#shot my productivity right out of the sky

[jincapableoflove]

The Grumpy Girlfriend Protection Program | One-shot

Pairing: Jungkook x (f.) Reader

Genre: sunshine bf x grumpy gf, golden retriever! jungkook, black cat! reader, office worker! reader, veterinary student! jungkook, fluff, comedy, thriller, mystery (slight), action, angst.

Summary: Jeon Jungkook has always been the sunshine in every room; warm, kind, and completely oblivious to danger. Luckily, you, his grumpy, overprotective girlfriend have made it your personal mission to keep him safe. But when the threat shifts to you instead, Jungkook proves that even sunshine can scorch—and for you, he’d burn.

Word count: 22.8k+

Warnings: reader is very protective, themes of stalking and obsession, usage of drugs (not reader or jungkook), fight scene, violence, multiple flashback scenes.

MOODBOARD

A/N: hugeeee thanks to my dear friend sy (@btswit7 ) for going through my fic and suggesting edits! ilysm. sorry this took so long for me to write. i swearrr this fic was supposed to be fluffy, cute and around 10k words but I got carried away 😔 (not sorry for that). i might've absolutely butchered the tattoo shop scene pls forgive me (I've never been to a tattoo shop before idk how it works) this is also my first time writing an action scene it prolly sucks but wtv.

The sun hung high in the cloudless sky, casting a golden glow over the city. A gentle breeze drifted through the streets, the warmth of the morning wrapped around you like a comforting embrace, just the right kind of day that practically demanded an escape from the ordinary. And what better way to spend it than sprawled out on a checkered blanket, a basket full of food beside you, and your ever-so-enthusiastic boyfriend, Jungkook, grinning at you like this was the best idea in the world?

That’s right. It was picnic day. After a gruelling week at work, all you wanted was to stay in bed, sleep until the afternoon, have a late lunch, and then (ideally) go right back to sleep. But Jungkook, being the ever-optimistic, early-rising, productivity-loving man that he was, thought weekends were best spent on morning picnic dates at whatever random park he had decided on that week.

There was nothing you hated more than disappointing your sweet boyfriend, so cancelling the picnic dates altogether wasn’t an option. After extensive negotiations (read: you groggily whining while he laughed and refused to budge), you managed to compromise—morning breakfast dates became brunch dates. Because let’s be real, every extra second of sleep counts.

On the way to your picnic, you were stopped by a teenage boy, probably 17 or 18, who practically shoved a clipboard into your faces. With the practised enthusiasm of a seasoned salesman, he introduced himself, flashing a grin as he extended a hand in greeting. Then came the pitch.

“Donations for a local animal shelter,” he announced, voice laced with urgency. A shelter you had never heard of.

“The puppies and bunnies are all sick, sir, and the kittens are underfed,” he continued, his face contorting with the sheer heartbreak of it all. The kind of expression that would probably work on unsuspecting souls. Jungkook, being Jungkook, was already pulling out his wallet. And you were having none of it.

Before he could hand over a single bill, you yanked the wallet straight out of his hands. Jungkook blinked at you, stunned.

“Did you even check if it’s a real shelter?” you asked, unimpressed.

Jungkook glanced at the boy, then back at you. “Looks pretty real to me.” You sighed, taking a look at the "official website" the scammer eagerly pulled up on his phone. One glance was all it took.

“That’s a Wix template, you dumbass,” you deadpanned, shooting Jungkook a look. And to drive your point home, you dialled the actual shelter’s number. A moment of silence.

Then, like clockwork, the boy’s phone started ringing. The scammer stiffened, eyes wide with panic. And then, without as much as another word, he bolted down the street before you could report him to someone.

Jungkook pouted, stuffing his wallet back into his pocket. You rolled your eyes. “I can’t believe you almost fell for that.”

“One of these days,” he muttered, crossing his arms, “you’re gonna stop me from donating to a real shelter.” You snorted, nudging his shoulder as you started walking again. “Yeah, well, until that day comes, I’ll keep saving you from getting scammed by guys who probably spent five minutes on Google slapping together a fake charity.”

Jungkook huffed, kicking a loose pebble down the sidewalk. “He had a clipboard. People with clipboards always seem legit.”

“Oh, right, because clipboards are the universal sign of trustworthiness,” you deadpanned. “Next time, I’ll be sure to scam you with one myself.”

He shot you a playful glare. “I’d see through you in a second.” You smirked. “Would you, though?”

Jungkook opened his mouth, then shut it again, squinting at you like he wasn’t entirely convinced. You just grinned, patting his arm. “Exactly.”

You sit cross-legged on the checkered blanket, arms crossed, watching as Jungkook digs through the picnic basket like a child on Christmas morning. He’s practically vibrating with excitement, pulling out sandwiches, fruit, and what looks like an obnoxiously yellow thermos you don’t remember packing.

You squint. “Did you sneak in banana milk?”

Jungkook pauses, looking entirely unrepentant. “No.” You stare. He stares back. The thermos stares between you, the undeniable evidence of his crime.

Finally, he grins. “Okay, maybe.”

You let out a slow exhale, reaching for one of the sandwiches while he happily pours himself a cup of his beloved banana milk.

“I don’t get how you function sometimes,” you mutter, unwrapping your food.

“I function beautifully,” he corrects, flashing you a smile that’s far too bright for someone who just lied to your face. “You’re just too grumpy to appreciate it.”

You roll your eyes. “Right. Because nothing screams ‘functioning adult’ like getting scammed five minutes before a picnic.” Jungkook gasps dramatically, clutching his chest. “I was being charitable!”

“You were being a prime target,” you deadpan. He huffs dramatically, taking an exaggerated bite of his sandwich as if it’s the ultimate form of protest. Cheeks puffed out like a bunny, he mumbles through his mouthful, “You stress too much.”

You raise a brow. “I wonder why.” He ignores your sarcasm, swallowing before continuing, “Maybe if you—” He suddenly stops, mid-thought, his eyes lighting up with a spark of mischief.

Oh no. You’ve seen that look before. It never leads to anything good.

"You should feed me."

You nearly choke on your drink. Coughing, you set your cup down with a thud and blink at him. “What?” Jungkook leans forward, resting his chin in his palm with the most infuriatingly smug expression. “You know,” he drawls, wiggling his eyebrows, “since you like taking care of me so much.”

You stare at him, unamused. Then, without breaking eye contact, you take the smallest, most unimpressive bite of your sandwich—just to spite him.

Jungkook groans, slumping back. “You’re no fun.”

“You knew that when you fell in love with me.”

His lips curve into something thoughtful, eyes flickering over your face like he’s considering something. Then, in one swift motion, he reaches over and swipes a strawberry from your plate, popping it into his mouth before you can react.

You gasp. “Jungkook!”

He grins, entirely unapologetic. “Yeah, but I like a challenge.” Without hesitation, you swat his hand, aiming for another grab. He yelps, laughing too hard for someone who just got smacked, dodging your next attempt with the reflexes of a seasoned strawberry thief.

"Unbelievable," you mutter, shaking your head. "A menace to society."

Jungkook only grins wider. "And yet, you still love me."

And just like that, it’s the both of you, bickering, teasing, him being too soft, and you pretending you don’t secretly like it. Despite everything, you’re glad he dragged you here. Because for all his nonsense, for all the chaos he brings into your life, Jungkook makes the world a little brighter.

You hated Monday mornings with a burning passion. If you walked into work and saw someone being all cheerful and optimistic, you’d have the overwhelming urge to dump ice-cold coffee over their head, just to make their day as miserable as yours. Of course, you wouldn’t actually act on that particular intrusive thought. Not unless you had a sudden desire to get fired.

Every day, it was the same soul-sucking routine. Log into your computer, answer emails, prepare for meetings, and trudge through an endless list of mind-numbing tasks that make you question all your life choices. You were staring blankly at your screen, fingers moving mechanically as you typed up a report when your phone buzzed.

Kook 🐰💜 [11:10 AM]: Miss me yet?

Your fingers pause on the keyboard. Buzz.

Kook 🐰💜[11:10 AM]: Or are you too busy being all serious and grumpy at work? Kook 🐰💜[11:11 AM]: Bet you’re smiling right now, though.

You bite your lip. You are not smiling. Absolutely not.

“Okay, what is that face?”

Jimin’s voice cuts through your concentration like a knife. You snap your head up to find him leaning against your desk, arms crossed, a knowing smirk already in place.

“There is no face,” you say quickly, locking your phone screen and shoving it away. Jimin gasps dramatically. “Oh my God, it’s him, isn’t it?”

You groan, rubbing your temples. “I swear to—”

“Ohhh, it totally is!” Jimin snatches your phone before you can react, scrolling through the notifications like he has every right to be nosy.

If there’s one person who never lets you live in peace, it’s Jimin. Coworker, best friend, professional pain in your ass, he’s all of the above, wrapped in a smug little package. You first met him when you started this job, and somehow, between the forced team projects, shared complaints about the boss, and mutual hatred for monday mornings, you ended up stuck with him for life. Not that you’d ever admit you’re grateful for it.

Unfortunately, he knows it anyway.

“Jimin, I will end you.”

But it’s too late. He’s already grinning like the devil himself. “Look at you. Getting all giddy over a text. My, my, how the mighty have fallen.”

“I’m not giddy.”

“Oh, you absolutely are.” He mimics your earlier expression, clutching his phone to his chest with a dreamy sigh. “Oh, Jungkook, my sweet precious sunshine, text me more. I can’t possibly get through this workday without knowing you’re thinking about me.”

You throw a stapler at him.

He dodges effortlessly, laughing. “Relax, lover girl. It’s cute. Gross, but cute.” You huff, snatching your phone back. “I hate you.”

“No, you don’t.” Jimin plops down in the chair next to you, still smirking. “Now tell me, what’s golden boy up to?”

You hesitate. But your phone buzzes again.

Kook 🐰💜 [11:13 AM]: Hey. Don’t overwork yourself. I’ll call you later, okay?

You stare at the screen for a moment, fingers hovering over the keyboard before you eventually settle on a simple reply.

You [11:14 AM: Okay.

…Okay, maybe you are smiling a little.

Jimin sees it immediately. And you already know you’re never going to hear the end of it.

The moment you step into the break room—finally free from Jimin’s relentless smirking, you let out a breath and pull out your phone, scrolling through your recent calls before dialling Jungkook. It barely rings twice before he picks up, his voice warm and teasing, like he already knew you’d call.

“Hey, baby,” he greets smoothly, amusement lacing his tone. “Miss me already?”

You roll your eyes, setting your lunchbox on the table with a thud. “In your dreams, Jeon.”

Flipping open the lid, the rich, savoury aroma of bibimbap immediately washes over you. The vibrant colors of the ingredients are neatly arranged, looking almost too perfect to eat—almost. You can tell Jungkook took his time making it, carefully placing each topping exactly where it should be, ensuring it looked as good as it tasted.

Your heart does something traitorous in your chest, but you ignore it. Jungkook chuckles at your silence, clearly pleased with himself. “I assume this is your way of telling me my cooking is amazing?”

“Not even close,” you say, grabbing your chopsticks. “Jimin wouldn’t shut up about you, so I figured I’d call and annoy you instead.” A deep, rumbling laugh comes through the speaker, the sound sending warmth curling through your stomach. “Mhm. Sure, love. You could’ve just admitted you wanted to hear my voice.”

Your eye twitches. “That’s not—”

“Shh, no need to be shy. I won’t judge.” You groan, tilting your head back against the chair, but the small smile tugging at your lips betrays you. He’s impossible, and worse, he knows it.

“Whatever,” you mutter. “What are you doing this weekend?”

“Mmm.” There’s some shuffling on his end, followed by the faint rustling of sheets like he’s lying down and getting comfortable. “I was thinking… instead of our usual park picnic, you could come with me to get my sleeve reworked.” That makes you pause, chopsticks hovering mid-air. “Oh?”

“Yeah,” he says, voice a little more casual. “It’s been a while, and I wanna touch up some parts. Maybe add something new.”

You lean back in your chair, considering it. You’ve seen his tattoos up close plenty of times—traced them absentmindedly, let your fingers follow the inked lines whenever he had an arm wrapped around you. There’s something mesmerizing about them, the way they flow seamlessly over his skin, each design an intricate part of him.

You definitely wouldn’t mind watching the process.

“That’s fine with me,” you say after a beat. Then, under your breath, you mumble, “But if the artist messes up, I’m fighting them.” Jungkook snorts. “Of course you will.” His voice takes on that teasing lilt that makes you want to reach through the phone and flick his forehead. “You’re so cute when you get all protective.”

Your face heats up instantly. “Oh my god, eat your lunch.”

“I will. But only if you say you love me first.” You nearly choke. “Excuse me?”

“You heard me.” His grin is obvious, even through the phone. “Say it, and I’ll go eat.” You huff, glancing around the empty break room just to make sure no one’s around. Then, in the lowest possible whisper, you mumble, “…Love you.”

A beat of silence.

And then, even quieter, “Love your bibimbap too.”

Jungkook hums, unreasonably satisfied. “Love you too, baby. Now go eat before Jimin catches you blushing.” Your eyes widen, and you hang up immediately.

Unfortunately, when you turn around, Jimin is standing in the doorway, arms crossed, looking far too smug for your liking.

“So,” he drawls, tilting his head. “How’s Jungkook?” You groan, slamming your head onto the table. You are never going to live this down.

Jimin’s laughter echoes in the room, pure evil.

Jungkook’s apartment is the kind of place that makes it dangerously easy to never leave. It’s cozy with warm lighting, soft blankets draped over the couch, and the faint scent of vanilla and fabric softener lingering in the air. You tell yourself that’s the main reason you always find yourself here instead of your own place, but, if you were being completely honest, there are a few other factors at play.

For one, his snack collection is legendary. His kitchen cabinets are stocked with an endless supply of goodies, including a lifetime’s worth of Twinkies, your weakness. And then there’s Jungkook himself, but you’re not about to admit that. Especially not to him.

Curled up on his couch, you lazily flip through his Netflix, eyes scanning titles without really registering any of them. The ambient noise of the apartment, the hum of the heater, the occasional rustling of pages from Jungkook’s workspace, only adds to the drowsy comfort settling over you. Just as you’re about to give up on finding something to watch, Jungkook suddenly plops down beside you, sketchbook in hand.

The cushion dips under his weight, and you barely manage to suppress a startled flinch. He doesn’t say anything at first, just leans back against the couch with a content sigh, flipping the sketchbook open across his lap. You glance at him from the corner of your eye, curiosity piqued despite yourself. "Okay," he says, grinning as he settles beside you on the couch. His fingers drum against the edge of his sketchbook before he flips it open, glancing at you from the corner of his eye. "Wanna see what I’ve been working on?"

You nod, humming in interest. "Mhm. Sure."

The moment the pages spread out before you, your breath catches. Intricate designs fill the book, some half-finished, others shaded to perfection. There are fine, precise lines, bold strokes, and an almost obsessive attention to detail in every drawing. You can tell he's poured hours into this, into crafting something that isn’t just art but a reflection of himself.

"Damn," you murmur, fingertips tracing lightly over the paper. "You did all these?" Jungkook grins, his dimples making an appearance. "Yup," he says, clearly pleased with your reaction.

You take your time flipping through the pages. There’s a sketch of a skeletal hand doing the rock on sign, a detailed microphone showcasing his love for music, lyrics from his favorite songs inked in elegant script, and the word Bulletproof scrawled in a graffiti style, right beneath it, a note written in his unmistakable handwriting: cover-up for eye tattoo. And then, sitting proudly in between these edgy, personal pieces, is a woozy face emoji.

You huff out a small laugh. His tattoo ideas range from deeply meaningful to outright ridiculous.

But then you pause. Nestled between his designs is a rework of his tiger lily tattoo—his birth flower. But entwined around it, curling gracefully between the petals, is another flower. Chrysanthemums.

Your birth flower.

The realization sinks in, slow and warm. Jungkook goes still beside you, barely breathing. You don’t miss the way his fingers twitch, or the way his ears turn bright red when he realizes that you understood. Then, like a man caught in the act he snatches the sketchbook away, snapping it shut so fast you barely have time to process it.

"Aha—! Anyway—" He clears his throat, ears burning. "That one wasn’t, uh—I wasn’t supposed to show you that yet."

Your lips twitch. "Mhm. Jeon, I see what you did there."

"What?" he says too quickly. "It’s just, you know, it looked nice with the lilies." His voice cracks. You arch a brow. "Looks nice? That’s all?" Jungkook nods a little too fast. "Yeah. No big deal."

You don’t believe him for a second.

So, naturally, you lean in, lowering your voice just enough to watch him squirm."You sure about that, baby?"

Jungkook.exe has stopped working.

With a groan, he buries his burning face into your shoulder, mumbling something incoherent against your sweater. You laugh, warmth blooming in your chest, fingers threading absentmindedly through his hair. Yeah. No big deal.

The weekend sun was just beginning to climb when Jungkook pulled up outside your place, the low hum of his car engine a familiar sound by now. You barely had time to lock your door before he leaned over, effortlessly pushing the passenger door open with that usual bright grin of his. “Morning, baby,” he greeted, fingers drumming lightly on the steering wheel. Without missing a beat, he leaned in, pressing a soft kiss against your cheek—warm, lingering just a second longer than necessary. “You sleep well?”

You slid into the seat, closing the door behind you with a huff, eyes narrowing at him. “No, because someone was blowing up my phone with memes and ‘fun facts’ about toxic tattoo inks at two in the morning.” Jungkook had the audacity to look proud. “I just thought you should know! What if they use cheap ink, huh? Gotta protect this masterpiece.” He gestured vaguely at his arm, where his tattoos peeked out from under the sleeve of his shirt.

You sighed, clicking your seatbelt into place. “Just drive.”

As he shifted gears and pulled onto the road, you let your gaze wander around the car, taking in the familiar scent of his cologne, the faint hum of the engine, and the steady rhythm of the music playing low through the speakers. His hand, warm and absentminded, found its usual place on your thigh like it belonged there, thumb tracing gentle patterns against your skin. It was peaceful. The kind of easy, comfortable silence that only came from knowing someone so well.

But then, something caught your attention.

Your eyes drifted to the backseat, where his sketchbook sat, slightly ajar as if hastily tossed there. A few loose sheets stuck out from the pages, filled with the intricate designs you’d seen before. You reached for it instinctively, but before you could grab it, the scenery outside made you pause.

“...Wait.” Your brows furrowed as you looked out the window. The streets weren’t familiar, the route different from what you expected. You turned back to him. “This isn’t the way to your usual place.” Jungkook hummed, like he’d been waiting for you to notice. “We’re trying a new one today.”

You turned to him, suspicious. “Why?”

His grin widened, full of mischief. “Jin got a job there.” That took you a second to process. “Seokjin?”

“My cousin, yeah.” Jungkook drummed his fingers against the steering wheel, glancing at you briefly before turning his attention back to the road. “He’s a receptionist now. Lured me in with staff discounts.” You scoffed, shaking your head. “So, let me get this straight—he got a job there yesterday, and today you’re already showing up to cash in?” Jungkook gasped, all faux offense, clutching his chest as if you’d just wounded him. “I would never use my dear cousin like that.”

You gave him a deadpan look.

His lips twitched, the act crumbling instantly. “…Okay, maybe a little,” he admitted, flashing you a boyish grin. “But hey, cheaper tattoos, and I get to support my hyung? Win-win.” You rolled your eyes, unable to stop the amused smile pulling at your lips. “Does he even know we’re coming?”

“He does,” Jungkook replied, his grin not fading. “He actually told me to wait for him before I get started with the consultation.” 

And that’s how you and Jungkook ended up stuck in the lobby of the tattoo shop, waiting for over thirty minutes for Jin to show up.

Jungkook exhaled loudly, rolling his shoulders before pulling out his phone and dialing Jin for the sixth time. His other hand absentmindedly tugged you closer by the wrist, a small, unconscious habit of his whenever he was growing impatient. “Jin said he’d be here soon,” he muttered, eyes flickering to the entrance yet again, as if willing his cousin to walk through the door. “Told me to get comfy and wait.”

You smirked, shifting slightly in your seat. “He did? So, naturally, he’s gonna be late.” Jungkook groaned, tilting his head back against the couch. “He promised, okay? Swore he wouldn’t ditch me this time.”

“That’s cute.” You patted his thigh mockingly. “You still believe him.” Jungkook shot you a halfhearted glare before flicking his gaze to the empty reception area for what had to be the hundredth time. His foot bounced impatiently against the floor, but before he could make another complaint, the sound of a door opening drew both of your attention.

A woman with sleek, silver-dyed hair emerged from one of the back rooms, her sharp gaze scanning the lobby before landing directly on Jungkook. Her expression immediately shifted into a perfected customer-service smile, one that didn’t quite reach her eyes. She crossed her arms, tilting her head slightly. “What are you here for?”

“Sleeve rework,” he replied casually, rolling his shoulder as if to emphasize the ink beneath his sleeve. “You’re the one getting the sleeve reworked?” she asked smoothly, completely ignoring your presence. “Seokjin’s cousin, right?

Jungkook nodded, his own expression polite but confused. “Yeah, but he isn’t here yet. Jin told me to wai—”

“Oh,” she cut in, her lips curving just slightly, a little too knowing. “Well, that’s okay. I’m sure he would’ve referred you to me anyway. I could start taking care of you now.”

Something about the way she said it made your jaw clench.

Jungkook, oblivious as ever, only hummed. “Uh, I mean… I guess we could start the consultation?”

You didn’t like the way she was looking at him.

As she moved closer, the glow of the overhead light caught on her name tag—Nari. The name meant nothing to you, but something about her demeanor put you on edge.

Jungkook settled into the chair, stretching his arm out as Nari prepped her station. You remained seated across from him, phone in hand, pretending to scroll while keeping a close eye on the exchange. Nari pulled on a pair of gloves, her movements fluid and practiced as she leaned in, examining Jungkook’s inked skin. “Your ink is solid,” she murmured, fingers ghosting over the intricate designs. “Whoever did this knew what they were doing.”

Jungkook grinned, clearly pleased with the compliment. “Yeah, my old artist was great. Just wanted some refinements, you know?”

“Mm,” Nari hummed in agreement, grabbing a marker to outline a few areas. Her gaze lingered on his arm longer than necessary, her lips curving slightly. “You’re adding new work too, right?”

Jungkook nodded. “Yeah, just some floral details around the tiger lily.”

That was supposed to be the end of it. But then Nari tilted her head, eyes flickering up to his face before dropping back to his arm, and subtly, but not subtly enough she licked her lips.

“I love doing florals on guys,” she said, voice dipping into something softer. “There’s just something about the contrast, you know?”

Your grip on your phone tightened. Jungkook, completely unaware of the shift in tone, simply lifted his arm to show her the faded edges. “Yeah, I wanted to add some chrysanthe—”

Before he could even finish, Nari reached out, fingers wrapping around his arm, her touch lingering.

“Oh, your skin is so nice,” she murmured, smoothing her fingers over the defined muscle as if she were admiring it rather than prepping it for work. Your eye twitched.

Jungkook blinked, a little startled by the comment but still too polite to pull away. “Uh… thanks?” Nari only smiled, nails grazing his forearm ever so slightly as she adjusted his position. “Good canvas makes all the difference.”

You swore you could hear your patience snapping like a twig. Jungkook looked slightly uncomfortable but still handed over his sketchbook, flipping to the page with his design. “This is what I had in mind for the rework,” he said, tapping the paper.

Nari barely glanced at the intricate details before tilting her head, her gaze flickering back to him instead. “You drew this yourself?”

Jungkook nodded. “Yeah.”

“Wow,” she hummed, leaning in slightly, the corner of her lips quirking up. “That’s impressive. Not many clients walk in with this level of detail.” From where you sat, you rested your chin on your hand, unimpressed.

Jungkook offered a small, polite smile. “I just like having a clear idea before I commit.” Nari's smirk deepened. “That’s really attractive,” she mused, fingers skimming the edge of the sketchbook instead of actually turning the page. “A guy who’s artistic and decisive? Rare find.”

You blinked. What.

Jungkook cleared his throat, shifting in his seat like he wasn’t quite sure how to respond. “Uh… thanks?” Nari finally flipped to the next page—though at this point, it felt more like a courtesy than genuine interest. “And you did all of these?”

Jungkook nodded again. “Mhm.”

“That’s insane,” she gushed, dragging her fingers over the lines like they were worth framing. “You could easily be a tattoo artist yourself.” Jungkook chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. “I don’t think I have the patience for it.”

“That’s a shame,” Nari sighed, her fingers lingering a little too long on the sketchbook. “With hands like yours, I bet you’d be amazing at it.”

Your expression went flat. Jungkook just coughed into his fist, visibly flustered. “Uh—”

You snapped before you could stop yourself. “If you’re done with the consultation, I think you should get started with the sketching.” Your voice was even, but the words were clipped. “Unless this is just a fan club meeting now.”

That made Nari pause.

Jungkook turned to you, lips twitching as if he was trying not to laugh. Nari dared to send you a sharp glare, like you had just interrupted something sacred. But she grabbed a fineliner anyway, her movements slow and deliberate, as if making a point.

You didn’t waver. Arms crossed, you kept your gaze locked on her hands, watching every unnecessary adjustment she made—each one turning into soft, lingering touches against Jungkook’s skin. It was infuriating, the way her fingers skimmed his arm like she had every right to.

And then she bit her lip.

A coy smile played at the edges of her mouth, subtle but unmistakable. Jungkook, completely oblivious as always, remained relaxed in the chair, only wincing slightly when the cold surface of the fineliner pressed against his skin.

You were far from relaxed.

Shifting in your seat, you clenched your jaw, fingers curling against your arms. Maybe—maybe—she was just a touchy person. Maybe you were overanalyzing this. Maybe it was nothing.

“So,” Nari began, her voice light and conversational, “do all your tattoos have a meaning?” Jungkook, still staring at the ceiling like this was any other consultation, nodded. “Most of them, yeah.”

“What about this one?” She tapped the tiger lily, her fingertips trailing over the ink just a little too leisurely. Jungkook smiled, unaware of the way your patience was fraying. “That one represents passion, confidence… all that stuff. It’s also my birth flower”

Nari hummed, like she was committing that information to memory. “And the chrysanthemums?”

At this, Jungkook hesitated. For the first time, he flicked his gaze toward you, something unreadable passing through his eyes. Your posture stiffened, waiting. He cleared his throat. “They mean a lot to me.”

Nari tilted her head, expectant.

You leaned forward, expectant.

But Jungkook just chuckled lightly before answering, “They’re my girlfriend’s birth flower.” His tone was proud, almost smug, as if relishing the chance to say it out loud. A smirk tugged at your lips. That should be enough to shut this down, enough for her to finally get the message—

Except Nari barely reacted.

If anything, she just hummed again, dragging her eyes across his arm like she hadn’t even heard him. “Hm. Bet they’d look really pretty on you,” she mused, her tone as sweet as syrup. Then, without missing a beat, she added, “Then again, I bet a lot of things do.”

Your head snapped up. Jungkook tensed slightly but played it off with an awkward laugh. “Uh… thanks?”

Oh, hell no.

Maybe it was the way she said it. The way her voice dripped with something just a little too sweet, like she wasn’t just appreciating his tattoos but the person wearing them. Maybe it was the fact that her fingers were still lightly dragging along his forearm, slow and deliberate, like she had every right to touch him like that. Or maybe—just maybe—it was the fact that Jungkook, ever polite, ever oblivious, wasn’t saying anything to stop her. Either way, your patience is officially gone.

You leaned forward, resting your elbows on your knees, voice smooth but sharp enough to cut. “So, is this your usual customer service?” you asked, tilting your head. “Or is my boyfriend just getting the VIP treatment?”

Nari barely spared you a glance. “Oh, don’t worry. I take very good care of my clients.” Your smile was saccharine, all teeth. “I bet you do.”

Jungkook shifted, fingers gripping the armrest as if bracing himself. “Baby—” You ignored him. “I thought professionalism was a basic requirement for tattoo artists. But I guess it’s optional here, huh?”

Nari’s smirk twitched, but she held her ground. “I’m just making conversation.”

“Right.” You nodded slowly, voice dripping with faux understanding. “Because flirting with your client while his girlfriend is sitting right here is so normal.”

Jungkook, bless his clueless heart, looked between the two of you like he’d just walked into a battlefield with no armor. His lips parted—he should say something, anything, should try to calm you down before things escalated, but the words never came.

Because truth be told, seeing you like this, so protective and so fierce was kind of hot.

Nari’s eyes narrowed, her confidence flickering just a little. “I wasn’t flirting.” You let out a mock gasp, pressing a hand over your chest in exaggerated horror. “Oh, my bad.” Your tone was syrupy, dripping with fake innocence. “I must have misheard when you basically drooled over my boyfriend while I was sitting right here.”

Nari let out a sharp huff, her irritation finally surfacing. She set the fineliner down with a little too much force, her expression caught somewhere between disbelief and condescension. “Look, do you want me to finish this or not?”

You opened your mouth, already armed with a sharp retort—

“No.”

Jungkook’s voice cut through the air, calm but unwavering.

Nari blinked. “What?”

Jungkook rolled his shoulder back as he sat up straighter, his usual easygoing expression replaced with something unreadable. “I’ll get it done somewhere else.”

She scoffed, crossing her arms. “Seriously? Just because she’s insecure?”

Oh. That did it. A slow, burning heat unfurled in your chest. The audacity, the sheer nerve to say something like that when she had been the one crossing every possible line. You barely registered standing up, only aware of the way your pulse pounded in your ears as you took a step forward.

“Excuse me?”

But before you could let loose, Jungkook was already moving. His hand found yours, his grip warm and steady as he gently pulled you back. “Let’s go,” he murmured, his voice low but insistent. Nari rolled her eyes, leaning back in her chair like she couldn’t care less. “Your loss.” Jungkook didn’t bother responding. He just grabbed his jacket, intertwined his fingers with yours, and led you out of the shop without a single backward glance.

The second the door shut behind you, the tension that had been coiling in your muscles finally snapped.

“I swear—” you started, still fuming, but Jungkook sighed, squeezing your hand in his. “I know, baby,” he said, his voice softer now, the warmth of it cutting right through your frustration. “I know.”

You exhaled sharply. “She was touching you.” Jungkook let out a low chuckle, rubbing his temple. “I literally had no idea she was flirting.”

“You never do.”

That earned you a grin. Jungkook tilted his head slightly, leaning down just enough that his nose nearly brushed yours. His eyes locked onto yours with a familiar fondness. “But you do.” His voice was teasing, but there was something else there too. Something softer. Something that made your breath catch, just a little.

You scowled, but he just wrapped an arm around your waist, pulling you close. “Jealous?” he teased. You scoffed. 

His smile turned fond. “Cute.” You smacked his chest. “Shut up.” 

Jungkook barely flinched at the hit, his grin only widening. He tightened his hold around your waist, pulling you in until there was hardly any space left between you. “That’s not a no,” he murmured, his voice dipping just enough to make your stomach flutter. You narrowed your eyes, tilting your chin up defiantly. “I wasn’t jealous.”

Jungkook hummed, unconvinced. His fingers skimmed over the small of your back, the touch light but deliberate. “Mhm. Sure.”

You huffed, crossing your arms. “She was unprofessional.”

“True.”

“And disrespectful.”

“Very.”

“And her eyeliner was uneven.”

Jungkook snorted, finally breaking into a full laugh. “Okay, now you’re just being mean.” You shrugged, feigning nonchalance, but the way he was looking at you, like you were the most amusing thing in the world made your face heat up. His laughter faded into something softer, something unbearably fond. “You know you’re cute when you’re all worked up, right?”

You scowled, jabbing a finger into his chest. “I said shut up.” Jungkook grinned, catching your hand with ease before lacing his fingers through yours. “Make me.”

Your breath hitched. His gaze flickered to your lips for the briefest second, and suddenly, the air between you shifted—

“You guys done with the tattoo already?”

A loud, familiar voice shattered the moment like glass hitting the pavement.

Both you and Jungkook turned your heads in unison, only to find Jin standing a few feet away, looking between the two of you with an expression far too amused for your liking. Jungkook groaned, running a hand down his face. “Hyung, seriously?”

Jin blinked. “What? I was just asking.” His gaze flickered over Jungkook’s arm, eyes narrowing as he took in the faint ink lines still marking his skin—the rough sketch of the tattoo, untouched by the needle. His brows furrowed.

“Wait. You didn’t actually get it done?”

Jungkook huffed, crossing his arms. “No. Because the tattooo artist was too busy flirting with me.”

Jin’s face twisted in confusion. “Huh?”

You, still somewhat bristling from the whole ordeal, rolled your eyes. “She was all over him. Barely even looked at his designs before trying to eye-fuck him.” JIn’s jaw dropped. “Wait, are you serious?”

Jungkook nodded, his expression flat. “Dead serious.” Jin winced, rubbing the back of his neck. “Damn. I had no idea she was like that.”

At least he had the decency to look sorry. 

Jin sighed, rubbing his temple dramatically. “Alright, fine. Since I unknowingly threw you both into the lion’s den, I owe you.” He clapped his hands together. “Lunch is on me.” Jungkook raised a brow. “You? Paying for food? Willingly?”

Jin scoffed. “I can be generous, you know.”

You snorted. “That’s new.”

Jin ignored you. “Come on, let’s eat. My treat. Think of it as compensation for the mess I accidentally dropped you into.”

Jungkook hummed, pretending to consider. “I mean… if you’re paying, I’m definitely ordering the most expensive thing on the menu.”

Jin rolled his eyes. “As if you wouldn’t do that anyway.”

Jungkook just grinned. “True.”

You laughed, your earlier irritation melting away. “Alright, fine. You’re forgiven. But only if I get to pick the place.” Jin groaned. “Why do I feel like I’m about to regret this?” Jungkook laced his fingers through yours, his thumb brushing against your skin. “Because you probably will.”

Jin sighed but motioned for you both to follow. “Hurry up before I change my mind.” With that, the three of you headed off, leaving the unpleasant encounter behind in favor of good food.

Nari leaned against the counter, arms folded tight as she glared out the shop’s large window. Outside, you stood near the curb, your gaze fixed on Jungkook and Jin as they chatted. You weren’t speaking, just watching with that quiet, unreadable expression. But somehow, that made Nari even angrier.

“Unbelievable,” she muttered under her breath.

“What is?”

The question came lazily from the man who had just strolled up beside her. He shook out his wrists after finishing with his last client, pulling off his gloves and tossing them into the trash. His attention remained casual, uninterested until Nari gestured toward the window with a sharp tilt of her chin.

“Her.”

His eyes followed her gaze. His posture was still loose, still easygoing until he saw you. For the briefest moment, his entire body went rigid. His casual demeanor cracked, just slightly, before he smoothed it over with a slow smirk.

“Huh.”

Nari, oblivious to the shift, let out a scoff. “She threw a whole fit because I was being nice to her boyfriend. Completely embarrassed me in front of him and acted all possessive, like I was some kind of threat.” She tapped her nails against the counter, still glaring at you through the window. “And now, thanks to her little tantrum, he refuses to get his tattoo done here.”

The man hummed, tilting his head. “Jealous girlfriend type, huh?”

“Exactly.” Nari huffed before turning to him with a slow, calculating smile. “You’re good at handling people, right?” He lifted a brow. “Depends on what you mean by ‘handling.’”

She leaned in, lowering her voice conspiratorially. “Do you think you could… I don’t know, do something about her? Save Jungkook from her?” For a moment, he didn’t respond. His gaze flicked back toward the window, settling this time on Jungkook himself.

And just like that, his smirk thinned.

Jungkook stood beside Jin, hands in his pockets, his head tilted slightly as he listened to whatever Jin was rambling about. But every so often, his attention shifted to you. The way his fingers brushed absently over your back, the way his expression softened whenever he glanced your way, like keeping you close was second nature.

The man’s fingers curled into a fist. “Figures,” he muttered under his breath.

Nari frowned. “You know him?” A sharp exhale. A shake of his head. “Not personally. But I know of him.”

She perked up at that, her curiosity piqued. “Oh?”

His tongue ran over his teeth, jaw working as he leaned against the counter. When he spoke again, his smirk had returned but there was nothing amused about it. “Let’s just say… I have unfinished business with her.”

Nari blinked at that, lips parting slightly as she took in the underlying venom in his tone. Then, as if catching on, she let out a slow, delighted hum. “Well then,” she murmured, turning back to the window, watching you through narrowed eyes. “Wouldn’t it be fun to mess with her a little?”

His gaze never left you. He watched as Jungkook reached out, tugging the sleeve of your jacket into place with an unconscious sort of familiarity, the kind that spoke of years spent together.

The kind of familiarity that should have been his.

The corner of his lips lifted, the smirk sharpening into something colder. “Oh, sweetheart.” His voice was smooth and teasing, laced with something far more sinister.

“I’d love to.”

You groggily blink your eyes open, immediately regretting it as the soft glow of the morning filters through your curtains. Too bright. Too early. Too… awake. You bury your face into your pillow, grumbling incoherently, unwilling to leave the comforting warmth of your bed. It’s Sunday. A day meant for sleeping in, doing absolutely nothing, and ignoring all responsibilities.

Then, you feel it—the weight of an arm loosely draped over your waist, the warmth seeping through your thin shirt. Your sleep-addled brain takes a moment to process before it clicks. Jungkook.

Right. He stayed over last night.

A sleepy sigh escapes your lips as you shift slightly, pressing closer to his warmth. His scent lingers on your sheets, wrapping around you like a second blanket. You peek up, still half-asleep, and catch the sight of him lying beside you, propped up on one elbow, his phone held in his free hand. The soft glow of the screen illuminates his face, casting delicate shadows over his sharp jawline. He’s already awake, completely engrossed in whatever he’s scrolling through.

Too awake for your liking.

“Five more minutes,” you mumble sleepily, voice muffled against the pillow. Your words slur together, more of a plea than a statement, as you instinctively nuzzle into Jungkook’s chest, seeking warmth.

A deep chuckle rumbles from him, low and fond, the kind that makes your heart squeeze without permission. His arm tightens around you in response, fingers lazily tracing light circles against your back. “Five more minutes? Baby, you said that like… an hour ago.”

You don’t respond, only snuggling deeper into his embrace, fully intent on ignoring him. Jungkook exhales dramatically, an exaggerated, put-upon sigh. “You’re gonna sleep the whole day away.”

“That’s the plan.”

“You’re literally wasting the morning.”

“Mm,” you hum noncommittally. “Not wasting if I’m warm and comfortable.” Jungkook pokes your cheek, a mischievous glint in his eyes as he tries to stir you. “C’mon, let’s go out. We could get breakfast, maybe go on a walk—”

“No.” You blindly swat his hand away.

Jungkook groans, flopping onto his back in frustration. “Why did I fall for someone lazier than me?” You crack one eye open, just enough to see his pout. Smirking, you shift slightly and mumble into the pillow, “Because I’m cute.”

Jungkook huffs. “…I mean, yeah, but that’s not the point.”

Jungkook finally manages to wrangle you out of bed—a feat that takes a ridiculous amount of whining, bribing, and sheer force of will. He practically drags you across the apartment, his grip firm around your wrist, ignoring every single one of your grumbles and half-hearted protests.

“You are,” you mumble as he steers you into the kitchen, “the absolute worst.” Jungkook snorts, already rummaging through the cabinets for coffee beans. “Oh, I’m sorry. Was I supposed to let you rot in bed for eternity?”

“Yes.”

Jungkook ignores you, expertly working the coffee machine like a man on a mission. You slump against the counter, still half-asleep, head lolling dramatically to the side as you watch him move around like an overly energetic golden retriever. Then, your phone buzzes on the counter. You lazily glance at the screen, skimming the weather forecast—

Rain incoming.

Your spine straightens, sleepiness vanishing in an instant as you whip your phone up to show Jungkook, shoving the screen in his face with an almost evil sort of glee. “Oh no~” you sing-song, tone dripping with faux disappointment. “Looks like we can’t go out.”

Jungkook’s brows furrow as he squints at the screen, reading the forecast. His expression quickly morphs from mild confusion to full-blown horror. “…It wasn’t supposed to rain today,” he says slowly, almost like he can will the reality away.

“Guess we have to stay in.” You sigh dramatically, clutching your chest like it pains you. “Damn. What a shame.”

Jungkook groans, slumping against the counter like his entire soul has left his body. His dreams of a fun, eventful day were shattered. “You’re lying,” he accuses weakly. “This is a personal attack.”

You shake your head, voice dripping with fake sympathy. “I don’t control the weather, baby.”

Jungkook glares. “But if you could, you’d make it rain every day, wouldn’t you?” A smirk tugs at your lips. “Absolutely.”

Jungkook throws his head back with a dramatic, suffering groan, sliding down the counter like a man defeated. You watch him in amusement, lifting the coffee cup he had just made for himself and taking a slow, satisfied sip. The moment the taste hits your tongue, Jungkook’s entire body snaps upright.

He watches, utterly betrayed, as you lower the cup with a pleased hum.

“…Did you just steal my coffee?”

You blink at him, all innocence. “You made this for me, didn’t you?”

Jungkook scoffs, expression scandalized. “No! I made it for me!”

You shrug, taking another sip as you meet his glare with zero remorse. “Tastes great, babe. Thanks.”

Jungkook clutches his chest like you’ve personally wounded him. “You’re the actual worst.”

“And yet,” you hum, leaning against the counter with a satisfied smirk, “here you are, hopelessly in love with me.”

Jungkook stares at you for a long second, lips pursed. Then, without warning, he lunges. You yelp as he wraps his arms around your waist, lifting you with ridiculous ease and tossing you over his shoulder.

“JUNGKOOK—”

“NOPE,” he interrupts, already marching towards the living room. “If I can’t have fun outside, I’m gonna make you suffer with me inside.” You kick your feet uselessly, fists pounding against his back as he effortlessly carries you away. “Put me down, you muscle bunny!”

Jungkook only laughs, completely unfazed, before spinning on his heel and tossing you onto the couch like you weigh nothing. You land with a soft ‘oof,’ bouncing slightly against the cushions as he flops down beside you, stretching out like a starfish. “You are so dramatic,” you grumble, attempting to shove him away with your foot.

Jungkook just grins, easily catching your ankle and tugging you closer instead. “And yet, you love me anyway.”

You huff, too lazy to argue.

Before you can protest further, he shifts, rolling onto his side and resting his head comfortably on your lap. His eyes flutter shut almost instantly, his breath evening out as he settles in like he belongs there. At first, you stiffen, but as the seconds pass, your fingers instinctively weave through his soft, dark hair. You barely even realize you’re doing it, the motion coming as naturally as breathing.

Jungkook hums at the feeling, half-conscious, but content. His face is completely relaxed and unguarded in a way that makes your chest ache. He looked so soft like this. So warm. So… safe. And something deep inside you just melts.

Your fingers slow, combing gently through the strands, nails lightly scratching his scalp. A soft scowl tugs at your lips. Because this? This is a version of Jungkook you’d fight the entire world to protect.

Jungkook must feel your gaze because, after a moment, he cracks one eye open and peeks up at you. “You’re staring,” he murmurs, voice still laced with sleep. You blink, quickly masking your expression with a huff. To cover up the warmth creeping up your neck, you flick his forehead. “Just making sure you’re still breathing.”

Jungkook snickers, stretching lazily. “Aww, are you worried about me?”

You cross your arms, unimpressed. “Obviously. You’re fragile.”

Jungkook immediately bursts out laughing, full-bodied and carefree, his entire frame shaking against your lap. “Me? Fragile? Baby, I could bench press you.”

You roll your eyes, completely unfazed. “Yeah, well, I could stab someone for you.”

Jungkook’s laughter dies instantly. His eyes widen slightly, blinking up at you as if processing your words. Then, ever so slowly, a grin spreads across his face.

“…Okay, that’s really hot.”

You scoff, flicking his forehead again. “Pervert.”

Jungkook just smirks, completely shameless. “What can I say? I like my girlfriend a little unhinged.” You roll your eyes, but before you can retort, a deep rumble of thunder echoes outside.

Jungkook groans, throwing an arm over his face. “Great. So we really are stuck inside all day.”

You don’t even bother hiding your glee. “Tragic.”

With an exaggerated sigh, Jungkook shifts, burying his face into your stomach like a sulking puppy. You try to shove him off, but he only clings harder, grumbling nonsense against your his hoodie.

“You’re ridiculous,” you murmur, fingers idly threading through his hair again. Eventually, he shifts, lifting his head to look at you properly. His expression softens laced with something so fond it makes your breath hitch. He doesn’t say anything. Just laces his fingers through yours, absentmindedly tracing patterns against your palm.

Then, suddenly there's a sharp poke to your side and you jolt with a squawk, trying to wiggle away. “Jungkook!” He grins, eyes twinkling with mischief. “If we’re staying in, we should do something.”

You glare at him, still half-prepared to smack him upside the head. “Like what?”

His smirk deepens. “You know exactly what.” For a second, you just stare at him. He stares back.Then, without breaking eye contact—he grabs the game controllers.

Jungkook’s sunshine boyfriend energy disappears the second the race countdown starts. Gone is the sweet, cuddly man who had been wrapped around you like a koala just minutes ago, now, he’s leaning forward, brows furrowed, fully in the zone.

“Loser does the dishes in both apartments,” he announces, rolling his shoulders like he’s prepping for war. You scoff, cracking your knuckles for dramatic effect. “You’re about to regret that.”

The moment Lakitu drops the starting light, Jungkook launches forward like he’s been possessed by the spirit of every pro gamer ever. Meanwhile, you barely get past the first turn without slamming into the barrier. You spam every single item box you can get your hands on, determined to take him down with sheer pettiness if not skill.

Then there’s a miracle. Jungkook is just about to cross the finish line when you hit him with a perfectly timed blue shell.

BOOM.

His character spirals into the air, crashing down just inches from victory. You zoom past him at the last second.

“IN YOUR FACE, JEON.” You throw your arms up like you just won an Olympic gold medal. Jungkook stares at the screen in stunned silence. Then, slowly he turns to you. You suddenly get the feeling you’ve made a terrible mistake.

“Okay, sweetheart,” he murmurs, cracking his knuckles. “No more playing nice.”

The next race starts and you get absolutely destroyed.

Jungkook goes full demon mode, drifting around corners with terrifying precision, dodging every single attack like he can see the future. He launches red shells, banana peels, lightning bolts— you don’t even know how he’s getting this many power-ups.

It’s a massacre. One round. Two rounds. Three. You lose every single one. By the end, your controller is nearly embedded into your palm from how tightly you’re gripping it. Jungkook, on the other hand, is lounging back against the couch, arms stretched behind his head, smug as hell.

He tilts his head, smirking. “Do you yield?”

You scowl. “I hope you step on a Lego.”

Jungkook just laughs, grabbing your wrist and yanking you into his lap before you can escape. The controllers are discarded, forgotten as you end up tangled together on the couch. His arms snake around your waist, holding you in place as you halfheartedly struggle.

Then—he boops your nose.

You blink. Once. Twice. Then groan, flopping dramatically against his chest. “I take back every nice thing I’ve ever said about you.”

Jungkook only hums, smug and unbothered. “Even though you lost, I still think you’re the cutest.”

You smack his arm. “I will actually fight you.”

“Mm. As long as it’s not in Mario Kart, I like my chances.”

Jungkook’s phone buzzes against the coffee table, the vibration cutting through the comfortable silence. He lazily reaches for it, glancing at the screen. His brows knit together for a second before his face smooths over into a grin.

“Oh, my mom’s planning a family dinner. She wants you to come.”

You, mid-sip of your newly-made coffee, nearly choke.

“…Huh?”

Jungkook tilts his head, amused. “What? You act like this is the first time she’s invited you.”

You pause, tapping your fingers against the cup. His family liked you. You knew that. His mom always sent you home with extra food whenever you visited, and his dad made it a point to tease Jungkook about “finally settling down” whenever you were around. Jungkook leans closer, watching you expectantly. “So? You’ll come?”

You exhale dramatically, pretending to be deep in thought. “…Maybe.”

Jungkook narrows his eyes. “Maybe?”

You smirk. “I’ll go on one condition.”

He leans in even more, suspicious. “What?”

You set your cup down with a slow, deliberate motion. Then you look him dead in the eye. “…Admit that I’m better at games.”

Jungkook snorts. “Not happening.”

You grin. “Then I’m not coming.”

Jungkook blinks. Then, before you can react, he pounces.

“YOU’RE COMING.”

“JUNGKOOK—”

You barely have time to throw your drink onto the table before he tackles you down onto the couch, arms caging you in as he buries his face into your neck. His weight presses you into the cushions, his laughter muffled against your skin.

“You little brat,” he mutters, nuzzling into you. You squirm, but he’s relentless, peppering lazy kisses against your jaw just to distract you.

“Say you’ll come,” he murmurs, voice laced with amusement.

“Say I’m better.”

Jungkook grins against your neck. “Hmm. How about this—you come to dinner, and I’ll let you win next time.” You gasp, shoving at his chest. “Let me win?!”

His laughter shakes both of you, but he doesn’t budge. “I’m trying to be generous, baby.”

“Jungkook, I swear—”

The argument quickly devolves into a mess of tangled limbs and laughter, neither of you backing down. Jungkook is still half on top of you, his arms lazily wrapped around your waist, completely unwilling to let you escape. His warmth seeps into you, making it harder to even think about moving. You sigh, dramatically slumping against the couch cushions. “Fine. I’ll go to dinner.”

Jungkook’s head snaps up instantly. “Really?”

You roll your eyes, poking his cheek. “Yeah, yeah. But I’m expecting VIP treatment.”

Jungkook grins, wide and bright, before leaning in to press a soft, lingering kiss to your lips. “Deal.”

Outside, the rain picks up, sheets of water blurring the world beyond the glass. The streetlights flicker, their glow reflecting off the puddles collecting on the pavement. But just beyond the window, Neither of you notice the figure standing on the balcony of the building across the street a dark silhouette barely visible through the downpour.

He watches. He waits.

The overhead lights in your office cast a dim, sterile glow, humming softly in the near silence. The usual buzz of the workplace has long since faded, leaving only the occasional click of your keyboard and the distant sound of the air conditioning whirring. You rub your tired eyes, exhaustion settling deep in your bones as you scroll through the last few emails of the day.

Just as you’re about to tackle the next document in your never-ending pile, your phone vibrates against your desk, the soft buzz cutting through the quiet. You glance at the screen, and a familiar name lights up:

Kook 🐰💜 [6:15 PM]: Still working? Kook 🐰💜 [6:15 PM]: Come over after work?

A small smile tugs at your lips despite the fatigue weighing on you. You reach for your phone, letting your gaze drift to the towering stack of documents beside you before sighing. There’s no way you’re finishing up anytime soon. With a resigned exhale, you type out a response.

You [6:16 PM]: Working overtime. I’ll text when I’m done.

His reply comes almost instantly, as if he’d been waiting for your response.

Kook 🐰💜 [6:16 PM]: It’s late. Want me to pick you up?

Your fingers hover over the keyboard for a second before you shake your head, rolling your eyes fondly. It wasn’t like you weren’t capable of getting home on your own. The walk to your apartment was barely ten minutes, and you’d done it countless times before without issue. You hated the idea of relying too much on someone else, even if that someone was Jungkook. He was always eager to drop everything for you, to take on your burdens like they were his own, and while a part of you adored that about him, another part resisted it. You never wanted to feel like you needed saving. You could handle yourself.

You [6:16 PM]: I’m fine. My apartment’s nearby, remember?

There’s a brief pause before his next message comes through.

Kook 🐰💜[6:18 PM]: At least text me when you’re home.

You bite back a smile, shaking your head.

You [6:18 PM]: Yes, yes, Mr. Protective. 

A second later, your screen lights up again with a message that’s nothing but a row of emojis. You let out a soft chuckle, shaking your head as you set your phone down. Stretching your arms over your head, you glance back at the unfinished work in front of you. The night is far from over, and exhaustion lingers in your limbs, but you push through.

Two hours later, the office is nearly deserted. Rows of empty desks stretch out before you, their monitors dark, abandoned by coworkers who were lucky enough to call it a day. Somewhere in the distance, the faint murmur of a janitor echoes through the halls, a quiet reminder that you’re not entirely alone. Still, the stillness feels heavy, pressing against your shoulders as you rub your tired eyes and blink at your laptop screen.

“Still here?”

The familiar voice startles you, pulling you from your work-induced daze. You look up to see Jimin standing by your desk, a bag slung over his shoulder and an amused expression on his face.

You let out a sigh, leaning back in your chair. “Unfortunately.”

He crosses his arms, leaning casually against the cubicle wall. “Overtime?”

“Yeah.” You stretch your stiff fingers before clicking through your files. “Trying to get ahead of things since I’m taking a day off for Jungkook’s family dinner.”

Jimin raises a brow, clearly holding back a smirk. “You? Taking a day off? Who are you, and what have you done with my workaholic friend?”

You snort, rolling your eyes. “It’s one day, Park.”

“Still. Didn’t think you’d willingly take time off for a boyfriend’s family event.”

You shrug, shifting your attention back to your laptop. “I’m being a supportive partner. And also avoiding Jungkook’s pout if I don’t go.”

Jimin chuckles. “Yeah, that tracks.” He checks his watch, then nods toward the exit. “Well, it’s already past eight. I can drop you off—my car’s in the basement.”

You pause for half a second, tempted. It would be easy, safe. A quick ride home without having to walk through the dark streets alone. But something in you resists. You’ve always prided yourself on being independent, on handling things yourself. You weren’t about to start needing an escort home like some helpless protagonist in a thriller movie. Besides, your apartment wasn’t far, and you could take care of yourself just fine.

You shake your head. “I’ve still got work left. Need to refine a client presentation before tomorrow.”

Jimin frowns, clearly debating whether to push the issue. “You sure? I don’t mind waiting.”

You give him a small, reassuring smile. “Go home, Jimin. I’ll be fine.”

He hesitates for a moment longer before exhaling in defeat. “Alright. Text me when you get home, yeah?”

“I will.”

Satisfied, he ruffles your hair in a way that makes you swat at him, laughing as he dodges your weak attempt at retaliation. “Night, workaholic,” he teases before heading out, his footsteps fading down the hall.

And just like that, you’re alone again, the dim glow of your laptop screen casting long shadows across your desk. 

It’s nearing eleven o'clock by the time you finally leave the office, exhaustion pressing down on your shoulders like a weight you can’t shake. The automatic doors slide shut behind you, sealing the building in eerie silence. Outside, the streets stretch before you, quieter than usual, the world dipped in shades of silver and black under the dim glow of the streetlights.

The scent of rain lingers in the air, damp and heavy, even though the drizzle had stopped hours ago. The pavement glistens under the flickering glow of streetlights, reflecting the distorted shapes of the empty road ahead. A chilly breeze whispers through the deserted streets, curling around your skin like invisible fingers. You shiver, tugging your coat tighter around you, telling yourself it’s just the cold. You exhale slowly, watching your breath fog in the night air, and begin your walk home. It’s not far—barely a ten-minute walk. You’ve done this route countless times before. It should feel familiar. Safe.

But tonight… something feels off.

At first, it’s just a small shift in the air, a faint prickle at the back of your neck that strange, creeping sensation of being watched. It crawls up your spine, makes the hair on your arms stand on end.

You shake it off, adjusting the strap of your bag. You’re just tired. Paranoid. That’s all. The streets are always eerie this late of course they are. There’s no one around, just the distant hum of traffic blocks away, the occasional flicker of a neon sign from a closed shop. But then when you’re halfway home, just as you pass the turn near the old bookstore you hear it.

A faint, subtle sound, a footstep, echoes just a second too late after your own. Your breath catches in your throat as you freeze, and the sound stops too. The silence is suffocating, pressing in from all sides. Slowly, so painfully slowly, you turn to glance behind you. 

Nothing.

Just an empty sidewalk, stretched too long and too dark behind you. The streetlights buzz faintly, their glow flickering, casting strange, distorted shadows on the wet pavement. Your own heartbeat pounds against your ribs, a heavy drumbeat in the stillness. You swallow, trying to shake the feeling creeping under your skin. You’re imagining things. You have to be. The city is full of noises like cars in the distance, leaves rustling, a stray cat darting between alleyways. That’s all it is.

Still… your fingers tighten around the strap of your bag as you push forward, steps quicker now. But the feeling doesn’t go away. It lingers. Pressing against your skin like static, buzzing at the edge of your awareness. You’re not alone.

You almost pull out your phone. Almost. Jungkook would pick up in an instant and he’d tell you to stay on the line, that he was coming to get you. But you don’t.

Because what would you even say? Hey, I think I’m being followed, but I’m not sure, and I don’t want to sound like an idiot? No way. Jungkook would freak out, and you weren’t about to send him into a panic over something that was probably nothing. So instead, you pick up your pace, each step sharper, more urgent. The streetlights above seem dimmer now, their glow barely cutting through the shadows pooling at the edges of the road.

Your building is just a few turns away. You make it past the first one, then the second. Then you hear it again—not just a sound this time, but a shift, a presence. Someone is there. Your heart hammers as you whip around faster this time. 

Nothing.

Your own shadow stretches long on the pavement, its shape warping under the flickering lights. The alleyway to your right is yawning and dark, a gaping mouth of blackness that seems to pull at the edges of your vision. Your pulse is a thunderous roar in your ears.

You’re not imagining this. This is real.

And now, your body knows it too and every instinct is screaming at you to move. So you do.

You rush forward, walking as fast as you can without breaking into a sprint. Your breath quickens, your fingers curling into fists, every nerve in your body on high alert. Just a little further. Just one more turn.

And then finally your apartment building comes into view, looming in the darkness like a beacon. Relief crashes over you so forcefully that you nearly stumble. You don’t turn around again. You don’t want to know if someone is standing there. Watching.

You force yourself to stay calm as you punch in the building’s entry code with unsteady fingers, stepping inside the safety of the lobby. The door shuts behind you with a heavy click, locking out the night.

You practically rush inside, the cool air of the lobby offering little comfort as your fingers tremble over the keypad. Your breath is shallow, coming in uneven gasps as you punch in your passcode. The numbers blur slightly in your vision, whether from exhaustion or the lingering tension clawing at your mind, you’re not sure. The beep of the lock disengaging feels deafening in the stillness. You push the door open, stepping inside so quickly that you nearly stumble over your own feet. The door swings shut behind you with a soft but final click, sealing you in the safety of your apartment. Or at least, that’s what you tell yourself.

For a moment, you just stand there, listening. Nothing but the hum of your refrigerator, the faint creak of the building settling, and the sound of your own breathing, ragged and uneven in the silence. You don’t stop moving until every lock is in place.

Click. Click. Click.

Each one echoes louder than it should, like an affirmation that you are, in fact, secure. That no one followed you. That no one is outside, waiting. Still, the unease gnaws at you, refusing to settle. So, you make your rounds. Checking. Double-checking. Triple-checking.

You pull the curtains shut, firmly, ensuring no sliver of the outside world can seep in. You check the windows next, pressing your fingers against the glass, as if expecting to feel warmth from another presence, a breath on the other side. But there’s nothing. No shadow moving in the darkness, no faint imprint of something or someone having been there.

Finally, with a deep breath, you force yourself to move, shedding your coat, kicking off your shoes with sluggish movements. The exhaustion from the long day crashes down on you all at once, dull and heavy. Your limbs feel leaden as you shuffle toward your bedroom, every step slower than the last.

The warmth of your bed is almost enough to chase away the unease, the mattress soft, inviting and safe a stark contrast to the cold anxiety curling at the edges of your consciousness. You exhale, forcing yourself to relax, letting your body sink into the familiar comfort of your sheets.

But even as your eyes grow heavy, your mind refuses to let go completely. That nagging sense of being watched still lingers. Faint but present. And just before sleep claims you, a final thought slithers through your mind.

What if you weren’t imagining it? What if someone was still out there? Watching. Waiting.

Jungkook drives with effortless ease, one hand lazily gripping the steering wheel while the other taps against the radio in rhythm with the song playing softly through the speakers. The hum of the engine blends with the melody, filling the quiet space between you, neither of you needing to speak. The road stretches ahead, endless and open, disappearing into the horizon. A faint trace of salt lingers in the air, creeping in through the half-open window, a quiet reminder that you’re getting closer to Busan.

You sit in the passenger seat, your gaze flickering between the blur of passing scenery and the man beside you. The steady motion of the car, the warmth of the moment, it all feels oddly soothing. After days of unease, of tension wound so tightly in your body that even sleep felt like a battle, you finally feel yourself exhale.

“Can’t believe you actually agreed to take a day off for me,” Jungkook teases, his grin nothing short of triumphant as he spares you a glance. “Is this what love does to people?”

You roll your eyes, but the small smile tugging at your lips betrays you. “One time, Jeon. Don’t get used to it.”

Jungkook chuckles, shaking his head like he doesn’t believe you for a second. His smile spreads wide, bright enough to make your chest ache with something unspoken. He reaches over without hesitation, his fingers giving your knee a playful squeeze before returning to the wheel. The touch is fleeting but warm, grounding in a way you hadn’t realized you needed.

You should tell him.

The past few days have been unbearable due to the creeping paranoia, the feeling of eyes tracing your every move and the subtle shifts in your apartment that made your skin crawl. It’s like living with a shadow just out of reach, something you can’t see but can feel pressing in from the edges. You don’t scare easily, but this has been different.

Your fingers twitch against your lap. One word. That’s all it would take. Jungkook would listen like he always does. He’d furrow his brows, tilt his head in that concerned way he does, and tell you not to brush it off. He’d probably get all worked up, insist on staying over, refuse to let you out of his sight.

And yet, looking at him now being so carefree, his bunny-like smile tugging at his lips as he taps his fingers against the beat makes you hesitate. He’s happy. Peaceful. This moment is untouched by the weight sitting on your chest, and for once, you don’t want to taint something good.

So you take a slow breath, forcing yourself to relax against the seat. You tell yourself it’s fine. That you’re just being paranoid. That if anything truly happens, you’ll deal with it.

You exhaled slowly, willing yourself to stay in the present, to focus on the soft hum of the radio, the rhythmic tap of Jungkook’s fingers against the steering wheel. But the memory pulled at you, dragging you under before you could stop it—

You had come home after another long day at work. Your shoulders were aching from hours spent hunched over your desk. You had barely registered the familiar scent of your apartment as you pushed the door open, the soft creak echoing into the stillness inside.

Everything had looked normal at first.

Your shoes sat neatly by the entrance, exactly where you had left them. The kitchen counter was cluttered with the remnants of that morning’s rushed breakfast.

But the air had felt… different. Slightly off. As if someone had been there. Your heartbeat had stumbled, picking up speed before you could rationalize it. You had told yourself it was nothing. Just the exhaustion making you paranoid.

And yet, as you had stepped further inside, you couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong. The sound was the first thing that struck you. Cheerful, repetitive, out of place.

Your TV was on.

Not just on but playing Mario Kart. The character selection screen looped in the background, the upbeat jingle clashing against the heavy silence that filled your apartment. You hadn’t touched your console in days. Not since you and Jungkook played together last Sunday. Your pulse quickened.

Your eyes flickered to the couch. It had been moved just slightly. Barely an inch out of place, but enough for you to notice.

A slow, creeping unease settled into your bones as you stepped further inside, your movements cautious. Your apartment wasn’t large. There weren’t many places for someone to hide. And yet, your skin prickled with the overwhelming sensation that something or someone had been here.

Your breath hitched as your gaze fell on your bedroom door, slightly ajar. You had closed it that morning. You were sure of it. With measured steps, you pushed the door open fully. And that’s when you saw it.

Your bed—completely in ruins. The sheets were tangled, pillows tossed carelessly, the once-smooth blankets now bunched in the center as if someone had been lying there. Your stomach twisted with unease because this morning, just before leaving for work, you had made your bed. Yet now, the sheets were rumpled, disturbed in a way that sent a chill crawling up your spine. Someone had been here.

Your pulse thundered in your ears as you took a shaky step back, your eyes darting around the room. Everything looked normal aside from the bed, the couch and the TV but the air felt wrong. Tainted. Like someone had occupied this space in your absence.

Your mind raced as you checked the locks. Still in place. No broken windows. No signs of forced entry.

So how— Your breath hitched as a thought struck you. With trembling fingers, you grabbed your phone and immediately dialed Jungkook. He picked up after a few rings, his voice slightly breathless, like he had been running. “Hey, baby. Everything okay?”

You swallowed the lump in your throat, gripping the phone tightly. “Yeah,” you lied, forcing your voice to stay steady. “Where are you right now?”

"Still at the clinic," he answered easily. "Was assisting with a surgery on a Pomeranian. Poor guy had a blockage so it took longer than expected." Your stomach dropped.

If Jungkook wasn’t here… then who was?

Your fingers curled around your phone, knuckles whitening as you fought to keep your breathing even. “Got it,” you said, trying to sound casual. “Just checking.” There was a pause. Then, Jungkook’s tone softened. “You sure you’re okay?”

“Yeah.” Another lie. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” Before he could press further, you ended the call.

The only sound left was the distant loop of Mario Kart, mocking you.

The weight of the memory lingered, suffocating, but the warmth of the car, the low hum of the radio, and Jungkook’s familiar presence slowly pulled you back. You blinked, staring at him.

Jungkook was happily rambling about his mom’s cooking, hands moving animatedly as he drove. “—and she always makes extra, like extra extra, because she knows I eat a lot. But now she’s even more excited since you’re coming—oh! She even tried making those cookies you love—”

His voice was light, full of an excitement you didn’t want to taint. A small part of you wanted to tell him. But another part, the part that didn’t want to see that deep crease of concern on his forehead, didn’t want to take away his peace, told you to keep it to yourself. For now.

You turned your head, looking out the window, watching the scenery blur past. You didn’t notice the way Jungkook’s eyes flickered toward you, his brows knitting together for just a moment before he forced his usual smile back onto his face.

Jungkook pulled into the driveway, parking with practiced ease. You had been here more times than you could count, yet there was always something comforting about stepping into his childhood home like the faint scent of home-cooked meals wafting through the air and the familiar sight of the wind chime swaying gently by the door.  

Jungkook turned to you with a grin, one hand still resting on the steering wheel. “Mom probably made enough food to feed a small army.”  

You chuckled, already knowing that was true. “She always does.”  

Before you could even step out of the car, the front door swung open, revealing his mom waving enthusiastically. “You’re finally here! Hurry, come in before the food gets cold!” His mom pulled you into a hug the second you stepped inside, squeezing you tight.

“You’ve lost weight,” she huffed, pulling back just enough to inspect you with a critical eye. “Are you eating properly?”

Jungkook groaned beside you, already exasperated. “She’s fine, Mom.”

You laughed, but before you could respond, his dad stepped forward with a warm smile, offering a firm handshake. “It’s good to see you again,” he said, his voice as steady and kind as ever.

“It’s good to see you too, Mr. Jeon,” you replied politely. “Mrs. Jeon, thank you for having me—”

Before you could finish, his mom smacked your arm lightly, her expression scandalized. ��Yah! How many times do I have to tell you? It’s Mom and Dad.”

Your face heated instantly. “R-Right. Sorry… Mom.”

Jungkook snickered under his breath at your obvious embarrassment, and his mom beamed, clearly pleased. “That’s better,” she said, linking her arm with yours as she led you further inside. “You’re family, sweetheart. No need for formalities.”

The house smelled incredible of rich simmering broth and freshly cooked rice. The warmth of it all settled deep in your chest, making you realize just how much you had missed this. As you stepped into the living room, your gaze landed on a few baby toys scattered near the couch, a soft blanket draped over the armrest. Before you could ask, his mom sighed.

“Junghyun and his wife wanted to come with the twins, but the girls were too fussy today.”

Jungkook pouted dramatically, crossing his arms. “I still haven’t met my nieces.”

His mom shook her head, unimpressed. “You could visit them, you know.”

“I will,” Jungkook mumbled, already defeated. “Just… eventually.”

The dining table was packed with dishes his mom had gone all out, as always. Various side dishes, steaming hot soup, perfectly grilled meat, and a mountain of rice sat invitingly before you. It was a feast, one you had grown familiar with over the years, yet it never failed to impress you. Before you could even reach for anything, Jungkook was already piling food onto your plate, stacking it with precision. “Eat,” he said, his tone leaving no room for argument. “You know the rules.”

His mom beamed, clearly pleased. “At least someone in this house listens to me.”

You chuckled, picking up your chopsticks, but the moment was shattered when your phone lit up beside your plate, vibrating with an insistent ping. You glanced down, your stomach twisting into a knot.

Your pulse quickened. The messages came one after the other.

Unknown [1:10 PM]: You think you can stay safe by staying away from here? Unknown [1:10 PM]: You think he’s gonna save you? Unknown [1:10 PM]: I am always watching you, doll.

Your breath hitched. Cold fingers of unease crawled up your spine, but you forced yourself to stay composed. Your hands thankfully didn’t shake as you turned your phone upside down and set it to silent. Jungkook had noticed. His gaze flickered to the screen before you flipped it over, his brows knitting together in quiet concern. He looked like he wanted to ask, but you didn’t give him the chance.

The vibration had caught his parents’ attention too. “Oh dear, is that work?” his mom asked, concern lacing her voice.

“Yeah,” you lied smoothly, forcing a small smile. “Just some messages I need to deal with later.”

You weren’t sure if Jungkook believed you, but he didn’t press. Instead, he reached out under the table, squeezing your knee reassuringly before focusing back on his food. You tried to do the same, pushing down the paranoia clawing at your chest.

Dinner flowed with easy conversation. His parents asked about your work, laughing when Jungkook grumbled about how much time it took away from him. They also teased him relentlessly about how attached he was to you.

“Three years, and he still acts like you’re going to disappear if he looks away,” his dad joked, shaking his head fondly.

You snickered, nudging Jungkook’s foot under the table.

But Jungkook just shrugged, completely unbothered. “Can you blame me?” he said simply, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Dinner continued with warmth and laughter, his parents seamlessly shifting the conversation to Jungkook’s studies.

“So, how’s school going?” his dad asked, scooping some more rice onto his plate. “Third year already, huh? Feels like just yesterday you were running around pretending to be a zookeeper.” Jungkook groaned. “Dad.”

His mom chuckled. “What? You were obsessed with animals. You even tried to ‘rescue’ the neighbor’s cat by sneaking it into your room.”

You gasped dramatically, turning to Jungkook. “Wait, I didn’t know about this!”

Jungkook sighed, shoving a bite of food into his mouth like he could physically escape the conversation. “That was years ago.”

His dad laughed. “And now look at you, halfway to becoming a real vet.”

“Not halfway,” Jungkook corrected between bites. “But yeah, it’s been tough. Classes are intense, and the practicals are even harder. Two days ago, I had to assist with a surgery, and let’s just say I wasn’t prepared for how long it would take.”

His mom’s eyes softened with pride. “You’ll be amazing, sweetheart. You’ve always had such a big heart for animals.”

Jungkook ducked his head, ears tinged pink. You smiled, nudging his foot under the table again. “She’s right, you know. You’re going to be an incredible vet.”

Jungkook glanced at you, his bunny-like smile appearing for just a second before he returned to his food. But the warmth of the moment did little to push away the unease creeping up your spine. The phone lay silent beside your plate, but you couldn’t shake the eerie feeling.

Just as the conversation was settling into a warm, familiar rhythm, the front door slammed open with the force of a small explosion.

“The prodigal son returns!”

Jungkook groaned, not even bothering to look. “Why. Are. You. Here.”

Jin strutted in like he was making a grand entrance at an award show, tossing his jacket onto the couch with an unnecessary flourish. “Heard there was food,” he announced before turning to you with a smirk. “And obviously, I had to make sure my dear cousin hasn’t scared you off yet.”

Jungkook scoffed. “You scared me off first.”

Jin ignored him completely, already making a beeline for the dining table. His mom, unfazed by the theatrics, clapped her hands together. “Oh, perfect timing! Sit, eat.”

“Don’t mind if I do,” Jin said cheerfully, dropping into the seat beside you. He grabbed a pair of chopsticks like a warrior unsheathing his sword, ready for battle.

“So,” he drawled, nudging you playfully. “Three years and you still haven’t run for the hills? Impressive.”

You smirked, taking a sip of your drink. “I’ve considered it.”

Jungkook gasped dramatically, clutching his chest like you had personally stabbed him. “Betrayal! In my own home!”

“Technically, it’s our home,” his mom corrected.

“Exactly!” Jin said, pointing his chopsticks at Jungkook before shoving a mouthful of rice into his mouth. Jungkook’s dad, ever the composed one, leaned back in his chair and regarded Jin with an amused shake of his head. “So, how’s the tattoo shop? Are you still working reception?”

Jin waved a dismissive hand. “Oh, that? I quit.”

Jungkook’s mom sighed, as if she had already seen this coming.

Jungkook’s dad pinched the bridge of his nose. “Jin, you just started that job.”

“Yeah, and I just quit that job,” Jin said brightly. “But don’t worry—I’ve moved on to better things.”

Jungkook raised a brow. “Should I even ask?”

“I now work at a pastry shop.” Jin declared, as if he had just announced a groundbreaking scientific discovery.

Jungkook blinked. “You?”

“Yes, me.”

Jungkook’s dad sighed. “Jin, you have to start thinking about stability. You can’t keep jumping from one job to another like this.”

Jin only laughed, waving him off like the thought of responsibility was a foreign concept. “Oh, please. Stability is boring. I get bored too fast—I need thrill, excitement, the rush of something new.”

“You sell croissants,” Jungkook deadpanned.

“And I do it with flair,” Jin shot back, popping a piece of fried chicken into his mouth. “Speaking of which, I brought some samples! The head baker said they were too ‘experimental’ for customers, but I figured you guys would appreciate my artistic vision.” He reached into his coat pocket because of course he carried pastries in his coat pocket and plopped two small, questionably green muffins onto the table.

Jungkook recoiled. “What is that?”

Jin grinned. “Matcha and kimchi fusion.”

Jungkook’s dad sighed again. His mom simply patted Jin’s hand, as if she had long since accepted his chaotic ways. Jin wipes his hands dramatically after placing down his abomination of a pastry creation, then immediately turns to you with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

“So,” he starts, leaning in with the air of someone about to cause chaos. “On a scale of one to dear god, someone save me, how difficult is he to live with?”

You barely have time to react before he fires off another.

“Any plans to upgrade from ‘boyfriend’ status?” Jin asks, voice dripping with faux innocence.

Jungkook chokes so hard on his food that you have to thump his back. His mom gasps in concern, while his dad just continues eating like this is any other Thursday night.

Jin smirks in triumph. “Ah, so is there a wedding?”

Jungkook, still recovering, glares murderously. “You are so not invited to the wedding—”

Jin claps his hands together. “Confirmed!”

Jungkook doesn’t hesitate. He grabs a spoonful of rice and hurls it straight at Jin. Jin dodges like a seasoned warrior. “Oh, it’s war now.”

A second later, a piece of kimchi smacks Jungkook right in the cheek. Jungkook gapes at Jin. “You did not—”

“Oh, I did.” Jin wiggles his eyebrows before launching another attack. What starts as a petty sibling squabble escalates into all-out warfare. Jungkook lobs a dumpling; Jin retaliates with a piece of radish. Rice goes flying. You duck just in time to avoid getting hit by a rogue piece of tofu.

“Jeon Jungkook!” his mom shrieks, voice cutting through the chaos like a knife. “Kim Seokjin!”

They both freeze mid-throw, like guilty kids caught red-handed.

His dad sighs, a long and tired sigh, the kind that speaks of years of dealing with this exact scenario. He calmly reaches for his drink. “Can we please have one dinner without someone launching food across the table?”

Jungkook and Jin exchange glances.

Then, as if telepathically synchronized, they both lift their chopsticks and point at each other. “He started it.”

You snort. His mom groans. His dad sips his tea in silent resignation.

The night air is crisp, carrying the distant hum of crickets and the occasional rustling of leaves in the trees that line Jungkook’s backyard. The stars above twinkle through gaps in the branches, their light soft and distant. Out here, away from the city’s chaos, everything feels quieter like the world has shrunk to just the two of you. Jungkook slips an arm around your waist, pulling you close. “Sorry about him.”

You chuckle, leaning into his warmth. “I like him. He makes things interesting.”

“Interesting until he’s grilling you.”

“True,” you admit, grinning. “But I can handle him.”

Jungkook huffs a quiet laugh, resting his chin atop your head. You exhale, letting your eyes flutter shut for a moment, savoring the security of his presence. It’s moments like these that make you forget the paranoia and the unease clawing at the edges of your mind.

But it never truly leaves.

The feeling of being watched. The weight of unseen eyes crawling over your skin. The messages you’ve ignored all night. They all linger in your mind. You glance up at Jungkook. He’s still smiling, talking about how his mom packed you extra leftovers. “She thinks you don’t eat enough,” he says fondly, shaking his head.

You should tell him.

The words sit heavy on your tongue, pressing against your teeth. One sentence, and it would all be out in the open.

But you don’t.

Instead, you nod, forcing a small laugh. “She really doesn’t take no for an answer, huh?”

“Never,” Jungkook confirms, squeezing your waist. His touch is warm, grounding. But even that warmth doesn’t reach the cold pit in your stomach.

“Jungkook!” His dad’s voice calls from inside. “Come here for a second.”

Jungkook groans, reluctant to move. “Stay here, I’ll be back,” he murmurs, pressing a quick kiss to your forehead before disappearing inside.

The moment he’s gone, the silence presses in. You hesitate before pulling out your phone, unlocking it with a swipe of your thumb. The notifications are still there, messages from Unknown piled up like unanswered warnings.

The last one catches your eye.

Unknown [1:10 PM]: I am always watching you, doll.

Your breath stutters.

The phone suddenly feels heavy in your hands, like a weight dragging you down into something inescapable.

No.

Your pulse pounds in your ears, drowning out the gentle chirping of crickets, drowning out reason. A suffocating sense of dread settles in your chest as you stare at the word, doll. There was only one person who ever called you that.

Only one voice that had whispered it against your skin, had laughed it into your ear, had let it drip from his tongue like a slow poison.

Kim Taehyung.

The room was thick with the stench of alcohol and sweat, the air heavy with cigarette smoke that coiled toward the ceiling in lazy spirals. Dim lighting flickered from a dying bulb, casting long, distorted shadows across the stained walls.

Taehyung sat slouched in a tattered armchair, his body sinking into the worn-out fabric. His limbs felt like lead, the weight of intoxication pressing down on him, making his movements sluggish, his thoughts hazy. A half-empty bottle dangled loosely from his fingers, the condensation dripping onto his jeans, but he barely noticed.

Around him, his friends were strewn across the room in various states of intoxication, some laughing at nothing, their voices slurred and senseless, while others lay sprawled out, lost to the world. Taehyung exhaled a slow, heavy breath. Everything felt distant and detached until a stray thought cut through the fog: you.

His lazy smirk faltered. His fingers twitched against the armrest, tightening before relaxing again. His vision blurred at the edges, but the memories were sharp. Unwelcome. Unrelenting. His jaw clenched. He willed himself to push it away, drown it in the haze, let the high carry him somewhere else. But it never worked.

It never did when it came to you. His body was here, slouched in a torn armchair, but his mind was somewhere else. Three years ago.

"I don’t love you anymore."

The scent of espresso and warm pastries was suffocating. The quiet hum of conversation around them felt like static in his ears. But none of it fucking mattered. Not when you were sitting across from him, staring at him like he was nothing.

The words barely registered at first. His mind lagged behind reality like a glitching tape, playing back a version of events where this wasn’t happening.

"What?" His voice was sharp, disbelieving. "What the fuck did you just say?"

Your gaze didn’t waver. "I said I don’t love you."

The words cut. They didn’t hit all at once they sank in slowly, like a blade sliding between ribs.

Taehyung laughed. "Bullshit."

He leaned forward, jaw tight, fingers curling into the edge of the table. "You’re being dramatic. You always do this shit when you want attention."

Your expression didn’t change, but something about it made his stomach turn. You weren’t crying. You weren’t shaking. There was no hesitation or guilt or any of the things he had relied on to keep you in line. This wasn’t like before.

Your voice was flat. "You ruined this, Tae. You ruined me."

His laugh was louder this time, bitter and sharp. "Oh, so I’m the villain now? After everything I did for you?"

"Everything you did to me."

His breath stuttered.

And then you kept going. You fucking kept going.

"You controlled me. You isolated me. You made me feel like I was insane every time I called you out on your bullshit."

His hands curled into fists. "Oh, fuck off—"

"You threatened me, Tae. You threw shit. You punched walls, grabbed me so fucking hard I had bruises for days. And every time, you’d crawl back, begging, saying you didn’t mean it—"

His teeth clenched, fury bubbling beneath his skin. "Because I didn’t!"

"You dangled your own life over my head like a leash."

His blood turned cold, the first sliver of panic slicing through the rage that had consumed him moments ago. He wasn’t winning. The realization struck hard. His grip tightened on the table, nails digging into the cheap wood as if he was bracing for impact. You weren’t supposed to fucking say that. You weren’t supposed to know.

He forced a laugh, but it came out desperate. "And what, you're suddenly a fucking therapist? Psychoanalyzing me like I’m some fucking monster?"

Your voice was quiet, but it sliced straight through him.

"I don’t need to psychoanalyze you, Taehyung. I lived through you."

The air left his lungs. His vision blurred at the edges, rage and panic clashing, drowning him.

All of a sudden, ‘his’ name fell from your lips like a gunshot.

Jungkook? That pathetic little nerd? The one he used to shove into lockers, humiliate just for the fun of it? The same one who flinched if someone raised their voice too loud?

He let out a breathy, disbelieving laugh, but there was nothing funny about this. His hands shook from the effort of holding himself back.

"So that’s what you’ve been doing, huh?" His voice was sharp, venomous. "Nursing him back to health after I fucked him up?"

You exhaled, shaking your head, unimpressed.

Then, he snapped. "You fucked him, didn’t you?"

He spat the words like a curse, like they burned his tongue. Even as he said it, he knew you wouldn’t. You were a self-righteous bitch with all your morals, your bullshit standards. You wouldn’t dare. But the thought of it, the idea of you with him made his head spin, made his vision go dark at the edges.

His voice dropped to a hiss. "That little fucking loser? You let him touch you? You let him—"

His hands ached. He wanted to grab you, to shake you, to make you look at him.

"He’s a pussy, doll." His voice cracked, something wild and desperate bleeding through. "He won’t take care of you like I did."

You scoffed, expression unreadable. "You never took care of me, Tae."

"What the fuck does he have that I don’t?" His voice rose, teetering between fury and desperation. "Tell me."

You just stared at him, and that look—that fucking look—

It was over.

It was fucking over.

Panic clawed at his ribs, lodged itself in his throat, made his vision blur and his hands shake. So he did what he always did when he lost control.

"I’ll kill myself if you leave me."

The words came out fast and sharp, a desperate lifeline thrown into the storm. It had always worked before, always made you hesitate, always made you stay. But this time, you simply exhaled a breath of relief, as if you had finally broken free.

And then, for the first time, you smiled.

"Look at you." Your voice was soft. Almost pitying. "Still trying to manipulate me."

Something inside him snapped.

His vision blurred, his body moved and the next thing he knew, the coffee cup on the table was in pieces, shattered porcelain scattering across the floor.

The café had gone silent.

The whole fucking world had gone silent.

You stood, your chair scraping against the tile. Unbothered.

You walked away. No hesitation. No tears. No fucking remorse.

And for the first time, Taehyung had nothing.

Nothing left to say. Nothing left to hold onto.

The cigarette burned down to the filter, searing his fingers. He didn’t flinch. Taehyung’s jaw clenched, knuckles turning white as his fists curled against the armrest. The high didn’t feel so numbing anymore, just agitating. His skin felt too tight, his thoughts too sharp, too loud.

For almost a year, he had drowned you out with drugs, alcohol, distractions, anything to blur the edges of what you had done to him. To make himself forget the way you walked away without looking back. But the moment he saw you again it all came rushing back.

The obsession. The hunger. The need to undo it all.

You thought you walked away for good?

No. You were always his. Even when you hated him. Even when you ran. And now he was going to take back what was his.

One way or another.

After returning from Busan, you stayed over at Jungkook’s place.

You didn’t want to sleep alone. Not after the messages. The number was blocked now. You hadn’t received anything since. But still… you didn’t feel comfortable going back home yet.

Jungkook hadn’t questioned it. He just smiled and let you in, happy to have you around. But the more time you spent with him, the harder it became to ignore the guilt settling in your chest.

Because Jungkook didn’t know.

You hadn’t told him about the messages. About the unease creeping up your spine every time your phone vibrated. About the name that had resurfaced in the form of a single word:

“Doll.”

It shouldn’t have meant anything. Anyone could use that word. It was common, impersonal.

But not to you.

Not when you could still hear his voice saying it. Not when you remembered how it had dripped from Taehyung’s lips sometimes sweet, sometimes cruel.

“Be good for me, doll.” “You know I only act like this because I love you, doll.” “You’re nothing without me, doll.”

The thought alone made your stomach churn. You weren’t even sure if it was him. Maybe it was just paranoia. Maybe it was just a coincidence.

Yeah. It had to be. So you pushed it down, shoved it into the corners of your mind where you didn’t have to look at it. You told yourself you were keeping this from Jungkook to protect him.

But now, as you sit at your office desk, your mind is miles away from the reports in front of you. You tap your pen against the surface, gaze unfocused.

You don’t notice Jimin watching you from across the room until he finally speaks.

“Everything okay between you and Jungkook?”

You blink, snapping out of your daze. “What?”

Jimin leans against your desk, arms crossed, expression unreadable. “You seem off. Thought maybe you two had a fight or something.”

You force a small laugh, shaking your head. “No, nothing like that. Everything’s fine.”

Jimin doesn’t look convinced. His sharp gaze lingers for a second too long, like he’s waiting for you to crack. But he doesn’t press.

And you’re grateful for that.

Lunchtime rolls around when you finally check your phone.

The morning had been filled with client meetings, thankful for the welcome distraction. For a few hours, you managed to keep your mind from spiraling. But the moment your screen lights up with a string of unread messages from an unknown number, reality crashes back in.

Your stomach plummets.

Unknown [10:28 AM]: Did you really think blocking me would make me disappear, doll? Unknown [10:28 AM]: How cute. Almost as cute as you playing house with your little pet. Unknown [10:29 AM]: Speaking of pets… your boyfriend’s been working so hard. Diligently studying to save all those poor, dying animals. Unknown [10:30 AM]: How pathetic. Unknown [10:31 AM]: Wanna see?

Your breath catches.

The next message has three images attached. With shaking fingers, you tap them open.

First image: Jungkook in class, focused, scribbling down notes. Second image: Him in the lab, sleeves rolled up, handling equipment with practiced ease. Third image: Now. Jungkook at lunch, head slightly tilted as he listens to someone, chopsticks resting in his hand.

Your blood turns to ice as your vision tunnels, the world narrowing to a single horrifying realization—Jungkook is right there. Someone… no, not just anyone. It has to be Taehyung. He is near. He is watching. And if he is close enough to take these photos, then he is close enough to do something worse. Your phone nearly slips from your grip as pure, heart-stopping terror crashes into you. Jungkook is in danger. The first message was sent almost an hour ago, which means Taehyung has been near him this whole time. Watching him. Stalking him.

Your first instinct is to call the cops. Your fingers hover over the dial pad, heart hammering until your screen lights up again. As if he had been waiting for you to see his messages.

Unknown [12:01 PM]: I know what you’re thinking, doll. Unknown [12:01 PM]: Call the cops, and I’ll slit your pretty boyfriend’s throat right where he sits.

Your breath locks in your chest, hands trembling so violently you almost drop your phone.

No. No, no, no.

You don’t think you just move.

You bolt out of your office, barely registering Jimin calling after you. His voice is distant, but you can’t stop. You don’t have time. You race to your car, hands fumbling with the keys as you throw yourself into the driver’s seat. The second the engine roars to life, you’re speeding down the street, ignoring every traffic rule, every red light.

There’s only one thought pounding in your skull, louder than the frantic beat of your heart—

Get to Jungkook. Now.

You pull up to Jungkook’s university, barely throwing the car into park before shoving the door open. Your legs feel unsteady as you rush out, breath coming in sharp, uneven gasps. Your hands tremble as you fumble with your phone, fingers slipping as you dial Jungkook’s number again and again. No answer. You try once more, the ringing tone stretching unbearably before it goes to voicemail.

The campus is alive with movement students chatting, laughing and going about their day, blissfully unaware of the sheer terror gripping you. You push through the crowd, scanning faces wildly, your heart pounding against your ribs. Where is Jungkook?

People glance at you, their whispers buzzing at the edge of your hearing, but you don’t care. You try his number again. Still nothing.

A sickening thought slithers into your mind— What if Taehyung already got to him? What if you’re too late?

Finally, your eyes land on him.

Jungkook stands in the courtyard, laughing with a couple of friends, completely oblivious to the danger shadowing him. The world around you blurs as relief crashes over you like a tidal wave.

Alive. Unharmed.

Your knees almost buckle, the tension in your body unravelling just enough for you to let out a sharp, shaky exhale. Your breath stutters as the panic begins to subside, but the urgency still thrums beneath your skin. Then Jungkook sees you.

His laughter dies mid-sentence, his brows knitting together in concern as his eyes rake over your disheveled form. His friends glance at you curiously, but Jungkook is already moving toward you.

"Y/N?" His voice is gentle but urgent. "What’s wrong?"

You shake your head quickly, forcing a weak, unconvincing smile. "It’s nothing," you say, voice tight. "But we need to leave. Now."

Jungkook blinks, his confusion evident. "What? I have an afternoon lecture."

You tighten your grip on his wrist, desperation seeping into your voice. "Jungkook, please. We need to go home."

His brows draw together, concern deepening in his soft gaze. "Why?" His voice remains gentle, but there's a quiet insistence beneath it. "What’s going on?"

When you don’t answer, Jungkook exhales softly before taking your hand, leading you away from the courtyard and into a quieter corner. His touch is firm but never forceful.

"Y/N, talk to me." His voice is barely above a whisper, but there’s an edge of worry to it. "What’s wrong?" His dark eyes search yours, trying to unravel the truth you refuse to say.

You swallow, avoiding his gaze. "It’s nothing, I swear—"

His jaw tightens, his fingers twitching at his sides. "That’s not true."

Jungkook doesn’t raise his voice, but the frustration is clear. He takes a slow step closer, his warmth now suffocating. "You’ve been acting different for weeks. Distant. Jumpy. And now you show up here looking like you’ve seen a ghost and expect me to just go along with it?"

You flinch at the quiet intensity in his words, but still, you don’t answer. Jungkook’s voice rises just a little, but the hurt in it is undeniable. “Do you not trust me?”

You bite your lip, guilt pressing down on your chest like a heavy weight. “Of course I do, Jungkook, it’s just—”

“Then tell me.” His fingers rake through his hair, his brows drawn together, frustration flickering in his dark eyes. But his voice stays soft, laced with something almost pleading.

“I’m not a child, Y/N.”

The words land harder than you expect, sinking deep. Silence stretches between you, thick with unspoken truths and the weight of his quiet disappointment. You know you should tell him. You should warn him. But… you can’t.

Jungkook exhales slowly, his jaw tightening as he watches you struggle with whatever it is you’re refusing to say. His frustration is evident, but his voice remains gentle, laced with quiet insistence.

“I’m not leaving until you tell me what’s going on,” he says firmly. “If you won’t, I’ll just stay here.”

Your stomach drops. No. He can’t stay here. Not when you know Taehyung is watching. “Jungkook, please,” you whisper, gripping his wrist tighter.

“Then tell me, Y/N.” His gaze softens, but the unwavering determination in his eyes sends a surge of panic through you. You have no choice. You have to tell him something—anything—just to get him to listen.

“Someone’s been watching you,” you admit in a rush, your voice barely above a whisper. “I don’t know who, but it’s not safe.”

Jungkook stiffens. His expression shifts from frustration to shock, then to something unreadable. “Watching me?” he echoes. “Y/N, what—why wouldn’t you tell me earlier?”

You look away, guilt gnawing at you. “I didn’t want you to worry.”

He sighs, rubbing the back of his neck. He’s still skeptical, still confused, but he can see the genuine fear in your eyes. And that alone is enough to make him give in.

“Alright,” he finally murmurs. “Let’s go.”

Relief washes over you, but just as you think you’ve convinced him to leave, your phone vibrates. It's another message.

Unknown [12:17 PM]: Ah, there you are, doll. So desperate to save your boyfriend? Cute. But I’m not done playing yet.

Your breath hitches.

Taehyung is watching you right now. Your fingers tighten around your phone as your eyes dart around the campus, paranoia seeping into your every movement.

Jungkook immediately catches the way your face drains of all color. His fingers gently close around your wrist before you can react, his other hand swiftly taking your phone from your grip.

“Jungkook, wait—”

But it’s too late. His eyes scan the message, and you feel his entire body go still. His brows knit together, his lips parting slightly as he rereads the words, processing the threat laced between them.

“Who…” His voice is quiet at first, controlled. Then, a little sharper. “Who the hell is this?”

You swallow hard, panic clawing at your chest. You should’ve been more careful. But now there’s no avoiding it. Jungkook looks up at you, eyes searching. “Y/N,” he says softly, but there’s an undeniable firmness in his tone. “Tell me.”

You take a shaky breath, forcing the words out before you can hesitate.

“I… I think it’s Taehyung.”

Jungkook blinks. For a moment, he just stares at you like you’ve said something completely incomprehensible. Then, he shakes his head, a disbelieving scoff leaving his lips.

“Taehyung?” He lets out a breath, his brows furrowing. “No. That’s impossible. We haven’t seen him in years.”

You can see the way his mind is racing, trying to rationalize it, trying to convince himself that it can’t be true. But then piece by piece it all starts to click. The way you’ve been acting. The paranoia. The half-truths. Everything makes sense now.

Jungkook’s expression shifts, his grip tightening slightly around your phone. He looks at you again, this time with quiet intensity. “Tell me everything.”

You take a deep, unsteady breath and finally let it all out. Every message. Every chilling threat. The way Taehyung has been watching, lurking in the shadows, getting closer and closer. How you’ve been living in constant fear, too terrified to sleep, too paranoid to breathe. How you blocked him, but he always found a way back. The photos of Jungkook the proof showing that Taehyung has been near him all along.

Jungkook doesn’t say a word. He just listens. His hands slowly curl into fists at his sides, his jaw tightening, but his eyes stay locked on you, soft and unwavering. By the time you finish, your throat is tight, and your vision blurs slightly. You blink rapidly, forcing back the tears threatening to spill. You quickly wipe at your eyes before Jungkook can notice.

But he does.

Without a word, he steps forward and wraps his arms around you, pulling you into his warmth. You freeze for a second, startled, but then you let yourself sink into the embrace. His arms are strong and steady, anchoring you as if he’s shielding you from everything that’s been haunting you.

“It’s okay,” he murmurs, his voice softer than ever. “You don’t have to hold it in, Y/N.”

Your breath shudders. “I-I’m fine,” you whisper, even though your grip on his hoodie tightens. Jungkook shakes his head slightly. “No, you’re not. And that’s okay.” His hand runs up and down your back in slow, soothing motions. “You don’t always have to be strong on your own.”

Something in you cracks at his words. A single tear slips down your cheek, and this time, you don’t wipe it away. Jungkook holds you tighter, his voice firm but gentle. “You should’ve told me sooner.”

“I know,” you whisper. “I was scared.”

“I get that.” He exhales, resting his chin lightly on top of your head. “But you’re not alone in this. I’m here now. And I won’t let him hurt you.”

When you finally pull away, his hands stay on your shoulders, grounding you. Now, you have to decide.

Go to the police? It’s the logical choice, but Taehyung already made it clear what would happen if you did. Jungkook’s life isn’t something you’re willing to gamble with. Confront Taehyung yourself? It’s reckless, dangerous, and probably a mistake. But part of you feels like it’s the only way to put an end to this.

Jungkook watches your face carefully, reading the thoughts swirling in your head. Then, his jaw tightens, his voice steady but firm. “If you think I’m letting you do this alone, you’re out of your mind.”

For the first time in weeks, the suffocating loneliness eases because no matter what happens next, Jungkook is with you. Suddenly your phone vibrates again.

Unknown [12:51 PM]: Such a heartwarming moment. But how far will he go to protect you?

And then another message. A photo.

It’s a picture of you and Jungkook. Right now. 

He’s still here.

"Y/N?" Jungkook’s voice is soft but sharp with concern. "What is it?"

You turn the phone toward him, and the moment he sees the message, his entire body stiffens. His jaw clenches, fingers curling into fists. His voice is low but firm when he speaks.

"We’re leaving. Now."

You don’t argue.

Jungkook grabs your wrist, pulling you through the crowd of students, his grip tight but reassuring. Your heartbeat pounds in your ears as you scan the area frantically, eyes darting from face to face.

But you don’t see him. He could be anywhere.

Jungkook doesn’t slow down until you reach his car. He unlocks it in a rush, practically shoving you inside before slamming the door shut behind him. His hands grip the steering wheel tightly, his knuckles turning white. Only when he locks the doors and exhales a shaky breath does he turn to look at you.

"He’s here, Y/N." His voice is quiet, but there’s an edge to it.

You swallow hard, gripping your phone. "I know."

Jungkook starts the car. "We’re going home. Then we figure out our next move." You nod, but the unease lingers.

Because Taehyung isn’t done playing yet.

Jungkook paces the length of his living room, fingers running through his hair in frustration. You sit on the couch, gripping your phone tightly, going over every possible option. Jungkook is still talking, still trying to come up with a solid plan but his voice fades into the background as your eyes remain glued to your phone screen.

Unknown [1:37 PM]: Come alone. Midnight. Your apartment. Unknown [1:37 PM]: Don’t make me repeat myself, doll.

Your grip on the phone tightens. Your pulse roars in your ears. If Jungkook sees this, there’s no way he’ll let you go. He’ll insist on coming with you. And that’s exactly what Taehyung wants, a reason to hurt him. Swallowing hard, you quickly lock your phone and shove it into your pocket before Jungkook notices.

“Y/N?”

You snap back to reality to find Jungkook watching you carefully. “Yeah?”

“I was saying…” He sighs, running a hand through his hair. “Maybe we should stay at a hotel tonight. Just in case. I don’t want you anywhere near that apartment if Taehyung’s been watching you.”

Your stomach churns with guilt, but you shake your head. “No. I think we should just stay and act normal. If we start running now, he’ll know we’re scared.”

Jungkook’s eyes darken. “We are scared, Y/N.”

You force a small, tired smile. “But we can’t let him know that.”

He exhales, clearly frustrated but unable to argue. “Fine. But I’m not letting you out of my sight.” You nod, pretending to agree.

But deep down, you already know that the moment Jungkook falls asleep tonight, you’re leaving. 

Alone.

It’s a little past midnight when you finally slip out of Jungkook’s apartment.

You hesitate at the door, glancing back at his sleeping form. Even in the dim glow of the bedside lamp, you can see the tension on his face. He had been restless for hours, his body stiff with unease, as if sensing that something was wrong.

You had pretended to fall asleep just so he could relax. It worked eventually. But now, as you step out into the cold night, a bitter weight settles in your chest.

Jungkook would never forgive you for this.

But this is the only way.

You move quickly, keeping to the shadows as you make your way to your apartment. The streets are eerily quiet, the distant hum of the city muffled by the pounding of your heart. Every step you take feels heavier like you're walking toward something inevitable.

Suddenly you hear a  second set of footsteps.

You don’t have time to react before a hand clamps over your mouth, muffling your startled gasp.

Before you can struggle, an arm wraps around your waist in a vice-like grip, dragging you off the sidewalk. The world tilts as you're yanked into a dark alleyway. Your pulse hammers against your ribs as you thrash against the hold, but it’s uselessm his grip is unyielding, effortlessly strong.

A low, deep chuckle brushes against your ear, sending a sickening shiver down your spine.

"Took you long enough, doll."

Taehyung had grown impatient waiting for you to show up. Without warning, he forcefully turns you to face him, his grip unrelenting. The sudden contact sends a jolt of fear through you, and seeing him again after all these years feels like being doused in ice water.

Time has changed him, but not enough. His face is still achingly familiar from the sharp jawline, the tattoos that snake up the expanse of his neck to the piercing eyes that burn with something much darker. 

A part of you always knew this day would come. You had told yourself that the way Taehyung left without so much as hurting you was too good to be true, but maybe, just maybe he had realised he was in the wrong and disappeared into the past like a bad dream. But now, standing here with his breath hot against your skin, you realize how foolish you were to think he’d ever let you go.

"You thought I wouldn’t come back for you?" he whispers against your ear, his voice sickeningly soft.

Your breath stutters. You try to shove him away, but he’s faster amd stronger. His grip tightens as he forces you back, slamming you against the cold, unforgiving brick wall of the alley. The impact knocks the air from your lungs, and before you can recover, his fingers press into your jaw, tilting your face up toward him.

The streetlamp above casts a sliver of light over him, illuminating the twisted smile on his lips.

"I gave you everything, and you threw me away for him?"

Resentment drips from every word, his voice cracking with something raw.

"I should’ve taught you a lesson years ago."

Your heart hammers in your chest, panic locking your limbs in place. But before you can even react—

A force rips Taehyung away from you, sending him crashing onto the pavement with a brutal thud.

Jungkook stands over him, breath uneven, fists still clenched from the impact. His usual softness is nowhere to be found—his expression is cold, lethal.

“You thought I wouldn’t notice?” His voice is quiet, but there’s an edge to it that makes the air feel heavier.

Taehyung chuckles darkly. “I knew you’d come running.”

Jungkook doesn’t take the bait. His eyes flick to you, scanning for any sign of injury, before settling back on Taehyung with something dangerously close to disgust.

“You don’t get to lay a hand on her,” Jungkook says, his voice steady. “Not now. Not ever.”

Taehyung chuckles again, pushing himself up with an air of arrogance. He rolls his shoulders, cracking his knuckles as if this is all a joke to him.

"You?" He scoffs, eyes glinting with amusement. "Defending her?" His gaze flickers to you, sharp and accusing. "I bet she never even told you what she did to me."

Jungkook doesn’t flinch nor does he hesitate. His voice is calm, unwavering. "She didn’t do anything." He steps forward, eyes locked onto Taehyung like he’s daring him to try again. "I know she’s mine. And I know you’re just a lying, manipulative piece of shit."

Taehyung's smirk vanishes.

In a flash, he lunges.

Jungkook barely dodges, twisting to the side just in time, but Taehyung is relentless. He moves fast, and Jungkook isn’t a fighter he doesn’t have brute force or years of experience throwing punches. But what he does have is speed, quick reflexes and the sheer, unshakable will to protect you.

A fist catches Jungkook’s side, making him stagger back, but he barely registers the pain before Taehyung moves toward you again.

And that’s when Jungkook stops thinking.

His hand finds a broken pipe lying in the dirt. In one swift motion, he grips it tight and swings, slamming it straight into Taehyung’s stomach.

A sharp gasp rips from Taehyung’s throat as he doubles over, coughing violently. But he’s not down. Not yet.

Jungkook doesn’t wait. He reaches for you, his fingers wrapping firmly around your wrist. His eyes meet yours, urgent and fierce.

"Run."

The pounding of your footsteps echoes against the pavement, your lungs burning as you push yourself to keep running. The night air is thick, every breath heavy with exhaustion and fear.

Behind you, Taehyung is gaining. His ragged breaths cut through the silence, his footsteps unrelenting.

“You think you can run from me?” His voice is sharp, twisted with amusement and fury. A metallic glint catches the dim streetlights indicating he has a knife now.

Panic seizes your chest.

Jungkook’s grip tightens around your wrist. He doesn’t slow, doesn’t hesitate just yanks you sharply to the side. Your vision blurs as he drags you toward a dark, skeletal structure.

A construction site.

You stumble into the half-built building, weaving through stacks of bricks and steel beams. The scent of dust and concrete fills your lungs as you press yourself into the shadows, trying to quiet your frantic breathing.

Jungkook releases you only to crouch down, scanning the ground. His fingers curl around a rusted wrench, heavy in his grip. It’s not much, but it’s something.

“Stay behind me,” he whispers, his voice steady despite the fear you know he must be feeling. Your heart slams against your ribs. Your thoughts are spiralling. You should have been more careful, quieter when slipping out of the house. You can't believe you're the reason Jungkook is in danger, that he is the one standing between you and the threat. It should be you protecting him, not the other way around.

The footsteps slow. Taehyung has followed you inside.

A chilling silence settles over the space.

Then, a low chuckle.

“You can’t hide forever.” His voice is laced with amusement, the scrape of his knife dragging along metal making you flinch. “Come on, Jungkook. You really think you can protect her?”

Jungkook doesn’t move, his stance solid, wrench gripped tightly, shoulders squared. The tension is suffocating, every second stretching unbearably. You don’t dare breathe. Then Taehyung moves. The knife slices through the air.

Jungkook barely dodges, instinct driving his body before his mind catches up. The blade misses him by inches, but there’s no time to think, theres no time to breath, only react.

With everything he has, he swings the wrench. It connects hard against Taehyung’s wrist.

The knife clatters to the ground.

But Jungkook doesn’t stop this time.

His fist collides with Taehyung’s jaw, the impact ringing in the empty construction site. The force of it sends Taehyung staggering back, his body slamming against a stack of bricks. He’s weak now, unsteady, but still smiling like he’s enjoying this.

And then, in a last, desperate attempt, he speaks.

“You really think you’ve changed, Jungkook?” Taehyung breathes, voice laced with mockery. He spits blood onto the dust-covered ground, laughing through the pain. “You’re still the same pathetic kid I used to toy with. Weak. Spineless.”

Jungkook’s breath hitches.

“You’ll never be enough for her.”

The words land heavier than any punch ever could. For a split second, Jungkook falters. The old wounds, the taunts, the bruises, and the humiliation come rushing back. The memories claw at the edges of his mind, threatening to pull him under.

He remembers the way they used to laugh at him, the cruelty in their voices, the way they looked at him like he was nothing. Like he would always be nothing. He was the loser, the punching bag, the boy who never fought back. Every insult had carved itself into his skin, every shove had left something deeper than just bruises. They made him believe it. That he was worthless. That he would never be enough.

And then there was you. You. The only light in the darkness, the only person who had ever looked at him without disgust. He fell so hard, so helplessly in love with you, even though you belonged to Taehyung. It was cruel, really. The way fate played its hand. You were Taehyung’s girlfriend, yet you were the only one who saw Jungkook. The only one who stood up for him when Taehyung and his gang pushed him down. When he was at his lowest, you were there, offering kindness.

But how could you have chosen him? Him? A pathetic loser who had spent years as the butt of every joke, the weakling who was too afraid to fight back. He hears the echoes of their laughter, the mocking whispers that still live inside his head. Maybe they were right. Maybe he really is nothing. Maybe you made a mistake choosing him.

Taehyung’s voice is smooth and insidious, wrapping around him like a noose. The doubt, the shame, the years of self-hatred it all pulls him under, dragging him back to a place he swore he’d never return to. His fists loosen at his sides, his body feels too heavy, like he’s sinking into the past, like he's losing himself all over again.

But then—you.

You, standing behind him. The warmth of your presence, the unwavering belief in your eyes. The way you never once hesitated to love him, to choose him. His heart pounds against his ribs, pushing away the suffocating weight of the past.

No. No.

He is not that boy anymore. He is not weak. And he will not let Taehyung twist his mind, not when he has you to protect.

The hesitation vanishes as Jungkook moves, striking once, then again, each blow fueled by something raw, something deeper than anger—something desperate. His jaw is clenched, muscles taut, as if he is holding back years of something buried deep inside, something he never let himself feel until now. You have never seen him like this. Then another hit. And another.

His knuckles split, blood dripping onto the cold concrete, but he doesn’t stop. He can’t stop. Not until Taehyung stops moving.

The only sound left is Jungkook’s ragged breathing. His chest heaves, his hands shaking.

His eyes, dark and unfocused, burn with an intensity you have never seen before. It is not just fear, nor is it just anger. It is something far more terrifying in its certainty, something that does not waver, something that does not break. It is an unrelenting, all-consuming protectiveness, the kind that leaves no room for hesitation, no space for doubt. And the most haunting part of it all—you know he did it for you.

“Jungkook.”

Your voice is sof t but it cuts through the chaos like a blade.

He freezes.

His chest rises and falls in uneven bursts, his knuckles raw and bloodied. His grip on the wrench trembles, muscles locked so tightly you wonder if he even hears you.

Then he looks at you, and in that moment, something inside him fractures. The fury that had burned so fiercely in his eyes splinters, crumbling into something far more fragile: fear. But it is not fear for himself. It is for you. For what could have happened. For what he almost became.

You take a step closer, carefully, like you’re approaching a wounded animal. His breathing is ragged, his body strung so tight it might snap. But he doesn’t move away when you reach for him.

Fingers brushing against his wrist, you gently pry the wrench from his grip. His hand is still trembling when it slips from his grasp, clattering onto the ground.

“It’s over,” you whisper, your voice steady even as your own hands shake. “I’m okay.”

Jungkook swallows hard, his throat working around unspoken words. The wail of sirens cuts through the heavy silence, distant but growing closer. Someone must have heard the commotion and called the police.

Taehyung groans from where he lies sprawled on the ground, too weak to move, too beaten to fight. But you barely spare him a glance.

Jungkook exhales shakily, his entire body trembling with the aftermath of it all. His fists are still clenched, his knuckles still bleeding, but his eyes are different now.

They are not just the eyes of your sweet, oblivious boyfriend anymore.

He steps closer, hesitant, hands hovering over your arms, your waist, checking, searching, needing to convince himself that you’re still here. That you’re real.

“I could’ve lost you,” he breathes, his voice rough, breaking at the edges.

The weight of his words settles deep in your chest.

You reach up, cupping his face, your thumb skimming over the small cut on his cheek. He flinches at the touch, but not from pain he just wasn’t expecting something so gentle.

“But you didn’t,” you murmur.

Jungkook’s breath shudders out of him. His lashes flutter shut for a second, his jaw tightening like he’s holding something in, something overwhelming, something too big to put into words.

Then, in a voice so quiet, so broken, it almost shatters you

“I was so scared.”

And just like that, everything collapses.

The rage, the adrenaline, the fear everything he had forced himself to carry, to bury, it all crumbles in one breath.

You don’t hesitate. You pull him into you, arms wrapping around him, and he clings back just as tightly. His grip is almost desperate, his fingers pressing into your back like he’s afraid you’ll slip away if he lets go.

Then, suddenly, he tilts his head down, capturing your lips in his.

The kiss is not careful. It’s not soft.

It’s raw. Desperate. Heavy with the weight of everything left unsaid.

His lips press against yours with an urgency that steals your breath, like he’s trying to pour everything he feels into this moment. His hands tighten around your waist, pulling you impossibly closer, as if he wants to lose himself in you, in the feeling of you alive and warm in his arms.

Your fingers tangle in his hair, anchoring him to you, and he sighs into your mouth—a broken, trembling sound that sends a shiver down your spine.

When you finally pull back, foreheads pressed together, Jungkook’s breath is warm against your skin, uneven and ragged.

He’s still shaking.

And you hold him tighter, letting him feel it all.

The flashing red and blue lights spill across the pavement as the police cars screech to a stop.

Jungkook pulls away just enough to look at you, his hands still cradling your waist, like he’s reluctant to break contact. His eyes search yours, and for the first time since this nightmare began, you see something unshakable in them.

Taehyung’s screams cut through the air as he thrashes against the officers, his wrists locked in cold steel. His voice is hoarse, spewing empty threats, venom dripping from every syllable—

“This isn’t over!” he snarls. “You think you can take her from me?”

Jungkook doesn’t react. He doesn’t even spare Taehyung a glance.

Instead, he lifts a hand, brushing his fingers lightly against your cheek, grounding himself in the fact that you’re safe.

His voice, when he finally speaks, is low, steady. A quiet promise.

“I won’t let anyone hurt you again.”

And for the first time you believe him.

Because this isn’t the same Jungkook who was oblivious, who used to let things slide, the one who always saw the good in people even when they didn’t deserve it.

This is the Jungkook who stood his ground.

The Jungkook who fought for you.

And if the world ever tried to take you away from him again, he wouldn’t hesitate.

The park is quiet, bathed in the soft glow of late morning light. Birds flit between the branches, their songs blending with the gentle rustling of leaves. A cool breeze brushes against your skin, carrying the scent of freshly baked pastries from the open basket beside you.  

Jungkook sits across from you on the checkered picnic blanket, absently poking at his croissant with a fork. His knuckles are bandaged and a faint bruise lingers on his cheek just below the strip of medical tape.  

You watch him, waiting.  

He hasn’t said much about it. But the way he holds himself now, shoulders squared just a little more, gaze a little steadier it feels different.  

“You know,” you start, plucking a strawberry from the fruit bowl and tossing it into your mouth. “For once, I wasn’t the one saving your ass.”  

Jungkook snorts, shaking his head. “Don’t remind me,” he mutters, but there’s a small, lopsided smile tugging at his lips. “I’m still getting used to it.”  

“You should be proud,” you tell him, shifting onto your knees so you’re closer. “Not just because you fought. But because you didn’t let him win.” 

Jungkook exhales, rolling his jaw like he’s still processing the weight of it. “I used to think…” He hesitates, gaze flickering down to his hands. “That I’d never be the kind of guy who could protect someone. That I’d always be the loser who let things slide.”  

You reach out, fingers curling over his bandaged knuckles, squeezing gently. “You were never a loser, Jungkook.”  

You trace a light touch over the bruise on his cheek. “And if you’re measuring strength by how many fights you win, you’re missing the point.”  

Jungkook’s lips twitch, his fingers tightening around yours. “Oh yeah? And what’s the point, then?”  

“That you were strong even before this,” you murmur. “You didn’t need to throw a punch to prove that. But I think… you finally see it now, don’t you?”  

He doesn’t answer right away, but the tension in his shoulders eases. Then, with a soft chuckle, he tilts his head and smirks. “So what you’re saying is… you’re swooning over me right now.”  

You roll your eyes, but your laugh gives you away. “Unbelievable. One heroic moment and your ego skyrockets.”  

“What can I say?” He shrugs, feigning nonchalance. “I’m basically a knight in shining armor now.”  

You groan. “You’re literally covered in bandages, Jungkook.”  

“Battle scars,” he corrects smugly.  

“You are so—”  

He cuts you off with a kiss.  

His lips taste like the strawberries you were just eating, but there’s something else too, something warmer. The quiet relief of knowing you’re here. That you’re safe. That you chose him, again and again.  

When you finally pull away, Jungkook rests his forehead against yours, exhaling quietly. “I wouldn’t hesitate,” he murmurs. “If it ever happens again. If the world ever tries to take you away from me.”  

Your heart clenches. You press a kiss to his bruised cheek, whispering against his skin. “I know.”  

For a while, you just sit there, basking in the quiet hum of the park, in the way his fingers stay laced with yours. The past still lingers, but it doesn’t hold you down.  

You’re here together.  

And for now, that’s all that matters.

taglist: @iamstilljk @juikmon @smoljimjim @11thenightwemet11 @namelesskeid @theboyzhelicopter @cristinamajadera @talyaaas-blog @nbjch05 @subgoogie @jjkookiee346 @gogogith @lectrice-ios @ziyaexe @mellyyyyyyx @dna-black-and-blue @sparklycheesecakenacho @pelicanpizza @whoa-jo @dillydandydaisy @somehowukook @tititania @purplelanterns @koodollylvr @honeeybunneey @jenniebyrubies @vantelover1306 @mar-lo-pap @whoreformarlenemckinnon @xumyboo @bumblebee041019 @gaebestie @coquitting @ecomidnight @fancypeacepersona @lizzy23-02 @rpwprpwprpwprw @starlight-1010 @piggaloaf @inkdrinkershadowsinger @satisfied18

@pinkpunkdynamite @reallygenerouskoala @amarawayne @minniejim @ennvfv @senaqsstuff @raraluvz @hoseokteardrop @shellyyy177 @lowercaseurself @futuristicenemychaos @missthang600 @aeriblu @morkleeespizzacake @ahgasegotarmy116 @g1rlonth3intern3t @diamonddia-mond @dontcallmeelle @brokebitch-101 @namj00n-ing @elegantdevill1 @somehowukook @prxdajeon @scentedsope @kazuahhh @handsomejin25 @ukndtwme @larajs97 @nikidream24 @taekritimin123 @achurroandbananamilk @annenakamura @solephile @honeymeraki @btsiguess-kpop @magicalnachocreator @viacb97 @likeshatteredrainbowglass @brokebitch-101

lmk ur thots <3

[longingforrotkehlchen]

My 2024 Top 10 Favourites.

On Melancholy Hill Tumblr's and my absolute favourite. There isn't much to say. I just remember turning around while counting geese, and there it was - an idyllic scene. A crow extraordinarily relaxed, loafing on a nice spring afternoon. I came a bit closer thinking I *really* hope it stays. Then I crouched fearing the same, but the crow, watched me attentively and stayed. I was blessed - the luck of photographing birds more used to people. The slope gave me the perfect height for the shot, and the crow just chilled there, looking like something was occupying its mind. I got what I wanted and left. The crow stayed there, but it also stayed with me forever.

Sweet mommy's love It was Graugansito season and fortunately I was right in time to see the very little ones. This scene was beautiful, and obviously the geese just chill by the lake and all you need is a perfect moment to capture. This one stood out for me. And I can neither confirm nor deny whether there were more goslings hidden under mommy's wing.

Europe's angriest bird This picture was taking by cheating. So call me a cheat. It is nice, but I cheated. And even worse, I made a little guy angry. Yes, I did play playback (even though I believe that's wrong) in this one because I had seen a pair of goldcrests here the previous week and I was very curious to see if they were genuinely staying and breeding in this place. The male came and sang immediately –that's how I got him nicely close to me–, but the best thing about this encounter wasn't the pictures - it was realizing that the bird seemed to know there wasn't another bird. That I was the source of the goldcrest song. That I was his enemy. I haven't managed to make a bird love me, but that day, I managed to make one hate me.

The light of duckling This pond lends itself to high contrasts and you can play a little with that. I didn't have much time, and the ducklings were all over the place, but I got lucky (otherwise, this post wouldn't exist). As I was leaving I took one last shot with the settings I had for a different spot - and it turned out well. Some of my favourite photos are those that transmit emotions when you look at them. I think this is also one of them.

Spring has arrived It's easy to forget you don't have to be very close to the bird to get a nice photo. In any case, here I was taking a photo out of excitement at seeing Hausrotschwanzkehlchen back, before getting closer to the bird. I never intended it to be anything more than a 'proof' shot, but sometimes those turn out way better than expected.

Is this fluff real? It was peak migration, sunny late afternoon, Schwanzmeise flock and there I was, trying to capture this so-called product of my imagination. It was difficult to get the right angle as the sun was behind them and I had to avoid the backlight, but the good thing about them is that they don't seem to care much about your presence. I got this one really really nicely, and right after they left, I saw my first black storks in the sky. Last September was good.

One more shot As I focus on birding and photography comes second, sometimes I might just leave with zero nice photos to post. That day was no different, but that day I was also thinking: "I'm running out of current photos to post." So I gave it an extra shot, overstayed, and tried to find a subject. A big Blaumeise bunch showed up, many of them, busy foraging, and (I think it was always the same) one came so close that allowed me to take some cute photos.

The pose There's little challenge in taking photos of the coots in this pond. If that wasn't enough, the light was nice that day and someone had thrown a pallet in it. The coot was standing on it and I thought the opportunity was too nice to ignore. Then it even started stretching, giving me the chance to capture this nice pose. The poop is just extra.

The babiest Wacholderdrossel As I was leaving the S-Bahn station, coming up the stairs, I saw this baby perched on a handrail. I could barely believe it, so I emerged, went there, and took my camera out. The baby was going nowhere despite people walking right in front of it. I took some photos, in awe, and I don't know what everybody else contemplating us thought, but I thought that I was so damn lucky to have such a cute photo without even having started.

Just a moment If you're learning photography, nobody is going to tell you "just shoot at whatever you see," but that seems to work sometimes. It's not my intention, mind, because here I saw a little bird perching above my head and I really needed this shot to indeed confirm I was seeing Fitis and not Zilpzalp. But look at that little face, that smoothness... I guess when you take thousands of shots while going places, a few might also be nice. It's never easy to decide, but here's my selection with some background/behind the scenes. As usual there isn't much to it. Mostly just press the button. Let's hope 2025 brings us more bird joy to all of us!

[fanon-elio]

-*'Good Night, My Dear'*-

Von Lycaon x Gn!reader

Tag: Green Letter (Sfw)

A one shot inspired by Lycaon's trust events.

Warnings: None

Night has fallen over New Eridu, the suns departure having plunged the City into a familiar darkness. Even if no longer illuminated by the sun's rays, the city glows regardless, just as colorfull as during the day.

Similar, and yet completely different.

The colorfull lights of the buildings glittering like stars, while effectively drowning out the shine of the real ones. The only exception was the moon as it hung peacefully in the sky, its cold light basking whatever it touched in a melancholic light. It was Ironic that something so tranquil found its place right above a city that never once quieted down, always awake and thriving with life. Be it animals who also called the City their home, or people who were still out and about, either partying, or having just gotten off work.

A place where you had found yourself currently as you walked through the pedestrian area, your gaze being drawn to the skyline of the City time and time again. Work had exhausted, but never the less satisfied you, knowing that you had been very productive today.

And sometimes it's the small things that count.

You noticed a cat sitting just by the Kiosk, carefully observing you. Slowly you approached the small animal, kneeling down just a few steps away as not to frighten it, gently reaching out your index finger as if questioning it for its company. It sniffed your finger curiously before it approached you, rubbing its head against your hand. Slowly you scratched the cats chin, its puring being a welcome contrast to the sound of traffic or the chattering of other people. Soon a second cat joined much to your delight, as it approached to where you've been sitting. It reminded you of a good friend who always seemed to attract the attention of all the animals around him, as they approached in happy curiousity.

Something that happened quite often as Lycaon had told you, even though you always thought that the Wolf thiren himself was just as huggable. You and him had been friends for a long while now, having first met by chance on the street when you had helped him when a little girl had been awfully curious about his fluffy tail. You didn't know why you had felt obligated to step in, but he had definitely appreciated it.

After that both of you two had went your own ways until your paths would ultimately cross once again, only this time he was the one who had helped you out instead, when a scetchy vendor wanted to sell you fake jade pendants. As thanks you had invited him to a coffee, and later exchanged numbers when you realized how much you two had in common. After that you had met up with him regularely, finding great joy in eachothers company as you talked about whatever came to mind.

The cat in your lab flinched, seeming to have been spooked by a loud noise as it got up and ran away. You stood up and looked after it, suprised when the Wolf thiren you had thought about just now seemed to materialize right in front of you, his white fur almost gleeming like a ghost in the cold light of the moon as his gaze was cast into the sky.

You wondered what he was doing up so late, thinking that the issue could be his insomnia he struggled with from time to time as he had told you. His ear flicked, seeming to have noticed the sound of your shoes coming his way, and he turned to look at you. "It's an honor to meet you here so late" he responded, a tinge of surprise in his voice "hey Lycaon, what are you doing up so late?" You asked him, coming to a halt next to him "I had trouble sleeping, so I decieded to go on a little stroll" he responded "what about you? Are you out for a stroll at this hour of the night as well?" you scratched your neck sheepishly "actually I just got off work, I've done some overtime" you told him, and he pursed his lips "even though working hard is commendable, you also shouldn't overwork yourself" he gently scolded you, as you pondered of telling him the exact same thing. "I was just on my way home, but found myself captivated by the moon" you told him "so you're here for the moon, too" he asked you, and you nodded.

You two once again gazed into the sky above, a comfortable silence setteling between you two as you basked in eachothers company like you had done time and time again. It was only broken by Lycaon posing a question "Say, do you believe in fate?" a question that caught you off guard a little. "I do" you responded noting his lips as they formed a small smile "I do as well, just a moment earlier I had thought about you, and then suddenly you appeared" he said, an expression of suprise found its way onto your features "same here, I had thought about you as well" you responded, an answer he seemed to like.

He let out a small sigh "the moon does look beautiful tonight" his eye found the glowing sphere in the sky "You can get a spectacular view of the moon in New Eridu from this angle" he tells you "but everyone knows that the moon is actually battered and beaten... The moon is dead. What we see is its corpse" he spoke wistfully "someone I used to know told me once." His words sure surprised you, surely you hadn't taken him for the poetic type. But as your eyes followed his, noting the subtle otherwordly shimmer of the hollow that covered a part of the moon's surface, you couldn't help but agree. "It sounds kind of beautiful" you replied, and he chuckled a bit "your responses never fail to surprise... and amuse me" he fully turned to you, a question glittering behind his crimson iris "If I may be so bold to ask, would you accompany me somewhere? The view is beautiful at night, but it takes a little effort to get there" he asked offering you his hand, and you obliged "of course" you responded "thank you. If you'll please pardon my breach in etiquette." For a moment you fail to realize what is happening to you. "hold on tight" he spoke, low and gentle before a feeling of wheightlessness suddenly rushed up and you automatically screwed your eyes shut as you clung to Lycaon's shoulders, the gentle call of the night breeze rushing in your face.

When your eyes opened, you found yourself standing on solid ground again. "we are here" his voice sounded out before you finally saw where he had brought you.

"A rooftop?" You questioned. "I come here whenever I can't sleep, just to feel the breeze" he explained taking a few steps towards the edge "there is no scientific way to corrobarate this, but this place that makes me feel at ease. I always find it easier to sleep after coming here" you took a few steps towards him as you took in the view "you can walk around and take in the view... if you're not afraid of heights." Up here New Eridu stretched as far as the eye could see, the lights of the buildings glittering as they were reflected in the water. Just below you the night life was still buzzing with people enjoying their evening, while you enjoyed yours up here.

You looked at Lycaon, noticing that something seemed to be on his mind as he chewed on his bottom lip absentmindedly. "Are you alright? You seem bothered by something?" You ask him and he clears his throat, seemingly in embarassment "not necessarily bothered, however..." he trailed off seeming to internally brawl with himself "It is just-" if you didn't know any better you'd think that he was flustered by something "- Y/n, if I may be so bold to ask" he started "would you give me the honor of going out with me sometime" he asked, clearly surprising you. He stepped closer to you and put a hand on your shoulder, his touch soft and caring "You are incredibly important to me, and that's something that will never change" his voice held so much honesty and emotion, it made your heart swell with a strong new feeling.

"I absolutely want to go out with you" you beamed at him, and his tail started to wag "you are very important to me as well Lycaon, I greatly enjoy spending time with you" you said, a small blush creeping its way onto your face "with you more so than with any other" you confessed, his tail picking up speed. For some time you two just looked at eachother, once again just enjoying the moment beneath the moon. The faint rustling of Lycaon's tail filled the silence between you before you spoke up mirthfully "Oh look your tail is wagging" you exclaimed "and your ears were moving too" his gaze found yours before he once again cleared his throat "...you must be mistaken" he says, discreetly grabbing the traitorous appendage with the hand behind his back. You give him an amused smile, but chose not to further tease him about it. You two continued your conversation, setting the plans for your future date in stone as the hours melted away.

After enjoying the breeze on the rooftop for a bit with Lycaon, you miraculously start to feel tired. You yawned and rubbed your eye, which gained his attention "It's already very late. Let me take you home" he said, offering you his hand again, which you once again took. He gently picked you up again and held you close while you burried your face in the crook of his neck as the feeling of weightlessness once again washed over you. Lycaon jumped over the roofs, the metallic sound of his prosthetics filling your ears, and the closeness to him erasing your fear of the immense height. His grip on you was firm but gentle, and you knew that he'd never drop you.

As soon as the familiar sense of weightlessness wore off again, you were greeted by the entrance of your apartment. Your feet met solid ground again as Lycaon carefully put you down "have a pleasant night. I hope you enjoyed yourself tonight" he spoke "may you have a good night's rest. You deserve it after having worked so hard today" he finished, placing his right hand to his chest before leaning down to bow gracefully. You smile and took a step towards him, placing a small kiss on his cheek " I wish you a good night as well, and text me once you're home" you spoke and his gaze found yours, his tail picking up speed again. "I will, thank you y/n" you stepped into your apartment and gave him one last look, smiling at him before closing the door.

Now a smile found its way on Lycaon's features as well, tracing his cheek with his fingers before he turned on his heel and made his way back home.

He knew tonight, he would sleep very well.

-*'♡'*-

[atamascolily]

I found Inu Curry's commentary on the "Prologue in Heaven" shot that haunts me, and it only raised more questions. I don't know what I expected.

Here is what it says as best as I can make out with my fledgling Japanese and a bunch of online references:

逆 さまにった街と穴があいた空。 The upside-down city and the hole in the opened[?] sky.

"Upside-down city" seemingly refers to Walpurgisnacht's goal of turning Mitakihara upside-down both literally and metaphorically by ripping the buildings off their foundations and making them hover in mid-air. It's a little difficult to see in the above sketch, but the finished film version is a little brighter so you can see the buildings in the upper corners.

However, what is "upside-down" depends on our perspective. Is the city upside down because Walpurgisnacht has made it that way, or because we, the audience, are viewing an upside-down image? This is another way in which Walpurgisnacht messes with our heads and confuses our ideas of what constitutes reality.

As for the second part of the sentence, there are a couple of different past tense constructions that are pronounced "aita" (あいた), and I'm not sure which is applicable in this situation because this phrase is written in hiragana. In this context, I'm guessing 開いた ("opened", "emptied") which has considerable overlap with 空いた, with the latter using the same kanji for 空 ("sky") and therefore creating a pun.

空 is a complex character with a lot of meanings, and I think it is doing a lot of load-bearing here, but for now I'll also note the contrast with 穴, which means "hole" in the sense of "cave" or "being underground". Earth and sky might seem like total opposites but given that 空 can also mean "emptiness" or "void", they simultaneously have a lot in common, to the point where 空 even includes the 穴 radical in it.

All this is to say, it feels like there's a lot going on in this line, and I still have a lot of questions. Still, it seems like we have a distinct contrast between the inverted (solid, material) city and the (intangible) "hole in the sky", which might refer to the black circular void at the center of Walpurgisnacht's mandala, which appears to be drawing everything up towards it.

逆 さまの山の頂にワルプルギスの後光。 Walpurgisnacht's halo on the upside-down mountain's peak

Once again we have a juxtaposition between two things, one of which is inverted, but this one is a little more straightforward straightforward, in that the halo is right there and the original Walpurgisnacht celebration was said to take place on Mount Brocken in Germany. And indeed, if you flip the image upside-down, it's much easier to see the "mountain" in this image--the pyramidal shadow upon which the witch's mandala now appears to be resting.

From this perspective, it looks very much like another drawing in the production note of Madoka's witch Kriemhild Gretchen reaching up to the heavens with Walpurgisnacht hovering overhead for scale [as explained in the two boxes immediately above the drawing].

This page is also the source of the famous Inu Curry quote that Walpurgisnacht and Gretchen are like two halves of an hourglass (bottom text), another statement that makes me want to gnaw on the furniture every time I think about it. Why would you do this if there wasn't supposed to be some connection between them??! And why an hourglass, given its associations with one character (Homura) in particular?

This is why I have always interpreted this shot as Walpurgisnacht and Gretchen together in "Heaven", which raises all kinds of fascinating metatexual questions like, "Why did Inu Curry et al. decide to open with this particular image?" and "Is this a frame narrative implying that the entire story is a performance by Walpurgisnacht?" and "If so, why would Walpurgisnacht be its narrator?", etc, etc.

Of course one very obvious answer to all of these questions is "Walpurgisnacht is somehow Homura and the story she is retelling is the story of how she and Madoka came to be united as super-witches in 'heaven' and everything we take as 'real' in-universe is actually inside her labyrinth and has been a staged production from the beginning", but at this point, that's all heavily speculative at best. (It doesn't hurt that the white glare resembles a vinyl record in motion, records are a recurring motif that go round and round, hourglasses are associated with Homura, etc, etc-- but I digress.)

Another is, "Inu Curry thought it looked cool and it's something that may never be fully explained, just like the anime's ending with Homura in the desert and the black wings isn't really explained in Rebellion", which may be correct but would be disappointing in a series where every other detail means something. Also, after a close study of Rebellion, it's clear that Inu Curry doesn't generally do random details--anything that's there has a meaning, even if only to Inu Curry, even if it's not fully elaborated or expanded upon in the finished film or in the production notes. So that seems like it might have happened here as well with this scene--that it's meant to represent something that wasn't ultimately developed in the final version.

It could also be that Inu Curry believes that Homura and Walpurgisnacht are connected, but that doesn't necessarily translate to the script that Gen Urobuchi wrote and so remains ambiguous and unspoken visual subtext. Or this could be something from an earlier draft that stayed in while other things got changed, so its original meaning is no longer relevant.

However, given that in the Rebellion Production Note, Inu Curry associates Homulilly, the "Witch of the Mortal World/Near Shore" with "color" (used in a Buddhist sense to mean form/matter) and Madokami with its opposite, emptiness (which also uses the same character for sky, 空) then it's possible that Walpurgisnacht is the upside-down city and Gretchen is the hole in the sky. This is admittedly a convoluted chain of logic that only works if you assume Homura is Walpurgisnacht, but given that Inu Curry created both of these juxtapositions in the first place, I can't immediately rule it out. Symbols and motifs evolve and change over time (or could mean two different things at once) and Walpurgisnacht is certainly "upside down"; if her labyrinth does contain Mitakihara, well, that's an upside-down city right there. But like I said, this is all purely speculative at this point.

That said, Inu Curry was clearly thinking along similar lines at one point, because an early draft for Walpurgisnacht in the anime production note shows Walpurgisnacht as a "stage" with buildings on it:

(If you're wondering why it's a bubble, it's because in Inu Curry's first drafts, the labyrinths were all spheres with fixed dimensions, which did not carry over to the final version.)

In Walpurgisnacht's final design in the anime, the stage became a giant cog, while the original gears at the base were replaced by the doll body, but at one point, the witch was indeed a city, or a facsimile of one. Her labyrinth disappeared because she is ostensibly too strong to "need" one, but her official goal is to turn the entire world into a drama nonetheless--which, as I read it, means making the entire world her labyrinth and erasing the distinctions between "reality" and "fantasy" entirely.

And given that Rebellion features Homulilly, a witch whose labyrinth takes the form of a city, and that city is initially indistinguishable from the "real" thing--and ends with said labyrinth seemingly encompassing the entire universe--the stage is now set for more reality-bending revelations in Walpurgis no Kaiten from one or both entities with overlapping thematic motifs.

Of course, how much of any of this will end up carrying over to subsequent installments is an open question, but I'm definitely watching closely to see where this ends up going. Since the title and at least the first trailer for Walpurgis no Kaiten suggest that Walpurgisnacht will return and her mysteries will be revealed, I'm hoping we'll finally learn what this cryptic "shot "Prologue in Heaven" shot and its description actually mean--even though I'm also bracing myself in case it ultimately remains unexplained.

[kurapikaspookie]

⋆˚࿔ ryusae as your dads | platonic 𝜗𝜚˚⋆

⋆꙳•❅°⋆❆.ೃ࿔:･*❆ ₊⋆

Sitting in front of the mirror, you touched your newly bleached hair. You dad sat behind you, smoothing over your hair, holding an unexplainably smug look on his face. The smell of bleach and strong perfume filled the hair, as he planted his chin on the top of your head. He wore a smart-looking suit, his pink-tipped hair slicked down for once in preparation for the press conference you all were going to.

“What do you think?” He smiled, scrunching up your hair as you nodded in appreciation.

“Wow… it looks so pretty!” You gasped, resting your head on your palms, your eyes sparkling with awe. Ryusei gave a satisfied smirk, as he finally stood back up, walking around and crouching beside you. He picked up the many hair clips and pieces of jewellery that adorned the table in front of you. He immediately started lining them up, a concentrated look on his face as he tried to find a fitting position.

“Huh… can’t decide where this should go. What do you think?” He nodded towards you, and you simply pointed towards a large bang that covered your face, trying not to burst of excitement as you balled your hands into fists and rested them on your lap. He clipped the hairclip in, leaning back and smiling.

“Fuck, it does look cool! You have good taste.” Ryusei says, sticking two thumbs up, before his head raises as a voice calls out to him.

“I thought I told you not to curse in front of our daughter already.” Sae walked through the door, as you turned to him. Immediately when he saw you, his eyes immediately widened, his brows furrowing. But Ryusei simply smirked back at him.

“…What.” He started, resting his arm on the doorframe.

“You like?”

“What did you do to her hair…” Sae sighed, slowly walking forward, irritation slipping through. “Right before the press conference as well, PR’s going to go mad.”

“Doesn’t she look cute?” Ryusei put his hands around your face like he was displaying a product. “She looks just like me now! She’s like my evil twin.”

You smiled innocently, as Sae paused, his eyelids drooping.

“I really like it, Sae-kun!” You say, grinning wider.

“I told you not to call me by my first name.” Sae deadpans, earning a laugh from you, as he sighs. He doesn’t give in immediately, walking closer and taking a good look at the hair, before finally saying, “But I guess I can get used to it.”

You and Ryusei pumped your hands in the air synonymously, before clapping them together like you had just earnt an award.

“Oh yeah! We got Daddy’s approval!” Ryusei gave you a wide smile, making Sae frown further.

“Don’t call me that.”

Ryusei’s eyelids fell. “Sorry, Mommy.”

Sae shot you a worried glance, glad that you seemed oblivious to all of this. He rolled up his sleeve and checked his watch, before clicking his tongue. “Just get in the car, it’s here already.”

𓊆ྀི❤︎𓊇ྀི

Admiring the millions of stars in the dark sky, from the comfort of Sae’s private taxi, you watched as the large building of the conference pulled into view. It was tall and modern, with a fancy red carpet running down a set of stairs. You watched various recognisable people walk in and out – footballers, singers, dancers, actors, the whole lot. It excited you to be able to go into such a place, and as the driver opened the door for you, you practically jumped outside. Your dads stood either side of you, holding your hands as you made it into the conference.

You looked over at the many faces in the crowd, your eyes darting around in awe as you recalled seeing many of these people on television. Whispers followed you as you slowly manoeuvred through, people parting to create space for you and your dads. That was before your dads suddenly stopped in front of a group of boys, tall and towering like them, who also wore sleek suits accompanied with rich perfume.

But there was only one you recognised.

“Uncle!” You exclaimed, as the boys all looked at you. Rin rose his eyebrows slightly as you ran up to him and hugged him tightly. He tensed, his arms going up, before sighing and patting your head.

“Don’t surprise me like that…” He muttered, but there was no real heat behind his words. He picked you up with one arm, adjusting and letting you get to the same level as the rest of the boys, who stared at you. Until –

“What an adorable kid.” A boy with spiky, purple hair smiled warmly. You remember him – you were trying not to laugh at his hair when you went to watch one of Rin’s matches. Carasoo, was it?

You pointed at him, an achieving grin on your face. “His name is Carasoo, right?”

Carasoo laughed softly, shaking his head. “Seriously? Do I look like soup to you? You wound me.”

That was until a boy with yellow highlights suddenly walked up in front of you, waving his hands over your face. “Hey, kid, do you remember me? I met you when you were like 2!”

The boy was pointing to himself with a wide grin, before Rin held you closer. “She’s not going to remember from that long ago, idiot.”

That was until you heard another voice from your left, as a long-haired boy with red eyes came into view. “Balance her better, you donkey, what kind of grip is that!? You’re scaring me.”

The boy frowned, but his anger was mostly aimed at Rin, who glared back but adjusted his grip all the same. Before –

“You know what, give my daughter back, I can’t trust you!” Ryusei stormed up to Rin and suddenly snatched you back, earning a strangled grunt from you, making Mr Red Eyes and another guy (you decided to name him Mr Ginger), a worried look.

“You’re even worse, you damn prick!” Mr Red Eyes said, crossing his arms as Mr Ginger nodded.

“He’s right. That’s not how you’re meant to hold a child, you know.” Mr Ginger said, frowning slightly.

“Shut it, you don’t get to tell me how to hold my own kid!” Ryusei said back, before suddenly holding you out, his hands around your waist as he smiled devilishly. “Have faith in me, I’m not about to drop her!”

That gesture earned a lot of giggles, and a boy with white hair and a green highlight even started recording, letting off a laid back chuckle, while a girl with long, cherry red hair frowned next to him.

“I’m about to take her from you, Shidou, watch it.” She said, her voice surprisingly deep as she crossed her arms over her chest.

“Relax, Chigiri.” Ryusei said, before pulling you close. “He’s a real nagger, isn’t he?”

You rose your eyebrows when you found out the ‘Chigiri’ girl was actually a guy.

“You’re so pretty.” You said, pointing to Chigiri as he rose his eyebrows.

“Well… thank you.” He said, smiling warmly as a purple-haired boy next to him gasped.

“Dude, getting compliments from kids has to be the biggest flex!” He said, laughing as he threw his head back. “I would put that in my resume if I were you.”

Chigiri simply laughed softly back, before someone suddenly called out to Ryusei, making him snap his head in the direction of the call. He sighed, leaning in to face you.

“Sorry, ‘lil kid, I have to go for my QnA. Who would you like to stay with, eh? You choose.” Ryusei whispered into your ear, spinning you around so you had a view of everyone. “Not him though. Or him. Or him either…”

You felt your options quickly narrow, so you decided to simply point to someone random person before they all went. You decided to simply point as Ryusei spun you around, watching as your finger landed on Mr Red Eyes.

“Eh? Barou? Well, if that’s what you choose.” Ryusei walked up to Barou, who sighed like it was a pain to carry you. He reluctantly held his arms out, frowning. “Well, Barou, well done! You’re the chosen one.”

You heard Barou huff above you, “Right, at least she chose someone that can actually hold a child properly.”

Ryusei laughed, and simply waved him off, going back to meet Sae, who was idly watching the entire commotion with an uninterested look, “You can’t stay out of drama for 5 minutes, can you?”

But as Ryusei linked arms with him, he looked back at you, waving you off with a small smile on his face.

Immediately when Ryusei and Sae walked off, Rin started.

“Give her back.”

“Not a chance.” Barou rebutted. “You hold her like she’s poisonous.”

“No I-“

That was when a blonde haired boy with blue tips of his hair wearing a red suit suddenly interrupted, followed by brunette with pink tips and a turtle smile.

“Well, who’s that up there?” He said, pointing towards you. Rin stepped forward, frowning.

“Who invited you?” He said. “Don’t remember you being in Blue Lock.”

“Oh? You don’t want me here? Shame.” Mr Blonde throwing his hands up and chuckling slightly. “I only wanted to talk to my fellow teammates, didn’t know you guys were so shy.”

You idly played with Barou’s hair as you watched the entire thing, watching as some other guys started to berate him. He didn’t seem very popular.

“We don’t want you here, Kaiser, so why don’t you pick up your things and leave?” A seemingly innocent-looking, dark blue haired boy walked over, as Mr Blonde rose an eyebrow and continued smirking.

“That so, Isagi? Unfortunately I don’t take advice from clowns.” He responded, adjusting his tie as he turned back to you. “Can I hold her?”

“Over my dead body.” Barou said, stepping back as he clutched your legs tighter.

“Is that your sister? That’s odd, you don’t seem to have blonde genes.” Kaiser looked back at Barou.

“That’s because it’s not.” Mr Ginger interrupted, “It’s Sae and Shidou’s kid, so you’ll probably get sued dry if anything happens.”

“You all are awfully rude.” The brunette boy spoke up from behind Kaiser, “Why are you assuming Kaiser has bad intentions?”

“Because he does most of the time…” Chigiri muttered.

“You better back off before I get my monster at you!” The boy with yellow highlights spoke up again, crossing his arms in defence. But the talk of a ‘monster’ unnerved you slightly.

Mr Blonde was about to fight back, but then you saw a familiar duo walk through. You dads. They were back.

“What’s going on here?” Sae asked, shoving Kaiser with his shoulder as he walked over. “Doesn’t matter anyway. I’d like her back.”

Barou immediately pulled you off his shoulders, passing you to Sae who held you with one arm in a similar fashion to Rin. However, he holds you more comfortably and stably, as the gazes of the other Blue Lock boys follow you. You hear them muttering behind you, but as for now, none of it matters. You’re back with your dads now, about to go on live television! Sae walks up to Ryusei’s side, who simply smiles as you manoeuvre through the crowd yet again.

“Remember what I taught you about live television?” Sae says, as he walks you there. “Try not to say anything out of pocket.”

“What does ‘out of pocket’ mean?” You ponder.

“It means not to say anything that I won’t want you to.” He answers. “Like last time when you told them that I accidentally fed you burnt food.”

Ryusei laughs. “Hah, I remember that! Good thing you have a private cook, neither of us can make food for shit.”

“Language.”

“My bad, my bad…”

As the two of you walked through a wide door into a white room, with several cameras dotted around the place and a background behind 4 chairs. An interviewer sat on the 4th one, giving you a kind smile as she waved.

Another camera man came up to you three, replicating the kind, practiced smile as he walked up in front.

“Right, so we’ll be live in about 30 seconds! We’d like you to hold her as you come in, to give a family impression!” He said, as Sae gave a curt nod. The timer counted down, making you practically burst of excitement. When it counted all the way, Sae and Ryusei walked into the room, Ryusei looking over at Sae who kept his gaze forwards. The interviewer waved them over, as Sae placed you down on the chair next to the interviewer, sitting on the chair to your left.

“Welcome, Sae, Ryusei, and our special guest, [Y/N]!” She said, leaning in towards you. You gave a wide smile, watching at the side of your eye as the staff gestured some ‘Awe’’s. “How adorable! Now, tell us about your dads, and don’t be afraid to expose them a little.”

She said light-heartedly, shooting a look over at Sae and Ryusei, as you heard Ryusei laugh behind you.

“Well, they’re really nice. Actually, Daddy number two dyed my hair before coming here.” You bobbed your newly blonde hair for effect, as the interviewer nodded and smiled.

“Aw, how adorable! It looks amazing, just so you know!” She said, to which you nodded.

“I know.”

That earned a few stifled laughs from the camera crew, and a louder one from Ryusei. “See that, Daddy number one? She takes after me.”

You decide to continue, adding other things. “Yeah, but they both can’t cook – oops. Daddy number one told me not to say anything about his cooking.”

You covered your mouth mischievously, as you turned back to Sae, who simply sighs and shook his head.

“Sorry Daddy number one.”

“It’s… fine, Daughter number one.”

You gasp, “I have siblings!?”

“No, you-“

Ryusei is bursting into laughter behind Sae, who simply runs a hand through his hair like this was the most tiring thing in the world.

“Well, they buy me everything I look at. Look, they even got me this cute hairclip!” You pointed to the hairclip in your hair, as the interviewer smiled even wider.

“Aww, so cute! What else do they buy you?”

“Everything. Everything except a dog, Daddy number one doesn’t like dogs.” You say, earning another sigh from Sae, and a laugh from Ryusei.

“Trust me, he loves dogs! He just doesn’t want to take care of one, isn’t that right?” You turn back to your dads, and Ryusei is leaning forward in his chair, his chin on his fist, his elbow on the arm of the chair. Sae simply looks back sighing and shaking his head.

“It’s annoying how you know me so well.”

“I’m glad you feel that way.”

“Oh, oh, but I have a unicorn! Daddy number one tells me I can get claim it when I’m an adult.” That earns a laugh from all of them (albeit Sae’s is stifled and soft) for reasons you don’t know.

“That’s lovely honey! Promise you’ll show me your unicorn what you’re an adult?” The interviewer held her pinky out, smiling as you intertwined your pinkies.

“Don’t worry, I’ll convince them to get it for me tomorrow instead.”

⋆꙳•❅°⋆❆.ೃ࿔:･*❆ ₊⋆

[apoloadonisandnarcissus]

WTF happened with the Battle of Eregion plot!? Multiple endings, reshoots, what?

After my rants and getting stuff out of my chest, it’s time to ask: what the fuck happened? What was that underwhelming and anticlimactic finale? Because it was a trainwreck overall, and it didn’t wrap up the season, at all. There are still several plot holes in place, and the red herrings piled up to a degree that seems absolutely nonsensical.

I’ve already mentioned this before on my rant, but episodes 2x07 and 2x08 looked out of place and disassociated with the previous ones. There seems to have been an invisible cut in the storytelling.

At the finale, we have scenes that are supposed to be epic (like Adar vs. Sauron, or Sauron Dark Lord coronation and him taking control over the Orc legions) looking almost like an afterthought, and extremely disappointing and predictable. The opening scene of 2x01 (the failed coronation of Sauron as the “new Dark Lord”) was more epic and well put together than this! And I’m not just talking about visuals, but the OST was lacking in "epic"ness too (which is very unlike Bear McCreary). Compare it with, for instance, the “Balrog of Moria” scene, where we saw that epic and “wow” factor, with both the visuals and the music.

We didn’t get to see Sauron with Morgoth’s crown on his head, and they really put the “a good story for another time” with Adar’s true name and backstory, and not to mention characters that died in the previous episode coming back to life at the finale with no further explanation (Arondir). And it’s puzzling because “The Stranger”, “Númenor” and “Balrog of Moria” plots seemed somewhat logical with their previous build-up. So, what the hell happened with the Battle of Eregion plot? (which happened to be the one I was the most interested in).

Last year, there were rumours that “Rings of Power” Season 2 might have filmed multiple endings. Now, we don’t know if this is true, or not, and there’s no way of telling now. However, when one analyses the whole season, something doesn’t look right, and pieces seem to be missing. Like they did reshoots. 

For instance: the Halbrand/Sauron in Galadriel's vision in 2x04 looked far more natural and well put together than the one we got at the finale:

These are two different scenes: and the wig in the final result looked kind of bad, and poorly styled. And the background is different: in the one from 2x04 there are trees, and the sky is blue; while in the one we got at the finale they are at the ruins and the sky is somewhat clouded.

One could argue the vision scene was supposed to be different, but why have the actual end result in 2x08 look so poorly done (as if it was done in a hurry), in comparison? One would think the production team would be more careful with the actual scene than a mere seconds’ vision. No? Especially since all the other visions Galadriel had in 2x04 actually happened in the show. Why was this one different?

Even this shot of Sauron looks completely out of place in that scene we got in 2x08.

1) "Crack theory" might have not been so "crack" after all

For those of you who aren't aware, "crack theory" was the theory that Elrond in Adar's tent in 2x07 was actually Sauron.

And if that was to be revealed as a plot twist at the finale, many of the plot holes from 2x06 and 2x07 would have been solved:

What did the corpse that showed up at Eregion in 2x06 truly said for Sauron to react in such way (anxiety and worry)?

Why didn't Adar take Nenya (nor even checked) from Elrond in that scene? It was the ring he wanted to destroy Sauron. Why sacrifice more Orcs and waste time? And what guarantee did Adar have he would see Elrond again, alive or even with the ring on his possession?

Why, after obsessing over her for the whole season, didn’t we see Sauron’s reaction to Galadriel being locked in a cage, when he was right across the battlefield, at the walls of Eregion? He was at the walls with Celebrimbor and the guards when the Elven army arrives, and the scenes shows him looking in their direction. 

There were many clues that this “Elrond” was actually Sauron, in the scene itself: 

Elrond was all cleaned up, with a fresh face, and pristine clean armour and cloak, and flowing hair, after we’ve seen him arriving at Eregion with his face dirty with mud;

Elrond acting OCC: it’s been established that Elrond is a diplomatic character than values the lives of his kin (and horses). Instead, we don’t see Elrond trying to reason or deal with Adar in any way, shape or form: he taunts him about sacrificing the Orcs’ lives and doing Sauron’s biding, while going full warmongering on Adar by threating to cover the river with his children’s blood, the next minute. In this scene, Elrond is using tactic of Sauron’s playbook, by planting discord among the Orcs and further enticing the siege of Eregion. He also “planted the seeds” of Celebrimbor’s death into Adar’s mind in this scene, which I suspected to be the most likely scenario to happen (more on that later);

Adar randomly mentions Melian, the Maia who fell in love with an Elf; 

Once Elrond calls him “Adar” (“Father of the Orcs”), there is a switch on Adar’s whole demeanour, and we can even see Adar looking deeper into Elrond’s eyes, as if he was suspecting him not to be actually Elrond. Charlie Vicker did say both characters share a connection and a recognition, and Adar did recognize Halbrand as Sauron. Besides, in their scene in 2x01, what triggers Adar recognition of Sauron is also the mention of his children. Since Sauron gave him “children” (as he said to Galadriel in 2x06), the mention of it might, indeed, prompt some sort of immediate recognition in Adar.

Elrond removes the pin in front of the Orcs soldiers and not one sees or says a thing about it. The Orcs are one thing, but he boldly faces Adar with his pin missing, and this corrupted elf, with thousands of years old, doesn’t even notice it?

At night, we have a scene of Sauron looking over the Orc camp, which anxiety and worry on his face, when no one was watching him. Apparently, for no reason at all (perhaps he was deceiving the audience, too).

Where could Sauron ever get the pin? We know Galadriel loses her cloak and pin in 2x04, when she faces the Orcs and gets captured by Adar. If Sauron was keeping an eye on her (pun non intended), he could have retrieved her pin there. And this would also explain Sauron's reaction to the corpse in 2x06: it was a message from Adar revealing that he had Galadriel in captivity.

Besides, Elrond's pin is square-shaped and fits the circle. While the one he used on the tent scene with Adar is diamond-shape (like Galadriel’s) and is placed on top of the circle (not inside). These were two different pins. 

Instead, it turned out to be just Elrond on steroids for some reason. But why I was so certain this theory could actually happen?  

“Last Temptation” featured a rendition of “Kiss OST” with Sauron’s theme on the background (this would most likely be the track for this reveal); 

We don’t see Adar at Eregion in 2x08. At all. He’s the leader of the Orc legions, but he’s just chilling in the woods?

2) Which causes me to believe Adar's scenes at Eregion were cut from the final result.

Why? Because he was probably the one set to kill Celebrimbor, and not Sauron. Because he was the leader of the Orc army.

Elrond’s father prophecy that, one day, Celebrimbor’s life would be in Elrond’s hand was mentioned twice in “Rings of Power”, in the Season 1 and in 2x04, when he and Galadriel discuss the visions she saw through Nenya. So, there’s one prophecy down the drain, and anothe red herring. Because Elrond couldn't win a freaking battle all by himself. This prophecy implied a more direct involvement on Elrond's part.

Elrond didn’t witness Sauron killing Celebrimbor and even that scene (even though amazingly acted by the Charlies, because they are great actors), seemed kind of underwhelming and an afterthought, with only a handful of Orcs showing up. Where was Adar? Wasn’t he obsessed with finding and killing Sauron? Wasn’t he supposed to be there, too? 

Sauron taking control over the Orc legions in 2x08 also felt deeply anticlimactic, and like an afterthought. He just talks to them? They are like "ok! Adar out, Sauron in!" These Orcs ain’t loyal! He doesn’t need the One ring like in the books? What? 

Even Elrond and Gil-galad's scene at Eregion looked incomplete and lacking, probably because they were set to have some kind of encounter with Adar, than just watching some scrolls being burned by the Orcs. 

And, in the moment, Sauron (not Adar) killed Celebrimbor, I knew they would never have Galadriel succumbing to Sauron (even though that’s where the foreshadowing placed throughout the season hinted at), let alone kiss him. Because that wouldn't do well with the casuals and the general audience, and would most likely tarnish Galadriel’s character.

And so, 2x08 erased all the clues, foreshadowing and build-up, and replaced Galadriel and Sauron with one-dimensional characters embodying “good” vs. “evil”. All of Galadriel’s inner conflict is gone, and she’s now pure and Virgin Mary-type (just like the lorebros wanted her to be). And Sauron is the ultimate pure evil, and his desire for redemption from Season 1 never actually existed, he was big bad all along, and did I mention just how bad he is? Because the showrunners wanted you to know that.

The showrunners either reshoot stuff or already had these scenes filmed (multiple endings scenario)

But some of them look so careless, I’m more sold on the “reshoot” explanation.

And we have OSTs that aren’t used in their integrity or seemed out of place with the scene in question: for example, “Last Temptation” track was supposed to be Galadriel and Sauron’s scenes, but the score isn’t fully used and some bits were actually cut from the final result, and replaced by "Fall of Galadriel". Why? 

My guess is the show-runners chickened-out of delivering the story they were setting up in Season 2, which was Galadriel succumbing to Sauron's temptation. And having him kiss her, even through an illusion, was too risky. Maybe because they felt it could somewhat "redeem" Sauron in the eyes of the general audience, or make him look weak or whatever. Or they just wanted to please the lorebros. Even though they turned Sauron into a "simp", until he wasn't and he's just a player now? It's hard to keep track when they keep ret-con their own story.

So, Sauron takes Adar's role, and Adar is now Sauron in Galadriel's arc, with her actually considering living in peace with the Orcs... because reasons? After they basically burned down all of the Eregion. Wait, yes, it's only bad if it's Sauron doing it. What?

Or maybe they just wanted to have the cake and eat it too? That as well. But still, I think they did reshoots because some of these scenes at the finale were very bad and poorly done in an overall good season as if little mind went into writting and producing them.

[roseofhybrids]

I can't recall if I ever went on a ramble about a MD head canon I have (I feel like I have, but maybe I've just thought about it so often that I've convinced myself I've made a post about it. Either way, let us endulge in the fixation)

it's about the worker drones' simultaneous crippling fear of the disassembly drones and general indifference to death.

Here's a cut because this ended up way longer than I thought it would-

Just about every worker drone is terrified of the murder drones (reasonably so, as they can peel one of them open like a mechanical orange) and yet in spite of this, they show a blatant disregard for safety once the sky demons are out of sight.

First two times we see something like this happen is when Khan lets Uzi go outside at night to "look at the door hydraulics" and later when the WDF guard corrects N on the name gin rummy instead of running for his life. Now, maybe Khan was too excited about Uzi showing an interest in doors to think about the potential danger, and maybe worker drones are big dumb dumbs most of the time.

But then you have situations like in the promening and cabin fever where groups of drones will initially show fear before quickly relaxing around the murder machines. They go from shaking in fear after watching one of their classmates being shot to offering friendship and poking one of them in the face in mere minutes.

So, why do they go from terrified to unbothered so fast.

Well, we know the drones on Copper 9 were mostly used for mining, a dangerous job that can have deadly accidents even when human safety standards are in place. So, JCJenson has to program these drones to dig up the ore, carry it to the surface, process it, et cetera. Building and repairing robots costs money, so ideally you'd want to minimize them getting damaged in the most cost-effective way possible. Safety measures decrease production and safety equipment costs money, so what are they to do?

My head canon/theory is that they programmed the drones to avoid situations that will damage themselves. Something to stop them from walking into pits and sticking their heads between moving gears. So if a drone sees another drone get broken by something, they're programmed to avoid the thing that lead to their buddy getting killed. See another drone get crushed by a rock? Avoid loose boulders. See another drone fall into a smelter? Avoid moving along the edge of the catwalk. And so on and so forth.

But you don't want them to be too careful. After all, if you program them with too much anxiety they'll be too scared to work, which will decrease production. So they also programmed them to proceed if they see that there's no immediate danger. Sure, three drones fell into a sinkhole in this area last month, but Steve's standing over there and not falling into the ground, so it must be safe. With this, also comes an explanation for their indifference to death, even when it happens to friends or family. If a drone grieves losing a coworker, then they won't work as well. So once the initial fear of seeing another being breaking passes, they move on and get back to setting off explosions (standing a few extra feet away this time).

Going back to the scenes from The Prommening and Cabin Fever-

The crowd is initially scared of V when she drops in. But when Lizzy explains that they're friends and insists that they "forgive and forget" they go right to clapping and cheering. As soon as the known threat proves to be safe, the fear switches off.

Cabin Fever is an even better example. They've all just watched V shoot another drone. N acts very friendly, but they remain afraid. That is, until Lizzy and Thad move to stand next to the two murder drones. They see the two not die by doing this, and immediately the entire group relaxes and are soon treating N and V as though they're just your run-of-the-mill drone. The worker teens only show fear again when they do something that could threaten them. Such as at the archery range when V points the bow at them.

They show similar behavior around Uzi that episode as well. When ever her presence is brought to their attention, there's visible fear. This makes sense with her past behavior in mind. Railgun exploding in class, taking over classmate's sentience, general violence. She's proven to be a potential danger, and so they're afraid when first seeing her. When she doesn't immediately do anything to harm another drone, they soon calm down to the point that they forget she even exists. She makes herself known when the bus arrives at camp Fear till their attention is drawn to the teacher and then the murder drones She shows up at the archery range and arrow into a flesh beast Fear until she runs away, name then forgotten She rips a drone's head off and pauses for dramatic effect In those few seconds of not killing her, Lizzy switches from afraid to criticizing her

It's like once the "threat" is resolved, their brains determine she isn't worth focusing on to the point of the drones forgetting her name. (In particular, Lizzy is really unbothered by almost getting killed in that episode. Possibly because she's been spending time with V? A sort of desensitization)

After all, if another drone isn't a danger, and they aren't working alongside them (not in the same mining team, not in the same clique) it isn't worth it to have info on them and tosses it to the recycling bin.

We see the solver drones and disassembly drones break this line of behavior. Along with Khan, Thad, and Lizzy to an extent. (Which, in all fairness, could just be main character privileges)

Khan of course shows to still care about Nori's death years after the fact, as well as concern about Uzi leaving at the end of the pilot. I think it's worth noting how the other WDF members in episode 2 react to him prioritizing Uzi over building a door. Calling the idea "cringe" and displaying general annoyance and sickness at the idea. Is it just because it's Khan and Uzi, or do drones just see anyone putting family over work as strange?

Thad isn't afraid of Uzi and doesn't have a negative view of her like the other teenage drones. Has he not witnessed her "shenanigans" or is he just braver and kinder than most drones? He isn't afraid of N in episode 2, but, as he says himself, N helped save his life. He also shows some concern for other drones dying when he mentions the disappearances to Uzi in Heartbeat.

Lizzy has also shown to be braver than most drones. Little fear around Uzi, was able to hang around with V long enough to set up the prom scheme, helped Doll set up said prom scheme despite Doll doing a bunch of murdering, willingness to just walk up to J and trying to punch her. Her being around V and Doll would suggest she doesn't have the same concern about other drones dying the way Thad does. But that could just be her putting up a front. Perhaps we'll get to see a little more in episode 8.

Hope anyone who read through all this found at least some enjoyment in doing so. I thought this would be, like, 3 short paragraphs tops, but now there's a little over 1200 words.

[shortnotsweet]

APPLES IN THE SKY (excerpt from THE THRILLING AND NOT AT ALL REPETITIVE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN MAN AND KID DANGER: “A CHRONOLOGY OF ENTIRELY TRUE AND HEROIC EVENTS COINCIDING WITH THE END OF HISTORY”) [1] [2] [3] [4]

[ Henry’s face is unreadable. In the background, desert mountains and vegetation rush past. Smoke rises in the distance, backlighting ambiguous red shapes that could be plant life, flaming crosses, or even ominous figures. The camera cuts to the back of the car with the invalid license plate reading “HERO”, speeding towards a red horizon. Ray twists back in his seat with a smile, reflected in the lens of Henry’s sunglasses. In the review mirror, Henry’s expression is contemplative. The shot pans to a bird’s eye view of the car eating up highway miles. ]

Charli XCX’s “Apple” from BRAT (2024): “I guess the apple could turn yellow or green. I know there's lots of different nuances to you and to me—I wanna grow the apple, keep all the seeds, but I can't help but get so angry you don't listen to me. To the airport—the airport.”

PANEL NOTES:

The smoke is an implication of wildfires in the surrounding area, which Henry and Ray simply drive past because there’s nothing else to do. Maybe those days are behind them. Maybe they’re just not adept in the art of firefighting, and the bigness of a wildfire is too rural or too raw for them to even adress. I think there’s a sort of irony to it, and it’s either heroes ignoring a disaster past their prime or simple not caring; they’re speeding off into an undefined future and therefore no longer grappling with apathy, but sliding into it. Thus, the road is interpreted as a junction between natural conflict running its course and urban obligation.

This was vaguely inspired, albeit not lifted directly, from my millionth or so reread of “Cuticle Tear” by atbash on AO3. Granted, it takes place in a broken-down truck and is not needlessly melodramatic, but AO3 user atbash does more with obligatory dialogue and omitted assumptions than I could do in 20 panels or so.

Specifically, the lyric “‘cause I’ve been looking at you so long now I only see me. I wanna throw the apple into the sky, feels like you never understand me, so I just wanna drive…” struck me as somewhat in line with the feeling—and example—I got from the fic.

Of course, neither yellow or green are used in the actual color palette, but the song carries themes of intertwined identity and generational effects passed down. I think Ray has imparted a lot of the best and worst things about himself to Henry, through the means of their friendship, professional, and mentor relationship. He’s not his dad. It’s worse, almost, that he’s not, because then it would at least be hereditary.

“Apple” is my favorite BRAT (2024) song right now, so of course it’s stuck in my head; I think there’s a flippant, escapist quality to it and can imagine two friends listening to it on the highway, checking out, but also—there’s not quite a realization, more like an unspoken feeling that what you are is a product. And it’s someone else’s fault. And when you look at each other, you’re seeing something else, or maybe you’re trying to. There’s something distantly escapist and obviously upbeat about the song, but there’s a disdain there, too.

It’s hardly visible, but the license plate on the car reads “HERO” singular, which is invalid but implies they have either a fake plate or Swellview is just so strange that their town itself has exceptions as to how they’re issued, again violating the laws and conventional physics of surrounding territory. They’re a weird exception, as always, and they’re getting away with it.

Their identities are so intertwined at this point that theyre conflated, so there’s an obligatory ego flattening going on as well as an erasure of both or one of them—most likely Henry’s—to accommodate. You might call it being a teammate, although how Henry feels about it after all this time is unsure.

Ray did this to him, the good and the bad doesn’t matter; it’s the fact that he did it.

[writtenbynamu]

Dickmatized

Myg X black reader

Tags/warnings: HAEGEUM! (Yoongi), mentions of human trafficking, talks of s/a (not by Yoongi, doesn’t actually happen), violence, degradation, rough, unprotected sex (wrap it before you tap it!), choking, daddy kink, perjury, reader is weak in the knees

Word count: 3.4k

Minors DNI

Your legs are crossed, right over left; back rigid as you try to maintain your composure. To anyone else in the room, your behaviour would have seemed normal. After all, women crossed their legs all the time out of habit or politeness. It was nothing out of the ordinary….or it wouldn’t have been if your legs had been crossed for any other reason that to quell the throb budding in your underwear.

You were better than this. You were a strong, independent woman. You were one of the two partners of Park & Min. A lawyer, a ridiculously good one at that; with one foot in the underground crime syndicate and the other on the necks of every prosecutor in Seoul. In this city, your name had to hold weight for you to survive…and yours was heavy enough to burden tongues. You made sure of it.

You had spent years getting your shit together, yet somehow, all it took was one look from him for you to fall apart.

You had first met Agust back when you were nothing but a decoy for the Itaewon dragons. The Itaewon dragons were one of the most feared gangs in Seoul, run by one of the most unassuming men you’d ever met. They sold everything from party drugs to cocaine to people. That’s where you had come in.

“Are you sure you want to do this noona?” The man before you asked as soon as the door shut. “You could get stabbed, or shot, or raped…oh my god this could end so fucking badly”

His teeth worried at his lip, the metal of his piercing hit against his teeth but he didn’t notice. He never did when he got anxious.

You tutted at him and walked over to where he stood. You looped a hand around his neck, urging him to look down at you and used your thumb to pull his bottom lip from between his teeth.

“Breathe Bun,” you said gently, rubbing soothing circles on his back.

His shoulders sagged and he dropped his head into your shoulders. He took a deep breath, shuddering a bit when he exhaled.

“ I don’t want to do this noona, I don’t want any of this. I just want to go back to art school” he said with a whine, a petulant pout on his lips. You resisted the urge to coo at him.

“I know bun, but it’s only for a little while hm? Just until your hyung gets back right?”

“Mhm hm” he mumbled, not ready to lift his head from the comfort of your warmth.

“So just let Noona do this so you can get it out the way in time to finish your project hm?”

He sighed against you and wrapped his hands tighter around your waist, pulling you closer to him. Time was going, but he needed the tactile comfort to ground him and so you let him have it for a few more minutes.

“Okay, now put your poker face on and let’s go do a drug heist Kook”

The plan was simple. You, Jungkook and the other dragons were supposed to meet up with some lackeys from D Town who had been interested enough in the “sexy foreigner” they had seen Jungkook parade around with to strike a deal with their mortal enemies. 15 kilos of pure white booger sugar for one night with you is what they offered.

It was insulting to think that they thought you had fallen for such a ruse.They knew that Seokjin wouldn’t have fallen for it, that’s why they waited until Jungkook had taken the reins. Jungkook might have been younger and less experienced, but he was no fool.

You would meet them and the specified location, demand a show of the product and then when they asked for you in return, the dragons would kill them and take the coke. It was foolproof, or at least it had been until the sky decided that it was the perfect time to burst and started to rain.

The dragons had the D town boys surrounded, guns drawn and pointed right at their heads. The sudden downpour had thrown everyone off-kilter and in the blink of an eye, you had found yourself with a knife to your throat and a gun pressed to your hip.

“LET HER GO YOU FUCKING PIECES OF SHIT”

Jungkook yelled over the clap of thunder that rolled overhead.

“ONE MORE STEP AND I KILL THE BITCH AND YOU” the man screamed.

Jungkook froze in his spot a glare on his face to conceal the dread he truly felt about the situation.

The man started backing away with you in tow only to freeze when he bumped into a hard chest. The smell of newports and the tiniest hint of…tangerine? Hit you both at the same time and you felt the man holding you start quivering.

“Having a bit of fun without me Jaehyuck?” came a low, deep voice; words gravely as if he hadn’t spoken all day.

“N-no Ag- n-no sir” he replied, hands trembling so much that he dropped the knife

“Really? Because it looks to me like you stole my product and tried to buy someone with it…” he spat.

The heel of his boots clicked on the paved rooftop as he circled the man holding you.

“What are my two rules Jaehyuck?” He asked, no demanded.

“N-never involve w-women and children s-sir”

“Now unless I’ve completely lost sight in my right eye and my left one has decided to start playing tricks on me… that’s a woman you’re holding…is it not?”

The man let go of you immediately, falling to his knees to plead with the man looking down at him with utter disgust.

You should have grabbed the coke and run over to Jungkook while they were both distracted, but you just couldn’t look away from your dark saviour.

You watched enthralled as he reached into the pocket of his coat, and you braced yourself for him to take out a gun of some sort; only to be confused when he pulled out a pair of red chopsticks instead.

The man seemed to recognize the utensils though, in fact, he seemed terrified of them.

“Beg for forgiveness.” Said the scarred man.

“I’m so s-sorry s-“

“Not from me you imbecile, from her”

To his credit, the man did beg for your forgiveness with so much sincerity and desperation that you almost felt sorry for him. But Scarface didn’t care. He used his chopstick on Jaehyuck in ways you had never seen before, ways you hadn’t known were possible. It should have scared you, but you had never felt more intrigued by a singular person in your entire life .

And when he was done, he held his chopsticks out so the rain could wash them off, bowed to you and offered you the coke as an apology (not that you weren’t going to take it either way) and turned to leave.

“Wait! What’s your name?” You asked, a bit winded from the adrenaline pumping through your veins

“Agust” he said “Agust D”

🥢🥢 🥢

“Agust” (as you came to know later)had been in the process of taking over the D- boys when you had your little run-in with them. He was keen on changing the way things worked in the gang, determined to make sure his rule was never questioned or contested. Killing Jaehyuck for not only undermining his authority but threatening to jeopardise the partnership he had been working to establish with the dragons through Jin was his first step in doing so.

Now, 5 years later, Agust had the largest cities in Korea, Seoul included, trembling under the weight of his thumb. He had long since created an alliance with the dragons and went on to take over when both Jin and Jungkook wanted out.

He owned almost everything and everyone. What were once periodic whispers of his name became incessant screams, loud enough that everyone knew it.

Still, very few people knew what Agust looked like. Sure they knew his name, knew who he was but he rarely showed his face in public, the threat of his existence was potent enough that he didn’t have to.

Still, in Seoul, walls could talk and they loved to gossip. And so everyone knew that “Agust D '' had a scar over his right eye and could kill people with his bare hands and a pair of chopsticks. August’s favourite part of his partial anonymity was the theories about how he got his scar. Some say he got it in an underground fight, others said he had been cut with glass in prison and the truly bold suggested that he had done it himself. They were all wrong, but they were fun to listen to.

When Agust did show his face, it was usually in a setting like you were in right now. A conference room full of lawyers being debriefed on his latest transgressions and how they would be expected to handle it, had he ever gotten caught.

The funny thing about Agust is that no matter who he bought or for how long he bought them, he never recruited a police officer or any member of the judiciary at all for that matter. He loved the rush he got from winning a trial simply because he had a good legal team; that he had you on his team. He liked knowing that he could win fair and square There was something so fascinating…so attractive about the way that you made an airtight case against the prosecution, how you played the jury like a puppet master in your… in his favour.

To this day, you had only lost once, a petty crime charge of aggravated assault for one of the boys. It should have rolled off your back because he, like almost everyone you represented, had been guilty. But there was something about the way Jisoo looked at you in that courtroom as if she knew she had won before the trial even began, as if she was better than you that fueled your thirst to be the best lawyer Seoul had ever seen, even if just out of pure spite.

🥢🥢🥢

There was something about the way Agust could command a room that made you feel hot all over. There was something about the way he spoke, calm, collected, controlled as if words were nothing but a nuisance to him and he had made them his bitch.

His presence filled any room no matter how big or small it was and his demeanour was enough to make even the most insolent of individuals sit with their backs straight. Fuck, he made you feel the need to sit straight.

You tried to pay attention as he spoke, but your mind could only focus on how his plump lips wrapped around his words. How his tongue darted out at intervals to wet his lips, how his fingers twirled the chopsticks he held between them as he paced the room. You couldn't help but stare at his hands, hands that had done unspeakable horrors to scores of people, hands that had dealt unspeakable pleasures to you.

You’ve officially zoned out. You hear no words, no shuffling of paper; your brain blocks out everything that isn’t Agust or your memories of him so much so that you don’t realise that the meeting is over until the heavy double doors bang shut. Almost instantaneously, the smell of cigarettes wafts towards you and you look up to see him standing beside you.

You swallow thickly.

“How was the meeting Y/N?” he asks you, taking a long, slow drag from his cigarette.

“Good.” you lied “It was good.”

“Hm,” he hummed. “ So what do you think Dongshik’s chances are on that murder charge?”

You clear your throat. “ I have full confidence that Jimin can get the charges dropped or at the very least, get him out on bail” you reply carefully, praying you didn’t sound as unsure as you felt.

Agust chuckled before spinning you around in your chair to face him and leaning over you so that your faces were mere inches apart.

“Good try baby, but “Dongshik” is one of your paralegals, not one of the dragons. The only crime he’s committing is wearing that God-awful fake Dior cologne.”

Shit.

“What's got you so distracted, hm pretty girl?” he asked, running his left index finger along your jaw.

Your breath hitched. “N-nothing, I’m just a little tired,” you replied, clenching your thighs together.

Agust narrowed his eyes at you, his mouth forming a straight line. Unamused. He takes one last drag of his cigarette before he puts it on one of the ashtrays on the long table.

He looks you up and down, gazee burning against your skin as his eyes rake over you, arms crossed against his chest.

“You know better than to insult my intelligence like that don’t you Y/N?” he asks, clearly not expecting an answer.

He grabs your chin and tilts your head up, forcing you to look at him “ You think I couldn’t see you squirming? That I couldn't see you clench those thighs for all they’re worth?”

His eyes were intense, just like everything else about him was but you fought defiantly to maintain eye contact with him.

“ I did no such thing” you retorted, much to his displeasure. He scoffed.

“You’re such a brat you know that? Such a big fucking brat.” he said shaking his head. “Stand up.”

You don't move, much to his annoyance.

He takes a deep breath and brings his right hand down to your throat, not squeezing hard enough to hurt, but applying enough pressure to get your heart racing and to know how serious he was.

“I’ll say it again once. Stand. Up.”

You obey this time, looking up at him as you rise from your seat, hand still wrapped snugly around your neck.

He releases you once you’re completely upright on your feet and sits in your chair. He taps the space on the table in front of him and you take the hint and sit.

He runs his hands up and down the length of your thighs and your legs part almost on instinct. He gets a view of your underwear, the dark red in the centre from how wet you were and hisses.

“See why you shouldn’t lie to me, baby? Because no matter what you come up with in that pretty little head of yours, your body will always tell me the truth, hm?”

He hikes your pencil skirt up to your waist and pushes your thighs further apart and your body arches towards him on instinct. He brings his head down to kiss at the sensitive skin and you barely hold back a scream when he sinks his teeth into your soft flesh. He runs his tongue over the bite and you whine. He pulls away to look up at you

“What kind of behaviour is this hm? The big bad Y/N making such a mess on this table? Aren’t you a bit embarrassed to be reacting like this hm? Dripping all over me as if I didn’t fuck you senseless just yesterday.” he says bringing a hand to your core and pulling your underwear to the side.

You roll your hips forward and resist the urge to bring your hands to cover your face because he was right. He did fuck you senseless less than 24 hours ago, but Agust was more addictive than any combination of drugs he sold. He was toxic, mean…evil if you were to consider anything he did with your moral compass…but you needed him. He might have been cruel to everyone and everything else, but he was good, so, so good to your pussy.

He pushes a finger into you, the cool metal of his ring grazing against your walls. He adds another and your eyes roll back and your head falls back. He starts pumping his fingers in and out of you, your wetness making obscene noises as you clench around his digits. The pressure builds up in your pussy embarrassingly quickly and your orgasm is so close you can practically taste it. You roll your hips forward to meet every thrust of his fingers urging him to go faster. And of course, in the most Agsust fashion ever, he slows down.

He pulls his fingers out of you, your juices running down to his palm and he meets your eyes as he licks them both. The sight is obscene and incredibly hot and it sends you surging forward to put your lips on his.

The kiss is a desperate tangle of tongues and the occasional clashing of teeth. It's wet and messy and it makes every nerve ending in your body stand on edge. Your hand makes its way around his neck and you pull away from him.

“I need you to fuck me,” you say simply. Chest heaving against the silk of your blouse, three buttons somehow missing from the expensive top.

He glares up at you and rips your hand from his neck.

“I don't take fucking orders from you” he spits as he flips you over on the table, face down and ass towards him. “But I'll give it to you just this once, and only because I want to feel you cum on my dick”.

With that, he pulls your underwear down and pushes into you in one go, ripping a scream from your throat as your walls struggle to accommodate him. He doesn’t wait for you to adjust before he starts thrusting into you. His pace is rough and punishing and you can't help the moans that escape you.

“Youre so fucking tight every. Single. Time.” he groans, punctuating his sentence with his thrusts.

He grabs onto your braids, pulling your head back so he could push his tongue into your mouth. His hips start moving impossibly faster, and you can do nothing but moan brokenly against his lips.

He brings his hand down to your clit and rubs it, and your eyes blow wide open and you scream.

“Yoongi please.” you beg.

His hips stuttered in shock.

“What the fuck did you just call me?”

Your eyes widen as you realise what had slipped out of your mouth. Agust had told you his real name years ago but you had never used it. Sure you had practised the way it felt on your tongue in secret but you had never felt brave enough to say it.

“I’m s-sorry,” you say in between moans

“Don’t apologize- fuck it sounds so good when you say it.” he moans out, picking his pace up once more “ Say it again.” he demands “ tell me who this pussy belongs to baby”

“YOONGI!” you scream, tears streaming freely down your face “ It’s all yours Yoongi please”

“That’s right. Thats fucking right” Yoongi replies. “I can feel you clenching around me, do you want to cum baby?”

“Fuck yes, Yoongi please let me cum” you begged.

Yoongi gives you one last particularly hard thrust and your entire body convulses as your orgasm washes over you.

“That’s it, baby, cum for daddy.” he guides you as he slows his thrusts down to barely their pace as you come apart around him.

His orgasm follows yours almost immediately and he spills into you, sending a combination of your juices running down your legs.

He runs his hand along your back as you go limp against him, recovering from your high and places a gentle kiss on your forehead and he pulls your underwear back up.

🥢🥢🥢

As rough as Yoongi is with you whenever you have sex, his gentleness after the fact always negates it.

As bad as Yoongi was for you, he simply made you feel too good.

Deep down, you knew Yoongi loved you in his own twisted way, and you loved him too. But neither of you was willing to admit that out loud. Instead, what existed between you was an unspoken agreement of ownership. You were Yoongi’s just as much as he was yours.

Of course, you saw something more with Yoongi than just fucking him, and it would b unfair to say that was all your relationship was.

Maybe you would've brought it up if you weren't so enthralled by him. If you weren’t so distracted every time he touched you.

Yoongi was everything you did not tolerate, and yet you tolerated him so well.

Yoongi was nothing but death, sex and bad vibes.

Maybe you were insane.

Or maybe you were just dickmatized.

[crazylittlejester]

A little gift, because you've been doing rough lately:

(Read this at your own pace, don't force yourself please-)

--------------------------------------------------

"Heyy Twilight Sparkle-poo my pookie?" War's voice slurred through shitty phone speakers.

"War. I love you, but never call me that again-" Twilight sighed. "What's up? Aren't you meant to be in rehearsals or something?"

"Yeahhhh 'bout that- can you pick me up? Pretty please?"

"Yeah, of course dude. Why, what's up?" Twi asked, trying to keep his voice steady and mask the anxiety gripping his heart; War never asked to be picked up early. Never. Unless he hurt himself.

"Uhhhh... don't be mad, but-" Twi was already terrified, "-'pparently I've got a concussion? Dunno how though."

"Warren..." Twilight had already stood up to search for his keys, though he kept his phone pressed against an ear.

"Please don' be mad-" a tremor ran through his voice as War mumbled the simple sentence.

"Hey, no, I ain't mad, buddy. Just worried." Twi reassured calmly. Even though he was darting about the whole apartment looking for the damn keys-

Suddenly, Sky burst into whatever room Twi was in, phone in hand and a look of both shock and morbid entertainment on his face. For some reason, Cynthia Erivo's voice was coming out of his phone...?

"TWI. YOU WON'T BELIEVE THIS-" Sky wheezed. He half stumbled over, thrusting his phone into Twi's hands.

It was a tiktok from their roommate's famous account. Of their roommate. Flying off... a fucking stage???

Or, more specifically, it was a video of whatever show War was currently rehearsing, taken from the audience. Everything going well, until one unfortunate performer misplaced their foot. Then War, as focused as he was on being fabulous (which he did very well, thank you), didn't notice. And proceeded to trip, try to readjust, then fly off the stage and crumple to the ground on his face.

The worst (best) part? The sound he'd used for the video was fucking. Defying Gravity.

"Guys? Are you watching Wicked without me??? I thought you loved me!" Apparently War had heard the sound through Twi's microphone, and was upset about it. His teary voice painted the vivid mental image of a wet cat.

"Nah, we wouldn't do that to you buddy. I was just showing Twi the video you posted earlier. We'll look up a slime tutorial for you later, okay?" Sky chirped, keeping his voice light.

"....I posted a video earlier?" War questioned, his voice faint and confused.

Distantly, a voice shouted, 'Hey, you need to keep pressure on that!' And then a quiet 'ow-'  from their friend.

Sky shot a 'wtf????' look at Twi, who responded by mouthing 'concussion'. Sky winced, understanding immediately. Painfully. He snatched up Twi's car keys from- wait, where DID he find them?- somewhere, and he grabbed ahold of Twi's arm to drag him to the door.

"We'll be there soon!" Twi called out, not bothering to wait for an answer before he hung up and snatched his keys from Sky.

The car ride was unremarkable, although tense. Sky spoke a few words, but mainly stared off into space while absentmindedly tapping on the glass of the window. Twi just focused on driving as quickly as he could while not breaking the law. Goddess knows a speeding ticket is not what he needs right now.

Upon arriving, the pair were greeted by someone they recognised as someone in many of the productions. She smiled and guided both of them to where the incident happened, chatting away nervously along the way. About the production, about how much she admired War and how they became friends through cat pictures, yada yada, until they arrived.

They found War laying on the floor with his feet propped up and an ice pack wrapped in a towel held to his head. At first, he didn't notice them, seemingly fascinated by the ceiling. It took Twi kneeling next to him and tapping his arm for War to finally blink away the fogginess in his eyes and look at him.

"Oh, hi. What're you doin' here?" War asked, eyes unfocused and pupils mismatched but too large for the bright lights.

"Uhhh, you called me. Asked us to pick you up." Twilight explained nervously, placing his hand over War's on the ice pack as he seemed to temporarily loosen his grip on it.

"Oh, huh... 's smart." War huffed, blinking and resuming the entertaining task of staring at the ceiling.

Sky joined them after he'd spoken to some people for a while to clarify what exactly happened. Yes, he did see the tiktok showing War tumbling off stage, but details!  Plus, he needed to know if War had taken any medicine and exactly what state he was in. Sky may be an expert on treating concussions, but he isn't magical!

A few words flew about before a conclusion was reached on exactly what to do. Twilight and a burly dancer guy helped to hoist War upright and drag him along with his arms over both of their shoulders. Sky trailed them, making sure that the ice pack didn't fall off even as War's head lolled to rest against Twi's shoulder. The dancer guy- who turned out to be War's partner for lifts- helped load the dazed twink into Twi's car and bade them a good night.

Sky joined War in the backseat, chosing to sit in the middle seat in case War needed his shoulder to lean on. Which ended up being needed, as not even halfway through the journey, War poked Sky. And poked him again. And again. Then well, War didn't object when Sky offered his shoulder to lay on.

When they arrived back at the apartment building, War was still a little too unsteady for just Twi to support him, and unfortunately Sky was too short. So guess what?

The pretty princess with a head injury wound up being tucked up in Twi's arms and gently carried inside bridal style. He giggled groggily and kicked his feet, playing into the 'damsel in distress' role. Sky couldn't help but roll his eyes, but still, he made sure to lock the car and open doors for them.

As soon as War was set down on his bed, a white fluffy blur zoomed across the room to jump on his chest. Tara circled around on her dad's body for a while before she nuzzled her face into his jaw and settled down. Though it felt like an impossible task, War dragged a heavy hand up to settle on her little body, prompting the good little kitty to start purring.

When Sky sat down beside War to pet his cat, Twi booted up the tv and looked around for a remote to bring up youtube. It took a while for War to realise Sky was there, but once he did, he made the most pathetic kicked puppy face and asked for him to come closer. Once he did, Wars used his influence as a certified soggy cat to flop himself over to lay in his friend's soft lap. He let out a content sigh.

"Alright War, what are you feeling?" Twi asked.

He'd set the tv brightness to low and somehow figured out how to set it to avoid eyestrain. In the youtube search bar, he'd typed in 'slime tutorial' and awaited input before typing in any musical names.

"Uhhhhgm... uh..." War pondered.

"Emotional support mean girls?" Sky suggested.

"YES." War agreed vehemently, his eyes lighting up. Tara lifted her little head with a curious 'mrrp?'.

Twi just laughed and typed it in. He looked back to the other two as he scrolled through the various results until he found one that had been watched many times before, which both Sky nodded enthusiastically at. So it was the one he selected. Though, before he joined his roommates on War's bed, Twi popped out for a few seconds to fill a bottle of water for War and grab snacks for everyone.

When he came back, he found War snuggled with his two cats, half laying in Sky's lap, and looking completely at peace. Sky appeared to be smoothing out War's hair, carefully detangling it with his fingers while avoiding the injury. Twi smiled softly, setting the drinks and snacks down on a bedside table before he climbed into the bed with his roommates. Though, before he did so, he shucked off his flannel jacket and laid it over War.

As it turns out, none of them made it through the full musical. War dropped off to sleep midway through and Sky's early sleep time made him shift around a bit so he was laying down with War resting on his chest before swiftly joining him in the realm of sleepiness. And well, Twi felt exhausted from all his worrying earlier, so when War tugged at him to lay down, who was he to resist?

(Sorry if I mischaracterised them, but I hope you liked this ! Please take care of yourself, remember to drink water, and keep breathing :] )

okay first of all im so sorry for answering this so late, i couldn't answer it from my phone because tumblr likes to bully me but i saw and read this like an hour or so after you sent it and it absolutely made my day oh my GOD. MY BLORBOS. ALKDHLHJDHKH EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE (insert image of little doodle guy screaming, I don't have my usual images because they're on my phone)

"Twilight Sparkle Poo" KILLED ME. there really is SO much to do with Twi's nickname

Also Twi calling him 'buddy' is so absolutely canon and real. He's one of the few people who can get away with calling him that without War getting mad

AND TWI IMMEDIATELY RECOGNIZING CYNTHIA ERIVO'S VOICE. I haven't been able to post a lot of new ideas for my modern au since the start of the new year but there's a whole thing with War being OBSESSED with Wicked and Twilight has been dragged to see it sooooo so many times, and he and Sky can hear the movie just coming through the walls because War will watch it alone in his room now that he can own it. He's like, an honorary theater kid. War never got to do shows because he was always so busy but that man does love a good musical (ALSO HIM FLYING OFF THE STAGE IM DEAD.)

Twi not speeding is also so perfect, he does not speed ever he's so anxious about getting pulled over

"dazed twink" and "pretty princess with a head injury" ABSOLUTELY KILLED ME. I SCREAMED ABOUT IT TO SEVERAL PEOPLE BECAUSE THATS SO FUNNY ALDJDBKDJ

ALSO TARA!!! HIS BABY!!! War is some soggy wet creature and so are his cats, they all just pile on that bed and dissolve into the 8 billion blankets he has because he is always cold

EMOTIONAL SUPPORT MEAN GIRLS. ABSOLUTELY. He'd also love legally blonde

AUGHGHHGAHGAHUAGHHHHHHHHH SHAKING YOU SHAKING YOU SHAKING YOU GIVING YOU A KISS ON THE FOREHEAD HUGGING YOU SPINNING YOU AROUND I LOVE THIS SO SO MUCH thank you for writing me my special little guys :') tears in my eyes rn this was truly so wonderful to open up my inbox to

I hope you have a wonderful day friend :)

[yuriisclumsy]

Love's Dance

𝚆𝚘𝚛𝚍 𝙲𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚝: 1,234

Part 1 | Part 2 (You are here) | Part 3

Authors note: I'm feeding you all good with this.

Four days have passed since I arrived here. 

I spend most of my time gathering intel and familiarizing myself with the place. One thing I noticed was the lack of underground operations here in the Henituse’s territory. The Count made sure to eradicate all sorts of dangerous activities for his people and family’s sake. 

Gotta give it to him, he did a spectacular job. The only underground activity—If you can call that—I was able to find were a few gangs in the semi-slums that didn’t have much strength. 

Aside from this, I also investigated and searched for the people on the list. Good news, I only have one last person to check. Bad news… 

It’s the Count’s son. 

“*Sigh…* Why does fate hate me so much?” I asked, looking up at the sky. Covering my face from the sun's rays with my hand, I search for writings, a sign…anything that could answer my question.  

“...oh, who am I kidding? Fate won’t respond to me, even if I were to beg for it.” 

Walking down a street full of vendors trying to sell products, my mind wandered to how I'll manage to get close to Cale Henituse, Count Deruth’s oldest son—and possibly his successor. 

A loud voice interrupted my state of mind, much to my dismay. It came from a woman standing on a podium. She had gathered a crowd with her excessive yelling; both adults and children were listening excitedly. 

Hmmm. Seems interesting My feet moved on their own, trying to get me as close as possible to this small curiosity. 

Getting a good listen at the girl, she seems to be announcing something. 

“Everyone! There will be a Festival in the next upcoming days!” The girl yelled excitedly. 

“A festival?”  

Having a festival means there is going to be more security, and knowing the Count’s record…yeah, no This was turning out to be a real nuisance. I don’t want to deal with that while doing this mission. I better find a plan to get to Henituse before the festival. But how…?  

Just as I turned to leave, the girl shouted again. 

“The Henituses’ are hosting this festival and are going to be in attendance through the whole thing! So don’t miss out on it!” 

This! I shot my head towards the girl, having a few stares at me. But I could care less. What is more important is the fact that I can use this festival to my advantage!  

If I can get him to mingle with the people, it’ll save me a lot of time! I grinned like a madman. 

“Look mama! That lady is smiling weirdly!” A kid pointed at me. 

“Don’t point,” the mother quickly grabbed him and walked away while staring at me weirdly. 

 Realizing I was acting out of line, I left the area to stop making an embarrassment out of myself. 

Ah! There is no time to waste! I need to come up with a plan fast! Otherwise, I'll lose this once in a lifetime opportunity. Thank you fate, I'll never doubt you again! 

I made my way to the room that was rented out for me. I did not notice the older gentleman in front of me and bumped into him, causing some of his groceries to fall. Luckily, he managed to catch all the items before they fell on the floor. 

“Oh, I am really sorry!” I vowed while apologizing, I went around him and stayed on my path. 

The older gentlemen stared at me until I faded into nothing. 

“...” 

… 

“So, there are two high class agents currently in the city?” Cale asked. 

“Yes.” Choi Han confirmed. Ron was right next to him when they made the discovery, so they went straight back to report. “One of the agents has been living in the city for a few years with little activity, the other recently arrived.” 

“From what we gathered, the newer agent is most likely the one assigned to whatever mission they gave out.” Said Ron right after Han finished. 

“Those are a few fries! I could go right now and destroy them!” A young dragon spoke while playing with his food, he smashed a cookie signifying what he’ll do. 

No, thank you. You’ll just destroy the city while doing so. Cale sweated at this image. 

“One of them is a bit odd if I have to say.” Ron spoke. 

“What do you mean?” 

“When me and the punk were searching, we ran across one of them. She seemed to be happily skipping while putting up bombs.” Ron said with a smile. 

You call that odd? She seems to fit right in with those weirdos. Cale thought. 

“What Ron said is true. She is really weird.” Choi Han agreed.

 

“What is odd about that? If anything, she matches Arm’s whole craze-quota.” 

“She was placing bombs in abandoned homes and alleys; places people didn’t frequent. Don’t you think this is a bit strange?” Ron finally said. 

Cale grabbed his chin in thought.

That is strange. Usually, Arm does not care for casualties. As long as they’re plans were met, anyone could go up in flames… Still, her placing bombs while skipping is concerning. 

“...keep an eye on her and take Raun and the cats with you. I want to dismantle the bombs to be safe.” Cale ordered his subordinates. 

“Yes, master Cale.” 

“Yes, young master.” 

“You ready big sister?” 

“Hm! Can’t wait to teach the youngest how this is done!” 

“I’ll show you, human, that Raun is the greatest!” 

“Good. Now go.” Cale dismissed the group. 

… 

They really just sent me on a suicide mission I thought, looking over the information I had on Cale as I sat in a desk in complete defeat. There were papers scattered all over the room; they covered walls, floor, and bed—there were even some in the bathroom. It wasn’t a pretty site. 

They were detailed plans I had been brainstorming, but so far, all the routes had flaws and countermeasures from the opposing party. I grabbed my hair in frustration. 

Cale’s party consists of powerful individuals: from skilled butlers to beast men. All beings I could not take down on my own, heck, I don’t think even with competent members of Arm, would I, in a million years, take them down. I can’t even hold a weapon correctly. 

“Agh…mmHGHMGHMM” I hit my head against the wooden desk. The despair I was feeling was immense. 

“Maybe it isn’t too late to run away yet…” I say hopeful, before turning on my rationality. “Oh, who am I kidding!? They’ll find me if I run away!” I cry out. 

I glance at the papers on the floor, but one gets my attention. The festival flier had beautiful dancers covering its frame along with some instruments. Flipping the paper to its back gives some information on one of the events of the festival: every day of the festival, right after sunset, citizens and guests can take part in a dance. 

I don’t get how they can plan all of this in a matter of days…the Henituses’ are incredible. Wait a second. If I can get the count’s son to dance, then I’ll be able to get to him! It still needs polishing, but I can combine this with a scraped plan. 

“Looks like I need to contact Agent Lance for a local dress.” 

…

𝚃𝚊𝚐𝚜: @lureslutes, @cruzerforce4256, @narcise63, @potterhead-whovian-117, @margieee194, @zenix108, @vimenorie, @lunavixia, @potterhead-whovian-117, @alithurism, @matchalyne, @minteaspoon, @dontknowhowtousethis, @valacz29, @rainalovesouya, @vimenorie, @lunavixia, @ru8yx. Re-blog or Comment if you want to get added into the Tag section for Lout of Count's Family updates. Back to Lout Of Count's Family Master-List

Master-List

[etherealmaidenprincess]

Moments Of Rest

A Sneak Peak of my, Sonadamy, fanfic 'Interwoven Vines' on A03. I have written a lot of scenes and working on things piece by piece. Hopefully will have the official first chapter (cuz the prologue is up) posted soon. For now I give thee a short one-shot that may or may not be changed in the final product.

Also @e-vay (I'm hope I'm not disturbing ya with the tagging)Thank you for inspiring me to truly pull out the Sonamy side of this one-shot.

CW: Pushing oneself too hard with work, mention of constant nightmares (this will be evident in my fic as well)

~~~~~~~~~

“Perfect!” Amy breathed, standing up to get to her next task. Only to feel herself stumble on her own feet. Instantly slamming her hand on the desk, leaning for support. Paper’s moving from their neat stacks, her other hand shaking.

“I knew it” Turning her head to see Sonic’s firm yet worrisome expression right before he was instantly at her side. One arm around her waist, the other holding her hand, gently guiding her to lean on him briefly. She felt her cheeks a bit heated before closing her eyes. Needing to shake off this feeling. He was already taken by him.

“Geeze, couldn’t wait ‘till you got to bed, huh?” He teased, causing her to shoot her head off his shoulder, absentmindedly so, trying to step away.

“I’m fine, thank you,” The gentle yet firm grasp on her hand stayed.

“Ames, you’re completely exhausted. When was the last time you slept?”

“I took a nap this morning.”

“I mean not at your workstation.” Amy sighed, gripping and fiddling the side of her skirt between her fingers. Unable to meet his gaze.

“Um….a few days ago.” She mumbled, preparing to run down this hill of a losing battle. A heavy sigh escaped him before reaching out to gingerly touch her cheek, encouraging her to look at him.

“Oh Amy…You’re pushing yourself too much. It’s okay to rest when you need to, especially so.”

“I can’t let this progress stop.”

“Why?”

“I want to ensure that their health doesn’t decline.”

“Uh…you do see the irony here, right?” It was then Amy realized they were already sitting on the edge of the bed, for who knows how long. Deep down, surface level, etc., she knew he was right.

“Look, I understand wanting to help ensure others are okay. But we worry about you too. After all, there’s only one of you.” The soft tone of his voice wrapped around her like a warm blanket. “Tails will take care of any documentation and check-ins. You? Let’s rest in bed until you feel well rested. Plus to ensure you do, I’m staying with you the entire time.”

“Sonic, you don’t have too. I can handle things, really.” A brief moment of silence before Sonic began to chuckle lightly a bit.

“Okay then” He smirked with a mischievous gleam in his eyes. “You wouldn’t mind indulging me for a second, right?”

“Okay?” She said with a mix of uncertainty and fatigue.

“Close your eyes for thirty seconds. You don’t fall asleep, I’ll leave you alone.” Glaring slightly before rolling her eyes, sighed, before closing them as he counted. Halfway through, Sonic slowed to a stop before gently leaning her back against the sheets. Covering her with the blanket. Then sent an ‘Operation Sleep Success’ message to tails via his communication device invention.

A while later, Sonic, sitting opposite on a chair, arms crossed over the back rest, leaning over and kept glancing between looking out at the night sky and Amy. Watching her every breath as her chest rose and fell. Many times he noticed her sleeping, she would be restless as if fighting off nightmare after nightmare.

Only this time, perhaps she was so out of it, was able to properly rest through a night without any disturbances. Glancing at his communication, he tapped away a message to his edgelord of a partner. Amy is finally resting well.

Good to hear. How is everyone else?

They’ll make a full recovery thanks to her.

Understood, I’ll see you home soon?

Yeah….Do you think she’ll want too Shads?

That’s up to her but….I only wish for her happiness.

Same…anyways, goodnight Edgelord.

Good evening, Faker

Sonic smirked before glancing back at the other one to ever make his heart skip a beat. Standing up, went over to sit upon the edge of the bed, reaching out and gently brushing her quills out of her face. She was beautiful in so many ways. Leaning over he pressed his lips against her forehead before pulling away smiling before having it disappear.

“Ames…..what have you been through?”

[lover-of-mine]

Me? Wanting to talk about the locker room scene in comparison to the cemetery scene to make a point no one asked about? Raise your hand if you saw this is coming 🙋‍♀️

Anyway, this is madness written by a gifmaker/video editor who hates coloring the cemetery scene with a burning passion and who spent the better part of the past 2 days trying to make a coloring work for the locker room scene, who also did some asking around with other editors who also seem to be having issues with the scene, and who spends way too much time thinking about Buck and death (someone drown that man, please).

I'm gonna start this off by saying that I don't really believe the cemetery scene will be directly addressed on the show no matter how much I wish it would. But something about the cemetery scene besides the actual content of the scene that keeps me up at night and had me writing multiple fics dealing with it, is the fact that the sky is only blue behind Eddie.

Why is that relevant in any way, shape, or form? The colors when the focus is on Buck or both of them have this almost yellowish tone that the focus on Eddie doesn't have. The sky and colors strongly imply that they added a filter to it in post-production to ensure the colors looked like that, along with the fact that it is a scene that's really weird to color something that happens when they go too hard on the filters *cough* crossover *cough* pilot *cough*. What does that have to do with the locker room? The locker room also has this almost yellowish tone that makes it hell to color. But based on my 2 days of testing different colorings and techniques, it seems to be a hell of a lot worse when the shot has that wall over there where the sun is hitting as a background.

That suggests that they wanted the scenes to have a specific lighting that they achieved later. Considering the way that the tendency of the cemetery is that the colors get muted or weirdly blended together and that the locker room goes YELLOW, I am assuming that they messed with the colors on the cemetery to make the colors look faded, giving it that gloomy feeling, which in turn made the sky almost white, and that they needed that sunlight reflecting on the wall to look that bright, which made the scene look a lot more yellow than it should. Seriously, trying to work this out I legit make it look like Buck is a Simpsons character.

Okay, but Anna, why did you make this particular connection? Well, the word is muted when Buck is talking about starting to date Natalia and then the sun gets brighter when he talks about them breaking up? COME ON. He's calling the relationship boring and the word literally gets brighter as he says it, madness.

Buck talking about dating Natalia -> Buck talking about breaking up with Natalia (please don't judge the gifs I don't want the stress of coloring them combined right now lol)

But that's the same reaction. Dude is smiling going in, he's smiling going out.

And considering Buck's relationship with his own death and the way I strongly believe that what drew him to Natalia was the fact that she didn't think his death was a tragedy and he wasn't ready to deal with the reality of had happened to him yet, to get him to the point where death is boring is progress. Makes me fear for my Buck breakdown wishes, but it is progress for that particular aspect of Buck, considering he has a very intricate relationship with death down to the fact he was born as a hail mary to prevent it. We have multiple near-death experiences, we have him saving the lives of people loves multiple times, the first time we see him he's saving a kid who drowned, his first big conflict is the fact that he's not handling not being able to save someone's life all that well, I can keep going, but you see my point, right?

The arc with Natalia, even though we didn't see the originally planned conclusion since the actress couldn't come back, had this point of Buck looking at what happened to him through the eyes of someone who didn't know him before and was actually excited about that happening, so he could distance himself from what happened and look at it from a "safe" distance. That distance also allowed him to ignore the very important "I need to do this for myself" thing from the coma dream because Buck is terrified of being alone, and that definitely includes the fear of finding out who he is by himself. Buck is bad at being alone, from meaningless sex, to hanging on to Abby too long, to hanging on to Taylor too long, to jumping in with Natalia, the first pretty girl who looked his way, it all makes this part of him very clear (parenthesis because I just had a thought, yes, Buck latches on to Taylor out of fear of being alone triggered by Eddie almost dying, but he thought he could have died himself considering the crane and everything about it and also the way he could very much have been shot at the same time as Eddie, he latched on to Natalia because he did die, he also almost died on his first date with Abby and Abby actually reached out to him when he was feeling all sorts of bad over someone dying, and he is held at gunpoint and watched a death that deeply affected him before he started dating Ali, so we have death as a connection here too, if that makes sense, I might have to come back to this thought later).

But the thing is, when you look at 6a for Buck considering the fact that Buck is passively suicidal, in a very I'm not trying to get killed but I don't think I don't care if I do die way, and how he probably thought he was going to die in a blaze of glory saving someone, and how he actually died in a pretty run-of-the-mill call, by something no one has any control over it, Buck's relationship with what he thought death was and would be for him changed. For one, Buck was not ready for how much it affected everyone around him, he never considered what the grief of losing him would do to the people he loves, but also, Buck's main excuse for his near-death experiences/impulsive behavior that puts him in mortal danger was "but I didn't actually die" like with the blood clots or "I didn't get the worst of it" like with the shooting, I think even the tsunami a little bit with how he felt about losing Chris. But he did actually die, and considering the fact that he went up that ladder when Chimney was ready to go up and Eddie also got hit by the lightning, he also got the worst of it. So he lost his own coping mechanism.

So he arrived at a point where death is boring and he is smiling like an idiot at Eddie welcoming him "back to the world of the living" and that could have fun implications going forward. Because, one, he still hasn't dealt with a big emotion in a healthy way, and two, Bobby is in mortal danger. Considering his reaction to Bobby being dead in his coma world and the fact that he has no coping mechanism left when it comes to death anymore along with his own relationship with water and danger we could have some fun reactions to these types of triggers for him there.

And thinking about the way Oliver keeps talking about Buck learning more about himself and also about Buck leaning on Eddie, someone who had his own journey dealing with multiple layers of his relationship with death, they have a fun space to play with there, with Buck's relationship with death, Eddie's relationship with Buck's death, and everything else that could happen with Eddie fully dealing with Shannon's death, and Buck dealing with anything really, Daniel, his own death, his fear of being alone, all as someone who actually wants to live, who's not just moving because he's alive and has no other alternative.

That's it for today, as always, if you reached this I love you 💜

[absolutebl]

This Week in BL - It's weird where I am right now, Okay?

Organized, in each category, by ones I'm enjoying most at the top. However, I've put quite a few on hold for travel reasons.

Oct 2023 Wk 4

Only a few screen shots for you this week, my hotel wifi is actually THAT bad.

Ongoing Series - Thai

My Dear Gangster Oppa (Thurs iQIYI) 1 of 8 - Classic unlucky in love failed crush on straight bestie = both v queer and v emo yaoi. I gotta say I like these actors way better in this than their previous series, and maybe that’s because Tew is more like Tul and I just like Meen better when he’s… erm… mean. All of which is to say, this is off to a wonderful start and I am about to lose my very sleep deprived little mind... ready for a ABL ecstasy rant?

I LOVE THIS SO MUCH I CAN'T EVEN.

"I play support because that way everyone is happy to see me show up," might be the single best moment of characterization BL has EVER seen.

Look here, in the grand cornucopia of BL universes this is my metaverse. It's pulp... but relatively high production. It has an established pair that I know I like... but who were given crap before. It's a tidy little script, it's not gonna run too long, and it's ALL the archetypes and tropes I love but rarely see. It's Japan's style otaku plus Korea's style gangster, Thailand's style friendship group, and it arrived out of NOWHERE. It's Korea's IP & money, Thailand's talent, and China's streaming service.

Do we know what the hell is going on?

No we do not.

Do we care when it's this much fun?

No we do not.

(In this I speak for everyone... no, EVERYONE.)

This show I why I got into BL.

Don't bother me with trifles. Me and My Dear Gangster Oppa are sailing off into the infinite pixilated sunset together, thank you very much.

Dangerous Romance (Fri YT) ep 11 of 12 - I managed to watch most of it on low rez before YT "discovered" I was in Asia and therefore could not be allowed to watch Asian shows. (AKA my VPN failed me.) But it seemed like a good ep.

My Universe (Sun iQIYI) Lucky Love ep 10 of 24 - I enjoyed this 2 part installment, it’s a bit of a sad sack recovery SAGA, but the acting is genuine, the couple believable, and the story felt particularly queer to me. 7/10 but close to an 8. It was really quite charming.

However: Next week looks not good on many levels - it's horror and I spotted guitar. Which is even more horrific. 

Absolute Zero (Thai Weds iQIYI) ep 5 of 12 - do temporal paradoxes exist in Thailand? That is the question. I gotta say Tor (Ongsa) is carrying this show and is doing a really great job, it's just the story itself doesn't resonate with me. Ugh it's so sad.

Is it, indeed, better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all?

We only on ep 5 and had a full story arc already, there is A LOT more to go.

Venus in the Sky (Tues iQIYI) 9 of 10 eps - the fact that in losing Sky Venus also lost his surrogate family explains his resulting bitterness a little bit more. I wish we had gotten this back story much earlier. Still stupid pulp made me cry, which of course means it's back in my good books. This story is slow as fuck, but I'm going on a rollercoaster with it.

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

Kiseki: Dear to Me (Taiwan Tues Viki & iQIYI) ep 11 of 13(?) - I love them, okay? All of them. This is a great sappy classic Taiwanese BL and it is my baby and you can’t take it away from me. MINE. 

You Are Mine (Taiwan Fri Viki) eps 8 of 10 - oh noes it got sad, I thought they would at least would have had drunken sex before the drama. Sigh. Still the kissing was good, as it should be from Taiwan.

If It’s With You AKA Even If I Fall In Love With You AKA Kimi to nara Koi wo Shite Mite mo’ (Japan Gaga) ep 4 of 5 - Amane is so brave. About being gay. Being out. Confessing. Its admirable if scary. Otherwise this ep was pretty slow. 

Bump Up Business (Korea Gaga) 3-4 of 8 - how do I feel about this show? Conflicted. Are OnlyOneOf doing a great job? Yes, actually. Am I enjoying it? No, not really. Is this anyone's fault? I don't think so.

The little linguistic negotiation was cute tho. And we seem to have gotten idols kissing in a BL both in the same group, so that glass ceiling dildo has finally been broken.

NineMill are unexpectedly good, also KB plays a great evil ex. Of the 3, I think only Nine is good enough to go into acting permanently (but he's not tall enough). Still, all hail OnlyOneOf... kings of the "gay concept." You boys make me v nervous but as couple-branding goes, you just out branded Thailand. Mad props baibies. Legit never thought I'd see the day.

Trust Korea to be in it to win it.

Mr Cinderella 2 (Vietnam Sat YT) ep 6 of ? - i pretty much just forgot to watch this.

It's Airing But...

I Feel You Linger in the Air (Fri grey) ep 8 of 12 - I will try to watch and do a series review in November but... not sure I will be able to. Fingers crossed.

Love in Translation (Sat iQIYI) ep 8fin - completed but I couldn't catch the last ep, my final thoughts in Nov.

Only Friends (Sat YT) ep 12 fin - completed, but see afore mentioned YT issues. I'll review it in Nov. I anticipate better internet soon.

What Did You Eat Yesterday Season 2 AKA Kinou Nani Tabeta? Season 2 (Japan Fri Gaga) ep 1 of 10 - I find this series more fun to binge, so I'm waiting until it completes its run.

I Cannot Reach You AKA I Can't Reach You AKA Kimi ni wa Todokanai (Japan Tues Netflix-Japan & ????) - in classic JBL fashion, I Cannot Reach You could not be reached. 

Can I Buy Your Love From A Vending Machine? AKA Sono Koi, Jihanki de Kaemasu ka? (Japan cinema release in-country only) - This one is a movie from Japan so in customary fashion who tf knows when (or if) it will get international distribution. Salaryman Ayumu Koiwai just can't tear his eyes away from the strong, muscular man as he checks on the stocks of the vending machine in his office.

One Room Angel (Japan Gaga) - adaptation of Harada’s manga of the same name (which I did not like) about a convenience store clerk who's stabbed, nearly dies, and returns home to find an angel waiting for him. With only 5 eps and a good chance this won’t end happy, I'm gonna wait and let you tell me how it goes.

Next Week Looks Like This

Upcoming October BL

10/31 SHADOW (Thai Gaga) 1 of 14 - this is a horror BL featuring ghosts and other paranormal elements in a high school setting. I'm not wild about Thai horror (or horror at all). It features Singto (who did paranormal BL He's Coming to Me) opposite Fluke N (who's done a couple horror's before). Also Fiat. Dan suffers from sleep paralysis, and in his dreams he sees a shadow that suffocates him. It gets worse when he transfers schools.

Upcoming November BL

11/3 Twins the series (Thailand ????) 1 of 10

11/17 Pit Babe (Thai) - Pavel my love!

11/19 Bake Me Please (OhmFluke but not, Thailand)

11/22 7 Days Before Valentine (Thailand) - horroresk

11/25 The Sign (Thailand) - horroresk

11/30 For Him the series (Thailand) - high heat

VIP Only (Taiwan) - may be delayed/canceled

Cooking Crush (OffGun, Thailand) - may be delayed, there some kinda gossip/rumor/shade happening at GMMTV

Wuju Bakery AKA Space Bakery (Korea) - this one may be DOA

2023 forthcoming BL master post (see comments, some are inaccurate, NOT KEPT UPDATED).

THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENTS

My Universe - I just enjoyed the angle of this kiss shot.

Uh huh. Sure, honey. (Bump Up Buisness)

COULD THIS EXPLAIN THE SNUFFLE KISS?!!!!

(Last week)

[channieskies]

𝕮𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗 𝖁: 𝕭𝖑𝖚𝖊𝖇𝖑𝖔𝖔𝖉

Pairing: Bang Chan x Reader, Jeong(Jung) Jaehyun x Reader (Fem/AFAB/Curvy/Plus sized)

Genre: Smut (eventual), Angst, Supernatural Romance, Urban Fantasy

AU: Supernatural AU, Vampire Au, Werewolf AU, Witch AU

Word count: 7061 [Reading time: 30 mins]

Networks: @neverendingdreams-net & @mirohs-aurora-society

Synopsis: You spend the day finding out about the mysterious and handsome Dr. Jay.

He washed and split sausages, putting them in a searing hot pan. “I was dying. I’d been shot center mass while  trying to protect another soldier. He had a family, his wife had just had a baby girl, he had a young son who had just started talking. I wanted him to be able to see them again, to live a long life with the ones he loved. Even if that meant I didn’t get to do the same. As I laid there, bleeding out, the sky turning from light to dusk, I noticed a man going from body to body. He hovered over each one, checking to see if they were still in the realm of the living or not. By the time he got to my body, the light was starting to fade from my eyes. I was only a few breaths away from death.” 

CHAPTER INDEX

A.N: Please reblog and leave a comment to let me know how you feel. I'd love a little feedback. Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it. Special thanks to @palindrome969 and @therhythmafterthesummer for reading over this for me. I could never thank you enough. Dividers by @saradika-graphics

Disclaimer: This story does not reflect the real lives or personalities of Stray Kids or NCT. I do not know them personally. This is purely a work of fiction.

Warnings: MINORS DNI! This post contains nsfw material. Please do not interact with it if you are under the age of 18. Do not translate or repost here or on other sites. This chapter contains use of explicit language.

The roaring sound of his laughter filled the room. His head was tilted back like this was the funniest situation he’d ever been in. You would have joined in, if his laughter wasn’t at your expense. “You- you should have seen your face.” He lifted his glasses, his eyes back to their normal warm brown color, and wiped his tears. “I’m not that kind of vampire, trust me. I’m heavy on consent, so I wouldn’t do that unless you asked that of me or volunteered to be my cute little blood bank.” His lips curled into another smile as your face twisted into mortification. What the hell was his problem? “It’s a joke.” He laughed, reaching his hand out to help you up. “We are going to have to work on your sense of humor.” He took your hand in his, pulling you up and out of your seat. “I got you something to wear out, so you don’t have to do the walk of shame back home.” 

He shook a finger at you, “Out all night with a strange man and coming back home in the same clothes?” He tsked, “Naughty girl.” He smirked at his own joke, though you found no amusement in it. “I asked your mom what products you liked last night, so while you were supposed to be sleeping, I did a little shopping. Everything you need is in the guest bathroom for you.” He led you to the door and pointed you in the direction of the bathroom. “I’ll come get you in about thirty minutes. That should be sufficient time, right?” His brows knit together in thought, “It’s been a while since a woman has stayed over. Ella usually protests and will put up quite a fight.” He looked over at the cat who was casually grooming herself. “But she likes you, so you got to stay.” He had a strange habit of putting his foot in his mouth. You guessed that was the trade off for having a face like that, he was more than a little goofy. You smiled awkwardly at him and turned to leave, making your way to the bathroom as quickly as possible without looking like you were running from him. You were totally running from him.

It didn’t take you long to get washed up. When he said he got all the essentials you needed and liked, he meant that. From your favorite body wash, down to your favorite lip balm and mouthwash. Full-sized bottles of it at that. You understood he was rich, but forty dollars for a bottle of shower gel was insane no matter which way you sliced it. But you weren’t one to look a gift horse in the mouth. That means it would be forty dollars less you'd have to spend. It also meant you wouldn’t have to buy a cheap dime store knock off that subsequently breaks you out, meaning you'd learn the hard lesson of you get what you pay for. All and all he saved you a trip to the doctors for an allergic reaction to some shit product  with ingredients you probably couldn't pronounce and the price of one very expensive cypress oil and black currant body wash, among some other not so pricey items. But, Dr Jay was a strange man. Or vampire, whatever he was. He talked extremely slow, like someone who was actively thinking before the words ever left his lips. His jokes- although they might be funny to you any other time- were crude and weird considering he really didn’t know you that well. His life seemed sheltered as well. From your point of view, he didn’t seem like someone who had a lot of friends. How could he be when people would inevitably grow old and die while he drank from the spring of eternal youth. 

Your thoughts were plagued by the thought of the vampire whose home you were currently occupying. You couldn’t help but have a little curiosity towards the odd man. Your mind was so caught up in thoughts of the strange doctor you nearly lost track of time. Once you felt refreshed and changed into the clothes he had gotten you, you checked over your appearance in the foggy mirror. Bags. You had enough baggage under your eyes to fill an airport baggage carousel. You hoped that maybe the mix between the expensive shower head and shower gel melted away all of the burdens that had piled up on your shoulders over the last twelve hours. Because you genuinely felt lighter, freer. Even if your face showed no indication. You stepped into the hallway, just to be greeted by Dr. Jay leaning against the banister, in a fresh change of clothes. It truly should have been unfair for anyone to look like that, especially without effort.

“You must be the opposite of your mother, you’re early.” You chuckled at that. Your mother was always late, notoriously so. “Come, I’ll make you breakfast.” You had so many questions. So many that your mind was asking them all at the same time, while simultaneously forgetting most of your other executive functions. You stood there, like a bump on a log, unmoving. He was still animatedly chatting to himself, while walking down the winding staircase. He stopped when he got to the second landing, turning around to stare at you. “I promise, I do not eat people. It’s normal human food.” Socks made her way towards the stairs at the promise of food, so you followed. “Looks like we have a taker.” He clapped his hands together and headed down the stairs towards his kitchen. “Anything in particular you like or don’t like?” He led you down a long dark hallway, only tiny specs of light poked through the blackout curtains.

“I’m not picky.” You sort of mumbled, your mind still too preoccupied with figuring out exactly what was going on here. Dr. Jay was seen out and about in daylight and he wasn’t burning up and turning into a pile of ash in the children's playroom. There was a big skylight in the middle of the room and he wasn’t sparkling like one of those teen movie vampires either. What if he wasn’t a vampire and something entirely different all together? But why would he lie? There were demons, known to be tricksters and liars. Dhampirs were half human, that would explain him being able to walk in the daylight. God forbid he be an incubus, and all of this was a ploy to get you to sleep with him. You were so wrapped up in your thoughts you didn’t see him stop and collided into his back. 

“If you have something to ask, you should ask it. It’s rude to assume.” He said with his back turned to you. “I’ll let you know that I’m a very open book.” He finally turned around to face you. This was the first time all morning that there was no amusement in his eyes. “So, what do you want to know?” He folded his arms over his chest. For an open book, his stance was very closed off, but you ignored that.

“What are you exactly?” Your eyes focused on his face, hoping you’d be able to read it.

“Vampire. A fairly young one.”

“How young?”

He tilted his head in thought. He was counting. “To be exact? Four-hundred and fifty-four. My birth was well documented, that's how I can keep up with the exact year. But it’s not in the history books like it should have been.”

Your brows furrowed. “History books?” He nodded, his face still emotionless. “Then… who are you?” The corner of his lips curled into an unamused smirk.

“I told you yesterday. I’m Jaehyun. But since you insist on calling me Dr. Jay outside of the hospital, we’ll go with that.” He shrugged it off as if that was what you meant when you asked him that. You knew his name, like he said, he told you that yesterday. But a well documented birth from over four hundred years ago meant that he had to be important or at least born to someone important. “You should eat. It’s been a while since you’ve eaten anything.” Turning on his heels, he headed deeper into the kitchen, you followed behind him.

“What happened to being an open book?” You sat at the island, elbows on the countertop as you leaned your chin on your folded palms.

He washed his hand and proceeded to pull out food and pans to cook for you. “I’m going to tell you. Be patient.” He chuckled. Once he was situated on the other side of the island with his bowl and eggs, he started. “I was born February 14th 1567 in Korea, to a prince and a royal concubine. I was their only child together.” You didn’t know why, but a prince made so much damn sense. His face alone screamed royalty. It would also explain his incredibly soft hands. A prince would never have to work a hard job a day in their life. It all adds up. 

“My maternal grandfather was the highly respected right state councilor during the time. Even though my father was an adopted prince, my grandfather thought that he would have a high chance of becoming king since the king's biological son died at a very young age. The king himself was in a coma after falling ill, so the queen dowager handled the political offers alongside her councilors. The queen despised my grandfather and by extension my mother. She felt that he was trying his best to find a way to rule from the sidelines. Truthfully, she forbade marriage between my mother and the prince. But the prince had already laid with my mother, even though they were never supposed to be alone, especially not long enough for something like that to happen. I was the first child born to him and the only one born to my mother. The royal court thought it best to keep me off of the books. I guess you never knew when you might need an illegitimate heir to the throne, right?” He chuckled breathlessly, mixing the eggs he broke in the bowl. 

“Plus, they were young and unmarried, it didn’t look good in the eyes of the council or in the court of public opinion. So, I was raised far away from the palace in one of the homes my grandfather owned. I lived a very normal life as a noble child, had the best education, and plenty of friends. But I longed for more. There had to be more to life than just being special because money or status said you were. By the time I finished my schooling at Sungkyunkwan, instead of being a scholar or becoming a junior councilman, I chose a different path for myself.” He chopped onions and mixed them with the eggs along with other ingredients. “I decided I wanted to fight. I wanted to protect my country, my people, mainly my mother, especially from people like my father. He was abusive, as were most Confucian scholars. To them it was totally suitable to beat your wife when she was misbehaving. But she wasn’t his wife and my mother was the purest soul that I’ve ever met, so misbehaving was not in her nature. Even after he married, he still would frequent our home, using her however he pleased, beating her whenever she didn’t fulfill his needs. Never giving the life he promised her, but always leaving with the promise of moving her into the palace, ‘soon’. Promising to make her the main royal concubine.” He scoffed, turned his back to you as he put the eggs in the hot earthenware bowl to cook.

“Your father sounds like a tool. Your mother deserved better. But maybe that's why you were born as her son. You were a gift from the universe, an apology for the mistake your father made. You seem like you cared about her a lot and that probably meant a lot to her.” He shrugged off your statement. “So, let me make sure I’m following along.. essentially, you are a prince, with no real claim to the throne. A spare male heir.”

“By blood, yes. By title, no. I was just someone's illegitimate child.  According to the townsfolk, I was some married man’s child. It wasn’t far from the truth, my father was in fact married. But the circumstances that they conjured up about my birth couldn’t have been further from the truth. They called my mother horrible things, shunned her into a life of isolation. It nearly drove her crazy.” He shook his head, he had moved on to washing rice, his back was towards you as he faced the sink in front of the window. Even the views from his kitchen were obstructed. Dark window dressings seemed to be covering every single speck of light that might even think of getting in.

“It nearly killed her when I told her my plans of joining the army. She told me that I was throwing my life and education away for no reason. I could see how she could feel that way. Years of her sacrificing her sanity so that I could make something of myself, just for me to throw it away and join the army. But I told her all of my reasons. That me needing to be able to protect her, was the biggest of them all. She didn’t understand and I couldn’t convince her to either. So, I joined against her wishes. I snuck off to the capital in the middle of the night, leaving only a note behind. My grandfather was the only person who knew my whereabouts. Unlike my mother he thought that this could be a good thing. He still has wishes for me to be king one day. So he made sure I made my way through the ranks quickly. I was promoted over and over,  eventually I was given a team…” 

He paused, taking rice and putting it in his rice cooker. “My early twenties were spent moving through the ranks of the central army. Though my training took place in the capital, I wished to be as far away from my father as possible. I took on different roles in different cities to stay as far away from him and his prying eyes as possible.  By that time I was twenty-five. I didn’t think…” He sighed, “I didn’t think my life in the army would end so tragically. Where I was stationed was ambushed. We were the second defense against the Japanese when they attacked, the first was the navy. They did the best they could to fight them off, they really did. All we could do was watch from the shore and wait for them to attack us.” He sighed, closing the top down on the rice cooker and setting the timer. “Just the sheer size of their army, and the weapons they were given from Europe, nearly decimated us. The ones of us they didn’t kill, they took back to Japan on turtle ships.” 

He washed and split sausages, putting them in a searing hot pan. “I was dying. I’d been shot center mass while  trying to protect another soldier. He had a family, his wife had just had a baby girl, he had a young son who had just started talking. I wanted him to be able to see them again, to live a long life with the ones he loved. Even if that meant I didn’t get to do the same. As I laid there, bleeding out, the sky turning from light to dusk, I noticed a man going from body to body. He hovered over each one, checking to see if they were still in the realm of the living or not. By the time he got to my body, the light was starting to fade from my eyes. I was only a few breaths away from death.” 

You were engrossed, listening to every word he said while waiting for your food. “He stood over me, I lifted a shaking hand to try and protect myself from whatever attack he wanted to unleash on me. He spoke, but it was Japanese and I didn’t understand that at the time. He told me to rest, that he would handle it from there.” He huffed, shaking his head. “I guess he meant what he said, My eyes slipped closed just as he knelt next to me. I couldn’t fight back even if I wanted to. That day changed the trajectory of my life. Or maybe that was how it was always supposed to go. If I had known that arguing with my mother would be the last conversation I would have with her, I would have done things differently. Maybe I would have pleaded with her to be a bit more understanding of my reasons. Maybe, I even would tell her that I loved her to her face instead of in ink on a piece of paper” He placed the cooked sausage on a small plate under a plastic cover to stay warm while he waited for your rice. You were so deeply engrossed in his storytelling that you hadn’t even noticed how fast time flew by . He turned his back to the counter, leaning against it. 

“I woke up seven days later, wishing he would have just let me die. I was in agony, it felt like my veins were on fire. Like I was melting from the inside out. I couldn’t even recognize myself. I don’t mean that in the visual sense, either. I didn’t feel like myself nor did I sound like myself. I felt like I had become a different person entirely.” He moved the steamed eggs off the stove to make sure they did not overcook. “The first few months of me being a vampire were the hardest. He, his name was Yuta, had taken me back to Japan with him, taught me the language, and helped me learn about the culture all while I was struggling to keep my darkest urges in check. Yuta was once a samurai who killed the head of the head of a household in battle. The wife and daughter of the man wanted to exact their revenge. They felt it wasn’t fair that Yuta lived while their beloved husband and father was slain. So, they called  on their gods to help drain him of all his blood, but keep him alive so that he could witness all that he loved fade to dust. It was their dying wish as they killed themselves to be with him.” 

You knew a little something about last wish curses. You were currently dealing with one yourself. “He hadn’t realized he had the power to turn people into whatever he was until his last living relative had died. But given the fact that this was meant to be a curse, I doubt he would have been able to save his loved ones even if he tried. Sadly, I think it took him losing everything for him to start saving people. He tried his best to keep me from letting my hunger consume me. Letting the fear of never seeing my mother again and the anger I felt from death swallow me whole. It was while we were living in some rural town on Kyushu Island in the Miyazaki Prefecture. He wanted to stay far away from the memories of his loved ones and I needed to be as far away from humans as possible. But it didn’t matter how far I ran from the urges, they were always there waiting for me. Those first few months I did things to satiate my insatiable hunger that I still can’t.. Get over or let go.” The rice cooker's loud chime nearly made you jump, you had blocked out everything else but him. Listening to his life story so intently even the smallest outside noise would have sent you flying off your chair.

He chuckled at your reaction and placed a paddle full of rice in your bowl before sliding it to you. With an oven mitt, he placed the earthenware bowl of eggs down in front of you and uncovered your sausages. “Juice?” You nodded, eyes shimmering over the delicious smell of food permeating into your nostrils. He poured some orange juice into a mug and sat it right next to all of your food.  Breakfast was served. 

“It took someone making me realize what damage I had done to break me out of the tragic cycle I had created. I was killing innocent people, uncaring of their circumstances, if they had a family at home. If they were good people or not. And that wasn’t like me. I died trying to protect someone, but I had thrown away all my morals when I turned. One night, while I was out hunting, I ran across a woman. Not an ordinary woman. She was beautiful, and had an alluring aura that pulled me in immediately. I lured her away from the crowded area I found her in and as I went to bite her, she looked me in the eyes, telling me she wanted to look her killer in the eye as she died. That she wouldn’t move on in the afterlife, until she got her revenge. It snapped me out of it for some reason. What had I been doing all that time, but killing people? Taking their future away from them? I had become a monster or maybe something far worse than that. I can still hear their screams. I can still hear their voices begging me to let them live. Their faces still haunt me till this day.” 

He stared blankly at the counter top as if it would reveal the answers to all of his problems, but you were sure you both knew that wouldn’t be the case. “Much like the women of your family, she was a witch. A powerful one. She helped me in more than one way that day. She asked if I wanted to atone for the things I did. If I wanted to be of service to the families and people I had hurt. She helped me track down every single person's family. I couldn’t bring their loved one back, even if I wished everyday that I could. But I gave what I could, helped how I could. But it never eased the pain in their heart or mine. I’ve been trying my hardest to atone for my sins ever since then to no avail.” A sorrowful smile spread on his lips, his eyes were pools of dark sadness that you felt like you were drowning in.

After the night you had last night, almost being eaten - and not in the good way- on the streets of New Orleans. You never thought you would be able to muster up the slightest bit of sympathy for a blood sucking demon, but here you were, feeling sad for Dr. Jay. “The kids did nothing but sing your praises yesterday. One of the girls even has an innocent crush on the handsome doctor, her words not mine. Every person I talked to yesterday sang your praises. Yes, four hundred years ago you made some mistakes, but you’ve been making amends for it since then. Even if you still have guilt for doing things that were out of your control, you have paid your debt back. You continue to do good, continue to spread positivity. It’s okay to see it that way, Dr. Jay. It’s okay to say you did and are continuing to do a good job. To be honest with you, saving kids is a lot. The fear of losing them alone would cause enough mental anguish in most people to make them reconsider being a pediatric surgeon. On that alone, your past transgressions have been wiped clean. These kids, they are the future after all. Well, maybe not so much for you… But for us humans that age, these kids are the future.” He chuckled, feeling a little bit lighter thanks to your words. “You are doing more good than a lot of people are, trust me.” He flashed his deep dimples, once again looking down at the counter as if it held the mysteries to the universe.

“Thank you. I needed that.” You gave him a smile. He certainly was an interesting man. Old man? It was a confusing concept to stay the least. He was over four-hundred years old, but still looked to be in his mid twenties. You were sure that had to cause problems for him. Never again probably meant he couldn’t stay in one place for too long. “I can’t.” Your brows knit together at his sudden outburst. Confusion written all over your face as you stared at him. “I can’t stay in one place for too long.” Your eyes nearly bulged out of your head. That was the second time that morning he’d read your mind. At first you thought that maybe your pensive face gave you away, but no, this man was invading your mental space and reading your mind.

“What the fuck?! That's a violation, Dr. Jay! Don’t read my fucking mind!” He put his hands up to defend himself as you dropped your fork to your now empty plate. He was immortal, but that didn’t mean he wanted to face the wrath of a woman with so many sharp objects in arms reach.

“Wait- wait! Before you jump to conclusions, I promise I wasn’t actively trying to read your mind. It.. just happened. It’s like hearing your thoughts as my own. It’s truly hard to describe. But please don’t think of me as weird or violating your mental space… like you said.” 

“Dude!” You threw a folded dish towel at his head, your expression bordering on being fully dismayed. “Stop that!” He laughed as you jumped down from your seat and moved around the island and over to him. Your index poked at his chest, your eyes narrowed pointedly at him.

“Get.Out.Of.My.Head!” With every word came a poke and with each poke his smile widened. “This isn’t funny!” How the hell hell did he think this was funny when you were clearly distressed? So the true bloods, and Wes Craven’s of them all were right? They could read minds? Did that mean he could also control your mind? Command you to do things you had no thoughts of doing? What the heck else could he do? Your mind was reeling. How was this scarier than finding out your best friend shifted into a wolf under the moonlight?

He grabbed your hand causing you to still. Your eyes gazed up at him as wide as saucers. You wanted to pull away but felt compelled to stay put. He must have been doing this to you. “I promise, you are the only one I hear and… it's not like I hear everything. I hear you randomly. Sometimes at the end of thoughts, other times when the thought first occurs. It's been happening since yesterday.” He let your hand slip from his once he realized you were a captive audience. “I guess it's like how you can see my past. It's not every touch, but it just happens sometimes.  Yes, I know you see my past. You all but shouted what you saw in your mind as you ran away.” It just happens sometimes? That seemed like a cop out to be honest. But being that you were both in this predicament, it was best to just believe him. Especially since it seemed to be the case for the both of you. You didn’t get flashes of his past with every brush of your skin against his, as strange as that sounded. Truthfully, you were thankful for that and thankful that he spared you all of the gory details of the life he used to live as a fledgling vampire. “I think we both had a moment of shock and realization at the hospital upon our first meeting. I’d never heard anyones inner thoughts before. It was kind of exciting, seeing you panic like that though. Every time it happens, I like to watch you spiral, it amuses me greatly.”

Your eyes couldn’t have rolled at him any harder. This man was like any other man, minus Christopher on rare occasions. Just downright annoying. “I’m beginning to get the impression we may be tied together. Destined to meet in some sort of capacity. How else can we begin to explain what is happening between us besides some sort of red string phenomenon.” His shoulders lifted in a shrug as if that was a real explanation as to why he could hear you and why you could see him and his past lives so vividly, as if you were there. “I heard you last night.. that's why I was standing outside at that hour. I'm usually inside, resisting the temptation to hunt.” You absentmindedly took a step back at that. You hadn’t even realized you were so close into his personal space. You didn’t want to be his meal after he’d made yours. But once again it was like you were drawn to him, never realizing you were skirting so close to becoming a part of him with how close you'd get to his personal bubble. 

You swallowed hard, your saliva feeling as dry as dirt as it went down your throat. “Thank you.” You cleared your parched throat. “For saving me and for the meal. It was surprisingly delicious.” Again, you cleared your throat only to be met with a glass of cold water. You’d only blinked and he'd gotten for you. “Is that your power? Speed?” He only smirked, leaving your question unanswered as he tidied up the kitchen at a normal, almost sluggish speed. What was with this guy? He kept a smile on his face, but it was flat, leaving him looking like he had a bracket for a smile. “Okay then..” You nodded, turning to head out the way you’d come in the kitchen. 

You needed to get home. You were sure your mother was going to send out a search party soon, even with you being with her doctor boss or not. “I’m heading out.” You chewed on your lip as you backed towards the door slowly. “Once again, thank you for your kindness and hospitality. If you ever need- shit, I guess I have no choice now…” You sighed thinking of how your mother told you that you now carried the burden of the family curse. Which meant that no matter what, if someone came to you, you’d inevitably have to help them. “Well if you ever need a witch, a very inexperienced one, you know who to call.” You awkwardly gave him a thumbs up and went to turn on your heels and hightail it out of there. 

“I’ll give you a ride back. I did tell your mother that I would deliver you home safely, and I keep my promises.” You didn’t know when he got next to you, but there he was, standing right by your side in the hall that led to the kitchen. “Plus, you have no idea how to get out of here, even if you try to retrace your steps. It’s a bit of a maze.” He chuckled, “You see, there is a glamour on this house. One that also keeps me protected, much like the runes in my bed chamber. Your family has done a lot of good will towards me, so I'm forever in debt to them.” 

You really didn’t think much about him bringing your great-grandmother up earlier, the man was over four hundred years old, you were sure he’d met plenty of people in his lifetime. Of course that could include your great-grandmother who lived well into her hundreds. 

“Your grandmother did the glamour. Your mother, well besides taking care of Ella, she brews special potions for me to help me sleep and to build up my tolerance for sunlight. She’s a miracle worker, really. I don’t think I would survive if it wasn’t for her. Things would be a lot harder for me, that's for sure.” It was like he’d read your mind before you even got the chance to think. Him not surviving without your mother when he’s been alive for over four hundred years sounded absolutely foolish. But if that was actually what helped his old ass sleep at night, then so be it. He chuckled, your eyes shifted to his face, wondering exactly what made him laugh. “You’re funny. You know that right?” 

Why was it that this man of all people could hear your thoughts? Good thing you weren’t thinking things that were too indecent. Because how could you explain that? “I mean, if you want to think about me in indecent ways, I wouldn’t object.” He wiggled his eyebrows at you causing you to involuntarily scoff in disgust. 

“Just take me home.” You were mentally and physically tired. The last few days were enough to drain you. But the last twenty four hours was filled with enough information to take out at least two full grown men. His jokes would normally make you chuckle, they were right on brand with your off-beat sense of humor. But right now? Right now you didn’t even want to hear him talk. No matter how attractive you thought his voice was. He kept his mouth shut after that, leading you out of the house and to his covered driveway. You’d only had the pleasure of knowing  one or two gentlemen in your life. One was your father, teaching you how a man should treat a woman. Even if none of the lessons stuck for you. The other was Chris. He had been ‘raised right,’ according to your mother. But other than the two of them, you didn’t expect any chivalry from anyone, especially the men raised in this day and age. You hand reached to open the door to his car only to be gently pushed away.

“I’ve got it-” Dr. Jay shook his head at you, grabbing the handle and opening the car door for you. 

“Not with me around you don’t” You didn’t want to smile, but your lips still curled up despite your efforts to keep them neutral. He moved back so you could get it and softly closed the door after. This was almost an unfamiliar sensation. Your exes- all of them- wouldn’t know what chivalry was even if it hit them in the face. It was almost a skill how piss poor your good man finding skills were. It was almost like you were dead set on finding the worst men possible and dating them. Like you had no other options. Chris could be an option. Maybe even someone like Dr. Jay- You stopped yourself from thinking any further past that. He could hear your thoughts, you didn’t want to give him any ideas.

The trip home was silent, minus the r&b playlist that he decided to fill the dead air with. Dr. Jay had very good taste, even if most of it was understated. His house was well decorated, but not overly so. He had a luxury car, some brand you’d never seen or heard of before,  but it looked normal from the outside. The inside told another store. It was luxury in every single sense of the word. Plush seats that warmed and cooled, leather interior, and a super high tech center console. You kind of wondered how much of your body you’d have to sell to afford luxury like this in your lifetime, because there was no way you’d be able to buy something like this one minimum wage. Even his music taste was good, but very normal. Nothing about him screamed ‘I’m over four hundred years old’. Truthfully, minus being a doctor and being a bit of a gentleman, he could fit right in with the twenty-somethings you went to college with. Dr. Jay was odd, but very normal concurrently. If you were being totally honest with yourself - which given the weird way you both have had to get to know one another- you would almost say you like being around him. He wasn’t a terrible company keeper. You could see why so many people liked him, if you subtracted out the ones who were very besotted with his striking visage. But even then, you’d give them a pass, because he was gorgeous- even if you’d never ever admit that out loud again. One time was embarrassing and good enough for you.

His car came to a stop in front of your mother's house. You couldn’t shake the nervousness that started to rattle you a few blocks from home. It was a new day, but so much had happened over the last twenty-four hours, you weren’t sure if you could say you were the same person you were yesterday or the day before. “You don’t need to be worried.” He turned the car off, shifting his body towards you. “I didn’t have to read your mind to see the signs of your anxiousness.” He reached his hand out with no hesitation, taking your shaking hand in his. “Your mother is one of the kindest people I know. Vampire, human, and witch alike.” His hand was warm, despite his disposition. Your hand felt good in his. “She’s also understanding. You left home last night in need of some space, and I’m sure she understood that. She just wants to see you safe, you are her baby after all.” He mocked your mother teasingly and you chuckled. She really did say it like that. “We didn’t get your toiletries bag from the house.” He frowned a bit, realizing he had forgotten something, “It can stay there, just in case you need an escape from your witch duties. That is if you want.” You couldn’t deny spending time with Dr. Jay wasn't as bad as you thought it would be. He was an interesting character, yes, but he was also nice to be around. Comforting, almost. You nodded, eyes traveling down to your hand that was still in his grasp. He hadn’t let go, and you made no move to separate yourself from him or get out of the car. 

He tore his attention from you, a faint smile appearing on his lips. “Your mom doesn’t look like she got any sleep last night.” He chuckled, noting her very visible bags, even from the porch. “I guess you two do have a lot in common.” In mock offense, you moved your hand from his just to push him lightly. Your laughs fill the space of the car. “Come on, I’ll walk you to the door.” You nodded, finally feeling at ease enough to head inside. Like before, he came and opened your door, extending a hand this time to help you out. “You are welcome at my home any time, Y/n.” You smiled at him, thankful for his kindness and generosity.

“Thanks, Dr-...” You paused for a second. After the night and morning you’d had it made no sense to keep calling this man by his professional title. He was friendly enough to you that you could almost say you were friends. “Thanks, Jaehyun.” His eyes lit up as you said his name, the dimples on his cheeks deepening. It was clear you saying his name made him a little shy, even if he had no blood to rush to his dead cheeks. “I appreciate everything you’ve done for me-” 

“Y/n.” Your words were cut off by the sudden interruption. You tore your eyes from your new friend to focus on the one you knew the most about. “It’s time to come into the house.” His voice was rough as he spoke to you. Eyes narrowed at something in your direction. There were few times you’d seen him upset, but for the most part Chris kept his cool. But his body was tense, there was anger flaring up in his eyes, tension in his jaw. His fists clenched as he took a step off the porch. You mother, grabbing her robe with one hand, used the other to stop Chris from going any further. “Now.”  You followed his eyes, finally understanding what had him so bothered. Jaehyun.

“He’s right. You should get inside.” The smirk that Jaehyun sported was nothing short of sinister. “Wouldn’t want your pup to get upset, now would we.” His deep chuckle sent chills up your spin. “I hope you get some rest, beautiful.” He decided to lay it on thick. He wanted to exacerbate Chris’ already heightened anger. He leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to the top of your head, eyes focused solely on Christopher. “Later.” He softly chuckled all the way back to his car. You stood there unmoving, even as he drove off and his car disappeared around the corner. You were unsure what just took place. Did they know one another? Or was there really some ongoing dispute between vampire and werewolf kind? You just found out they really existed, you didn’t know how you’d deal with Twilight being halfways true.

Your mother rushed down the stairs to you. She and Chris communicated with their eyes, unbeknownst to you. “You made me worried last night. I haven’t gotten a wink of sleep because of your shenanigans, young lady.” She comforted you, holding you tightly in her arms all while chastising you at the same time. She was such a mom. “My gosh, look at your bags.” She chuckled softly, rubbing the skin of your cheeks with her thumbs. “Looks like we both need an eight hour nap.” She grabbed your hand, pulling you along with her into the house. Your eyes settled on Chris who was still standing there on the porch, trying his best to regulate the anger that the doctor had caused him

“We’ll talk later.” You nodded, agreeing to shelf a much needed conversation for later. But you were certainly afraid of what your dear friend had to say.

PREVIOUS CHAPTER⇠☾⇢NEXT CHAPTER

© ✐Channieskies 『MINORS DNI! This post contains nsfw material. Please do not interact with it if you are under the age of 18. Do not translate or repost here or on other sites. Please leave a like , comment, and reblog if you enjoyed this story.♥』

[coffe-book-club]

✩‧₊ coffee, coffee, coffee *༄

info: boss tom kaulitz x staff manager fem! reader

summary: your boyfriend and boss of the coffee shop where you work, decides to take away your role as staff manager after you broke two coffee cups, without even notifying you.

disclaimers: none in particular, just a little bit of agnst and a little bit of a love quarrel. mini one shot

the moon had taken over the dark blue sky adorned with numerous shining stars, it was now closing time and i was near the counter bending over the floor to pick up the ceramic shards of the cappuccino cups.

by mistake a boy had bumped into her and with the loss of balance the tray had slipped from her hands and she had dropped the cups, her owner was finishing cleaning the shot glasses and was watching her in silence, but she knew he was angry.

tom was walking towards her with an expression of fury, his lips were clenched together and his cheeks were flushed, the other employees looked on in shock, this is the first time they saw him angry. tom looked at her for a few seconds before asking her in an ice-cold voice: “how dare you be so clumsy?!”

she look up slightly, her face flushed with embarrassment as she continue to put the ceramic shards back on the plastic tray. “i didn't do it on purpose, i'm sorry”

since they had started hang out outside of work, he had started to be much more strict with her at work. tom stayed quiet for a few seconds as he looked at her with a cold and sharp expression, he let out a sharp inhale before speaking again: “i don’t care if you did it on purpose or not, but this is unacceptable! how dare you be so clumsy?!”

he kept staring at her with that same sharp and cold expression that seemed to pierce right through her, other employees watched nervously as they feared that he’ll blow his top and fire her.

a small sigh leaves her lips making her look down again as she finish picking up all the ceramic shards. they had spent a quiet morning together, they had slept together the previous night and then went to breakfast together and now he was angry with her. “i'm sorry”

tom let out a small grunt of irritation before speaking again with a cold and sharp tone: “well, you should be.” he stayed quiet for a few seconds as he stared at her again before speaking again with a little less sharp tone: “do you know how much those cups cost?”

he stayed quiet for another few second as he stared at you with a cold expression, he then finally said with an annoyed tone: “they’re expensive, you have to be aware of that!” he stayed quiet again for a few second before speaking again but with a bit less of an annoyed tone: “i’m going to take the cost of those cups out of your pay, are we clear?”

a light snort leaves her lips it wasn't the first time he deducted money from her paycheck even when it wasn't her fault, she was the staff manager and every time someone made a mistake she had to pay the consequences. even though tom and her were dating.

as soon as she finish collecting all the ceramic shards from the two cappuccino cups, she straighten herself up again with the plastic tray in her hands, placing it on the bar counter, and then pass tom to go get the broom and dustpan from the closet. “don't you think you're exaggerating? they were cappuccino cups not crystal goblets, you will buy others again...”

she answer him in a flat tone of voice going towards the changing rooms where there is a small closet nearby where inside there is the counter and the cleaning products, the broom and the mop. my colleagues didn't say a word, they remained silent as they finished cleaning the cafè.

tom stayed silent for a few seconds, he seemed to be thinking about what you said, he then spoke again with an annoyed tone: “oh, so now you’re trying to tell me how to run my business? this is why i deduct money from your pay, you seem to think that you can just do whatever you like” he stayed quiet again for a few seconds as he looked at her with that same sharp and cold stare, she began hearing the other employees whisper around her.

she avoided replying so as not to have to continue arguing with him, walking past him without even turning to look at him. going along a small corridor to go to the back bar where there is the wrong room for the employees and next to the small closet, to take the broom and the red plastic dustpan. the closet had no windows, it was small and gave off a slight smell of a closed and slightly dusty room.

tom seemed annoyed by her not replying but he didn’t say anything else as he stared at her and she walked past him, he seemed to be thinking as he watched her.

the small room where you went to was in the corner of the coffee shop, it was a tiny room with no windows and it smelled slightly dusty as her picked up the red plastic dustpan and broom to clean up the broken cappuccino cups.

through a text message from a colleague of hers. she learned that her boyfriend, before closing the bar, had made some phone calls to look for someone to replace her and take over her role as manager of his employees, after four months' training and half.

when she read that message she had just returned home and her heart sank into an abyss of sadness. she had always been committed to her work, trying to give her best and make the work of her colleagues easier, always taking responsibility for their mistakes and tom hadn't even told me about it, he had just acted. tom had decided to replace her because he felt that she were too lenient with the employees and he was becoming tired of her letting them get away with small mistakes, so he decided to hire someone who would take over her role as manager and be more strict with the employees as he felt that’s what his business needed. he hadn’t told her because he didn’t want to make it seem like he was replacing her because he was tired of her, he just wanted to appear professional and didn’t want to make it seem personal.

hi 🍒 how are you? it's been a very intense week at work and now i find myself with absurd pain in my feet, shoulders and arms 🥲 but right now my dear mother is making strawberry jam in the tavern and the house is filled with that delicious aroma of sweetened strawberries with an aftertaste of vanilla, which makes my mouth water. anyway, i had this one shot in the drafts for some time and i couldn't wait to publish it, because years ago i read a fan-fiction on the wattpad platform starring kim taehyung (v) of bts and as the main place it was a coffee shop. i hope you have a wonderful day. xoxo flo.