#ty for the support over the years 💖

[hongcherry]

Saw this and I could NOT pass this up🤌🏼, writing toooo good to not send in a request still haven't got over the Christmas gift fic you wrote me with YunGi🤪

So can I get this based around Woozi please😔🙏🏼, the lack of Woozi fics is CRIMINAL! With the dialogue being #2, emotion I, and the setting the alleyway being a dive bar.

I will take anythingggggg, angsty, happy, sad, truly ANYTHING. I’m thirsty for any Woozi crumbs I can get😔😔 please and thank you bestie😚😚xoxo

omg DDD: LOOK AT YOU BEING ACTIVE AGAIN 💖 hello hello bae! AND DON'T BE NICE TO ME. IDK HOW TO ACT *throws hearts aggressively* but tysm for supporting me huhuhuhuuh 😫 and ty for sending in a request! i hope u like it, my cheese lover 3000 🧀

Pairing: musician!Jihoon/Woozi x Reader G/AUs: Angst, friends to lovers, non-idol au TWs: None but ofc lmk <3 WC: 1.2k A/N: Barely proofread so no judgment plzzzzz ;c

Prompt: “what they said back there. is it true?” + confusion + an alleyway behind a dive bar

Build a fic! ✨

seventeen masterlist | main masterlist

this blog is 18+. minors do not interact. plz & ty! (ageless/minors/blanks blogs will be blocked)

The winter air bites into you as soon as you push past the dive bar’s door. The chilliness makes you want to take a U-turn back into the building, but you know the heat from indoors won’t help. Not when your source of warmth still sits inside.

People mill about the sidewalks, some dressed casually and others dolled up. No one gives you a second glance as they walk by. It makes it easy to slip into the alleyway unnoticed—hoping for some privacy as you gather your thoughts.

He’s leaving.

In one week, Jihoon will be across the country, chasing his dreams that don’t include you.

There’s a gallon of guilt sloshing in your chest from not being over the moon for his opportunity. However, it doesn’t compare to the sea you’re treading in from knowing this is it for you both.

You won’t get the chance to love and be loved by him.

Not in the way you want.

You slump against the brick wall, arms wrapped around yourself to fight the cold.

You know there are still opportunities to keep in contact, but it won’t be the same. You won’t be able to feel his arms around you or his lips on yours. Maybe if traveling wasn’t so expensive, you could find the silver lining.

“Hey.”

The familiar voice makes your head snap up; your hold on your jacket tightens in surprise.

Jihoon stands at the entrance of the alleyway with his hands stuffed in his pockets. He looks hesitant.

Emotions try to clog your throat, but you force them down so you can speak.

“What they said back there. Is it true?” you ask, voice strained.

Jihoon glances to the side briefly while he answers, “Yes.”

He slowly makes his way closer. Each step brings forth an equal weight of pain and happiness. Being around Jihoon used to bring a smile to your face instantly, but now, your heart just aches.

“You didn’t tell me,” you state.

“I did,” he answers slowly. He stops a few feet away, hands still in his pockets.

“You said you’d be gone for two weeks, not two years,” you scoff.

He exhales a deep breath. You watch it swirl in the air from the cold weather instead of seeing the mix of excitement and guilt on his face.

“It was only going to be two weeks, but they really like my works and wanted me to sign a contract,” he explains.

You turn away when you see your vision blurring. Staring at him reminds you of what you’re about to lose.

“I was going to tell you in private tonight,” he adds.

“What else were you going to tell me?” You force the question out.

“What do you mean?”

You glance at him finally. He’s standing an arm’s length away now.

“Were you going to tell me I meant nothing to you? That you’re sorry for leaving me, but I should be happy about it?”

“Fuck, Yn, you have no idea how hard this decision was for me,” he sighs out, slight frustration laced in his words.

“Enlighten me, Jihoon, because right now, it feels like you knew there was never going to be an ‘us’.”

He winces at your words, hands digging deeper in his pockets like he’s trying to find the right words to make you feel better. You already know he’ll come up empty.

“That’s not true,” he says belatedly.

“No? How long did you know about this new contract of yours? How long were you waiting to tell me ‘privately’? A week? Two?” you ask, voice raising in anger.

The more you talk, the more conflicted he looks. You know you’re not making this easy on him, but the devil on your shoulder wants him to feel the heartache you’re feeling.

“Do you not remember how two weeks ago we were on your couch and I told you I love you? I love you, Jihoon, and you’re just going to lea—”

Jihoon kisses you hard.

He holds your face in his hands, grip tight enough to keep you steady but not enough to hurt. Your heart hammers in your chest.

He puts all the emotions and messages he can’t convey into the kiss. It’s so overwhelming that you want to pull away, but you persist because it means you can have him a little longer.

The second you feel him begin to pull away, your hands reach up to grip his wrists.

He stares down, so you can’t see his face.

“I’d ask for you to wait for me, but that’s not fair,” he says. You can hear the sorrow in his voice. Although you wanted him to feel it too, you also can’t help but hurt more knowing he’s not happy. “Maybe once I get a few paychecks I can fly you out. Maybe… Maybe if you still love me when I come back, we can make it work.”

“Why can’t we make it work now?” You nearly plead.

He sighs and shakes his head. His hair tickles your forehead.

“I’m sorry,” he whispers.

You will your knees not to give out in realization. There’s no changing his mind.

Your hands on his wrists ease.

Jihoon looks up, eyes filled with desperation for you not to go.

“Let’s head back inside. You’re cold,” he murmurs, hands slipping from your face to hold your hands.

Before you can try to protest, he’s leading you back inside toward your friends.

Your body instantly feels grateful for the warmer temperature, but what’s really heating your body is Jihoon’s hand in yours.

His comforting touch spreads from your joint hands and spreads throughout your body. It’s a feeling you want to shove away, but you force yourself to not. You only have a few days left of his presence, and you should enjoy it.

Jihoon’s not a fan of PDA, but tonight he pushes his own boundaries. He drapes an arm around your shoulders, hand lazily gliding up and down your arm as he interacts with your friends.

You can’t help but lean into his firm body, allowing yourself these few hours to pretend everything’s okay.

It’s self-torture to have his notifications on. It’s been almost four months since he’s left and all you can do is check his socials. He’s not too active so when he is, you cherish it.

Although you’ve tried to keep in contact, hectic schedules and time zones make it difficult. You wonder if he still thinks of you as much as you think of him.

Then as if to answer your question, your phone dings.

woozi_universefactory made a new post. Check it out!

His first official song, “Loved You First,” has been released.

While tears stain your cheeks as you listen, another ding emits from your phone.

Jihoon: 🖤

You chuckle at the simple message, wiping away your tears as your heart replaces forlorn with hope. 

He said he wouldn’t ask you to wait for him, but you should fight for what you want—for who you want. 

You push down the doubt and channel the hope you felt while listening to his song. Nothing will stop you from trying to make this work.

Not the distance, the time zones, or the schedules.

After all, who said love is easy?

Taglist: @musingsofananxiouspotato, @christinewithluv, @lockburn-castle, @iammisstora, @maknae00, @morklee02, @kittyhui, @aeerio, @cherrylovescheol

©️hongcherry // DO NOT REPOST OR MODIFY Please consider reblogging if you liked this work to show your support. Feedback/commentary is always welcomed.

[lhazaar]

hey i'm making this post on behalf of a longtime mutual/friend, nate, who's largely moved offsite. he's visibly trans and lives in knoxville + has been subject to an immense amount of escalating transphobia over the years; with recent political shifts in the us as a whole and tennesee in particular, it is getting genuinely too dangerous for him to stay. he's trying to move to live with his partner at the end of the year

a lot of you know that my partners and i managed to pull off them moving here from unlivable situations almost exactly a year ago. support from tumblr was instrumental in that and i would really appreciate you spreading this if you can expand its network reach. nate deeply and utterly deserves to live with people who love and care about him, and any financial support helps! i do not run the gofundme, it goes directly to him

ty for your time!! 💖

[mandiemegatron]

•]••´º´•» 𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 ; «•´º´••[•

Afab & Named Reader x Shachi

Rated: 18+, porn with minor plot, first time sex, pussy eating, whimpering needy Shachi, smut smut smut ♡

A birthday fic for my bestie Venus [@buggyandthebartoclub ]!! She asked for something Shachi and I was more than happy to deliver 🤭🤭🤭💖💖💖 I am so blessed and overjoyed to have one of the world's most amazing people as a bestie, I am so happy you exist my lovely Venus. Thank you for coming into my life and fueling my selfship craziness and for supporting my life's journey. You are such a wonderful person and I'm so happy I get to be a part of your life. I hope you enjoy this little treat, my love!!

HAPPY MUDDAFUCKIN BIRTHDAY !!! 💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖🎊🎊🎊🎊🎊🎊🎊🎊🎊🎊🎊🎊🎊🎊🎊

A HUGE thank you to my beta @moss-woods , I am nothing without you, thank you for everything 😭😭😭😭💖💖💖💖💖

Songs to listen to while reading ; one , two

You'd been living on the Polar Tang for nearly a year when your birthday came round, almost missing it if it weren't for Ikkaku saying something as you two were getting dressed for a boiler room shift.

“Is it February already?” You murmured absent-mindedly, zipping up your suit and turning to face her. Your best friend shook her head with a laugh of disbelief, nearly shocked that you'd forget what day it was.

“Your birthday is literally tomorrow, dude.”

You frowned slightly, giving a soft hum before slipping into your boots, tying them tight. While you knew Christmas had already passed, it did not feel like it was already February.

“Time passes so weird on the sub,” you commented as you both left your shared room, closing the door behind you.

“You get used to it,” She replied, tugging you down the hallways towards the kitchen area. You both waved and said your good mornings to Uni and Penguin, who sat at the bartop eating breakfast.

“There's coffee brewed if you want it,” Penguin commented to you, nodding his head at you in a form of acknowledgement. You grinned in response and poured yourself a cup, giving a soft, delighted hum as you took a long sip.

“Well, if it isn't the most gorgeous thing to ever grace this little ship!”

You raised an eyebrow in jest at Shachi who rounded the corner, a grin of his own already cracking his face as he closed in towards you. He leaned down slightly to smack a loud kiss to your cheek, ignoring your grunt of protest before gently snatching your coffee from your hands.

You gawked at him as he chugged it back, giving a loud, content sigh as he placed the mug down. There was a moment of bewildered silence before all four of you jumped him, shouting swears and beating the redhead into a lump in the corner.

Cradling a new cup of Joe in your hands, you followed Ikkaku down to the boiler room, giving a cranky groan as you sat at the table containing the ship's blueprints. Ikkaku sat across from you, picking up one of the sheets from the table and giving a groan of her own as she did her morning checklist.

“You wanna check gauges for me when you're ready?”

You gave a tired grunt in response, taking another few sips before making your way to the first boiler tank. Picking up the clipboard hanging on the side, you checked the gauges and wrote down the numbers, just like you'd done hundreds of times. After documenting them all and signing off with your initials, you moved onto the second and did the exact same, humming along to the snail-radio that sat off to the side of the room.

“Hey Vee, so uh,”

You glanced over your shoulder at Ikkaku, a questioning look on your face as you waited for her to continue. She opened her mouth and you both jumped as the boilers turned on with loud groans and clanks, the heat coming off them immediately causing you both to begin sweating.

You both groaned at the same time, knowing they only did that when it got too cold outside the sub, which could freeze the mechanics inside the ship if the temperature dropped too low.

“We must be getting close to a winter island,” You commented as you unzipped the top half of your suit, tying it around your waist comfortably, glad you had put on a proper tank top underneath. Ikkaku followed suit, giving a slight cough as she finally continued,

“So… you uh, you and Shachi, huh?”

Your face burst into bright reds at her question, your answer catching in your throat as you sign off on the second boiler.

“You got me fucked up, what are you going on about?”

Your bestie gave a loud laugh in reply, reaching closer and whacking your shoulder with a friendly punch.

“You can't hide shit from me, you dumb bitch. Try again.”

An anxious groan escaped you as you moved onto the third boiler, picking up the clipboard before giving your best friend a long sigh. You stared at the ceiling for a second before finally admitting,

“Yeah, okay, me and Shachi are um, interested in each other?”

Ikkaku gave a cackle of triumph, clinging to you and shaking you by your shoulders.

“Oh, I fuckin’ knew it! The way you didn't immediately punch him when he smooched your cheek and stole your coffee earlier-”

You quickly shushed her, looking around nervously before looking back to her with an anxious reply of,

“We just don't want to get in trouble. We don't even know if we're allowed to date, so we're just… trying to keep it on the down low, you know?”

Ikkaku gave you a pointed stare, crossing her arms over her chest as she questioned,

“You guys really think the Captain wouldn't let you guys be happy together? I don't think he'd be like that, especially with it being your birthday tomorrow.”

You sighed heavily and tapped the clipboard against your forehead a few times before explaining,

“It's not that, it's just, you know, a professionalism thing. We live together, we work together, it's a bit of a dangerous thing, honestly.” you chewed your bottom lip for a moment before continuing softly, “At least, to me it feels like that.”

Ikkaku thought over your words for a second before giving you a solid nod, her expression understanding as she patted your shoulder.

“Alright … I get it. I won't say anything.”

Feeling like a weight was lifted from you, you gave her a nod of your own, a small smile on your face as you thanked her. As she walked away to do her own work, you finished up your readings and initialed off, going back to the table and finishing off your now lukewarm coffee.

“Venus-ya.”

You turned and gave Law a wave, to which he returned with a nod of his hatted head.

“Are you done here?”

You looked to Ikkaku who gave a nod, sipping her own coffee as she waved you both off.

“I can handle it from here, thanks for your help!”

Your Captain looked down to you and quietly asked,

“A moment of your time?”

Anxious gnawing ate away at your stomach at his words, giving him a wide eyed look before nodding slowly. You asked in the same tone,

“... am I in trouble?”

Your Captain gave you a cheeky, raised eyebrow in return, not verbally replying as he turned and began walking out of the boiler room. You and Ikkaku shared a look before you took off after him.

You caught up quickly, grateful that he slowed slightly as you walked side by side. Worry washed over your skin at the silence, wanting to ask him literally anything to rid the buzz that rang in your ears, but nothing came out.

You followed behind as he led you into his office, though you froze at the doorway as you take in Shachi sitting in one of the chairs in front of Law's desk. Both your faces turned white as you made eye contact, slowly finding your way to your chair and sitting down.

There was a heavy silence in the office as Law sat down, rubbing at his face for a few moments before giving a sigh, leaning back in his chair as he stared at the two of you.

“So.”

You clasped your hands together tightly in your lap, your nails digging into the backs of your hands as you waited for him to continue, unable to look over and see if Shachi was just as nervous.

“Is there something you two want to tell me?”

There was another heavy silence that weighed over the three of you until Shachi finally spoke up, his voice quiet but honest.

“... I'm in love with her.”

You whipped your head to the side, staring at him with wide, teary eyes as your heart leapt into your throat. He only stared at Law, his gaze dark and serious behind his shades which his Captain could almost physically feel.

“And you?”

You turned back to Law as a few tears slipped down your cheeks, causing your Captain to stiffen at seeing them. He went to say something when you cut him off, your voice shaky as you replied,

“I love him.”

Shachi reached over and gripped your clasped hands in one of his, his touch warm and grounding though his palm was slightly sweaty. You flashed him a quick, watery grin before you both looked back to Law.

The Heart Pirate Captain was silent, watching you both with a hawk eyed expression, mulling over his words as he crossed his arms over his chest.

“... I'm happy for you two.”

Excitement washed over the both of you as you visibly relaxed, your hands peeling apart to cling to Shachi's. Law watched you two for a moment more before continuing,

“While I can accept this, I expect you both to be respectful of those around you and also of each other. I don't want my ship falling apart due to you having a fight or anything. I expect work to be completed as usual, I expect nothing but the best from either of you, am I understood?”

You and Shachi nodded eagerly at his words, grins washing over both your faces as Law continued,

“You have my blessing. All I ask is that you be safe with this decision,” he made a point to look at you, causing your face to burn red. “I know you're on birth control but things can happen. I expect you both to be incredibly careful about this.”

You sniffled softly and wiped at your face with one hand, the other still clinging to Shachi's as you murmured out gratefully,

“Thank you, Captain.”

Law simply nods in response before going back to his books on his desk.

“You're dismissed. Back to work, both of you.”

You and Shachi rise from your chairs and make quick work of leaving his office, only getting a few steps away from his door before Shachi scoops you up into his arms, pressing hot kisses to your face as he holds you close. You cling to him in response, catching his lips against yours a few times as a delighted laugh leaves you.

“I'm so in love with you, Venus,” he barely gets out, his fingers digging into the suit wrapped around your waist. “You have seriously made me the happiest guy on the Grand Line.”

You can't help but grin up at him, an ecstatic and loving look spread across your face as you replied,

“I feel the same, Shachi. I love you so much.”

You both spend a few more moments holding each other, not wanting to separate just yet and a desperate thought comes to Shachi as he asks in a soft purr,

“Can I have you before we go back? I can't wait, I need you-”

You cut him off with a heavy kiss, one hand clinging to the back of his head, fingers tangled into his fiery locks. He accepts that as your answer and picks you up, his strong hands under your ass as your legs wrap around his waist.

“Our room is closer, go there,” you whisper breathlessly, holding tight to him as he walks around the corner and opens the door to you and Ikkaku's room. He locks the door behind him and lays you on the bed, your legs untangling from him.

There's nothing but the sounds of you both breathing, your gazes locked as Shachi slowly rips his suit from his body, his black tank top clinging to his skin. You watch with loving eyes as he rips his shades and hat from his head, setting them on your dresser before removing the rest of his clothes.

You begin removing the rest of your suit and in a flash, you're both naked, his body covering yours as your tongues fight for dominance. Your hands scratched over his back, angry red lines covering his gorgeous skin as his sharp teeth grazed over your throat, desperate to sink into your skin.

“Please let me eat that pussy, babe, I need to taste you so bad.”

You clenched around nothing, already soaked and wanting as he whines and pants in your ear. You give a shaky nod, unable to reply in anything other than gasps and soft moans as he slowly makes his way down. He gives a needy groan at the sight of your cunt, already glistening and ready for him as he descends down.

Your eyes fall shut as his mouth meets your clit, immediately sucking on the small bud for a bit before his long tongue swipes over and into your entrance, licking up all your slick with a delighted moan. You cover your face with a heavy hand, huffing and whimpering as he devours you inside and out. His tongue dances over your clit again, moving up and down as he slides two of his fingers into you.

You can't bite back the groan that leaves you, the pads of his fingers pressing up and into the soft spot that makes you see stars. He's muttering every once in a while, his hips grinding the tip of his strained cock against the bed as he fucks his fingers into you, his tongue licking and pressing roughly against your tender and swollen bud.

You feel it rush through you, creeping up like a tingling flame over your skin as you moan out,

“Shachi, o-oh Shachi please, I'm so close, I'm so close,” and that's when you finally hear it, what he's been begging the whole time.

“Cum on my face, please cum on my face, I need to taste you, I need you to cum all over me, God, please Venus, please cum on my face-”

His words send you over the edge, a gasping moan catching in your throat as you go blind for a second, your body shaking and twitching as he continues to finger fuck you. He gives a delighted gasp and whine as you squirt a bit, coating his hand, forearm, and face with your essence.

When he finally relents, you catch your breath and let your hand fall away from your face, your eyes catching his as he sucks every drop of you from his hand, making sure to keep your gaze as he does it.

“I'm glad I thought of this,” he quips, his tone cheery as he moves to cover your body with his once more. You tiredly pull him to you and he's quick to lift your already aching legs to your chest, the tip of his fat cock pressing against your still throbbing entrance. He gives you a pointed look, which you wave off with a lightheaded grin, running a lazy hand through his hair.

“I love you, Shachi,” you moan out breathlessly, causing the redhead to stutter slightly before he begins to press into you, pulling a ragged gasp from your already sore throat.

“I love you,” he returns, his own voice catching in his chest as he thrusts gently once, twice and finally fills you with a third, a whining gasp leaving him as he barely gets out,

“You feel like heaven, your pussy is paradise, I love you, I love you-”

You whimper as he finally begins moving, your cunt pulsing around his cock as his tip presses against the tip of your cervix, the pain washing away as pleasure quickly overtakes your senses. His hands on your hips are tight, bruising as he leans down to clamp his teeth around the space between your neck and shoulder, a low groan rumbling in his chest at the way you clench around his cock.

“You feel so good, you're so good, oh fuck, fuck, fuck,”

His hips are relentless, pounding his cock into you over and over, not stopping even as your second orgasm slams into you from nowhere, your cunt fluttering and milking him for everything he has. His eyes rolled back as he lost his pace for a moment, the feeling of being inside you making him lose all sense of logic.

“Please let me cum inside you, I need to fill you, I want to fill you so badly, I want everyone to know you're mine, please let me cum inside you, please babe please,” Shachi begs, his voice climbing higher and higher as he nears his end. You simply nod, moving your legs to wrap around his waist and keeping him to you as you barely get out,

“Please fill me, Shachi,”

At those words, Shachi loses it, a guttural moan leaving him as he presses into you a few more times, thrusting one last time and filling you with his hot seed. You whimper at the feeling, the heat and slick slipping out of your cunt and staining your bedsheets.

You cling to each other, both of your highs seeming to never end as you take in each other. It feels like forever when he finally pulls away, picking his weight off you and staring down at you with the softest, most loving expression you'd ever seen on his beautiful face.

“... I love you,” he whispers. Your heart overflows with love for him, your hands moving to cup his cheeks as you reply, “I love you so much.”

He grins weakly down at you before catching your lips with his, his love for you pouring into this one kiss. After a few more moments, he finally moves away from you and gathers his clothes, quickly getting dressed and helping you into your own. You wince as your shoulder aches, his bite mark throbbing though you touch it with prideful fingertips, your cheeks burning as just thinking about it.

“Now everyone will know you're my hot, sexy girlfriend,” he teases, pinching your buttcheek and laughing when you whack the back of your hand against his chest.

Gathering a change of underwear, a different tank top, sports bra and your bath towel, you sigh and groan out,

“Well, I'm going to shower before I head to the kitchen. Lunch prep, yay,” you waved a hand in pretend excitement, your dull tone causing Shachi to burst into laughter.

“I think you need to simmer down there babe, you are way too excited for this,” he jokes, following you out of the room while sliding his hat back on.

“Sorry, let me just,” you give him a deadpan expression and in the most boring tone you could pull, you bit out,

“Woo. Hoo.”

Peels of laughter left your boyfriend, his arms slinging around your shoulder as he led you down to the showers.

“I love you,” he murmurs again, pressing a quick kiss to your temple as Penguin and Bepo come around the corner.

“There you are! Dude, you've been missing for almost two hours!”

Shachi gives a shrug at Penguins complaining, lowering his shades just enough to throw you a wink before he walks on with his fellow men.

“Ah, sorry guys, I just had to help Venus with something, that's all.”

You shake your head, face burning bright as you walk into the showers, ready to let the hot water wash away the remnants of your moment with your lover.

As the water scalds your skin, you let your head fall back and rest against the cool wall of the shower, a wide grin in your face as the spray washed over your body.

You felt like you were on cloud nine. Truly, there was nothing better than getting a boyfriend for your birthday.

[glamwish]

get to know the mun ! repost, don’t reblog.

——— BASICS ! ♡

NICKNAME : dior!

PRONOUNS : she / her.

ZODIAC SIGN : aquarius!

TAKEN OR SINGLE : taken! :)

——— THREE FACTS ! ♡

i go by my bio middle name, dior, but also by my rl name hana :3 i’m japanese american aaaaand a full time trauma nurse.

——— EXPERIENCE ! ♡

i started writing when i was 16, 10 years ago already. i really like writing longer threads but sometimes my career drains the life out of me and i go missing from the dash :x i don’t require gfx or post editing and will always match my partners preferences!

——— MUSE PREFERENCE ! ♡

sighs. i’m a women supporter. i love writing women, magical girl power and all that. i do have hiatus blogs for genpact listed on my pinned but also, genuinely love writing kind souls. i’ve tried writing a male muse and idk, just doesn’t feel the same.

——— FLUFF / ANGST / SMUT ! ♡

FLUFF : i REAAAALLLLYYY LOVE fluff and always want more. pls send 💖

ANGST : i like angst but with a muse like nikki she def keeps upbeat vibes over the opposite.

SMUT : i’d be open to it … but like only writing it on discord.

PLOT / MEMES : i love plotting on discord but am super open to memes and replying to memes is always welcomed.

tagged by @sirenea ty 💖💖 tagging: @farspirit , @kentei-ken , @ofpathos , @metancy , @wingsoar 💖✨

[daddywright]

hi hello! i come straight from the trenches of ao3. thanks to a friend getting into AA, i found myself binging on your narumitsu fics since yesterday and i'm absolutely grateful i found my way there

thank you for demi Edgeworth!! the way you explored this headcanon really hit home for me too as an ace-spec person. i wholeheartedly support this hc 💖

also, i was curious if your AA peanut gallery is open to new folk? i'd love to be part of it, especially since we have AAI remakes launching soon. such exciting times!!

anyhow, love your fics and I hope you have a wonderful day 💖💖

Ahhh, thank you so much! I'm so happy you've stumbled into the fandom during this awesome frenzy point, haha. And ty, I'm so happy you're enjoying my aa fics so far. 😭

As for the "gremlins" I've mentioned in a lot of my fic notes, those are creator-buds I've made over the years that, while we used to all chat in a larger server, have since become super cool old friends that I mostly chat with directly in smaller, private GCs (I've fell off in engaging with bigger servers, tbh, it's like a phase LMAO).

There are definitely active aa servers out there if you want a more populated, energetic fan experience, but if you ever just wanna chat and make a friend?? I'm always down to talk AA or share what I'm working on or anything like that. My DMs are always open to people who love these lawyer weirdos!! 💜

[lazyjellyfish300]

You are genuinely one of my most favoritist writers!!!

I've loved your Miguel content for over a year, and your Shiu and Nanami content is just...🤌 top tier. The way you contribute to this community and how sweet you are melts my heart!

I'm gonna continue supporting your work because honestly, you deserve every single bit of the attention and adoration you receive!!!

OMG OMG 😭😭😭😭😭💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕

TY SWEETEST ANON 😭😭 I NEEDED THIS SM!!!!! 😭😭😭💖💖💖💖💖💖💖

I feel SO guilty for losing my Miggy spark and don't want my readers to feel like I abandoned him but writing for him has become so much more difficult as of late! DON'T GET ME WRONG THO I am still happy to do it bc that man definitely still has a special place in my heart!! 💕💕 Even if it takes me a little longer to dig in and find my inspiration for him at times!! And also bc I can't bear to leave the fandom!! And I still have love for Peter and the other spider mens OFCC. 🫶🏽

And then writing for JJK has been such an adjustment because it's what I'm passionate about right now but I've had to adjust my expectations and really reflect on why I write and realize that I need to do it for enjoyment and nothing else! (I have met SOOO MANY AMAZING PEOPLE IN THIS FANDOM THO AND THAT MAKES IT ABSOLUTELY WORTH IT TOO THO)

But this affirmation that I do in fact still have readers out there who enjoy my content and even my stuff in this new fandom just makes me so happy and GAHHHHHH!!!!!!! 😭😭😭😭😭😭💕💕💕💕💕

Just thank you, thank you sweetest anon. 💕💕 I am WISHING & THROWING AND HOPING AND MANIFESTING ALL GOOD THINGS TO U, U LOVELY PERSON YOUUU 🥰🥰🥰💕💕💕💕🫵🏽🫵🏽🫵🏽🫵🏽 you have no idea what this did for my spirits.😩😩

[macawritesupdates]

Hey you wrote my prompt for the court of vipers sequel! Thank you!!! I loved it so much it was beautifully written ❤️ 💖 💕. You did a wonderful job bringing the idea to life. Oh my goodness, it became so much more than i ever could have hoped. I feel like just seeing how you take prompts and expand them into full chapters and interweave lore into the narrative in a way that feels natural and not like boring exposition is soo cool I almost feel like a better writer by proxy just by reading your work. I had given up on being a writer myself for a while but idk something about seeing how you do it makes me want to try again. OK gushing about the way you do things done now on to the actual chapter, loved seeing Sukuna's morning routine she's great and I loved toji adding himself to the narrative 😀 I think that's why he kept appearing in cannon jjk so often that man wants to be written lol. I loved Yuuji being a good boy and solving people's problems while completely unaware of all the assassination attempts. Oh my boy, thank goodness you have Sukuna, your scary wife has your back. Man putting the failed assassins in the garden of the people who sent them is hard core Sukuna does not fuck around or rather Sukuna fucks around so much that it loops back around to being serious and all her enemies get to find out. It was great to see Sukuna casually stopping the attempts but damn i did feel a little bad for that poor servant. Those nobles must have been so terrified sitting through that meal knowing that she knows they tried to kill her husband. Aww the end scene was both funny and hot like damn. Awww wait Sukuna wants him to stay in bed with her a little later thats so cute. I do love seeing Sukuna in an environment where she gets to use her extreme murderous intelligence for good it's like enrichment for her. She's like a wild tiger she needs to hunt and protecting Yuuji gives her the opportunity to do that without any guilt or self hate over being just a monster because she's doing a good thing by keeping him safe. She's got terrible claws and teeth, but she's putting them to good use she may not be a traditional hero but without her the real sunshine hero would definitely get murdered. Who would have thought the best way to get Sukuna to stop being a calamity on the land would be to give her a cute little husband and let her loose on his enemies. She's focused, she's happy, and she's getting laid all the time. She doesn't have time to mess up some random village she's already juggling so many scemes and making good on all these covert threats while trying to get her and her husbands throne back. Man Sukuna benefits from this marriage as much as Yuuji those two really are perfect for each other. They balance each other out so well her greatest strengths are his greatest weaknesses, but the reverse is also true. So long as they have each other for support they can thrive and be happy in a way that they just could not manage on their own. He has too much compassion and good will but she'll protect him and prevent him from giving too much so he doesn't burn out. Meanwhile she gets to bask in that good will more than anyone else which let's her have all the love she was denied growing up, love given freely to her just because of who she is. She is not unlovable but it takes someone uniquely kind and strong and stubborn like Yuuji to really give her what she needs. Basically both of them are super super lucky. Anyway great work as always!!

I always say keep on writing! It is a good way to relax and it took me many years to let go of tying my worth as a writer to comments/kudos/subs/ect. It is a hard habit to break, but doing so, I feel your art just gets more your own voice! Also glad you enjoyed the chapter! Sukuna seems to behave if he is given the enrichment to be awful in contained situations XD He just wants to be a violent bastard, let him have room to cook! Sukuna will get Yuuji his throne back, one way or another, then gleefully protect it for sure XD

[astro-gnome]

@heartreliquary tagged me (ty friend!)

Who is your favourite driver? ayrton senna da silva 💛💙💚

Do you have other favourite drivers? yes! modern drivers: lando norris, carlos sainz jr, fernando alonso, oscar piastri, valtteri bottas, yuki tsunoda, alex albon....i know i'm leaving someone out....classic drivers: kimi raikkonen, sebastian vettel, françois cevert, jackie stewart, niki lauda, gerhard berger, felipe massa, rubens barachello, juan pablo montoya (more recently, riccardo patrese, michele alboreto)....again i'm leaving someone out

Who is your least favourite driver? michael schumacher & lewis hamilton. sorry, but i'm just not a fan of either

Do you pull for drivers or do you like teams as well? unfortunately im also a bit of a tifosi

If you like a team, what team do you pull for? mclaren!! and ferarri. i used to be a big redbull supporter, but i seem to be over that

How long have you been into f1? ive watched it for years and years, but its only recently that i've been a hardcore fan, y'know??

What got you into it? honestly?? i can't remember lol

Do you enjoy Fanfic/RPF? rpf is fine :-)

How do you feel about new fans? the sport wouldn't grow if there weren't new ppl getting into it, y'know??

If you could take over as team principal for any team, who would it be and why? i don't want that :)

Are your friends and family into F1 as well? my mom & brother are big into it, plus the friends i've made here are invaluable <3

Are you open to talking to other fans/making friends? yes!! talk to me about race car drivers lol

i tag: @lellalombardiapologist @nymny @thatdemonbish @danielfuckingricciardo and uhhhhhhh you 💖

[xxhappy-chickenxx]

Tagged in a writers ask game by the lovely @justanothervariant!! Ty bestie, i love talking abt my fics 😅💕

Rules: Go to your published works on AO3 and list the first and last fics you published there, a fic for a fandom/ship you've only written for once, your favourite fic in the fandom/ship with the most works, the fic you wish more people read, the fic you agonised over the most, the fic that sprang fully-formed from your mind with minimal effort, and a work you are proud of—for whatever reason. <3

First Fic Published: Future, Present, Past, a post-canon canon- divergence (say that 10x fast) VegasPete fic where they've been raising Venice with no knowledge of his family's past. This fic is my baby, and even though there's things I look back on that I'd change (not nearly enough Pete POV!) anyone who's read or commented on it is truly so dear to me. Venice is something that can be so personal 😌

Last Fic Published: Wedding Night 😳 listennnn I've been in my breeding era and it's not changing anytime soon. Summer break = late night horny writing hours, I don't make the rules.

One-Time Only: High and Low is my one and only BigKinn fic and it'll probably stay that way 😅 I love the angst potential, but writing the smut was such a challenge. The whole time, I was like "is this any good??" Luckily it got a lot of wonderful feedback that I'm so grateful for and I really enjoyed writing from Big's perspective!

Favorite VegasPete Fic: Oh my god, this is really hard to choose!! Especially when most of my writing is for them 😅 BUT 3 a.m. is one of my favorite fics that I've written overall, and especially for VegasPete. Writing the nightmare of Vegas dreaming that he kills Pete in the safehouse was so fun and I feel like this fic really solidified my love for angst. Vegas' panic attack and his conversation with Macau are also near and dear to my heart. This is one of the fics that I reread regularly.

Fic I Wish More People Read: Haunted by the Thought of You is a fic that I loved writing and really enjoy, but for whatever reason it just didn't get a lot of traction! I love ghosts and all things spooky, and the concept of Vegas being haunted by Tawan was just so delicious, especially when I dug into Buddhism and ghosts. If you're interested, I highly recommend checking it out 💕

Fic I Agonized Over: Pete Pray Love is my post-canon long fic and I've been struggling to get it finished. I've written, and re-written, and cut chapters, and contemplated giving up; it's been a whole process. I'm determined to stick with it (and am actually working on the final chapter right now) but I'm so grateful to the people who have supported it from the beginning and continue to engage with it!!!

Fully-Formed Fic: The first chapter of Great Expectations came to me in a horny vision; I had no idea it would spawn into a 30k longfic that's changed directions at least twice. Looking back, it could have used a bit of polish (and perhaps some lube), but ultimately it's a horny, angsty good time and I wouldn't have it any other way 😆

Fic I'm Proud Of: Playing for Keeps is so, so dear to me; I was absolutely overwhelmed by the feedback and it reinforced the feeling I had that I'd touched on something really special about love and family while writing it. This fic completely took hold of me - I wrote 10k over the course of 9 days and it occupied all my waking thoughts. The intimacy between Vegas and Pete felt really special; it's some of my favorite smut I've written purely because of how tender it is. There's something about letting someone into your life after years of closing yourself off... *cries* I could literally talk about this fic forever, it's a problem, and this is why it's getting it's own little universe bc their story is demanding to be told!!!

Ty again to Variant for the tag 💖 I'm tagging @saturnskyline, @wisteria-daydreamer, @transwegath, @xhangkyuns and ofc anyone else who wants to participate ✨✨

[s-aint-elmo]

I LOVE THE WAY YOU DRAW FALIN SM like her body proportions and her nose especially. Also her eyebrows. And like, in comparison to Marcille… they look so good next to each other ty for the food 💕

WAAAAUGH TYSM!!! whenever i get into a new thing w a relatively simplified art style (face-wise, at least) it's always my great joy to start extrapolating on their faces and introducing more variety. the toudens immediately struck me as big nose and thick eyebrow havers that was non-negotiable bc i looove those facial features so much and it just felt right. and i also love that falin at the very least has broader shoulders and is bigger than other women we've seen, so you bet i'm taking that and running with it. (good practice for me too, bc i use myself as reference and i'm pretty small and skinny so that's how my characters default.) also marcille! she's elven so she gets delicate, conventionally attractive features and large eyes, but also i like to think she got a bit of her dad's rounder nose (girls who look like clones of their fathers unite) which sets her apart from other elves who are all sharper and leaner. (the resemblance to daddy donato is supported by canon but kui tends to default to a particular nose so i'm expanding on that.) i love giving existing character designs my own spin, so i am so so glad you like em as much as i do! 💖💖💖

SO HAPPY THAT YOU THINK FARCILLE LOOKS GOOD TOGETHER ALSO! i have a sketch page of them i'm holding off on until i finish the little comic i have attached and one of my favourite things about it is how much smaller marcille's hands are. so important to me. thank you dunmeshi new year's 2024 comic. i think maybe the height difference is only tangential to what you meant but i go a little insane over it so i need to mention it somewhere. anyway thank you for the great start to my day, mwah mwah!

[hongcherry]

pretty please (stay with me) || c.sc | 1

"After being assigned a fashion show for your big senior project, you set off to find volunteers to make it successful. However, when you meet Choi Seungcheol and his unfriendly clique through your volunteers, you realize they’re an unwanted package deal you can’t escape from. Can you handle Seungcheol's obnoxious friends, and can he handle your brash behavior?"

🍒 Pairing: businessMajor!Seungcheol x fashionMajor!Reader (f)

🍒 Rating/Genres/AUs: M(18+); Slice of life (!!!), slow burn, drama, fluff, angst; Unrequited enemies to lovers (lol), strangers to lovers, college au

🍒 Warnings: [general tw (won't be repeated in the other chapters)] reader has she/her pronouns (referred to as girl, miss), reader dresses really feminine, reader is not nice, character outfit descriptors, parent/family issues (marital problems), bullying | [chapter tw] “joke” that implies prostitution in a negative way, near car accident (rear end), brief mention of death thru a joke

🍒 WC: 14.8k

🍒 Betas: Huge shout out to my bae, @love-strike, for being with me throughout this whole process, for listening to me whine, for helping me brainstorm majors for OT13, and for being so supportive! tysm 😭 And thank you to @playmetheclassics, @here4kpopfics, @angelwoozi for also beta'ing this series! ty for your time and for your sweet feedback! i really cherish everyone's efforts and brains hehe 🥰💖 i understand this was not an easy task to take on.

🍒 Author's Note: HAPPIEST BIRTHDAY TO THE LOML, CHOI SEUNGCHEOL!!!!!!!!! 🎂♥️ I started this fic in September 2022 and contemplated even publishing it multiple times. I think this will be the first fic I've worked on for so long and published. Also, this is the longest fic I've ever written, so that's exciting! It was supposed to be one long one-shot, but I ended up writing way too much for a one-shot LOL. I'm really proud of myself for powering through and not abandoning it, as I've done in the past. I also wrote this all in past tense and spontaneously decided to change it to present 😪 Anyway, please enjoy the start of this couple's journey 😁

also read here: AO3 | Wattpad

seventeen masterlist | main masterlist

previous chapter \\ series masterpost // next chapter

When people say good students are those who arrive on time, you find it hard not to scoff. Professors should care more about how hard-working one is rather than if they show up on the dot.

Of course, you do try to make it on time, but can you really leave your house looking less than perfect? Absolutely not. Plus, the first fifteen minutes usually consist of professors getting set up for their classes, so you don’t feel like you are missing anything of importance.

Today is no different.

Ten minutes past the official class time, you stroll inside the room. Students are seated where they normally sit, some are on their phones, and others are trying to finish some last-minute homework assignments. It’s a fairly small class, and being in your senior year means everyone knows each other well. Although, most of the people in your class think ill of you and don’t talk to you.

At first, you thought it was a pity, but in the end, you realized you didn’t want to befriend those who would only talk shit behind your back. This is what you figured they did since they were never discreet when they exchanged whispers with their eyes glued to you. 

Luckily, you have at least one friend in the class. Quality over quantity, right?

“Right on time,” your friend, Dae, says with a sly smile when she spots you.

You chuckle and slide into the seat next to her. “Class started fifteen minutes ago.”

“It did, but you’re right on time for you,” she explains with a knowing grin.

“Guess I need to be more late from now on,” you tease as you take out your iPad.

The device is a holy grail to you. Majoring in fashion design means all your ideas and creations over the past few years are stored there. When you don’t have it, it’s stored in secret in your house. Maybe that’s a little excessive, but losing it would feel like losing a part of yourself. After all, art creations always include a part of the creator. The device almost feels like it’s an extension of yourself—something too personal for others to peek at.

Dae rolls her eyes. “Or you could come on time. That would be different.”

“Why would I? The first fifteen minutes are worthless,” you huff and open your notes.

“I wouldn’t quite say that,” Dae answers, sliding a piece of paper over. You glance down at it.

Prepare for the annual Senior Fashion Show! Students are to create their own fashion show with a theme of their choice. The show will be toward the end of the semester in the Main Theatre (official times and dates TBD). The project will count for 80% of your grade as this will require you to use all the skills you’ve acquired as a student. When creating your show, be sure to be mindful of the following…

“This was handed out at the beginning of class. Seems like we’re going to have to work with students from outside our department,” Dae comments after she gives you a few minutes to read everything.

So, this is it.

Every senior majoring in fashion design is required to participate. You attended every fashion show hosted during your time as a student here. You were always left in awe, motivated to be a student that would leave behind a name for themselves at the college. You want to inspire the next seniors just as the ones inspired you before.

While this assignment has your body giddy with excitement, there is a part you are dreading.

People skills are not your forte.

Not because you feel awkward talking to new people, but because the conversations always end unpleasantly. Sometimes with back-handed compliments, insults, or them trying to scold you. You hope that won’t be the case while recruiting volunteers.

“So, do we have the class period to start getting things together?” you question once you finish skimming through the instructions again. You’re responsible for a lot more elements than you anticipated. You need lighting, music, a theme, backstage helpers, hair and makeup artists, an advertiser, and most importantly, models. This is when you wish you had a large network. Though, every friend you tried to make didn’t end up lasting. Dae is the only person who has stuck by your side.

“Yup,” she replies. “We’ll be doing mini assignments throughout the semester to help us prepare. I think it’s just a way for Dr. Lim to give us grades so he doesn’t get in trouble.”

“Probably,” you sigh. You are already feeling stressed. Quickly, you scribble down a list of to-do’s in your notes.

“Do you have a theme in mind already?” Dae asks after a moment.

“No, do you?” you wonder.

Dae sits back in her chair, pen resting between her fingers. “I was thinking about something with space? Maybe my main colors will be blue, purple, and black.”

“Oh? Isn’t that what you’ve been doing, though? Don’t you want to try something different?”

Although the question is harmless, the tone of your voice must have rubbed Dae the wrong way. She closes her eyes, takes a deep breath, and then looks at you again.

“Think of it as branding, okay? Why does it bother you so much?” she wonders with a frown. Realizing your mistake, you inhale slowly.

“It doesn’t. I didn’t mean to sound rude. I’m sure your stage will do well,” you reply, forcing a small smile on your lips.

“No ‘sorry’?” Dae asks despite knowing it isn’t part of your favorite vocabulary.

You narrow your eyes at her. “Nope. Just don’t be so defensive next time.”

“You’re insufferable,” Dae answers. “One day, you will be sorry for your behavior.”

Shrugging, you say, “There’s always a chance, but maybe if the world wasn’t so insecure, saying sorry wouldn’t be so wanted.”

Dae exhales disapprovingly at your thought process, displeased with your reply. “Well, for now, maybe try to be more empathetic?”

“I have bigger things to worry about right now. For instance,” you start, a finger at the top of your to-do list, “I’ve got to find someone who can provide me with music.”

Fuck, it’s too loud in here.

The sounds of different instruments being played at once, all emitting different tunes, have a migraine bubbling in your head.

You make a beeline to the professor who is sitting in the corner. She is an older lady, evident by her wrinkles and gray hair. Yet, her features are soft, and the smile she gives you makes you feel at ease.

“Hello, miss, can I assist you?” she asks when you’re in hearing range.

“I didn’t mean to interrupt, but I was hoping you could help me with an assignment?” you wonder and offer her a kind smile, hoping she won’t shoo you away immediately.

“Ah, it’s alright. They’re just practicing for an upcoming assignment today. What is it you need, dear?”

“Who would you consider your best student? Is there a way you can get me in contact with them?”

The professor’s eyes widen slightly at the question. She didn’t expect that. Nevertheless, her gaze rises to scan the classroom.

“There,” she points as discreetly as she can. You follow her finger, which lands on a blonde-haired guy tuning his guitar. “Lee Jihoon. He’s the most talented student I’ve ever had.”

“This semester?” you ask out of curiosity.

The professor shakes her head. “Ever.”

You can’t stop the small disbelieving huff that escapes you. The best student ever? You aren’t sure how long she’s been teaching, but you doubt out of all her time, he is the best. He looks too young.

“Now, now, don’t judge a book by its cover,” she scolds gently. You have to force yourself not to roll your eyes at the phrase. You’ve heard it too many times that its meaning lost its effect on you.

“What makes him your best student?” you question, sight going back to the man who is oblivious to your stare. He sits next to another student who also has a guitar. They seem to be friends from the way they are laughing together.

“His work is versatile and very good. I’m positive he will be the perfect person for your project.” The way she speaks about him makes you believe her. There was no waver to her voice, and her eyes hold a fondness in them you know one can’t replicate if not genuine.

“How long until they have their assignment due?” you wonder, realizing you may have to wait until the class ends before you could talk to him.

The professor smiles. “I’ll let them have five more minutes so you can introduce yourself.”

Internally, you sigh in relief. You’re grateful you don’t have to wait.

“Thank you,” you say before strolling to the man.

As you near, his friend glances up. He’s mid-sentence when he spots you, eyes growing slightly at the sight of you. You’re used to getting looks like that. Your fashion is always dressier than the average college student's. People just aren’t used to it.

“Hi,” the brunette friend says. He has prince-like features, and you almost consider asking him to be one of your models. You give him a small grin out of politeness before turning to the whole reason you came over.

“Lee Jihoon?” you ask.

Jihoon’s mouth parts slightly in surprise. “Uh, y-yeah. Do I know you?”

“No. My name’s Yn. I have a project in a class and need someone to provide music for me. You won’t get paid, but any extra experience is always good, right?” you greet, not wanting to dance around the subject. After all, this is only the first of many on your to-do list.

“What major are you in?” he wonders, brows knitted in confusion.

“Fashion design,” you answer.

Jihoon is silent for a moment. “And how did you find me?”

This guy is more difficult than you wished. You just need him to say yes.

“I asked for the best student, and you were recommended. So, what do you say? Will you help me?”

Jihoon gives you a small smile, but something about it rubs you wrong. “Sorry, my plate is a little full right now—”

“Do you need money? I can give you some afterward.”

You try not to sound desperate. Lee Jihoon is not the only music major—this is obvious by the amount of noise you hear in the background.

But you never settle for less than the best.

You have been looking forward to this project since your college tour here. 

“It’s not that,” Jihoon chuckles awkwardly. “I have other assignments I have to practice for, but I’m sure there will be someone else to help you. There’s a lot of talented students her—”

“But they’re not the best,” you interrupt. What else can you offer him that will make him say yes?

“Well, being the best is subjective,” Jihoon counters, voice light so you know he doesn’t mean it rudely.

You open your mouth to bargain with him more, but his friend leans into his ear. The noise from the other instruments behind you makes it hard to hear what they are saying.

Patience is something you rarely have. The longer you stand there waiting, the more annoyed you get.

“Look, you have almost a full semester to get a song done by then. I’m sure you can find some tim—”

“Fine,” Jihoon grumbles as he shoves his friend away. “I’ll do it.”

“Oh,” you pause. You are fully prepared to go down the mental list of how helping you will help him in return. One that will be complete bullshit, but if it gets him to say yes, then so be it. Luckily, you don’t have to. 

“Great!” you say.

You aren’t going to give him time to back out, so you quickly retrieve a business card you had made from your purse. It’s easier to exchange contact information, and you never know when you may run into someone important. Being in an artistic field means competition. You always need to have an eye out for something, or someone, that will help you get your name out there.

“Here’s my number. Please contact me before the day ends.”

Jihoon takes the card and examines it. “Got it. What kind of music will you need?”

“I’m not sure yet, but I’ll let you know,” you reply. He nods in response.

“I look forward to hearing your music. I’ll talk to you later then,” you say.

You have half a heart to wish them both luck on their assignment, but part of you is a little petty that Jihoon put you through some trouble. Instead, you give them a wave before turning on your heel.

As you’re leaving, you hear a loud sigh followed by a laugh from behind you. 

“Shut up, Shua,” Jihoon groans before the professor calls everyone’s attention.

Music, check. Now, what’s next?

As you make your way down the hallway, you stumble across Dae. She is surrounded by two other male students, none of whom you know. You don’t plan to greet her since she seems busy, but the sound of your heels clicking against the tile catches her attention.

“Yn!” she calls out cheerfully.

You halt in your tracks, turning to see her smiling at you. She gestures for you to come over, so you do.

“Hey,” you say to her.

“How’s your project going?” she asks.

“I got someone to help me with music,” you reply, then glance behind her to see the two guys staring at you. Dae follows your gaze and makes a small “oh!”

“Is that all? Do you have anyone for advertising or graphics?” Dae wonders, her voice seemingly excited.

“I don’t,” you answer hesitantly. Her eagerness has you worried.

“Perfect!” she exclaims, then turns to the others. “This is Yejun and Jeonghan. They’re both advertising majors. Yejun agreed to help me with my project, but Jeonghan,” she pauses to address the man. He has blonde hair that goes past his eyes. His soft features are handsome and almost angelic. 

“Jeonghan, would you mind helping my friend with hers? She’s super talented.”

Jeonghan glances at you, but before he can say anything, you ask him, “What are your skills? Do you have some work I could see first?”

Jeonghan looks taken aback. “O-oh, I don’t have a portfolio yet, sorry.”

“Ah, that’s fine,” you say before looking at Dae. “Thanks for trying to help me, but I’ll find someone else.”

Dae’s eyes narrow at you. “Come on, Yn. Jeonghan is really good!”

“Didn’t you just meet him?” you question and try to stop the scoff that threatens to escape.

“Well, yes, but Yejun has been my friend for a while, and I’ve seen his work. Yejun and Jeonghan have worked together as well, and their creations are unique!”

You inhale deeply, eyes roaming from your friend to Jeonghan. He offers you a smile.

“What your friend said,” Jeonghan replies with a small chuckle.

“Trust me on this,” Dae says. “Jeonghan won’t disappoint you.”

You don’t feel at ease agreeing to someone blindly. Dae’s definition of “really good” could be different from yours. Although her work is good, you feel your standards are way above hers. You had planned to ask for the best student for each assigned task, so having been offered a random helper with no proof of their credentials is unnerving. 

Granted, you haven’t heard Jihoon’s work, but you were sold on the way the professor spoke about him. Dae, on the other hand, is not a professor and could be biased as Yejun is her friend. Though, you still have a lot more positions to fill, and you need to do so soon.

Sighing, “Fine. You can work with me.”

From the way you word your sentence, it’s almost as if Jeonghan is supposed to jump up and down with glee. He doesn’t.

You grab another business card from your purse and hand it to Jeonghan. He takes it slowly.

“Just so you know, I have the right to replace you with someone else if I see your work isn’t fit,” you warn as Jeonghan slips the card into his pocket.

His eyes lock on yours. “That won’t be necessary,” he answers, not bothered by your comment.

“Oh?” you wonder and quirk an eyebrow up.

“Hm. You also need graphics, right? I have a person for that as well,” Jeonghan says.

“I haven’t seen their work yet—”

“You’re not very trusting, huh?” Jeonghan observes with a laugh. You shift your weight on one hip, not liking the way he is trying to tell you about your personality when he doesn't know you.

“I just know what I want, and I won’t settle,” you answer sharply.

Dae huffs next to you and gives you a gentle shove, indicating you to ease up. That isn’t going to happen.

Jeonghan doesn’t reply and instead takes out his phone. His fingers dance around the screen for a minute before he turns the device for you to see. On the screen is an Instagram account with various posts of different art and graphic pieces. Your eyes drift to the username. by_xuminghao_o. His art is impressive and definitely not an amateur like you half expected.

“So, about not settling,” Jeonghan trails off, a hint of a cocky smirk on his lips.

“I expect you both to contact me before the day ends,” is all you respond with.

Jeonghan pockets his phone and nods. He seems content with your answer even though you don’t confess the art meets your standards.

“All good then?” Dae asks, glancing between you two.

“We’re good,” Jeonghan replies and gives you another smile of his—one you are starting to hate seeing. There is just something about it that seems like he knows more things than you in a cocky, condescending way.

Yejun glances at his watch and then nudges Jeonghan.

“Thanks, ladies, but we have a class to attend. Nice to meet you, Yn,” Yejun says.

You hum in response while turning away from them. Dae says her goodbyes, watching as they leave before putting her focus on you.

“Do you have to be so picky?” she sighs.

“As I said, I know what I want. I’ve waited to do this project for years. It has to be perfect,” you explain and pull out your iPad. You check off music and advertising from your to-do list. Graphics aren’t listed, but you figure it will be a nice addition.

“I understand, but—”

“Just focus on your project, and I’ll focus on mine, okay?” you interrupt. You don’t feel like hearing her lecture you for a second time today.

“Alright,” Dae answers. “I’ll see you around,” she says, walking away before you can say anything else.

With her back turned, you roll your eyes at her attitude. It has your mood lowering, and you conclude you’re done with human interaction for now. You carefully place your iPad back in your bag, then make a beeline to the parking lot, ready to go home to figure out a theme for your show.

Home is somewhere you don’t enjoy being.

It always has this melancholy cloud looming over you. You can never seem to get rid of it completely. Even on the good days, it lingers in the corner of the room, always threatening to float above you. You doubt it will ever dissipate.

Your back is against the headboard of your bed, your iPad resting against your legs that are pulled to your chest. The music playing is too low for your liking, but you know if it’s any louder, your father will scold you for the high volume. Sometimes you will raise it just to get him to talk to you. Though today is not one of those days. You want to be left alone for once, which isn't usually too hard to do unless your sister needs attention. Like now.

“Today is the last day. Pleaseeee, Yn!” your sister whines at the foot of your bed. Her small body is bouncing with desperation and eagerness.

Reluctantly, you flicker your gaze up at her. The slight scowl on your face doesn’t seem to faze her… Probably because she’s seen it so much.

“Can’t you see I’m busy?” you exasperate, gesturing to your iPad.

Seoah frowns. “When are you not? Come on! It’ll take, like, ten minutes. I’ve been looking forward to getting a Fallin’ Flower frap for months! You know it’s a seasonal drink.”

“Didn’t Dad say you couldn’t have any more sweets?” you say and peer down at your iPad again. You’re in the middle of brainstorming themes for your show. There are various words within bubbles, each connected with a line.

“I’ll just get a small,” she explains. When you don’t move, she walks around the bed to stand next to you. Her voice becomes softer, sadder. “You said you would take me. Dad can’t.”

“That was before I got assigned this project. It’s my—”

“Senior project that you’ve been looking forward to since your freshman year, yeah, I got it,” she responds, reciting what you’ve told her before.

You finally look at her once more. “I’ll take you for the next seasonal drinks, okay? They’re probably better anyway.”

“But I really want a Fallin’ Flower,” Seoah pouts.

“Next year,” you offer and return your attention to your homework.

“Yn—”

“Next year,” you repeat firmly without looking up.

Seoah pauses in her begging. You think she’s going to continue, but you hear the soft padding of her feet as she moves.

“Oh, Seoah?” you call out, glancing up.

She pauses by your door and looks up with some hope in her eyes.

“Don’t forget to shut the door all the way.”

“Right,” she mutters slowly, then leaves the room. You wait until you hear the door click close prior to getting back to work.

You sit on your bed the remainder of the day, only getting up to cook dinner for your father and sister. Your eyes feel strained and your body weak, but the sooner you pick a theme, the sooner you can get started. 

It’s days like these when your body is mentally and physically exhausted, that you miss your mom. You try not to think too much about her as it only makes the gloomy cloud above your head darker. 

Is she happier? Surely, she is. She is living her dream as a traveling journalist. Sometimes you will see her adventures if you peep at her social media. It’s self-torture to do so, but curiosity gets the best of you. You hope one day you’ll have the willpower to block all her accounts. 

At this point, you’re having the same conversation you have with yourself once a month. It never ends the way you want.

Inhaling deeply, you finish plating all the food before calling your family for dinner. While your father eats in his office, needing to continue his work, you and your sister eat in silence in the dining room.

Maybe one day things will change, but for now, you’ll have to settle with this.

You are about to knock on the door a second time when no one answers it. You have allotted only an hour for this meeting, so the longer you wait outside, the more you grow impatient. You have set mini-deadlines throughout the semester to ensure you will complete this assignment in a timely manner. You just hope your recruitees aren't going to slow you down.

Suddenly, the door is yanked open. Jeonghan stands on the other side, hair a little damp and a few wet spots on his shirt.

“Sorry about that,” he says hastily. “I thought I could shower quicker.”

“I told you eleven o’clock,” you scold. Jeonghan simply smiles.

“Never hurts to give people some wiggle room. Plus, aren’t you the early one?” Jeonghan leans back to view something. He looks at you after a few seconds. “It’s only three minutes past.”

“Early is on time,” you say as if that is an obvious life choice. Although you’re never really on time for classes, you reason that to be because the first fifteen minutes are a waste of time. This, on the other hand, is not. “Invite me in?”

Jeonghan moves aside and lets you enter. His apartment is tidy for the most part. It seems as if he had started to clean up but gave up toward the end.

“Where’s Minghao?” you wonder when you saw you were the only one here. He’s supposed to be here with Jeonghan, so you can all go over the advertising designs.

“He called and said he hit some traffic. Have a seat anywhere; I’m going to grab my laptop,” he instructs before jogging to another room. Shaking your head in disappointment, you glance around again.

Spotting his couch, you walk over and make yourself comfortable. You take out your iPad and open what you have so far—color ideas, font ideas, and a few mock-up fashion designs. It has been two weeks since you last saw Jeonghan. The majority of your tasks have already been assigned to people, but you still have to find a few more models.

“Alright, so, what’s the theme?” Jeonghan asks when he comes back. He sits down next to you, causing you to bounce slightly from his weight.

You angle your screen, so he can see it easier. “I decided on the four elements—water, ice, air, and earth. The title right now is Pinwheel.”

“This gives us multiple color options,” Jeonghan examines. “Maybe we could have five designs. One for each element and then one with all of them? That would give you a variety of exposure and make the audience feel they’re not looking at the same promo material every time.”

You sit still as you ponder his suggestion. “You don’t think people will get confused seeing different designs?”

“We can make it all tie in some way. You have your own logo, as I saw on your card. We can use that and the same fonts.”

“Okay,” you say slowly. “That sounds—”

A knock on the door stops you.

“Ah, that must be Minghao. Do you mind getting that? I’m going to get my notepad, so I can try to sketch some layouts.”

You nod, setting your iPad down next to his laptop, then walking to the entrance.

“You’re late,” you groan while you pull open the door.

“Oh? Am I?” the person says with a little playful smile on his lips.

Although you’ve never met Minghao, you have seen pictures of him on his Instagram. You expected to see a head of blue hair, but you are greeted with black. Instead of a narrow face, his is slightly wider. He wears an oversized white shirt, jeans, and a colorful necklace. He looks like every other college student. Sure, he’s more handsome than the average, but not by much. Behind him are two women and one man.

“Can I help you?” you exhale a disheartened sigh when you conclude it isn’t Minghao. Meaning, he’s even later than you wished for.

The guy chuckles. “I doubt it, but Jeonghan can. Is he here?”

His voice is slightly deep. You may have found him soothing to listen to if it wasn't for his irksome words.

“He’s busy right now. You can come back in an hour, though,” you instruct and start to close the door. You don’t need any distractions.

The man sticks his foot out to stop you, causing you to exhale annoyed when you can’t get rid of him. You open the door slightly again.

“Just tell him I’m here,” he says, his teasing tone not so visible anymore but still light enough to not sound too rude.

“And who are you?” you question apathetically.

“Jesus,” someone hisses behind him before shouting, “Jeonghan, come here!”

Your eyes gaze past the man to see a woman with short-length dark hair. She eyes you haughtily, hand on the man’s forearm as if she were to push him away. Though she never does. She takes in your attire, and you once again get a look of judgment at your choice of dress. Your white dress paired with a same-colored, opened button down and beaded chain around your hips is apparently not her style.

“What’s going on?” Jeonghan asks behind you. Reluctantly, you move aside so he can see. “Oh, Seungcheol! Right. One second. Come on in. I’ll get those papers for you.”

“Actually, do they need to come in? They’re not staying long,” you say quickly before any of them can move.

“Relax, princess, he’s just being friendly. You know, like when someone is kind, thoughtful, and considerate?” the girl questions as if you’re dumb and makes her way inside despite you standing close to the door. It forces you to move over. 

Her friends follow along. Three of them stand in the living room, while the second guy sits at the kitchen bar before pulling out his phone. You watch them with a fire inside your chest. Not only are Jeonghan and Minghao late, you now have to deal with this obstacle.

Just as you’re shutting the door, you see a glimpse of blue down the hall. Finally.

“You’re late,” you repeat, but to the correct person this time.

“I know, I’m sorry! Oh, are they helping too?” Minghao says, pausing at the entry when he sees the group of people inside.

“No. Get in,” you huff and point a finger in the apartment. Minghao enters without a fight.

“Hao!” the second girl exclaims with a smile.

Great. Do they all know each other?

“Hi, Hana,” Minghao greets with a gentle grin.

“What are you doing here?” Hana wonders.

“I’m helping Yn with her project,” he answers and gestures to you while you shut the door.

Hana looks your way, and you can see the distaste in her expression; however, she doesn’t say anything.

Jeonghan walks out of his room with a folder in his hand. “I hope this is what you need,” he tells the first man—Seungcheol, you presume.

Seungcheol smiles and takes it from him. He flips open the folder, doing a quick glance through the papers inside.

“Looks great,” he says. “Thanks for getting these for me.”

“Of course,” Jeonghan replies.

“Hannie, do you want to come to Shining Diamond with us this weekend?” the first girl asks, tilting her head in a way that appears as if she’s begging for a yes.

“Ah, this weekend?” he hesitates. “I have a test on Monday I was going to study for.”

“A few hours won’t hurt you,” she replies.

“Alright, Hajun, but only for an hour or so,” Jeonghan says with a not-so-stern voice.

“Great! Minghao, do you want to come, too?” Hajun asks.

Minghao shrugs. “I’ve got nothing else, so sure.”

Hajun grins widely. Her eyes go past Minghao to see you standing in the corner, your arms crossed and eyes staring daggers at everyone.

She doesn’t say anything, but her look tells you you aren’t invited. As if you are silently begging to join. The thought makes you scoff quietly.

“Cool. You all scheduled your weekends,” you start and walk back to the couch. You turn briefly to Seungcheol, who is eyeing you already. “And you got your things. Can we please continue?”

Your gaze shifts to Jeonghan at your question. He offers you an apologetic look before nodding.

“I’ll see you all this weekend. You can text me the time,” he says while walking to the door.

“We can decide that now,” Hana suggests.

“Or over text like Jeonghan said,” you interject. She narrows her eyes at you.

“Be patient. It’ll only take a few minutes,” she replies.

A few minutes, my ass.

“I’d rather you use those minutes to walk out the door.” You give her a faux smile.

“Have some respect,” Hajun scolds.

You laugh though you don’t find any of this humorous. “What a hypocrite. How about you respect people’s times?”

“I did tell Yn I’d help her,” Jeonghan cuts in sheepishly and opens the door to hint at them to leave. “I’ll text you all later, or you guys can come back in a bit.”

Seungcheol’s gaze lingers on yours as he walks toward the door. Your eyes catch on his as he makes his way into your line of sight. His stare has an unsettling feeling form in your stomach, and you contemplate asking what his problem is. Before you can, he turns to Jeonghan.

“Thanks again,” he says as he lifts the folder.

“No problem. Talk to you later,” Jeonghan replies.

All his friends have filed out except for the one male who hasn’t said a word. He glances at you. You expect to receive another jab about who knows what. Instead, he gestures at your body.

“Nice chains,” he compliments with a smile.

Your eyes widen slightly as you glance down briefly at your outfit. That was certainly unexpected. “Uh, thanks.”

“Come on, Vernon!” Hana yells from the doorway. Vernon gives you a thumbs up, which is uncanny given the situation, then follows his friends out the door.

Once they leave, you narrow your gaze at Jeonghan and Minghao. They’re quick to apologize again and start asking questions about your project before you can lecture them. Lucky for them, your hour is almost up, so there isn't enough time to do that anyway.

Weeks go by with you working nonstop on your project. Annoyingly, you also realize that the majority of the people you recruited to help all know each other. It usually isn’t something to be irritated by, but each time they run into each other, they usually end up making small talk that you have to break up. They can do that on their time, not yours. Even more frustrating is that this so-called Seungcheol and his groupies know them all as well. Their reactions to seeing you are always the same—ones of displeasure. Though the feeling is mutual.

You learn they are all business majors, except for Vernon. Well, he was a business major, but he plans to switch to something else. You can’t blame him. If all the business majors act revolting, you would leave that department as well.

Seungcheol… He isn’t as bad. 

You have only ever hung out with him by himself for less than five minutes. Those conversations spur when you’re both left alone after one of your “mutual friends,” because none of these people are your actual friends, abandon you both. The conversations are awkward and never hold any weight. He doesn’t throw snide remarks at you, but his presence still makes you uneasy with the possibility. You’re normally the first to leave because of that. Maybe if he didn’t have those obnoxious friends, you could tolerate him more. You can’t help but associate him with them though. You simply want to get away from them, even if that includes him. Not that you are craving his presence anyway. You barely know him and aren’t interested in changing that.

“Those are looking awesome so far!” Dae exclaims when she peers over your shoulder to see your sketches.

You smile at her and set your iPad down on the table. The weather outside is perfect, given the cool breezes in the heat. It eases your mind, and you feel more creative being in a new environment.

“Thanks, how are yours coming along?” you question and wait for her to angle her own iPad to you. On the screen are various designs, each with a hint of purple or blue.

“Those are neat,” you compliment.

“Yeah?” she says and beams at you. “What about this one? I think the shoulder looks a little weird.”

You reach over, using two fingers to zoom in on the screen to examine it.

“Maybe just lower this,” you gesture on the screen, careful as to not move the screen on accident. “You could take this part out too and make it asymmetrical.”

Dae hums, lips pursed in thought. “I’ll try it. I guess I won’t really know until it’s on someone.”

You nod in agreement before focusing on your designs again. After a while, Dae excuses herself from your homework session. She had planned to meet with one of her helpers. You bid her a quick goodbye.

Ten minutes pass when you see someone standing in front of your table, blocking your sunlight. Your eyes rise to see who it is.

“Hi,” Seungcheol greets.

You straighten your posture upon seeing him. He wears a basic navy suit that fits him well. To your surprise, it actually looks decent on him. Your eyes dart around him to see if any of his friends came.

“Just me this time,” he answers the question in your head.

“What is it you need?” you ask blankly.

“Must I need something?” he retorts.

You suppress the eye roll you want to give him. “Well, I’m sure you didn’t come here to tell me about your day.”

“I can if you want,” he responds, then to your utter dread, he sits down across from you. From the position he is sitting at, the breeze is blowing his hair forward and into his face. He raises a hand to push it back, but it’s no use.

“You can spare me. Tell me what you want and go,” you instruct. This is the first time he has approached you—and alone, for that matter. You don’t want to make it a regular thing.

“Always straight to the point,” he chuckles.

“I just don’t like my time being wasted,” you explain.

“So, I’m wasting your time now?” His eyebrow quirks up.

“Should I spell it out for you?” you scoff. It should be obvious that you don’t feel like talking to him.

“You can try, but do you know how to spell it?” he stares at you through the hair on his face. Even though you can’t see him clearly, you can tell he has a challenging gleam in his eyes.

“At this point, I think you just came to bother me,” you sulk.

He smirks at you. “I didn’t, but it is a little fun to see your feathers ruffled.”

“They’re perfectly content being unruffled.”

Seungcheol chuckles at your response. He pushes his hair back, but this time he rests his hand against his head, keeping his hair in place. His elbow is propped on the table while his other arm lays flat on the surface. 

All the times you have seen him, his hair has covered part of his forehead. Now, it’s all exposed, and you feel you can see him. Maybe it’s because he’s donning a suit for once, but he looks almost… handsome like this—dressed formally with a small glint in his eyes and his lips spread in a gentle smile.

“Where’s the fun in that?” he replies. “I think you need to have more fun.”

Well, he was handsome until he opened his mouth.

“I don’t need a stranger telling me how to live my life,” you say.

“A stranger? I would think we’re at least acquaintances,” he frowns.

“You only see me because your friends are helping me. Speaking of, is that why you’re here? Does it have anything to do with one of them?”

Seungcheol bites his bottom lip, and you can’t stop your eyes from lowering to his mouth.

“Maybe,” he answers slowly. Your eyes snap back to his when he speaks. He gives you a knowing smile that has you shifting in your seat. You had only looked at his lips because he brought attention to them. Nothing more.

“Are we playing twenty questions?” you groan, finally unleashing the eye roll you have been trying not to do.

“We can,” Seungcheol says with a shrug. “You asked three already—more if you start from the time I sat down.”

Exhaling a deep breath, you put your forehead on the hand that’s propped on the table. The conversation is slowly draining your energy. The need to be alone becomes stronger with each second.

“Seungcheol,” you warn. You are not about to play a guessing game with this man. “Please.”

“Oh, so that word is in your vocabulary.”

“Yes. Would you like me to use it in a sentence?” you question, pitch raised as if you’re talking to a toddler. You lift your head to glare at him.

“Sure,” he smirks and leans forward. He still holds his hair back and this time, you can really see the way he is goading you.

“Please fuck off,” you grin widely. Your head tilts to the side as you push your arms together to act overly cute.

“Please make me,” he counters. The smirk he wears is still plastered on his lips.

“If we weren’t in public, I would,” you say, voice returning to normal as you relax your body—the cute act over.

“Oh? How?” he chuckles. From the way he looks at you, you know his mind has gone elsewhere.

You push at the arm that is stretched across the table. “Because I would rather not get caught for murder, you pervert.”

Seungcheol laughs and sits back, letting his hair fall back into his eyes. It’s the first time you notice he has dimples. Your first impression is that they are cute, but you quickly recall who they belonged to and shove that thought from your mind.

“Seokmin wanted to let you know he lost your card,” he finally discloses. “Asked if you could give him another.”

“If he lost a simple card, is he really reliable?” you sigh as you grab another from your purse.

“The good news is those stage lights are so big, he won’t be able to lose those,” he says, taking the card from your hand.

“Thankfully,” you mutter. “I hope you’re better than Seokmin at not losing things.”

“I’ll get this to him, don’t worry,” he replies and puts the card in his suit jacket. You want to ask why he is wearing that, but that will mean you will prolong this conversation. Fortunately for you, he starts to stand up before you succumb to the temptation.

“Thanks for the talk,” he says as if you had a choice. “I’ll see you around.”

You would have doubted that, but you know that won’t be true.

The second time Seungcheol approaches you by himself is a few days later when he catches you exiting a building he is approaching.

“Don’t tell me someone else lost my card as well,” you say after he calls your name. You readjust your bag on your shoulder as you wait for his response.

“About that,” he starts sheepishly.

You put your weight on one hip and cross your arms, and set your mouth in a straight line. You wait for him to tell you who is the perpetrator.

“I may have left your card in my suit jacket when I washed it.”

Well, that explains why you haven’t received a message from Seokmin yet.

“Seriously, Seungcheol?” you exasperate.

“I didn’t do it on purpose!” he says, lips pouting and eyebrows angled.

Shaking your head, you retrieve another card. You make a mental note to restock later as you are running out.

Seungcheol reaches out to grab it from you, but you quickly pull back.

“Put this in your bag,” you instruct. 

You slowly give him the card and watch as he slings his bag around to his front. He makes a show of unzipping one of the front pockets and sliding it inside.

“Done,” he says, acting like he should be rewarded for doing as he was told.

“Good. Is that all?” you wonder. You’ve just finished your last class of the day, and all you want to do is climb into bed.

“Yes.”

Seeing no need to continue the conversation, you start walking in the direction of the parking lot.

“Great. Bye, Seungcheol,” you say over your shoulder.

“Hey, wait,” he says quickly, walking briskly to be by your side. “We’re going in the same direction.”

You peer up at him momentarily. “That doesn’t mean we have to walk together.”

“You said before we’re strangers. This would help us not be that anymore,” he shrugs casually.

“I never said I wanted that,” you reply flatly.

“It might benefit us since we’ll have to see each other a lot.”

“Is that so?” you sigh sadly.

Seungcheol smiles at you before shoving his hands in his pockets. “You did ask my friends to help you.”

“Well, if I knew you were a package deal, I wouldn’t have.”

“Come on. I’m not that bad.”

Sighing, you slow your steps to look at him better. He stops next to you, awaiting your response. His gaze is hopeful, but you’re not sure why.

“I’ll agree if you leave me alone,” you finally say.

Seungcheol’s lips dip in a frown. “I’ll get you to admit it one day.”

He starts to walk again before you can reply. Now is your chance to let him get a few feet from you. You have the opportunity to finally end this conversation you’ve been dreading. Though, for some strange reason, your feet quickly move on their own accord.

Seungcheol’s steps are small, and you catch up with him easily. Neither of you says a word, but you can see a hint of a smile on his lips.

Instead of parting ways once you reach the parking lot, he follows you to your car. Something about it being dangerous for you to walk to it alone, even though it’s light out.

“Yn?” he says to catch your attention when you open your door. You turn and give a small “hm?” in response.

“My friends and I plan to go to this poetry lounge in two weeks. Would you want to come?” he asks. You aren’t sure why he appears to be anxious.

The shock you feel must be evident on your face because Seungcheol’s apprehensive expression relaxes into a gentle smile.

“Business friends or our ‘mutual ones’?” The idea doesn't sound so bad if you are hanging out with the people who are helping you. Although you have your issues with them, they aren’t that bad to be around if you’re being honest.

“Business.”

That’s not what you want to hear.

“Do your friends know you’re asking me this?”

Seungcheol shakes his head. “No, but I don’t need their permission. What do you say?”

You can’t recall being invited to a night out with someone other than Dae. If you were to go out without Dae, it would be with your family or for a class assignment. To be invited to a place by Seungcheol, out of all people, catches you off guard.

Despite having an opportunity for a different change of pace, you answer, “No.”

“No?” he asks, perplexed.

“Your friends don’t like me, Seungcheol,” you explain matter-of-factly through a sigh, leaning against your open door.

“They just like to tease you. I’ll talk to them before,” he explains. 

Tease is a funny way to describe it, you think.

“I don’t need you fighting my battles,” you answer, referring to the latter part of his reply.

“Still. I want you to enjoy yourself. You’ve probably been glued to that project of yours. Step away for a bit,” he reasons.

He isn’t wrong. Your focus has solely been on the project. Of course, you have other classes, but you aren’t putting as much effort into them as you are this one.

“I’ll pick you up and pay for any expenses,” he offers. The more he talks, the more taken aback you are. You figured he’d drop the offer once you rejected him. From every interaction you’ve had with these “friends,” it never ends well. You doubt this will be any different. Regardless, something in you feels a little… honored he is so adamant about getting you to come.

Thus, hesitantly, “Fine.”

Seungcheol’s face breaks out in a grin. “Okay. I can give you my number, so you can text me your address.”

He starts to pull out his phone, but you stop him.

“No need,” you say. At Seungcheol’s confused expression, you continued with a faint smile, “You have my card.”

His mouth opens briefly in realization before the corners are pulled up.

“One step ahead, I see,” he teases, pulling it out to inspect it as if confirming your number is there. You suppose he may think you’re lying to get out of going.

“I’ll text you then,” he concludes and places the card back.

“Alright,” you say, shifting your weight. You aren’t sure if he wants to say anything else. Why are you giving him the time to? You have already given him enough of it.

Sensing your readiness to leave, he waves as he slowly takes steps backward. “Drive safely, Yn.”

“You too, Seungcheol.”

You climb into your car’s seat, turn on the engine, and watch as he makes his way through the maze of cars until he is out of sight.

That Friday comes sooner than you would’ve liked.

Throughout the times you had met with your “friends,” you had bumped into Seungcheol one-third of the time. Sometimes, you were left alone with him again. Each interaction you had with him became easier the more you talked to him. 

Dare you to admit; his presence wasn’t actually teeth-gritting anymore? At least when he was alone, you didn’t have to deal with his business friends. Despite him not usually laughing at their jokes, he never really stepped in to stop them teasing you at first. Maybe only a few times when he felt things got too heated. He wasn’t your best friend, but part of you did hope he would’ve said something. 

Each time he didn’t, you felt your disappointment rise. He apologized on their behalf constantly, but his apology meant nothing when they kept insulting you. However, lately, he has been stepping in sooner. Although you didn’t want him fighting your battles initially, some things you couldn’t do alone. One thing you and his business friends had in common was that no one really knew where the sudden change of attitude came from. For once, you didn’t complain, though.

You’re tempted to cancel this outing, but talking to Seungcheol a few days ago made you realize he was a little more excited than he was letting on. The reason is unknown to you—maybe he really likes poetry lounges—but you’d feel slightly guilty if you ditch last minute.

It’s not like you haven’t been out on a Friday night with people, yet your heart is beating rapidly in your chest. You have changed about six times, exchanging your accessories with each outfit. Normally, you would dress up more, but these aren’t your friends you’re about to hang out with. They are Seungcheol’s—business majors who think skirts more than two inches above the knees mean you’re a slut. Though, you can’t figure out why that matters. You never dress with the thoughts of others. If you want to wear something that day, even if it’s “over-the-top” for some, you wear it. So, why are you in such a fashion dilemma now?

In the end, you settle for a simple, spaghetti-strapped red dress that is slightly bunched on the sides with strings that are tied in bows. You pair it with a small, heart-shaped purse and white heels. There isn’t any bling in your outfit, which is unusual for you. The accessories you wear are minimal and small. They are a matching cherry set you were gifted by your mother on your 12th birthday. Although it’s been years since you received them, they’re still wearable and delicate enough not to call much attention—unlike some of your other accessories. 

You reach for a white fur jacket only to stop when your fingers graze it. Your eyes travel to yourself in the mirror as you debate on wearing it. The jacket will be too much, you conclude.

The buzzing of your phone catches your attention. It’s Seungcheol telling you he’s five minutes away. After stuffing your phone in your purse, you quickly apply red lipstick and toss it in your purse for later touch-ups.

When your phone buzzes again, you hurry to your front door. Your family is home, and you don’t want Seungcheol to meet them. Life at home isn’t ideal, and the only person who has a hint of what is going on is Dae. You doubt Seungcheol will find that out from one quick meeting, but you don’t want to risk it.

You throw your door open, ready to meet him at his car. Instead, he stands in front of you with a hand raised. He takes a step back in surprise. His eyes glide down your body quickly, but you’re too concerned about your family coming to notice.

“Oh, hey,” he greets. “I was just about to knock.”

Before any of your family can intervene, you close the door and start your way down the porch steps. Seungcheol follows you.

“You didn’t have to. I can make my way to your car by myself,” you answer. Although you’ve never been in his car before, you’ve seen it around. Plus, it’s the only unknown vehicle near your home.

You stand next to the passenger door and wait for him to unlock it, arms wrapped around your body when the chilly weather hits you.

“You sure you don’t want a jacket?” he asks when he notices you didn’t bring one.

“It didn’t go with my outfit,” you explain. It’s a lie. The coat did go with your fit, but you didn’t feel like disclosing the fashion crisis you had gone through.

Seungcheol chuckles. “So, you’re going to freeze instead?”

“It’s not that cold,” you lie again.

“It’ll get colder later, though,” he explains and comes closer to you. You step aside when he is a few inches from you. You press your arms tighter around you, eyes averting from his because of his close proximity. The small distance has you wanting to squirm away, but your feet can’t move. He peers at you with a small smile while he reaches behind you.

“My lady,” he murmurs when he pulls the door open and gestures for you to get inside.

“How chivalrous,” you reply after you force your nervousness away. You carefully slide inside his car, situating yourself comfortably in the seat.

Seungcheol waits to ensure you have all your limbs inside before shutting the door. As he walks around to the other side, your eyes scan his car. The seats are leather, and the interior has higher tech than you thought it would. It is a nice car—not overly luxurious, but enough to show it isn’t cheap. It makes you wonder how much it costs.

“You warm enough?” Seungcheol questions after he gets in and buckles.

“Yeah,” you reply quietly, hands resting awkwardly in your lap. The heat from the vents aids in your goosebumps disappearing.

Your mind is already wondering what to expect tonight. You know his friends aren’t fond of you. At least most of them. That guy, Vernon, seems nice enough. He is the quiet one in the group; however, you did notice he has his own quirks that make him unique. You foresee yourself hanging out with him most tonight. But even then, you don’t feel too great about going.

The longer you sit in Seungcheol’s car, the more you regret agreeing to this.

He stares at you for a moment; brows knitted together slightly. You feel uncanny acting so meek, and Seungcheol can't help but notice.

Silence consumes the small area for a few seconds until Seungcheol says, “Seatbelt.”

You look at him confused, then realize he is talking to you. Of course he is, who else?

“Right,” you mumble, quickly pulling the belt over your body.

“You don’t have to come, you know?” he says with one hand on the steering wheel while the other is on the gear stick.

You sigh and gesture to the road ahead. “Let’s just get going. I’ve got stuff to do after.”

It isn’t completely a lie. You still have to work on bringing your designs to life for the show, but it isn’t like you are behind schedule that you need to do that tonight. You just know you might actually back out if you ponder on leaving more.

Seungcheol bites his bottom lip, averting his focus to the road. He doesn’t reply and obliges to your request by shifting the car into drive.

During the ride, your gaze drifts to Seungcheol. He is relaxed in his seat. One arm stretches to hold the wheel while his other rests on his thigh. One which is clad in a pair of light-washed jeans with a black belt between the jean loops. He wears a white shirt tucked in and a black jacket.

You peer forward slightly to read what his shirt says. Propriety of Balenciaga? The Balenciaga? You don’t think he’s wealthy enough to afford one of those shirts. Perhaps it was a gift or a knock-off brand? Maybe he thrifted it… Though, Seungcheol doesn’t seem like the thrifting type.

“Do you need this?” he asks, breaking you out of your thoughts. He’s holding his jacket open to show you what he means. You must’ve been staring too much.

“No, I’m okay,” you say and turn your attention away quickly. “I just didn’t realize you wore glasses.”

Although the comment is true, you need something to say before he questions why you truly are staring at him. You had noticed the spectacles earlier but didn’t feel like mentioning them.

Seungcheol laughs lightly, “Actually, I don’t. I just thought I’d try to improve my fashion. What do you say, did it work?”

He glances at you after stopping at a traffic light; his mouth quirks up in a teasing smile. You turn toward him and scan his face quickly. They do look good on him, but you aren’t going to tell him that.

“They certainly did something, but whether that effect is good or bad is a secret,” you reply, looking away again.

“I’ll take that as you not wanting to admit they look nice on me,” Seungcheol says and continues driving at the green light.

“I think they’d look better on someone else,” you answer. Though, you don’t believe what you said. Something about the glasses on him has you wanting to stare at him more. They fit his face well and make him appear more attractive. You don’t want to sit on that thought for much longer.

“Is that so? Here,” he says, pulling them off his face. The glasses come into your view, and you stare at him, puzzled. 

When you don’t take them, he adds, “They won’t bite.”

You roll your eyes at his comment and finally grab them from his grasp. You pull down his sun visor to look at yourself. After sliding on the spectacles, you turn your head from side to side to see the different angles.

“I think I was right. They do look better on someone else,” you tease and face him as you shut the visor. Seungcheol turns to you at your reply.

His eyes wander across your face, a hint of a smile appearing on his lips.

“Maybe I’ll have to agree with you this one time,” he says. His stare lingers on yours so much that it has you shifting in your seat. When you avert your gaze, your eyes widen.

“Cheol!” you shout as he was about to rear-end another car. Instinctively, he shoots an arm out across your chest that has your back pressing firmly against the seat. The sudden act causes you to reach up and grab onto his arm tightly.

The car screeches as it comes to a sudden halt. Luckily in time to not hit the other car.

You both sit still, breathing intensified at the near accident. After a few seconds, Seungcheol retracts his arm. It’s then you realize you’re still holding onto him. Your eyes dart to his forearm and frown when you see small crescent shapes indented in his skin.

“Sorry,” you say sheepishly.

Seungcheol’s focus is ahead of him but glances at you in confusion at your apology. “What?”

You quickly gesture to his forearm. When he sees the marks, he rubs a hand over them absentmindedly. “It’s fine. Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. Are you?” you reply, heart rate slowing down to normal.

“I’m alright. Sorry. I guess I shouldn’t make you play dress up in the car.”

“No, it was my fault.”

Seungcheol eases on the gas pedal when the light turns green, keeping a safe distance from the car in front. He remains quiet for a while to ensure you are both safe.

“Are you sure you’re okay? First, you apologize, and now something is your fault?” he jokes.

You don’t remember what you said a few minutes ago, so it takes a while for you to comprehend what he is saying. “Shut up,” is all you can respond with in the end.

Seungcheol laughs but doesn’t pester you about it any longer.

“Oh, you can take these back,” you say and tug off the reason for almost hitting another car.

“Thanks,” he mumbles as he slides the glasses back on his face.

You nestle yourself back in the seat again and glance out the window. As the buildings pass, it dawns on you that you’ve never called him Cheol. The thought of using a nickname for him has your body tingle with an unknown feeling. It’s strange. You aren’t the first to call him that, but you aren’t that close to him to start using nicknames. Annoyingly, you spend the remainder of the car ride fretting about how he felt toward you shortening his name. 

Did he even notice? If he did, did he like it? Had you crossed a line?

When he parks, you become acutely aware of everyone’s attire. Many wear jeans or tights with a plain shirt and jacket. A few have on skirts or dresses, but they are more t-shirt dresses or plain skater skirts, if anything. Plus, they are accompanied by tights because of the weather. No one has as much skin showing as you do.

The sinking feeling of not belonging consumes you. You can’t remember the last time you felt this way, and that alone has you questioning yourself even more.

“I’m too dressed for this, aren’t I?” you think out loud.

Seungcheol turns off the car, eyes raking your body again. Though this time, you’re aware of it. You tug down the bottom of your dress at his stare. It’s not like it’s predatory, but it still has your nerves skyrocketing.

“Since when did you care about what others thought of your outfit?” he wonders. The question has you sighing, momentarily closing your eyes as you remind yourself you dress for you, not for others’ approval.

“Right,” you swallow harshly and sling your purse over your shoulder—mentally throwing away the negative thoughts too. “Let’s just go.”

With that, you open his car door and step out.

“Yn wait—” you hear Seungcheol call out right as you shut the door.

Your hair is immediately pushed from your face as the wind blows past. It makes your body shiver, and for a split second, you wish you took up Seungcheol’s offer to grab a jacket when you were at your house.

Seungcheol’s car beeps as it locks before he stands in front of you. His broad body blocks the wind, and you feel your own ease from feeling a tad warmer.

“I’m sorry if that came off rude,” he apologizes softly. “I think you look great.”

You look at him, face void of emotion. You don’t believe him, but you don’t want to argue. At least not standing in this weather. 

“Okay,” you reply. “We need to go meet your friends.”

You take a step forward, thinking it will get him to start walking toward the building, but he doesn’t budge. You only decrease the distance between you two.

“I mean it,” he whispers.

Goosebumps are forming on your exposed skin the longer you stay out. You blame the cold weather for them, but something in your chest tightens at the way Seungcheol is speaking to you.

“I think red is your color,” he pauses. “You should wear it more, Cherry.”

Your head tilts at his last word. “Cherry?”

The corner of his mouth raises at hearing it from your lips. Slowly, he brings a hand to your face. You stand still as you stare at him with wide eyes. His hand brushes past your cheek before he grazes his fingertips along your ear. 

“It suits you,” he murmurs, eyes moving away from yours. 

You follow his gaze and realize he has been looking at your cherry-charmed earrings. His eyes then flicker to the matching cherry-charmed necklace resting below your bare collarbones. You’re not sure if he means the color suits you or if the nickname he just made suits you. Either way, you’re surprised at his words.

Suddenly, the weather doesn't feel as chilly anymore. Your body heats quickly at his comment, or maybe it’s from how close he is to you. Nevertheless, you need to distract yourself from this warm, odd feeling bubbling in your chest.

You clear your throat and step back. His hand lowers steadily.

“I’ll think about it,” you reply more confidently and clearly.

Seungcheol takes the hint and moves aside, hands stuffed in his jeans pockets. He nods his head in the direction of the building, and you start walking toward it. Your pace is slightly faster than his, but you don’t mind not walking next to him. If anything, you need distance from him anyway.

The moment you open the door to the lounge, the heat from inside greets you in full force. You step inside and are welcomed by a worker. He is young, maybe a few years younger than you. He gives you a friendly smile.

“Hi, are you wanting to be seated, or are you with a group already?”

“With a group,” you reply. The worker nods.

“Do you need help locating them?”

You shake your head as the jingle of the door opening sounds behind you. Seungcheol stops behind you. His hand comes to hover over your lower back, not really touching you, but close enough to feel the heat radiate from his hand onto your skin. It has you shuffling away.

“They’re over there,” he says. You peer up to see where he is gesturing. Fair enough, you see his friends at a table toward the back of the building. There are five of them, all smiling at each other. You can spot a few familiar faces—one of them being Vernon. You feel a little at ease knowing he made it here.

“Thanks,” you murmur to the worker before making your way to the table. The closer you get to the table, the slower your steps become. You’re used to keeping your chin high in situations you aren’t completely comfortable in. The whole “fake it until you make it” is on repeat in your head.

Yet the saying is not encouraging you much right now.

“You’re not mad at me, are you?” Seungcheol asks when he catches up to you. You don’t realize you had stopped a few feet from the table.

“No,” you say. You aren’t mad at him; you just need some space from him for now. You don’t like how you aren’t in control of your emotions when you’re around him. “I’m going to freshen up in the bathroom.”

Seungcheol eyes you for a second before nodding. You make your way to the bathroom, but right before you enter, you can hear the welcoming echoes coming from his table of friends. All of them sound cheerful and excited to see him. You don’t expect any of them to look forward to your presence, yet you feel a little disappointed when no one brings up your name—in a positive way.

After using the restroom and washing your hands, you stand in front of the mirror with your hands lingering under the warm water. Your eyes roam your face and body, taking in your appearance. Compared to your normal fashion, you really did dress down. You sigh when you realize you’re circling back to the same issue.

You retract your hands from the faucet and grab a few towels to dry them.

It doesn’t matter if you’re overly dressed. You usually are and don’t care. You look great. You should feel confident in your fit. 

You gently tug the dress down before turning in front of the mirror.

You look fine. You look nice.

As you reapply your lipstick, you keep repeating compliments and reassuring phrases in your head. 

They’re going to look at you funny. You are going to ignore them.

“That’s right,” you sigh to yourself as you toss the lipstick back into your purse. 

Suddenly, your phone starts to vibrate. You pull it out to see Dae’s name appear across the top. You eagerly answer her call.

“Hey babe,” Dae’s voice comes from the other line. “How’s it going?”

“I’m ready to go home,” you say with a small huff.

“Damn, that horrible? Is he treating you badly?” Dae questions. You had told her about Seungcheol’s invitation when you got home that day. She was shocked, but ultimately supportive of you going.

You shake your head despite her not being able to see you. “No, he’s been fine. I just,” you pause. Although you have your ups and downs with Dae, she has stayed with you when no one else has. You don’t disclose your troubles often, wanting people to not see that side of you, but you’re feeling too low that you can’t stop the confession from coming out.

“I’m way overdressed for this place. Everyone’s in jeans or tights. I don’t belong here,” you say.

Dae sighs sadly. “Jeans are boring. I think I only own a pair,” she answers, trying to make you smile. “Just remember, if you were to die right now, would you want your last outfit to be something boring?”

“No,” you answer slowly.

“Exactly. These are people who are used to looking plain. They’re probably jealous you’re outdressing them. Don’t let them get to you, Yn. I’m sure you look beautiful.”

Your shoulders ease at her words. “Thanks, Dae.”

“No need. If they had the talent to dress themselves better, they would.”

You let her words sink in, but the reassurance doesn’t last long.

“I shouldn’t have come,” you say, beginning to pace the small area in the bathroom.

“It’s good for you to be around people from outside our department. It’ll make you more open-minded,” she encourages. “Plus, Seungcheol isn’t as bad as he seemed, huh?”

There is a teasing tone to her voice that you don’t like.

“One outing with him doesn’t mean he’s my friend,” you argue.

Dae giggles. “No, but it’s a start. Do you like him?”

“No!” you answer quickly.

“I was just asking in general. Not ‘like’ as in crushing on him,” she explains nonchalantly, but you can hear her smile.

“He’s,” you pause as you try to think of a word to describe him, “he’s been alright.”

“Well, I better let you get back to him then. I just wanted to check in,” Dae answers.

“Thanks. I appreciate it,” you say.

“Remember, you don’t need their approval. You never have, and you never will. People want the confidence you have.”

“I’m not feeling too confident right now,” you mumble.

“That’s because you’re overthinking. Chin up, okay?”

Sighing, you reply. “Okay.”

“Good. Talk to you later!”

“Yeah,” you say before hanging up.

Taking one last look at yourself, you roll your shoulders back and exit the bathroom.

Seungcheol is sitting in the middle of Hajun and someone you don’t know. His eyes lift to meet yours when he hears the sound of your heels.

“Hey, you okay?” he asks. 

Nodding, your eyes roam for a spot to sit.

“You knew you were just going to a poetry lounge, right? Not the runway,” Hajun comments with a small scoff.

Your eyes move to look at her, and you quirk an eyebrow. She wears leggings with a graphic tee. Her discarded jacket is slung over the back of her chair. “Are you sure you know that, as well? Or did you think you were just going back to your bed?”

“This is how normal people dress,” she replies.

“Relax, Hajun,” a voice you don’t know sounds. You direct your attention to them. 

The guy has black hair that is parted on the side to expose his forehead. His eyes are narrow, and even though he has a soft appearance now, you’re sure his gaze can be fierce when needed. 

“People don’t need to dress up for special occasions,” he says.

You’re taken aback by his comment. Seungcheol’s friends have always questioned your wardrobe, so for this new “friend” to not agree with Hajun is surprising. 

“No, they don’t, but you gotta’ admit she’s a little overdone huh, Soonyoung?” Hajun replies.

“Hajun,” Seungcheol interjects, giving her a pointed look.

“I understand not everyone knows how to dress. It’s okay, though. I can offer my services if you need some help,” you comment, half tempted to reach in your bag to get a business card. Although you aren’t on campus, you never know when you’ll run into someone who will make a good connection, so you keep them with you wherever you go.

“Services?” Hajun laughs and rests her crossed arms on the table. “And what ‘services’ are you offering? Because from the looks of it, I can tell exactly what you offer. Sorry, I’m not interested.”

Her eyes roam your body once more, indicating that the way you are dressed, means your services consist of paying to be with people in bed.

“I don’t think those services would help you anyway. Your rotting attitude is enough to repel anyone. Though I guess some people are willing to lower their standards when they’re desperate,” you counter.

“You’re such a—” she starts.

“Can we talk?” Seungcheol asks Hajun quickly, but he doesn’t give her the option to answer because he takes her hand and pulls her away from the group.

The table is silent for a few seconds before Soonyoung speaks up again.

“Don’t pay any mind to her. It’s nice to meet you. You must be Yn?” He smiles at you, slightly bowing at you.

“Correct,” you say, trying to not show how irritated you feel.

“Come sit,” he offers, pulling up a chair so you’re sat between him and Vernon. You thank him before sitting in the chair. You sit your purse in your lap as conversations begin to spark again.

Their voices become background noise as your gaze drifts to Seungcheol and Hajun in the corner. They stand close to each other and are in a deep conversation—clearly about you. Seungcheol has his back to you, so you can’t see his expression, but you can see Hajun’s. Her lips are in a frown, her expression not as sassy as before. 

Though her pouting seems forced, her bottom lip a little too far stuck out. Soon enough, she rolls her eyes, an expression similar to how it was earlier. Her eyes then move from him to you over his shoulder. When she catches your gaze, she smiles and raises a challenging eyebrow. However, her gaze doesn’t last long because Seungcheol’s hand comes up and guides her eyes back to him. Even though his hand isn’t touching her completely, she leans into his touch. The act has you stilling.

“Yn?” Vernon questions, tearing you from your thoughts. You don’t realize you’re clutching your purse until your focus goes to Vernon. You ease your grip and raise an eyebrow.

“Soonyoung was asking what your major was,” Vernon explains.

“Oh,” you say, glancing around the table. It appears the others are in their own conversation.

You look at the man to your left. He gives you a reassuring smile that tells you he is patient. “I’m studying fashion design. Are you in business, too?”

Soonyoung shakes his head with a laugh. “I could never. I’m a dance major.”

“Wow, that sounds nice,” you say. “Aren’t your career choices limited with that, though?”

“A little,” Soonyoung replies honestly. He doesn’t seem offended by the question. Maybe he gets it a lot. “But it makes me happy. I can always teach or maybe even become a dancer in a well-known group.”

You hum, understanding his words.

“Isn’t fashion design limited, too?” Vernon asks.

“Clothes are everywhere. I can do a lot with it.”

“But not everyone will wear your clothes,” Hana says, having finally heard your discussion.

“There will always be someone,” you argue, confident in your work. It may be a slow start, but you believe in your designs.

She laughs. “Who? Your mother?”

Your eyes narrow at the mention of your mom, and Hana is quick to notice the change in attitude. Instead of letting go of the topic, she continues.

“Ooh, trouble at home? See? I knew the ‘Great Yn’ isn’t as perfect as she seems,” Hana says. What makes her think you are so “great” is unknown to you, but you aren’t surprised to guess people have made up a persona for you. 

“Stop, Hana,” Vernon says, but it has no effect.

“Oh, so we were right?” Hajun’s voice comes from above. You glance up to see she and Seungcheol have returned. It appears their little chat did nothing to keep Hajun from being a bitch.

“Seems so,” Hana says with a smile. “Care to share with the class what kind of mommy issues you have?”

“No wonder she dresses like that,” Doyun, another one of Seungcheol’s alleged friends, adds. “She’s not getting attention at home. I guess Daddy isn’t there either?”

“That’s enough,” Seungcheol scolds them all.

Your eyes are darting from everyone at the table. Their stares are akin to shrink rays, making you feel tiny and minuscule. You know when you aren’t welcomed, and there’s no reason to stay listening to this. You want to snap back, end the conversation with your own last words, but nothing comes to mind.

In lieu, you push your chair back and stand up. Your hands twitch with the temptation to dump their food all over them, but you just want to get out as soon as possible. 

You waste no time careening for the exit. 

Seungcheol calls your name; you ignore it. The worker from before sees you, telling you goodbye, but you couldn't care less and push past the door before he can finish his sentence.

Your breath gets caught in your throat at the sudden breeze that slams into you. Instantly, your arms wrap around you once more. You glance around and see a bus stop down the street. You don’t care that it’s the other way from Seungcheol’s car. You hurry to the station, not sure when the next bus will come.

The bus stop isn’t deserted despite the cold weather. The area must be busy all the time since the sidewalks are littered with more people than you expect. All the seats at the stop are taken, yet you still shuffle under the shelter in hopes to get away from some of the breeze.

You are shaking, and your teeth are chattering. It’s impossible to force your body to stop since you need to generate heat somehow. You probably look like a pathetic naked chihuahua in winter.

You take out your phone, open up a browser, and search for bus times. Thankfully, there’s one coming in three minutes in the direction you need. The thought of taking the bus is not pleasurable. You hate the idea of your skin touching something so many others have touched. It feels unsanitary.

Accidentally leaning back against the wall while you silently groan has you jumping at the cold material touching your bare skin. Your jolt catches the attention of an older woman who is sitting near you.

“Aren’t you freezing, child?” she asks as she stares at your attire—or lack of. 

“I’ll be fine soon,” you say, not really in the mood for talking.

“Where is your coat? Did you not know the weather was going to be cold?” she continues.

Utterly done with all the people-talk tonight, you hiss, “Focus on yourself. I’ll focus on me.”

She seems startled at your outburst. Her already crossed arms tighten as she turns away from you. Her muttered “bitch” doesn’t go unnoticed, but you don’t say anything about it. There’s no point in arguing with a stranger.

The sound of the bus calls your attention, and you mentally thank the universe for the great timing. After people leave and all the new patrons enter, you finally take a step up the bus’ steps. Before you can climb all the way, you hear your name being called. You look past the bus doors to see Seungcheol running toward you.

Just what you need.

You disregard him and step farther up the steps of the bus.

The bus driver looks expectantly at you, and it dawns on you that you need to provide payment before you can board fully.

“Card?” you wonder. The bus driver nods and gestures to a device to the right.

As you unzip your purse, you feel a hand grip your arm.

“Where are you going?” Seungcheol asks, slightly breathless. His hair is disheveled from running, but he doesn’t seem to care.

“Home, idiot,” you huff and pull your arm out of his grasp so you can retrieve your card.

“Just come with me. We can talk somewhere else,” he pleads, a hand stopping your movements again.

“I’m not going anywhere with you, Seungcheol,” you hiss. “Now, let go of me.”

He hesitates but slowly releases your arm. He doesn’t leave, though. “I’ll take you home. You don’t need to take the bus. Come on.”

“Go with him or get on! We have places to be,” a passenger exclaims, clearly annoyed with your drama.

You raise your head to the person, narrowing your eyes in a glare that tells them to pipe down. It has no effect on them. They shoot a fierce look back.

“I know you don’t want to take the bus,” Seungcheol comments quietly.

He’s right. Not only do you not want to sit next to a lady whose arms are filled with shopping bags—the only available seat—you really don’t want to add time to your trip home.

Seungcheol reaches out again and carefully takes your hand in his. This time, you don’t fight him as he guides you off the bus. Once you’re both off, the bus doors shut and begin its trip down the road.

You watch it silently, not knowing Seungcheol is discarding his jacket until you feel the warm material cover your shoulders. Your eyes snap back to him as if remembering who you’re with.

“I’m sorry they said all that stuff. I told them not to do that tonight,” he says remorsefully.

“Oh, so you’ll let them talk shit about me another day?” you chide and start walking away from him. Thankfully for Seungcheol, it’s in the direction of his car.

“No, that’s not what I meant,” he replies as he hurries to catch up, which doesn’t take much effort as you aren’t walking too fast due to your cold, stiff legs.

“Don’t worry. I’m sure they’ll do that whenever they want to. They wouldn’t be the first,” you scoff.

“It doesn’t make it right regardless,” he says. You halt in your steps, causing Seungcheol to stop and turn to look at you.

“I talk shit about people behind their backs, too. Does that make me a bad person?” you question. Perhaps if he sees you as one he’ll leave you alone.

He exhales a deep breath. “Let’s just get in the car, okay?”

“You can admit it,” you challenge and walk closer to him. “Does talking shit about someone make me a bad person, Seungcheol?”

He stares down at you, soft gaze turning dark with annoyance.

“To the car, Yn,” he demands slowly just in case you won’t understand; his tone is sharp in a way you haven’t heard before. You don’t let that scare you away. Maybe if you weren’t so fired up, you would have been a little intimidated.

You laugh darkly and roll your eyes at his command. “You want me to sit next? Bark, too?”

“Now, you’re just being dramatic.”

Dramatic, he says.

“Woof?” you reply, dramatically giving him the best puppy-dog eyes you can muster.

Seungcheol’s jaw clenches at your response—not pleased with your sarcasm. However, instead of replying in an annoyed tone, he takes a step forward. His head draws closer to your face to ensure your eyes are glued to his.

“Wanna be a good girl and go to the car, Cherry?” he murmurs lowly, an eyebrow quirking up for a second.

His sudden change in tone has you stiffening. You want to bite back—figuratively or literately… you aren’t sure yet—but you can’t even remember what you are mad about in the first place.

“Hm?” he croons when you don't reply quickly.

Rather than a sarcastic reply, you simply grumble, “whatever,” before pushing past him to get to his car.

You stand next to the passenger side like before, waiting for him to unlock it. Seungcheol comes beside you and swiftly unlocks the vehicle. Although you aren’t arguing at the moment, you can sense some irritation lingering from him.

You get the feeling he'll always hold the door open no matter how annoyed he is with you.

You feel suffocated.

The air in the car is too hot. The weight of his jacket has you overheating. The tension is unbearable.

Seungcheol keeps his eyes on the road, not throwing you a single glance as he drives. Every once in a while he will tighten his hold on the steering wheel. One time you even catch the way his muscles flex at the motion—now exposed from not wearing his jacket. You never realized how fit he is. This isn’t the first time you have seen him sleeveless, but you just never stared long enough to notice. Or if you did, you simply didn’t care. Regardless, you notice now, and you have to force your eyes away before he catches you staring.

You want to ask for music so you don’t have to sit in this insufferable silence, but your mouth feels dry. You decide to just deal with the quietness, shifting in the seat so you’re facing the window more. Your eyes drift close as you let the hum of the car distract you. 

Seungcheol’s jacket is snuggled around you, and his woodsy cologne fills your senses. It’s pleasant, and you don’t mind if you smell more of it in the future.

By the time you arrive home, you are on the verge of sleep. You stumble out of the car and shut the door without saying a word to Seungcheol. You expect him to drive off, but the sound of his tires moving never comes. Instead, you hear his car door opening and closing.

“You don’t have to walk me to the door,” you say while you glance behind you. Seungcheol is following you languidly.

“No, I don’t,” he says and pauses at the bottom of your porch steps. He places a foot on the first step while a hand holds onto the rail. You have your keys out, ready to slide them into the keyhole when you speak.

“Then don’t,” you reply sternly.

He chuckles lowly but doesn’t say anything about it.

“You can go now,” you say when he doesn't move.

“You have something of mine.”

Puzzled, you stare at him for a second. Seungcheol gestures to your body, and you quickly remember you’re wearing his jacket. You tug it off and toss it to him. He grabs it from the air with ease. The loss of heat makes you wish he didn’t say anything.

“Goodnight, Cherry,” he murmurs as soon as you click open your door. You step inside before turning to face him.

The nickname you used earlier forms on your tongue, yet you can’t find the courage to say it consciously.

“Night,” you answer, then shut the door before either of you can say anything else.

With your head bowed, you turn the lock slowly while you exhale deeply. His nickname falls from your lips under your breath—unable to keep the desire at bay.

previous chapter \\ series masterpost // next chapter

A/N: Can't believe the first chapter is actually published 😭 I sat and stared at this for a few before hitting "post" because I'm so anxious! dfl;kbjdvs. Please feel free to share your thoughts on it so far!

For my “shy/silent” readers, I’ve created a feedback form where you can share your thoughts on my fics in a more anonymous and private way. ^-^

taglist: @iammisstora, @christinewithluv, @lithelust, @musingsofananxiouspotato, @yoozuku, @lockburn-castle, @mystikhal-blog, @oncloudvii23 (couldn't tag :c), @cheolcherries (tysm!!!)

©️hongcherry // DO NOT REPOST OR MODIFY Please consider reblogging if you liked this work to show your support. Feedback/commentary is always welcomed.

[cupheadshowandhell]

Ey congrats on 50 followers!!! (personally I think you deserve more lol, your art is so beautiful and the story you’ve got going is so so interesting and I can’t wait for more)

i meant to answer this earlier, but- THANK YOUUUUU AAAA- 💖 time to get sappy

This really means a lot to hear- I've worked REALLY hard on this story for a very long time now. The blog's a little over a year old I believe- But I've been planning the story for Show & Hell for years before then!

I'm very excited to show what I have in store for you all. There will be lots of twists, emotions, and mystery to come soon. I can't wait to see what y'all think of the characters- There are lots of super fun designs and personalities- As well as stories with them.

Thank you all for following, reading, and sharing my story. And thank you to the Show & Hell team for helping with story/plot, costume design for the play, and medical things for the upcoming murder mystery. You're all so amazing and I couldn't have continued this project without all of your support. I hope you are all excited for what's to come in the near future! 💖

also ty for being understanding with my long hiatus'- sorry bout that LMAO

[honeyhotteoks]

Oh my God???? into the aurora is almost over??? I don't know how to handle it???

Aurora was so much fun waiting for updates and I'm gonna miss it dearly. But I'm looking forward to the aurora sequel and your other upcoming project! Happy new year to you!

i know????? it feels really surreal tbh it was an entire year of my life. so much has changed since i started writing it and i'm really proud to have finished it... it's the longest thing i've ever written 😭

but definitely coming back with a sequel in 2023 once i get a chunk written, and lots of other stuff to come too! ty so much for all your support as always 💖

[varilien]

your art and fic have been a source of happiness and comfort so ty for sharing them with us again 💖💖💖

@makima-s-most-smile

THANKS U GUYS......... folks here have always been so nice and supportive of what i do over the years and im sorry if i haven't appreciated that enough. i hope i can keep in mind down the road why i like making stuff for y'all to begin with

[old-pierogiis]

it appears to be a bit glitchy rn since i switched urls so quickly, but yeah! here’s the acc! 💖

hey! so im gonna make an entirely new tumblr acc. my new blog will still be @old-pierogiis ! but just know it will happen soon!

[ticklish-n-stuff]

Tickle the stress away

Ok so long story short, I'm a bit stressed with college starting soon. So I was like why not make a fic based around that! Obv. with lee Todoroki 'cause it's the only right answer DJSJHDJAH (I really need to write for other lees, but not today lol)

Can you tell I'm a big fan of the human popsicle and broccoli kid?

Also ty for the support on my last MHA fics, it means a lot 💖

Anyways, hope y'all enjoy!

___________________________________________

Todoroki x Midoriya (interpret as you wish)

Lee: Todoroki

Ler: Izuku

Warnings: Tickles!

___________________________________________

Summer vacation was almost over, not like it was much of a vacation for the heroes in training. Sure they didn't take their usual classes but they were still subjected to pretty tough hero training. Seeing as the new school year was going to start soon, Todoroki couldn't help but feel a bit stressed. He knew it would only get harder from here, and his family drama definitely wasn't helping.

One day he had been invited over to the Midoriya household. Izuku and Shoto were both seated in the living room, discussing very serious school related stuff.

"Todoroki look at the new All Might pens I got!" said the greennette all excitedly, bringing them up closed to the bicolored haired male's face.

"They look nice" he replied with his usual stoic expression, but Deku managed to catch a glimpse of a slight frown in his face.

"Hey, is something wrong?".

"It's nothing..." Todoroki tried to avert the other's gaze, but it was hard to ignore those big, green puppy eyes. He let out a sigh "I guess I'm just a bit stressed with the upcoming school year".

"I see..." Izuku didn't like seeing his friend all worried, he had to do something to help him out. And that's when he was struck with a mischevious idea. A teasy smirk made it's way onto his face as he called out to the other in a playful tone "Oh Todorokiiiii~".

"Yes- GAH!" Todoriki let out a startled gasp when Midoriya tackled him across the couch. While taking a seat on top of his waist. "Midoriya what are you doing??".

"Oh nothing, I'm just gonna tickle the stress out of you~!" the greennette lost no time softly wiggling his fingers along Todoroki's neck, watching in adoration as the taller one tried scrunching up his shoulders.

"M-Midoriya nohoho!" Todoroki giggled softly as he squeezed his eyes shut, his nose lightly scrunched up as the cutest smile adorned his lips.

"Midoriya yes!" Deku teased as he playfully tapped his fingers along his jawline, earning the cutest snickers from the other.

"Ehehehe! I-ihit tickles!!" Shoto pointed out the obvious. It was the only thing that came to his mind, how much it tickled and how fun it was.

"Aww does it now? Good!" Izuku then moved his hands down to Todoroki's sides, softly scribbling up and down them.

"Gah! Hahahahahaha!" poor Shoto let out a strangled gasp at the sudden change in tickle spots before bursting out into uncontrollable giggles. He couldn't help but bring his elbows down his sides, it tickled that much.

"I wonder which side is more ticklish. This one? Or maybe this one~?" the greennette teased as he focused his tickles on his left side, while then switching to the right side. It left Todoroki in stitches.

"Neheheither! Ahahahahahaha!" he squirmed around from side to side. As he threw his head back in laughter, his bright smile on full display.

Deke couldn't help but giggle at his response. "Hmm...how about here~?" He switched spots once again and softly scribbled the bicolored haired male's tummy.

"Pffft! AhaHahaHA! M-Midoriya nahaHAha!" Todoroki wasn't sure whether to protect the sensitive spot or die of embarrassment, he went with the latter. Opting to clutch his hands across his chest while he kicked his legs out all cutely.

"Ahh coochi coochi coo! Who's a ticklish 'lil hero? You are~!".

"S-SHUHUHUSH!" Shoto let out an embarrassing high pitched squeal at the tease, his face fully flushed at this point. With whatever strength he had left he managed to sit upright and cover Deku's mouth. But the freckled guy took the opportunity to shove his hands under Todoroki's arms.

"W-WAHAHAIT! GYAHAHAHAHA!" Todoroki quickly crumbled down, clamping his arms down as best as he could. His face was so red his scar was barely visible. Tears had started to prick the corners of his eyes as his bubbly laughter filled up the room.

Seeing how he started to hiccup through his laughter, Deku slowed his fingers down to a stop. Getting off of his friend in the process to give him some room to breath. "Sorry if I took it a bit too far... How are you feeling now?".

Shoto tried his best to speak through hiccupy giggles, it was pretty funny to witness "M-muhuhuch *hic* behehetter *hic*!".

Izuku instantly smiled down at him as he plafully patted his tummy "Glad I could be of help then!".

Todoroki couldn't help but smile in return. It looked so genuine and overall he looked much more relaxed and at ease compared to earlier. There might be a tough road up ahead, but atleast he didn't have to deal with it alone.

___________________________________________

Considering how he likes to take lots of notes, I hc Deku to really like collecting stationary (especially if it's All Might themed). Although if it's All Might themed he might refrain from using it as to not ruin it (like me LMAO)

I have an obsession with lee Todoroki someone help akdhakhdkahs

Anyways, this was a lot of fun to write! I feel pretty good about it :]

Did I proofread this?...haha nope :D (sorry not sorry)