#the medium sized thing is Mira. Why am I telling you this

[snakepixel]

Quick process timelapse of my latest explorer painting. Started out as a one minute doodle that crashed. I took a photo of it to save it, and then transformed it into something very different.

[whereisthefood123]

Roll with your heart

Hello everyone! I'm sorry this took me ages! Request done by @bickslowlordofsouls 

Request: "Can you write one where gajeel and levy double date with bickslow and lisanna"

Hope you like this!

FFnet here!

Word count: 3.6k

This had to be Gajeel’s bad karma. It couldn’t be anything else.

“Well, well. Look at that!” Gajeel groaned quietly at the sight of the other two mages sitting on the client’s living room with those five obnoxious dolls chanting ‘Look, look’ in that annoying tune of theirs.

Apparently, this stopped being a two-mages mission as the team doubled in members forcing Gajeel and Levy to join Bickslow and Lisanna by the client’s petition.

Stupid client.

Just another rich ass snub with lots of money to spend and a worried wife who wouldn’t feel at ease of her dear son going out without the proper bodyguards. Heck, the kid was just going out on a date to an amusement park. Did his parents really think a dark guild was going to go after him if he didn’t have at least two skilled mages to protect him? Tch, they thought too highly of themselves. Even Salamander’s cat would’ve been able to protect the brat.

Such a lowly mission for a high-skilled mage like him...

The only reason he joined the Shrimp in this mission was that the pay was really good. Spending time with her was really just an extra; it wasn’t the main reason he accepted immediately. Nor was the fact she subtly threatened him of not giving him any more of her delicious iron.

Nope.

He was just interested in the reward. And Levy was nice and easy to get along, so Gajeel didn't mind to work with her in this sort of missions.

But now, he was going to spend the rest of the day with Jokester and Kitty Girl too.

Great, just great.

Even when Levy appeared to not be disturbed by the change of plans, she was inwardly cursing her luck too.

It just had to be Lisanna and Bickslow, right?

She loves both of them dearly, after all, the three of them grew up together in the guild. But that didn't meant she wanted them to join her and Gajeel on this mission.

This had been a well-thought plan to spend some time with her favorite dragon slayer without other people teasing them or asking awkward questions about them being a couple. She knew Gajeel had some feelings towards her, but whenever it seemed he was ready to open up and tell her the extent of his feelings, someone would crack a joke or cat-call after them and he would focus his attention to beat the living crap out of that someone while leaving Levy wondering about what he was just going to say to her.

The small woman had been growing impatient of this and she decided to take matters in her tiny hands. She knew that whenever Gajeel was alone with her (and Lily), he was more open to express his feelings and let his rough facade fall slightly. Levy thought of this mission as an opportunity to get to know him even more and, if she was brave enough, it was a chance to let him know of her feelings for him.

But now, that was definitely not going to happen with the other two mages here. For starts, Bickslow was on the top tier of their comrades that constantly would make jokes and tease them to no ends. And then there was Lisanna, Mira’s baby sister, who was just as devilish as the older woman. Levy was positive that Lisanna was Mira’s main source of gossips from the guild and she was sure she would be bombarded with lots of questions from the girls once they got back to the guild.

With a silent sigh of defeat, Levy tossed her previous plans out the window and decided to make the best out of the situation. She smiled brightly at her comrades and accepted the client’s new conditions. She giggled when Gajeel groaned again a little louder behind her.

This will be fun. Maybe it could be like a double date?

“I ain’t getting on that shit.” Gajeel crossed his arms over his chest and glared daggers at the entrance of the ride.

Levy sighed and gave him a pointed look. “Gajeel, you know what the client said. Wherever Mark and Jess go, we go. Rollercoasters included.” She knew why he didn’t want to get on and a small part of her felt sorry for his terrible motion sickness, but they had a mission to fulfil and he couldn’t back down just because he felt like it.

“Don’t care. I’ll stay here and keep an eye from ground level.” His idea seemed logical enough and he really wished for the Shrimp to not push further into the matter. He would do anything she would ask him for, but his pride was on the line if he dared to look weak in front of the Jokester.

Levy looked at Lisanna to see if she had anything to say but the take-over mage just shrugged her shoulders and smiled reassuringly at Levy. “I think that’s okay.”

“Alright. Just wait for us here.” Levy smiled at him but it didn’t reached her eyes. The gesture tugged at Gajeel’s heart for reasons he couldn’t understand.

Why did she suddenly looked so dejected? And why did this make him feel like the biggest bastard in the whole world? It was just a stupid ride that would be over in less than a minute.

In all honesty, Levy couldn't understand either why his reluctance to ride the rollercoaster made her stomach to turn into an uncomfortable knot. Maybe it was that she had read so many novels where the characters had a fun and romantic moment while riding a rollercoaster and some part of her wished those could be Gajeel and her. But reality was different from books.

As she turned around and started walking side by side with Lisanna towards the entrance, Gajeel felt the urge to reach out for her and join them in the stupid ride. He would swallow his pride and endure the torture on his insides if that would make her smile brightly again. Still, he remained rooted to his spot, not knowing what he should do.

Obviously, that was the moment Jokester decided to punch him on the shoulder and laugh at him.

“Yeah, let the big bad dragon stay here so his tummy won’t hurt,” he cooed and cackled again as he dodged Gajeel’s punch to his face. His dolls floated around him chanting “Dragon’s tummy!” adding to Bickslow’s amusement.

The dragon slayer growled in annoyance as he watched the seith mage catch up with the girls, stepping between them. He draped one arm over Lisanna’s shoulders bringing her closer to him and earning a giggle from the girl. Gajeel rolled his eyes at this but then froze when Bickslow placed his other arm lazily around Levy’s shoulders.

Rage built up inside Gajeel even when the gesture was nothing more than friendly.

Mine!

Was the only thought that crossed his mind at the moment and he clenched his jaw tightly when Bickslow looked over his shoulder back at him with his tongue lulling out in that unique way that got Gajeel seeing red in fury. It was Bickslow’s signature gesture that stated that the seith was mocking the dragon slayer but Gajeel was beyond reasoning at that moment.

The fucker is asking for it!

He was about to dash forward and punch Jokester until next week but then, karma seemed to switch sides and favor Gajeel.

“Sir, you cannot get on the ride with the helmet.” A medium-size brunette stood strong in front of the seith mage, eyeing him curiously at why anyone would be walking around in that outfit.

“Ha! Relax sweetheart, it’s just to keep my eye magic in check.” He waved a hand dismissively at her and attempted to walk past her, just to find himself being stopped by a strong hand pressed against his chest.

“Sorry, Sir. Rules are rules. If you cannot lose the helmet, you cannot get on. Am I clear?” Her voice was fiercer than he expected for someone with her height.

“But, I-”

“Am. I. Clear?” Her dark eyes bore holes into Bickslow and he suddenly felt an ominous aura coming off her, similar to that of Erza and Mirajane.

“Y-Yeah, ma’am!” The seith squeaked causing Lisanna and Levy to laugh loudly at his fear-struck expression. His dolls hid behind him, shaking in fear while repeating in high pitched voices “Yes, ma’am”.

“Just wait with Gajeel, Bix. We’ll be back in a sec.” Lisanna winked at him and together with Levy disappeared into the rollercoaster’s entrance.

When he turned around, Bickslow found Gajeel with a smug expression on his face. He walked past him, intentionally bumping into his shoulder, towards a nearby bench. “Shut it.” He gritted his teeth.

“Yes, ma’am. Gihi.” Gajeel soon followed him with crossed arms and a big-ass grin on his face.

Same thing went for the second and third rollercoaster and by the time they were waiting for the girls and the teens to come down from the last ride, Bickslow had grown bored.

“Aww man, this is so boooring~” Bickslow wailed while hanging his head in defeat.

“Momma, come back!” His dolls cried desperately while circling both men, annoying Gajeel even more.

“Would ya shut up yer freaking dolls?!” The dragon slayer roared in Bickslow’s ear but the later mage seemed unfazed by it, pouting like a little child because Lisanna hadn’t come back yet.

“Tch. Cry baby,” Gajeel muttered crossing his arms over his chest and leaning back on the bench. “And why the hell are ya here with Kitty Girl? Shouldn’t ya be with Laxus and the rest of his cheerleaders?” His attitude was getting into Gajeel’s nerves, so he guessed doing small talk would probably fix that, right?

That dragged Bickslow from his depressed mood as he straightened in his seat. “Eh? Well, Boss is taking Freed to S-class missions all the time; says he’s preparing him for next trials.”  He shrugged his shoulders in indifference. “And Ever is always with Elfman which is really boring for me.”

“Everything is boring fer ya,” Gajeel huffed, secretly thankful that his dolls had finally shut up.

“Nah.” He stuck his tongue out while relaxing even more in the bench and crossing his arms behind his head. “Lissy is cool. It’s fun to tag along with her.”

“Momma’s fun!” chanted the wooden dolls.

Gajeel huffed and placed his chin on his palm with his elbow planted on his knee. The mood had lightened up finally, so now he had no intentions on keeping up with this stupid chitchat. Jokester on the other hand…

“And why are ya here?” the seith mage inquired.

Gajeel quirked an eyebrow and looked at him out of the corner of his eye. “Fer the stupid mission, obviously.”

“This ain’t the type of mission ya usually do.” Bickslow smirked when Gajeel’s eye twitched in irritation.

“Tch. Shrimp dragged me here.”

“Ya do realize she’s less than five-foot tall? How the heck did she dragged you along?” He could barely contain the mirth in his voice. Oh, Bickslow knew the answer was gonna be a good one.

“She threatened to never make me ‘iron’ again,” Gajeel mumbled quietly but Bickslow heard him loud and clear.

“HA!” The seith mage slapped Gajeel on his shoulder so forcibly that the iron mage almost fell from his seat. Almost.

“We’re so whipped, aren’t we?” He held his sides from how hard he was laughing. “Can’t say no to our women, right?” He cackled one more time when his dolls imitated the sound of a whiplash.

Gajeel looked back at him with anger in his eyes but then his words registered in his mind.

Our women.

His woman.

His Levy.

Gajeel blushed furiously and his eyes widened before he yelled at Bickslow who was still laughing his ass off “It ain’t like that ya idiot!!!!”

That did nothing to deter the seith mage from being doubled up with laughter.

Eventually, Bickslow took deep breaths to calm himself down and replied to Gajeel. “Heh! Says the idiot who got madly jealous 20 minutes ago.”

The smirk on his face made Gajeel itchy to punch him square in the face, but then… “Wait. Ya did that on purpose?” He couldn’t hide the shock from his voice.

“Of course, dumbass! Ha!” He laughed again. “Ya should have seen yer face! Hahaha! Thanks for helping me win the bet against Lissy.”

“You motherf-” He swung his fist at him but Bickslow was quicker than he expected and stood up swiftly, avoiding the punch.

“Just admit it iron boy, ya have feelings for her. Heck, it was easier on me once I admit that I like Lissy.” He shrugged and a smile etched on his face at the memory of how he confessed to Lisanna. Bickslow’s dolls repeated “Momma!” and started doing kissing sounds.

“F-feelings?” Gajeel spluttered as heat raised to his cheeks and ears. “W-wha-?” He stuttered, eyes going wide in embarrassment.

“Dude, yer really not that subtle. Heck, the whole guild has bets on when ya two are getting yer asses together.” He laughed along with his dolls when Gajeel growled menacingly at him, well, as menacingly as he could with his face as red as a tomato.

Gajeel looked down with a scowl on his face, but the blush on his cheeks didn’t disappeared. Feelings for the Shrimp? Heck, yeah. Gajeel knew he was madly in love with her. He figured that out in Tenrou Island. And how couldn't he? She was so cute and brilliant and with such a big heart. But still…

“Tch. Ain’t that simple…,” he muttered and clenched his jaw in annoyance. Guilt filled his heart when images of his first encounter with Levy flashed in his mind.

“Yeah yeah, guess with yer story it’s normal fer ya to feel guilty.” Bickslow turned serious all of the sudden as he stopped just in front of Gajeel, even his dolls quieted down and just limited themselves to fly around the seith mage’s head.

The iron mage looked up at him with a confused expression as to how in the world did Jokester knew how he was feeling.

Bickslow tapped his visor with his finger and smirked. “Soul magic. Can tell about people strongest feelings and right now yer hues are dancing the guilty tango.”

Gajeel growled threateningly at the intrusion of the seith mage but Bickslow just ignored it. “I must say that I was impressed when I heard what happened. There’s not a lot of people who can best Boss in ‘shitty things to do to other human beings’. But ya definitely took the award on that one.” He grinned, trying to ease the mood with his joke, but then his mouth set into a thin line when he noticed Gajeel’s expression. His dolls also stopped mid cackled, trying not to aggravate the situation even more.

Gajeel was looking to the side but his usual scowl or frown wasn’t there. Instead, Bickslow could see the sadness in his eyes and he didn’t need to use his magic to sense how remorseful the dragon slayer felt about what he did to Levy.

The seith mage bit the inside of his cheek. He crossed a line he shouldn’t have and he sighed apologetically. He scratched the back of his head, trying to come up with any words that might offer some comfort for the other man. “Sorry, that was out of line.”

“Doesn’t mean it ain’t true.” Gajeel looked at Bickslow dead in the eye with an unreadable expression that made the seith mage uncomfortable.

Gajeel was used to be called a bastard for what he did in his Phantom Lord days and he was okay with dealing with a brawl or two with people who wanted to take revenge for what he did. But whenever he was reminded specifically of what he did to Levy, he would shut down and had no idea on how to deal with all the emotions swirling inside him.

“Look,” Bickslow sighed exasperated that his words seemed to only worsen the situation, “I’m in no position to judge you either. I’ve done some shitty things to my guildmates too.”

That seemed to work as the dragon slayer dropped his gaze as if accepting the other mage’s sort of apology. Bickslow took that as his cue and continued the best he could, “Look man, Levy forgave ya didn’t she?”

Don’t know why, Gajeel thought and faintly nodded his head in answer to Bickslow’s question.

“And she’s cool enough that she invites ya to missions with her,” he added and Gajeel raised his gaze at him wondering what was his point with all of this.

“Well, if Levy forgave ya for the shitty things ya did-” he counted with his fingers, “-and invites ya to hang out with her or go to missions with her-” another finger went up, “-the least ya could do fer her is man up and tell her how ya feel, right?”

“Or at least admit to yerself ya have fallen fer her, geez…,” Bickslow finished and nodded, feeling proud that he managed to say something so enlightening. His dolls nodded too beside his head in approval of his words of advice.

Gajeel’s eyes widened in understanding. The Shrimp had been the brave and ballsy in all of this and he was acting like a real coward. She offered him her friendship and even seeked him out in the guildhall to talk about anything, and he was too afraid of being rejected by her if he even dare to tell her how he felt.

And she has every right to reject him, to not return his feelings. He was a piece of scrap who hurt her long ago. But then, he also thought he was unworthy of her friendship and she proved to him that she thought otherwise. And he thought she wouldn’t be safe around him and she again showed him she believed that to be untrue as she invited him to missions and even accepted his help as her partner on the S-class trials.

So, the least he could do was to give her one more chance to prove him how wrong he might be for assuming how her brilliant mind and enormous heart felt about him.

Before he could utter words of gratefulness, or something akin since Gajeel never thanked anyone, a familiar voice dragged the men’s attention to the entrance of the ride.

“Hi, guys! Did you have fun?” Lisanna inquired and smiled at them, Levy walking not too far behind.

“Momma!” The dolls called out before they crashed into Lisanna’s chest as she embraced them affectionately.

“Lissy!” Bickslow too ran towards her and lifted her up in his arms in a warm hug.

“Calm down, Bix. We were gone for like 5 minutes.” Lisanna giggled as she tried to wriggle out of his bear hug.

“It was too long,” Bickslow complained and Lisanna laughed more at this.

Levy stood at Gajeel’s side and giggled at the scene of the other two mages. Gajeel looked at her and stood up from the bench. “Where’s the brat and his girl?”

“Oh, Jess felt a little bit sick so Mark is buying her some water.” She pointed with her finger to the teens sitting by a table near a foodtruck. She sighed and Gajeel noticed a faint smile appeared on her face.

“Isn’t it lovely how he looks after her, Gajeel?” She looked at him and her smile widened in that certain way that got Gajeel’s heart doing backflips in his chest.

How could Levy be so carefree around him? She even dared to share with him her beautiful smiles that so many people yearned for. She was not afraid of him anymore, even when he knew he was a monster that could hurt her if something went wrong. Then, why wasn’t she afraid of him? Why didn’t she hated him? And why did the mere idea of losing her, of her not been by his side, of him screwing up this sort of friendship they had terrified him completely?

Because she’s brave and you’re just a coward. He could hear Bickslow’s voice in his mind, reminding him about his earlier conversation.

“Not anymore.” He smirked and his resolve settled in his heart. Gajeel was done playing games. He decided right then and there that once they were back to Magnolia, he would tell Levy everything. He would pour all of his heart to her and leave it wide open to bleed if that was how it was supposed to go. He would give her the opportunity to prove him how wrong he was for assuming how her mind worked.

“Huh? Did you say something Gajeel?” Levy inquired with a raised eyebrow but he kept his eyes fixed on the teens walking towards them.

“Gihi, nothing Shrimp.” He ruffled her hair and she puffed out her cheeks in feigned annoyance. “Let’s get these brats to their home and head back to the guild.”

Levy nodded and they walked to catch up with the rest of the group heading to the exit of the park. As they reached them, Gajeel remembered he didn’t thank Bickslow for his peptalk, so he did what felt most natural to do.

He punched Bickslow on the shoulder so roughly that the seith mage landed flat on his face.

“OI! What was that for?!” Bickslow yelled at him but Gajeel just kept walking as he grinned over his shoulder at the other mage.

“Gihi.”

I hope you guys liked it! Please let me know what you think :)

Thank you for reading and please leave a comment if you liked it or reblog it with cute tags and GIF (I always read the tags guys :B)

WTF (Where's The Food?)

[inyournightmares97]

Why We Need Friends (Ch.8)

In which Jeon Jungkook discovers what true friendship means, and how it's more important than anything else in the world. (Featuring Yugyeom, Bambam, DK, MIngyu, The8, Jimin Park, Lisa... and a bunch of other 97-liners)

Prologue,  Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5, Chapter 6, Chapter 7 Chapter 8  Chapter 9  Chapter 10  Chapter 11 (Final)

There was a long pause of silence as both boys watched Mirae pick up her bag and walk out of the apartment hurriedly. The broken bits of cookies were left lying on the floor and the Tupperware box was sitting lopsided and half-open beside the wall.

Yugyeom turned to look at Jungkook. “What the hell is wrong with you?” he demanded, his voice cracking slightly. He sounded upset and panicked. Yugyeom wasn’t good at confrontation and he hated conflict. He could still see Mirae’s accusing eyes glaring at him and he felt sick. “Why would you say that to her? We should have just apologized!”

Jungkook glared. “For what? We were saying it all behind her back anyway-“

“But you can’t say it to her face!” Yugyeom protested.

“Why not?”

“Because it hurt her feelings! Since when were you like this?” Yugyeom wondered. He was staring at Jungkook, bewildered. There was a brief silence before Yugyeom went back into Jungkook’s room and picked up the backpack that he’d left lying on his friend’s bed. He was just putting it on when Jungkook frowned at him.

“Where are you going?”

“I’m going to try and fix what we just did,” Yugyeom replied. “You can come with me if you want. But we made Mirae cry and I don’t think I would be able to sleep tonight if I just let her leave like that.”

Jungkook glared at him. “You’ll regret it. You think she’s crying but things like this don’t matter to her.”

Yugyeom took a deep breath and closed his eyes. “This is my fault,” he said softly. “Fuck, the last thing I wanted to do was cause problems between you two. I’m going to go fix it and explain myself to her, okay? I’ll call you later. I’m sorry about this.”

“This is not your fault, Yugyeom-“

“Bye, Jungkook.”

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

“Cherry flavored vodka,” Mirae read out with a disgusted expression as she raided Jimin’s small, albeit well-stocked liquor cabinet. It was filled with beer, one particularly expensive bottle of wine that had been a gift from somebody and cherry vodka. Mirae made a face as she pulled the bottle out and dangled it in front of her friends’ face. “Is this really all you have? Flavored vodka is gross.”

Jimin raised an eyebrow from where she was sitting on the kitchen counter. “You know, when you turn up at your friend’s house at 8 pm on Sunday night to drink, it’s basic decency to bring your own alcohol? By all means, go buy your own plain vodka.”

Mirae sighed. “Whatever. I’ll drink it. The point is to get drunk anyway.”

“What happened, Mirae?”

“Nothing.”

“You only barge into my apartment when something is wrong. The last time you did it, some Professor of yours had failed you on your assignment and then told you that you lacked talent. Did you fail something again?” Jimin pressed. She pulled open a cabinet and found two glasses for the vodka. Her voice was comforting. “You know you’re a great artist.”

“That Professor was an asshole. Watercolors weren’t my strong point, you can’t force an artistic medium on somebody. It has to come naturally.”

Jimin smiled. “So, what is it?”

Mirae shrugged. “Nothing. Just wanted to get drunk. I’ve been feeling a little stressed lately.”

Jimin cleared her throat and raised an eyebrow. Mirae was pouring the vodka out into the glasses and she moved to stand right behind the girl and whisper in her ear. “So it has nothing to do with Yugyeom messaging me and asking if I can possibly call you and find out where you are because you’re not taking his calls?” she teased.

Mirae stiffened. “Nope.”

“So I can tell him you’re here at my apartment?”

“Did you?” Mirae demanded, eyes wide.

“Not yet. But it just takes a few buttons on my phone. And if you’re not avoiding him then maybe I can just tell him that you’re here.”

“… I’d rather you didn’t.”

Jimin smiled and nodded, before picking up her phone to text Yugyeom back. “I’ll tell him I don’t know where you are. But you realize you have to tell me what’s going on at some point, right? What’s up with you two? You seemed to be getting along great. He talks about you a lot.”

Mirae’s lips twisted down into a grimace. “Seems like he does,” she mumbled. She picked up her glass and downed the entire shot of neat vodka in one go. The cherry flavor was disgusting, but she quickly stuffed a handful of crackers in her mouth to soften the taste. Jimin was staring at her with wide eyes.

“That is not healthy.”

“You going to drink or should I finish yours too?” Mirae demanded.

Jimin pushed the glass towards her slightly. “Be my guest. Just keep eating something along with it. I don’t need you puking all over my apartment. Should I make ramen?”

“That sounds amazing.”

She downed her second glass as Jimin set water to boil on the stove. Mirae’s head was already feeling dizzy; she was a complete lightweight, which could be both a good and a bad thing. She felt the buzzing in her head and took a deep breath. She looked up at Jimin’s back. “Jimin,” she mumbled softly. “Am I a bad person?”

Jimin paused. “No. Why?”

“I just…” she bit her lip and closed her eyes for a long moment. Her throat felt dry. “Sometimes, I feel like I am. I can’t seem to keep friends, somehow. When things happen once or twice it’s all right but when they keep happening… you can’t help but start to wonder if maybe it’s you that’s causing the problems.”

“You have plenty of friends,” Jimin said softly.

Mirae felt something inside of her crack. Plenty of friends. What did the number of friends matter if they were all like Jungkook? People who you thought loved you and whom you trusted, but who turned out to actually hate you. Was Mirae so naïve that she picked the wrong friends? Or was she so unlikeable that all her friends would eventually turn against her? She glanced up at Jimin. Is Jimin thinking the same thing about me? Does she think I’m a tease, a flirt who plays around with everyone and can’t keep her attention on more than one thing at a time?

“I think I need to go,” Mirae mumbled quietly.

Jimin whirled around, eyes wide. “What do you mean? I’m making ramen. Where are you going to go now?” She pulled the bottle of vodka away from Mirae and was shocked to find she had already finished a quarter of it. “Mirae, tell me what’s wrong. You look miserable.”

Mirae felt her voice crack. The alcohol was getting to her and tears were brimming in her eyes without any warning. She swiped them away with one hand quickly. “Nothing. I’m fine. I just remembered that I have class early in the morning and I haven’t read up on some of the material yet-“

Before Jimin could respond, the doorbell rang loudly. It was followed by a rapid knocking and both girls were startled at the urgency of the knocks. Mirae swallowed quickly and cleared her throat. Jimin patted her on the back lightly and smiled at her. “Wait a second, okay? I’ll deal with whoever it is and we can talk about what’s going on with you.”

Mirae stayed put at the kitchen counter, taking a deep breath while Jimin went to open her front door. There was the low sound of voices and Mirae recognized Yugyeom’s voice immediately. She stiffened as she heard them talking from the hallway.

“-any idea where she is? I went to her apartment but it’s locked and I called Lisa but she’s out on a date so she doesn’t know,” Yugyeom was saying. His voice was quiet and he sounded upset. “You have to help me find her. Jungkook and I fucked up real bad and I feel like a fucking idiot-“

Jimin sighed. “I don’t know what to tell you, Yugyeom. I haven’t-“

“Aren’t those her shoes?”

There was a pause. “No, those are mine.”

“Like hell they’re yours, since when do you wear girly pink sandals? Your shoe rack is filled with sneakers. I’ve seen Mirae wear those sandals before. She was wearing them the day we went to football game. Jimin Park, are you lying? Is she here?”

“Yugyeom, don’t-“

Before Jimin could stop him (not that she physically could have stopped a man that size), Yugyeom had pushed his way into his apartment. He spotted Mirae standing beside the kitchen counter and his jaw fell slack. His ears turned pink and he stared at her for a long moment. “Mirae… I…” he paused and cleared his throat. “I’ve been trying to call you. Your phone is switched off.”

Mirae set her vodka glass on the table. She felt her shields go up; the sight of Yugyeom was making her nervous but she couldn’t get his words out of her head. True, Jungkook had spoken the sharpest words but Yugyeom had been no less. How can she claim to like me and flirt around with other guys right in front of me? She wanted to scoff at the words and a burst of anger rose up in her. She didn’t deserve to be treated this way.

“I switched it off,” she replied calmly.

Jimin hurried after him and gave Mirae an apologetic look. “Sorry, Mirae. I tried.”

“It’s fine.”

Yugyeom turned to glance at Jimin. “Yah. Just give us a few minutes. Please.”

Jimin bit her lip doubtfully and glanced between them for a few seconds, before deciding to leave them alone. Something had clearly happened between them and Yugyeom wasn’t one to start arguments. He was the kind of guy that apologized even when he wasn’t wrong. Jimin slipped into her bedroom and closed the door behind her, leaving the two alone.

Mirae lazily poured more vodka into her glass. Her heartbeat was thudding, but she forced herself to stay calm. She wouldn’t let her weak side show in front of Yugyeom. Not now that she knew what he thought of her. I can’t trust him. Who knows what else those two have said behind my back. Were they laughing at me? What else did Jungkook tell him about me? What other flaws have they found in me? She raised an eyebrow at the nervous Yugyeom. “You might as well sit. Vodka?” she asked him lightly.

Yugyeom sat down hesitantly and shook his head. “N-no thanks.”

“Well, then. What do you want to talk about?” Mirae asked as she took a sip from her own glass. Clutching onto the glass hid her trembling fingers from him. She ran her fingers through her hair and leaned back against the counter. “Yugyeom?”

Yugyeom closed his eyes and clenched his fists. “I really like you,” he blurted out. “Ever since we first met. I’ve always thought you were beautiful but you seemed so out of my league. And then I got to know you, and you turned out to be so easy-going and fun and I love spending time with you. I got crazy jealous when that Baekhyun guy turned up at the café and…” he trailed off, taking a deep breath. He forced himself to look up at her unblinking face. Mirae was staring down at her glass blankly and Yugyeom forgot the rest of his speech. “I just… yeah.”

“Yeah?” she repeated dully.

Yugyeom swallowed. “You said this morning that you liked me too,” he prompted quietly.

Mirae swirled her glass around gently, watching the vodka almost spill over the edges. She turned and looked up at Yugyeom with her eyebrows raised. “This morning was before I heard you and Jungkook gossiping about how I wasn’t good enough for you. About how I was a flirt. About how I’m playing around and how I’m probably going to mess you up.”

Yugyeom bit his lip. His head was hanging down in shame and he was avoiding eye contact with her. “I don’t know what to say,” he croaked out. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean those things. I told you, I was jealous. I heard that you went home with Baekhyun last night and everything else-“

“You being jealous makes everything alright?” Mirae snapped.

“N-no.” He looked up at her with glassy, red eyes. “I’m sorry. I was insecure.”

“That’s what they always say.”

“W-what?”

Mirae laughed and shook her head. The alcohol was getting to her and for a brief moment, she felt hatred towards the boy sitting in front of her. She had spent the last few weeks fawning over him and thinking about how Yugyeom was an angel and so perfect, but in the end… he was no different from the rest.

“You really think this is the first time this has happened to me?” she asked coldly. “Do you really think this is the first time someone has called me a tease or a flirt? Do you think it’s the first time guys have accused me of leading them on because I was being friendly?”

Yugyeom kept silent.

“Do you want to know my version of what happened with your buddy Jaehyun?” Mirae demanded. Her anger was slowly building up and she set the vodka glass down on the counter, hard. “I talked to him a couple of times in class and then agreed to go out to coffee with him twice to discuss a project. I tried to pay for myself both times but he forced me to let him pay and when I told him I had no intention of dating him, he accused me of leading him on by letting him think the coffee was a date.”

Yugyeom closed his eyes. “I didn’t know that.”

“And then he went around telling everyone I was a tease,” she replied. “I knew what he was doing but I figured he was just trying to save his pride so I let him be. But apparently you believe assholes like him, don’t you, Yugyeom?”

“I just- he’s my friend. And you can see how he would misunderstand, you’re so friendly-“

Mirae stood up in anger. “You know what? I’m fucking tired of that word. That’s all everyone says about me. When they want to date me, then it’s always all – oh Mirae, you’re so friendly! You’re so easy to get along with, that’s part of your charm! I love how easy-going and charming you are!” she mocked in a high tone. She clenched her fists. “It always changes once I start dating them. Suddenly they don’t like friendly and easy-going anymore. Suddenly I’m not supposed to look at other guys, suddenly I’m supposed to give up all my other friends and focus all my attention on them. Then it becomes why are you smiling at that guy so much? and Don’t talk to other guys, it makes me feel jealous and insecure. Because it’s apparently my fault that these guys have such low self-esteem that they can’t stand their girlfriend laughing at another guys’ jokes.”

Yugyeom looked up at her with big eyes. “That’s not- I wouldn’t do that-“

“You don’t think you would, but you’re headed down the same line, Yugyeom. You thought I was flirting around with other people even before we started dating, how upset would you get if we were actually together? You said it yourself. You’re insecure. I’m sorry, but I’m tired of changing myself to suit other men’s insecurities. That’s something they need to fix. It’s not something I should have to accommodate.”

Yugyeom was silent for a long moment and his head hung low. Mirae could barely see his face because he was staring at the ground and his floppy hair was obscuring his eyes. She waited for him to speak, but he was silent. Mirae took a deep breath.

“I have never led on a guy intentionally,” she continued firmly. Her voice was cracking but she tried to remain firm. “I have never cheated on a guy I was dating. I never played around with guys to mess them up. I know this about myself. And the opinion of insecure, jealous men like you and Jungkook means nothing to me.”

Yugyeom’s shoulders were shaking. “I’m sorry-“ he choked out.

“Your apologies mean nothing, Yugyeom. I told you this before. Loyalty means more to me than anything else. I have had enough people talking about me behind my back and assuming things about me. I’m not going to change my behavior or my personality for them. I thought I liked you until this morning but Jungkook was right about one thing. You and I aren’t really right for each other. So if you came here because you wanted to date me, then I’m sorry. That’s clearly not a good idea anymore.”

There was a long, pained silence before Yugyeom stood up. His hands were shaking and he bowed in front of her slightly. “I’m sorry,” he choked out again. He looked up at her for a moment, eyes red and glossed over. “If there’s anything I can do to fix this-“

Mirae was silent.

“I… “ he trailed off, unable to complete his sentence before walking out of Jimin’s apartment hurriedly. His shoulders were shaking and the front door slammed behind him a little too hard.

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Jungkook was sitting alone in his room, feeling his heartbeat thud from the encounter. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. I wasn’t wrong, he reassured himself. Yes, he had been harsh and hadn’t really speared Mirae’s feelings. But it was all true. Mirae had a reputation for hurting guys and he had seen that himself. Yugyeom was too sensitive and sweet for someone like her. They would only have ended in heartbreak. I did the right thing.

Yet, why did he feel so uncomfortable? The look Yugyeom had given him and his words; Since when were you like this, Jungkook? But hadn’t he always been like this? Hadn’t he always been clear about how much Mirae irritated him? He had never pretended the way she did, acting sweet and cute and friendly with everyone. Jungkook had been straight with her. Yet the look of betrayal and hurt in her eyes had bothered him. I thought I was your friend.

Did Mirae really consider them friends? Yes, they were childhood friends in the loose sense of the term but were they truly friends? Friends the way he and Yugyeom were friends, hanging out together and laughing and sharing stories and comforting each other in stress? Jungkook couldn’t think of Mirae that way. They had never been friends, not really. He hadn’t betrayed her. There was nothing there to begin with.

Jungkook’s phone buzzed suddenly. He checked it and saw a text from an unknown number.

21:06: Hi! Is this Jungkook’s number? This is Hyemi from dance class, I don’t know if you remember me… we met at the coffee shop with Mirae a couple of days ago…

Jungkook felt his breath catch in his throat. Hyemi was texting him? His fingers hesitated on the keypad and he took a deep breath as he cleared his mind. He had behaved like an idiot at the coffee shop, he couldn’t mess this up again. He had to act a little cool. Thinking hard for a few seconds, he drafted a careful reply.

21:10: Hi, Hyemi! Yes, of course I remember you. What’s up?

21:12: Hi! I got your number from Mirae. I hope that’s okay? I wanted her to ask you first but she said that you wouldn’t mind her giving it to me.

Jungkook took a deep breath. He could only imagine the cheeky, extremely-pleased-with-herself grin that Mirae must have had on her face while giving Hyemi his number. She would certainly have taken all the credit for it herself. Jungkook tried to focus on the conversation, replying quickly.

21:13: No, I don’t mind at all! It’s nice to hear from you. I wanted to thank you for the Economics book anyway.

21:14: Oh, no problem! Truth is… I was wondering if maybe you’d like to have coffee with me sometime?

Jungkook felt his eyes bug out. Was this seriously happening? Was the gorgeous girl from his childish, daydream fantasies asking him on a date? Certainly, she’d said coffee but she hadn’t given any reason for meeting him, she just wanted to have coffee and surely that meant it was a date, right? He must have spent too long thinking about it because Hyemi started typing again.

21:16: Please don’t feel obligated to say yes. You can tell me if you’re busy or you don’t really want to. I would completely understand. I might have let Mirae hype me up a little too much. :P

21:17: No, I would love to have coffee with you! Maybe we can meet after class tomorrow?

21:17: Sounds great! I’ll text you and let you know when my classes end. Bye, Jungkook!

21:18: Good night.

He felt his heart racing as he dropped the phone in his lap. He had never imagined going on a date with Hyemi. To be honest, Jungkook thought he was destined to stare at her from afar in dance class forever. His felt a little giddy at the idea that she was actually interested in him, that she would actually ask him out herself.

Jungkook was smiling to himself when he noticed his phone ring. It was Bambam, and he answered it instantly with a grin on his face. “Dude,” Jungkook said with a grin. “You’ll never believe what just happened to me.”

“Yeah?” Bambam replied. “Try me. Because Yugyeom came home right now and he’s crying his eyes out like a little baby so I’ll believe just about anything you tell me.”

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