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shianhygge-imagines · 5 years ago

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Sundown 勿忘草 [Reno/Reader]{Final Fantasy VII} Episode 2

AN: Here’s the next part of Sundown Wasurenagusa! I’m sorry that I’ve been slow on posting any new story material! I had a bit of a writers’ block, and I’m still trying to work through it!

I had intended for this to be much longer, but I felt like this part was a good length to post. The first part of this ‘episode’ is going to be formatted weird because I can’t get Tumblr to format a text conversation in the way that I want.

If you like the content I create, please consider donating to my Ko-fi! Please help me feed my tea addiction!

|Masterlist Link|

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

December 12

Reno {07:10}

[Good morning, sleeping beauty]

Me {08:30}

[Morning]

[Do you not need sleep?]

[You probably went to bed late last night]

[And while it truly does make my day to hear from you]

[Why? It’s so early ;.;]

Reno {08:40}

[Can you blame a guy for being eager to talk to you?]

[Lol, Sorry. I didn’t disturb you, did I?]

Me {08:59}

[>///<]

[No, you’re good. I gotta get up to get ready anyways.]

[Flatterer]

Reno {09:34}

[I mean, can you blame me? ;) ]

[So, I was thinking about taking you on a date outside of Midgar, but I realized that I should probably get your opinion on it first]

Me {10:01}

[I mean, that depends? How early do I have to get up on my day off? And how long will it take to get there?]

Reno {10:05}

[Um… well, it’s getting pretty chilly in Midgar, so I was thinking about taking you to Costa del Sol… beach date :P]

Me {10:30}

[…]

[Costa del Sol is pretty far, Reno…]

Reno {10:31}

[And?]

[I’ve got a way]

[Don’t sweat the details]

Me {10:32}

[You’re taking a company helicopter, aren’t you -.-]

Reno {10:33}

[Ack! You’ve figured out my master plan!]

Me {10:34}

[Are Turks even allowed to take company assets out for joy rides?]

Reno {10:35}

[ TT^TT I told you not to sweat the details!]

Me {10:40}

[I just don’t want you to get into any trouble.]

Reno {10:50}

[Awww, don’t worry about me.]

[You have a party to attend later, so do me a favor and have fun, okay?]

Me {11:03}

[That reminds me…]

Reno {11:05}

[??]

Me {11:11}

[bluedress.jpg sent]

(The image is of you in a sapphire blue dress, the sleeves long and neck high. The dress itself ends just below your knees)

[This dress?]

[reddress.jpg sent]

(The second image is of you in a backless ruby dress that ends just above the knee. There are no sleeves to this dress despite the fact that it has a high neck)

[Or this dress?]

Reno {11:13}

[…]

[Y/N]

Me {11:15}

[Reno]

[???]

Me {12:01}

[If I don’t look good in either of them, just be honest ;.;]

Reno {13:05}

[Gah! Sorry, I got pulled away for something]

[The red one. For sure]

Me {13:06}

[Just because red’s your color… >.>]

[I hope you’re okay, Reno ;.;]

Reno {13:15}

[Hey, first of all, remember what I said about red being your color?]

[I don’t lie, k?]

[But also, yeah. Also because it’s my color, you should wear it ;)]

[Do you have a sixth sense or something?]

[image.jpg]

(Opening up the image file gifts you with a selfie of Reno, looking minorly roughed up and being supported by an infrantryman. He looks like he’s by the old church that Aerith likes to visit. Despite needing to be supported by the infantryman, the red headed Turk’s winking and holding up a peace sign)

[Just a few minor bruises ;P I’ll be fine]

[Unless….]

[You want to kiss me better? ;)]

Me {13:30}

[… Well. I’m sorry for worrying (¬_¬) ]

Reno {13:45}

[Joking, joking! :D]

[All patched up]

Reno {14:07}

[Y/N?]

(´༎ຶོρ༎ຶོ`)

[I’m sorry.]

[Please talk to meeeeeee]

Me {14:00}

[image.jpg]

(It’s a picture of you in the red dress. Your hair is done up with an attractive amount of make up. You’re wearing a sensible set of black flats.)

[The party starts in an hour, so I might be answering my phone too often.]

[And Costa del Sol sounds perfect for tomorrow ;) I’ve got my outfit all picked out]

Reno {14:15}

[Uh, yeah, that’s gonna be your new contact photo]

[I’m picking you up earlier than we agreed so that we can have more time to relax in the sun]

[Duty calls. Have fun tonight, okay?]

Me {14:20}

[And what? My contact photo for you is going to be this?]

[screenshot.jpg]

(It’s a screenshot of your mobile phone screen. There’s an edit with a red arrow pointing directly at the photo icon for Reno’s contact…it’s the photo that he sent earlier except you’ve photoshopped cartoon ‘uwu’ eyes and added pink anime blush to his cheeks)

[And don’t worry, I’ll probably have enough fun for the both of us.]

[We’ll have fun tomorrow, be safe, okay?]

Reno {14:30}

[I’ll try ;) But if not, I’ll have you to take care of me.]

[Also? That picture?]

[P.E.R.F.E.C.T]

Me {18:30}

[Hope you’re safe!]

[Message me after work to let me know you’re okay!]

[image-2.jpg]

(It’s a group photo of you and your friends in silly poses)

Me {19:21}

[image-3.jpg]

(It’s a close up shot of a delicious plate of food)

[I should have brought you with me ;.;]

|You called Reno| 20:58

[Unable to leave voicemail]

December 13 - 08:21

The morning after the confrontation with AVALANCHE at the Sector 7 Pillar, one would expect the medical bay in Shinra HQ to be jam packed full of patients. There should have been a horde of doctors and nurses, running around to treat the injured infantryman and civilian survivors. But there were only two individuals in the med bay, Reno and Rude. When the plate fell, only a handful of infantryman were able to escape the chaos. Many were left behind to fend for themselves.

Despite surviving a helicopter crash and the brawl with Tifa, Barret, and Cloud, Rude only sustained a few bruises and minor bone fractures. He had been assigned bedrest after being treated by the doctors, but the weight of what he and his partner had been tasked to do twelve hours ago felt like an overwhelming burden. Needing something to keep his mind occupied, the taller of the iconic Turk duo simply engrossed himself in a novel that Elena had brought over during her visit.

On the bed beside Rude’s, Reno groaned in pain as he sat up, eyes still not open and alert as he raised a hand to press against his pounding head. “Gah, what the hell.” Reno’s face stung at the cheeks when his face scrunched up at the pain that seemed to come from every part of him. Even the act of sitting up proved too painful due to his newly broken ribs.

Rude watched his partner sink back into the sheets from his own medical bed, sunglasses on as was usual of him. He wondered how long it would take Reno to realize that it had been nearly twelve hours since they had dropped the plate. He also wondered when his sassy partner in crime would realize that he had a date this morning. Of course, Rude didn’t think you’d get angry at Reno for missing a date when he was hospitalized, but the taller of the iconic Turk pair knew that Reno would never forgive himself for skipping out on you.

While Rude watched, Reno allowed his body to collapse back into bed, an exhausted and pained groan escaping his lips as he want, arms flopping onto the bed as he fought to remember what had happened to land him in such a pitiful state.

Oh yeah…Rude and I went to Sector 7’s plate… and we fought blondie’s group of self righteous freedom fighters… and then…I blacked out. Cracking both eyes open, Reno furrowed his brows and turned his head to examine his surroundings. Med bay back at HQ… The red head swiveled in place to stare at Rude, “The mission….” He trailed off with a questioning tone.

His partner merely grunted, “We finished it and escaped.” Lacking in detail, but still straight to the point.

Sighing in relief that his work track record wouldn’t have a stain on it, Reno flopped back down, “Whooo…” The red head cheered sarcastically, pumping a fist without any energy or cheer behind it. Gah, and I promised Y/N that I’d be safe… Reno’s eyes snapped open and he bolted to a seating position with an alarmed cry, “Crap! Y/N! What time is it?” Shit, I gotta message her to let her know that I’m going to be running late! The Turk second in command thought as he pat down his person for his cell phone.

When he couldn’t find it, Reno turned to his partner, who gestured towards the bedside table. “It was damaged during our fight with AVALANCHE, but it should still be working.”

Not paying any attention to the fact that he was now bleeding through the bandages wrapped around his abdomen, Reno grinned, “Whooo boy! Partner, you’re a life saver!”

The sheer amount of relief within Reno voice made Rude stop and stare at his partner. Hmm… maybe Reno’s serious about her after all.

Meanwhile, Reno quickly unlocked his phone screen, ignoring the fact that the glass display seemed shattered beyond repair. When he pulled up the chat room that he shared with Y/N, Reno cursed, “Five missed messages and one missed call.” Quickly reading through the text messages, and smiling at how much fun you were having at the party, Reno tapped out a quick message in reply to you before listening to the voicemail that you had left.

Yesterday

Y/N {19:21}

[image-3.jpg]

(Reno’s mouth watered at the sight of the food in the picture)

[I should have brought you with me ;.;]

|Missed call from Y/N| 20:58

[Click to listen to voicemail]

Today - December 13

Me {08:43}

[Gah, sorry Y/N, I may have bit off more than I could chew yesterday.]

[I just woke up in the med bay at HQ]

[I’m going to be a little late picking you up]

[And I’m a little roughed up]

[But nothing is stopping me from taking you on our date!]

[See you in an hour?]

When Reno lifted his damaged cell phone to listen to the voicemail that you had left him, the only sound that reached his ears was an error notification that the voice recording app had failed. “I’m sorry, but the voicemail recording that you wish to listen to failed to load properly. Please quite all applications before trying again. If the problem still persists, please contact Shinra Mobile’s technical support service to resolve this issue.” The phone recording informed Reno, pleasantly.

Knowing from experience that getting through to technical support at the current hour was next to impossible, Reno merely tapped out another message.

Me {08:47}

[Hey, the voicemail that you sent to me didn’t go through.]

[What was it about?]

Satisfied with the messages that he’d sent out, Reno shifted to get out of bed, an excited grin on his lips. “Welp! Time to get going! Got a wonderful day off with a gorgeous gal!”

Sighing, Rude lowered the novel to look in his partner’s direction. “Your date with Y/N?” When Reno only gave a sassy shrug in reply, Rude shook his head, “Just remember, you’re still injured.”

“Will do, partner!” Reno saluted the older man before dashing out of the med bay, dodging the nurses swiftly as he made his way to the elevators, itching to get back to the Turk dorms to change into something that would help him blend into the slum crowds of Sector 5. On his way to his room, the red headed Turk would raise his phone to check for any new messages, lowering it in disappointment every time there was no response.

“That’s weird, normally she responds by now.” Reno mused, sending out another quick text once he’d changed into dark jeans, a red hoodie, and a dark beige trucker jacket.

Me {09:12}

[I’m on my way to your place now.]

[Are you awake?]

Around twenty minutes later, on the helicopter ride down to the Sector 5 slums, Reno furrowed his brows and bit the inside of his lip when you didn’t respond again.

Me {09:32}

[Y/N?]

[Please answer.]

[I’m on a helicopter down now]

[Message back. I’m getting worried.]

When there is still no response, Reno taps on your contact and brings the phone up to his ear, trying to call you.

“Hey, this is Y/N. I’m probably away from the phone right now, so leave a message, and I’ll call you back as soon as possible.”

Straight to voicemail.

Something wasn’t right, and Reno could feel it in his bones.

When the helicopter started to land in the Shinra barracks, Reno didn’t even wait for the helicopter to fully land before jumping out of the aerial vehicle, landing solidly before taking off in a sprint towards your apartment.

She’s not answer any of the text messages… Did she lose her phone last night? Did she accidentally break it?… Did she find out what I did yesterday? Is she ignoring me?

The worries and thoughts that raced through Reno’s mind became more and more self-depricating as he neared entered the main town area and brushed past the crowds of people gathered in the streets. I know I said it was too late to grow a conscious, but damn it, please don’t let this be the reason she decides that she doesn’t want me around.

All but flying up the metal steps to your apartment, Reno starts to bang on your front door, calling your name in the meanwhile. “Y/N!” Bang bang bang “It’s Reno!” Bang bang bang “You weren’t answering your phone. Are you ready to go?” It took another few minutes of knocking before Reno head a door open below and slow footsteps ascend the metal stairwell.

Turning and expecting to see you standing there, Reno’s shoulders visibly slumped when he came face to face with a tiny old lady. “Oh, uh. Sorry for causing a disturbance.”

“Are you looking for Y/N, young man?” The old woman inquired, tilting her head to look up at Reno through friendly old eyes.

Feeling as if he was being judged by the elderly woman, Reno stood ramrod straight and nodded, clearing his throat, “Uh, yeah. We had plans for today.”

The old woman nodded sagely, “I see, I see. Ah, to be young again. I’m sorry to disappoint you, young man, but Y/N hasn’t been home since yesterday afternoon. I think she’s still at her friend’s home.”

The first traces of alarm flashed through Reno’s head, and suddenly his Turk persona was back, “Do you happen to know where her friend lives, ma’am?”

The old woman shook her head, “I only know that dear Selene doesn’t live in Sector 5. I’m sorry, young man.”

Suddenly jittery, Reno only nods and descends the metal staircase again, “Thanks for the help. I should get going.”

Reno doesn’t hear the old woman’s reply because he’s sprinting back towards the Shinra barracks, ears ringing and vision narrowed as he contacts a friend in Shinra’s tech department for help tracking down your cell phone’s location and retrieving the voicemail you’d left him. And while his friend works on it, Reno decided to change into a clean set of his uniform, mind suddenly kicked into overdrive as he tries to recall where you said your friend’s party was.

Gah, Reno… you pay attention to everything else she says, but you can’t figure out where her friend Selene lives? Some Turk you are! Reno scolds himself as he paces back and forth in Y/N’s office, somehow trying to find comfort in familiar surroundings. Damnit, think! What has she mentioned in the past about her friends. I only remember her talking about living in Sector 7 for a whi- Reno pauses in his steps as dread begins to pool in his stomach. “No.” He doesn’t want to entertain the possibility that you had gone to a party at your childhood sector the same night that he was tasked with dropping the plate on top of hundreds. But the more that Reno thinks about it, the more likely the possibility is, and he sinks to his knees in the middle of your office, eyes wide with horror and denial. “No… I refuse to believe it. Gotta wait for-”

His phone chimes with a notification.

Pulling out his phone as fast as possible without fumbling the already hazardously damaged device, Reno unlocks the screen, only to see that a voice file had been sent to him along with tracking coordinates.

Clicking on the voicemail and tracker, Reno’s frown deepens and his face pales as he stares at the map of Sector 7 Slums with a red dot in the center of it, the sounds of your final message to him playing in the background.

No.

The voice recording loops until Reno regains his bearings, body shaking and eyes burning as his ears pick up the sounds of explosions in the background, of your sobs as you fought to leave a last message for the man who had thoughtlessly killed you, and of your fear and acceptance that you wouldn’t live past that moment. The phone slips from his hands and clatters to the floor as Reno’s fingers go slack. “No… I didn’t… Y/N…” A strangled sob escapes Reno’s lips as he raises a hand to grip onto his hair, trying to maintain his composure, “I didn’t mean to… If I’d known, I would have…” The Turk second in command paused and hunched in on himself, not caring if anyone could see him through the glass walls of your office.

M-maybe she left her phone behind when she ran? But… if she’s not there, then where would she have gone if not home?

There weren’t any excuses or any other reason he could come up with. Reno knew that. If he had known beforehand that you would be in Sector 7 Slums, he would have warned you, but you would have tried to evacuate as many people as possible from that sector, and AVALANCHE might have managed to leave, therefore ending in a failed mission. He would have done everything he could to make sure you stayed away from Sector 7, but in the end, he’d still go through with the mission.

“I killed her.” Reno sobbed in realization, biting his bottom lip so hard that he tasted copper, “Just like I killed all those people.” Shaking his head, inconsolable, Reno could only mourn quietly. “I’m just the worst. This is karma for all the shit things I did in life, isn’t it?”

Eyes dulled and slightly puffy, Reno hastily wiped at his face and sat down with his back against your desk, his phone ringing with notifications as Tseng and Rude sent him requests for ‘status’ updates. And the Turk second in command ignored his colleagues, eyes staring into nothingness as he wreaked his brain for what to do next.

I really was looking forward to the date. Reno’s thoughts trailed off, It’s sappy as hell, but I wanted to ask her to be my girlfriend. Tseng said that relationships for Turks never ended well, citing Veld as an example, but… gah! This is the worst situation for Tseng to be right!

It was only the early afternoon… maybe he could start a search party for survivors… it was probably too late, but Reno knew that he had to do something to look for you. With renewed purpose, Reno got to his feet and marched out of your office, blue eyes burning with fiery determination as he hung onto the faint hope that you might have survived.

December 13 - 12:13

You groaned in pain and shifted your body, eyes cracking open to be met with blinding industrial lights. The pain from the glaring lights startled you into closing your eyes again, turning until your body was facing away from them. For a moment, you wondered why you were laying on some sort of weird metallic floor instead of your soft bed, and then the memories of a falling sky sent your eyes flying back open as you took in your surroundings.

The floor was indeed cold and metallic because it looked as if you’d woken up in a maintenance passage. Despite most maintenance passages usually being dimly lit, the one you found yourself lying in was lit from both of the walls. The ceiling above your face had a hole in it, though it was covered with metal and concrete chunks. You assumed, as you clambered to your feet, that you’d fallen through that hole and rolled a few feet away due to the pile of rubble directly beneath the hole. Wincing slightly, you poked and prodded your person for bruises, broken bones, or fractures. Slightly satisfied with just a few small skin lesions, bruises, and maybe a fractured rib, you patted yourself down for your mobile phone, hoping to call for help. Frowning, you found that you did not have your cell phone on you, nor was it anywhere on the floor near you.

Since you hadn’t expected to live through a plate falling on top of you, you could only look on the bright side of things, turning to walk down the metal tunnel with determination set on your face. I didn’t almost die from a plate falling just to give up in an empty tunnel. Plus, a fond smile appeared on your face, I have a date waiting for me when I get back topside.

It seemed pretty simple to you. You’d falling who knows how far down, but you knew for sure that the way out was up. So the only thing to do was to keep walking until you found a passage up. Easy peasy.

December 13 - 15:35

There’s a fierce snarl on Reno’s face as he stands by several parked helicopters. All around him, emergency responders and Shinra infantrymen scrambled to load up supplies and equipment. The dark look on the normally sassy, easy-going Turk’s face seemed like a literal beacon for anyone not bearing good news to stay the away. Though, if some of the troops were to be honest, Reno had very good reason to be irate. The Turk second in command had called in an emergency rescue operation for survivors trapped among the plate wreckage nearly three and a half hours ago, and they were only just beginning to start the rescue operation.

After Tseng, the Turk commander, had authorized the mission to rescue anyone buried under the rubble, the mission had quickly been side-tracked by Shinra executives Scarlet and Heideggar. Scarlet had protested against the operation simply because of the notion that dogs living in the slums were of no use to Shinra, and therefore, the mission was a waste of resources. Heideggar, meanwhile, had agreed that while in times of disaster, Shinra’s army bore the responsibility of launching operations to rescue civilians affected, the members of AVALANCHE were widely unknown and could easily disguise themselves as regular civilians.

It took nearly two hours of careful negotiations and subtle ego inflating by Tseng and Reeve, before both executives agreed to support the relief effort. Viewing it as a strategic move to improve public opinion of the Shinra Company, President Shinra gave little to no resistance when Tseng forwarded the mission brief to be sanctioned.

Now, an hour after the mission was sanctioned, Reno felt the beginnings of a headache forming as he directed the flow of supplies to each helicopter before making sure that there were rotations of supplies and emergency responders that would journey to and from the wreckage of Sector 7 once he landed with the first round of helicopters.

When he had deemed all in good order to head out, Reno sighed and hopped into the helicopter cockpit, buckling himself in to the pilot’s seat. Plopping the headset on while he waited for the rest of the crew to load up into the helicopter, Reno busied himself with flipping switches to make sure that pre-flight and the ride down to Sector 7 would be as smooth as possible. When his co-pilot buckled himself in and gave Reno the thumbs up, the red headed Turk spoke as clearly and seriously as he could into the mic. “Alright guys and gals in all active units, hope you’re all buckled up with headsets on because I sure as hell will not be repeating this briefing.” After a brief pause, Reno continued to speak while directing the helicopter off the platform. “You all probably heard about what happened yesterday. The official reports from HQ state that AVALANCHE launched an attack to compromise Sector 7’s plate pillar. Despite all efforts directed to stop the terrorist attack, the plate still fell. Our job is to go down to the disaster zone to provide relief to all affected civilians. We will also be launching search and rescue operations for survivors.” Reno paused once more as helicopter gained enough air to safely fly out of the landing zone. “I’m gonna be real with you all. Someone important to me was in Sector 7’s Slums when the plate fell and I’m going to try my damnest to look for her. So if any of you fuck this up… not gonna lie, I’m gonna be pissed.” Nobody replied to Reno’s admittance… not that he really expected much of a reply after he dropped that bomb on them. Having enough of the silence, Reno exhaled, “Alright… good talk.”

December 13 - 16:03

It wasn’t easy peasy. Definitely fucking not.

The chrome walkways and exposed piping-lined maintenance passage that you had fallen into hadn’t been a simple few meters under the surface as you thought. No. It’s was more like several meters down with a layer of minor blocked off passageways right above. And, as if that weren’t terrible already? The maze of pathways that made up the layer above seemed to take joy in bringing you up a level, just to drop you back down a level because some asshole decided to seal off the passages at various points.

Your eye twitched in annoyance when you walked down a metal walkway only to be face to face with another fenced off passage lined with reinforced plating. To your surprise, you could see a man stumble around the corner of the opposite side. When you saw one another, your eyes widened. “Holy shit!” The man gasped, stumbling forward with a noticeable limp and sliced up arm. “I didn’t think there’d be another person down here!”

“This place is like a maze, so I’m not surprised that any survivors had yet to meet up. A-are… are you okay?” The blood leaking from the deep scratches in his left arm seemed to ooze a poisonous purple color.

The stranger bit his bottom lip as he hastily hid his injury, “Yeah… I’ll be fine. Listen, girl, you should watch out while down here. I think the rumors about the underground lab were true after all. There are monsters running around everywhere.” Your expression must have been one of utter dismay and despair because the man coughed and reached into his pocket to roll two materia under the fence. “Uh. Shit. Well, it looks like you could use these then. It’s a Cura and a Fira. Hopefully you won’t need it, but it’s better to be safe than sorry. Anyways, I hope you make it out of here, girl. I gotta keep looking for other AVALANCHE survivors.”

When the man made to jog away, you called out to him, “Wait! You said that you’re looking for AVALANCHE members? Are you one of them? Do you know what happened?” You pressed yourself against the fence in order to see the stranger from around the corner.

The stranger turned around to stare at you with a grim expression. “Whatever you’re thinking, AVALANCHE didn’t cause this, okay? We were framed by Shinra.” At your confused expression, the man scoffed, “C’mon, you really think that Shinra was going to let civilians protest and riot against them? They couldn’t figure out who was a member and who wasn’t, so they figured they’d drop the entire plate on top of us to get rid of us all.”

“But that’s such a drastic move!” You protested, wanting to believe that your employers wouldn’t have such blatant disregard for human life. “They wouldn’t just sacrifice thousands to eliminate AVALANCHE!”

“Believe what you want, girl. But the reality is that my friends and I all went to the pillar to stop Shinra from dropping the plate, and it dropped anyways because two Turks were sent to finish the job.” The stranger didn’t allow you to retort as he limped away. Not that you would have responded anyways with how the stranger had said that two Turks had arrived to help ensure that the Sector 7 plate dropped.

Pulling away from the fence, you knelt down to pick up the two orbs of materia, the color of your skin taking on a sickly pale pallor. Two Turks were sent to the pillar to drop the plate on top of all of us. Your mind instantly supplied the first Turk pair that you could think of and you felt like you were going to dry heave. I don’t know Rude too well, but from what I know, he and Reno wouldn’t do something so horrendous. Surely, there must have been another pair of Turks who were sent to do it. But you did work in a different department as them, how did you know that there were more members of the Turks? And with Reno’s position within the group… He could have known what was happening…

You told Reno that you would be hanging out with your best friend… that you guys were having a party. He’s smart enough to deduce that your friends still lived in Sector 7… Did he forget? Or… Your stomach churned violently as you sank to your knees on the cold metal walkway. Did Reno just decide he didn’t care if I survived or not?

The edge of your vision burned with tears threatening to spill down your cheeks. A simple blink sent them trailing down your cheeks as you stood upon shaky legs. “Can’t worry about that now.” You muttered, eyes filled with determination as you gathered the excess fabric of your dress to gird up your loins. “I need to find a way out of here. The tunnels might not be able to hold for long.”

Lifting your arm, you pressed one of the materia into your forearm, like you’d seen a few SOLDIERs do before, marveling at how the orb of power sank into the flesh of your arm. Smiling at how seamless it was to merge flesh with Materia, you pressed the other faintly glowing orb into your other forearm, concentrating for a bit before casting Cura upon yourself.

Newly rejuvenated, you back tracked through the metal corridor to find the ladder leading down. “Welp, there’s no time like the present,” you mumbled to yourself as you descended further into the tunnels below.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

#shian imagines #final fantasy vii #Final Fantasy 7 #ffvii #ffviir #final fantasy vii remake #ffvii:remake #reno #reno x reader #final fantasy vii reno

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kpoptrashibnida · 5 years ago

Text

Enough Pt. 8

A/N: hey guys, sorry for the delay on this chapter! It has been a crazy time with wild fires and other things going on, but it’s finally here! It’s a little short for my taste, but I hope you guys enjoy it! As always, please don’t hesitate to let me know what you guys think! I’m posting this on Mobile, so once I have access to my laptop I will add the Read More link. Once again thank you for all the support and happy reading!

“Noona, how do you like your new phone?” Mark asked, walking with you out of the conference room and back to your floor.

“It’s fine. I haven’t been able to look at all the specks. The camera quality is good, even though they low key remind me of trypophobia.” You shuddered, making Mark laugh at your description of the newest iPhone camera.

The morning after Mark, Johnny and Jaehyun come over, you noticed you had a text message. To your surprise it was from Chanyeol; and to your mortification, he had answered a text that you had drunkenly sent.

I need to forget about you. Why are you in my head?

Because I’m the best you’ve ever had babe.

Needless to say, you were filled with rage at yourself and at his cocky attitude. You screamed once you realized it actually happened, that it wasn’t some twisted messed up dream. Your brain thought that the only logical action now was to throw your phone across the room, having it crash against the wall, falling to the floor in a broken mess. You had lost your reason, your sanity, your dignity and now your phone. You were screwed and not in the good way.

‘Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! God why did I have to drink so much? Why aren’t there apps that know when you’re drunk and prevent you from drunk texting you ex… or, well booty call I guess? Ugh whatever! Now I have to buy a new phone. ‘

Groaning, you got up from your bed and walked towards your shattered phone, picking it up and inspecting the damage.

“I guess it won’t work if I turn it off and back on.” You muttered to yourself, annoyed at your overall stupidity. You went to the store and got yourself a new phone and as an extra precaution, you ditched your Korean phone number and got a US number. That way, no past lovers could communicate with you and remind you of your poor choices.

“Well noona, we should hang out with Johnny and Jaehyun again, check out just how good the camera quality is.” Mark suggested, really excited at the thought of spending time with his favorite coworkers.

“Sure Mark, whenever I have time we can do that. For now, fetch me some coffee, will you?” You teased as you stopped at your office door, making the young boy roll his eyes.

“I’m not an intern or your errand boy noona, but I’ll do it because you are my favorite old lady.” Mark teased, dodging your foot as you tried to kick him.

“I’m not an old lady!” You yelled at his retreating form, shaking your head at this man-child’s actions.

You sat on your chair and reviewed your notes from the meeting, deciding which tasks to tackle first.

Bring up your planning apps, you started to prioritize your tasks in order to organize your work.

“Knock knock.” Jaehyun said as he stood at your doorway, coffee in hand.

“Hey, what brings you here?” You ask, looking away from your computer.

“I came to bring you coffee. I was getting some and I saw Mark there. I told him I’d bring it to you.” He said, walking into your office and placing the cup in front of you and taking a seat on the chair across from you.

“That’s really sweet of you, thanks.” You said with a smile, grabbing the cup and taking a sip.

“No problem. So, do you have any plans for this weekend?” Jaehyun asked, ears turning bright pink.

“Um, no I don’t. Why?” You asked, heart hammering in your chest.

“Do you want to go out for dinner Saturday?” He asked, looking at you below his eyelashes.

You were stunned, not expecting him to ask you out. Wait, was he? Maybe it wasn’t even as a date, just as friends.

“Yeah, that’d be nice. Where should we meet?” You asked, heart still racing and face heating up.

“I’ll pick you up at 7, sounds good?” He asked, sitting up on his seat.

“Yeah, sounds great.” You said with a smile, excited at the thought of spending time with him outside of work again.

“Cool, it’s a date.” He said, getting up and grabbing his own coffee cup.

“Yeah… it’s, uh, it’s a d-date.” You stuttered as you watched his retreating form, wanting to die from the smile he gave you as he walked out of your office.

‘Oh shit, I’m in trouble.’ You thought, slamming your head on your desk, sighing heavily and closing your eyes for a bit. Before anyone could see you and think you were some weirdo, you sat up and dived right into your work, praying that it would help you not think about your upcoming date with Jaehyun.

***

The weekend was finally here and you were happy, your work week was long and tiring. Friday after work you decided to go shopping, not knowing what to wear to your dinner date with Jaehyun.

You had gone to a cute boutique nearby the office, not wanting to go to Time Square on a Friday night.

The boutique was classy but not over the top, providing the perfect type of clothing for a first date.

After over thinking every choice and making sure you didn’t look like a thirsty hoe, you finally settled on a pretty emerald green wrap dress that hugs your curves in all the right places. It was sexy but decent, the perfect combination for your date.

You stared at your reflection in the mirror, satisfied with your soft curls and simple make up. You took a deep breath and willed yourself to relax, your heart beating abnormally fast. Your attempts were futile when you heard your doorbell ring, signaling that Jaehyun was here. Taking one last deep breath, you made your way out of your bedroom and out to your front door.

“Hey.” You greeted softly, opening the door so he could step into your apartment.

“Hi. Wow, you look amazing.” He said, giving you a hug before he walked in.

“You too.” You compliment, taking in his appearance which consisted of black fitted jeans, black dress shoes and a navy blue button down shirt. He looked amazing and you were really hoping you could hold yourself back from jumping him tonight, cause god knows you wanted to do that right then and there.

“Ready to go?” He asked, swaying on the ball of his feet, looking nervous and excited and all kinds of handsome. God he was handsome.

“Yeah, ready.” You picked up your jacket from your coat closet and headed outside, excited for what the night would bring.

You were trying to behave, you really really were, but Jaehyun was making it extremely difficult by walking slightly in front of you in the crowded sidewalk, his ass looking so good in his jeans. You almost tripped twice because you were staring at his backside and didn’t see where you were going. Once you got to a less crowded area, you fell in step with Jaehyun, his gorgeous backside out of sight.

“So I got us a reservation at a really popular restaurant that opened up recently. It’s supposed to be amazing and apparently a lot of celebrities go there.” Jaehyun said, making simple conversation on your walk from the parking garage to the restaurant.

“Oh really? Which restaurant is it?” You asked curiously. You didn’t know many places in the area yet, but you were excited to try new things.

“It’s called Pulse, it’s supposed to be a cool Asian fusion place.” He stated, coming to a stop in front of the restaurant.

The place was completely packed full, the line was out the door and still went on for a bit. You were surprised to see how many people were here, the place must really be popular like Jaehyun said. The inside of the restaurant was a decent size too, so the line wasn’t there because it was a tiny hole in the wall type of place.

“This is why you need reservations.” He smirked, grabbing your elbow and gently guiding you inside. You tried to ignore the feeling of his hand on your skin, it burned to the touch but in the best way possible.

“Hi, reservation for Jung.” He politely told the hostess, looking at you and giving you a cute smile. You could tell he was excited and that made you smile.

“I’m sorry, what time is your reservation?” The waitress asked, not looking up from her tablet.

“For 8pm. Under Jung.” He said again, brow scrunched in confusion.

The hostess scanned the iPad with rapid eyes, looking for the reservation.

“Sorry Mr. Jung. There must have been a confusion. We unfortunately don’t have a reservation for you tonight.” The hostess said in an apologetic voice, looking a little sheepish.

Jaehyun's ears turned a bright shade of red and you instantly felt bad for him; he seemed so embarrassed and it was an endearing sight.

“Really? Oh man. Is there anyway we could wait and see if anyone doesn’t show up for their reservation?” He asked politely, the crimson spreading from his ears to his neck.

“Absolutely! If you’d like to sit here in the waiting area, I’ll be sure to get you if anything opens up.” She said and motioned for the crowded seated area.

You and Jaehyun made your way there and sat on a couch, pressed up against other people and each other. You looked at Jaehyun and saw how bummed out he looked, it really broke your heart a little.

“Hey, don’t worry about it.” You smiled as you nudged his arm, wanting to reassure him that it wasn’t a big deal.

“I’m sorry I’m just really annoyed. I wanted today to go well.” He said sheepishly as he looked at you.

“It will. Because we are together and that’s all that matters.” You squeeze his balled up fist softly, once again reassuring him that you didn’t mind the inconvenience.

Jaehyun smiles at you and looks into your eyes intently, lingering longer than he allows himself.

He breaks eye contact and looks ahead, feeling his ears get hot again.

After about an hour of waiting, Jaehyun heard your stomach growl and wanted to shoot himself. 9pm is no time to have dinner and he was upset he’d make you wait this long to eat. He excused himself and made his way to the hostess once again, talking with her for a couple of minutes. You saw him take his phone out and look at something on his phone as he spoke to the hostess, while she furiously looked through the ipad. You were confused as to what he was doing, clearly anyone that had a reservation was here and you guys were out of luck. You really didn’t care if you didn’t get to eat there tonight. You just didn’t want Jaehyun to feel bad about the whole situation. First dates usually went bad and at least you two liked each other and wanted to be in each other’s company. After a few more minutes of conversation he walked back to you, giving you a small smile and a shrug.

“No luck. I’m so sorry this turned out horrible.” He said in a defeated tone that made your chest constrict a little bit.

You stood and grabbed his hand, guiding him out of the restaurant and into the chilly night air.

“There’s a really good pizza place nearby, want to go there?” He asked, nervous that you were going to be disappointed of his choice.

“Yes! I haven’t had pizza in forever! And I’ve never had New York pizza before. Let’s go!” You said excitedly, tugging his arm forward.

He couldn’t help but smile at your excitement, genuinely happy that you were so easygoing since he didn’t meet a lot of girls like you.

Your hand was still held securely in his and no one said anything about it. When you grabbed it inside the restaurant, you weren’t really thinking, you just wanted to make Jaehyun see that you were just happy to be in his company. But now you didn’t want to make it awkward by pulling your hand away. He didn’t seem to mind or if he did, he didn’t show. But you’ve concluded that Jaehyun is a gentleman and he wouldn’t pull away from you.

“Here it is.” He said, opening the door to the cute and quaint Italian eatery.

You were sat at a booth in the corner where it was private and cozy. The atmosphere was very intimate and a live band was playing what you assumed was romantic Italian music. After ordering the biggest pizza they had, easy conversation started flowing between the both of you. Whenever you were with Jaehyun it never felt awkward or uncomfortable and you were extremely thankful for that. You also feel like you could be yourself and he wouldn’t judge you, which is another reason why you enjoy being around him.

Once the pizza was set in front of you, Jaehyun served the largest piece on your plate, making you laugh.

“Do I look that hungry to you?” You tease, watching as the cheese pooled around the slice on your plate, making you drool at the sight.

“No… but I feel like it’s my fault you’re starving, so you get the biggest slice.” He explained simply, placing a slice on his plate as well.

The first bite was heavenly and you were so hungry that it tasted so delicious, you weren’t aware of the noise that was made on your throat. It was a low moan at the delicious taste of the pizza in your mouth, which made Jaehyun’s ears turn a light shade of pink. He was grateful that you didn’t seem to notice and he chastised himself for letting his brain go there.

“So, I have a question.” You said as you leaned back on the booth, knowing that you should have stopped at your third slice but went in for the fourth one anyway. Good thing the dress was forgiving and had some stretch to it.

“What is it?” Jaehyun smiled, wiping his fingers of the grease residue.

“If you don’t have a car, which car are you using tonight?” You asked with a head tilt that made Jaehyun swoon. You were so adorable and didn’t even know it.

“I borrowed a company car.” He said with a chuckle, shrugging at your surprised face.

“Are you allowed to do that?” You asked, hoping he wouldn't get in trouble.

“Yeah! We can borrow company cars for personal errands too. I usually don’t because the traffic and parking in the city is awful. But tonight is a night that required a nice car and not the subway.” He winked, making you blush at his explanation. Of course Jaehyun wouldn’t do anything he’s not supposed to and the fact that he thought tonight deserved a car was very endearing.

“I might need to walk off the pizza I devoured.” You whined playfully, making Jaehyun laugh.

“We can take a walk to an ice cream place, if you like.” He proposed, making you perk up at his suggestion. If you were a dog, your ears would have perked up at the proposal.

“I’m down!” You said excitedly, wanting to eat ice cream now.

Jaehyun paid for the pizza (you tried to pay half, but he didn’t let you) and held the door open for you. You walked to the ice cream place and continued your conversation from earlier. He fell in step with you and nudged his hand against yours a couple times. You felt the butterflies in your stomach flutter around like crazy. You glanced at him and saw that he was smiling down at you, silently waiting for your reaction. Once he saw the small smile you gave him, he got brave enough to hold your hand. You felt your face heat up at the same time you saw his ears turn scarlet.

“Is this okay?” He asked bashfully, making you giggle at his cuteness.

“Yeah, it’s perfect.” You said, nudging him with your shoulder and smiling shyly.

Walking hand and hand, you walked one more block and reached the ice cream place.

You ordered your ice cream and sat at a corner table, sitting next to each other to be close.

“So I want to get to know more about you.” Jaehyun said as he ate spoonfuls of his ice cream, giving you an amused smile. “How about we play a round of 20 questions.” He suggested, making you laugh at his cute idea.

“I love that. Okay, go.” You said, enjoying the delicious ice cream.

“What’s your favorite color?” He asked.

“Purple. Okay, what’s your favorite food.” You asked, settling more comfortably on your chair.

“Honestly the spicy pork my mom makes. It's amazing. What’s your favorite season?”

“Winter, no doubt!” You said with conviction, making Jaehyun laugh at your antics.

“Really? But it gets super cold.” He said, most girls he knew preferred warmer weather.

“Yes but it’s so easy to get warm. Fuzzy socks, warm sweaters, hot chocolate or tea and if you have a cuddle buddy, even better.” You state simply, shrugging your shoulders as Jaehyun laughed at your explanation.

“Ah I see, so you enjoy having a cuddle buddy then?” He teased, eyes twinkling in the lighting of the ice cream parlor.

“I mean, yeah? But I haven’t had one in years, so I don’t remember what it’s like.” You shrugged, finishing the last bits of your cookies and cream ice cream.

“What about that one guy from Korea?” He asked curiously. He didn’t want to pry and seem like wanted to invade your privacy.

“Chanyeol? Oh god. He was not a cuddle buddy. He was more of a wham bam thank you ma’am kind of guy.” You said with an icy tone, the memory of Chanyeol and your…. Relationship not something you like to remember or dwell on.

“Oh, sorry for asking.” He winced, feeling bad for bringing it up.

“Oh my god, don’t worry about it! It’s whatever now. I feel like I’m pretty much over it all by now.” You shrugged, not wanting Jaehyun to feel bad for bringing it up.

“He’s an idiot.” He said, tone low but you were able to hear him.

“What?” You asked, wanting to make sure you heard him correctly.

“I said he’s an idiot. He would have been lucky to cuddle with you.” He said honestly, the eye contact being a little intense for you.

“Thanks.” You whispered, feeling your face get hot due to Jaehyun’s words.

“Ready to go?” He asked suddenly, grabbing the trash from the table, his movements brash and sudden. You figured he was probably a little embarrassed and it is the cutest thing you’ve ever seen.

“Yeah, let’s go.” You said, putting on your jacket before heading out to the chilly street.

Once outside you began your walk back to the parking garage that was now a couple blocks away from your original destination. You contemplated holding Jaehyun’s hand again. He does seem to be into you, at least from how he’s been acting today. And well, since you have known him. You took a deep breath and reached for his hand, intertwining your hand with his. He looked at you a little shocked but smiled as he squeezed your hand tighter, a silent recognition that he did not mind holding your hand. He actually loved the fact that you took the initiative of holding his hand, giving him the hint that you must share his interest.

You arrived at the car much too soon for your liking, even though you were thankful to be out of the chilly night air.

Jaehyun drove to your apartment while holding your hand which made your insides flutter with excitement. You were in a comfortable silence and you couldn’t help but stare at his profile. He is so gorgeous, you don’t know how you got so lucky to be on a date with him.

“What?” He asked, glancing over at you as he drove through town.

“Nothing. You’re just really handsome.” You stated simply, making Jaehyun’s ears turn a bright shade of red in lightning speed.

“Don’t say that.” He chuckled, trying not to show how embarrassed he is.

“It’s true though!” You were delighted to see him squirming in his seat, his face getting a shade darker with each passing second.

“Alright! We are here!” He exclaimed, parking the car in front of your apartment building.

“Thank you so much for today, I had an amazing time.” You said, shifting your body towards Jaehyun.

“I did too. Sorry for the whole reservation fiasco.” He said, subconsciously leaning towards you.

“It’s not a big deal. I’m just glad I got to spend time with you.” You stated, looking into his eyes intently.

There was a sudden heaviness that settled in the confinements of the car, the two of you getting closer to each other. You don’t know who moved in first, but you felt fireworks explode in the back of your eyelids the second your lips touched. It was tentative at first, slow and explorative, wanting to get to know each others likes better. You both pulled away slowly, your breathing a little heavier than normal.

“Let me walk you to your door.” Jaehyun whispered, voice low and husky.

“Okay.” You whispered, pulling away slowly and reaching for the door handle. You took a deep breath to regulate your breathing, lips still tingling from kissing Jaehyun.

You walked hand in hand to your apartment, quiet while letting the reality of the kiss settle in.

Standing in front of your apartment door, you wasted no time in reattaching your lips to his. His lips were so soft and addicting, you felt like you didn’t get your fill in the car. He placed his hands on your hips tentatively, bringing you closer as your kiss got deeper.

His tongue grazed your lips and you willingly opened them to give him access to explore your mouth. You wrapped your arms around his neck, bringing him impossibly closer to you, a low moan escaping your mouth. The sound was music to Jaehyun’s ears and he wanted to hear more, loving the way you felt pressed up against him.

“Want to come in?” You asked breathless, needing to get some air.

Jaehyun groaned, placing his forehead against yours.

“God I want to. Trust me, I want to go in so bad and just- god. Look, I like you. I really really like you and I don’t want to ruin this. I want to take it slow, if that’s okay with you.” He said, massaging your sides slowly.

“Okay.” You rasped, giving him a small peck on the lips.

“Have a good night.” He said, giving you a beautiful smile that made you swoon.

You walked into your apartment and waited for Jaehyun to get into the elevator before you closed the door with a deep sigh. You couldn’t help the smile that graced your face, believing that you most likely just had the best night of your life. A delighted giggle slipped past your lips as you headed to your bathroom to get ready for bed, too giddy to let exhaustion take over. You were way into Jaehyun but you didn’t care. He was amazing and different than anyone you’d ever met. You couldn’t wait to see him again and see where your relationship would end up.

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#jaehyun fluff #jung jaehyun #park chanyeol #jaehyun and you #jaehyun series #chanyeol series #jaehyun x you #chanyeol and you #chanyeol x you #kpop #exo #nct #nct127 #multiau #multi au #multi fandom #fluff

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hermannsthumb · 5 years ago

Note

ok trying this again lol hopefully tumblr doesn't eat my message but i saw where you reblogged that halloween prompts last night and wanted to request "strangers who hooked up at a party while in costume but tbh i might be in love with you so i’m gonna walk this earth looking for the right woodland nymph" for newmann. the thought of hermann dressed as a woodland nymph is CUTE!! thank you, maria

from list of halloween prompts here

HEHE this one took me a while bc i’ve been slammed with a cold the past few days thats made me want to do nothing but like. lie in bed. HERE YOU GO ENJOY

———————————————

“Sexy fairy, huh?” Newt says.

The dude leaning against the wall lowers his drink and frowns. “Pardon?”

“Shit,” Newt says. “Hang on. Sorry.” He pulls out his plastic fangs and works his jaw a few times, then settles right back into his most charming smile. “I said sexy fairy, huh?”

“Oh,” the dude says. He looks down at himself–the illfitting white tunic, the tacky fake vines glued to it, his sandals (socks with sandals, actually, wow)–and gives a self-conscious tug at the equally tacky flower crown atop his head. He’s a real hottie. Big brown eyes, dark eyelashes, cheekbones–definitely Newt’s type. He’s surprised that no one else dove in to chat him up first. “I think it’s meant to be a nymph, actually. I bought it at the costume shop on the way here.”

He’s all posh and English. Newt wasn’t expecting that, but he thinks he can dig it. He leers. “So the sexy is all you, then?”

The nymph’s frown only deepens. “What do you mean?”

“I mean–” Newt sighs. “I was calling you sexy.”

“Oh,” the nymph says again. “Er. Thank you.”

They slip into uncomfortable silence. (Way to go, Newt. Struck out already.) “Are you here alone?” Newt tries again.

It’s the wrong thing to ask: the nymph makes a face and takes a long sip of his drink. (Purple, with weird foam on top, probably whatever’s sitting in the punchbowl marked Witch’s Brew.) “Yes,” he says. “I came with my date, but he–ah–”

His eyes drift to a guy in a semi-matching costume on the dance floor, who’s currently bumping up against some hunk dressed as a sexy pirate.“Ditched you?” Newt says.

The nymph makes a non-committed sound. His hand tightens around the head of his cane (which he’s also wound fake vines around–Newt appreciates the creativity). “I didn’t want to dance,” he says, and then it’s his turn to sigh. “We only met a week ago, on some moronic–dating app my sister insisted I try. I should’ve known he’d…”

That won’t do; Newt was trying to get the guy’s number, not send him spiraling into moodiness. “Hey, I’m here alone, too,” Newt says. “All alone.” He doesn’t even know the host–it’s one of Tendo’s exes, he thinks, who he may or may not have gotten sushi with one time years ago but never bothered unfriending on Facebook.

“Mm,” the nymph says. He gives Newt a long once-over. Newt wishes that he’d planned better, and worn something a little sexier than just standard vampire. (Like sexy pirate; the guy the nymph’s date latched onto instead had the right idea.) As is, he’s probably only passably sexy: his pants are tight enough, and his shirt is open enough, and he has enough glitter in his hair (because it’s fun) to light up like a fucking disco ball in the light. “I suppose you’re going to ask me for my mobile number now. Or offer to get me a drink, despite the fact that I clearly already have one.”

Newt grins goofily. “That was the plan.”

He get another long, considering stare. Then the nymph sets his drink down and clasps his free hand around Newt’s wrist. “Follow me,” he says.

“Cool,” Newt says. “Uh, are we going to the kitchen? I think it’s–”

They’re not going to the kitchen: they’re going to an empty broom closet. Newt can appreciate a forward-thinking man who knows what he wants.

“You ought to know,” the nymph gasps, tangling his fingers in Newt’s hair, “I don’t really do these sorts of things.”

“Really?” Newt says. He grins up at him, face inches from the guy’s stupid tighty-whiteys. “’Cause I do. You want me to put my fangs back in?”

“No. Ah–!”

***************************

Newt wakes up with a hangover (predictable), his phone buzzing off the side table with his alarm (annoying), and the strangest sensation that he met the love of his life last night (unexpected). The sensation is only amplified when he picks up his phone and sees that he’s, apparently, sent no less than five texts to his dad about it (his fucking dad, of all people, Newt needs some friends), but it quickly turns to dread when he sees the mess that is his poor forearm.

(“I’ve got a spot right here,” Newt slurred. After mutually-reciprocated hijinks in the closet, he and the nymph–who had told him his name at one point, Newt was sure, he just totally forgot–proceeded to get totally smashed off whatever the fuck Witch’s Brew was and then make out in the corner until Newt finally reminded him that he still wanted his phone number. The nymph was game. He was less game when Newt showed him where to write it in bold black Magic Marker one he rucked up his sleeve: his right forearm, between his jellyfish tattoo and his Godzilla tattoo, on a small patch of empty, freckled skin.

“Cute,” the nymph said, wryly.

He said it in a way that made it clear he didn’t think Newt’s tats were actually very cute. “I like them,” Newt said.

“Can’t I just–” the nymph was struggling with the marker, “–put it right in your, ah, phone?”

“This is more fun,” Newt said.”)

The number is nothing more than a smeary mess now–probably casualty to the massive rainstorm raging outside that, if Newt’s soaked pile of clothing on the floor means anything, has been raging since he stumbled home last night.

He can’t even remember the guy’s name.

SOS, he ends up texting Tendo after a healthy amount of coffee and Tylenol. hooked up with super hot guy at a party last night and have no fucking clue how to see him again and i think i might be in love. help

you’re almost forty, Tendo replies, which is no help and isn’t at all the sick burn Tendo probably thought it was.

Newt resorts to stalking Tendo’s ex’s Facebook page instead. For anything, really. There are only a few photos up from the party last night (so far, anyway), and most of them are focused on the dance floor and the guy’s friends. Newt clicks through obsessively anyway. The ornate Jack-O-Lanterns that’d been on the front porch, Tendo’s ex and some chick in zombie makeup, the punchbowl of foaming purple Witch’s Brew, and–finally, in the very back corner of a shot–Newt standing with his mystery man. Tacky crown and all. He exists, at least, not some extremely specific hallucination on Newt’s part, even though a reverse image search turns up with absolutely nothing but links to buy his costume.

He has better luck with a blurry photo of his mystery guy’s (deadbeat) date laughing in the kitchen under the bright orange string lights: Tendo’s ex actually tagged him. Probably because he wasn’t totally crashing the party after seeing a post about it like Newt was. Newt’s luck pretty much stops there; not only does the guy make no mention of the nymph Newt spent the night with when Newt stalks his page, but he hasn’t updated his status in literally six months, and none of his friends (because Newt combs through his friends list, too) look remotely like Newt’s mystery man.

So. Newt sends him a friend request.

He accepts it in the amount of time it takes Newt to take to feed his fish, heat up a tiny bowl of spaghetti-o’s, and regret sending it in the first place; he almost spills the bowl over his laptop in his hurry to send a message. Hey, weird question, but who’d you bring to that party last night?

lol why?

“I’m in love with him” is definitely a little forward, so Newt makes up a fast, and hopefully at least mildly believable, lie. He has my umbrella.

Typing for a while. tbh idrk him, we met online. his name was hermann

Then: i think hes a teacher or something

who are you anyway? comes a second later.

Hermann. Newt likes it. It also rings a very, very vague bell. cool thanks! Newt sends back, and then quickly unfriends the guy. Anyone who could possibly ditch a guy as hot and funny and, overall, perfect as Hermann (as Newt remembers him, anyway) is not worth Newt’s time.

exciting update, he texts Tendo. his name is Hermann!

Newt has a lecture to teach at six, three hours from now, so in lieu of actually preparing for it, he decides to be a creepy stalker instead. Hermann’s date said he was a teacher: none of the local public schools have a Hermann (or a Herman, for that matter) on any of their staff pages, K all the way up to Twelve, nor do the private schools. He has better luck when he pokes through staff directories for nearby universities instead: this gives him two Hermans and one Hermann, but neither of their provided pictures look remotely like Newt’s Hermann. Not even when Newt squints.

He spares another miserable glance at the smeary ink on his arm before shutting his laptop. Maybe it’s just not meant to be.

He’s walking to campus from his bus stop the following week–the day before Halloween–when the most fucking unbelievable thing in the world happens.

He sees Hermann.

Just sitting outside the campus coffee shop at a little table, sipping a paper travel mug dotted with little orange pumpkins. Reading over some notes. Newt’s sure it’s Hermann: it’s Hermann’s big brown eyes, Hermann’s long eyelashes, Hermann’s sharp cheekbones, Hermann’s cane propped against the brick wall next to him. Newt’d recognize him even with the stupid nymph costume swapped for more sensible sweatervest and tweed. “Hermann!” he shouts excitedly, waving both arms. “Dude!”

Hermann looks up. He drops his coffee.

He’s completely speechless when Newt finally manages to book it across the street (dodging traffic, including the bus he came in on) and collapse, panting, into the empty seat across from him. “I can’t believe it’s you!” Newt says. “Holy shit, dude! I’ve been trying like crazy to track you down. I lost your number, so I had to message your shitty boyfriend–”

“Not my boyfriend,” Hermann says, faintly.

“Right, your shitty date,” Newt corrects. “You look so good. I almost didn’t recognize you without all the leaves. I’m so glad I found you. What are you doing here, anyway?”

Hermann blinks a few times. Registering it all. “I work–” He says, and gestures to the stairs that lead up to the main part of campus. “Er, here. Physics. I teach physics.”

That explains why Newt couldn’t find him on any faculty pages–he just assumed that Hermann couldn’t possibly be working at the same university as him and didn’t bother checking. He though he would’ve remembered seeing a face like that around. Physics, though, makes sense–it’s not like they’d be in the same building. “I do too!” Newt says. He leans in, beaming away. “Well, not physics, biology. I can’t remember if I told you my name or not. It’s Newt. Dr. Geiszler, if you wanna be serious, but I’m pretty sure we’re way beyond that at this point.”

“Ah,” Hermann says. “No, you didn’t say your name.” He blinks a few more times before finally seeming to get over his shock, and it’s replaced with mild amusement instead. A small smile. “You’re a doctor?”

“Are you that shocked?”

“You’re not very–” Hermann does a very bad job of disguising his laugh as a cough. “Professional. You know–at the, ah, party, you really should’ve just let me–”

“I know,” Newt says, and Hermann’s smile grows.

“Writing it on your arm was a terrible idea,” Hermann says. “I was horribly offended, you know, when you didn’t call the next day.”

Newt fishes his phone out of his pocket, unlocks it, and offers it out to Hermann with a grin. “Looks like I won’t be making the same mistake twice, then.”

#newmann #maria's fanfiction tag #meet cute!#newts-geiszler

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jungshookz · 6 years ago

Text

basketballcaptain!yoongi

→ pairing: min yoongi x reader

→ genre: basketball captain x water girl, cheesy cheesy stuff, the FLUFFIEST fluff, jungoo is an idiot, humour, nSFW = smut, cocky yoongi, spoiler alert yoongi does a body shot off of u it just be like that sometimes

→ wordcount: 18.4k this will definitely make the app crash as per usual don’t come for me

→ note: um can we talk about how attractive yoongi is when he spins a basketball on his finger like that,,, anyWays HAPPY DECEMBER (it’s my frickin birthday monTH) this is one day late and it’s almost 3am but i pulled thru and i was like i promised bball yoongi and that’s what i have 2 deliver to my children!! i hope u guys like this!!! pleaSE flood my inbox i love hearing back from y’all <3

pst if u wanna talk to y/n or kook or captain yoongs u know what to do ;-)

(gif isn’t mine!)

(((and the read more function iS there but most of the time it doesn’t work on mobile :// i am sorry don’t attack me by sending passive-aggressive anon messages)))

somehoW someway jungkook managed to squirm himself into the upperclassmen’s basketball team which not only meant there that was no longer a water-boy but also that because of basketball practice you and kook wouldn’t be able to hang out as much anymore

and he’s used to seeing you every day because you’re his best friend okAy

y’all have been friends since the first day of uni during orientation when he spilt his banana milk all over himself and you immediately rushed over with napkins AND you gave him your chocolate milk instead (ur mom told u to seize all opportunities of friend-making and that was the one you happened to choose)

and you guys spend like all day every day with each other (which surprisingly is not as exhausting as it sounds)

you suffered through freshman fifteen together

you suffered through the blood sweat and tears of midterms and finals

you suffered through many awful frat parties together

the point is you guys have been there for each other through thick and thin since day one and when jungkook realised that basketball practice was going to get in the way of that well

that just won’t do

so naturally he puts two and two together

“i’m sorry, you what????”

“i asked coach and he’s all fine and dandy with having you as my replacement for water-boy. uh… water-girl? water-person… water-girl.” jungkook pops a grape into his mouth and chews thoughtfully “but now we can continue to see each other like evEry day!!!!!”

“kook, i’m not- i’m not going to be the basketball team’s water-girl. what??? how pathetic would that be???”

“hey! don’t insult my old job! you’ll be great!! plus you get extra credit for it and i know how much you love extra credit”

“kook i don’t have TIME to be a water-girl are you kidding me right now like mid-terms are coming up and you know i like preparing ahead of time for mid-terms”

“so study during practice”

“i can’t study surrounded by the sounds of squeaky runners and basketball dribbling!!!! look that was a really nice gesture and it’s really sweet that you wanna spend time with me and stuff but i promise you we’ll still hang out!!! we’ll find a way to-“

“you’ll have an excuse to see min yoongi almost every day.” jungkook points that out casually and you go dead silent

you clear your throat and shift in your seat before popping a fry into your mouth

min yoongi

sit down everyone it’s time for a little story

you’ve had the fattest crush on min yoongi since your freshman year

the moment he sat down next to you during your history lecture (there were no other seats lol) you fell in love

he asked you for a pencil and you immediately gave him yours and he gave you this cute lil smile and head tilt and was like well what are you going to write with now sweetheart

you pull out another polka-dotted patterned pencil from your pencil case almost too enthusiastically and yoongi’s like haha alright then

you remember he had mint-green hair the first time you met him and your bad boy radar started tingling and your brain was just like YA HE’S RLY HOT WE LIKE HIM

he has silver?? or bleached?? hair now which honestly makes you feel hot just thinking about it because mM he looks so fuckign attractive with silver hair

anyways he spent the entire term sitting next to you

the two of you talked sometimes but you were always too shy to like keep the conversation going

in fact the only time you talked to yoongi was when you guys were in class

you saw him outside of class once and waved at him but he kinda just looked at you and then looked back at his friends and you were like okay big yikes never doing that again

but later in class he was like omg sorry i didn’t wave back at you i didn’t recognise ur face

and you immediately forgave him because thaT’s how much you adored min yoongi

but of course

all good things must come to an end

the next term you didn’t have any classes with him

or the next

and now you’re in your third year and yoongi’s in his final year

and you still have your not so teeny-weeny crush on him even though you haven’t spoken to him since your first year here which is honestly so dumb but like the heart wants what it wants or whatever

you clear your throat and twirl a fry in between your fingers before dipping it in ketchup

the fact that you haven’t put it in your mouth yet is an indicator that you are deep in thought

and jungkook’s like c’mon…… c’mon baby……. so close…….

“i mean…. i could always use the extra credit”

HOOK LINE AND SINKER BABY

jungkook has to contain his shriek of excitement and instead he nods quickly and is like cool cool i’ll tell coach

when jungkook hands you a pair of gym shorts and a grimy looking white t-shirt you immediately start regretting your decision

but you suck it up because you’re a Big Boi and you know what jungkook’s right!! it’s a good way to spend time together and doing this can spice up your resumé or whatever and show that you too can be a sporty person lol

“so like do i just have to… hand out bottles of water” you reach down and tug at the knee high socks before sitting down on the creaky wooden bench and crossing your legs

this is probably one of the only times you’ve ever been on the basketball court let alone the sports centre

“well..,.,.,” jungkook pauses and then smiles sheepishly “you also have to hand out towels and then you have to wash the jerseys after practice aNd the towels and technically we don’t do the plastic water bottle thing anymore because of the environment so instead we use reusable cups and all that so instead you’ll have to fill up a huge jug of ice water before every practice and every game and the water refill station is like by the football field which is a ten minute walk from here so then you’ll have to lug it over and you can’t be late or else coach will-“

“i’m going to kill you.” the next thing he knows you’re suddenly launching off the bench and towards him and you end up chasing him around the basketball court multiple times but of course you never catch him because he’s a speedy boi “i’M GOING TO KILL YOU”

“I’M SORRY THAT I JUST WANT TO SPEND MORE TIME WITH YOU” jungkook screams in reply and he feels the whoosh of a basketball hurtling past his head

all of a sudden the two of you hear the blast of a whistle and jungkook immediately stops and you end up slamming right into his back

the next thing you know you’re staring up at the ceiling and there are cartoon birds circling your head

jungkook yanks you back up to your feet quickly and you have to lean against him and grip onto his arm to stop yourself from toppling to the ground

when did his back get so hard and muscly

“don’t make me regret recruiting you onto the team, jeon” coach bang raises a brow at jungkook and jungkook smiles sheepishly “you must be y/n! our new water girl.”

you clear your throat and adjust your glasses (that u should’ve taken oFF in case u get whacked in the face by a ball) before nodding quickly “yes! yep, um, that’s me. thank you for… letting me… hydrate… the team”

what the fuck

what the hell was that

lol okay moving on

“i’m sure jungkook’s already told you all about the basics and what you have to do - i’ll go over it with you after practice today in case jungkook missed anything.”

“so like- what am i supposed to do during practice? like… do i just sit on the bench and-“

“yep! you can always bring your books in to study if you’d like. it’s kind of just like a free period for you, think about it like that. aLRIGHT BOYS HUDDLE UP” you jump like ten feet into the air when coach bang blows his whistle and you immediately head over to the bench

jungkook grins and waves at you from where the boys are and you scowl and roll your eyes

you love him but sometimes he kinda irritating u know

the doors to the gym swing open and someone runs in

“i’m here! i’m here, i’m not late!”

you recognise that bleached head of hair

it’s like he’s running in slow motion

oh god

he’s so beautiful

“not as late as you usually are, min. good job!”

you feel your heart skip a beat at the sight of min yoongi jogging into the gym and huddling up with the rest of the guys

“sorry, coach! you know how it is sometimes”

“… i really don’t. okay, so-“

god he looks good wearing a bandana

you look down at your outfit and immediately cringe

there is nO way in hell you’re going to let min yoongi see you wearing this

the gym shorts luckily are for girls so they’re not too bad but this shIRT…,.,, sweeTIe

you roll up the sleeves and tie the shirt into a little knot

a cute lil crop top

a sweaty cute lil crop top with questionable stains on it

okay

okay you can work with this

you look up and catch a couple of the guys looking over at you and you immediately go bright red

yoongi tilts his head and smiles and you’re like okAY let me pretend like i’m doing work!!!!!

practice goes by pretty smoothly

a couple times the ball goes out of bounds and rolls over to you and kook is always the one to come and get it

finally

finALLY you have something to do

you start filling up cups of water and handing them out to all the grabby hands

one of the guys sighs and dumps the cup of water over his head and you resist the urge to strangle him because he totally just waSTED WATER that you TREKKED all the way to the other side of the school for

“here you gooOO” you clear your throat and look away bashfully when yoongi heads over and reaches for the cup in your hand

he thanks you quietly before chugging it down

yoongi crushes the paper cup in his hand and tosses it into the recycling bin and that’s not supposed to be attractive but somehow he makes it look attractive

meanwhile jungkook’s basically lying underneath the water dispenser letting the water run into his mouth and you’re about to slap him and stop him from being such a water buffalo but you feel a gentle tap on your shoulder

“don’t i know you from somewhere?” yoongi asks and purses his lips and you find that heat rises to your cheeks again

he doesn’t

he doesn’t remember you

well like

he remembers YOU (kinda) he just doesn’t remember your name

okay that’s fine like it’s not as bad as it could be

that’s cool whatever

“i’m, um, i’m y/n! yeah. i’m… i’m y/n.” you clear your throat and you feel your cheeks heat up because what kind of an introduction was that

“y/n…” yoongi pauses and squints his eyes a little before they pop wide open “y/n! polka-dot pencil girl?”

“…yep, polka-dot pencil girl!” you chuckle awkwardly and scratch the back of your neck before you point to the jug of water “water-girl now. i’ve, uh, i’ve levelled up”

yoongi laughs and tilts his head and GOD his smile is adorable “well it’s good to have you on the team!”

before you get a chance to say something back coach bang tells the boys to hit the showers because they all stANK

actually it’s a good thing yoongi had to leave because you did not know where to go with that conversation

socializing is exhausting honestly

“alright, y/n - now we get to the best part of your job.” coach bang pats your back a couple times before pointing to the laundry cart

…son of a bitch

“get in there, soldier!”

you groan quietly and feel your soul leave your body

oh good god

boys are shameless and that’s the tea sis

you have to calm yourself because you’re about to wheel a laundry basket into the men’s locker room and there are going to be shirtless guys everywhere and you know what you’re probably going to see a pee-pee or two but no one told u life was gonna be this way (clap clap clap clap)

this is like a dream and a nightmare combined

you hear wolf-whistles as you enter the locker rooms and you keep your head down as you wheel the laundry cart through

fuCK this is so awkward

you go to class with most of these guys and they’re literally all half naked right now

whOOp that’s a butt you just looked directly into someone’s ass cheeks

ur going to kill jungkook for forcing u to take this job

you can’t help but sigh a breath of relief when you see jungkook’s familiar face

“heads up!” you squeak when jungkook suddenly YEETs his uniform into the cart

“don’t throw your shit at me!!” you scowl and pick up a sock that didn’t make the tough journey into the cart

“here you go, y/n!” namjoon hands you his (folded) uniform and you smile

namjoon is so sweet and nice

…why is he friends with jungkook lol

“get oFF of mE you sweaty freak” you scowl when jungkook wraps his arms around you in a back hug and nuzzles his gross sticky face against your neck

“isn’t this great?? we get to spend so much time together now!” jungkook grins and you manage to wriggle out of his grip and head back to the cart

“if by great you mean absolutely torturous then ye-“ you gasp when you bump into someone hArd and fall back on your bum and suddenly you’re staring up at the ceiling lights

“oh my god - are you okay??” you sit up quickly and-

YOU ARE NOT GOOD

A HALF NAKED MIN YOONGI IS STANDING OVER YOU RIGHT NOW

he has his uniform balled up under his arm and he only has a towel wrapped around his waist and goD his body is glistening from his shower and he smells like vanilla

he’s not like jungkook the muscle pig but he’s still pretty fit and you see the faint outlines of his abs and his v-line and wOw you need to stop ogling him right now

the voice in the back of your mind reminds you that yoongi is very very naked underneath his towel

he holds his hand out for you to take but you shake your head quickly

“i’m- yep, i’m great. i’m fine. i need your shorts. to wash.” you clear your throat and hop back up onto your feet before standing behind the cart and clutching onto the rail

“… just my shorts?” he smiles and raises a brow

“and your top. both of them. all of it.”

girl

GET A GRIP

what is wrONG WITH U

yoongi smiles and tosses his uniform into the cart before moving past you to his locker

you scowl at jungkook when he grins and wiggles his eyebrows at you

you resist the urge to grab a handful of sweaty shorts and dump it over his head

“so,,,, you think you’re going to shoot your shot with yoongi?” jungkook hums and pokes your hand with his pencil

“i’m only doing this for the extra credit.”

“uh-huh, yeah, for sure!” jungkook sighs and leans back against the chair

you let out a sigh when you feel his gaze on you

“i’m not going to shoot my shot with yoongi.”

“no, no. i believe you!”

you look up from your notebook

“i’m serious!!!!”

jungkook purses his lips and shrugs “….uh-huh.”

okay

so it’s been about two-ish weeks since you started working as the water-girl

so far things have been pretty good pretty gucci

you’ve become a well-oiled machine when it comes to handing out cups of water and dodging sweaty pieces of uniform that are thrown at you instead of the cart

coach bang thinks you’re doing a greAt job even though your job requires like zero skills but you know what you’ll take whatever compliment you can GeT

and now it’s lead up to this

the first game of the season

the boys have been practicing pretty hard and you’ve been to every single practice session so u knoW that they know what they’re doing

first game of the season!! which is always exciting

you’ve never been excited about it before

as mentioned previously you are noT a sports person

but jungkook’s on the team now and you wanna support him

and also you need an excuse to stare at min yoongi for as long as you want without coming off as completely creepy

and aLso you’re the water girl so you kinda have to be there regardless of you wanting to be there or not

you grunt as you set down the barrel of water

you’re definitely going to get swoLE after this because dis shit is so heavy

you sigh and look down at your little setup

water? check

ice? check

first aid kit? double check

something’s missing

oh frick u forgot the cups

and you can’t have kook drinking straight out of the barrel that would not be ideal

you cringe thinking of how gross and germy that would be

so you head to the back to grab the box of cups

and as you make your back to the bench to join coach bang you’re suddenly swATTEd in the face by a pom pom

“jesus-“ you sputter and blink quickly

“oh my goodness, i’m so sorry! i didn’t see you there, hun!” the cheerleader grins at you before going back into her routine “woo, go team!”

you haven’t really spoken to the cheerleaders before

you’ve seen them practice outside on the courtyard but they never come into the gym

you know some of their names tho

lisa of course is the head cheerleader

who else do you know

lisa’s in your english lecture

there’s rose

wendy

most of them are really nice!!!

you like cheerleaders but u don’t know how they’re so peppy all the time

at one point you considered trying out for the team but then you saw them doing that thing that they do when they lift one girl into the air and the girl in the air has to balance on one leg and hold up an arm with a hand on her hip and then they DROP HER AND CATCH HER aNd the poor girl has to do aLL of that while maintaining a megawatt smile on her face

so then you were like lol perhaps not

not to mention

you would be the grumpiest cheerleader alive

there’s no way you’d be able to smile through like a 10 minute routine

and you have to constantly cheEr the team on like sure you’ll whoop once or twice but more than that is a wee bit excessive

anyways the game’s going pretty good so far?? the home team is a couple points ahead of the opposing team so you’re pretty sure the guys have this game in the bag you’re not too worried

coach bang literally doesn’t care like he’s playing tetris on his phone right now

basketball isn’t typically thought of as a sexy sport in ur humble opinion but daMn min yoongi definitely made basketball his BITCH

every single shot he’s made has been flawless

it just swooshes right into the hoop

doesn’t even hit the rim of the hoop or anything it just glides right in

he weaves in and out between people so effortlessly

also when his tongue flicks out to lick over his bottom lip

and hello??? sweaty yoongi???? running a hand through his hair and adjusting his bandana

YES daddy

oh my god and his HANDS

his hands are so attractive

long fingers

veiny

trimmed fingernails

this is a very creepy description of his hands but

is it weird that you find his hands sexy

he just has…. manly hands

the way he grips the ball is just *italian chef kiss*

and when he spins the ball on one finger casually while talking to the team about strategies and techniques during the short break

mMPH

thank god you’re the water girl because u r thirsty af right now

you spend the whole game practically drooling over yoongi you don’t even notice when jungkook score the winning shot

jungkook sprinTS to you immediately after he’s done freaking out with the boys

“DID U SEE IT DID U SEE ME I JUST SCORED THE WINNING SHOT” he yanks you up off the bench and you instinctively start bouncing up and down with him

it’s not a real friendship if there aren’t little white lies sprinkled in every now and then am i right ladies

“……OF COURSE I SAW THE WINNING SHOT I’M SO PROUD OF U” you squeal in glee and jungkook falls for it duH because ur a good actress

he moves past you to get some water

“hey look at you!! you had all the cups filled and ready to go”

“y/n” yoongi greets you and you immediately turn into timid quiet y/n again

“hi yoongi” you automatically offer him a cup of water and he takes it graciously

he downs the whole cup in one go and you watch his adam’s apple bob as he sloRPS it all down

he crushes the paper cup in his hand before shooting it into the recycling bin

f u C K THAT WAS RLY HOT

“cute shirt” yoongi’s eyes look you up and down before he smirks and tilts his head “i-“

“yoongi! you did such a good job out there!” yoongi turns around and you look over his shoulder to see lisa bouncing over to him

he turns to face her and she gives him a tight hug and you’re like lmao okay yEET this is awkward what do i do

so you turn back to face kook and yank him away from the barrel of water

“if you even think about opening the lid of the barrel and shoving your face into the water i will slaughter you”

“y/n, cOMe on” jungkkok groans and flops down and squishes his cheek against the table

“shush, kook. we’re in the library” you hiss and pinch his ear before turning your attention back to your laptop

“please?? it’s going to be so fun!!!”

“iiiiiii don’t know” you mutter and scratch the back of your neck “you know parties aren’t really my thing n u always go off with ur teammates anyway so i don’t wanna-“

“yoongi’ll definitely be there”

you scoff and give him a pointed look

“don’t you dare play that card again”

“c’mON PLEAse it’s going to be so fun!!!! we’re celebrating a win!!!!! you’re part of the team!!!”

it takes everything within you not to burst out laughing

you?? part of the team??

all you do is hydrate some thirsty bois and then wash their nasty ass uniforms like how is that being part of the team

“look, just come for like an hour. if you don’t like it, i’ll take you back home and we can watch movies and gorge on ice cream and pizza.” jungkook pouts and steals another one of your animal crackers and pops it into his mouth “pleaaaaaaaas-“

“no.”

“pLeaAAAAAAAAA-“ you lean over and clamp a hand over jungkook’s mouth when people start to stare at the two of you

“will you cut it out?” you sigh and sit back down on the bench “i’m not-“

“…PLEAAASSAASASSAEASAEZA-“

“aLRIGHT alright! finE!” you scowl and swat jungkook’s hands away when it finds its way back to your baggie of animal crackers

he smiles that bunny smile at you when you glare at him for pulling you into going to this damn party

long story short: you should’ve stayed home tonight

you’ve been here for about an hour and a half

you’re nursing your second cup of god-knows-what’s-in-here fruit punch (jimin made it) so you’re feeling it a liTTle but it’s not too bad ?? you think

you’ve stuck to kook’s side the whole night because lol where else would you be

and jungkook said he wasn’t going to go crazy tonight but you knew that promise would be broken the moment you guys stepped into the house and he was like yO BRO WHAT’S UP BRO LET’S GO BRO

so now jungkook is drunk off his ass and you’re figuring out how the hell you’re going to survive the night with a drunk jungkook

it’s loud in here

you can feel the bass of the song in your ASS that’s how loud the music is (ew)

people are pushing you around and they’re all sweaty and you’ve gotten stepped on plenty of times

your poor pinky toe is all numb

the only source of lights are fairy lights strung up around the rooms which is awful for your eyes like your vision already sucks you NEED proper lighting

how come they’re only playing drake songs??? there are other artists that exist besides drAKE

kiki i know you love me sweetie but you gotta get outta here

you for one would love to hear some one direction songs blast over the speakers am i right ladies

now thAT would hype you up big time

and on top of thAt you haven’t even seen yoongi yet so you’re pretty sure you dressed up for nOTHING

you’re wearing a plain black tank top tucked into a cute checkered skirt and you have a sensible cardigan over the outfit

((it’s a very cute outfit 10/10)) (((a little sensible for a house party but it’s okay honey you can try again next time)))

“oKay you know i think we’ve had enough for the night!” you grab the bottle of vodka from jungkook and put it down on the counter before grabbing his wrist and tugging on it gently “how about we get you to a nice, comfy bed? you can snooze for an hour and i’ll wake you up and you can come back to my place and-“

“bODY SHOTS” you hear the smash of glass in the distance and jump in surprise and the moment jungkook hears ‘body shots’ he wriggles out of your grip and heads towards where everyone is

“jung-“ you squeak when jungkook suddenly turns back and grabs you before swinging you over his shoulder “jeON JUNGKOOK NO”

“BODY SHOTS” jungkook laughs loudly and “y/N Do some body shots with mE!!!!”

all of a sudden you’re being plopped down on the edge of the kitchen counter with a whole crowD of people around the two of you

you blink quickly because the room is kind of spinning from how fast jungkook put you down

there are already a line of girls waiting patiently next to jungkook and you groan in frustration when jungkook lifts his shirt up over his head and tosses it somewhere into the crowd of eager girls before hopping up onto the counter as well

you’re going to have to go and ask the girls for his shirt back later and you know you gon have to fight the ladies to get it back

“step on up, ladies and gents!” jimin cheers and hands both you and kook a wedge of lime before handing a shot to the first girl in line for kook

“jimin, get someone else up here because i’m not about to have a complete stranger-“

“we got anyone for water girl, hm?”

everyone whoops and you freeze

you’re surprised at the reaction that that question got and your cheeks flare up immediately and you try to hand the wedge of lime back to jimin

“jimin, i really don’t-“

“-i’ll do it.” you turn your head when you feel someone standing in front of you and your heart drops to your stomach when you see yoOngi standing before you with a smirk

his eyes are kind of glazed over so you know he been drankin but godDamn the way he’s looking at you makes you feel some kinda way

“you sure you don’t wanna play?” jimin looks at you with a twinkle in his eye and you clear your throat before scratching your elbow

“i mean i guess i could play one round”

“that’s what i thought” jimin coos and pinches your cheek and you scowl at him “alright, captain!” yoongi gets a couple pats on the back from jimin before jimin hands him a shot of tequila

“hey, but like, for real, you don’t have to do this if you don’t want to” jimin mutters in your ear as he prepares the salt

you shake your head quickly “no, it’s fine! i’ll be fine”

college experience and all that jazz

and also min yoongi experience and all that jazz

jimin sprinkles salt,,, basically all over jungkook’s abs and the girls go crazy and you immediately look down at yourself because whERE is jimin going to sprinkle salt on you??? you don’t want people looking at your tummy!!! or your stripey purple bra!!!!!!!

jimin can see that you’re about to explode so he decides to take it easy on you lol

instead of lying you down and sprinkling salt on your chest or your tummy he sprinkles salt on the back of yoongi’s hand instead

“this is y/n’s first time, we don’t wanna overwhelm her” jimin winks and you clear your throat and avoid yoongi’s gaze

yoongi reaches forward and grabs your hand that’s holding the lime and pulls it up a little “hold that nice n steady for me, angel” yoongi purrs and steps closer til he’s standing in between y ou r legs

[sweating intensifies]

oh god

you just have to bend down a little and you’d be kissing yoongi

that’s great that’s wonderful we’re cool we’re super cool

“alright, on the count of three-“ jimin holds up the timer “one, two… three-!”

you watch as yoongi licks the line of salt off the back of his hand anD then downs the shot (and his nose scrunches very adorably from the burn of the alcohol) and then he’s leaning forward and taking the lime in between your fingers with his mouth and suCking on it while he has one hand wrapped around your wrist and the other one casually resting on your knee and he is defINITELY staring up at you right now

you can feel his grip burning from where he’s holding you and woW it’s getting hot in here hOo someone needs to open a window

your lips part and you feel the heat rising to your cheeks when yoongi’s right eye drops in a wink before he takes the completely sucKED out lime from you and tosses it into the bin

you hear everyone break into cheers and you get snapped out of your daze a little bit

“good job, water girl” yoongi smirks and pats your knee before turning and disappearing into his group of bros and whAT JUST HAPPENED

“wOO BODY SHOTS” jungkook screams and you look over to see like four different girls on him “there’s plenty of me to goOo aROUNddDD ladiezzZzzzzz”

“oh jesus- alright, aLRIGHT that’s enouGH ladies!!!!” you hop off the counter and swat them away like flies before grabbing jungkook and yanking him off the counter

after you finally tuck jungkook into (your) bed (u forced him to take a shower aNd brush his teeth and he has spare clothes for when he crashes at ur place) you plop down on the couch and just sit in complete silence

what happened tonight

you went to a party

didn’t do anything for like two hours

next thing you know min yoongi is sucking a lime wedge from your fingers and looking at you like he wants to devour you

were you slightly turned on? yes

wig? snatched

do you want him to do it again? yes

hotel? trivago

did your technique of repressing feelings work? absolutely not because you definitely have a crush on min yoongi once again

jesUs

you groan and roll your eyes before flopping your head backwards against the couch

having feelings is just so exhausting

and then you have to go through the effort of making sure you look extra good everyday in case you bump into yoongi

u know what

you don’t have feelings for yoongi

you know what he’s like

you’ve ~gathered information~ on him

you know he hooks up with plenty of girls and you heard he had a thing with lisa for a bit

you know he’s a very casual spontaneous kinda dude and he probably isn’t looking for anything serious right now BUT if he weRe looking for something well sweetie your shop is wiDe open 24/7 just for him

ok ew calm down

okay

this is just like the first time you realised you like yoongi

just suppress it and don’t address it

“suppress it don’t address it” you whisper to yourself before settling down against the couch and pulling the throw blanket up and over yourself

you sigh and close your eyes

yeah

you’ll be fine

you wake up the next morning in a cold sweat because u definitely had a rated R dream involving a certain captain of the basketball team

you compose yourself and snap out of it before deciding it’d probably be a good idea to wipe your crusty makeup off and change out of last night’s clothes

maybe even take a shower and wash all remnants of yoongi off of u (even tho u don’t wANT to)

frick

you’re already falling down the rabbit hole u might as well just accept it

“i’m staying over again i can’t be bothered to go back to my place” you jump like ten feet into the air when jungkook speaks up and that’s when you realise he’s sitting on the ground playing video games on the TV

jeSus

“how are you feeling?” you tie your damp hair up and plop down on the couch

“fine! thanks for leaving the painkillers and water for me” jungkook glances at you briefly over his shoulder and raises a brow “you okay? you look a little pale”

“i’m fine! i just, um, i’m fine.” you clear your throat before sliding off the couch and joining kook on the floor “now hand me a controller because i’m about to beat your ass at mario kart”

“y/n! we have a little surprise for youUuUu” you stand up and turn your attention away from the water dispenser to see kook and a couple of the other boys heading towards you with a box

“what’s this?” you look up and kook and he just grins and gestures for you to open up the box

you sit down on the bench and start pulling at the neatly tied ribbon

you pull out a red cardigan and raise a brow

it has a little basketball patch on the right and on the left is a patch of a cup of wATER

“it’s your varsity… cardigan!”

“we were going to get the varsity jacket for you but they were too expensive so we settled for this”

wow

same tho

“since you’re the official water girl now, the guys and i thought maybe this would be a fun way to welcome you onto the team officially” jungkook nudges your side “look at the back!!!!”

you flip the cardigan over and your heart warms at the sight of your last name stitched onto the back

judging by the stitching work jungkook definitely did this for you

“you got me a water girl cardigan?” you snort

“we made you a water girl cardigan! which makes it ten times more special”

“it’s cuTe tho right??” jin slides in next to you “i chose the patches”

“it’s very cute” you laugh and put it on “and very comfortable!”

“and it matches our varsity jackets!!” namjoon points out “put it on!!” you slide it on and woW this is very comfortable you are never taking this off you are wearing this to your graVE

“oh, cute!!!” you stand up and twist and turn a little and you notice the little elbow patches that are stitched to look like bASKETBALLS

“hey, what’s going on here?”

“oh! um, hi! hey, hello” you smile shyly and yoongi swears he could explode right there because that was adorable heLLO

“cute cardigan” yoongi hums and looks you up and down and you smile excitedly and look down at it

“thank you! i-“

“boys, huddle up!” yoongi scrunches his nose

every time he starts talking to you someone else is like SIKE

you sit down on the bench and smile at yoongi when he gives you a little wave

and you try to ignore the feeling of your heart going ddu ddu ddu

jungkook might’ve (definitely) let it slip that you (definitely) have a thing for yoongi

not to yoongi of course lol he’s not thAt bad

one day jungkook is the only one who knows about your not so teeny crush and the next thing you know half the damn team knows about it

but you threatened each of them and said if they ever told yoongi you would put itching powder in their shorts

that doesn’t stop them from constantly teasing you though

“how come yoongi always gets a full cup of water and i always get a half-full cup of water??”

jungkook whines and you smack his arm lightly

“yeah, i want the yoongi treatment too!” jin chimes in and you swat at him when he starts laughing

your cheeks flame up when you see yoongi hiding a smile behind his cup of water while he’s wiping some sweat off his forehead

“you guys suck” you mutter and whip jungkook with a towel when he coos and makes kissy faces at you

you’re in the middle of handing clean uniforms back to the boys when the first inevitable comment comes up

“y/n, yoongi’s jersey feels so much softer than mine! how come yoongi gets all the fabric softener??” jimin pouts and rubs yoongi’s shorts against his cheek and u snaTCh it away from him and fold it back neatly

“it’s because she likes him better than us” jungkook smirks while towel-drying his hair

“all of your uniforms go into the saMe batch you duMMy” you grumble and shove jungkook’s uniform into his chest

“…she didn’t deny it” jungkook mutters lowly and the boys are like yA man ur right she’s so whipped for yoongi lol

you glare at all of them and shake your he-

“anything for me?” you immediately perk up at the sound of what has become your favourite voice

you turn around and see yoongi (you’ve gotten used to seeing him half-naked with just a towel wrapped around his waist but it still gets your heart racing) and you grin before handing him his freshly-ironed, neatly-folded uniform

“my uniform wasn’t ironed” hoseok mutters and nudges jungkook

“i’m telling you, it’s the yoongi treatment!”

“y/n, lemme help you!” you turn to look over your shoulder when you hear yoongi

he jogs up behind you and before you get a chance to say you’re fine he grabs the barrel of water effortlessly

you get a quick glimpse of his biceps flexing and you’re like o h……. sweet baby jesus have mercy

“i could’ve handled that myself, you know” you joke and open the door for yoongi

“i know. i was just being the gentleman that i am.” yoongi winks at you and you snort and roll your eyes

“why are you here so early? practice doesn’t start for like-“ you push your sleeve up a little and look down at your watch “another forty minutes or so”

“i know but i didn’t have anything to do. i was going to go to the library to do some work but i figured i’d come here instead” yoongi points to his backpack

“what kind of work do you have to do?”

“eh, i was just gonna take some notes. biology is kicking my ass”

“biology? i love biology!!!” you geek out and yoongi smiles and raises a brow “i mean… i know a bit about biology. i can help you if you want? since we have forty minutes”

yoongi scrunches his nose and looks down at his backpack before shrugging “alright, brainiac. show me whatcha got”

yoongi is 110% totally infatuated and completely enthralled with you

he lets out a sigh and leans his cheek against his knuckles as he continues listening to you

the two of you are sitting on the ground next to the bench and facing each other

(he actually knows what you’re talking about he just wanted an excuse to talk to you)

you’re so dang cute even though you’re talking about the female reproduction system and how menstruation works

the way your eyes light up when you’re like SPERM let me tell you about the journey of the sperm to the egg is SO cute

he keeps his eyes trained on your mouth and you pause to flip through the textbook

you chew on your bottom lip to find the page you’re looking for and yoongi instinctively takes his bottom lip in between his teeth

also you did your hair super adorable today

you have like a half-up half-down pigtails kind of situation going on (ur hair was a mess when u woke up and it looked decent like this even tho kook said you look like a three year old toddler)

and you’re wearing that darn varsity cardigan

he can see some loose threads on the end of the sleeve where you pick at unconsciously

he’s noticed that you have very endearing habits and he is Obsessed with a capital O

“so what happens is that the endometrial layer sloughs away and eliminated from the body in the form of menstrual blood! and when the estrogen and progesterone levels are too low-“

“-too low to inhibit the anterior pituitary, the cycle can begin again.” yoongi finishes off

you blink in surprise

dang he’s a fast learner

you’re a much better tutor than you thought you were

you give yourself a mental pat on the back

“yes! yes, that’s exactly right.” you clear your throat and slide the textbook back to yoongi before checking your watch

it’s been about 40 minutes of just studying

you don’t really know where to go from here lol

yoongi clears his throat “heY um there’s this movie that just recently came out and i have an extra ticket if you wanna-“

the blast of a whistle cuts yoongi off and he wants to scream into a pillow

LITERALLY

EVERY SINGLE TIME HE’S ABOUT TO ASK U OUT/BLATANTLY FLIRT W U

SOMETHING/SOMEONE INTERRUPTS HIM

“y/n!!!!!!” the two of you turn and see kook jogging towards you “i’m soRRY i skipped history today-“

“-and yesterday, and the day befor- ooF” the next thing you know kook is tackling you in a hug

yoongi feels a flame of jealousy spark within him

huh

he can’t help but wonder if you and kook are possibly,, more than friends

he’s never considered the possibility before

…damn

this is disappointing

Big Disappointment Energy

yoongi purses his lips and gets up off the ground

“hold on, kook- yoongi!” yoongi turns around “you were saying? about the movie?”

yoongi opens his mouth to speak

but now he feels pressure with the whole damn team here and also you’re talking to him with jungkook practically on tOp of you

“uh, nothing! don’t worry about it” yoongi swallows thickly and shrugs “thanks for helping me with bio”

you deflate a little

you swoRe he was about to ask u out on a movie date but

maybe he was just making small talk

“so are you gonna give me the notes from the lecture?” jungkook grins and you swat the side of his head before gently nudging him off of you

“i don’t think i have a choice, do i?”

honestly

you really reALLY love jungkook more than you should because here you are pumping up basketballs on a saturday afternoon instead of doing something more fun or productive

you dribble a freshly pumped up ball and hold it out in front of you

you close an eye and aim for the hoop and you very vioLENtly hurl it towards the hoop

instead of it going up it goes straight forward and bounces off the pole

lol

you’re literally like allergic to sports so holding the basketball alone is enough to make you break out into hives

“a little violent, no?” you jump when you hear a voice from behind you and of couRSe it’s yoongi

when you’re dressed in sweatpants and one of jungkook’s hoodies and your hair is messier than a bird’s nest and you bAREly have any makeup on of COURSE yoongi has to come and see you

“you think so? i thought that was the perfect amount of violent” you joke and bend down to pick up the ball when it rolls back towards you

“c’mon, give it a try!” yoongi nods over to the hoop and you swallow thickly

you wish this was one of those moments where ur like oh i’M not goOd at thIs at ALL and then you throw the ball covering your eyes and it goes smoothly into the hoop but it’s NOT

THIS IS REALITY SWEETHEART

you throw the ball and it bARELY reaches the hoop like that’s how weak your throw was

you turn around and give yoongi a sheepish smile and he’s like sO infatuated with you because you’re so cute

“you know, that wasn’t half bad.” yoongi offers and gets up from the bench as you go to pick up the ball “definitely have to work on your posture, tho”

all of a sudden yoongi’s standing behind you and you’re like o fuCK

status: trying not to SCREAM LIKE A PTERODACTYL

“stand up straight,” yoongi mutters lowly and he presses a hand flat against your stomach and you straighten up immediately

yoongi wraps his arms around you and places his hands over yours

you’re surprised your hands aren’t shAKIng from this interaction

his hands are so warm and so soft

“and then you just-“ yoongi raises his arms with yours and you let go of the ball as he flicks “swoosh!”

unsurprisingly the ball swOOshes into the hoop and yoongi’s still standing behind you with his hands over yours

in fact your guys’ fingers have seemed to intertwined themselves

“swoosh.” you clear your throat and wiggle out of yoongi’s grip to go and retrieve the ball

you haven’t turned around to face him yet because your face is literally on fire

yoongi’s kinda pouty about the fact you squirmed away but he recovers quickly

he ain’t a quitter

“how about you practice your dribbling? that’s easier than shooting” yoongi smirks and tilts his head

fair enough

dribbling is also a lot less stressful

“i’ll give you a three second head start-“

wait what

why do you need a head start

“and then i’m going to steal the ball from you.”

you waste approximately 1.8 seconds to register what’s happening and then you immediately sprint off and dribble the ball as fast as you can

as soon as you hear yoongi’s cackling and the sound of his shoes squeaking against the floor you’re like nopE we are NOT DOING THIS and you grab the ball and just run for your damn life

“wha- you’re trAVELLING THAT’S CHEATING” yoongi laughs and you can’t help but grin like an idiot as he chases you around the gym

“it’s mY BALL” you screech and somehow the two of you end up at the bleachers

you’re standing at opposite ends at both you and yoongi are out of breath

“gotcha!!” you shriek when yoongi grabs you all of a sudden but of course the two of you lose balance and the next thing you know you end up on the ground with yoongi on toP of you

the ball bounces gently and rolls away

the two of you are panting and looking at each other

like u physically cannOt look away

“you guys need to get a room” yoongi scrambles off of you when you guys hear jungkook

luckily it’s juSt jungkook

if coach bang walked in to see you straddling yoongi that wouldn’t be great

“oh, we weren’t- i just accidentally-“

“uh-huh”

you smile sheepishly and dust yourself off

practice goes by pretty smoothly and you can’t help but notice that yoongi is glancing over much more often than he usually does

he’s flashing you shy smiles and waving at you anD he always makes sure you’re watching him before he nonchalantly scores a point

like he tossed a ball over his shoulder and it swooshed right into the hoop and of couRse you’re frickin rearranging the cups when he does that

although he has to say he was glad you weren’t paying attention when he nearly tripped and fell flat on his face so

yoongi’s losing his mind in a good way if that makes any sense

he doesn’t think he’s ever liked someone as much as he likes you and he’s kind of scared?? because he’s never had feelings like this before

usually with girls he has to admit he

loves them then leaves them is the nicer way of putting it

his heart beats sO fast when he walks into the gym and the first thing he sees is you and the first thing he hears is your giggle

your ass looks really good in those shorts pluS your boobs look great in that tank top and hello you’re wearing that adorable cardigan you are so CUTE

his eyes can’t help but trail down to the swell of your bum when you turn to the side to talk to coach bang

yoongi looks away quickly because he is not about to sprout a boner in front of his teammates

basketball shorts do a horrible job of hiding boners

some of the greasier members of the team are like grouped together in the corner talking about you and yoongi wants to punch every single one of their smug faces in

“you think she gives it up easy?”

“are you kidding me? she obviously does. she’s practically begging for it every time she comes into the changing room. i’d take her over the bench no questions asked”

“and did you see what she was wearing at the party the other night? would’ve loved to-“

yoongi hurls a basketball at one of them and it hits him in the back of his head

“oW fuCKIN-“

“why aren’t you idiots practicing? kihyun, your dribbling sucks ass so i suggest you gET ON THAT” yoongi snaps and kihyun’s like jesus christ finE

The cult of Aphrodite was largely derived from that of-

your fingers pause on the keyboard

you look up from your laptop to see six smiling faces

okay

weird

you shake your head and go back to your paper

-largely derived from that of the Phoenician goddess Astarte, a cognate of the East Semitic goddess Ishtar, whose cult was-

the boys all exchange glances with each other

jin is the first one to speak up

“when are you and yoongi going to get together?”

you snort immediately and and continue typing

-whose cult was based on the Sumerian cult of Inanna. Aphrodite's main cult centers were-

jungkook suddenly reaches out and slaps your laptop shut

you yelp and pull your fingers away before they get snAPPed off

“we’re serious!”

“why does it matter to you people?” you raise a brow

“because you guys obviously like each other and it’s driving everyone crazy that you’re not officially together like could your flirting be any moRE obnoxious-“ jimin slaps a hand over jungkook’s mouth

your fingers pause as you take a moment to ponder

okay

you and yoongi have been flirting a lot lately

at least you thINK you guys have been flirting a lot

you like him a lot

like a LOT

and you think?? maybe he might like you back?

he acts a lot differently around you compared to the beginning of the season

“you should totally go and shoot your shot while yoongi’s shooting his shots in the gym” jin hums and you roll your eyes “get it because he’s literally shooting his shots but like you’re metaphorically-“

“yoU know what i’m going to do it because i’m going to shoot myself in the foot if i have to sit through one of your awful jokes” you start shoving everything into your backpack and namjoon gives jin a fist bump

“good luck!” you hear tae and you turn back and give the boys a wave as you swing your bag over your shoulder

a small smile twitches at your lips

for some reason you feel like you don’t need any luck

yoongi whistles a tune to himself as he swishes another ball into the hoop

he glances quickly when he hears the gym doors open but he doesn’t pay it much mind

(he’s hoping it’s you who just walked in but he’s going to act super casual like oH y/n i didn’t see u there i was just casually practicing my shots no biggie)

he hears a faint rustle and then a giggle “look at those biceps! someone’s been working out for the big game”

that is not your voice

that is lisa’s voice

yoongi grips the ball and twists around quickly to look at her

“um, hi!” he greets awkwardly and scratches the back of his neck and kinda looks around the gym prayING that someone’s around

“mind if i join you? practice ended early for me.” lisa smiles that sweet smile and yoongi shrugs and nods before reciprocating a smile

“no, i don’t mind at all.”

there’s a bit of a pep in your step as you make your way down the hallway

you’ve never really done this before

the whole confessing to someone that you like them thing

mainly because you’ve never been so confident before that someone’s liked you

but now

bitch you is confident

you swear on your pet goldfish’s graVE (rip bubbles) that yoongi likes you just as much as you like him

you just feel so giddy inside it’s great!!!!!

this is a greAT FEELING

love is so nice

you let out a sigh as you see the doors to the gym and you hear the faint sound of a basketball dribbling around

you pause before you get to the doors and take a moment of silence to give yourself a pep talk

okay y/n

you know he likes you back

you’ve got this in the bAg sis

just go up to him and be like so when are you going to take me out on a date?

yeah man

big fuckin dick energy

embrace it!

you give yourself a mental fist bump and walk towards the door

you push it open slowly because all of a sudden you’re nervous

and so you open it wide enough so that you can see what’s going on but you’re still kind of hidden and-

your heart drops to your stomach

because what do you see?

yoongi laughing as lisa shakes her pom poms right in his face

she bounces up and down excitedly and you watch as he grabs her waist and turns her around

your heart clenches at the sight of him grabbing a basketball and gesturing for her to try tossing it into the hoop

but like

that’s your guys’ thing

isn’t it??

plus lisa’s really nice like you’ve spoken to her a couple times and she’s always been really sweet and genuine and you don’t have a legitimate reason to hate her because she’s per fe ct

water girl

that’s who you are

you wash his uniform

you give him water

sometimes you clean the changing rooms

that’s who you are

you aren’t anything like lisa

you’re not top of the class

you’re not best friends with like everyboDy

you’re not the damn captain of the cheerleading squad

and like

yeah

that makes sense

yoongi’s the captain of the basketball team of course his girlfriend is going to the captain of the cheerleading squad that’s just how the universe works

he’s certainly not supposed to be with the water girl

and wow

you are definitely totally about to start crying right now

oh my god girl

you shut the door quietly and let out a breath you didn’t even know you were holding

bed big disappointment energy am i right ladies

ha,.,., ha,.,

“okay, it’s fine, we’re good,” you mutter to yourself while blinking the tears away “we’re great, we’re fine! we’re cool”

whatever

u need to finish writing your paper anyway

“so like - can i talk to you about something?” lisa hums while yoongi dribbles the ball

he nods quickly and swooshes it into the hoop “yeah for sure! what’s up?”

there’s a moment of silence and lisa looks uncertain but she shakes her head and clears her throat

“i think… i think we should get back together.” yoongi freezes and is like hA,…,whAt,.,.., pARdon mE

“you… okay. um… why?”

lisa snorts ad steps a little closer to yoongi

and for some reason it feels like his feet are glued on the floor he canNOt move

“come on, yoongi. head cheerleader, captain of the basketball team - the stars are aligning for us!” lisa shakes her pom poms in his face before leaning in and practically nuzzling her nose against his and yoongi sputters and laughs awkwardly before grabbing her waist and flipping her around because she’s getting wAY too close “and, uh, i can’t be the only one in saying our sex was pretty hot too” she winks

yoongi’s cheeks flush and he looks away

like yea they had a thing but that was a while ago that was like first year second year ish

and it was never really serious in the first place yoongi established that with her

so it’s just weird that out of nowhere she’s like yA let’s geT back toGether

jesus

he’s not doing that

lisa is really nice and chill (and c’mon he’s not going to lie she was pretty good at sucking dick aND she’s very flexible) but like

….thank u, next

“you know, i… you’re really nice! and you’re gorgeous, there’s no denying it - i just feel like… you know, i don’t wanna lead you on or anything like that because i’ve kinda got my eye on- and that time was like- it was just something casual, you know… i… would love to be friends, though! and you know what friends do?? they, uh… they play a round of basketball with each other? why don’t you give it a shot?” yoongi grabs a basketball and thrusts it towards lisa before she has the chance to step closer to him

yoongi turns and looks towards the door when he sees a flash of movement

well

you are disappointed

to say the least

all these years spent pining after yoongi because you thought you had a sliver of a chance only to realise that nO you don’t actually have an ounce of a chance whatsoever

so that’s put you in a pretty bitter mood

and when you’re in a bitter mood

you shut people out

you shut down

you turn into a robot

“what’s the matter with you?” jungkook raises his brow when he notices you poking at your lunch

you have mac n cheese today and you usually go ham on the stuff but for the last three minutes you’ve been poking at the same macaroni noodle

“what makes you think something’s the matter?” you stab your fork into the noodles and the table shakes from how aggressive you did it

jungkook raises his hands in defense and pops a grape into his mouth

“you… excited for practice?”

“why would i be excited? all i am is the damn water girl.”

jungkook snorts and is like okay dang calm down u angry troll

you shove your tray away from you “you can eat it”

“what’s the matter with you?” jungkook asks again and you shake your head before pulling your laptop out

“i, uh….” just had my heart shattered into a million pieces because of (1) min yoongi? “i’m on my period”

jungkook’s eyes widen and he looks around nervously

“oh,.., um…, want me to buy you some timtams?”

“timta- …tampons?”

“…is that not what i said”

thank god you have jungkook

he always cheers you up somehow lmao

youuuuuuu wanna leave

you don’t wanna be here today

you just have no energy to do anything

you don’t want to talk to anyone

you don’t want to see anyone

you especially don’t wanna see a certain someone

you’re going through your checklist to see if you have everything you need and to see if you’ve done everything you need to do

pump up the basketballs? check

polished the floors? got it

washed out water barrel? mmhm

“hey, y/n!”

recycled the cups from last time? yeppers

“hm, hey” you hum nonchalantly and tick another box

you look back up

you jump in surprise and the moment you realise it’s yoongi you immediately back up and bump riGht into the stack of cups and knock them over and your pen and notebook fall to the floor

“oh- here, lemme help-“ yoongi bends down and helps you pick up a couple cups that are rolling away and you are trying noT to scream right now

“it’s okay, i got it!” you grab the cups from yoongi “at lisa i didn’t- at least- at least i didn’t knock over the barrel of wateR” you chuckle awkwardly and stack the cups back onto the bench

he picks up your notebook and pen and sets it down near your bag and looks at you weirdly

“are you ok-“

“sorry, i have to fill this up! it’s only half full and we can’t have that” you hoist the barrel off the bench and this thing is like 98% full of water but that just won’t do

yoongi scratches the back of his neck and watches as you hobble off with the barrel and he doesn’t get the chance to catch up to you and ask you if he did something wrong because he hears the blast of the whistle and the sound of runners squeaking against the linoleum floors

when yoongi comes over to get a cup of water from you during the break he’s insuLTed when you ask namjoon to pass him the cup of water

what the hell did he do????

was it because,,.., idk was it because he helped you pick up your cups?? maybe you have a weird superiority complex with the whole water girl position

you know what

it’ll be fine

maybe you’re just having an off day

yeah

you’ll be fine tomorrow

okay

long damn story short

you are not fine tomorrow

you are not fine on the next day

oR the next

OR THE N E X T

yoongi literally has no idea what the hell he did wrong

now usually when he has girl problems like this he deals with it just fine

most of the time he ends up ignoring the girl back because he doesn’t have time in his busy schedule to worry about a girl

but you’re different

you’re y/n and he

frick

he reaLLY likes you and he thought you liked him back for a while but now that you’re acting like this he’s not too sure

you literally go ouT of your way to not bump into him and not talk to him and it sucks!!!

he saw you in the cafe when you were paying for your food and you sLAMMEd some bills down on the counter and literally sprinted out of the dining hall and the lady at the register was like miss u just gave me like $50 for an apple a water and a chicken sandwich

it’s even worse during practice

every time he comes near you you immediately get up and walk in the other direction or you go and talk to another guy and he doesn’t know what to do!!1/!/1/1/1/1/!

the most he got out of you was when you accidentally bumped into him and you gave him a very timid sorry before scurrying away

yoongi does noT have time to deal with this and he keep trying not to be bothered by it but sweetie he is Bothered with a capital fuckin B

he tries not to let the irritation show on his face when you’re laughing at something with the other guys (especially espECIALLY kihyun) and when you make eye contact with yoongi the smile drops from your face and you get all weird

and now

well

now he’s mad!!!!!! he’s mad because he didn’t do anything wrong and to be frank you’re kinda being a dick

if he did something to fuck up you should’ve called him out on it like he wanTs you to call him out on it

and before he knows it

it’s the day of the big game

and when we say big game we meaN Big Game

the boys have been practicing for this all season

they’ve worked their way up to the top to get here to compete with the jaguars (that’s the opposite team’s mascot it’s pretty fckin basic lmao)

yoongi lets out a sigh as he adjusts his bandana in the little mirror in his locker

there are about five minutes before the game starts

he’s already feeling the pressure

as the basketball captain he’s like the glue that bonds the team together

if he’s grumpy the whole ass team’s going to be grumpy and that would not be good for morale

so he’ll push you aside for now and just focus on basketball

because ball is life right now and that’s all that matters

after this game he can go up to you and be like wtf girl what’s wrong with you

just thinking about you is making him angry

yoongi lets out a sigh of exasperation and pushes a couple strands of hair out of his eyes

okay okay

big day big game

suck it up don’t think about y/n

no need to freak out

he’s super calm

he’s super chill

everything’s gon be alright

“oh, uh, sorry, jungkook asked me to get his lucky charm for him” you pop up in the mirror behind yoongi and he immediately slams his locker shut and whips around

“okay, what’s the big deal?”

“um, i…” you’re visibly taken aback and he sees you look towards the exit

“doN’T- i swear to god if you run away from me again i’m going to scream” yoongi snaps and furrows his brows when you avoid his gaze

oh for christ sakes

“just TELL ME what the fuCK i did wrong because i’m struggling to understand what the hell is going on with you!” yoongi groans in frustration “every time i walk near you you run away. every time i look at you you look away. every time i ask for water you get someone else to hand it to me. i’m frustrated and i don’t fucking understand what the hell i did and you are SO irritating let me tell you for the past two and a half weeks you’ve been driving me insane and i-“

you don’t let yoongi finish because now you’RE mad that hE’S mad

“it’s because we-“ you gesture to both you and yoongi “we aren’t a match, alright?! i was crazy for even thinking i had a shot with you and i just feel so stuPID for thinking the captain of the damn basketball team would go for the water girl instead of the head cheerleader loOK the point is we aren’t compatible and that’s just how it is!”

and there it is

everything spills out of you in thirty seconds

the thing that’s been bothering you for the last two weeks is now out in the open

it’s just hanging in the air

yoongi’s gaze softens

“you-“

“min! two minutes!” the both of you turn when you hear coach bang and yoongi curses to himself

he needs like five more minutes to explain to you why your logic is so dumb and aLSO he’s not interested in the head cheerleader he’s interested in yOU and you do YOU DO HAVE A SHOT WITH HIM but you’re so damn stubborn and-

“after this game, i’m gonna quit my job as the water girl because coach bang said i’ve gotten plenty of credits already and we’re probably never going to see each other again and that’s just the way that life is supposed to be like. all peace will be restored” you exclaim sarcastically

yoongi wants to scream whY ARE YOU BEING so diFFICULT right now

“for the love of god y/n everything that you just said literally doesn’t even mak-“

“min! out here, now!”

“come on, captain. you have a game to win and i have cups to fill.” you move past yoongi and before he has the chance to reach out and grab you you’ve already headed out to the court

yoongi groans in frustration and immediately punches into the lockers

and now there’s a goddamn knuckle mark in his locker

o UCH

the locks rattle against the metal and yoongi cradles his swollen knuckles before cursing to himself

yoongi heads out and joins the boys in a huddle

he gets a smack on the back of the head from coach bang for being a minute late

“i’ll see you boys out on the court. don’t let me down.”

“alright people hands in the middle” yoongi clears his throat and sticks his hand in the middle of the circle and everyone follows suit

“what the hell happened to your hand?” jimin points out and yoongi shakes his head and ignores him

his knuckles are raw and swollen and it lookin kinda nasty

“on the count of three - one, two three - go team!” the boys all grunt out the chant before splitting off and making their way to the entrance of the gym

the crowd bursts into cheers and applause when the boys enter the gym

from across the gym yoongi spots his mortal enemy taeyang

he’s the captain of the enemy basketball team and he’s the woRst

and of course when yoongi needs to focus the most he can’t focus at all because of Y O U

you grin and wave at jungkook when he catches you standing next to coach bang

you and yoongi lock gazes and your smile falters but you give him a thumbs up

god you feel awkward

why did you think it would be a good idea to say all that shit to yoongi

now he’s just going to think ur weird

good one water girl

meanwhile

yoongi canNOt get you off his mind

he literally just needs one minute to explain this mESS to you but obviously he can’t do that right now because the game’s about to start

and he can’t noT think about you when you’re standing right there with your adorable cardigan and your stupid endearing smile and-

yoongi jumps when he hears the blast of a whistle and he’s about to jump up to grab the ball but the next thing he knows the captain from the other team is whooshing past him dribbling the ball like a maniac

“min! what’s gotten into you?? focus!!!” he hears coach bang scold him and yoongi curses to himself before running after the ball

shit

he’s playing the biggest game of the season and he can barely focus

“fucking shit” yoongi groans when the ball plunKS off the backboard and right into the hands of an opposing player

“yoongi, c’mon man get your head in the game” hoseok hisses and whacks yoongi on the arm “you’re not our captain for nothing”

“yoongi, pass me the ball pass me the bALL WHAT R YOU-“ the referee blows the whistle and yoongi pauses and looks around like ??

taeyang grabs the ball from him with a smirk “you’re the basketball captain, aren’t you? don’t you know travelling with the ball is a big no-no?”

wait what

yoongi travelled????? hE TRAVELLED??? LIKE AN IDIOT

meanwhile coach bang is sitting next to you with his face in his hands

you reach over and pat his shoulder “it’s, uh, it’s not too bad, coach! we’re just a couple of points behind” like literally the boys just need like two shots and then they’ll be back on track

“i need a drink” coach bang mutters and you offer him a cup of icy cold water with a sheepish smile

he grabs it from you and chugs it down before letting out a sigh “that’s not strong enough”

“…it’s water”

okay

the game is going

well it’s going okay(?) ish

overtime the boys score a point the other team scores like four more points

poor yoongi is definitely ouT of it

he’s tripped over his feet a couple times

he didn’t catch the ball when hoseok passed it to him for free throw

you know it’s kind of your fault but you don’t really know what to do

“let’s go, kook” you watch as jungkook speeds across the court but at the last minute passes the ball to yoongi and- oH OW

you wince when yoongi’s suddenly shoved by an opposing player and he literally skiDs across the floor

the entire crowd groans because that definitely looked like it hurt

“oOh that looks like it hurts someone should go and help him” you nudge coach bang and he blinks owlishly at you

“y/n that’s your job”

OH right RIGht

the referee blows the whistle for foul play and you immediately rush over to yoongi with your little first aid kit fanny pack

“are you okay??” the first thing yoongi sees when he rolls over onto his back is your face hovering right above his along with his concerned looking teammates anD coach

yoongi sits up and rubs the side of his head

when he fell his head literally just whacked against the floor so that’s great

the room is definitely spinning right now

there are cartoon birds flying around his head

“ugh, i’m fine” yoongi mutters

“your knee is bleeding and your knuckles are-“

“i said i’m fine.” yoongi snaps and winces

he reaches up and pulls away to see some blood smeared on his fingers

“y/n, patch him up in the changing rooms.”

“i don’t need-“

“yes, you do. take a breather, and when you come back, hopefully you’ll actually be able to make a simple shot.” coach bang raises a brow and gestures for you to take him away

ok ouch

he CAN make a simple shot he’s just disTRACTED OKAY

“i should be out there playing with everyone.” yoongi sits down on the bench and you sigh and drop to your knees in front of him

“calm down mr athlete, i’ll get you out there so you can play the last round” you respond quietly, pressing a cotton pad soaked with hydrogen peroxide to his knee

yoongi jolts from the sting but relaxes a bit afterwards

you wipe up the blood and patch a bandaid over it

there’s obviously a bit of tension between the two of you but no one knows how to address it and bring it up

you clear your throat before sitting up a little so that you’re face to face “look, i, uh, i’m sorry. i shouldn’t have dumped all of that on you before the game but like i’m just a preTTY emotional person and i was feeling really mad and sad at you in that moment but u know what i don’t want there to be any bad blood between us because you’re super cool and i don’t want you to think that i’m insane i knoW i literally sound insane right now but the point it-“

“can you shut up for like thirty seconds?” yoongi cuts you off abruptly and you’re visibly taken aback

s coFF

rude,, but fair

you purse your lips and start to tend to the scrape on his cheek

“i like you.” he confesses boldly and you’re like o,,,oh “yeah, i like you. romantically. so how the hell do you think it makes me feel when you - out of noWhere - start to avoid me like the plague?? and after weEKS of avoiding me when i finally get the chance to talk to you you completely freAK out and start talking about how we’re not compatible and you start blurting out all this dumb shit and?? you didn’t even give me a damn chance to talk about my feelings and you didn’t give me the chance to ask you what the hell i did that made you act that way!!! it’s frustrating - you’re sO frustrating and it’s irritating me because usually when someone gets all weird on me i don’t mind like i honestly wouldn’t give a shit but i MINDED SO MUCH because it’s yOU and you’re y/n and you’re so sweet and funny and nice to everyone and i liKE YOU and i just don’t get it!!!!!”

“i, uh- okay.” you swallow and clear your throat

wha

is that aLL you have to SAY

yoongi’s going to give you a SECOND ANGRY RANT if that’s all you have to say jesus christ

“i think i- the thing is- okay i’ve just never felt this way about anyone before and it kinda freaked me out and then when the boys planted the idea of you liking me back in my head i immediately panicked and- look i saw you with lisa and i was just… i felt like i wasn’t good enough of you and… yeah. yeah.”

yoongi lets out a sigh

noW he knows why you were avoiding him like that

frickin finally

“lisa wanted to get back together, actually”

oh yikEs

you deflate a little

yoongi raises a brow at you “obviously it’s not going to happen, you dummy. she was getting all up in my face so i shoved a basketball into her hands to distract her.”

“oh. cool. i knew that.” you mutter and wipe the dried blood off the side of his forehead before sticking a little bandaid there too “so is it… is it safe to come to the conclusion that we…”

“like each other?”

“like-like each other”

yoongi snorts and rolls his eyes playfully “yes. i like-like you and you like-like me. you like-like-like me”

you smooth the bandaid down and drop back down to lean against your heels

the two of you kinda just look at each other

it’s a nice moment of silence where the two of you are letting it sink in

ah yes

nice and calm

hoLY SHIT HE LIKES YOU BACK

YEEEASDSAJHDASKJDHSDJASHD HE LIKE S YOU BA ACK

yoongi smiles and leans down and riGHT before he gets to kiss you you raise your finger and press it against his lips

“you have a game to win.” you grin and get up off your knees and yoongi groans in frustration

“not even a good luck peck??” he pouts and grabs onto your wrist

“you don’t need the luck, but here-“ you bend down and give him a cute smooch on the cheek and yoongi already feels re-energized

yoongi grabs your hand and intertwines his fingers with yours as you guys make your way back to the court

you have to press your lips together to keep yourself from screeching

as soon as you guys get to the gym you let go of yoongi’s hand because if jungkook sees that he’S going to get distracted for sure

“alright coach, put me back in” yoongi taps coach bang on the shoulder and coach bang looks at him warily

yoongi’s smile drops from his face and he raises a brow “i promise- i pROMIse i am so much better”

coach bang looks over yoongi’s shoulder at you and you give him a confident thumbs up “he’s all patched up and good to go”

“one slip up and you’re getting benched.”

unsurprisingly

yoongi gets right back into it

travelling?? never heard of her

flawless jump shots? hook shots? bank shots? yoongi has them aLL in the bag

at one point yoongi dribbles past taeyang and manages to flip him off aND make a shot at the same time and taeyang’s standing there like what haPPENED

but you’re not going to lie

now you’re a little nervous

there are approximately ten seconds left of the game and the scores are tied

you’re standing there anxiously next to coach bang as you watch the clock tick down

oh no

oh fuck

they’re not going to make it they’re noT GOING TO MAKE IT

suddenly you see namjoon pass the ball to yoongi and yoongi ziPS across the court smoothly blocking and avoiding members of the opposite team

and it’s like everything happens in slow motion

yoongi tosses the ball

it hits the corner of the hoop

and spins around once

spins around twice

“c’mon, c’mon…” you mutter and bounce up and down on your feet

you immediately let out a screech of excitement when the ball swooshes into the hoop riGHT as the buzzer goes off

coach bang literally flings his clipboard up into the air and jumps up and down in excitement with you before he’s going over to join the boys

they’re all huddled up together and you laugh as you see them lift yoongi up into the air while yoongi clutches onto the trophy and plants a big fat kiss onto it

they let him down and they’re all fawning over the trophy

you grin when you see yoongi heading straight for you with a towel slung over his shoulder

“congratul-“ you don’t even get a chance to finish congratulating yoongi because the next thing you know he’s tugging you in for a kiss and

time seems to slow down

your eyes flutter shut and you grip a handful of yoongi’s jersey

you don’t even care that he’s sweaty and that his jersey is slightly damp because woWie he is definitely kissing u right now

eventually yoongi pulls away

“i like you - i like you so much and i don’t care if- if people think that water girls and basketball team captains aren’t meant to be together because i like you and that’s all that matters to me and-“ you lean up to give yoongi the smallest sweetest peck and his heart goes uwu when you nudge your nose against his

he blinks down at you owlishly and you smile like a damn fool

“i like you too” and you say that with 120% confidence

“hYUNG we should knock you out more often if it gets you to play like thAT” jungkook grins and yoongi is like noOO no thank U

and then jungkook notices that yoongi… has his arms wrapped around your waist… and your arms… are hanging around his neckAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

his round eyes get wiDER and he literally goes like O o O and then O 0 O

“…does this mean i’m going to become a third wheel?”

thaT’s the first thing he’s asking about???

classic kook

“yoongi, kook! get your asses over here for a team picture!” namjoon calls out and you look over to see all the boys getting ready to pose for the picture

hoseok of course is in the middle clutching the trophy with a megawatt smile on his face

his smile is literally brighter than the trophy itself

you pull away from yoongi but the next thing you know he’s grabbing your hand and pulling you towards the boys

he turns to look at you with a smile “c’mon, water girl. you’re part of the team too.”

you can’t hide the big fat smile on your face

water girl

that’s who you are.

you understand why a lot of the girls are bitter and petty towards you

it’s because you’re surrounded by the cutest boys all the time

and you get to watch all of them work out in the gym

>:-)

boys will be boys

and boys like flexing and showing off to any and all girls

and so

“y/n! look! i can bench press 200!”

“y/n u wanna come watch me do bicep curls”

“Y/N U THINK I CAN THROW A DUMBBELL INTO THE AIR DO A FLIP AND THEN CATCH IT WITH ONE HAND”

…that one was kook obviously

and you usEd to give everyone an equal amount of attention

but things r a little different now

juSt a little bit

“i’m supposed to be studying right now” you giggle when yoongi bends down and gives you another kiss

somehow he convinced you it would be a good idea to lie underneath him while he’s doing push ups

he said it’d give him motivation and u know what

you will gladly take all opportunities given to u to kiss ur boyfriend

“you can study after i’m done”

“how many push- *kiss* -ups until you’re- *kiss* -done??”

yoongi pauses and holds himself up over you as he thinks about it

“i usually do like 100 pushups and we’re only at… 20”

that’s a lie yoongi’s already done like 60 pushups but

:::)))

“oH my god you guys are so gross”

“go make out in the changing rooms or something!!!”

“Y/N DO U THINK I CAN SET THE TREADMILL TO THE FASTEST SPEED AND RUN ON IT WITHOUT FALLING”

so things are only a LITTLe different

your obsession with yoongi’s hands and fingers

you now have a reason as to why you’re obsessed with them

you don’t know how long the two of you have been going at it but all you know is that goddAMN yoongi is SO good with his fingers

“oh god” you whimper and arch your back against the mattress

yoongi pops his head up from in between your legs “that’s not my name but the praise is appreciated”

“s-shut up” you snort and it’s interrupted by a moan because the tips of his fingers brush over that spot and you immediately twitch

“mm, does that feel good? right there?” yoongi smirks and presses a gentle kiss to your inner thigh and you moan when you feel his thumb starting to circle over your clit

yoongi slows down purposely and relishes in the way your arousal covers his fingers

and yeah he said he wasn’t going to do anything else besides fingers (even tho u were clearly fine with him using his m o u t h if he wanted to but he didn’t want to overwhelm you because this is the first time u guys are doing things like this) but now he’s kinda feeling like he wants to do more than fingers

…

yoongi’s never been great at keeping promises so

“”oH mY God” you shoot straight up from the bed and immediately tangle your fingers into yoongi’s hair when he out of noWhere buries his face in between your legs

he clamps your thighs down when they threaten to close around him and snap his neck off and he’s sure he’s going to leave bruises on you but he’ll make up for it (and honestly u don’t mind because him marking u up like this is rly hot)

he starts moving with precision and you feel his tongue flick up and down against your clit and you are noT going to last long at all

“yoongi,” you choke out and your hips instinctively start grinding against his face “yoongi i think i’m gonna-“ you can’t even get a coherent sentence out because that’s how overwhelmed you are

“c’mon, baby - i’ve got you, you can cum” yoongi murmurs against your core and god his voice is dangerously low and raspy and that is your K I N K

he wraps an arm around your thigh before yanking you down the bed and pulling you closer to his mouth

the vibrations from his mouth are the last thing you feel before your orgasm hitS you like a ton of bricks

you cry out in pleasure and feel tingles up and down your spine and yoongi pins your hips down to the bed

for a couple seconds you’re pretty sure you black out

you pant and look up at the ceiling

welp

you are a changed woman because of min yoongi’s fingers and mouth

yoongi wipes his mouth with the back of his hand and smiles cockily up at you “i’m keeping these, by the way” he twirls your panties around his finger before shoving it into his back pocket

yoongi crawls up onto the bed and on top of you

“what’s the matter?” he coos and gives you a sweet kiss and you immediately whine and attempt to flip over and yoongi sees your cheeks flush even moRe “getting all shy on me, hm?” he grins and rolls off of you but at the last minute grabs your hips and pulls you on top of him

you mumble something while looking down at your hands that are resting on yoongi’s tummy

“what was that? didn’t catch that, jagi”

you clear your throat and yoongi’s eyes widen when you hook a finger on the waistband of his shorts

“i said i wanna make u feel good too” you murmur and look at him with your doe eyes and hoW can he say no to that face r u kidding me

spoiler alert: you too are very good with your hands and mouth

you like to think that an important stepping stone in your relationship with yoongi was when he did a body shot on you

well

okay it wasn’t a legit body shot because all you did was hold a lime up for him

but since then you’ve become a little more daring

which is how you find yourself with your tank top lifted up to expose your stomach staring up at the ceiling while jimin sprinkles a circle of salt above your belly button

you snort when jimin suddenly pops up above you with his cheesy grin wiggling a wedge of lime above your face

“this goes in your mouth this time” you hum and open your mouth up and jimin places it down gently “aLRIGHT let’s get this show on the road do we have anyone for water gir-“

“don’t even try it, park” you grin when you hear yoongi cut him off and then you feel familiar hands gripping your thighs apart and pulling you down the counter a little so that you’re pressed flush against your boyfriend

jeez louise yoongi save it for laTER

you giggle when yoongi gives your outer thighs a little squeeze of acknowledgement

“alright, on the count of three! one, two, three-!” not even half a second later you feel yoongi’s tongue lick up against your stomach and you arch your back instinctively but he flattens his hand against you to push you back down

you get a brief glance of yoongi downing a shot before he’s tossing the shot glass aside and leaning down and taking the lime from you

he sucks on it for like a second before spitting it aside and smooshing his lips against yours

for a second you forget that the two of you are surrounded by other people and you instinctively kiss him back and open up when you feel his tongue prodding against your lips

your arms slither to wrap around his neck and your fingers find themselves getting tangled in yoongi’s locks

“THAT’S MY BEST FRIEND U PERV” yoongi starts getting swatted by kook and he immediately pulls away and raises his hands in defence “listen cap if ur going to take her to pound town at least wait til i’m not in the same house as her”

“jungKOOK” you groan

the second hand embarrassment is real

you’ve been spending a lot of nights at yoongi’s place recently because,,, duh

this benefits the both of u because his apartment is bigger than yours and his bed is comfier than yours and he gets to get you all to himself 24/7

yoongi rubs his eyes sleepily and his arm flops down next to him

he looks over

huh

you’re not there

he sits up quickly and furrows his brows

did you leave without telling him?

oh wait

he spots your clothes neatly folded up and sitting on the chair and your phone is plugged into a charger

okay it’s fine no problem

yoongi hops outta bed and stretches his limbs out

he catches a glimpse of his bare back in the mirror and can’t help but smirk at the pinkish scratches down his back

he gives himself a mental pat on the back

he wanders into the kitchen

and the first thing he sees is you fiddling with the waffle iron dressed in nothing but hiS jersey and a pair of very cheeky panties

“hey you really need to clean this thing out like i see crumbs and dried batter and honestly it’s kind of nasty and i was really craving some waff- hEY” yoongi sweeps you off your feet and flings you over his shoulder before giving your bum a smack “yoongi!”

“we’ll make waffles afTERwards”

he can’t control himself

“after whAT??” yoongi practically yEETs you onto the mattress before grabbing your ankles and tugging you down a bit

“after wha- oh you knoW what”

you can’t help but giggle before yoongi’s smooshing his lips against yours “you really think you can walk around my apartment wearing this and expect me to do nothing about it?” yoongi purrs and pins your wrists above your head and you instinctively arch your back when he starts pressing kisses from your neck and then down your chest

he lets go of your wrists before moving over to sit against the headboard

you look at him like hey where u goin and he pats his lap “c’mere, pretty girl”

yoongi can’t help but grope your bum as you settle on his lap with your legs on either side of him

yoongi gives you a warning look when you bend down and teasingly brush your lips over his and you grin before leaning down and giving him a proper kiss

he wraps an arm around your waist and your body curves against him sO perfectly it’s insane

yoongi licks over your bottom lip and slips his tongue into your mouth when you moan quietly at the feeling of yoongi pressing himself right up against you

you roll down against his thigh and let out a whimper

when you go to take the jersey off yoongi grabs your wrist and stops you

“keep it on” he breathes out and you see the way his eyes are blown out

“k-keep it on?” you raise a brow and gasp when yoongi rolls his hips up into yours

“yeah, keep it on” yoongi pinches your chin in between his fingers and brings you down towards him for a kiss

holy shit

this is the best day of yoongi’s life

“a-aH, yoongi!” you’re riding him like your life depends on it and you’ve never looked hotter

yoongi growls and digs his fingers into your hips

yoongi’s jersey is sliding off your shoulder and your head is thrown back exposing your neck and exposing all the bites and marks that yoongi’s given you and jeSus he’s literally about to cum and he usually takes a hell lot longer than this to cum

“look at you, so eager for my cock” yoongi purrs and grabs a handful of your ass before giving you a pert smack “how badly do you need to cum, hm?” he’s honestly struggling to keep it together but one thing he knows for sure is that you have to cum before him

“s-so bad, soOo bad please yoongi” you gasp and yoongi takes that opportunity to slip his tongue into your mouth

yoongi’s already gotten two orgasms out of you so spiralling into a third one doesn’t take much effort

yoongi pulls away and looks down at where the two of you are connected and grunts when he feels himself getting closer to the edge as well

you convulse under the intensity of your orgasm and yoongi continues to move you up and down as he chases his own orgasm

“oh, fuck” yoongi curses as he feels you clench around him and he bites down on your shoulder

it only takes a couple more thrusts until yoongi’s reaching his own orgasm and lets out a cathartic groan

you feel his grip loosen on your hips and you bend down to rest your forehead on his shoulder as he rubs small circles on your back under the jersey

“…now i need to wash your damn jersey again”

“that sounds like a you problem”

you think the rest of the guys on the team are all super great

but sometimes

they take it a little too far

“oh my god, yoongi, harder, harder please-“ you whimper against yoongi’s mouth and his grip under your thighs tighten as he starts thrusting into you significantly harder

you had finished some of your water gal duties early and yoongi convinced you to come and take a shower with him because “you deserve a break too!!!”

and you told him nO funny business while we shower and he was all like ya babe for sure no funny business

next thing you know yoongi has you pinned up against the wall with his hands gripping you under your thighs and your legs wrapped around his waist and he is fucking you like there’s no tomorrow

you push some of yoongi’s hair back as he tucks his face into your neck and starts sucking marks on your skin “gonna cum for me, jagi?”

“yesyesyES” you gasp and your toes curl when he hits your g-spot and you immediately clench around him

fuck you’re so close

deciding to take a shower with your boyfriend was so worth it

and the two of you are like [this] close to reaching euphoria and all of a sudden

“rAAAAA” the shower curtain gets whiPPED to the side and you let out a scream because like haLF THE TEAM IS STANDING THERE

“oH my fuckin- can you pervs get the hell outta here??” yoongi growls and shields as much of you as he possibly can and you squeak in surprise because you are nAKED RIghT NOW

“hoseok you owE me a week’s worth of lunch i told you they were fucking in here”

“jungkook was the one who mislead me and said y/n was only in here to get our uniform!!!!!”

you snort and tuck your face into the crook of yoongi’s neck when the rest of the boys start whOoPing and wolf-whistling

you’re fine because yoongi has you completely covered but yoongi’s ass is definitely on display

you clutch your fingers around his shoulders and let out a gasp when he bounces you up a little to adjust you because you’re sliding down the damn wall

“oh eW YOU’RE STILL INSIDE OF HER” jimin groans and makes a face and yoongi’s like YA BITCH THAT’S HOW SEX WORKS U FCKIN MORON

“you guys need to learn how to keep it down if doing it in the showers is going to become a regular thing”

“ah, yoongi, harder!” jungkook mocks in a much higher pitched voice and you resist the urge to hurl the bottle of shampoo at him

eventually they leave and close the shower curtain again and yoongi sighs and leans his forehead against yours

you crinkle your nose “call me crazy but i think that kinda killed the mood”

yoongi groans and pulls out of you before letting you back down onto your feet

he was literally about to Bust The Fattest Nut and they TOOK THAT AWAY from him

“i’m gonna kill them”

yoongi’s figured it out

a reason why the two of you didn’t get together sooner is because you are literally the most oblivious person in the entire world

someone could make a neon sigh that said Y/N I’M INTERESTED IN YOU and you’d just blink past it

also

yoongi likes most of the guys on the team they’re all super chill

it’s just that some of them push his buttons more than others

for example

yoo kihyun

great defender and all that ya he’s a good team player

but he hAs to be the fuckboi of the century and that’s rich coming from yoongi

kihyun fully knows that you and yoongi are together but does he care?? nope

yoongi looks past jungkook’s shoulder at you and kihyun

jungkook’s talking to yoongi about how to do a bank shot but yoongi is very obviously not listening to him and is very obviously distracted

he can’t hear you or kihyun because he don’t got supersonic hearing but by kihyun’s body language he knows exactly what’s going on

“you look great in this shirt, y/n” kihyun reaches over and tugs on the sleeve and you grin before looking down at it

you don’t notice when he takes a step closer to you

“thank you! it’s actually one of yoongi’s shirts so it’s a little big but i think it’s cute-” you hum and look down at the faded print on the front of the shirt

“kook - i will be right back buddy” yoongi pats jungkook’s shoulder and moves past him

the anger is practically radiating off of him in waves

“-and also it smells like him!”

kihyun pauses but that doesn’t deter him

“and as great as it looks on you, i think it’d look a hell of a lot better on my bedroom floo-“

“hi, baby” you jump when yoongi suddenly pops up behind you and you turn around to glance at him

“hi yoo- mmph-!” all of a sudden yoongi yanks you in for a veRy heated kiss

he turns you around and wraps an arm around your waist and then he’s grabbing your arm and forcing it around his neck

“what’s gotten into you?”

“hush” yoongi breathes out and plants his lips against yours again and practically forces his tongue into your mouth and you’re like !!!!!!!!!

you’re dazed when he pulls away and flips you back around so you’re facing kihyun

“you may proceed” yoongi smacks your ass before he jogs back to jungkook and kihyun’s kinda standing there like,,,, uh,,,.,.,. i’m just gonna,,,., practice my dribbling or something

you give yoongi a glare and he blows u a kiss

classic

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surveys-at-your-service · 5 years ago

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Survey #259

"i went straight to heaven, but i kept on knockin’.”

What's something that makes you feel more creative? Music. What are the last three nail polish colors you wore? Wow, idk the last time I wore nail polish, but probably black or maroon. What's the last thing you binge watched? Avatar: The Last Airbender w/ Sara. Do you watch youtube videos or tv shows more? YouTube is essentially my TV. Quite literally - I don't have a television in my room because I never watch it. What's a DIY project that you don't think actually works? Oh dude, plenty. I have DIY-obsessed friends online as well as a Pinterest, I know this shit, lmao. I can name one though with total certainty because I was with a friend when she tried that disgusting "YOU CAN MAKE cuPCAkES IN A C uP!!!!!" crap. It's the most eggy shit you'll ever try. Do you collect Mason jars to use for crafts? No, but I think those crafts are generally super cute. Have you ever gotten rid of something and then regretted it? If so, what? (or what's one thing?) Oh yeah, one of my biggest being my senior prom pictures, but not for the reason you'd expect (save for two pictures of us that're just REALLY fuckin cute): I want them back because goddamn I was pretty ok and I miss that now that I hate my body every waking moment of every day. :^) What color is the zip-up hoodie you wear the most? Don't have one w/ a zipper, they're ugly. Do you live in an apartment that has inspections? No. Do you hate taking naps during the day? Nooo I love naps and usually take one a day. I tend to feel really tired all over again a few hours or so after I wake up. Who in your immediate family has the best natural hair? MEEEEEEEEEEEE. Would you ever audition for American Idol? Hell no. Do you know anyone who thinks they're more talented than they are? Lol wow, this is mean. I don't think so. Do you buy gum? Rarely, even though I like it. What's your favorite dollar store? I don’t have a favorite, I'd say? But I think we normally go to Dollar General. How many cell phones have you had in your lifetime? Maybe like, six? Have you ever been inside a Victorian mansion? BITCH I WISH!!!!!!!!!!!! I would kill to get married in one, omfGGGGGGGGGGG. What was the most boring field trip you ever want on? I don't remember a bad one. I loved going on field trips. The last time you went, what were your favorite rides at Cedar Point? I’ve never been. Which country would you most like to visit? Eeeeek idk, but probably South Africa. What are your favorite types of videos to watch on YouTube? What I watch on YouTube has become pretty diverse, but I know my favorites are easily Mark's actual big projects w/ egos 'n shit alksjdflk;w gOOD SHIT MY FRIENDS. I still love let's plays, of course! Are you a hoarder? No. Is there a guy (or girl) that you wish things had worked out with? Yes. If you were to start a collection, what would it be? I'd loooove Shadow of the Colossus stuff, particularly the amazing figures they used to have only in Japan. And World of Warcraft stuff; all I have rn is an Illidan poster and a fae dragon plushy hanging from my ceiling that Jason got me. If you were rich, what things would you get done cosmetically? Mother of god, a lot. #1, make me skinny again for the love of fuck. Which would result in loose skin being taken off and probably a breast lift because being overweight ruined my comfort with them laskdjfw. Whiten my teeth and give me laser hair removal surgery on my legs, please. Are your parents too controlling? Not at all. Who is your favorite fictitious redhead? VOL'JIN Blizzard what the FUCK give him BACK What shows have you seen on Broadway? None. Who is the prettiest Asian YouTuber that you can think of? Bitch Mark is Korean and he's gorgeous as fuck goddamn it ain't fair. But this is a weird question. What is the best news you've heard lately? When my mom got a follow-up blood test, things looked good!! She especially needed to level out her sugar, which she did well on. She also didn't lose or gain any weight, so that's wonderful. Have you ever flown first class? Hunny I am v poor. Have you ever had food SO bad in a restaurant that you sent it back? I don't believe so, anyway. Do you talk in your sleep? Very regularly now. Have you ever locked yourself out of your house? OOF, yes. Are you the type of person who can shake insults off easily, or do they tend to stick around in your brain & bother you? They stick with me for a long, long time. At least two I remember from years upon years ago. Who was the last person you cut out of your life intentionally? My old therapist that I trusted and loved when I fucking shouldn't have. Where were you raised? By who? Eastern NC, by my parents. What were your first words? "Dada." What were some of your favorite things when you were young? DINOSAURS, Webkinz, Pokemon, and Spyro, to name a few. What did you grow up listening to? Mostly country and pop music. What games did you play in the past? Spyro was my obsession, and I also loved hunting games (ironic, as irl I would never even consider it???) as well as fishing ones, plus Crash Bandicoot. What was the best birthday party you ever had? I'm not sure. How about the best vacation? I'm unsure; I haven't really been on a lot. Do you have any secrets you never intend to tell? Yup. What memory would you like to disappear from your mind forever? A nightmare I had about my dad. If you were someone else, would you be friends with the person you are now? Yeah. Do you consider yourself a smart person? No. What friend in your life has been the greatest influence to you? I don't know. Where is the scariest place you’ve ever been? What made it so terrifying? I shared a bedroom with an EXTREMELY volatile, violent woman once in the mental hospital. As in she had to go in solitary when she had a violent episode, during which she became very destructive to her surroundings, so as you could guess, I was worried about my own wellbeing. She was eventually moved because I was that uncomfortable. Did you celebrate Easter? Are there any holidays you are more inclined to celebrate than others? If so, which? Well, Easter hasn't come yet, but we'll probably go to my sister's house for the kids. We'll celebrate Christmas and Thanksgiving without fail. We don't pay much attention to others. I'd LOVE to do something for Halloween, we just never have anywhere to go/anything to do. What was the last thing you deleted? Pictures. What colors make up the majority of your wardrobe? Is there any color you like, but don’t wear often? There's black there. Oh, there's s'more black. What's that???? More bLACK????? MAN, I wish I could pull off pink. When was the last time you were in any amount of pain? I had a pretty intense headache yesterday. Who was the last person to hug you? Do you hug this person often? My niece, and yeah, every time I visit. What are you most likely to argue or debate about? The fact I almost never leave my pajamas lmao. What was the last show you watched? Have you seen it before, or is it something you’re watching for the first time? A few days back, I was reeeaaally bored and actually watched TV deliberately, CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?????? It was The Witcher; wasn't bad. I'd be willing to watch more. How would you describe your taste in clothing? What would a dream outfit look like to you? uuuuuggggGHHHHHHHH let me be GOTH. Give me a corsette if they weren't notoriously uncomf with plenty of chains 'n stuff. BIG, SPIKY BOOTS. SKINNY LEATHER PANTS. UUUUGGGGGGGHHHHHH. Have you ever tried snowboarding? No. What’s your favorite planet besides Earth? Saturn is dope. Would you ever be a coach for any sport? Nope. What color of eyes do you have? Blue. Do you like tacos? NOOOOOOOOO. White or red wine? Wine is gross. Do you prefer foxes or wolves? Foxes. What’s the youngest you would consider dating? No younger than 21. Do you think suits are sexy? mmmmmmmmmMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM Did you go to high school with your current best friend? No. What is your boss’ (or school prinicpal’s) name? N/A Were you a fan of Michael Jackson before he died? I was never really a fan. Respected him immensely as a musician, I just didn't care much about his music. Turkey or ham for Thanksgiving? Ham. Turkey is always too dry and stringy. Do you look good in hats? I wouldn't know, I haven't worn one in forever. Never with short hair. Colons or equal signs for your smiley face's eyes? Colons. Do you like architecture? If so, do you have a favourite style or structure that you’d like to make note? Yes, and I should really have an answer for this, as architecture was a big part in Art History... Ummm Etruscan stands out, and of course Roman/Greek (even after the class I don't remember their differences well...). I love Middle Eastern architecture, too. What is one of your favorite words, in any language, and why? I just love the sound of "serendipity," as well as uhhhh "sakura" in Japanese and "kanji" in Chinese. I'm trying to think of a German one, as there certainly are some, but they're evading me right now. Where is the farthest you’ve travelled on foot? JESUS FUCK probably going to get Sara's brother from school, mother of all that is holy. But it might just feel like it because it was during the peak of my muscle atrophy in my legs. Are there any songs that you perhaps like but avoid because it makes you sad when heard? A good number. Do you like the area that you live in? What do you like or dislike about the area? NO. There's not shit to do and it's not aesthetically pleasing at all. Do you have a memory of when you really thought that you have lucked out on something? If so, what was it? Uhhhhh. A handful, I guess? Oh, uh, the suicide attempt to name one and probably the biggest. I took way too many of those pills to experience almost zero symptoms of an overdose; I did look up what "too many" was, because I wanted that. I'd say I was pretty fuckin lucky. If you have apps on your mobile phone, which one do you use the most? Facebook. Which do you like better: fantasy or science fiction novels? Why? FANTASY!!! I think it allows more creativity and possibilities of something magically "making sense" because yeah, it's fantasy. Science fiction has more "realness" to it, more, obviously, scientific elements versus make-believe. Do you like opossums? Do you think it is ethically right for others to keep opossums as pets? OPOSSUMS!!!!!!!!! ARE!!!!!!!!!! FANTASTIC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! They're my second-favorite animals kdsja;lkdjaw. BUT ANYWAY, no, unless it's for rescue reasons. When was the last time someone asked you a huge favor or advice? Do you get asked often by this person? Oh I have no idea. Probably my mom? And no, definitely not. She hates asking for help. What are your thoughts on nihilism? I definitely get it, but it's not my personal outlook. Do you like the snow? More like love. What are your thoughts and feelings towards work/jobs in general? I don't know? I've never even had a real, steady job, so it's hard to really answer... I've only had bad experiences. It's kinda weird to me how you have to work your ass off (usually) to get a job you enjoy, as well as slave for some stupid green paper until the day you die just to stay alive and healthy. But at the same time, it offers a sense of fulfilment and is as well something productive and beneficial to the masses to do. Civilization would be very, very different and unadvanced if we were without them, so I guess it is a necessary thing. Humans gotta work together to keep where we're at. Do you believe in astrology? I've never actually elaborated why I don't believe in it so there ya go: not in the slightest. All it does is offer extremely broad characteristics that, in some light, almost anyone can relate to so they feel included in something. We naturally want to "belong" within something as social creatures, and astrology is an easy one with it being so vast. It gives equally indirect advice that can be applied to a multitude of situations, so people just mold what they read to fit their world. Don't base your goddamn life choices on the random positioning of shit in space. What is something that you’ve made/created? Do you take pride in your creations? Well, way way way too many OCs that I do indeed love a hell of a lot. If you have a Tumblr account, do you have any followers that you wish would not follow you? Well I'm sure there are bots. What kind of books do you generally enjoy to read? Fantasy stuff, mostly. But I also love novels with deep meaning, particularly about life in general. A good plot is mandatory. Does the quality of a video, on YouTube or a television, matter to you? I mean of course in some situations, like if I'm watching something educational/something to gain visual knowledge from. What is one situation that may cause you to become shy (if there is any)? Don't don't don't don't don't point out that my serious interests/things I massively love are "weird" like it's been years and I can still barely explain why my biggest tattoo is a tribute to some fuckface on the Internet lmao. When one is depressed, what can a friend do about it? Do you find that there is a good method to approach people in helping them combat depression? It is SO important to, first, ask them what they want. Do they want advice, an ear to just listen, just your presence, to be alone? As for combating depression, that greatly depends on the origin (if any) of theirs. There are so many factors in answering this question, but what I mentioned should, imo, always be the start. Do you tend to listen to music that embraces your mood or does music dictate your mood? Is it a little bit of both? Definitely both. When I'm sad though, I'm almost definitely listening to somber music too. Do you find yourself to be generally a forgiving person? I'm too goddamn forgiving. Do you have an embarrassing memory that you now look back at and can laugh? If so and if you’re comfortable, could you share one here? Omg I have a Bible-length collection of those suckers. I'd prefer not to. What is one skill that you have worked hard to develop? Is there still room for improvement on that skill? Damn, anxiety-coping mechanisms and actually trusting them to help me through attacks. I used to be convinced that they were useless because it just wouldn't work and weren't immediately effective, but you've gooooooot to trust the process, friends. What do you consider to be your main passion(s) and how did they come about? Spreading awareness of the seriousness of mental health and the comfort of knowing there's hope. You can never stop pushing. My own experience with mental health struggles is definitely the deeeep roots of that. Who do you think influenced you the most in your life so far? Why? Jason changed my life in many ways. Trauma does that. He taught me a lot about the necessity of having faith in yourself to survive on your own, a shitload about love and how it's not some fairy tale, and that people change, even those you least expect to. What is something that you have overheard people talk about that really bothered you? I could name more than a few things about race stuff, living where I do. What do you normally say or how do you normally act in response to a compliment? I usually do this shy laugh and say "thank you" with too much enthusiasm. How many books do you own? Do you have more physical books than electronic books? I've no clue where a lot of my old ones are. I have no electronic ones; I strongly prefer to read a physical book. What are your thoughts on higher education? Is it really necessary? In your opinion, what changes can be made? Depending on your aspiring career, it can be necessary, but just as easily, it can be unnecessary. I know for a fucking fact it should not be NEARLY as expensive as it is. Maybe even free, but I have no idea what monetary concerns that could cause with whoever runs the place. Have you ever received a heartfelt compliment from a stranger? Probably at some point. How many people would you consider to be extremely close to you? "Extremely"... like three lmao. Maybe one more or so. When was the last time you had to speak to a crowd? How well did that go? When I was taking pictures at a wedding last. It went okay. How would you describe your general outlook towards humanity? We by no means deserve to be the apex predator and Earth would be a shitload better without us. How long do you think you could last without any contact with your significant other, best friend, or a person whom you consider would be the closest to you? I'll use my mom here, in which case idk. I don't particularly want to find out. I talk to her at LEAST by text daily. Every day now that she can't work/is always home with me. Have you ever realised that someone was lying, but it was too late to confront them? Nope. Eventually speaking up is how I lost her, but.

#survey #quiz #questions

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parchmints · 6 years ago

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JuLance Day 7 - Rain

Check out my thread on twitter to see all the prompts at once (the tumblr app messes with formatting so I recommend twitter if you’re using mobile)! All prompts connect together to form one overarching story!

First | Previous | Next

day 7/31 - Rain

Set at the end of Lance and Keith’s day running around Cuba.

(just a reminder that all of these are connected and that the story will reveal itself as the month goes on)

Day 7: Rain

It’s been...a good day. A really good day, actually. Lance has spent most of it showing Keith some of his favorite spots in Varadero and now that they’re both full on mamá McClain’s home cooking, Lance walks him back to his Lion with Yorak happily trotting behind them.

It’s twilight now and everything looks veiled by a cerulean-hued filter, precursing the humid Varadero night. All around them, Lance’s backyard is buzzing with life from the sounds of chirping bugs hidden in the grass to the crashing of waves against the nearby shore. The scene sends an ache through Lance for so many different reasons that he’s not sure which one is at its root. Is it that he’s just missed all of this so much? Or that he’s dreading leaving again and pre-missing it all?

Or maybe, Lance thinks, you just don’t want Keith to go.

He shakes his head.

No, don’t do that.

Still, the thought needles at him. Keith got on surprisingly well with his family--so well, in fact, that it was too easy to see him slotted there at the table every day.

Stop it, he tells himself. He knows this line of thinking won’t end well for him.

“I don’t think I’m going to be able to eat for at least three days,” Keith says with a moan as he rubs at his stomach.

“What?” Lance asks, startled out of his train of thought.

“I’m stuffed,” Keith says, sighing. “Your family kept shoving food on my plate.”

“You could have said no. They wouldn’t have forced you.”

“Okay, maybe I was a willing participant. I’m gonna be seeing those empanadas in my dreams.”

Lance can’t help but laugh at that. No one’s ever been able to walk away from the McClain family table without eating their weight in empanadas.

“Now you know what I went through when we were in space,” Lance says with a playful bump at Keith’s shoulder and he’s quick to return it with a smile.

“Must have been torture knowing what you were missing out on.”

“Ugh, I suffered every day, Keith. Every. Day.”

They trudge through the long grass in Lance’s yard and as they approach Black, the Lion lowers its massive head to allow Keith entry. The lowered ramp sends a pang of disappointment through Lance because it reminds him it really is the end of the day. He just wants a little more time.

“Alright, I should probably head out,” Keith says, Yorak bumping against his knees.

“Yeah, well, safe travels, dude.”

Keith looks down at Yorak, his eyebrows knit tight together, and Yorak meets his gaze with a little whine that almost sounds pressuring. The noise makes Keith sigh and raise his head back to face Lance.

“Um, thank you for today. I’ve never been anywhere on Earth other than Arizona so uh, it was really cool. I had fun,” Keith says and he can’t quite meet Lance’s eyes.

Lance blinks at him, a little taken aback. He figured Keith had fun throughout the day, but hearing him say it sends a buzzing satisfaction through his veins and makes the corner of his lips pull up into a wide smile.

“Oh yeah, man! Anytime,” Lance says, rubbing his palm against the back of his neck. “I should be thanking you though because I’m best uncle for life now after you let them play with Yorak.”

“Heh, pretty sure Yorak was having just as much fun. He loved them.”

“Yeah, well, he has good taste.”

“Yeah.”

For a moment, they find themselves smiling at each other without anything else to say and it causes a thick tension to fill the air. It’s not unpleasant or hostile, just awkward and hesitant, like there’s something being left unsaid.

Lance wracks his brain for a way to break the silence, but before he gets a chance to, thunder breaks instead.

The three of them all look toward the sky at the same time and within seconds, Lance feels a droplet of water hit the apple of his cheek.

He hears himself gasp as his eyes widen and all his thoughts of Keith whoosh out of his brain because it’s rain.

It’s raining.

It takes only seconds before the rain starts coming down in sheets and the smell of petrichor blankets the muggy, humid air, but it takes even less than that for Lance to start laughing and shouting out his excitement.

He extends his arms, then turns his palms to the sky to feel the water hit every inch of exposed skin and it’s like he’s being cleansed of all the lingering anxiety in his body. It fills him to the brim with energy, so he shoots off into a sprint to the middle of the field, whooping and hollering in jubilation.

Yorak, excited by Lance’s sudden outburst, chases after Lance and barks at him incessantly until Lance starts spinning around on the spot. When he stops, Yorak lunges right for him, his paws landing on Lance’s shoulders and it sends them both crashing to the ground. His tailbone hits solid earth and it smarts, but Lance can’t even bring himself to care because he’s laughing too hard.

“Yorak, buddy!” Lance says, directly to the wolf’s amused face, “Yorak, it’s rain! Have you ever seen rain before?”

Yorak tilts his head at the question, but then gives a big slobbering kiss to Lance’s cheek before he pushes off him and starts running towards Keith.

Getting up, Lance can’t stop the constant stream of giggles bubbling out from his stomach and it’s starting to hurt at this point. He should be miserable; he’s soaking wet, covered in mud, and he’s definitely going to have a nasty bruise on his lower back in the morning, but he’s so filled with joy that all he can do is laugh.

Brushing off his jeans at the knee, Lance tries to get himself back together (an absolutely massive grin still plastered on his face) before he turns to Keith. Lance is just about to yell at him about how it’s raining when he actually catches sight of Keith’s face.

Keith’s still in the same spot next to Black as he was from before the downpour, his arms laid useless by his side and his attention fully on Lance. He’s staring at Lance, mullet wet and clinging to his face, with an expression Lance has never seen on him before. In fact, Lance doesn’t think he’s ever seen an expression like that directed at him. Keith’s eyes are wide, but somehow still possessing a certain softness to them, his lips are parted just a fraction, and Lance swears he can see a blush along the mask of his face. It knocks the breath right out of Lance as his smile falters and Keith just keeps looking at him, like he’s trying to make his mind up about something.

Don’t, Lance thinks, heart hammering in his chest. Don’t look at me like that.

WIth a look like that, it gives Lance room to hope and that’s not something Lance can afford to do with Keith. He just can’t.

Their eyes are locked now, and Lance can’t seem to move as the rain gently pitter-patters around them. Lance isn’t sure how much time passes--either seconds or minutes--but they can’t seem to break the spell and Keith’s eyes are so...so full of something that it sends a shock of fear through Lance’s system.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Lance finally manages to ask, his voice just loud enough to be heard over the rain.

The question makes Keith blink, his eyes then widening to the size of dinner plates and he looks like he’s just been caught stealing an apple from the farmer’s market. He takes a couple steps back, shaking his head as his face gets redder and when he looks up at Lance again, Lance is sure his expression is one full of mortification.

“Um, I have to go, Lance. I’ll uh, talk to you soon, okay?” Keith asks, but doesn’t wait for an answer as he quickly looks to Yorak. “C’mon, Yorak.” Lance watches in confused silence as Keith and Yorak all but run into Black’s cockpit and then ascend into the atmosphere, blowing gusts of intense winds all around Lance and the field as they do.

In no time at all, the Black Lion is gone and Lance is alone in the rain, the last light of twilight finally dying out.

What, he thinks, was that?

#JuLance #klance #vld #voltron #vld lance #lance mcclain #lance #vld keith #keith kogane #klance fic #voltron fic #writing challenge #my writing #my post #ficlet #drabble

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ao3bronte · 6 years ago

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Ml Fluff Month

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Read it on A03

Sommeil - Chapter 2 Bubble Bath

tu crois qu'tu m'endors / mais même derrière ton masque / tes cernes en parlent encore

“You're what?”

Chat hangs his head and begins to fidget with his fingers, “I'm going away for ten days and...it's for work, you know? I don't really have a choice.”

Marinette narrows her eyes. She's heard all about this boss of his repeatedly over the last month that he'd been crashing at her place to sleep and she really wants to step up and backhand the guy, “I'll make you a care package. Is it hot or cold where you're going?”

Chat peeks up at her from beneath his lashes, “Uh...cold.”

“When do you leave?”

“Sunday.”

“That's three days, plenty of time,” Marinette laces her fingers together and inverts them straight out, cracking her knuckles, “It'll be the best care package ever, you'll see.”

“A care package?” Chat’s eyes grow impossibly wide and Marinette just can't get over how adorably pathetic he looks, “Are you sure it's not too much trouble?”

If it's one thing she's learned about Chat Noir as Marinette, it's that Chat is a hell of a lot more sensitive than she’d ever realised, “Of course. You've been looking and feeling so much better lately and I wouldn't want you to fall back into your old ways during your business trip. Just don't forget to stop by before you leave.”

“Trust me, I won’t forget. I practically live here,” Chat responds eagerly and he's not wrong; he passes out at least twice a week on her chaise and Marinette is just relieved that he's finally beginning to perk up on the battlefield. He's certainly not back to normal, not by any means, but he's a little bit happier and a little bit healthier and Marinette counts that as a win.

“Sometimes I wish you did live here so I could keep an eye on you,” Marinette jokes and she doesn't quite realise what she's said until she sees the gobsmacked expression on Chat’s face, “I mean, you know what I mean. Ladybug needs you at the top of your game and I'm happy to help. Besides, I like having someone to talk to when I'm beading embroidery or sewing my designs.”

Chat’s hesitant curl of the lips turns into the dopeyest of smile, “You just like to have me around so you can use me to tailor your men's line.”

“Well, not only,” Marinette drawls, pouring a spoonful of honey into his tea. She'd quickly found out how deep his sweet tooth actually ran and she’d added it to her Maman’s recipe to help with the medicinal aftertaste, “You do make a great mannequin, but I like the company too.”

Chat actually snickers and it's become a bit of a rarity these last several months; if anything, Ladybug only gets the kind of overcompensating laughter out of him that she knows he only does to reassure her that he's okay, “Thanks Marinette. I can't even begin to explain how awesome you've been to me lately."

“I pride myself on being the best friend I can be,” Marinette explains, pulling the metal infuser out of the mug and giving the tea a stir, “Did I ever tell you that I was the school council president for two years straight when I was a lycéenne? I like to help others when they need someone to talk to.”

“You didn't,” Chat averts his eyes as he takes the proffered mug in his hands, “That's pretty impressive. Two years in a row?”

“It had never happened before until I came along,” she says, plopping down beside him. Marinette has never been one to brag but she's especially proud of this particular milestone, “I worked hard and it paid off enough to land me a €2000 scholarship at any school that accepted me, which was all four of the ones I applied to. I ended up choosing the Paris Fashion Institute because their design classes are super avantgarde and many of the courses can be taken online.”

“Do you like online courses better?” Chat asks between sips. “I have a really weird schedule,” Marinette responds honestly, thinking back to all of the missed classes and stupid excuses she'd made throughout her school years, “So online is best for me. Also, I'm a night owl, not a morning person which is why I never wake up when you leave in the mornings.”

“I always try and be quiet,” he says and the tea is already working its magic, “I'm always afraid I'm going to step on your face.”

“I'd probably sleep through that too,” she giggles with a shrug, sitting down beside him, “Jagged Stone could probably play a concert on my roof and I wouldn't wake up.”

“’m jealous,” Chat slurs and Marinette prepares herself for her favourite part of their late night rendezvous when he loses all sense of personal barriers and babbles honest to goodness things about himself, “I wish I could stay asleep like you.”

“Yeah?” she urges him to take another swig and he does, gulping it down, “Why can't you sleep these days?”

“Work, busy, too much to do,” he yawns and his whole body seems to loosen with the movement, “Nightmares sometimes.”

Now this is the answer she'd been waiting all month to hear, “Nightmares? What about?”

“Magic stuff I guess,” Chat’s eyes are fully closed and Marinette knows she only has a few moments left to pry the truth out of him, “Losing Ladybug. My father.”

She'd honestly expected him to say Le Papillon, but losing Ladybug and his father? That was unexpected, “What makes you think you're going to lose them?”

“She could get hurt, or she could get fed up with me. I’m...I’m not doing my best as her partner right now,” Chat’s voice wavers and Marinette wants to punch a pillow everytime he brings up his near constant fear of Ladybug’s apparent imminent rejection, “And my father doesn't...he's…”

Chat yawns again and Marinette knows she's lost him, slipping the tea from his fingers and easing him down into the chaise. Harrumphing, she covers him with a blanket and screams into the nearest soft item, tossing it across the room in a fit of frustration. She does everything she possibly can to assure him that she'll always be by his side as Ladybug besides beating him over the head with a chalkboard that says “I'M NOT LEAVING JUST BECAUSE YOUR BOSS IS A DICK WHO OVERWORKS YOU” in gigantic rainbow letters. What else does she have to do? Announce it on live television? Have a plane write it in the sky?

“My god you are a needy cat,” she whispers, burying her fingers in his hair as she's apt to do just to hear him purr. It's her favourite sound these days and it never fails to calm her nerves, especially whenever he says something particularly irritating like he did tonight. She's reminded of the care package she’d promised him and spends the next half hour brainstorming items to send with him before ultimately calling it a night and crawling into her bed.

And if she'd pressed a chaste kiss to his forehead just before turning off the lights, well, no one’s the wiser.

A few days later, Marinette takes a deep breath and pushes her chair back from her desk, having just spent the last two hours mulling over an essay for her class in haute couture sewing techniques. She already has a good understanding of all of the things being covered and she pours them out onto her laptop in earnest, waxing poetic about hand stitching and hem finishes and pocket construction. She’s just finished another paragraph on cutting and pressing when her mobile lights up beside her, the telltale chime of a Snapchat notification ringing in her ears. “I suppose I could take a break,” she says to no one in particular, snatching the phone from the surface and flopping onto her chaise with a sigh. She rubs her thumb against the scanner and clicks on the app immediately, delighting in the words she sees.

Chat Noir hey i opened up the care package

Me You did? What do you think?

He sends her a snap of the package, which is essentially just a small hat box she’d draped in leftover velvet. The bow she’d wrapped around it is untied and the lid opened, revealing some of the small items she’d packed within.

Chat Noir the gloves are awesome where did you get them?

Marinette grins and peeks over at her very own Chat Noir gloves, still sitting in their packaging on one of the tables to her left. She’d found them in the Institute’s quad during the university's weekly marché du mardi where the students gather to sell their homemade goodies, whatever they be. In this case, Marinette had found a vendor who knitted winter gear and she had jumped on the pair of Chat Noir gloves she’d found, practically throwing her euros at the student with enthusiasm.

Me A student at the Institute. She makes Ladybug ones too.

Chat Noir i want to buy ladybug a pair she’d love them

Marinette feels her face flush and she covers her eyes with her palms for a moment to try and gain back her composure. He wants to buy her Ladybug gloves? Oh Chat.

Chat Noir she gets really cold in the winter so i’m always trying to find ways to keep her warm

Me That’s really kind of you Chat, I know she’ll love them. I left the girl’s business card attached to the gloves if you want to contact her.

Chat Noir awesome these look good did you make them?

Chat sends another snap of his bare (bare!) hand holding the lavender shortbreads she’d wrapped in colourful cellophane from the bakery, drawn together with a green bow.

Me I did! They have lavender in them to help you sleep.

He doesn’t respond for a few minutes and Marinette busies herself with her Instagram account, peering through the stories of all the people she follows. Alya’s still at work, judging by the snarky comments she’s making about her boss, and Mylène is showing off another one of her amazing ceramic vases. Nino is in the studio working on something that he’s describing as ‘deep funk house’ and Adrien is jet setting yet again, the video of his view from the airplane window gorgeous as he heads out to Oslo for a photoshoot in the Norwegian fjords.

Chat Noir oops they’re all gone

Chat sends another snap, this time of the cellophane in the rubbish bin.

Me ROFL Did you like them?

Chat Noir i loved them so much they were delicious you spoil me so what’s in this bag?

Marinette grins as Chat holds up another bundle wrapped in cellophane, the light from the lamp in his hotel room gleaming off the silver band on his finger.

Me It’s a bath bomb If you’re cold and you want to warm up in the bath, it fizzes up and makes everything smell good

Chat Noir it smells really nice the ladies are going to find me even more irresistible ;)

Marinette rolls her eyes and takes a snap of her unimpressed face, sending it with a few unamused face emojis for good measure.

Me Good luck with that Chat Time for you to get to bed. It looks really dark out.

Chat Noir i’m not that tired i slept on the plane

Me Liar

Chat Noir and i want to keep talking to you i’m bored

Me Get into your bed right now Or else

Chat Noir or else what?

Me I’ll tell on you

Chat Noir :0 you wouldn’t

Me I’m gonna call Ladybug right now and tell her you’re not listening to reason and she’s going to be mad

She’s just about to send another message when he sends a snap, this time of his toes poking up from underneath the duvet of the hotel room he’s staying in. Victorious, she smirks and screencaps the snap.

Me Good Kitty! Now turn off the lamp and go to sleep

Chat but i’m not tired!

Me I’ll call Ladybug!

Chat Noir fine

Me Sleep well Chat!

Chat Noir i’ll try my best purrincess good night

Marinette only has a few classes that she has to attend in person throughout the week and most of them are seminars where she gets to work in the design studios and show off her skills and knowledge in front of her instructors and peers. The supervisor at the Institute has already asked her to try out for the fast track program next semester and Marinette is both floored and humbled by the request, especially since the Institute’s hardest instructor is the one in charge of overseeing the internship. Mme. Sotnikova has always been notorious for flunking half of the first years in her classes just to weed out the weak ones and having always been hard working and tenacious under pressure, Marinette has never bore the brunt of Mme. Sotnikova’s rapier tongue. That being said, she’s had quite a few friends and acquaintances switch majors or drop out altogether just to get away from the imposing woman, as commanding in height as she is outstandingly Russian.

Marinette is packing up her bags to run home to the bakery when Mme. Sotnikova pulls her aside, her blonde hair slicked back into an austere coif that makes her look even more severe, “Have you looked over my request?”

She’s been mulling over it all week actually, the paid €14/hr shifts as an intern three times a week having been a major factor considering she has little to no money beyond what she sells on Etsy, “I have. I think it’s an opportunity I would be interested in.”

Mme. Sotnikova claps her hands together, her eyes betraying her pleasure as her stern expression remains ultimately impassive, “I knew you would. I only want very best to compete for fast track program.”

“I’m honoured, thank you.”

“As you should be,” Mme. Sotnikova has never been one for social graces, “I will send you package with all informations you need. What fashions will you be preparing?”

Marinette smiles, “A men’s line. I should have all four pieces ready for submission by the end of the month.”

“Is that so?” Mme. Sotnikova raises a razor sharp eyebrow, “And it is pre-summer yes?”

“It is,” Marinette confirms, digging a piece of floral fabric from her bag, “I’ve been really inspired by some of the fall gardens around the city and I wanted to reflect that in my pieces. The palette is mostly pastels with the occasional burst of vibrant color.”

“How very Chanel of you.”

“If it is, it certainly isn’t intentional,” Marinette tucks the fabrics back into her bag, “I wanted my collection to be all about the construction, not the flashiness. It’s understated without being minimalist, with different silhouettes and shapes for each blazer and jacket.”

“I am interested to see final result,” Mme. Sotnikova says with a quick nod, turning away. Marinette releases a sigh of relief as the woman leaves the seminar room and she swings the strap of her bag over her shoulder quickly, vying to get home as fast as she can to get to work.

There’s pins in her mouth and scissors tucked into her bra when she hears her mobile chime behind her, the Snapchat app the only exception to her Do Not Disturb settings as she shoves the final pin into the pastel green A shaped jacket. She steps back and gazes at it with satisfaction before grabbing her mobile and sitting down, her socked feet aching from walking back and forth around her mannequin for the past six hours.

Chat Noir i’m a chatsicle brrrrrrrr

Me Go warm up! Want to see what I’m working on?

Chat Noir is it for your men’s couture line?

Me Yup

Marinette gets up and snaps a photo of the jacket before sitting back down again, pulling the scissors out of her shirt.

Chat Noir that looks AMAZING the multiseam construction at the shoulders really helps give it shape without the extra body

Marinette blinks several times.

Me Since when did you become a fashion expert?

Chat Noir uhhh since a while? i know things

Me Why didn’t you say something? You know how much I love fashion!

Chat Noir i didn’t want to overstep you have amazing designs

Me We’re soooo going to have a talk about this next time you’re over here I can’t believe you’ve been holding out on me!

Chat Noir i swear it wasn’t intentional! i just like to talk to you about other things

She lets that soak in for a few moments before changing the subject.

Me So how was your day? Have you warmed up yet?

Chat Noir it was cold and awful and i was outside the whole time

Me I’m sorry! Why were you stuck in the cold?

Chat Noir my job i didn’t have a choice

Me That doesn’t seem fair Chat! Isn’t there something you can do?

Chat Noir nope it’s just the way it is i just got back to my room

Me Well that’s good at least! Do you have anywhere else you need to be?

Chat Noir i ate dinner in the car so no

Me Go focus on warming up then!

Chat Noir i’m gonna use your bathbomb and try and defrost my toes

Me Let me know how you like it! :)

She sets her mobile down with a smile and runs off to the washroom, stopping in the kitchen along the way to grab a brioche and a nub of butter. Shoving the bun into her mouth, Marinette runs back upstairs with every intention of finishing off her jacket when her mobile chimes again. It’s the last thing she expects, all things considered; is he really going to message her while he’s having a bath? While he’s naked?

Chat Noir this thing smells awesome i wish you had packed more of these i want to buy a hundred off of you name your price and i’ll pay up my paycheque can take it

Marinette just shakes her head fondly.

Me I’ll see if I can make you a few more.

Chat Noir awesome so how’s the jacket going?

Pursing her lips, Marinette takes another bite of her brioche and settles in for the long haul.

Me Abandoned for the meantime. Are you feeling better yet?

Chat Noir yup i feel like i’m swimming in a cup of that tea you always make me

Me That’s because it is I put the same herbs from the tea in the bathbomb to help you get to sleep!

Chat Noir i don’t know what i’ve done to deserve you

Marinette swallows the lump in her throat and feels her chest constrict a little at his words. He’s said it a million times to Ladybug and she can practically envision his bright green kitten eyes blinking down at her, his smile as earnest as it is brimming with honesty.

Me It’s no big deal Chat I just like being a good friend

Chat Noir you’re the best, you know that?

Honesty hour, here we come.

Chat Noir if you had a boyfriend he would be the luckiest guy ever i mean i know you don’t have a boyfriend but if you did he’d be set for life

...what?!

Of all the conversations she’d expected to have tonight, this wasn’t even remotely close to the list.

Me Thanks?

Chat Noir i’m kinda jealous

Me Jealous of a boyfriend that I don’t even have?

Chat Noir ya because he’d be awesome

Me He certainly would have to be to put up with the stray kitten that comes to me for tea from time to time

Chat Noir nonono i’d never want to interfere and i don’t even know how you don’t have someone yet you’re a c a t c h

Me First off, I’m not kicking you out anytime soon Second, why are we having this conversation about a boyfriend I don’t even have?

Chat Noir cause you deserve it you’re so kind and nice to everyone

Me And so are you!

Chat Noir ya but i’m chat noir i can’t date anyone

Me Why not?

Chat Noir i don’t think ladybug would approve and i’m kind of in love with her but she just wants to be friends

Me Maybe she likes someone else?

Chat Noir probably i’m kind of pathetic aren’t i

Marinette sets her phone down for a moment and rubs her eyes, smudging her mascara. She’s tired and worried about saying the wrong thing but part of her just wants to get it out and tell him what he needs to hear.

Me I don’t want to overstep my bounds here but I think you should consider dating someone else

Chat Noir what?

Me Look I know how much you love Ladybug and she knows it too But she’s probably waaaay too busy being Ladybug to date right now so you’re only setting yourself up for failure And when she’s ready, maybe she’ll return your affections and you two can live happily ever after?

Marinette shares a glance with her reflection and snorts at the possibility.

Me But right now she’s probably got other things to worry about and you could really use someone who will take care of you and show you how much you mean to them You’re smart and funny so I know it won’t be hard to find a girl that would be interested in dating you but you need to let go of Ladybug and live a little.

Chat Noir i guess you’re a really good friend marinette thank you

She’s heard that line before and for once, it doesn’t bother her in the slightest.

Me You’re welcome Chat One of my good friends shared that advice with me a little while ago

Chat Noir you’re in love with someone too?

Me I was And in a way I still am but he’s super busy. I only ever keep track of him now over Instagram

Chat Noir i’m sorry

Me What a pair we make eh?

Chat Noir we’re furtunate to have each other

Me :|

Chat Noir purrhaps we should go on a date together?

Me ?

Chat Noir i’ll take that as a maybe ;) i’m going to got to bed now purrincess

Me Goodnight Chat. Sleep well!

When she sits up and chances a glance at herself in the mirror, she has to make a double take at the flush of red spreading across her face and décolletage. Did Chat, of all people, just ask her out on a date? And did he mean it? It seems ridiculous when she says it out loud and she tries to diffuse the tightness in her stomach with a nervous laugh but…

The heat in her cheeks persists as she climbs down to the bathroom to brush her teeth and it follows her back up to her bedroom, the space seemingly empty without Chat in its midst. Crawling beneath her duvet, she looks over at the copy of Le Petit Prince she keeps at her bedside and opens it to page thirteen, revealing the dried rose she’s had pressed between the pages ever since it began to wilt in the vase on her desk some three years ago. She still remembers the scent of it when he gave it to her on that fateful rooftop, the Chat Noir of former days, young and naive and yet still as enamoured with Ladybug as he is now. Things had evolved between them, personally and professionally, but at least one thing seemed to always remain the same.

But…

Maybe it was time for change.

#mlfluffmonth #brontewrites #marichat #mlfic

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creative-frequency · 7 years ago

Text

Prompto x Fem!Reader: Chocoboy Is Typing...

Word count: 5190 Warnings: None, SFW

You are one of the best King’s Knight players on Eos.

Tagging @sakumartti @singlebecauseofthechocobros @fluffysmutkitten @alicemoonwonderland @owldearest @promptoastandbutter

It started as a chance encounter.

You reported a bug in the official forum of King’s Knight by writing a really long and detailed explanation on how your game constantly crashed on the same quest after the latest patch. Your text had been more pointed than usually as your anger had gotten the best of you. Soon after posting it, the responses of other frustrated players had flooded in.

One of them messaged you directly on the forum.

Hey I saw ur post. I’ve had the same bug too.

You frowned. What an odd way to put it.

Yeah? Looks like everyone does lol

I have a work-around, pls add me. Chocoboy#4323

Thirty seconds later, the chat app was chiming happily, informing you that your friend request had been accepted. You opened the conversation panel between you two and waited.

Chocoboy is typing…

After what felt like an eternity of waiting, Chocoboy said that he had gotten the fix to work on his and his friend’s phones. However, he didn’t want to post the information on the official forums as the game developers were surely going to fix it soon. Your message had been so furious and since he had seen you on top of the ranking lists many times, he wanted to offer you this small edge as a token of appreciation towards a hardcore player.

You were suspicious, very suspicious. What if he was just some kind of a scammer or a jealous player, trying to mess up your game and leaderboards? Still, the fix seemed obvious enough, so you decided to give it a try. There was no poking at the game files or anything, just a simple save and reboot mechanic.

You lay on your bed doing as Chocoboy had instructed you, not expecting much.

The loading screen after starting King’s Knight took longer than normally and you were getting anxious. Then you finally got to choose the buggy quest.

And it worked. The quest started without a hitch, throwing you straight into the battle.

You jolted up from the bed, screaming in triumph. Another chime echoed from your phone. There was no time to type a reply now. After a minute, you had passed the troublesome quest and moved forward as the first player in whole Eos.

IT WORKED. THANK YOU ILYSM.

“What did Tonberrian say?” Noctis peeked over Prompto’s shoulder to see the message you had typed in your overjoy.

“Uh, they got it to work. Cool! And look, they already passed the level,” Prompto said excited and showed the updated ranking list to him.

Noctis patted his shoulder. “All thanks to you, Prom. Just keep the fanboying down now.”

“Yeah yeah…” He mumbled as he focused on typing.

NIIIICE. And gz!

I’ll send you some stuff as compensation. Thanks again for the help!

Prompto stared at his notification bar incredulously as you sent some pieces of your old first-rate gear to him. From his player profile you had seen that he was a rather casual player. His progress was alright, but his gear was just horrible from the obvious lack of grinding. Or as you called it, lack of dedication.

WOW. YOU’RE AWESOME. THANKS.

Np. You really helped me out there. If you need any boost, just ask!

Really??? Thanks!

Prompto beamed at his phone screen and shuffled in his place.

“Tonberrian said they could boost me sometime!” he said to Noctis, who was sprawled on the sofa, staring at the screen of his own cellphone.

Noctis lifted his wide-eyed gaze to look at his best friend. “The Tonberrian? Boost you? Prompto, you don’t joke about something like that.”

“Dude, I’m not joking. Check this.” With a smug smile, Prompto showed his phone screen on Noctis’s face to show off the conversation with you.

“Huh…” Noctis said after a short moment, “That’s cool though.”

“Isn’t it?” Prompto chirped and danced around the living room in Noctis’s apartment.

“Don’t lose your marbles, you’re still a filthy casual when it comes to King’s Knight,” Noctis said and laughed at him.

“Hey!” Prompto yelped, “At least I’m not such a pay-to-win like you are!”

Noctis scoffed. “I bought one booster pack, Prom. One.”

Prompto calmed down enough to place his rear back on the couch. “Yeah, I know. And you did it only to beat Iggy in a duel.”

A wicked smile curled the prince’s lips. “Damn right I did.”

You typed slowly into the chat app, only to delete the message before it was even complete. Would it be weird to give some tips for Chocoboy? You felt like you still owed to him. If it hadn’t been for him, you would still be the third on the leaderboards. Now you had most likely hours lead on the other hardcore players, maybe even days, depending on how fast the workaround was figured out or when the developers could fix the bug.

You reveled in the feeling as you once again stalked your name on the top of the ranking list. Maybe you could chat with Chocoboy later after you had cleared the rest of the available quests. You could shove some more loot to him or take him with you for some re-runs.

Whole three days passed before the game developers published a patch that fixed the major crashing bug. Someone else too had found the workaround, making it go viral fast. But it didn’t matter for you as you had already cleared the newest available quests and claimed your place as number one.

Chocoboy chatted with you occasionally; he thanked again for the gear you had given him and he told you how jealous his friend was because of him talking with you. His messages made you laugh out loud, earning some strange looks from the visitors in the library where you worked at.

You wondered what kind of a person Chocoboy was in real life. He seemed so excited and cheerful all the time, and it was quite clear from his messages that he doted on you. Well, at least someone approved of the time and resources you had poured into a mobile game. If your parents were to be asked, they would have said that it was the reason why you had such a low-paying job in a library, instead of studying to become a doctor or something. Joke was on them, since you loved your work as a library assistant. Even more so because of the fact that it allowed you to sometimes play King’s Knight during work hours.

One day on another dull evening after work, you got an urgent message from Chocoboy.

BERRI THE NEW SECRET EVENT IS UP.

Omw!

Your evening was saved. You spent almost two hours playing and chatting with Chocoboy, only pausing the game briefly to prepare some snacks. Even though his knight was not well-geared nor his skills insane, you really enjoyed playing with him. He caught up with things quickly too, proving to have quite the knack for games.

“Do you think Tonberrian is a guy or a girl?” Noctis asked. He watched television while Prompto was beating the secret dungeon boss with you for the third time already.

Prompto turned on his stomach on the couch and looked at his friend. “Well, duh. I don’t know any girls who play King’s Knight. I mean, I’m not saying that it couldn’t be. It’s just… unlikely.”

“You sound disappointed.” Noctis smirked.

Prompto stuck his tongue out and wrinkled his nose in response, making Noctis laugh.

Days passed and you and Prompto played together every day, sometimes dragging your bedtime over midnight. You didn’t really mind. You were just thrilled to finally have someone to talk about and play King’s Knight with. Besides, you both seemed to be interested in same kind of things. Your taste in movies was similar and you were delighted to find out that he was a real technophile like you.

Chocoboy had earlier confirmed that he was Insomnian too and since then you had been thinking about suggesting a meeting. The only other thing you knew about him, was that he was 19 years old, making him two years younger than you. He was always nice, polite and very excitable about everything, so you were sure that he was not some weird old man. Moreover, you hadn’t even told him that you were a girl, let alone your name.

Few days later, Prompto was hanging out at Noctis’s apartment as usual. He was once again fully engaged in chatting with you and you sent him a new meme of King’s Knight’s latest patch. He burst into a fit of giggles while leaning on the balcony railing.

“Hey Noct! Check this– SHIT!”

Prompto dropped his phone as he was turning to show the meme to Noctis.

“Check what shit?” Noctis peeked to the balcony to see his blanched friend staring down over the railing.

“Shitshitshitshitshit!” Prompto kept yelping, hands flying to his head and dragging down over his face. He turned to Noctis.

“I dropped my phone!”

Noctis blinked. “You–?”

“Noct do something!”

“Like what?!”

“I don’t know! You know actual magic, dude! Save my phone!”

Noctis hurried to peek over the railing next to Prompto. On the ground lay an almost indistinguishable pile of shattered electronic pieces.

“What? You want me to light those pieces on fire? Cause that’s the extend of what I could do now.”

Prompto growled and walked in a small circle, hands coming again to cover his face.

“Just– relax, we’ll get you a new phone,” Noctis calmed, ripping his eyes of the sad pile of rubbish seven floors down.

“Oh, Noct you don’t have to– I mean, I appreciate it, but I can ask money from my folks when they come home,” Prompto said stopping his pacing and inhaled deeply. He let out a miserable sigh.

Noctis placed his hands on his waist and his brows furrowed. “If you say so.”

“Hey can you message Tonberrian and tell them I won’t be online for a few?” Prompto asked, suddenly realizing he had dipped out in the middle of a conversation.

“Sure, what’s their tag?”

Meanwhile, you frowned at your phone. Chocoboy usually replied within seconds to your messages and he always said if he had to leave or do something that prevented them from typing. Maybe he will reply soon, I should probably try to do something productive today too…

Stirred from your thoughts, you winced at the scare when your phone chimed and buzzed in your hand.

A friend request? From… Theprinceofthepeople? You tried to check their King’s Knight profile, but couldn’t find anything. Bah, must be a bot or a scammer. Decline.

“Did they accept it yet?” Prompto asked anxiously.

“Nope.”

“Uh, okay… What about now?”

“Still nothing.”

Prompto slouched down on to the couch.

Noctis laid his phone on the coffee table. “You aren’t gonna go to pick up the pieces?” he asked slowly.

“What? Yeah, I’ll go get them soon.”

“Okay.”

A full minute passed in silence.

You got frustrated and tossed your phone on the pillow. Maybe something important had come up and he would explain it later. You got up from the bed, deciding it was time to go to prepare some dinner.

Prompto’s eyes were peeled on Noctis’s phone. “Wait, your King’s Knight profile is hidden, right?” he suddenly asked.

Noctis grimaced, realizing what the fact probably meant. “Yeah, it is. Why?”

“Oh man, I don’t think Tonberrian will accept your friend request when they can’t even find you in the game,” Prompto buried his face in his hands, “I haven’t told about your nickname.”

“Oh. Right,” Noctis scratched the back of his head, “Sorry Prompto.”

“Nah, it’s okay. I can explain what happened later and we’ll maybe just laugh at it.”

The two stared at each other, slowly cracking up into a full burst of laughter. It was not every day life even for Prompto to break his phone by dropping it from the seventh floor. It took them a good while to calm down.

“Seriously, you dropped your phone from the seventh floor balcony,” Noctis said wiping the tears of joy from the corner of his eyes.

“I know! Jeez Noct, you don’t have to remind me! Ah, my parents are gonna kill me,” Prompto said holding his stomach and laid back on the couch.

A day passed by. Then another.

Hey you there? Nothing has happened, right? TTYS hopefully.

You kept opening the chat app, only to stare at it in frustration and close it again. You really had to restrain yourself from flooding the Chocoboy with varying degrees of worried messages. Maybe he didn’t want to talk to you anymore? Maybe he had found someone else to chat with? You wrecked your brain, thinking all the possible options how you earlier messages could be interpreted in an offending way.

Hey sorry if I said something to make you upset! Please just type whenever you can.

Still nothing.

The next day was your day off and that brought some solace into your bad mood. You were starting to accept that you had lost a friend while all sorts of horror scenarios were still ramming through your head.

Instead of staying holed up in your apartment, you decided to head out for some therapy shopping. You bought two new outfits; one for work and one for the upcoming late summer heatwave promised by the forecast. Afterwards you decided to treat yourself a cup of cappuccino in your favorite coffee shop.

At the same time, Prompto and Noctis were on the move. Prompto had just bought a shining new phone. He wanted to set it up as soon as possible, so they decided to settle down for cold drinks while Prompto would make the phone operational. By chance, they walked into the same coffee shop you were enjoying your cappuccino in.

“Here we go! Feels good to be back online,” Prompto said.

“Well, what are you waiting for?” Noctis urged.

Your phone buzzed in your pocket. You picked it up, not allowing yourself to get your hopes up.

Hi!

You let out a surprised, ecstatic cheer and immediately sunk into the chair to avoid the stares you were gathering. Noctis and Prompto were too invested in Prompto’s new phone to notice your shriek.

Chocoboy is typing…

Your heart made a backflip. He was back. Finally.

Hey! Is everything alright?

Sorry I haven’t been online. I dropped my phone… from the 7th floor.

You blinked incredulously before laughing. Noctis peeked over his shoulder to see who was having so much fun.

What???

Yeah, but I got a new one now. So how have you been? Can’t believe I missed a harvest in KK

I’m all good. Hehe, I’ll throw you some cash in game if you need

Prompto simpered at his new phone and began excitedly typing a reply to you.

Thanks, but I’ll manage! Wanna go do some raids tonight?

Noctis was gulping down his soda and eyeing at his friend amused.

For the rest of the day neither you nor Prompto put your phone away for longer than a minute. Your correspondence quickly settled back into the same rhythm you had had before the unfortunate accident. Soon you began thinking again of suggesting a face to face meeting with Chocoboy.

The perfect opportunity showed up a week later.

Whatcha up to?

Nothing much. Just hanging out in the centrum with my buddy.

Why don’t you come say hi. I work in the central Library.

Prompto stared at the message with his mouth open.

“What is it?” Noctis asked when he was left a few paces behind, frozen still.

Prompto lifted his gaze from the phone, looking absolutely bewildered. “Tonberrian asked me to come say hi.”

Noctis looked puzzled. “Well why haven’t you gone already?”

Prompto blushed. He clasped the phone against his chest like it was the most precious thing in his life. “Wait, you aren’t coming with me?”

“It’s your friend,” Noctis laughed.

“Huh? Still salty about that declined friend request, are you?” Prompto teased.

Noctis looked sour. “Nah, just go already. I’ll catch you later!”

“Yeah… Later, Noct.”

With shaky steps, Prompto began walking towards the library.

You tapped your fingers on the info desk where your workstation was and earned an amused look from your co-worker. Your eyes were fixated on your phone screen.

Chocoboy is typing…

Sure! I’ll be there in few!

You were unconsciously nibbling at your fingernails, eyeing out everyone coming through the front doors. The only thing you knew about the appearance of Chocoboy was that he was nineteen years old male who presumably liked chocobos. Wait, that probably doesn’t have anything to do with his looks. It’s not like he is coming to come meet me dressed as a chocobo.

“Waiting for someone?” your co-worker asked you and nudged your arm with her elbow.

“Uh, yeah. A friend is coming to say hi…” you mumbled, gaze darting between your phone and the library doors.

“A friend? Well, you seem nervous.”

You let out a strained chuckle. “Yeah, I guess I am. We haven’t met face to face before.”

You earned a cocked eyebrow and an amused headshake from your colleague, who then returned to the task she had at hand.

Prompto took a deep breath before opening the library door. He glanced one last time at his phone screen to make sure you hadn’t backed down. He was excited, but also more nervous than when had met Noctis’s dad. He looked around for a moment at the doorway before approaching you at the info desk, looking very lost.

“Excuse me,” Prompto said in a shaky voice.

Your eyes snapped upwards into his. Wow, he is cute.

“Yes? How can I help you?” you asked professionally. You realized he was gripping phone in his hand and from it was dangling a small, yellow chocobo. Your heart skipped a beat. Could it be…

“Uh, I’m looking for someone,” Prompto said.

You inhaled sharply. “I’m sorry if this is weird, but you wouldn’t happen to be Chocoboy?” you asked excited.

Prompto gasped. “Y-you’re Tonberrian?” he stammered. He looked positively horrified.

“Yeah I am! It’s nice to–“

“You’re a girl?!” Prompto screamed. His face turned beet-red as he clamped his hands over his big mouth. Your co-worker gave him a mean look. “Oh right, we’re in a library, sorry…” he whispered.

You cocked an eyebrow at him and cleared your throat.

“Sorry. It’s nice to meet you, uh, Y/N,” Prompto said reading the name plaque on your chest, “Y/N, that’s your name, right?”

“Yeah, that’s me,” you said still feeling unexpectedly giddy, “As I was saying, it’s nice to meet you too, um..?”

“Oh, I’m Prompto.” He offered his hand for you to shake.

“Prompto,” you repeated as you shook hands. You stared at each other in awkward silence.

“Y/N, you can go have your lunch break now, if you want,” your co-worker said to break the atmosphere.

You jolted and turned to look at her. She flashed you an impish smile and winked. You sighed and turned back to Prompto, who was confused at your exchange.

“Hey, you wanna come for lunch with me? Like, now?” you blurted out, not giving yourself the chance to hesitate. Huh, he has freckles. Which other weaknesses of mine is he going to exploit?

“Sure! I was getting hungry,” Prompto said cheerfully. His smile was wide and genuine, the kind that brought a sun into the room.

“Uh, I– uh, will go get my stuff. Hold on a moment,” you mumbled, gaze still strictly scanning his adorable features.

Prompto gave you an eager nod. When you disappeared into the staff room, he instantly texted Noctis what was happening and the unbelievable news of your true identity.

You came back with your handbag, trying to think of a nice place to go for lunch. “Shall we then?”

“Sure!” Prompto said, trying not to stare at you. You were certainly very different from what he had expected, but not in a bad way at all. He was just starting to realize that he was with someone representing the opposite sex, and that someone was actually really pretty. And fun. And had the same interests as him.

Oh boy.

Prompto took a deep breath and paced after you through the library doors. His hands were shaking and his heart was jumping all over inside his chest.

“So, uh,” Prompto chuckled nervously, “Do you have a regular place for lunch or..?”

You pondered for a few seconds, scratching your temple and afraid to look at him so that he wouldn’t think you were staring. As you had arrived from the staff room and seen him standing there, waiting for you, your heart had made a backflip and a pack of butterflies had started fluttering annoyingly in your empty stomach. Of course you had known almost absolutely certainly that Chocoboy was a boy, but who would’ve guessed that he came with good looks too.

Oh dear.

You took a deep breath.

“Yeah, actually I have. I usually go to this coffee shop nearby. They serve lunch too,” you said and got a bit angry at your nervously shaking voice.

“Sounds good,” Prompto agreed and you began heading into the right direction.

You exchanged a few glances, both thinking frantically about what to say. It had been so easy to talk in the chat app, but face to face seemed to be a whole different dimension.

She has the prettiest eyelashes I’ve ever seen. Would it be weird to ask to take a photo? Yeah, it would.

He’s smiling. Wow. I need… sunglasses? Don’t stare Y/N.

Think, Prompto, think!

Ah, my cheeks feel so hot. Should I be worried?

I wonder if she’s dating anyone…

Aw, but he probably has a girlfriend with those looks.

“Um, have you worked for long in the library?” Prompto asked suddenly.

“A couple of months, I went through an internship to get the job,” you explained, taking comfort in the familiar subject.

“That’s cool.”

“Yeah... So you’re in high school, right?” you asked even though you remembered Prompto telling that fact to you once. Your tense posture began relaxing as you walked.

“Just started the last year. By the way, I looked up those photography courses you mentioned, and I’m gonna apply to at least one,” Prompto said and his voice picked up an eager tone.

“That’s good! I hope you get in,” you said and flashed a smile.

“I, uh, y-yeah! M-me too,” Prompto stammered and blinked rapidly as his eyes fell upon the curve of your lips.

After that, the conversation between you two started gliding effortlessly and soon the talk turned into King’s Knight. Prompto was amazed when you showed him your game as you ate lunch. You traded resources and made plans for the next raids. Prompto asked carefully would it be okay if his friend joined sometime and you agreed heartily, reminding him that it would’ve been okay ever since you started playing together.

“What kind of person is this friend of yours? Do they play a lot?” you asked, picking up and eating the last crumbs of your meal.

Prompto hesitated. Noctis had never forbid him of telling who he was, and as much as Prompto wanted to spill the beans, he decided it would be best to wait a bit before dropping the prince bomb on you.

“He’s a great guy. I’m sure you’d get along well. Actually, he did send you a friend request after my phone smashed into the asphalt,” Prompto said studying your expression. He really, really wanted to take a photo of you.

“He did? Wait, he was the, uh, what was it? Prince-something-something?” you asked surprised. It all made sense now and you were embarrassed at not realizing it sooner.

“Princeofthepeople. Hehe, yeah, that’s him,” Prompto said chuckling lightly.

You snorted. “That’s some nickname.”

Prompto’s laughter increased. “Tell me about it.”

You gave him an interested raise of the eyebrow, but he didn’t take the bait, so you moved on to talk about the game some more.

Time flew fast with Prompto and you realized that you had already been ten minutes over time on your lunch break.

“Aw shit! Sorry, I need to run back to work,” you said tucking your phone into your bag.

“Oh right, sorry to keep you,” Prompto said leaning back on his chair.

“I don’t mind, but my colleague might,” you said smiling.

A light blush spread on Prompto’s cheeks. “Well, I’ll talk to you later, Berri? Uh, I mean, Y/N?” Saying your real name made him feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

“Sure, thanks for the company. Prompto. You’re awesome by the way,” you said smiling wider and with a wave of your hand, hurried out of the coffee shop.

Prompto was left staring after you and simpering to himself. “Yeah, you’re pretty awesome yourself too…” he mumbled too late for you to hear.

The next day, Noctis and Prompto were hanging out, as usual, and Prompto was giving out a terrible flood of speech on how it was so amazing to talk with you and how cool you were.

“Why don’t you ask her out?” Noctis suggested with a casual grin.

“O-o-out?! Dude, you have no idea how much I can’t do that,” Prompto yelped in a high-pitched voice.

“Why? She obviously likes you and you have a terrible crush on her,” Noctis said.

“Likes me? You think so?” Prompto asked.

“Of course, why else would she want to hang out with you.”

Prompto was red from ear to ear. Even his freckles wore a shade of red. “I-I’ll think about it.”

And he did. Very thoroughly during the next two weeks. Your lunches together every few days became a somewhat regular occurrence. You quickly became comfortable around each other, despite the nervousness you both had for a while at the start of your meetings.

Noctis was getting excited to meet you too, and kept joking about how Prompto just wanted to keep you all to himself. You had played a couple of times with the prince, but not really talked with each other. So the next time you had scheduled a meeting with Prompto, which was actually just a coffee instead of the usual lunch, Noctis demanded to come too.

Hey Berri, would you mind if the Prince came too today?

Prompto grimaced as he wrote the message. You had no idea of the irony behind the nickname.

Ofc not. It’d be nice to meet him finally. Same place at 7pm?

Sure! Cya there.

Five minutes past seven, Prompto and Noctis walked into the coffee shop. Prompto was so nervous that he thought he would pass out on the linoleum floor.

He spotted you sitting in the corner lounge with a cup of steaming coffee in front of you. Naturally, your eyes were glued into your phone screen.

Prompto and Noctis sat across you and you took a quick glance at them, not daring to let your eyes wander from the boss fight for more than a second.

“Hey guys. It’s nice to meet you Prince,” you said casually. The boss was on its last legs now.

Noctis frowned at Prompto and turned back to you.

“Yeah, you too, Tonberrian. It’s an honor actually,” he said.

Prompto rolled his eyes. “Who’s fanboying now, Noct?”

“Hehe, thanks.” You finally beat the boss and put your phone aside, letting your gaze set on the new face across the table.

You blinked before your eyes widened into the size of dinner plates. You knew you were staring and it felt really justified at the moment since the freaking Lucian crown prince was sitting opposite of you.

“Y/N?” Prompto said carefully as you gaped and opened your mouth like a fish out of water.

Noctis was chewing his lip to bite back the fit of laughter threatening to rise from his chest.

“H-how?” was all you could splutter as your eyes moved from Noctis to Prompto, “You could’ve said you were friends with an actual prince!”

That was too much Noctis, who started laughing. Prompto poked his ribs to shut him up.

“So this is my friend Noctis, sorry for his behavior. He doesn’t get out a lot, y’know, being the prince and all,” Prompto said apologetically.

“Haha, yeah! I can see that. Uh, nice to meet you, Your Highness. Guess the nickname was not in vain after all,” you said becoming terribly unsure of how to address royalty properly.

“Nice to meet you too, Y/N. Prompto here has told me all about you,” Noctis said with a sly smile, “Also, call me ‘Highness’ once more and I’ll hand your ass to you in King’s Knight.”

Your mouth curled into a grin. “Is that so, Your Highness? I’d like to see you try with your level five armor.”

“Guys!” Prompto whined.

“Challenge accepted,” Noctis said simply.

“Can I drink a cup of coffee first before she utterly destroys your knight, Noct?” Prompto said and looked longingly towards coffee menu on the wall.

“Sure. I’ll go grab ‘em. Prompto, you can ask her what you were going to ask while I’m gone,” Noctis said casually and gave his friend a flash of mischievous grin.

Prompto blushed heavily and suddenly became very conscious of your eyes on him.

“Ask me? What’s he talking about?” Your gaze darted between the two as Noctis walked to the counter still chuckling.

“I, uh, was, uh…” Prompto stuttered. His blush deepened. Even his ears were red.

“What is it, Prompto? Just ask,” you urged, utterly confused about his sudden change in exterior.

Prompto fiddled with his hands on the table before lowering them on his lap. He turned to glance at Noctis, who was waiting for the coffee orders by the counter and took a deep breath.

“Would you–, would you like to go for a coffee with me?” Prompto asked quickly while holding his breath.

Your brows furrowed in confusion and you tilted your head to the side. “Prompto, we’re having a coffee right now. Or as soon as your friend comes back,” you replied slowly.

Prompto let out a frustrated sigh and grimaced. “Yeah…”

“Um, what’s wrong?” you asked.

“What I mean is that would you… go out–, uh, with me?” he finally gathered.

“Oh,” you said and felt like an idiot.

Prompto was a blushing mess before you and kept averting his eyes, only taking a quick glance to see your reaction to his question.

“I’d love to,” you said with a beaming smile and felt elated inside. The butterflies were flying again.

“Glad that’s dealt with now. Here’s your coffee, Prom,” Noctis placed the cup before Prompto and urged him to move so he could fit on the couch.

You and Prompto stared at each other, trying to hold back your slowly forming grins.

“So, when are we having that duel?” Noctis asked smugly and stirred his coffee with a spoon.

“Depends on when your royal ass wants to get wrecked.”

#ffxv fanfiction #prompto x reader #prompto argentum #final fantasy xv #ffxv #fanfiction #chocoboy is typing #my writings

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project-ml · 8 years ago

Photo

Project: Scrapbook — Like Ladybug (Part One)

Project: Scrapbook Masterpost (tbp)

Comic By: @chalala-chan & @trinity-nevermore

Written By: @jezzicabell & @megatraven

Beta’d By: @panda013

Summary: During the events of Lady Wifi, Chloe finds herself with enough time to think about her actions and her hopes for the future.

Words: 2310

Another day at school, another day of having to be the best. If Chloé was being honest, sometimes it could get tiring, being the best. She couldn’t let anyone else think they were the best, oh no, that wouldn’t do at all. Sabrina’s attention and presence helped, she supposed. She already knew who the best was and didn’t usually need to be reminded.

The people she did have to remind, though, often came in the form of other students who were too confident for their own good. It really was a lot of work, and it kept her on her toes, but as she stepped out of the limousine, she set right to work.

She handed off her bag into the arms of Sabrina, who was waiting for her, per the norm. “Hey there! Hi! You look totally fab!” she exclaimed, waving her hand and looking at nowhere in particular. The students nearby looked at her in surprise before she continued, “Uh, no, not you. Hey, it’s still a month from Halloween, you know?” She said this matter-of-factly and marched on, not waiting for a reaction.

Without looking back, she knew she’d captured the attention of everyone present. Their gazes lingered after her, just as they ought to, or her name wasn’t Chloé Bourgeois.

“You see, Sabrina? If people won’t realize how great I am on their own, I’ve got to tell them. Afterall, everyone loves me, and it’d be a shame if they forgot it,” she said with a smile.

Even as she smiled, though, she found herself a tad distracted. Sure, maybe her tactics weren’t the best way to get the job done, but they worked all the same. As long as people gave her the attention she deserved, then she was content in what she did. She didn’t need to be a ‘better person’ if she found herself to be the best already. Not to mention that she never really committed to the promise she almost made the day Stone Heart attacked.

I’m perfect just the way I am, Chloé thought as Sabrina and her separated. They walked to their respective lockers and Chloé opened hers, checking to make sure all her valuables were still there.

Just as she was content with everything inside, she heard a crash sound by the locker next to hers.

“Oh, uhhh… Ladybug! Look over there!” Nino yelled out behind her. Chloé turned to see what the big deal was. Seeing as it was just one extremely nervous looking Nino she rolled her eyes. If there was one thing she knew how to look for it was nervousness. What with Sabrina always around, it was a pretty easy emotion to catch in other people. Plus, it was a super easy way to get people to do what she wanted them to do.

“What kind of lame joke is this?” she asked impatiently tapping her foot.

“Well, uh, that was... Did you see Ladybug yesterday? Isn't she amazing? I wonder who she really is,” Nino responded.

Chloé wasn’t quite sure what he was suspicious of, but he was in her personal space and this was not acceptable. Placing a hand to his face she pushed him away before turning to her locker. Quickly she reached for her pump of antibacterial gel to rid herself of whatever bacteria she had managed to collect.

“Uhh... were you up too late DJ-ing, Nino? Obviously you didn't get your beauty sleep,” she replied scathingly as she rubbed the gel into her skin. There was the sound of a camera to her right and she hears Sabrina gasp.

“Chloé! Alya’s looking into your locker!” Sabrina called from where she has been talking to Kim about who cares what.

Chloé glanced at everything visible in her locker before turning to glare at Alya. There was no way this voyeur was going to get away with this. It was simply inexcusable that anyone thought they could get away with stealing secrets from her.

“Th-that’s a lie! I so was not!” Alya retorted while shifting so that her phone was hidden behind her back.

Chloé was disappointed that the girl had even tried to pretend she hadn’t been caught red handed and was ready to cut her down to size when Kim reached out and snatched the phone out of Alya’s hands. At least someone was being useful.

Chloé smiled victoriously as Kim held the phone out of reach.

“Hey! Give it back!” Alya complained jumping up in a futile attempt to reach her phone. Holding her hand out for the device Chloé was very happy to see Alya back off. It was good to know someone was learning. Nino had abandoned her a while back to watch from a safe distance.

Working quickly she closed out of the camera app and opened the albums. Opening the newest picture she held the phone up for everyone to see.

“Who's the little liar now?” she asked Alya with disdain. Turning to Kim she put on her nicest smile. “Kim would you be a dear and escort me and this criminal to the principal's office? I don’t want to be left defenseless with such a fiend.”

“Yeah, sure. Whatever.”

Chloé nodded sharply before turning around to close her locker. Still holding Alya’s phone, she easily led the procession of four back through the school corridors. She smiled in satisfaction as any lingering students quickly moved out of her way.

Arriving promptly at the principal’s door she knocked sharply before pushing the door wide open and entering the room anyway. Mr Damocles looked up at the interruption before moving his paperwork out of the way with a sigh.

“What is it that I can assist you with, Miss Bourgeois?” he asked.

“I want justice,” she said sharply. “This fiend,” she continued as she pointed accusingly at Alya, “has been caught doing wrong by me!”

“Why don’t we all have a seat and you can both explain to me what happened,” he said calmly and indicated the two seats in front of his desk.

“You would have me sit next to this perpetrator? Preposterous,” Chloé exclaimed before turning to look at Sabrina who quickly moved forward to separate the two chairs before standing dutifully behind Chloé’s. Chloé calmly perched herself in the armchair with every ounce of dignity she had.

“Now Chloé, could you please explain to me what it is that you are accusing your classmate of, exactly?”

“Of course sir, I will tell you with all honesty what tragedy has befallen me this afternoon,” she states resolutely as she places Alya’s phone on the desk. “She's guilty of invasion of privacy! I have proof!” There was no way so was going to lose this battle. Her pride was on the line.

“What?! Seriously! All I did was take a measly photo!” Alya spluttered from her seat.

“I'm sorry, Chloé. But there's no school policy on invasion of privacy,” the principle interrupted before Chloé could respond. Chloé paused for a second. This wasn’t going to float, not one bit. Time for a new angle.

“Then... then breaking and entering!” she responded angrily.

“I didn’t break into her locker! It was open!” Alya retorted from her seat angrily.

“And nothing was stolen?” Mr Damocles asked as he looked between the four teens in his office. Chloe pounced on the opportunity.

“Only my very soul! My locker is my secret garden! He who enters uninvited burglarizes my inner being and steals my life force!” she cried with faux desperation, letting herself curl into a position of grief.

“Right,” the principal said before turning to Alya. “An hour of detention for you, Alya.” Neither girl looked particularly happy at this but Chloé was absolutely livid.

“Are my ears failing me?” Chloe almost growled. “Did I hear you're giving one miserable hour of detention to a... a heinous criminal? Sabrina!” Sabrina quickly stepped forward.

“The school rules clearly state that any student guilty of theft should be suspended for one full week,” she rattled off in a quiet but clear voice. Chloe smirked before settling her features back into neutrality and sitting up once more to face the principal.

“Yes, but she’s hardly stolen anything,” the principal states firmly. There was no way Chloé was going to let Alya get away with this crime because the principal didn’t see what the problem was.

“I’m not sure that my father would share your point of view,” Chloé says calmly as she pulls out her own mobile phone already opening her list of speed dial numbers. Watching the principal out of the corner of her eye she smirks internally as the man begins to look uncomfortable.

“Uhhh, well, now, Chloé, let's not bother your father, I mean, the honorable Mayor with a minor locker situation…” he says, on the verge of nervous rambling as Chloe hits the call button. “Ehhh… what I mean is, you're suspended for a week, Alya.”

“What?!” Alya screeches as Chloe hangs up but keeps her phone ready to go. “That is so unfair! I am so gonna protest this on the school blog!” Chloé frowns and raises a single eyebrow in the principal’s direction with crossed arms and when he looks in her direction. She smirks she she sees the look of resignation.

“The school blog is hereby suspended as well,” he counteracts with a low sigh and Chloe finally tucks the phone away in her handbag, feeling rather satisfied.

“She's no superhero, she's super-psycho!” Alya screeches angrily before storming out of the room and slamming the door behind her.

Now that was completely uncalled for. Chloé carefully keeps her face a mask of success and calmly leaves the room with Sabrina on her heels and a reluctant Kim tailing behind. Once safely away from the office Chloé turns and faces Kim.

“Thank you for assistance this afternoon Kim,” she says, not quite as sharply as she would’ve liked. With a barely noticeable nod she turns around and continues on her way back to her locker. She doesn’t quite miss Sabrina’s quiet thanks and Kim’s wide smile as she turns and stalks her way back through the now deserted hallways of the school.

Stopping in front of her locker she easily opens the door and begins to pull out the things she would need for the afternoon. Her homework had already been passed off to Sabrina after class and her bag of Ladybug essentials were tucked safely under her arm. She would need the distraction today.

“Chloé?” Sabrina asked quietly.

“What is it Sabrina?”

“You.. uhh… you shouldn’t listen to what Alya said,” she says in what’s probably her quietest voice all day. How was it that Sabarina always managed to see right through her? Chloé found it very frustrating. How was she supposed to be the best if people saw her weaknesses? It just wasn’t acceptable. Even if it did feel nice to know that at least someone could.

“Why would I listen to her? All she sprouts is utter nonsense,” Chloé replied. Closing and locking the locker she begins the walk to the car that would be waiting for her at the front of the school. “Did you hear last week how she was talking about the top five indicators that Ladybug and Chat Noir are a couple? I can’t believe anyone believes it. They’re obviously not dating. I should know, I see them way more often than she does.” Chloé kept talking about all the ridiculous things that Alya had spouted over the last few weeks until she was in the car and driving away.

If she was the only one talking, no one else could ask questions she didn’t want to answer.

It had been a regular afternoon for Sabrina. Catch the bus home, cook dinner for when her dad got home from work and do homework. She was almost finished with all the homework, too. Maybe she would have enough time to finish reading that novel today.

If only she could get these last few troublesome maths problems out of the way.

There was a faint ringing as her phone rang from her bag. She pulled it out, believing it to be either Chloe with a fresh complaint about something or her dad saying he was going to be late. Seeing the unknown number, she paused for a second before putting the phone down and just ignoring the call to go back to her homework. A few seconds later the phone stopped buzzing, but not long after that it started up again.

Who would be trying to call her? Had Dad forgotten to take his phone with him? Had Chloe gotten a new number? Had her mother finally deigned to call? Well probably not that last one but one could always hope. Deciding that she wouldn’t know until she answered the call she waited for it to ring for a third time before answering the call.

As soon as she had answered the phone vibrated harshly and glowed a vibrant pink that was painful to look at. Dropping the mobile on the table with a harsh clatter Sabrina pushed herself away, stumbling as the chair tipped over backwards and she knocked her head harshly on the floor.

“Third time’s the charm after all!”

Sabrina looked up with blurry vision having lost her glasses in the fall. There was somebody standing on her desk. She had all of a second to react as something pink flashed in front of her eyes and suddenly she couldn’t move anymore.

“Oh would you look at that, I don’t even have to get passed the lock! How fortunate is that! Let’s see… Contacts.... Here we go, Chloé Bourgeois, I’ll take that number. Thanks for taking my call.”

With another flash of light it was quiet again.

Oh, why did Chloé keep attracting all these akuma?

#project: scrapbook #miraculous ladybug #lady wifi #chloe bourgeois #Nino lahiffe #alya cesaire

303 notes · View notes

sitabethel · 8 years ago

Note

*rolls across floor* it's my work break, I just want to eat the fluffy waffle bits that come off of the side of the pizzelle cookies but that's a Bad. We make lemon cookies, and TKB deserves a lemon where he bosses Atem around to balance all this top!atem. Normally I'm team Bottom!Kura but Thief has too much swag for this.

What was that? Dumb casteshipping coffee shop au with top!TKB? Okay

damn thing won't let me add tags (thanks mobile app), but it's nsfw

***

“Cookies smell ready. Take them out of the oven.” Bakura sat on an upturned milk crate near the floor and played Pokémon on his phone.

“The timer hasn’t gone off get.” Atem sat on the stainless steel prep table like it was a throne. He shuffled a deck of Duel Monster cards and started flipping them over to see how balanced his new deck was.

“Who cares? They’re done.”

“They’re not done because the timer hasn’t gone off.

“You can’t always trust the rules, Atem. I’m telling you- they’re done.”

“Then get up off of your own ass and get them yourself. You’re not my boss.” Atem frowned at his hand, discarded it, and drew several more cards.

“I’m busy.”

“You’re on your phone.”

“You’re playing with cards.”

“So what?” Atem shrugged. “I’ll get them when the timer goes off.”

“Dumbass, now they’re burning.” Bakura growled, shoved the phone in his pocket, and pushed himself to his feet.

“But the timer-”

“I swear to God, Atem, say timer one more time and I will shove it so far up your asshole that your boyfriend will get jealous.” Bakura pulled open the oven, brushing away the first developing wisps of smoke and frowning. “I fucking *hate* the smell of burnt shit. I fucking hate it! Look at this shit! The edges are all dark brown and ugly- I told you they were done.”

“Who cares about dark edges.” Atem dropped his cards on the table, face pulled into a sad expression that didn’t quite fit the situation.

“They’re lemon cookies. They need to look fluffy and yellow, not all brown and crusty like your feet.”

“Lay off me, Bakura.” Atem jumped to the floor. The table wasn’t that high, but Atem was short enough that it was an event to get up or down.

“What the hell is your problem today?” Bakura shoved the pan on the rack for cooling and turned off of the oven. He turned towards Atem, his frown causing the scar on his face to slice crookedly on his face.

“I got dumped, okay?” Atem stared at floor.

“Weren’t you two soulmates or some shit like that?” Bakura snorted as he used a pocket knife to wedge a cookie off of the sheet and bite into it. “They taste okay, but they still look like shit.”

“I thought we were.” Atem hugged himself and leaned against the prep table. “I really did. That’s why … I still don’t understand. He just left me. He said I sat around and played games too much. Okay? But, like tell me and give me a chance to change before you dump me?”

“Fuck that. You don’t play too much. It’s not like that little bitch was a WOW widow or anything.” Bakura shoved his hands into his apron pocket, rocking back and forth on his heels. “Sucks man. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t patronize me.” Atem grit his teeth, turning towards the sink. “Whatever. Let’s just get out of here. I want to go home and crawl into bed.”

“Nah man, fuck that. You’re single. It’s Saturday night. You should do something better than go to bed. Fuck your ex, don’t mope over him.”

Atem ignored Bakura as he filled the sink with hot water and started to wash coffee pots and cookie sheets. The café was small and on the wrong side of town, away from the college crowds. They hadn’t had a customer for forty-five minutes and probably wouldn’t get another one until they closed.

“Atem~” Bakura sang, slinging an arm around Atem’s shoulder.

“Look, just let it go, okay? I don’t need another game-playing loser trying to cheer me up for being a game-playing loser. That’s like a wino telling an alcoholic that he doesn’t drink too much.”

“You know what you should do. You should come back to my place and…” Bakura pressed his lips close to Atem’s ear, whispering in his lowest, most seductive bedroom voice, “play even more games.”

“That’s the last thing I should do.” Atem nudged Bakura away. He glanced at the cards scattered across the prep table. “Think if I dump them all in the sink and ruin them, that maybe he’ll give me a second chance?”

“What?” Bakura shouted. “Mother fucker, please. First of all- give them to me, you have some bad ass cards- and second- fuck your ex! Nothing is wrong with you. I mean, okay, you’re a smug fucking bastard and I want to punch you in the face half the time we work together, but you don’t play any more games than the rest of us.”

“But…” Atem pressed his face against Bakura’s chest. “He left me.”

“Shit man, he’s probably fucking a girl on the side or something. The card games were a cheap ass excuse. C'mon. Let’s close up early and get the fuck out of here.”

“We have ten minutes left,” Atem said.

“I won’t tell if you won’t.” Bakura grabbed a bag and started shoving cookies into it.

“Bakura? What the hell are you doing?”

“Well, can’t sell ‘em like this, so I’m going to mark them as waste and take them home.”

“That’s stealing!”

“And throwing them in the trash is a fucking sin against hungry children.” Bakura waved his bag of loot. “My place. Cookies and card games.”

“We’re going to get fired.” Atem sighed. “Whatever. I’m too depressed to care.”

They closed up the café early and walked to Bakura’s car. He drove them back to his apartment and piled the cookies on a paper plate, setting them down on a water-stained coffee table.

“Let me get my deck.” Bakura went to his room and changed into a pair of navy sleep shorts before grabbing his cards.

“Okay, just prance around half naked. Damn.” Atem glared at Bakura when he came back.

“Fuck, you’re such a prude.”

“I’m not. You’re just half naked.”

“Well, I have extra shorts if you’re jealous.”

“Oh goody.” Atem rolled his eyes. “A slumber party.”

“Shut up and cut my deck.” Bakura slammed his cards on the table.

They played a quick game. Bakura got out every letter he needed for his Destiny Board in order to win. Atem slumped into the cushions and sighed.

“See? I’m a loser.”

“Atem, how many times have you kicked my ass at work?” Bakura rolled his eyes. “You’re distracted because you’re thinking about that jackass. Shuffled your cards and play again like a real duelist.”

“What’s the point?” Atem reached over and grabbed two cookies, double fisting bites to his mouth.

“The point is break-ups happen and then you get on with your life.”

“Easy for you to say. No one ever dumps you.”

“No one ever dates me.” Bakura grinned as he stole a cookie from the plate. “I’m too much of an asshole to ever get a second date.”

“That’s because you’re a card game-playing loser.” Atem spoke with a mouth full of cookie.

“Don’t fucking project your insecurities on me. I like my life.”

“You work in a fucking coffee shop.”

“Excuse me, your majesty, I didn’t realize that lowly peasant work was too good for someone of your skill set. Oh wait, you work in a fucking coffee shop too, nevermind.”

“Yeah, and I’m a loser. That’s my point.”

“Whatever.” Bakura got up and disappeared. He came back and threw sleep clothes, a pillow, and a light blanket on top of Atem. “I’m sick of your emo bullshit. I’m going to sleep if you’re not going to play.”

Atem pushed the pillow off his face. “Is this you trying to get me to spend the night?”

“Fucking couch is free, but you can call an Uber if you want to go home. I’m not driving your morose ass anywhere tonight.”

With that, Bakura went to his own room. In the morning, he saw Atem sitting on the couch with his feet on the table and eating a bowl of Lucky Charms.

“Morning, bitch.” Bakura yawned and crashed beside him, grabbing the plate of cookies and resting it on his stomach.

“That’s not breakfast, Bakura.”

“It’s the goddamn breakfast of champions, what are you talking about?” Bakura crammed an entire lemon cookie into his mouth to prove his fucking point.

“Do you work tonight?” Atem asked.

“I’m the half-shift bitch tonight.”

“Want to swap? I close.”

“Are you going to go home and cry into your pillow?”

“No,” Atem said, then added. “Maybe.”

“Dammit, fine then. We can swap. I need the hours, I guess.”

“Thanks, Bakura.”

“Don’t thank me. You owe me next time I want to switch shifts.”

“I mean thanks for everything.”

“I guess I should wash our uniforms before we go in.” Bakura stood up and gathered up their clothes.

The next week went by smoothly for them, and by the next weekend Bakura and Atem found themselves back at Bakura’s place playing Duel Monsters. This time they played three games- Bakura won two and lost one. Atem grumbled, but he no longer referred to himself as a loser, so Bakura didn’t rib Atem too hard for the complaints.

The next week was the same routine. Working, school work, longer shifts on the weekend, but by Saturday they were back at Bakura’s playing card games. Atem won two and lost one.

“You’re getting back into your stride,” Bakura said as he gave the score sheet a death stare.

“Yeah, can’t say I’m over the break-up, but I’m over the woe-is-me phase of it at least.”

“Good.” Bakura gave Atem a snort. “You were acting like a total bitch.”

“Shut up.” Atem gave him a playful slap on the shoulder. They laughed a moment and then a heavy silence stretched over the room.

“Uh…” Bakura scratched the back of his head.

“W-want to do something else?” Atem asked. “Have any good movies?”

“I’m kinda a weeb,” Bakura confessed. “Most my shit is anime.”

“Well? Let’s watch something. I’m not tired yet.”

“Sure. Guess we’ll start with Dragon Ball. That’s a classic.”

They marathoned episodes until the first world tournament. As the show progressed, Bakura started becoming unusually aware of how close he and Atem sat. They’d always kept some distance during the card games, but now their shoulders brushed together and it was… strange. By sunrise, Bakura stumbled to his feet, stretching and yawning.

“Better get some sleep before work.”

He started to keep the blanket and pillow on the couch, and Atem had brought his own change of clothes, so Bakura went to sleep without further fanfare. That night at work, they were able to stagger their lunch breaks to have a fifteen minute overlap and tried to sneak a card game in- although it made Bakura late back from his lunch.

“Looks like I won.” Atem smirked.

“Fuck off, I have to go back before I get bitched at.”

“You close tonight, right?” Atem asked.

“Yeah.”

“Me too.”

“So?”

Atem traced a design on the little table they had in the back instead of a real break room.

“Um, well, I thought maybe I could come over again? Watch more Dragon Ball?”

“Sure.” Bakura shrugged. “But I have Lit at 8am Monday mornings, so I can’t stay up all night like last time.”

“Oh, need help with your homework or anything?”

“Bitch, I ain’t illiterate.” Bakura snorted in mock offense.

“Bitch, you sound illiterate,” Atem snapped back.

That night, as they watched TV together, Bakura was again acutely aware at their proximity. The next thing he knew, he felt hands shaking him awake.

“Bakura. Bakura, wake-up. Bakura, it’s 7am, get your lazy ass to class.”

“What?” Bakura rubbed his eyes, confused. He didn’t remember falling asleep, but his neck complained as if he’d been on the sofa all night.

“It’s morning. Go to class.”

“Fuck.” Bakura crawled into jeans and the first T-shirt he grabbed.

“Eat something,” Atem said.

“You ain’t my mom.” Bakura grabbed a Red Bull and tossed Atem his extra key. “Lock up before you leave.”

“Can I watch a few more episodes? Krillin died.”

“Knock yourself out.” Bakura waved as he took off to class.

He half expected Atem to be there when he returned, but the apartment was empty. Bakura stared at the couch, still trying to remember falling asleep. Had Atem stayed on the sofa with him the entire night? Bakura sniffed and went to take a shower before work.

He’d almost been… looking forward to it? He and Atem used to fight more than their fair share as co-workers. Atem followed every damn little rule and it drove Bakura nuts, but hey, Dragon Ball and stolen cookies and card games weren’t so bad with someone to chat with, so Bakura was looking forward to talking to Atem at work that night.

However, once he actually arrived, Atem seemed to be in a bad mood. He barked orders, snapped at everything Bakura did, and bitched him out for adding whipped cream to a drink that was no-whip. Maybe Bakura would have let it slide, but it was in front of the customers and Bakura was pissed off.

“What’s your problem?” Bakura hissed once their evening rush died down.

“You keep messing up. It’s slowing us down.”

“I’m messing up cuz you’re riding my ass, Atem.”

“Don’t blame me because you’re screwing up.”

“Fuck you.” Bakura stormed off, cleaning the lobby as an excuse to keep away from Atem.

He thought maybe they’d simmer down after the one bad night, but each night after that seemed worse than the one before. Saturday came and went, and neither Bakura nor Atem mentioned card games or anime and they drove home in separate cars.

For a full other week they were at each other’s throats. Finally, Bakura couldn’t take it anymore. He made sure their breaks overlapped again, and cornered Atem in the back.

“What the fuck is your problem?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Atem snorted and turned his head away from Bakura.

“You’ve had a beehive up your ass for over two weeks now. What’s up?”

“Why is everything always asses with you?”

“I like asses.” Bakura grinned.

“Well, kiss mine, then, and let me get back to my lunch break.”

“Not until I figure out what’s been riding you.”

“Stop with the innuendos, Bakura. They’re not funny.”

“I’m not making innuendos. You’re over analyzing what I’m saying.”

“You’re blaming me for everything!” Atem shouted.

“Everything?” Bakura raised a silver eyebrow. “Like, climate change, and orphans, and traffic jams? Or just your attitude problem?”

“I don’t have an attitude problem.”

“You’re acting weird as fuck, Atem.”

“Well.” Atem snorted, stepping into Bakura’s space. “You’re driving me crazy.”

“The hell? I’m not doing a damn thing!”

Next thing Bakura knew, Atem had him slammed against a shelf full of coffee beans. He braced himself for a punch, but felt Atem’s mouth smashing against his instead. Bakura hooked his fingers through Atem’s wild, multi-colored hair, but after finishing the kiss, he pushed them apart.

“Have you seriously been nagging me because you’re frustrated?” Bakura started laughing.

“Shut-up.” Atem’s complexion was dark, but just light enough that a bit of his blush showed through on his almond-colored cheeks.

“Tell you what.” Bakura untangled his fingers from Atem’s hair and instead grabbed Atem’s ass, pulling their bodies together. “Come over tonight and I can take care of that for you.”

“I-I have to go back to work.”

Bakura let Atem go, wondering if perhaps he had been too bold. The rest of the night was quiet and awkward, but after close Atem walked straight to Bakura car, glancing over his shoulder and giving Bakura a sly wink.

Bakura exhaled. One the one hand, he wanted to slap Atem for being so damn difficult, but on the other, his entire body was hot and eager at the thought of getting Atem between the sheets.

He drove fast, and he and Atem raced back to Bakura’s apartment. Bakura shoved Atem towards the bedroom, and then pushed Atem down onto the mattress. He tore his work clothes off and then helped Atem do the same.

Their mouths clashed together. They were too eager and making out with Atem was more an argument of lip placement than a romantic gesture. Bakura wasn’t going to complain, however. It was his first time, and it was fun, and his cock was throbbing so he scrambled across the bed to the nightstand where he kept a bottle of lube.

“Thought you never made it to a second date?” Atem chuckled. “So why do you have anal lube?”

“Because I jerk off.” Bakura winked.

“Yeah, I’ve been doing a lot of that, lately.” Atem snorted. “Please hurry.”

“Holy shit, his majesty said please. What an auspicious day.” Bakura greased up Atem’s asshole and popped a finger in right away.

“It’s been too long.” Atem moaned, tossing his head back. “Don’t take too long prepping.”

“You know I don’t know what the fuck I’m doing, right?” Bakura laughed and added a second finger.

“Feels like you do,” Atem purred. Then his violet eyes grew round. “Wait, are you saying you’re a virgin?”

“Duh.” Bakura pulled his fingers away and coated his cock. “I already told you I don’t get along with people.”

“But… hook ups, and, and FWB’s?”

“Don’t be ridiculous. I don’t have friends- with benefits or otherwise.”

“Damn, Bakura, you’re pathetic!”

“Really turning me on here.” Bakura glared at Atem.

“Sorry.” Atem shrugged.

Bakura blew out between his lips. “Who am I kidding? I’m hard as fuck right now.”

He maneuvered in between Atem’s legs and guided his cock to Atem’s asshole. He tried easing in, but couldn’t manage to get through until he used his hips to thrust forward. Atem sucked in a quick breath. Bakura looked at his face, trying to decide if it’d been pain or pleasure. Atem looked heated and his eyes were unfocused. Bakura figured it couldn’t be that bad with that hazy look on Atem’s face, so he eased up and pushed in again.

Atem whimpered with each thrust, but didn’t complain. Bakura watched his face. He thought Atem looked aroused, but wasn’t sure.

“Is this okay? Should I slow down?”

“S'good. Speed up.” Atem moaned. Bakura hitched his hips a little faster. Atem’s fingers clutched at the sheets and he tilted his head back.

“Better?” Bakura asked.

“Fuck yes. You’re… thicker. I like it.”

Bakura’s cheeks grew suddenly hot. The complement spurred him to thrust harder, letting himself relax a little and enjoy the tight suck of Atem’s flesh around his cock.

He leaned down and kissed Atem’s neck. Atem wrapped his left leg around Bakura’s waist. Bakura grabbed it and hooked it over his shoulder so he could get a better angle.

“Fuck! Fuck! Holy shit, Bakura!” Atem started screaming.

“Does it hurt?” Bakura slowed down.

“Don’t stop!” Atem screamed louder. “Harder! Please, God please! Please!”

A spasm tightened every muscle in Bakura’s body. He steadied his breath and focused on Atem’s face, trying not to think about how good each thrust felt. He didn’t know how much longer he’d last. Bakura closed his eyes and tried to focus on the feel of the sheets against his knees and not Atem’s body.

He went as fast as he could, going until sweat carved little trails down his brown-sugar colored skin. No matter how hard he tried to hold back, Atem’s curses and shouts were enough to make him want come.

Bakura’s silvery lashes fluttered as he opened his eyes. He saw Atem stroking himself and couldn’t last a second longer. Bakura rocked back and forth, leaning over Atem and staring at Atem’s face as he poured out into Atem’s ass. All the strength leached from Bakura’s body, but he forced himself to continue to move as Atem pulled on his own cock. Atem squealed and several bursts of come splashed against his tawny stomach.

“Holy shit,” Atem sighed. “That was good.”

“Hmmm.” Bakura grunted, collapsing beside Atem. His eyes lowered. He tried to keep them open, but he felt lost to the urge to sleep.

“A few weeks ago, you fell asleep on my shoulder,” Atem stared at the ceiling.

“Sorry,” Bakura muttered, still hazy and pleasant feeling from his orgasm.

“I started to comb your hair with my fingers, and you made this soft little coo sounds and then nuzzled against my chest and it was… so nice. It was so nice that I wrapped my arms around you and held you. I wanted to kiss you, and it scared me, so I waited until it was time to wake you up, finished the rest of Dragon Ball, and tried to ‘get over it,’ but the more I tried to push you away, the more I thought about you.”

“You’re an idiot.”

“I couldn’t help it. I was afraid that if we got close you’d leave me… yeah, I know that’s stupid.”

“No, I mean you’re an idiot for thinking that you’re done with Dragon Ball. We haven’t even started Dragon Ball Z yet.”

“Z?”

“Fuck, lemme sleep a bit, yeah? You’re about to learn all about Super Saiyans.” Bakura intentionally moved to Atem’s chest and used him as a pillow.

“Bakura…”

“If you’re still worried, you know I think you being a card-game playing nerd is your only good quality, right? I’m not going to dump you for that. Maybe for being a smug-self absorbed bitch, but not for being a nerd.”

“You goddamn bastard.” Atem sounded happy despite his word choice.

“You can comb my hair with your fingers if you want to.” Bakura grinned.

“Quit bossing me around,” Atem said, but he did comb Bakura’s hair.

It was a nicer feeling than Bakura would have guessed, and so was laying on Atem’s chest. He’d never been with anyone before, but he figured that, like sex, he’d just fumble his way through, and hopefully they’d move through it right until the end.

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femslashmas · 8 years ago

Text

the skies above us

written for @alittledizzy as part of @fandomtrumpshate

length: 14.8k

genre(s): fluff+angst

triggers/warnings: implied panic attack/anxiety, canonical character death mentions

Baz and Simon meet in a community center art class and become fast enemies; much to the chagrin of their matchmaking therapist. Over the next few months tensions escalate, paint is thrown, coffee is had, and the two of them learn that there's more to life than just doing what's expected of you

playlist | ao3

a/n: bless @cherryonsimon for being the most patient beta and best friend and for staying up until 5am reading this over!! and a huge thank you to all of my friends who listened to me talk about this fic for ages and who offered their support throughout the entire process 💜 (this fic will crash the mobile app so if you’re on your phone i recommend reading on ao3 ^__^)

Simon

“How’ve you been, Simon?”

I shrug, and Ebb writes something down in her notebook. I crane my neck to see what it is, and she pulls it back. Frowning, I lean back on the couch and cross my arms. It’s not like she’s said something bad, it’s just a habit I’d picked up over the years. Being in and out of therapy since you were a child tends to make you curious about what they’re saying about you, especially if their evaluation could determine whether you get shuffled around yet again.

Not like that would actually happen with Ebb, especially since I aged out of the system a while ago, but it’s still a knee-jerk reaction to seeing someone taking down notes about me. Never mind that I’ve been seeing the same therapist for six months; some habits are hard to break.

Ebb is the best person I know, which is probably a weird thing to say about someone you pay to listen to your problems; but when you don’t have a lot of people in your corner, you learn to appreciate the ones who are.

Her office looks nothing like the small cramped rooms of the therapists I’d been sent to when I was a kid. It’s large and airy, with a red couch covered in pillows and crocheted afghans. The walls are completely covered in pictures of people, of places, of things. The first time I’d visited, I’d asked Ebb about her walls, and she’d just laughed and told me it reminded her of her life.

“What about it?” I’d asked.

“That I’ve lived it,” she’d replied and laughed again.

I love Ebb’s laugh. She laughs like everything matters, and it’s nice to hear. Encouraging. It’s one of the many reasons I keep coming back.

She’s still waiting for my answer, but I don’t feel pressured. That’s another thing I like about Ebb: she gets it. She knows that sometimes words are hard for me and that sometimes you just get sad for no real reason.

Ebb lost her brother when she was young. I know this because she accidentally let it slip during a session one day. I felt like a jerk for not comforting her, only watching as she’d wiped her eyes on the cuff of her jumper, but I know she understood.

Other people’s emotions are hard for me to handle, but I’m getting better at it, I think. I should probably ask Penny, considering she’s basically the only person I talk to regularly, now that Agatha’s broken up with me and moved away to the States. To California. To “find herself”, whatever the hell that means.

“I’ve been...okay,” I finally say, and Ebb nods.

“Just okay?”

“Well--,” I pause, “I did have an incident at work…”

Ebb nods, and I take it as encouragement to continue.

“I got fired again.”

“Uh oh,” she says, but not in a way that makes me feel bad.

“I messed up a customer's drink and got so anxious as I was trying to fix it that I broke the machine.”

She tuts and writes something in her notebook again. My curiosity is too much this time. “What are you writing?”

“Just a reminder,” she replies, “I’ll tell you at the end of the session.”

That doesn’t completely satisfy my curiosity, but I drop the subject anyway.

We spend the rest of the hour discussing my week--what I’ve done, what I haven’t done, what I should be doing,--until the timer on Ebb’s side table beeps and she uncrosses her legs. Her head is bent, and I want to ask what she was going to say before, but she beats me to it.

“Have you thought about taking up a hobby?” she asks, pen still scratching across the paper as she looks up at me.

That’s not what I was expecting. “I mean…” I trail off, trying to remember the last time I’d done anything that could be considered a “hobby”. I play football with friends sometimes, except...except it’s been years since I’ve actually done anything like that. Christ, has it been that long? “It hasn’t exactly been a priority to me.” I say, avoiding Ebb’s inquiring gaze.

“Well, maybe it should be,” she says in a way that makes me think I don’t have a choice in the matter. Maybe that’s a good thing, because I know if I were on my own I’d never push myself to find something.

“Like what?”

“I was thinking something therapeutic. Like... relaxing. Have you ever taken a painting class before?”

“You mean outside school?”

She nods.

“No.”

“Would you be interested in trying one?”

I shrug. Again.

She sets her pen down and tears a page out of her notebook, folds it, and hands it to me. “Here’s the information about the class. You don’t have to attend, but I think It’d be good for you.”

I take the paper, and look at the class name. “Why painting and drawing?”

“Well, Simon, I could list all of the reasons it’s beneficial to your mental health, but that’s boring and you don’t want to hear it. Long story short: it might make you happy and that’s a damn good reason, in my opinion.”

I nod, because I feel like I’m supposed to agree.

We make my next appointment, and as I’m leaving she says, “I really do think this will be good for you, Simon.” It’s like she can tell that I’m considering tossing the number, and I make a firm decision not to.

I wave goodbye and duck out the door, shoving the paper roughly into my jacket pocket. It feels heavier than it should, and I know it’s because I’m overthinking this. (As usual.) I’ll probably feel better once I have more information, but the thought of me enjoying an art class makes me want to laugh. I’m not artistic in any way, and I really don’t have any interest in spending time looking at stupid bowls of fruit, or drawing naked people, or whatever people do in classes like this.

But I’ll do it. For Ebb. (And because maybe she’s right about this. Maybe it will make me happy.)

(Something has to.)

* * *

I didn’t tell Ebb I had a job interview after our appointment. Didn’t want to jinx it, I suppose. Not that it’ll make any difference, I’ll still manage to fuck it up somehow. I always do.

Penny warned me that I should dress up, so I’ve exchanged my usual tracksuit and trainers for a button-down shirt with slacks and shoes that pinch my feet. I think I look pretty good, like I’m actually someone important going somewhere...well, important.

That thought makes me stand up a bit straighter as I press the button at the corner. I stop smiling to myself when I notice an old woman looking at me funny as we both wait to cross the street. I smile at her. It must not be a very convincing one though, because she scowls at me and inches away. I have that kind of effect on people usually. No one likes to get close to me.

It’s been that way ever since I was a kid: sullen and thuggish, and always bouncing my favorite red ball. Countless people tried to take it away from me over the years, but eventually everyone learned to leave me alone. (No one likes a biter.)

The light changes, and I leave the old woman and her scowl behind.

* * *

The interview did not go well. Or rather, it had been going well until they asked about my previous work experience, and I’d had to explain about getting fired all those times. I’d been tempted to lie, but I knew they’d just end up phoning my references and finding out just what a huge fuck-up I am.

The tube ride home is stressful as hell; the car is packed full of commuters and schoolchildren. It’s basically my worst nightmare come to life. I’m shoved into a corner, and I can barely get to the door in time once we get to my stop.

I’m practically crawling by the time I get to our flat, and when I enter I see Penelope sitting on the couch with her feet on the coffee table,--something she calls me out for often. When she sees me she drops her feet and moves her laptop onto the table.

I flop down on the couch next to her and exhale harshly. I want to go take a shower, wash this day off my skin, but I’m too fucking exhausted to get up again.

“How was it?” she asks, sounding hopeful.

“They didn’t even bother lying about calling me later.” I say, and her face falls.

“Oh, Simon.”

She leans into me, and I let her. We sit like that until the sun goes down and the evening news comes on.

“Alright?” She asks, and I shrug.

She rubs my arms and leaves the room. I should get up and do the same, but the couch is comfortable, and seems as good of a place as any to process my day. I open her laptop and google the place on the paper. The class is located at a community centre not too far from the flat and it takes place every Thursday afternoon for 10 weeks.

I wince when I look at the price, but if Ebb thinks it’s a good idea…

Then, it’s worth it.

5 minutes later, I’m all signed up, and groaning as I look over the supply list.

Maybe I’ll ask Penelope for help.

Maybe this class might actually help.

Maybe I can actually fucking turn my life around for once.

I finally shut the computer and force myself to get off the couch and finally take that shower I’ve been craving. The hot water feels good and I rub the flannel into my skin harsher than necessary, but it helps me feel cleaner.

After I finish scrubbing my body, I wash my hair--noting that I really need to get another haircut soon. Then, I have to resist the urge to sit down, knowing that I’ll just stay there for an hour and our water bill with get hiked up, and I won’t do that to Penny. (Not again, at least.)

The class starts on Thursday, the day before my next session with Ebb, meaning I’ll need to talk myself into going all on my own. I wonder if that was Ebb’s plan--she’s sneaky like that.

I’m asleep before my head hits the pillow, and that night I dream of goats and paintbrushes and--for some reason--shiny black hair.

* * *

Baz

The first time I’d stepped foot in Ebb’s office, I’d almost walked right out. It looks nothing like the posh offices of the expensive doctors my father had sent me to in my youth and I suspect that’s part of what made me decide to stay.

The sofa is faded red and covered in way too many itchy blankets and pillows, and the walls are cluttered with pictures of people, places, and things. I’d meant to ask Ebb about them, but by the time I’d come up with a way to do it without sounding snobbish, too many sessions had passed for it to be a natural question. I resigned myself to just admiring them every time I waited for her.

Ebb wasn’t the most organized therapist. She was always running a bit behind and she’d need a moment to collect herself before our hour began, but she never cut me off early and she always made me feel like I was being listened to. I overlooked her flaws and continued to return.

Today she’s wearing a long skirt and an old jumper. She looks like a bag lady, but I don’t mention it. She must have just gotten a haircut, because her blunt, blonde bob looks even more blunt than usual. I don’t mention that either. Instead, I just lean back on the couch and cross my arms. (Ebb says that isn’t healthy body language.) (I’d told her where she could stick her healthy body language, and she’d just laughed.)

“How are you today, young master Basil?” Ebb asks. (She’d started calling me that as a joke, and it’s a testament to how much I like her that I allow it.)

“Fine,” I say, and she snorts.

“Are you really?”

“No.”

“Why not?” The tip of her pen is hovering about her notebook, and I find myself wondering what exactly she writes about in there; but then I decide I’d probably be happier not knowing, and inhale.

“I got into a fight with my father again. He’s still pressuring me about joining his firm.”

“And you still want to continue teaching?”

I nod. My mother had been a teacher, and sometimes I wonder if she’d take my side against my father about this. If she were alive that is. The way my father acts, her word had been law. He thought she hung the moon and I’ve always been convinced that the moon was hung for her pleasure.

I don’t think my father hates my job, but I suspect he thinks that by keeping me close by he can control my life better. Like if I’m still under his thumb I’ll turn into the son he really wants me to be, instead of a constant disappointment. Like I am now.

Ebb doesn’t like it when I think like that. She says I get tapes in my head that keep playing the same things over and over: that I’m worthless; that I’m unlovable; that I’ll never be the son my mother wanted, and definitely not the one my father would prefer.

The first time I’d admitted some of those thoughts out loud, Ebb had nearly torn her notebook in two.

“Who’s told you those things?” she’d asked.

“Me,” I’d replied.

And then she really did rip the book. (I showed up at the next appointment with a new one, covered in goats like the one before it.) (Ebb loves goats.)

I cross and uncross my arms, wrinkling my nose when one of the garish wool afghans itches against my leg as I move. I’d come by on my way to the club and my tennis shorts were riding up my arse, making it hard to concentrate on what Ebb was saying. I missed the first part of her sentence as I subtly adjusted myself until I wasn’t being driven crazy. (More than I already am that is.)

“--painting class?”

I must not have heard her correctly. “Excuse me?”

“I said have you thought about trying a painting class? At our last session you’d mentioned you’d like to pick up some new hobbies, meet some new people. There’s a class that I recommend to a lot of my patients that seems to help.”

“So, I’d be in class full of your crazies?”

Ebb makes a face. She hates when I use that word.

“Art can be very therapeutic,” she says, not bothering to respond to what I’d said.

I scowl, “I don’t need therapy.”

She laughs, “Then, why are you in my office?”

She’s got me there.

* * *

Fiona is waiting outside the building when I exit, arms crossed and scowling.

I roll my eyes. “What are you mad about now?”

She scoffs. “What makes you think I’m mad about something?”

“Your face.”

“Shut up, Basil,” she says, with no real venom in her words.

We have a standing lunch date after my therapy appointments. It’s good. They’re a nice excuse not to go back to my flat afterwards and wallow in self-pity. Plus, Fiona doesn’t press me to talk if I don’t feel like it, and is fine if I don’t listen to her prattle on while I work through whatever I’d discussed with Ebb that day. This session wasn’t too bad; Ebb hadn’t pressed too hard about my issues with my father, or anything else that might upset me too much.

“What’s that?” Fiona asks, and I realize I’m clutching the paper with the art class information on it.

“Nothing,” I say, but it’s no use. Fiona’s already snatched it from my hands and is reading it over.

“Art class?” She sounds surprised, but not disappointed. (I don’t know why I thought she would be. I guess I’m so used to disappointing people that it’s a shock when I don’t.) “Are you going to tell Malcolm?”

“Why would I need to ask my father’s permission to attend a fucking art class?”

“You know why. If he thinks you have enough free time for this…”

“Then, I have too much free time,” I finish for her. My father is under the impression that if I have any time that it should be spent with him, helping out at his firm. Which is why I pretend like my job keeps me too busy to spend too much time there. I suspect he only “allows” my tennis games because he considers it an appropriate leisure pastime. But an art class? And at a community centre, no less? It’s not for the son of Malcolm Grimm.

I’m 25 years old, dammit. Too old to still be under my father’s thumb, as Ebb gently reminds me often, but that’s what happens when you’re still mostly financially dependent on the bastard. (One downfall of being a teacher. It doesn’t pay well.) (It pays rather abysmally, actually.)

“What do you feel like eating?” Fiona asks, ripping me from my pity spiral.

“Sushi?” I suggest hopefully, and she wrinkles her nose. Fiona hates sushi.

“Okay.”

“Okay?” I try to hide my surprise.

“Okay, we can get sushi.” She sounds resigned.

“Why are you being nice to me?” I say suspiciously.

“Can’t I be nice to my favorite nephew without being subjected to an inquisition?”

“I’m your only nephew. And of course not.

“You just look a bit shit that’s all. Like you need some good news. And that good news is that we’re getting sushi.”

“Fuck you,” I spit, but I suspect she’s right. I haven’t been sleeping well, or taking much care of myself at all. What’s the point? It’s not like I have anyone to keep it together for. Christ, that’s a depressing thought.

“Is that any way to speak to your favorite aunt?”

“You’re my only aunt,” I say and feel my pockets to make sure I didn’t leave my mobile on Ebb’s couch. (It’s happened before. I swear that couch eats things.)

I jump when Fiona lays on the horn.

“Shut up and get in the car, Basil.” She says, and I do.

* * *

When I get home later, I’m so full of fish and still tipsy from the sake Fiona’d insisted we order. I’m torn between taking a nap and finishing up some work I’ve been putting off, but instead I decide to look up the class Ebb told me about. I don’t know why, but my curiosity gets the best of me and it feels like I need to sign up for it now.

I type in the web address in my mobile and squint at the screen. It looks standard enough, once a week at a nearby community centre. I’ve never taken a class at one of those places before. Everything my parents ever signed me up for was at private studios, or done at the manor with tutors, but I can’t see Ebb recommending either of those things to any of her craz--other patients.

The class is fairly inexpensive, but I still use my father’s card. (It’s not like he’ll ever see it. He never bothers to check my bills, not unless I make an excessively expensive purchase. Like a flat.) (It took him a while to get over that one.)

I feel like a weight has been lifted from my shoulders as I sit down on the couch and fight back a yawn. Today has been long and it’s not over yet if the papers I need to grade have anything to say about it. I’ve also got to go through my basket of bills to make sure that I don’t fall behind. In fact, I’ve got a rather long list of tasks I need to accomplish before the day is through, but none of them sound as nice as curling up on the couch and falling asleep.

So, that’s what I do.

* * *

I’m sitting alone in the teacher’s lounge like I usually do. I’ve barely touched my sandwich, I’m too busy checking and rechecking these assignments. I swear every year my classes keep growing, my free time keeps decreasing, and my job becomes less and less desirable.

I don’t have afternoon classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays, so I really don’t have any excuse not to show up at the community centre tomorrow.

It’s a bloody beginners art class, how bad could it be?

* * *

Simon

“I had another job interview,” I tell Ebb halfway through the session. (It’s not that I forgot, I just didn’t want to bring it up at first.)

“That’s great!” she exclaims.

I look down at my trainers. “Well, I had two job interviews.”

“That’s still great,” she points out.

“I only got one of the jobs, though.”

“Which is still great.”

“I guess.”

“Why isn’t that great, Simon?” Ebb presses, and I shrug. It’s not like my new job is hard or particularly terrible, it’s just that I seem to go through them so quickly that I can almost predict what I’ll do to get myself fired at each new one.

Talk about the world's worst superpower.

* * *

Baz

I don’t know why I decided to go to this bloody class. I don’t do art, it was one of my worst classes in school, but somehow Ebb had managed to convince me. For all her faults, she really does know what she’s talking about.

When I walk in the door, I see that everyone has gotten there much earlier than me, and there’s only one open chair. I sit down on it and look at my desk mate: he’s in a ratty tracksuit and dirty trainers; he looks like a walking cliche. His hair is cropped close to his head on the sides and curly on top and I suppose he’s quite fit. If you’re into chavs, that is.

Simon

The guy that sits down next to me looks like a tosser. He’s in jeans and a white paint-splattered button down that stands out sharply against his reddish-gold skin. His hair’s long, dark, and wavy. It looks silky to the touch, like it would slip through my fingers if I tangled them in it. I bet all the girls find him bloody gorgeous. What an arse.

I’m barely listening to the instructor as she goes over what we’re supposed to be doing today, so I don’t catch anything beyond the fact that we’re supposed to be drawing and then painting the bowl of fruit at the front of the room.

I watch as the other students stand to go get their paint and I go to follow them. Not paying full attention, i accidentally trip over the foot of my tablemate.

“Oi,” I snap, “watch it!”

He fixes me with a cool glance. “You’re the one who tripped over me. Are you really thick enough not to realize that?”

I flush. He’s right. (Not about me being thick. That he didn’t do anything.)

“Just--watch it.” I say, glowering at him. He looks unruffled, and I hate him for it. Why won’t he get upset?

Why do I feel the need to upset him?

Baz

I refuse to let this idiot bother me.

Okay, he is bothering me, but I refuse to let him see that. Why does he infuriate me so much? The class has barely begun, and I already feel as if I’ve managed to make an enemy on the very first day, An enemy I’m forced to share a desk with. I decide I’m just going to sit somewhere else next class.

The instructor--who introduced herself as Miss Possibelf--clears her throat from her spot at the front of the classroom and says, “I hope you’ve made yourselves comfortable as these are the seats you’ll be sitting in for the next 10 weeks.” I groan internally. No one else looks bothered by the news, but no one else has to sit next to a bloody idiot for 2 hours every week.

I hope Ebb is ready to hear about this.

Once I start painting, I find it’s much easier than I expected. It’s even sort of fun. And relaxing. Maybe Ebb was right. Maybe I did need this. I lose myself in the process, relaxing into the smooth routine of brushstrokes on canvas when I notice someone glaring at me. Of-fucking-course.

Simon

My eyes flicker over to his painting and then back to mine. Fuck, I thought this was supposed to be a beginner’s class! Who does this arsehole think he is, coming in here like he doesn’t know shit, and then making us all look bad? I don’t realize I’m glaring until I notice his brush has stopped moving.

“What are you looking at?” he snaps, and I feel myself bristle.

“Nothing,” I snap back, and he sneers at me. Christ, I could strangle him. I’m about to say something more when the instructor--Miss Possibelf--turns up behind us.

“Excellent work, Baz,” she praises, and her face changes when she looks at my painting. “Mr. Snow…” she starts “that looks--you need--it--Baz, do you mind helping him?” the arsehole nods, and she walks off, but not before taking one last look at my easel and grimacing.

“We’re supposed to be drawing the stuff in the bowl,” Baz says, snidely, after she’s out of earshot. I want to march up to the front, grab that fucking bowl, and toss every single piece of fruit at his head.

Ten points for hitting him in the widow’s peak.

I smile to myself as I imagine his expression if I actually did that, and he kicks me in the ankle.

“What are you smiling like an idiot for?”

“Nothing,” I say and my daydream ends. Baz turns away, and I glare at him out of the corner of my eye.

After less than five minutes of conversation, I’ve decided that I hate him. He’s infuriating. And rude. And he insulted my painting. (He’s right though. It does look like shit.) (That doesn’t change the fact that he’s still a tosser.)

We don’t talk for the rest of the class.

* * *

I lay in bed and think about Baz.

I’m tempted not to go back, if I’m honest. I might not, except it means that I let Baz win and I refuse to do that.

But if I do go, he’s just going to be there, with his stupid smug expression and his stupid perfect fingers. And I’ll have to keep sitting next to him. And he’ll just keep being a bloody tosser, and we’re going to end up fighting each other one day, so I really should just stop going to the class and save us both the trouble.

Except...except Ebb had seemed really excited for me to go. I know she expected it to be good for me, to help me somehow.

I decide I won’t let Ebb down, even if that means putting up with Baz.

* * *

Baz

I can’t keep going back to that class. Not if Snow is going to be there. Not if I’m going to have to keep sitting next to him. Why did he have to fucking sit next to me on the first day? Why did Miss Possibelf tell us that our current seats would be our seats for the next ten weeks? Just my fucking luck. Of all the people to sit in that damn seat, it had to be him.

My students can blame Snow for the fact that I’m grading their assignments harsher than I normally would. I should wait until I’ve calmed down to read these, but I already put it off long enough that the class has actually started complaining about not getting them back.

I’m halfway through an essay that makes me want to tear my hair out, when my mobile buzzes. It’s my father. I frown. I really can’t deal with him right now.

“Basilton,” he says, like it’s a greeting, “I’m outside your door.”

I curse quietly and go to open it. “Hello, Father.”

He nods and steps inside.

It’s strange to see my father in my flat. In his expensive suit and slicked back hair, he looks like a lord; not the kind of person you’d expect to be standing in a lounge full of Ikea furniture and cheap art prints. (I like art, I just don’t like making it myself.)

I’m about to offer him a seat, but, as usual, he doesn’t wait to get to the point of his visit, “Now, you know I don’t have a problem with you being in therapy. In fact, I was thrilled when you finally took your mother’s suggestion and started going, you know I was. But--” he pauses like he doesn’t know what he wants to say next, which is bullshit, “I don’t think this class is necessary. Your time could be better spent on other things.”

“Like working for you.” I say flatly. He doesn’t even look ruffled as he nods in agreement. “I’ve told you before: I’m not interested. If you’ll excuse me, I have papers to grade. For my job. My job that I’m satisfied with.” I say, as calmly as I can, to his retreating back. He waves dismissively back at me, and I slam the door harshly, making a picture on the wall rattle.

“Oh, piss off,” I snarl at it.

Damn my father. It’s just a class! It doesn’t even affect him in any way. Even if I wasn’t taking it, I still wouldn’t take his fucking offer. Fuck him. Fuck this. Fuck Snow.

I groan and glare at the painting, “I have to go back now, don’t I?”

Maybe I’ll get lucky and Snow will choke to death on his body spray.

One can dream.

* * *

Simon

I can’t believe Baz is back. I don’t know why I’d expected him to stop coming--maybe I thought I’d scare him off or something,--but here he is.

Baz sits down and pulls out his fancy pencil case. My eyes flick to my sad ziploc full of supplies. I’m not jealous, I just wish I had a better way to carry my things. That’s all. I don’t care that Baz has shiny new things; I could have shiny new things if I wanted to. I’m just not a show-off the way he is.

He’s still pulling out his supplies, extra slow--like he’s trying to rub them in my face. I refuse to give him the satisfaction and I resolve to ignore him for the rest of class. Hopefully for the next eight weeks, as well.

Baz

Of course Snow is back. As if my life could ever be simple. He’s wearing another tracksuit, and I’m rapidly becoming convinced that he owns nothing else. He catches me staring and pulls a face. I look away quickly, and focus back on the paper in front of me.

Today we’re learning how to shade, and I almost feel a stab of pity when I see Snow’s three crappy pencils. I consider loaning him one of mine, but change my mind at the last minute; I’d probably just end up offending him somehow.

I go to the front to get a piece of paper and, when I get back to my table, one of my pencils is missing. I glance to my left and of-fucking-course Snow has it clenched in his grubby little paw.

“That’s mine.” I snap, and he looks up in surprise. The tip of the pencil snaps off as he abruptly stops mauling the paper with it, and I clench my jaw.

“I don’t have the right one,” he says, like that excuses his theft.

“That doesn’t mean you can just take mine! Christ, were you raised by wolves?”

His face screws up in anger, and I watch as he snaps the pencil in half, dropping the pieces on the table in front of me.

I don’t know how to react to that, and I refuse to sink to his level of childish behavior. Snatching the broken pencil pieces up and stuffing them in my bag, I turn my back to Snow. I can feel his eyes on me and it burns, but I refuse to look at him.

We don’t talk for the remainder of the class.

* * * Baz

At the beginning of our third class, Miss Possibelf tells us we’re going to be painting again. I make a show of making sure my supplies are as far away from Snow as possible, and he glowers at me.

We work in silence, barely acknowledging each other, and I begin to think that maybe this will get easier.

And that’s when my elbow hits the cup of dirty paint-filled water.

Simon

I see it before it hits me--the tipping cup, the spreading water--but I don’t react in time. I get drenched from the knees of my trackies to my trainers, and fucking Baz is pretending to look sorry, but he’s hiding an obvious smirk. I want to punch him. I might actually punch him if he keeps looking at me like that.

The only thing on my mind right now is how to get him back. I can feel myself getting angry. It feels like flames against my skin, and I want him to pay for trying to embarrass me in front of the whole class.

Baz stands up quickly and runs to get paper towels, but I know he’s only trying to make himself look better in front of everyone else. If I wasn’t so wet I’d refuse his help, but I have no choice but to suck it up. I make sure to glower at him as I take the towels; so he knows I know what he did.

“I’m sorry,” he says and he sounds so sincere that, for a second, I believe him. But then I remember this is Baz, and Baz hates me and would never apologize to me, especially not after he just got me soaked.

This must be payback for when I broke his pencil last night. Fine. Two can play at this game. If he wants a prank war, he can have a prank war.

I wait until everything settled back down to make my move. I almost don’t do it; it’s too much, too juvenile, but then I adjust myself in my seat and feel how my trackies are clinging to me. Not only are they wet, but the paint that was floating in the cup has stained the grey fabric; that alone makes it easier to do what I do next.

Baz is carefully painting what looks like a rose, completely oblivious to that fact that I’ve flipped my own brush upside down. I’ve made sure to scoop up a large amount of paint, and set my jaw as I pull my brush back and let it fly.

It sails towards Baz’s side of the table and splatters across the sky of his painting. He whips his head to the side and fixes me with a murderous stare.

“What the fuck, Snow,” he spits out through gritted teeth.

“You can’t do stuff like that!” I spit back, meaning the crap he pulled with the water cup. Except the expression on his face makes it seem like he has no idea what I’m talking about.

It occurs to me that maybe I should have reacted in a different way, but that thought is abandoned when a glob of cold paint hits my cheek.

“What the hell!” I dip my brush in the paint again and sling it in his direction a second time. Baz retaliates once more, and we’re engaged in a full-scale paint war when Miss Possibelf appears in front of us, looking angrier than i’ve ever seen before.

“Gentlemen,” she yells, her face beginning to go red, “what is going on here?”

We both freeze. I’m still holding up my brush, and the three of us watch as some paint starts to slowly drip towards the floor. It seems to take forever to separate from the bristles, and I swear the noise it makes when it hits the floor reverberates through the room.

“This is not a class for children,” she says like she’s speaking to...well...children. I guess we were behaving a bit childish, and I don’t try to argue with her as I gather up my bag and exit the classroom, not even bothering to clean up or put my painting back on the drying rack.

I’m aware that makes me seem like a dick, but I need to get out of here. Now. I can already feel my breathing getting faster and I’m starting to get dizzy. I hope I have enough time to get back to the flat before this escalates. I don’t want Baz to see my like this; he’d never let me live it down.

I decide the tube is too much right now, and decide to walk home. It takes longer this way, but maybe it’ll help me calm down. I stop next to the building and do the deep breathing exercises Ebb’d shown me. Once I managed to lower my heart rate slightly, I shrug my bag back onto my shoulder and start walking.

Ebb had brought up Baz at our session yesterday. She thinks I should try and “extend an olive branch”, “be the bigger person”, and we should “stop constantly being at each other’s throats”. I know she has good intentions, but there’s no way we can be friends. We can’t even stand to sit at the same table together once a week.

The wind starts to pick up, and I shiver. That’s still not enough to make me consider the tube, so I wrap my hoodie tighter and make my way back to the flat. I want to stretch out in front of the telly and forget about Baz, forget about this whole damn feud.

The more I think about it, the more convinced I become that Ebb is wrong for once. She doesn’t even know Baz; she has no idea what an arsehole he can be.

No, only I get to experience that.

Lucky me.

Baz

I should have fucking done it on purpose; he deserves it.

Snow is a bully, and he’s making this class excruciating, but if I quit I have no excuse not to help my father.

I’m glad my next session with Ebb is before class; I don’t think I could face Snow otherwise.

When I step outside of the building, I see him walking north--the direction I need to go. I turn around and stalk off the opposite way, even though it will take me twice as long to get back to my flat. I’ve been meaning to exercise more anyway.

* * *

Simon

I want to pretend it’s a coincidence that I scheduled this week's therapy session right before art class, and that I didn’t plan it that way so that it would be easier to deal with Baz. Ebb saw right through me, of course, but was nice enough not to mention it. (Especially after I told her everything that went down between us last class.) (I still haven’t gotten the paint out of my trackies.)

I let myself into the flat, calling out “Penny?” and getting no response. Figuring she must still be at her lecture, I head to the kitchen to raid the fridge. Something about therapy always seems to spike my appetite. I grab the rest of my leftover curry--and Penny’s too--from the other night, and go to the couch to make myself comfortable while I wait for her to come home.

The only thing on tv at this time of day is Doctor Who reruns and children’s programmes, so I opt for the first choice. Settling into the couch, I pop the lid on the curry and tuck in. The first bite reminds me that I probably should have heated it in the microwave, but it’s still pretty good cold, so I keep eating it.

That’s where Penelope finds me an hour later, sprawled out half-asleep on the couch, surrounded by empty styrofoam takeaway containers, while The Doctor battles aliens on the telly.

“Simon,” she says, and then louder, “Simon!”

I start, causing the box resting on my stomach to fall, scattering basmati on the carpet. Penny frowns.

“Have you been doing that all day?” she asks.

“No,” I say, feeling defensive all of a sudden, “I had therapy this morning. And I have art class at…” I glance at my phone, “Shit! It’s in 20 minutes!” I groan. The community centre is 10 minutes away by tube, and it’ll surely be crowded this time of day. I scramble off the sofa while Penny watches. She’s making that face she does when she’s trying not to be amused and she’s failing as usual.

I’d met Penny on the first day of secondary school. No one had wanted to sit with me during lunch, until she’d sad down, with her red hair and ridiculous glasses, and immediately launched into a rant about our teachers and the other kids in our classes while I just stared.

I wasn’t much of a talker then,--I’m still not--but Penny has always talked enough for the both of us, and I think that’s why we get on so well.

After we’d graduated, we moved into a little flat in London. It was almost like an unspoken thing, that we’d live together. Not like that: Penny’d had the same American boyfriend since we were 13, but I couldn’t see myself living anywhere without Penny, and she knew that as well.

We’ve lived here for 7 years, and it’s the second longest time I’ve spent in the same house. I’m constantly terrified that one day Micah is going to take her back to the states with him, and I’ll never see her again. Ebb reminds me that America isn’t amnesia, but that doesn’t help.

I worry I’m too dependent on her. I’ve brought it up before, but she just brushes me off and says that she’s not doing anything she doesn’t want to. And I believe her.

Penny never does anything she doesn’t want to--she’s stubborn that way. I admire that about her. I’ve always just done what I’ve been told, trying my best to stay invisible as I was shuffled through the system.

I’d been lucky to stay in my last foster house for so long. Long enough to finish school and graduate and finally age out and be on my own, where I could walk to tesco without a letter from the bloody Queen.

Sometimes I don’t know what to do with all that freedom, if I’m honest. Ebb says that probably one of the reasons I get so anxious all the time: I’ve never been able to make my own decisions, and now I’m 25 and I have no idea what I’m doing. I can’t even take the bloody tube on my own without risking a very public panic attack. It’s so fucking embarrassing.

That’s part of the reason I’d started seeing Ebb. I want to learn to function on my own; to be ready for the day when Penny finally leaves, and I have to scan my own credit card, and get my own mail, and make my own phone calls. Ebb says I’ve made a lot of progress, and I guess I believe her; but there are still days when I need my hand held (literally.)

It’s getting closer to class time, and I try to stay calm. If I had the money, I’d call an uber. The tube is my least favorite place to be especially on days like this, when my anxiety is already so high that the thought of being packed into a car with the that many people makes me want to vomit.

Penny must see it on my face, because she picks up her bag from where she’d dropped it on the floor and holds out her hand. I take it, gratefully, and let her lead me out the door.

* * *

Baz is late to class. Baz is never late to class. Not that I care. In fact, I’d be happy if he didn’t even show up today, because then I’d actually get to paint in peace for once, without him looking over at my easel and making his fucking snide comments. And helping me.

No, I hate when he helps me. He’s so condescending when he explains color schemes and proper brush strokes and his voice gets all excited as he starts to ramble, because he actually really enjoys this class, and he’s so passionate about fucking still lifes, and--

And it’s annoying. He’s annoying. And now he’s 15 minutes late.

“Simon?” Miss Possibelf asks in that lilting voice of hers, “do you know where Baz is?”

I shake my head, because why the hell would I know? Why can’t she ask one of his friends? Then it hits me that I’ve never seen him talking to anyone in class except for me. Does this make us friends?

No, of course not. We can’t be friends if we argue all the time. I don’t like Baz. I hate Baz. And the only reason I want to know why he isn’t in class is because I need to make sure he’s not thinking up a way to mess with me.

Miss Possibelf nods and addresses the rest of the class. “Today we’re going to start our final project! I’ve got a collection of postcards on the front table, and you’re each going to pick one and try to paint something inspired by the picture on the front!”

She claps her hands together to signal that we’re supposed to get up. I haven’t even taken two steps towards the table when the classroom door flies open, and Baz stumbles in.

I stand up quickly, and the whole class turns to look at us. I can feel them waiting for one of us to say something. I want to, I really do. I want to be the one who gets the first word in, but when I see the look on Baz’s face my words leave me. (Not that they’re there that often.) (Except when Baz is around.)

“Sit down, Snow,” he says tiredly, “I’m not the queen.”

I frown, but do what he says. He joins me at the table, looking like he’d rather be in bed than here with me. I want to know what’s wrong. Wait, do I? No. I don’t care. I don’t care about Baz; I just want to get this project done. I don’t have time to worry about Baz.

Except...except Baz doesn’t know what we’re doing today.

“We’re supposed to paint postcards,” I say, and he looks up at me. “Do you want me to get you one?” I don’t know why I’m being nice to him, but he nods and I go to pick ours out.

There are only two postcards left, and they’re both from the Grand Canyon. I pick them up, selecting the one with the simpler illustration for myself.

As I walk back to our table, I stare at Baz and notice just how terrible he looks. Not unattractive, Baz could never be unattractive, but he looks completely exhausted, slumped over on his stool like there’s a heavy weight on his shoulders. I want to shake him until he tells me where he was and why he looks like that. I want him to talk to me, to at least look at me.

I get my wish when I hand him the postcard and our fingers brush. His gaze meets mine, and he’s blushing. Only Baz could look handsome when he’s blushing. I scowl, and he looks confused.

“Here,” I say, “It’s all that was left.”

Baz looks shocked for a moment, and then his blank look returns. “Thank you,” he murmurs and turns his attention to the assignment.

I find myself actually wanting to talk to him, but he looks like he’s concentrating really hard,--if the way he’s staring intently at the postcard is anything it go by,--and I don’t want to interrupt him.

I take one last look at the beginning of his painting, and then begin my own.

Baz

I’m packing up to leave class, when I feel a hand on my shoulder. I turn around and Snow is standing there, looking expectant.

“Do you want to go out for coffee?” he asks, and I’m certain I’ve misheard him.

“Sorry?”

“Do you want to go out for coffee? With me? Now?”

What the fuck is going on? “Why?” I ask, suspicious.

He shrugs. (He’s always fucking shrugging.)

I consider his offer and decide that I have nothing better to do. “Sure, Snow,” I say. “Let’s go out for coffee.”

* * *

The walk to the Starbucks around the corner is silent, but not unpleasant. The line isn’t too long either; we’ve chosen a good time to come here.

“A pumpkin mocha breve,” I tell the girl at the counter, and Snow makes a face. “What?” I snap at him, and he just wrinkles his nose.

“I didn’t figure you as the type of person who ordered drinks like that.”

“And what kind of drink should I be ordering then?”

He cocks his head. “I don’t know, I’ve always sort of imagined you sitting around drinking those tiny cups of expresso.”

“Espresso,” I correct, and he looks confused.

“That’s what I said.”

“No, you said, EX-presso, but it’s pronounced ES-presso.”

Snow frowns, and I start to regret saying anything, so I change the subject. “Spend a lot of time thinking about my sitting around drinking coffee?”

“N--No, of course not!” he stammers, blushing all the way to the tips of his ears. Interesting.

Simon

It pisses me off a bit when Baz called me out for the expresso/espresso thing. I know he meant well, and it probably didn’t seem like a big deal to him, but he’s the only person--except for Penny--that I feel comfortable talking in front of. I don’t want him to ruin it by correcting everything I say.

I’ve managed to keep my stuttering under control, but I’m worried he’ll lose his patience and get annoyed when my words get stuck.

“What are you thinking about?” he asks.

“How do you know I’m thinking about something?”

“You get this look on your face when you’ve got something on your mind. It makes you look a bit constipated.”

I’m too surprised to be upset by his comment, and laugh. He joins in and we’re both snickering in the corner of the shop. People are starting to stare at us now, but I can’t be bothered to care. Baz has that effect on me. He always seems so confident and in control, and I’m dead jealous of that. I wish I could command the attention of a room the way he can, but at the same time I’m not sure if I’d actually want to attention of a room full of people.

Maybe I just enjoy the way being around him makes me feel. Like I could be confident like that; like I could remain unruffled in stressful situations.

Maybe I just enjoy being around him.

I think I might even like it more than fighting with him.

Baz

We find seats, and Snow makes himself comfortable. I curl my lip as I watch him scoop the entire pat of butter out of the little plastic container and plop it on his scone. It melts only slightly before he replaces the stop and takes a huge bite, moaning indecently as he chews. I can’t stop myself from rolling my eyes, and he stops mid-chew.

“Whu?” he says around a mouthful of scone, crumbs flying from his mouth and onto the table. I wrinkle my nose at them, and he quickly finishes his bite and tries again. “What?”

“You have truly terrible table manners, has anyone ever told you that?”

“Nope,” he grins, taking another huge mouthful, making exaggerated chewing noises that I really shouldn’t find adorable, but I do and it’s maddening.

He’s maddening. And I’m mad about him. Oh, fuck. Fucking fuck.

I’m falling for Simon Snow, and I can’t do anything to stop it.

* * * Simon

Baz is hanging around the front of the building when I arrive, and I swear he almost smiles as I fall into step next to him. We enter the classroom together, and everyone’s head pivots toward us.

If I’m honest, I’d almost forgot there were other students. All of my attention is usually focused on Baz, and it occurred to me that we’ve had an audience for our fights. An audience who seems surprised to see us walking calmly together to our table, and sitting down without a single insult exchanged.

I wonder if this is our new normal and I find that I wouldn’t mind that at all.

Turns out Ebb does know Baz; all I had to do was be nice to him, and he went from vampire to bunny rabbit almost instantly. I quite like the change, even if it has stirred up some confusing feelings in the pit of my stomach. I managed to shove them away--as I do with any sort of complicated thought--and focus on today’s task.

I glance over at Baz’s paper, and see him painting a bloody brilliant sunset. Red, gold, and pink streak the sky over the canyon, and my breath catches.

“Shit, Baz,” I whisper, “it’s like you’ve really seen it.”

“I have,” he says simply, “when I was young. My family went on holiday to the States often. Well, we did, until--” he cuts himself off and busies himself with his painting once more.

I shouldn’t press, but we’re friends now. Isn’t that what friends do?

“Until what?”

He glares at me, and I’m worried for a moment until it starts to soften. Then he just looks like he’s in pain.

“We stopped going after my mother died. The last happy memory I have of her is watching the sunset over the canyon. She was holding my hand--I still remember how her hands felt. They were always rough, but that was comforting to me. We watched the sun set on our last day of that holiday.”

“What happened next?” I ask, half-afraid of the answer.

He bites his lip, and I reach out to touch his arm; he lets me. “Less than a week after we returned home, she was hit and killed by a drunk driver. I was in the backseat. I was only five.”

I inhale sharply, and grip his arm harder. He doesn’t flinch away and almost leans into the touch.

We sit like that for a few minutes, and then go back to our respective paintings. Neither of us speak for the rest of the class, but this feels nothing like those other times.

Everything is different now.

* * *

Baz

The next four weeks are a blur of therapy sessions, art classes, and coffee dates; Snow waits by the door after every class, waiting to walk with me to Starbucks.

It’s an easy routine, and I find myself enjoying it far more than I probably should. When Snow asks me to the cinema one day after class, I almost feel excited before I realize he means as friends. I should turn him down, but I’m a masochist apparently.

After the time at the cinema, we start going more places together, and at times the lines of our friendship seem like they’re beginning to blur, but I’m too afraid of losing Snow to try and test them. I’m certain he’ll never return my feelings, and I would rather have him as my friend than go back to being enemies.

Ebb isn’t as easy to convince, and she spends nearly the entire hour needling me about how I should “take risks for the sake of my own happiness.” I just sneer at her, even though deep down her suggestion is every fantasy of mine coming true.

If I’m honest, I’m also unsure about the future of our current level of friendship. Our next class is the last one, and neither of us have brought up what will happen after it ends.

* * *

Simon

The days until our final class seem to go by too fast, and I know it’s because I don’t want it to be over. Without this class, what reason will Baz and I have to see each other?

Okay, so maybe we’ve hung out on other days once or twice, but there’s no way that means anything.

Baz

The final class is over too fast, and Simon is walking towards the door. I watch his retreating figure, and then decide I’m not ready to say goodbye to Simon.

“Snow,” I call out. He turns around, looking quizzical.

“Come back to mine?” I ask, hoping I don’t sound as nervous as I feel. He nods, and I feel myself smile.

Maybe Ebb was right. Maybe my own happiness does matter.

Our hands bump casually, as we walk side by side to my flat, and I feel the tell-tale sign of butterflies in my stomach. I feel like a damn teenager right now, inviting their crush over for the first time.

I suppose I am.

* * *

We’re standing in the kitchen with our drinks. I keep telling myself to invite him into the lounge, but that feels far too personal. (Which is insane; but, then again, Snow makes me a bit insane.) (Even when he’s not being an idiot.)

Our finished paintings are leaning against my kitchen cabinets and, even though they’re completely different, they somehow manage to match.

I realize I’ve been staring at the paintings for too long, so I take a sip of my drink to try and dispel how awkward I must seem. Snow is looking at me with a curious expression, and it’s making me feel warm all over. Or maybe that’s just the vodka. Either way, something feels different, like tonight we might actually cross the line from friends to…

To something more.

I shake my head to clear those thoughts. I’ve only recently stopped Simon from hating me, I can’t run him off by both admitting I’m queer, and that I’m quite possibly in love with him. (I especially can’t tell him that I wanked to the thought of him the other night.) (That guilt is going to eat me alive.)

Simon

Baz looks miserable and I hate it. I’m not even the direct cause of it (at least, I don’t think), yet I still feel as horrible as if I was.

I reach out and touch his cheek, and he lifts his head to look at me, “Simon--,” he whispers, “Simon, I--”

And that’s when I kiss him.

* * *

I kissed Baz last night.

Christ, I kissed Baz.

Baz, who I’m holding while he sleeps.

Baz, who I’m holding while he sleeps when I’m naked except for a sheet.

Baz, who I’m still holding.

Baz, who I don’t want to stop holding.

Baz, who shifts in my arms, cracking one eye open and smiling softly. At least he was, until he seems to register it’s me looking down at him and his face slips into a scowl. “Why did you kiss me last night?” he asks. in a way that demands an immediate answer.

My face falls and I bite back a groan of frustration. “Fuck, Baz. Because I wanted to!”

He looks at me suspiciously. “I don’t believe you.”

“I did!” I insist, but he still doesn’t look convinced.

“We didn’t--we didn’t do anything else, did we?”

I shake my head, and I swear he looks relieved.

“What does this mean for us?” I ask.

He looks away, pointedly ignoring my question, “Are you hungry?”

“Don’t try and change the subject,” I growl, but my stomach chooses that moment to betray me, rumbling loudly and reminding me that I haven’t eaten anything since lunch yesterday.

“I’ll make you breakfast,” he says, like he continuing to avoid the subject.

I don’t want to let it go, but my stomach rumbles again and the need for food wins out over my curiosity for now. We pull on our pants, and I follow him down the loft steps and into his tiny kitchen.

He opens the fridge and sticks his head inside. “I only have eggs.”

“Eggs sound good,” I assure him, and he cracks a tiny smile as he takes the carton out.

I lean against the counter and watch Baz prepare our meal. His brow is furrowed in concentration, and I want to reach out and smooth it down with my thumb. His hair is tousled, and I like that look on him. I feel warm thinking about the fact that he’s letting me seem him like this, and it gets harder to resist the urge to touch him. So I don’t.

I gently move him away from the hob, turning him until he’s facing me, and then leaning in for a kiss. He turns his head, and I frown.

“What’s wrong?”

“Why are you still here?”

“Because you offered me breakfast.”

He rolls his eyes. “I mean, why didn’t you leave last night? After you...after you kissed me?”

“Why would I have left?”

“Because you regretted it.”

“What makes you think I regretted it?”

“Because!” he cries, “you’re you! You don’t want to be with someone like me, you’re never going to wake me up in the morning and call me ‘darling’! You don’t want this.”

The eggs start to smell like they’re burning, and Baz moves quickly to turn of the gas and move the pan.

I wait until he’s finished. “But I do.”

“No, you don’t.”

“I do,” I say, seriously, “I do. I want this. I want all of this, if you’ll let me. I want to be with you Baz, really, I do. So, tell me how I can prove it to you.”

He shrugs, and I let out an exasperated sigh. “Christ, Baz! I didn’t have some sort of ulterior motive. We don’t even hate each other anymore! It’s been ages since we even fought.”

“It’s been less than four weeks,” he reminds me.

“Is that not enough?”

Baz picks up a spatula and pokes at the overcooked eggs.

“One kiss and you think the world’s gone upside down.”

“Two kisses,” I say. And I take him by the back of the neck.

* * *

The next two weeks fly by. Baz turns out to be more romantic than I’d expected. He’s always taking me new places and buying me presents that I pretend to be embarrassed about, but secretly love.

Everything is going perfectly, and I finally feel like I know what it means to be happy. Until one Tuesday afternoon, when Penny takes my hand and tells me that Micah asked her to marry him, and that she’s moving out at the end of the month.

And then my world starts to crumble.

* * *

Baz

I’m slumped over my kitchen table, clutching a glass miserably. My job has become increasingly shit as of late, and I’m upset because I’m actually considering leaving it and giving in to my father’s wishes.

My mobile vibrates, and I jump. The display says it’s my father, and I wonder if I jinxed myself by thinking about him. I take a deep breath and hit answer.

“Hello, Father.”

“Basilton,” he says, “how are you?”

He wants something. He never bothers with pleasantries unless he wants something. “Fine,” I say as politely as I can, “and you?”

“Good,” he replies, “good, business has been good. We just closed that deal we’ve been working on for months, and I’m taking your mother and siblings out for dinner to celebrate. I was wondering if you’d like to join us.”

I close my eyes and rake a hand down my face. It’s been ages since I’ve seen Daphne and my siblings, and an evening out with them sounds lovely. But I know my father; there’s a catch.

“What do I have to do?” I ask.

“Nothing at all, son,” he says, and I want to believe him. I want to believe that my father actually wants to spend time with me. I want to believe so badly that I say yes.

“Good, good, excellent,” he clears his throat, “we’ll see you this Friday evening.”

“I’ll be there,” I say and hang up.

As soon as I do, my stomach drops. I’d completely forgot about my date with Simon. I can’t call back and cancel, not without explaining to my father why I couldn’t go. I really do want to see my family; I miss them. It gets lonely living on my own, even with Snow over as often as he is.

I find myself looking forward to this dinner.

* * *

Simon

My day couldn’t be worse. I knew that I would eventually lose this job too; I don’t know why I’m even surprised.

Fuck, I want to see Baz. I want to see him and not have to think about my problems, but then I remember he’s got that family dinner today.

I know that Penelope’s home; her shoes are in a pile by the door, and I kick mine off in the same direction before fully entering the flat.

There’s a strange man in the lounge with Penelope, and I get nervous. Strange people randomly showing up in my home is something that still sets me on edge years later. Even though I know this person isn’t here to take me away to a new home, I can’t stop the anxiety that bubbles up at seeing him.

“Hello,” I say, as politely as possible, as I set my bag next to the door.

The man nods his own greeting, and Penelope widens her eyes, as if asking “who is this?” I try to shrug as discreetly as possible, and he clears his throat.

“Right, yes, I should probably introduce myself. I’m Oliver Jones, and I’m here on behalf of your grandmother.”

“I don’t have a grandmother,” I say, without hesitation. “You have the wrong person.”

“Is your name Simon Salisbury?”

I shake my head. “Simon Snow.”

“Simon Snow Salisbury?” he asks, and it looks like he’s reading it off a paper.

“You have the wrong person,” I say again, but he doesn’t budge. Penelope intervenes just in time, and I don’t break his glasses.

Fuck, what am I going to do without her here?

* * *

It turns out that Oliver Jones was legitimate, and I really am Simon Salisbury. It’d taken a lot of persuading and official documents to convince both Penelope and I that this guy was serious. Now I’m just here trying to work out the fact that I had a grandmother out there, and that said grandmother decided to leave me a decent amount of money. (Okay, a lot. It’s a lot of money.) (And that’s overwhelming.)

I sit down and start to read the letter he passed on to me:

Dearest Simon,

You don’t know me, and I’m so sorry for that. I tried to find you, searched for you ever since you were born, but I could never track you down.

If you’re reading this letter, it means my lawyers have managed to finally track you down. If you’re reading this letter, it also means I’ve passed on. I’m so sorry I’ve never got to meet you when I was alive. I’m so sorry for a lot of things.

I’m sorry about what happened to your mother. Lucy. Lucy, my rosebud girl. The light of my life.

I’ll never know what she saw in your father, only that whatever he got her involved in led to her downfall.

Lucy went traveling after university, which is where she met Davy--your father. I didn’t hear from her for years after that, until I got a call from a hospital that I needed to identify a body.

You don’t want to hear any more details about that, and I don’t want to share any.

She’d arranged for you to be taken into care while she was still pregnant, and by the time I’d received any information, I’d already lost you in the system.

I’m so sorry you never got to meet her, but maybe I can pass on her memory through this letter.

Enclosed are pictures of her, and I’ve arranged to have more of my things sent to you. You don’t have to accept anything, of course, but there are quite a few photo albums and memory books that you might find interesting. Yours always, Evelyn Salisbury

I turn the envelope upside-down, and three photographs fall out. I pick them up. The first one is a picture of Lucy at what looks like 15 or 16, standing in front of the Grand Canyon.

It looks exactly like it did on the postcard: vast, and imposing, and mysterious. Like it’s hiding secrets.

Or memories.

Looking at Lucy in the photo is like looking at myself, only with longer hair. We have the same nose, same smattering of freckles across our faces. Her shoulders are broad and her smile is sure, and it hits me that I’ll never know her.

It’s been ages since I’ve cried for my mother, and somehow it’s worse now that she has a name and a face.I don’t know how long I lay there; only that the sky’s gone dark, and I’ve managed to curl into a ball facing my wall.

I want…

I don’t know what I want.

I just know it’s not here.

* * *

Baz

When I enter the dining area of the restaurant, I don’t see Daphne, or Mordelia, or my other siblings. Instead, my father is joined by a man I recognize as one of his business partners, and a pretty dark haired girl, who is smiling in my direction.

“Basilton, this is Keris,” he says, and it hits me that I’ve been tricked. He didn’t really want to make amends, this was all a scheme of his to finally marry me off to some daughter of one of his business partners and bury the queer thing under the rug as some sort of youthful folly.

“I can’t--” is all I manage to choke out, fingers gripping the back of the chair I refuse to sit down on. I’m too mad to continue, and he just keeps fucking sitting there, like he didn’t lie to get me here, like this isn’t a huge bloody betrayal; like he’s actually being a decent human being.

“Aren’t you going to join us?” he asks, and I can’t believe him.

“No, father, I’m afraid not,” I say harshly, and Keris frowns. I feel a pang of regret, because she’s probably a lovely girl. I don’t mean to hurt her, but I can’t do this. My father has gone too far this time.

I can’t make out my father’s response over the sound of blood rushing in my ears. I turn and storm out of the restaurant, vowing never to fall for his tricks again.

* * *

I’m shaking by the time I arrive at my flat, and I practically run inside and into my room, shoving essentials into a carry on: my laptop, a few changes of clothes, and whatever else you’re supposed to take with you on a spur of the moment trip across the Atlantic.

I hear the honk of the uber I’d made wait outside, and I grab my bags, rushing out the door. At the last minute I pause, and almost leave my father’s card behind, but then decide it’ll come in handy for this.

Mind made up and jaw set, I exit my flat without looking back. (Except to lock the door. I’m not an idiot.)

I don’t even know what “this” is, exactly. I just know I need to get to the last place I felt a connection to my mother, because I need to talk to her. I need to know if she’d really want me to be the person my father expects me to become.

I need to know. I need answers. I need answers now, and the only way to get them is to see the sun setting on the canyon.

She’ll be there, I know it. I’ll feel her there and then everything will fall into place, and I’ll know what I’m supposed to do. I just need to...I need to...I don’t know what I need to do.

I’ll figure everything else out once I get to the canyon; to my mother.

I just need to get there first.

And I need to take Snow with me.

* * *

I’m still breathing heavily when the uber pulls up to Snow’s flat. I throw a few notes to the driver as I launch myself out of the car and up the front steps. I’m so fucking nervous I could vomit. I need to see him.

I jab at the buzzer and listen for the familiar sound of his footsteps thundering down the stairs.

Snow opens the door and looks surprised. “Baz? I thought you were at dinner.”

“I left early.” I say, trying my best not to sound as winded as I feel.

“What? Why?”

“Because we’re going to the States.”

“What? Why?” Snow repeats, stupidly.

“Because that’s where the Grand Canyon is. Keep up, Snow!”

“Why are we going there?”

Christ, he’s slow tonight. “Because I have to talk to my mother.”

Bunce chooses that moment to walk through the door, and Simon chooses that moment to blurt out our entire plan to her.

She stares me down, “You’re an idiot.”

“Fuck off, Bunce.”

“No, you really are! How do you suppose you’re going to get in? Have you filled out any of the paperwork? Simon doesn’t even have a passport!”

Shit. I don’t want to admit that she’s right, that I completely forgot all of this.

So much for spontaneity.

* * *

It takes us nearly a week to prep for our trip; eventually Snow receives his passport, the proper paperwork is filed, and we’re completely packed and ready for our not so spur-of-the-moment journey.

I’d thought waiting would lessen my urge, but it only made it stronger, the task more necessary.

My stomach starts to flutter as we load our bags into the back of the uber, and Snow grabs my hand. He does a good job of calming me down, something he’s had to do quite a bit these past few days.

Snow seems less anxious these days. I don’t bring it up for fear that being self-aware will reverse his progress, but it’s nice to see.

I let him sit in the front so he doesn’t get carsick, and the driver smoothly pulls away from the curb to take us to the airport.

And my mother.

* * *

After dealing with the long security line--and making sure Snow has plenty of snacks for the flight--we’re on the aeroplane.

The flight is long and, unlike Snow, I’m not able to sleep. (Truthfully, he’s so doped up on motion sickness meds that I’m a bit worried I might not be able to get him off the plane.)

Eventually, we start to descend, and the pilot comes over the loudspeaker and urges us to look out our windows to catch our first glimpse of the Grand Canyon.

I squeeze my eyes shut; I refuse to let my moment of clarity be spoiled.

The plane hits some turbulence, and the jolt wakes Snow up.

“It’s about time,” I pretend to growl, and he just blinks sleepily at me before closing his eyes once more.

(I do end up having to nearly drag him up and off the plan.)

By the time we deal with customs and baggage claim, and catching our charter plane to the airport closest to the canyon, it’s the middle of the night, and we’re both fucking exhausted.

Checking into the motel proved to be awkward. The receptionist asked if twin beds were okay, and fucking Snow opened his mouth to correct her. I kicked his ankle just in time, and he slammed his jaw shut.

I’m making it up to him now, though. We’ve pushed the two beds together, and I’m holding him by the shoulders, walking him backwards to the edge of the bed. When his shins bump the frame, I kiss him.

He doesn’t move his lips at first, but then he grabs the front of my jumper, pulling me into him until we’re crashing together, and the force of my body colliding with his knocks him backwards. His head thunks on the hard mattress, but I don’t think he’s noticed because he hasn’t stopped kissing me, his tongue licking at the inside of my mouth and his hands still gripping the fabric of my jumper.

We don’t get much sleep that night.

* * *

Baz

The walk from the bus to the spot I remember takes longer than I expected, and we’re both slightly out of breath when we arrive.

I close my eyes and allow Simon to guide me as close to the edge as we’re allowed.

“You can open your eyes now,” Simon whispers and my stomach swoops. I’ve been waiting for this moment for what seems like ages, and the anticipation feels like butterflies. I’m almost scared to look, but then I do and…

It’s a canyon.

It’s a very pretty canyon, but it’s just a canyon. All at once, the avalanche of disappointment threatens to bury me alive. I don’t realize I’m falling until I feel Simon’s arms encircling me. He gently sets me down on the rocks and comes to sit beside me.

Anyone else would press me to talk about it, but anyone else isn’t Simon. Instead, he takes my hand in his and squeezes it gently. I rest my head on his shoulder and allow the tears to flow freely.

The sleeve of his t-shirt is soaked with tears and snot, but he doesn’t seem to notice (or care) and he pulls me up and wraps me in a hug. He still hasn’t said anything, and I’m glad about it. I’m not ready to talk about it; not yet. Maybe not ever.

This trip was supposed to give me answers. It was supposed to make everything make sense. It was supposed to fix--

It was supposed to fix everything that was broken.

But it’s just a fucking canyon.

Simon

I don’t know how long I hold Baz; I’ve got one hand under his knees and one hand stroking the back of his neck, playing with the hairs at his nape. His breathing has long since evened out, and I’d think he was asleep if it wasn’t for the fact that his eyes were wide open. He’s staring at nothing, and it’s a little disconcerting, but I know better than to say anything. So I just keep on holding him.

I’m thinking about my mother, about her dreams. The way my grandmother put it, she didn’t seem to think Lucy ever got to travel like she’d always dreamed. She’d only ever gone as far as the Grand Canyon, the same place I am in right now.

I make a decision.

“What if we don’t go back?”

“Excuse you?”

Of course he’s going to pretend like he didn’t hear me, “I said, what if we don’t go back?”

“To the motel?”

“To London.”

He makes a strangled noise then, and I wonder if maybe I should have waited to bring this up. But it’s out there, and I can’t take it back, so I push on.

“What’s keeping us in London, Baz? I mean really?”

Baz

I open my mouth to tell him, but then I realize…

He’s right.

Nothing. We have no reason to go back. We don’t have to go back.

Christ, we don’t have to go back.

This thought makes me giddy, and I shiver.

Simon’s forehead wrinkles, “are you cold?”

I shake my head, and then I’m laughing. I’m laughing, and I can’t stop. Snow looks at me funny before he joins in; and then we’re both laughing--great big juvenile snorty laughs--while lying on the dusty ground.

We must look strange two grown men tangled together on the ground, faces red and puffy, laughing our arses off. I’m too far gone to be embarrassed by anything right now,

I’m ready. I don’t know for what, exactly. I just know I want it, and I can’t find it back in London. London isn’t my home anymore, I decide, and then find that I’m more than okay with that.

I bury my face in Snow’s neck, and breath deeply. He always smells good, like something sweet and brown. It’s comforting, and I’m tempted to try and convince him to stay the rest of the night here. Screw the lumpy motel beds; I’m more than comfortable here.

I’m about to voice my idea when Snow jostles my shoulder.

“You ready to head back?”

I’m nodding before I realize what I’m doing. Of course I’m ready. I’m ready for anything Snow suggests.

He stands and the last remnants of daylight catch his bronze curls. It’s beautiful. He’s beautiful. This canyon is beautiful, and I’m so fucking happy in this moment.

Simon

Baz lets me haul him up until he’s standing, and he sags against me a bit. I let him. It’s a long walk back to the bus station, but I don’t mind. Baz is a reassuring weight against my side, and the two of us slowly make our way down the path.

We don’t look back.

* * *

Baz

“I’m glad I listened to Ebb when she told me to go to that class,” Simon muses randomly once the building is in view. “I never would have come here on my own.”

I plant my feet, and he lets go of me. “Your therapist’s name is Ebb?”

He looks defensive. “Yes, what’s wrong with that? It’s a nice name!”

I stand fully and snort, because this is too hilarious. “Oh my god. Snow! I think we see the same therapist!”

He drops his water bottle, and it rolls away into the bush. “No way!”

I nod and walk over to the retrieve his water bottle, cursing as my hand nearly brushes a cacti. Bloody America, I swear everything is out to hurt people, even the plants.

“Does your therapist have that couch in her office? The ugly red one?”

Snow gasps, “You’re the one who keeps threatening to set her afghans on fire!” And then, almost instantly, his face falls. “I thought you were a sign from the universe,” he says quietly, sounding resigned.

I scoff, “Oh, grow up. You seriously believe in destiny?”

He looks sheepish, and I’m torn between wanting to kiss him and wanting to ridicule him.

So I do both.

Snow inhales sharply as I grab him by the collar and haul his mouth up to mine, crashing our lips together. It’s not a good kiss; our teeth clack together and Snow is almost slobbering, but I don’t let go, and he doesn’t stop.

He looks dazed when I finally pull away and start in on him.

“Fine, then,” I say, letting go of his shirt and crossing my arms, “we were destined to see the same therapist, who decided to send us both to the same class where we somehow managed to become enemies--which was completely ridiculous, by the way,--and now we’re across the fucking Atlantic, because you were daft enough to go along with my fucked up plan to talk to my dead mother through a canyon.”

I swear he cracks a smile at that, and I have to bite back a giggle. “If you want to believe this is destiny,” I continue, “then go right ahead.”

“Okay,” he says.

“Okay?”

“Okay,” he confirms, “I still want to believe this is destiny.”

I stare at him. “Why?”

“Because the other option is that Ebb was playing matchmaker and it’s too weird to think about,” he answers, with a little shudder.

This time I really do giggle as I pull him in for another kiss, wrapping my arms around his neck, and revelling in the feeling of our lips sliding together.

Simon pulls his head back and smirks, making me reach for him. I do. And then I do it again.

I’d cross every line for him. I’m in love with him.

And he likes this better than fighting.

* * * We were too busy kissing by the canyon to catch our bus, so we’d had to wait over an hour for the next one.

I’d looked up used car dealerships while he was using the bathroom, figuring it was cheaper and more practical than renting.

I’m planning to surprise him with the news when we get back to the motel. And I hope he’ll say yes. (He’d better, considering this was his bloody idea.)

Snow leans his head on my arm, whispering, “I’m glad we came here,” almost too quietly to hear, like he doesn’t really want me to. I pretend I don’t, but when I reach for his hand he takes it and kisses my knuckles one at time.

I start to pull it back, but he holds fast and I relent. He presses one last kiss to the back of my hand and places our intertwined fingers on the middle of the seat.

We stay like that for the remainder of the ride.

* * *

Simon

Ebb’s office still looks the same, despite being a grainy picture on my laptop screen, and it hits me that it’s the only thing that is. It will be nice to have something familiar when we’re on the road, though. We’re lucky Ebb agreed to keep seeing us over Skype, both separately and together.

We’re just finishing up a conversation when Baz elbows me in the ribs and moves away too quickly for me to retaliate.

“Do you want a slice of pie for the road?” he asks, and I suspect he might be joking, but I nod anyway. Baz rolls his eyes, but still stands up and makes his way to the front.

“Lemon this time, please!” I call, and he shoots me two fingers. I laugh, and Ebb must’ve seen too, because she joins in.

“How’ve you been, Simon?” Ebb asks, once we’re calm again.

I’m about to answer her, when I glance at Baz at the counter. I feel like I’m intruding on a private moment when I see him fishing around in his wallet; once the waitress has her back turned, Baz slips a $20 bill in the nearly empty tip jar. He looks around furtively and then does it again. He’s left $40 dollars, and I feel my heart swell a bit.

He nervously shift from foot to foot, and when the waitress hands him the container of pie and his change, he drops it straight into the jar. I watch as she notices the two bills in there and her eyes widen a bit. Baz may have his back to me, but I know he’s blushing.

He hates when he gets caught being decent.

The girl is asking him a question now. He waves his hand, but she still brings out another slice of pie, which I hope Baz won’t turn away. (He doesn’t.)

I look away quickly when he turns around and let him kiss me on the cheek when he sits back down. (I think he does it out of habit now.)

“She gave me two slices of pie for some reason,” he grumbles, and I want to laugh. I want to reach out and snog him until neither of us can breathe. I want to take him back to the canyon, show him the place where I realized I was in love.

I want to tell him; tell him what he means to me.

Instead, I turn back to face the screen, where Ebb is waiting patiently for my answer.

“I’m good,” I say, and Baz takes my hand under the table. I let him intertwine our fingers, and he does that thing with his thumb that I like. I squeeze his hand and everything feels like it’s supposed to. It’s all starting to make sense.

“I’m really, really good.”

#snowbaz #carry on

239 notes · View notes

taegills · 8 years ago

Text

like stars in a constellation (m)

↬ meeting in reverse au

pairing: jeon jungkook | reader

genre: slight sci-fi, fluff, angst

word count: 20.9k

A/N: i’m a sucker for added heart pain so i made the mixtape that’s mentioned in the fic so if you want to listen to it there’s that. and i’ve been working on this thing since november and hit lots of road blocks and set backs with it but finally it’s done and i’m not gonna lie, i’m a little nervous but i’m also really excited to share this. it’s a bit of an odd concept, but it might be a little more familiar to my whovians and homestuck trash out there haha

important sidenote: this is a pretty long fic and the tumblr app is trash so if the app crashes on you, try reading it on the mobile website

“And at midnight, as you sit there and contemplate how the two of you were like stars in a constellation, you watch the sky with bated breath. Because somehow, for the first time since you got caught up in all of this a year ago, it almost seems like the stars are finally spiraling backwards and time feels a little more still than ever before. And when you hear your name, you turn around so fast that the world stops spinning.”

You sit quietly in the corner of what had quickly become your favorite coffee shop, shifting and adjusting and readjusting for the millionth time as you try, and fail miserably, to calm the uneasy swirl of anxiety in the pit of your stomach. Switching distractions, you absentmindedly drum your fingers against the curve of your neglected mug of tea. You could just barely ignore your need to obsessively check the time again, your fingers still tapping out a hasty rhythm that was similar to the almost concerning canter of your heartbeat. Instead you focus on the doorway, your breath hitching in reflex at each ring of the entry bell. Soon enough that too, drives you crazy with nerves and you once again settle on staring at your phone, willing time to simultaneously speed up and completely freeze. Is that too much to ask? You think to yourself with no small amount of exasperation. But it’s just as you start to resign yourself to finishing the remains of your cold tea that you hear that familiar laugh that incites a strange swirl of feelings in you; an unbearably sweet and infectious sound that has you dropping your cup of tea ungracefully back onto the table. You look up, wholly unprepared to see him in all his glory and after all this time, you’re still dazed by how utterly otherworldly he looks bathed in the afternoon light that spills through the windows behind him.

Apprehensively, you watch as he gets his coffee before making his way across the coffee shop, only to take his seat at a table just to the left of your little nook of nerves. Just the proximity makes your nerves buzz, a feeling that is both sharp and dull and leaves you completely shaken all at once. You can feel your eyes glaze over with the soft prickle of tears and your heart aches gloriously as you drink in the sight of him. You really will miss this.

“Jungkook…” You really didn’t mean to say it out loud and even if you had, you most definitely didn’t mean for him to actually hear you. But from the way his gaze snaps up from his phone you can tell that he, unfortunately, had. Well shit. You open your mouth to say something, to smooth things over after they had somehow already managed to go south, but you find yourself at a lack of words, choked up with nerves and emotion.

“Uh, hi! Do….do I know y— fuck, are you alright?” He starts, only to end up blurting the end with a distinct look of confusion and panic in his eyes as you unexpectedly burst into broken, muffled sobs at the sound of his voice. So much for keeping it together, you think bitterly to yourself. But despite his obvious state of alarm, Jungkook slides out of his seat, coming to kneel at your side by your booth, his features etched with obvious concern. “Hey, what’s wrong? Are you okay?” His voice is so soft and so comforting and you shake with the force of a fresh wave of tears, overwhelmed by the fact that even when he doesn’t know you anymore, he is still just as gentle and caring as ever.

“Jungkook, I—” You sob, clamping your mouth shut at the way his brows knit noticeably, his confusion tangible and grating at your already raw emotions. This is even harder than you ever thought it could be. Heaving a sigh, you swallow back your tears, looking anywhere but at him to calm yourself. How had you convinced yourself that you’d be able to handle this?

“How do we know each other?” He’s suddenly asking, his gaze searching yours, willing you to look at him. You reluctantly oblige, trying unsuccessfully to keep yourself from falling heart first into his eyes all over again. It takes you a moment to gather enough strength to respond.

“I… We don’t. Or at least, you don’t know me… Yet.” You start to ramble, cringing both inside and outside at how vague and cryptic you’re sounding. So much for your promise to be clear, concise, and NOT creepy. “Ugh, I’m sorry that sounds so weird. Let me start over. I’m Y/N.” You try again, bracing yourself for him to just up and leave. At this point you honestly couldn’t blame him, you’re being a complete weirdo.

“Uh, nice to meet you. Y/N, right?” He asks and you nod, ignoring the ache in your chest from the fact that he really and truly doesn’t know you anymore, that this hasn’t been a yearlong extravagant joke. “I’m Jungkook… But you…already know that?” His sentence trails of in a question, with a shy, slightly stiff smile. Despite the slight awkward tension in the air, you give him a genuine smile in return.

“Yeah. I’m sorry, this is all really hard to explain but I guess I’ll just go for it.” You rush your words out, taking in a deep breath to steel your nerves before you start what has to be one of the most complicated, confusing explanations of your life. A couple words in and you realize you’re taking a note from Jungkook’s own book as you explain it to him the same way he had to you almost a year ago.

(one year ago)

“Y/N? Oh god, I don’t think I’m ready for this.” You lift your gaze up slowly from your laptop as you hear your name, taking in the way the boy in front of you seems to have been talking more to himself than he is to you. Had he not said your name you probably would have ignored him. But he seems to notice your perplexed gaze and he gives you a very nervous looking smile in return and, if you’re being honest with yourself, you’re instantly a little mesmerized. Just a little bit.

It’s just that there is simply something so achingly sweet and inviting about him and you can see it all around him. You can see it in the way the afternoon sun glints off the stray strands of his honey brown hair, his bangs scattered in a way that was admittedly pretty cute. You could also see it in the sharp curve of his bunny-like smile, but most of all you see it in his eyes, so emotive and oh so sad. Eyes that are filled with a love you don’t understand, that leave you with an aching need to understand and the heavy feeling of confliction. He is utterly mesmerizing. It’s too bad you’re kind of convinced that he might be just a little bit crazy.

“I’m sorry, do I know you?” You hesitantly question, trying to ignore the way your heart clenches a little when his face falls. In his defense, he recovers impressively quickly, masking his expression with another small smile, but you can easily see how it doesn’t reach his watery eyes. He only sighs, gesturing to the seat across from you as if asking permission, which you warily give. You watch his nervous motions as he sits down, the way his hand comes up to scratch at the hair at his nape and how he bites his lip in apprehension and it both puts you on edge and at ease at the same time. You can’t really make out why he’s so antsy, but his actions are admittedly kind of cute and you honestly doubt a whole lot of harm could come from just talking to him.

“You don’t yet. But you will.” He says cryptically and your brow raises at the odd layer of ambiguity in his statement. He’s painfully cute and all, but starting like that doesn’t really work to help his case. Still you stay, waiting for him to continue. “Um, I’m Jungkook… by the way. Jeon Jungkook…” He adds.

“So… How do you know me?” You prompt, unable to tamp down your curiosity despite logic telling you to be wary. You can see him struggling to search for words as he looks errantly around the cafe, his gaze notably stopping on the table right next to yours. It’s hard to really tell what’s going on in his mind, but as his eyes started to water again something in his expression of vulnerability has you reaching across the table, impulsively grabbing his hand in an inexplicable need to comfort him. And if you hold on for just a little too long, neither of you say anything.

“It’s a pretty….interesting story to say the least.” He starts, an odd mix of emotions spreading across his features. Nonetheless, he continues. “Uh… I guess I should start at the beginning. So…” He sucks in a deep breath and you can tell he’s rambling, but you give him his time, watching as he looks around the little alcove once again. “I met you right here about a year ago actually… I was sitting right there.” His voice thick with emotion, he gestures vaguely to the seat that he had been staring at a moment ago. He starts to speak again but your nervous curiosity beats him to it.

“Then why don’t I know you? You’re not some kind of stalker are you?” You’re absolutely sure that if you had ever met someone like him, it’d be something you’d most definitely remember. But your blurted question only gets you a wistful laugh and the slow shake of his head.

“You’re always accusing me of being a stalker…” He chuckles under his breath and you get the distinct impression that he hadn’t meant for you to hear. “No, I’m not. Not that any other part of this is believable….” You impatiently gesture for him to continue, the way his sentences trail off making you more and more nervous as he drags it out. You watch the way his chest heaves as he steels his nerves to concede to your silent request. “You don’t know me because we never meet each other in the right order. And I know that sounds really weird, but that’s because it just is. It’s messed up and I still don’t understand it at all, but all I know is that everything that’s going to happen between us is in your future, but it’s all already happened in my past.” His voice is rushed and frantic as he tries to force the words out before he loses his nerve or your patience. For a moment you just stare at him blankly, trying to make your brain process everything he just said. It takes more than a moment for it to all sink in, but once it does it leaves your mind spinning.

“You’re trying to tell me we’re… what, meeting in reverse or something? That’s… I’m sorry, but I’m not really sure I believe you.” You frown, almost ready to pack up your things and leave. This is all too much. But the way his eyes shine with such genuine emotion, you allow him, and yourself, more time.

“Yeah, that’s exactly what I’m trying to tell you. Look, I know this doesn’t make any fucking sense at all, trust me, I’ve been trying to put it together for the past year.” He sighs, the sound thick and desperate as he tries so hard to get you to understand. He looks absolutely defeated. You can see the tears in his eyes, threatening to break the surface and you almost hate him for making you care. “All I know is this is probably the last time I’ll ever see you again and it hurts because I love you so fucking much and you can’t even remember me.” And when Jungkook’s head drops into his hands, obviously trying his best to keep you from seeing his desperate tears, something in your chest squeezes and then falters as you’re forced to watch this beautiful boy break down in front of you. Your hand reaches out once more on its own accord, circling around his wrist softly. He freezes at the movement, hesitantly looking up to find you sporting a soft smile.

“It doesn’t have to be. We can meet here tomorrow if you want.” You offer, but you’re instantly reminded by the sad twinge of a smile that crosses his face that this was, theoretically, the last time he would ever see you. You open your mouth to correct yourself but before you can he’s speaking again

“Yeah… I’d like that. A lot.” He sighs and you ignore the way your heart twists. Errantly you check your phone, sighing with him when you realize how late it is. And you pretend you don’t see the way he has to hide the way his face falls as he realizes you’re starting to pack up all your things.

“I’m really sorry… I have class in half an hour and I really have to get going. I— I’ll see you tomorrow though!” You reassure him as you stand up, swinging your bag over your shoulder. He nods and you start to leave, almost out of earshot as he speaks again.

“Goodbye Y/N.” You swear you can feel the sting of his heart breaking and yours aches too from the clanging sense of finality.

But if everything he said was true, this may be his end, but it’s also your beginning.

The next afternoon finds you sitting in the same little alcove in that quiet cafe, waiting for a boy that you’re oh so perplexed by and just barely resisting the urge to frantically google things like “time travel” and “how does time work?” to soothe your swelling curiosity and confusion. It’s all entirely unfeasible, but still you find yourself with piqued interest and an alarmingly incessant desire to hear him out. Jungkook. His name still feels foreign to you, even in your mind. And it’s almost like your thoughts manifest into reality, because as you mull over the questions he presents, you see him, heavily bundled against the winter afternoon chill as he enters the shop. You don’t miss the way he glances over to where you’re seated, nor do you miss the warm, fond smile he barely tries to hide as he looks away to order. You busy yourself with something on your phone, most of your attention focused on Jungkook as he gets his coffee nervously makes his way to you, sliding into his same spot in the booth across from you. You scramble to find a greeting appropriate for someone who has allegedly already gone through an entire timeline with you, but you find yourself at a lack of words. Jungkook, however, seems not to notice or mind.

“I don’t know exactly what I said that convinced you I’m not crazy, but thanks for coming.” He gives you a shy smile, one that you find yourself returning without a thought as you bite back the urge to tell him half-jokingly that you’re not entirely convinced about his sanity. “Oh and this—” he says before you can vocalize your thought, sliding a bakery bag across the table, “… Is for you.” You hesitantly grab it, peaking inside the bag before your eyes widen, your gaze lifting to his with an odd mix of confusion and excitement.

“These are—”

“Your favorite, right?” He finishes for you, his eyes sparkling with a glimmer of hope. You nod, slowly bringing the sweet treat close to your face. You breathe in the cloying smell of buttery bread and melted chocolate, and admittedly, the scent makes you warm up to him already.

“You must do some deep level stalking if you know about my secret love for chocolate croissants. I can’t believe you even got the ones from my favorite bakery!” You gush, your eyes drifting shut as you savor your first bite. Jungkook watches you with thinly veiled fondness, unable to hide the deep affection that glints in his eyes. You pretend you don’t notice.

“Not stalking, I promise.” He laughs and the sound light and only slightly forced. You nod slowly, remembering what he had said yesterday.

“So… You know about my guilty pleasure because we’re meeting in reverse? Or something like that, right?” You question, unable and unwilling to ignore the proverbial elephant in the room.

“Yeah… I know it sounds really crazy. Honestly it feels even weirder to put it in words.” He starts, errantly fiddling with the hair on his nape in what you can understand is a nervous habit of his. Despite his obvious nerves, he continues on, desperate to find a way to explain. “It was hard for me to believe at first too, but then I kept meeting you and it just kind of became obvious. It’s like you knew so much about me, yet you could never remember what had happened the last time we talked.” He takes a moment to settle himself and you try to visualize what it is he’s saying. “It’s… well, it’s really weird but honestly I’m happy I got to meet you, messed up timeline and all.” The small quirk of his smile and the way his voice trails off at the makes something in your heart clench.

“I… wow. That’s a lot to take in.” You say as you struggle to swallow down another bite of your chocolate croissant past the ball of nerves in your throat. Honestly, some part of you considers running, but a bigger part of you is already interested in your future with him… his past with you. “So… are you like a time traveler or something?” You giggle, only somewhat joking. But from the way you felt just at the sight of his amused smile, you can tell that you could easily fall in love with making him laugh.

“Ha, no. At least, I don’t think I am. That would be pretty cool though.” He acquiesces with a short laugh. You nod, quietly chuckling with him. All too soon the air turns hesitant again as you consider the implications of everything he’s said and he considers the fact that, for him, this is the last time you will ever have a clue who he is.

“So… how exactly am I supposed to be sure that you’re actually a time anomaly and not some kind of creepy stalker?” You ask to break the shy tension. His resulting smile is wide and he laughs whole heartedly, a sound that makes you smile back as he rolls his eyes at you.

“Not a stalker.” His tone briefly makes you feel as if your listening on an inside joke before he sobers up again, his expression soft and considerably melancholy. “Your favorite constellation is Orion’s Belt.” He murmurs to you quietly, looking down at the empty pastry bag in front of you to avoid your gaze. It’s when he finally looks back up at you, gauging your reaction that your eyes widen. It sinks in for the first time that maybe he really was telling you the truth and that your timelines were, for some inexplicable reason and for lack of better words, all fucked up.

“I know.” He says indulgently, watching you process the information. You look down at your hands, focusing on the small smear of chocolate on one of your fingers as you contemplate the possibility of some kind of future with the sweet boy in front of you. The entire concept of what he’s telling you, the idea of getting to know someone who has already lived out your future, and the way he so obviously seems to love you honestly scares you more than you could imagine. But despite that, you find yourself willing to take this first step with him anyway, unsure if this feeling is trust or foolhardiness.

“Well…” You search for the words to express your complicated swirl of emotions, but you can only settle on, “It’s nice to meet you, Jeon Jungkook.” And you hope he hears the unspoken thoughts behind it. It’s nice to meet you, Jeon Jungkook. And although this all terrifies me, I’m inexplicably excited to keep meeting you.

And you can’t be entirely sure but you’d like to think that the way he smiles in return, like he’s found some little bit of peace in your words, means he heard you, loud and clear.

The rest of your time passes almost disappointingly quickly, as you sit in that little corner of your quiet cafe, experimentally trading words as you try to get used to each other; you to this new stranger who is bound to be part of your life and him to a version of you that doesn’t know him anymore. And it’s fun, you admit to yourself as you question him about everything from the nature of your relationship and your future, to even just little questions about who he is as a person (and it’s only those questions he gladly answers). You learn that he’s twenty, works at an old music shop, has a knack for bowling, and that the little scar on his cheek that you find oddly cute is from a silly fight with his brother when he was younger. You also quickly learn that he’s a brat with a penchant for making you blush and then laughing at your subsequent frustrated embarrassment. And you also learn that even when it’s because he’s having fun teasing you, you enjoy seeing him genuinely smile. You enjoy it more than the melancholy smiles he tries to hide, where you can easily guess that he’s thinking about how the next time he sees you, it won’t be like this, how you won’t know him at all.

But soon enough it’s later than you expected and you’re bundling back up and leaving his company for the considerably less welcoming night chill to make your way home. You don’t leave, however, without sparing a glance through the shop window at the boy whose smile seems just a tad dimmer than it had before. But when he lifts a hand to wave to you, you find yourself offering that last goodbye that he probably needed yesterday, your breath just barely fogging up the glass to whisper a “bye, Jungkook” with a soft wave. You don’t stay longer to see if he understands what that gesture really meant. Which he does.

Despite the cold, you enjoy the walk back to your apartment, allowing your mind to fully process everything that’s happened since that first confusing moment in the cafe yesterday. You think about Jungkook and how strange this entire situation is, about how confused you are by your own desire to get know him and the overwhelmingly warm sense of home he seems to exude. And you think about your new perspective on time, clinging to this direction of thoughts in favor of ignoring whatever frightening new emotions Jungkook makes you feel. So, despite the bite of the cold air against your fingers, you take to your phone, feeling only slightly silly for entering the words “timelines in reverse” and scrolling through the results, but it’s mostly just pages of fan theories and historical revisionism. It takes you a moment before you make your next search, holding back the small smile that threatens to break out on your face as you type “concept of time travel” and press enter. The search, while interesting, does nothing to abate your sense of confusion although it does lead you to the idea of something called a causal time loop, something you bookmark for a later day when you can stomach to think harder about the how and why of all of this. For now you settle on one last search as you near your building, this time not trying to hide your self-amused smile as you enter “known local stalkers” jokingly. And as you enter the heat of your apartment, you allow your thoughts to drift back to the intriguing warmth that is Jeon Jungkook.

Over the next couple weeks, meeting Jungkook becomes a semi-constant part of your routine. At the cafe over warm drinks and exploring conversation, at your favorite bakery where he’d pretend he didn’t buy that second chocolate croissant just for you, at the bookstore skimming over anything you could find on time theory before you both lose interest and he lets you show him your favorite books instead, ignoring the fact that he likely already knows; you are slowly getting used to spending time with Jungkook. And even more, you’re getting used to the idea of your reversed timelines.

It’s definitely weird at first. You constantly find yourself taken aback by the brief look of confusion that always passes his face anytime you bring up recent conversations or mention something he did, only to remember belatedly that from his perspective, those things haven’t happened yet. And he slips up sometimes too, albeit rarely, like that time last weekend when you were stressing about a presentation you had to give in one of your courses and he slipped up when, in his attempt to ease your nerves, let you know that “you shouldn’t worry, you aced it anyway.” Which you did. And you’ve also gotten used to it all enough to stop falling for the way he’d tell you “I’ll tell you tomorrow” to avoid certain conversations, knowing full well that when tomorrow came for him, you wouldn’t remember and when tomorrow came for you, neither would he. It’s all frustrating and more than a little bit confusing at times, but you still find yourself inexplicably looking forward to each time you get to learn just a little more about him. There’s always that lingering aspect of him that garners your inherent need to know him.

All in all, you’re starting to become fully comfortable with Jungkook, that sense of apprehension you first felt giving way to how easy and fun he is to talk to. Which is exactly why you find yourself trying so hard to ignore the urge to neglect your essay that’s due by the end of the weekend in favor of calling Jungkook and convincing him to meet you somewhere to take your mind off of it. The only issue is it’s after midnight and all your usual haunts are closed. That and the fact that this morning he had already promised you that he wouldn’t talk to you for the rest of the weekend until you were done with your paper. Still, you battle with your urge to call him, but the white screen of your laptop and the distinct need for a lot more words reminds you that you absolutely must get this done; it’s already Saturday. So instead, you settle for a text, ignoring the way it feels much more like a guilty pleasure than it should. You chew your lip as you try to find something to say, rewriting your message a couple times before you finally settle on one that sounds as nonchalant as you’d like to and y—

JK [12:05AM]: stop thinking about me and work on your essay

Your phone drops out of your hands in a way that you would almost consider comical if you weren’t so shocked, an emotion that fades into a weird mix of shy indignation as you register his overconfident (but nonetheless true) text. But he’s typing again before you can even think to dispute it.

JK [12:05AM]: i’m just kidding Y/N. but seriously though, it’s late so finish your essay!

[12:06AM]: but i’m so bored….

[12:06AM]: how did you even know i was gonna text you, you stalker?

You can almost envision him rolling his eyes in response, along with the soft chuckle and the tone of fake annoyance in his voice that came each time you call him that. Just that brief moment of shared amusement is enough to make you keep the joke running, despite knowing that he is far from a stalker.

JK [12:07AM]: rude!

JK [12:07AM]: i would think you’d be nicer to someone who knows most of your future!

JK [12:08AM]: besides, i was thinking of texting you and saw you typing

JK [12:08AM]: but you need to finish your paper

You spare another fleeting glance at your computer, knowing that he’s right and you really do need to finish it but still you indulge in a brief moment with Jungkook. And if the thought of him thinking about you too brings a small smile to your face, he definitely doesn’t need to know.

[12:10AM]: i know…. my brain just hurts :(

[12:10AM]: can’t you at least help me, marty mcfly? what use is this whole timeline nonsense if you won’t tell me anything about this paper?

JK [12:11AM]: i can’t!!! we’ll rip a hole in the space-time continuum!!!!

You feel the tendrils of panic creep up your back as you consider for the first that you might have been playing with the constraints of time just by talking to him. In your brief moment of panic, you consider the possibility that your actions could cause you, or him to completely fade out of time, not even sparing a single thought to the fact that you both had been sharing bits and pieces of each other’s future this whole time. In hindsight, you blame it on the stress from the paper.

[12:11AM]: oh my god, for real? are we like fucking up the fabrics of time or something?!?!

JK 12:13AM: haha, no of course not, Y/N. at least, not as far as i know. it would be pretty funny if we accidentally rewrote all of history though!

The wash of your annoyance is only cut by your relief that you weren’t dooming him to life adrift in the void of time, and the fact that his antics are admittedly a little amusing. You’re still a little annoyed with him for playing with your emotions though.

[12:15AM]: no it wouldn’t!!!! that would be absolutely terrible!

JK [12:16AM]: admit it, you laughed :P

As you read his text, you can picture in your mind the soft curve of his smile, the one that’s usually reserved for times when he gets you to smile or laugh for him. And you do admit, albeit only to yourself, that he does have a knack for doing just that. Once again, you look at your computer screen and you yield to the fact that you really do need to get it done, mentally thanking Jungkook for the momentary distraction before you settle in again with your laptop, staring at the blinking line where you left off. You don’t let yourself attribute your newfound motivation to the curly brown hair and soft eyes that linger in the back of your mind. Still, you take the moment to send him one last text.

[12:21AM]: of course not

[12:21AM]: ……goodnight jungkook

There’s only a moment of pause before you see him typing again.

JK [12:22AM]: goodnight, Y/N. good luck on your paper

And with that you allow yourself to settle into a steady workflow, your fingers finding a renewed purpose on your keyboard. And in over a labor-filled hour later, you have a significant amount of your paper done, enough that you feel comfortable letting yourself finish the rest tomorrow morning. And it’s as you’re shifting off of your chair, ready to give yourself up to the sweet, sweet comfort of your bed that your phone goes off again and the message you see stays with you the whole night, making it more than a little difficult for you to fall asleep.

JK [1:48AM]: and just so you know, i would rip a million holes in the fabric of time if it meant i got to talk to you for even a day

And in the next couple of days, as you wish you could read that message again, you find yourself really regretting that time never seems to allow you many reminders of your time together. Like every other message, it just disappears after midnight.

It’s only as you’re relating to your friend the sweet curiosity that is Jungkook another few weeks later that you realize the extent of your budding interest in him. You’re unable to keep the undoubtedly fond note out of your voice as you tell her about all the teasing jokes during your early morning walks for coffee runs, the couple times you get to gloat when you beat him at video games while hanging out at your apartment, and the late night texts when you find you just can’t focus on homework anymore. It’s with flaming cheeks and a swirl of embarrassment (or are those butterflies) that you adamantly assure your friend that the two of you are certainly not dating, trying to ignore her looks of disbelief. And you’re not, dating him that is, but that reminder is not enough to keep the weird swirl of foreign emotions at bay every time you find yourself thinking about him. Which is obnoxiously often.

And it’s almost like on top of everything else, he can also read your mind because it’s as you lament over your inability to keep him out of your thoughts that your phone goes off, his name bright on your screen against the night.

JK [1:42AM]: hey, are you up?

JK [1:42AM]: i wanna show you something

[1:43AM]: what can you possibly show me that can’t wait until tomorrow, you nut?

JK [1:44AM]: please Y/N? it’s important to me

JK [1:44AM]: …and it’s kind of a surprise for you

JK [1:44AM]: …….

JK [1:45AM]: …..and i may or may not be parked outside already

You don’t even try to hide the budding smile at his antics as you give into your curiosity despite the fact that it’s nearing two in the morning. You try not to betray your creeping excitement as you send him a deceptively surly “fine, I’ll be down in 15” before throwing on a sweater and some leggings. And you pretend the “dress warm!!!” text he sends shortly after doesn’t pique your interest, and if it makes you smile a little more as you bundle up in your favorite jacket, he doesn’t need to know.

Shortly after you’re heading down the stairs of your building, steeling yourself against the winter chill in the air as you catch sight of an excited looking Jungkook smiling ear to ear at you from the driver’s seat. His excitement is contagious and you find yourself smiling back as you let yourself into his car, pleased to note that the heat is cranked up high. And you bite down the curiosity that bubbles in you at the sight of blankets piled up in his backseat in lieu of questioning him on more pressing matters, like where exactly he’s taking you in the dead of night anyways. He only shrugs off your snooping with an indulgent smile as he drives off, leaving you to your own thoughts and the hushed sounds of the radio. It’s as a song you love comes on and you catch him trying not to smile as you sing along under your breath that you allow yourself the thought that you’d honestly be fine if the only reason he dragged you out this late was to go on a night drive together. It’s alarming how his company turns even the most mundane of activities into something inexplicably comforting and enjoyable. You smile to yourself as he turns the music up for you and you feel your curiosity fade into a sense of contentment.

That’s not to say that your curiosity doesn’t come snapping back a little later as he pulls up onto the side of the road near a trail that leads off into the forest. You take in the looming trees silently, noting how the remnants of snow that stick to some of the trees shine under the combined light of the streetlights and the moon. You look up at Jungkook, slightly in awe and he only smiles back as he turns the car off and gets out. You follow his lead, watching as he fishes the blankets out of the back seat.

“Did you take me out here to finally admit that you are a stalker so you can brutally murder me and hide my body in the woods?” You joke amusedly with him as you turn to look at the forest again, pulling your jacket a little closer to your frame. You only briefly registered his scoff before he throws a blanket over you, the sound bleeding into a muffled laugh at your huff of indignation. You settle the blanket over your shoulders as you watch him roll a mountain’s worth of blankets and pillows into his right arm before freeing his left one, extending his hand to you. And you try to ignore the way his hand feels impossibly warm and right in yours as you follow him up some overgrown rocks that led into the forest. The two of you walk for a short while, Jungkook talking to you in short, excited whispers about nothing and everything before the trees open up into a large clearing that has the breath stuttering in your chest. He says nothing as you take in the impossibly beautiful scene before you; the way the moon seems to shine even brighter from where you’re standing and the swirls of clover patches that are littered throughout the overgrown grass.

“Wow, Jungkook……This is…” You trail off, incapable of finding the right words as you wander a little further into the field. He watches you for a moment with a hint of that fond smile you’ve grown to like before he sets everything down before getting to work on making what looks suspiciously like a nest of blankets and pillows. As he finishes, he motions you over, kicking off his shoes and settling into the softness and you eagerly follow suit, instantly swaddling yourself in more blankets just within arm’s reach of each other. “…..What is this place?” Your voice comes out in a soft whisper as if you’re suddenly afraid of disturbing the quiet calmness all around you. He looks over at you then, his smile even shyer than usual as he leans back onto his arms, pointing one hand up towards the distance. And when he speaks, his voice is soft too, and you’re suddenly overcome by the ambiance of the moment.

“Look up.” Is all he says and as you follow his hand you feel the air leave your lungs abruptly, completely taken aback by the impossible beauty of the sky from where you sat. It was the clearest you had ever seen and the stars were so bright that you’re finding it hard to believe the magic of what you’re seeing. As you marvel at the view, Jungkook shifts around, pulling out his phone and a moment later you hear music, the quiet beat of his favorite songs carrying just barely over the sounds of the forest. You sit in silence with him for a handful of moments, the silence surprisingly comfortable as you let yourself relax into the sheets, laying on your back to look up at the stars. “This is where I come to think most times.” His voice shakes you out of your thoughts as you spare a glance in his direction. And it’s as he starts speaking again that you find yourself unable to look away, watching him as he watches the stars. “I wanted to bring you here one la—” He stops and clears his throat before starting again. “It’s just so peaceful here. It almost feels like it’s separate from Earth…” He trails off and you find yourself agreeing with him and struggling to swallow down the hint of emotion that bubbles up at the idea of him sharing his special place with you. And you realize from his brief slip up and the thick sound of emotion in his voice that for him, this is the last time he gets to share this with you. The realization has you sneaking a hand out of the blankets, seeking his in a gesture that surprisingly brings you comfort as well. And as his lips curve into that soft, sad smile you only ever see when he thinks you’re not looking, you feel the air leave your lungs for the second time that night, absolutely taken by how unnervingly beautiful he looks in the silvery moonlight. And as the minutes tick by while the two of you sit in almost silence, you know you’re supposed to be looking at the stars, but you watch him instead and you can’t help but succumb to the idea that maybe he’s not entirely human. He just seems so comforting and familiar and entirely ethereal that you’re wholly convinced that he belongs more to the stars than he does to the earth.

“Jungkook…” You start to speak and he looks over at you at the swell of emotion in your voice. You hadn’t really meant to say anything, and when you meet his eyes again, the soft light reflecting in his eyes, you lose whatever words you could have said. He squeezes your hand lightly and gives you a small smile and all at once you’re hit by the weight of your feelings for him and the realization that he’s almost close enough to kiss, if you would just move a little closer…

“Look, Y/N,” he whispers again, cutting through the fog of sudden emotion as he points at the sky again, “You see those three stars there?” And you manage to tear your eyes back to the stars and what you see invokes a strange swirl of emotion that you don’t even dare to label. “It’s—”

“Orion’s Belt…” You finish for him, your voice soaked in quiet awe. And as you really take in the map of stars and allow yourself a moment to think of the strange state of both your timelines, you’re almost amazed that the world isn’t visibly spinning backwards.

From where you’re sitting, that’s how everything feels.

You stay there with Jungkook a lot longer than you actually realize, passing the time with silly “would you rather” questions, random stories about the past, and at times, just comforting silence as you study the stars until you both decide it’s getting a little too close to morning. Your hand only leaves the warmth of his to help him pack up your nest, finding it again as he leads you back to his car.

The ride back to your apartment is cozy and you find yourself drifting off as the heater blasts in his car until you’re in front of your apartment and Jungkook is gently shaking you awake. It registers in the back of your mind that it’s just barely morning as you tiredly wave goodbye to Jungkook, and trudge your way upstairs and into your waiting bed. Your last thought is of the way he looked under the light of the stars before you drift back to sleep.

You wake up obnoxiously late and annoyed at the fact that you had slept until three, grouchily, but not seriously, blaming Jungkook for the lapse in your sleep schedule. And it’s when you consider texting him your pretend annoyance that you realize he had messaged you shortly after leaving your house. You open the text as you curl up into your couch with a cup of tea, trying to contain the warm feeling that spreads over you as you read:

JK [5:47AM]: good morning, Y/N [image attached]

Your breath leaves you as you look at the picture he sent. It’s of you asleep in his car, your head tilted against the window. But the thing that surprises you is how the pinkish light of dawn hit your cheeks and the stray strands of your hair and for a second you see yourself in the same way you saw him under the stars; something so gossamer and pretty in the morning light. You wonder briefly if this is how you look in his eyes before the moment passes and you let yourself resort to the familiarity of teasing him.

[3:24PM]: wow, such a stalker!!!

And after you press send with a smile, you allow yourself the realization that at this point it’s almost a term of endearment. It’s such a shame the photo will be gone once midnight passes.

The weather is already starting to warm up, little by little, by the time you go to Jungkook’s place for the first time. Along with the weather, the stress of the semester is also picking up and he manages to tempt you away from your study cave with the promise of a full day of games and movies and whatever else you feel like subjecting him to. He even butters you up even further by picking you up at your apartment with some hot chocolate and a warm chocolaty croissant and, as you follow him down the stairs with your treats in hand, you try to ignore the surge of infatuation that rises from his sweetness.

You spend the car ride catching him up on some of the things you hadn’t already told him over text and trying (yet failing) to hold in your laughter as he lip syncs obnoxiously to the radio. Your cheeks hurt from smiling so hard, especially at the little giggle he does every time he amuses himself. His energy is infectious and you find yourself goofing off with him the entire ride there.

And you’re taken aback by how comfortable and familiar his apartment feels from the moment you walk in. You can see the hints of him everywhere, from the old acoustic guitar in the corner, the random band posters here and there, and the way your favorite red sweatshirt of his was draped haphazardly over the arm of the couch. It’s nice, you note to yourself as you easily make yourself at home, laughing as he holds up Mario Kart with an evil smile that reminds you that he had promised to wipe the floor with you as Bowser.

“Oh, you’re on Jeon Jungkook!” And with those words you launch into an all-out Mario Kart war.

…

….A war in which, to your chagrin, you’ve lost every battle so far. And as Jungkook gloats as he slides past you for the umpteenth time right before the finish line, you sigh dramatically. And when he rubs his continuous victory in your face, you roll your eyes and pout, which gets you nothing but an amused smirk.

“You’re such a cheater!” You smack him with a nearby pillow and grumble as he’s selecting a new track.

“And you’re a sore loser.” He smiles as he nudges you and if he wasn’t your sworn Mario Kart enemy right now, you might have thought it was cute. But it’s not. Either way, you push aside your momentary distraction as soon as another race starts, determined to get your retribution. And as you hit Jungkook with a shell a couple minutes later and slide past him into first place, retribution is exactly what is served. You barely hear his frustrated groans over your own victorious hoots and you definitely don’t waste the opportunity to thoroughly rub it in as you lean across the couch to tease him. So wrapped up in your gloating, you don’t really register the moment Jungkook’s eyes soften, or how they look so full with love, or how he couldn’t keep them from focusing on your lips. You don’t notice any of it until you’re cut off mid-victorious laugh by the feel of his lips.

You hesitate only for a moment, more caught off guard than anything else, before your celebratory smile melts into one much sweeter and you find yourself kissing him back. The kiss is everything you associate with Jungkook; warm, sweet, comfortable, and over far too quickly as he pulls back a couple short moments later. You can see the hesitation and the raw nerves in his wide eyes as he looks over your face, his hand coming up to fidget with the hairs at the nape of his neck in that nervous gesture you’ve come to find so adorable. Moments later he seems to realize he’s staring and you see the hint of a blush spread to his ears as he tries to find anywhere else to look at but you.

“I-uh… Um, I’m sorry I didn’t mean to…do that. You just look so pretty when you’re laughing and I just lo—” He rambles for a second before clearing his throat and forcing his gaze back up to yours, “I just couldn’t help it. Sorry if that was too much…” And as he says that you’re suddenly hit with the realization that it should have felt a little strange or too soon or too much, but your surprised at just how utterly normal it felt. Just like everything else with him, kissing Jungkook feels like home. The thought makes your smile widen. Not privy to the direction of your thoughts, Jungkook nervously continues on. “If you want I can take you home. I don’t want to make you uncomfortable or anythi—” You cut him off with a kiss of your own that starts just as soft and shy, but quickly grows in confidence as you feel his hand come up to cup the curve of your jaw and his lips smile against yours in between kisses.

“It’s okay, I enjoyed it.” Your voice is just barely above a whisper as you press your cheek further into his hand. Your eyes are barely open, but you can easily feel the look of pure love on his face. It’s one you feel guilty for enjoying when it’s a feeling you don’t think you can fully reciprocate… yet. Overwhelmed by the choking swirl of emotions in the air, you pull back, plastering your victorious grin back on your face before continuing your previous thought. “Almost as much as I enjoyed WINNING!” And when Jungkook rolls his eyes at you like always, you’re relieved by the sense of normalcy.

“Whatever, Y/N. Anyways, I let you win.” His words do well to further distract you from the thick moment, instead you focus on the smug lilt in his voice. He eases into the couch again, his arm resting near your shoulders and you try to ignore the way you naturally shift into him, latching on to his ridiculous claim instead.

“Yeah right! You’re full of it!!” He only grins and sneaks a quick kiss to the edge of your lips as you pout up at him, effectively shutting you up, which only serves to make his grin wider. You swat him lightly in the chest as if you could physically smack the smugness out of him (which, sadly, you can’t). “Whatever. I still won!” He let you have your way with only a small chuckle.

The two of you switch gears after that and you watch him as he makes lunch for the both of you before you settle back into the couch to marathon all the movies you picked out. You start Pacific Rim off sitting just out of reach of each other and when the credits roll you’re close enough to Jungkook that your thighs touch. By the end of Mean Girls, you’re tucked comfortably into his side, legs sprawled out on the opposite side of the couch. And a couple movies and conversations later, you’re completely laid out on the couch with your head in his lap and his hand occasionally carding through your hair. And when he comments on all the cringey aspects of the Twilight franchise as you force him to watch the whole series with you, the back of your mind registers how much you want this. You want the casual nights in, the overly competitive moments, and the soft kisses that make your stomach flutter. You want it all with him.

“Jungkook—” You blurt before you even know what it is you want to say. He looks down at you, his eyebrow raised expectantly and the traces of a small smile visible. You swallow thickly, looking for words you’re not sure you have. “I….What are we? In the future…your past?” You settle on that question, watching the way he searches your face for a moment before he seems to find an answer.

“We’re….perfect. And in love.” He says carefully, trailing his gaze back to the movie, but you can tell he’s still watching for your reaction. You mull over his words for a moment as they settle in. It’s not hard to imagine, falling in love with him. And you’re sure that you will, but… “But right now, we can be whatever you want to be…” He adds on with a small smile, almost as if he can see the direction of your thoughts written on your face. You smile back and nod softly before rolling back towards the TV, trying your best to pay attention to whatever is happening with Bella and the Cullens again.

It’s only a little while later that you feel yourself starting to drift off to the feeling of him playing with your hair. And it’s as you’re right at the edge of sleep that you hear him whispering to you and you get the distinct impression that you’re not meant to hear him.

“Y/N…” His voice is so soft but so full of emotion and you resist the urge to roll over and look up at him. He waits a moment, as if to be sure that you’re really asleep before he continues. “…I love you. I know you don’t feel the same yet, but you will.” Your heart thuds painfully as his whispered words hit you like a freight train. He goes quiet after that and you listen to the steady rhythm of his breath to calm yourself until you’re almost sure he fell asleep. Risking it, you chance a glance up at him, and you realize from how sweet he looks sleeping that he’s right; you may not feel the same right now, but you have no doubt that you’ll end up painfully in love with him.

You fall asleep like that, and the next morning when Jungkook wakes up with a crick in his neck, he jokingly blames you “for choosing such boring movies.” And you can feel the subtle shift in the air between you, from the almost shy looks at each other, to the way his hand tentatively covers yours as he drives you home, and from the way he presses a sweet kiss to your forehead before leaving you at your doorstep. It’s all something you can definitely see yourself getting used to.

And if you were looking back, you would probably label this as the first time you were sure of your growing feelings for him.

Every day in the following weeks is filled with warming weather and sweet kisses and plenty of dates, like today where you and Jungkook sit in what you now consider “your alcove” at the familiar little coffee shop. It’s become a tradition of sorts for the two of you to meet up here and catch up over hot drinks or just sit together while you work on homework and he scribbles down lyrics (that he never lets you look at) for an album he never plans to release. Today it’s the former with Jungkook smiling as you launch into an in-depth recount of an interesting topic from yesterday’s morning class. And it’s as he’s excitedly gushing to you about the incoming shipment of his favorite band’s new album that you hear someone calling his name. Curious, you look up, following Jungkook’s gaze as he smiles at the person making their way to your corner.

“Jungkook! I thought it was you! Hi, Y/N!” You’re taken aback by the level of familiarity as a boy with cotton candy pink hair slides into the booth across from you and Jungkook. He seems to notice the perplexed look on your face as he pauses for a moment, eyes shifting between you and Jungkook warily. “Ah… Sorry, did I interrupt something?” He says meekly, pushing back his hair with a nervous laugh.

“No, it’s cool! What’s up, Jimin?” And as you look at the two of them blankly, half expecting an introduction, you realize belatedly that this is the close friend and coworker that he’s mentioned before and it becomes obvious that to him, you’ve met already. But what really floors you is that far off, almost miserable look in Jungkook’s eyes that he barely hides as Jimin rambles about something that doesn’t seem to register past Jungkook’s dread. It’s a look you see often, every time he tries to play off some memory he forgot you hadn’t made yet, every time you don’t know something you obviously used to. Your chest is uncomfortably tight as you really realize for the first time that as you’re falling more for him every day, from his perspective, he’s only losing more and more of you. It’s a sad thought, one you try to shake with a small smile as Jimin’s talking to you again.

“You should come by the shop again! Don’t let this kid hog you all the time!” He fake pouts and you find yourself laughing, despite knowing that since you had yet to meet Jimin in the amount of time you’ve known Jungkook, this was most likely the last he’d see of you. That’s the only thing that keeps you from telling him you’ll visit next week and Jungkook seemed to realize it because he cuts in, wrapping his arms around you and squeezing you into his side.

“I’m gonna hog her even more now.” He scowls at Jimin jokingly before lowering his head to press a kiss to your cheek, laughing as Jimin pretends to gag. You smile at their antics, wiggling out of Jungkook’s hold to finish your drink.

Jimin stays with you guys for a little while and you watch as the boys both geek out over the new album Jungkook had been telling you about earlier and he cracks a lot of jokes and banters with Jungkook almost as much as you do on a regular basis. You find that you’re easily fond of Jimin and you look forward to the friendship you obviously have with him in the future.

“Tell your boyfriend to respect his elders!” He brings you back into their ribbing, grabbing your hand and giving you a pleading look. The words “your boyfriend” ring in your mind and make your skin heat as you try to ignore how much you like how that sounds.

“Haha, good luck with that, Jimin. Why would he ever do what I say?” You laugh, shaking him off with pitying smile. He looks at Jungkook for a moment before looking back at you with a secret smile that confuses you.

“You’re kidding, right? I’m pretty sure he’d do just about anything for you.” He adds quietly before he grabs his coffee and hauls himself out of the booth, giving you both another smile that seems almost smug. “Anyways, I gotta go ‘cause my shift starts soon. See ya!”

You smile and say your goodbyes and with that you’re left with Jungkook, who seems a lot shyer then usual after Jimin’s last statement. You smile up at him, watching the blush fade from his red ears as he looks like he’s contemplating saying something. You break the ice with your own moment of vulnerability.

“So…I’m your girlfriend now?” You question softly and he grins as he leans in to place a short kiss on your lips.

“If you want to be.” And when you give a shy nod, he kisses you again, longer and with a little more emotion than before. Shortly after he pulls back and you lean your head against his shoulder, waiting for him to build to whatever it is he wants to say. It takes a moment and he presses his lips against your hair before taking a deep breath. “He’s probably gonna miss you, y’know.” It’s not what you would have expected to hear, but you nod anyway, but then he continues a second later in a much softer voice. “I’m gonna miss you…” This time you hug yourself closer to him as if you can stop the inevitable with physical proximity.

It hurts to realize that he’s probably gearing up to enjoy his last couple months with you. And eventually, you think to yourself, you’ll go through the same thing with him…. The thought makes your heart lurch violently and you try your best to push it aside.

(a month or so later, in the afternoon)

You pointedly kept your eyes shut as you curl deeper into Jungkook’s chest, trying your best to hold onto every last trace of your nap that you could. From the responding sleepy chuckle that rumbles through his chest, you can tell that he’s awake too, but you keep your eyes closed for just a little longer. He had come over earlier to keep you company while you worked on a project and you had initially planned on going out somewhere afterwards, but those plans somehow turned into couch cuddles, which then turned into an impromptu nap. And even now that you’re awake, you still feel reluctant to move. It’s just that moments like this with Jungkook, where you’re close enough to hear his heartbeat, are easily your favorite. A thought he apparently shares as he squeezes you even closer for a second before pulling back just enough to press a kiss to your forehead. You smile before your eyes even open, and the sight that you see when they do is almost enough to convince you that you’re still dreaming.

He looks so gorgeous in the afternoon sun with his hair tousled and slightly curly. You stretch up just a little bit to give him a short kiss, one that he smiles into, his eyes drifting shut again. You feel him bury his face in your hair seconds before you can just barely make out the quiet hum of his “mmm, I love you” that has you pulling back to look him in the eyes. The words incite a swirl of heady feelings that prickles right behind your eyes and makes your heart race with an urge to reciprocate the gesture. But the impulse is soon tamped down by thoughts of it being “too soon” or “too much” and you find a sort of envy and amazement in how easily Jungkook says it. Your outlet comes instead in a raw, emotional kiss that you hope conveys all the things you feel but can’t name or say, one that Jungkook accepts fully.

And he continues, separating from your lips only to switch to pressing playful, adoration filled kisses all over your face: your nose, each cheek, to the curve of your jaw, behind your ear, and down the trail of your neck, each kiss longer than the first and a heat grows in your cheeks and other places as he angles you under him. He looks down at you with a gaze so loving and intense it makes you feel a bit shy and you pull him back down for another round of affectionate kisses, your finger’s toying with the soft hairs at his nape. He lets a hand graze your hip, playing with the edge of your shirt until you nod into the kiss and his touch ghosts over the skin of your waist. You giggle against his lips as his fingers graze a spot that’s particularly ticklish and he freezes, breaking the kiss as he bites his lip to hide his smile. Then he brushes over the spot again and his responding chuckle at the way you squirm is deep and gravelly with the aftereffects of your nap together. Just the sound of it makes your stomach tighten. You drop your hands from his neck to the hem of his white shirt, urging it up until he sits back and pulls it off the rest of the way. Before he can resituate, you push yourself up to press a kiss to his chest, right above his heart. You see the flash of emotion that crosses his face before he’s leaning you back down again and his hands ease your shirt up over your stomach. And as you go to remove it completely, he lays a couple kisses along your bared skin and you busy yourself with your shirt to cover the flare of shyness you feel.

“…Beautiful.” You hear him say more to himself than to you and you can feel your heartbeat pick up in every part of your body.

“Shut up!” You mumble through your fingers as you cover your face to hide your embarrassment, but Jungkook has none of it as he sits back into the couch and pulls you into his lap. He nudges your hands out of the way to give you a couple soft kisses that grow needier each time your lips meet until he has a hand splayed against your bare back to press you closer and you’re circling your hips shamelessly against his. “Bed?” You murmur against his lips as you roll against the distinct bulge in his sweats, giggling at his groaned “God, yes.”

Your giggles turn into full blown gleeful laughs as he surprises you by hugging you closer and carrying you to your bedroom, easing you on the bed with a deep kiss as your giggles die down. You take the initiative to undo your bra, smiling up at him as he watches you with a look something akin to pure adoration. You start to reach for the band of your leggings, but he bats your hands away playfully, pressing kisses over your clothed thighs, getting teasingly close to your heat before he relents and finally tugs them down along with your underwear. And as he eases off the bed to take his pants off, you commit the inviting sight of him loosening his belt to memory. You also swallow a laugh at the fact that of course he already knows where you keep your condoms, choosing instead to appreciate the sight of him trailing back up the bed until he’s situated over you, your legs hooking around him naturally.

You pause to cup his face, pulling him down for another couple of kisses that are surprisingly sweet despite the heat that hangs in the air. He breaks the kiss moments later, pulling your hands from his face to tangle his fingers with yours as he presses them just above your head. The movement sends a shiver down your spine. He leans down to kiss you again, the kiss deep and toe-curling as he shifts against you.

You gasp against his lips as he eases into you, the stretch slow and sensual and all consuming. And when he’s fully sheathed within you, skin flush against each other, he presses his forehead against you and as his eyes look deep into yours, you’re overcome with how complete this feels. Everything is still for a moment as you stare at each other until he gives your hands a tight squeeze and he draws out of you, only to repeat the motion. Your insides flutter at the intense feeling as he sets a rhythm, his thrusts languid and deep and you can feel every bit of him.

You find yourself caught up in all the little things too; the way his thumbs stroke against your conjoined hands every now and then, the sweet kisses he presses over your cheeks in between thrusts, and the indulgent smile he gives you every time you gasp his name. It all causes a surge of something that feels painfully close to love and it only grows as he pushes you closer and closer to orgasm.

“Y/N…” He breathes your name against your lips and you can practically feel the unspoken “I love you” and that’s what pushes you over the edge, your body shaking against him. Amidst the intensity, a couple stray tears squeeze out the corner of your eyes and you’re not entirely sure if it’s from the strength of your orgasm or your emotions. You try not to think too hard about it as Jungkook collapses against you, both of you completely spent.

You stay like that for a long moment before he gets up, leaving the room with his sweats in hand. He comes back half-dressed and holding a shirt and as he motions for you to sit up so he can slip it on you, you definitely don’t miss the fact that it’s his shirt. He sneaks a soft kiss as you get the shirt on before he collapses back onto the bed, pulling you down with him. He stretches over you as he grabs the remote, flicking through shows and you can’t help but openly stare at him.

“The Office? Or Brooklyn Nine Nine?” He asks and despite (or maybe because of) how normal and innocuous the question is, you find yourself wanting to tell him how you’re pretty sure you’re painfully in love with him.

“Brooklyn Nine Nine!” You say instead as you settle into his chest. And that’s how the two of you spend the rest of your afternoon until he has to leave for his shift at the shop and you’re left sitting in your apartment coming to terms with the new degree of your feelings for him.

The weeks fly by and you find that the more time you spend with Jungkook, the more your love for him grows. You feel it in all the simple moments, like the times spent play wrestling on his apartment floor. It’s always after he beats you in yet another game you swore you’d crush him and you find yourself trying to physically avenge your honor. But it ends the same way every time, with you pouty and pinned under his form and Jungkook flashing a smug smile before kissing you in consolation, which sometimes leads to other things. And there’s rawer moments where he’s there to be everything you need him to be without fail, whether it’s during moments of insecurity or instances like a couple weeks ago when you cracked under the stress of classes and your job and the uncertainty of your future career path. He had been so patient and tender with you, allowing you to cry the majority of it out without judgement, but always talking you down from the edge of hysterics. And after you were done falling apart he helped you pick up the pieces, finding ways to make you laugh and giving you all the assurances you needed from him. It amazes you how easily he had become someone you can rely on.

And the most difficult part was all the times you found yourself imagining a future with him. It’s times like when you drag him along to look around the pet store and get distracted by all the kittens, only to later find him crouched in the dog section laughing as he fights off the excited attacks of a playful puppy. Or when he tags along with you to the grocery store and you find yourself mindlessly reaching for his favorite snacks and the casual way he rests his chin on you as he looks over your shoulder while you compare prices. And the time you were hanging out at the record store with him and Jimin and you caught him making funny faces at a giggling kid while their parent was looking around. And each time it’s followed by the sting of the uncertainty when you remember that, with the messed up alignment of your timelines, you likely don’t get a future together.

And despite those occasional miserable thoughts, you enjoy the weeks with him, because in the back of your mind you’re painfully aware that you’re nearing the middle of both your timelines; the only period where the two of you can be at mutual point with each other. For nearly six months it had been you coming to terms with everything, getting used to the idea of him, and inevitably falling in love. But now you’re finally on equal footing with him and you both enjoy the feeling, knowing that outside of this little bit of time, things are irrevocably different.

⇀

Jungkook seems to have the same thought process, you note to yourself as you throw on something comfy while getting ready. You had been going on a lot more dates lately, doing things like bowling and lunch dates and cheesy karaoke. He had even surprised you with a day trip to the nearest beach at one point that you had really enjoyed but despite it all, you find yourself constantly trying to shake the bittersweet feeling that sometimes takes hold. It’s so easy to enjoy the time you spend with Jungkook, but it’s hard to ignore how it feels eerily similar to crossing items off a bucket list before it’s too late. You push the idea from your head as your phone chimes.

JK [1:06AM]: i’m outside. are you ready?

[1:06AM]: yep!

[1:07AM]: are we going stargazing again?

JK [1:08AM]: ………

JK [1:08AM]: ….maybe

JK [1:08AM]: no more questions or i’m not showing you the surprise

[1:08AM]: surprise?

[1:09AM]: …oops

You giggle at your slipup as you make your way to his car, greeting him with a quick kiss as you get in. His excitement is nearly tangible and from the way his lips are permanently curved into a secret smile, you find your anticipation growing. Regardless of whatever surprise he has in store for you, you’re excited simply by the prospect of going back to that secret field with him again. Everything about it is just so magical. And this time, you note as you thread your fingers into his free hand, you get to go while you’re both completely in love. It’s almost disgusting how cheesy that thought is.

Jungkook gives you no hints about your surprise and, despite knowing that he wouldn’t really follow through on his previous threat, you don’t ask him any questions. Instead the two of you talk about other things, like your theories on the new anime he had convinced you to watch and the latest crazy gossip he had heard from Jimin, all in between your random car karaoke sessions. Soon enough you’re pulling up to the side of the trail again and as Jungkook grabs your hand and tugs you toward the forest you realize that this time there’s no mountain of blankets and pillows. You blame it on the warmth of the summer nights as you follow him into the trees. And as you walk with him further and further into the overgrowth, you realize that over the quiet hum of cicadas you can just barely hear what sounds like music playing somewhere, but when you look up at Jungkook with open confusion, he avoids your gaze with what looks suspiciously like the hints a smug smile. You resign yourself to the discomfort of not knowing, placated only by the soft kisses your boyfriend occasionally presses to your conjoined hands and the hum of anticipation that surrounds him.

Soon enough the music is just loud enough for you to make out the song playing and Jungkook nudges you ahead of him, letting you walk into the clearing first. What you see is almost too beautiful to comprehend. There are tons of candles scattered around the patches of clovers and around what looks like another nest of pillows and blankets. And when you get a little closer you’re pretty sure you notice trails of flower petals here and there. You turn around to look at Jungkook, who takes in your confusion-tinged look of awe with a soft smile.

“…What is all of this?” You breathe quietly, searching his face for an answer. He reaches for your hand again, tugging you towards the candlelit pile of blankets. And as you settle into all the cushions you realize where the soft music is coming from: settled in a little nook of candles and flower petals is a powder blue record player that you recognize as the one that plays in the music shop. If it wasn’t so cute, you’d tease him about how you’re not sure if his love for vinyl makes him an old man or a hipster. Next to you, you hear Jungkook take a deep breath and you remember he still hasn’t answered your question. Watching him try to find his words reminds you that this is probably the shyest you’ve seen him in a while and it’s ridiculously adorable.

“This is pretty cheesy and all, but…” He trails off for a second and you take the chance to tease him.

“Mmm you’re right, it is pretty cheesy!” You agree as you flash him a cheeky smile that widens as your usual snark eases some of the tension in his shoulders. “Who are you and what have you done with my evil robot boyfriend?” You erupt in a small fit of giggles when he gives you a fake glare before he gives up and laughs with you.

“So rude…” He shakes his head at you as the laughter dies down. His focus shifts up to the stars, a hint of a small smile still tugging at his lips as he continues. “It’s just… We have no clue what happens at the end of this, you know? I don’t know if whatever happened to us in time resolves itself or if we’ll be doomed to keep starting over and over again for the rest of eternity or if… if it just fucking ends and we don’t exist in the same time and I never—” His words spill out faster and faster until he interrupts himself with a sharp inhale, his breath shuddering back out moments later. And you can already tell where his train of thought is going and your chest constricts with the harsh realization of it all. At this point he’s pointedly keeping his gaze away from you and all you can do is watch his profile as raw emotions filter through his features. Almost as if on purpose, the music fades off between songs and it’s unnervingly quiet when he finally finishes his thought, his voice hushed. “…..I never see you again.” A moment later he clears his throat and you have to force yourself not to cry as he schools his features back into an easy smile. “The point is we don’t know what time’s gonna do to us, so I wanted to celebrate the anniversary we might’ve had.”

You nod slowly as the significance of this date with him sinks in and you find yourself scooting over, suddenly feeling a need to be as close to him as possible. He smiles, a real one this time, and shifts himself around so that as he lays back, his head rests in the curve of your lap. It’s silent for a long moment as you both come to terms with everything. That is, until your phone goes off in your pocket.

chim [1:42AM]: i hope you appreciate all the effort your stupid boyfriend made me go through to set all that romance up!!! honestly, I’LL be personally offended if he doesn’t get laid after all that!

chim [1:42AM]: tell him he owes me BIG TIME

You show Jungkook the text and he laughs with you and with that the mood becomes a lot less depressing. And afterwards, everything is filled with smiles and soft kisses, and at one point a tickle fight that you begrudgingly lose but he makes up for with kisses and painfully sweet words. He even sings to you and the moment is almost completely perfect with all the candles and starlight and pure romanticism that hovers over the two of you. But despite that, there’s a painful current of bitter-sweetness just underneath it all that peaks as you let your attention drift back up to the sky and you see those three stars; the one’s that made everything he had tried to explain to you click for the first time. And as you look down at his face, admiring the way the stars reflect in the dark parts of his eyes, you feel the weight of your timelines more than ever.

“When you meet me again, six months from now, tell me about my favorite constellation.” You start suddenly, the words spilling out before you could even think about it. “Just so I know you’re not a stalker.” You add, trying your best to keep things light. “It's—”

"Orion’s belt, right?” He beats you to it, his gaze shifting away from the stars to look up at you from his spot in your lap with the hints of a sweet smile.

“Yeah…. I guess I told you already?” You question, his responding nod making you pause for a second to consider what might make you tell him in the future. Regardless, you shrug, leaving it to future you to decide, instead watching the peaceful looking boy in your lap whose eyes have since closed, trying to piece through all the facts you know about him by now. “So what should I tell you?” You question, your voice breaking just the slightest bit at the idea of having to meet Jungkook for the last time when he’s no longer the boy you’re looking at right now; when he’s the Jungkook that doesn’t know you anymore.

“What do you mean?” His brows knit together as he opens his eyes again, studying your expression with clear confusion.

“I mean what should I tell you when I meet you for the first time? So that you’ll believe me?“ You repeat, carding your hand through the slight curl of his bangs while he sits quietly in thought for a long moment. And what he says next stumps you.

"Nothing.” …..What?

“What do you mean ‘nothing’? I’m serious, what is it that makes you believe me? There has to be someth—” You can feel yourself rambling but he cuts you off by pushing himself up to press his lips to yours before he pulls back and whispers something that makes your heart thud against your chest.

“Y/N, I always have and I always will believe you.” The sentence hangs in the air for a brief moment before either of you can say anything else, the atmosphere thick and charged with emotion.

“W-well duh… I probably won’t be nearly as cryptic six months from now when you first meet me!” You try to joke, unable to stomach the tension. From the half smile Jungkook gives as he sits up next to you, you can tell that he’s aware you’re trying to change the subject, but he lets it slide. Which you’re grateful for.

“I don’t know what I said to you when you first met me, but I can promise you, I probably wasn’t any creepier than you were. But you’re lucky, I’m much more trusting than you. You’re so fucking stubborn.” His dramatic eye roll makes you laugh as you inwardly promise yourself to be clear, concise, and definitely NOT creepy when you introduce yourself to him.

“Whatever! We’ll see about that!” And you’re smiling at first, but as you hear your own words you remember with an uncomfortable sting that it’s very possible that you’ll never get a chance to compare. Neither of you knows what’ll happen after you meet each other at the end of each timeline.

And as you look up at the stars again, your anxiety about the future and all your thoughts of uncertainty swirling in your mind, you find yourself halfway surprised, not for the first time, that the world isn’t visibly spinning backwards the way everything feels.

As if Jungkook can sense the direction of your thoughts, he leans over and kisses the side of your lips before standing up and stretching, sticking his hand out to pull you up with him. And, after the two of you spend a couple minutes blowing out all the candles, when he starts to head back towards the car, you spare a glance at everything left in the little field.

“Is it okay to leave all that here?” You look up at your boyfriend and he looks over your shoulder for a moment, his eyebrow quirking before he looks back at you and just shrugs.

“Honestly, I don’t know. Jimin told me not to worry about, so… I guess?” His voice betrays a slight hint of confusion, but you accept it, following him out of the forest and back into the car. But as he starts to drive off, you find yourself shooting Jimin a quick, apologetic text.

[3:26AM]: sorry about everything you’ve had to do for all of this! i really appreciate it though!!

You don’t really think about it again for the rest of the night, instead focusing on cuddling up to Jungkook as the two of you fall asleep in your bed, aside from a brief moment of mistaken confusion when you wake up later that afternoon. It’s not much, it’s just that you briefly remember dreaming that he replied to your message this morning with:

chim [4:33AM]: no, i’m the one who’s sorry Y/N

But you realize it had been a dream later as you’re fully awake and scrolling through your phone while Jungkook’s in your shower and there’s still no response from Jimin. And it’s not until much later in the afternoon when you take a break from beating Jungkook at Mario Kart that his response comes.

chim [3:20PM]: good!! i hope you two had “fun” ;)

And even after that night, Jungkook continues to take you out on cute dates and you try not to think about the fact that soon enough things will be vastly different. Instead you focus on the glass wall in front of you, amazed by the rapid swirls of fish of all sizes and colors. This morning you had offhandedly mentioned to Jungkook how you hadn’t been to the aquarium since you were little, not expecting him to jump off the couch and pull you with him, and definitely not expecting him to excitedly guide you into the car and drive all the way downtown to the aquarium. Not that you’re complaining, you think as his hand squeezes yours softly as the two of you follow the signs pointing to the next exhibit.

There’s this sweet air of… something as the two of you make your way through the aquarium. It’s obvious in the soft smiles he gives you as you marvel at the fluorescent jellyfish and the way you make him laugh with your goofy impression of a funny fish you see, and how, despite knowing they won’t last longer than the day, you take pictures of each other at every exhibit. And there are times where the affection bubbles over and you find yourselves sneaking sweet kisses here and there. It’s all perfect and you can’t help but appreciate Jungkook’s spontaneity as your love for him swirls through you uninhibited.

It reaches its peak as you make it to the shark exhibit, your eyes widening with your fascination. It feels like you’re standing in the bottom of the ocean watching as thousands of sharks swim by you, a soft gasp leaving you as one glides by right over your heads. It’s all beautiful and awe inspiring, but what really floors you is what you see when you look over at Jungkook. His eyes are full of reverence and amazement and pure wonder but that’s not what does you in. It’s that he’s not looking at the sharks.

He’s looking at you.

Your heart thuds audibly in your chest as you meet his gaze, and you can almost physically feel everything you see in his eyes reflecting on your face. His lips pull into a smile that you can feel as he presses forward to give you a short kiss that somehow still manages to make your chest tighten before tugging you with him to get a closer look at one of the sharks. And as you stand there next to him, feeling like your underwater from not just the scenery but also the feelings bubbling up in your throat, you once again feel the urge to tell him you love him straining at your throat.

“Jungkook—” You blurt on accident, the words right on the tip of your tongue before your mind catches up.

“Yeah?” It takes him a moment to look away from the glass, his gaze open and curious as he waits for you to continue. But the longer you look at him, the more the words get stuck in your throat and you find yourself looking away, focusing on a stray mark on the glass.

“I…” You start again, trying to get over the block of emotion in your chest. You don’t know why exactly it’s so hard for you, and part of you realizes that if it’s not now, any time after might be too late and that thought makes your palms sweat as you feel Jungkook studying your profile. And it’s when you almost feel ready to speak up that he cuts in.

“Hey…it’s okay, Y/N.” Your eyes snap to him as he speaks, but he’s not looking at you; he’s watching a shark swim by near the glass with a knowing smile that speaks volumes to you. “I already know.” He squeezes your hand in his and your heartbeat echoes in your ears as you try your best to muster up some words in response, but he’s already pulling you towards the next exhibit, his smile as bright as ever. And you don’t doubt that he knows that you love him, but a small part of you is scared that you might never actually get to tell him. Regardless you push the thought out of your head as you follow Jungkook through the rest of the aquarium, determined to enjoy the rest of your date. Because you don’t know exactly why, but you get the feeling that things are going to start to change after today.

⇀

And change it does. It’s not rapid or even really drastic, but it’s still noticeable. Jungkook still remains the same boy you fell in love with, but things between you slowly start to become more and more different. It starts off simple; a couple weeks after the date at the aquarium all the adventurous, “while we can still enjoy it” dates stop happening. The last is a trip to the bowling alley that you suggest after remembering all the things you had learned about him when you first met. It’s amazingly fun and, not surprisingly, competitive, but you love seeing Jungkook in his element. And you can’t even get mad any time he rolls strike, not when he kisses you before each one, cheekily claiming that each kiss gives him good luck. It’s something you know you’ll look back on fondly.

And just a couple months later you realize with a slight twinge of emotion that it’s been a while since he’s told you he loves you. And despite the fact you’re mostly sure he still does, you find yourself missing the words in a way you’re not entirely sure is justified. But despite that you find that the words still get jumbled in your brain at the most inopportune moments. Instead you try even harder to keep showing him you love him in as many ways as you can every day. You hope he feels it in all the little kisses here and there, all the extra-long hugs when he comes over after his days at work, and things like the cheesy old school vinyl mixtape you make Jimin help you put together for him. Jimin teases you for being sappy and disgustingly in love and all that, but it honestly doesn’t matter when Jungkook gives you the biggest smile imaginable in between excited kisses as he gushes over the gift. And it’s only when he plays it later that evening while the two of you are lazing in a blanket fort on his living room floor that you realize it’s the same exact record that he played for you during your would-be anniversary. You already know he’s sentimental but that leaves your mind spinning and your heart crashing into your ribcage in a way that has you curling closer into his side.

It only really starts to set in that things are starting to end for you a little less than a month later. It’s happens when you give him a quick kiss while on your way out after visiting him and Jimin at the shop and you realize, as his ears turn half red and he gives you that shy smile you almost forgot about, that it’s probably the first time you kiss him in his timeline. And all the days after that are filled with urges you know you can’t fulfill with a Jungkook who’s the same endearing mix of sweet and teasing that he’s always been, just considerably shyer. And you’re just as in love with this side of him as you are the rest.

And it’s moments like when you show him your favorite bakery as the weather gets colder and he so innocently asks which pastry you like that you have to try to hide the sharp ache of knowing that you’ll have to keep watching him fall more and more out of love with you. It’s only made even sharper by the way he always seems to notice and care and how, despite the fact you know he probably doesn’t love you anymore, he still tries so hard to make you smile again. But it’s made obvious as you try to hide your grin at the cute face he makes when he finally guesses your love for chocolate croissants that no matter what, making you smile is always something he’ll be good at. And since it’s by your place, the two of you walk back to your apartment to partake in your extensive movie collection and you mentally revel in the image of him sprawled on your couch for as long as you can.

Because soon enough you’re well into winter again and he stops coming over as often, until even sooner, he stops coming over at all. And it’s only been a couple of weeks since he’s last been in your living room, but it’s hard for you to forget that it’s been even longer since he was such an obvious part of your life. There’s no trace of him in your apartment anymore; the random sweatshirt of his that you loved to sit around in on the weekends was no longer draped over your couch and you realize, belatedly, that he was wearing it when he left last. And it stings that your pillows don’t smell like him anymore.

It all leaves you lying in bed trying your best not to miss him as much as you do. But your best just isn’t good enough and you find yourself staring at Jungkook’s number in your phone, considering calling him despite the fact that it’s well past one in the morning. And your thumb is still hovering over “call” when your phone goes off in your hands and your heart falters, both because it scares the living daylights out of you and because the name on the screen is Jungkook’s.

“H-hey…” It hasn’t been that long since you’d seen him last, but the soft stutter in his voice has you biting back a fond smile despite knowing he can’t see it. And before you can even respond he’s continuing, and by now you’re used to him enough to know he’s nervous. “I uh… I know it’s pretty late and all but I couldn’t sleep and I was thinking about you and I jus—”

“Breathe, Jungkook!” You interrupt jokingly and you can just envision from the shy chuckle on the other side of the line the way he’s probably fiddling with the hair on the back of his necks out of nervousness. It makes you wonder what on earth has him acting so hesitant.

“Ah, sorry! It’s just…” He starts before clearing his throat and starting again. “Can I show you something?” And as he says that, you have the sneaking suspicion that you already know where this is going and the realization hits you that even though you’re reaching the end of your story with him, his is just beginning. You’re already throwing on some warm clothes and sending your address by the time the call ends and when you slide into his car shortly after, you find a small bit of comfort in the heaping pile of blankets in the back seat and the familiar night scenery as Jungkook drives you back to that place that holds some of your fondest, most heart wrenching moments with him. And you try to keep the growing swell of emotions out of your voice as you chat with Jungkook.

His nervous excitement calms your thoughts just the slightest bit as he’s pulling up to the side of the forest entrance again and you try to cover the sob stuck in your throat with a sharp laugh as he jokingly promises he didn’t bring you here to murder you and it reminds you of the very first time. And you’re pretty sure he’s not convinced by your laugh from the way he studies your face for a moment, but he lets it slide, instead getting out to grab the blankets. And when he smiles at you as you grab the remaining pillows before slipping his free hand into yours, you’re pretty sure your heartbeat is painfully audible. You let him lead you into the forest again, unsure if you should let on that you’ve been here with him already, trying your best to keep up with his conversation and not get lost in the train of your morose thoughts. But, as you break through the edge of the trees and into the beautiful, moonlit field you’ve come to love, you’re unable to fake the gasp of wonder you wanted. Instead your breath leaves you in a labored sigh as you look up at the clusters of stars and it really sinks in that this is the last time you get to experience this with him next to you. And you can tell, from the way he softly squeezes your hand before letting go to set up the blankets that he can read the emotion all over your face.

“Do we come here a lot? In the future?” He asks softly as he comes up to your side, motioning for the pillows you didn’t even realize you had clutched tightly to your chest. You finally look at him again and instead he reaches a hand to your cheek, wiping the couple tears that you honestly hadn’t realized you had cried. He says nothing about it and you’re glad, pulling yourself together enough to hand him the pillows as you consider how to answer his question.

“Not all the time…” Is what you settle for as you quickly wrap yourself in sheets as soon as he’s finished setting up the cushy pile, drawing your knees close to your chest as he sits down next to you. You allow yourself to focus on those three bright stars that you find you love even more now that they’ve brought you all the way here as you let the thoughts continue to fall out in whatever order they come to mind. “But some of the most important moments I’ve had with you were here. And it’s all because of those stars up there. They’re what made me believe all of this, despite how crazy a-and ridiculous this all is and despite how much it fucking sucks that I don’t know what’s gonna happen after all of this is over, I’m glad for it.” You can hear the way your voice breaks and you honestly don’t know where exactly you’re going with it all, but you continue forward, feeling your emotions bubbling out of your seams. “And I don’t know if I ever told you why those three stars are my favorite. I just— Do you know the story of Orion and the Pleiades?” You ask, your voice catching again with the hint of hysterics you can’t quite keep out as you press on without waiting for an answer. “Orion was infatuated with the Pleiades and in his pursuit of them, Zeus turned them all into stars to keep him away. And even worse, when Orion died, Zeus stuck him in the sky too, where Orion can see, but can’t ever reach them…. Just always out of reach of the one thing you want the most….” Your voice fades the more you force the words out, only a whisper as you add, “And those are his three brightest stars.” It’s quiet for a moment as he studies you before he looks up at the stars with you.

“Orion’s Belt…” And at his whisper, you realize that in your emotional blabbering, you gave him the one piece of information that ensured you’d end up here next to him and you’re struck by the idea that maybe this was all meant to happen. It brings you close to tears and puts you at ease all at the same time. And it’s honestly too much and you’re unable to keep yourself from falling apart in front of him. But of course, despite the fact that he’s known you for a couple weeks at best, he’s still the sense of comfort he’s always been for you as he pulls you into a his chest in a hug you needed but didn’t expect. And he lets you cry under the stars for as long as you need to until you’re finally pulling back, wiping embarrassedly at your face.

“I’m sorry, I probably look like a mess.” You let out with a sharp laugh as you pull your arms back around yourself. His responding smile is ridiculously sweet, but it’s overshadowed shortly by his words.

“You do, but I’m worried about what it means for me that you’re still this beautiful…” Your heart does a weird flopping motion and you find yourself momentarily speechless because of him. It’s hard knowing that soon enough he won’t have any clue who you are, but despite the fact that you’re so new in his life, he’s still full of that comforting sense of love that’s always been a part of your interactions with him. And it’s that that has you choking back the “I love you” that bubbles forth.

“Always so cheesy…” You say instead with a watery-eyed smile. And when he laughs, you feel your head and your heart spinning dizzily, but the stars remains constant and immovable and you try to make your peace with the fact that they will never reflect the way you feel.

You’re allowed a couple more days with him, not that you entirely realize just how fast your time with him is running out. You’re too busy finding a bitter sense of joy and whatever lasting contentment you can get out of each interaction with him. By this last point it’s all void of any romance, but even though you know he’s no longer in love with you, that he’s no longer the Jungkook who impossibly knows all your fears and what you dream of and how you think, he’s still your Jungkook. And it’s not a lot, but every day that he still knows your name is a good day to you. But you’re so wrapped up in these thoughts and feelings that you fail to notice that the clock has run out until you find out that you’re spending the last of those days already.

“Y-Y/N, right?” Is what Jungkook says as he slides into the booth in front of you and your heart drops a thousand feet. “We met yesterday…. Well, I met you yesterday. I just— oh shit, I’m so sorry I—” And despite the prick of tears that well up, you try to force a smile and quell his momentary panic.

“Hi Jungkook.” Your voice doesn’t come out as solid as you’d hoped, but Jungkook doesn’t comment on it as you drum your hands nervously against the table, his resulting smile a little bashful. The two of you settle in and it doesn’t take long before you’re repeating that same introductory conversation you had with him all that time ago and it’s only as you’re sitting here going through it yourself that you realize how hard it must have been for him then. You have to try so hard to hide the pang in your heart every time he tells you something that’s as second nature to you as your own name, like the fact that he works at the old record store, or that he’s a natural at bowling, and the story of his cheek scar that you’ve come to love so much. It hurts, but you know you’d prefer it to the conversation you need to have.

“So… Do you have any questions? Y’know, about this whole…thing?” You gesture vaguely between the two of you and you can tell the moment he remembers your timelines (and you silently thank the stars that at least you apparently don’t forget to mention that the next time you see him). He tilts his head as if he’s searching for the words for his question but you find yourself nervously rambling on. “I mean… I know it’s all so weird and it makes no sense and I don’t have any sort of… of explanation or anything. I mean we’re not time travelers or anything, at least that I know of, we’re just normal people b-but I—” He stops you by reaching a hand over yours that was previously drumming against the table. You can feel the soft way his thumb grazes your wrist and honestly the contact floors you. You clear your throat as you try to start over, your heart flipping when he doesn’t let go. “I’m sorry, it’s just… You never really told me what to say to make you believe me.” You hate the weak way your voice trails off and how you can’t really look in his eyes.

“Y/N, it’s fine…” He says with a comforting squeeze that has you looking back up at him. “I already believe you.” And you suppose you should be used to the way he always seems to make your heart jump into your throat, but still the feeling catches you off guard. “Besides, I was gonna ask if you’re always this cute, because wow.” His laugh is so cute that you can’t even be annoyed by the fact that he still enjoys making you blush. And it’s as you’re in the middle of trying to calm your heated cheeks that the two of you are interrupted by another voice you’ve started to miss.

“Ah hey, Jungkook!” You hear Jimin’s excited voice as he’s already sliding into the booth next to you. “And it’s— uhhh it’s….?” And it’s hard not to laugh at how he jumps the gun, despite the fact that it stings that like Jungkook, he doesn’t know you anymore.

“I’m Y/N.” You smile at him and he easily smiles back.

And he stays for a while, joking around with the two of you and you’re glad to have that brief sense of normalcy, reminded of all the time spent goofing around with them in the shop. Although you can’t help but notice that Jimin seems a little more low-spirited than usual, but from the way he occasionally glances between you and Jungkook, you chalk it up to the fact that you’re new to the equation and he’s not used to you like he used to be. But he doesn’t stay for too long. In fact he starts to zip up his coat and gets ready to leave just after Jungkook gets up to order another cup of coffee, but he lingers for a moment before turning to face you.

“Hey um…Y/N?” He starts and you struggle to read the expression on his face, nodding instead in hopes that he’d continue. “I’m sorry for interrupting you guys. I probably should have just left you two alone.” His voice is uncharacteristically somber and you’re kind of surprised but it explains his behavior.

“No of course not! Jimin, it’s okay. It’s fun talking to you both.” You try to reassure him and he smiles in return, but somehow even that looks sadder.

“Ah that’s good! I’m glad.” And from the way his voice gets infinitely smaller as he looks over his shoulder at Jungkook, who’s still standing in line, you get the feeling that you weren’t supposed to hear what came next. “I still feel like I messed everything up though…” He trails off as he starts to stand, his hands fiddling with his beanie for a moment before waving at you with a small smile. “Tell Jungkook I’ll see him at the shop later when he comes in for his shift!” And with that he’s gone and you’re left with a weird feeling you don’t really know how to identify.

Jungkook comes back soon after that, nodding as you tell him where Jimin went. You find yourself leaving out everything else that was said. Instead you try your best to enjoy the rest of the afternoon with him, talking about everything and nothing all at once. And you try your best to ignore the sting of all the unshed tears that build up the longer you spend with him. It’s hard to ignore all his sweet, shy smiles when you know this is the last time they’ll be meant for you. It’s even harder to pretend your heart doesn’t falter each time he says your name when you know that the next time you see him, he won’t know it anymore. It just gets harder and harder until he’s sheepishly apologizing as he slips his arms back into his jacket and gets ready to leave for his shift. It’s only after walking out with him, after he’s a safe enough distance away that you let yourself shed a few tears for the fact that your time is finally running out. And you allow yourself a moment to mourn it all.

That is until you hear the crash of shoes on pavement and you look up to see Jungkook, his chest heaving and his breaths visibly fogging around him in the winter air.

“I didn’t want to leave without… I don’t know, I just wanted to say goodbye.” Your heart clenches tightly in your chest at his words and you’re unable to wipe away your stray tears before he sees. “Y/N…” is all he says before you’re pulled into his chest. You try really hard, you really did, to hold in the sob that threatened to spill out, but it forces its way out as his fingers brush against the back of your hair. And just like he’s always been, Jungkook is patient with you as you pull your raw edges back together.

“Oh god, I’m sorry… I don’t want to make you late for work.” You manage to say as you force yourself to detangle your grip on the back of his jacket. And as you take a deep breath, you allow yourself to accept that this is probably the best chance at a goodbye you could hope for. “So I guess this is goodbye, Jeon Jungkook. I— I uh…” And as he’s looking at you, everything about him seeming as warm as ever in the cold of the winter night, your mind furiously chants I love you, I love you, I love you. “I’m going to miss you.”

“I know.” He gives you that soft smile that you fell in love with as he hesitates for a moment before raising a hand to pet your hair. “Goodbye, Y/N.”

(the present)

“So our timelines are…reversed?”

You nod, your chest physically aching from the weight in your chest as you sit here in front of him again for what you now know is the last time. You had tried to explain the weird warp of time as well as you could, given the fact that you still didn’t know why and that you were biting back the sting of tears the entire time. It was hard, you note to yourself, to find the right words to explain to him that he has a future with you; your past with him. But from the confused, but still attentive look that he gives that shows you he’s trying to understand, you realize that he was right, he really has always been a little more trusting than you.

“Yeah, that’s the easiest way to say it.” You agree with him, deflating a little. He nods slowly, looking deep in thought for a moment and despite the fact that you know that he continues to meet you in his future, you half expect him to decide you’re crazy and walk away.

“And what about us?” His words surprise you and it takes you a moment to register them, quirking an eyebrow in a way that has him continuing. “Are we…. We’re in love in the future, aren’t we?” The question makes it impossible to hold the couple of tears that escape.

“Yeah, we are…” You blink past a couple more tears, your heart thudding violently in your ears as you heave in a big breath and force yourself to continue. “Ridiculously in love. And I’m such an idiot because I— I never even got to tell you, Jungkook.” At this point your breath is hitching and the tears come more freely than you’d like, but if there’s one person you’ve ever felt comfortable enough to break down in front of, it’s him. “I don’t know why I never told you how much I love you. But I do. I love you so much…” For once your throat doesn’t close up and although your heart is shattering with every word, it feels so freeing to finally say the words for the first and last time. It causes a weird swell of conflicting emotions, but so does the oddly sweet look Jungkook gives you.

“Oh man, I’m done for!” He jokes, as he reaches across the table to hand you a couple napkins. “Because I can already tell how easy it’ll be to fall in love with you.” You can’t do anything but stare at him with open wonder before it hits you all over again that you’re losing him after this is all over again.

You only get to spend half an hour with him before he gets a text reminding him that he’s late for work and he gets up, apologetic and only leaving after assuring that he’d see you again “tomorrow”, at which you manage a teary eyed smile. You know he’ll see you again tomorrow, but you have no faith in whatever your tomorrow holds. And as you watch his figure trail out of sight past the cafe windows, you’re overcome by the harrowing sense of finality you’ve been avoiding for so long.

It makes you feel numb, honestly, and you find yourself sitting in that same spot until the cafe starts to close a little after 9. But you feel so restless that you can’t stomach the idea of going home just yet because you know that once midnight passes, it’ll all be over and you’re just not ready. And in hindsight, you’re glad you drove here as you slide into the driver’s seat of your car and pull off. Lost in your thoughts and all the memories about everything you got to experience in the past year, you just drive aimlessly. Or at least that’s what your intention is, but somehow an hour later you find yourself driving by the aquarium where he took you once. It’s closed, but you wish it wasn’t so you could retrace your steps; walk back through all the moments of falling in love with him. To see the proof that despite time, it happened and it was real.

You try to ignore the frantic energy growing in your stomach as you change directions. You still don’t have any real sense of guidance other than this sudden last ditch effort that’s come over you to find the tangible parts of your love story, to prove this wasn’t all just a messed up dream. And that’s what you do with a heavy heart as you visit any place you can think of that might hold a piece of your past: the bowling alley where Jungkook showed you how possible it was to be adorable while being ridiculously competitive, your favorite bakery that he’d stop by every so often to bribe you away from your studies with sweets, the record shop that somehow, despite being closed for the night, still glows with the warm energy of all the days spent helping Jimin annoy him. It all resonates within you and makes your heart swell with a mix of bittersweet emotions.

That’s how you find yourself pulling up to the entrance of the forest, wanting so badly to revisit the spot that holds so much of your love for him. It was a mistake, you realize, not telling him you love him until now, when you’re pretty sure you were a goner the moment you first stepped foot into this forest with him. And you don’t know why, but you find yourself running through the trees, your heart hammering in anticipation the closer you get to the clearing.

You finally make it through the break in the woods and despite the fact that you’ve seen it before, the view still makes your spine tingle. It still feels the same and you realize this was what you were looking for. It’s like each star holds a memory, a kiss, a smile with Jungkook. And as you sit in a patch of clovers, ignoring the chill of the winter night against your cheeks, you let a couple of stray tears fall, allowing yourself a moment of appreciation of getting to have any of that with him.

And at midnight, as you sit there and contemplate how the two of you were like stars in a constellation, you watch the sky with bated breath. Because somehow, for the first time since you got caught up in all of this a year ago, it almost seems like the stars are finally spiraling backwards and time feels a little more still than ever before. And when you hear your name, you turn around so fast that the world stops spinning.

“…Jimin?” You let out the sharp breath you hadn’t realized you were holding as you try not to let your disappointment show on your face. You’re sure that you’re not completely successful but you can’t bring yourself to care when you remember that he said your name. “Y-you still know me?!” Your voice swells with excitement which deflates a little as you register the fact that he looks like he’s been crying. Why?

“I—I uh… Yeah. May I? …There’s something I should probably tell you…while I still can.” He gestures towards the ground next to you and you nod, watching him sit down by your side while you try to process his cryptic words. He looks up at the stars for a long moment and you resist the urge to blurt the million questions that are racing through your head. But before you can focus on one to ask, he’s speaking again. “This is all my fault, Y/N. I messed everything up and I’m so sorry. I just—”

“Jimin…? What do you mean?” Your heart is racing and you’re not sure what to make of what he’s saying. All you can make out is the overwhelming insinuation of grief and guilt and it’s almost like…

“You’re going to hate me when I say this…” He says, a little more to himself than you and you find it hard to look at him like this. But when you reach out to put a comforting hand on his shoulder he flinches away, heaving a deep breath before forcing himself to continue. “You know how you and Jungkook are meeting in reverse?” You feel the way your eyes widen as he risks a glance in your direction.

“Yeah… B-but how… Did Jungkook te—” You start, even more questions swimming in your mind than before, but Jimin continues.

“No, he never told me. I don’t know how exactly to explain it, but I know because I’m not affected by the direction of either of your timelines.” He looks at your for a long moment then, his eyes filled with emotion and begging you to empathize with him before he looks away again, his gaze focused on the wayward stars. “…Because I caused them.” Your stomach clenches as his words float around the two of you for a long moment and you try to make sense of all of this.

“What do you mean? How?” Your voice shakes as you fight to keep the growing hysteria from showing. Jimin pulls his knees to his chest, making him seem impossibly small.

“I didn’t mean for any of this to happen! I just…” He sighs, seemingly getting his words in order before starting again. “I messed around with time travel in ways I probably shouldn’t have and I didn’t realize the consequences until the second time I watched the two of you go through this. I don’t even know how exactly, but I fucked up time itself and made this happen.” The words time travel have your mind spinning but there’s something else that catches your attention.

“What do you mean ‘the second time’?” This time you can hear the obvious hysteria in your voice but you can’t do anything to calm it.

“It’s like this feedback loop in time. Every time each of you get to the end of your timelines, it just starts all over again. There’s always little differences here and there but it’s always mostly the same. I’m so sorry, Y/N.” You let his words sink in as you look back at the stars, trying to control the way your chest tightens at the idea of having to go through this over and over again and not even knowing it.

“How many times?” You ask Jimin, your voice quiet as you deflate beside him. It takes him a long moment to respond and you can feel him staring at you, trying to gauge your possible reaction before he finally answers.

“…It’s been at least 5 times now.”

Your breath hitches and you try your hardest not to cry. It’s already hard to imagine meeting someone in reverse, but it makes you dizzy to think that you’ve been doing this with Jungkook for years. The thought makes your head, and your heart, hurt.

“If it’s all going to start over anyway, why are you telling me this?” You sigh as you press your fingers into your temples, trying to alleviate some of the pressure. While you appreciate his honesty, it’s not going to do anything to help you and it’s only making this all feel worse.

“Y/N….” Jimin starts, his voice hesitant and you can’t imagine what else he could have to tell you. “This time has been…different.” You try not to allow the instant swirl of hope that bubbles up at his words but it’s hard. He explains that this time through has been the first time he’s had the chance to have this conversation with you and Jungkook at the end of your timelines, and that he hopes that means things will change. You’d like to think so too because after going through all of this, especially knowing you’ve gone through it multiple times, you don’t doubt that you and Jungkook deserve a chance at a future together.

“So what happens after this?” You ask, wincing as Jimin frowns at the poorly veiled hope in your voice. He gives you a sad look as he pushes himself off the ground and you follow along with him.

“I don’t know, Y/N. It might just fix itself and everything will be normal in the morning or…. Or it could start all over again. I don’t know.” He says and you nod, trying to ground yourself in the idea that it’s still uncertain.

But, as you get home and get settled in your bed, it doesn’t stop you from falling asleep with the sense of security that at least there’s hope.

The next day is relatively sunny for a winter day and you find yourself chasing away the sense of melancholy you’ve felt all morning with a warm mug at the cafe near your apartment. It’s close to noon when you feel your spine tingle and you can tell that someone’s staring at you, but you’re not expecting to look up and see the boy with the sweetest smile standing over your table, his eyes bright in the afternoon sunlight.

“…Y/N?”

#bts scenarios #jungkook scenarios #bts jungkook #jungkook angst #bts angst #kookie #bts fluff #angst #fluff #bts #like stars in a constellation #fic garden

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