#the best runner i laugh every time

[pixiereblogs]

Pixie Recaps Picard | Surrender

[kikuism]

the sudden violent urge to rewatch the shrek movies

[distantdarlings]

OUT OF IT // t. nott

RATING: R / 4.4K WORDS

Theodore Nott x Fem Reader Insert

+ SUMMARY - *Requested - based on this* Theodore Nott has been your best friend for years, but the closeness that you’ve gained throughout your friendship proves to be a little too intimate for the two of you to handle.

+ WARNINGS - SMUT! PIV - no protection, fingering, light nipple play (f!receiving), dirty talk, tension, top!Theo, bottom!Reader, fem reader, language, super NOT proofread (lmk if I missed anything!)

+ MUSIC (listened to while writing) -

Again (Sped Up) - Noah Cyrus

(Okay! So prep for this was super rushed bc I am about to go on vacation and just got done with a ton of work. I’m very sorry this is so quick and frazzled—hopefully you all can look past it. Thanks for your patience.)

- - -

The dimly-lit corridors always felt so cozy around this time of the evening. The skies outside were pitch black and the only form of light was the flickering, honeyed candles mounted to the stone walls every few paces or so. A rather clever spell had been cast on them to keep them from dripping wax all over the floors.

You combed your fingers through your hair, letting the strands slide across your skin. Keeping your hair pinned up always gave you just a bit of a headache, but being able to take it down after classes was a relief like no other. Your fingernails scratched lightly over your scalp in an attempt to reestablish some blood flow throughout.

After a particularly difficult day, you wanted nothing more than to eat a quick dinner and then crash into your bed. You felt as if you’d been going non-stop since waking up this morning with nothing but a bagel and some tea in your stomach for the whole day. You were sure if you spoke to a muggle physician, they’d have some choice words for you. You could practically feel the dark circle sprouting beneath your eyes.

You turned one final candle-adorned hallway before arriving in front of the Great Hall. You arrived on the later side of the allotted dinner times, but you knew the food would stay on the table until the last student who intended to eat arrived. That was part of Hogwart’s lovely charm.

A wave of warmth from the fireplace in the corner washed over you like a blanket. The sudden temperature change brought on a case of chills across your body. A small shudder flowed through you.

Your eyes scanned the table on the far end of the room—its dark wooden surface topped with deep green runners and dishes of food. Sitting alongside the farthest end of the table were the most familiar faces in the entire school. A gentle smile appeared across your lips at the sight of your friends chatting and laughing together.

You approached the table with the same smile painted on. As you drew closer and caught a few eyes, you raised your hand for a polite wave. All of a sudden, you were a bit more awake than you had been.

A set of bright eyes turned and locked with yours, prompting a jolt of energy through your chest. You settled in next to the owner of those special eyes, allowing him to wrap his arm around you and pull you in close.

“How are you, tesoro?” Theo asked, pressing a small kiss to the side of your head.

“It was good. What about you?” you asked. He shrugged and flashed you a smile. He’d never been one to talk much about his day.

You gathered some food onto your plate, Theo never taking his arm from around you even when he went back to eating.

“So, how was everyone’s day?” Enzo asked cheekily, eyeing the two of you. The young man in front of you had always had a deep insistence that you and Theodore Nott would be the perfect couple.

“You’re perfect for each other,” he would say. “You compliment each other so well, plus you’re already so comfortable around each other!” To which, you’d always laugh and shake your head, only mostly ignoring the fantasies that would twirl through your mind after the fact.

You were not going to date Theodore Nott. He was your best friend—had been for years.

“Fine, thanks,” you replied snarkily, popping some kind of berry into your mouth. It crunched between your teeth pleasantly, bleeding dark, sweet juice. It was unlike any other fruits you’d ever tasted, but you never knew what you were going to taste at Hogwarts.

“Mm, you’ve got a bit of—” Theo started. Still chewing on a bit of food, he ran the thumb of his free hand over the corner of your lip and promptly placed it against his tongue. He sucked the flavor off of his skin, then turned back to his dinner.

It didn’t much bother you, just ignited a bit of heat against the wall of your gut. Mattheo and Enzo, however, acted like they’d just seen someone hurl into the dinner bowls.

“Hello, friends!”

The group turned to face Pansy Parkinson. A dainty, but lean girl with striking black hair cut across her cheeks in sharp, even lines. She was truly one of your only female friends, considering how often you hung around a male party.

“Hey, Pans!” The group chorused, offering lazy waves and full-mouthed smiles. She smiled a bit and took a seat next to Enzo. She selected an apple from the bowl just before her and took a large chunk out of it, her pale eyes flicking around the table.

“Why are you all so quiet?” she mumbled around chunks of apple.

Enzo snuck his arm down beneath the table and discreetly bumped Pansy’s ribs with his elbow twice. They were sure you hadn’t seen their little gesture that translated to ‘I’ll fill you in later,’ but you most definitely had.

You struggled not to roll your eyes as you knew they’d gossip for hours about how you and Theo would be the perfect couple. Honestly, it used to bother you a bit, knowing your friends were talking about you behind your back. But with a quick and direct questioning of Enzo, you realized that they weren’t so much gossiping about you as they were rooting for you. Their support didn’t matter, though. You would not be dating Theodore Nott.

***

That night, as you had begun to settle in for bed, you found yourself thinking of Theo. You always thought of him around bed time. There was never really a time when your best friend wasn’t floating around your head, but at night, when you were recapping your day, you thought of him.

Theo had a nasty habit of popping into your head at the worst of times. During tests, holidays with your families, your dreams, and even when you…when you would get into bed and slide the velvet drapes hung around the frame shut, and let your hands slide beneath the covers.

You swallowed thickly at the thought. You would not be dating Theodore Nott. No matter if he did cross your mind when you touched yourself. You inhaled shakily and slid beneath the covers, ignoring the ache in your chest and the pulsing between your legs.

***

The next morning, you found yourself wandering down to the Great Hall just as you had done the night before for dinner.

And just like last night, Pansy, Enzo, Mattheo, and Theo were waiting for you just like they always were.

You slid into the space beside Theo and laid a sleepy head against his shoulder, letting a slightly dramatic huff out.

“Oh dear, looks like someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning,” Theo teased, placing a kiss to the top of your head. The audience members before you each made a different face at the show of affection. It never bothered you and it had seemingly never bothers Theo, but your friends had a habit of turning it into something it didn’t need to be.

“Yes, I did,” you sighed. “I barely slept a wink last night—I was tossing and turning all night.” Which was not a lie, but a bit of an understatement. Your sleep had been plagued with visions of Theo.

Theo looking at you, Theo kissing you, Theo touching you, Theo Theo Theo. Fuck, fuck, fuck.

Theo looked down at you. You met his eyes.

“Is everything alright?” he asked.

“Yes, why?”

“You’re clenching my arm really hard,” he chuckled, glancing down at your clutched fist around his arm. Oh. You quickly let go of him and apologized, embarrassed that he was having such a physical effect on you. You’d never been so distracted before. Sure, you’d had these thoughts of Theo before but it had never affected you in your everyday life, and certainly not in front of him.

“You’re sure you’re okay?” Enzo interrupted. You turned and the three sitting across from you all seemed to be staring with concern.

“You seem out of it…,” Mattheo said, looking you up and down. Pansy voiced a small agreement.

“I’m fine,” you chuckled nervously. Theo placed a hand on your back and began to rub comforting circles around the center of your spine.

His touch against you was almost too much to bear.

You shied away from him and, forcing a smile, you got to your feet and quickly excused yourself. You knew if you looked back, all of them would still be staring at you but you needed to get away. Theo’s hand on your back was nearly enough to make you come undone.

These altered feelings of him had your mind running haywire.

You scurried off down the halls, twisting and turning, and avoiding any and everyone. The Slytherin dungeons weren’t that far from the Great Hall, but every step you took made the hallway feel as if it was elongating. It felt as though you would never reach it and as if you’d be walking for the rest of eternity, when you came upon the secret entrance.

You mumbled the password then slipped through the doorway.

Other than a few scattered students, there was practically no one in the common room. Hopefully you’d be able to get a bit of privacy upstairs in your bedroom.

Thoughts of Theo swirled around your head, threatening to fall in on you and drown you in your own desire. You had no idea why he was having such an effect on you.

Once you came upon the door to your dorm, you pushed through the door, slammed it quickly behind you, and collapsed onto your bed. A quick survey of the room told you that it was empty, except for your panting body.

You set yourself against your pillows, drawing your knees to your chest and wrapping your arms around them. If you kept having such an issue, you were just going to have to avoid your friends for the next few days.

You refused to let any silly thoughts get in the way of your friendship with Theo. You’d had plenty of intrusive thoughts pertaining to him in the past. That didn’t mean you were in love with him or had any feelings for him other than platonic. People had weird thoughts about their friends all of the time—it didn’t make them true.

A knock on the door drove its way through your train of thought. A small jolt ran through your body at the sudden sound.

Assuming it was just one of your roommates, you invited them in. But one of your roommates did not walk through the door. Theo did.

Upon seeing him, you shot up to a sitting position almost immediately.

“Theo—I didn’t know it was you, I’d really like to be alone right now if—”

“That’s fine. I’ll leave as soon as you tell me what’s wrong.”

His eyes were stern with his jaw clenched tightly, the muscle running across the bone rippling with every grind of his teeth. If you didn’t know this boy like the back of your hand, you might’ve mistook his concern for fury.

“Nothing’s wrong. Like I said, I’m just tired.”

“There’s something else,” he spoke. “I can tell. I’ve known you for nearly as long as I’ve been alive. Do you seriously think I can’t tell when something’s bothering you? You brushed away my hand, you—you barely looked at me earlier. You’ve never, ever turned me away like that—and if you decide you’re done with me, w-with us—that’s fine, but I deserve an explanation.” He stepped forward and left nothing but a few inches between the two of you. “I demand one.”

His ramble ended with deep, heaving breaths, his eyes staring down at you with longing and panic, and your saliva nearly getting caught in your throat. If you hadn’t closed your mouth that had been gaping open, you might’ve choked.

He stood so closely, you could feel his breaths on your chest. You attempted to avoid his eyes but it was as if he’d locked you to him. You couldn’t pull away.

“Theo, I’m not…done with you,” you exhaled shakily, “I always want you.”

His eyes softened a bit.

“Er, to be here with me as my friend!” you gasped out quickly, trying to ease the landing of the borderline confession you’d just spouted out.

His mouth dropped a bit as he seemed almost disappointed. Surely he didn’t feel the same way.

“What if I want to be here with you…but as more than just a friend,” he whispered. His deep voice rumbled beneath the pressure of his chapped lips. You couldn’t help but glance down at them briefly.

Once you had, his breath hitched in his throat just a bit, and you knew he’d seen you. You knew he’d seen your eyes dart from his deep, crystalline eyes to his barely parted lips. His tongue swiped over his bottom lip, just enough to grant them some hydration from how deeply the two of you had been breathing. A shudder passed through you at the sight.

“What’s…more than a friend?” you breathed, your voice wavering as you found it increasingly harder to pull your eyes away from his lips.

What a stupid thing to ask.

“I want to show you what it is,” he said. “I want you to feel what more than a friend is.”

You almost jumped out of your skin when the tips of his fingers brushed against your forearm. He seemed to be testing the waters and, though your reaction wasn’t exactly calm, must have decided that it was okay to move forward again. The fingers from the opposite hand brushed alongside your other arm.

“Let me show you what it feels like,” he whispered.

“I don’t want to lose anything we have because of one stupid mistake—because we couldn’t control ourselves,” you said, biting your lip nervously. You knew it was a cruel thing to say but it was the truth. Theo was the best thing that had ever happened to you, even before you couldn’t escape the feeling of his eyes on you.

“I won’t let anything change us,” he said. “Let me give you all of me before you decide you need some of me.”

Shakily, you pressed your lips together and nodded slowly. You were all his.

He smiled just a bit, a shaking breath pushing through his lips as if he’d been holding it for a while.

His hands were slow and patient, carefully mapping out every place he intended to touch and ensuring that it was completely okay with you before doing so.

Fingers traced over your hips and across your ribs through your uniform shirt. Even through the material, you felt his simulated touch eliciting chills across your stomach and arms. He smirked a bit at the way the small hairs there stood up.

“Can I touch your skin?” he asked, his eyes finding yours. You nodded in response.

At your immediate consent, he took no time in easing the hem of your shirt out from beneath your skirt. The tucked-in material had created indentations along your flesh from pressing into it all day. His fingers traced along the swirls of marks across your hips.

His hot skin on yours was nearly too much to handle—you swore you felt your knees buckle.

After the initial shyness of skin-on-skin, you could feel Theo’s hands splay wide on either side of your hips and move across your abdomen and all the way to the back. His fingers brushed across the strap of your bra just as a raging heat split your stomach in two.

“Can I?” he asked. Of course, you nodded.

With a second set of permissions, he felt even bolder. He sucked in a strong breath and, with quick and intense movements, brought his hands out from beneath your shirt and began to unfasten the buttons.

With each button he pulled open, he placed a hot kiss to the skin revealed. Your breaths came in deep heaves, your chest lurching towards him pathetically.

His tongue brushed over the cleavage split evenly by the pressure of your bra. With your chest nearly completely revealed to him, Theo’s eyes darkened severely.

His eyes found yours again. The two of you regained consciousness for only a moment to realize where you were and what you were doing, before you clasped your hands around his head and pulled his mouth to yours.

With a fiery desire, he slipped his hands beneath your thighs and, with subtle clumsiness, lifted you off the floor just enough to push you up against the stone wall in the corner.

A shy moan slipped from between your lips at the feeling of your body trapped in between him and the wall.

His lips devoured yours like a man starved. He drank up every drop of saliva granted by each slide of your tongue along his, never wasting a single bit. His hands gripped at you mercilessly—at your hips, your chest, your ass. It wasn’t long before your shirt was completely unbuttoned and slid messily down your shoulders and your shoes slipped off and kicked somewhere into the corner.

As the two of you took a moment to breath, noses pressed to each other and breaths intermingling, Theo contemplated his next moves.

“I want to take care of you,” he heaved, a bead of sweat sliding down his sharply detailed throat.

“Please… have me as you will,” you whined, hardly able to stand being away from him in these few seconds.

The sounds of your begging did nothing but urge him forward, cutting through every strap of restraint he may have still had. He fucking loved it.

“Let me make you feel good,” he whispered.

He slid his finger down across your neck, tightening his grip just barely around your throat, then sliding them down across your breasts. He kneaded the sore tissue there, reveling in the way your lips parted at the feeling.

His fingers slid over the metal clasp that sat squarely between your breasts, shining in the firelight, waiting for him to separate it.

Before touching your chest any further, he wrapped his hands around your thighs once more and wrapped them around his waist, balancing you against the wall behind you.

His fingers then returned to their post at your bra and effortlessly split the clasp. The pressure of your breasts popped the fabric apart, quickly revealing your chest to the boy before you.

He moaned at the sight of your gorgeous chest and could not resist from placing his lips around each nipple, swirling his tongue around them perfectly. Your head fell back against the wall, your hands clutching at this hair, your legs wrapped around his body.

“You’re so perfect—gonna make you feel so good,” he mumbled.

His hands and lips reluctantly separated from your chest and pulled you away from the wall for just a moment. He walked you over to the recession in the wall where the windowsill waited for your body weight.

The drapes were pulled together but you imagined that you wouldn’t be so angry if they weren’t.

Theo set you down against the cool stone and slid your hips against him.

With no regard for what you were going to do for your next day of classes, he roughly split your tights to reveal the bottoms beneath.

He let out a moan at the sight of you—you were better than he’d ever imagined.

Flipping your skirt up, he traced a single, trained finger over the slit of fabric covering the most sensitive part of your body. You let out a wavering moan at the sensation, gripping onto his shoulders tightly.

“Please, Theo, no more teasing,” you groaned, sliding your hips closer to his. The motion pressed your core against his, creating a type of friction that was more than delicious. The both of you paused and shuddered against each other’s mouth.

If Theo had any restraint left in his body, it was this that destroyed it.

He slid a finger beneath the material of your bottoms and slid them to the side, revealing you to the cool air. You shuddered a bit at the feeling, not prepared for the sudden change in temperature.

He traced his fingers along your folds again, collecting slicks of moisture along them. You could barely keep up with his pace, not sure whether to moan or cry or beg for more.

Once soaked enough, he slid a finger into you, allowing you to stretch around it. You cried out to the night air, clutching at his shirt like you might slip away from this world if he kept easing you open just as he was.

There were blinks of time where he’d slip another finger in just beside the other, stretching you farther than you’d ever been before, but you could hardly grasp where you were in time and space. All you could feel, think, smell, hear, taste was Theodore Nott.

When years had passed and he’d built you up to your climax twice already, he decided that he was ready to give you all of him.

The layer of sweat across your body and cloud of exhaustion that plagued your mind seemed to be no obstacle for a still very wired Theo. He was ready to fuck himself into you until you were begging for mercy. He’d been waiting for this for years.

“Turn over for me, sweetheart,” he said lovingly, a stark contrast to the brutality with which he’d worked you apart.

Slow-moving from exhaustion but still eager for more of his touch, you forced yourself onto your stomach. Your hands gripped onto the drapes for some sense of purchase—hopefully they wouldn’t collapse down around the two of you, revealing both of your bodies to the world.

When the rustling of his clothing and the clinking of his belt hit your ears, the entire lower half of your body twinged in anticipation. You gasped lowly as his hands slipped beneath your skirt, slowly smoothing his fingers over the fabric of your bottoms before gripping them and sliding them down your legs.

He allowed you to step out of them before he pushed you back up against the stone and slid himself across your entrance. You sucked in a breath sharply at the sensation, your fingers digging into the canvas drapes so tightly they burned white around the knuckles.

One hand gripped your bare hips while the other slowly guided himself into you all the way to the hilt. The slow stretch he had provided you before was nothing compared to the fire burning below now. Your eyes clenched shut, bursts of tears slipping down your cheeks.

“Breathe, bella,” he groaned softly as he allowed you to adjust while refraining from going as fast and as hard as he could.

It took only a moment before you asked him to move, and begged him to claim you fully. And then he was controlling every inch of what you received, ruthlessly, yet lovingly.

The silence of the room was filled with his breathless groans, your stuttering words, and the force of his hips hitting yours. You’d hardly be able to stand if it weren’t for his strong hands holding your hips up, keeping you just where he wanted you for each force of his hips.

With each passing second, you found your grip on the fabric above you becoming weaker and your ability to hold yourself up diminishing. With the pace he’d set, you’d be finishing any minute and he knew it.

And by the way his speed stuttered every so often and his hands gripped onto the fabric of your skirt, you figured he couldn’t be far behind you.

Your naked breasts lightly scraped against the stone with every push from behind, rubbing the sensitive skin just enough to push you over your edge and crash within yourself. You cried out from the force of the pleasure that hit you.

As soon as you had managed to finish against him, the tightening of your muscles tipped him over the cliff side he stood atop, forcing him to the waves below.

He worked himself through his climax before slowing to a stop and collapsing against you. The sweat on your skin mingled together, creating a hot seal between your bodies. You could hardly catch your breath between the windowsill pressed against you and the strong man behind you.

“Theo,” you whined. “Get off…”

He responded with a huff and a moment’s silence, before pushing off of you. Your skin separated with a sticky pull.

He gently pulled you away from the window, slid your messed skirt down and helped you slide into your bed. He slid in next to you for just a moment.

“I think I’m about to pass out and sleep for the next 48 hours,” you chuckled lazily.

“Would you say I gave enough of myself?” he smirked, brushing a strand away from your forehead.

“I’d say it was more than enough,” you said, rolling your eyes at his confidence.

“Well, I’m yours anytime you want me.” He pressed a sweet kiss to your forehead, before getting to his feet and beginning to redress.

“No,” you fussed. “Why are you leaving?”

“Because it’s the middle of the day and I’m missing my classes,” he laughed, tightening his belt back to its proper place.

“I am too—just skip with me today,” you begged.

“No, darling, I’ve got to get back to class. I’ve got too many assignments due today. I’ll let them know you won’t be making it in today, though.”

“What are you going to tell them if they ask?” you asked, quirking an eyebrow.

“Mm, I’ll let them know that you had a rough morning and you’re gonna sleep it off.”

He smirked meanly before slipping through the dorm door and leaving you in silence, bundled up in your bed and nearly too tired to even try and get ready for classes.

One day off wouldn’t be too big of a deal.

- - -

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[radfemsiren]

Remembering my Afghani American best friend from my islamic elementary and middle school whose dad would get drunk every night and beat the shit out of her mother. She begged and begged for sleepovers because strangers in the house would make him leave, and I never told my parents about the situation (I lied and said she had no father or brothers) because I loved spending time at her house and staying up the whole night doing all the things we weren’t allowed to do that was “haram”… watching rated r movies, playing horror computer games, dancing to music videos on YouTube, cat walking in heels and makeup, scaring ourselves with creepypastas.

I remember we had a million stupid ass discussions about who the purple guy from five nights at Freddies was, or what a slenderman proxy meant, or if there were illuminati signs in Katy Perry music videos, or if emo drawings of Jeff the killer were hot. We’d whisper fight if Beyoncé or Lana del Rey was a better singer, or if teen wolf or maze runner had cuter boys. She was team Beyoncé and teen wolf.

We had to constantly be separated in school for talking, and we hated the creepy janitor and would throw wads of wet paper towel on the bathroom ceiling for him to clean up later. We got into so much trouble together, and would always smirk at each other in detention when we got yelled at. We’d shoplift lipsticks from the mall, and throw away expensive Quran transliterations from school, and sneak into the teachers break room and steal handfuls of ice and throw them on the imam/principal’s desk when he was gone to ruin his paperwork.

I moved away like I always had to do with my constantly migrating family and we lost touch. The last time I saw her in person was when we were still kids at her brothers wedding. I was laughing while I tried to ask her why the bride kept changing into different brightly colored dresses throughout the night. She wasn’t listening, and she burst into tears and cried about how her brother was just like her father and did every horrible thing he did. I held her and squeezed her so tight I thought her bones would break.

I recently tried to reconnect with her again but she’s already married, pregnant, and has abandoned social media and texting because it’s “haram.” Trying to talk to her was like speaking to a stranger… she had no interest in any of the things we would spend hours playing with before. “Islam is important to me now, I’m a new woman. We were messed up kids, it’s time to grow up.” She told me to never contact her again and hung up the phone.

Sometimes I feel like I failed her, and sometimes I understand that I was a girl trying to survive too.

One day I’ll save money to travel back there and talk to her in person. I’ll snap her out of it. We’ll spend all night up together again doing every terrible thing our teachers and parents and religious leaders warned us against, and laughing the whole way through it. We’ll get kicked out of bars and get into trouble and snicker our way through it all, knowing we’ve already won. I still have her dirty, worn, my littlest pet shop horse she gave me when we first met. I hold it in my hands when I see news of the what’s happening to the women of Afghanistan, and I feel like I’ve failed her again. That I’ll forever be stuck an immature child and her a miserable adult, both of us doomed, unable to be saved from our fates in the end.

[vifilms]

daydreaming about tennisplayer!abby who is the best in the game, she’s been dominant almost since she was able to hold a racket in her hand. with each year passing by, there wasn’t anything else she’d rather be doing. she’s cocky about it too. not in a way that’s obvious, but enough to make sure her opponents know how good she is. with her power backing her monstrous serve, she tends to leave everyone in the dust, well, until you. it’s the first time her matches have gone to a third set. you’re getting in her head and she’s not too fond of it.

you’re younger than her but fuck…you’re amazing. abby’s experienced enough to pull herself together in the match point before the tiebreak catches up with her. the white sleeves stay pure as snow along with her reputation. the fact she almost let wimbledon slip through her fingers isn’t lost on her. it leaves her exposed to future opponents, yet she displays her charming smile as you hold the runner’s up prize, your hips touching hers.

it isn’t until the after party, she finds you hiding away from the swarm of people, alone on the beach as the sand kisses your feet, the moonlight illuminating your glowing skin.

abby wishes she wasn’t enchanted with you. you’re the competition, the best she’s had in years at that.

“didn’t like how the match went?” you question, offering a sip of your glass of wine.

“i should’ve ended it sooner.”

“not even going to give me a little credit?” you smirk as she takes a few sips on the chardonnay. abby allows the substance to influence her decision. along with the few glasses she’s finished tonight.

“the abby anderson drops the second set but has a courageous victory against the new and up-comer.” you laugh, looking her up and down before settling on a deep pair of curious blue eyes.

“don’t sweat it, the headlines will be praising you. you’re the golden girl.” you assure her as your hands play with the chain, tugging on it as you maneuver her closer to you.

“what are you playing at?” abby quints, blonde eyebrows furrowed.

“nothing, m’just curious i suppose.” you play with the collar of her button up, her toned pecs slightly exposed. the defined line in the middle disappearing under the tank she wore underneath it. the golden chain laying deliciously on her freckled skin, you wanted to choke her with it.

whether you would get off from it, you hadn’t decided.

“i want to see for myself if you’re as golden as they say.” you play with the ends of her blonde waves, released from her constricted braid. you lean in, perfume invading abby’s senses as you place your hands on her toned abdomen.

biting your lip as you peak through your eyelashes, practically pressing your body against hers.

“i think you’re reading this wrong.” the burly blonde pressed but you pinch her side which lurches her forward. playfully, you bite her earlobe.

“mhm, i don’t think so.” you grin like a cheshire cat, her heavy breathes are the only thing to be heard.

you lean back, leaving abby no choice but to lean in. delightfully, your face turning as her lips ghost over yours. you smirk, eating every single moment of it right up.

“reach up my dress, abby.”

“um” she pauses, chuckling softly. “can you say that again? i could have sworn you just said—”

“up my dress, anderson.” you quirk your eyebrow upwards. daring the uptight tennis legend to take a step into something she really shouldn’t. she’s never been tried quite like this, but she’s also never had someone who made her entire body light a flame.

her firm hand slightly drifts, fingertips softly kissing your thighs, the smooth skin feeling tempting under her fingertips. she gazes at you expectantly, waiting for your next instruction as abby traces incoherent patterns on your skin.

“waistband.” you command. with hooded eyelids, her fingertips skim over your lace as she feels something square, round edges, as she slips the piece of plastic out from under you.

“your hotel key?”

you grip her chin, tugging at her bottom lip as she pouts deliciously. “yes….and if you want to put your hands up my dress again, you’ll use it.”again, you nibble on her earlobe. “anderson, you may not scream in the court like most, but i’ll get you there tonight.”

taglist: @plutolovesyou @brackishkittie @nybueckers @only4theweekend @tlouloser @marvelwomenarehot0 @grey-jedi12 @r3starttt @b1ttersuite @pxgeturner @maxinephobia @marsworldd @aouiaa @mytwoseater @cherrybunny @twopeoplee @i-lov3-w0men @lvlymicha @half-of-a-gay

[pshcomforts]

➳ spring snow | psh.

bestfriend!sunghoon x fem!reader

“cause i’m falling slowly in love with you”

synopsis: you came down with a cold and your best friend, sunghoon, has offered to take care of you.

warnings/content: written in third pov. fluffy fluff! tiny bit of angst. best friends to lovers. a little bit of idiots in love. nicknames like ‘idiot’ ‘dummy’ and ‘loser’ used. down bad sunghoon <3

comments, likes, and reposts are appreciated :)

word count: 4.6k

a/n: self-indulgent bc i’m sick right now, and currently obsessed with lovely runner </3

༘˚⋆𐙚｡masterlist⋆.✧˚

current song playing: spring snow by 10cm

↻ ◁ II ▷ ↺

0:39 ───|──────────────── 2:42

a cough erupted out of y/n as she fought for her life. her nose was stuffy, and her throat was aching from the cold she randomly caught.

she heavily sighed, cursing to herself for missing an important lecture.

“i should’ve gone..,” she softly whimpered.

as she fumed a little longer, a sudden notification had caught her attention.

sunghoon <3:

Where are you?

Are you running late?

panic spread across her face when she read her best friends texts, quickly typing back with quiet coughs leaving her throat.

y/n:

sorry, hoon! i’m actually not feeling good so i decided to skip the lecture for today…

sunghoon <3:

Are you lying, or are you really sick?

y/n:

why would i lie to you about this..

sunghoon <3:

So you don’t have to hear my scolding? 😒

y/n:

i swear, sunghoon, i’m sick! do you want me to send an audio of me coughing or something..

sunghoon <3:

.. No

the girl breathed out a laugh once she found no more texts from him. she widely grinned as she thought about the handsome boy, easily imagining his displeased look in her head.

her heart fluttered and butterflies erupted in her stomach. she fisted her hands to stop the sensations forming around her body as she shook it off.

“stop it, y/n, he’s just a friend.” she murmured to herself, unable to make the imaginary hoon in her head disappear.

“this cold is really getting to me…,”

y/n huffed out a sigh before wrapping herself in her warm blankets.

“maybe a nap will do..,” her voice squeaked, body already falling on borderline exhaustion. she yawned out a little more before resting her eyes and eventually knocking out.

.　 . • ☆ . ° .• °:. *₊ ° . ☆

about a half hour had just passed and the girl was still sound asleep when a few knocks had been heard at the door.

she grumbled out a sigh before checking the time.

“who’d even be here at this time?” she sighed, still finding the sun brightly beaming down on every view she could find.

the knocks had been heard again and she quickly checked to see if anything could be related to whatever was outside. indeed, she found a few missed texts from her beloved friend.

sunghoon <3:

Open the door

Are you asleep??

Hello..?

she exhaled a breath as her stomach flooded with nervous bubbles.

“why is he here..?” she muttered under her breath.

the girl dusted herself, and though she was sure she still looked like a train wreck, she couldn’t be too bothered with how much her sickness took over.

she slowly cracked the door open and found an adorable sunghoon patiently waiting.

“finally!” he shouted. “took you long enough, i was almost gonna call you.”

maybe not that patient.

y/n scrunched her brows in confusion. “why are you even here, hoon?”

his heart slightly dropped at her questioning, but he only nervously laughed it away.

“you’re sick, dummy. you need to be taken care of.” sunghoon murmured, pinching one side of her cheeks.

she quickly swatted the hand away as she still remained puzzled.

“you’re gonna take care of me?” her voice mumbled, causing him to shyly nod. “but you never do this..?”

hoon only sighed as he joked, “well do you want me to leave? because i still can.”

“no, no.. i’m just a little shocked right now.”

y/n’s heart was about to burst. he was fueling her delusions about the potential thought of them being together, and she wasn’t sure if she liked it or not.

she heard him give a chuckle when he set his backpack down. “i care about you, y/n. are you that shocked?” his simple grin sent heart throbs, making her tired body tingle even more.

“well you always tease and make fun of me so.. yeah, i’m shocked.”

the girl sniffed away her snot that ran down from her cold as he laughed again.

“don’t be too surprised that i’m a caring person.” sunghoon uttered, shaking his head while hiding his huge smile away. “i’m usually nice to you anyway.”

y/n guffawed out a scoff, sending a soft smack towards his arm as she muttered, “yeah right! you weren’t nice when i asked for the lecture notes 40 minutes ago, and you said no!”

the male giggled as he thought back to their texts, heart melting at his friends stuffy voice. “well who told you to stay home? that lecture was really important!” he teased back, lips instantly curling at her gasp and eye roll.

“if you’re just here to bicker with me then please leave, hoon. i’m too sick to argue.” she huffed, shaking her head.

“okay, okay, fine, i’m sorry.” he slightly pouted, causing her to softly smile. “i really am here to take care of you though.”

sunghoon ruffled her hair, letting it run messy everywhere as his eyes twinkled in the scene of his friend struggling to leave his teasing act. his lips coiled again, unable to hide his facial expressions with how much he adored her.

“sunghoon!” the girl yelled, pushing his hand away.

his heart pounded at the sound of his name leaving her lips, making him stop the ruffles.

“your friend is sick and you’re really doing this to her!”

hoon chuckled at her words before the word — ‘friend’ — hit him. his heart stung a little and he retracted himself back, officially putting a stop to all of the teasings as y/n still huffed with hair pieces around her face.

“can i go back to sleep now?” she mumbled, throat immediately running dry.

sunghoon clicked his tongue, shaking his head while replying, “what’s the point of me being here if you’re just gonna sleep?”

“you volunteered to be here!”

“exactly, which is why you need to stay out here while i reheat my moms soup for you!”

the girl wore a frown, but her stomach betrayed her when it rumbled at the mention of food, causing her friend to chortle out a laugh.

“see? your stomach wants me to stay.”

he wore a shit eating grin, making y/n playfully roll her eyes and nudge him. “now go stay on the couch, i’ll reheat it up for you.” he sweetly muttered like a boyfriend.

her heart instantly raced and a few coughs suddenly bursted from her as the thought of him being a well-mannered boyfriend flooded her mind.

“get a hold of yourself, idiot.” she said under her breath.

“did you say something??”

her head whipped up at sunghoon and she quickly shook her head. “no! um.. just don’t burn my kitchen down… please.. i know you suck at cooking.”

he scoffed out a ridiculed laugh. “it’s just reheating soup, how bad can that get?”

bad, because within seconds, the boy let the pot heat up on the stove too long, making the cold soup instantly smoke up when he added it in.

the alarms rang off the hook and y/n’s ears rang like crazy; and if that wasn’t enough, sunghoons deep voice screaming at the steam was the cherry on top.

“sunghoon!!” she shouted, giving a faint scold as she fanned beneath her smoke detectors.

his cheeks flushed and his ears instantly became red while he stood in the kitchen like a six year old getting yelled at.

“sorry…,” his soft voice murmured, feeling self-conscious with the way he embarrassed himself in front of his friend.

“i didn’t know there was a time limit with how long the pot had to heat up…,”

y/n huffed out a sigh, instantly dropping her slight annoyance when she came face to face with the boy who was softly pouting. a laugh escaped from her and she only shook her head.

“you’re an idiot, you know that?” she joked, causing a faint grin to be placed on him. “of course it’s gonna smoke when you leave it on high heat for 10 minutes.”

“stop it, y/n… i’m embarrassed, you don’t have to acknowledge what i did wrong.” sunghoon covered his face with his hands, blocking off every facial feature but his ears that were still brightly colored red.

the girl chuckled, grin widening as her sickness almost left her when he remained shy in his actions.

“i don’t know if i should trust you in my kitchen ever again..,”

hoon rolled his eyes and smiled. “okay, it wasn’t even that bad!”

“you literally set off my smoke alarms!”

“okay.. but nothing caught on fire!”

y/n shook her head, hearty coughs still leaving her throat as she heaved her chest up and down.

“you were supposed to take care of me, but stressed me out instead!”

he seethed air through his teeth in guilt, head low while he chewed on his lips. “sorry…,” the male muttered. “i swear i was trying so hard not to do anything that’d make you get up!”

she laughed at his words and replied, “that’s sweet of you, hoon, but you did.”

“i know…, i’m still embarrassed.”

he placed his hands over his face once more, but peeked his eyes through separated fingers to catch her reaction. y/n wore a huge smile, eyes creasing into half moon crescents that caused butterflies to flutter in his stomach.

he softened his gaze once he felt it and they instantly twinkled with a deep warmth that was only for her.

the remaining words that spewed out of the girl had quickly been deafened as he continued to stare at her, making her snap at him — “sunghoon?? did you even hear me?”

“oh.. um… yes!” he tried to cheese a grin, but she obviously wasn’t convinced.

“and what did i say..?”

“something about… your cold being worse..?”

he pressed his lips into a firm line, forming a bread smile as her tongue clicked in disappointment.

“you weren’t listening.., what’s even distracting you?”

her, but he couldn’t say that.

y/n folded her arms while she awaited for an answer, making him gulp.

first, he invited himself inside. second, he almost burned down her kitchen. and now, he wasn’t even processing whatever she had to say.

“um..,” he swallowed down a lump in his throat, trying to find whatever could be distracting. “your snot, y/n! it’s uh.. dripping! yeah, that!”

the girl felt her heart drop and she immediately ran around to find tissues. what dumb luck did hoon have that she actually was dripping with snot?

he breathed out a sigh of relief, hand clenching onto his chest with how close he was to getting caught.

y/n quickly came back, cheeks slightly tinted pink. “back to what i was saying… how about i just heat up the soup myself?” she suggested, causing him to widen his eyes and shake his head.

“no, you’re sick. i can’t have you walking around when you should be resting.”

her brows scrunched and her head slightly tilted as a soft laugh escaped from her. “hoon.. you literally made me run around my apartment to stop the alarms…,”

sunghoon thought back to her constant feet pattering he heard not too long ago, and sighed. “anymore. i won’t have you walking around anymore,” he firmly corrected himself.

she took a sigh as well, finally falling to defeat as he proudly pushed her toward her couch.

“don’t stress about it.., soup will be in your much-needed tummy soon!”

y/n couldn’t help but feel a little uneasy at his words, but eventually let him continue with how eager he was to do something so sweet.

with the man in the kitchen, she felt her pupils dilate whenever she laid her eyes on him, heart almost jumping out of her throat with how quick it was beating.

sunghoon was instantly looking like a boyfriend to her, and she couldn’t fight those thoughts anymore — his tall figure, the oversized hoodie perfectly fitting him, his pretty face gleaming at the bubbling pot.

of course, he did almost burn down her kitchen, but he was redeeming himself right now.

the girl was almost soaring with how much she was falling for him. though she was still fighting for her life, sunghoon being there for her was already making her feel better — even if he stressed her out for a second.

but she swiftly shook it off once the friend had turned around with a proud look spread across his face.

“it’s done! this soup will instantly make you feel better when you eat it.” he murmured, lips still curling at his final success attempt of reheating his moms soup.

y/n softly reflected his grin back as she sat across from him. “your mom’s the best, hoon!” she quickly dug in, heart melting and tummy warming at the soothing broth.

sunghoon tried to hide away his obvious beam but couldn’t help it. his eyes were glistening, his fangs were flashing, and his mind was going crazy with the girl he liked in front of her.

was this how it’d always be if she got sick, and he’d offer to take care of her? (yes)

his heart swelled with the possible future in his hands as the girl continued to eat.

“you don’t want to eat any?” she murmured, but he fully shook his head and pushed the bowl further to her — “it’s all yours, loser. my mom packed it specifically for you.”

she quietly coughed at the sudden nickname, scowling back a look while he only chuckled.

“you didn’t think i’d grow a soft spot for you just because you got sick, did you?” he teased mercilessly.

y/n playfully rolled her eyes before going back to chomping. typical sunghoon. one minute he was sweet, the next he was just a guy who loved to tease a little too much.

he continued to wear a huge grin though as she munched, making the girl fully unaware of how much love he held in his eyes.

once her stomach was full, hoon forced her to sit on the couch with a blanket wrapped around while he cleaned the dishes.

the feeling of him taking care of her was strange, but she liked it. it was something she could get use to if he liked her back (idiot).

when sunghoon finished, he plopped directly next to her on the couch with an idiotic grin, eyes full of hearts and stomach bubbled from feeling nervous.

“um, sunghoon?” y/n poked. “shouldn’t you sit a little further away? i can get you sick.”

he scoffed and laughed as if she told the funniest joke ever. “if i didn’t want to risk getting sick, i wouldn’t have chosen to come over… dummy.” he chuckled at the name he gave her while rubbing her cheek with his thumb.

“do you want me to move?”

her face instantly flushed with a hue of pink and she subtly tried to turn away from it. “no.. you can stay if you want.”

“do you want me to stay?”

sunghoon’s heart quickly thumped with every surge of confidence he got from her shy reactions.

his eyes flickered at her turned head, tilting his own in confusion before muttering, “are you that sick that you can’t look at me?”

“i can! my throat’s just.. itchy so i don’t want to cough in your face,” she tried to shoot back.

he huffed out a slight laugh at her lame attempt of an excuse. “is it that hard to stare at my handsome face?” he asked, knowing that she’d face him right after.

“what!” y/n’s hoarse voice spoke. “i can!”

she quickly laid her eyes back onto him and almost instantly, the two felt their hearts explode with fireworks.

sunghoon took a noticeably large gulp, blinking repeatedly with how quick their nose tips touched. she was much closer than she should’ve been, and the boy was flustered.

“y/n.. you’re um…,” he swallowed another lump, adams apple bobbing as every butterfly in his stomach multiplied.

“see! i can look at you!” she yelled, honestly unaware of how flushed her friend was becoming.

“yeah, you win.” he replied, nudging her forehead away before she could hear his loud heartbeats.

hoon held onto his chest, trying to calm his nerves when y/n only clicked her tongue.

“tried to challenge me but lost instead.. idiot.” she mumbled to herself, giving crunchy coughs afterward.

a grin plastered onto his face after her words processed. “yeah.. i lost” — but he didn’t, because he felt like a winner with how close her nose tip accidentally grazed over his.

he bit his bottom lip to hide away another smile as he muttered, “i think it’s time for you to take some medicine.”

y/n’s face scrunched in disgust. “i know i’m sick, but i hate taking cough syrup.”

“well you need it because you’re coughing like you’re on your death bed.”

an audible gasp was heard from her and she quickly smacked his arm. “sunghoon!” she yelled, earning a laugh from him.

“i’m just stating the obvious!”

he flashed a heart-throbbing grin and she almost melted at it, vision quick to lose sight with how alarmingly charming it was.

“you didn’t need to say that..,” she scowled.

his fangs were still brightly shown as he murmured, “come on, just take the medicine. it’ll benefit you.”

his hands offered a cup of the cough syrup that y/n hated. she downed it quickly but her lips pursed together like she tasted lemon.

sunghoon hollered out another laugh, eyes squeezing shut at how she shook her head in disapproval.

“that was gross!!” she exclaimed, making happy tears well up in the boy. “stop making fun of your sick friend, she doesn’t appreciate it, you know?”

he continued his laughing streak until he deemed it enough, wiping away a tear drop as he watched y/n roll her eyes.

“okay, sorry, hoon is acknowledging that.” he replied, giving a little play on her third person usage.

her lips coiled into a smile as she sent another soft hit to him. “you’re stupid.”

“and you’re sick, so get back in your blankets.”

before she could protest, sunghoon was quick to wrap it around her, giving her no time to react at the way his arms enclosed them together.

he tugged the sheets around her shoulders, gaze completely concentrated on the amount of blankets that covered her.

his face was leaned in, close to the point where her lips could ghost over his cheeks for a soft peck.

she felt her face heat up at the very thought, mind instantly craving for that moment while she watched his thick, dark brows scrunch for complete focus. she couldn’t help but linger her gaze down to his other pretty features.

being this close to her handsome friend felt mind numbingly crazy.

when the boy had finished, he gleamed a half smile before pulling away, proud of how he was able to ensure every blanket had securely been wrapped around her.

she quietly gasped for air after hoon’s brows raised in satisfaction of his work. “there! now you’re warm!” his voice yelled. “you can go to sleep now.”

y/n flickered her gaze to him, watching the way he softly patted his shoulder. she let a puff of air slip by her lips in disbelief as she shoved him.

“why are you being so sweet right now?”

was it not obvious to her that he wanted to feel her rest her head on his shoulder?

sunghoon’s lips pursed together while trying to find the right words. “you’re sick, y/n, why wouldn’t i be sweet right now?” he awkwardly laughed, stomach rupturing in butterflies. “i don’t want my friend to get bad treatment while she’s sick.”

he cheesed a grin and she only shook her head, eventually complying to his offer and laying on his shoulder.

his heart instantly raced at the little bump her head made against him, and he couldn’t help the huge smile that took form on his face from it.

“what should we watch?” y/n mumbled, unconsciously cuddling closer.

“what are you feeling?” sunghoon softly gulped as he forced his attention to stay on the device in front of them.

“mm..,” she thought. “oh! wanna watch lovely runner??”

he raised his brows in confusion. “lovely.. runner?”

“hoon, you need to watch more series…,” she scowled back at him. “let’s watch it!”

the boy was about to make a remark but stopped himself, agreeing with her suggestion since it was her sick day after all.

the drama played, episode after episode as the two stayed glued on the couch, holding each other close — both forgetting that they were just friends.

when another episode had finished, sunghoon’s eyes carefully watched the end credits. he chuckled, excited to start on the next one.

“should we watch another?” he murmured, waiting for an answer when nothing from y/n had been heard.

another minute passed and soft snores had finally erupted out of her.

he scoffed out a laugh, lips quickly curling at her quiet noises before turning his head.

“you’re really asleep?” the boy said, voice kept small to not wake her.

in seconds, the episode was paused and sunghoon carried his sick friend to her bed with ease.

laying her down carefully, his movements were slow and steady. the only thing audible were y/n’s continuous little snores and hoon’s heavy breathing.

the girl was finally set down, wrapped in blankets as he glanced at her state. his heart was pounding in his ears and his fingernails were scratching his palms to calm himself.

even when she was sickly pale, she was still someone who caught his attention timelessly. he loved her, and every little thing that complimented with him.

his lips curled at her, gaze softening as he quietly murmured, “i like you, dummy. can’t you notice me?”

sunghoon sighed, feeling stupid at how he confessed to his friend who still remained asleep. his heart began to shatter, shards painfully stabbing him as he started to head for the door.

however, a hand grab was quick to stop him, holding him back from moving any further. his heart dropped at the fast realization, mind instantly going through scenarios of y/n rejecting him.

slowly, he turned with a fragile mindset, ready to be declined from his crush.

“y/n…,” the male gulped.

she only beamed a half smile when she sat up as her eyes still drooped in fatigue. “i do notice you, loser.” she admitted with flushed cheeks. “because i like you too.. i like you a lot, actually.”

hoon’s face lit up in shock, eyes being blown wide as he felt adrenaline rush through his body. “you like me??” he questioned, falling in disbelief of her words.

y/n bit her lips, hiding away her smile while nodding. “i’ve liked you for a while now… and honestly, you taking care of me made me fall in love with you even more.”

her gaze trailed up to his face, watching how he proudly wore his wide grin made her heart flutter.

“stop looking at me like that..,” she uttered, softly pushing his shoulder, but he couldn’t help it. the girl he’s longed for finally said the words he’s been wanting to hear.

sunghoon flashed his charming fangs at her as he smiled in delight. “what else can i do? my friend’s in love with me.”

“i said like, not love!” she defended.

“i heard love…,” he teased back, causing her to scoff and roll her eyes.

he gave another chuckle before leaning in, lips yearning for hers when she dodged away.

his head tilted in confusion and she only laughed at that. “i’m still sick, hoon. i don’t want to get you sick.” y/n muttered, earning a ridiculed taunt to come from him.

“you think i care about that? the girl i’ve loved for so long has just confessed to me so i’m gonna kiss her.”

sunghoon quickly leaned in again, close to kissing a flustered y/n when she pulled away once more. he softly pouted, face frowning as his gaze stay locked on her lips.

“sunghoon,” she called, but he didn’t answer. the boy continued to be mindlessly stuck on the sight of her lips.

she sent a soft hit to his broad chest, finally catching his attention as his eyes grew hungry.

“i seriously don’t want to get you sick,” she mumbled, face scrunching to emphasize her worry.

hoon only scoffed, biting his lips as he replied — “and i seriously don’t care.”

before she could say more, he swiftly crashed his lips against hers, swooning the girl in seconds. she gasped, earning an entrance for sunghoon as he smiled against her — enjoying the shocked reaction he was able to receive.

his hands firmly held her cheeks, cupping them so she could stay put while she held onto his arms, softly gripping onto his hoodie with the evidential crave in his kiss.

y/n finally pushed against his chest, giving him the signal to pull away and he did. his face continued to linger near hers, eyes searching for flushed cheeks.

“sunghoon!” she quietly scolded, earning a chuckle from his attractive voice.

she felt his lips softly curl against hers and she couldn’t help but to smile as well.

“now you’re gonna get sick.”

her gaze peered into his, making his heart melt while he raised his brows. “i guess you’ll have to be the one to take care of me now.”

he grinned as she rolled her eyes, cupping her cheeks once more for sweet kisses on the lips. he gave soft pecks, continuing on and on before y/n turned her head away.

“i know you like me, but i’m still sick! don’t kiss me right now.” she huffed, trying to swat him away.

sunghoon chuckled. “you should’ve told me that minutes ago, now i don’t want to stop kissing you.”

he leaned in again but the girl dodged her head away. “no, sunghoon!!” she giggled, attempting to push at his chest.

“just one!”

y/n sighed before complying, pushing herself closer for a soft peck on the lips.

“one more?”

her face morphed in disbelief, eventually leaning in for another. a quick plant on his lips was made and he only smiled.

“another?”

“hoon… no.” she folded her arms and shook her head. “my throat is hurting and i’m about to cough if i lean in again.”

sunghoon raised his thick brows mischievously. “so i’ll lean in then.” and so he tried, closing his eyes and expecting a kiss on the lips when he met her cheek instead.

“why don’t you want to kiss your new boyfriend?” he softly whined, becoming clingy within seconds.

y/n scrunched her face as she grinned and nudged him. “because your new girlfriend is sick and wants to rest.”

his lips pushed together and presented duck lips, pouting while wrapping his arms around her. “fine then, let’s rest, hm?” he murmured.

the two laid beside each other, facing one another as his eyes twinkled with love, mind in complete disbelief of how he was able to get his girl.

“i’m so lucky,” his voice uttered in the silence.

“hm?” sleepy y/n replied back.

“i’m lucky you fell in love with me.”

“and i’m lucky you loved me back, and also didn’t burn down my kitchen.” she murmured, voice almost gone from her cold.

sunghoon chuckled and let a huge grin plaster onto his face as he leaned in once more, placing a longing kiss on the tip of her nose.

“get to sleep, pretty girl.” he whispered.

y/n yawned, nodding her head and complying without an insult with how exhausted she was.

he pulled her closer into his arms, engulfing her into his soothing embrace as he muzzled his head on top of hers.

she breathed in his scent, feeling at home when she easily rested her hands at his chest.

the two cuddled, holding each other close to their dearest hearts with a new relationship that just unfolded.

✩ ‘all my life is you’ ✩

★・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・★

[dat-town]

like rain, we fell (in love)

Characters: idol!Jaehyun & female reader

Setting & genre: idol au with simpism and loserism, an attempt at comedy, very heavily inspired by Lovely Runner

Summary: Jaehyun met you on a rainy day before debut. Almost 5 years later he is an established name in the industry, the nation’s puppy boyfriend. When he meets you again, idol image be damned he won’t miss this chance.

Warnings: birth names are used, mentions of uncertainty, dieting, stress, exhaustion, sasaengs and similar things idol life can bring; idol life and dating culture is still taken a lot lighter than reality to spare the angst. there is one drunk man threatening the mc at one point but nothing physical happens. after the time skip, the boys are aged up because we’re fast forwarding to 2027 which also means there are a bunch of made up things about bnd’s future. even though i tried my best to research predebut things, this fic in no way tries to depict real lives. all characters are fictional and not actual representation of the boys.

Words: 9.7k

Author’s note: ever since i finished the drama i had the idea written down with an idol mentioning his first love on live just like how Ryu Sunjae did. initially it wasn’t for Jaehyun but then he dropped his Sonaki cover and he gives off the vibes, doesn’t he? when the MAC advertisement is mentioned, imagine something like this

@restlessmaknae at this point, i'm not even saying anything... just enjoy <3

3 MONTHS BEFORE DEBUT

It was raining on the day Myung Jaehyun met you.

It was a particularly exhausting day, the bad kind. Normally he didn’t mind the ache in his muscles, proof of their hard work nor being so damn tired after getting back to the dorms past midnight that he could barely remember to wash up before falling to bed. But there were these kinds of days when dragging themselves home from the practice room felt like something they were undeserving of, when doubts were too loud as their dance teacher’s words about still not being synchronized enough rang in their ears. He could tell it was affecting all of them.

The car ride back to the dorms was often quiet so late at night as they tried to catch every bit of sleep they could but it was often filled with snacking, watching videos and small talk too. It was rarely this tense, so thick that it lingered in the air. Jaehyun could tell that nobody could sleep this time even if Dongmin pretended to with his eyes closed, hoodie up and headphones over his ears. Woonhak looked like he was one more scolding word away from tearing up and usually Jaehyun would have been the one who tried to lighten up the mode, who joked around, who poked and teased and babbled until the tension broke and they laughed. But that day, it was too much, he couldn’t think of anything to say, nothing that could have cheered them up so close to the final evaluation, so close to messing up their chance for debut.

When the car halted in front of their dorm building, everybody scurried out of the van with half-hearted goodbyes to the staff member who gave them the ride. Jaehyun was the last one to get out of the car, his sports bag felt heavy on his shoulder and his still damp fringe hung into his eyes. He felt uneasy going back to the dorm, knowing he wouldn’t sleep anyways, so his steps slowed down, unsure, even after the van left. It was Sungho after having patted the others’ back, wishing them good night, who had noticed him stalling.

“You good?” He asked quietly, dark spots under his eyes showing that he didn’t fare any better than any of them, yet he tried. Jaehyun wasn’t sure whether it had something to do with the responsibility he felt as the oldest or it was just his personality but he was really grateful to have him with them. He was even more grateful that the elder boy didn’t show any kind of grudge against him being voted as their future leader despite joining KOZ only at the end of last year. At times like this, Jaehyun doubted he could do a good job at leading a team. He wasn’t made to do so. He was loud and messy. They should have chosen Sungho with his easy smiles and orderliness, since they had already often relied on him.

“I will catch up with you soon,” Jaehyun promised before turning down the road. He wasn’t sure where he was headed but he knew he needed to clear his head.

Even though he only knew the other boys for a few months, he could easily imagine their different ways of coping. Donghyun and Sanghyeok talking in the darkness of their room, Sungho stress-cleaning their kitchen, Taesan already working on his next cool song about beating allegations of not being good enough while Woonhak forcing himself to go to sleep because poor kid had to go to school in less than 6 hours. And him? Out at night swinging at a playground because he wanted to scream but couldn’t. He felt worn out like he wasn’t made for this but at the same time he couldn’t imagine any other life. Especially when after sacrificing his youth on the altar of training, after wasting years at YG watching all of his friends debut, he was finally so close. They were so close to turning their dream into reality.

Eventually he ended up at a 24/7 convenience store a few corners from their dorms. They had other ones closer, ones they were regulars at but he had already come so far, so it only made sense. He mumbled a greeting under his breath, his hoodie engulfing his figure, as he headed towards the snacks section. He momentarily faltered as he passed by the alcoholic drinks, the idea of getting drunk and forgetting about his problems a tad bit too tempting for a moment. But after he’d had way too much makgeolli during Christmas, he hadn't really been keen on revisiting that hungover. It was a stupid idea anyways, he had vocal practice in the morning and what about his pre-debut image?

He grabbed a bag of gummies, some overly sweet candies, chocolate bars and the kimchi flavored chips he had seen in the kitchen before and headed to the checkout area.

“Would you like a bag?” The cashier asked in an all too cheerful voice despite the time nearing 1AM and that there was a textbook open on the counter.

“Yes, please,” Jaehyun muttered, fishing out his worn wallet he had gotten from his father when he had moved out to chase his dreams.

Items were scanned then put into a black plastic bag, card swiped, receipt ignored, it was all monotonous and robotic and Jaehyun was too tired to actually pay attention to anything. He didn’t even notice the heavy rain that started up until he approached the store’s automatically opening door and the wind hit him. Oh, just his luck. As if he needed something to make his day worse.

Jaehyun sighed, bracing himself against the cold and getting soaking wet until he reached the dorm. He could only hope he wouldn’t get a sore throat by tomorrow morning. But before he could have stepped outside, he heard movement behind him and felt gentle taps on his shoulder.

“Here, take it,” you held out a transparent colored umbrella towards him when he turned around and Jaehyun blinked dumbfounded. You had still worn the store’s uniform just like you had done behind the cash register and your voice was just as melodious as before but now that he looked at you properly he couldn’t unsee it: the beauty in your smile and the kindness in your eyes.

It sounded too good to be true to not get rained on and save the poor excuse of treats he bought for the boys to cheer them up from getting wet but he wasn't sure he could accept it from a stranger just like that. Wouldn’t you get in trouble for that? How would you get home in this weather?

“But…”

“We have plenty more left behind. You can bring it back anytime,” you smiled at him brightly like the Sun in the gloomy dark weather that embraced the two of you. Jaehyun was mesmerized then by your sparkling eyes and soft smile. He was sure he stared at you a tad bit long before catching himself.

“Thank you,” he grinned sheepishly as he took the umbrella from you. Your lips curled further up as you stepped back.

“Take care,” you wished like an angel sent from above to make his shitty day better before turning around and going back to the register while humming a mainstream kpop song.

Later when Jaehyun was back in the dorm freshly showered and tucked in his bed, all he could think about was you instead of the self-doubt that had been eating him away. You were like a miracle.

It took Jaehyun an embarrassingly long time to figure out how to take the umbrella back. Not to mention, he was quite protective of the cheap piece, he even shrieked a tiny bit dramatically and made Woonhak swear he would take care of it when he saw the younger mindlessly grab it from by the door on a cloudy day.

Sure, he could have simply taken the umbrella back, given it to you and said thank you again but come on, that was too… anticlimactic. He needed a better excuse to keep talking to you, to hear that cheery voice and see your soft smile.

The perfect opportunity came when he heard Sungho complain about running out of dishwashing liquid and even though they didn’t even share the same dorm and they could have just asked the cleaning lady who visited weekly, Jaehyun took it upon himself to get some. He had no idea about dishwashing things after all. All of them were the same yellow liquid to him and he didn’t really care about degreasing agents or traits for sensitive hands, so it was something he could have asked you about and maybe casually slipping into a conversation about your lives? He had already drafted three lyrics about the different scenarios playing in his head and because he wasn’t the most subtle person ever, Dongmin obviously noticed.

“Do I wanna know?” He quirked an eyebrow knowingly before turning back to the studio's computer at Jaehyun’s sigh.

“It’s nothing,” the elder brushed it off because he might have been shameless and loud about most things, but he wanted to keep you just for himself for a while. So he let out another exaggerated sigh and pointed at the screen. “Let’s go over the track you showed me two days ago, I might have lyrics for it.”

Dongmin hummed and let it slide, but Jaehyun was sure that he couldn’t avoid the confrontation much longer. He hoped that the temporary ignorance meant that the younger knew that he would have never done anything to jeopardize their debut.

He was merely embarrassing himself apparently.

Because the next time he visited the convenience store on a clear sky night with zero chances of rain, he stood at the door of the store, umbrella in one hand, staring dumbfoundedly at the guy playing on his phone behind the counter. No sight of you or your pretty smiles. So he stood there, dumbfounded, gaping like one of Donghyun’s fish, wondering whether he mistook the day you had met but there was absolutely no way he could have, not with the amount of times he thought about it. It was exactly two weeks before, at the same time, at the exact same place. He couldn’t have mistaken it.

“Are you coming in or what?” The cashier looked up, bored and a bit annoyed at this late hour, so Jaehyun tried his best to appear nonchalant despite his heart breaking. He knew he was dramatic but he couldn’t help it, like he even dressed up nicely! And there was no smiley cashier greeting him? No you?

“Yeah,” he coughed, hurrying down one random aisle and spending too much time to find the dishwasher section to grab one bottle without looking at it too much.

The ‘take the umbrella back and talk with you’ mission was a failure but at least Sungho was happy about his surprise purchase, even complimenting him on the nice scent he chose as if Jaehyun would have ever bought cherry blossom ones on purpose.

Jaehyun thought he was doing a fair job of not moping but out of all people it had to be Woonhak who called him out on it. The maknae was surprisingly insightful for his age, unfortunately so.

“Hyung, if it’s still about the last donut I ate last week, we can get some later,” Woonhak nudged his arm while Jaehyun was busy zoning out, trying to come up with a less pathetic idea than camping outside of the convenience store just to bump into you.

“What?” He blinked at the younger, confused.

“You are sighing so much,” Woonhak furrowed his eyebrows, visibly worried. Probably because it wasn’t Jaehyun’s default behavior.

“Oh,” he cleared his throat but then forced himself to process the younger’s previous words. “Wait! Was it you? We are so gonna get those donuts now. You’re paying.”

Woonhak whined, pretending to be annoyed when he was pulled out of his seat, towards the door but he laughed anyway when his pout managed to convince Jaehyun not only to let him choose the flavors but to pay as the older as well. Pretending to be fine mission: success.

Another week passed and Jaehyun was high on energy this time because after his newfound inspiration and determination, all of their hard work seemed to finally pay off: it was officially confirmed that they would debut. At the end of May, their dreams would finally come true. A new life would begin.

If being a trainee getting ready for monthly evaluations was hard, preparing for a debut was twice as tiring. They had photoshoots, video shoots, concept meetings, stage name discussions, album recordings, dance practices with their songs. It was everything Jaehyun had ever wanted and more, it was overwhelming but in a good way, so in the midst of it all, he kind of forgot about the whole umbrella ordeal. He treasured the memory of meeting you and kept it as something to keep him going on bad days.

But of course, it had to be a day when he went out for an evening run (which he hated but Sungho and their choreographer nagged him about to build up stamina), so he was sweaty and panting when he ended up at the store again afraid of dying out of dehydration if he kept going without water. He jogged to the fridges in the back and grabbed the first cold bottle he saw before heading to the checkout area only to freeze a few steps away when he saw you behind the register. Your hair was up this time too, only a few locks falling into your eyes that sparkled like stars in the sky.

“Is everything okay?” you asked in that kind voice that he thought he would only hear in his dreams again and Jaehyun had to remind himself to act normal.

“Uhm, yeah, fine. More than fine actually,” he fumbled with his words and wanted to slap himself for it. Who the hell was more than fine when he was sweating bucks and could barely gulp with how dry his mouth was? He crossed that two meters between you and put the water bottle on the counter, watching you scan the item, more hair falling into your face as they slipped from behind your ears. Jaehyun’s fingers itched to fix it but that would have been creepy and rude as hell so he closed his fingers into fists next to his side.

“Sorry, I forgot to bring back the umbrella,” he muttered sheepishly and you looked back at him with a little confused frown on your forehead, then you chuckled. It was music for the boy’s ears, the prettiest symphony.

“Ah, it’s okay, there’s no rush,” you waved it off and asked if it was everything else before activating the card reader terminal. “You didn’t catch a cold, right?”

“No.”

“Good, then I’m glad I could help,” you smiled like it was normal, like you would have done it for everyone which was sweet but also made Jaehyun’s chest ache.

“I just wasn’t sure it would come off wrong if I gave it to somebody else. So I wanted to make sure it was you but you weren’t here last week when I came, so…” Jaehyun knew that he rumbled but he couldn’t stop. He hoped that you found him more cute than weird though because he wanted to keep your eyes on him a little longer.

“Ah, I switched with Daehyeong because he had an exam earlier that day. I work three night shifts and two afternoon ones usually,” you said, listing the days for each which engraved themselves into Jaehyun’s mind as he took the receipt and the bottle from you.

“I will make sure to bring it back one of these days,” he promised enthusiastically to which you smiled and showed him an okay sign formed from your hand so cute Jaehyun swore he almost melted right then and there. You weren’t even trying and it was cuter than Woonhak’s aegyo!

“Careful!” You called after him when he almost walked into the automatically opening door because he was too busy looking back on you. But then you both laughed, him nervously and embarrassed, you a little bit amused and endeared and suddenly, Jaehyun’s lung having a hard time breathing had nothing to do with running.

Sungho was the first person Jaehyun told about you. He thought about going to Sanghyeok or Donghyun for advice but the eldest was the one he could trust to keep his secret even among them and who had a girlfriend before, so he seemed like the most promising option. Not that Jaehyun was going to ask you out on a date! He knew that would have been stupid of him to do so, especially so close to debut but his thoughts kept gravitating back to you. He just wanted to talk to you and he had no experience with other chromosomes other than his own due to the all boys school he attended and the bunch of dudes he spent his teens with in small practice rooms. Company training lessons on how to charm fans didn’t count as experience, so he needed some advice on how to not embarrass himself in front of you or come off too strong. Who knew Sungho’s advice would be so useless?

“Just be yourself.”

“That’s the most cliché thing you could have told me,” Jaehyun deadpanned with a black look.

“Well, it’s a common advice for a reason,” Sungho crossed his arms in front of his chest which made the other boy sigh. Always so logical, he should have known not to come here. Too much T energy for his F to handle.

“Which part of not embarrassing myself did you not get?”

The older boy rolled his eyes.

“Come on, Jaehyun, you have an excited puppy energy, girls love that.”

Oh no, now Sungho’s voice was soft like when he talked to Woonhak when he got a bad grade on a test he actually studied for. It was time to make a joke out of it.

“Well, I will blame you if I pee myself in excitement when our hands touch,” he snorted before mulling over his own words. “Do you think it would be weird as a lyrics?”

Sungho sighed, unimpressed, and didn’t even hesitate.

“Yes.”

Damn Park Sungho and his stupid advice, Jaehyun didn’t feel more prepared (if at all) when he decided to bring the umbrella back. However, it would have been awkward if he waited too long after your last encounter, so he decided to bite the bullet and just go. You recognized him right away and smiled at him widely. Jaehyun really didn’t understand how you could be so bright all the time when it was so late.

“Thanks,” you bobbed your head when he reached the umbrella over and your fingers brushed his when you took it, sending electricity down Jaehyun’s back.

“I should be the one thanking you,” he said, fidgeting with his fingers in front of himself.

“It really wasn’t anything special,” you tried to reassure him but it made the boy pout.

“Ah, so you would have done this for everybody,” he blurted out, sounding more disappointed than he would have admitted, his heart beating loud in his ears.

“Nah, just the cute ones,” you replied while you put the umbrella behind the counter and Jaehyun was sure he misheard you because what? There’s no way you called him cute.

“What?!” He echoed his thoughts and if he looked closer he would have seen your red ears.

“I said not everybody,” you lied after clearing your throat, avoiding his eyes. Gosh, when did it turn awkward? So the boy tried to salvage the situation.

“I’m Jaehyun by the way,” he spoke up as casually as he could manage and he probably did a good job because you didn’t look weirded out. Not until you introduced yourself and he blurted out that he knew. “I mean, it’s on your name tag,” he explained hastily with a relieved giggle when you laughed it off too.

And it somehow became a habit: Jaehyun came by once or twice a week, buying small things like snacks or drinks and he chatted with you. Nothing special, just a bit about your days (your university classes and his newest story about his roommates that made you smile), snack flavor preference (you liked veggie chips while he preferred barbeque flavor), the weather (you liked clear nights the best because the moon was so pretty) and music (he might have fanboyed a bit too hard when you said you were waiting for Jungkook’s next single to drop because same!). Not to mention that you listening to kpop meant you wouldn’t find his career path offputting, so Jaehyun became a bit more sure that he would tell you about it one of these days.

For a while he thought that his most awkward visit was that one time when Dongmin dragged him to the convenience store for a late night snack and he tried very hard not to make it obvious in front of his group mate that he was crushing on you but failed miserably because when he went to get chopsticks for themselves, you smiled at him and he almost tripped. He thought he managed to recover quickly enough for the other boy to not notice but the younger’s shiteating grin was enough to dash his hopes.

“So she’s your sudden muse, huh?” Dongmin raised a brow teasingly and Jaehyun hissed at him to shut up, an unexpected change in their usual dynamics.

However, his next visit topped the most awkward encounter ever. This time when he went back, there was only silence greeting him instead of your usual cheerfulness and it took the boy no longer than two seconds to realize that it was because you were soundlessly sleeping over the counter next to the cash register.

It certainly didn’t look like the most comfortable position for your back and Jaehyun was sure there was some kind of rule against being asleep on the clock but he couldn’t make himself wake you up. You looked so peaceful and so pretty. Your cheeks rounded as they were squished against the desk, pink lips in a pout, eyelashes fluttering slightly like butterfly wings. Jaehyun was mesmerized, writing a song about your sleeping beauty in his head already. 

Then the idyll was broken when the automatic door opened revealing a tired university student and you blinked your eyes open. You probably noticed him creepily staring, so Jaehyun panicked and grabbed the first thing from the display next to him that he could reach and dropped in front of you without looking, trying to act cool while not making you feel bad for taking a nap.

You cleared your throat, straightened your back, looking at him sheepishly with big doe eyes and an apologetic smile which he reciprocated… only for it to drop when his gaze followed yours and settled on the item on the counter between the two of you.

A box of extra large condoms.

Jaehyun never wanted Earth to open up and shallow him more than in that moment, he might have as well just died of embarrassment, but before he could have snatched it back and fumble over his words to try to find a believable excuse how he could grab it instead of for example a pack of chewing gum, you had already scanned it with a forced smile as the professional you were.

The boy’s body acted on its own entity, detached from his currently cursed soul and he paid, leaving the shop with 10000 won shorter and condoms he wasn’t going to use. Like have you seen his chronically single ass? He couldn’t even hold a conversation with a girl he liked, not to mention getting laid. Jaehyun wanted to bang his head into a wall. He didn’t know how he was going to look you into the eyes after this.

To Donghyun’s credit, he at least tried not to laugh when Jaehyun caved and told the younger about his dilemma. If it was Sungho with his ijbolism he would have already been on the floor barely catching his breath. Especially because it was him being himself after his oh so great advice!

“You know you could be just honest. Maybe she will find it cute that you were too distracted by her beauty to check what you were getting,” Donghyun said with a little hum, his mouth curled up in a smile but his attention back on his fish.

“Nope. No way. It might make her uncomfortable,” Jaehyun shook his head, not risking it. He didn’t want to burden you with his feelings when he knew he wasn’t in the position to pursue them even if you gave him a chance.

“Then just tell her it was a prank gift if it comes up,” the younger shrugged and while it sounded like an actual reasonable idea, it still required Jaehyun to discuss the topic with you, so needless to say he concluded that the best thing he could do was to avoid you forever. It wasn’t ideal per se but nor was the timing and dramatic situations called for drastic measures (or something like that).

So he didn’t plan to go back to the convenience store ever but what was he supposed to do when during one of his night runs (he was now torturing himself without Sungho’s prompting too) he saw a quite drunk looking man enter the building? He had to make sure you were okay.

Still, he hoped that his gut feeling was wrong and that he was in for another embarrassing encounter instead of you being cornered by a stranger but when he stepped inside the store only to see you pulled away from the counter as much as you could while the drunkard swung a soju bottle in the air, he knew he made the right call.

“Hey, leave her alone!” Jaehyun raised his voice without thinking it through. He just wanted the dude to get away from you because he looked threatening enough but the moment the man’s attention turned to him, he internally panicked because heck, he had a music video shooting in two days, the makeup artist noonas would kill him if he got punched. Or worse, what if Dispatch finds out that he got into a fight before debut? He would ruin everything. Zico PD would be so disappointed. He was supposed to be the leader after all.

“Stay out of it, kid,” the man slurred and your big doe eyes were on him too, wary and partly  relieved. It gave Jaehyun the boost he needed.

“I saw you pocket drinks. I’m calling the police,” he found his voice again enough to bluff seeing the stuffed coat on the other but he was either right or the man was drunk enough not to care.

“Mind your own business,” he muttered but with big bravado he stumbled out of the store, bumping his shoulder into Jaehyun’s most likely on purpose.

“Gosh, thank you so much,” you let out a long breath and finally your tensed shoulders relaxed.

“Are you okay?” Jaehyun asked, worried because even though you seemed physically okay, it must have been scary. Like even he almost shat himself while trying to assert dominance with eye contact. If Dongmin ever heard about it, he would have surely suggested to him to bark next time with how keen he was on teasing him for his usual puppy-like behavior. But look at him now winning an alpha staredown! He was definitely a wolf!

“Yes, it’s just… he wanted cigarettes too and got angry when I asked him to pay for the drinks first,” you said, still a bit shaken up but much calmer now.

Jaehyun wished he could see your lovely smile again and suddenly his last visit’s embarrassing outcome was the least of his worries. He decided to stick around, so he bought cup noodles and prepared it in the store’s self-catering corner while stealing glances at you. It was a quiet late night like usual, so you didn’t have much to do behind the register but still he was quite taken aback (and his heart started beating like a drum) when you decided to leave your post and sit beside him on one of those plastic chairs.

You talked about sweet little nothings like the passing cherry blossom season, favorite movies, your annoying professors and as cliche as it is, time flew by. You only realized how much when the guy for the next shift arrived.  You excused yourself to get changed and grab your things while Jaehyun cleaned up the table where he had his late night meal. When you emerged from the staff room, saying goodbye to the other employee, you seemed a bit surprised to see the boy still there which made him scratch the back of his neck bashfully.

“I will walk you to the bus stop. He might be still out there,” he explained himself and could only hope it didn’t sound as lame as he thought so. It was clearly an excuse but you let him get away with it with an easy smile.

Jaehyun’s heart couldn’t catch a breath as you were walking side by side, arms brushing from time to time, chattering about the constellations above, asking for his zodiac, pointing out stars he could only see reflected in your eyes. He had never been so enamored by anybody and he wished to keep this feeling forever fluttering in his chest.

“Are you okay?” Your voice pulled him out of his thoughts which made him stumble upon his words.

“Uh, yeah, sure,” he smiled, not wanting to worry you, swinging his intertwined finger behind him because he didn’t know what to do with them. He had to keep himself occupied otherwise he would have done something stupid like reaching out to hold your hand with the excuse of dark, late night.

Your bus came just on time and for once, Jaehyun would have liked for it to be late because he could have listened to you talk about the sagittarius constellation until dusk but he didn’t want to keep you up either and the reasonable part of his brain also knew that he would regret staying up so late.

“Thank you again for earlier. And for keeping me company. I had fun,” you smiled at him, waving him goodbye which he could only reciprocate, starstruck.

The debut date was on the corner and with that, all of them got even busier, not to mention, the six boys crammed in a small place were supposed to move dorms too. Jaehyun should have been happy and don’t get him wrong, he was! This was what he had been waiting for, why he spent years in smelly training rooms until his muscles ached. This was what he wanted but a part of him couldn’t move past the fact that moving meant that your workplace wouldn’t be in the vicinity anymore, so he told himself that it was now or never. He would tell you about his well-kept secret and hope for the best. For what exactly he wasn’t sure but still.

He went back to the convenience store at the usual time since he had known your schedule by heart by then and there was no way he would have forgotten. But when he walked inside the store with his signature smile, you were nowhere to be found. There was another girl with bright dyed hair behind the counter flipping a magazine.

“Sorry, did Y/N change her schedule?” Jaehyun found himself asking, this time knowing better than to succumb to moping without questioning first.

“Oh, she resigned, wants to focus on studying more,” the girl replied after popping out the chewing gum in her mouth. Then after a pause, she asked: “Are you Jaehyun?”

The boy was taken aback. Knowing that you had told your coworker about him turned his ears red as he nodded slowly.

“She said to give you this if you come around,” the  cashier said and handed over a familiar transparent umbrella with a pink post-it note saying ‘monsoon season is coming. take care :)’ and while it was sweet and maybe it was for the better this way with his debut on the corner, Jaehyun had no idea a heart could be broken so gently.

4.5 YEARS AFTER DEBUT

The crisp of cold pinched Jaehyun’s cheeks as he exited the black van immediately blinded by the flash of cameras. He bowed and smiled towards the fans, waving and posing until a hand on his back reminded him to move forward.

Inside the broadcasting station there was a different kind of chaos: staff members running around, makeup artists touching up his face, professional cameras set up around, his manager reminding him to promote the upcoming concert as if he could forget. They sold out the Olympic Stadium after all, Jaehyun was still giddy (and nervous and awestruck) about the fact.

He greeted the veteran host of the radio show with a practiced, professional smile. He had gotten used to solo schedules early thanks to his MCountdown MC days, so he didn’t find it as nerve wracking as others did. He still remembered seeing the ever so (seemingly) all cool and aloof Dongmin shake with nerves before he left for his first meeting as a producer. These days, with their group’s reputation secured after hits that won Song of the Year awards dusting on their company’s shelf, they had more of these solo jobs, each of them doing their own thing: Sungho trying out acting, Sanghyuk choreographing for rookies and helping trainees, Dongmin writing songs for names even bigger than theirs, Donghyun narrating a wildlife documentary series, Woonhak having his own show while Jaehyun was busy with variety shows. Just to list a few of the things they were doing between comebacks and group schedules. Fans and the general public loved them, Jaehyun for example was dubbed as the nation's puppy boyfriend after he was deemed very boyfriend material on a Running Man episode simply for being more considerate than competitive.

It was exactly how the radio show host introduced him as too right after the greeting segment of the morning radio broadcast.

“Jaehyun-ssi, it’s so nice to have you here,” the woman turned to him and the idol grinned, boyish charm still clear on his face.

“The pleasure’s all mine.”

“Oh, I heard you would be a sweet talker,” the lady chuckled and Jaehyun joined in, used to the Butter Myung allegations since his own members liked to call him out on it too. It had become a thing early on.

“Only for noona… and Onedoors,” he winked into the camera because it came easy and because the reactions were good. The host seemed to enjoy his presence as well or was just as professional at her job as he was. They talked a bit in general about the day’s topic a bit and Jaehyun answered a few viewer’s questions in-between played songs. He talked about preparing for the Stadium concert and an upcoming album as well as what he had been up to lately.

“So tell us about the OST you wrote for MBC’s new hit drama. It’s been charting high ever since its release, right?” The lady grabbed this chance to inquire about In every lifetime, it’s you.

Jaehyun wasn't the first one who had a solo OST deal (it was Sungho for one of the first dramas he acted in as a support character) but he was the first one who was involved in the production, even allowed to write the lyrics in the concept of first love. The idol’s fingers twitched in his lap with the urge to scratch the back of his neck as he thought back on the dozen songs he had written about you and then kept in a hidden folder on his computer because they all sounded too real, too close to what he felt. Pouring his feelings into an OST for a drama was different because there was less promotion period if any and it was less unlikely that his members called him out on his sappiness every time they had to perform it. So he talked about the production, how quick it went and how taken aback he was by the immensely positive response.

“Is it inspired by real events? Based on your own first love perhaps?” The host inquired, curious, and Jaehyun could already tell that it will be the most rewatched part of the show. They weren’t rookies anymore, they could talk about things like it, past crushes or even exes. Sure, some might get upset but most fans moved on quickly and such things couldn’t ruin their career anymore.

“You can say so, but my first love was just a one sided crush. She gave me an umbrella on a rainy day, that inspired the song. I still have it, although the second time I got it as a goodbye,” Jaehyun admitted with a nostalgic smile, hoping that it would be enough to satisfy the host’s curiosity. If not, he had the perfect comeback. “My second love for Onedoor remains strong to this day though and I hope it’s mutual.”

“Ah, Jaehyun-ssi, I’m sure it is,” the lady chuckled and added a few words about the drama itself before playing the OST itself. It started with the sound of rain and it made the boy smile because as the lyrics unfolded, the instrumental became livelier and happier too like a rainbow after a sudden storm. Just how your smile and kindness had turned his awful day not so bad.

A few more fan questions were answered, Jaehyun thanked them for their continuous support and mentioned seeing them at the upcoming concert. All went well and Jaehyun felt giddy as he exited the venue like always when he could interact with fans.

He had no idea that on the other side of the city you were listening to the radio show, fingers freezing over the keyboard.

Their schedules were usually tight but Jaehyun enjoyed the buzz of it all. Sure, he liked to laze around in bed but there was nothing like being booked and busy because it really showed just how far they had come. There were times when they were exhausted but after being in the industry for a while they learned how to recognize the signs of burnout or being overwhelmed and they were lucky enough to have Zico PD-nim on their side. Their hyung might have been serious about music but he prioritized their health over profit enough to stand by them against shareholders who were in it for the money and not the music. He also reminded them to just have fun… within reasonable limits. Being an idol wasn’t sunshine and rainbows, there was dieting, being followed by Dispatch and sasaengs breaking into their hotel rooms or mobbing them at the airport. But at those times Jaehyun reminded himself that he had his best friends with him and they were doing what they loved. What more could he ask for?

So Jaehyun didn’t complain even if he spent long hours at the studio yesterday night but had to wake up at the crack of dawn to make it to the filming studio for their new MAC lipstick ad. Four hours of individual and group shots but at least they only had one set of clothes this time, an elegant black and white suit and tie combo for all of them. Jaehyun teased Woonhak about looking like a real adult now as if he hadn’t seen a boy in a similar attire three weeks ago at an award ceremony. But their maknae was way too cute when he pouted, so he couldn’t miss this chance.

“We’re starting off with the group shots. Are all of you ready?” An employee from the filming crew came up to them and the group members nodded, following him to the set with black background.

Once they took their place and turned around, they bowed to the staff: cameramen, photographer, stylists who would touch their makeup up, concept director, marketing and PR people from MAC next to their manager. For a moment – a moment too long – Jaehyun’s gaze got stuck on a figure on her phone, hair up with claw clips, voice like happy little chimes at Christmas, a vaguely familiar sound that knocked the air out of his chest.

“Jaehyun?” Sungho hissed, nudging him in the side when the silence stretched too far and everybody looked at them expectedly. Jaehyun cleared his throat.

“Who’s there? Boynextdoor! Hello, we’re Boynextdoor, please take care of us,” he bowed again and the others followed his lead like always. No matter how much they (especially Dongmin) teased him, they always followed him with unconditional trust. Jaehyun loved them like brothers.

The leader was out of it now though, so he had to blink to regain focus. It wasn’t the first time he imagined seeing you again. He had imagined (and written out) a bunch of different scenarios how it would play out but nothing ever happened. Korea wasn’t a small country after all, hell even Seoul was too big to just stumble upon you. He needed to get it together.

The photoshoot started with the group shots and Jaehyun managed to collect himself enough to follow instructions and channel through his inner model that he developed over the years. The photographer seemed satisfied with their work as well because everything went smoothly and they didn’t have to do many retakes. Once it was done, the individual shots followed. They played rock, paper, scissors (the ultimate solution for everything) earlier to decide the order and since Sanghyuk won, he was the first one to go. This way, once he was gone he could have done anything he wanted – sleep, play, hold a live, whatever – until the others were on.

Jaehyun was the third, which wasn’t bad but wasn’t really good either. He didn’t have enough time for a nap but he had more time to kill than just to wait around, so he decided to get drinks from the food support trucks their fan clubs had sent for their schedule. He asked the others if they wanted anything before taking off. First, he took pictures with the trucks to upload to social media later then got an iced americano for himself and another for Woonhak as if the youngest didn’t have enough energy without the caffeine.

Going back to the building, he literally tripped when he saw you.

Again. And this time there was no mistaking, no questions about it. It wasn’t a hallucination. It was you right then and right there, in front of him, talking with another staff member animatedly. After all these years you still looked like you were in his returning daydreams: all kind smiles and refreshing aura. Except that this wasn’t a dream. You might have lost the baby fat in your cheeks and your hair might have gotten longer, your smile was still dimpled. Instead of the convenience store uniform you had worn over your casual jeans-tee combo back then, now you dressed business casual and it was funny, really, because he went from sweatpants and hoodies to suit and tie as well. At least for now.

It was Woonhak who pulled him out of his reverie, waving a hand in front of his face before taking his coffee. (Luckily years of dance practices gave Jaehyun a good enough balance to upright himself before spilling coffee all over the ground and himself.)

“Hyung, come on… be at least a bit more subtle,” the boy sighed, rolling his eyes as if saying he couldn’t believe that Jaehyun was older than him and still acted like this. However, the leader couldn’t care less about the fact that he was acting embarrassing or not. He tugged on Woonhak’s jacket while still staring at you.

“It’s her,” he whispered as if he wasn’t already terribly obvious while the younger one was casually sipping on his drink.

“Huh?”

“The umbrella girl,” Jaehyun clarified, which made the youngest’s eyes turn into big saucers before turning towards you.

More or less, the group knew about you and about Jaehyun’s hopeless crush. It was hard not to with how treasured that umbrella was that he always carried with himself as a lucky charm or how many songs he had written with you in his thoughts.

No wonder Woonhak started slapping him on the shoulder out of excitement but he did his best at not saying anything out loud which in itself was already a relief. Him shuffling towards the others to relay the news or Jaehyun tapping his feet out of nervousness before his turn not so much. The thought of you watching him work made him super aware of every tiny detail and he wanted it to be perfect. He wanted you to see him and remember and see how far he had come. But he never caught you watching in-between takes when he could look away from the camera. You were either on the phone or talking with somebody.

Little did he know that you looked whenever he looked away.

He couldn’t find you after the shooting was done. Actually the entire MAC staff seemed to leave early but it still felt unfair. Having seen you and you slipping through his fingers again drove Jaehyun crazy. Especially because the photos came out well. He looked good enough to impress. It was such a wasted chance.

Should he send flowers to your workplace? Would that be too much? Too random?

There he was back with his overthinking and moping.

However, the next day, his phone buzzed with a message from their manager saying that he can’t pick them up to take them to the studio because he has to swing by at the MAC headquarters for some promotional products and the idol immediately perked up because wait! That was your workplace!

“Guys, guys, guys!” He shrieked, jumping up on his feet, startling Sanghyuk who was dozing off next to him on the couch. “I think I just got a sign from the universe telling me to go for it.”

With their individual activities and single rooms in their newest dorm, it was a rare occurrence that all of them were together but most of them still hung out in shared spaces like the living room when they had nothing to do. That was how Jaehyun got Sanghyuk and Dongmin there to witness his reaction and he pushed his phone into their faces. Luckily the guys looked interested enough in his sudden love life to listen to his ramble whether it had been weird if he went too and what he should have done if you weren’t there despite all his efforts. Oh gosh, maybe he shouldn’t go after all, because what if you were there? He could make a fool of himself.

“Jeez, hyung, and regret it for years again? You are not a trainee anymore with an uncertain future. You are one of the biggest names of our generation,” Dongmin huffed, then after a short pause and a bite of his snack, he added: “By the way I will deny it if anyone asks if I said that.”

It didn’t tamper Jaehyun’s hyped up mood though because that was true, things were really different from what they had been like five years ago.

“Thanks, Dongmin-ah, you are right,” he nodded to himself with his eyes lit up. He scrambled to get up from the couch quickly. He needed to decide on his outfit! He couldn’t go to MAC looking the same way (comfort over fashion) as he planned to lock himself into his studio.

“I’m always right,” Dongmin mumbled under his nose just as Jaehyun disappeared into his room after he shot a casual enough ‘can i tag along?’ message to their manager. Even if the man was surprised about his sudden interest in marketing procedures, he didn’t protest, just told him the time to be ready by if he wanted to come along.

Once they arrived at the office building and their manager was busy with paperwork and the gift bags, Jaehyun tried to hold himself back but even he was aware that he was perching over cubicle walls like an eager puppy waiting for its owner to take him out on a walk. He heard whispers following him, some employees asking another if it was The Myung Jaehyun or they were just seeing things. Jaehyun smiled at them with his most charming smile instead of confirming with words.

Was it considered stalking? He was just at your workplace and it wasn't without reason, so it wouldn’t have been a lie either if you asked about it. Jeez, why was he so nervous? He had performed in front of thousands and was used to live TV appearances. Worst case scenario you didn’t remember him and he only embarrassed himself in front of you which wouldn’t have been the first time nor the second. He could do it!

Jaehyun was in the middle of giving himself a pep talk when he saw a woman he had seen you talk to at the shooting and he did his best to subtly follow her to the print room.

“Excuse me…”

“Oh, Jaehyun-ssi, what are you doing here?” The woman blinked in surprise when she recognized him and the idol had no choice but to use his smoldering smile that often managed to get people to do exactly how he wanted. As casually as he could to not get follow-up questions, he asked if you were still in the office at which the lady furrowed her brows, asking back to confirm that she heard your name correctly.

“She just left actually. I saw her by the elevators a minute ago. You might catch up to her if it’s really urgent or I can try to help if–”

“Thank you, you’ve been a great help already!” Jaehyun cut her off as politely as he could with a bow before bolting towards the elevators in a totally idol-like sprint. Maybe he should have participated in the running category for the next ISAC.

It was déjà vu really, but only when the automatic doors of the office building opened did he notice that it had started snowing while he was inside. The scenery was breathtaking with petal-like snowflakes dressing the night cityscape whiter. Or was breathing difficult because of his heart beating too fast in his chest? He couldn't have missed you again, right?

Frantic, he looked around in the square in front of the building, looking for your figure while snow was slowly accessorizing his dark hair in big, fluffy flakes and the cold bit into his cheeks. He slid his reddened hands into his pockets because he forgot his gloves, not expecting snow that day.

“Do you still not bring an umbrella with you?” A familiar yet new, sweet voice asked him, amused and Jaehyun blinked the snow out of his eyes to focus on you.

Your cheeks were flushed from the cold, the bottom of your face hidden behind your fluffy scarf but he could tell from your eyes that you were smiling as you held an umbrella over both of you. 

So you remembered! Jaehyun could barely contain his relieved giggle.

“It’s been a while,” he noted instead, not wanting to miss the chance or seeming weird by just staring at you in awe. Gosh, you were so cute. How could you have gotten cuter with age?

“Yeah,” you nodded but didn’t elaborate and Jaehyun couldn’t leave it like that, he couldn’t let it turn awkward.

“Have you been well?” He asked and heck, it was so cliché, so much like small talk between strangers, but he was actually interested in what you had been up to all these years. You didn’t seem to mind, not with the corner of your mouth curling into one of the smiles he loved on you.

It turned out that you managed to graduate with flying colors and eventually get a job as a marketing assistant at MAC which you liked after some not too good experience in the beauty industry. He was happy for you because you deserved only the best. He was also selfish and he wanted more time with you, more privately, so he wouldn’t have those regrets Dongmin mentioned burdening him for not even trying.

“Do you want to, I don’t know, get a coffee? Tea? Dinner?” He found himself asking hastily and gosh, he was a stuttering mess. So much about his cool idol image. Not that you hadn’t seen him at worse but still, it was a new chance to impress you and he was failing terribly.

And maybe he messed up everything because you went awfully quiet at his question, your hand gripping tighter on the umbrella’s handle as you cast your eyes down. Jaehyun prepared himself for rejection even before the words left your mouth.

“I don’t think that’s a wise idea,” you mumbled and he gulped.

Of course it wasn’t.

“Right,” he nodded, a forced, polite smile tight on his lips even though he could practically feel his heart shattering into small pieces all over again.

He knew dating an idol wasn’t ideal, it could be daunting or heck, you might have a boyfriend already. Maybe meeting him made you uncomfortable because you didn’t keep the memories so fondly of him as he did about you.

“But it was nice seeing you again,” you added a bit belatedly and apologetically, turning to leave, to leave him stranded alone in the snowfall. At least it would make another beautiful, tragic love song, Jaehyun thought with his cold lips wobbling.

He let out a quiet sigh or so he thought but you must have heard him because then you stopped on your tracks, stilling, becoming a part of the picturesque view for a long moment before looking back, calling his name.

“Jaehyun… That song about the rain,” you started, quiet and unsure, and the singer could feel his heart’s loud thuds echo in his ears. He held his breath back, waiting for another stab in the heart. “It wasn’t a one sided crush.”

Jaehyun stopped breathing altogether. What?

He must have misheard you, there was no way you said that. It should have been the part where you told him not to write about you because it made you feel uncomfortable.

“You mean you did… That you… You too?” Jaehyun tripped all over his words. Really, for somebody who had songwriting credits on the majority of their award winning hits, it was a new low. He couldn’t even pierce together a sentence.

You closed your eyes for a bit as if to brace yourself before looking him in the eye again and Jaehyun felt the world resume spinning when you nodded. Yet, it only made him even more confused.

“Then… why?” He blurted out and you looked so confused at his question, he had to clarify. “Why isn’t it a good idea?”

A coffee, a tea, a dinner… A date or however you wanted to call it. At his straightforward question though, you looked more flustered than ever.

“I… I don’t know. Shouldn’t you know better? Don’t you have a dating ban or something?” You asked, blinking rapidly, cheeks redder than before and Jaehyun would have liked to think that it was because you blushed and not because of the cold. Especially because it was you who brought up dating!

“Oh, that. No, we don’t have a dating ban,” he cleared his throat, trying to play it off cool but a quiet chuckle still slipped past his lips.

One of the advantages of having an idol as your boss was that he knew exactly what it was like to be in their shoes. Zico himself told them that even with the ban they had found ways to make it work in secret, the risk of getting caught twice as big, so he didn’t want to impose such rules on them. He didn’t encourage it, telling them how unwise it was but still, the company couldn't have done much about it. But they all knew the risk and they were as busy as it got, not really having time for relationships anyway, so Jaehyun didn’t have to worry about it before. Not until you came back into his life.

“So? What do you say about that dinner?” He asked again, hopeful, practically feeling the awkwardness melt around you when you let out a chuckle as melodic as he remembered.

“I could eat,” you admitted and Jaehyun beamed at you, his eyes turning into crescents.

It would have been a perfect moment, a dream coming true, framed by snowflakes gliding in the air… except that his phone started buzzing with a call in his pocket at that moment and the singer swore under his breath when he saw his manager’s contact information on the screen. His disappearance surely got discovered.

“Hey, hyung, something came up, so I left early, but don’t worry, everything’s okay. More than okay actually,” he quickly took the call and ended it immediately, not giving the man a chance to ask questions but hopefully not giving him a heart attack either. Then he turned to you with a wide smile. “Let’s go.”

You chuckled as the two of you synced your steps, walking into a random direction without any concrete destination plans. You even let him take the umbrella from your hand and hold it above your duo himself, your smile shy but genuine when your fingers brushed.

Jaehyun knew that this evening would make an even better love song than the last one.

[meazalykov]

the forest

salma paralluelo x orienteer!reader (request)

summary: your girlfriend tries to understand the sport you participate in

salma is a bit confused when you first invite her to watch one of your orienteering competitions live. 

she’s seen a few races on tv, but never in person, and you can tell by the way she fidgets with her hands that she’s nervous, even if she won’t admit it.

“are you sure you are not just going to get lost in the woods?” she jokes when you’re explaining how it works, but there’s a hint of genuine concern in her voice.

“i will be fine,” you laugh, kissing her before heading to the starting area. 

“i’ll see you after i win, okay?”

she watches you run off with the rest of the competitors, map and compass in hand, disappearing into the forest within seconds. and for the first time, salma realizes she has no idea what’s actually happening. 

she looks around at the other spectators, all of them more prepared than her with binoculars, and GPS trackers to follow the competitors’ progress.

“what am i even supposed to be looking at?” she mumbles to herself, squinting at the forest.

in her mind, she wished that she brought esmee or alexia with her– just for some company.

“you’re here for y/n, right?”

salma turns to see a girl standing next to her, probably in her late teens, sporting a y/n fan t-shirt. her eyes are wide and excited, and salma smiles awkwardly, hoping this girl can help.

“yeah… how’d you know?”

“well, you looked super confused. that’s usually how people are when they come to watch y/n for the first time,” the girl says, a laugh bubbling up. 

“i’m natalie, by the way. big fan of hers.”

salma’s relieved that someone knows what’s going on. 

“i’m salma. nice to meet you. so, um, can you explain what i’m supposed to be watching?”

natalie grins. “okay, so it’s orienteering, right? everyone gets a map with specific points they need to reach in a set order. those points are marked by little orange and white flags hidden in the forest. the goal is to navigate to each flag as fast as possible using just the map and a compass. no GPS or shortcuts. once they find the flag, there’s a sensor that registers their time.”

salma raises her eyebrows. “so, they’re just… running around trying to find these flags?”

“pretty much,” natalie says, shrugging. 

“but it’s way more technical than it looks. like, you have to be good at reading the map while running, keeping track of where you are, and planning the best routes to each point. that’s what makes y/n so good—she’s super fast and she barely ever makes mistakes with her navigation.”

“that sounds intense.” salma glances toward the dense trees where you disappeared, her respect for you growing with every word natalie says.

salma and you met outside of both of your sports. in fact, it was a mutual friend who set you both up at a party. 

when she found out that you did a sport too, she was happy to get familiar with it. even if it sounded confusing. 

“yeah, it’s mental,” natalie agrees, nodding. “and y/n’s one of the best. she’s won a ton of races.”

salma smiles softly, feeling proud. “i know. i’ve watched her a few times on tv, but this is my first time seeing it live.”

“oh, really? well, you’re in for a treat. she’s amazing to watch in person. plus, if she’s in the best mood, she’ll be back here at the finish in no time.”

salma watches as competitors start emerging from the forest, some sprinting toward the finish line, others clearly frustrated, taking longer routes back. 

every now and then, a beep goes off as they punch in at the last control point near the finish.

natalie’s eyes light up suddenly. “look! there she is!”

salma’s heart skips a beat as she spots you darting out from between the trees, sweat running down your face but a determined expression set in your features. 

you’re one of the fastest runners out there, navigating the final stretch like it’s second nature.

“she’s flying,” salma mutters in awe, watching as you punch your last point and sprint toward the finish line. 

within seconds, you cross it, panting and grinning widely.

natalie claps excitedly. “she did it! i think she might’ve won!”

salma’s too busy watching you catch your breath to hear the announcer confirm it, but when you glance her way, she waves excitedly, a proud smile taking over her face. 

you give her a tired thumbs-up before turning to cool down with your teammates.

“wow,” salma breathes, still trying to process the speed and skill you just showed. “that was insane.”

natalie grins at her. 

“told you she’s amazing.”

salma chuckles. 

“you really know a lot about this sport.”

“yeah, been following orienteering since i was a kid. and y/n’s one of my favorites.” 

natalie shuffles her feet, a little shy all of a sudden. 

“she’s, uh, actually the reason i started orienteering.”

“really?” salma’s eyes soften, touched by the girl’s enthusiasm. “you want to meet her?”

natalie’s jaw drops. “wait, are you serious?”

“of course! it’s the least i can do after you explained everything to me,” salma says, already walking toward you. 

natalie hesitates for a moment, then quickly follows.

you’re still cooling off when you see salma and a nervous-looking girl approaching. you smile, wiping your face with a towel.

“hey, you,” salma greets you, pulling you into a quick hug. “you were amazing out there.”

“thanks,” you mumble, catching your breath. your eyes shift to natalie, who’s staring at you in awe. 

“who’s your friend?”

“this is natalie. she’s a huge fan of yours and explained the whole race to me. i thought i’d bring her over to meet you.” salma grins, gesturing to natalie. 

natalie’s cheeks flush red as she stammers, “i-it’s such an honor to meet you, y/n. i’ve been following your career for years. you’re… you’re incredible.”

“thank you, natalie. that means a lot. and thanks for helping salma out—she probably would’ve been totally lost without you.” you chuckle softly, reaching out to pull the girl into a hug. 

“definitely,” salma adds, laughing. 

“i was ready to run into the forest myself and find out what was going on.”

natalie laughs too, the tension easing as she relaxes around you. 

“seriously, though, you were amazing today. i think you won.”

“we’ll find out soon enough, but i’m glad you got to see it live. there’s something special about being here, right?” you nod, smiling at her enthusiasm. 

“definitely,” natalie agrees, her smile wide. “and i’ll be cheering for you at every race i can.”

“same here. even if i don’t fully get it yet, i’ll always be here when i don’t have my own games.” salma wraps an arm around your waist, squeezing gently. 

you laugh softly, looking between salma and natalie.

“you two are the best.”

to whoever requested, I hope you liked this!! I tried my best to do some research before writing :D

[floresierss]

if you’re taking requests can I request smth cute and fluffy with tall broad bf!anton with short 5ft reader? A lot of inspiration from lovely runner but just I can imagine a lot of cute piggybacks and you hanging off his bicep as he tries to lift you or you needing to literally climb him to kiss him while he laughs and just boops ur nose/ kisses your nose before picking you up with one hand and kissing you properly

° ᡣ𐭩 . ° . ANTON LEE X GN!READER

masterlist. nav. ask.

WORD COUNT: 751

TAGS 🏷️: no tws! just fluff

AUTHORS NOTE: thank u for the request! i hope it suits what you wanted but it was kinda hard to write from the perspective of a 5ft reader cause i’m 6’2 but that’s a story for another day 😭😭. i also looked up lovely runner scenes on tiktok i might just end up watching the show it looks so cutewew hehe. i also made this one gn cause it wasn’t specified! :<

You glance up at Anton, who’s easily over a foot taller than you, with a mischievous glint in your eye. He notices and his cheeks redden slightly, already guessing what you’re up to.

“Piggyback?” you ask, bouncing on your toes.

Anton shyly scratches the back of his neck, but he can't help the smile that tugs at his lips. “Okay,” he agrees softly, turning around and bending slightly so you can hop on. As soon as you’re securely wrapped around his back, he straightens up, making you feel like you’re on top of the world.

“Hold on tight,” he says, his voice gentle. He takes a few playful steps, and you can feel the slight tremor of his laughter through his back. It makes you giggle, the sound music to his ears.

As he carries you around, you rest your chin on his shoulder, whispering in his ear, “You’re the best, you know that?”

Anton’s blush deepens, and he mumbles, “I try.” His shyness makes your heart flutter. He’s so strong yet so bashful, a combination that you find utterly endearing.

As you’re hanging off his bicep, he effortlessly lifts you up and down, his face a mix of concentration and bashful amusement. “You’re so strong!” you exclaim, marveling at his strength.

Anton’s cheeks flush a deeper shade of red. “Uh, thanks,” he murmurs, trying to hide his embarrassment. “Gotta keep up with you.”

You grin and decide to go for a kiss, but you can barely reach his chin. With a playful huff, you start climbing him like a tree, causing him to laugh nervously. “Need some help there?” he teases, his shyness evident in his voice.

Finally managing to reach his face, you give his nose a quick peck. Anton’s eyes widen slightly, and his blush deepens as he leans down, brushing his lips against yours with a tentative tenderness.

With one hand, he lifts you up effortlessly, pulling you close. His other hand gently cups your cheek, and he gives you a proper kiss, his shyness melting away in the warmth of the moment. The kiss is soft and sweet, lingering just enough to make your heart race.

When he pulls away, he boops your nose, making you giggle. “Got you,” he whispers, his smile shy but genuine as you snuggle into his arms.

The day continues with more playful antics. You challenge him to a game of tag in the park, where he purposely lets you catch him, his laughter ringing through the air every time you tackle him to the ground. He’s always careful, making sure you land softly in the grass, his protective nature showing through his shy demeanor.

After the playful run, you both collapse onto a blanket you brought along for a picnic. Anton sits cross-legged, looking a bit nervous as he reaches for the basket. “I, um, made your favorite sandwiches,” he says, glancing at you with a shy smile.

Your eyes light up with delight. “You did? That’s so sweet of you, Anton!” You lean over and give him a quick peck on the cheek, causing his blush to return in full force.

As you eat, you chat about anything and everything, the conversation flowing easily despite Anton’s occasional bashful pauses. His shyness doesn’t stop him from listening intently to every word you say, his eyes never leaving your face.

After the picnic, the sun begins to set, painting the sky in hues of pink and orange. You both decide to head back home, but not before you ask for one more piggyback ride. Anton obliges, and you hop on his back, wrapping your arms around his shoulders.

“Ready to go y/n?” he asks, his voice soft and warm.

“Ready,” you reply, resting your head against his.

As he carries you home, you feel the gentle sway of his movements, the steady beat of his heart against your back. It’s in these quiet moments that you realize just how much you cherish him, his shy smiles, his gentle strength, and the way he always makes you feel so special.

When you finally reach your doorstep, Anton carefully sets you down. You turn to him, standing on your tiptoes to give him one last kiss for the night. “Thank you for today, Anton. I had the best time.”

He smiles, a soft, shy smile that makes your heart melt. “Me too,” he says, leaning down to kiss your nose one more time. “Goodnight.”

“Goodnight,” you whisper, watching as he walks away, grinning.

[ladyloveandjustice]

Running the Gauntlet: A Natsume Yuujinchou fanfic (Part 1)

Part 1 of my fanfic based on the idea I had in this post about Natsume's running abilities making his life at school difficult that blew up.

Includes a couple silly footnotes!

Running the Gauntlet

“I wish Natsume wasn’t our anchor,” a classmate complained.

Natsume flinched. It’s not like I wanted to be, he thought glumly. He pretended he hadn’t heard, hunching over and tying this shoe. So many students and teachers milling around on the grass, waiting for the big event, whoever it was probably hadn’t noticed he was nearby.

But then, Nishimura’s response made him feel even worse.

“Man, shut up. You haven’t really seen Natsume run. He’s friggin’ fast. We’re lucky to have him.”

Natsume appreciated Nishimura standing up for him, but inwardly he was screaming at him to please stop talking about this.

Then Kitamoto chimed in, “Yeah, one of the first times we saw him outside of school, he basically dashed out of the woods at warp speed. So don’t be rude.”

He saw Kitamoto glance quickly at him, clearly aware might be in earshot.

“Fast? Come on you two, I know he’s your friend, but the guy is sickly. You’re expecting me to believe someone who collapses every other day is a good runner? I’m not saying he’s a bad guy, I’m just not counting on him to win this”. The classmate, who rarely spoke to Natsume, adjusted his glasses.

“You’ll see,” Nishimura said smugly.

Natsume groaned inwardly, straightening up.

He eyed the various students hanging out in different colored headbands, the boy handing out water bottles from the tent, and some teachers talking off to the side.  There was even a chattering crowd on the small set of bleachers. A crowd that included parents.

But worst of all was the looping black track, sizzling in the sun before him. He, Nishimura, and the rest who’d been chosen for the relay race would be lining up on it soon.

He hated Sports Day.

To be fair, this was his least hated sports day so far. He’d never actually experienced sports day while having friends before. When he was a kid, he could expect being pushed to the ground and mocked, or having classmates complaining loudly to teachers about being paired up with the liar. Best case scenario was he’d merely have to feel lonely as he was left out of class celebrations, watching parents and friends cheer others on when there was no one to cheer for him.

But this year he’d been able to cheer wildly for Taki during the bean bag toss, laugh at Tanuma as he was forced to dance awkwardly with the rest of his class during their group performance, and smile as Tanuma got some sweet revenge by beating him at the scavenger hunt. He’d gotten to high five Kitamoto and Nishimura after every victory, and even Sasada once.

So many parents being here was still a little intimidating, though. He kept expecting one of them to yell at him to get away from their kid, even though he knew it wasn’t like that anymore. The Fujiwaras hadn’t been able to come, as they had a relative’s wedding to attend today. Natsume hadn’t even told them today was sports day, because he didn’t want them to feel bad about it. He was also kind of relieved they couldn’t come, because he would have been even more nervous if they were watching.

Overall, it had been a good day. He was basically enjoying himself.

But there was no getting over the dread of his biggest obstacle yet—the relay race. He was really going to have to pay attention to his running. It was such a tough balance…he didn’t want to let down the class, but he also needed to think of…

“Natsume, are you okay?” He blinked, noticing Sasada was suddenly next to him. “You were spacing out a bit.”

“I’m fine! Actually, are you okay?” She looked pale, and she kept fiddling with her glasses. It was strange to see her without the usual air of confidence.

“I’m nervous,” she admitted. She’d been chosen for the relay race too, and was looking at the track with almost as much trepidation as he was.

“Sasada! Natsume!”  Nishimura ran forward before Natsume could reassure her. “It’s all up to us!”

“Yay,” Sasada said blandly.

“Whar’a wrong, Sasada?” Nishimura grinned smugly at her “Worried you’re gonna be the sports day cliché?”

“The…what?”

“You’ve seen it on TV, right? In anime and stuff? There’s always the one person who trips during the relay race. They scramble to their feet, tears in their eyes, and pass off their baton…” Nishimura imitated the gesture dramatically. “But don’t worry! You can trip all you want, I’m so fast it won’t matter! No need to be nervous!”

Sasada shook her head, putting her glasses back on. “You know what, your stupidity has calmed my nerves a bit, thank you,”

“Glad to be of service.”

---

Considering all that, Natsume wasn’t exactly surprised when Nishimura was the one who tripped.

Natsume winced when his friend went down, hoping he wasn’t hurt. It would be okay, right? Nishimura was so good-humored. This wasn’t a big deal or anything. He’d just laugh it off and…

Nishimura stumbled up, his knee bleeding, his face burning with shame. Natsume could see his eyes were brimming with tears. Of course he was devastated. Nishimura may act carefree, but he hated letting people down.

Natsume sighed.

Fine then.

“Nishimura!” He called out, offering his hand. “Don’t give up! I’ve got this!”

Nishimura’s face lit up instantly. He jogged as fast as he could and slammed the baton in Natsume’s hand. Natsume faced forward. The others had a massive head start, but that wasn’t enough to make him give up.

A yokai is chasing me, he told himself. A big one with sharp teeth.

And next thing he knew, he was crossing the finish line.

Cheers exploded around him as the other runners caught up, lagging after him. And then, suddenly, what seemed to be the entire class was rushing towards him. He had to resist the urge to put his hands up defensively.

Nishimura slammed into him from the side, embracing him. Tears were streaming down his cheeks and he was whooping and laughing. Heat spread up Natsume’s neck and face. It was the first time Nishimura had ever hugged him. Or cried so openly in front of him. He knew it was considered fine for guys to cry and hug only when it involved sports for some reason, but it was still a surprise.  He wasn’t used to that kind of intimacy. Not that it was bad. It was kind of nice.

 The rest of his class gathered around him, yelling things like “way to go” and “that was amazing!” Even Sasada, her face still red and sweaty from her run, was screaming her head off and jumping up and down. Kitamoto clapped Natsume on the back and soon several classmates followed suit. Natsume was sure a red handprint was permanently etched on his back now.

“Dude, I knew you were fast, but I didn’t know you were that fast!!” Nishimura yelled through his tears.

“Seriously, do you have a secret running regimen I don’t know about, or is it just natural talent?” Kitamoto said.

Natsume heard some more cheering explode behind him, and looked over his shoulder to see an uncharacteristically excited Tanuma waving at him from the other side of the track, “Congrats, Natsume!”

“Tanuma, you could at least… pretend to care… that our class lost,” said the boy Natsume had gone up against, still doubled over and panting.

“Sorry.”

There was loud whistle from the stands and Natsume saw it came from Taki. The girl next to her had covered her ears. Taki didn’t notice, and let out another impressively strong blast, waving at him. She removed her knuckles from her mouth and shouted “Woo, Natsume!”

Natsume was torn between being happy his friends supported him and so embarrassed he could die.

“I owe you an apology, Natsume,” said the boy with the glasses, whoever he was.

“Hell yeah you do!” Nishimura responded.

“Nishimura…” Kitamoto’s said scoldingly, his eyes flicking to Sasada.

“Ah…I’m sorry too, Sasada,” Nishimura said sincerely. “You really showed me.” (Sasada had been fast enough to give Nishimura a head start, as Natsume suspected she would be, she’d certainly caught up to him out of nowhere plenty of times in the early days of their relationship).

Sasada wasn’t listening, she was looking at a fit girl with short black hair from another class, who was also still panting from the race. “How about that, Chiyo!” she called over to her.

“You win this one, but I’ll get you next time, Jun! Just you wait!” Chiyo called with a matching huge grin and an excited look in her eyes. For some reason Sasada blushed delicately in response*.

“Okay, okay, give him some room to breathe,” Kitamoto said, shooing at the others. They all stepped back, though Nishimura remained by Natsume’s side. Natsume was grateful for Kitamoto, he was dizzy and overwhelmed. He’d had no idea races like this were such a big deal to people. He was more grateful than ever the Fujiwaras weren’t here to add on to all this.

“Look Natsume!” Sasada had finally torn her eyes away from the other girl and was pointing at the stands. “Even the track coach looks impressed!”

“No wonder, you’re faster than half her team,” Kitamoto said. “Bet she tries to recruit you!”

Natsume’s stomach dropped like a stone. Indeed, the track coach, a woman with short brown hair and sharp eyes, was looking at him with interest. This was exactly what he’d been afraid of. His personal hell had returned. Had winning a measly race been worth it?

Natsume looked over at Nishimura, who was still jumping up and down and hollering about how he was going to treat Kitamoto, Sasada and Natsume to some manju, not even minding when Kitamoto snarked at him about it how it must be a cold day in hell if the man who sponged off everyone was paying the tab for once. He flashed Natsume another ecstatic grin, and Natsume smiled back.

Yeah, it had been worth it.

--

Natsume had experienced a lot of reoccurring horrors, but the most annoying of them was being hounded by track coaches at every school he went to.

Apparently, spending most of his life running from yokai had made him faster than the average person. He’d been unaware of this until his first year of middle school. When it came time to run the track, Natsume had heard whispers around him, a couple of the kids placing bets on when he’d collapse. One boy had even smacked him on the shoulder and screamed “The liar’s gonna come in dead last!” in his ear.

Natsume hadn’t really done much racing against other kids on the playground, and he’d been sick during a lot of gym classes, so he’d also figured he’d struggle against the other kids. It had completely shocked everyone, himself included, when he blew past them all with ease. He’d reached the finish line only to find the other kids several feet behind him, panting and gawking.

The gym teacher’s eyes had gone wide, and he’d immediately started urging Natsume to join the track club. The man had even gone to Natsume’s current guardians about it.

His guardians had resented that he was getting attention while their real kid was an overlooked benchwarmer on the baseball team. They’d thrown lots of snide comments Natsume’s way. And…well, he hadn’t had a good time on the track team at all. When he’d inevitably had to move again after those same guardians got tired of him, leaving the track club behind had been the silver lining.

Upon transferring to a new school, he’d decided to keep his speed under wraps. But then a coach noticed him running when he was late for class one day and his troubles started all over again. At first he’d avoided the coach by coming up with excuses about responsibilities or detention or headaches, but eventually he was just reduced to hiding under the bleachers when he saw the man.

At another school, a coach tried to recruit him for her team SO aggressively he’d made the stupid mistake of running away when he saw her—and naturally, seeing how fast he could book it had just increased her interest.

So, when he was gathering up all the extra water bottles from the hydration station tent at end of the day, and saw the track coach approach him, his heart started pounding, He fought back his urge to bolt, even a flashbacks filled his brain.

“Natsume, right? I’m Sakuragi, if you don’t remember,” The woman had a wide, genuine smile. He’d only spoken to her a few times, but he was pretty sure she was Taki’s homeroom teacher. “You showed some impressive hustle today! Have you ever thought of joining the track team?”

Fortunately, Natsume had his excuses pre-prepared. “Oh wow, that’s such an honor, Sensei!” He said, continuing to gather up the water bottles while still maintaining polite eye contact. “But, you see, I get sick very easily, so joining a team is a bad idea. I’d just end up being absent a lot, and I’d let the team down.”

“That’s not a problem.” To his horror, the teacher bent down and started picking up the water bottles herself.

“You don’t have to trouble yourself—” He began quickly, but she cut him off, saying “ I’d never require you to come in when you’re not feeling well. You wouldn’t need to worry about calling out sick. We’re a fairly large team, so other students can easily sub in for you if you can’t make a race.”

What kind of laid back track team was this? Never mind, Natsume had a backup excuse. “Well, that’s great, but I’m also concerned about making trouble for my foster parents. It’s a lot to ask them, and I don’t want to put them out. I’d be around to help them less. They’d have to pay for expenses, like when overnight trips at the inn when we go to other towns, or shoes—”

“The school supplies the shoes and other essentials, and we can cover trip expenses if need be. Also, I chat with Ms. Fujiwara at the grocery store often, and she loves bragging about you. I can’t see her turning down a chance for you to develop your skills and enjoy some team spirit!”

Natsume looked down at his shoes, sure that he was tomato red right now. Touko bragged about him? What did he even do worth bragging about? “He only missed ten days of class this month”? “His grades were perfectly mediocre again”? “He hasn’t come home covered in dirt in a while”? “He made five whole friends in school, somehow?”*

Still, through his embarrassment, he felt a little warm inside. She was proud of him. It was a still a new feeling, and he wasn’t sure what to do with this strange, shy happiness.

“Natsume?” The coach’s voice snapped him back to reality. “Is there anything else bothering you, or would you like to come do a practice session with us? If you don’t like it, you don’t have to join. I’ll respect your decision.”

“I…” Natsume was searching for another excuse.  

 Nishimura jogged up. “Natsume, do you need any—" He noticed who Natsume was talking to and his eyes widened. “Oh, sorry to interrupt, Sensei! Natsume, are you being recruited? That’s so cool!”

“Ah, you were his teammate today, right?” Sakuragi smiled at Nishimura kindly.

Nishimura flushed a bit, rubbing the back of his neck. “Yeah, Natsume really saved me out there. He’s a dependable guy! And he’s a great runner!”

Nishimura flashed a grin at Natsume, who was wishing he had telepathy so he could tell him to stop. He tried to send a signal by shaking his head slightly, but Nishimura wasn’t looking now.

“Well, that definitely sounds like track team material,” Sakuragi said jovially. She turned to Natsume. “Looks like your friends vouch for you. But it’s up to you, Natsume. Would you mind just stopping by?”

Natsume couldn’t bring himself to directly say no to a teacher in the first place, and now Nishimura and his enthusiasm had been added to the mix. “I’ll give it a try,” he mumbled, forcing a smile.

“Great! Just come to the track after school tomorrow. I think you’ll find it’s a lot more fun than you’re thinking.”

Natsume kept the smile fixed on as they carried the water bottles back into school. When the coach departed and they came ouside again, he and Nishimura met Taki and Tanuma. As always, Nishimura immediately started blushing and fidgeting , but as always, Taki failed to notice.

“I saw you with Sakuragi-sensei!” she said with a smile. “Impressing her is a big feat, Natsume! And don’t worry, she’s really nice.” She put her hand on Natsume’s shoulder, and Nishimura let out a strangled squeak. “She won’t get mad at you, whatever you decide.”

“Are you okay?” Tanuma said softly. Clearly both he and Taki had noticed he wasn’t actually happy right now.

“I’m fine,” Natsume said, letting the fake smile drop away and replacing it with a shrug of his shoulders. “I’ll just check it out. No big deal.”

---

“I don’t get why you’re whining so much about it,” Nyanko-sensei said, trotting beside Natsume as he walked to school the next day. “It’s just one measly meeting. What’s so bad about this running team thing anyway?”

“The people who took care of me when I joined the track team the first time were really bothered by it. They didn’t like having to drive me places, or the attention I got—”

“The Fujiwara’s aren’t like that, so that’s a stupid excuse.”

“That’s true, but it’s more than that,” Natsume sighed. “Last time, I was constantly late or absent. A yokai would attack me or I’d get sick...”

“Wimp.”

“Shut up, Sensei. Anyway, whenever that happened, the coach yelled at me for flaking out. I let everyone down.”

“But this woman said it doesn’t matter if you’re sick and can’t come, right?”

“She says that now, but she might change her mind,” Natsume mumbled.

“You’re so gloomy,” Nyanko-sensei shook his head. “It’s annoying.”

“Look, even if what she says is true, my teammates probably won’t like me. They didn’t last time. And I just…I just hated the feeling of all those people looking at me.”

He’d struggled a bit with just the sports day crowd watching him, but being on a real team was a million times worse. All those people judging, all their hopes riding on him not messing up… He shivered, remembering the way his skin had crawled, the way his breathing turned funny, the way his hands had shook. All those eyes on him…the weight of their gaze had made him want to curl up so small they couldn’t see him anymore.

“And there’s the actual reason. You’re bad with other people and you get stage fright. Boring.” Sensei yawned. “Just get over it. You have yokai trying to eat you all the time, why’s this scary?’

“I’d rather deal with yokai than the track team,” Natsume said emphatically.

Nyanko-sensei scoffed.

“A couple years ago there was this coach who was always chasing after me to recruit me. I was running from her, trying to get off school grounds so she couldn’t follow me, but then I saw that there was this huge yokai on the path out of school. Big fangs, sharp teeth, claws, all that.  I’d have to double back to avoid it, and the coach would catch me. So… I took the better option, and I ran past the yokai.”

“Idiot. Did it attack you?”

“I took a swing at me and knocked me out. But because of that the teacher was reprimanded for making the sickly kid collapse and they threatened to fire her if she ever chased a student again. She stopped trying to ask me after that. So it all worked out.”

“I don’t understand humans,” Sensei sighed. “Anyway, I’m in favor of the track team. If it helps you run faster, that means less of you getting snatched by yokai and less work for me.”

“Stop being lazy and trying to skip out on your bodyguard duties, Sensei. Yokai shouldn’t be chasing me down in the first place, it’s your job to take care of them.”

“I’ve got my own life to live! Stop being so selfish!”

“I’m the selfish one?”

They bickered all the way to the school gate, and though Natsume would never admit it to Nyanko-sensei, it did make him feel a lot better.

---

Part 1 complete! Part 2 to come. This is probably about halfway there, if not more.

Footnotes:

*Yes, Sasada has a sports and academic rival yuri storyline in the background. Yes I'm being self indulgent. It's what she deserves. It probably won't come up much more, I just thought it would be funny. Sasada's having this whole romantic epic while Natsume's worrying about track.

*Touko has been bragging about how kind and helpful you are, Natsume, you dummy. And about the garden he made and how it was good it was and other things Natsume does really well he hasn't noticed. She's also probably noticed he's fast and relatively strong for his size, he's always fetching and carrying stuff for her, but Coach thought she was exaggerating. UNTIL NOW.

[kimvante2013]

『𝐋𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐬』 변우석

summary: The feelings between you and your best friend are far from over.

Genre: best friends to lovers,little bit of angst,Byeon Woo Seok x fem!reader,drabble

author notes: After months I came back, today I bring you a drabble about the love of my life, also because I saw "Lovely runner" and I liked it a lot so I got a little inspiration from there, well I hope you enjoy this and later I will bring more about Sun Jae and Woo seok since I don't see many people writing about them, take care and good night :)

Word count: 1089k

The soft ping of my phone broke the quiet hum of my apartment. A message from Woo-seok.

“Hey y/n, do you want to come to my house later? I need to write some lines for my new drama, “Lovely Runner”. You know, the usual, being my personal script coach and all that stuff.”

I smiled, imagining Woo-seok's signature goofy smile. It was almost endearing how he never seemed to take his acting career seriously, even though he was on the verge of becoming a major star. He was still the same goofy, clumsy boy he'd known in high school, the one who always made me laugh.

“Sure, I'll be there in an hour. "What time are you free?" I replied and let the tea sit while he prepared it for me.

An hour later, I found myself outside Woo-seok's elegant apartment building, the imposing structure a stark contrast to the cozy, modest apartment we used to share as roommates in college.

He greeted me with a wide, welcoming smile and a playful push, the aroma of freshly brewed coffee filling the hallway. "You're late," he teased, pushing me inside.

"Traffic," I lied, my cheeks heating up under his gaze. Despite knowing him for years, my heart still pounded when he looked at me like that. He always had this way of making me feel seen, like I was the only person in the room.

His apartment was a testament to his success, modern and elegant, with a wide view of the city skyline. But I still felt at home, filled with the familiar warmth of his presence.

"Let's go to my room," he said, leading me to a well-lit space filled with scripts, props, and a comfortable chair.

"Okay, so this scene is where I first meet my love interest, played by the beautiful, talented, and incredibly charming Ryu Sun-jae," Woo-seok began, his voice dropping to a playful whisper.

I couldn't help but laugh. He was very dramatic, even when he talked about his own work. But his enthusiasm was infectious and I found myself immersed in the story. He ran through the lines, his voice shifting seamlessly between playful banter and sincere emotion.

He was good, really good. He poured his heart and soul into every word, into every gesture, making me forget that he was just watching a friend rehearse.

And this is where I'm supposed to make a grand entrance, you know, like a knight in shining armor. "But I think he's too exaggerated," he muttered, pulling a crumpled script from the table.

"No, I think he's perfect," I said, surprised by my own conviction. "He is your character, it is what makes him unique."

Woo-seok looked at me with a flash of surprise in his eyes. 'Actually? So you think?

"Yes," I nodded, trying to ignore the way his gaze lingered on me. There was an unspoken connection between us, a bond forged over years of shared laughter, dreams, and late-night chats.

'What do you think he should do here?' He asked, pointing to a particularly difficult line.

'Hmm, maybe try it with a little more vulnerability?' I suggested, my voice softening as I realized how closely I was studying his face.

He nodded, frowning in concentration. He walked the line again, this time with a raw emotion that resonated deeply within me.

"Wow," I sighed, genuinely impressed. 'That's perfect. You captured the uncertainty, the fear, the longing for acceptance. It is brilliant.'

Woo-seok's smile was brighter than the city lights outside. 'You're the best, Y/n. You always know how to make me feel better about my work.

We continued rehearsing until the sun began to set, casting long shadows across the room. As we worked, it felt like we were falling back into the comfortable rhythm of our old college days, time blurring into a cozy, shared memory.

"I think I'm a little hungry," Woo-seok said, breaking the silence. 'How about we order some food?'

"Sounds good to me," I agreed, feeling a warmth spread through me.

While we waited for our food, we sat on the floor and flipped through old photo albums. Laughter filled the room as we recalled silly moments from our past, each image a window into our shared history.

The delivery boy arrived, bringing with him the aroma of spicy noodles and sizzling dumplings. We ate in comfortable silence, enjoying the food and the company.

Later, while we were cleaning, Woo-seok turned to me and his eyes met mine. 'You know, Y/n, I'm so lucky to have you in my life. You have always been there for me, through thick and thin.

I smiled, my heart swelled with warmth. 'Me too, Woo-seok. You are my best friend and I will always be there for you.

He reached out and took my hand, his touch sending a shiver down my spine. "I know," he said, his voice low and sincere. "And I'm grateful for that."

For a moment, we stood there, hands clasped and the silence filled with unexpressed emotions. The city outside glowed like a distant dream, but all he could see was Woo-seok, his eyes containing a depth that he knew he couldn't ignore forever.

“I should probably head home,” I finally said, my voice barely above a whisper.

He nodded and his gaze stopped on my face. "Yeah, I guess you should."

I pulled away, my heart aching with a mix of longing and apprehension.

"I'll see you around, Woo-seok," I said, forcing a smile.

"Yes, definitely," he replied, his voice laced with a hint of disappointment.

When I left his apartment, I couldn't shake the feeling that something had changed between us. The line between friendship and something more had blurred, and I wasn't sure I was ready to cross it.

I had always valued our friendship and the thought of risking it for something uncertain made me sick to my stomach. But the warmth of his touch, the intensity of his gaze, and the way he made me feel so seen had awakened a longing inside me that I couldn't ignore.

The lights of the city blur as I walked, my mind replaying the events of the night. I knew I needed time to process everything, to discover my feelings. But one thing was certain: the bond between Woo-seok and I was deeper than simple friendship, and I knew, with a certainty that made my heart ache, that our story was far from over.

[httplilyyy]

𝐒𝐄𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐃 𝐁𝐄𝐒𝐓 || 𝐀𝐋𝐄𝐗𝐈𝐀 𝐏𝐔𝐓𝐄𝐋𝐋𝐀𝐒

pairing: alexia putellas x reader

summary: you were always second best but maybe this one time you’d be first.

warnings: like one swear word, angst, fluff & slight smut

word count: 3.6k

a/n: i was watching friends whilst making this, hence your ‘best friend’ being called rachel.

woso masterlist request

You were used to being second best in everything. The league, the ballon d'or and now the world cup. But you had just transferred to Barcelona so you hoped that would all change.

Another English prospect joining Barcelona caused a lot of media to be focused on you throughout the world cup. Especially during the last game where you’d be playing against your future teammates.

But what the media didn’t know was that you were quite close with their star player. Alexia Putellas. Although you used to play in the WSL, you had met one night in Ibiza and immediately hit it off.

There was a slight problem, however, you had fallen for her and so had your best friend.

Your best friend, Rachel, had met Alexia one day by coming over to yours unexpectedly.

You knew of her crush on Alexia and you did everything in your power to stop yourself from falling too, but it was pointless. You were already in too deep and you feared there was no way out.

What you also knew was how Alexia would never feel the same way about you. So you let your feelings be buried deep inside whilst you tried to put on your best brave face and be a wingwoman for your best friend.

It was currently the first training back from the world cup and you had just pulled your car into park. Rachel sat beside you, sporting the Barcelona gear, fiddling with the hem of her top.

“You’re going to be fine, I promise.” You smiled, giving her hand a squeeze before getting out of the car.

“But what if I make a fool of myself, I hardly know any Spanish.” They replied, getting out themselves.

“Use google translate.” You shrugged with a teasing grin, getting your kit back out of the boot before making your way into the building.

“You’re an ass.” Rachel muttered, jogging to catch up with you.

“I know, you love it though.” You chuckled, nudging her with your elbow.

“I like someone else's.” Rachel whispered, watching as Alexia walked a few paces ahead.

“Uh huh.” You murmured, feeling jealousy begin to bubble in your stomach. “So I'll see you after training?”

“Wait what?” Rachel questioned, seeing as you skipped off in front and joined up with Alexia. “Y/n!”

She could hear your laugh bouncing off the walls as you turned a corner and left to the pitch with Alexia.

Although it was the first session back since the world cup, it was not an easy one. With the blistering heat beaming down on you it made the drills just a little bit more harder.

You caught yourself staring at Alexia throughout the day, going from little glances when she wasn't looking to blown out stares. You cursed yourself every time for looking at her that way but you just couldn't help it.

It had gotten to the end of the session when a mini game was formed, unfortunately, Alexia wasn’t on your team. After half an hour of an intense game, your team came up short.

A lucky goal scored by Patri secured the win for the other team and although it was only a game for fun. You couldn't help but feel a little down, but this was what you were used to, being second best.

You took your bib off and made your way to get a drink. Sitting alone, you finally let yourself calm down. But that didn't last very long when a shadow appeared in front of you.

“There’s my runner up.” Alexia teased, squirting some water in her mouth as she looked down at you.

“Ha ha, very funny Ale.” You huffed, a smile escaping your lips.

“I was hoping we would be paired up together today.” Alexia sighed, sitting beside you, her leg bumping yours causing goosebumps to erupt all over your body.

“Oh really? You like me that much, do you?” You chuckled, leaning back on your arms and looking up at the sky.

“You have no idea.” Alexia whispered but it fell deaf on your ears.

Someone else walked up to the two of you, causing you to look away from the sky. Rachel appeared in front of you both, an apologetic smile on her face.

“Oh, hey Rach.” You smiled, standing up from your position.

“Hey, you two.” Rachel replied, but she didn’t look at you, so focused on Alexia, watching how the muscles in her arms tensed as she pushed herself up and off the floor - not that you noticed.

“How’s the first day as a physio been?” You asked, hoping to gain her attention but it was futile.

“It’s been great.” Rachel grinned, still not looking at you.

“So what brings you over here?” You questioned, using the bottom of your top to wipe away the sweat on your face.

“I’m here for Alexia, actually.” Rachel said, looking at the midfielder with a certain glint in her eye.

Whilst you wiped your face, you didn’t notice how Alexia wasn't focused on Rachel at all but she was looking at you and more specifically, your abs that glistened in the sunlight.

“Huh, I'll leave you two to it then.” You smiled, sending a wink to your best friend and walking away, trying to ignore how your heart panged with each step.

After you left the two there wasn't much else for you to do. So you headed for the showers to change out of your sweaty gear.

Some of the other girls were already in there but they soon left, leaving the showers to yourself. You didn’t want to spend too long, not wanting to keep Rachel waiting after she had finished with Alexia.

Stepping out of the showers, your body wrapped in a towel, you quickly walked to your kit bag to get changed.

You were about to unravel your towel when you heard someone cough from behind you. Turning around in one quick motion, you nearly gave yourself whiplash at the speed, you were met by a certain midfielder.

“Jesus, Ale.” You sighed, hand placed over your heart. “I thought you were with Rachel?”

“She just wanted to do a quick check up on my knee.” Alexia shrugged, taking a step towards you.

“Right,” you mumbled with a slow nod before turning back around to your bag. “We’re uh, actually going out for some coffee, or something, tomorrow and you should come.”

“For coffee or something?” Alexia teased, moving so she sat next to your bag.

“I mean, you don't have to come.” You replied, raising an eyebrow.

“No, no, I didn’t say that.” Alexia rushed out, her hands finding your waist.

You didn’t say anything, looking down at the midfielder, waiting to see if she realised what she had done. It took a few moments but she got there and removed her hands from your waist in record time.

“Lo siento. I didn’t-”

“It’s fine, Ale.” You chuckled, placing a hand on her shoulder and giving it a squeeze. “But I do need you to leave so I can get changed.”

“Oh! Right, well, I'll see you tomorrow?” Alexia said, the tips of her ears burning.

“I’ll send you the details. Now go you perv!” You smiled, chuckling as Alexia’s eyes widened before she ran out.

You shook your head, a smile forming on your lips at the woman but it quickly disappeared, remembering that you shouldn't be feeling that way about her.

Scolding yourself, you quickly got changed, packed your bags and made your way back to your car where Rachel was waiting for you. She sent a smile your way but you ignored it, rushing to put your bags in the car.

“You okay?” Rachel asked, raising an eyebrow at your actions.

“What? Yeah, yeah I'm fine.” You replied, getting into the driver's seat.

“You sure?” She questioned, getting into the car herself.

“Mhm.” You hummed, starting the car and reversing out of your spot. “Oh, before I forget, I invited Alexia to our little coffee thing tomorrow.”

“You what?!” Rachel exclaimed, making you turn your head to her for a split second before focusing back on driving.

“What? You like her, no?” You wondered, grip tightening a little on the steering wheel.

“Of course I do, I think the only person who doesnt is Alexia.” Rachel huffed, playing with her fingers.

“See, I'm helping you out.” You shrugged with a grin.

“And how are you helping me out exactly?”

“By being a wingwoman.”

“Brilliant.” Rachel muttered sarcastically causing you to lightly punch her arm.

“You’ll thank me when you’re married.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever.”

The rest of the drive back to Rachel’s apartment was in silence, a comfortable silence, but you could feel a little tension though you weren’t sure what why. Pulling up in front of her place, she thanked you before walking into her building.

Sighing to yourself, you drove back to your house. Parking your car, you sat in your driveway, occasionally looking towards your phone before you decided to pick it up and message Alexia the address of the coffee shop.

Ale

Ah, so that’s where I'm meeting you tomorrow. I thought you’d forgotten about me

You

Why’s that? You know I could never

Ale

Took you an hour to message me the address

You

I had to take Rach home

Ale

Mhm, not second guessing inviting me were you?

You

Why would I do that?

Ale

No idea

You

Okay, good night Ale

Ale

Wait, what time do I have to be there for?

You

11?

Ale

Okay, I’ll see you then

You

Buenas noches, ale

Ale

Sleep well, Y/n

Turning your phone off, you let out a breath you didn't know you were holding and resting your head on the headrest, staring out in front of you.

Finally deciding to move, you grabbed your bag from the backseat and made your way into your house. You left your kit bag by the front door and slumped your way upstairs and into your room.

Quickly changing into your pyjamas, you did your nightly routine and went straight to sleep, not bothering to charge your phone and as soon as your head hit the pillow, you were out like a light.

You woke up to the morning light beaming onto your face, mentally cursing yourself for not shutting the blinds the night before. You rolled over, checking your phone for the time only to realise it was dead.

Groaning you plugged your phone in and got ready for the day. Finally getting dressed, you checked your phone once again, nearly screaming into the air as you realised the time was 10:58am.

Running around your house to find your shoes, you slipped them on before tumbling through the front door and into your car.

Driving a little over the speed limit, you managed to get to the coffee shop in record time. Finding somewhere to park, however, was another story. By the time you made it into the shop it was 11:24.

“Look who's finally decided to show up.” You heard from the side of you.

“I forgot to charge my phone.” You muttered, rubbing the back of your neck as you turned to see Rachel and Alexia sitting at a table together.

“Of course you did.” Alexia said, smiling behind her cup as she brought it to her lips to take a sip.

“Let me go order and I'll be right back.” You said sheepishly, before walking off.

You could hear a chuckle from behind you but you paid no attention to it. Ordering your favourite, you were back at the table in record time, thankful that the line wasn’t too long.

The three of you talked about anything and everything, you occasionally slipping out of the conversation to let Rachel talk to Alexia by herself.

Scrolling on your phone, you only looked up when a hand waved in front of your face. Seeing it was only you and Alexia at the table, you tilted your head confused.

“She went to the toilet.” Alexia said, knowing what you were wondering.

“Ah,” you said, nodding in understanding, “you okay?”

“I’m fine, you?” Alexia smiled.

“Good.”

“Are you doing anything later?” Alexia asked, her fingers tapping on the table.

“No, nothing really.” You replied, straightening your posture.

“Do you want to do something together?”

“Like what?” You wondered, resting your head on your hand.

“Not sure, maybe a movie?”

“Yeah, okay. Do you want to come round mine, or we could go out?”

“I’ll come to yours, if that’s okay. Then it could be just the two of us.”

“That’s fine.” You smiled, internally beaming. “It’s a date.”

Unbeknownst to you, your words caused butterflies to erupt in Alexia's stomach. Although you meant nothing by what you said, Alexia couldn’t help but feel a little hope.

“Hey, what have I missed?” Rachel questioned as she sat back down in her seat.

“Nothing, just talking about football.” Alexia replied, sending a small yet discrete smile in your direction.

“Boring.” Rachel huffed, leaning back on her chair. “I was hoping you’d be talking about me.”

Before you could stop yourself, a cough made its way up your throat, quickly covering it up with a smile.

“What’s so funny, y/n?” Rachel asked, tilting her head towards you.

“Wha- nothing. I promise.”

“Mhm, I better get going anyway.” Rachel smiled, standing up from her seat.

“Same here.” Alexia said, standing up as well.

“I guess that means me too.” You joked, getting up yourself.

“I’ll see you both soon.” Rachel said, giving the two of you hugs, Alexia’s lasting a little longer than yours.

“See you.” You smiled, fishing your car keys from your pocket.

After Rachel walked off to her car, you were left with Alexia. You stood beside the midfielder not knowing what to say, rocking backwards and forwards on your feet.

“What time do you want me to come over?” Alexia questioned, turning to face you.

“Any time, I don’t mind. I've just got to clean up a few bits.”

“Okay, how does six sound?”

“Good, yeah, I'll see you then.”

“See you later.” Alexia said, giving you a quick hug and a small kiss on your cheek before walking off.

Blushing profusely, you got to your car, quickly driving home. You went from cleaning the living room to cleaning the whole house, scared that even a miniscule thing could put Alexia off.

Going all out with the snacks, opting to place a variety on the coffee table as well as drinks, you felt that everything was okay, or at least, you hoped it was. Opening netflix on your tv you waited for Alexia.

You didn’t have to wait long and before you knew it, the doorbell rang, indicating that Alexia was here. You felt your heart rate increase knowing that you’d finally be spending some time with her alone.

In a friendly way, of course. Right?

Shaking your head, you scrambled yourself off the sofa, remembering that Alexia was waiting outside your door.

Opening the door to the catalonian, you smiled, noticing that she had changed her outfit from earlier on, opting for something more comfortable.

You opened the door wider, ushering her in and closing it behind her. The midfielder waited for you in the hallway, letting you guide her into your living room.

The two of you sat down on your sofa, a small gap between you as you played a random movie that was recommended to you by one of the girls from barca.

“You really went all out with the snacks.” Alexia chuckled, making herself comfortable, resting an arm over the back of the sofa.

“I couldn’t choose.” You mumbled with a shrug, leaning forward to pick up some crisps. “Want some?”

“These are my favourite, how’d you know?” Alexia questioned, taking a couple from the bowl.

“I had a hunch.”

“Oh really? Okay then.” Alexia said teasingly, moving a little closer to you, your thighs only mere inches apart from each other.

“Just watch the movie.” You said, huffing out a laugh and taking one of the crisps from her hand before popping it into your mouth.

“Hey! You have a whole bowl.” Alexia complained, slapping your arm and shaking her head at your antics.

“Sorry.” You replied with a grin, turning your attention back to the movie playing.

Alexia, however, kept her gaze on you. Long forgetting the movie, she watched every little thing you did, the way your eyes would widen at something one of the actors said or how you’d smile at the jokes.

You hadn’t noticed her gaze on you, completely focused on the movie and you were really enjoying it, until a sex scene came up. Shifting in your spot, Alexia noticed your discomfort.

She turned towards the tv and saw what was playing, lewd moans came from the speakers and it was as if the two of you were watching soft porn.

“You alright, y/n?” Alexia questioned, a small smirk displayed on her features.

“Mhm,” you hummed, eyes widening at the screen, “they’re really going at it, jesus.”

“Jealous?” She teased.

“What? No!” You exclaimed, turning your body towards the midfielder.

Only then did you realise the close proximity of the two of you. You could feel Alexia’s breath on your lips, her eyes staring into yours and your heart felt like it was going to beat out of your chest.

“You sure you’re okay?” Alexia asked again, this time a little quieter.

“Yeah, I’m just-”

“Turned on?”

You paused, contemplating your next words.

“Yeah.” You whispered, looking down at Alexia’s lips before trailing them back up to her eyes.

“Lean back.” Alexia ordered softly, pushing you gently against the sofa.

Your back hit the cushions, your head resting against the armrest. Alexia smiled, moving to hover over you. Her hair created curtains, blocking out the rest of the world as she looked deeply into your eyes.

“Is this okay?” She asked quietly, her lips hovering over yours. You nodded, not trusting your voice. “I need words, cariño.”

“Yes,” you whispered, “this is very much okay.”

“Then can I kiss you?”

“Yes.”

You barely got to finish the word before her lips were on yours. Desperate and hungry. A silent understanding of how long the two of you had been wanting this.

As much as you were loving every second, your mind couldn't help but wander back to Rachel. Kissing Alexia didn't feel wrong, it was perfect, but you had a deep nagging feeling that you were betraying your best friend.

“Ale, I- I can’t-” You mumbled between kisses, but still pulled her in for more.

“Why not.” Alexia questioned, swiping her tongue against your bottom lip.

“What about Rachel?”

“What about Rachel? I don’t want her, I want you.” Alexia said, pushing her knee between your thighs causing you to involuntary roll your body.

“Shit, I-”

“Y/n?” A voice called out and you immediately stopped what you were doing. “What- Wow, unbelievable.”

“Wait no. Rach!” You said, pushing Alexia off your body.

“How’d she get in?” Alexia questioned, creating a little space between the two of you.

“I gave her a key, not important right now.” You said, waving Alexia off.

“I can’t believe you.” Rachel muttered, throwing her hands up in the air.

“I-” You started but Aleia cut in.

“Why are you acting like this? It’s not like you liked me?” Alexia questioned, confused at your best friend and ignoring you slap her arm in an attempt to get her to stop talking.

“You know what, you both deserve each other.” Rachel shouted, scoffing before storming out of your house.

“Rachel!” You said, chasing after her, leaving Alexia alone and confused on the sofa.

“Save it, y/l/n, I don't want to hear what excuse you come up with!”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t want you to see that.”

“Real classy, Y/n.” Rachel scoffed, shaking her head as she came to a stop on your driveway, finally turning to face you.

“No I didn’t mean it like that-”

“How did you mean it then, huh? You knew how much I liked her! You knew, and you go behind my back and do that, what a friend you are.”

“No, Rach. C’mon, please.” You pleaded, desperately trying to get her to listen to you

“No! You know what, we’re done. Don’t talk to me again.” Rachel said, pointing a finger at you.

You watched as she shook with anger and sadness, before she let out a sob and turned to run away again. This time you didn’t follow her, lowering your head in sorrow.

Walking back to your house, you stumbled into the living room, seeing Alexia still sitting on the sofa, looking down in her lap, fiddling with her hands.

“Hey! Y/n, what just happened?” Alexia questioned, standing up as she heard your footsteps get closer.

“I uh- I can’t do this Alexia.” You mumbled, tears brimming your eyes as you looked to the floor, folding your arms in front of your chest.

“Do what? Us? What do you mean?” Alexia wondered, walking closer to you, your bodies just inches away from each other.

She took your hands in hers, her fingers tracing delicate patterns. You felt yourself grow weak at the knees but suddenly pulled away from her hold.

“I just can’t, I'm sorry.” You said, ferociously wiping away a tear that fell before walking away.

“Y/n!” Alexia said, her voice breaking as she followed you through the house. Watching as you got in your car, seeing it pull off the driveway and disappear around the corner.

You were finally first, the girl shared the same feelings, yet you still managed to throw that away. Maybe you should stick to what you know. Being second best.

[bunniandhoney]

Angst | He doesn’t realize what he has until it’s gone, fast-forward he sees her back at the premiere

P.s Just for fun , Idk how he is Irl he is a sweetheart tho

Dear Anon,

How did you know I love angst? 😏

xoxo,

Bunni

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Life’s a Marathon

Jacob takes his best friend for granted.

Y/N found herself in the most awkward predicaments. Never by her own design but certainly by the construction of her best friend Jacob.

“I think i might’ve fucked up” Jacob says looking down at Y/N as she ties her shoes. “I think I’m going to have to agree, neither one of us should be running a marathon this early or really at all.” YN replies with a grim look on her face.

She definitely shouldn’t have agreed to this. She hates sweating and gets her daily exercise from the 25 minute walk from her apartment to her office job. But since she has a burning crush on her best friend she has such a hard time telling Jacob no, actually she’s never fully told Jacob no.

Like that time in Year 10 when he’d ask her to help with his final paper. Even though she was behind on hers and working extra shifts at the cafe she still did his, resulting in her earning a C+ on her paper and an A on his. Or when she told him she just wanted a relaxing night in for her 18th, but Jacob insisted on hitting up every pub in the city. She then spent the last moments of her 18th birthday rubbing Jacob’s back as he emptied his guts in the toilet. This is what best friends do though, they sacrifice, they care, and apparently they run marathons with zero training.

Finally on her feet Jacob pulls her in by her shoulders. “ Quick let’s take a selfie to remember this moment”, with wide grins facing his phone Jacob takes the picture.

“Will all runners please make their way to the starting line” the announcer says.

YN is starting to feel sick. “ You know I can always wait for you at the checkpoints and cheer”

“Yeah but where would the fun be in that? Besides you can’t leave me now, we’re at the starting line.” Dragging her feet YN follows an excited Jacob to the starting line with the rest of the runners.

The sound of the gun signals the runners to start, and they’re off…well Jacob is. YN is already at the back of the pack within 60 seconds of the race starting and her best friend is nowhere to be found.

When she finally finishes the first mile, she’s slightly winded but not awful, the second clearly wears her down though because she’s practically walking. Huffing and puffing she tries to pick her pace back up as she sees the finish line. She sees Jacob at the end cheering for her, or at least that’s what she thinks because her vision seems a little blurry and black dots are spotting her vision. Yn is almost there, almost at the end when everything goes dark.

People are laughing at her. YN can hear it as she comes to; wait is that Jacob laughing at her? Blinking her eyes open she does see him laughing but it’s joined by a woman’s laugh, a very pretty woman now that her vision is clearing up.

“Jac—“ the rasp coming from her voice is unrecognizable, but does the trick because Jacob looks down at her.

“You’re awake!” says the pretty lady on her other side.

“I’m Dr. Sams, I was the medic on the scene when you passed out. Can you tell me your name?”

—

Sitting under a cooling tent with ice packs on most of her body and being forced to chug down gatorade is probably top 5 most embarrassing moments especially since the only other person under there is a 65 year old man who threw out his knee, and said he felt too hot under the medic tent. “It’s alright doll, my first race wasn’t sunshine and rainbows either, " he says with a grin.

“Dr. Sams said you’re clear if you’re ready to go. Should probably take you home to rest.” Jacob says helping YN up. The car ride back to her apartment is dead silent besides the loud tension between Jacob’s guilt and YN's embarrassment. When he pulls into her garage Jacob decides to break the ice. “Look i’m really sorry love, you were right the marathon was not a good idea. I’m sure dehydration was not in your weekend plans.”

A sympathetic smile, the same one she always gives when Jacob screws up, graces her face. “It’s not your fault I’m an adult, and should’ve known that I was feeling way too bad to continue.”

Walking up to YN’s apartment Jacob can’t help but to be apologetic still. Laying YN on the couch and getting her a bottle of water from the fridge Jacob, trying to ease any leftover tension yells, "Well at least something good came from today?”

And honestly nothing is coming to YN’s mind, in fact, today was about as horrible as it could get for her.

She was spontaneously woken up at the crack of dawn.

The “Big Suprise” her best friend/crush for her was a damn marathon

She had to run a marathon

And lastly, she passed out in front of hundreds of people including Jacob. Yeah, there couldn’t possibly be anything good.

“The cute medic that was helping you, well we were chatting so I’m taking her out tonight!”

Mentally adding this to the list of horrible things happening today YN groans, “My head is pounding, what did you say?”

“I’ve got a date with a hot doctor babe!” he yells back gleefully.

YM closes her eyes silently hoping that what’s happening is that she’s in a dream and when she wakes up it’ll be noon, she will just now be getting up, and planning to spend the whole day in a big Tshirt (no pants of course). But when she peeks open one of her eyes she sees her best friend walking back with a glass of orange juice and some painkillers. “ Here you go, Dr. Sams said this might help with any aches or fatigue.”

Nope, not a dream, but a terrible nightmare.

Jacob finally heads out, claiming he needs to prepare for his date, leaving YN alone and feeling incredibly achey. In the 15 years she’s known Jacob he has only had a girlfriend twice.

Once in Year 9, Elizabeth Brown, ended up being on the receiving end of Jacob’s turn of a horrid “Spin the Bottle” game. Elizabeth claimed Jacob was the best kisser in the world and deemed him her boyfriend. Which to her point was very true as YN and Jacob had been practicing for years at that point. Jacob beaming with pride accepted the title for approximately 17 days before he claimed she was way too clingy and broke it off.

The next was years later in university when he dated Sasha Davies for TWO whole years. YN just knew she’d lost him. But Sasha was quite rude and incredibly judgey, so when she found out that Jacob passed up a regular job for acting, she dumped him, leaving YN to pick up the pieces. Since then Jacob had sworn off dating until he was settled in his career as a full time actor, claiming that YN and his mum were the only women he needed in his life.

So why on earth are things changing now! She thought she was all he needed, even if nothing went further than friendship. YN is not near spiteful enough to ruin a relationship, so for now she’ll just sit back and see if anything comes of this one date.

—

Unfortunately, everything comes from one date, because it turns into two and three. Then eventually Yvanne (Dr. Sams) and Jacob are practicing living together in a matter of months. It’s not that Jacob ignores YN, no, he tries to include her in almost everything the couple does. He even tries to do a weekly coffee date with YN just to check in on her, but YN can’t do it. She can’t watch him kiss and hug another woman, buy her odd but sentimental gifts, or even open the bloody car door for someone else. She can’t watch him be in love with anyone else while her heart still craves him.

So she pulls away, just slightly so he doesn’t notice. Her plan is working beautifully since Jacob is enamored with Yvanne. It simply looks as if she wants him to spend more time with his girlfriend. Well, it was working beautifully until Jacob drops an absolute bomb on her during one of their coffee dates.

“You’re going to do what!?!?! “ she screeches in the corner booth, causing too many eyes to look their way.

“Woah calm down. Look I’m going off to shoot the movie and want Yvanne to know I’m serious; that I’m in this for the long haul, for forever.”

“I think there are other ways to show you’re serious than marrying her. For fucks sake J you all haven’t been together a whole year yet!” YN fumes.

“It’ll be a longish engagement, and honestly I thought you’d be happier for me. You’re my best friend in the whole world, I haven’t even told my mum this yet.” He replies diffendently.

Now YN sees it, she sees him slipping away. It’s clear that as always, Jacob has made up his mind and in turn has decided both of their fates for them.

“You’re right, it just caught me by suprise. I’m so happy for you”

“Really”

“Of course, J, you know I just want you to be happy, you’re my best friend.” YN rewards him with a suffering smile.

For three weeks after the news YN goes completely ghost. Every call and text Jacob attempts to make goes unanswered, but she can’t do it. She can’t watch this happen or pretend to be okay, even when she thought she could. Jacob stops by her apartment at the end of week three to check on her since she’d clearly been avoiding him. But when he reaches under the ficus pot outside her apartment door he realizes it’s gone. YN had taken the key and moved it. This officially sends Jacob into a rage because that key was reserved for him, now he’s banging on her door yelling for her to “Let me in because I know you’re in there!”

A puffy-eyed YN opens the door just as Jacob raises his fist again. She’s been crying, she can’t stop, not since the day she left that cafe. “Hey J, what’s going on?”

“You’ve been ignoring me!” he says stepping into her apartment, which is shockingly a mess. She’s always been a bit of a neat freak, cleaning up everyone’s mess all the time. “You’ve been ignoring me, and you’ve been crying.”

“Oh. I’m fin—“

“Please don’t do that shit with me. The pretending, because I know you better than anyone in this world so come off it!”

For some reason this pisses YN off to a degree she’s never known before.

“You don’t know a damn thing about me, Jacob Scipio! How dare you come banging on MY door expecting anything from me, you, you selfish bastard!”

Eyebrows raised in shock Jacob uses his silence as a reply.

With tears starting to roll down her face YN cries, “ I have spent years following behind you, trying to make sure nothing ever inconveniences you. Making sure that Jacob is happy, that he’s in perfect health, that he’s got his lines down packed, and not because I wanted something in return but because I cared for you. Hell, I loved you Jacob. Then you expect me to jump for joy when you want to propose to a girl you’ve known for 9 months! So, no Jacob, you don’t know me!”

“YN, I’m so—“

“Please don’t apologize, just leave, I want to be alone.”

His head hung low Jacob turns to walk back out of her apartment. “Umm, I wanted to give you this. I hope you can make it.” he says sitting an envelope on her coffee table. When Jacob walks out that door YN expects to never see her best friend again and she crumbles to the floor letting the tears wrack through her body.

1 ½ year later —

Jacob would like to say that he couldn’t be happier. At the premier of one of the biggest movies of his life, he should be overjoyed. And don’t get him wrong, he's extremely happy and grateful. He’s a trending topic, he has his amazing cast mates, and his extremely supportive family here with him. But the one person he’s hoped to see is nowhere to be found.

When he’d left that save the date on her coffee table a year and a half ago he knew that wouldn’t solve whatever issues they had, so he had his mother send her an official invitation through the mail three months ago. Even though YN wanted nothing to do with Jacob, their lives couldn’t help but to be intertwined, they’d known each other for over half their lives.

This separation had been hell for him, as he knew it would be as soon as he left her apartment that day. He cut things off with Yvanne two days later, unable to proceed with the engagement. He spent the rest of the time thinking about how right YN was, he was a selfish bastard. Almost her whole life has been spent accommodating him and so he vowed that if he ever got the chance he would do right by his best friend.

But he couldn’t do that because for the past 550 days he hasn’t so much as heard her voice let alone seen her, and while he hopes she would show up tonight for his premiere, he also knows that it’s a long shot; a consequence of hurting the people who love you.

Jacob takes one last look as he walks into the already packed theater. Sitting next to his mom Jacob relaxes into his seat and just before the lights go down he hears a breathless “Sorry I’m late, this LA traffic is awful!”

There she is, on day 551, the only person he cared to see, his very reason for being and she sits next to him filling his lungs with fresh air and her jasmine scented perfume. “You came.”

“Well of course, I couldn’t miss you on the big screen. Plus both of our mothers threatened me.” YN says with a bright smile.

She’s different, they both are, and they can only hope that fate hasn’t given up on them yet.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

thanks again for letting me write this for you, i had so much fun!

IDK, I’m kinda feeling a part 2 in my spirit, so lmk if that something y’all would be interested in!

also thanks for all the love on my other posts, i’m still taking requests so let them free!!!

[thecapybara526]

Series : The Mazer Runner

Pairing : Newt x reader

Note: I've had this idea in my head for a bit and when I saw a maze runner tiktok with this song, I had to incorporate it someone how. I think it explains the core three so well. please enjoy! Also please listen to “Solider, Poet, King” by Reno Loves you! I’ll tell you when!

Summary: The creators send a box with a greanie every month but this month a box with a guitar and music sheets come in. Y/n somehow knows how to play and read music. A special bonfire will be held after Newt hears Y/n sing and play. At the bonfire Newt gets super jealous when one of the boys decides to dance with you especially since he’s been pinning over you since you arrived. Lots of Minho meddling to get you two together.

Themes: angst, Jealousy, fluff, pinning,

You were running down the last straight away of the maze with Minho. You smiled to see some of your fellow gladers waiting for you to arrive. Particularly one…but you knew he'd be there, I mean he always is.

Your lungs burned and your legs ached, running the maze was tough but there was something about being out there that felt right to you. Especially with one of your closest friends Minho, you knew nothing would happen to you and you wouldn't let anything happen to him.

“Why does It have to be so hot today” Minho moaned as the two arrived at the doors of the maze that were starting to close.

“Minho baby, it’s always hot.” You laughed starting to slow down.

“Yea..well today more than usual.” He winked at you and you shoved him. You and Minho always flirted but it was never serious. After countless hours in the maze together you had both shared your most inner thoughts and more importantly your feelings for a certain second in command.

You had never outright said it but Minho figured it out. The way you got a bit nervous when he was around, how you unconsciously looked around for him when he wasn't around. Not only that but when you weren't running the maze with Minho you were with him.

Newt was there at the maze doors, he always is. He always just brushes it off that as second in command he should make sure the runners come back and conveniently everytime he makes his rounds of the glade is when the runners come back.

Newt knew the real reason he was there though, you. Since the moment you came up in the box and looked at him with those y/e/c eyes, he was a goner. He knew he'd protect you, and be whatever you needed, even if he wanted to be more than friends. He couldn't risk it though, he couldn't risk losing you or making things awkward.

You were his best mate, together you had formed an unbreakable bond. You could tell each other everything, well minus your feelings for each other. You were the person he wanted to see when he was sad, when he needed comfort, and just all the time in general. When you were together you made him feel as if he could stay in the maze forever as long as he had you by his side.

Minho’s comment made Newt’s stomach turn, he watched as you shoved Minho, and he couldn't help but feel a pinch of jealousy. You never flirted with him, then again he wasn’t sure if he did. Although the first time he called you love it was an accident and after he realized it had made you blush he kept saying it.

“How was the maze today love” he said trying to drag your attention away from Minho.

You looked up to see Newt looking at you, you smiled softly, love, you loved when he said that to you.

“Uh, you know the usual. Ran around, gathered some info.” you placed your hands on your hips still catching your breath.

“Fantastic, well I’m going to continue my rou-”

Newt was cut off by the sound of the box coming up. You all looked at each other and started to walk over. A new grennie was coming up.

You had been in the glade for over a year now, at first it was frightening. Waking up, breathing hard having no idea where you were. The sun blinding you and it was so hot your skin was already slick with sweat. The scariest part wasn't that you couldn't remember anything but the amount of boys staring down at you.

You had shoved yourself into one of the corners, when one of the boys had jumped in.

“It’s okay, I'm not going to hurt you. You're safe” the boy’s voice was smooth with an accent, somehow it felt like your heart rate slowed down a little. That was until your looked up at all the boys again.

“Where am I? Why can't I-” you started to freak out again.

He reached out a hand, “just take my hand and I'll explain everything, okay?” he smiled. Slowly and hesitantly you took his hand but from looking into the sincerity of those brown eyes you knew you'd be alright.

Now it was someone else’s turn to feel everything you had once felt, you couldn't say you were jealous. The poor kid was shaking like a leaf, not only that but Gally wasn’t too kind either.

“Alright, let's unload this box and get moving people” Gally yelled out to everyone, collective groans echoed through the air.

“Well come on, love.” Newt reached a hand up to you from inside the box helping you down.

“Thank you” you turned away from him heading towards a box so he couldn't see that his gesture made you blush.

As you helped hand boxes to gladers above, you noticed a smaller box, one you hadn't seen before. You grabbed it and handed it to Minho.

“Hey, keep that one aside for me please” you said

“Why do you get to keep it?” Minho shook the box, “what if I want it” he smirked

“Minho, if Y/n wants the box, she gets it.” Newt shot Minho a look. Minho smirked again but this time in amusement. He loved to play this game, a game called make his second in command want to kill him.

“Careful Newt…You're making it sound like Y/n gets special treatment. I wish you were as sweet to me as you are to her..” he watched carefully as Newt’s face became red. You wanted to kill Minho, he always says the dumbest things, Newt was just being nice.

Before you Newt could open his mouth, you spoke. “Yea? Well maybe if you helped out in the gardens a little Newt would be nicer.” you climbed out of the box.

“Y-Yes, Y/n’s right” Newt was still flustered, he snuck a glance at you. You didn't seem fazed at all, you grabbed your box and walked away.

“What the bloody hell was that” Newt glared at Minho.

“Hey, I'm just trying to help you” Minho threw his hands up innocently. “Put yourself out of this misery and just confess already.”

“There is nothing to confess. Y/n and I are best mates. That is all.” Newt huffed out a breath, “sneaking” a glance at you walking away. Minho rolled his eyes, hopeless. You two were hopeless.

…

Once you found an area in shade, you sat down and opened the box. A guitar was in it, at least from your vague memory that's what you think it was. It had to be. You continued pulling things out and a sheet of music caught your eye. As your eyes skimmed it you realized you could read it. As you flipped the page you found more but with words.

“Soldier, Poet, King” you whispered to yourself, a song? (play first 30 seconds of song)

You propped the music up against the tree and settled the guitar in your lap. You strummed the strings following the sheet, it took you some time but you felt a tune starting to come together.

You took a deep breath and decided to try to put it all together. You began to softly sing the lyrics, you were so focused on making sure it was right you didn’t hear a certain blonde boy sneaking up on you.

Newt was in awe, he was confused when he saw your h/c ponytail facing the tree with something in your lap, he had come to find you hoping to walk to dinner together. When he came to investigate he wasn't expecting to hear the soft strumming and what had to be the sweetest voice he had ever heard, memories or not.

He listened as you sang but the sound of a twig breaking called him out. You turned around startled but you smiled when you saw him.

“Newt, you startled me”

“I’m sorry about that, please don’t stop. It sounded lovely.” he smiled down at you.

You blushed and turned away, you didn't think he'd heard you singing. When you turned up to look at him again you made sure you weren't blushing anymore.

“Ah, thank you. It’s not very good but-”

“No, no. It's good, you're good..at that” Newt wanted to slam his head into the tree. With you looking up at him, he couldn't focus, you were just too pretty.

You smiled and stood up packing up the guitar and music sheets. Newt lifted the box for you as the two of you walked.

“You should play at the bonfire.” he glanced to his side.

Immediately you wanted to say no. You didn't want everyone looking at you, what if they thought it was bad or if you mess up. You only just started to learn.

Newt noticed your hesitance, “you don't have to of course but I would really like to hear the full thing.”

And just like that you knew you were going to have to play at the bonfire. If you Newt wanted to hear it, how could you say no?

“Okay. I will. For you.” you smiled at him, then started to panic realizing the “for you” part was said out loud and not just in your head. Newt’s heart started to beat faster. For him?

“Y- You did help me secure the box from Minho! Yes, the least I could do is play it for you.” you tried to cover up your slip-up. Let's just say it worked because Newt’s heart started to slow down again and maybe it cracked a little.

“Fantastic” he gave you a tight-lipped smile and opened the door for you to enter the cookhouse. Newt watches as you walk in thanking him, he took a deep breath shaking his head and walked in after you.

…

You had been practicing all of last night after dinner and throughout the day today after coming back from the maze. The bonfire was tonight and you were nervous. Nervous about messing up the cords or lyrics but most importantly scared to mess up in front of Newt. You knew even if you did he would probably pretend like it didn't happen because he was sweet like that but still.

“You think if you sing to the walls maybe they will let us out?” you heard Minho’s voice behind you. You groan.

“Minho! You just ruined an almost perfect rehearsal.” you put the guitar down and turned to the dark haired boy.

“How was I supposed to know it was almost perfect.” Mingo sat down next to you.

“You just are, this needs to be perfect.” you huffed running your hands through your hair.

“Perfect for everyone, or just perfect for Newt?” he grinned at you, picking up a sheet of music.

“Perfect for everyone.” you snatched the sheet out of his hand and put it back.

“You know he likes you right? Newt is one of my best friends and I'm not trying to out him but you guys need to stop torturing each other.” Minho was getting fed up with this dance you two were playing. He was tired of seeing his two best friends tear themselves apart over each other when they literally feel the same way.

Especially Newt, Minho notices the way he looks at you. His gaze was always so soft, it kinda made Minho’s heart ache. You could break the rules or murder someone and Newt would still think you were perfect.

“And you need to stop saying that and getting my hopes up. Listen Minho, I've accepted that all we will ever be is friends.”

“But Y/n-”

“What was that?” you slapped a hand on his mouth, “sorry can't hear you” you chuckled

From the corner of his eye, Minho could see Newt watching the two of you. If telling the both of you won’t do anything maybe it was time to be more aggressive he thought. Minho quickly removed the guitar from your lap and jumped on.

“Min-!” you erupted into giggles, “what are you do-” he then started to tickle you

“Sorry? I can't hear you, what was that?” he continued his attack until one hard knee to his stomach knocked over. You both laid on the grass laughing, Minho picked up his head and glanced over at Newt. The expression on that boys face that pricless.

Newt watched when Minho jumped on you, he first took a step forward dropping his tool ready to arrive at your defense but the sound of you laughing stopped him. He took a deep breath and picked up the tool again squeezing his fist around it.

He tried to fight the jealousy eating at his chest but he couldn't. He wished it was him rolling around with you in the grass and then he blushed imagining it. He looked up again to see you leaning over Minho, eyes firey playfully yelling at him. The feeling threatened to overtake him again but he was being silly. It was just Minho, he knew how Newt felt about you, it was fine. Newt shook his head and continued his work.

The glade was buzzing because of the bonfire. It was the best time, everyone got to relax and drink some of Gally’s awful but effective drink. After Minho left you were able to practice more and focused on the parts you struggled with. The sun was dropping and the darker it got the more nervous you became

...

The bonfire was in full effect. Everyone was yelling, wrestling, and overall just having a good time. About half way through the night you finally came out from hiding and walked toward Minho and Newt.

“Finally ready?” Minho laughed and started to raise his glass.

You snatched his full glass out of his hand and before he could protest you chugged it. With a hiss, you handed Minho back his drink. Newt and Minho’s jaws dropped, you weren't opposed to drinking and there were nights Newt had to carry you back to your hammock. But you chugging? That meant you really must be nervous and getting very drunk tonight, which was the plan.

“Y/n-” before Newt could finish his sentence you finished his almost empty drink.

“Okay. Now I'm ready.” you grinned and grabbed your guitar and music sheets. You walked over to Alby and whispered to him.

“Everyone! Tonight Y/n has a special surprise for us!”

Everyone cheered, already drunk but also excited to see what you were up to. Newt clapped and felt a wave of nerves pass through him. He wasn't even performing but he just wanted you to do well.

“This came up in the box the other day…and I realized I knew how to play. So I hope you guys enjoy!” you yelled, the liquor definitely playing a part in your confidence. (start the song)

You started the strum the guitar and you looked up when Minho started to clap on beat like you practiced. Everyone started to clap and your adrenaline soared. You started to sing, at first, it was quiet just the clapping, you looked up, did you sound bad? Your eyes caught Newts.

He had this look in his eyes you couldn't decipher but he nodded at you and gave you a small smile, encouraging you to keep going.

Finally it seemed like the boys broke out of the trance and starting cheering loudly. You started moving around singing to boys in front of you and the longer you sang the more passionate you got. Even making them sing the chorus, “oh lei, oh lai, oh lord” echoed throughout the glade.

Minho laughed clenching his stomach, “oh god, the liquor is hitting her hard.” and he was right Newt looked back at you and were jumping around now hair everywhere.

You had finally made your way toward Minho and Newt. Singing at Minho and dancing around him, when the Poet part came up you stood right in front of Newt looking him straight in the eye. Nest held your gaze completely mesmerized by you. Hair everywhere, a light sheen of sweat on your chest, and the fire dancing across your skin. When you grinned at him Newt felt his heart stop. He felt like every fiber of his body was awake, in that moment he wanted nothing more than to pull you in and kiss you until you were breathless.

You were pulled away by Frypan as he picked you up to put you on his shoulder. You yelled in delight and with another swig of your drink, you played the song again from the top. Cheers of delight filled the air and the clapping to keep the beat continued.

Nest smiled and also took a sip of his drink. You looked so happy, so he was happy. He couldn't take his eyes off you, you looked so beautiful. It made his heart ache, he just wanted to hold you, he wanted you to see him as more. He took a bigger swig of his drink this time.

“She’s great” Minho turned to Newt

“Are we surprised?” Nest chucked and tore his gaze off you.

“How do you feel about your special serenade” Minho’s eyebrows raised, curious to see how Newt would deny this.

“She sang to everyone it wasn't just me..” he fiddled with his drink, focused on the amber liquid.

“Mhmm, but not the Poet part… just you.” this made Newt’s eyes snap to Minho. He was right, it was just him, he shook his head. No no no.

“We're just friends Minho, she doesn't care for me like and I-” from the corner of his eye Newt could see the new greenie taking your hand. Minho smirked this has gotten interesting.

“What is he doing,” Nest spoke flatly drink clenched in his hands.

“Mm, don't know maybe dancing. Either way, you're right, you're just friends. Maybe Y/n and the Greenie are a good match” Newt's eyes flared to Minho. Minho couldn't contain his laugh.

Maybe it was the liquor or maybe it was seeing the greenie with his hands on your hips but something in Newt snapped.

After Fry put you down you placed your guitar down, and you looked to see Minho and Newt talking. He wasn't even looking at you, your drunk thoughts were getting the best of you. Maybe Minho was wrong, Newt only saw you as a friend. The greenie came up to you and you locked arms with him spinning around laughing. It was innocent, until you started to get too dizzy and needed to stop. He placed his hands on your hips.

“Are you okay?” you could feel if thumb stroking your side. Before you could respond, someone pulled his hands off.

Newt didn't know what came over him but by the time he realized what he was doing he had pushed you behind him and was holding one of the greenie’s wrists.

“Let’s try to keep our hands to ourselves greenie.”

The greenie’s eyes widened, he shook his head and scrambled away from his second in command. You were in shock, what had gotten into Newt.

“W-what was that?” you furrowed your brows, he turned to look at you, he looked mad. Did you make Newt upset?

“D-did I upset you? I'm sor-” you stammered

“No love, it's- come on” he grabbed your wrist and started to gently but firmly pull you away from the crowd. Leaving the gladers who were too drunk to realize their lead singer was being swept away.

After he felt like you were far enough Newt dropped your wrist and ran a hand threw his hair. What was he doing? How was he going to explain this, he let his jealousy get the best of him. He couldn't stand the way the greenie looked at you, he had every right to look at you that way. You were gorgeous and Newt had no real claim over you. But you were still his.

After a couple seconds of silence your patience was running thin, the liquor not helping.

“Newt? Hellooo” you sighed waiting for answers

He spun around to face you, you were standing there looking up at him, hair pulled to one side.

“I- uh.. Listen love-” you cut him off

“Newt. I'm so confused and I swear it's not just Gally’s drink. What the hell was that, one minute I’m dancing and the next you're hauling me over here?”

“Y/n I know it's o—” you cut him off again. Rambling.

“No. No this is not okay. You can't just sweep me off without an explanation”

You were upset now, upset at how handsome he was and how badly you wanted to be with him. You just wanted this ache to go away. Not only that but the mix singles were driving you crazy. Sometimes you felt like there could be more and other times it felt like it was set in stone that you’d only ever be friends.

“I can't do this anymore Newt.”

This made Newt’s blood run cold. What did you mean by that? Do this? He started to breath a little harder, did he really just mess up this bad. You two hadn't even begun a romantic relationship and he already screwed up. He grabbed your biceps that were at your sides.

“Y/n I’m sorry I didn't mean to upset you”

“Well guess what I am. I-” tears filled your eyes, you didn't want to cry but everything was feeling like too much.

Newt's heart was breaking, as soon your eyes filled with tears he swore he heard a crack in his heart. You tried to scramble out of his grasp but he held you tight. His hands moved to your face steadying you.

“Y/n I love you.”

This made you go completely still. Anger disappearing and relief flooding you. He loved you.

“I’m sorry it took this long for me to say it and that it had to come out this way but I love you. I’ve loved you since the moment you came up from that box.”

His eyes desperately searched your face looking for any sign. A sign that maybe just maybe you loved him too.

You sagged against him, your head landing on his chest, your face still cradled in his hands. He held you, confused, holding his breath waiting for an answer. Finally, what had felt like years you pulled away and looked up at him. Your hands balled up against his chest.

“Newt, I love you too.”

He felt a tear slip down onto his hand, you were crying but smiling. He looked down at your lips and then back at your eyes. You nodded your head slightly giving him permission.

Softy, he pressed his lips against yours. He pulled away smiling, you grabbed a fist full of his shirt and pulled him in again wrapping the other hand around his neck. His hands left your face and slipped down to your waist pull you closer.

“Love, you have no idea how many times I've dreamed of this,” he whispered against your mouth a small smile creeping on his lips.

You grinned as he pulled you back in for another deep kiss. You made a sound that only made him pull you closer. He couldn’t believe it, the girl he was pinning over was finally in his arms.

You felt like your head was spinning, being in Newt’s arms just felt so right. Hell you didn’t know where he learned to kiss like this but you were breathless.

“Love?” Newt spoke softy like if he spoke too loudly the trance you we’re both in might break.

“Newt” you whispered

“As much as I’m enjoying this, you’re drunk, I’m a bit drunk” he pressed his forehead against yours.

He was right. You were drunk but there wasn’t anything about this that you didn’t want. Your cheeks burned, looking around and seeing that although the two of you were alone, the bonfire wasn’t too far away. You kissed his nose, then both his cheeks.

“You’re too sweet, you know that?” You ran both your hands through his hair your forearms against his shoulders

“Only for you remember?” He winked

“Does this mean I get special treatment?” You raised an eyebrow. He grabbed your forearms and pulled you in close.

“Don’t tell Minho but you’ve always gotten special treatment.”

You laughed and pushed off him, reaching out a hand. He grabbed it and the two of you walked back to the bonfire. Immediately Minho noticed you two especially you two holding hands. He decided to keep it to himself though, pretending to not notice. Tonight was about you two.

When everyone noticed you were back they begged to play the song again. Who were you to deny them? You began to play again, looking to Newt when you sang about the Poet. It was for him. He clapped along never taking his eyes off you. How could he?

Right before the last chorus Minho grabbed the guitar from you.

“Go dance.” He pushed you toward Newt and practically jumped into his arms.

He picked you up by your waist and spun you around. Everyone kept clapping keeping the beat as Newt placed you back down and danced with you. You spun around then dipped you, you couldn’t believe when he kissed you in front of everyone. Cheers erupted.

“Newt you shank!” Galley yelled

“Sorry lads” Newt smirked

When he brought you back up you collapsed against his chest. From exhaustion, liquor and laughing, when you saw Minho looking at the two of you, you grinned at him. He shook us head and shrugged as if saying “I told you so”

…

That night you and Newt walked back to your hammocks holding your hand, creeping around drunken asleep boys.

“Goodnight Y/n” he pressed a kiss to lips gently

“Goodnight Newt.” You laid down and he laid down in his hammock next to yours. You tried to fight sleep but the night caught up to you.

Newt watched as you slept, he couldn’t believe it. The ache in his chest was still there but it was different. Instead of being empty it was full so full that it ached. He knew as he watched you sleep before his eyes shut that he would always be by your side. No matter what.

…

The end :)

I hope you guys enjoyed, it’s lowkey long and I haven’t revised it. If you see any errors please let me know and make sure you comment for more!

[pinkangelcafe]

SECRET CRUSH ➡ Toge Inumaki

❣︎ Synopsis ⸝⸝ After getting to know everyone at Jujutsu High you find yourself having a unique bond with everyone. Your presence is more than enough to make them feel at home around you. They all think of you as a best friend except Inumaki who likes you more than just a friend. He's always finding ways to spend more time with you every chance he gets. It's gotten to a point where even you started to see the obvious signs, yet you're not the only one. So an advised plan for getting you two together has to be done and what's a better setting than the aquarium?

❣︎ Word Count ⸝⸝ 𝟒,𝟕𝟎𝟐

"Alright, that's all for today!" Maki announced after she beat you in a fighting game. At first, it was going to be a tie of three to three until the green-haired girl unexpectedly kicked you to the ground.

"That wasn't a fair game!" You huffed, earning a laugh of victory from the girl.

"Wanna go again?" Maki bent down to your level to challenge you once again with a smirk plastered on her face. "No, I'm too tired." You flat out say before looking at the dorm entrance.

"I'll race you, though." You soon got up to offer her a chance to play an innocent racing game.

"Game on!" She ran off, already giving herself a head start.

"Tuh, I'm just giving you a head start!" You say in a cocky tone before pushing your legs to speed up to her. Luckily, you were the fastest runner in high school, including being on a track team. This 'innocent' game was nothing you couldn't beat.

Maki turned her head in shock, already seeing you side by side. You then looked at her before winking, pushing yourself further to the entrance. And without any time to spare, you were already inside the dorms. Sitting on the stairs to catch your breath, the girl you were racing against came through the door with her arms crossed.

"Ha! I win!" You brag as she walks up the stairs with you now following behind her.

"Whatever. Now we're even!" Maki uttered as you both made it to the common room to find Panda and Inumaki sitting on the couch.

"Inumaki. Panda." You called them to get their attention.

"Hey! Maki and (Y/N)!" Panda got up to greet you with a hug except for Maki since she didn't like it.

Being accepted at Tokyo Jujutsu High, you embraced the personalities you've met and created a friendly bond with Panda, Maki, and the rest of the various people here. Yet the stability and lasting connection you shared with Inumaki was blossoming in a way that felt distinctly different. The way he would lean in closer when you spoke and how his soft purple eyes sparkled when he found you laughing made it obvious enough.

Not to mention, the guy always had something for you both to do whenever you were bored. He didn't make it difficult to show how much he had a crush on you.

"Kelp!" Inumaki says as you make your way to him, sitting down on the edge of the couch with him.

"So how've you been doin'?" You ask, trying to spark up a small conversation with the guy even though he could only talk in riceball ingredients.

He then looked to the side, trying to find the right ingredient to say so he could answer your question. Noticing this, you quickly remembered his words were limited, "Sorry! I forgot you can't say much." You apologized before he pulled out his phone while moving his fingers as if he was texting.

"Tuna Tuna." He put his phone in your hand to show you a message he typed in his notes app.

I'm doing good, me and Panda were watching funny videos while talking about how much money people make by doing dumb shit on the internet.

How are you? :)

You read the message, thinking about what to say next, "Good, me and Maki were just playing a game not too long ago, and I lost. Maybe if she didn't drop kick me outta nowhere, I would've won." You let out a small laugh as you gave him back his phone.

"But at least I won the race." You added, already seeing his eyes soften at the sight of you.

It was unmistakable. Inumaki liked you more than just as a friend, and the rest of the group could see it, too. Maybe if he wasn't shy about admitting his feelings, you both would've been together.

As you all lounged in the common room, Maki glanced over at you and Inumaki, who were sitting together, sharing snacks. An idea sparked in her mind as she tapped Panda's shoulder, "Hey Panda, we need more snacks. Come with me to the snack bar."

"Huh? But you don't need—" Panda got cut off by Maki glaring at him coldly before he coughed, "I–I mean yeah! Of course!" The Panda got up to follow behind Maki, who was already leaving.

"What's this about?" Panda curiously asked as they walked to the cafeteria.

She suddenly stopped once they were in the clear, turning to face Panda. A sly grin spread across her face, lowkey scaring the animal, "We need to get them together. It’s obvious they got a thing for each other."

Panda chuckled, nodding thoughtfully. "I know a place! How about the aquarium? It’s a chill setting, and it’ll give them plenty of time to be alone together."

Maki, ever the strategist, clapped her hands together. "Perfect! Let’s make a plan. We’ll invite everyone, but make sure to set up a moment for just the two of them."

"Alright, the mission to bring (You + Inumaki Ship Name) together is a go!" Panda put a thumbs up, which made Maki look at him sideways.

"How long have you been thinking of their ship name?" The girl wondered, assuming he had made it up just now.

"It's been a few months. Ever since (Y/N) came, I had a feeling Inumaki would like her more than just a friend." He truthfully answered before looking over her shoulder to see Megumi, Yuji, and Nobara walking down the hall.

"Why don't we ask them to help too?" Panda asked, pointing at the three.

Maki turned her head, which made her get an even better idea, "Hey! You three, come here!" She exclaimed, getting their attention.

"Hey! Panda and Maki!" Yuji greeted the two as they were now huddled in a circle.

"Yall want in on the plan to get (You + Inumaki Ship Name) together?" Panda asked as the three exchanged confused looks. "Who?" Nobara broke the silence.

"That's (Y/N) and Inumaki Ship Name he thought of for a few months," Maki announced, making the three dumbfounded.

"THEY'RE TOGETHER?!" Itadori and Nobara yelled in unison as they were stunned the two had been dating for this long without telling anyone.

"No idiots, we're trying to get them together, and Panda's idea was to do it at the aquarium." The green-haired girl sighed at the two, which made them lock-in.

"Oh! How I love playing Cupid!" Nobara put her hands together beside her face as she looked up. Her eyes sparkled in the dramatic pose, making the black-haired guy roll his eyes at the fact he was getting dragged along in their shenanigans.

"Do I have a choice?" He asked, knowing the answer to that question since he knew his classmates very well.

"No!" They all say in sync. All the poor guy could do was look to the side, letting out a long sigh in defeat.

"Now! It's time to make the plan!" Maki announced as everyone mutually thought out a great plan that would surely work.

────๑✿๑────

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐏𝐋𝐀𝐍

────๑✿๑────

"(Y/N) and Inumaki!" Panda and Maki came in, gaining you two attention.

"Pickled mustard leaf?" Inumaki said with a concerned expression, making Panda step back a bit. "No, no. It's nothing to be worried about! We just thought about how everyone should get together at the aquarium!"

Hearing this struck your curiosity, thinking about how fun It'd be to see different fish and creatures of that nature. "Ooh, I want to see the jellyfish they have there." You agreed with a smile that showed your pearly whites.

"Inumaki?" Maki turned to the silver-haired guy who stared at you, taking him out of the trance he was in. "Salmon!" He announced in agreement as well.

"We'll meet up on Saturday at 3 pm sharp! We're gonna have a long day, so I expect you all to get all the rest you need." Maki ordered as you got up, seeing the sun setting.

"Alright everyone, Imma go to my dorm. Goodnight." You shared as they said their goodnights back.

Going inside your dorm room, you took a shower and did your nightly routine before putting on your fox onesie. You admit it was childish putting on a onesie before bed, but it looked so cute. Maki and Nobara were matching with you as well (Maki had a wolf and Nobara had a cat).

You plop down onto your bed, watching the funny videos Inumaki recommended while your two friends are out. You couldn't lie that some of the clips were funny and made you laugh. Inumaki did have quite a sense of humor, after all.

A few more minutes later, you dozed off to sleep from watching a video of a cat attacking its owner for pulling its tail.

────────‧₊˚ ⋅ 𓐐𓎩 ‧₊˚ ⋅────────

As the day of the aquarium outing approached, Maki had already texted the location in the group chat everyone was in. Strolling through your phone as the assistant manager, Ijichi drives to your destination. You see that Inumaki texted you last night, sending you a message that told you how much he looked forward to this day.

Inumaki 🍙

Hey, (Y/N)

I can't wait to see you tomorrow! :)

Hey, I can't wait to see you too!

I'm almost there

Seen

You replied to his message as you started to ponder your feelings for him while happily rereading his texts. You felt the fluttering sensation in your gut that arose through your chest when you talked to him. While trying to go through these emotions, the car had come to a complete stop.

"We're here (Y/N)," Ijichi spoke, making you open the door before exiting the car. "Thank you so much." You closed the door behind you.

"It's no problem, just have fun!" He acknowledged your gratitude as you walked towards the group of seven standing in front of the Maxell Aqua Park Shinagawa.

The building was huge and the exterior looked bland. At least the sign had a bit of color to it. Making it to the group, you grabbed Inumaki’s attention, "Kelp!" He welcomed you as the rest focused their attention on you.

"Hey, everyone!" You greeted everyone with a hug, including Todo, who had tagged along. "Yall ready to have some fun?" Panda enthusiastically said, which made everyone agree with him.

"Alright, everyone! We're going to split up into groups of two. When I call your name I'll tell you who you're paired with." Maki announced before calling out names.

"Todo and Itadori."

"Megumi and Panda."

"Me and Nobara."

"Lastly, (Y/N) and Inumaki." Maki told you who your partner was. Hearing this made your face unconsciously heat up from the thought of being alone in this romantic setting.

"Now that's that done, let's go in, shall we?" A sense of wonder washed over us as we entered. After Maki conversed with the lady at the information counter, we finally went through the entrance gate.

Our eyes widen, hearing other people's laughter echoing off the carpeted floors. The aquatic world was mesmerizing, with vibrant fish darting around coral reefs, enchanting murals, and stunning displays housing creatures of every shape and color.

"SO MESMERIZING!!" Itadori and your eyes glistened with joy as your hands clasped together excitedly like kids in a chocolate factory for the first time.

This action didn't go unnoticed by Inumaki, who watched how happy you were with a light smile across his face. He knew you had only seen Yuji as a 'mini you', thus, he wasn't worried about the physical contact.

"Hmm... Let me see where we should meet up..." Maki read the map before pointing at the Coral Cafe Bar on the floor y'all were at, "We'll regroup here at 9:30 so we can at least have something to eat before we leave." She added, handing each of us a map.

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𝐄𝐗𝐄𝐂𝐔𝐓𝚰𝐎𝐍 𝐓𝚰𝐌𝐄

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As everyone split off to explore, you couldn't contain your excitement. You abruptly grabbed Inumaki's hand, leading him to the Magical Ground that was on the map. This part of the aquarium had exhibitions and attractions that incorporated digital art.

Still holding on to his hand, you first went to an atrium-like area with a stylishly arranged aquarium and artwork. Looking around the spellbinding scenery, you both were astonished at the sight. The beautiful paintings on top of the mini white walls had nice-sized aquariums squished in the middle. Each colored fish matched its designated painting color in an organized manner.

Thankfully, you brought your camera for this occasion, taking pictures of every scene. When you both were done you went to the attraction area where there were two models, the Merry-go-round 'Dolphin Party' wrapped in LED light and music on a wall and the 'Port of Pirates' where you could experience the weightless world on a huge pirate ship.

"Which one do you wanna get on?" You asked Inumaki, who couldn't help but stare at you, feeling the warmth of your hand attached to his. It took you a minute to realize what your hand was holding onto the whole time as well.

"My bad! I forgot to let go of your hand when I dragged you here!" You gasped out of nervousness as you loosened your grip on his hand. This is the second time you've felt the butterflies dance throughout your stomach but in a good way.

Attempting to ignore these feelings once more, you change the subject, "Where do you wanna go?" You ask again, hoping for an answer.

Toge examined the area before pointing at both places, "You want to get on both?" You lift one eyebrow. "Salmon!" He confirmed.

"Let's get on the Merry-go-round first!" You swiftly moved to the large revolving machine with model sea animals for kids and adults. You and Inumaki stood in line for about thirty minutes until it was your turn to get on.

You got on the large sea horse while Inumaki was on a shark beside you. The instructor gave out the information about this ride before turning it on. The machine spun around at its proper pace, which allowed you to let go of the pole.

The act scared Toge when he looked over, assuming you were going to fall off. Instead, you were having the best time of your life. "This is so much fun!" You exclaimed to the boy who just smiled while shaking his head in return.

You were always an enjoyable soul to be around. That's why he liked you. In your words 'You only live once so make the most of it'. You stuck by that rule every chance you got. In his eyes, you weren't wrong because life was short. And if his life was short, then he'd rather spend every moment of those days with you.

You're inviting energy, carefree spirit, and raspy voice were everything he loved about you. There wasn't a single flaw or perfection in you that he didn't like regarding your character. You also knew the time and place to have fun or relax, so he didn't mind your vibrant attitude.

"You wanna see something cool?" You put your hand back on the pole before anyone caught you. Hesitant at first, he replied, "Salmon." Agreeing to your offer.

When he saw the thing you wanted to show him, he wished he hadn't agreed because you were standing on the moving seahorse with one hand still on the pole. "Bonito flakes! Fish flakes!" He gasped, now perceiving you were going to hurt yourself.

After noticing you were giving the guy grey hairs, you stopped joking around. Sitting back down properly, you try to reassure him, "I'm okay, Inumaki. There's nothing to worry about." You calmly say as your eyes soften at the sight of the silver-haired male beside you.

"Not... Again." He whispered loud enough for you to hear. This made your heart drop a bit, knowing you went overboard.

"My fault..." Your tone saddened as the wheel stopped rotating. You get off to go to the pirate ship with Inumaki sensing your low vibrations. You suddenly caught a glimpse of him eyeing you, which made you smile at him, trying to make it discreet that you were disappointed in your actions.

Unfortunately, he knew you well enough to see right through the facade. He pulled out his phone before typing some things down on his notes app. Giving you the phone, you read the message.

It's okay, you scared me cause I thought you were going to hurt yourself. Seeing that you knew what you were doing reassured me.

Just give me a heads-up when you're about to do something crazy again :,)

"Fine, I swear I'll tell you when I'm about to do something crazy again!" You promised him as it was you both turn to get on the ride.

There wasn't any doubt that Inumaki and you had a great time together. After getting on the pirate ship, you both explored more of the aquarium, going to the second floor where there were more exhibits to see.

Inumaki decided to look through each one in order, going to the Little Paradise first, where you both saw spectacularly colored tropical fish and tanks with regularly changing themes. This one was by far your favorite, even though Inumaki was biased about it.

Then, y'all went through the Wonder Tube, which was a 20m undersea tunnel where you could see rare sawfish and manta rays swim gracefully around. Inumaki had also told you his favorite sea animals were sharks and manta rays. He soon started telling you fun facts about them that you found cute.

The end of the Wonder Tube is connected to the Life Museum. An exhibition featuring a variety of art-like specimens that fascinate you two to the point you read each fact about every creature on their informational plaques near the tank. Some of these fish were well-known to you, which made you show off how much you knew.

Next up was the Aqua Jungle. The area had a condensed version of the world's jungles where you had encountered freshwater fish, reptiles, and capybaras. The newborn reptiles were too cute not to take pictures of. Not to mention how Inumaki looked at each one in awe, you took the opportunity to secretly snap a photo of him.

At Wild Street, there were otters, penguins, seals, and other animals you couldn't dare to take your eyes off of. You even had a staring contest with one of the seals, who then put his flipper on the glass at you. Seeing this made you blink, wanting to give the animal an easy win.

You both walked outside to Friendly Square, where you and Inumaki sat down on a bench to enjoy the close-up mini-performances by various creatures. Inumaki secretly took a video of your reaction to the dolphin going through each of the different hoops. He accidentally pressed a button on his phone to turn his camera towards himself. Unsurprisingly, he was righteously looking at you as if you were eye candy—in this moment you were.

Finally, you both went back to the first floor to go to the Jellyfish Ramble. You both decided to go there last since you were in love with jellyfish and wanted to save the best for last. Going through the dark tube, you were completely hypnotized by the mystical area that featured floating jellyfish accompanied

by different sounds and lights for each one.

"Heavenly isn't even the word to describe how this all looks..." You breathtakingly say as you venture through the jellyfish cases.

"Salmon..." Toge agreed since he was taken aback by this view as well.

When you and Inumaki walked further, he glanced over, and with that small smile of his, he said, "Salted salmon cod roe!" The guy pointed excitedly at the massive tank holding an ethereal jellyfish that pulsed and glowed like otherworldly beings.

"That jellyfish reminds me of you." You stated, making him tilt his head in confusion before pointing at himself.

You couldn’t help but marvel at how beautiful the scene was, but even more beautiful was the guy beside you, "Yes you. It's cause you look ethereal!" You bluntly complimented him.

This comment put a light blush across his face. He was more than happy to receive such a remark from you. It made his heart flutter with satisfaction.

His silver hair caught the light as he finally turned to you. He reached into his pocket, pulling out a charm—a black and purple glass beaded bracelet with four jellyfish pendants made from a luminescent metal. On the back of each jellyfish had a letter with each letter spelling out 'TOGE', "For you..." He murmured, his voice soft but steady.

The wonder of how he managed to slip away from you to get this didn't cross your mind. Instead, you felt a distinctive sensation fill your entire being. That feeling was love.

Lord knows how much you wanted to accept his gift, but it was your fear that pushed you back—the fear of loving someone to get your heart broken again.

Being attached to someone romantically was always something you couldn't shake off even after trying to see Inumaki as just a friend ever since you came here. You desperately tried, but it was as if those hidden emotions always made their way to the surface.

What made it worse was everything Inumaki did was clear to you. You could read people like a book, even when they made it crystal clear they were in love with you. Yet you decided to deny him. You turned down his feelings because you weren't ready for a relationship.

Ever since you broke up with your boyfriend you had a strong bond with, a relationship never crossed your mind. But Inumaki always found a way to put you back into that state of mind—where you felt like your relationship would work. You didn't want to listen to your heart—thinking it might deceive you again.

Except looking at the male in front of you, Inumaki's eyes were filled with a passion—a genuine passion you've never met someone who loved you before. If you listen to your heart and take this charm, then there's no going back.

Without any more thinking, you willingly took the bracelet, slipping it through your hand to sit it on your wrist. It was a perfect fit, and it wasn't uncomfortable. You decided to listen to your heart, telling you that he was the one.

Before Inumaki could type anything, you impulsively wrapped your arms around him, pulling him into a hug. Since he was a little taller than you, it didn't take him much to hug you back while he rested his chin on your head. You could hear his heart beat fast as your ear laid against his chest.

"Thank you. It looks so beautiful." You complimented the charm as you lifted your wrist to stare at it. "I—... You're...welcome..." He firmly said, except it was as if it was not exactly what he wanted to tell you.

Soaking in this moment, you both picked up where you left off, walking through more bedazzled jellyfish.

"Tuna Tuna." Inuamki gave you his device to see his notes app.

It's almost 9:30

Do you want to go somewhere else before we leave for the bar?

Reading this put an idea in your mind, you remembered there was a photo service by the Dolphin Party. "Let's go to the photo booth." You directed, leading him back to Magical Ground.

Arriving at the photo booth, you both sat down on the long chair while the guy in front took the pictures. "How many are you both doing? It can only take up to five." The photographer announced.

"Three?" You looked at Inumaki for an answer, "Bonito flakes." He shook his head in disagreement, wanting to use all five pictures.

"Alright, We'll do 5!" You exclaimed to the man before he got his camera ready to take the photos.

For two of them, you both did regular poses to get comfortable. Another one was funny faces. You had your lips pouting out as you winked at the camera, trying to do the kissy face emoji (😘). Toge looked at you, impersonating the confused emoji (🤨).

Looking at Inumaki's impersonation, it was so on point that you laughed, making him laugh. The photographer took another picture even though you weren't ready yet. This was the last photo, and you decided to tease him.

"Ready! 3...2..." The photographer counted down, giving you the chance to quickly kiss the boy's cheek. While he was stunned, you brightly smiled, putting up the peach sign from both of your hands.

"That's all! Your last photo will be printed shortly." The photographer smiled at you both as you got up to see the photos that were printed out of the camera. Each photo came out to your liking since they were individual pictures.

"Here you go! Thank you for coming!" The male gave you the last photo, and this one was by far the best. It showed Inumaki's blushed face as he was looking at you with a shocked expression.

Inumaki soon got up to see each photo, "Tuna mayo." He wanted you to talk, wondering about that kiss on the cheek.

"I thought it would be funny!~" You teased, with a light blush on your face as well. Inumaki playfully rolled his eyes before checking the time on his phone.

"Tuna Tuna." He showed you the time that read 9:35, indicating you both were late for meeting up with the rest.

"Oh, let's go!" You voiced, leaving the photo booth with Inumaki by your side.

Strolling to the Coral Cafe Bar, you observed the rest of your friends who sat down at the tables together. "You both are late," Maki told you two as you sat down at the table.

"(Y/N)! Tell Todo that an octopus has two hearts!" Yuji shouted, arguing with Todo about octopuses.

"They only have one! Where did the other one come from?!" Aoi retorts to Yuji asking for help.

"Actually, they have three." You tell them earning a dumbfounded look from them both. "We already ordered some food, so it should be here in a few." Panda chuckled as Itadori and Todo continued to argue like little brothers.

"Thank God 'cause all that walking made me hungry!" You laughed as you felt a hand hold onto yours under the table.

Looking down, you see Inumaki's hand caught in yours. Feeling your cheeks warm up, you accepted the small gesture intertwining your hands with his.

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𝐌𝐈𝐒𝐒𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐏𝐋𝐄𝐓𝐄

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The day drew to a close, and you all staggered out of the aquarium, laughing while talking about each other's experiences. Inumaki walked beside you, stealing sly glances when he thought you weren’t looking. Ichiji came back to pick everyone up to drop everyone off. Since Todo came from Kyoto, we were dropped off first.

As everyone made their way to their assigned dorms, Inumaki walked with you to your room since he was beside yours. He tapped your shoulder to give you his phone before you could go inside your dorm.

I enjoyed every moment I shared with you, and to be honest, I didn't want it to end, so I was wondering if you'd like to go out again sometime, but only us?

"You did show me a very good time, so of course I'll go out with you." You accept his request to go out with him.

"Goodnight, Inumaki." You say your goodbyes, receiving a small kiss on your cheek in response. "Goodnight..." He whispered. You held onto your cheek while a cheesy smile crept onto your face before closing the door.

Getting ready for bed, Inumaki never left your mind. You happily went to bed, recollecting how he managed to steal your heart.

[stubz]

"You said you'd be better after the Tri-Eclipse festival, when we all come back from vacation."

"Yeah that's right."

"Will you promise me that you'll run with me when we get back?"

"...I'll do my best. Yeah. I'll do my best buddy."

.

"Max when we get back after the holidays will you run with me?"

"Yeah. I'll start training, practice running."

"Oh yeah, cause it's been a long time since you ran."

"Yeah...almost 2 months...wow."

..

"Got any plans for the 2 weeks we get off?"

"Yeah I'm gonna train."

"Train for what?"

"Running. I told the kids I'd run with them when we get back."

"Aww that's cute. But yeah you need to test things out right? Start off slow so as to not overdue it when you play with them again."

"Yeah...wanna hear something funny?"

"Sure."

"I, I miss running. I know I said I hate running and that I only ran with the kids because it's good exercise but...I miss it." he puts down his fork. Staring at his plate of food from the ship's cafeteria. He continues.

"I had a dream last night. I was on Earth, in a field of tall grass and flowers, it was summer. The sun was shining, a beautiful warmth on my skin, with a cool gentle breeze on my skin. I was barefoot. I could run and I ran for miles. I ran even after my lungs were on fire, even when the sun went down...I miss running."

"Mmm"

...

Going on field trip. Yanosh came early so we took the noon shuttle. Come as soon as you can. Shuttle A-11.

'I didn't know we had a field trip today.' he thought after reading the text Kim sent.

He grabbed his hoodie and the other emergency bag and made his way to the shuttles. Luckily the A-11 was an express and he would be wherever it was going in 20 minutes.

12 minutes into the ride he noticed that they were approaching Earth.

....

Turn left in 200 meters...You have reached your destination.

"...ha haha hahahahaha! Are you guys serious?!"

"Surprise Max!!"

In front of the young man was his class of youngling alien children (with a handful of humans ones), co-worker and friend. Standing in a field of tall grass and flowers. Yanosh and Kim held a banner saying congratulations.

"I know you've been training in the gym but I thought you'd want your first real run to be somewhere...special."

He scooped his friend into a hug. Then pulled in the children until they were all sent crashing down into a pile full of laughter and giggles.

"You ready?"

"Yeah, yeah definitely!"

"READY KIDS?!"

"YEAH!"

"LET'S GOOO!"

And for the first time in 2 months human Max ran. Past the slowest ones first. He tried to pat every one of them on the head as he flew bye. Broke through the pack of the average runners. A laugh trailed behind him. One by one surpassed the faster one's. His unused lungs somehow allowing him to whoop in-between pants.

He raced every child. Played every game he could not play before. Carried those who longed to be carried again. He ran despite the burning in his lungs and the sweat in his eyes. He ran through the pain in his feet and the exhaustion in his body until he collapsed.

Laying there in the dirt surrounded by the children and his friend he smiled. And he wore that smile in his sleep on the way back to the centre.