#she's only been alive for like one sim day | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

won4kiss · 1 month ago

Text

﹙ 🎬 ﹚ ────UH OH, I’M FALLING IN LOVE.

𝓢YPNOSiS. you and heeseung have been rivals for as long as you could remember, constantly competing for the top spot in school—basically everything. living next door to each other only added to the fire, the tension between you, especially when heeseung’s cocky aura never seems to waver. but one single encounter shifts the entire dynamic, leading to confusing emotions arising, jealousy, and new surprising revelations. what happens when rivalry starts to feel like it’s growing into something more?

୨୧ 𝓟AiRING. academic rival! lee heeseung x fem! reader, e2l, platonic jake sim! x reader.

୨୧ 𝓖ENRE. frenemies to enemies to lovers trope, neighbours trope, slowburnish, she fell first, he fell harder, angst but vv happy & fluffy ending!! non!idol au.

୨୧ WARNiNGS. profanities, mean girl harassing yn, slight miscommunications, overthinking, heeseungs’ unfortunately vv dumb T-T, kissing, jealousy, insecurities, not proofread so expect spelling errors :3!!

୨୧ WORD COUNT. 10,283 | 10.2K

𝓟𝗟𝗔𝗬𝗟i𝗦𝗧 ﹕ labyrinth, taylor swift, let the light in, lana del rey, white mustang, lana del rey, i love you, i’m sorry, gracie abrams, nobody gets me, sza, fishtail, lana del rey, bel air, lana del rey, intro (end of the world), ariana grande, daydreamin’, ariana grande.

NOTE. after three days it’s finally complete:3 this is my first 10k+ work and i’m really proud of it!! feedback is always appreciated<3 ig this is another (late) birthday post for heeseung bc ilhsm!! ㅠㅠ

YOU HAVE ALWAYS HATED LEE HEESEUNG IN ALL YOUR YEARS OF LIVING.

or at least, that’s what you told yourself after your crush on him in freshman year, long before he decided he didn’t wanna be friends anymore—everyday as you stared at the back of his head in class, as you watched him stride confidently down the halls, or caught a glimpse of him outside your window, you knew you hated him.

it wasn’t hatred in the traditional sense, but rather an intense, gnawing resentment that had grown over the years.

he was your biggest rival—had been since childhood.

every achievement, every reward you earned, was always tainted by the fact that heeseung was right there, just a step ahead or a breath behind, competing with you for the same crown.

for as long as you could remember, it had been you and heeseung battling for the title of “number 1” in everything.

academics, sports, student council—if there was something to win, one of you would, and the other would be left second place, seething with anger.

you both knew it, and so did the rest of the school—the rivalry between the two of you was practically legendary.

and it didn’t help that you were neighbors.

from your bedroom window, you had a perfect view into heeseung’s room.

the distance between the two houses was just a few meters, and if you opened your windows at the same time, you could practically hear each other breathing.

there were nights when you could see the dim glow of his desk lamp as he studied late into the evening—no doubt working just as hard as you were, trying to maintain his title over you.

heeseung was infuriating, cocky, arrogant, and—worst of all—talented.

it wasn’t enough that he was smart—he was also athletic, charismatic, and effortlessly incredibly popular.

he’d never let you forget it, either, there wasn’t a day that passed without him throwing a smug comment your way about how he’d beat you in the last exam or how he scored higher in a math test by a single point.

“you almost had me that time,” he’d say with a smirk, as if being second place wasn’t a knife in your chest.

so, naturally, you’d responded in a way anyone else would, throwing curses and insults his way whenever you could.

it was a defense mechanism, a way to keep the bitter rivalry alive.

but deep down, you had to admit, there was something almost exciting about it.

heeseung pushed you to be better, to work harder—and while you loathed the look he gave you every time he won, there was something about his presence that you couldn’t quite shake off.

then, one morning, everything changed.

it was a normal tuesday, and you were getting ready for school as usual.

the sun was barely rising, casting a soft golden light into your room.

you were standing in front of your mirror, adjusting your uniform, when something caught your eye from the window—more specifically, someone.

heeseung.

at first, you didn’t think much of it—after all, his window was right across from yours, and you’d seen him countless times getting ready for the day.

but then you realized—he wasn’t just standing there, he was shirtless.

your heart skipped a beat—you froze, eyes wide, as you took in the sight of him.

his hair was still messy from his slumber, and his skin was glowing softly in the glow of the morning light.

you’d never really thought about heeseung in any way other than as your obnoxious rival, but seeing him like this—bare and vulnerable—you couldn’t deny that it did something to you.

you tried to tear your eyes away, but for some reason, you couldn’t.

you felt your cheeks grow hot as you stood there, practically staring at him.

and that’s when he turned his head.

he caught you.

heeseung’s eyes flickered toward your window, and for a split second, you thought maybe—just maybe—he wouldn’t notice.

but then his lips curled into that familiar smirk, the one that always made you want to punch him, and he raised an eyebrow.

slowly, he stepped closer to the window, clearly amused by the fact that you’d been caught staring.

your heart hammered in your chest, this was the most mortifying moment of your life.

before you could react, heeseung opened his window, pushing it up with a soft creak.

his smirk widened as he leaned against the windowsill, his bare chest still on full display.

and then, he did something you didn’t expect—he motioned for you to open your window.

for a moment, you just stood there, frozen in place, unsure of what to do.

every fiber of your being screamed at you to ignore him, to pretend this never happened.

but there was something about the way he was looking at you—something playful, something almost… flirty? it sent your brain into a whirlwind of confusion.

with shaky hands, you hesitated, then slowly cracked open your window, just enough to hear him.

“what? did you enjoy the view?” he asked, his voice dripping with amusement.

your face flushed even hotter—this was not happening. lee heeseung was flirting with you?

he had never flirted with you before—he was usually busy insulting you or trying to one-up you.

but now? now he was standing there, shirtless, with that stupid grin on his face, teasing you like this was some kind of game.

“i—what are you even talking about?” you stammered, trying desperately to regain some sense of control. “i wasn’t staring, freak!”

heeseung chuckled softly, the sound sending an unexpected shiver down your spine.

“sure, you weren’t. it’s okay to admit it, you know? i get it. i am pretty hard to resist.”

you gaped at him, utterly speechles, was this really happening? was he seriously being… flirty?

your brain couldn’t handle it—without thinking, you slammed your window shut, the sound echoing through the quiet morning air.

your heart was racing as you quickly yanked the blinds down, cutting off any possibility of him seeing your red, embarrassed face.

you leaned back against the wall, your hand pressed to your chest as you tried to calm down.

what the hell just happened? was this some new tactic of his to throw you off your game? to mess with your head right before exams?

or… was it something else entirely?

for the first time in years, you found yourself truly confused about lee heeseung, and that terrified you.

you tried to push the incident out of your mind, but it clung to your thoughts like a stubborn stain you couldn’t scrub away.

that strange encounter with heeseung left you feeling unsettled, his cocky grin and the way his eyes lingered on you making you feel things you didn’t want to acknowledge.

flirting. it was definitely flirting. but why? what was his angle?

in the days that followed, things got even weirder.

heeseung, your sworn academic rival, the bane of your existence, had suddenly… softened.

the mean remarks, the casual taunts—gone.

instead, he’d been acting almost… considerate?

you noticed it first when you were walking into class one morning, arms full with textbooks and a coffee in hand.

normally, heeseung would be the first to slip in front of you and let the door slam shut in your face—just to get under your skin, of course.

but that morning, he held the door open for you, his eyes meeting yours briefly as he gave you a small nod.

“thanks,” you mumbled, confused but too caught off guard to say anything more.

he didn’t say anything either—no smug response, no condescending smile.

he just let you walk through the door and quietly followed you inside. the whole thing was… unnerving.

then, during class, he didn’t try to one-up you during discussions, didn’t toss his usual gloating looks your way when he answered a question right before you could.

he was just sitting there, minding his own business.

you couldn’t understand it. this wasn’t the heeseung you knew—the heeseung you’d spent years battling, exchanging insults, and outdoing each other.

this version of him, quiet and strangely kind, threw you off balance, and it only got worse.

in the hallways, heeseung started greeting.

not with his usual sarcasm, but with a simple, “hey.” sometimes, he’d even smile at you—an actual smile, not that infuriating smirk he usually wore.

you didn’t know what to do with it. your brain felt like it was short-circuiting every time he looked at you, like you couldn’t reconcile this new heeseung with the one who had spent years making your blood boil.

it wasn’t just you who noticed the change, either—your friends started giving you weird looks every time heeseung passed by without some snarky comment.

one day, your friend mina leaned over during lunch and whispered, “what’s up with heeseung? he’s been acting like… different lately.”

“i don’t know,” you muttered, stabbing at your food with more force than necessary. “maybe he’s finally grown up.” mina raised an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced.

“or maybe he’s just tired of pretending to hate you.”

you nearly choked on your drink. “what?”

“come on,” mina said, smirking. “it’s obvious. heeseung’s been obsessed with you for years. he’s probably just finally figured out that he actually likes you.”

you scoffed, shaking your head. “that’s ridiculous. heeseung hates me. we’ve been rivals since we were kids.”

mina shrugged. “rivals, sure. but that doesn’t mean he hates you. sometimes people use rivalry as an excuse to get close to someone.”

you didn’t want to believe it. you couldn’t believe it. heeseung liking you? it made no sense.

he was obnoxious, arrogant, and had made your life hell for years.

there was no way he suddenly had feelings for you. no. it was all some game—some twisted strategy to throw you off your game. right?

but then there was that nagging feeling deep inside, the one you didn’t want to acknowledge— the same ones you felt not too many years ago.

the one that kept reminding you of how your heart had skipped a beat when you saw him shirtless through the window.

how your pulse quickened every time he smiled at you now, even if you hated to admit it.

the realization was creeping in slowly, like a slow, dread filled idea building in your chest.

the truth was, heeseung had always been more than just your rival. he’d always been the one person who could get under your skin in ways no one else could.

and maybe, there was something there—something that went beyond the rivalry.

but before you could make sense of it, everything had changed again.

a few days later, you noticed a new face in school.

she was striking—tall, with long, dark hair and a bright smile that seemed to light up the room.

she moved through the hallways with an air of confidence, making friends effortlessly.

within days, it felt like everyone knew her name—you quickly learned her name too: haerin.

at first, you didn’t pay much attention to her.

she was new, sure, but you had more important things to worry about—like the upcoming exams.

but then you noticed something that made your stomach twist in a way you couldn’t explain.

heeseung was spending time with her—a lot of time.

you saw them together between classes, walking side by side, talking and laughing.

heeseung, who had been oddly nice to you lately, now seemed to be focusing all his attention on this new girl.

it was subtle at first—just casual conversations, a friendly smile here and there—but soon, you started seeing them together all the time.

and it wasn’t just their proximity that bothered you. it was the way they were so… touchy.

heeseung would lean in close when he talked to her, his hand brushing her arm casually as he laughed at something she said.

she’d playfully nudge him back, her eyes sparkling.

it was the kind of easy, natural closeness that made you feel sick to your stomach.

jealousy was a foreign emotion for you—especially when it came to lee heeseung.

you’d never thought you’d care about who he spent time with—but seeing him with haerin, seeing how comfortable they were together, made something ugly and bitter rise in your chest.

you couldn’t shake the feeling that you were being replaced.

that whatever strange connection you and heeseung had been developing was being overshadowed by this new girl.

as much as you tried to ignore it, the jealousy gnawed at you.

you couldn’t help but compare yourself to haerin—she was charming, effortlessly likable.

she fit in with heeseung’s world in a way that you never could.

you were his rival, his equal in competition, but haerin? she was someone who made him smile without the sharp edges.

you hated it. hated how it made you feel. hated how you started to question if heeseung had ever really changed at all, or if he had just been playing some long game with you.

days passed, and heeseung’s attention on haerin only seemed to grow.

they were inseparable now, and every time you saw them together, your heart clenched painfully.

the worst part was, heeseung barely even looked at you anymore.

he had stopped greeting you in the hallways, stopped holding the door for you, stopped leaving those lingering glances that had started to make your stomach flip.

it felt like you were disappearing from his world.

but maybe that was for the best, you thought—maybe heeseung was never meant to be anything more than your rival.

and maybe you were just fooling yourself into thinking there could be something more.

you had always prided yourself on your confidence.

in all the years you spent locked in competition with heeseung, you’d never doubted your abilities.

sure, he was good—annoyingly good—but so were you.

you matched him step for step, beat him sometimes, and when you didn’t, you got back up, ready to fight again.

but now, something was shifting, and it had nothing to do with grades or exams.

it had everything to do with haerin.

insecurity was new for you, but it was impossible to ignore, everywhere you looked, she was there—laughing with heeseung, brushing against him like they’d known each other for years, not just a couple of weeks.

they were so casual with each other, so comfortable.

you told yourself it didn’t matter, that heeseung’s friendships didn’t affect you.

but it did. it was starting to eat away at you, piece by piece.

what was worse was that you found yourself wondering why it wasn’t you.

why had heeseung been so kind to you one minute and then completely shifted his attention to someone else?

had all those smiles, those lingering glances, meant nothing? maybe you’d misread everything.

maybe it had never been anything more than a temporary truce in your endless battle.

but no matter how much you tried to brush it off, the truth was impossible to deny—you were jealous.

you hated that it felt like haerin was taking your place in heeseung’s life.

you hated the way she made him laugh so easily—and most of all, you hated how small and insignificant it made you feel.

and then came the final straw.

it was a friday afternoon, the cafeteria bustling with noise as students crowded around tables for lunch.

you were sitting with your usual group, mina chatting about some drama she’d seen on tv, but your attention was elsewhere—locked on the sight of heeseung and haerin across the room.

they were sitting together, as usual—haerin was leaning in close, whispering something that made heeseung throw his head back in laughter.

your chest tightened at the sight—you tried to look away, to focus on mina’s story, but it was impossible.

that green, bitter feeling of jealousy twisted in your stomach, making you feel sick.

“are you even listening?” mina’s voice broke through your thoughts, and you blinked, turning back to her.

“yeah, sorry,” you muttered, forcing a smile. “just… tired, i guess.”

mina raised an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced, but before she could say anything, someone approached your table.

it was haerin.

you looked up, startled to see her standing there with a carton of milk in hand, a sweet smile on her face.

but there was something about her expression that felt… off.

her eyes gleamed with a certain smugness that sent warning bells ringing in your mind.

“oops—” haerin’s voice was sickeningly sweet as she ‘accidentally’ tipped the milk carton over, sending the liquid spilling across the table and right into your lap.

your entire body stiffened as the cold milk soaked through your clothes, shock momentarily paralyzing you.

the cafeteria seemed to go quiet around you as everyone turned to look at the scene unfolding.

haerin’s smile didn’t waver for a second.

“oh my god, i’m so sorry!” she exclaimed, though there wasn’t a trace of sincerity in her voice. “that was totally an accident!”

you could feel your pulse pounding in your ears as your mind raced to process what had just happened.

the milk was cold, seeping into your uniform, but that was the least of your concerns.

you knew it wasn’t an accident. haerin had done it on purpose, and judging by the look in her eyes, she wanted to humiliate you in front of everyone.

for a second, you felt frozen—the room was watching, the sound of whispers starting to make its way through the crowd as they waited to see what you would do.

“it wasn’t an accident,” you said, your voice sharp and louder than you intended.

you stood up abruptly, glaring at haerin. “you did that on purpose.”

haerin’s smile didn’t falter—she tilted her head, feigning innocence as she blinked at you.

“i don’t know what you’re talking about. it was just an accident, really. no need to get so upset.”

the fake sweetness in her voice set your teeth on edge.

anger bubbled up in your chest, mixing with the hurt and insecurity you’d been bottling up for days.

“that’s a lie,” you snapped. “you’ve been trying to mess with me since you got here.”

the whispers around you grew louder as people leaned in, watching the confrontation unfold.

haerin’s eyes flickered with amusement, but before you could say anything else, a familiar voice cut through the tension.

“hey, what’s going on here?”

you turned to see heeseung standing a few steps away, his brows furrowed in confusion as he looked between you and haerin.

for a moment, relief washed over you. heeseung had seen everything, right? he’d understand what was happening, and for once, he’d take your side.

but then haerin turned her wide, innocent eyes on him, her lower lip jutting out in a perfect pout.

“i accidentally spilled milk on her,” she said, her voice soft. “but she thinks i did it on purpose. i don’t know why she’s so mad…”

you watched in disbelief as heeseung’s expression softened.

he glanced at you, but there was no anger in his eyes—only frustration.

“come on,” he sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “it was an accident. don’t make a big deal out of it.”

your heart sank.

you couldn’t believe what you were hearing—heeseung was taking her side? after everything you’d been through, after all the strange kindness he’d shown you in the past few days, he was choosing to believe her over you?

“that’s not what happened!” you shouted, your voice breaking with frustration. “she did it on purpose! you saw—”

“just drop it,” heeseung said, cutting you off—his tone was tired, as if this whole situation was just an inconvenience to him.

“you’re seriously overreacting.”

the words hit you like a punch to the gut. overreacting? he was dismissing you—again.

something in you snapped—without another word, you turned on your heel and bolted from the cafeteria, ignoring the whispers and stares that followed.

the humiliation, the betrayal—it was too much to bear.

you found yourself in the empty janitor’s room, the quiet darkness swallowing you whole.

you slid down the wall, burying your face in your hands as the tears finally came.

everything hurt—your pride, your heart, and the foolish hope you’d had that heeseung might actually care about you.

the cold, dim room was silent, except for your quiet sobs.

you tried to keep them in, biting your lip, but the tears just kept coming.

your hands trembled as they gripped your knees, pulling yourself into a ball on the floor of the empty janitor’s room.

it was the only place you could think to hide, the only place where no one would find you in this humiliating state.

you couldn’t believe how things had turned out—everything was a mess.

not just the milk soaking into your uniform, but the betrayal from heeseung, the stupid jealousy you felt toward haerin, and the way the entire cafeteria had seen you break down.

your head spun with anger and sadness, and no matter how hard you tried to calm yourself, the tears kept flowing.

then, there was a soft knock on the door.

you stiffened, wiping your face furiously with the back of your sleeve.

whoever it was, you didn’t want them to see you like this.

but before you could pull yourself together, the door creaked open, and a familiar figure stepped inside.

“hey… are you okay?”

jake sim?

you blinked up at him, confused, you hadn’t expected anyone to come looking for you, least of all jake—heeseung’s rival on the basketball court and someone you’d barely spoken to outside of class.

he closed the door behind him, giving you a soft, understanding smile as he crouched down in front of you.

you sniffed, quickly wiping the remaining tears from your cheeks.

“what are you doing here?” you asked, your voice still shaky. jake shrugged, sitting down beside you on the cold floor.

“i saw what happened in the cafeteria. i figured you might want to be alone, but… i also thought you could use some company.”

you looked away, embarrassed that he’d witnessed everything—the last thing you wanted was for anyone to see you like this, but at the same time, the quiet sympathy in his voice was oddly comforting.

“i don’t need company,” you muttered, but the words lacked conviction.

jake chuckled softly. “maybe not, but i’m staying anyway.” for a few moments, neither of you said anything.

jake sat beside you in silence, giving you space to collect your thoughts—it was strange how easy it felt to be around him.

even though you’d never been particularly close, his presence wasn’t overwhelming or intrusive. it was just… there, solid and dependable.

finally, you sighed, leaning your head back against the wall. “it was her,” you said quietly, your voice barely above a whisper.

“haerin. she did it on purpose.”

jake nodded. “i figured. she’s been hanging around heeseung a lot lately. guess she thought picking a fight with you would get her more attention.”

you clenched your fists, feeling the anger bubble up again. “and heeseung… he just believed her. he didn’t even listen to me. he just… told me to drop it, like it didn’t matter.”

jake was silent for a moment, then sighed, running a hand through his hair.

“yeah, that wasn’t cool of him. i don’t know what’s going on with heeseung, but what he did today was wrong. you deserved better than that.”

the simple validation of your feelings made something inside you crack open.

you hadn’t realized how much you needed to hear that—how much you needed someone to understand what you were going through.

“thank you,” you whispered, your voice barely audible.

jake smiled at you, the kind of smile that felt genuine and warm. “anytime.”

for a while, you sat there in silence, letting the tension of the day slowly nib away in jake’s quiet company.

it was strange—this was the first real conversation you’d ever had with him, but somehow, it felt like you’d known him for longer.

there was no awkwardness, no pressure to fill the silence with unnecessary words. he was just… there.

after a while, you finally spoke again. “why are you being so nice to me?” you asked, glancing at him from the corner of your eye.

jake chuckled softly. “is it that surprising?”

“a little,” you admitted. “i mean, we’ve never really talked before.”

he nodded thoughtfully. “true, but i’ve seen you around. we’re in the same class, and you’re heeseung’s biggest rival. i guess i always admired how you handled him.”

you raised an eyebrow, surprised. “admired?”

“yeah,” he said with a smile. “heeseung can be a lot to deal with, but you never back down. you’re tough, and you’re not afraid to butt heads with him. that’s not something everyone can do.”

you blinked, taken aback by the sincerity in his voice.

no one had ever put it that way before—most people saw your rivalry with heeseung as petty or competitive, but jake seemed to see something more.

something you hadn’t even realized about yourself.

“thanks,” you murmured, unsure of what else to say.

jake gave you another easy smile. “no problem. and hey, if you ever need someone to vent to, i’m here. heeseung might be my rival on the court, but that doesn’t mean i’m on his side when it comes to this.”

for the first time all day, you felt a small, genuine smile tug at your lips.

jake’s kindness, his quiet reassurance, was exactly what you needed.

he didn’t try to fix everything or offer empty words of comfort. he just listened, and somehow, that made all the difference.

“thanks, jake,” you said softly. “i really do appreciate it.”

“anytime,” he replied with a grin, standing up and offering you a hand to help you off the floor.

you hesitated for a moment, then took it, letting him pull you to your feet.

as you both made your way out of the janitor’s room, you couldn’t help but feel a little lighter, like some of the weight on your chest had lifted.

jake’s unexpected kindness had done more to heal the hurt than you’d expected.

and as you walked side by side back to class, you realized that maybe, this was the beginning of a new friendship.

over the next few days, something unexpected happened—you found yourself spending more time with jake.

jake made everything feel a little easier, a little lighter, and you didn’t feel the constant pressure to put up walls around him.

at first, it was just small moments here and there, like passing each other in the hallways and exchanging knowing smiles, or sitting together during lunch when mina was busy.

with jake, there were no mind games, no intense competition, and definitely no betrayal.

the first time you laughed with him in class, you almost forgot the sting of what had happened with heeseung—almost.

it was small things at first. jake would crack a joke when you were feeling down, or lean over during study periods to ask a random question that had nothing to do with school but everything to do with making you smile.

he had this easygoing charm about him, the kind that made it impossible to stay mad or sad for long.

and, of course, heeseung noticed.

it was hard not to. you and jake had started walking to and from classes together, and every time heeseung passed by, you could feel his eyes on you.

he didn’t say anything at first, but there was something in the way he looked at you that made your skin prickle—like he was trying to figure something out, something that was just out of his reach.

one afternoon, you were sitting with jake outside, taking in the rare moment of sunshine between classes.

jake had just told a terrible joke, the kind that made you laugh even though it was ridiculous, and you couldn’t help but lean into him, playfully nudging his shoulder.

“really, jake? that’s the best you’ve got?” you teased, wiping a tear from the corner of your eye as your laughter faded.

“hey, i don’t see you coming up with anything better,” he shot back, grinning.

his smile was infectious, and you felt a warm comfort wash over you.

it was nice, being able to relax like this—something you hadn’t realized you needed until now.

but then, out of the corner of your eye, you saw him.

heeseung stood a few feet away, watching you and jake with a look that was hard to read.

his jaw was clenched, his eyes narrowed slightly, and for a moment, you could’ve sworn you saw something close to frustration flash across his face.

you immediately straightened up, the laughter dying in your throat as you met his gaze.

heeseung didn’t move, didn’t say anything, but the tension between the three of you was thick.

jake noticed too, his smile fading slightly as he glanced between you and heeseung, clearly picking up on the strange energy.

“heeseung,” jake greeted casually, though his tone was a little less cheerful than before. “you need something?”

heeseung’s eyes flickered from jake to you, and for a brief second, you saw something in them—something sharp and raw.

he shook his head, his expression unreadable. “no,” he muttered, stuffing his hands in his pockets. “just passing by.”

you bit the inside of your cheek, unsure of what to say.

there was an awkwardness in the air, a tension that hadn’t been there before, and you couldn’t help but feel like something unspoken was simmering beneath the surface.

but before you could figure out what it was, heeseung turned and walked away without another word, leaving you and jake in a strange, uncomfortable silence.

jake sighed, running a hand through his hair. “heeseung sure knows how to kill a vibe, huh?”

you tried to laugh, but it came out weak and forced. “yeah…”

but your mind was already elsewhere—on the look in heeseung’s eyes, the way his shoulders had tensed when he saw you and jake laughing together.

heeseung had never been one to back down from anything, but now it seemed like he was avoiding you.

and it didn’t make sense—one minute, he was pushing your buttons, flirting with you through the window, and the next, he was… distant. cold.

you couldn’t shake the feeling that something had shifted between you two, and you didn’t know how to fix it.

worse, you didn’t even know if you wanted to.

that night, as you sat at your desk pretending to study, you caught a flicker of movement outside your window.

your heart skipped a beat, and before you could stop yourself, you glanced over to see heeseung’s figure illuminated in the soft glow of his desk lamp.

your eyes locked for a moment.

then, heeseung did something that took you completely by surprise.

he reached down, grabbed something from the floor, and with a flick of his wrist, tossed a small rock at your window.

it hit with a soft tap, not loud enough to startle you, but enough to catch your attention.

you hesitated, unsure of what he wanted.

heeseung hadn’t thrown rocks at your window since you were kids, back when your rivalry was less serious and more playful— back when you could actually call lee heeseung one of your best friends.

now, the gesture felt strange—almost nostalgic in a way that made your chest tighten.

still, you couldn’t ignore him—you pushed the window up, letting in the cool evening air, and leaned out slightly, your voice low as you called over to him.

“what do you want?”

heeseung’s face was mostly in shadow, but you could see the tension in his jaw, the way his fingers gripped the edge of his window as if he was holding something back.

“i need to talk to you,” he said, his voice quieter than you expected. “now.”

you frowned, your heartbeat quickening. “about what?”

“just open your window,” he muttered, his voice strained. there was something different in his tone—something vulnerable, almost desperate.

it wasn’t like the confident, cocky heeseung you knew. and that was what made you hesitate.

but after a long pause, you sighed and opened the window a little wider, waiting for whatever he had to say.

you stood at your window, the cool night air brushing against your skin, as heeseung’s figure shifted in his room across from yours.

he was still gripping the windowsill, his posture stiff and tense.

the silence between you stretched, uncomfortable and heavy, until finally, you couldn’t take it anymore.

“what do you want, heeseung?” you asked, your voice coming out sharper than you intended.

the wound from the cafeteria incident was still fresh, the memory of him siding with haerin burning in your chest.

for a second, heeseung didn’t respond, his lips pressed into a thin line, his jaw clenched tight as if he was struggling with what to say.

then, finally, he let out a long breath, and his shoulders slumped, just a little.

“why are you hanging out with jake?” he asked, his voice low and strained.

you blinked, caught off guard by the question. “what?”

heeseung’s hand ran through his hair in frustration.

“jake. you’ve been hanging out with him a lot lately. laughing with him, spending time with him…” his voice trailed off, and when his eyes met yours again, there was a flash of something vulnerable in them—something you hadn’t seen before. “why him?”

anger flared inside you—after everything that had happened, after he had humiliated you in front of everyone, this was what he cared about? who you were spending time with?

“why does it matter?” you snapped, crossing your arms over your chest. “what, you’re allowed to spend all your time with haerin, but i can’t hang out with jake?”

heeseung winced at the mention of haerin, but he didn’t back down.

“that’s not what this is about—“

“then what is it about?” you shot back, your voice rising with frustration. “because from where i’m standing, it seems like you’re just jealous.”

heeseung’s eyes widened slightly, like he hadn’t expected you to say it out loud. “jealous? of jake?”

“yeah,” you said, glaring at him. “you have no right to question who i spend time with. especially after what you did.”

his brows furrowed in confusion. “what are you talking about?”

“the cafeteria, heeseung!” you practically shouted, the hurt finally spilling over.

“you took haerin’s side, you embarrassed me in front of everyone, and you didn’t even bother to hear me out! and now, you’re mad because i’ve been hanging out with jake? after you made it pretty clear you don’t care about me at all?”

the words came out harsher than you intended, but once they were out, there was no taking them back.

the raw truth of how much heeseung had hurt you was now laid bare between the two of you, hanging in the air like a thick fog.

heeseung’s expression crumpled. for a moment, he looked utterly lost, his eyes wide with regret and something close to panic.

“i—” he opened his mouth to say something, but no words came out.

his throat bobbed as he swallowed hard, his eyes darting away from yours. “i didn’t know. i didn’t realize…”

you let out a bitter laugh, tears prickling at the corners of your eyes.

“of course you didn’t heeseung, you’ve been too busy with haerin to notice.”

heeseung’s face twisted with frustration. “it’s not like that with her.”

“really? because it sure seems like it.” your voice was trembling now, the emotional weight of everything threatening to crush you.

“you’re always with her. you don’t even look at me anymore. and when you did have the chance to stand up for me, you didn’t. you humiliated me, heeseung. and you didn’t care.”

the words hit him like a slap. you could see it in the way his eyes widened, how his hands balled into fists at his sides.

heeseung took a step closer to the window, his voice quieter now, almost pleading. “you think i didn’t care?”

you stayed silent, your heart pounding in your chest.

heeseung’s jaw clenched, and then, in a voice barely above a whisper, he said, “i’ve been an idiot. i know that now.” his eyes were locked on yours, and for the first time, you could see the depth of his regret.

“you’re right. i didn’t stand up for you, and i should have. i hurt you, and i hate that i did. but it’s because…”

he hesitated, the words catching in his throat.

“it’s because i’ve been trying so hard to ignore how i feel about you,” he finally confessed, his voice thick with anxiety.

“i’ve spent so long thinking of you as my friend—then my rival and enemy, as someone i had to beat, that i didn’t realize… i didn’t want to admit that it was more than that.”

your breath caught in your throat.

“i’ve been feeling odd—weird around you for a long time,” heeseung continued, his voice cracking slightly.

“but i didn’t know how to deal with it. i pushed you away, acted like a jerk because i was scared. and then haerin showed up, and i thought if i focused on her, maybe i could forget about you—get rid of this feeling, but i couldn’t.”

tears welled up in your eyes, and you blinked them away, refusing to let them fall.

you wanted to be angry, wanted to hold on to that hurt and betrayal, but hearing heeseung’s voice crack with vulnerability made it harder.

his words, the way he looked at you, made you feel things you had been trying to deny for so long.

“but why didn’t you defend me?” you asked, your voice breaking.

heeseung’s expression crumpled. “i don’t know,” he whispered. “i was stupid. i thought if i stayed out of it, it would just go away. but it didn’t. and now i’ve ruined everything.”

you stared at him for a long moment, your heart aching with the weight of it all.

heeseung was standing there, tears welling in his own eyes, and for the first time in all the years you’d known him, he looked completely vulnerable.

“i don’t know if i can forgive you,” you whispered, your voice trembling. “not right now.”

heeseung nodded, his lips pressed tightly together as he swallowed hard.

“i understand,” he said softly. “but please… don’t shut me out.”

without another word, you shut your window, turning your back on him and collapsing onto your bed, emotions swirling inside you.

even though you had closed the window on him, part of you still wanted to reach out.

the next morning, you woke up feeling emotionally drained.

the conversation with heeseung played over and over in your mind like a broken record player, his voice echoing in your head, repeating those words.

“i’ve liked you for a long time.”—you had wanted to be angry, to stay angry, but now, all you felt was confusion.

did it even matter? he’d hurt you, after all.

that should’ve been enough to keep the walls you’d built between the two of you intact.

but something inside you had softened at seeing him so vulnerable, so broken.

you’d seen a side of him you weren’t sure anyone else had ever seen.

as you made your way to school, you told yourself that things would go back to normal.

you’d ignore heeseung like you always did, keep your distance, and focus on the things that mattered—your studies, your friendship with jake, anything but heeseung.

but the moment you walked into the classroom, all of that went out the window.

there, sitting on your desk, was a small carton of strawberry milk—your favorite.

you stopped in your tracks, blinking in confusion—the bright pink carton stood out against the plain wooden surface of your desk, and for a moment, you thought it had to be some kind of mistake.

but then you saw it— a folded note tucked underneath the carton.

with cautious fingers, you reached for the note and unfolded it. the handwriting was familiar, neat and precise.

“i’m sorry.”

that was it—no explanation, no signature, but you didn’t need one.

you knew exactly who it was from. your heart gave an involuntary flutter, and you quickly stuffed the note into your bag before anyone could see it.

your eyes darted to heeseung’s seat across the room.

he was already there, sitting with his head resting on his hand, staring at the window as if he hadn’t just left a peace offering on your desk.

he didn’t look at you, didn’t acknowledge you, but you could feel the tension radiating off him, like he was waiting for you to react.

you bit your lip, unsure of what to do—you wanted to stay mad at him, wanted to cling to the hurt and anger from yesterday, but this… this small gesture of apology tugged at something deep inside you.

heeseung wasn’t one to apologize easily. you knew that. he was proud, stubborn, and always had to win. but this? this was different. it wasn’t much, but it was something.

before you could figure out how to feel about it, the bell rang, and the classroom began to fill with students.

you slid into your seat, trying to ignore the flutter in your chest as the day began.

over the next few days, it became a pattern.

every morning, when you arrived at school, there was something waiting for you on your desk—a carton of strawberry milk, a small packet of your favorite snacks, even a neatly folded handkerchief after gym class when you’d been sweating.

each gift came with the same simple note—“i’m sorry.”

it was starting to drive you crazy.

heeseung didn’t say a word to you during class, didn’t try to talk to you between periods, but his quiet gestures of apology were impossible to ignore.

the other students had started to notice too, whispering to each other whenever they saw the latest offering on your desk.

“what’s going on with you and heeseung?” mina asked one day at lunch, her eyebrows raised in suspicion. “he’s been acting so… weird lately.”

you shrugged, trying to play it off like it wasn’t a big deal. “i don’t know. he’s just… apologizing, i guess.”

mina’s eyes widened. “apologizing? for what?”

you hesitated, unsure of how much to tell her—mina didn’t know about the confrontation in the cafeteria, didn’t know how much heeseung’s words had hurt you.

and honestly, you didn’t feel like reliving it. so instead, you just sighed. “it’s complicated.”

mina gave you a look, clearly not satisfied with your vague answer, but thankfully she didn’t push it.

instead, she glanced over at jake, who had been sitting quietly beside you, picking at his food.

“what do you think about all this?” she asked, nudging him playfully. “you and heeseung have always been rivals too, right?”

jake glanced up, his expression thoughtful “yeah, we’re rivals on the court,” he said, his voice casual. “but i don’t really care about that. if he’s apologizing, maybe he’s finally realized he messed up.”

you looked over at jake, feeling a wave of gratitude for his support.

he had been there for you when you needed someone, and now, more than ever, you appreciated his calm, steady presence.

he didn’t make a big deal out of the situation, didn’t push you to confront heeseung before you were ready. he just… understood.

jake caught your eye and smiled, and for a moment, you felt a sense of calm wash over you.

but of course, that peace didn’t last long.

later that afternoon, as you were walking through the hall with jake, laughing at one of his dumb jokes, you felt someone grab your wrist.

you stopped, your laughter dying on your lips as you turned to see heeseung standing there, his grip firm but not painful.

his eyes were intense, his jaw set in determination.

“come with me,” he muttered, his voice low and urgent.

you blinked, confused. “what? where—”

“just… come on.” heeseung didn’t give you a chance to argue. he tugged you along, pulling you toward the stairwell that led up to the rooftop.

jake called after you, his voice tinged with concern, but you were already too far down the hall to stop.

your heart pounded in your chest as heeseung led you up the stairs, the quiet intensity of the moment making your head spin.

when you finally reached the rooftop, he let go of your wrist and turned to face you, his expression conflicted, like he didn’t know whether to yell or beg for your forgiveness.

“what are you doing, heeseung?” you asked, your voice shaky with confusion and anger.

“i need to talk to you,” he said, his voice quiet but desperate. “about everything.”

the rooftop was quiet, other than the soft rustling of the wind and the distant chatter of the school below.

you stood there, facing heeseung, your heart pounding in your chest.

the tension between the two of you was thick, and the silence stretched on, filled with the weight of everything unsaid.

“what are we doing here?” you demanded, your voice sharper than you intended.

you were still reeling from the suddenness of it all—one moment you’d been laughing with jake, and the next, heeseung was dragging you up here like something urgent was at stake.

heeseung ran a hand through his hair, frustration clear on his face.

“i needed to get you away from him,” he muttered, avoiding your gaze.

“from jake?” you asked in bewilderment, your anger flaring up again. “what does jake have to do with this?”

heeseung finally looked at you, his eyes dark and intense. “everything. he’s—he’s not the one you should be with.”

you stared at him, stunned. “excuse me? what gives you the right to say that?”

“i know,” heeseung said quickly, holding up his hands in a gesture that almost seemed like surrender.

“i know i don’t have the right. but i can’t stand watching you with him any longer.”

your chest tightened as his words hung in the air—you didn’t know what to say.

part of you wanted to snap back, to tell him that he had no business being jealous after what he did.

but the other part of you— the part that had been waiting for him to say something—was finally starting to understand.

heeseung’s voice softened, and he took a small step closer to you. “even if we’re enemies, even if we’ve always been rivals, i would never side with jake. i would never choose someone over you.”

you blinked, your mind racing. his words made no sense. “then why didn’t you defend me in the cafeteria?” your voice cracked, and you hated how vulnerable you sounded, but the hurt was still there, sharp and raw.

heeseung flinched at the question, his jaw tightening. “i told you— i don’t know,” he sighed, his voice barely above a whisper.

“it was stupid. i didn’t realize how much i was hurting you. and when i saw you with jake…”

he trailed off, his eyes searching yours, desperate for you to understand what he was struggling to say.

“when you saw me with jake, what?” you pushed, your voice quieter now, the anger fading away into something softer.

heeseung swallowed hard, his gaze never leaving yours.

“when i saw you with him, i realized how much i messed up. i realized that i was losing you, and i didn’t know what to do.” he took another step closer, his eyes filled with regret.

“i’ve been trying to ignore it for so long—these feelings i have for you. but i can’t anymore.”

your breath hitched at his confession, and for a moment, you didn’t know how to respond.

heeseung, the person you’d spent your entire life competing with, the person who had always been rude and cocky, was standing in front of you, confessing that he liked you?

“feelings?” you echoed, your voice barely audible.

heeseung nodded, his expression raw and vulnerable in a way you’d never seen before.

“yeah. i’ve liked you for a long time, but i didn’t know how to handle it. so i pushed you away. i made everything about our rivalry because i didn’t know what else to do.”

his words hit you like a wave, crashing over you and leaving you breathless.

you didn’t know how to process it, didn’t know how to reconcile the heeseung you’d always known with the one standing in front of you now, baring his soul.

“i hurt you,” heeseung continued, his voice trembling slightly. “and i’m sorry. i’m so sorry. but i can’t stand the thought of you being with someone else. i don’t want to be your rival anymore. i don’t want to lose you.”

you stared at him, your heart pounding, your mind racing with thoughts.

this was everything you’d been trying to ignore, everything you’d pushed aside because you didn’t want to acknowledge the feelings that had been building up between you.

but now, standing here, with heeseung looking at you like he was afraid you were going to slip away, you couldn’t deny it any longer.

“i…” your voice faltered, your throat tight with emotion. “you’re an idiot.”

heeseung blinked, startled. “what?”

“you’re an idiot,” you repeated, shaking your head as a small, incredulous laugh escaped your lips.

“you spent all this time pushing me away when you could have just told me the truth earlier.”

heeseung opened his mouth to respond, but before he could say anything, you closed the distance between you in one fast motion, grabbing the front of his shirt and pulling him down into a kiss.

for a second, heeseung froze, clearly shocked by your sudden move.

but then, he kissed you back, his hands coming up to gently cup your face.

the kiss was soft, slow at first, but it quickly deepened as all the tension between you melted away.

it was like everything you’d been holding back, all the unspoken words, all the bottled-up emotions, were finally being released in that moment.

heeseung’s lips were warm and gentle, and he kissed you like he’d been wanting to for a long time—slowly, sweetly, as if he didn’t want the moment to end.

your heart raced in your chest, your hands gripping the front of his shirt as you poured all of your frustration, confusion, and affection, into the kiss.

when you finally pulled away, breathless, you stared up at him, your cheeks flushed and your heart pounding.

heeseung’s eyes were wide with surprise, but there was a small, almost dazed smile tugging at his lips.

“i… i didn’t expect that,” he whispered, his voice shaky.

you smiled, feeling a strange sense of relief wash over you. “you’re such an idiot,” you said again, but this time, there was no bite to your words—just warmth.

heeseung let out a soft laugh, his eyes crinkling at the edges. “yeah,” he agreed, his voice thick with emotion. “i am.”

without thinking, you kissed him again, softer this time, more sure of yourself.

and as his arms wrapped around you, pulling you close, you realized that this was exactly where you were supposed to be.

the next day at school, everything felt different. it was subtle at first—a kind of quiet shift in the air that made you hyper-aware of heeseung’s presence the moment you walked into the classroom.

you weren’t used to this—the ease, the softness that seemed to have settled between you overnight.

after years of rivalry, the shift from enemies to something more felt almost surreal.

but then you saw him—heeseung sitting at his desk, already glancing over at you the second you stepped through the door.

his usual smirk was gone, replaced by a small, almost shy smile, and it sent a warm flutter through your chest.

you smiled back, the tension from the day before melting away as he held your gaze for just a moment longer than usual.

it was like the rivalry had evaporated overnight, leaving something softer in its place. and yet, the familiarity of your banter remained.

you slid into your seat, feeling a little lighter than you had in weeks.

there was no strawberry milk waiting on your desk this time, no snacks or apology notes, but the absence didn’t bother you.

the fact that heeseung had taken the time to talk to you, to open up the way he had, was more than enough.

still, you couldn’t help but notice that people were whispering.

it wasn’t loud or obvious, but every so often, you’d catch someone glancing your way, their eyebrows raised in curiosity.

mina, of course, was the first to bring it up.

“what’s going on with you and heeseung?” she asked as soon as you sat down for lunch.

her eyes were gleaming with excitement, clearly having picked up on the shift in dynamics. “you two are acting so different!”

you shrugged, trying to play it off as casually as you could. “we talked. that’s all.”

mina narrowed her eyes. “you talked? come on, you can’t tell me something didn’t happen. you guys have been enemies for, like, forever, and suddenly you’re all… smiley. it’s weird.”

you felt your cheeks heat up, and you looked down at your tray, trying to hide the small grin tugging at the corners of your lips. “it’s complicated.”

before mina could press you further, someone else slid into the seat next to you.

you didn’t even need to look up to know who it was—jake, with his usual easygoing smile and relaxed posture, leaned back in his chair as if he owned the place.

“so, you and heeseung, huh?” jake asked, his tone teasing.

you groaned, burying your face in your hands. “not you too.”

jake chuckled, nudging you with his elbow. “hey, i’m just happy for you. i mean, after everything that happened… well, it’s nice to see you smile again.”

you peeked at him from between your fingers, grateful for his kindness.

jake had been there for you when you needed someone, and you’d grown closer over the past few weeks.

but now, things were different, and while you appreciated his friendship, you couldn’t deny the new fluttering feeling that came with thinking about heeseung.

still, you couldn’t resist teasing jake a little. “you’re not jealous, are you?” you asked, raising an eyebrow playfully.

jake laughed, shaking his head. “nah, i could never compete with heeseung. that guy’s got it bad for you.”

the teasing tone in his voice made your cheeks flush, and you were about to reply when someone cleared their throat behind you.

you didn’t have to turn around to know who it was—the shift in the air—the quiet intensity—was unmistakable.

heeseung stood there, his gaze flickering between you and jake, his jaw clenched slightly as he crossed his arms over his chest.

“what’s going on here?” he asked, his voice casual but with an underlying edge of jealousy.

jake grinned up at him, completely unfazed by the tension. “just talking, man. relax.”

heeseung didn’t move, his eyes narrowing just a fraction. “right. well, we’ve got plans after school, don’t we?” his tone was directed at you now, and you couldn’t help but notice the slight possessiveness in his voice.

you blinked, caught off guard. “plans?”

heeseung’s lips quirked up into a small smile, his eyes locking onto yours with a look of softness that made your heart race. “yeah. walking home together, remember?”

you tried not to smile too widely, but it was impossible to hide the way your heart fluttered at his words.

jake, ever the instigator, raised his eyebrows in mock surprise.

“oh, so it’s like that now?” he teased, leaning back in his chair. “guess i’ll have to find someone else to walk home with.”

heeseung shot him a look that was almost a glare, though there was a playful glint in his eyes. “yeah, you will.”

you rolled your eyes, though a small giggle escaped your lips. “heeseung, you’re being ridiculous.”

heeseung leaned down, resting one hand on the back of your chair as he looked down at you with a grin.

“maybe,” he admitted, his voice softer now, “but i don’t like sharing.”

the possessiveness in his tone sent a shiver down your spine, but instead of feeling annoyed, you found it… oddly endearing.

you nudged him lightly. “you’re such a child.”

heeseung chuckled, the sound low and warm, before he straightened up, glancing once more at jake. “you’ll be fine without her, right?”

jake waved him off, laughing. “i’ll survive, don’t worry.”

just as you were about to stand up and leave with heeseung, a voice interrupted the playful atmosphere, slicing through the lightheartedness like a cold breeze.

“heeseung.”

you looked up to see haerin standing a few feet away, her expression unreadable, but there was something in her eyes that made your stomach twist.

she glanced between you and heeseung, her lips pressed into a thin line before she focused on him. “can we talk? alone.”

heeseung’s body tensed beside you, but instead of acknowledging her request, he tightened his grip on the back of your chair, his attention still fixed on you.

“no, i’m good,” heeseung said flatly, his tone leaving no room for argument.

haerin blinked, clearly not expecting the rejection. “i just wanted to—”

“i’m with someone right now,” heeseung cut her off, his voice firm but calm. “and i’d appreciate it if you left us alone.”

the sting of his words was evident in haerin’s eyes, but she didn’t argue.

after a moment, she let out a quiet scoff and walked away, her shoulders tense as she disappeared into the crowd.

you stared at heeseung, surprised by how easily he had brushed her off.

heeseung, who had spent so much time with her recently, was now acting like she didn’t even exist.

“was that necessary?” you asked, raising an eyebrow.

heeseung shrugged, his expression softening as he looked at you. “what can i say? i’m done with all the games.”

you felt a warmth spread through your chest, and for a moment, you couldn’t help but smile.

the possessiveness, the way heeseung had stood by your side without hesitation—it all made you realize just how much had changed between you two.

as the day went on, the whispers and curious glances from your classmates only grew louder.

everyone seemed to be talking about you and heeseung, but you didn’t mind.

in fact, you kind of liked it. for once, the focus wasn’t on your rivalry—it was on something else, something sweeter.

at the end of the day, as promised, heeseung was waiting for you by the school gates.

you spotted him leaning casually against the fence, his hands stuffed in his pockets, but the moment he saw you, his face lit up with that soft smile that made your heart race.

“ready to go?” he asked, falling into step beside you as you started walking together.

you nodded, glancing up at him. “you know everyone’s talking about us, right?”

heeseung chuckled, shrugging. “let them talk.”

you rolled your eyes, but there was a lightness to your steps as you walked side by side.

it felt easy, natural—like this was how things were always supposed to be.

and for the first time in a long time, the space between you and heeseung wasn’t filled with tension or competition.

it was filled with something warmer, something that made your heart feel full.

as you walked, you noticed heeseung’s hand brush against yours, and before you could stop yourself, you reached out and intertwined your fingers with his.

heeseung glanced down at your hands, a look of surprise crossing his face before his smile widened, his grip tightening around yours.

neither of you said anything for a few minutes, just enjoying the silence and the feeling of walking together.

but eventually, you cleared your throat, glancing up at him with a teasing smile.

“so… are we, like, official now?”

heeseung slowed his pace, looking down at you with an amused grin. “official?”

“you know what i mean,” you said, nudging him lightly with your shoulder. “boyfriend and girlfriend.”

heeseung’s expression softened at your words, and he stopped walking, turning to face you fully.

he gently cupped your face with one hand, his thumb brushing lightly over your cheek.

“yeah,” he whispered, his voice barely above a murmur. “i want us to be official. if you do, too.”

your heart swelled at the tenderness in his eyes, and you felt a soft smile spread across your lips. “i do.”

heeseung’s eyes sparkled with something like relief and joy, and before you could say anything else, he leaned down and pressed his lips to yours in a soft, lingering kiss.

it was slow, gentle, and filled with all the unspoken promises of this new chapter you were beginning together.

when he pulled back, you were both smiling, a quiet warmth settling between you.

“good,” heeseung murmured, pressing his forehead against yours. “because i’m not letting you go.”

you laughed softly, your heart feeling lighter than it had in ages. “i’m not going anywhere.”

with that, the two of you continued walking home, hand in hand, your steps perfectly in sync.

and as the sun shimmered down lower in the sky, you knew that this was the start of something beautiful—something that had been building for far longer than either of you had realized.

heeseung was no longer just your rival—he was your boyfriend.

and honestly? it felt perfect.

❝ PLEASE REBLoG AND LiKE .ᐟㅤ 💌

𝒯aglist open ‹𝟹 @mioons @nshmuras @suneng @pnghoon @shawnyle @laylasbunbunny @privareum @briefsaladfun @shawnyle @cyjzzl @sol3chu @txtlyn @d-dilemma @deezbin @pockyyasii @iluvnikism @wonsprincess @rikibwn @niawonn @nineooooo

2K notes · View notes

k0yaz · 4 months ago

Note

Hi love 💕 May I request comfort/fluff one shot Arlecchino x fem Reader who developed a terminal illness a few years back and is now often bedridden but is getting better however Arlecchino is still super overprotective of her

white light.

Pairings: arlecchino x fem!reader

CW: sfw, female reader, terminally ill reader, angst, but there’s comfort yay I know yall love this, LOTS of mentions of death, like a ridiculous amount, dw reader doesn’t die but grim reaper bullies us every chance he gets like damn, or is the grim reaper a she, that means my friend is immortal since if death is a woman it’ll never come for them, sorry off topic, very soft arle, yes we love our soft king walskskfj, why is the shower so cold help me, not proofread.

A/N: THIS WAS SO FUN TO WRITE AND IT TURNED OUT SO NICE HOLY also, school is starting soon so I might have to go on break in couple months but no worries I can find some time to write and it’ll be a while into the year until i actually need a break yk <3 🕯️

The fluffy layered clouds hovering in the sky slowly parted themselves to reveal illuminating gleams of sunlight pouring into the room through the window curtains situated to the right of your bed. Slow gusts of wind began to join the warmth of the gold light, brushing along your skin and causing an array of goosebumps to bloom along your arm. You were lucky. Not too long back, your immobile body was enveloped into the same bed, a sickly hue painting your face as your pale tinged lips could only part to cough out a few strained noises.

Perhaps the gods had took pity on you? You supposed you’d never figure out the answer as to how your body curved back from a terminal illness in its final stage. It was supposed to be incurable, and your body back then seemed to agree with what should have been. You were dangerously dangling right above the realm of death, only a hair apart from succumbing to your imminent demise. The doctor who noted your worsening state only had a strike of pity in her voice whenever she’d inform Arlecchino of your current condition, shaking her head as the words: “she won’t make it.” muffled through the door seperating your room from the outside.

It hurt to hear. Not for you per say, but more to hear the emptiness in Arlecchino’s voice when she attempted to dismiss the doctor’s words coldly. She didn’t want to hear that. She didn’t want to hear that your condition was only drawing you closer and closer to death, she wanted to hear that you atleast had a small chance of surviving. As much as she tried to choke back the bitter pain in her unwavering voice, she always clung onto that small sliver of hope deep down, internally calling out to a sea of nothingness in hopes that something would come help you.

Sudden news of your recovery, or rather your condition suddenly improving one day was nothing short of a miracle. It shouldn’t have been possible at all. You were around the final month mark, your entire body burning with an agonizing rush of soreness as you wanted to plead for death to take you away from the unbearable discomfort searing every limb of your ghastly and thin form. That night you had gone to bed, hoping to escape the aching pain of your illness eating away at you. That was when you saw it. You dreamt of a faint glow of white light—or was it a slight pale yellow? The dream was vague and confusing, and held no meaning at all. The light simply danced in circles before you as your life trajectory seared across your eyes.

However, the dream must have meant something.

The next morning you had awoken, your body feeling much lighter all of a sudden, as you had the strength to now sit up completely. Hands carefully massaging the thick blanket draped over your lap, you blinked in confusion upon realizing that you were indeed alive and able to sit up. Sure, you were still incapable of moving around or sitting up for long, but originally, you weren’t even able to raise your body a quarter of the way up, as it would simply result in your spine slamming back into the sunken, comfortable mattress.

When the doctor made her way into the room, performing her checkups which she believed to be futile and tragic, her initial expression of sorrow shifted to one of quick shock. This shouldn’t have been even the slightest bit possible. Arlecchino’s reaction was all the more endearing the moment the newly discovered news made its way to her. You’d never forget the rare smile of pure relief and happiness crossing her usually stoic front, seeming as if Arlecchino was glowing in that moment.

She had attempted to clear her throat and position herself upright, concealing the internal delight bubbling in her mind at that moment. The door had softly creaked open, the sway of the old hinges on your bedroom door being the only noise, along with the quiet howls of wind, resounding within the cell of a room that held your life by a mere thread.

You simply sat there, your scrawny form nearly engulfed by the heavy blankets cascaded onto your lap as the light livened the hue of your face. And when that sweet smile made its way onto your lips weakly upon seeing the harbinger hover before your bed, Arlecchino had to suppress every urge of hers to hem you between her arms in a tight hug and never let go. She wanted to embrace you with every drop of love and affection lingering in her heart as her blackened hands tightened into your back, like a promise to never let you go. Since then, your condition had steadily improved. Months passed, and then years. At this very moment, you now had the ability to walk around and perform minor tasks adequately, yet you still remained bedridden for the majority of your time.

A light pain slowly overtook the side of your chest abruptly, drawing out a few heavy coughs from your throat as your palm pushed against your left breast in an attempt to soothe the throb pushing and pulling against your heart. Quiet ticks of the clock seemed to inch in sync with the rugged beats of your heart, both echoing throughout the room in a sort of twisted harmony. Although your condition had gotten better, storms of weakness and coughs would still persist through, as this was quite a serious illness you suffered from.

The silk white blankets enveloped your limp frame, cascading over your body and situated slightly below your chest, while the back of your head burrowed into the pillows to bask in the favorable comfort enshrouded around every outline of your lounged body. Your chest rhythmically rose and fell as you choked out a few labored breaths, still clenching your fingers against the fabric of your loose shirt covering your chest.

Your vision suddenly started a gradual spin, objects within your range slowly drawn out of focus, and not taking long for the spin to pick up the pace as your vision suddenly shifted to a bleary mess of the room. Head tilting back, you rasped out a line of shaky breaths as the frightening episode of dizziness quickly subsided as soon as it began, causing a sense of panic to rush through you briefly while your chest rose and fell in uneven motions from your initial fright. In that very moment, a small screech of wooden hinges caught your attention, your head carefully raising as to not incite any possible negative reaction from your sensitive body.

Swift and heavy clicks of heels prodded across the room, a sound you’d recognize anywhere even if you were miles away. You raised your head barely even level to the headboard, delivering Arlecchino a feeble smile as her eyes softened upon meeting yours. Slowly, you took her hand into yours, palm resting over the top of her defined knuckles as your thumb circled along the cursed gradient of her hands gently. She could only breathe out a grateful sigh, her head dropping in a restful state as she rested herself onto your shoulder affectionately.

“Are you feeling any better?” She almost immediately questioned, her usually composed eyes having a flicker of concern dashed across them. Her eyes wandered along your frail body, the hints of worry still subtly etched onto her face as her grasp on your hand below hers grew increasingly taut and stiff as she awaited your answer. As much as you wanted to chuckle and tell her you were okay, you clearly couldn’t even say that much.

“Hm. Same as usual. Can’t move my legs well today, but I’ll live.” You casually answered, not taking in the impact your words might have placed onto Arlecchino.

Live.

She was so glad you were able to live.

Arlecchino suddenly dragged her teeth along each other, her mouth remaining closed as the grit of her teeth quietly bounced off of her cheek into her eardrums. It took everything she had to swallow back that wretched feeling boiling up to her throat, her heart wrenching and flooding with discomfort upon hearing the way you threw your life around so casually in your words. She had always been extensively protective over you ever since your condition deteriorated, yet it grew exponentially once you began to recover over the years. She’d always tend to you, sometimes never leaving your side for hours on end as she’d just sit there, head lowered and lips pushed against your frail hand.

Her grip on your hand tensed noticeably, making you shift your eyes up to her lowered dark gaze, staring off into an endless abyss as her expression just seemed…soulless and empty at the mere thought of your passing away. She was afraid. Afraid that just when she believes that her beloved would live despite being in poor condition, she’d walk into your room one day to discover your heart dead still, body completely limp and deceased.

The thought of that made her hand noticeably quiver between yours, disturbing images of your possible sudden death plaguing her mind like a broken subliminal record trying to shatter her soul by tearing away the one person she loves most in this cruel world. It was indeed cruel, as this very world had targeted the reaper to loom over the side of your bed at all times, carefully awaiting the moment to take you away from Teyvat. Arlecchino internally cursed herself at the idea that perhaps this punishment was because of her. She wanted you to be spared. You weren’t the one with blood on your hands, she was.

Despite her agonizing thoughts gnawing at the back of her mind, your sudden firm grip on her hand made her head snap back up abruptly, eyes locking onto your thin fingers cupping her shaky hand in place. If she could, Arlecchino would cry at this very moment, allow herself to shed a couple tears. Yet she knew she couldn’t. She didn’t want to worry you any further, especially in your current state.

“Arle, I’m staying. Please, don’t worry about me. I am better now, right?”

“I know. That doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt. I don’t know what I’d do if you weren’t around.”

It was evident that Arlecchino had a difficult time a few years ago, when you were announced to die in under a couple months. She had to mentally prepare herself to lose you soon. She was used to it, you were just another person in her life that slipped away too soon, right?

But she couldn’t.

She couldn’t bear losing you. It was too much even for her.

Arlecchino needed you in her life, and she’d wipe out the entirety of the world just to keep you safe.

Your hand reached up to graze along the skin of her cheek, smiling as she instinctively leaned into your touch. Her eyes fluttered shut as she held your hand in place against her cheek, opening her eyelids once more to gaze at you lovingly with red x-marked eyes.

“Hey Arle, I’m still not feeling the best today…so do you think you could-“

You didn’t even get a chance to finish your hesitant sentence as she lowered herself onto the side of your bed, squeezing herself next to you as her arms gently circled your torso and grasped you against her. You only hummed out a content sigh as you felt your slouched back press to her upright chest, the difference in your postures just making the moment oddly romantic and sweet. Arlecchino’s face buried into your shoulder, intaking a soft inhale as if she missed your scent clouding her senses every time she was close to you.

It didn’t take long for you to drift off to sleep in Arlecchino’s arms as you curled up into the warm blankets piled over both of you. Arlecchino, still awake, quietly shifted her weight onto her side to glance down at you, smiling softly upon seeing your peaceful rested expression. Maybe finally, she rinsed the lingering blood splattered on her hands that led you to this awful fate. She’d rinse it a thousand times if it meant that you would remain safe like this for as long as you lived.

However in this very moment? Arlecchino had forgotten every sense of dread clawing at her constantly, instead focusing on your huddled up form engulfed between her protective grasp.

She swore that she would never let you go again, and she would treasure every inch of you. Not even death can do you two part.

A/N: omg I kept switching between being proud of this and being not so proud bc I had to stop midway through and I lost my train of thought AUUUSHSHDBFN anyway yayayayashshdhd I loved writing this so much AND CALM DOWN ON THE ARLE REQUESTS HOLY SH-

ok bye I’m gonna go on character ai cause I can’t sleep to bed

496 notes · View notes

coco-loco-nut · 7 months ago

Text

Who's Afraid of Little Old Me?

Pairing: None

Summary: Being a woman in F1 has it's challenges, especially when you are constantly seen as a threat

A/n: McLaren history revision, actually, a lot of it might not make complete logical sense, just ignore that. i’m not great at angst

requests open masterlist ttpd masterlist

_________

You've scared everyone in the F1 world since you started driving in 2014 for McLaren, more dominant than Max Verstappen, the only driver other than Lewis Hamilton to challenge you. Your aggressive driving style and ability to get the most out of your car has lead you to three championships. Men don’t like that.

You are in a bit of a slump this year after moving to Mercedes, not having won one of the first three races, but you are poised for attack, ready to take your place at the top.

“Daddy, who’s that?” you hear a little girl ask as you walk to the paddock.

“Y/n L/n, we don’t like her,” his fragile masculinity practically yells the comment into your ears. With a smirk you look at the pair, walking over and bending to the little girls level.

“What’s your name?” you ask, your voice bordering on being sickly sweet.

“Sarah,” she squeaks, eyes wide with fascination. You remove your team hat and pull out a sharpie from your pocket, signing your hat.

“Don’t let any man tell you you can’t be better than the boys. You can do anything, you’re a girl,” you smile, putting the hat on her head. You wave over your assistant. “Get her sizes and buy her some team gear, charge it to me,” you tell the assistant, who eagerly nods. Of course, the F1 social team caught the incident and posted it.

“Y/n! How does it feel to be in a slump, as some are calling it? Some fans are even calling you washed. Quite sad isn’t it,” one reporter asks.

“You guys keep saying I am in a slump, or I’m being replaced by younger drivers. My bare hands paved their paths, you don’t get to tell me about sad. If you wanted my career to be dead so bad, you should’ve just said so,” you roll your eyes. Nothing makes you feel more alive than driving, but annoying the media is a close second.

“What about your move to Mercedes next year? Why switch?” another reporter asks. Couldn’t you just get to your motorhome without being hounded by reporters for once?

“It was a mutual decision, it was time for us to part,” you walk away, reflecting on the last few months.

You hadn’t planned your exit from McLaren to Mercedes, the scandal regarding your exit being contained by NDAs. You had punched one of the engineers who made a sexist joke at your expense. You promptly decided you didn’t want to be there anymore, especially when they didn’t fire the engineer.

“I feel bad that this is how it has to happen,” Zak said at the end of last season.

“You don’t get to tell me you feel bad, if you actually did he would’ve been fired and I wouldn’t have to leave,” You told him, visibly upset.

“It was one joke and he was reprimanded. You don’t have to leave,” Zak says, you sharply inhale.

“It wasn’t one joke. It had been ongoing for years, it’s a wonder it took me this long to break. What did you want me to do? Laugh until I cry?” you asked Zak, who seemed shocked.

“Then I truly am sorry, I’ll launch an investigation to see why it wasn’t reported to me before. You will have always have a friend here,” Zak tells you, a small comfort.

“Thank you,” you give him a small smile. You spend the whole offseason steeling yourself and working to be the best driver you can be. You stayed longer at the gym and sent more time on the sim.

“Y/n, are you okay?” Daniel asked one day over a glass of wine, he’s known you since you both were karting, and he’s watched you spiral the past few years. Daniel is your best, and one your few friends.

“It’s so hard being a woman in F1. I am a completely different person than I was before I joined,” Daniel doesn’t comment, he knows you felt like a caged animal so you acted like one.

“Why did you leave McLaren?” Daniel asks, knowing you wouldn’t leave unless there was a good reason.

“I signed an NDA, so you can’t share any of this. After I started at McLaren, an engineer was hired who would say sexist remarks all the time. Over time I stopped being nice and just got mean back, and I finally snapped. I gave him a nice right hook to his face,” you sip the wine, giving the shortened version. “Zak didn’t know, no one had reported the engineers behavior, so we signed NDAs and I left.”

“I’m sorry, That plus the media circus of being a woman in F1 can’t be easy,” Daniel sympathizes.

“That’s why I forced myself to be like this. If I can make myself seem untouchable, it doesn’t hurt as much. Being the villain is easier,” you tell him.

“So how will you approach Mercedes?” Daniel keeps you talking, knowing you need a good trauma dump.

“Lay low for the first couple weeks, let the drivers think they took out my claws, hung me to dry. It won’t be enough to ruin my season, but enough to catch them off guard. During the fourth or fifth race, I’ll leap from my gallows and crash their party, exposing the sexism within Formula One,” you smirk.

“The old ‘who’s afraid of little old me’ tactic,” he smiles, enjoying your plan.

“They should be afraid,” you say, explaining your interview with Suzie that is going to break the internet, after all, the NDA only kept you from talking about the punch.

Just like you predicted, the media and fans were divided. Some called for a public apology from McLaren and the FIA for the treatment of female drivers, most called you over dramatic, and said you only wanted to attention to distract from your poor performance and waning stardom. They said not everything is about you and the people who hurt you didn’t do it to hurt you.

You wanted nothing more than to argue back and show the media and fans just how disturbed they had made you, but Toto told you to let your driving do the talking. That race you said one thing to the media, “you wouldn’t last an hour in the asylum where they raised me.”

“Chills, your interview was phenomenal. Thanks for citing me as one of your biggest supporters by the way. Scooch over, let’s see what insecure men are tweeting,” Daniel hands you a glass of wine and sits beside you on your couch, air playing his phone screen.

“I like that one, I’m always drunk on my own tears,” you laugh. Daniel logged into his spam account, letting himself reply to the haters.

“I like this one. Y/n L/n is the kind of person to sue you for stepping on her lawn,” Daniel laughs.

“The reply is better: she’s fearsome, wretched, and most importantly, wrong,” you both think of a funny reply.

You show up to the track and win, and win, and win, until you are holding the trophy for your fourth world championship.

In your post-championship interview with the F1 media team, you make what may be your biggest announcement yet.

“In the wake of people calling me crazy after sharing my experiences as a woman in motorsport, I’d like to make a very special announcement. I am who I am because you trained me to be like this, so to make sure no other girl has to go through what I did, I will be sponsoring two F1 Academy drivers with added mentorship and sponsorship opportunities. I’ve seen the work that Susie Wolff has done, and I cannot wait to help grow the presence of women in motorsport,” you say, sitting beside Susie.

“We will make sure she doesn’t terrorize the girls too much,” she jokes at your request.

“Who’s afraid of little old me?”

#f1 imagines #f1 x reader #f1 imagine #daniel ricciardo #the tourtured poets department #who’s afraid of little old me #f1 x female driver

897 notes · View notes

moon3verland · 15 days ago

Text

Offside Love S.JK

·˚ ◌༘₊· ͟͞꒰➳ Sim Jaeyun (Jake) x Fem!Reader GENRE! Angst, Hurt/Comfort ✎SYNOPSIS! Jake Sim, the star soccer player, is dating (Name), but she feels insecure because of his many female fans, including the popular bully Hyeri. As Hyeri and her friends secretly bully (Name), Jake remains unaware, straining their relationship.〘WC:8.5k 〙『 ↳✧･ﾟ Warnings ; Bullying ↳˳;; ❝ ʙᴏᴏᴋꜱʜᴇʟꜰᵕ̈೫

The late afternoon sun bathed the campus of Decelis University in a warm, golden hue. The sound of distant chatter and laughter filled the air as (Name) walked through the bustling courtyard, her backpack slung over one shoulder. She had always loved this time of day, when classes were done, and the campus felt alive with energy. But today, her mind was elsewhere—fixated on a single person. More Undercut

Jake Sim.

The thought of him made her heart flutter. He was her boyfriend, after all, but sometimes it felt surreal. Jake was the golden boy of Decelis—star soccer player, popular, and effortlessly charming. Everyone knew his name; everyone wanted to be around him. He was the kind of guy who could light up a room with just a smile.

And he had chosen her.

It seemed like a dream at first. They’d met in a shared literature class, and at first, (Name) had only known him as the guy who sat at the back, half-listening with his cap pulled low over his forehead. But then, one day, they were paired together for a group project, and everything changed. He wasn’t the aloof jock she’d expected; he was funny, attentive, and surprisingly sweet.

Now, a few months into their relationship, (Name) still found herself wondering how she’d gotten so lucky. But with that luck came a creeping sense of insecurity she couldn’t quite shake. She wasn’t blind to the attention Jake got. Girls constantly hovered around him at practice, in the cafeteria, and even during their walks across campus. It was hard not to notice.

She wasn’t the jealous type—at least, she hadn’t been before. But Jake was special, and she couldn’t help but feel a little anxious about all the attention he received.

She entered the library and made her way to their usual study table. Jake had texted her earlier, saying he would be late from practice, so she pulled out her notebook and started reviewing her notes for the upcoming exam.

As she tried to focus on her studies, a familiar voice interrupted her thoughts.

“Well, well, if it isn’t Miss Perfect,” Hyeri sneered, her voice dripping with mock sweetness. (Name) looked up to see Hyeri standing across the table, her perfectly styled hair and designer clothes instantly drawing attention from everyone nearby. She was flanked by her usual group of friends, all wearing the same smug expressions.

Hyeri was beautiful, confident, and undeniably one of the most popular girls on campus. But she had never been friendly toward (Name). Ever since (Name) and Jake started dating, Hyeri had made it her mission to make (Name)’s life difficult. She would leave cutting remarks whenever they crossed paths and spread subtle rumors, always with a perfectly innocent smile.

“Hey, Hyeri,” (Name) greeted cautiously, trying to keep her tone neutral.

Hyeri’s smile widened. “Waiting for Jake again? It must be so tiring, constantly trying to keep up with him. I mean, he has so many admirers. It’s a wonder he even has time for you.”

(Name) felt a sting in her chest but kept her face composed. “Jake makes time for the people who matter to him,” she replied calmly, though she could feel her hands trembling slightly under the table.

Hyeri’s expression faltered for a moment before she quickly recovered, laughing lightly. “Of course. But, just a little friendly advice—you might want to up your game. Not everyone finds a plain, bookish girl like you interesting for long.”

Before (Name) could respond, Hyeri turned on her heel, her friends following like a well-rehearsed routine. (Name) watched them go, her heart pounding in her chest. She hated how much Hyeri’s words got to her. She knew Jake cared about her, but it was hard not to feel threatened.

She sighed, turning back to her notes, but her concentration was completely shattered. She couldn’t help but wonder if Hyeri was right. What if Jake got bored of her? What if he found someone more exciting, more… everything?

A few minutes later, Jake finally arrived, his face flushed from practice, hair slightly damp with sweat. He was wearing his soccer uniform, the jersey hugging his toned frame. He spotted her immediately, a grin breaking out on his face.

“Hey, sorry I’m late!” he said, dropping his bag on the chair beside her. He leaned down to give her a quick kiss on the cheek, but she pulled away, pretending to focus on her notes.

“Is everything okay?” Jake asked, his smile fading slightly. He could sense the change in her mood immediately.

“Yeah, just a lot on my mind,” (Name) replied, forcing a small smile. “How was practice?”

“It was good. Tough, but good,” Jake said, still eyeing her with concern. He reached over, placing a hand on hers. “You sure you’re alright?”

She nodded quickly. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just tired.”

Jake didn’t look convinced, but he decided not to push her. He knew (Name) well enough to recognize when she needed space. “Alright,” he said softly. “But you know you can talk to me, right? About anything.”

(Name) nodded, but she couldn’t bring herself to open up. How could she tell him about Hyeri’s words without sounding petty or insecure? She didn’t want to be that girlfriend—the one who couldn’t handle a little competition.

Jake squeezed her hand gently, offering a comforting smile. “Hey, don’t worry. Whatever it is, we’ll figure it out together.”

She appreciated his support, but she couldn’t help but feel a pang of guilt. She knew he meant well, but the insecurities were hers to deal with, not his. Still, she managed to return his smile, squeezing his hand back. “Thanks, Jake.”

Jake leaned back in his chair, looking relieved. “Good. Now, let’s focus on this exam. You’re the genius here, so I’m counting on you to help me pass.”

(Name) chuckled, grateful for the light-hearted change in topic. “Alright, let’s get started then. But don’t blame me if you fail.”

Jake laughed. “Deal. But I won’t fail. Not with you around.”

They settled into a comfortable rhythm of study, but (Name)’s mind kept drifting back to Hyeri’s words. She hoped she could push them away, but something told her it wouldn’t be that easy.

▬▬ι══════════════ι▬▬

The next few days passed in a blur of classes, soccer practice, and study sessions. (Name) tried to push her insecurities to the back of her mind, focusing instead on her studies and her time with Jake. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t shake the feeling of doubt that crept in whenever she saw him surrounded by his admirers.

It didn’t help that Hyeri seemed to be everywhere lately, her presence like a shadow that (Name) couldn’t escape. She’d catch glimpses of Hyeri in the hallways, always with that knowing smirk, always whispering something to her friends whenever (Name) walked by.

On Thursday, (Name) decided to stay late at the library to catch up on her assignments. She’d promised Jake she’d meet him after his practice, but she needed some time to herself first. The library was mostly empty, the quiet hum of the air conditioning the only sound in the otherwise silent space.

She found a secluded corner and sat down, pulling out her books and trying to concentrate. But her thoughts kept drifting back to Jake. She knew he loved her; he’d never given her a reason to doubt him. But she couldn’t help wondering if she was enough for him.

Was she interesting enough? Pretty enough? Could she really keep his attention when he was constantly surrounded by so many beautiful, confident girls like Hyeri?

Just as she was about to lose herself in another spiral of doubt, a sharp voice cut through the silence.

“Oh, look who it is,” Hyeri’s voice rang out, echoing through the quiet library. (Name) looked up to see Hyeri approaching, a smug grin on her face. She was flanked by two of her friends, who snickered as they followed her lead.

“What do you want, Hyeri?” (Name) asked, keeping her voice calm and her gaze steady.

Hyeri chuckled, crossing her arms. “Just wanted to check on you, make sure you’re not feeling too… overwhelmed. I mean, dating Jake must be exhausting. All those girls throwing themselves at him… it’s got to be tough.”

(Name) felt her heart rate quicken, but she refused to give Hyeri the satisfaction of seeing her react. “Jake and I are fine. Thanks for your concern,” she said, her tone polite but firm.

Hyeri raised an eyebrow, her smile widening. “Are you, though? Because, honestly, I’ve been seeing a lot of him around lately… and not with you.”

The words were like a knife twisting in her gut, but (Name) held her ground. “Jake has practice and games; he’s busy. But he always makes time for me.”

Hyeri laughed. “If you say so. But remember, sweetie, there’s always someone waiting to take your place. Someone who can keep up with him in every way.”

(Name) felt a surge of anger. “Why do you care so much about what Jake and I do?”

Hyeri’s smile faltered for a split second, but she quickly recovered. “I’m just looking out for you. Wouldn’t want you to get hurt when you’re so… out of your depth.”

(Name) clenched her fists under the table, trying to stay calm. “I’m not going anywhere, Hyeri. So, whatever you’re trying to do, it’s not going to work.”

Hyeri’s smile turned cold. “We’ll see about that.” With a final, disdainful look, she turned and walked away, her friends trailing behind her.

(Name) let out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding, her hands trembling slightly. She hated how much Hyeri got to her. She hated feeling this way—unsure and insecure, constantly questioning herself.

She glanced at the time on her phone. Jake’s practice would be over soon. She needed to clear her head before she saw him. She packed up her things and headed out of the library, deciding to take the long way to the field.

As she approached the soccer field, she saw the team wrapping up their practice. Jake was in the center, laughing with his teammates, his jersey clinging to his frame, hair damp with sweat. He looked so at ease, so confident. She felt a pang in her chest, a mix of love and doubt swirling inside her.

He spotted her from across the field and waved, his face breaking into that bright, boyish grin that always made her heart skip a beat.

“Hey!” he called, jogging over to her. “You’re here early. I thought you were going to be at the library until late.”

“I finished up sooner than I thought,” she replied, trying to sound casual. “Figured I’d come watch the end of practice.”

Jake chuckled. “Well, you missed the best part—me scoring the winning goal in our scrimmage.”

(Name) smiled, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes. “I’m sure you were great, as always.”

Jake tilted his head, noticing the slight edge in her voice. “Hey, are you okay? You seem… off.”

“I’m fine,” she said quickly, then sighed. “Just… a long day.”

Jake studied her for a moment, then reached out to tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “You know you can talk to me, right? About anything.”

(Name) nodded, feeling a lump form in her throat. She wanted to tell him about Hyeri, about everything that had been bothering her. But she didn’t want to sound like she was complaining or insecure. She knew Jake loved her, and she didn’t want to come across as needy.

“I know,” she whispered. “I just… I’m fine, really.”

Jake frowned but didn’t press further. He leaned in, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead. “Okay, but if you need to talk, I’m here. Always.”

She nodded, trying to hold back the tears that threatened to spill. “I know,” she whispered again, leaning into his touch.

As they walked away from the field, Jake’s arm draped over her shoulders, (Name) felt the weight of her insecurities settle in her chest. She knew she needed to find a way to deal with them, to stop letting Hyeri get under her skin. But she also knew that it wouldn’t be easy.

For now, she would just hold on to Jake’s warmth and try to believe that everything would be okay.

▬▬ι══════════════ι▬▬

Over the next few days, (Name) tried to shake off the encounter with Hyeri, but the words kept echoing in her mind. Every time she saw Jake surrounded by his female fans, her heart clenched with a mix of jealousy and fear. She hated feeling this way—so uncertain, so fragile. But she couldn't help it.

Jake, ever the social butterfly, didn't notice the subtle change in her mood at first. He continued his usual routine, grinning and waving at everyone who crossed his path, chatting with teammates and classmates alike. He’d often invite (Name) to join him, but she found herself making excuses to avoid the large crowds. She couldn’t stand being around the girls who so openly fawned over him, who looked at her like she was just a temporary fixture in his life.

But Jake was perceptive. He soon noticed the hesitation in her eyes, the way she would look away whenever one of his admirers approached. He’d catch her staring at the ground or fiddling with her fingers, and it didn't sit right with him.

One afternoon, after soccer practice, he decided to confront her. They were walking toward the student café, Jake’s arm casually slung over her shoulders. He felt her tense under his touch, and his brows furrowed in concern.

“(Name), what’s going on?” Jake asked, stopping in his tracks. “You’ve been… distant lately. Did I do something?”

(Name) looked up, startled by his directness. “No, Jake, it’s not you. I’m just… tired, I guess.”

He shook his head, not buying her vague excuse. “Tired? You’ve been tired for days. Come on, babe, talk to me. I can’t help if you don’t tell me what’s wrong.”

She sighed, her eyes avoiding his. “It’s nothing, really. I just… I’ve got a lot on my mind.”

Jake gently cupped her chin, tilting her face up to meet his gaze. “Like what? You know you can tell me anything.”

She hesitated, biting her lip. Should she tell him about Hyeri? About the bullying, the snide comments, and the doubt that had been gnawing at her for weeks? But what if he thought she was being childish, or worse, weak? She swallowed, trying to muster up her courage.

“It's… just some stuff with Hyeri,” she finally muttered. “She and her friends have been giving me a hard time.”

Jake’s face darkened immediately, his grip on her chin tightening slightly. “Hyeri? What’s she been saying to you?”

(Name) shook her head. “Nothing… nothing you need to worry about.”

Jake’s jaw clenched. “Tell me, (Name). What has she been saying?”

She sighed, knowing he wouldn’t let it go. “Just… stuff about how I’m not good enough for you. That there are other girls who are better for you.”

Jake’s expression hardened, his eyes flashing with anger. “She said that to you?”

(Name) nodded, her heart pounding. “Yeah… but it’s not a big deal. I can handle it.”

Jake’s hand slid down to grip hers, squeezing it tightly. “It is a big deal. I don’t want anyone making you feel like that. I’ll talk to her—”

“No!” (Name) interrupted, her eyes widening. “Please, Jake, don’t. It’ll just make things worse.”

Jake hesitated, torn between wanting to protect her and respecting her wishes. “But she’s hurting you, (Name). I can’t just stand by and let that happen.”

(Name) squeezed his hand back, her voice soft. “I know, but… if you confront her, she’ll just make it worse. And I don’t want you to get dragged into it.”

Jake sighed, running a hand through his hair. “Okay… okay. But if she does anything else, you tell me. Promise?”

(Name) nodded, relieved that he wasn’t pushing it further. “I promise.”

Jake pulled her into a tight hug, resting his chin on top of her head. “I just want you to be happy, you know that, right?”

She nodded, closing her eyes as she leaned into his embrace. “I know.”

But deep down, a small voice whispered that it wasn’t just about Hyeri. It was about her own fears and insecurities, about feeling like she didn’t belong in Jake’s world—a world filled with confidence and charm, where she always felt like an outsider.

That night, as (Name) lay in bed, staring up at the ceiling, she couldn’t stop thinking about Jake’s words. He wanted her to be happy, but she wasn’t sure she even knew how to be happy right now.

Her phone buzzed, and she picked it up, seeing a message from Jake:

Jake: I’m here if you need to talk, okay? About anything.

She smiled a little, her heart warming at his concern.

(Name): Thanks, Jake. I appreciate it.

Jake: Seriously, I mean it. I hate seeing you upset. You’re everything to me, babe.

Her smile widened, and she felt a flutter in her chest. Maybe… maybe she was worrying too much. Maybe she just needed to trust Jake more.

She put her phone down, deciding that tomorrow, she’d try to be more open with him, let him in on what she was feeling. Maybe then, they could work through this together.

But little did she know, Hyeri wasn’t done yet.

▬▬ι══════════════ι▬▬

The next few days passed in a tense blur. (Name) tried her best to keep up appearances, to act like everything was normal. She wanted to believe Jake’s words, to trust in their relationship, but every time she saw Hyeri or one of her friends sneering at her from across the campus, her confidence wavered.

She avoided Jake's fan club and the soccer field, choosing to spend her time buried in books or at her part-time job at the library. Even though Jake would text her constantly, asking her to come watch him practice or join him and his friends, she often made excuses, saying she had too much homework or wasn’t feeling well.

Jake wasn’t blind—he could see the change in her. He noticed the way she avoided his friends, the way she seemed more withdrawn. His frustration grew, but he tried to keep it in check, knowing she needed time. But he was determined to get to the bottom of this.

One day, after a particularly grueling practice, Jake sat on the bleachers, his face set in a frown. His teammate and best friend, Sunghoon, nudged him with his shoulder. “Hey, man, what’s with the long face?”

Jake sighed, running a hand through his damp hair. “It’s (Name). She’s been acting weird lately. I think something’s going on, but she won’t talk to me about it.”

Sunghoon leaned back, stretching out his legs. “Have you tried asking her directly?”

“Yeah, but she keeps saying everything’s fine. I know it’s not.” Jake shook his head. “I think it has something to do with Hyeri.”

Sunghoon raised an eyebrow. “Hyeri? That girl’s trouble, man. If she’s involved, it’s definitely not good.”

Jake clenched his jaw. “I know, and I’ve tried to get (Name) to open up, but she doesn’t want me to confront Hyeri. She thinks it’ll make things worse.”

Sunghoon nodded thoughtfully. “Maybe she’s right. But you can’t just sit back and do nothing, either.”

Jake stood up, determination burning in his eyes. “Yeah. I’m going to find out what’s going on.”

The next day, Jake was on high alert. He watched as (Name) moved through her day, always with a slightly anxious look in her eyes, glancing over her shoulder as if expecting something—or someone. He felt his frustration building; he hated seeing her like this, so on edge and unhappy.

During lunch, Jake spotted Hyeri and her clique at their usual table, laughing loudly, tossing their perfect hair, and occasionally casting disdainful glances in (Name)’s direction. Something inside Jake snapped.

He walked over, his steps purposeful and determined. The table quieted as he approached, all eyes turning toward him. Hyeri’s expression shifted into a coy smile. “Jake, what a surprise,” she purred. “What brings you here?”

Jake’s face was stone-cold. “We need to talk.”

Hyeri feigned innocence, blinking up at him with wide eyes. “Oh? About what?”

“About you leaving (Name) alone,” Jake replied, his voice low and menacing. “I know you’ve been harassing her.”

Hyeri’s smile faltered, but she quickly recovered, letting out a soft laugh. “Harassing? Oh, Jake, you’ve got it all wrong. We were just… chatting. Girls talk, you know?”

Jake leaned in closer, his eyes narrowing. “Cut the crap, Hyeri. I know what you’re doing, and I’m telling you to stop. Now.”

Hyeri’s eyes flashed with anger, but she kept her voice sweet. “I don’t know what she’s told you, but it sounds like she’s just trying to make me look bad. Why would I care about her, anyway? She’s nothing.”

Jake’s fists clenched at his sides. “She’s not nothing,” he said firmly. “She’s everything to me. And if you don’t back off, you’ll regret it.”

Hyeri’s smile turned cold. “Is that a threat, Jake?”

“It’s a promise,” he shot back, before turning on his heel and walking away.

Hyeri’s expression darkened as she watched him go. “Fine,” she muttered under her breath. “If he wants to play that game, then so be it.”

Later that evening, Jake went to (Name)’s dorm. He knocked on her door, his heart racing with a mix of anger and concern. When she opened it, she looked surprised to see him. “Jake? What are you doing here?”

He stepped inside, closing the door behind him. “We need to talk,” he said, his tone serious.

(Name) felt a knot form in her stomach. “About what?”

“About Hyeri,” Jake replied, his eyes searching hers. “I confronted her today.”

(Name) felt her heart drop. “Jake, I told you not to—”

“I couldn’t just stand by and let her treat you like that!” he cut her off, his voice strained. “She’s been making your life hell, and I’m not okay with it.”

(Name) sighed, rubbing her temples. “I know, but now it’s going to be worse. She’s not going to stop just because you told her to.”

Jake’s expression softened slightly. “I don’t care if she stops or not. I care about you. And I can’t stand seeing you this unhappy.”

(Name) looked away, biting her lip. “It’s not just about her, Jake. It’s… everything. All the girls who like you, who want to be with you… It makes me feel like I’m not enough.”

Jake’s heart ached at her words. He reached out, gently cupping her face in his hands. “(Name), look at me.” She hesitated but finally met his gaze. “You are more than enough for me. I don’t care about those other girls. I only care about you. You’re the one I want. The only one.”

Tears welled up in her eyes, and she nodded, feeling a small bit of relief. “I just… I hate feeling like this. I don’t want to be insecure, but it’s hard when I see how perfect they are.”

Jake shook his head. “They’re not perfect. They’re just loud. You’re the one who’s special. You’re smart, kind, beautiful… everything I could ever want.”

She let out a shaky breath, leaning into his touch. “I’m sorry, Jake. I’m trying.”

Jake pulled her into his arms, holding her close. “I know, babe. And I’m here for you. Always.”

For a moment, they stood there in silence, just holding each other. But (Name) knew that this wasn’t over. Hyeri wasn’t going to back down easily, and there was still a long way to go. But at least she knew she had Jake by her side.

▬▬ι══════════════ι▬▬

The days following Jake’s confrontation with Hyeri were tense. (Name) tried to brace herself for what was coming, knowing Hyeri wouldn’t take Jake’s warning lightly. As much as she appreciated Jake standing up for her, she couldn’t shake the feeling that things were about to get much worse.

It started small. A few whispered insults in the hallway, snide comments thrown her way when she walked past. (Name) tried to ignore them, keeping her head down and focusing on her studies. But Hyeri wasn’t satisfied with subtlety.

One afternoon, (Name) found her locker door slightly ajar. Frowning, she opened it to find a pile of crumpled papers, candy wrappers, and a half-eaten sandwich shoved inside. Her textbooks were scribbled over with permanent marker, and her neatly organized notes were torn to shreds. Her heart sank, a wave of humiliation washing over her as she looked around. A few students snickered from a distance, watching her reaction with amused expressions.

She took a deep breath, trying to keep herself from breaking down. She had expected Hyeri to lash out, but this felt personal—crueler than before. Swallowing her pride, she quickly cleaned up the mess, shoving the ruined papers into her bag. She didn’t want to give Hyeri the satisfaction of seeing her cry.

That evening, she sat alone in her dorm room, staring at the ruined notes. Her frustration built up, her chest tightening with anger and hurt. She felt trapped, unable to confront Hyeri directly for fear of making things worse, yet unable to ignore the constant harassment.

Just as she felt tears welling up, her phone buzzed. A message from Jake:

“Meet me outside in five?”

She sighed, wiping her eyes. The last thing she wanted was for Jake to see her like this, but she also knew she couldn’t keep avoiding him. She grabbed her jacket and headed out.

Jake was waiting by the entrance, his hands shoved in his pockets. When he saw her, he smiled, but the smile faded quickly when he noticed her red-rimmed eyes. “Hey… What happened?”

(Name) shook her head, trying to smile. “It’s nothing. Just… had a rough day.”

Jake frowned, stepping closer. “You’ve been having a lot of rough days lately. Is it Hyeri?”

She hesitated, then nodded slowly. “She messed with my locker today. Ruined all my notes and textbooks. I don’t know how much more of this I can take, Jake.”

His expression darkened, his jaw clenching. “I’m sorry. I thought… I thought talking to her would make her stop, but I guess I underestimated her.”

(Name) sighed. “I just don’t know what to do. I don’t want to drag you into this any more than I already have.”

Jake shook his head firmly. “You’re not dragging me into anything. I’m already in this with you, whether you like it or not.” He reached out, gently brushing a tear from her cheek. “We’re going to figure this out together, okay?”

She nodded, leaning into his touch. “Okay… but I just don’t know how.”

Jake was silent for a moment, then his eyes lit up with an idea. “I think it’s time we play this a little smarter. If Hyeri wants to act like a bully, then maybe we need to show her that she can’t push you around without consequences.”

(Name) looked at him, puzzled. “What do you mean?”

Jake grinned, a mischievous glint in his eye. “I have an idea. But it’s going to require some guts and a bit of creativity.”

She raised an eyebrow. “What kind of idea?”

“Let’s just say,” Jake smirked, “we’re going to give Hyeri a taste of her own medicine, but in a way that shows her she can’t mess with you—or us.”

Over the next few days, Jake’s plan slowly took shape. He started by gathering information. He watched Hyeri and her friends closely, taking note of their routines, their favorite hangouts, and the little things they valued. He recruited Sunghoon and a few of his soccer teammates, who were more than happy to help, tired of Hyeri’s antics and eager to support Jake and (Name).

Meanwhile, (Name) focused on keeping up her appearance of being unaffected. She attended classes, smiled in the hallways, and ignored Hyeri’s taunts as much as she could. It wasn’t easy, but she felt a new sense of determination growing within her, fueled by Jake’s support and her own desire to stand up for herself.

One day, as (Name) was leaving the library, she received a text from Jake:

“Meet me by the soccer field. It’s time for phase one.”

Excitement and nerves fluttered in her stomach as she made her way to the field. Jake was already there, leaning casually against the bleachers, his soccer teammates gathered around him. When he saw her, he smiled and waved her over.

“Okay, here’s the plan,” Jake began, his tone serious. “Hyeri and her friends are always at that little café off-campus on Fridays, right?”

(Name) nodded. “Yeah, they go there after their study group.”

Jake grinned. “Perfect. We’re going to create a little… inconvenience for them. Nothing too drastic, but enough to make them think twice before messing with you again.”

(Name) raised an eyebrow. “What kind of inconvenience?”

Jake leaned in, lowering his voice. “Let’s just say they’re going to find their favorite table reserved for someone else… with a little surprise waiting for them.”

Sunghoon chuckled. “And by surprise, we mean a group of very rowdy, very enthusiastic freshman boys who think Hyeri’s group is there for a… study date.”

(Name) couldn’t help but laugh. “Are you serious?”

Jake nodded, his eyes twinkling with mischief. “Dead serious. It’s harmless, but it’ll throw them off their game. And if they react badly… well, the whole café will see their true colors.”

(Name) giggled, feeling a weight lift from her shoulders. “Okay, I’m in. Let’s do this.”

That Friday, (Name) sat with Jake and his teammates at a nearby table in the café, watching as the plan unfolded. As expected, Hyeri and her group arrived and headed straight for their usual spot, only to find it occupied by a group of loud, overeager freshmen.

Hyeri’s face twisted in annoyance, and she tried to shoo the boys away, but they didn’t budge. Soon, the whole café was watching, amused at the spectacle.

Jake leaned over to (Name), whispering, “See? This is just the beginning. We’ll make sure Hyeri learns that she can’t keep getting away with this.”

(Name) nodded, feeling a surge of confidence. For the first time in weeks, she felt like she had a chance to take control of her situation. And with Jake by her side, she was ready for whatever came next.

▬▬ι══════════════ι▬▬

The café buzzed with hushed conversations and soft laughter, all eyes on Hyeri and her friends as they struggled to maintain their composure. Hyeri’s face was a mask of irritation, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment as the freshmen continued their antics, oblivious to her growing fury.

One of the freshmen, a particularly eager boy named Minsoo, leaned in closer to Hyeri with a wide grin. “So, what’s your favorite subject?” he asked, his voice a little too loud, drawing even more attention.

Hyeri’s eyes narrowed. “Get. Out. Of. My. Way,” she hissed, but Minsoo didn’t seem to take the hint.

Jake and (Name) watched from their table, trying to hide their laughter behind their drinks. (Name) felt a rush of satisfaction, seeing Hyeri squirm under the unwanted attention. For the first time in a long while, she felt a sense of control over her life, and it was exhilarating.

Hyeri finally snapped, standing up abruptly and knocking her chair over. “This is ridiculous!” she shouted, her voice echoing through the café. “Who let these idiots in here?”

The manager, an older woman with a stern expression, approached cautiously. “Miss, I’ll have to ask you to calm down or leave,” she said firmly.

Hyeri’s face turned a deeper shade of red. “Do you even know who I am?” she demanded, but the manager remained unfazed.

(Name) could see the tension building, the entire café now engrossed in the scene. Jake leaned closer, his voice low. “Wait for it…”

At that moment, Sunghoon, pretending to be an innocent bystander, approached Hyeri’s table. “Hey, Hyeri, I think everyone’s watching,” he said with a mock-concerned tone, loud enough for everyone to hear.

Hyeri’s eyes widened, realizing that all eyes were indeed on her, and she let out an exasperated growl. “Come on, let’s go,” she muttered to her friends, storming out of the café in a huff, her minions trailing behind her.

As soon as they were out of sight, the café erupted in quiet cheers and giggles. Jake leaned back with a satisfied grin. “Mission accomplished.”

(Name) couldn’t help but laugh, feeling a mix of relief and triumph. “That was… actually kind of brilliant,” she admitted, looking at Jake with newfound admiration.

Jake shrugged, a playful smile tugging at his lips. “I told you, we’re just getting started.”

The next day, the story of Hyeri’s humiliation spread like wildfire throughout the campus. The once-feared queen bee had been dethroned in the most public way possible, and people were talking. (Name) received a few encouraging smiles from strangers, and even her professors seemed to be in on the gossip.

But (Name) knew better than to think Hyeri would let this slide. She braced herself for whatever retaliation might come. She knew Hyeri well enough to know that the girl would not take this public embarrassment lying down.

Sure enough, by midday, rumors began circulating that Hyeri was planning something big. (Name) overheard snippets of conversation in the halls—something about a party, something about revenge. Her heart sank a little, but she kept her head high. She wouldn’t let Hyeri see that she was afraid.

As she walked to her next class, Jake caught up with her, falling into step beside her. “Hey, you okay?” he asked, his expression more serious than usual.

(Name) nodded. “Yeah, just… you know, waiting for the other shoe to drop.”

Jake frowned. “I heard about the party. Are you worried?”

She shrugged. “A little. But I guess I knew this was coming. Hyeri isn’t the type to just… let things go.”

Jake’s expression hardened. “Don’t worry. I won’t let her get to you. Not again.”

(Name) smiled softly, touched by his determination. “Thanks, Jake. I mean it. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

He stopped walking, turning to face her fully. “You don’t have to thank me. You deserve to feel safe. To be happy.” His voice was earnest, his eyes locking onto hers.

Before she could respond, Jake’s phone buzzed. He glanced down at it, his brow furrowing. “Speak of the devil,” he muttered, showing (Name) the screen. It was a text from Hyeri:

“You think you’re clever, Sim? Let’s see how clever you are when your precious little girlfriend is humiliated in front of the whole school. See you at the party.”

(Name)’s stomach twisted with anxiety. “What does she mean?”

Jake’s jaw clenched. “I don’t know, but we’re going to find out. And whatever it is, we’re going to stop her.”

Later that afternoon, Jake and (Name) sat with Sunghoon and a few of their close friends in the campus café, strategizing. “We need to be prepared for anything,” Jake said, leaning over the table. “Hyeri’s not going to hold back, so we shouldn’t either.”

Sunghoon nodded. “I can ask around, see if anyone knows more about what she’s planning. She might have let something slip.”

(Name) sighed. “I just don’t want this to turn into some kind of war. I just want her to leave me alone.”

Jake reached over, squeezing her hand. “I know. But she needs to understand that she can’t just push people around and get away with it.”

They spent the next hour planning, going over different scenarios and coming up with counter-strategies. Jake was determined to be one step ahead of Hyeri, to make sure whatever she had planned backfired.

Finally, they agreed to attend the party together, but with a clear plan in place. “We stick together,” Jake said firmly. “And if anything happens, we’re ready.”

(Name) nodded, feeling a mixture of dread and anticipation. She wasn’t looking forward to whatever Hyeri had up her sleeve, but she felt comforted by the support of Jake and their friends.

Jake smiled, squeezing her hand once more. “Whatever happens, we’re in this together.”

(Name) took a deep breath, nodding. “Together.”

▬▬ι══════════════ι▬▬

The night of the party arrived, and the atmosphere was electric. The house was filled with students, music blaring, lights flashing. (Name) felt a knot of anxiety in her stomach as they stepped inside, Jake’s hand firmly gripping hers.

Jake scanned the crowd, his expression tense. “Stay close,” he murmured.

They made their way through the crowd, exchanging polite nods and smiles. (Name) felt her nerves slowly calming, the familiar warmth of Jake’s presence reassuring her. But as they moved deeper into the house, she spotted Hyeri across the room, watching them with a cold, calculating smile.

Hyeri sauntered over, her friends flanking her like a pack of wolves. “Oh, look who decided to show up,” she sneered. “I hope you’re ready for a fun night, (Name).”

Jake stepped in front of (Name), his voice low and firm. “Whatever you’re planning, Hyeri, it’s not going to work.”

Hyeri’s smile widened. “We’ll see about that,” she purred. “You might want to keep a closer eye on your little girlfriend, Jake. You never know who might be looking to… have a little fun.”

Before (Name) could process her words, Hyeri turned on her heel and disappeared into the crowd, leaving a trail of hushed whispers in her wake.

(Name) felt a chill run down her spine. “What do you think she meant by that?”

Jake’s grip tightened around her hand. “I don’t know, but whatever it is, we’re not letting her win.”

As the night wore on, (Name) couldn’t shake the feeling that something was about to happen. The tension was palpable, the air thick with anticipation. She stayed close to Jake, trying to keep her nerves in check.

Then, just as the clock struck midnight, the lights suddenly went out. The room was plunged into darkness, and a hushed silence fell over the crowd.

“Stay close to me,” Jake whispered, pulling (Name) closer.

A spotlight flickered on, illuminating the center of the room where Hyeri stood, a microphone in hand. Her smile was wide, almost sinister. “Ladies and gentlemen,” she announced, her voice ringing out over the silent room, “I have a special announcement to make.”

(Name)’s heart pounded in her chest. She glanced at Jake, who looked equally tense. “What is she doing?” she whispered.

Jake’s eyes narrowed. “I don’t know, but whatever it is, we’re ready.”

▬▬ι══════════════ι▬▬

Hyeri's smile broadened as she paced slowly around the center of the room, basking in the attention. The crowd murmured in anticipation, curious and eager to see what drama she was about to unfold. (Name) could feel the anxiety tightening in her chest, her heart racing as she squeezed Jake's hand. She knew Hyeri wouldn’t have brought everyone’s attention to herself without a reason.

“Tonight,” Hyeri continued, her voice dripping with faux sweetness, “is a night to celebrate friendships, old and new. But, it’s also a night to remind some people of their place.” Her eyes flicked briefly toward (Name), and (Name) felt a cold shiver run down her spine.

Jake’s grip tightened around her hand. “Stay calm,” he whispered, his eyes never leaving Hyeri. “She wants a reaction.”

Hyeri clapped her hands, and suddenly, the large screen behind her flickered to life. (Name) felt a lump form in her throat as images began to flash across the screen—pictures of her, taken secretly over the past few weeks. In class, walking on campus, sitting alone in the library, even a few of her and Jake together, laughing. The crowd gasped and whispered as the images continued to play.

“Recognize anyone?” Hyeri asked, her voice mocking and playful. “Our little (Name) here seems to have quite the admirer, don’t you think?”

(Name) felt her face flush with embarrassment. The pictures weren't anything compromising, but the very fact that someone had been following her, taking photos without her knowledge, sent a wave of discomfort and fear washing over her. Jake was fuming, his expression dark and dangerous.

“What the hell is this, Hyeri?” Jake demanded, stepping forward slightly, shielding (Name) with his body. “This is low, even for you.”

Hyeri laughed lightly, as if Jake had just told a joke. “Oh, don’t be so dramatic, Jake. I just thought everyone should see how precious little (Name) has been… living her life. Don’t you think she’s just adorable?”

The crowd was murmuring louder now, a mix of shock, curiosity, and discomfort. (Name) wanted to disappear, to melt into the floor and escape this public humiliation.

Jake’s voice was low and cold. “Turn it off. Now.”

Hyeri shrugged, a malicious grin on her face. “Oh, but why? We’re just getting started.” She gestured, and the images changed, now showing photoshopped images of (Name) in compromising situations, ones that were clearly fake but still enough to make (Name)’s blood run cold. The laughter from the crowd grew louder.

“See, (Name)?” Hyeri continued, her voice dripping with insincerity. “This is what happens when you try to play in a league you don’t belong in. Stick to your books and stay out of my way, and maybe next time, I won’t have to make things so… entertaining.”

Jake had had enough. He surged forward, pulling (Name) behind him. “Shut it down, Hyeri, or I will,” he threatened, his voice like ice. The intensity in his eyes sent a clear message: he was done playing games.

Hyeri seemed unfazed, but there was a flicker of hesitation in her eyes. “Oh, what are you going to do, Jake? Hit a girl?” she taunted.

Jake smirked, his calm returning as he reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. “I don’t need to hit you. But I do have friends who’d be very interested in knowing what you’re up to… including the dean and the campus police. How do you think your daddy’s going to feel about his precious princess getting expelled?”

For the first time, Hyeri’s smile faltered. “You wouldn’t dare…”

Jake’s smile widened, dangerous and confident. “Try me.” He pressed a button, and suddenly a recording of Hyeri’s earlier taunts and threats played through the speakers of the room. The crowd gasped again, turning their attention back to Hyeri, whose face had gone pale.

(Name) felt a surge of pride and relief. Jake had been prepared. He knew Hyeri would try something and had come armed with his own evidence.

“Now,” Jake continued, his voice carrying across the room, “if you don’t shut this down and apologize, I will make sure everyone, including your father, knows exactly what you’ve been up to. And trust me, I have more than enough proof to back it up.”

Hyeri’s face twisted in anger and fear. She knew she was cornered. With a huff, she waved at the tech guy controlling the screen. “Turn it off,” she snapped, and the screen went dark.

The room was filled with a tense silence. Hyeri glared at Jake, her fists clenched. “This isn’t over,” she spat, before turning on her heel and storming out of the room, her minions trailing after her like lost puppies.

The crowd erupted into murmurs, and (Name) felt the tension in her chest slowly dissipate. Jake turned to her, his expression softening. “You okay?” he asked gently.

(Name) nodded, though her hands were still shaking. “I… I think so. Thank you, Jake.”

Jake smiled, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. “You don’t have to thank me. She messed with the wrong person, and I wasn’t going to let her get away with it.”

The room began to fill with quiet applause and cheers, people coming up to (Name) to offer words of support. Jake squeezed her hand, a proud smile on his face. “Come on, let’s get out of here,” he whispered. “I think we’ve had enough drama for one night.”

(Name) nodded, feeling a wave of gratitude and affection for Jake. “Yeah,” she agreed softly, leaning into him as they made their way out of the house and into the cool night air. She knew there would be more challenges ahead, but with Jake by her side, she felt like she could handle anything.

▬▬ι══════════════ι▬▬

The night air was cool and crisp as Jake led (Name) down the quiet path away from the frat house. His arm was still wrapped protectively around her, and every now and then, he’d give her hand a gentle squeeze as if to reassure her that she was safe now.

(Name) leaned into his side, the warmth of his body calming her nerves. Her mind replayed the events of the evening—Hyeri’s cruel scheme, the embarrassment of those photos, and then Jake stepping up to defend her in a way she hadn’t expected. The relief she felt in his presence was overwhelming, but it also made her heart ache with a strange mixture of joy and uncertainty.

Jake was quiet as they walked, his expression softer now but still a little tense. She wondered if he was upset about how things had unfolded or if he was thinking about how she had been dragged into the mess because of him.

They stopped when they reached the small campus park, the dimly lit path framed by large oak trees and benches scattered around. Jake gently guided her toward one of the benches, and they both sat down. The silence between them stretched, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. It was more like a pause, a moment to gather thoughts before speaking.

“Jake,” (Name) began, her voice quiet but steady. She felt like she needed to say something, to break the tension in the air. “Thank you for what you did back there. I don’t think I’ve ever been so embarrassed in my life, but… you stood up for me.”

Jake turned to her, his eyes softening even more at her words. “You don’t need to thank me, (Name),” he said, his voice gentle. “I wasn’t going to let Hyeri or anyone else hurt you like that. She crossed a line, and I wasn’t going to just stand there and do nothing.”

She smiled weakly, looking down at her hands in her lap. “I guess… I just didn’t expect you to be so—” She paused, searching for the right word. “—so protective. You’ve got so much going on with soccer, the frat, and all those people who want your attention. I guess I thought I was just… another part of your life.”

Jake’s brows furrowed, and he shifted closer to her. “Hey,” he said softly, lifting her chin with his fingers so their eyes met. “You’re not just another part of my life, okay? You’re important to me, (Name). Really important. And I’m sorry if I haven’t made that clear enough.”

Her heart fluttered at his words, but the lingering insecurity from earlier gnawed at her. “It’s just… I know how popular you are, Jake. I see the way people look at you—the way girls look at you. And Hyeri… she’s right in a way. I don’t belong in your world. I’m not like them.”

Jake’s expression softened as he cupped her face with both hands, his thumbs gently brushing her cheeks. “(Name), you don’t have to be like them. I don’t want you to be like them. I like you for who you are—just you. You’re smart, kind, and you keep me grounded in a way no one else can.”

Her eyes began to well up with tears, but she held them back, biting her lip as she listened to his heartfelt words.

“I know I can be a little… clueless sometimes,” Jake continued with a small, self-deprecating smile. “I didn’t see what Hyeri was doing to you, and I’m sorry for that. But I promise, I’m not going to let anyone make you feel like you’re not enough, because to me… you’re more than enough. You’re everything.”

The sincerity in his voice, the way he looked at her as if she was the only person in the world that mattered, made her heart swell. She had always known that Jake was sweet beneath the frat-boy exterior, but hearing him say these words—it was like every insecurity she’d ever had about their relationship was melting away.

A tear slipped down her cheek, and Jake gently wiped it away with his thumb. “Hey, don’t cry,” he whispered, his voice soft and soothing. “I didn’t mean to make you sad.”

She shook her head, a small laugh escaping her. “No, it’s not that,” she said, her voice slightly choked with emotion. “I’m just… happy. I didn’t expect you to say all of that.”

Jake smiled, his own eyes glimmering with affection. He leaned in closer, his forehead resting gently against hers. “You make me want to be better,” he whispered. “I’ve never felt this way about anyone before. And honestly? I don’t want to feel this way about anyone else.”

Her breath caught in her throat at his confession. The warmth of his words and the closeness of his presence made her feel like everything was falling into place. She couldn’t hold back anymore.

“I love you, Jake,” she whispered, her voice soft but steady.

Jake’s eyes widened slightly in surprise, but then his lips curled into the most genuine, heart-melting smile she had ever seen. Without hesitation, he closed the gap between them, pressing his lips to hers in a slow, tender kiss that spoke louder than any words could.

The world around them seemed to disappear, leaving only the two of them, wrapped in the warmth of each other’s affection. The kiss was sweet, soft, and filled with all the feelings they had been holding back for so long.

When they finally pulled away, Jake’s forehead rested against hers again, and he smiled against her lips. “I love you too, (Name),” he murmured, his voice full of warmth and sincerity. “More than you know.”

Her heart felt like it was about to burst with happiness. She wrapped her arms around him, holding him close, and he pulled her into his chest, resting his chin on top of her head.

For a long moment, they sat there in the quiet night, holding each other close, their hearts beating in sync. It was peaceful, it was perfect, and it was everything she had ever hoped for.

Without a word, Jake leaned in and kissed her, deep and intense. It wasn’t like their usual soft kisses—this one was filled with all the emotion they had held back. His lips moved with urgency, and she responded just as passionately, her fingers tangling in his hair.

They finally pulled away, breathless but smiling. Jake rested his forehead against hers, his thumb brushing gently across her cheek.

“I don’t care how many people are out there,” he whispered softly, “You’re the only one I see.”

Her heart fluttered at his words, and with a shy smile, she replied, "And you’re the only one that matters."

Taglist: @milanco @mitmit01 @llvrhee @altbonni @stormy1408

If you want to be added to my perm tag list, feel free to send in an ask or just fill out this form!!

#𝑘 ── ✉️ ꒱#k labels #★ moon #♡ requests open!#enhypen #x reader #sim jake x you #jake sim fluff #jake sim x reader #enhypen jake #jake sim #sim jaeyun #sim jake #jake enhypen #sim jake x reader #☆ jake

86 notes · View notes

voidbeomgyu · 1 year ago

Text

ALONE (Teaser)

In which you meet your bias in the worst circumstances.

PAIRING Idol Jake Sim x Fan Fem Reader

GENRE Zombie Apocalypse, Angst, Slow Burn, Romance/Strangers to Lovers, Suggestive (Maybe smut, not sure yet.), some fluff

WARNINGS 18+ MDNI, Descriptions of violence, death, blood, etc., All members except Jake died so keep that in mind (I'm sorry), Cursing, Crimes, Mental health talk and experiences, Death, Sickness (Throwing up), Making out, Smut(?), It's an apocalypse!au idk how else to warn about that LOL

SUMMARY The group Enhypen get on a plane to the US and when landing are met with the worst. Jake makes it out alive... but alone. Since the dead are attracted to areas where the population is saturated, your best bet is to stay low in the areas usually considered dangerous (alleyways, abandoned buildings, etc). He made his way into the country and found a nice cabin alongside a lake. His further inspection led him to believe it was abandoned for whatever reason, maybe it was a vacation home? Little did he know his inference was correct, and soon he was met face to face with a member of the family who owned it. How would she react to seeing her favorite artist rummaging through the cupboards of her new--hopefully permanent--home? And how would he be able to explain to a loyal fan of his that he was the only member left?

TEASER WORD COUNT 1,625

RELEASE DATE To be determined.

TAGLIST Comment on this post or send an ask to be added. (Have your age on your profile or you will not be tagged)

Endless walking while trying to find a suitable place to stay was slowly driving Jake insane. The exhaustion from travelling, fear of death, and anguish from the scene at the airport was weighing down on him heavier and heavier every second. Having watched his best friends, his brothers, his family all being taken away from him without being able to do anything but listen to the oldest’s words, “Run”.

Jake had not yet cried, there was no time for it. It’s been almost thirty six hours since then, he’d stolen a bike around a mile away from the airport. It’s helped him a lot on his journey to safety. He never stole, he wasn’t like that, not that type of person. But in the moment he didn’t have the time nor energy to feel guilty about it.

Jake didn’t know exactly what he was looking for, but he wanted quiet. Not knowing wether or not it’ll be safer in the city or the country side, he chose the latter. Cities are crowded with people, meaning they must be crowded with the dead by now, right? No matter; either way he knew he’d feel much better being in the middle of nowhere, or at least in the middle of what looked like nowhere. All alone in an abandoned farm house, maybe a lake house, any house on the country side would do. He was being too optimistic, he knew, but he couldn’t help it. Finding a safe home to live in alone with no one around for miles sounded comforting.

The Jake from two days ago would’ve shivered at the thought of being completely alone. Though no extrovert, he needed people. He needed that connection, that interaction. His reasons to smile and laugh were mostly based around the people around him or the entertainment he consumed. Entertainment was out of the question now, and it seemed like people were too. Most dead, and others probably too violent to give Jake a chance due to the circumstances.

All he held on him was his and Sunghoon’s carry-on bag from the flight. Note to self, don’t try to save your friend by holding onto their bag. Thoughts like this crossed his mind every few minutes, tragedies sentenced as jokes but he wasn’t laughing. What’s wrong with me? How could I think something like that? Maybe it was the dehydration, starvation, overall fatigue? He hadn’t eaten anything since the flight and was savoring the small amount of water he had on him. Either way, thinking of his beloved friends didn’t do much to help his mood. Trying to think of the good times? Those good times will never happen again, they’re gone forever and I’ll never get them back.

More days passed like this. With a stop at a gas station probably being the reason he’s even alive right now. It was abandoned, for the most part. It was the early morning, and he was literally starving now. The cashier was still there, but his neck was chained so tightly to the wall that it was on the edge of ripping his head clean off. Oh, he was a living corpse too. Jake could tell that much by just looking at him, muffled grunts and groans coming from the pale body every minute. Luckily, he didn’t seem to care much of Jake’s criminal activities there. Stuffing whatever foods and drinks he could into the bags he had on him. They were even heavier now, but he couldn’t feel anything. He was numb to all feeling, mentally and physically.

At day four he had started keeping track of how many days passed with a calendar he found on the wall of the gas station that morning. He didn’t stay there though, he didn’t have it in him to kill the cashier, and he knew that if he somehow got loose while he was sleeping it would all be over. The past few days he hadn’t slept or rested much at all actually. Napping for at most an hour at a time, waking up to the slightest noises and scurries of nearby wildlife. He knows he’s incredibly lucky to not have encountered any of the dead, besides the one at the gas station, but it’s a little stressful to not have seen any either. Where could they all be? He had made it out of the city, the once bustling streets on day two, he knew many people weren’t out here to begin with. But knowing there are creatures that could kill him in seconds lurking while having no idea where they are was terrifying.

It’s been six days. His legs started feeling numb just hours after finding his bike due to the frantic pedaling, now he felt like his legs were asleep all the time. The feeling of pins and needles covered his lower body as they worked on auto pilot to keep him going. His back felt horrible, slouched from his broken spirit. Endless cramping and soreness of his hands and fingers from gripping the bikes handles for hours at a time. His knuckles were white, and now so was his once tanned and alive skin.

His lack of proper meals, sleep, and rest was now obvious. Jake hasn’t seen himself since that day in the airport, but from looking at his now thinner, paler, vein visible arms, he could take a guess at what his face looked like. Hell, he could feel the bags under his eyes whenever he blinked now.

It’s been quiet and empty for a few miles. Nothing but grass, and a dirt trail he’s been following in sight. How long is this damn trail? he thought. Jake started following the trail at the sunset of day five; he remembers because of his calendar. It was coming to the end of day six, the sun starting to set in the distance behind him. He found a flashlight at the gas station and used it to find himself a place to “rest” for the nights he faced, it neared the time to find a spot to sleep.

Trees were all around him now, the area looked more alive here, not dried out and dead like the miles before. He must be getting close to some sort of building, forest trails usually have a building as a starting point, right? Unless this trail wasn’t made for hikers, in that case he was hoping in vain.

It was almost completely dark now. Jake had usually found somewhere to stay by this time, but something was telling him to keep going. Using the flashlight to illuminate the shadowed forest, he heard his friends voices cheering him on over and over again.

“Keep going Jake!”

“Just a little longer!”

“You’ll be okay!”

Tears were unconsciously streaming down his face now, though he still didn’t feel anything. His body just gave up on the effort of keeping them in.

Jake pedaled faster. He couldn’t hear anything but his heavy panting, it felt like someone had covered his ears with their hands and muted the sound of everything around him. He saw something in the distance, the roof of a building; he padaled faster. A house, the roof made of wood, looked like a cabin; he padaled faster. He could hear the muffled sound of streaming water; he pedaled faster.

Face to face with a cabin, going so fast he couldn’t stop himself from crashing into the wet grass below him. Still struck with adrenaline, he pulled himself up quickly and dragged his bike to the front door. His broken and unused voice sounded through his pants as he tried frantically to open the damned door.

The door handle had a key hole but was locked with a rusty padlock. He could turn the handle and wriggle the door, that padlock was what he needed to remove. He pulled a hammer out of his bag; he grabbed it from the gas station floor, it was covered in dried blood. Obviously used by someone prior to leaving it there. Jake slammed the hammer into the padlock, over and over again. The loud bangs from striking the lock were null to Jake’s ears, his desperation coating over all his sense.

Smash. The padlocks body is broken away from its handle and the door is free from it’s hold on the wooden frame.

Jake shoves his way inside, throwing the bike onto the hard floor of the entry way before turning to lock the door. It was locked from the outside but had a perfectly working lock on the inside, though he didn’t care to question it. He made it, he was safe, he felt like he could faint.

He had no time to think, let alone find a good source of light before he threw up. Keeling on the once clean floor, liquid from his stomach poured out from him. His throat burned and ached at the feeling, like his throat was made of sandpaper. Falling back he sat on the floor, staring at the door and the mess he made on the ground. He laid back and let his eyes rest for the first time in nineteen hours. Jake fell asleep there on the hard floor, knee propped up on the backside of a couch.

If he was thinking clearly, he would’ve checked the entire cabin, then scavenged for any foods that may be there. But he was broken, body and mind. Luck had been on his side since the beginning though. The home was completely vacant before he entered, and when he wakes up he’ll have found himself a place to live in safely. Away from the corpses living in the surrounding cities, and away from any still living people, all alone.

(A/N: Hello friends! I'm finally writing LOL I've had this wip since December and I'm finally going to finish it. This post is just to see if people would even be interested lol. The total fic word count I don't know yet because I haven't finished it, but I am close! I won't give y'all any hints but I will apologize in advance for the angst I'm about to put y'all thru<3 sorry love you guys muah. Don't know exactly when I will publish the full fic, maybe right when I finish it, maybe a month after I finish it IDK I haven't written seriously in months so I'm not too confident anymore but I am excited. Hope y'all are as excited as I am :D )

786 notes · View notes

peonysgreenhouse · 3 months ago

Text

-`♡´- mine all mine.

summary: kissing blurbs (gn!reader x daisy tonner, helen distortion, tim stoker, & jonathan sims)

tags: kisses, suggestive content & hunt-typical violence for daisy's, helen is manipulative, cleaning tim's worm holes (lol), jon finally gets a little bit of sleep.

-`♡´- daisy tonner

Daisy smells the blood that thrums just underneath your neck and hungers. Her teeth graze over the soft skin over your neck; she can feel your carotid pulse in response to her touches. So rhythmic, so alive, and she hungers so. It would only be a few centimeters beneath your skin, it would be so easy to bite down and taste.

And how delicious a meal you would be.

Daisy’s tongue darts out and drags just underneath your jaw. You tug gently at her hair, and her hands grip tighter at your sides. No, no, she would be gentle with you. She would try, at least, she thinks, nipping at the side of your neck as if to show you she could be restrained.

Bite inhibition was something she had never properly learned, but for you, she would try.

When you pull Daisy up for a proper kiss, she hopes you don’t taste the blood on her lips, on her teeth, on her tongue. She fears it lingers no matter how many times she brushes them clean. You bite her bottom lip, pulling the chapped skin between your teeth, and Daisy can’t help but press herself against you; a different form of hunger settling low in her gut. She lifts you onto the desk and thinks that this is a type of hunger she doesn’t mind sating.

-`♡´- helen distortion

You had been wandering the corridors for hours… Or had it been days? Months perhaps? It’s easy to lose count when you’ve nothing to go off of. No phone to check the time, nor window to the outside world – if there even was one here – to see the setting sun or rising moon. Just an endless stretch of elastic corridors and doors that were locked tight.

Then, a figure. Tall and slender, and you can't help but stumble forward towards it. It had been so long since you saw anything but empty hallways, you nearly sob in relief.

As you get closer you realize that she looks… familiar. Like someone you once knew. Maybe you had once gone for coffee together? No, that wasn’t right. Your mind must be playing tricks on you. Your heart hammers within your chest as she reaches out to you.

“Poor thing…” She coos, bending at an unnatural angle to look down at you. “You seem lost, my darling. Do you need help finding your way?”

Oh, she was friendly. She wants to help. The Distortion smiles at you, with much too many sharp teeth, but you find she looks… kind. You nod, desperate, and approach her, gripping onto her sleeve.

“Yes.” You breathe out, frantic. “Yes, please. I’ve been lost here for… for a long time. Do you know the way out?”

Helen pulls you into her arms, her voice comforting in your ear as she reassures you everything would be okay. Those long, sharp fingers of hers gentle as she strokes your hair. It feels nice, so nice you can’t help but nuzzle closer into the Distortion that holds you tight, almost like a lover.

Yes, yes, you had known her before. Helen, that’s right. You had been on a few dates before she had ghosted you. Why was she here now? She shouldn’t be here, you shouldn’t be here. Perhaps you could escape together!

“Helen.” You say, the name sounding right on your tongue. “I knew you before… we…”

Helen looks a little taken aback that you remembered. Still, she smiles that same, wide smile. “You remember me, darling? How… cute.” Her dark pupils seem to swirl around and around inside her eyes, winding like the corridors themselves, and you can’t help but find comfort in that pattern. “Let's get you to the exit, you look like you need a rest, hm?"

She takes your hand in hers, her hand dwarfing your own in size, and leads you to an unassuming door. You're sure you tried that one before; you can even see the chips in the paint from where you had tried to pull off the handle. If Helen notices, she doesn't say anything.

"Here we are, darling." She says, in that same chipper tone. You can't help but feel a rush of relief as she pulls open the door. Through the frame you can see your room, as neat and tidy as you left it. You could almost cry.

"Thank you." You say, your voice choked up with relief. "Thank you." You wrap your arm around her neck and stand on your tiptoes to kiss her cheek. Her skin is cold under your lips.

"No need to thank me. I'm just glad you're all safe now." She says, booping your nose with a finger. You can't help the way your heart races as she ushers you through the door. “I’ll be seeing you soon, my darling.” She gives you a once-over, and then closes the door behind her. It disappears into the darkness of your room.

As she closes the door, you can’t still your racing heart. You feel an overwhelming sense of dizziness, but all you can think about is that you need to see her again.

-`♡´- timothy stoker

“So… How do my worm holes look, doc?”

You pull one of his bandages off, taking a peek at the wound just under his jaw. “Stop squirming.” You say, firmly, holding his jaw in place as he tries to move away from your prodding around the wound. It looks less angry than it had a few days ago, but it was still a bit red. You wrinkle your nose. “Does it hurt?”

Tim lets out a playful scoff. “Oh yeah, I feel just great. Nothing quite like being riddled with holes.”

“Hm, deflecting again.” You say, brushing your thumb over his pulse point, just below the wound. Tim hums in response. “Adding that to your, uh, file.”

“Oh, you’re keeping a file on me now?” He says, his eyes flicking down to your hand as you smear ointment onto your finger. Tim sucks in a breath, bouncing his leg anxiously as he awaits your touch.

“Yeah, it’s almost big enough to knock you over the head with when you’re being stubborn. Like now.” You say, gently grabbing his wrist and pulling him forward. “Sit still.”

Tim dramatically throws up his hands, but he does as you say. You give the wound another once over, just to make sure it looked like it was healing, before smearing the antibiotic onto it. Tim tenses, his eyes closing as if in pain. You pull your hand back, wiping the excess ointment onto the closest towel.

“All done with this one. Just let me put a clean bandage on.”

“...You never did answer, you know.” He says, watching as you dump the box of bandages onto the table. It would probably take all of them, knowing how many open wounds were left on his skin in the aftermath of the attack. You fear you'll never rid yourself of the image of the worms wriggling underneath his skin; you were thankful he was high off his ass for the worst of it. “How do they look?”

“You’re still handsome, if that’s what you’re worried about.” You lean forward as if to prove a point and kiss the fresh bandage lightly, making an exaggerated ‘MWAH’ sound. Tim gives you the goofiest smile.

“Hm… I might need a few more of those before I really believe it. I’m so insecure and all that.” Tim says, tilting his head up so you can reach the next spot.

"Sit still for me and I'll give you all the kisses you want, Stoker."

-`♡´- jonathan sims

You know better than to wake the Archivist.

It’s not often that Jon’s mind quiets enough for him to sleep, and even now as you watch him, you can tell he’s watching back. It’s eerie, the way you can see his eyes shift behind closed eyelids. You think it would be less creepy if he slept with his eyes open.

Still, you wish he would sleep in a more comfortable position. Slumped over his desk, head laid in the bend of his elbow, it’s a recipe for Jon complaining about his back when he wakes up. You reach over and pull his glasses off, folding them and setting them on top of one of the stacks of old statements on his desk.

He looks so much older without his glasses on; the dark circles under his eyes and worry lines much more prominent. You almost want to reach over and smooth them out, but you resist, not wanting to wake him by accident. Still, you can’t help but brush back his bangs from his forehead and place a quick kiss to the now exposed skin. Jon stirs, mumbling something under his breath, but does not wake.

While he’s asleep, you take the time to clean his office a bit: putting books back on their correct shelves, taking half-empty tea cups to the break room’s sink, organizing the miscellaneous statements he has messily scattered around the room. It’s almost relaxing, working quietly while he sleeps. You feel like you can catch your breath for the first time in a long while.

Before you leave, you take your jacket, warm from your body heat, off and place it onto Jon’s shoulders. You lean down and press one more kiss to his forehead, and swear you can see the corners of his lips twitch up.

#jonathan sims #helen distortion #daisy tonner #tim stoker #jonathan sims x reader #the magnus archives #tma #tma x reader #helen distortion x reader #daisy tonner x reader #tim stoker x reader #ficlet #x reader #imagine #tma yumes rise up #it started as me writing oc x helen but i decided to turn it into x reader ehe #also my first new fic ive completed in forever T_T everyone clap #q

87 notes · View notes

peoniesnro · 3 months ago

Text

In Another Universe

#4. F.R.I.E.N.D.S

Synopsis – When you are just another iteration of Park Jimin’s girlfriend in a different universe.

Park Jimin × Reader

Genre – parallel universe (duh)/ kind of fantasy/ strangers to ??/ SMUT/ maybe romance/ angst/ fluff /Infidelity

Warnings – Language/ SMUT-Breast play/ nipple play/ grinding/nipple orgasms(with grinding)/ INFIDELITY

Word count – 12k (😑)

a/n- Okay I'm a liar. So much for trying to keep the word count under 10k. Sorry for lying. But I love this chapter. Hope you'll love it too. Oh, and the taglists are open. And you can send asks if you want to. I'm curious to know what y'all thinking. Thank you for reading. ♥️

Taglist?

Chapter index

Previous - Next

...................................................................................................

Jimin avoids you. Like you are the plague.

You are so pissed. Like the momma bear he said you were.

You have no memory of how your night at the club ended. Only that you woke up on your bed the next day. With a throbbing head. And a killer hangover. Another week has passed since that day. Your life went from misery to anguish. To an unbearable pain. You are still struggling with your sleeping patterns, your lectures and job. You are running out of your poor excuses. Key is always on your throat. This switching between two worlds still happens, with no answers or solutions. But nothing makes you madder than Park Jimin.

It’s humiliating to be honest. That he avoids you. You don’t know what’s worse. Whether it’s that he always managed to disappear before you wake up or it’s that you’re worried about that, after everything. He advanced toward you first. He touched you first. He kissed you first. You know why he does what he does. That, however, doesn’t make it a good reason. You can’t find it in you to be unconcerned. You are very concerned. He is a fucking coward.

Fuck him!

You scream loudly. Knowing well that no one is inside this damn apartment. Kick the comforter away. It has only been you for four days now. This is the fifth day you are waking up in this fancy apartment alone. Oh, how you wish you could have the controller of this game. How great it would be if you could start avoiding him too. Why would you care this much? It’s frustrating.

It has taken every ounce of your strength not to destroy something to show your anger. To take a lipstick and write down ‘You fucking asshole! Go to hell!’, in his bathroom mirror. Or to write down a letter using all the vengeful, insulting words you know. Thank God that you have some dignity left in you that you did nothing of the sort. Thank God you managed to come and go without leaving a trace of your existence.

You sigh heavily, watching your reflection in the bathroom mirror. There’s dark circles under your eyes. Your skin looks dry. Drier than the Sahara. Simply put, you look like shit. You’ll have to find a way to make this work if this isn’t going to stop. If you can’t find answers, you need to find a way to stay alive. You still don’t know if Jimin has talked with Liya. If he did what she said. Where she is all these times you spend here. Because certainly there was no sign of her being at your apartment. Yours and Jimin’s assumption was that she might be waking up somewhere that isn’t your apartment. Jimin wasn’t very convinced. Said she would be freaking out the next day if something like that happened.

Oh, how you want to scream at him. This isn’t going anywhere this way. He was adamant of trying to find a way to stop this quickly a few weeks ago. And now he acts like this isn’t a problem at all. What can you do after all? You are in a fancy ass apartment with no communication for fucks sake. Your phone doesn’t work here. Isn’t compatible with wi-fi. You still don’t know if you could try using a SIM card. It’s not like you can go out and find out with no money in your hand. And it’s getting damn cold outside.

You have poked your head inside couple of rooms. Found some electronic devices which were either dead or ancient. Found a laptop protected with password and you didn’t try to unlock it. In the end, while you are in this world, you are isolated from the rest of the human race. No internet. No communication. No Jimin. No way of entertaining yourself for the few hours you spend here.

It’s all his fault. Despite all the frustrating fascinations you found with him, you managed to bottle them up and act normal. He destroyed it all. Ruined. And then he has the nerve to avoid you like it’s all on you.

You rinse your mouth off. Splash your face with water. Aggressively. Why the fucking hell do you want Jimin to be here. He is annoying anyway. Why are you angry that he ruined your ‘perfect stranger’s’ relationship. Angry that he avoids you. Why do you fucking care? You for yourself have no idea why you are mad. Or at what you are mad. You are a complete mess. It’s just you are mad you can kill a man with a crochet hook.

You pat your face with a dry towel. It’s more slapping than patting. Throw the towel away. Leave the bathroom to head toward kitchen when there’s a sharp pang in your lower stomach, making you stop in the track. Anger dissipates. Replaces with the pain. You close your eyes shut. It comes again. Subsidies. Comes again. Nothing unfamiliar to you. You know what it means when there’s random pains in your body.

You have a messed-up period cycle. You always keep pads and tampons with you. Knew that your monthly pal is near for a probable two days now. There has been slight pains in your pelvic region. Today it’s intense, which means your friend has finally arrived. Fuck your life. There is your reason to hate the whole world. No, to hate every single world that exists in every fucking universe. You don’t want to deal with cramps right now. Don’t want to have your period while you’re at someone else’s house. It always sucks. Especially, when you have no pads or any kind or period products with you.

Fuck! You have no pads. You straighten up. Eyes wide. What are you going to do? Use tissues? Maybe you can find Liya’s. You turn around again. Rush to the main bathroom. Start rummaging through bathroom cabinet drawers. One by one. And of course there is none. No pads or tampons. Only things you find are damn period cups. There are couple but you’re not sure which are used ones.

You stand in the middle of the bathroom. Have no idea what you are going to do now. And the pain is slowly becoming unbearable. Of course it is. You have bad cramps. You live your life on pain killers during your periods. You need to get something for your pain before it becomes severe. Before you become a crying mess. You do the best you can. With tissues. That’s not going to last at all, but you can find something for the pain. Fall asleep as fast as possible. You search through bathroom cabinet drawers again. Through the drawers in the room. In kitchen. Of fucking course, you can’t find anything, again. What are these people? Androids? How could they not have painkillers in their home? How come Liya doesn’t have pads for emergency situations? You found some pills. Yes. But you have no idea what those for are. Not going to risk your life here.

You crouch down next to the fridge. Pain is intense now. You can’t even stand on your own feet. It’s like your uterus is about to fall. You need to think. About a way to solve this problem. Is hard when your mind is clouded with pain. You are scared to sit down on a chair. What if you stain it? It’ll be so embarrassing.

Deep breaths in. Deep breaths out.

You take deep breaths. There is no way you could fall asleep with this kind of pain. You need pads or anything to help with the blood bath happening between your thighs. You need painkillers. And you have no money and you’re not going to steal money from this house. You are in too much pain to do something like that. There’s only one person you can ask for help. Not that you want to talk to him. He avoids you. Don’t want to appear desperate. Still, the pain is too intense.

There is no communication. You hate that some people decided to rely on smartphones completely. Hate that Jimin and Liya are apparently those kinds of people. Have no landline in their house. You can’t simply bother with trying to unlock locked devices. Your brain isn’t functioning properly at all when you yank the main door open. Reach the only other apartment on this floor. Knock at their door. It opens fast for your relief, revealing a young woman probably on her 30s. She gapes at you. More than surprised.

“Uh…I… I’m really sorry but can I make a phone call?” How stupid this whole ordeal is. What are you doing in front of a stranger’s door and asking for a fucking phone. Should’ve died in your pain. Middle of a blood pool, than this. What were you thinking? The woman raises her eyebrows with her eyes wide. “Well, yeah, but are you okay Liya? You look pale? Why are you here to make a phone call? Where’s Jimin?” There are so many questions leaving her mouth but the only one that registered on your brain is ‘are you okay Liya’.

Shit, you forgot that you look like Liya. Now this might look even more ridiculous in this woman’s eye. You don’t even know her name. You are supposed to be Liya and this woman, in that case, is your neighbor. You try to smile. “I’m… fine. I just uh... broke my phone and…” You don’t know what you should say. “I’m not okay actually.” That feel better than trying to find excuses. “I just need to call Jimin, and I don’t remember his number. Phone’s broken and I… can you please?” You blurt that out. Whatever happens next, you’ll deal with it later. Blood will start running down your legs at this rate.

She stares at you for a minute. And then nods and holds the door for you. Invites you inside and gives you her phone. Thank fuck, she has his number saved. You thank her over and over before dialing his number. Listen to the ringback tone. You absolutely don’t want to do this. Don’t want to talk to Jimin. Ugh, it’s better if you could call Lee Seung than Jimin. The woman walks away to give you privacy. You watch her retrieve into a room while biting onto your thumb nail. You are just about to bite your whole finger away when the phone is answered.

“Mrs. Lee?” Jimin’s voice reaches your ear through the phone. There’s concern laced in his voice. He needs to say hello first. You take a deep breath before speaking. Feel like you have telephobia.

“Uh hello! Jimin, it’s me...” You don’t know if he can recognize you. He will think you are Liya. “Spring Roll?” Oh no he doesn’t think you are Liya. Funny how he went from not recognizing your very obvious differences to recognizing your voice apart from Liya. Or he just knows it’s your day to be here.

“Hey? Are you okay Lil? What’s happening? Why are you like… Why are you at Lee’s?” He asks again when you don’t answer. You didn’t realize you hadn’t answered. You scrunch your eyes shut and grit your teeth to endure a sharp cramp. “No. I mean I’m fine but… Jimin… I need... uh…” It feels embarrassing. “Lil? What is it?” You can hear him shuffle around. Makes you wonder if he is already leaving. Like an obsessed lover in a stupid love story.

“I need um…”

“Yes?”

“I need pads. I need pain killers.” You finally get that out.

It’s fine. It’s fine.

“Sorry but I have no money and there’s no way to contact anyone and it hurts and-” You start again. Feel the need to explain your situation when he disrupts your rambling.

“Okay.” A silence. “Hey Lil? It’s okay.” Another silence. He is probably waiting for you to respond. You don’t. So, he speaks again. “I’ll come. Go home now.” With that he hangs up.

Home?

…………………………………………………………………………………

You blink at the stupid door. You had closed it behind you when you left the apartment. And now it’s locked. You don’t know the password. A quiet groan escapes your mouth as you slightly bang your forehead on the door. Why does your life always go from bad to worse? It’s not like you can just go back and knock on Lee’s door. No, you can’t do that. It’s better to stay here, waiting for Jimin to come. So, you do that. Crouch down again because it hurts bad. Lean your back against the door. Wait... When you are not in pain and can form coherent thoughts, you’ll slap yourself and then later kill Jimin- even though he is the one helping you.

…………………………………………………………………………………

It probably took more than thirty fucking minutes for him to come. Tears are rolling down your cheeks, and you are at verge of passing out, when you finally hear the elevator ding. Tissues are failing you and you are about to cry all over again for the embarrassment when your head snaps towards the sound of footsteps. Eyes landing on Jimin. On a black suit again. Like the last time you saw him. He has a grocery bag in his hands. He stops. Eyes on you. Takes a shaky breath in and approaches you like wind. Crouches down beside you.

“Fuck. What are you doing here? Are you okay?” He slightly touches your face. You shake your head. “No. It hurts. Bad.” You can’t be embarrassed now.

“Fuck I’m sorry it took some time to come Lil. But why are you here? Outside?” His eyes are wide. Mouth a little agape. Adorable. You clutch your stomach tightly. “I... ha...ve no password. I... don’t kn... know it.” You manage through gritted teeth. Jimin sighs, closing his eyes for a moment. Lamenting. Looks like he wants to slap himself.

“Shit. Shit, I’m sorry Lil. I forgot, like…”

You interrupt his pointless apologizing with a painful whine. You’re not his responsibility after all. It’s not like he should be here. Jimin gapes at you, mouth open, for a split second. Nods his head in realization. Surprises you when he suddenly grabs you from your upper arm. Makes sense when he reaches for the lock and enters the password. He holds you steady, so you won’t fall. He holds you steady, so you won’t get into your feet on your own. Stops you when you try to. Surprises you again when he cradles you. You yelps first in surprise and then in mortification.

“No, Jimin. There’s probably …” You don’t get to complete that sentence. Not as he enters the house. Kicks the door shut behind you.

“Fuck it.”

…………………………………………………………………………………

“You fine now?” Jimin softly asks you as he stares at your huddled figure, laying on your side. He stands next to the bed. You feel fairly fine now compared to earlier. Not completely, though. Pain isn’t going to subside just after you swallow some pills. You nod anyway. You are now perfectly curled up in his guest bed. All clean and tummy full. In his clothes since you said you shouldn’t wear Liya’s clothes all the time without her permission. Ready to sleep with your phone and your clothes pressed to your chest. You learned from your mistakes and evolved through the time you’ve been here. That’s how you learned to dress properly to bed. Even with a bra, despite how much you hate to wear it. From now on, you’ll make sure you carry a care package to bed with you. With every essential in there.

“You sure?” Jimin asks again, slightly bending down toward you. You crack an eye open to look at him. He is still in his dress shirt. Looks worried. It was ridiculous how you had to assure him again and again that you will not die and are fully capable of showering alone. He is a funny thing. Jimin is. Paradoxical. Complicated. You find him hard to read. “I’m fine Jimin. It hurts but I’ll be okay. This shit happens every month.” You state matter-of-factly. Jimin snorts. Sits on the edge of the bed. “You sure? Cause you sure did act like it was your first time.” There’s a ghost of a smile on his lips. He has been avoiding you for nearly a week and now acts like nothing happened. Pisses you off. You take a breath in to calm yourself down.

“Well, I always take something for my pain and it’s not like I always ended up in some stranger’s house…You know? With no pads and...” Your words trail off as you watch Jimin grins now. He is teasing you. Asshole. “Oh, fuck you Jimin. It was an emergency. Sorry I bothered you.” You grumble, trying to hide your face in the pillow. “Hey, no Lil, I was just joking and uh... anyway you didn’t bother me. It’s okay to ask for help sometimes. I’m glad you did. If it hurts then it hurts.” He places his hand on your arm. Makes you shudder. His voice is serious now.

You sneak a peek at him again. He and you need to talk. Talk about what happened last time he was close to you. You need to convince him too. Convince that you were drunk and forget it ever happened. This moment, however, doesn’t feel like the right time. You’re still in pain and it’s always easy to procrastinate. It’s okay to let it slide for this one last time. You and Jimin were on good terms before the club night happened. With playful banters and insults that didn’t actually hurt you both. You were kind of friends. Right? Perfect strangers? There’s no reason to be hostile or distance when he is the only person you know in this world. You can sweep it under the rug until you take it out again. So, you nod. Mutter a soft thank you.

“I wouldn’t have call you anyway if I had you know… I just… Fuck.” You don’t know what you should say.

Jimin smiles. His cheeks puffs out like soft, round loaves of bread. You madly want to squeeze them.

Nope. You don’t.

“It’s okay Lil. It was an emergency, like you said. I know you wouldn’t have reached me if it wasn’t. But are you gonna be okay alone? Like do you want me to stay?” He asks, through his grin. Adorable but is so dramatic. You roll your eyes.

“It’s just periods Jimin. I know I was crying but believe me I will not die, I promise.”

“You promise?”

“Yes. I promise. Happy? You can go to work now Mr. CEO. You have a business...” You wince. Grit your teeth. Blow a breath out. “…to run, don’t you?” Complete your sentence finally. Random cursed cramps. Jimin gives you a skeptical glance. Doesn’t say anything when he stands up. You watch him curiously when he rounds the bed and climbs up next to you. This is not good. This, definitely, isn’t good. What is he doing?

“Okay…? What are you doing?” You mumble with wide eyes. “Nothing. Just going to make sure you won’t actually die.” He says as laying back. Eyes on the celling. You turn to your back too. “Seriously Jimin? This is ridiculous. You can go. Besides, isn’t this weird for you to lay here with me?” Look at him with your head turned to his face. “I wake up next to you every other day spring roll. And most of the time, you cling to me like a koala.” He says that very nonchalantly when you choke on your own spit. Do you? You gape at him. Do you really do that? Jimin’s bread cheeks are appearing again, however. He is trying so bad not to break into a laugh. You groan annoyingly. “You little stupid….” Mumble every curse word you know as you turn your side again. Your back to him. Jimin giggles. Why does he have to be adorable all the time? Why do you have to think he is adorable all the time? And hot. And...

This time you are grateful for the sudden pain that make you reel. It distracts you from Jimin. Even though it makes you whimper quietly and squeeze your tummy. Grit your teeth hard and leave you exhausted when it subsides. You take a deep breath after the pain become bearable. Feel Jimin shifts behind you. Maybe he turns to his side too. There’s a beat of silence before his voice reaches you again.

“Are you really okay Lil? Does it hurt a bad?” His voice is too soft for your liking. Makes your heart picks up the speed of pumping blood.

Bad.

You just nod to indicate you are indeed fine when another cramp hits you. He shifts again. Closer to you this time. You are certain. Can feel his warmth on your back now. Makes you tingle all over. This is really bad. And it’s worsen when he speaks again.

“Want me to help you? Do something to soothe the pain?” Jimin whispers. Makes goosebumps appear on your skin. Makes the hair in the nape of your neck stand. You shot your eyes open, staring into dark blue curtains of the room. Heart now beating violently. What does he mean?

“Help me how?” Your body has started to react exactly like that time in the club. Funny, since he isn’t touching you this time. You don’t even know what he is insinuating at. He might well be saying that he would tell you a bedtime story and you are already panting. “I... uh...don’t know. Like rub your tummy like. Fuck I don’t know Lil. Anything to help you.” His voice is still a whisper, and you shudder. Again. Oh, he indefinitely is not going to tell you bedtime stories. Why would he suggest this at all?

The air in the room suddenly feels heavy. You two are going to fuck things up for a second time if you don’t say the right thing.

All you need to say is, ‘are you crazy? I don’t want you touching me, Park Jimin. That’s so wrong. Go to hell’. Then why are you nodding.

This is a disaster.

You stiffen when you feel him scoot closer. Not quite in contact with your body but you are sure just a light movement from you, would make your back plastered into his chest. Can feel his breath on your neck. Like the last time. Makes your head spin. Like the last time. Mouth dry and heart about to leap away. Like the last time. And you are poised. Anticipation firing inside you. Excitement bubbling. Not even trying to soothe your dry throat. As if one single moment from you will make him disappear. “Want me to Lil?” He asks again. Fuck its addicting how his breath fanning your neck when he speaks. You nod again, weakly. “Words Lil. Say you want me to.” Jimin doesn’t even move a finger. Just stays close to you. This surely doesn’t feel like trying to soothe your pain. Instead, feel like you are doing something immoral. Well, it is immoral. You need to use your words and say you don’t want his help. Shouldn’t let this carry away like the last time.

“Yes. Help me Jimin.” You mutter breathlessly. To hell with it. You don’t know what you are doing. “Soothe the pain you know. It’s okay since you are trying to help.” Add that part just for the sake of your sanity. To justify the situation. To make it fair and mitigate. You expect Jimin to laugh at that. Snort. Asks you to stop being a bitch and then trying to justify your bitchy actions. If you are bad, then you are bad. He doesn’t. He doesn’t do any of those things. Surprisingly, agrees with you. “Yes, I’m just trying to help.” You are certain he says it to himself more than to you. You nod in agreement anyway. Wait until he do something. Patiently. Holding your breath. Let that breath out with a shiver when he finally snakes his hand over your waist. Palm flat and places on your tummy. Over your (his) hoodie. “Like this?” Asks again and start to rub gentle circles all over your stomach. You don’t trust your voice. Are afraid you’ll moan. All you can do is nod.

Fortunate how he doesn’t ask you to use your word. You think this situation is embarrassing. How you are near moaning when he is just rubbing your stomach. There’s nothing more but you are becoming pliant. Turning into a mush under his touch. That’s exactly how it was the last time. You’re pathetic aren’t you?

You visibly shudder when his breath hits your sensitive skin every time. It feels good. You won’t lie. Even when you can’t feel his touch properly, it feels damn good. Enough to make you sigh in relief. “Am I doing it right?” Jimin whispers in your ear. A weak yes escapes your mouth. “Does it help? Do you want more?” He scoots closer to you more. Finally press his chest into your back.

Oh God!

You don’t know what you should say. In a world where you are a completely sane person, you would say yes that helps and you don’t want anything more. This world, however, is a world where you are completely insane. So, you say no, for the first question. So, you say yes, for the latter one. Jimin sighs heavily. Almost like he is beyond relieved with your answers. As if he waited for you to say them.

“Okay. I’ll push your hoodie up. Huh? Just want to soothe the pain. That way will be better.” He waits again until you say yes. Give him the green light to proceed. The thing is, he needs to stop asking because you won’t say no. You feel like you are high. Your brain is malfunctioning. Bite your bottom lip until the blood draws when he does push the hoodie up, after another one of your weak yes’. Touches your bare tummy. Directly touches your skin for the first time. Without any barriers and you are certain he feels how you tremble.

It's just fingers first. Drawing mindless, yet burning patterns on your hot skin. And then he is pressing those fingers on your skin. Then painfully slowly his entire palm. Touches you properly. Massages your soft muscles. His hand is all over your tummy.

“This good?” Asks again. Makes you annoyed.

“Yes. Please.” Fuck why did you say please. What are you begging for. You’re really glad he doesn’t ask. Just keeps caressing you. Rubbing. Massaging. Touches turning tender every time. Comes even more closer to you. Hides his face in your hair. You weakly whimper when you feel him inhaling. A feathery kiss following. He brings you Impossibly closer to him.

“Lil...” Breathes in your ear.

“Hm?”

“Fuck. Just?”

“What?” Your voice is barely audible.

“Can I? Please?” His voice is no different. Husky. Breathy. And feels like liquid honey to your ears.

You know what he is asking for. You shouldn’t but you do. This is the only chance for you to do the right thing. At least pretend dumb and stop him.

“Yes. Jimin….yes.” How desperate you sound. The only relief is the shudder you feel on Jimin’s body. “Thanks fuck.” Says as his hand starts wandering upwards. Up, up and up. You give up trying to keep your mouth shut. Allow yourself to softly moan when his hand reaches your ribcage. Touches you there properly. Fingers graze the underside of your boobs. But doesn’t go any further. Stops there. Drives you crazy.

No, you shouldn’t ask for it. Shouldn’t beg.

“Fuck Jimin. Please.”

Jimin hides his face in your neck. His grip on you tighten. “Please what?” Loves to make you little more miserable than you are. It seems. “Please what Lil? What do you want?” Asks again in your ear. You want to go back to your bickering selves and curse the shit out of him. Impossible when he gives you feathery touches under your left boob. So, you give up.

“Touch me. Please fuck touch me.” Ask for what you want like a good girl. Jimin curses. “Touch you where? I am touching you.” Says as he squeezes you tightly. You whimper again. This time in complaint. He doesn’t do anything though. Waits patiently for your answer. Well, fuck it!

“Tits. My tits Jimin. Please touch them.” You don’t say those words, you moan them. Jimin kisses your ear at that. “Fuck Lil.” Mumbles in your ear and then his hand goes to where you want it to be. Grabs your left boob in his palm. Grips it hard. Molds. Sighs heavily.

“Fuck you are not wearing a bra again?” Traces his thumb over your hardened nipple. Takes it between his thumb and forefinger, pinch it. Makes you twitch. Do it again and again. “I… J... Jimin. I…” Your voice is trembling. “It’s hot.” Jimin says mindlessly. Shifts the attention between your two breasts. Molds them so good that you are moaning without you realizing. Makes Jimin press himself firmly against you.

It feels so sudden. Like the time in club. Why do you do this? He and you? Why neither of you can think properly? You are not drunk now. Very sober and still do this.

It's very wrong. Immoral. Unfaithful. Yet, it’s happening. And it is so fucking good. You’ve been starving for touch, and you are incapable of refusing one when you finally receive it. Especially, when those touches belongs to someone like Park Jimin. You’ll think about the reasons later. For now, you’ll just give up. Let him play. Touch you right. Allow him more access to do it more. That’s why you slowly start to roll onto your back. To let him touch you more. He helps you. Shits in his place and snakes his hand under your neck. Curls that hand so you become impossibly close to him. Keeps groping your soft mounds. Like he can’t stop doing so.

You look at him for the first time after you started this. Are so happy to see him flushed. Similar to you. Eyes hooded and pupils dilated. Mesmerizing. Comes closer to your face. Breath fanning your lips now. For split second you think he’ll kiss you. Disappointingly, he doesn't. Murmurs against your mouth instead.

“They are so soft. Your tits. Fucking soft. Wanna touch them all the time.” His lips slightly brush against yours when he mumbles. You moan shamelessly. You were turned on in an inhuman way from the beginning. Now though, you think you’ll die. You smell him in. Want to tell him he can just do that. Feel like you are travelling through the clouds. Words fail you. Only breathless whimpers and monas leave your dry mouth.

“Will you show me, Lil?” Asks again since all you do is gaping. It’s already too late turn around now. You rub your thighs together. Clench around nothing. “Please? Just want to see.” Squeezes your left tit so hard that a cry rip through your throat. Back arching. You nod desperately. “Yes. Yes. Yes, you can.” Close your eyes to drown in the head spinning feeling. Only for a moment though. Open them slowly again when you feel Jimin shifts your hoodie up. Revealing your bare skin to him. You are not surprised anymore. Just painfully horny. The way his breathing staggered, makes the sensation double. He pushes the hoodie all the way up. Toward your neck. Gets your tits bare in front of his eyes.

“Shit. Fuck Lil.” Curses some more. Molds your tits some more. Props himself a little bit. You reluctantly raise your head to let his hand go. Leans over you. Grabs your tits with his both hands. Start groping and molding. Sanity is slipping through his fingers as you watch. You and him both are insane now. You keep leaning into his touches. Harsh and pleasurable ministrations. Moan his name.

“Shit you are gorgeous.”

“You have seen them Jimin.”

“This is different. Fuck. I wanna suck them.” He peeks at you through his lashes. The desperation in his face together with his words are enough to make you cum in your pants. You want to say yes but words aren’t coming out. Especially, when he presses a tender kiss to one of your nipples. Pulls back to look at your face. Then kisses the other one. Doesn’t pull back this time, just stays in his place and inhales. Smells you. “Fuck!” Curses. You want to say yes.

He doesn’t wait for your answer anyway. And you are glad. “Want them in my mouth Lil. Gonna suck them, okay? Gonna… fuck.” He gives up entirely. Gives up on talking. Explaining. Dives right into your tits. Takes one hardened bud in his mouth. And you find words. “Holy fuck Jimin... Oh god...” You nearly cry. Hands reaching his head. Fingers lacing through his blonde locks. You have sensitive nipples but this? His mouth does wonders apparently. His hot tongue swirls around your nipple. Sucks on them. Moans. Sucks your life out of you. Keeps groping the other one. Then takes the other nipple in mouth while squeezing the now free one. Kisses and sucks every inch of skin he can find on your tits. Lightly bites. Leaves your tits wet with his saliva. You like the feeling. Even love it when he starts sucking on your skin harder. Surely giving you marks.

“Fuck, you are so sensitive. Think you can cum like this?” Jimin asks so suddenly that you are beginning to be surprised again. It’s so out of blue. “What?” You ask through your whimpers. “Cum Lil. Can you cum while I suck on your tits?” Asks again. Doesn’t wait for your answer and goes back to his work. Well, you don’t think you’ll completely be able to do that. Without a single pressure on your clit or nothing close to your quivering hole. “I’m not… su…sure. Like I need... Jimin.” You tug from his hair. He moans. You don’t think he understand what you are trying to say. See, now Jimin will never cease to amaze you. Can read minds. Doesn’t say anything but completely hovers over you. Places one knee between your thighs. Presses. You shudder. Reel. Moan. Watch the way Jimin peeks at you again. One of your tits still in his mouth. Moaning against your nipple. Pops it out. Kisses your wet nipple and bites it lightly. Licks it.

“C’mon, go on. Rub your pussy on my knee.” Says against your tit before starting to suck on it again.

And of course you do. How are you to refuse such a demanding plea. Press his face more into your chest and start grinding your cunt on his knee. Desperate. Hard. Fast. And he keeps sucking your tits. Soaking them. Encourages you with grunts and groans. Vibrations he cause travel through your body like liquid fire. To your core and makes that knot in your tummy tighten. Tighten with every press of your cunt on his knee. Even though it’s through layers of clothing. With his every suck on your tit. And right at a moment when he bites little harsh on your right nipple that knot explodes. Making you cry for him. Your grip on his hair tighten. Nearly rip his hair off when he finally pops your nipple from his mouth. Stares into your flushed face. Smirks. Peppers some light kisses to your abused tits. Makes you flush with embarrassment.

You both take a moment. Jimin is still grabbing and holding your breasts. You are staring into the ceiling. Both of you taking deep breaths. Trying to calm down from your high. Jimin retrieves his hands from your breasts slowly. The stupor you were in breaking down. Shattering into little pieces, so you could see properly. Think properly again. And the very moment, unclouded thoughts occur in your mind, you sit back abruptly. Making Jimin do the same. Both of you inhaling a shaky yet deep breath. Just like that, you two fucked up again. It doesn’t make sense how you lose control. How he loses control.

You want to ask him why? See, now it was only you who reached a high and he didn’t. Does he want the same? Are you willing to give him that? If he doesn’t want that, why did he do that for you? Is this the same kind of situation where he was confused? No, he kept calling you Lil. Not Liya.

You stare at his face. His face is flushed still but calming down. Eyes starting to flash something else which is not desire. Regret perhaps. You want to ask million things.

“Don’t fucking run away Jimin.” That’s the only thing that leaves your mouth. He shakes his head at that. Blows a breath out.

“I won’t. Just sleep. We will talk.” He says. There’s no warmth or softness in his voice anymore. His voice isn’t husky or breathy. Just like the last time, he is very serious now. Only that he isn’t stuttering. Nor does he run away like you burn him. Still, he and you are both back on earth now. He stares at you for another hard minute. Then he climbs down from the bed.

“We will talk Lil. I promise.” Says before running away. Again.

You fucked up. Again.

…………………………………………………………………………………

“Okay for real young lady, I don’t buy anything you say.” Key screeches in your ear as you try to wipe the tables down. End your shift and go home. Key isn’t supposed to be here, and she’s annoying you so much. “Well, I don’t know what I should say to you then my dear best friend. Move out of the way please. I have works to do.” You nudge her out of your way with your hip. She scoffs. “You should tell me the truth bitch. What’s happening in your life? How come you miss so many lectures and where the hell are you going all that time?” She keeps trailing after you. From one table to another.

“Do you have a secret boyfriend or something? So, you fuck around with him and miss your lectures? Are You fucking crazy? Who’s going to pay for you to repeat the subjects….” Her nagging is becoming unbearable, and you are glad Chan interrupts you. “You gonna fail your subjects?” He asks with a look that’s torn between pissed and incredulous on his face. You take back the glad part. You groan. Throw the cleaning cloth on your hand onto the table. “No one boss. No one’s failing their classes. My best friend is just fucking dramatic.” You point your finger at her.

She gasps. See, dramatic. “Don’t talk to me like that you little brat. I’m worrying my life away here for you.” Turns to Chan. “She’s been going MIA for some time now. Doesn’t attend lectures. I can’t reach her. And she sometimes doesn’t come to work too. Doesn’t she Chan?” Starts nagging to him instead of you. Fine by you to be honest. This is the first time in a while you are here at your workplace at the same time with Chan and Key. You guess Chan hasn’t confessed his feelings for Key yet. She would tell you if he did. Surprisingly, you don’t feel much bitter about it now.

You found out that you can talk to Chan normally a few days ago. Without any hard feelings and not wanting to cry nor slap him. And now you are finding out that you can stay in the same room with both of them. It hasn’t been that long since your rejection. Just nearly a month but probably the things happening in your life makes the rest of your life problems insignificant.

“It’s only been couple of days. So, it’s just fine.” Chan answers Key’s question with a shrug. Doesn’t sit properly with Key apparently. “Oh, c’mon… How that’s not fucking concerning Chan. It’s very irresponsible of an employee to be unattended without prior-”

“Fuck Key. Are you my friend or enemy?” You interrupt her while sneaking a glance at Chan. He is unbothered. There’s a grin on his face. As if Key said the most adorable thing right now. Well, if that’s how he always looked at her, then you might have been blind. “That’s fine Key. She is just not an employee. We are kind of friends so, as long as you don’t disappear for like weeks and months that’s fine with me.” He says finally, looking between you and Key. Key sighs while you nod in assent.

“Well, that makes this situation even more concerning. As a friend of her you need be worried as I am. What if she planning to sell her kidney.” Key doesn’t want to accept defeat. She has been constantly nagging you lately. Nothing you say is believable anymore. You have said you are sick so many times that Yoon-hee, your favorite professor, told you that you can ask her help if your illness is terminal. They might think you’re dying at this rate. It’s reasonable and very fair that Key is worried. You would be too. Can’t tell her the real reason though.

“I’m just fine Key. Please stop worrying. And my kidneys are safe.” You pat your lower back before reaching for the cleaning cloth again. Look back at her. “I promise. If I really am in a problem, I will tell you. You know that already.” Say as you start to wipe down the tables. Miss the glance Key and Chan share.

“You will?” Key asks, finally accepting the defeat.

“I will.” You nod without looking at them.

“I meant it when I said we are friends, you know. You can ask for help if you want, my very hard-working employee.” Chan adds when he isn’t a part of this at all. You and he are not that close friends. You were once infatuated with him, but not anymore. Still, you nod. Say you know.

It’s better you figure things out soon before you fuck up things in this world as well. Now, after you officially ruined things in Jimin’s world, you want this switching to end as soon as possible. You’ll find a way. Yes. You will.

…………………………………………………………………………………

This is the most unproductive Jimin has been in his entire life. He was far better than this when he was a college fuck boy and didn’t give a damn about passing his subjects. Even then he did a better job than staring at his computer screen. Black. It has been exactly fifteen minutes since he sat here in his study. He has work to do, but can’t concentrate. His mind is everywhere. No, that’s a big lie. His mind isn’t everywhere but at two people. Two people who look exactly same but not at the same time.

Why did he allow that to happen. Not once, but twice. Did he really think you were Liya? No. He didn’t. Jimin found a simple answer for his questions after loads of thinking. He really is a fucking asshole. Just like you said. He knew what he was doing but still did. Knew it was wrong but threw morality out the window the moment he felt you. And he fucked up.

The day at the club, when he returned to your booth to find you and that jerk named Jungkook were gone. Gone for a fucking dance. Jimin had felt his guts twist with an unfamiliar rage. He wasn’t or isn’t the jealousy type. Besides, you weren’t his girlfriend or anyone else that mattered to him. Still, he found his legs working on their own as he drifted to the dance floor. Saw you with him. Smiling. Laughing. Felt the same pang he felt when he saw you with Taehyung that day earlier. Saw he turns you around. Touches you. And he wasn’t thinking at all when he started storming toward you. He had a good excuse in his mind. You were supposed to be Liya. Liya will never do that. And only she knows why. It didn’t matter though. What mattered only was that you were breaking the character, and he needed to cover it. Before you ruin everything.

Funny, how he was the one who ruined things afterwards. It was pure bliss when he felt your body against him. Simply, the moment he felt you he started to think with his dick. It’s simple as that. That’s what happened at both times. He did his best to stay away from you after the club. Doesn’t know why he felt that it was the best decision. That it would solve the problem. He, after all, kind of knew he would fuck up again, if he was to be with you. Just like he thought, he did. Fucked up. And what he did was cheating.

Jimin cringes visibly at his own thoughts. He left that life behind, didn’t he? When he met Liya. When he started his business. He left his playful life behind. He is not Taehyung; he stopped jumping into fire pits just because it’s fun. Those stupid decisions people make just because they feel good at the moment, always come back to bite in their asses. Exactly like now. Like Jimin is drowning in misery full of guilt and regret. Guilty toward Liya. Regret toward you. Because even if it’s for a little while Jimin knows you. Even if you and he may not have a proper tag on your relationship. It was fine. The relationship you had. It was fine. More than fine actually and he ruined it.

His miserable thoughts got startle out of him, making him jump on his seat when the door of the study room suddenly slammed open. He snaps his head to the door at the same time Liya barges in. That’s not very like her. She knows how to knock after all. And she looks wearied off. Jimin watches curiously as his girlfriend takes a seat. Slams her bag on the desk. Makes Jimin flinch.

“What’s going on?” He asks carefully.

“I missed my meeting with Owen Scott. With the ‘Owen Scott’. Yesterday. Because I slept through it and the deal ruined Jimin. Can you believe that? I lost this one chance to partner with Scott. My dad is going to kill me.” Liya vents. Jimin feels like she slaps him. She missed that meeting while, he was fondling with your breasts happily. Has to bite his tongue so he won’t say something stupid. Oh, the guilt starts to tear his conscience away.

“Oh! I mean, that’s bad but reach to him again….?” He says after carefully deciding that’s the best reply. Liya gives him an incredulous look. “Don’t talk like you don’t know business Jimin. If you missed, you missed. There’s no going back.” She slumps her shoulders. Then puts her hand on the desk. Let her head falls down between her hands.

“Who said that to you?” Jimin doesn’t think Liya is here to talk business. They rarely do that. Live in two different worlds. He wants her to go. This is really uncomfortable. How much of a dick he is. “My father of course. But that’s not the problem Jimin. I keep sleeping through the days. It happened more than one time, are you aware?” Liya raises her head back. To give Jimin an accusatory look. Jimin wasn’t in a good mood to begin with. And that mood starts to get worsen when Liya silently, but definitely accuses Jimin. She does that all the time. Even his guilty conscience starts to dissipate at her accusatory look.

“And that’s my fault? That you sleep through your meetings?” He feels like shit when he says that, however. It’s not his fault, to be fair. But still he knows what’s happening yet never tried to explain that to her. Maybe this is his chance to bring that subject up. He promised you he would talk to Liya. But after the club he felt too cowardly to face either of you. For different reasons.

Jimin feels heavy. Bile rising up his throat. He cheated on her. Their relationship might not be the best but still cheating never was something they had both done. Ever. Not even when he can’t remember when they last had sex.

Yes, that’s it. That’s why he was so out of control with you. Sexually deprived. Never felt the need to find a woman to satiate his needs since he was so busy. That, however, in the end doesn’t change the fact he is human. So doesn’t the fact it was wrong.

“No. How’s that your fault?” She questions back. Keeps her gaze on Jimin’s face. Makes him uneasy. God, he needs to come clean, doesn’t he? How though? This is a very complicated matter. “No, I should have woken you up.” He says timidly in the end. Voice barely a whisper. Liya certainly doesn’t expect that if the way her eyebrows raise is anything. Jimin can’t wake her up even if he wants to. And he doesn’t know what he should do. You and he will have to do something soon. Liya nods slightly. Says that it wasn’t his fault, and she doesn’t expect him to do that. Surely is about to say something else when Jimin beats her to it.

It’s now or never.

“Baby, are you sure you are just sleeping through days?” The term of endearment feels heavy on his tongue. She looks confuse for a moment. Her perfect brows pull together. “What do you mean?” Asks. “Uh… like... are you having weird dreams?” He praises himself for coming up with that.

“Like what kind of dreams?”

“I don’t know. Like any kind of dream. Vivid dreams I mean.” Waits hopefully for her answer. “No… No, I don’t dream at all, I think. It’s like I’m dead while I’m sleeping.” Says making Jimin feel even more miserable. How is he ever going to clear this mess. He just nods. “That’s good. I mean at least you are not having any bad dreams.” Says as he finally turns his computer on. Liya clears her throat again, however. Jimin thought she would leave, but of course that can’t be the reason why she is here. They don’t share their problems. She isn’t here to vent about her issues like she should.

“Well? You are not here to tell me your life sucks, are you?” Jimin pays his attention back to Liya, lips curling up slightly despite there’s nothing amusing happening. Liya blows a breath out before taking another one in. “No. I’m here to tell you that I can’t make it to the Hoseok’s party. Sorry baby.” Says without an ounce of regret in her voice or face. It’s Jimin’s turn to blow a breath out. He isn’t surprised at all. Nor is he hurt. It’s very expected from Liya. Just tilts his head up. Asks the reason simply.

“I just have to meet Min Jae for this dinner on New Year’s Eve. I’m so sorry but it’s so sudden baby. He only called me just this morning-”

“Don’t fucking lie Liya. You are not least bit sorry, and you never wanted to join me there at Hoseok’s at first place.” Jimin scoffs. There was a time he couldn’t stand Min Jae. The damn celebrity and the heartthrob of Seoul, South Korea. Doesn’t know since when he does not care. Liya flinches at his words. Or voice.

“Watch your tone and words Park Jimin. You don’t get to talk to me like that because you’re jealous. You’re too old to be jealous.” Liya says sternly as she stands up.

Jealous?

“I’m by no means fucking Jealous baby.” Jimin emphasizes the word fuck yet tones down his voice. Doesn’t want to fight. Not after he did something wrong. Feels like he has no right to do so. Liya stares at his face. “Good then. Just tell them I’m really sorry I couldn’t make it.” Takes her bag and walks to the door. Reaches the doorknob but then turns around again. “You know what Jimin? You should at least pretend you’re disappointed. You don’t look like you care at all.” Bites on to her bottom lip while waiting for Jimin’s answer.

See, now Jimin is wrong for everything he did yet Liya makes his blood boil with her stupid antics. She wants him to beg. All the time. Wants him to be the one who gives hundred percent. He happily did so once. When he thought he would be able to do forever without getting tired but then he did. He is fucking exhausted of that. Ever since that day he finally felt tired he and Liya started to crumble.

So, he scoffs. “You know what Liya? You should at least pretend that you’re sorry you couldn’t make it. You don’t care at all. And if you think I would beg, sorry Miss. Kim Liya, but I’m just fine by myself.”

…………………………………………………………………………………

“So….” You start after staring into each other’s faces for a solid five minutes. It’s getting awkward.

“So…” Jimin repeats you. Just sitting in a desk chair while you sit on the edge of the bed. In his bedroom again. You were so worried about this day to be honest. You partially expected him to start avoiding you despite his words. But he was here when you opened your eyes. And it was you who insisted on having this conversation as the first thing. That way your own nerves will not allow you to sweep the conversation back under the rug, just after you pulled it out. So, here you are. Gaping at your faces with no words leaving your mouths.

“We need to talk Jimin. You promised we would talk.” You pout at him. Unintentionally again. There’s a slight smile ghosting on Jimin’s lips, but he doesn’t really smile. “We are talking.” He says, gesturing between you. “You call this talking? I can’t believe you are in a five-year long relationship when this is your idea of talking.” You say with a huff. “Exactly. That’s why it does work.” Jimin mutters under his breath. You want to ask what he meant but that would certainly distract your subject of matter. So, you heavily sigh as you get to your feet. Approach him. He looks up at you. It’s not comfortable having this conversation while he looks at you like that. Reminds you of a time he stares at you just the same way through his lashes.

Okay stop!

“Did you talk with Liya bec-”

“I did and she, apparently doesn’t travel anywhere Lil. She is just sleeping. She thinks she sleeps like she is dead.”

“That can’t be though. If I’m here and she disappeared-”

“I know. But I already told you she can’t be waking up in a strange world since she never said a word about it. She said nothing because she isn’t going through what you are going through.” Jimin tells as he gets to his feet finally. Towering over you. You like that. “I don’t know what’s happening but she, Liya, doesn’t go anywhere. Or even if she does, she never woken up. She is asleep all these times you are here.” Explains further. Peers into your eyes. You do the same for a second before tearing your gaze away. This makes it worse. It makes this isn’t on Liya either. She isn’t going anywhere. She is asleep when this shift happens, and you are the only one who is awake. That means it happens while you are asleep. Not her. This is on you. Not her.

It feels hard to breathe again. “What do you think will happen if I fall asleep while she is still awake. Will us shift?” You ask, suddenly. Jimin pulls his brows together. Thinks for a bit. “I’m not sure. We haven’t tried that yet, have we? We can try that. I mean you can try falling asleep in middle of the day when she would be clearly awake?” Suggests. You nod.

“Yeah, that’s it. I’ll try that tomorrow.” Say like you finally found an answer when Jimin softly sighs.

“Whatever we find Lil, will not change anything. Even if this doesn’t happen while she is awake, it will happen again one day or another. Unless of course you two decide to compromise and change your sleeping schedules.” He says it as a joke, but you beam at him. A wide grin adorning your face. Jimin’s face softens at that. Shakes his head. Does that thing he always do when he is frustrated. Searching for answers from the above. Looks at you back and about to take his hands to his face when you sprint into action. Grabbing from his both wrists and surprising you both.

“Don’t do that. It turns you into a tomato.” You say since you already started it. A soft chuckle escapes Jimin’s mouth.

“Seriously?” Asks. You let his hands go. Say that you are serious, and he nods. Smiles. Almost like in pity. “That thing won’t work Lil. The sleep schedule thing. You know it’s the same thing, right? It’ll not make any difference… it’s not like one of you can sleep during the day or something. And I don’t think Liya will... anyway it’s stupid.” Jimin talks to you like you’re a child who lost her candy. Your smile falters at that. Of course, you know. It’s really stupid. Then you’re back at a lost.

This time it’s you who search for the answers in the white ceiling. It’s you who rub your face frustratingly before you turn your back to Jimin. Let your head fall down again and throw your hands on your hips. Feel like you want to cry all of a sudden. “Then what should we do Jimin? Keep going like this? Forever? I’m oh so fucking tired. I can’t keep doing this. I just want a normal life. And I don’t know how to-”

“Hey. Hey.” Jimin doesn’t turn you around to face him. Instead, he walks around you to face you. Gently tilt your face to his with your chin. And let go of you immediately afterwards. You pretend that doesn’t do any hurtful things to you. “We will find answers Lil. We will. I don’t know how, but we will.” Stares into your eyes. You do the same, let yourself get lost in his amber depths. Did he always have those eyes. Why do you feel warm. Cozy. Melting. Why do you feel like you travel into a forest at twilight. And then he smiles again, softly, making those amber depths disappear in his cheeks. You want to touch him. Cup his cheeks.

Nope. Not again!

You turn your head away from that bewitching gaze. Clear your throat. Take a step back. “So, what are we going to do until then Park? If it take like forever to find answers, if we turn old? No, I will not live to turn old. I’ll die from the exhaustion.” You whine. Bottom lip jutting out. Jimin chuckles. “We will find answers before you get grey hairs and will stop this. And until then…” Now he gapes at you intensely. No sign of a laugh on his face. You watch gears shift in his head. Takes his time and then gives a single nod. “Yes, until then you can at least have your normal life back.” Clarifies. Yet, nothing is clarified in your head. “What normal life? Like? What do you mean Park?” You pull your eyebrows together.

“Like you wake up in the morning and go to sleep at night, like normal people do. Unless you party hard at some nights. You are going to live a normal life even though there’s nothing normal in your life Spring Roll.” Jimin is stern. Looks like someone with a plan.

“Are you suggesting that I’m spending a whole day here and a whole day there. Is that so?”

“Yes.”

“How’s that gonna change anything? What about Liya? You want her to miss an entire day of her life? And what do you plan to tell her when she starts asking you about the previous day? What am I going to say to Key? She is already on my tail. I can’t miss my lectures Jimin. I can’t stay away from my job for a whole day.” You throw your hands in the air. Jimin surely isn’t someone with a plan. His plan is way stupider than yours.

“Okay slow down.” Jimin holds a finger in front of you to shut you up. “Well, first, we won’t do this for long. We will find a way to stop this before… I don’t know before uh… like the spring.” Says proudly when you gape at him in disbelief. Holds two fingers up. “Okay even before that. And second, for Liya, she didn’t remember a thing when you uh... that day at the club. You spent a day here and she was fine-”

“You don’t plan on telling her about me at all. Do you park? You just asked her if she is waking up in somewhere strange and when she said she doesn’t you let it at that?” You don’t appreciate that pathway.

“No. I didn’t, and I’ll not ask her anything Lil. Because that’s stupid. If she doesn’t know then she is good that way. No need to trouble her when she will not believe me anyway. And… trust me it’s better when she doesn’t remember a whole day and think everything is fine than waking up in a middle of the day and worrying about having a some fucking sleeping disorder.” Jimin let his hand fall down. Gaze on you. Expectant.

“Okay, so you are saying she is better sleeping a day away. Fine. Then what about me Jimin? What about my life. How-”

“You gonna get medical assistance.”

“I’m going to get what?”

“You are terribly ill that you need special consideration from your university. And your damn boss will understand that too.” He looks smug. Proud. Really do look like someone with a plan. You are not convinced, however.

“But that’s lying.” You say as trying to imagine how your life will be. You’ll have to lie to everyone. “You have a better idea Spring Roll?” He grabs from your shoulders suddenly. “Like you said Lil. You can’t stay awake through nights. You can’t keep giving stupid excuses. So, let’s give them something believable. And meanwhile let’s find a way.” Raises one of his eyebrows at you. Well, you have no other ideas let alone better ones. Maybe, just maybe this will work. But then it’s not like you can go and tell people you are sick and need special consideration. Expect them to rely on your verbal explanations.

“Well, I need proof to prove I’m sick Park.”

“Leave that to me. Just give me the details I want.” He grins. Let you go. You’re still not hundred percent convinced. Feel skeptical. Yet are willing to see what will happen. So, you nod. Sigh.

“Yeah. Let’s do this. It’s already fucked up anyway.”

He nods too. You both nod in unison. One problem is talked through. No answers but there is a plan, that might work. Or not. In that case, there’s only one thing is left to talk through. And for you, that is the scariest part. Makes your legs weak even before you start it. If the way Jimin gulps harsh is anything, you know he feels the same way. Still, you’ll have to talk this one too. Especially, since you’ll spend days here from now on.

“Um... well, then about what happened the other day… I... uh...” You are the one who start it first. Jimin encourages you to keep going with a slight nod and his furrowed brows. “I... I mean... it’s like I’m sexually dep-”

“Sexually deprived.” Jimin finishes for you. You suck in a deep breath. Fall into a deafening silence. Have no idea whether he completed your sentence or said it to you.

“I was sexually deprived Lil. I don’t remember when I last fucked.” He then lets you know that he indeed did the latter. You are about to ask how, when he gives the answer for that one as well. “Yes, I have a girlfriend but we both are so fucking busy. It just happened Lil but-”

“But it won’t happen again.” You complete it for him this time.

“Exactly. And it’s not happened because you look like her because, uh… I don’t know, you’re not. And it has everything to do with me being horny as fuck.” He is not looking at you. Just staring at the bed. As if this is the first time, he sees it. “And it’s so fucking wrong. I’ll resolve my problems, and I don’t want to think that I used you or something.” Gets done with bed and looks at you instead. “Ugh... this is so frustrating.” Finally rubs his face. You don’t stop him this time. “I fucking crossed a line Lil. I’m really sorry and it will not happen again.” Finishes. Now it’s your time.

You feel at a loss, however. Feel disappointed. Ridiculous considering you expected this. This is how it should be. Still, there’s a pang in your heart. A tangled ache. A piercing confusion. You force yourself to smile. Pretend that you’re fine. “Yeah, I get it. And it wasn’t completely on you Jimin. I said yes and like you, I’m sexually deprived too. And unlike you I don’t have a fucking boyfriend either.” You finally manage to say while blowing out a breath. This is fine. “So… that happened because, both of us were horny. Like extremely horny. That’s it and I’ll resolve my problems as well.” You agree. Not with the bottom of your heart. Something feel wrong. Extremely. Yet you continue anyway.

“I’m sorry too Park.” Chuckle very awkwardly. Wave your hand in front of you. You’re not looking at him either. “But like are we good though?” Take a sneaky glance at him. Catch the way he bob his head violently. “Of course, we are.” Affirms and gives you an awkward chuckle of his own.

“Great!” You keep forcing yourself to smile.

“Great...” He echoes.

“Um... then are we like friends?” You ask without thinking. What a stupid question. He thinks so too, apparently. Gapes at you. “Friends?” Inquires tentatively. You just keep peering at his adorable face. Leaves him to do nothing but answer your question.

“Yes. Yeah, fuck. Friends. We can be friends like… uh... yeah friends Lil. We are friends.” Concludes at last. Takes you by surprise when he is stretching his hand for you to shake.

Oh! It apparently aches.

It was your idea anyway. You take his hand. Shake.

“Friends it is. And we will not do anything that crosses the line again.” You seal the deal.

“We won’t.” Jimin squeezes your hand. Keeps it in his hold more than necessary and finally let go. And you’re certain this is the most disappointed you’ve ever been.

…………………………………………………………………………………

“Liya wmph be there a’ New Year’s Ee?” Taehyung asks through his mouthful of kimbap. Jimin peers at him over the printed report he’s been looking at while eating his lunch. “Liya what?” Jimin frowns at his friend.

“Yah! Don’t talk with your mouth full, moron.” Jin clicks his tongue at Taehyung. Taehyung sighs but swallows down his food before repeating what he said earlier.

“Liya won’t be there at New Year’s Eve? Seoyeon told me.” Even gives further explanation, though nobody asks.

“Oh, she won’t?” Hoseok perks up too, expectantly looking at Jimin. Jimin hates this. Just shrugs.

“Yeah, some dinner plans or something.” Says as nonchalantly as he can.

“With who? You’ll be there though, right?” Hoseok asks again at the moment Jimin is about go back to minding his own business. “Of course, I will. Why wouldn’t I Hobi?” Jimin gives him a tight-lipped smile, praying he would stop asking questions. He doesn’t, but Taehyung does.

“Liya was really weird that day. Is she okay? Like was her tummy actually hurting that day? Is that why she acted like that?” Taehyung blinks at Jimin. Jimin blinks at Taehyung. Jin butts in to save him. “Why would someone act so cheery when their stomach hurts? That’s fucking stupid Tae.” He says while searching for a paper serviette. Jimin almost nods in assent when Jin speaks again. “But she was weird. I mean not that I know her very well...” He doesn’t get to complete whatever he is saying when Hoseok snorts.

“Sorry.” He mumbles fast. Then point his chopsticks at Jimin. “But Hyung is right. Fuck dude. You and she have been together for five fucking years, and we knew each other all that time but she is a fucking mystery, you know. I mean no offense...” Looks carefully at Jimin.

“None taken.” Jimin finally gives up trying to review this stupid report and places it back on the table. Hoseok carries on happily. “Yeah, but I mean I was so surprised she joined us in a club? And then acted like she likes us so much?” He raises his eyebrows and tilts his face. Jin after all didn’t butt in to save him.

“Right? Exactly my point.” Taehyung agrees very enthusiastically for Jimin’s displeasure. “She even danced with that guy. What was his name Hobba? Your friend’s friend? With tats and eyebrow piercing?” He looks at Hoseok while pointing at his own eyebrow. Jimin feels the same unpleasant twist in his guts at the memory.

“Who Jungkook?” Hoseok asks back when Taehyung snaps his fingers, grinning. “Yeah. Jung Kook. She danced with him dude.” They all are looking at Jimin now. He doesn’t know what to say. Jin again butts in and definitely isn’t saving him.

“And then these two almost fucked in the dance floor. Liya? And Park fucking Jimin? I have never seen her somewhat like kiss you in the public Jimin. Was she possessed that day?” Jin finally has found the serviette he was looking for. Jimin sighs. Hardly. There’s a headache forming. “She was just fine, guys. Was in a good mood. That’s it.” Says wearily. He really wants his friends to drop this conversation.

“Yeah? So, she is back to her sour mood again. Back to dislike us again. To think that we are all bad influence on the-best-future- CEO- Jimin.” Hoseok says with an edge to his voice. Makes Jimin really uncomfortable. It’s true in a kind of way but not completely. Liya doesn’t think that way, just doesn’t like hanging out with them and that’s her choice. Still, Jimin feels the urge to defend. Defend who, he has no idea. Maybe himself. “She doesn’t think that way and she... I mean has no problem with you.” Says and stuffs his mouth with food.

“I think that’s the same thing. I mean we don’t care, it’s your personal life, but she really doesn't like us, Jiminie. That’s why she won’t come to the party as well.” Hoseok scoffs. That discomfort Jimin felt is turning into anger now. “Really Hobi? You said you don’t care but you certainly act like you do.” He puts the chopsticks down. Hoseok does the same. “I don’t. I’m just saying Jimin. No need to get so riled up. If you’re happy then we are happy. The question is, Are you happy?” Smiles at Jimin but it feels like a smile of pity.

“Yeah, yeah, happy boss happy life.” Taehyung quickly disrupts. Picks a kimbap and brings that to Hoseok’s mouth. He gives Taehyung a very judgmental look but eats it anyway. Makes Jimin sigh. He loves his friends. “I’m not your boss you fuckers! We are co- fucking owners. And I really don’t want you to think that way. I am happy, guys. I mean c’mon it’s just a party and who cares if she can’t make it.” Tries to laugh but fails.

“You should care.” Jin says noncommittally. Doesn’t even look at anyone. But everyone looks at him. “That’s your girlfriend of five years. We are your friends, and we don’t want to suddenly sit back to talk about walking in different paths with whatever we made till now, just because she hates us. Maybe you should care, Jiminie.” Finally looks at Jimin. Jimin feels a weird sensation his stomach. This is not the first time his friends brought something up like this. Not that they always do but sometimes they just let Jimin knows that he isn’t happy. Fuck them!

“Okay fuck. She will come. Since you all think it’s a huge deal that she can’t come, and it defines our relationship. Let me prove it.” Jimin blurts that out. Looks at everyone. Ignores the way all three of them saying he doesn’t have to prove anything to them.

“She will come guys. Hobi, count her in.”

Fuck, why did he say that. How old is he to play silly games. How on earth is he going to make Liya agrees to come.

…………………………………………………………………………………

Jimin stares out of his floor-to-ceiling office window. Sulking. Regretting his life decisions.

“Fuck!” Mutters to himself and sighs. Why did he say Liya would come? Why did he make a big deal out of it. Maybe he can just let it go. His friends won’t make it a huge deal if he joins them alone. They wouldn’t now, would they? Jimin groans loudly. Looks up. About to rub his face furiously when the tomato pops up in his head. Can’t help but chuckle. You are always so weirdly interesting.

He needs to block you out of his mind. Think about the problems he has instead of thinking about you. It’s very unintentional, however. You’ll pop up on his mind at most random times. Like now. Jimin puts his hands back. Refrains from making himself looking like a tomato. Wonders if you try sleeping in the day. See, can’t help it. Groans again. Starts pacing around only to stop dead in the track. You feel nauseous when he does that.

Wait what? What the actual fuck? You again?

This might look really ridiculous how he just stands in middle of his office. Mouth agape. What’s wrong with him? He needs to find a way to get Liya abandon her dinner and join him. Or if it doesn’t work, he will have to find another plan. He just needs to bring his girlfriend to that stupid party. So, his friends will not think his relationship is crumbling. He shouldn’t care. It’s stupid to try to worry about a fake healthy appearance of a relationship. But apparently, he does. And he needs to find a way. Needs to stop thinking about what you like and not.

He looks at the place that gives him answers all the time- the fucking ceiling. He always finds answers there.

A way to bring his girlfriend to the stupid party. Or find another way. Another way.

Wait. Another way? He has another way.

A huge grin breaks out on his face. Of course. Liya will never change her plans for him. He won’t either. But since he still needs to pretend, all he has to do is bring his girlfriend. Or someone who looks like his girlfriend. There he goes. He lets out a victorious noise. He’s going to ask you. You will agree. Because of course you will.

Besides, you two are friends now. Jimin thinks that’s extremely stupid. Your idea anyway. So, he will make the best of being friends with you. Even though something doesn’t sit right with him when he thinks you are friends now. There’s a disappointment in his heart. An ache. Still, this is the right thing and right way. He gives himself a few nods. He will ask you to help your friend. That’s what friends do. This strange ache and longing will go away. And when it does, he will have a good friend.

A friend from a star.

A friend who looks exactly like his girlfriend.

A friend who sounds so sweet when she comes.

A friend who has most beautiful fucking tits.

Still, friends. You said you are now friends. Fucking friends.

F.R.I.E.N.D.S.

…………………………………………………………………………………

Chapter index

Taglist- @chimmy-licious @smoljimjim @graydolan12

68 notes · View notes

wherethefireliliesgrow · 8 months ago

Text

Moonlight Sunrise (Part 2)

Minatozaki Sana x reader

Part 1 / Part 3 / Part 4

GENRE: angst, fluff, non-idol

TYPE: Short fic

You could feel the warmth emanating through the wooden doors of the hub, followed by muffled roars of laughter and conversation.

Momo had invited you for a drink in the local pub the night before the start of the event. You had spent the day training and preparing yourself, and you also did some shopping, buying food to pack for the event as it may last up to several weeks, depending on whether any contenders are alive.

Taking a deep breath to brace yourself, you pushed open the door and walked in.

The chatter died down immediately the moment you stepped in, with all of the men looking at you menacingly and with a hint of fear. War heroes, knights, and even thieves were there, all wanting a piece of the treasure. They had nothing in common in terms of background, only one thing—they saw you as their biggest threat.

"Y/N!" A familiar voice called from the back of the pub, Momo. "Over here."

You slowly made your way towards her, hands deep in the pockets of your coat. Some of the people stood up as you passed them, afraid yet trying their best to show their dominance.

You heard one of the groups of people make a move to draw out their weapons as soon as your back was turned, and you swiftly drew out your poison-soaked dagger. Skillfully dodging his swing, you silently and swiftly had your dagger at his throat.

The crowd fell silent, tension thick in the air, as beads of sweat formed on the scarred man's brow.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" He cried out, craning his head to look at his leader for help.

His leader, a blurry hard-faced man, simply looked away and sat down.

"Now now, Y/N," Momo sighed, getting up from her seat and tugging you to release the man. "Let's not kill anyone before the competition."

Reluctantly, you relented, allowing the man to stumble backward and collapse onto the wooden floor.

"But feel free to hunt as many down in the labyrinth," Momo mused with a mischievous glint in her eyes, laughing when she saw the rest of the people shuffle uneasily.

The crowd cleared within seconds, leaving the bar now half empty.

"What a way to clear the crowd, I'm impressed," a soft voice called from the table Momo was originally sitting at, and you looked over to find another of your past colleagues and close friend of your sister, Minjeong.

Minjeong trained with you, your sister Yeji, and Momo at the same academy, spending most of your childhood together under the same master. She was skilled in poison and herbs, choosing to leave the academy as soon as she turned 16 to set off on a journey to learn more in this area. You hadn't seen her since.

You did, however, hear stories about her once in a while—how she turned into a master of poison and started her own academy at the young age of 21. Most of the weapons infused with poison, like the very one you had, were developed by her. Her name was now Winter, possessing a beauty as captivating and alluring as the first snowfall of the season. Her features were delicate yet sharp, like the frost that kissed the landscape with its icy touch. But beneath her stunning exterior lay a darkness, a chill that could freeze the hearts of those who crossed her path. As all of the people who had unfortunately come in contact with her dangerously poisonous infused blade, only managed to utter "cold as winter" before they hit the ground dead.

Contrary to what you had heard about her through these past few years, the tall girl was here, smiling goofily, grabbing you into a familiarly tight hug.

"I missed you, Y/N unnie."

You returned the gesture affectionately, feeling a surge of nostalgia. Minjeong had always been like a younger sister to you, a role she embraced wholeheartedly during your time at the academy.

"You've grown tall, baby rabbit."

She let out a laugh and dragged you and Momo to sit down with her. "That's exactly what Momo unnie told me when she saw me."

Momo simply glared at her with her arms crossed in front of her.

You let out a sigh. This was the face she made whenever someone was about to do something stupid.

"What are you doing here, Minjeongie?"

"Same reason as you. I'm going into the labyrinth."

"No," you said simply, shaking your head, with Momo nodding in agreement. "That's too dangerous."

"Whyyy," Minjeong whined, her tone childlike despite her lethal reputation, "I'm fully capable."

"We know you are, Min. It's just that it's too much of a risk. No one knows what's in the labyrinth," Momo tried to appease the younger girl. "Besides, what could you possibly want from the labyrinth? Money? We can provide that, just tell us how much you need."

The younger girl pouted. Seeing this menacing girl acting so childish must have been bizarre for the people she hunted down.

"I have money. I just really need this material that's rumored to be in the labyrinth," she paused, before quietly muttering, "the ashes of voidlings."

"Absolutely not," Momo hissed, "are you out of your mind?"

Minjeong looked at you pleadingly. She knew you were always the one to relent and fall for her maknae charms.

"If Y/N unnie is with me, it will be safe."

You sighed, shaking your head. "Not this time. Voidlings are not creatures you can kill. Even Master Kim said to flee when we encounter one."

Voidlings originated from dark witchcraft, when a spellbounder cast the darkest, most evil curse on a deceased, turning them into beings of the dark, preying on fear and weakness. These beings were created only if the deceased was filled with enough anger and hatred, making them powerful and nearly unbeatable. There has been no sure way to defeat these creatures. Nearly every person who encountered them died on the spot, let alone survived long enough to defeat them and gather their ashes.

Desperate, Minjeong blurted out the reason she swore to keep secret. "It's for Yeji."

"What?" You paused, putting down your mug and looking at the young girl.

"What about Yeji?" Momo asked, completely out of the loop. You hadn't told her the reason why you were here.

"Yeji wrote me a letter a few weeks ago, asking me for help. She wanted me to accompany Y/N unnie into the labyrinth, saying it was too dangerous for anyone to go alone. She told me you were going for her, and that was when she told me about her illness."

"She's sick? Wha-when? How?" Momo furrowed her brows in concern. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"She's been sick for two years now, and it's getting worse," you lowered your eyes, staring at the droplets that formed on the outside of your mug. "She was poisoned by one of the unknown beings in the far eastern territory, and no one has a way to cure her. That's why I was hoping to find the Luminite stone—you get one wish, right? Maybe this would work."

"My students and I have been trying to figure out a counterpoison for that, and I need the ashes of voidlings," Minjeong patted your hand in comfort, "If the stone doesn’t work, we can try for this."

The three of you sat in silence, each one lost in your thoughts, weighed down by the news like thick clouds pressing down. With every passing moment, the heaviness in the air grew, filling the room with uncertainty and a sense of foreboding that stretched into the late hours of the night. It was as if the very atmosphere held its breath, anticipating some ominous revelation lurking just beyond reach.

After much contemplation and discussion, you and Minjeong came to an agreement, despite Momo's disagreement. If you failed to find the stone within a week, Minjeong would enter the labyrinth and help you find and defeat a voidling. None of you were happy this decision, but this was the only way to save Yeji.

"It's late, you have a big day tomorrow," Momo yawned, rubbing her eyes. Minjeong was already fast asleep with her head drooped over the table.

"Yeah, I have one more stop to make," you said rising out of your seat, "Can you let me into the castle?"

"You know I can't do that, Y/N," Momo sighed before lifting the sleeping girl in her arms.

"Please. There's someone I need to say thank you to."

"Fine," the head of security relented. "Minjeong is crashing at my place anyway."

The three of you slowly made your way down the empty pebbled roads, the moonlight guiding the way, just like old times when you would leave training and head back to the dorms together. However, this time, there was a noticeable absence – Yeji.

"By the way, what's Princess Sana's favorite food?"

"What the fuck, Y/N? Be quiet or we're going to get caught."

"Please?"

"Fine. Apples I think. Anything apple flavored."

"Nice."

"Shut up."

Pushing open the familiar run-down wooden door, you found the space in front of the labyrinth deserted, as expected. You had a feeling the princess didn't want to be seen, especially after giving you that fake name.

Silently, you walked towards the metal bars and peered into the dark misty abyss again, hoping to catch a glimpse of the blonde girl. Instead, you saw only eerie shadows that seemed too haunting to be her. You definitely didn't want to come in contact with any of those beings.

Deciding to call it a night, you reached into your knapsack and pulled out a bottle of apple cider along with some small cakes bought at the market earlier that day. Placing them on the bench where you had sat together the day before, you wanted to thank the princess for her compass, even if you weren't sure if it was real or not.

Before you could make your way back, a familiar soft voice cut through the whooshing sounds emanating from the black clouds within the labyrinth.

"Hwang."

Turning, you found Luna sitting on top of the towering metal bars, swinging her barefoot legs casually.

"Hey."

She jumped down from the metal wall, landing gently with a thud.

"Couldn’t resist visiting me, huh?" She chuckled, eyeing the items on the bench. "Ooooo apple cider!"

She eagerly tore open the bottle and took a swig, resembling a little kid on Christmas morning. You couldn’t help but soften at her endearing behavior.

"It's just to thank you for giving me the compass."

"How do you know if I'm not fooling you?" She turned to look at you, a piece of cake still in her mouth.

"I don't," you said honestly, "but I'm willing to take that risk."

"For an assassin, you're oddly trusting," Luna mused, before splitting one of the cakes and passing it to you.

"How did you-"

"I hear your name once in a while in the labyrinth, Hwang." Luna giggled at your bewilderment, before lowering her voice as if she was an announcer. "The greatest assassin of the century, Hwang Y/N, the NightWalker. Some of the competitors talked about you, 'What would the NightWalker do in this situation?', 'Oh no, I'm cornered, if only I could walk on water like the NightWalker.'"

Your face flushed with embarrassment as she teased you, her laughter echoing through the empty space.

"Shut up," you nudged her with your shoulder.

She no longer felt like a monster; she felt like the cheerful princess people always talked about in their stories.

Luna put her fingers to her mouth, trying to stifle her giggles.

"Besides, it's a win-win situation if I get the stone," you shrugged, biting into the cake, the sweet-savory invading your taste buds.

"How so?"

"You're Princess Sana, aren't you?" You laughed at her surprised expression. "It says on the compass. If I win, I promise you'll be able to see the sunlight whenever you want. I have no interest in locking you by my side."

Instantly, the carefree girl in front of you shifted to the defensive half-human being. Sana's eyes glowed red once again, and you felt your body constrict, as if a rope was squeezing you tightly. She was looking for any lies behind your eyes. She found none.

"Sorry," she muttered, releasing you from her stare. You simply waved her off.

"I can't see the sunrise either way. I'm bound to the stone," she murmured softly, her delicate features cast in a faint glow from the moonlight.

As she spoke, her shoulders hunched slightly, a subtle gesture that spoke volumes of the weight she carried. Your heart couldn’t help but flutter in sympathy for the beautiful being before you, her words tinged with a hint of melancholy.

"The moonlight will be the only light I see for the rest of my life."

"I'll figure out a way. I always do," you promised.

Sana looked up to meet your eyes, her own remaining human and soft this time. In that moment, her gaze held a sense of vulnerability. You found yourself momentarily lost in her soft honey hues, the warmth of her gaze enveloping you. A faint blush tinged her cheeks as she met your stare, a silent acknowledgment of the connection between you.

"You're an odd one, NightWalker."

"As are you, Princess." you replied, unable to resist a teasing tone.

"Don't call me that," she muttered, trying to hide her smile, but her eyes betrayed her amusement.

You spent another hour or two talking to Sana, enjoying her company and the lighthearted banter that momentarily lifted the weight from your shoulders.

"It's almost sunrise. I have to go," Sana announced, stretching as she rose to her feet. "You should get some rest too, Y/N."

You nodded, following suit and standing up.

The princess grinned and extended her hand in a handshake. "Partners?"

"Partners," you agreed, shaking her hand firmly. Her touch sent a shiver down your spine, despite the warmth of the night.

Satisfied, with a hint of pink on her cheeks, Sana turned to make her way back towards the labyrinth, her figure gradually disappearing into the darkness.

"You better bring me some more of those cakes, Hwang," she called back before vanishing completely.

"Aye-aye, Princess," you replied, unable to resist one last teasing remark.

"Don't call me that!" she retorted with a laugh, her voice echoing faintly in the night.

Previous Chapter Next Chapter

Cute filler chapter this time 😉

95 notes · View notes

dreamyyesenia · 2 months ago

Text

Always Keep Simming - Hey there, Delilah…

TW: Death, Grief, Mention of Depression

Once again, this episode takes place at the graveyard. Only continue reading if you are untroubled by aforementioned topics 🫶🏻

Aileen had promised her grandmother to come back and bring her grandfather with her. So, on this day, after the kids had gone to bed, Aileen and Alexander traveled to Forgotten Hollow. Once Alexander stepped into Delilah’s room, he was overwhelmed with grief and all kinds of different emotions and couldn’t control himself any longer. Aileen was heartbroken seeing her grandfather like this but she new he needed this. He had never been to Delilah’s grave before. Only partially because of the distance between Strangerville and Forgotten Hollow.. Delilah had died in the hospital in emergency care and not having been there for her in her last moments had been a traumatic experience for Alexander. Maybe it was one of the reasons he was scared to face her grave. It felt more final, whereas dreams of their life together kept her alive in his mind…

This time, Aileen didn’t need to call forth her grandmother. Delilah had felt Alexander’s spirit approach and seeing him cry, her ghost quietly appeared right in front of him. Alexander knew he’d meet her ghost but finally seeing her was surreal- but at the same time, it was just like the old times. They immediately started flirting, joking and expressing their love and devotion for each other. Alexander apologized for not being there on her deathbed and Delilah told him it didn’t matter, that she knew he’d done anything to be by her side, but life had had different plans. They had gone through the toughest times together (when Alexander was in prison & when Delilah was diagnosed with a deadly disease) but they had rebuilt their lives from the ground up again and again, they had raised their children together, built a house, moved countless times. Most importantly, throughout their lives, they had always loved each other and supported one another, no matter what happened. They had an unbreakable bond even death couldn’t touch. Delilah assured him that she had found peace after all. It was not what Alexander wanted to hear, but it was her truth. And eventually, he’d be able to let go and find peace himself 🩷

When they exited Delilah’s room, Alexander expressed his gratitude to his granddaughter. She had given him courage to come here and face what he had lost. Though his mental health wouldn’t be cured over night, this encounter had been a huge step and he felt as if a heavy weight had been lifted off his shoulders. Knowing that Delilah was at peace and didn’t feel resentment towards him was a relief. He was ready to keep working on himself and get to enjoy living with his family again 🩷

#alwayskeepsimmingsave #simblr #ts4 #tw death #tw depression #tw grief #sims 4 screenshots #ts4 stories #sims 4 legacy #sims4 stories #sims 4 gameplay #the sims gameplay #ts4 story #sims 4 simblr #sims 4 screenies #ts4 screenies

42 notes · View notes

sad-scarred-sassy · 8 months ago

Text

What if Elain and Lucien met before she was made – Part 2

Read part 1 here

----

Lucien Vanserra did not understand what had gotten into him.

He had become used to leading a quiet content life, but ever since seeing her, ever since touching her, something had changed. When those fawn brown eyes landed on his, he had felt stranded. Amiss. Like he had somehow lost his way, had forgotten what he was supposed to be doing with his useless, pointless life.

It wasn't that he had ever been too sure about what his life had meant to be like, ever since he lost everything he had resigned himself to serve, to fulfill his duties, to follow orders and go by. He had been content with it, had been okay with the occasional diversions he allowed himself. Not that it had been the same after Under The Mountain, all diversion essentially gone. But he had been fine with just getting by, fighting when he had to, resting when he needed to. Helping Tamlin clear up the Spring Court of the residual trash of Amarantha. He had endured harder times before and had been fine.

Until that day that one of Hybern's more playful lackeys had attacked him inadvertently and had dropped him in the only place that could be considered dangerous for a fae in the mortal lands, and he had met her. Had been saved by her.

His first thought of her had been that she was impossibly beautiful, so much so that it stunned him. That wasn't his usual opinion on any female ever. He obviously could appreciate female beauty and affections but she was the most beautiful... woman he had ever laid eyes upon and it troubled him so. He had never thought that about a female after- after Jes.

But having shoved that thought away and assessed the situation, his second thought about Elain had been that he had to protect her. It wasn't even so much of a thought but a bodily reaction he hadn't been able to rationalize. And when she hadn't shied away from him, had called his name, he thought he had never heard it sound so nicely before.

But ever since that day, ever since having felt the sudden spark at touching her small hand, and having felt the unshakeable pull of wanting his body closer to her body, having his hands on the delicate skin of her ankles, everything in his world had shifted, and Lucien, for the life of him, could not place why.

So he had ignored it as much as he could, he had busied himself, drowning in more work than he could take upon himself and had shoved those thoughts deep inside of him. What use would it make to be thinking about a human girl? A human girl he merely met once? And Feyre's sister, of all people.

He hadn't told her. Had honored Elain's wish to keep it a secret, for whatever reason. He could understand, though. Meddlesome siblings were something universal, it seemed, and it felt somehow nice to have something only he knew, a secret thing only shared with her.

But even with all the work, all the tiresome activities he subjected himself to so that he could stop thinking about her eyes, and her freckled nose, and her pouty pink lips, he could not stop seeing her in his dreams, or in random flashes when he glimpsed a rose, or a lily, or any flower, really. Living in eternal spring did nothing to help his situation.

He could swear he sometimes felt like she was calling him. He could feel it in the wind, in the smell of freshly cut grass, in the sight of the first rays of sunshine coming through his windows. It was pathetic, actually. To think a woman like her would even remember him, let alone be calling him to her. She had seemed so free, so desperately alive, he doubted he had posed any significance in her life.

He was losing his mind.

The long weeks passed and he tried to convince himself that his constant thinking of her was just an outlet for all the stress he had been accumulating, a normal response of his psyche trying to fixate in something beautiful and right, rather than the depressive reality he was shoved into. But a part of him knew it wasn't that simple, and ignoring it was resulting to be useless.

He had tried to stay away. He really did. He had tried to put her behind him. He had even gone to the village to see one of his past lovers, a headstrong but gentle female that had shared a similar need of release as him, expecting nothing more, needing nothing more. But the moment she moved her lips to his, the moment he had touched her hand in that cozy tavern they usually met at, he realized he couldn't do it, he had seen her, he had seen Elain in his mind and could not put her away. He had to apologize and leave, compelled to spend another night alone, thinking about her.

So here he was, back in the mortal lands, pacing outside her house in the dead of night under the cover of some trees surrounding her manor. Couldron boil him. He had left Spring under the pretense that he would survey the border with the human lands, Tamlin had simply agreed, and he had winnowed to where he knew she lived. But now that he was here, and somehow he could feel the closeness of her, he didn't know what to do.

He was going to leave, he had decided this was an awful idea, had turned around and prepared to winnow when a soft voice called him and made his whole body stop short.

"Lucien"

----

Elain Archeron had not been able to sleep that night, and when she had finally grown tired of rolling around in her bed, she had found herself outside in her garden, taking in the chilly night, the smell of dewy grass and jasmine bushes.

She had been thinking about him... again. Lucien, he had told her his name, and she had replayed it in her mind again and again during those long weeks. Her tongue rolling softly, only for her to hear, as if her body was involuntarily calling him. She had thought she was finally losing it.

She sat there now in one of the wooden chairs alone in her courtyard, when everyone in the manor was asleep, thinking about his broad but elegant hands, his enchanting mismatched eyes, his otherworldly beauty, one that she could not find anywhere else, one that dwarfed even Greysen's handsome face. She felt the need to roll his name on her tongue again, felt the need to chant his name as if containing it inside her might actually drive her insane.

"Lucien" She spoke softly, but the sound of his name was enough to make her blush. If anyone could hear her in that moment they would say she was definately insane, sitting in the garden talking to herself. She huffed a short laugh at how hilarious it was. A tale as old as time, the human girl enthralled by the mystical fae that probably could not care less about her insignificant existence, she was a living cliché.

She tasted his name in her lips anyway, a guilty pleasure she could not rationalize. She couldn't help but feel the rightness of it, even if she was not able to place it in any logical thought. The weeks since she had met him had not been the same, as if something in her had awoken, something she hadn't even known had been inside of her sleeping.

She was just about to stand up to go inside when a voice made her stiffen.

"Elain?"

It was low and tentative, masculine but soft. The voice she had not been able to forget through all these weeks. Her heart was hammering in her chest when she snapped her head towards the orange and apple trees surrounding her garden. She saw him then and gasped, bathing under the moonlight, a statue of a male, his long flowy hair shining in a deep red under the cool light. He was looking at her with surprise in his eye, as if he hadn't expected to find her here.

He had come. He had come back.

"Lucien" She spoke again and she could swear she saw him shudder a bit. Suddenly she felt insanely self conscious, looking down at herself in her thin nightgown and flimsy silk robe. She looked up at him again, dressed immaculately, an embroidered navy blue vest, tight cream pants and knee high brown boots. He looked impossibly regal.

"Wh-what are you doing here?" She crossed her arms around her chest, heart still beating loudly, suddenly aware of the situation, looking at her surroundings to see if there was no-one else around. She questioned what exactly he was doing here, in her home, in the dead of night. Had he finally come to steal her away like the other one had done to Feyre? Like every cautionary tale of the fae she had heard since she was a child?

"I-" He said, apparently also realizing his surroundings. "I was patrolling the border and I-" He looked down and clenched his hands awkwardly. He looked up at her again. "I'm sorry for the invasion, I was just trying to check if you... and your family, were doing alright" He said.

Something about seeing him a bit undone, this mountain of a male that exuded power, struggling with his words, made her ease a bit. The familiarity of him, even if she had just seen him once before, overtaking her, making her step up towards him, even if all logic called her to be smarter, he was a stranger after all. Why did she trust him so easily?

"You came to see if we were doing fine?" She said, cocking her head a bit as she saw him stiffen at the steps she had taken towards him.

"Yes, milady" He simply said. She couldn't help but like the way that sounded on his lips, the way it made her feel.

"Under my sister's wishes?" She asked softly, tentatively shortening the distance between them, just letting her body naturally drift towards the pull she felt.

"No" He said, watching her closely, unmoving. She could swear he was also trying not to just run towards her. Was she out of her mind? Imagining things she deep down wanted to believe?

"Under your wishes?" She asked when he didn't elaborate, and she almost laughed when he didn't even word a response, simply nodding his head and straightening when she reached him under the cover of the trees. "Why?" She asked, placing one of her hands on the tree close to her, for comfort and stability.

"These are… dangerous times" He said sharply and she could finally smell his woodsy, masculine scent again. She relished in it, the way it filled her with something she didn't know she had been missing. She noticed his own nostrils flaring, as if he too was taking in her smell in that moment. It made her feel something warm deep inside her tummy, running through her core.

"I thought you would have another reason to come by" She said, tilting her head a bit. He stared at her with those dazzling mismatched eyes and softly cleared his throat.

"Were you by any chance calling my name?" He changed subject, turning it on her and making her face grow impossibly hot. He had heard her?

"Me?" She straightened. He simply watched her with a predator's gaze. She suddenly felt impossibly bare before him.

A soft smirk crept over his lips as he noticed the aggressive blush she could assume had taken over her whole face. She averted her gaze at that, but quickly found it in herself to retaliate.

"Well, maybe I was" She held her chin up towards his towering frame. "Maybe I knew you were around and decided to summon you out of the shadows, acting as if you're some thief in the night" She said, but his smirk only grew more wicked.

"How can you be so sure I'm not some thief in the night?" He said, suddenly leaning his forearm over the same tree trunk she was pressed against. His tall frame towered over her, his smell and warmth intoxicating, filling her senses. Elain again found herself in one of the most scandalous scenarios she could think of. With a fae male leaning above her in the middle of the night, smirking at her like some fiend, eating her up with his gaze.

Her face grew hotter. In fact, her whole body did.

"Have you come to take me away, then?" She suddenly sounded more serious than she had intended. He noticed it, his face relaxing to a more serious stare, eyes suddenly lost in hers.

"Do you want me to?" He rasped, a slightly devious grin curling in the corner of his mouth again. His eyes never left hers, and for a moment she actually considered it, damn her, just simply running away from her small content life, leaving everything to go see the world, things she could only imagine, experiences she could only dream of. She realized they were still looking at each other, still breathing the same air, her chest rising and falling quickly, when she dropped her gaze and stepped out of his reach.

"Funny. Do you find me so careless as to think I would just run away with a strange fae male I just met?" She arched an eyebrow in a teasing way, although the tension between them did not subside.

"I did meet you running around barefoot in the middle of a forest" He crossed his hands behind his back and shrugged a bit. His hair was tied up, but she noticed some strands that had fallen off, moving around his chiseled face as he talked.

"Can't a lady have her moments of liberty in peace?" She crossed her arms again, diverting his intent gaze.

"By all means milady, I am sorry for assuming" He teased softly and she dared to look at him again. "I will say though, I'm usually right about spotting wild things and you-" He assessed her again, as if he could read her like a book. "You struck me as one"

"I'm not such thing" She cut him a glare, but it held no real offense.

"Aren't you?" He said with amusement in his eye and she pursed her lips.

She held his gaze for a moment, even though they were just teasing, there was an undertone of reality in his words, in his assessment of her. She was trying to find it in herself to deny it, to negate the raging feeling of wanting to see more, wanting to learn everything there was to learn. She couldn't.

"You may be right" She exhaled a breath as she turned and looked towards her garden, feeling his body heat at her side, his presence so overwhelming she was having difficulty thinking. "I'm in my courtyard, talking to a strange male in the middle of the night, any proper lady would deem this scandalous" She said.

"And what do you deem this?" He asked, she could still feel his eyes on her, it felt as if he could not, for the life of him, stop looking at her, even for a mere second.

She looked at the ground for a moment, feeling out the question, sensing her response and deciding to simply voice it.

"Exhilarating" She said not daring to look at him. Her heart thrumming in her chest again. For a moment he said nothing. The night sounds filling the air between them. She swallowed as she felt him move closer to her, sliding behind her. What would Nesta say if she knew she was having such conversations with a stranger like some scoundrel in the night? Even worse, with a seductive fae male at that, tempting her to release her wild side, something she had always kept under a tight leash. It was more than enough to make her sister see red.

"Maybe if I ask you to tell me more about yourself-" His voice was rough, breath hitting the back of her ear and neck in a way that made goosebumps rise over her skin. "Then it wouldn't be so scandalous, don't you think?" He finished, and some small, wicked part of her expected him to touch her, even if just her shoulder, her hand. She quickly shut it off.

"Could be" She breathed, turning her face slightly to glance at him. "But only if you also tell me more about yourself" She dared to say.

"What do you want to know?" She felt him lean down towards her exposed neck. His mouth so impossibly close she had to shove that thought away as well. It was one thing to engage in conversation with an interesting individual, even if it happened to be in the dead of night and had the potential of ruining her entire reputation, it was another to have such improper thoughts about them.

Even if she had to shamefully admit to herself, she had never been so attracted to anyone like this before.

"What do you do... for a living?" She asked in an effort to distract herself from that line of thought. She turned around to face him again, needing to see his face and assess him as she knew he could assess her.

"I'm a court emissary" He said, his body remaining close to her, half a step away. She took a look at him, eyes wandering from head to toe.

"Are all fae emissaries so... buff looking?" She blurted and he had to contain a laugh in order to keep quiet.

"It's not a requirement" He said, amusement still present in his face. "I do like to keep myself useful in more ways than one. Training allows me to do that" He looked down at himself following her eyes, then they both met their gazes. "Do you have a complaint about it?"

"No" She said a bit too quick to be casual, his smile broadened, she noticed he had a dimple beneath those scars in his face, and couldn't help but wonder. "How did you... get those scars?" She asked and immediately regretted it, seeing how the dimple disappeared from view, his face hesitating.

"I pissed the wrong person" He cringed a bit, but he seemed to be more concerned about her own reaction than on the memory of it. "It's not a pleasant tale, but one I could tell you some day. Now it is my turn" He said and his eyes travelled around her frame. The prospect of meeting him again in the future gave her a ridiculous flutter in her chest, one she quickly pushed aside.

"What do you enjoy doing, aside from running around in haunted forests?" He asked and she held her laugh. She moved through the trees then, in an effort to dissuade his intent focus on her, but his eyes seemed to relish on her movements, on the way her thin clothes hung from her body.

“I enjoy gardening” She said a bit shyly. “I take pride in it” She concluded, signaling towards the garden behind them. His eyes followed it, quietly contemplating her work, as if he could even see the garden in the dim light. His lips curled in a soft smile.

“That’s very impressive, lady” He said. “I shall like to take a closer look some time”

Elain had the urge to fix her hair behind her ear, not really sure of what to do with her own hands.

“What do you like to do… aside from work” She asked then, caressing her fingers through a jasmine flower blooming.

He followed her closely, watching her with amusement. “I like to lay down in nature”

“I could see that” She teased and he snorted. “What’s your favorite place to do it?” She asked.

He pondered for a moment. “There’s a stream in the court I live in. Its calm, lovely in the morning and during the night, surrounded by fireflies and white lilies”

“That sounds perfect” She said, imagining such a place.

“Would you want to see it?”

“Are you trying to steal me away, still?” She gave him a look and he laughed softly.

“Forgive me for trying” He said, casually striding in front of her, intercepting her like prey, eyes dancing with mischief under the moonlight.

She bit back her smile. “Is it far?” She found herself asking. The question had surprised him a bit, he didn’t seem to expect her to actually be considering it, and if she was honest, neither did she.

“Uhm- just a few jumps- winnows I mean” She assumed he was talking about that transportation magic he had used before.

“I see” She said, thinking about the implications of it. She shouldn’t, she really shouldn’t. But she couldn’t help but be enthralled by the idea. Escaping for a night, seeing something she had never considered seeing before. Her heart hammered in her chest again.

He noticed her hesitation and tried to ease up a bit. “It was a wild proposition, milady, there’s no-“

“Let’s go” She said, determination shining on her face.

“What?”

“Take me there” She repeated, but he still looked at her like he didn’t believe her. “It’s safe right?”

“Yes…”

“And we would be back before dawn, right?”

“Yes-“

“Then take me” She said, stretching out her hand to him. He looked at her small hand. “Show me” Show me things I have never seen before.

The determination in her brown eyes must have sparked something in him, because after that he slid his broad hand around hers, and as she felt that tiny spark in their touch, the spark she had craved ever since the day in the forest, Elain felt the world collapse around them, and just like that, they were gone.

#elucien #i will have to write a part 3 now #the escapism fantasy of elain archeron #elucien what if #elucien fanfiction #human!elain #human!au #elain x escapism #elucien x forbidden romance

77 notes · View notes