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gojo would kill your work husband. but if he were the work husband, that's a different story
REAL!! heâs such a hypocrite because if someone mentioned you had a work husband, his entire world would stop and he wold devise the absolute worst plans to make sure that your co-worker, everyone at your job, and everyone in the next building over knew that he was happily committed to youÂ
but if he is the work husband, heâs very........ dutiful in his role. thereâs a loose office/lawyer au in my head where satoru is your secretary, and for all intents and purposes, your personal assistant, and heâs good at his job, but mostly because he considers his job to be pleasing you. he has coffee for you when you arrive, he moves your schedule around without you asking, he has answers to questions before you can even ask them, he has fresh flowers on your desk weekly, pokes into your meetings to pretend to hand you a file thatâs really just maybe a single document in a manilla folder with candy on top of itâheâs made himself your business, your partner; heâs made himself irreplaceable, and he loves to remind everybody of that fact.Â
heâs also extremely loyal. sure, he could day a weekâs worth of work done in about a day, but that doesnât mean heâll just use his talents for anybody. heâs your secretary, so heâs at your beck and call, and everyone knows it. they know heâs the best, but also that heâs off limitsânot because you wonât share him, but because satoru wonât let himself be shared.Â
he also extends his duties beyond work, of course. when he hands you a print out of your schedule for the day and youâre confused by the three-hour block of time you have in the middle of the day, satoru just helps you shrug your coat of your shoulders and smiles, âthatâs for the lunch date you have with me, of course!â hanging up your coat in your closet for you, âiâm paying, see you soon, sweets.â and because youâre great at your job, and satoru helps you be great, nobody really questions when the two of you have time for a 13-course tasting menu at 1pm on a tuesday afternoon. and if they did, all satoru would say that you two had a lovely dateÂ
#anonymous#he's like donna from suits but worse because he's like if harvey were donna LOL#i have soooooo much to say about him#he doesn't really Have to work he's a nepotism baby supreme#but he met you maybe in undergrad? and he's been obsessed w you since#he knows youre a workaholic so he's dutifully sat by your side all these years through college through grad/professional school#and when you told him you got to hire your own assistant he was the very first applicant#because getting paid to spend his days with you and take care of you? he was already doing that for free might as well make it official#everyone in the office knows satoru loves you except you honestly#he probably has his own masters/JD but elects to be your assistant anyway bc that's so much more fun#what he Really wants to be a househusband but first he's gotta ask you out and propose and all that good stuff (cue him rolling his eyes#and going on about formalities and boring systems and blah blah blah)#also in the office au in my head: nanami (also senior partner) higuruma ofc <3 beloved (managing partner) and TOJI!#WALK WITH ME!#its honestly probably satoru's influence that gets toji into law... as someone who so feverently broke it in the past#idk maybe there's a megumi situation that makes gojo be like yk if ur this good at skirting/breaking the law youd probably be half decent#at enforcing it... or at least helping other people get around it too#and so lawyer toji is born#does he screw around w the rich people who r stupid w their money? absolutely#but you nanami and higuruma just let it be bc he brings in those settlements better than anybody else....#hmmm... i kinda wanna make megumi somebody's associate but also..... yuuta.....#i think i just like sticking yuuta in a tie if im being real#but anyway... satoru is your Work Husband and everyone knows he wants to be your real husband#but they just let it slide bc rumour has it even tho hes just a secretary hes got equity in the firm?? and besides that his heart eyes give#away his hopeless devotion from a mile away#the day you actually start seeing somebody outside of work... oh theyre in for Trouble#satoru x reader#him dragging you out of ur office late at night and u protesting so he just. puts u over his shoulder#and ur telling him to let u down but he's insisting u go home and then nanami pops out of his office#and ur like wait nanami this isnt what it looks like but he's so dead in the eyes when he just sighs
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How it feels when my professor uses me as a good example in front of the whole class
#straight up graded my work live#announced it was the entire class' first 100%#and my first of many#god i hope i can live up to the standard she just gave me#i have test anxiety now#along with my normal social anxiety#college#medical assistant student#health professionals#healthcare industry#cat memes#good example#college student
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I don't know how much longer I can work at a Christian university before I lose my fucking mind completely I have got to get the FUCK out of here bro
#The academic culture here is atrocious and the way they want me to teach is so not my style#ENG comp one classes with 100 kids should be illegal#I get graders and assistants but it's still hard to give good feedback and help any of them on a personal level#Also my classroom style is not lecture heavy but I've had to adapt bc of the class size#Some students and staff are sweet and not hateful zealots but others are evangelicals with 0 brain cells#Like. I shouldn't have to tell a student that yes they can use the Bible as a source if it's relevant but it cannot be their only source#You need. Peer reviewed research.#The approach I usually take is 'hey so it's called faith because you don't need proof to be devoted to God. But in this paper I need you#To rely on what you can see and provide evidence for' and that usually works but I am so tired. Of even having to address it#I've been applying for jobs at local community colleges but I keep getting turned down#Maybe it's because I don't have enough professional development in my resume I don't fucking know#I just think I will snap someday if I keep working here#I've already located the like. Three gay people in the department and made friends thank God#Keeps me sane#But fuck bro#I'm so depressed#I don't feel like I'm doing good by the students#I don't feel like I'm intellectually stimulated. Or using my talents#I don't feel good about this job#And they pay like garbage#Some of the students are sweet and want to learn and clearly get something out of my class but many do not.#Woof
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the things wanting to go to college will do to a person. iâm willing to do too damn much just to study fuckin psychiatry
#iâm willing to move to florida and become an assistant to my aunt whoâs a real estate agent#just to go to a decent college#there are other options but all of them involve increasingly weird and odd jobs#nothing weird just like. wedding photography and beekeeping.#iâm gonna become a fuckibg beekeeper just to professionally call bitches depressed
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Help with Statistics Homework to Build Confidence in Stats Class
Statistics is an essential course for all disciplines including business, social science, engineering, and data science. Statistics, in particular, is among the most difficult subjects that many students struggle with. Challenges often arise from its mix of theoretical and practical aspects of the subject, mathematical computations involved, and precision needed in the analysis of data. It is not easy to develop confidence in statistics, but with the right approach, tutorials, resources, and change of mindset it is possible to master statistics rather than to fear it. In this article, you will discover how students can increase their confidence in statistics class by seeking the right help with statistics homework and how quality assistance can keep them one step ahead.
Why Statistics Feels Intimidating and Why Confidence MattersÂ
Statistics is intimidating for many students, often due to a few core challenges:
Complexity and Abstract Concepts: Statistics involves abstract thinking which is more complex than algebra or calculus, requiring proficiency in concepts such as probabilities and statistical modeling. Most students often find it difficult to identify which statistical tests to use, or when to use a t-test instead of an ANOVA or comprehend what p-values and confidence intervals interpret.
Data Analysis Requirements: When it comes to statistics the goal is not to solve a problem, but to analyze and interpret data accurately. In the case of students who are not conversant with data manipulation tools such as Excel, SPSS, or R this can be very challenging. Application of these software tools creates an added level of difficulty making it more challenging for students to carry out their analysis.
Pressure of Application: Statistics indeed has a purpose and is not just limited to classroom teaching. It requires students to apply knowledge in solving difficult, real-life issues. It can be intimidating at times, and thatâs pretty understandable because there isnât usually a single correct answer, but rather different perspectives and interpretations based on data.
Due to these difficulties, statistics hinder the confidence of even the most disciplined learners. Due to lack of confidence, may result in procrastination, reduced performance as well as a tendency to not seek assistance from other fellow students and professors. Utilizing the right resources and guidance, students can regain confidence and develop a strong foundation in statistics.
The Role of Homework Help in Building Confidence
To obtain confidence in a statistics class one of the best things to do is to get reliable experts for high-quality help with statistics homework. Expert homework assistance goes a long way when it comes to simplifying complex topics, explaining confusing concepts, or demonstrating solutions that mimic real-life problems. Hereâs how it can transform a student's learning experience:
1. Focus on Tough Topics: A tutor or homework service can give explanations that match the grasping power of a student. The solutions provided by homework help experts are self-explanatory which becomes easier for students to grasp. Difficult topics are broken down into manageable parts for easy understanding and make it engaging for students. 2. Practice with Feedback: Practicing problems along with instant feedback is critical for mastering statistics. Most assignment help services provide guidance at every step along with helpful feedback to the students to see where they are wrong and advice on suitable methods to use. 3. Application of Statistical Software: Learning advanced stat software like R, SPSS, or Python is always a challenge for beginners. Assignment help services can teach students how to use them properly, with hands-on examples of coding and choosing the right statistical methods. 4. Improved Time Management and Stress Reduction: Solving statistics homework involves a lot of time and energy. With guided assistance, students are able to solve problems faster, and with less confusion thereby cutting down time and work overload. This helps them to be able to keep up with their coursework.
Our service is aimed at students who have difficulties with completing their statistics homework on their own. Here students can find helpful resources on basic and advanced statistical methods, and analysis tools, as well as useful tips for solving problems. All in all, students not only get their assignments done but also receive useful information that can help them build confidence in the subject.
Key Strategies for Building Confidence in Statistics ClassÂ
Besides using homework help, students can take specific actions to help herself or himself. Here are some effective strategies that can make a significant difference:
1. Understand the Basics Before Solving a problem
Indeed, statistics as a subject has a foundational structure; understanding the basic concepts first paves way for handling advanced concepts. Some of the key basic topics that are essential are descriptive statistics (arithmetic mean, geometric mean, standard deviation) probability/probabilities, and basic probability distributions. By mastering these basic concepts, students are in a good position to learn more complicated concepts like Inferential statistics and regression analysis.
A good source to sharpen your basic statistics knowledge is â âStatistics for Dummiesâ by Deborah Rumsey, this book breaks down essential statistical concepts in an easy-to-understand manner.
2. Use Reliable Resources and TextbooksÂ
Good textbooks and resources provide clarity.â Some highly recommended textbooks for students learning statistics include:
⢠âThe Essentials of Statisticsâ by Mario Triola: This textbook is favored in statistics courses, as the author presents all concepts in a clear and understandable manner for students to succeed in class.
⢠âApplied Statistics and Probability for Engineersâ by Douglas C. Montgomery: This book should come in handy to engineering students and it contains real-life examples and applications.
⢠âIntroduction to the Practice of Statisticsâ by Moore, McCabe, and Craig: An encyclopedic book that also features practical examples thus recommended for students in the social and natural sciences.
3. Practice with Real Data
Using real datasets can help to make statistics much more interesting. Students can sharpen their data analysis skills by practicing with the datasets that belong to their field of study. Kaggle has free datasets for all types of projects and domains so that students can execute statistical tests on real datasets and analyze the impact of their analysis.
4. Develop a Strong Support SystemÂ
Studying with friends in a group provides additional support and motivation. Students can easily study groups to solve problems, exchange ideas, and perspectives, and study material. Moreover, there are many forums and communities available online where students can join and get guidance and advice from experienced statisticians.
5. Seek Help Early and ConsistentlyÂ
This is one of the most common mistakes that students make is waiting until the last minute to complete their assignments. Engaging with homework helps experts prevent last-minute panic and enables students to strengthen their conceptual knowledge gradually and at the same time identify weak areas. This helps build confidence.
Our Statistics Homework Help Service: Building Confidence Step-by-StepÂ
For students who are in need of help with statistics assignments, our homework help service provides a reliable medium. We offer:
â˘Personalized Tutoring: Our explanations are based upon the individual abilities of the student; to help him/her solve certain questions or tasks they are having difficulty with.
â˘Assignment Solutions: We offer comprehensive solutions for your assignments and homework with post-delivery clarification support to clear all doubts.
â˘Software Support: We advise on how to utilize R, SPSS, SAS, MINITAB, Excel, and other statistical software that are widely used in statistics classes and assessments.
⢠Flexible Scheduling: We are flexible to enable the students to come for help as and when they want to.
More Teaching Aid and Assistance for Statistics Students
To supplement further help with statistics homework, here are some additional tools and resources students may find useful:
â˘StatCrunch: An online tool to perform statistical analysis with simple and versatile tools.
â˘Wolfram Alpha: An application or software that can handle statistical problems and provide a step-by-step explanation of how it was solved.
â˘YouTube Channels: There is no shortage of channels with good statistical video tutorials available on YouTube showing step-by-step examples of approaching and solving a problem pr performing statistical processes in software like R, SPSS, SAS, Eviews, etc.
Conclusion: Embrace the Journey to Mastery in Statistics
Though statistics may seem very daunting at first, with the right support and will, any student can master this important area of academics and mold themselves into confident statisticians. Getting confidence in statistics is a blend of grasping the fundamental concepts combined with continuous consistent problem-solving and having reliable expert support that can be counted upon for assistance whenever needed. Whether through our homework help service, recommended textbooks, or any additional resource, students can get over their fears, creating a definite pathway to success in statistics.
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Impact of Dummy Variables on Regression Outcomes: Econometrics Analysis Help
Introduction
In general, dummy variables in econometrics are effective tools to incorporate qualitative data into regression models. Usually taking values of either 0 or 1, dummy variables allow us to capture the effects of discrete categories (such as gender, region, or treatment) on the dependent variable. To students studying econometrics, dummy variables represent the possibility of making such categorical influences quantifiable within the standard methodologies of regression testing. These are particularly useful when analyzing data that contain not just quantitative factors but also qualitative factors such as disparity of income between different genders and the effect of government policies across various regions.
Dummy variables are very useful in econometric analysis for obtaining accurate analysis and interpretable results, as they segment data based on meaningful categories that may otherwise remain hidden. For students working on econometric analysis, learning how to implement dummy variables can simplify complex analyses and make models more instinctive. Students can take assistance from econometrics homework help experts to master different techniques that can be used in the most efficient way to set up and interpret dummy variables. This guide focuses on the basic concept of dummy variables, their use in linear regression, their importance, and their implementation using Python codes to help students in their coursework assignments.
How to Use Dummy Variables for Better Interpretability in Linear Regression ModelsÂ
Explaining what Dummy Variables are in Linear Regression
When conducting a linear regression analysis, dummy variables are used to quantify how categorical variables impact the outcome variable. For instance, we can examine the effects that the region of an individual has on his or her income. Here, the region is categorical (North, South, East, West), and by using dummy variables we obtain the binary set of indicators for each corresponding region allowing us to model the changes in incomes peculiar to these locations. If the dummy variables were not included in the equation, the regression would assume the region to be a continuous variable which is a nonsensical approach, or it would exclude this variable altogether, thus eliminating useful insights. Dummy variables solve this issue by following a binary format, where 0 or 1 are assigned to show whether that certain category exists or not. Here is a guide on performing dummy variable coding in Python, especially for simple regression analysis.
Step-by-Step Guide with Python CodeÂ
Suppose we have a dataset involving information on income, gender, and level of education. To incorporate categorical effects into the income prediction, we will incorporate dummy variables.
1. Loading the Dataset
Suppose we have a sample dataset of people's income, gender, and education levels. Weâll use the Python library pandas to load and explore the dataset:
import pandas as PD
# Sample dataset
data = pd.DataFrame({
   'income': [55000, 48000, 62000, 45000, 52000],
   'gender': ['Male', 'Female', 'Male', 'Female', 'Male'],
   'education': ['Bachelor', 'Master', 'Bachelor', 'PhD', 'Master']
})
print(data)
Now, letâs introduce dummy variables for gender and education to capture their unique impacts on income.
1. Creating dummy variables using pandas.get_dummies()
To make dummy variables, pythonâs Panda library provides an easy method. Letâs create dummy variables for gender as well as for education.
# Generate dummy variables
data_dummies = pd.get_dummies(data, columns=['gender', 'education'], drop_first=True)
print(data_dummies)
By using drop_first=True we prevent the so-called dummy variable trap which happens when all categories are included in the model leading to perfect multicollinearity. Here, the gender_Female and the education_Master, education_PhD point to each category.
1. Setting Up the Regression ModelÂ
It is now possible to fit the linear regression using dummy variables to predict income. We are going to build and evaluate the model by using the statsmodels package in Python.
import statsmodels.api as sm
# Define the dependent and independent variables
X = data_dummies.drop('income', axis=1)
y = data_dummies['income']
# Add constant for intercept
X = sm.add_constant(X)
# Fit the model
model = sm.OLS(y, X).fit()
print(model.summary())
In this setup, we include gender_Female as a dummy variable and assign it a value of 1 for âFemaleâ and 0 for âMaleâ which will be our reference category. Likewise, for education, âBachelorâ is the baseline category, with separate summy variables on âMasterâ and âPhDâ. Using the results of the constructed model, we can understand how being female as well as having higher educational standards influences income as compared to other baseline categories.
Interpreting the Results
Letâs understand how dummy variables affect the regression:
⢠Intercept: The intercept means the anticipated income for the reference category, in this case, a male with an education level of Bachelorâs degree.
⢠Gender Coefficient: The coefficient of gender_Female describes the variation of income of females from the male baseline category.
⢠Education Coefficients: The coefficients for education_Master and education_PhD indicate the income difference caused by these degrees compared to those with a bachelorâs degree.
We get insight of how each categorical variable affects the income by comparing each dummy variableâs coefficient. For instance, if the coefficient for gender_Female is negative this means, females earn less on average than males.
Looking for help with economics homework? We have the solution.
Why Choose Econometrics Homework Help for Your Assignments?Â
For students learning econometrics, especially when dealing with complex analysis using Python, our econometrics homework help service provides a smooth, expert-backed solution for mastering the subject. The service is perfect for a student in need of guidance on the application of techniques in econometrics, their accuracy, and clarity regarding the implementation of Python. With our service, you access professionals who are well-experienced both in the field of study and with the implementation of Python.
Simple Process to Avail the Service��
Starting is easy. All you need to do is submit your assignment file, which includes everything - instructions and data files if necessary for the data analysis. Our team reviews the requirements for assigning an expert and then commences writing a solution following all instructions and questions. We deliver perfectly annotated code and clear explanations so you can understand every single step and apply it in future assignments.
Solution Preparation and Key FeaturesÂ
Each solution is developed with a focus on its academic quality standards and the thoroughness of the econometric analysis performed. We use Python code for the calculations, elaborate output explanation, and relevant econometric theory to give you step-by-step explanations for a clear understanding.
Our key features include:
⢠Post-Delivery Doubt Clearing: After the solution has been delivered, we conduct free sessions to clarify all doubts.
⢠Free Amendments: If necessary, we perform free revisions for improvement.
⢠Detailed Explanations: Every solution provided is accompanied by an explanation to show how the problems are solved and the processes used.
Conclusion
Dummy variables are invaluable in the econometric model for controlling the effects of categorical data. This is where students and researchers can capture those nuances otherwise lost in purely numerical models. Students can easily create dummy variables and fit regression models using Python, getting some pretty interpretable results regarding differences across categories in their data. Being able to master these techniques will allow them to overcome complex assignments and practical analyses with confidence. Further assistance with our econometrics homework help service can provide much-needed support at crunch times and exam preparation.Â
Commonly Asked Questions
1. What If I have a hard time understanding a certain segment of the solution?
After delivery of the product, we assist with clarity on the concepts in case there is an aspect that the student did not understand.
2. Can the assignment solution be customized as per my requirements?
Absolutely. When solving each task, we strictly adhere to the instructions given in the provided assignment file so that all of them meet your individual requirements.
3. If I opt for your econometrics homework help, what is your turnaround time?
Do you have a tight schedule? We appreciate the value of time and provide several options to speed up the flow, including a fast turnaround.
Further Reading and Resources
Understanding the use of dummy variables in econometrics is very important Some helpful resources and textbooks that the students can follow are mentioned below: 1. Introductory Econometrics: A Modern Approach by Jeffrey M. Wooldridge - This textbook is highly recommended in which dummy variables are very well discussed and the concept of regression is explained with a crystal-clear view. 2. Econometrics by Example by Damodar N. Gujarati: This book contains examples and case studies; hence, it is suitable for practice. 3. Python libraries. To write a regression model, one must consider the following Python libraries: Statsmodels for an econometric model and Pandas in terms of handling data with dummy variable generation.
#Econometrics Homework Help Online#Help with Econometrics Assignments#Econometrics Tutor for Students#Online Econometrics Homework Assistance#Econometrics Assignment Help for College Students#Professional Econometrics Homework Help#Econometrics Analysis Help#Econometrics Help for Statistics Students#Expert Help in Econometrics#Affordable Econometrics Homework Solutions#Econometrics Coursework Help#Econometrics Homework Solutions Provider
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How to Progress ahead with Mathematics?
#Mathematics graduates are versatile and can find opportunities in many other industries as well#depending on their specific interests and areas of expertise. The strong analytical and problem-solving skills acquired through a Mathemati#Market Research Analyst#As a market researcher for a company#you gather data from customers and competitors#assist in developing goals and strategies#improve your customer base#and beat your competitors.#As a market researcher#you will also design surveys#formulate reports#track market trends#and present information to executives. As you gain experience#there are plenty of scopes for you to manage a team of researchers and evaluate strategies.#The Faculty of Mathematics at Poddar International College is simply outstanding and proficient. Besides#the students have bright prospects as they have the best placements here.#Financial Planner#Financial planners assist individuals and companies in managing their financial assets. They are also involved in assisting individuals wit#Developing effective financial strategies for businesses and individuals.#Setting financial goals#assessing financial risks#and helping to ensure retirement or investment plans are among their primary duties.#They help companies formulate stock market investment strategies#real estate investing strategies#and new business ventures.#There are many professional skill and soft skills enhancement sessions for the students of Mathematics at Poddar International College.#Insurance Underwriter#Insurance underwriters are the ones who#on behalf of the insurance company#evaluate
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10 Best Songs of Arijit Singh
#changed into a decent scholar#but cared greater about song#Fame Gurukul#Tum Hi Ho#His maternal uncle played the tabla#and his mother also sang and played the tabla. He studied at Raja Bijay Singh High School and later on the Sripat Singh College#a University of Kalyani affiliate.According to him he and his dad and mom decided to teach him professionally.#He was taught IndiArijit Singh was born on 25 April 1987 in Jiaganj#Murshidabad#West Bengal to Kakkar Singh#a Punjabi Sikh father and Aditi Singh#a Bengali Hindu mother. His paternal circle of relatives came from Lahore in the course of the Partition and in this we also tell about the#and his maternal grandmother used to sing.#an classical song via Rajendra Prasad Hazari and educated in tabla with the aid of Dhirendra Prasad Hazari. Birendra Prasad Hazari taught h#he started training beneath the Hazari brothers#and at the age of 9#he got a scholarship from the authorities for training in vocals in Indian classical tune.#Arijit Singh#a call synonymous with soulful melodies and heartfelt renditions#has etched an indelible mark on the Indian song panorama. Hailing from Jiaganj#West Bengal#his adventure to stardom is a testimony to raw records and unwavering perseverance. Emerging from the crucible of truth television#wherein he showcased his vocal prowess on Singh's career trajectory took a huge turn on the equal time as he have come to be an assistant t#His soar ahead arrived with the coronary coronary coronary heart-wrenching numbers âTum Hi Hoâ and âChahun Main Ya Naaâ from the blockbuste#imbued with raw emotion and a vocal range that results traversed from sensitive whispers to effective crescendos#catapulted Singh into the limelight.#His functionality to seamlessly combine classical influences with modern tunes gave beginning to a totally particular sound that resonated#Singh's repertoire is a testimony to his versatility as an artist. From the melancholic pathos of songs like âTere Binâ to the infectious p#he has examined his mettle over and over. His voice#a rich tapestry of emotions
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well i haven't spilled my guts on tumblr since i was in college but it's the platform that's felt The Most Mine thru the years, so
let's talk!
i've had a huge chip on my shoulder that i wanted off before the year ends. very bad professional experience to follow
so firstly to get ahead of the speculating, i'm not naming names or anything. some of you will puzzle out who i'm talking about, but please don't bother anyone especially not on my behalf. i've worked hard to distance myself from them the past few months. shit happens, especially when you're a dumb bitch (that's me!)
but also this person was someone i considered a close friend and it makes me uneasy to possibly direct backlash at them. "then why post about it" bc i did intermittent work for them for over a year. this is just about that. so hear me out
basically it started off fine. i initially did some commission work for good pay, then was invited to become more involved with their team. unfortunately as i became more involved with their operation it became more disorganized over time. projects started then forgotten, constantly shifting schedules, lapsing communication between roles, confusing financials, and often inconsistent if not late payments. during mid 2023 i was doing colorist work, sometimes on a one day turnaround (all while also preparing drawfee's summer merch launch). the payroll wasn't set up correctly so i wasn't paid for that work for over a year (more on that later), tho to be fair that was largely my own fault at first as i just didnt realize the payments didn't go thru lol
i always consider myself decently capable of separating friendship and coworker-ship; i run a company with 4 wonderful friends, going strong for almost 5 years. that didn't really work out in this case. by early this year our friendship was on the rocks; work issues fed into personal issues and vice versa. so as the rest of this shit plays out, we had just had our first "big fight" which i felt very bad about and added to all the upcoming tension
a huge point of friction was the fact that i really wanted to work with them to make a music video for one of their songs. i've always wanted a chance to make a music video, was confident in a concept i came up with, and even did some concept art for the idea. everyone insisted they loved the concept and that we should do it, but we kept pushing it back for various reasons. it ended up becoming a huge sticking point for my frustrations, which i tried to express productively. TLDR, we eventually got around to discussing it seriously around april.
i planned to ask for $4000 with negotiable add-on for the whole project, which was my Friend Discount price. i was offered a contract for $1000 flat rate, as they insisted that was the only budget they had for it.
don't ask me why i signed it lol. i didn't even counter offer
there was some girlmath to it: i wanted an extra 1k for a student scholarship i provide every spring and well, there it was. but if i had to guess, i saw it as something i just couldn't back down from any more. i caused these folks- my friends- a lot of problems bc i dug my heels in so deep to chase this project, so fuck it we ball
i had about 4 months to solo a 3 minute music video. they wanted it done in august so they could release it before summer ended, bc "it was a summer song". to be fair i was asked if i needed them to pay for anything extra like assistants (which i would have to find and manage) but i was so immediately overwhelmed that i didn't wanna slow down to wait on that process lol. there was very minimal communication other than brief progress check-ins every few weeks. i did everything for that project myself: the original concept, character designs, storyboards, layouts, backgrounds. i even did the editing/compositing for the final cut of the MV. the only favor i did myself was limiting the amount of it that was actually animated to simple loops and motions. hardly my best work but it was work still done
i did it all in between my full time job. i ended up having to take nearly a month away from most of my drawfee duties (with the support of the others) to make the august deadline. i only ever asked for a 3 day extension (notice given about a week in advance, around the same time i was given the final song file lol). i finished the music video at 6am on the final deadline and recorded drawfee the next day on 2 hours of sleep
but it was done, coolies. the team was very happy with the final product. honestly, without getting into it, those were a very emotionally taxing 4 months. on the professional side, i regretted agreeing to the project and especially for the dogshit rate they offered. i felt like a hypocrite- as someone who always wanted to advocate for younger artists demanding their worth in a world that's getting increasingly hostile toward creatives, i failed myself
so when i met with the manager to discuss the release plan, i told them to do whatever worked best for them as i only had one request: i wanted my credit removed from the project
tbh... like... lmao this dramatic bitch right!! but really, i decided that bad practices only breed worse business. friends or not, it was unprofessional of me to accept such a low paying job so i just didn't want my name used in association. everything felt so muddled to me and i was just really tired at this point
the manager was very understanding and then offered that i could be paid more. they said that their team "was surprised" i accepted their low rate and they would be happy to up the amount. this confused me as the initial budget seemed pretty set and at no point between april and august was i offered a better rate. i knew these guys weren't made of money. so, i declined. i didn't want to put anyone out of their means over work that was already done and agreed upon. but more importantly, i was over the whole thing and didn't want to prolong the project with a contract renegotiation. i just insisted my name be removed
they decided to use a pseudonym (which i was fine with) so they could create a story about a character who made the MV (this sounds really convoluted but i don't know how better to put it without getting specific, sorry). that way if people asked about the credit, they could speak comfortably about it without signaling that something went wrong behind the scenes. ok, kind of a silly narrative imo but whatevs. and maybe this is where i finally went truly wrong but. yolo i guess
i gave the name "D. Smithee", D as in dilfosaur and Smithee as in Alan Smithee. look it up for fun film trivia ig! was it passive aggressive of me to reference that in this context? yeah, honestly. but i thought it was kinda funny and really not that deep. if it was a problem, i have other real, non-cheeky pseudonyms i regularly use. the manager accepted it and all i had to do was wait for them to post the video and i could leave the whole experience behind me
a week later i received a message from the manager that my pseudonym had been denied by the rest of the team bc one of them got the reference. fair enough lol. however, they decided that rather than ask for a different name, the were going to make one up for me that they liked and would "fit the [story]", without asking me
and that! is when i finally snapped!
i was so tired of giving them concessions at this point and having a credit made up for me without any input from me felt genuinely violating and unethical. i started to Panic bc of how stressed i was, and asked for my overdue payments (aka the $500 still owed on the MV, and the colorist rate from a year prior that was never paid even tho i reported it in january) to be scheduled ASAP as i was leaving the work discord immediately
i finally told them off for exploiting me throughout the months while i kept trying to just be nice and finish my contact cleanly. in return i was told that it was unfair to say that as i agreed to everything- i accepted their cheap rate and denied further payment so that was all settled, and it was ok to change my credit without my consent bc i "said they could do whatever with the release". i called bullshit, ended the convo as kindly as i could, and cried lol. they agreed to ditch the pseudonym and just give no credit. that night was the last i heard from anyone on that team
and the real kicker?
august came and went. then september, october... and they never released the music video
and i don't know why, because i was never contacted about it. i've been removed from the picture entirely i guess. 4 months and boatloads of stress. just. up in smoke. i don't know what i expected honestly
it's hard to not take everything that happened personally and as done in bad faith. i really do, honestly. i've had plenty of shitty deals in my almost 10 year art career, but it hits different from people you saw as friends. but to the point of "why not keep it private", i have never felt so disrespected as a professional as i did this past year. i can toy with money and credits and other formalities all i want, but my work- my ideas, my labor, my effort- is still so important to me. i felt like the biggest idiot for doing so much work, pouring so much of myself into a piece for someone's use, for what has amounted to nothing
but more importantly i hated myself for undervaluing my work, even if initially i thought this person was a trusted friend. money is not really an issue for me- drawfee is my main job and i am fine and comfortable. it's so important to pay artists appropriately but i often undersell my own work bc i value the collaboration and passion between creatives more than the reward. i think a lot of artists tend to feel the same, and it often makes us easy to take advantage of. it's so difficult to find the balance between passion and making a fair living, and i think there's some shame within ourselves when artists choose to prioritize that passion
i wanted to finally get all this off my chest bc i was ashamed of every choice i made. things like this happen all the time i'm sure and hiding these mistakes only make it easier for it to happen to other people
tldr always value your work and protect your passion from people who just see it as a product. and don't give cheeky pseudonyms i guess lol
(and again pls don't bother anyone involved about this. a lot of chaos has left my life as i moved past all this, and this is me closing a door without opening new ones hopefully lol)
this shit was truly
so ass.
but i'm moving past it now
but on a nicer note. outside of all of this nonsense, i made lots of good memories this year. i'm truly so grateful to the many wonderful people in my life who keep me going even when i fuck up big time!
and thank you to all of you strangers who, despite everything, give me the time of day. especially if you read this whole thing. you're a real one :')
happy new year!
#getting personelle#reflecting about some shit#thank u for reading or not reading just thanks for sticking around ig
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â Synopsis: Nerd!Jeonghan becomes the unwitting target of the jocks teasing when his glasses break. But luck is on his side when your dad owns an ophthalmology consultancy. â WARNINGS: Bullying. â Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3
You were popular, the kind of popular that had people always surrounding you, especially the athletes from college. Your days were a whirlwind of social interactions and academic commitments. Afternoons were reserved for working at your dadâs ophthalmology consultory, a place where you swapped your lively college persona for a more professional demeanor.
Balancing these two worlds wasnât easy, but you managed. Mornings were filled with classes and social events, where you were often the center of attention, whether it was at the latest party or simply in the cafeteria. Afternoons, however, were different. The consultory was a place of calm and precision. Here, you were respected not for your popularity, but for your skills and dedication.
You were chatting with the girls from your team, laughing about the latest gossip, when suddenly you heard the jocksâthe athletes who were also your friendsâheading to the back of the classroom. You glanced over, puzzled, and saw them shaking Jeonghan's shoulder, mocking him about his glasses.
"What happened to your glasses, Jeonghan?" one of them taunted, snickering.
Jeonghan, visibly annoyed, muttered, "You broke them yesterday, remember?" His glasses, you recalled, had been patched together for months, a testament to his reluctance to replace them.
The jocks laughed louder, and your eyes narrowed. You knew you couldn't just stand by and watch. You excused yourself from your friends and walked over to where the commotion was happening.
"Hey, knock it off," you said firmly, stepping between Jeonghan and the jocks. "What's the matter with you guys?"
One of the athletes shrugged, looking a bit taken aback by your intervention. "We're just messing with him, no big deal."
"It's a big deal if you're breaking his stuff," you shot back, glaring at them.Â
you began, but before you could finish, Jeonghan had already picked up his things and bolted from the classroom. In his haste, a few papers slipped from his backpack, fluttering to the floor.
You quickly gathered the scattered papers, watching as Jeonghan's figure disappeared down the hallway.
[...]
As you stretched your legs before the match, your focus was interrupted by the sight of Jeonghan passing by. His eyes were squinted as he watched the match, his attention clearly caught by the action on the field. When his gaze met yours, you couldn't help but offer a friendly wave, hoping to brighten his day even just a little. To your surprise, he returned the gesture with a small smile.
However, before you could react further, Jeonghan suddenly stumbled and hit the ground. You widened your eyes in concern, immediately halting your stretching to rush over and help him. It seemed like he had lost his footing or perhaps his vision had been temporarily impaired by the sunlight glinting off the field.
"Are you okay, Jeonghan?" you asked, kneeling down beside him to offer assistance. His smile faltered slightly as he rubbed his eyes, blinking rapidly to clear his vision. "I'm fine, just got a bit dizzy," he mumbled, trying to brush off the incident as nothing serious.
With a playful scold in your tone, you quipped, "Your glasses are getting you into trouble again, huh, Jeonghan?"
You couldn't help but add a teasing edge to your voice as you gently chided him. After all, it wasn't the first time his glasses had caused him inconvenience.
Jeonghan chuckled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah, seems like they have a mind of their own sometimes," he admitted, a hint of embarrassment coloring his cheeks.
As your friends called for you to join the game, you flashed Jeonghan a quick farewell before hurrying off to join them.
Though you were eager to join in the fun, your mind couldn't help but linger on Jeonghan's situation.
You made a mental note to check in on him later.
[...]
As Jeonghan entered the classroom, he couldn't help but feel a bit self-conscious without his glasses. They had caused him nothing but trouble lately, and he was almost relieved to be without them, despite the blurred vision.
But then, his eyes fell upon a small box resting on his desk, and his curiosity overcame his apprehension. Could this be some sort of prank? Or perhaps a gesture of kindness?
With cautious fingers, Jeonghan lifted the lid of the box, half-expecting it to explode in his face. Instead, he was greeted by the sight of a pair of sleek, brand new glasses nestled within, accompanied by a piece of paper.
His heart skipped a beat as he unfolded the paper, revealing the precise measurements for the glassesâmeasurements that had slipped from his backpack just the day before.Â
Jeonghan's eyes widened in disbelief as he recognized the familiar surnameâthe same as yours.Â
He slid the glasses carefully onto his face, feeling the weight of the frames against his temples, and the world suddenly snapped into focus, after days in blur. As he turned around, his eyes adjusted to the newfound clarity, and the first sharp thing he saw wasâ you.
#seventeen headcanons#seventeen imagines#seventeen reactions#seventeen scenarios#seventeen x reader#seventeen#seventeen fluff#seventeen smut#svt imagines#svt smut#jeonghan smut#jeonghan#yoon jeonghan#jeonghan x reader#jeonghan fanfic#jeonghan x y/n#jeonghan x you#jeonghan fluff#yoon jeonghan x reader#yoon jeonghan smut#yoon jeonghan fluff#yoon jeonghan fanfic#yoon jeonghan x you#svt reactions#svt#svt x reader#svt fluff#seventeen fanfic#seventeen angst#seventeen au
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the breakup soup â [y.jh].
SYNOPSIS. you and jeonghan get into an argument in the middle of the meeting. the rest of your organizationâs officers slowly start to realize that this isnât just about whether the mountains or the sea would be the better venue for your event.
PAIRING. yoon jeonghan x female! reader. GENRE. lovers to exes to lovers, humor, romance, tiny angst, orgmate! jeonghan, college! au, a whole lot of forced proximity, only one bed inn room, a bunch of nosy men. WARNINGS. written breakup (obviously), so much swearing, many many dumb inappropriate jokes (divorce, fucking, diarrhea, to name a few), parliamentary procedures jargon. WORD COUNT. 15k.
NOTE. after six, seven months, this this is finally out of hell (my gdocs). the soup is overcooked. holy shit. everything is written in the pov of a certain teener (excluding jeonghan and the mc. this fic is about them but no, you do not have access to their thoughts). this is super duper fun to write and i hope itâs fun to read as well HHAHAHAHA. please let me know what you think! enjoy!
âTODAY IS SEPTEMBER 7, 20XX. THE MEETING WILL NOW PLEASE COME TO ORDER. Mr. Secretary, please call the roll.â
The words robotically fall out of Seungcheolâs mouth as he turns over the pages of his clipboard, marking a precise, red dot next to the word âagendaâ on the page. Another day, another meeting. He canât wait for the moment he can finally retire from this god damned position. Every single time he repeats his presiding officer script, it feels like a digit gets added to his age.
âYes, Mr. Chair. Please say âpresent and votingâ once your name is called to be acknowledged.âÂ
Wonwoo starts the roll call, and Seungcheol is desperately trying to cover his yawn with the clipboard, else Seungkwan is gonna grate at him again for dozing off in his own meetingâ the aforementioned straightening himself in his seat when his position is called.
âPublic Information Officer 1?â
âPresent and voting.â
âPIO 2?
âPresentââ says Joshua, flicking a paper clip across the table and into Vernonâs nth latte of the day. ââand voting.â
âNext. Assistant Business Manager.â
âPreseââ
âOkay, got it.â Chan brandishes a look of offense when Wonwoo cuts him off. âBusiness Manager?â
âPresent and voting. Do we really have to keep doing this one by one?âÂ
Mingyu has a point, Seungcheol mentally agrees. But his god damned seniors wrote in the damned constitution and bylaws that every meeting of SVT (Society of Virtuous Timetravellers. Heâs in the process of renaming it because your organization thatâs supposed to be for history and culture is attracting weirdos insteadâ and two of them are Soonyoung and Seokmin) must abide by strict parliamentary procedures, so he has no choice but to suck it up and listen as Wonwoo continues to read out the succeeding positions on the attendance list, and itâs starting to sound a lot like a lullaby.
âSecretary, yours truly, present and voting.â The scratch from Wonwooâs throat signals Seungcheol that itâs to zone back in. âVice Chairperson-External?â
âPresent and voting.â
Your voice draws Seungcheol's attention. He turns his head towards you and he notices the sheets of binded up papers you have in your hands, straightened with a few taps on the table surface before you settle them back down, a swell of pride when he sees whatâs printed on the topmost page.Â
Itâs impeccably organized, the task he assigned to you only three days prior. Hell, you even have page tabs sticking out of the sides of every page. Your work ethic never fails to impress him. On top of that, youâre always so professionalâ able to separate your personal and org life with strict barriers in between because even though you and Junhui have been friends for ten years, your sharp glare holds no reservations when you catch him folding paper turtles with sticky notes right next to you when inside the meeting room.
âSorry,â Jun breathes out. You retract your leg from under the table after giving him a discreet kick.
Anyway, Seungcheol has high hopes for you, and heâs eyeing you to replace him as SVTâs Chairperson next year (heâs already in the process of manipulating you into taking the job: the compliments he gives away arenât for free). Youâre perfect. Youâre flawless. Thereâs no one else fit for the position but you.Â
Which is why the next course of events comes as nothing less than a shock to him.
âVice Chairperson-Internal?â Wonwoo calls out but is met with silence. He looks around. âVCI?â
No answer. You scoff.
âAlright, moving on. Mr. Chair?âÂ
Seungcheol stiffens, second-guessing what heâd just heard, but the near-invisible crooked twitch of the corner of your mouth proves that no, that wasnât just his imagination. You just scoffed. A sharp noise laced with derision and contempt. That shouldâve been the first sign that something is off.
âPresent,â he coughs out, resigning his attention back to the meeting he has to preside over. It must be nothing. Even you can get annoyed sometimes. Maybe Jun is fucking around again and youâve just had about enough.
âThere are thirteen out of fourteen officers present, Mr. Chair. We are in quorum.â
âThank you. Seeing that we are in quorum, it is now legal for us to conduct business. Mr. Secretary, will you please read to us the agenda for todayâsââ
The office door swings open.Â
âSorry, Iâm late!â
And Mr. VCI rushes in with his white coat still hanging off his shoulders. The meeting is put to an abrupt pause as Jeonghan hastily walks up to his assigned seat, trying to explain the reason for his tardiness. âOur lab session took longer than expected,â Jeonghan huffs out, dragging out the chair next to him. âDr. Han wouldnât let usââ
âItâs common decency to enter the room and sit down quietly when youâre late so as to not disturb the ongoing meeting. Especially when you havenât informed the body beforehand.â
Seungcheol flinches when he hears the interruption of your sharp tone. His head quickly snaps to your direction before gleaning Jeonghanâs reaction. His friendâs jaw tightens but he says nothing. That shouldâve been the second sign.
âMr. Chair, may we proceed with the reading of todayâs agenda?â
He eyes you carefully and, with a hesitant drawl anchoring his tongue, proceeds with the meeting while Jeonghan quietly settles into his seat. âMr. VCI, you may send your excuse letter later for record keeping. Anyhow, Mr. Secretary, please read to us the agenda for todayâs meeting.â Wonwoo does as instructed. The problem is, Seungcheol canât hear anything that heâs saying. Not when his seat is exceedingly uncomfortable at the moment.
Itâs not his seat. Itâs the two people cornering his seat thatâs the problem.
Cold sweat breaks out from his forehead. The air is stuffy. You and Jeonghan lock eyes for zero-point-five seconds and thereâs a chill in the atmosphere that only Seungcheol can feel. What the fuck is going on?
âThank you Mr. Secretary. Weâll begin with the first agendaâ SVTâs Orientation and Membership Training. Alright. As you all may know, this will be our organizationâs first event for the academic year, thus I am expecting everyoneâs undivided cooperation in making sure that this event will be a success. We have already discussed the initial details of the event during the previous meeting, and we also distributed the tasks to the officers and committees.â He flips through a page and clears his throat. âI believe our Vice Chair External was tasked to scout for the venue. Ms. VCE, have you prepared your presentation?â
You nod, rising from your seat. âYes, Mr. Chair. Iâve prepared a comprehensive list of all our options.â Okay, Seungcheol breathes in through nose. You seem normal now. Maybe he was just overthinking things. âI ask for everyoneâs assistance in distributing the copies.â
Seungcheol looks at the text written in bold when you pass a copy to himâ SVT ORYE & MT 20XX: VENUE PROPOSAL. While everyone is passing the paperclip-bound photocopies to each other, you take the liberty to start speaking. âIf you look at the second page, you can see the overview of the entire document. Iâve listed five possible venues and compiled their respective addresses, rates, inclusions, menus, and of course, pictures for your reference. Weâll look at each of them one by one, starting withââ
You pause. Jeonghan is raising his hand. Your eyebrow twitches. Seungcheol gets a bad feeling. âYes, Mr. VCI?â
âThank you for the acknowledgement,â he says. âIâd like to ask why exactly are all of these venues located in the mountains? Donât we have other options? It would be fine if it were just us officers, but I believe holding the event in such terrains would be far too inconvenient for more or less a hundred people.â
A very bad feeling.
âI appreciate your insight,â you respond. Uh oh. Your smile is strained and Seungcheol knows it. Thatâs the smile you wear when youâre about to pulverize a representative for a disadvantageous partnership to the ground. âHowever, Iâd like to bring to your recollection that the theme of this yearâs Orye is traditional South Korean folklore. That considered, I came up with the judgment that the mountainous and forested areas would be the most appropriate and immersive venue if we wish to bring this concept to life. I hope that is clear, Mr. VCI. Anywayââ
âItâs still impractical, Ms. VCE.âÂ
Your face stiffens.
Jeonghan just cut you off.Â
Shit, he just cut you off.Â
He stands up, leveling you from across the table. âWhat about our members with asthma? Heart problems? What if it rains on the day of the event? Do you expect everyone to climb up a mountain trail in all these conditions?â
âIf you read through my document before inadvertently interrupting me, Mr. VCI, youâd know that three out of the five venues offer uphill transportation in order to get to the accommodations. And although I understand your reservations about the possibility of inclement weather, may I remind you that itâs also the driest season of the year. Youâre being unreasonable.â
Fuck. Seungcheol thinks he needs to butt in but he canât find the timing when thereâs literally an invisible fucking electric fence deterring him from reaching the both you. He catches a glimpse of Joshuaâs concerned eyebrows. âDo something,â his friendâs eyes say. Heâs about to until you drop a sentence that shoots the tension off the roof.
âFurthermore, Iâve surveyed all of the officers through text if they agree with my venue proposal and I was met with no objections. Youâd know if you opened any of my messages last night, Jeonghan.â
Holy fuck.
Holy fuck, you called him by his first name.Â
You never call anyone by their first name. At least not during meetings and itâs very clear that this is a reason for alarm because everyone elseâs eyes fly wide open. Except Jeonghanâs. He just looks pissedâ mirroring your very own expression. Something is wrong. Something is very wrong and Seungcheol is slowly starting to realize that this argument isnât just about the venue conflict.
âAhem.â He clears his throat for the nth time, a wound might break open. âWe will take our VCIâs concern into consideration. If you believe holding our Orye in the mountains is impractical, where do you suggest we should hold it instead?â
Jeonghanâs shoulders relax. He gives you a momentary look before settling back into his seat. âThank you, Mr. Chair.â You do the same. Seungcheol breathes out a sigh of relief. âIâd like to suggest that we hold it by the beach and sea. Not only would it be more accessible, it would also be considerably cheaper considering thereâd be no extra expenses for transportation up the hiking trail. There are also more options if we hold it on the beach. I already have contacts from last yearâs set of events. We donât have to worry about negotiations.â
Seungcheol nods in response. Heâs about to say something but once again, he hears an unmistakable scoff from your direction. âOf course, youâd go for the low effort option.â
Oh no. Oh god, no.
Jeonghanâs eyes dart towards you. âWhat was that?â
Seungcheol doesnât get paid enough for this shit.
âIâm just saying that itâs so like you to go for the easy way out.â
He doesnât get paid for this at all.
âWhat are you trying to tell me here, Ms. VCE?â Jeonghanâs tone is getting more pointed, and the rest of the table are starting to pick up on whatâs going on. Mingyu is slowly inching off of his seat and finding the right time to book it. Chan and Seokmin are nervously flitting their eyes back and forth between Jeonghan and you. Minghao hao stopped paying attention. Heâs got his airpods on and scrolling through his phone.Â
âThe sea is not theme-appropriate for our event, Mr. VCI,â you firmly press on. âThere are myths and folklore that reference the sea and ocean, however as an introductory event for our organization we should defer from making far too uncommon references since most of our members are beginners to our advocacy.â
Vernon is about to be swallowed by his chair. Seungkwan has his face in his hands. Seungcheolâs phone vibrates and itâs a message from Wonwoo. Should I include all of this in the minutes? he asks. Seungcheol isnât even sure if this argument is still about the venue.
âMay I also add that beach events are overused. Everyone holds acquaintance parties, Christmas parties, sensitivity trainings at beaches and beach resorts. Should we follow that template, I doubt our event would be memorable enough for our members to remember.â
âThen itâd be the obligation of the program committee to make it memorable.â The said committee flinches upon hearing Jeonghanâs words. Joshua and Junhui donât look like they agree with the additional burden. Jihoonâs forehead is wrinkling from secondhand stress. âWe donât need to sacrifice the affordability and accessibility of our location in order to hold a note-worthy event. And, may I also reiterate that we should consider our members with health problems, Ms. VCE.â
This is enough. This is probably enough. Maybe itâs time for Seungcheol to intervene.
âHowever, I understand,â Jeonghan continues. âI understand that itâs not easy for you to be considerate.â
But how the fuck is he supposed to do that when you two fucks wonât stop provoking each other?
âOh, for godâs sake!â Itâs hopeless. Itâs gone out of control. Your voice has bordered on yelling ang Seungcheol himself is afraid of being caught in between. âAre you still mad about the cat thing?!â
What is the cat thing? What in the hell is actually going on?
âThis is not about the cat thing and you know that.â Thereâs a ruffle in Jeonghanâs voice. He lets out a groan and throws his head back with his fingers digging into his hair. âFuck. Letâs talk later.â
Yes. Yes, please just talk later so we can move on with the meeting.
âDid you just swear at me?â
Nevermind.
Thereâs a second silence. One secondâ until the corner of Jeonghanâs mouth twitches and he expels a huff of incredulity. Itâs ominous. Itâs a harbinger of uncomfortable destruction. âSo swearing is crossing the line, but refusing to let me meet your parents and forcing us to keep this relationship a secret is completely justifiable?â
Well shit.
This meeting is done for.
Silence washes over the office once again. Wide eyes are being exchanged and not even Wonwoo is filling the tension with his incessant typing on the laptop. Chair, I donât think I should include this part in the minutes, Seungcheol receives another message from him. Of course he shouldnât. A relationship reveal isnât part of the agenda. Neither is a breakup but he fears itâs teetering to that outcome.
Itâs uncomfortable. Itâs suffocatingly uncomfortable and Seokmin looks like heâs about to cry at any moment.
âWell,â you simmer. âI guess itâs not much of a secret anymore, isnât it?â
âDamn.â Soonyoung receives an elbow from Jihoon. He gets hushed down very quickly to make room for another agonizing exchange between you and Jeonghan.Â
âIs that literally all you have to say? Youâre so insensitive, it drives me fucking nuts. This is why itâs so hard to keep seeing youââ
âOh, so you think Iâm not having a hard time? If you canât understand why I had to do that, then letâs just stop seeing each other!â
âFine, Iâm glad weâre on the same page this time.â
âGreat!â
âGreat.â
âYour clothes better be out of my closet by tomorrow.â
âThrow them away, I donât need them.â
âI will! Thanks for the suggestion!â
Things have now gone beyond the point of salvation and he canât even interject to formally end this disaster of a meeting.
âMr. Chair, I apologize, but Iâm afraid I will be leaving early today.â Oh, so now you remember his existence. Youâre fuming, slinging over your shoulder bag and haphazardly collecting your things from the table, and Seungcheol simply massages his temples and nods in acknowledgement to your sudden leave. âPlease go through the document at your discretion and Iâll be respecting whatever decision the body makes. Thank you and have a good day.â
Just like that, youâre gone. Jeonghan also starts collecting his things. âMy phone lines are open in case you need anything. Goodbye.â With that, he also disappears with the harsh swing and slam of the door, leaving behind another blanket of uncomfortable silence for everyone else to drown in.
Seungcheol sighs. He feels a headache kicking in.Â
âSo...are we having the event in the mountains or by the sea?â
He groans.
Is it too late to file a resignation?
*â
The following week has been nothing less than hell for SVT (Seungcheol has yet to change to the org name. Heâs getting there. Slowly. Fuck university bureaucracies). The Orye is fast approaching, so there are still a lot of matters to be settledâ printing documents, processing permits, making calls. The venue dispute is yet to be settled. Mr. Chair instructed a team to check out the mountain and sea accommodations you and Jeonghan forwarded within the weekend to get a better feel of both options.
Thereâs still so much work, which honestly doesnât pose a problem with Boo Seungkwan, one of the orgâs information officers. Heâs used to it, being a member of SVT since his freshman year and all. This workload is nothing to SVT. Nothing to you.
Itâs almost like youâre a machine. Printing documents? Youâre a one-woman printing shop. Processing permits? Youâve befriended all the office heads and one word from you will get the event approved. Itâs basic shit. Completely rudimentary. Seungkwan has always been at awe with how you operate. But right now, the problem is not the work.Â
Itâs the work environment thatâs the problem.
âCan someone pass me the stapler?â
Your voice cracks into the tense silence in the office like a cold blade, causing Seungkwan to flinch and look up from his paperwork. The whirring of the printer fills in the void left behind by your voice, with Chan carefully organizing the freshly printed pages with tight lips. Youâre met with no response. He locks eyes with Joshua. The stapler is beside Jeonghan, whoâs running through the program for the event. They share a look of dread.
âWhere is the stapler?â You look up from the table. The clear stiffening of your face upon noticing where the damned thing is forces knots into Seungkwanâs temples. Oh god. Here we go. âNevermind.â
The stupid stapler skids across the table. Itâs been transported from one end to your end. Jeonghanâs eyes are glued to his laptop when he slides it down. Jun is nervously hovering behind him. Seungkwan wants to throw up.
âJun,â Jeonghan calls out. âHow many steps does it take for you to get from one end of the meeting table to the other?â
âIâIâm sorry?â
âCan you try walking from here to the other end of the table?â
Jun is sweating. He hesitantly nods and slowly creaks away from his spot behind Jeonghan, cautious steps towards your end of the table. Three steps. All eyes are on him. Five steps. Seungkwan is not religious but heâs making the sign of the cross. Seven steps.Â
âWow. Ten steps is easier and faster than I thought! Anyway, you can come back now, Jun. I have some questions regardingââ
Swoosh!
Something rockets through the air, missing Jeonghanâs face by a mere inch from its trajectory. Holy shit. It hits the wall behind Jeonghan and crashes into the floor. âMy bad,â you announce. âI wondered how quick itâd be if I threw something from here to there. Itâs definitely faster than just walking.â
Assault. That must be assault. This is insane. This is getting out of hand. Seungkwan canât deal with this shit anymore.
âI canât fucking deal with this shit anymore!â
As he says, the moment you and Jeonghan leave the office to attend your respective classes. Jun takes a hefty intake of air and everyone relaxes almost immediately. âSeriously. Why should we suffer because they canât hold their relationship together?!â he fumes. âIf they wanted to break up, they couldâve done it in private. Iâm sick and tired of walking on pins and needles whenever both of them are around!â
Murmurs of agreement break out. If their Chair was here, they wouldâve been scolded. Thank fucking god heâs at the admin office processing their name change. âThis reminds me of the time my parents got divorced,â Soonyoung offhandedly mentions while fiddling through their budget plan.
Wonwoo narrows his eyes at him. âWasnât that also the time you started perceiving yourself as a tiger as a coping mechanism?â
âYeah.â
âJesus christ.â
âI agree with Seungkwan,â Minghao announces. He had just finished sweeping up the shattered stapler from the ground. âI canât keep up with them anymore. Whenever Iâm with our VCE I have to talk shit about the other. Why donât we just lock them up in a closet so they can fuck and make up?â
A grimace creeps into Chanâs face. âI abhor the image youâve just supplanted into my mind.â
Minghao furrows his brows. âWho told you to imagine them having sex in our dirty storage closet? Weirdo.â Chan is unable to say anything back. âAnyway, how do we fix this? I have to meet with Jeonghan hyung for dinner and Iâm running out of bad things to say about his ex-girlfriend.â
âI thought the plan was to lock them up in the closet?â Seokmin tries to clarify. Theyâre all actually considering it. Seungkwan is sure they have a death wish.
âYou guys canât be serious. Didnât you see Vice Chairâs face when hyung walked into the room earlier? She looked like she was considering murder, I had the fucking chills. We are not locking them in a closet unless you all want it to end with a dead body in our office.â Seungkwan pauses. âThirteen. Thirteen dead bodies if she finds out we orchestrated it.â
âThen what should we do?â Vernon asks. âGet one of them to resign?â
âNo!â Soonyoung interjects. âI canât deal with another divorce!â
Jihoonâs face contorts. âThey arenât your parents. You didnât even know they were together until they broke up.â
âStill,â Seokmin joins in. âI donât want any of them to leave SVT.â
Jun presses his lips together. âI think I saw her drafting a resignation letter earlier.â
There is silence. Then the dawning of realization. Then chaos erupts.
âOh no. Oh no no no no way.â
âWe canât let that happen!â
âLetâs burn her letter before she can submit it!â
âNobody let her near the office!â
Theyâre all behaving like idiots, but Seungkwan has to agree. There is without a doubt that even though your breakup has recently put the organization into an uncomfortably tight spotâ SVT would be done for if either of you leave. Seungcheol hyung canât shoulder everything by himself. The both of you are the bedrock of SVTâs internal and external affairs respectively. Resignation is out of the question.Â
âHeh. Youâre all overlooking something.â
Itâs a new voice. Seungkwan wondered when this fucker would speak up, and heâs making his entrance in a gratingly obnoxious way.
Mingyu is sitting on Seungcheolâs swivel chair in the latterâs absence. He slowly spins it around, facing the rest of the members with the pads of his fingers pressed together. âTo fix a problem, we should find out the root cause first.â Seungkwan wants to hit him, but Mingyu looks like heâs onto something. âNobodyâs resigning. I have a plan.â
*â
Jihoon didnât want to have anything to do with this.
Itâs not his business whoever from his orgmates are fucking around or have completely fucked their relationship. Itâs not his business whether or not you and Jeonghan have the chance to get back together again.
âIf your previous supplier didnât scam us last summer, we wouldnât even be out here right now.â
Yet that is exactly what heâs been tasked to doâ to dig his nose into your business, on a hot day, while having to canvass printing shops in the district. But finding a replacement supplier for your org shirts is the least of his concerns at the moment becauseâ
[Operation We Are Never Ever Getting (Them) Back Together: Kim Mingyu: any update??? have you gotten through her yet?????]
How the hell is he supposed to fish out any information from you about your relationship with Jeonghan?!
âBut these rates are seriously unreasonable. Iâll put this one on the table,â you say, ticking off a box from your checklist and Jihoon is sweating bullets. âWhat do you think, Hoon?â
Sure, you two work pretty well together and you praise his competence any single time you get the chance, but thatâs the problem. You arenât close. Your relationship is strictly professional. Hell, your text convo is nothing but org-related and Jihoon doesnât fucking understand why he has to be the one doing this job when he can give less than two shits about the situation.Â
âLetâs check out the next place on the list first,â he replies. âI think the quality for this one is still better than the previous.
Dealing with someone elseâs relationship problems wasnât part of the job description when he got elected as treasurer. Heâs got his own love life (or lack thereof) to worry about.
âAlright,â you reply with a deep exhale. Itâs hot, and youâre getting tired. Heâs also getting tired. Canât you all just go home? âWeâll take a break first. Letâs continue after getting a drink, but whereâs Mingyu? Did he get diarrhea or something?â
[Operation We Are Never Ever Getting (Them) Back Together: Kim Mingyu: hyung status report plz.] [Operation We Are Never Ever Getting (Them) Back Together: Hoshi: wow we sound like actual secret agents.]
Jihoon feels his head starting to hurt. âIâll text him.â
âThanks.â
Mingyu isnât coming back. Not until Jihoon manages to get something out of you. According to Jun, youâve branded him as âJeonghan-alliedâ (whatever the fuck that means), so thereâs no way youâd be talking if that street lamp is hanging around. âThey went to the same high school! I canât trust bastards from Hyangnam anymore,â Jun quoted from you personally, and they all started wondering what your conjectured alignment for each of them is.Â
However, Mingyu is functionally obligated to tag along with your canvassing venture today because heâs SVTâs business manager and Jihoon has all your org money. Youâre here because you canât stay put unless youâre directly involved in the task. Mingyu asked permission to go to the bathroom earlier to give his comrade an opportunity. That was forty-five minutes ago. Jihoon still hasnât gotten anything from you.
âItâs an emergency, he says. A big one. Gigantic.â Mingyu never said that. Jihoonâs phone is a black screen. âPublic toilets arenât trustworthy. He went to his apartment. He told us to continue without him.â
You grimace with the click of your tongue. âGross. Those god damned Hyangnam bastards. Letâs go. I need something cold.â
Time is ticking, his phone keeps on buzzing, and Jihoon grows steadily more restless by the minute. You two finish ordering and pay for your two lemonades with SVT money. âItâs the least this damn org can do for us,â you say. He fears you might actually resign, and it doesnât do his ever escalating nerves a favor. How does he do it? How does he bring up Yoon Jeonghan without invoking your fury?
âJihoon,â you call out, and he flinches. âWhatâs wrong? Youâve been spacing out since this morning.â
Youâre both sitting on the nice leather seats of the air-conditioned cafe. Being out of the heat seems to have bettered your mood. Maybe he can wiggle something out while youâre pacified by the lemonade and cool air.
âSo, uh,â he clears his throat. His knees are shaking. Shit. This is harder than processing your cash advance for the fucking orientation. He needs to ease it in. To bring it up discreetly. âI never really suspected that you and Jeonghan hyung were dating.â
Regret comes instantaneously the moment the words fall out of his mouth.Â
So much for being discreet. Your face stiffens. Jihoon knows he fucked up badly.
âIâI mean, Iâm not trying to comment on anything, I was just surprised to find out.â Dammit. Wrong move. He might get blacklisted like you did with Mingyu. Heâs not panicking because their stupid operation might fail. Heâs panicking because heâs gonna lose the bragging right of being on good terms with SVTâs intimidatingly unapproachable Vice Chair.
The ice in your drink clinks around. Jihoon squeezes his eyes shut and prepares for the worst.
âGod. I canât believe I dated him in the first place.â
Then he opens one eye. He sees you swirling your lemonade with one hand, the other used as a resting place for your chin before you take a sip from the straw and continue complaining. âI canât stand him. I shouldnât have let him sweet talk me into that first fucking date, that venomous bastard. His face is a weapon. I shouldâve known better than to trust that face.âÂ
Jihoonâs eyes are now fully opened. He discreetly pulls out his phone from his pocketâ the device still constantly buzzingâ and opens his recorder app all while his heart is nervously barrelling against his ribcage from the remnants of his fear. âDid he likeââ Jihoon presses record, ââcheat on you or something?â
âWhat? No way. Heâd never do that.â
âThen,â he continues prodding. âWhy did you two break up?â
âUgh,â you grunt, taking another long sip from your drink before slamming it down the table with a thunk. Jihoon flinches. He secures his phone underneath the table, checking if itâs still recording everything. âDonât get me started. You donât get it, Hoon. Heâs just soââ
Jihoon never expected you to just lay down everything for him. You just continue pouring and pouring everything out like a fountain. A fountain of dirty laundry and too many swear words that his audio recording might get flagged if it gets uploaded online. This...was easier than expected.
*â
Seokminâs eyes are narrowed at his seniorâ zoomed in and in focus as the aforementioned finishes talking to a group of SVTâs new members. Heâs taken a step back with a stack of flyers pressed to his chest. He canât miss anything. He canât miss a single thing.
âThank you! I better be seeing your faces during the event, alright? Enjoy your lunch!â
Jeonghan is giving them the copy of the program for your upcoming Orye and MT. Freshmen. All women, as far as his eyes can tell, and theyâre all giggling after his senior bids them off. Heâs never seen Jeonghan hyung smile at you like that. In fact, heâs never even seen him wave at you goodbye like what heâs doing right now. Has he moved on? Oh no. This is bad. This plan might be ruined before they could even conduct an intervention.Â
âSeokmin, whatâs wrong?â asks Jeonghan, snapping him out from the brink of a spiral of despair. âYou donât look too good. Is the weather too hot? Should we take a break?â
âNâno, Iâm alright! Letâs keep going!â Seokmin needs to know if his hyungâs unnaturally sweet behavior was an isolated case. Thereâs not enough information in the air to make a solid conclusion.
âWell, Iâm not alright,â Jeonghan grimaces. âThe heat is unbearable. Letâs have lunch first, then weâll continue. Go find us a good place to eat.â
A lump grows in Seokminâs throat and he nervously swallows, watching as Jeonghan pulls out his phone and starts typing a message, to the SVT group chat probably to give them an update. Or to one of the girls he was talking to earlier. Shit. âHyung, who are you texting?â he asks. Jeonghan responds with a pause, a suspicious smile, and tells him that âitâs a secret, hehe,â and that he should hurry and look for a nice restaurant because heâs starving.
That wasnât a helpful answer at all. Seokminâs anxiety grows by the second. âWhat...what do you want to eat, hyung?â He should ask more questions later.
âYou pick,â is Jeonghanâs reply with yet another grin that puts him ill at ease. âIâm placing my faith in you Seokmin. It better be a good place.â
Thereâs another lump in his throat. Oh god. This guy sure knows how to pressure people in the weirdest ways. And now instead of prodding around to figure out if his senior has indeed moved on or still has lingering feelings for you, heâs scrolling through his phone trying to look up a good restaurantâ panic-stricken because god forbid he make a disappointing choiceâ while Jeonghan starts talking to another SVT member who just happened to pass by.
âWeâre having it next month,â he overhears Jeonghan speaking, momentarily taking away his eyes from his phone just to see his hyung yet again looking and smiling at the org member with an alarming amount of sweetness pouring out of his eyes. âIâll see you there?â
âYâyesâŚ!â
His observation is cut short by the buzz of his phone. A message bar pops up, covering the top of the screen and preemptively stopping his resto search.
[Operation We Are Never Ever Getting (Them) Back Together: Seungkwan: seok, do we have updates??? jihoon hyung hasnât gotten back to use since thirty minutes ago!!] [Operation We Are Never Ever Getting (Them) Back Together: Minghao: I told you all this plan was hopeless] [Operation We Are Never Ever Getting (Them) Back Together: Kim Mingyu: why is noona telling me to take herbal teas and drink lots of water?????]
âSo, where are we eating?â
Seokminâs bones rattle and the phone nearly jumps out of his hands like a live fish.
âTalking to people is tiring,â he hears his senior lament with a long sigh. âSeokmin-ah, you take over after lunch. Letâs go.â
Go where? He hasnât picked a place yet! Why are there so many food places around campus?! Jeonghan quickly starts walking and, out of even more panic, Seokmin picks a random direction, robotically taking the lead, brain overheating and eyes spinning out of focus until muscle memory lands them across the street of a hotpot place he frequents, just a few blocks away from campus. âOâoh, haha! Hyung, weâre here! Letâsâletâs quickly get inside, yesââ
He stops upon the realization that Jeonghan isnât following him along the crosswalk. When Seokmin turns his head back, he sees Jeonghan staring at the place with a dampened expression. His first thought is maybe Jeonghan hyung doesnât like hotpot. His second thought is maybe he shouldnât be stopping in the middle of the road, so he quickly pads back to the sidewalk.Â
âHyungâŚ? Areâ are you not in the mood for hotpot? Should we go somewhere else?â Seokminâs gut churns, devastated because he had just betrayed his hyungâs trust in finding an acceptable restaurant. Whatâs wrong with hotpot at Red House? Did he have a bad experience here? But his place is so good! He and Soonyoung and Jun hyung have been eating here twice a week, Wednesday and Saturdays, ever since you recommended the place to them as your favorite, andâ oh.
So, thatâs the problem.
Youâve probably eaten here with him too.
âNo, no. Weâre not going anywhere.â Jeonghanâs demeanor suddenly switches gears. He brushes past him with a sudden determined look, not looking back even when Seokmin calls after him.
âHyung, I know another place nearby. We donât have toââ
âLetâs get inside.â
Seokmin has no freaking idea how to dissect or interpret this reaction. Nervous steps follow his senior inside the restaurant, and a server welcomes them both and leads them to a table by the window. âOh, youâre not here with your girlfriend today,â says the waiting staff after theyâve made their orders, and he sees Jeonghan visibly flinch in the middle of passing back the menu. Jeonghan simply responds with a stiff smile. Seokmin is sure that he had just screwed up big time.
Why did the server have to mention you? Why?! Now, he canât help but look at the server with an utter look of betrayal as he sets the ingredients on the table. âIs...is there something wrong, sir?â asks the server with uneasy concern. Seokminâs bottom lip juts out, shaking his head with a sniffle, and thanks the server with a weak voice and tone.
Jeonghan doesnât appear to be faring any better. While waiting for the broth to boil, all Seokmin could do is soak up the steadily deflating expression of his hyung and worry that it might affect the taste of the food somehow. He was pretty sure Jeonghan is already over you, considering he seemed to be mildly flirting with the org members earlier and all. But now heâs not so sure. Not when his hyung is poking his chopstick into a block of tofu with a gut wrenching look of longing.
âHyung...â Seokin makes an attempt. âIâmâIâm sorry for bringing you here, I didnât know it wasââ
âSeokmin-ah.â Jeonghan speaks along with the crank of the stove. âA gente world of advice: donât bring up sensitive topics when the person youâre talking to has a weapon on him. Youâre going to get in trouble.â
The sunlight leaking through the window gives a dangerous glint to the scissors Jeonghan is holding. Seokmin bites his tongue. Jeonghan cuts up the noodles and the two start eating quietly.
Seokmin loves eating. He really does. But this time, every bite tastes like hot sand, and heâs pretty sure heâs going to get indigestion afterwards.
He swallows down another mouthful with the help of a glass of water, and as heâs trying to get the mix of meat and vegetables down his throat, the sound of utensils that were previously clattering suddenly stops. When Seokmin puts the glass down, he sees Jeonghan seasoning the warm broth with salt.
The natural salt that comes out of your eyes when you start crying.
Holy shit, his hyung is crying.
âSorry, I justâ haha, the soupâs a little spicy, right?â
No. No itâs not. They ordered chicken broth. The soup isnât spicy at all.
âHâhyungâŚâ
Seokminâs eyes are now also starting to water. Oh no. Oh no, dear god, what has he done? He didnât mean to bring him here and reawaken stashed away memories. All he wanted to do was find a good place to eat!
âHyung, Iâm so sorry.â
This was a mistake. They shouldâve just had kimbap and ramyeon at the nearby 7-Eleven.
*â
âSo, let me get this straight. One of them did nothing but talk shit about the other for thirty minutes, and the other started crying because Seokmin brought him to her favorite restaurant.â
The SVT officers (minus their Chair and Vice Chars) have reconvened the next day at the office. Their upcoming event isnât a priority right now. The only thing on the agenda is the problem with you and Yoon Jeonghanâ to which Mingyu is trying to wrack his brains in coming up with something in light of their initial investigation.Â
âAfter listening to the recording Hoon sent, I donât think she hates Jeonghan. She sounded like was just nitpicking in the heat of the moment,â says Jun. âIf sheâs still angry at him...maybe she isnât over him yet? Maybe thereâs still a chance?â
All eyes are on Jihoon, who witnessed your rant firsthand.Â
âI donât know. All I can say is that she looked a little sad while talking about him. She didnât add anything else beyond the recording.â Itâs not like the recording was of any help. Most of it was just you calling Jeonghan a son of a bitch, a piece of shit, and so on, as well as a few tangents about Mingyu that he himself didnât quite appreciate. He thought he was your favorite. Like, why are you assuming that heâs on Jeonghanâs side?! They werenât even friends back in high school!Â
He spins the office chair in annoyance. To think he gave you a higher score than Jeonghan on your quarterly evaluation. Maybe he should ask Cheol to take it back.
âWell, if one of them is still on the hook, then thereâs still a possibility that they can still get back together,â Wonwoo conjectures, eliciting murmurs of agreement from the rest.
âDoes this mean we can finally lock them inside a fucking closet?â
âWe are not locking them in a closet,â Seungkwan says. Minghao rolls his eyes at the dismissal. âWe canât do that. But we can bring in some forced proximity in a different way.â
Mingyu stops swiveling the chair. Why is Seungkwan looking straight at him? Wait. Why are they all looking straight at him? His throat tightens. He forces down a swallow. What, what, whatâs the matter, why are they all looking at him?
âOh no!â
Suddenly, Seungkwan starts a one-man drama. He exclaims, an arm jutting into the air before he lets the back of the loose hand drop onto his forehead, stumbling into Vernon whoâs standing next to him.
âI just remembered I have a doctorâs appointment this Saturdayâ the same day where Iâm supposed to accompany our Vice Chairs and Business Manager in checking out the venues! Oh no! I donât think I can make it!â
Right. He along with Seungkwan, Chan, Jeonghan, and you are scheduled to evaluate each of the places on your list so that you can finalize the event venue. Not long after, Chan also breaks into a gasp, catching Seungkwanâs signal. âOh my! I forgot I also, uh, have a thing on Saturday! What a bummer!â
âThen, I alsoââ
âNo!âÂ
Mingyu winces. Heâs shocked. Heâs appalled. Heâs offended. Why is he being yelled at?! Wasnât he supposed to go along with the other two? âYou donât have a thing on Saturday, Mingyu. You have to be there to make sure that things donât go wrong!â Seungkwan tells him, and at first he understands. Heâs goes âoh, right, of course, yeah, sure,â but the moment what that situation entails finally dawns upon himâ the fact that he has to be stuck in between you and Yoon Jeonghan for at least ten hours, maybe moreâ his blood runs cold and his face pales. Thereâs no way in hell heâs dealing with that.
âWhy me?! Why canât Joshua hyung go?â
Joshua answers with an offended look of bewilderment.Â
âHey, itâs your assignment,â answers Jihoon. âAnd it was your idea to try and get them back together again. You have the moral obligation to make sure this shit actually works.â
There is no hope to get out of this. They adjourn the meeting and everyone starts filtering out the officeâ not without giving him looks of sympathy and pats on the back before leaving. âGood luck,â Wonwoo says in passing. Vernon sends him a salute before closing the door. Damn him and his meddling ass. He shouldâve just let your relationship die out for good.
The day of reckoning comes. Itâs five in the morning at the campus parking lot, you and Jeonghan on the opposite ends of his car, and Mingyu already wants to tuck himself in bed for the day. Youâre tapping your feet in impatience, looking at your phone with a glare, while Jeonghan pockets his phone with a sigh and welcomeâs himself into the front seat of Mingyuâs car with a distinct slam. You huff and do the same into the backseat.Â
Shit. This might actually be his last day on earth. Mingyu hurries into the driverâs before either of you yell at him to get moving.
âTell Boo Seungkwan and Lee Chan that theyâre getting sanctioned for this,â grits Jeonghan. Mingyu closes the door and prepares himself for an inevitable six to eight hours of hell.
âThe kids are sick and you want to penalize them?â you interject from the back. Mingyu notices Jeonghanâs jaw clench. He shuts his eyes tight and whispers a few prayers. âYouâre abusing your authority, Mr. VCI. Cut them some slack.â
âNegligence of duty. Section one under General Prohibitions,â rebuts Jeonghan, making eye contact with you through the front view mirror. âFailure to inform ahead of time the inability to do a task or assignment delegated to them shall be considered an act of negligence on the part of the officer. Iâm not abusing any authority, sweetheart. I am acting well within my functions. Itâs too early for this kind ofââ
Silence drops. So does the temperature in the car which at this point feels like negative fourteen degrees. Jeonghan stifles a cough and rolls down the window for air. You look down and flit through the pages of the document you brought. Mingyuâs grip on the steering wheel tightens and he wants to cry.
âCan we go now? Please? We have six places to visit and I really donât want to be driving until midnight.â
âWe can rotate,â you tell him. âLetâs switch drivers after every location.â
Something tells Mingyu that if he lets your explosive temper behind the wheel, this will not only be the last heâll be seeing of his cherished car that his parents got him as a gift for his twenty-first birthday, but this will also be the last heâll be seeing of this mortal realm as well.
âNo, haha, itâs okay,â he answers, finally starting the engine. âYou two have been working really hard for this event so the least I can do is drive.â
âWell, alright. But there better be no more emergencies like last time.â
Mingyu still doesnât know what you mean by that. Nor does he know why youâve been giving him herbal teas and digestive supplements. Anyway, the three of you finally hit the road and proceed to your first stopâ all the way to Daecheon, which will take about an hour if traffic grants them kindness. Jeonghan rolls the windows back up at some point because besides the ice-cold tension between the both of you, it really is getting cold, and the sky has been cloudy since earlier, and the weather app is telling him that thereâs a twenty percent chance of rain. Literally all odds are stacked against him today.
He does live long enough to get through three venues, thankfully. The first one, near Daecheon beach, you complained that the rooms were stuffy and Jeonghan told you to sleep by the âgoddamned beach if you wanted to feel extra fresh.â The second beach location couldnât accommodate your amount of people. The third oneâ the hanok-style villa in Gyeongsang which youâve just finished surveying and which Mingyu thought was really niceâ Jeonghan said that thereâs too many bugs for it to be conducive. You told him to wear a mosquito net âyou fucking princess,â while walking back to the car. At this point, itâs already past four in the afternoon. The eleven hours of being trapped in a car with your ex-boyfriend is probably finally getting to your head.
âYou really could care less about your membersâ well being as long as we do what you want, donât you?â
âI wasnât bitten by a single mosquito there. Youâre just making problems up to discredit myââ
Itâs getting to Mingyuâs head, too. One more minute in this enclosed space with the both of you and heâs jumping out the window.
âAnyway, letâs head to the next location,â you say with a sigh. âWoodland Springs Resort. Luckily, itâs only an hour away.â
Mingyuâs knuckles twitch on the steering wheel. âI canât. I canât do this anymore.â
He catches your face through the mirror, brows furrowed with a frown. âMingyu, let me drive this time. Youâve been at it for hours.âÂ
âSheâs right. Go sit in the back, we can take over.â
He has. Heâs tired and annoyed and exhausted by the constant fear that you two might actually make a murder scene out of his precious car, that heâs pretty sure that him driving would soon become a road-risk. It would be fine, right? You two have probably expelled your energy, anyway. Or at least about to. Worst case scenario is that Jeonghan hyung pisses you off and youâd expertly crash the car in a way that would only kill him and leave you two alive.
âOkay,â Mingyu weakly breathes out. âIâm gonna rest my eyes for a bit.â
He opens the car and gets out. So do you. So does Jeonghan. The three of you are out of the car. The math isnât mathing.
âWhat are you doing?â you ask Jeonghan.
âIâm taking the wheel,â he simply says, already making his way over to the other side of the car.
âWhat are you talking about, Mingyu was talking to me.â Youâre fast. Fast enough to swat away Jeonghanâs hand from the door handle to the driverâs seat. Jeonghan tightly presses his lips together and releases a huff of air. You look at him with sharp eyes with no intention of moving. Mingyu is literally, physically, and positionally caught in between this shit and he wishes he shouldâve just floored it.
âIâm driving,â Jeonghan asserts. âYou look barely awake, yourself. Do you plan on crashing us or something?â
The worried undertone completely flies over your head. âAre you saying Iâm a bad driver?â Mingyu really doesnât want to witness this argument at this proximity right now. Jeonghan sighs and digs into his hair.
âNo, I just want you toââ
Crâack! Boom!
Suddenly, thereâs thunder.
And when thereâs thunder, thereâs rain.
Pshhhhhhh!
âOh, for fuckâs sake!â
âHurry and get in, letâs goââ
Mingyu really wanted to yell at that moment. Thankfully, the sky beat him to it.
It starts pouring. The three of you scramble back into the car.
All things considered, you all decided that itâd be too dangerous to stay on the road, taking into account the weather and exhaustion and all, so you looked for a nearby inn through Google Maps and Jeonghan drove you there (yes, he won in the end and youâre still bitter in the backseat).Â
Boom! Another round of thunder, and the rain just continues to pour harder and harder. At this rate, you guys wonât be able to check out the rest of the locations today. Meaning, his prison sentence is bound to be extended. God freaking dammit. Mingyu continues to bitterly lament while rushing into the cabin inn. The door jingles upon entry. He lets out a sigh of relief upon being saved from the rain.
âHi, good evening! Do you still have any rooms available?â
Youâre there at the front desk doing your thing, being the externals head and all, while he and Jeonghan wait behind, damp and uncomfortable. He can see his hyung getting more and more impatient by the second, tapping his wet soles against the wooden flooring with his arms crossed. Mingyu can only sigh and hope to take a meditative shower soon, once youâve booked the three of your rooms.
âAh, yes,â says the lady behind the front desk. She looks at you, then spares a glance at him and Jeonghan in all their soggy glory, before flitting her eyes back at you. Okay what the hell. He knows they look terrible right now, but that was just rude. âWill it be for the three of you? Unfortunately, we only have one room left available, maâam, peak season and all, and itâs only good for two people.
âThatâs fine, weâll takeââ
âOh, Iâm sorry,â Judgemental Front Desk Lady interrupts. âI meant a maximum of two people can occupy the room. Itâs our policy.â
Well thatâs stupid. The hell were you guys supposed to do, then? Run back to the car, get even more wet in the process, and look for another place to stay in this stupid weather? Mingyu can practically see a vein throbbing on the back of your head. He catches your shoulders lift and drop along with an exhale, a momentary pause before you respond. âCanât you make an exemption? The weather is terrible outside and we really need a place to stay for the time being.â
Mingyu decides to look over and see how the other ticking time bomb is faring, but when he leers over to the side, Jeonghan is no longer beside him. Wet footsteps against wooden floors can be heard. He snaps his head back to the front desk and sees his hyung walking up to youâ placing his arm around your freaking waist when he lands next to you, and alarm bells suddenly go off in Mingyuâs head.
âBabe, whatâs the problem?â
Goosebumps prick all over his body.
What.Â
What the fuck?Â
âWhatâs wrong?â
Mingyu rubs his eyes, thinking that he just saw (and heard) wrong, but no. Yoon Jeonghan has indeed reigned claim over your waist. The fuck? He refocuses into your expression, expecting you to look disgusted and send a kick to his hyungâs shin, but that doesnât happen. Instead, you flash a look at Jeonghan, then back to the receptionist, peering down at the desk surface where her hand is resting, before looking back up at Jeonghan and nudging yourself closer to him with a sigh. What in the everloving fuck is going on?
âTheyâre saying that only two people can stay inside the room,â you lament. âThis trip really isnât working out for us. After our disaster of a honeymoon, the last thing I thought would happen was for us to get stranded in Gyeongsang in the middle of a storm.â
âLetâs just go look for another place to stay, sweetheart.âÂ
âBut itâs pouring outside! I canât let you drive in the weather. Itâs too dangerous.â
Honeymoon? What? What the hell is this improv sketch? Why the fuck is his hyung giving you the lovestruck eyes and why are you letting him look at you with lovestruck eyes? Why are you lovestruck-eyeing him back?
âOh, youâre newlyweds?â asks the receptionist, and Mingyu didnât think his eyebrows could scrunch up any further until he heard Jeonghan agree.
âWe just got married last week,â he says with a sickeningly sweet tone.Â
âHow lovely!â
âActually, we just came back from our honeymoon at Geoje Island,â you add. âItâs a long trip, and we wanted to get home as soon as possible, but that...wasnât exactly an option for us.â Suddenly, you turn your head back to look at him. Now, youâre all looking at him. Why are you all looking at him? This is fucking scary.
You lean into Jeonghan and whisper something into his ear. A look flashes on Jeonghanâs face. He doesnât like this look.
âBrother, can you please give us a moment?â
Thereâs a pause. Mingyuâs mouth is hanging slightly ajar and he hesitantly points to himself. Brother? Me? Jeonghan nods and smiles and returns his attention back to you and the receptionist. The three of you are talking about something. In a significantly lower volume. While sending him looks of remorse in between. What the hell are you two bullshitting about now?
Not long after, Mingyu sees the lady drop a room key into your hands and sends you off with a smile. âSecond floor. Thank you, and have a great evening!â
âThanks!âÂ
Mingyu isnât exactly sure what just happened or how it happened, but at least you have a place to stay for the night? When the three of you hike up the stairs and spot the room with 203 labeled on the door, Mingyu decides that he needs to know what you fuckers talked about. âHow did you do it?â He blocks the door before you could open it. âI thought only two people could use this? How did you get us the room?â Jeonghan and you exchange a look before relenting.
âYour fiance called off your engagement and you were so depressed that you followed us all the way to our Geoje,â you blankly respond.
âOur parents are on vacation so you couldnât go to them. We were kind enough to let you third wheel on our honeymoon,â adds Jeonghan. Mingyu blinks. âBut on the way back it started raining, so weâre stuck here for the moment. We noticed a wedding ring on Soonjaâs finger, so it was pretty easy to get her sympathy.
Soonja. You even know the ladyâs name, holy fuck. At least that explains the pitiful looks sent his way. But Mingyu is still very much perturbed. The hairs on his arms are still standing. âYou two are con artists,â is all he can say back.
You roll your eyes and toss the key to him. âHey, it got us the room.â
âRight,â Mingyu grunts, catching it mid-air. âYouâre both so good at lying, even Iâm starting to think youâre still married.â
The doorknob clatters open. You and Jeonghan quickly jump away from each other, and Jeonghan loses the steady hold he had around your waist since earlier. Mingyu stifles a grin. The alarm and embarrassment on both of your faces makes this dayâs worth of stress all worth it.Â
âHurry up and get in! I need a shower and a change of clothes, gosh.â
Fortunately, you three prepared extra articles of clothing for the trip, having anticipated sweat from the heat instead of getting pissed on by the rain clouds. Unfortunately, Mingyu lost at rock paper scissors so he gets to shower last. âThereâs a drying rack in the bathroom,â you tell them upon exiting, a towel to your head before plopping down on the bed next to the window.Â
When Mingyu finishes showering, he hears you and Jeonghan arguing over something again. Cheolâs voice can be heard somewhere too. Upon re-entering the room, he spots you two occupying the floor right by the bed, a laptop sitting on the mattress thatâs showing a very tired Seungcheol trying to cut in between your yelling.
âIn hindsight, I think the beach in Daecheon is our best option. The kids can run around more freely there.â
âNo, you were right about the mountains. The hanok-style villa is better suited for our event theme. We can just add bug repellent to our budget plan.â
âListen to me for a secondââ
âYouâre the one whoâs notââ
âThis could have been an email,â says Seungcheolâs choppy voice thanks to the shitty reception. Yeah. Mingyu isnât dealing with this. Over twelve hours of being a third party to your arguments is already enough, thank you very much. He drops down the unoccupied bed, already getting comfortable, and uses the nonstop swearing next to him as a lullaby.
Weird enough, itâs an effective lullaby because Mingyu slept like a rock. He yawns, stretches out of bed thanks to the early morning light through the curtains waking him. Itâs clear out. The windows have watery dots painting it from the aftermath of the rain.
Itâs pretty outside, Mingyu notices, but thereâs something more eye-catching than the pretty natural scenery of the mountainside.
The laptop is still on and laying on the bed, pushed further to the edge with a low battery notification obscuring the open document of the eventâs program that heâd seen Jeonghan preparing in the car yesterday. But whatâs occupying most of the mattress is the both of youâ you and Jeonghanâ with your printed documents scattered around, surrounding a sight that he probably isnât meant to see.
Youâre laying on Jeonghanâs arm as a pillow, face turned to the side and slightly tucked into chest. Jeonghanâs chin is buried into the top of your head, his legs tangled with yours and the blanket has been kicked off the side. The morning light is showering the both of you like a spotlight. Mingyu snaps a picture. The kids are gonna eat this shit up.
*â
Itâs the day of the event, and Choi Seungcheol has not slept a wink since last night.
There were some last minute things he needed to take care of. Game props, printouts, and powerpoint presentations he forgot to quality check until ten in the evening. Grocery shopping for snacks, and an error in the bus booking. The works. But none of that matters now. Theyâve all been settled, everyone has made it to the hanok villa in Gyeongsang in one piece with no asthma attacks nor heart related concerns occurring, and not once had you and Yoon Jeonghan argued ever since last night.
To be honest, itâs freaking him out a little. He wasnât the only one who had to pull an all-nighter. His two Vice Chairs had to suffer with him too and the both of you have been extremely civil to the point of unease. Itâs weird. Itâs eerie. Like right now, as you two are welcoming the lines and lines of members in hanboks and traditional attire with matching smiles and pleasantries. You run out of program printouts and ask Jeonghan if he has any left, he gives you a stack, and the exchange ends without even a scoff, a swear, a mock, or even a look of derision.
This is...ominous, to say the least. Itâs like the calm before the storm. Choi Seungcheol cannot rest easy.
âWhat the fuck is going on with them?â
It seems like he isnât the only one whoâs noticed. Currently, itâs lunchtime. Theyâd just finished presenting the constitution, bylaws, and internal rules and regulations of the organization. Now, theyâre queueing up the kids to the food table.Â
Among the ushers are you and Jeonghan. Standing next to each other. You arenât arguing but you arenât talking to each other either. Joshua is the one who brings it up to the small group preparing the drinks right nowâ him, Soonyoung, and Vernon. If Joshua doesnât know the reason for your sudden civility, then no one does. Junhui gets interrogated too, but he provides no answers, only confusion. âWow. Wild,â is all Jun remarks. They have no idea if you two have made up, have settled your differences, have gotten back together, or all of the above.
Itâs fucking with him, especially after weeks of being perpetually on the edge because of your cold war. Seungcheol calls Mingyu to a corner while everyone else is in the midst of preparing for the next part of the program. Mingyu jogs over, mildly scared and mildly confused.
âHyung,â he calls out. âWhatâs up?â
âOur two Vice Chairs,â Seungcheol starts. He looks over at the center field where the members are sitting. Chan and the rest are still handing out the paper slips. He can still interrogate Mingyu. âYou went with them for location scouting. Did something happen between them?â
Mingyu looks taken aback. âUh.â He stiffens. Seungcheol narrows his eyes at him.
âKim Mingyu.âÂ
âDefine âsomething,ââ Mingyu delays.Â
Now, this is suspicious. He definitely knows what that something is. Choi Seungcheol isnât gonna let him off without squeezing the information out of him. âI donât know,â he huffs. âAnything that could explain why theyâre acting likeââÂ
Seungcheol points in a direction. Mingyuâs eyes follow the trajectory, and his gaze lands on a very alarming scene: Yoon Jeonghan sitting on one of the monoblocks, Yoon Jeonghan seeing you pass by, Yoon Jeonghan standing up, Yoon Jeonghan stopping you with a tap on your shoulder, Yoon Jeonghan offering his seat to you, Yoon Jeonghan leaving the scene and busying himself with some other task, after you had taken his seat.
âLike that?â
Mingyu is now sweating. âUhhhh,â he hesitantly drawls. Then his eyes dart around. Until he spots Seungkwan pass by with a stack of boxes. âCan I talk to my lawyer first?â
âMingyu.â
âLetâsâletâsâletâs get back to work, hyung! I have to goââ
He attempts to chase Kim Mingyu down. Attempts. Because Mingyu suddenly has the speed of a track and fielder and drags Seungkwan away into the accommodation building, the hanok, and heâs suddenly pulled back by Chan, whoâs holding a box containing two or three small pieces of folder up papers. âHyung,â Chan starts. âItâs your turn to pick.â
Seungcheol furrows his brows. Drat. Kim Mingyu has escaped. âPick what?â
âYour manito. Duh,â Chan answers. Itâs the box heâs been passing out since earlierâ a box filled with the names of all the attendees and whoever you pick out, youâre tasked to take care of them throughout the entire trip and pay them special attention. For relationship building, according to Jeonghan, when he pitched the idea. Seungcheol is aware of this mini activity, but he didnât know heâd be participating. He stares at the remaining three papers. âHurry up. I still have to give the rest to Seungkwan and Mingyu hyung.â
âShow me some respect,â he scolds, picking out a random name. âThey ran inside. Storage, I think.â
Chan hums in acknowledgement and takes the box away. When heâs left, Seungcheol rolls open the piece of paper. Looking at the members gathered around the field right now (who are listening to the intermission number prepared by Seokmin and Jihoon) he notices that a few of the kids are already getting pretty chummy. He sighs, pretty sure that he picked out a new member thatâs most probably three years younger than him. How is he supposed to overcome the generation gap? Wonât the kid find it weird if this old man suddenly starts acting close?
Much to his initial relief, a familiar name greets him. Yours, in big bold letters. Thatâs...thatâs pretty doable. His favoritism for you is already blatant to the point that Soonyoung gets jealous. Youâd been working hard since, wellâ the moment youâve been a member of fucking SVT. He can just tell you to sit and rest and transfer your tasks over to the other guys.
âHey.â
Seungcheol calls out to you, whoâs sitting on the seat Jeonghan gave away earlier. Seokmin and Jihoon are hyping up the crowd (mostly Seokmin), but youâre hunched over in your seat, massaging your temples while looking over a document. âChair,â you snap up, visibly tired and stressed (and unrested, by the way). âA few members are absent, so the number of members for each group for the team building later are mismatched. Should we keep it as is, or should we transfer some of them?â
A pang of guilt hits him. Christ, heâs been taking advantage of your competence and diligence. âTransfer, but leave that list with me. Iâll take care of it.â He lays a hand on your shoulder, urging you to go rest inside one of the hanoks for now. âYou didnât even nap on the bus. Go get some sleep. Iâll ask one of the guys to wake you before team building.â
You look up at him, smiling. Oh, his poor successor. Heâs been overworking you to the bone. âWill do, Chair. Thanks.â
He mirrors your smile, watching fondly as you walk into one of the houses. Itâs all warm and sweet. Until itâs not.
Seungcheol jolts. He feels a chill run down his spine. What the fuck?Â
He whips his head around, startled by the sudden cold flash. Then, from a few feet away, he spots Jeonghan, preparing the multicolored handkerchiefs for the team building, but has stopped arranging them by color because he is glaring daggers at him. Hello? What in the world? Heâs about to approach, but then he staggers in his steps upon seeing you pass by Jeonghanâs station.Â
Jeonghan stops working, circling from behind the station to say something to you. You say something backâ something thatâs enough to tighten Jeonghanâs expression, and Seungcheol knits his brows. He canât hear what you two are talking about, but heâs pretty sure itâs an argument. Oh god. It is an argument. Youâve got your angry face on and Jeonghan is raking his hair. Oh no. You two have been so well-behaved. Youâve been getting along so, so well lately. Is he at fault for ruining your peace?! How was he supposed to know your ex-boyfriend is a jealous bastard?! He was just doing his task and being nice to you!
âThere goes all our progress.â
Seungcheol snaps his head back to see Jun. Heâs sipping on a juice box, a leftover from lunch. Thereâs a good amount of disappointment in his face. âProâprogress?âÂ
Junhui pulls down the juice from his mouth, shaking his head. âHyung. Youâve ruined everything.â
Now, what the fuck is this cryptic bullshit? Jun just walks away, leaving even more crumples in Seungcheolâs brain. Seokmin and Jihoonâs performance is about to end, the mic screeches, and an applause breaks out, but heâs still debating on what to do. Should he pry information out of Jun? Or run after the both of you? However, he gets to do neither because at the end of the intermission, Seokmin does something off-course.
Heâs supposed to pass the mic to Seungkwan by now, to announce the short break before team building. But Seungkwan isnât here, and Seokmin is still holding the mic, and the crowd is still cheering. He meets eyes with Seokmin onstage. A bad feeling hits his gut. And since the breakup meeting that happened a few weeks ago, Seungcheol has learned that whatever his gut is feeling is unquestionably correct.
âThe show isnât over yet! Letâs give it up to our dependable, hot, and arguably aging Chairpersonâ Choi Seungcheol! Woohoo!â
This.
This was not part of the program that he remembers approving.
âChoi Seungcheol! Choi Seungcheol! Choi Seungcheol!â
This was definitely not part of it at all.
âAgain, give it up for Mr. Chair!â
Illitâs Magnetic, Vivizâs Maniac, and KIOFâs Midas Touch later (with his face mimicking a red and ripe cherry), Seungcheol was finally allowed off the stage. âWow! Thatâs our Chair, everybody! Who knew he was hiding this kind of charm?â Seungcheol wants to die. Seokminâs voice is cheery in the microphone, but his officer suddenly turns his face away from the mic to whisper something to him. âHyung,â Seokminâs voice is suddenly grave. âI got a text from Seungkwan. He says he canât find the VCs.â
Oh, fuck this. Heâs going to kill himself.
âTellâtell the kids weâre gonna have some free time first before proceeding to the team building.â Seokmin nods. Seungcheolâs face is still very very hot, but he swallows the embarrassment aside for now to deal with this problem. You and Yoon Jeonghan canât just disappear. Youâre both leading two teams for the games. Well. Maybe he can give you a pass, but Jeonghan is still needed out there. He feels unreasonably wronged by him too for that glare earlier.Â
Seungcheol marches into the hanok. He spots an equally stressed looking Seungkwan inside the living area. Mingyu and Jihoon are there, too. So are Joshua, Vernon, and Chan. Why are they all here? Theyâre supposed to be preparing for the team building. These kids are slacking.
Heâs gonna give them an earful later. For now, thereâs a bigger issue to solve. âWhere are the two?âÂ
âWe donât know!â Seungkwan exclaims. âWeâve been looking for them too.â
He hears a sniffle come from one of them. Itâs from Soonyoung. âThe last Iâve seen them, they were arguing.â Seungcheol gulps. MaybeâŚby any chanceâŚthat may have been his fault? âThis happened with my parents too. And they came back with divorce papers.â
âStop projecting your unresolved familial trauma onto them,â Jihoon sighs. âThey arenât your parents.â
âIâve sent a text to Wonwoo and Minghao hyung,â Vernon brings up. âMaybe theyâve seen them.â
At that moment, Minghao enters the living area. Seven heads snap to his direction. Minghao stops in his tracks. âWhat?â He looks awfully relaxed, not looking as though he had just dealt with two ex-lovers who say they hate each other and that itâs over, but have too much sexual tension for their assertion to be believable. In fact, he looks quite at peace. Satisfied, even. Accomplished. This is fucking suspicious. âIsnât it time for the team building activities?â
âHao,â Seungcheol starts. âHave you seen the two Vice Chairs?â
Minghao looks at them. Thereâs a pause of anticipation. Thereâs literally no reason for this suspense build-up. âOh,â Hao exhales. Why are they all waiting for the pin to drop? âI did.â
What they hear next, they never could have been prepared for.Â
âI locked them in a closet.â
The pin has dropped.Â
Seungcheol is the first to speak up.Â
âYou...you what?â he starts. âCome again?â
âThey were arguing,â Minghao shrugs. âI got annoyed.â
Seungkwanâs mouth is hanging open. âYouâ you got annoyed,â he stammers. âSo youâŚâ
âLocked them in a closet,â Minghao finishes. âYeah.â
It doesnât hit them at first. Then it does. It hits them hard.
They all exchange looks. In a matter of soundless seconds, they immediately run to the direction Minghao just came from. What does he mean he locked you and Jeonghan in the closet, why would he lock you two in the closet, locking you two in the closet is a recipe for shit-eating disaster, does he want Yoon Jeonghan to fucking die?
âShit, what if Jeonghan hyung is dead?â
At least theyâre all on the same page. They come to a screeching halt upon reaching the room at the end of the hallway, but there is no sign of either of you. The only semblance of humanity within the vicinity is Wonwoo, who is sitting at a table, headphones on, laptop open, and typing without a care in the world.Â
Seungcheolâs eyes dart around the room. Closet. Closet. Thereâs an indication of a sliding door at the opposite wall. He walks up to it, hesitantly with shaky steps, his heart hammering against his chest. The others inch behind him in caution. Sweat starts trailing down from his forehead. He reaches out for the handle, one hand outstretched, and thenâ
âI wouldnât open that if I were you.â
Wonwooâs voice cuts through the tension. He freezes. They all look back at the man by the desk, unaffectedly writing his documents, the sound of keyboard clicking filling the gaps in the air. âWhy?â Seungcheol chokes out. Thunk. Their heads snap back to the closet. He feels Soonyoung clutch him from behind.
âThere was yelling from in there until a moment ago,â is Wonwooâs simple answer. âI think theyâve moved on to something else.â
Another tense pause fills the room. âWho...who was yelling?â Jihoon raises. âWhat kind of yelling? Why didnât you check if anything was wrong?â
Wonwoo wrinkles his nose, momentarily taking his eyes off from the laptop to give their huddled group a look of disgust. âAnd risk walking in on them making out or something? No, thanks.â Then resumes what heâs doing. They all look at each other. Surely, that canât be the case, right? Youâve got more pride on your shoulders than to fold for Yoon Jeonghan just because of some contrived forced proximity. Itâs more likely that youâve found an opportunity to strangle him. To kill him in cold blood. Which is why theyâve all run here out of concern right now.
âWhy would there be yelling if theyâre making out?!â Mingyu exclaims, concerned.
âI donât know the kind things theyâre into,â Wonwoo leers at them. âAnd frankly, I donât want to know.â
âThen...what are you doing here, hyung?â Vernon prods. âOf all places.â
Once more, Wonwoo stops typing to grace them with an answer. âThis is the only spot with good reception.â This feels like a fever dream. Seungcheol does not know what to do. His attention is directed back to the closed closet door, hearing another...thud coming from within. He locks eyes with Seungkwan. And then Mingyu. And then Jihoon. Holy shit. In his four years of Chairmanship over SVT, this, by far, has been his biggest obstacle yet.
The officers before him never warned him about this. What exactly is the best course of action here? What would result in the least amount of emotional, mental, and physical repercussions? Leave the door alone? Unlock it and witness horrors untold? Thereâs still an event they have to manage. Seokmin is probably freaking out outside right now. Yet here they are, watching the unmoving and locked closet door with uncertainty and caution, like itâs an oracle that will show them the way, that will give them a command to do something. Anything. And, much to their surprise and horrorâ
âMr. Chair.â
It does.
âWould you please unlock the door?â
The oracle is wearing the sound of your voice? No, wait. It is your voice. From behind the door. âHoly shit,â he hears one of them hiss out from behind. Holy shit indeed. Seungcheol knows better than to test your temper. Quickly, he reaches out for the handle, clicks it open, and a force stronger than his slides the door gaping and completely open, revealing the dark and until interiors of the closet.
You emerge from the darkness. So does Jeonghan. Alive. Unstrangled. Maybe? Thatâs up for debate because there are some visible marks on his throat. Seungcheol pretends not to see.Â
âWâwelcome backâŚ?â Soonyoung hesitantly drawls out. You walk out from the closet, Jeonghan trailing behind you slightly from behind. Youâre both still wearing the in theme hanboks, but the fabrics are clearly disheveled. And loose. And Jeonghan is hooking his fingers on the hand lagging behind you. And looking at the back of your head with a concerning amount of heart eyes.
You donât mention a thing about it. âI believe we are behind schedule,â you simply say. âTeam building, right? Letâs head off to our posts now.â
They donât say anything about it either. Seungcheol clears his throat, creaking his body back to the direction of escape. âYâyes. Everyone is waiting.â The rest follow. You all exit the area except for Wonwoo, whoâs still doing his work. When Seungcheol turns back to check on you twoâ you know, just in caseâ he immediately regrets it.
Jeonghan is still a step behind you. But he leans slightly forward, dipping his head down to reach your ears. His mouth moves, whispering something. A silent laugh cracks through your features. A laugh. Not once has laughter occurred since the beginning of this predicament. Not a. Single. Instance. You bump your elbow against Jeonghanâs chest. Jeonghan continues to move behind you with a thin smile on his face.
He sees nothing. They see nothing. They leave the house. They immediately scatter to inhale fresh, free air.
âHyung! Oh my god where have you guys been?! The members are waiting!â
An unspoken agreement was formed. There will be no further mention about this occurrence. Not a single word.Â
*â
âTODAY IS SEPTEMBER 27, 20XX. THE MEETING WILL NOW PLEASE COME TO ORDER. Mr. Secretary, please call the roll.â
âYes, Mr. Chair. Please say âpresent and votingâ once your name is called to be acknowledged.âÂ
Itâs the first Executive Board meeting after SVTâs Orientation and Membership Training. The agenda for today is just a feedbacking session on the said event. Seungcheol yawns, not bothering to cover it up with the clipboard and Seungkwan sends him a dirty look for it. Wonwoo carries on with the roll call, one after the after stating their attendance for the meeting today. Itâs the same routine for the most part. Seungcheol glances at the empty spaces on both his left and right. He taps on the table with a pen impatiently.Â
âSecretary, yours truly, present and voting,â Wonwoo drones one. The two seats are still empty. Seungcheol digs his pen into the wooden surface. âVice Chairperson-External?âÂ
No answer. Wonwoo continues.
âVice Chairperson-Internal?
Still no answer. Wonwoo continues.
âChairperson, Mr. Chair?â
âPresent,â Seungcheol gruffs. God damn it, where the hell are you and Jeonghan? This feels like a rerun of their group traumatic experience last week. âProceed.â
âYes, Mr. Chair. There are twelve out of fourteen officers present. We are in quoââ
The door swings open.
You and Jeonghan enter in a hurry.
âWeâre sorry weâre late!â
Again. Seungcheol feels the horrible, wrinkly slap of deja vu. His eyes follow while you and Jeonghan rush to your seats, out of breath and in a hurry. Joshua has stopped flicking origami frogs on the table. Seokmin and Mingyu pause in between chair spins. Junhuiâs mouth is glued to the latte straw while darting his eyes wide back and forth, between you and Jeonghan. And Minghao cannot be bothered by any more relationship problems.
Wonwoo clears his throat. âFourteen out of fourteen officers present, Mr. Chair,â he amends.Â
âYes, thank you,â Seungcheol sighs out. âSeeing that we are in quorum, it is now legal for us to conduct business. Mr. Secretary, will you please read to us the agenda for todayâs meeting?â
Much to his surprise, the meeting proceeds quite...smoothly. Wonwoo reads out the agenda. No objections. They start the feedbacking session. No problems. The incident with the closet is not even mentioned. Not once. Not even a hint despite the shared knowing looks when Seungcheol asks if there are still more matters to discuss.
âNo more, Mr. Chair,â Vernon confirms. Seungcheol nods. This is going awfully well. Whenâs the curveball going to hit him? When? âThank you, Mr. Auditor. Since there is nothing else on the agenda, letâs proceed to announcements.â He looks at his clipboard. Thereâs only one thing scribbled under announcements. Itâs not his handwriting. Seungcheol squints. âLee Chanâs...poolâŚbarbecue...dance party on the 29th?â
Thereâs a pause. Seungcheol looks up from the clipboard.
âWhat is this?â
All eyes are on Lee Chan. He looks like he enjoys the attention. âLee Chanâs pool barbecue dance party on the 29th,â he answers, as a matter of fact. âYouâre all invited.â
This is the curveball heâs been expecting. Seungcheol feels a knot in his temples. âHow many times do I have to say this?â he releases a heavy breath. âAnnouncements on the order of business are reserved for org-related announcements. It is not an opportunity for you to invite everyone to your parties, nor to your outings, nor to your nephewâs baptismal shower, Soonyoung.â
The man in question swallows down a gulp. Seungcheol sighs for the nth time.
âI hope that is crystal clear.â Heâs so done. Heâs so tired. When is adjournment coming? Why canât it come sooner? âAnyway, do we have any other announcements? Relevant announcements, rather.â Seungcheol sees you with your arm up. He feels a rush of relief. âYes, Ms. VCE, you are raising your hand?â
You put your hand down, allowing it to rest gingerly on the table when you say, âThank you for the acknowledgement, Mr. Chair.â You look like your usual selfâ in between smiling pleasantly and staring blankly. Seungcheol nods, prodding you to continue. You do. âI would like to put the matter of my resignation on todayâs table, Mr. Chair.â
âOh, yes, the matter of yourââÂ
A screeching halt. Seungcheolâs tongue stops working. He stares at you, wide-eyed.
âSorry, can you repeat that?â
âMy resignation.â You pull out a white, ghostly envelope from somewhere. His throat tightens. âI am filing it today and hoping for its immediate attention.â
Itâs like time stops completely. The entire office is frozen. They wait for you to say itâs a joke. Any moment now. Please.
âMr. Chair?â you call out. âAllow me to repeat. I will be resigning from my position as Vice Chairperson-External. What process do we need to undergo to finalize this?â
You donât say itâs a joke. You are dead serious.
âNo?!â
âDidâdid I hear that right resâresâresignaâhiccup!â
âBreathe in, Seokmin. Breathe out. Yes thatâsââ
âWhy would you do this to us?! Why?!â
âOh my god, itâs happening to me again, itâs happening to me againââ
âWhat do you mean resignation, what the hell are you talking about?â Seungkwan shoots up from his seat, slamming his palms against the table in distress. âArenât you two back together?! Why would you resign?!â
Itâs a mess. Itâs a room of hysteria and panic except for you, him and Jeonghan. Seungcheol is trying his best to...understand. To not throttle you and shake you violently because why? Where did he go wrong? Has he not been treating you well enough? Did he need to compliment you more? Do you need more compensation?Â
Whatever the reason is, youâre looking awfully calm being the recipient of manic yells and hyperventilated cries of anguish. Jeonghan, too, is quiet. Heâs just seated there, arms on the armrest, like he is in a completely different room altogether. Seungcheol narrows his eyes at him. Did he do this? Did he talk you into resigning? That bastardâ how could he! Seungcheolâs heart is broken, not just once, but twice. First, from his dearest protege. Second, from his (formerly) trusted right hand man.
âAhem.â
Before things could get worse (i.e. Soonyoung and Seokmin full-on sobbing and begging on their knees), you catch their attention. You look at them, calmly, and, with a carefully enunciated voice, begin your piece that brings all of them to silence.Â
âI sincerely apologize for the trouble that our personal issues have caused to SVT,â you begin, a singular glance at Jeonghan. Seungcheol bites his tongue. Traitor. Evil man. Evil jealous man. âI am well aware that my recent behavior has led to some lapses in the organizationâs operations, clearly seen in the management of our latest event. We have all heard the feedback, the concernsâwhere things went wrong. As you have witnessed, it is quite difficult for us to separate our personal feelings from our professional work here in the org, which was the root of most of our experienced problems.âÂ
That is not true! No one has the best work-life balance than you! Granted, there was an issue just earlier in the month, but Seungcheol can overlook that! He can overlook it as long as you take back your resignation, and take on his spot as Chairperson next semester!
âWhich is exactly why Iâm resigning,â you decisively say. Shit. âThere were a lot ofâŚingredients that eventually led to the unforeseen outburst between Mr. VCI and I during one of our previous meetings. One of those ingredients was my affiliation with the organization. The rest of the details can be found in my resignation letter. Thank you for allowing me to serve thus far.âÂ
Itâs like a needle pricked most everyone in the room and left them deflated. Chan looks sunken. Even Jihoon. Minghao just looks like heâd been expecting this. Kim Mingyu looks like he cannot accept this.
So he jerks out of his seat, springing to his feet, and points an accusatory finger at Yoon Jeonghan.
âYou!â Mingyu shrieks. âSay something!â
âHyung,â Seokmin adds onto the pile. Heâs choked up and about to cry. âAre you just gonna let this happen?â
For the first time since, Jeonghan finally speaks up. But his tone isâŚsourer than expected. âWhat do you want me to say?â he starts. It makes everyone jolt. âThat youâve been overworking my girlfriend since freshman year to the point that we started arguing about it because sheâs been skipping meals and sleep and taking care of herself just to manage the org?â
Even you flinch. Thereâs an apologetic look on your face, but thereâs no denial.Â
Jeonghan lets out a sigh. Oh, Seungcheol realizes. Oh. Oh, crap. Maybe. Maybe he and SVT had a lot more to do with your breakup that he initially thought. The workload. The shit you had to catch and bury with your bare hands whenever the org had problems, had too much to do, had one person in mind to fix up any messes made. Maybe theyâve been relying on you too much. Maybe heâs been relying on you too much and Yoon Jeonghan noticed that.
Of course Jeonghan would notice that. Heâs been dating you under their nose for god knows how long. That explains why Jeonghan would suddenly act pissy towards him. It was whenever youâd been tossed in a sinkhole of work.
Once more, you clear your throat. âI have immense attachment to this organization. However, my priorities have shifted. I am sincerely grateful and sorry, but I hope all of you understand.â
It starts clicking inside each head, one-by-one. Itâs slow. Itâs hard to accept, but they eventually do. Seokmin eventually stops sniffling. Soonyoung stands up to give you a hug. This was a loss for all of them. All of them except you and Yoon Jeonghan.Â
âHyung, but why arenât you resigning?âÂ
Jun pokes the bear one last time. Itâs a question in all their heads, and Jeonghanâs expression alone isnât enough to answer it.
âJun-ah, do you want me gone?â Jeonghan replies, a little too seriously. They freeze. Then he laughs. âItâs going to be difficult to re-elect someone at this point, so Iâll be taking over some of her workload for the remainder of the semester. The rest of you should do the same as one last thank you to our now outgoing VCE. You owe her that much, at least.â
Before Jeonghan can start nagging, you quickly overtake his field of vision from his left. âDonât worry, Iâll be finishing up my pending tasks, Mr. Chair. I will also be leaving some notes behind for everyoneâs ease ofââ
âWhat did I tell you about being more considerate to yourself?â the one from his rightbutts in. âThese kids can handle it on their own. You donât have to micromanage them. Iâm begging you, stop overworking yourself.â
Okay, he sharply inhales through his nose. Seungcheol gets it. They all get it. No need to act all sweet in front of their faces and during org hours. Itâs sending shivers down his spine. All of their spines. None of this spine shivering is healthy. âPlease leave your resignation letter on the table. We will give some time for the other officers to read and consider it before making a final decision during the next meeting.â
You smile. âThank you, Mr. Chair.â
âThank you for your service, Ms. VCE.â
It hurts him to say this. It really does. You were the perfect successor. Now, who the hell from this pile of twelve men is he supposed to pick to be the next Chairperson? Does he have toâ god forbidâ retain his position?
Seungcheol lets out a sigh.
âMeeting adjourned. You are all dismissed.â
the breakup soup. Š hannie-dul-set, 2024.
#seventeen x reader#svt x reader#jeonghan x reader#yoon jeonghan x reader#svt jeonghan x reader#seventeen x you#svt x you#jeonghan x you#yoon jeonghan x you#jeonghan scenarios#yoon jeonghan scenarios#seventeen au#seventeen fanfic#svt au#svt fanfic#jeonghan fanfic#seventeen fluff#svt fluff#seventeen college au#svt college au
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đ˘ At Each Other's Throats đ˘
Spencer Reid x female! Reader
For the CM Kink Bingo Challenge 2024
Summary: A previous encounter means that you're not the biggest fan of Spencer Reid, and you go to some extreme lengths to prove that to him.
Warnings: 18+ MINORS DNI, Dom! Spencer, but not exactly sub reader , degradation (use of whore, slut), semi-public foreplay, arguing as foreplay etc, oral sex (m receiving, f mentions, too), face fucking, rimming, nipple play, rough sex/ rough play, spanking, slapping, spitting, choking, messy sex, creampie, multiple orgasms, mentions of painful sex/ pain play etc. some possible CNC triggers/ phrasing.
A/N: I couldn't find a gift of Spencer being bitchy enough, so everyone, please enjoy Kyle Orfman from Life After Beth. This one was a labour of love, if love was actually hate. It's 2am. This is obviously not edited, and may never be.
Masterlist || Bingo Board
You knew from reputation alone that you would have a hard time working with Spencer Reid. Perhaps it was the slew of child prodigy articles that popped up alongside his name. Maybe it was even just your preconceived notion of what men with three PhDs, a badge, and a gun were like. Maybe it was the fact that he'd written to you after one of your first professional articles was published in The American Journal of Forensic Medicine and Pathology and told you a piece you'd worked on for 18 months was just plain wrong.Â
Either way, you laid eyes on him, and the hatred was cemented. But fuck was he hot.Â
He had no clue who you were as his boss introduced you to him, looking between the two of you as if expecting good things to happen. You should've warned him.Â
âSpencer, this is Y/N. She'll be assisting on a few cases from this month onwards.âÂ
His eyes glazed over as he ran your name through whatever roller index of memories he had stored in there.Â
âY/N is a lecturer at the University of Virginia. She's going to be lecturing at the FBI Academy from September onwards-âÂ
âYou! You wrote an article, I wrote to you about it, did you get my le-â
âYes, I got your letter. I believe you called my writing âjuvenileâ and my thinking âwishful,â and that if I had any actual field experience, I'd slowly understand how many mistakes there were in my writing.âÂ
Agent Hotchner took an almost imperceptible deep breath in, trying to hide the fact that this was all new information to him.Â
âWell, here I am, Doctor Reid.âÂ
The man in front of you gaped for a moment, letting his mouth hang open, closing after a few seconds only to open again. Perhaps you'd disorganized that index of his. You hoped you'd set the goddamn thing alight.Â
âShall we get started?â
To say that you'd gotten off to a bad start was an understatement. Your start had been reversed over by a dump truck with no tires. It had been cemented into the ground with no chance of going anywhere but down into the pits of hell.Â
Which is, coincidentally, where you found yourself every time you had to engage Spencer Reid in conversation.Â
Your first impression of his looks - his incredibly good looks - was that he was even better looking when he was pensive, and unhappy, and being bitchy. He was positively climbable when argumentative, and you liked nothing more than ruining his day, if just for the fact that he'd angrily loosen his tie and pop open his top buttons, exposing the pale white of his neck, and his sharp collar bones, perfectly ready for someone to suck and nip at.Â
He was still an ass, however, and you couldn't bring yourself to sink to those depths.
Four cases in, and you hadn't agreed on one thing. You'd caught a serial arsonist, who he had demanded was most likely an office worker, but you'd countered with college student, and you had prevailed there. 1-0.Â
Then, unfortunately, you'd lost back to back cases with unsubs in the trucking industry, unfamiliar with and uninterested in the life of the Jack Kerouac type.Â
You'd even the playing field at last with a child abduction. And although you knew you'd both been keeping score, you were so genuinely happy for this case to be over. A child was safe at home, and you'd worked so well under pressure (something he had assured you would change your view of your personal forensic psychology theories). 2-2.Â
Of course, those were just the big leagues. You'd fought many petty battles, too, as the war waged.Â
You'd accidentally stolen his place on the jet, enjoying the long bench seat for a good few naps. A few times, he'd settled in next to you, trying to nudge you out of the chair completely, but you'd held your ground.Â
âThis is my seat. Usually. There are like 10 other places on this jet to sit. Why does it have to be here?â He'd grumbled into your ear as you gently elbowed him in the side, accidentally, of course.
âThere aren't assigned seats. Maybe you have control issues, Doctor,â you cut back, trying to avoid speaking too loud to avoid the ire of the group.Â
While you'd enjoyed bickering with - and intellectually besting - Spencer greatly, it did seem that the sentiment wasn't shared by those around you.Â
âYou can't be serious, right now,â Morgan complained from a seat opposite. âYou're seriously fighting over a seat, right now?âÂ
âIt's my seat, Derek, come on, you know it's my seat.âÂ
The look returned to Spencer almost had you ashamed of your petty actions.Â
âI swear they're just taking every advantage to get closer and closer together. Next thing you know, she'll be sitting in his lap,â Emily said from the corner of the plane, so obviously not talking to you that you were almost offended.Â
âAh, young infatuation,â Rossi replied, still ignoring you.Â
Reid slinked just slightly away after that, and you weren't sure if you were more annoyed at the comments themselves or the loss of his annoying companionship.Â
You wanted him to bother you because it meant you'd succeeded in bothering him.Â
You'd had more than your fair share of rather explosive arguments as well.Â
âYou can't seriously believe that Thomas Edison did more for the field of engineering than Nikola Tesla,â he'd shouted at you at a bar after a case had landed you in paperwork hell, filling out forms and working into the late hours.Â
A drink had been suggested, a celebration after solving four straight cases in a row, and you'd gladly taken the chance to unwind.Â
âSpencer, we're literally sat in a bar decorated with multiple light bulbs. Look, there's one. Another! Astounding. Thank you, Mr Edison.âÂ
âAnd none of it would be possible without Alternating Current, so yes. Thank you, Mr Tesla.âÂ
Your teammates had long since abandoned you to your petty bickering and fighting amongst yourselves. They'd stopped getting involved when Penelope had tried to mediate your discussion about Doctor Who, which had quickly devolved into New Who vs Old Who.Â
You didn't even care strongly either way, you just cared that he did. And however he felt, you were sure as hell ready to take up arms against him. Because it was so fuckimg hot watching him lose his shit.Â
You were a grown woman. You could admit that to yourself. You likely wouldn't admit it to anyone else, even if it was as clear as day that you found him unbearable attractive at times. You sure as hell knew that it wasn't a one-way street, from the way his eyes strolled across your body each morning.Â
You wondered if there was a section of his brain that was dedicated to memorising everything you'd said, done, and worn since he'd met you. You hoped there was.Â
On your fifth and final case with the BAU team, you felt unmatched in your annoyance.Â
You were still drawn with Spencer for case breakthroughs, and you felt the need to beat him once again just to nail the point home. He was just stubborn enough to see a 3-2 win as a landslide victory for himself, though you were absolutely going to frame it that way yourself if you managed to be the one to crack everything.Â
All sense of teamwork and camaraderie was off the table.Â
You had a murderer to catch.
Three women, beaten, assaulted, and tied up. He'd shorn their hair but bagged them up so they were unseen. Then he'd placed the bags on display. The unsub was caught between two extremes, hatred of his victims, and gentleness, protecting their dignity in death by covering them up.Â
Obviously, you and Spencer had to decide which side of the debate you were to land on.
âI think we're dealing with a killer without remorse here. It's easier to explain the covering, the dressing of the women as a ritual rather than guilt.âÂ
He'd finally played his cards, and now it was your turn to passionately wipe them from the table.Â
âRemorse? He's cut all their hair off and beat half of them so badly we needed dental to identify them. And in case you've forgotten Spencer, half of them are prostitutes.â
âYou're saying he can't feel remorse for killing prostitutes?â
âThat is not what I'm saying. Don't twist my words."
âWell, of you'd said something that wasn't nonsensical, I'd have a better chance of understanding what the hell you're trying to say!â
With every line you'd stepped closer and closer to one another, like two boxers in a ring, sizing each other up before a fight.Â
You wanted to take his tie and strangle him with it. You wanted to pull him down for a kiss and force him to shut the hell up.Â
âReid, Y/N, both of you take five,â Hotch called sternly from the other side of the room. Guiltily, you both broke away from one another, his hand brushing your side as you took a step back, almost as if he'd meant to grab you before Hotch stepped in.Â
Probably to remove you from the room.Â
âTake five?â You said, mustering all the disappointment you could as you silently pleaded to stick around.Â
âGo back to the motel and get some rest. If you're going to argue like this, I don't need you at the precinct, and I certainly don't need you on my team.âÂ
You blanched at that, almost taken aback by the harsh words as you silently nodded and quietly walked towards the door, letting it shut behind you.Â
Spencer stayed behind, and though you couldn't hear his arguments, you knew he was attempting to reason with Hotch, as well. It evidently didn't work as he stormed out of the room behind you.Â
He looked half like a kicked puppy, half like an angry school kid who'd just been scolded by a teacher.Â
âDon't look at me like that, this is your fault,â you muttered as you walked away from the room.Â
âWhat? How is this my fault?âÂ
âIf you weren't so goddamn infuriating, we'd be able to get some actual work done.âÂ
You marched off in the direction of the exit, but he caught your shoulder before you made it that far.
âYou're blaming me? This is my job, Y/N, not yours. You get to go back to a cushy little office after this is done to teach the people that are going to end up doing the paperwork that consists of only 2% of our job.â
His finger jabbed at your shoulder as he said the words, and you had to resist the temptation to grab it.Â
âDoesn't feel too good to be criticized when you're just doing your job, huh, Spencer?âÂ
His brows knitted together in a deepened scowl and he took a step forward.Â
But there were eyes on you, and whatever confrontation this was, you didn't want to act it out in front of an office full of cops.Â
You turned and walked away again, down a seemingly abandoned hall to what looked to be an empty storage cupboard, flinging the light on and waiting the three seconds it took him to catch up with you.Â
âWhat's your problem?â He said, joining you in the cramped closet.Â
âYou! You're the problem! You're infuriating, and annoying, and most important, you're you!â You poked his chest back, harder than he had earlier, quietly reveling in the feel of his body under your fingertip.Â
âOh, I'm sorry. Would you like me to be someone different? Someone who worships the ground you walk on?â He said, discovering sarcasm for the first time since you'd been introduced.Â
âSure, Spencer, if you can take tour head out of your own ass long enough to worship someone else, then be my guest.âÂ
With a single push he crowded you against the wall, a hand above your head locking you into position as his other hand held your hip, his own hips joining you at the wall as you sucked in a breath.Â
âYou're begging to hear praise, right now, Y/N. Do you even hear yourself?â He asked, whispering the words directly into your ear.Â
âW-Well, you have me pressed up against the wall like some fucking caveman that needs to breed or die.â You spent half the time you were talking trying to compensate for the stutter, trying not to look weak, that you totally missed the words that came from your own mouth.Â
âYou think I want to have sex with you?â He asked, chuckling awkwardly, even as his hand on your hip began rubbing circles, his head hanging lower, just inches away from your mouths meeting.Â
âI think you'd love nothing more,â you said, finally lifting your hands to his hair and tucking a lock behind his ears. âSuch a shame I won't be crawling into your bed.âÂ
âIs that a challenge?â He asked, and you were taken aback for a few seconds.Â
âYou want me so fucking bad, you're trying to convince yoursel-â
With a swoop, he cut you off, his lips meeting yours. You gasped and allowed his tongue to enter your mouth, but you came to your senses quickly. You kissed back with all the anger of the last month and all the attraction that had built up since you'd joined the team. Your tongue fought his, your hands tangled in his hair as his pulled them out, pinning them against a wall. But you slipped free and grabbed him again, grabbing the tie you'd wanted to choke him with earlier and not letting go.Â
His lips were soft, and his body felt hot pressed against you, and you hated how good he was at all of this, how your body responded to his, how each time you pulled away it was with a small whimper as you begged for more.Â
âI knew you wanted me,â he said, between kisses, grabbing your face and tilting it up as he returned his tongue to yours.Â
âOh, shut the fuck up, you kissed me first.â His hands trailed up your hips, untucking your shirt as he pushed his hand under, his cold fingers sending a trail of goosebumps along your skin as you shuddered.Â
âI kissed you because you begged me to,â he said, his fingers caressing the bottom of your chest as he tried to press your bra up further.Â
You were about to argue back when his lips met yours again, and you were lost in the haze of arousal, leg lifting to his hip to better allow him space to settle against you.Â
You grew wilder in your passion, neither of you giving in even for one second as you writhed against each other, begging for satisfaction while denying that you'd ever wanted each other in the first place. Just as it became unbearable, your hands slipping to his belt, ready to pull his cock free and take it, the door opened again.Â
âReid, Y/N,â Morgan said from the doorway as you hastily jumped away from each other.Â
You pulled your shirt down quickly, and Spencer stepped behind you, covering up the tent in his pants as you stared guiltily up at Derek Morgan.Â
âHotch sent me after you to give you the keys to the SUV,â he grumbled, making no comment on anything that happened.Â
âWe were just, um, we were just-â your brain fought for an excuse, but you'd left your brain behind somewhere between joining the BAU and foreplay with Spencer in a closet, so words escaped you.Â
âYou were just making out in a closet. It's okay, we all know,â Derek said, turning to leave.Â
You jumped up, indignant now he'd brushed you off, and followed him out of the closet, an equally shocked Spencer trailing behind you.Â
âWhat do you mean you all know? All know what?â You said, stomping back into the office.Â
âThat you two are into each other. It's why Hotch sent you away earlier. He didn't want to see the two of you going at it,â he said, pressing the car keys into your hands.Â
âWe are not into each other,â Spencer shouted back at Morgan as he stalked off, and you glared at him to shut his mouth. There was a crowd forming, and you still didn't need that attention. Not when your hair was matted from seven minutes in hell with Spencer or when his hand had, once again, settled on your hip, pulling you closer into him.Â
âLet's go,â you huffed, and finally left the building with Spencer right behind you.Â
You didn't talk for the rest of the drive home, even as your brain flooded itself with images of him taking you in the back of the car, your lips around his dick as he drove, him pulling over to bend you over the hood.Â
You went straight to your separate rooms when you got back to the motel, though you swore that the walls were thin enough that he surely heard you pleasure yourself, fingers sinking into yourself. You weren't sure if he, too, had his hand wrapped around his cock, or if your brain was just now imagining whatever it liked to spur you on.Â
Imagined or real, his moans were delicious, a maddening mix of frustration, exasperation and desperation, whimpers and groans, and small growls until you yourself were cumming, and letting yourself sleep.
You avoided talking, all talking, until the end of the case, even as your head replayed his infuriating words, his moans and the rustling sound of his fingers pressing your shirt up. You refused to talk to him to give his coworkers the validation of arguing with him once more. You weren't into each other.Â
You simply wanted to fuck him. You didn't like him as a person otherwise.Â
In avoiding him, though, the small taste of release you'd sampled in the closet had your softer parts deliriously wanting more. As much as you hated Spencer, you needed him so bad.Â
You'd given him the cold shoulder but he'd returned it just as quickly, and you were more annoyed not talking to him than you weren't.Â
Your last case wrapped up, and you decided it was time to give him what he so obviously wanted. A conversation.Â
You sat yourself right back down in his seat as you got on the jet and laid down, pulling his blanket over yourself as you took up the entire space.Â
The others shook their heads at you as they walked on, Spencer taking up the rear. His eyes met yours, and he scowled, and you couldn't help but wonder if he'd look like that fucking you, so stern and angry.Â
You sighed and pushed onto your side as he stood over you.Â
âThat's my seat.âÂ
You smiled in success as you looked over your shoulder.Â
âI'm tired, I'm going to sleep.âÂ
âBut that is my seat-âÂ
âSpencer, you've sat on every seat on this damn plane before, that wasn't your seat until last month, now sit down, shut up and let me rest,â JJ exploded and you suddenly felt bad for drawing him into your argument. Or you did until you sat up a bit, and he sat himself right down where your head had been.Â
âSpencer!â
âI give upâŚâ JJ groaned from the table seats, pulling headphones over her head and shutting her eyes, and the others made to ignore you similarly.Â
Not one to be beaten, you pushed the book in his hands off his lap and laid your head down again, now cushioned by his legs.Â
âWhat-â his voice squeaked as you shut your eyes, too, and made yourself comfortable. He didn't push you off, or, heaven forbid, start talking to you again. Shockingly, he adjusted to the position quickly and resigned himself to pillow duty for the six hour flight.Â
You, too, shocked yourself by how fast you fell asleep. You woke up with his hands in your hair, stroking your head as he read, book in one hand, you in the other. His hands felt wonderful, raking through your long locks, brushing each errant hair off your face.Â
âSpencer?â You said, voice still thick with sleep.Â
His hand shot away, and you almost regretted not pretending to sleep for longer, sure that he'd have gone on if you hadn't said anything.Â
You straightened and cleared your own throat as you stretched, sitting quietly as you listened to the flight landing announcement.Â
âCongrats, Y/N, you've successfully finished your time with the BAU,â Rossi said from his seat opposite you, strapping in for the landing.
âAnd you haven't been shot, kidnapped, or slapped. That's gotta be a first, right?â Emily joked from the corner.Â
You smiled quietly as you strapped yourself down, scooting even closer to Spencer now to get your belt fastened.
Still, you couldn't resist the urge to mumble a retort.
âI'm sure Spencer thought about it a few times,â you sighed, a breath of resignation releasing from your lips dramatically.
The others chuckled, but Spencer sat silently next to you until the jet landed.Â
He stayed quiet as he began to pack his things, but it became clear quickly that he was dragging everything out. As the plane emptied, you shot him a curious look, not daring to speak until you were the last two on the plane.Â
âYou're being slow today.âÂ
âI've never thought about shooting you or kidnapping you,â he said, voice low and quiet, even though you were alone.Â
âIt was a joke, Spencer,â you started, so sick of him taking g everything so seriously. You made to walk past him, but as you did, you felt his hand on your waist pulling you back as another hand came hard and fast at your ass.Â
âI wasn't finished speaking,â he said as his hand ran over your butt, soothing the pain he'd just delivered. âI have thought about slapping you, though.âÂ
With that he grabbed his bag and stalked off the jet, not bothering to cast another look behind him.Â
Two could play at that game.Â
In about the most childish was you could muster, you ran ahead of him, staying three paces directly in front of him as he tried to overtake you. You moved when he moved. You sped up when he sped up. You even stopped a few times, so he'd run into you.Â
âY/N, cut it out.â
âMake me,â you said, throwing a withering look over your shoulder.Â
He didn't wither.Â
Instead, he grabbed your arm and marched you all the way through the FBI building, down to the parking lot, and into your car. As soon as he had you safely in the driver's seat, he closed the door, pulling off your visitors' pass.Â
âI'll return this for you, no need for you to dally.âÂ
âFuck you,â you spat out the window as you started the ignition.Â
âIt's been a pleasure,â he said with a grimace.Â
âNo, it hasn't,â you said back, wondering how long you'd spend in jail of you just mowed him down then and there.Â
âYouâre right. It hasn't,â he said, leaning down and into the window so you were now eye to eye.Â
âReally? It seems like you got a lot of pleasure out of spanking me earlier. You were certainly experiencing a lot of pleasure when you pushed me up against a wall last week. If it wasn't pleasure, there was definitely something long-â
âLong?â He smirked.
âAnd hard in your pants.âÂ
He leaned in through the window, his breath fanning against your cheeks as he whispered into your ear.Â
âThat was my gun.âÂ
âAnd I certainly won't be helping you fire a load,â you said, starting the ignition and pushing him back from the window as you drove away from the FBI and away from Spencer Reid.Â
It infuriated him that you'd gotten the last word. You'd spent a month with him and hadn't even given him a chance to show off his good qualities, and then you'd left without giving him a chance to prove himself.Â
And, in doing so, you'd told a blatant lie.Â
There had been two people in that closet, two people with tongues desperate for contact, eager for battle. You'd been moaning just as much as he had when his hands found your nipples.Â
But you'd gotten to drive away without listening to his retort, and it was killing him.Â
He sat and seethed at his desk for a while, waiting for the sense of relief that you were gone to wash over him. This had been what he wanted for weeks. Why was he now so discontent? Why did everything feel wrong?Â
Abandoning paperwork he knew wouldn't be needed until at least next week, Spencer found your address in the team files, wrote it down, and left his desk.Â
When you got home, there was nothing waiting for you.Â
It was annoying. You'd spent the last month constantly on the go, always with more work, more cases, more paperwork. You'd killed any apparent gaps with Spencer.Â
You could still feel his hands on your ass. You hated to admit it, but in your short acquaintance with Doctor Asshat, you'd grown fond of having him around as eye candy. When he wasn't being annoying (talking, breathing, or generally just being), you could quite happily imagine his head buried between your legs, his tongue lapping up every drop of cum you had to offer.Â
There were definitely better things he could be doing with his mouth, in any case.Â
Your body felt hot, itchy, and neglected as you got home, running a shower immediately and stepping in.Â
The water was hot, and the room steamed up faster than you expected. You washed away the fatigue, and you washed away the dirt of a month of cheap motels..Â
Just as you were about to wash away the memories of Spencer Reid and his stupidly skilful tongue, the doorbell rang.Â
It wasn't unusual for you to get visitors at 10 pm, but usually they announced themselves.Â
You stayed put in the shower. It was probably a package you'd ordered, and it could honestly wait.Â
The ringing, though, didn't stop. Whoever was at your door was insistent. First, the door rang to the rhythm of jingle bells. Then, they moved on to Fur Elise. When they got to Flight of the Bumblebees Levels of bullshit, you couldn't stand it anymore.Â
You wrapped a towel around you and pulled the door open wide.Â
âSp- mm?â You said, shocked to see him there, but completely floored by his appearance, and more importantly the two hands he'd planted on your cheeks as he pulled you in for a hot, hard, and fast kiss.Â
You pushed him off with a hard slap to his face, and stalked further into your apartment, knowing he'd follow closely behind.
You heard the door slam shut as he made to grab you again, but you stayed just out of reach.Â
âWhat the fuck are you doing here?âÂ
âI came because neither of us will move on without this.â
âOh, you need me so much you won't be able to move on if you don't fuck me?â You scoffed, expecting a sarcastic answer to a sarcastic question.Â
âYes,â he said, and your shock at his earnestness gave him the moment he needed to grab at you again.Â
This time, though, the tiny towel that had been holding your dignity in place dropped to the floor as Spencer Reid pinned you against the wall.Â
âAlready fucking bare and wet for me, how well-behaved.â
âGo fuck yourself!â you said, even as his hands cupped your breasts, grabbing and pulling both of your nipples, making you moan.
âSee, your mouth is being a bitch, but your body is being a whore.âÂ
âJust fuck me won't you? No need to run your mouth.âÂ
âI think we're finally in agreement on something,â he said, pushing you to your knees.Â
âWhat? Sp-âÂ
In one quick swoop he released his cock from his pants and wrapped a hand around all of your hair as he slid it down your waiting throat.Â
As much as you protested, your mouth was wide open, and your hands wrapped around him just as eagerly.Â
Holding your head still, Spencer began to talk as he fucked your throat.Â
âThere we go. That's exactly how I've needed you for the last month.â
You glared at him as you sank your nails into his thighs, gagging on his cock as he picked up his pace.
With two taps on his leg, you requested a moment, and he quickly pulled his dick out of your mouth.Â
You coughed quickly, then spat out all of your accumulated drool before looking up at him.Â
Part of you wanted to force him down next to you, to make him taste your cunt the way you'd thought about earlier. The other part, the larger part, was excited about him using you.Â
He grabbed his dick and slapped your face with it, returning your earlier hit. He was waiting for you to open up again so he could cum down your throat and leave.Â
âOpen,â he demanded.Â
You didn't comply, but you stuck out your tongue, lapping at his tip slowly as you sat on your hands. He held his breath as you kissed the underside of his shaft, making his way to his balls. You reached them and finally sucked them into your mouth, making sure to look up and make eye contact with him as you toyed with his private place.
He didn't argue or complain. Instead he fisted a hand into your hair and dragged you to your bedroom.Â
Divesting himself of his pants and shirt, he sat down and, still on all fours, pushed your face back into his crotch. Perched on the edge of your bed, he held his cock up and served himself to you.Â
âWell? Get back to it, Y/N.âÂ
Your tongue found his cock first as his hands massaged his balls, playing with them gently as you licked all the way to his tip then buried yourself between his asscheeks. You licked at the skin between his ass and balls, you tasted every inch of him, and you grew angry that he still hadn't done this for you.Â
Against his wished, you rose and spat on his cock, before squeezing it hard.Â
âSpencer, are you going to fuck me or are you just going to ruin my makeup?âÂ
âYou look prettier with spit coating your face than you've looked with any lipstick,â he said as you pushed him down onto the bed and grabbed his cock.Â
Straddling his waist, you were surprised he.let you sink down onto his cock without so much as another word. You felt him fill you up, one inch, then another until you sat fully sheathed on top of him.Â
And then he flipped you over so he was back in control.Â
âSon of a bitch,â you muttered as he pulled out and thrust back in.Â
âYou wanted me to fuck you, I'm fucking you.â
You wanted to argue but all you could do was moan yes as he set a furious pace, thumb and forefinger pinching your clit as you bucked into him wildly.
You couldn't stand too much of this, knowing that you wanted to at least outlast him. You wanted to tell him how pathetic he was for cumming first, you wanted to gloat that he'd wanted you more, that he couldn't resist breeding your hot wet cunt. You knew any more of this, though, and you would instead be on the receiving end of those same taunts.Â
Pushing against his chest, you used the last of your strength to flip him over again. He struggled, though, stronger than you were expecting, and you rolled together like that for a few moments.
You almost went crashing to the floor as he fought for control, but he pushed a foot off the bed and held you up with his lower body strength. The new position though forced his cock deeper, to just the right angle, and when he thrust into you again, you did something you'd never done before during sex.Â
You screamed your pleasure.Â
Your orgasm ripped through you, as painful as it was pleasurable, and you grabbed Spencer Reid by the neck and forced his tongue to meet yours.Â
He couldn't complain, too busy moaning about your hot, wet, and now tighter cunt to worry about whether he should be kissing you.Â
He pulled back and picked his pace right back up, but this time, you resisted less. Hooking a hand under your legs, he pressed your legs up, pushing his stomach and chest down just above your own as he moved slower but harder.Â
You wondered if this was what other wen talked about when they said they wanted someone to beat their pussy up, to use them until they couldn't stand. You didn't think you could even think about walking again for the next month as he spread your knees apart and pinned them to the bed, unloading his cum as deep inside you as anything had ever been.
You didn't even know your body bent that way.Â
Panting, he collapsed on top of you and buried his head in your shoulder, mumbling and muttering to himself as he came down from his ecstasy.Â
He didn't pull out. He barely even softened as he kissed across the expanse of your throat, thrusting shallowly with each nip, until your body couldn't take anymore.Â
He picked a spot and sucked, and licked and bit and soothed as he ended one round, and began another.Â
âSpencer-â you said, gasping as he sat up, his cock once again standing at attention, filling you still.Â
âNo. Stop. Don't talk, we're not good when we talk.âÂ
You nodded and pulled him back for another kiss, wrapping a hand around his throat and pressing hard as he moaned and groaned into you.Â
Still wet and slippery and sensitive from your first attempt, neither of you lasted long, falling to the bed when it was all over with a grunt of overexertion.Â
âThat wasâŚâ you said, stopping there, for once totally speechless.
âThat was good?â He supplied, but just good wasn't enough.Â
âYes,â you agreed, though, not willing to let your cunt rule your mind when around him.
Anymore, at least.Â
âWe should⌠we should probably never speak again,â you said, even as your hand reached out for his, fingers tangling.Â
âOf course. I'll leave, and we won't ever speak again,â he said, stroking your hand with his thumb, bringing your clasped hands to his mouth and pressing a kiss to your hand.
âYou haven't left yet.âÂ
âI haven't.â
âI have nowhere to be tomorrow,â you said. âYou don'tâŚâ
âI won't leave yet. We might as well enjoy this,â he said, propping himself up on his elbows as he looked over your naked body.Â
âWe should definitely just get this out of our systems now. What's the harm in that?âÂ
âI agree. If we're committing to a one time thing, we might as well go all in.â
âExactly,â you said.Â
âExactly,â he parrotted.
Exactly a year later, the members of the BAU received invitations in the post to your wedding. Because the both of you had convinced yourself that that one time had never ended and never had need to.Â
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: ĚĚâ tropes: fem! reader đĽ minors do not interact đĽ nsfw đĽ he's obsessed to the max đĽ ceo x assistant đĽ grumpy x sunshine đĽ she talks a lot x he listens a lot đĽ loved you for so long đĽ major fluff đĽ sexual content đĽ alternate universe đĽ nanami's first time đĽ you talk him through it đĽ close proximity đĽ
: ĚĚâ words: 5.6k
: ĚĚâ notes: hey all! sorry for the inactivity. im got reality to handle as well. i promise ill be more active soon. the creativity juices are running on low fuel atm. thanks for all the love and support you have have given me. if you enjoy my work, please leave a comment, like, and reblog! thank you & ily. enjoy!
Nanami couldnât focus on the meeting.
He never could when you were in attendance, sitting off to the side, diligently jotting notes. His eyes flicked back and forth from the powerpoint presentation to the strand of hair bothering you despite tucking it behind your ear thirty-seven times.
Yes, he was keeping count.Â
His dick constrained against his pants when you bit the end of your pen between your teeth, getting a bit of your red lipstick smeared around the tool. He wished he was that pen, with the mark of your lips on his skin instead. He even wished he was your tea mug sometimes.Â
Jesus, something was terribly wrong with him. You were wrong for him. He was your boss; you were his assistant. Your relationship was strictly professionalâhas been for three years now. Three torturous years of admiring you from the sidelines. Three torturous years of hearing you yap about going on dates with random men off the internet. Three torturous years of chafing his dick in the bathroom every morning, noon, and night to the thought of you.Â
Your scent, your breaths, your skin, your hair, your eyes, your mouthâGod, he loved your mouthâespecially when it moved and produced the loveliest sound heâs ever heard. He wanted nothing more than to print you onto his skin for the rest of his life.Â
Nanami scowled at the silver-haired intern who kept side-eyeing your cleavage. If only it werenât for that bastard. Firing him crossed his mind every time he popped up like a weasel, but Nanami needed a solid reason.Â
ââthatâs alright with you, Mr. Nanami?âÂ
Nanamiâs attention snapped back to the presenter. What was he speaking about? Budget? Strategies for the future? Increases in revenue? Whatever it was, Nanami had one answer. âYes.âÂ
âLovely, weâll go ahead with the renovations for our research and development department. Theyâll be happy to know their resources are being updated!âÂ
Ah. Well, either way, he could care less. Whatever made his employees happy, he wasnât afraid to spend a pretty penny. Thatâs why Nanami Kento was universally loved by everyone. Even his enemiesâif he had any to begin withâwould be his allies. He didnât often put himself on the pedestal, but he does admit every now and then, he was a jack of all trades.Â
âThat was a satisfying meeting, wasnât it?â you chirped as you both entered the elevator. Nanami caught sight of the silver-serpent catching up and jabbed the button to close the doors.Â
Unfortunately, the intern pushed his hand in between and laughed in an annoying sound he called a voice, sending a twitch in Nanamiâs eyes.Â
âOh, Satoru!â you greeted, standing closer to his side.Â
âBoss,â Satoru said to Nanami, then turned to you, whispering, âBeautiful,â loud enough for him to hear.Â
You snorted, waving a hand. âOh, stop it. I hope the meeting wasnât too much for you. Lots of changes weâve made for the fiscal year, huh?âÂ
Nanami stared bored at the closed doors with the two behind him.Â
âYou made it easier,â Satoru replied.Â
âWere you copying my notes?âÂ
âCome on, sweetheart. This is corporate. Not college. A little cheating hurts nobody.âÂ
Nanami heard your uncomfortable chuckle and clenched his fists tight. The word âcheatingâ was a trigger for you. Your last relationship ended with your boyfriend of three months sleeping with your friend simply because she had more money and didnât work for someone. Nanami was sure youâd quit and almost placed an offer to give you a proper role in the company, but you brushed it all off by stating how much you cherished being his assistant. Heâd fallen madly, madly in love with you. He knew when heâd make you his wife, youâd be the boss.Â
âThatâs my floor,â Satoru announced. âLetâs do dinner soon, yeah?âÂ
You simply nodded.Â
âAlways a pleasure meeting the man of the hour,â the silver-ass said to Nanami before exiting.Â
You stepped up to your bossâ side, sighing. âHe just doesnât know when to give up. Itâs almost adorable.âÂ
âI believe âagitatingâ is the word youâre looking for.âÂ
You laughed it off. Nanami didnât think he was particularly a funny guy until he met you. âSatoruâs harmless.â Â
âWill you, though?â he asked, clearing his throat. âGo to dinner with him?âÂ
You glanced up at Nanami, and smiled. He stared straight ahead with a tight tick in his jaw. Your smile broadened. âIâd love to,â you replied, finding his body tense, âbut not with him.âÂ
Nanami slowly dragged his eyes down to you. Your blinks were slow, weighed down by the thickness of your long lashes. His eyes dipped to your lips, then back to your gaze. âWell, I hope you do with someone. Dinner is an important meal of the day.âÂ
He was an idiot.Â
âThatâs surprising coming from you, Mr. Nanami.âÂ
âHow so?âÂ
You shrugged lightly, eyes twinkling. âIâve never seen you eat dinner, let alone leave the office around that time.â
Nanami adjusted his tie, feeling a bit self-conscious. He hesitated for a moment, then decided to take the plunge. âWell, maybe we should change that.â
Your eyebrow arched slightly, curiosity piqued. âChange what?â
âSince youâre staying late to catch up on work,â he said, his voice steadying, âhow about we have dinner here together?â
You paused, surprise flashing across your face before you smiled warmly. âThat sounds nice. I could use a break, and itâs been a long day.â
Relief washed over him, and he allowed himself to smile back. âGreat. Iâll order something for us. Any preferences?â
You shook your head, still smiling. âIâm fine with anything, Mr. Nanami.â
âPlease, call me Kento,â he said softly.
âAll right, Kento,â you replied, your tone gentle. âThank you.â
As he walked out of the elevator, he felt a sense of accomplishment and, perhaps, excitementâan emotion heâd felt strictly in your presence. It wasnât a grand romantic gesture, but it was a step in the right direction. Tonight, you were his, even if only for a little while. And maybe, just maybe, he'd find the courage to tell you how he really felt.
As the morning passed, he buried himself in his work, but his mind constantly wandered. Every so often, he'd steal a glance in your direction, watching you as you diligently typed away on your computer or answered phone calls. There was something about the way you moved, the way you smiled even when you were focused, that captivated him completely.
Around mid-morning, Nanami's concentration was broken when a male worker from another department walked over to your desk. He was carrying a file, but instead of simply dropping it off, he started chatting with you. The man was smiling, clearly enjoying the conversation. Nanami's grip on his pen tightened as he watched the interaction unfold.
The male worker leaned casually against your desk, making you laugh at something he said. Nanami's heart pounded in his chest. He hated how easy it was for others to make you smile like that. He felt a pang of jealousy, a possessive urge to step in and assert that you were his . . . though you didn't know it yet.
As the conversation continued, you glanced up and caught Nanami staring. Your eyes met, and you smiled softly at him. He quickly looked away, feeling a rush of embarrassment and anger at himself for being so obvious. His face felt hot, and he cursed under his breath, trying to refocus on his work.
The rest of the day passed in a similar fashion. Nanami found it hard to concentrate, his mind continually drifting back to you. He tried to remind himself that he needed to be professional, but it was a losing battle. Every time he heard your laugh or saw your smile, his heart ached with a mixture of longing and possessiveness.
The evening had grown quiet, with the soft hum of office equipment and the distant sounds of the city outside. When the delivery boy finally arrived, Nanami stood up and walked over to meet him.
âOh, Iâve got it!â you said, standing from your seat and taking out your credit card.
Nanami tapped his card without a second thought; heâd always be willing to pay for anything when it came to you.
âSir, this was going to be my treat.â
âNext time,â he replied.Â
You smiled, tucking a strand of your hair behind your ear. âNext time, it is.âÂ
He led the way to his office, opening the door for you. You set the food out on the table, and for a moment, there was an awkward silence as you both settled onto the sofa.
Nanami cleared his throat. âI hope you like what I ordered. I wasnât sure what you preferred, so I got a bit of everything.â
You smiled warmly, appreciating his thoughtfulness. âThis looks great. Thank you.â
You began eating, the silence stretching between you both. Nanami felt frustrated at himself. Youâve worked for him for three years and he still couldnât harness the ability of speaking to you casually. He wanted to make conversation, to make this moment more comfortable, but the words seemed to stick in his throat. He glanced at you, watching as you took a bite and then met his gaze.
âThis is really good,â you said, breaking the silence. âI didnât realise how hungry I was.â
He smiled, feeling a bit more at ease. âIâm glad you like it.â
You continued eating, the silence now less awkward and more companionable. Nanami stole glances at you, noting the way you enjoyed the food, the way your eyes sparkled even in the dim office light.Â
When the last bites were eaten and the containers cleared away, you leaned back in your chair, looking content. âThank you for this. It was really nice.â
He smiled softly, his heart full. âAnytime. Iâm glad we could do this.â
âAbout damn time,â you muttered.Â
Nanami blinked.Â
You sucked in a sharp breath, realizing what slipped your mouth. âMr. Nanamiâ Iâ I only meant thatââ You surrendered with a sigh, running your fingers through your hair. âDamn it.âÂ
Licking his lips, Nanami shook his leg anxiously, wondering what exactly youâd meant. Were you wanting to have dinner with him for a while now? A platonic dinner? Or was it, and he could be entirely wrong, more? Were you perhaps . . . also rowing the same boat as him?Â
âI shouldâve extended an invitation a while ago,â Nanami whispered.
Your eyes locked with his.
âThree years ago, to be exact,â he continued, awaiting your reaction. âIn an intimate sense. Or professional, if thatâs what youâd prefer. Iâm happy either way. Unless this has made you uncomfortableââ
âKento.â
He stopped to catch his breath. âYes?â
You reached out and rested your hand on his knee, your eyes moving from his body to his face. âNext time, like you mentioned, can I treat you to dinner at my place?â The caress of your thumb set him aflameâa tiny gesture, yet powerful. âUnless it makes you uncomforââ
Nanami cupped the back of your head and pulled you into a feverish kiss. He moaned at the first touch, savoring the sweet taste of you, the smoothness of your lips, and the sweep of your tongue against his. He didnât dare break the kiss, tugging you out of your chair and onto his firm lap. His mouth was everywhereâyour jaw, your neck, your collarbonesâas he deftly unbuttoned your blouse. He was a madman, lost in the moment.
âIâll do it,â you chuckled as he fumbled with the clasp of your bra. âI didnât peg you for an inexperienced man.â
âIâve been saving myself forââ
âThe right woman?â you snorted.
âFor you,â he stated firmly, cupping your cheek. âThe last three years have been agonising. Whenever youâre near, I canât focus. Whenever you laugh, I canât breathe. Whenever some other bastard tries to flirt with you, my sanity chips away until all I want to do is take you away. Mark you as mine.â His possessiveness sent a shiver down your spine, making your back arch. âThatâs exactly what Iâll do tonight. Is that okay with you?â
You bit your bottom lip and nodded. âMore than.â
âYou always know the right thing to say.â He smiled against your lips, slipping off your bra in the process. Through the kiss, you guided his hand to your breast. Just because he was inexperienced didnât mean you were. Nanami should know by now that you had a little zest in you. âLike this, darling?â
You sighed as he pinched your nipples, his eyes marvelling at the sight of your breasts. âYeah. You can put your mouth on them, too.â
His lips latched onto your left nipple swiftly. Your fingers buried themselves in the back of his hair as your hips ground against his erection while he nibbled and sucked on your breasts. He left them sore and bruised, kissing his way up to your collarbones, neck, and finally, your desperate lips.
Nanami picked you up with one arm, using the other to swipe whatever papers were on the table onto the floor.
âThere are important contracts in there, Mr. Nanami,â you said as he laid you back onto the mahogany surface. âDonât expect me to clean it up in the morning.â
âYouâre the most important thing right now and always,â he replied, loosening his tie and tossing it over his shoulder. âAnd you will call me by my first name in private.â
You raised an eyebrow, relishing the sight of him slowly exposing his torso, button by button. âYes, Kento.â
He sucked in a sharp breath, shrugging off his dress shirt and draping himself over you, his fingers gently closing around your neck as he kissed you deeply. âIt must be exhausting walking in a tight skirt all day,â he whispered against your lips, finding the zipper of your pencil skirt and lowering it slowly. âIf you want, I can change the dress code for my favourite assistant.â
âIâm your only assistant,â you said, letting him remove your skirt. âAnd I like my tight skirts, thank you very much.â
âI donât like how the men stare at your back.â
âSue me for having a perfect ass.â
He shrugged. âYou have my lawyerâs contact number.â
A laugh bubbled out of you, which he immediately stole with another kiss. You locked your arms around his neck. âIf wearing tight clothes gets me incentives like this, Iâll do it every day.â
He narrowed his brown eyes. âI canât control your wardrobe choices.â His fingers trailed down your left breast, making your breath hitch as he grazed your sensitive nipples, then continued down to your stomach and under your panties. âBut I have full control over your body tonight, yes?â
You pecked his lips. âAbsolutely.âÂ
Nanami wasnât quite rubbing your clitâit felt rather ticklish. âYouâre making a face. Am I doing something wrong, darling?âÂ
âNot exactly.â You found his hand between your legs and lifted it higher, pressing his fingers directly onto your clit. It was embarrassing how wet you already were. âRub here.âÂ
He rubbed there, and you took in a shuddering breath, nodding to encourage him to keep fucking me with those skilled fingers, Nanami Kentoâfingers you had admired far too often, especially when he performed pen tricks with them.
âHow many . . . erm, how do I word this?â He looked conflicted as he murmured words to himself.Â
âWhat? I wonât judge.âÂ
Nanami looked adorable when flushed. âHow many fingers would you like . . . inside of you?âÂ
You pressed your lips together, holding back laughter at his reddened face. This was the first time you'd be taking a man's virginity, and you wanted to make sure it was as good for him as it would be for you. âI can take three.âÂ
âWow,â he breathes out, clearing his throat.Â
âIâve taken a fist before.âÂ
His eyes widened in shock. âIâm sorry?âÂ
You laughed, cupping his face. âIâm just joking. I only wanted to see your reaction.â He was still flabbergasted as you kissed him. âBut it is possible. I wouldnât suggest it right now.âÂ
âRight now,â he repeats. Yes, right now. Eventually, youâd want his whole damn fist inside of you. âIâll start with two.âÂ
âMiddle and ring finger. Never index. Itâs a rookie mistake.âÂ
âOf course.â Nanami relieved your clit and slid down your centre. âGod, youâre soaking my hand, darling.â His words sent a ripple through you. Then his fingers slowly slid inside your tight heat, making him grunt.Â
âHow is it?â you whispered, massaging the back of his head while the other rested on the side of his neck.Â
âWarm,â he said. âAnd . . . clamping?âÂ
This was entertainment for you.Â
âWarm and clamping is one way to describe it. You can start moving your fingers in and out of me. Curl them, tap them, whatever you want.â Your tongue licked his upper lip, surprising him. âAnd if you want to blow my orgasm through the roof, circle your thumb on my clit. Donât hold back.âÂ
And he didnât.Â
Nanami drove his fingers inside your pussy, unknowingly hitting your g-spot, and flinching when you cried out his name. The pad of his thumb rubbed your clit, or if he complained about a cramp, heâd used the mound of his palm, cupping your entire vagina.Â
âIâm closeââ You let out strained breaths, gripping his hair or shoulders.Â
âClose to what?âÂ
âYouâre going to make me say it?âÂ
Nanami appeared genuinely puzzled. âClose to your orgasm?â Oh, my god. He was genuinely puzzled. Why wouldnât he be? You couldn't expect him to know about even the most obvious sex-related things. Part of you was excited to show him your vibrator and have him guess what it was.Â
âYes, Kento. Iâm close to my orgasm.âÂ
He grinned with pride. Your heart melted, and you grabbed his face, kissing him as if your life hung in the balance. Amid his fervent moans, you came gushing down, drenching his hand with your release.
Pulling his hand out, he stared at your orgasm. âThatâs quite a lot.âÂ
âOh, my god, stop.â You covered your face, suddenly embarrassed by how much youâd come.Â
âIâm sorry, darling. I meant it in a positive way. Iâm very flattered. And thankful that you taught me how to please you this way.â
You caught him about to lick his fingers, causing you to shout in protest and pull his wrist back sharply. âNo!â
âWhat? What is it?âÂ
âYou can't justâ You're all about cleanliness and stuff. I don't want you breaking your own rules for that.âÂ
Nanami smiled. âIâd break all my rules for you.â He went to go lick again, but you quickly pulled his hand towards your chest and wiped it on there. His face contorted to frustration. âWhat the fuck?âÂ
Your brows shot up. This was the first time youâd heard him curse. It was so hot. You wanted him to say it again. âItâs dirty.âÂ
âItâs a part of you.â He made a tch sound and retrieved his tie from the floor. âGive me your hands.â Taking your wrists, he bound them with the material behind your waist.
âKinky,â you said.Â
Nanami stayed silent, his expression now one of disappointment, his brows furrowed deeply. The confusion that once marked his demeanor had given way to a completely different persona. âIf you wonât allow me to taste you from your handsââhe pushed your ankles up on the desk and sank between your legsââIâll drink straight from the source.âÂ
âKento, waitââ
Too late.Â
You broke into a chorus of moans as his tongue licked and lapped at your pussy. His mouth engulfed your clit and sucked on it hard, the tip of his tongue now swirling the little bud. His fingers spread your folds, as he cleaned every last drop of your juices, even probing your little hole that they seeped from.Â
By the end of it, you were drenched in sweat, tears brimming in your eyes, your wrists throbbing from the restraints. Your body swayed side to side, legs trying to close him away, but he remained persistent in eating you out like a madman. âKen . . . I canâtââ
âHave you learned your lesson?âÂ
âYes, goddamn it. Yes. Iâm sorry.â You would let this man lick your whole body from now on. âJust kiss me already. Please.âÂ
He kissed your clit and travelled up to your stomach, each nipple, and to your mouth as he undid the tie so you could cling to him. His mouth met your wet eyes. âIâm sorry, darling. I got carried away a bit.âÂ
âNo, donât be. I loved it.â You planted a kiss on his cheek, making him smile bashfully, just like he had ten minutes earlier. âBut Iâd prefer someone else to touch me now.âÂ
His gaze grew intense. âWho?âÂ
You blinked. âYour friend.âÂ
He scoffed, running his fingers through his hair. âMyâ My friend?âÂ
âUh, yeah?âÂ
âHave you spoken to him before?âÂ
You eyed his prominent bulge. âIâd like to. Touch him, kiss him, have him inside of me.âÂ
Nanami stared at you with disbelief. âNo.âÂ
âNo?âÂ
He gritted his jaw, fists at his side. You were completely frazzled by his response. Why was it that he got to explore your inside with his fingers and tongue and wouldnât allow you to touch him?Â
âThatâs not fair. I thought you wanted me,â you mumbled.Â
âAnd yet you want my friend,â he replied sharply. âHaibara will be disappointed to know that I donât share.âÂ
Huh?
âHaibara?!â you shrieked at the highest decibel, jolting him. âHaiâ Oh, my god. Oh, my god. Kento, you idâ Thatâs not what I meant when I was referring to your friend.â How is this man running a multi-million dollar corporation? âI was talking about your penis. Dick. Cock. Whatever you prefer.âÂ
Nanami stood in stunned silence. His anger melted away, replaced by a sudden realization, his eyes darting upward. âOh.âÂ
Youâd had enough. If he prolonged your orgasm any further, you were going to get a female version of blue-balls. âCome here, you doofus.â You pulled down by his collars and kissed him, undoing his belt, button, and zipper for him. âCan I touch your dick, Mr. Nanami?âÂ
He nodded vigorously.Â
You rolled your eyes, smiling, and slid your hands into his boxers, grabbing him. âOh, God. I knew it. Youâre so big.âÂ
âYou knew it? Has it been on your mind?âÂ
âEver since my interview. No one asked you to manspread. It drove me crazy. Made me stumble on my words.â You stroked him slowly, dissolving him in a sea of grunts and groans. âBe honest, did I get this job because you were attracted to me, or because Iâm genuinely good at what I do?âÂ
Nanami pondered for a moment before responding, âBoth?â
âOf course you chose the safest answer.â
âWell, youâve managed my schedule flawlessly for three years. You handle all my emails, make the best coffee, and surprise me with treats. Yes, youâre undeniably beautiful, but itâs your heart that Iâve fallen in love with.â
Your hand froze. âLove?â
He nodded, a blush colouring his cheeks as he looked away. âLove.â
You cupped his face with both hands. âYou love me?â
Another nod. âSince your interview.â
He had loved you for three years now. It seemed surreal. You liked him, certainly, but did you love him too? That was the question. Your mind had always assumed he would never see you romantically, so you held back from letting your feelings grow.
âYou donât have to say it back,â Nanami reassured you. âIâve loved you enough for both of us for far too long. I can wait until youâre ready.â He kissed your forehead gently. âBut please, donât make me wait forever. I donât want us to stay strictly professional. I want to take you out, make you my girlfriend as soon as possible. Eventually, make . . .â He paused, unsure where to place his hands, before settling on your shoulders. âMake you my wife.â
Oh, you were about to give him the best blow job ever.Â
âOkay,â you whispered, stepping down from the table and taking his hands. âLetâs go on a date tomorrow, the day after, and every day after that. I want to be your girlfriend by next weekâ Iâll add it to your personal calendar. And I want dinner and wine at your place afterwards. Speaking of your place, I want to move in with you by the end of next month, or we can live in my shitty apartmentâ I donât mind. You have to make me your wife next year instead of making me wait three more years. And I want two kids somewhere down the line. Oh, and a cat.â You grinned widely at his stunned expression. âCan you give me all that, Kento?âÂ
He breathed out heavily, nodding slowly. "Yes," he affirmed. His lips found yours. "Yes. I can. I will. I'll give you whatever you need." He kissed you without restraint, laughter filling his office like a contagious joy.
âOkay, okay.â You gently pushed him back by his shoulders and settled him into his seat. âPrepared to have your mind blown, Mr. Nanami.â Kneeling down, you kissed his thigh, tracing a path up to his hip bone.
His breaths came out laboured, short, as he watched your intentions with a hawk eye.Â
You took him out of his boxers and prepared your poor throat. It was long and girthy, your fingers barely curving around it. Your tongue ran over his tip, collecting the salty, pre-cum leaking from there.Â
Nanami hissed, gripping the armrests of his chair as he spread his legs wider. âWill this be painful?â
You looked up from under your lashes. âI'll do my best not to use my teeth by mistake.â
âI meant for you, darling.â
âOne way to find out.â Your lips curved over the head of his cock, lowering yourself until his length was tickling the back of your throat. Nanami was in shambles already. You pulled back and licked him from his base to the summit. âYouâre so warm, too. So hard.â Your hands sailed up his thighs, kissing his rigid length. âAll for me.âÂ
âFor you, darling.â He brushed your hair back from your face.Â
Chuckling, you took him into your mouth again and sent a prayer you didnât wake up with a sore throat. You could easily picture Nanami purchasing cough drops for you, brewing tea, and insisting you take a day off. The idea of him looking after you sent shivers down your spine.
Nanami gripped the sides of your head, his own tilted back as he breathed heavily through those flawless lips. Occasionally, he'd bravely look down and catch your gaze, then quickly avert his eyes to the ceiling. It was adorable how he struggled to maintain eye contact with you. You had assumed he avoided it because he wasn't interested in talking to you or listening to you yapping. It all makes sense now.
He's simply shy. And you're determined to coax him out of his shell, or even better, cozy up inside it where it's safe.
âThe sounds youâre making,â he breathes out. The sounds youâre making, Kento. âIt feels like youâre taking me deeper.âÂ
Because you were. You expanded your jaw, even hearing a little joint tick, and pushed him past the limit of your throat. Youâd given blow-jobs before, but the guys were either too small, or too aggressive, leaving your scalp numb without any aftercare.Â
Nanami was different. He left your hair and held your face, thumbs caressing your cheekbones as he struggled against his restraints. You could feel him twitch in your mouth, feel the veins pulse on your tongue, his sacs hot at your touch.Â
But you wanted Nanami to come inside you.Â
At the last minute, you drew him out of your mouth, the strings of your saliva and his pre-cum bridging from your lips and his tip. Nanami groaned at the sight, his dick twitch involuntarily, standing long and proud.Â
âI want you inside of me now,â you whispered, wiping your mouth with the back of your hand and sitting on his lap. He pulled your lips in for a kiss as you adjusted his tip at your entrance, sitting down on it in one go. A cry ripped from your aching throat; a loud growl from his. âFuck, Kento. Your cockâs filling me up.âÂ
âSuch a dirty mouth,â he muttered, hand on your nape while the other guided your rolling hips. âDoes it hurt?âÂ
You chuckled, head shaking. Your forehead rested over his palms on the side of his neck as you bounced on his lap, your movements growing faster. He was stretching you out, the tip poking your womb, practically splitting you in half.Â
Nanami, on the other hand, was on cloud nine. You were warm and sticky, your walls cushioned and clamping around him, sucking him deeper by the second. Heâd dreamt of this every night, jerking himself off to the thought of you, recalling the sound of your laugh, or your floral scent.Â
Right now, his name slipped off your tongue and you smelled like him. Sweaty, breathless, moaning. This is exactly how he wanted you. Needed you. You were his assistant. His woman. His lover. If any other man dared to touch you, or flirt with you, heâd fire them. He wished he could kill them instead.Â
You had awakened his territorial, possessive side, consuming him completely. If his parents refused to accept you as his equal, he would abandon everything and find happiness elsewhere with you. But first, he was determined to fight for you with all his might. Damn it, he loved you.
âIâm tired,â you whispered, wincing as you tried to mill your hips forward again. âOh, no. Iâm cramping up.âÂ
Nanami hated that he didnât know what to do. He wished he was experienced. He wished he didnât have to rely on you even if it was a turn-on when you dominated him with your words and actions. âStop and take a breather.âÂ
You obeyed, resting your forehead on his shoulder.
He grabbed the globes of your ass and stood up, walking over to the couch and laying you down there. âIs this better?âÂ
âYes.â You stretched up your arms then wrapped it around his neck, giving him a long, loud smack of a kiss. âProceed.��Â
Nanami chuckled, caressing your cheek. He thrusted inside of you, pulling himself to the tip, then back inside. It seemed to have you making those needy sounds, so mustâve been on the right track.Â
âYouâre so handsome,â you whispered, locking eyes with his deep brown gaze as he intensified his movements, growing faster and more forceful. âYes, yes, yes. Oh, god. Kenââ You were cut off by his kiss, by his hand clutching your breast, pinching your nipple.Â
âI love you,â Nanami murmured, kissing your throat and burying his face in the crook of your neck. You cupped the back of his hand, wailing moans as he pounded into you, flesh slapping against flesh. âI love you, darling. I love you so much.âÂ
âKento.â You were feeling achingly sore, your legs losing sensation. He was rutting into you like a madman, and no, you did not want him to slow down whatsoever. âKento!âÂ
He drew his face back. âYes?âÂ
âI love you, too,â you cried out as you climaxed, your back arching off the couchâs surface.Â
Nanami crashed seconds later.Â
You were both a breathless, sticking, sweaty mess. Nothing but the sounds of your rapid hearts and shallow breaths could be heard.Â
Nanami slid out of you after a minute of silence. He was glowing, golden hair damp with sweat and sticking in different directions from your hand that was running through it. He parted your legs and watched both your mingled release leaking out of you. âI did that.âÂ
You burst out laughing. âThank you for letting me take your virginity.âÂ
He scowled at you, the kind where a smile creeped on his lips. âLetâs get you cleaned up.âÂ
âNo, lay with me for a sec.âÂ
Nanami listened attentively and settled beside you on the couch, pulling you into his embrace. You showered kisses over his face, jaw, and the corners of his smiling mouth. âYou said âI love you,â by the way.âÂ
âI did.â Another peck landed on his lips.Â
He swallowed, his eyes sparkling as they met yours. âAre you sure?âÂ
âOne-hundred-infinite percent.â You fixed his hair away from his forehead, running your index finger down the slope of his nose and to his lips. âSay it back.âÂ
âI love you.âÂ
âI love you, too.â
Nanami sighed contentedly, his hand cradling the back of your head as he planted a kiss on your forehead. You giggled and nestled your cheek against his chest, wrapping your arms around his waist. âI know you said to wait until next week to make you my girlfriend, but is it alright if I make you mine now?âÂ
âI am already yours.â You drew hearts on his torso, feeling shy all of a sudden. Youâd never been in a proper relationship before. But neither had Nanami. Which meant youâd both navigate your relationship together as novices.Â
âOfficially?â He continued. âOr I can waitââ
âYes,â you said, craning your head up. âIâd love to officially be your girlfriend, Kento Nanami.â You savoured the relieved breath he took. How could you ever reject a soul like his? He was your favourite person. âBut Iâm still your assistant.âÂ
âAnd now Iâm yours.âÂ
You laugh and rest your nose in the curve of his neck, closing your eyes. He hugged you close, lips lazily kissing the top of your head. âGet as much rest as you can, Boss Man. Round two is in five minutes.âÂ
#zaraswriting#jjk x reader#jujutsu kaisen#jujutsu kaisen x reader#kento nanami x reader#nanami kento x reader#nanami x reader#nanami kento#nanami x y/n#nanami x you#jujutsu kaisen nanami#jjk nanami#jjk x you#jujutsu kaisen drabbles#jujutsu kaisen imagines#jujutsu kaisen x you#kento nanami#nanami kento x you#nanami kento x y/n#nanami headcanons#kento x y/n#kento nanami smut#kento x you#kento x reader#jujutsu nanami#jjk imagines
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âď¸ Task Force 141 - NFL AU đ
by me (sleepyconfusedpotato) and @alypink ! This AU will include some Original Characters made by us both!
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New Hampshire 141s, a new rising american football team whose players dominantly came from the United Kingdom, is ready to face the NFL season!
As the previous Head Coach, Herschel von Shepherd got fired by the General Manager MacMillan, John Price (who has roots in rugby) got chosen by MacMillan to bring the team to victory. Let us see which players caught Coach Price's eyes!
John Price (HC)
John Price was born in Liverpool, England, but moved to America when he was still very young due to his father being deployed from the military to an American base. Although his father retired a couple of years later, they decided to stay in America. He grew up loving sports as a child but American football always piqued his interest more than any other sports. He played safety in middle and high school, but in his junior year, he had Meniscal tears that prevented him from ever playing again. John was heavily depressed after his injury, one day one of his close friends, Nikolai, who was also one of his fellow teammates on his high school team, told him to cheer him up to go watch the team play or to attend the training camps, John agreed and started assisting to the games and eventually started to think about becoming a head coach. He was recommended by his former high school head coach to take the job as a defensive coordinator for the New Hampshire Wildcats, a college football team. His performance and playbook were impressive, leading the Wildcats to reach a bowl and winning it twice. He proved to be fit and ready for a professional football team in the NFL and was hired as a defensive coordinator by the New Hampshire 141âs, by the HC at that time, Herschel von Shepherd. His first two seasons were disastrous as there was friction between the players and their head coach, most of the players disagreed with Shepherd's decisions and playmaking. To add to that, he seemed to never care about the player's input or needs. Although in those seasons they held a record of 4 wins and 12 losses, the General Manager of the team noticed his defense was the best in the league for both points and yards, and also noticed that a good portion of his defense players were selected on the all-pro team of those two seasons. After the owner and GM fired Shepherd as a Head Coach, John took his place. In his first seasons with the 141s, he restructured the team and went to playoffs and one NFC championship. As he wanted to improve his team, he started attending college football games, he attended once a college game in which he met the offensive coordinator at the time, Aly, and after the game he met her to ask about some players he was interested in on her actual team, for QB and WR positions, they became acquaintance since that day and kept communication for some time, as she sent some prospects his way. She also requested his help every now and then, making him attend her games and inviting her over to watch the 141s too. After spending time together and sharing the same interests and love for football, they started to date but kept it low as two months later, John hired her as his new offensive coordinator.
#26 Kyle Garrick (WR)
the most responsible and reliable player of the team. Kyleâs dad was an ex-WR and a former head coach out of a college football team. His father is a very hardworking man and disciplines his son like a football player, and with that, comes a great expectation for Kyle since his high school years. Kyle is extremely reliable, responsible, and respected on and off the field. He is HC John Price's favorite due to his work ethic. Kyle believes in having discipline in everything he does to be one of the best. He keeps a picture of his girlfriend, Eleanor Graham (Ladybug) everywhere, especially in his locker room as he says she brings him good luck for catching the hail maryâs from Alex. Kyle and Alex met in Baylor University, where they played together and won many games, including several bowl games. They became best friends in and out of the football field, supporting each other infinitely. âYou've got friends nearby.â On Alexâs quote, âI can throw the ball like âfuck it, heâs over there somewhereâ and Kyle would magically appear and catch the ball. Heâs always at the right place.â
One day during practice Alex was throwing the ball too far to the left, which headed straight towards her head. On instinct and in an attempt to catch the ball, Kyle collided with Eleanor, which bruised her arms. Instead of being upset like how Kyle would expect her to react, she laughed loudly at him, saying that she chose to sit there. She knew the hazard of studying near a football field. Even though Eleanor said she can take care of her bruises, Kyle insisted on nursing her. (Alex SMILED ear to ear). They both met from time to time. Every practice, Kyle always looks for Eleanor on the side of the field. Eleanorâs laid-back personality often bothers Kyle as she's a damn med school student, but through her, Kyle learns how to slow down and live in the moment. Love bloomed between them and they became a couple midway through freshman year.Â
When Kyle was drafted to the NFL to be with Alex for New Hampshire 141s, Eleanor was there with him when he received the call from HC Price. Though Eleanor has to stay in Texas to continue her studies, Eleanor travels to New Hampshire often to visit Kyle.
#31 Alex Keller (QB)
Alex is the quarterback of the 141s, second draft pick and first QB of his university. He is very skilled and hard-working, he is in love with water girl Farah Karim and aspires to be like Tom Brady. He and Kyle Garrick (WR) met in their first year of freshman in University and they played since their first year as the duo of QB and WR (Burrow and Chase vibes) and were drafted together in the NFL draft by the same team. Young duo but very effective especially during the regular season. Alex Keller met Farah Karim in his rookie season during training camp in his first year and has been infatuated with her. Since then, he has tried to score ASAP or reach 4th down so he can sit on the bench and talk with her. Whenever he can, he visits and picks her up from University and helps her out whenever he can in anything she would need.
#70 Simon Riley (TE)
Simon Riley used to be a rugby player in England. He joined the rugby team during his college days and met Price as one of his coaches, who trained and guided him to become one of the most dominant flankers in college rugby. Unfortunately, though heâs always dependable whenever heâs on the field, Simon was often riddled with injuries. His quiet personality didnât help his case either, bearing the pain in his left leg in silence, until one day, he tore his ACL during an important game which cost the team their winning chances. Simon rested for a whole year to heal his knee. Together with his familial struggle, he contemplated quitting being an athlete. That was until Coach Price offered him a fresh start in the USA. As a flanker is equivalent to the Tight End position in American football, Price told him that he would be perfect for the role. Simon was adamant at first as he was still injured and how heâd be able to completely heal from this devastating injury. But when he said that in America they could find him a good physiotherapist to help him heal his knee, he reluctantly accepted the offer. Simon got into the draft and was a first-round pick due to how much of a good player he was in rugby. On his first day on the team, he met the other players who got drafted, but the most important and the most fateful meeting was when he got introduced to Charlotte Le Jardin (nickname Jade to simplify her last name), a physiotherapist that Laswell had promised help him to heal his ACL and help him regain his top form. It was a rough road, but with every step he took, Jade was there to help him.  Now, every injury he has he doesnât stay on the sidelines but goes inside the tent or the stadium so he can be checked by her. Whenever Jadeâs out watching the game, he scores more than usual or gets distracted. He often carries the team, especially during the conference championship games.Â
#71 Johnny MacTavish (RB)
Johnny MacTavish was born and raised in Scotland. After high school, he was offered an academic and sports scholarship to a prominent university in the USA. He began his football career when he was a freshman at University as a very talented runner, which elevated him as the starter RB on his fifth game. In his senior year he was awarded the Heisman Trophy winner at college, but due to a shoulder injury, he missed being the top pick at the draft. He was later selected by the New Hampshire 141s and got put in as a starter as soon as he got drafted. He has good chemistry with his team but gets injured by overdoing himself or trying to tackle defensive players on the other team. He is also constantly with Jade for treatment and often misses important playoff games. Johnny is a very talented running back and that is why HC Price canât get rid of him no matter how he misses practices and meetings and how his personal life affects his performance on the field. He always tries to take his friend Simon Riley to social gatherings and social media, but he completely shuts him down every time. That's different on the field though, as whenever Johnny's going to play a run, Simon will always be there in front of him to push the tacklers away, making way for Johnny to score a first down or a touch down. They're an unstoppable duo together. Johnny is very popular among female fans, making his jersey the one with the most sales every year. His dating story is pretty large and his games are always attended by the women he dates (which constantly changes).
some memes I made đ
Here's the Hereford 141S' Logo and jersey design! The logo is heavily inspired by the Task Force 141's logo, so it's pretty much just a sporty twist of the logo!
More characters underneath the cut!
#11 Alejandro Vargas (MLB) and #22 Rodolfo Parra (OLB)
(Drawing to be posted!)
Alejandro and Rudy both moved to El Paso, Texas when they started high school at the age of 14 years old. They were avid football (soccer) players during their time in Mexico, but when they started High School they began to play football. Both Alejandro and Rodolfo played as Linebackers, Ale being MLB and Rodolfo being OLB. They did amazing in High School then they both received a scholarship to attend the university in Dallas, Texas. Both of them were later selected to do the NFL Pathway program, for both of them. Being together since their childhood years, high school and university they were a packaged deal and were both selected on the same team, same position on the NFL draft. Alejandro is especially hyped when playing against Philip Graves, QB of the Dallas Shadows. They have had beef with each other on and off the field since they played against each other for the first time. Aleâs average sack during a game against Dallas is approximately 5 per game, he sometimes is way too harsh while tackling making him get a couple of flags whenever he blitzes and sacks. Heâs often scolded by his friend Rudy, but he does not care as long as he can sack Graves.
Kate Laswell (Defensive Coordinator)
(Drawing to be posted!)
was raised in Virginia, USA. Both her parents and brothers loved football and so did she. Since elementary, she watched and never missed a game during weekends, she always had a fascination for the Chicago Bears and their â85 team. Her father told her about how that defense, without an extraordinary QB or offense made them win the superbowl and also made them the best defense of all time. After witnessing that season and that Superbowl, she fell in love with how the defense scheme in football works. Unfortunately professional football for women wasnât an option, so she studied a lot to become a defensive coordinator. She studied day and night, memorizing the plays, analyzing games and creating new playbooks since she was young. She struggled a lot to have an opportunity since it was a male-dominated team. One of her childhood friends made it to the roster to become a defensive coordinator for the Colorado Buffaloes College Football Team, he was a good coach but not âimpressiveâ. She supported him by attending his games but couldn't help but try to talk to him whenever she thought he could do better, often interrupting his play callings during his games to make him change the play, and it always worked. She and his friend attended a College Bowl, and met John Price at that game, the three of them watched the game and she started to tell both of them what adjustment she would do for both teams, and that piqued Johnâs interests as she was awfully right, he was impressed by how well she read offenseâs routes and how she was able to change from a 3-4 or 4-3 to a hybrid defense. He decided to give her a chance and hired her as his new defensive coordinator for the 141âs and established a very good partnership and friendship with her ever since.
Farah Karim (Intern Physical Therapy Student - Watergirl)
(Drawing to be posted!)
Farah Karim is a university medical student who got an internship in his junior year of college to be the water girl and help around the New Hampshire 141s team. She comes from an immigrant family and is the pride and joy of her parents. She struggled so much in her younger years to pursue an education and get into a good college in the USA, she managed to get a scholarship due to her great school performance and was given the chance to work with a professional football team. She met Alex Keller after his rookie season and developed a close friendship with them that later turned into a romantic interest. She is grateful for his help and also supports him during games. Her classmates usually bug her by asking Farah to let them meet Alex or to set them up with him, which she dislikes very much.
(OC) Alyssa Martinez (Offensive Coordinator)
Aly was born in Mexico and moved to the USA thanks to a scholarship she received when she graduated from High School and moved to Texas to attend college. As soon as she graduated from Texas A&M holding a Bachelor of Science in Sport Management, she started working as an offensive coordinator at a local highschool. She then escalated to being an offensive coordinator for the College she attended. Aly managed to take the team to a College Bowl where she met 141s Head Coach John Price and became acquaintances after that game, they kept communication after that game, as Aly asked for suggestions for her playbook and she helped Price on suggesting him prospects for the upcoming draft selection and also players on free agency. She was later hired by Price as his offensive coordinator and they began to have a low key romantic relationship. She specializes in West Coast offense, having her team play the Air Coryell scheme. She suggested Price to draft Alex Keller as he was the perfect pocket passer that would fit their offense perfectly. Sheâs an avid Tom Brady fan.
(OC) Charlotte Le Jardin (Physical Therapist)
Originally from England, Jade was adopted by an American couple and moved with them to the United States at an early age. Her parents, Eli and Gracie, worked at Bravo Stadium, home of the 141s, and Jade became a constant presence on the sidelines. As time went by, the Bravo Stadium became her home. Jade started helping around the sidelines bringing water, towels, medical kits, and even helping out in the blue tent, all the while completing her college in biological science and doctor of physical therapy (DPT), and of course, licensing in Physical Therapy. When she got her license, her experience was already on par with the other physiotherapists since she had been jumping from senior to seniors, learning and practicing all she could. Kate Laswell who has been seeing Jade there since she was a teenager, hired Jade as one of the many physiotherapists for 141s, and with that came a fateful challenge: a newcomer Tight End with a torn ACL from his rugby days, whoâs trying to get back to his top form in order to play in the NFL.
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PHEW so there you have it! If you've read it this far, oh my LORD me and Aly love you so much! This is a pretty severe brainrot that we had, so hope you like it!
And let's enjoy the 2024 NFL Season đđđ
Hope you like it! đĽ°đĽ°
#call of duty#call of duty modern warfare#cod#cod mw#task force 141#tf 141#tf141#captain price#john price#captain john price#alex keller#farah karim#kyle gaz garrick#kyle garrick#simon ghost riley#simon riley#johnny mactavish#johnny soap mactavish#call of duty au#call of duty oc#alyssa martinez#charlotte jade le jardin#ghost x jade#price x aly#alex x farah#farah x alex#american football#nfl au#nfl#call of duty fanart
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1-800-got-stress | jeon wonwoo
pairing: jeon wonwoo x reader
warnings: non-idol au, college/professor au, slight romance (?), english professor wonwoo x teacher's assistant reader, tiny sprinkles of humor, one-sided crush (?), wonwoo is very dense when it comes to reader's romantic feelings (not really though), reader still loves him anyways, cute ending??
now playing: return of the mack, mack morrison
dedicated to: @k1eev (<3)
"After the lecture, I want you all to come see my assistant before you leave. She has the next module printed out and organized for you all." Wonwoo's deep voice is the next thing you hear once you snap back into reality, and many of the college student's eyes dart away from you as you look around, more than likely aware of how long you've been gaping at the English professor.
Jeon Wonwoo was the person always on your mind nowâever since you started as his teacher's assistant earlier this month, you've always been thinking about him.
He was everything you weren'tâcalm, professional, disciplined and put-together. He knew what to say and how to say it, and what to do and how to do itâyou were ninety-nine percent convinced that there was nothing Wonwoo couldn't do.
Not only was he annoyingly perfect at his job, but he was annoyingly handsome tooâhe was handsome to a massive amount of people, students and other professors included. He had sharp eyes that seemed to grow even sharper with the perfect amount of tiredness, and hard-edged features that you had memorized now with how much you had stared at him when he worked.
Time went slow as Wonwoo talked, deep voice echoing through the lecture hall as he gave his presentation on the deeper story of Romeo and Juliet, asking his class questions as he gaged their attention span.
You thought about how nervous you would feel under Wonwoo's gaze. Your face just heated up at it, imagining how you wouldn't be able to look him in the face without feeling completely inadequate.
It was already hard for you to look him in the face, and you were his personal assistant.
"Please finish the last essay I assigned at the beginning of the month. Since we're starting a new module this Friday, I want everyone to be on the same page." Wonwoo's voice was monotonous as students started to pack their things, and you placed the stack of module papers on the desk, letting the students grab and go.
The class filtered out slowly, some staying behind to ask Wonwoo questions and garner advice from him. You watched them quietly, straightening the closet as you dipped in and out of their conversations.
You had just heard another professor enter the room, asking Wonwoo to go out with her tonight for a drink, (to which he politely refused), when Wonwoo had addressed you.
"Are you doing alright? You've looked really tired today." Wonwoo's thick, stern eyebrows are flat as he stares at you blankly, and you try to read his sharp eyes for any flicker of emotion for a quick second, giving up as you give him an awkward smile.
"Oh, I'm fine, Mr. Jeon. I'm not even tiredâjust a bit distracted, that's all." You reassure him, and Wonwoo nods, looking down at his watch as you finish straightening up your desk.
"You should get some rest. It's not good for you to be tired and trying to assist me, is it?" Wonwoo has a faint smile on his lips when he says this, and you try not to blush or melt under his hot gaze against your skin, fiddling with your collar awkwardly as you nod.
"Here, let me help you with those." Wonwoo's voice is directed to the stack of heavy books teetering on the end of your desk. You nod to him gratefully, allowing him to pick them up as you walk to the other side of the room, unlocking the storage closet door.
He held the books without strain, face still as he waited for you to finish putting your share of books down. Wonwoo followed you, cologne wafting in the air and drifting under your nose as he turned off the lights.
"Thank you for today. You did very well." Wonwoo's voice was sweet as he smiled at you, and you returned the gesture stiffly, making your way back to the desk as you grabbed your things.
"Of course, Mr. Jeon. You did well too, I meanâyou did well with the lectures and everything. You teach everything in such a fresh way, it's tough for anyone to not be compelled or interested in what you're teaching." You were a sucker for Jeon Wonwoo, and it was starting to show more and more nowâhow were you supposed to be normal about him?
"It takes a lot to make the lecture engaging and informative, so I'm glad you think that of me. Many students call me the boring teacher." Wonwoo's voice is lighthearted as he finishes straightening up his desk, and you chuckle, mostly at the absurdity of his words.
"You're quite the opposite of a boring teacher, in my opinion. Your stories and explanations are way more animated than the textbooks could be." Were you showering your superior-turned-crush with embellished compliments? Yes. Did you want him to notice?
...Not really.
"You sure do have a lot to think about me, don't you?" Wonwoo's voice is still playful, even if it has a neutralness to it. You blush slightly at his words, earning a smile from Wonwoo as he smiles. "I'm just teasing you. I appreciate everything you say to me."
A slight pink tint to Wonwoo's cheeks brings an even brighter one to yours, and the two of you fall silent, obviously sensing something between you. Wonwoo's eyes rake over your form, and you shyly look up at him, dark brown eyes behind his frame still making you warm inside as you sigh (dreamily and deliriously, as you might add).
You had made WonwooâProfessor Jeon Wonwoo, the boring, scarily neutral English professorâblush from your compliments. You would be wallowing in your achievement if you weren't also blushing at the moment.
"Well, I, uhâ" You stumble over your words, also stumbling over your book as you pick it up from the floor. Wonwoo watches you quietly, glasses sliding down his strong nose bridge slightly as he watches you head towards the door. "I should get going. It's getting late, and I have to be back here early tomorrow."
"I'll walk you to your car." Wonwoo nods, following suit as he slips his jacket over his broad shoulders and picks up his briefcase. His dress shoes hit the wooden floor as he follows after you, and he turns out the light, leaving you two engulfed in darkness for a few seconds as you stumble back, stepping on Wonwoo's foot.
He grunts harshly under you, and you scramble back, lights in the hallway illuminating your embarrassed blush. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry."
Wonwoo just smiles again, smile lines sending butterflies that go straight to your stomach. "No worries. You couldn't see because of me, and I'm sorry." His cologne is so strong and so him you can't think straight, but you do your best to string your words together.
"Well, Mr. Jeon, I'll see you tomorrow," The two of you had just left the building, now by your car as you unlock the door. Wonwoo watches you with sharp eyes, clearing his throat as you turn to him.
"IfâIf you'd like, we should converse over dinner sometime. Not as coworkers, but as good friends." Wonwoo's sentence brought a rude awakening to your world, and you stood in shocked silence for a second, processing what he said to you as you blinked blankly.
Wonwoo considered you to be a good friendâyou would have never told by how unfazed he was by most things, but he considered you to be more than a coworker or partner. He saw you as a friend. A good friend who was asking you to dinner.
"Yeah, weâwe should, Mr. Jeon." You agree, and Wonwoo clears his throat, sharp eyes daring away as he adds, "Oh, and you can call me Wonwoo. We're comfortable with each other now, so we can drop the formalities."
Not only were you Wonwoo's good friend, but you were such a good friend you could now call Mr. Jeon by his real name, Wonwoo. Too many green flags were going off in your head, but could Wonwoo sense he was giving you all these green flags? It only made your crush on him worse.
"Well, I'll get going, Wonwoo." Even his name on your lips felt sweet, and Wonwoo nodded, giving you a small wave as he closed your car door.
"Until tomorrow." He smiles softly again, and you melt into your seat, smiling as you nod back. "Until tomorrow."
feedback & reblogs are appreciated! love u lyrnation <3
#kpop seventeen#seventeen#svt#svt x reader#svt wonwoo#jeon wonwoo#wonwoo fluff#wonwoo x reader#wonwoo imagines#wonwoo fic#wonwoo x you#wonwoo#lyrwrites#writing#userhyperdramas#giggling uncontrollably#i'm ruined#i LOVE wonwoo#he's so#UESFONSEFL#so giggly#so dense#but so in tune#??#i love this concept#i wanted to write more#but i'm so sleepy#i can't#and i don't want to make stupid mistakes#so bye bye lyr nation
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