#the answer to both questions COULD be yes

[ariaste]

Unfortunately, you can be taken in by propaganda at any age and regardless of how much you've been taught. The way that cult influencers like Andrew Tate work is that they hook into a key feeling of 1) loneliness/isolation, 2) unfairness, or 3) both. Ten year old boys are very aware that the world is unfair, and frankly they're not wrong!They have to listen to and obey adults, they have to do homework and chores, they have to live on other people's schedules, etc. Additionally, although all of those families who are showing preference for a son over a daughter do defend their son to "threats" (such as "gasp the teacher gave him a bad grade") that are external to the family system, within the family system they are also putting a huge amount of pressure on him to perform to expectations (and confusing mixed signals about how great he is at the same time). A 10 year old boy does not get space to figure out his own identity -- he is already being suffocated by toxic masculinity and the patriarchy. So he knows the world is unfair, but he can't quite put his finger on WHY.

Andrew Tate swoops in and says, "Here's why it's unfair!" And the natural emotional response is to go, "Oh!!!" He gives them an answer (the wrong answer, yes, but an answer) to a nebulous question most people of any age are not able to even begun to articulate for themselves. That's Cult Bullshit 101.

If you teach a child that they're not entitled to anything, then that unfortunately only sets them up to feel even more like the world is unfair. And frankly, there is a lot that they ARE entitled to -- privacy, bodily autonomy, and freedom to explore their own identity, for example. But even if you do teach them all that, that doesn't make them immune to propaganda. I know families who did everything right, who thought they were raising a great, kind, caring, compassionate kid, and the kid still got hooked into a cult influencer's orbit. Because feeling vaguely like the world is unfair is kind of part of being a preteen/teenager.

And honestly, feeling vaguely like the world is unfair continues into adulthood! This is just what happens when you are a social species with a big complicated brain! You assess, "Does that other monkey have more bananas than I do? That's not fair." Sometimes the feeling is right (systemic inequality), sometimes it's irrational (coworker brought a candy bar with their lunch and you do not have a candy bar in your lunch oh NO), and sometimes it's flat-out wrong (cult indoctrination).

The good news is that children's brains are VERY flexible, and at that age they're trying on a million different identities and just sort of Spouting Bullshit without actually having those beliefs firmly set in stone yet. The fact that they are discovering that stuff is concerning, but if the adults in their lives can catch it and identify it and do the hard work to guide these kids back out of it, you could potentially end up with a generation of young men who are better equipped to resist misogynistic propaganda because they've been inoculated against it.

With some kids, you can tell them, "Hey, the stove is hot" and they won't touch the hot stove. With other kids, you tell them that, and they touch it anyway, and unfortunately get to learn from the burn rather than from the warning. You can't prevent 100% of singed fingers, but you can catch them before they get badly hurt and patch them up. And then frequently they're the ones most vigilant against other people touching the stove.

I’m fucking livid

[acid-ixx]

hello! first i’d like to say, i’m so excited for chapter 6!! foaming at the mouth tbh

though, i have a question, is reader actually unattractive? they clearly think they are, but are they really?

— masterlist !

okay, to answer your question, anybody could interpret the reader however they like, hence why i made sure to avoid overly descriptive traits on their body unless it's to point out similarities between them and their family— but honest to god truth? in the series, you are conceived by the literal bruce wayne, and a mother who was attractive enough to capture the literal eyes of other socialites, other rich, upper class men and women enough to garner their trust; she was considered an absolute beauty at her prime, a cunning thief who can steal the hearts of many gothamites with her twisted words laced in her soft voice.

yes, she died young, and with a mangled face, but across the multiple chapters that i've published, i already established how even in her death, she was surrounded in some sort of angelic light, under the only working lightbulb in your apartment.

so that begs the question: are you genuinely attractive? well, being a wayne is enough of an answer. sharing both bruce and your mother's infamous image makes you the topic of a lot of articles from back when you were young, back when a lot of photographers were itching their way through the crowd, trying to get a glimpse of you through the police and alfred's protective hold from when you were being escorted to the car.

the short answer is, yeah, you definitely are attractive. it's just that, because of your circumstances: the way you grew up, being beaten and abused by your mother's own murderer then discarded to the side after, to bleed to death if not for the gordon finding your body and your mother's— then also sustaining a lot of scars, both self inflicted and not; it kind of ends up ruining your perception of yourself. and it doesn't help the fact that because of the amount of times you've compared yourself to your own siblings, who you perceive as nothing less than perfect, there's bound to be envy on your physiognomy.

but... you know, if you ever voice out these insecurities, how you can't handle looking at the mirror without flinching, how you nearly cried 'cause dick called your eyes cute, how you don't like it when bruce carefully looks at your exposed scars, how uncomfortable it is when damian watched your injured neck which houses the same, discolored skin from when he first threatened you— just be aware that one way or another, every one of them would find a way to overcorrect their behavior, try to shift your own self-hatred into overly corny and suffocating therapy sessions with the family.

they're going to make sure that every single day would be jam packed with compliments, every rebuttal would be met with softer, more genuine comments about why and how much they value a part of you which they consider your deepest insecurity.

just know that the most annoying of them all would most definitely be dick, with how often he rambles about how cute his baby bird is. how there's nothing to worry about, to fear showing off when it's not like anyone else outside of the family could ridicule you, anyways.

[wosoarsenalwfc]

my car is replaceable, ur not

steph catley x reader

summary : renee has finally given you guys a day off and you need to do some grocery shopping. steph rather play fifa then come with you. you take her car and on your way back from the shops, you get into a car crash and lose consiousness. hospital calls steph and when you wake up your more worried about damaging stephs car then yourself.

warnings : car crash, hospital, unconsiousness

Renee had finally done the impossible, she had granted the arsenal wfc team a full day off. No training, no meetings, no recovery sessions. Just 24 glorious hours to do absolutely nothing, which, in your mind, translated to: groceries. The fridge had been empty since the last away trip, and you'd been surviving off protein bars, takeaways and questionable leftovers (Steph called them exotic cuisines but both you and your stomach did not appreciate eating a peanut butter and pickle bagel) for three days now.

You were halfway through putting on your sneakers when you looked over at Steph, who was lounged across the couch in sweats, deeply focused on a game of FIFA, looking extra huggable. She didn’t even glance up when you called her name.

“Steph, come with me,” you said, grabbing your keys. “I have to do a big shop. Help me carry stuff with those big muscles of yours?”

She waved a hand lazily, though you could see her tense up to show her muscles.

“Babe, I just got Foden, I can’t abandon him now.”

You rolled your eyes but smiled. This was typical. “Fine,” you sighed as you walked out the door, taking Steph's car keys, instead of yours.

You didn't realise however until you spent 10 minutes trying to open your car with Steph's keys, failing to realise that it was the car behind you that kept lighting up. Oh well you thought, Steph would never know and plus, Steph's car always smelt like her perfume (and occasionally Calvin's shampoo). You got into the front seat and backed out of the garage.

******

You had just finished loading the last bag into the trunk when the traffic light turned green, and you turned out of the parking lot. The intersection was quiet, your windows down, your mind drifting to what snack Steph was definitely going to steal from the bags.

You never saw the car speeding through the red light.

The sound was thunderous—metal twisting, glass shattering, a moment of pure chaos before the world went black.

*******

Steph had just scored a beautiful goal in FIFA when she realised you had been gone for more than 4 hours already. Worry and panic ran through her and suddenly her phone buzzed.

Unknown Number.

She almost didn’t answer, but something in her gut told her to.

“Hello?”

“Hi, is this Stephanie Catley?”

“Yes…”

“This is St. Benjamin's Hospital. We have someone here listed with you as their emergency contact, they were in a car accident. (y/n) (l/n),”.

Her world stopped as she ran to find her car keys but they were no where to be seen. Sighing, she picked up yours, not yet figuring out that if your car was in the garage and hers wasn't, you had taken hers.

******

You opened your eyes slowly, the harsh white hospital lights making you squint. Everything ached. Your head, your side, your legs. But you were breathing.

Someone was holding your hand—tightly. You turned slightly and saw Steph, her eyes red-rimmed, face pale, lips pressed into a tight line.

“Hey,” you croaked.

“Jesus, you’re awake,” she breathed, a shaky laugh escaping. “You scared the hell out of me.”

You blinked at her, groggy. “Wait… the car. Steph—your car. I’m so sorry.”

She looked at you like you’d grown a second head. “You nearly died and you're worried about my car?”

“I'm so sorry, I accidentally took your keys and I wasn't bothered to go grab mine and plus your car smells like you. I'll pay for the insurance or a...” you ranted.

Her face broke into a soft, wet smile and she kissed your pout and interrupting you mid sentence. “You’re an idiot, my car is replaceable, but your not”

“I'm your idiot,” you whispered.

She leaned down and kissed your forehead. “Damn right, I'll go get the nurse now,".

And with that, she walked out the room, not before pecking your cheek and squeezing your hand again.

[ahundredtimesover]

Something About You (05) | JJK

Pairing: Jungkook x (f.) Reader

Genre/Tags: friends au, vacation au, slow burn, romcom-ish vibe; adulting; inspired by AYS; PE teacher!JK and researcher!OC; fluff, comfort, smut (?)

Chapter Warnings: foul/explicit language; alcohol consumption, minor injuries (18+)

Word count: 22.1k

Series Masterlist

Status: Ongoing

Series Summary: You and Jungkook have been friends for a decade. And while he’s the charming and dependable, often reserved boy-next-door, he’s also just been a friend - a constant in your life, a part of a whole, and someone who’s seen all the flawed and probably unattractive sides of you.

A resumption of your friend group’s out-of-town trips has caused you to spend more time with him. And somewhere in between the morning coffee in the forest, running around in the snow, and watching the sunset on a boat, he’s become something more. And you’re not quite sure how to deal with it.

🎶: Beautiful Soul by Jesse McCartney || Yes or No by Jungkook

A/N: This is a long one! If you're reading this, I hope you feel the flutter of butterflies and that warmth I felt while writing. ☺️ And definitely listen to  Beautiful Soul and Yes or No!

“Are you sure you don’t want me to drive?”

You turn to Jungkook with a questioning look, waiting to see if he’ll change his mind. He’s been the one driving whenever you have a trip and you offered to be the one to drive both of you to the airport this time but he refused. While you know he enjoys this, you thought it might be nice to let him rest even a little bit.

“You’ve had a long day.”

“So have you,” he answers. “And you know I don’t mind. You can just sleep during the drive and then again during the flight.”

You pout again because of his refusal to accept your offer but you let him and no longer argue. Perhaps it’s what he needs after the day he’s had.

It’s a Thursday and there’s a long weekend ahead, which is why this trip to Jeju was scheduled at this time. Taehyung leaves for New York in three weeks and Seokjin and Hayoung are getting married in two months. This is the perfect time to get the group together again before the three of them go through major life changes, and none of you would miss it for the world. 

You had a Board presentation that you couldn’t miss in the afternoon and Jungkook had classes until 3 PM, which then extended because of a parent meeting he had to attend. It’s why both of you had to book the later flight while everyone else flew in at noon. They sent a photo of all of them gathered by the pool at the rented house, and you couldn’t wait to finally clock out and switch off so you could relax and enjoy, too, even for just a few days.

Jungkook instructs you to buckle your seatbelt then heads off, undoubtedly tired but still alert and cautious while driving. You look at him and try to see if something’s different, if this really is the same man you’ve known for years. You look away at the reminder that yes, he is, and he’s not the one that’s changed. It’s probably you.

“Everything okay?” He asks as he glances at your direction.

“Yup,” you answer too quickly. “Just… you know, tired and excited.”

“Take a nap then,” he suggests. “Time will fly by and we’ll be at the airport and then in Jeju before you know it.”

“I’m fine. I can, uh, keep you company or something,” you shrug. “You kinda don’t have a choice.”

“I don’t mind it,” he says, the little dip on his cheek forming as he smiles.

Has he always looked this charming?

You shake your head as if to snap out of it. 

It’ll take an hour to get to Incheon. You feel like you’d miss out if you slept and you internally scold yourself because a month ago, you totally would’ve dozed off right away. 

Well, not this time. But even if it’s your own choice to stay up, you suppose that the universe was still playing with you because of all the times to be stuck with Jungkook, it just had to be now when your heart has been acting a little too weird.

It started right after the college reunion party almost two weeks ago. You had him sleep over at your place after some asshole busted his lip, and that’s when the thoughts of possible feelings started invading your mind. You blame Jimin, really, and you’d contemplated on keeping your distance from Jungkook to sort yourself out but that’s impossible given this trip.

It didn’t help that you promised his students you’d watch their final taekwondo match - which they won - so you spent last Saturday with him, too. 

Your heart still kept doing that thing, especially whenever you found your eyes locked on him even if he wasn’t even the one on the mat. You went out to dinner after that, and you couldn’t help but pay attention - to the way he cooked your samgyeopsal the way you wanted, to how he made sure you always had them on your plate, to how he held off the perilla leaf for you so you could peel it off. 

Suddenly, everything he did made you smile, like how he kept scolding himself for eating so much and then cutely asking if you were okay to wait in line with him at this pop-up dessert store. 

So many things also started to seem attractive to you, like the way he stood during the match with his hands in his pockets and the way he combed his hair with his fingers after he removed his baseball cap. Even the way he drummed his fingers on the steering wheel while he drove became quite hypnotizing, just like right now, and you’re unsure where all these thoughts are coming from. Or if they’ll stop.

“So, how was your meeting with the Board?” He asks, disrupting your visions of him.

“Long,” you chuckle sarcastically. “The world’s in shambles and we have to be strategic in deciding which research projects to move forward with since funding is scarce. And you, how was your meeting with the parents?”

“Productive,” he hums. “I stepped out then met with their son. We were playing catch then I bought him ice cream then he opened up. I think we’re getting somewhere.”

Jungkook had mentioned one of his students has been displaying aggressive behaviors and wouldn’t talk to anyone apart from him. He realized early on in his teaching career the weight of his responsibility as an educator, and that just because he taught PE, it doesn’t mean he was limited to just sports or physical health. 

As it turned out, he’s very relatable to his students, and perhaps his laid-back and placid nature has a lot to do with that. It’s what prompted him to read more research and watch documentaries on adolescent mental health and how sports could help with managing it. 

You’ve been directing him to the appropriate resources and even linked him up with a professional who could speak to the faculty regarding child development so it’s a topic you’ve been talking about more. He tells you about their email exchange until he says that neither of you will be talking about work this weekend.

So you tell him about the sci-fi horror film you watched with Mo-eum last night and how you were both screaming at the same time then just ended up laughing at each other. Jungkook says she’s more of a scaredy-cat than you are but you express fear much more openly and you agree. 

“I heard we can set up an outdoor movie theater in the house,” he smirks at you. “We have a couple of options.”

“Jimin’s gonna push me away again if I scream in his ear,” you frown. 

“I won’t,” he says nonchalantly, and you have to pretend to yawn so you don’t have to keep looking at him without saying anything back. 

What’s that supposed to mean anyway? You try to recall if he’s also always been this bold and you’re just getting affected now, but it gives you a headache so you change the subject.

You end up talking about where you’re gonna be eating in Jeju and memories of your first trip there as a group a few  years ago. 

And so time flies. You’re parking at the airport carpark before you know it. You check in at the counter then enter the departure area. It’s when your stomach starts to grumble that you drag Jungkook around to find some snacks that you feel like having. You find a stall that sells various kinds of croquettes, kind of like the ones you had in Japan a few months ago.

You’re wiggling in excitement and so is he. Cheese was his favorite and though it’s not the same, you’re both happy that they at least look like it. 

You buy some drinks and find a spot and begin trying each type you got. He bites one then feeds it to you; you bite one then feed it to him, too. It feels natural, as this is something both of you have definitely done before and you never minded. But now, you have to force your brain to stop overthinking things just so you don’t start acting weird because of it. 

It’s when you’ve both decided your favorite flavors that your phone starts to ring. You pick up the video call and see your friends on the screen, showing you the barbecue and dinner set up in the property’s outdoor space. Mo-eum’s voice goes through, saying that there’s a feast waiting for you and Jungkook when you arrive. Seeing the table now, your eyes widen at the quality and quantity of meat and vegetables laid out. 

“We’ve got ramen, lots of beer, so many snacks… Jungkook’s gonna go wild in here,” she adds. 

“I’m already drooling,” he tells her.

Your older friends greet and tell you to get there quick as the phone gets passed around. Finally, it reaches Jimin and Taehyung, who both surface from the pool and proceed to ask you and Jungkook where you are and what you’ve been doing. 

“Eating,” you answer with your mouth half-full. “I found this stall and they sell croquettes that remind me of the ones from the rest stop going to the ski resort. It’s so goo–”

“Yah,” Jungkook disrupts you with a nudge on your arm. 

You turn to your side to face him. “What?”

He takes a piece of napkin and wipes the sticky sauce that you didn’t realize has dripped on your hoodie. Your eyes follow his hand that tries to remove the stain, and just as you’re about to sweetly thank him, he flicks your nose to tease, catching you completely off guard. You shriek in surprise and smack his chest, which is your natural response to something like that. 

You glare at him but your facade breaks when he scrunches his nose in amusement. 

“Dude, wipe your mouth,” he scolds. “Do I have to wipe the crumbs off you, too?”

“What?” you ask, brushing them off with your fingers.

You take his phone and open the camera to assess your face. Once you’ve cleaned yourself, you snap a photo and return the device on the table.

“Did you just take a picture?” He groans. 

“Yup,” you flutter your eyelashes. 

Jungkook sees that it’s a silly face and decides to send it to your group chat of five to tease, though he doesn’t deny the giddiness he feels at the act. 

It’s something you’d totally do. He’s seen random photos of you in Jimin’s and Taehyung’s photo album and you always say that maybe one of their cute friends sees it and asks for your number or something, but you say none of that to him this time.

“Wow, the one time Kook sends a text, it’s a picture of ___,” Taehyung laughs, earning him a glare from the said man. 

But you don’t seem bothered. Jungkook’s unsure if you even heard it over Jimin’s giggling and the laughter in the background, but it’s enough for him to text his friend to shut up, earning him a chuckle this time.

You talk a bit with Hayoung and she reminds you of the instructions upon your arrival. It’s not long after when you drop the call and start heading towards the gate. 

You don’t wait too long but during that period, you start feeling the exhaustion from the day. You know you’re gonna need to sleep during the flight so you could have enough energy to keep up with your friends for the rest of the evening. You’re definitely gonna make sure to make the most out of this trip to celebrate your cousin and soon-to-be cousin-in-law and of course, to savor your time with Taehyung before he leaves again. 

You’ll do your best to not overthink this whole Jungkook thing for now and decide to just be natural about everything. You don’t want him thinking that something’s wrong if you start acting differently because you know yourself - if he asks, you’ll most likely say something and you’re unsure if you’re ready for what will happen after. 

The call for boarding is announced and you follow Jungkook’s lead to the plane. He sits on the window seat like last time, and you’re reminded of the Japan trip again and how he made sure you got to sleep properly during the flight. 

It’s a smaller aircraft this time and a shorter flight time so you won’t need to lie on his lap or anything. But the thought of being alone with him makes you a little nervous so you try to talk about something to make sure you balance out all the times that you’ll be lost in your thoughts of him.

“Those croquettes were good but the ones at that rest stop were still superior,” you sigh.

“Yeah. That was seriously one of the best things I’ve ever eaten,” he hums, reminiscing about that trip, which he tends to do a lot because of you.

“Do you ever just think about that trip, Kook?” You ask as you gaze out the window and watch the sky change colors. “Do you miss it and wish you were back?”

“I do,” he hums, downplaying it a little. If you only knew. “I miss the food, the snow, the long drives… There’re lots of great memories from that trip.”

“I miss those bits, too,” you smile. “You still have the whiskey I got you?”

“Yup, barely touched.”

“What! I thought you liked it!”

“Exactly,” he points out. “So I have to savor it. I can only get it from that town, and during the Christmas season, and the chances of me going there again are slim. Plus, you gave that to me and you’ve never given me anything. It’s like, a memento–”

“Of our friendship?” You say mindlessly. 

You internally smack yourself because though you could sometimes be a dense person like your friends say - and only because you’re used to expressing your feelings and attraction first, as you like to argue - you’re not that dumb. You’re worried that you just drew a hard line by saying the F word but then again, why is that such a concern to you?

You realize he hasn’t replied and it’s been a few seconds already so you slowly turn to him. He meets your eyes and says that it is, then gives you a soft smile before he looks out the window. 

Jungkook wouldn’t describe that exchange as him being friendzoned. As the optimist that he is, he’d like to think that your gift to him meant that much to you, too. 

You’re the one who offered to get it for him and insisted it was a gift. After years of being friends, that was the first time you’d ever given him anything, and whatever it means, there was a change somehow. That’s a bottle that always brings a smile to his face whenever he opens his liquor cabinet and sees it. He’ll definitely keep it there for as long as he can.

You return your gaze out the window and glance at him. You’re glad that the gift means that much to him. You have the snow globes on the shelf by your desk and whenever you see them, you’re reminded of the snow-covered towns and the warmth from that whole week. 

More recently, you think about the mornings where you watched Jungkook from the passenger seat as he navigated the icy roads. You think about your conversations and how he gave you a piggyback ride and then treated your sore muscles.

He has always been a good friend so you’re not wrong to describe that gift as a memento of your friendship. You know that what you share is something you deeply treasure, but you also wonder if it means the bond has strengthened then, or if somewhere along the way, it started to feel something more. 

The plane takes off and Jungkook turns to you, looking every bit comfortable and comfy with his oversized hoodie and beanie. He gestures towards his shoulder, offering it to you.

“You sleep,” you say softly, knowing how tired he is, too. 

“I will,” he yawns, sinking further down his seat and leaning on the window, his eyes slowly falling.

You nod, knowing that it’s the more natural thing to do. So you take your pillow to hug then lean on Jungkook’s shoulder, immediately finding a position that doesn’t strain your neck. 

But your arms are a bit too awkward being in each other’s way and you see him adjust his. He slightly lifts it and you take the hint, wrapping your arms around his arm instead like an added pillow. 

Now this feels natural, as you feel him settle himself more comfortably next to you and you do the same. You suppose that’s how it is with people you’ve known for years - you just adapt and accommodate each other. You manage the exhaustion and inconveniences and just figure out how to make things comfortable and fun. 

You know it’s always been like this with Jungkook and you think back to these past months and how it’s been easier, more enjoyable, and something you keep searching for. 

Maybe this is what it’s like to pay attention to your feelings. Because as you snuggle closer and he pulls you in, your hand brushes against his, and then the sudden urge to hold it fills you up inside.

You wake up from your hour-long nap feeling only a tiny bit better. You wish there was more time, but you’re also not sure if it’s because of the need for more sleep or something else.

Jungkook still looks tired, but he sits up and pats your head, then asks if you slept well. You nod as you take a deep breath and there’s a moment where you just look at each other, still in your own little world of comfort and peace.

He breaks it and curiously looks around, and you ask him what he’s looking for.

“Trying to see if there are angry passengers who might’ve been disturbed by the snoring from these seats,” he purses his lips.

It takes a few seconds for you to process what he means, and you smack his chest when you do.

“Hey, I didn’t say it was you. It could’ve been me,” he defends.

“Yeah, you do snore quite loudly,” you hum. “But apparently not much when you’re not comfortably in bed. Maybe I’m the same.”

“True. Well, no one’s giving us the death glare so I think we’re clear.”

You just laugh at him in response then get ready to deplane.

You get your bags from the carousel quite quickly and you immediately find your driver holding up a sign with your names. You get inside the car and once you start moving, you open your window to feel the wind blow on your face. It’s the last month of spring and it’s the kind of coolness that you think is perfect for this island life. It’s chilly but not too much. The sun is bearable and gives the right amount of warmth. 

Jungkook glances at you as you enjoy the evening breeze. You’ve both just arrived but it’s felt like a dream since he’s been with you, especially when you cuddled with him on the plane. It felt bittersweet that he was exhausted. He at least didn’t completely lose his mind from the giddiness, but he also wished he could’ve savored it more. 

Still, he’s not one to complain. He gave the opening but you’re the one who moved closer. He decides that maybe that’s how he’ll go about these four days.

You arrive at the house in less than half an hour and you could already hear all the noise that your friends are making. Hoseok is the one who opens the gate and excitedly greets you. 

You enter the property and are in awe with how it’s set up. There are two houses perpendicular to each other. There’s a pool on the left side and in the center of it all is an area with trees and hammocks, a small fire pit, the barbecue grill, and picnic tables. 

You try to take it all in in the midst of hugging all your friends and trying to tell them how your flight went. 

“We just… slept,” you answer as most of them gather around you. “Neither of us snored. I think.”

“There were no complaints so I think we were fine,” Jungkook adds. 

“So, how did you sleep?” Jimin whispers in your ear. “Was it your head on his lap, his head on your lap? Or did you just lean on his shoulder? Did he– ow, fuck!”

You glare at him as you let go of the tiny sliver of skin you just pinched.

“You’re a brat,” you groan.

“And you’re being sensitive,” he bites back. 

“Yah! Can we not have fights during this farewell and pre-wedding party, please?” Taehyung calls you and Jimin out as he walks closer.

“She pinched me! And I literally just asked her a question,” Jimin complains. 

“What was the question?” Taehyung seems curious now. 

“How they slept.”

Taehyung looks at you with wide, even more curious eyes. “Ooh, was it like this?”

He takes out his phone and shows you a picture of Jungkook with a peace sign on an airplane and then there’s… you. Sleeping on his lap. This was during the flight to Sapporo when you were so tired and sleepy. You didn’t realize there was a photo of this moment.

“Where’d you get this?” You ask.

“In the shared photo album of the trip, duh,” he answers. “Mo-eum took it and saved it there.”

“Why is it saved on your photo album?” 

“Because she sent it to me right after she took it. She thought it was cute,” Taehyung shrugs. “Don’t you remember seeing this?”

“I might’ve… But like, we had hundreds of pictures. I guess I just… swiped past it,” you say, furrowing your eyebrows as you try to remember if you’d seen it and what you felt that time. 

“Yeah, because you weren’t really paying attention back then,” Jimin points out. “So, answer the question.”

“I… leaned on his shoulder,” you finally say. “Just like how I do with both of you!”

“Sure, it’s totally the same,” Jimin says while rolling his eyes, causing Taehyung to laugh.

“Jiminie,” you whine. “Hug me.”

“You’re such a baby,” he groans, but proceeds to hug you because he always does, and he knows it’s what you need right now. “You can also hug Kook, you know?”

“No, I’m shy.”

“When were you ever shy with affection?”

“Never, that’s why I’m hugging you instead.”

“Are you��� crushing on him?” He gasps. “Like, for real?”

“Shut up. This is all your fault. You put ideas in my head.”

“Hey,” he says, pulling away to look at you. He cups your face with his hands, urging you to meet his eyes. “I asked a question that time because of the conversation we were having. I floated an idea and if it got you thinking, great. But don’t be carried away by what I said, okay? It’s about what you feel.”

“Yeah, and I’ve been paying attention, like you said,” you pout. 

“And?”

“I snuggled close to him and it felt nice,” you say softly with your head bowed down, somehow shy about everything you’re revealing to your best friend.

“That’s good then,” Jimin smiles now as he tilts your chin to face him. “Maybe you’re still figuring things out or letting things progress over time or you’re making sure that it’s all genuine. And that’s fine. That’s… kinda what happens in non-whirlwind romances. Not that that’s bad but… you know what I mean.”

“I do,” you sigh. “But yeah. I don’t wanna act too differently because I don’t want him to ask me if anything’s wrong because I might blurt it all out.”

“Well, he’s gonna ask you either way with how you’re freaking out,” Jimin says, gesturing to the side when you look at him confused. “He was glancing at you looking worried. He might think something’s up.”

“Ugh. Why is he so attentive,” you whine. 

“Well, someone has to be when it comes to you.”

You make a face and before you can say anything more, Yoongi disrupts the conversation and tells you to bring your things inside and dress up because your dinner is almost ready.

“Thank you, uncle,” you hum, hugging him tightly.

You hear him groaning in response because it’s Yoongi and he’ll always make that reaction before hugging you back. 

“Go. The meat’s perfect when it’s just off the grill,” he says.

“Yes, uncle!” you yell before heading inside with your luggage.

But of course, Jungkook catches up to you and asks you if you’re okay.

“Yup. I just had to release my last remaining negative energy about this afternoon’s meeting to Jimin and now they’re all gone,” you lie. “I am going to just have fun these next few days and… go with the flow.”

“Sounds good,” Jungkook smiles. “So uh, they suggested getting our swimsuits on so we could go straight into the pool after. Otherwise we’d be too full to change.”

“Yeah, we should,” you hum. “Can I get in first?” You gesture towards the bathroom.

“Sure. I can dress up in the other bathroom. Want me to bring your bag up already?”

“Oh, okay. Let me just grab my stuff.”

You get your bathing suit and a cover up then get changed. You wash your face and tell yourself to just get it together and enjoy yourself while spending time with Jungkook and maybe that’ll make things clearer for you. 

You open the door and shriek in surprise, as right outside the door is Jungkook, checking something in the cupboards… in nothing but his black swim shorts. 

His taut arm is in view, and when he turns to face you with a questioning look, so are his toned chest and abs. You forget sometimes how built he is underneath all the oversized clothing and that this is literally the body you snuggled to earlier, just with clothes on.

And now that you have this little crush, everything about him is now magnified. Has he always been this… hot?

“I didn’t even scare you,” he says, breaking you out of your thoughts. “I was going to but I was worried you’ll fall back and hit your head on the floor.”

“Wow, thanks for looking after my wellbeing,” you say sarcastically. 

“Of course. That’s very important,” he smiles and pats your head, which again is a normal thing he does. But when he’s half naked doing it, you suppose you don’t blame your heartbeat for racing the way it’s doing now. 

You walk back outside together and you scurry towards the picnic table, forcing your spot between Hayoung and Seokjin. You decide right then that taking a break from looking at or being near Jungkook’s bare body is the better choice, at least during dinner. 

But that doesn’t mean you don’t glance at the pool area where he is because you do, and he just happens to be playing with the water guns with Jimin and Taehyung. You hear his child-like laughter, which is a contrast to the way his body flexes in response to the water. It’s already giving you a whiplash.

The conversation you’re currently having is at least entertaining, so you’re able to focus on this and not on the suddenly-so-handsome half-naked man not far away. 

Until, of course, Yoongi calls him over because dinner is ready, and Jungkook rushes towards where you are, quickly wipes himself dry, then takes the seat between Namjoon and Suhyeon that they offered. Right in front of you. Yoongi places a platter of grilled meat and vegetables on the table while Seokjin passes two bowls of rice. 

Jungkook’s hair is quite damp and there are beads of water sliding down his very visible chest and you find yourself being hypnotized by how he looks that you don’t hear him calling your name.

“Hmm?” You finally shift your gaze to his face.

“I was calling you,” he says. “What are you even looking at?”

“You took all the meat with fat,” you frown, lying like it’s second nature. 

You take some pieces from his plate and he laughs at your expression.

“What did you want?”

“I was gonna ask if you wanted beer,” he shrugs.

“Yes,” you smile. “And a bottle of soju, please.”

He nods and jogs towards the cooler then returns with exactly what you asked for. You get back to eating, feeling like you’re in heaven with how perfectly the meat is cooked. You sing your praises to Yoongi, who says his joy in life is making sure his friends are fed with good food all the time. 

There’s a lot of laughter and singing to accompany your meal. Mo-eum takes you around the property when you finish, saying how much prettier it is when the sun’s out. When you feel like you’ve digested enough, you head to the pool where the rest of your friends are hanging out.

“Obligatory rock-paper-scissors match underwater!” Taehyung yells. “Loser drinks a cup of my brother’s terrible concoction. Seriously, it sucks so don’t lose.”

It takes a while before it registers that he’s talking to you and Jungkook as the latecomers. Everyone has played and five already had the drink, so both of you make your way to the pool. 

You moan at the feel of the warm water and you’re glad you didn’t pass up on the night swim. With the soft music and your friends laughing about, it’s the kind of vibe that you’ve been needing, nevermind that you have to sit on the pool floor in front of Jungkook, play a game, then get smacked on the cheek every time you lose. One side is see-through, so your friends watch you from there.

You try your best to act naturally around him, so you bicker and whine like you normally do. It’s a best of seven and he’s up, 3 - 0, needing only one more win. But you score on the next game and in your excitement, you smack his face a little too hard. 

You're surprised with how forceful you were, so you surface from the water and he follows after you. Your hand is still on his cheek and you’re apologizing immediately, palming the spot and asking if he’s okay. Your friends are laughing hard and you giggle while also looking apologetic. 

“What did I do to you?” He wails, as he places his hand on top of yours. “I was hitting you so softly!”

“I know but I got excited!” You reason. “And your cheeks are so soft and so smackable.”

“Wow. Thanks,” he deadpans.

You laugh in response and say you’ll give up the point as punishment, making him the winner, but he insists that he can keep playing and you might even win. 

You mask your giddiness over him pulling you back with his fingers with a look of competitiveness and resume the game. You score the next one but he gets a point after you, and you concede immediately. He’s always been good at this game anyway.

He follows you out of the pool and you get the cup that Taehyung hands you. You smell it and gag, but you take the penalty and take a sip. You gag even more and Jungkook asks you how it is.

“Terrible,” you wince, making him smell the cup until he’s drinking it himself.

“Oh, that’s torture,” he says. “I can drink it for you.”

“But I lost.”

“Doesn’t matter,” he shrugs.

“I drink half and you drink the rest,” you offer, and he nods in agreement.

He follows through, earning you boos from your friends who say that you didn’t fully honor the punishment, including Jimin who’s smirking at you while doing so. 

You wave them off and say that you’re too tired to finish all that on your own and they let you off the hook.

“Okay, I’m eating something to get that taste off my mouth and my memory,” you groan as you walk down the stairs to go to the eating area.

You start looking around but then you hear Jungkook nearby, saying that there’s Samanco in the freezer. You follow him but stay outside because you’re dripping wet, whereas he seems to have wiped himself before coming down so he enters the house and grabs the red bean flavored fish ice cream. 

“Here,” he says, tearing it open then handing it to you.

“What about you?”

“There’s only one left. They said there wasn’t enough at the store. I don’t need to eat.”

“Have a bite at least,” you offer.

“Fine,” he says, letting you feed him as you push the ice cream towards his mouth.

You watch him as he takes a bite, then you meet his eyes without meaning to do so. He briefly holds your gaze and for a moment, you get lost in it, suddenly feeling this odd mix of shyness and tension that you’ve never felt before. It’s mostly because you’re rarely shy about how you feel but more than that, you’ve never felt this around any of your friends before, and Jungkook is one of them. So this is very… new.

He moves the ice cream away and you come back to your senses. You take a few bites then offer him another one then he lets you eat the rest until it’s all finished. You don’t even realize you both have just been standing there in one corner until you hear Mo-eum yelling your names, so you quickly get back to the group and explain that you just had ice cream.

You return to the water and just soak yourself. You stay with Mo-eum and Jimin on one end, while Jungkook is with Namjoon and Taehyung as they headbang to the music on the other. The rest of your friends are either wading their feet or sitting on the lounge chairs but it’s all good fun. 

Yoongi finally gets up to announce that it’s just past 12 AM and he’s gonna get some sleep, and you reminisce about that one trip you had where most of you were still swimming in the pool and it was 1 AM. 

“Yeah because you drank so much and passed out at 8, then woke up at 11 PM demanding us to swim with you,” Jungkook reminds you. “Then you fell asleep on the floatie.”

Everyone laughs at the memory but you scowl at him and act angry in the midst of stories being shared about that time. 

“Why are you so far from him?” Jimin whispers in your ear while gesturing towards Jungkook. 

“She’s probably still getting over their alone time earlier,” Mo-eum teases, earning her a surprised look from you because she rarely calls you out.

“Seriously, both of you,” you groan as quietly as you can. “I… I’m trying to balance it out. I’m gonna lose my mind if I’m constantly exposed to that… body.”

“So what, he just needs to put clothes on then you’ll act normally?” Jimin cocks an eyebrow.

“He just needs to… I don’t know,” you sigh. “This is on me. I’m feeling and thinking things that are weird and new. I just have to get my shit together.”

“But you spent so much time together recently and it might make him wonder why you’re not calling for him or something,” Mo-eum reasons, which is something you’d also thought about. 

“Yeah and if he asks, you’ll tell the truth but you might also say things prematurely,” Jimin adds.

“I actually considered to kind of distance myself from him,” you admit. “I wanted to know if I’ll miss him and stuff until I remembered we had this trip and I just had to suck it up.”

“Well, you might still miss him even while on this trip if you deliberately stay away. And then things might be even weirder,” Mo-eum says. “Don’t overthink, just feel.”

“And wouldn’t it say a lot if, without thinking too much, you actually look for him?” Jimin adds. “That’s probably a bigger tell.”

“Fine,” you sigh. “I’ll let my body do the figuring out, then.”

You disperse from your little huddle and submerge yourself in the water, as if symbolic of your decision to just let yourself be drowned in whatever you’re experiencing, in hopes that you come out of it more sure of what you really feel. 

Eventually though, you all call it a night, and they let you and Jungkook go first in washing up, given the long day you’ve had. 

You take the bathroom upstairs and quickly get cleaned. It’s after you’ve blow dried your hair and dressed up in pajamas that you feel the weight of today weigh you down, and you suddenly feel like you’ll pass out. 

You lie in bed while Mo-eum takes a shower. Jimin is back and says that Jungkook helped clean one of the platters because it was heavy. You want to see him before you sleep just to say good night but exhaustion overtakes you, and your eyes shut before you know it.

Jungkook sighs - partly out of tiredness and partly out of regret - that he didn’t get back to your room early enough to make sure you were okay for the night. He still would’ve helped Suhyeon and Gyu-rim in cleaning up but still, he could’ve worked faster so he could return to you sooner. 

He shouldn’t be wondering why it’s even a big deal for him, as he’s accepted that he wants to spend time with you as much as he can, especially during a trip like this where the vibe is exactly how he likes it. Even more, your good nights to each other have been quite sentimental to him. 

He remembers that camping trip where he taught you a trick to fall asleep faster. Then in Sapporo, you talked and slept in the same room one night. He also can’t forget when you shared the same bed. 

Outside of your trips, there’s the time you let him stay over, and many others after he’d dropped you off or you spent the whole day together only to separate in the evening. And so now being able to wish you good night this time makes him a little sad.

He’s back in the room that all five of you share - which is the entire second floor - and he finds you already asleep next to Mo-eum who’s on her phone. Jimin is on the other bed next to Taehyung who’s wincing in pain as he rotates his head.

“Kook, my neck hurts from headbanging earlier,” Taehyung pouts. “Can you give me a massage?”

Jungkook nods, as this is one of his roles in the group given his background, then proceeds to knead and stretch his friend’s sore areas. Taehyung moans and asks for an extension.

“Yah, do I look like a massage therapist to you?” Jungkook frowns.

“You could be. That was good,” Taehyung sleepily smiles. “Anyway, thanks. I’m gonna sleep now.”

Jungkook decides to take the floor mattress because he prefers its firmness, so Jimin stays in place and eventually falls asleep. The light from Mo-eum’s phone disappears and she mumbles her good night, leaving him as the only one still awake.

He’s exhausted but his mind won’t let him sleep just yet, even as he tries the tricks he’s taught you. He doesn’t force it and resorts to playing a mobile game under the covers instead. It’s about an hour later when he decides he’ll try falling asleep again and right when he pulls away the covers, he sees you sit up from the bed, rotating your neck and groaning.

He gives a thumbs up sign when you look his way to ask if you’re okay and you shake your head no. So he stands up, heads to you, then kneels down.

“You didn’t headbang with Tae, did you?” He chuckles.

With sleepy eyes and mussed hair, you shake your head again.

“I fell asleep in an odd position and strained my neck,” you mumble. “It hurts.”

He immediately tries to find the spot near the nape of your neck, asking where it hurts and you guide his hand until he finds it. He massages it thoroughly and he takes his time. He gauges from your reaction which areas he should focus on then instructs you to rotate your head in various directions. Your moans are low and even more pronounced given how quiet everything else is. 

“Is that alright?” He asks.

“Yeah,” you respond with a smile. “I feel so much better now. And I don’t want to tire you.”

“You can let me know if it still hurts in the morning.”

“Okay, thank you.”

Without thinking much, Jungkook tucks a strand of hair behind your ear, his hand lingering as he fights the urge to do more. 

“I thought I wasn’t gonna be able to say good night to you,” you whisper. “I fell asleep right away.”

“You did,” he chuckles. “I thought the same but then you woke up.”

“I get to say it then,” you smile once more. “Good night.”

Your face is just inches away from his that his heart beats extremely fast and he likes it, he likes the thrill and the calmness from the way you make him feel.

“Good night. I think I’ll be able to sleep now.”

He watches you lie back down and tuck yourself under the covers before he heads back to his mattress. A minute later, he falls asleep.

You wake up to the sound of steady breathing coming from the other bed, and you peek to see that Jimin and Taehyung are still in deep sleep. Mo-eum’s probably washed up, as the space next to you is empty, and you sit up to check how Jungkook is. 

He’s sitting on the mattress, clearly having just woken up, but he turns to you to greet you good morning and ask if your neck is still hurting.

“Not as much, but it’s still a bit sore,” you mumble.

“Just do what I told you. It’ll feel better soon.”

You nod and start rotating it like he said. You check your phone. It’s 10 AM and you’ll have to leave in an hour for lunch, so you head to the sink that, oddly enough is located right outside the bathroom, and start washing your face.

You’re brushing your teeth by the time Jungkook starts walking towards you and you signal for him to give you another massage. He chuckles and stands behind you.

“You might choke,” he warns, and you wave him off and gesture for him to start.

Like you expected, he hits the spot immediately. You get so lost in how good it is that you don’t notice that you’re drooling until he tells you, so you signal that you’ll rinse. He pulls your hair in a ponytail so you could spit and once you’re done, you stand back up and let him continue.

You moan under your breath. You see him with his head turned and realize it might be a bit awkward, so you tell him that you’re all good. You turn around to face him, noting then just how close you are and when you meet his eyes, there’s that urge again to boop his nose and trace his face. You let your eyes wander to his lips for a millisecond before pinching his cheeks so hard that he winces in pain. 

“You brat,” he growls, but it just causes you to laugh and run away from him. 

He washes up while you change in the bathroom then you head downstairs to wait for everyone else. The sun is shining brightly but the breeze is a little cool. You think it’s perfect for what you’ll be doing today and you jiggle in anticipation once you’re complete.

Jungkook and Taehyung take a separate car with Jimin and Gyu-rim because they’ll be retrieving their rented motorcycle and Vespa before heading to the restaurant. You yell out your concern and tell them to be careful before heading to the car with Mo-eum where Seokjin and Hayoung are. 

You arrive at the restaurant and eventually decide on getting some braised kimchi, hairtail fish, and a bunch of other dishes that get you excited. You’ve been looking forward to this after Jungkook said how good the food was since he’s the only one who’s eaten here before, and you truly can’t wait. 

The rest of your friends arrive shortly after all the food has been served. Your attention shifts to Jungkook, who sits towards the end of the table while you’re in the middle, and your eyes briefly meet before you indulge yourself. Hayoung and Suhyeon alternately fill your plate as they often do, and moans of satisfaction quickly fill the restaurant.

The view of the ocean is as perfect as the meal and you’re truly thankful that you get to share all this with your friends. The seat next to you frees up, and you make Taehyung take it so you could hug him, as it slowly sinks in that he’s gonna be leaving in a few weeks.

“We’ll be back to video calls and you scolding me when I’m not getting rest and worrying when I’m not well because you can’t just show up at my apartment to make sure I’m taking care of myself,” you sigh. 

“Nah, I won’t be too worried,” he smiles softly at you. “You’re in good hands.”

“Jimin and Mo-eum are worse than I am,” you point out.

“Kook isn’t.”

“Hmm,” is all you say, unsure if you want to openly talk about your feelings now, although you probably will before he leaves. 

“You’ll be fine, ___. Just follow your heart,” he whispers.

“Have you been talking to Jimin?” You cock your eyebrow, suspicious now if they’ve been discussing things behind your back.

“I don’t know what you’re implying,” he says. “You know me, I say random shit. Take it how you want.”

You groan at him for being another person who’s making you think. But he just laughs at you and leaves you to your own thoughts when Mo-eum calls him to go to the balcony because she needs some air.

The others have also gone outside except for Yoongi and Gyu-rim and you’re honestly too full to even stand up. Just then, Jungkook takes the seat next to you and asks if you’re indeed too full to even move because you usually like looking at the views. 

“I can’t breathe,” you frown at him. 

“Yeah, you looked like you enjoyed yourself,” he laughs.

“So did you. You ordered like, three cups of rice,” you say. “We’re still going to a cafe after this.”

“So? Coffee and dessert are separate things.”

“True,” you hum. “How’s the motorcycle by the way?”

“It’s good. It’s a similar model to what I have in Busan.”

He rides occasionally. He doesn’t have an extra parking slot in his apartment so he left the one he has at his parents’ house, which he drives around whenever he’s home. 

“So it’s safe and stuff?” You ask.

“Of course it is. Jimin even rode with me on the way back here.”

“Did he enjoy it?”

“Always. I’m a very safe rider,” he assures you. “Do you want to try?”

“I’m kinda scared. I’m not good with balancing and like, being steady,” you explain.

“But that’s my job. You literally just have to sit there and hold onto me and enjoy the wind and the scenery. Sounds good, right?” He tries to convince you.

It’s very tempting, you’d admit, especially since you’ve committed to just letting yourself feel everything and enjoying a ride with him is one other way to do that.

“I’ll think about it,” you shrug.

He tells you more about riding until Hayoung says you’ll leave in 10 minutes. So you attempt to stand up to at least get a better view of the ocean on this side. Jungkook is there, pulling you by the hand while laughing at you. Your fingers linger, and you quickly let go of him before he notices a hint of desire for his touch.

He goes with you outside and while earlier, both of you couldn’t stop talking, now, it’s just quiet. You suppose he’s basking in the sights and how peaceful everything is as well, and you just feel that calmness being next to him. 

And it’s… new. Not the feeling, but the fact that you could feel giddy and content right after. So you savor it a little more.

You all eventually leave and head to your next destination. It’s a nice ride to the cafe, too, and you sit on the backseat with your window rolled down, looking at the ocean.

Jungkook pulls up next to you in his ride and this is a look that gets your heart racing, too. He’s got his black helmet on and with his exposed tattooed arm, he looks pretty cool. 

Your chin settles on your arm that’s by the window and you watch him. He turns to you at the stoplight and pushes his shades up.

“Be careful,” you say from inside the car. 

He gives a thumbs up then extends his arm for a fist bump, which you give. It also makes you laugh. The light turns green and you’re off again. Mo-eum and Jimin laugh at you from the front but you wave them off and no longer threaten them with physical injury. 

You’re accepting it, you think. It’s like getting used to this feeling, letting it embrace you, the way you’re allowing yourself to embrace all of it. 

You head to a quaint cafe near the mountains. It has a homey vibe, not just because it literally is an extension of the owner’s house, but also because of the warm interiors, the shelves of old books and manuscripts, unfinished paintings… and two cats, which Jimin plays with and almost cuddles. 

You take up the entire space and it gives some of you a chance to speak to the owner, a former author whose wife is an artist. You mostly listen though, especially once he talks about how life in the country and this town was several decades ago. You opt for a cup of tea to help warm your still very full belly, but you do get a taste of Jungkook’s misugaru and pretty much almost everyone’s else’s drinks because that’s how you are.

Sitting next to Hayoung, you have a good view of Jungkook from the side, and you take notice of how he smiles at certain parts of the man’s tales and when he turns serious and contemplative when the man talks about his wife. 

The stories prompt you to ask your cousin how she’s feeling as she counts the days to the wedding. She sighs as if she’s still in disbelief that it’s so close. Or perhaps that she found a man like Seokjin who truly makes her feel like it’s possible to feel content and happy in this life.

“I’m marrying a man who makes me laugh, ___. A man who laughs at my jokes even if they’re not funny,” she smiles. “And I know it may sound so simple but I don’t really know what else could be better than this feeling, you know? He makes me feel good about myself. He enjoys things with me. He shows me how to be a good and happy person. And I get to spend the rest of my life with him.”

You think of your definition of simple and it used to make sense to you. You meet someone, instantly become attracted to them, find things about them you like that mirror what they like about you, be overwhelmed by the unrelenting yet unexplainable feeling towards them, then decide you want to be with them. 

Looking back, nothing about it was simple. Perhaps it was just all shallow. The intensity was surface level and never really got the chance to dig its roots.

With Hayoung, simplicity is in the consistency, you think. It’s in the everyday and every second together.

You spot Seokjin looking to where you are and upon realizing that she was admiring him from afar, he gives her a flying kiss, causing you to snort.

“He’s so ridiculous, it drives me crazy,” she laughs.

“You’re perfect for each other,” you smile as you hug her tightly. 

“It took a while for us to realize that but I guess that was the whole point,” she hums. “We’re as committed and as happy because it wasn’t too early nor too late.”

“So it’s really the timing huh?” You ask, recalling the conversations about relationships during that camping trip. 

“It is but it’s also a choice. You both decide you want to be the right person for each other,” she says. “Regardless of who confessed first, the other person could’ve chickened out but neither of us did. We knew enough about each other that we were willing to make that move.”

“Oh, to be mature like you,” you sigh. “I can’t relate.”

“You’re honest about your feelings, ___. Not everyone is that brave nor that true to themselves. That’s maturity in my book.”

You drive out and head to the port next. The rented yacht you enter is pure luxury, and this is one of the moments where you thank the universe that you ended up being friends with a rich pair of brothers, one of whom also happens to be your future cousin-in-law. 

The size is perfect for all 12 of you - not huge but cozy enough to not feel too separated from each other. There are so many areas to hang out in - the front, the back, the top, and inside. You’d forgotten what they were called and was just in perpetual shocked mode when you were being toured around. There’s lots to do, too, and you have all the time to entertain yourselves, as you’ve got this boat until past sunset. 

You all gather at the lounge area while waiting to get to the snorkeling spot. You play music, drink some mocktails, and dance around. Half an hour later, you’re told that you’ve arrived, so you all move to the other end of the yacht and jump in the water. 

It’s the right temperature for this afternoon. It’s cold but not freezing, and the feel of the ocean is every bit refreshing as you remember. 

Yoongi and Hoseok sit on the swim platform. You stay near the boat with Suhyeon and Gyu-rim - the most cautious of the bunch, while the rest dive and explore farther out. You watch them enjoy themselves, especially Jungkook, whose laughter you can pick out even from where you are.

He removes his mask and waves at you before disappearing under the water again, only for him to end up next to you.

You shriek in surprise when he does, and you smack his chest to call him out because you thought he was a shark or something.

“Seriously?” He laughs. 

“You never know,” you shrug.

“Well I’ve gone deeper and there’s none of that. Only more fish and prettier corals. Wanna see?”

You hesitate. You’re only a little bit terrified of the water; having siblings who watched Jaws all the time did that. While you know it’s safe, there’s something about the open water that’s insanely overwhelming for you because there’s so much you don’t know and much more you’ll never know. There’s a whole world down there that’s too terrifying for your human mind to comprehend and it makes you feel so small and insignificant. It’s like that cosmic horror shit that Jungkook was telling you about this one time. 

But you also know that the little bit of what humans do know is pretty amazing. And just like how you are with your horror films, you suppose the fear is part of the experience, too.

“Fine, I do wanna see,” you finally reply. “I’m just a little scared.”

“Alright then. We won’t swim too deep. I’ve got you,” he says, gesturing for you to get under.

You follow him and reflexively take his hand, allowing him to guide you towards the reef that you see isn’t far away. You know your basics in swimming so it’s not hard, but just the idea that there’s all this around and all over you is what gets to you. 

But with Jungkook right in front, holding you tightly, and constantly looking back to check how you’re doing, you suppose it’s not bad at all. And when you finally see what he wanted to show you, you understand that that initial fear, the immediate relief from the safety he provides, and then the beauty of what’s waiting for you is all part of the experience. 

When you’ve taken it all in, you begin swimming back to the surface and don’t let go of his hand. The light from the sun penetrates the ocean and it makes the scene before you even more captivating. You emerge from the water and breathe, then smile at him for keeping his word. 

“How was that?” He asks.

“Pretty,” you say. “Thank you, Kook.”

“Glad that didn’t disappoint,” he says. 

You waddle back to the yacht and you’re more independent this time. You meet with the rest of your friends and just float about, enjoying the sun and the feel of the water on you. 

One by one, you all head back up. Some stay by the steps, the others have begun fishing, and a few have started washing up. You announce that you’ll go back to the lounge area to get your phone and Jungkook follows because he wants to dry his shirt.

He removes it and grabs a towel that he wipes himself with. You glance at him as he dries his hair with it then wraps it around his waist, disturbing you with what you’re supposed to do. 

Of course, of all times that he has to be half naked again - and during the day - is when you’re both alone and you have nothing to distract you nor keep you from ogling him. 

Because now that you care, you actually pay more attention and realize that his type of ripped is exactly your type. 

You’ve generalized your guy friends and said they’re all handsome. You’ve said it mostly to Hoseok before he got a girlfriend and to Seokjin because, well, he makes everyone say so. You always told Taehyung that you found him cute, but perhaps the most honest you were was when Namjoon showed up in a green sweatshirt and glasses one time and you whispered “daddy,” not realizing the words didn’t  actually remain in your head. The teasing started right after that. 

You’ve often passed off Jungkook as having these charming, boy-next-door traits which wasn’t really your vibe. You were always too intense for that and the men you pursued tended to match your energy and so Jungkook, even physically, felt a bit tamed or reserved to you. 

But now, you can see that you were really just a silly girl. His abs aren’t too pronounced when he doesn’t flex them but even you can tell there are eight of them there. They also hold up a pair of perfectly toned pecs. His entire torso is smooth, including his back that’s divided by that deep line that lets you know just how hard he works on it. 

And his arms. They don’t seem much but he’s flexed them a few times since last night and you have to pretend you need water every time to mask that you’re actually really just thirsty for them. Maybe it’s the fact that one is covered in tattoos and the other isn’t. The contrast gives you a whiplash, even more when you realize that connected to the feet that you make fun of because of his toe socks are massive thighs that could—

“___?”

“Hmm?”

“Is there anything else you need?”

“My phone,” you stammer.

“You’re holding it,” Jungkook says, gesturing towards your hand that is indeed holding it. 

“Right, I got it,” you reply, turning around because suddenly, it’s hard to breathe. 

You were definitely ogling him last night but now, he’s half-naked with the sun out so you’re noticing everything, including his tiny waist and—

“I’m gonna go and watch them fi— ow, fuck!”

But of course, you hit your head on the side of the roof that has a sign that says “watch out” next to it. Not that you were paying attention anyway because you were, in fact, trying to get away from the man who’s been invading your thoughts in ways that are so unexpected for you.

You slowly fall on your butt and wince in pain. And who else would go to your rescue but him?

“___, it literally says there to watch out,” he chuckles as he crouches to face you. “You’re not even that tall.”

“Yah!” You smack his chest in reflex, only to feel the tingle from touching his bare skin. “It hurts.”

“Oh shit,” he says now, his face turning serious. “Is there a bump?”

You feel around the top of your head and discover something that definitely wasn’t there earlier. His hand hovers so you guide him to where you feel it.

“Yup, that’s a bump,” he sighs. “You’ve got to be careful.”

You only pout and whimper when he puts pressure on it. 

He grabs a can of soda from the cooler and places it on your head. He instructs you to keep it there while he looks for a cold compress, which he does, a few minutes later after going to the cockpit and asking for it.

He sits next to you on the ledge while he holds it in place because you say your arm is getting sore. But he turns towards you now, so you also pay even more attention to his face. 

His dark doe-eyes are filled with worry, and you realize they’re captivating like this just as much as when they’re painted with joy or admiration. His nose is even cuter this close, and you don’t know how to convince him that you’re sincere about your attachment to it, even more now. His eyelashes are so long and they flutter against his honeyed skin. And then his lips, they’re so pink and chapped that you just want to—

“___?” He calls your name again. 

“Hmm?” 

“Seriously, did being underwater and then hitting your head make you dizzy? Do you have a concussion that’s why you’re unresponsive?”

“I’m pretty sure it’s not a concussion,” you say. “I’m just—”

You fake yawn to make an excuse. Only for you to actually feel sleepy right after. 

“I think I need a nap.”

“Okay,” he laughs. “Get dressed then you can lie on the sofa.”

You rid yourself of your wet clothes in the bathroom. From there, you hear Jungkook inform your friends that you hit your head and Jimin yells that you can’t lose your memory because you still owe him dinner. 

You get back on the lounge to cuss him out then say you’re okay but that you have a bump and now you’re sleepy.

“I hit my head there earlier,” Taehyung says.

“Why didn’t you warn people about it!” You exclaim.

He shrugs but Jimin pipes in. 

“He probably didn’t think that anyone would be dumber than him.”

“Yah!” You yell, threatening to flick his forehead. 

He runs away and heads back to the other side. Most of them follow, as Seokjin and Yoongi compete with each other on who can catch more fish. Suhyeon and Hoseok stay near the railing, leaving you and Jungkook semi-alone in the lounge. He at least has a shirt on this time.

You’re both sitting on the couch and you give in, grabbing a small pillow and placing it on his lap for you to rest your head on. It’s too late by the time you realize that there’s so much space elsewhere but you chose this. You chose to be this close, so you just let it go. You’d made yourself look stupid earlier already, might as well own this. 

But you do peek at him and see that he’s got his head leaned back, perhaps taking a nap, too. He feels you move and he turns to you, seemingly unbothered at your obvious lack of respect for his personal space.

“You okay?” He asks, placing the cold compress on your bump once more.

“Hmm,” you nod. 

“Go sleep.”

You turn to your side and savor the sight before you as you slowly drift away, the blue sky with threads of the clouds strung around making you feel at peace. Jungkook pulls your hair back so you’re more comfortable, reminding you of last night and how his fingers brushed your face. 

You smile to yourself. You’re definitely owning this feeling.

You wake up to light taps on your shoulder. Jungkook tells you that you’ll miss the sunset if you keep sleeping, so you sit up and look around. Your friends have returned to this side of the boat, with some of them sitting on the other couch while the others are by the railings, enjoying the last bits of light. You see a bowl of tteokbokki on the table in front of you, and your eyes widen, as you realize right then that you’re quite hungry. 

“Can you–”

“Want me to heat it?” Jungkook finishes his question first.

“Yes please,” you shyly smile, remembering that he knows you don’t like eating your food cold.

“Sure,” he says, then grabs the plate and heads inside.

“Did you sleep well?” Jimin appears out of nowhere. 

“Yeah,” you hum. “I feel better now.”

“Good,” he smiles. 

He walks to the lounge area with Mo-eum and they sit next to you.

“You missed out on the fun parts! Tae caught some fish,” Mo-eum excitedly says. “I told him it was probably genetic.”

You laugh. “Did any of you catch anything?” 

“Nope. But Gyu-rim did. You should’ve seen Yoongi’s face, he was so proud and he was blushing,” Jimin gushes. “Kook probably would’ve caught some if someone wasn’t sleeping on his lap,” he smirks at you. “He missed out on the fun thanks to you.”

“I–” you frown. “He told me to take a nap.”

“On his lap?” Mo-eum asks.

“No but like, it was there,” you sigh. “Okay, can I just say? I completely lost it earlier. I was staring. Like, I was literally ogling him. This isn’t normal.”

“___, chill. We’re all used to you already. You literally always hug Tae’s arms and say how they’re so big. And you always call him handsome. You also called me hot before,” Jimin reminds you.

“I totally would’ve dated you for your body alone,” you remark. “But I’m not the type to do that.”

“You dated Seungho because he was hot though,” Mo-eum points out.

“Shush, that was only 92% of the reason,” you correct her. 

“Back to my point,” Jimin nudges you to look at him. “You called Joon daddy one time, remember? You ogle, ___. We know that.”

“Wow, you make me sound like a perv,” you scowl.

“None of us literally care.”

“Fine. But I was all of a sudden speechless with Kook. Like, I always knew he had a nice body but I just never really bothered to look look. And now I have and he’s so hot and I’m–”

“Sorry it took a while, the microwave was being weird,” Jungkook returns to the lounge. “Got you soda, too.”

He places your meal in front of you then heads farther out the deck with the other guys.

“Shit, do you think he heard me?” You panic.  

“Doubt it. But if he did, so what? Not like you don’t compliment him about his looks,” Jimin shrugs.

“I tell him his nose is cute,” you deadpan. “That’s totally different from saying he’s hot.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Jimin shakes his head. “You just have to get used to it. This is an island trip, ___. He’s gonna be half-naked for two more days.”

“I need saving,” you sigh, prompting your two friends to laugh at your dramatic antics. 

You eat your snack while they talk about what happened earlier. It’s a good distraction from your thoughts of Jungkook, even if they’re technically still there because it’s his back that you’re currently looking at. You laugh at yourself this time because you’re being silly. 

Sure, it’s a bit unfamiliar to suddenly be physically attracted to him, but even more because you’re unable to express it, which is unlike how you normally are with your friends. You’re usually very open and playful about it with them but with Jungkook, you’re quite cautious. You’re worried you’ll say too much or that he’ll even feel the heat from your entire body as your natural reaction. 

This is perhaps another indication of how you really feel. You’re more shy than usual, but as you look at him from where you’re seated, all you want is to bask in that shyness, too. It at least tells you that it’s not all shallow and superficial when it comes to him.

You stand from your seat and clean up. When you go back out, you see that all your friends are now on the deck, lounging on the chairs and the netted structure as the sun starts to set. Seokjin and Hayoung are being all couple-y. Yoongi and Gyu-rim are in their own world in the corner. Namjoon’s dancing to some song with his earpods on, and Jungkook and Jimin are going Titanic mode and laughing at each other.

You laugh, too, and it’s another feeling that’s new or perhaps, just more pronounced. You like seeing Jungkook be silly and enjoying himself. You like seeing him feel free. It’s something he experiences and all you can do is watch, and that makes you feel good.

Jungkook loses his breath from role playing and play-fighting with Jimin. It’s something they’ve always done as kids and they never really outgrew it. But his best friend surrenders after a while and Jungkook decides to have mercy on him. 

Instinctively, he turns towards the lounge to look for you, and he finds you there, sitting on one of the chairs, smiling at him. He’d spent pretty much the entire afternoon with you - swimming, snorkeling, icing your head, and serving as your pillow yet again for your afternoon nap. 

And he has nothing to complain about, especially because you held his hand while you were in the water, and you looked him in the eyes more times than he could count, and you snuggled close to him after he told you to sleep.

He gestures for you to come over and you do. You take your spot on the floor and he takes his next to you. You scoot closer and rest your head on his shoulder, just like always and he likes this. He likes how you seek him, knowingly or not, and that you find comfort in whatever he could give. 

He’s unsure of what it means on your end but he doesn’t want to assume nor impose; he decides he’ll hope only a little. He’ll savor whatever this is as part of the experience. He’s hoping it’s something you’re doing, too.

Everyone is quiet during the sunset, as you all bask in the changing of the sky’s colors and how majestic it looks from where you are. You eat dinner on the boat and find that a hearty meal of pasta, pizza, and steak in the middle of the ocean is the perfect cap to what you think is a perfect day, even with the head bumping and the spacing out. 

Hayoung and Seokjin say a few things, as it’s their pre-wedding trip, and you’re tearing up by the end of it. Taehyung gives a speech, too, and you all burst into laughter. It’s practice for the real deal during the wedding, he says, but you already know he’ll be crying then. 

You head back to the house after and make sure to remind Jungkook to be careful during his ride. You notice that he tries to stay next to your car and gives you a smile when he sees you look at him, as if in assurance that he’s okay. 

You spend the rest of the evening drinking indoors while playing games and singing karaoke. It’s later on in the night when you feel the pull of the cool breeze. 

Some of your friends have tucked themselves in bed already. Jimin and Mo-eum are dancing and singing like they’re at a club. Namjoon’s passed out, and Taehyung and Hoseok look like they’re having a heart-to-heart near the hammock. Jungkook’s gone to take a shower so you head out to the pool, dip half of your legs in the water, then lie on the ground to look at the night sky.

The full moon is stunning and your only regret is that you’re a little tipsy so your glazed eyes can’t fully savor its beauty, but you try. Cozy in your hoodie and with your hands behind your head, you take a deep breath and take everything in. You don’t always get to have this time to be away and just live in the moment, but you know you’re lucky enough that you even have the opportunity to.

“___?”

You turn to the side and see Jungkook, drowning in his oversized hoodie, approaching you. You gesture to your side and he takes the spot next to you. He lies down and rests his head on his hands, too. 

“Haven’t you taken a bath?” You ask.

“Yeah, and I can do it again,” he shrugs. 

He takes in your sluggish state and asks if it was too loud for you inside.

“A little,” you say. “But I also needed time alone.”

At your words, Jungkook apologizes and tries to stand up, but you pull his arm and shake your head.

“And I already had it,” you say. “I don’t need you to leave.”

“Sorry, I should’ve asked.”

“You don’t need to though. You - anyone, really - are always welcome. More like, needed,” you smile. “I enjoy having you around, Kook. I don’t know if I’ve ever said that before.”

“You have, a few times. Mostly when you were drunk though. Like now,” he teases. 

“I always mean it though, especially now,” you tell him, more seriously than he is.

“Well, I’ll always be,” he assures you. “You know I’m always there for you, right?”

“You are and you have been - driving me around, changing my lightbulb, shopping with me, cooking for me…” you say, somehow feeling this heaviness at the thought that maybe you haven’t done much for him the way he’s been doing things for you.

“I like doing them, the way I think you like helping me with my workplans or talking me through tough days at work or watching my students’ games to cheer for them and me,” he responds, somehow knowing that you needed to hear that, too. “And you know, making me laugh. A lot. You’re clumsy and a mess sometimes and it makes my day.”

“Why does it make your day?” You turn to him.

“Because you don’t care, and I mean that in an endearing way,” he clarifies. “You… just let yourself be who you are in front of us. That’s refreshing, you know? I think we all have our quirks and habits but we’ve spent so much time together as a group that it just feels like we’ve adjusted to each other.”

“That’s the great thing about friends, right? About people you’ve known for years? You don’t have anything to hide from them. Over time, they just learn all these things about you and just… live with it,” you say. “It just becomes a part of who they are, too, like how my being clumsy and clueless and spoiled and dramatic has just become an aspect of all of you being caring and dependable and understanding. It’s as if our qualities and parts of our personalities kind of just intertwine in that way.”

“That’s true. It’s like how romantic relationships end up being. Or should become. At least that’s what Seokjin and Hoseok tell me.”

You’re quiet for a while as you realize that yours never got to that point. It makes sense though, as they only lasted two years max but you never felt your personality intertwine with your exes in any way.

“Hmm, can’t relate,” you sigh. “Jimin and Mo-eum made me realize that there were parts of me that I didn’t really wanna show Jeong-su and Seungho.”

“Do you know why?”

“Could be dozens of reasons. Maybe it was them. Maybe it was me.”

“Maybe you just didn’t know them long enough,” Jungkook says, hoping that nothing he says is triggering for you. “I mean, it’s how it is with people and relationships. You learn about yourself the more you spend time with them and the more you do, the more of yourself you’re able to show or adjust or fit theirs.”

You hum in response, as you process what he says.

“I was kind of a selfish kid and only thought of myself and Jimin’s kindness taught me to be more thoughtful,” Jungkook continues. “I was still pretty shy when I got to college but I let out my playful side with Tae that I didn’t really know was there. And Mo-eum was so smart that I tried to keep up with her and I realized I was pretty smart, too.”

You laugh at this, as you think about how different your friends are with him and with you.

“Jimin and I always butt heads and he calls me out because he knows no one will and I need someone to,” you state. “Tae is very soft with me because he knows I’m hard on myself all the time. And Mo-eum… ever since we were kids, she just always asked me about life in general, like what career she should pursue or how she should manage all that trauma from work and still have enough of herself to give.”

“Such contrast,” Jungkook laughs. “I think it’s because you and I are so different, too, but that’s the point, right? They’re not different people. They just have sides to them that fit with others more but that’s still them. And I know comparing platonic and romantic relationships is a bit simplistic but it’s kinda the same. You spend enough time with someone and get to know them, and I mean genuinely get to know them, and you’ll figure out which ones fit.”

“It happens naturally, yeah?”

“It should. But it requires baring yourself to the other person.”

“And that requires vulnerability, too, doesn’t it?” You ask, turning to him now. 

“It does. It requires honesty, too.”

You look into Jungkook’s eyes and see the moon reflecting from them with how round and dark and captivating they are. You’d think that given your topic of conversation, this is the perfect time to just confess about how differently you’re feeling about him. 

But there’s still something that pulls you back, and you suppose it’s this need to be sure - not of whatever he feels for you but of what you feel for him, and what you feel about you. 

You don’t want to dive into this when you’re unsure of yourself. You don’t want to doubt if you’re able to truly be vulnerable to him. You don’t want to get into anything with him when you don’t know if you like this version of you now, because you know that what he deserves is someone who likes herself enough to treat him the way he should be treated. His exes have been insecure people who took him for granted, and you don’t want a reminder of them in you.

“And that requires trust,” you add.

“It does,” he smiles, knowing that both of you are just pulling from all your experiences of failed relationships and uncertainty.

He hopes that maybe just like him, you’re trying to get to that point where you trust him and yourself enough before seeing if what you both have could be something more.

Both of you spend a few more minutes just staring at the sky before deciding to head back inside. You help your remaining friends clean up, wash themselves, and then lie in bed. 

You take your place next to Mo-eum, on the side that gives you a view of Jungkook as he sleeps on the floor. You ask him if he’s comfortable and warm enough for this chilly night and he responds with a nod.

You like this side of you that seeks him, not just because you need to be taken care of, but also because you want to take care of him, too. You think that for now, that should be enough. 

Jungkook flinches in his sleep, catching himself by surprise this time and prompting him to wake up. He slowly opens his eyes, already used to the light coming in with how thin the curtains are but he doesn’t mind much, not when the first thing he sees in the morning is you - cuddled with the pillow, looking peaceful as your brain rests for a while. 

It was a little thing he did, moving the mattress just a tiny bit during the first night, because he saw that the curtain slit would be right across his face and the sun would be unbearable. It ended up giving him a much better morning view. 

He grunts as he sits up and starts cracking his back and stretching his limbs. He sees that Taehyung and Jimin are half awake and he nods at them. Mo-eum is already up as the early-riser of the group and of course there’s you, still steadily breathing and softly snoring. 

It’s a slow morning and there’s no rush to do anything. Jungkook likes this about your recent trips, which is also why you’re all able to stay up late to drink and talk and do whatever people your age are still able to do until the wee hours of the morning. Perhaps his body has adjusted as well; regardless of what time he sleeps, he doesn’t need the entire next day to recuperate. 

Mo-eum gets back to the room and sits next to him.

“How was last night?” She asks with a playful smile.

“I had to carry your drunk ass to the bed, and then Jimin’s,” Jungkook shakes his head.

Maybe not a lot has changed. 

“___ helped you though.”

“Yeah well, we were the only ones still in our right minds,” he laughs. 

“I was still lucid when I saw you walk out to look for her,” she smirks. 

“Hey, I was just making sure that she was still on the property,” he defends. “Who knows if she followed some rabbit out there and fell into a hole or something.”

“You’re getting ridiculous with your reasons,” Mo-eum rolls her eyes. “There’s nothing wrong with wanting to spend time with her, you know?”

“I’m not denying that.”

“Good. Because I think she’s been liking that. She’s always got a lot in her mind and you help ease her a bit. Like, Jimin matches her energy, Tae comforts her, I hype her up and you…” she smiles. “You seem to do that and more. Like, you become what she needs at that time.”

“I’ve always tried to be there for her and it’s the same with her,” Jungkook shrugs, not wanting to reveal too much to your best friend. “I guess at this point it’s just become easier. And nicer. I’m happy I get to be what she needs.”

“Hmm. I’m sure she is, too.”

Mo-eum’s smile is comforting. Whatever you’ve told her or haven’t, her words are enough to assure him that he’s doing right by you. He’ll just continue and savor the moments you have together, like last night by the pool where you looked him in the eyes again and he’d been tempted to just lay his feelings out to you. 

But he hesitated, wanting to make sure that you’re ready for what he has to say. He’s certain about what he feels now but he doesn’t want to just spring it on you in the middle of celebrations and farewells. He’s just been basking in seeing you slowly settle into him, and perhaps that’s part of the whole experience, as you like to say. 

Mo-eum ruffles his hair before going back to bed, hugging you like a baby and asking if you’re hungry because she already is. Jungkook watches as you slowly get to your senses, look around, slightly sit up, then sleepily wave at him. It’s a bit random but he waves back and laughs. 

It’s not long after when the rest of you finally get up and start fixing up. You stand in front of the sink outside the bathroom to brush your teeth and just like the day before, he stands behind you as he sees you stretch your neck.

“Does it hurt again?” He asks.

“No, but a massage would be nice,” you mumble with bubbles in your mouth. 

He playfully shakes his head but proceeds to press his thumbs against the nape of your neck. 

“Such a princess,” he laughs.

You close your eyes at the pleasure, feeling like you could fall back to sleep with this. He eventually stops, which is perhaps good because you would’ve choked with how much you were quietly moaning, but then he lightly drags his fingers down your back. His touch pierces through your shirt and your body shivers. You don’t see his face in the mirror, but you quickly rinse your mouth to mask your smile over how it felt.

“I’ll wash up,” he says as he heads inside the bathroom.

You yell out your thanks and exhale deeply, but then Mo-eum skips next to you and wiggles her eyebrows.

“So domestic,” she teases. 

“Shush,” you pout at her. “Dude’s a master at teasing, who would’ve thought.”

You get dressed, too, and it’s not long after when you’re all on your way to a restaurant for your lunch of the famed spicy braised chicken. You take the passenger seat of the car that Jimin’s driving and watch Jungkook ride his motorcycle again, who fortunately put on some sunblock after you reminded him before leaving. 

With Mo-eum at the back, you all laugh as Jungkook and Taehyung dance to some music at the stoplight, busting out moves that make them look ridiculous and adorable at the same time. 

You arrive at the restaurant and there’s a long table reserved for your group. You see your friends make eye signals to each other to get you and Jungkook to sit side by side, and you wanna smack them but also thank them for doing the work for you. Even if you have been making an effort to get close to him, you don’t want to be too obvious.

Which is also why you spend those moments right after you take your seat talking to Hoseok, who makes you laugh so hard that you almost fall off your chair. 

But of course, Jungkook is there to make sure that doesn’t happen, as he manages to hold onto your arm before your ass hits the floor.

“Yah, are you Jimin?!” He scolds you.

“Excuse me, I’m offended,” you gasp dramatically.

“Brat. You wish you were me,” Jimin bites back.

“I wish I had your ass,” you hum.

It’s pretty amazing. You’d give him that.

“But your ass is already nice!” Mo-eum chirps. “It’s very spankable.”

Your older friends laugh, already used to the unfiltered conversations of the young ones, and none of you really care about it. You glare at your best friend, though, because Jungkook definitely did not laugh.

The conversation shifts to something else and the food finally arrives. The mild spiced dish is closer to Taehyung, so you ask Jungkook to give you a serving in your bowl. He hands it back to you filled to the brim, and he reminds you to let it cool first so the heat level isn’t too extreme for you.

You look at the dish in front of you. It looks so delicious you might actually cry. Except for the vegetables.

“I don’t like carrots,” you pout, transferring the two large chunks from your bowl to his.

“You need to eat carrots, ___,” he says sternly. “They’re good for your eyesight. It helps you see warning signs that tell you to watch out for things that might hurt you.”

You stare at the piece that he puts on your bowl.

“Yeah, a small chunk will definitely help my eyes,” you sarcastically say.

“Then a big one, then,” he counters, putting back the one you just gave him. And then another. “And one more for both eyes.”

You’re back to where you started and you scowl at him.

“You’re so annoying.”

He responds with a smirk. A smirk! One that looks teasing more than anything.

“You could always just feed her,” Jimin suggests.

You glare at him. 

“What?!” He mouths, and it hits you that this might be more obvious because this type of teasing is normal, but you’re being so sensitive about it.

“I’m not a baby,” you frown.

And just as you’re about to take a spoonful, your hair flies to your mouth, causing the sauce to stick to the strands and then on your face. 

You groan in frustration, prompting laughter from your friends, but you reflexively turn to Jungkook with a pout.

“Say that again?” he chuckles, as he wets the napkin and wipes the sauce off your hair.

You wipe your face, too, while he pulls your hair back so you could tie it. He looks at you with a mix of teasing and endearment, yet something about it makes your heart race. 

All you can do is laugh at how ridiculous you look and he laughs along because he probably thinks so, too. He watches you take your first bite to make sure it lands then he resumes with his own dish and reminds you to eat your carrots. 

You actually do cry, as even the mild spicy version of the chicken is still a little too hot for you, but you can’t stop eating. The fried rice and ramyeon are so intense yet heavenly, and nothing’s ever hurt so good and satisfied you like this. 

Jungkook ends up wiping out the rest of the food. The only reason why you stayed in the restaurant as long as you did was so he could finish eating, and you have to remind him of what you’ll be doing after, prompting him to pass up on the dessert he was about to order. You take some time to walk around the area so you can digest though, and it’s not long after when you’re back on the road.

Jimin had suggested going to Active Park so you could all compete against each other on wall climbing, with the losers doing penalties tonight. As you agreed on, everyone joins, even the ones who aren’t really into things like this. That doesn’t include Jungkook though, as he excitedly skips to the receiving area like he didn’t just stuff himself with food an hour ago. 

But he loves these things and this is his playground. He likes being active and on the move - a contrast to you - and experiencing the thrill. He also happens to be really good at it. 

You all get briefed and get proper shoes on. He scurries inside and already chooses his first activity where he walks up high poles then free falls to the ground. Then he climbs three walls consecutively and goes mission impossible mode when he rapells down. The others start playing and you let them go first, as you secretly enjoy watching them freak out and squeal while falling. 

You eventually decide to psych yourself up by climbing up the poles so you call for one of the staff to repeat the instructions. Just then, Jungkook appears next to you - you swear you saw him competing with Taehyung just a second ago - and asks if you’re ready.

“Yes, and I’m not scared of heights,” you remind him. “I’m just clumsy.”

“Please make sure you land properly. And don’t mistakenly unhook your cord.”

“I won’t,” you roll your eyes at him. 

But you do call for him to look at you when you’re at the top and then ask for his praise when you get back on your feet safely.

He laughs at how excited you are and encourages you to try more. You tell him to just enjoy and do everything he wants and that you’ll be fine so he goes, competes with almost everyone, and wins it all. You follow your own pace and lose a few match-ups, but it’s loud and intense the whole time that you’re torn between trying things out for yourself and watching your friends do it.

Half of you get tired right away and choose to sit around to watch the more energetic ones as they keep going. You all cheer for Taehyung on the circular slide. You all encourage Suhyeon in the spiderman climb. And when Jimin hits his lip on the sandbag during the jump, you gather around him to ask if he’s okay.

“It’s just a cut,” he shrugs.

“Nope, you gotta ice it,” you say. “Mo-eum’s already getting one.”

“Listen to ___. She’s good at treating busted lips,” Jungkook hums.

“Of course you’d know,” Jimin smirks at him.

“We are not talking about that night,” you frown as you press the cloth-covered ice cube on your best friend’s wound.    

“Why are you the one triggered when it’s Jungkook’s who got elbowed?” Yoongi asks you. 

“Because she got so angry and even attempted to run after the guy who hurt Kook,” Mo-eum informs them. “You know ___ when she’s angry. It ain’t good.”

They rehash that night and you kind of block it out, not wanting to remember what those intense feelings were like. But then again, maybe that’s when this whole Jungkook thing started so maybe it isn’t all that bad. 

Jungkook finally decides that he’s done and sits next to you on one of the chairs. You hand him a bottle of water and ask him if he's satisfied.

“Yup,” he heaves. “Hands are just a bit tired but they’re fine. And oh, my busted lip has healed.”

You snicker and look away.

“I don’t know if I ever properly thanked you for that night, ___,” he says. “So, uh, thank you. I don’t think I’ll ever forget all the times that you stood up for me.”

“Technically, it was just one time. It would’ve been more if people weren’t stopping me,” you laugh. 

“Well, there’s a reason for that, you know?” He nudges your knee. “You can actually get in trouble or get hurt. I… I don't really know how I’d be able to handle that. So don’t get yourself hurt, okay?”

“Is that why you were tailing me this whole time? You were scared I’d hurt myself?” You cock an eyebrow.

“___, you hurt yourself in your own house. Because of your couch. This place is filled with hazards.”

“Oh shush,” you laugh now. “Well, nothing happened to me. I think I’m improving.”

“No injuries today so you might just be,” he winks.

“You’d still look out for me, though?” you turn to him.

“Always,” he smiles. 

You head outdoors after a bit of rest to go-kart. Just when you thought that most of you have drained all your energy from wall climbing, it turns out that driving can actually restore it, as all of you quickly choose your karts and start riding around the track. With the breeze pushing you and the fluffy clouds against the blue sky as your background, it’s actually very relaxing.

You go only a few laps. Hoseok, Seokjin, Jimin, and Taehyung race five rounds because someone is always complaining or cheating. Jungkook skids like he’s on Fast and the Furious, and Suhyeon and Hayoung are just happily going about in their lanes.

There’s that feeling of calmness when you all take your seats on the benches in the adjacent playground with your iced drinks in hand. You laugh at Namjoon constantly being stuck in the track because he was confused over which foot had to press what, and then Yoongi bumping him because he couldn’t stop earlier. You’re laughing about last night, too, and just everything that’s been happening on this trip.

As always, Jimin and Taehyung play with the horse rockers, then Jungkook joins them when they spin in the merry-go-round. Mo-eum goes with you when you scurry to the big slide. You run up the steps, squealing as you do, and then trip on one of them.

Mo-eum goes to your rescue and tries to hold in her laugh. But the thump and her constant chuckling gets your friends’ attention and as you look up, you see Jungkook incredulously looking at you.

“So… about me not having injuries today, I think you jinxed it,” you smile sweetly at him. 

In Jungkook fashion, he laughs, helps you up, then puts a band-aid over the scraped skin on your shin. 

He might not always be next to you, but he’ll be there whenever you need him. You think that perfectly describes these last few months of getting closer to him. You hope it’ll be like that from here on out.

Watching the sky turn dark from the property’s outdoor area is quite magical, as you’re learning now. You’d just woken up from a long nap after arriving home and you’re now on the hammock, with your hands behind your head, taking in how stunning the view is. You’re next to Mo-eum who’s doing the same, and the others have taken their spots in different areas, too.

Not long after, you put on a dress and head to a restaurant for an omakase dinner. It’s another one of those spoils from Seokjin and Hayoung and you pretty much thank them after praising the chef with every dish. 

The ingredients are so fresh and they’ve been prepared so delicately. Taehyung dramatically walks around in awe and Jungkook jumps on his seat all night with how much he’s enjoying the food. It’s hard not to laugh when watching everyone react, and that includes you. You’re just as expressive as everyone is, including Yoongi and Gyu-rim who often just say the simplest things when describing their appreciation for food.

Hoseok buys a fancy bottle of sake to take home where you all finish it, alongside the other drinks you bought on the way back. 

It’s a beautiful evening but you suppose that everyone’s just spent from everything you’d done today, as you all just take a seat around the fire pit and talk. The penalties will have to be be done tomorrow, you all agree.

You fall asleep on Hayoung’s shoulder in the midst of the tired laughter and end up lying on her lap. Your lower body spills over to Jimin’s lap as well, and he just chuckles and says that the princess is tired.

“Want me to help you get ready for bed?” Your cousin whispers in your ear.

You’re still a bit aware of your surroundings and could hear what she says, and you tell her it’s fine and that they should all stay while you take a nap. But you don’t know how long you’re asleep for until you feel yourself being pulled up.

“Let’s go, I’ll help you wash up,” Mo-eum says to you.

You let her guide you up until you’re lying in bed in your pajamas, ready to fall into deep sleep. 

Jungkook sits on the edge of the bed right next to yours. Taehyung is on the floor mattress this time after lying on it to have a feel and then falling asleep right away, so Jungkook gets to have a different view of you this time.

He chuckles as he watches your breathing deepen and then steady. You must really be tired after all those activities and the amazing dinner and he wouldn’t be surprised as he’s exhausted, too. 

But it felt nice spending the day like this, even if he wasn’t next to you all the time. He’d been too excited with the wall climbing but he always made sure to watch you whenever you did it. He was having so much fun during go-karting but he always looked for you on the track and smiled at you whenever he passed you by after you stopped driving. 

Even during dinner, you were sandwiched between Hayoung and Namjoon so Jungkook just glanced at you to see how you found the food because he was losing his mind. And then after you all got home, he just softly watched you slowly fall asleep. You looked so cozy though, like he just wanted to hug you until he fell asleep, too, just like now, as you finally turn towards your side facing him. 

You’re hugging a pillow and Jungkook laughs to himself at how much he wished that was him. It must feel nice, he thinks, to have you that close. Maybe you’d talk until someone knocks out mid-sentence like what happened in Sapporo. Maybe you’d laugh until you get tired. Maybe you could do more, just like the home he wants to cuddle in.

He shakes his head at the thoughts in his mind. He’s thinking too much and definitely too far ahead. He has that hope that you might feel the same way. After all, he’s seen you space out while looking at him, whether up close or from afar, and he knows that means your mind has travelled to so many places. He could only hope your thoughts were about him, perhaps about settling into your feelings, whatever those are. 

But he’s quite a patient man when it comes to things he really, really wants. He’s holding out hope that somehow, you’re thinking and figuring things out yourself, and as long as you are, he’ll just admire you and enjoy what he gets to share with you as much as he can.

The morning comes longer than you expected, and that tells you that you probably had a really good sleep. You remember seeing the blaze from the fire pit and dozing off, then briefly washing up before crashing out again. 

But the light is blaring through the blinds now and you let out a yawn. You stretch your arms and look around to find yourself alone in the room, and you check your phone to see what time it is and what everyone else is up to. It’s 9 AM and it seems that there’s takeaway breakfast downstairs. 

Just then, you hear Mo-eum calling for you as she climbs up the stairs.

“Hey, you’re up!” She chirps. “You didn’t wake up even with the guys’ early alarm, huh?”

“Nope, I was passed out. But I slept so well,” you mumble. “Where’d they go?”

“To the other side of the island. Tae and Kook wanted to ride their bikes then decided to buy breakfast for everyone so they called Jimin to pick up the food,” she laughs. “Let’s go eat!”

You nod and wash up before heading downstairs with her. People have gathered at the kitchen while some are already outside, enjoying the sun and the cool morning breeze. There’s an array of breakfast wraps and sandwiches and sweet and savory pastries that it’s hard to choose. But you pick up a few and look around to try your friends’ choices, knowing they’ll let you.

You get a bite from Mo-eum and Hayoung then Jimin, then you see Jungkook going back inside to get another serving. He chooses the bacon bun and you think he sees your eyes light up, because he’s walking towards you and offering you a bite. 

“Hmm, that’s good,” you smile satisfyingly. 

“It is, right?” he smiles. “Is the wrap okay?”

“Yup. It’s very filling.”

“Nice. I thought you’d like that,” he hums. “Did you see the iced black sesame drink I got you?” He asks as he grabs a cup from the bag. “I told them to tell you it’s here. I thought you’d like it. But there’s hot coffee and uh, my barely touched iced americano if you want.”

“This sounds like my kind of drink,” you smile at him now, taking what he got you.

It’s delicious and you tell him so. You walk out towards the lounge chair by the pool where he follows and you ask him about where they went to earlier.

“There’s this stretch of the ocean where you can see some dolphins and Tae wanted to check them out,” Jungkook says. “So we took our bikes there around 7 and just drove around the town. He was chatting with the locals and they told us what other areas to check out. Then we got some breakfast and called Jimin.”

“Oh, that sounded fun! Where did they say to go?”

“The lesser known parks that also have the cherry blossoms in full bloom, this hill with wildflowers, a pier that has a nice view of the ocean,” he shares. “They said where we watched the dolphins is a good spot to watch the sunrise and we should go back but I said we leave tomorrow so probably the next trip.”

“We leave in the afternoon though,” you remind him. “That actually sounds nice.”

“Do you… want to ride and catch the sunrise in the morning?” he asks, testing the waters. “We could still take the car but the bike is just a different experience. It’ll be cold but they swore by it and said the fishermen love that area because of how pretty it is.”

“You’ll make sure I’ll be safe right?” You nervously ask, as the thought of riding a motorcycle with him is both a thrilling and terrifying thought for completely different reasons. “I mean, you know how dramatic I am with a stubbed toe. Imagine me injured, so I’m sure you’ll make sure that won’t happen.” 

“Definitely not letting that happen,” he chuckles.

“Good! Wake me up, okay! And should, uh, should we invite the others?”

It’s a courtesy question, you think, even if you’re unsure you’re ready to be alone with him to do something that you think is quite intimate - not only in riding his bike with him but also watching something beautiful together. 

“Yeah, sure,” Jungkook hums. 

It won’t hurt, you convince yourself, even if you hope deep down that no one will take the offer.

[to: My Elders] Kook and I are riding his bike to this spot to watch the sunrise. Anyone want to join?

It’s barely 10 seconds in when Jimin replies. 

[from: jiminie pabo] nope. and i speak for everyone.

You know what he’s doing so you quickly turn to where he is by the hammock and try to glare at him but he only smiles and gives a not-so-subtle thumbs up sign. You could only hope he didn’t say anything to anyone about what you feel and that this potential alone time with Jungkook is something that you’d want to have.

[to: My Elders] K then. Just tell us if you change your mind.

You turn to Jungkook. “They said they don’t want to. Well, Jimin did but he probably asked them. Are you still good?”

“Of course,” he smiles. “I’ll wake you up early then and we could get back here and still have time for a nap before we head out.”

“Sounds good,” you smile, hoping that the constant smiling isn’t giving you away too much, given that you’ve been doing that to him all trip. “Can’t wait.”

You talk a bit more about the sights he saw until your food and drinks have finished. You’re heading back to the kitchen for water when Taehyung suggests swimming in the pool before going for a ride around some areas of the island, just like what the locals had said. 

Everyone agrees, except for Yoongi, and you all change into your swimsuits and take advantage of the nice weather. 

You think at this point that you’re already immune to Jungkook’s bare body. You’ve seen it so many times before this trip and even just these past days, even if you technically zoned out in admiration this time. 

As the universe would have it, you are actually not immune, especially when you head out to the pool and find him on his hands and knees, trying to balance himself on the watermelon floatie, with all his muscles working full-time to keep himself from falling into the water. 

Your stupid mind conjures up images that you definitely should not be thinking about, and you turn away in time before he catches you staring at him again.

Mo-eum walks over to you and you both walk towards the pool to have a dip. But of course, Jimin and Taehyung cannonball into the water and start playing like the children that they are. They play with the water guns, too, and with Jungkook and their recruit, Hoseok, they run around the house and try to shoot each other as if they aren’t already wet.

The rest of you adults just chill around, content enough with the cool water and the fact that the sun doesn’t seem too much yet. It’s when the boys return that Seokjin reminds everyone of the penalties from yesterday’s game and suggests playing more games until there’s only one person left to receive the punishment. There's a handstand race, which Hoseok loses, and then there’s the chicken fight, which is a three-way match between you, Gyu-rim, and Suhyeon. 

Jimin says that the men with the sturdiest shoulders should be the other half of the pairs, and with Suhyeon being paired with Namjoon and Gyu-rim calling dibs on Taehyung, that’s how you end up with Jungkook as your partner. 

You try your best to not look affected even if you’re freaking out inside. You ask Jungkook instead if he’s ready to win and save your ass from drinking Seokjin’s terrible concoction. 

He chuckles and says that he trained his whole life to always win at chicken fights and that he has amazing grip. While you should’ve taken that lightly, your mind goes somewhere again that you have to pinch your cheeks as a reminder to get away from that place and instead focus. 

He asks if you’re ready then assists you in getting on his shoulders and he’s right, his grip on your thighs is pretty good and you just know he’s gonna be holding you steady all throughout. You practice some moves and he advises you on what to do. 

“Will you hate me if I pull your hair,” you ask.

“Nope. I will if you fart, though.”

“I’ll try. Let’s hope I don’t get too excited,” you tease.

“Yah!” he exclaims, threatening to drop you in the water.

You hold onto his cheeks for support and you laugh and say he’s being dramatic. 

When Seokjin calls for the start of the match, you and Jungkook get your game faces on. He told you earlier to be aggressive so that’s what you do, and he expertly maneuvers his body so you can have the right angle for a good hit. You pull his hair only a little, but he doesn’t mind, especially when Suhyeon falls first, and then Gyu-rim follows right after. 

You celebrate your win with cheering and tender taps on Jungkook’s cheeks. He slowly drops you and you reflexively hug each other in joy. You feel the tingles at being so close to him, especially with your skin being in contact with his, and then your hands brushing against each other and lingering under the water. 

You sit next to each other on the pool ledge as you watch the two other women play rock-paper-scissors, with Gyu-rim losing and facing Hoseok for a palm push match while standing on a floatie.

It ends up being so intense. Hoseok has crazy core strength and can balance well but Gyu-rim is playing aggressively. It’s especially funny when Yoongi gets so into the match and keeps yelling out instructions for her to follow, even going as far as taunting Hoseok, causing him to laugh and eventually lose. 

Everyone explodes in laughter at the series of events. It has truly woken all of you up and you feel energized. You stay in the pool for a few more minutes before getting changed, ready for a drive around the island.

Mo-eum is on the wheel this time while you make yourself comfortable next to her. You all watch Jungkook and Taehyung enjoy themselves again on their bikes as they guide you and the other cars to a quieter part of town. 

You find a stunning waterfall and then go to the hill with wildflowers, which also has a nice view of the mountains. You buy some rice cakes from a store then get some iced drinks from a cafe before heading to a park to look at all the springtime flowers in full bloom. 

Much as you want to just stay next to Jungkook whenever you hang around a new place, you find yourself enjoying watching him just be. Whether he’s looking around and enjoying the view or being rowdy and playful with your friends, you’re captivated by what he does and how he is, which is totally new to you. 

“Even you weren’t that endeared with your exes,” Mo-eum points out when you’re back in the car to head to a beach. “I mean, I guess I get it. They weren’t exactly charming people, no offense.”

You look at her in question, wondering what made her say it.

“You were looking at Kook with sparkly eyes,” she shrugs. “Just thought you should know in case you didn’t know.”

“I—” you stutter, clearly unaware. 

“It’s fine, dude. It’s just us,” Jimin chuckles. “It’s how it is when you like someone, you know?”

“Was I not like this with my exes?” You ask them.

“Hmm, not really. You were ecstatic at the start, obviously,” Mo-eum says. “But I don’t recall you being this… soft. It might come with age, who knows? You’re probably exhausted from feeling so intensely all the time.”

You let her words settle as it turns quiet in the car, save for the blowing of the wind through the open windows. It must be tiring to experience such strong feelings all the time; you suppose that’s why you never really got to pay attention to them.

With Jungkook, you’ve been having these feelings for a few weeks now, and they’ve been ruminating, like you’re settling into them as you try to make sense of how this could happen. You suppose in your constant questioning or even disbelief, it’s allowed you to take things slow. With this trip and being around him as much as you are, you’re gradually getting used to feeling this way while not throwing yourself completely into it right away. You’re also getting used to you being like this.

You suppose that’s made you take notice of everything else about him. It’s also what’s making you look at him more softly, as if you’re getting to know him from afar.

Your thoughts are suspended for a while when you arrive at a quiet beach. It’s the perfect spot for a swim and you watch your friends put on their sunblocks and rush to the water. You’re surprised at how much energy all of you still have but it’s probably the most free you’ve all felt in a long time. 

You sit on the beach towel that’s been set on the ground. You’re watching them play around while putting on your sunscreen when you hear Jungkook call your name before sitting down next to you.

“Hey,” you say. “Why aren’t you there with them yet?”

“Tae and Jimin made me put on their sunscreens then ran to the water,” he pouts. “Do I still have some on my face?”

You look at him when he turns to face you. You spread the bit that’s on his nose and chin then tell him he’s all good. He puts on his arms and you have to turn away and act unaffected when he spreads the lotion on his chest and torso. He turns to you again with his bunny-like smile and asks if you could put on his back.

“Sure,” you smile. 

You do it as calmly as you can, forcing thoughts out of your mind because while this isn’t the first time you’ve done this, it’s the first time that you’re desiring him.

He asks if you’ll swim, too, and you instinctively nod so he offers to put some on your back. You nod again, not at all ready for his palms to press against your skin like this. 

Of all times to wear a two-piece suit, it really had to be now and you think that you could’ve stuck to what you wore this morning. You remove your cover up dress and turn around, hoping that he won’t feel the shiver on your skin once he touches you.

But you feel it, not because the lotion is cold but because his hand is rough and gentle at the same time. He’s quiet, too, so you don’t know what’s going on in his mind and you suddenly feel tense, especially when he moves down to your waist and you jerk in surprise. 

But he doesn’t say anything until he’s finished. You mumble your thanks and he faces the water once you start spreading the lotion on your arms and legs. 

Mo-eum yells for both of you to come so Jungkook stands up and offers his hand for you to take, which you do. Your fingers brush against each other again and you can’t help the small smile that forms on your face, until you find out that there are pebbles that line the shore which you have to cross to get to the water and you express your dismay.

“It’s just like acupuncture on your feet,” Jungkook explains.

“I don’t like them. They hurt,” you pout.

“Come on. It’s not that bad,” he says.

You still look unsure so he offers his hand again and you take it, letting him ease the pressure on your feet as you walk over. You make it, and you sigh in relief once you’re submerged in the cool water. 

Your friends join you and you all just soak in the feeling of being here and wave at the others who opted to stay on the shore. 

When you all collectively start getting dehydrated, you decide to head back. You groan when you reach the pebbled part of the shore again and Jungkook chuckles next to you.

“Do you want to ride on my back? Do you want me to throw you to the other side or build you a bridge?” He teases.

The piggyback ride is definitely tempting but you opt for something else.

“Hold my hand again?” You ask.

He softly smiles and offers his and you gladly take it. You almost don’t want to let go but you do, hoping for another chance to do it again. 

You all lay on the towels to dry up a bit before heading back on the road for a last drive to a pier before heading to a restaurant for some black pork belly for dinner. 

You sit next to Jungkook, given the realization that it’s your last night and tomorrow’s your last day. When you get back to Seoul, it’s back to the daily grind and your usual schedule. You want to see him again. In fact, you want to see him more. 

You could reason that you’re just doing what you’ve been doing these past months if you ask him to hang out or go with you to buy something or watch a movie in your apartment. Or you could just be honest with him and tell him how you feel, perhaps see if he feels the same way and figure out where you go from here. 

The thought makes you giggle and butterflies explode in your belly thinking that he might like you, too. You don’t want to assume. It could be that he’s always been this attentive or affectionate to you and you never really paid attention because maybe, he stayed the same and you’re the one that changed. 

It’s also possible that alongside you, he also changed. Or you may also just be reading too much into it and you’re completely off the mark and it may be the worst thing in the world but then maybe it isn’t. Not having him around you in any way is definitely much worse and that thought makes your heart skip a beat for all the wrong reasons. 

You don’t want to think of a life where he isn’t around, same as you can’t imagine the last 10 years without him. Would trying to have something more put all that in jeopardy? 

But you’ve always been a risk-taker. You’ve been rejected before but you got over it and you never regretted going for something you want for fear of what you’ll lose. 

Then again, Jungkook is different; he’s your friend. Losing him because he doesn’t feel the same way would be terrible for you.

But who’s to say you’ll lose him even if he doesn’t like you back? You’ll make sure you won’t and—

“Yah,” he nudges your knee. “Can your wandering mind get its ass back here? We’ve got dinner to eat. I’m cooking this pork perfectly so you better be present for it.”

You turn to him who’s teasingly laughing at you and you shake your head, knowing he’d seen your face probably express all the different thoughts and emotions you just experienced all in one minute. 

“Okay, better get going and cook it to perfection then,” you say smugly. 

Jungkook shows off when he’s challenged and that’s what he does. He gives a commentary of how he’s grilling the pork and even does tricks of opening the soju and beer bottles to the delight of everyone. But he’s right to boast because the meat does taste amazing. He’s rendered the fat well and it’s so juicy, everyone moans through dinner. 

You all stay in the restaurant a while to make sure everyone’s sobered up before heading back to the house where you watch an outdoor movie - a sci-fi horror film that Mo-eum insisted on because she thinks she’ll be less scared with more people around. 

She wasn’t right about that and you fared much better with Jungkook next to you, mostly because you were actually nervous to do something silly, like snuggle with him or hold his hand. You screamed only in one part and managed to cover your mouth in time. He teasingly laughed at you though and said he wasn’t going anywhere even if you screamed again.

There’s dancing and singing right after to get over what you just watched. There’s also definitely more alcohol. But you hold off a little, knowing you have that sunrise ride in the morning with Jungkook, which you’re really doing alone with him because everybody else passed up on it. 

You see him drink less, too, and you look at each other after rejecting Namjoon’s drink offers and know you’re thinking the same. 

The night still ends right before midnight though, and once you’re settled on your side of the bed and Jungkook is tucked under the covers on his, he asks you again about tomorrow.

“You sure you’re ready to wake up and brave the cold?”

“Yes. You’ll make sure I will,” you laugh.

“Okay then. See you in the morning.”

Waking you up before 5 AM isn’t as bad as Jungkook expected. You open your eyes after the fifth tap and raise your arms for him to pull so you could get off the bed. You trip on the floor mattress but thankfully don’t wake Taehyung up nor stub your toe so that’s a success in Jungkook’s books. 

You insist on washing up downstairs so you don’t wake your friends up and he has to guide you down the steps because you’re still half asleep. You do your business then wait for him to do his.

You jerk in surprise when he exits the bathroom in just his joggers, and you grumbly ask him why he’s always naked. When he laughs at your question, you ask him why he’s laughing, and he just waves this off as you, speaking your mind like always. 

You ask for his jacket though, since the thickest one you have is still wet and he’s got one he could lend you so he wears the thinner one so you’d feel warmer.

There are a dozen things that could’ve gone wrong with just getting you out of the door but they didn’t happen so yes, this isn't as bad as Jungkook had imagined. 

You make your way to his motorcycle and he faces you to put on your helmet.

“Don’t be scared, okay? Tell me if you are then I’ll slow down,” he instructs. “But just hold tight. You know I won’t let anything bad happen to you.”

“Okay,” you smile softly. 

He gets on the bike and you follow his instructions for getting behind him. You wear the backpack with the hot drinks inside then you wrap your arms around his waist as security. 

You quickly settle in and loosen your hold around him just a little. It’s still dark everywhere so there’s not much to see so you just focus on how he feels in front of you, liking the warmth he emits and the stability he provides as he carefully drives around. 

It’s not a long drive but you suppose that’s fine. You get to the viewing spot and quickly see the start of the sun’s ascent.

“Not bad, right?” He gestures to his bike. “It rides pretty smooth and it’s not too loud.”

“It was fine,” you assure him. “I didn’t feel like I was gonna fall off or anything.”

He smiles in response and helps you sit on the ledge of a wall that gives a good view of the ocean. With cups of hot tea in hand, you sit in silence as the sky starts to lighten, as if you’re witnessing the changing of the guards and it’s now the sun’s turn to watch over earth. 

It’s breathtaking and you think of all the times you’d taken the sunrise for granted. It’s slow but it’s constant. It may look different, depending on where you’re watching it from, but it still happens everyday and you either go through your day without thinking about it or you stop and look at the sun and think that it did its best in showing up today. 

That’s how it is with things you’ve gotten used to sometimes - you stop paying attention, and perhaps that’s when you miss out on important things. 

You recall the sunrise during your hike a few months ago when Jungkook stayed back to make sure you made it to the top. You don’t even know where he was when you all sat down by the rocks to watch and perhaps that says a lot with how you looked at him then. Because you’re here alone with him now, and you already know this moment will last with you for a long time. 

Maybe your friendship is like the sunrise. It will always be there, but you could watch it on top of a mountain or by the ocean or along Hangang River and the view changes. You know you changed, and now that you’ve paid attention, you want to know if this friendship could change into something more, too.

“Now that’s satisfying,” Jungkook hums as the sun settles above the water now.

“Thanks for telling me about this place and bringing me here, Kook,” you turn to face him. “It’s uh, it’s something I’ll always remember.”

“Yeah. Me, too,” he responds. 

You don’t know if it’s the sincerity in his eyes or it’s just you being caught up in the moment, but you glance at his lips and think for a millisecond that crashing yours against his is a good idea. 

His phone alarm ringing fortunately knocks some sense into you and you turn away in time for you to not do anything abrupt and maybe unwelcome. He remarks that he forgot to set it off for this time and you nod, internally thankful that he did. 

It’s at that moment when you hear sounds from the water and see that dolphins have come to swim on this part of the ocean. You’re so surprised and excited that you reflexively hold his hand but he doesn’t seem put off and he lets it stay there.

You don’t mind at this point. All you know is that it feels right and you want to feel it again. 

The moment ends and you look at each other in awe at being able to experience something so wholesome and beautiful together. You suppose it’s too much for words, as you get back on the bike and ride around town with not many words. 

It’s a longer trip this time, as he says that he’ll take the other route so there’s more of the town to see, and you don’t mind at all. You’d like to hold him like this as long as possible.

You make it back to the house and take a nap until everyone else wakes up. You pack your bags and load them in the trunk before you head out for some stir fried pork lunch. Jungkook and Taehyung follow after returning their bikes and you watch Jungkook from afar, beefing with Jimin about the sausage and then finishing more portions than he said he’d have.

You drive to the airport and don’t wait long before you board the plane. You sit next to Jungkook again and you lean on each other just like the flight coming here. But you suppose something’s really changed now, as you comfortably snuggle closer and think that you want to keep doing this, maybe hold hands, too. Perhaps share a kiss?

It’s all too much and probably too soon but you’ll care about all that later on. You want to bask in the possibilities first; the thoughts of consequences will come soon after you separate from him. 

And it does, after you hang out at Jungkook’s place with Taehyung, Jimin, and Mo-eum and then he drops you off at yours. 

“So, Tae invited himself and you guys to my apartment on Saturday,” you say when you open your door and he rolls your luggage inside your home. “You’ll be there, right?”

“Of course,” he smiles.

“I’ll return your hoodie all fresh and washed then!”

“No problem. You take care, yeah? Hopefully the trip gave you a bit of energy for the week.”

“It did. It gave me a lot actually. You, too,” you smile back.

“Same,” he nods. “I’ll head out and see you, yeah?”

“Good night, Kook!” You yell out.

“Good night!”

You lie on your couch once you close the door and take in his scent on his hoodie that you don’t want to remove just yet. You already can’t wait to see him again. You also know you’re gonna have to find a way to deal with all this and you’ll have to do it without losing him in the process.

 Series Masterlist

Permanent Taglist:

@sherlynxx @di0rgguk @thequeen-kat @fan-ati–c  @cravingforhotchocolate @adoraminie @weasleyswizarding-wheezes @gukssunshine @kookxin @petuliii @libra04 @fancycollectormoon @twixxxpie @ignoretheskies @ohmydarlin-g @bids97 @minyoongiboongi @main-bangtansmauyeondan @investedreader @petalsofink @stopeatread @craftymoonchaos @alpacaparkaseok @coletaehyung @boyfriendtaekook @moonchild1 @keshiadeija @nesha227 @src-9 @almatiarau 

Series Taglist:

@lovingkoalaface @amatun28 @mar-lo-pap @whoa-jo @ot7even @m4aimm @spicxbnny @burnahtsw @sadgirlroo @dearmyfavoritepeople-bts @kokoandkookie @bjoriis @vantelover1306 @yooforeaa @usuallyunlikelyfox @medicinemybish @impossibleglitterphantom @daisies-and-dandelionpuffs

[kissingmilfs]

I didn’t know how much I needed Mel x reader x Sevika until now…. You said you had more ideas?? 👀👀

not sure if you mean more pervy ideas of sevika or w/both of them…but yeah here is reader eating mel out while sevika watches :)))

💌౨ৎ ˖ ࣪⊹ •🍓•⊹₊ ⋆୨ৎ ౨ৎ ˖ ࣪⊹ •🍓•⊹₊ ⋆୨ৎ💌

content warnings: exhibitionism, voyeurism, cunninglingus, masturbation

💌౨ৎ ˖ ࣪⊹ •🍓•⊹₊ ⋆୨ৎ ౨ৎ ˖ ࣪⊹ •🍓•⊹₊ ⋆୨ৎ💌

a blindfold blacks out your view of the unfamiliar room. sevika covered your eyes a few minute ago and told you to sit pretty and patient on the bed. obviously you knew sevika was up to something secretive for your birthday. but even after prying and pleading nothing came up. so you nervously sat on the heels of your feet as you listen to the sounds in the hotel room.

a knock. the creak of sevika rising from the chair. the whoosh of the hotel room door opening. a pair of heels transitioning from hard wood floor to carpet. no one speaks though. you feel the bed dip only a mere inch or so next to you. hands begin untying your blindfold but they’re too nimble and small to belong to sevika. even the person’s scent is too sweet yet familiar.

once the blindfold drops—your eyes are squinted until they adjust to the onslaught of brightness. blinking for faster recovery your eyes make out the image of…well, mel?

💌౨ৎ ˖ ࣪⊹ •🍓•⊹₊ ⋆୨ৎ ౨ৎ ˖ ࣪⊹ •🍓•⊹₊ ⋆୨ৎ💌

“mel?” stumbles out of your mouth as your vision becomes clearer.

the woman radiates such a comforting smile—your heart almost pounds out of your chest. her hair today isn’t in her usual braids or updo. her tight curls frame her face and tumble down her back. mel wears a silk negligee in a soft baby pink color. lace plunging and caressing her cleavage.

“someone tells me it’s your birthday, pretty girl.” mel situates herself closer, reaching out to stroke your hair. doing it so casually and naturally—you second guess if she’s done it many times before.

your eyes widen noticeably and shift towards sevika. she’s already sat in the one seater—effortlessly leaned back and legs spread far apart and a devious smirk on her face. “yes, yes, uh, today is my birthday. you didn’t have to make the trip though.”

mel sweetly chuckles and cups one cheek with her hand. “i certainly think i did, love. don’t argue with me when our time is already so limited.”

your cheeks burn with the subtle scolding. mel’s eyes shimmer knowingly as she feels the heat on your cheeks. you nod once with a bashful expression on your face.

“come on, sugar. no need to be shy around mel. i think you know why she’s here.” sevika’s voice interjects into the space.

your head immediately swivels in her direction. even more flustered despite the clear understanding underlying her words. “sev…” you exhale nervously and twiddle with the hem of your robe.

both women laugh in unison. sevika shakes her head with amusement and a twinge of disapproval. “baby. nothing you say will shock mel. why do you think she’s here, hm? don’t you remember what you told me? how you wanted—“

“okay! okay! don’t say it aloud.”

mel bites her lip with a giggle and begins situating your hair and curling pieces of your hair behind your ears. she’s so close to you. if you leaned in one inch you could kiss her. mel offers you another comforting smile which only makes your heart beat even faster.

“nervous, dear?” mel mutters softly only for you to hear. you nod your response. “how come?” her question is genuine and laced with such sincerity.

you cast a glance at sevika then back to mel. “it is…unexpected. what if i disappoint you?”

mel is seemingly listening but her fingers work on untying your robe. “have you ever disappointed sevika, cutie?”

you shrug and hear sevika scoff loudly. “stop acting coy, doll. you know the answer is no. she knows what she’s doing, mel.”

the woman in front of you hums with acknowledgment as she guides the fabric off of your shoulders. fingertips brushing over the skin and leaving a longing for more behind. the robe pools around your waist, revealing your breasts and your nipples already hardening in the air. a smile of appreciation dawns on mel’s face.

“gorgeous. too perfect to be real.”

mel cups your cheek and wastes no time capturing your lips in a tender yet passionate kiss. she moans within seconds of you melting into her mouth. both her hands holding your face as she guides you atop while she lowers herself on the bed. her thumbs stroking your cheeks as she allows you to adjust to the new position. your lips part with a shared panting.

your hands sinking into the mattress on either side of mel’s slim body. she offers you another smile and you return it with a lithe one of your own. the nerves, ever so present, hinder what you both know is the purpose of this little visit. mel’s legs part slightly—allowing you to settle between them.

one of mel’s hands twirls a strand of hair around her finger. “you’re thinking too loud. what’s on your mind?”

you shrug far too nonchalantly for someone who could throw up from the nerves and excitement. “i’m not sure. everything. nothing.”

“would it help you to know i’ve quite literally dreamt of this moment? you, on top of me, and ready to worship between my thighs. i see the adoration in your eyes every time i close mine. my desire for you is probably much stronger than you realize, angel.”

a gasp parts your lips. almost reeling back from mel’s words in pure disbelief. her touch on your cheek anchors your position. “seriously?”

mel’s face spreads into such an intoxicating smile. her eyes catch the ugly fluorescent hotel lights and you swear they’re more gold than green. “seriously. we can stare at each other and kiss for the rest of the night. if you so desire. if this is too fast and too much.”

“no.” you immediately blurt out. “no. i want this. i do.”

“then what do you need, my sweet?” mel’s fingers lightly scratch at your scalp. but then an idea dawns. you see it spawn in those expressive eyes once again. mel removes one hand from your cheek and situates it between her legs.

your curiously watch the changed position of her hand disappearing. then mel moans almost too quietly. you would have missed it if you hadn’t seen her lips part. your eyes almost bulge out of their sockets. mel’s front teeth sink into her bottom lip. the moment only lasts for 10 seconds. 15 tops. she releases a shaky sigh as her fingers return to your viewpoint.

mel spreads both fingers apart—showing you the slick of juices parting between them. “look at the mess you’ve made. and you’ve barely even touch me yet. be a good girl and open for me.”

in what world could you possibly deny mel medarda? not with her fingers coated in her arousal, her eyes half hooded and darkened in a hazel color with pupils slightly dilated. without a second thought your lips part open. mel purposely grazes the pad of her fingers on your bottom lip before depositing the slick digits on your tongue. no hesitation crosses your mind as close your lips and let out a low moan. mel’s taste overwhelms your senses and coats your tongue.

“do i taste good, pretty girl?” mel utters the words with a sensual coo in her tone.

you nod around her fingers. mel smiles.

“you wanna taste from the source?”

another nod from you.

a vibrational hum emits from mel’s throat. she drags her fingers from your mouth. politely patting your cheek as she watches the nerves dissipate. mel crawls further back on the bed and angles her body diagonally. your body moving without thought and only lust. following mel with a crawl until you can lower your torso between those magnificent spread thighs.

she lifts her legs on your shoulder with a casual flare. everything mel does seems either pre-planned or a rehearsed dance between you two. the familiarity spins you off your axis then recenters your point of gravity. the weight of her legs anchors you to the bed. there is no turning back.

your fingers tentatively part mel’s folds—revealing her glistening pearl. before you can black out from the sight of the years of hidden devotion—your tongue extends and laps mel’s leaking arousal straight from the source. a contented moan comes from above. you feel mel sink further into the bed. the heel of her foot digging into your shoulder blade. pleading you continue and drink as desire. nothing but god’s hand and a cold bucket of water could pry you away.

you continue the soothing drag of your tongue over mel’s entrance. needing to memorize the taste before you can actually give her the acute attention to her clit. something of a whine comes from mel. her hand comes down to your hair. eyes trained on you, lost in the taste of her, as she caresses your hair. the tender action produces the closest any human could purr. it incentivizes you to switch your focus towards mel’s clit. trailing your tongue from her entrance until swirling around the neglected bud.

a hushed, “mm…there you go, baby…” comes from mel’s raspy, lust filled voice.

needing to witness mel falling apart on your tongue—your eyes finally open and lift through the fog clouding. what you are met with is, not only mel’s eyes already trained on you feasting, but also a reflection of sevika through the mirror. mel and sevika, always two yards in front of you. the minx of woman purposely angled herself on the bed—so you’d witness sevika’s full body reflection in the mirror.

and what a fucking sight she is to behold. legs still in her spread position. long gone are her form fitting pants and boxers. her own fingers circling over her clit. occasionally dipping down to gather more wetness on her fingers before slowly teasing herself. all while intently focused on you eating mel out.

a moan cannot help but vibrate on mel’s cunt. the sound catches sevika’s attention and she finds your eyes on her through the mirror. sevika huffs out an almost laugh.

“you always did look so pretty with your mouth full of pussy. i couldn’t help myself, baby.” sevika punctuates her words by pushing two fingers inside herself.

your sharp whine catches on mel’s clit. momentarily shifting your attention back to mel’s pleasure ridden face. suctioning her clit between your lips—gradually building the pressure and speed. her moans become more frequent.

mel’s fingers don’t grip your hair tightly but it’s certainly not the sweet touch of earlier. “right there…don’t stop…please…”

hearing the whine of mel’s almost frantic pleading instills the utmost dedication. not at all changing anything you’re doing. you hear a low, fuck, rumbling in the air. but the pitch of word doesn’t match mel’s. in the mirror’s reflection, you watch as sevika speeds up her fingers. even with mel’s ears muffling soft sounds—you don’t need to strain to know sevika’s pussy is producing noises filthy enough for a porno. your attention is split in two. alternating between witnessing mel’s lips parted as quiet moans and whimpers stumble out as she falls apart on your tongue and sevika fucking herself to the aforementioned sight.

the tell tale sign of mel’s orgasm creeps up. her free hand curling into the sheets. grasping tightly as her legs squeeze the sides of your head. mel shudders out such a high pitched moan—a gush of wetness pools into the tiny strip of your underwear. your nails dig into mel’s thighs, pressing her into your mouth further somehow. reveling in the sight of her back arched off the bed and her erect nipples pointed towards the ceiling. her moans are nonsensical but beautiful nonetheless. eyes drifting towards sevika in the mirror—realizing she is on the brink of her own orgasm. three fingers stretching herself wide as she drips on the upholstery.

sevika must’ve sensed your attention because her eyes immediately snap towards yours in the mirror. widening her legs even more, curling her fingers deeper, and releasing such toe curling, guttural moan you whine pathetically. mel slowly recovering from her own intense orgasm—delicately strokes your hair. nuzzling your nose on mel’s throbbing clit while your own girlfriend brings her fingers to a gradual stop.

“happy fucking birthday, princess.” sevika moans out as she glides her fingers out of her cunt. she wiggles them then stands up as if nothing happened. crossing the room confidently with swagger before bringing her hand down to smack your ass. “this is just the beginning.”

[venusheartsyou2]

bloody birds | matt murdock

summary: your ex shows up at your apartment, bruised and bloody.

pairing: ex!matt murdock x fem!reader.

warnings: lore accurate asshole matt murdock! angst. no use of y/n. mention of blood, needles, stitches. obvious lack of medical knowledge on my part. both reader and matt are both so unbearably stubborn. mention of heather glenn? kinda? barely?

wc: 3K

a/n: i love matt murdock but he would be the worst boyfriend in the world! bear with me!

You wake up to your phone vibrating against your bedside table. The clock reads 2:39AM. What the hell? Your eyes are heavy with sleep; you couldn’t pry them open even if you tried. You scramble to find your phone. It seems as though it’s hidden beneath all of your knick-knacks. Mainly books and trash. You should really clean as soon as you can. You grab your phone, and see a no caller ID. Who could be calling you at a time like this?

“Hello?” You answer. You feel yourself freeze when you hear the voice on the other line. It’s Matt. Of course it was Matt. Only Matt would be this presumptuous. Only he would have this much disregard for you. Matt says your name, his breath low and hot.

“The hell do you want?” You say, viciously.

“Don’t be like that,” Matt starts. “I need your help.”

You’re quiet for a second, unsure of what to say. Was he serious? Did he think he could just walk back to you so easily? For what, another stitch-up?

“Who’d you hurt this time?” You say, passive-aggressive. Matt’s silent on the other line. He sits in the tension. “No one.” He finally states. “Open the door.”

You hear a knock on the door. You’ve got to be kidding me. 

“You’re at my fucking apartment?”

“It used to be ours.”

“Are you bleeding out on my front-fucking-doorstep?” You ask, but you’re already up to get the door. You’ll see for yourself. Matt asks you to stitch him up from time to time, but there’s been a brief hiatus where Matt hasn’t been appearing in front of you, half dead and bloody. A brief period meaning 2 weeks, of course.

You open the door to see the bane of your existence at your front door: Matt Murdock, in all his awful glory.

“Not really. This isn’t the worst it’s been.” Matt answers your question, while ending the call. You stare at Matt, dumbfounded. It was pretty bad. Deep gashes are speckled all over his torso. From the skin you can see, he was bruised all over. His fresh red bruises were on top of his recovering yellow bruises. It was grotesque. He was grotesque.

“I don’t need heightened senses to know that’s a bunch of bullshit, Matt.” You joke, dryly. Matt chuckles. 

You hear the voices of your concerned friends flash throughout your head. Whispers of, “He’s such an asshole.” and “He doesn’t value your time.” float in your mind. While, yes, they were right, Matt was never one to make it fair. How could you turn away a man who was near death? You weren’t religious, at least anymore, but it felt like a cardinal sin to turn him away. You knew Matt well enough to know he wasn’t going to the hospital. You knew he was Daredevil. He couldn’t keep the secret long enough. You were suspicious enough to snoop, and he was careless enough to leave evidence out in your old, shared apartment. You tried your best to plead with him and tell him that this “vigilante bullshit” was going to kill him, but with the way he talked, he seemed like he already accepted it. You couldn’t stay to watch it happen.

“Come in.” You say, defeated. You grab the first-aid kit that lays beneath your coat rack. Maybe a part of you knows you can’t get rid of Matt, and maybe an even smaller part of you isn’t ready to let go of him.

You assemble your usual “fuck-ass Matt Murdock first-aid kit”, as you like to call it. Matt never comments on the name. Gauze, stitches, gloves, adhesive bandages, and more are splayed all over your living room coffee table. Matt sits on the couch, after you frantically place a towel over it. You’ve done this way too many times to make the same mistakes. Like that one time he left a suspiciously large blood stain on your couch. You’re lucky Matt’s a lawyer, and that you were somehow able to get that stain out - with enough patience and peroxide.

You kneel in front of Matt and peel his blood-stained shirt off his stomach. You can never forget the invasive smell of blood thanks to Matt. You wipe the wet blood with an old rag. He hisses as his sensitive cuts are brushed over with the rough rag.

“Easy.” he whispers. You don’t respond. Your mind is filled with all the things you want to say to this douche, but your tongue can’t bring itself to move.

“I know you’re mad,” Matt says, “Your heartbeat is racing.”

“You’re being intrusive.” You mumble.

“I’m not being intrusive, I can’t help it. You know that.” He retorts. You place gauze on a cut, and start prepping your stitches. You’re not a nurse - you attempted nursing school, but you dropped out 2 years in - so this process never gets any less nerve-wracking. You struggle on getting the thread through the needle. Matt winces and looks away.

As you finally get the stitch ready, Matt attempts to grab your hand to squeeze. “It helps him handle the pain”, he likes to say. You swat his hand away.

“Need both hands.” You say, as you always do. Your obvious lack of care never discourages Matt. He’ll do this the next time he stumbles in your apartment. You start to dig the needle into Matt’s skin, and he reacts by gripping the couch’s arm rest. He bares his teeth, hissing with every poke and prod of his skin.

“You’re not being gentle.” He comments.

“Stop talking.” You spit out.

“Look, I know I’m an asshole, but can’t you go easy on me?” Matt pleads. You ignore his comments, as you have to stay focused.

After finishing the first stitch, you look at Matt. “You are an asshole. And you’re lucky I’m dumb enough to help you.” You say. Matt lets out an entertained huff. 

“I guess I am lucky.” He says. He smiles enough to show his eye crinkles. You always loved his eye crinkles, so you force yourself to look away.

You finish the other two stitches Matt needed, and bandage everything up. Your hands are covered in Matt’s blood, a sight you see far too often. You scrub your hands raw in your kitchen sink, determined to get the blood off your hands. The water is scorching hot. The steam fills the air. Matt lingers around you, his hands grazing your old, shared apartment kitchen.

Matt wants to say something. It’s written all over his stupid, beautiful face. He chews on his lip for a second, thinking about how to open up the conversation.

“I still think about your banana bread.” Matt says, trying his best to get his words out before you inevitably cut him off. “I always ask for banana bread with chocolate chips now.” Your head drops and you let out a sigh. It was the phase of the night where Matt reminisces on the past. Your banana bread was always heavily praised by Matt. When the two of you were together, you were appalled to find out Matt had never tried chocolate chip banana bread before. You would make it for him frequently when you were with him, and you would add sugar on the top so it would have a nice crunch. You realize Matt’s getting what he wanted: for you to reminisce on the past. 

“We’re not doing this again.” You say.

“Doing what?” Matt feigns ignorance. You wipe your hands off violently with a towel. Your hands are red, and you can’t tell if it’s from his blood or from how rough you scrubbed your hands.

“What do you think is going to happen if you try to make me remember the past? That I’m going to remember everything good about our relationship and I’m going to run back to you?” You questioned.

Matt shakes his head. “I’m sorry. I just missed you, that’s all-” Before Matt could finish his sentence, you cut him off by lightly chuckling.

“No. No, you don’t.” You grin while cleaning your bloody countertop.

It’s times like these where you wish you could hear Matt’s heartbeat, or smell the sweat beading and falling on his head. It’s unfair he can do all that but you can’t. You just have to watch how his face moves, but it never does. It’s always impossible to read him. You knew that Matt could see through your brash attitude. You knew he could hear your heart beating from out your chest, and that he could sense your throat closing up from all the anxiety. It wasn’t fair.

“You’re giving me a hard time.” Matt says, after a period of silence.

“Yeah, I am. You think I don’t deserve it?” You argued.

“I think that I don’t deserve it.” Matt responds. Positive self-talk. You purse your lips.

“What, you got a therapist now?” You ask, bluntly. Matt didn’t seem like the type to go to therapy, with his whole “independent-and-self-isolating” thing going on.

“Slept with a therapist. About the same thing.” Matt shrugs. You let yourself laugh. Thinking about Matt with other women wasn’t something you necessarily wanted to think about, but it would be the mature thing to do to not make a deal about it.

After a moment, Matt takes a breath before saying, “I could only think of you. When I was with her.”

“Oh, Jesus, Matt.” You cringe at his words. “God, that’s awful.”

“I’m sorry, I-” Matt responds through small awkward laughs before he suddenly clutches his side in pain. “Ah, fuck!” He yelps.

“Matt?” You rush to him, faster than you’d like to admit. Matt’s shirt is slowly stained by a new stream of blood. “I think one of the stitches ripped.” Matt mutters.

“Fuck.” You whisper. Again, you weren’t a nurse. You were only Matt Murdock’s next best option. It seems as though you didn’t tie the knot in his last stitch tight enough. It had unraveled. You’re quick to tie it back together. You’re quiet and focused, at least more than you were before. As much as the sight of Matt fills you with unbridled rage, you couldn’t bear to see him in pain. It makes you angry how much you care for this asshole.

You finish re-tying the stitch knot, and your hands are covered in blood again. At least it wasn’t as much as last time. You wash your hands again in silence, and Matt is left to watch you. He does just that, watching your every move.

His presence is suffocating. He’s this reminder of your past. Of what you would let slide, or of what bullshit you would do for love.

You want to say so much to him, but something’s always held you back. Maybe it was your desire to always be the bigger person. It was the smart thing to do, but it was never the satisfying thing.

“You’re gonna get yourself killed out there, Matt.” You say, finally. Matt looks up. He hears your steady heartbeat. You’ve had this conversation with him before. How hypocritical of you. To yell at Matt for bringing up the past but replaying this conversation, for old times sake.

“You know why I do what I do.” Matt says, flatly.

“You’re ignoring my sentiment.” You say.

“You know me well enough to know I’m not going to stop.”

“You know me well enough to know I can’t watch you kill yourself.”

Matt and you sit in the silence. Matt lets out an amused huff, smiling to himself. You and Matt were different. It’s clear why you two didn’t work out. Every problem in your relationship stemmed from the fact that Matt had to live his life as Daredevil.

A long pause passes.

“I still love you.” Matt drops. Jesus. “God, Matt.”

You shut your eyes and let that weird, awful feeling in your chest simmer. This was new from him. Usually, when he crashes half-dead in your home, he’ll leave after you force him out. Maybe you should’ve showed him on his way out before he even got the chance to ruin your night. Well, maybe you should’ve never dated this nightmare in the first place. But you can’t beat yourself up about that. As much as you criticise Matt, you loved him at one point. He gave you some of the best years of your life. Until he let Daredevil consume him.

“I don’t want to let you go.” Matt adds, pleading. He takes his glasses off, placing them on the countertop. He reaches for your hand, and you’re too much in your own head to stop him from grabbing it. He places your hand on his chest. His heartbeat is steady. That bastard isn’t lying.

“Please don’t stay silent. Say something, please.” Matt whispers, as he looks at you, pushing a thick strand of hair behind your ear. You nearly crumble at the soft touches. Matt has a way of making you forget. You would’ve forgotten about all the shitty lies and gaslighting if Matt would just spend a single night with you. At one point, you would’ve even forgiven Matt for all the bullshit. That was another power Matt had. Not just the heightened senses.

“I can’t fucking stand you.” You laugh. You’re not sure when these small tears fell from your eyes, but Matt was quick to wipe them away. He holds your face in his hands. You try your best not to forget about everything he ever did and take him back right then and there. You really hated the effect he had on you.

“And the worst part is..” You start. “I know you’re not going to stop coming to me to patch you up. And I know I’m not going to stop helping you. You don’t make it fair, Matt.”

“I know. I’m sorry, baby.” He says, in that low voice that always got you.

“Don’t call me that.”

“I’m sorry.” He says, while he finally lets go of you. Maybe he’s starting to get it through his thick head that this is over. No matter how much he begs and pleads.

You clear your throat and straighten your posture. “Get it together," you remind yourself.

“I should go. Thank you. For everything.” Matt says, as he grabs his glasses and heads for the door.

“Right.” You manage to mutter.

As Matt heads for the door, he stops as he opens it. “I’ll find someone else.”

“Someone else for what?”

“To deal with my shit.” He says, mainly pertaining to his medical care. However, a small part of him is referring to him. All of his baggage. It was clear you were trying your absolute fucking best to move on. As much as Matt wants to rip all of it down and make you take him back, so he could relive the best part of his life, he couldn’t do that to you. He’ll go and ruin someone else’s life.

You watch him let go of you. It was what you wanted, in theory, but you couldn’t ignore the haunting feeling in your stomach trying to claw its way out. Him leaving meant it was really over. As much as you put up this careless facade, Matt leaving would mean you would actually have to move on. You could no longer simply pretend that his absence didn’t bother you, since he was never truly gone. The sinking feeling of change started to terrify you.

All of this time you’ve spent trying to be the bigger person; maybe it was time to be selfish, and take a page out of Matt’s book.

“I still love you too.” You say. Matt looks at you, his face blank, shocked at your transparency. He laughs.

“You’re right. That does feel fucking awful. I’m a pretty shitty person, aren’t I?” Matt chuckles, awkwardly.

“Yeah.” You nod while letting out an amused breath.

You start to chew on your lip. You’re preparing yourself to be brave, to stand up for yourself. It wouldn’t be fair to Matt if he didn’t know why you couldn’t let yourself back with him. Although, he should already know why, at this point.

“Matt.”

“Yeah?”

“Your need to save others is killing you. Daredevil is stripping you of your life. You lie constantly to the people who love you. You give up time you could spend with others to beat people up instead. You ghost the people you love. You’re so willing to give yourself for others and yet you get confused when others try to give themselves for you. I will always admire your cause, caring and saving others because the system can’t do it themselves. But it’s just not realistic. You’re going to die. Some evil bastard is going to get you quicker than you can react. You’re not God. What if you’re too reckless and I’m not there to watch you die?”

You let yourself ramble, for once. Matt doesn’t say anything. How could he? No one would be able to react to that. Matt fiddles with the door handle, and the hinges squeak in an awful way. Maybe he does it so something else can fill his mind, so that he doesn’t have to think about what you said. Classic Matt, trying to avoid facing his personal problems, head-on.

Matt’s quiet. You made him nervous, and you can’t lie, it feels good. You swear you could hear Matt’s heartbeat. Finally, Matt breaks his silence.

“I’ll call you when it happens. So you’ll have enough time to come see me.” Matt says. He’s joking, in a time like this. You take a deep breath in.

“I’ll just have to hope that that’s true.” You say. No use in wishing Matt could take things seriously for once.

Another excruciating silence. Matt knew this would have to be the last visit. He couldn’t handle the way your eyes would dilate when you felt like crying. He couldn’t stand the way the air smelled when your salty tears filled the room. You and Matt sat in the moment.

“I love you.” Matt says, after a minute of silence.

“I love you too.” You say back.

“I’ll see you.”

“See you.”

Matt shuts the door. You’re glad he shut the door when he did. You bury your face in your hands and weep. The agonizing silence surrounds you. God, you want to throw up.

[nemisuki]

𐔌✧.* ꜰʀᴇᴇᴢᴇ .ᐟ ֹ ₊ ꒱

ೀ⋆ || Eating some ice cream leads to stronger bonds, vulnerability and radiant smiles ❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･

. ♬ ݁˖ || inspo song : spotify version & yt version ᯓ★

ᝰ.ᐟ || shoto todoroki x f!reader, she/her pronouns, pure fluff, words of affirmation, 891 word count •°. *࿐

The young boy wasn't aware of how he found himself in such a position.

His bubbly classmate followed him around like a shadow — every second of the school day — practically glued to his side.

Shoto may be dense, but he's not completely clueless, he knew about her strong feelings for him.

Maybe because she's so unapologetically open about it but still...

He doesn't particularly mind her presence, often feeling more comfortable if she were at his side then not, growing used to the hyper melody — her voice — next to him.

Y/N is quite an enthusiastic girl, so he's not that shocked when she calls him to join her outside the dorms, the duo sitting on a bench as they share a cold snack together.

She smiles, easily breaking the joint popsicles, handing him half of it as he hesitantly accepts.

"I always think stuff tastes better when shared!"

He silently nods.

There's not much he has to say whenever they're together, after all, she seems to understand his quiet nature better than most people.

"Too bad I have no younger siblings, I ate these alone growing up."

She quiets down for a second — the gears already turning in her head — and proceeding to give him a mixed look of amusement and curiosity.

"Hey 'roki, are you also an only child?"

He meets her intrigued gaze, averting his eyes for a moment as he hums in thought.

Eventually deciding to spare her from the situation regarding his eldest sibling, maybe he'll tell the girl another time, but he'd much rather keep this moment light hearted.

As it always is with her — something peaceful — away from all the struggles of his life back home.

"I have two older siblings... a brother and sister," he softly mumbles.

Her eyes light up at the new information, tilting her head as she continues.

"Do you all look alike?"

His brows slightly furrow as he wonders — never really giving it much thought before — slowly recalling Natsu and Fuyumi's features, looking up to the starry sky as he remembers the similarities.

"Probably yes."

She giggles as her imagination runs wild, previously assuming he'd be an only child, given his stoic demeanor.

The confirmation only makes her questions multiply.

"Similar personalities?"

A family full of people just like him would sure be a funny site, if true. He shakes his head, re-meeting her fascinated gaze with a calmer expression.

"No, they are nice."

She immediately replies, as if bothered by his words, the subtle negative self-esteem catching her attention.

"You're nice too— I mean, you're nicer!"

His eyes soften, just barely, not saying anything in response as he takes a bite out of the popsicle.

Y/N seems to notice, her smile growing at the realization as she asks another teasing question.

"Which one of you is better looking?"

"Both of them are beautiful."

She playfully pouts, giving him a look of disapproval and nodding with confidence at her next words.

"No way! I refuse to believe it, you're the most beautiful 'roki."

Her gaze returns back to her cold snack, casually taking another bite like she was just pointing out the obvious, smiling at the delicious taste. Not even needing to know what his siblings look like to be sure of her answer.

He stares at her for a moment, processing what she just said.

A small smile slowly breaking on his face as he looked forward, a warm sensation felt in his chest, a feeling of much needed tranquility as they sat next to each other.

"You're probably the only one that says so..."

His smile was gone before she could catch it.

She hums.

"I don't think that's true, but even if it is, not only do I think you're better, I will always think that way."

Their gazes slowly meet, warmth filling both of their bodies despite a soft breeze passing by, heartbeats steadying in unison.

It was odd.

Nothing out of the ordinary was happening, yet the air around them felt different tonight, more intimate.

"If they're worth 100 marks, then you are worth 101. That special point will always be saved for you."

No other words had to be said, the sound of rustling leaves being long forgotten in the background.

Her eyes showed nothing but sincerity and affection.

It was him that broke eye contact first, looking straight ahead as another soft smile breaks out on his face, not even trying to hide it behind his walls anymore.

He doesn't visibly light up often but when he does... she's right — he truly is beautiful.

The fact that she had the power to make him feel at ease, made her more thrilled than anything else. She'd always offer him a place to be vulnerable; maybe that's why he likes having her around.

Have the urge to keep her just as close.

"The popsicle is good."

"Mhm?"

He looks back at her with a softened expression, making her heart jump at the sight.

"I'll buy you one, next time."

She shyly smiles.

"Okay, I'll be waiting then."

They weren't aware of how much time had passed, sitting together under the moon, having a small break from their rigorous training and studying — hectic student life in general.

But it didn't matter, not when they got each other, brought together by a pair of popsicles.

✦ ⎯⎯⋆ ˚｡⋆ ୨ masterlist || taglist || intro || socials ୧⋆ ˚｡⋆⎯⎯ ✦

ᴀ/ɴ ||| hi my beautiful flowers! wrote a todoroki fic bc i got burnt out from bkg after his birthday fic lolz... also this was inspired by a scene in the c-drama 'when i fly towards you' bc the mmc reminds me so much of shoto! now time for me to go, plus ultra! ᕙ( •̀ ᗜ •́ )ᕗ ᴛᴀɢꜱ ||| @leleyro (❁ᴗ͈ˬᴗ͈)

[luvyeni]

TWO DUMB VIRGINS ๑. ( 박지성 )

PART SIX. stomach bug? well no …

𝗦𝗖𝗘𝗡𝗘 ──── you wanted to lose it . he was tired of being made fun by his friends. both of you thinking he’d pull out fast enough… but what can you expect from two stupid virgins ? …

( 対 ) park jisung + fem. reader genre young parent au , smau · contains! mentions of sex. pregnancy talk. crude language. jokes among friends mature content

“maybe it’s something you ate.” yuna walked around the small clinic office. “wait the only thing you’ve eaten this past 16 hours is my soup.. oh my god did i make you even more sick?” she said. “i doubt it was your soup , i promise you it’s probably just a stomach bug , they’ll give me some medicine and tell me to take a nap and then i’ll be fine.”

“you better i’ve covered your shift 3 times already; your regular clients are annoying, yes lauren i know what three inches are im sure you do to given the man you’re with.” the door opened just as you were covering her mouth to keep her from saying thing else inappropriate. “im sorry she normally isn’t like this.” the doctor flagged you both off with a chuckled. “don’t worry about it , it’s better to laugh while you’re sick than to be all mopy, it’s good to be around friends.”

“see told you.” yuna said in a condescending tone. “you need me , i’m literally healing you.” you rolled your eyes. “more like getting on my nerves.” you mumbled. “doctor is she okay?” you slapped the girls leg. “yuna let her talk.” you said. “and i already told you it’s probably a stomach bug.” turning to the doctor. “right?”

“no.” your already nervous smile dropped. “huh?” you said , a nervous chuckle. “what is it then?” you questioned you and yuna both looking at each other then back at the doctor. “well according to the report , miss yn it seems like you’re at least three weeks pregnant.” surely she didn’t say that — no of course not. “hu-huh.” you nervously chuckled. “no , that’s not possible.” yuna stood in the corner, shocked. “no.”

“well are you sexually active?” the doctor asked, you don’t think she wanted an answer but you and yuna were both in shock that she answered. “well answer her.” yuna said. “well it was my first time — and did you use a condom?” clearly not and you’re looking at the consequences of that right now. “yn are you serious?” yuna said. “this might be a lot to handle right now , so i’m gonna send you home with some anti nausea medicine that should help a bit but whenever you decide on what you want you should schedule an appointment with the obgyn.” the doctor stood from her seat. “i’ll give you a few minutes to gather your thoughts before you drive home.”

she left you both in the room; and it was like you could hear a pin drop. “yn how could you not wear a condom?” yuna said. “that’s like sex 101.” it felt like a dream — no a sick april fools joke , instead it wasn’t april 1st. “i need to go home.”

and with that you two headed him, stopping only to get the medicine. the ride home was silent , not even the radio was playing as you tried to make sense of this; what the fuck was this? you stared out the window. how were you gonna explain this to anybody? your mom; sure she’d be happy, she always wanted to be a grandmother… but surely not like this. how the hell were you gonna tell jisung; you don’t even have his number, you’d have to ask chenle; which meant you were gonna have to tell chenle. “oh no.” you said , yuna turned to you , hands on the wheel. “are you gonna puke? please don’t.” she said. “no.”

“chenle.” you said. “what about him? oh shit you do have to tell him.” she said. “no , i can’t.” you said. “well regardless of what happens, i think you should.” she said. “unless there’s a reason you cant.” she asked after seeing your face. “theres a reason you can’t tell him?” you sighed. “the guy who chenle brought to the cafe the other day.” you said. “what about him ; i’m pretty sure he’s one of his friends?” the words fell from her mouth; then a bit of silence , before a gasp. “no.” she said. “how did you manage that?”

“i didn’t know , i never asked who his friends were , i didn’t even ask him what school he went to.” you said. “how could i be so fucking stupid?” you said. “this literally can’t be happening right now.” you said. “i’m so fucked.” you said. “let’s just get you home , we’ll figure it out then — i think i just need to be al— i’m not leaving you alone like this , absolutely not , so either we sit in this car in front of your complex or we go to your apartment and figure it out.”

you two make it to the apartment and up to your floor. “we don’t have to talk about it right now , but i won’t let you be alone.” she said as you unlocked the door. “thank you.” you said softly pushing the door open , noticing the extra pair of shoes. “finally we’ve been waiting.” you heard yunjins voice. “what did the doctor say?” chenle emerged from the bathroom. “let’s not talk about that right now.” yuna tried to stop the conversation , but your poor friends couldn’t read the room.

and it was like chenle asking that question made you realize your reality. “i’m gonna be sick.” you ran back to the bathroom , emptying your stomach. “whoa a stomach bug did that.” chenle said , only for you to let out a sob. “yn.” yunjin ran back to the room. “what’s wrong?” chenle turned to yuna , the only other person who had answers. “well it wasn’t a stomach bug.” she said. “what!.” yunjin ran back to the living room. “did she just say she was pregnant?” your sobbing body , hunched over in the bathroom. “yuna? is she really pregnant?”

you dragged your body off the floor and into your room , dropping down on the bed , not even bothering to take your clothes off , just rolling up in the blanket. “but that’s insane she just lost her virginity.” chenle said as they followed you back into the room. “yn.” he knocked on the door. “can we come in?” they heard you hum; pushing the door open. “you okay?” yunjin said. “what do you think?” you mumbled. “you got a point.” she said , sitting on the edge of the bed.

“can we just not talk about it right now.” you said. “i just want to sleep for the rest of the day.” chenle patted your back. “we can put these questions on the back burner until tomorrow or maybe even the next day.” he said. “but we aren’t leaving you right now , not in this state we’d be terrible friends.” he climbed into the bed next to you. “yeah , but let’s not hold off this conversation too long i have questions.” yunjin said. “yunjin.” yuna said , already laying down next to you. “what?” she said.

“i’m just curious , this shit sounds like a plot to a tv show , of course i have questions.”

( 🏷️ ). @starsungwrld @neverbeurs @chocolate-scoups @delinalovesriize @cupid-ville @maiyhw @cosmicwintr @nctislifue @httpsxnox @hyunjinslongasslegs @andyyjw @kookssecret @ithinkulikeme @meowmeowhoon @jae-n0 @413ktz @httpjiprk @antifrggile @ourshin @itskpopular @smiles4hyuck @jaeminnnanaaa17 @bbyinni @sillypaperspyeagle-blog @n0hyuck @catdonut657 @markleesleftpinky @clean-soap @janjoonty @veilstqr @mikeeel @cigsaftersuh @kittykyuuu @akirawhore

𝕼 ㅤ𓈒ㅤ𓈒 PREV. TDV. NEXT. .ᐟ

©️LUVYENI

[mewnewew]

sooo what if reader and shank,established relationship,and they keep their relationship pretty hidden for a long while until one day one of their crew m mates found them making out/kiss(?) by accidentally but that crewmate keeps that secret hidden but slowly teasers them during dinner(which made the others confused) but soon after they kind of reveal their relationship and the crew goes shocked or something

Hope ya liked this!!

Shanks x Reader: Affairs and affinities

Hongo was quite frustrated about this. He wanted to find the captain to ask him a question about their next stop. The thing was, he had relatives living in the island coming up, but there wasn't an official plan about actually stopping there. Finding Beckman, he asked, only for the gunner to shrug and direct him to find their red haired captain. "I don't see an issue. Best to just let the captain know, anyway. He wanted to go quickly to Lions plains island cause of someone he knows' wedding."

Nodding, the doctor set off to find their captain. The issue here was, he couldn't find the damn man. He had checked belowdecks, at the Crows Nest, at the front, in his cabin, in the gallery, in the drinks storage, hell, even his own clinic. How in the four seas could their captain disappear while they were at sea was beyond him, but the fact was ridiculous. Currently, he was just opening doors belowdeck, and as he opened the door to the cleaning closet he froze.

There, on an upturned bucket, sat the man he wanted to find, along with you on his lap, his hand on your ass. Currently there was spit connecting yours and his lips together, as you two froze and stared at him. Then he yanked the door shut with a "SORRY!" And a blushing face.

Not even a second later, you opened the door and caught the man's arm, yanking him in. "Hongo, listen-"

"Nope! My bad! I didn't see anything!" Yelped the now very prominently blushing man, hand over his eyes. Behind you, Shanks was laughing, hand slapping his knee.

"Would you quit it?" You snapped.

"Aw, c'mon darlin'. Someone was bound ta find out anyway." Crooned the man, now bearing a smug grin.

"Yes, but- Hongo, would you just look at me?" You looked at him now.

Peeking out between his fingers he gave you an unsure look. Sighing, you answered him. "Look, it's fine. No issues that you saw us. So don't freak out about it or whatever, okay?"

"Da-ha-ha-ha!" Laughed your (oh gods, thought Hongo) red haired lover.

"Shaaaanks" You groaned.

"Okay, okay" He waved you off. Then he looked back at Hongo. "Listen, just...keep this a secret okay? Me and darlin' ain't ready to just tell everyone just yet."

As Hongo listened to his captain, he watched you go over to Shanks, one hand in the hair at the back of his head and Shank's only hand sitting on your hip. Then it hit him. You both were comfortable with each other. Did that mean-?

"-ngo, Hongo! Buddy, you there?" Came Shanks' voice. Hongo blinked, shaking his head a bit, before looking back at the both of you.

"Sorry, it's just." He ran a hand through his hair. "How long have you two been dating?"

As if like Siamese twins, both of you blinked at the same time, then shared a glance, before looking back at him. "Uh, about 10 months?" Answered Shanks, and you nodded frowning. "Almost a year, yeah?" You looked back down at your captain.

He hummed, agreeing. "Seems about right."

Hongo's jaw dropped. Almost a year? How did none of them notice? Not even Yassop? Wait, that meant-

"Am, am I first one to know?" He sputtered out.

You gave him a sheepish grin, and Shanks, a more affirming one. "Yep."

Hongo looked down, feeling his head explode. "Holy..."

"Look just keep it a secret awright? Like they said, we ain't ready to-"

He waved him off, "Yeah, don't-don't worry. I'll keep my trap shut."

"Thanks, Hongo. Really."

Flashing them a reassuring smile, he left the closet, knowing he needed to get some air.

As they watched him leave, you turned to look at Shanks. "Baby."

"Hmm?"

"What if...."

🍶

Oh, he was going to die. He was going to fucking die, right here at this fucking table, in this damned ship, in the middle of the sea. Hongo's eyes moved side to side as you sat on one side, and the captain on another. The both of you. Were fucking flirting. AT THE TABLE. WITH HIM STUCK IN THE MIDDLE.

If he was still a first year student, and he saw his blood pressure, he was pretty sure that:

A. The blood pressure would be HIGH.

B. Younger him would probably faint out of shock.

The process of you two flirting with him the in the centre for some unknown, ridiculous reason, was: accidentally touching his legs, when one person wanted to touch the other's, or, passing things to and fro in front of his nose with comments. (Oh saints the comments.) AND HE WAS PRETTY DAMN SURE THAT THERE WAS SOMETHING GOING ON BEHIND HIS BACK. LITERALLY.

The product of all these shenanigans, was a visibly distressed Hongo, very confused crewmates, and two very smug (one being able to hide it well and the other....not so much. I'll leave it up to you which one was more smug here) people sitting on either side of the ship's doctor.

An exhibit of the "comments":

Shanks: Oh please pass the meat, would ya?

You: Oh of course! I'm so sorry.

Shanks: Don't be sorry! You're our beloved crewmate after all.

*Cue you laughing.*

To say that the others were baffled was an understatement. Their brows only rose higher, and their confused frowns grew deeper as you proceeded to include him in your banter as well.

You: Oh Hongo! Would you like some wine?

Hongo: Uh, I-

Shanks: Course he will! Our beloved doc gotta party when he ain't on the job, don't he?

Hongo: Now hold on a-

You, visibly having perked up: Exactly! Here why don't you pour it out for him.

You offered a glass on the other side of Hongo, causing Shanks to lean across, and giving Hongo a fantastic look at the many hickeys hidden under his collar.

Oh lords and ladies and angels of paradise what in the living hell did you drag me into. -Thought Hongo, mentally groaning.

"Uh....Captain?"

The three of you broke your little game and looked at Lucky Roo who looked back at you three, meat held in his hand, cheeks as usual full with food.

"Y'all are uh....acting weird."

Yes!!! Cheered Hongo internally, for once praising the speedster of Crew.

You looked behind Hongo, to Shanks, exchanging a glance.

"Well....the thing is-"

"Y'see boys-"

"Just say it at the same time" cut in Hongo, almost begging at this point.

"Alright, alright"

The pair of you looked at the rest of the crew, now all leaning forwards to see/understand what was going on.

"We're dating"

"WHAAAAAAT?!?!" Came the collective reaction.

"Finally!" Heaved Hongo, his hands in the air.

Next came the flurry of questions and reactions:

"Really? You can do better than the Captain" Waved Yassop dismissively.

"Hey! That's mean!" Interrupted Shanks, but half heartedly, smiling when he saw you laughing.

"How long have y'all been dating?" Cut in Beckmann.

"Almost a year-"

"Ehhh?!?!" Gasped Limejuice. "How did we-" then he glared at Yassop. "Yassop!"

"Whaaat?!" Yelped Yassop. "What did I do?!"

"Well you-"

Hongo now was grinning. Well, all's well that ends well. At least he didn't have to hide it anymore. But hold on. He took off his coat, to see what was at the back of it only to thump both the captain and you on the head. "WHY IS THERE FOOD STAINS ON MY JACKET?!"

"DAHAHAHAH-OW"

"HEY!"

Needless to say, the Red-Haired Pirates ship would be a lot more lively tonight.

[goorgeousz]

misconduct | aaron hotchner

after hours au

misconduct | aaron hotchner

after hours au

pairing: aaron hotchner x profiler!female!reader

summary: after a case, hotch interrogates you about your misconduct.

content/tw: mention of blood and wounds (not too descriptive, but a little), death (of the unsub); angsty

word count: 1.9k

a/n: hope you enjoy this one, I never wrote something so fast! the idea came to me in a shower. I tried not to focus too much on the case itself but more on the relationship boss x employee. Oh yeah, it’s not all fun and giggles (just mostly). hope you enjoy it <3

after hours masterlist

main masterlist

The red and blue police lights were a nice contrast with the dark sky. There were so many cars, so many lights, so many sounds, so many people. If you squint your eyes just enough it would almost seem like you were at a party. Without the music and with the blood, of course. And without the medical team on either side of you making sure you weren’t concussed.

Someone, someday, warned you about disassociation. How it could be a way for your mind to cope with intense pain, both physical and emotional, by temporarily detaching itself from the experience. Was it Spencer? Probably. Or maybe Morgan. Perhaps both? Yes, that was it. You didn’t believe it when Derek told you about it, but then Spencer intervened with some scientific facts that eventually ended up selling it to you (which ended up with a whiny Derek complaining about how some skinny ass brainy kid had more credibility than him).

The subject didn’t come to your mind again until now. When you desperately needed that skill. Maybe you were right at not believing them at the first place, because you swear you were feeling every little fucking molecule of alcohol that the nurse used to clean the wound just above your eyebrow.

“All done!” he said in a sing-song voice, and you almost cut yourself again, but this time on your lips by biting it so hard to keep it from mouthing a ‘fuck you’ at the poor guy.

As if it knew you were being watched, your eyes roamed to the other side of the road, where you spotted a very much collected Aaron Hotchner walking your way.

You knew you were screwed, but maybe you could ‘FBI’ your way out of it. So you straighten your posture, holding on for dear life the edge of the back of the ambulance (You refused to lie down on the stretcher, it would be too dramatic – even for you) and waited.

Hotch looked at you briefly, scanning you up and down as if to check if you were okay. He then turned to the paramedic by your side “Is she steady?”

“Yes. No signs of concussion,” the doctor started, and both of them stared at you like you were their object of study, worsening by the way he pointed at your wounds while he explained about them. “No apparent fractures, but it’s better to get her checked out. The cut just above the waist earned her five stitches, it wasn’t too deep to actually harm her organs but the healing will be a bit of a pain. We cleaned the cut on her eyebrow, it wasn’t enough for stitches but it hasn’t stopped bleeding yet. We gave her pills for the pain so it’s better now, but it might start hurting in a few hours.”

Hotch analysed you once again, leaving the doctor unanswered for a second too long before glancing back up at him “Thank you.” he nodded, in that way authoritative figures did when they wanted to dismiss someone. Without a beat the paramedic turned around and left, leaving you alone with Hotch.

You would be impressed if you weren’t so worried about keeping your facade.

“How are you doing?” he asked, folding his arms against his chest.

“I’m better. Thank you.” you nodded, trying to mimic his gesture and dismiss him. Hotch didn’t move a single muscle. 

Worth a shot.

“Can you answer a few questions?” “Uh. Yes?” “Are you asking me?” you stutter at that“Oh, no. Yes, I can.” 

That’s when it happens. It’s barely there. It’s not even noticeable for untrained eyes. But you could definitely see it. As soon as he made sure you were safe and well, his worried and professional eyes turned into a thunderstorm. Without even moving his posture or saying anything, you felt the energy shifting by the anger on his gaze. You gulped, making sure to hold your chin a little higher to prove you were less intimidated than you actually were (too much).

“What happened there?”

You blinked. It was a trap. “You saw it. You were there.”

“Walk me through it.” not a request, a command. You chewed on your bottom lip.

“We got in the house, it was empty. We split up, I went downstairs, the unsub was there. You found us, we tried to negotiate. She got the upper hand and I lost my gun. Morgan shot her. We’re here.”

He sighed loudly.

“You called me, she had a needle in her hands. She threatened to kill herself, just like we profiled her to do. We tried to negotiate with her, we dropped our guns. You stepped closer, she dropped the needle and you two fought. She took you down, grabbed your gun and used you as a hostage. Morgan found an opportunity and shot her.”

“I don’t get the need to debrief that now.” you asked, tightening the ambulance’s blanket around your shoulders.

“I’m just trying to understand. How did she take you down?” he saw right through you, probably knew it all along.

“She was in good shape. I tripped, I guess. Everything happened too fast.”

His eyes seemed to fire up even harder at your explanation “In the months you’ve been on this team I’ve seen you fight and win men twice your weight on an almost weekly basis. Last case you put one of the unsubs on a headlock. With your legs. And you’re looking me in the eye and telling me you couldn’t fight a woman your age and size?”

You took a deep breath feeling your heart rate increased at a probably dangerous level.

“Hotch, I don’t know what you want me to say. She overpowered me, it happens.”

“Agent, don’t fool yourself, I’m not letting you go until you tell me the truth. I’m giving you another chance. How did she manage to take you down?”

“I tripped, I guess.”

“Wrong. I saw it, you hesitated. Why?”

“I was trying to find the best way to move the fight away from the needle on the floor.”

He didn’t miss a beat “Then how did she get your gun?”

“She hit me on my rib. That’s where the cut came from. That’s how she knocked me over.” you explained, not daring to break the intense gaze you had on each other.

“Why did she use you as a hostage?”

“Because… Almost every unsub does this, you know it. I just happen to be the one she got her hands into.”

“Let me be clearer. Why did you let her?”

Finally, the million dollar question. It was easier to stroll him if he wasn’t being so direct. But now, there was no escape. You couldn’t come up with a lie. Every answer you gave him was true, but you let out the fact that all of that happened because you let her. You let the unsub take the advantage and use you as a hostage. You wanted to shield her from the team, but you knew from the profile that if you stepped closer, she would kill herself. You couldn’t let her.

“Are you seriously insinuating I willingly put my life in danger? Unlike you I can’t control everything…”

“Careful.” he reprimanded through gritted teeth.

“...Neither do I want to.” you didn’t stop. “Things like this happen at our job, you know this more than anyone. I really don’t get why this is a big deal, I made it out alive.”

“Barely.” he muttered.

“Hotch, please, stop.” you whined, rubbing your hand through your face wincing at the blood accumulating on your eyebrow.

“No. I won’t stop.” he spoke up, stepping closer and not letting you speak “You let your feelings get in the way, you jeopardized the mission. You put your life and the others at risk. So you either give me a plausible explanation for what the hell happened in there, or I’ll let you leave all the explaining to the directors.”

“It’s not fair.” you muttered, giving up. He quieted down, his eyes seeming more calm and attentive, encouraging you to keep going. So you did. “When Garcia sent us her information to see if she matched the profile, do you know what I noticed?” you smiled bitterly “She was born on the same day as me. And guess what? At the very same hospital. Our paths crossed twice, one at the beginning of her life and the other at the end. I grew up in a loving home, and had every opportunity anyone could dream of. She was the opposite in every possible way. I just got caught up with all the ‘if’s and the ‘could’s. I know it doesn’t justify anything, but she went through a lot. She was taking matters to her own hands. No one saved her as a baby, neither as a kid, and especially as a teenager. She was going to kill herself, Hotch. I couldn’t let her die. I know this probably makes me immature, and maybe even unprepared for the job, but if I could go back in time, I would’ve done it all again. It’s not fair.”

Hotch sighed, the heat in his eyes completely gone now. His expression softened, and it was like he was looking at you under a whole new light. The two of you stayed in silence for a while.

“It really isn’t.” he spoke again, quietly “It’s also not fair that you now have five stitches on your ribs. And a cut on your forehead that’s almost bleeding you into blindness.” he pointed, stepping closer to you and giving you a few gauze pads from the ambulance to clean you up. You took them in silence. Your breath hitched when his fingers softly grazed on the side of your neck, just below your jaw. As soon as the touch came, it was gone. So fast it was almost like it never happened, just a product of your fertile imagination. “Do you know you have a bruise right here? From how tight she held the gun against your throat? None of this is fair.”

You gulped, the weight of what happened finally getting to you “It will heal.”

“You could’ve died.” he spoke in a painful tone. His posture remained as professional as ever, but again, his eyes gave him away. It took you only one look to see the fear in them, so intense and powerful you wanted to grab his hand and press it against your chest so he could feel your heartbeat. You wanted to take all the fear away from him with your bare hands.

But truth to be told, there was nothing you could do. You were as scared as he was, if not more. He was right, after all. The profile was clear: the unsub wouldn’t hand herself in. It would probably end in suicide or suicide by cop. The moment she held that gun against you, you knew it was over. If Morgan didn’t manage to get the shot, you would be long gone by now.

It terrified you more than you thought it would.

Again, you stayed together in silence, breathing each other’s presence.

You heard the captain of the precinct calling for Hotch, and before he answered, he turned to you.

“Take the rest of the week off. I don’t expect to see you until Monday.” he stated, his expression much softer.

“Thank you.”

And you listened to him.

When you got back on monday, your report was filled and signed by SSA Aaron Hotchner.

For all they know, you tripped.

[leaderwon]

CHAPTER 14 — TEQUILA, TRUTHS AND TROUBLE.

wc — 750+

prev — masterlist — next

“Alright, everyone!” Chaeryeong clapped her hands, standing on the coffee table like she’d just been crowned queen of bad decisions. “Circle up. We’re playing Spin the Shot.”

Groans, cheers, and a few nervous chuckles filled the room as people slowly settled into a circle around her. In the center was a half empty bottle of tequila and a shot glass perched on a lazy Susan.

“The rules are simple,” Chaeryeong explained. “Spin the shot glass. Whoever it lands on either answers a truth or takes a dare. But if you refuse both, you take two shots. No exceptions.”

“And,” Stella added with a devilish smile, “you have to finish your drink before your turn ends.”

Lia leaned in close to you. “What’s the over under on someone confessing something insane in the first ten minutes?”

You snorted. “Five minutes, tops.”

The game started harmless enough. Mia had to sing Britney Spears dramatically, and a guy from the engineering department admitted to once stealing a campus mascot costume. Chaeryeong dared someone to text their ex, which triggered a collective gasp.

Then the shot glass spun again and landed on you.

You stiffened as everyone whooped.

“Truth or dare, mystery girl?” Chaeryeong asked, eyes gleaming.

You glanced around, and of course, all three boys were watching you. Jay leaned back against the couch, amused. Jake looked way too interested. Sunghoon just stared, unreadable as always.

You lifted your chin. “Dare.”

“Ooh, brave,” Stella whispered.

Chaeryeong didn’t even hesitate. “I dare you to sit in someone’s lap for the next two rounds.”

You blinked. “What?”

“Rules are rules,” she sang.

You could feel everyone’s eyes on you now. Your gaze flicked around the circle, a million thoughts racing. You could pick some random person and play it safe… or you could burn a little.

Your eyes landed on Jake. And something in you twitched.

Without a word, you crossed the circle and dropped into his lap.

The room exploded—hoots, whistles, dramatic gasps.

Jake froze under you.

“You alright there?” you asked, way too calmly.

He blinked. “Are you alright?”

You smiled, sweet and infuriating. “Very.”

His hands hovered awkwardly for a second before resting lightly on your waist—barely there. Tension rolled off him in waves, but he didn’t say a word.

Jay was watching closely now. Sunghoon’s jaw twitched ever so slightly.

One round passed, then another. You stood casually like nothing had happened, brushing invisible lint off your dress, and sauntered back to your spot.

Jake looked dazed. You tried not to smirk.

Next spin: Sunghoon. Everyone perked up. No one ever knew what to expect from him.

“Truth,” he said flatly.

Stella grinned. “Have you ever had feelings for someone in this room?”

The room went silent. You sucked in a breath. You weren’t sure why. Maybe because you already knew what kind of answer would mess with your head the most.

Sunghoon looked around, gaze slow and deliberate. His eyes stopped on you for just a second too long.

“Yes,” he said simply.

Murmurs echoed around the circle. A few people shot glances your way, but he didn’t clarify. He didn’t have to.

You didn’t realize you were holding your breath until Lia squeezed your knee under the table.

The game kept moving, but the air had shifted.

Jay’s turn came next. He smirked before the question even landed. He was the kind of person who thrived under chaos.

“Dare,” he said.

“Switch clothes with the person to your left,” Mia dared, laughing.

Unfortunately for Jay, his left was Jake—who looked horrified.

The group lost it.

Jake groaned. “I am not wearing Jay’s leather jacket. It smells like ego.”

Jay grinned. “You wound me.”

They eventually agreed to just swap jackets. You tried not to look at how good Jake suddenly looked in black leather. You failed miserably.

And then, as if fate wasn’t done messing with you, the shot glass spun one last time. It landed on Jay again.

“Truth,” he said this time, tone almost playful.

“Have you ever kissed someone in this room?”

The whole room leaned forward.

Jay didn’t even flinch.

“Yeah,” he said, gaze flicking toward you for a split second.

You froze.

Wait… what?

You were sure you hadn’t kissed Jay.

Had you?

Was he bluffing? Playing it off for chaos? Or was he talking about someone else—maybe Lia or someone random from class?

But the way he looked at you…

You didn’t get a chance to ask. The music flared louder again, someone pulled Chaeryeong away to dance, and the circle dissolved into laughter and chaos once more.

But that moment stuck with you.

You felt it, the shift.

The game had ended, but something else had started.

Something messy.

Something inevitable.

And it wasn’t going away anytime soon.

© @leaderwon 2025. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

[moonstruckme]

Hi,

I love your writing and your ideas.I was worried if you could write sth about remus as a detectiv. Maby he and reader meet on the job or they are partners.Do whatever you want. Hope this inspires you💗

Hi back! I love this idea and I lowkey thought I was gonna do better with it (I'm less thrilled with the results, sorry) but I hope you like it <3

cw: mention (and some vague flashback) of robbery

detective!Remus Lupin x fem!reader ♡ 1k words

Thunder booms, and you flinch. The detective’s eyebrows lift a millimeter. You pull his jacket closer over your wet clothes, embarrassed. 

“Can I make you some tea?” he offers. 

“No, thank you.” 

You sit in silence for a few heartbeats. The detective seems comfortable with it, but you squirm, his gaze too discerning for your liking. The rain you’ve both come in from has slicked a few tendrils of hair to his forehead, the rest fighting valiantly to curl at the ends. His face is scattered with scars you’d expect more from a hardened military type than a cop, and the circles under his eyes hint at more than one long night spent at the station. Nights probably not unlike this one, only a smattering of police around as he interviews you at his desk.

“Officer—” 

“Remus,” he reminds you gently. 

“Right, sorry.” Your voice quiets. Remus’ expression softens, going tender like he wants to reject your apology, but he doesn’t speak. “Don’t you have questions for me?” 

“I do,” he says, “but—I hope you’ll excuse me for saying—you seem rather shaken up.” 

A laugh, short and humorless, puffs out of you. 

“I’m not saying I don’t understand why.” His calm gaze doesn’t leave yours. “Witnesses are generally more reliable once they’ve had a chance to get comfortable, though. Process what they’ve seen.” 

Your fingers twist in the material of his jacket. You wonder if he takes your trembling for a traumatic response. It might be, you don’t know; your heart is hammering, but it’s also just cold in here. 

“How am I supposed to do that?” you ask. 

“Just like this.” One corner of Remus’ mouth lifts, just a little. You think of the classic good-cop-bad-cop routine from TV shows. You doubt they bother doing that with witnesses, but Remus seems so approachable you’re half wondering when his worse half will come in. “Chatting. Coming down from the adrenaline. Letting me get you tea.” 

“I’m really okay,” you say, doing your best to return his small smile. 

Remus’ warms in response. “As you like. Let’s start from the beginning, yeah? We can take breaks whenever you want.” 

You nod, preparing yourself. 

“What were you doing at the supermarket?” 

“I was…shopping?” Your response seems so obvious you turn it into a question unintentionally. Remus’ expression conveys understanding. He leans forward, setting his elbows on the desk casually. 

“I know it seems unimportant,” he says, “but I’m trying to get a full picture. What were you shopping for?” 

“Oh. Um, I was out of peanut butter.” 

“Was it raining when you went in?” 

You frown. He has to know the answer to that; it’s been raining all evening. “Yes.” 

“What did you do once you got there?” 

“I went to find the peanut butter. I was just barely going to the till when I…when the robbery happened.” 

You don’t realize you’ve mirrored Remus’ posture until his finger touches yours. You’re sitting with your elbows on the desk also, your hands millimeters from his. 

“How did you know it was happening?” Remus asks gently. “Did you see it, or was there a sound?” 

“A sound,” you confirm, your voice wavering a bit. The tip of his forefinger brushes against yours again. “The woman at the till shouted.” 

“What made her shout?” 

“I guess because he showed her the knife.” 

“Did you see that as well?” 

“Yeah. But not right then. She’d already opened the till by the time I got there.” 

The images in your head are already hazing over, memory fading into fiction. The way the employee’s short, frightened cry had made you look up from your phone, freezing you in your tracks just outside the refuge of an aisle. The man hadn’t known there was anyone else in the store. That was clear by the way his eyes widened above his surgical mask, swiveling impulsively to point the knife at you, wavering between two targets. The three of you caught together in a mess of panic. 

You don’t remember doing it, but later you found you’d set your jar of peanut butter down on a random shelf, as though that simple offering would appease the robber and save you any further trouble. 

“What was the person with the knife wearing?” Remus asks. 

“He had a blue jacket, like a windbreaker.” You put your chin to your shoulder, feeling the slick material of the jacket draped over your shoulders. A thoughtless, sleepy movement. “Sort of like this one. Without the police logo, obviously.” 

“About how tall would you say he was?” 

You shrug. “Taller than me. He wasn’t huge, but he was…I don’t know, he had a knife.” 

Remus hums, his finger stroking across your knuckle. He must have moved his hand closer without you noticing. “That must have been frightening.” 

You shrug again. 

He lets you stew in another long, heavy silence. Your face begins to feel hot. 

“Are you alright?” he finally asks, softly. 

“Yeah.” You clear your throat. “Sorry. Just, you’re right, it was scary.” 

“You don’t have to apologize.” Remus’ gaze is warm. Compassionate. “I’m sure you’re tired, I don’t mean to keep you here any longer than necessary. You’ve been a big help. If it makes you feel any better, we’ve been following a robber matching this description for a while, and he doesn’t tend to repeat within the same neighborhood. So you shouldn’t worry.” 

Oh, he’s so kind. He thinks you’re all quiet and shy because you need comfort. And of course, you are rattled still, but it’s got a thing or two to do with that low voice, with those lovely, deep hazel eyes that seem soldered to yours. If Remus wants to improve your memory, he should probably stop touching your hand like a Victorian gentleman testing the bounds of propriety. 

“Do you have any more questions for me?” you ask. 

“A few,” he says, apology in his tone. “Are you sure you wouldn't like anything warm to drink? You’re shivering terribly.” 

You feel very warm, actually, but when his finger moves to your second knuckle the shivers worsen. “Um, sure. I’d have a cup of tea.”

[razorblade180]

For a lifetime

Hu Tao:You’re thinking about proposing to Ke- *mouth covered*

Aether:Shhhh! Don’t yell so loudly. Yes, I am. *removes hand* I was hoping you can tell me about proposals in Liyue.

Hu Tao:Aww, how sweet. I could but…this feels more like Zhongli’s expertise. Why ask a funeral director of all people for wedding advice?

Aether:Because you’re unorthodox and Keqing is many ways is unconventional. A modern can bring a modern perspective.

Hu Tao:Ooo I like the logic, though it’s really not that complex of a situation. This may be the new age of mortals but as you know, Liyue revels in lots of traditional practices. Many people still offer gifts between the two families as a proposal, or a special tea ceremony.

Aether:Any jewelry?

Hu Tao:Certain cuts of gold carved into betrothal symbols or in some cases, unique pieces. They could be earrings, a specific necklace ornament, hair piece, rings are gaining popularity. Keqing is on the move so I’d recommend something that doesn’t get in the way.

Aether:Hmmm. I see.

Hu Tao:Hehe, I think you’re overthinking things. I’m positive she’d like whatever you did.

Aether:Doesn’t mean I shouldn’t try. I’ve read a little about those ceremonies, but it’s not like I have a household or parents.

Hu Tao:Hmm, that is true. Now that you mention it, Keqing’s family members are few and far between.

Aether:..What would you want?

Hu Tao:Huh? Me?

Aether:Yeah. We’re in a bit of similar situation. The member of your household is you, but you’re fond of traditions when it calls for them. How would you handle a tea ceremony?

Hu Tao:Oh, I wouldn’t. Same with the gift exchange. It’s not all that necessary in my case. Even if my grandpa and dad were around, I probably wouldn’t want such a grand fuss; even I get embarrassed. Though I might go through with it to see their eyes water with joy.

Aether:That sounds about right.

Hu Tao:Haha! What can I say? You’re right about me being unorthodox. *rubs chin* A proposal fit for me isn’t as crazy as you might be assuming. Honestly…*smiles gently* If I were to dream for a moment, all I would really want would be…

xxxxxxxx

At the top of Mt. Aocang, Chongyun revels in the crisp night air against his skin as he meditates near Cloud Retainers abode, striving for a strong and balanced connection with himself to become a better exor-

Hu Tao:Chongyun!!! Yooohooo! Are you here~

Chongyun:…*opens eyes*

Hu Tao:*slides into view* Aha! Found you. Training with your aunt again?

Chongyun:We finished a while ago. I was calming down more than anything. Something wrong?

Hu Tao:Nope! I have a secret I must share with at least one person or else I’ll explode! Xiangling folds under pressure and Xingqui isn’t as subtle as he pretends to be. That leave my ever reliable exorcist.

Chongyun:Is Zhongli getting married?

Hu Tao:Nope! But Aether is gonna propose to Keqing!

Chongyun:He- wow I was kinda close. Hope it goes well. *stands up* Hold on. Let me get my hood and belongings inside the abode, then we can walk while we talk. *walks away*

Hu Tao:An excellent idea! I’ll even throw in a dinner. Remember, tell no one! You should’ve seen him! He looked so nervous asking questions!

Chongyun:He asked you for wedding advice?

Hu Tao:Pfft, okay. I get why it’s weird but you don’t have to ask surprised. *looks at the water* He was looking for an unconventional touch. *sits down*

Chongyun:What was your unconventional answer?

Hu Tao:I told him to schedule an interview to be her assistant! She’d be so confused but it’ll allow time where she’s technically free. Instead of a résumé’ for office qualifications, it’s for a husband! Knowing her sense of humor, Keqing will smile ear to ear!

Chongyun:…

Hu Tao:*turns head* Hey, I can’t see you but I know judgment when it’s happening.

Chongyun:You really one of a kind. That’s all.

Hu Tao: We both know Keqing doesn’t do vacations and is incredibly smart. You got to catch her by surprise!

Chongyun:Should I be taking notes?

Hu Tao:Ha! You could try, but wouldn’t that be a little obvious in my case? You’re so routine I knew where to find you. If you switch up, I’d notice.

Chongyun:Yeah I guess it would be a little difficult getting the right flowers under your nose.

Hu Tao:Exactly! Wait, flowers? How did you-

Her question was interrupted as Chongyun walked out fully dressed and blushing as he held holding a large bouquet of Glaze Lilies mixed with Spider Lilies. Hu Tao immediately stands up, speechless as a thousand thoughts show on her face with half smiles and eyes unsure to settle on shock or tears while her heart suddenly felt loud.

Chongyun:Y’know when Aether came back and told, I couldn’t help but want to kick myself a little. Not only is this so obviously you, these flowers perfectly describe my feelings towards you.

Hu Tao:*twirls thumbs* I uhhh. A-Aether isn’t proposing to Keqing, is he?

Chongyun:No, at least not tonight if anything. Me however… Hu Tao, these flowers say it best. I love you to the end, and want a lifetime of memories with you. All the ones we already have, they make it all but impossible to only say “we’re dating” or “my girlfriend.” You’re so much more than that for me. We don’t have to rush to the official day, but if you feel like I do, will you let me be all yours? Can I call you my-

Wings fluttered around him; the family warmth of fluttering butterflies graced his presence while warm lips pressed against his. Shaky, but loving hands took the flowers before wrapping around his body. As Hu Tao leaned deeper into her answer, Chongyun could feel her tears kiss his face. When she was satisfied with the kiss, he saw the biggest and most beautiful eyes overflowing.

Hu Tao:Looks like I’ve rubbed off on you, hehe. Chongyun, this is…are you sure? Latern Rite was a good example of how crazy things can get with me.

Chongyun:Things have always been crazy with you. Hasn’t stopped me before. *holds her closer* You’re stuck with me.

His forehead pressed gently against her own, making her heart swell and lips lean in for another kiss. Hu Tao didn’t like to admit it, but she had forgotten the possibility of once again being apart of a family bigger than herself long ago. Now here was this boy she teased about his job, now asking her to be in the family tree. A household bigger than herself. It was terrifying, yet such a relief deep down. He didn’t want to leave her alone, and that dispelled more negativity than any rite or yang energy ever could.

Hu Tao: Hehehe.

Chongyun:What’s so funny?

Hu Tao:It’s just that knowing you, you’ve put so much thought into this that I bet there’s something you didn’t consider. Did you tell your parents you were doing this?

Chongyun:…I mean they love completely. What’s one less tea ceremony?

Hu Tao:Oh boy. You truly are a perfect mess. My adorable fiancé. Yes, the answer is yes.

She watched his eyes light up before spinning her. Chongyun pulled out a small present from his inner pocket. It was too long be a ring box. Instead, it opened to be a golden version of the blossoms on her cherished hat.

Hu Tao:There’s no way you got this made today!

Chongyun:Correct. It’s one of the few things I was certain about. You like your rings and I didn’t want to mess with that or add something you weren’t used to.

Hu Tao:I would’ve replaced a ring in a heartbeat. As you can see, unorthodox clearly doesn’t mean I’m no romantic.

Chongyun:May I do the honors?

Hu Tao nodded eagerly before keeping her head low enough for him to place the ornament. She couldn’t help but go over to the water and admire the new addition to her cherished gift. Eyes began watering again and her giggles slipped out easily. The moment Chongyun joined her at the pond, Hu Tao jumped right back into his arms with fever joy that brought laughter to both of them.

Shenhe:*behind a tree* It appears things turned out rather well. That’s good. I fear offering emotional support for this would be beyond me; even with your help. Good job on the breeze, master.

Xianyun:*sniffling*

Shenhe:Master?

Xianyun:Look away Shenhe! One does not wish to be seen like this! *covers face*

xxxxxx

Aether:*sipping tea*

Keqing:Sorry I’m a little late! * sits down* Work got a little busy as usual.

Aether:Your fine. Food is on its way. I ordered your favorite.

Keqing:Thanks. So, anything crazy happen today?

Aether:*smiles* Nah, not really. You know me, always helping around.

[revolutionsingingintherainnn]

light ｡𖦹°‧

⚡︎ carlando ✶���.˚

⚡︎ comfort ✶⋆.˚

masterlist ☾☼

lando was good at comforting people. it was one of his strengths. he knew what to say when, and he knew how to look for signs in a person, trying to figure out whether they wanted to be left alone or needed someone to listen. he was good at that. his mom and his therapist said that it was because he was an empath. he liked the word. empath. an empath is defined as a person who is highly attuned to the emotions of others.

yes. lando was an empath. 

however, as good lando was at comforting people, he was equally bad at accepting comfort from people. he didn’t find it necessary. always thought to himself that it’s his problems that he needs to take care of, and he will figure out ways to do it. he’s always brushed off carlos or max f or sometimes even oscar, when they tried to talk to him about whatever was going on in his brain. he always just said, “don’t worry about it, i’ll figure it out.” 

triple headers had always been rough for lando. it was too close, with no space for him to breathe. one race done, and back to training and different diets and different sleep schedules for the next race. an entire month of it was mentally exhausting.

it also did not help that everyone around him called him mentally weak, and how his mentality is not the same as a champion’s. well, he’s not a champion yet, so how is he meant to have a championship mentality, but whatever. the end of the triple header was hard. lando became more closed off, spending more time in the garage than anyone else would, only ever going back to the hotel room well after carlos had fallen asleep. carlos would have questions that lando didn’t want to answer. it was a solid plan in lando’s opinion. 

being back in monaco, in the home that carlos and he had decorated on their own, it was always a good feeling. especially when he had more time to talk to both sets of families, and more time to just cuddle his boyfriend. if he disassociated some times, or sat on the bathroom floor because he couldn’t breathe and his vision was blurry, well no one had to know. 

soft kisses on his neck made him burrow deeper into the blanket. he could feel carlos’ stubble against his neck, and he hated himself a little bit for giving his boyfriend more of his neck. it feels good, okay? you wouldn’t understand. 

“buenos noches, mi vida,” carlos whispered in his ear, pressing a soft kiss to the tip of his ear. 

“no, i’m still sleeping,” he grumbled. he could feel carlos smile against his skin, and he was a traitor to himself for smiling as well. 

“we have to get ready,” 

“for what?” 

“padel,” 

lando’s eyes opened slowly, and he turned on his back to look up at carlos. his boyfriend was beautiful, even from the weirdest angles possible, and lando thought he could spend the entire day just looking at him. but, he had questions. “padel? when did we plan that?” 

“we didn’t plan it, mi corazon. alex, george, and i did.” 

lando’s eyebrows furrowed, as he tried to understand. “why?” 

carlos ran his fingers through his lover’s curls, “well, we just want to spend time with you. is that so bad?” 

lando hummed, “no. no, it’s not bad,” 

the smile that carlos gave him was enough to pull him in, and the two exchanged soft kisses, lando’s hand on the back of carlos’ neck, and carlos’ hand on his cheek, caressing him in a way that would make him cry if he thought about it too long. 

so, he wasn’t going to think about it too long. 

they got out of bed eventually, and with slow movements, the two got dressed. there was carlos’ jazz music playing in the background, and while lando usually didn’t like it, it seemed to fit the mood today. he hoped that carlos didn’t notice when lando’s hands shook a little bit while he was going through his notifications. he hoped that carlos didn’t hear lando’s heartbeat. he hoped that carlos didn’t notice when lando got dizzy and had to stand, leaning against a wall with his eyes closed for a few seconds. 

carlos drove them to the court, letting lando control the music. and when they reached there, george and alex were already waiting for them. 

the game had been fun. carlos and alex versus lando and george. they decided to do a one tall person and one short person kinda team. carlos was offended at being called short. lando was used to it. 

they played for hours. the game had been fun. the four of them bantering, george and carlos ranting about how useless the fia was, and the things they wanted to change, alex and carlos telling them funny stories from their team, and george, lando and alex telling carlos all the stories from their f2 years again. they laughed and they screamed, and they fought for points, and they stole kisses from their partners. 

after padel, carlos informed them that he had a brunch planned for lando, and george and alex were heading back to switch cars. “if i have to hear another word about how we could’ve gotten george’s new merc, i’m going to shoot myself,” alex had complained. it had made lando laugh. 

on the way to the cafe, lando had sang out loud to every country song that was in the playlist, and and carlos laughed with him every time. 

at the cafe, the two opted to sit outside, in the warm sun, and lando ordered pancakes with way too much nutella. jon wasn’t going to know, anyways. 

“landito,” 

lando stuffed his mouth with a bite, and hummed in response. 

“tell me what’s going on, please,” 

“nothing’s going on, carlos,” 

carlos sighed, “please don’t hide from me,” 

lando gulped. he could continue the act. he knew he could. he was capable of it. could do it forever. but fuck, when his boyfriend, the love of his life sounded almost as broken as lando felt, he didn’t have an option but to say everything that was going on. 

“i’m tired, carlos,” 

“of what?” 

“everything, really.” and then, everything came tumbling out. every race so far, every clickbait article he saw, every hate comment he read. his team, and the lack of support he felt, and how mclaren didn’t feel like home as much anymore. 

carlos asked questions at the right time, and he listened without interruptions. he didn’t give advice, well aware that lando was capable of taking his own decisions. fuck, lando felt like he could breathe again. the two wanted to hold the other, but they were in public, and neither could risk anything. 

after brunch, the couple met up with george and alex again to the golf course. george and alex didn’t ask questions about anything. lando didn’t offer them any information. but they jumped around with him, and they made him feel like he was a teenager again. 

“george, no-“ 

“that’s how you do it, lan-“ 

“dios mio,” 

“for fuck’s sake, guys-“ 

some people stared. well, four loud, obnoxious men were screaming and laughing and falling. who wouldn’t stare? 

“ay, cabron-“ 

“you’re wrong, carlos!” 

“i’m wrong? i’m the one who introduced you to this sport!” 

“we should have popcorn for this-“

“no, you would get popcorn all over my new car-“ 

“i would not!” 

“terrible swing-“ 

“that was exactly what you did-“ 

for the first time in a month, lando felt lighter. he felt like he could breathe again, and like the sun shining on him wasn’t biting, but rather, welcoming. he laughed and he felt like he was flying. but, not the kind was flying where he knew that he was going to hit the ground and splatter like a bug. this type of flying was the one where he felt like he was one with the wind, and that if he fell, he would have something, someone, to save him. 

later on, when carlos and lando were getting to bed after a day of sports and smiles and all things light, lando whispered to his boyfriend, “thank you,” 

“for what, mi vida?” 

“for today. i- i needed it.” 

carlos kissed his forehead, pulling him closer till the two fit together like puzzle pieces, “te amo, carino,”

“i love you too,” lando breathed. 

✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧

i was bored, and i got tired of studying. so here you go, i guess.

[dcdreamblog]

Okay, okay, so, question, I know Marvel Comics does fiction. But here's the thing, they have a whole series about The Amazing Spider-Man, and I swear I've read actual news reports about a guy by that name in that costume teaming up with Batman. Are they ripping off a real person?

No.

And also, inevitably, yes.

This is a simple question with no real answer and the more I explain it the less sense its going to make. So buckle in.

THIS is comic art from a special graphic novel published by Marvel Comics showing their flagship character the Amazing Spiderman teaming up with the real life flagship superhero Superman.

THIS is a photograph showing a real life Spiderman standing back to back with the real life Superman taken only a few years later, after an adventure that mirrored the events of the comic to a frankly scary degree. See, what some people fail to fully grasp intellectually about the multiverse is that it's a kind of...how do I explain this. My multiversal theory 101 professor called it an "Infinite Reality Superposition". He explained it as a function of the physics concept called Hypertime (which I refuse to explain in detail until someone has the nuts to force me to talk about it directly...because I would need time to go bother someone smarter than me) but my retained understanding of the concept is thus: Because the multiverse is an infinite variation of itself, spread out unto infinity by every event and every decision ever made by any series of conditions stretching back until the dawn of time by definition ALL things are true somewhere in the multiverse. Every idea you have ever had, every idea you have ever NOT had. Every possible version of every story ever imagined by any theoretical human on all possible Earths is, on another Earth just as real as the author's, provable, obvious reality. If you sketch a doodle creature on a piece of paper right now not only does that creature exist somewhere in the multiverse, INFINITE versions of that creature exist on infinite worlds within said multiverse. There are exactly as many worlds on which I am a figment of someone's imagination as there are where I am as real as I am sitting at my keyboard right now: infinity. There are worlds where Spiderman and Superman are equally as real as each other and always have been, there are worlds where both are equally fictional, there are worlds where the two beings are mixed together jumbles of both of their aspects and there are infinite versions of all three previous categories. Some worlds are so similar you could spend lifetimes looking up and down the timeline for a single blade of grass out of place in 1892 somewhere in Wales. Some worlds are so different that you would have to go back to the motion of the first hydrogen atoms after the big bang to find the common root between them and us. WE live on a world where Superman is a real being and Spiderman is a comic book character. But because we ALSO live on a world where extranormal events are a regular occurrence we ALSO saw a Spiderman from a different universe temporarily deposited into this one where he teamed up with Superman to save the day and then fucked off back to where he came from. Marvel characters have done this closer to a dozen times actually with character like the Hulk, the Fantastic Four and the Avengers all showing up for brief moments and then vanishing as quickly as they appeared. That does not change that one THIS world Spiderman is a comic book character. It's just that the OTHER universes in the multiverse could give less of a fuck about us and our airs.

[duchess-of-mandalore]

Hello, I was wondering if you could assist me with some information. I recently fell in love with Satine Kryze after being invited to watch the Clone Wars, but I have some questions.

I don't understand, wasn't Mandalore part of the Republic before the Clone Wars? And if not, was it ever? I hope you read this and can help me. Thanks.

Oooh, welcome, Nonny!! How I wish I could rewatch Satine's arc for the first time!

Okay, so like many things related to politics in Star Wars, we have a lot of details but also a lot of conflicting information. Different reference books will imply different things. Mandalore's history, in particular, is in a kind of static limbo because there was so much history that was established before The Clone Wars, then a lot that George Lucas established/retconned when he approved Satine's story, and then a lot that was retconned or reestablished after Disney declared that the Expanded Universe was "Legends" and that "Canon" could contradict what came before.

However, I actually think I can answer your question without any of that. Yes, Mandalore is a part of the Republic before/during the Clone Wars, and we know this from The Clone Wars itself.

Mandalore has a seat in the Senate. We see Satine in one of the Senate pods listening to a speech given by Padme in one episode, and we know that Tal Merrik is the Senator for Mandalore before he's revealed as a traitor.

In "Voyage of Temptation," Satine is at odds with the Senate and finds herself on the run from Republic forces. When Obi-Wan finds her, he tells her that she should turn herself into the authorities and the reason that he gives is, "We've both sworn a loyalty to the Republic." Satine does not deny this and says, "Believe me, neither one of us is breaking our oath."

The whole reason why the Jedi send Obi-Wan back to Mandalore in Season 2 is because the Senate is hearing rumors that Satine is building an army to fight for the Separatist cause. The Senate is able to exert pressure on Satine only because she is already in the Republic. She's not some free agent, and they want to ensure that she's not acting like one.

Satine leads the Council of Neutral Systems which is by definition made up of 2,000 Republic worlds (who all have seats in the Senate) who wish to remain neutral in the war. There's no way that those Republic worlds would authorize a non-Republic leader to be their primary representative.

I'm sure there are other things I could list, but off the top of my head, those are the biggest pieces of evidence for why Mandalore is indeed a member of the Republic before/during the Clone Wars.