âWeâve done that already.â
âOh, yes. Um⊠I uhâŠâ Sujin took a pause to collect herself. âLet me be the first to say that Iâm not a nice personââ
âYah!â Jukyung protested but Sujin carried on.
âBut Iâm also not the girl who posted that video about her best friend, not anymore. At that time⊠I was foolish. I let my personal problems cloud my judgement and I took my frustration and anger out on Lim Jukyung. I have regretted doing that every single day since it happened. I am sorry. I understand everyoneâs anger towards me. I would be angry too if I heard this about someone else. However, I hope that you all will be able to forgive me, as Jukyung has.â
Sujin ended her speech with an apologetic bow. Jukyung bowed with her. The girls then shared a tearful hug. From the back, Sujin saw Suho give her a thumbs up. Sujin sent him a smile back. The girls parted, wiping their tears.
âOkay! Now that thatâs out of the way, we can get on to the real reason why you are on here.â Jukyung clasped her hands together. âSujin will be assisting me today.â
âAh, yes.â
âSo Kang Su, shall we bring out our model today?â Jukyung asked her with a mischievous gleam in her eye.
The girls nodded conspiratorially before turning to Suho who looked on, confused.
âWhat? Why are you looking at me like that?â
viii.

âWhat is it? What are you laughing at?â Chorong asked Seojun as he leaned over his shoulder. They were at Chorongâs place where the boys were goofing off, playing video games and lounging about.
Seojun didnât hear Chorongâs inquiry through his ear buds and kept on shaking with silent laughter.
âHey, nobody said anything about me being in the video.â Suho was protesting on Seojunâs phone. Seojun turned up the volume to hear Suhoâs annoyed grumbling more clearly. Of course, Seojun was going to make fun of Suho about this afterwards.Â
âJust sit down, Lee Su, before I get mad.â Sujin commanded.
âThat attitude of yours has never worked on me,â Suho replied coolly.
âCome on, Suho-ya. I do your makeup all the time donât I? Itâll be fine. I promise.â Of course, when Jukyung said this, Suho melted like butter on a hot pan. Sujin rolled her eyes but it was clear that it wasnât out of spite.
âOkay everyone! Letâs begin with the base and then weâll work our way up! I am going to keep this look as natural as possible so that its not modifying anything but merely enhancing his features.â Jukyung pushed Suhoâs bangs out of his forehead with a giant pink bow shaped clip. Seojun was quick to get a screen shot of it.
âWhat are Lee Suho and Kang Sujin doing on Jukyungâs channel?â Chorong asked in Seojunâs ear, shocking him. Seojun almost screamed in fear. He pushed away Chorongâs face to watch the video in peace.
In the live video, Jukyung was explaining the differences of applying make up on a guyâs face, versus a girlâs face.
âSujin-ah. Why donât you read some of the comments while Iâm buffing in his foundation? You have to buff it in for a long time to make it appear natural.â Jukyung told her audience.
Sujin moved towards the camera, blocking Jukyung a little as she read off of her laptop. Her unfiltered face was front and center for the world to see. At this position it looked unflattering, which made Seojun chuckle even more.
Sujin read the comments in a robotic monotone, âJukyung Unnie, I donât usually watch make up tutorials. But after today Iâm your number one fan.â
âMwo-ya, this girl has no camera sense.â Seojun said to himself.
âThank you! Iâm your fan too,â Jukyung replied brightly.
âYour looks are always so classy and stylish.â
âThank you! Iâm glad you liked them. Let me know if there are any other looks youâd like to see.â
âWill you do a tutorial on how to wear red lipstick properly?â
âIâm actually planning on doing that soon!â
âLim Jukyung, you are so beautiful. Marry me please!â
Suho got up to see the screen, âWho asked that?â
âSit down!â Jukyung pulled him back as he grumbled. âSorry,â Jukyung said to the camera, âbut Iâm taken.â
âAre you and Kang Sujin really friends now?â Sujin turned to Jukyung and all Seojun could see was her shiny black hair on screen.
âDangyunhaji! In fact, if I wasnât dating Suho, Kang Sujin would be my boyfriend.â
Seojun scoffed, âAs if. It would have been me.â
On the live, Sujin laughed, âIs that so? We can still be together though. Have an affair behind Suhoâs back.â
âSure.â Jukyung said casually.
âYah!â Suho protested.
Both girls giggled.
Suho looked miffed, âKang Sujin, youâre blocking the view.â He said peevishly.
âOh sorry. Iâll move.â Sujin circled around the couple to stand behind Jukyung and read the comments over her shoulder.
Jukyung read something on the screen and pointed it to Sujin, âRead that one.â
Sujin hesitantly read, âKang Sujin, Iâm sorry for judging you.â She looked up, âItâs okay. I can be harsh in my judgements too. The key is to try to learn from your past.â Sujin smiled at the camera before turning back to the screen.
âKang Sujin, youâre pretty.â Sujin recited in her monotone voice. âYes. I know.â She said without looking up.
âShe is also super smart!â Jukyung gushed. âShe was one of the top students in class.â
âCould never beat me though.â Suho said smugly, still sore about the affair comment. Both girls turned to Suho and stared. His mouth became small. âSorry.â
Jukyung went back to explaining her tutorial, slowly performing each step as Suho patiently sat. She made his eyes look bigger and applied a natural lip tint to finish off.
Both girls couldnât help but gawk at how good Suho look by the end. Jukyung removed the pink blow clip from his hair in a daze.
âHow do I look?â He asked Jukyung.
âToo good, Lee Suho.â Sujin clapped. âToo good.â
Jukyung blushed but couldnât articulate her thoughts. She stuttered, âUh-ah! Letâs look at the c-c-comments again!â
Suho grinned.
âLim Jukyung, you were amazing as always!â Sujin read aloud.
âThank you.â Jukyung bowed.
âWatch the latest and best movies for free atââ
âSujin thatâs just spam.â
âOh. Right.â Sujin continued, âLee Suho looks prettier than the both of you.â
The girlsâ face fell flat. Suho just looked innocently at the camera. The girls cleared their throats.
âAh thatâs all the time we have!â
âAh, yes! Time to move on!â
The two pushed Suho out of the frame together.
âI can still be on camera if youââ
âNo, I think the people have seen enough of you.â Sujin said while smiling widely at the camera.
Jukyung went wide eyed when she looked into her computer screen. âYa! This live got 3.3 thousand comments!â
âDaebak. Good job Lim Ju!â The girls grinned, but then Sujin squinted her eyes disapprovingly at something on the screen. âLim Jukyung, you look so ugly without makeup? Ya, who wrote this comment? User name KimChee23? Why donât you show yourself to me and then we can see whoâs really ugly?â
âSujin-ah. Itâs just a comment.â Jukyung tried to calm her.
âComments matter too! Otherwise people wouldnât be writing them! Ya KimChee23 where do you live?â
Seojun laughed out loud as he saw Jukyung try to calm Sujin down on screen.
âSo, is everything all settled now?â Chorong asked Seojun.
âI think, yes. Just look at all the comments praising Sujin.â
He was right, the comments section was flooded with statements of Sujin being a brave person for apologizing and changing her bad behavior.Â
âGreat.â Chorong shook his friendâs shoulders. âNow you donât have to be so troubled about Lim Jukyung.â
âLim Jukyung? Why would I be troubled about her?â
Chorong was confused. He had not known about the scandal. The matter Chorong had been referring to was Seojunâs theory that Kang was apparently still after Lee Suho.
âI mean... havenât you been in a bad mood all week because of her?â
âWhy bother asking Chorong?â One of the boys said, âYou know the answer to all of Seojunâs heartaches is Lim Jukyung.â
Seojun didnât bother responding. He returned to his phone screen where Jukyung and Kang Sujin were wrapping up the live, waving at the camera with wide smiles. Suho was trying to get back in the frame and Sujin kept pushing his out of it.
âOoh. Look at how Han Seojun is smiling.â
âSomething good must have happened.â
âSee! Heâs always thinking of Lim Jukyung.â
âNo Iâm not!â Seojun protested. Quietly, he admitted. âI wasnât thinking of Lim Jukyung.â
ix.

Han Seojun had arrived at Kang Sujinâs building an hour ago, but for the life of him he could not muster the courage to go up to her apartment.
âI have no reason to see her. So, why should I?â He argued with himself. He paced back and forth, going up the entrance and then going back again, unable to enter.
In his hands, Han Seojun held a beautiful arrangement of white tulips and yellow roses. White tulips as an apology and yellow roses as an offering of friendship. It was his way of apologizing for being a jerk.
After hearing everything she had said on the live event, Seojun had no doubt that Kang Sujin wasnât who he thought she was. Certainly, if Jukyung and even Suho could trust her, then he could at least give her the benefit of the doubt.Â
It had felt like a good idea at the time to try to make amends with flowers. But now that he was actually here, at her home, he felt stupid.
What would Kang Sujin say when he showed up at her place? Would she laugh at him and tell him to go to hell? Would she be offended that he just showed up, unannounced? The uncertainly of it all made him anxious.
As he went back down the steps to the building entrance for the thousandth time, Seojun bumped into a lady.
âOh maâam. Iâm so sorry!â
The woman had been carrying tote bags with plastic containers of food in them. The bags had fallen to the ground but luckily, the containers and the food inside them were unharmed, just a little shaken.
Seojun looked at the woman with an apologetic face. She appeared to be a very dignified lady, as old as his mother. Her hair was up in a chic bun and she wore well fitted, albeit a little worn out, clothes. Her brows were crinkled in disapproval. But upon seeing Seojun, her face softened.
âAre you okay, maâam?â Seojun asked and his humble words spoken in that rich baritone subsided the womanâs irritation further to the point where she smiled.
âOmo, how can someone be so handsome?â
Seojun beamed. Elders had always loved him. âAh, thank you.â He responded shyly. âLet me help you carry these.â He took the heavy bags from her, putting the flowers under his arm, careful not to smush them.
âOh no. I donât want to bother.â
âItâs no bother at all, maâam. I insist.â He didnât let the woman say another word, walking past her into the building. The woman smiled and followed.
âAre you going to visit your girlfriend?â The woman asked, eyeing the flowers.
âA friend. A friend who is a girl.â
âIs that what the youngsters are calling it these days?â
âAh-nee-heyo. Itâs not like that.â
The woman just smiled knowingly. âIâm going to visit a special girl too. My daughter lives in this building.â
They entered the elevator. Seojun asked which floor the woman wanted to go to. âOh, Iâm going to the same floor. Maybe my friend knows your daughter.â
âIâm sure she does. My daughter is a wonderful girl.â
When the lady walked in the same direction as Sujinâs apartment, Seojun said, âOh. My friend lives this way too. What a coincidence. They might live right next to each other.â
âThen you should come over with your friend. I will cook for you.â
And when the woman stood in front of Sujinâs apartment, Seojun said, âOh, this is my friendâs apartment. Are they roommates?â
âYoung man, is your friendâs name Kang Sujin?â
âYes, maâam. How did you know?â Seojun asked, surprised.
The lady patted Seojunâs face, âAt least you have good looks.â She punched in Sujinâs passcode and went in. Han Seojun stood outside for a full minute before he connected the dots. And then his eyes went wide.
âSujin isnât home yet. Why donât you wait inside?â Mrs. Kang called out.
âIâm so sorry Mrs. Kang. I didnât recognize you.â Seojun entered, placing the bags on Sujinâs counter.
âItâs okay, Son. Youâve known Sujin long?â
âI went to Sujinâs school. I knew her through Lee Suho.â He had only seen Sujinâs mother a couple of times at school. But never up close. She had seemed so stuck up like Sujin at the time; with her fur coats and expensive jewelry. Now she seemed like just another lady. Her appearance seemed to have humbled after the divorce.
âOh Suho! Lovely child. How is he these days? Sujin doesnât tell me anything.â
âHeâs good maâam.â
Mrs. Kang started lining the containers on the counter. It seemed like too much food for one person.
âSujinnie never eats properly. She always scolds me for worrying but what can I do? She never takes care of herself.â
Indeed, when Mrs. Kang opened Sujinâs fridge, it was empty save a few water bottles and expired milk that Mrs. Kang threw away.
âAnd look at you! All skin and bones! It is unfashionable to be healthy these days?â
It was a complaint he had heard from his mother as well. But Seojun had to maintain a lean figure for his job, as he was about to explain to Mrs. Kang.
âMaâam I actually have to diet becaââ
âI wonât hear it! Sit. I will get you something to eat. Iâve brought more than enough.â Mrs. Kang commanded. Seojun could see where Sujin got her tough exterior from.
âI donât want to be a botherâŠâ
âNonesense! Itâs no bother at all. Especially not for,â she eyed the bouquet Seojun had placed on the counter, âSujinâs friend.â
Seojun wanted to protest Mrs. Kangâs assumptions but figured that denying it would only reinforce the idea. He would let Sujin clear up the matter.
âWell if youâre going to cook Mrs. Kang, you might as well let me help.â Seojun often cooked with his mother and was used to being in the kitchen so his culinary prowess impressed Mrs. Kang greatly.
âYour mother must be so proud of you.â Seojun grinned at the compliment. He decided that he liked Mrs. Kang.
Likewise, Mrs. Kang decided that she liked Seojun. She put the flowers he had brought in a vase and brought it to the table. As they cooked, she went on and on about Sujin and her many accomplishments. The woman was very proud of her daughter.
Seojun listened diligently as Mrs. Kang explained how much she was worried about Sujin. The non-profit sector didnât exactly offer a lucrative career. Not as much being a doctor would have.
âI remember how much she had wanted to be a doctor as a child. Omma, I want to heal everyone, she would tell me. But when her father started pushing her and pushing her⊠suddenly it was all about ranking number 1, not helping people and her heart just wasnât in it anymore.â Mrs. Kang lamented. She gave Seojun a considering look. âHas she told you⊠about her father?â
About the divorce? âYes. I know.â
Mrs. Kang looked at him tenderly, âYou must really be close to my daughter then. Sheâs a very private girl.â
Seojun didnât understand why the woman as acting like it was some secret. Everyone knew about Mr. and Mrs. Kangâs separation.
The woman stared into the distance. âIf I look back, I can only blame myself. I should have stopped it the first day her father started hitting her. But I was blind. I believed that it would all stop if she got good grades and got into a good university. My husband was always a tough man, but had never been like that to me, you see. I didnât realize what he was doing to Sujin till it was too late.â
Seojun froze. He felt he had been told something he wasnât supposed to know.
âAnd then, she started taking her anger out on other people⊠it might have been late, but I finally put my foot down. Iâm glad my girl is in a better place now.â
Mrs. Kang looked down in remorse. Seojun found it hard to keep looking at her. He suddenly recalled what Sujin had said in Jukyungâs video.
I was foolish. I let my personal problems cloud my judgement and I took my frustration and anger out on Lim Jukyung.Â
Ah, crap. Seojun thought.
âMy daughter is a sensitive girl, despite how strong she appears. I just want to know that she is with people who will care for her, and not hurt her.â Mrs. Kang looked at Seojun meaningfully. He swallowed.
âShe is Mrs. Kang. You donât have to worry.â
The woman pressed his hands gratefully. âYou must have heard⊠about what Sujin was involved in recently.â
Seojun was sure he was going to die today. His heart felt like guilt had wrapped its sharp claws around it and was squeezing tightly.
âAh. Yes.â
âDonât believe any of it! My Sujinnie isnât that kind of girlâ
âAh. Yes.â
âShe did go a little astray in school, but what kid doesnât go through a phase like that? Show me a teenager who has never made a mistake!â
âYouâre absolutely right maâam.â Was all Seojun could say.
âIf only I could get my hands on that Han Seojun.â Seojun felt his heart stop. It was then that he realized that he never really introduced himself to Mrs. Kang. âHow dare that no good idol take advantage of my daughter? Ah-nee, what kind of a person stays over a girlâs place like that? And doesnât even help when she gets into trouble because of him?â
Seojun could see his funeral now, his mother crying for him as his friends lined up to regret their loss.
Guys⊠take care. Please check on my mother for me.
The door chimed as Sujin entered. She stopped in her tracks when she noticed Han Seojun and her mother sitting at a table full of food, waiting for her.
âAh, Omma why have you come all this way again? Do you really like tiring yourself out so much?â Sujin scolded as she hurriedly put on her indoor slippers.
âIs that any way to greet your mother?â Mrs. Kang scolded back.
Sujin was undeterred. âYou know I can always come and visit you and Auntie. Why do you have to come here? And look at all this food! How is this okay for one person? It always goes bad and then I have to throw it out.â
âIt goes bad because you donât eat enough, bad girl! You see what I have to deal with?â Mrs. Kang turned to Seojun who had gone white.
âYa Han Seojun, what are you doing here?â Sujin asked him.
There was a second of silence where no one spoke. A pin drop could be heard.
âHan Seojun?â Mrs. Kang looked at Seojun. On stage, with makeup on, Seojun looked different. Here, in person, it was difficult to recognize him. But now that his name had been spoken, Mrs. Kang could see the young man whose face had been plastered all over the articles concerning Sujin.
âYou⊠youâre the Han Seojun from the scandal?â
Sujin quickly caught on. âSeojun. Run.â
And then all hell exploded, or rather, one Mrs. Kang. Sujin jumped in her motherâs path as the woman got up with a slipper in her hand. Han Seojun lept off his chair and bowed furiously.
âI am so sorry Mrs. Kang. I am so sorry for all the trouble caused!â
Sujin desperately tried to block her motherâs blows but Mrs. Kang was a formidable woman. She smacked Han Seojun with her slipper.
âDo. You. Have. Any idea. What. Problems. You. Caused!â She punctuated each word with a smack. Seojun, for his part, did not run but rather took it like a man. He was just glad she was beating him with a slipper and not a heel.
âRun! Why arenât you running?â Sujin asked him as she tried to grab her motherâs wrists.
âAre you protecting him? After everything that happened?â
âIâm really sorry Mrs. Kang.â Seojun said.
âSorry? What good will an apology do? Will an apology undo the pain youâve caused?â Her words sounded eerily familiar.
âAh Omma, stop hitting him! He didnât do anything. It was my fault. It was all my idea.â
Mrs. Kang stopped. âWhat?â
And thus, it became Kang Sujinâs turn to be given the mom-smack down.
âAh Omma WAEEEE??â
âIt was your idea to bring him home?!â
âOmma youâve already beaten me about that!â
âI havenât beaten you enough.â
âMrs. Kang please! We were both drunk. Sujin had no choice but toââ
âWhat?â Mrs. Kang went ballistic.
Sujin glared at Seojun, âHan Seojun do you actually want us both to die?â
âYOU WERE DRUNK?!â
âOmma it wasnât like that!â
âMrs. Kang it really wasnât.â Seojun chimed in.
âIf it wasnât then why is he bringing you flowers? Why is he showing up at your place?â
Sujin looked at the tulips and roses on her table. White tulips, a flower of regret. And yellow roses, flowers of friendship. Sujin knew exactly what they meant. She wondered if Han Seojun knew too or if he just got really lucky with his choices.
It was a while before Mrs. Kang calmed down. Seojun felt thoroughly sore. Both he and Sujin sat on the floor with guilty expressions on their faces, looking like school children being punished.
âGet out. I donât want to see the likes of your around my daughter ever again.â
âOmma.â
Seojun bowed his head to the ground. âI am really sorry Mrs. Kang. Iâm really sorry for all of the trouble that Iâve caused. I assure you I will never let anything like that happen again.â
Mrs. Kang crossed her arms and looked away.
âOmma. Neither of us had any idea that something like this would happen. Its not Seojunâs fault. And besides, he got into trouble too.â Sujin nudged him with her elbow.
âYes, maâam. I was almost kicked out of my company.â Which wasnât exactly true but Seojun didnât mind fibbing a little.
âYou should have been!â Mrs. Kang fumed but then softened when she saw Seojunâs best puppy dog face. Han Seojun was always good with ladies, especially ones that were mad at him.
He inched closer to Mrs. Kang. âMrs. Kang. Iâm really regretful about what Sujin faced.â He took her hands in his. Sujin watched in astonishment as Han Seojun turned her motherâs boiling anger to a low simmer. âBut I promise you, I will do everything in my power to make sure that this never happens again.â
Mrs. Kang cleared her throat.
âAnd look, the food we both prepared has gotten all cold. Wouldnât it be better if we all eat and talk calmly?â
Sujin scoffed, not only at the blatant pandering but at the fact that it was working. Mrs. Kangâs anger all but disappeared. It came to a point that as they all ate, she began taking his side.
âHow could you risk an idolâs reputation like that?â She asked Sujin who could only roll her eyes.
âOmma, how can you say that?â
âI mean, now that I think about it, it isnât Seojunâs fault that his fans came after you.â
âUgh, I canât believe this.â Sujin scowled.
As dumb as Han Seojun had appeared, Sujin had to admit this was pretty shrewd. It made her wonder what else she had misjudged him on. He even got himself invited by Mrs. Kang to come by again for dinner.
âYour mom is incredible.â Seojun told Sujin as they walked to the convenience store. Mrs. Hand had sent them out for some ice-cream since she had brought nothing for dessert.
âSheâs changed a lot after the divorce. Sheâs more herself now.â
They walked slowly, enjoying the night air and the silence. Oddly enough the quiet didnât feel awkward or strange. Neither of them felt any pressure to speak. They got papico, the ice-cream that came in squishy bottles, and sat by on the benches outside.
âKang Sujin,â Seojun began, âabout what happened⊠are you⊠You know when I, um⊠I guess what Iâm trying to say isâŠâ
Sujin laughed, a clear gurgle of joy that made Seojun feel strange in his stomach. âMwo-ya? Has the great Han Seojun been rendered speechless?â She laughed some more and Seojun didnât stop her. âRelax Han Seojun. Iâm fine.â
Seojun looked at his feet. âI⊠wasnât happy with what happened to do⊠with the articles and how everybody was talking about you.â
âGwenchana. Itâs over now. I mean I had to make another Instagram account but all in all, its not as bad now. Besides,â she tilted her chin, âdo you think a bunch of cowards who hide behind usernames are enough to take me down? Iâm Kang Sujin, remember? Badass of Saebom High.â
âI thought I was the badass of Saebom high.â Seojun raised a brow.
âYou were the gangster.â Sujin grinned, eating her ice-cream.
âIâm glad youâre tough. You donât let these things bother you.â
âIâd be lying if I said it didnât bother me. People telling me that Iâm the worst and I should die wasnât exactly easy.â She said grimly. âBut you know what upset me the most?â
âWhat?â
âThat I couldnât beat those cowards up for saying what they did.â Sujin got up and punched the air. âIf I could just get my hands on those twerps then I would teach them a lesson or two.â She punched the air.
The fire in Sujinâs eyes was so comical that Seojun burst out laughing.
âDonât laugh! Hajima! Iâm not joking.â
âKang Sujin, were you always such a fighter?â
âYup!â Sujin stated simply. She sat back besides Seojun, closer this time. And he noticed. âWhat about you?â She asked. âHow are you doing?â
Seojun leaned back leisurely, âEh, Iâm fine. I donât worry about public perception anyway. The people who matter will know me. Everyone else is just noise.â
âI bet your fans would leave you in a second.â Sujin teased.
âDonât diss my fans. Theyâre all cool and awesome.â
âWhat, all two of them? Do they also happen to be named Jukyung and Suho?â
âYouâre forgetting Chorong.â
The two giggled.
âDid your co-workers ask for more autographs?â
âNope. Got fired before they could.â
âWhat?â Seojun stood up. Sujin relayed how her company had let her go after details about her past misconduct were released online.
âHow could they just fire you? Isnât that illegal?â
âCalm down. Itâs normal for that to happen.â
âHow can you be so calm?â
âWould you rather I get angry? Thereâs no point in doing that. I wonât get that job back.â
Seojun pressed his lips together in a tight line and sat back down.
âIâm surprised that youâre actually defending me.â Sujin sounded impressed.
âI mean⊠its wrong. Even if you and I donât get along, whatâs wrong is wrong.â
Sujin chuckled. She looked at the time on her phone. âI should get back. How are you getting home?â
âI brought my bike.â
âYour company lets you ride motorbikes?â
âNope.â Seojun grinned.
âAâight. Good night, Han Seojun. Stay safe.â Sujin walked back in the direction of the apartment. Feeling light and happy. While her online image hadnât completely recovered, her relationship with Han Seojun had. She might not have to simply tolerate his presence now. They might genuinely get along.
âKang Sujin!â Han Seojun called out to her, the woman who he thought was vile and destructive. The person that turned wasnât that woman. It was the little girl who had looked to her father with love but only got his abuse in return.
âIâm sorry I misjudged you.â Seojun told the little girl.
The girl smiled. âIâm sorry I misjudged you too.â
x.
It was unfamiliar territory, getting along with Kang Sujin. More for the group than Han Seojun and Kang Sujin. They all looked at the pair in wonder and shock when Sujin asked Seojun to pass the soy sauce and he obliged. It shocked them further when Sujin laughed when Seojun bragged about being recognized at a department store and being asked for pictures.
âHey, you feeling okay?â Jukyung asked Sujin quietly.
âYeah, why?â Sujin replied.
âNothing. Just asking.â
âHey, whatâs up with you?â Suho asked Seojun privately.
âWhat?â
âYouâre acting all weird around Kang Sujin.â
âWeird how?â
âYouâre being nice.â
âAm I not supposed to be?â
âOkay! Whoâs going to go first?â Taehoon asked the room, interrupting Suho and Seojunâs conversation.Â
They were at Suhoâs apartment where he had a karaoke machine set up. Seojun had finally relented to visiting their place and it was just as painful as he had thought it would be. It was a mishmash to Jukyungâs bright and lively style with Suhoâs dark and moody one.
The posters of rock bands and Junji Itouâs mangas were something both of them shared. It was fascinating how the two of the most caring people in Seojunâs life were into such dark things. Seojun saw Sujin eye one of the horror comic book posters suspiciously, as if the monster drawn in them could come out any second.
Chorong sang first, sharing a duet with his girlfriend. Then Taehoon and Suah went next. Duets seemed to be the theme of the night. Jukyung and Suho went next.
âAlright? Who else?â
Sujin was the only girl left.
âWell Iâm not going up there.â She said when everyone looked at her. She eyed the other boys, all of whom were terrified of her. Even they could still hear Kang Sujin saying Ya Han Seojun, are you a gangster?!
âJukyung-ah. Sing with me.â Sujin grabbed Jukyungâs hand and led her up before she could say anything.
âIâm singing too!â Suah joined.
Seojun went next. His was a solo and he clearly was the best performer. His rich baritone singing in a soft melody made everyone pay attention.
âIsnât it nice to have an idol as a friend?â Suah asked. âIts like having a private concert.â Jukyung and Sujin nodded in agreement.
Everyone swayed their heads to the beat, except for Kang Sujin who was noticing the lyrics Han Seojun was singing.
I want to give you all of my days
I want to tell you all these feelings of mine
The sleepless blue winds
Brightly light up this night
He was singing about Lim Jukyung. Sujin looked over to her friend, who was looking longingly in Suhoâs eyes. The two were entranced with each other, not noticing Han Seojun who stood just a couple of feet away, pouring his heart out.
After all the fun had been wrapped up, Seojun and Sujin had been the only two to stay back. Sujin had helped Jukyung clean up while Suho went to throw out the trash.
As Sujin cleaned the dishes, Seojun sat in the living room, looking at all of the pictures Jukyung and Suho had hung up. He could see how Suho and Jukyung would sit on the very couch he was on and watch TV together or lie around reading books.
He tried to replay those images, with himself there with Jukyung instead of Suho but he couldnât. He couldnât lie to himself about who she belonged to.
âYou know, Han Seojun, I just realized something.â Sujin called from the kitchen.
âWhat?â
âYou have two hands.â
Seojun looked at her like she had lost her mind. âWow, Kang Sherlock. Your powers of deduction amaze me.â
âSo, since you have those two hands, and youâre a gentleman, why not help me out over here? I assume you would feel bad that Iâm the only one doing any actual cleaning.â
âYou assume incorrectly. I have no issues with you doing all the cleaning.â Seojun turned back to the TV and was promptly hit in the head with a dish rag.
âOops.â Sujin said flatly.
Seojun got up, dish rag in hand. Wordlessly, he took out the dishes from the washer and lined them up in the cabinets.
âArenât you ever afraid that Jukyung will be uncomfortable about you singing love songs to her?â Sujin asked in a low voice.
âWhat do you mean?â
âThat song you sang. My heart is full of you, Iâm starting to take after you?â
Seojun eyed her. âShe wonât know.â
âI did.â
âYeah but, youâre you and Jukyungâs Jukyung.â
âSo?â
âSoâŠâ Seojun leaned closer, âyou ranked number two in class for a reason.â
âSujin-ah! I told you I would take care of everything.â Jukyung appeared from her bedroom.
âDonât worry about it. Han Seojun helped.â Sujin assured.
The pair said their goodbyes to the couple and exited together. Han Seojun said nothing when he started walking his own way, while Kang Sujin turned to wave at him but was unseen. He was too lost in his own broken heart to notice anyone or anything.
She simply sighed, took it as just a Han Seojun thing and started walking in the other direction.
xi.

âI still canât get used to this.â Suah said, waving a spoon between Han Seojun and Kang Sujin. The two sat opposite each other and were eating their food peacefully.
It was this peace that bothered Suah.
âI mean, how can you two just get along?â
âWeâre adults Choi Su. We can learn how to get along.â Sujin stated.
Suho spluttered in laughter. âI thought you said that Seojun was a giant baby with no manners?â
Seojun gave Sujin a scathing look. Sujin went pink, âI never said that! You take that back!â
âItâs still strange.â Suah leaned closer. âWhat happened? Have you guys settled your differences?â
âHan Seojun got Sujin flowers.â Suho said cheekily.
âYah!â Seojun protested. But it was in vain, the deed was done, and everyone oohed and aahed at this news.
âDid you really get her flowers?â
âWait, when did this happen?â
âDoes that mean that Seojun apologized first?â
âWhat kind of flowers?â
Seojun looked at Suho with the rage of a thousand suns. Suho just grinned back.
âArenât flowers romantic?â
âYa! There was nothing romantic about it. All I got her were yellow roses and white tulips.â Seojun defended.
âOoooOoooh. Roooses. Roses are totally romantic.â Taehoon teased.
âThey were yellow. Yellow roses are for friendship!â
âSo, are you two friends?â Jukyung asked and everyone looked at Seojun and Sujin.
âMeh.â They both shrugged at the same time.
âOmo! Look at how in sync they are!â
âWe are not.â They both said in sync.
Seojun had to admit, their group gatherings were much more comfortable now that he and Sujin had cleared the air between them. He enjoyed discovering how Sujin was less the ice princess he had thought her to be and more a regular girl. She also turned out to be much cooler than he had expected.
She had been the only one to see his discomfort when Jukyung and Suho suggested they all go on an overnight trip with them. Going to see their apartment; the very proof that Lim Jukyung and Lee Suho ate and sleptâOh God, donât think about them sleepingâtogether was painful enough. Seojun didnât need to see them canoodling for an entire weekend.
âWhat about it guys? Shall we go?â Jukyung looked around as everyone nodded excitedly, including Sujin.
But then her eyeâs met Seojunâs. He said nothing but he didnât need to.
âLim Ju, itâll be difficult for me to join. I just lost my job, remember? An overnight trip is...â Seojun knew Sujin was just making up an excuse.
âOh, oh right. Sorry Kang Su-ya. I totally forgot. Something else then!â
The group moved on to discussing other options. Seojun sent Sujin a grateful look. She acted nonchalant, as if she had not just overturned everyoneâs plans for him.
âThanks. For what you did back in there.â He told her as they were all leaving.
âForget about it.â She waved a hand in dismissal.
The next time the group gathered at a fancier restaurant than usual. A suggestion by Suho who had offered to pay for the food tonight.
âThis place is so beautiful.â Suah commented looking around the interior.
âAre we celebrating something?â Sujin asked. âThis doesnât seem like a regular get-together.â
Sujin had only asked for the sake of asking. But something about the way Suho looked at her told Seojun that she was on to something.
âWell,â Jukyung held up her hand, âwe do have something to announce.â
And announce she did. The big fat diamond resting on her ring finger had a lot to say. And suddenly everyone erupted with joy. The girls took Jukyung in their arms, squealing and crying with joy. The boys surrounded Suho, patting him on the back, congratulating him.
All except Seojun, who just sat there in a daze. Sujin happened to look over and see him, frozen in his seat. Sujin wasnât alone in her observation. Taehoon also noticed but missed the implication.
âLook! Han Seojun is actually so shocked heâ"
Sujin made it look like an accident, her bumping into the table and sending a glass down on the floor, shattering into a million pieces. The sound shook Seojun out of his daze and also distracted everyone from realizing Seojunâs inner turmoil.
âOh shit.â Sujin said looking down.
âHey, be careful.â Jukyung said.
âYou okay?â Suho asked Jukyung, taking her arm.
âExcuse me, can we get someone to clean this up?â Taehoon asked the waiter.
The fuss over the broken glass gave Seojun enough time to recover. He then congratulated Suho with a massive hug.
âYou both deserve each other. I mean it.â He told Suho and he meant it.
Maintaining a fake smile over dinner was easy. Everyone else was so chatty that Seojunâs and Sujinâs relative silence went unnoticed. Suah pestered Jukyung for details: âHow did it happen?â, âWhen?â, âWhy didnât you call me immediately?â. Taehoon made jokes about marriage being the end of romance to which Suah started an argument with him and then it became about settling matters between the two.
Sujin didnât remember much of what happened after that, the rest of the night was a blur. She just hoped that she had maintained enough dignity to not appear as bitter as she actually felt.
Even though they all parted very late in the night, Sujin couldnât go directly home. She needed something to ease the pain. So naturally, she went to the nearest tent bar she could find. The place seemed to be overcrowded, with people waiting outside for others to leave. Sujin managed to sneak in and grab a table.
She downed half of a soju bottle in one go but then couldnât muster the energy to drink further. Her side dishes went untouched. All Sujin could do was stare and wonder if there was any way to just take her heart out of her chest and throw it away. Because there seemed to be no relief from this pain she was feeling.
She banged her head on the table. âAh wae? Why canât I just move on?â She asked herself in frustration.
âUgh, why the hell are you here?â That irritated tone and deep voice could only belong to one person. And indeed, when Sujin looked up she saw Han Seojun a few tables over looking at her in disdain.
âWae? You have a claim on this place?â Sujin raised a critical brow.
âAnd what if I do?â
âThen give me everything for free. Since weâre friends who get along.â
âNo. Friends pay double.â
âHow stingy.â Sujin took another shot of soju.
The man running the tent bar came over. âWhy donât you two share a table since you know each other? I have customers waiting to be seated.â
âNo way, Iâm not sitting with her.â Seojun grumbled.
âAha! I knew it! Being all nice to me was just an act.â
The owner ignored Sujin, âHow can two youngsters be so rude? Get up! Iâm moving you over there.â
This was how Han Seojun came to drink with Kang Sujin for the second time. They both looked at each other with scowling faces.
âWhat happened, Kang Sujin? You were acting all happy for the lucky couple.â Seojun taunted. He seemed a little tipsy but so was Sujin.
âOf course, Iâm happy. Iâm so, so happy.â She said wistfully.
Seojun scoffed. âIs that why you were whining about not being able to move on? I thought you said you didnât like Lee Suho anymore.â
Sujin narrowed her eyes. âI donât. And even if I allegedly did, at least I held it all in. You were clearly about to run away with Jukyung before I saved you.â
âSaved me? Puh-lease.â
âWhy? Do you think that glass fell on its own?â
Seojun gave her a sideways look before taking another shot.
âYou gonna eat that?â He pointed a chin to her plate.
âNah, have it.â
They sat in silence for a moment. A comfortable silence where neither felt compelled to say anything.
Sujin shook Seojun when she suddenly smacked her glass down on the table. âIâm over Lee Suho.â She declared. âIâm over Lee Suho⊠butâŠâ
âJust because youâre over him, doesnât mean you stopped loving him.â Seojun said what she was thinking.
She looked at him, her pain evident on her face. In that moment, he let himself be vulnerable too. Â
âIsnât it funny? Out of everyone I know, youâre the only one who gets⊠this.â Sujin said.
Seojun chuckled. âExactly. Who woulda thought? Kang Sujin and Han Seojun having something in common.â
âYou know itâs gonna hurt even worse from now on, right? Weâre the closest to those two. That means weâll be involved in everything.â
Seojun rubbed his faced. âI canât think about that right now. Or I really will die.â
Sujin understood what he meant. âYou know what I want?â
âWhat?â
âI want Suho to never find out that I still like him.â
âWhat do you mean?â
âI mean, I canât help that I feel this way right? You canât stop yourself from feeling what you feel. But⊠I wanna keep my dignity. I wanna still be cool and⊠not be seen as some pathetic loser whoâs still after her best friendâs boyfriend.â
Seojun took a shot, nodding.
Sujin leaned forward. âThatâs why, I suggest we help each other out.â
Seojun gave her a look. âHow so?â
âWell, if we see the other being too transparent, then we stop them, or at least take the attention away so that the other can collect themselves.â
âLike the broken glass today?â
âLike the broken glass today. And if itâs getting too painful, then we can just talk about it.â
Seojun laughed. âKang Sujin, offering therapy. Thatâs rich.â
âNot therapy. Friendship. It helps if you talk about stuff like this.â Sujin insisted.
Seojun gave her a considering look. âWhatâs in it for me? These seem like things you want to do.â
âYouâll be able to attend Jukyungâs wedding without feeling like youâre dying on the inside.â
âThereâs no guarantee that will happen.â
âYouâre right, there isnât. But at least thatâs what itâll look like. Think about it Han Seojun. Do you want Jukyung to always see you as the friend who is in love with her? Or do you want her to see you as a cool friend who she can comfortably rely on, without wondering if sheâs hurting his feelings.â
Seojun thought about it. It felt like a bad idea. But there was a part of Han Seojun that was tired of his own attachment to Lim Jukyung. If it meant that it would help him move on, then he was willing to try anything
âAlright, Kang Sujin.â He raised his glass. Sujin clinked hers with his. âLetâs try this.â
I am bad at making memes but I do it any way
#true beauty#true beauty kdrama#true beauty fanfiction#true beauty soojin#kang sujin#kang soojin#kang soojin and han seojun#seojun x sujin#seojun x soojin#han seojun#kdrama#Sujin x Seojun#han seojun fanfiction#han seo jun#Kan Sujin Fanfiction#hwang in yeop#park yoona#junjin
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Chapter 2
Characters - Reader, Ransom Drysdale, assorted OCsÂ
Word count - 3100
Warnings - Drinking, language, sexual content
A/N - Hope you enjoy the next installment of my Ransom series. Still setting things up in the chapter, but weâre moving along. For a while, there will be a good amount of heavy drinking and the questionable choices that go along with that, just FYI. Remember this is fiction and the acts are not recommended. They will also be acknowledged later if you are concerned.Â
Feedback is wonderful, & if you notice any errors please let me know!
Dividers made by @firefly-graphicsâ
Chapter 1
You order drinks plus shots.Â
âTo another fucking week,â you salute with Whitney. It burns, and itâs sweet, and you just want it to act fast.
âYeah, another one.â She grabs hers, salutes, and tosses it back back. She cringes for a few seconds, but once she recovers, she picks right up with half of a conversation you werenât having. âSo, are you gonna take someone home tonight?â
âYouâre more worried about my sex life than your own.â You shake your head at her.
âAfter what that asshole did to you, you deserve all the good fucking. Iâm just trying to find a good dick to help you forget.â
âWow, thatâs sweet in a weird way.â You shake your head again, but smile this time.
âWell, itâs true. I also donât want to feel bad if I ditch you later for my own fuck buddy.â She wiggles her eyebrows like a cartoon villain. At least sheâs giving you a warning this time and not just disappearing on you later.
âJesus, Whit. Yeah okay.â You canât help but laugh with her. âItâs just,â you survey the group around you, âYou never really know what youâre gonna find at the end of the night.â
âUhhh, yeah. Thatâs what having a one-night stand is...Oh hi.â She offers a dazzling smile to a cute guy pushing next to her at the bar.
You wait a few seconds for her attention to return before you mutter, âI am well aware.â
âSo pick a partner and do-si-do. Come on, cowgirl,â she nudges you, nodding to the guy in the fraying straw hat next to you. Nothing seems to deter her.
âYouâve got to be kidding,â you giggle.Â
She smiles and shrugs. A few minutes pass as she looks you over, studying you.
âYouâre being weird about this.â
âI know.â You nibble on the straw in your glass for a moment before getting to where your mindâs been stuck for hours. âSo hey, that guy we hung out with? Ransom?â
âNo.â She shakes her head hard from side to side, a slightly manic giggle coming out between the repeated, âNo, no. No.â
âWhat?â you try to sound casual, indifferent, but she knows you too well. âI just want to know what his deal is.â
âYou donât,â she insists, shaking her head.
âWhy? Did you sleep with him?âÂ
âNo, I havenât.â She pauses for a moment, you can see sheâs actually thinking over her answer. âHeâs just gonna get what he wants from you and push you away.â
âYou do realize thatâs exactly what youâve been telling me to do? So I should screw someone, but not him...because thatâs what he does?â
âYeah.â
âWait, are he and Michelle a thing? I donât want any extra relationship drama.â
âPsshh, yeah, god knows youâve had enough of that.â She stares off into the middle distance before shaking her head and focusing again. âNo, theyâre not together either, but please? Please? Just promise me youâre not interested in Ransom.â
âOkay, but why?â
âI donât know, I guess I donât really think youâre his type.â She lets the words hang, and youâre unsure how to interpret them until you finally settle on hurt. You physically recoil a bit when the sting of her words hits.
âWow, ouch. What the hell does that mean?â You look down into your lap, looking yourself over really quickly and not finding anything major sticking out.
âI just donât see it. Trust me, and tell me youâre not being serious with this.âÂ
Even with her strange and kind of harsh reaction, you canât get rid of the swooping feeling you get in your stomach just thinking about him. So, you try to purse your lips to control the uncomfortable smile trying to break through. You want to assure your friend, but canât lie to her either...at least not well.Â
âIâm totally not,â you finally say with an awkward laugh behind it. Again, failing miserably to play off nonchalance.Â
She sees it all and knows youâre full of shit. âNo one will have any respect for you if you fuck around with him.â She says, matter-of-factly.
Where this is all coming from, you have no idea.
âYouâre being mean and cryptic and I donât like it. Iâm not even saying that anythingâs going to happen, but that sounds a little extreme, Whit. Come on,â you whine.
She rolls her eyes. âItâs not. Just find someone and ask him to buy you a drink. Look around, you can pick anyone, but I am not enabling you and Ransom,â she quickly adds.
You try to lighten the mood by teasing her about having standards, but canât find much ground to stand on when she brings The Ex into the discussion. Sheâs really on a roll tonight and pulling no punches. Itâs not what you wanted or needed from the night. You came out with a mission to have fun, so you take a deep breath and decide to be the bigger person.
âHey Whit?â
She keeps her eyes on the bar in front of her, letting you know sheâs still somewhat annoyed at you. âYesss?â
âThis week sucked. Letâs get trashed.â You sling your arms around her shoulders and shake her until she laughs with you. Her party-friend is back in action.
âFuck. Yes.â
You struggle to go along with Whitneyâs plan for your night, especially when the Cowboy and just about every other guy she pushes your way fail to keep your interest. Not that youâd never had a one-night stand, but just that lately theyâd been pretty awful experiences and you wondered far too often lately what a life of celibacy would look like. Itâs much easier to dismiss the guys and remember that at least your vibrator can get the job done.
Before last call you give in and you text Jeff. Yes, the Jeff with whiskey dick who left you high and dry last time as Whitney reminds you with a giggle. He sounds genuinely happy to hear from you again and promises to make up for last time which makes it seem worth it to give him another shot. Heâs tall, fit, with long fingers and if you remember correctly, a decent enough dick.
He manages to stay hard this time around, and he takes his time feeling you up, but the two of you canât find a rhythm that works. You finally bat his hand away and rub yourself off while he pumps sloppily into you. Afterward, he leans in for a kiss and you turn away to give him your cheek. Getting dressed, you give him a few non-committal answers when he asks about seeing you again, and at the end of it all, youâre most grateful that you didnât take him to your place.Â
You spread out alone in your own bed and think over Whitneyâs words.
Whitney knows more than a few of your dirty secrets; the friendship between you two had blossomed quickly with your guard easily let down. She never really judged you, at least not openly, which left you swirling in doubt for days, obsessing over what would probably end up being nothing.Â
What made you not his type - looks? Money? Another woman? She never really had a filter, but she was being so short on the topic of Ransom which made you think even harder, rooting through some more recent bad memories.
âAm I a bad person?â you ask Carrie during the week.
âWhat? No!â
You accept her answer with a nod, silently thinking.
âI wonder if I should just take a break.â When Carrie looks at you funny, you clarify, ïżœïżœLike, maybe I am finding these losers because I am not all that great myself? These guys are all justâŠâ
âBabe, youâre meeting them at bars...with Whitney.â
You heave in a deep sigh, âI know. And sheâs not that bad.â A humorless laugh escapes. âMaybe I am aiming too high or something?â
âThereâs no such thing.â You see her shoulders shift, fire in her eyes and protective mode activated like sheâs done a few times in staff meetings. âWhat happened?â she asks.
âNothing. Just thinking.â
Whitney laughs when you tell her youâre thinking of taking a break.
âWas Jeff that bad? I thought you said he was good with his fingers.â
You look around, even if Whitney has forgotten sheâs in public, you havenât. No one else reacts though, thankfully.
âYouâre such a bitch,â you sigh. She fakes offense which you ignore. âNo, he wasnât that bad, I just want to find a nice guy. I donât know.â
Her already buzzed gaze moves somewhere over your shoulder, âOh whoa, stop that thought. Thereâs a guy behind you that looks like he wants to bend you over right here. So,â she drags out, âHow about we see how that goes and forget about Jeff, and nice for a while.â
She adjusts her own posture, subtly popping up her tits and tilting her chin down to offer him and enticing smile.
âJeff isnât the problem,â you think to yourself, but sheâs already moving forward with her plan for your night. You toss back the shot she places in front of you and turn to check him out.
Itâs not happening, even as tipsy as you currently are, this guy with the ironic mullet hovering next to you and trying to get handsy is not getting into your pants. You know it, Whitney knows it (even if she continues to flirt with his friend), hell - the people in the space station know it⊠but Mullet Guy is oblivious. Itâs embarrassing.Â
You sit there with your hands over half of your face, wishing heâd leave you alone, when you feel a tap on your shoulder. Turning, you see a familiar pretty face surrounded by blonde hair.
âDo you need some help?â Michelle asks, eyeing the guy next to you.
Youâre surprised she even recognized you, let alone approached you, but youâre desperate to take the help where you can get it. âOh my god, yes.âÂ
She gives you a knowing grin, âYouâll find some of us in the corner booth in the back.â
âYou sure?â you ask, still thrown off by the interaction and nearly stumbling off the bar stool. âWhat about Whitney?âÂ
âIâll get her,â She gives you a little nudge.Â
You slip past the guy hopelessly hitting on you, mumbling and hoping he doesnât follow and head down the aisle alongside the bar until you reach the large, corner booth. A few faces look familiar, but when he looks up you consider turning back. Judging by his smirk, thereâs no chance of that happening.
You raise your voice to be heard over the noise of the bar, âUm, Michelle sent me over,â your nerves turning it into a question rather than a statement.
Ransom raises an eyebrow like heâs about to ask a question, but nudges the people next to him to make them get up and make room for you.
âOh, no thatâs...Iâll just sit on the end.â You try to politely wave them off, but theyâre already up.
âCome on in, sweetheart,â he invites you, arm thrown over the back of the seat and your heart beats double-time with just how much you want it wrapped around you. The two people who vacated their spots shift impatiently and you clumsily sit down and start to scoot over under your knee bumps into his, making you immediately stop and apologize.
âYou here all alone?â he asks, swirling his drink, the ring on his pinky finger flashing in the light.
âNah,â Michelle reappears and speaks up for you as she sets down a few glasses onto the table, âWhitneyâs here, but sheâs got some company. This lucky lady,â she points to you and continues with a light laugh in her voice, âWas just looking miserable with some idiot not taking a hint.â
âYou shouldâve just told him to fuck off.â Ransom says.
You look over the crowd, finding Mullet Guy waiting for you back at your seat. His eyes droopy from the liquor and Whitney swaying with his companion.Â
âI know, I just donât like doing that. Plus, uh, I think Whitney is trying to fuck his friend.â
âSo leave her. Sheâs a big girl and can handle herself.â
After that he continues the conversation he was having with the others before you arrived, and once again, you sit there silently watching.Â
If you can call anyone the leader in the group, it is Ransom. Watching the way the other guys at the table defer to him and how he responds to what they say makes it obvious. He knows it too, practically sitting here holding court at the big square booth.Â
The conversation isnât all that interesting, at least not to you. Some kind of pissing contest the guys are having involving some sports stats. Every now and again you hear them say something so blatantly wrong, but you donât know them well enough to correct them. With the underhanded comments and passive aggressive insults, you canât help but wonder if any of them are actually friends. Eventually, your attention wanders over the rest of the bar patrons.
âAm I keeping you from something?â Ransom startles you with how close he is, body still but eyes roaming. You suck in a deep breath, smelling the alcohol and his cologne which makes your mouth water.
âN-no, sorry,â you struggle to come up with an excuse for zoning out, âJust looking for Whitney.â
He tips his head, âSheâs right where you left her.â You follow his line of sight, finding her easily.Â
âOh. Yeah.âÂ
The way his face goes impassive unsettles you, like it was the wrong answer. âWeâre boring you. Thatâs alright. Letâs talk about you.â
âNot much that youâd be interested in, I think.â Whitneyâs assertion that youâre not his type replays in your head
âI donât know about that. I have a lot of interests.â He stares at you with this look on his face, like heâs listening to something funny, but his eyes are serious. Itâs intimidating when combined with the way heâs lounged so comfortably next to you, taking up the space like he owns it and yours. His tone, and the little tickle from his fingers against your shoulder feels like flirting, and now your inner voice begs you to remember how to fucking flirt. âFor the love of god, shake off the nerves and flirt with this gorgeous creature.â You take a deep breath and try to sink into it.
âWhat do you want to know?â You ask, setting your elbow on the table and propping your face on your palm while you turn even further toward him.
One side of his face lifts almost into a smile. He starts with a few basic questions, finding out youâre not from the city, how long youâve been around. He ignores what you ask in return, continuing with his rapid-fire questioning.
âHow do you know that little brat?â he asks with a tiny flick in the direction of the bar.
âWhitney?â you chuckle and he nods, âFriend of a friend; she practically became attached at my hip once we started going out together.â
âA quiet little mouse like you and her? Really?â
âI promise you, Iâm not always so quiet,â you challenge.
âSee, now that is interesting. Think Iâd like to see that,â he answers, eyes giving you a quick up-down in your seat.
In the seconds it takes for you to process that he is indeed flirting and you need to respond, the moment is broken by a high-pitched voice.
âThere you are! You fucking ditched me.â Whitney practically howls at you. You feel like a child who got caught out after curfew as you see her eyes move between you and Ransom. âWhatâs happening here?â
The alcohol has settled enough to remove some of your tension. With that and her overdramatic reaction, trying to control the urge to giggle at being caught is impossible, so you bite down on your lips to keep the grin from your face. âNothing,â you answer, poorly faking innocence.
Ransomâs eyes stay on you, you can feel it, but he talks to your friend, âWe were just getting to know each other better.â He turns to look at her, âSit down with us,â his tone almost sounding like an order.
âGetting to know each other?â she asks you pointedly.Â
You canât understand what her problem is with him, especially since heâs her friend. At this point, youâre too intrigued. Itâs not like thereâs any point in trying to deny that youâre attracted to him with half your body leaning into him like heâs a magnet, but for some reason you think you see real disappointment in her eyes. Biting your lip, you take a peek at him to find him waiting for your response; heâs already smug with the attention.
âYeah.âÂ
âWhat about your break?â she spits out.
You feel too many people looking at you, but you canât answer, too shocked that sheâs put you on the spot like this.
âRemember?â she asks like youâre forgetful, âYouâre taking a break because youâre looking for a nice guy.â She over-enunciates as she stares daggers at Ransom.
âWhy donât you get the stick out of your ass, Whitney. Iâve been nice all night, havenât I sweetheart?â The hostility between the two makes your back go rigid, anxious for the moment to end and the spotlight to be directed anywhere else.
âIâm fine,â you tell her as firmly as you can.
She shakes her head at you, but sits down anyway, jumping right into flirty conversation with Eric who is sitting at the end of the booth, notably there without the girl from the other weekend.
âHmm,â Ransom hums right against your ear, making your skin tingle. âI think someone just got in trouble.â Heâs clearly amused and not sounding remorseful at all.
He makes a move then. Itâs slight, but you feel him tuck you a little further under his arm. Part of you is glad Whitney is distracted, but the other part wants her to notice it and realize she might be wrong.
âIâŠyeah,â you stumble over your words, confused and flustered between the two of them. Chest tight and pulling in short breaths and stomach swooping with excitement, you internally scream, begging for him to make it worth it.
#ransom drysdale x reader#ransom drysdale x you#ransom drysdale series#ransom drysdale fanfiction#knives out fanfiction#c'mon let's pretend series#my writing#chris evans characters#ransom thrombey#ransom drysdale fluff
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a heartâs a heavy burden, part one
Incubus Jaskier, fic warning: very minor discussions about sex but no smut (Iâm saving that for chapter two if youâd like to skip it. Mentions of energy starvation.
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Jaskier had been at Kaer Morhen for two months when things started to get strange. He woke up dizzy and nauseous, stumbling around the room to get clothes over his cold body. He felt hungry all the time but even the thought of food was making him sick. And his head, his damn head, felt like it was full of bees.
At first he thought it was just a cold. After all, it was certainly chilly enough in the keep to catch one easily. He wandered the halls wrapped in thick furs, sat by the fire with Lambert plastered to his side most evenings, stealing each otherâs body heat. The other wolves teased them relentlessly, even Geralt, though he could see a hint of concern in the White Wolfâs eyes every now and again. But heâd had colds, and none of them felt as consuming as this. Nor did it feel like the flu; despite the dizziness and full head he was still able to move around the keep, could still eat when his stomach finally threw a fit. This was something...else.
He knew something was seriously wrong when he started getting angry for no reason. Every sound, every light, every laugh that rang out in the keep pissed him off. When Lambert tried to tease him about his hair (of all things) one morning he issued a swift âfuck offâ that bit so hard it left Lambert in silence. The worst part was that Jaskier didnât even feel bad about it. It didnât make him feel any better, either. He felt like a powder keg, on the edge of exploding any second about the smallest of things. It wasnât like him at all.
âI donât feel so good,â Jaskier finally got up the courage to say one morning as he hobbled down to join the wolves hours after theyâd woken up. The truth was, he didnât want to bother them with his human problems. He didnât want Geralt to regret bringing him here.Â
âI noticed,â Geralt said. It was Eskel that approached him and gently touched Jaskierâs forehead with the back of his hand. He hummed and cocked his head a little.
âYou have a low grade fever, thatâs for sure. Maybe you should still be in bed.â
Jaskier nodded. Bed sounded good. He had forced himself to get up this morning - though he suspected it wasnât actually morning anymore - but if heâd had his way he would have stayed in bed all day. His head felt heavy all of a sudden and he swayed in place. He felt an arm on him a moment later and he was aware he was moving, practically being dragged up to his room.
âIâll bring you food later,â came Geraltâs voice. His vision faded in and out but he forced himself to keep his eyes on the man, who was now visibly worried. Before he knew it they were in his room and Geralt was positioning him in bed. âHow do you feel?â
âHungry.â
Geralt smiled slightly. âIâm sure. I can get you some food now-â
âNo.â It came out somewhere between a whine and a growl, and Jaskier had the good sense to look embarrassed. Geralt nodded slowly, eyes full of confusion.Â
âOkay, when you wake up then.â He looked down and grabbed Jaskierâs hand. âTake these off, it canât be comfortable.â And then he was slipping Jaskierâs rings off his finger one at a time. He got to the last one on his left hand, iridescent pink and blue, a remnant of his childhood, and clamped his finger down hard.
âI never take that one off,â he said coldly. Thankfully Geralt didnât push him on it; he squeezed his hand and placed it back on the bed.Â
âOkay. Sleep well. Iâll be back later.â
Jaskier closed his eyes and felt the heavy weight of sleep consume him. Before he succumbed, he thought back to his ring. His mother gifted it to him when he was eight, maybe nine - he no longer knew how long heâd had it, but he never once took it off. It grew with him as his mother promised, by merit of the magic whirling inside it. âItâll keep you safe from those who wish to hurt you,â sheâd said. She never clarified beyond that and after a while he stopped asking. The few times he thought about taking it off he felt the strong pull of magic and thought heâd better not.
Now he grabbed the ring and pulled. It slipped off with surprisingly little resistance. He placed it on the night stand with his other rings, turned onto his side, and let sleep take him.Â
---
When he finally woke again it was night and Geralt was sitting on the edge of the bed with a bowl in his hands. Jaskier felt like he was using all the strength in him just to sit up, his eyes taking a minute to focus. The room was dim, a small fire lit in the fireplace. He zeroed in on Geralt and squinted.
âWhy are you looking at me like that?â Itâs not his fault the question came out aggressive and demanding; heâd tried for gentle and his brain told him to fuck right off with that.Â
âEat,â he ordered. Jaskierâs stomach turned. He hadnât eaten anything since last night, and even then heâd only had a small scoop of stew. Food sounded like a bad idea, and yet he felt famished. Still, he took the bowl and, under Geraltâs watchful eyes, ate a few spoonfuls. He held the bowl out to Geralt when he felt his stomach couldnât take anymore and Geralt took it without a fight, placing it back on the table.
âYou took your ring off,â he noted.
âYeah, I figured Iâd worn it since I was a kid and it was time to free my finger, so to speak.â
âHmm.â He stood up quickly and headed for the door. âI need to speak with Eskel and Lambert for a moment. Try to get some more food in you if you can.â
Jaskier waited patiently for Geralt to return, confused but too tired to worry about it. When he heard multiple footsteps down the hall he sighed. He really wasnât in the mood to talk to people right now.
âHoly shit, you really werenât kidding.â Jaskier looked up to where Lambert was entering the room, followed closely by Eskel and Geralt. Geralt growled a warning at him and he laughed. âSorry, but I definitely thought you were making shit up.â
âStop talking,â Eskel said. He came closer to Jaskier and sat at the end of the bed. âThis is...certainly new.â
Jaskier was only getting more confused by the minute. Him eating soup was new? Being in bed? Being sick? Of fucking course it was new, he hadnât been sick his whole time here.Â
âWhatâs new?â He snapped. Lambert chuckled again.
âGuess we know why heâs been in such a shit mood.â
âLambert, I swear on my sword I will snap you in half.â Geralt grabbed a hand mirror and brought it to Jaskier. âDonât...ah, just donât freak out okay?â
Jaskier snatched the mirror from Geralt and oh, that was new. That was very new. He touched his forehead where Eskel had touched him just this afternoon. Instead of a nearly flat surface he was met with two horns that curled up and around his head, close to his hairline, and flicked up at the ends.Â
Fucking horns.
âWhat. The fuck.â
âOh no, heâs freaking out,â Eskel said under his breath. Geralt groaned and shook his head.
âWhy did I bother to bring you two up here? Youâre making it worse.â
âGeralt.â
Jaskierâs voice shook. Fear bubbled up and over; he was sure the wolves could smell it in the air. He looked at them through brand new eyes. He was...he was a monster, for fuckâs sake, something these men hunted for a living. What were they going to do with him? None of them had their swords, but he knew even in the keep they all kept small daggers on them just in case something happened. And now that something was Jaskier. A monster.
âItâs okay.â Geralt sat next to him, ignoring the way he flinched from the proximity, the way it made Geraltâs heart ache. âI know itâs new, and scary, but youâre okay. Youâre safe.â
âBut I- Iâm a monster, Geralt. How did this happen to me?â
Geralt glanced over at the night table and picked up the iridescent ring. It looked so small in his big hands, looked so small now that it wasnât on Jaskierâs finger anymore.
âTell me about this ring.â
âMy mother gave it to me. Said it would protect me from people who might hurt me. She made me promise never to take it off, and I havenât until now.â
âItâs a glamour, isnât it?â Lambert asked. Geralt nodded.
âYes, itâs a glamour. Your mother clearly knew your horns would come in eventually and wanted to keep you safe from humans.â
âBut what am I if not human?â
âLemme smell him,â Eskel piped up. Jaskierâs eyes widened. âI have the best sense of smell and you know it.â
To Jaskierâs surprise Geralt moved from his place on the bed and was replaced by Eskel, who smiled sheepishly at him.
âIs this okay with you,â he asked.Â
Jaskier nodded, a bit shaky and uncertain, but sure that he wanted to know the truth. Heâd spent over forty years in the dark. No more. Eskel leaned over, pressing his face into Jaskierâs neck, and breathed in deeply. Jaskierâs eyes closed and he had to bite back the moan that threatened to break free. Hunger roared itâs head and he felt light-headed in a good way this time. He was ashamed when he felt lust creeping up on him. Eskel was certainly beautiful, but he wasnât the one Jaskier had been pining over all these years.
Eskel and Lambert chuckled in unison and Jaskier blushed, certain they smelled his lust. If they could smell it so could Geralt, and he didnât want to know what the White Wolf thought about that.
âItâs okay,â Eskel said as he pulled away. âItâs perfectly normal.â
Geralt chimed in. âIs he a-â
âWithout a doubt.â
âWill you two stop speaking in code and tell me what the hell I am?!â Eskel and Lambert nodded to Geralt, inviting him to take the reins. He switched spots with Eskel and, to Jaskierâs great surprise, took his hand.
âYouâre an Incubus. Half, most likely. Iâm guessing your biological father was full Incubus.â
âHuh. That would explain why my father fucking hates me I guess.â
Geralt frowned at that, his eyes flashing with something close to anger. He shook his head and continued.âIâm not surprised this is just hitting you now. Your ring kept your physical traits glamoured and prevented our medallions from sensing you, and youâve been...very sexual since you were a teenager, I assume. Youâve never gone this long without having sex, have you?â Jaskier shook his head. âDo you feel a hunger that food wonât satisfy?â A nod this time. âThatâs because youâve been starving for energy, an energy you can only get through sexual acts.â
âOkay, I guess Iâm with you.â He wasnât really with him; part of him wanted to laugh in Geraltâs face, tell him, tell them all, that theyâd lost their minds, and go back to sleep. Surely when he woke up the horns would be gone and everything would be back to normal. âWhat do I do about it?â
Silence. Eskel shuffled awkwardly, Lambert grinned, and Geralt glanced down. Jaskierâs eyes must have been deceiving him, because the man looked shy.Â
âYou need to have sex,â he said simply.
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Love You Equally

Chapter Thirteen - Midterms and Halloween Mishaps
Part 4: Party Crashers
By 9pm the party was in full swing, Halloween-themed music blared from the speakers placed strategically throughout the living room and kitchen. Black and orange decorations adorned the walls and smoke machines pushed out a steady stream of fog that effectively hid anything below ankle-level in a thick gray smog. Huge fake cobwebs spanned the corners of the rooms with mechanical spiders crawling about them, their metallic joints clicking menacingly. Small animatronic witches cackled every other moment and harrowing howls sounded from somewhere in the house at regular intervals. When you asked Kiego about the location of the ambient noises, he simply winked, shrugged, and offered you a drink as a change of conversation.
The kitchen countertops were laden with Katsukiâs food, most of which had been consumed almost immediately only to be replaced by other dishes he had stored in the fridge and freezer. Several bowls of candy and Halloween-themed snacks were placed about the kitchen and living room where the main party took place, being refilled every so often by Keigo or Katsuki.
To say the party was a hit with your friends would be an understatement; they had all shown up roughly around the same time in elaborate costumes, both to impress their respective friends' soulmates and win the costume contest you had devised at the last minute. The winner, you had told them, would get to take home a dessert of their choice prepared by Katsuki at the end of the night. You had planned on giving everyoneâs costume a fair shake, you really had! But when Momo showed up in a stunning white ball gown adorned with jewels that glittered like stars under even the dim party light, you knew who was taking the prize home that night.
âThe dress itself is a genuine relic,â You heard her telling Ochaco, Tsu, Toga, and Mina who had all surrounded her the moment she walked in âbut the jewels are from the family vault. Theyâre non-authentic but similarly cut to the originals that Marie Antoinette would have worn.â
Jiro, who was dressed as a vampire in rather authentic-looking gothic garb, slung her arm around Momoâs neck and kissed her forehead. âThe makeup around her neck was my idea,â she stated, and for the first time you noticed the ring of fake gore around Momoâs throat, âhad to make sure she really looked like old Antoinette right? Post-guillotine and all.â
You chuckled and moved further into the party. Kaminari, Sero, Kirishima, and, surprisingly enough, Iida, were all in the middle of a limbo contest while Katsuki stood watching off to the side with Izuku and Shouto.
âHey you three!â You greeted enthusiastically as you got closer to them, âenjoying the party so far?â
The sour look on Katsukiâs face vanished the second he spotted you, replaced by a small grin as he pushed himself off the wall heâd been leaning on and pressed his shoulder into yours.
âItâs not so bad,â he said, letting his head drop to touch yours momentarily, âIâm guessing youâve seen Momoâs getup then?â
âYep!â You said, placing the briefest of kisses to his shoulder, âIâve found the winner of the contest for sure.â
Katsuki didnât respond, only when you looked at his shocked and puzzled expression did you realize that you had never actually kissed any of your soulmates before, on the shoulder or otherwise. You felt your face heat up as you wracked your brain desperately for a change in topic.
âItâs you of course,â you stammered, a bit too shrill even to your ears, âwho else would I give the prize to other than my number one?â
Shit that might have made it worse! But it seemed Katsuki wanted to change the topic as well, because he schooled his face back into his passive bored expression and rolled his eyes.
âYou know I might have held you to that if the prize wasnât something I could whip up myself on the weekend,â he huffed but grinned at you a moment later âThanks though, Iâll be sure to remind the others who your number one is.â
You spluttered as he smirked and walked off. You shook your head exasperated and turned to find Shouto and Izuku beaming at you. Your face went hot again as you opened your mouth to say something, only to have a loud thump cut you off before you could even begin. Spinning around you saw Kaminari flat on his back glaring up at Sero, who had apparently knocked his feet out from under him right as he was about to clear the lowest limbo bar.
Grateful for the distraction you moved away from your two best friends and around the limbo contest, now turned wrestling match, and into the corner where you found Hitoshi and Dabi both leaning up against the wall.
âHello there cuties,â you greeted âHaving a good time?â
âYou know it,â Hitoshiâs deep timber never failed to send shivers up your spine, even when he was saying the most mundane of things, âyou enjoying yourself as well kitten?â
âBut of course!â You said, playing off the effect the pet name had on you âIf you happen upon Katsuki, donât believe anything he says about being number one at anything, okay?â
âI never do,â Hitoshi chuckled, taking a swig of his drink and watching Kaminari attempt to body slam Sero. You hummed in response and leaned forward to spy Dabi on his other side. âHaving a good time, Dabs?â
Dabi didnât respond immediately, instead turning his head towards you very slowly and blinking owlishly. He seemed to just realize you had gotten there, and he jolted a moment later after realizing you had addressed him.
âLike your costume, mouse,â he made an attempt at his usual cocky smirk but missed the mark when his face twitched and he faltered into a soft giggle. You cocked you head to the side and considered this odd behavior.
âHeâs high,â Hitoshi clarified for you at your puzzled look, âhigher than most here, Iâd say.âÂ
It was then you noticed the acrid smell permeating the air, it was so light that it was almost undetectable unless you were actively trying to find it. Looking around you noticed a few of the others looked a little less aware of their surroundings than some, and even a few people giggling out of nowhere.
âPeople are high already?â You asked incredulously âthe party has only been on for an hour and a half!â
Hitoshi shrugged and grinned at you âTold you this would happen, you can stick by me for a bit if youâre uncomfortable, Iâve dealt with high Kaminari enough to know how to navigate a conversation with someone whoâs blasted.â
You shook your head, âI should be fine but thank you,â you gave him a quick smile before moving further into the party.
You didnât have to go far before you stumbled up on Tamaki who was sitting on the couch deep in conversation with Mirio, Nejire, Rumi, and Shinya. Rumi had what looked like a pile of heavy dark blankets on her lap, you reasoned that she was probably cold in her skimpy bunny costume. You plopped yourself down on Tamakiâs other side and he started at your sudden presence. Turning to you he blushed at your sudden proximity and stammered out something that sounded like a greeting, but was drowned out by the music thudding through the walls.
You grinned and pressed your shoulder into his to indicate you understood. He smiled at turned back to Mirio and Nejire who were now discussing Mirioâs lack of chess skills. You listened for a bit before standing up to move towards the kitchen. Rumi flung her hand out to stop you before you had gone to far.
You gave her an inquisitive look but she only smiled in return. âNameâs Rumi,â she said unnecessarily, âI wanted to introduce myself properly, even though Keigoâs already told you who I am.â
You shook her outstretched hand and smiled âThanks, its nice to finally talk to you in person,â you said as she leaned back and chuckled.Â
âIâd stand up to talk to you proper but Iâve got my lap full right now, as you can probably see,â You look inquisitively at the blankets only to have them shuffle and reveal themselves to be a person.
âAh!â You said as Rumi wrapped her arms around the skinny form of Tomura Shigaraki. You opened your mouth to say something again but snapped it closed when you noticed Shigarakiâs face blushing brighter than the setting sun.
âI should probably find Keigo,â you said, hoping you didnât sound too rude. Rumi just grinned at you and placed a kiss to Shigarakiâs nose, making his blush extend to his now exposed neck. You smiled politely and made your way towards the kitchen.
You found Keigo, Kaminari, and a blonde boy you didn't recognize gathered around the table of food. As you approached you saw a worried scowl deepen on Keigoâs face as Kaminari talked through his mouthful of food.
âBe bet icha ton ova,â Kaminari explained around fistfuls of candy âUm betty good bat Mac in fends.â
âYes, well,â interrupted the blonde, âI was enamored by him and his friend very quickly. And good thing too, otherwise Iâd be sitting at home alone on Halloween night! And we canât have that can we?â
The blonde spoke reasonably but there was something off about him that you couldnât place. Maybe it was the way he moved his hands as he talked, or the fact that his eyes kept darting around the room as though he was looking for someone. Either way, you werenât sure you liked Kaminariâs new friend as much as he did.
Keigo seemed to feel the same sort of unease as you did, but either couldnât find a reason to confront the blonde or was too polite to do so. The blonde broke the heavy lull in conversation by straightening his coat and drawing himself up to his full height. âItâs been nice talking to you lot,â he said in a manner too pompous for your liking âbut I think Iâll move further into the party, I do have someone Iâd like to talk to before the night ends.â
And with that he swept from the kitchen into the living room and disappeared amongst the crowd. You turned to Kaminari who had finally swallowed his mouthful and was looking puzzled after the departing figure.Â
âSpeak to someone?â Kaminari asked, âbut he only knows me and Eijiro hereâŠâ
âHe did show up late though,â Keigo added, âin fact I answered the door for him just ten minutes ago.â
âSo maybe he hasnât seen Eijiro yet then?â Kaminari looked a bit worried now âI wonder why he was so late too, I told him the right timeâŠ.â
âMaybe Iâll follow him,â Kaminari said, already heading out of the kitchen. âJust to make sure heâs alrightâŠâ
Kaminari disappeared into the crowd leaving you and Keigo alone at the table. You shared a look with Keigo, who shook his head and stood up. Smiling at you he offered his hand with a bow âMay I have a walk with you, mademoiselle?â He asked with a cheeky smirk.
You rolled your eyes but took his hand anyway, âsure, I could use some fresh air.â You both walked out the back door, down the back terrace stairs and into the expansive garden behind the mansion.
You crossed to the greenhouse sitting just opposite the mansion and sat down on one of the ceramic garden benches. Keigo leaned back against the greenhouse walls and gazed skyward. You followed his example and took a moment to take in the stars twinkling above. The full moon bathed you both in light and the crisp autumn breeze cooled the sweat that had appeared on your skin without your notice.
âI really like your friends,â he said, turning his head toward you with a smile âtheyâre just as sweet as you are.â
You grinned back at him âRumi and Shinya are really nice too,â you said, âand I think the guy Rumiâs been babying all night is Dabiâs friend Shigaraki?â
âYeah he is,â Keigo replied âand Iâm glad heâs finally come around to them, you know it took those three ages to-â
Keigoâs sentence is cut off by a loud slam, both your heads snap in the direction of the sound only to see Hitoshi fling himself out of the back door and brace himself against the railing, looking like he was about to be ill.
Both you and Keigo are on your feet in seconds and Keigo is at his side before you even make it halfway to the stairs. You watch him grip Hitoshi by the shoulders and spin him around to face him. As you get closer you can hear their conversation, Hitoshiâs words coming out in harsh panicked breaths.
âHeâs here,â he gasps âI didnât think, I didnât expect, I didnât know-â
âHitoshi whatâs wrong?â You ask as you finally draw level with them âare you alright? Whatâs-â
âYes,â called a familiar and unwelcome voice âtell us what is wrong, dear Hitoshi.â
You and Keigo spin around and your heart drops as you see the smirking face of the blonde stranger.
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all i want for christmas is you đ
part one
pairing: luke patterson x julie molina
when julie finds herself in a situation where she needs luke to come home with her to celebrate christmas with her family, he is more than happy to oblige. too bad julie's already in love with him, and not sure when she stopped pretending.
holiday university au
series masterlist || masterlist || ao3
ps. i'm sorry but not sorry for choosing the cheesiest title ever for this fic
đ
"I need you." Luke choked on his iced coffee. He had just walked into Julie's dorm room, iced coffees in hand when she nearly attacked him in the doorway. "What?" With a small smirk, she backed up, pulling him inside and closing her door. "I need you. I need your help, actually." Luke furrowed his eyebrows, but pounced onto her bed anyway like he usually did. He reached out to hand her the iced coffee. Julie met Luke on her first day of university. She was struggling to find her classroom to Composition 101, when she ran smack into a hard body. The hard body happened to be Luke and he also happened to be carrying an iced coffee. It got all over the two of them, and instead of yelling at him or apologizing, she started crying. He was more freaked out than anyone she had ever seen in her life, and to comfort her, he awkwardly patted her arm and dug out a packet of tissues from his backpack. When she calmed down and realized what happened, she nearly died of mortification. But then she stopped crying and Luke's eyes softened; he asked her what was wrong and once she started talking, she couldn't stop. It just so happened that Luke was also in Composition 101 and the classroom was just to their right. She was mortified, but he was cute and understanding, and they've been inseparable ever since. Sure, maybe at one point she thought something more would happen between them. But school kept them busy, and their friendship came first; so, she never made a move, and neither did he. Instead, they continued to hang out (they ended up having more classes together since they were both in the music program) and once Julie met his friends, and they met her best friend Flynn, the five of them became inseparable. Julie discovered Luke and his friends were in a band; they were trying to build a following and since Flynn was amazing with public relations and social media, she took over as their part-time manager. And Julie started writing songs with the band and she occasionally joined them on stage. They were all thinking it; that Julie should join the band, but it was a big step and no one wanted to bring it up first. "What do you need me for?" Luke asked. If he weren't so focused on his iced coffee (it was so delicious), he would have noticed she was pacing the small floor of her dorm and chewing nervously on her fingernails. When she didn't immediately reply, he looked up. "Jules, talk to me. What's up?" She stopped her pacing and moved to stand in front of him. He was gazing at her with soft brown eyes and she just wanted to melt because of how utterly adorable he looked. "I did a thing," she admitted, but didn't elaborate any further. "I do a lot of things every day, Jules. You'll need to give me a bit more than that," he replied with a smirk. Julie still appeared uneasy so Luke reached out and tapped her fingers with his in a comforting gesture. "Come on. Did you kill someone? Are we getting rid of a body? I don't care what it is, but you'll have to tell me if I'm going to become an accessory." His goal was to elicit some type of reaction and he was graced with a small smile. "My Tia has been on my back about not having a boyfriend for a while now, so a while back I told her I had a boyfriend because it's not like she would ever meet him and I could just say we broke up or something," she gushed out in one large breath. Luke blinked, hiding a smirk so she didn't slap him and crawl back into her shell. "But the entire family is getting together for Christmas and she just assumed I was bringing my boyfriend and then when I tried to explain, she mentioned you by name and I just kind of blanked and basically, my whole family thinks you're my boyfriend and you're coming to spend Christmas with me." Julie expected him to look surprised, or even angry, but definitely horrified. So, she was shocked when he merely took another sip of his iced coffee and smiled at her. "Cool. When do we leave?" "Wait â what?" "I'm assuming we're leaving after exams, right?" He continued on speaking as if she wasn't gaping in his direction. He proceeded to pull out his phone from his front pocket and open his calendar. "My last exam is on the 22nd. Does that work for you?" Julie blinked. What the hell was happening? "But â aren't you â Luke, did you hear what I said?" He looked up at her with teasing eyes. "Yeah, Jules, I did. What about it?" "And you're okay with that?" Luke shrugged. "Well, let's weigh it out. Pros: I get to eat delicious food, hang out with my best friend and avoid the Patterson household. Cons: I can't really think of any, can you?" "Well â I â God, I am so confused right now." "Don't sweat it, Jules," Luke smiled charmingly and if Julie wasn't at a loss for words already, she definitely was now. "I'm excited. Plus, you know I love spending time with you," he added in a flirty tone. One problem with Luke? He was unbelievably flirtatious. Julie doesn't even think he's aware; it's mostly because he's incredibly kind and such a people's person, that his friendly approach comes off flirty. And it normally would be fine. Except he's basically the man of her dreams, and even when he merely smiled at her, her brain short-circuited. So, handling his flirty behaviour when it's directed at her? Honestly, she feels like she needs a crash cart with her at all times. "But like, they think we're dating, Luke," she clarified because she honestly didn't think he understood what he was getting himself into. She loved her family with all her heart, but they could be incredibly invasive and nosy. It's why she loved them, but also why she despised bringing anyone around. âYouâre going to have to act as if you like me.â His smirk returned; he seemed to be enjoying this way too much. âI do like you, Jules.â She ignored the butterflies battling to the death under her ribcage. âDonât be cute,â she admonished with a huff, âYouâll have to act like youâre in love with me.â âOkay,â he shrugged. Sometimes he was the most carefree, loveable dumbass in the world and it infuriated her to no end. âThat doesnât sound that hard. Whatâs not to love?â Julie was starting to get flustered and he was seemingly going along with everything she said, so she didnât see much of a point to this conversation anymore. âOkay,â she agreed, nodding. âThen weâll leave the day after exams. Weâll probably need to set some rules or something, but we have time for that. Deal?â She held out her hand in between them. Luke glanced at it and then back at her with an amused smile on his lips. He waited a moment before grasping her hand in his, chuckling. âYeah, deal.â When he let go of her hand, he proceeded to flop back on her bed, while she headed straight for the iced coffee she hadnât gotten a chance to drink yet. âHey, Luke?â She called out and he hummed in response. âThank you for this. It means a lot and I appreciate it. And you. I appreciate you.â
Luke pushed himself up on his elbows, shooting her a wickedly bright smile. âAnything for you, Jules. Or should I say muffin?â âHell no. Never repeat that again.â âYes, maâam.â It was very clear who would be wearing the pants during their relationship.Â
x
The flight from New York City to Los Angeles was approximately six hours, which gave Julie and Luke ample time to hammer out the details of their newfound relationship. It also helped to distract Julie from the fact that she was essentially flying a metal death trap; itâs not that she hated flying, it just always made her uneasy. And because it was Christmas time, the flight was crammed. Luke had humbly offered her the window seat while he took the middle; his neighbour ended up being a sweet old man who slept for most of the flight. âIf you squeeze the armrest any harder, youâre going to break your nails. Or a finger.â Julie relaxed her grip; it was a force of habit. âSorry,â she replied sheepishly. âYou can squeeze my hand instead if you want,â he offered, turning his palm to face up. It was a tempting offer, but things were already about to get complicated enough, so she needed to keep her head clear. So, she politely shook her head and spoke instead. âOkay, I need to be distracted. Letâs talk rules.â âJust the words every man wants to hear,â he quipped sarcastically. Luke had opted for a very casual airport look. He had his signature orange beanie pulled over his head, with a black hoodie and matching sweatpants; he completed the look with a pair of runners and his backpack. Even though he was dressed as casual as possible, Julie thought he never looked better. She had opted for a casual look too; an NYU hoodie with black leggings and her favourite white converse. Comfort was key on airplanes. âWhat, let me guess. You think we should go rogue and forget rules.â Luke laughed, shooting her a quick look from her left. âYeah, pretty much.â âAnd you think thatâs a good idea?â âYeah,â he added, turning slightly to face her. âListen, we donât need to make this difficult. We should just act normally around each other, maybe a bit more touching here and there, but just keep it overall simple. You just let me know anything youâre uncomfortable with and itâs completely off the table.â Julie nodded, biting her lip. âOkay, that makes sense. What about our story though? We need a good story." The smirk returned to his lips. âBut we already have the best story. You dumping coffee all over the both of us is really a way to make a first impression.â âIt was your coffee!â âYou ran into me!â He laughed, gently poking her ribs. âAnd then you started crying, which I will admit, freaked me the hell out. But hey, it all worked out.â Julie rolled her eyes. âFine. So, whatâs the story? You fell in love with me because I just looked so fabulous crying?â âDefinitely not,â he shot back in a teasing tone. âKeep it simple, Jules. We were friends and things just happened from there. When did you tell your Tia you got a boyfriend?â âLike four months ago maybe?â âPerfect,â he agreed. âBut seriously Jules, youâll tell me if youâre uncomfortable, right? I donât want to do anything youâre not okay with.â Julie nodded, her heart warming at his wide, worried brown eyes. âYeah, Iâll tell you. But you have to tell me too. This goes both ways.â âPlease, Julie,â he scoffed, âYou could push me in front of a bus and Iâd be okay with it.â She punched at his bicep. âShut up, you weirdo. Iâm serious though. If my family is too much or youâre just not into it anymore, let me know. Weâll shut it down and leave.â âYou worry too much,â he brushed her off, straightening in his seat and putting in an airpod. âItâs cute but donât worry, Iâm going to be the greatest fake boyfriend youâve ever seen.â Julie didnât doubt that for even a second. x When Julie called her dad to tell him she was bringing her boyfriend home for the holidays this year, he was absolutely ecstatic. He was just so incredibly happy for his daughter and unbelievably excited to meet the man Julie chose. He wasnât like those dads who were overprotective and tried to scare the boyfriends off; he just genuinely wanted everyone to be happy. And he trusted Julie, and he trusted her to make smart decisions and surround herself with the best of people. She had been at university for three years now after all; if he didnât trust her now, he never would. âYour dadâs picking us up?â Luke asked as he and Julie walked through customs. They had picked up their suitcases and were heading out into arrivals. Julie nodded. âYeah. Heâs excited to meet you. Are you nervous?â âNot really,â Luke shrugged. âWeâve technically spoken before on FaceTime. And Iâm a people person; fathers love me.â Julie laughed, passing through the doors and maneuvering through the crowd waiting for their arrivals. âMine definitely will. You two are both dorks.â âHey!â Luke called out, genuinely offended. But Julie was too busy hurrying off to the side in the direction of a tall man. Luke assumed it was Julieâs father because she jumped on his unsuspecting back and when he whirled around to see her, there were unshed tears in his eyes. Julie wrapped her arms around her fatherâs neck. It always amazed Luke just how tiny she really was. But seeing her bury herself in her fatherâs chest reminded him all over again. After a moment, she pulled back and swiped at her face. Luke could only assume she teared up a little bit too. Julie whirled around to face Luke; her nose was red and she looked adorable. She held out a hand for him to take. âDad, I want you to meet Luke.â âItâs so nice to officially meet you, Mr. Molina,â Luke greeted him politely. He reached out a hand for him to shake. âCall me Ray, weâre basically family!â Ray gushed, grabbing Lukeâs hand and pulling him in for a hug instead. Something inside Julie started heating up. âI knew I recognized you. Weâve spoken before, havenât we?â Luke nodded, a bright smile in his face because he couldnât hold it back. âYes, sir.â At Rayâs disapproving look, he stammered on. âI mean Ray, sorry. Force of habit.â âThatâs good,â Ray winked, âYou have good manners.â Looking between his daughter and Luke, Ray had never felt happier. âIâm so glad youâre both here. Are you ready to meet the family, Luke? Weâre a tad bit wild.â Julie hopped into the conversation once again. âDonât worry, Iâve briefed him.â Luke shared an amused look with Julie. âYeah, Iâm very ready. My family is quite the opposite, so Iâm looking forward to some excitement.â âIâm glad to hear that. Should we get on the road? Itâs getting late and you both are probably tired.â âExhausted,â Julie huffed, reaching for her suitcase. Ray smacked her hand away and took it upon himself to roll it for her instead. With both hands now suddenly free, she happily slid one into Lukeâs and together they followed Ray to the underground parking garage. She thought it might feel weird, pretending with Luke. But holding his hand felt natural and introducing him to her dad felt easy, almost as if it was meant to be. She knew the dangers of the comfort she was feeling, but she really couldnât be bothered as she cuddled into Lukeâs side when the cold air hit them. Julie climbed into the backseat with Luke, and it wasnât long before her head started to feel heavy and she was having trouble keeping her eyelids open. Luke crept a hand along the seat, tapping on her thigh. With a start, she turned to him with tired eyes. He nodded his head in his direction and Julie took that as an invitation for her to slide over and lay her head on his shoulder. Theyâd taken naps together before, so this wasnât unusual for them. Theyâve always relied on touch to show their affection; their whole friend group did. It came with the territory of being so comfortable with a person that certain boundaries cease to exist. And her boundaries with Luke were blurred, and it was only getting worse as time passed by. Julie cuddled into Lukeâs side once again. Her head rested on his shoulder and his hand moved to her leg. His touch seemed hesitant as he hovered above her knee but close to her thigh; he obviously wasnât sure if this would make her uncomfortable and he didnât want to risk it. Julie grabbed his wrist and set his hand down on her thigh, murmuring a quiet, âItâs okay.â Thatâs all the assurance he needed.
Luke met Rayâs eyes through the rearview mirror, and Ray smiled fondly.
When they arrived at Julieâs childhood home, Luke gently nudged Julie awake. âHey, look where we are.â It took her a moment, but she finally pulled herself away from Luke. The sight of the house in which she grew up in was a sight to behold. She hadn't been back in quite a while (flights weren't cheap and school was killer). But seeing all the lights and decorations littering the house made her heart swell, and for the first time since she arrived, she was genuinely excited for the next few days. Luke and Ray took care of their suitcases while Julie rushed into the house, revelling in the warmth feeling of home. Everything looked exactly the same, save for the extravagant Christmas tree and decorations; Julie loved it. "Carlos is sleeping, but you can see him in the morning. I'll make breakfast," Ray told her, as he followed Luke into the house. "I'm sure you're both tired too. Julie, your room is all set up. I'll see you both in the morning, okay? Goodnight." When Ray was out of sight, Luke took a moment to look around the house. There were a number of decorations, but what really caught his eye were the multiple photo frames scattered around the room. He approached one on a side table; it was a young Julie encased in an older woman's arms. Their resemblance was uncanny, and Julie didn't talk much about her mom, but he knew. "Is this your mom?" He asked quietly when she came to stand next to him. Julie nodded. "She's beautiful." "Isn't she?" Julie murmured back. "Come on, let's go to bed." They grabbed their luggage and made their way upstairs. Julie's room looked exactly like Luke expected it to; it was a larger version of her dorm room, complete with soft colours and flower print. "I'm going to take a shower. Make yourself comfortable." With a sleepy smirk, he dropped his suitcase off to the side and collapsed face first onto her bed. "You know I will," he mumbled into the mattress.
Julie laughed with a roll of her eyes. She quickly dug through her suitcase to pull out the essentials and went across the hall to hope in the shower. There was nothing better than a nice, hot shower after a long and grimy plane ride, and Julie savoured every second. She changed into a pair of pj shorts and a NYU crew neck (she had a lot of NYU clothes). When she returned to her room, Luke had dozed off. âGet up,â she ordered as she walked over to his lifeless body. âGo take a shower. You stink.â
She poked at his cheek and he groaned. âYou love it,â he mumbled into the pillow. âDebatable.â With another loud groan, he went over to his suitcase to grab his essentials. While she waited, she turned on her television and continued her New Girl rewatch (one of the best shows in existence). It was also a bad habit of hers to fall asleep watching Netflix on her laptop, but since she had her TV once again, that would do. When Luke returned, his hair was all wet and messy and so adorable. He was wearing an old band t-shirt and a pair of plaid pj bottoms, and he loudly dropped down beside Julie. He was so exhausted after travelling all day (not to mention the incessant studying/cramming he'd been doing the entire week for exams). All he wanted was to pass out and wake up the next morning feeling well rested and prepared to spend Christmas Eve with the Molina clan. "This okay?" He mumbled to Julie, but he was nearly clocked out. While he was laying down on his back, Julie was sitting up with her back rested against the headboard. She was mindlessly scrolling through her Instagram feed, but her eyelids were starting to droop. "Yeah, of course," Julie replied, reaching over to set her phone down on her bedside table. âHow do you think this is going so far?â Luke had his eyes closed, but he wasnât quite asleep yet. âGood,â he muttered, âYour dad is amazing.â âYeah, he is,â Julie smiled proudly. She shimmied down in her bed after turning off the lamp and kept a respectable distance between her and Luke. They'd taken naps together before, but they'd never officially shared a bed for an entire night. If he or any of the boys stayed over, they always built a fort of blankets on the floor. She just wanted to make sure he was comfortable. "Are you okay? Is this weird?" He let out a sleepy chuckle. "It's not weird for me, Jules." After a moment, he turned to face her with a serious expression. "Is it weird for you? Want me to move to floor?" "No!" She objected, louder and quicker than she expected. Luke seemed to relax. "No, I'm fine. I just want to make sure you're comfortable with this." Luke's sleepy smile returned to his lips. "I'm always comfortable with you; you don't have to worry about me." "But I do," she added, a knowing lilt in her tone. He rolled his eyes lightly before settling back down comfortably. "We should sleep. Big day tomorrow." "Yeah," Julie sighed. She wasn't sure what the protocol here was; does she face him to sleep or does she turn away? Admittedly, it may be a bit challenging to sleep when staring at his serene, adorable face, but she decided to face him anyway. Luke popped open an eye, and a warm smile appeared on his lips. "Goodnight, Jules." He reached out a hand between them. It was a small, comforting gesture but that was Luke. He would do anything for the people he loved and it warmed Julie's heart to know she was one of those people. Her fingers met his and she intertwined their fingers gently. "Goodnight, Luke."
#julie and the phantoms#jatp#jatp fic#jatp fanfic#jatp fanfiction#juke#juke au#juke fic#juke fanfic#jatp au#juke fanfiction#palina#luke x julie#julie x luke#julie molina#luke patterson#alex jatp#reggie jatp#flynn jatp#jatp alex#jatp reggie#jatp flynn#ray molina#carlos molina#holiday juke#holiday juke au#all i want xmas juke#alex mercer#reggie peters#fics
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Apples and Trees
This is just self indulgent fluff (a rare thing to find in my drafts lol) with no bearing on any established canon. Jinora just deserves nice things I think.
Jinora opens her eyes to find herself sitting on a high mountainside. Itâs peaceful to sit and watch the clouds drift by.
After a time-a few seconds, a few hours, itâs funny in the spirit world- she becomes aware of another presence sitting next to her. The spirit feels familiar somehow and she looks over to find another airbender sitting next to her in the same tranquil position. Her mind is fuzzy and slow- she must be asleep in the material world.
âAnd here I thought Iâd met every other airbender in the spirit world.â
She jumps when the other airbender speaks without looking at her or moving. He cracks his eyes open and turns to look at her with a smile. The shape of the spirit clarifies as she looks- a boy around her age, maybe a little younger. The folds of his robe show heâs from the Southern Air Temple. She wonders for a moment if he was one of the kids who died at the beginning of the war. If he was young and from the south, he might have known her grandfather, but it seems rude to ask a spirit that kind of thing.
âBut I havenât met you before.â He says cheerfully.
âIâm not, uh, dead. Yet.â Jinora winces. âIâm Jinora!â
âOh, um, Kuzon.â
She tilts her head.
âThatâs a funny name for an airbender.â
âOh, haha, is it?â He rubs the back of his head awkwardly.
Jinora shrugs. Maybe back in his time theyâd had a closer relationship with the Fire Nation.
âYou seem young to be a master.â She says, narrowing her eyes at him.
âSo do you.â Kuzon points out. âYouâre only like fourteen.â
âIâm nearly seventeen, thank you, and I got my tattoos when I was eleven.â
Kuzon looks impressed.
âWow, I was twelve when I got mine. How did you earn yours?â
âI was the Avatarâs spirit guide and kind of helped her save the world a couple of times.â Jinora says, trying not to sound too proud.
Kuzon lets out a low whistle.
âNice. Being friends with the Avatar must be hard.â
âNot really, Korraâs really nice.â Jinora stretches out her legs and leans back against the mountain. âSheâs actually been stressing out lately.â She laughs.
âAbout what? Saving the world again?â
âHaha, no, even though sheâs acting like it some days. Sheâs getting married and sheâs been going in circles about whether she should ask Gran-gran to be part of the ceremony or not.â
âOh, I didnât realize you were related to her.â
âWeâre- uh, itâs complicated.â Jinora sighs. Kuzon laughs.
âI get that. I found out once that I was a reincarnation of my best friendâs great-grandfather!â
Jinora nods, pulling her knees in to rest her chin on them.
âYeah. Plus on top of everything else, itâs hard to get peace and quiet when nearly everyone you know or are related to is famous. Thatâs part of why I like the spirit world so much. Spirits donât care who I am, just if Iâm respectful.â
Kuzon sighs, leaning back next to her.
âI can understand that.â
Jinora eyes him a bit skeptically.
âWerenât you a monk?â
âLike you said, I enjoy the spirit world for the peace and quiet.â He smiles wanly at her.
They sit and watch the clouds pass for a while. Itâs nice to sit with someone else who enjoys the stillness as much as she does. But her mind, slow in sleep as it is, still races ahead.
âCan I ask you some questions? Iâm so curious about traditional Air Nomad culture.â
âSure. Iâll try my best to answer.â
âOkay, so-â
Jinora peppers him with questions and he has most of the answers. Itâs mundane details that she craves, the small things that make the scrolls and books, even her grandfatherâs journals sheâs read come to life.
âOh,â She leans back finally having run out of initial questions. âThis will be so great to be able to share with the other Air Nomads.â
Kuzon gives her a funny look.
âI thought there was only a couple of airbenders left.â
Jinora smiles widely.
âNo, thereâs a whole lot of us now! After the last harmonic convergence, a whole lot of nonbenders woke up with airbending! My aunt thinks that they must be related to some of the original Air Nomads. My brother and sister and I all helped our dad and Avatar Korra find them so we could teach them how to be airbenders properly. And most of them even stayed to work to become masters like me and my dad.â
The young airbender next to her looks like he got hit over the head with a glider staff.
âYour dad is an airbending master too?â
âYeah. Iâm the second airbending master in the world and the third in over a hundred and fifty years. My family and I are reestablishing the Air Nation.â She says proudly. Then she deflates a little. âDrat. I didnât want to bring up my family. It gives away who I am.â
âDoes it?â Kuzon still sounds weird. Jinora sighs.
âYeah. Everyone knows us because Grandpa Aang was the Avatar.â
Kuzon whips around so fast Jinora almost wants to rub her own neck in sympathy.
âYouâre Tenzinâs daughter?â He breathes.
âYes.â She frowns. âHow do you know my dadâs name?â
Kuzon looks like an antelope-deer in headlights.
Before he can answer, Jinora is distracted by a flying spirit barreling towards them. It doesnât look pleased with their precarious perch on the mountainside. Before she can react, Kuzon leaps to his feet and plants them in a firm stance on the ground, flinging out a hand to send the spirit spiraling away in a tight blast of air. Jinora claps a hand over her mouth and stares at him. He stays in the stance for a moment longer, watching to see if the spirit comes back, then taking a seat with a relieved sigh when it seems clear.
âI knew you seemed familiar.â She breathes and his head snaps up to look at her. âGrangran said that I reminded her of you.â
The other airbender rubs his head awkwardly, then sighs and in a small puff of spirit-smoke changes form. Her grandfather sits next to her, the same sheepish look on his now-adult face.
âIt wasnât an intentional trick.â
Jinora flings herself forward to hug him. Aang returns her hug tightly.
âHello.â He says gently. âItâs so nice to meet you.â
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Don't Give Up Now Ch5
A/N: With how busy both my work schedule and writing schedule is some of my chapters will be shorter than others but I figured an update is better than nothing.
Anyway, on with the story. Thanks to everyone still reading.
Serkan was usually happy to see his mother but this was not one of those times.
He was more annoyed with her than he could ever remember being and it wasnât petty annoyance either.
No, he was in the middle of a crucial moment with Eda and felt like they were reconnecting.
Now that moment was gone and he had nothing to show for it as Eda pulled away from him.
His annoyance climbed higher. Why couldnât his mother have stayed in Instanbul?
He came here to be with Eda. He wanted to create new moments with her before it was too late.
Eda stared at Aydan, thrown by her arrival.
If Serkan was here for business why was Aydan here? Since when did she accompany him on his business trips?
There was something off about her unexpected arrival.
Aydan rushed up the steps throwing her arms around her son. âSerkan! Iâve been so worried. I couldnât reach you.â
Serkan gently pulled his mother off him. âMom.â
âThen I went to Art Life and was told you went to Italy.â Aydan continued as if he hadnât spoken. âSerkan, you shouldnât be traveling. You need your rest.â Aydan swept her hands over him. âHow are you feel-â
âEnough, mom, Iâm fine.â Serkan cut off her words. âI came here to work.â
âWork? Serkan in your condition-â
âMy condition is fine.â He cut her off again, looking over at Seyfi. âCall Layla, she will let you know where we are staying. Eda and I need to get back to work.â
Eda had watched the exchange and her instincts were going off. Work was the last thing on her mind.
Something was wrong here.
The way Aydan was fussing over Serkan was more than Eda was accustomed to.
Just what in the world was going on here?
âEda,â Aydan turned to her. âLife appears to have been good to you.â
âI like to think so,â Eda replied. âYouâre looking well.â she turned to Seyfi. âItâs good to see you, Seyfi.â
Seyfi beamed. âYou too, Ms. Eda.â
âDid you really come all the way to Italy in search of Serkan because you couldnât reach him?â Eda inquired. âMustâve been urgent.â
âOf course, every day he has less time be-â
âBecause of my busy work schedule.â Serkan cut his mother off, sending her a sharp look.
Aydan stared at her son, a wet sheen to her eyes.
Seyfi shifting nervously on his feet, pressed a comforting hand to Aydanâs shoulder.
Eda stared between them the nagging feeling that there was something she didnât know. Something Serkan didnât want her to know and it made her stomach churned violently.
A stark reminder of why she and Serkan didnât work out in the first place. He couldnât be honest, preferring to hold things back from her rather than share them with her so they could face it together.
âYes,â Aydan swallowed. âI understand you have a busy schedule but I was hoping you would have some time for me,â
Serkan fought down his irritation. âWe have time later, right now it is important that I focus on work.â
âSerkan, work, itâs not going to matter in the larger scheme of things. You should be enjoying-â
âI do enjoy work.â Serkan shot his mother a warning look. âWhich you are interrupting.â
Eda looked in between Serkan and Aydan. The exchange between them feeling off to her. S
She had the thought again that something was going on here.
Something that had Aydan and Serkan in an obvious disagreement that Serkan was doing his hardest to keep from coming to light.
She didnât know what it was but maybe it was the same thing that brought him here to Italy. To her.
Whatever it was, she was going to find out.
It was about time Serkan Bolat realized there was nothing he could keep from her without her eventually finding out about it.
Serkan painted on a smile, turning to Eda. âExcuse us a moment.â
Serkan took his mother by the arm, leading her back down the steps, barking orders for Seyfi to follow.
He led them away from Eda toward the front doors. âYou need to go. Now.â
âSerkan, I came all the way here for you.â Aydan protested.
âI didnât ask you to,â Serkan spoke through clenched teeth.
Aydan swallowed down her hurt and looked away from him.
Serkan sighed, rolling his eyes heavenward realizing he was being too harsh given the circumstances.
âI understand youâre concerned but I am working hard in mending fences and reconnecting with Eda. I donât need to be interrupted. Itâs better when we are alone.â
âAre you going to tell her?â Seyfi wondered, wringing his hands.
âNo,â Serkan's eyes were sharp. âItâs better she doesnât know.â
âSerkan, she deserves to know.â Aydan protested.
âI wonât have her pity. If Eda and I are to reconcile she canât know the truth. I donât want it to influence her decisions.â Serkan ground out.
âYou are not being reasonable or fair to Eda, you canât enter her life and not tell her-â His mother began.
âWe will talk about this later.â Serkan cut her off not wanting to risk Eda overhearing them. âYou are going to head back to the hotel. Layla will send you directions to where I am staying. I will meet with you later when we can talk freely. Understood?â
Aydan wanted to argue, she wanted to insist but the look on her sonâs face told her he would not listen. He was determined to keep his secrets from Eda and Aydan couldnât help but think he was making a mistake. She couldnât fight him on it without pushing him away and she didnât want any more distance between her son and herself.
âOkay,â She agreed and turned to leave, calling for Seyfi to follow.
As soon as they were gone Serkan returned to Eda who was waiting for him.
âDid Ms. Aydan leave without saying goodbye?â She asked.
âShe had some shopping she wanted to get done. She just came to insist I have dinner with her.â Serkan answered.
Eda nodded as she walked back down the stairs. She had a feeling, he wasnât being honest but for now, she wasnât going to push. âWhat brings your mother to Italy?â
âShopping,â Serkan answered.
âShopping?â Eda sent him a doubtful look. âShe could shop online.â
Serkan forced a smile. âYou know how extra my mother can be.â
Eda stared at him a moment before looking away. âLetâs look outside.â
âOk,â Serkan led her out with a hand on her lower back.
âDid everyone you know follow you to Italy?â Eda asked as they walked through the garden.
It hurt her heart to see the flowers here was dying from lack of care but it wasnât anything she couldnât fix and add to.
âIt appears so but no,â Serkan answered. âWork is like this, however. It takes a team to accomplish great things.â
Eda stopped walking and turned to him. âAre they here for work?â
Serkan stopped. âI donât understand.â
âWhat isnât there to understand.â Eda insisted. âAre they here for work or in relation to you because my instincts are telling me something is going on that I am not aware of?â
âThereâs nothing.â Serkan lied. âWork is why everyone is here and my mother is just being overbearing.â
âOkay,â Eda said, she didnât believe him for a second but she wouldnât push. He would let his guard down more if it seemed she was not looking for information that he didnât want her to know. âHow about we get back to work.â
âI was hoping to get back to what we were doing before my motherâs untimely interruption.â he lifted his hand and brushed her hair back from her face, his thumb lingering on her cheek.
âSerkan,â Eda step back, causing his hand to fall away. âWe got caught up in the moment. It canât happen again.â
Serkan wanted to argue, wanted to push her to be honest about what she felt, what she wanted but didnât. It wasnât right to push her when she was setting boundaries and he had to respect that no matter how much it pained him to be near her and not be with her. âIf that is what you want.â
âIt is,â Eda said, hoping she sounded more sure than she was.
âOkay,â Serkan nodded. âTell me your thoughts for the garden.â
~*~ ~*~ ~*~
Eda looked out at the passing roads, the wind blowing through her hair.
It had been a long day spent with Serkan and it was difficult but it was also enjoyable. It was so easy to fall back into the patterns in the past and enjoy his company, feeding off each otherâs creativity but it was hard to ignore the attraction, the chemistry between them.
She turned her head and looked at him, the way his hands wrapped around the steering wheel, his jacket tossed to the back seat and the sleeves of his shirt rolled up past his forearms.
âShall we listened to some music,â Serkan asked her.
âYes, let's.â Eda reached forward, turning it to the station and allowing the music to wash over her. It was better than the silence that had settled over them heavily with a weight she couldnât define.
âDo you enjoy working for Efe?â Serkan asked suddenly.
âAre you really asking me about Efe?â Eda asked in surprise. âI know you donât like him.â
âIâm asking about you,â Serkan answered. Plus, he wanted to know the extent of her relationship with the man who once sabotaged his career.
Eda thought of his question her mind flashing back to Efe trying to interfere in her personal life where Serkan was concerned and felt a wave of irritation with her boss. âIt has been educational.â
âMore education than when you worked with me?â Serkan asked.
Eda tilted her head at him. âDo you realize how you phrase my relation to Efe and my relation to you differently?â
Serkan chanced a look at her then back at the road. âI donât understand.â
âYou say I work for Efe but refer to my time with Art Life as working with you, not for you.â Eda clarified.
âI never saw you as my employee. You were always more.â
Eda bit down on her lip and really wished Serlkanâs words werenât so charming. He made it hard for her to maintain her distance.
How the hell was she supposed to not fall in love with him again while trying to find out why he was here?
âWorking with Efe is educational in different ways than working at Art Life.â Eda finally answered.
âDifferent how?â
âFor one, his employees arenât terrified of him.â Eda sent a pointed look in his direction.
Serkan rolled his eyes. âNot everyone at Art Life is afraid of me.â
âMost are,â Eda insisted and Serkan nodded in agreement. After all, she wasnât exactly wrong.
~*~ ~*~ ~*~
Eda wanting to remain platonic and professional after the unexpected kiss threw herself into the work for the rest of the day.
When she wasnât working with Serkan, she was in her office working on other projects.
It was late when Eda left the office, she was surprised to see Serkan in Efeâs office through the glass. They looked to be in a heated discussion.
Her brow furrowed, she had thought Serkan had left earlier with the rest of the Art Life employees.
She step forward, her heels clicking on the floor. She was grateful that neither man seem to have noticed.
She leaned against the door and pressed her ear against it.
While their voices sounded heated and angry, she couldnât make out their words.
There was her name, and selfishness, and give up, and regret but everything else she couldnât make out.
It was all so confusing, she pressed harder against the door, hoping to hear better.
She stumbled forward as the door was wrenched open and if it wasnât for the chest she collided into, she would have went crashing to the floor.
Hands gripped her waist tightly, her eyes on the broad chest in front of her.
She knew who it was before she straightened and looked up, his smell intoxicating her as she breathed him in. âSerkan!â
âEda, are you alright?â The anger in his green eyes faded, turning into concern.
âYes,â she stepped back and his hands fell away. She flipped her hair over her shoulder. âI am fine, thank you. I was getting ready to call a taxi home when I heard voices.â
âI can take you,â Efe interjected. âI have some things I wish to discuss with you.â He stepped forward next to Serkan. âPrivately.â
Serkan bristled. âWhat could you possibly have to talk about in private?â
Efe cut his eyes at him. âBusiness.â
âIf itâs the same thing as we discussed earlier, forget it. The topic is closed. And we will not be reopening it.â Eda said. She did not need Efe thinking he can but into her relationship or lack of one with Serkan.
âEda, I am only trying to-â
âWell, stop trying,â Eda cut him off. âI wonât speak more on the matter and neither will you.â
âIâll take you home,â Serkan interjected and placed his hand on her lower back ushering her forward and away from Efe.
Eda allowed it, she didnât want to get in another argument with Efe.
She was quiet as they were on the road. Serkan looked over at her. âDo you want to go grab some dinner?
âNo, Itâs been a long day. I really just want to rest.â Eda answered, over at him with a barey there smile.
Serkan frowned in concerned. âOkay.â
âPlus, you having dinner with your mom,â Eda added.
When Serkan stopped at the red light he reached over turning on the radio to her favorite station.
Eda turned to look at him. Smiling softly at the gesture.
The light turned green and Serkan started the car forward again. Smiling softly as Eda started to sway slowly in her seat to the soft music.
When they arrived at her home it was too soon for him. He wanted to extend their time together but he felt like if pushed Eda would pull away and it was the last thing he wanted.
âEda,â he said when her hand was on the handle of the car.
âYes,â Eda looked at him expectantly.
âThank you for taking the time to work with me. I know this isnât easy for you.â
Eda nodded. âGood night, Serkan Bolat.â
âGood night, Eda Yildiz.â He smiled. âSee you, tomorrow.â
Eda looked at him for a moment and then finally she said. âYes you will when you come and pick me up tomorrow to take me to the office.â
Serkan watched her go inside, a smile pulling at his lips. He hadnât been expecting that.
Eda pushed her front door shut behind her and leaned against it with a sigh.
She didnât know how she was going to work with Serkan every day and not get caught up in her own goal of finding out why he was there but it was too late to turn back now.
~*~ ~*~ ~*~
Serkan walked into his home he had bought, Engin and Piril were staying in his quest room and Leyla was staying at the closes hotel. She had already returned when he arrived home.
Walking into his home he saw that his mother had made herself and Seyfi comfortable.
They were seated at a table having tea and dessert that Seyfi had prepared.
âSerkan!â Aydan stood and moved to hug him.
Serkan accepted his motherâs embrace before pulling back and motioning for her to retake her seat and then took the one next to her.
âWhat are you doing here?â Serkan asked, his mother.
âSerkan, you left and you didnât even tell me,â Aydan said. âI want to spend as much time with you as I can. You refuse to fight this disease, this illness, I have to accept that you are going to be gone one day. Soon. I hate it and I know I canât change your mind but what I can do is hold onto right now for as long as I can. Donât ask me to leave Serkan.â tears filled Aydanâs eyes. âI want to be by your side.â
Serkan swallowed heavily. He hated her tears evem more so when they were for him. âOkay.â
Aydan nodded, brushing the tears away from her eyes she looked at her son. âDid you really come here for work or was this just your way of contacting Eda?â
Serkan was silent as he looked at her but his fingers twisted the band on his hand and it was answer enough.
âSerkan, you know itâs unfair to get close to Eda and not tell her what is happening to you.â
âI donât want her pity. I donât want anyoneâs pity.â Serkan insisted. âYes, I came here to spend the remainder of my life in her presence but I will not tell her about my health.â
âSerkan-â
âNo,â Serkanâs voice was sharp. âI want Eda to be a part of my life not because she feels obligated because Iâm dying but because she wants to be there with me.â Serkan looked away his jaw clenching.
âI understand your reasoning, Serkan, I do but what about Eda?â Aydan asked.
Serkan looked back at her confused. âWhat do you mean?â
âSerkan, Eda, loved you once. Whose to say she wonât fall in love with you again. Have you thought about how losing you is going to affect her? Sheâs going to be devastated when your gone and wondering why you couldnât tell her the truth.â
Serkan was quiet, truth be told he hadnât allowed himself to think about that because he knew he wouldnât like the answers.
Was he being selfish? Yes.
Still, he couldn't bring himself to turn back now. Seeing Eda, breathing the same air as her, kissing her. It was all he wanted. He could die a happy man as long as his hand was in hers.
She enriched his life every second he spent with her and it was enough for him.
However, he felt if he told her the truth none of it would be real. It would be pity and that was the last thing he wanted from the love of his life.
âEda, will not find out. Not from me and not from you. You want to stay then fine stay but do not interfere with Eda and I.â WIth those parting words Serkan stood, heading for his room. Sirius following close behind him.
When Serkan turned in that night, it was to the picture of their fake engagement clutched to his chest, dreams of the life he wanted with Eda but will never have, flickering behind his closed lids.
Sometimes dreams were better than reality.
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