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underforeversgrace · 1 year ago

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am i dead or alive? (it's such a fine line)

title: am i dead or alive? (it's such a fine line)

words: 2,755

summary: Danny wakes up screaming from a nightmare - a memory he thought he'd long gotten over. When his dad comes running him to check on him, old fears and doubts resurface, and Danny decides that, since he's already told his parents about Phantom, maybe it's time to stop hiding other things, too.

Warnings: None

AU: None/Danny has already told his parents he's Phantom before the story starts

Beta by: @probably-dead

AO3

“Oh dear! What a mess! Are you okay?” She asked, sounding and looking every bit like a concerned grandmother as Danny rolled his shoulder, feeling an ache that his adrenaline fueled mind acknowledged as being a broken left arm.

“Yeah, I think so,” he found himself saying, oddly outside of himself and refusing to truly realize he’d just gotten majorly injured in a ghost fight.

Suddenly the Lunch Lady’s face broke into a snarl, anger and hatred radiating off of her. “Tough! Because you being okay is not part of my balanced diet of doom!”

And then the fight was back on, five minions made of meat surrounding him as they all launched into the air. The pain fell away as he went on the offensive, cleanly slicing through all five of them. Some part of him, some human part, kept telling him how wrong everything was, how he should feel his heart slamming against his chest in fear, should hear the rush of blood in his ears as adrenaline forced all of his senses into overdrive.

But Danny sensed none of that and the internal silence of his stopped heart was now nearly deafening.

The five blobs reformed rapidly. Danny took in a deep breath that he refused to accept he didn’t need as he firmly planted his feet into the ground, dropping into a fighting stance.

Warmth exploded around his body as his heart resumed, straining and panicking within his chest, as he lost his ghost form. Nausea stirred in his stomach as disorientation tried to force him to his knees, his senses roughly shifted from ghost to human and simultaneously overwhelming and underwhelming him.

Then the slimy, greasy beings wrapped themselves around him, lifting him into the air as he tried to fight them. In a matter of seconds, he was being held upside down, hundreds of feet in the air and he was forced to stop struggling - he’d die if he fell from this height.

He was already dead.

Then the hands holding him let go and he was freefalling, screaming as the ground rapidly approached. “Change back!” He pleaded aloud to whatever god would listen to a thing like him, whatever god had already abandoned him when he walked into that portal.

But the ground just grew closer, the little ball of cold in his chest unresponsive, drained of energy. He saw the meat ghost’s smile, twisted into a sadistic grin of victory.

And then the ground was right there, it was right on front of him, his face centimeters away and -

Danny screamed, bolting upright in his bed as sweat rolled down his body. He felt warm tears forming in his eyes, breaking free to slide down his cheeks. He shuddered slightly, pulling his legs to his chest and dropping his head onto his knees as he tried to slow his breathing. He’d thought he was done with that particular nightmare!

“Danny?” His father demanded, slamming open the door to his bedroom and causing Danny to flinch. “What’s wrong? Is it a ghost?”

A lie immediately came to Danny’s tongue but he bit it down. He’d told his parents the truth last month, but the reaction to lie was still the first he had whenever they mentioned ghosts.

Danny lifted his head up, studying his father for a moment. Mom and Jazz weren’t home tonight, on the way to Jazz’s new college - the semester was starting soon and it was time for move in. That had actually been the catalyst for Danny confessing - it was time for Jazz to go to school and she was refusing to leave until she knew Danny told them and was safe here. It’d been a low move - holding her own education over his head - but it had been effective. Danny had enough shame in his life, he wouldn’t keep his sister from going to school.

“Kinda,” he finally admitted, “but there aren’t any here right now.”

Jack crossed the space to Danny’s bed in a few quick paces, sitting down on the foot of the bed. Again, Danny flinched at his father’s rapid approach, a spike of panic up his spine. Jack apparently didn’t miss the reaction, looking at Danny in regret, even as he scooted a little further away to give Danny more space.

“Talk to me, Danny,” Jack asked, almost pleading.

Danny wrapped his arms around his legs, pulling them tighter against him.

His parents had taken the news… not well, but their horrified reactions had been about themselves, not him, like he knew they would be - like he’d seen during Controlfreak’s stunt with the Reality Gauntlet. But they hadn’t really talked - his parents too afraid of pushing Danny away, and Danny still just afraid of them.

“I had a nightmare,” he eventually said.

“What about, son?”

He hesitated. Was this really where he wanted to finally start this conversation? A fight he’d nearly lost and the doubt and pain he’d endured in silence after? Things he’d never even told Sam and Tucker? He glanced at the clock - it was nearly three in the morning. He looked again at his father, the worry and concern in his eyes, in every line of his body.

Yeah. It was time to talk. It was time to let his parents - or at least one of them - in the rest of the way, to all the things his secret contained below the surface.

“The first real ghost fight I had. It… it didn’t go well.”

Jack's face morphed into shock, Danny had been tight lipped about everything he’d done, but it settled back into worry. “Do you want to talk about it?”

Danny took a deep breath. “Are you ready to hear it? It isn’t… it isn’t good, Dad. Some of it… it might upset you. It involves you.”

His father bit his lip but nodded. It was an open secret they refused to acknowledge - the fact that Danny’s own parents had fueled his fears and his nightmares.

“Her name was the Lunch Lady,” Danny started, setting his chin on his knees. “It was a month after I got my powers. I couldn’t even do an ectoblast yet, had never seen one before. Flight, invisibility, intangibility - that was all I knew how to do. It was all I’d ever seen from the other ghosts I’d faced - wimpy, low level ones, none even humanoid. She was… she was trying to kill Sam because Sam had caused the school to change the menu. She was the strongest ghost I’d ever come across at that point - the only human one, the only one who could talk to me. When we first saw her, she just looked like a lost grandmother and I…” Danny paused to take a deep breath.

“Anyway, she was wicked strong. I… I nearly died again.” Danny ignored the way his father seemed to recoil at that sentence. “She’s about as strong as the Box Ghost. They’re actually married and have a kid now. But that’s how weak I was back then. I was exhausted. I was in the middle of a fight with her and was too tired to keep up being Phantom - it took a lot of energy back then - so I morphed back to human. And back then, my human side and my ghost side didn’t mix as well, I didn’t have my strength.”

“Can I come closer?” Jack asked abruptly.

Trust him, his mind decided and he scooted over to the side of the bed, patting the open spot beside him. Relief flooded his father’s face and he moved so he was sitting behind Danny.

Danny leaned against his father’s side instinctively, comfortable. He wrapped an arm around Danny’s shoulders and tension faded from Danny.

“I was human when she had her minions grab me,” Danny continued. “They grabbed me and flew me up and I was helpless. That’s what the nightmare was about. It was the first time I came close to losing a fight. What happened after that was you tossing the Thermos and it slapping me in the face and then the minions let go of me. I managed to get back to Phantom in time and the Thermos made quick work of all of them, but… the nightmare plays out a little differently.”

“Did you know I’m scared of flying on planes?” Jack asked.

“Huh?” Danny responded, pulled out of the memory that had started to constrict him again.

“I was flying on one when I was around ten, on vacation, when we hit some really bad turbulence halfway through the flight,” he explained. “At the time, I didn’t know that was normal. We were fine, of course, but for years afterwards, I had nightmares about the plane crashing, even though it wasn’t what happened. It’s one reason I built the Fenton Jet - I trust my own inventions more. But nightmares don’t care about reality, do they?”

Danny smiled slightly. He sometimes forgot his father was an intelligent man, just hidden under a lot of layers of fudge and goofiness. “No, they don’t. In the dream they take me higher, I fall further, and I can’t transform back.”

“And you still chose to help, even when the ghosts got stronger?”

Danny nodded. “I had the ability to, I could keep up with them better, and…” he trailed off, unsure about proceeding. The nightmare, the memory, was only half of it.

“And?” Jack prompted.

“And… I was afraid.”

“You helped because you were afraid?”

Suddenly feeling suffocated, Danny slid out from under his father’s arms, getting off the bed and beginning to pace. He could feel Jack’s eyes following him as he did so. “You and mom always said ghosts were evil, they couldn’t feel, they couldn’t remember or understand humanity. Until Lunch Lady, I could convince myself you two were wrong. The ones before her - they didn’t count, they were just wild animals. But she… she wanted to kill Sam for something so simple. I didn’t understand Obsessions at the time, I didn’t know that what she was going through made her feel like her core was cracking in two. As far as I could tell, she was just pure evil for the sake of being evil.”

He couldn’t help it as he began to cry, as the feelings he’d smothered back then reared up their ugly heads, fears about himself he’d come to terms with but which still frightened him sometimes. “If you were right, when would I lose myself? When would I become evil, hurt people because hurting them was fun? I’d half died, but was Danny, was my humanity, going to die more?” Tears made his vision blur and he stopped pacing, pressing his back against the wall and sliding to the floor. “I didn’t want to die. I didn’t want to hurt people. But I was so afraid that I was only delaying the inevitable. That I was going to lose my mind and eventually someone would do something so, so minor and I’d decide killing was the right option.”

“Danny…” he said, sounding more lost than Danny had ever heard.

“So I kept fighting. Hoped whatever evil my ghost had given me could be distracted by the violence, would let me channel the desire to kill - that I knew would eventually consume me - into only hurting ghosts.” Danny looked up, making eye contact with his father and saw he was crying too. “I learned every weakness I could. I made lists. Anything and everything someone would need to kill a ghost. I kept notes… and I printed them out for you two to find if I ever went rogue. The secrets to killing me, left somewhere you would find if Fenton ever went missing, with the implication I thought Phantom might hurt me.”

Jack paled and his eyes went wide. “You set it up so we’d think Phantom hurt our son. And then left the information we’d need… to kill you - Phantom you - for killing Fenton you?”

Danny forced himself to nod. “All without ever knowing it was me to begin with.”

“Son…” Jack said, standing and moving over to Danny, squatting in front of him. “I am so sorry.”

Danny shrugged. “I eventually met good ghosts. That’s when I began trying to make it obvious to you that I was good, that I wasn’t bad. I know now there are more good ghosts than bad, but I didn’t know that back then.”

“And now you trust yourself to know you’d never do anything bad? That you have control over what you do?”

“I believe I have control over what I do.” Danny half-answered, glancing at his bedside table.

Jack followed his gaze, apparently realizing what Danny was purposefully not saying, even though he hadn’t been told about Dan yet. He straightened up and crossed the distance to the table while Danny watched silently. Fear crept into Danny’s soul, wondering if he’d misjudged his father as he pulled out a folder from the drawer.

The folder with the secrets of how to end him and any other ghost, how to shatter and destroy a core, specifically cores of ice - information he hadn’t learned until long after the Lunch Lady incident.

He flipped the folder open, shuffling through the pages, panic evident in his eyes as he looked through all the different ways Danny had figured out his parents could kill him, and the instructions he’d left on how to do so.

Information he’d left access to even after telling them the truth with the hope they’d be able to get rid of him if he snapped.

Quicker than Danny realized his father could move, he was kneeling beside him, shoving the folder into Danny’s lap. “Burn these. Now.”

“What?” Danny asked, surprised.

“You are my son, Danny. You are good, always have been and always will be. I will not let you think any differently and I will not tolerate you making notes on how to commit suicide.”

“Dad! It’s not suicide!”

“Are these notes not about different ways to make you dead?”

“It’s… it’s different…” Danny protested but Jack was already shaking his head and Danny knew he’d already lost this argument.

“Daniel Jackson Fenton, you are going to listen to me and you are going to do what I say. You are going to morph into Danny Phantom - my son - and you are going to burn these to ash, now. Do you understand me?”

Danny looked at the folder in his lap and triggered his transformation. Despite the fact he hadn’t shown his parents the morph many times, his father didn’t flinch at all at the bright flash. He stood, still not tearing his eyes away from the folder. “Are you sure?” He asked. “We can’t guarantee I won’t -“

“I know about Dan,” Jack cut him off. “Jazz told us. She said she’d never tell us any of your other secrets, those were up to you, but she knew how much Dan scared you and wanted us to know.”

“What?” Danny squeaked. He cleared his throat. “Then you know why this may be needed!”

“Danny, I promise, you will never become that. Jazz said Dan was a fusion of you and an evil ghost. Just because he kept your name and face, doesn’t make him you! You are good, okay? Besides,” he said, gently placing his hands onto Danny’s shoulders and lowering himself to be eye level, his blue eyes boring into Danny’s electric green ones. “Don’t ask me to kill you, Danny. Please… don’t ask me to kill you,” he pleaded, his voice breaking as he began to cry too.

Danny’s heart broke at his father's sobs and he knew he couldn’t deny him. “Okay,” Danny said, stepping away and setting the papers on fire with ecto energy. He watched as months and years of work disintegrated into ash. Worry and doubt were parasites gnawing his stomach - what if Dan’s evil wasn’t all Vlad? What if Danny himself had that evil within him? - but as his father pulled him into a tight, bone crushing hug, he did his best to let those fears wisp away, too.

He’d start work on another, different kind of list another time - one specialized to restraining him, reducing his powers - because he didn’t think he would ever be fully able to trust himself and he needed the people he loved to be able to fight him back.

For now, though, he was content to just hug his dad as the both of them cried.

#danny phantom #grace writes #danny fenton #jack fenton

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kissorkill16 · 4 months ago

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A Brass & Green Forgotten Memory: A Hello Neighbor Fanfic

By JJ

Summary: A memory about four kids, and a brass and emerald octagon.

Aaron and Nicky made their way out of school.

It was 3:59, and they recently got out of detention. They put a balloon in the school's turkey lunch, making it explode all over the place. While they laughed their asses off, other students found it disgusting.

They got detention and as well as their parents got a call home. But they didn't care, they knew they'd see each other again.

Like usual, Nicky's parents didn't seem to be home. Instead, he was greeted by the displeased face of his grandmother.

"Go to your room, young man. We'll talk more when your parents get home. I don't want to see you until they've pulled up in the driveway, and in the meantime, you're grounded.", she said flatly. Nicky didn't even spare her a second glance as he trodded upstairs to his room.

He walked in his room, flung his backpack to the corner of his room, and flopped down on his bed.

He thought about how during his friendship with Aaron, he stopped caring about what other people think. He stopped being such a basket case, and started going out more, he even started sneaking around whenever his parents weren't around, and started being more disobedient to his grandmother.

That last thought made him sad. He'd never found the courage to even get close to breaking Bubba's rules, and it made him feel a little guilty, because he'd been going against the woman who had taken care of him whenever his parents weren't around.

But then his mind went to all of the times where she left him alone in such dark and scary places. The grocery store, the woods, and traumatizing him as a small child. Why does he care so much about the person who's literally the reason why he was so standoffish in the first place?

A loud bang on his window startled him out of his thoughts, and he looked out the window to see who it was.

Aaron, Mya, and Lucy.

He was happy to see them.

Nicky opened the window, and waved down at his friends.

"Hi, Nicky!", said Lucy. "We were about to go to the woods to work on a new project. Do you want to come?"

Nicky looked down at his feet, trying to make this come out easy. "Sorry, guys. I can't. Bubba says I'm grounded and can't leave my room until my parents get home, which probably won't be until like 3:00 tomorrow."

"Damn, that sucks.", said Aaron. "But who cares? I peeked through the window, and that old hag is sleeping like a log. Old people tend to sleep for decades, so I'm sure you've got a couple hours."

Nicky thought about it for a minute, then without another thought, he climbed out his window, hopped onto the trellis, and landed on his feet.

"Let's go."

Just like every other time Nicky's been here, it was darker in the woods, despite it only being 4:15. Luckily, no crows were hanging around the trees, so he didn't have to worry about any beaks pecking at him or any annoying caws.

They found a tree, sat down under it, and started discussing their new project. Lucy said she wanted to build a fairy trap.

Despite people saying to her that fairies weren't real, Lucy wasn't the type of person to give up on anything. That's what Nicky liked most about her.

"We can fill it with juice boxes and graham crackers, I heard fairies love those things.", she said.

She was also so adorable, Nicky liked that about her too. She was so adorable and lively, it made her look even more like a 7 year old.

Just then, Nicky saw something behind Mya. It was a tall figure, cloaked and had a beak sticking out of the hood. "Ummm..., guys? Whenever you come into the woods, do you see anything unusual?", he asked.

"Sometimes. Why?", said Mya.

Nicky pointed behind her, and everyone turned their heads to see the figure.

At first, they were a little scared, but then they started to laugh. Well, everyone except Nicky.

Aaron managed to compose himself. "Nicky, don't worry. I have a way with people like this.", he whispered to his friend. Then he called out to the figure, "Hey you! Halloween was a year ago, weirdo!"

The figure didn't say anything, it was just standing still and quiet, like a statue.

"Excuse me, whoever you are. But are you lost?", asked Mya. The figure still didn't answer.

Lucy whispered to Nicky, "Do you think it's a ghost?", she asked. Nicky felt a chill run down his spine.

"N-No. I don't think so. I wouldn't know, I don't believe in ghosts."

But that was a total lie. Nicky did believe in ghosts, any supernatural stuff in fact. All of the things Bubba told him chilled him to his core, and it made him believe in whatever unnatural thing he heard about. Why do you think he was so eager to help Lucy with her fairy trap?

"Should we check to see what it is?", asked Mya.

"Normally, I'd say no since this is creepy as shit, but I'm scared to just let it stand there and watch us do things.", said Aaron.

The kids slowly tip toed towards the figure, afraid that if they made a wrong move, it'd run to them and do who knows what.

Once they got close enough, Nicky slowly reached his hand towards it. Bad idea.

The cloaked figure started running away, hitting Nicky in the face with the back of its cloak. He wiped away that tingly feeling of blanket, and saw his friends chasing after the thing.

He didn't know why he was following them, he didn't know why he didn't just run the other direction home. Maybe he was also curious about the man in the cloak, or maybe he was turning into a sheep, a follower who would do anything for his friends.

"Hey! Come back!", called Mya to the figure. But the thing just kept on running away from the children.

Before anyone saw it coming, a murder of crows started charging at the kids, making them crouch down to their knees and hiding their heads in their arms.

The murder started flying away, and when Nicky slowly raised his head up, the figure was gone.

"It's gone.", said Nicky. The rest of the kids got up, dusted themselves off and pulled feathers out of their hair.

"Is everyone okay?", asked Aaron. The girls nodded their heads, and Nicky gave a silent mhmm.

Suddenly, another strange thing came about from the woods. First, a rustle of bushes, then a grumble of annoyance.

Aaron followed the sound, and peeked from behind the bushes. Everyone else crouched down beside him, and they all saw what Aaron saw.

It was another cloaked figure with a beak sticking out of the hood. But this one's beak wasn't yellow, not like the one they saw before, but instead it was white.

"Guys! It's clear, we're safe out here! Now let's complete the ritual!", said the figure. And within minutes, a whole group of cloaked figures with white beaks came out from behind the trees.

"Ritual? Did he just say "ritual"? What the heck were these guys doing a ritual for?", thought Nicky.

The main figure, who Nicky assumed to be the leader, pulled out a brass octagon. He raised it to the sky, and suddenly, the thing started glowing green, and the sky started getting cloudy. Then it started raining, and Lucy couldn't help the little squeak that came out.

The cloaked figures turned their heads to where the kids were, and started running to them.

"Someone followed us here!"

"Who's there?!"

"Stupid kids! Get out of here! These woods are our territory!"

The kids quickly got up and ran away from the cloaked figures, trying as hard as they could to get away from them.

"Everyone stay close to me!", Aaron yelled to everyone.

He would've nearly tripped over the cliff that awaited him, if it weren't for Nicky. He quickly grabbed onto his shirt and pulled him back up.

Everyone was too preoccupied with Aaron nearly falling, that they didn't hear the footsteps that came from behind them. They turned around to see the leader of the cloaked figures, and they stilled in fear.

"Why hello, little children. And just what are you doing out here all by yourselves? These woods are dangerous, you know. You don't know what things are roaming around here."

The leader started coming closer, and Nicky was standing so close to the edge of the cliff. He took a quick look at Aaron's fist, clutching his switch blade. And without warning, Aaron pushed the blade into the leader's side, making him scream.

Nicky was so taken aback, he ended up tripping over the edge, falling down the cliff and landing on his back.

"Nicky!", he heard Lucy call out to him.

The boy was so dizzy from the fall, he didn't even register the big painful hit on his back. He slowly got up, and what he saw made his eyes gape.

The same brass octagon that he saw the leader hold in his hand. He picked it up, eyeing the emerald middle that was in the center of the octagon. He didn't forget how this thing glowed in the leader's hand and made the sky rain.

Whatever this thing is capable of, he knew it was dangerous.

He heard the sound of feet sliding down the cliff, and he turned around to see his friends. Lucy quickly ran to him and gave him a big hug.

"Oh my gosh, Nicky. That was so close! Aaron stabbed that guy in the side and he screamed so hard, he didn't even hear or see us get away!", she said. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. I found something too.", Nicky said, but before he could show it to them, Aaron and Mya started running.

Mya called out behind Aaron, "We hear them coming! Run!"

"Wait, I -"

"Not now, come on!", yelled Aaron.

"But -"

"Nicky, come on! I don't want to die here!", Lucy said, grabbing onto Nicky's arm and pulling him to where Aaron and Mya were running.

The kids made their way out of the woods, passing by all the signs that said "Danger" and "Don't feed the animals". They ran back to Aaron's house, and slowly creeped around the back. Aaron led them down the trap door to the basement, and once they were all down, they shook themselves dry and flopped down to the floor.

"Okay, Nicky. Spill.", Aaron said.

"Huh?"

"You said you found something in the woods and you wanted to show us. What was it?", asked Mya.

Nicky pulled out the brass and emerald octagon. Aaron, Mya, and Lucy gathered around to look at it, and they were just as in awe as Nicky was.

"Oooh, shiny. ~", said Lucy.

"What is it?", asked Mya.

"I don't know, but the leader of those beak faced freaks used it to make it rain. This thing is dangerous, and God knows where it came from or why they even had it in the first place."

The kids sat in silence for a moment.

"Whatever it is, or whatever it's capable of besides just making it rain, I say we get rid of it. I'll just grab a hammer, break it, and set it on fire. Then we won't have to worry about anymore weird rituals or creepy birds making things happen with it."

The girls nodded, but Nicky just sat in silence.

"Nicky, what do you say?"

"...I want to study it for a while."

Before Aaron could protest, Nicky held his hand up. "Only for a while, then I'll get rid of it."

Aaron nodded, despite wanting to argue more.

Nicky said his final goodbyes to his friends and climbed back up and out of the trap door, and was shocked to see that the rain suddenly stopped.

He was suspicious, but he decided not to question it further. He walked across the street, climbed onto the trellis, and back into his room, trying not to slip.

Nicky then looked at the octagon in his hand, and he put it in his bedside drawer. Maybe tomorrow, when he wasn't so wet, he'd find something to do with it.

The next day, Nicky walked to school early before his parents could wake up. Just so he didn't have to hear a lecture about how much trouble he was in or what they were gonna do to punish him, he already got enough of that from his grandma.

He felt a hand on his shoulder and jumped back in fright, but he let out a sigh of relief when he saw it was just Aaron, and behind him were Lucy and Mya.

"Hey guys.", he said. But before Aaron could say "Hi" back, he looked at Nicky dead in the eye. He pulled his best friend closer, and Nicky was mentally freaking out.

"Your eyes are different.", he said.

"Umm...thank you?", said Nicky, not really sure whether or not that was a compliment.

"Sorry, it's just that,...it's weird. Your eyes are usually just blue, but now they're like a light green.", he said.

Mya pulled Nicky close to her face and examined his eyes, "I think they're more blue green.", then Lucy pulled him close to her face.

"Teal, or maybe cyan. Cyan, final answer."

"Can you guys please stop messing with my face?", Nicky said, swatting Lucy's hands away.

Aaron sighed, "Yeah, you're right. Sorry. Let's just go to school.", he said, walking ahead of them.

The others followed along, and Nicky stopped for a moment to look in a puddle. Aaron was right, his eyes were lighter and greener than usual.

But how?

Nicky didn't mind, at least for now. Right now, he just wanted to get to school, and hope no one else noticed his different eye color.

#hello neighbor #welcome to raven brooks #aaron peterson #mya peterson #lucy yi #nicky roth #my fics #hello neighbor fanfic #the guest #forest protectors #bubba fein

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canes-venatici200 · 2 years ago

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Modern Prompt:

Everyone knows that Lan Qiren was just using this as an excuse to pick on Wei Wuxian.

Wei Wuxian, a mostly well behaved scholarship student with a hint of mischief was just a bit too loud for Cloud Recesses Academy but for Lan Qiren that makes him the worst of the thugs. He was at the top of all his advanced classes alongside Lan Wangji(Lan Qiren’s most prized pupil and nephew).

Everyone knows that Wei Wuxian didn’t cheat and that the page and writing was Jin Zixun’s. But between the Jins a well known prestigious family and Wei Wuxian a scholarship student well…….. the school was a bit too convinced that Wei Wuxian was the cheater and Lan Qiren the instructor during the time of the test wasn’t helping his case.

Lan Qiren had his assistant call his guardians to Gusu. Since Jiang Fengmian was an old friend, he planned to convince Jiang Fengmian to transfer out Wei Wuxian since Cloud Recesses Academy wasn’t the right place for him and it was the best for everyone and to avoid drama with his wife.

But to his surprise thats not who came. Wei Wuxian’s grandma Wen Popo(I know that’s not her name but how else would you recognize her) and Wei Wuxian’s older sister Wen Qing came carrying a large trunk with her. Lan Qiren was so surprised and confused because he was sure the Jiangs were fostering Wei Wuxian. He had even asked Jiang Wanyin several times how his parents put up with Wei Wuxian and he even responded that he was always causing trouble for the family.

Wei Wuxian also came to greet them and even introduced Lan Wangji to his family, he didn’t look nervous at all. Wei Wuxian was surprised his big sister Wen Qing came and missed university and she told him that she wasn’t missing the show because she hasn’t seen Wen Popo this furious in some time, she even brought snacks.

Wei Wuxian was told to go kneel outside as Wen Popo, Wen Qing and Lan Wangji(he forcibly entered as a witness of the incident) went in. An hour later they come out and Wen Popo was as calm as always followed by Wen Qing looking red in the face still laughing and crying and Lan Wangji looking very impressed and glancing respectfully at Wen Popo.

Several instructors and members of the faculty came out after them and could be seen running away(breaking the rules)and looking very fearfully at Wen Popo every few seconds. Lastly Lan Qiren came out very red and was trying to conceal what looked like tears in his eyes. He left a very healthy space between himself and Wen Popo and apologized to Wei Wuxian for thinking he cheated and told him that Jin Zixun would be expelled and he wouldn’t have to be worried of him again. Wei Wuxian just told him that he was just glad that it was over.

As the family was going to town to eat lunch with Lan Wangji. Wen Popo could be seen telling Lan Qiren who looked very frightened that she’s going to come more often to make sure nobody is bullying her grandson and she could be seen smiling looking directly at him.

Wei Wuxian could be seen walking away with his grandmother hugging her and taking her trunk for her.

#I’ve always wanted Wen Popo to talk shit to Lan Qiren for some reason #a strong woman that took in her 3 grandchildren and even adopted a sweet Wei Wuxian #by herself #the reason the Jiangs never corrected that they never adopted Wei Wuxian was to save face #and since Wei Wuxian was doing so well in school they were now embarrassed that they didn’t actually adopt him #mdzs #mo dao zu shi #grandmaster of demonic cultivation #canon jiang cheng #prompt or summary

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myxsweetxeverything · 2 years ago

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As a way to apologize for the lack of activity, here's another excerpt of The Lights In The Sky for you all 💗

The last bell of the year rang out minutes before, and a swarm of students stampeded out of Lavender Creek Middle School. It was early June, and the endless blue sky and bright afternoon sun were already turning up the heat. Young teens gathered onto the buses, rode off in bikes, or set out on foot towards their first adventure of the next three months. The scent of freshly cut grass drifted through the air. It was a picture perfect view, a slice of youthful Americana.

The thirteen year old boy sitting in the detention hall wasn't so lucky. His green eyes stared up at the clock turning slowly on the wall in front of him. Aside from the teacher sitting at the desk, he was alone in the room.

Trent sighed to himself, softly enough that the teacher couldn't hear him. Of course he got himself into detention on the last day of school. Of course he was the only one to get detention on the last day of school. The principal had told him that he should be thankful that was all he got. Any other day of the year, a fight with other students would have earned him a suspension.

That wasn't much of a comfort, considering Trent was the only one to actually get punished. Not the ones that were causing the problem in the first place though. The boys that had been bullying Trent and his friends for a year were jocks - and not run of the hill jocks either. They were football stars in the making, if one believed the coach. And football stars didn't get in trouble for beating the crap out of a kid smaller and weaker than them.

But Trent, who was not a jock, let alone a popular jock? He was the one stuck with a black eye, bruises and scratches all over his skin, and detention was the icing on the cake. It was a wonder his friends - who had tried to break up the fight - weren't given detention as well.

Who's idea was it to have detention on the last day of school? It made no sense to him. It was embarrassing enough that the principal had to call his grandmother to let her know he would be home late. Now he was stuck at the school for longer than he ever wanted to be. All while the assholes were walking free.

Sighing, he fingered the pages of his book, a blatant Star Wars rip off. It was something he had already read (and hated), but it was his only book left in his locker. When he arrived in detention he tried reading the first page. Instead he found himself reading the first paragraph over and over again; it was enough to put him to sleep. At this point, he would have been glad for homework. At least it would be something for his brain to do.

The bald teacher stared daggers at Trent, then went back to his newspaper. Mr. Roberts was both the P.E. teacher, and the coach of the football team. For some reason, he had taken an instant dislike to Trent and his friends all the way back in sixth grade. He made sure that they knew, singling them out for criticism during activities. The fight hadn't exactly put him in his good graces either.

Mr. Roberts turned a page in his newspaper, his breathing loud in the otherwise silent detention hall. No one liked the detention hall - it had a feel of sterility despite the layer of dinginess that it somehow always had no matter how much the janitor cleaned it. The chairs were likely the same chairs Trent’s parents used when they were kids, and they wobbled no matter how still you sat. Each desk had dried out, chewed up gum underneath.

Trent bit the inside of his lip. Why won’t it just end already?

The door opened behind him, breaking the silence. He jerked his head away and watched the dark haired girl awkwardly walk between the aisles of desks.

"You're late," Mr. Roberts snarled. He lowered the newspaper to watch her as she took a seat behind Trent, then went back to reading it in silence.

She didn’t reply.

Trent knew her. Well, he knew of her. One of the ‘popular girls’ that sat together during lunch and pep rallies, gossiping and reading fashion magazines. He never talked to those girls, no one in his group did - they were so different that they might as well have come from different planets.

But he knew of her from outside of school too. When Trent was in fifth grade, a family from California had moved into the house next to his grandparents’. They dragged him along to greet his new neighbors, interrupting his Six Million Dollar Man marathon. His grandparents said their ‘hellos’ and asked the couple what California was like, while Trent's eyes glazed over in boredom. At random, he spotted someone walking down the stairs

She had asked, in that girly high-pitched voice, “Mom, have you seen my pink sundress? It’s not in any of my boxes.” She ran down the stairs, somehow not tripping over herself, and tugged at her mother's sleeve. When she saw Trent standing on the porch with his grandparents, she froze.

Her eyes were wide and shy at the same time. “H-hi,” She stuttered.

Trent stared at her, squinting. Weird girl…"Um, hi."

They hadn’t spoken to each other since that day. But he had noticed her, here and there. Saw her in the (rare) classes they had together. But they were always separated.

And now they were the only ones in detention.

…why was his face feeling warm?

Trent quickly tried to go back to his book, completely in vain. The stupid book was unreadable - how the hell did it even get published? What a waste of trees and ink.

The phone on Mr. Roberts’ desk rang, and he picked it up promptly. “Yeah?” There was a pause. Then a deep frown on his face. “Alright, I’ll be right there.” He hung up the phone and gave both of the students a judgemental eye. “You two stay put. Some brats vandalized my car. When I get my hands on them…” Getting out of his chair, Mr. Roberts dug out his keys from his pants pocket and pointed his finger at Trent and the girl. “If I find out either of you left while I was gone, there will be hell to pay.”

Both of them remained silent. When Mr. Roberts left, slamming the door behind him, Trent once again tried to get back to his book.

“Psst.”

Something was poking him in the shoulder. He turned around in his seat, and came face to face with Mariqueen Maandig.

She was smiling with a rosy gloss. “What are you in for?"

#my fanfiction #fanfic: the lights in the sky #wip #excerpts #nin fic #nine inch nails fic #ship: trent/mariqueen #antis dni

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hugsforyuri · 2 years ago

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Forgot to post this earlier mb

Chp 3

A/n

Meows gently. Sorry if this is a little late kittens… My grandmother took a stroke and almost died. It was really silly. My irl friends also left me soz yeah. Stay alive kittens. Good christmas

Cw for panic attacks; I'll add a summary in the next chapter bc important shit happens in this one<3

Mischa climbed out of his PT cruiser. He ran his hands through his hair. He gently picked up his bag then grabbed his phone. He opened Instagram up and messaged Talia.

Mischa: Hello Talia. I am unsure if you're awake but I feel you must know that I love you. I have never cared about someone the same way I care about you. You are the light of my life. Thank you so much. Thank you for loving me. Every day as I wake up I long for the day I can be with you. So as I can hold you ever so dearly and never let you. My life's goal is to be with you. I love you.

He put his phone away and started to run to school. He noticed the time. He accidently ran into Constance. "Sorry." He said quickly then moved on. Dashing through the halls he almost missed Noel. Luckily for Mischa, Noel was wearing a bright cat jumper that is next to impossible to ignore. "YOOOOO NOEL!" He yelled at him. "Fuck me jesus christ. Hi." He said back. "Wanna walk with me?" He asked. Noel nodded. Mischa held his hand out for Noel to hold it. He looked down at Mischa's hand. He put his hand in his and walked to home room together. Holding hands.

Gonna skip to lunch

Mischa left his maths room to find Noel. He walked to the french room and saw him in the door. This teacher was notoriously strict and would not let kids break any rules. 0 rules could be broken in her class. Mischa took out his phone while he was waiting. He went to check his messages with Talia. She had left him on read. Two hours ago. Mischa felt worthless to her.

Mischa: Talia, I understand you might not want to talk to me right now but please be honest. Don't leave me on read and just say you don't wanna talk. I'm not mad at you. I'm really not. I understand it might've been an accident but still. It has upset me. I am so sorry. Like genuinely so sorry.

He questioned sending it or not. He read it over and over again yet there were next to zero errors he could find. He clicked the send button. His breathing picked up slightly. He rushed to the bathroom and bashed into a bathroom stall. He fell down to the floor. His jumper dragged up. His breathing got increasingly quicker. His vision had gotten a bit blurry and his mind was racing. All he wanted was for Talia not to hate him. No matter how many times she said he hadn't done anything or that she loved him, he would never fully believe it. His thoughts dashed around from Noel, to Talia, to everything. His eyes started to let out and he started to sob lightly. His breathing slowed slightly as he tried to focus on standing up. His legs shook as he pulled himself up. He unlocked the door and saw Noel waiting in the entrance to the bathroom. He ignored him and washed his face. Noel walked over and tapped his shoulder. "Mischa. Are you okay." It wasn't a question. He knew the answer. It was a no. He hugged him and sobbed into his shoulder. "Mischa. Did anything happen?" Mischa shook his head. "I just can't do this. I feel so worthless. I just can't…" His last words were overpowered with tears. He let out another sob. "Mischa. Take your time. I do not think you're worthless. Mischa bachinski I care about you and want you to be here. For Natilea, or whatever. She loves you Mischa." Mischa froze at the mention of Talia. "N-noel." He stuttered out. Noel's face changed. He was worried already, but this? A whole different story. "What. The. Fuck." Again Noel didn't say this as a question. "What the fuck did she do Mischa?" Mischa's mind went blank. "Nothing. She just left me on read hah." His voice was shaky. "Mischa, we're gonna skip the rest of this day and just chill out. I don't give a fuck what you say we're skipping." And with that mischa and Noel left the bathroom together, they climbed into Mischa's PT cruiser and drove off to the mall.

A/N

Im so amazing. Loveyall. If u want fr Nischa writing of mine theres some on my AO3, the AO3 acc is hugs4yuri.

#nischa #nischa fic #ride the cyclone

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productiveandfree · 8 months ago

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You Are Your Habits

Recently we went camping with my son’s cub scouts group, and one mom, I noticed, despite the really chilly weather, took a shower first thing in the morning and right before bed at night. We all commended her for it. The shocking part of it all was, even her sons took a shower as well.

The rest of us decided early on that none of us would be taking showers during that entire camping trip. Granted it was only three days and two nights. 30 degrees at night and a mere 60 degrees during the day. So, it wasn’t really that bad. It was not like an entire trip, backpacking up the mountains for a week.

So, why am I talking about camping and showers. Well, I wanted to discuss habits. This mom told me that ever since she was young, her mom instilled into her this habit, and it is so innate in her that could not function or start her day without first taking her shower. Her mom taught her this habit, her grandmother taught her mom, and now, she is did the same to her boys.

"If habits are a part of who we are, then our habits become who we are. "

Does that make sense? Let’s break that down.

My father has strict habits of his own. Which I admired. He was the first one in the office, and the last one who left. This was of course before his heart attack. After which, he had to slow down with his schedule a bit.

I remember him having a huge whiteboard in his office to keep track of all sorts of things, clients, payables, collectibles, and his employees would be coming in to check things off and add things.

I tried to work in his office one summer for extra allowance and he made sure I was never late, and always left the same time as him. I remember him doing his morning routine, having breakfast, always oatmeal, then getting his attaché case, then getting into the car, that was waiting for him.

We’d arrive in the office, and everyone would greet him good morning and we’d go about business. At around 11:45 we would order lunch and at 12 noon, the lights would dim, so everyone would know its lunch time. At 5pm, his driver would pick up his attaché case, which meant it was time to go, and we’d leave for the day. Like clockwork. Every day.

My dad was also a stickler for time. He doesn’t like being late. He was such an early bird. When he says that we need to leave at like 5:30, you better be down the stairs and running to the car by 5:25 or he’d be by the stairs calling your name. No threats or anything, he’ll just have that annoyed look on his face.

Habits and routine were a big thing for him. It was a big part of him. I believe that his habits made him who he was and helped him be successful.

My sister, Tet also has a schedule of her own. I’m not exactly sure of her schedule. We follow very different time tables, but there is no interrupting her when she is working. She is very disciplined in following that schedule and it is very admirable and impressive.

She’s always been that disciplined. Even when she was a child, when she studied for school and exams, she had very good study habits that she never had to cram for tests. I never understood how she did it, but again, it made her remarkably successful in her endeavors.

Remember she started ProductiveandFree on her own. Which sprouted from DrawntoDIY. She created a successful business by diligently researching and constantly creating content and templates that our clients need and what the market demands. When she got it off the ground, we were all so proud and impressed and still are. #girlboss.

So again, if habits are a part of who we are, then our habits become who we are.

Simply put, the things we do in our daily lives are what makes us who we are. If we spend time watching Netflix for hours, eating fast food, and making excuses instead of doing what needs to be done, where do you think you will be tomorrow, or in a week, or in a month?

Then again, if you get up now, turn that tv off, throw that fast food, stop making excuses, start walking, eat something healthy, read a book, then where would you be tomorrow, or in a week, or in a month?

Believe me, it is not easy. I know.

I have my own set of bad habits and the list is long. Right now, I’m struggling with trying to get back to eating healthily and doing all that regularly. It is a constant struggle. One minute I’m on track, eating the right foods, no sweets, no carbs, then I see a smore and I have smores for like a month, and it all goes down the drain. Then I try to start over again, then I see my favorite chocolate bread, and there we go again.

So, you are not alone. The thing is, do we let that define us? Do we stop from there? Do we stop and give up? NEVER. We keep trying. We keep going. We let our habits become our successes. Then everything else will follow from there.

Point here is, we never give up. There will always be difficulties. We never let the ‘downs’ keep us down. We rise with every fall. We try again. We keep moving.

Words of wisdom:

Share in the comments below: Questions go here

#habits #change habits #build better habits #grow habits #never give up #successful habits

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killing-time-w-kaz · 9 months ago

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I was on IG and my friend posted this photo of a cat. And something in me just cracked.

I have no idea who this cat is but it looks identical to my Nausicaa who died in august.

I forgot how hard grief can hit when you’ve been holding it back. It just plows through. Especially when all of it is held in the same corner of my heart.

And I carry a certain guilt around her death. I wasn’t able to be there when she was put to sleep, because I had gone back to school just days before and there was no way for me to make it back in time. I was on the phone when it all happened, it felt so disconnected. I refused to let my grief consume me, since I need to stay on top of my college work.

And when I was able to go back home for fall break, I couldn’t grieve for my cat because I was barely holding it together after October 7. I broke down in tears when one of my professors had asked if I was doing okay, because she noticed I wasn’t anywhere as energetic as I should be in an archaeology museum.

And I was in the middle of my senior seminar when my parents told me Nausicaa finally came home. It was a miracle I didn’t start crying in class after seeing her box of ashes sitting next to her favorite spot in the apartment (and yes, Ponyo did try to sit on her box). Which brings up more buried grief.

I grew up with two cats, Isabel (the mostly white cat w gray spots) and Phoenix (the mostly gray cat with the old man). They were my mom’s cats, but I was very attached to them and it broke my heart when Phoenix died 4 days before my 11th birthday.

I never had time to fully grieve her death because my grandfather died a month later. And I carry a guilt over his death because the last thing I ever said to him was “I will see you next weekend”. And he died 3 days later while I was performing in a school concert. I refused to go see him at the funeral home, the image of Phoenix dying in the vet table was too fresh in my mind. And so I never truly had the chance to say goodbye to him. I don’t know where his ashes are. All I know is that he and my grandmother will be buried together when she dies—I am scared of the day she does. And that September, my grandfather’s nephew also died, and I wasn’t able to make it to his funeral because I had to go on a school sleepover trip.

I got Ponyo and Nausicaa in November 2013, so they briefly overlapped with the ancient Isabel. She liked Nausicaa, as seen in the photo above. She was 19 when we had to put her to sleep in December 2013. And I covered the loss of all four family members with the two new kittens. Isobel’s ashes rest on the bookshelf next to the window, where Nausicaa now also rests.

I was organizing my parents’ old photos when I came across the photo of Phoenix and Grandpa—I felt a pang in my heart when I saw it. And shortly after I went through those photos, I left for Portugal to do field work. I left two healthy, 10 year old cats at home. And on the last day of the field session, while we were breaking down site, I missed a call from my mom:

When I got to town, I broke away from my teammates to take the call. And that’s when I found out that my sweet girl had suddenly gotten cancer, which was moving so fast and aggressively. At first I tried to hide from the remaining archaeologists, because I couldn’t let myself be seen breaking down in the middle of town. But that completely failed when I got to the lunch table. And my supervisors and teammates were understanding—I still laugh fondly at their attempts to comfort me (that’s a story for later).

But it was devastating thinking that my little cat was dying an ocean away. But she held on for the week—my parents came out to join me in Portugal, leaving her with a family friend who took very good care of her. And she held on for two more weeks once we got back. It was exactly 21 days from when I got the first phone call to the last video call. But in the end, I still wasn’t able to be with her in her last moments. I had a shift at my job that I couldn’t skip and I was visiting my grandma the next day. I gave myself the weekend to grieve, then I threw myself into my part time job, school work, and social life. And in short succession, a very old family friend had a stroke and died, another family friend died after a steep mental decline, and a friend/colleague of my parents (who I knew) lost his fight with cancer.

And I often feel like I have to be the strong one in my friendships. And when October 7 came, I found myself holding my friends as they broke down. And Jewish underclassmen know they could always come to me if they need a hug or a shoulder. My campus best friend and I have adopted an absurd number of underclassmen this way, some of them even refer to us as their “mothers”. But I never took time for myself. I work the most hours at the bookstore, partially so I don’t spend time just with my thoughts.

And seeing that photo on IG brought all these emotions back in a flood. I just needed to put them somewhere so they don’t continue to eat away at me. The more I tell these stories, the less they hurt. So thank you for listening

#cats #pets #grief #dealing with grief #jewblr #I’ve been told i am too surgical with my emotions at times #but its often the only way I can keep going #I remember when I let my emotions control my actions and I don’t like the person I was back then #anger and grief are powerful and it felt like no one was listening #and I would lash out at people when it all became too much #it is a miracle I haven’t gotten in a physical fight these last months #some of the people on my campus make me want to throw them to the ground

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mjolnir-steve · 3 years ago

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The Knit before Christmas

Curtis Everett x fem!reader

Word count: 1520

Summary: Curtis doesn’t like the holidays much (for good reason), but maybe your gifts to him will help him see this time of year in a different light. ✨

Warnings: angst, character death (not Curtis or reader), adult situations, fluff to make it all better

This is my first entry for @stargazingfangirl18, @navybrat817, and @drabblewithfrannybarnes's Happy Hoelidays Challenge! Thank you so much to all of you for putting this together. I’m so excited to participate. 🥰

I also have to thank my bestie, Thevy (@the-sal-del-mar), for the exquisitely fluffy idea. I shared my prompts with her, and she is officially my “plot dealer,” as she would say. She also came up with the title, and I'm obsessed. This fic is for her, so I really hope she loves it! 💖

Ingredients: Curtis Everett, first snowfall, “You made this for me?”, friends to lovers, turning a holiday Grinch’s frown upside down, “Oh, honey. You know you really shouldn’t tease me.”

(Dialogue prompts are in bold!)

The ink was barely dry on the gift tag on your husband’s Christmas present when you felt a rush of cold air with the opening and closing of your front door.

“Honey, you home?” You relaxed at the sound of his voice, slightly muffled by the scarf still wrapped around his face.

“On the couch, baby.”

Another few moments passed before he joined you in the living room, laying his scarf and beanie to dry on the hearth after closing the firescreen.

“Where’s your car? You know I don’t like you driving in the snow.” Curtis kissed your forehead softly, but quickly, plopping down next to you.

“First, hello to you, too. Second, it’s snowing?! I knew I smelled it this morning.”

“You and your Gilmore Girls references.”

“You’re just pissed that you’re practically the Luke of my dreams. If only you owned a diner...” You let out a dramatic sigh, placing your chin in your hand.

He laughed softly, wrapping his arm around your shoulders. “And I’m sorry. You know how I get with this weather, Y/N.” The prickle of his beard against your cheek when he kissed it guaranteed your acceptance of his apology. “Hi, honey.”

You did know how he got with this weather.

You met Curtis when he asked to sit with you at lunch on the first day of high school, recognizing the back of your head from third-period algebra. Before long, the two of you became inseparable, spending evenings together studying and weekends together just being.

You got to know each other’s families. Curtis’ parents cared for you like you were their own. His grandmother taught you how to crochet, delighted that you took her grandson’s place when he gave up after 20 minutes. Both your parents and his loved you two together, even though you were only friends at the time.

Then came winter break of senior year. Mr. and Mrs. Everett’s anniversary was coming up, and they planned to spend it on a cross-country train, seeing all the sights in between. Their train departed the day after Christmas.

It was the last time Curtis saw them. A combination of faulty brakes and a worse-than-predicted snowstorm led to a fatal crash about an hour into the journey. Curtis’ grandmother had a heart attack upon receiving the news.

Curtis ended the first half of senior year thinking he’d finally kiss you on New Year’s Eve at the frat party your friend’s sister got you invited to. He went into his second half of senior year effectively an orphan. His only other relatives were living and working overseas at the time, so they made arrangements with your parents, who insisted Curtis live with you in order to finish high school. Instead of going to that party, he spent that night lying on the couch with you, crying silently into the side of your neck.

You snuggled closer into his side, gently kicking his present under the coffee table, pushing it out of view until you were ready to give it to him. He grabbed your left hand with his right, admiring the rings he was able to put on your finger over the last few years, before entwining his fingers with yours.

“To answer your question, though, I pulled my car into the garage. When I smelled the snow, I didn’t want you to have to park in the street. I’ll accept my Most Thoughtful Wife Award in the form of a massage. You can choose which part of me to massage, though.”

The volume of the yelp that escaped you sent Curtis into a fit of laughter as he flipped you over, rolling you onto the floor. “Oh, honey. You know you really shouldn’t tease me.” He began kissing up one side of your jawline, suddenly stopping once he got to the other. “Whatcha got under the table, Y/N?”

Before you could stop him, he reached out and grabbed the gift bag, spotting his name on the tag, written in your practiced calligraphy you whipped out for special occasions. “I thought we agreed on no gifts.” His eyes were soft when he looked back at you.

“You say that every year, Curtis, and every year, we both spoil each other rotten. I would never agree to such nonsense.” He tried to hide his smile, biting the inside of his rosy cheek. “If it makes you feel any better, it wasn’t expensive.” It will be, you thought to yourself.

“Gee, thanks, Most Thoughtful Wife!” he snorted, pretending to rattle the bag’s contents.

You sat up, folding your hands over your bent knees. “You can open it now if you want. Actually, I’d prefer it if you did.”

He squinted at you, jokingly annoyed. “You know the only thing I hate more than presents is being told to open presents early. We have a whole week left.”

“Your mouth says one thing, but your pulling at the tissue paper says another.” He stuck his tongue out at you in response, almost looking like he did when you teased each other in school all those years ago.

Once past the tissue paper, Curtis removed the first item from the bag. He smiled at the stuffed animal, a round ball of brown fluff with soft antlers, big eyes, and glittery accents.

“A toy?” He raised an eyebrow at you. “Not exactly the kinda toy I thought my hot wife would give me, but I gue- OW!” He smacked at your foot that you’d just used to poke him in the ribs.

“Don’t be gross, Curtis! Besides, that’s more of a clue than it is the actual gift.”

He pursed his lips as he turned the toy over, searching for an answer.

“Did you get me fudge? His name is Fudge…” He continued mumbling to himself for a moment before you decided to help him out.

“Sadly, there is no fudge. What kind of toy is it?”

“A stuffed animal… A Beanie Baby? I don’t get it.”

“Look in the bag, baby.” You were tapping your fingers against your knees, trying to hide your nerves as he opened his next present.

The beanie perfectly matched his own, but in miniature. He wore the original black cap you’d made for him almost every day since you’d given it to him, but he could see how much your crocheting skills had improved over the years. It was perfect and so soft in his hands, but he was confused by the small size.

“You made this for me? I love it, honey, but I don’t think it will fit my head.”

You bit your tongue so as not to comment on the size of the brain in his big head. “Think about it, my love.” You scooted closer to him. “The hat wouldn’t fit an adult, but it would fit a…”

“A Beanie Baby?” He looked down at the tiny beanie and at the stuffed animal, bewildered more than anything when you slapped your cheeks forward into your palms.

“Curtis! Come onnnnn.”

Finally, you could see him putting the puzzle together, nearly giving himself whiplash when he turned to look at you.

“Holy shit, are you- Oh, man. Really?” The tears on his cheeks glistened in the glow from the fireplace.

You nodded at him, biting your lip to keep from crying when you realized there was a happiness behind his eyes you had only seen once or twice since the accident. “There’s one more gift in the bag, baby.”

This time, he found an adult-sized beanie, but with an embellishment on the cuff - shimmery white embroidery that read, “#1 Dad”.

“Yours is so worn and I’ve already mended it so many times. I had finished it just before I thought to take the test, so when I found out, I made the mini one and embroidered yours. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner, but I wanted to surprise you.”

“Honey, don’t ever be sorry for this.” He stood quickly, grabbing his old beanie from where it was drying on the hearth. “This is the best surprise of my life, even if I was too stupid to put it together.” He reached for the top of the tree, placing the tattered cap over the star already there.

“Oh, Curtis.” You couldn’t help the sob that escaped you when he returned to you on the floor and rested his head on your belly after tugging his gift over his head.

“You just keep changing my life, Y/N. You made me a husband. Now you’ve made me a dad. You made a beanie for me, and now you’re making our baby.”

“Well, you had something to do with that one.”

You felt him hum in amusement against your tummy as you scratched through the short hairs at the back of his neck. “I love you, Mama.” He peppered kisses all over the exposed sliver of skin. “And I love you, too, Beanie Baby.”

You leaned down and kissed his forehead, a new warmth in your chest. “I love you, too, Daddy. Merry Christmas, Curtis.”

“I guess it actually is, huh?”

#curtis everett x reader #curtis everett x you #curtis everett fic #happyhoelidays2021 #curtis everett fluff #curtis everett angst #curtis everett x fem!reader #maggie's writing #soft!curtis everett

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bl3ssed-cursxd · 2 years ago

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THE UNCANNY COUNTER | SHIN HYEOK-U & SO MUN ONESHOT | PROMPT : we actually see hyeok-u call so-mun after he drops out bc the drama never showed us that

PS THIS IS PLATONIC (👀 i see you so mun x hyeok-u shippers 👀)

Ty to @mandy-bo-bandy for helping me edit some parts ✨

"So Mun ah, I need your help with dinner!"

"Coming, harabeoji!" a black haired teen called back to his grandfather. He had been on the phone with Mo Tak regarding a previous mission and working on his webtoon. Two weeks had passed since Shin Hyeok-u had left school and everyone had gotten a break.

So Mun was just about to leave his room to go to the kitchen to help his grandfather, when his phone rang again. He turned to his phone and found an unknown number. So Mun sighed and picked it up, curious to who it was.

So Mun made his way down the hall and spoke, "Hello?"

"So Mun... Em... Hello," a hesitant voice began. It took So Mun a few seconds to recognize the person.

"Shin Hyeok-u?" So Mun asked, just as he stepped into the kitchen.

So Mun's grandfather looked up from the stove, where he was making stew. "Who are you talking to, Mun?"

"It's Hyeok-u. He came over once, remember? The redhead?"

"Oh," Grandfather laughed. "Your handsome friend! Yes of course we remember him!"

"Harabeoji!" So Mun exasperated. "Sorry about that, Hyeok-" but much to his surprise, he heard a soft laugh come from the other end of the line.

So Mun stopped. When was the last time he'd heard 'the' Shin Hyeok-u laugh a laugh anything but mocking?

"Who is it?" So Mun's grandmother made her presence known, taking a seat at the counter. Her eyes looked a bit distant from reality.

"The whole family suddenly wants to know? Come on," So Mun exhaled.

"Hello, Hyeok-u!" So Mun's grandfather jovially greeted. At this point, So Mun had no choice but to put his phone on speaker so the others could listen to what Hyeok-u had to say.

"Hello, Ahjussi," Hyeok-u greeted him back politely. It was significantly less awkward than when he'd eaten lunch with them.

"Who is this stranger?" So Mun's grandma demanded, almost knocking over a bowl of diced onions with her hand gestures. So Mun quickly prevented the bowl from falling while his grandpa patiently explained who was on the phone.

"So... How have you been? Since..." So Mun went back to his phone call, suddenly feeling like starting a conversation would be a lot more awkward. It had been two weeks since Hyeok-u had redeemed himself and apologized 'and' dropped out of their school. What would they talk about?

"I'm staying at a cheap hotel for the time being, I found a decent job. Things are fine, I guess..." Hyeok-u trailed off. "I hope I didn't bother you with the call."

"How about you invite your friend over?" So Mun's grandpa interjected again. "It's rather rude, hm? He hasn't been here in a while," he smiled. So Mun turned off speaker and continued talking, leaving the kitchen and forgetting that Grandfather had needed help with dinner preparations.

"You don't have to invite me if-"

"Hyeok-u," So Mun interupted him seriously. Hyeok-u stopped.

"Huh?"

"I'm not mad at you," So Mun stated. "You can stop being so hesitant when talking. I don't hold it against you."

Silence.

"Still..." Hyeok-u began. "What I did was really messed up. I dont deserve to be forgiven," he ended his sentence sadly.

So Mun thought about what to say next.

"You should come over," he blurted out. So much for thinking what to say.

"Huh?" Hyeok-u definitely blinked on the other end of the line. He was probably confused at how that invitation came right after Hyeok-u had just brought up his past bullying tendencies.

"I-If you want of course, but my grandparents really don't mind," So Mun started to talk again, rushing the start of his sentence, "and it's clear that there are some things we need to talk about."

Hyeok-u cleared his throat. "I guess. When do you want me to come ov-"

"We could do tomorrow morning. It's too late right now and dark outside. How does that sound?" So Mun asked, not even having waited for Hyeok-u to finish the question. He still had to help with dinner obviously.

Hyeok-u hummed. "That works."

So Mun nodded, satisfied with the plans. "All right, it was good talking with you, but I really have to help with dinner now."

"So Mun?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you," Hyeok-u said sincerely. "I didn't deserve forgiveness after all the things I've done, but you forgave me anyway."

"You've changed Shin Hyeok-u. I accept it, it's okay," So Mun shook his head. "I cant believe I'm talking like this to the Shin Hyeok-u." Both of them snorted.

"Before I leave, can I ask one last question though?" So Mun questioned. Hyeok-u shrugged, but then realized the other couldn't see him so he verbally responded with a yes.

"How did you get my number?"

"About that..."

AND THAT WAS IT

lmk what u thought. I hope it wasnt too ooc, i tried my best skakrjwkandjs. :D shin hyeok-u was an annoying but interesting character to me, and im sad they didnt show him more after he got a redemption arc. sIgH

#the uncanny counter #so mun #shin hyeok-u #kdrama #oneshot #friendship #shin hyuk woo #so mun x shin hyeok-u #fanfiction #shin hyeok woo

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fuck-customers · 3 years ago

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OMG IM FINALLY FREE! I’m the 🦋anon who sent asks about how I would always be scheduled to work by myself being forced to give up breaks and lunches and then they started having problems with my availability due to school. WELL DO I HAVE A STORY FOR YOU!! So the store manager who’s really nice and understanding has to take a medical leave so we’ve had an acting manager. Cue said acting manager changing every fucking thing and acting as if he’s permanently taking over the store, fucking up everyone’s schedule, etc. So due to all the bullshit I decided to put I my two weeks so my last day would be the 11th (it’s currently Sunday the 5th as I send this in) well yesterday I went in for a morning and saw the asshole there bc the assistant manager called off so he starts bitching about how I was a no call no show for Thursday EVEN THOUGH I WAS TAKEN OFF THE SCHEDULE and how he’ll let it slide this time and blah blah blah I was LITERALLY two seconds from walking out right then and there. So anyway later in the day the asshole leaves and my co worker who loves to bitch about everything comes in. Now when she gets there at 11 I let her know that I’m going to be leaving early at 1 (I was apparently scheduled until 3:30 but didn’t know that until I was actually showed up resulting in me always thinking that I was only scheduled until one and therefore making an appointment that I’ve been rescheduling at 1:30) due to my appointment and having a shit load of school work due. Usually that’s not a problem my co workers are like “do what you gotta do school is important” but today bitchy co worker acted like it was the end of the world because I guess the other guy who was supposed to be there was also leaving early at 1 (which I didn’t know) so she calls the asshole to bitch resulting in him texting me telling me that he has me down for 3:30 and we can’t leave the co worker by herself on a Saturday and all this other bullshit. I then first try to text the person who supposed to come in next to see if he can come in early but he’s not replying so I text asshole back telling him that no one is replying and I have to leave because I’ve already rescheduled this appointment multiple times for work plus I has a large amount of assignments for school due by the end of the day and with all due respect my professors aren’t going to accept the excuse of work for why my assignments aren’t done plus it’s not fair that I’ve been left alone for 5-7 hours in a Saturday and no one helped me to find coverage. Asshole texts back essentially saying too bad so sad sorry if you leave without finding coverage then you can get disciplinary corrective action. When I tell you I was HEATED when he said that I called my mom and was like “I need to convince from just cutting my shit short today and officially ending my time here” she was just like “no you do what you gotta do” so I texted asshole back and was like “then since I already put in my two weeks I’m gonna go ahead and quit and be done today because this is unfair. I’m going to save you from having to file corrective action for me by just being done today and therefore you don’t have to worry about me for the rest of the week” (he had already tried to schedule me on days where my availability says I can’t work due to school and taking care of my sick grandmother and he didn’t even care) at first he texted back and like “sorry you feel that way best of luck” and again when I tell you I was HEATED like as I was closing down my drawer and writing down numbers I was shaking so bad that I kept dropping coins and I don’t even know if my numbers were legible but idgaf at this point. Then as I’m gathering my stuff to leave he calls the store phone to talk to me because he knows that I won’t answer if he calls me phone and now his tune has changed does like “well just think about it I don’t want you to quitting” and a bunch of other bullshit that I honestly just tuned out BUT THEEEENNN he has the nerve to be like “well who’s there with your co worker now? is anyone there with her? did the other guy already leave?” and that just set me off even more like BITCH THAT IS NOT MY FUCKING PROBLEM YOURE THE MANAGER NOT ME IM DONE I NO LONGER WORK HERE. And when i tell you the amount of relief I felt once I got in my car when my mom picked me up. I literally cried the whole way home. I’m just glad I don’t have to work there anymore and deal with my mental health taking so many hits on a daily basis

#happy ending #fuck co-workers #fuck coworkers #fuck managers

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seita · 4 years ago

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— reacting to your death.

atsumu, osamu, kita, aran, aone, + futakuchi.

+ this is childhood friend!reader.

tw: major character death, grieving

note: i made your cause of death more ambiguous this time around...hope u like it!!!

part one | part two | part three (coming soon)

— miya atsumu.

atsumu doesn’t handle trauma well

he doesn’t have good coping mechanisms

he acts like everything is fine, lets all the hurt and anger build up inside him.

he turns volatile, insufferable to everyone around him because he refuses to acknowledge what’s happening, what’s hurting him.

osamu had noticed the alarming silence and misery in his twin’s eyes. everyone in their family and their friends all knew about your death by now, but atsumu refused to speak about it. he refused to tell anyone details or acknowledge the fact you were gone.

“how’d she die?” osamu finally asked one night. he had stood in the doorway, watching his usually lively brother cry into his hands -- completely unaware he was being watched.

atsumu didn’t answer and osamu sighed, “how did she die, atsumu?”

“shut your mouth, samu,” atsumu spits, glaring at his brother with red-rimmed eyes. the look held none of the fire it usually would. instead he just looked so heartbroken that osamu felt tears of his own pricking at his eyes.

he called you friend too but it was different with you and atsumu. you were best friends. and osamu knew his twin loved you more than anything, maybe even more than volleyball itself.

“just tell me...” osamu sighs, “you need to talk about it. so you can start feeling better.”

“i...” atsumu’s voice broke as he sobbed, “i don’t think i’ll ever feel better...not without her.”

— miya osamu.

he’s much more levelheaded than his twin but he still doesn’t know how to cope with things like this

he doesn’t have a particularly good support system around him

it’s not like his brother is someone he can have heart to heart talks to

nor does he have anyone else he can consider someone he can lean on

no one but you

so, like his brother, he lets it build up

but he doesn’t make it anyone else’s problem

he stood in the kitchen, moving on autopilot. his head was empty, all thoughts turned off to avoid thinking about you. because he knew that the second you came to mind, he would be in tears again. and his head hurt from crying all day yesterday.

it still didn’t feel real to him and he couldn’t bring himself to confront it. because he didn’t know who to turn to. you were the only one he wanted to talk to.

but you were gone.

and now he had no one.

his twin watched helplessly, completely unequipped to help as his brother fell apart at the seams.

“samu...” atsumu sighed, “you’re making one for her again.”

osamu froze, looking at the half-filled pink-themed bento he kept at his house so he could bring you lunch. he deflated and slowly put his hands down.

“right...” he whispered, “well...you can h-have this one then, yeah?”

atsumu nodded, choosing to ignore the way his otherwise stoic brother cried as he finished putting the bento together.

atsumu knew the food would taste bitter with the thought that it was meant for you and you would never be able to eat the food osamu so lovingly made you again.

— kita shinsuke.

contrary to what people may think, he’s not a robot

he tries very hard not to break in public

he doesn’t want his friends to see him vulnerable and broken

only two people have ever seen him like that; his grandmother and you

without you, he really doesn’t know what to do

he feels numb

he mindlessly stares down at his hands, calluses suddenly seeming interesting. he didn’t notice the eyes of his friends on him, exchanging weary looks to one another.

“kita...” aran begins but the captain doesn’t show any signs of having heard him, “i know you’re having a hard time, man but...”

kita looks up, blank eyes meeting his expectantly. aran finds himself unable to think of anything. kita was hard to read usually but even aran could see the heartbreak the captain was going through.

after his friends extended silence, kita looked back down and sighed. but he didn’t say anything. he couldn’t think of anything to say.

briefly, he thought about how he never had to struggle to tell you things. a lifetime spent by his side allowed you to easily read him.

when he looked up at his team, he was met with uneasy, curious gazes. no one would ever be able to understand him and know him like you did.

and now he had to figure out how to cope with that loss.

— ojiro aran.

he probably handles it the best

but inside, he’s falling apart

he just wants you there with him but he knows you wouldn’t want him to wallow in his misery and lonliness

but how is he supposed to do that when he just misses you so much?

he tries his hardest to work through it

but it’s just so hard

he didn’t even remember playing the game. it all moved in a blacked out blur. all he knew was that when the crowd cheered and his teammates clapped him on the back with wide grins, he couldn’t even muster a fake smile.

his eyes moved to the stands, hopelessly looking through the unknown faces in the crowd. every time he played, he allowed himself to feel a little shrivel of hope that you would be there.

he didn’t know why he let himself hope. he knew you were gone, dead.

his throat felt tight and he looked back at his teammates as they celebrated. he muttered about going to the locker room to clean up, completely ignoring the sympathetic looks in his friends eyes.

he knew that his wins would never feel the same again. not after years of celebrating each one with you since he was a child.

winning was only bittersweet without you there.

— aone takanobu.

heartbroken doesn’t even touch how he feels

hes not someone who has ever dealt with loss before. sure, his grandfather died when he was a kid but that was different. he was a kid.

you’re someone he’s had since he was a child, you went to elementary, middle, and high school with him

you were the only person he would ever openly call his friend -- his best friend.

death is unfamiliar to him and without you there to guide him through it, he’s lost

he sat on the train, seats on either side of him empty. usually you would be perched there, talking his ear off about some nonsense. he never minded, he had long since grown used to you filling the silence with your voice.

but now, he realized, that even though he never said anything, he never got used to the quiet. anxiety swirled up inside him and he hung his head, judgemental eyes of other patrons felt like lead weights on his shoulders.

usually you would glare at anyone who looked at him like that, making the gazes fall from him and freeing him. but you weren’t there now.

and he realized he had no idea how to function without you.

it wasn’t that he was dependant on you to live his day to day life.

you just made him happy.

and made it easier for him to breathe when you were there.

tears pricked his eyes as the words passed through his head.

‘i miss you.’

— futakuchi kenji.

he’s actually kind of a popular guy but there’s no one that compares to you

no one has seen him turn from an awkward adolescent into a confident man

he’s lost and sadder than he had ever been before

he really doesn’t want to believe it but there’s no way your parents would lie to him

but secretly he hopes it’s all just a big ruse

and if it were, he wouldn’t even mad -- as long as it meant you weren’t really dead

he opened his phone, a reflex. it was always on silent, which meant he always missed your texts and whatnot.

he went to your text thread and sighed as he suddenly remembered. your last text was from a week ago and he felt empty as he read it for the millionth time. he couldn’t bring himself to delete any of your messages yet, terrified that he would forget the funny things you’ve said, the sweet words of encouragement, or even a dumb meme you sent on a night you couldn’t sleep.

half of your friendship was memorialized in your texts.

and he can’t risk forgetting everything that he had left of you.

#haikyuu x reader #hq x reader #atsumu x reader #osamu x reader #kita x reader #aran x reader #aone x reader #futakuchi x reader #tw death

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genevievemd · 3 years ago

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Love Letter

February 14, 2021

Book: Open Heart Pairing: Ethan Ramsey x F!MC (Genevieve McClure) Word Count: 2446 Rating: T (to be safe) Category: fluff, (Partial) Ethan POV Trope(s): and they go on a date

Summary: It’s Ethan and Genevieve’s first Valentine’s Day as an official couple.

Warnings: none

A/N: Happy Valentines Day, peanuts! Fun fact, I started this a year ago, to go with the V-Day 101 Smiles Post (Day 43: Part 1, Part 2) but never finished it. So i decided to dust it off and finish it for this year. Because why not. Also, I just realized while writing this, that they get engaged two months after this - almost to the day! And at this point Ethan had no plans on proposing to her, hadn’t even thought about it lol he was only thinking about asking her to move in soon. Love that for them.

Masterlist for the AU: Part 1 - 101 Smiles, Part 2 - The Year Between

For @choicesfebruary2022challenge Day 14: Champagne | Elevator | Stethoscrope. (All Three Prompts)

2:15 PM

Ethan tosses his phone onto his desk, rolling his eyes with a huff. Genevieve has been insufferable since they’d woken up that morning, over enthusiastic about a commercialized holiday that he himself hates.

Though it wasn’t a surprise to him that the woman he loves, who is the living embodiment of that emotion, loves a holiday based around it. Which is why Ethan agreed to even celebrate in the first place; went through the hassle of making a reservation and placing an order for a bouquet of roses and peonies. He even bought her expensive gourmet chocolates in a box that looked like an envelope, to remind her of the little notes he leaves in her pockets and charts.

He smiles softly as he recalls the first time he’d left her a note. A single sentence scratched onto a scrap of paper, that he’d snuck into her coat pocket during their lunch break.

It was only a few days after she’d told him about her love of letters and how her grandmother sends her a handwritten one every month, and Gen sends her one back. That she had a pen pal in middle school for a social studies project, and they had stayed in touch up until they both went off to college. It was a simple little fact that Ethan filled away in the back of his mind. Noting to himself how it seemed so on brand for the woman he’d come to know and love.

She was an old soul, not unlike himself. The only difference was that Genevieve wasn’t jaded and cynical like Ethan, she was hopeful and gentle. Radiant like the brightest star in the inky night sky.

His complete opposite and perfect match.

Without giving it a second thought, he tears off a corner of the notepad to his left. Scribbling down a single, three-word sentence, and tucking it into the patient file she was set to pick up soon.

4:09 PM

“Tell me where we’re going.” Gen turns to him before the elevator doors fully close, pressing the button for the diagnostics floor with mild irritation.

“It’s a surprise.” He chuckles, keeping his eyes focused on the file in his hand.

She pouts, crossing her arms, “Fine.”

“For someone who loves surprises, you do a terrible job at actually waiting for them.” Ethan finally looks up, closing the Manila folder and turning to face her. Giving himself a moment to take her in.

Twelve hours into their shift, with her hair in a messy bun and eyeliner smudged under tired eyes, she’s just as beautiful as she was at the start of their day.

“If you’re gonna look at me like that, the least you could do is kiss me.” Gen looks up at him from under her lashes, a teasing smirk on her face.

“Sorry, sweetheart, but we’re at work and you know the rules.”

“So says the man that put a love note in my chart a few hours ago.” She steps closer, fingers of one hand tracing the lines on his tie. “And we’re in an elevator, alone.”

It takes an enormous amount of effort to keep his arms at his sides, to not draw her closer and get lost in her emerald eyes. “We’re still in the hospital.”

“You’re no fun.” Gen steps away, shaking head and rolling eyes.

When they’d first begun dating, in secret and unofficially, he’d been quick to set a strict no PDA at work rule. First, to ensure they didn’t get caught, and also to maintain a modicum of professionalism. But as time has gone by, their relationship status turned official and exclusive, and the months together have almost turned into a year, Ethan finds himself letting the rule slip away. No longer worried about what their colleagues say or what people see.

His love for Genevieve is no longer something he’s afraid of, and it’s something he desperately wants to shout from the rooftops. Show the world that the love they share is anything but fleeting.

Ethan looks down at her, watching the corners of her mouth turn up into a smile as she stares at her phone. Mesmerized by every little move she makes.

“G…”

“What?” She turns to look at him, squeaking with surprise when he drops the folder to the floor. “What are you —”

He quickly takes the ends of the stethoscope around her neck into his hands, hauling her forward and kissing her hard.

They don’t break apart until the elevator dings, indicating they’ve made it to their floor. The pair breathless and dizzy.

“That… was the hottest thing you have ever done.” Gen blinks rapidly, watching him pick the folder up off the floor as the door opens. “Do it again.”

“Later.” Ethan winks, taking her hand as they exit the lift.

7:30 PM

The walk to Genevieve’s door is a familiar one, and so is the anticipation buzzing under his skin. It’s the first time, in a long time, that he’s picked her up for a date at her own apartment. They normally leave right from the hospital, or she gets ready at his place. It’s become incredibly uncommon for her to be at her true residence, and Ethan has found himself hating the idea of their separate apartments more with every passing day.

He only gets a few knocks onto the door before Sienna opens it, much to Ethan’s surprise. Her already petite frame somehow made smaller by the oversized pajamas she’s wearing.

“Oh, hey Ethan! Gen’s in her room. Come in.” The brunette opens the door wider, allowing Ethan to venture inside.

“Thank you.” He looks towards the hallway and down to Gen’s door, hearing the faint sounds of what is most likely a Taylor Swift song. “No plans for the night?”

“No.” Sienna plops down onto the couch, taking the bowl of popcorn off the table. “I mean, I could have gone out with the others for Jackie’s Anti Valentine’s Day night, but I’m not feeling it this year.”

He watches her eyes drift to a picture of her and Danny still hanging on the wall, a sharp pain in his heart as he remembers the day they lost the nurse.

The one where he almost lost Genevieve, too.

“Sienna,” Ethan walks to the couch, sitting beside the tiny doctor. “Are you doing alright?”

“Yeah.” She nods, tearing her eyes away from the photo. “Sometimes I just think about what could have been, you know?”

“I do. I sometimes think about where G and I would be now if I hadn’t wasted so much time. But, one thing she’s taught me is that we can’t get stuck in the past. We can only look forward.” He places a comforting hand on her shoulder, “You’ll find someone, Sienna.”

“I hope so. I want what you and Gen have.”

As if on cue, Genevieve comes out of her room, black heels clicking against the hardwood floor.

“I didn’t know you were here already. Why didn’t you come get me?” She smiles brightly.

“I was catching up with Dr Trinh.” Ethan rises from the couch, moving to help Gen into her coat. “You look stunning.”

“Thank you.” She sweeps her hair out of the back of her coat, before kissing his cheek. “Ready?”

“More than.” Ethan places his hand at the small of her back, guiding her towards her front door.

8:20 PM

The restaurant is bustling with couples, the lights dimmed low and soft music being played by a jazz band in the corner with a small dance floor. They’re seated in a somewhat quieter section of the restaurant, and Gen is almost certain Ethan had something to do with it.

He’s so much more thoughtful and romantic than she ever thought he would be. Taking care of her in a way that no one ever had before, making sure she knows that her heart is safe with him. That he’ll give her the world if she wants it.

“Your champagne.” Their waiter interrupts her thoughts, placing the ice bucket on the table along with two flutes. “Your appetizers should be out momentarily.”

“Thank you.” Ethan takes the bottle out of the ice as the waiter walks away, first pouring Gen a glass and then himself.

“I can’t believe you’re actually agreeing to drink champagne.”

“It’s for you. I’ll have scotch when we get home later.” He raises his glass, smiling at her as if she hung the moon. “Happy Valentine’s Day, Rookie.”

“Happy Valentine’s Day.” Gen returns his smile, clinking her glass against his before taking a sip. Watching blue eyes drift from her face to the band not far from them. “What?”

He doesn’t respond right away, instead rising from his chair and buttoning his suit. “Dance with me?”

“Are you serious, or has the champagne already gone to your head.”

“I’m serious. Dance with me.” Ethan extends his hand and she takes it without hesitation. Letting him guide her over to the dance floor.

He pulls her close, one hand on the small of her back and the other holding her hand tightly. Gliding around the floor in what could almost be a waltz.

Gen can feel her heart melting, with every step, as the soft notes mix with Ethan’s quiet humming.

“Do you know this song?”

“I do. Frank Sinatra.” He kisses her forehead, tucking her further into his arms and placing their joined hands on his chest. “It Had To Be You.”

She knows the song, heard her paternal grandfather sing it to her grandmother a handful of times growing up. And while she and Ethan have yet to truly discuss what their future together looks like, the thought that Ethan could think of her that way makes her weak in the knees.

Because there’s nothing she wants more than to spend the rest of her life with him.

10:04 PM

The apartment is dark when they arrive, the only light from the large windows. The moon and city lights casting shadows onto the floor. Jenner greets them with enthusiasm, going straight for Genevieve once she and Ethan are fully inside.

“He likes you more than me.” Ethan grumbles as he locks the door, tossing his keys into the bowl on the entryway table.

“Everyone likes me more than you.” Gen winks, petting Jenner on the head for a second more before turning to Ethan. “So… are you ready to see what I have on under the dress?”

“Yes, but I have something for you.”

“We agreed on no gifts.”

“And I disregarded that agreement.” Ethan kisses her head, before walking into the bedroom. Returning a moment later with the bouquet of her favorite flowers and a box of chocolates.

A box that she recognizes. It's one that she and Sienna had seen an ad for while out shopping. Love Letters in Chocolate is what they were called. Sienna even made a comment on how that was the perfect box for Ethan to give to Gen.

And here he was, a few weeks later, with that very same box.

“Happy Valentine’s Day, G.” He hands the gifts to her with a smile, one that makes him look so different from the man she had met almost three years ago.

That man was cold, hardened by the trials of life, closed off from every feeling imaginable. This one, the one Genevieve has come to know and love is open, loving, unburdened and somehow younger than he was before. Finding joy in the things he once deemed silly or trivial, unnecessary.

She brings the flowers close, taking in the sweet scent. “Thank you for these.”

“I actually have one more thing for you.” He tugs at his tie nervously, handing her an envelope with her name on it.

“You got me a Valentine's Day card?”

“Not exactly.” The tips of his ears turn an adorable shade of pink, his eyes looking anywhere but her face. “Read it while I get the fire going.”

“Okay.” Gen places the flowers and chocolates onto the counter, eyeing him curiously while she opens the envelope.

What she’s met with is, in fact, not a card, but a folded up piece of paper. It grabs her full attention and she unfolds it with a breath.

One she loses the second it’s open completely.

It’s not a note like she usually gets from him, a simple little sentence or two, but a page full of them.

To my love,

This may be a surprise to you, as we both know I have a great disdain for the holiday, but I’m willing to put that all aside and celebrate, because my love for you supersedes anything and everything.

I’d climb every mountain, sail across the world, to be with you, to see you smile and hear you laugh. To continue to be the man you’ve given your incredible heart to.

I wish I had told you sooner, how madly, deeply, irrevocably in love with you, I am. But I’ve made myself a promise, now that I’ve finally said the three words I was afraid of for so long, to tell you every day. Tell you how even my worst days are brighter because you’re in them, how my heart beats a rhythm of your name, how I can never again go a day without you.

I may not always say it with words, I may say it with the touch of my hand, or with every kiss we share. But those three words are on my mind, and in my once broken heart, every time I look at you.

You are the proof that true and unconditional, everlasting love exists.

I love you, Rookie. And I am yours, now and always.

Happy Valentine’s Day.

Her hands are shaking by the time she gets to the last line, her mascara running down her cheeks with tears of joy.

“Ethan,” Gen finally tears her eyes off the paper, his name leaving her lips in a whisper. “I… this is…”

She takes a deep breath, dropping the letter onto the counter and meeting him by the fireplace. Taking his face in her still trembling hands, misty green eyes boring into his ocean blue.

“I love you so much.”

“I love you.” Ethan wraps his arms around her waist, pressing a kiss to the tip of her nose, and then each tear stained cheek. “Just don’t go expecting something like that every day. I do have a reputation to uphold.”

She giggles, bringing his lips down to her own. Pouring every ounce of love she has for him in that one simple kiss.

A/N: I should write angst to compat all this fluff lol Hope you enjoyed the valentine’s day fluff! Thank you all for being patient while I deal with writers/creativiety block and lots of other fun things. We’re getting back to our regularly scheduled progam now tho.

(Tagging Seperately)

#ethan ramsey x mc #ethan x mc #open heart #choicesfebruary2022 #choicesmonthlychallenge #open heart fanfiction #101 smiles #oph au #ethan x gen

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just-some-random-blogger · 4 years ago

Text

10 Ways To Get Over Gyu

Seventeen Kim Mingyu x Reader + others Summary: Being the cute guy's best friend is really hard, especially when you've been harbouring a one sided crush for years. Work Count: 8k+ Warnings: Really bad summary, Childhood friends AU, Friends to Enemies (to Lovers?) AU, yes in that order, lol nah, I changed my mind, it’s pure angst, jealousy, probs some fluff if you squint, cheating, MANY TYPOS OOF, Swimmer!mingyu etc.

For the longest time, Mingyu was actually the short one in our friendship.

Short legs, constantly grazed because of how fast he ran and how often, an annoyingly circular bowl cut that hid his tiny face and eyes, and a high pitched squeal was all the equipment he had for the longest time.

I, however, had always been sophisticated.

Not because I was just that so early on, but because my mother scolded me for doing the littlest things growing up, especially when I wore the dresses my grandmother bought me from the States to school.

You could say that because of this, Mingyu and I should have never become friends, since I had learned self-control so early on and all he did was do whatever he thought about.

But that was precisely the reason why we got along so well. He did things that I itched to do in the playground, and no matter how much I reasoned to him that my mom would be mad if I got my clothes dirty, he always reasoned back, “you’re the most careful person I know! Plus, if you ~don’t get it dirty, your mom would never know you played outside.”

Safe to say, he had a compelling argument for a 5 year old.

Unfortunately, I still got my dress dirty no matter how careful I was.

I got an earful from my mom that day, but as persistent as my mother’s voice was at the back of my head, so was Mingyu’s beckons to go on the seesaw with him.

Eventually my mother actually realized something out of numerous times I got my dresses dirty. I was still a kid and I should live like one.

Unknowingly, Kim Mingyu set me free from my trap.

And we were best friends ever since.

It was sheer luck that we wound up in the same grade school after. Safe to say our individual stories about each other were told to our moms about each day-- how I did this, how Mingyu did that. It made them instant friends when they finally met during our grade 1 parent-teacher conference.

Mingyu and I were playing in the field as our moms talked by the bleachers.

“Your son is so adorable. He’s going to break so many hearts when he gets older.”

Mingyu’s mom sighs, “well, if he’s anything like his father, he will.”

The two share a laugh.

It had always just been me and him up until grade 4, when we on our own started to deviate to make room for friends in the same sex.

On the day we chose our mandatory after school clubs, that’s when things really started to change.

“Hey, did you sign up for the swimming team?” Mingyu with his big eyes and a little more decent hair style asked me as we went to lunch.

“Why would I sign up for the swimming team Mingyu?” I asked, tilting my head down a bit to my left side to look at his face. He wasn’t extremely shorter than I was, but an inch was an inch and it was a big deal, especially in Mingyu’s head.

He swats my flowy skirt down as it starts to rise up. I push it down as well as he answers, “well because swimming is fun and I’m joining the club.”

I gape at his reasoning. I would be so much fun to join the same club as him. Still I pouted, “but I wanted to join the knitting club.”

“The knitting club? That’s so lame!”

I sneer at him and shove him, “you’re lame, Mingyu.”

Mingyu sidesteps to regain his balance and chuckles, “only old ladies knit.”

I scoff, “I’ll have you know this sweater I’m wearing was knitted by my dad. He says it’s his stress reliever.”

“What’s that?”

“It’s when you feel kind of bad because of something. He says knitting makes him feel happy.”

“Well, I don’t really feel bad, so I’ll join the swimming club.”

I nod, “okay, I’ll join next year.”

“Okay.”

True enough, so many kids joined the swimming club. It made Mingyu have friends with kids in both higher and lower grades. I, on the other hand, had formed a tight knit relationship with the few kids who had interest in knitting. They were all older than me though, and had a lot of things to do, which was why I hardly ever got to hang out with them outside of our club. It was fine though.

I had one best friend in my class besides Mingyu, and it was a girl named Jennie. Or so I thought she was my best friend.

She was, in my grade-schooler head, one of the coolest chicks ever, since she spoke English with an Australian accent, and she always had the coolest bags. And she didn't turn mean, if that's what you're thinking. It wasn’t that she said, ‘oh you’re bad at English,’ or ‘oh you have ugly bags’. No, it was just that she only hung out with me when Mingyu was around, and Mingyu kept smiling at her like a puppy dog.

When they eventually started dating, like grade-schoolers do, I was kicked to the curb.

That’s when I realized something.

As Jennie and I sometimes watched Mingyu after school in his swimming team, I realized that it hurt that I wasn’t the only girl Mingyu would hang around with, and I would never be the only one.

Mingyu smiled widely as he waved at us, at Jennie, from the edge of the swimming pool. Jennie gleefully smiled back and waved.

I turned to my sneakers and sigh, uttering to myself, under my breath, that I liked my best friend.

1. The Realization

Ever since Jennie stole the spotlight, I found it to be a lot harder to hang out with Mingyu and her. Of course, I didn’t want to be obvious, but I also didn’t want to hang around like a loose string in a sweater. Maybe that analogy was a little too real because I could not get the string in my sweater to sit still.

I heard Mingyu call me from the end of the hall; I turned and found him smiling as he jogged over, “you going home already?"

I nod, “I asked my mom to pick me up early.”

He frowns, “you don’t wanna watch me swim?”

“No. Jennie’s going to be there anyway. I just sit there while you make googly-eyes at her.”

“Oh no,” he says casually, “Jennie and I broke up.”

I raise my brows, “what?”

“Yeah, she’s with Jongin now.”

“... ... sorry about that, I guess.”

“It’s cool, I’m dating Somi now.”

I raise my brows and sigh, “okay...”

“Hey, you did a really good job with your sweater!” he points and smiles widely.

I shake my head, “no way I did. It’s all ruined in the bottom. No one would ever wear this.”

“I would. I’ll wear anything you make because I know you worked hard on them.”

I was about to reply but suddenly this girl called for Mingyu and I am faced with a pretty girl with gleaming eyes. Mingyu grins and introduced her, “Somi, this is my best friend.”

She and I look at each other and give a smile.

“Well, I’m gonna go home now.”

Mingyu turns to me and nods as he puts his arm over Somi’s shoulders, “okay, stay safe.”

�� 2. First Kiss

You probably guessed that Somi was about as short lived as Jennie. It was cool though. By the time Wendy, Mina, and Yeji came into his life, I was well over the fact that Mingyu liked dating as many pretty girls as he possibly could for the longest of time in the least committed way.

That and it was really hard to keep track.

I don’t think I liked him anymore too anyway.

We had reached a point where we were graduating grade school. Our moms found a high school they thought would be perfect for the both of us. It was partially the knowledge of knowing I wouldn’t stay in this school that made me wanna pull a Mingyu-- as in get in a ‘relationship’.

It’s funny cause, that was the time when Seokmin and I started getting close to each other. Seokmin was the bright kid that always made the class laugh. He used to be in the swimming club too, but he found that he actually liked being in the music club way more, which is why him and Mingyu didn’t get that chance to be as close.

I, however, decided to join the music club in the last year because Mingyu kind of ruined the knitting gig for me when he tried to join in as he promised. He ended up giving up too easily. He began to bother me while I knitted, which ended up with me knocking over a raspberry slurry on one of my club members work. It was white too, and I was simply too embarrassed to come back, although I knew when she said I didn’t have to worry about it, she genuinely meant it.

I too tried getting into swimming, but the lack of girls in the club made it almost impossible for me to be comfortable.

Seokmin and I began to eat lunch together and stuff. Of course, Mingyu and I always ate together, he’d even join us and Seokmin too sometimes, but he was mostly always preoccupied with his new girlfriend anyway. It was cool.

During the end of one of our club meetings, Seokmin bought me ice cream and we ate it by the field.

“I’m really sad that we won’t be clubmates next year,” Seokmin said.

“Me too,” I say licking some ice cream, “you’re really cool.”

“I think you’re really cool too.”

I turn to him and hand him a bag, "here. In return for the ice cream."

Seokmin took it and pulled out the scarf, "it's a scarf."

I nod, "I knitted it myself. It should cost a thousand if I sold it."

"Wait," Seokmin turned to me, "really?"

"Nope," I say with a chuckle, "but it is also a thank you for being my friend when Mingyu's not around. I really do like hanging out with you."

Seokmin is silent for a while. I don't mind. He then begins to be a little restless, shuffling here and there, “ya... I wanted to say before you move schools that, I... likehaveacrushonyou.”

I take a moment to reply, not really knowing what he said, “What was that?”

Seokmin looks away, “I... haveacrushonyou.”

“You... have a crush on me?”

Seokmin turns to me in shock, as if I wasn’t supposed to hear that, then gulps, “yeah.”

“I... I don’t know what to say...”

He sighs, “it’s fine.”

There is an awkward silence for a while. Seokmin turns to me, “you know, you have ice cream on your chin.”

I feel my cheeks burn. I wipe my chin. I rebut, “you have ice cream on your shirt.”

He visibly panics, “oh man, my mom’s gonna kill--” when he turns and sees nothing, I begin to laugh. He rolls his eyes and chuckles lowly.

There is silence again, but it was no longer as awkward. At this point, we had both finished our ice creams. He then takes the scarf I made and wears it, "my favorite color is blue."

"Oh what a coincidence," I say because the scarf I made was deep blue.

Seokmin turns to me and I turn to him. I look away, but when I turn back he’s still looking. I punch his shoulder, “stop being weird.”

“I’m not being weird.”

“Then why are you looking at me like that.”

“Because I wanna kiss you.”

“What?”

Seokmin abruptly stands, “I said I think we should go now.”

He begins to pace around, but I just stay put in my place. He turns back to me, realizing this and sits back down, faced back at me. When he finally turns back, he says, “maybe your mom is already there.”

I turn to him without saying a word. He looks back at me in the same way, but we’re both thinking the same thing, I think.

“Do you want to kiss me?” I whisper.

He grips his hands and nods, “yes.”

I nod back, “okay.”

Seokmin then leans in and places his lips on mine. It’s quick and it’s sweet, but my entire body burns up.

3. High School

Seokmin and I had an unspoken thing up until we graduated grade school. I guess between the two of us, it was clear there was no point in being boyfriend-girlfriend because, well, we were going to different schools.

I remember on the first day of high school, I jumped into Mingyu’s arms and hugged him because we rarely got to hang out by the end of the year, and we didn’t even realize it.

The very first thing we talked about was--

“You kissed Lee Seokmin!!!” Mingyu blurts in shock and slaps his hands on his face. He grows red with anger, “ya!! What the hell are you thinking?!”

“What? You’ve had like a hundred girlfriends! And I’m sure you’ve kissed them all.”

“YA! I’ve never kissed any of my girlfriends! What do you think of me, a pervert?”

“YA! Seokmin is not a pervert. He’s really sweet.”

“But he kissed you! He kissed you!”

I pull my head back and point, “what is your problem? Can’t he kiss me? Am I so ugly that it disgusts you?”

“NO! WHAT IF HE TRIED TO DO SOMETHING ELSE!”

“What? Like what, Mingyu?”

Mingyu huffs, “I know how guys think. He’s probably worse than me because he actually kissed you.”

“Oh whatever, Kim Mingyu!”

“Don’t you dare walk away from me, or else I’ll tell your mother!”

I snap at him and feel my heart drop, “you wouldn’t dare.”

“Watch me.”

He held that over me for the longest time. It was why I wound up with multiple scarves and a sweaters during this time. He made sure he made it clear that he could blabber about it to my mom everyday. Because of this, he made me buy him snacks and help him out with his homework. Also, he wanted that sweater I made.

During one time when we were in my house as we studied fractions and baby algebra, Mingyu suddenly tapped a pencil on my head and asked, “was it good?”

We were both on my bed, sprawled on our chests in front of our modules.

“What was good, Mingyu? We're doing fractions.”

“Seokmin’s kiss.”

I felt my soul leave me, and I whisper-yelled, “keep it down, you idiot.”

Mingyu sniffled and pressed on, “well was it?”

“I mean I guess... it was really quick. Like this,” I illustrate by clapping my hands lightly and slowly.

Mingyu shifted to my side and turns to the activity at hand, “I’m sure I kiss better than him.”

“Pssh, you’ve never even kissed a girl in your life.”

Mingyu suddenly moves in closely, “you want me to show you I’m a good kisser?”

I simultaneously freeze and feel myself burn red.

Mingyu blinks then cackles, “ah, you were scared there for a second, weren’t you? I-” I shove him off the bed.

“Honey, what was that sound?" my mother calls from downstairs.

“Mingyu being an idiot and falling off the bed.”

And as the said Gyu screamed at me for shoving him, I feel my stomach swirl in multiple directions. Maybe I wasn’t over Mingyu like I thought.

4. Confessions

It was on our second year that I first heard some girl say ‘I like Mingyu’. This was the day I realized... well, I think I did too-- I liked Minqyu-- still liked him internally after all this time. It’s funny that I didn’t even notice that he was taller than me at this point, much, much taller than me. His body was just so long you would never believed me if I told you I used to be taller than him.

I also didn’t notice that he actually had a decent haircut now, and how full his lips were, and how clear his eyes were. To me, he still reeked of the boy from the playground that just wanted me to play with him.

It was why I still found it so bizarre that he got a bunch of love letters and chocolate on valentines day, when he was still an immature tall boy that still thought the number 69 was hilarious.

Okay, perhaps I was upset that other girls were giving him attention...

“I got in the swimming team!” Mingyu exclaimed at lunch. I grinned and squeezed his bicep, “that’s great, Gyu! Congrats.”

“They don’t really let people go into the pool for no reason, so you can’t see how fast I’ve gotten since grade school.”

“It’s okay, Gyu. With how long your limbs are, I’m willing to believe you’re the fastest out of all of them. Plus, you’ve been swimming since you were 6, so you’re pretty good.”

“Thanks, that means a lot to me.” Mingyu then pulls out some chocolate from his bag, “you want some?”

“No thanks.”

“Suit yourself.”

Later that day, I was supposed to return Mingyu’s book because he left it with me accidentally during lunch, so I swung by the pool just to hand it to him. Funnily enough, I saw him feverishly kissing a girl by the pool’s bathroom.

I suppose kissing does count as something to do.

5. The Girlfriend

Her name was Tiffany Young and she was breathtaking. I hated her, damn, I wanted to hate her, but she was just perfect. I envied her, from the way she looked, to the way she dressed, to how sweet and smart she was, and how she held Mingyu’s hand when the teachers weren’t looking.

She was a year older than us, which is why I hated the word noona with a passion, especially with how Mingyu rolled it off his tongue.

I half expected them to call it quits by the end of the month, then the next end of that month, but up until Mingyu made it to the regional event of the swimming competition, she was there. She was there when he practiced, she was there during lunch, she was just there. And right now as we cheered on for Kim Mingyu, she sat there next to me and shared chips with me.

I’ll never forget how lovesick Mingyu was when he spotted us in the crowd just after he swam a lap, hpw he screamed against the cheering crowd, “I love you Tiffany noona!” just loud enough for her to hear.

I remember how big Tiffany’s smile was when she heard that, how she leaned up against me and squealed, “wah, Mingyu’s such an idiot.”

6. Basketball

By the next year of high school, Mingyu was the talk of the town for winning every medal he could. As a varsity player, he was excepted from PE, but he loved sports so much that he still joined it and made whichever team he was playing with win.

This year, we had basketball. It was safe to say he was so good, the coach of the basketball team was so heartbroken that he was a swimmer. He sometimes made Mingyu sit in the bleachers so he wouldn’t have to see him play.

Mingyu didn’t mind, because it meant he got to see me play ‘like a kid’.

Our teacher called for a time out and Mingyu screeched in laughter at me, “you’re so short.”

I shove him. He laughs even more then asks, “you want me to teach you?

“Basketball will not benefit my existence, so I’ll pass.”

“Ever the optimist.”

I roll my eyes at him. He was persistent and grabbed me, “come on, if I can teach Tiffany noona how to shoot well, I can teach you.”

I grunt and shove him, “absolutely not. Tiffany’s good at everything!”

“Come on now, you’re the girl that could outrun me when we were little. Tiffany cried when she broke a nail trying to open a soda can.”

“That’s because it hurts, you misogynistic oaf.”

Mingyu makes a face, “hey, I love Tif. I’m just trying to say that when you fell trying to catch me, you didn’t bat an eye and kept running with blood on your knee, so.”

“What does that even have to do with basketball?”

“You are a lot more athletic than you think,” Mingyu points and grabs a ball from the floor. “Come on it’s simple, just position your hands like this, bend a bit, jump and throw.”

He scores a 3 point shot, and the entire class claps. Our teacher looks longingly at Mingyu. Mingyu bows at the appraisal. And I become acutely aware everyone is looking at us.

“That’s literally so much easier said than done,” I point, as Mingyu grabs the ball and hands it to me. “Then try doing it.”

I sigh. I go ahead with my attempt, unbelievably half-assed, but Mingyu grabs the ball before I can throw it, “Come on, try what I told you to do.”

Mingyu grabs my shoulders, knocks at the back of my knee to have me bend down, then positions my hands up. He’s basically hugging me from behind, and when he pulls away, he crosses his arms and nods, “now jump and dunk.:

I roll my eyes, ignoring the thumping in my chest, then give it my best shot.

I am taken aback when the class cheers because I actually shot it. I jump and turn to Mingyu in glee, and I see he just has a stupid smirk on his face. He is shaking one hand in the air and then scoffs, “that’s my girl.”

We then high-five and Mingyu side hugs me. It was then out teacher called for the game to start again.

After PE, our teacher invited us all to watch the basketball game later that day. I went up to a classmate of mind named Chaerin, and asked her if she wanted to watch with me, since I knew she had a crush on one of the guys in the basketball team.

Chaerin squealed and instantly agreed. Mingyu, like the nosy guy he was, asked what we were on about. I turn to him and chuckle, “she’s going to confess to her crush today.”

“Oh my gosh, you big mouthed brat!” Chaerin exclaimed, slapping my arm.

Mingyu was clearly interested in the gossip and begged Chaerin to tell him, “you know, maybe I know him and could hit you two up.”

Chaerin didn't want to say it, but Mingyu was a notorious whine-baby. Eventually she caves and reluctantly confesses, “Wong Yukhei.”

“AH LUCAS!” Mingyu screamed.

“OH MY GOSH, YOU SIREN!” Chaerin panics and shoves Mingyu. He laughs like an annoying jock and smiles, “no, yeah, he’s super cool. He’s really good at basketball too. Not as good as me but-”

“Oh stop, you show off,” I scold.

“I could-- oh gosh, I just remembered.”

“What?”

“I have this thing with noona today. Well, whatever, I’ll try to talk to Lucas about you to him if I see him.”

Surely enough, later that day, we went ahead and watched the basketball game and it was so much fun. I kept calling for Yukhei during the game and pointed at Chaerin so blatantly. I’m pretty sure my arm was going to fall off from the assault it got from the beatings she gave me, but I still went through with it every time he made it near our area.

When it was high time to come up to him and spill Chaerin’s beans, we rushed down the bleachers, figuring there may be a lot of girls who wanted to do the same since they had just won the game.

“Lucas!” I called, grabbing his attention when we was close enough.

He wiped the sweat from his brow and his teammate beside him, Jeon Wonwoo from Home Economics, bent down and looked our way. Chaerin gulps and grips me, pulling away. I snap at her and turn to Lucas with a smile, “Lucas, my friend Chaerin has something to say to you.”

Lucas turns to Wonwoo and chuckles. He jumps over the bench and smiles, “yeah, I can talk.”

I grin and turn away to give them some privacy. By the time I’m pretty far, I turn and realize Wonwoo was as daft as ever and didn’t move an inch. I groan and sprint over, grabbing Wonwoo by the shirt and pulling him away. He whined as he grabbed his water bottle, “ya, what is your deal?!”

I shoot him a look.

When we’re far enough, I snap at Wonwoo, “Chaerin’s gonna confess! We should give them privacy.”

He drinks his cold water and turns to me, “I don’t see why I couldn’t fix my bag while they did.”

“Oh my gosh, this is literally why I hate being your partner in cooking. You’re so obviously oblivious.”

“I’m not oblivious, I just don’t see why I can’t fix my bag as they talk.”

I sigh, “if you confessed to someone, would you want someone else to hear it?”

Wonwoo thinks for a moment, “I think you know the answer to that.”

“Exactly! You may be on the basketball team, but that doesn’t mean you necessarily enjoy the attention that comes with it.”

Wonwoo is silent. I feel the need to further explain, “come on, everyone knows you turn down all the confessions you get from girls. And, you’re my classmate, you don’t normally speak up in class. That’s fine.”

He says nothing again.

“That one time when one of the girls that liked you put strawberry milk on my table thinking it was yours, with a sticky note that had a single W on it-- yeah, I look over my shoulder from time to time to see if some chick is ready to take me out for drinking it.”

Wonwoo turns to me, “I gave it to you because you like strawberry milk and I don’t.”

“And I took it because I was hungry. But I still feel like I have a target on my back.”

Wonwoo chuckles and shakes his head, drinking water yet again. He pats my back and raises a brow, “now you have one.”

“Wait, did you just stick something behind my back.”

“Clearly, I was holding a bullseye all this time.”

I scoff and feel my back either way. I then cross my arms at him and turn to Lucas and Chaerin. They were smiling now, or at least I could bet Chaerin was because of how big Lucas was smiling.

“I like you.”

I turn to Wonwoo, “what?”

“That’s how I would confess,” he says not looking at me, “simple, direct. I like you.”

He finally turns to me and I tilt my head, “I like that. It’s clear and honest.”

Wonwoo’s expression changes, “I thought you just said you liked me.”

I shove him just as he’s about to take another drink. He gives me a look, “ya.”

“In your dreams, Jeon.”

“Well, I must be dreaming then,” Wonwoo makes a face.

I chuckle and tut, “hit the showers, you slime ball.”

7. Strawberry Milk

“Hey, you wanna have lunch together today?” Wonwoo asked, right after our class ended.

“You know what, Chaerin and Lucas are going to eat together, so I’d really not get in the middle of that. And Mingyu is probably going to eat with Tiffany unnie and her friends again today, and I get really awkward around them, so I’ll take it. Lemme just text Gyu so he doesn’t look for me.”

Wonwoo looks at me then nods. I quickly text Mingyu.

“You’re really close with Mingyu, huh?”

I smile and nod, “we grew up together, like, since preschool.”

Wonwoo raises his brows, “wow. I had no idea.”

“Yeah, he was like, my hero. My mom used to make me wear these dresses from my grandmother, and I had to make sure I never got them dirty. Mingyu wanted to play with me though, and I would always end up with a dirty dress. Eventually, my mom realized I was a kid that had to play, so I got out of those dresses and had my freedom.”

Wonwoo smiles slowly, “he must hang that over you a lot, huh.”

“Nah, mostly, it’s the fact that I had my first kiss in grade school and my mom doesn’t know about it.”

Wonwoo chuckles, “well, I caught him and his girlfriend making out in the gym once, so I’d say you’re pretty even.”

“Exactly.”

When we got to the cafeteria and sat down, Wonwoo gave me a strawberry milk. I turned to him and gave a look, “oh, I do not want to die today.”

“Relax, I bought this for you.”

“Even worse!”

Wonwoo gives me a look, “is it really that bad that you can’t take it from me. Like how scary could a girl that likes me be?"

“Girls can jump to all sorts of conclusions with the guy they like. They may just think you like me because of this so, you gotta be careful.

“I do like you though."

I knit my brows and turns to him.

“I like you... the strawberry milk on your desk was from me. It was kind of scary to me that you figured W stood for Wonwoo. I thought you might’ve began to, like, wonder maybe the W stood for Woozi or something. So when you said someone mistook my table for yours, I went with it.”

“... Woozi’s real name his Jihoon though.”

Wonwoo chuckles, shaking his head, “that’s all you have to say?”

“Ya! I’ve been texting you nonstop!” Mingyu suddenly pants as he comes up next to me. “Are you replacing me with someone from the basketball team too, huh?”

I turn to Mingyu as he heaves. I see his red eyes and his messy hair, “what are you talking about? Are you okay?”

“NO I’M NOT OKAY! I just found my girlfriend’s tongue down the basketball captain’s throat and now my best friend is with their point guard. Thanks for the head up, by the way, Jeon.”

“Dude, I had no idea Johnny was seeing Tiffany.” Wonwoo says.

“Oh of course not, just like I didn’t know that you string girls around you just to reject them like a douchebag!”

“Mingyu! What the hell?!”

Mingyu huffs, “if you ever think of hurting my best friend I will bash your face in until not even your mom recognizes you.”

I shoot up and grab Mingyu by the shoulders. “You need to calm down.”

I turn to Wonwoo and frown, “I’m really sorry.” I say, grabbing my things and ushering the piping Mingyu off.

Wonwoo looks at the strawberry milk on the table.

Mingyu began to explode in the swimming pool side. I kept telling him to calm down because we would be dead meat if we ever got caught sneaking in here.

“I JUST DON’T GET IT! WHY WOULD SHE STILL BE WITH ME IF SHE HAD FEELINGS FOR HER EX!”

I whine and raise my brows, “I’m really sorry Gyu. I don’t have the answers but you need to calm down...”

“I CAN’T calm down!” Mingyu groaned deeply.

Mingyu sat down roughly next to me and punched his lap, “I- I gave her everything. I-” he turns to me with teary eyes, “you know... I booked a motel for us.”

“Oh my gosh, Gyu, you didn’t,” I put my hands to my face. I cover my ears and shake my head.

“I-” he chokes and covers his face, “I loved her. I-” he began to sob, “I still do... and it just hurts so much.”

I didn’t know what to say. I think Mingyu didn’t really want to hear anything as he just crumbled against my shoulder.

“To think she said that I was the unfaithful one,” he begins, “I talked to Lucas about Chaerin like I promised. She heard about it and claimed I was swooning about another girl to one of my friends. I had to explain repeatedly that Chaerin liked Lucas.

“And whenever she’d say I was too close to you. Gosh I hated it so much. She hated it when I wore the sweater you gave me. Then Tif would say you looked at me more than a friend and that I would actually chose you over her if it came to it. Then I would tell her it’s her that I drove to at midnight, and it’s her that I liked so bad, but I guess she never believed me."

He pulled me close when I said this. It didn’t make his word hurt any less.

“It was never enough,” Mingyu whispered. “She was just looking for an excuse to hide her guilt.”

So much changed after that.

Mingyu got so much more busy with his swimming practice that we rarely hung out anymore He also began hanging out with his swimming buddies outside the pool. Of course, he would bring me along, but again, I was kind of just lost in the mix everything. He grew closest to his captain, Seungcheol.

Now Seungcheol had a girlfriend named Krystal, and she was the sweetest. She tired to make me feel included in their conversations, but she could only do so much because she was also a swimmer and it was kind of inevitable that I would be left out.

Eventually, I started hanging less and less with Mingyu and more and more with Wonwoo during lunch. Ever since Mingyu crashed in on us, we’ve kind of been acting as if nothing happened that time. As in that whole shebang of a confession. That is, up until he asked me out on the date.

I didn't know what to say, so I just was honest from the beginning. I told him I didn’t know how I felt towards him. He said he understood.

As time went by, I found myself agreeing to go on that date with him. I began to look forward to the strawberry milk on my desk during Wednesday Home Economic classes. I began to walk with him to his basketball practices and would wait for him to finish sometimes. Next thing I knew, I called him Nunu because it pissed him off.

It was during one of his practices, while he was drinking water that really made a difference. He kissed me to shut me up from teasing him with the 'horrible' name I thought of, and boy it was effective. He then took my hand and gave me what I identified as a ticket.

I was still too dazed from the kiss to have any other thoughts from that.

Wonwoo turned to me, “this is for our tournament on Saturday. I bought two tickets, just in case your mom won’t let you go without her. It’s pretty late so...”

“Wait, you want to meet my mom?"

Wonwoo turns to his feet, “I kinda want to meet everyone important in your life.”

He rubs his sweaty arm, “and like, I want you to be my girlfriend too.”

I hold back a laugh, “I dunno, you smell kinda bad.”

Wonwoo’s face lights up. He gives me a look, “Should I ask after practice then?”

“Pass, I’ll just say yes too anyway.”

Wonwoo beams and he kisses my cheek. He jumps up and around as I look at him with a shocked expression. I look at him and whisper-yell, “I can’t believe you kissed me twice during your break.”

“I can. I’ll shoot 3 points for you.”

“If you purposefully miss, I’m breaking up with you.”

“Ah, it’s that easy to get out of this relationship? I’ll take note of that.”

8. Game Time

“Mingyu! I have something to tell you.” I say as I come up to his locker early in the morning.

“No.”

I pull my head back, “no?”

Mingyu looks at me, “if you’re going to ask me to go with you to the basketball tournament, my answer is no.”

“Wait, what?”

“Lucas told me Wonwoo bought two tickets and assumed he might give them to you. He told me as a heads up.”

“A heads up for what?” I ask.

“In case you ask me. But there is absolutely no way I will watch a game where the guy she cheated on me with will be there.”

“Uhm... Wonwoo bought me an extra ticket in case mom wouldn’t let me go by myself. I did end up going with my mom to the game. But that’s beside the fact that the game was last Saturday. I was just gonna tell you that Wonwoo and I were a couple now.”

Mingyu turned to me with blown eyes, “wait what?”

“Wonwoo’s my boyfriend now.”

“Your first boyfriend.”

“Don’t say it like that, it sounds like I have the intention to break up with him.”

“You will,” he says.”

I snap at him, “Mingyu!”

“If we broke up, so will you.”

I raise my brows, “that was extremely uncalled for. Tiffany and Wonwoo are two different people.”

Mingyu makes a face at the mention of her name. He licks his front teeth, “Just because he gives you strawberry milk, doesn't mean he’s special. He’s a guy! He just want to get in your pants.”

“Is that what you thought with Tiffany?!”

“No!”

“Exactly! He could be just as scared as being cheated on as you are.”

“Oh because you’ll cheating on him with me, right? That's what I am to you?”

I am taken aback by his words, “what is wrong with you Mingyu?”

“Nothing, but that hickey on your neck has something wrong. Nice touch with the band aid, by the way."

“Why are you so aggressive! I burned my neck with an iron cause I curled my hair to look pretty for my date. My mom can vouch for me.”

He scoffs and, "and what? Auntie approves of him?”

“As a matter of fact, she does.”

“Okay then! So why are you telling me about your healthy relationship? To rub it in? To ruin my day?”

“GAH!” I erupt and wipe my face, “because your my best friend, Gyu!” I look at him in frustration for a second. He wasn’t expecting that, it s seems. I feel tears well in my eyes, “but clearly you don't think so anymore.”

Mingyu instantly deflates. I begin to heave heavily. I turn away and fight the tears.

“Wait, I-”

“Don’t EVER talk to me again, Kim Mingyu.”

9. University Madness

Graduation came like a thief in the night. The next thing I knew I got in to my dream university in Seoul and Wonwoo and I were taking pictures with each other’s parents.

I gave a big smile as Wonwoo's parents explain how much Wonwoo talked about me. It's cute how he turned pink at it. It made the pink beanie I made him all the more appropriate for the occasion.

And he never did talk to me again.... Mingyu I mean.

He tried to initially, but I was too upset with him to give him time to get a word in. When Wonwoo finally knocked some sense into my head, Mingyu stopped trying, and I didn’t want to have to initiate a talk with him. Part of me was glad I didn't have to confront him, but an ever bigger part of me wanted to lash out on him for thinking so little of our friendship, for giving up so easily on trying to get my forgiveness.

Every time I saw him walking down the hallway, or whenever we’d painfully get grouped together in PE, or in another subject, I’d feel so conflicted. I wanted to reach out to him, but in the times I got a spine to do it, I would notice how he would look away or try and avoid my line of sight.

I wound up knitting a blanket for Wonwoo by the end of this, in frustration, in surrender. It made for a warm nights sleep, and I think, somehow, when I ended the last bit of it, all my anger had gone.

Wonwoo was actually disappointed that I was going to graduate with Mingyu as an enemy. I reasoned that Mingyu wasn’t my enemy... he was just no longer my best friend.

My mom and his mom were still best friends though, so when they saw each other during the graduation, they demanded we take a picture.

Of course, I could never do that to Mrs. Kim when she was so happy; I could never just say his son took his anger out on me which is why we no longer spoke to each other. So I sucked it up and smiled the brightest smile I could and even raised two fingers behind Mingyu’s head for the shot.

My mom and Mrs. Kim showed me the picture they took. I was smiling brightly, and Mingyu was looking at me with an unreadable expression.

“Aigoo, how cute. You two look just like when you were in preschool.”

“Yeah, except Mingyu was shorter than my daughter then. Now look at him.”

Yes. It was honestly bizarre seeing him with his broad shoulders a year and a half in after graduation. He glowed in the sunlight, as he made his way across the field. It seemed like he was in a friendly game of football. He seemed to be enjoying it a lot.

In all this time spent in college, I had no idea Mingyu was that star swimmer all the girls kept talking about. He was the one with the killer smile and the sculpted arms. He was the one with the big personality and the charisma.

It was absolutely mental that the moment I noticed him, he was everywhere I turned. It made me unbelievably sour.

My friend Gora asked me why I hated it every time someone mentioned him, and so I told her why, cover to cover.

She was shocked that Mingyu could say and think that about Wonwoo, when my boyfriend drove to Seoul and back every Saturday just to meet with me.

It made her stop liking Mingyu altogether and I would be lying if I said I wasn’t grateful she sided with me.

When one Saturday came, Wonwoo and I hung out all day. There was something with him, I could tell. He was quiet, even for him.

“Nunu-ya, is there something bothering you.”

Wonwoo clenches his jaw, “my dad got his dream job."

I knit my brows at the tone in which he said that.. I offer a smile, "hey that's great news."

He turns to me and releases a breath, turning away, "my family is moving to Denmark.”

“What?”

“My dad got a job in Denmark as a head architecture in a big firm. He wants me to finish my studies there since they will cover the expenses.”

“So... you’re leaving.”

Wonwoo sniffles, “I told him I wanted to stay, not for anyone but myself, but he refuses to leave if we don’t all come with him. My dad lost his parents early on, so he wants us all to just be together. He also doesn’t like the idea of me living in Korea all alone.”

I begin to cry when I realize where this is going.

Wonwoo takes my hand, “I thought about this so much. I hate myself for dragging this out as long as I could, but I just could bring myself to leave you.”

“Wonwoo...”

“I think it'll be much better though if we break up.”

“Wonwoo, please, we don’t have to do that.”

Wonwoo begins to wipe at his face, “It’s already so hard for us now when we’re two cities away. I don’t even know what I’d do if we were countries, continents apart.”

“what would it even change Wowoo? It'll just hurt?"

“At least I’d know you’d be able to happy without me," he says, placing the pink hat I knitted on my head.

I may have been dramatic when I said I wouldn’t be happy without him, but that’s what it felt like.

It was really nobody’s fault, but it hurt so much.

I still texted him after he left. He only replied once to say he wouldn't be replying again.

A month later, Gora managed to get me to go to a party with her. I knew she genuinely was trying to make me enjoy going out again, but I just couldn’t. It got especially worse since I spotted Mingyu in the crowd, making out with some chick with blonde hair, then another time with a girl with black hair. Either Mingyu was getting lip herpes from making out with multiple strangers, the girl had wigs in her bag, or I was actually getting drunk from this soda I was drinking and was seeing things. I had an extremely strong feeling it was the first thing though.

And in all my streak of unluckiness, Mingyu kept coming around. Gora’s roommate just had to bring him over one night while we were watching a film. The look on his face when he saw, or should I say gawked at me, made me want to hurl. Safe to say, I never wanted to watch movie’s at Gora’s place ever again.

Then, my own roommate, Suzy, happened to be taking the same course as Mingyu and ended up becoming partners for this tedious project they had.

I did not take kindly that Mingyu was in my dorm without Suzy because she had to pickup something. I wasn’t angry at Suzy, she didn’t know, what I was pissed about was the fact that Mingyu agreed to stay here, knowing I was doing my own homework on my side of the room. It didn't help when I recognized the sweater he was clearly wearing for me to see.

“Look, I’m sorry about what I said that day to you. I was taking out my frustrations on you and Wonwoo. It was really immature of me.”

I think if just ignoring him, pretend like he was talking to himself. But I felt the desire to bite back.

I from my text book, to him, and shrug, “okay.”

Mingyu is surprised I even acknowledged his presence that he dumbly repeats what I just said, “okay?”

I turn back to my text book, “Wonwoo got me to forgive you a long time before graduation. I just never talked to you again.”

Mingyu flinches, “...are you still with him?”

“What do you think?”

He doesn’t reply to that.

“It was really hard without you by my side. I did a lot of things that you probably would hate.”

I scoff and roll my eyes, “And it you think it wasn’t hard for me. Did you think it didn’t hurt me? You’re the one that snapped and attacked me. And-- I’m not your mom, okay. It’s not my responsibility to keep you in check. I’m not your friend anymore either. If you’re trying to make amends, just don’t. It’s not a nice time for me. I have a lot going on already. You’re here because you have a project with Suzy and nothing else. After it, I don’t want to see you at all."

He was silenced after that. By the time Suzy comes back, I’m already buried in my studies and earphones.

The only thing that made me come to life was when I was reintroduced to Seokmin through our mutual friend, Soonyoung. He made me laugh until my face hurt and it was the best feeling in the world.

We started hanging out like we never could in grade school. He was like a breath of fresh air, and it was so comforting to know that even though he clearly matured after grade school, became taller than me, and had a leaner physique, he was still as bright and as sweet as I remembered.

“I have to ask,” Seokmin starts as we make our way down a tiny isle in the university convenience store, “did I ever have a chance with you in grade school or did you like Mingyu?”

My stomach dropped at the mention of his name, “what? Why do you ask so suddenly?”

“Well, you and him were super close. I dunno. For me, I always kind of knew he was never serious with the girls he had dated. Looking back, he may have only dated them to get you jealous.”

“That’s ridiculous. We were close but he did not like me.”

“So you liked him then?”

I sigh, “I did,” I say grabbing some strawberry milk. I look at it and put it down, opting for chocolate instead, “for like a hot second.”

“You didn’t end up dating in high school? Didn’t you to move to the same place?”

I give him a look, “noooo,” I shake my head, “I mean, we did go to the same school, but he ended up dating a girl named Tiffany.”

Seokmin tilts his head and grabs some chips. He sucks in a breath, “sounds horrible.”

I can’t help but laugh at that, “She was... perfect, up until she cheated on him.”

Seokmin flashes his teeth, “yikes.”

I shrug, “it’s probably why he sleeps around now.”

“You’re still in contact with him?”

“He goes to our school, Min.”

“Wait, what? Really?”

I nod.

“Damn, next thing you know all his exes go here too.”

I slap my hand on my mouth to hold in my laughter.

10. Replay

It’s funny how the world kept getting smaller when I began to acknowledge it.

Soonyoung decided on celebrating his birthday in one of his favorite restaurants. Clearly the boy was well off because the entire place was filled to the brim with his guests.

One thing I didn’t realize about Soonyoung though was that he too was a swimmer and a member of the swimming team, which meant the captain, Kim Mingyu, was there in the celebration. To be specific, he blatantly chose the seat in front of me, as if to make it look like he wanted to catch up with Seokmin and I.

How treacherous of him to assume that I wouldn’t tell Seokmin about what he did to me, and how much more it is because he was right.

Drunk Soonyoung was too much. He tried to kiss me, and Seokmin, and that friend he had whose name I found was Jun. Even the old lady that owned the place could not escape. What I dreaded what the fact, though he was shitfaced so early on, Soonyoung was acutely aware he was the birthday boy and he could fundamentally get anyone in the place to do his bidding.

And his bidding was a wild game of Never Have I Ever.

He didn’t even begin to ease it up, he outright just said, “Never have I ever got caught with someone in the parking lot,” to which he clearly knew most of the guys in the swimming team would have to drink to.

One of them said, “never have I ever been cheated on,” to which once again a lot of people drank to. Mingyu bitterly downed a shot in one go.

When it got to Seokmin, he drunkenly admitted, “never have I ever been liked by someone I liked.”

“Oh fuck, that’s depressing,” a guy named Joshua called, right before he chugged an almost empty bottle of soju.

I turned to him and I frowned, “hey, I liked you.”

Seokmin buzzed his lips, “no you didn’t. You liked my ice cream cone but not me.”

“SHIT, ICE CREAM CONE ALERT!” Soonyoung shouted. He then punched the air, “kiss, kiss, kiss, kiss--” “Sit down, Kwon.” Mingyu growled, pulling his friend down. Soonyoung then proceeded to try and kiss him, to which Mingyu made a face to and offered his cheek, “are you happy now?”

“Yes,” he said, embracing Mingyu.

I couldn’t help but chuckle and coo at that.

Regretfully, Mingyu caught on. On the other hand, Soonyoung suddenly demanded, “your turn, ice cream cone lover!”

“Hmm, never have I ever... not been allergic to dust.”

There is silence between us.

“What?” Soonyoung hiccups.

“It means I’m allergic to dust, tiger.”

He chuckles at the nickname, but he still raises a finger, “noooo, go again, that was lame.”

“Fine. Never have I ever been to a booked a motel with someone.”

Mingyu takes a sharp swig. Soonyoung misses the point, “where do you do it then?”

“What?”

“If not in a motel, then where?”

I clear my throat, “In the basketball court?”

Seokmin pulls back, “YOU DID WHAT NOW?”

“I’m joking, Seokmin.”

“Nuh, uh, uh, jokes are always half meant,” Soonyoung calls, then turns to Mingyu, “your turn.”

Mingyu turns to his drink, “never have I ever wished I could turn back time more than anything.”

“Damn,” a Jeonghan says, “I felt that.”

Soonyoung makes a face, “wait does that mean you want to turn back time or no?”

Mingyu clears his throat and takes a drink, “whatever.”

Soonyoung suddenly stands and blurts out, “ya, this ones for the idiots here. Never have I ever held in a confession from someone I like, because I’m not an idiot!”

Somehow, everyone is shocked that Mingyu takes a swig. To be honest, I was one of them.

“Ya, ya, ya, ya! Kim Mingyu doesn’t have the guts to spill his guts?”

“Shut up,” Mingyu threatens softly.

“Ya, who was it though?”

“Yeah, who was girl the Kim Mingyu was afraid of getting rejected by.”

They all shouted at him for an answer, and he was clearly uncomfortable. Seokmin came to his rescue, and threated to slap anyone who raised their voice, mostly for his headache, he says.

“My best friend,” Mingyu admits under his breath. Soonyoung catches it though and his face drops just as my stomach does.

“YOU HAVE A CRUSH ON ME!” Soonyoung exclaims, “IS THAT WHY YOU LET ME KISS YOU? I’M GOING TO CRY. I LOVE YOU BUT NO HOMO BRO, NO HOMO.”

Mingyu threatens, “YA! You want me to revert you back into a Neanderthal?”

We’re all pretty drunk by the end of the night. I personally could have gotten home by myself, but I still had Gora pick me up. I stood just outside the place, since Gora said she was about to come.

“Can we talk?"

I turn and see Mingyu. I suck in a breath and sigh, “I’m not in the right mind to talk to you.”

“It’s never going to be the right moment for you.”

I scoff, “I’m always the villian right?”

“That’s not what I said.”

“Well I would prefer you said nothing at all, so, we’re even.”

Mingyu runs his hands through his hair, “I liked you okay. I freaked out because you were suddenly so far away. But I liked you. I did. I do.”

I scoff and turn to him, “you don’t like me Mingyu. Do you honestly like someone but go around making out with the first girl you see?”

“I don’t do that anymore.”

I chuckle dryly, “well maybe not, but you did.”

Mingyu looks at the brink of tears, and it hurts, because beside the fact he cried in my arms about his then girlfriend, he only ever cried when we were in preschool because one of the boys said he was too annoying to be part of their game. I remember his tiny self sobbing in a corner with the teacher. I remember him refusing to tell anyone about it, anyone but me.

“I liked you since you defended me from those kids that called me annoying.”

I chuckled bitterly, “Hmm... and is that why you got all those girlfriends, what? To make me jealous?”

“I-I don’t... maybe... yes!”

“Mingyu!”

“I was a kid, okay! And you were my best friend.”

“EXACTLY! I WAS YOUR BESTFRIEND!” I shake my head, "Me! No one else... and yet you changed so much after Tiffany. You got so scared of trusting someone that you drove away the first person you ever trusted.”

Mingyu pulled on his collar, “I’m... I’m sorry.”

“I know you are, but I just can’t deal with you right now, Gyu.”

Mingyu felt some surge of hope when he heard that nickname. He missed being called that from his best friend. He tries to speak up, but he can’t.

Soonyoung suddenly tumbles out of the restaurant and I turn away from Mingyu. Just as I do that, I catch the sight of Gora walking up to me from afar. I go up to her and Mingyu calls out for me.

Soonyoung however tries to kiss him again, much to my advantage.

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