#this is my first blog to be typed on laptop-
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My final statement on the Kister vs Ven drama.
I have read all of the documents word by word, and initially, I had nothing to say about it, but re-reading all of them again, even Ven's new document before they deleted their Twitter/X account, I now finally got something to say about it.
Just to note, this statement is my full over opinion on the Kister vs Ven situation. I'd love to hear what you overall thing about this drama that had been all going around for nearly a month.
For those who don't know:
On March 12, Alex Kister, the creator of one of the most popular and well known analog horror series, the Mandela Catalogue, as well as his other series called Mystifying Oracle, was accused of predatory behavior by Twitter user STIRRINGJUICE (or Ven). I am not gonna go into too much detail, but the doc mainly states the accused problems Alex did while he had been with them and been friends with other fans.
A week or so later, Alex Kister has made a long response towards the accusations. In the doc, he provided plenty of evidence to justify his claim that overall that the doc Ven made is moreover wrong, but at the same time, he admitted that he had been friends and boyfriend with the fans and even trauma dumped to them. I will tell you, person reading this blog, about my personal opinion on this kind of action Kister has admitted too.
Later on, Ven made a pubic apology about them making the doc and their wording, saying that it is "transmisogynistic" and that what they did to him as an actual person was "excruciating". A day after they posted this apology, they have since deactivated their Twitter/X account, thus possibly putting an end to this drama.
Now that you all know about the history of the Kister vs Ven drama, lemme tell you my final opinion/statement.
When I first heard the allegations, I instantly felt devastated and upset over this and I had thought that Alex Kister was a good being. As a result, I felt some sort of heavy resentment towards the dude, but I never stopped loving his series, the Mandela Catalogue. I still do and I continue to write it (Wattpad is emmathemandelaresident; I digress).
Later, I began to move on and when I saw Alex's response, I was initially unsure of what to say or what to feel about it, but I will admit though, the way he has written the doc and provided much evidence to justify his claim is not really that bad at all.
But lemme tell you my overall opinion with his admitted actions. Being together romantically with a fan is not a great idea at all! These are your FANS that love your work and you should appreciate them, not go too far to be together with them, and ESPECIALLY not trauma dumping towards them! These are people that look up to you and your work, and venting towards them as well as dating them is fucked up in my personal opinion. These actions Alex had are inappropriate and I hope that Alex learned a very important lesson over that!
Overall, I will admit that he proved himself innocent, but I was still skeptical about this, so I continued to have some resentment towards him (though by a little bit).
Then when Ven's document came up, I legit had enough of this shitty drama. I kept asking to myself, when is this gonna end? Then I decided to read their doc. I honestly had no idea who I can trust anymore, cause at this rate, it looks like Alex Kister has won against the allegations in the most impressive way possible.
But I do believe that Ven's actions to get back on the dude and deplatform him was wrong and it should never be taken this kind of way to make an accusatory doc. Also the sentence "I did not expect crew members would leave because of how some of them responded initially" is kinda stupid. Like dude, your document had a WHOLE LOT OF SHIT AND "EVIDENCE" AGAINST KISTER. How could you possibly not expect crew members and actors to leave the Mandela Catalogue!?
I feel like this whole thing should have been kept in private and behind closed doors to avoid any kind of drama and other problems that escalated into something big! This would've been simple and easy, but Kister and Ven didn't do it.
Now just like Alex's response to the situation, I didn't have anything else to say or feel with Ven's new doc. But now I know that what they did was wrong as Alex's admitted actions to his fans.
So overall, I believe that both sides are mainly at fault. Alex's admitted actions are inappropriate and wrong and Ven's "goal" to deplatform the former is abhorrent. Now do I still love the Mandela Catalogue? Of course I do and like I said, I continue to write my crappy fanfic on the series. I believe Ven's decision to delete their Twitter account was good enough considering his actions, but I also think that Alex SHOULD learn something from his actions of dating people who looked up to and venting towards them.
I will continue to be active in the Mandela Catalogue fandom without traces of the drama barging into my brain and my Wattpad life.
But that's all for this giant statement! God, this was a lot to type on my laptop but that's my overall opinion on this Kister vs Ven situation.
I'd love to hear what you think about this drama!
Okay, now time to go sink into a mud puddle.
#my blogs!#the mandela catalogue#mandela catalogue#alex kister#tmc#drama#this is my first blog to be typed on laptop-#also this is the longest I have typed yippee
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Worldâs Fairs are still a thing?
As a kid, I remember being enamored by the fantastical technology showcased at Worldâs Fairs. Things like the Eiffel Tower being constructed for the 1889 Worldâs Fair, or the reveal of the Telephone at the Philadelphia Worldâs Fair captivated my young imagination. The idea of an event where you could see hundreds of crazy booths and international inventions sounded so spectacular and charming that young me was hooked.
But, of course, all those daydreams had to stay confined to the history books. Because after all, if there still was some sort of international gathering, where dozens of countries around the world cooperated, where new and exciting technology is unveiled, and where unique cultures are invited to socialize and explore, surely I would have heard about it⊠right?
Like thereâs no way that I went through 15 years of School and just somehow never had World Expos mentioned to me. It just canât be that I hear about the Olympics every 4 years but somehow missed every Worldâs Fair for the past century. That couldnât have happened right?
It had happened.
Incase you didnât know (like I hadnât), theyâve been continuously doing Worldâs Fairs since the 1700s. That means that even in this century, thereâs been plenty of Worldâs Fairs, and they arenât just some bygone event that got canceled last century. Most recently, there was the 2021 Fair in Dubai, and in a year and a half from now, thereâs one happening in Osaka, Japan. In fact, the one coming up has all sorts of crazy promises, like flying taxis,
translation tables,
and âThe Forest of Introspectionâ???
Regardless, everyone Iâve personally talked to agrees that they thought these fairs died out in like the 40âs. But, as a disclaimer, part of the reason for this may be if youâre American like me. There could be a bit of âUSâ Education at play, but another variable is that everywhere else in the world actually calls them âWorld Exposâ, not the Worldâs Fair.Â
So, with my childhood fascination rekindled and the preamble out of the way, I made this blog to chronicle news, opinions, and history about previous and upcoming World Expos, and why you may have never heard of them. I've seen very little coverage of Expo 2025 in America, and very little education about the modern Expos at all. Additionally, I want to make it clear that as I go further down this rabbit hole, I am fully aware of the horrible and problematic components of previous World Expos. I intend to cover the good and the bad, for the hope of educating others on this topic I knew little about, and to hopefully promote the best parts of cultural exchange while not stowing ignorance of the past. Bye for now.
#Expo 2025#World's Fair#World Expo#TIL#History#New Blog#First Post#Fun Fact: I originally thought about making this a video series but realized that I can withstand typing for hours much more than editing#Plus I get to have my laptop stay much quieter with just Google Docs open
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Obsessed with the way my most recent homework task was like "create this program in javascript and then document the process on your blog" because like. You know you're not getting an honest depiction of my process, right?
#like if i'd been totally honest about the process of creating that program i would've been like 'okay so i opened my laptop at 10am'#'then i spent almost a solid hour on tumblr.com. at ten to eleven i realised i hadn't eaten anything whatsoever and also that mabel needed#her lunch. so i fed mabel and then myself and got back to it'#'while eating a cheese sandwich i created all my necessary variables and then realised i have no idea how to calculate a percentage#like i know that 15% of 30 is 4.5 but i can't use MY process of getting there for my program because i just divide 30 by 10#and then i divide that in half and then i add those numbers together and then i get 4.5. so i googled how to make a percentage calculator#in javascript and i confidently copy-pasted the first option and it was like 'your total is -50' and i was like 'uhhhh how'#and that was when i realised the difference between calculating a percentage and calculating percent of something#eventually i worked out how to do it but it took me like a solid hour. then i couldn't get .toFixed() to work for thee longest time#i eventually just read an article properly and found the syntax for it and then it worked. then i couldn't work out how to put a ÂŁ in there#but i eventually did it. then i added the tip amount into the output as well solely because i saw i'd get extra points for that#and then times new roman started to annoy me so i did some basic styling which required me to google 'how to put your text in the centre#of the page in css' for approximately like the 15th time#and then i tried to reassign my let variables but codepen kept throwing errors and i genuinely could not be bothered to figure out why#because i wasn't sure if it was necessary for the homework or not but i couldn't see it in the instructions so i figured probably not#so at that point i gave up on that line of enquiry; typed up a blog post; screenshotted everything & just submitted it'#like no one needs to know precisely how dumb i am. it's just not required#personal
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endpoint
Pairing: Jeon Wonwoo x f!reader
Genre: fluff, smut, angst, FWB to idiots to lovers
warnings: Â cumshot/facial, unprotected sex, multiple sex scenes, oral sex (m & f receiving), rough sex, breath play (choking), mentions of exhibitionism, face fucking, virgin wonwoo mentions, idiots in love, edging (emotionally), impact play, sir kink (brief), alcohol consumption
Length: ~19.5k
Note: thank you to @gyuswhore my love, my life, for suffering through this with me. this fic is set in the same universe as her gyu fic for this collab so check it out (threat). also thank u @haologram and everyone else who beta'd this for me bc im sensitive. follow @camandemstudios for more fics!!! i will come back later and tag the people who commented on the teaser but rn im getting day drunk hehehe
summary: Senior year of college is meant to be full of celebration and smooth sailing. Years of work culminating in the final semesters that will send you off into the real world where clubs, sports, and weekends packed with hungover volunteering to pad your resume no longer mattered. Itâd be a piece of cake if it wasnât for your fuck buddy turned coworker having the same plan. But only one of you can get the departmentâs most coveted recommendation that all but guarantees your acceptance. Tension rises and the nearly four year thing youâve had with Wonwoo approaches its endpoint.
collab m.list || m.list
This blog is intended for 18+ only! Minors/blank blogs will be blocked.
âWhatâs the difference between a proton and an electron again?â
âShoot me in the fucking head,â Wonwoo whispers harshly.
Heâs a seat over, a laptop covered in gaming stickers and a coffee cup containing a lethal amount of caffeine occupying the space atop the narrow lecture desk. Itâs a feign to productivity. His screen is split between thesis notes and a countdown to a new video game release that unfortunately hits 0 in the middle of lecture.Â
Dr. Wagnerâs intro to chemistry course isnât difficult â freshman aside â which is why you and Wonwoo agreed to be her teaching assistants. Easy money and a way to get in her good graces come grad school application season. Youâve TAâed the same course since sophomore year for different professors but itâs all the same; the metaphorical killing field before hopeful freshmen become cannon fodder in the real trial of will: O Chem.Â
âMe first,â you whisper back.Â
Wonwoo slumps in his chair, opening the shared drive keeping track of problem areas to touch on in lab hours, and typing âcheck for basic brain activityâ under the class To-Do list.Â
Fair enough. If they canât understand the basics this far into the semester then you two are in for a world of hurt for the next practical. You're in for a world of hurt come next study hall when half of them will complain about failing their quiz this morning despite having the answers spoon fed straight from the notes.
[09:48] You:Â be nice
[09:48] wonwoo: if they were smarter, id be nicer
[09:48] You: maybe theyâre scared stupid
It wouldnât be too far off. One time a freshman burst into tears while asking Wonwoo to check their practice work during lab hours. Wonwoo swears he didnât say anything and the kid looked on the verge of a mental breakdown if the wind blew the wrong way.
[09:48] wonwoo: from what?
[09:48] You: the fact ur trying to kill them with your mind
[09:49 ]wonwoo : i wouldnât kill them
[09:49] wonwoo: just maim or seriously injure so they dont come to class and say dumb shit
Dr. Wagner fields more questions in front of the powerpoint. More âdumb shitâ Wonwoo rolls his eyes at with such obvious disgust even you feel chastised. Luckily, no one can see his face from the front row besides you.
[09:49] You: you wonder why they like me more
[09:50] wonwoo: i know why they like you more
[09:50] You: oh?
Stifling an eye roll of your own you throw a glance his way as the next message comes through,
[09:50] wonwoo: nice ass
âAlright, Y/N and Wonwoo will be passing out the study guide for the next exam. We still have a few weeks so donât worry about the back half but try and review the modules weâve done so far and bring questions for them during study hours,â Dr. Wagner prattles off.
The gigantic stack of printouts is split in half for you and Wonwoo to disperse around the massive lecture hall. Over one hundred students sit in this lecture; the unfortunate ones who were forced to take a 9 AM course three days a week. Half look like their brain is melting out of their ears, otherâs clearly havenât paid attention at all, and a few are sound asleep. Itâs Friday after all. They probably didnât get back from their Thirsty Thursday night out until a few hours ago.
You wouldnât even be here if Wonwoo wasnât a built in insurance policy.
Dr. Wagner collects her things and heads towards the front exit with a cheery, âHave a good weekend!â
âThere's a party at Sigma tonight,â Wonwoo shares as you both pack your own bags. The next class is already shuffling through the doors to claim their seats.
âI have work until eleven.â
âAfter?â
Shouldering your bag, you head towards the door where the next class is already trickling in to find their seats. âDonât you have a tournament tomorrow?â
âI only have to be at the party for like an hour. I can come and walk you home.â
âFine,â you nod. âBut bring your laptop. I think Chan fucked up the last set of results and we need to fix them.â
Itâs not unusual for Wonwoo to spend his Friday nights with you; or another night for that matter. He lives in a dingy frat house on the edge of campus with twenty other guys. Itâs an act of mercy. A long standing tradition from the week before freshman year when you two were the only chemistry majors in your orientation group and that turned into a clumsy hook up at an upperclassmanâs party. You didnât know heâd be a virgin and he didnât know your high school boyfriend dumped you less than twenty four hours before you left for college (but not before you lost your own virginity in the backseat of his car).Â
Itâd beenâŠnot good.Â
Wonwoo was awkward and you were unsure. But he was sweet under the bravado; walked you home that night, pretended he wasnât interested in the fact your roommate never moved in, leaving the suite empty. But he wasnât a good enough actor to feign nonchalance when you invited him upstairs. Turns out sex was a lot better the second time around, in a bed that didnât belong to an unknown upperclassman who couldâve burst in any minute.Â
Wonwoo isnât your boyfriend. Youâre too busy piecing together the ten year plan concocted since junior year of highschool to even think about such frilly ideas. Thereâs barely enough time as it is; youâve got work, a full class schedule, TAing, and all the random clubs youâve wiggled your way into to pad your resume.Â
And heâs busy too. Navigating a sports scholarship and one of the hardest majors left barely enough time for him to wipe his own ass, let alone date. Then came research hours and TAing and the fact volleyball, apparently, wasnât just a one semester sport, there were scrimmages, workouts, and tournaments out of season.Â
Itâs been over three years of your arrangement which works best because you donât have to spend precious brain power deciphering if some random guy you went out with once is playing hard to get or just straight up not interested. You have Wonwoo. Heâs simple.Â
So what you have now, friends. Who hook up. And work together. Who also happens to be applying for the same PhD program for next year. Not together but at the same time.
The application website stares back from your laptop with horror.Â
Itâs still too early to submit any materials but itâs been highlighted in bold red in your calendar since two years ago. Everything is ready to go the second it opensâexcept Dr. Wagnerâs recommendation. Itâs the sole reason you (and Wonwoo) agreed to be her TAs this semester; sheâs one of the programâs most notorious alum, her words as good as gold in securing a spot.Â
Someone hacks a cough and shatters the eerie silence of the library. The backtrack of sparse typing and the custodian shuffling around to have been the only company throughout your shift. No one would choose to rot at any of the weathered study tables late on a Friday night so early in the semester.Â
With the abundance of free time, you fixed Chanâs mistakes in his set of trials easily, no thanks to Wonwoo who still hasnât shown up. Itâs good though. Your stoichiometry homework is submitted three days before the deadline and the mountain of emails clogging your inbox from hopeless undergrads is in the single digits. Half the labs from last week are graded for Dr. Wagnerâs approval, the other half can wait until Sunday night. A long weekend of sleep awaits once the clock hits eleven and youâre free to run home.
Wonwoo stumbless in five minutes before the clock runs out. His duffle for tomorrow is slung over his shoulder and heâs already dressed for bed, rumpled sweats and a hat he definitely wore to the party with high hopes to cut out early.Â
âYouâre late,â you acknowledge, cramming your belongings back into your bag. Heâs close enough to get a whiff of. âAnd youâre drunk.â
âI am not drunk,â he argues.
The lazy smile tugging at the corner of his lips says otherwise but it isnât an argument worth having. All you want to do is get home and pass out.
He shoulders you bag, presenting his hand when you insist you can carry it on your own. The dry warm of his palm against your cold is pleasant enough you donât argue as you tug him towards the automatic doors.
âHave a goodnight, Mr. Lee,â you call towards the security desk.
The guard, old enough to be your grandfather, calls back, âYou too, sweetheart.â
Out in the balmy night, you tug Wonwoo down the street in the direction of your apartment. Two blocks and then a right turn leaving you outside the dowdy building with hallways that constantly reek of weed and new paint smell.
A pack of freshmen girls heading somewhere, marked by their matching uniform of jeans and black tops of various coverage, crowd the sidewalk straight ahead. Someone is crying, one is on the phone, and a few others stand dumbly waiting for their next movie like zombies â all incredibly wasted. You barrel through them without acknowledgement. A few drunken bitter âbitchâs hit your back but you ignore them to focus on the man struggling to push through the crowd without accidentally shoulder checking any of them.
On the other side, you ask, âHave fun at the party?â
âSome pledge puked on Jihoonâs stuff,â he huffs, nose scrunching.
âMay he rest in peace.â
Wonwoo sways from side to side from the weight of your bag but also whatever radioactive mix was served at the party. The stairs provide an extra challenge since the elevator has been broken for weeks but thankfully itâs a short trip to the second floor.
He presents your belongings with routine ease once the front door of your apartment looms ahead. Music from the floor above shakes the walls; hopefully you can make up for the lack of sleep tomorrow morning.
There isnât much space inside the four walls you call home â the âkitchenâ which is a single counter with a stove and fridge youâre barely around to use, fifteen feet away your bed in the corner, bordered by your desk at the foot cramped with a spray of errant papers and books youâve been too busy to deal with. The monitor doubles as a TV and finally a tiny loveseat with a broken leg replaced by a stack of hard covers completes the room.
You beeline for the bathroom to wash away the filth of a long day and Wonwoo, keeping on trend, follows into the cramped space.
âCan I help you?â you ask, shirt tossed into the bin in the corner.
Wonwooâs shirt goes the same and then his pants after a brief struggle. âYou know I sleep better when I shower.âÂ
True.
âAnd I doubt you're gonna let me in your bed if Iâm dirty.â
Even truer.
The water is still cold when you step in but the man glued to your back fights the worst of the chill away. Goosebumps prickle along your skin but have nothing to do with the vent that points directly into the stall (whoever designed the apartments must have had a sick sense of humor) and everything to do with Wonwooâs mouth tracing the curve of your shoulder.
Forcing the heat blooming between your legs down to a simmer, you focus on washing up and getting into bed before it rolls into a boil and you do something stupid thatâll only leave you and Wonwoo struggling for balance.Â
Shower sex is a dangerous sport. Shower sex with Wonwoo has left you both with bruises. Drunken shower sex with Wonwoo will get you both killed.
Soft hums tickle your neck as you clean up. There isnât enough room for two people to stand in the spray at once so you take turns hogging the steamy water and braving the frigid cold until the last bits of soap swirl the drain.
Even when drying off you stay in each otherâs orbit until the need for clothes and sleep drive you both out of the bathroom and back into the equally cramped space of your room.
Itâs not until youâre laying on the mattress, darkness snug on all sides, that you feel Wonwoo roll atop you with purpose.
âWhat are you doing?â
âNothing,â Wonwoo hums into your stomach, fingers crawling up your bare legs.
âThat,â you inhale at the nip of his teeth on the curve of your thigh, âdoesnât feel like nothing to me.â
Wonwoo doesnât answer but gives you plenty of time to brush him off while bruising your skin. You donât. Instead you sink deeper into the blankets and let him push your shirt up until you're bare once more.
The fuzziness of alcohol lingers in his veins â just enough that he smiles into the strip of skin above your panties as you sigh and arch under the delicious weight of wandering hands and mouth at your nipple.
âWonwoo,â you sigh and heâs up and kissing you with eager clumsiness.
A familiar prod at your core through his boxers crashes bubbles through your veins. You felt it in the bathroom but now is when you finally get to indulge with subtle grinds Wonwoo meets in his own search for friction.Â
âDonât you need to be upâughâearly tomorrow?â
He kisses you slowly, tongue dragging along your bottom lip until your mouth opens under his. It burns you from the inside out. Mindlessly you shift your legs to frame his hips better but Wonwoo kisses deeper and all you can think about is giving in to whatever scheme heâs working up to have you both naked and panting.
He leans back a fraction to speak, giving in when you chase his lips before ducking to nip at your ear and mumbling a response. âDonât worry about it.â
âI will worry about it when you snooze twenty alarms and your team hunts me down because I smothered their star player with a pillow,â you snort but heat under a squeeze of his fingers at your sides.
âSleep when Iâm done with this.â
âAnd what is âthisâ exactly?â
A harsh suck at your jaw has your stomach tight. heavy and thick until need drips down your spine to coil in your gut and the emptiness between your thighs becomes unignorable. He hides pleased groans in the curve of your neck until you force a hand under the band of his underwear. Eyes opening, you watch the muscles of his back tense and flex as he rocks against you, fucking your fist greedily.
It doesnât last long. Wonwoo gets antsy under the taunting pressure of your thumb and descends back down your body with burning lips. âTake your shirt off.â
âItâs cold,â you complain but do as he asks.Â
He traces your figure clad in nothing but your glasses and a soiled pair of panties; damp at the crotch from his attention and Wonwoo slips a finger under the hem to tease you that inch closure to depravity.
Wonwoo laves against the hickey on the inside of your thigh from a week ago, itâs yellowed and perfectly shaped like his mouth. Itâs tender under his attention, even the gentle tracing on his nose forcing you to wince in discomfort.Â
He coos, kissing it before skating back to the hem of your panties, lips vibrating against your skin. âSorry I didnât come earlier.â
Why he brings it up now is a mystery. Or the fact he brings it up at all. Life happens. Youâve blown him off more than once for a late night in the library; no hard feelings.
âItâs fine,â you sigh as he tugs the last scrap of fabric off your body and pushes your knees up to display you like a meal.
Spreading you apart, he lands a wet kiss at your entrance before teasing with the heat of his tongue.Â
In a beg for sanity you twist a tight grip in his hair; a tangled mess from his drunk endeavors. Wonwoo pushes harder, drowns in your taste with enthusiasm as you moan and sigh.Â
âF-fuck.â
He wonât ask if itâs good. He knows it is. Nearly four years of hook ups attunes him to your pleasure, a well rehearsed routine that has you both ache in the best way.Â
You lose yourself in shaking breaths, feet planted to drive up into his mouth for more. He sucks your clit and nearly gets his head crushed by your thighs. It doesnât take much and he knows it.Â
You chant âgonna cumâ in choked groans that almost die at the edge of your teeth but Wonwoo hears and takes it as permission to pull out the stops, hand at your thing with a harsh grip and fingers sinking home.
Heâs memorized all the signs of your want; the wrecked echo of your throat and the sounds he pulls from you a clear tell. He flattens his tongue, holding steady as grind straight into mindless bliss. Spit pools and drips and slips down onto the sheets. Wonwoo hums praise, unintelligible but you vaguely know itâs something thatâd make you blush you could hear it over the pounding in your ears.
Back arching, your vision flares white at the edges and when Wonwoo realizes what's happening he makes it last until your fist ball up and youâre floating.
Wonwoo backs down as you twitch through the tail end, sloppy kisses to your clit that could knock into another fit if he isnât careful. But even as you tremble the only thing you want is the weight of his cock in your mouth, or inside you. You arenât picky as long as you get to feel him cum too.
You finally manage to pry Wonwoo from between your legs with an ankle to his ribs. Youâre not done with him despite the fatigue hanging around your shoulders like dead weight. He angles over top of you for a kiss that tastes too much like pussy for your liking but itâs hot knowing heâs covered in you so you push until his shoulders meet the sheets and you can claim his lap.
His dick strains through his underwear, preening when you rock back into the heat. His nostrils flare when you grab for it, stiff enough to sink onto easily.Â
âOh god,â he groans, head digging back into the pillows to watch you like a goddess.
His fingers web across the tops of your thighs, a harsh grip keeping you flat as he grinds up into the wet heat of your pussy. You whimper and sigh for him; all the sounds he loves to hear. You squeeze your chest, taut nipples framed between the slants of your fingers to entice him until he reaches around and knocks you forward for the sole purpose of taking one in his mouth.
Your eyes roll back, jaw locked open, drowning in the stretch and the bite of his mouth and the hands squeezing your ass so hard it hurts. Wonwoo groans, throaty and desperate. âGonna cum. Wanna cum in you. Holy shit.â
He gets you on your back. Too absorbed in his own end, heâs dead weight with his tongue between your lips and harsh thrusts that take him right to the edge. It gives that grit against your clit that means youâll come too, soaked in cum and spit and sweat.
You wish heâd flip you on your front and fuck you with a hand between you shoulder blades and the other tangled in your hair. Thatâs the kind of fuck thatâd leave you satisfied the entire weekend heâs busy but heâs running out of steam just doing this, picking up speed in his thrust, the clap of bodies filling the room.
Chanting his name like a broken record, âWonwoo, Wonwoo, Wonwooâ breathy but loud enough your neighbors will leave another passive aggressive note on your door come morning, all you can think about is his cum. On you, in you. A sick part wants him to pull out and cum on your face â he hasnât, not in a long time because priorities and responsibilities and you're usually lucky to have even five minutes alone before someone needs either of you. But you want it. God do you want it.
âCum on my face,â you whimper. Thereâs drool on your lips and sweat in your hairline. Even if he doesn't, you'll need another shower anyway.
A strangled noise escapes from between his teeth at your neck. Then heâs driving forward so hard you burn; painfully so, mouth locked in a silent choke. Your orgasm rips through your insides, jagged at the edges where Wonwoo fucks himself into your guts.Â
âFuck yeah,â he grunts, pulling away and replacing the grip of your pussy with a tight fist as he straddles your chest.Â
The taste of cock floods your tongue, heady and intoxicating. You get one, two drags against the stiff head and then heâs cumming, dripping his spend over your lips, then your cheek, then your glasses because heâs a sick freak. Even in the dim light from the window he twitches at the sight. You open your mouth and replace his hold, moaning as more comes to the surface. You swallow down as far as heâll go which isnât much in this position but itâs the thought that counts.
Wonwoo grinds to halt with an occasional kick of his hips that leaves you choking â rigid limbs locking in place until he melts with sticky satisfaction.Â
Heâs up and off, your glasses in hand for a thorough cleaning, not even bothering to flick on any of the lights but you hear the sink running in the bathroom before he comes padding back.
âGod,â you whimper in disgust. âThatâs so gross.â
âYouâre the one who asked for it,â Wonwoo snorts, soft passes of a damp cloth on your skin focused on getting you clean enough to sleep.
âBecause itâs hot but you aim for shit.â
Wonwoo tosses the rag somewhere, flopping down and pulling you close as possible with a kiss on your forehead. âNext time Iâll aim for your hair.â
âBitch.â
The sound of music from upstairs pulses through your head as you drift off, Wonwoo asleep on your chest, fingers laced together on the sheets beside your indecipherably intertwined bodies.
Your week is divided into a simple pattern. Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays you wake bright and early to attend Dr. Wagnerâs chem lecture and then stay on campus attending every other class you could find to fill the gap between your evening shift at the library. Tuesdays and Thursdays are void of responsibility until your afternoon lab with the freshman near tears while learning basic titration for four hours, followed by office hours where said freshman finally come to actually cry about their grades. Those are the nights you, Chan, Wonwoo and a handful of other lab techs work on research that carries the same threat of waterworks.Â
Itâs there Dr. Wagner pulls you and Wonwoo aside.
âI know you both are applying to Dr. Collins lab for your PhD studies,â she starts.Â
Her office reflects the same disarray as her personality; warm and lived in. Papers and exams are organized in chaos, thick stacks lining her desk waiting for you and Wonwoo to enter them into the online grade book. Books, some leather, some paperback, some the glossy cover of a textbook with cracked spines and yellowing pages are crammed into the bookshelves lining the walls until they threaten to collapse from the weight. It smells like coffee, plants, and the candle she always has burning. Itâs a cozy hovel overlooking the rear courtyard of the science building that resembles the sterility of a hospital.Â
Wonwoo occupies the other barrel chair with worn upholstery. Youâve barely seen him in the past three weeks, too busy with volunteering and working and classes while his own responsibilities keep him so exhausted itâs truly a miracle heâs even here. Dark stains ring his eyes beneath his glasses and he looks paler than usual. Youâll ask about it tonight when he comes over to work on your most recent stoichiometry project (which will be forgotten in favor of passing out during a movie while you play with his hair if history is anything to go by).
âI donât think Iâve ever met two students who belong more in his lab,â she continues.
You try not to preen, but academic validation is a hell of a drug to caffeine addicted undergrads. Wonwoo perks up too. Three and a half years of barely being people for this moment and itâs finally in reach.
âHowever,â Dr. Wagner clasps her hands atop the dark wooden desk. âIâm writing only one recommendation this semester. It might seem unfair but I want to commit to the student that deserves it the most since my schedule doesnât allow me much free time.â
Itâs like being underwater. You hear her words but nothing registers, blinking rapidly in case this is a hallucination from falling asleep in the lab again.
âI know it might not be the news you hoped for but I know senior year is a lot, especially for students as involved as you all, and I thought this could alleviate some of the stress. You two are the only students Iâm considering. So please, keep up the incredible work and we can talk again at the end of the semester when I have a more holistic evaluation of your progress.â
She stands to leave, snagging her purse and blowing out the candle with finality before abandoning the shit storm in your lap for whatever else she has to do on a Thursday night. Probably retell the events of the last five minutes to other professors in the department, laughing at the way youâve turned purple from holding your breath.
âHave a good night you two! See you tomorrow!â
The office, once warm, feels hollow. You feel hollow.Â
âWhat the fuck?â Wonwoo hasnât moved either, glued to his seat as he stares at Dr. Wagnerâs now vacant chair with his mouth wide in shock.
âDid that just happen?â you scoff in disbelief. âIs she serious?â
Wonwoo collapses over his knees with his hands scrubbing at his face like he also might be hallucinating. âI needed that recommendation.â
âWell, so do I,â you argue.
âI know. This is bullshit.â
âDid Changkyun say anything like this happened last year when she wrote one for him?â
âNo, all three people who asked her got one.â
âOh, so itâs just us she hates. Great!â you throw your hands up, sinking deeper in the chair. Maybe itâll swallow you whole and the entire ordeal will cease to exist.
âSheâs probably just trying to get in our heads so we donât slack off this semester.â
âHave we ever slacked off any semester? Iâve been on the Presidentâs Honor List since freshman year. Youâve been on the Presidentâs Honor List since freshman year. Weâre those people.â
Since starting college, since that one night during orientation where you and Wonwoo became a âweâ. Not in the relationship sense, but in the way two lines merge. Same path, same goals, same classes, same PhD program prospects. There was plenty you two did separately but more you did together. Neither competing, but working together.Â
But now thatâs over.
Because only one of you can get into Dr. Collins lab, only one of you can get the recommendation, and only one of you can have what you both worked tirelessly for over the past three years.
âListenââ you stand up and scrub at your own face. âItâll be fine. Weâll figure it out.â
âWe? Only one of us can get her recommendation. Whatâs there to figure out?â
Your face goes hot. Heâs right. âWell, I need that recommendation.â
âSo do I,â Wonwoo argues, eyes cold.
âFine.â
That recommendation is mine.
âFine!â
Weâll see about that.
Wonwoo stays in her office, flinching as you slam the door and flee.
The issue with fighting with Wonwoo is that as mad as both of you are, there are a million responsibilities you share that require close proximity.
Presently, itâs grading the last batch of exams. Seventy eight packets. And because Dr. Wagner doesnât believe in convenience, it all has to be graded by the hand of two TAs running on nothing but caffeine and spite.
Which means itâs past midnight and the couch has a permanent impression of Wonwooâs ass while you both silently fume and scratch through wrong answers with a heavy hand in red ink.
The weather reflects the atmosphere; pouring rain and thunder loud enough to shake the windows. The power has flickered in and out since the rain started but you're both too stubborn to call it quits â if there is nothing to keep you occupied then you might rip his throat out.
Wonwoo doesnât even ask if you want more coffee before he snags your empty mug and moves to the kitchenette. You donât look up when he sets it back down, and only grab it and take the first sip of perfectly steaming hot sweetness when he flops back on the couch without another word.Â
Then the power goes out again, and doesnât come back.
âAre you fucking kidding me?â
Using the flashlight on your phone, you search the drawers of your desk for candles. There nowhere to be found amongst the stacks of unopened sticky notes and tangled cords.Â
Wonwoo shuffles behind you, papers landing on the coffee table completely abandoned. âWeâve been at this for hours. Letâs just go to sleep.â
âI have them in here somewhere,â you bite, another handful of chargers and a stapled youâve never used and other things you didnât even realize you own fill the drawer. You move to the second. âThereâs only a few tests left.â
âWe can do them tomorrow. It can wait.â
âNo,â you spit like a curse.
Whatever Wonwoo was planning to say dies on his lips. âFine.âÂ
His shirt lands over your head, you rip it off only to find him half naked in the dark, huddling under one of the throw blankets you keep on the back of the couch. âWhat are you doing?â
âIâm sleeping.â
âOn the couch?âÂ
âYep.â
âYouâre too tall.â
âWell,â he draws like a pouty kid. âI donât feel like sharing the bed with you.â
In a way itâs safer to argue about something trivial like this versus the entire reason youâve iced each other out since that day in her office. Because at least like this, you wonât lose him. Itâs stupid and petty but at least youâre speaking to each other; breaking through that wall of silence thatâs been steadily growing more and more unnavigable as the inevitable draws nearer.
âFine, then Iâll sleep on the couch and you take the bed.â
âNo.â
âNo?â
âNo. N. O.â
Fine.
Itâs difficult to navigate in the dark. Your knees end up a victim to the edge of the coffee table and you trip over the edge of the rug, but you find the couch. Reaching down, you find his chest, then his shoulder. And once youâre sufficiently oriented you sit on him.
âOw,â Wonwoo grunts as you flop down, elbow in his gut and his chin hitting your forehead. âWhat are you doing?â
You wedge in closer, slipping between his body and the cushions, bracing to kick him off by force if needed. âSleeping.â
âHere?â he asks. Too aware of your plan, he turns as well, grabbing the back of the couch overhead to stay put.
âYouâre too tall to sleep here.â
âAnd weâre both too big to sleep here together. Take the bed.â
âNo,â you huff.
âNo?â
âNo. N.O. I believe youâre familiar with the word,â you spit.
âYouâre being ridiculous.â
âIf you keep talking then neither of us will sleep.â
âNeither of us are gonna sleep anyway. You move too much to be comfortable like this.â
Heâs right of course. Your hips already ache but if you move then heâll find some way to pull you off. âIâm fine.â
âYouâre being ridiculous.â
You do the mature thing and bite him.Â
The muscles corded around his pec twitch under your mouth as he flinches. âWhat the hell was that for?âÂ
You do it again.
âStop.â
âOr what?â you ask, muffled in his skin as you move to leave another bite.
Wonwoo also does the mature thing and pins your wrists in one hand, maneuvering until you're sandwiched between the couch with his chest flat to your back.
âI canât breathe like this,â you muffle into the cushions.
âOh, how tragic.â You feel his words tickle the back of your neck rather than hear them.Â
Wonwoo releases your wrists pinned to your stomach. His hand finds its way under your shirt, his shirt from some stupid frat fundraiser youâd been coerced into attending, flat to your belly with soothing circles. His calf hooks over your own to tangle your bodies together. He kisses the back of your neck, a simple brush of his lips that lingers.
Itâs easier to feel everything in the dark. Your annoyance and frustration forged over the past weeks melts away and all thatâs left is the need to have Wonwoo close. Just like this. Where there are no deadlines, or responsibilities. Where you both can drown in each othersâ presence and everything else is washed away in the heavy drops pounding the windows outside.
Here, everything is uncomplicated.
The next rumble of thunder is loud enough to send you both in the air. Unfortunately, Wonwoo drags you backwards off the couch and to the floor. You land relatively unscathed but he knocks his elbow into the coffee table.
âAre you okay?â
Wonwoo groans and curses, cradling his elbow.
âAw, tell the doctor where it hurts,â you coo, prodding his side.
He snatches your hand and pins it to his chest but not before lacing his fingers through your own. The gentle rise of and fall of breathing and the thud of his heart reverberates down your arm and straight into your own chest where something frozen softens. âHas anyone told you youâre annoying when youâre tired?â
âYes. You. Lots of times.â
âGood. Wanna make sure youâre aware.â
Lighting turns everything white, a quick flash highlighting the room. There and gone and leaving you more disoriented than before. Rolling over, you hook a thigh over his lap which he welcomes, tugging you closer and absorbing the proximity like second nature. Youâre a glutton for warmth â Wonwooâs warmth specifically â even in his sweater and his sweat shorts and his shirt, you still want more of him.
âWe canât sleep like this.â
You donât want to move â laying like this, in the dark, nose dug into his chest as you twisting your fingers in his, squeezing and glowing pathetically when he squeezes back â all you want is to drown in him a little longer. Until you're forced to come up for breath.
But the sore spot between you two is still raw like a fresh bruise.
âThen sleep in the bed,â his lips drags over your knuckles as he speaks.
âNo. You sleep in the bed, youâre too tall to sleep on the couch.â
âFine.â Wonwoo jumps up from his place on the floor, grabbing your hands once again before dragging you around the coffee table towards the opposite side of the room. Itâs ridiculously childish, especially in the dark where he bounces off the desk and the rug roughens the back of your legs.
He shimmies you around a corner and a cloud of laughter puffs between your lips. âWhat are you doing?â
âIâm sleeping in the bed, and youâre sleeping in the bed with me.â
âWhat if I donât want to sleep next to you?â
âThen Iâll cry. Like that time we watched Steel Magnolias.â
âHave mercy,â you whimper.
âThen get your ass in bed.â
Deflating like a balloon, you stand. Wonwoo keeps his hands on you the entire time, guiding you down to the mattress and covering your body with his own just in case of an escape. He bunkers down in the safety of your neck, dragging your hands to his hair, mimicking the motions he craves until you take up the action and gently comb through the tangles.
A part of you wants to cry. Preemptively mourn the end of this â whatever this is. Late nights with Wonwoo, whispering in the dark about clueless underclassmen and annoying professors. Taking turns scrolling through adoptable cats at the local rescue. Cooing over them, rolling your eyes when Wonwoo finds Pixel still listed as available for adoption, a sign to him that heâs meant to have her except he lives in a frat house. Or the nights neither of you can sleep and take a trip to the local diner and tuck yourselves away in a corner booth to watch drunk people cling to consciousness over waffles and hash browns.Â
There will be no more of that. Not by the time winter break comes. One of you is getting the gold ticket and the other will be up in the air with the hundreds of other people competing for the same handful of slots. And if one of you doesn't get in?Â
âWas that so hard?â he whispers into your collar.
When you donât answer, he looks up at. In the cast of lighting coming through the window heâs the same Wonwoo. The one youâve been best friends with for years now. The one who is practically glued to your side whenever possible.Â
The one who youâll have to say goodbye to.
He meets your kiss lazily. Like he still thinks you have all the time in the world.
It makes the urge to cry that much worse.
The rain is gone by morning.Â
The room glows from the orange light of the first minutes of sunrise. Sometime in the night you rolled to your side and Wonwoo pressed tight to your back. Heâs awake, drawing shapes on your hip beneath the fabric of your shirt.
âMorning.âÂ
You hum and roll over to burrow in his chest, the crown of your head digging into his neck and away from the sun. âMorning.â
The warmth of his hands trace the curve of your back, pulling you closer; hiding his own discontent with such an early break in the tentative truce that only seems to exist in the late hours of night and earliest minutes of dawn. Days of sleep deprivation with nothing but sterile lighting in the lab leaves you both needy and vulnerable. So he hugs you tighter and sighs when you do the same.
Heâs hard against your thigh. Clearly a result of biology more than need because heâs snoring against your hairline. Flashes of dreams rush forward â him beneath you, on top of you, behind you. Itâs been weeks since you two last fucked. When you called him an idiot and he called you stubborn and next thing you were on the table with your legs spread for Wonwooâs hand in a clumsy bump and grind while arguing about which one of you fucked up the biosensor callibration through gritted teeth and needy whimpers.
Youâre wet. With his thigh pressed between your own the fact becomes more evident as the urge to curl into it nags.
Taking advantage of the exposed curve of skin beneath your mouth, you kiss and suck with lax intent until Wonwoo tips his chin up and gives a silent green light.
A heavy hand drags down his front, nails scratching bluntly through the fabric until it can slip beneath the waistband of his sweats and the curve of his cock sits pretty in your palm. Commando for convenience and comfort. More the latter because thereâs no shot in hell heâs been getting laid lately.
His breath is sticky in his throat, vibrating beneath your teeth from thin pants as you work him through a loose fist. âCan I?â
âYeah,â he huffs. âYes.â
Slouching down, your head rests on his stomach, sweatpants bunched around his thighs. The first lick sends his hips up in search of more and you eagerly supply the soft suction of your mouth; lips catching around the flared head. A hand on the back of your skull keeps your hair from interfering as he plumps against your tongue.Â
Eagerness fails to penetrate this moment slowed down by the greater need to drag this out. To savor every second because who knows when youâll both stop being petty enough to just enjoy one anotherâs presence again.
âMight cumâfuckâ donât stop,â he grunts.
With the sun filling the room even more youâre running out of time, the warmth growing to leave sweat at the small of your back. He pushes harder into the curve of your throat and you let him, gagging wet with a lewd mix of spit and pre-cum that has you both moaning at the choked sound. Jaw slack, Wonwoo fucks your mouth with slow ruts; stomach tightening and the hand in your hair fisting tight enough you moan.
âShit, babeâc-cumming,â he whines with a pathetic groan youâd make fun of him for later but all you can think about is the thick taste of cum and if thereâs enough time for some attention between your own legs before life becomes unignorable. Not enough time for a real fuck but Wonwoo has a few tricks up his sleeve that promise satisfaction.
You bounce back down next to him and Wonwoo pounces, rolling on top of you, thing between your spread legs. He doesnât shy away from your tongue against his teeth, dips a thumb beneath your chin and slips his tongue right along with it, sucks your lips until the swell, backing off only to bunch your shirt up. Lazy drags of his mouth on yours â not the âI need youâ kisses after a late night but the âI miss youâ ones after weeks of passive aggressive silence.
He licks down your front, goosebumps blooming from the draft as he sucks a nipple until you arch and twist a hand in his hair. You give a lax stretch and sigh while his hand slips beneath the edge of your panties.
Taking the morning for what it is, you fall into the motions until the blare of the alarm clock signals the beginning of the end.
You push away and swipe blindly at the night stand to make it stop but Wonwoo has other plans.Â
He pins your hips down, tongue flat to the crotch of your underwear with a pant. âIgnore it.â
âWhat?â You look at him and find tired eyes watching back from over the edge of your wrinkled shirt. His hair is a mess, stuck to the side of his head from sleep and your eager hands and all you want to do is comb the tangles out while he pulls your strings like a puppet master.
But you canât.
âWeâve got class,â you gasp through a hot kiss on your clit.
A groggy groan of, âskip,â vibrates on your skin.
Fingers curling in the sheets, you grasp for disagreement only to find a moan as he pulls your hips closer and works a finger where you need it most.
âWe canât.â
âWe can,â Wonwoo grunts, focusing on peppering greedy kisses to the sensitive insides of your thighs. âWeâve been early every time this semester.â
The hand not curling in your guts runs down the back of your calf, bending until it hooks over his shoulder.
âFuck, Wonu,â you whine over the crude sounds of his mouth. You want to. God, do you want to. But you open your eyes again and they land on the stack of exams on your desk. Ungraded. Because Wonwoo said you could do them this morning. And now he wants you to skip class despite how important it is.Â
You close your legs only for Wonwoo to take it as a challenge, pinning your hips in place and celebrating his perceived victory with a throaty moan as he rocks against the bed.
âStop.â
He pulls back, mouth wet and brows furrowed. âHuh?â
The alarm on your phone pings again. Swiftly silenced this time as you roll out from beneath him and land beside the mattress on unsteady feet. âWe canât skip. We have to give exams back.â
âItâs not that big of a deal,â he argues, flopping down into the warmth you left vacant.
The room is too bright, a clear sign your morning routine is behind. âYou think now is the time to start slacking off?â
âItâs not slacking off.â Wonwoo snags his glasses. He looks more annoyed with them. âItâs a break. You clearly need one.â
âWhat the hell is that supposed to mean?â
âJust forget it. Iâm not arguing with you about stupid shit.â
âAnd what's stupid shit? The job we signed up for? With the professor who controls our futures?â
Wonwoo fixes his pants and rolls out of bed. On the opposite side. As far away from you as possible. âWhatever.â
âFine.â
âFine!â
âGood!â
âGood!â
You slam the bathroom door shut with finality. When you come back out, any trace of Wonwoo is long gone.
There arenât many people in class. A benefit of Halloweekend is the partying starts Wednesday and doesnât stop until the following week. Even with last night's rain plenty of students are battling hangovers which leaves a third of the usual lecture attendance to witness you and Wonwoo go head to head while Dr. Wagner sits at home with a mysterious illness she announced in an email three minutes after nine AM.
The few that are there snag their papers, lips curled in disgust at the plethora of red ink spilled on white pages. Their own faults for not paying attention during lecture but maybe the scarlet gashes were a little dramatic. Wonwooâs jaw is tight, pointedly ignoring you except to hand exams over that someone is waiting for with dread in their eyes.Â
You couldâve skipped. It wouldnât even count as skipping because class is canceled and thereâs no award for hauling ass at the crack of dawn when your advisor isnât even here to see it. You could be tucked away in your apartment with him under your skin; firmly in the place between dreams and waking where you liked him best, nothing but warm skin and rough hands with his lips on your hairline and your head burrowed in his chest.Â
There are too many witnesses to just drop the act and wrap your arms around him from behind until he gives in. Apologize for the stupid shit he rightfully called you out on. But as your courage grows with each studentâs exit, Wonwoo makes to leave before you can make use of it.Â
Barely an hour of fighting and it already feels like an eternity.
âHey,â you call.
He freezes by one of the desks near the back of the room, like heâs shocked youâre even there in the first place. But he doesnât turn around; just tilts his head so you know heâs listening even if he doesnât want to.
âSorry about this morning. I-I think the stress is getting to me.â
And the fact that I canât be mad at anyone besides the universe for this incredibly shitty situation. And I miss you. Even when youâre right next to me.
âOkay.â
âThatâs it?â you fidget with the strap of your bag; a million pounds heavier even without the weight of ungraded tests that Wonwoo snatched before you could divide the remaining work.
He turns around, eying you with an exasperated look. âWhat else should I say? You called me a slack off and implied I donât do my job.â
âI didnât,â you argue but itâs salt in the wound becauseâ
âYou did.â
âButââ
âItâs fine. Iâll finish grading the exams over the weekend.â
And then you're alone.
Youâre alone in the study room you both usually occupy to work on the Nanochemistry project due at the end of term. The shared document has updates, the blink of his cursor mocking your from wherever he hunkered down. Away from you. The temptation to type âIâm sorryâ over and over again disappears once he logs out barely a minute after you logged on.
Youâre alone at the circulation desk of the library through your shift, head whipping around to every squeak and cough only to find someone who isnât Wonwoo. Thereâs an email from him, to Dr. Wagner with you CCâed, about class averages and exam questions that should be thrown out.
You walk home alone. Other students in various states of dress and intoxication crowd the sidewalks, a few you recognize but they feel a million miles away.
Alone in your apartment, the two mugs from last night clean in the sink.
The good part of being alone is when you start crying, no one is there to see.
Itâs near midnight and the chill of the breeze whipping down the street bites at your exposed skin. Already the should-be-condemned frat house pulses with life, the promise of a long night ahead thrumming through the symphony of drunk screams and music.
Itâs not unusual for you to attend frat parties. Wonwooâs favor guarantees free booze and a perch at the top of the staircase where underclassmen are barred from entering. But youâll settle for watching drunk underclassman stumbling over the front lawn from one of the couches on the front porch (which are so broken in, no one sinks into the cushions â they just fall straight down until the worn springs catch them) because the inside of the house is too hot, and too crowded, and far too loud.Â
A hail Mary apology is the only thing on your mind. Yesterday had been the nastiest spat in recent history between you two; notwithstanding sophomore year when Jeonghan asked you for tutoring and Wonwoo insisted on helping. âHelpingâ meant cutting off every question Jeonghan dared ask with a series of snorts and huffs until you left and refused to talk to him for a week.
Heâd apologized in the most Wonwoo fashion â completing your Thermodynamics assignments for the rest of the semester and before going down on you until you threatened to kick him in the head through sensitive sobs.
Wonwoo is here â somewhere. Shuffling up the past, past the line of eager party goers looking for a way in, you scan the front porch, heâs not in his usual waiting spot to whisk you upstairs where the older members hang out with better drinks and better music. Not that he would be. He doesnât even know you considered coming to this.
Instead, poor Chan, dressed in yellow and black stripes, mans the door with pilot Jihoon by his side.
âJihoon,â you greet, before looking at the younger man. âSpeed bump.â
Chan mumbles something under his breath but lays on the ground regardless. When Wonwoo went through the same hazing you only got a few chances to enjoy the ridiculousness before he dragged you upstairs and shut you up himself.
âCan you not torment the kids?â Jihoon grunts.
âI could. But, whereâs the fun in that?âÂ
âYour boyfriend is inside. If you see Jun, tell him itâs his turn to watch the door.â
âGot it.â
Stepping over the underclassman still laying on the ground, you head inside and straight for the packed kitchen to get a drink. Thereâs barely any space between the hoard of bodies, forcing you to shuffle forward everytime there's a gap in the crowd; but itâs more like swimming against a rip tide.Â
Itâs difficult to see with nothing but a few strobe lights and some strings of Christmas lights to clear the dark. One glance up towards the upper landing of the staircase is all it takes to find him right next to Mingyu. Matching costume, two bean poles standing out from the crowd of shorter men. Mingyu makes a brief nod in your direction but before you can see Wonwoo turn youâre off into the kitchen.
Itâs an even tighter fit in here. A pledge pours drinks from a cooler, for a brief second youâre tempted to indulge. The last time you did, freshman year, you ended up crying in Wonwooâs room mid-hookup. You scan the slim pickings and settle on an unopened beer. The shots you took while getting ready are already catching up.
Forced between anxious isolation and drinking, a few of your friends come up and briefly make conversation. You feign interest, eying over their heads for a familiar mop of dark hair without success.
A few guys stop to compliment your costume. They give themselves away in glazed heavily lidded stares, single minded focus on your legs. They ask what your major is, boast their status as pledges to your disinterested grimace, and move on when you finally put them out of their misery and fib about your âboyfriendâ being âpresident or somethingâ but âI donât pay attention to those things,â and they all disappear significantly paler than when they first appeared.
You bite the bullet of your pride and turn to leave, only to find Wonwoo barely an inch away.
His eyes burn over your figure, the short toga covering just enough for you to avoid public indecency. Good. Itâs the entire reason you wore this stupid costume in the first place. Heâs a horny loser for nerdy shit and this is the best thing you couldâve worn other than one of those video game character costumes forcing your boobs in your throat and leaving you at serious risk for public indecency.
Itâs not the first time youâve wrapped yourself in barely enough fabric to constitute an outfit for the sake of his forgiveness and it probably wonât be the last.
Wonwoo pins you to the counter with his hips, hands bracketing your figure on either side. The green hat with an âLâ is lopsided on his head but at least he didnât wear the fake mustache. âSo, what is your costume?â he hums into the space just below your ear with a kiss.
âGuess.â You tilt your chin, cocky.
âAnd if I get it right?â he asks, lips at your ear.
Heart pound, you ditch the beer and reach for his hips with purpose. âWhatever you want.â
âDangerous words.â
âThink of it as my apology for being a huge bitch yesterday.âÂ
He sighs into your neck, arms tight around your waist in a loose semblance of a hug. Itâs a farce. Your ass meets the counter with minor effort and Wonwoo claims the space between your legs before you can pretend to object.
He still hasnât kissed you.
You want more than kisses. You want to feel him, all of him. Want to drag him to the living room serving as a makeshift dance floor and sink into the heat of his body pressed flat against your own for everyone to see. You want to pull him into that closet off the main hall, familiar from that hot night of freshman year when a drunk make out turned into a timid fingering and eventually Wonwoo handing over his first time on a silver platter. Or even run back to your apartment, pluck through the leftover Halloween candy you bought on discount and watch whatever horror movie has become his recent obsession. You just want him.
âMingyu thought you were Socrates.â
Pressed this close on the sticky counter, his body is the only thing protecting what little of your dignity is left. Even then, there's enough of the slippery warmth of alcohol to tempt you into rutting against him right here for those stupid pledges to see. âMingyu is an idiot.â
âClearly,â he chuckles. âThe rubber chicken gave it away.â
You shake it at eye level. âBehold, man.â
âLame,â his kissing gets bold down the shaft of your neck, teeth scraping your collarbone.
âOh please, I feel your boner.â
He doesnât resist you when you nuzzle along the bare parts of his neck, a tease of soft kissing usually reserved for quiet moments tucked away in your apartment. Even in the chaos of the party, body heat turning the air uncomfortably warm, you crave more of his closeness.Â
His hands feel nice on your legs. None of the timid gentleness of years prior when heâd touch you like itâd burn if he wanted it too much; trailing higher and higher but never under the short hem of the bedsheet turned dress. His fingers flex into the muscle at the outside of your thigh, hook behind your knees and drag you to the edge of the counter.Â
You're sweating through your own skin when he kisses you.Â
The need in your gut blooms at full force. Your mouth loosens, welcoming his tongue and teeth and whatever else heâs generous enough to give while you tug at the loose fabric around his hips to force more close proximity; the zipper of his pants is hot against your core and if you fucked him right here it wouldnât look that different than the PG-13 make out happening right now.Â
âWanna show me your room?â You blink like some moony eyed freshman, glassy, pupils blown from vivid images of all the possibilities in the solitude upstairs. Wonwoo is fine with the game of whatever your apology entails even if it means you throw cheesy lines like that.
He ushers you off the counter, flat to your back as he pushes through the crowd with you ahead. Even in a drunken haze people part out of his way because of the mastery of resting bitch face only he seems to have despite the complaint putty that lies behind it. A private smile splits your lips. He canât be that mad. Not with how he pulls you closer, in the protective way he so often does in the buzz of a single minded crowd with more alcohol in their veins than blood.Â
Mingyu is standing on the landing. Girls in scraps of fabric eye him up and down, even in his stupid costume with the mustache but he ignores them in favor of pouting straight into a red cup.
âWhy is your boyfriend moping?âÂ
âFuck if I know.â Wonwoo focuses on sucking another bruise on your neck like no one's watching.Â
Youâre loose enough not to care about Mingyuâs annoyance as Wonwoo ushers you by. âCheer up buttercup, Iâm sure thereâs a Peach here into charity fucks!âÂ
Itâs meant to be encouraging, but Mingyu looks like heâs torn between strangling you and throwing himself over the banister.
Maybe you did lie about being Wonwooâs girlfriend, but he is president and his room is the biggest and furthest away from chaos. Up on the top floor where the music isnât as loud and the only people on this floor are other members and their guests for the night.
Wonwoo pushes you inside, kicking the door shut loud enough you wince before crowding you against the wood. You throw his hat away somewhere into the darkness, hand twisted in his hair as he kisses you. Sloppy and gross until he rocks into the softness of your stomach, gasoline on the flame.
âTurn around.â
He barely gives you enough space to do so, pressing you flat once again, cheek squished to the door and a rough pull at your waist.Â
âIf youâre thinking about touching my asshole, donât. I have shit to do tomorrow,â you warn.Â
On the other side of the door you hear footsteps but they pass by without stopping.
âNoted, but not what Iâm going for,â he jokes.Â
Your skirt flips up and a draft against the damp crotch of your panties sends a tremor straight through your core. âShare with the class.â
âItâs a surprise.â
âIâm shaking in my toga.â
âAnd you call me a loser.â
âI can call you some other things,â you grit, pushing back into the heat of his covered cock. âThey arenât as nice though.â
âYeah, yeah. Take your panties off.âÂ
Heâs a little bit of a freak. Sometimes he enjoys fucking you in nothing but your underwear and others he wants you in everything but. Maybe because of how this entire thing started; when you wouldnât even take your bra off and he survived on the barest flash of nipple.
The flimsy soiled fabric barely passes your knees before heâs on you again, easily tempted by the arch of your spine. You hum content as he presses a finger into your cunt, then two. His other hand forces the neckline of your dress down and lo-and-behold your lack of bra delights like you knew it would.
Whatever bright idea that fluttered in Wonwooâs brain is forgotten as he spins you back around for an eyeful of naked skin; a mouthful of your chest and your leg hooked around his hip for a pathetic dry hump into the heel of his hand.
âOh, fuck,â you moan with extra emphasis and a caved stomach because thereâs teeth and he makes it hurt. âKiss me.â
Another rut into your thigh and his teeth are back at your bottom lip. Itâs not exactly what you anticipated when you showed up tonight but there are far worse places than having a doorknob in your back while Wonwoo leaves a hickey below your ear; a perfectly good bed ten feet away but neither of you can be bothered to move much more than forcing Wonwooâs pants down enough his cock leaks in your grip, head nestled at your entrance.
You surprise him by sinking to your knees. Head tipped back against the door, you tilt your mouth open to welcome him on your tongue. Wonwoo stares down at you; tits out, hand between your legs as you suck his cock in quick motions until he takes over and fucks into the curve of your throat.Â
âHoly s-shit,â he hisses and you flatten your tongue to help him along. It feels good; seeing him reduced to so little just from the wet suck of your mouth on him.Â
A choked gag forces Wonwoo back into his body, hips curving away so you can swallow air before leaving a sloppy kiss on the tip. Seizing him in a tight grip, you use the spit to jerk him off until he cringes with another pathetic moan.Â
Someone giggles in the hallway, close enough you both hear. Theyâre far enough away you can still whisper to Wonwoo. âRemember that time we fucked in here last year?âÂ
âWhen you almost got us killed?â
Last year, at the same party, when you showed up in a skin tight Shego costume, Wonwoo pulled you to the only available room: Seungcheolâs. Itâd been hot. Fucking when you arenât supposed to, having Seungcheol pound at the door while Wonwoo came down your throat (no condoms and no hope to clean up).
âDo it again.â
His hand creeps into a loose collar around the base of your throat. You keep rubbing between your legs, working up a slick slide until your nails dig into the skin of his thighs.
âReally?â Thereâs no need for muffling the noise when it's his room and the only people at risk of hearing anything have done far worse. He pulls you to your feet, forces your cheek against the door and slides right behind you. Like he was made for you.
âChoke me,â you gasp before digging into the sick part of your brain that likes seeing him strung out, extra breathy just to see his eyes go wide. âSir.â
Your skin sticks to the door, shamefully squeezed as he drags his cock through the mess of your pussy. âYou canât just say that.â
âWhy not?â
âBecauseââ
âBecause what?â you goad. âGonna punish me?â
âYouâd like that wouldnât you? Show up wearing this,â he grits, tugging at the white fabric bunched around your waist, using the hand on your throat to squeeze your cheeks tight with authority you drool for. âAsking to be choked and now you probably want me to spank you and call you a good girl.â
You grunt through the raw thrust at your gut, sending your head back from sheer enthusiasm. âNânot my fault you fuck me so good.âÂ
Wonwoo almost canât control himself, hearing nothing but praise fall from your mouth as he fucks you limp against the door. âGod.â
Someone screams, âLeave room for Jesus!â from the other side of the door and you almost rip it open to kill them if Wonwoo wasnât dragging you to the bed.Â
He folds you onto your front, both standing at the foot of the bed. A deep roll of his hips and youâre filled completely.Â
âO-oh, fuck me,â you moan, uncaring if the idiot outside the door is still listening. Wonwoo has a hell of a hand and puts it to use against the curve of your ass. The coil in your gut pulls taunt as he delivers one after another.
He fucks deeper, a the hand not burn against your bottom between your shoulders. âYou look so goodâ ah âtaking my cock like this.â His voice waivers with the same stunted rhythm of his hips.Â
âW-want,â you choke on spit, drooling into the comforter. âWanna taste you.â
The animalist need to suck both your flavors off his cock nearly sends you into a fit but Wonwooâs there, hooking his hand back around the front of your neck with a subtle squeeze. You want the stupid dress off, you want Wonwooâs clothes off, you want to fuck him where thereâs no one around to catcall in the hallway like twelve year old boys. Want. Want. Want.
What you get is enough pressure from his fingers that your mind blanks. Wonwoo gets a tight enough squeeze on his cock that heâs forced to a grinding halt.Â
Then his rhythm goes deeper, harder. Course curls against the resistance of your ass until you almost collapse against the edge of the bed. His cock hits that spot like it was made for your body. âTouch yourself.â
You comply without further command. Youâre wet, soaked, arousal smeared down your thighs from Wonwooâs treatment. Your fingers bump against his length as you match the pace of his strokes. âFuck, Wonwoo â hmmm.âÂ
âTell me how it feels,â he gasps like itâs his first breath in hours.
âWet, so wet,â you croon, arching harder, joints locking. âGonna cum. Oh my god.â
He reaches low, grabbing your hand from between your thighs and pulling it to his mouth for a taste. His tongue slides between your digits, liquid slick with a soft suction your crave on your clit.Â
âBeg for it.â Wonwoo bites your shoulder hard enough you cry.Â
Stuffing your hand back between your legs, you play with your clit clumsily. Until pink crowds the edge of your vision and it hurts. âPlease, please! I needâWant it. Wanna come for you. Please, sir.â
Wonwoo strains to hear your pleas over the clap of bodies. Heâs worked you near the middle of the bed, practically laying on top of you as he fucks in quick succession.Â
âHarder, fuck me,â you demand. âYes, yes, yâyes!â
If you were on top youâd fall straight off, jerking tightly under Wonwooâs weight, turning your face to greet his tongue between your teeth and mewling sensitivity. He doesnât show mercy, continuing to fuck you through the worst of it.
âHoly shit,â you whimper, head throbbing. Wonwoo forces you back on your knees and you fight through sore muscles and sensitivity to preen under the weight behind his hips.Â
âCan I come in you?â he asks in a shivery breath.
You nod with closed eyes, tugging the hand around your throat to your lips and sucking his fingers like itâs a cock. He finishes with a choked breath, flooding your insides with sticky warmth youâve never gotten used to in all the months youâve fucked without condoms.Â
His breath fans against the nape of your neck, another swivel of his hips from the sensitivity. Your walls squeeze as Wonwoo pulls away.Â
You roll onto your back with a bounce, Wonwoo jostling you when he joins. Shoulder to shoulder, you stare up at the ceiling while catching your breath. âDo you think youâll pop a boner when your students call you a sir next year?â
Wonwoo heaves a long breath, amusement in his voice. âI come inside you and that's the first thing you think of?â
Immediately you regret the joke. Since Dr. Wagnerâs announcement weeks ago neither of you had broached on the topic of what happens after graduation. Mostly from fear. But also because itâs a long discussion youâre not exactly sure what you want out of.
âAnswer the question.â
âI hope not.â
The bed shifts beneath your knees as you crowd over Wonwoo, laying with his arms behind him to keep from sinking flat. The tired lines of his face look deeper in the lamp light. Heâs nothing more than a big softie that wants to cuddle half naked in his bed while you play with his hair until sleep finds its place.
âItâs our last Halloween party.â
âWow, just like old times,â you snort. âShould I start crying? Then itâll be just like freshman year all over.â
Wonwoo laughs, his hand snatching yours and lacing your fingers together. âYou wore a bra and bunny ears freshman year so if youâre gonna whip that out too â by all means.â
âGod, we were so lame,â you announce matter of factly. Crying in lingerie and animal ears in one of the supply closets downstairs all becauseâ
âDonât rope me into that, miss âcrying-because-she-didnât-know-how-to-suck-dickâ.â Wonwoo rolls on top of you, hoping to silence whatever argument bubbling in response with a teasing press of his lips. You're still sticky with sweat and spit and cum, nipples and pussy out and the thought of his dick, limp against your thigh, makes you sensitive all over.
âThatâs former miss âcrying-because-she-didnât-know-how-to-suck-dickâ,â you trail off into his mouth. âAnd youâre one to talk. Remember the time you cried about how happy you were that we were friends.â
He bites your lip in retaliation. âI didnât.â
âYou did. I have the video from Mingyu.â
âI thought he was an idiot.â
âHe is but heâs good for blackmail.â
You might consider staying the night if he keeps tracing his nose along the arch of your collarbone. But a shrill giggle and some pornographic moans ring through the walls of the neighboring room. Not the side Seungkwan occupies. Hoshiâs. And itâs only the start.
âWe canât sleep here.â
Wonwoo collapses, tugging you with him. âI canât ditch again, Iâm on pledge duty.â
âYouâre hiding in your room with me.â
âOkay, technically Iâm on pledge duty.â
He wouldnât stay here if he wasnât required. Wonwoo hates party nights, especially Halloween. Too many variables requiring all hands on deck; too many needy people demanding his presence for some issue that couldâve been handled if they used their brain to think farther than the tip of their nose. Rarely, if ever, does he sleep in his own bed when you have a perfectly good one tucked away in a private apartment without thirty other men tripping over each other.Â
âWell, Iâm not sleeping with that.â On cue, another whimper, clearly a manâs, breaks through the tentative silence. Are they fuck against the shared wall?
Wonwoo sighs, scrubbing his face before moving for his phone. âIâll send one of the kids to walk you.â
âWow, a pledge escort. How thoughtful,â you sneer.
He huffs again, unwilling to start a fight thatâll leave neither of you satisfied. âText me when you get home.â
You donât.
There is an unspoken habit between you and Wonwoo that Sunday mornings are spent at the only reasonably priced coffee shop just near your apartment. A charming hole in the wall, with hanging shelves displaying layers of tchotchkes, paintings lining whatever free space between them, and wobbly tables with equally unbalanced chairs. Itâs always packed because the coffee is decent and they have outlets. After last night, you hope heâs too exhausted to even think about showing up.
Mugs click against dark lacquered tables, the dull murmur of conversation churns over the music swelling softly through the speakers. The smell of pastries and espresso wake you enough to slide into a vacant table in the corner and set to work.Â
Or you wouldâve if someone didnât sit down first.
âOh.â
Wonwoo already has a mug and a little brown bag as he looks up at where you stand dumbly.
âI can just goâŠsit somewhere elseâŠâ You turn to leave, except there are no other tables. Couples and groups claim every single seat except the one across from Wonwoo.
âWhy would you do that?â
âI donât know, probably because Iâm mad at you.â
He unpacks his laptop, shaking his head. âYouâre not mad at me.â
âYes, I am,â you emphasize.Â
âYouâre a bad liar.â
Neither of you are good at lying. Even worse at fighting. Incapable of committing to real anger when it takes all your energy to stand up straight and not fall asleep in a pile of ungraded papers and half finished assignments. Besides, you're only pouting because he passed up a night at your place to clean up pledge vomit.Â
You canât tame the annoyed grin cracking your face. âFine, Iâm not that mad at you. Buy my forgiveness in the form of coffee.â
âToo much caffeine will kill you.â
âI can only hope,â you sigh, arms cradling your head against the hard wood of the table while he joins the queue at the register.
Wonwoo orders your drink and a cheesy pastry the size of your head, the smell of greasy carbs first thing in the morning softening the ice in your veins. He knows your weaknesses too well.Â
âIs this penance?âÂ
âSomething like that.â He tears the crispiest corner off and pops it into his mouth.
âDid you look at the study guide for Calc yet?â
Two hours later you approach the counter for a second round of coffee and snag one of the jammy tarts Wonwoo likes but rarely buys for himself. Whatever chaffs between you two melts under the constant stream of note checking; Wonwooâs hand on your knee under the table helps too.Â
âIf I look at this anymore, Iâll run into traffic.â
âWeâve got the Nano project that needs some work,â you suggest.Â
He stretches wide, a sliver of skin visible between the hem of his sweater and the band of sweat pants. âIâve got practice in an hour. We can do it tonight when Iâm done.â
You try not to stare and instead return to focusing on the screen of your laptop burning your retinas.âIâm tutoring Seungkwan.â
âAfter?â
âHeâs gonna be a bitch and the last thing I wanna do is look at more school stuff.â
âThen no school stuff,â he decrees with finality. âIâll bring mushroom pad thai from that place on Market.â
âAre you trying to bribe your way in?â
âIs it working?â
You hum a dismissal but watch him through your lashes. He looks good â washed in late afternoon glow, hair a mess with glasses and a sweater that hangs off his shoulders. It all screams âdrag me to bed and nap the rest of the dayâ which is trouble for you because you still want to be mad at him if only to see how fair heâs willing to go for your forgiveness.
âWe can watch Yellowjackets,â he barters, packing his bag.
Another group eyes your table with hope to claim it the second itâs available. Sadly, your ass is firmly planted for the rest of the afternoon. With or without Wonwoo.
âYouâre really trying to butter me up, arenât you?â
âI cannot sleep in that house,â he deadpans. âPlease take mercy.â
âOh, so youâre just using me for a place to sleep. Even after I wore that stupid Halloween costume?â
He pauses, eyes glazing like itâs a distant memory and not less than twenty four hours ago. âYou looked hot.â
âYou made that pretty clear.â
âAnyway, Iâll come over after practice. You can bitch about Seungkwan until you pass out.â
âFine, but if there is no pad thai then donât come.â
âWhatever my woman demands,â he snorts, dropping a kiss to your lips before turning towards the door.
Two hours and another coffee later, Seungkwan occupies Wonwooâs abandoned chair. Thereâs no reason for him to be taking an intro chem class as a Creative Writing major other than the fact heâs a bit of a masochist. Heâs not half bad at it and doesnât really need any tutoring but you get paid for showing up even if itâs complete silence as you pick your nails until he needs something.
Youâre marking through his latest attempt when he finally speaks up, âYou're dating Wonwoo, right?â
Red pen scratches through the edge of the paper. âWhat?â
âYou and Wonwoo.â
What is the absolute configuration of the two carbon atoms in this compound? More red ink.
âWhat about me and Wonwoo?â
Seungkwan rolls his eyes with exasperation, like youâre on the outs of some obvious joke. âDating.â
If an alkene has 24 hydrogen atoms, how many carbon atoms does it contain? Another X.
âNo.â
âOh, I thoughtââ
âWeâre just friends.â
When 10 g of 90% pure lime stone is heated completely, the volume (in litres) of is liberated at STP is⊠Wrong, again. Which makes no sense because Seungkwan is good at this level. Heâs fucking with you on purpose.
âHuh,â he comments, grabbing the worksheet back from your claws.
ââHuhâ what?â
âI heard a rumor he had a girlfriend last night, thatâs all.â
It's not the first time someone assumed there's more between you and Wonwoo then there actually is, your fib last night clearly fanned the flames of even more speculation. But neither of you date; not enough time, willpower, or patience to entertain someone around packed schedules. If you and Wonwoo didnât have the same life within the chemistry department then youâd never see each other. Itâs convenient as it can possibly be.Â
Maybe at one point there was. Summer of sophomore year when he studied abroad in Spain and the usual substance of correspondence morphed from memes and jokes to something softer; I miss youâs and youâd like it hereâs. Late night phone calls that lasted hours, refusing to hang up first until one of you fell asleep and the other finally canceled the call.Â
But the opportunity to tip over the edge came and went without coalescing into whatever was on the other side.Â
Seungkwan can pretend itâs an innocent suggestion but he stares you down until you crack with your own curiosity. âWho told you that?â
âSome pledges said they accidentally hit on his girlfriend. I don't even think he knows another girl beside you. Plus you were at the party last night.â
Stupid fuckers, you mutter under your breath. âWeâre not dating.â
âBut you guys are always together.â
âWe work together. You and Vernon are always together, are you two fucking?â
âMy room is next to his and it doesnât sound like work to me.â
âHow does me failing you sound?â you spit.Â
Seungkwan doesn't so much as flinch at the threat but returns to the practice sheet with a smile nonetheless.Â
Typically, fall break is spent hidden away in a pile of blankets with you and Wonwoo alternating movie choices throughout the weekend. Dead Poets Society (him), When Harry Met Sally (you), Over the Garden Wall (him), Fantastic Mr Fox (you), and so on and so on.
This year, you have a strong feeling Dr. Wagnerâs favorite pastime is seeing her TAs squirm. Itâs the only explanation for the unique brand of humiliation she subjects you and Wonwoo to. Tonight, Friday and technically your first night off for the long weekend, she decides to engage in a new sort of torture. A fancy dinner that neither of you could ever hope to afford, and even as her treat, you still eye the menu prices nervously.Â
But Dr. Collins sits across the table, in the flesh, so you pull out the skills you learned in the ridiculous theater class you took freshman year to âdiversifyâ your transcript and smile through the anxiety.Â
Wonwoo does a little better; in a button up youâve only seen him wear a handful of times when his usual wardrobe is sweatshirts and free shirts from campus events, he looks more comfortable than you feel.
âJill, tells me you both work on Epitranscriptomic mapping in her lab?â Dr. Collins asks after another sip of his drink. Two whiskeys at dinner.Â
Itâs not an official interview. Not anything close to it, according to your advisor. Nothing is set in stone, even if Dr. Collins laughs at Wonwooâs awkward jokes and nods enthusiastically to your stories about working in the library (he also worked in the library in undergrad, but used it to nap more than actually work). But it feels like a step in the right direction.Â
âYes, sir.â Wonwoo and you nod in tandem.
Dr. Wagnerâs research focuses on how different RNA modifications vary across various cell types and states. Itâs high level stuff that no one but Wonwoo understands when you rant about the broken Cellraft machine. And his complaints about NovaSecâs constant crashes that leave him without work fall on deaf ears except when theyâre directed at you.Â
Half the reason you two started speaking during orientation is because the overly enthusiastic intern asked what people were looking forward to the most during school. You and Wonwoo were the only ones who seemed to think she meant school-related and not where to buy a fake ID. Apparently, the best person to get a fake ID from was a junior in Dr. Wagnerâs lab that year. Go figure.
âIâve seen you two listed down the line as co-authors,â he nods.Â
The waiter brings dessert, spiced toffee cakes and ice cream. Youâre starving but the knot in your stomach from when you sat down is even tighter and all you can do is pick at the plate.
âWell, Y/N does a lot of the troubleshooting for the RNA degradation issues,â Wonwoo shares.Â
Your face heats at the unexpected but not undeserved compliment. Dr. Wagnerâs work isnât cheap and the thought of wasting valuable money, money that could line the pocket of an extra set of hands, forced you to run a tight ship. The other researchers in her lab could say what they wanted behind your back but Dr. Wagner nods with fondness and you try not to preen.
âWeâd be a mess if it wasnât for her,â Dr. Wagner agrees. âThe lab techs should write her a card.â
Not wanting to leave him out, you shoot a look to your left where Wonwoo pulls at the napkin in his lap. âWonwoo is the one that made sure the parameters made sense for the last publication.â
âAlso true.â Dr. Wagner smiles. âI told you, Harry, theyâre my best students. Excel a mile past my TAs last year. They work together exceptionally well. If I could keep them both for next year, I would.â She says it with finality. There might very well be an opportunity to stay here and continue in her lab, even if your ambition has outgrown the place youâve called home for four years.
The table is cleared, your plate full of mashed cake and melted ice cream with not a single bite missing. Youâre exhausted. Mentally, emotionally; physically from the three all nighters youâve pulled this week. Thereâd be an earful from Wonwoo about the dangers of sleep deprivation (hypocrite) but he looks like heâs seen a ghost tonight and wonât sleep himself.
Dr. Collins glances at his watch with a muffled yawn, âMy, my! Look at the time! My apologies I didn't mean to keep us all out so late. I know you two probably have far more interesting things to be doing than spending the evening with a couple old timers like us.â He winks at Dr. Wagner, who rolls her eyes and hands the check back to the waiter who canât be more than nineteen. âIt looks like Iâll have some tough decisions to make in the upcoming weeks. Best of luck to the both of you.â
Hands shakes all around, and an awkward shuffle at the door and Dr. Collins and Dr. Wagner disappear into the night, leaving you and Wonwoo alone on the long walk back to campus.
You donât beeline to your apartment for a debrief. Or even to ignore the obvious awkwardness cracking between. A bench to the side of the campus green is where you find yourselves, across from the fountain that upholds the tradition of drunken seniors taking a dip during finals when theyâve given up.Â
You want to drown in it.
âWonwoo,â you whisper. âWhat happens if one of us doesn't get in?â
âIâI donât know.â He peers down at you with what you think is grief and the white noise that follows his quiet admission chokes painfully. Thereâs no plan B for something like this
If you got in, then Wonwoo did too. An unfounded assumption that wherever you went heâd be there too, based on almost four years of something between you. Too much to be friendship but too scared to call it something else. Something more. All the stereotypical college firsts had been with him or witnessed by him, you assumed grad school would be the same.
But it canât be.
âThen we should end this.â
The words are out like shaken champagne, a dramatic explosion you canât take back; a mess in the slimmest inches of space between your bodies on the bench in the freezing air.
âWhat?â he says.
You canât swallow back down the idea. Wonwoo wonât let you. Maybe you donât want to. You stare at the fountain across the green with a twitch in your jaw.Â
âOne of us is gonna move to Boston and the other is gonna have to figure it out and Iâd rather not hate you or you hate me when it happens.â
You wonât take it back but you wonât look at him either.Â
âYou think Iâd hate you?âÂ
Heâs staring at you. You can feel the burn of his gaze on your cheek where embarrassment heats as well.
âI would.â You ignore the break in your voice at the complete lie. âIâd hate it if you got in and I didnât. Even though you deserve it and I couldnât be mad about it. Iâd hate it. All Iâve wanted since freshman year is to go there, and I wonât ruin it for you just because I canât have it.â
For a painstaking moment, he doesnât say anything. His shoulders are still rigid and he props his weight into his knees, head bowed so you canât even see his face in the stark street light. He doesnât do anything until you do, until you slump with utter defeat.
âFine.â
âFine?â Your voice pinches in your throat.
âWhat else is there? Youâve already decided for the both of us. That stupid fucking program matters more to you thanââ
You heat close to explosion.âItâs not stuââ
Wonwoo rushes off the bench. âIt is! It is because weâve been dating for the past three years but you wonât even fucking admit it! Youâll tell some stupid pledge Iâm your boyfriend but everytime I think weâve worked it out â that youâre finally ready to talk about it â you pretend nothing is happening.â
âThat wasnâtââ you shake your head.
âItâs fine. Iâll get over it.âÂ
You move quicker than he does and find his hand, but he doesnât want to stay and you canât stop him from leaving. âWonwoo.âÂ
âStop.â His voice is stoic, whatever emotions previously controlling him locked up tight behind faux dismissal. âJustâŠstop.âÂ
If youâre going to lie then the smallest favor you can do is obey his command. You hide your face in your hands, cheeks hot and eyes stinging. Because if you look at him then youâll break into a million pieces. Youâd admit to lying to his face; that you could so much as entertain the idea of hating him.
Wonwoo waits but you say nothing. No argument, no final comment.Â
When you finally look up heâs far enough down the sidewalk that the pathetic croak of his name is unheard.
Endpoint: a critical moment in a chemical process where a specific change indicates that the reaction is complete.Â
Two days later, when you finally get the balls to call Wonwoo and apologize, to tell him heâs right and that youâre an absolute idiot, heâs already blocked your number.
In a game of passive aggressive pettiness, Wonwoo takes gold.
He wonât talk to you outside of class and lab hours. Even then, he refuses to look at you; talks straight around you. Any form of correspondence you receive has Dr. Wagnerâs name attached and anything you send without it is loudly ignored.Â
Other people notice too.
In study hours, the students notice, whisper to each other when Wonwoo snubs your attempt to discuss a batch of graded homework in favor of focusing his attention on a cowering freshman who looks like he might piss himself when Wonwoo calls him by name. All the others bury their heads in their textbooks in fear heâll pick them next.
In Nano, when he shows up just in the nick of time to leave his self-assigned seat next to you empty, and instead sitting next to the door. You feel the eyes on you, hair standing on end at the back of your neck when Dr. Lim stutters through his intro with wide eyes at the scene.
Seungkwan shows up to tutoring significantly less interested in your love life. Or he pretends he isnât. He doesnât ask outright and thereâs pity in his eyes, thick enough you want to burst into the tears youâve waited to come for the past two weeks. Instead you feel hollow.Â
Even Mr. Lee, the night guard at the library, eyes your solitary exit with something like concern. Even going so far as to call campus public safety to escort you the short walk home.
Your other friends try to take you out, get your mind off the tilt in your world axis. You go. Sit at bar tables and laugh when you're supposed to, make empty conversations with strangers but you donât care. You want to go home and curl up in your own misery like a blanket and cry until your eyes swell shut and pass out from exhaustion. Eventually, they stop asking if you want to come and just leave ice cream and bottles of wine on your doormat as support.
Your grades donât suffer, and thatâs the only thing you can cling to right now.
In Dr. Wagnerâs office, an impromptu meeting under the guise of setting final exam expectations and tinkering the schedule, Wonwoo continues the harsh coldness of silence; content to pretend you donât even exist.Â
You work through it easily enough. You and Wonwoo have the same finals so there's only two schedules (Dr. Wagnerâs and your shared one) to coordinate for extra study hours. The entire ordeal takes ten minutes to complete the shared calendar, pack it full of final lab meetings and deadlines for grading.
And when itâs over, you move to rise but Dr. Wagner stops you short.
She looks sheepish which is an odd sight. Immediately, you go to the worst. You grit and swallow and sit back down in the same upholstered chair from the last time she dropped a bomb in your lap.Â
This is the bandaid rip youâve waited for all semester. Whatever is at the end of this meeting means you finally know if youâre good enough or not. If karma does justice and gives Wonwoo the spot in Dr. Collins lab next year because you committed the sin of wanting it too much, sacrificed too much.
âIt seems my attempt at friendly competition had someâŠunintended consequences.â
Where sizzling anger would once flourish and bloom, nothing but empty exhaust stutters to life. âWhat?â
âLast year, the second my TAs found out Iâd recommended them, they slacked off. Missing class, incorrect results in the lab. Now I know you two are hard workers but I was afraid senioritis might set in and Iâd have to lay down the law. I donât like being harsh with my students, not directly anyway. I want the best out of them, and I knew I could anticipate the best from you two. I was always planning to recommend both of you to Dr. Collins. I told him he would regret it if he even thought about not making space for you both next year.â
âWhat?â you repeat again.
Thereâs a weight on your knee. You donât even need to look to know itâs Wonwooâs hand. He doesnât look before flipping it over when you place yours on top, fingers knotting together; holds it tight like heâs afraid youâll vanish if he lets go. You unconsciously squeeze and he mimics without thought.
âSo what does this mean?â
âDr. Collins canât outright say it but heâs on the admissions board and decides who gets to join his lab. He was adamant that both of you join him in Boston.â
âBut we havenât evenââ
âI know, but the application is a formality at this point.â She waves a dismissive hand. âYour work speaks for itself.â
Wonwoo is still there, clenching your hand for dear life. Waiting for the other shoe to drop because there is no way â no way â itâs this easy. Months at each other's throat from the tension and for nothing. Youâre sweaty, heart thumping loud enough it might break from your chest and skitter on Dr. Wagnerâs desk. She keeps talking and you still havenât looked at Wonwoo.
âIâm so proud of you both!â she beams. âAnd Iâm sorry if IâveâŠcomplicated thingsâŠfor the two of you. It was never my intention. Now, go! Rest! Take the day off and celebrate. Send me the links to your applications and Iâll do my part so you can finally relax before finals.â
The pair of you shuffle outside like zombies. In broad daylight, the world keeps spinning and someone drops their coffee a little further down the street and curses a storm; a car honks at a biker, there's packs of students shuffling around where you stand dumbfounded. Your sweater does little to block the chill of late November wind.
Wonwoo still hasnât let go of your hand.
âDid that just happen?â he asks.
âWhat the fuck.â
âWhat the fuck.â
Your laughing, deranged and fatigued cackles that earn several looks but on the cusps of finals itâs not uncommon enough to stop anyone out of concern. âWhat the fuck!â
Youâre not sure what to do. Celebrate? Cry?Â
Itâs a little bit of both as Wonwoo swoops in, wrapping his arms around you tight enough to squeeze a surprised scream from your lungs. Heâs not done, lifting and spinning you around in a quick circle before crying, âWhat the fuck!â
You laugh, snorting ugly cackles as he almost drops you with both of you gasping for breath. Completely deranged but what just happened that the rift between you momentarily heals.
Wonwoo sets you down gently but keeps close, his hands your waist like heâs afraid to let go. Like heâs missed you just as much as youâve missed him. You finally look at him, and itâs the first breath of air after drowning for hours. The creases around his eye, the happy wrinkles around his nose. His hair is long enough it brushes your skin where your foreheads almost touch. His hold is like a cocoon of warmth.
âIâm sorry!â you blurt. âIâm so fucking sorry. Iâm stupid and stubborn and Iâve been so caught up in this program that Iââ
âNo,â he shakes his head, arms tightening as you squirm in his hold.
âLet me finish.â
âNo,â he says. âI like that you're stubborn and a pain in the ass. And it wasnât fair that I expected you to just push aside something like grad school for me. I was being selfish andââ
âI love you.â
You might say it again just to see the way he chokes and turns purple; pulls you closer. Heâs at a loss for words and you capitalize on the moment.
âIâve thought about what would happen if I didnât get in, like a million different possibilities and never once were you not there. I felt likeâŠI donât know, honestly. Like I was losing you and it was easier to be upset about the program than admit that. It was stupid and Iâm stupid, and Iâm really bad at speeches soâŠfeel free to shut me up or whatever.â
You wait for him to process what youâve said â a million emotions swiping across his face. Ridiculous some people act like heâs the embodiment of stoicism because if you know what to look for then theyâd realize heâs terrible at hiding the way he feels.
âYou love me?â
All that crying you did in the past few weeks means nothing because you could cry right now. But you donât look away, you donât ever want to look away from him again because youâd miss the way his face softens.
âWell, weâve been dating for the past three years. Itâs about time I told you.â
Wonwoo doesnât speak, facing morphing into confusion before he scoffs with disbelief. âYouâre so annoying.â
âHey!â you stomp but Wonwoo pulls you closer, buries his face in your neck and squeezes so tight something feels on the verge of popping in your spine. His ears burn red as he whispers those three words back quietly enough you strain to hear them. He bites your shoulder just to be an asshole.
âWhat the hell was that for?âÂ
He does it again.
âStop biting me you freak, weâre in public.â You pinch his side for good measure and only then does he smash the side of his face to yours and begin walking you backwards, in the direction of your apartment.
âWhatever, you love me.â
He lets you walk normally at the cross walk, your hand in his, both tangled in the warmth of the pocket of his sweatshirt because itâs fucking cold and the wind isnât helping. Wonwoo drags you straight home, up the stairs, and crowds you against the door and kisses you until you canât breathe.
âWhy are you crying?â
You are. You donât even realize it had started until you reach up and feel the dampness on your cheeks.
âProbably because I havenât slept in two days and I missed you, idiot.â Wonwoo kisses you flat on the mouth again at the confession, smiling big enough itâs less of a kiss and more of teeth pressed together. But itâs good. You like it. You speak into his mouth, âI promise I would have really âsloppy I love you sexâ but Iâm so tired I think I might throw up.â
âYou missed me.â he hums, more of a statement than a question.
âYeah, big head, I missed you. Now letâs sleep.â
âGod,â he moans, biting his lip in mock pleasure. Maybe even real pleasure at the idea of a Friday afternoon full of nothing but hazy dreams in silence rarely found in a frat house. âI love you too.â
You undress straight down to your underwear. Cotton with a conservative cut because in no universe did you think youâd end the day with Wonwoo back in your orbit. Wonwoo who loves you, Wonwoo who you love back. But he eyes you like youâre a grand prize and all he wants is to touch you. But the rush of adrenaline keeping you conscious is burning out quickly.
He strips too, nothing but boxers and circles under his eyes but heâs happy. It radiates off him in waves and if you werenât part of it, youâd throw something at him because itâd be annoying. You might just be glowing too.
You slip under the covers and Wonwoo snuggles up behind you, a second skin with his hand flat to your stomach to keep you from going anywhere. Not that you would. You donât even remember falling asleep.Â
When you wake up, itâs dark outside; which could mean itâs been minutes or hours since the winter sun likes to deep beneath the horizon early in the afternoon. Itâs the best sleep youâve had in weeks.
Everything is warm; your body beneath the comforter, where sweat sticks at your back, the lips dragging across the curve of your neck, Wonwooâs crotch firm between your legs.
âGood morning to me,â you sigh.
He hums in happy agreement, tongue traces the shell of your ear before kissing across your cheek and chin and finally landing on your mouth with a kiss that can only be described as sappy.
âGot started without me?â Your hands press under his underwear, two palms full of his ass holding him still enough to grind up into. Something about a sleepy make out has you hungry to lay there and take whatever heâll offer.
âIâll catch you up, donât worry.âÂ
You snicker, âNo wonder those freshmen have crushes on you.â
âWhat do you mean?â He traces your naked sides with his fingers.
âIâll catch you up,â you mock, then wince from a razor of his teeth as he shifts down your chest. âIf you were my TA, Iâd try to fuck you.â
âIâm trying to haveâ sloppy I love you sexâ and youâre trying to goad me into some student teacher shit?â
He bites your side, just a nip but you flare and blush anyway. âOoooo, tell me Iâm bad.â
âYouâre annoying.â
âYou love me.â
âAs I was saying,â he whispers into your stomach, fingers tugging your panties off. âSloppy I love you sex.â
âOkay, okay.â You sink a hand in his hair only for him to tug it away, fingers laced together over your sternum as he strokes you to life. âO-oh, thatâsâfuck.â
He hikes a leg up over his shoulder, out of the way for the fingers that satisfy the empty squeeze in your gut. Your tongue prickles with another goad but Wonwoo senses it first and swiftly works to silence you with a hot kiss to your clit that makes your vision bleed red.
The cold of the room works in his favor, pinching your nipples tight until you cave to the need to touch yourself. If the light was on then heâd watch and you get the urge to pause the action just for the chance to watch him watch you.
âDonât stop,â you grunt.Â
He eats it filthy, spit and arousal forming a wet mess slipping down your ass. The way his tongue lashes is nothing short of despicable and you know youâre the one that taught him that and you canât help but flare with pride. âIâm gonna cum, Iâm gonna cum, Iâmââ you chant blindly.
The warmth between your legs surrounds, suffocates until your thighs go numb and your shoulders pull away from the mattress with a groan rivaling porn; but you mean it. Wonwoo means it too.Â
You clench harder, revitalized in the stretch of another finger and a clip of teeth on your clit. You tug at your still clasped hands on your chest, bite into the meat of his palm and let the flood consume you with stiff legs and tears in your eyes. âOh, Wonwoo â u-ugh. Fuck. Fuck.â
Wonwoo takes it, mouth waiting for every eager roll of your hips; completely unphased until you melt back in the sheets with a pathetic mewl.
He kisses up your body, mouth and cheeks wet and warm. When he reaches your mouth you resist the urge to lick him clean. Something about that feels decidedly unlike sloppy I love you sex. So you slip your tongue between his lips instead and spread your legs until his crotch is level with the raw sensitivity of your own.
âRoll over,â you pant.
Like an asshole, he laughs. And then he drops his weight behind his hips and you actually see stars. âWanna do it like this.â
âMake love to me,â you croon.
He doesnât even pretend to stifle the obnoxious snort. âDonât ever say that again.â
âWhat happened to sloppy I love you sex?âÂ
âGetting to it. You like it when I come inside you?â Now heâs the one goading and youâre blushing like youâve never fucked him before. To be fair, you havenât fucked him as the man youâre in love with so itâs a first time for the both of you. Wonwooâs drunk on the power of having you stutter through something so familiar yet new.
âLove it.âÂ
âGood,â he agrees with a saccharine peck to your nose that makes you feel like a doe eyed virgin again. âI love you.â
Your need for games and pretense dissolves. You just want Wonwoo, all of him, until you canât take it any more.Â
Wonwoo senses the change, noses against your cheek before kissing you. Heâs still holding your hand, the other cupping your jaw, thumb tracing the curve of flesh. Itâs vulnerable and soft and something you probably couldâve experienced years ago if you werenât willfully blind.
âI love you, too.â
You whisper the confession so quietly it doesnât even make a sound but Wonwoo figures it out because he surges into action, pulling you to the center of the mattress in all your naked glory. The flood light from the side of the building reflects back in through the slats in the blinds and Wonwoo sits up to soak in what he can see in the limited light.
Twisting a hand in his hair, you pull him down for a kiss; forcing all the emotions you have to the surface. He doesnât make you wait. Instead, he drops flat, flat together from head to toe as he slips inside. Youâre still tight and sensitive, squirming at the feeling of being stretched so thin with Wonwoo wrapped tight in your arms.
âW-wonwoo,â you mewl. You know he loves the sound of his name, any time, in desperate moans and sleepy coos. Youâll say it as much as he wants to hear if he kisses you like he is now â with something new at the edge. Something needy. âMore.â
He wraps your legs around his hips, folding you clean in half with a heavy rut into your pussy youâll feel for days. You both want to drag this out â take hours to come apart and come together again and again â but Wonwoo is already working a hand between your bodies; stroking you over hot coals just to hear you moan his name again.
In record speed, you feel that familiar burn creeping along your spine. He fucks you into a wet mess and itâs all you can do to hold on and claw up his back. Breaks you into something limp and pliant, hands twisted together over head; tugs at that loose thread over and over until you unravel beneath him and Wonwoo watches like itâs magic.
âOh- oh, Wonwooââ you cry. Actually cry. Tears he swipes away with a thumb before pressing his mouth to yours.
Youâre swollen and stiff, muscles taunt while they twitch from a rush of complete bliss.
âM cumming, baby â oh my god.â Wonwoo bucks into the tight squeeze of your legs, deeper, harder, more. âLove youâfuck.â
He hides with soft sighs in your neck, skin sticky where you both slide together. You cradle him to your chest, fingers rushing through the sweaty tangles on his hair gently. A kiss to his head, his brow, his nose that wrinkles from pure content.
But youâre not done yet.
You wiggle from beneath him, peeling yourself off the pillows, lower half still numb from one hell of an orgasm. But you want more, insatiable and doped on years of repressed fondness. âCan you go again?âÂ
Wonwoo looks like you asked him to run a marathon. âYou want me to die?â
âWorse ways to go,â you coo, sinking low enough to take his cock in your mouth. It tastes like you and him and it makes your eyes roll.
âGod. I didnât know sappy sex meant youâd try to kill me,â he moans airly under your ministrations, a hand at the back of your head when you show off with a nose to his crotch before sliding off. âYouâre evil.â
âIâm in love with a sexy nerd and I'm horny,â you sigh dreamily, thrilled with the way he pulses in your hold.
âYeah, wellâŠâ he gives up on whatever rebuttal under the weight of your body on top of his. Nothing he can argue with in that statement anyway so you tease him with a kiss, smile when he chases your mouth, roll when you realize he can taste the mix of you both off your tongue.
âYou knowâŠIâll need a roommate in Boston.â
âHuh,â Wonwoo feigns. His focus is on the way your tug at his cock, spit and cum webbed between your fingers. This isnât the best way to have this conversation but youâre both high on sleep deprivation, love, and orgasms and it encourages loose lips.
âKnow anyone interested?â
He shudders back into the pillow, leaving his neck open for your teeth with a choked, âYeah.â
âWho?â
âMe.âÂ
âYeah?â
âYeah âfuckâwanna wake up to you every morning.â
âEven if Iâm a cranky bitch?â Your knees bracket his hips, cunt split on his cock as you grind against the underside.
His stomach caves as he responds with a thin voice, âyeah.â
You like waking up to him too. Falling asleep with him tangled in your body, listening to him hum in the shower when he thinks you arenât listening. Sometimes he even sings with a little encouragement like those times you were sick and the only thing that got your mind from exploding like thunderclaps was the lullabies from his childhood that he cooed into your hairline.
Starting and ending everyday with Wonwoo sounds nothing short of blissful.
âOkay.â You tangle his fingers with your own, rising on your knees to distract from the sheepish smile splitting your face in two.
âReally?â
âI like having you around,â you admit, sinking down on his cock. âMakes me feel better.â
Weird conversation over the back track of slapping skin and pathetic muffled sobs but you like it. Feels well overdue.
âA-about?â
Everything.
He gives a tender squeeze to your thigh, cradles your face in both hands, eye contact that you fight not shutter away from because itâs terrifying he can see you clearly.Â
Heâs lost; completely mesmerized by the way you bounce on the length of him, grind back into his lap like youâre possessed.
âCanât lastââ he chokes.
âSâokay,â you press the words into his cheek, his jaw, the bones jutting from around his collar. âJust wanna feel you.â
You bend and strain for his pleasure, to watch it dance across his brow as he cums inside you again, his hands heavy on your ass, your thighs, whatever he reflexively grips in a bid for grounding, nails leaving streaks of color. Twitching and jerking in sensitive painful bliss, his eyes roll back with a quick exhale. âFuck-k.â
You're sticky and used between the legs but you take comfort in the feeling and bask in the glow on top of him. Nothing but a pile of satisfied boneless goo where you lay with sweaty skin and heat you feel from the top of your head to your toes. âGood?â
âGreat,â he hums, pulling into one last toe numbing kiss.Â
When feeling returns to your bodies, you spend the rest of the night eating greasy pizza on the couch in nothing but his shirt, drinking wine straight from the bottle in celebration. You kiss Wonwoo whenever you want, which, admittedly, is a lot; a flurry of sappy pecks over his face leaves him blushing and dewy. When you fall asleep after making love once again, the last thing you hear is him saying he loves you too.
Epilogue
4 months laterâŠ
Thereâs a certain level of comfort that comes with receiving an official acceptance email. The words youâve been waiting to hear since Dr. Wagner all but confirmed your future in a fifteen minute meeting last semester.
On behalf of the Chemistry department, we are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted as a part ofâŠ
The big envelope in the mail today helped too.
Wonwoo sends a photo of his, unopened, because you promised to open them together tonight. On your date; which is nothing more than grading assignments and eating leftover take out on the couch like so many nights have been spent already. But this time heâs your boyfriend. And after all the worksheets are graded, and you get to cuddle deep into the worn couch cushions, you get to tell him you love him and heâll say it back and the flutter in your veins at the thought is nothing short of magical.Â
And this time you have a surprise waiting for him and he might just cry. Or you hope so. Youâve got $50 riding on the possibility.
Youâre sweating through your shirt from putting the new piece of furniture together for the past three hours by the time he shows up with a bag of takeout, Thai food from the place on Market where they know you by order, and a kiss youâve been missing since the morning when he left for one of his stupid workouts.Â
Wonwoo sets the bag on the counter, immediately pulling you into his arms before sagging like a deflated balloon. âPixel got adopted today.â
âReally?â
âYeah.â Heâs moping. He accepts your placating kiss with a pout, and starts unpacking the food.
You feel the smallest flutter of guilt but it's worth it. âThat sucks.âÂ
âShe needed a good home.â Wonwoo confirms and that's the end of the conversation.
Even in your final semester, your schedules are still packed. Crammed full with meetings, exams, work, Wonwooâs volleyball stuff that you attend with posters and sit near the other girlfriends. Itâs weird but not because its the same stuff you two were doing for years. But itâs exhausting.
So you donât blame Wonwoo for not noticing the newest addition to your apartment until heâs inhaled his food and the last third of yours.
âBabe.â
âWhat?â you ask, focusing on cutting another red slash into the white paper.
âWhatâs that?â
He points at the gigantic cat tower in the corner next to the couch. Itâs cramped in tight but in two months youâll both be in Boston with a bigger apartment with real bedrooms so itâs only temporary.
You shrug and make another mark. âOh, just something I picked up.â
âYou donât have a cat.â
âHuh. Weird.â Your eyebrows furrow in mock confusion but you keep grading papers or else itâs game over and the need to watch him puzzle together your plans is all you want. âThen whatâs the thing in the bathroom?â
âYou didnât.â
âI did,â you confirm.
Wonwoo stares open mouthed, between you and the bathroom door and back to you. He might pinch himself but he flies off the couch with childlike eagerness and your face hurts from smiling already.
Pixel spends the rest of the night curled up asleep on her new dadâs lap and youâre $50 richer. Mingyuâs girlfriend is already offering to catsit despite Mingyuâs pouts about losing money.
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Little Love Notes | Bang ChanÂ
Pairing: Bang Chan x Fem!Reader Â
Summary: Chan's girlfriend likes to leave him little notes. Â
Warnings: It just fluffy. I have written a little drabble similar to this but wanted to switch it around so it's reader leaving him little love notes. This is a repost from my now deactivated blog. More of an explanation in my pinned post.
Word Count: 482Â
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Chan's heart swelled with warmth as he read the little note once again. The words are written on a bright yellow post-it note which was stuck to his laptop lid. It was a simple sentence, but it meant so much to him. Â
"Have a great day, my love. Donât be too hard on yourself."Â Â Â
The last couple dayâs heâd been a little hard on himself because he couldnât get a part of the latest song theyâve been working on right. No matter how he mixed it, with and without Changbin and Jisungâs help, he couldnât seem to get it sounding like he envisioned in his mind.  Â
Taking a moment before he goes back to the song thatâs becoming a headache, he remembers back to when Y/N left him the first note she ever left him. They had just moved in together when he found a post-it note stuck to the screen of his phone, with âI love youâ written on it. From that day on, Y/N made it her mission to leave him little love notes around their apartment. Some days they just said I love you and other days theyâd be a small paragraph reminding him how loved he is, or how lucky she is to have him. Sometimes they would be sweet little reminders for him to take breaks, or to go easy on the guys and stuff like that. When he went away, whether it be in South Korea or overseas, the little notes would continue. Heâd find them on in his bag, in the pocket of a random hoodie or pair of pants, and on his electronics. He even found one wrapped around his toothbrush, one time.  Â
The guys often tease him about the notes, but he doesn't care. He loves these notes more than anything because they are a physical representation of her love for him. Itâs his and Y/Nâs little thing they have that doesnât involve anyone else. He loves it and would be sad if she ever stopped writing them. Â
As he opens his laptop, he chuckles to himself when he finds another note in his girlfriend's handwriting. âCan we please have McDonaldâs for dinner?â Â
He puts the notes somewhere safe so he can add them to the growing collection, filling his desk drawer at him. Grabbing his phone, he pulls up his messages with Y/N, and types out his reply to her notes. Â
âYou have a good day too. Iâll pick up McDonaldâs on my way home tonight. I love you so much x.â Â
He puts his phone to the side and boots up his laptop to get started working on the newest 3racha song. Â
It doesnât take long before his phone buzzes, notifying him that he has a new message. When he checks it, he smiles, seeing itâs from Y/N.  Â
âIâll message you my order later. I love you so much too, baby xxxxx.âÂ
Likes, Comments & Reblogs are welcomed and appreciated.Â
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đđđđ« đđđđđČ | đ. đđźđŹđĄđąđ đźđ«đš đ± đđđŠ đ«đđđđđ«
synopsis: What was supposed to be hands-off for a lot of reasons turns out to be the best thing you've ever done.
wc: 3.5k
tags: 18+ ONLY content + explicit smut: minors and empty blogs DNI + dark content + step-dad trope + both him and you have fucked up morals and do fucked up things but it's okay because this is fiction + some angst + I changed it up after a new idea came to me lmaoo + daddy being used + food play
an: this is an ask I got from my last blog that got out of hand lmao
Lines tend to blur when the human mind is muddled with a strong emotion, such as anger. Pretty much all of us have said something out of anger or spite that we wish we could take back, but can't.
When you have to hear your mother and stepdad go at it fighting about things that could easily be talked about, but you know your mom wasn't like that. Her go-to tactic was the silent treatment which left the house in a war zone that had you walking on eggshells.
It was something you were used to, and as soon as you turned eighteen you moved out and away to college only to come back and visit her during breaks and when summer started then she met Toji.
She claimed it was love at first sight but it didn't take long for her new husband to realize what type of woman she really was after the wedding which is where you met him for the first time ever and then you kept coming back home after you and Toji developed a relationship.
You two could bond over being stuck with your mother.
He listened to you bitch and complain a lot about the guys in your class and the ones who try to chase after you to get a taste but there was always one thing you left out, never telling Toji.
None of those men were him.
Having a crush on your stepdad wasn't a new thing, there were more porn links on any website and the pages went into the triple number about fucking your stepbrother or stepmom, whatever tickled your fancy, they more than likely had it.
But the videos always lacked men that looked like Toji or they didn't know how to fuck, and it was like they missed the clit on purpose.
It was a dark secret you were going to take with you to the grave.
That is until you were caught.
You came into town a day ago and forgot a few essentials back at your dorm so you had to run into town quickly before meeting up with a few old friends to grab them and that's when Toji found it.
Your laptop was still playing a video when he was shuffling down the hallway ready to get in the shower, the sound was on but it wasn't loud enough for Toji to realize what it was until he opened the lid to see a woman who looked like you getting her back blown out while chanting daddy fuck me harder and oohs and ahhs about his dick.
With his eyebrow cocked Toji couldn't stop himself from watching as the man pulled out, his condom-covered dick was shiny with the woman's cum, and all he could think about was fucking you raw.
Feeling his cock twitch under his towel he sat down at your chair looking around your bedroom, the same one you grew up in and your mother never changed anything when you moved out so it was frozen in time it felt like with pictures of you and your life hanging up.
Toji wasn't sure how long he had before you came home and while he wanted to jerk off in your chair he knew it was best to take your laptop to his and your mom's room to lay on the bed with the laptop next to him as he lay naked with his legs spread open.
His heavy cock wept as he wrapped thick fingers around the shaft knowing this was beyond fucked, masturbating to his stepdaughter's porn that he found wasn't the best moment in his life but damn it, you were a minx and tempted him more than anything.
It simmered under the surface and now it was a raging boil that wouldn't even stop if you took away the heat source. With his head tilted against the headboard and the video louder he didn't hear you coming in calling out for him. "Toji!? I have something for you!"
No answer.
Usually, he would call back out from the living room. Silence greeted you as you breezed through the lower half of the house, going from room to room holding the scratch-off ticket you bought for Toji.
Humming softly you walked upstairs stopping midway when you heard the moans.
Immediately your blood ran cold with thoughts of him stepping out on you. Your feet faltered as you gripped the rail bolted to the wall thinking about the woman Toji brought home.
With determination in your step, you hurried up the stairs and down the hallway to push the door open to see Toji naked and jerking off, his fist going up and down his fat and leaky cock, it was the thickest and longest you've ever seen in person.
Toji stopped when he heard you suck in a breath and you met each other's gaze feeling your heart threaten to get stuck in your ass, it felt like a dream as your eyes bounced from his to where his fist was.
It was now or never.
"Are you goin' to stand there or help me?" He husked moving his fist again, his heavy sack bouncing with each stroke making your mouth water as you watched stuck in the doorway until the video changed pulling you from your state of mind.
Your feet propelled you forward as you shed your clothes until you were on the mattress kneeling between Toji's strong and powerful thighs, he was so close you could smell his natural body scent which was all potent male.Â
Toji watched you with darkened eyes forgetting that another video was playing, he didn't have to imagine this now, not with you right here with a soft smile and even softer hands that felt like heaven when you replaced his fist with yours.
The line was crossed the moment he was caught, the both of you knew that so when you finally closed the distance to wrap your lips around the tip while keeping eye contact Toji knew he was in for it.
He watched as you swallowed him all the way down to the hilt burying your nose into the soft dark pubic hair that he kept trimmed, and it's been so long since he got his dick wet and here you were sucking his cock like it was your job.
Whatever you couldn't reach you jerked off making it messy with thick spit that bubbled and strung from your mouth to the head of his cock when you pulled away to give your jaw a break. "You can do better than that, I've heard you gossip for hours doll." Toji husked with a deep chuckle as he guided your mouth back to his cock.
You gagged wetly causing tears to glisten and make your eyes glassy as you met Toji's gaze again knowing that was beyond wrong, this was your mother's husband, your stepdad whose dick you were sucking in their bed like it was a melting popsicle.
Green eyes took in the way you swirled your tongue around the tip before dragging all the way down to his heavy sack sucking on each one gently while using your spit as a makeshift lube to make it easier to jerk him off as you kissed your way up making a mess of your face.
"You look so pretty like this," Toji grunted when you slapped the length of his dick against your tongue once it lolled out, your lips curled into a smile when you felt his warm essence splatter that he smeared in with his thumb before dragging it toward your lips.
He watched as you sucked his cum-soaked thumb before moving to straddle him, your hands perched on his shoulders not cleaning up the rest of his orgasm on your face as you grabbed his wrists guiding his hands to grab your tits and rolling your nipples.
"I see where you got most of your looks from." Toji teased hearing you huff and smack at his hands as you glared at him and rolled your eyes.
It was just to rile you up really because truth be told you are the most beautiful woman he's had the pleasure of looking at.
His words stung as you turned your attention to your laptop that kept playing porno and now you couldn't help but feel cheap and used. "We won't talk about this ever again, this never happened." You told him and crawled off the bed with your laptop and clothes in your arms.
Toji sighed heavily and ran his fingers through his hair knowing he fucked up big time with that joke and since the apple doesn't fall far from the tree he took the rest of the night to think about your fave covered in cum and you crying on his cock as you struggle to take him.
Over the next several days all you could do was taste Toji.
It was your own personal hell because not only couldn't you get rid of it but he was always around and it seemed like he was picking fights with your mom on purpose to.
Since it was summer break, you had three more months of living with them before going back to college, and you didn't want to hear the yelling, so you called up an old friend for dinner.
They didn't notice you leaving at first until Toji went upstairs passing by your bedroom, and by then, it was an hour after the fight ended.
Another hour passed by of him laying in bed thinking about the other night, and you still weren't home, making Toji sick to his stomach until his phone rang with your ringtone.
He answered it, hearing a noisy background fade away. "Hey, I was wondering if you could come and get me please?" You asked softly shifting your weight between both feet waiting for his answer.
"Send me your location."
With that he hung up to get dressed while looking at his phone knowing exactly where you were, it was the restaurant that he proposed at.
Another twenty minutes later you saw Toji's car turning the corner smoothly and gliding up to the curb, the passenger door swung open revealing Toji who seemed irritated. You scurried to the car just in time for sheets of rain to start coming down heavily.
The air in the cabin of his car was thick with unsaid words and tension that even a knife couldn't cut through, you would need a chainsaw to get the job done. "Thank you for picking me up."
You turned to look at him thankful for the dark sky and Toji's tinted windows, the eye contact was intense and it made you ache. It could be felt like a heartbeat between your legs but his comment still rubbed you the wrong way.
"I have no choice." He muttered pulling away from the curb and driving slowly down the streets until he reached the driveway where he shut the car off filling the air with static.
Neither of you moved from your spot.
Toji looked at you turning his body to get a good view of your dress. "Why are you being a jerk?" You blurted with a curled lip as you gripped the door handle glaring at him when you pushed the door open to get out when he grasped your wrist gently.
Before you could say anything, you were yanked forward and felt Toji's lips against yours. At first, you stilled then melted like butter on a hot pan, you became putty in his arms as he pulled you closer.
He helped you staddle him making sure you were comfortable before his hands slid up your dress. "Look at ya. So pretty 'f me." His words made you burn from the inside out as you rubbed your pantie-cladded cunt against his bulge wanting to feel him inside you.
"Toji. I want you so bad." You whimpered leaning your back against the steering wheel to lift the front of your dress to show him your no bra and underwear choice, his eyes widened and his cock twitched.
"Is this for me or that loser you went with?" He husked pinching your nipples and hearing you whine while rolling your hips unable to help yourself, he trailed his fingers down your belly and down between your legs where he spread you open gently.
"Who do you think, silly?" You hummed leaning in to kiss him again and nibble on his bottom lip while reaching both hands down to pull the band of his shorts down to reveal his dick that felt warm and heavy in your hand while being smooth and soft.
He was beyond thick and his length was impressive but you weren't surprised. Toji swirled his tongue with yours as he slowly slid his middle finger inside you, curling to find that sweet spot of yours.
With your arm wrapped around his neck, you jerked him off letting him finger you as you kissed him growing drunk and needy for him.
Toji already had you on the edge in a matter of seconds it felt like.
His teeth sunk into the tender area of your pulse when you tossed your head back riding his fingers, wanting to ride something else.
"Dick." You muttered pulling away in a frenzy.
"What for?" Toji huffed as he rolled his eyes.
You looked up at him as you spit in the palm of your hand to use as a makeshift lube before jerking him off again. "I want your dick."
He chuckled and smacked your ass as you sat up the best you could due to being in a cramped car, your muscles cramped and ached but you didn't care, not when you felt his hot tip against your fluttering hole.
Slowly you sat down until he was halfway inside you feeling your pussy pulse around him and trying to milk it already. His fingers curled into your dress stretching the fabric when he bottomed out.
The both of you gasped as tears stung your eyes feeling him in your throat what felt like. "Holy fuck." You whimpered and put your hands on the roof of the car as you began a slow pace at first.
Toji pulled the top of your dress down to bare your breasts to him which he attacked with kisses and soft nibbles as you rode him like you were going to win first place for doing it too, this wasn't going to be the first or last time this happened, the both of you knew it too.
His cock kissed your cervix mixing in a bit of pain with the pleasure that swirled in your foggy brain as you bounced up and down. "I'm going to ruin any man that tries to lay his claim on you, you're all mine, aren't you sweet girl?" Toji asked reaching up to squeeze your cheeks in one hand squishing your lips together.
You couldn't speak, only moan which was amusing to him. "So drunk on cock you can't even talk, don't worry princess. I'll ask again. You're mine, right?" He shook your head for you softly and thrust up mocking your voice. "Yes, daddy, I'm all yours." He husked.
Your hips ground down on him feeling your orgasm wash over you making you squeal and clamp down around Toji which in turn pushed him to cum sooner than what he's used to filling you to the brim.
You nor Toji spoke about what happened in the car but you had silent conversations when your mom was home and when she wasn't you were sure to tease him and tonight you broke the poor man.
After dinner, you curled up on the couch with a bowl of fruit and whipped cream while your mother did the dishes when Toji sauntered in just in time to see you dipping a strawberry in the cream lapping the white essence up reminding him of the blowjob in his bed.
Toji was silent as he sat on the other end of the couch but he still eyed you and now you were sucking the whipped cream off your fingers. "Did I miss a spot?" You asked in a sultry voice as you leaned in to look at him.
This was a very dangerous game you both were playing, he could feel the heat from the flame he was playing with but Toji knows you would balm any burn he got and he would do the same for you too.
His eyes shifted to the hallway still hearing the water running before he was staring at you while he dipped his finger in the cream to smear some of your mouth. "You did, you're a messy eater."
He leaned in grabbing the back of your neck in a gentle hold that only made you melt under his touch when he licked your lips before kissing you which made your pussy ache and drool for him again. Quickly you put the bowl down and kneeled on the floor.
Toji leaned back and watched you curious as to what you were going to do as you removed his cock that grew in your hands. You scooped up some cream and slathered it on the tip of his dick before licking it off never breaking eye contact as he ate a few pieces of fruit.
Both of you had to be quiet and quick too.
He rested his hand on top of your head as you cleaned the sticky mess up before adding more whipped cream on the side of his dick that you licked up before sucking on the tip like it was a comfort thing and in a way it was, you enjoyed seeing Toji like this.
You pulled away to grab a grape and feed him before going back down deepthroating him gagging softly as he attempted to keep his moans quiet when your mom called him to the kitchen. "Oops, you've been called to duty." You teased and giggled as you stood up.
Toji reached out and smacked your ass as he stood up to kiss you, the sweet cream and his musk mixed together making you taste addictive.
It was a cat-and-mouse game now.
You were more than fine being the mouse and letting Toji chase you.
Like now, it was Saturday evening and he and your mom had a date planned which made you become bitchy and mean to both of them which was promptly ignored by your mom but Toji wasn't having that.
After they left you knew your mom wanted you to stay home to watch the place but you wanted to see your friends from your old days and what's the worst thing that can happen when you sneak out?
It ends with the party having the cops called on it for being too loud and no ride because your friends couldn't find you and they had no choice but to leave you behind, which made you dial Toji.
He was clearly upset when he answered and you could hear your mother in the background nagging about something. "I'll be there."
You sent him your location once you made it safely away from that house and the cops that crawled by the bench you sat on until you saw Toji's car causing butterflies to erupt in your belly. "Did you tell my mom you're picking me up?" You asked him once inside.
"No, your mother went to a hotel tonight."
"Oh."
After that, the car ride was silent until you finally broke it. "What are we doing?" You murmured afraid of his answer feeling your heart pound in your chest.
Toji didn't say anything until he pulled into the driveway to look at you not saying anything which made your stomach twist with a mixture of emotions. You both have already crossed the line and there was no going back from all of that, it was all out in the open.
Another minute passed and you couldn't take it anymore, with your purse in your hand you shoved the door open and hurried out of the car and into the house with tears streaming down your face, it felt like he was breaking up with you when he wasn't yours to start with.
feedback such as comments and reblogs are highly appreciated, those kind words mean a lot and encourage me to do more writing âĄ
#âđ»minx writes#tw: dark content#tw: incest#tw: pseudo incest#toji x reader smut#jjk x reader#toji x reader#toji fushiguro smut#toji fushiguro x you#toji fushigro x reader#toji smut#fushiguro toji x reader#jjk smut#Toji x reader smut#toji x you smut#toji x y/n smut#toji x y/n#jjk toji#toji fushiguro
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How to create an atmosphere: Coffee Shop
Sight
small tables with chairs
decoration
a cozy couch
the counter with the baristas
a big menu on the wall
people standing around, sitting down and going in and out
a dog lying under a table
small children running around
a person waiting for their friend or date
people drinking and eating while typing on their laptops
Hearing
the sound of the coffee machines
clinking of glasses/mugs
the moving of chairs
colleagues talking about their job and tattling about the boss
students frantically searching for this one paper they need right now
friends telling each other about their days
a young parent trying to calm down their crying baby
the barista yelling out names for whoever's coffees are ready
people in line trying to decide what they want to order
an awkward first date at one of the tables and both parties just ask each other weird questions
the sound of typing from the students and some business folks
the continued opening and closing of the front door
the cars and noise from outside when the door opens
Touch
the stickiness of the tables
the warmth of the mugs
the delicious treat eaten by hand
the gush of wind when someone opens the door
Smell
the smell of the coffee beans
the smell of different teas
the smell of fresh pastry
the smell of hand sanitizer
the smell of cleaning products after the tables were wiped down
Taste
coffee
tea
other drinks
fresh pastry
cookies and cakes
More
If you like my blog and want to support me, you can buy me a coffee or become a member! And check out my Instagram! ïżœïżœïżœïżœ
#how to create an atmosphere#coffee shop#how to write#writeblr#writers on tumblr#cafe au#writing#writing advice
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[04] tumblr girls â daydreaming
it was cliché; being in love with danielle marsh, the straightest girl on earth. you thought your feelings were hopeless, until you discover her tumblr blog.
you pace back and forth in your room, heavy footsteps thudding against the hardwood floors. the incessant buzzing of your phone is the last thing youâre thinking of. in your mind, there was only one person who resides there. danielle likes someone, she likes her project partner. she likes you.
but unbeknownst to her, you had betrayed her trust and invaded her privacy to feed your curiosity. a thawing pain in your heart continues. would danielle be upset if she found out? what if you donât tell her at all? yet, it didnât feel right to keep it a secret. if danielle truly liked you, would she rid those feelings when she finds out what you had done?
it wasnât meant to be like this. danielle was just someone out of reach. someone unachievable. you couldnât have her. sheâs way out of your league.
a series of knocks on your door pulls you out of your reverie. alarmed, you quickly go to open it, only to find heejin staring at you, unamused.
âi donât know what youâre doing but,â she starts, âstop stomping around! kim hyunjinâs over right now and she thinks we have a ghost in our house!â
âiâm just thinking!â you push heejin out of your room, âand whoâs kim hyunjin?â
judging by heejinâs red face, you could see through your sisterâs facade immediately.
âyou have a girl over? at this time? what if mom finds out?â
heejin swats at you, âiâm not doing anything with her! sheâs just here to look at my paintings.â
you shoot her a glare. what the hell was she talking about when you had told her of your feelings towards danielle? she literally had love problems of her own. maybe you shouldnât take advice from heejin, she was an anime nerd for godâs sake. sometimes she would even naruto run in the houseâ oh my goodness, you really should not take her advice.
âwhatever, iâll be quieter. go play with your jock,â you shoo her away. heejin says incredulously, âhyunjinâs not a stereotypical jock, sheâs smart too! good at basketball and academicsââ you close the door in her face, leaving you in the solitude of your own room and your thoughts. a blank white canvas fills your mind, envisioning nothing but emptiness. danielle marsh, your crush of how many years, has feelings for you too.
what were you meant to do now? even if you did confess, you would have to tell danielle that you knew of her crush and it would kill you to see the disappointment evident on her face. you groan loudly, almost collapsing on the floor in your dilemma. maybe you should sit down lest you faint. you hesitate to take another step, fearing that heejin might come stomping up again, demanding you rid yourself of your legs.
sunshinesza. sunshine, like her. itâs cliche, but she lights up your day whenever you catch a glimpse of her. when you had first noticed her in the hallway, you took that same route every day to class afterwards, just to see her. minji and hanni obviously had no clue why you were so adamant on taking the long way, but you had so easily convinced them with some gummy bears. you glance at your own laptop, the google tab staring blankly at you. your fingers act before you think, typing in tumblr.com and danielleâs user.
no new posts. you shouldnât really expect much. the last one was flooded with supportive comments and people urging her to confess. you scrunch your nose, pondering on how it would be like to receive a heartfelt confession from danielle. would she stutter through? would her cheeks be splashed with redness? would she buy your favourite flowers?
your finger ultimately scrolls back to the top.
a resigned sigh escapes your lips as you flop back onto your bed. tempted to just text danielle about it, you end up giving into your inner thoughts.
jeon y/n [10.16pm]:
hi danielle, ik itâs kind of late
but i was wondering
would you like to go to this dog cafe?
i heard you like dogs, soâŠ
heard, yeah right. your stalking of her tumblr blog had revealed her immense love for animals almost immediately. supported by the numerous presentations she gave in class on animals, it wasnât hard to put two and two together.
her reply comes almost instantly.
danielle [10.16pm]:
omg!
really?
yes!!!! <3
the heart. that emoticon. you feel your own heart seconds away from bursting with affection.
jeon y/n [10.17pm]:
okay!
we could go on wed?
schoolâs closed that day
minji told me ^^
danielle [10.18pm]:
sure!!!!
how does minji know?
i didnât know u were close to minji..
jeon y/n [10.18pm]:
minjiâs in stuco!
oh weâve been friends for a long time
hanni joined us after transferring from australia
danielle doesnât respond anymore, only leaving you with a âdeliveredâ. you wonder if you said something wrong. was it about minji? danielle didnât seem to like her that much.
she eventually replies before you start to wallow in your grief.
danielle [10.25pm]:
oh cool
so, see u soon?
you swallow up your anxiety and fear.
jeon y/n [10.26pm]:
see you! <3
your head falls onto your pillow pathetically.
danielle has heard the phrase âspring has arrivedâ countless times in the various dramas sheâs watched. itâs an extremely popular line that more often than not, is taken figuratively. of course it could mean literally that spring has arrived, but itâs more commonly used as a reference to when someone has experienced the first bloom of romance in their life. the swarm of butterflies attacking their stomach, the giddiness and immense sense of euphoria, the excitement and nervousness of it all. at least thatâs what an intensive amount of shows and books told her.
she has never experienced something like that. countless boys, all awkwardly cute in their own way, stumbling up to her with roses and a stuttered out confession. she has never reacted to them with extreme happiness, only sending them a strained smile and a polite rejection. even in australia, no boy has managed to capture her heart. sure, some of them were good-looking and conventionally handsome. yet, she hasnât found someone attractive. danielle never expected any differently when she moved to korea. after a hectic move, her mother had sent her off to middle school.
exhilarated eyes and a bright smile, danielle marched on in the hallways of her school, greeting everyone cheerfully. stares had trailed after her, wondering, who was this new kid?
maybe danielle had been a tad bit too excited on her first day. she just really wanted to make a good impression so that she could have friends! her mother reminded her to keep an eye out for any potential trouble. fifteen and carefree, danielle obviously did not heed her words and went about her day talking to everyone but herself.
âhi! iâm dani!â she introduced herself, a wide grin on her face. the girl looked up slowly, unimpressed.
âiâm haerin,â the girl, haerin, replied in awkward english. it was extremely butchered, but danielle appreciated the sentiment.
âmy korean nameâs jihye,â she smiles even bigger, âcan we be friends? i transferred here from australia.â the cat-eyed girl nods, eyes glued onto danielle, as if scanning her.
haerin then gestures to the seat next to her, a small smile on her face, âyou can sit next to me.â
she was danielleâs first friend, and the only friend she really needed (other than hyein, of course. danielle would be caught dead if hyein found out she said that). needless to say, the australian never found much purpose in befriending others when she had haerin. her best friend was a listener, an observer, perfectly contrasting danielleâs rapid fire rants. haerin and her fit perfectly, in her opinion. and no one really came close to rivalling haerinâs spot of being danielleâs favourite person.
yet, at sixteen, spring had arrived in the form of her literature classmate.
âwhoâs that?â danielle whispered to haerin. the girl wakes up from her nap, eyes roaming across the class before landing on the girl danielle was pointing at.
haerin, thoroughly disturbed by the interruptance of her nap, answered, âjeon y/n. she was from the other block.â
danielle nodded, eyes as wide as saucers and her gaze stuck onto her new infatuationâs back like bubblegum. your hair fell by the side, exposing your look of concentration. a pen was caught between your lips, nibbling it as your eyebrows furrowed. danielle didnât feel any of the butterflies or immediate affection. this wasnât the love she was taught. it was almost like time had slowed down, leaving her to bask in your afterglow. her throat dried up and feeling an intense need to hydrate herself, she did so. while gulping down her water, your eyes glanced back, meeting hers for a fraction of a second.
no, her version of love wasnât like anything else. it was the crinkle in your eyes as she choked violently on her water and the amused look you gave her after.
spring had arrived for danielle at sixteen, and it wouldnât leave for another few more decades.
throughout her school life, danielle had kept a watchful eye on you. sometimes, if sheâs lucky, you might spare her a glance, but only for a second before looking away hurriedly. danielle thought you hated her guts so much you couldnât even stand the sight of her. genuinely distressed by this, she had immediately claimed the seat in the front, hoping she might feel your gaze every once in a while, even if it was to look at the whiteboard.
even after becoming a cheerleader, which danielle guessed was a high rank in her schoolâs hierarchy, she still couldnât help but let her gaze follow your strides through the school. you had never shown up to the games and maybe danielle was deluded to think you had no point to, not interested in any of the charming jocks on court. her mind had pointed out maybe you werenât interested in cheerleaders like danielle either, but she focused on the positives.
her only chances to see you was during class or during lunch, neither of which were particularly viable for her long-term yearning but hey, sheâs a cheerful girl who looks on the bright side. surprisingly, even with your features and sweet personality, no one really approached you. danielle counts that as a win. maybe it was because people didnât really know what to expect from someone like you. quiet, yet extroverted with friends. smart, but silly at times (danielle really liked you when you were acting silly). was it a blessing for no one else to take up your time other than danielle?
sheâs never felt this way before. definitely not for those boys with captivating smirks and dreamy eyes. she only feels the longingness to be by your side, she yearned to just be in the proximity of your comfort, to be on the receiving end of your endearing smile. sheâs so incredibly curious about you. she wants to know everything that makes you you. sheâs curious about your music taste. sheâs curious about the way your mind works. sheâs curious about your late night thoughts and how they make you feel. sheâs curious about every single thing about you.
isnât that what love is?
you make her so vulnerable without trying. has she ever crossed your mind at least once? danielle thinks her vulnerability means love. to submit wholly, with dedication and devotion. she wants to disclose everything about herself to you, just to feel the closeness of your soul. how will she ever know what love is?
maybe itâs the fact she doesnât feel like sheâs betraying a part of herself to keep pretending.
she knows how it feels to be looked at differently.
the thirteen year old girl in her heart remembers the look of disgust when her friends in australia saw two boys holding hands.
would she experience that again? even though she wasnât on the receiving end, she still felt tears well up. she knew who she was. optimistic, sure, but if nature doesnât have a single thing that blooms all year, how could danielle do the same?
you make her weak. she wants to know everything about you. and if receiving your affection meant revulsion and exclusion from others, danielle would gladly suffer for your hand.
she truly believes she hasnât lived some of her lifeâs best days. she hasnât seen it all, hasnât felt it all. maybe that is whatâs keeping her so upbeat all the time. the chance of experiencing something better tomorrow than today, the possibility that her life might change for the better in an instant. she wants to live all her best days with you.
maybe she wore her heart on her sleeve for so long because she knew that someone like you would be so soft and gentle with it.
you conquer all thoughts in her mind. sheâs never met someone so alluring. maybe itâs the way you walk, the way you talk, the way you make her feel inside. maybe itâs your eyes or even your smile, danielle doesnât know it herself.
sheâs attracted to you like opposite poles of a magnet.
danielle marsh dreams of you, and only you.
you quickly swallow the piece of bread in your mouth when you spot danielle standing by your desk.
âdanielle,â you call out, cheeks still stuffed. your face only heats up when danielle giggles, âmorning y/n.â
sheâs holding a lunchbox.
the same my melody lunchbox as before.
âi made dakgangjeong for you,â she mutters shyly, a bashful smile spreading across her face, âyou mentioned that you liked it before.â
dakgangjeong, sweet crispy fried chicken. your crush made more food for you. was she an angel who came down to earth?
âreally?â you ask, surprised and mouth agape, âoh my god, i could marry you right now.â
âoh!â she laughs, âi mean, weâre a bit too young to get married donât you think?â
you facepalm yourself internally, wondering why you blurted out a marriage proposal to danielle. thankfully, the girl didnât seem to mind that much, maybe it was a reach but she actually seemed to like it?
(she did. danielle was just a better actress than you).
âsorry, i was justâ sorry. i didnât mean to say that out loud.â
danielle only chuckles. you feel a bit guilty for knowing the true reason sheâs been treating you so well. so maybe you werenât so deluded after all. or maybe a mysterious genie is just granting anybodyâs wishes now.
âuh,â you turn away to hide your blush, âwhat are you going to wear tomorrow?â
the girl pauses, thinking.
âi havenât decided, but iâll text you later?â danielle tilts her head like an adorable puppy. you didnât realise how close she was before. her close proximity catches you off guard and you almost fling the lunchbox in the air when she leaves a lingering touch on your skin, making goosebumps rise across your arm.
âgreat, uhm, yeahâ awesome,â you mutter. your friends stare at you, an apathetic and maybe sympathetic gaze.
danielle shoots one of her god gifted smiles, the one which exposes all of her pearly whites and a hint of her tongue. it stretches across her face and youâre left admiring her like sheâs a deity.
âtalk to you later? class is about to start.â
you nod, distrustful of your voice. if you werenât careful, you might squeak at her or do something even more embarrassing. oh my god, what if you manage to humiliate yourself so badly danielle gets the ick and stops liking you? maybe you should shut up from now on.
the girl hops back to her seat. youâre rooted in the same spot, a hushed whisper from hanni asking you to sit down breaking your stare.
âyouâre giving me second-hand embarrassment,â minji says, her face contorted into faux disgust. hanniâs own rivals hers.
you wonder how is it that even after knowing danielle likes you back, it seems like she still has the upper hand on you?
masterlist | next
#tumblr girls ft. mjh#newjeans x reader#danielle marsh x reader#danielle x reader#mo jihye x reader#jihye x reader
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christmas countdown
Your company is taking on a new project and desperately wants the backing and expertise of retired CEO Jing Yuan. Dispatched out into the countryside to bring him on board, you find it won't be as easy as you think.
Jing Yuan strikes a bargain with you: spend the upcoming days with him, until Christmas Eve, and he'll tell you exactly what it will take for him to come back if you don't figure it out yourself.
Let the Christmas countdown begin.
MINORS AND AGELESS BLOGS DNI.
pairing: jing yuan x gn!reader
word count: 16k (whoops)
notes: this came about through dms with my beloveds @petrichorium and @lorelune! they both were invaluable, and lore also was kind enough to beta for me, along with another friend. this fic feels like it possessed me; i wrote it in just over a week.
fic notes: hallmark au, gn!reader (they/them pronouns), jing yuan is taller than the reader, age gap (jing yuan is in his early 50s, reader is in their late 30s), this is mostly just fluff.
divider by @/cafekitsune.
âIâm sorry, Mom.â
âThis is the third Christmas youâre missing,â she says, voice thickening, and you can almost see the way her eyes are going glassy with tears, shining beautifully in the light.
âI know. But this project is huge and Iâm so close to the promotionââ
âYouâve been saying that for years.âÂ
âThis is different. The CEO herself asked for me,â you say with a sigh.
âWhen would you leave?â
âI leave tomorrow.â
âThatâs almost a week until Christmas! Maybe youâll get back in time! Or maybe it can wait until the new year?â
âNo, Mom. The project is waiting on getting this person on board, it canât wait that much longer. Itâs just Christmas, I donât see why this is such a big deal.â
âItâs time with your family,â she snaps, the words shattering at the edges, honed keen with hurt.Â
âIâm sorry. Next year, okay?â
âThatâs what you said last year.â
âMom.â
âFine. But think about it, please. We miss you.â
You sigh. âI miss you guys too.â
The conversation continues on from there; she tells you that your father has taken up gardening, renting out a space in a greenhouse nearby, coaxing it into a full lushness that has him coming home flecked with flower petals. Heâs already plotting out a vegetable garden come spring.Â
You listen as she chatters away, throwing in the occasional âuh-huhâ as you scroll through your emails, typing as quietly as you can. You pause as she goes silent.
âMom?â
âAre you working right now?âÂ
You wince. âI just had a few emailsââ
The line goes so quiet that you reach for your phone to see if your earbuds have disconnected. They haven't. Your stomach roils.
âMom?â
âWeâll talk later, then,â your mother says, and the pit in your stomach grows at the sorrow threading through her voice. âGood night.â
You hesitate. Then your email pings again.
âNight, Mom.âÂ
She hangs up, and the click of the line sounds like a dour bell, but itâs chased from your mind by the bright chirp of your email. You settle back down with your laptop, digging into work once more.Â
When you finally glance up from your laptop screen hours later, your eyes stinging, you realize itâs snowing.Â
In the orange glow of the streetlights, the flakes look like embers flickering through the sky, like the sparks of a bonfire on a summerâs eve. Itâll be stomped into slush tomorrow, trodden under so many boots, but for now the snow dances through the air, a ballet all its own.
It muffles the world, blanketing your apartment in oppressive quiet, and not for the first time you feel small in your own home. You shiver. The high ceilings of your apartment feel like a gaping maw, arching and empty.Â
You shift uneasily and turn on a soft lofi playlist despite the headache thatâs settled in at your temples. It fills the air, creeps all the way to the empty corners of your apartment and softens them with sound.Â
You let out a gentle breath. Still, something cold uncurls behind your ribs, sinks its teeth into bone until it hits marrow. You pick up your phone, swiping up to your messages with your best friend, and youâre halfway through typing out a message before you catch yourself. A quick glance at the clock makes you wince. Your phone thunks against the table as you toss it down.Â
Itâs late and she has a new babyâshe needs as much sleep as she can get. You canât disturb her, not for something as silly as this. You scrub a hand over your face and get to your feet.
Itâs quiet as you get ready for bed, even the soft music doing little to soothe you. You turn on every lamp in your bedroom, flood the room with light, until itâs as if the sun has risen and is cradling you in its warmth. You keep them on until the last moment, flicking them off only when youâre tucked in bed.Â
That cold thing stays with its fangs sunk in until you fall asleep.Â
***
The airport is nearly deserted by the time you land.
Itâs late, night blanketing the terminal, held at bay only by the light pollution of the airport. Your shoes click against the linoleum as you hurry through the empty hallways, eager to be done with your exhausting day of travel.Â
The taxi driver that heaves your suitcase into the trunk is talkative, but youâre too busy checking your phone, flicking through the emails that poured in while you were in the air. The car rumbles to life beneath you as you pull up an attachment, scanning over the analysis quickly, scratching out a few notes on a scrap piece of paper youâve pulled from your bag. The countryside rolls by as you work, pitch black except for a few lit windows from passing houses, little lighthouses in the deep sea of the night.Â
âHere we are,â the taxi driver says cheerfully, killing the engine in front of the inn.Â
Itâs clearly old but well-maintained, a piece of the past caught in the resin of time. There are fake candles guttering in each window. The wreath on the door is almost as big as the door itself, dotted with lights that twinkle like little silver stars and topped off with a perfect crimson bow.Â
âThanks,â you say to the driver, trading a tip for your suitcase before heading up the steps of the inn. The scent of pine wafts around you; you step inside before it can stick to your clothes.Â
âHi,â you say to the receptionist, who puts down her magazine. âIâm here to check in.â
âName?â
You tell her. She nods and you check your phone again as she checks you in. Luckily, it doesnât take long, because the long day is beginning to weigh on you, an ache deep in your bones.Â
âLet us know if thereâs anything you need,â the receptionist says.
âThanks.â
You pay little attention to the room, simply stowing your suitcase before pulling your laptop from your carry-on bag. Thereâs a small desk that you settle at; your laptop screen glows brightly as you open it. The world blurs, smears like a watercolor. You blink the fuzziness away to answer a few more emails.Â
A few turns into many, catching up on all of your current projects now that you have another project to take care of. The headache that slowly blooms is familiar; it lingers behind your left eye, throbbing like a wound. Itâs what finally gets you to set down your laptop for the night. Itâs late enough that when you peer out the window while getting ready for bed, even the stars seem to have gone cold, twinkling faintly.Â
By the time you crawl into bed, you donât even want to look at the clock. Still, you see it when you set your alarm, and you wince. You only have a few hours before it goes off. You curse yourself and roll over to finally, finally go to sleep.Â
Tomorrow comes too quickly. You wake with the sun, before your alarm, watery light pouring into your room, pooling in soft gold puddles on the floor. It catches on the prism dangling from the window, throwing rainbows against the walls, a whirling ballet of color.Â
You make a mental note to close the curtains tonight. You hadnât even realized they were open, with how dark the countryside is around the inn, far too used to the ambient light of the city. When you peer out the window, all you see is woods framing a large, clear space still dusted with snow.Â
In daylight the inn is even more quaint, brimming with Christmas decor: with thick garlands draped over the doorway arches, weighted down with golden ornaments that catch the light, sending it flickering like the flames roaring in the fireplace. Sprigs of holly are tucked among the garlands too, little fireworks of color. Add in the mounds of fake snow lining a sprawling ceramic village and itâs a picture-perfect display. You trace a finger over the tiny wreath on the village bakeryâs door.Â
âMorninâ,â someone says behind you, a deep rumble of a voice, shaking through you like thunder splitting the sky. You turn around and find a man beaming at you.
âGood morning,â you say.
âLooking for breakfast? Itâs in the dining room, right through there.âÂ
âI was really just looking for coffee.â
âThatâs in the dining room too,â he says. âIâm Lee. I own the inn with my husband.â
âOh,â you say. âThatâs nice. Itâs lovely. Iâm sorry, though, I really have to get to work.â
He raises a brow. Thereâs a whole conversation in that brow, you think. One youâre not interested in having.Â
You give him a tight smile. âExcuse me,â you say. âThat coffee is calling me.â
âSure,â he says. âLet me know if you need anything.â
âThanks.â
You trade nods with a few other guests as you get your coffee, but youâre in and out of the loud dining room in a matter of minutes. Your room, foreign as it is to you still, is a welcome respite from the chatter that fills the inn.Â
The coffee is good. Itâs rich and nutty, the warmth of it warding off the slight chill that lingers in the room from the large windows. You try to peer out one of them but itâs whorled with frost, ice spun over the glass like embroidery, just opaque enough to let in the light. Â
You settle back down at the little desk and boot up your laptop. Your inbox has slowly filled up again, and youâre starting to work through it when your boss slacks you.Â
Qingzu: Youâre off your regular projects for now.
Me: ??? Iâm almost done with the analysis.
Qingzu: Fu Xuan wants you to concentrate on bringing Jing Yuan on board. Iâll delegate your usual tasks.Â
You wince. Your coworkers are going to hate you.
Me: I can still do the analysis at least.
Qingzu: What the CEO says goes. Focus on the job she gave you.Â
Qingzu: Also it looks like the address we have on file for Jing Yuan is outdated.
Qingzu: You might need to do a little searching.Â
Me: Okay.
You sigh, scrubbing your hands over your face before exiting out of your email. Not for the first time, you wonder why Fu Xuan didnât reach out to Jing Yuan herself, considering sheâd succeeded him at Luofu Corp. Youâre not sure how negotiation from a stranger is the better option. And it would certainly have made your life easier.Â
At least sheâs given you a profile on him. The picture is unnecessary considering how many magazine covers the man has graced, but itâs there, and you wonât say no to looking at a pretty face. Even in his official picture, thereâs a small, lazy smile on his face. He looks half-asleep, but his golden eyes are knife-sharp.
A tactician's mind, Fu Xuan said, and you believe it.Â
You read through the profile carefully, taking in details large and small, trying to get a sense of the man youâre supposed to lure out of retirement. Heâd retired early, barely into his fifties, and heâd only picked up a handful of projects in the last two years since, mostly charity work. You sigh, deeply jealous, and read on.Â
The profile isnât particularly helpful; to be honest, you hadnât expected it to be. Youâll need to meet him and gauge him for yourself to see what the best avenue is.
You shrug on your coat before leaving the room, slipping past a ragtag group of children. Theyâre led by a little girl in a hat bigger than her head, the fuzzy flaps of it bouncing as she scuttles down the hallway, her face shining triumphantly, a mug of hot cocoa carefully balanced in her hands.
You hesitate at the bottom of the stairs, glancing between the door and the front desk. You sigh and head towards the front desk. Lee smiles at you.
âWhatcha need?â he asks.
âIâm looking for someone in town,â you say. âI was hoping you could direct me to them.â
âSure. Who is it?â
âJing Yuan.â
His smile shatters at the edges, a slowly spreading crack. He leans back on his heels and eyes you up and down.
âYou a reporter?â
âNo.â
He nods to himself. âShould have known. You look a little too corporate for that.â
You smooth down your coat self-consciously. Maybe you should have brought some more casual clothing for this trip.Â
âCan you tell me where he is?â you ask.
âHeâs not interested.â
âWhat?â
Lee shrugs, rocking back on his heels again. You think of a great pine tree swaying in the wind, bending, never breaking. âWhatever you want him for, heâs not interested.â
âHow about he tells me that himself?â
âIâm sure he will,â he says. âIf you can find him.â
âWhich I assume you arenât going to help with.â
âSorry.â
You roll your eyes and stalk towards the door, wrenching it open and fleeing into the outdoors. The sun is shining but the air is frigid, the type of cold that sinks right through clothing and into your marrow. You shudder and pull up the collar of your coat to try and block the worst of the chill as you walk towards downtown.Â
Itâs an easy walk; you find yourself in the heart of downtown in just a few minutes. Itâs just as quaint as the inn, the lampposts lining the street decorated with wreaths faintly dusted with pristine snow. You glance up at the lights strung between buildings, shimmering like the icicles theyâre mimicking.Â
Itâs pretty, you suppose. You think people would flock here if they knew about it. Still, despite how small the town is, the streets are filled with people, some of them shouting greetings back and forth. Â
You duck into the crowds and weave your way through them carefully, pausing just before a cafe. A thought occurs to you as you take a quick peek through the frosted window. You peel off your gloves, holding them in your hand as you step into Auntieâs.Â
âExcuse me,â you say as one of the waitresses comes over to you, a tray balanced against her hip. âA man dropped these a block back and I thought I saw him come in here. I was hoping to return them. He was tall and had long white hair that he was wearing tied back. I think it was with a red ribbon.â
âSounds like Jing Yuan,â she says. âYou sure paid close attention to him.â
You cough, fidgeting with the leather gloves and she laughs. âMost people do,â she reassures you. You flash her a small, embarrassed smile. âHeâs hard to miss, handsome as he is. I can give them to him next time I see him.â
âThatâs okay,â you say. âIf you know where he is, I donât mind bringing them to him. Iâm just enjoying wandering around town.â
Her eyes narrow; ice seeps into them, the slow creep of the first frost. Her grip tightens on the tray.Â
You blink at her guilelessly, trying not to hold your breath.Â
Her shoulders uncoil. âSorry,â she says. âItâs justânevermind. I havenât seen him today. Iâd check along Aurum. Thatâs the main street. If you donât find him, you can come back here and Iâll give âem to him.â
âIâll just check a few more shops,â you tell her. âIâm on the lookout for Christmas presents, anyway.âÂ
âCutting it close, arenât you?â
âI know, I know,â you say. âIâm so bad about it. Thank you!â
âBye.â
You hurry out the door, flexing your fingers against the cold as you keep your gloves in your hands. The second and third store yield the same results; the fourth shop is a bust too. The locals are more protective of Jing Yuan than youâd thought. You get a suspicious look every time you describe him, and thatâs without even mentioning his name.Â
You step outside the fourth shop with a huff. At this point, youâre worried that someone is going to insist on keeping the gloves. Thereâs only so many times you can spin the same story before it bites you in the ass. Plus, your hands are freezing; the sunlight is doing little to warm the day despite the rays bathing half the street gold.Â
One more store, you think. Just one more.
You groan when you see the next store is a bustling toy shop. Children tug at their parentsâ hands and smudge their noses up against the windows with gap-toothed grins. They spill out of the entrance like little ants, almost tripping over themselves as they babble excitedly to their companions. They part around you like flowing water as you make your way inside.
âExcuse me,â you say to the first person wearing a nametag that you see, holding out the gloves. âA man dropped these a few blocks back. I tried to catch up but couldnât, but I thought I saw him duck in here. Have you seen a tall man with white hair tied up with a red ribbon?âÂ
âFunny,â a rich voice says from behind you. âI donât think those would fit me.âÂ
You freeze.Â
The man peers down over your shoulder; a few strands of fluffy white hair brush against you as he examines the gloves youâre holding. He tugs one free of your slackened grip and holds it up against his hand, which dwarfs the glove. His low hum resonates through you, a honeyed drip of sound, soft and warm.
âA little small, donât you think?â he asks.
You turn around.
Jing Yuan smiles at you, his eyes crinkling with it. Thereâs a wicked amusement tucked up secret in the corner of his full lips; you try not to scowl.Â
You see why Fu Xuan called him a scoundrel.Â
Still, thereâs no way out of this. âIt seemed like a good idea at the time,â you say with a shrug. âAnd I did find you, so.âÂ
He chuckles. âThat you did.â
âIââ
âUncle!â
You blink as a blond blur zips past you and almost crashes into Jing Yuan. The blur turns out to be a young boyâno older than twelveâcarrying a sizable sword. Itâs almost as big as he is.Â
âUncle,â he says again, tugging at Jing Yuanâs sleeve. âLook what I found!â
âItâs a very nice sword, Yanqing,â Jing Yuan says, his smile softening. âBut letâs wait and see what Christmas brings, hmm?â
Yanqing pouts for a moment before he glances at you. You realize he shares his uncleâs eyes, as golden as the sun. He blinks. âAre you another reporter?â
Jing Yuan leans down to be closer to his height. âWorse,â he whispers. âTheyâre corporate.â
The boy wrinkles his nose.Â
Jing Yuanâs smile threatens to turn into a grin. âGo put the sword back, please,â he tells Yanqing, and you watch him dart off again.Â
âCould Iââ
âIâm afraid Iâm busy,â Jing Yuan says. âAnd you may have heard that I retired.â
âI know, butââ
âBusiness has no place in a toy shop, you know.â
âThatâs not what the toy seller would say.â
He tilts his head, a sliver of a smile unfurling on his lips. âI suppose so,â he says thoughtfully. âEither way, I am busy.â
âFu Xuan sent me,â you try.
He sighs. âYes, I had assumed.âÂ
âIf I could just get a bit of your timeââ
âNot now,â Jing Yuan says. âIâm with my family.â
âBut at some point?â
âYouâre at the inn, yes?â
âI am.â
âIâll come find you tomorrow. Does that work?â
âReally?â you say and cough as he smiles, golden eyes twinkling like the ornaments decorating the toy shop. âI mean, that works. Here, hereâs my card.â
He takes it; it looks tiny in his hand. He says your name, rolling it over his tongue like heâs tasting it, like itâs something to be savored. Your cheeks heat. A small smile plays across his lips.Â
âTomorrow, then,â you say.
He nods, his white hair swaying with it, like dandelion seeds caught on the wind. âTomorrow. Come on, Yanqing.â
You start as the boy goes past you like a little darting fish, settling at his uncleâs side and tugging on his sleeve. âCan we go to the smithy?â he asks as the two of them turn to leave. âPlease?â
Jing Yuan laughs, the sound rich, spilling over you like smooth chocolate. âJust to look,â he says, and theyâre almost out the door when you realizeâ
âWait!â you call out. âYou still have my glove!â
Jing Yuan pauses and glances back, one golden eye rising like the sun over the mountain range of his shoulders. âOh?â he asks, raising a brow. âI thought you said it was mine?â
Behind you, the employee stifles a laugh. Your cheeks burn. âIââ
He chuckles. âHere,â he says, handing it back. âIâd hate for you to be cold.âÂ
Then he and Yanging are out the door, leaving you standing in the middle of the bustling toy shop. You clutch at your glove; itâs still warm from his hand, like the soft heat that lingers in the hearth stones long after the fire has gone out.Â
It occurs to you that you may be in over your head.
***
The feeling doesnât go away the next day.Â
âWhere exactly are we going?â
Jing Yuan flashes you a smile; the edges of it curl into something smug. Heâd called early and met you at the inn, coaxing you into putting your coffee in a to-go cup before shuffling you out the door with no real explanation. âChristmas tree shopping.â
âChristmas trâI thought we were going to talk about the project!â
âWe are,â he says easily, pulling into a gravel parking lot surrounded by towering, barren oaks. In the distance, you can see a grid of pines, laid out like an embroidery pattern. âBut itâs Christmas.â
âItâs five days away.â
âThatâs basically Christmas,â he says cheerfully. He slides from the pickup with feline grace, the flex of his thighs obvious even under the thick denim of his jeans. You stay put in the passenger seat. He raises a brow. âYou donât want to talk?â
That sends you scrambling for the passenger door.Â
Jing Yuan doesnât bother to hide the little smile that blooms on his lips, an unfurling flower. You scowl at him as you join him next to the pickup; it has no effect.
âShall we?â he asks.Â
You huff and follow him onto the tree lot. He clearly knows where heâs going, weaving through the pines with a dancerâs ease despite his size. You stop at a row of sizable trees, their blue-green needles rustling in the wind. Theyâre dusted in the lightest layer of snow, like frosting sugar has been sifted over them.Â
Youâre searching for the words to start your pitch when he hums.Â
âWhat do you think of this one?â he asks, testing the thick branches of a plush pine, watching critically as needles scatter everywhere. It releases a waft of the sharp tang of pine.Â
âItâs a tree.â
âNoted,â Jing Yuan says dryly. âThank you for your input.âÂ
âI donât understand why Iâm here,â you tell him as he moves on to the next tree. âI thought we would go to your office.â
âI donât have an office,â he says. âAnd the rec center needs a Christmas tree.âÂ
âThat doesnât explain anything.â
He glances at you. His eyes are the color of amber shot through with sunlight, a deep, rich gold. His gaze is knife-edged, a flaying thing, and it sinks beneath your skin to open you on its blade. You fidget with your sleeve.
When he smiles, itâs soft and maybe a little sad. He doesnât say anything; he just hums again and moves to the next tree.
âJing Yuan!â
âKeep moving,â he says. âWe have to deliver the tree too, you know.âÂ
âWe have to what?â
He laughs, loud and bright. âYou heard me,â he says cheerfully. âNow come on.âÂ
You follow him through the rows, giving him clipped answers when he asks your opinion about a tree. Finally, after several more treesâthat all looked the same to you, tall and full of pine needlesâhe finds one that heâs pleased with.Â
He tells you to wait with the tree and disappears down the row.
When he comes back, he has an ax.
âUm,â you say.Â
âHm? Oh. Itâs fine,â he says, resting the ax nearby as he ties his hair up into a high ponytail.
âIs it?â
He hefts the ax up and motions you back before swinging. He strikes true, the trunk starting to splinter under the hit, and the next one is in the exact same spot. The tree groans in protest, but Jing Yuan doesnât pause. His powerful shoulders bunch and flex as he keeps the ax in motion with ease, though heâs beginning to pant a bit by the time heâs halfway through the trunk. Sweat glints on his brow; it dampens the edges of his hair, darkening it to the silver of the moon.Â
He swings the ax again, his biceps bulging, and a crack splits the air. The tree starts to topple, falling into its neighbor, which keeps it mostly upright. Jing Yuan wipes his brow, chest heaving, and belatedly, you realize youâre staring.Â
Behind you, thereâs the crunch of pine needles under boots. Two men wearing name tags stride by you and clap Jing Yuan on the shoulder. They confer with him for a moment before they pick up the tree and start carrying it back towards the parking lot. Â
âThere,â Jing Yuan says, sounding satisfied. âWe can go now.âÂ
âDo you often justâŠcut down trees?â
âOnly at Christmas.â
You snort. He chuckles before gesturing you back to the parking lot. You head back and come up to the pickup just as the two men finish tying off the tree in the bed of the truck. Jing Yuan gives them firm handshakes; you pretend not to notice just how much cash is transferred between their palms.Â
The two of you climb back into the truck. You have to move your briefcase in order to sit comfortably and the sight of it sets you back on track.
âYou said weâd talk about the project,â you accuse.
âYou didnât say anything,â he says, putting the truck into gear. âSo there wasnât anything to talk about.â
You scowl at him. He pulls out of the parking lot; the truck trundles down the road.Â
âInsufferable,â you mutter, but from the way the corner of his lips lift, heâs heard it.Â
Quiet falls. The radio is crooning a soft Christmas song, but itâs faint, like an echo of the past. The heater is on, and the truckâs cab is soft with warmth, like sinking into bathwater after a long day. You lean against the window. Your breath fogs over the glass, a marine layer, and you resist the urge to draw something in the mist.Â
The rec center isnât far; you pull up to it just a few minutes later. Your phone rings just as Jing Yuan hops out of the truck.
âI need to take this,â you tell him. âItâs work.âÂ
He hums, something flashing across his face. Itâs gone quickly, rolling by like a summer storm, and youâre already picking up the phone, your coworkerâs harried voice filling your ears.Â
The phone call takes a while. At one point, the truck rattles around youâa quick glance in the rearview shows a group of teen boys pulling the tree free from the truck bed, leaving a sea of needles in their wake, a forest floor brought home. Their laughter fills the air, audible even through your earbuds. You turn up the volume.
Jing Yuan shows back up just as youâre finishing your call. Thereâs silvery tinsel woven into his hair, barely visible except when it catches the sunlight, a lightning strike gleam. âYou must be cold,â he tells you. âCome inside.â
You shake your head. âI need to go back to the inn,â you say. âI have a project that just went sideways.â
He sighs. âAs you wish,â he says, and climbs back into the truck.Â
You flick through your phone as he drives back to the inn, answering emails and trying your best to put out the embers of the fire that had sprung up on your project. When you reach the last one, you click your phone off and glance at Jing Yuan out of the corner of your eye.
The cold wind has nipped at his cheeks until roses bloom on his pale skin. The tinsel in his white hair shines, the full moon draped in ribbons of silvery shooting stars, and heâs beautiful in an untouchable way, a statue come to life.
Exceptâthereâs a small, lopsided smile tucked up secret in the corner of his lips. It sweetens his mouth and adds a puckish curve; it makes him real again. Itâs a contentment that you didnât know existed, a quiet happiness that radiates from him.Â
Something in your chest goes tight.
You clear your throat. He glances over at you, that tiny smile fading into something more polished.Â
âSomething to share?â
âThe project.â
âAh,â he says. âThat.â
âYes, that.â
âI suppose you have me trapped, donât you.â
âFor as long as the car ride,â you agree.
âGo on, then.â
You give him a basic overview, sweeping over the vast lay of the project, upselling things youâll think heâll care about while cutting out a few of the things you think he wonât. Itâs hard to tell how itâs landing; youâre slowly realizing that Jing Yuan is a hard man to read. You suppose it makes sense, considering his years at the highest level in corporate, but it feels odd.
âI can see why Fu Xuan wants me on board,â he says as he pulls into the innâs driveway. âAnd it is the type of project that appeals to me, which she knows.â
You let out a soft breath. âI donât suppose that means youâll come on board?â
He parks. âNo,â he says.
You sigh. âI thought not. What would it take for you to come on board?â
âDonât you think itâd be more fun to find that out yourself?â
You scowl at him, ignoring the way the corners of his lips lift.Â
âNo.â
Jing Yuan glances at you, his eyes gleaming, the sun come down to earth.âI'll tell you what,â he says. âSpend up until Christmas Eve with me. You can talk to me about the project until then. And if you havenât figured it out by then, Iâll tell you exactly what will get me onto the project.â
You eye him suspiciously. âReally?â
âReally.â
âDeal,â you say, sticking out your hand. He shakes it, his grip firm. You can feel the heat of him even through your gloves. Itâs soft like the early spring sun, a gentle warmth that blooms through you.Â
âNot that I mind, but I will need my hand back.â
You let go immediately, snatching your hand back like youâve been burned.
Jing Yuan smiles at you, eyes crinkling.Â
âI have to go,â you say, scrambling for your briefcase. You think you hear him chuckle under his breath as you pop the door open. You donât even say goodbye; you slam the door shut before striding off towards the inn, pretending your dignity isnât lying in pieces.Â
At the innâs door, you canât help yourself. You glance back.
Jing Yuan smiles and gives you a little wave.
Your cheeks go hot, a supernova burn. You retreat into the inn quickly.Â
Lee calls out a greeting, but you ignore him and rush to your room. You curse Jing Yuanâs name as you boot your laptop up. Your cheeks are still warm. You scrub your hands over them as if that will help.Â
Your email pings. With a sigh, you scrub at your heated cheeks one more time before you delve into your inbox.Â
The rest of the day passes in a blur of phone calls and emails; by the time you look up, stomach grumbling, the sun has set, leaving behind only its reflection in the moon to lead the way. You push back from the desk and rub at your stinging eyes.
When you go downstairs to grab something to eat, the innâs lounge is full of people. You balk, unsure, but your stomach rumbles again. You make yourself a plate and sit down at the edge of one of the crowded tables, picking away at the food as laughter fills the air around you.Â
Thereâs a couple at the other end of your table, hands intertwined as they talk, pressing close to hear each other over the noise. The shorter woman smiles at her partner, quick and bright, a shooting star burning through the night sky, and you look away.Â
Across the room, a group of teens are laughing among themselves, draped over each other casually. You watch them for a moment. They vie for the handheld console theyâre playing with, passing it back and forth as they chatter excitedly.
Something cold slithers behind your ribs. It winds around the bones like ivy, sending roots down into your marrow.
You take the rest of your meal upstairs.Â
***
The morning light streams through the frost on your windows, the feathered whorls of ice glittering as they cast dancing shadows on the walls. Beyond your window, the innâs yard is full of bundled up families swooping down the slight hill in brightly colored sleighs, their whoops barely audible.Â
You watch a little boy tug his father up the hill. Heâs so wrapped up in layers that heâs waddling. He throws his hands up in the air as they coast down the hill, snow kicking up behind the sleigh, his father wrapping an arm around him to keep him steady.Â
Someone says your name.
âSorry,â you say, coming back to yourself and the conference call youâre on. âCould you repeat that?â
They do and you refocus, tapping away at your keyboard as you sip at your coffee. Youâve stepped back into some of your usual projects now that youâre at Jing Yuanâs whim. Heâs clearly a late riser, based on the time.Â
He calls when youâre on your third cup of coffee. He tells you only to meet him in front of the inn in fifteen minutes. Youâre out the door in ten, stamping your feet on the innâs porch to keep warm, tucking your chin into your coatâs collar in hopes of keeping warm.Â
Jing Yuan pulls up a few minutes later. He slides from the car gracefully, looking cozy in a fleece-lined bomber jacket. You tuck your chin further into your coat collar as the wind gusts. He eyes you for a moment.
âDo you have anything warmer?â
âI brought clothes for business meetings, not whatever you have planned,â you say irritably.Â
He chuckles. âFair,â he says. âHold on.âÂ
He disappears to the trunk of the car. When he comes back, heâs got a thick scarf and hat with him, the knit of them full of lumps, clearly handmade. Thereâs a neon bright pom-pom on the top of the hat.Â
âNo,â you say flatly.
He chuckles. âAlright.âÂ
The wind chooses that moment to gust heavily, biting through every layer to kiss frigid against your skin. âShit,â you bite out, and when Jing Yuan holds out the hat and scarf again, you take them.
You jam the hat on your head and wind the scarf around your neck before burying your chin in it, pulling it up over your mouth and nose. When you breathe in, the air is tinged with what can only be traces of Jing Yuanâs cologne, a faint hint of warm cedar and bergamot, woodsy and bright. Beneath that, thereâs a hint of smoke, of woodfire. It drapes over you like a soft, warm blanket. You resist the urge to close your eyes to breathe it in again.
âCute,â Jing Yuan teases. You glare at him, but from the smile he gives you, itâs not very effective. You glare harder.Â
âLetâs go,â he says, urging you towards the car with a gentle hand at the small of your back. You can feel the weight of it even through the thick material of your coat. When you glance at him, heâs already looking at you. He chuckles as you glance away.Â
âWhere are we going?â you ask as you slip into the passenger seat.
He flashes you a coy little smile. âYouâll see.â
You huff; he just smiles.
It doesnât take you long to get back to the rec center, but you make the most of it, chattering to him about the project, trying to figure out what to highlight based on his reaction. He responds amiably, even asks a few questions, but itâs not enough. You know itâs not enough.Â
When you arrive at the rec center, Jing Yuan pulls around the back of the building. Before you can even ask, the answer comes into view.
âOh,â you breathe, cutting yourself off mid-sentence about the marketing strategy, taking in the massive skating rink. The bleachers are covered with twinkling lights and pine garlands, massive red bows dotted along them like flowers. There are lights overhead, too, dripping down like icicles. A Christmas tree sparkles in the far corner of the rink, weighed down with ornaments and topped with a shining star.Â
Jing Yuan parks and you balk.
âWeâre notââ
âWe are,â he says cheerfully, the corners of his lips curling up into a lazy smile.Â
âWhat does this have to do with the project?â you ask desperately.Â
âAh ah, that would be telling.â
You gape at him. He chuckles and gets out of the car; you follow him after a moment. He guides you to the skate shoe rental hut and before you realize it, you have a pair of skates on and are at the edge of the rink. Youâre not even sure how he convinced you.Â
Jing Yuan is already on the ice. He moves like a dancer despite his bulk, swaying over the ice like kelp in a current, rippling and beautiful. Thereâs something utilitarian to it too, not a single move wasted. An athleteâs precision.Â
He comes close to the edge and holds out a hand to you. âReady?â he asks.
âI know how to skate,â you snap at him.Â
âOkay,â he says, skating backwards to give you enough room to kick out onto the ice.Â
It takes you a minute to find your feet, skates almost skittering out from under you, but you find your balance quickly and start to skate through the rink. The ice is smooth beneath you, perfectly slick, and you pick up speed. When you glance to your right, Jing Yuan is there, keeping up with you effortlessly, a small smile unfurling across his lips.
His hair is streaming out behind him, barely tamed by the thin red ribbon holding part of it back. You think of the pelting snow of a blizzard, beautiful and dangerous, and look away just as he turns to you.
âSo shy,â he says, a laugh rumbling in his chest, and you consider how much it might hurt the potential of the project if you hit him.Â
âIâm hardly shy,â you tell him.
âThatâs true,â he says. âI donât think anyone shy would have claimed their gloves as mine.â
The tips of your ears go hot. âI needed to find you.â
âIâve heard that you can ask people things.âÂ
âI tried. Theyâre protective of you, you know.âÂ
His smile softens, goes tender at the edges. âMore protective than I deserve,â he says, so quietly itâs almost lost in the whipping wind.Â
You bite at your lip. You glance at him from the corner of your eye; his smile is distant now, like the sun dipping just below the horizon.
âJing Yuan?â you say tentatively.Â
He blinks. âHmm? Oh. Sorry.âÂ
You hum. âYou skate well,â you say instead of the question thatâs lingering on the tip of your tongue.
âSo do you.â
âMy mom was a skater,â you say, looping around a tottering child. âShe taught me when I was little. I havenât gone in forever, though.â
âHow come?â
âToo busy.â
âToo busy working,â he says, and itâs not a question.
You think of the Instagram photos from a few weeks ago, all of your friends at a nearby rink, glowing under the lights as they pile into the frame, caught eternally in joy. The pictures of the food afterwards, of the drinks they used to warm themselves up, each one dotted with a little sprig of holly.Â
âYeah,â you say softly. âToo busy working.âÂ
He hums.Â
You push yourself to skate faster. He keeps up with you smoothly, his footwork impeccable.Â
âI didnât mean to upset you.â
You glance at him; he meets your gaze steadily, his eyes the color of sunlit whisky, deep and rich. âIâm not upset,â you say.Â
âAlright.âÂ
The two of you skate quietly for a long while, keeping an easy pace around the rink, avoiding the wobbling tots being coaxed by their steady parents. Teens spin around in circles until theyâre dizzy, falling to the ice with a laugh. Thereâs a girl holding hands with another girl as she scrambles across the ice like a baby deer. You watch them bobble along, a little smile blossoming on your lips.
âCareful,â you hear Jing Yuan warn, and you look up just in time to see a teen boy windmilling his arms as he comes straight at you. Before you can even blink, thereâs an arm around your waist, tugging you out of the way. The momentum sends you directly into Jing Yuan; he turns the two of you quickly and grunts as he hits the rinkâs edge, taking the brunt of the impact.Â
You end up pressed together. His arm is still slung low around your waist, holding you to him, the tips of your skates just barely touching the ground; youâve fisted your hands in his coat to keep from falling. You canât help but lean into the warmth of him. This close, you can smell his cologne more clearly. Itâs different on his skin, the woodfire scent all but gone, while the cedar and the bright flash of citrus from the bergamot still lingers.
âYou okay?â he asks, setting you down. His big hands are gentle as he steadies you, touching you as if youâre something fragile, something to be protected.Â
âShouldnât I be asking you that?â You still have your hands fisted in his jacket. You let go one finger at a time before stepping back.Â
âIâm fine,â he says, straightening up. âDoubt it will even bruise.â
âThanks,â you say. âFor the save.âÂ
âYouâre welcome. Think Iâm done with skating for the day, though.â
âMe too.â
The two of you skate to the edge of the rink; Jing Yuan holds out a hand to help you from the ice. By the time youâre done returning the skates, the sun is setting, the fiery orange horizon giving way to the encroaching teeth of night.Â
âI should get back,â you say. âI still have some work to do.â
Jing Yuan glances at you. His gaze is assessing, golden eyes keen, and you wonder if this is what it felt like to be under his scrutiny when he was still a CEO. If other people felt his gaze like an autopsy cut, opening you for his perusal.Â
âSure,â he says easily. âIf you have to.â
âI do.â
He takes you back to the inn. Your goodbye is quiet, though he takes one last jab at how you look wearing the hat and scarf as he insists you keep them for now.Â
You watch him drive off, unable to shake the feeling that somehow, youâve disappointed him.Â
You work for a while, your room quiet, before you give up in the middle of an email. You shut down your laptop and get ready for bed.Â
It takes you a long time to fall asleep.
***
âDo you really get up this late?â you ask, checking your watch as Jing Yuan climbs out of his car.Â
âNo,â he says, sounding amused. âDo I give that impression?â
âThey literally called you the Dozing CEO.âÂ
âThere are worse things to be.â
âThatâs true,â you say thoughtfully. âAnyway, I wanted to talk about the second stage of the proââ
âLater,â Jing Yuan says. âRight now itâs time for coffee. Letâs go to Auntieâs.âÂ
The snow crunches under your boots as the two of you walk into town. The crowd is even bigger today, filling the streets. Thereâs a band at one end of Aurum, the musicians bundled up as they play lively Christmas music. They take a request from a passing child and they clap in delight as the band starts to play.Â
âIs it always like this?â you ask.
Jing Yuan nods. âThe holidays are a big deal around here,â he says, holding the door to Auntieâs open for you. âItâs a close-knit community.â
He greets the hostess by name and asks about her family; she chatters familiarly with him as she leads the two of you to a booth.
âI can tell,â you say once sheâs left. âIs that why you came here?â
He pauses.Â
âSorry. I didnât mean to pry.â
âNo, itâs fine,â he says, giving you a little smile. Itâs soft, that smile, and sweet at the edges. Your cheeks heat a bit. âBut yes, thatâs a large part of it. That and I wanted to be out of the city.âÂ
âReally? I thought you loved the city.â
He tilts his head in question.
You cough. âMost of the profiles Iâve read say you like the city.âÂ
âWhen I was younger,â he says. âBut now, I find the quiet suits me.â
The waitress comes by with a coffee for him; he thanks her kindly before returning his attention to you.Â
âThe quiet here has been nice,â you admit.
âWould you ever leave the city?â
âI donât know,â you say. âIâve been there for almost twenty years now. I moved there when I was eighteen. Besides, thatâs where my job is.â
He hums lightly. âSo it is.âÂ
âSpeaking ofââ
He sighs, cupping his coffee between his big hands to warm them. âGo ahead,â he says. âI said Iâd listen.âÂ
You launch into the second phase of the project, outlining the plans and how theyâd be executed, as well as what his backing and involvement might look like. Jing Yuan drinks his coffee as he listens, only pausing you once so he can ask the waitress a question.Â
You wind down and he smiles at you. âYouâre very convincing,â he tells you. âI can see how you got Feixiao to come on board for the last project that Luofu did.âÂ
âButââ you say, knowing whatâs coming.
âBut Iâm not sold.âÂ
âOf course you arenât,â you grumble under your breath. Jing Yuan breathes out a laugh and your face goes hot. âSorry,â you say. âIâm so sorryââ
âItâs fine.âÂ
âYouâre very tolerant.â
âAm I?â
âYou know you are.âÂ
He chuckles. âI suppose I am,â he says. âRetirement has taken much of the bite out of me, Iâm afraid. Though I donât consider that a bad thing.âÂ
âItâs not.âÂ
He rests his chin on his palm, gazing at you from under his long lashes. Only one of his eyes is visible; the other is behind the silver of his hair, a sun hidden by clouds. His eye is heavily lidded, but his gaze is as keen as ever. âIâm glad weâre in agreement.âÂ
âRight,â you say, flustered and unsure why. âMe too.âÂ
âI find the best part of retirement is the softness,â he says. âIt gives you room to be gentle. With yourself. With others.â
âYou sound like a self-help book.â
âI do meditate quite often,â he says, eyes crinkling with his smile. âI would recommend it.âÂ
âI donât have time to meditate.â
âAll the more reason to find some time for it,â he says mildly, taking another sip of his coffee. A droplet clings to his lower lip; he catches it with his thumb before licking his thumb clean. You almost choke on air.
âAre you alright?â he asks, a coy smile unfurling on his lips.Â
âF-fine.âÂ
That smile grows larger, but he doesnât comment on it. âAlright. Letâs have a late breakfast, shall we?â
âOkay.â
The food comes quickly, filling the air with the scent of crisp bacon and the sharp, woody tang of rosemary. The eggs melt on your tongue, perfectly fluffy, and Jing Yuan smiles when you let out a pleased sigh.
âGood?â
You nod eagerly, taking another bite.
âGood.âÂ
Youâre both quiet as you eat; when it comes time to pay, Jing Yuan doesnât even let you reach for the bill, simply handing the waitress his card with a flick of his wrist. His playful glare silences you before you can even protest.Â
When you stand to leave, he gestures you in front of him. He follows you out the door of Auntieâs and the two of you stop under the awningâhung with crystalline stars that catch the sunlight as they sway in the windâto stay out of the way of the crowds.Â
âWalk with me,â he says, tugging lightly at the end of your (his) scarf.Â
âOkay.â
The two of you thread through the crowds; eventually, they thin out and you settle beside each other. You take in the quieter part of town, still Christmas ready, with fake candles flickering in the windows of the offices and thick wreaths adorning the doors.Â
âPretty,â you say absentmindedly, toying with a ribbon as you pass, the material velvety under your fingertips.Â
âYes,â Jing Yuan says, sounding fond, and heâs already looking at you when you glance at him. âCome along, weâre almost there.â
âWhere?â you ask, but you round the corner and the answer is there.
The park is beautiful, even barren, with the treeâs empty branches reaching towards the yawning sky. A light dusting of snow covers the ground, though itâs turned to slush on the paths. You and Jing Yuan pick your way around the worst of the melt, until you find a massive gazebo.Â
Itâs a sight. Itâs draped in garlands, each dotted with sprigs of holly and bright little lights that flash like shooting stars. Poinsettias line the gazebo, their stamen golden starfish amid the sea of crimson.Â
âWow,â you say.Â
âItâs my favorite place in the park,â Jing Yuan says. âThough itâs normally a bit more subdued.â
âI would hope so.âÂ
âBut itâs not what weâre here for.â
âItâs not?â
âNo,â he says, resting his hand on the small of your back and guiding you forward. âLetâs keep going.âÂ
You talk quietly as you wander through the park until you suddenly notice there are a lot more people than there were before. Before you know it, youâre in a line. You look at Jing Yuan, but he simply smiles.
âNo,â you say as the horse-pulled sleighs come into view.
âThatâs what you said about skating, too.âÂ
âWhy is this town so into Christmas?â
âWhy not?â
You sigh and let him guide you forward, abruptly aware that his hand is still at the small of your back. The weight of it prickles along your skin. He gives you a light push towards the front of the line.Â
The sleigh that pulls up in front of you is large. Itâs decked out in garlands and holly, filled with soft, fuzzy blankets that look like they would keep you warm on even the coldest nights. The mare in front of it nickers, her tail flicking from side to side.Â
Jing Yuan slides into the sleigh with feline ease, though heâs broad enough to take up most of it himself. You hesitate.
He chuckles, patting the spot next to him on the bench. âIndulge me,â he says.
You sigh and slide in before sitting down. You immediately regret it. âItâs cold,â you whine, the chill seeping through your pants, but he simply tosses one of the blankets over you and tucks it in at the side, blocking out any chilly air.Â
âThere,â he says. âReady?â
âOkay,â you say, and the driver flicks her reins, sending the mare into a trot. The sleigh starts to slide forward and you grab onto Jing Yuanâs arm without thinking, sinking your fingertips into the muscle of his forearm.Â
He chuckles again and pats your hand. âYouâll get used to it,â he tells you.Â
âAnd if I donât?â
âYou can always keep holding on to me.âÂ
You immediately let go.Â
He gives you an indolent smile. His eyes crinkle with it, and you want to curse him for being so handsome. Instead, you huff and bury yourself deeper under the blanket, which has slowly been heating.
âI could be working,â you mutter.
âWould you rather be?â
You blink, not having expected Jing Yuan to be listening to you that closely. âIâItâs hard to explain.â
âTry.âÂ
âI justâitâs what Iâm good at,â you say, and it sounds like a question even to your own ears. âIâm a good worker. A hard worker. I donât really have much else to offer, so it makes sense to work all the time.â
âI think youâre underestimating yourself.â
âWhat?â
âYou have much more to offer than just work,â he says gently.Â
âI really donât,â you say miserably. âI barely see my friends and I worry about overwhelming them, and my family is justââ
You pause. âAnd I also just said all of this to you, basically a stranger and also who Iâm supposed to be recruiting, so this is just embarrassing now. Goodbye.âÂ
He catches you by the wrist as you start to throw the blanket off and try to wiggle away from his side.
âAnd here I thought we were more than strangers by now. Iâm a little hurt.â
âJing Yuan!â
âAlright, alright,â he says. âBut itâs okay. Iâm here to listen if you want.âÂ
âI donât,â you say, refusing to look at him as he reaches over you to tuck the blanket back in around you. âJust forget I said anything.â
Silence falls, broken only by the steady trot of the mare and the soft jingling of the bells you hadnât noticed on her bridle.Â
âThatâs part of why I retired, you know.â
You glance at Jing Yuan out of the corner of your eye. Heâs staring off into the snowy treeline, his golden eyes hazed over, the sun under morning mist. âI wanted to be good at something other than work. And I wasnât.âÂ
âThatâs not true,â you say softly. âYou and your friendsââ
âFell apart,â he says, and you subside. You know just as much about the group of company heads deemed The Quintet as anyone does, which is to say that you only know of their end. Their exploits, their dreams, all overshadowed. Companiesâpeopleâthat rose into the sky and then fell, burning up in the atmosphere until they were meteors, destined to crash.Â
Jing Yuan, barely out of his twenties, was the only one left standing.
âI put in years of work to try and get everything right again,â he says. âTo acquire their companies and do right by them. I did it, too. And then I stayed. Because I was good at it. Because I didnât know what else to do.âÂ
You chew on your lip before throwing caution to the wind. You rest your hand on his forearm and donât move when he jolts. His eyes cut towards you, burnished amber, and the sharp edges of him soften.Â
âYouâre more than just work,â he says. âI can promise you that.âÂ
âOkay,â you say softly, because what else is there to say? âOkay.â
The both of you are quiet for a few minutes. You chew on everything thatâs been said, careful not to sink your teeth into the meat of it. Youâll leave that for later, preferably in the dark of your own apartment. Next to you, Jing Yuan seems perfectly at ease, and not for the first time, youâre jealous of his composure.Â
âLook,â he says suddenly, nudging you gently. He points to where the park meets true forest, where the saplings grow teeth. âRabbits.â
âWhere?â you say, leaning around him to try and see it. âI donât see anything.âÂ
âHere,â he says, and suddenly youâre encased in warmth, his arms wrapped around you as he points. You peer down the line of one bulky arm and finally see a family of hares in the underbrush, their downy fur as white as the snow that surrounds them.Â
âHow did you even see them?â you breathe, watching as one of them noses at another, who shifts back into the brush. âTheyâre beautiful.âÂ
âThey are,â he says.
The horse nickers and the hares freeze before darting off deeper into the underbrush. You watch until you canât see them anymore. You settle back before realizing youâre almost in Jing Yuanâs lap, his strong arms still wrapped around you. Heâs warm against you, his chest firm despite the slight softness around his middle, and you can feel his voice rumble through you as he asks the driver a question, one you canât quite make out through the static in your ears.Â
You push away quickly, settling on the far side of the sleigh. It doesnât do much, considering his size, but at least youâre further away from him. Hopefully without alerting him to anything.
From the puckish curl of his lips, that hope is dashed. Still, he says nothing, continuing to talk with the driver as you stare out the side of the sleigh, huddling under the blanket now that youâre bereft of his warmth.
After heâs spoken to the driver, he turns back to you, that same little smile blooming on his lips, an unfurling flower. You brace yourself.Â
âIf youâre cold, the rideâs almost over,â he says. âAnd then I assume you need to go back to work?â
You almost say yes. You almost take the out heâs given you, but you look at him instead, at the way his expression crinkles his eyes and the way his aureate gaze has softened. You look at Jing Yuan and something behind your ribcage writhes, battering against the bones.
âNo,â you say quietly. âI think I still have more time.â
He smiles.
***
The two of you spend the rest of the afternoon in the park, meandering through the expanse of it and chatting the whole time. You only turn back towards the inn when it starts snowing, a light fall of fat, fluffy flakes. They catch in Jing Yuanâs lashes when he turns his face up to the sky, his white hair cascading behind him, a river of starlight.Â
Heâs beautiful. Youâd known that before, of courseâthe man was a staple on magazine covers for a reasonâbut like this, itâs a different type of beauty. You wish you had words for it. Instead, you content yourself with watching him.
He cracks open an eye and sees you looking. âYouâre staring,â he says, a small, sly smile blooming on his lips. âSomething on my face?â
âSnow,â you say dryly. âYouâre going to catch a cold.âÂ
âAh, so you do care.â
âMaybe,â you say, and relish the fleeting look of surprise that he canât quite hide. Itâs gone as soon as it came, replaced by his usual small smile, but you think thereâs a pleased edge to it. âNow hurry up, itâs cold.âÂ
He lifts his face to the sky for a moment more, letting a few more flakes drift down onto him. You wait for him. Youâre cold even with the hat and scarf, but he looks so content that you canât bear to drag him away.Â
Finally, he strides to your side. The two of you head back into town, taking a route that extends the walk. You chat quietly for a majority of the time, though sometimes you lapse into a comfortable silence, simply watching the snow fall.Â
He insists on accompanying you all the way to the innâs doorstep, citing the icy path. You roll your eyes but donât argue; his smile makes something in your chest twist.Â
âThanks,â you say at the doorstep.Â
âFor?â
âEverything,â you say, a little bit helpless.
He smiles again, gentle like the spring sun, and then says: âIâd like to take you to the house tomorrow.â
âThe house? Whose?âÂ
âMine.â
âOh,â you say.
âOnly if youâre okay with it.âÂ
âYou havenât murdered me yet.âÂ
âTrue,â he says, that same little smile unfurling on his lips. âThereâs still time, though.â
âJing Yuan!â
He laughs, low and rich, more a vibration than a sound, as close together as you are. âIâll see you in the morning?â
âYeah,â you say. âSee you then.â
âGoodnight,â he says. But he stays until you give him a tiny shove.Â
You go to sleep with a smile lingering sweet on your lips.
***
Itâs still snowing the next morning. The flakes fall delicately, dusting over the trees like icing sugar, coating the inn like a soft blanket. You watch it as you sip your coffee. Itâs slow and steady, like a snowglobe settling after a flurry.Â
You can tell when Jing Yuan pulls up; your phone vibrates on top of your closed laptop. You gulp down the rest of your coffee before throwing on your coat. The walk from the inn to his car is short but cold. You shiver as you slip into the warmth of the car; he reaches over and tugs your hat down a little more firmly.
âThanks,â you say. âDefinitely couldnât have done that myself.â
âYouâre welcome,â he says cheerfully. âLetâs go.âÂ
The drive to his house is longer than you thought. Itâs on the far outskirts of town, set back into a grove of pine trees, not at all the modern manor youâd thought it would be. Itâs still large, but thereâs a modesty to it that fits him.
He pulls into the garage and leads you inside, where you immediately hear running footsteps. Jing Yuan smiles as Yanqing rounds the corner, all but throwing himself at his uncle.
âYou took forever,â he complains.
âI had to go pick up my friend here,â Jing Yuan says, patting the boy on the head. âWe can get started now, though.â
Yanqing peers at you. âAre they helping?â
âHelping with what?â you ask, shrugging out of your jacket at Jing Yuanâs gesture.Â
âGingerbread, duh.âÂ
âOh, umââ
âTheyâre helping,â Jing Yuan says smoothly, ushering you forward into what you quickly realize is the biggest kitchen youâve ever seen, filled to the brim with sleek kitchenware. Thereâs already ingredients laid out on the kitchen counter, perfectly arranged.
âIâm afraid to touch anything in your kitchen,â you say.Â
He laughs, rolling up the sleeves of his dark red sweater. You watch his forearms flex, the muscle rippling beneath his skin, the tendons in his hands cording.Â
âDonât be,â he says. âNow letâs get started before Yanqing eats all the chocolate chips.â
Yanqing pauses with another handful of chocolate chips almost to his mouth. He gazes at his uncle for a moment and then defiantly pops it into his mouth. Jing Yuan sighs, but thereâs a smile tugging at the corner of his lips.Â
The boy chatters at the two of you as you measure out the ingredients for gingerbread, though he mostly speaks to Jing Yuan. For his part, Jing Yuan listens intently, paying as much attention to Yanqing as he would to any adult. He nods seriously when Yanqing complains about something that happened at school.
âAnd then they took away my swordââ
âWait,â you say, stopping in the middle of mixing. âSword?â
Yanqing stares at you. âYeah. My sword.â
You look at Jing Yuan, who laughs. âHeâs a fencing champion,â he explains.
âIâm the best in the region,â Yanqing informs you, his chest puffed up. âBut one day Iâll beat Uncle.âÂ
You start mixing again. Jing Yuan is a former championâthat has been detailed in almost every magazine heâs ever interviewed with. With good reason, too. Youâve seen the photos of him in his fencing gear, his face mask by his side, his strong thighs outlined by the uniform. Heâd been sweaty and smiling broadly, his senior Jingliu at his side, her lips pressed together sternly but her eyes gleaming.Â
âAh, this old man canât keep up with you anymore,â Jing Yuan says, ruffling Yanqingâs hair.Â
âLiar,â the boy grumbles.Â
Jing Yuan laughs again. âThat looks ready,â he says to you. âYanqing, do you want to roll it out?â
âNope.â Heâs already sorting through the candy thatâs on the other counter, unwrapping various ones. âIâm picking decorations.âÂ
âItâs up to you, then,â Jing Yuan says to you with a little smile.
âI donât see you doing very much work,â you say. Heâs leaning against the counter, looking half-asleep.Â
âIâm supervising.â
You point your spatula at him. âYou dragged me here. Come help.â
âOf course,â he says, pushing off the countertop. He pauses to stretch, reaching high, just enough for his sweater to reveal a slice of his belly and the tiniest hint of silvery hair. You almost drop the spatula. He grabs it before you can, a smug little smirk playing across his lips.Â
But he doesnât say anything, choosing instead to lightly flour the countertop and dump the gingerbread dough onto it. He flours the rolling pin as well, his big hand easily reaching around the fullest part of the thick pin. When he starts to roll it out, his hands and forearms flex with each motion, the veins protruding slightly from beneath his skin.Â
You decide itâs better for you to look at something else. You focus on Yanqing, who is humming happily to himself as he picks out varying decorations.Â
âThose would make good pine trees,â you say, pointing to the waffle cones.Â
He eyes you. âHow?â
âLike this,â you say, flipping them over so the mouth of the cone is against the counter. âAnd then you pipe on icing to make it look like a tree.â
He deliberates for a moment. âWe can try it,â he allows.
âOkay.âÂ
He slips away to another counter thatâs got piping bags and tips laid out all over it, along with several different colors of icing. You glance at Jing Yuan. âYou really have everything, donât you?â
He smiles, cutting out a few shapes from the rolled out dough. âNot everything,â he says. âBut I do try to stay stocked for gingerbread house day.âÂ
âDo you do it every year?â
âYup,â Yanqing says, sliding in next to you. âSince I was little.â He concentrates on the piping bag for a moment, pressing the tip down until itâs at the bottom of the bag and then grabbing a glass and pulling the edges of the bag over the edges of the glass. It holds it nicely and he starts to pile icing in.
âI can tell,â you say, watching his careful precision. He doesnât reply, too busy piping on the first bit of icing.Â
Thereâs a blast of heat at your back as Jing Yuan opens the oven to put the gingerbread pieces in. The pan clinks against the rack and then the heat at your back is softer, a gentle warmth instead. Jing Yuan leans over you to see what Yanqing is doing, his long white hair draping over your shoulder, a waterfall of moonlight.
âClever,â he says.Â
âPretty sure I read it in a magazine.â
He hums. âStill clever.âÂ
âI guess.â
âLook!â Yanqing says. âIt looks good, doesnât it?â
âVery good,â Jing Yuan says, and heâs not lying. Yanqing has an eye for details, swirling the piping to achieve a needle-like texture in the deep green icing. âNow you can put ornaments on it.âÂ
âYeah!â
You watch him fish through the varying candies to find a handful of circular red and gold ones, which he starts pushing into place in the icing. He works diligently, setting them into patterns, but youâre distracted by the heat of Jing Yuan against your back. He shifts behind you and your fingers flex.
The timer saves you. Jing Yuan pulls away as it dings; you hear the oven open and close again as he sets the gingerbread on racks to cool.
âMake one,â Yanqing says suddenly, shoving a waffle cone into your hands. âWe need more for the forest.âÂ
âIs there going to be a forest?â Jing Yuan asks mildly. âI thought we were making a house.âÂ
âWe can do both!â
 âI see.âÂ
The three of you work on trees as the gingerbread cools. Yanqing chatters away, telling you all about his most recent bout and what he asked for for Christmas. Itâs cute, really, watching him and Jing Yuan interact, his hero worship obvious even from such a short amount of time.
Youâve just put the finishing touchâa silver gummy starâon top of a tree when the doorbell rings. Jing Yuan pushes to his feet with a groan and goes to answer it.
When you look up from your tree, Yanqing is staring at you.
âUncle doesnât usually bring corporate people to the house,â Yanqing says. âSo how come youâre here?â
âI donât know,â you say. âYouâll have to ask him.â
Yanqingâs gaze isnât quite as knowing as his uncleâs, but itâs gutting in its own way. âI think itâs because youâre sad,â he tells you.Â
âIâm not sad!â
âOkay,â he says in the way that pre-teens do. âLonely, then.â
He grins in triumph when you canât refute that. Then his brow furrows. âI think heâs lonely too,â he confesses. âHe doesnât want to say it, though. But he is.âÂ
Your stomach twists.
âYanqingââ
He glares at you. âHe is!â
âIâm not saying he isnât,â you say softly. âI just donât think you should be talking about it with me.âÂ
âBut you understand!â
You sigh. âYanqing,â you say. âIf Jing Yuan wants me to know something, heâll tell me himself, okay?â
âNo he wonât,â he mutters.
âThatâs his choice.â
His brow furrows; his lips twist, a sour lemon kiss. âFine,â he says.
You bite at your lip but he doesnât say anything else. âLetâs build the house?â you offer.Â
âWe have to wait for Uncle.âÂ
âWhatâs he doing?â
âDelivery, probably.âÂ
That certainly explains the scuffing noises that have been coming from the hallway. Before you can go investigate, though, Jing Yuan reappears.
âDid I miss much?â he asks, before looking at the still dismantled house. âOh, you didnât start.â
âWe were waiting for you,â Yanqing says.
âOh? So considerate.âÂ
âLetâs build already!â Yanqing says, practically bouncing in place. âUncle, câmon!â
Jing Yuan laughs and joins the two of you at the counter, looking down at the pieces of the gingerbread house. âYes sir,â he says. âWhere do you want to start?â
âHere!âÂ
It takes several tries to even get two of the walls to stick together. Yanqing makes you and Jing Yuan hold them together as he pipes in royal icing to be the glue; the two of you crowd together on one side of the counter to try and keep them upright. This close, you can feel how thick Jing Yuanâs bicep is as his arm presses against yours, courtesy of his broad shoulders.Â
Finally, the icing sets. When you and Jing Yuan pull away, the walls stay standing, earning a cheer from Yanqing. He immediately picks up the next wall, gesturing for Jing Yuan to hold it in place. You take advantage of your moment of respite to pull up one of the kitchen stools, nestling into the plush of it.Â
âDonât get too comfortable,â Jing Yuan warns. âWeâll be putting you right back to work.âÂ
âYeah,â Yanqing says. âYouâve gotta hold the next wall while the other one sets.âÂ
âOkay, okay,â you say, reaching for the next piece of gingerbread. You set it in place, holding it carefully, bracing the corner of it with your fingertips and the side of it with your other hand. Yanqing ices it quickly, and you wince as he manages to get a good amount of icing onto your fingertips.Â
âOops,â he says, looking abashed but not sounding particularly sorry.
âItâs fine,â you say, lifting your fingers away from the join of the walls, still bracing the wall itself with your other hand. You pop your fingertips into your mouth one-by-one without thinking, the sweetness spreading across your tongue rapidly, the sheer amount of sugar enough to make your teeth ache.Â
Jing Yuan coughs.Â
When you look at him, heâs already gazing at you, his eyes darkened to topaz, a deep, rich golden brown. For a second, his lazy smile goes knife-edged, something hungry tucked up into the corner of his mouth, but itâs gone when you blink, only a faint amusement remaining.Â
âThereâs a sink if you would find that more useful,â he says, nodding towards the farmhouse sink just behind you. âThough far be it from me to stop you.â
Your cheeks heat. You wait a moment, letting Yanqing take the brunt of the gingerbread wall before you pull away. You wash your hands as the two of them chat behind you, the water burning hot as you try to compose yourself.Â
The little smirk Jing Yuan sends you when you turn around doesnât help.Â
You take in a deep breath before rejoining them, taking the final wall and putting it into place. The three of you continue building, chatting the whole time. Yanqingâs delight is infectious and you find yourself laughing with every mishap and quietly cheering each time a wall stays up. The roof is the most precarious part; it takes the three of you several tries to get it situated.Â
âNow it just has to fully dry,â Yanqing announces. âThen we can decorate.â
âAnd in the meantime?â you ask.Â
âIâm going to my room!â he says, taking off down the hallway. You blink and glance at Jing Yuan.
âHe means heâs going to snoop under the Christmas tree,â he says.Â
âOh.âÂ
âHe thinks heâs sneakier than he is.â
âDonât all kids? Besides, didnât you peek under the tree when you were a kid?âÂ
âI would never,â he says, eyes sparkling. âWho do you think I am?â
âThe type to sneak under the tree. I bet you shook boxes and everything.â
He chuckles. âI stopped after I accidentally broke one of the presents doing that.âÂ
âYou didnât!â
âIâm afraid so.âÂ
You laugh, the sound bubbling from you like a spill of champagne. âOh my god.âÂ
Jing Yuan smiles, his eyes crinkling with it. âDonât tell me you never shook the presents.â
âOf course I did. I just never broke anything.â
He hums. âOf course not.â
âWhy do you sound like you donât believe me?â
âMaybe I donât.â
âYouâre so annoying.â
He smiles, popping a candy into his mouth. You watch the way he licks the residue of it off of his lips. âNow, now, be nice.âÂ
You pick up a candy too. Itâs watermelon, the taste bursting over your tongue, stickily artificial. âAre we spending all day on a gingerbread house?â you ask.Â
âThereâs a Christmas market that Iâd intended to go to.âÂ
You hum. âAlright.â
âNo need to sound so excited about it.âÂ
âExcited about what?â Yanqing says, flouncing into the room. Heâs pink-cheeked and looking pleased with himself. You assume the present shaking went well.Â
âThe Christmas fair.â
The boyâs face lights up. âWeâre going, right? Right?â
âYes,â Jing Yuan says. âAfter we finish decorating.âÂ
âIs the icing dry yet?â
You test the gingerbread house carefully, seeing how well the walls and roof hold up. They donât move under your gentle prodding nor when you apply a bit more pressure.
âI think so,â you say. âLetâs decorate.â
The three of you set to work. You and Jing Yuan mostly follow Yanqingâs direction; you build a chimney out of non-pareils, the uneven sides like trendy stone work. The fir trees are sprinkled around the yard, each one more decorated than the last; the shingles to the roof are made of gingerbread too, carefully cut into a scalloped edge. The very top of the roof is lined with gumdrops, the rainbow of them like Christmas lights. Chocolate stones make the pathway to the house; the path is lined with little licorice lamps.Â
Altogether, itâs probably the fanciest gingerbread house youâve seen. Granted, Jing Yuan had clearly gone all out on different types of candyâso many types that you barely use half of themâbut Yanqingâs eye for detail makes it all come together.Â
âWow,â you say, putting a final star-shaped sprinkle in place over one of the windows, where it joins a line of others, a draping of fake Christmas lights. âThis is really good, Yanqing.â
The boy puffs up. âIâve won my schoolâs decorating contest before,â he says.
âI can see why.âÂ
He beams and then turns to Jing Yuan. âWhen are we going to the market?â he asks.
âAfter we clean up.âÂ
A pout creases his face for a moment, his lips turning down in an admittedly endearing way. âFine,â he sighs, looking at the messy counter. Youâd tried to keep the mess to a minimum, but between icing and sugar-dusted candies, you hadnât quite succeeded. As Jing Yuan and Yanqing start to sort the candies and put them away, you start scraping up the dried-on icing.Â
For a moment, you think Jing Yuan is going to protest, but when you flash him a little stare that dares him too, he subsides without saying a word. You grin triumphantly and he smiles, soft and sweet. Something in you twinges.Â
You push the little flutter aside, wetting a paper towel to scrub off the worst of the icing. The three of you work away, chatting lightly, until the kitchen is almost as pristine as when you got there.
âThatâs good enough for now,â Jing Yuan says, taking in the kitchen with a critical eye. âWeâll get the candy in the pantry later.âÂ
Yanqing perks up. âChristmas market?â he asks.
Jing Yuan nods, a fond little smile unfurling across his lips. âGo change your shirt.âÂ
Yanqing looks down at his shirt, which is spattered with icing from when he got a little overenthusiastic with the piping bag. âOkay!â he says, running off.Â
You head to the sink to wash your hands again; theyâre sticky with leftover icing. Jing Yuan meets you there with a dish towel to dry your hands. His fingertips linger over your palm as he hands it to you. You take in a soft breath, but the touch is gone as soon as it comes.
Yanqing returns and the three of you bundle upâapparently the market is an outdoor one. Jing Yuan fixes Yanqingâs hat despite the boy batting his hands away. Then he turns to you and tugs at the end of your scarf.Â
âReady?âÂ
You nod. The three of you pile into one of Jing Yuanâs cars. The ride is mostly quiet, with Yanqing and Jing Yuan chatting here and there, but youâre busy looking out the window at the rolling countryside. Itâs picturesque in a way no painting could ever capture, the trees lit golden by the setting sun, the snow glittering like stars as it sits heavy on their branches. The firs bend under its weight while the bare oaks soar into the sky, as if theyâre painted in long, sweet strokes.Â
You pull into a stuffed parking lot. You shiver as you get out of the warm car, burying your chin into the scarf as your breath puffs out in a gentle mist.Â
The fair is stunning, little stalls lining the closed-off street, each decorated in its own way. Each of them is festooned with lights and garlands, with little stockings hung carefully from the tables. Thereâs a baker with bread shaped like wreaths, the crust of them perfectly golden-brown, tucked into star-patterned cloth; a weaver with stunning blankets with complex designs; a blacksmith with all sorts of metalwork, each more beautiful than the last. And those are just the first few stalls.
âWow,â you breathe.
âImpressive, isnât it?â Jing Yuan asks. âI hear itâs grown through the years. It seems to get bigger every year.â
âIâm surprised this place isnât known as a Christmas destination.â
âIt is,â he says. âIf you know the right people to ask.â
âHow did you find it?â
âA friend,â he says, and thereâs something in the set of his mouth that keeps you from asking more. âCome on, letâs go take a look.â
âI want to go to the blacksmith!â Yanqing pipes up.
âGo ahead,â Jing Yuan says. âDonât go far, please.â
âOkay!â
The two of you watch him take off into the crowd, his golden crown of hair bobbing along, dodging adults and other children alike. Jing Yuan sighs, shaking his head, but gestures you along to the first stall.Â
You linger over some textiles, including a beautiful tablecloth embroidered heavily with holly, each sprig carefully woven to look as real as possible. You can tell that love was stitched into it, and going by the stall ownerâs gnarled fingers, sheâs been doing it for a long time.Â
âItâs beautiful,â you tell her, stroking your finger over a holly leaf. She smiles and starts to tell you about her process; you listen intently, Jing Yuan lingering patiently at your side.Â
When you finally move to the next stall, someone calls Jing Yuanâs name. He smiles as they approach. They chat amiably for a few minutes before he excuses himself.Â
As you wander through the market, you notice that itâs a pattern. Multiple people come up to Jing Yuan, all full of smiles and good cheer, talking to him like heâs an old friend. Some of them eye you curiously, but just nod your way when youâre introduced, going back to catching up with some news theyâve heard or thanking Jing Yuan for a favor heâs done.
âYouâre popular,â you tell him as you both step into another stall, this one filled with ornaments. They shine brightly under the twinkling fairy lights strung over the stallâs top.Â
âAm I?â
âMhm.âÂ
He hums, picking up a snowglobe ornament and giving it a little shake. You watch the fake snow settle at the bottom, revealing the little girl building a snowman, her figure exquisitely made. âTheyâve been very welcoming since Iâve moved here,â he says. âIâve been lucky.âÂ
âI think itâs more than luck,â you say quietly. âI think you give as much as you get.â
He flashes you a little smile. âMaybe so.âÂ
The two of you continue on before someone stops Jing Yuan again, this time near a stall thatâs too full for the three of you to step into. You do your best to shift out of the way of the people making their way through the market, but itâs hard to do so with so little room.Â
Youâve just been knocked into when Jing Yuan loops an arm around your waist and tugs you into his side. It pulls you out of the line of fire for the crowds filtering by. Heâs a line of heat against you and you feel it when he chuckles, the sound rumbling through you.Â
âYou okay?â he asks.
You nod, cheeks hot.Â
âGood,â he says, and leaves his big hand high on your hip, keeping you close. He goes back to amiably talking to the other person as if he hasnât noticed. If you lean into him, just slightly, no one but you needs to know. You peer at him from the corner of your eye. You take him in, from the moonlight spill of his hair to his sunrise eyes, to the little smile on his lips as he chats away.
He belongs, you realize, watching him slot back into his conversation with ease. Heâs a part of the town, and based on how many people have come up to him, an important one. You think of the way the locals had eyed you when youâd been asking about him. It makes sense now. The town protects him as one of their own because he is one. And heâs happy, a subtle glow to him, a type youâve rarely seen and likely never achieved yourself.Â
Something in your chest squirms, fluttering against the bones of your ribcage, trying to slip through the gaps. You resist the urge to press a hand to your chest.Â
He pulls away from the conversation a few minutes later, the hand on your hip dropping to the small of your back as he guides you forward. He stops to talk to a few more people, his eyes crinkling with his smile each time as they come up to him. Itâs mesmerizing to watch.Â
And youâre asking him to give it all up.
Not all of it, you remind yourself. Itâs a project, not a job, but something in you winces nonetheless. Your chest tightens, like a ribbon wrapped around it is cinching in.Â
Jing Yuan glances at you as you step away from his warmth, his hand falling from where itâs been resting on the small of your back. His brow furrows, but it passes quickly, a guttering candle.Â
You keep your distance for the rest of the fair. Youâre still close enough to almost touch despite the thinning crowds, but the gap feels like a gulf between you, as if youâre oceans away.Â
âAre you alright?âÂ
âIâm fine,â you say, but from the way Jing Yuan eyes you, he doesnât quite believe you. He opens his mouth, but youâre saved by Yanqing, who runs up with sparkling eyes.
âUncle!â he says. âThe blacksmith says we can go to the forge and watch him!â
Jing Yuan chuckles. âDid you badger him into it?â
âNo!â
âAlright, alright. Weâll set up a time with him later, okay?â
Yanqing pouts but nods. You hide your smile behind your scarf.Â
âLetâs go home,â Jing Yuan says. Night has fallen, the sky velvety and dotted with stars. He glances at you. âWould you like me to drop you at the inn?â
You nod. He hums. âAlright.â
The three of you pile back into the car. The inn isnât farâyou probably could have walked, but the cold night has only gotten more frigid. Jing Yuan comes up to the innâs doorstep with you, catching you by the wrist when youâre halfway up the stairs. You turn around and he looks up at you, his golden eyes shining under the moonlight.Â
âAre you okay?â he asks, and it takes a moment to gather yourself, too focused on the way his thumb is rubbing small circles on the delicate skin of your inner wrist. You realize youâre leaning towards him, a flower to the sun. He smiles at you, eyes crinkling, and you see it again, that soft glow to him.Â
Something clicks into place.Â
âNothing will make you come on board the project, will it?â you ask, sounding too calm even to your own ears. You shake off his hand. âThereâs never even been the slightest chance.âÂ
Jing Yuan lets out a low, slow breath. âNo,â he says. âThere hasnât been.âÂ
âRight,â you say. âOkay. Thank you for everything.â
âWhat?â
âMy job is done,â you say. âIf I canât convince you, thereâs no point in me being here.â
âThatâs not true.â
âIt is,â you say. Your chest hurts. Something sinks its teeth into your ribs, chipping away at the bone. âI came here to get you on board.â
âThatâs not what the last day or two has been,â he says softly. âRight?â
âI donât know what youâre talking about.â
He reaches for you, brushing his gloved fingers against your cheek. âYes, you do.âÂ
You pull away. âIâve been here to get you on board, Jing Yuan. To do my job. Thatâs all.âÂ
âYouââ
âIâll catch a flight tomorrow,â you say. âIt shouldnât be hard, since itâs Christmas Eve.âÂ
He lets out a low, slow breath. He gazes up at you, his golden eyes flickering with something you donât dare name.Â
âIs there nothing I can do to change your mind?â
âItâs time for me to go,â you say. âItâs been time for me to go since I got here, apparently.âÂ
He says your name softly. It rolls over you like morning mist, blocks out the world. You take in a shuddering breath.
âGoodbye, Jing Yuan.â
He sighs. âIf you change your mind, Iâm having a Christmas party tomorrow. Youâll always be welcome.âÂ
You nod sharply, turning on your heel to go inside. Jing Yuan says your name again. You glance over your shoulder. He opens his mouth. Closes it again. And thenâ
âTravel safe,â he says.
âThanks,â you say, and then youâre inside the inn, leaving Jing Yuan standing out in the cold behind you. You donât wait to see if he lingers, ignoring Leeâs cheerful greeting to make your way back up to your room.Â
You book the first flight you find. Itâs late in the day, but thatâs fineâyou can catch up with your emails and calls. Youâve barely checked your phone today. You canât quite bring yourself to do it now.
After your flight is booked, you close your laptop and fold your arms, resting your head on them. The fangs sunk into your rib bones dig deeper, hitting marrow.Â
âFuck,â you say, sitting up and scrubbing your hands over your face. âFuck.âÂ
You stare out the window, into the deep bruise of the night. The woods rise beyond the hill, the trees skeletal as they reach for the sky, barely visible in the dark. Stars glitter coldly high above; the moon shines like a lonely mirror. It all feels distant, like a world youâre not part of.
You let out a deep, slow breath. It does nothing to loosen the string wound tight around your chest; if anything, it tightens.Â
You get ready for bed slowly, that fanged thing still biting deep, leaving teeth marks that ache deeply.Â
When you fall asleep, the last thing you see is Jing Yuanâs eyes.
***
The next day dawns too early. You once again wake with the sunlight, having forgotten to close the curtains as you drifted around the room last night. The watery light pools on the floor, sweetly golden. The wooden floor is warm under your feet as you cross through the puddles of sunlight.Â
You get ready for the day quickly. You pack up carefully, rolling your clothes up so they fit better before you tuck your toiletries in. You keep your laptop out to answer emails as they come in. The sun stretches along the floor as you work, barely coming up for air.
You donât dare give yourself time to think.
You check out in the early afternoon. The receptionist is the one who checked you in. Sheâs quick and efficient, and you find yourself on the doorstep of the inn waiting for a cab in just a few minutes.Â
The taxi driver is quiet;Â you find yourself wishing for the same talkative driver as before. At least it would fill the air, give you something to concentrate on beside the noise in your head.Â
Itâs all mixed together, a slush puddle that you keep stamping through, expecting to not get splashed this time. Jing Yuan, the project, your work, the promotionâit runs through your head non-stop, circling over and over again. Your work, all for nothing. Your possible promotion, just beyond the tips of your fingers. Jing Yuan with his golden eyes and his lips with a smile tucked up secret in the corner of his mouth. Jing Yuan with his laughter and his dedication to the town.Â
You check your email but it doesnât help.
Youâve already told Qingzu that youâve failed. She had taken it in stride; she made sure you knew that no one was going to blame you. The project is going to go forward with or without Jing Yuan. You knew that, but the failure stings anyway. Fu Xuan had asked for you specifically; she must have believed you could do it.Â
You should have been able to.Â
Exceptâyou think of the quiet glow that Jing Yuan had yesterday. The way heâd slipped seamlessly into the townâs community, how they treat him as one of their own. Heâs happy in a rare way, deeply content with his lot. How youâd felt at his side in the last few days, even as he dragged you around. What it felt like to not be so focused on work all the time; how it felt to live life again.Â
Something in your chest warms. It rises through you like sparkling champagne bubbles, fizzing across your nerves.
You think of the way Jing Yuanâs eyes crinkle when he smiles.Â
âSir,â you call out to the taxi driver. âCan you please turn around?â
***
The party is in full swing by the time you arrive. There are people coming and going; laughter drifts out the door every time it opens. The path is brightly lit, with Christmas lights lining the side and elegant wreaths hanging from posts, each big red bow perfectly tied. Theyâre glittering with tinsel, woven expertly in through the pine boughs.
You slip inside quietly. Itâs completely different from just yesterday: there are tables set up inside, piled high with an entire array of hors d'oeuvres, from tiny little tarts to a bacchanalian cheeseboard, overflowing with plump, glistening figs, wine-red grapes, and fine cheeses. The decorations have multiplied. There are fairy lights everywhere, twinkling merrily. Theyâre tucked into vast, lush garlands that drape along the tables; there are candles flickering in their ornate holders, little wisps of smoke dancing from the flames.Â
It's easy to find Jing Yuan; heâs holding court by the Christmas tree, perfectly visible from the doorway. Heâs chatting away with the small group thatâs gathered around him, but thereâs something different about him. Something you canât quite name.Â
He looks wilted, almost, like the flowers in the last days of summer, still thriving but sensing their end. He smiles at someone and thereâs nothing tucked up secret in the corner of his lips. Your chest aches, something howling between the gaps of your ribs.Â
He glances up and your eyes meet. He goes still, and then thereâs a brilliant smile spreading across his lips, the sun come down to earth. He excuses himself from his group and makes his way over to you.Â
âHi,â you say as he draws near, a little bit breathless.
âHi,â he says. Â
âIâm sorry,â you say, the words rushing from you like water. âThe last few days havenât been nothing. I shouldnât haveââ
âItâs alright,â he says. âIâm sorry that I led you astray.â
âWhy did you do it?â
He sighs. âI remember what it was like to work like that. To give up everything for the job. No one should live like that. And you seemed so lonely.âÂ
You wince.
âSorry,â he says. âBut itâs what I saw.â
You shake your head. âItâs not like you were wrong. And you made me less lonely, Jing Yuan.â
He reaches out and sweeps his thumb over the apple of your cheek. You sway into the touch, turning until your cheek is cradled in his palm. âIâm glad,â he says softly. âAll I want is for you to be happy.âÂ
Someone whistles. You balk, starting to step back; Jing Yuan catches you before you can go far, pulling you in close.
âYouâre under the mistletoe,â someone calls.Â
You look up, and sure enough, thereâs mistletoe hanging innocently above you, the tiny flowers white as snow. Itâs tied off with a perfect red ribbon.
âWe donât have toââ
âItâs tradition,â you say, and then youâre surging up to kiss him. He meets you halfway and as his lips brush yours, warmth blooms inside your chest, embers stoked to flame. He cups the back of your head to pull you closer. You make a little noise; he swallows it down.Â
Thereâs a certain greed to the kiss; a longing, too. He steals the breath from you; takes in your air and makes it his own. You kiss him harder, as if he might disappear.Â
When you break apart, he leans down to press his forehead against yours. You close your eyes. You can hear people murmuring, but they seem far away. Only Jing Yuan feels real. You open your eyes and glance up at him. He smiles at you, his golden eyes crinkling at the edges. Your heart flutters behind your ribs, beating against the cage of them like a birdâs wings.
âMerry Christmas,â you breathe.Â
âMerry Christmas,â he says softly.
He kisses you again and this time, it feels like coming home.Â
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Accidentally Coincidental
CHAPTER 8 (click pictures for better quality)
|â Previous | Next âą|
a/n: updates will be slow, i'm working on a pretty long fic on my side blog.
pairing: Idol!Kim Seungmin x Fem! CollegeStudent!Reader
genre: contemporary romance
SMAU
synopsis: Y/N, a regular college student accidentally texts Seungmin, a star in the K-pop group Stray Kids while trying to text her Ex, Soonyoung to come pick up his things, leading to an unexpected connection that blossoms into a heartfelt romance.
ignore time stamps, dates (other than the ones mentioned during texting) and typos
THERES A WRITTEN PART, DO NOT JUST SCROLL THROUGH THE PICS!!
The sun had set hours ago, casting a dim, cozy glow in your room as you sat on your bed, laptop abandoned at your side. You had tried to focus on the fact that you got your dream job, but your mind kept drifting back to your conversation with Sky. The more you talked to him, the more you found yourself drawn into this strange, thrilling connection. He was funny, thoughtful, and had this mysterious charm that made you feel like youâd known him forever, even though you had no idea who he really was.
Then, earlier today, that text, the one that had sent your heart into overdrive.
You could still see his words replaying in your head: âIdk, if youâre still willing to and I quote âsmooch my stupid faceâ?â It was such a bold move, the kind of flirty banter that made your stomach do flips. But there was something deeper beneath the surface, a connection you couldn't quite put your finger on. This wasnât just a passing conversation with some random guy online. It felt⊠real.
It was ridiculous, wasnât it? To feel this much for someone you hadnât even met in real life. You didnât even know his real name, hadnât even seen his face, just âSky,â the alias he had been using since the day you accidentally texted him. You wondered if he ever thought about revealing who he really was, or if this whole anonymous thing was part of the game for him.
You leaned back against the pillows, fingers hovering over your phone screen, unsure of how to respond. Flirting didnât come naturally to you, especially not with someone who had been a complete stranger just weeks ago. But the way he talked to you, the way he made you feel seen⊠it was different. And it was starting to make you question whether maybe this was something more.
You pulled your knees to your chest, typing out several responses, then deleting each one. A sigh left your lips as you glanced out the window. Was this even a good idea? Would things change if you flirted back? Would it push him away or bring him closer?
Finally, after wrestling with your nerves, you decided to throw caution to the wind. You typed, then hit send before you could second-guess yourself again.
âââ
As soon as the message was sent, you felt your heartbeat quicken. There was no going back now. You had officially taken the first step into flirting territoryâsomething you hadnât done in what felt like forever. A part of you was terrified that heâd take it the wrong way or that it would make things awkward. But another part of youâthe part that had grown fond of himâwas excited to see what heâd say.
Your phone buzzed a few seconds later.
Your breath caught in your throat. Easily solved? What did he mean by that? Was he just playing along, or was there something more to this? The curiosity gnawed at you, a mix of excitement and anxiety bubbling in your chest.
You bit your lip, trying to stay calm as another message popped up.
Your fingers froze over the screen. He wanted to meet? The idea made your head spin. You had joked around with him for weeks, talking about everything from music to your career, from random life thoughts to deep late-night conversations. And now, he wanted to take it a step furtherâto actually meet in person.
Your mind raced with possibilities. Who was he, really? What if he was someone you knew? What if this whole thing was a mistake? But then again⊠what if it wasnât? What if meeting him in real life was the next step in turning this strange, serendipitous connection into something real?
Before you could type a response, another message lit up your screen.
Your stomach did a flip as you read the words. He was teasing you again, but this time, it felt bolder. And that winking emoji? Your cheeks flushed. There was something so playfully confident about the way he texted. You couldnât help but laugh, even as your pulse quickened with nervous energy.
You typed and sent.
The message hovered on your screen for a moment. Subtle, right? It was just enough to flirt back without going overboard. You hoped it came across as smooth, even though you were anything but calm right now.
Your phone buzzed almost immediately with his reply.
You exhaled slowly, staring at the screen. The conversation was veering into territory you hadnât expected, but it was exhilarating. A small smile tugged at the corners of your mouth as you typed back.
There it was. The elephant in the room. You had been dancing around the mystery of his identity for weeks, but this time, it felt like the right moment to bring it up. You needed to know. How could you feel this way about someone you hadnât even seen? There was something thrilling about the unknown, but you couldn't deny the pull of curiosity anymore.
Your phone buzzed again.
Your heart pounded in your chest. This was itâthe moment you had been waiting for. Part of you wanted to scream "Yes!" but another part of you hesitated. What if knowing changed everything? What if this connection you had was better left as a beautiful mystery?
You hesitated, fingers trembling over the keyboard as you typed your next message.
Thus chapter feels a little corny..
TAGLIST - CLOSED - if your name is in pink, I couldn't tag you
@disasterousdangerousbi @akitfffr @alexateurmom @jeonginplsholdmyhand @sunarins-whore @feelikecinderella @minniesuperversee @istglevi-gotmesimping @dreamerwasfound @whiteghostt @your-favorite-pirate @pnutbutter-n-j-elyy @chuuyaobsessed @ihrtlix @onlyhyunjin @jisuperboard @dazzlingjade @sellomaybe @lixiesbrownies333 @kkamismom12 @iatemycatfreckles @puppyminnnie @imperfectlyperfectprincess1 @ayyonoona @missvanjii @jc003 @dontwannaexsist @everglowdaisies
#stray kids#skz x reader#stray kids fanfic#skz imagines#skz scenarios#skz stay#skz smau#skz texts#skz fanfic#skz#kim seungmin x reader#kim seungmin#bang chan#lee know#changbin#hyunjin#han jisung#lee felix#i.n#yang jeongin#jâs fics!#jramblesaboutsoap
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IM UNSHADOWBANNWD AH. Iâve been so excited to post this story itâs been in the works and itâs the THREE HUNDRED follower special first of all i do not deserve you guys at all thank you for all the support you show me i hope you enjoy this as much as i did hehe MUAH
DISCLAIMER: This is an 18+ blog! If you are underaged or donât have an age indicator in your bio, please donât interact!
afab reader x Pornstar! ID Leon
Warnings: Smut- just pure porn with a plot. PORNSTAR LUIS TOO HEHE.Slight (very) slight mentions of being obsessed/ watching reader, leon eats pussy (ofc he does) and fucks reader stupid.
Word count: 3,169
âââ-
knock knock
âWhat?â
Why did he sound so annoyed? Your fist stalled against the door as you paused your knocking.
âUm- Greg told me to introduce myself. Sorry if youâre busy.â
Just try and sound sweet, donât be a pushover. You had barely just stepped onto the set, still in the clothes you wore to your psychology class. The room ran silent, your eyes reading over his name on his door continuously before it swung up, your hair moving from the gust of wind.
His arms were so toned, his hand gripping the handle of the door knob as he leaned against the door frame. Incredibly toned, his shirt off and his hair laying against his face so perfectly. His steely eyes scanned you up and down, a chuckle rumbling through his chest as he saw you holding your Psych 200 book.
âLeon.â
He mumbled as he watched you scan over his arms. He was cocky; you could tell. Before you could even introduce yourself, the door slammed in your face, your hands gripping your bag as you sighed to yourself, shaking your head in disbelief.
âââ
âShe shot with Sera like a month ago. The video is still up on the front page too.â
Leonâs makeup artist spoke as she rubbed the beauty blender against his forehead. Leon stared at himself in the mirror; he felt terrible for slamming the door in your face. He really did. He has been in the industry for too long, and he has never had anyone come and formally introduce themselves before filming, so seeing you stand there not being able to say a complete sentence to his face just irritated him. He was also just surprised you didnât know him; he owned this whole set, his manager is the one who makes his booking, or he definitely wouldnât have picked you of all people.
âââ
After shooting with Luis, the two of you became very close friends; when you got to your small studio room, you threw your bag and book down, dialing his number on your phone as you pulled your laptop out, sitting on the desk.
âHello?â
Luis' voice rang through your ear as you sighed in frustration, instantly communicating that something was wrong.
âHe slammed a door in my face when I tried to say hi to him, Luis.. why does he have such a big ego? Sure is heavy for a man I've never even seen before.â
Your fingers typed his name into the search bar, clicking on the first link to come up as you listened to Luis ramble about how this is just how itâs going to be and how lucky you were to get him as your first shoot, your mouth ran dry seeing the cover photo of one of Leonâs hundreds of videos, his cock barely pushing into some girl, his hair covering his face so perfectly and his lips parted so slightly.
âMama, what did I tell you? Do not google.â
Luis scolded as he listened to you close the laptop.
âI donât know, Luis, maybe I should just leave- I have to go; makeupâs here.â
Hanging up on him because of the slight knock on the door. It must have been noticeable that you were in your head, the pretty makeup artist wiping at your cheeks with a light bronzer to grab your attention.
âYou donât need much makeup, and youâre naturally very beautiful.â
She smiles softly as she reaches for the mascara. You smile back at her as she tilts your head around.
âThatâs very sweet of you, thank you.â
You laugh as she turns your chair around, smiling as she pushes your hair from your face.
âGorgeous, they want you in this. Whatever you wear under is completely up to you.â
The beautiful woman rambled as she pulled the light blue sundress from the bag, handing it to you. No matter what they said to you, you couldnât get out of your own head.
ââââ
The wall had a weird pattern. It wasnât like standard white paint but was super grainy, you sat further back, watching as the director checked all of his cameras, fixing the lights, and reading over signed paperwork. They never handed you a script, though, which left you lost. Luisâ crew had a script. It was easy to remember, but maybe only Leon had one. Right when you think about him, he comes walking in from the main door, a smug smile on his face as he grabs hands to shake. If he werenât in the industry he would make a wonderful bodyguard with broad shoulders, strong arms, and confidence. He wore a black long-sleeve shirt accompanied by a pair of dark denim jeans. It sucked; he was such an asshole, he was handsome. It suddenly made you feel so self-conscious, remembering the cover photo you had seen on your laptop. You specifically specialized in actual content, genuine emotions, and honest reactions, and the people love it. You started on your own, only fans, to be specific, and it makes you laugh out of embarrassment when itâs brought up. Your eyes follow Leon as he grabs a cup of water, leaning on the table as he talks to the makeup artist, who, for some reason, points over to you. Your eyes drop to your lap, your legs crossed as you play with the soft material of the dress. Your heart began to race as you saw his shoes directly in front of you. His presence was so heavy. Your gaze shifted up to him, his hand touching the arm of your chair.
âSorry for slamming the door on you, Iâve had a long week, and I forgot I was shooting today.â
Hearing him talk in a complete sentence now was weird, his voice rough yet deep. You nodded your head as you shrugged.
âI canât blame you; I would slam the door on me too.â
You smile, but it quickly drops once you notice what he said; how could he forget he has a shot? He just called you easily forgettable. Leonâs eyes trailed down to your thighs, smiling to himself as your leg bounced up and down. The two of you stood in your silence before Greg walked over towards you two, grabbing your shoulders.
âLeon, Y/N, Y/N, Leon. I know this piece of work doesnât introduce himself for shit.â
He laughed, pointing towards the bed in the middle of the room; Leonâs eyes squinted at the minor insult before both of your eyes shifted to the bed. He had explained some shitty plan that had the two of you bored. He sighed before he looked at Leon, touching his arm.
âJust do whatever you want. Why do you pay me?â
His foot turned to walk away from you two as Leon still stared at the bed in the middle of the room. He turned back to you, putting his hand out, your eyebrow-raising in confusion up at him.
âLeon Kennedy.â
Your hand pulled from your lap, shaking at his, both of your grip on each other strong as you nodded your head.
âJust call me Y/N.â
You spoke sheepishly before he helped you up from the chair. Was he going to listen to what the director said? This was an extensive movie set, the bedroom, and then the small room apart from the bedroom that seemed to resemble a hallway.
âI know we stepped off on the wrong foot, but can you trust me? Just for the next hour?â
Leon leaned down to your ear as the two of you walked towards the hallway set. You nodded your head as the lighting changed to a darker yellow.
Leonâs head turned towards the camera as he put his hand up
âNo cuts.â
He yelled out as he turned back to you.
âââââ-
Felt awful slamming the door on her pretty face.
Leonâs grip on the door handle grew tighter by the second as you rambled on about trying to introduce yourself. The room shook as he slammed the door, a strained groan leaving his lips as he looked down at his sweatpants. You had knocked at a horrible time, Leonâs laptop on display with your video with Luis flashing on his screen. He was obsessed with you. Obsessed with how your lips parted before you moaned or how easily sensitive you were. You didnât need to introduce yourself. He already knew. So when he called his agent asking him to call your agent to see if you were booking, he was more than excited when they said you were open. He pumped himself for almost an hour, soft moans leaving his lips as his eyes squeezed shut, trying to think about how it would feel to have you squeezing around his cock.
âââ
âAction!â
Greg screamed, your eyelids heavy as you looked up at Leon. It was crazy how fast you could switch moods like that. Leon's hands were immediately all over you, pressing you into the wall by your waist as he hungrily peppered kisses against your jaw. And suddenly everything felt so much hotter? His hands dragged down your skin, and his lips burned into the soft skin of your neck, a whine leaving your lips as one of Leonâs hungry hands brought your leg to his waist.
âThere you go, honey, relax for me..â
He mumbled into your skin as his hands lifted you into his arms. You were surprised at his strength as he held you with one hand, his other pushing the door open. He made you feel so small, throwing you down onto the plush mattress, your chest rising and falling as he softly nipped at your collarbones. You werenât this nervous with Luis, your hands shaking as you pushed some hair from Leonâs face as he kissed the small space between your chest, his hands carefully rubbing up your thighs, his fingers resting against your stomach as he pushed himself down the bed. He needed more. The way you shook under him only encouraged him, his head nuzzling so perfectly between your thighs, smirking up at you as your eyes fluttered away from you, avoiding his stare. The pressure in his pants grew more intense, listening to the hiss pull through your teeth as he held onto the fabric of the sundress, licking over your pretty black panties.
âDamn..â
He grumbled as he lifted your hips, pulling the panties off you, bundling them up in his hand, and pushing them into his pocket as he moved the dress's material again. Scooting in closer to you, laying your knees over his shoulders as he looked up at you through heavy eyelids, his tongue laying a long strip over your folds. You couldnât help but squirm in his grasp, his hands flying to your waist as you let out that shaky whine again that drove him fucking crazy. You tasted so unbelievably good on his tongue, his eyes rolling back as he hungrily lapped at your folds, pulling you closer like somebody was trying to take you from him. You were so dazed, your back arching as the cameraman squatted beside you and Leon, trying to get the perfect angle. You didnât even care about his presence, caught up in crying out Leon's name as he repeatedly lapped at your clit, a loud whimper leaving your lips as you sat up, tugging at his hair. Leon could stay between your legs all day, but he needed more. He pulled away from your still dripping core, his face glistening with your slick as he took advantage of you sitting up, pulling the dress over your head. He couldnât help but groan, finally seeing you bare beneath him, his hands pushing down against your chest, your back laying flat against the mattress yet again as you stared up at him, watching with sparkling eyes as he pulled his shirt over his head. He was sculpted so beautifully.. and it hit you, this is why heâs so popular, heâs a walking god.
âBeen waiting on this part all fucking day..â
Leonâs lips parted as he yanked his jeans down, along with his boxers. He let out a sigh of relief as his cock pressed against his upper stomach, his hand reaching down to pump himself as he kicked his jeans off. And suddenly you felt like that girl on the cover of the video you saw, Leonâs hair sprawling perfectly against his face as he leans his body down, tearing your thighs open as his thumb lazily rubs small circles against your clit, smirking as you jolt forward. He continued to pump himself as he reached over, grabbing at the baby pink silk pillow at the edge of the bed before he shoved it under your hips. What a gentleman⊠you thought to yourself before your thighs were pressing together at the feeling of his cock pressing into you. He was so thick, your walls having a hard time adjusting to even just the tip of him. Leonâs lips pressed together as he let out a quiet âfuck..â His hands holding your legs open as he put more pressure on your clit, your core growing soaked again assisting him in sliding so perfectly into you. If he werenât getting paid for this, he wouldâve just came then and there, watching your pretty face scrunch up in painful pleasure, your legs kicking in his grasp slightly, and your painfully tight walls squeezing him.
âFuck.. relax, baby, let me in.â
Leon whispered to you as you nodded your head, allowing your hips to rest against the pillow as he cooed down at you, leaning down against your much smaller form and forcing your legs over his broad shoulder. His thumb is still rubbing at your clit to ease the pain of him stretching you out. Leonâs jaw tightens as he pulls his hips back, letting out a shaky breath as he slams back into you, smiling as the small âMmph!-â Left your throat involuntarily. So fucking precious. Your soft thighs brushed against his chest as he fucked into you, his body weight lifting off you as he grabbed your ankles, staring down at where he pushed into you. Even the director looked surprised as Leon let out a long moan. It rumbled through his chest as he continued to fuck into you, your hands grabbing at the bed sheets. Leon mumbled a few words to himself before he grabbed at your body, flipping you on to your side as he threw the pillow to to other side of the room. He crawled behind you, lifting your leg before he pushed into you again, causing you to let out a loud whine, your head leaning back into his shoulder as his thrusts somehow became deeper- more meaningful. Leon reached over, pushing some hair from your face as he looked down at you.
âCome on, sweetheart, open your eyes for me.â
His lips touch the shell of your ear as he whispers to you. You were in bliss; he rubbed against your walls so perfectly it felt like your skin was on fire. Your eyes fluttered open, looking at the camera hazily. Leon shook his head, grabbing your jaw and turning your head towards him.
âDonât look at them.. look at me⊠itâs just you and me right now, baby, just you and me.â
He groaned down to you as a loud cry of pleasure left your lips in response, your orgasm crashing through you. His hands wrapped around your waist, pulling you in closer to him as his hips snapped into you faster.
âThat's a good fucking girl- mm.. fuck keep squeezing around me like that, honey..â
Leon felt his hips stuttering as he looked down at you, fucked out in his arms. A shaky moan left his lips as his hips stopped, his cum spurting into you, causing loud cries to leave your lips. Leon laid out of breath before he pulled out of you, smirking as he tilted his head at the cameraman to bring him in closer as he spread your lips, his fingers spreading your folds as his cum dripped out of you, the biggest smirk on his face.
âCut!â
Was all you heard as the bed dipped beside you, your body still trying to recover as you sat up, your hair messy and your mascara running down the side of your face as Leon laughed, looking over at you.
âYou okay, sugar?â
He asked sweetly as he grabbed a water, opening it before handing it to you, pushing some hair from your face as you took a small sip.
âYeah.. just was a lot.â
You nod as he watches you; he clears his throat, handing you the sundress from the ground as he stands, pulling his pants up.
âListen. I know you donât know me, but, are you busy tonight? Let me take you out for dinner.â
He wasnât asking; it was more of him letting you know he was. Your arms go through the holes before you look at him, nodding your head.
âââ-
You were the current talk of the industry.
Everyone was so curious how you broke Leon, making him utterly different from any video heâs ever shot.
Your face scrunches as you look at yours and Leonâs page on the front cover of the site, that smirk on his face as he spreads apart your folds. Your knee is pressed to your chest as you scroll through the comments, flinching slightly as you feel pressure at the top of your head.
âMorning.â
Leon grumbles as he sips his coffee after kissing the top of your head. His eyes follow yours, seeing the âuploaded two months agoâ in the corner as he whistled
âGonna win awards for that one.â
He winks at you, your arm swinging at him before you shut the laptop on the table.
#leon kennedy#resident evil#leon kennedy imagine#leon kennedy smut#leon kennedy x reader#resident evil x reader#luis sera smut#yourgentlegf#leon infinite darkness
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FREAK SHOW đ©°
^àŸàœČ plot: your best friend finds your tumblr where youâve been postingâŠquestionable things about him
^àŸàœČ warnings: fem!reader, sheâs like just weird and sensitive ??, smut, friends to lovers, oral (r!receiving), reader posts about wanting to be used by suguru, no use of y/n .
^àŸàœČ wc: 1.2k
^àŸàœČ notes: this one is for the sensitive chronic tumblr posting girlies!
youâre tumblr was your safe space, you could post whatever you wanted there without anyone knowing . you posted your outfits and your random thoughts . it was truly a place where you could be yourself, all your mutuals were just as raw as you
your best friend, suguru, was oblivious to it . he had no idea you even had tumblr . even though you two were as close as can be you really couldnât show him your tumblr, why? because over the past couple months youâd been posting rather questioning things, thoughts but they wereâsexual, and to be specific they were about him
you would rather die then let suguru know you had a raging crush on him
it was a quiet tuesday, suguru was hanging out on your couch with you, your head rested on his shoulder as you scrolled on your phone, his arm around your shoulder . you opened tumblr and suguru noticed, to your knowledge he had no idea you had tumblr, but turns out you were wrong . he knew and he was determined to get your user, he needed to know what you were posting
he paid attention to your profile, he saw your theme, god it was so you . he tilted his head and finally got your username, now he had something to do tonight . you noticed his eyes glued to your phone, âhey! are you spying on me?!â you lifted your head to look at him . âno!â he raised his hands in defence
âyou were! what did you see?â he shook his head at your question, âi saw nothing! i swear!â you narrowed your eyes at him . âfine, i believe youâ he sighed and ran his fingers through his hair . the rest of the night was peaceful, suguru went home and practically jumped to his laptop . he sat down on his couch and typed in âtumblr.comâ in google
he singed in and now he could finally see what you were posting, he put in your username and found you, ha! you used a fake name so no one would find you . yet he did . he stared at your page for a while, looking at your intro and your theme . everything was really like your personality, he scrolled down and the first post was just you talking about new clothes
as deeper he scrolled he got to the darker stuff, well maybe now dark but theâŠhorny stuff . whining about being sexually frustrated or in your words âneeding dickâ, specifically your best friend's, but he hadnât gotten to that yet! it looked like your posted a lot so it took him a while to scroll down to when he finally saw the first hint of who you liked
âi want him so badâ
was all it said, who? who did you want? and why did he feel a bit jealous . as he scrolled he saw more and more about âhimâ, one post caught his eye âi wish my best friend would just use me:<â something he never would have expected from you . he scrolled a little more before accidentally liking a post from months ago, panic set in and he immediately took the like off
you got the notification that âsugu00â liked your post and you knew it was him, then you received a text from him
suguđ«¶
âsorryâ
fuck . you were in deep shit
the next couple of days there was no interaction between the two of you, he didnât text you and you didnât text him . he kept stalking your blog, he even had your notifications on . he noticed that you posted less, but you still made sure to rant at least two times a day . he watched you change your theme to something slightly different almost twice a day . his blog was blank, he didnât have âtimeâ nor the will to change it
everything was going well till suguru suddenly got the urge to talk to you, not text you, but to talk to you . so he made his way to your apartment, he had a spare key so he just unlocked the door and stepped inside . he shut the door behind him, he immediately noticed his dimly lit your house was and how your door was closed . he called out your name once . then twice . he heard shuffling from behind your bedroom door and it clicked open
he stood in front of you . your hair was dripping wet from your recent shower, you pjs sticking to your damp skin . âheyâ he coughed out, âhiâ you said in a weak tone, as if you didnât want to talk to him . âi saw your post aboutâŠmeâ your breath hitched, âohâŠi figuredâ you cleared your throat, âcan i come inside your room?â you nodded and stepped aside
he walked in and noticed the only thing on was a couple lamps, your room like the rest of the house was not very bright . had you just been sulking these days? he sat down on your bed, âso...â he trailed off . âiâm sorry you had to see those postsâ your voice cracked mid sentence as you felt tears well in your eyes . his head perked up, âhey donât worry, i knew that youâhad feelings for me, i just didnât know they were soâŠextremeâ
you started to sob, your freshly done makeup going to waste, âiâm sorryâ you chanted, he walked over to you and brought you into a hug . âyou want me to make you feel better? to make it all go away?â you looked up at him and nodded
he brought you to your bed and laid you down, he tugged on your pj shorts, âcan I?â you just nodded, âwords, babyâ he taunted, âyes, you canâ he pulled them down and your lacy panties with a little bow on them caught his eyes, âawhâ he looked up at your embarrassed face, âoh câmon, i think itâs cuteâ he placed a kiss on your clothed cunt, the feeling earring a whimper from you
âso sensitiveâ he teased, he oh so slowly pulled your panties down, your dripping pussy coming into sight, âthere we goâ he licked a stipe from the bottom of your slit to your clit, ângh!â you moaned out, âsugu donât tease me!â you whined and he chuckled . âyou ever had someone fuck you?â you shook your head, he nodded in an understanding manner
âcan i be your first?â you giggled, âyes, pleaseâ you practically begged . he kissed your clit before attaching his mouth to it, sucking on it harshly . your head flew back and you moaned, âsugu!â his fingers made theyâre way to your hole, he slipped one the two in . your warm gummy walls wrapped tightly around them, he curled them as his tongue flicked your clit . he pumped his fingers in and out of you, with every movement a small noise escaped your throat
you felt a feeling bubble up in your stomach, âso closeâ you mumbled, he continued his pace, flicking his tongue . you felt yourself clench around his digits and cum, your eyes shut tight and your bottom lip tucked between your teeth . âthatâs itâ he praised, your legs shook as you came down from your high . you felt tears sting in your eyes and suguru put your clothes back on
âwhatâs wrong?â he whispered as he cuddled up against you, holding you tight . âi love youâ
you confessed, âlike a lotâ you sobbed into the sleeve of his sweater . âhey itâs okay, i love you tooâ he placed gentle kisses on your head as your crying slowly stopped and was replaced with a light snore
#getou suguru x y/n#getou suguru x you#getou suguru smut#geto suguru x y/n#geto suguru x you#geto suguru x reader#geto x y/n#geto x you#getou suguru x reader#suguru x reader#suguru x you#jujustu kaisen x you#jujustu kaisen x reader#jjk x reader#jjk smut#jujustu kaisen smut
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Unwanted: Chapter 18, Unread - Pt. 2
Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Avenger!Fem!Reader
Summary:Â When your FWB relationship with your best friend Bucky Barnes turns into something more, you couldnât be happier. That is, however, until a new Avenger sets her sights on your super soldier and he inadvertently breaks your heart. You take on a mission you might not be prepared for to put some distance between the two of you and open yourself up to past traumas. Too bad the only one who can help you heal is the one person you can no longer trust.
Warnings:Â (For this part only; see Story Masterlist for general Warnings) Language,
Word Count:Â 970
Previously On...: Bucky made all kinds of sweet suggestions for your future together.
A/N:Â Almost there...
NOTE! The tag list is a fickle bitch, so I'm not really going to be dealing with it anymore. If you want to be notified when I update, please enable notifications from my Blog page!
Banner By: The absolutely amazing @mrsbuckybarnes1917!
Thank you to all those who have been reading; if you like what you've read, likes, comments, and reblogs give me life, and I truly appreciate them, and you!
Taglist:Â (Sadly, tag list is closed; Tumblr will not let me add anyone new. If you want to be notified when I update, please Follow me for Notifications!)Â @jmeelee @cazellen @mrsbuckybarnes1917 @blackhawkfanatic @buckybarnessimpp @hayjat @capswife @itsteambarnes @marygoddessofmischief @sebastians-love @learisa @lethallyprotected @rabbitrabbit12321 @buckybarnesandmarvel @fanfictiongirl77 @calwitch @fantasyfootballchampion @selella @jackiehollanderr @wintercrows @sashaisready @missvelvetsstuff @angelbabyyy99 @keylimebeag @maybefoxysouls @vicmc624 @j23r23 @wintercrows @crist1216 @cjand10 @pattiemac1@les-sel @dottirose @winterslove1917 @harperkenobi @ivet4 @casey1-2007 @mrsevans90 @steeph-aniie @bean-bean2000 @beanbagbitch @peachiestevie @wintrsoldrluvr @shadowzena43
Tumblr will not let me directly tag the following: @marcswife21 @erelierraceala @jupiter-107 @doublejeon @hiqhkey @unaxv @brookeleclerc]
After Bucky had kissed you goodbye and left for his debrief, you set about getting ready for your day. You showered and brushed your teeth, pleasantly noticing that you hadnât vomited since last night. Maybe good cock was the cure youâd needed all this time, you thought with a laugh.
You stripped and remade your bed because, though you knew youâd probably just be getting it filthy again as soon as Bucky was back, you werenât excited about getting back into cold, damp sheets. Maybe you should invest in one of those absorbent sex blankets youâd read about online. You could buy one for your new place!
That thought led you to open up Zillow on your laptop to browse available apartments in the general area. You didnât want to move too far away; you both still needed to be at the Tower for work, after all. You had to admit, now that you were giving it some real thought, the idea excited you. Not just because you wanted to move in with Bucky, but because youâd be creating, for the first time in your entire life, a home of your very own, without feeling beholden to anyone for it, whether out of love or a sense of obligation. The very notion was elating.Â
You were browsing through some gorgeous but ridiculously overpriced condos when you heard a phone buzz. You glanced at your screen, but it was black. Frowning, you glanced around and noticed Buckyâs cell sitting on one of your bedside tables. He must have forgotten it before he left for his meeting.
You walked over to it and glanced at the screen. Unfortunately, it wasnât the newly received message from Sam that caught your attention. It was the notification below it, informing Bucky that he had one new text message from âVix <3.â
Thatâs not possible, you thought as you picked up the phone. I blocked her number, myself. Thereâs no way she should be able to text him. Against your better judgment, you typed in your birthday to unlock his phone. Biting your lip, a sudden surge of anxiety flooding your system, you navigated to his SMS app and opened up his thread with Jade.Â
Your stomach soured and your blood turned to ice as you scrolled up, reading the contents of the thread. This couldnât be possible. He wouldnâtâ but yet, there it was, staring you right in the face. Fighting back a wave of nausea, you ran to the bathroom and vomited, this time having nothing to do with your stomach bug and everything to do with your heart breaking.Â
You were dreaming. You had to be dreaming. But no. You read through the thread again and again, and again. There was no mistaking it. You slid down the bathroom wall to the floor, clutching the phone to your chest, but no tears came.
No, instead of falling apart, you felt your walls come back up, going so high that they merged together above you, encasing you in a dome of icy rage. Instead of sadness, you felt resolve. He had lied to your face and played you for a fool. Well, it had been for the last time. There was no coming back from this. Not ever. Youâd give him no more chances to betray you.Â
You were a fucking fool to have believed his pretty lies, his hollow promises. An idiot for constantly forgiving him, when it was clear, now, that he had never really loved you. Oh, he may have thought he did. But this⊠what you had just seen evidence ofâ this was not love.Â
With a shaking breath, you stood up. You took screenshots of every incriminating text and sent them to yourself. You needed to move quickly so you were finished before he got back. Running to your computer, you printed out multiple copies of the screenshots then, you meticulously went through your room, collecting everything of Buckyâs that had migrated across the hall from his room to yours over the course of your relationship and crammed it all into a box.Â
You found one of his precious knives under the bed, and thought about throwing it out the window, but then an idea struck you. Taking the knife, the box of stuff, and a copy of the screenshots, you opened your door and walked across the hall. You unceremoniously dumped the contents of the box into a heap in front of Buckyâs door, then, using all of your strength, rammed the knife through the wooden door, pinning the screenshots in place. Let him run face-first into the evidence of his betrayal.
Running back into your room, you grabbed your go-bag, tossing some essentials in it. You couldnât stay in this room, not right now, after everything that had happened last night and this morning. Besides, it would be too easy for him to find you here. You needed to go somewhere where he wouldnât think to look for you. You didnât trust yourself right now not to claw his eyes out if you saw him. Though lord knows he would fucking deserve it.
Before you left your room, you called out to FRIDAY. âLock my door behind me, and under no circumstances are you to let Sergeant Barnes into my room,â you told the AI.
âYes, Ms. (Y/L/N),â she responded.
âOh, and FRIDAY? One more thing,â you added, âif Sergeant Barnes asks where I am, tell him âfucking dead to him.â
It was sickening how cheerfully the AI responded to your depressing command, promising that she would deliver the message to him, should he inquire.Â
With a final look around, and a cage of ice around your heart, you closed the door to your room, to your love for Bucky, and you didnât look back.
<- Previous Part / Next Part ->
#bucky barnes x reader#bucky barnes x you#bucky barnes x y/n#bucky x you#bucky x reader#bucky fanfic#bucky barnes#bucky barnes fanfic#bucky x female reader#bucky barnes fic#bucky barnes fanfiction#james bucky buchanan barnes#james buchanan barnes#mcu bucky barnes#james barnes
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omg omg omg my therapy blog!!! ok. so. Highschool AU! Dan Heng x Fem! Reader It's basically Jing Yuan setting up his besties together. For some context: -Dan Heng's the student gov. president and is descending into a void of unhealthy perfectionism -So Jing Yuan is trying to get him a gf to take his mind off things...And reader (his other bestie) is the perfect candidate... I'm excited how you'll write this!!!
NO TIME TO WASTE
PAIRING. dan heng x gn!reader
GENRE. modern au, school au, fluff
WORD COUNT. 2,349
SUMMARY. dan heng's a workaholic, you're the only one who can get him to look away from his work, and jing yuan thinks the two of you just need to get together.
SOF'S NOTE. thank you anon for the request!! fhsjgfds therapy blog đ„č i hope u enjoy! it can be read as hs or college au i didn't specify! but i loved student pres dan heng and meddling jing yuan LOL ty for reading! đ„°
Jing Yuan watched as his friend slowly spiraled into insanity. It was the quiet type of insanityâ One in which his friend was staying up late and not getting enough sleep, only focusing on grades, classes, and extracurriculars, taking on way more responsibilities than a normal, sane person could handle, and even neglecting his social life and connections for it all.
Dan Heng continued to switch between his daily planner and the notes on his laptop, furiously typing away and completely oblivious to Jing Yuanâs concerns.Â
Resting his head on the palm of his hand, Jing Yuan examined the student body president wordlessly. He knew being head of student government was a lot of workâ Even as the secretary he found the workload to be almost overbearing at times. But that wasnât a good reason to completely ignore other integral aspects of life.
âSorry Iâm late!âÂ
Jing Yuan looked up at the sound and instantly smiled.Â
You walked through the door with three bubble teas in hand. As vice president of the student government, you frequented the counsel room along with the other members for study sessions after school. There was such thing as student council privileges, after all.Â
Dan Heng, who had been completely oblivious to Jing Yuanâs attempts to catch his attention, surprisingly lifted his head at the sound of your voice.Â
âI got us drinks for our study session!â you exclaimed, passing out the boba before sitting in the open seat next to Dan Heng. You gathered the notebooks from inside your book bag and placed it on the desk in front of you.Â
âThank you,â said Dan Heng with a smile as he poked his straw through the plastic cover. âThis oneâs my favorite.âÂ
Jing Yuan noticed that was the most Dan Heng has said since he stepped foot in the student council room and an idea formed in Jing Yuanâs head. Perhaps the only thing that could cure a workaholic such as Dan Heng was love. Budding love between two stressed students.
Or, at least, a date.
His two best friends, president and vice president of student government, would certainly be a force to be reckoned with.Â
Jing Yuan decided he had to take some action. For the greater good of his friendâs wellbeing, of course.Â
Ëâșâ§âËâËââ§âșË
âSo, what do you think of Dan Heng?âÂ
Your eyes widened at your friendâs words. They could have been innocent words that held no ulterior motive, if it werenât for the fact they came from Jing Yuanâs mouth.Â
He was too good at reading people and you were too transparent. It wasnât exactly a great mix at times. For you, at least.
âW-What do you mean?â you coughed.
Jing Yuan had offered to drive you home after todayâs study session and you happily obliged. While you found it strange he didnât offer Dan Heng one as well, you paid it no mind since Dan Heng said he wanted to stop by the bookstore first anyway.Â
Part of you wished you offered to go to the library with him, but you quickly brushed those thoughts aside.Â
With one hand on the wheel, Jing Yuan glanced at you at a red light. âIâm only asking your opinion of him. Do you find him favorable? Handsome? Enticing even?â
Sitting up on your seat in high alert, you cautiously replied, âPerhaps, yes. Why do you ask?â
You werenât one to tell lies; you saw no point in them. And Jing Yuan knew it too, hence why he is unabashedly asked such a crass question.Â
He smiled. âMy suspicions tell me he thinks the same of you.â
âAs if,â you laughed.Â
âI mean it.â
Raising your brow, you stared at him. âAnd what do you want me to do with that information?â
âAct on it, perhaps. Since Dan Heng seems too consumed by work to notice himself.â
âHe seems too consumed by work to even notice me as anything romantic,â you corrected, folding your arms across your chest.Â
Jing Yuan parked at your driveway as he arrived in front of your house, but you stayed inside the car for his response.Â
âHe is,â said Jing Yuan in agreement, nodding. âBut thatâs the issueâ Heâs unhealthily taking on too much schoolwork and extracurriculars and not caring for his personal life. Dan Heng would let something great pass him by without him even being aware of it.â
You couldnât refute that, you thought with a dry smile. Dan Heng quickly became a good friend of yours after you both joined the student council, but you noticed he never really did anything outside of school and clubs. As a self-proclaimed overachiever yourself, even you made time to go on dates and spend time with friends. It was quite concerning the Dan Heng never did.Â
âYou are that something great, in case you missed it.â
Startled, you chuckled at Jing Yuanâs words. âIâm not too sure about that, but I am interested in him. Maybe a date would be fun!â
He leaned his head back on the driverâs seat, a lazy grin spread across his lips.Â
Your stomach fluttered as the nerves set. âBut do you think heâd agree?âÂ
âOnly Dan Heng knows the answer to that,â said Jing Yuan. âHowever, from what I see, heâs more interested in you than in anyone else he knows.â He ruffled the top of your head and you batted his hands away with a giggle. âGive it a shot, Y/N.â
âThanks, Jing Yuan! I will.â
Ëâșâ§âËâËââ§âșË
You had no clue why you thought listening to Jing Yuan would be a good idea.Â
As you stared at Dan Heng with your eyes wide open, you couldnât help but instantly regret the words that had just left your mouth. Still, you came this far; you couldnât simply say, âJust joking! Please forget I said anything!â now.Â
The man in front of you blinked slowly, seemingly speechless.Â
Finally, he said, âAre you asking me?â
You almost choked on air at how dense he was. There was no one else in the student council roomâ Jing Yuan skipped out on todayâs after school homework session solely to let you and Dan Heng have the room alone.Â
âYes,â you confirmed with a nervous laugh, âof course I was talking to you. Weâre the only ones here.â You looked around the empty room that had the door closed. âI was asking you if you wanted to go on a date with me.â
Dan Heng titled his head to one side. âA romantic date, correct?â
You nodded, picking at a loose thread on the sleeve of your shirt. Softly, you said, âThatâs correct.â
He smiled to himself but took his time to formulate his next sentence. The silence was unnerving, but the look of happiness on his face helped soothe the butterflies in your stomach.Â
âI havenât been on a date since I joined student government,â he admitted, drumming his fingers quietly against the table. âI havenât had much time to even explore that part of my life lately. I might not be a very good date.â
You looked down at your textbook, avoiding his gaze as you braced yourself for a rejection.Â
âBut, if youâd allow me,â Dan Heng continued, âIâd still want to try to make it a good one with you.â
Your head shot back up, unsure if you heard him right. When your eyes met his, you noticed he was smiling as he awaited your response.Â
âIâd love that!â you said, your expression soon matching his. âAre you sure you arenât too busy, though?âÂ
He was president of the student government after all. And the annual concert your campus hosted was coming up soonâ You knew Dan Heng would have even more on his plate in the upcoming weeks.
For a second, Dan Heng considered it. âI will be busy, but so will you.â He tapped the clipboard with a list of potential artists you had to book for the event on your head gently. âStill, I think I can make time for a date with you.â Hearing his words out loud, he frowned and instantly corrected himself. âI want to make time to date you. Because Iâm interested in you, too. In a romantic way.âÂ
You giggled at Dan Hengâs his clarifications. It was a little messy and a little blunt, but it was very much him. And really, thatâs all you wanted.
âHow long have you known you were interested in me?â you asked, leaning forward and resting your chin on your palms, eagerly waiting for his reply. âAs more than a friend, of course.â
He hummed. âItâs hard to say.âÂ
âTake your time.â
âI would say I felt different around you for a few weeks now, but, to be honest, I never pinpointed that as liking you or having feelings for you then,â he said after some deep thought. âI didnât really entertain any thoughts of a potential romantic connection in the near future, so Iâm not sure if I ever conceptualized what I feel in words before.â
You nodded in understanding, but still felt a bit downcast. It wasnât unnatural to be unaware of your feelings, especially when trying to figure out what they meant was not your top priority. Yet, you were still saddened that Dan Heng didnât have some huge confession to tell you like in the romance novels you had read.Â
Before you could get too doleful, Dan Heng spoke up again. âBut,â he interjected, âwhat I do know is that I felt drawn to you more than I felt with any other friends.âÂ
Your hand that was fiddling with the hem of your shirt stopped its moving as you focused fully on him.Â
He looked away almost sheepishly, the apples of his cheeks turning the lightest shade of pink known to man. âI always looked forward to these study sessions, and I could never wait to see you come in with a grin and a bag of snacks in hand, and sometimes I would wonder what itâd be like to get dinner with just you and not the rest of the council members after a Friday study sessionâŠâ Dan Heng slowly turned his gaze back onto yours, gaining more confidence of his words. âIf that is me liking you, then itâs been that way for a while now.â
Hiding a grin, you bounced up and down on your seat. âYep, that sounds like you like me, if I do say so myself!â
At your reassurance, he laughed, any hesitation fading away. âWell, there we have it then.â He picked up his pencil and started twirling it around the tips of his fingers. âAnd, if I may ask, when did you realize you were interested in me?â
âMaybe a month or two now,â you said after a few beats. âI just never said anything because I didnât think you were into me at all!âÂ
Dan Heng furrowed his brows but didnât refute. He wasnât the easiest person to read, after all. Especially when he didnât know what exactly he was feeling himself.Â
âJing Yuan told me he thought you might be interested, so I figured it was worth a shotâ I guess a small push was all I really needed.â
âHmm.â He placed the pencil he was spinning back on top of his notebook. âWell, I guess we have Jing Yuan to thank for once. Not that he should get used to itâ
You laughed at his crass words. Dan Heng and Jing Yuan always had some sort of one-sided fighting going on, namely on Dan Hengâs end, but you knew he viewed Jing Yuan as a close friend despite his sarcasm. Â
âRight, we canât let his head grow any bigger,â you teased with a chuckle. âBut for this, maybe we owe him some gratitude.âÂ
âAgreed.â Dan Heng nodded. âEnough of Jing Yuan, though. Letâs talk about our date.â He ruffled through his book bag and pulled out a flyer from inside a folder. It was crisp and clean, but he straightened it out anyway before showing you. âIf you didnât already have something in mind, thereâs a new exhibit at the museum that I think youâd love.âÂ
Your eyes briefly scanned the flyer and your excitement grew. âThis looks great! I love museums!â you agreed readily.Â
The art would be beautiful, the history would be interesting, and maybe, just maybe, Dan Heng would hold your hand as you walked through the exhibits and even give you a kiss at the end⊠You felt your cheeks heat up at the thought and you chastised yourself for letting your mind run wild.Â
Clearing your throat, you snapped out of your fantasies. âAnd maybe after that, we can get dinner together?âÂ
He nodded, the corners of his lips upturned as he put the museum flyer away.Â
âGreat! Then all thatâs left is picking day!âÂ
âThis Saturday?â he suggested.
âSo soon?â you said. âEager, are we?â
âYes, actually.â
Your stomach flipped at his honesty and you felt yourself growing bashful. âWell, I am too.âÂ
Dan Heng let out an amused breath of laughter. âIâm glad to hear that. I will pick you up at your house after lunch time then?â
âI canât wait!â
The two of you basked in your shared excitement. You had assignments due, club meetings to prepare for, events to plan, yet the only thing you wanted to focus on right now was enjoying your time with Dan Heng. You wouldnât let life pass you by and you wanted to take a chance with him. You hoped he felt similarly.Â
Dan Heng took out his daily agenda, flipping to Saturday and drawing a giant happy face over the box. In small writing, you saw him note down, Museum date with Y/N. :)
You giggled at the sight, touched that you were important enough to go on his sacred planner. He even booked the entire day for you instead of scheduling you in.
âIâm looking forward to our first date,â Dan Heng stated happily as he packed his pen away. âLetâs make it a good one.â
#dan heng x reader#hsr x reader#honkai star rail x reader#honkai star rail#dan heng#hsr imagines#hsr fanfiction#dan heng imagines#hsr#hsr fluff#star rail#hsr x you#hsr x y/n#dan heng x you
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why NauseAxe_404 loves your writing so muchâŠ
based on this silly tweet, Iâm gonna use âNickâ for this- for ease of writing (and for my poor poor hands.)
no pronouns but âyouâ- little post cuz I havenât written in a while.- use of the in-game website: "Dumblr", no it's not a typo;-; Proshippers DNI
word count: 878
content warning: brief explanations of canon violence, creepy stalker-ish behavior (NOTHING SEXUAL ATTACHED), Nick being a weirdo honestly.
vvv that isn't my art, and this entire writing is a fanfic for a game " Monster x Mediator" made by HeadLocker! I really recommend playing the game or watching the gameplay, cuz it's really fantastic!
Story under cut :3
Nickâs in love with your writingâŠ(if you already couldnât tell), but itâs difficult for you to understand why.
Usually, when you'd open up your laptop, it was after a tough shift at your crap job and you just wanted to do something to fill in the time after dinner and before bed. It was always on the shorter side, 100 words each, and was normally just a quick and crappy self-insert fic to satisfy your creative urges from doing a boring-ass job all day. You never really thought your tiny one-shots would attract any attention, but the man you've been staying with proves otherwise.
"NauseAxe_404" is what he called himself, but you've just been calling him 'Nick' for now. He had been reading your old Dumblr blog for who knows how long, and he's taken a major interest in your little shitposts...So much, so that he had taken the time to print out every single one of your posts and personal information pinned to his room's walls. It's extremely creepy...but also sort of charming?
For the last few days or so, you've been held in Nick's hotel room, practically glued to a desk with a typewriter...slowly making your way through a 100-paged fic that he specifically requested of you. Though you technically could stand up and leave...you'd really prefer for your skull to stay in one piece...and not have a bullet put through your temple.
Nick has been staring at you almost the entire time...which only certified in your mind that he is not human. Every time you turn to see if he's still there...like an unmoving fortress, he always is. It's been a solid 8+ hours of you sitting there and writing...and your stomach starts to emit loud sounds of hunger. You pray he didn't hear that, and continue to type away at the dated machine. However, to your dismay, his deep voice chimes in.
"...What page are you on...?"
Nick asks, seemingly trying to speak quietly for you, but his naturally booming voice isn't giving you any favors.
"...uhm..."
You take a moment to review what you have done...it doesn't look like much but it feels like it took AGES to write out...
"About...10? It's not a-"
"That's wonderful, Superstar!"
He cuts you off just as you begin to speak.
Of course, he's going to be ecstatic. You can't fathom why he seems to be so hopelessly in love with whatever you slap on the paper. You're curious..so you begin to speak.
"...uhm...Nick...why do you..take interest in my writing?"
You softly speak, trying to be careful with your words...you can't afford to overstimulate this man.
For a chatty guy...Nick was oddly silent at the ask of this questionâŠor at least for a few seconds.
âI was trying to find a way to ease the boredom and loneliness of this fucking hotel, soâŠhuffâŠI joined Dumblr and started to search for writingâŠthat wasâŠhuffâŠ.purposefulâŠand that could fix me..â
No way in hell your crackfics could change this man...He must've come out of the womb like that. (or...however the hell he was made..)
"...I came across your first post years ago..huff...and fell in love with the way you wrote your love interest....huff...I knew you were talking about me when I wrote all those comments~"
You never looked at comments due to embarrassment...and you honestly didn't think anyone would even care to comment in the first place.
"....you weren't responding to me...huff...so I might've found everything about you in the meantime...huff...just so I could notice you in a crowd...I always will~"
Okay, now it's getting creepy. You hope that by just turning back around and continuing to write maybe he'd shut up...You guess it's sorta your fault for striking up a conversation with the creep.
"All the other writers don't know shit about writing...huff...1k word counts...huff...long and complicated stories that don't make any fucking sense..."
There goes the rambles. You stop typing for a moment to process what the hell he just said. He either is really balls-deep into this fantasy of you being a perfect human...or he's just trying to fluff you up so you'll continue writing for him. He's really delusional, that's it. It's seriously hard to believe your crap was life-changing for Nick.
âSimplicity is the most important partâŠhuffâŠnot describing some stupid walk sequence for 3 sentencesâŠhuffâŠitâs a waste of space..â
"....maybe you just like simpler writing...?"
You softly reply, yet again praying that you didn't accidentally strike a chord with this guy. He stares you down, and even if you aren't looking back at him, you can still feel the burning of his eyes on the back of your head.
"That's possible."
Oh, it's highly probable. He gets so emotional over the tiniest bit of anything, so...He just doesn't need too many words to evoke a reaction...It checks out because you also like to write a straight-to-the-point sorta piece.
"but don't let your mind wander for...huff...too long...my superstar...you've got at least 90+ pages to go~"
Shit, he was right...time to get back to work.
#monster x mediator#fanfiction#nauseaxe 404#nick mxm#your biggest fan#fanfic#fan work#twitter link#me yapping#my writing#writing#creative writing#on writing#writeblr#writers on tumblr#writers and poets#not my art#i love him#tw weapon#tw mention of murder
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Take One
Pairing: Florence Pugh X Fem! Reader.
Summary: One scene is all it took to multiply the feelings Florence has for you.Â
Word count: 1.1K
Warnings: none
Type: FluffÂ
AC: Sceneâs marked with ** & Iâm going to switch this one up and give it from Floâs POV! Enjoy *This is a request from my old blog!*
Floâs POV:
My job is great! I love it! I have worked on so many great movies and shows and worked with some amazing cast and crew but this new film is special, Iâm co-stared with my best friend, Y/n. The moment we knew we were both casted for this film we laughed at the idea of playing a couple. Weâre best friends, so it was definitely going to be a blast filming with her.Â
** Nora (Y/nâs character) sits typing on laptop. Notices Ruby indecisive on the menu.
N: You should try the chefâs special
-Ruby turns to Nora and smiles softly-
R: Iâm sorry?
N: Youâve been standing there for 10 minutes Uhmming and arrrin on what to order
-Nora looks up from laptop-
R: Iâll give it a shot -chuckles- your accent, what is it?Â
N: -looks Ruby up and down, smirks- do you always ask strangers such questions?
R: -shakes head slightly- just those who are pretty
N: -smiles then gestures ruby a seat- would you like to take a seat?
R: -bites bottom lip lightly, shaking her head- nope, but thanks. -smiles and continues to order-
**
âCut! That was perfect, thank you!â the director calls as you smile to Florence. âOkay that was slightly harder than I thoughtâ Y/n spoke trying to keep the Romanian accent that her character has. âYou did great!â I tell her with a smile.
âWe need you guys back after lunch for a few more scenes, one of these scenes is the first kiss between the characters so make sure you guys are ready for thatâ the director smiled at us as Y/n and I walked over to the refreshments table.
âNervous about that?â Y/n asked me as we grabbed a bottle of water each, âWhat? To kiss you? No, I think your nervous thoughâ I smirked to her. âOh please, youâre not the first big shot actor Iâve had to kissâ she joked back. Truth was, I was nervous, very! Iâve liked Y/n for a while now but Iâm not sure how she feels so I have kept my feelings to myself.
The director called us over for our next few scenes which we took within a few takes, you could say we work well together. âAlright, I need hair and make-up in here before we do this first kiss!â the director told us as we sat down and waited for the lovely women to come in and give us a touch up.Â
â3âŠ.2âŠ..1 ACTION!â the Director called.
** Nora and Ruby walking back to Rubyâs apartment
R: I have one question
N: -hums in response-
R: Why did you ask me on this date tonight?  We only met a few days ago.
N: Because I make you nervous and I like that
R: you donât make me nervous -blushes-
N: yeah?
R: yeah
N: Can I kiss you then? -both stop at street crossing, turning to face one another-
R: -nervously nods-
**
I felt my heart face as Y/n took the small steps closer to me, she gently caressâs my left cheek looking at my lips as I looked at hers. For a moment it felt like the world stopped when I felt her lips press against mine. My eyes closed instantly then I gently placed my left hand over her right hand that stayed caressing my face. The kiss was short but sweet, soft and I hated pulling away.Â
âCut!â the director called as we pulled away. âDonât go anywhere just yet, I want to watch this overâ the director added.Â
âWell that went better than I thought it wouldâ Y/n smirked.
âWhatâs that supposed to mean?â I raised my eyebrows
âNothing, I just kinda thought youâd be lower on my listâ she jokedÂ
âYou have a list?!â
âYeah⊠I get to kiss all these great actors, why not?â she laughed, I shook my head playfully.
âWhere am I on this list?â
âA solid 4âÂ
â4?! Come on!â I playfully slapped her right arm.
âPerfect girls! We donât need you back until tomorrow, thank you!â the director cut in.
As the months went on, we had more kissing scenes we had to do. Every night I stayed awake thinking about how soft her lips are, how gently she is and I know itâs just her acting but I canât help melt into her touch every single time we had to act as a couple.Â
âFlo, you ready?â Y/n spoke as she broke me from my thoughts, âyeah, letâs do thisâ I smiled.Â
âOkay, last scene, hopefully our last shot. 3âŠ.2âŠ.1 ACTION!
** Ruby goes to Noraâs apartment, in destress.
N: Ruby, what are you doing here? I told you not to contact meâŠ
R: I canât stop think about you. I donât want this to end. Donât go.
N: but I canât stay
R: then let me come with you!
N: I would never ask you to leave your life here for mine
R: your not asking me, Iâm telling you I want this
N: I canât⊠Ruby I am sorry. You have a good life here, you donât follow me across the world
**
This was it. This is the moment were the characters share a big kiss and everything ends well. My character has to take the lead this time. I stepped closer and pulled Y/n closer to me with power, I cupped her face gently and kissed her lips. I felt her arms wrap around my waist and pull me even closer, Deeping our kiss. When I felt Y/n start to pull away I took it upon myself and pulled her close again, never breaking the kiss. The director called cut and we pulled away, I didnât notice how out of character I was until I looked up at Y/n.
âFlo?â she spoke softly. I felt tears creeping down my face before I wiped them away quickly. âIâ- IâmâŠsorâŠIâm sorryâŠ.i-â I ran off in a hurry.Â
âFlorence!â Y/n called as I left the set, running to my dressing room. Closing the door, taking a moment to calm myself, replaying the moment in my head as I felt my tears fall freely.Â
âHey..Flo?â I heard Y/nâs voice enter my dressing room. âIâm fine, Iâm sorry I just need a momentâ I replied, not facing her.Â
âFlorence. Look at me, pleaseâÂ
I turned to her, avoiding the eye contact. âHeyâ she spoke softly and she came closer to me. âWhatâs going on?â she asked.
âIâm sorry, I got ahead of myself, and Iâve probably ruined that scene nowâ
âRuined? I think thatâs exactly what they wantedâÂ
Y/n gently cupped my face, lifting it to look at her. âI didnât know you felt that wayâ she said, looking at me in the eyes. âIâm really sorry if I have ruined our friendshipâŠâ I replied.Â
âNo honey, you didnâtâ she wrapped her arms around me and pulled me into her hold.Â
âI didnât?âÂ
âNo, Flo, you could never ruin what we haveâ she held me tighter. âHow about we go get some lunch and talk about this?âÂ
I nodded, âpleaseâ I whispered. Â
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