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mxnhoo · 30 days ago

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rollercoaster (s. jy)

╰➤ sim jaeyun x reader featuring wonyoung, liz, giselle, literally the whole of bnd, rei, chan synopsis having nothing to do in girls night, you and your gals decided that downloading a dating app would be absolutely perfect to spice up your lives. seeing the males on the dating app, you get violently irked out until you see someone who seems at least half-decent, which so happens to be a guy named "Sim Jaeyun" and it kicks off with him! until you.. start feeling the need.. to.. push away. genre looots of banter, romance, comedy, enemies to lovers, reader has a chaotic friendgroup, dating app, coffee shop, overseas trip, slowburn, reader is chaotic and loud at times, lots of coincidences/surprises, jake is annoying as fuck and super sarcastic lol, reader is awkward with new people and daydreams a lot, did i mention banter?, camping/out in the forest, they both secretly do things for each other, jake loves astronomy and seeing the stars, somewhat heated confrontation!, alone in the pool, dancing, partially proofread(?) word count 17,836 warning reader has an avoidant attachment lol, did i already say avoidant attachment?, vulnerability, ghosting, reader has to face her attachment issues, mentions of death/wanting to die, mentions of anxiety, LOTS of cursing, "go to hell", like one suggestive joke, mentions of stalking, jake mocks her attachment/issues, joking use of "i'm going to kill you", lmk if i missed anything cly's note i'm so happy this is done. i had this idea since last year november i had so much fun writing certain parts and you can definitely tell which, but i despised the other parts LOL omygosh i hate this sm but hope yall can enjoy it. ive been so inactive so this is my return!

now playing rollercoaster - bleachers "You are such a rollercoaster, and a killer queen you are"

“Hey, how ‘bout Wony goes next?” Liz exclaimed, and everyone silently agreed. Wonyoung reached her hand out towards the bottle that was sitting in the centre, twisting her hand and spinning it.

You and your friend group was having a girl’s night, and you all were planning to gossip and have fun all night, but it turns out the current situation was the exact opposite. Everyone’s eyes watched as the bottle spun, the speed of the bottle gradually slowing down as it eventually stopped at..

You.

“Y/N, truth or dare?” Wonyoung shot at you, her tone slightly uninterested and you shrugged.

“I dunno, truth, I guess?”

Everyone remained silent, waiting for someone to come up with a genius question that would make you reveal things about you that they didn’t know about.

Which was practically impossible.

The entire friend group have been together with each other for about 4 years, and even despite being separated by going to college, keeping up with each other wasn’t difficult, and hence, everyone knew everything about each other.

“Any.. questions?” you called out, in hopes that someone would miraculously have a fun question that hasn’t been asked already.

“Not really, no. We already know everything about you,” Giselle, who was sitting across from you, answered.

“Would you date any guy from your class?” Liz enthusiastically questioned, almost as if she didn’t already know your answer.

“No. They’re all either weird, ugly, or have a bad personality,” you sternly responded, your tone disappointed.

Everyone sighed at the expected answer, either leaning back or just scratching their heads.

“This is so boring,” Wonyoung bluntly said, puffing air on one side of her cheek and though it was harsh, she was right.

“Isn’t there anything fun to do?” you questioned, completely leaning backwards and laying back on the cold tiled floor, staring at the ceiling. It was dark outside, and you wanted to make the most out of your time before you go home, since meet ups with them were quite rare.

“Nah man, we already know everything about each other, there’s nothing to ask,” Giselle responded, going on her phone and scrolling.

“This sucks, no fun thing, no fun love life. Why’re all the guys in our classes so damn ugly?” you whined, letting out a loud sigh afterwards and resting your arm on your forehead.

“Hey, I might’ve found something fun,” Giselle muttered, as her finger stopped scrolling.

“What did you say?” Wonyoung responded, her eyes shooting up to Giselle, her expression curious.

“Dating apps!” Giselle announced.

“C’mon bro, that’s so bori-” “Let’s see how many people like our profile in 24 hours, how ‘bout that?” Giselle exclaimed, clearly proud at her idea.

Everyone rose up from their half-alive state, unitedly looking at Giselle as if she had just suggested the most thrilling and juiciest activity.

Liz questioned, "Aren't guys there like.. creeps?".

"Well, sure! But not all of them!" Giselle exclaimed, feeling proud at her idea.

“I mean, why not right?” you giggled, finally feeling alive after having the most boring truth-or-dare session.

And that was how you were on your study table, scrolling on your phone using that very same dating app.

Even after the 24th hour mark and comparing the number of likes each of you got, you were still scrolling through the profiles, either liking them and rejecting them.

You knew people on the app weren't so.. proper, but you were looking forward to it because of new experiences and fun, and who knows? You might even find 'the one' here. 'The one' who you're fated to be with, and go through everything with.

Your eyebrows raised as the profiles kept coming in non-stop, anticipating that you'd find someone at least half-decent. So far, all of the profiles are all fuckboys who don't show their face on their profile with bios like "Let's fuck" or "FWBs??".

Fuck no. Absolutely not.

Either that, or boys who full on show their body and stick out their tongues like some frat boys. You couldn't tell which one irked you more.

You sighed, your finger hovering over the dislike button. And that was when you saw it.

"Jaeyun Sim | Jake", and it was photo of a male who looked genuine. In the first photo, he was holding the strap to this big.. fluffy.. cute dog?

Wow, he's cute. The dog, actually. Or is the dog a girl? Whatever.

And him too you could say — this.. "Jake".

Intrigued by this profile, you scrolled through his photos. The first photo was him walking his supposed dog, then as you swiped, you're met with him cuddling his dog and having a surprisingly cute smile. Then the next, he's wearing a white long sleeve, and he seems to be in a field..? And it seems to be sunset with how the background is a pinkish-grey sky.

Shit. He's kinda cute.

"Here just for fun! Loves music, just wanna vibe here tbh. Friends!".

Your eyes wandered as you thought about pressing the like button.

It's just once.

What's the worst that could happen?

Your finger slowly hovered over the button as you thought about pressing it, suddenly feeling hesitant, but in a quick second you forced your finger down and you instantly squaled, turning your phone and facing it downwards flat on your table.

You had to take a breather, processing what you just did and realising the whole situation. You sighed and relaxed your shoulders — it wasn't that serious right? He didn't actually know you right? Whatever. This whole thing isn't that serious.

And your whole perspective flipped when you heard your phone go off, your hands instantly flipping it upwards and seeing that he messaged. Your eyes widened and your jaw dropped, surprised at the instant response and you stared at the screen for a second, mentally preparing yourself.

simjaeeejake liked your profile. You both matched! Start chatting now!

simjaeeejake : HEYYY WASSUP

You stared at the message, biting your lips as you started to type.

y/n : YOOOO y/n : how r u!

simjaeeejake : TIRED. simjaeeejake : But we gotta stay LOCKED IN!

You puffed up your cheeks, feeling intimidated yet impressed at his immediate and energetic response.

y/n : AS U SHOULD!

He didn't respond immediately so you started to think if your response was over the top.

Oh shit, did he think you were a weirdo?

simjaeeejake : YEAHH simjaeeejake : I'm jake by the way

Nevermind. All's good.

y/n : i'm y/n l/n y/n : just call me y/n

You were slightly smiling, feeling slightly excited because he matched your energy well.

And that's how you talked to him for not one. Not two. But three hours straight. You didn't even know you had that much socialising power in you, you felt like 30 minutes of conversation with someone you knew was draining, but here you were, talking to someone for 3 hours straight.

And would you be surprised if I said the talking became a daily? Not 3 hours though — that'd be a stretch, but still — daily. You'd found out that he was in your neighbouring university, the universities only being separated by a few train stops, and that he really likes astronomy.

simjaeeejake : No cos simjaeeejake : I really love songs that just make you "feel" YKWIM

y/n : OOOH y/n : if you really love that y/n : i think you'd like rollercoaster by the bleachers y/n : I SWEAR IT'LL MAKE YOU FEEL

simjaeeejake : Oh! simjaeeejake : About that.. simjaeeejake : I know..

y/n : you know?

Thinking about what he meant, you gasped as you came to realisation 5 seconds later.

y/n : WAIT YOU KNOW THE SONG???

You stared at his typing bubble, anticipating to his response.

simjaeeejake : IT WAS SUMMER WHEN I SAWW YOUR FACEE

y/n : LOOKED LIKE A TEENAGE RUNAWAY

You sat up from your bed, genuinely feeling ecstatic as someone knew the very song you loved with your entire heart.

y/n : WHAT THE FUCK y/n : I FUCKING LOVE THIS SONG

simjaeeejake : Oh is it? simjaeeejake : Will defi take note

simjaeeejake pinned "I FUCKING LOVE THIS SONG".

And that's how you learnt a lot about a man you've never met in real life. He's studying something related to business, he has a cute female border collie named Layla, he shat his pants when he was 8, he especially loves My Chemical Romance, and there's more things you could've listed down.

Your friends could've listed them down too, from how much you talked about him in your shared groupchats.

Poor them! They were so obviously tired.

And the reason why they were even more annoyed is because you were talking so much about a man you have not met up with.

That sounds pathetic.

But you were completely okay with not meeting him, because if you met him, it'd start to feel a bit too... real. And you didn't want that.

But the day came.

simjaeeejake : HEY

y/n : HI

simjaeeejake : Crazy idea but..

y/n : UH HUH...

Your face leaned closer to the screen, watching his text bubble.

simjaeeejake : What if we met up.

Your smile dropped, feeling the excitement in you slowly slip away as you read the message.

simjaeeejake : IT'D BE SO FUN YKYK simjaeeejake : Like we can go see the stars w my telescope simjaeeejake : YKYK

You frowned, reading the messages.

y/n : uhhh

You bit your lip, feeling immense discomfort.

simjaeeejake : ?? Why

y/n : HAHAHAHA

You tried to think about a response that wouldn't blow him off.

simjaeeejake : What

y/n : sorry

simjaeeejake : Why??

y/n : uh y/n : i don't really like meeting up

simjaeeejake : Huh

y/n : not really my thanggg

You tried to be casual about it.

simjaeeejake : Okayyyy ms anxiety simjaeeejake : Ok but fr tho simjaeeejake : It'd be so fun simjaeeejake : Can't I be an exception?

You made a disgusted face at his response.

Ms Anxiety? Exception? Seriously? Who are you?

You closed the app, placing your phone on the bed as you stared at the ceiling, feeling as if you'd just lost a friend. Your phone vibrated again, and you looked at the notifications.

simjaeeejake : U good? simjaeeejake : Did i say something?

You sucked your inner cheek, thinking of a response but you turned your phone off, leaving this as a problem for later.

Laughter filled the room as you wiped the tears from your eyes. You could only feel your abdomen grow increasingly sore as your laughter becomes more intense. You pleaded, "No- stop!" as you continued laughing.

Liz continued, "And he did it.. again!".

Her comment caused the laughing session to continue, everyone having tears coming out of their eyes. Liz was ranting about a guy she'd met on the dating app, and it literally proves the point that people there are literally.. hopeless.

Wonyoung, who was slowly calming down, spoke, "So you're telling me that when he saw you for the first time, he ran up to you, slipped ONCE, got back up, and then slipped again not even 3 seconds later?".

Liz's eyes lit up and she pointed to Wonyoung, "Exactly that!".

All of you had gathered again, but finally with more stories to share especially after the dating app idea. The group has finally became lively again after the energy had been constantly stagnant for the past.. God knows how long.

The conversation continues, but it eventually lands on..

"Talking about meeting up, say, Y/N, you haven't been talking about that.. who was it..?" Giselle spoke.

"Jaeyoon? Jaehyun?" Wonyoung guessed as she tried to recall.

"Jaeyun. Sim Jaeyun, Jake," you corrected, your mood suddenly flipping.

Everyone wiggled their eyebrows at each other while making syncronised "oo" sounds. Liz placed her palms on the table, leaning towards you, "You even know his full name, huh?".

You gave her a weirded out look, "F'course I do! How could I not? It's literally in his profile!".

Liz nodded slowly, leaning backwards as she eyed the others.

Wonyoung spat out directly, "Are you dating him?"

"WHAT?!"

"You are! Aren't you?"

"No! Absolutely not!"

Everyone gasped.

"Y/N.. you don't need to lie," Giselle rubbed your back and you snapped your neck at her.

"I'm not lying! I haven't spoken to him in a while!" you confessed at the heat of the moment.

Everyone gasped, but this time there was complete silence afterwards. Everyone gave each other the look and you bit your lip.

Wonyoung pouted, "Is everything okay, girlie? What happened? You used to talk about him in our groupchat so much..".

You sighed as you leaned back onto the seat cushion, "He asked to meet up".

Everyone looked at you, anticipating to the rest of the story, "Then..?".

You looked at them with a puzzled expression, wondering what else they were waiting for. "That's all.." you muttered.

Everyone let out sounds of confusion. Giselle questioned, "What?! So you ghosted him?!"

Liz continued Giselle's question, "And it was because he asked to meet up?!".

You immediately felt defensive, facing your hands towards them and indicating them to stop, "It was scary, okay! What if.. I dunno, he's like a serial killer or something?".

Everyone gave you a glare, questioning your thinking process.

Giselle voiced out first, "Girl... weren't you talking about how 'genuine' and 'kind' he was.. what 'serial killer' bullshit are you thinking about..?".

You felt slightly guilty, now realising how childish it was that you ghosted him over something so small. Wonyoung snapped, catching everyone's attention, "How long has it been?".

"Since I ghosted?" you replied.

"No shit."

You pouted at their sassy response, pulling out your phone from your pocket and pressing into the app, careful not to press into the chat and read the messages.

"It's been.. 3 days?".

Everyone's jaw dropped in sync and Giselle held your shoulder tightly, "Girl! You better respond to that man!".

You felt helpless, "What for! He probably forgot about me already! I don't even know what excuse I'd give for not responding!".

Wonyoung leaned over the table and swiftly snatched your phone, causing you to gasp. Immediately, you try to fight back for the phone but Wonyoung started typing.

"Sent!".

Your heart dropped, "What exactly did yo-!".

You were interrupted when Giselle covered your mouth, your words being muffled and Giselle apologising to the other customers for your loudness.

That's when you looked around and saw all the unpleasant expressions from the workers and the other customers, and you tilted your head downwards to gesture that you were sorry.

You slowly sat back down, taking a deep braeth in as you looked at Wonyoung. "What. Did. You. Send?" you asked, your tone clearly infuriated.

"I sent him.." Wonyoung looked at the screen, reading out from the text message in a sassy tone, "omygosh hi, i'm so sorry but my phone broke. hope you don't get the wrong idea".

You realised how she was all smiley and giggly and you stared at her, only wishing you could slap that smile away. You took a deep breath as you tried to remain composed, clearing all the negative thoughts.

"And he responded!"

"WHAT?!"

Giselle immediately pulled you down to your seat.. again.. after you accidentally shouted and stood up. "Gosh.. Y/N.. we're gonna get kicked out," she tugged on your sleeve and you rested your forehead on your hands.

"Jokes!"

"You guys.." you sighed, feeling worn out, "are going to be the death of me..".

"He responded!!"

"WHAT?!?"

And that's how the 4 of you got kicked out.

"Gosh.. we weren't even being that loud.." Wonyoung complained as she rolled her eyes.

"Right!" Liz agreed, feeling wronged.

"Whatever," you rolled your eyes, feeling irritated at them instead of being kicked out. You started walking first, not saying your goodbyes and you heard them yell behind you.

"You better respond to his text!" "Update us!" "Don't ghost him again!"

You were thankful you were the only one heading this way, and you waved your hand without turning back.

You'd finished washing up, rubbing your damp hair with your towel as you sat on the bed, looking at your phone notifcations until you saw his name on the notifications.

Oh. Right.

You held your phone properly, carefully checking the notification and not clicking on it.

simjaeeejake : Thought you ghosted me for a sec simjaeeejake : What even happened

You hesitated, feeling the guilt fully set in and you sighed.

y/n : i kinda y/n : dropped my phone in boiling water

simjaeeejake : While cooking or something?

y/n : yea yea exactly!

simjaeeejake : But you said you can't cook

Oh shit. He's right.

y/n : uh y/n : i saw a recipe y/n : seemed cool, wanted to try it out

simjaeeejake : Hmm simjaeeejake : Okay

Man. Hopefully he bought that.

You felt guilty, so you continued the conversation, but there was still something inside of you making it uncomfortable, so your responses had breaks in between them, were less lively and drier than usual.

simjaeeejake : Okayy I gotta go now, mom's rushing me out simjaeeejake : Need to catch the stars tonight

You heaved a sigh of relief, thankful the conversation was ending.

y/n : okayy

You were about to close the chat until you saw his chat bubble appear. You stayed, curious to what else he had to say.

simjaeeejake : Btw simjaeeejake : I know something's up simjaeeejake : So if i did anything wrong, lmk simjaeeejake : Or if you need reassurance, lmk too simjaeeejake : I'm not a bad guy, I promise simjaeeejake : I really like what we have, so I hope we can progress :)

You stared at his messages, your chest being filled with all sorts of different emotions.

simjaeeejake : Sleep soon simjaeeejake : Gn Y/N

You felt reassured and happy, but at the same time there was this thing at the back of your head telling you to run. Ignore him. Ghost him again. You rubbed your forehead, feeling distressed, and you sent a quick reply before throwing your phone somewhere on the bed.

y/n : goodnight, jake.

You stared at the ceiling.

"Maybe I do have a chance at this.. 'relationship' bullshit," you mumbled to yourself. You sighed before turning over and plunging your head to your pillow.

"I really hope you'd take me in as an employee!" you pleaded with a big smile plastered across your face, watching as your interviewer nods in approval with a subtle smile. You watched as he took down notes and you awkwardly looked around, the big smile still on your face.

After a few seconds of writing sounds, he closed his book and you sat up straight, anticipating to what was next. He cleared his throat and you leaned in closer, praying for good news.

"So.." he started off. You bit your lip, feeling as the anxiety starts creeping in. He continues, "You start next week. Come in some time this week to pick up your uniform, yes? This weekend you'll get your training".

You felt so overjoyed you wanted to run around and hug your interviewer. "Yes- of course sir! I mean, yes sir!".

"Don't call me sir, call me Chan," he reassured, his tone friendly.

"Yes sir! I mean- sir Chan! I mean Chan!" you stuttered, clearly not being able to contain your excitement.

As soon as you stepped out of the cafe, you immediately texted your friends without care about your physical surroundings.

y/n : IM GOING FOR THAT OVERSEAS PROGRAMMEEE y/n : I GOT THE JOB I CAN FUND MY SHIT

giselle : DAMNN giselle : congrats girlie omg

wony : YAYYYYY wony : asking for a friend! do you have staff discount

liz : CONGRATS GIRL!! liz : ^^ what wony said

There was this upcoming overseas programme that happened yearly, and you begged your dad to go and he allowed you under one condition — you paid for 70% of the fees.

So here you were, getting a job in a cafe that paid fairly well. The programme was in about 3-4 months, and you'd started your school break so you'd have a lot of time to work and get that bag.

The streets were bustling, lots of cars and people walking, and it was quite impressive that you haven't bumped into someone or a pole. And that was when you did.

Your face bumped into a hard chest causing you to instantly look up. The male quickly scurried away as he muttered a swift 'sorry', and he had black hair and glasses. You watched as he entered the cafe you were working at and you rubbed your nose, slowly rubbing the pain away. You shrugged and you continued your way, planning to respond to the girls' messages later.

Jake? Well, you did it again. You ghosted the man when he initiated to meet up, contacted him again when you felt guilty and repeated. But last week, it was final.

This cycle has been going on for about a month, and you almost didn't know how he never ghosted you at least once. He stopped contacting you, so you were somewhat grateful yet you felt like apologising for the mess.

But you knew that if you apologise, the cycle would start again, so you decided to break it.

The dating app? You deactivated your account and deleted the app, deciding that dating apps really didn't have 'the' one you'd be fated with. The perfect one that you'd never want to avoid, unlike Jake.

Your life now was perfect. No man, no worries, no school for the mean time, and you were working part time at a cafe that had an environment that made you thrilled. You were also looking forward to the overseas trip, so life seemed ideal.

"Order for.. Yeppi?" you read out the unusual name, tilting your head, worried you were saying it wrongly.

Immediately, a man rushed towards your counter, giggling and you observed a distressed guy trailing after him.

"See, Sungho! 'Yeppi' sounds cute!" the guy nearer to you spoke.

You looked at the two of them, puzzled to what their banter was about. The supposed 'Sungho' ran his hand through his hair, frustrated as he approached you, muttering a small "thanks" as he took his drink. You gave an awkward smile and as soon as they turned their backs, you could see Sungho smack the other.

"I'll get back at you, Jaehyun!" Sungho threatened, ignoring the fact that Jaehyun was rubbing his arm after the hard smack.

You giggled at their fun banter, the confusion dissolving as you understood the situation. You went back to the counter, ready to serve anyone who's ready to order.

Having nothing to do, you opened the register and started to count the money, wanting to make use of your time. The chime of the entrance bell sounded, but being in the midst of counting cash, you didn't look up.

With a few notes left, you were almost done until you heard a soft, "Hello" at the counter. Your head shot up to look at the customer, but your smile instantly dropped. Your face went cold and you accidentally dropped the cash, still staring at the customer in front of you.

"Oh..?" the customer muttered.

"Oh.." you replied.

You inspected his features. His hair was the same colour and shaped the same way. His glasses had the same tape at the side. He had the same piercings in the photo.

You confirmed it.

It was him, the guy from the dating app.

It was Jake.

Your first instinct was to bend down to pick up the notes you'd dropped, and well — hide. Duh. The man you'd shamelessly ghosted was standing right there, and you'd have to talk to him — no, look at him at the bare minumum while serving him.

You mumbled all the curse words you knew under your breath as you picked up the last few notes, mentally preparing yourself before you stood back up.

You were met with his amused face, his arms folded as he raised his eyebrows at you. You looked down immediately at the cash register, slotting in the cash at its' designated spot as you clear your throat, hoping he didn't recognise you.

"If it isn't Ms Anxiety herself," he broke the silence.

Nevermind. He did. And he did not seem happy.

You cleared your throat again, plastering the most professional expression on your face as you clapped your palms together. "What would you like, Sim Jaeyun?".

"And Ms Anxiety remembers my full government name. Impressive," he mocked and your professional expression immediately dropped.

"Look, don't make this hard for me," you grumbled, breaking the professional image.

"Hard? For you? Was it hard to.. I dunno.. send a text back?" he attacked, his expression clearly displeased.

"Oh please, Jaeyun—"

"Actually, I prefer Jake," he perfectly interrupted you, a smirk on his face, "please use that instead".

Of course he wasn't going to make this easy. But what did you expect?

You huffed out air, almost thinking that this was all a dream from how coincidental and bizzare this whole situation was. He seemed so sweet over text, but seeing how he acted made you realise he was snarky and irritating

He spoke up again, "No offense, but I don't think there's any way for you to.. ghost me right now", his eyes wandered around, "especially since I'm the customer.. and you're the—"

"Okay, damn! I get it!" you scowled, biting your lip hard afterwards. You shot out, "What do you want?!".

He hummed and pretended to think about it for a few seconds, "Hmm.. you to explain why you ghosted me".

"Not that! Your damn order!"

He gave a soft smile, "Oh right, that".

He's fucking unbelievable.

You bit your lip in frustration as you eyed him down, all the curse words threatening to pour out of your mouth. He raised his eyebrows and stared at you, "I think.." he hummed, "I'll have your usual?".

"Your usual?" you shot, "Don't tell me you're a regular here?".

"You bet I am! Happy 'bout that?" he gave a cheeky smile.

You stared at him in disbelief, wishing you could just.. crumble into a hole and be buried until you die. You sighed and turned around, running your hand through your hair until you heard him snapping his fingers.

"Hello?" snap snap "My usual?".

You turned back around, giving him the most dead expression you could ever make out, "And how am I supposed to know your usual?".

"Maybe you could apologise for ghosting me and I'll let you know," he grinned from ear to ear, having high expectations that you'd give in.

Oh man. This job definitely wasn't going to be easy.

To make things worse? You've already taken up 5 shifts a week for 2 months to get as much money before your trip.

And if you think about it, you're definitely going to have to memorise his 'usual' sooner or later.

Oh man.

"It was summer when I saw your face," you sang into the tip of the broom, singing along to your favourite song that was playing in the cafe.

The infamous "Rollercoaster" by Bleachers.

You switched between sweeping and dancing, feeling free because you were closing alone.

"Man, I'm never the same," you sang, "We were shotgun lovers, I'm a—"

"You're a shotgun running away".

You screamed, immediately turning around at the sudden voice. You held the broom close to you and your heart accelerated from the scare. You thought it was ghost, but no it was something worse — Jake.

He leaned on the counter, "No wonder you loved the song, fits you so well".

You recovered from the scare, your face twisting as you retorted, "What the fuck are you doing here! We're closed!".

"Not yet," he pointed to the clock.

9:59.

One. Fucking. Minute. To. Closing.

"My usual, yep?" he voiced out, his tone irritating that you were tempted to jump on him and rip his hair out.

"And if I don't?"

"I can complain to your managers and get you fired. I'm close to all of them since I c'mere so often," he stared at the ceiling and scratched his head, "Surely you wouldn't want that, right?".

"Fuck you".

"Your usual?" you questioned, watching as he leaned forward and rested his head on his elbow, giving you a cheeky smile. You rolled your eyes, already prepared to make his order.

"Nah- na-uh, I have a special request," he squeeked.

You turned around and frowned at him, his face bringing you over the edge further.

"Put it under the name, 'The Best Jake'," he requested as he pointed a finger upwards, his tone cocky and you simply scoffed, walking away.

Upon finishing his drink, it pained you but you wrote it according to his request, 'The Best Jake'. You huffed out in irritation before walking up to the counter.

No way you were gonna say it out loud.

"Jake," you called out, staring at him as he sat down, occupied on his phone but to no avail.

You sighed, thinking you weren't loud enough, so you called him again.

And again.

And no fucking response. The boy was giggling at his phone and seemed completely oblivious to you calling him.

You definitely weren't going to walk over to him, so you did another thing that pained your heart.

"The best Jake."

"Yes, coming!" his whole body turned to you as he got off of his seat in a heartbeat, making his way towards you and you stared in him in disbelief.

He gave you a satisfied smile as he snatched the drink away from you as you watched him walk away. You were in disbelief, flabbergasted — no way that just happened.

Your new friend hit your shoulder as he continued to laugh.

"You—" laugh "gosh, I wish I would've seen that!" Leehan wiped his tears, his grin from ear to ear as you shared your work experiences with him.

"This 'Jake' guy is actually hilarious!" he commented.

To be specific, your experiences with Jake.

"It really isn't that funny, Donghyun" you snarked and his laughter started to calm down.

"Aw c'mon! Don't go using my actual name now. I wish I was working too when that happened!" he giggled and pushed you jokingly.

"Too bad, it was like a week before you joined," you sulked, sticking out your tongue and leaning on the counter.

Leehan whined as he walked over to lean on the counter beside you.

"Isn't it crazy that we study in the same campus?" he questioned, wanting to change the topic before you get too upset.

You sighed before glancing at him, "Mhm, hopefully we can bump into each other".

You both stood next to each other in silence, when you suddenly thought about your programme. "Say, are you attendi—".

"It's time to close!" he announced, clearly ecstatic at the thought of finishing up and going home. Your eyes shot to the clock, realising he was right. It was 10 sharp.

You watched him as he pushed off the counter and stretched his body. You silently sighed, thinking you'd ask him soon if he was attending the same overseas programme as you.

After 2 whole months of enduring Jake — and working of course, you were finally going to take a break since your trip was approaching. You'd originally planned to resign, but it became hard because you've met Leehan, and all your other amazing colleagues.

Your manager patted your back, giving you a sense of praise as he gave you a proud grin. "Have enough money for the trip? Want more?" he asked.

You hummed a little bit as you thought about his question. Was he offering you money? Of course you can't turn down an offer like that!

"Mmm... I might not have enough," you muttered, praying you'd get spare change from him.

He gave you a reaussring giggle as he patted your back, making you feel content before his laugh suddenly came to a halt.

"Too bad, work more then," he shot coldly and you whined, watching how he breaks into laughter afterwards.

"You're too cold.." you complained and sighed, folding your arms.

He calmed down and patted your back, "I'm sure you've earned enough, I'm almost sick of seeing your face every single day".

You giggled, the thought that you won't be working here for a while feeling somewhat bittersweet. He looked at his watch and straightened his posture, "Alright, time to go, Y/N, will see you when you return from the trip?".

"Yes, sir," you saluted.

You quickly packed up your belongings, and as you were about to leave, your manager suddenly called out.

"Oh right, before I forget, I remember there's someone who's in the same flight and programme as you!" he called out, and you felt relieved at his words.

You sighed in relief, and you were about to ask from across the store who it was but customers started coming in, so the manager quickly gestured for you to leave and waved.

Now, it was time for your trip. It was going to be the time of your life, and you were so determined to make new friends, new memories, new—

"Oh, you like that? Me too!" you spat out nervously, your voice squeeky as you tried to get to know the other people who were in the same group as you.

They nervously laughed and turned away from you, making you feel awkward. It seemed like they already knew each other from the way they kept glancing at each other and making looks.

Well, fuck.

New friends? Maybe not..

It's okay. You could still make new memories, right?

You walked away, dragging your luggage with you as you stood alone, observing the people that were obviously grouped together already. You were eyeing and judging people based on how friendly they looked, and plotting to befriend them.

Besides, didn't your manager say Leehan was in the same programme and flight as you? He should be appearing any second.

Your eyes scanned from left to right slowly, mentally taking note of the different details of the people for future reference, and as you continued, your eyes come to a halt.

You panicked and your hands fiddled as it tried to find your luggage handle, your eyes not being able to leave the person. You felt the blood in your face disappear and your heart beat rapidly as you finally gripped onto your luggage handle and started running away.

You couldn't believe who you just saw. You just saw Sim. Fucking. Jaeyun. Fucking JAKE. Out of ALL people.

Luck wasn't on your side though, because when you started running towards the other direction, it only took you 5 seconds before you bumped into a person's chest, making your luggage fall flat onto the airport floor, a loud slap sound echoing throughout the place.

Everyone glanced at you, but you made sure your back was facing the crowd to ensure that Jake... wasn't aware that you were in the same programme and flight as you.

You rubbed your nose, feeling the pain after the impact of bumping violently into someone, and you looked up, feeling the need to apologise to the person.

"Sorr—" you apologised, but stopped when you saw the person, your eyebrows furrowing as you tried to recall who he was, "Wait.. aren't you the 'Yeppi' guy?".

"Oh my god," he facepalmed himself while still offering a hand to you. You took his hand and he helped to pull you up, your eyes glued onto him as you remembered that incident in the cafe when you still first started working.

"Sungho! Not 'Yeppi', thank you!" he replied, his eyebrows furrowing at you.

Suddenly, you heard a familiar laugh trail behind Sungho, your head looking over Sungho's shoulder and you saw another familiar figure.

"See! Even strangers call you that!" the man laughed as he walked to stand beside Sungho, and as his eyes land on you, he gasped and pointed at you.

"Y/N!" he called loudly and you panicked, covering his mouth instantly, your head slightly turning over your shoulder to see if Jake heard, and thankfully he was still in his own world, talking to other people.

"You..! How do you know my name!" you whisper-shouted and the man panicked, his eyes widened as he felt unsure what to do with a 'stranger' covering his mouth.

He mumbled out gibberish you couldn't comprehend, and he had to slap your arm repeatedly before you let go of his mouth. He gave you a dramatic sigh and dusted his hands.

"The cafe!" he pouted. "I never said my name!" you shot. "Your freaking nametag!" he complained, feeling wronged.

You had to stare at him for a second, recalling if you wore a nametag, and you indeed wore a nametag.

"Oh.." you muttered out of realisation.

"Hey! You're so mean, Y/N! How could yo—" he pointed a finger to you before you covered his mouth again, desperately not wanting your identity to be known.

"Stop. Saying. My. Name. Out. Loud. Help me out here," you whisper-shouted again, your words sharp and Sungho giggled, enjoying the show in front of him.

"Stop.. covering.. my.. mo—" Jaehyun fought for his life, trying to get out a few words as you covered his mouth more.

He smacked your arm again and you let him go.

"Fine, fine! I'll stop saying your name!" he gave in, feeling wronged and he pouted.

He added on, "But why should I help you?! We're not even friends!".

You stepped back and sighed, straightening your posture and clothes.

"Hi, my name is Y/N L/N. I major in Film Studies, and I enjoy anything related to music. You guys are my friends now, Sungho and..."

"Hah! You don't even kno—"

"Jaehyun. His name's Jaehyun," Sungho butted in, giggling again as he saw Jaehyun's little tantrum from his name being given away.

"So Jaehyun and Sungho? Got it," you thought out loud, memorising their names and faces.

You and Sungho teased Jaehyun a little bit, until Jaehyun suddenly spat out a question, "Say, why don't you want us to say your name?".

You jogged to place yourself behind them, holding their shoulders, and discreetly pointing to the main target, "Him".

"Jake?" they both said in confusion.

"SHH!"

You sighed, before continuing, "Long story short, we met on a dating app, I ghosted him, and he's so not happy about it!".

"Whaat? Why'd you ghost him?" Sungho questioned.

"I am NOT doing this right now," you recalled to when your girlfriends asked the same question, and the incident in the restaurant you ate at.

Both males sighed as they began to understand the situation. You began to feel nervous, thinking if they were friends with him.

"Wait, you guys aren't friends with him, right?" "Not really," Sungho responded.

Jaehyun answered, "Just acquintances, bump into him in campus and the cafe every once in a while".

You sighed in relief as you pulled their shoulders, making them turn towards you again.

"Help me avoid him," you pleaded and they both gave you weird looks.

"How exactly..?" Jaehyun asked. "Hang out with me. That's all," you gave a simple solution and they both gave each other looks before they both sighed.

"Okay.. Ms Y/N.. friend," Sungho replied and you fisted your hands and punched the air in happiness.

"I promise I'm a fun person!"

You were in luck when you found people to stick with right after discovering that the person you literally ghosted was in your surroundings. You've managed to hide yourself from him, hiding behind Sungho's broad shoulders from time to time whenever he was nearby. The others have given weird looks, but as long as Jake doesn't find out, it doesn't matter.

You, however, weren't that lucky with your seat in the plane. Both Jaehyun and Sungho were seated together, away from you. When you watched them board, you saw their cheeky faces as they waved you goodbye and you could've thrown a tantrum.

Now that you were alone, you were more prone to bumping into the very person you wanted to avoid with all your might. As you were waiting to board the plane, you constantly kept checking your surroundings to know if you had to hide yourself or even run away.

As the queue shortened, your turn was nearing and you were starting to feel more reassred as there were no signs of Jake. When it was the person in front of you's turn to have their ticket checked, you made one final check around.

"Who we lookin' for?"

"Ah, no one," you continued to search, feeling more safe that you were boarding without seeing him.

"Does his name happen to start with a 'J' and end with an 'E'?"

Your eyebrows raised in amusement, "You're right, actually!", you slowly turned to the person, "How'd you—".

Oh.

"Know....?" you whispered, barely audible.

Your eyes were glued to the person, your mouth slowly agape as you process what was happening.

Jake was looking at you over your shoulder and you were just staring at him. He gave you that cheeky smile he'd always given you whenever he was plotting something at the cafe. You blinked multiple times when he suddenly stuck his tongue out and cut your queue, walking in front of you and having his ticket checked first.

When the worker approved of his ticket, he turned around.

He teased, "Could end with an 'N', too. 'Jaeyun', y'know?"

He flashed that devilish grin once again before turning around and walking in.

You stared at him as he walked in, the worker who was checking the tickets growing irritated at you as you held up the line. You heard grumbles from people at the back and you immediately snapped back to reality, dropping your passport and ticket in the process.

Your heart was beating really... really.. fast. Too fast for your liking.

You were staring into nothing, your body feeling exhausted even though you did nothing but sit down on a plane seat for 7 hours straight. Your jaw was slightly dropped, your eyebags painfully visible as you stared at the friends you made along the way.

"Hello!" you heard voices, but it wasn't enough to break you from your daydream.

"Earth to Y/N!"

Suddenly, in your vision, someone snapped their fingers, literally snapping you back to reality and you immediately scanned your surroundings, seeing familiar faces.

Familiar faces that you actually wanted to see.

"Well, finally Y/N!" Sungho folded his arms.

Jaehyun added on, "We thought you almost—".

You let out sounds of cries as you opened your arms and pulled both of them into a hug, feeling emotional that you finally saw people you felt comfortable with after possibly the worst 7 hours of your life.

"—died.." Jaehyun's voice lowered significantly, taken aback by your sudden embrace but he didn't complain.

You stuffed your face into Jaehyun's shoulder, feeling like shit and finally letting out all your emotions after bottling it up. You were crying, just without the tears.

Sungho eyed Jaehyun before pursing his lips and patting your back, "There there.. Poor Y/N..".

"Was the flight that bad..?" Jaehyun questioned genuinely.

Your head shot up, your eyebrows arching upwards, "Yes!".

Luckily on the way to the hotel, you could choose the bus and the seats. There were 3 buses, and you made sure to take the one different from Jake's. The entire way there, you ranted about Jake's sudden appearance and the entire flight.

The entire flight which Jake unfortunately was a major part of as well.

"During dinner time, instead of getting dinner that everyone gets, I got something different?!" you complained.

"What do you mean?" Sungho and Jaehyun tilted their heads.

"I'd get a platter that's different than everyone else's — I checked and it was on the special menu — and—"

"Isn't that a good thing?!" Jaehyun spat. "Yeah, you get good food!" Sungho added on.

"No— I mean, okay, sure! But there was this paper note on it and I opened it, and it fucking said 'Wanna text me back?'," you grumbled loudly, not caring about the weird looks you were getting from others.

Jaehyun and Sungho had big reactions, immediately gasping and laughing. You gave them dirty looks and rolled your eyes, your misery being their joy.

"And then I turned around on instinct! And first person I made eye contact with? Fucking him!" you continued.

They both hit each other in excitement, enjoying as the story continues to unfold.

Your neck was aching from how much it was tilting to one angle. Your body was uncomfortably straight, and your palms were incredibly sweaty. You were laughing at Jaehyun's joke more, since there was a problem.

With a Jaehyun on one side, you unfortunately had a Jaeyun on the other.

Call that fucking unlucky.

"Nooooo way you did thaaat!" you dragged on your words, laughing extra loud, hoping that others would perceive that you were comfortable. Happy. Satisfied with where you were and who you were surrounded with.

Complete opposite actually.

All the students part of the programme were gathered in the same hall, and multiple groups were formed to make bigger ones for orientation. In the merged groups, everyone was sat in a circle to play some ice breakers, and with the amount of people in this circle, you thought the whole world was against you when the only person you didn't want was placed beside you.

You were mentally calculating the probability, and it was like a... 1/50 chance. You were eyeing the game leaders that were in the centre of the circle, discussing amongst themselves as you prayed even harder that they'd start the games soon so you can find a chance to slip away and sit anywhere else.

You turned once and you were only met with his raised eyebrows and cocky smile, making you gasp softly as you snapped your head back to Jaehyun and Sungho, your mind going blank as you tried to find things to say.

You simply burst out laughing, slapping Jaehyun's back a little too hard causing him to yelp out loud, accidentally catching everyone's attention and your head immediately snaps to everyone else, your eyes widened as everyone gave especially you, weird looks. You raised your hands as if you were surrendering and you heard a snicker from the other side.

"Nice one, smartie," you heard him taunt you.

You gasp and you turn your head to his, your furious eyes meeting his. "I'm going to kill you," you threatened and he snorted, crushing your ego even more.

He patted you and you shivered. "Ghosting and killing, huh? What did I ever do wrong?" he questioned, but it sounded rhetorical.

You forcefully pulled his hands away from your head, "Don't fucking touch me".

"Getting all worked up, aye?"

You thanked all of the Gods above when you finally heard the game masters in the centre of the circle start talking. You looked at Jake one more time, seeing his irritating smirk as you forcefully nudged his body hard enough to make him fall backwards. He gasped loudly and you stuck your tongue out at him.

It was your turn to snicker, and when he recovered and got up, he was about to raise his hand and smack you, but before he could do anything, you saw a pair of feet from your peripheral vision, causing the two of you to freeze.

"Ehm."

You two turned your head upwards, your eyes met with the girl who seemed like she could actually kill the both of you. You bit your lip as you scratched your neck, your head looking down in shame and Jake did the same.

"What are you two doing? I said I wanted you two to introduce yourselves since you guys are so energetic," the girl said, her tone so daunting you almost regretted doing anything.

She continued, "Stand. Up".

You two cleared your throats and stood up on clue, not wanting to anger her any further.

"I'm Y/N!" "I'm Jake!"

Both of you glared at each other, offended that the other spoke over them.

"I—" "I—"

You two looked at each other again.

"You may go—" "How about you—"

You both looked at each other again. You sucked your cheek, feeling your blood boiling. You were about to start arguing with him when the same games master loudly interrupted the both of you.

"This is Y/N, this is Jake!".

Your eyes shot at her, suddenly feeling sheepish as you realised that you were dragging on the entire programme.

"All your fucking fault, Ms Anxiety," he whisper-shouted, his hands neatly placed on top of each other as he looked down.

"Fuck you, go to hell," you whisper-shouted, wishing he could just disappear.

As the game master introduced the both of you, she turned back to the two of you and held your shoulders.. tightly.

"Sit down. Behave," she commanded and you two immediately said 'Yes ma'am' and sat back down on the floor, your heads tilted downwards in shame. Your knees accidentally bumped and you sent a glare but you made sure to not make a ruckus out of it.

It was finally the party after the orientation, and you were finally starting to meet new people. Sungho and Jaehyun were still by your side, practically being your body guards as the three of you socialised with new people.

"Say, that was so hilarious! That was like a scene out of a movie!" Woonhak burst out laughing as he recalled when you and Jake got called out in the circle in front of everyone else.

You face palmed as you took a sip of your drink, cringing as you replayed the memory in your head, "Yeah, sure, funny. Worst thing that has happened in my life..".

"Ever?" Rei questioned.

"Ever," you, Sungho and Jaehyun answered in unision.

They all laughed, enjoying your hatred and misery when it comes to Jake. Riwoo questioned, wiping his tears "Do you even know him?".

"Not at all!" you shot back immediately, your eyebrows furrowing so much it would form permenant creases on your skin.

Sungho wrapped an arm around your shoulder, "She's been suffering even before the trip.."

He started to share your cinematic experiences with Jake while working in the cafe and you helped out with the details he missed out.

On the other hand.. Jake, who was standing at the opposite corner of you...

"Bro, do you know her?" Taesan questioned him, giggling from the same incident Woonhak questioned about.

"Yup. Very well actually," Jake smirked, taking a sip from his cup.

Day 1.

You don't know what the programme organisers were thinking, but they thought that camping was a good activity. You thought you'd be learning more about the country, going to the city side, trying new food, but here you were.

You stood in the middle of everyone, your friends pulling on your sleeve as you stared into blank space, devastated and not looking forward to anything.

Suddenly, someone pushed your shoulder and you stumbled forward. You shot, "Hey!" and you turned to the person, and you couldn't have expected anyone else.

Jake snickered as he saw your worked up expression, wanting to push your buttons further but before he could try anything, your friends successfully pulled you away.

"Stop slacking!" Sungho nagged as he held your forearm, dragging you like a mother would and you groaned, allowing him to do so.

"I'm so not excited for this," you complained, still staring into nothing as your legs continued to move by themselves.

There were many reasons why this is the last thing you wanted.

First of all...

"JAKE! GET THAT AWAY FROM ME!" you screamed, causing everyone to turn back as Jake held a cicada and held it near you, giggling.

"Or what?" he tested the waters.

You hated bugs.

Second of all,

You were walking cautiously, sensitive to every sound. Everyone was split now to smaller groups and you all had agreed to gather different items. You were alone with Sungho, but he told you to stay put as he climbed the tree to get items.

You were tapping your feet, looking around cautiously in any case that something.. or someone attacks you.

Your face went cold when you heard a branch crack behind you and you immediately froze. You heard the cracks getting louder and closer, and you immediately covered your ears and squatted, screaming, "PLEASE DON'T HURT ME!".

You closed your eyes, tears already forming in your eyes from the fear and you were thanking your family and friends for being with you up till your final day.

A tear broke free when someone tapped your shoulder and your shoulders stiffened even more.

"Y/N, chillax.. it's just me," you heard Sungho's voice and you immediately looked up, heaving a sigh of relief and having more tears break free.

You were absolutely a scaredy cat. No survival instinct.

Third of all...

The group was hiking up the hill, a river flowing down and a waterfall nearby. You were looking into the body of water, fascinated but unwilling to go too close to it anything happens. You looked at how the fish moved around, slowly hiking up with the others when you scanned around, spotting Jake a little in front of you.

Suddenly, a delivish and smart idea appeared in your head, and you snickered cheekishly as you slowly started to jog to catch up to him, walking behind him. As he continues to walk, he starts becoming closer to the body of water without realising and you held up your hands and pushed him into the body of water.

But one thing you didn't know he had was his fast reaction skills.

He yelped. Held your wrist out of instinct. Pulled you down into the water with him.

Your body was immediately filled with panic as you become fully submerged into the water, thinking you'd die and your legs kick frantically in an attempt to save yourself. Jake had let go of your wrist to help himself, and as you put in all your effort to swim upwards, you gasp when your head finally reaches the surface.

"Are you fucking serious?" he glared at you, watching as you struggled to swim up. He continued to throw bashful words, "Are you like.. fucking.. 5 years old?".

You wanted to fight back, but the only thing you could fight for right now was for your life. You frantically kicked yourself up, your breathing frantic as you were filled up with fear that you'd die here.

"Don't tell me.. you can't swim..?" he commented after watching you for a while.

"I..!" gasp "Can't..!" gasp "Swim..!"

You were hopeless when it came to nature. The compatibility between you and nature was similar to the compatibility with you and Jake.

He sighed before he swam over to you and held your waist, pulling you up from the water and you instinctively wrapped your arms around his neck, nervous that if you'd let go you'd drown again.

You could hear everyone panic as they all call out for the both of you, frantic that the two of you were in water but from the way he was supporting you, you knew you'd be safe.

You stared into his eyes, seeing how the water runs down his face and how there was an irritated expression on his face. You felt his breath on your face, making you realise how close the two of you actually were.

"I like this expression," you mumbled, completely forgetting your panic 5 seconds ago.

"What the fuck are you talking about?" he snarked.

"This irritated expression. I hope you can be angry forever," you requested and he scoffed.

He rolled his eyes, "I save your fucking life and this is what you say?".

He glared at you, and you could say you were the happiest person alive but the thing that caught you off-guard was how his eyes flickered to your lips.

At this realisation, you let go of his arms, yelping as you fell back into the water. Jake was flabbergasted, caught off-guard that you suddenly let go of him and everyone on the surface screamed for help.

"Soo.. what you're saying is.. it's my fault you were dragged into the water, so you're asking me to pay for your laundry when we get back?"

"Precisely that!" you pointed a finger to Jake's face and he looked at you with a dead expression. He looked like he wanted to fight back but he simply sighed and rolled his eyes, not wanting to drag this further.

He offered his hand, "Your number?".

"What the fuck?"

"I'm not asking you for your number to be ghosted again by you. I'm asking for your number so I can tell you when to pick it up," he clarified.

Your chest stung a little by his comment, an ounce of guilt filling you and you cleared your throat, "Fine".

"Huh? Where'd this pillow come from?" you questioned after returning to your tent after cautiously making rounds around the area with Sungho and Jaehyun. You looked at Rei, thinking that she was the one who gave you the pillow but she simply shrugged and responded with a simple "I don't know".

Rei added on, "I left for a second too, and it was here when I came back".

Your eyebrow raised in suspicion, but you had no complains. You simply shrugged your shoulders and tucked yourself into the sleeping bag, the pillow adding comfort.

You sighed as you tried to forget about where the pillow possibly came from. You turned to Rei, who was beside you.

"Is that pillow given to you too?" you questioned as you pouted at her, placing your hands to your face to add to the comfort.

"Nah, it's mine," she responded, her voice slightly raspy.

"What?! You knew to bring?"

"It was literally in the itinerary!"

"Jake, what's up with your neck?" you heard a guy question.

Your eyes shot to his direction, curious to see what the commotion was about, your eyebrow raising in curiosity.

Jake shrugged as he continued to rotate his neck in circles, stretching out the muscles. You shot a weird look despite him not looking in your direction and rolled your eyes.

"Just slept funny, I guess" you heard Jake respond.

'That's what you get. May your neck be cursed and remain stiff eternally!' you thought to yourself.

You giggled to yourself, enjoying that you were cursing him out and the others looked at you in concern. Riwoo nudged Woonhak, whispering into his ears, "Has she gone coo coo..?".

Woonhak shrugged and snickered, having the same exact thoughts as Riwoo.

Day 2 wasn't that much better than day 1, but you've grown used to the nature, becoming braver than you were yesterday. You'd stop flinching whenever a branch nearby cracks, you're at least more brave to walk around as long as there's at least one person beside you. You're more capable, though there were moments where you ran to Rei and held her tightly, embracing for impact.

Everyone was on the trail, the stream of water flowing down. The atmosphere was filled with the waters crashing and the sounds of conversation, and you were simply following and enjoying the view. Though you admitted that you hated being in the forest, it's not everyday you get to enjoy the nature.

Your eyes scanned around the area as you continued to walk, your neck turning when you suddenly make eye contact with someone's camera. The person instantly pans their phone away from you, your eyes blinking to make out who it was to realise it was the one you hated the most.

"DId you take a fucking photo of me?" you called out, still walking. You were irritated, but you weren't that worked up compared to yesterday.

"Yeah, you looked fucking ugly, Ms Anxiety," he scoffed.

You didn't fight back, deciding that you didn't have anymore time and energy to waste on him.

"Whatever floats your fucking boat," you responded and his eyebrows raised, amused that you weren't being a public nuisance and causing trouble as usual.

You've grown accustomed to the nature and walking around, but you didn't get accustomed to obstacle courses. To be specific — elevated obstacle courses, also known as high elements.

"I DON'T WANNA GO!" you screeched, holding onto the rope that kept you secure and safe, your grip insanely tight as you shut your eyes closed.

The instructor nervously laughed, patting your back as he tried to encourage you to go. You were already halfway and it would be such an inconvenience to you and everyone behind you if you turned back, so you could only move forward.

You looked downwards slowly, peeking over the edge and feeling your legs grow more wobbly. You had a fear of heights, and that added onto the reasons why the forest is the worst place you could be.

"Don't look down! Just— just go!" you heard Sungho cheer you on from behind. You took a brief second to turn backwards, feeling motivated and encouraged by Sungho's words, but as soon as you looked back down you panicked and stopped again.

"Fuck! Why did I come onto this trip!" you whisper shouted to yourself, your lips quivering from fear.

Your nails were digging into your palms and your hands were shaking. You were ready to just.. die, until..

"Y/N! Don't be scared! Just jump!" you heard a voice ahead and your head immediately shot up, shocked to see who was motivating you.

Jake was caught off-guard by the expression on your face and he bit his lip, scratching his neck for a split second. "Just.. just jump you dumbass!" he yelled, stepping back into the course and holding his hand out.

You slowly stood up, your legs wobbly as you frowned at him, surprised to see this new side of him but at the same time, you could only care about getting over this high elements obstacle course.

"You..!" you muttered.

"Don't put the 'anxiety' in Ms Anxiety!" he mocked you in an attempt to motivate you.

A part of you felt like punching him, so you immediately scoffed, screaming as you jumped towards him. He was bewildered at how you did it with no hesitation after his comment, but he took your hand. Your foot landed on the checkpoint, but you accidentally slipped backwards.

You yelped loudly but he immediately gripped your forearm, pulling you towards him and preventing you from falling. Your foreheads knocked from how close he pulled you, making you groan in pain as you rub your forehead.

Your eyes slowly trail up his face, eventually locking eyes with him, feeling his breath on your face, and as you realised how he was staring back into your eyes, your chest tightened and your stomach tensed up. The strands of hair on your arm stood up, and you immediately became fully conscious, standing up properly while screaming and pushing him away in the process, making him dangle in the air.

"ARE YOU FUCKING SERIOUS?!" he yelled as he dangled in the air, desperately trying to get hold of the checkpoint edge as you stared at him, your eyes about to pop out as you frantically tried to reach your hand out.

You'd never thought you'd see your hotel bed again after 2 days in nature since it felt like 400 years. You enjoyed the coolness of the AC and jumped onto the bed, enjoying the texture of the sheets after it being untouched for the past 2 days. You cuddled up to your pillow, bringing the sheets towards your face as you stretched your back and legs, your eyes shut from how comfortable you felt.

After getting comfortable and sufficiently stretching, you flipped onto your back, staring into the ceiling and thanking all the Gods above that you managed to reach back the hotel safely and that you get to enjoy the comforts of a hotel room.

You were about to doze off until you heard your phone vibrate. Excited that Sungho, Jaehyun or the rest texted you, your eyes immediately opened and your hand flew to the nightstand, where your phone was placed, and you turned it on to check your notifications.

unknown : Hi unknown : Don't ghost me unknown : I have your clothes

What. The. Fuck. Who was this stalker?!

y/n : who the fuck are you. y/n : are you fucking STALKING ME

unknown : You fucking dumbass unknown : Don't flatter yourself unknown : The poor guy who got ghosted for absolutely no reason unknown : Remember him?

Oh my god.

jake : The poor guy who so happened to be me?

y/n : i figured

jake : Still no remorse?

y/n : can you shut the fuck up

You made a disgusted face at your screen, irritated by his attitude.

jake : Oh? jake : Okay. jake : Rooftop in 5 or else i'm throwing your clothes down the building.

You gasped loudly, sitting up on your bed.

y/n : you would not FUCKING DARE.

And before you knew it, you were out the door.

You sipped the drink that Jake had made, tapping your tongue at the roof of your mouth to taste the drink, before you made a satisfied expression, raising your eyebrows.

After a long day at the cooking workshop for day 3, you decided that you wanted to make coffee for yourself at the shared hotel kitchen room, missing your barista job when you realise that Jake was already there.

You two were bickering, when you two eventually came to an agreement that Jake would make you something.

Without poisoning you, of course.

You licked your lips as you frowned, looking at him afterwards. "Hate to give it to you.. but—"

"It's good, right?" he interrupted, his arms folded and his head high, feeling proud of the drink he made.

You rolled your eyes at how he praised himself. "You're thinking too highly of yourself," you commented, "But it's not bad".

He grinned in satisfaction, the compliment filling a part of the void in his heart. You continued, "You're actually kinda good at this".

"Well, duh? I'm close to your boss?"

You pursed your lips, "Whatever".

jake (DNI) : Want my drink again?

You were surprised to see the notification pop up at the top of your phone. You didn't think it through when you drank his coffee when you were literally about to sleep, now you were struggling.

y/n : you wish. y/n : i literally cant sleep

And the next surprising thing? It was the fact the two of you texted until you both fell asleep, just like how you two texted when you were on that dating app. However, this time was different, because you didn't feel like pulling away.

"You're more tolerable these days," you mumbled, barely audible that Jake almost missed it. Jake's eyebrows raised and he froze for a second, taking a moment to process what you'd just said. He cleared his throat and scratched his neck, recovering from your sudden comment.

Everyone around the table made low sounds of approval as they understood what happened, giving each other the eye and smirking. For the entire of day 4, it was a free day to let everyone explore, and your group decided that shopping to get souvenirs was a good idea.

You didn't even know how, but Jake suddenly appeared with your group but you didn't fight against it, slowly growing used to his presence.

After gathering back at the hotel, everyone, including the leaders, were having dinner together. You also didn't even know how but Jake ended up sitting beside you, and after being teased by the rest, Jake popped the question "What do you think about me?" to tease you further, which led to that answer.

You didn't know why you were so blunt. You didn't know why you weren't having the usual banter with him — you didn't feel like it. You ignored all the mummers and sounds from others, picking up your fork and slightly playing with your food.

"So I've looked through your activity recommendations for tomorrow when you guys submitted your forms, and we decided between two activities!" one of the leaders announced and you folded your arms, sleepily resting your head on Rei's shoulder as everyone paid close attention.

"Probably gonna be boring, huh?" you commented.

"Yup, maybe," Rei responded.

The leader continued, "FIrst activity would be ocean gazing at the nearby beach!".

There were sounds of approval across the crowd, people looking at each other and nodding excitedly.

"And the next would be star gazing at the nearby school's rooftop!"

Your eyes immediately scanned the room for Jake. You observed how his face lit up — his eyes about to pop out, his eyes widened, his mouth agape and you noticed how he smacks his friend in excitement. You giggled to yourself, finding him cute how he was so excited for the activity.

"Who're you looking at?" "No one!" your head immediately shot forward, your smile dropping and your posture straightening.

Rei gave you a doubtful look but brushed it away.

"You guys would have to vote between the two!" the leader continued, and you noticed from your peripheral view how Jake's shoulders slowly dropped.

Your chest slightly tightened at his mood change, you immediately turned to Rei. You voiced out, "Say, isn't star gazing so cool?".

"Huh? But ocean gazing sounds more—" "Nahh, you have the opportunity to do that back home! Unlike for star gazing!" you tried to convince her. "Hmm, you have a point.."

It was your victory when it was declared that star gazing was the chosen activity. You'd been going around, convincing people that star gazing was the better option and to your luck, they were all open-minded to your idea.

As the activity was declared, you watched how Jake punched the air in excitement, your chest tightening and your stomach feeling queesy at the sight.

"Hnnm? Who's got you smiling to yourself?" Jaehyun bumps his shoulder and your face immediately stones up. You didn't respond in hopes he'd magically forget that you were giggling to yourself.

He leaned in, inspecting your face, smiling while pointing at you, "Ohh? You're even red!".

You slapped your hand onto Jaehyun's mouth, "You better stop!".

You would be jumping for joy, but instead you were down, staring into nothing with your heart feeling empty. For some reason, Jake felt distant. It would already be a surprise if you two conversed without getting onto each other's necks, but the fact that he hasn't teased or argued with you once this day?

You occasionally took glances at Jake, often making eye contact but instead of him making a snarky expression, he immediately broke eye contact and turned away, his expression unreadable.

You sucked your inner cheek, feeling unsure to why your chest was tightening at such sight. You should've been happy right? He's finally leaving you alone just like you've always wanted.

But at the same time, you wish he'd just tease you at least once. It was driving you crazy at the possibility that he was ignoring you. He was just okay yesterday, so why the sudden shift overnight?

"Is that a telescope?! Looks so cool!" Woonhak exclaimed as he started jogging towards the telescope that was placed beside the fence on the rooftop.

The rooftop was dark, the area being lit up by the lights around. You could hear loud conversation sparsed out in the area, each of them being thrilled and in awe by the night sky. The sky had countless of bright gems, the view looking spectacular.

You folded your arms as your friends wrapped their arms around your shoulder, running and dragging you towards the telescope. Today felt off, you didn't really feel like doing anything but you couldn't just sit out.

Sungho patted your back, "C'mon, I don't know what's wrong but you can't possibly still be sad after seeing this view?".

You shrugged, tilting your head upwards as you saw the view, in awe as you grinned to yourself. You turned down and looked up ahead, and there was the telescope. You saw a group of people approaching it, peeking into the scope and hearing sounds of curiousity and enthusiasm.

Your eyes looked around, and you saw someone behind the group of people. You watched how Jake tapped his feet impatiently, smiling to himself and filddling with his fingers as he peeked over the people's shoulders, wondering when they'd be done so it'd be his turn.

Your friends talked to each other, your mind somewhere else as you stared at the boy. Once it was his turn, his whole body shook and he started to walk towards the telescope. You beamed at nothing, enjoying the sight of lively Jake, but right before he peeked into the scope, he turned around.

He turned around and his eyes scanned the crowd, until it met yours. However, this time he didn't break it, and neither did you. You two stared each other for a brief moment, and you gave him a genuine smile for the first time ever. He weakly gave you a grin, and you nodded and gestured for him to look into it quickly.

You knew it had always been his passion, and though you hated his guts, you had to admit that a part of you was happy for him.

"You came back?" you questioned, and Jake immediately turned his head from the telescope. He was stunned to see you, eyeing you up and down.

"Ms Anxiety's here too?" he remarked as he pouted, his expression unreadable again.

Everyone had returned to the hotel 2 hours ago, and by right you were supposed to be sleeping by now, but you couldn't brush away the thought that Jake was purposely avoiding you earlier in the day.

"Nickname's getting old," you pursed your lips, dragging your feet and sitting on the floor beside him.

"This is getting old," he shot and you looked at him, puzzled.

"What are you talking about?"

"Us," he declared, and he finally leaned back from the telescope, looking down at you and for once, you could finally read his expression. His eyes were filled with hurt, and his frown was genuine. He wasn't looking for a fight — he felt wronged and hurt, and he was finally showing it. You two stared into each other for a period of time, the sound of your heart beat loud in your ears.

He broke the silence, "Why did you do that?".

"Do what?"

"Convince everyone to go star gazing?"

"You.. knew?"

"Of course I did. I'd be a blind fuck if I didn't," he snarked.

You stared into his eyes and frowned, struggling to form words. You knew the reason, but you didn't want to admit it. There was another period of silence, as you were lost in your own thought.

"I thought about it over and over this entire day," he stepped back from the telescope and took a step towards you, "and I've concluded that it was for me, wasn't it?".

He squatted down in front of you, his eyes full of vulnerability. If you were in your normal state, you'd throw out curse words, slap him and run away as usual, but this time you felt the unusual urge to be honest, open up, tell him the truth.

"It was," your voice was quiet, your eyes never leaving his.

He sighed as he looked away, scratching his neck. " I just want to ask," he turned back at you, "Why did you do it?".

He didn't need to specify what he was talking about. You knew exactly what he was referring to, and it wasn't the reason why you were running around and convincing everyone to go star gazing, but you played dumb.

"Because star gazing is—"

"No," he cut you off, his voice stern, "I don't care about that. I'm talking about why you ghosted me".

He turned his head back to you, his eyes on you. The question was heavy, and even if he was the one who was wronged, you could tell that he was still patient. His gaze wasn't scary, it was welcoming. His eyes were softened as he waited for you to think about a response.

You looked at him, guilt taking over as you built up courage and forced yourself to maintain eye contact. You pursed your lips and scratched your neck, having the reason in your head but being unable to form proper words.

"It.." you started, "Was scary".

He tilted his neck as you said one sentence that was completely vague.

"I really liked you, you were fun," you confessed, "I've never texted someone so much in my life before," your eyes drifted away, feeling slightly embarrased, "But it was getting too real".

Your eyes wandered back to his, and you could see a soft frown on his head, the creases on his forehead slightly visible.

"It was scary, I was scared," you continued, "I started to make myself hate you, put a distance, push you away".

"But fate's crazy, brought us together, and here we are, hating each other," you commented.

"Are you sure?" he questioned, doubt in his voice.

"Well, of course fate brought us together, if not—"

"I'm asking about the 'hate' part. Are you sure you hate me?"

You stared at him, being completely speechless. You wanted to be open about your feelings, confess how you felt, and as soon as you were about to open your mouth, you started to get second thoughts

What if he hurts you? What if he makes fun of you? What if—

"Yes," your response came out quiet, barely audible and you looked down, not having the conscious to look at him in the eye.

There was a moment of silence before he said "Okay" loudly and turned away, walking back towards the telescope. You looked up at him, puzzled as to why he wasn't reacting.

"W-what?"

"You said you hate me, so why are you still here?"

You had to think about it for a second, "I don't—".

"You don't know. You hate me, so just go," he demanded.

You were confused as to why he was shutting you out now. You've always hated each other, so what's different now?

"Jake, why are you acting like this?" you questioned without thinking.

He scoffed before turning back, a smirk on his face, "Why am I acting like this?". He took a few steps, standing directly in front of you, your faces a few centimetres away from each other.

"Why do you think, Y/N?" he smiled, but it wasn't a welcoming one. It was a frightening one.

You simply stared at him, not knowing what to say.

"Call me crazy but, even over only text, I've smiled and laughed way more with you compared to the people I've been on actual dates with," he confessed, "And I was patient and understanding with you, and yet you left because it was... 'getting too real'?".

He scoffed, ruffling his hair in frustration and laughing to himself as if this was all a joke. You wanted to express your true thoughts, but he continued to talk before you could.

"And you say all of that, yet you still do things for me that make me question... everything?"

You frowned at his sentence, not knowing what he was referring to, "Question.. everything?"

"Question if what we had was real."

He sucked his inner cheek, placing his hands on his hips as he stared at you, fury in his eyes.

"Laugh at me all you want, call me someone who's emotional over someone 'online', I don't care anymore," he declared, "Don't talk to me anymore. Don't do anything for me, Y/N, I don't want to associate with you anymore".

He sharply turned his back to you, and your heart ached at the sight. You bit your lip, not having enough courage to face him, especially now when he was so pent up with fury. He walked back towards the telescope, leaning and looking through the scope.

You wanted to walk to him, tap his shoulder and just talk everything out, but what was the point? You two weren't even friends. You.. hate him, so what's the point? What's there to talk about?

You bit your lip hard, clenching your fists, turning your back and walked away, fighting every urge to just turn back and confess everything to him. You couldn't even mutter an apology — you didn't have the guts to.

It was the last day, and you were supposed to be having fun — clinking glasses with other people, swim with other people in the pool, dance to the music, but here you were, sitting on a bench far away from everyone, staring into blank space as memories of the previous day kept coming to your head.

Your chest felt heavy and you didn't have the energy to do anything. You stood up from the bench, wanting to go back to your hotel room to pack up your things for the flight tomorrow, but before you could leave, someone gripped your wrist.

"Y/N! Where are you going? Let's go for a swim!"

You turned around and it was Rei, and you were about to nicely decline, but before you could do that, she started to pull you towards the pool.

"Eh? R-Rei, wait-! My necklace!" you panicked, using your free hand and trying to get your necklace off but before you knew it, she dragged you into the water with her, making you completely submerge into the water.

You panicked because you didn't know how to swim at all, but when you kicked, your feet immediately came into contact with the pool floor, so you stood up, everything from your shoulder being in the surface.

You pouted at Rei, "I'm going to kill you".

She giggled cheekily and started to run in water, "Not if you can't catch me!".

Packing your luggage, you were mentally ticking things off from the list you made at the back of your head, touching and rummaging through your luggage to confirm the item's presence.

After a few hours, you pretty much packed everything, but there was this one item in your list you couldn't quite remember what it was. You tried walking around your hotel to get visual cues on what the last item could possibly be, walking into rooms and turning on the light then standing still for a moment to try to recall the item.

You walked around like an idiot, a puzzled expression on your face throughout and you sat down on your bed, feeling defeated when you layed down, staring at your ceiling. You scratched your neck in confusion, but you realised that the sensation felt different.

And that's when you realised — your necklace is gone. You sat up from your bed, patting your neck violently in hopes a cold metal would come into contact with your hand, but to no avail. You started to inspect your body thoroughly, hoping to feel a hard bump anywhere especially in your pockets, but absolutely nothing.

You immediately stood up, letting out sounds of panick as you frantically looked around, searching high and low as you opened and closed cupboards frantically, hoping it would appear in your sight. You even checked under the bed, the bathroom, trash can, and you paced around the room.

That's when you remembered — the swimming pool.

Your eyes widened and your shoulders dropped when you remembered trying to frantically remove your necklace before Rei dragged you in the water.

Oh. My. Fucking. God.

That was the fastest you ran out of your hotel room, not having any thoughts to bring your phone or other personal belongings. You headed straight for the pool, praying to all the Gods above that you'd be able to find your necklace.

Searching frantically, you ran around the swimming pool area and tried to recall when you were still here, trying to retrace your steps. You've checked the perimeters of the pool, every single corner of all of the benches, each crevice you stumble upon, and yet there was nothing.

"Finding something?" a voice scared you and you jumped. You immediately turned around, a frown plastered across your face from the stress and then you realised who it was.

"Jake? What're you doing here?" you questioned, blinking awkwardly as you recalled your argument the previous day. You suddenly became fully conscious of the way you stood and looked, stiffening up as you pursed your lips.

"Couldn't sleep, need help?" he replied, dark eyebags obvious under his eyes.

You stared at him, slightly bewildered to the difference in his personality compared to the previous day. You recalled his words, feeling the same hurt again, and at the same time, thinking how you could avoid hurting him again.

"It's okay if you don't—" he was about to turn his back. "No!" you yelled, ducking down slightly and checking the area, hoping there weren't any teachers checking the area.

When you realised you were in the clear, you stood normally, "I need.. your help".

The facial expression on his face softened and he sighed, "What are you looking for?".

"My mom's necklace," you answered promptly, making him raise your eyebrows.

"The same one you mentioned that one time?"

"The exact same".

He gave you a reassuring look, silently letting you know that you weren't alone in finding it. You didn't know how to react to him suddenly acting different, but that was something out of your concerns. You needed the necklace before you leave.

The two of you checked the area again, on the tables, cabiets, near the benches, the perimeters of the pool, but absolutely nothing. You were stressed out, pulling your hair in frustration when he suddenly spoke up.

"Have you checked the water?"

You looked up at him and frowned, "No? Why would it—" and then you recalled that Rei dragged you into the pool, "Oh".

You puffed up your cheeks, "You're right".

He sat down on a nearby chair, "I'll wait for you to change and come back".

You raised an eyebrow at him, taking a step into the water, "What are you talking about? I'm going in now".

He looked slightly amused to see you step in with your pyjamas, following you inside afterwards. You were wearing your precious pyjamas, while he was wearing a normal top with basketball shorts.

You felt awkward because you weren't in the proper clothes to be in the pool, but you could care less. You had one goal and that was all that mattered. The two of you split up, taking different sides of the pool, but when you heard the sudden sloshing sound of water, you immediately turned to be met with the sight of Jake raising his hand in the air, with something metallic and shiny dangling from his hand.

"Bingo," he declared and you immediately ran (in water..) to him. Your eyes widened and weight was taken off of your shoulders, the constant ache in your chest from worry slowly disappearing.

"You found it?!" you asked a rhetorical question, your eyes never leaving your precious necklace. It was a necklace you've worn every single day and cherished because it was something your mother gave to you before she passed on.

"I did," he smiled at you.

You ran up to him, placing your hands on his chest, trying to take the necklace from his hand but he straightened his arm, making the necklace out of reach. You pouted at him as you tried to jump for it, which was practically impossible because your clothes were drenched and so heavy it was pulling you down, and his arms were too long.

You whined and he teased you back and forth, both of you laughing loudly. You both played in water, splashing each other and making waves as you tried to fight for your necklace.

It was almost like yesterday didn't happen. It was almost like he never asked you to stay away from him.

"God, Jake, give it back! I still need to finish up my packing!" you whined, a smile never leaving your face.

He gave a smug expression, "Okay, fine".

You waddled towards him to stand in front of him, and you watched him offer your necklace. You felt content, feeling satisfied after finding the thing you were so desperate to fnd, reaching your hand to grab onto it until he suddenly raised his hand up again.

You stumbled and fell forward, his hands immediately catching you and your hands landing on his chest as you tried to stabilise yourself. You blinked a couple of times, processing what had just happened before you slowly looked up to be met by his gaze.

Your faces were too close for comfort, and you only blinked at him. Your face grew more red by the second as you understood what was happening, and you wanted to step backwards, but you were frozen.

His jaw clenched as he stared at you, feeling flabbergasted as well. He slowly lowered his arm, your necklace just dangling next to his face. You bit your lip and gently took the necklace from his hand, and he didn't resist at all.

"Uhm," you looked away and scratched your neck, "Thanks".

Your eyes wandered back to his again, only to see the same expression on his face and you immediately felt nervous, so you wanted to make your leave.

"Well, uhm, thanks, I'll be—" you turned your back but he quickly grabbed your hand, preventing you from turning further.

"Don't.." his voice came out as a soft whisper, "Don't go".

You slowly turned back, seeing his pleading expression and all the thoughts about leaving the pool left your head.

"I'm sorry," he said in the midst of nowhere, catching you when you were unguarded, "I said things yesterday, and I said it because I was.. out of it.

Your gaze remained on him, watching how his eyes flicker from left to right as he felt regretful. You sucked your inner cheek, feeling guilty, "No, you were right".

There was silence, the only sounds audible is the sound of water slowly flowing and crickets. You noticed how his eyes flickered to your lips, his grip on your waist tightening. The space between the two of you was basically non-existent, the tension in the air growing stronger to the point you couldn't just walk away without doing anything.

He licked his lips, and you watched the way his tongue runs across his lip. His mouth parts and your eyes meet his again, sensing the desperation and need in his eyes. Your arms snake around his neck, and both of your faces leaned in closer, your foreheads resting on each other.

You slowly closed your eyes, leaning in until you heard a loud shout.

"WHO'S THERE?!"

The two of you immediately came back to reality, your heads turning rapidly as you tried to scan the area and detect where that sound was from.

"Shit, shit shit! Go go go!" he panicked, holding your hand and dragging you out of the pool. You followed along, running as fast as you can even with the pyjamas slowing you down, running into the hotel and drenching the carpet with all the water dripping.

You two laughed as you run across the halls, the trail of water being left as your mark, hearing the teacher run after you. The two of you ran up the stairs, deciding that the lift would screw the both of you over, and when you reached your level, you tugged on Jake's hand.

"This is my floor!" you announced and he grinned at you, panting.

"Okay, go now, g'nite!" he let go of your hand and continued to climb the stairs, the sounds of the teacher rushing up the stairs echoing through the entire staircase, and you immediately opened the door on your floor that led to the hallways, making it to your room and opening the door swiftly.

You shut the door locked, your back pressed up against your door as you stayed silent, trying to listen for any signs of the teacher outside, After a period of time, you concluded that you were in the clear.

It was literally 1AM, and you were in your pyjamas, drenched and literally dripping. You sighed as you immediately made your way to your bathroom to take a shower after ensuring your necklace was kept in a safe spot.

Did last night really just happen? Was it a dream? Was the way he looked at you real? Was the way he leaned in genuine? Were you two about to kiss? What would've happened if you two kissed? Would it all be real—

"Y/N!" a voice snapped you out of your day dream. Jaehyun frowned, folding his arms as he positioned himself directly in front of you, "I've said your name 5 times, and you still can't hear me! Are you okay?!".

You huffed out air, scratching your neck, suddenly fully conscious of your surroundings. "Sorry 'bout that.." you puffed up your cheeks and eyes wandered around, hoping to catch one person.

"I swear, Y/N has completely flipped, the person she was before this trip...." Sungho started, but his voice slowly started to fade out in your ears when your eyes finally land on him.

Jake was smiling as per usual, as if nothing had happened last night, and your chest ached slightly at the sight, making you question if it was only you feeling confused about the whole situation. You wanted to approach him, confront him, but a part of you wished he did it first.

You cleared your throat, shaking the thoughts away as you tried to forget about it. Maybe you'll get a chance to talk to him before you board, or when you're on the plane. Definitely.

"Who're you looking for?" Woonhak questioned, and you immediately shook your hands as if you'd just gotten caught.

"No one!" you defended yourself, your voice high pitched and Woonhak nodded, looking away. He knew you were lying but he didn't want to push it.

Everyone was collecting their luggages, but for some reason, even before, during, and after the 7 hour flight, you have not seen him at all. You haven't gotten the chance to talk to him at all, and it was driving you mad.

You couldn't bring yourself to ask anyone else, because you knew it would just be endless teasing until you die, so you kept it to yourself, hoping a miracle would happen and that he'd be right in front of you.

But nothing.

Next place you'd look to find him? Work. But even so..

"Ah, hey Y/N! You're back! Just wanted to know we opened a new outlet in the other area and we already planned to shift you there!"

Next place..? The dating app.

But you tried searching his user, finding your old chats, but it was all missing. Absolutely no traces of him.

Maybe it was fate for you to forget him. I mean, what can be so hard about it, right? You've already hated his guts, wishing the worst for him, but at the same time, you remembered the image of him leaning in, making you shudder and kick your legs in confusion.

You screamed into your pillow, hoping that you could just forget him and the things you've done for the past few months. Maybe you shouldn't have met him, or downloaded that stupid app. If not everything would've been okay.

"Ah, Y/N? That's such a lovely name!" the male sitting the opposite of you complimented, and you gave a small smile.

You decided that dating apps do work, and that Jake wasn't really that special, right? If Jake had been implanted in your mind, it can be the same for other people you meet! Or so you thought.

You were fiddling with your fingers, looking through your bag for a non-existent item, going through your phone when you were literally on a date, and worst of all — you wished it was Jake sitting in front of you.

You hated him? Maybe, but did you wish for his presence? Definitely.

The male in front of you started talking about himself, showing off his status and wealthiness, and you nodded repeatedly to show you were physically listening, but your mind was somewhere else.

That was when you suddenly felt a grip on your wrist and a strong tug, making you gasp loudly and shoot your eyes towards the person who was pulling onto you.

"Jake?! What are you—"

"Sorry bro, she's booked by me," Jake faced your date and patted the guy's back, who's jaw was dropped. Poor boy.

Jake dragged you out after you finished packing up your things in a swift, and as soon as you were outside, you snatched your wrist back, frowning at him and giving him a snarky look.

"What do you think you're doing?!" you snapped, feeling completely taken-aback by his rude appearance. You just wanted to run back in and apologise to your date for Jake's rudeness.

"Saving you, what do you think?" he replied sarcastically, raising his eyebrows at you. He continued, "And also, you're willing to go on a date with that.. dude? And you can't even meet up with me?".

"What do you mean saving?! And you make my date sound like he's a bad guy or something! I'm going to apologis—" you scolded, turning your back to walk back in until he held your wrist again.

"Nah—uh, you're staying here with me. I paid for the bill already, ordered a few extra drinks for the man, so you have nothing to apologise for," he voiced out.

You turned back to face him again, "Okay?! But that doesn't change the fact that I'm just rudely leaving him?!".

"Why does that matter? You're never gonna see him again," he asserted, and you glared at him.

"How do you know that, huh?"

"Because I'm here."

You scoffed as you snatched your wrist again, folding your arms, "You've been gone from my life for a while, and you're suddenly here and you still have the audacity to think that I still like you?!".

"So you admit you liked me?" he smiled.

"Not the fucking point."

He sighed and folded his arms, pacing in a small circle before his eyes settled back on you. He spoke, "If you don't want me to take you on a date right now, walk back in," he raised up his hand, "I'll give you 5 seconds".

"5" "4" "3" "2"

He looked at you, the amusement in his face never leaving.

"1"

And he finally closed all his fingers, the smile on his face widening. He extended his hand, gesturing for you to take it, "Let's go on a real date now, shall we?".

You silently took his hand, the frown still on your face, "I thought you ghosted me".

"Well, taste of your own fucking medicine, no?".

You and him did so many things together, and you could finally say that you were having a good time, unlike when you were having that dinner date with the other boy. You were laughing like there was no tomorrow, running around as he chased you down and tickled you when he caught you.

He kept telling you things like "This is what I wanted to do when I asked you to go out" which made your heart flutter, but he always had to add salt to the wound by saying something cold like "But someone felt the need to avoid me".

You and him ran up the staircase of the building, barging the door open where you were met with the night view. The rooftop was chilly, the cold wind blowing and Jake closed the door behind the two of you. You were in awe when you saw the stars in the sky, the sky looking so bright, more than you could've imagined.

"Say," he broke the silence, "Since I trust you won't run away now, could I ask of you to do the thing I've been wanting to do the most ever since?".

You glanced at him, puzzled to what he was referring to, but you saw him offer his hand. Still confused to what he was referring to, you took his hand in hopes he'd give you context.

"Let's dance," he asked and you were flabbergasted.

"So suddenly?" you choked, "But we have no music!".

"So what?" he twirled you around, his hands finding comfort in your waist afterwards.

You frowned at him, raising an eyebrow at him, "If someone thinks we're crazy, I'm going to blame you".

He scoffed and rolled his eyes, "Okay, sure whatever".

It started to quietten down as the two of you start to focus on each other, eye contact never breaking as he started to initiate the dance. The dance was.. slow. He took small steps, making it easier for you to follow along and when you accidentally tripped on his shoe, he quickly caught you, his hands around your waist. You were feeling doubtful of yourself, but he gave you a reassuring smile which gave you the courage to continue.

He slowly started to speed up as you started to get the hang of it, your body starting to feel less awkward and moving with the flow. You started to feel comfortable, the thought of someone suddenly coming to the rooftop and judging the two of you disappearing.

He twirled you around, the grin on his face never-leaving as he watched you. You were so sure he could hear your heart beat from how fast it was beating, and you teasingly stuck your tongue out at him, earning a loud chuckle which broke the silence.

The two of your bodies moved along with each other, your rhythms matching each others' even if there was no music to cue the both of you. He moved passionately with you, and you felt like you could do this all night.

Your eyes left his for a second to glance at the sky once again, and although you could see this every night, for some reason it seemed like the stars were shining brighter.

The stars seemed brighter, the sky looked prettier, and the moon's glow looked more ethereal.

"Hey," he broke the silence.

Your eyes fell back on his, curiosity filling you, "What?".

"You're more fun when you don't run away," he confessed.

He wasn't being mean or mocking you. He was being honest. Genuine.

You stared at him in awe, being lost in his gaze.

"Can I kiss you?" he asked you, making your smile drop.

"What?" you muttered out, being caught off-guard that he asked such question. You were surprised that he'd ask you that out of the blue, but instead of feeling the need to push him and run away, you stayed on the spot and stared at him.

"I know you heard me," he stopped his tracks as well, the two of you now just standing and staring at each other.

You blinked at him, not believing what is about to happen. You suddenly remembered the time at the swimming pool, and your face turned red.

"Oh-ho, the moonlight isn't helping you!" he pointed at you, "I can see you blush!".

Your jaw dropped and your arms releases from his neck, cupping your cheeks and feeling your cheeks physically become hot. You avoided his gaze and turned your head from side to side, feeling nervous.

"I—" you muttered, only forming incoherent words.

His teasing made you feel embarrased, and you wanted to run to a corner to prepare yourself, but before you could turn away, he held your hands, "Nah-uh, I literally just complimented you for not running away".

You licked your lips, avoiding his gaze as you allowed him to inspect your face further, feeling more conscious of yourself.

"Look at me, please," he pleaded, and after a few seconds of building courage, you finally looked at him and saw vulnerability and love in his eyes.

"I'll ask again, okay?" he stated, "Actually no, I won't even ask—". He declared, "I want to kiss you".

Your eyes widened and your face grew even more red, the tips of your ears starting to become red as well.

"If you want to kiss me too, please say it too," he softly whispered, his eyebrows furrowing upwards as he grew more nervous to see how you'd respond.

"I.." your voice was quiet, "want to kiss you too..".

His eyes widened, and before you knew it, his lips clashed onto yours.

The kiss was slow and patient, as if he was being patient with you. It was similar to how he's been patient with you this entire time when you've been ghosting and pushing him away. You were awkward at first, feeling afraid and wanting to just disappear, but when he pulled you closer to him, it was almost like he was reassuring that he won't run away and hurt you.

You finally gave in, letting yourself loose after keeping your guard up for so long. The kiss felt heavenly, and it felt like a huge weigh on your back was finally removed. Your face grew even more red and your heart was beating more rapidly, your hands turning into fists as you fought the urge to push him away.

His lips felt like heaven. It was so comforting, and the way his lips moved with yours was perfect. He tilted your neck and snuck his tongue in after you finally started to kiss him back, earning a soft gasp from you. He explored the depths of your mouth, making you let out a moan.

Upon hearing your moan, he froze and instantly pulled back, "Did you just.. moan?".

"Shut the fuck up!"

He laughed out loud and you felt so irritated at his teasing, making you raise your fist. Seeing your raised fist was his cue to start running, and you chased him around, throwing curse words and threatening him that if you ever caught him, he'd be dead.

Originally, this was how you pushed him away, but in the end after you've confronted your feelings, this is how you pull him closer —no more running away, embracing and confronting the connection you both shared.

extra note : dare i say this is inspired by a real life experience except it wasnt fun and thrilling like this and i ghosted him after like 1.5 days lol

taglist @cutehoons02 @vixialuvs @jvngw0nlvr @ikeulove @addictedtohobi @miszes

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starrysturnz · 2 months ago

Text

overseas, under you

pairing. chris sturniolo x reader

summary. the boys invite y/n to come along on their winter vacation to hawaii, but problems arise when she finds herself sharing a bedroom with her long time secret crush… and it only has one bed.

warnings. mutual pining between two idiots. smut; a wet dream, some grinding… minor voyuerism in a way. they’re so cute they make me feel so lonely and i literally made them up.

word count. 3.9k

author’s note. one bed trope friends to lovers my beloved <3 a bit cliche but i think i was able to put a unique spin on it! lmk what you guys think :3 this started getting too long so i broke it into two parts!! part two will be released at the beginning of next week. happy valentine’s day to everyone, especially @strnilolover and @darksturnz for helping a girl out with ideas!! kisses!

masterlist | taglist | part two

a sharp beep beep! from her driveway was y/n’s cue to move along. she’d been rushing all morning to finish up her last-minute packing, having left half of the job for the day of, in true procrastinator fashion. a quick sweep through her mental checklist— phone, wallet, keys, passport— and she was scrambling out of the house.

she almost forgot to lock the door behind her when she caught sight of the boy in the driver’s seat, drumming his fingers impatiently against the leather of the steering wheel. chris always managed to take her breath away, as if it were the first time she was seeing his sharp jawline and piercing aquamarine eyes. shaking the thought away, she turned around and stuffed her key into the lock, triple checking that it was secure before shuffling off to throw her luggage in the trunk.

the slam of the driver’s side door fell on deaf ears as the girl hoisted her suitcase into the van, on a mission to be as quick as possible (after all, she was making them late). a light touch on her wrist had y/n jumping out of her skin, almost dropping the second bag onto the icy ground at her feet. her free hand flew to her chest as her head whipped around to find chris there, the feeling of his fingertips burning into the back of the other still gripping the handle.

chris was already smiling when they locked eyes. “i got it, ma.”

“chris,” she breathed, her shoulders dropping. “thank you.”

“’s nothing,” he replied warmly, in a way that had her cheeks heating up in the cold boston air. “go hop up front, a’ight? you’re picking music. but if you choose wrong, i’m giving matt aux privileges.”

⁺⁎˚

the ride to the airport was relatively uneventful. chris was too focused on following the gps to chat with anyone, not willing to miss an exit and add more time to detour. nick and matt were busy discussing the logistics of an upcoming space camp photoshoot in the backseat, leaving y/n to chew anxiously on her nails, her thoughts racing so fast they could lap the van on the highway.

she felt like an intruder. this trip had been a sort of anniversary gift from a brand the triplets had been partnered with for two years— an all-expenses-paid vacation to hawaii. they could’ve invited anyone, and they used their one extra ticket on her.

even though the boys assured her multiple times that their decision was instant and unanimous— “of course we want you there, you’re our best friend,”— y/n still felt guilty, insisting their brother, justin, might be a more logical choice. it was chris who’d spoken first, claiming that if they’d invited justin, they’d have had to find a way to include their parents as well, and then they’d be paying out of pocket.

it sort of made sense, y/n could admit. but maybe a part of her wished that chris wanted her there for another reason. she wished she was his plus one. that they could hold hands on the beach at sunset. that he would wrap her in his towel to keep her warm as the salty air grew colder. that—

“hey. y/n.”

a two-toned whistle had her tumbling off her train of thought, head snapping toward the driver’s seat at the sound of chris’s voice.

“you good? we’re here.”

she cleared her throat. “sorry. i was just….”

she wasn’t even sure the boy had heard her, already pushing his door open to grab their bags from the back. taking a deep breath, y/n followed suit, double checking they hadn’t left anything in the car before heading to the departures entrance.

⁺⁎˚

y/n was an infrequent flyer, to say the least. the few times she had been on a plane, she found herself in the back of the cabin, sandwiched between large men whose legs took up half her space, and unruly children who should’ve been old enough to know not to throw their toys into her lap.

this was something else entirely. a whole private cubical to herself, with a seat that reclined into a bed? no large men, no unruly children? it was a dream, if nothing else. she was thrilled.

but she also wished she wasn’t in first class. which is ridiculous, by the way— no one ever wishes they weren’t in first class, it’s a backwards thought process. and y/n knew that, but she also knew that if they’d just been in comfort plus, she could sit next to chris, chatting and laughing as usual. he would make the twelve hour flight feel like nothing, but instead, it would feel like double the trip in her little isolation pod.

the thought had her kicking herself in guilt. not only was she in first class, but she was there for free. it wasn’t fair of her to be upset about anything.

unbeknownst to the girl, chris caught the crease in her brow, frowning at the idea that something was bothering her. he waited a minute for the people around them to take their seats before crossing the aisle to her seat, knocking gently on the partition to get her attention.

“y’know, for someone going on a tropical vacation, you don’t seem too excited,” he mused. there was a teasing edge to his voice, but just beneath the surface, concern. “what, you worried you forgot to take out the trash before you left and your house’ll be smelly when you get home?”

“well i am now!” y/n groaned. “jesus, chris, why would you even say that?”

chris’s eyes crinkled as he laughed at her expense. “relax, ma, i’m just playin‘. knowing you, i bet you even swept your driveway before leaving. you didn’t forget anything.”

“swept my—?”

“excuse me, sir,” a polite tone sounded from the other aisle on the right side of the plane, “you’ll need to take your seat now. we will be taking off shortly.”

“’s my cue,” said chris, offering her one last reassuring smile. “stop stressing, okay? everything’s gonna be fine.”

⁺⁎˚

everything was not fine.

it was now three hours into the flight, and y/n had made the mistake of falling asleep immediately, missing dinner. she’d needed it, too, since the whole day had been so busy that she’d only managed to grab a couple snacks here and there. a small bag of chips was the only sustenance at her disposal, and the thought of eating another helping of overly-salted junk food made her feel queasy. she supposed she’d have to wait five hours until breakfast was served.

she’d just decided on a movie to try to pass the time when she heard the unmistakable sound of chris’s voice, his chin resting in his palm as he propped himself up on the partition.

“you get your beauty sleep?”

the boy’s hair was mussed— clearly, he’d made himself comfortable in his own seat. his sagging shoulders gave the impression that he was tired, but his shining eyes were wide awake.

“guess so.”

he hummed, his gaze softening just so. “doing okay? it’s gonna be a long flight still. you need anything?”

y/n gave him her best fake smile, not wanting to ask for anything more than she’d already been given. “i’m good, chris, don’t worry.”

mischief crept its way onto his face at her response, and before she could question it, he said, “guess you won’t be needing this, then.” he pulled the packaged meal from behind his back with a dramatic sigh and a look of faux disappointment he could only hold for so long at y/n’s reaction.

a gasp fell from her lips, her stomach growling at the site. “oh, my god, chris, how did you get that?”

“they skipped you at dinner,” he shrugged. “figured you were passed out, so i asked for two. first class comes with perks, apparently.”

“you’re incredible,” she sighed, relief washing over her like warm water when he handed her the container. “thank you. seriously.”

“’course, ma.” chris turned to head back to his seat, but stopped at the sound of her voice.

“wait, chris…," she blurted, maybe a little too quickly, "can you stay?”

when he turned back around, y/n’s demeanor had shifted from relaxed to tense— like she was afraid she might’ve said the wrong thing. her neck was turtling just barely into her shoulders, and she was picking at her fingernails, a longtime nervous habit chris had (unsuccessfully) tried many times to help her break.

it made his heart hurt. “sure, yeah. scooch over a little.”

the seat was suitable for one person, but it was obviously not built for a cuddle session. the pair struggled to find a comfortable position for a few minutes, before settling on chris sitting behind y/n, arms wrapped around her middle as she ate her dinner. she tried to ignore the electric feeling of his thumbs rubbing into her waist through her hoodie— and it had almost made her choke on a mouthful when he’d first started. she wasn’t even sure he was aware he was doing it.

when she’d finished the last of her lukewarm meal, chris set her tray off to the side in favor of pulling her back to lay down with him.

“i know you’re tired, y/n,” he spoke quietly, his breath fanning her temple, flexing his biceps to bring her that much closer to his chest (a move that made her cheeks grow warm). he planted a hand to the back of her head to steady her against his heart. “go to sleep, okay? i’ll wake you up for breakfast. promise.”

y/n only nodded, and prayed he couldn’t feel the intensity of her heartbeat through their clothing.

⁺⁎˚

the hotel was nice. far nicer than any y/n had ever stayed in before. the lobby alone was massive, with advertisements for every amenity a person could ask for— including a spa, which the girl would happily be taking advantage of. the thought alone sent a shiver down her spine.

nick, noticing, asked, “everything okay?”

she nodded. “just excited to finally relax. i’m afraid the first thing i’m going to do is take a long nap.”

“i hear you. matt kept me up all night with his giggling next door.”

“sorry i like comedies,” the middle triplet rolled his eyes, “not my fault you’re such a light sleeper. y’know they had complimentary earplugs, right?”

“i have sensitive ears, matthew.”

“next guest?” called the concierge before matt could respond, and he gave nick a pointed look before stepping up to check them in.

“so, chris,” nick started with a teasing tone, “what happened to you last night?”

“what do you mean, ‘what happened’ to me?” chris said, seemingly annoyed by the conversation already.

“i got up to use the bathroom and when i peeked into your seat, you were gone. care to tell where you were?”

y/n felt the flush make its way to her face, avoiding eye contact with either of the boys. she opened her phone, hoping to appear busy as she listened anxiously.

“dude, why were you peeking, that’s so creepy—”

“don’t sidestep my question, mister,” nick pressed. “you were gone when i came back, too.”

“i was hanging out with y/n, jeez, man. and it’s weird that you were stalking me, like that’s insane.”

“what, how—? i’m your brother! is it insane that i want to know where you are and that you’re safe? what if you were being kidnapped?”

“on a plane? really, nick?”

grateful that the subject had changed, y/n tuned out the rest of their argument, having mastered that skill many years ago. she watched as matt spoke with the kind-looking older fellow at the service desk, who eventually handed him two room keys. matt offered him a smile in return, and waved the rest of the group over to the elevators.

“okay, so,” he began handing them their respective keycards, “me and nick will take 1207. chris and y/n, you get 1204.”

y/n’s head snapped up at that. “i thought i was rooming with nick.”

“originally, yeah,” said matt, “but we had to move the space camp photoshoot to the early morning, remember? and since me and nick will have to wake up at, like, six, we figured we’d just bunk together.”

she paused. y/n did recall the boys mentioning how matt would come along to the photoshoot because nick needed someone he trusted to help oversee the production, since they’d be working with an entirely unfamiliar crew. she didn’t know they’d changed the time, though.

this wasn’t even out of the norm— y/n had slept over at the sturniolo’s many times growing up, often spending the night in the boys’ beds with them. but something about sharing a hotel room with chris, just the two of them, for a week... it filled her with butterflies.

“and the rooms aren’t connecting?” she clarified.

“well, they’re across from each other,” said matt. “sort of. we’ll just be ten feet away, don’t worry.”

“that okay?” asked chris, a nervous tinge in his voice.

y/n smiled as confidently as she could manage. “yeah, yes. of course. as long as i can take my long showers in peace.”

“fine. but you better leave the door unlocked in case i have to piss.”

they all laughed at that as the elevator doors opened, and headed in the direction of their rooms.

“okay,” matt began, checking his phone, “can we all agree to meet downstairs for dinner at eight?”

“eight? why so late?”

“because i’m tired, nick. i want to sleep. sue me.”

“at least you got some sleep last night,” nick mumbled, and matt’s hand flew up to smack him in the arm, but chris caught his wrist before it could land.

“just go take your nap. we’ll be down at eight.”

with that, the two retreated into their room. chris fumbled with his keycard for a moment, and y/n’s mouth had just opened to offer help when he managed to open the door.

“finally, some peace and—”

chris’s words died in his throat when he saw the room ahead of him. it was beautiful, like the rest of the hotel, with a mini-bar, a luxury bathroom with a glass shower, and floor to ceiling windows on the back wall. what he wasn’t expecting, however, was the bed.

the one bed.

behind him, y/n yawned, pushing past to be able to close the door. “what’s the matter?” she asked, before catching sight of the issue. “oh.”

it was quiet for a few moments.

chris didn’t know what to think. on the one hand, he’d be a liar if he said that this situation wasn’t on par with countless scenarios he’d daydreamed about him and y/n; the prospect of sleeping next to her— feeling her soft skin against his bare chest, the fresh scent of her shampoo filling his lungs— definitely excited him, no doubt about it. he wished they could have that every day.

on the other hand, he knew this wasn’t like all those times she had spent the night at their place over the years. back in boston, y/n split her time relatively evenly between the triplets. sure, she slept in chris’s bed occasionally, cuddling up close to him under his painfully thin comforter (often complaining that it needed replacing), but she did the same with matt and nick…. chris wasn’t special for that. here, though, in this five star hotel room… it would be just the two of them, alone every night, without so much as a connecting room with the others. it felt different, and he’d be remiss to blindly assume her comfort there.

the silence hung heavily in the air around them, creeping into awkward territory, but it seemed nobody wanted to speak first. chris glanced at y/n, who shifted her weight from one foot to the other. he tried to read her expression, but couldn’t land on anything concrete.

wanting to get ahead of the situation, to prove to y/n that her feelings were his priority, chris said in his best reassuring tone, “no worries. ’s probably just a mistake. i bet they’ll find us another room if we call the front desk.”

y/n’s heart dropped. of course chris didn’t want to sleep in the same bed as her for a whole week. that would be weird, she knew it would be. she just hadn’t expected him to suggest getting another room so quickly— knowing chris, she assumed he would make a few jokes about sharing, maybe playfully suggest she sleep on the floor (to which she would gently smack him upside the head, probably), but ultimately leave it up to her to decide. and from there, she could’ve told him it was no big deal. but now… well, she didn’t want to make him feel like he had to do anything he didn’t want to.

“uh, yeah,” she cleared her throat. “yeah, let’s call, then.”

nobody mentioned the way their once-bubbly energy seemed to fall flat, like a soda that had been left out overnight. in fact, nobody said another word until chris got the concierge on the line.

y/n didn’t bother to pay any attention to the call. she was busy trying not to let her exhaustion and disappointment mark the beginning of this trip; they were supposed to have fun! she needed to shake this one minor thing off and get to vacationing. maybe a visit to the spa would—

“you’re sure? all right. no, it’s no problem. thanks. you too.”

a short huff came from chris as he placed the phone back onto the receiver. scratching the inner corner of his eye, he spoke in an apologetic voice, “they said they’re booked out.” a sympathetic smile graced his perfect lips. “’m sorry. guess you’re stuck with me.”

y/n had never tried so hard to keep her emotions off her face. relief and excitement trickled down her spine, kickstarting her brain. it was like her body forgot it was tired. but she figured chris was probably still uneasy about it, and she didn’t want to seem like a creep.

“okay,” she said, “how about we figure out plan b later? i really need this nap right now.” a minor fib— she was giddy in the moment, yes, but the second her back touched a mattress, she’d be done for.

“all right, sleeping beauty,” the triplet rolled his eyes, the corner of his mouth quirking up, eye crinkling. “you take the bed, i’ll take the chair.”

“don’t be ridiculous,” she tried, hoping she wasn’t pushing her luck, “you need to sleep as much as i do, chris. come lay down.”

“are you sure? it’s no big, honest.”

she giggled, partially to lighten the mood, but also because she found this whole thing to be a bit silly. they’d cuddled countless times! waving him over, she teased, “since when are you too good to nap with me? get over here.”

the content smile on his face was all the reassurance she needed.

⁺⁎˚

chris was losing his mind.

there was no one to blame but himself. he knew agreeing to sleep with y/n (in the literal sense) would be a bad idea, but he hadn’t anticipated this.

by some random fluke, he’d woken up before their alarm went off, disoriented. it took him a few moments to realize where he was, what he was doing there, and… why his chest felt so heavy.

his breath caught. somehow, in the midst of their nap, y/n had ended up right on top of chris— her face buried in his neck, ribs expanding and contracting opposite his own. her legs, which had fallen either side of him, were slightly bent, giving him a sinful view of her ass in those yoga pants.

chris laid there for a moment or so, dumbfounded by his sudden predicament. what was the right thing to do here? he couldn’t wake her up, they still had— (he looked over at the clock)— half an hour until the alarm sounded. and moving her felt like too risky a disturbance. if anyone needed the rest right now, it was y/n.

the boy sighed, gazing at the ceiling like it might have an answer written on it. a minute passed, and just when he thought things couldn’t get more complicated— a whimper.

so faint that at first, chris figured he’d imagined it. but then came another, louder this time, and he definitely didn’t imagine that.

she must’ve been having a nightmare. his heart broke a little at the idea that she wasn’t enjoying what little sleep they were able to get after such a long trip. his arms came up to carefully hold her, rubbing her back with tender strokes so as not to startle her awake. closing his eyes, he hoped that her subconscious would recognize his comforting touch and send the bad dreams away.

“i got you, ma,” he whispered quietly, continuing the motions on her back. it didn’t seem to help— she was still tense above him.

… then the craziest thing: the girl’s hips rutting gently into his own. “chris,” y/n whined, eyes still shut tight, another whimper spilling from her mouth.

chris’s eyes shot open.

no way. she was dreaming about him?

now he was really fucked. if he didn’t move her, he’d surely be getting hard any minute, and that would be… difficult to explain, to put it simply. but if he did, and she woke up, she’d suspect he’d done so for a reason, and she’d be embarrassed either way.

“please, chris.” she sounded desperate.

chris felt like a perv, with his unconscious friend unknowingly grinding on him and whining his name into his neck. god, maybe he was dreaming; she looked so beautiful like this. but she was clearly in some level of distress, and his concern for his friend outweighed his morals.

“okay, ’s okay baby. ’m here,” he laid his cheek against the top of her head, hugging her tighter to him. “’m right here, y/n.”

he kept rubbing her back— slowly, reassuringly. y/n’s body shook in his hold, and chris had to stifle a moan as she gave a particularly hard rut of her hips, another distressed noise hitting his ears. poor thing.

“shh. c’mon, ma… you’re okay.”

eventually, y/n’s movements began to still, and soon the only sounds to be heard were her soft snores filling the room, like nothing out of the ordinary had occurred.

the boy beneath her stared at a spot on the wall, in shock. his best friend just had a dirty dream about him, right on top of him! what was he supposed to do now? tell her? ignore it? the thought of letting this go made his stomach churn.

what if it meant nothing? he’d had countless sexual dreams about people he wasn’t romantically interested in. (if every accidental fantasy had a deeper meaning, he’d be married to his high school algebra tutor by now.) chris couldn’t help but wonder, though…

what if it meant everything?

taglist: @stylessuperwhore @sofieeeeex

#ᨀ☆⠇chris sturniolo #christopher sturniolo #christopher sturniolo fanfiction #christopher sturniolo fanfic #christopher sturniolo x reader #christopher sturniolo angst #christopher sturniolo fluff #christopher sturniolo smut #chris sturniolo #chris sturniolo fanfiction #chris sturniolo fanfic #chris sturniolo x reader #chris sturniolo angst #chris sturniolo fluff #chris sturniolo smut

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lilacrwses · 6 months ago

Text

▸ their s/o is drunk and doesn't recognize 'em

summary: Partying all night, dancing and definitely drinking made you drunk enough to not recognize your sweet boyfriend.

ft: iwaizumi, bokuto

note: i hope you guys like this, it’s been a while

Iwaizumi

Iwa just came back from a training camp overseas, so he was really tired and just want to cuddle with you.

Might he be forgetting that you were partying out with your friends so he expects that you won't be coming home early?

He did quite everything while waiting for you, cleaning the apartment-which by the way he realized that it was already clean enough on its own.

He took a bath, and would probably get in trouble as he used your favorite bath bomb without permission, but nothing a kiss can't fix.

Well, what he had to do next was just wait for you. The moment his phone lights up and recognizes his ringtone only for your contact- he rushes swiftly and answered it only to be welcomed by your friends voice?

"Iwaizumi-chan, hello! Can you pick up Y/n at XXX-XXX-XXX. She's pretty tipsy at the momeng. Don't rush though! we'll be with her till you're here." He gets his car keys and locks the apartment door before going out. "I'll be there in 5." He quickly presses the red button which ends the call.

Numerous thoughts were clouding his brain right now. Mainly focused on you and how tipsy are you.

In just a couple of minutes, his phone had told him to turn and then he'll arrive at his destination. No doubt that you were right there sitting out at one of the chairs of the club with your friends.

To say that you were cute doing nothing makes him realize how badly he's down for you.

"Iwaizumi-chan! Thank god you're here. She's been telling us how much she misses you, please take care of her from her." Iwa nods and gave a wave to your friends and then focuses his vision on your body.

He walked closer to your figure and helped you stand, but he was just pushed away. Dumbfounded he cooed you and tried again.

"If you lay your hand on me one. more. time, I promise my boyfriend will beat you into a pulp." he smirks and leans in closer to your face.

"Oh yeah? I bet you must love your boyfriend to reject someone like me huh." He plays along with the drunken act. "I love him so much that it hurts." He panics when tears came out of his eyes.

"Hey baby, what's wrong?" Iwaizumi cups your cheeks and wiped the stray tears away. You looked into his eyes and you noticed a familiar warm loving gaze that you'd been missing for a while.

"Are you my hajime? B-but he wasn’t supposed to come home till….tonight" You hiccup.

“You’re my haji!”

"Yes, baby. Now, will you let me touch you now?" You nodded and jumped into his arms right now.

"Ooof- Careful right there." He didn't hear anything but your cute little snores, he might be tired right now but having that little talk with you just gave him a bit-- a lot of energy in return.

Bokuto

This big ball of fluff was with his teammates for an after-party game.

You, on the other hand, are with your friends and are bar hopping. Expectantly Bokuto wandered his eyes searching for a familiar person, but none to be found.

He just thought that you are still probably having fun with your friends.

He reassured himself that a little bit over twelve is still early so here he is patiently waiting for you (even though there's a slight chance you'll never come) while still enjoying his time with his very own friends.

From the perspective of his teammates, it was odd to see Bokuto sitting in one place and not moving so much. Is it because of his drink?

The loud music of the bar made communication a tad difficult. However, Bokuto did not fail to hear his phone ring with the help of the ringing vibration, of course.

His face did lit up when he saw your nickname on his screen and almost took no time to answer the phone.

"My pretty baby! I miss you so much, What took you so long to call, I was waiting." Bokuto is now in his baby voice pouting, much to his joy it was actually your friend who called him and told him you guys were sitting from a distance to where he and his teammates were.

"Oh, thanks! I'll be right there in a minute." It might seem that Bokuto was drinking beer the whole time but it was actually just an orange juice. He didn't plan on getting drunk before he could pick you up.

Akaashi had told him it was not a gentlemanly move to be drunk and be taken care of his s/o. But to be completely honest, Akaashi just told him that so he could spare you handling Bokuto's weakness #12.

He finally saw where you were when he noticed one of your friends waved their hands to get Bokuto's attention. "Bokuto-kun, we're really sorry. She got pretty enthusiastic and got carried away." your friend scratched her nape.

"It's ok, I'll take her from here. Thanks for dropping by though."

Your friends bid goodbyes to Bokuto before leaving. Your boyfriend helped you stand up, you were blinking your eyes trying to see the person that's in front of you. The moment Bokuto landed his hands to your waist you pushed him enough to collide with another person.

Bokuto apologized repeatedly before directing his attention to you again. His thoughts start to bother him. Couldn't you recognize him? How many drinks did you take?

But He tried again, "Y/n baby, it's Kou. You're boyfriend." It seemed that his puppy eyes were enough for you to recognize him.

"Kou?" He nodded

"Yes! Yes, baby!"

You immediately jumped your way to Bokuto, and kissed him."You're my Kou!" He laughed catching you in his arms. "Now let's get you home." He kisses your lips before dropping a text to his team's group chat.

Akaashi was right! He should be taking care of you when you're drunk. Only because he gets to see this new side of you.

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meiieiri · 4 months ago

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pretty woman.

he lives in the world of leather, grease and speed. he knows he's absolute trash, but what's a guy gotta do to have you, a pretty woman wrapped in silks, pearls and smiles, to spare him just. one. glance?!

pairings. biker sukuna x rich!reader

genre. opposites attract, fluff with slight angst-ish (you know me by now, pls skskdskfjskd), references to smut.

notes. yes, i'm still alive, please i haven't been here for months bc i've been so held up at work TT anyway, i thought of this while i was going home when i heard this busker singing "oh, pretty woman" by roy orbison~

He isn't sure how this happened. Maybe he smoked the wrong mushroom or some shit. It was supposed to a regular evening terrorizing the population of Tokyo with the sounds of their bikes revving to the goddamn afterlife or just until someone calls the police. But this is all his goddamn fault, parking in a gas station smack dab in Minami-Aoyama of all places where artists, celebrities, and pompous heiresses camp out at the jazz clubs here which Sukuna absolutely does not understand.

What's so good about a guy choking on some piece of metal that makes a sound similar to a dying seal? But oh well, pompous art for equally pompous people, I guess.

You walked out of that jazz club like you were straight out of a Hollywood movie, the kinds he used to steal from the local DVD rentals in Shinjuku. You were listening to something your friend has to say and your demure chortles invade the very air like the very melody could make the stars tumble to the ground out of pure jealousy because nothing could be quite as radiant - no, what the hell is he saying? He's a biker, not a poet. Even if he were, he's a shit one for using that stomach-churning cliché piece of word vomit.

Fucking gross. Sukuna stomps on his half-finished cigarette.

You were just hot - no, not quite the word - Sukuna scowls frustratedly - ah, there it is, pretty. Too pretty for you to even run around the same circles as him. The Dior mini bag you were carrying makes Sukuna postulate that you were probably born with a silver spoon in your mouth, you must have gone to an exclusive all-girls high school, afterwards, you must have been sent by your snobbyass parents to finish your studies overseas.

Even if he were to approach you right now, Sukuna grimaces at the thought, you'd probably run for Beverly fucking Hills.

Sukuna watches as you help your friend inside a taxi, waving them goodbye. "Please drop her off safely," he heard you say to the driver just as you shut the car door. Sukuna quirks an eyebrow when he spots you looking left, then right, and then left again before taking off your high heels, unafraid to look improper despite your pretty get-up. But your feet must be aching like hell after dancing all night to Roy Orbinson and Frank Sinatra.

You hurriedly head to your car that, as fate would have it, is parked in the same gas station he's hanging around. He doesn't say a word when you look at him a little fearfully when you approach your car that was parked just behind his Ninja H2, your eyes glaze over his leather jacket, his scandalously tight riding jeans, his pierced lip and tattooed face.

He tilts his head in a polite gesture that begs to convey: "Hey, I'm not gonna bite, kid."

Momentarily frozen, you had to shake yourself awake and you apologetically bow your head for staring too long. Slipping into the driver's seat, you fumble with your keys, struggling to turn on the engine. "H-huh?" you gasp. "Ah, no...no...come on..." You try to turn the key again and again hoping to get a reaction from your Benz but nothing happens.

Sukuna snickers slightly when he sees you mouth the word "shit" from his view of the windshield. For a pretty little thing, you seemed more like a spitfire than a delicate flower. You step out immediately going to pop the hood, struggling slightly but you somehow manage.

He watches on as you struggle to even look at what needs to be fixing. Finally, when he sees you tinkering around the parts, he speaks up, "It's probably the battery, miss."

"I...I don't need help, I'm fine," you insist despite him not offering. To be honest, Tokyo's a safe city so, even if you had to stay the night at this gas station waiting for help or the tow-truck - whichever comes first - it's not exactly an issue. The issue is havng someone...like him...hanging precariously around.

Now, you understand. You shouldn't judge a book by its cover, but if that book has everything your parents warned you about - tattoos, piercings, an unfriendly scowl - you'd settle for slowly putting it back on the shelf.

"The gas station has a power pack, you might wanna borrow it," Sukuna offers you some advice. "You got any jumper cables on you?"

"I'm sorry?" You blink obliviously. "I-I don't-?"

"Those bright orange things - ah, whatever - you probably have it in the trunk," Sukuna pushes himself off his bike. He's full of shit, playing knight in shining armor right now, but you look like you're about to cry. He slaps your hands away when you try to pull out the radiator.

"Ow! What are you doing?!"

"You want your car to explode or some shit?" Sukuna hisses. "Don't fuck around with anything else. I'll go see if I can borrow their power pack."

You look at him in disgust. Everything about this mystery man is just so infuriatingly vulgar, and he doesn't even wait for your permission, he's just stomping off towards a random gas station attendant, muttering under his breath about clueless rich kids and their cars. You scowl at his retreating figure, rubbing your hand where he slapped it away, lips parting in indignation at what you hear.

"Can't tell a spark plug from a bottle of champagne..."

"Excuse me?"

"Ah, you're excused, don't worry," Sukuna says as he returns, the power pack in one hand and a bundle of thick jumper cables in the other, the gas station's dim lights casting sharp shadows across his face, your nerves seem to fray even further.

Though, truth is, you're stuck between being grateful and horrified. If you don't make it back home, you weren't gonna hear the end of it from your parents about how Tokyo is dangerous and how you shouldn't be wandering around the city alone when you have bodyguards. But, it's all thanks to this stranger, a questionable-looking one at that, that you might just make it home tonight before your parents even notice you snuck out.

"Pop the hood," he orders, his tone flat but not unkind.

Your first instinct is to snap back. Just who the hell does he think he is? Assuming that you needed help when you had everything under control. That's obviously a lie, seeing as you were about to yank out your Benz's radiator. It'd be a nightmare explaining that to your parents and your insurance company. Surrendering, you uncross your arms, and pop the hood again.

It's infuriating how people always liked to assume that you needed help with everything. But that's just how it goes when you're an only child, and your parents had to undergo six rounds of IVF to have you because they spent most of their young adult life building their fortune that they forgot to have kids in the middle of all that. A spoiled brat - it wouldn't be a stretch to call you that. Still, it stings a bit because you never wanted to become one.

Nothing hurts you more than the thought of you growing up not knowing how to do anything for yourself.

"This happen to you often, princess?" Sukuna asks, his calloused and strong hands working their magic on your car, clearly, he's ressurected a lot of engines with the way he doesn't seem to flinch at the bitter scent of gasoline and burnt rubber.

"Don't call me that," you mutter. "And no, I don't make a habit of getting stranded since not all of us have experience with--" You gesture vaguely at the cables, his leather jacket, the bike, the car, and this entire situation. "-this."

Sukuna snorts, shaking his head. "Yeah, I figured. People like you don't get their hands dirty."

There it is again - people like you. The words grate on your nerves like nails on a chalkboard, but what stings more is the way he says it, like he's already decided everything about you just from your shoes, your car, your voice, where you like to hang out. It's honestly disgusting, but the truth always has an element of hurt hidden in it, right?

"Right, because you know everything about me," you mutter, a flash of hurt appearing on your features.

You don't know why, but the way he says it - so casual, so certain - makes your heart ache. He's not even insulting you, why would he have to? He doesn't know you, and you haven't done anything to offend him. He just...sees right through you and he's decided that you were just another shallow rich kid that doesn't belong in the real world.

And maybe you don't.

You're pulled from your thoughts by the sudden roar of your car's engine. Sukuna straightens, wiping his hands against his jeans before shutting the hood with a heavy almost contrite clunk. "There, good as new."

You let out a breath you didn't know you'd been holding. Looks like this chance encounter is about to end. It's silly, feeling a little anxious at finally being able to go home which also spells that you'll probably never see this stranger again, but this demeaning and embarrassing situation happens to be your first encounter with the real world, the world outside the bubble your parents have confined you in.

And it hurts pulling away from it now and so soon too.

"Thank you," you say, quieter this time and you hate how small you sound and feel.

He shrugs, already walking back to his bike. "Don't mention it."

You watch him for a moment as he haphazardly lights a cigarette in the middle of a gas station, his face partially obscured by shadows but you manage to make out his frustrated frown when the lighter doesn't work. He's so focused on lighting the damn stick that he doesn't notice you bringing your own lit lighter to the end of his cigarette.

"Didn't think pretty girls like you were into bad habits like smoking," he exhales, a crooked grin tugging at his lips.

"You'd be surprised."

For too much of your life, you've had to put up with reminders from your folks like don't sit like that, don't do this, don't speak like this, don't go there, it's unbecoming of someone like you. And you're getting fucking sick of it, if only your parents could discover the many cigarettes and scratchers you've collected over the years, then, maybe they'd piece together that you only went to a jazz club tonight with every intention to end up in a nightclub later on.

You're self-destructive, he's dangerous.

And this entire exchange could cause your high-strung parents to suffer simultaneous strokes.

"Yeah?"

"Really," you rub your eyelid. "So...why'd you help me?"

Sukuna pauses mid-inhale, his crimson gaze flicking toward you through the haze. For a moment, you think he might say something serious, something straight out of those Audrey Hepburn movies where the girl falls for the greaser. But, that's kinda gross anyway, so you're a little thankful when he quips.

"Hell if I know. Maybe I'm just a sucker for pretty faces."

You blush, your heartbeat stuttering. Before you can respond, he waves you off dismissively, as if the moment never happened and should never be spoken of again like most moonlight rendezvous's.

"Now get outta here before I start charging you for my time."

"Ah right, sorry," you are suddenly reminded of paying your dues, so you take out your wallet, handing him a wad of yen bills. "Tell me if it's not enough. I can run to an ATM."

Sukuna stares at the bill, a little insulted. But tonight seems to be about judgmental assumptions anyway. He laughs - a low dark sound that makes the hair on your arms stand on end.

"What the hell do I look like, huh? A roadside service?" His voice isn't harsh, but the edge of amusement makes your cheeks burn. "Keep it, you might need it later on when your tires give way. Don't tell me you don't check the air pressure on them too."

"It's not like that!" you argue. "I just don't want to owe you anything. Just take it, and go buy yourself a beer or something, and then, we can move on with our lives, okay?"

"Owe me, huh?" He tilts his head, the faintest of smirks tugging at his lips. His gaze locks with yours and you take a step back until your back hits the driver's seat door, and there's something sharp and deliberate in the way he says: "Fine. You wanna pay me back?"

You nod.

"Tell me your name. Since you nearly threw a damn fit when I called you princess."

"What?"

"Your name," he shrugs as if it's the most casual thing in the world. "Otherwise, I can help you continue pulling out that radiator of yours."

"Are you threatening me?! Just when I was about to change my opinion on you!"

"Really? You'd do that for me?" Sukuna feigns gratitude, placing his hand over his heart. "I didn't think you were that stingy with your name. Unless you don't have one, now that's just pathetic. Even trashy sons of bitches like me have one of those."

"Fine, it's Y/N. And go clean up that mouth of yours, it's like you can't go a full sentence without profanity."

"Pretty name," Sukuna says, ignoring your last remark. You blush at the way he says it - low and rough, like it's a secret just between you two.

Your breath hitches and you roll your eyes, slipping into the driver's seat again, shutting the door with a final clunk. "You're insufferable," you mutter, your cheeks still warm, as you begin to drive away.

"No, my name's Sukuna! Drive safe, rich girl. Can't have your fancy car breaking down again," he whistles, leaning against his H2, waving cheekily, a cigarette dangling between his slotted lips.

He smirks when you roll down your car window only to flash him your middle finger.

"She's pretty, but she's a damn bitch," he mutters, though this time, there's a faint hint of a smile in his voice as he slips on his helmet.

A week has passed and the memory of Sukuna is still clinging to you like the scent of a too-sweet perfume, the ones that girls like you pre-order months in advance before it's even launched. You feel like an idiot, craving to see him again, when absolutely nothing happened between you. But when your mind wanders over to that random biker with too many tattoos, too much attitude but too little manners, you just wanna ruin your mom's expensive Picasso collection in the living room before you could even admit it out loud.

You're now standing in the back of your mansion now in Denenchofu, phone pressed to your ear, talking to one of your drivers - sipping your favorite vanilla bourbon tea - your heart pulsing with mischief.

"I need you to do something for me. Go mess with the car's AC, as in, break the damn thing if you can."

The driver hesitates. It's the middle of winter. "Miss, you - are you sure? That seems a bit-"

"Just do it," you plead. "Please, I promise I'll be safe. And I already sent your Christmas bonus to you!"

You hang up before he can say another word, a grin curling onto your lips. This must be the dumbest thing you've ever done, but it's too late to back out now, but what the hell? Nowadays, it's do or die.

That night, when you're sitting in your car, researching on this biker's meet in Shibuya, you coincidentally drive by, stopping in front of am awfully familiar Ninja H2, its chrome glinting under the streetlights. Its driver, seemingly having just arrived, whipping his head around when one of his buddies taps his shoulder, pointing in your direction.

You step out of your car, perfectly-rehearsed. You instantly pop the hood, pretending not to see him. "Oh no, not again," you smirk inwardly.

Sukuna bites back a laugh at how ridiculously obvious this entire farce is, but he decides to play along anyway. "Already broke down again? You should just drive that shit into the bay!" he calls, voice laced with mockery and something else, something close to affection.

You glance over at him, carefully hiding your amusement. "Think you can help me? You were quite the hero last time."

Sukuna raises an eyebrow at you, biting his lip at how you subtly play with your hair, the dark baritone of his voice making your heart skip. "You're pushing it, pretty girl. You think I'm just gonna swoop in and fix everything again when I've got a meet?"

You give him a dry look. "Not playing the hero today? Here I thought you wanted something more than my name this time around."

His eyes narrow, a flicker of something darker passing through them at the insinuation. "You do realize that if your AC's busted, you're just gonna have to freeze your little ass off since I don't know how to fix that." He brazenly pulls off the extra helmet on his buddy's bike, paying no heed to how his backpack glares at you and Sukuna, tossing it over to you. "Where you headed anyway? I'll just drop you off."

You shrug and he shakes his head, chuckling darkly. "Can't remember, huh? Then, let's just ride around for a bit until you do."

In the end, neither of you walk away unscathed. Your dainty Chanel tweed dress lays pooled on the floor of a random motel in Yokohama, right next to his leather jacket. In the end, you do remember where you're going after all, and that's straight into the inferno of Sukuna's embrace, even if you have to break your car a thousand times to get there.

#jjk x reader #sukuna x reader #sukuna x y/n #sukuna x you #ryomen sukuna #jjk x you #jujutsu kaisen x you #ryomen sukuna x reader #ryomen sukuna x you #ryomen sukuna x y/n #jjk #sukuna #jujutsu kaisen

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slumbrr-r · 28 days ago

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Doodle/art dumps I made for some fans. A "moon-themed Toodles."

A poor attempt at making a Glitched Astro as someone asked:

Rayburn (Boxten) created by me, for @collectingsorrows444's Overseas Commandment + Captain Neptune (Finn). Jesu (Glisten) made by me for @genderlessjacky's The Hunter's Camp + Feral (Toodles.) Ref. Sheets for Rayburn and Jesu:

#dandys world #operationichor #dandy’s world #dandys world au #doodle dump #glisten dandys world #dandys world boxten #dandys world finn #dandys world toodles #astro dandys world

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lay-z · 2 months ago

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barbed-wire kisses | 1

Synopsis: Soap, the SAS and 141's most prized explosives detection hybrid and demolitions expert, gets a new handler.

Pairing: hybrid!John ‘Soap’ MacTavish x fem!handler!Reader Warnings/Info: 18+ | Soap is a purebred German Shepherd hybrid. Despite ears, tails, and their adopted nature/instincts/personalities, hybrids have human features. | enemies strangers to lovers; forbidden love; angst; hurt/comfort; heavy smut; eventual romance; canon-typical violence; military inaccuracies; dom/sub elements; forced submission; cussing; humour (Please mind the warnings for each chapter!)

Based on this idea 🩶

Big thanks to my bestie @bloodytalefeathers for helping me handling our boy Soap 🐶

It’s always a rather impersonal affair as a hybrid serving in the military–getting a new handler assigned and vice versa.

John sniffs you out, of course, before Captain Price even has the chance to properly introduce you. When the Sergeant is given your file along with the handlership documents on a random Wednesday in February–the ones you’ve already signed a few weeks prior–he gets one deep whiff of your musk still lingering on the paper and starts prowling the base on the lookout for his new target.

Despite the many familiar, surrounding scents among the different smells announcing the beginning of spring, it doesn’t take too long for a specimen like him to pick up on and find you on the large military base, letting the winds do most of the work for him.

He's just way too good at his job, and his little self-imposed challenge leaves his chest puffing with pride and the blood in his veins buzzing with an odd eagerness to meet you once he finally spots you among the large crowd of soldiers on the training grounds.

John decides to skip his lunchbreak and watch you instead. He takes a seat on a well-positioned bench with a good view of the field where you’re currently going through drills with a platoon that you’re serving as their temporary CO. His tail swishes lazily against the wooden planks of the bench, pushing off some dry leaves that gathered there.

He’s read about you, knows that you’ve just come back from a five-month overseas deployment in Al Mazrah–supporting their local forces with the training of the serving hybrids, among other duties.

John can see it in the tension you carry in your neck and shoulders, in the way you keep checking your surroundings while you give orders to your soldiers, and with the dark circles under your eyes–all of it speaks volumes of how well you’ve adjusted to living on base again so far, and, boy, does it look bad.

On top of that, you’ve just been transferred to Hereford from your previous base and task force–after getting your new orders while you were still deployed–so you must be twice as stressed and thrice as vexed about this whole new arrangement you’re finding yourself in right now, thanks to the brass. He also knows that you’ve already moved and settled into your new place close to the barracks. Close to where he lives, too.

Fucking brilliant, John thinks, and his large furry ears twitch as he grins wickedly. It’ll be more than easy to get rid of you if you’re already feeling this worn out; perhaps even easier than it went with the previous handlers he’s had since boot camp.

None of them ever made it past the six-month mark before they were transferred again due to their incompetence, though none of the higher-ups has ever admitted fault and called it what it is.

No, it’s always just been ‘Soap being a bloody handful’, slippery and clever as he simply happens to be, and yet the brass still keeps refusing him that exceptional permission which would finally grand him freedom–the freedom to operate without a handler on, and to a certain degree, off duty.

He is a canine hybrid, yes, and his nature might make him extraordinary, aye, but he’s not a fucking toddler in need of assistance and guidance 24/7. It’s bad enough that his rank as Sergeant can easily be outranked by a human subordinate simply because he happens to be a hybrid.

His thought process is disturbed by the crunching of boots on the gravelly road leading up to his makeshift recon spot, when a group of soldiers walks up the rolling hill to have a smoke break.

Scrunching up his sensitive nose at the stench of cigarettes despite being used to the smell, John gives up his seat for the group, straightening his shoulders with a curt nod at them before he makes his way back to HQ.

There’s a meeting he needs to prepare for after all.

A few hours later, the briefing room clears again when everyone claims to not have any questions left to simply get it over with.

“Right,” Price utters roughly. “I’ll leave you two to it then. Lieutenant,” he gives you a curt nod and John has to suppress a smirk when the Captain shoots him a glare as soon as his back is turned towards you. “Soap.” And John can hear the stern warning underlying Price’s voice before the latter leaves the briefing room and shuts the door behind him with finality and a raging ball of concern lodged in his guts.

And even though Price has left, and took his commanding aura right with him, the room feels even smaller and stuffy now with only you and John, standing across from each other like it’s a Mexican Standoff.

While John lets his eyes roam freely, assessing you thoroughly and searching for weaknesses, you simply keep your sharp eyes trained on his with a kind of effortlessness that is slowly making the fur on his tail bristle–up, up, up his spine until it tickles his neck and makes his ears twitch involuntarily.

Your hands are firmly clasped behind your back, your stance relaxed as your hip leans against the table behind you; keeping your whole front exposed and vulnerable while you’re oozing nonchalance and confidence with no trace left of all that tension and fatigue he’d noticed earlier when he was watching you train with your platoon.

You almost look… bored now that you’re finally alone with him, and John doesn’t quite know what to make of this reaction.

His thick brows furrow and he caves, despising the tense silence already. “Ye not gonna say nothin’, lass?”

Suddenly, your lips twitch into a humourless half-smile. “That’s still ‘Lieutenant’ to you, Sergeant,” you reply coolly. “We’re no friends yet.”

“Right,” he half-snorts, half-huffs in response. “Well, ‘am lookin’ forward ta workin’ with ye, ma’am.” If you’re just a wee bit clever, you could easily pick up on the sarcasm in his words, and judging by the way your eyebrow twitches, you can. His tail swishes proudly in response, and then John mirrors your stance; clasping his hands behind his back before rolling his broad shoulders and straightening up to his full height.

“Oh, are you now?” It’s a rhetorical question, and John finds the way you tilt your head to the side like a wee pup utterly adorable, along with the fact that he’s taller than you, forcing you to crane your neck if you want to maintain eye-contact with him despite the thick-soled combat boots you’re wearing.

“Well, in that case–” You bring your arms forward suddenly, clutching a black collar in your hand; brand new and personalized, the scent of its full-grain leather still fresh and thick in the air. His eyes zero in on your name and rank stitched into it, along with your emergency contact and military ID number. “May I?”

John’s tail stills, bright eyes widening imperceptibly as he stares at the collar and processes the implication behind your words. He doesn’t get collared like this, no; usually grabs the damn mandatory thing and puts it on himself to get it over with.

“Ye insistin’ to put it on me, la–Lieutenant?”

You simply stare up at him with those unimpressed, gorgeous eyes – eyes that have seen as much, perhaps even more, horrific crap he has in combat–and his heart starts jumping in his chest in return. “You tell me, Sergeant. You wanna be a difficult pup?”

He swallows hard, clenching his teeth and wrinkling his nose at the raw condescension in your voice. Aye, he wants to make this difficult, wants to get rid of you already and let everyone know that he doesn’t need a handler–doesn’t need you–and yet he can only shake his head slowly while you stand before him so confidently, triggering his natural urge to please, to submit to a leader.

None of your predecessors ever made him feel quite like–this–so effortlessly. They always tried to force it yet never succeeded.

Almost subconsciously, John steps forward, towering over you though you still don’t move a muscle before he leans down, bracing his palms on the table you’re leaning against, now practically bracketing you in. “Go ahead, then,” he hums roughly, lowering his gaze to hide the way his pupils are dilating while his skin begins to prickle at the sudden close proximity to you.

As you unclasp the collar to bring it up to his neck, he gets a real whiff of your scent and nearly groans; an all-natural concoction of female pheromones, sweat and skin hidden underneath a layer of artificial peach-scented body wash and deodorant. His mouth starts salivating and he gulps it down harshly, fingers twitching against the table as you fasten the collar around his neck.

“Atta boy,” you mutter and your warm breath puffs against his rapidly flushing skin, making his pulse jump in his neck. His dog ears twitch as he leans in closer until his nose nearly brushes against your shoulder and he exhales a shuddering breath as the collar finally wraps around his throat.

“Need it a wee bit tighter, ma’am,” he rumbles and his breath hitches as you oblige; he swallows thickly, barely able to, while the leather creaks and tightens, pressing against his Adam’s apple snugly. You fasten it with nimble fingers, leaving goosebumps in their wake and his pulse sky-rockets at once. “Aye… perfect,” he breathes, almost panting now, his voice strained while another tingle runs down his spine that has warmth pooling between his thighs, and his cock chuffing in his boxers with interest.

An unexpected chuckle makes his eyes flicker up to meet yours again. “I see how it is, Sergeant,” you muse, a hint of a smile playing on your lips that makes him smirk boyishly in return.

Then, your index finger hooks through the metal loop for his leash, and another gentle tug makes his heart flutter and his chest rumble with a playful growl.

“Well then, let’s get to fucking work, MacTavish.”

And it’s the firmness in your words or the pure determination twinkling in your eyes that leaves John’s tail wagging.

Perhaps both.

#barbed-wire kisses #john soap mactavish #john soap mactavish x reader #soap mactavish #johnny mactavish #call of duty #soap mactavish x reader #soap x reader #cod hybrid au #hybrid au #johnny mactavish x reader #soap x you #soap mactavish x you

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gremlingottoosilly · 1 year ago

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Eat your Young (viking!Konig x fem!Reader)

You weren't afraid when the Vikings came. Your ruler pays them well, and they protect you from enemies far worse - there is nothing to worry about as you, an unmarried maiden, wander into the embrace of one of them. They are on your side. Right? Tags and CWs: Age gap, size difference, Konig is a bit obsessive and a huge perv, mentions of violence, Vikings Are Actually Kinda Nice No For Real, hand jobs, oral sex, naked man/clothed woman, slightly historically inaccurate, jokes about inbreeding Thanks to @angelbabysblog for the idea. I changed quite a lot because I was reading articled about how many of the Slavic cities were actually cool with Vikings and worked with them AO3

The Vikings are here. Your Father never allowed you to meet them before – as an unmarried girl, even if you’re already of age, it would be…scandalous. Not smart. Dumb, really – everyone knows that girls that are messing with the warrior from overseas often end up being taken away. And you couldn’t survive sea travel. The Vikings are here, but it’s not really a problem – you know that there are other countries over the sea, the countries that die and burn every time a ship is sailed in their harbors. You also know that you do not live in a country like that. That sound of Vikings approaching is a good one – that you’ll be protected from the other enemies your country has. You always stole glances, despite what your father has told you – you were a curious thing, always searching for trouble, always interested in everyone outside of your small village. You’re on the border – stuck between sea and great plains, open for any enemy if it weren’t for mercenaries who deemed this place as worthy of their camp. They live here, occupying the territory outside – even build themselves houses, despite every rumor calling them nothing more but overseas barbarians who would tear you down for a flick of a coin.

Well, you always thought you’d have nothing to worry about – you are not made of coins, after all. The Vikings had a leader, the one that stayed in the long house just outskirts of the village – the one that would always visit the elders, discussing the payments and the spoils of war. Father always punished you if any nosy neighbor would see you sneaking out to look at the warriors – but you couldn’t care less. If you are going to end up in a marriage with a fool, you could at least steal a few looks at the real men. Not the ones from your village – they felt more like brothers than anything else. Some of them were – second, third, fourth, just diluted enough to make the babies a bit less disfigured.

But, oh, nothing compared to the vikings. You see them when you run for the lake, far from the shore. They are clean – cleaner than sailors from Byzantine who sometimes stumbled upon the small village by the sea. You think you heard them talking about how cleanliness is a sin – and just how silly it sounded. You think you didn’t like people from this place very much – sailors were often drunk, always handsy and never spared a kind word without an insult…not that you knew their language – but you are smart enough to know that if a man is attempting to grasp your breasts while sneering something through his teeth, it won’t be a love poem.

— What are you doing here?

Ah.

You were spotted. Like a fox in a hunter’s trap – you are standing in the tall water grass, looking at the man through the weeping willow branches. Maybe, if you are lucky enough, he’d think you were a mavka, trying to drown him – some men were foolish enough to fall for the act, sparing you the consequences of your curiosity. You aren’t sure if the Vikings have legends of mavkas – if they even have lakes back where they are from. All travelers are mixed in your head – desserts, great plains, barbarians who would steal your sisters if you’d been blessed with some. Sea beasts who will take you on your ship, away from your father and…ah, it doesn’t sound too bad.

— Can’t you talk?

His voice is rough, and accented. Younger than you thought he would be with a body like this – a seasoned warrior, ginger hair covering his muscular chest and a small trail falling down his…

Viking knows your language. Shouldn’t be surprising – they are working for the elders and your ruler, after all. They get gold from your village, they get food from your village. They get sons – you heard about at least some of the women falling pregnant to the guests overseas. No one dares to say anything against it – but the rumors are still falling. You wonder if it’s as bad as it sounds. — I can talk.

This sounds dumb, but there is no use in hiding. Your intentions weren’t innocent – you are curious and curiosity is what leads to the devil. Or god of death. Or goddess – you are not well-versed in matters of spirit and while half of your village is still worshipping old gods while the other preaches about new, stronger ones, you wonder what kind of beliefs Vikings have. You heard their women can wield magic – and can count. And read. You would love to read, you think. — Gut. Thought I spotted a Margygr.

The word is weird. Rough. You don’t know what that is, but you certainly aren’t one. You take a step forward, not caring that your linen dress is getting drenched in water – not caring about what your father might say after. You would just tell him you wanted to go and drown since he was so adamant on marrying you off to some one-eyed half-wit quarter brother of yours. He wouldn’t be surprised – and you probably wouldn’t be missed. A whore to be, as some older women from your village would say.

— What is that?

He tilts his head to the side, his blue eyes looking at you. You notice a piece of cloth in his hands – something that must have been covering his face, you think. He is covered in scars and dirt, blood from some battle is getting washed away into the water of the lake. Gods, you say to yourself – you won’t even be drinking from it again. Although you promised it to yourself a few years ago already, when you spotted a dead deer lying in the water – and it’s not like you held to your promise. Better than seawater, after all. — A…drowned creature. Drowning creature. Your people are calling them… — Oh. Mavka. — Others call it mermaid. Selkie. Mermaid sounds harsh too. Rude. Other languages are rude – still, you would like to know more. Still, you would like to do anything to get out of your village. Learn to read. To write. Maybe hold a baby goat close to your chest and not have it ripped away for the nearest dinner.

— I’m not…that.

— I can see.

He laughs and you steal a peak at his manhood. You should be ashamed, really – if your dear mother was alive, she’d beat you up for being so immodest. If your dear mother was alive, you wouldn’t be allowed to sneak out like that – but she isn’t, so you stare at the man who can crush your skull in one hand. You stare at the trail of ginger hair going down his waist. The muscles flexing and the scars on his hips, glossy from cold lake water.

Hm.

Is it supposed to be this big?

He coughs and you peek to look at him again. Coughing isn’t good – he can be sick. Contangenous. There is a sickness coming around from sailor to sailor – you wonder if vikings have it too. You don’t want to get sick – but it would surely keep you out of marriage for a long while. Maybe, if you’re lucky enough, you could be buried like a pretty maiden. White dress and mourning relatives. That would teach them how to send you off to marry some dumb cousin you never knew before. Or knew too well. — You shouldn’t come here, Schatzen.

— Why?

— My men won’t be as nice as I am when they see a maiden in the lake.

You smile, tilting your head to the side. There are rumors – you can’t invite foreign mercenaries into your country without them taking their toll on the locals. Some people like them, some people are scared of them. Some are going out of the ordeal pregnant and some are not returning at all. But, you can run. But, this is your lake. You like it here – the quiet, the tranquility. You think that if your father proceed with calling you an old bride who should be married as soon as possible, you could just run away and live here. Fish is nice and there are berries when it’s not too cold. — Where are your men?

You never saw Vikings in battle. Never saw a group of them up close – you’d like to, of course. There are warriors in your village, but their best shot is wolves and deer. Not other men – you think you’d like to see war sometimes. Maybe, all the boys of age would die and you won’t have to worry about anything anymore. You would be nice as a local witch – or a local healer. Old hag sounds nice too. — Around. Waiting for the order. — What order?

You ask so many questions, König thinks. Pretty thing – smart, too. You aren’t afraid of him, even though you have to be. Most women would be screaming and crying if they saw someone like him in the lake next to them. Not Viking women of course – but people from around here are soft. Cherished. Coddled. You also seem soft, too soft, too gentle – a woman living in a small village on the shore without a husband shouldn’t be this careless. König knows you’re just lucky that the ruler of your country is kind enough to pay the overseas mercenaries instead of suffering the pillaging. Not all of people are this lucky.

If he won’t get a promised weight in gold this village won’t be lucky either.

König looks at your sweet face, at the way your eyes constantly dart to his crotch. Curious little thing you are – he isn’t sure if he is that happy that the payments have been consistent up to this point. That he can’t just screw this all over and demand a payment in other ways. That pillaging this village and taking all of its women isn’t really an option while they get their gold from here. Your long linen dress clings to your skin - you’re shaking, he notices. From cold, probably, dumb lady who is too curious for her own good. Hm. He has furs not far from here. He can…

— We’re protecting the shore. The border, too. You smile, nodding. And here he thought the locals knew why the foreigners were here – but he can’t expect too much, he guesses. At least it seems like you haven’t heard of most of his accomplishments. The rivers of blood would be enough to fill this whole lake three times. Or, maybe, you heard – and didn’t care, brave and fearless little thing. König likes the sound of that.

— Are you cold?

You ask him, to his surprise. Your gaze is switching from his face – he is open, cheeks flushed from the cold and a maiden right next to him, and he can’t even find it in himself to cover his scarred mug – to his cock. It’s standing proudly, heavy, balls hanging low as if asking to be held in your soft palms. König isn’t embarrassed – but he is surprised that your body, showing only a little bit in that dress of yours, is already enough to make him this bothered. This ready to give up the supposed protection of this village and take what’s his. — You can warm me.

You tilt your head to the side, mimicking his action from earlier. Curious bird – he could keep you at his ship. Tied up to the post, ready for anyone to use you. You’re strong, and resilient. Should survive the long way home – and he is getting quite ready to find someone at last. If the ruler of your little kingdom won’t be as stingy as the previous one, König can walk away with a sack of gold hanging on his shoulder. Enough for him and for him men. Surely enough to sway you. — How?

— Do you have a husband?

He knows, you probably don’t. A husband wouldn’t allow his wife to run around and flirt with other men – and if König was yours, he surely would keep you locked in like the treasure you are. There is too many men ready to take what doesn’t belong to them.

— No. And I won’t.

— Why? — Soon I will be too old to be a bride anyway. Not that I want it. He laughs at that. Surely, little bird, it wouldn’t be your choice. If the luck is on his side, it wouldn’t even be the choice of your father. — Touch me, Schatzen. You want it, ja?

He says this with more awkwardness than before. Swaying women by his side isn’t his strong suit – and even with his strength, not many of them would just throw themselves at him. Being a mercenary leader might bring him money but with the whole team consisting of equally strong and handsome men, the broody leader usually isn’t the first choice. He gets his fill eventually – but not the one that would make his heart flutter. With you, however… Your hands are traveling down his abs. Caressing every bit of skin you see – sending goosebumps down his navel and straight to his hard and leaking cock. He wonders if you’ve done this before – but your actions are the one of an explorer, not a professional. YOu grab his cock with both hands almost as if strangling him, and König lets go with a choked moan.

You retrieve your hands, nervous. Good girl. Eager, pretty. Such a shame this village usually pays its tolls. — Are you hurt?

— Nein, it’s…go on. You proceed to touch him, the softness of your touches is making him groan from pleasure. This is something else – you’re something else. Having the power to bring a seasoned warrior to his knees – god, how much he liked the way you looked at him. Eager and curious, always going down to touch his cock some more. You press your palm together, making s steady rhythm – using the pre-cum from his cockhead like a lube.

König relishes in the feeling – he might be one of the strongest soldiers, but it was the first time he felt victorious. With your hand pumping his cock up and down, the pleasure settling in his stomach and threatening to burst, he felt like a king. No, the king. Gods, you were beautiful. Worthy of throwing this village into the fire for. Worthy risking the payment. Your mouth is warm on his manhood – he didn’t expect you to be this active, to wrap your lips around the bulging head and bop your head just a bit. Up and down. Tongue swirling, as if tasting him. Making him sweat that you will decide to take a bite out of it, just to satisfy your curiosity. To his peace, you didn’t. He came shortly after you decided to put your mouth on him – when your tongue started to swirl around and collect the bitter taste of his pre-cum. When your curiosity about foreign warriors bathing in your lake finally made you do something about it – and he would feel bad about pressing a hand in your hair and forcing you to choke on his length, your nails digging small red paths in his pale thighs. You choke and squirm and cry and this is the sweetest sound he ever heard – so when he finally drags you away from his cock, smiling as you wipe your mouth and whimper. Squirm again, some more. The light in your faded a little as he pushed one calloused finger into his mouth and pushed your lips apart. Poor thing, he thinks. — You did good, little bird.

His seed tastes weird on the tongue. You wince, but swallow – it’s what good brides should do, you think. Somehow, looking at this warrior, you don’t feel so bad about being considered a bride. Maybe…no. You stalled here for long enough – you saw the Viking. You touched him. Tasted him. Father is probably looking for you.

You don’t even bother to say goodbye as you come out of the water – but König stops you right on the edge of the lake, firm hand on your shoulder. Squeezing. Touching. Feeling.

— I…I apologize, maiden. I lost control.

His voice is hesitant. You don’t like how unsure he sounds. It made you feel unsure too. Weird. Uncertain and meek.

— Are you going to leave soon?

He stops mumbling, looking into your eyes. This is settled – he is not leaving you here. You must return to your family, say your goodbyes. Maybe enjoy a few weeks of peace before his troupe finally gets a clearing on killing whatever enemies grouped at the border – and he will take you no matter the payment your ruler can give him. Nothing will be worth more than you.

— Yes. Yes, I will. You turn away, almost running. He didn’t stop you this time – you need to get as much freedom in your lungs as you can. He will take you eventually and, well…you best enjoy freedom as much as you could before this.

When your village will burn along with all the cousins, half-triple brothers, and elders, you’ll find out why most countries fear the Vikings. When you will be hauled to the wooden ship over a giant’s shoulder, with his hand sitting firmly on your ass and his other palm preventing you from screaming, you’d know why taking the attention of overseas mercenaries is a bad idea. When your ruler would refuse to pay the warriors for their service and force them to just take everything by force, you’d know why making payments on time is so important.

When König would finally make you his wife, you’d understand why you should have drowned in that lake instead.

#cod #konig x reader #konig #yandere konig #cod x reader #yandere cod #call of duty #cod x you #konig x you #konig cod #cod konig #yandere x you #yandere x reader

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skiesuconn · 27 days ago

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Lost in Argentina | Chapter 1

Pairing: Paige Buecker | Azzi Fudd WC: 12K Synopsis: The UConn women’s basketball team lands in Argentina for a training camp, but the real adventure? Paige’s last-minute packing disaster, Azzi’s snack obsession, and the endless chaos that follows. Between running from a rogue dog, getting locked in elevators, and arguing over coconut water, their Argentina trip becomes a mess—but in the best way. As the heat rises, so does the tension between Paige and Azzi, who are already more than just teammates. With every teasing remark and stolen moment, their bond deepens. It’s less about the training and more about finding love, laughter, and a little bit of chaos under the Argentine sun. Frankie's note: Appreciate the blurb idea! I definitely switched things up a bit, but still, big thanks. Credits to this blurb for the inspo. I love you anon. Let me know your thoughts loves, and yes, I'm aware that my masterlist is messy. i'll rework it this weekend.

The UConn women’s basketball team had been buzzing about this Argentina trip for weeks. It wasn’t just another overseas training camp—it was a chance to experience a new culture, eat amazing food, and bond as a team. Geno had called it a "learning opportunity," CD had called it a "chance to grow," and the players? They mostly saw it as an escape from Storrs' freezing winter.

Packing had been an adventure in itself. Paige, ever the last-minute packer, had thrown a chaotic mix of hoodies, basketball shorts, and an unnecessary amount of socks into her suitcase the night before. Azzi, on the other hand, had meticulously packed a separate bag just for snacks, because "you never know when you'll need fuel." Nika had insisted on bringing her own pillow, claiming it was the key to good sleep, and Caroline had made sure to bring an extra pair of sneakers in case of emergencies.

Now, stepping off the plane and into the scorching heat of Argentina, the contrast to Connecticut’s icy winds hit them like a wave. The sun bore down on them, a dry warmth wrapping around their skin like a thick blanket. Sweat began to bead at their temples almost instantly.

"Holy—it's like an oven out here!" Caroline groaned, fanning herself with her boarding pass.

"Bro we just escaped winter'' Aubrey exclaimed, adjusting her sunglasses.

"Welcome to my life," Nika said smugly, stretching her arms above her head. "This is nothing. Croatia in the summer? So muchh worse."

Aaliyah wiped her forehead. "How do you even function in this?"

"You adapt," Nika shrugged. "Or you melt. Your choice."

As they waited for the van, Paige pulled at the collar of her white thermal shirt, regretting her outfit choice. It clung to her lightly toned frame, her usual confident stance faltering as beads of sweat slid down her temple.

"Bro, why did I wear long sleeves?" she muttered.

Azzi, standing beside her, her mahogany-colored bodycon dress hugging every line of her figure, looked up from her coconut water with a small smirk. "Because you're bad at planning?"

Paige’s gaze flickered over Azzi, her jewelry glinting under the sun, her soft curls shifting with the warm breeze. "That’s bold coming from someone who packed an entire bag just for snacks," Paige shot back, eyeing Azzi’s tote full of protein bars and neatly stacked fruit containers.

"It’s called being prepared. Unlike you," Azzi replied smoothly, taking a slow, deliberate sip of her drink, her lips glistening slightly.

"Get a room," Nika chimed in, grinning. Paige shot her a glare, but her cheeks tinged slightly pink.

A commotion near the curb caught their attention. A small dog had somehow wriggled out of its owner’s grasp and was now zipping between people’s legs. Caroline took a startled step back, nearly knocking over Aaliyah. Aubrey, laughing, reached down to try and help the frantic owner, only for the dog to dart between her legs and send her stumbling forward. The entire team burst into laughter as Aubrey caught herself just in time.

"Yo, we’ve been here for five minutes, and we're already causing problems," Paige said, shaking her head.

"We? It's all you, P" Aaliyah corrected with a smirk.

Finally, their van pulled up, and they gathered their things. The inside was blissfully air-conditioned, the seats plush and comfortable. Geno slid into his spot near the front with a tired sigh.

"Alright, listen up," he started. "Don’t act like idiots, don’t get lost, and for the love of God, don’t make this harder than it needs to be."

"So basically, don’t be Paige?" Nika quipped.

"Exactly," Geno deadpanned.

The team erupted in laughter as Paige held a hand to her chest, feigning offense.

"Damn, y’all turning on me already? We haven’t even checked in yet!" Paige pouted.

"Oh, we’ve been turned," Aubrey teased, elbowing her.

The van ride was filled with chatter, jokes, and a couple of loud gasps when the driver nearly grazed a motorcyclist in traffic. By the time they arrived at the hotel, the sun was beginning to dip below the horizon, painting the sky in shades of orange and pink. The building itself was sleek and modern, its towering glass windows reflecting the city lights.

Inside, the air-conditioning was heavenly. The lobby was decorated with polished marble floors, plush chairs, and a massive chandelier that hung like a centerpiece, scattering light in delicate patterns across the ceiling.

A staff member approached with welcome drinks, small fruit-infused waters. Paige took a sip and immediately frowned. "Why does this taste… healthy?"

Azzi took hers without complaint, giving Paige a pointed look. "Because it is."

The team flopped onto the lobby couches, exhausted but still buzzing with energy. Paige took the opportunity to poke at Azzi’s arm. "Hey. You happy now that you got your coconut water?"

Azzi side-eyed her but nodded. "Very."

"Tragic. No Shirley Temples," Paige lamented dramatically. "And no Gatorade. What kind of establishment is this?"

"One that has coconut water," Azzi teased, taking another sip just to taunt her.

At the elevator, Paige dramatically insisted on being the one to press the button. She kept missing, hitting every floor except the one they needed. "Okay, okay, I got it now," she muttered before accidentally hitting the emergency stop.

The elevator jolted, and everyone screamed.

"PAIGE!" Nika yelled.

"SHIT, MY BAD" Paige yelped, frantically pressing more buttons. "This is why I don’t do responsibility!"

The doors finally opened, and the team stumbled out, some laughing, some shaking their heads. In their distraction, Paige and Azzi nearly entered the wrong room—536 instead of 535.

"Uh, I don’t think this is our room," Azzi mumbled, eyeing the door.

Just as Paige was about to argue, the door to 536 cracked open, revealing a confused businessman in a robe. "Can I help you?"

Paige threw up her hands. "Shit, wrong place"

Azzi tugged her away, barely holding back a laugh. "You're a natural, really"

Inside their actual suite, the view of the city stretched before them, lights twinkling in the distance. The suite was stunning—big windows, a sleek kitchen, a minibar stocked with weirdly expensive snacks, a large bathroom with a walk-in shower, and a balcony perfect for lounging.

Aubrey turned on the TV and was immediately met with an overly dramatic Spanish soap opera. The entire team stared at the screen as a woman slapped a man across the face, screaming something in rapid Spanish.

"This is already the best thing I’ve seen all trip," Nika declared, grabbing a seat.

"Yo, why are they all so stressed" Aaliyah added, squinting at the screen.

Aubrey rolled her eyes and reached for her phone. "I’d rather watch IG reels than watch someone dramatically fall down a staircase for five minutes."

"You have no culture," Paige sighed, shaking her head.

Azzi left for the bathroom as the team continued to bicker about whether or not the soap opera was a masterpiece. Paige stretched out on the bed, watching Azzi disappear with an amused smirk.

"That’s what I thought," she whispered to herself, her lips curving into a satisfied grin as she watched Azzi walk away, hips swaying just enough to make Paige rethink her definition of self-control.

The room had quieted after the flurry of activity, now just a soft hum of energy lingering in the air. Aubs, Lili and Nika had already finished getting ready and left the suite, leaving Azzi and Paige alone to finish their ''preparations''.

Azzi was still in front of the mirror, brushing through her tangled curls, the soft brush gliding through her hair as she pulled it into a messy bun. Her fingers worked carefully, but her mind wandered. She could feel Paige’s eyes on her even though she wasn’t looking. That feeling—warmth spreading over her skin—made her hands tremble slightly. Focus, Azzi, she told herself, but it was hard to ignore the way Paige’s presence made her pulse race.

The sound of the shower running stopped, and Paige finally emerged, the familiar scent of her body wash trailing in her wake. Her hair was still damp, a towel wrapped around her waist. Azzi caught herself staring for a moment, her eyes flicking quickly to the floor. Get it together, she thought, but her heart was already beating faster.

As Paige crossed the room, Azzi didn’t even notice she’d gotten so close until she felt warm breath on her neck.

Paige’s lips brushed her skin in a slow, lingering kiss. “You look too damn good right now,” she whispered, voice low and teasing. Azzi gasped, a soft tremor running through her body. She froze, brushing the thoughts of the outfit aside.

“Paige,” she whispered sharply, but there was no heat in her voice—just the familiar mix of teasing and slight panic. “Stop, we don’t have much time.”

Paige only smirked, her lips barely grazing the side of Azzi’s neck before she leaned in further. “I know, but you make it hard not to want to do…this.” She took her time, as though savoring every moment, letting Azzi feel every inch of her teasing touch.

Azzi let out a small laugh, but it was breathy, uncertain. Why does she always do this to me? she thought, pushing herself to turn around, her eyes locking with Paige’s.

Before she could react, Paige swept her into her arms with surprising ease, lifting her by the ass and dropping her onto the bed with a light thud. Azzi’s breath hitched, an involuntary laugh escaping her lips as she landed in Paige’s lap.

“See? Told you. You make this whole getting ready thing impossible,” Paige teased, her lips brushing against Azzi’s ear as she whispered something so cheesy it made Azzi roll her eyes.

“I swear, Paige,” Azzi said, but the heat in her cheeks betrayed her. “We need to wait until after dinner, we can't do this right now” she added with a playful tone, though her voice faltered slightly.

Paige grinned, but reluctantly pulled away. “Okay beautiful, I'll be patient.” she said, but the mischief in her eyes told Azzi it wouldn’t last long.

As Azzi stood up, Paige’s hand landed on her ass with a playful smack that made Azzi jump slightly. She turned back to face Paige, feigning shock. “Really?”

“Uh-huh,” Paige answered with a shrug, her smirk only growing. “What? You like it.”

Azzi rolled her eyes, turning back to pick her outfit for the evening. She chose a silk, creamy white skirt that fell elegantly to her ankles. The fabric shimmered in the light, giving off a luxurious feel. She paired it with a corset-style crop top that showcased just the right amount of skin. The back of the top revealed her smooth, athletic back, making her feel bold and confident as she slipped into the black sandals.

But Paige—being, well, Paige—wasn’t going to let it slide that easily. She crossed the room to Azzi, unable to resist. Before Azzi even realized what was happening, Paige kissed her deeply, pulling her in with the force of a storm. Azzi melted into the kiss, a sigh escaping her lips as she felt herself become weak under the heat of it.

Azzi pulled back, breathless but smirking. “You need to get dressed too,” she said, though her voice was softer, filled with something Azzi didn’t quite know how to name.

Paige pouted dramatically. “Can’t I just wear my bathrobe?” she teased, a mischievous glint in her eyes.

Azzi raised an eyebrow, trying to mask the sudden flurry of emotions. “Hurry up, Paige,” she said, voice just a little breathy, but not enough to give herself away.

Paige sighed, but eventually grabbed her clothes. She slipped on a soft, creamy white knitted button-up and matching shorts that looked effortless but still cute. Her white sneakers completed the look, and Azzi couldn’t help but stare, her gaze lingering just a second longer than necessary. Focus, Azzi, she reminded herself, but it didn’t seem to work.

“Do you like?” Paige asked, noticing the way Azzi’s eyes had gone soft.

Azzi didn’t answer immediately. Her heart beat harder in her chest, and she bit her lip, trying to hide the way her body was betraying her. “Yeah,” she said, though her voice was barely above a whisper. She turned away to hide the blush creeping up her cheeks, but it didn’t work.

Paige grinned, but then she did something Azzi wasn’t expecting. She picked up the infinity necklace she’d given Azzi and placed it gently in her hands. “Put this on,” Paige said quietly.

Azzi hesitated, but then she nodded, feeling the warmth of Paige’s hands still on the necklace before she moved to sit on the stool. She could feel Paige’s eyes on her, and her skin tingled. As she put the necklace on, Paige spritzed some cologne into the air, the scent filling the room as she headed to the bathroom.

When Paige returned, she caught sight of Azzi wearing the necklace, her eyes softening. “You look beautiful,” she whispered, her voice low and sincere.

Azzi smiled shyly, her heart fluttering at the words. But then, with a mischievous glint in her eyes, she teased, “Now, put on some rings.”

Paige groaned dramatically but indulged her, slipping the silver rings onto her fingers. Azzi, without saying a word, took her hand and started playing with Paige’s fingers. The soft touch sent shivers up Paige’s spine, and she found herself struggling to keep her cool. Focus. Just a few more minutes.

Azzi stopped playing with Paige’s fingers and eyed them for a moment. “You’ve been biting your nails again, haven’t you?” she asked knowingly, her tone light but playful.

Paige froze, not expecting Azzi to notice. “Uh, stress,” she muttered quickly, but Azzi was having none of it.

After a moment of quiet, Azzi’s lips curled into a smile. She kissed Paige’s cheek lightly, her touch almost making Paige forget what they were doing. “We need to hurry,” Azzi said, the softness of her voice sending a shiver through Paige’s body.

As they finally got ready to leave, the playful tension between them felt like it was about to boil over. Azzi was already heading toward the door when Paige reached out and grabbed her arm, halting her in place.

“Wait,” Paige said, her tone mischievous. Azzi raised an eyebrow, confused.

Paige glanced over her shoulder at a group of teenage boys standing just behind them. “You’re not going in yet,” she said, almost too seriously for how playful she was trying to sound. “Let them go first.”

Azzi blinked, still not fully understanding. “What’s wrong?” she asked, turning back to the boys who were oblivious to the conversation.

Paige leaned in, lowering her voice to a whisper. “Trust me,” she said. “I don’t want them looking at you like that.”

Azzi’s heart skipped, and she could feel the warmth spread across her face. She tried to laugh it off. “You’re such a dork,” she said affectionately, though the flutter in her stomach gave her away.

Paige puffed out her chest like a dramatic superhero. “What? I got my spidey senses”

Azzi rolled her eyes but couldn’t help but smile. “Okay, Spiderman, I’ll let you do your thing,” she said, stepping back to let the boys take the elevator first.

As the elevator doors opened and the boys filed in, Paige turned to Azzi, her grin wide and devilish. “Besides,” she said, her voice teasing, “it’s just a good excuse to be this close to you.”

Azzi’s heart skipped a beat. She loved how Paige could always turn any situation into something playful. “You’re so cheesy,” Azzi said, but her smile said everything Paige needed to hear.

As Azzi stepped inside, she felt the weight of Paige’s eyes on her, burning through every exposed inch of skin like a slow, deliberate caress. A blush crept across her cheeks, but she didn’t shy away. Instead, she lifted her chin, a slow smile tugging at the corners of her lips as she watched Paige—who was, quite literally, devouring her with her gaze.

Paige let out a low whistle, dragging her eyes over Azzi’s outfit, lingering shamelessly on the sloping curve of her back, the delicate dip of her waist, the way her silk skirt clung just enough before flowing down. She bit her lip, tilting her head as if she were truly contemplating something profound.

“You're sweet,” Paige said, grinning wide, but her voice had that low, rough edge that made Azzi’s stomach tighten.

Azzi hummed, stepping into Paige’s space, close enough that their noses brushed, her smile widening when she felt Paige suck in a quiet breath. Their eye contact was molten—charged, teasing, but something softer lingered underneath it, something that made Azzi feel like she was being seen in a way no one else had ever managed before.

Paige’s fingers found their way to Azzi’s sides, rubbing small, slow circles, her touch feather-light but sending a ripple of heat up Azzi’s spine. She leaned in further, breath warm against Azzi’s cheek, her voice turning into something that dripped sin.

"And so sexy."

Her hands slipped lower, barely grazing the soft fabric of Azzi’s skirt.

"Completely hot for me."

Azzi bit her lip, eyes half-lidded as she tilted her head just slightly, watching the way Paige’s gaze flickered from her lips to her throat and back up again.

"Oh, and did I forget to mention that you're sexy?" Paige murmured, her grin sharp, predatory.

Azzi, already feeling the warmth bloom over her skin, turned around just to glare at her—but the playful smile tugging at her lips gave her away. "You're so self-assured, it's almost too cute."

Paige smirked, looking entirely too pleased with herself. “Oh, I know. I get that a lot.” She winked, sauntering after Azzi into the elevator like she hadn’t just made the temperature in the room rise ten degrees.

Azzi shook her head, trying to compose herself, but it was impossible—not when Paige followed her inside and casually leaned against the elevator wall like she hadn’t just spent the past two minutes lighting her on fire. The doors slid shut, and suddenly, it was just the two of them, the soft hum of the elevator the only thing breaking the thick silence between them.

Paige sidled closer, their shoulders brushing. Her fingers found their way to Azzi’s waist again, this time pressing with just a little more intention. “Seriously though,” she murmured, her voice still teasing but tinged with something deeper, “how do you manage to make a simple silk skirt look like it belongs on a runway?”

Azzi let out a soft laugh, rolling her eyes. “It’s called having good taste.” She tried to sound unaffected, but her pulse betrayed her, hammering against her ribs.

Paige raised an eyebrow, feigning shock. “Oh, so it’s not because you’re a goddess in disguise?” She tilted her head, eyes gleaming with mischief. “Guess I’ll have to start calling you ‘Divine.’”

Azzi snorted, covering her mouth in a failed attempt to hide her laughter. “Did KK tell you to say that one?”

Paige grinned. “Maybe”

And then Paige did something—something that shattered the teasing, the pretense, the space between them. She lifted a hand, brushing a loose curl away from Azzi’s face, her touch slow, deliberate. Her fingers lingered just beneath Azzi’s ear, tilting her chin up slightly. The moment stretched, the air in the elevator crackling, until Paige finally leaned in and kissed her.

It was soft at first—just a press of lips, the kind that whispered a thousand unsaid things. But then Azzi made a small, breathless sound, and Paige deepened it instantly, her hand slipping to cup the back of Azzi’s neck, fingers tangling in her hair. Azzi melted into her, her hands fisting the fabric of Paige’s shirt, pulling her in. Paige tasted like warmth and something faintly sweet, and Azzi swore she could feel her smirk against her lips when Paige bit down, just enough to make her shiver.

The elevator dinged, snapping them out of their daze, but neither of them moved for a second. Paige’s lips hovered over Azzi’s, her breath a little uneven, her pupils blown wide.

“Well, damn,” Paige finally murmured, looking dazed and way too pleased with herself. “That was… something.”

Azzi swallowed, trying to collect herself. “Shut up,” she muttered, but her flushed cheeks betrayed her.

The doors slid open, and before they could step out, a familiar voice cut through the moment.

“Look who’s finally here,” Aubrey called, arms crossed, her signature smirk firmly in place. “Took you long enough.”

Azzi groaned, covering her face with one hand. “We were just waiting for the elevator to clear out.”

Paige, still high off the moment, turned to Aubrey with a cocky grin. “Yeah, we were just being… considerate.” She waggled her eyebrows, crossing her arms like a proud little peacock. “Didn’t want to make a scene.”

Aubrey arched a brow, unimpressed. “Uh-huh, sure.”

Paige took Azzi’s hand, lacing their fingers together before tugging her toward the waiting Uber. As they climbed into the car, Paige greeted the driver with an over-exaggerated Spanish accent that made Azzi close her eyes and let out a deep, suffering sigh.

“Por favor, Paige,” Azzi muttered under her breath, covering her face.

Paige just laughed, reaching over to squeeze Azzi’s thigh. “What? I’m trying, okay?”

Azzi huffed but couldn’t hide her smile. “Better not talk the rest of the ride.”

Paige leaned in, voice dropping into a lower, silkier tone. “Oh, I’ll be quiet.” Her fingers trailed absently over Azzi’s knee, up her thigh. “But just so you know, I’ll be thinking very loud things.”

Azzi exhaled slowly, turning to look at her, meeting her gaze with something equally unreadable and heated. “Be patient,” she murmured, her voice smooth and full of promise.

Paige’s eyes darkened, her grip tightening just slightly.

As the Uber pulled away, the air between them remained thick with anticipation, every small touch and glance charged with what was to come.

As the Uber ride came to a close, the atmosphere inside the car felt strangely calm, but also electric, as if both Paige and Azzi knew something was brewing. Paige fidgeted in her seat, trying to come up with something clever to say. Her failed attempt to thank the driver in Spanish was met with an awkward chuckle from Azzi, who was doing her best to hide her grin.

“Uh, gracias mucho?” Paige said, her accent more like a bad impersonation than anything else.

Azzi couldn’t help but laugh, her voice dripping with amusement. "You are so bad at this."

The driver smiled kindly, barely suppressing his own laughter. "De nada."

Azzi grabbed Paige’s hand, tugging her out of the car. The touch was casual, but the way her fingers lingered against Paige’s palm sent a slow burn through her veins. "Come on, let’s get inside before you offend anyone else," she muttered under her breath, still laughing at Paige's Spanish mishap.

As they approached the entrance of the restaurant, Aubrey was already waiting outside, her black jacket gleaming under the streetlights. She turned, giving them a once-over with a smirk plastered on her face. “Took you two long enough. What were you doing? Making out in the backseat?”

Paige rolled her eyes, but Azzi just shook her head, a soft blush creeping up her neck. She squeezed Paige’s hand again, tighter this time, almost like a warning. "We were just…talking," Azzi said, her voice soft but amused.

Talking. Sure.

They turned toward the restaurant, a fancy Argentinian place with grand windows that let the soft glow of golden light spill out onto the sidewalk. The air was thick with the intoxicating scent of sizzling meat and spices, the rhythm of tango music humming faintly in the background. It was romantic, charged, the kind of place where secrets slipped out between sips of red wine and stolen glances.

Inside, the restaurant felt like something out of a film. The dark wood of the furniture contrasted with the warm, amber lighting, creating a cozy yet sophisticated ambiance. Chandeliers dripped from the ceiling, their crystals reflecting the soft light and casting delicate patterns on the polished floors. The low murmur of conversation filled the space, punctuated by laughter, by the clinking of silverware against fine china.

Azzi adjusted the hem of her skirt, the smooth fabric hugging her hips in a way that made Paige's breath hitch. The movement was subtle, but deliberate, as if she knew exactly what she was doing. Her toned legs caught the light with every step, the bold brown lip color enhancing the sharp cut of her cheekbones. Paige wanted to look away, should have looked away, but she couldn’t. Especially not when Azzi turned, her eyes meeting Paige’s with that quiet, knowing smile that always managed to unravel her from the inside out.

Paige, in contrast, had a more laid-back look, but she still exuded an effortless sexiness. The cream-colored button-up she wore was unbuttoned just enough to hint at the toned muscle beneath, the knitted white shorts showing off her powerful thighs. There was something unfair about how easily she carried herself—relaxed, confident, like she had nothing to prove, even when she was actively unraveling Azzi with just her presence.

As they walked up to the long table where the rest of the team sat, Caroline glanced up from her phone, her expression unreadable before she smirked. A knowing smirk. Ayanna and Ice were caught up in conversation, but Aubrey? Aubrey was watching them like a hawk, one eyebrow raised in suspicion.

At the end of the table sat Geno and CD. Geno, always impatient, already had a menu in his hand, looking mildly annoyed, while CD casually flipped through the wine list. As soon as they approached, Geno couldn’t resist commenting.

“Nice of you two to join us,” he said dryly, his voice laced with sarcasm. “I was starting to think you got lost on the way.”

Paige, still feeling the heat of Azzi’s lingering touches, just rolled her eyes. "Paige did. Her Spanish skills almost started an international crisis,” Azzi quipped, settling into her seat with a smirk.

CD snorted, clearly not surprised. “I believe that.”

Dinner was a blur of teasing and laughter, but underneath it all, there was something else. Something simmering just beneath the surface. Paige felt it every time Azzi brushed her fingers against her wrist, every time her leg pressed a little too firmly against hers under the table. And then there was the way Azzi watched her—like she knew Paige was squirming, like she was enjoying it.

Paige shot Azzi a playful glare but couldn’t help laughing. "Hey! I was trying," she protested.

“And yet, the effort is still embarrassing,” Aubrey chimed in, causing everyone to burst into laughter.

The team settled into their seats, and the ordering chaos began. Aaliyah, being vegetarian, carefully asked the waiter about meat-free options, which led to a bit of confusion. Ice stared at the menu with the focus of someone trying to decode an ancient manuscript, squinting at the options. Nika had an unintentional disaster with her attempt at Spanish, accidentally ordering a completely different dish than intended, much to her embarrassment. Paige’s attempt was so bad the waiter just blinked at her in confusion, causing everyone at the table to erupt into laughter.

Azzi sighed, her voice dripping with affection. “She’ll have what I’m having. And two Shirley Temples.”

Paige grinned, nudging Azzi’s leg under the table, her touch lingering. “That’s my girl,” she murmured, voice low, teasing.

Azzi rolled her eyes but didn’t fight the smile tugging at her lips. "I don’t know why I bother with you sometimes."

Paige smirked, shifting slightly so her knee pressed firmly against Azzi’s. "Because you love me," she whispered, her lips barely moving, but the words sent a slow burn straight to Azzi’s stomach.

As they waited for their food, the conversation continued flowing with ease. Nika teased Paige relentlessly about her failed Spanish, Caroline gossiped about a recent WNBA trade rumor, and Ice shared a ridiculous story about someone (probably Paige) tripping over their own feet during practice. Aubrey chimed in with a dramatic reenactment, complete with exaggerated gestures, making everyone laugh.

Then, unexpectedly, a small boy approached Azzi shyly, holding out his phone. "Excuse me, are you Azzi Fudd? Can I get a picture?"

Azzi smiled warmly, her eyes softening as she crouched down to meet the boy’s gaze. “Of course!” she said, her voice gentle, her presence radiating kindness.

Before she could stand back up, Paige slid into the frame, grinning. "Can I be in it too?" she asked, her voice playful.

The boy nodded, and a quick photo was snapped. As soon as it was over, the boy ran off without a word. Paige couldn’t help but pout. "Wow. Guess I’m just a background character now."

Azzi laughed, her fingers trailing up Paige’s thigh under the table, her touch slow, deliberate. Paige’s breath hitched, her grin faltering just slightly. "Don’t worry," Azzi murmured, her voice velvety smooth, "You’re still my main character."

When the food arrived, the table quieted for a moment as everyone dug in. The team made a half-hearted attempt to thank the waiters in Spanish, though Paige’s attempt this time was miraculously correct, earning a proud nod from Azzi.

But Paige barely tasted her food, too focused on the way Azzi kept touching her—her fingers brushing against Paige’s wrist, her nails dragging lazily along the seam of Paige’s shorts, the way her lips curved into a smirk every time Paige shifted in her seat. It was intoxicating, the heat building between them with every glance, every accidental brush of skin.

Azzi leaned in, her lips just a breath away from Paige’s ear. “You’re squirming.”

Paige exhaled sharply, trying to act unaffected, but her voice came out just a little too breathless. “You’re playing dirty.”

Azzi tilted her head slightly, her cheek brushing against Paige’s, her voice nothing but a whisper. “And you love it.”

Paige swallowed hard, her fingers tightening around her fork. She did love it. And Azzi knew it. She always did.

Paige leaned in close, her breath warm against Azzi’s ear, voice low and dripping with intent. “Meet me in the bathroom. Now.”

Azzi didn’t respond right away. She didn’t have to. The look in Paige’s eyes was enough to make her stomach flip, her skin prickle with anticipation. She took a slow sip of her drink, waiting for the perfect moment before casually pushing back her chair. She didn’t need to look to know Paige was already walking ahead, the confident sway of her hips an unspoken command.

Inside the dimly lit restroom, Paige leaned against the counter, fingers tapping idly against the cool marble. The mirror reflected the flicker of mischief in her darkened gaze as she watched Azzi step in and quietly shut the door behind her.

“Took you long enough,” Paige murmured, voice thick with something deeper, something dangerous.

Azzi barely had a second to react before Paige grabbed her by the waist and pulled her into the nearest stall, locking the door with a sharp click. Their mouths collided, all heat and urgency, lips parting instantly as Paige backed Azzi up against the stall door. Azzi gasped into the kiss, fingers digging into Paige’s biceps as she felt the solid strength beneath her shirt. Paige’s hands were everywhere—gripping her hips, sliding up the curve of her waist, teasing just under the hem of her top before skimming over bare skin.

Azzi’s curls tumbled free as Paige yanked her hair tie loose, fingers threading through the soft, unruly strands. “God,” Paige murmured against her lips, voice breathless, reverent. “You have no idea what you do to me.”

Azzi smirked, despite the racing of her heart. “Oh, I think I have some idea.”

Paige groaned, her teeth catching Azzi’s bottom lip as she trailed open-mouthed kisses down her jaw. She pressed in closer, her knee slipping between Azzi’s thighs, the heat of her body sending a shiver down Azzi’s spine.

“You wore this just to torture me, didn’t you?” Paige whispered, lips brushing over the pulse thrumming wildly in Azzi’s throat.

Azzi exhaled sharply, nails dragging down Paige’s back as she grinned. “And what if I did?”

Paige’s grip tightened, hands sliding lower, fingers ghosting over the waistband of Azzi’s skirt. The teasing was excruciating, deliberate, every touch designed to make Azzi squirm. Her breathing hitched as Paige’s hands inched further, knuckles grazing her bare skin.

Azzi’s voice was low, commanding. “Take your rings off.”

Paige hesitated for a fraction of a second, then obeyed. She turned to the tiny metal table beside them, her fingers gliding over the cool surface as she slid the rings off one by one. The absence of them made her touch softer, more intimate as she returned her hands to Azzi’s hips, pressing her firmly against the door.

Each kiss was deep, slow, lingering, sending a coil of heat twisting tighter in Azzi’s stomach. Paige was thorough, mapping out every sensitive spot with lips, tongue, and teeth until Azzi was barely holding onto the railing for support. Paige’s hands were bold now, fingertips dragging up the inside of Azzi’s thighs, teasing just at the edge of where she wanted her most. Azzi let out a quiet, desperate whimper, hips canting forward as Paige smirked against her skin.

“You’re already this worked up?” Paige teased, voice thick with satisfaction. She nipped at Azzi’s collarbone, tongue following the mark she left behind.

Azzi let out a shuddering breath, grabbing Paige’s wrist and guiding her exactly where she needed her. “Shut up and do something about it.”

Paige chuckled, a dark, wicked sound, before obliging, her fingers slipping beneath fabric, touch deliberate and slow. Azzi’s grip tightened on Paige’s shoulders, nails biting into skin as she struggled to stay quiet, her breath coming in short, needy gasps.

Then, just as Paige’s fingers pressed deeper, the bathroom door creaked open.

“You two in here?” Ice’s voice rang out, teasing, entirely unimpressed.

Paige stilled. Azzi squeezed her eyes shut, biting back a groan.

Paige was the first to recover, clearing her throat as she called out, “Yeah, just—uh, fixing Azzi’s skirt!”

A pause. Then Ice scoffed. “Right. Try not to traumatize anyone, please.”

Silence settled between them as they listened to the door swing shut.

Slowly, Azzi let out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. Paige leaned back, a wicked grin tugging at her lips. “We’re really bad at this.”

Azzi smoothed down her skirt, cheeks flushed. “Yeah, no kidding.”

Paige reached for her rings, sliding them back onto her fingers—except one was missing.

Azzi twirled it between her fingers, slipping it onto her own hand before Paige could take it back.

Paige raised an eyebrow. “You stole one.”

Azzi’s lips curled into a smirk, holding up her hand. “You didn’t seem to mind.”

Paige exhaled a laugh, shaking her head as she traced a finger over the ring now snug on Azzi’s hand. “It’s cute, though,” she murmured, voice softer now.

Azzi looked up at her, something unspoken passing between them. She didn’t say anything—she didn’t have to. Instead, she took Paige’s hand and intertwined their fingers, the stolen ring cool against her own skin.

They took a moment to adjust their clothes, trying to smooth out any signs of what had just transpired, but the energy between them was undeniable. Paige washed her hands, glancing at Azzi in the mirror. Their eyes met, and the connection between them felt even stronger than before. Their touches were softer now, but no less intimate.

They exited the bathroom, moving back to the table with a newfound sense of confidence, but there was an undeniable buzz in the air between them. CD immediately gave Azzi a once-over, a skeptical look in her eyes. “You okay? You look out of breath.”

Azzi, her cheeks flushed but her voice steady, cleared her throat. “I—uh—got caught up… with the toilet?” she said, trying to cover up the obvious.

Caroline snorted, eyeing the ring on Azzi’s finger. “Did you go shopping in there?”

Azzi tried to explain, but no one bought it. The teasing began, and the night carried on with more laughter and banter.

As dinner wound down, Paige took out her phone, pretending to be serious. “I need to do my Duolingo lesson,” she announced with mock-urgency.

Azzi rolled her eyes, a smile tugging at her lips. “That’s really what’s on your mind right now?”

Paige nodded with a grin. “Gotta keep my streak alive.”

Before they left, Paige casually turned to Aubrey. “Oh, by the way, don’t go into our room tonight,” she said, her voice light, but there was an unspoken promise behind the words.

Azzi couldn’t help but smile at the hidden meaning, the night ending with a perfect blend of teasing and desire.

With a gentle thud, the door to their hotel room closed, and the air was heavy with a tension that neither of them was yet brave enough to confront but that they could both feel in their veins. Everything felt a bit too close, a bit too right, because of the heat that twisted beneath the skin.

Paige tossed the key card onto the nightstand with a lazy flick of her wrist, stretching her arms over her head just a bit too dramatically, her shirt riding up to reveal a sliver of her toned stomach. She knew exactly what she was doing—knew how to work the room, knew how to make Azzi’s mind race without even trying. Azzi stood by the door, biting her lip, eyes glued to Paige’s movement. It was almost unfair how easy it was for Paige to command attention, even when she wasn’t trying. Her shirt was wrinkled from dinner, unbuttoned just enough to make Azzi want to reach over and pull it off, fingers itching for the excuse. Her baggy shorts clung to her hips, the way she wore them not out of sloppiness but out of knowing exactly how good it looked. The sight made Azzi’s breath hitch—Paige had the ability to look casual and sexy all at once.

Azzi couldn't stop staring. She felt exposed, despite being fully clothed in her tight skirt that fit her like a second skin. She was acutely aware of every single inch of her body, the way the fabric hugged her curves, the way the strap of her top had slipped off her shoulder, just enough to hint at what was underneath. She hated how much it made her want to crawl into Paige’s space, kiss her senseless, and let the tension boil over.

Paige caught the glance, that flicker of something raw in Azzi’s eyes. She smirked, a predatory glint in her gaze. "You look like you have something on your mind." Her voice was teasing, but there was something deeper in it, something that sent a rush of heat straight to Azzi’s core.

Azzi’s response was a scoff, but it came out breathy, almost like a sigh. "You’re annoying."

Paige took a step closer, the distance between them shrinking, and for a moment, Azzi was frozen in place. “Yeah?” Paige’s voice dropped low, teasing. She reached out, fingers grazing the exposed skin of Azzi’s shoulder, deliberately slow, a soft caress that made Azzi’s heart skip. Her touch lingered, trailing down the curve of Azzi’s collarbone, and Azzi felt a shiver run down her spine.

“Then why are you staring at me like that?”

Azzi bit her lip, fighting the urge to respond to Paige’s challenge. The problem was that Paige was so damn good at getting under her skin, and Azzi had never been able to resist her. "I—" Azzi’s throat went dry, and she cursed herself for not being able to form a coherent sentence. It was as if Paige was a magnet and Azzi was the iron, and there was nothing she could do but pull closer.

Before Azzi could recover, Paige leaned in just a bit more, close enough that Azzi could feel the heat of her breath on her skin. The faint scent of Paige’s cologne, sweet and warm, filled her senses. It was intoxicating. And the worst part? It made Azzi want more.

“Cat got your tongue?” Paige murmured, lips barely grazing the shell of Azzi’s ear, her fingers now tracing the strap of Azzi’s top, teasing her with that soft, barely-there touch. Azzi's pulse quickened, her skin tightening under the contact. It was torture. Pure, delicious torture.

Azzi’s voice was barely a whisper when she managed to speak. “Shut up.”

Suddenly, Azzi was unable to handle it any longer. She grabbed Paige's shirt collar and pulled her closer, planting a forceful kiss on her lips that was anything but tender. It was frantic and ravenous, and although neither of them was yet ready to acknowledge their desires, they both knew exactly what they wanted.

Paige's breath quickened, her hands pulling Azzi closer, fingers slipping beneath the hem of her skirt. The heat between them was undeniable, each kiss igniting something deeper, something that felt like it could consume them whole.

Azzi’s hands gripped Paige's shoulders, her nails digging in slightly as she pressed her body against hers, eager, desperate for more. Every kiss was a new rush, a wave they couldn't stop riding.

Paige broke away, her lips brushing Azzi’s ear, her voice low, filled with raw sincerity. "I want to make you feel everything," she whispered, the words soft but charged, a promise that both thrilled and calmed her. "Let me show you how much you mean to me."

Azzi’s breath hitched, her eyes closing at the sound of Paige’s voice, so tender and unwavering. It was the trust, the way Paige made her feel seen, like she could let go and still be safe. Her heart beat faster, not just from the fire between them, but from the depth of what they were sharing.

With a quiet gasp, Azzi tugged Paige back into another kiss, her hands finding the back of Paige’s neck, pulling her closer as if she couldn't get enough. Paige’s touch was gentle yet insistent, moving with purpose as she let her hands roam, each touch sending a spark through Azzi’s veins.

With her fingers pushing into the waistband, Paige pulled back just enough to rip her skirt off before Azzi was able to argue, throwing it away as like it were nothing. Paige's voice was raw and full of yearning as she exclaimed, "God, you're so fucking hot." Before her lips touched the delicate flesh of Azzi's inner thigh, she spent no time in sitting between her legs and sending scorching, open-mouthed kisses down Azzi's body.

Azzi's body shook with anticipation as her breath caught. She would have gone crazy just from the sensation of Paige's kisses on her skin. She whimpered, her hands clutching the covers underneath her as her body pleaded for more. "Paige…please."

With a sly smile, Paige drew back just enough to meet Azzi's gaze. "You know what you want, don’t you?" Her eyes, black with hunger, deceived her, even though her voice was playful. The unexpected, wonderful pressure caused Azzi's back to arch off the bed as she moaned and flicked her tongue against her clit.

Azzi moaned, her voice shaking, "Fuck, don't stop." Paige didn't need any more encouragement. She sucked her clit into her mouth, her tongue working in a rhythm that made Azzi see stars. The pleasure was so great that Azzi had to bite her lip to keep from screaming.

As Azzi gasped, her body clenched around her as Paige inserted a finger inside her, just as she was about to lose control. Azzi begged, "I need… all of you" Azzi pleaded, her passion haze preventing her from speaking clearly.

Paige, as always, was too slow for Azzi’s liking, taking her time, teasing her, savoring every inch of Azzi. She pushed her finger in and out, her mouth never leaving Azzi’s clit, and Azzi’s hands shot out, gripping Paige’s hair, pushing her closer, desperate for more.

The pressure was building, her body trembling with need. Paige’s fingers worked in perfect time with her mouth, sending Azzi’s mind spiraling into a frenzy of sensation. '' Fuck, you’re gonna make me—” Azzi cut herself off, her voice a strained moan as she felt the pressure building in her stomach, like a tightening coil just about to snap.

Paige pulled back just enough to look up at Azzi, eyes dark and lust-filled. “C'mon, tell me what you want'' she demanded, her voice husky.

Azzi couldn’t speak, her chest heaving, her body already on the edge. Instead, she just nodded, her fingers tightening in Paige’s hair, pulling her back down. Paige grinned, knowing exactly what Azzi needed, and dove right back in.

And just when it felt like Azzi was going to lose herself completely, there was a sharp knock on the door.

Both of them froze, hearts pounding in their chests, breath ragged.

Another knock, louder this time.

“Hotel service,” a muffled voice called from the other side.

Azzi groaned, her head falling back against the door as she stared at Paige in disbelief. “Are you fucking kidding me”

Paige, despite the situation, let out a breathless laugh, clearly amused by the timing. "Is it breakfast already?"

Azzi, desperate to get her bearings, shoved Paige off her, both of them scrambling to compose themselves. Paige straightened out Azzi’s top with a wink. “Guess we’re gonna have to pick this up later.”

Azzi shot her a look, her cheeks flushed with a mix of embarrassment and desire. “You’re impossible.”

Paige just grinned, unbothered. “And yet, you’re still here.”

Azzi rolled her eyes, but the flush on her face betrayed her. With a dramatic sigh, she walked over to the door, pulling it open.

The hotel worker, a middle-aged woman with a knowing smile, glanced between them, eyebrows raised in amusement. “¿Interrumpo algo?” she asked, her Argentinian accent thick, but the playful tone was unmistakable.

Azzi, still reeling from the moment, tried to shake her head. “No, uh, just—”

The worker raised an eyebrow, stepping in with a tray. “Ah, bueno. But you two, much tension. Like telenovela. Hehe.” She winked. “Cuidado, the walls thin.”

Paige, catching onto the joke, grinned like a cat that just ate the canary. “Oh, I like her.”

Azzi, mortified, covered her face with a pillow as the worker left with a chuckle. Paige, of course, couldn’t help but smirk. "Looks like we have an audience,"

Azzi shot her a glare, but it was hard to stay mad when her heart was still racing, her body still craving more.

“Shut up,” she muttered, throwing a pillow at her.

The bathroom door clicked shut, the sound lost in the heavy humidity that clung to the air, thick and warm like the quiet between them. Azzi stood in front of the mirror, her hands hesitating at the waistband of her skirt. She could feel Paige’s gaze behind her, that knowing stare that felt like it was pulling her skin taut, like she was being seen in a way she couldn’t quite escape.

When Azzi let the skirt slip from her body, it fell with a soft rustle, brushing against her legs before it hit the floor with a light thud. The air felt different now—charged, like a spark waiting to catch fire. Paige didn’t move right away, but Azzi could feel her presence, could sense how her breath had shifted, how the rhythm of it became heavier, deeper. Azzi wondered if Paige was counting down the seconds until she crossed that line they both had been dancing around for too long.

But then, without warning, Paige’s laughter broke through the silence. It was warm, easy, that signature laugh of hers that always managed to make Azzi’s heart flutter. “Really?” she teased, her voice low and playful, but Azzi heard the edge beneath it. She heard the way Paige was fighting back something more, something deeper.

Azzi smirked, her lips curling with that tiny bit of satisfaction she always felt when she managed to get under Paige’s skin. “Yeah, really,” she replied, the words softer than she intended, carrying a weight she wasn’t ready to acknowledge.

Before she could think too much about it, Paige was there, her hands settling on Azzi’s hips, grounding her in a way that made her knees weak. Azzi’s breath caught in her chest, the heat of Paige’s touch seeping through her thin shirt, searing her skin. Her body was suddenly aware of everything—every brush of Paige’s fingers, every second that stretched between them.

Azzi reached for the collar of Paige’s shirt, pulling her forward with a quiet force. Her breath was uneven, her chest rising and falling with each shallow inhale. She wanted to speak, wanted to say something to break the tension that was wrapping tighter around them with every passing second, but all she could do was let her fingers trace the outline of Paige’s jaw, the same jaw she had spent countless moments staring at, memorizing.

Paige didn’t say anything. Instead, she leaned in, her lips brushing just below Azzi’s ear, sending a wave of shivers down her spine. “You’re always making me clean up your messes,” Paige whispered, the words so casual, so teasing, but Azzi could hear the tension simmering beneath them. She could feel it in the way Paige’s fingers tightened at her waist, how she was barely holding herself back.

Azzi’s heart thumped louder, and she didn’t know whether it was the proximity or the pull of desire that had made it so hard to think. She leaned into Paige’s touch, their bodies aligning, feeling the soft press of Paige’s chest against her back, the warmth that wrapped around them both. She wanted to say something, but words felt like they would shatter the moment, so she kept quiet, her mouth curving into a half-smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “Maybe you like it messy,” she murmured, her voice barely above a whisper, thick with unspoken meaning.

For a moment, there was nothing but the sound of their breathing, the space between them charged with something Azzi couldn’t name. She felt Paige’s gaze burning into her, felt the way it held her, a weight that made her feel both exposed and more herself than she’d ever been.

Paige’s hands slid from Azzi’s hips to her back, strong and certain, and before Azzi could say anything, she found herself being lifted effortlessly, her feet leaving the ground in one smooth motion. Paige’s touch was sure, and yet Azzi could feel the smallest hesitation in her, like she was waiting for Azzi to pull away, to stop her.

But Azzi didn’t pull away. She let herself be carried, letting Paige place her gently on the bathroom counter, the cold surface beneath her a sharp contrast to the heat that still lingered between them. Azzi felt a flush crawl up her neck, and when she looked up at Paige, there was something vulnerable in her expression, something that made her stomach tighten with an unfamiliar emotion.

Paige bent down slightly, her forehead grazing Azzi’s, and in that moment, Azzi could feel the unspoken words hanging between them. Paige was so close, close enough that Azzi could taste the faintest hint of her perfume, could feel the warm breath on her lips. “Careful, you’re going to break something,” Azzi whispered, teasing to break the tension, but even in her words, there was something deeper, something she couldn’t hide.

Paige’s lips twitched with a smile, and Azzi knew she was trying to hide the way her heart was racing, too. “Well, you should’ve picked somewhere taller,” Paige shot back, the laughter in her voice thick with affection, her fingers gently brushing a stray lock of hair from Azzi’s face. It was tender, deliberate, like she was touching something fragile and precious.

Azzi closed her eyes for a second, letting the softness of Paige’s touch sink into her skin, feeling the slow burn of desire and affection roll through her all at once. She wasn’t sure what it was about Paige that always made her feel both more alive and more vulnerable, but she wasn’t sure she cared anymore.

Her fingers traced the edge of Paige’s shirt, the fabric soft under her touch. It felt like a promise—like something she couldn’t quite keep her hands off of. "I don’t mind being close to you,” Azzi said quietly, her voice steady but her heart beating louder than ever.

Paige leaned in, brushing a kiss across Azzi’s lips—gentle at first, a sweet connection that deepened as the seconds ticked by. There was nothing rushed about it.

Azzi’s hands moved quickly, pulling Paige’s shirt off in a single motion, her fingers working with ease, revealing the skin she had grown to adore. She took in the sight of Paige’s toned body, her gaze lingering on her abs with something like admiration, but also hunger—something deep and unspoken.

Paige’s breath hitched, her eyes flicking up to meet Azzi’s. “Eyes up, pretty'' she said, her voice a little breathier than usual.

Azzi smirked but nodded, her gaze meeting Paige’s. “I can’t help it,” she said quietly, voice full of softness but teasing too.

Paige’s heart thudded in her chest at the sound of Azzi’s voice. There was something so easy about being with her, but at the same time, it was more complex than any simple connection. It was deep, a pull that Paige couldn’t quite explain, and maybe didn’t want to.

They kissed again, slower this time, the heat between them growing with each passing second. Azzi shifted slightly, her ass resting on the counter, and Paige noticed how her panties were almost slipping off, a small detail that sent a wave of awareness through her. She couldn’t help but reach down, her hand brushing over Azzi’s hips with a gentleness that belied the storm building between them.

Azzi’s breath quickened, and a soft moan escaped her lips as she tilted her head back slightly, giving herself to Paige completely. The connection between them was undeniable, electric.

Paige couldn’t help but grin, her voice soft but deliberate. “You know, we came in here to shower, right?”

Azzi’s eyes fluttered open, and her face softened, almost frustrated. “I don’t want to. I need you, all of you. I need to feel you, Paige,” she said, her voice barely a whisper, but the emotion in it was raw and real.

Paige didn’t say anything. She simply lifted Azzi again, cradling her in her arms as she moved toward the shower. She could feel Azzi’s hands on her neck, gripping tightly, and her lips against her skin, but all she could think about was getting Azzi to relax, getting her to feel taken care of.

Once inside the shower, Paige lowered Azzi onto the stool, brushing her hands over her arms in a gentle, reassuring motion. “Want the stool?” Paige teased, her voice light. “Your knees must be sore from all that princess treatment.”

Azzi laughed softly, her shoulders relaxing slightly. “I’m not complaining,” she said, her voice a mix of playful and vulnerable. “But yes, I’ll take it.”

Paige turned on the shower, adjusting the temperature carefully. Azzi moved to press the button herself, but the water shot out too hot, causing her to yelp and pull back.

“Ow,” Azzi muttered, but before Paige could react, she was already there, hands gentle but firm on Azzi’s shoulders. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you burn yourself,” Paige murmured, her voice full of concern.

“I’m fine, just a little… surprised,” Azzi laughed, trying to wave it off, but Paige could see the way her body tensed. She smiled, brushing Azzi’s damp hair away from her face.

“I’ll take care of you, okay?” Paige said softly, her hands running over Azzi’s back in soothing motions.

Azzi nodded, her eyes closing as she leaned into the touch. “I know.”

After grabbing the upscale shampoo with a vanilla aroma and warming it in her palms, Paige started rubbing it into Azzi's scalp. She moved slowly and deliberately, as though she had endless time to take care of her.

Azzi sighed deeply, her tension slowly melting away under Paige’s touch. “I love you” Azzi whispered, her voice soft and filled with gratitude.

Paige smiled, her lips brushing against the back of Azzi’s neck as she worked. “I’ll always take care of you, Azzi,” she murmured, her words quiet but firm.

Azzi’s fingers slowly ran through Paige’s hair, soft and slow, her hands tracing the curve of Paige’s face, feeling the warmth of her skin. They shared a smile, small but full of meaning, the silence between them comfortable and full of trust.

Paige moved to Azzi’s legs, her hands working in gentle motions as she massaged more shampoo into her skin. Azzi’s legs stretched out, her body slightly arching to give Paige more access, and Paige took a moment to admire how beautiful Azzi was, the way her body responded so naturally to her touch.

“Is this okay?” Paige asked softly, her voice careful as she moved closer to Azzi’s knees.

Azzi nodded, her lips curling into a small smile. “More than okay” she whispered.

Paige kissed her legs slowly, each motion filled with reverence and care, and when she reached Azzi’s knees, she worked with extra caution. Azzi’s eyes fluttered closed, and she kissed Paige’s knuckles in silent appreciation.

The moment was sweet, but also electric, filled with the quiet understanding between them. Paige was lost in the rhythm of it all, in the beauty of taking care of Azzi, and in the trust Azzi had placed in her.

Azzi pulled Paige in closer, a small bubble of laughter escaping as Paige blew some foam into her face, and they kissed again, soft and slow, letting the warmth of the shower and the connection between them take over.

The steam from the shower lingered in the air as Azzi stepped out, her skin glowing, droplets of water tracing down her shoulders, the curls of her damp hair framing her face in soft waves. She shivered slightly, stepping onto the bath mat, her bare feet pressing into the plush fabric as she glanced over at Paige. Azzi’s eyes, soft and full of warmth, met Paige’s gaze with a mischievous gleam.

“Should I shower you too?” Azzi asked, her voice light and teasing, but there was something deeper in her tone—an unspoken affection hidden beneath the playful words.

Paige, just finishing up rinsing herself, shot Azzi a grin over her shoulder. “It’s okay. Your knees are begging for a break,” she replied, her voice a soft tease as she stepped out from under the showerhead. She grabbed a towel, patting it across her face, then tossed it over her shoulder.

Azzi tilted her head, smiling warmly. “I could still do it,” she countered, her voice light but insistent. There was something about taking care of Paige that she just couldn’t shake.

Paige shook her head affectionately, wiping the water from her neck. “You’re always trying to take care of me,” she said, walking over to Azzi, wrapping her arms around her waist. “ I’ve always got you in first place. Even before Shirleys, and you know I don't play about those”

Azzi’s eyes softened at the mention of Shirley Temples, a drink they always shared during their late-night hangouts. “You really put me before Shirleys? I'm flattered” Azzi teased, her smile both playful and touched by the sentiment.

Paige chuckled, her lips brushing against Azzi’s hair as she lifted her effortlessly. “ Yeah. And if you don’t stop with the teasing, I might just prove it again,” she whispered, lifting Azzi into her arms, her muscles flexing as she did. Azzi’s laughter filled the air, soft and full of affection as she wrapped her arms around Paige’s neck.

“Paige, you’re way too strong for your own good,” Azzi said between soft giggles, resting her head on Paige’s shoulder as she was carried.

Paige flashed a grin, her heart thumping at the simple touch. “I’ve got all the strength for you, you know that,” she whispered back, carrying Azzi to the bathroom door. “Just give me a minute, okay?”

Azzi nodded, her hands lightly gripping the back of Paige’s neck as she was gently set on the bathroom counter. Paige then walked off, disappearing into the bedroom before returning with a fluffy towel in hand, the one that had Olaf’s face on it. It was a soft, plush white towel, the edges trimmed with a light blue that matched Paige's eyes, and the image of Olaf smiling widely at the corner of the towel made Azzi’s heart skip.

“Your Olaf towel again?” Azzi said teasingly, arching an eyebrow.

Paige gave her a look, rolling her eyes but with a smile. “Not mine, that's yours” she replied. “It’s cute.”

Azzi couldn’t help but smile, her affection for Paige making her chest tighten. She loved the silly little things about Paige—the way she never cared about how others might judge her, the way she loved without a care. It was these details that made Azzi’s heart feel so full. Paige carefully wrapped the towel around Azzi’s shoulders, her fingers lingering on Azzi’s skin, soft and deliberate, as if she was savoring every second of the touch.

Paige then began drying Azzi’s skin, her hands gentle as she moved the towel over Azzi’s arms, chest, and legs. She was so careful, her touch deliberate but affectionate. The warmth from the towel was comforting against Azzi’s cool, damp skin, and Paige made sure each movement was slow, almost reverent.

As her hands moved down Azzi’s arms, Paige paused for a second, leaning in to place a soft, lingering kiss on Azzi’s bare chest. Her lips were warm against the soft skin, and Azzi’s breath caught in her throat. Paige’s touch was always like this—careful, attentive, as if she was trying to memorize every curve, every line. The soft sound of the towel against Azzi’s skin was the only noise in the room, and Paige’s gaze was fixed, her eyes filled with admiration.

“You’re beautiful,” Paige whispered, not even realizing she said it aloud. But the words felt natural, like they were meant to be spoken, like they were true in every sense.

Azzi smiled at her, the blush that had crept onto her cheeks now feeling more like a warmth from within, rather than embarrassment. She could feel Paige’s hands as they continued drying her off, each move making her feel more at ease, more cared for. When Paige wrapped the towel tightly around her, ensuring she wouldn’t be cold, Azzi let out a small sigh of relief, feeling a bit lighter from the care she was receiving.

Paige then moved to get a stool for Azzi, placing it by the sink. “Here, this should help,” she said, gesturing to the small wooden stool that was just tall enough for Azzi to sit comfortably and dry her own hair. Azzi nodded, giving Paige a grateful smile before sitting on the stool.

“I’ve got my routine,” Azzi said with a wink, her voice soft but teasing, as she ran her fingers through her hair, untangling the curls.

Paige stepped away from her, heading toward the shower. She turned the water on, feeling the heat rush over her body, washing away the last remnants of the day. The water cascaded over her, steam rising around her as she let herself relax. Paige took her time, her fingers running through her own wet hair, shampooing and conditioning it slowly.

After a few minutes, she stepped out, grabbing her boxers from the drawer. They were a soft, faded navy blue, and they were a bit worn in the waistband. She tugged them on quickly, feeling the familiar, cozy fit against her skin before slipping into her plush, white robe. The robe had a soft, velvety texture, almost like the towel, and the sleeves were long and cozy, brushing over her hands as she adjusted it around her waist.

Paige walked back into the bathroom, noticing Azzi was still sitting on the stool, her damp hair now tangled in soft curls, her towel still loosely hanging around her shoulders.

“You’re killing me, Azzi,” Paige said with a grin, her eyes softening when she saw Azzi’s relaxed expression. “You know that?”

Azzi smirked but kept her gaze gentle. “I know, Paige,” she said softly, almost as if the teasing had taken a backseat to something more meaningful in the air between them.

Paige leaned down to kiss Azzi’s temple, the softest brush of lips against warm skin, and Azzi let out a small, content sigh. It was moments like this—soft, quiet moments—that made her heart swell.

Azzi then reached for her toothbrush, her eyes bright. “Can you put some toothpaste on for me?”

Paige smiled, her hands moving quickly to grab the tube of toothpaste. “Of course,” she said, squeezing the perfect amount onto Azzi’s brush. Azzi’s smile was soft, thankful, as she took the brush and began brushing her teeth. Paige did the same beside her, the two of them standing together, side by side, brushing their teeth in comfortable silence. The sound of the bristles against their teeth filled the air, but there was a peaceful stillness between them.

When they were finished, Azzi, ever the thoughtful one, looked over at Paige. “Can you put some lotion on me?”

Paige nodded, moving to grab the lavender-scented lotion from the counter. The creamy lotion smelled faintly of flowers and calm, and Paige warmed it in her hands before applying it slowly to Azzi’s skin. Azzi stood before her, her towel now dropping to the floor, the soft sound of the fabric brushing the tiles making Paige’s heart skip.

Paige’s hands moved carefully over Azzi’s body, starting from her lower legs, the soft pressure of her touch lingering as she worked the lotion into Azzi’s skin. She moved up slowly, her hands rubbing the lotion into her thighs with tender strokes, the scent of lavender filling the air as she kissed Azzi’s legs, each kiss soft and lingering, a quiet act of affection.

As Paige moved higher, she kissed Azzi’s stomach, placing a sloppy kiss over her belly button piercing. Azzi smiled at her, the playful teasing from before melting away in the heat of the moment. Paige chuckled softly. “You know, that piercing’s kind of cocky,” she teased, the words playful yet affectionate.

Azzi smirked. “It suits me,” she replied softly, her smile wide and full of warmth.

Paige finished applying the lotion, and Azzi stood before her, her body fully revealed, glowing in the soft bathroom light. Paige’s gaze lingered for a moment longer before she wrapped Azzi in a soft towel again, making sure she was warm. The moment hung between them, peaceful and full of affection.

The warm, dimly lit hotel room buzzed with the soft hum of the air conditioning, cooling off the heat of their hectic day. Paige and Azzi had finally settled into the cozy bed, the blankets tangled around them from the chaotic moments they’d shared. The air smelled faintly of lavender and fresh sheets, a calm contrast to the wild adventures they’d experienced together in the past few hours.

Azzi was propped up against the headboard, her dark curls tumbling over her shoulders, the light from the bedside lamp casting a soft glow on her skin. Her robe, the fluffy white one with tiny pastel pink flowers that Paige had gifted her, was draped around her like it always was when she was trying to relax. Azzi’s fingers absentmindedly played with the delicate tie of the robe, twirling it between her fingertips as her eyes focused on the balcony beyond the open window.

Paige, lying beside her, stretched out lazily, her fingers brushing against Azzi’s knee. The faintest smile played on her lips as she studied her. "You know," Paige started, her voice low and teasing, the mischievous glint in her eyes making it clear she was about to say something bold, "I could fuck you on that balcony."

Azzi rolled her eyes, clearly tired but with that sarcastic edge she always had. She let out a sigh, her voice a mix of exhaustion and amusement. "Sure, Paige, right after I finish climbing Mount Everest." She glanced at Paige, her lips curling into a half-smile. "Really thinking you can convince me after all this?"

Paige chuckled, the sound deep and rich, and flopped back onto the bed beside Azzi. She didn’t even wait for a response before sliding under the covers, dragging Azzi down with her. Azzi huffed but let herself be pulled, her body curling into Paige’s, resting her head on her chest. She reached up, tugging at the lapel of Paige’s robe, clearly needing something to distract her from the exhaustion that was slowly creeping in.

Paige, not one to ever miss an opportunity for affection, already had her hand slipping between Azzi’s legs, the soft touch of her fingers trailing dangerously close to where Azzi’s body had already started to warm up.

Azzi tensed instantly, swatting Paige’s hand away with a sigh. "Seriously, Paige?" she muttered under her breath, though her voice held no real anger—only the slight irritation that comes from being teased too much when you just wanted to rest.

Paige smiled to herself, slightly annoyed at the rejection, but still, the playful spark in her eyes didn’t fade. She gave up for now, lifting her hand to check her phone when it buzzed against the nightstand. Azzi, ever the curious one, reached for it before Paige could even react, grabbing the phone and handing it over with a soft chuckle.

Paige took it from her with a raised brow. “Ice,” she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "I wonder what she wants now."

She opened the text from Ice, rolling her eyes as she read aloud, "The waiter found a ring on the bathroom floor. Figured it was yours."

Azzi snorted. "Of course it was. A ring? Really? That’s what they’re bothering you with?"

Paige, still amused, fired back a quick response. "Yeah, those are mine. Tell them to give them to Aubrey, please. I don’t need any more reminders of my less-than-classy behavior."

Azzi laughed at that, but Paige’s voice turned serious for a moment. "Seriously, though, they’re yours, Azzi. But let’s never talk about this again."

Before Azzi could say anything, Paige’s phone buzzed again. "Ugh, Ice again," Paige groaned, rolling her eyes. She opened the new message to find a teasing remark from Ice.

"Well, if you didn’t just leave your rings on the bathroom floor… honestly, I'm still mentally recovering from whatever happened in there. Sleep well, though."

Paige’s lips twitched into a smile, her fingers typing a reply with a smirk. "Go to sleep, Ice. You’re starting to sound like Kamorah"

Azzi, her head still resting on Paige’s chest, could barely contain her laughter at that, her eyes lighting up at the back-and-forth banter between Paige and her friend. But before she could comment, another buzz interrupted them. Paige glanced at the new message, her expression shifting to one of slight annoyance before softening into understanding.

"It’s Aubrey," she murmured, quickly reading the message aloud. "Aubrey wants to come in to grab her charger."

Azzi, still nestled on Paige’s chest, mumbled something unintelligible, clearly too tired to care about Aubrey’s arrival. Paige glanced down at her, brushing a strand of hair away from Azzi’s face as she typed her response to Aubrey. “Yeah, she can come in. We’re not doing anything.”

After a moment of silence, Azzi finally fell asleep, her breathing soft and steady. Paige watched her, her chest swelling with a mixture of pride and love as she gazed at the woman she’d spent so much time with. Her body was still, her chest rising and falling with every gentle breath. Paige smiled softly, taking her hand and kissing each knuckle lightly, the tenderness of the gesture almost making her heart ache.

Azzi shifted slightly in her sleep, her legs instinctively finding their way over Paige’s waist, making her body settle deeper into the bed. Paige shifted uncomfortably under the weight, but she didn’t mind. If Azzi was comfortable, so was she. She couldn’t help but admire the peaceful expression on Azzi’s face as she rested.

For a moment, Paige forgot about everything else, just letting herself enjoy this moment of quiet with Azzi. The world outside was distant—nothing mattered except the soft warmth of Azzi’s body pressed close to hers.

That’s when Paige remembered. Her Duolingo streak. She groaned inwardly. Azzi’s even breathing was almost lulling her to sleep, but Paige didn’t want to lose her streak. She grabbed her phone, trying not to disturb Azzi’s peaceful rest, and opened the Duolingo app.

Just as she started to focus on her lesson, Aubrey quietly entered the room, her soft footsteps barely making a sound on the carpet. She paused by the bed, glancing at Azzi, then at Paige. With a knowing smirk, Aubrey gave Paige a quick dap, clearly aware of what had transpired.

"I don’t wanna know what happened in the bathroom," Aubrey muttered, almost to herself. She handed Paige the ring that had been found earlier. "But here’s your ring. The waiter was pretty traumatized, by the way. Poor guy probably won’t ever look at another bathroom the same way again."

Paige could only laugh softly at Aubrey’s words, grateful that her friend was never one to judge. Aubrey grabbed her charger from the table, then turned to leave. As she headed for the door, she stopped short when she noticed something on the floor by the bed.

Aubrey’s eyes widened a little. "Uh, Paige… your girl’s bra is on the floor. Do you, uh… need to handle that?" she asked, her voice tinged with both amusement and confusion.

Paige, still half-laughing and half-dazed from everything, didn’t even move. Azzi’s body was sprawled over her, and she couldn’t shift without disturbing her. “Just leave it. I’ll get it later,” Paige said, grinning sheepishly.

Aubrey gave her a quick, knowing look, then turned to leave. "You two are lucky. Goodnight.'' She paused at the door and added, "By the way, don’t forget to take care of that ring situation."

When the door clicked shut behind her, Paige let out a deep breath, looking down at Azzi again. Her heart swelled, and she couldn’t help but think to herself how lucky she was. How blessed she felt to have Azzi in her life, someone she could grow with, love with, and share her life with.

After a moment, Paige reached for her devotional book from the nightstand. She flipped it open, finding a page titled Growing Together in Love. She read the scripture aloud quietly to herself, her voice soft and reflective.

“My goal is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”

Paige closed the book with a sigh, her heart full as she prayed silently, asking for strength in her relationship with Azzi, for guidance and growth as a couple. When she finished, she gently brushed another curl away from Azzi’s face, letting her fingers linger for just a moment longer than usual.

With one last look at Azzi, now softly curled into her, Paige turned off the light and closed her eyes, drifting into a peaceful sleep herself.

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