#these next bits will probably take a while

[sh4nksslvt]

Doctor Trafalgar, Love Expert?

Law gives terrible love advice to Penguin while clearly ignoring his own painfully obvious crush on you.

Law X gn! reader | ONE SHOT

tags: fluff, sfw, friends-to-lovers typeshi(?) law being timid

a/n: this js me trying to write ffs, this is experimental and for fun only, so expect this ffs a bit cringe

word count: 1.1k

masterlist | ko-fi

: 𓏲🐋 ๋࣭  ࣪ ˖✩࿐࿔ 🌊

If there was one thing Trafalgar Law wasn’t qualified to do, it was give romantic advice.

Sure, he was a brilliant surgeon, a pirate captain, and had a smirk that could make a nun sin, but when it came to feelings—specifically his own—he was a flaming shipwreck in a storm of emotional denial.

And yet, here he was, arms crossed, giving unsolicited love advice to Penguin like he was the therapist from a soap opera.

“Just tell her she’s inefficient,” Law said with a straight face. “It’s a compliment.”

Bepo blinked up at him. “...Captain, I don’t think calling Penguin’s crush inefficient is going to help his chances.”

“You asked for honesty,” Law muttered, flipping through his medical journal like it was more interesting than this disaster in progress. “Efficiency is attractive.”

“To you, maybe!”

You, meanwhile, were watching this entire trainwreck from the galley door with a cup of tea and the kind of secondhand embarrassment that deserved its own trauma counseling.

“Law,” you called. “Did you just say ‘inefficient’ as a flirting tactic?”

He didn’t even look up. “It’s a practical compliment.”

You snorted. “What’s next? ‘Your presence improves my survival odds by 6.4%’?”

“…Depending on the environment, that’s a generous estimate.”

You and Bepo shared a look. A look that screamed, Why is this our captain?

The whole thing had started that morning when Penguin had walked into the common area in a flurry of nerves and confessed, “I think I like someone.”

Law, who’d been reading while pretending not to be listening to music in one earbud (yes, he still used wired ones, don’t ask), barely lifted his gaze. “Then tell them.”

Penguin shuffled. “It’s not that easy.”

“It’s the truth.”

“And what if they don’t like me back?”

Law gave the emotional equivalent of a shrug. “Then adapt. Rejection is survivable.”

Penguin groaned from the couch. “Cap, you can’t treat love like it’s battle tactics.”

“It’s a high-risk operation involving fragile variables and potential bloodshed. Sounds pretty accurate.”

Shachi nodded. “Okay, that’s fair, but also incredibly bleak.”

And that’s when Law was voluntold by everyone that if he was going to act like he knew how love worked, he had to give actual advice.

Hence: Doctor Trafalgar, Love Expert?

“Okay,” you said, taking the empty seat beside him and plucking the journal from his hands. “If you’re so good at giving advice, help me out.”

Law narrowed his eyes. “With what?”

“I think someone likes me,” you said casually, leaning back like you weren’t about to stir up the most delicious chaos. “But I can’t tell if they’re just awkward or trying to be subtle.”

His jaw tightened. “Who is it?”

You shrugged. “I don’t know. That’s why I need your expert opinion.”

Law closed the journal and set it down very deliberately.

Everyone in the room went very still. Bepo, Penguin, and Shachi exchanged silent screams with their eyebrows.

“Well,” Law said coolly. “What are the signs?”

“Hmm,” you hummed. “They hover a lot. Make excuses to talk to me. Kind of avoid eye contact but also stare when they think I’m not looking.”

His eye twitched. “Stare?”

“Yeah. And once, they brought me extra rice even though I didn’t ask.”

Silence.

Law stood up. “That’s suspicious.”

“Oh?”

“Sounds like they’re trying too hard.”

“Ohhh?” you said, biting back a smile.

“They’re probably nervous. Emotionally constipated. Bad at expressing feelings.” He said all this like he wasn’t describing himself to an absurdly accurate degree. “Possibly repressed.”

“Should I confront them?”

“No,” he said quickly, a little too quickly. “Absolutely not.”

“Why not?”

“It might scare them away.”

“But if they like me…”

“Then wait for them to say something first.”

Bepo coughed. “So… basically just let them suffer in silence?”

“It builds character,” Law said.

You covered your mouth to hide your grin. “You’re such a romantic.”

Law’s ears turned pink. “Shut up.”

Later that day, Shachi cornered you near the engine room with a look of deep judgment.

“You’re torturing him.”

“I have no idea what you mean.”

He pointed a wrench at you. “You know he likes you.”

“Do I?”

“You’ve been fake-flirting with a ghost for the last week just to get him to react!”

You smirked. “It’s good cardio.”

Shachi groaned. “He’s gonna combust. I saw him look up love confession rituals on his snail phone last night.”

Your eyes widened. “No.”

“Yes! And he accidentally joined a forum for single dads in North Blue.”

You wheezed. “He’s going through it.”

“So help him out!”

“…Fine.”

The opportunity came the next morning when you walked into the kitchen and found Law staring at a mug of coffee like it had personally betrayed him.

He didn’t look up when you entered, just mumbled, “Morning.”

“Morning,” you said, walking over. “Sleep okay?”

He made a grunt of vague disapproval.

You sat beside him. “Thinking about your crush?”

He choked on his coffee.

“I mean,” you said, oh-so-innocently. “That mystery person you gave advice about.”

His eyes narrowed. “You’re very nosy.”

“You’re very obvious.”

He gave you a look. “I don’t have a crush.”

You tilted your head. “Are you sure? Because everyone on this ship seems to think you do.”

“Everyone on this ship is bored.”

“Bored enough to notice how you go quiet when I talk, how you walk into rooms I’m in and pretend it’s for unrelated reasons, or how you stare at my lips when I eat dessert?”

He went dead silent.

You leaned closer. “So. Doctor Trafalgar. Any prescriptions for yourself?”

“…Shut up,” he muttered, face flushed.

You blinked. “Wait. That was a confession.”

He got up.

You grabbed his wrist.

He froze.

“Hey,” you said, suddenly softer. “I like you too, dumbass.”

He blinked.

You reached into your pocket and pulled out a little red candy. “I was going to make you say it first, but you looked like you were about to diagnose yourself with heartbreak.”

He blinked again.

“…You like me?”

“God, yes. Even when you’re being a brick wall with nice tattoos.”

“…I have more than just tattoos,” he muttered.

You grinned. “Yeah, you’ve also got a charming inability to express affection. It’s cute.”

He shook his head. “You’re insufferable.”

“You’re blushing.”

“I’m leaving.”

“You’re still holding my hand.”

Pause.

He looked down.

He was.

“…Tch.”

You laughed and tugged him back down. “Stay.”

“…Fine.”

Later, Penguin came in to find the two of you sitting shoulder to shoulder, quietly sharing a plate of snacks.

“Captain?” Penguin said, tilting his head. “Did you take your own advice?”

Law didn’t look up. “No.”

You grinned. “He took mine.”

[sexcnanami]

minors dni, 18+ content

imagine secretly dating collegejock!sukuna as you both agreed it would be less drama due to your opposite social circles. sukuna was well-in with the popular guys – especially considering he was known for being such an aggressive, cocky athlete. you, on the other hand, were an arts major with a bashful demeanor and absolutely hated getting tangled in drama. but everything changed the day you both met on accident; bumping into him with a full tray in the food hall on campus. you shyly apologized, swearing that it was an accident of course but, to your surprise, he wasn’t chill about it so you put him in his place, something that’s never happened to him before – let alone by a woman as small as yourself in comparison to him. since then, he was attached to your side until you decided it would be best to keep your relationship on the low. you didn’t want any part in the popular lifestyle and definitely didn’t want your business to be out there like that. sukuna was reluctant but agreed to your privacy until he had passed you one his way to his next class where he overheard your friends talking about how hot he was but the thing that made him stop in his tracks was when he heard you say, 

“I bet it’s not even worth it, his ego is probably bigger than his dick.” he wasn’t one bit mad at that and even found it funny – only jokingly mentioning it to you while you were choking on his cock that very same night. but what started to bother him was the fact that with no one knowing about your relationship, anyone could approach you at any moment. sukuna wasn’t the insecure type whatsoever, but just the idea that someone thought they could have you was enough to make his blood boil and his temper get the best of him. 

what officially set it off for him was when he overheard satoru in the team locker room saying he was planning to ask you out after tonight’s basketball game. at first, he wasn’t worried one bit and genuinely believed satoru wasn’t dumb enough to go through with it – even if he didn’t know you two were together. his irritation didn’t start until after they won the game, watching satoru jogging over to talk to you. sukuna assumed that you were going to turn him down, but little did he know the pressure you were actually under as satoru had asked for your number and your friends sitting next to you were every bit of excited for you because of it. but again, no one was supposed to know about your relationship. without even being given the time to make a decision, one of your friends takes your phone and gives it to satoru, who happily puts his number in your phone. but before he leaves, he smoothly grabs your hand and places a small peck on your knuckles, your face turning beet red at the gesture. when he quickly heads back to join in on the team’s debrief, sukuna had witnessed the entire thing and was not having it.

he immediately turned on his heel, harshly pacing in your direction and completely disregarding the calls for him to join the rest of the team. the moment you meet his gaze, you instantly freeze at his demeanor. had you gone too far with keeping your relationship a secret – yes, otherwise why else did he grip up your arm and take you back to his dorm, the entire walk being filled with your protests while he was silent the entire time. he didn’t look stressed, angry, or anything, just quiet which was something that made you even more fearful of what was going to come. as soon as he brought you back to his dorm, his lips immediately attach to yours in a hungry, almost angry kiss, making you shut up as he firmly pressed you against the back of the door. 

“why the fuck did you let him touch you?!” he damn near growls, his hand wrapped around your throat as he towered over you. “fucking gojo of all people.”

“wha-I swear I didn’t!” you retort, his roughness causing you to be flustered. “it wasn’t my fault my friends gave him my phone and I didn’t know he was going to-”

“that why you got all shy?” he asks, his hand tightening its grasp. “It looked like you were enjoying that attention, you blush that way for everyone who gives it to you? That why you want us to be a secret?!” 

“no ‘kuna, I promise!” you manage to say.

“fuck that, I’m going to make sure everyone knows you’re mine.” he barks, a wicked smirk on his lips.

the moment his lips make contact with your neck you almost immediately melt, his kisses carrying a much different weight than previous ones you’ve shared with him before. his lips and teeth take turns on the different marks they leave on your skin, the unique combination making your legs weak as light groans leave from the back of his throat. his hands wander along your curves while still pinning to the back of his door, his hands grabbing firmly onto the fat of your ass as his lips trailed lower to meet at your collarbone, his tongue grazing over the dark red marks left behind causing a shiver to run down your spine. his fingers shortly hook within the waistband of your pants, tugging roughly as a silent, yet impatient request before you oblige and help step out of them along with your panties – which to your surprise, he ends up pocketing.

without a warning, you’re lifted up, your legs instinctively wrapping around his waist as his hefty bulge presses against your clothed heat and you swear you could feel him throb through his sweatpants. as he presses his hips against yours, his lips reattach to your own, his tongue shamelessly pushing into your mouth as if he owned the space – which he definitely did. your mind was already beginning to fog and he hasn’t even touched you where you’ve needed it the most from the second you both stepped in that room. his mouth was overpowering yours, practically claiming your breath as he harshly rocked his hips against you, increasing the friction between you both and causing for your quiet whimpers to pour out. he nearly scoffs at the sound, feeling as though you’re purposefully trying to be quiet when his main objective was to get you to scream out his name for everyone down the halls to hear; for everyone to know you’re his.

he tries something new, fully hoisting you up for you to sit on his shoulders as he was now brought face to face to your drenched heat. he boldly flicks out his tongue, the muscle immediately coated in your juices. a sharp yelp rushes out of you and a satisfied smirk is planted on his face as he vigorously devours your soaked cunt, his fingers digging deep into the plushness of your thighs as he held you up. his tongue traces along the unique, soft curves and creases of your pussy, lapping up your gushing arousal while your moans drown out the sound of his sloppy slurps, your hand coming down to grab onto his hair to keep yourself more grounded, the assault of his greedy mouth inching you closer and closer to your release. he can feel how close you are, your legs being jumpier at each harsh lick he made against your clit.  

before you could relish in the waves of your oncoming orgasm, he stops licking at your sensitive bud before he gently places you back down on the floor, where you instantly drop to your knees in front of him.

“aww does someone want to make it up to me?” he grins, his hand kneading through your hair as he looks down at you almost pitifully the moment you nod. “of course that’s the only way sluts like you know how to make things right, hm?” your cheeks flush again at his degrading words, unable to ignore the effect they had on you as you sat there with your pussy lips drooling at each harsh word. you pull down his shorts and he doesn’t waste a second at controlling the pace himself, immediately shoving his throbbing cock into the warm, wet cave of your inviting mouth, refusing to give you a moment to even adjust to the stretch he brings to your throat. you’re already choking, the tight walls of your throat clasping harshly around his thick length as he roughly rocks his hips into your mouth, his tip dribbling with pre-cum the moment he looks down at your teary-eyes. 

“too much?” he almost chuckles, still fucking your throat with ease as he expects an answer – only to be met with the slight gargling sound trailing your moans. “can’t talk when that whore mouth of yours gets stuffed full–fuck.” you can feel your arousal uncomfortably pool between your thighs, the floor beneath you forming the smallest puddle and you can’t help but feel dumbed at the humiliation of it on top of his words. he suddenly pulls out of your mouth, your pipes being finally filled with air as you cough before you’re pulled up to your feet only to be spun around and slammed against the door, your juices down your leg on full display for him while his angry, red tip pushes into your deprived cunt. he pulls at your hips, making you claw onto the back of his door for support but this was his exact plan; anyone who walked down that hall on the other side would hear you’re getting absolutely demolished. his pace is cruel, each thrust feeling heavier than the last as you cry out his name, practically begging for release as your body is overcome with pleasure as his grip on your hips becomes almost paralyzing.

the sound of his hips slapping against yours were the only sounds resonating in the room, the lewd noises being music to his ears as he felt himself get closer to his own release yet he wants to last even longer, wanting to stay submerged in you for much more than either of you could stand – especially when he started feeling your walls clench tightly around him.

“this pussy’s–ngh all fuckin’ mine.” he emphasizes each word with a powerful thrust. “now everyone can hear how much I own this.”

before you could even fathom it, your orgasm washes over you, your vision blurring from being kept on the edge for so long and you feel yourself shiver as his pace sped up, gliding effortlessly against your plush walls and taking full advantage of the slippery feeling your juices on his cock had brought. you were practically fucked dumb, your back arching further as the overstimulation of your pussy took place, the tears running down your cheeks the moment his hand reaches around to play with your clit as you rode out your orgasm before his hot ropes of cum paint your insides, feeling him throb as he leans over to bite down on your shoulder. when he slowly pulls himself out of you, he watches the cum sloppily emerge from the cave of your pussy, instinctively pushing his thumb in to keep it from drooling more as he wanted you to accept everything. but part of you just knew, he wasn’t going to be stopping there, especially not when his cock was still hard.

“you get two minutes then I’m fucking you until everyone on campus has heard you scream my name.” he says, already tracing your pussy lips with the head of his dick.

and no–he was not kidding.

[thecherrypittttttt]

PEACHY; dr jack abbot x dr!reader

words: 8,800+

content warnings: a lil bit smutty, bit of an age gap, pining, the whole ED gang, fluffy <3

summary: the 4 times they didn’t get caught and the 1 time they did

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷

In hindsight, the first time they were almost caught, was probably the closest call.

They were at a lake resort, about an hour or so outside of Pittsburgh, for the annual Emergency Department resident program retreat. The air was muggy - thick with humidity and loud with the mundane buzzing of mosquitoes.

Every year, after the chief residents graduate, the attendings take the whole program on a weekend retreat somewhere. Usually it is some random bed and breakfast that barely has a pool. Not that anyone cares. Everyone is happy for a weekend of relaxation and the chance to actually see the sun for 48 hours.

The hospital funds an abysmally small portion of the retreat since it is technically the time when everyone gives their feedback on the residency program. Graduating residents and attending physicians partake in evaluations on both the program and each other. The attendings rotate every year who pays for the rest of it. This year, it was Dr Abbot's turn.

Dr Abbot had spared no expense. They were at one of the nicest resorts in Pennsylvania. It had everything. Horse riding, axe throwing, two golf courses, bowling, cooking classes, a holistic healing spa, and what the residents had all decided was the one thing more tiring than the ED - the Team Building Adventure Package they were all signed up for.

The attendings spent the weekend doing who knows what while the residents conquered a high ropes challenge course, zip lining, and a climbing wall.

Yes, Dr Abbot had spared no expense but he had spared no free time either.

She was excited for this trip. For the sunshine, sure. But the chance to finally, maybe, get Dr Abbot to crack. She saw the way he tried to pretend not to look at her in the ED. She noticed the hoops he would jump through to have her on a case with him. The excuses he made up to text her - citing some random medical journal that yes, she was interested in. But she was far more interested in him.

If only he wasn't such a damn good guy. She knew he would never touch his resident no matter how much he liked her. They have had too many late night and early morning conversations up on the roof or at the diner next to the hospital or that bench in the park across the street where he had had his chance. So many times. She knew he was waiting for her to give the green light. For her to make the first move.

One night he started calling the bench in the park 'their bench'. She almost kissed him that night. But she chickened out. Now that residency was over and she would be starting as an attending at The Pitt shortly, she was feeling a newfound sense of confidence. So she bought a new string bikini for the retreat. If only she had had a chance to wear it. Or even see him.

Jack smiles to himself as he dips into the lake. He feels kind of bad. Making the residents work like this on the retreat. But he knew he couldn't see her in a bikini so he packed their schedules with the random team building program the resort had offered.

He already felt disrespectful enough with the thoughts he had about her when she was in hospital issued scrubs. If he saw her in a bikini, he would not make it through this weekend without cracking. Her half naked and technically no longer being his resident was a very dangerous combination and he was thanking his lucky stars that he had made it through the full 48 hours barely even seeing her. He missed her, of course. But she was better off without him. Practically 15 years his junior and Jack was almost certain she didn't see him as anything other than a good boss or a mentor.

Some nights he let himself think otherwise. Usually, when they'd go sit and chat on their bench and something in her eyes was practically begging him to kiss her. Jack would just chalk it up to him projecting onto her. Because gosh, he wanted to kiss her so bad. But he respected her too much to put her in a potentially uncomfortable situation.

Yes, they were close. Yes, they got along. Yes, they laughed together. Yes, they cried together and then comforted each other. But he did not want to be that male attending that took his resident simply being kind to him as romantic interest.

He lets himself actually think about her for the first time since they saw each other at check in. He can't help but huff a laugh to himself at the fact that she is probably pissed off at him for making them do so much physical activity over the weekend. He is definitely going to be hearing about it tomorrow on their shift. He can't wait to see her.

A creak on the dock shakes him out of his thoughts.

He must be dreaming. He did everything possible to avoid her this weekend. Specifically, her in a bikini. And here she was, practically glowing in the moonlight, wearing the tiniest purple string bikini and a knit coverup dress that wasn't doing much covering up. Jack is happy it is dark out because he is pretty sure that his face is tomato red.

She doesn't say anything. Just stops at the end of the dock, staring at him with her hand on her hip.

"What are you doing here?" is all he manages to choke out.

"Well, I bought this new bikini and haven't had a chance to use it because you've had us running around like a drill sergeant all weekend. Figured it would be a shame to waste it."

Jack is trying not to check her out but he knows he is doing a poor job when all he can respond with is, "Yeah, definitely"

She doesn't seem to notice. Just plops herself down onto the dock, her feet hanging in the water.

"Plus, I believe that I'm owed an evaluation with my attending."

Technically, a resident can do their evaluation of their primary attending with said primary attending. Since that is entirely counterintuitive to honest feedback, they give the residents the option to do it anonymously online or meet with another attending that is not their primary. No one ever does it with their primary attending no matter how good a relationship they have with them.

Jack knew she had already had her evaluation of him earlier today. She did it with Robby. He knew because he went against everything good and honest in him and read her file. He was dying to know what she said about him. And unsurprisingly, it was all good things. All professional things. Too professional for his liking.

Jack is typically a chatter box but the moon shining on her face is making her look more like a princess than normal and he feels breathless. He's happy to get out the couple words he is able, "You're brave."

They just stare at each other for a moment. It feels like a standoff. Who is actually going to acknowledge that they're both half naked and alone for the first time in well...ever?

"And you're stalling. C'mon, you get to give me feedback all day everyday. It's my turn, Dr Abbot."

She flips her hair and tugs her coverup up and over her head - sets it down onto the dock next to his prosthetic. Jack sucks in a breath and doesn't even try to hide the fact that he is checking her out. She's doing the same to his bare chest and biceps. Jack barely notices because he is too busy wondering where the hell she managed to get a bikini that small.

The little smirk on her lips is what confirms for Jack that she knows exactly what she is doing. Two can play at this game, he thinks. He skips the boring questions about patient care and gets right to the questions he knows she is hoping he asks.

"How do you feel your attending's behavior impacts your learning experience as a resident?"

"The praise is encouraging. But the staring, the intense eye contact-" she pauses and Jack would laugh at the irony of it all, her eyes boring into his as she says this, if he wasn't holding his breath in anticipation, "-is distracting. But still encouraging."

Jack is silent for a moment then gives himself a quick mental pep talk. If he can be brave enough to be in combat, he can handle flirting with his colleague, "Well, if my staring is such a problem, why does it sound like you like it?."

"You wish." She kicks her leg as she giggles, splashing him. Her giggles stop quickly, the second Jack's strong hands wrap around her lifted ankle. He feels a sense of pride at her gasp and lets himself think that maybe, just maybe, he makes her feel the same way she makes him feel.

If only he could hear her heart pounding in her chest. He takes her foot in his hands gently, massages the arch of it as he asks the next question, "How stimulating do you find your attending's teaching style?

Jack can't hide the smirk that takes over his face as he realizes that she is struggling to answer - because of his fingers, "Do you need me to repeat the question?"

She rolls her eyes. In the way she does so often, but this time it is a little different - forced. As she answers, she is hoping he hasn't noticed that her faux annoyance is actually just a front for how turned on she is over such little touch.

"Stimulating? Mentally, very. Physically, there’s a lot to be…desired."

He drops her foot in surprise at her direct answer and for the first time tonight allows himself to believe the fact that this might actually be happening. She takes his brief shock as her chance to dip into the lake. It's pretty shallow. The water line is high enough to lap at her neck , but short enough to where they both could either stand or tread water. He swims a stroke towards her, they are almost nose to nose but they do not dare touch. Jack breaks the silence, but not her gaze.

"To what extent do you feel your attending demonstrates ethical behavior?"

The question she has been waiting for. She doesn't miss a beat in her response, "To an annoying one."

Jack's eyebrows raise in surprise, "That's a first."

Somehow, they both manage to get a small laugh out. Jack is first and foremost a combat medic. There are numerous colleagues of his that would argue his use of, what they would consider risky procedures, isn't necessarily the most ethical thing of all time.

"Can you expand on what is so...annoying?"

"You're always looking but...you're never touching."

"Well, some would say that touching your resident would be unethical."

"Some would say that you’re teasing."

"Oh, really? Who? Did you raise your concern with Robby? What did he have to say?"

They both feel the air shift. It's the fun of their dynamic. He lets her have her fun. Lets her have control. Lets her take the lead. Lets her be her. Because they both know at the end of the day, the only other person she is ever going to follow the lead of, feel safe enough to be vulnerable around, is him. And he is damn honored.

"You know I didn't." He wants to kiss the pout off of her face - it's so cute.

"You know, he didn't mention you going to his evaluation in the tiniest bikini on planet earth so I am going to assume -" Jack traces the bikini strings on her hips then snaps them against her skin as she gasps at him finally touching her. "-that this is all for me."

Now she is the one left speechless. She recovers flawlessly, "Also, meant to put that in your evaluation. Too cocky."

"Why didn't you ask Robby?"

"Jack-"

"When I ask my residents questions, I expect an answer. You know that." Jack's hands move up, rubbing at the sides of her waist. He feels how fast her heart is beating now. The pace matches his own, making his breath hitch. The confirmation that she is feeling as keyed up as he is gives him the confidence to brush his fingers, just under her breast, but careful not to touch it.

"Because I don't want Robby to touch me." His hands drift to the back of her thighs, lifting her legs around his waist. She feels him hard against her and tries not to drop her head back in the satisfaction of finally feeling him. She reaches her hands around his neck, rests them where his curls are. The curls she's imagined running her hands through what feels like a million times. Jack's hands rub up and down the back of her thighs as he holds her up. His fingers are dangerously close to her ass, but again, he's careful not to touch. Not until she says so.

"Who do you want to touch you then?"

She rolls her eyes again. This one is different too. But it's not forced like the first one. It's frustrated - sexually frustrated. "You know who."

"Whitaker? Shen? Langd-"

She mumbles "You're so annoying" before she is going to kiss him. He doesn't know where this sudden will power is coming from, but he stops her, one hand holding her up and the other on the back of her neck - keeping her in place.

"What'd I say about when I ask questions, hm?" Jack can't stop staring at her lips. Her full, perfectly pink lips that are so, so close to his own. They haven't even kissed yet and he's so far gone. They both are. He feels himself harden more than he thought was possible as she practically pants for his kiss.

Jack can't take it anymore, his thumb reaches under her bikini top, grazes across her nipple. He'd rather bite it but he'll save that for later. He can't wait to find out what pretty noises she'll make then if these are the ones she is making now.

"Oh my god! You, Jack! I want you to touch me! Happy!?"

"Unethically so"

And in one swift movement, Jack pulls her lips to his, swiping into her mouth almost immediately. She whimpers at the feeling of his tongue against hers. Jack draws back just a little bit, to snag her full bottom lip with his teeth. He's pressing a searing kiss to her lips again as his hands reach for the strings around her back and then her neck, tugging them loose. His other hand that is kneading her ass grabs the strings on her bottoms, pulls those loose as well. He grabs the scraps of fabric and tosses them onto the dock.

He drinks her in and if he thought the moonlight made her look perfect earlier, he doesn't even have an adjective for right now.

He always assumed there would be a sun in heaven but now he is sure that there is a moon. She tugs at his curls as she presses another hungry kiss to his lips, her hands dragging down his body and slowly scratching his biceps. Yes, definitely a moon.

Jack dips his head, takes one of her breasts into his mouth. Licking and nipping at one with his mouth. Kneading the other with his hand.

He comes up for air and a bit of teasing, "This unethical enough for you?"

She smiles at him in a dazed way that makes his heart stop. "Almost" she whispers in his ear, letting her lips run down his neck - lightly kissing, sucking at the sensitive spots, and then trailing her tongue over them.

She runs her finger under the waistband of his swim trunks. He moans at the feeling of her finally touching him. He feels her smirk into his neck as he takes off his trunks, throwing them on top of her swimsuit on the dock.

Her mouth is on his again. Hot and desperate. Jack can't help but think he is the luckiest man on the planet now that he knows that she is just as needy for him as he is for her. She grinds her center down onto his hard length, and they both let out a groan. Yes, definitely the luckiest man on the planet.

"You know how long I have been waiting for you to kiss me?"

Jack is panting, he whispers back, practically speaking the words right onto her lips. "Didn't want you to feel weird. You deal with enough at work - you didn't need your old attending hitting on you."

"I knew it." That makes Jack pause.

"What?"

"You weren't making a move because you were my attending. I gave you so many damn chances and you would just stare at me. That bikini was my last resort."

"That bikini - is going to give me a heart attack. And I know this is ironic because we are skinny dipping and making out like teenagers who are past curfew but I have way too much respect for you to assume you loved me back without explicit verbal consent."

Jack doesn't even realize it slipped out until he sees the expressions move over her face. First surprise, then just pure joy, "Love?" she teases, her eyebrows raising and her hands clasped at the back of his neck.

Jack just grins, his thumb brushing her cheek as he kisses her again and whispers softly against her lips, "Yeah, I love you."

She tosses her head back and laughs. His favorite sound. Even though they are completely naked right now - it's her laugh that is making him blush the hardest. "God, I love you. I'm gonna leave the world's most positive review for that bikini because I have been trying to get you to admit that for years and if I knew that was all it would take - I would have done this a long time ago."

"Yeah?" Jack can't believe his ears. But she is nodding her head, mumbling to him that he is an idiot, and kissing him again because she can't get enough. Neither of them can. They have about four years to make up for. They could kiss forever. But a door slamming against the wood of one of the cabins breaks them apart.

"Oh my fucking god" she whispers. She would recognize that blonde head of hair anywhere. And under any other circumstances, she would be more than happy to see it.

Jack grabs their swimsuits off of the deck and into his hands, under the water and hidden from view. She flies under the dock. The space is small, but large enough for her to not have to go under water. She's hidden and doesn't have to hold her breath - that is all she cares about. She clamps a hand over her mouth to keep from laughing.

"I thought I told you that smoking was bad for you."Jack huffs. Dana laughs. There is a flicker of a lighter but it goes out just as fast as it was lit. It's broken. Dana sighs.

"Well, I need to go find a lighter that actually works but since I'm here - you feeling okay?" There's a lilt to Dana's tone. A teasing one.

Jack's brow furrows, "Why would I not be?"

"I don't know - I just transcribed all the attending reviews of the residents and I don't think I have ever read a more glowing review from you. I mean that thing could practically pass as a love letter.”

"She's a great doctor."

Dana cackles, "I didn't even say who it was."

Jack just laughs and for the millionth time that night he is thankful it is dark out because his cheeks are burning. "Okay, you caught me."

"But she is a great doctor. A great person too. Funny, kind, pretty, smart." a pause and then, "No longer your resident" another pause, "...single."

"Dana - what happened to you going to find a lighter that works?" That cracks a laugh from both of them.

"Fine, I'll leave you be - but you deserve to be happy too, Jack. So does she. I think you both do that for each other. Just keep that in mind."

"Goodnight, therapist Dana" Jack sing songs.

"Goodnight!" She yells back from her trek to the cabins. They wait for the click off the door before they are in the clear.

"Don't say a word" is flying out of Jack's mouth at the same time she teases, barely getting the words out between her giggles. "What a wing woman Dana is. Gosh, I just love her."

"Wing woman? Sounds like you have a crush."

Her eyebrows fly up her forehead in faux surprise as she points behind her to where Dana once was moments ago, "Oh, really? Because you’re writing love letters about me to our employer and everything. It sounds like you're obsessed with me!”

Jack mumbles a coy 'Something along those lines' and playfully tosses her bikini at her "Get dressed - lets go."

Jack is pulling his trunks on and jumping out of the lake and onto the dock. He tugs his prosthetic on and reaches out a hand to her. She just stares at him - blank and confused. They were finally there and now he wants to leave just because Dana had to smoke a cigarette.

He silences any doubt in her brain, "I'm not fucking you for the first time in a lake. You deserve a bed and not a UTI."

That tugs a laugh and a smile out of her. She ties on her bottoms and the bottom half of her top before she takes Jack's hand and climbs up onto the deck.

"Who knew what a gentleman you are." She turns her back to him, signalling for him to finish tying her bikini.

His whisper on the back of her neck makes her legs wobble in anticipation, "and I can't properly feel how wet you are for me if we're in the water."

"There he is."

They are a tangle of limbs and kisses and giggles as they slowly but surely make their way back to Jack's cabin. It is truly a miracle they don't get caught.

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷

The second time they'd almost been caught was practically a year from the first. It'd been a year since the lake. A year of finally loving each other. A year of somehow, someway - not being caught at work - despite Jack being absolutely, positively awful at keeping them a secret.

They were head over heels in love and he was a shameless flirt. The only thing saving them was that he was a bad flirt so nobody had really noticed yet. Or so they'd hoped.

She had moved into Jack's house two months ago. If he had it his way, she would have moved in about six months ago. She was always there anyway. That is what he would say.

They had spent all morning hiding her stuff - making it look like she had never even stepped foot in the place. She was even practicing her reaction to 'seeing his house for the first time'. Jack couldn't stop smiling at her. He was just happy she was finally referring to everything in the house as 'theirs' and not 'his' - even if he was being bossed around. He liked it. He loved her. More than anything.

Every year, one of the attendings hosts a welcome barbeque for the new interns and med students that join the program in July. The whole program comes, at least the ones who aren't working, from the newest third year med student to the most seasoned attending.

Usually, if there is a new attending, they are supposed to host after their first year on the job. Jack made up some random excuse as to why he wanted to host. Everyone looked at him like he had three heads when he had volunteered but he knew that she couldn't exactly send out an invitation with the same address as him and not blow their cover.

They had spent all afternoon on absolute opposite ends of their backyard. Jack posted up with Robby at the grill. She was lounging on the pool chairs with Dana, Collins, and Mel.

She was killing him. She wasn't in that purple bikini. This was a work function after all. But she could wear a paper bag and Jack would be sweating so the high cut swimsuit she was in now wasn't helping his case. The only thing getting him through the afternoon was knowing how she would be once everyone was gone.

She likes to tease that he is the needy one. And normally, she is right. But if there's a couple hours where they are on separate shifts or apart for whatever reason, having to pretend like they are not practically engaged, she is on him like glue the moment they're together again. And she doesn't leave him be. Jack relishes in it.

Like he is right now. They're putting the house back together. Getting all her stuff out and back in its rightful place. When they set up this morning, they had basically split the house in half and tackled it that way. Now she trailed behind him like a cute puppy, holding onto his bicep and nuzzling herself into his side. "Can we please do this tomorrow? I just wanna lay with you. I'm tired."

Jack is so giddy, he practically giggles. He slowly lowers himself onto their plush patio furniture. Tugs her down on top of him. Her legs on either side of his waist and her arms finding their usual place around his neck - her hands in his hair. He cups her face, presses a long kiss to her lips and then speaks against them, "From what? Laying by the pool and teasing me all day?"

"From pretending that this isn't our house."

Jack grins at the emphasis, and then they're both in a fit of laughter thinking about the hilarity of the day. Of their situation. Of how they silently communicate that they don't think they can keep sneaking around for much longer. They don't really want to. They know this is it. That they are it for each other. So everyone is going to find out eventually anyways.

He imitates her, "Dr Abbot, where is the garbage can? Dr Abbot, where is the bathroom? Dr Abbot, where is the-"

She covers his mouth with his palm and feigns annoyance as she rolls her eyes. "I'm not going to ask where the bedroom is if you don't shut up."

"Don't need the bedroom. Got you right where I want you, baby." He's slipping off that damn cover up that is really never doing its job anyways and laying her down on the daybed.

He's kissing down her body, slowly. Doing his favorite thing - worshipping her. Her hands pull at his curls and he lifts his lips from her body only to murmur against her hip, "Been dying to taste you all fucking day."

He's pulled her bottoms not even halfway down her thighs when they hear the lock on their fence rattle. She is up and running into the house faster than Jack can even blink. He can't help but double over in laughter - he has never seen her move that fast in their lives - not even for a code.

Robby's voice shuts Jack right up, "Why are you laughing to yourself?"

"Why are you breaking into my backyard?"

"I forgot my sunglasses." Robby walks over to where Jack stands by the daybed. He picks up a pair of sunglasses off of the side table.

Abbot nods to them, "Those look like Heather's sunglasses."

Robby doesn't miss a beat, "And that-" he juts his chin towards the coverup that was left abandoned on the daybed, "-looks like something that belongs to another doctor we know."

Jack feels his face heat up, "She must have left it here."

"I was talking about Shen." Robby jokes, cracking one of those smiles that reaches his eyes. A knowing smile.

Jack just has to laugh. It is Robby after all, "I'll bring it to her next shift."

"Oh, I'm sure you will, brother. I'm sure you will. Along with a coffee and probably an engagement ring if it was up to you."

If only he knew, Jack thought.

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷

After that day at the barbeque, Jack and her fess up to Robby and Collins. They were both their respective best friends. It was getting too hard and they really didn't see a reason for it anymore.

Robby and Collins were about as surprised as Jack and her were when they found out about them giving it another go - so not surprised at all.

It was Tuesday night the third time they almost got caught. A Tuesday night meant Robby and Jack had a basketball game for the ED's rec team and Collins and her would go to yoga and for a walk. Probably stopping at some kind of wine bar along the way that Jack and Robby would eventually meet them at.

Tonight was different though. Collins and her took their walk straight to the park district that the hospital league played at because tonight was the championship game and the whole department was going to support.

“Oh look who decided to grace us with their presence.” Robby teases the second they walk into the gym.

The boys on the team are warming up - Robby, Whitaker, Langdon, Shen, and Jack. She feels Jack's eyes looking her up and down - she didn't wear the matching workout set for no reason. The biker shorts were short and tight. The sports bra was low cut and tighter. She had a sweatshirt on over it though - gives him something to take off later.

Jack just smirks and tosses her the basketball. She catches it with ease and effortlessly sinks a shot. She hears Dana and some of the rest of their work friends cheer from their spot in the stands.

“Ooo look! She’s got better game than you, Dr Abbot” Robby nudges his shoulder.

She rebounds her own ball and shoves it back into Jack’s chest as she responds. He’s smiling down at her. He wants to kiss her so bad, "Someone has got to show you fools how it’s done.”

Her and Collins cross the gym and take the steps up into the stands to meet the rest of the department.

"Don't turn around, it'll make it obvious, but Dr Abbot is staring at your ass." Victoria whispers it to her like it’s the most scandalous thing in the world.

Victoria is being so sweet, trying to be helpful - she doesn't want to laugh at Victoria but Dana's response makes her and Collins crack up. They can't help it.

“Wouldn’t be the first time, kid!”

Oh and Dana knows now too. Dana is like a second mom to her. She couldn't not thank Dana for wing womaning for her that night out on the lake. Even if Dana was a little floored at finding out what she had actually interrupted that night.

"Dana!" She tries to pretend to be shocked. But their facade is fading quickly and neither of them particularly care too much. The only thing they care about now is the bet they have going on who is going to be the one to accidentally get them caught.

"Cheers!" Dana starts as she hands over a solo cup full of wine that she had packed in the cooler next to her. "to Coach Abbot." Dana finishes.

Now she is the one staring. Jack pulls off his sweatshirt, exposing his biceps in the tank style jersey they've all got on. She huffs a laugh at the fact that every other department has a color jersey and the ED's is camo patterned because Jack paid extra to get it. She can't necessarily claim she is paying attention to the game but she is paying attention to him and how good he looks as he plays.

She also feels a tug of pride in her belly. It may sound stupid, but playing a pick up basketball game was once thought to be impossible for an amputee like Jack. She had gotten him the special running prosthetics for his birthday. She had spent an exorbitant amount of money for him to be able to participate in this rec league. But she would have spent much more because it wasn't about the money. It was about him feeling good, feeling like himself, being able to do all the things he loves to do - no matter what. That was priceless.

The game flies by. So does the wine. At some point Dana suggests that if she had enough wine on her they should drink every time Jack looks up at her when he makes a shot and everytime Langdon airballs a shot.

The team sits on the bench as they prepare for the last quarter. A groan comes from Jack, then a low 'Fuck' and she is doing her best not to seem overly concerned. Suspiciously concerned. He doesn't seem hurt. He's been moving great.

But then she sees it. The broken running prosthetic. He places it in his bag and replaces it with his normal prosthetic. He seems fine but her heart sinks for him. He must feel her or something because he turns around and gives her a small smile and a thumbs up. That makes her feel better. Collins nudges her shoulder, pointing towards Shen who apparently had just called her name twice.

She tears her gaze from Jack now that she knows he is okay, “What?”

“We need a fifth person if Jack can’t play anymore.”

“Okay?” She asks, confused. What does that have to do with her?

“Jack said you played basketball in high school.”

“Not particularly well.” She glares at Jack. He knew she wasn’t great. Sure, she had a bit of a shot on her, but she hadn't actually played a game of basketball in over ten years.

“We don’t need well, we just need able.” Langdon pipes up in a completely non encouraging way that only Langdon can.

“Convincing.” she deadpans.

“Please, we just need someone who knows the rules. Unless anyone else in the department would like to reveal that they are secretly a basketball legend.” Shen looks at the department, sitting in the stands behind their bench.

The department looks at her. She sets down her solo cup and stands up, making her way down the few stairs to the bench, “I want it on record that I’m a glass and a half of wine deep. And Dana is pouring so that probably is more like two and a half."

Everyone claps and cheers and whistles. Then Jack takes off his jersey to hand to her, she takes off her sweatshirt and the whistles get louder.

Her sports bra dips lower onto her cleavage than she was planning on ever letting her coworkers see. She didn’t even know she had the mark on the top of her breast until Langdon yelled from down the bench, “What are you hooking up with a teenager or something? What’s with the hickey?”

She is absolutely beat red and Jack actually does a bit of spit take from his water bottle. Jack and her were adults. They weren’t in the habit of giving each other visible marks, but marking eachother in places noone else can see? That was a different story.

"Oh my god." She has never tugged a piece of clothing on to her body faster. The jersey falls over her like a dress, going past her biker shorts and hitting mid thigh.

She quickly scans Jack’s chest as he pulls a plain back tshirt on, praying to whoever will listen that she didn’t leave a mark anywhere on him last night. She sighs in relief at the fact that the only marks are his permanent ones. The ones she loves tracing - his freckles, his birth marks, some scars. She’s made a habit out of kissing the scars.

She would maybe be a little sheepish about wearing a jersey with a big 'ABBOT' on the back in front of all of their coworkers if Langdon hadn't just made her hickey everyone's business.

"Okay on that note, let's finish this game." She manages to huff a laugh and rounds the bench to sit with the rest of them. Landgon is bent over, tying his shoe. She knocks him over and he mumbles something about probably deserving that. She feels a bit better.

Jack is up and in front of the five of them, explaining some play on his white board as seriously as he explains assignments in the trauma bay. She takes a peak at their teammates, to see if they are also taking this as serious. They are - deadly so.

She can't help but start to giggle as the buzzer goes off and they're making their way to the court. They all look like they've seen a dead body, “Guys, lighten up. We’re playing radiology, not the 90s Bulls.”

She feels a gentle tug on the back of her jersey, pulling her back to the bench where Jack is. She slowly turns around to him, her eyes basically popping out of her head. Telling him what her mouth can't say. Could he be literally any more obvious?

“What can I do for you, captain obvious?”

Jack lets the jersey go immediately, “Sorry - habit."

Her heart warms at that because she gets it. It's hard when they're at work - not to reach out and just touch each other. Not even in a sexual way, just in the way that they feel like extensions of each other and it's weird to not be able to touch when they want.

She's technically still on the court and he is technically at the bench, but he is the closest a coach can get to the sideline without being on the court and she is the closest a player can get to the sideline without being out of bounds.

Close enough to hear him say, "Just wanted it also on the record that I’ve seen you accomplish much more impressive, physically demanding activities than a basketball game while a glass and a half of wine deep. Like when you were hooking up with that teenager last night.”

She can't help but whip back around agape at him, a smile threatening to take over her face, “You’re a dog.”

"And stop looking at me like that."

"What? I’m in trouble for looking at my coach?"

"You're in trouble for looking at me like that with my last name on your back."

She opens her mouth to respond but is interrupted by the referee who she is pretty sure is just a resident from psychiatry, "If the Emergency Department coach is done flirting with their new player, we can get this fourth quarter started."

She hears Collins and Dana cackle in the stands. Jack and her are both flushed for what feels like the millionth time that night and not from the basketball. The whistle blows and then the fourth quarter is well underway.

There is maybe a little more than a minute left in the game and against all odds, they are only down by four. She hasn't done awesome. She hasn't done bad. She's hit a couple mid range shots. Missed some too. But now she was definitely flushed from the basketball - they'd been running up and down the court for eleven minutes straight. And radiology had substitutions.

Robby makes an easy layup and they're back on defense. Radiology is passing the ball around, trying to kill time. She hears Jack tell Langdon to foul his player with the ball. He does, the guy misses both his free throws, and now the ball is back in their possession - for likely the last play of the game.

Robby dribbles the ball up the court. Maybe three seconds left and now they are only down by two. He dishes it out left to her. She's out on the left wing, behind the three point line and closest to the bench. The ball reaches her hands. All she hears is Jack muttering, "Shoot".

So she does. The ball leaves her fingertips and swishes through the net right as the buzzer sounds.

She turns around to look at Jack, her jaw dropped and a little shocked. "You did it! We won!"

And then they're both laughing. And his arms are around her waist, lifting her up and spinning her around before they both remember where they are. And who is watching. He sets her down and Robby claps a hand on her shoulder, "Be careful or we're gonna put you on the team next year."

"Absolutely not." She huffs, sipping her water bottle.

"I'm sorry - were you guys just hugging? We're all not going to ignore that, right?" Shen can't help himself. She knew he wouldn't.

"She did a good job." Jack says nonchalantly. As if they embrace like that all the time.

"I've done a good job all season. Where's my hug?"

"Those are reserved for players our coach has a crush on." Robby teases.

"Michael!" Heather chastises from the stands and that gets everyone going even more.

"Michael? Since when do you call him Michael-" Langdon trails off - figuring out for himself what's going on.

Jack and her just look over at Heather appreciatively. She mouths a silent 'Thank you' to Heather for taking the heat off of them.

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷

After seeing his last name on her back at the basketball game, and honestly way before then too, Jack could not stop thinking about calling her his wife.

They both knew that was eventually happening. They'd talked about it. They went ring shopping. She gave him a general idea of what she liked and then she left him to his own devices. She still wanted to be surprised. And she was still waiting to be surprised because he hadn't proposed yet. She was almost positive he had bought a ring because he had been acting so skittish the past week or so.

They're working the day shift together the fourth and final time they almost get caught. Robby and Collins went on vacation and they're covering their shifts for the week.

Jack is charting at the nurses station, trying not to stare at her everytime she walks by. It's been irritatingly slow. At least when it's busy they have something to distract themselves from each other.

“So Dr Abbot, who is she?”

They both freeze at Perlah’s statement. Jack stops typing. She was on her way to go round on a patient but quickly pretends she needs to make a pit stop at the nurses station to listen in.

“Excuse me?”

“The girl I saw you ring shopping for the other day.”

So he had bought a ring. She smiles to herself. Even more so when she sees how red Jack is. She winks at him from behind Princess and Perlah's inquisitive stares.

“It’s probably the same girl who decorated his house over the summer.” She pipes up from the back of the station.

Princess and Perlah laugh along with her. They're murmuring something about how they thought his home had a woman's touch to it at the barbeque earlier that summer as they're called away from the nurses station.

They leave Jack alone quicker than they'd leave Robby alone. They know he is not an open book and they'll respect that but that doesn't excuse him from some teasing. Especially if Perlah has got first hand information on him.

Jack stares at her, a smirk twitching, fighting to appear on his lips. She peels out of the station and to the staff lounge. Jack is hot on her heels and the staff lounge is thankfully, very empty.

"I could decorate the house if I wanted to. You just like that stuff." She playfully rolls her eyes and humors him.

"Sure you could, Dr Abbot. Just tell that girl she did a good job, yeah? On the house and the future husband."

"I'm not completely incapable of having taste, you know? I've got a pretty big diamond ring to prove it."

“I heard. Planning on doing anything with that anytime soon?"

He kisses up her neck, slow as his hands rub at her hips. He whispers as he reaches her ear, tugs a bit with his teeth and then, "Planning on doing a lot with it. And you. Exceptionally soon, actually."

Then he's pressing her against the wall next to the door and placing his lips on hers. His hand snaps at the waistband of her scrub pants, then under her top, over her chest and splays across her throat - lightly squeezing it. She whimpers at the sensation, her lips parting a bit further and Jack takes the opportunity to lick further into her mouth. They can never get enough of each other, they don't think they ever will.

This was especially reckless of them, though. They were plenty guilty of sneaking away to the on-call rooms or a supply closet, but the staff lounge during a fully staffed day shift was just further proof they were not keeping this sneaking around stuff up much longer, if at all.

She moans his name, quietly, as she reaches for his waistband. Any other time, when his brain was working, Jack would grab her wrist and tug her to an on-call room. But she's already got his head hazy and he knows they can't go much further in the literal staff lounge but he lets himself relish in her soft hand stroking his hard length.

He tells himself he'll give them just a couple more seconds - tie themselves over until they're off their shift. Or at least can find a supply closet that locks. There usual spot had been compromised two weeks ago since it no longer had a working lock. He is silently counting down from five in his head. Five seconds and then they'll be done. But god, she has no business being so damn good at this.

He only makes it to three when the door handle jiggles and they are flying off of eachother. He sits in the chair closest to them. He can't go back out there until he is a little less...excited. She has made it practically halfway to the staff pantry when Mateo steps in.

She snags a lollipop from the cabinet and unwraps it. Jack has to physically keep himself from groaning out loud when she winks at him and wraps her lips around it. Way slower than necessary, by the way. She waves hello to Mateo and then looks at Jack, "Hope you find your ring, Dr Abbot."

And then she is out the door, but not before she hears Mateo ask Jack, "You wear a ring?" She laughs to herself.

Oh, he'll have a ring on that finger soon. They both will.

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷

Their luck wasn't going to last forever. They were honestly shocked they had made it almost eighteen months with only Dana, Collins, and Robby knowing. Sure, they got some suspicious glances from Shen or Ellis sometimes, but everyone else seemed none the wiser.

They had had the night shift from hell. Nothing tragic had happened, thank goodness, but it had been absolutely jam packed with cases. She doesn't think either of them had gone to the bathroom or eaten or even had a sip of water for the entire twelve hours.

She knew it wasn't healthy. It wasn't healthy for anyone, but especially for her. She had been diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes as a baby and at this point in her life, she could guess what her blood sugar was without some kind of monitor inserted into her skin 24/7.

Of course, she typically wore one anyways. Especially at work. Like right now. She was dizzy and sitting at the nurses station, head in her hands, waiting for everyone to finally arrive for shift change so she could get the fuck out of there and go home with Jack.

She could feel the shakes coming on and she really did not want to pass out at work. She's kicking herself for not eating the many snacks Jack had been bringing her from the vending machine. Where was he finding the time to go get those? She had no idea. But the incessant flow of cases left every offering unintentionally untouched.

Jack was protective of her. Not in a weird, possessive way. But he loved her, cared for her, wanted her safe. Her passing out at work, or really anywhere, was not safe. He could also intuitively tell her blood sugar, high or low. And if she was having one of those days where she didn't want to take care of her diabetes on top of everything else - he was the one injecting her with insulin or making her a snack.

Her continuous glucose monitor was old, as a resident she could barely afford the one she had and then she just hadn't thought to change it once she got her pay raise as she graduated to an attending. She usually could just tell her sugar levels anyways.

Jack was the one who came home one day with a new one for her. This was like his super bowl. His two favorite activities - taking care of the love of his life and spending a lot of money on new medical gadgets - all at the same time.

This new one could connect to her phone, easily communicate her sugar levels in real time. When she never hooked that up because sometimes she just doesn't want to be constantly reminded of her diabetes, he just connected it to his apple watch.

That is how she knew the ED was busy. Because otherwise Jack would be standing over her, feeding her himself, until her blood pressure was back to a normal level.

It was almost like the thought of Jack summoned him. Jack was second to shift change, behind her. He strokes her hair a couple times and drops a bag of peach rings into her lap - taking advantage of the time alone.

“Sit and eat before you faint, please.” He says gently. He sets a glass of water on the desk in front of her.

“Jack, I’m fin-“

“You’re shaking like a leaf and your blood sugar is-“ he pauses and looks at his watch, “64 and dropping.”

“Why do you know her blood sugar?” Mel asks, as she walks up, genuinely confused.

Both Jack and her are frozen in place, staring at each other.

“And where did you get those peach rings? We don’t have those in our vending machines. Only at the store across the stre-“ McKay trails off as she puts two and two together.

“And why do you get her blood sugar sent to your apple watch?” Langdon chimes in, eyes darting in between the pair of them.

“Wait, is your glucose monitor connected to Abbot’s apple watch?” Whitaker with the questions now.

Jack just looks at her, shrugs, and digs into his wallet as they both laugh. “I knew you’d be the one to get us caught.” She mutters, satisfied with her victory.

He slaps a $100 bill onto her palm. She pockets it and tosses a couple pieces of the candy into her mouth, still chuckling.

“Get you caught?”

Robby, Collins, and Dana are laughing uncontrollably. Because of course this is the way they would get caught.

“If the peanut gallery could quiet down over there - I could let you all know that yes, her glucose monitor is connected to my apple watch because my fiance likes to play Russian roulette with her diabetes and that is not happening on my watch.” Jack's voice is serious but the big grin on his face is giving him away.

“Quite literally, actually.” she adds.

“Fiance?!”

"Yes, now hurry up with this shift change so I can get her home before she faints on a patient."

"I knew that house had a woman's touch!" Perlah yells from across the hall, not letting her patient get in the way of any gossip. Especially something this big.

Eventually, everyone calms down. Her blood sugar slowly rises as she eats. Jack stands next to her chair for the rest of shift change, her head leaning against his leg, his hand softly massaging the nape of her neck and her shoulders as the other hand takes notes for the both of them.

They wrap up shift change, not without a few jokes tossed their way, and then Jack is kneeling down to be eye level with her. "How you feeling?"

"Peachy." She giggles. So does Jack. They're both a little giddy right now. "Take me home?" she asks, intertwining his large fingers with her own.

"Gladly." He smiles as he helps her up and presses a kiss to the back of her hand, both of their backpacks on his back.

They don't escape completely unscathed. They both hear Langdon as they're halfway out the door, "Oh my god, that hickey you had at the basketball game was from Abbot!?"

"Nothing gets by you, Langdon." Jack claps him on the back as they exit.

Once they're outside, Jack presses a kiss into her hair and murmurs "I love you". Right in the middle of the ambulance bay - because he can now.

If he knew getting caught would feel this good he would have slipped a long time ago.

[hyperfixiation-station]

Behind Enemy Lines Pt.2

CW: Detailed description of wounds and torture, talk of derealization, disassociation, medical inaccuracies Summary: You were a friendly medic, captured years ago and held prisoner, forced to do do the bidding of your captors. Years later, a man by the name of Ghost is dragged in and changes the trajectory of your life A/N: I had severe ADHD, and i am unmedicated rn, and it makes it really hard to work on things unless I get the hyperfocused drive for it, so I'm sorry I'm so bad at making the other parts to my fics. Know that I will never abandon them. it just might take me a while. ALSO I CAN'T FIND THE SAME GIF I USED FOR THE LAST ONE IM SO SAD and also this is shorter than the last one.

thanks to @haven247 for being my beta idea playlist part 1

“I'm a medic, please I don't know anything!” wrists strapped, metal on metal, ears ringing

“Stop please I-” touching, pulling, biting

“Im just a medic pl-” it hurts it hurts stop it please

“I don't know anything!” I'm innocent in this

“Please!” just let me die

“Stop it, please!” hurts hurts hurts

God just let me go

Humans are a funny thing. They crave life and living, no matter how awful the circumstance. You thought a lot about the apocalypse shows you used to binge watch, though about how they all fought to survive, even when it would have been better to die. You never really understood them until now. How someone could lose everything, be betrayed and hurt again and again and still want to live. And yet here you are.

Maybe hope if foolish. You'd lost hope for a long time, or at least you'd thought you'd had. But as the soldiers came crashing into your prison, as they held you at gunpoint as you tried to save their friend, you could feel her crawling out of the dark recesses of your heart. Her light was flickering, but there.

Stepping outside almost sends you into shock. The sights, the sounds the smells, everything just came rushing at you like a freight train. For so long you'd been floating in some half-aware state, the world around you muted and dull, and to have it crash back in like this was startling, to say the least. You would have fallen if not for the dark-skinned soldier holding your arm in a vice-like grip.

You can hear gunfire and screaming, so loud it almost made your ears hurt. Smell the smoke and the burning rubber. Feel the wind in your tangled hair and the blood slicking your hands. The blood. It is hot and slippery, coating your hands and soaking into your ratty t-shirt. You can hear Ghost's rattling, wet breaths, smell the metallic scent of his blood, feel the way his meat, his muscles and fat, brushed against your hand as you kept him from bleeding out, can feel his organs pressing against your fingers with each shuddering breath he takes.

Oddly enough, these sensation help ground you. They were things you knew, feeling you had grown accustomed to since your first day in med school.

You reach a helicopter, the rotors already spinning. Its a bit of a struggle to get in while making sure you don't let go of Ghost, but you manage. The soldiers carrying him place him on a row of seats, and you kneel down next to his body, hand still firmly holding gauze in place.

It wasn't doing much good, but it's not like you could tell anyone.

"Help him." The soldier with the mustache orders the moment you're in the air. He thrusts a med-kit at you, and the dark-skinned soldier opens it for you, showing you the contents.

They don't give you much to work with. Some gauze, a needle and thread, bandages, and a lighter. Rudimentary supplies. But hey, you've done more with less. Probably.

Your free hand drifts to the lighter, a distant memory of a soldier and a gunshot wound in a similar area flashing through your mind. It's not quite the same, more than just an artery nicked this time, but cauterization is all you can really do.

You grab the lighter, flicking it on and holding to his body. a hand closes like vice around your wrist, yanking your hand away.

"What the 'ell are ye doin'" A man with a Scottish accent practically snarls at you. You whine in response, tugging your arm uselessly.

"Soap." The mustache man says sharply, "Let 'em work."

"Sir-"

"Let them go." Your wrist drops, and you fumble with the lighter before holding the fame to Ghost's skin. You watch in sick fascination as his skin bubbles and burns, the fat and muscles shrinking away under the flame, the blood vessels sealing precariously as the heat sears them shut.

You don't know what effects this will have on his organs, if he'll be able to function the same way again. But you have to keep him alive. You look at his pale face, watch the way his chest shudders with every breath.

God you hope he makes it.

~line break~

They don't let you was before throwing you in a cell. Okay, maybe they didn't throw you, but regardless, you were still cuffed to a table with Ghost's blood crusted to your skin. It was gross. And cruel. They had stripped you away the second you reached the infirmary, not letting you see what was going to happen to your patient.

The door swings open and you flinch, looking up at the soldier that comes in with eyes. Its the man from the helicopter. Soap, you think his name is.

"Yer lucky the medics sayd he'll live." He says, his voice distinctly Scottish. He stalks towards you, sitting on the table on your left side.

" 've been instructed tae question ye, but first we ha'e tae git a look at yer face." He reaches for your mask, tugging it off your ear. All he succeeds in doing is pulling your head forward.

The mask is secured behind your head with a metal clasp, and could only be opened with a specific key, ensuring you couldn't take it off. You had tried, at first, to pull the stitches out, and this was the solution. You can't pull out stiches if you can't touch your mouth.

Soaps brow furrows, a flicker of confusion crossing his face. HE grimaces as he touches your hair, finally just pulling a knife out of his pocket. You tense automatically, squirming away as he brings it closer to you.

"Oh for fu- hold still!" He grasps your head, sliding the knife through the cloth by your ear. The mask falls away, leaving your face exposed

"Lets see what we're-" He freezes, the knife dropping to the floor with a clatter as he sees the mess that is your face. Your lips are sewn together, and the skin of your cheeks is red and raw from the tape that holds your feedign tube on.

"Oh shit." the blood drains from his face, his hand fumbling for the comm unit on his vest.

"Cap? Yeah, we've got a problem."

A/N: Okay, i'm not sure I like the second half, but here it is! Part 3 will have more Ghost/medic interaction :) tags: I definitely didn't get them all, I'm sorry there was just so many of you @smile6890 @cricricorner @unclearblur @redzluvvesage @just-a-harmless-potato-05  @vesna-the-spring @princess312 @norsehorseofcourse-blog @bonniperinktrance @soggywafflezz  @littlebunie @sirbonesly @havoc973 @mommymilkers0526 @thegreyjoyed @pinkiliciousgunp0int @poopoobuttsy @darcellethedreamer @kamote-kuneho @z-wantstowrite @i-ate-ur-fries @fakeguysarehot @shitrandom @yunho-leeknow @idontreallyexistyet 

[illiath-the-fae]

So... just to add some reality to this.... because a lot of people seem to think they'd be perfect and would not have any issues with being able to handle these things if they happened in their own lives in some way...

If OP is referring to the included response image, then the response needs analysis, because it does not say (explicitly) what OP is responding to. As the image response wasn't supplied by OP I'm not sure OP is responding to that or a different response. If not and there was a more direct response, then it should have been provided, not this one, as I do not agree that this response says what OP claims.

For those who are unsure why I say this, my analysis of the response posted is below the line (I'm reminded of Brandolini's Law here)...

There are two primary ways to read this response. There are other ways, most likely, but I wanted to highlight these two.

The person is hateful enough of people who won't accept being called a specific word that they'll cut them out of their life (which seems to be the way this thread is taking the response).

The person is has sufficient levels of social anxiety that potentially harming someone by accident is sufficient cause for them to avoid the individual in question.

The first method is how people seem to be reading this, based on attaching it to the post by OP (I do not know if this was OP is referring to this post or not so I don't want to say "OP said this" or anything).

Method two, which is how I read that message, is as follows.

Their first sentence that claim "dude" is gender neutral. That's a stance, many in California see the word that way, I understand, even if I disagree. That said, the RP (Response Poster) is taking that stance with their post, which suggests they use this the same with men, women, cats, dogs, otters, fish, birds, etc (okay, maybe not, maybe only humans, but hey, I can be hyperbolic, right? right? oh, okay, maybe not... let's just assume it's people only for now).

In their next sentence they express their response if someone in real life requested not to be called dude. Their response would be, probably (so this hasn't happened to them), stop talking to them altogether because of their anxiety around accidentally disrespecting the other person. While this means the person is likely to cut someone out of their life (this bit matches up to OPs post) it is not because someone else is transfemme (this doesn't match up, because RP doesn't mention transfemmes at all, even though OP specifically mentions them), but because of their anxiety around disrespecting other people.

Okay, so now I put on my psychologist hat and I see someone who is dealing with elevated levels of anxiety about social situations (maybe clinically, maybe not, this is a SINGLE SENTENCE not something I could diagnose from, even if I wanted to. It's just a higher level of anxiety that would be expected). Someone who knows they're going to make a mistake and don't want to harm someone (even slightly) with their mistake that they are likely to self-isolate from that individual to make sure it doesn't happen (this is called setting a boundary, some of you are big advocates of that from what I've read here on this site).

People who would rather self-isolate themselves from others, rather than make mistakes that they believe will harm the other person (even slightly), exist, are real, and think this way about all sorts of behaviours. Rather than putting this person on blast because you have read what they have to say and read something into it that isn't in what is written, perhaps we could take a moment to actually process what they wrote and see if they actually say what we initially read into it? It would help.

If they did say what we think they said, rather than shaming them entirely, is there is another way we could handle the response than putting them on blast? If RP had, in fact, said they'd shove transfemme people out of their life, if the transfemme requested not to be called 'dude' what could we have done? Could we have a method that includes the person and tries to get them to change their mind? We've got a lot of things attempting to divide us, as a society, even more will be coming in the next few years, divide and conquer is a well-known fascist tactic, don't do it for them!

On a side note, there is also another factor I think we should include here... As part of the whole "we should learn how to be inclusive, not exclusive when something bad happens socially", we need to remember that it is a highly common behaviour for individuals to be unable to word things clearly to describe their feelings around a matter such that they'd rather avoid those feelings and the subject of them, than attempt to address them. We even have terms for when people's ability to handle social situations is affected by that to a "clinically relevant level"... you may have heard of some of those.

I'm sorry was there actually a post where a cis woman said she would cut a transfem friend out of her life if a transfem asked her to stop calling the transfem dude? Please tell me this was a hypothetical and not real

[riaaaxoxo]

pervert!nagi, who’s a freak for your panties. it’s not really stealing if you leave them at his place after a night of fun, right? it’s just… ‘borrowing’. how can he resist the rush of taking them when it smells like you? not of your sweet citrus perfume— but of your essence that soaked through from just how wet you were. your pheromones made his brain go haywire just from sniffing the fading scent. and, don’t get him started on the taste. he just can’t help the way his hand trailed into his sweatpants. he got the same high he got out of eating out your sweet cunt, just without the beautiful melody of your whines— begging him to make you cum on his tongue. nagi had licked the stripe of your panties soaked as he pounded his fist up and down. his heavy groans and whimpers of your name on his lips echoed through his dorm.

he threw his head back. god, he was so close. just a little bit more and he’d cum himself silly. he had, quite literally, licked your panties clean. there was nothing left to savor, but his own saliva. “fuck…” he whined, almost a cry as he stuffed his cock into your panties, moving the thin fabric up and down. tears started to form in his eyes as he bucked his hips up. and with just one final squeeze of his fist around his cock, he shot his load into your panties. his moans got caught in his throat as he tried to recover his breath. “y/n… ah…” he whimpered, his lips quivered while pearls of cum dripped from his dick. his vision blurred from such an intense orgasm as he relaxed into his chair.

he uses the used pantie to clean his dick up like a rag and dropped it into his drawer of shame. it was filled with panties splattered with dried cum. honestly, it’s a wonder that you haven’t run out of them yet with how many he’s taken.

the next time you had come over was to get ready for a party. some kind of gathering for all the rich kids at your college that reo had invited the both of you to. “baby, i left a hair straightener here, right? where’d you put it?” you asked, as you scouted the surface of his dorm. “hmm, i think so… maybe it’s in the drawer..?” nagi so helpfully suggested. he didn’t even look up from his phone to point out which drawer he had stuffed it in.

just by luck, you pulled open the drawer under his gaming desk and revealed the treasure cove of panties you’d lost. noticing the curious lack of sound from jostling items around or the shutting of the drawer, nagi had looked up from his phone to see you staring into his drawer of shame. his heart dropped seeing the shocked and probably violated look on your face as you saw the crusts of dried cum stuck onto each and every pantie. nagi shut off his phone as his screen displayed a ‘GAME OVER!’ screen, moving over to maybe try and stop you from storming out and instantly breaking up with him.

looks like his dirty little secret wasn’t so secret anymore.

wrote while hrny dont laugh guys 💔

[gayasswitchbitch]

Miscommunications.

Portgas D Ace x Reader

Warnings: a bit smutty, implications, fighting, angst, hurt/comfort, anxiety things, insecurities, idfk

3.6k words.

Summary: After a spicy night with Ace someone accidentally walks in on you naked and causes a drift between you and Ace.

The air was filled with breathy moans and cherry scented perfume, both a courtesy of your sweet hearted boyfriend, Ace. He had spent the last half hour making you gasp for breath and beg for more. Most of the time that was more than enough for him to feel satisfied. Seeing you fucked out after being so desperate for his touch, god, was it thrilling. Knowing he could please you so easily fulfilled the praise kink he tried to hide. He wasn’t doing a very good job at it.

You lay now naked, cuddled up onto his chest while his hand traces soft patterns into the plush of your skin on your back. Ace takes his time even after the fun stuff is over. He needs you to understand just how loved you are by him. He starts with kissing your temple, once kiss, then twice kiss. “You’re so beautiful, my love.” He says. Then moves down to your cheek. Kiss, kiss, kiss. “I don’t deserve you, you’re so perfect. So sweet.” He plants another on your nose, your jawline, neck, chest. Kiss, kiss, kiss. He can’t help himself. “I love you, I love you, I love you!”

“Ace!” You laugh. No matter how many times he’s done this you can’t help but melt. “I love you too.” He plasters that goofy smile on his face.

“Do you really?” He asks in a playful tone. Truthfully, at times he still had a hard time believing someone like you could love someone like him. He knows your answer, you always say yes, but part of him needed the reassurance anyway.

“Yes, Ace I truly love you! And you love me right?” You ask with a hint of mischief in your tone. Ace knew what was next. After sex, every single time, you ask him to ‘pretty please get a glass of water for your sweet and loving partner.’ With his body temperature being so hot, and maybe him fucking you so good, it always leaves you sweaty and dehydrated. He chuckles lightly.

“Does my baby need a glass of water?” He asks.

“Maybe…”

“How did I know? You got it. I’ll be right back.” Ace planted a kiss on your lips this time before heading to the door. “I’ll be right back. Love ya.”

“Love you too, Handsome.” Aces heart stops for a second and you notice as he’s walking out he grins big, face flushed in a deep red. With how flustered he gets over a small compliment, you probably wouldn’t guess he just spent the night whispering heinous things into your ear while fucking you dense. He touches your body so dirty, heated and raw, yet loves you so gently and innocently.

With Ace gone for a few minutes, you look around the room. It’s a complete mess. Pillows thrown, blanket hanging off the bed, shoes scattered about, your clothes are…somewhere in this mess.

With a big sigh you roll out of bed to find them. Checking under the bed, you notice everything BUT your clothes. ‘Geez. he’s so messy’ you think. A bag, handfuls of paper with sporadically written notes, boots, no clothes. You decide to check by the dresser, the desk, and again, nothing.

You think maybe the last place they could be is his closet floor. Upon opening it though, you’re met with cobwebs and empty hangers.

Down the hall you can hear Aces footsteps approaching, already back with your glass of water. You replay the events the led to right now. ‘If anyone knows where they are, it WOULD be him’ the doorknob starts to turn and you’re eager to ask the raven haired man where he had decided to throw your clothes. The door swings open with force and who’s standing there is not your boyfriend, but Tatch, frozen in place and mortified. The poor man had come with papers in hand ready to talk to Ace about tomorrow’s mission. Unfortunately he couldn’t have worse timing.

You’re mortified by the intrusion, rushing to the bed to use the sheets as cover.

“WHY ARE YOU BARGING IN HERE?” You yell. Oh god, telling Ace about this is going to be a nightmare. Tatch whips his body around to look away, nearly hitting his head on the door frame.

“I AM SO SORRY- I DIDNT- YOU- IM NOT USED TO HIM HAVING SOMEONE IN HERE IM SORRY-“ he’s a stuttering mess. “ILL BE LEAVING NOW I AM SO SORRY.” He starts to swiftly walk away and you imagine Aces distraught over knowing his best friend has seen you naked. Your boy has such a tender heart, but also a possessive one.

You jump up from the bed, sheets still covering you and make your way toward the door as fast as you can. You need to stop him and figure out what to do before Ace gets back. “Tatch!” You yell after him. “Wait!” But he was too fast. Like your clothes, he’s no where in sight.

“Fuck!” There’s no way this is happening right now. What the fuck do you tell Ace?

‘Hey babe while you were gone your best friend walked in and saw me naked haha.’ In the middle of your panic you hear another set of footsteps making their way toward you. ‘For the love of god please let it be Ace this time.’

“Babe!” Ace tries to whisper, panic in his voice evident. ‘Thank god.’ You think. ‘Thank god it’s him.’ A wave of relief washes over you. “What are you doing standing in the doorway? Someone might see you!” Too late. Ace wraps an arm around your shoulder and guides you back inside the room.

Together, you both plop down on the edge of the bed. “Sorry…” you say. Immediately he can tell that something is wrong. The room that was previously full of lightheartedness is now filled with dread. He sets the water down beside him, and turns toward you. “Are you alright?..you seem off.”

He asks. Ace reaches for your hand, interlocking your fingers. He likes the way his skin feels on yours. It feels natural, having you so close.

Your heart races. So much for the relief. Unsure of what to say, you lift yourself onto his lap and pull him close. Maybe it would be better to sleep this off and figure out what to do with a clear head. Maybe a talk with Tatch on how to tell Ace what happened tomorrow would help as well. “I just…” your voice shakes and his chest tightens. He would do anything to make you happy. What could have you so upset that you couldn’t tell him? “I love you and I think I’m getting really tired. Could we get some sleep?”

Ace frowns. Part of him wants to pry. Had he said something wrong before? Was it something he did during the act? His mind is swirling with endless possibilities. It’s not until you plant a soft kiss to his cheek that his mind finally shuts up.

It’s not long after that he pulls the blanket up over you both and starts trying to lull you to sleep with soft praises.

The next day you try to approach Tatch while he’s preparing dinner. He’s the most content behind a stove, so the best way to talk about something uncomfortable would probably be in his happy place right?

Ace and Marco are across from the kitchen playing a card game. Ace sees you walking by and grins widely while waving to you. He’s reminiscent of a puppy wagging his tail, happy to see you no matter how little time it had been. You return the gesture and continue to make your way to Tatch. Ace is a bit confused as to why you’d be going in the kitchen at this time. Usually you’d be finishing up chores or reading on the lower deck, but he continues his game, trying not to give it a second thought.

The kitchen is hot and smells of fresh garlic. Tatch is by the stove, cutting up veggies and humming to himself. He’s so lost in song that he hadn’t heard you walk in, but It doesn’t take long for him to recognize your presence. As he turns to drop the vegetables into the pot, he jumps at the sight of you.

“I really didn’t mean to!” He yells in a panic and eyes widened. Now YOURE the one panicking.

“Tatch! Quiet down! We don’t need anyone else knowing about this!” Little did either of you know that it was too late. Ace heard the commotion and hurried toward the door to check on the two of you, but stopped dead in his tracks the moment he heard what you said. His anxious thoughts started taking over again. What could be going on between the two of you? What would the love of his life and one of his closest friends be hiding?

Ace can feel his heart pounding in his chest. His breathing is heavy and he doesn’t want to hear anymore, but he can’t move.

“Tatch,” you continue. “What happened between us.. it was weird. I don’t want to think about it, I’m sure you don’t want to think about it…” Ace scoffs. ‘what happened between us? What the hell does that mean?’ Ace presses his ear closer to the door and now it feels like his heart is trying to escape from his chest. “But we have to tell Ace. We can’t keep this from him.”

“I know and the longer we wait the worse this will get.” He didn’t want to admit how embarrassed he was to face Ace.

Aces spiraling turns is now a full blown meltdown. It’s not as bad as it sounds, but to Ace.. it’s the worst thing imaginable. His partner and his best friend! Behind his back. Cheating. He’s never felt a betrayal this deep. He’s so sad, so angry. Just as he’s about to burst through the door to call you out he hears Tatch speak again.

“Let’s not talk about this here okay.. let’s meet on the deck tomorrow…after everyone settles down for the night. We can make a plan there.”

Ace doesn’t know what to do. He leaves before you know that he heard, and makes his way toward Marco. Marco notices how dilated Aces eyes are and how heavy he’s breathing.

“Ace! Man, what’s up with you?”

“Y/n, Tatch. They’re seeing eachother behind my back. Planning to run away together, leave me in the dirt.” He was a bit dramatic, sure, but that’s basically what you had said right?

Marco deadpans. “Ace. You idiot, what the hell are you talking about?” He thinks Ace might’ve actually lost his mind.

“I heard them Marco! Saying they’re going to meet up tonight when everyone is asleep to do their dirty deeds.” He sneers.

Marco is a logical man. He knows this must be some sort of misunderstanding. He’s never seen someone love Ace as profoundly and deeply as you do. He also knows that Tatch wouldn’t ever do that to Ace either, out of the deep brotherhood they share. He tried to explain this to him with no avail. He hates it.. but he thinks the only thing that might work to make Ace see that light is to stir the pot just a little bit. Did he also want the juicy details on what exactly was going on.. maybe, but he’d never admit it.

“Alright Ace. If you’re so sure… let’s follow them. We will wait for them to make their way to the deck, and we can listen in on their conversation.”

“And break my heart more?” He looks up at Marco, like a kicked puppy with his watery eyes and shaken body.

“No. To get proof. Then, we attack. Expose them right there.”

Ace reluctantly agrees and mopes back to his bedroom. He knew you’d be here any minute to cuddle up next to him. It was an every night thing, him waiting for you to arrive so he can wrestle you into the bed and suffocate you with cuddles. Had you been doing this with Tatch too? His heart sinks at the thought.

When you do arrive he’s not his usual upbeat self. He doesn’t want to cuddle, he doesn’t want to talk, doesn’t even want to have sex. You rub his back trying to get something, anything, out of him.

“Ace, baby… what’s wrong? Talk to me.” He doesn’t say a word. Just lays there still. You try again. “I love you.” for the first time in your relationship he doesn’t say it back. Was he mad at you? You wonder if he overheard and is angry that you hadn’t told him sooner. You did your best to sleep, but ended up tossing and turning all night. Overthinking, wishing this could all be over. Just one more night. One more night and things will be back to normal.

At dinner the next day, Ace is staring daggers through Tatch. He won’t look at you because he knows he’s too weak. He can’t bring himself to be angry at you, especially when he knows If he were to see the solemn look on your face he’d give in.

Your guilt starts to bubble. he must have heard the conversation and if that’s true.. who knows what the hell he’s assuming right now. He barely touches his food. He cant eat the food of a traitor.

When the time comes to talk the sky is dark, lit with only a few seeable stars. There’s a cool breeze and if this wasn’t such an awful situation the ocean waves and sound of the ship gently rocking would be calming. You and Tatch aren’t looking at each other, just out to the sea past the rails. A few feet way sits both Ace and Marco hiding behind some barrels.

“I need to apologize to him. I feel so guilty. What must he be thinking?” Tatch looks deeply saddened by the thought of hurting him. This had all become a much bigger deal than it needed to be.

“Hey. Im sure after we explain everything he will understand.” You place a hand on his back for comfort and Ace thinks he might explode. He doesn’t want to understand. He doesn’t want anyone else to have you, to know you in the ways that he does. If he were to die he’d lie and say he wants you to move on but in reality he’d haunt whoever dared tried to approach you. He’d scare away everyone until you met him in the afterlife. You two were just supposed to be.

“Then how do we do this?” He asks. You sigh, trying to wrack up an idea on how to make this easier on the both of you. Behind the barrels Marco is doing is best to reel Ace in. It’s not helping much. The more he sits there the more heated he becomes.

He’s so frustrated he’s starting to cry again. Unable to bare it anymore, he stands from behind the barrels and starts making his way towards the two of you despite Marcos protests.

“If you guys wanted to be together so bad you didn’t have to go behind my back!”

The shock of both his sudden presence and his obscene words scares the both of you. Your words scatter as you try to explain, but Ace is done being patient.

“Whatever you’re going to say… save it! I’ve heard enough. How could you do this to me?” His voice cracks, so does your heart.

Tatch now chimes in. “Ace, it’s not what it looks like! I swear. Please listen.” Ace pushes him back.

“No. I don’t want to hear it!”

“Ace.” Marco finally gets out from behind the barrel and chimes in to calm him down. “At least listen to what they have to say.” Ace whips around to look at him and I f looks could kill, Marco would be a dead man. “We don’t know the full situation. Let’s hear them out first.” Ace turns back to the both of you. He wants to fight more, yell more, tell both of you to fuck off. He’s acting like a child, he knows that, but he’s never loved someone as deeply as he has loved you. He’s never felt a pain his rough. Yet, even still, when he sees the sadness in your eyes he gives in, like he knew he would. He can see the worry, the stress his yelling is causing you. He thinks you’ve betrayed him and still doesn’t have the courage to hurt you in any way. He’s too weak for you, so instead he flops to the floor, sitting with his head down. You follow. You throw your arms around him.

“Baby.. it’s not what you think.” You cry.

“We swear it’s not! I made a mistake I didn’t mean to see her naked!” Tatch, you idiot. Aces head shoots back up and the look on his face is terrifying. Tatch would be a dead man too. Even Marcos is at a loss for words, just staring jaw dropped. You’re panicking again and furiously explaining.

“No! He didn’t see me naked! Well, he did, but not like that!” Ace tries to stand. He can’t bare to hear any more of this but you pull him back down. “Wait! Please! Let me finish! Please don’t go I don’t want to lose you!” He hears your voice breaking. He’s losing his resolve again. “That night… the last time we..” you look to the other two men and feel a bit embarrassed. You didn’t want everyone knowing about your sec life but keeping Ace was worth a little embarrassment. You clear your throat to continue. “The last time we had sex.. when you left to get me a glass of water I got out of bed to find my clothes.” Both Marco and Tatch are now looking away from you, a light flush on their faces. “Tatch had come to your room wanting to talk about a stupid mission. He stupidly walked in without a knock or anything and happened to see me standing there naked. He immediately turned away and left. He feels so guilty.” Ace doesn’t look convinced. You readjust your position. You place your hands on either side of his shoulders and look into his eyes. “That’s really all that happened, baby I swear. I love you. I love only you. I’ll only ever love you. I’ll only ever want you to touch me. Please believe me.” He can see the desperation. He almost hated how well he knew you, how easy you’d become for him to read. He wipes his tears again, reaches for your cheeks and wipes your tears as well. When he looks at Tatch, the man is in shambles.

“I’m sorry Ace! We should’ve just told you then and there but I panicked! I made it worse by trying to sneak around. I’m so sorry.”

You take a step back from Ace and he sits in thought for a moment. Everyone is tense waiting for his response. He feels so stupid, making a huge scene over a miscommunication. A miscommunication over you and Tatch having a fear of losing him.

For what’s hopefully the last time tonight, his heart strings are tugged again. He feels truly loved, and also embarrassed. “I’m sorry guys.. I shouldn’t have made a bunch of assumptions. Shoulda just talked to ya I guess.” He looks at you, this time tenderly, and you smile. You’re so overwhelmed with emotion and the sheer happiness of him understanding now that you tackle him to the ground and cover his face in kisses and I love yous. You don’t care who’s watching.

“See!” Marco speaks up again, secretly loving to watch how the drama of the night unfolded. “Told ya nothing weird was going on.”

“Whatever! You were just as shocked as me!” Ace picks the both of you up and places you in his lap. He squeezes you in a tight hug. “Y/n.. I’m so sorry. I’m sorry I got so angry and I’m sorry I wouldn’t listen. Please forgive me.” You giggle.

“I forgive you. I’m also sorry. I should have told you sooner and I shouldn’t have made you worry so much.”

He lets out a big sigh. “It’s all alright now. I’m just glad it’s not what I thought.” Ace put you down and stood up to go hug Tatch. They both apologized profusely to each other.

“I didn’t want to assume.. I’m sorry I did I …guess I went a little crazy.” He’s ashamed and he should be just a little bit, but Tatch understands.

“Ain’t never seen a man go that crazy for someone that they didn’t love more than anything in the world. I can’t hate ya for that.”

“I guess I can’t hate you for seeing something so stunning either.” Ace gives you a wink like he didn’t embarrass everyone all over again with the thought of seeing you naked.

It’s finally over and Ace decided it’s time for some much needed rest, He needs you extra close tonight. He says his goodnight to the guys and when they’re gone he throws you over his shoulder to head to his bedroom. “Y/n. Again, I’m sorry. I love you. So much.” He kisses your lips feverishly. He didn’t realize how much he missed you in one night. He can’t keep his lips and hands off of you. It was clear that tonight would be another long night, hopefully this time with no one walking in.

[ahundredtimesover]

Something About You (05) | JJK

Pairing: Jungkook x (f.) Reader

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

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

Word count: 22.1k

Series Masterlist

Status: Ongoing

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

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

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

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

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

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

“You’ve had a long day.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Has he always looked this charming?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“I’m already drooling,” he tells her.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Yup,” you flutter your eyelashes. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Yup, barely touched.”

“What! I thought you liked it!”

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

“Of our friendship?” You say mindlessly. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“You’re a brat,” you groan.

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

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

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

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

“How they slept.”

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

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

“Where’d you get this?” You ask.

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

“Why is it saved on your photo album?” 

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

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

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

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

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

“Jiminie,” you whine. “Hug me.”

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

“No, I’m shy.”

“When were you ever shy with affection?”

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

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

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

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

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

“And?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“What did you want?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Wow. Thanks,” he deadpans.

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

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

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

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

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

“But I lost.”

“Doesn’t matter,” he shrugs.

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

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

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

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

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

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

“What about you?”

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

“Have a bite at least,” you offer.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Is that alright?” He asks.

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

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

“Okay, thank you.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Kook isn’t.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

“I can’t breathe,” you frown at him. 

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

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

“So? Coffee and dessert are separate things.”

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

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

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

“So it’s safe and stuff?” You ask.

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

“Did he enjoy it?”

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

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

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

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

“I’ll think about it,” you shrug.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Seriously?” He laughs. 

“You never know,” you shrug.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“How was that?” He asks.

“Pretty,” you say. “Thank you, Kook.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“___?”

“Hmm?”

“Is there anything else you need?”

“My phone,” you stammer.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“___?” He calls your name again. 

“Hmm?” 

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

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

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

“I think I need a nap.”

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

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

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

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

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

He shrugs but Jimin pipes in. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Hmm,” you nod. 

“Go sleep.”

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

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

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

“Can you–”

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

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

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

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

“Yeah,” you hum. “I feel better now.”

“Good,” he smiles. 

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

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

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

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

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

“On his lap?” Mo-eum asks.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“None of us literally care.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“___?”

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

“Haven’t you taken a bath?” You ask.

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

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

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

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

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

“Sorry, I should’ve asked.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Do you know why?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“It happens naturally, yeah?”

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

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

“It does. It requires honesty, too.”

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

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

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

“And that requires trust,” you add.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Maybe not a lot has changed. 

“___ helped you though.”

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

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

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

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

“I’m not denying that.”

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

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

“Hmm. I’m sure she is, too.”

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

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

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

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

“Does it hurt again?” He asks.

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

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

“Such a princess,” he laughs.

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

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

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

“So domestic,” she teases. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Yah, are you Jimin?!” He scolds you.

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

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

“I wish I had your ass,” you hum.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“You’re so annoying.”

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

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

You glare at him. 

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

“I’m not a baby,” you frown.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“It’s just a cut,” he shrugs.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

You snicker and look away.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Always,” he smiles. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Yup. It’s very filling.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Definitely not letting that happen,” he chuckles.

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

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

“Yeah, sure,” Jungkook hums. 

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

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

It’s barely 10 seconds in when Jimin replies. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Nope. I will if you fart, though.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“I—” you stutter, clearly unaware. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Sure,” you smile. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Hold my hand again?” You ask.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Okay then. See you in the morning.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Okay,” you smile softly. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Yeah. Me, too,” he responds. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Of course,” he smiles.

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

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

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

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

“Good night, Kook!” You yell out.

“Good night!”

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

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[othersidedd]

Let me take care of you

Joel Miller x f!reader

🤎 You're sick and Joel wants to take care of you.

🤎 tags: no outbreak or maybe were in jackson however you wanna imagine it, sickness, soft dom joel, caring joel, kissing, joel talking you through it kinda, oral sex (f!receiving), fingering, praise, joel cums in his pants from just eating you out

🤎 wc 2.5k

🤎 a little bit self-indulgent short thing cuz im sick again for the third time this month and im honestly so tired of it (and i wish joel miller would take care of me)

🤎 reader has hair she can braid, pink lips and is smaller than joel

-

You had been feeling under the weather for a few days now, waking up with a dry throat, guessing it'll probably pass when you get a glass of water, but instead it stuck with you, then it was your nose next, midday suddenly realizing you cant get any air through your nose.

A day after that it all really hit you. You woke up to an aching all over your body, getting up from the bed, rubbing at your forehead, attempting to ease some of the pain. You tried to breathe with your nose, but still nothing. You groaned in annoyance and pain, waking up Joel, who was still peacefully sleeping next to you. He slowly blinked, adjusting his eyes to the bright sun beaming from the window, making you glow in the light as Joel watched you, but you definitely didn’t feel all that shining and glowing right now.

"Is somethin' wrong, baby?" his voice called, still rough and slow with sleep. His eyebrows furrowed with worry, a hand reaching for your cheek. He softly traced your cheek with his thumb. "Jesus, you're burnin' up." He brought his hand up to your forehead, laying the back of his hand flat on your hot skin.

"Everything hurts, I just wanna sleep for a bit more," you told him, looking at his sweet, dark brown eyes filled with concern about you.

"Ya' stay right here, I'll go get the thermometer." His hands left your body and you laid your weak body back on the white sheets, sighing with the acceptance of it all, you really weren’t feeling well, and you would have to stay in bed for at least today.

As he came back and sat next to you on the mattress, checking your temperate, you both figured out you really were burning up. In Joel’s words, you had a dangerously high fever. He told you to relax and stay in bed, while he ran to the pharmacy to get all kinds of medicine to help get you back on your feet.

Only back then you didn't know that you would still be staying in bed after a week, feeling like an eternity with your body locked up in one place. This sickness was hitting you hard. You mostly slept through your days, and even when you could rarely stay awake for a few hours, you couldn't do anything. Your body was so weak, even standing up made your head spin.

Thank god Joel was there for you. You tried to tell him you could take care of yourself, however he insisted on helping, and there was no use trying to argue with him, he was a persistent man, and you were also lying, there was no way you could have taken care of yourself when you were like this. He made food for you, he read your favorite book for you, the pink cover of it looking silly in his big, rough hands. He even helped you get to the bathroom, the fever still making your legs wobbly. He carried you to the couch on the days you wanted to watch a movie to pass the time. He laid with you when you fell asleep, his comforting hands around your waist, and his hot breath in your hair.

And of course, he gave you all those medicines he bought. He would feed you a strange tasting liquid with a spoon, demanding you to open your mouth afterwards to make sure you actually took it all, then spray something up your nose, and then, your favorite, he would rub those creams on your chest and back, running his calloused hands on your soft skin. It felt comforting, his touch so gentle and knowing, soothing away some of the aching in your body. But his hands on your chest, only inches away from your breasts, also had your stomach twisting with want. You'd stare at his face with pleading eyes, as he focused his gaze on his hands spreading the cream on you. But either he didn't notice the glint in your eyes, or he just didn't want you like this, all stuffy and messy, because day after day, his hand left your body, fixed your shirt and kissed your cheek, wishing you a good night.

-

"Open up, baby. Stick your tongue out." You rolled your eyes, but still obeyed, sticking your tongue out at Joel sitting in front of you on the bed, soft mattress dipping under his weight. You still tasted the metallic taste of the medicine faintly on your tongue.

"Good girl," he cooed, smiling at you. You laughed softly, the praise slightly stirring something in you, reminding you of all the times you've been on your knees before him, hearing those same words, but in a darker tone.

"Gotta' make sure you take everything I give ya'." You gave him a look, a mad one, maybe, but you didn't actually want him to stop. He was teasing you, and whatever he was trying, was working, your face flushed, and your touch deprived body tensing up at his filthy words.

"Stop talking like that." You slightly pushed his shoulder, only earning a soft laugh from him. "I'm all messy and sick," you said, more to yourself, trying to stop the arousal twisting in you. You hadn't even looked into a mirror that day, but you could only guess what a mess you were, sitting on bed in your worn sleep clothes, hair falling out of your now loose braid, holding an used tissue in your hand.

He reached for the small container of cream on the bedside table, twisting the top open with ease. You were only wearing a small pink tank top, giving Joel all the access he needed for this. He dipped two fingers, his index and middle, into the soft cream, your eyes closely following their every move, causing you to feel a familiar heat between your thighs. He brought the fingers to your neck, softly starting to work the cream onto your skin, starting at the neck.

"You're still burnin' up,” he stated matter-of-factly as his hands worked on your skin. They were slowly starting to make their way down, now massaging the cream into your upper chest. You felt your nipples harden at his touch, the action clearly visible to him too, the hardness of them poking right through your thin shirt. His eyes flickered to yours, lips now forming into a small smirk. His hands inching lower, you could sense this wasn't about the cream anymore. Your breath hitched in your throat, lips slightly parted.

"You look beautiful," he whispered as he slowly brought his lips to yours, giving you a gentle kiss. His hands sat right above the soft flesh of your breasts. You huffed and opened your mouth to protest, how could he find you beautiful in this state? But he quickly stopped your attempts, "Shh, don't say anythin'." To make sure you got the message, he closed his lips on yours again.

You breathed out his name, hands tugging at his old gray t-shirt, trying to ground yourself, but also wanting to pull him closer, get more from him. He softly brushed a few strands of hair behind your ear, his sweet eyes looking at you with so much love and gentleness. "I know, sunshine, you've been feelin' so bad." His hand still resting at your chest finally moved lower, gently massaging over your clothed breast.

"Let me make you feel better." Your head dizzy with the sickness, and now also arousal, all you could do was nod, hoping that would be enough for him, enough to not stop, enough to give you more.

He slowly tugged your shirt over your head, leaving you in only your panties. His gaze moved over your chest, always savoring the sight of your pretty flushed nipples and soft skin, as if every time was his first time seeing you like this. He kissed your jaw, neck, collarbones, making his way down, feeling the feverish heat of your skin on his lips, sucking gently, tasting the sweetness of you on his tongue. As his mouth finally found your breast, you leaned your head back, a slow exhale escaping your parted mouth. He knew just the way to touch you, and tonight it was all about you.

"Lay down for me." His big hands guided your back to find the soft sheets, making sure your head was resting on the pillows. Joel hummed in satisfaction, moving himself towards your feet. His thumbs tenderly teased circles on your hips, "Let's get these off," fingers finding the waistband of your white panties. He slowly tugged them down, taking his time, letting you relax and feel every moment. He tossed the damped underwear aside, rough hands gently guiding your legs open.

You loved when he was like this, Joel Miller, the big, rough, mean man, touching you like a sacred thing, like you could break at any moment. His touch so full of care and love.

His breath tickled your skin as he kissed along your thighs. You suck in a long breath as he softly held your legs, thumbs circling the skin, and kissed right next to the wetness between your legs. You felt yourself struggle for breath, your nose still stuffy.

"Breathe through your mouth, baby," he guided you, other hand reaching for your lips, other still staying at your thigh, holding you open for him. His index finger pushing against your pink, soft lips, your body responding to him, parting your lips. The digit gently pressed at your lower lip, holding your mouth open. You took long inhales through your mouth, Joel feeling the hot air on his finger.

A soft whimper escaped your mouth as he licked your folds, dragging his tongue along your wetness. The sweet pleads from your mouth as he worked you with his own, went straight to his cock, feeling the hardness in his boxers. He looked up at you, as he slowly dipped his tongue into you, your parted mouth, slight string of saliva running down your chin, wetting the finger still in your mouth, gently, but firmly holding it open, your face flushed the most gorgeous shade of red. You moaned his name, hips bucking up, grinding into him. Joel savored the taste of you, even if this was for you, that didn't mean he wasn't allowed to enjoy himself.

"This what you needed?" His lips found your clit, sucking gently, causing you to throw your head back, body shivering from the sensation. "Needed me to make you feel good?" You couldn't answer, only frantically nod, barely even registering the words in your hazy mind. His digit left your mouth, trusting you to keep it open with all your moans and whimpers. The hand traveled down your body, touching your neck, chest, stomach and thighs. He rubbed your thigh, trying to ground you before speaking again, "Tell me, beautiful."

Your voice came out hoarse and dry, more like a broken cry, "Yes, fuck-. Joel, yes, please, I need you." He smiled at you, a soft, comforting smile.

"That's my good girl," he cooed, a calloused finger finally finding your opening, slowly pushing inside of you. Your back arched at his digit working its way inside of you, your breath fast and unsteady. "Easy, let's take it slow," he didn't want you to overwork yourself, already feeling weak due to your fever. He slowly dragged his finger in and out, feeling the way you were soaking it.

"Look at me." You opened your eyes, hadn't even realized they were closed, lost in all the pleasure. You gazed at him with heavy eyelids, meeting his eyes, glimmering beautifully in the dim light.

"Keep your eyes on me, okay?" You tried to respond, half the word disappearing into a moan as he pushed his finger deeper, hitting that sweet spot inside of you. You fought to keep your eyes open, soft whines filling the silence of the night. His mouth returned on you, gaze still connected to yours as he licked your clit. The sight of him like this, between your legs, mouth working on you, lips and jaw glistening with your wetness, eyes full of eagerness to please, was enough to almost bring you to the edge.

Joel loved this too, his precum dampening his underwear, cock twitching with arousal. The way you looked, so messy and ruined under his touch, your whimpers and begs in the thick air, how you let him take care of you. He saw the way you were struggling to keep the eye contact, brief moments of eyes closing, moans getting shorter and louder, signaling to him that you were getting closer. And he was too, he felt that familiar tug at his stomach, causing him to groan against you.

"My sweet girl," he mumbled in between sloppy sucks and licks. "You're doing so good for me."

His words went straight to your cunt, hips bucking up into him, his finger curling inside of your soft walls. He stared at you with hunger and fire in his eyes, like he never wanted to stop, like he was enjoying this just as much as you.

"Joel-," your words cut short by another flick of tongue against your red, aching bud, "Ah- I'm gonna-". You reached your peak, back arching from the mattress, crying out his name.

He felt you come undone on his finger, your walls squeezing around his digit. He watched you writhe under his touch, listening to your cries of pleasure, hearing his name on your lips over and over again, pushing him over the edge too, grunting as he felt his release paint a wet spot in his boxers.

You both watched each other come undone, his finger still softly moving inside of you, letting you ride out your pleasure. Breathy moans and groans traveled in the air as you collected yourself.

Joel slipped his finger out, bringing it to his mouth, licking the flesh clean. He leaned over you, hands on either side of your head, closing you in, bringing his lips to yours. You tasted yourself on his lips, gaze traveling around his still clothed body, surely he needed the release too, you were ready to help him, even if your body was aching and screaming at you to go to sleep, but then, you noticed it, the wet spot on his pants.

"Did you...," you whispered between the soft kisses, staring at his crotch with slightly widened eyes. He looked down at himself, then back to you, and nodded, eyelids heavy and breath still uneven. You laughed softly, running your hand in his dark curls. "Joel Miller, the man you are," you smiled at him, eyes bright with amusement, earning a low chuckle from him.

"C'mon now, lets get you to sleep, baby." He laid his bigger body next to you, hands resting on your bare waist, holding you close to him. Planting soft kisses on your neck and shoulder, you drifted off to sleep with Joel holding you, taking care of you, like he always does.

-

🤎 im so sorry if theres any errors im sick and tired :( please tell me your thoughts if you have any !!

[nats-w1fe]

Worse or Even Worse: 3

Natalie Scatorccio x Reader/Shauna Shipman x Reader

Summary: You had all began to accept that you probably weren’t going to be saved and you learn the truth about Shauna and maybe she’s not as perfect as she seemed.

Word count: 3.9k

Warnings: Past plane crash, toxic relationship, gore, mentions of blood, abuse, violence, mentions of vomit, broken bones., arguing, bad writing and ither things I’ve probably forgotten

Characters included: Reader, Natalie Scatorccio Lottie Mathews, Shauna Shipman, Jackie Taylor, Van Palmer, Taissa Turner and other Yellowjackets.

A/n: I’m still writing drabbles so please give requests!

Worse or Even Worse Masterlist

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You’d been in the wilderness for a while. Most of you had accepted that you weren’t going to be saved and it’d be best to just give up. You all learnt how to survive in the wilderness, you adapted. Natalie and Travis become the hunters and everyone else just did what they could to help with things. You wanted to be the one to fetch water, but after the injuries to your leg from the plane crash and the wolf attack it would never be the same again. you could still walk on it but after too long the pain would be too much and it would just give out on you.

Still, you did what you could which mostly consisted of helping Akilah, Lottie and Mari look for berries. Today though, your leg was acting up. it ached more than usual and you were told to stay behind. You were sat on a log outside in front of the fireplace. You looked over at Shauna as she sharpened her knife, you couldn’t lie and say she wasn’t at least a bit attractive doing that.

Jackie sat beside you, rambling about random things as usual. You’d admittedly zoned out a while ago In the conversation. Then you saw Natalie and Travis returning from their hunt. Usually they came back empty handed, but this time they came back holding a large deer. Your eyes widen and you carefully pulled yourself up to your feet, using a makeshift walking stick that Van made for you.

“Holy shit” you muttered.

Coach ben looked over, his eyes widened slightly,

“Nicely done, you two” he complimented, walking over with his crutches. You looked at the deer as they placed it on the ground, it was quite hard to look at,

“It was all Natalie” Travis said, you looked over at them. they way they looked at each other made your stomach churn uncomfortably.

“So, what do we do with it now?” you asked, breaking Natalie and Travis’ attention away from each other.

“First, we have to bleed it out.” he told you all. There was a beat of silence until Shauna stood, and cautiously stepped forward,

“I’ll give it a try” she said, taking her hunting knife out. She knelt down beside the animal and pressed the tip of the blade to the deer’s throat. After a moment she plunged it deeper, deeper than began to draw it straight across. As the animals blood began to spill onto the ground, Shauna felt a thrill she hadn’t ever felt before, she craved more.

You grimaced and looked away from the gory sight,

“Well I think that’s settled” Coach Ben said, “Shauna should be the butcher” everyone nodded in agreement. Shauna shot you a smile and you returned, happy for her but you seriously couldn’t look at that blood.

Later that night, in the glow of the blazing fire Shauna diligently worked on sawing hunks off of one of the deer’s legs which she had sloppily severed and skinned. Meanwhile, around the fire Mari had been cooking the meat while everyone else ate. You sat next to Taissa, not a word had been spoken between anyone, much too focussed on eating. You looked over to Shauna and decided to walk over.

“Hi..” you gave her a gentle smile. She looked at you, pausing, almost as if she were admiring you. it made a faint blush grow on your cheeks,

“Hey you, here to help?” she asked, holding up the bloody knife with a grin. You chuckled and grimaced,

“Oh no no I’ll leave it to the professional” you jokingly insisted, she chuckled too and shook her head. Taking your hand she pulled you closer slightly by her side,

“Come on, give it a try”.

She stood behind you, her front pressed against your back as she carefully guided your movements. You cut into the deer’s leg and made a noise of disgust; she chuckled and you only then realised how close she was to you. Her warm breath fanned against your neck,

“There you go, see you’re actually alright at it” she muttered into your ear. You were more than grateful it was dark out and Shauna couldn’t see how red your face had become.

Natalie glanced over at you two. Her jaw clenched and her grip on her tray of food tightened. She placed her tray down, suddenly put off of her food. She stood, walking off as she couldn’t look at the sight of you and Shauna any longer. Jackie noticed and quickly walked after her.

“Hey! Hold up” she called out to her. Natalie groaned and turned to her,

“What?” she asked.

“Y’know you cant be annoyed at Y/n for finally moving on” when Natalie scoffed in response, Jackie continued “You treated her like shit and she deserves so much more than an alcoholic druggy who probably cheated on her any chance she got” Jackie told her, crossing her arms over her chest. You had told her everything that happened between you and Natalie, it took a lot of persuading to convince Jackie not to slap the shit out of her.

“You’re right, she did deserve better…but I never cheated on her, okay?” Natalie said. It was true, she would’ve never done that to you,

“Well you used her! If you know she deserved better why didn’t you treat her better then?”

Natalie sighed and pulled Jackie further away from everyone just to be sure you wouldn’t hear

“I didn’t use her, I lied…okay you’re right, she does deserve better because I am a druggy and I am an alcoholic and I’m a fucking mess, and she is just…” Natalie sighed, looking over at you and Shauna. You were giggling and just looked so happy, it made her heart ache, “She deserves so much better than me, if Shauna makes her happy then that’s all I want for her” she explained simply, looking down at the ground. Jackie softened slightly,

“Oh…you really like my sister then huh?” she asked, unfolding her arms and dropping them to her side.

Natalie nodded,

“I think I love her, but I don’t know how be in a proper relationship, I’m not good at it…Y/n deserves better than me so I had to let her go, its best if she just thinks I was just using her” Jackie couldn’t think of what to say, so without a word she turned on her heels and walked off, running a hand through her hair.

--

You sat next to Shauna on the floor, leaning against her with your head resting on her shoulder. Music started playing, “this is how we do it” came from the Walkman. You chuckled and watched as a few of the gurls launched into a choreographed dance number, elaborate enough you could tell they’d been working on this for weeks. Mari, Akilah, Lottie and Van came in doing the running man while quite literally chanting the words ‘running man’. You giggled, then Shauna suddenly stood up and joined Taissa, Natalie and some others as they did the Bart Simpson dance move.

“And Javi... and-- Javi, you're late!” Mari exclaimed, Javi hurried to get on beat and Taissa jumped in the help. They all re-synchronized and everyone cheered. Suddenly the tape began to struggle, the song creepily slowly and distorting into an eerie dirge before stopping completely. Everyone stopped. Van walked over, giving the Walkman a few hopeful smacks,

“Has hitting something ever fixed it?” she asked to no avail, everyone walked over to try give their assistance,

“Maybe try blowing on it?” you offered, still sat down.

Before anyone could reply they all heard a distinct, sustained scrapping noise from the attic. You looked up at the attic in fear.

“Um. The fuck is that?” Jackie asked, everyone paused and stared up at the ceiling. You carefully stood and walked closer to Shauna.

“...You hear it, too?” Lottie asked, seemingly very surprised. Everyone looked at her, quite confused. You held onto Shauna’s hand.

“It's probably just a branch” Taissa casually remarked, trying to ease the tension.

“Inside? On the floor?” Mari asked, she paused. Everyone seemed to tense at that slightly, “What if it's him?” she suddenly asked.

“What, the dead guy?” Shauna then questioned. You tensed once again. Ghosts weren’t real, right?

“Um, yeah” Mari responded, as if it were obvious. Taissa snorted defensively. Then Natalie spoke up, in a deadpan voice,

“You know what it probably was? The dead guy's missing fingers... trying to find their way home” she teased. A few of the girls squealed, including you as you clutched onto Shauna’s arm. Taissa shot Natalie a glare, “You really have to encourage them?”

Akilah then said to Taissa,

“You gotta admit, it didn’t sound like it was on the roof” she said, sounding extremely nervous just like the rest of you. Jackie joined in,

“Fine, so it was a rat, or a racoon…or I dunno-“ she was cut off when Lottie called out,

“Shhhh! Listen!”

Everyone paused, straining to hear, but there was only silence.

“Well I don’t hear it now” Mari said which a shrug and others agreed. Before the debate could resume Coach Scott spoke up,

“You know what I think? I think the ghost decided it's time to get some sleep. We should do the same” he said. Thus concluding another evening of the forever slumber.

You changed into your pyjamas, pulling your shirt over your head you caught Shauna staring at you. You blushed, expecting her to look away, but she didn’t. you looked down at the ground as you changed, feeling her eyes on you the whole time.

--

That morning was your least favourite. You woke up to your period. In fact everyone had their period. You’d all synced. Luckily for you, you didn’t get cramps. But you did get a very heavy flow. You sat outside, eating your breakfast. You looked over as the cabin door opened and Jackie walked out. Van and Laura Lee hung laundry together while Taissa chopped wood nearby. Other girls stacked chopped wood by the cabin and swept the porch. Akilah was rolling torn-up shirts into makeshift pads. Right by her were two heavy pots, simmering over the fire.

Jackie made her way over to the breakfast pot till Mari intercepted her, shoving an empty bucket into her hands,

“How about getting some more water? Breakfast isn’t going anywhere” Jacke shot her a glare before walking off.

After a bit Jackie came back holding a the heavy, sloshing bucket, clearly struggling. As awkward as it was, it was not hard to feel like she was being extra dramatic as she set it down to rest. Taissa and Van both shared an eyeroll at the sight. Catching the look, Shauna made her way to Jackie,

“Need a hand?” she asked her.

“No, I can do it…Why are you so chipper? Or don't you have a blood sacrifice between your legs like the rest of us?” When Jackie noticed Shauna hesitate she then asked, “Hang on... do you not?”

“I'm... late this month. I mean, we were in a plane crash, so it's probably just stress.” Shauna responded, shrugging it off,

“Lucky you're a virgin or we'd really have to worry...speaking of…what’s going on between you and Y/n?” she asked. Shauna looked over at where you were sat.

“Dunno yet…I like her though; I think she might like me too” she said hopefully, Jackie hesitated. She knew Shauna had a crush on you for a while. The way she looked at you was far from friendly, she even noticed how she would look at you when you got changed. It made her uncomfortable, she didn’t know why but she never confronted Shauna about it.

“Right, well you know just be gentle with her, she only recently got out of a relationship not too long ago” Jackie told her, placing the bucket back down. Shauna nodded and picked it up for her,

“I know, I wont hurt her Jackie” was all she said before she walked off. Something deep inside Jackie just made her feel so unsure about this, something felt off.

Shauna went to cut up some more of the deer, she stood by her bench, taking her knife out. She then looked over at you, you were already looking at her. You smiled and gave her a sheepish wave. She waved her hand, beckoning you over. Carefully, you stood up, walking over to her with a slight limp.

She smiled at you,

“Hey, I wanna give you something” she told you; you looked slightly confused but kept your smile on your face,

“Okay…what is it?” you asked, she put her hands on your hips and gently turned you around so that your back was to her. a small blush lingered on your cheeks as she put a necklace around your neck. You looked down at it and recognised it as Jackie’s heart necklace. You smiled and looked at her, “I thought Jackie gave this to you?” you asked her. She shrugged with a small smirk,

“And now I’ve given it to you…you wanna give me something in return?” she asked. Your brows furrowed slightly in confusion, but when her eyes flicked to your lips you realised what you meant. With slight hesitancy you leaned in, connecting your lips with hers. It was a quick kiss but gentle.

Shauna grinned as you pulled away,

“Now that, I’ll cherish” she teased. You couldn’t help the giggle that fell from your lips,

“Good” you grinned, scrunching your nose up. She found that adorable, which made her question that deep, burning sensation, that sensation that was so deep down and rooted into her soul. She wanted to ruin that smile. Ever since she pushed the blade into the deer for the first time she had a thirst for blood. Your blood. Your tears. Your pain. She craved it.

Natalie watched from afar. A sick feeling rose in her throat and she felt like she could strangle someone, Shauna to be specific. She didn’t deserve you; you were too perfect for Shauna. Those lips didn’t deserve to touch anyone, not Natalie and certainly not Shauna. When you turned your head you caught Natalie’s eye. She snapped her head away, continuing on with her current task. That stung. You knew you weren’t over Natalie, you didn’t know if you ever could be. But you did honestly think you had feelings for Shauna, she was always there for you, she looked after you, she understood you and It helped she was attractive.

Natalie then felt a tap on her shoulder, she looked and saw Lottie holding the bucket,

“Hey, wanna come get some water with me?” she asked, with a sweet smile. Natalie couldn’t help but smile back, she nodded,

“Sure, but didn’t Jackie grab water not too long ago?” she asked, furrowing her brows slightly as they began to walk.

“Yeah but with washing all the pads, we’ve already run out” Lottie chuckled.

They went to the lake; Natalie carefully dipped the bucket in and picked some water out. Lottie stared at her the whole time. Just as Natalie turned to talk to Lottie, the brunette crashed her lips against Nat’s, kissing her. She was clearly not experienced, but she wasn’t terrible. Natalie didn’t pull away for a second, till she did.

“Lottie I- I can’t” she dropped the bucket and quickly walked off, leaving the brunette alone at the lake.

--

It had been a few more weeks. Food was growing slim again and more than anything you wanted a good, well-cooked steak. Things with you and Shauna had been going well. She was so kind to you, so gentle. You weren’t officially together, but you sure acted as such. She always called you nicknames, things like ‘doll’ and ‘babe.’ You did notice Shauna acting quite weird though, she disappeared earlier with Taissa and you had noticed something is changing in her appearance, but you couldn’t figure out what is was.

You were sat with Shauna, leaning against her when Natalie and Travis emerged from the forest, holding a dead deer. You grimaced at the sight of it, its antlers were coated in blood and flesh, everyone cheered,

“Whoa. That thing is gnarly” Van said, “It's like--Freddy Krueger and Bambi had a baby” she commented, making a few laugh.

“I'm not eating that” you said, grimacing at the sight. Shauna took her hunting knife out her pocket and stood.

“Guys, deer shed their antlers seasonally. This is all normal.” Coach Ben insists, he then looks at Shauna, “You want to do the honours?” Shauna walked to the deer, crouching down as she cut into its belly. A chorus of disgust followed at the sight of the inside of the deer, it was infested with parasitic worms. Completely inedible. You couldn’t see from where you were standing, you went to go look.

Natalie noticed this, she knew how sensitive you were to things like that and you’d throw up at the sight. Out of instinct, she quickly stepped in front of you, gently grabbing your wrist to stop you from going over,

“Don’t” she said, her voice gentle. You were taken aback slightly by the sudden action and froze for a moment before pulling your wrist away harshly and sitting back down. Shauna watched the interaction, her jaw clenched.

“That normal too, Coach?” Jackie asked, Ben looked as grossed out as the others. You heard Taissa scoff,

“We can't do this anymore, you guys! What happens when winter gets here? We starve to death? Freeze?” she questioned, looking around at her troubled faces of her teammates. All except for Lottie who continued to stare at the deer. “We can't count on getting rescued anymore-- we all know that is not gonna happen. We have to save us. That's why I'm gonna go find help.” Some of the girls seemed shocked, while others, along with you seemed on board. “I'm leaving in the morning. Come with

me if you want to get out of this fucking hellhole.” Was all she said before turning back to the cabin

Anxious murmurs aroused as she left. You stared at the floor, Tai was right, you couldn’t wait here any long to be saved. This could be the only way home.

--

Taissa stood opposite the rest of the Yellowjackets around the campfire. She scanned their faces, looking for hints of dissent,

“Everyone?” she asked, Jackie spoke first,

“Some of us think there aren’t any good ideas”.

“Well, we have to do something. We're starving. There's nothing to hunt. And it might still be warm enough during the day, but it's starting to get cold at night...” Taissa explained to everyone, you knew you were already on board with going,

“The animals must be migrating.” Misty said, gasping in realisation.

“That's probably why the only game we've seen for weeks was the one sick deer. And it's just gonna keep getting colder. Not 'I-better-put-on coat cold.' We're talking 'dying-feels-like-falling-asleep cold’” you shifted uncomfortably, leaning more into Shauna who put a comforting arm around you. You decided to just block out what they were saying, choosing to instead stare down at the dirt.

But as they spoke, Taissa’s words pulled you out of your zone,

“Anyone who wants to come with me is welcome. But I'm going.” She said, grabbing her bag off of the floor,

“I’m coming” you said, everyone seemed surprised by this. At the same time, Natalie, Jackie and Shauna all spoke up in unison,

“What?” you looked at them and shrugged.

“You’re not going” Shauna said, the way she said it was as if there was no room for argument. Like she had control over what you did,

“Listen, if I'm wrong, I'll die out there” she paused, “I'm leaving in an hour.” Was all Tai said before pushing through the crowd and walking off.

You looked at Shauna,

“I’m going” you then looked at Jackie, “I want to actually help for once, so I’m going” you stood up with a bit of a limp. Jackie scoffed,

“Y/n you can barely walk, you’re not going and that’s final” you then scoffed too,

“You cant fucking control me Jackie” you stormed off in a random direction.

Natalie sighed and looked at Shauna. She couldn’t help the way her eyes widened slightly. Shauna looked fucking furious, like she was going to explode. She clenched her fists and got up, going after you. Immediately Nat felt unsettled, she got up to go after her but Jackie held her arm,

“Just leave her” she clearly didn’t see Shauna’s state.

You stumbled slightly as you walked, your leg ached. You then suddenly tripped, hitting the floor with a grunt. Shauna came up behind you,

“Are you fucking stupid?” she asked, your brows furrowed. Struggling, you pulled yourself back up to your feet, “Excuse me?”

“You’re basically fucking crippled Y/n, you’re not going so stop being a brat” she spat, the words stung to hear from Shauna, someone who was usually so kind to you,

“Fuck you Shauna” you went to walk past her till you felt a harsh hit to your face then a shove. You landed back on the floor with a small cry of pain,

“Don’t talk to me like that you little bitch..”

You looked up at her in pure fear and surprised, nobody had ever laid a hand on you like that.

“You’re a psychopath!” you yelled at her. Without hesitating another second she quickly got on top of you, you yelled and tried to squirm away. she slapped her hand over your mouth, you bit down on her hand. she pulled her hand away and slapped you hard across the face. Tears filled your eyes as you tried to push her away, “Get off of me!” you yelled to her, hoping someone would here.

You then felt her hands around your throat, you gasped as she started to squeezed. You slapped at her hands, trying to push them away. It wasn’t working. The harder she squeezed the weaker you felt, you didn’t know if you could fight back anymore. Just as you were on the brink of passing out she let go and got up. you gasped out, taking in as much air as you could. Choking, you sobbed loudly. But you weren’t as loud as you were when she suddenly brought her foot down on your ankle, on your bad leg. You screamed in pure agony. You were sure the others could hear.

Quickly Shauna crouched by your side and held your body In her arms, you tried to squirm away but then suddenly felt her hunting knife to your back,

“Shhh baby…don’t move, be a good girl” you whimpered quietly, “You’re not going to tell the others about this, you fell and hurt your leg real bad…and I helped you, hm?” she told you. she ran a hand through your hair, the soothing action calmed you down slightly. You sniffled and gave a small nod,

“O-Okay..”

Jackie sprinted over, followed by Tai, Van, Lottie, Mari, and Misty. They looked at you in shock, then Natalie appeared, holding her rifle as if she thought you were being attacked. You buried your face in Shauna’s shirt, not being able to look at the others.

“What happened?” Jackie asked, rushing to your side,

“I think she fell” Shauna lied, very well too, “She’s hurt her ankle really badly”.

“Were you not with her? You went straight after her so you couldn’t have been far” Natalie speculated, she knew Shauna was lying. It pained her, she knew Shauna hurt you but there was nothing she could do about it,

“What are you insinuating?” Shauna scoffed.

“That doesn’t matter, we need to get her back to camp so we can help her” Misty said, Shauna picked you up in her arms and carefully carried you back to camp. Natalie glanced at you every now and then, checking your condition. Her brows furrowed when she noticed odd marks on your neck, they appeared to look like red lines, handprints. Out of anyone, Natalie would be the one to recognise that.

[666thtoolofhell]

That Kingdon slow burn is coming 😭😭😭 all I think it’ll take for Patrick and Taylor to get on board is Langdon separating or divorcing cause wdym Taylor says she thinks Mel will probably be one of the only people not judging him 😭

I just listened to the whole interview and here are some bits that weren't transcribed to the written version:

The reaching up and tapping of the door header on their way to STEMI wasn't in the script - it was all Patrick and Taylor. Patrick would always do it and Taylor thought it was funny and "boy-ish" and copied him to tease him. She didn't even think they'd keep it in the actual episode.

Apparently all the staff will be behaving as if nothing out of the ordinary happened and one of them isn't suddenly not there anymore, just going about things as normal without even touching the subject and sidestepping the Langdon-shaped hole in the room, and Mel will be surprised at not seeing him and then very confused about the whole thing. (Until the reason why is eventually explained to her, I assume. Since she won't be judging him upon his return she'll have to be in the know regarding the basics by then, no?)

Mel will be genuinely excited when Langdon comes back next season, very much like she was when she saw him again after he'd been - unbeknownst to her - fired and away from the ED for a short while. (Imagine if the joy and enthusiasm were to be proportional? If she was that elated after he'd been gone for an hour, how would she react after ten months? Fic writers, you know what to do.)

That man needs to be at the very least separated and in talks of divorce if not already signing those papers by July 4th. We won't survive the slowly burning colleagues to friends to lovers wrapped in soulmatism these two are bringing to the table. [wishful thinking]

I have no real expectations except for the powers that be to continue to focus - as much as possible with the time allotted to them as characters and as a duo - on their wonderful bond and dynamic, still partnering them up for cases as well as for breaks and significant downtime moments, letting their wholesome relationship progress further, growing and flourishing as naturally as it did during the first season.

Since Langdon is going to return fully believing he's failed her and that he's no longer deserving of her trust I foresee Mel disabusing him of that silly notion so thoroughly and so fast he won't know what hit him. Mel treating him the same, without disappointment or betrayal or pity in her eyes, still wanting to work closely with and learn from him? Being supportive and there if and when he needs someone? Just being unapologetically herself in all the ways that immediately drew him to her in the first place? That is going to be a huge help and relief for him, I think, and ease his reintegration into their workplace and team if only a little bit.

I'm hoping their friendship solidifies as something that isn't exclusive to the hospital and that we'll get a teeny tiny blink-and-you'll-miss-it hint that it'll extend into their personal lives. Something like Mel telling Langdon more about Becca and their parents; or him telling her about Abby, the dog, the kids. Sharing and commiserating. Getting to know each other better. Finding only acceptance and understanding. That'd be nice.

Baby steps.

[echo-exco]

GRAAAAAH⁉️ HELP‼️ You wrote such a masterpiece, I'm already so HYPED for the next chapter ONG.

With the batfamily's personal agenda and inability to reach out, their past forever haunting them.

I imagine that the realization that their present, where they actively ( idk if intentionally ) ignore the reader, now "past", will haunt them forever.

Especially Bruce's reaction, his internal struggle with the fact that if he was just a little bit warmer, the chaos caused by the future villain who used to be under his roof, could've been prevented.

Question tho, how would they all eventually turn yandere? They seem to have all never interacted before, so I can't see them suddenly feeling the need to be there for the reader. Either it would be self-righteous beliefs or they'd just think she overreacted. ( bring in the angst LMAO )

— "BEEDALEAF." 🥬

Aww! Thank you so much! I’m really glad that what I wrote was good for you, the readers 😌 I also hope to bring the next chapter soon!

The batfam has their own problems and responsibilities to deal with. Even healer!reader is aware of that, which is why she tries to avoid bothering them with her needs, whether emotional, intellectual, educational, social, or even sometimes financial.

Healer!reader has always been able to take care of herself, with or without a family. What truly affects her is the fact that she can’t use her powers while in Gotham, out of fear that someone from the batfam might find out.

Now, no one in the batfam ever intended to ignore healer!reader on purpose. Some of them might even think they never ignored her. It’s just that everyone assumed she probably had something else to do—or they simply forgot about the requests and questions she had made.

Because, for better or worse, the batfam sees healer!reader as too… ordinary for the family.

Since no one knows (yet 😼) that healer!reader has extraordinary healing abilities, they genuinely believe she’s just the most normal and average daughter of Bruce Wayne.

As for Bruce, he’s definitely going to regret everything. Healer!reader’s future doesn’t look very warm or pleasant for anyone involved.

If only she had had a father, someone to remember, someone she could trust and feel safe with… would that have changed anything? Would she have stayed?

Does Bruce even know his own daughter?

I can’t say healer!reader will be a villain in the future, but she definitely won’t be a hero either. Just think of her as, quite literally, a “human machine made to save thousands of lives.” Of course, depending on your point of view, you could see healer!reader as either a villain or a hero…

As for how they’ll all eventually become yanderes… Well, I like to think the yandere instincts were already there, buried deep inside. They just needed a (massive) little push to finally activate.

Like I said before, they all believed healer!reader was just a very “normal” child for the family. No one ever bothered to look past that.

That’s partially why they kept their distance from her… as if they genuinely thought she’d be better off not getting involved in family matters. Because, to them, healer!reader is someone who hasn’t seen the worst of the world yet, someone who hasn’t been through anything truly traumatic.

They think she’s better off where she is. They believe that way she’ll be safe from everything bad.

And to be fair, healer!reader herself wouldn’t have let anyone dig too deep into who she really is.

She doesn’t want the batfam to know her. She just wants to leave Gotham and go back to the medical field with Masashi. Healer!reader wants to use her powers. Being in the mansion makes her feel restrained and useless. She doesn’t like being there.

She can endure the neglect— it’s something she’s always survived through. What she can’t handle is the thought of not knowing when she’ll be able to use her powers again.

So you can imagine what’ll happen in the future when the Batfam finally learns about healer!reader’s powers. That revelation is going to hit them hard—with guilt, with regret.

I can absolutely picture them noticing healer!reader’s disappearance and brushing it off as a typical tantrum from a child (even if they don’t understand why she’d act that way). But as time goes on and she gives no sign of life… well… that’s when the first alarms start to go off.

And of course, we still have to see Duke and how his presence will affect healer!reader.

Sorry if the response was a bit long. I just hope it cleared up all your doubts.

[cabintenangel]

filling in the blanks as we go

jason grace x roman!reader ♡

author’s notes ౨ৎ part two of this jason fic! i also posted this last year and after this part it’ll all be new writing 😋 enjoy

disclaimers ౨ৎ nothing really, a bit of swearing and pop culture references LOL :)

You liked to think of your life as pretty normal.

Training sessions, mythology studies, war games, the usual. In your free time, you would hang out with your friends, visit New Rome, read books, listen to music, and occasionally sneak out to the mortal world.

But the praetor pretending to be your boyfriend? That was new.

Walking out of Cyclops Books, you thought about what to do next. You’d just finished baking the cupcakes with Tyson, and he’d let you take the extras home. You were planning to share them with Piper and relay the recent events, since who was better to tell than the daughter of love?

Just then, you saw your SPQR tattoo emanate a dark purple glow – the sign to return to barracks immediately.

A few months ago, the Council had proposed that all probatio and those of higher ranking have some way to be alerted if there was an emergency. In response, the praetors had worked with the children of Vulcan to design a little chip that would be placed underneath one’s forearm skin. It was connected to a special device that could activate a color change to the Camp Jupiter purple when needed. Probatio didn’t have tattoos yet, so they got the smallest (and least painful) chips, while other rankings received slightly larger ones so all their SPQR markings lit up. It was nasty to get them inserted, but if anyone complained, Reyna would list off a variety of unpleasant situations where they might be killed if they didn’t have the system. If anyone chose to ignore the alert, they were guaranteed to drop a rank.

You hurried back to the New Rome entrance and exit area. Upon seeing your glowing tattoo, Terminus (surprisingly) made no judgemental comments and ushered you out of the city. At least, you thought he did. It was hard to tell, since he had no arms.

As you headed inside the official campgrounds, you spotted a circle of worried-looking demigods waiting near the barracks. The two praetors as well as Hazel, Frank, Percy, Annabeth, Grover, and another boy you didn’t know were at the front, urgently discussing something in hushed tones. You suddenly realized that this probably had to do with the reason Jason had abruptly left Cyclops Books – something about needing to help out a soldier?

Piper, Leo, and Nico were all gathered near their friends, but the two groups weren’t speaking. Piper had her arms crossed and was talking to Leo as he nodded along.

You rushed to them, out of breath. “Hey. Do you guys know what’s going on?”

Leo shook his head. “No. We tried asking them about it, but they said they’d tell us soon enough. We didn’t push it any further, since they seemed really stressed. Honestly, considering the last time this alert was triggered, it’s probably nothing too serious. Gods, that was embarrassing. People can’t even enjoy Sabrina anymore, man.”

(Last time, Frank had caught Leo at a party dancing shirtless on top of a table while Espresso by Sabrina Carpenter played. The big guy panicked and sent out a signal to the entire camp. After that incident, Reyna banned him from using the device any more.)

Piper looked at you and grinned mischievously. “Speaking of Jason, he’s been glancing at you a lot since you arrived. Anything you want to tell me?” You almost choked on air.

Nico sighs. “Just because a person looks at another person doesn’t mean there’s something between them, Piper. We’re not all like you and Shel who give each other heart eyes when you’re not sitting together at the campfire.”

“Can’t a girl admire her beautiful and perfect girlfriend? Anyway, stop pretending you and Solace weren’t staring at each other like forbidden lovers last night just because you were on different Monopoly teams–”

“That’s different!”

“Oh, are you being sexist right now? You clearly haven’t unlearned the ways of the 1930s–”

“Attention!” Reyna’s firm voice silenced everyone in the area. “We have assembled here today due to a missing young soldier from the Fifth Cohort. We have good reason to believe she is in the woods just beyond the Field of Mars. With the help of Jake Mason, a son of Hephaestus from Camp Half-Blood–” She gestured to the boy that had been talking to their group earlier. “–we plan to send two soldiers as scouts.”

Whispers broke out among the demigods when Reyna said the last bit. They didn’t last long, however; Aurum and Argentum barked furiously, which was enough to make people listen.

The praetor continued. “Recently, we’ve discovered that more than one individual may have an empathy link as long as a satyr is involved, so we plan to set up one between the two soldiers and Grover Underwood here in case any danger is encountered on the way. Jake has found an old device that scans brain similarities: thought process, frequent emotions, cognitive functions, and so on. We will select the individuals with the most alike minds so the empathy link takes up the least energy. Please gather in a line for this assessment.”

You and your fellow campers (plus Reyna’s group) quickly did as she said, and Jake came around. The machine was pretty simple – it looked a little like those no-touch forehead thermometers a doctor in the mortal world would use. The purpose was entirely different, though, as with any demigod contraption. Everyone was a little restless until the son of Hephaestus tested himself and announced the results.

He cleared his throat before saying, “The two soldiers are–” He pointed at you. “Uh, what’s your name? Sorry.”

Stunned, you told him.

He nodded. “Ok. You and Praetor Grace will go to the woods together.”

You didn’t dare look at Piper.

“Are you sure you’ve got everything?” asked Nico, his voice full of concern.

You gave him a small smile. “Yes. You really didn’t have to pack for me, you know. I could have done it myself.” The empathy links had been set up and you were just about to leave.

He rolled his eyes. “Yes, I’m aware. You’re very independent. Just let me do this one thing. For all we know, this trip is a death wish.”

“Very motivating, Nico,” Piper said dryly. “No but seriously, stay safe out there. And don’t have too much fun with Jason. You are on a professional mission, after all.” She winked.

Now you rolled your eyes. “Pipes, you need to let that go.”

You caught a whiff of something that smelled like… clean laundry? Turning around, you found yourself looking at a certain blonde boy, except this time he was wearing a dark blue New Rome University hoodie and a silver dog tag necklace on top, paired with baggy gray cargo pants.

He really had to stop sneaking up on you like that.

“Um, hi. You ready to go?” Jason’s voice was a little rough, like he’d been talking for a while and was now tired.

You nodded and waved to your friends. “Bye, guys.”

For the first ten minutes or so, it was painfully awkward. As you two walked to the woods, the only sound was chatting from the barracks and the crunchy gravel underneath your feet. When you reached your destination, nothing much changed apart from instead hearing the crickets sing and the leaves rustle. You were also half-expecting a monster to pop out of nowhere – there was a reason people avoided this grove.

Venus was probably having the time of her life watching.

“I feel like I owe you an explanation.”

You looked at Jason, startled.

“It was kind of a dick move to just throw that whole boyfriend thing on you. I wasn’t thinking, and now we’ve got to commit to this act, and now you’ve got to lie to your friend, and go on a whole fake date with me, and it’s really all my fault, sorry. If you’re mad, that’s totally fine–”

“You know, you really talk too much.” You were surprised that your voice came out so calmly, considering that you were kind of freaking out. “Yes, you did not make the smartest move there. But that’s okay. Just because you’re a praetor doesn’t mean you can’t fuck up sometimes. Besides, we don’t really have a way out of this.”

For a few seconds, there was no response.

Until Jason chuckled, deep and gravelly. “Wow. That was probably the most honest yet most comforting thing I’ve ever been told.”

“You’re welcome. So how are you thinking we execute this whole… situation? The date shouldn’t be too bad, but I’m mostly worried about how we’ll have to make it public to the camp. Tyson and Percy are half-brothers, and you know how Percy is–”

“He loves gossip. I’m guessing both camps will find out within a day if he knows.” Jason smiled. “I propose we reveal it in a subtle way, so people take a while to piece together that we’re, you know, quote unquote dating.”

You looked at him.

“What?” he asked.

“Are you cold?”

“No?” Jason frowned. He smirked and added, “Quite the opposite, actually.”

Raising an eyebrow, you replied, “Okay, Mason.” (He flushed.) “Give me your hoodie. I’ll probably get a load of it from Piper when we get back, but I think it’ll help our plan work.”

The boy did as you said and handed the hoodie over. You put it on, not expecting it to be so comfy. Jason was wearing a shirt underneath that read “I ♡ SABRINA SLUTS” which very much did not hug his biceps a little too tightly. You guessed the clothing choice was courtesy of Leo.

You were about to compliment it when you heard a faint sobbing echo through the woods.

The praetor looked at you. “Think that’s our soldier?”

You both jogged towards where the sound came from. Sitting against the trunk of a willow tree, you saw a dark-haired girl that looked about 10 years old. Her denim shorts had dark splotches from where her tears had fallen. Upon hearing you approach, she quickly wiped her face.

Jason knelt down next to her and gently took her hand. “Hi.”

You copied his actions, taking her other hand. Softly, you asked, “What’s your name?”

“Gracie.”

Jason smiled. “That’s a very pretty name. You wanna tell us what’s going on?”

The girl put her head in her hands and took a deep breath. “I don’t know. I was just thinking about how much I miss my mortal home and how scared I am now. It feels like there’s danger everywhere and I can never feel safe. I wish I was back at school like a normal kid, but instead I’m preparing for battles and having wolf ladies train me. I started feeling really bad so I came here, hoping it would help. I’m sorry, it’s really stupid and probably caused a fuss if you both had to come find me–”

“Hey, hey, hey. Don’t say that. It’s okay to feel that way. There are so, so many demigods who have thought the same things as you. Even I did, and I’m the praetor.” Gracie laughed a little at the last bit Jason said.

“Exactly,” you agreed. “You are being so brave right now. Just telling two people you haven’t ever talked to before about how you’re feeling takes courage.”

“You really think so?” Her voice was small.

“We know so.” Jason squeezed her hand. “Now, do you want to sit down here for a little longer, and we’ll tell camp you’re okay? We can stay with you.”

Gracie shook her head and declared, “I’m ready to go back now.”

“Okay.” He grinned. “Wait. I know what to do.”

Jason picked her up, bridal-style, and the girl squealed. Looking at him, with his slightly messy hair and huge smile, you felt closer somehow. Perhaps it was the empathy link, but it was like you were seeing a side of him that not many people knew. You were seeing Jason Grace, the boy who loses his glasses and thinks he’s being a burden (even though he isn’t) rather than Jason Grace, the praetor who fought the Titan Krios.

You liked this look better on him.

“Hello? Are you there?” Jason was staring at you intently, which made your cheeks grow warm. You hadn’t realized the two expected a response.

“Sorry, what?” You started walking back to camp, and they followed.

“Gracie here was just telling me that key lime pie is her comfort food, so I asked you if you’d like to bake it with us.”

“Oh, I love key lime pie! Sure.”

He beamed at you. Gracie continued her conversation, and you listened to her talk about the time she almost burned down her house a few years ago trying to make it. It was a peaceful walk, and you felt like you were with old friends.

Maybe, you thought, you could get used to Jason Grace.

[mylovesstuffs]

OT13 reacting to their s/o watching disney movies

Request: CELESTE MY LOVE HELLO 🫧

i have Thoughts for you ｡ﾟ( ﾟ^∀^ﾟ)ﾟ｡

i just 😭😭😭i’m just a disney girlie at heart 😭😭😭😭😭😭🩷 and i’m filled with wonderful prince dokyeom and prince wonwoo and king scoups and prince jeonghan brainrot thanks to my fyp and i was crying to tangled and beauty and the beast earlier and I JUST-

i need to hear your beautiful wonderful brains thoughts 🥺🥺🥹 WHENEVER TOU GET TIME MY LOVE (。･ω･｡)ﾉ♡

how would svt react to watching disney movies with reader (& reader crying if you wanna be extra, up to you) ╥﹏╥ JST SMTH CUTE AND FLUFFY TO CURE OUR FEELS SJOCJSJDJW

okay i love u always take care of yourself and UNTIL NEXT TIME~

- 🫧

A/N: MY SWEETEST 🫧 HELLOOOOOOO !! Your disney girlie feelings are so valid and BEAUTIFUL, and now I’m crying thinking of you crying over Tangled and Beauty and the Beast. You’ve planted a GORGEOUS idea in my brain and now… allow me to feed you the fluff you deserve

Seungcheol: Beauty and the Beast

You're his arms. If you’re giggling at side characters, he laughs too, because your laugh is his favorite part of the movie. He also watches you sniffle into his sleeve and just pulls you into his arms, stroking your hair like, “I mean I get it… but also… he was hotter as a beast?” Then kisses your head and whispers, “You’re my Belle, though. Always.”

Jeonghan: The Little Mermaid

He’s watching you, not the screen, but you catch him humming Part of Your World days later. When you cry at Ariel losing her voice, he scoffs: “Ugh, tragic. Imagine not being able to talk to me all day.” But hands you a tissue and kisses your damp cheek 🥺 He’s already pulling you into his side, loving every second.

Joshua: Cinderella

He’s smiling the whole time, watching you more than the movie. When you cry at her dress transformation and finally going to the ball, he holds your hand tighter. Later, he says, “I’d fight the entire royal court just to find you, you know?” and you do know he means it. He matches your mood with affection and dreamy smiles. A literal Disney boyfriend.

Jun: Mulan

At first, he’s totally into the action. He’ll ask questions mid-way and get way too emotionally invested. But when you're wiping tears, he squeezes your hand and whispers, “She’s so brave… like you.” You melt. He makes you hotpot after and lets you ramble about honor and sacrifice.

Hoshi: Tangled

He sobs with you. Ugly cries. Ready to fight the animators for hurting your and his heart. Yells “NOOOO” when Flynn gets stabbed. Clutches your arm and whispers, “I want a lantern date too.” Later brings fairy lights and throws a nighty lanterny tangled themed cuddle night.

Wonwoo: Wall-E

Just watches with a soft gaze and smile. His arm’s around your shoulder, thumb drawing small circles. Holds you in his lap while you cry over robots. He brushes your hair back and goes, “Why am I this emotional over a robot?” But he rewatches it later alone. Tells you, “I’d travel 700 years with you too.”

Woozi: The Lion King

Pretends he’s just there because you wanted to watch it, until Mufasa’s death. Then it’s over. You’re sobbing, he’s stiff and blinking fast. Later says, “That’s… not fair…” and you hug him tight. He doesn’t let go for a long time. BUT will not admit he teared up, even though he did.

Dokyeom: Aladdin

He LOVES it. Gasps. Laughs. Tears up. He holds your hand the entire time, clutches it when it gets intense, and probably sings along without realizing it. Pulls you into his lap during “A Whole New World” and softly sings it to you while swaying. When you sob, he panics a bit like, “Are you okay??” Then makes you laugh with his Genie impressions 😔

Mingyu: Frozen

At first he’s like “Pfft this is for kids” but by Do You Wanna Build A Snowman he’s a wreck. Gets way too into the animation or plot. But when you get soft or emotional, he pulls you into his lap and goes, “You okay, princess?” [Yes, he calls you princess. Even if you're not crying.] He tugs you into his side, whispering, “I’d kill a whole kingdom to protect you like Elsa did.” And then tries to braid your hair like hers.

Minghao: Pocahontas

Silent watcher, and very emotionally moved. Doesn’t say much until it ends, and then gives you a long, soft look and goes, “You really love these, huh?” Offers you tea without a word when you cry during. Later paints you a little Pocahontas-inspired landscape and says, “I think your soul is like hers—wild and beautiful.”

Seungkwan: Up

Oh. This man cries first. Yells at the characters like they can hear him. Also: he sobs at the married life montage and looks at you with red eyes like, “Don’t you EVER leave me, okay??” Tissues, forehead kisses, all of it. And then forces you to make a memory scrapbook together.

Vernon: Big Hero 6

Totally cool with it until Tadashi’s death and Baymax’s sacrifice. Then he’s just numb. You’re crying, so he rubs your back, doesn’t say much; just lets you feel it all while being there for you. And then he’s got one tear down his cheek. He just says, “That’s… a lot.” He’s the type to keep watching the credits, processing everything, then builds a playlist of healing songs for you both.

Dino: Moana

He adoreeeees Moana. Excited to watch it with you even if he’s seen it a million times. Reacts genuinely. Glances at you often to see your reactions. Tells you, “I wanna be someone who finds their way like her.” Then pulls you into a hug when you tear up and goes, “Let’s be brave together, okay?”

[jazeswhbhaven]

this might be.. a really weird ask but how do you think the kings would go along with deflowering reader? If you don’t know ehat that is it’s basically taking someone’s virginity I just think deflowering sounds less vulgar lol, I know asmodeus would probably be rlly sweet but I don’t know about satan since he’s really rough during sex with mc

So, let's throw out canon for this one because if I remember correctly...I think Satan is in fact MC's first sexual partner in the canon main story and we saw how that was 💀 (unless it's implied MC has been with others and just not Minhyeok but I'm not even sure tbh it's been a while since I've read chapter 1 for those fine details)

But....for scenario sake:

Satan's overall demeanor is preferably rough sex with multiple rounds with love bites and bruises. Certainly, this is not a one fits all experience for first timers. I would like to think that normally, taking someone's virginity would not be his top choice, but if he likes you enough, it's a high possibility. With V!Reader he'd probably test out your boundaries and what's "too much" for you. Starting with his fingers, next mouth, and if he's impatient, he'd have you touch him wherever for stimulation. Though it could be touch and go, since he's impatient and tends to get irritated easily. But, he'd never force himself on you if you're truly uncomfortable.

Mammon is a super hopeless romantic at heart, a big teddy bear that giant body. You belong to him already, but if he gets to have you body and soul in intimacy, this is worth to him more than all the gold he owns. He'd set the scene for properly making your first time the most comfortable and luxurious. He's patient, so he can wait all night for you to get ready if he must. He'd take the entire week off if that's what you need. He's rather big though, so baby steps are perfect with him.

Beelzebub's attitude with inexperienced partners is...interesting. Though he likes his suitors to be naive, V!Reader would need to pass his sniff test he likes to do in order to get the greenlight on his end in the first place. Don't be discouraged if he turns you down the first time, or the second or third. He's challenging you to see if you'll give up, do you really want him to be your first? How badly do you want him to be your first? That will be the deciding factor.

Leviathan needs someone with experience, as he feels dealing with someone who has none is too much trouble as it is. At the same time, the thrill of being V!Reader's first, him being chosen and no one else, makes him even more smug that you're asking him. If you mention any other King that you spoke to offering up your innocence, he's visibly upset, and will do anything in short of locking you away in his room so no one else can have you but him. He's an excellent guide and mentor, so you'll be in good hands when it comes to learning what pleases him, and what you enjoy too. Just...be careful with following instructions or not paying attention. He gets touchy!

Lucifer's natural affinity for humans and his service-based personality at it's core makes him the best first time partner. His cold, expressionless exterior may be intimidating, so is the straightforwardness of his words and actions. However, if you've won him over and his affections, he will go ahead and be your first. However, had you come to him without getting to know him at all or even if it's been a short time, he'd decline politely while explaining his reasons for doing so. Don't be bummed though, if Lucifer is who you truly want to experience this with, all it will take is a bit more patience on your end.

Belphegor's read so many "books" and comics about virgins he's pretty much predicting how this is going to go. The fact that you even asked him to take such a responsibility makes him slightly amused you had the nerve. He does love effort, so he's down with it, as long as you're the one doing all the work. Doesn't sound too romantic, but it works in your advantage! You control everything about your own experience. Use this power wisely.

Asmodeus is absolutely shaking with anticipation. He can smell the innocence on you and doesn't hold back when you ask him to be his first. He's fine with setting the pace to where you need, fine with default and boring positions, even fine with a more romantic atmosphere. There is one thing to be wary of and it's his willingness to do any kind of cuddling or aftercare. Speak on it before anything happens and see where his head is at. If something doesn't feel right before, during or after, he's open to talking about it. He can be serious when you need him to be, though don't be surprised if a sexual innuendo is thrown in here and there.

[mysterymachine67]

crowley brainrot 💔

just imagine, reader is a hunter and crowley has taken an obscure liking to reader. so much so that they started having sex. the more time passed, the more they got intimate. cut to crowley appearing in reader's motel room, pissed at him for ignoring the king of hell for weeks (busy, difficult hunt). reader gently coaxes poor lil touch starved, needy crowley and makes it up to him for the missed time with a lot of teasing and rough sex (just the way crowley likes it.)

PAIRING -> Crowley Macleod x M!reader

SUMMARY -> You and Crowley have grown close, way too close. Over the course of time it led it more intimate activities. But lately you’ve been speaking to him less. And with Crowley being Crowley, of course he’s going to make a big deal out of it.

NSFW. MINOR’S DNI.

This was sm fun to write!

You had way too much of a close relationship with Crowley. With you being a hunter, and him being a demon—the King of Hell for fucks sake. Everybody knows how close you are to him. Sam and Dean absolutely hate it. But neither you nor Crowley seemed to care. Especially, Crowley.

Lately, you haven’t been speaking to him, nor have had any contact with him. It wasn’t your fault. You were to caught up in this god awful hunt that was taking you way too long. You’ve been too busy, and he hated the idea of you ‘ignoring’ him. So, he decided to come by and pay you a little visit. Which is what he should’ve done in the first place because what the fuck?

At the moment, you were stressed out, sitting at the beat up table with books, papers, you name it. Head in hand while looking over some of the text. Take-out was on the table too. A bag with balled up trash and a half full cup right next to you. You didn’t really care given the current situation you were in. Just as you went to turn the page, there was a shift in the air and a quick noise. Which caused you to react immediately and reach for your gun. Getting ready to get whatever was in your motel room. But it was just Crowley. The man who you’ve been ‘ignoring’ for days on end. You sighed, shoulders dropping while setting the gun back down. “Yes?” You spoke, tiredly. With this difficult of a hunt, it was really taking a toll on you.

Crowley was a bit taken aback. You’ve been no contact with him for weeks and that’s all you have to say? The hell?

“What have you been up to?” He asked, starting to walk around the room a bit.

“A hunt. A difficult one at that,” you retreated back to your seat. Sitting down and deciding to give yourself a break to watch him.

“So that’s why you’ve been ignoring me? Some stupid little hunt is all that it takes for you to ghost me?”

“Crowley, y’know it’s not like that.” You pause. “If I had the chance to talk to you I would, but I’ve been busy.”

He takes a moment—collecting himself. “All you had to do was simply ask me for help!”

You really couldn’t deal with this right now. With Crowley and the hunt? You had stuff that you needed to do. But maybe you could make an exception. “I promise you, If I would’ve had the time on my hands to speak to you, I would’ve.” He shifted on his feet, trying to keep this pissed off, mean demeanor going. But it was a bit obvious it was failing. “How ‘bout I make it up to you?” You say as you started to get up and walk toward him. Stopping once you were just a few inches away.

“Deal.”

⟢

Clothes were being shed, tossed around the room while you guys made it to the bed. A problem for later. His lips were against yours, whenever you’d pull away to breathe you’d take his bottom lip with you. Letting it snap back to place when it reached its limit. Teeth were clanking together, hands were grabbing ‘n pulling at whatever they could, and you guys were practically breathing into each others mouths. Crowley leaned into your touches, wanting more and more. Was he going to voice that? Probably not. But did you notice? Of course.

“Thought you were angry at me? Or does that not matter right now?” You teased, lips hovering over his. Crowley grunted, avoiding your questions because he could. Deciding to kiss you in an attempt to silent you. You scoffed, tried too. Yet leaned in toward him.

A few minutes later you had him right where you wanted him. Tip pushed against his hole, hands at his waist, and his dick twitching. Minus him grumbling to himself. You didn’t use a lot of lube, or how much you were supposed to use. But Crowley didn’t care, if anything he loved it more. You pushed your hips forward, cock slowly sinking in. He clenched and let out a quiet grunt. But you told him to quit it and relax, which he ended up doing sooner or later. The burn and stretch hurt painfully good. He huffed and then let out a moan. Eyes shutting.

“Damnit..”

You barely heard it, considering he whispered it surprisingly quietly. “What? Can’t take some dick?”

“Shut up will you? Ruining the moment,” He grumbled, but you knew he didn’t mean it. You knew he loved it. Once you bottomed out you stayed still for just a moment before proceeding to pull out and fuck into him. Your pace was slow at first but then you sped up in a matter of minutes. Crowley grounded himself by holding onto the sheets. Almost never letting go. “Relax,” one of your hands started to rub at his thigh, in an attempt for him to let up and quit being stubborn. “Let me show you how much I missed you.”

He grunted, hips involuntarily moving. Speaking of hips yours continued to push forward. Your cock getting hugged by his walls perfectly. You decided to be nice, have mercy on him. So your free hand wrapped around his leaking cock, and began pumping. The reaction you got out of Crowley was beautiful. Breath hitching, a moan soon drawing out, a curse under his breath, and him closing his eyes. Oh, were you going to fuck him so good. And he knew it. Knew it the moment he showed up to your motel room and made eye contact with his stressed out lover. Would lover even be the correct term? Who knew.

In a matter of minutes, you had him slowly unfolding. Dick twitching inside of him at the thought of, well, many things. Your angle changed when you gripped his thighs and held them up. A bonus being the sight of your cock disappearing inside of him. With the action, it caused Crowley to let out a quiet whimper. Yes, a whimper.

The King of Hell, a demon who’s tortured, been tortured, and put fear in others, at the palm of your hand. Already a somewhat, noisy mess because of you.

You could tell he was close. By the way he reacted and how he let out more breathy sounds. So you sped up your hand and deepened your thrusts. Getting him closer and closer. But when he was right there, you pulled away and slowed your thrusts. “Oh, you—“ he began. But you cut him off with a snap of your hips—cock going straight to his prostate. A very loud moan pulling from Crowley’s throat. Which you smiled to yourself. Your hand soon returned back to his cock, and your thrusts went back to what they were before. Fast, rough, ‘n deep. This was wrong. Probably not on Crowley’s part, but on yours. You were a hunter. Someone who gets rid of demons, vampires, things that go bump in the night. You were way too close to a demon—The King of Hell for better measure. Not that it made it any better. But with the way he moaned, clenched around your cock, and reacted to you, all those thoughts drifted away.

Your thumb swiped across his tip. Your goal being to provide more stimulation for your poor, needy partner. Letting out a groan your hips stuttered and you spilled inside of him without warning. Of course he let out some smart remark. Yet, you continued. Fucking your cock into him as if your life depended on it. And Crowley? Oh he was gone. Jaw hung open, back arched, and eyes shut. In a matter of seconds he came to—spurting white strips of cum onto his stomach and up. His face was scrunched up in a look of pleasure. Dick twitching and throbbing furiously. Your hand continued pumping his cock, it being a lot easier than before due to his cum. Crowley panted and huffed ‘n soon it became a bit too much for him. Hips attempting to draw back but got stopped due to the mattress. “Shit!”

You leaned down, pressing a kiss to his lips. “What’s wrong, Crowley? Too much?” With your cock continuing to hammer into him, and your hand not letting up on his cock? Yes! But he refused to have you reel in his vulnerability.

“What? No! M’just fine.”

“Alright then..”

But after minutes into it, you noticed how squirmy he got. And how he often bit his lip to silence himself from making whatever noise that dared to be let out. Were you the type of person to let that go? No. So you did what you could to make him louder. To where he couldn’t rely on biting his lip to holding in his moans. Your hands gripped and grabbed at him all over. Pulling his hand away from his face, whispering praises into his ear then slowly replacing them with something degrading. Which made his overstimulated cock jump.

His hips would thrust up but then not even a few seconds later pull back against the mattress. He couldn’t decide whether he wanted more or less. Yet when he felt that familiar feeling he felt too long ago, he’s sure he knew what he wanted. “C’mon, c’mon.” He’d grumbled, while pushing his hips down to try and get more of your cock.

“Greedy thing, aren’t you?” You teased, laughing to yourself. You pulled out, tip catching at his rim before shoving yourself back in. Hearing a punched out moan in response. Deciding to help him a little you wrapped your hand around his cock yet again. Stroking and doing what you could to make him cum again. And when he did, he made it known. Whining, whimpering, you name it. All fell from his lips and into your ears. All for you to hear. His hips stuttered—not knowing what to do in the heat of the moment.

When the both of you calmed down, you finally spoke up. “Did you miss me?”

“Not at all. If anything I felt better than I ever did not speaking to you.”

You rolled your eyes and scoffed.

Sure.