#shout out to everyone who got it! I’m glad it’s still in some people’s minds hahaha | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

clydethesnake · 2 months ago

Text

Icy Waters Vol. I

Chapter Seven

It’s six months before another note arrived.

Things had been going well in hindsight; Kiko got another job, as well as the one at The Union, so she was earning a little extra money, Bumi had come to visit again, she was having regular healing lessons with Katara, who assured her that she didn’t need any more lessons in combat, and in general, the feeling of eyes on her became a less regular thing.

She’d even had a rather successful birthday on Air Temple Island with the Beifongs and the Avatar’s family.

Kiko walks up the large flight of stairs to reach the Air Temple, unbuttoning the top of her black shirt after coming back from work. It had been a busy night, but she was glad to not hear any happy birthdays from any patrons.

Not that she’s told anyone her birthday here anyway.

It's a difficult day for the waterbender; without any family to celebrate, she never made it a regular habit to do something. Especially after moving to Republic City.

However, clearly, someone found out.

She jumps back like a scared cat, bending some water into ice shards as a weapon as she hears jumbled shouting.

“Dammit, Bumi! You ruined it.”

Kiko’s eyebrows furrow, her alarmed expression morphing into one of confusion. Dark silhouettes emerge from the bushes, illuminated by the street lamps dotted along the path.

She makes out a group of people, led by Kya who is scolding Bumi. Aang has a large smile on his face, Katara and Sokka by his side. Tenzin is also there, standing next to Lin with Toph and Su behind them.

“What...?” She can hardly mutter out before Katara interrupts.

“Happy birthday, Kiko!”

She looks at her best friend with an unamused expression, “Really? How did you find out?”

Kya turns to Lin, who is standing next to her mother. She has a slightly guilty expression, “I got the Chief to find your file. You know, you’re a hard person to find information about.”

Kiko's jaw drops slightly in disbelief, “I can’t believe you. That is so creepy, not to mention an insane breach of privacy!”

“I’m a police officer, and you’ve been arrested in Republic City before; technically, I wasn’t doing anything wrong. Besides, the majority of your file was locked.”

Kiko’s eyes narrow and she opens her mouth to speak, “Don’t be mad at Lin, she was checking for me.” Katara interrupts, her smile not faltering.

“Why?”

“Everyone deserves to have a nice birthday. We thought it might take your mind off everything that is happening.” Kiko stays silent for a moment, her eyes roaming the hopeful faces all looking at her, but Katara carries on, “I made roast duck.” She says in a teasing sort of tone.

Kiko’s head perks up at the mention of her favourite food, “I suppose I could stretch to having some nice food.” She walks past the group, “But no singing.”

So, when Kiko woke up one morning, the sunlight muted from the clouds and her sheer curtains, spotting a new envelope on her bedside table, the waterbender was understandably uncomfortable.

She almost doesn’t want to open it; the threat Toph has given her is still on her mind, if there’s any escalation further than some notes, then you are joining a programme immediately.

Kiko sits up and throws her legs over the edge of her bed, her head pounding from the lack of sleep she had received the night before. Working two jobs and having healer training is really taking it out of her; she’s hardly ever on the Island now. Katara will probably have me on house arrest after this.

They had all been hopeful that the waterbender’s stalker has stopped trying to contact her after six months with not a single new note. However, they have clearly decided now that they are done waiting. Kiko can’t help but feel a sinking feeling in her stomach, this is the start of something bad.

She reaches for the note on her bedside table, hands shaking slightly out of nervousness. It's in the same format as the previous two; a neatly pressed envelope with a single sheet of paper. And the writing, gorgeous copperplate, clearly written with good quality ink.

Her eyes scan over the crisp piece of paper, a shiver crawling up her spine.

I’m getting impatient. Reveal yourself or who knows what might happen to your pretty girlfriend and her sister.

Kiko’s heart is racing and she feels her hands start to become clammy, her breathing quickening at the words. Pretty girlfriend? Reveal yourself? She shakes her head and places the note face down back on her bedside table. Just what am I meant to reveal? Kiko scans her brain for answers to the question.

They had been close to figuring out who was the one who sent the notes; Chief Beifong had sent the second note Kiko received to be brushed for fingerprints months prior. It had made it to the lab well, but as the evidence was being sent back to the police station, the car carrying it was raided.

It was the Amber Wolfbat Triad, Toph told her, almost indifferently. There’s nothing we can do. They lost the evidence that day, and Kiko knows that it’s only going to get harder to figure out who is doing this.

Kiko sits on the edge of her bed, face in her hands. She knew something like this was going to happen. She knew that she had put Lin and Su in danger, and yet, she couldn’t stay away. A little voice is nagging in the back of her brain, you need to cut ties. It has been her go-to method when she gets too close to people, when they start to ask questions about her childhood.

And yet, cutting ties with Lin seems like an impossible task.

They had just begun getting closer; her and Kiko were spending lunches together, taking turns in deciding which restaurants they go to when they have aligning lunch breaks. Though, Lin doesn’t need to know that I sometimes take my lunch later just to eat with her.

It was only yesterday they had visited Narook’s for food that, as Kiko described, was the most authentic Water Tribe food in Republic City.

Kiko turns the corner on Kyoshi Street, Narook’s coming into view.

To this day, it’s the most authentic Water Tribe food she’s found in the city, specialising in Northern cuisine.

Her stomach growls aggravatedly, despite her shift at The Union not being a particularly busy one. Kiko's lips quirk up into a small smile at the thought of being able to share one of her favourite restaurants with Lin.

However, her smile drops as she notices the earthbender in question already standing outside the restaurant.

“I see you’ve beaten me here.” Kiko acknowledges, in a slightly teasing tone.

“The Chief let me off earlier.” Lin smiles.

“You’re lucky. Boss has been giving me as many shifts as possible. If I even think about leaving early, I have him screeching in my ear.” Kiko shudders, her and Lin walking side by side into the cozy restaurant.

Lin snorts, “You do know you’re entitled to time off?”

“I know that.” The waterbender says, a little to defensively, “I just- I'm finally making a little more money and- and I like being able to see something and just say, you know what? I’m going to treat myself to that today.”

Lin nods, “I get that,” She muses as they sit down at an empty table, “We could always get out of Republic City for a few weeks? Kya invited us to come along with her to Ember Island.” She perks up even more, clutching the menu, “And Izumi would be there! She would love to meet you.”

Kya had left to travel over the past few months; sending letters from each of the cities she was visiting. The last letter Lin had received was from Ba Sing Se, where Kya admitted to wanting to visit somewhere familiar; Ember Island. She invited the whole group to come, with Bumi even being able to take some time off to come.

Kiko recoils a little, “Really? It doesn’t seem like you to willingly take more than a few days off work. Let alone a few weeks.”

“It would be relaxing.” Lin carefully avoids Kiko’s very true words about not taking time off work.

Kiko shrugs, “We could always ask Kya about it.”

And that’s how Kiko was roped into going to Ember Island.

The waterbender sighs at the memory, the pleasant emotions she had been feeling seemingly so far away. Well, I’d better call Lin about this note.

She stands, pockets the envelope, making sure not to crumple it, and heads to the phone in the living room of the temple.

---

Kiko thought that it would take at least an hour for Lin to make it to the island, prompting the waterbender to head to the gazebo that overlooks the bay, where most Air Acolytes come to meditate.

She had always hated meditating; staying still in one place for hours was never easy for her. And it wasn’t a common thing to be encouraged in her household, not after what happened to her mother.

And yet, Kiko found some sense of mind in that moment, sitting in the lotus position and breathing deeply helped her to briefly forget about the chaos of what was happening. Of the stalker. Of her slightly complicated feelings for Lin. Of her unresolved childhood trauma.

It was all too much.

But in that moment, the waterbender allowed herself to relax.

However, after about 10 minutes, she feels a presence behind her. Turning around immediately, she comes to face Tenzin. Kiko gets up, “Need something?”

She doesn’t particularly have the best relationship with the airbender; knowing that he is practically head over heels for Lin doesn’t help. He's always huffy and grumpy around Kiko, preferring to ignore her existence and live in his own little world where he believes that the earthbender is in love with him.

Tenzin rolls his eyes a little, clearly not happy to be talking to the waterbender, “Lin’s here. I offered to come and tell you.”

Kiko raises and eyebrow, “Oh yeah? Willingly talking to me now?” She teases with no real amusement, “Or are you only here because Lin wanted to talk to me?” The waterbender moves close to Tenzin, who rolls his eyes again.

“She’s in the living room.” He grumbles, ignoring her question.

Kiko backs off, taking a few steps back before walking past the airbender, muttering a quick thanks.

What in spirits’ name is his problem with me?! The waterbender thinks angrily, walking through the cobbled courtyard of Air Temple Island. She half-heartedly stomps up the rest of the steps, walking into the living room, where Lin is sitting patiently on the couch.

She raises an eyebrow, “Another note, you say?” She gets straight to the point, arms crossed.

Kiko nods almost solemnly, sitting next to her friend, “Unfortunately.” She takes out the slightly crumpled envelope and hands it to the earthbender.

Kiko watches Lin’s facial expression closely, noticing her eyes widening slightly before she puts on a mask of no emotions, “Who is this referring to?” She points at the words, pretty girlfriend.

The waterbender’s face reddens a little, muttering out her next words, “I’m guessing that they are referring to you.”

“What? But we’re not dating.”

“Yeah, I know that.” Kiko rolls her eyes a little, her tone a little sarcastic.

Lin decides to ignore the comment for now, “We need to get this to the Chief.”

“So she can do what? Send it to the lab and get it stolen again?” Kiko asks, her sarcastic tone persisting, “There’s no point, no one is doing anything to help me.”

“Then join the programme the Chief recommended.” Kiko huffs a little, knowing that it would be the best idea, but before she can say anything, Lin continues, “Why are you so insistent that you don’t want to join anyway?”

Oh boy... “I just- I guess... I've always had a bit of a problem accepting help from others.” Kiko keeps her eyes trained on the wooden floor.

Lin is silent for a few seconds, before she hesitantly places her hand on the waterbender’s shoulder, her thumb drawing comforting circles into her dark skin, “I- uh... I’m not very good at this but- you can always come to me for help. For anything.” The earthbender takes her hand away, but is stopped when Kiko catches it, “I- I don’t know if that helped but-”

“Thank you.” Kiko squeezes Lin’s hand before releasing it. She flops down on the couch and runs a hand through her loosening hair, “I guess we should go to the station then?”

Lin nods, “I think that would be the best idea.” She replies, pocketing the note that Kiko had handed her earlier.

It takes 10 minutes for Kiko to freshen up, before they are on the ferry to the mainland.

Kiko feels a slight weight being lifted off her shoulders at the thought of joining the Zheng Hai protection programme, despite being so against it in the beginning. But, of course, Lin managed to break through her walls and convince her to join. She just seems to have that effect on me... the waterbender thinks, as she looks at Lin’s sharp side profile.

“Were you at work today?” Kiko questions, taking note of Lin’s civilian clothes.

Lin shakes her head, “No, I took the day off for myself.”

“Oh, well, I guess this probably isn’t what you had in mind.” The waterbender looks out to Air Temple Island, watching it get smaller as they get closer to the mainland. She can’t help but feel a pang of guilt at ruining Lin’s plans of relaxing for the day.

“Hey, what did I say earlier? Don't worry about coming to me for help; that’s what friends are for.” Kiko only hums, her eyes latching catching Lin’s. The earthbender continues, “But, if you’re really that worried... we could grab some dinner after going to the station? It might help to take our minds off things.” Her tone is hesitant, with a hint of hopefulness.

Kiko smiles, nodding slightly, “That would be great.”

She is also hesitant, though not in the same way as Lin. Her stalker already thinks that her and Lin are more than friends, and now that she knows that they are back to threatening her, the thought of going out with Lin brings Kiko a great sense of anxiety. What if they decide to attack? The thought makes the waterbender’s heartbeat quicken.

Kiko hopes that Lin didn’t catch onto her nervousness, but it’s evident by the look on her face that she did, “Is everything alright? Your heart is racing.” She asks, concerned.

The waterbender looks away from her piercing green eyes, “I- uh- I don’t want to put you in any more danger, is all... the stalker already thinks that we’re dating.”

Lin’s face falls a little, but a determined look flashes across her features, “I can handle myself.”

“We don’t know what we’re up against.”

“I’m a Beifong. And you’re a strong waterbender, I know you’ve been training with Katara.”

Kiko interrupts, “Healer training.”

“That only proves my point more,” The earthbender looks a little smug, “Katara knows you’re amazing at hand-to-hand combat.”

“Yeah, enough to beat you.” Kiko snickers, thinking back to the time they sparred with no bending.

Kiko stands in the courtyard of Air Temple Island in only her cream-coloured bindings and a pair of navy blue shorts. Across from her, Lin is wearing a white tank top and similar shorts to Kiko in black. The taller of the pair can’t help but risk a few glances at Lin’s strong thighs.

Lin finishes wrapping her arms and stands with her feet shoulder-width apart, “Ready?”

Kiko nods, standing in the same position as Lin, “Remember, no bending.” She teases, giving the earthbender a small smug smirk.

She rolls her eyes, but nods anyway, stalking closer to the taller woman.

Lin immediately curls her fingers into a fist and throws a punch, going straight for the offence. Kiko catches her fist, twisting the earthbender’s arm and sending a jab to the gut to wind her. Lin doubles over briefly, before straightening up almost immediately and sends an uppercut straight for Kiko’s jaw.

The waterbender swears under her breath as she feels her teeth collide, feet stumbling backwards as she feels Lin’s presence follow her. Wow, she is really not pulling her punches. Kiko thinks, tasting a hint of metallic blood in her mouth.

The two agreed not to go easy on one another, excited to be able to properly spar without knowing that they are seriously going to injure one another. They are both on the same level when it comes to hand-to-hand combat, after all.

However, just as Kiko recovers from the blow, Lin sweeps her legs out from under her, causing the taller of the two to go falling to the floor. She lands on her front, and Lin gets on top of her, wrapping an arm around her neck in a weak headlock, “Yield?”

Kiko makes a weak attempt to shake her head, but then decides to use Lin’s weight on her back against her, and rolls both of them over. Kiko is now on top of Lin, though the Beifong’s arm still had her trapped in a headlock.

The waterbender makes use of their position, jabbing Lin’s gut once again with her elbow until her grip weakened, and twists out of her hold. Kiko kneels on her abdomen with no real weight, grips the front of Lin’s now slightly dirty tank top and pulls her up slightly. Her arm comes up in a threatening position, “Do you yield?”

Lin hesitates for a moment, their eyes catching, before she huffs, “Yes.”

Kiko smiles, getting off the earthbender and offering a hand to her. Lin takes it, heaving herself off the cobble ground and stands. They shake hands almost jokingly, chuckling to themselves.

“Want to go get some tea? Katara is making some.” Lin offers, a soft smile still on her face.

Kiko nods, “Of course.”

Lin rolls her eyes at the reminder from Kiko, “Yeah, yeah. I was distracted that day, you know that.”

“Excuses, excuses.”

Lin gives her an unimpressed look before they both feel a jostle as they dock, “We can take my Satomobile.”

Kiko nods and follows Lin to her car with a slightly grim expression on her face, “Lead the way.”

---

“So, you’re finally agreeing to join the programme, then?” Toph asks, legs crossed in a domineering way at her metal desk.

Kiko sighs and glances at Lin before agreeing, “Yes, I think it would be for the best.”

Toph nods but stays silent. She heaves out a sigh after what seems like an eternity to the two girls, before she motions to the man on her left, who Kiko assumes is a scribe, to get something from one of the filing cabinets.

He seems to understand what she wants straight away, and immediately starts rummaging through the overfilled metal files. “Take a seat.” The Chief motions to the chair in front of her desk.

Kiko does as she says, noticing that Lin moves to stand behind her seat.

“Are you comfortable with having Officer Beifong here while you do this?” Toph asks, gesturing towards where she knows her daughter is standing.

“Of course.”

The man in the room seems to have found what he needs, and places it in front of Kiko with a pen. The waterbender mutters out a small thanks before looking over the print.

Toph’s voice interrupts her again, “Normally, the Zheng Hai protection programme is reserved for important figures, particularly those who have already been targeted. However, considering your relation with the Avatar and my daughter, we will make an exception.”

“How charming.” Kiko mutters under her breath, catching Lin’s slight snicker from behind her.

It doesn’t take long to fill out all of the necessary fields of the paperwork. By 2 pm they are done.

The man standing next to Toph takes the piece of paper from in front of Kiko and files it away again.

“Thank you.” Kiko expresses her gratitude towards Toph, but also Lin. If it weren’t for her, Kiko probably wouldn’t have joined.

The Chief only nods, but Kiko knows that she appreciated the thanks.

The two women leave the office and walk through the bullpen back into the lobby of the station, before Lin is caught by another officer.

“Thought you weren’t in today, Beifong?” An older man asks her, tone teasing and cocky.

“Had something to do.” She doesn’t look him in the eye, instead focusing on the people working and milling about behind him.

“Oh yeah? This girl of yours get in trouble again?” He smirks almost viciously and Lin tries to ignore him, but he just has to open his mouth again, “She seems to be ‘round here lots recently. You into the naughty ones?” He looks Kiko up and down with a wolfish expression.

The waterbender feels her skin crawl, a slight sense of dread filling her, but doesn’t show her uneasiness.

Lin’s face goes bright red, but not in the cute, flustered way Kiko loves to see, “Shut up, Lieutenant Keta, you have no idea what you’re talking about.” She doesn’t raise her voice, but her tone is warning.

Kiko grips onto Lin’s arm as he opens his mouth again, “What are you gonna do about it, Beifong? Cry to mommy?”

Lin's expression turns to one of anger and she scoffs, but as she’s about to yell at him, Kiko pulls on the arm she had grabbed onto, “Let’s get out of here.” The waterbender’s voice is steady as she walks away.

“That’s it! Get your pretty girlfriend of yours to fight your battles!” He barks after the pair, and Kiko can see Lin’s jaw clench tightly in anger.

They get back into the Satomobile, but neither open their mouths.

That is, before Kiko does, “Does he always harass you like that?”

Lin hesitates for a moment, “Ever since he got promoted a few months ago, he thinks that he can do whatever he wants.” She rolls her eyes.

Kiko wants to ask another question, but she knows she probably already has the answer to it, “Why haven’t you told Toph? Or me?”

Lin sighs, “Because then I’d be playing right into his game; he already thinks that I’m just a spoiled brat who used her position as the Chief’s daughter to get into the academy. If I go to mom, then I’d be exactly who he thinks I am.”

“Lin- no.” Kiko places a hand on her friend’s shoulder and coaxes her to look at her, “This is bullying, and you need to tell your boss, even if she is your mother.” Lin shakes her head again, but Kiko continues, “I can see that his words are hurting you.”

“It’s not that- It's- I just couldn’t stand hearing him talk about you in that way. And the way he looked at you... it- it made my skin crawl.”

Kiko hesitates before wrapping her other arm around the earthbender’s shoulders into a hug. It's a little awkward and uncomfortable because of the fact that they are in a car, but Kiko revels in the feeling of Lin’s hesitant arms circling her back.

“Please, speak to the Chief about this.” Kiko whispers against Lin’s neck. “You’re not weak, or turning into what Keta thinks you are if you do. You know that you’ve worked hard to get here. Why does some idiot’s opinions of you matter?”

“Because... it’s what everyone thinks, oh, she’s just using her mom’s position to get here. I know that it’s not true, but it’s not going to change my colleague’s opinions.”

Kiko shakes her head slightly, her nose bumping against Lin’s neck, “They’re only mad because you’re better at your job than they are.” She chuckles, attempting to lighten the air a little. Lin lets out a small huff of a laugh, “Seriously though... you’re not going to be able to completely change everyone’s views. It's tough knowing that people think these things about you, but you just have to remember that you’ll go further than any of them.” Kiko pulls away from the hug, placing her hands on Lin’s shoulders, “I mean, you’re a Beifong for spirits’ sake!”

Lin smiles a little bashfully, “You’re right.” She shakes her head and looks to the side, “I- this is hard, but I promise I’ll think about it.”

Kiko only nods, her mood rising at seeing the cute expression on her friend’s face, “Now, I want that dinner you were talking about. Take our minds off all of this drama.” She sits back properly in the passenger seat.

“Let’s go.” Lin starts the engine and drives deeper into the city.

---

Hours pass as the two enjoy each other’s companies.

Lin managed to park her Satomobile on the side of the road somewhere, using her badge as an indicator that she was allowed to, even though she wasn’t on patrol. Kiko teased her for using her position to do that a little, if only to see her flustered expression.

Between them, the pair agreed on a little Fire Nation diner. It was quaint and had a cozy, homely feel. There were a few paintings of famous Fire Nation jazz singers on the walls, the reds and blacks of their clothes popping out on the walls. Kiko and Lin even recognised a few.

However, all good things must come to an end.

They walk out of the restaurant, Kiko holding a small bag, in which she carried some left over noodle soup and roasted komodo chicken. They were both a little tipsy, having drank a few glasses of plum wine between them.

Lin heaves a sigh as they stand on the pavement, “I think I’m going to walk home. Probably shouldn’t be driving like this.” She has her hands in the pockets of her jacket. The same jacket Kiko had borrowed all of those months ago.

Kiko nods, “I’m walking to the docks, too.”

“Just- be careful, alright?” Lin’s eyebrows furrow in concern, and Kiko appreciated that she is not telling her to stay at hers. She doesn’t think that she can risk another note being found in Lin’s apartment. They've already done it once, what’s stopping them from breaking in again?

“You too.” Kiko responds, smiling before looking around, “I’d better get home; I don’t want to miss the 11 o’clock ferry.”

Lin nods, “See you later.”

“See you later.”

They part ways, walking in opposite directions.

Kiko feels more than slightly hesitant to be walking alone at night, the hair on the back of her neck excruciatingly aware that someone could be following her right now.

But there is something that she just needs to do.

#lin beifong x reader #lin beifong #lin beifong x oc #legend of korra #avatar the last airbender #avatar fanart #original characters #toph beifong #kya ii #tenzin #suyin beifong #slow burn #friends to lovers

8 notes · View notes

talanashta · 2 months ago

Text

Love, Your (Not-So-Secret) Admirer

For the 2024 Byler Big Bang!

Rating: T | No CWs | Word Count: 11,093 | Pairings: Will/Mike

Additional Tags: Epistolary, Secret Admirer, Light Angst

Summary: Will starts receiving letters in his locker from a secret admirer who claims to be in love with him, but who could it even be? He keeps writing back, hoping he won't get his heart broken in the process.

A/N: Thank you to everyone who's helped me out with this fic, with a special shout out to my amazing artist Jace (@paladibun) and my spectacular beta-reader Jess (@ilovecupcakesandtea)!

Read It Here on AO3!

And Check Out the Art Here!

Excerpt below the cut

Dear Admirer,

I’ve been thinking about it and wondering, is there something else I can call you? It just feels so weird that we’ve exchanged so many letters but I only know you as “Admirer” still. I guess it’s kind of impersonal. I can’t really think of anything off the top of my head, but if you have any suggestions or there’s something else you’d be okay with, I’d appreciate it a lot.

After all, with you sending me such sweet poems (which, it was a very nice poem), it feels weird not even being able to picture you (at least a little) in my mind.

Do we share English, though? We also had that poem last week. I suppose there are a couple sections of English Lit, so you could be in one of those instead. Sorry. I’m still really curious about who you are. I don’t think that’s going to go away until you share that with me. In return, I guess I’ll share one of the poems we covered that I really liked:

...I, being poor, have only my dreams; I have spread my dreams under your feet; Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.

It made me think of what the two of us have. I guess… I’m putting a lot of faith and trust into you, Admirer. Please don’t hurt me?

You share such sweet thoughts with me and tell me all these compliments, but I’m worried when this is all said and done, it’ll all be a joke or a lie.

I just hope it really will be like you said, where we can curl up and watch movies together or go on dates together.

Love, Will

P.S. I’m glad to know I’m not alone in feeling like we’re growing up too fast. I’ll try to give some more leeway to my friends, I guess. My mom doesn’t put too much pressure on me to grow up (like it sounds like your parents do) because of everything I’ve been through, so I’ve been lucky, but I guess I got a little self-centered and didn’t think about other people’s parents. I’m glad you’ve learned to slow down and enjoy the time we do have left as kids.

#talanashta writes #stranger things #byler big bang 2024 #byler #will byers #mike wheeler #epistolary #secret admirer

11 notes · View notes

samcatcher · 8 months ago

Text

When in London.

Chapter 1 - Teaser masterpost

cw- drinking, puking.

Sam was pointing to the moon, but all I wanted to see was his hands.

Amelia wanted to throw a gathering although it quickly got out of hand. It was supposed to be just me, her, and some other girls from our school. It wasn’t supposed to be a party at all but a party it was. We were 15.

I watched people go from politely knocking at the door every 10 minutes, to just walking themselves in with large groups of people holding booze and other possible substances. Although it was scary, I was thrilled. I actually felt like some sort of accomplished adult.

Most of the people attending that night assumed it was Danny behind the party. He was older, by 5 minutes, although he was more outgoing and rebellious against his parents. He was the one in the band, which was rumored to be terrible, so I never investigated it further when I was a teenager.

There were people in their 20s with facial hair and bags under their eyes, smoking cigarettes and joints in her living room. Passing around drinks and as I said, other potential substances. These people, all recognisable, didn’t realize that the person behind this was the 15 year old girl who hides in her brother's shadow.

Looking back at it now, maybe she meant for it to get out of hand, so she could mean something to the town. Yet still Danny got the blame.

Amelia didn't mind in the end because once her parents eventually found out, no matter what Danny said, they assumed he threw the party.

I had never been to a party before. I came to the false conclusion in the first half an hour that I wanted to go to every single one I could find. I was running around telling everyone I’m a newfound party animal. Looking back at it now, I’m glad no one could remember what happened the next day. My town was small and quiet, north-west Michigan, Frankenmuth.

That’s probably why it got so out of hand. Everyone knew everyone.

For me, I was incredibly shy as a teenager. Therefore, most of the people I saw, I had never spoken to. Although I knew what family they were in, I knew what jobs they did. For example, standing by what used to be the clean, organized mantlepiece, now cluttered with cups, was Josh Kiszka. He worked at the local market, he had a booming voice. Looking over at him, I could hear him shouting

“Apples and pears! Melons and grapes! Fifty cents per pound!”

I knew he was in Danny’s deadbeat band. He was loud and didn’t stop talking about it. I could hear him shouting from the other side of the lunchroom. At the time, the only conclusion I made about Joshua was that he gave me a headache.

I laughed as I looked around the room. The only time I would see so many people together, from all different families, was at town hall meetings and school basketball games. I had never seen them so entertained.

I turned the corner from the living room to the kitchen, lost in thought about town meetings and basketball games, when I was met with the eyes of the quiet boy who I had never caught a glimpse of in such low lighting, in such a done up way.

“Someone” Kizka was Josh’s brother. The difference between them was a visual example of pathetic fallacy. “Someone” was always thinking, Josh was always speaking. I say someone for comedic effect, at this time, I didn’t know Sam’s name at all. I blame this on our similarities. I was quiet too, therefore Sam probably didn’t know much about me either.

That night, I don’t know what changed in me, but I really saw him. I really looked at him.

As I took it all in, my expression shifted from lost in thought to slight shock. I tried to hide the visual scan I was doing of him but I was staring for so long I think he caught on.

I was fixated on his slender frame, slightly tanned skin. Warm looking Auburn hair, slightly greasy. Sleepy brown eyes which matched his whole physique and uneven lips. His nose was slightly feminine and his neck was tall. His face was narrow and oval.

He was looking right at me.

He was so different that night, that’s the only way I could put it. It was as if the universe was telling me he was essential, or he would be at one point. He felt safe and comfortable. Like those people who you meet on the first day of school which draw you in with open arms and bond with you over the shared anxiety of being new.

Lost in my trance, my brain suddenly registered all of the underage drinking I had done. A wave of nausea traveled up and down my body as someone walked by and I caught a whiff of either what was in their cup, or on their breath.

My only mission then was to escape outside, for fresh air followed by vomit.

I ran into Amelia’s garden and the summer night air hit me. There were a few people out there, respectfully smoking outside as opposed to inside. Although due to a broken porch light, the only light shone from the windows inside. Covering ninety percent of the garden with a blanket of darkness.

I was familiar with the garden, so the darkness didn’t intimidate me. Plus, I had to move quickly to avoid spewing in front of the adults standing by the door. I traveled down to what I knew was a large apple tree. I felt the stump with my hands and leaned my bare head against it, the bark was sharp on my forehead.

Concealed under the roof of the tree, I puked my guts out.

I was far from the house. The only music I could hear was the bass still somehow shaking the ground beneath me, curdling my stomach more. The sound of far-away bass was something I hated at the time. Eventually I learned to love it.

After being sick, my body regained its senses and I could feel drops of water on my shoulders from the leaves. I was caught in the middle of a summer rain.

I looked over at what once was the group of adults. Now, there stood only one person.

I left the comfort of the tree and felt the full natural spit of the rain. It wasn’t overwhelming. It felt almost like a heavy mist. It was humid but relieving, because there was a gentle wind which would cool my wet skin.

Eventually, after a few minutes of breathing and trying to soothe the now pounding headache, I started to shiver. So I made my way back inside.

I ran my fingers through my damp hair and slightly massaged my temples. I could feel him looking at me as I walked up to the only lit part of the garden.

The way the moonlight reflected on his defined face on the left, as opposed to the brightness on the right of his face was like a painting. I just wanted the world to stop so I could take a picture.

“You want a picture or something?” He asked, not shyly like I expected. More forced.

He stepped further into the light from the house. He shifted his eyes from mine and turned his head to the party inside. I could see the rain forming drips on his forehead. Both of us felt the vibrations of the music at our feet.

“I just saw you inside, you recognise me from the band or something?” He asked.

That damn band. My expression turned from neutral to quizzed.

“Hey, you looked at me for ages. Then you basically ran into the darkness. I figured, I don't remember upsetting this girl, she must be a fan!” He explained himself, genuinely trying to sound the least cocky he could.

I laughed and shook my head.

“I just needed some fresh air, nothing personal to you. Do you always have to recall whether or not you’ve upset a girl? Do you upset a lot of them?” I moved closer to him and crossed my arms.

“The jealousy is supposed to start after you’re in love with me, or wait, are you, secretly?” He added in response to my teasing.

I shook my head and scoffed.

“I don’t even know your name.” I replied.

“It’s Sam.” He was shy now. Regretful of his initial words.

“I didn’t expect you to have such a big mouth, Sam.” I stated, a wide smile on my face as I squinted my eyes at him and pursed my lips.

He laughed off my comment and shifted his focus onto the night sky. He was silent as he scanned it, he smiled to himself. Then, he raised his arm up and pointed at the moon.

“It’s so full tonight. Like tonight is important.” He whispered.

His arm stayed raised as he began pointing and rambling on about constellations and moon phases. When he spoke he moved his hand expressively. The lights from inside were dancing on them.

They were large, and lanky, like the rest of him. He had string bracelets on and a thumb ring. His fingernails were perfectly kept and ultra short. But the one thing that I liked the most, his fingers were calloused and rough. Red and irritated. From his instrument I guessed. I followed the way his hands were moving with my eyes, I was mesmerized. They were gracious and robotic. Not a shake nor a wobble. I could tell he was passionate.

Eventually he noticed that I hadn’t paid too much attention to his rambles and he stopped. He lowered his hand and turned to face me.

“What’s your name?” He asked me

I had forgotten.

“It’s Lyla?” I embarrassingly said in a questioning tone. Sam laughed.

“That’s a beautiful name.”

He stared at me for what felt like forever. Taking in every part of me. Remembering me.

“I hope I see you around.” He added.

Before I could say another word, he was back inside of the house. I stared into the darkness and felt the rain again. Softer than before.

I unexpectedly moved a week later. I drifted from Amelia too. Her parents grounded her and Danny when they found out about the party. To the point where I couldn’t even say goodbye to her.

I was forced to go to France to care for my later great-grandmother as she was reaching old age. Amelia and I texted until there was no point. Sam and I never exchanged numbers and eventually, I forgot about the entire interaction. Soon to find out, seven years later, it was at the back of his mind for almost a decade.

chapter 2

11 notes · View notes

caribbean-ace · 2 years ago

Text

Alright so it’s been a hot minute since i’ve been here, life truly gets in the way and i feel that i’m going through the motions but finally after the buzz has settled i wanted to reflect a bit on Station 19 season 6.

I think we’re standing at a different place than we were by the end of season 5 and i believe that’s great. We went from that insanity -not in a good way- of season to something much much better. Few changes were made and it showed from the very beginning of season 6. To put it simply it was raw, by far the rawest season in terms of storyline, obviously because of what Maya went through, the repercutions it had on Carina and so on… Mental health was the overall arc for season 6 and honestly? I loved how it played out… Fair to say a LOT of people saw themselves in Carina and Maya which sparked the conversation -the very much needed conversation-

It was a rollercoaster but i’m glad we went through those moments because it lead to a healthier outcome instead of a quick fix it showed a more realistic side of a journey that can’t be taken lightly. On the other hand i wished they would’ve handled the Beckett story a bit better, by the end of it the writers made a good job by Vic checking up on him and just sparkling that conversation. I enjoyed the brief love triangle between Andy/Eli/Travis, it would have been funnier that they explored that angle deeper but i guess it turned out alright.

The expectations were so high when a female chief was announced but it turns out that it was just another love interest for a man, love to see it (please notice the sarcasm). While i don’t mind that Ross had history with Sullivan i kinda hated how her character just became the woman simping for the guy. They tried to redeem her a bit but it wasn’t enough. I would have LOVED that she actually made some changes within SFD to support women and actually make things better. Remember the storyline about fighting sexism? Yeah, me too. Anyways it was terrible that she was shamed for having a consensual relationship with another adult but it makes me grit my teeth the double standards: the whole you’re heroic for basically organizing a mutiny but when someone breaks protocol for saving a life that’s wrong or having a relationship with someone who outranks you but we’re totally ignoring that too, i get it, it’s for the sake of drama but certain things needs to make sense.

All that leads me to Andy being captain, we all saw it coming, there’s no way Maya was going to be captain again -at least not while being on 19- and while it should have been handled a bit better (the woman does have ambitions and putting a pause to pursue her dreams to heal does not mean she needs to abandon it) i think Andy deserved something a bit better, not just: alright you’re captain now. At least her first “shift” as captain was packed with action but still…

And that also brings me to Theo: at first he was like alright, laid back dude, gets the job done but the second he got promoted it’s like it flipped a switch on him especially being such an ass to Vic for absolutely no reason like ??? But at least she left him, i really liked how she pointed out that being happy for her friend does not mean she’s not supporting him (i wonder if that friendship also extends to Maya, after yk, call her a nasty person and do absolutely nothing to stand for her. Yes i will always be bitter about how everyone turned their backs on Maya).

Jack can’t seem to catch a break and God knows what’s gonna happen to him but at least he’s healthier and trying to stay out of other people’s relationships which i’m glad. I loved how Ben and Miranda where kinda there for Maya and Carina (i say kinda because it’s not like Maya had the greatest support out there but Ben did listen so that’s something. Also shout out to Diane, she’s incredible and i love whenever she appears)

Finally -because this is way too long lol- we know where we are standing in terms of Maya and Carina growing their family, for a solid minute i thought well, they are being ambiguous because it’s probably leading to that but no, it wasn’t. I wasn’t mad that they didn’t make Carina pregnant by the end of the season, if anything the scenes where they are discussing how many kids and stuff makes it so much more meaningful because Maya is obviously in such a better head space. Oh and just as a quick comment: Carina should have gone to therapy too, she needed to heal from that rocky period of time and it would have been cool to see her perspective, even if we saw sneak peaks with Vic, Miranda and Diane i believe sitting down and leading to a backstory would have been so much better.

If you got to this point i love you, i wanted to ramble a bit and finally found the moment to sit down and put this together (it’s a bit all over the place, just like my brain but bare with me). Catch you on season 7🤍

#station 19 #station 19 spoilers #station 19 season finale #station 19 season 6 #maya bishop #carina deluca #vic hughes #andy herrera #jack gibson #theo ruiz #natasha ross #robert sullivan #ben warren #miranda bailey #sean beckett

49 notes · View notes

heroes-of-olympus-next-gen · 2 years ago

Text

Rehearsal dinner

Hey everyone! I started rewriting my series and put in a lot of extra scene and I thought you might enjoy them! The ask box is always open xxx

Annabeth planted her face on the mattress in the bridal suite the moment she stepped inside. As soon as they reached the hotel they were swarmed by the wedding planner, the chef, the flower consultant, the DJ and various other people.

“Come on, Annabeth. We have to get going.” Piper said as she dropped on the floor her bags. “Although the bed looks very comfortable.”

“It is.” She replied still hugging the pillows.

“I guess we have time for a quick nap.” Piper lied next to her best friend.

“Nope, not a chance.” Rachel entered the room and dragged Annabeth who groaned in response. “We have a shit ton to do before the day is over. One of which is the rehearsal for tomorrow. So I suggest you take your pretty heals out of the box and go downstairs were the rest are waiting for you.” Piper threw her a dirty look. “Annabeth put me in charge for not letting her procrastinating and leaving everything for the last minute.”

“You’re right. And thank you so much for being here for me.” Annabeth said as she took her wedding heels out of the suitcase.

“Don’t even mention it. You and Percy are like my closest friends at the moment. I would it again.” Rachel said and dragged Piper out of the bed. “Come on, McLean. We need you as well.”

“Fine, let’s do it.”

The three of them made their way to the garden where the wedding would be held. It overlooked the sea which was one of the main reasons why they chose to do it there. “Annabeth, it’s good to see you.” Sally said and pulled her in a tight embrace.

“When did you get here? I told Percy to call me.” Annabeth replied.

“Just now. Is everything under control? Anything you need help with?”

“No, you don’t have to worry about anything. Just relax and have fun.” She encouraged her soon to be mother-in-law.

“Finally! Annabeth we’re waiting for you!” Connor shouted from the other side of the garden where Connor, Malcolm, Travis, Katie, Hazel, Nico and Frank were sitting along with some of hers and Percy’s friends from college.

“We’ll catch up later.” Sally said and let her be.

As she walked closer to her friends, she noticed Percy wearing his aviator sunglasses and the first three buttons of his shirt being unbuttoned which made her a bit warm and heated. “Sorry, I kept all of you and thanks for being here.” She said as Hazel gave her a warm smile. She and Percy had actually fought over who was getting Hazel in their wedding party. At the end Percy won as he knew her longer and they spent more time together.

“Don’t mind Connor. He is an impatient moron who has the attention spam of a 2-year-old.” Katie said as she got up to give her a quick hug.

“Rubbish. Annabeth knows I love her, don’t you Annie?” Connor winked which only won him another glare from Katie.

“How about we start our rehearsal?” Rachel suggested.

“Wait, I have to get Stella.” Percy said as he got out of his seat. That gave Annabeth some time to catch up with everyone. She was glad everyone could make it and especially Evelyn and Susannah, her best friends from Berkeley. She was deep in conversation with Malcolm when someone hugged her tightly. “Hi Annabeth.” Estelle said excitedly.

“There is my girl. I missed you so much!” Annabeth said excitedly to her.

“I missed you too!” Estelle exclaimed. “I’m so happy you are getting married!”

“Me too, Stella.” Annabeth said as she put her hand around her. “Come on, we have to practise for tomorrow.”

An hour and four baskets of flowers down the aisle later everyone was having lunch and enjoying the rare occasion of being all together. Percy was sitting next to Annabeth and whilst everyone was in deep conversation he placed his hand on her thigh. “That’s not a good idea.” She whispered which only made Percy smile.

“It’s an excellent idea. We can go upstairs, take a nice shower together and then come back here. Nobody is going to realise we’re even gone.” He argued with a smirk Annabeth wanted so much to put off him.

“I’ll be all flushed afterwards, and I won’t be able to concentrate.” She replied. “And we both know that a shower isn’t going to be enough.” She said in an even more hushed tone. “We’ll have a whole month in Greece to have showers together.”

Percy paused and Annabeth imagined what was going on in that head of his. “I am not making any promises.”

“We’ll see.” Annabeth smiled.

“You’re so lucky about spending your honeymoon in Greece.” Suzanna sighed. “Do you have place for one more?”

“You’re spending the summer in Malaysia, Sue.” Annabeth replied. “And we’ll be occupied the whole month.”

“You better be. Take advantage of the yatchs and the beds you can find.” Evelyn stated. “That’s what I would do.”

“Yet you’re still single.” Susannah said.

“It’s by choice. And I’d rather die than be committed to a person for the rest of my life. No offense, Annabeth.”

“None taken. I don’t think I would be in a relationship if it wasn’t for Percy.”

“Aww, that’s so sweet, love.” Percy said and kissed her.

“My point is you don’t need to be in a relationship to feel fulfilled.” Annabeth added as her fingers intertwined with Percy’s.

“Thank you.” Evelyn said as she motioned to a server to bring her another Margarita.

“Annabeth! Percy!” Frederick said as he reached their seats.

“Hey dad. I’m glad you could make it.” Annabeth hugged her dad.

“The boys and Helen are putting our stuff in the room, and they’ll be right here.” He replied. “Evelyn, Susannah, it’s great to see you again.”

“Right back at you, Dr C.” Evelyn replied. “How is your latest book coming?”

“It’s good. I still have a lot of work left, but I’m fine with the deadlines.” Her father replied.

“When we come back from the honeymoon, I’ll come to help you with the currents and the ships.” Percy said.

Which was a really bad way to put his expertise with the wave and ship movements in different historical battles. When they had moved to New Rome, after Percy spent some time with Annabeth’s father they found out that his knowledge about the sea where deeper than what they imagined. He fixated on the Punic wars and various sea battles that even managed to make Frederick forget about the historical aircrafts. Talking of Frederick, he had helped Percy with his college dissertation on Naval history and he decided to write a new book with the help of his son-in-law.

“You go and have fun. We’ll talk about your help after you come back and make the Olympic team.”

“I am not sure I’ll even make the team.” Percy noted which caused the group to roll their eyes. “I’m being realistic here. I don’t have the same stamina I had when I was 18.”

“Poor grandpa. Do you need a wheelchair at the ripe age of 22.” Evelyn mocked him which earned her a kick from Susannah.

“I appreciate your touch with reality, Percy. Even though the chances of you not making the time are the same with Evelyn not getting wasted tomorrow.” Susannah said. She gathered her things and got up. “It’s already 5:30. I’ll start getting ready. Ev, are you coming?”

“In a bit. I’ll finish my drink first.”

Susannah waved them goodbye and made her way upstairs. Her vacant sit was soon filled with Matthew who threw Frederick the keys. “Hey Matt.” Annabeth said. “Where is Bobby?”

“He found a nice girl by the pool, so you know.” He said like it was a frequent event.

“How is lacrosse going?” Percy asked him. For as long as he had known Matthew, he knew that he loved talking about lacrosse more than life itself. Bobby on the other hand, played ice hockey which was ironic as they lived in San Francisco their entire lives.

“We won our final and I’ll be playing next year in Duke.” He added. “I’ll head to North Carolina earlier to practise with the team.”

“So, it’s final. Duke it is.”

“Oh yes. They have a killer lacrosse programme and a really good science department.” He gushed.

“Not one of my children will follow my footsteps.” Frederick said half-joking.

“Don’t worry, dad. Percy has a history degree.” Matt highlighted, which made Percy smile a bit. “But it isn’t like he is going to teach the other guys on the team about the Punic wars.”

“First of all, Matt, I haven’t made the squad yet.”

Annabeth jumped in before he could continue, “Secondly, it’s an English and History degree.”

“I wasn’t going to say that.” Percy said to his fiancée.

“I said it. Because you don’t brag enough about your degree.” She smiled. She was always his number 1 fan. Whether it was with swimming or with his sudden interest in history and linguistics. That fried his brain, but at the end it was all worth it. He knew that when he would eventually have to stop swimming, that he wanted to become a teacher and help kids just like him.

“And you’re going to make the squad. I’ve seen your stats, Percy. And they are wicked.” Matthew encouraged him.

Rachel came over to them, “I think it’s time to start getting ready. It’s already 7 and the room will be ready at 8.”

With that everyone got up, to go and get ready. “Can you zip me up?” Annabeth asked Percy as she put on her dress for the evening.

“I usually unzip your dresses.” Percy noted as he kissed her shoulder before zipping her dress. “Wow, you look amazing.”

Annabeth found herself blushing over Percy’s comment. “You don’t look bad yourself.” She said. ‘of course he doesn’t look bad!’ her brain noted. In a crisp ironed suit with top button unbuttoned and the cologne that was making it really hard for her to not ditch the dinner and spend the evening locked up in the room with him.

“You need help with anything else?”

“Just take my phone. It’s charging.” Annabeth said as she put on her heels and took a final look at herself. She didn’t care much about her looks until she started hanging out with Susannah and Evelyn who loved fashion and nice clothes. Then, Annabeth got her first high paying job and thought that it wouldn’t be bad to invest in some quality pieces for work. “Let’s go.” She said as Percy took her hand.

The rehearsal dinner ran smoothly, and the food was immaculate. Rachel wasn’t joking about her chef friend. She had to remember to get the recipe to the chocolate cake at some point. After they finished eating they laughed around for a while, and they all said stories from the good old days.

Percy couldn’t help but notice that Annabeth’s stepmother had remained silent the whole evening and barely touched her plate which aggravated Bobby and Matthew that Percy caught arguing quietly with their mother. He just hoped that Helen didn’t have anything planned to wreck Annabeth’s good mood. She was crushed after the whole Thalia situation, and she didn’t need someone else to destroy her happiness. Family or not, Percy would kick her out of the wedding even at the cost of Frederick’s friendship.

Grover who had gone to the buffet, brought Percy another filled plate with food. “Thank you.” He said before he grabbed his fork.

“You were serious about the heightened appetite.” He noted. “How do you keep eating so much and looking even better?” It was true. His appearance had changed dramatically since he was 18 when he first started swimming professionally. He was exercising so much that his body couldn’t compare to what he looked like when he was off fighting monsters. That also meant that he ate twice of what he used to which turned out to be an inside joke of his friend group.

“Grover, are you trying to steal my good looking soon to be husband?” Annabeth asked her friend.

“There still is time, Annie.” Grover said in all seriousness.

“You don’t need to fight over me. My heart has enough space for both of you.” Percy encouraged them. “My best friend and the love of my life.”

“I’m the love of your life?” Grover gasped as he tackled Percy with a hug.

“Whatever makes you sleep at night, Grover.”

“Don’t be mean.” He pouted.

“I am not being mean, and you know that.” She argued.

“Annabeth, we’ll see you tomorrow.” Frederick said as he kissed his daughter on the cheek. Helen didn’t utter a single word to her.

“See you tomorrow.” Annabeth replied as her father and stepmother left.

Bobby motioned to Percy to come to where he and Matthew were standing. “I’ll be back in a bit.”

“Your mum wanted to talk to me, so I’ll just see you tomorrow at the wedding.” Annabeth said and kissed him.

“I’ll be waiting for you at the end of the aisle.” He smiled.

“I wouldn’t want it to be any other way.”

Percy got to where he realised Bobby and Matt were smoking. “Are you supposed to be smoking?”

“Nope.” Bobby replied. “We need to talk to you.”

“It’s about our parents.” Matthew explained them. “You probably realised that mum isn’t happy to be here.”

“Yes, she made it quite obvious.” Percy said trying to stay calm and not say anything he was going to regret later on. “What’s up?”

“They are getting divorced.” Bobby said. “In the next few months. They haven’t said anything yet, but it’s clear as the ocean.”

“Plus we caught dad talking with the lawyer the other day.”

“But what does it have to do with Annabeth?”

“Annabeth is the reason they are getting divorced.” Matthew announced. “Dad finally realised that the way mum was acting around Annabeth when she was a kid wasn’t fair and that caused a lot of arguments. Plus, she threw a tantrum last night about not wanting to drop everything to come today which you can imagine didn’t go down well with the new and improved Frederick.”

“We wanted to tell you because you deserve to know. Being a member of the family and all. And don’t worry about our mum. She isn’t going to act out or anything. We’ve made it crystal clear to her that she is a tantrum away of us not coming home for Christmas if she keeps up.”

Percy was stunned he wanted to say so many things to the two 18-year-olds next to him, but he didn’t know were to start. “I’m sorry about your parents.”

“It’s fine, Percy. It’s like Annabeth says. Dad’s true love is History. He cares about our mum, but he can’t love her. And he has learned to care more about his kids which is great. Annabeth deserves a chance to heal from all the trauma they caused her. She deserves the father we had growing up.” Bobby added.

“You’re going to be a great psychologist.” Percy said to him.

“I know. Our point is that their relationship is on its last string. When we pack our stuff for college, we are vacating our rooms as next summer there won’t be a house to return to.”

“All you have to do is when Annabeth finds out, to tell her that it isn’t her fault and that it never was.” Matthew stated. “We are their last link, but the more time dad spends with you and Annabeth the more he realises that he should have called off their wedding the moment Annabeth ran away.”

“We don’t want to ruin your mood or anything, but we wanted to tell you as soon as possible. And it’s also our way of saying that we trust you to take care of our sister.” Bobby said half-smiling. “Although we never had our doubts.”

“Thank you guys. I won’t let you down.”

“We’re sure.”

#hoo #pjo #percy jackson #percabeth #annabeth chase

11 notes · View notes

what-gs-watching · 1 year ago

Text

“I really do remember though…every second with you."

So I’m in the last week of my bootcamp and I have a couple of job interviews this week and things are going I guess BUT my brain doesn’t really care about any of that.

Because Y’ALL. I’m still 1000000% inside the first episode of the Doctor Who 60th Anniversary specials. I’ve been waiting for this since I saw the first trailer in like September and David Tennant has been constantly on my mind and it was just everything. All the things.

Wherein, after the 13th doctor regenerates into THE 10TH DOCTOR’S OLD FACE, he lands in London obviously and immediately runs into none other than Donna Noble, his very best friend in the entire universe who absolutely cannot remember him because if she does, she’ll very quickly die.

They did an intro into the episode that explained the whole backstory which was a little forced and cheesy but I get it, not everyone is insane enough to have just rewatched all of 10’s episodes just because this was coming (though they should be).

I’m gonna admit I had no idea what the episode was supposed to be about other than reuniting some of my two favorite characters in the whole wide world, and I’m glad I didn’t. It was definitely a traditional Doctor Who romp: aliens crash land on earth, UNIT gets involved, one alien faction is going after another alien faction, Donna’s family ends up in the center of it, they need to figure out a way to keep London from getting destroyed.

Ya know, the usual.

The thing I’m here for, friends, is David Tennant becoming a new version of his own doctor because that’s fascinating, while still absolutely painted into his skinny suit (which is so Crowley somehow), and catharsis. All the catharsis.

After watching his entire run again, I stand behind the opinion that Donna got the worst deal of all the companions. Rose got to keep her Doctor human clone, Martha ended up with Mickey, but Donna had literally EVERYTHING ripped from her. Can you imagine the size of the hole the Doctor would leave in your subconscious after being removed? Like, how do you manage any kind of life after that?

But she did. She’s got a husband, and a kid, and she donated almost all of her lottery winnings while dealing with what I can imagine is an overwhelming, horrible sense of loss. Humans can get used to anything. And that thought is kind of devastating.

Which means all I really wanted was to see the two of them together again, and Russell T Davies delivered the goods.

The Doctor runs into Donna basically immediately after landing in London of course and he learns her daughter’s name is Rose and I can’t get over how many times he shouted “WOT?” in this episode, I always loved 10’s incredulous “WOT!”

She rambles at him of course and is messing with boxes full of stuff she’s holding so she misses the spaceship very NOTICEABLY crashing to earth because that’s her thing, always missing everything. But she’s ready to go so in true Donna fashion tells him “Nice to meet you, skinny man. Oh, word of advice. You can wear a suit that tight up to the age of 35, and no further.” Baby girl is still herself, and she’s ruthless, and I love it.

After the Doctor follows the ‘crashed’ spaceship, he runs into a scientist from UNIT who is holding herself together insanely well considering she’s stumbled upon the doctor, and he tells her that all of this is swirling around Donna of course and he says “she was my best friend in the whole wide universe. I absolutely love her” and then he’s surprised that popped out of his mouth because you know 10 was never going to admit to that so thoroughly, and these are the interactions I need in my life.

Here’s the situation gang: I absolutely love a love story. I really do. If my Good Omens fixation is anything to go by. But I also really love a good, solid, perfect friendship. Two people challenging each other and accepting each other and just being on the exact right wavelength. I’ve had some terrible friends in my life, and so beautiful positive depictions cut right to my heart. Which means I’m really here just for the two of them being those amazing friends again.

Meanwhile, Donna’s daughter finds one of the rogue aliens, AKA The Meep, which I found to be HELLA creepy, like everyone was all ‘aw it’s cute’ but nah y’all, I knew that motherfucker wasn’t cute. But just like her mother, she wants to help and she brings The Meep into her little shed in their backyard because obviously, and it all takes a turn.

The other aliens that were apparently pursuing The Meep show up, and Donna catches wind that there’s a martian in her house (I love it, everything is always a martian, she’s my favorite) and her mother, bless her, tries hard to make Donna ignore the entire situation because she cannot remember, but it doesn’t matter, the Doctor crashes in anyway.

I also love that she was instantly annoyed with him, still calling him “skinny man” and wondering why the hell he was following her. And he does kind of try to extricate himself from her and her family but of course it was never gonna go that way.

So the UNIT soldiers have been overtaken by some weird light they found in the spaceship and they come to the house to start attacking and the other aliens are there to also attack and the Doctor’s gotta get everyone out, of course. They do some ridiculous trek through the attics in the attached rowhouses to try to get out to the car parked nearby. Miraculous escape, always!

Also why am I weirdly all about the Doctor driving the car? I was like ‘yes’ but maybe that’s just a residue Bentley thing, who knows. The point is, he takes them to an underground garage and the other aliens tracking The Meep show up and TWIST, we find out The Meep lied about his backstory while the Doctor wears a ridiculous barrister wig he pulled from his jacket. Turns out The Meep is absolutely crazy because the sun his planet orbited went…psychedelic? Don’t look too much at what’s going on with that whole story, it’s fine, just go with it.

So The Meep tries to attack! And the Doctor jumps to cover Donna and the dosed up UNIT soldiers show up and everyone is taken hostage and brought back to where the spaceship is being repaired. The Meep wants to eat them, or something? Because sure. The teeth they put on that thing, woooof. I knew that asshole was trouble from the get.

Turns out The Meep plans to escape in the ship and to do so he basically has to burrow under London which will obliterate the entire city. Surprise!

Not to worry about that though, the Doctor and the UNIT scientist create a scenario wherein Donna, her husband, Rose and the grandmother can all get away and the Doctor will handle this situation on his own, thanks. But Donna’s brain kicks in, and she says she has to help him, even if she doesn’t know why.

She follows him into the ship. And he’s like ‘nah girl you gotta get outta here’ but she’s not having that of course, because that’s her. He tried to shake her a few times the very first time they met and he never could. It’s that friendship pull.

The point is, he’s trying to disable the ship himself but there’s a lot of buttons to press and he has to do a lot of weird shit (again, don’t pay attention to the crazy dialogue of the things he’s saying he’s doing) and then a separator comes down and splits the room they’re in, the Doctor on one side and Donna on the other. And he’s still trying to protect her. He knows they could stop the ship together, but he’d need her, all of her, to do it.

He tells her that if she helps him, she’ll die. And she just says “okay.” She says her daughter’s down there, and 9 million other people, so who cares about her? And now we’re into what I was waiting for, he’s yelling “I DO!” She says she’s just no one and he emphatically tells her she’s not, and he screams

“WHY DOES IT HAVE TO BE THIS?!”

Anyone else crying yet? No? C’mon. This is when I started crying at the trailer. It’s horribly unfair; he gave her up so she could live her life and he never wanted to involve her again, she’d helped save the fucking world already and 10 never really did get a break really, and here he is back at it as 14 and it’s still just as terrible.

So he starts saying words. And his poor face. You can see it’s ripping him apart. “Westerly. Pelican. Dreams. Tornado. Clifftops. Andante. Grief. Fingerprint. Susurration.” And then she picks up on it, she says “Sparrow” and he says “Sparrow. Dance. Mexico.”

And she finishes, “Binary. Binary. Binary.”

In true Donna fashion, as soon as she’s fully aware she starts freaking out at him about giving away her lottery winnings because she was trying to be like him and I love it, there’s a countdown to launch in the background and she doesn’t give a shit, it’s so the two of them but she jumps into action anyway again saying some crazy shit about what she’s doing. He tells her she has 55 seconds to live and she says “55 best seconds of my life” and she flips a bunch of switches and tada, they’ve done it.

The partition comes up in the room and The Meep storms in and Donna collapses in the Doctor’s arms. She asks him why this face had come back and she says “to say goodbye? Good fun though” and she fucking DIES.

The way he cradles her. Jesus. It’s so tender. And the pure fucking anguish in his face. David Tennant’s face, goddamn. I can’t.

The Meep is still trying to kill him though using UNIT soldiers and he doesn’t give a shit because he’s been basically foiled by “The DoctorDonna” but then, suddenly, the UNIT soldiers are released from their hold and Donna WAKES UP and everyone is like “WOT!”

And we see Rose, manning the controls outside the ship, brilliant as anything. I love this explanation so much: Donna’s metacrisis was too much for one person, but because she had a child, she passed it down, a “shared inheritance.” Her little shed in their backyard was an errant memory of the TARDIS, she’d been creating little stuffed animal toys of all the creatures Donna and the Doctor had met traveling, she’d chosen her new name herself, the name of one of the Doctor’s most important companions. They realize, the two of them, Donna and the Doctor are binary, but Rose is not because

“The Doctor is male…and female….and neither. And more.”

IT’S SO FUCKING CUTE. And perfect. And I love it. She had timelord energy strumming through her, her entire life, and it made her feel weird and different but also made her amazingly unique and wonderful.

And then, to top it off, the Doctor tells them he still needs to heal them of the crisis because it may be slowed down, but it won’t stop. And Rose and her mother just scoff at him. They know exactly what to do. They just let it go. Because they’re incredible.

And I love all of this so far. But I cannot lie, my favorite part of the entire episode is when the Doctor convinces her to take a ride in the TARDIS so they can go visit Wilf. They go inside, and of course the TARDIS has changed again and I’m not gonna lie, it’s probably my favorite design so far. The Doctor freaks out about it, and Donna tries to be nonchalant but she finally admits “it’s GORGEOUS!” and the happy fucking look between the two of them, the Doctor is bouncing, he’s bouncy Crowley. And then he starts racing around the place, running up and down the different levels and honestly that just made me cry harder.

10 was always so sad, I always wanted that boy to be happy and maybe he was a little bit but everything was always so serious but now he’s been able to resolve probably his biggest regret and that’s such a gift. Which I think is gonna make it even harder for him to let go, a second time. I am not excited to watch him leave, again.

The point is, after he makes her a coffee the way she likes, he says “ I really do remember, though. Every second with you. I'm so glad you're back, cos it killed me, Donna. It killed me, it killed me, it killed me.” And she deserves to hear that. It was one of the worst things he had to do. And 10 was never going to say it. I’m SO glad 14 got the chance.

Catharsis. They needed it, I needed it. The Doctor back to a true and familiar form. It’s going to kill me to only have 3 episodes of this, but I’ll take it. As long as I get one last “allons-y!”

#what g's watching #doctor who 60th anniversary #doctor who #tenth doctor #fourteenth doctor #donna noble #david tennant

6 notes · View notes

casspurrjoybell-20 · 2 years ago

Text

Sky Twizzlers - Chapter 18a

*Warning Adult Content*

Mama - Part 1 - Aaron

"Where are you, my darlings?"

Erin giggled softly and I quickly covered his mouth.

He always made us lose because he couldn't stop laughing.

Well, not today.

He glared at me and licked my hand.

I stuck my tongue out in disgust but kept my hand over his mouth.

I could handle him being gross if it meant winning.

"I know you're around here somewhere. I'm going to find you," she sang.

She stopped right in front of our hiding spot and I paused, remaining very still.

I thought we were in the clear but her hands suddenly reached through and grabbed us both.

We squealed when she pulled us out of the cabinet and into her arms.

She pretended to eat us by kissing our faces and arms.

"Mama, Mama, stop," I yelled while laughing.

She laughed along with us, coming to a stop.

She had us seated in her lap on the kitchen floor, a beautiful smile on her face.

"Ah, that was fun, boys. Now, who wants to help me make some cookies?"

"I do, I do," Erin shouted, scrambling out of Mama's lap and running to get the pan.

Before we got up, I leaned in and smacked a kiss on her cheek with a smile.

She laughed gently, doing the same on my cheek.

"I love you, my sweet Aaron."

"I love you, too, Mama."

"Aaron."

I turned to look at my mother but she was fading away.

No, please don't go yet.

Don't go...

**********

"Aaron."

My eyes popped open and I looked around in confusion. I looked up only to find Evander's face staring down at me. He had a worried frown on his face. Aubrey's face popped into view a moment later. He looked just as worried.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"You fell asleep, so I let you rest your head in my lap. You were crying in your sleep just now... are you alright?" Evander explained.

My face heated up as I realized my mates saw me crying like a baby in my sleep. But, I still felt like crying.

‘Goddess, I haven't dreamt about her in so long.’

Yuki had caught me off-guard and now the walls I'd worked so hard to build in my mind were crumbling. And my mates were witness to it.

"Woah."

I quickly sat up to look at everyone else. They were all looking at our surroundings wearily. I followed suit and internally groaned. The once-blue sky was slowly bleeding into dark red as we flew. Below us, the ground became barren and scarred with tons of large rock structures. Some of them looked like the one Rin was attached to but others looked like naturally occurring cliffs, canyons and mountains.

The sound of distant roars and ominous screeches sent shivers down my spine. Cursed Plain huh... aptly named. We began our descent and I became increasingly nervous. What would we face? Goddess, I wasn't even sure if I preferred this to be too easy or incredibly hard. If it was too easy, was it a trap? What if we just couldn't get to them? As soon as Minori touched the ground, we all hurried off. We'd stopped in front of a cave. Minori shifted back and walked into the cave.

"This will be our shelter when night falls," they announced.

Erin handed them a blanket and Minori took it with a raised eyebrow.

"I forget how bashful people from the human realm are," they commented.

"Sorry, I just wasn't sure if you needed it or not," Erin said awkwardly.

The dragon waved him off and began carrying our supplies into the cave.

"It's best not to travel in large groups. We can leave some people to hide here and protect the supplies while the rest of us search for Rin," Minori told us.

I was glad they were taking charge because I was certain none of us knew what to do now.

"I'll join the group that's searching," I said.

"Then I'll join you," Evander said, but I shook my head.

"No, you and Aubrey should stay here. You're a vampire, Evander. Much harder to kill than most of us. You can protect whoever stays here while Minori joins the other party," I pointed out.

"Alright but be careful," he said carefully.

"I will."

"I'll join, too," Erin piped up.

We quickly had our groups formed. Minori, Erin, Alpha Lorence, one of the warriors that came with us and myself would be searching for Rin, while the rest stayed behind. After quick goodbyes and grabbing some emergency supplies, you never knew when disaster might strike, Minori shifted again and we were flying once more over the dark landscape.

"This is crazy, isn't it?" Erin said from beside me.

"It is," I agreed, warily glancing down at the ground.

I froze when I saw a pack of what looked like pure shadow creatures following our flight path.

"Um, what the heck are those?" I asked.

Since Minori didn't seem to be very worried, I figured it was okay to ignore them too. Then again, I wasn't exactly sure they could just speak in dragon form. I glanced over at Erin and he shrugged.

"This is the Cursed Plain, Aaron. Danger around every corner," he said with a hint of a teasing tone.

"Yeah, I know that idiot," I grumbled.

"Doesn't hurt to be cautious."

"You're right," he agreed with a laugh.

We continued to fly around for a while. We never landed again and I was glad. Whatever was down there, I didn't want to deal with. We kept searching until Minori suddenly turned us around mid-flight back towards the way we came from. I glanced up at the sky to notice it was becoming an even deeper red. Nightfall? Probably. The sudden turn made Erin lean into me and almost knock me off. With a glare, I reached out and shoved him lightly.

"Keep your damn balance unless you want to find a Beta replacement."

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," he laughed nervously and held up one of his hands in a gesture of apology.

My eyes widened when I realized I was missing something right in front of me. Because I saw fated bonds daily, it had become easy to ignore them. Sometimes, I forgot they were even there until I focused on them again. And when I focused on Erin's hand, I realized that his string was leading in the way we just turned from.

‘Shit.’

The worst part was that I could see where it ended. As in, the string slowly dipped down into a canyon and stopped there.

S’hit, shit, shit.’

"We have to keep going that way," I suddenly blurted out.

Minori paused mid-air and glanced around. They found a cliff to land on. After shifting, they turned to look at me with their arms crossed over their chest.

"Why would we keep going that way? It will be night soon. We cannot be out in the open searching aimlessly."

‘You absolute idiot, Aaron. Think, think, think.’

1 note · View note

justdontaskme · 2 years ago

Text

Countdown (Alessia Russo x Reader)

A/N: It’s been quite a year! Thank you to each and every one of you for all the love! Here’s the last fic of the year with another new player, and also, here’s to hoping for more next year. Happy New Year to everyone!

After making another round greeting guests to the New Year’s Eve party you and Leah had decided to throw at your shared apartment, you finally took a second to settle yourself. You had just finished pouring yourself a drink when a quick blur caught your attention.

You had to do a double take when you saw a familiar blonde just a few feet away, looking around the room before heading in the direction opposite of where you were standing. It was still too early in the night and there was no way you had enough drinks to be hallucinating. So, with that in mind, you started weaving in and out between people, eyes on the last place you saw the girl of your dreams.

"Less!" You shouted into the crowd, stopping the girl in her tracks as she slowly turned to you with a smile on her face. "I thought that was you. What are you doing here?"

"Leah invited me. Is that okay?"

Of course she did, you thought. Your best friend was always trying to meddle in your love life. All with good intentions of course. And ever since the Euros, she had been trying extra hard to get you and Alessia together.

As your best friend, Leah was the only one who knew about how you developed a crush on the young blonde forward not long after Alessia first joined the Lionesses full squad. Her cool and collected demeanor coupled with her beauty and contagious cheerfulness had easily drawn you in.

Your head turned in search of your best friend and co-host to the party. When you locked eyes with your intended target from across the room, the smirk she shot you told you everything you needed to know. Leah sent you a quick thumbs up, leading you to shake your head at her antics.

"Y/N?" Alessia’s voice quickly brought you back to the matter at hand, and how you haven’t properly greeted the other girl yet.

“I’m really glad you’re here,” you said honestly, stepping closer so you could wrap your arms around her, mindful of the drink still in your hands.

"Quite honestly, I'm a little upset that you didn't invite me yourself," Alessia replied, smiling again when you placed your drink in her hand for her to have.

"You said you were spending New Year's with Tooney. Didn't think there was a chance of changing your mind if she's involved," you shrugged.

"There's always a chance when you're involved," Alessia whispered, her words being completely drowned out by the sounds of the party.

“I’m sorry, could you say that again? I couldn’t quite hear you,” you told the blonde, leaning closer so you could hear her better.

The forward shook her head, “Don’t worry about it. It wasn’t important.”

“Well, in that case, let’s go have some fun,” you extended your hand out for Alessia to take as you led her around the room to mingle and catch up with friends.

While you tried to play the good hostess, you couldn’t help but let your attention be pulled away by Alessia whenever she asked for it. And really even when she didn’t ask for it. She seriously did have you wrapped around her little finger.

After your conversation with Leah and Alex, you let yourself be pulled out onto your balcony by Alessia, who needed a quick breather. The brisk air sobering the two of you up a bit. It forced the two of you closer to one another, your bodies seeking the extra heat the other was giving off. You also just loved any excuse to be this close to Alessia.

“So, you got any plans for the new year?” you asked her, shielding yourself from the cold by further burrowing yourself into Alessia’s arms.

“Make the world cup squad?” The slight uptick in her voice surprised you because as long as she was healthy, you couldn’t see any reason that Alessia would be left off the squad. You knew she could be too hard on herself, always doubting her own abilities, especially after the injury that forced her to sit out for a few games.

You turned to Alessia, grabbing the blonde’s face between your hands and waiting until she finally looked into your eyes. There was nothing more important at the moment than making sure the girl in front of you got your message loud and clear.

“You are going to be on that squad, you hear me? Not only are you one of the best people I’ve ever known, you are also one of the greatest players I’ve ever played with. Sarina would be crazy not to take you because you make everyone around you better, both on and off the field,” you said, fully genuine in everything you had just spewed.

“Thank you. It means so much coming from you,” Alessia said, immediately pulling you into her arms, so she could soak in the comfort you always managed to surround her in. After a moment, Alessia loosened her hold on you, but didn’t let you out of her arms. “What about you?”

You took a moment to think about it. There were so many ups and downs over the past year and while you tried not to dwell too long on the hard days you had endured, it was always something you struggled with.

“I just want to be happy. World cup or not, I just want a year to be happy as me. It was kind of a tough year with my injury earlier this year. And then everything, you know, with my family and all, but during the Euros, things felt like they were finally clicking into place for me,” you said, breathing into the cold night, seeing your breath fog up in the night sky, a perfect distraction from your moment of vulnerability.

Little did Alessia know, a major turn in her year was due to her. While you had convinced yourself that there was no chance Alessia would return your feelings for you, she continued being whatever you needed whenever you needed it.

At the beginning of the year, she had been the one to call in to check on you before and after your rehab sessions. When things started to fall apart with your family, she had been by your side, offering a shoulder to cry on.

And winning the Euros was so much sweeter because you enjoyed watching her shine, proudly cheering her on as she did the same for you.

On your darkest days, she was there to comfort you. On your brightest days, she just made it even better.

“Any resolutions?” you asked, breaking the silence.

“To be more confident in going after what I want,” Alessia answered, quite quickly as if she already had the answer planned in case anyone asked.

“Ooo that’s a good one, Less. And I know you can do it. I think for me-” you were interrupted by Leah popping in.

“Come on, Y/N. It’s almost time for the countdown,” Leah said, looking slightly apologetic, when she realized she had interrupted something.

Before either of you could say something more, you were whisked away by your best friend who pulled you back inside and to the center of the room.

"Alright everyone!" Leah shouted, garnering everyone's attention, but yours were on the girl you had left behind just a second ago, who was now lingering around the door. "We want to thank you for coming to ring in the new year with us. You are all very special to us. This year has really been crazy and I can’t wait to see what it has in store for us."

With a soft smile, you took one of the glasses Alex had in her hands for you, “To a happy and wonderful year for us all!” you yelled, winking at Alessia and raising your class as everyone's eyes turned to the screen where the timer continued counting down. “Here we go! Ten!"

No longer willing to wait, and wanting to get a jumpstart on her resolution, Alessia began to fight her way to your side. She may or may not have shoved some people a little rougher than necessary so she could make it to you in time.

"Nine!"

You stood back and giggled a bit every time Alessia physically had to move a person to the side as there were a few drunks too out of it to understand the girl was in a rush.

"Eight!"

Seeing that she was heading your way, you stayed where you were, not wanting to confuse her by moving in a large crowd of people.

"Seven!"

In just seconds, Alessia was in front of you, a determined look on her face.

"Six!"

“Everything okay, Less?”

"Five!"

“Remember when I said I wanted to be more confident in going after what I want?”

"Four!"

You nodded your head, slightly confused as to where she was going with this.

"Three!"

Alessia closed the gap between the two of you, cupping your cheeks gently, searching your eyes for any sign that she had been misreading the whole night. Thankfully, she didn’t find any.

"Two!"

“I want you.”

"One!"

“Happy New Year!”

You vaguely remember hearing the start of the celebrations, but everything instantly disappeared when you had felt Alessia’s lips on yours.

Her lips were soft, yet insistent as they slid against yours. You melted into the kiss, your hands finding a spot on her waist, moving forward until your bodies were fully pressed against one another.

The two of you were pulled out of the kiss by a tipsy Leah who had thrown her one arm around you and the other around Alessia.

“And, you’re welcome,” she giggled, pressing a sloppy kiss to your cheek.

You fought the urge to push her over because she did play a hand in this. “Thank you, Leah. Love you. Now go away, please.”

Thankfully for you, Alex had come up and helped peel the blonde off you and Alessia, leading her away, but not before winking at you as she left.

Once they were out of sight, you and Alessia turned to one another before bursting out in laughter. After catching your breaths, you rested one hand on the back of Alessia’s neck, pulling her back to you.

“Just so you know, I’ve been wanting to kiss you for so long.”

“Oh is that so?” Alessia’s smirk was enough for you to know she’ll probably tease you for that admission for a long time to come.

“Longer than you know.”

“Well you have me now,” she said, closing the distance between the two of you again and capturing your lips in a kiss more passionate than your first.

It was the perfect beginning to the new year.

#woso x reader #woso imagine #alessia russo x reader #alessia russo imagine

494 notes · View notes

venus-haze · 2 years ago

Text

I’ve Got a Crush on You (Austin!Elvis x Reader)

Summary: You’re a performer in Hank Snow’s traveling show and become friends with Elvis when he joins the troupe. Elvis starts crushing on you, but figures he doesn’t have a chance because you’re dating your performance partner...right?

Note: This is based off of an anonymous request. The reader is feminine but never explicitly referred to as being a woman. I’m not sure if the requester wanted it to be more yandere or not, so I apologize if this isn’t what you had in mind! I hope everyone likes it regardless. I listened to the Frank Sinatra song of the same name and Elvis’ The Girl of My Best Friend almost nonstop while writing this. The reader and their partner’s act is based on Stan and Molly’s act in Nightmare Alley (the original one). Do not interact with my blog or content if you are under 18 or post ED/thinpso content.

Word count: 3.6k

Warnings: None.

The seemingly endless corn fields of the Midwest were finally behind you, replaced by the Gulf Coast swamps that made you desperately roll down the car window to get some relief from the humidity. Sensing your discomfort, Walt, your close friend and performing partner, handed you a folded map to fan yourself with.

The breeze from the moving car and your makeshift fan did little to cool you off. You felt like you were sticking to the leather car seat with each passing minute. There was still at least an hour until you’d get to the motel and be able to cool down with a shower.

“Why can’t we tour the South in the winter and just spend the summer in New England?” you lamented, wiping sweat from your brow.

Walt shrugged. “Ask the Colonel.”

A car pulled up next to yours, and you saw it was the one Elvis and his band rode in. The car kept pace with Walt’s, and you leaned out the passenger window to talk to Scotty, who was driving for this stretch of the trip.

“Where you bums headed?” Scotty shouted.

You laughed. “Same place you are! Hey, you know if the motel’s got a pool?”

“Think so,” Elvis responded from the passenger seat.

“Thank god, I’m about to melt!”

“See y’all there!” Scotty said, sending their car flying past yours and farther up the road.

You settled back in the seat, smiling at Walt. “They’re fun. I’m glad they‘re here.”

“Don’t think it’ll stay that way for more than a few months. Seems like every town we go to, more people are showin’ up for Elvis than anyone else,” Walt said.

“Can you blame them?”

He grinned in response. You never pried when it came to Walt’s preferences. It didn’t matter to you, personally; he was your friend regardless of who he was attracted to, but you got somewhat of an inkling when the two of you had first watched Elvis’ performance at the Louisiana Hayride a few weeks before, equally entranced by the way he moved.

The Colonel had recruited Elvis and his band, the Blue Moon Boys, to be part of the traveling show after that. Of course, Hank Snow was top-billed in each backwater town the troupe set up in for the week, but Walt was right, people were flocking to see Elvis. Even Jimmie had started to emulate Elvis more than his own father.

As the sun set on the horizon, you welcomed the cooler night air. It was still sticky, but at least now you weren’t sweating as much. You turned up the radio, kicking your feet along to the songs that played on the local station for the remainder of the drive to the motel.

Some of the performers had trailers they stayed in while on the road, setting up at whatever local fairgrounds the show would be held for varying lengths of time. You and Walt, along with some of the other performers opted to stay in motels when you could. Hank wasn’t exactly pleased that two unmarried people would be sharing a motel room, but it wasn’t like you and Walt were together, anyway. It had become an inside joke among a handful of the performers, since you and Walt were promoted as a uniquely connected psychic married couple, ‘The Otherworldly Wonder of Y/N and Walt’.

Hank was nice, if not a bit too old-fashioned for your liking, but you owed your livelihood to being part of his show. It wasn’t what you wanted to be doing for the rest of your life, but few others had the opportunity to travel the country so extensively while they were young. Most of the people who came to the shows had never been more than a few miles of where they grew up.

When Walt pulled into the motel parking lot, you saw Elvis’ car already parked out front. You noticed the swimming pool, illuminated by a few lamps that didn’t have blown out bulbs. A few people were hanging out poolside, but you couldn’t make out any faces.

“Will you get me something to drink after we check in? I wanna go in the pool,” you said, when Walt parked.

“Sure,” he said.

You dug through your bag, handing him some loose change. “Get yourself something too. If you wanna shower or something, don’t rush. I’m not dying.”

The check-in process went quickly, and the desk clerk informed you that the pool was open until midnight, giving you plenty of time to enjoy yourself. Grabbing yours and Walt’s suitcases, you rushed to the room. You pulled your bathing suit out of your bag, quickly changing into it and grabbing a towel while making a beeline for the pool.

“Hey Y/N!” Elvis called out to you as you ran over.

He was there with Bill and Scotty, sitting on one of the lounge chairs while they swam.

“The party’s here!” you announced, throwing your towel to the side and jumping into the pool.

Elvis watched as you swam with Bill and Scotty. The three of you decided to have a cannonball contest, with Elvis judging.

“C’mon, Y/N, he’s gonna let you win,” Bill protested.

“I can hold my own when it comes to cannonballs, thank you.”

After about fifteen minutes or so of cannonballs and subsequent arguing over whose were best, Elvis decided it was a draw.

Not long after, you climbed out of the pool, grabbing your nearby towel and wrapping it around the bottom half of your body. Taking a seat on the lounge chair next to him, you laid back and closed your eyes for a few minutes. He let himself look at you, really look for the first time since he’d met you. Your skin seemed to glitter as the moonlight reflected off of the water droplets that clung to you. Though your eyes were closed, he could picture them perfectly, bright and playful. Did you have any idea how beautiful you were?

You turned to him, laying on your side. “Can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

“What’s with you and pink Cadillacs?”

He laughed. “I just like ‘em.”

“That’s it?”

“Well, my mama used to work at a hospital, always saw people drivin’ up in their pink Cadillacs. I’m gonna buy her one someday.”

“Your family means a lot to you,” you observed aloud.

“They’re everything.”

You smiled. “Good, hold onto that. Not a lot of people can say the same.”

“What about you?” he asked.

“It’s complicated,” you said with a shrug, “but I have Walt, and everyone else in the show. Spending all these hours on the road with the same people, you get really close—or you can’t stand each other.”

“I hope I’m in the first category.”

“You’re one of my favorite people.”

“Yeah, me too. I really—“

Before he could finish his thought, Walt sat with you on your lounge chair, handing you a soda.

“My hero,” you smiled, giving him a kiss on the cheek.

Elvis looked away, not out of any sense of decency, but because of how much he wanted you to be like that with him. You were right, being on the road and performing with the same people for weeks on end could either make or break bonds. In the few months he’d been part of Hank Snow’s outfit, the slight crush he had on you when you were first introduced had snowballed into him finding even the smallest excuses to spend time with you or playing you new songs before anyone else heard them.

It wasn’t that he didn’t like Walt. He was a great guy and had been a lot friendlier to Elvis and the band when they first joined the group than most of the other people were. From what he could tell, you and Walt were happy together and rarely argued, if you did it was never over anything big. Still, he couldn’t help but wonder—what if?

He went to sleep that night wondering if he should take a chance and make a move. At the same time, he didn’t want to ruin your friendship and have you out of his life forever. Not to mention, the unnecessary tension it’d cause, especially if you went and told Walt. He could hold his own in a fight if he had to, but he didn’t want any of that on the road. He couldn’t believe he was losing sleep over a crush.

He regretted not sleeping better, though, because the following morning was a lot of last minute set up before the carnival opened in the afternoon. Everyone pitched in, which made things easier, and you sat with him while eating lunch next to the ferris wheel. Your act went on earlier than he did, so he didn’t see you again for the rest of the afternoon.

Your and Walt’s act was a sort of ‘mind-reading’ trick, wherein people would write questions or statements on cards, and Walt would read them out to you for answers. The trick relied on how Walt pronounced or emphasized certain words, signaling the answer for you. It was always a hit, and you didn’t feel too bad about all of the people who would come to the show seeking ‘enlightenment’. The more people who believed it, the more money you made.

“Will this man’s father recover from the illness he’s currently afflicted with?” Walt asked, reading from the card.

You put your index fingers to your temples, gazing into the distance until your vision went out of focus. Dramatically, you gasped, pulling your hands away from your face. The crowd looked at you with bated breath for your response. “Your father will recover, but it’ll be a tough road. You’ll need patience.”

The crowd murmured among themselves, and the man in question nodded, contemplating your answer. You and Walt continued this routine for the next hour or so, ‘answering’ as many of the questions as you could in the time given. Sometimes, in bigger cities, you and Walt would put on your show two or three times a night. This small town, however, would only get to experience ‘The Otherworldly Wonder of Y/N and Walt’ once.

Toward the end of the show, you noticed Elvis standing in the back of the crowd. You gasped loudly, as if suddenly assaulted by a vision. “You, young man in the back,” you said, pointing to Elvis.

The corners of his lips upturned. “Yes?”

“You’re looking to purchase a new car, not for yourself, though, no,” you said.

He shook his head.

“For your mother! A pink Cadillac?”

“Well, you must be the real deal,” Elvis grinned, playing along.

The crowd erupted in chattering and applause, and you sent a wink his way. He knew he was blushing and hoped you couldn’t notice as much from the other side of the tent.

“Hey! What are the winning lottery numbers!” a man shouted from the crowd.

You laughed. “Now, if I knew those, I wouldn’t be up here.”

“Thank you all for your time,” Walt announced, signaling the end of the show.

“Have a wonderful rest of your evening!” you said to the crowd.

The two of you bowed before disappearing behind the curtain. You and Walt hugged, celebrating another successful show. You’d been at it long enough to work through any hiccups in the performance without anyone seeing through the facade.

“Nice thinking with Elvis,” Walt said as the two of you changed out of your stage clothes and into casual wear.

“I’m lucky he was sweet enough to play along,” you said. “I gotta find a sink to wash this gunk off my face.”

The intense eyeshadow and long false eyelashes had become a staple of your performance attire, drawing attention to your ‘vision’ even for people farther back in the audience. It was always a pain to apply, though, and even more of a pain to remove without looking like a raccoon for a few hours. You put your stage clothes back in the costume trunk after you changed.

When you walked down from behind the stage, you noticed Elvis leaning against a post, waiting for you. “Say, what are those winning lottery numbers, anyway?”

“Well, since we’re alone,” you said, lowering your voice.

You hadn’t noticed the suggestive tone you’d taken on, but Elvis did, feeling his mouth become dry as you gave him what he could only describe as a ‘come hither’ stare through your dramatic eye makeup. Before he could say or do anything, Walt walked out, throwing an arm around you.

“Thanks for bein’ a good sport back there,” Walt said kindly.

Elvis nodded. “Yeah, ‘course. Y’all always put on a good show.”

“The way people go crazy over you? We’re okay,” you said.

“When are you playin’ tonight, anyway?” Walt asked.

“Should be ‘round nine.”

“We’ll be there to cheer you on.”

“If anyone throws you panties in my size, let me know,” you joked.

Walt groaned. “Y/N, Elvis doesn’t wanna hear that.”

You held your hands up in defense. “C’mon, I was just kidding! See ya later, Elvis.”

“See ya,” Elvis said, as if he could think properly after mention of your panties.

Before he knew it, Scotty was calling for him to join the rest of the band to practice before their show. He could faintly hear Hank Snow’s set while they made sure their instruments were tuned and had the setlist in order. The uproar of cheers and applause was the cue to go on stage, becoming near deafening as he approached the microphone. He scanned the crowd for you. When he caught your gaze, you waved excitedly at him.

He snuck glances at you throughout the show, smiling as he watched you and Walt dance together. The slightest guilt snuck up on him, who was he to ruin what you already had? Then he saw it, the hungry look in your eyes that almost everyone else in the audience had while watching him perform, except it was you. Seeing the confirmation that you were at least attracted to him gave him the confidence he needed to decide that for better or worse, he’d tell you how he felt.

The show was only in the Alabama town for the day, as they were headed for a week-long stint in some mid-size city in Florida that Elvis had never heard of. While everyone was checking out of the motel, Elvis approached you, helping you with your suitcase.

“Y/N, you wanna ride with me this time?” he asked. “If it’s okay with Walt.”

“Sure, I don’t see why not. I’ll let him know that Bill and Scotty will be riding with him,” you said.

Elvis waited by his car, fidgeting with the keys while he waited for you to return. It’d be at least eight hours to the next town you’d be performing in, eight hours alone with you. Running back over to him with a smile, you gave him a thumbs up. With that, he put your suitcase in the backseat of his car, and you made yourself comfortable in the passenger seat.

“If the radio signal sucks, you’ll sing, right?” you asked.

He smiled. “If you want me to.”

“Nah, I’ll let you have a break.”

The drive seemed to fly by, the two of you talking nonstop for hours about anything and everything. You admired his profile as he drove, the sun giving his skin a golden glow and shining off of his freshly dyed hair. When he’d revealed to you that he dyed it with shoe polish, not long after you first met, you nearly fell over. You’d never heard of anyone doing that before, but it worked really well for him.

Spending time with him was always fun. He was charming to no end, constantly complimenting you and offering to help you with things, especially when Walt wasn’t around. You knew he could easily have his choice of just about anyone in his general vicinity who breathed, so you figured he wouldn’t be interested in you, but appreciated the friendship that you had.

“I’m starvin’,” Elvis said as the sun began to set low over the Florida marshes. “Darlin’, would you look at that travel guide in the glove box and see if there’s anywhere to eat comin’ up?”

You grabbed the travel guide, following with your finger where you were on the route. “There’s a place called Betty’s Diner about five miles from here. We should see a Texaco station and then it’ll be about a mile past that.”

“Anything you want, it’s my treat.”

“Thanks, Elvis,” you smiled.

Just as you’d read in the travel guide, you could see the glowing neon sign for the diner just about a mile past the gas station. Your stomach began growling as soon as you smelled the greasy diner food.

“I’m sorry for your wallet because I’m ordering one of everything,” you said when he pulled into the gravel parking lot.

“Hell, I’m fixin’ to do the same,” he agreed.

The two of you walked into the diner, a somewhat run-down but charming little place that you knew would hit the spot. The waitress led you and Elvis to a booth, handing you menus and leaving you to order. You stared at the menu, trying to decide what you were going to order. Everything looked so good, and you were becoming worried you were going to make Elvis broke with what all you were going to order.

You were still contemplating what you were going to get when the waitress came back to ask what you wanted to drink.

“What do you recommend to eat?” you asked her. “I can’t decide.”

“Cheeseburger with the works and fried egg on top. Goes really good with a side of hashbrowns,” she said.

“I’ll have that.”

Elvis nodded. “Me too.”

The waitress left with your drink and meal orders, and you started digging through your bag.

“I told you I’m payin’,” Elvis scolded.

“I know. I’m gonna go check the jukebox,” you said, holding up the nickel you found.

He watched as you scooted out of the booth and over to the jukebox in the corner. You flipped through the song selection, grinning ear to ear when you found exactly what you were looking for. Dropping the coin into the slot, you made your selection. A few seconds later, ‘Baby Let’s Play House’ began playing throughout the diner, and when you looked back at him, he shook his head, trying to bite back a smile.

“You ever heard of this guy?” you joked as you slid back into your seat.

“You’re somethin’ else, ya know that?”

“I’ve been told,” you smiled.

He was about to speak when the waitress set the food down in front of you. Her recommendation was spot on, and you and Elvis ate in near silence, not realizing how hungry the hours on the road had made you. Being with you made him feel at home, he wanted every drive, every meal, to be with you. When you smiled at him, big and beautiful, he couldn’t hold in his feelings any longer.

“I gotta be honest with you, Y/N,” Elvis said, holding your hand from across the table, “I like you a lot, and I know you’re with Walt, but I could treat you so good if you’d let me.”

“Elvis,” you began.

He felt a lump form in his throat. This was it, you were letting him down gently. He almost wished you’d call him a jerk, throw your soda in his face, and storm out of the diner.

“Walt and I aren’t together.”

“But your act—“

“Is just that, an act,” you said. “The Colonel says the show sells better if Walt and I are promoted as a couple.”

“So you’re single?”

You smiled, squeezing his hand. “Well, there is this guy.”

“Oh?”

“Dark hair, dreamy eyes, lips to die for,” you said. “He’s got this voice that drives me absolutely wild.”

He grinned. “Sounds like a keeper.”

“Yeah, too bad Hank is married,” you sighed wistfully.

“What?” Elvis nearly shouted.

“Elvis, I’m kidding.”

He cleared his throat, nodding. “I knew that.”

“But do you really think I have a chance?”

“Y/N–”

“Okay, okay, I’ll stop,” you laughed. “I like you a lot too, and I think you should kiss me right now.”

He shrugged. “I don’t know. I wouldn’t want to step in on Hank’s territory.”

You let out a cackle at this, drawing the attention of some of the other people in the diner.

Giggling, you attempted to give Elvis a bashful smile. “Please?”

“I don’t think I could ever say no to you,” he said, getting up from his side of the table to sit next to you.

He took a moment to study your face, how your eyes sparkled even under the bright diner lighting, your kind smile that seemed like it was reserved especially for him, and your lips that were begging to be kissed. To his surprise, you closed the gap between the two of you, pressing your lips to his and pulling him closer to you. He steadied himself by placing a hand on your hip, deepening the kiss. He swore fireworks were going off in his brain while kissing you, he’d never felt a connection like that with anyone else before. Far too soon for his liking, you pulled away, leaving his lips chasing yours.

“Too bad we’re in public,” you said.

He looked wildly around the diner for the waitress and waved her over. “Can we get the check now?”

#elvis x reader #austin!elvis x reader #elvis presley x reader #elvis #elvis 2022 #austin!elvis

542 notes · View notes

gingeraleluke · 3 years ago

Text

𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻

𝗽𝗮𝗶𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀: vinnie hacker x short!fem!influencer!reader

𝘀𝘆𝗻𝗼𝗽𝘀𝗶𝘀: vinnie’s favorite thing about dating a short girl? how his clothes look on her.

𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀: fluff!, maybe some suggestive parts? +swearing and reader being an olivia rodrigo fan

𝗔/𝗡: this was a request i got months ago and i lost the ask so hopefully they see this!! i’ve been writing tall readers, so now it’s time for my short readers to shine!! (i made reader 5’1 but you can definitely just add in your own personal height! other than that, there was nothing too specific) PS: I KNOW OLIVIAS TOUR HASNT STARTED YET, THIS IS FICTION 🥴

also, i’ve been making gifs for my fics recently, and honestly?? don’t they look BOMB? ugh, idk i’m proud 😋

◦◦,`°.✽✦✽.◦.✽✦✽.°`,◦◦

you and vinnie had an annual vacation that was almost a tradition for you two. every year, you’d put aside your schedule for the month, and spend it somewhere new with the love of your life. it was something the two of you looked forward to, always being exhausted from the influencer life and just wanting be together and see new things.

you two were only on your ninth day in paris, and had so much planned. one of those plans was crafted by vinnie, who had bought the two of you tickets to one of your favorite artists.

seeing the words ‘olivia rodrigo’ in neon lights while holding the hand of your lover, was a memory you’d never forget. the only tickets he could manage, were in general admission so you were slightly mobbed while in the line for the venue, many people recognizing the two of you from tiktok.

sure, it was somewhat annoying, but they were all much kinder than you expected and thankfully, not too many people bothered you after getting pictures. you guys had pit seats and you had never been to a concert before.

your blood pressure was through the roof and you were on the verge of bouncing off of the walls. a security guard had recognized vinnie and brought the two of you to a section outside of the pit where bars would separate you from the general public— which you were immensely thankful for. being rubbed up against a bunch of fans, just was not the move.

when the show started, people seated in front of you stood up and you realized how shitty your view was, despite being so close, everyone was just too goddamn tall, that you couldn’t see anything. you always hated being shorter than everyone and the silhouette of the back of peoples heads, had haunted you since you were young. you had lightly bounced up, trying to see olivia who was almost completely blocked out of view, her floating head the only thing you could see. vinnie noticed immediately and grabbed you, placing you on his shoulders. you had one hand in his hair and another waving around as you shouted out the lyrics, seeing olivia crystal clear.

◦◦,`°.✽✦✽.◦.✽✦✽.°`,◦◦

“that was fucking incredible.” you paced in your socks around the bedroom of the loft you were staying at, vinnie laying stomach flat on the bed, admiring you with his head in his hands.

“i mean…i can’t feel my legs and my throat hurts like hell but, god that was incredible.”

“well, i’m glad you had fun.” he cooed.

“of course i had fun! oh my goodness, today has been one of the best days literally ever.” you sighed and sat on the side of the bed, your legs dangling over the edge. you checked the time on your phone, “it’s late but i’m starving..”

“you want food?”

“yeah, do u?”

“sure, i don’t mind. what do you want?” he sat upright and pulled out his phone, ording your favorite.

◦◦,`°.✽✦✽.◦.✽✦✽.°`,◦◦

once you guys finished eating, you decided to do the rest of your laundry before bed. it was almost 3am and you were still jumping with excitement, like a kid who had too much candy.

“do she know how proud i am she was created? with the courage to unlearn all of their hatred.” you sang softly, humming the rest of the song. vinnie had taken a shower and was blow drying his hair so he couldn’t hear you.

you were listening to music through your headphones, droning out the noises coming from the bathroom. you folded the small articles of clothing, your brain associating the music to the core memory you had just experienced.

“and when the clouds won’t iron out and monsters creep into your house…” you sung, oblivious to the boy watching you, his back against the wall outside of the bathroom and his arms crossed. it didn’t matter how much your throat hurt, you loved singing along to songs, even if you weren’t the best at it.

“and every door is hard to close….” you bent over momentarily, picking up a sock that fell off the bed and continuing to fold the clean laundry.

“well i hope you know how proud i am you were created. with the courage to unlearn all of their hatred..” grabbing the completed pile of shirts, you turned to put them in the drawer beside the tv, seeing how you’d be living there for a few weeks.

“but god, i hope that your happier today..” you paused and closed your eyes, letting yourself have a moment with the outro of the song.

“cause i love you..”

“and i hope that you’re okay.” vinnie mouthed the words as he heard you finish the song. he began clapping, and since the song ended, you could hear it.

jumping slightly, you grew flustered. you didn’t sing much infront of vinnie unless there was music playing, so knowing he saw you sing fully acappella, was scary.

“oh stop, i sounded like a dying cat.”

“oh come on, you’re not THAT bad.” he joked pulling the covers up while you finished putting the laundry away.

“i’m sorry you had to hold me up all night..” vinnie wouldn’t admit it, but his shoulders were slightly sore from caring you all those hours, but he didn’t care. it was worth it, seeing how happy you were. plus, you were so little that your legs fit just fine around his shoulders.

“did you have fun?”

“yeah! i bought merch, y/n! of course i had fun.” he exclaimed.

“OH YEAH, about that…i wanna wear your shirt for bed tonight. i just wanna try it on since you got a shirt that i didn’t get.”

“let me get this straight— i buy you four shirts and one for myself, and you want to wear mine?” he asked.

“just this once! then it’s yours!” you smiled, holding your hands behind your back and looking up at vinnie who towered over you.

“fine, but only because you’re so cute..” he leaned down to kiss your nose before pulling his shirt out of the bag and watching you get dressed. it was just a standard tour shirt with olivia on the front and the tour dates on the back.

“let me see how your little five foot body looks wearing my shirt.” he laid under the covers, his arms behind his head as he leaned against the headboard.

“hey, i’m 5’1!”

“wow, so scary!” he put his hands up and mocked you as you spun around to face him.

“shut up! i didn’t ask to be short..” you huffed, crossing your arms.

“that looks so good on you, i—just have my children, right now—“

“what?!” you giggled, taken off guard as he swooped you up and placed you on his lap, the blankets in between you.

“you look so sexy in my clothes, sweetheart, i can’t help it.” he groaned, kissing up your neck.

“it’s literally too big for me, it ends at my knees!”

“yes, and i love it..” he continued his assault on your neck, peppering kisses everywhere.

“wait, look!” you jumped up, vinnie whining and questioning you as you ran to the window.

“it’s raining!” you cheered, grabbing your phone and filming it before realizing that it was too dark.

“y/n…you’ve seen rain before, this isn’t special.”

“yeah, but it’s my first time seeing rain in paris.” sliding open the window, you stuck a hand out, feeling the rain hit your palm. vinnie sauntered behind you, bending over to place his chin on your head.

“you’re so cute.” he smiled.

“i know..”

━━━━━━༻❁༺━━━━━━

@radioblah-blah @janesofia7 @sofslander

#vinnie hacker x reader #vinnie hacker #vinnie hacker fluff #vinnie hacker imagines

1K notes · View notes

tyonfs · 4 years ago

Text

cat & mouse

❝ rule number one of bro code states that sisters are completely off-limits, and, y/n, we just pushed that limit. ❞

PAIRING ▸ na jaemin x fem!reader

GENRES ▸ smut, crack, fluff, college au, friends with benefits au

WARNINGS ▸ lots of !! sexual tension !! and jaemin acting like a dick, protective big brother!jaehyun, lots of sneaking around, jaemin calls you princess a lot, teasing, fingering, alcohol consumption, hooking up, thigh riding, smut, oral sex, aftercare

SUMMARY ▸ tired of meaningless hookups and dull parties, na jaemin had always been hesitant to indulge himself. that is, of course, until he met you. however, upon realizing you’re none other than jeong jaehyun’s little sister, jaemin has to keep his relationship with you under wraps to make sure his team captain doesn’t find out.

PLAYLIST ▸ move! by niki • playinwitme by kyle (feat. kehlani)

WORD COUNT ▸ 17713 words

TAG LIST ▸ @chubsluda @celestialchans @treasurestay @luvlyjaemin @lanadreamie @kylomeyon @taehinsano @jenotation @ovelha-colorida-v @hrjflrt @to-blessed-2-be-stressed @honeyju @chanluster @sweetjaemss @najaemsenthusiastttt @neovrse @jjikyuu @treasurestay @ahgastayzen @wcnderlandss @jaehy9ngs @jaemxins @syhznanny @lilminyoongles @bbnana

AUTHOR’S NOTE ▸ thank you so much for all of your love and support !! it’s beyond me & i hope you guys enjoy this ! part of the dunk shot! series but it can be read separately ♡

NA JAEMIN HATED PARTIES.

In the same vein, he hated basketball to an extent. It wasn’t the sport itself that he despised, it was the commitments that followed it. As a vital player on the team, he was obligated to attend every afterparty despite how much he loathed parties. Yet, what he couldn’t stand was being nagged by his teammates, so Jaemin went to the parties. He went to the parties and drank until he was numb and the party was tolerable.

He didn’t even like drinking that much, but he didn’t have much of a choice when most of the members of the basketball team were his seniors. Jaemin was pretty sure his brain cells depleted one-by-one every time he took a shot, but sometimes he got away with faking his alcohol intake when the others were too drunk to keep track. His best friend, Lee Jeno, on the other hand, lived for parties like this. Jaemin used that to his advantage; Jeno was the perfect target to hand off his unwanted shots to.

“Jaemin!” Jeong Jaehyun, the captain of the basketball team, made his presence known easily. After all, the parties were always hosted at his house. “Let’s do a love shot.”

If it were anyone else, Jaemin would’ve turned them down with some sarcastic, witty comeback. However, Jaehyun was different. Jaemin admired him since they were high schoolers on the basketball team. Jaehyun was two years older but his skills were on another level. Jaemin had always worked to see if he could surpass him but to no avail.

“Sure.” Jaemin got off of the couch, where he was aimlessly scrolling through his social media and observing the party. He followed Jaehyun to the kitchen counter. “You got tequila?”

It was a stupid question. Jaehyun was loaded; his supply of alcohol seemed endless.

“Of course,” Jaehyun replied. He took a red solo cup and measured a shot of tequila. “By the way, why don’t you talk to any of the girls here? You seem tense. You should get laid.”

It wasn’t like Jaemin intentionally avoided the girls. He just had no interest in people who wanted to blindly hook-up and forget about it the next morning. He didn’t completely ignore them either. Jaemin distinctly remembered a pretty blonde passing him her vape pen, which he politely refused. While he didn’t mind destroying his liver, he wanted to keep his lungs intact.

“There’s no one here I want to fuck,” was Jaemin’s impassive response. “Especially not when they’re drunk off their ass.”

“Is that so? How much did you drink tonight?”

“This is my third or fourth shot, I think.”

Jaehyun snorted and held out the red solo cup to him. “Well, here’s to your intact virginity.”

“I’m not a virgin.” Jaemin took the cup and swished its contents around. “Can’t we toast to something more practical? Like basketball?”

A chuckle escaped Jaehyun’s lips, bemused like a father to his son. He eyed Jaemin as he held the red solo cup to his lips. “Ready?”

Jaehyun didn’t wait for Jaemin, though. He tipped his cup up, downing the contents, and Jaemin followed suit as quickly as he could. The tequila was a smooth burn down his throat, but it made Jaemin feel slow and hazy. The fire spread across his chest, spreading to his arms, legs, and then his head. He felt fuzzy and was sure he had hit his limit for the night.

Jaemin took an unstable step forward, and Jaehyun put a firm hand on his shoulder, asking, “You good?” to which Jaemin answered with a dazed nod. With a grin, Jaehyun patted his back firmly. “See you when we’re both conscious again, man.”

The next thirty minutes were a blur. Jaemin found himself at a beer pong table and, in his drunken state, pretended he was practicing his free throws while he relished the crowd cheering him on. He felt a pair of hands on his shoulders, cheering wildly at the side until he got a headache. Eventually, the house felt too stuffy and he decided to go out to the backyard to let his buzz fade out.

Outside wasn’t any better. The cheers were louder outside and the music was still blasting. The fog in Jaemin’s head thickened and he was sure he felt hands trying to guide him to the pool, but he brushed them off. He narrowed his eyes onto a lawn chair and willed himself to walk straight towards it.

Sit, he ordered himself. Do not get in the pool and make a fool out of yourself.

After pushing past a few of his teammates and the girls hovering around them, Jaemin’s knees buckled under him as soon as he got to the lawn chair. It was damp when he sat down, but he was too drunk and dazed to care. Jaemin looked up at the sky, unfocused, and was only pulled from his thoughts when his phone went off.

annoying jeno: where tf did u go? this girl wants me to introduce her to u

It was time for another shot.

Jaemin felt heavy. He sat up, running a hand through his disheveled hair, and spotted a red solo cup on the side table to his right. He reached for it and inspected the contents, sloshing it around sluggishly until he noticed a pair of eyes boring into him.

You were isolating yourself from the rest of the party, just like him. You weren’t giving him the sex eyes like he had expected; you looked more confused. Unlike Jaemin, you looked much more sober and functional. It was painfully obvious by the way Jaemin couldn’t seem to focus on you without seeing double.

He wasn’t sure if it was because of the alcohol in his system, but Jaemin had no idea who you were, but fuck, he wanted to. He pushed it down, though. Hookups were never fulfilling, and Jaemin wasn’t here to let himself go.

“Why are you staring at me?” Jaemin asked in a low voice, trying to speak coherently without slurring his words. He wasn’t sure if it worked, but you seemed to understand.

To his surprise, you fired a question back at him. “What are you doing?”

Jaemin wasn’t sure how to answer that. He was obviously drunk off his ass, so what was he supposed to explain when it was clear as day?

“Waiting for this stupid party to be over,” Jaemin replied. He dropped his gaze back to the cup he held on his lap. “Why are you still staring? I’m not interested.”

“You’re holding my drink.”

Jaemin stilled. He looked between you and the cup for a moment before muttering a pathetic “oh.” He flushed and held the cup out to you. “Sorry.”

You took the cup gingerly and downed your shot before advising him, “You know, you shouldn’t be taking random cups and drinking from them at parties. You never know what they could be laced with.”

Jaemin’s head lolled to the side, a heavy sigh escaping his lips. He didn’t want to join the party, but he didn’t want to sit back and be scolded. He was debating making a run for the fence in Jaehyun’s backyard. His house was only a few blocks away and he was pretty sure he’d be sober enough to make it. Jeno, however, was the obstacle he was worried about. If he ran off without telling Jeno (who was going to disapprove anyway), he was sure to get an earful the next day.

“Also,” you continued, “don’t go around assuming every girl who looks in your general direction wants to fuck you.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Jaemin grumbled, too drained to argue back. “Shouldn’t you be partying with everyone? It’s depressing over here.”

“This isn’t my party to celebrate,” you said, biting down on the rim of your cup delicately. “I’m just here for the drinks.”

Jaemin didn’t know what to say to that, so he decided to introduce himself. “I’m Na Jaemin, by the way.”

“Y/N,” you replied. “Pleasure to meet you, Na Jaemin.”

Jaemin’s eyelashes were obscuring his vision as he tried to squint to make you out. He wasn’t sure if it was the drunken stupor, but you were breathtaking. Maybe it wasn’t such a bad thing that Jaemin was currently seeing double of you. Jaemin wasn’t sure how he had ever missed you at any of the other parties (if you even showed up to those), but he was glad he snuck away to the backyard now.

Jaemin turned back to look at the scene before him, full of shrieks and shouts from partygoers as they danced off-beat to the blasting music. He almost didn’t notice the ultimate bastard, Yuta Nakamoto, walking over with his eyes set on not Jaemin, but you. Yuta only seemed to see Jaemin when he neared the two and, despite the awkward pause in the air, held his hand up to fistbump him. Jaemin lazily returned it, not really processing until seconds later when Yuta had already passed him.

It wasn’t that Yuta and Jaemin had any bad blood between them. Rather, Jaemin found the older boy quite fun to be around, and on top of that, he was a really supportive and caring teammate. However, when it came to parties, Yuta tended to be a lot more high-energy than Jaemin was.

“Hey, Y/N,” Yuta crooned deviously, standing over you with his hands shoved in his pockets. He crouched down so he was at eye-level with you, holding onto the arm of your chair. “Care to dance with me?”

“Yuta Nakamoto,” you drawled, a smile appearing on your lips. “I’m good over here, but you go have fun.”

Yuta stood up again, a cat-like grin spreading from ear-to-ear across his face as he stepped back toward the pool. “You’re gonna miss out, Y/N. You cool with that?”

The smile never left your lips as you rolled your eyes at him. Yuta turned to dive into the pool, making Jaemin’s nose scrunch as the splash was big enough to get water on his clothes. When Yuta surfaced, he smoothed his hair back and wiped the excess water from his face. He caught your eye again, winking before swimming toward Jungwoo and splashing him, leaving you shaking your head and chuckling.

“You two close?” Jaemin asked in a mumble, not quite sure where he was going with the sudden conversation.

You were shocked momentarily, but smiled when you looked over at Jaemin. “Let’s just say he wants to get in my pants but I find the age gap inappropriate.”

Jaemin snorted. “Really? How old are you?”

“Nineteen.”

Jaemin rose a brow. He was just a year older than you but not so far off from Yuta. He hadn’t seen many college students be so conscious of a legal age difference of a year or two. After all, nearly everyone was an adult anyway.

“That’s not so far off from Yuta,” he told you.

You hid a smile, nearly going unnoticed under the dim light, but Jaemin had just caught it in time. “He’s like, my brother’s age,” you replied. “It’s just weird.”

Jaemin didn’t really get it, but he wasn’t sure if he was supposed to. He was an only child so he didn’t really think his opinion was valid anyway. Yet, he must have been looking at you weird because you bit your lip and shrunk under his gaze. Jaemin swallowed and turned back to look down at his feet, trying to get his head out of the clouds, but the buzz was still too strong.

He couldn’t stop himself from blurting out, “What if it was me?”

“Huh?”

He wasn’t looking at you but he could feel your gaze boring into him. Jaemin wanted to melt into a puddle then and there. He was never the type to make a move like that, usually expecting girls to approach him, but now that he did, his skin was crawling with shame. Although, he figured it wouldn’t be too bad if he ended the night in bed with you.

Jaemin worked up the courage to turn his gaze to you. “I’m a year older than you. Would you be down if it was me?”

“Yeah,” you admitted bluntly, causing the tips of Jaemin’s ears to go red. “But I don’t know you, so…”

“Do you want to?” he asked, then clarified, “Get to know me, I mean.”

The two of you were silent for a moment, and it was far more deafening than the booming party around them. Jaemin’s gaze dropped from your face to look back at the college students wading around in the pool. Someone must have messed with the pool because it had started to fill up with bubbles, making the crowd cheer louder. Entranced, Jaemin nearly didn’t notice you when you were standing right over him. He arched a brow at you, scooting back a little out of shock.

“Do you want to get out of here then?”

You were smiling coyly and Jaemin didn’t have the willpower to resist anymore. He stood up, looking around for Jeno, before turning to you and nodding. Everyone was so consumed with the pool foaming up that it would be easy for them to escape from the backyard.

“I’m way too drunk to drive, but we can go for a walk,” Jaemin suggested, leading her out through the backyard fence. He had escaped from there countless times, only for Jeno to drag him back, but this time, Jeno was preoccupied.

Yet, something unsettled him about not informing his best friend, so he decided to shoot him a quick text.

jaemin: i’ll see u back home, i’m with a girl lol

annoying jeno: deadass? have fun

Now, at least Jaemin had one thing off his chest.

“So what’s your deal?” Jaemin asked you as he tried to focus on walking in a straight line. “You have guys like Yuta Nakamoto lining up for you and you’re passing up my boy?”

“If he’s your boy then why are you trying to make a pass at me?” you shot back, grabbing his arm to provide leverage when he stumbled.

“Touché,” Jaemin grumbled. “It’s not like he was scoring, so I might as well shoot my shot.”

“Did you score?”

The corner of Jaemin’s mouth twitched. “That’s for you to decide, isn’t it?”

Mutual attraction was such a strange feeling because the sexual tension was there and so loud. Granted, about 90% of it came from Jaemin, but something about the way you were still holding onto his arm and laughing at his stupid jokes made him feel like something was going to happen tonight.

“We should stargaze,” you offered, pointing at a grassy hill behind a park the both of you were passing by. Jaemin nodded in response, so you dragged him by the arm to the chosen location.

Stargazing meant laying down, and laying down meant not having to focus on walking in a straight line anymore, so it sounded absolutely heavenly to Jaemin right now. Somehow, he felt like such an amateur right now. No girl had ever asked him to lay down and stargaze with him; they always just skipped to the bedroom fun.

You let go of Jaemin to lay down on the grass, positioning yourself like a starfish before patting the space next to you and then moving your hands to rest on your stomach. You looked entranced with the stars above you, but the moment Jaemin laid down next to you, you turned to him, catching him off-guard. Jaemin’s eyes flickered from you to the sky above.

“The stars are beautiful,” he said weakly.

He couldn’t even see the fucking stars.

“Damn, I thought you were gonna call me beautiful for a second,” you teased, nudging his shoulder lightly.

“You wish,” Jaemin said with a light snort, swallowing thickly. “There’s no way I’m calling a girl that over my dead body.”

He was a terrible liar. It was clear when Na Jaemin was feeling lustful. His eyes would turn half-lidded and his voice would drop a few octaves. Right now, all of that was happening along with his fingers twitching at his sides. You were looking back up at the sky when he turned his head to look at you, and god, you were so pretty.

“Girls must come running for you,” you told him, “otherwise I really can’t figure out the ego.”

“That’s the problem when you’re a star basketball player and devilishly handsome.” Jaemin grinned, folding his arms behind his head. “You turn out like me.”

“How mortifying.”

“I know, right?” Jaemin turned onto his side for a brief moment to look at you. “How come I’ve never seen you around before. I’m sure I would’ve remembered…”

“Because I’m beautiful?” you offered.

Jaemin groaned, pink dusting his cheeks. “Why are you so fixed on that?”

You laughed in response while Jaemin just stared at the heartstopping curve of your lips. He felt himself grow hot, anticipation mixed with the weight of the situation. He had never been the type to feel so jittery around a girl, but here he was, a touch anxious because he was afraid of doing something wrong.

“That’s Orion’s Belt there,” you pointed out. “Can you see Betelgeuse?”

You turned to look at Jaemin to see if you had his attention, but did a double-take upon realizing that you, in fact, had his full attention. His eyes were directly on you, not the night sky above. The both of you were so painfully close, and Jaemin couldn’t resist when he reached over to brush a few strands of hair behind your ear.

“I can’t see the stars,” he mumbled, his large hand moving to cup your cheek. When your gazes were locked, he caressed your cheek with his thumb gently and leaned in to kiss you.

Well, he was about to kiss you until he felt your finger pressing against his lips.

“I’m down for whatever,” you told him sweetly, “but I don’t kiss on the first date.”

Jaemin wasn’t sure what to make of that. Sure, he found it a little weird, but he could see the reasoning behind it. You were probably one of those people who saved your kisses for something special—whatever that meant. Honestly, Jaemin didn’t really care about the significance, but he did know it would be amplified if he found “the one.”

“So this is a date now?” he asked, amused.

“Somewhat.”

Jaemin huffed lightly and leaned back, letting his hand retract back to his side. “Down for whatever? Even sex?”

You raised a very attractive eyebrow at him, making Jaemin short-circuit for a split second. “If you play your cards right,” you said airily, your voice all light and fluffy.

“Down for whatever but the offer isn’t extended to anyone over the age of twenty-one.”

You punched his shoulder hard this time. “Bite me.”

“Don’t mind if I do.”

Whatever made Jaemin’s confidence swell was taking over fast. In seconds, Jaemin propped himself up with his elbow, using his free hand to brush your hair to the side and tilting your neck so he could have easier access to it.

To test the waters, Jaemin nipped at your supple skin, earning a hitch in your slowed breathing that encouraged him to do more. Jaemin left open-mouthed kisses down your neck, sucking harshly with each one. He licked his lips when he pulled away to look at your neck. You were tough to bruise but he loved a challenge. He maneuvered his body over you so he could indulge himself further, holding himself up with his forearms.

Jaemin dipped under your chin again, ravishing the side of your neck that he targeted. He littered the column of your neck with dark hickeys, smirking against your skin upon the sight. You were a squirming mess under him, tugging at his hair and bucking your hips up against his. Jaemin grunted softly, his hands pushing your hips down so you could no longer tempt him.

You wrapped your hands around him, one hand sliding up the nape of his neck to curl your fingers in his hair. Hands weren’t normally something that made Jaemin weak, but yours were driving him crazy with one in his hair and the other bunching up the fabric of his shirt.

He cupped the apex of your jeans, smug as you whined at his touch, yearning for more. Jaemin’s free hand grazed your waist before he lowered it to your hip. He pulled away from your neck to meet your gaze, biting his lip at your lustful expression.

“Can I?” he asked, pressing down slightly against your apex.

You nodded, about to say something but got cut off when Jaemin moved his hand down and palmed your clothed clit. Jaemin smirked once he heard the soft sigh falling from your lips. His breathing got heavier, mixing with yours as he started fumbling to unbutton your jeans.

You looked up at him through half-lidded eyes. “Jaemin…”

Jaemin swallowed hard and tugged your jeans down your hips a little. He felt like he was losing control with every touch. He just wanted to hold you in his arms and spend the rest of the night with you, and it was impossible to shake off that feeling when you were looking at him like that.

He playfully snapped the waistband of your panties, letting out a chuckle when your face twisted up and you pushed at his chest. Then, you drew him closer again and guided his hand down your pants. Jaemin took a shaky breath when he felt how wet you were. It filled him with pride, of course, but he had suddenly felt so nervous. He had hooked up with girls before, but this felt weird to him. Different, to an extent. They were just going through the motions, but he was struck with some strange feeling that he didn’t want to mess up or do something wrong. It was like his first time all over again when he had no idea what he was doing.

His silent cry for help was answered with rain.

“Jesus, it’s raining now?” Jaemin asked with a disapproving huff, pulling his hand out of your pants. He wondered if the people in Jaehyun’s backyard were going to move back inside or keep partying through rain and storm.

“It is?” You frowned and reached a hand over him to catch some raindrops. “You make a nice umbrella, Na Jaemin.”

“How kind of you,” Jaemin replied, a bit distracted by the rain pelting his back. “Should we make a run back to Jaehyun’s or do you want to, like…”

“Do I want to do it outside in the rain?” you asked, quirking a brow at him. “Absolutely not.”

“Worth a shot.”

Jaemin hauled himself up to his feet, holding a hand out for you so you could stand. You started patting down your clothes and fixing your fly. Jaemin did the same, making sure he looked presentable but he kept quiet about the dark hickey on the side of your neck. He squinted up at the drizzle of rain from the sky.

Cockblock, Jaemin thought bitterly.

Yet another distraction came in the form of a text message. Specifically, a text message from Lee Jeno.

annoying jeno: i’m going back to the apartment and ik ur with a girl but i left the keys at home so pls open the door

“Son of a bitch,” Jaemin grumbled to himself. He shoved his phone back in his pocket and looked at you when he noticed your questioning stare. Jaemin ran his hands down your arms, then held your waist gently. “I have to go.”

“Go?” you asked him, startled.

“Yeah,” Jaemin replied with a sigh, not wanting to divulge how idiotic his roommate was. “Can I get your number?”

This perked you right up, thankfully. Jaemin was satisfied as he watched you enter your phone number in his phone. This almost made him feel better about having to leave you alone to walk back to Jaehyun’s house in the rain.

Scratch that. He still felt like a piece of shit.

Jaemin slept off the party rather well.

He was in a bit of a mood, however, seeming tired and cranky in the morning. He had nearly thrown his phone at Jeno’s face when his best friend tried to shake him awake in the morning. It was a miracle that he showed up on time for his lecture. Around the afternoon, he received a text from you and was far more awake and alert after that. By the time he got to basketball, though, he was in a much better mood.

That is, until Jaehyun called for a team meeting.

The basketball team members were all sitting on the bleachers, waiting for a pissed-off Jaehyun to speak. Jeno picked at his nails next to Jaemin while YangYang in front of them was fiddling with the basketball. Jaehyun was only ever serious during games, but now his anger showed in a subtle and scary way that even Taeyong was a bit shaken by the change in his mood.

“Now, I’m going to say this once and you all better listen up carefully,” Jaehyun said in a low, dangerous voice. “If anyone—and I mean anyone—lays a hand on my little sister, then I will make sure you look uglier than you already are.”

Taeyong whistled lowly, impressed.

“Yuta,” Jaehyun continued, eyes narrowing at the older boy, “this message was inspired by you.”

“Received, reflecting, and apologizing,” Yuta said, holding his hands up in surrender. “I’ll back off, Captain.”

“Good,” Jaehyun replied curtly as Yuta and Taeyong started to banter playfully over the topic.

Jaemin was unsettled. Jaehyun was upset over someone going after his younger sister? Now, Yuta was a flirt, but he recalled him pining for you last night and there was no way you were Jaehyun’s sister, right?

“Hey, Jeno.” Jaemin nudged the boy with his elbow. “Who exactly is Jaehyun’s sister?”

“Isn’t it Jeong Y/N?” he answered.

Goodbye world, was Jaemin’s first thought.

Yuta was flirting with you last night, but Jaemin straight-up nearly fingered you and—oh god, the hickey. Jaemin was at the end of his line right now, and if you said anything to Jaehyun, he was sure he was going to get his ass beat. He was starting to regret giving up his non-hookup life because of you; the only person Jaemin was flirting with now was Death.

“You good?” Jeno’s brows were knitted in concern.

“Jeno.” Jaemin swallowed down the dry lump in his throat. “Remember how I told you I was with a girl last night?”

“Yeah?” Jeno asked, searching Jaemin’s eyes for an answer. He found it rather quickly, eyes widening and voice dropping to a whisper. “Oh my god.” His gaze flickered from Jaemin to Jaehyun several times. “What are you going to do?”

“It’s fine, it’s fine,” Jaemin whispered back. “We were both drunk. I’ll just ghost her subtly and she’ll forget about me. Easy.”

Jeno raised a brow at his plan. “Is hooking up with Jaehyun’s little sister worse than breaking her heart?”

“Oh please, it was one night. Give it a day or two. She won’t give a fuck.” Even though I kind of do, he added in his head.

The next time Jaemin saw you was after practice ended a few days later.

It had to be impossible that you could look any better than you did the last time he saw you, but here you were. It was unfair, really. Jaemin was a college student that was amped up with testosterone and hormones, and now he had no place to channel it. He was a second away from dragging you into an empty room and letting himself go with you, but then he remembered your older brother, and the horny thoughts dissolved into fear and shame.

“Ah, Jaemin,” you greeted with a cheerful smile.

Fuck, why did you have to be so cute?

Jaemin opened his mouth to reply, but quickly closed it and looked away from you. He leaned against the side of the bleachers and sighed while you were puzzled by his behavior. Although he wanted to ignore you, you were right there and the two of you were alone. Jaemin knew that the other guys wouldn’t be out of the locker rooms for another five minutes.

His gaze dropped to your hickey. It was so clear that you didn’t bother trying to cover it up, and the sight made Jaemin feel proud in some twisted way. Instinctively, he reached over and brushed his thumb over the sensitive bruise, smirking when you shivered.

“It looks good on you,” Jaemin complimented.

“Thanks.” You scoffed, then a mischievous glint shone in your eyes. “Maybe you should give me some more then.”

Jaemin stiffened, in a lot more ways than he should’ve. He gritted his teeth, willing the blood not to rush down all at once. He could not get horny at school when Jaehyun could walk out any second. And the older boy did. Jaemin backed away from you instantly, acting as if you were just some stranger passing by.

“I’ll pass,” he muttered under his breath and was sure you heard when he saw your face drop.

Great. Now he felt like an asshole.

“I gotta go,” he mumbled quickly before you could say anything else, moving past you to walk over to Jeno, high-fiving Jaehyun as he did. Jaemin didn’t have time to register your expression, but nevertheless, he felt like shit.

Jeno looked suspicious as Jaemin approached him. “Did you…”

“End it?” Jaemin finished for him. “I think so.”

“Can you just stop being a dick and talk to her?”

Ticked off, Jaemin took a deep breath. “If I talk to her, then one thing will lead to another, and Jaehyun—”

“Jaemin,” Jeno interrupted. “This isn’t about Jaehyun. This is about you and Y/N.”

Jaemin screamed out something incomprehensible and put his hands over his ears. “I can’t hear you, Lee Jeno. Can’t hear you over me getting ready to go to a party and get wasted tonight.”

“Na Jaemin, you’re my best friend but you’re an idiot.”

“I know that.” Jaemin made a face. “But it’s time for me to go and forget that.”

Jaemin never failed to forget how much he hated parties. He was starting to regret showing up in the first place. One of his teammates, Jungwoo, had let him into his frat party. Normally, guys were selectively chosen because the frat boys wanted more girls, but Jaemin was wasting his opportunity of getting in by doing absolutely nothing.

This was why he didn’t like drinking. He wasn’t even fun when he was drunk; Jeno was a social butterfly, Yuta was a flirt, but Jaemin would just wonder if plants existed and think about you.

“You look pissed off,” Jungwoo observed, holding out a red dixie cup to him. “Are you sure you want to party?”

“Yes,” Jaemin grumbled, taking the cup from him and downing it in seconds. “I need to let go.”

“Of?”

“Myself.”

Jaemin patted Jungwoo’s back firmly and moved to the kitchen to pour himself another shot. He didn’t know what he was thinking. He let himself get all worked up over some girl he barely even hooked up with. All he did was kiss your neck and here Jaemin was, looking like some cheap, heartbroken loser.

Oh, Jaemin thought out of the blue. I never told her she was pretty.

Jaemin took another shot, closing his eyes firmly as he thought of laying next to you again under the stars. Your lips looked so soft and kissable, your eyes so curious and alluring. He tried to push it away and focus on the party and getting drunk, but you kept appearing in his head like a mirage.

Let go, Jaemin, he told himself. Indulge yourself.

Jaemin leaned against the counter, bored. He sloshed the contents of his cup around, taking another shot when he felt the buzz start to wear out. A pretty brunette walked past him, flashing a coy smile.

He supposed she was one of the cheerleaders, or maybe she was a sorority girl. Either way, she was attractive and Jaemin could use the physical contact tonight. Part of him felt like it was the wrong thing to do, but all he could think about was how annoying it was to overthink every little thing he did.

Jaemin made his way over to her, tapping people’s shoulders and maneuvering his way through the cramped frat house. Everyone was clustered like schools of fish. Jaemin hated this kind of environment, but nevertheless, he put on a mask and did his best to fit in.

“Hey,” he greeted the girl once he found her. “I’m Na Jaemin.”

She smiled in that pretty way again. “I know you. You’re on the basketball team.” She looked embarrassed for a moment, flushing as she tucked loose strands of hair behind her ear. “I bet you don’t know me, though.”

“I don’t,” Jaemin admitted, “but you have a gorgeous smile.”

She beamed at this. “Hey, could you hold my cup for a second?” she asked, holding out her red dixie cup to him.

You want me to hold your cup when you can barely hold a conversation? Jaemin thought distastefully but took the cup anyway.

He leaned against the kitchen counter and waited for her patiently, and when she came back, Jaemin could tell she had left to touch-up her makeup. He could also detect the faintest spritz of perfume, but he wasn’t exactly sure, so he leaned closer to make sure.

Jaemin wasn’t sure how they ended up making out in one of the empty bedrooms upstairs, but by the time she was taking off her bra, he wanted to leave. He did his best not to look as bored as he felt throughout the heavy petting and removal of clothing, but his biggest fuck-up was worse than he had expected.

Even Jaemin himself felt mortified by what had just escaped his lips. By the disgusted look in the girl’s eyes, he was fairly confident this was going to spread around the school. As Jaemin was trying to conjure up some excuse for his actions, the girl stood up and started gathering her clothes.

“I’m not Y/N,” she muttered and left him alone in the room.

“Well, shit,” Jaemin grumbled, running a hand through his tousled hair after she left. “Should’ve told me your name then.”

Jaemin laid back on the bed, putting his hands over his face. He was royally screwed at this point and wondered if he had a shot at redemption. The fact that you were still on his mind was messing with him. Even now, after totally embarrassing himself, he was still stuck on you. To avoid further embarrassment, he pulled out his phone to deflect whatever impulsive action was creeping up his limbs.

jaemin: ok jeno im texting u instead of drunk texting y/n and confessing how badly i wanna kiss her

y/n: hi this is y/n

Jaemin wondered what sin he committed in his past life to get this unlucky.

jaemin: shit

jaemin: don’t talk to me i’m drunk at a party

y/n: jaemin you texted me first

jaemin: ugh i wanna see u so bad

jaemin: wanna make it up to u

y/n: oh my

y/n: you’re a little too drunk for that

y/n: but send me the address. i’ll come over and take you home

Jaemin was 98.75% sure that this was, by far, the stupidest thing he could do. Nevertheless, he shared his address with you and waited for you to come to get him. He hung out with Jungwoo in the meantime, slinging an arm around the older boy’s shoulder and confessing his embarrassing hookup while Jungwoo was high as a kite.

When you texted Jaemin that you were outside the frat house, he opened the door almost instantly. Jaemin couldn’t help the wide grin that spread across his face when you were standing right in front of him. You opened your mouth to say something, but Jaemin cut you off.

“I might have… might have called out your name during a hookup,” he confessed, slurring his words while he tried to speak coherently.

You looked like you were deciding whether to think it was funny or be suspicious over the fact that he tried to hook up with someone and then texted you afterward. Eventually, you ended up laughing at his story, tutting at his actions. Jaemin walked by your side, hands shoved deep in his pockets. He closed his eyes in an attempt to come back to his senses, only to be dragged back onto the sidewalk by you because he was apparently straying into the road.

“How much did you drink?” was your first question and one that Jaemin wasn’t sure he had an answer for.

“Six? Seven shots?” Jaemin counted but lost track after he held up five fingers. “I haven’t gotten this hammered in a while.”

“You’ve been flighty,” you told him. “I thought I wasn’t going to hear from you again.”

Jaemin rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “That was the plan.”

“What?”

End it now, Jaemin, the devious half of his mind instructed. Break it off before it’s too late.

“I don’t exactly do hookups anymore, Y/N,” he said, which wasn’t exactly a lie, but you happened to break that streak for him. But then came the lie. “I’m not looking for anything serious now either, and I’m sure you aren’t.”

They walked in silence onto the campus grounds, turning into the street where the student apartments were. You looked down at your feet, a little more disappointed than Jaemin had expected. More than that, it looked as though you were embarrassed.

Cue Na Jaemin feeling like a douchebag, which he was.

“Aren’t you the one who asked if I wanted to get to know you?” you asked him, brow arched.

Jaemin panicked, his words trapped in his throat for a second. Well, you got him there. He didn’t have a good excuse that made him sound less of a dick. Although, he was already probably about to be blacklisted from your life pretty soon, so it didn’t really matter.

“I was drunk,” Jaemin said as his brain was trying to throw random words at him. “I didn’t know what I was thinking.”

They made it to Jaemin’s apartment, which was thankfully on the first floor because he didn’t think he could stand an awkward elevator ride with you. You didn’t look at Jaemin once, but it didn’t seem as though you were angry. Rather, you looked confused, but Jaemin swallowed down his guilt and took a step back once they were at his door.

“Besides,” he continued shamelessly to deliver the final blow, “you always have Yuta.”

You rolled your eyes at him and stormed off at once after those words. Jaemin was left alone, still looking down at his feet. He let out a long, dragged-out sigh, hitting his head back against the solid wood of his door.

“Idiot,” he scolded himself.

It took Jaemin a whole week and a half to get over you.

Even then, he didn’t really get over what happened. He just stopped blaming himself for it in front of Jeno and internalized everything else. Talking to Jeno didn’t really help, anyway, because Jaemin would just be hit with the “I told you so” and then be silently judged by his best friend.

Jeno had gone home for the long weekend, though, so Jaemin could finally mope about his apartment without Jeno smacking him upside the head and calling him a loser. Although Jaemin agreed with that, he was tired of remembering how shitty of a person and it was a constant reminder of how he treated you.

Although, he didn’t expect that reminder to physically manifest when he saw you in the hallway of his apartment on Friday night.

“Y/N?” he blurted out impulsively.

Jaemin had just decided to get something from the vending machine, not expecting to see you when he was standing in front of his doorway in his grey sweatpants and lack of shirt. His hair was bedraggled from staying in bed all day after his morning lecture ended. In short, he wasn’t exactly presentable and this wasn’t the look he wanted you to see.

“Jaemin,” you said softly, looking a bit startled. “I was just leaving my friend’s place.”

“Look—”

“It’s fine, Jaemin.” You managed a small smile for him. “There’s no hard feelings, okay? Water under the bridge.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah,” you said, biting your lip afterward. “I just hope you’re not one of those guys who ghosts the girl if they don’t get sex out of it.”

Jaemin could feel the ice in your tone but brushed it off. “Honestly, I don’t care about sex that much.”

“Then what do you care about?”

Jaemin fixed his gaze on you, narrowing his eyes. He should have been grateful that you didn’t take it too personally and had forgiven him, but something was off. He didn’t doubt your reasons for being here, but an undercurrent of desire was definitely still there.

His morals were bouncing around his skull, warring with each other. Jaehyun was yelling at him to stop, but you were also there, and so fucking pretty. You wanted him, and he wanted you—it was almost perfect if it weren’t for your overprotective older brother who Jaemin respected too much. Then again, Jaemin had been shouldering too much guilt over the past week. He was sure he could handle some more.

What Jaehyun didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him, right?

The hallway was empty, doused with lingering sleep. The world was dark outside but under the dim, flickering hallway light was you. And Jaemin was at his limit; he couldn’t get enough of you.

“Jaemin?” you asked, and something inside him snapped.

He grabbed your hands first before pushing you up against the wall and sealing his lips over yours. Your face morphed into a shocked expression, only making Jaemin amused as he pinned your hands up and over your head. Your lips were so warm and soft, molding against Jaemin’s lips perfectly. He felt your hands wrap around his neck to draw him closer, inciting a soft groan from the back of his throat. It was kind of pathetic that he was already hard, and he was sure you were aware of it by how he was pressed up against your lower body.

Jaemin picked you up effortlessly, scooping you into his arms by your thighs. You let out a little shriek and grabbed onto his shoulders, wrapping your legs around his torso at his encouragement. Jaemin took you into his room, kicking the door closed with his foot before heading to his room and dropping you on his bed.

He had never actually let a girl into his room, so this was a first. Somehow, seeing you on his own bed was so arousing, and he had half a mind to just take you then and there. Jaemin made you sit at the edge of the bed while he stood between your legs, hands on your thighs. You looked confused for a moment, but let Jaemin run his hands up and down your thighs.

You and Jaemin should not be in bed together. Under no circumstances should the two of you even be acquainted in the slightest. The fact that you two met was all one big, cosmic coincidence, but sometimes the stars loved fucking around with human affairs.

“I told you I had to make it up to you,” Jaemin said in a low voice, running his thumb across your bottom lip. “You don’t have to forgive me but I can’t keep being a coward.”

“A coward? More like a douchebag,” you told him, holding his wrist so you could bite the tip of his finger as you looked up at him through your lashes. “But glad you came to your senses.”

“So you forgive me then?”

You smiled, all innocent and pure, unlike your words. “Not unless you make it up to me.”

Jaemin dropped his gaze down to your shorts, eyeing them for a moment before he started tugging them down. You raised your hips to help him take your shorts off, followed by your panties. Jaemin nearly sighed at the sight of you; you were so gorgeous and so ready for him. He wanted to completely blow your mind.

Then, the nerves got to Jaemin again.

“Y/N,” he started, “we don’t have to do this if you don’t want to. We can just cuddle or something.”

“Na Jaemin, if you don’t make me cum, I will scream,” you warned.

“Yeah?” Jaemin chuckled at your reaction. “I think you’re going to scream either way, though.”

“Shut up.”

Jaemin laughed, brushing your hair out of your face. He caressed your cheek, rubbing slow circles with his thumb before he dragged it down to your jawline. A small pout appeared on your lips and he ran his thumb over your bottom lip again as if he could wipe your pout away.

“Tell me if you want to stop,” Jaemin said.

Before you could open your mouth to say something, Jaemin plunged his finger in you, thumb quickly finding purchase on your clit and rubbing in slow, languid circles. He wasn’t very satisfied by your shell-shocked silence, so he added a second finger to get you moaning and squirming at his actions.

You gasped when Jaemin curled his fingers, and he relished the dazed expression on your face. He watched your eyelashes flutter and eyelids droop as he scissored his fingers in you, earning him blissful moans from your pretty lips. One of your hands was gripping the sheets at your side while the other was gripping Jaemin’s shoulder tightly. He knew he was doing a good job by the way your walls clenched around his fingers, and it made him swell with pride.

“You’re such an asshole,” you whimpered out, moaning again as he curled his fingers in you.

“Then why do you still want me?” Jaemin hissed. “You should have just hated me. I would have been fine if you weren’t so fucking perfect.”

You cried out as he plunged another finger in you. “Shit, you’re just—oh god.” Jaemin could tell you were at your peak, so he pulled his fingers out of you immediately, smirking at how distressed you looked.

Jaemin popped his fingers in his mouth, sucking off your juices. “You taste so good, princess.”

You scowled at him. “F-finish me off, at least,” you pleaded.

Jaemin gripped your thighs. “Oh, trust me, I will.”

Jaemin lowered himself and met your eyes before he leaned forward and sealed his lips over your clit, sucking harshly on the ball of nerves. You were so sweet and so wet, but what made Jaemin go crazy was the way the both of you locked eyes while he was between your legs. He let out a groan that vibrated against you.

He licked a strip along your slit, pleased with his reward of pants and moans from you. Your thighs squirmed around him so he gripped them harder and moved his hands up to your hips so he could eat you out with more vigor.

Jaemin snaked his tongue along your folds and you were gone. Already edged from being fingered, you were at your peak already. Back arching off the bed and hips squirming, Jaemin tongued your clit as he coaxed you into your orgasm. By the sound of your moans and cries, he felt like he was going to cum in his pants any second if you didn’t stop. You released over his tongue so easily, and Jaemin lapped it up as you made an effort to catch your breath.

At first, Jaemin was over the moon. He hooked up with you and wanted more. You were so enticing and Jaemin couldn’t get enough of you. Then came the crushing guilt. It registered a bit late, but it was all the more painful. He had just eaten out his friend’s little sister and couldn’t help the fact that he wanted her so badly.

“Not bad, Jaemin,” you breathed out, fixing your hair as your thighs still stiffened and twitched every now and then. “Is this the part where you push me away and ghost me for another week?”

Jaemin ran a hand through his hair, battling frustration and shame. “Look,” he started, “the reason I pushed you away was because you didn’t tell me your brother is Jeong Jaehyun!”

“Oh.” You blinked at him. “Yeah, he’s my brother. Is that a problem?” Jaemin let out a heavy sigh and you raised a brow at him. “You got a crush on him or something?”

Jaemin’s expression soured. “No! He’s my friend and teammate, Y/N. There’s an unspoken bro code between us men.”

You rolled your eyes. “Here we go.”

“Rule number one of bro code states that sisters are completely off-limits,” Jaemin said. “And, Y/N, we just pushed that limit.”

“You know, in girl code, we ask the friend for permission,” you offered.

“Jaehyun rounded us up at practice and told us that if anyone lays a hand on his little sister, he’s going to kill them,” Jaemin said. “I’m too young to die.”

You stood up to push Jaemin down by his shoulders, sitting him on the edge of the bed. Jaemin’s breath got caught in his throat when you sat on his lap, right where his bulge was painfully tented beneath his sweatpants. You traced his v-cut abs, making Jaemin shiver in response. He held your hips and swallowed thickly. He was pretty sure he knew where this was going. If you were about to ride him, he was sure he could die a happy man.

“Jaemin, my brother doesn’t control my life, so he’s not killing you over anything, okay?” you reassured him, then leaned in closer, nibbling on his earlobe. Jaemin shivered at the contact, tightening his grip on you. “But, if you’re so worried about it, then we could sneak around.”

A guttural groan escaped Jaemin when you rolled your hips against his. Were you teasing him? Because it was hard for him to think and this distraction wasn’t helping. Either way, all he could think about was making you cum again and seeing that delicate look on your face as you crumbled in front of him.

“Sneak—sneak around?” Jaemin stammered, mouth going dry when you started taking off your shirt, and fuck, you weren’t wearing a bra. “Huh?”

“Jaemin,” you said slowly, smirking as you traced a finger along his jawline. “If you don’t want Jaehyun to catch us, we can just meet up secretly.”

If this was a game of cat and mouse, there was a clear power difference right now; Jaemin felt more like the mouse while you were the cat.

Jaemin’s eyes darkened a bit. “Fuck yeah,” he mumbled, hand grazing your bare skin. His eyes devoured the way you looked, and you wanted to squirm at the hungry look on his face. It was kind of embarrassing how badly Jaemin wanted to skip this whole conversation and fuck you into oblivion.

“Jaemin,” you called again, noting how his eyes flitted from your lips to your eyes.

He gave up. “I’ll be honest. I have no idea what we’re talking about but if we’re keeping this going between us, I’m all for it.”

“Good answer,” you hummed and pressed your lips to his.

You were a damn good kisser, Jaemin observed. He didn’t notice it before, but you had on some sort of fruity chapstick on that was making his head go fuzzy. The taste was addicting, and thank god you bit down on his lower lip because he wasn’t sure if he could handle another second without his tongue in your mouth.

He pulled away for a moment so he could push you down onto the bed, getting over you. Jaemin sighed deeply as you skimmed your hands down his bare chest, fingers tugging at the waistband of his sweatpants.

“You know, I lied that night,” you told Jaemin, wrapping your arms around his neck. “I’m not usually down for whatever, but I wanted to try my chance with you.”

Jaemin tutted at you, circling a finger around your nipple. “You shouldn’t have lied, Y/N,” he said, making you whimper when he pinched your hard nipple. “Could’ve stroked my ego a little more.”

“Sorry, but I’m not here to stroke your ego, Jaemin,” you simpered, choking over your words when Jaemin pressed open-mouthed kisses to your chest, eventually snaking his hot tongue across your nipple.

“You already are,” Jaemin murmured against your skin, littering hickeys as he kissed your chest. “Your reactions are so cute.”

Jaemin sucked on his fingers for a brief moment to provide some extra lubrication, not that you really needed it. He used his pointer and middle finger to rub against your slit, your whines growing needier as you became more and more aroused. After one more needy mewl from your lips, Jaemin had enough. He tugged his sweatpants and boxers down in one go, his hard cock slapping against his stomach once it was free.

“Oh fuck,” you moaned brokenly, eyeing the length of his cock.

“Such a good girl,” he crooned down at you, teasing his cock against your slit until you were a gasping, moaning mess under him. Then, Jaemin pulled away, clicking his tongue and grinning while you narrowed your eyes at him. “Condom,” he remembered.

Jaemin got off the bed to retrieve the silver packet from his nightstand, tearing it open with his teeth in one go. He caught you staring at how incredibly hung he was, smirking proudly as he slid the condom onto his shaft. He pumped it once for good measure and moved back onto the bed with you.

He stayed on his knees, angling your hips up so that they were positioned with his cock. You looked confused by the awkward position, but Jaemin melted away your worries with a powerful thrust into you. He groaned at how tight you were with your warm, wet walls clenching around him rhythmically.

Jaemin could tell he was hitting all the right spots by the broken moans that were escaping you when he pounded in you. His own growls were low and grating, relishing the way you felt around him. You were clutching his sheets so tight and bucking your hips so often that Jaemin had to use a hand to push your lower abdomen down, smirking as he felt his cock move in and out of you.

“You’re so big,” you gasped out, looking visibly frustrated at how you couldn’t hold onto him.

“Princess, I regret not doing this earlier,” Jaemin admitted with another rough thrust into you, making you sob out some distorted version of his name. “You feel so fucking good.”

“I’m close,” you choked out, and Jaemin kindly aided you by rubbing your clit as he brutally fucked you into the mattress.

You tucked your head into your shoulder, biting back your cries, so Jaemin grabbed your hair in a fistful and tilted it back so he could see your face. A shudder ran down his spine. Your expression was so perfect, so fucked in and glazed over.

“Shit,” he growled, voice raspy from arousal as you came undone in front of him.

His nimble fingers continued to work on your clit as you fell apart, moans ringing in his ears like a song. He followed you into your bliss, unable to hold back. He leaned over you and continued fucking you through your orgasm, holding you and groaning as he, too, released.

Jaemin stopped when he was done and spent. His arms buckled as they struggled to keep himself over you, and he could only pull out and collapse by your side. He muttered out a few curses, struggling to find the right words to say as he stared up at the ceiling. That felt good? No, too dry. I’m the only one who gets to fuck you like that? No, too possessive.

He settled with “you’re amazing” as his chest rose and fell in tune with yours.

“Likewise,” you breathed out and looked over at him. “I have to go home soon.”

Jaemin didn’t know what came over him, but he rolled over and wrapped his arms around you tightly. Normally, he wasn’t one for cuddling or aftercare, but he didn’t want you to go so soon. You relaxed under his touch as Jaemin drew you closer to his body, pulling the sheets over you both.

“Don’t go,” Jaemin whispered, tucking some hair behind your ear.

You turned to look at him, running your finger along his cheek tenderly. “Jaehyun’s gonna ask.”

Jaemin threw the sheets off of you and stood up quickly. “Have a safe trip back.”

It was the very next day when Jaemin hooked up with you again.

You had sent him a rather suggestive text, stating that you found it strenuous to walk after the previous night. In some sick and twisted way, Jaemin found this extremely hot and invited you over that night. Needless to say, you found it even more difficult to walk afterward.

The next day was the last day of the long weekend, so you spent nearly the entire day at Jaemin’s place before Jeno came home. Sure, you had sex once or twice then, but Jaemin really liked having you around. Even when you both weren’t exactly doing anything, your mere presence was comforting to him. In past hookups with other girls, he would always just get up and leave after the deed was done. However, with you, he was suddenly a sucker for aftercare.

Jaemin still felt like shit for going behind Jaehyun’s back and he was starting to question his stealth when Jeno came back home and discovered your bra on the couch.

“Oh, that’s where it was,” Jaemin said blankly, taking the bra from Jeno. “By the way, how was visiting your family?”

Jeno was still stuck on the bra, however. “Hold on,” he started, “whose bra is that?”

“Mine.”

“You wear bras?”

“What? No.” Jaemin made a face. “The fuck?”

“Na Jaemin, did you sleep with a random girl on our couch?”

“First of all, it wasn’t a random girl. It was Y/N,” Jaemin defended. “And secondly, we did it against the wall, actually. The couch was just a poor observer.”

“I don’t know if I should be impressed or disgusted,” Jeno replied, pondering over his best friend’s words. He glanced back at the wall and inched away from it. “Did you figure out what you’re going to do about Jaehyun?”

Jaemin grinned sheepishly. “I mean, what Jaehyun doesn’t know won’t hurt him, right?”

“What happened to the Jaemin who was trying to ghost his sister?”

“He got laid.”

“This is so gonna backfire on you,” Jeno replied, shaking his head. “But I kind of want to watch it happen.”

“Dude,” Jaemin whined, rubbing his chin with his hand. “I broke the bro code so hard, but honestly, the sex is too good.”

“Jaemin, I don’t want to hear about your sexcapades, thanks.”

The next time Jaemin hooked up with you was almost an absolute disaster.

Keyword: almost.

“Jeno,” Jaemin warbled in a desperate cry, “I’m fucked. I’m absolutely fucked.”

“What’s up?” came the disinterested voice of his best friend who was sprawled out on the couch, flipping listlessly through a textbook.

“I need you to help me out,” Jaemin begged. “Y/N wants me to go over to her place but Jaehyun’s home.”

That was how Jaemin ended up behind your house, trying to hoist himself up onto a tree that was close to your window. Jeno was on the phone, keeping a lookout from his car that was parked on the street. This was, quite honestly, probably one of the stupidest things Jaemin had ever done because not only did he have a fear of heights, but he was risking his life just for his friend not to see him walking in the house.

There was something about hanging onto the branch of a tree for dear life that made a man question his pride.

“All this for some pussy,” Jeno tutted through his AirPods.

“Shut up, Jeno,” Jaemin muttered, a flush of heat rising to his cheeks. Truth be told, he just really wanted to see you, not that he would admit that.

He hauled himself onto one of the thicker branches that led to your window and inched his way along it to reach the windowsill. A frown crossed his lips as he reached out to knock on the glass. You told him you’d keep the window open for him, so why was it closed?

The answer was obvious, but it didn’t sink in until Jaehyun opened the window to see Jaemin dangling from a tree branch.

Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, was all that was running through his mind. His head felt like it was going a thousand miles per second but the rest of his body was short-circuiting.

“Jaemin, what are you doing outside my window?” Jaehyun asked, looking absolutely perturbed.

“I’m, uh…” Jaemin paused to think while he could hear Jeno laughing at him through his AirPods. “Jeno and I wanted to prank you.”

“Jeno? Prank?” Jaehyun questioned. “Are you not here for a study session with Y/N?”

Jaemin stilled. He wasn’t sure he had any classes with you, but surely you must have made up this excuse to Jaehyun so that Jaemin could be in your house freely. Jeno’s laughing intensified as Jaemin blinked at his team captain.

“Right, well—”

“Jaemin, what are you doing there?” your sweet, innocent voice rang from Jaehyun’s door.

There was a mischievous glint in your eyes despite how concerned you tried to look. Jaemin saw right through you, though, and grimaced.

“Just… hanging out,” Jaemin grunted out as he tried to crawl in through Jaehyun’s window.

Jaehyun reached his hand out to help Jaemin and dragged him through the window with ease, so smooth that Jaemin pretended he didn’t hit his head against the side of the frame of the window as he was pulled inside. The tree branch bounced back to its original position, its leaves rustling wildly once Jaemin’s weight was off of them. Jaehyun helped Jaemin dust himself off and grabbed one of his shoulders firmly, using his free hand to pat his back.

“Jaemin,” Jaehyun said slowly, “use the door next time.”

“Got it,” Jaemin croaked out.

“We can go to my room and study, Jaemin,” you piped up, turning on your heel to head back to your room as soon as you were sure you had his attention.

“Right, um… see you, man,” Jaemin told Jaehyun, awkwardly following after you after Jaehyun returned the goodbye.

Jaemin had been to Jaehyun’s house for parties, but being there in the daytime was unnerving. He ended the call with Jeno, quickly texting him that he was safe before stuffing his phone and AirPods in his pockets. Jaemin turned the corner to see you sitting cross-legged on the floor of your room. A loud sigh escaped his lips before he made his way in, closing the door behind him.

“You’re paying for that,” he warned.

“Oh yeah?” you asked, a laugh falling from your lips just before Jaemin strode over, pushing you down onto the floor and hovering over you. You parted your lips to speak but whatever you were going to say died on your tongue as Jaemin swooped in and kissed you.

This is a terrible place to be doing this, the rational side of Jaemin’s brain provided, but then he was kissing you and it didn’t matter anymore.

Jaemin lost himself in the kiss as soon as he was tasting your fruity chapstick. He cupped your jaw, intoxicated by the way your lips felt against his. He was so dazed that he hardly noticed you unzipping his pants, tugging them down by his belt loops.

“Aren’t we studying?” Jaemin teased, brushing his nose against yours. He glanced over at the mess of books and papers at your table.

“Mm, do you want to study instead?” you asked, drawing him closer to you. “Pass up on this and read up on some cell division?”

“Fuck no.” Jaemin scoffed, dragging his nails up your thigh. “Spread those legs for me, angel.”

A mewl escaped your lips when you spread your legs because Jaemin immediately started palming your apex without missing a beat. The burst of pride that followed made him a little braver, a little less worrisome over your older brother.

“Take off your pants,” you breathed out, tugging once more at his waistband.

“No.” Jaemin moved off of you and hauled himself up to sit on your bed. “I want you to ride my thigh.” His eyes practically devoured the way you looked. “And keep the skirt on.”

You stood up, biting your lip as you moved to straddle his right thigh. Jaemin’s hands ran up and down your thighs, moving up to your hips eventually to rub slow circles with his thumb. His lips were attached to your neck almost immediately, pressing hot, open-mouthed kisses along the column.

You let a whimper slip from your lips and Jaemin started bouncing his leg steadily, his muscular thigh rubbing against your clit. He guided your movements with his hands as you rolled your hips against him. Jaemin flexed his thigh every once in a while and made sure to pull you down on him whenever he could make use of the friction.

Another moan from you and Jaemin sneered. “You’re getting off so well on my thigh, Y/N. Such a fucking tease but you react so easily.” You whined again and Jaemin shushed you. “Be quiet, princess. We don’t want to be walked in on, right?”

And, because the world hated Jaemin, Jaehyun decided to walk in.

“Y/N, can I come in for a second?” he called from outside the door.

In an instant, you practically flew off of Jaemin’s lap, scrambling back to your table and burying your nose in your biology textbook. There were a few long seconds of Jaemin silently communicating with you out of frustration. You had escaped just fine, but Jaemin just had to get a hard-on, and now that you were off his lap, it was far too obvious through his pants.

But you already told Jaehyun he could come in, so Jaemin put both hands over his crotch in a valiant (but stupid) effort to hide his boner while the door opened.

“I’m going to the store,” Jaehyun said, looking between you and Jaemin from the doorway. “Want anything?”

“No, we’re good,” you replied, but Jaehyun’s eyes were fixed on Jaemin, narrowing slightly.

“I’ll get going then, but are you good?” Jaehyun asked, gesturing at the awkward position Jaemin was in. “The bathroom’s across the hall if you need to go.”

Jaemin’s eyes flitted to yours to see an amused look on your face, and he could practically hear your voice bouncing in his skull: This is fun.

This wasn’t exactly Jaemin’s textbook dictionary definition of fun, however.

“Thanks,” Jaemin croaked out, looking down at his lap in shame. A flush of red crossed his cheeks and you barked out a laugh as soon as Jaehyun was gone. “Not funny,” he grumbled out.

An impish grin crossed your face as you asked, “Need me to take care of your problem?”

“Please,” Jaemin almost begged.

The moment you stood up, Jaemin was quickly trying to tug his pants down, hooking his fingers in the waistband of his boxers to take them off with his pants. This was awful in the absolutely best way possible because Jaemin’s hands felt clammy but then you were kneeling down in front of him, helping him take his pants off. You looked up at Jaemin when his hard cock curved up against his stomach. A breath escaped his lips like it had been punched out of him and he wondered if his eyes were as comically wide as they felt.

When the sound of Jaehyun closing the front door echoed, you grasped Jaemin’s painfully hard cock in your soft hands. Jaemin’s tongue felt like lead in his mouth. He couldn’t even ask you to do anything with all his bravado from earlier suddenly vanishing. So, he curled a hand in your hair, more for his own leverage.

Jaemin’s stomach rearranged itself to feel like some crazed etch-a-sketch rather than the human anatomy when he felt your lips wrap around his cock.

“Shit, that’s it,” he growled when you went down on him. He flushed all over, clear in the way his cock twitched in your mouth, and it made him feel like some silly, lovesick teenager. “Oh god, you feel so good with your mouth wrapped around my cock, princess.”

A sound of approval came from your throat, vibrating against the throbbing vein along Jaemin’s shaft and making him go crazy. You bobbed your head up and down, teasing him by going so slow to the point that it was nearly unbearable for Jaemin. He felt like a coil of fire was tightly woven inside him, ready to snap at any given moment.

“Fuck… don’t tease me—wait, are you asleep?”

Jaemin looked down to see you half-asleep on his cock, lips brushing against the vein along the side. Your eyes weren’t hooded but fluttered shut, head lolling to the side and your tongue grazing the underside of his head. A hiss escaped Jaemin’s lips at your teasing, but he felt more incredulous than turned on.

“I’m tired,” you said, “and you didn’t finish me off, so why should I finish you off?”

“Well, this is just unfair,” Jaemin replied with a frustrated huff as you pulled off of him. His gaze softened when he saw you rub your eyes, though. He fumbled for a moment, pulling his boxers and pants back up and tucking away the frustration of not getting his release. “You’re actually tired?”

“Kind of,” you admitted. “I’ve been studying my ass off all week for midterms.”

“Okay, well…” Jaemin faltered before scooting back on your bed until he was against the wall. “Let’s take a nap then.”

“Nap? Oh, so we—oh, okay,” you mumbled and Jaemin’s heart skipped a few beats when he saw you suck in your lower lip nervously.

You crawled into your bed and laid down, pulling the covers over them after Jaemin moved so he was right next to you. Jaemin had never exactly slept with a girl like this, but with you, his chest felt warm. It felt right. Without a word, he pulled you to his chest so you wouldn’t have to see how nervous you were making him feel, praying you couldn’t hear his heart pounding in his chest.

“You’re warm,” you mumbled to him.

And, because Jaemin was a loser who feared rejection and the reality that he was an actual human who felt real emotions, he pressed his lips to your head and whispered into your hair, “I like you.”

If you heard him or noticed, Jaemin wouldn’t have known because falling asleep was so much easier with you in his arms.

“You slept with her? Like, without sex?” Jeno asked Jaemin that night, to which he nodded. “You didn’t hook up with her at all?”

“Jaehyun walked in the first time and the second time… let’s not get into that,” Jaemin replied. “The point is, we fucking cuddled, Jeno.”

“That’s kinda weird.”

“Right?” Jaemin tugged a hand through his hair, letting out an aggravated groan. “Maybe I shouldn’t go to Jaehyun’s place on Friday.”

Parties were one thing, but at least once a month, the basketball team would hold bonding events for everyone to unwind and chill. Jaemin usually attended every event since he was close with all of the members, but Jaehyun’s house became dangerous territory now because of you. However, Jaemin was expected to take the place of team captain when Jaehyun graduated, so he knew it would be bad if he didn’t attend all the socials the basketball team held.

“Why? Can’t keep it in your pants?” Jeno teased.

Jaemin threw a pillow at him. “Fuck off.”

“It’s been postponed to the end of the month, anyway,” Jeno assured. “Jaehyun said he had a date this Friday or something.”

“Then I’m safe for now.”

It got silent for a moment before Jeno asked, “Are you catching feelings?”

Silence.

Did Jaemin like you? Sure, he mumbled it for himself to hear when he was holding you, which was pretty suspicious of him to do that if he didn’t actually have any feelings toward you. He perfectly understood the feeling at an intellectual level, but absorbing it emotionally was beyond his realm of understanding. Plus, there was no point in having feelings for someone if they didn’t reciprocate.

Right?

Jaemin only had a few crushes before, and the feelings were so surface-level that he started to wonder how many aspects of life he had missed out on because of his inability to grow close to people. That was why he had confined himself to the hookup culture because the “no strings attached” aspect was so appealing to him, but now it was backfiring because of you. It was so fucked up because Jaemin didn’t even want to fuck around with you anymore. Scratch that. He did, but he also wanted to hold your hand, go on dates, and kiss you until your fruity chapstick made him dizzy again.

You were great in bed, but what got Jaemin’s heart racing was the way you laughed when he made a lame joke and you couldn’t get over how terrible it was; the way you told stories with your hands, and your face would light up because you would get so excited; the way the food you made looked absolutely nauseating but, for whatever reason, it tasted amazing, and Jaemin could go on, but he was afraid he’d start melting in front of Jeno.

“No way,” Jaemin lied. “It’s just for the sex, that’s all.”

It wasn’t fair that you always showed up at the one place Jaemin was most vulnerable: basketball practice.

Truth be told, you were causing Jaemin problems well before you even arrived. Hell, you had been causing problems for the past three weeks. Not that Jaemin hated it, but he couldn’t keep it in his pants every time you dragged him to a blind spot or invited him to your place. There were also times where Jaemin would just simply walk with you, or talk about your day in bed, or just hold your hand and stroke your hair until you fell asleep.

Pretty weird for fuckbuddies.

Earlier in the day, Jaemin had run into you while he was walking to his biology lecture, and after some light conversation, he had you pinned up against the back of a building. He ended up getting a very noticeable hickey on his neck from you that he didn’t know existed until Jaehyun pointed it out during practice.

“Jaemin.” Jaehyun let out a low whistle and gestured to his neck. “Finally got over your weird celibacy phase?”

“What are you—”

“Nice hickey,” Yuta complimented while he was passing by, “finally got laid, huh?”

Only then did Jaemin realize that you had marked up his neck, and did so proudly. You knew people would see but you still went ahead and did it. Jaemin would’ve been mad but somehow, the thought of showing off something you caused turned him on.

Thankfully, you showed up when practice had ended and the others were heading into the locker room, all sweaty and tired. Absorbed in their own conversations, the rest of Jaemin’s teammates were focused on talking about their last play and looking forward to a cold shower. Jaemin, however, did a double-take when he saw you, nudging Jeno to keep going while he stayed back.

You really had no good reason coming to the basketball courts. It wasn’t like you or your big brother actually wanted to walk home together.

“I’m starting to think you come here to see me,” Jaemin said smugly, making his way over to you.

“Not even,” you replied, although your fazed look said otherwise. “But I appreciate the eye candy.”

Jaemin reached out to take your hands in his and pulled you toward him. You looked down at your feet, right foot circling around one of the stray basketballs that had been left behind during practice. Jaemin, however, had his eyes focused on you. He couldn’t get tired of looking at you, especially when you were wearing that cozy purple sweater that made him want to pull you into his arms.

Jaemin noticed your foot on the basketball and held your hands a little tighter as you put your weight on it to get your other foot on. You were shakily balancing on it, grabbing Jaemin’s hands tightly as a grin slowly spread across your face.

You’re too cute, was what Jaemin wanted to say.

“You’re still shorter than me even when you’re standing on a basketball,” he teased instead, one hand slipping around your waist to keep you steady.

You pouted. “I’m basically the same height as you now.”

“Really?” Jaemin smirked at your expression, moving closer so that his lips were at your forehead. He moved his hands so they were both holding your waist, keeping you planted on the basketball. “I think I still have an inch or two on you.”

“That’s not fair,” you whispered, but Jaemin was tilting your chin up and smiling at how you were visibly growing shy. “Jaemin, my brother might walk out any second.”

“Fuck your brother,” Jaemin murmured and kissed you.

People threw around the term “time slowed down” so casually, that Jaemin believed it was a silly hoax; however, he was starting to understand it. Each kiss he shared with you before felt so rushed, but now, everything around him didn’t matter anymore. It was like every fear, every concern he had was lost as he was lost in the taste of your lips.

Your hands cupped his face, deepening the kiss and making Jaemin nearly forget that you were barely balancing on a basketball. He tightened his hold around you when you pulled a hand away to run through his hair and god, he relished that feeling. When he desperately needed air again, Jaemin pulled away, nipping at your bottom lip cheekily as he did so.

He didn’t want to see your reaction, though, so he pulled you down from the basketball and hugged you, burying his face into the crook of your neck. You were visually overwhelming, anyway, and Jaemin wasn’t too keen on seeing your reaction to his tenderness. Jaemin felt like such a melt for being this affected over a simple kiss, but all he wanted at the moment was to be closer to you.

“Jaemin?” you asked, shocked by his sudden intimacy.

“Shut up,” he murmured into your neck, “I just want to hold you right now.”

“Bruh.”

Jaemin didn’t process the fact that a third person was in the gym until it registered that the masculine voice couldn’t have been coming from you. On the bright side, the voice came from the one person who knew about whatever was going on between you and Jaemin. He then wondered why he was starting to become an optimist.

You and Jaemin both pulled away quickly like repelling magnets. There was a flicker of panic in your eyes, seeming to cool down when you noticed that Jaemin wasn’t freaking out. It was quite devastating for Jaemin to come to realize that he was the standard for what to worry over.

Jaemin, not sparing you a glance, walked over to where his best friend was standing and shoved him, not straying from his direct route to the locker room.

“You have some explaining to do,” Jeno muttered before Jaemin passed him.

“Fuck off, Jeno.”

Jeno flashed a sheepish grin at you before turning back to follow Jaemin, patting him firmly on the back to tease him. Jaemin, however, was unsettled. Whatever he felt for you was moving past sexual attraction to something much deeper, and he wasn’t sure if he could suppress it any longer.

You truly were the cat, and although Jaemin refused to believe it, you had already caught him.

Jeno somehow managed to stay quiet about what had happened between you and Jaemin until after they reached their apartment. Jaemin almost believed he was going to pretend like he didn’t see anything, but it would be laughable to think that Lee Jeno wouldn’t mock him about it.

“That’s the thing with fuckbuddies,” Jeno explained as he shrugged off his coat, “someone’s gonna catch feelings eventually.”

“Thanks, Jeno,” Jaemin spat, tone laced with sarcasm. “You never cease to make me feel like shit.”

“So you admit that you caught feelings?”

It was like an arrow through a bullseye, not that Jaemin was going to admit to that, but the thought of him potentially catching feelings for you was terrifying. It was even more frightening because he probably already did. This was supposed to be the time where Jaemin blanched and would become shockingly avoidant around you, but he was waiting for those instincts to kick in rather than the desperate urge to run over and kiss you.

But, moreover, screw Lee Jeno for majoring in neuroscience. His best friend studying the human brain and its cognition was the worst thing that could have ever happened to Jaemin.

Jaemin paused, hesitating before he spoke, “No… I’m just worried that one of us will.”

Jeno raised a brow at him. “Whatever you two were doing was not normal for fuckbuddies.”

“It’s called hugging, Jeno. It’s not my fault you have the emotional range of a teaspoon.”

Jaemin moved to sit on the couch, turning his back to Jeno and hugging a pillow as he shrunk back into the cushion. But Jeno knew that Jaemin always listened to what he had to say. It was a natural instinct by now. Although Jaemin would rather die than say it aloud, his best friend always gave the best advice even though it was probably not what Jaemin wanted to hear.

“Are you okay?” Jeno asked instead.

Jaemin froze. He was never any good at expressing himself. He presented himself as a simple man on the outside, but he was really just layers of multitudes. But, sometimes, your mere attention was like uncut cocaine to him, and then Jaemin would wonder if he really was simple.

“I’m fine,” Jaemin muttered back.

“You’re good at being fine, aren’t you?”

Jeno fastidiously fixed his hair before he retreated to his room. Jaemin was surprised by how he cut the advice session this time and left Jaemin to his own thoughts.

Exhausted, Jaemin stared at his lock screen. It was a picture of you and him at a park. Ducks in the pond. You caught off-guard with hair in your mouth. Jaemin with a smile brighter than the sun. Who the fuck took selfies with girls they fucked on the down-low? And who the fuck set them as their wallpapers? Apparently, Jaemin did.

He was sick.

Maybe Jeno was right, but Jaemin refused to accept that possibility because that would make him even more disgusted with himself.

He could only think of one thing and it was how he was in love with you.

Sex was one thing, but love? The number one rule of best friendship was probably don’t fucking fall in love with your best friend’s sister.

Furthermore, Jaemin didn’t know how to act around you now. In the conspectus of Things That Could Go Wrong in his brain, he hadn’t anticipated actually falling for you. He should’ve taken your godsent looks and heavenly laugh as a red flag that first night because now he was addicted.

It wasn’t like Jaemin had absolutely zero experience with girls, but usually, he just went with it. Being the one chasing after you was mentally taxing and the thought of you possibly not wanting him back was unthinkable. Then again, it was pretty clear that it was mutual between the two of you, but Jaemin was confident that you were a breath away from snapping at him for his inconsistency.

He was the one that pushed you away, after all. A sudden transition from resisting to wanting you completely was sure to freak you out, so Jaemin was stuck at a crossroads.

After a few Google searches of asking the internet if he caught feelings and an episode of self-denial and self-loathing, Jaemin decided it was high time for him to call you and tell you how he felt. That, or he was going to panic and break things off before he got emotionally invested.

Before he could do either, Jeno walked back to the living room, putting his coat back on. He looked dressed up as if he was going out somewhere, and Jaemin’s suspicions were confirmed when he went to get his shoes.

“What’re you all dressed up for?” Jaemin asked, sitting up straight again.

“Jaehyun’s house.” Jeno raised a brow at him. “It’s Friday.”

God, if you’re out there, Jaemin thought, defeated. Screw you and your son. Amen.

Jaemin had to psych himself into the proper state of mind for tonight.

That all went to shit, however, when he saw you sitting in the living room, laughing at something Yuta had said.

“Oh my god,” Jeno said in a low voice when he saw Jaemin frozen in the doorway. “Tell me you’re not jealous right now.”

“Piss off,” Jaemin spat, kicking off his shoes at the entrance. “It’s nothing like that.”

Except that it was exactly like that. Jaemin wasn’t the jealous type, but right now, his blood was roiling in his gut. Deep inside, he knew it was probably nothing to worry about, but the way you smiled around Yuta was pissing him off. Then, he realized that he had no relationship with you that gave him any right to stop Yuta from flirting with you.

And then, you turned to see Jaemin in the doorway and smiled at him.

Oh no, Jaemin thought in complete devastation. She’s pretty.

“Y/N, tonight’s for the basketball team,” Jaehyun told you from the living room, making a motion with his hands to signal you to leave. “Go to your room.”

“You’re such a nosy older brother,” YangYang chimed in, nudging a chuckle out of Jaehyun. “But yeah, Y/N, Friday nights are for the boys.”

“I know, I know,” you said with a laugh. “I’ll go now. I was just grabbing some water.”

Jaemin was still frozen stiff at the doorway as you grabbed a half-empty bottle of water from the kitchen counter (despite Jeno’s several attempts to get him to move) and then walked to the staircase to Jaemin’s left. But then you grabbed Jaemin by the front of his shirt and started dragging him upstairs with you. He barely registered it all happening in the span of a few seconds, but he was able to catch Jeno saying he’d tell the others that Jaemin was running late.

“Y/N? What are you doing?” Jaemin whispered harshly, although he still followed you into your room and let you lock the door.

This was far too risky. Not only was Jaehyun home, but the entire basketball team was downstairs.

You started tying your hair up and Jaemin gulped, realizing where this was going. “Do you want me to suck you off or not?” you asked, smiling.

“Say no more,” Jaemin breathed out, unzipping his pants hastily.

He sat down on your bed, letting you tug his boxers down, your eyes full of mirth. Jaemin felt so pathetic when his cock twitched as soon as you wrapped a hand around its girth, but he was ready to put his pride to the side for once.

Jaemin was about to rasp out something but then you took his head in your mouth and a sudden wave of heat punched him in the gut. But then you pulled away, lips against the underside of his head, and Jaemin was a second away from just crying.

“You have nice hands,” you complimented with a mischievous smile as Jaemin held the back of your head eagerly. He felt like he was going crazy with the way you were mouthing your words against his cock.

“You have nice lips,” he returned through gritted teeth. “But please shut the fuck up and get to it already.”

Your lips curled slowly. “So impatient,” you cooed, tongue dragging along the underside of his cock. Jaemin bucked his hips forward, trying to chase the sensation, but you were teasing him.

“God, you’re gonna be the death of me, Y/N.”

You smirked up at him, moving your head to lick against the slit before taking his cock in your mouth again. A few laborious seconds passed with Jaemin biting his lip so that he didn’t make any noise, and then you finally started sucking him off. He fought the urge not to groan when your tongue rolled along the vein down his shaft.

You showed Jaemin no mercy, however. It was almost like you wanted everyone downstairs to hear. He gritted his teeth when your teeth grazed his cock, and he wanted more. He gripped your hair for anchorage and fucked into your mouth. The smallest whimper escaped you when Jaemin’s cock hit the back of your throat.

Jaemin let out a strangled groan. “I’m close.”

You took this as your cue to suck him off even harsher, and Jaemin was on the brink of sweet release. A tear escaped your eyes as he fucked into your throat, and Jaemin wiped it with his thumb, drinking in the wrecked sight of you that was bringing him over the edge. You let a broken moan vibrate against Jaemin’s shaft, and he was done for.

Jaemin couldn’t recall being able to cum this fast because of someone’s mouth before, but here he was, groaning as his hot seed shot down your throat. You obediently swallowed it, eyes hazy and tear-soaked from the size of him.

A few moments of silence passed before Jaemin leaned down and pecked your lips, heart fluttering a bit in his chest as he did so. “Good girl.”

He swore he saw you lifting a finger to scratch your cheek lightly, which was a nervous quirk of yours that Jaemin had picked up on, but you turned away quickly to fix your hair while Jaemin was pulling his pants back up. The tension that followed made Jaemin unsure of whether to leave or take you against the wall. He decided against the latter, knowing that Jeno couldn’t stall forever.

“Leaving already?” you asked, reaching for Jaemin’s hand, which he gladly entwined with yours.

“I’m already on thin ice,” Jaemin explained. “I have to go back down there and hope they don’t question me.” You moved closer to him, hands moving down to graze past his waistband. Jaemin hissed slightly under his breath and diverted by rubbing the back of his neck. “Uh, so you and Yuta…”

“You’re still on that?” you asked, pulling your hands back. “I can’t laugh around another guy now?”

“No, no!” Jaemin groaned, tugging a hand through his hair out of frustration. “Nevermind, it’s nothing.”

“Is it not obvious, Jaemin?” you asked him, an edge of desperation to your voice. “You really can’t tell how I feel?”

Jaemin sighed, looking down at his feet. “You can’t tell how I feel either?”

“You—what?”

“We’ll talk later. I have to go.”

He turned to go back downstairs, but you grabbed his wrist, saying, “Jaemin, remember that you’re the one who didn’t want anything more out of this.”

Jaemin gave you a puzzled look but before he could ask for clarification, you had pulled away from him and gestured for him to leave. He mumbled a pathetic excuse, spitting out a string of words for a moment before he gave up and snuck downstairs as quietly as he could.

He hated that you were right. Even though you had suggested sneaking around, Jaemin was the one who tried to draw the boundary. He did this to himself.

“Yo, Jaemin,” Yuta called, “when did you get here?”

“Just now,” Jaemin answered, rubbing the back of his neck as he walked into the living room where all the basketball team members were sprawled over the couch. “What’re we watching?”

“Pulp Fiction,” Taeyong answered. “Can you get the ice cream from the kitchen?”

“Sure.” Jaemin opened Jaehyun’s freezer to see two tubs of ice cream nestled in the corner. While he was pondering over whether to grab chocolate or vanilla, he felt a presence behind him and looked over his shoulder. “Did you need—oh my god, go to your room,” he whispered harshly at the sight of you.

“Are you my mom?” You raised a brow at him and reached for an ice cream tub. “Let me help you open them.”

“Fine,” he mumbled, voice fracturing at the end. He watched you move to the kitchen’s island and, carefully eyeing his teammates in the living room, letting his hand graze your thigh and whispering, “Hey, I’m sorry for earlier.”

You stiffened at his touch. “It’s fine,” you whispered back, opening the tubs of ice cream. “You’ve just been acting weird lately.”

“Weird?” Jaemin asked as he opened his tub. The ice cream dripped off the lid and onto Jaemin’s finger. “Ugh. Do you have napkins?”

“You’re so messy, Jaemin.”

“Shut up.”

“Let me help,” you insisted, grabbing his wrist and taking his fingers in your mouth.

Jaemin’s eyes widened by a fraction as your hot tongue circled around his fingers. He fought down the urge to take it further and bit his lip as he watched you. Before he could do anything, however, an awkward laugh and wolf-whistle from the living room made him freeze.

Jaemin’s head shot up to see his teammates staring at him, shell-shocked. Some looked absolutely confused while others looked more proud and impressed. Jaemin wondered if you had no shame because, despite all the eyes on them, you didn’t let go of his hand, your pretty lips still wrapped around his fingers.

“I don’t know why she’s doing that,” Jaemin rambled quickly, and his tone was so frazzled that Jeno had to hide his laugh behind his fist. “Come on, Y/N,” he urged, voice dropping for you to hear. “Let go of my hand.”

It would have been sexy if Jaemin wasn’t absolutely terrified.

Only when Jaemin caught sight of Jaehyun’s expression did you let go, saying, “Thanks for the ice cream.” With a playful smile, you looked up at Jaemin expectantly.

“What the fuck did we just witness?” Jungwoo asked, lit up silly like he had just witnessed the biggest scandal.

“We’re friends,” Jaemin croaked out. “Right, Y/N? Jaehyun? Jeno?”

Jeno ducked his head and Jaemin could tell what exactly he was thinking: I can’t help you out of this one, Jaem.

Jaemin couldn’t exactly read Jaehyun’s expression. It was a mix of emotions so varied that they didn’t make sense to him. He couldn’t even pick out any distinguishable one, but maybe it was better he didn’t know what the captain was feeling.

“I swear, it's not what it looks like,” Jaemin defended.

“So Y/N wasn’t sucking on your fingers?” Taeyong asked, a ghost of a laugh on his lips.

“Okay, so it’s exactly what it looks like,” Jaemin muttered and pursed his lips together. “But it’s—it’s nothing,” he reasoned, and at this point, it seemed like he was trying to convince himself more than them.

Either way, it wasn’t working.

Who was he kidding, anyway? They weren’t stupid, and it was clear as day that Jaemin couldn’t get enough of you. For heaven's sake, he even got jealous over Yuta making you laugh. Before, one would have to pry open the cold, hard jaws of his corpse to get a word out about how he felt, but now Jaemin felt like you had broken down his last line of defense.

Jaemin could already see the consequences that would follow, but he still blurted out, “Fine. You got me. Jaehyun, I’m in love with your sister.”

Jaemin’s neurons were tearing themselves over the fact that Jaemin had just professed his love to you and was now experiencing a state of total humiliation. He was confident he wouldn’t ever live this moment down.

The room went silent. Not only were the boys shocked, but you were, too. Jaemin himself couldn’t believe he let that slip, but there was no going back now. Jeno sat there with his jaw hung open and Jaemin couldn’t blame him. He didn’t even know he was going to drop the love bomb like that out of nowhere. Taeyong looked like he had just witnessed a murder as his eyes kept darting between Jaemin and Jaehyun, Jungwoo looked a little too proud, and Yuta was just washed over with realization.

“Oh.” Jaehyun blinked. “Cool, I guess. Does that mean you’re not joining us for movie night then?”

Jaemin wasn’t sure how obvious the shock showed on his face, but this felt too easy. For a little over a month, Jaemin had been skirting around his relationship with you because of your big brother, and now he was acting scarily nonchalant.

“You’re not mad?” Jaemin asked, wide-eyed.

Jaehyun laughed. “I mean, it’s kinda weird that you’re dating my little sister, but why would I be mad?”

“Maybe it’s because you said ‘if anyone lays a hand on my little sister, then I will make sure you look uglier than you already are,’” Yuta reminded him with Jaemin nodding along at his words. “And that was verbatim.”

“That’s for people hitting on my sister to get laid, not people dating my sister,” Jaehyun corrected. “I don’t control her decisions.”

Jaemin smiled through the internal pain of realizing he did exactly that. If Jaehyun found out he wasn’t dating you, then Jaemin was in for an earful. Thankfully, you were too dazed over Jaemin’s earlier confession to decide to start shit.

“Plus,” Jaehyun continued, “I knew you guys had a thing.”

“What?” Jaemin spluttered, blinking wildly. His tongue was performing acrobatics to formulate words but it wasn’t working.

“I had a suspicion when you climbed up my tree to get into the house,” Jaehyun said. “When I walked into the room later, that just confirmed my suspicions because, you know…”

Jaemin’s cheeks went hot when he realized that Jaehyun had probably caught onto the fact that he had a boner back then. Without a word, you rushed out of the kitchen, gaze averted which was what Jaemin supposed was embarrassment. Jaemin heard the front door open and close. He turned to follow after you, but swallowed thickly and froze in place.

“Go, Jaemin,” Jeno urged him, a tone of seriousness taking over.

“Yeah, don’t sweat it,” YangYang said cooly. “It’s just movie night.”

Jaemin clenched his jaw and nodded, thinking about how shitty it would be if he did all of that just to be rejected. Jaehyun’s house was a warzone and he knew better than to come tonight, but he still did, and he still fucked everything up. If things went wrong with you—

“Jaemin,” Jaehyun cut into his thoughts, “just so you know, I’m cool with you dating my sister.”

It was funny how a few words could make someone’s day, but Jaemin was surprised at the weight those words took off of his shoulders. He contained the joy to a half-smile and left the kitchen and walked out of your house to find you.

You hadn’t gone far at all. You were pacing along the sidewalk looking frazzled, hands lacing together and eyes cast down. Jaemin walked over to you and tried to take your hand but you pulled away.

“Did you mean what you said?” you asked, overcome with raw emotion.

“Yeah,” Jaemin replied, shoving his hands in his pockets. “I know I’m the one who didn’t want to start anything, and I lied about not wanting anything, but… this is how I feel, I guess.”

“You guess?”

“I’m not exactly expressive if you haven’t noticed.”

“Oh, trust me, I’ve noticed,” you replied incredulously, lower lip starting to quiver. “I just—I don’t know—I thought I was just going to be an afterthought to you.”

Jaemin froze when he saw tears start to gloss your eyes. He never knew how to deal with people crying, especially when they were girls. He took your face in his hands and wiped your stray tears away with his thumbs, sighing softly.

“Let’s go to my place.”

“What? Why?”

“I need to show you how much I love you,” he replied firmly, taking your hand in his and walking in the direction of his apartment. “It’s kind of funny that you thought that because you’ve been all I could think about for the past month.”

More tears were starting to well up in your eyes, but you blinked them away.

Stay calm, Jaemin’s brain instructed him. Cupid can sense your fear.

“I love you,” he continued. “Should I say it again? I love you, I love you, I love—”

“Alright, Jaemin!” Your face beamed like a Christmas tree but you were still a flustered mess. “God, stop looking at me like that.”

“No,” he said, stopping in his tracks. “I’m going to keep saying it because I don’t think you get it.”

“Jaemin, we’re in the middle of the sidewalk,” you squeaked out as he kissed your cheek.

“I love you.” Kiss. “I love you.” Kiss. “I love you.” Kiss.

“J-Jaemin, I get it,” you whined out, scrunching your nose up at his affection. Jaemin continued, though, and you happened to reach your limit. You gripped his shoulders and held him away from you. “God, Jaemin, I love you, okay? You have to give me a chance to say it back at least.”

This time, Jaemin was the one to get shy. “Huh? You like me back?”

“Jaemin, you idiot, you’re so slow,” you mused, “I’ve liked you this entire time.”

He took your hand, his gaze never leaving yours, and rubbed your palm in circles with his thumb. “I know I’ve been a dick… on multiple occasions,” he admitted, “but I want to be with you.”

“Jaemin—”

“Will you be my girlfriend?” he asked.

Jaemin wondered how many seconds passed after, but it felt like centuries to him. He didn’t budge, however, because he wanted you more than ever.

“Yes,” you finally confessed, which, in essence, was a fever dream in itself.

Jaemin expected his reaction to be different, but instead, his eyes wandered off, lost in thought. He looked toward the moon overlooking that hill where he nearly hooked up with you on the night of the party. That felt like eons ago despite being not that long ago, but it carried a comforting wave of nostalgia.

“You know, on second thought, we’re gonna stargaze.”

You looked at Jaemin like he was some undiscovered specimen, but you still followed him. He laid on his back, scrunching up his nose when the grass tickled his face, and he held his hand out to you. You took it, crouching down to lay down next to him. This time, Jaemin spread his arm out so that you could lay against his chest.

You cuddled up against his chest and Jaemin thought he could die a happy man.

He looked over at you, heart hammering against his ribcage like he was hopped up on ten energy drinks. The glow of the moon illuminated the gentle curves of your face and Jaemin didn’t realize he was kissing you until he realized he had tilted your face toward him and cupped your soft cheek. His whole body felt fuzzy when your hands rested on his chest, when he could taste your fruity chapstick.

It was kind of embarrassing how nervous Jaemin was getting. His hands were starting to sweat and he was feeling kiss-dazed, smiling like an idiot because your soft lips were everything. When he pulled away, he pecked your lips one last time, his eyes unable to leave your face.

He threw his pride to the wind and confessed, “You’re so beautiful.”

Your expression was priceless. Jaemin indulged in watching you become a stuttering, faltering mess in front of him, struggling for words that could come out coherently.

“I thought you said you wouldn’t call anyone beautiful over your dead body,” you managed.

“Well, you’re not anyone, are you?” Jaemin raised a brow “You’re Y/N.”

“You’re such a smooth talker sometimes,” you acknowledged, “you know, when you’re not completely malfunctioning.”

“Shh.” Jaemin pulled you closer. “Let me enjoy this.”

“Fine, but you’re making it up to me later for playing cat and mouse for a month.”

Jaemin scoffed. “Please, I was the mouse most of the time.”

A bubble of a laugh escaped your lips and you wrapped your arms around your boyfriend. “I’m really happy, you know?” you mumbled into his chest.

Jaemin kissed the top of your head, whispering a “yeah” into your hair. Maybe one day he’d admit that he was just as over-the-moon as you were, and maybe it would be coerced out of him hours later, but right now, under the starry night sky, he could only think about how lucky he was. It was funny, though, because now he could see the stars.

And they were so beautiful.

10K notes · View notes