#walking out of the exam room it's just lines of people sitting on the ground sobbing

[irhabiya]

death and pestilence on all my professors

[catnipaddictt]

Tin can

roommate!anakin skywalker x gn!reader

synopsis: Your normally grumpy roommate feels bad about drinking your last canned beverage and makes it up to you

wc: 1.8k

tw: none, just fluff

Homework. Your least favourite thing about college. The sheets of paper littered your bed as you poured over your work. The sun was far gone and you had officially run out of caffeinated drinks. You took this as a sign to go collect more refreshments before continuing your studies. 

Pushing your selection of pens and pencils to the side you hop off your bed and make it over to the door of your room. Posters half fall off of the aged wooden panels, matching the walls of the rest of your room. Opening the door you are greeted by the sight of your normally grumpy roommate, Anakin. He was majoring in something like engineering, you couldn't really remember. 

He doesn't even acknowledge your presence, either focusing on what he is typing or straight up ignoring you. You wouldn't be surprised if it was the second option. You had been living together for 6 months and he still hadn't warmed up. You had tried to befriend him but he wasn't interested, opting to shut himself in his room and play his music way too loud. The walls were thin and you heard everything. ‘Maybe he was just bad at talking to new people’ is what you told yourself, but it had been half a year by this point.

You make your way over to the tiny kitchen, bee-lining over to the fridge that couldn't keep cold for too long. Upon opening it, you are greeted with well, nothing. Great. You knew that you had stocked up before your upcoming exam only days ago. You should have had enough to last you at least a week. There was only one answer; Anakin. He must have taken some of them for himself. 

Turning on your heel, you face him with a look of disapproval on your face. He doesn't notice you or doesn't care enough to stop what he is doing. You cough loudly which gets his attention finally. “Yes?” He monotones.

“Did you have the last of my drinks?” You try to keep your composure but the stress of your upcoming exams makes your voice crack. You know it's silly to get emotional over energy drinks but it is all too much. You turn on your heel so he doesn't see and return to your room, slamming the door. Way to make an exit.

You stand in the middle of your room trying to gather yourself but you end up just crawling into bed, under your stationary and half done papers. Maybe sleep will fix it. It was late after all and you haven't gotten more than a few hours of shut-eye in the past few days. Closing your eyes you fall asleep almost instantly. Dreamless slumber takes you into its grasp.

Waking up in the morning never felt so hard until now. Blinking the sleep out of your eyes you turn to the side, making the remaining pens tumble to the ground. You almost shoot out of bed after your eyes find your alarm clock. 11am. Oh no. You are late, really late. And you have a test in 40 minutes. One you were supposed to study for as you didn't understand the content as well. Scrambling out of bed you notice you are still fully dressed, you must have forgotten to take off your clothes when you fell into bed. Grabbing the door and swinging it open at full force you notice a piece of paper on the tiny coffee table. 

The handwriting is scrawny but you can still understand what it reads; ‘said you were sick, don't go to class. Check emails’. You do as it says and sure enough you have received an email about rescheduling your test from today. You silently thank whatever force is behind this. You notice there is more writing at the bottom of the page in smaller print; ‘check fridge - A.S.’ 

You walk over to the fridge, paper still in hand. Opening the door you are met with a sight made in collage student heaven. 12 e energy drinks sit there waiting for you. He had even gone as far to select different flavours, all of which were your favorites. He must be more observant than you realised. 

You spent the rest of the day in the deserted dorm finishing your homework and getting started on a project that wasn't due for a while. You knew classes were out when you heard the tell-tail sound of cars and feet in the hallway. Friday nights signalled parties for many students, giving them a break from the stress of lectures and too much work. Normally your nights were spent protecting your peace and watching reruns of sitcoms on your laptop.

You hear the click of a lock from the front door before the shuffling of feet towards his room. A knock on your bedroom door brings you out of your trace, and you let out a “come in!” Anakin's head peeks around the door, “sorry for having the last of your cans” he breathes out. “Don’t worry, I was just stressed and overreacting. But thank you. I appreciate the gesture as well as you bailing me out of class today.” This was probably the longest you had ever spoken to him and he was surprisingly pleasant. Maybe there was a nice guy under his normally cold personality. And to think all it took was some caffeine. 

“What are you watching?” He questions, now fully opening the door. “Um, just some bad sitcom. It's nothing really.” You are confused at his sudden niceness. “Can I watch with you?” He questions what has happened to the Anakin you knew 24 hours ago. He must have caught onto your questions as he speaks; “look, I realised that I haven't been the best roommate and I kinda shut down all your attempts to be friends. And I was thinking maybe we could start over?” he directs his eyesight away from you. “oh sure, yeah, I would like that” you reply and nod to the space next to you on the bed. He steps into your room for probably the first time and you can see him take in the posters and assorted belongings everywhere. Making his way to your bed, he plonks down beside you and you resume play. 

It had been two months since the energy drink incident and it was safe to say you and Anakin were now friends. It made your life a lot easier now that you and your roommate got along. Every Friday night you would alternate picking a film to watch in either of your rooms and you begin to look forward to these small moments with him. You even caught yourself counting down the minutes until he arrived after his classes, which finished later than yours did. It was silly how you had begun to develop what could only be described as a crush on the mechanical engineering major (you had finally picked up what he was studying). 

Pushing open the door to your room, you make your way to the kitchenette. You are about to grab out a frozen pizza to cook for dinner when the front door unlocks and Anakin comes in holding a bag. He shuts the door with his back, kicking off his shoes in the process. “Nope, not tonight” you look at him questionably. “Tonight we dine Like royalty” setting the bag down he pulls out a selection of ingredients. 

20 minutes later Anakin is telling you to sit down before producing 2 plates of actual, non-frozen food. Who knew the guy could also cook. He passes one of the plates to you before he sits down to your side. “I didn't know you could cool” you state, “I don't really either, I had to follow a recipe” he replies, “but it smells good”. You both dig into the warm food, a change to your unpredictable diet of late. 

After a few long minutes of silent eating Anakin looks up at you “not bad if I do say so myself.” You laugh “this is really good, you should cook more often.” “Maybe” he replies before finishing off his food. You also finish your plate and you both stand up to wash the few dishes created. After a lot of stumbling around the tiny kitchen to put the plates back in their original place, you both collapse onto the old couch. 

“That was nice,” he says, turning his head to face you. “Yeah” you agree. The almost set sun makes the room dim and you really should go finish your studying. You nod towards your room and get up, “well the papers call me again” you joke and he rolls his eyes. You almost make it to your door before he calls your name and throws you a can of your favorite drink, which you almost drop. You save your hand in thanks before heading inside.  Something about the drink in your hand feels off, it's lighter than usual. 

Settling down on your bed you take the can in your hands and open it. There is no drink inside. On closer inspection you notice that the bottom has been cut out of it and put back. As well as this there is a roll of paper in it. Fishing it out with your fingers, you unfold it. ‘kitchen counter’ is all it reads. You get up again and open the door, seeing another can on the counter. Anakin isn't here either, spiking your confusion. You pick it up seeing that it is empty as well, apart from another piece of paper. ‘come to the roof’ it reads. 

Curiosity peaking, you throw on a sweater and your shoes before heading out to the roof. After climbing the multiple flights of stairs you reach the door to the roof. You push it open with your side and step out on concrete. The sun is casting its last light over the tops of the buildings, silhouetting Anakin as he stands. 

You step towards him and he smiles at you before he speaks. “hi” you reply with another “hi.” he reaches up behind his head nervously, a side to Anakin you hadn't seen before. He seems to think for a moment before speaking, “I know this is stupid, but I think I like you and I'm not sure what to do.” You stand there stunned at his confession, before he corrects himself, “I know I like you, more than I should. And I know I shouldn't because I was an asshole to you for 6 months.” 

You don't know what to say. He likes you. The guy you like is standing here saying he likes you. You make up your mind before stepping closer to him. “I like you too, Anakin.” He looks surprised, clearly expecting a completely different reaction. You reach him and take his hand in yours, “like I really like you” you laugh nervously. 

“Can I kiss you?” He asks and you nod in reply. He leans down and places a gentle kiss to your lips before you wrap your hands around his neck. ‘It really is something out of the movies,’ you think to yourself and smile. He places his forehead against yours and you and Anakin both burst out laughing. “Thank God for your caffeine addiction.”

I wrote this at an ungodly hour and i'm not sure it makes sense, no beta reader - we die like real men

[whiskeynwriting]

MBFD - Chapter Eleven: You Weren’t Supposed To Know

Dave York x Female Reader

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Word Count: 6.2k

Warnings: 18+ (minors DNI)

Dirty talk, daddy kink, small size kink, grinding/dry humping, oral (m receiving), skinny dipping/slight public nudity, tanning, blood, violence, mentions of death

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A/N: Really didn’t expect this chapter to be so short, but here we are. And no, I’m not sorry about the cliffhanger 🤪

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Uncertainty is a funny word. You’ve felt uncertain in your life before, uncertain about job opportunities, a grade on an exam. Uncertain, unsure, of the outcome. And the feelings surrounding that sensation - anxiety, worry, fear, all of them are the same as what you feel now. But you definitely don’t feel uncertain. No, this is a different feeling altogether. Uncertain means unknowing, and you definitely know what you’re walking into, you know the outcome of your actions, or at least, you think you do. 

The way the familiar feeling of anxiety sinks heavily into your gut, the way adrenaline fizzes through your veins and pops at every nerve ending, the way saliva tingles on your tongue from the nerves bubbling high into your throat. Every sensation is heightened, your eyes darting around the extremely large and open room, the narrow passageways that open up into lines for terminals and cafés. 

Just barely, your fingers tremble, fishing out the phone that is currently buzzing in your pocket. Swallowing, you take in a shaky breath, unlocking it.

Stuffing your phone back into your pants pocket, you sigh, returning it with a deep inhale. You’d told Molly about this trip, insisting that you ‘needed some time to yourself’. You just couldn't bring yourself to lie to her. She knew you were going to Spain and that you were going alone, and honestly, she was really worried. But you expected that from her, she loves you like a sister. 

Running a hand over your face, you take in a deep and somewhat calming breath. All you need to do is find David. You know he’ll handle the rest. But honestly, it’s not even about ‘handling’ it. You know how to walk through an airport, you know how to find your terminal and check your bags, arrive early enough to get a bite to eat. It’s just about the people, there’s so many people. Anyone could recognize you; family members, friends of friends, acquaintances. What if someone sees you with him? But right next to your wild worries is the reminder of Spain. Once you’re in Spain, you’re home free. You’re certain no one will recognize you there. 

A few more steps forward, and the crowd is clearing, your terminal quickly appearing. Dave insisted on picking you up and driving to the airport together, but you told him you’d be fine on your own. You could just meet at the terminal. But up until now, you’d been dreading that decision. 

Further ahead stands a man in a dark brown coat, long enough to almost touch the ground. He’s standing beside his luggage, only a duffle bag on the bench just a foot or so behind him. His slate dress pants match the baby blue button up covering his upper half, the red tie sitting along his chest a nice touch to his outfit. His hair is done neatly, the watch on his wrist lifting to his face as he checks the time, now glancing around. And then he finds you, a wide smile brimming on his lips. Immediately, your worries fade away. 

“Baby,” He calls quietly, but you can hear him. You’d know his voice anywhere.

And before you even reach his open arms, you notice something… different about him. His facial hair. Just barely, a thin coat of stubble covers his chin and jaw, a little bit growing on his cheeks, too. And even though he’s in his business suit, it makes him look rugged, the scruff dark with a few gray hairs shining through.

“Hey,” With a sleepy smile, you approach him, hands dropping from their tight grip on your backpack’s straps.

Instantly, he’s reaching for you, cupping your face with both hands and bringing you in. The kiss he gives practically shoves every ounce of worry weight from your shoulders, your body relaxing into him.

“How are you, princess?” He murmurs, pressing his forehead to your own, his hands unmoving. “Did you get here okay? Do you have everything you need?”

Genuinely, he’s everything you need. 

Nodding, you offer a peaceful grin, looking up at him. With a relaxing sigh, you reply with, “I’m okay, baby. Just tired. Nervous, I guess.”

Frowning, he looks you over, heart warming from seeing you in your comfy state. It’s cute, you in your sweatpants with him in his business attire. 

With a kiss to your hairline, he loops an arm around your shoulders, gently pulling you with him as he walks over to the bench. “Come sit with me.” 

The bench is cold but David is warm, your body instantly snuggling into his side. With soft tugs, he pulls your backpack away from you, letting your muscles rest while you wait. And his arm doesn’t leave, either. It stays, rubbing you lovingly. 

“I don’t want you to be nervous, baby. This is supposed to be our trip, right?”

“Yeah.” Again, he kisses your forehead, the butterflies in your tummy flapping wildly. He’s so sturdy, so handsome and he smells so good. It’s barely been two days but you missed him, you always miss him. “Just… don’t want anyone to see us. Not here, ya know?”

“I know, princess.” He coos in response, murmuring against your skin. “Just wait until we get to Spain…” And the way he says it already makes you tingle inside, his closest hand brushing over your thigh. 

Shocking you out of your peaceful lull is the shrill ring of your phone. Both of you jump from it, you groaning and David laughing. But when you pull it out to see who it is, neither of you are wearing happy faces.

“Hey, Goof. Everything okay?” 

“Okay, so I know I just got done texting you,” She replies enthusiastically on the other end, oblivious to your nervy tone. “But girl Anthony is at practice right now!”

“Wait, what?”

“I know! Valerie told me; I didn’t go today, I’ve been studying. But she told me to tell you. Apparently, he’s asking for you.”

And now, you hesitate to respond. Dave is right next to you, and while he knows about this particular ex, you’d rather not talk about your past relationship in front of him. You’d rather not talk about your past relationship at all.

“Are you okay?” Back at the York home, Molly frowns, sensing your hesitancy. 

“Yeah, I’m just, I don't know…” Desperately, you try to make up some sort of excuse in your head. “I know you’re at home and I just, I don’t want anyone hearing about him, ya know? We don’t exactly talk about him in the best light.” And toward the end of your sentence, you laugh, trying to appear nonchalant through the phone. 

Honestly, Molly understands this. She knows you wouldn’t want to talk about your sex life in front of her family. Because that’s really all Anthony was to you, casual sex. And now, he’s not anything to you.

“Pfft, don’t worry, my parents aren’t even home right now. My dad’s on a work trip.” She exaggerates, sighing. “And besides, you spend so much time over here that he’s practically your dad, too. He doesn’t care about any of that.”

While you’d been trying to keep your conversation hush, David has been listening to every second of it. And now, he’s grinning. Moving his arm from your shoulders, he chooses to wrap it around your lower back, his hand hugging your hip as he pulls you further into him. Lowering his head, he leans in, kissing the soft skin of your cheek. 

“Yeah,” Laughing shakily, you sigh, feeling his lips on you. And then he’s moving lower, barely brushing them over your jawline, and then pressing them firmly to your neck. “But I, uh…” With a quick inhale, you clear your throat, feeling David nuzzle his nose into you. He’s so protective over you, even without saying a single thing. “I have to go though, Goof. My plane’s leaving soon.” And you don’t even know if that’s the truth but having her dad’s lips on you is making this conversation impossible to continue. 

“Okay! I just figured I’d tell you. You know I love the gossip.” She giggles, and already, you miss your best friend.

“I know you do.” Grinning, you then nibble on your lip, feeling David’s fingers squeeze your hip. “I’ll talk to you soon.” 

“Okay, love you!”

“I love you, too.”

You’re barely able to end the call before David is pulling your phone away from you and setting it on the bench. With that same hand, he grabs your jaw, forcing your face in his direction so he can kiss you. 

“So I’m your daddy now, too, huh?” He grumbles, eyes closing as he breathes out against you. 

“David…” Cheeks running hot, you cross your legs, smiling timidly beneath him.

“Am I a good daddy, baby?”

His physical and verbal attention has never flustered you more, mainly due to your public setting. You feel dizzy, completely light-headed and hot against him. Giggling girlishly, you lean in, pressing your lips to his. Already, his mouth is wet, tongue seeking out your own. 

“You’re the best daddy,” Lifting a hand to his cheek, you release a contended breath. “The best thing that’s ever happened to me.” 

Now, it’s time for you to melt him. He’s putty in your hands when you speak so sweetly to him. “I love you, honey.” 

But before you can return the sentiment, an announcement comes through the speakers, your plane now boarding. And when you look up, pretty eyes gazing at him so kindly, he grins. “Let’s go to Spain, baby. Just you and me.” 

It’s comfortable here, in the luxury hotel his work had put him in. And you’d like to think he’d buy you an apartment just as nice. Maybe even a house - wow you’re really letting yourself get carried away with this. But of all times, now would be the best to let your fantasies come to life. 

“I knew this’d be the first thing you did.” Dave laughs breathily, one arm tucked lazily behind his head. 

His other hand is in your hair, fingers combing it lovingly. When strands fall, he’ll brush them away from your pretty face, when you cry he wipes your tears away. He’s here for you, no matter what you do. 

“And you do it so good, too…” 

You’re only crying from the force of it, of his thick erection sliding down your throat. Honestly, how could this not be the first thing you do when he does something like this? He’s taking you on the best vacation of your life. 

On the plane, he made sure you were not only comfortable, but cozy. He asked for a heated blanket, knowing the cabin was too cold for your liking. When it came, he wrapped you in it, offering you the drink menu. It was all so fancy, you’d never traveled first class like this. Before takeoff, he plugged in all the electronics that needed charging, made sure you had everything you needed, and ordered your drink for you. By the time you were finished sipping on your beverage, it was lights out. You’d napped for a few hours, leaning on his shoulder while he worked. Dave had his laptop out on the pull-down tray, answering emails and detailing documents. 

Dave enjoyed the sensation of your weight resting on him. For some reason, it made him feel loved - important. If only he knew how important he really was to you. While he was daydreaming about you, you were dreaming about him. You’d imagined living together, laying in bed before he leaves for work in the morning. Snuggling up on his lap, he sat against the headboard, answering a few emails before getting dressed for the day. In your dream, he played with your hair, pet your head and called you his baby. It was a sweet thought, warming you from the inside out, even beneath your heated blanket.

You sleeping beside him also served another purpose, besides that of basic rest. It allowed him to check your electronics. He could’ve tried to do it while plugging them in, but he didn’t want to risk it. While you were snoozing beside him, he was able to connect your phone to his laptop, checking on the chip he’d planted in it. He did so a few days ago, wanting to be sure of your location on the trip. Dave knew he’d have to leave you alone on occasion to complete his… tasks, and wanted to make sure you were safe. He put one in your laptop and airpods, too, and your watch. And maybe your car. Once he got the idea, he couldn’t stop himself. Trip or not, he needed to make sure you were safe, needed to know where you were at all times. And right now, you’re exactly where he wants you to be. 

“Oh, fuck.” Head lolling back, he runs a hand over your head, eyes closing in ecstasy. “Just like that, baby.” 

Pleasuring Dave with your mouth has always been easy. You could put zero effort into it, and you’re sure he’d still cum in minutes, if not seconds. And right now, he’s barely half a minute in. The way your tongue slides up the side of his cock, dragging his foreskin over the tip, makes him shiver. Involuntarily, his hips jerk upward toward your face, your beautiful face, the one he’s currently fucking. You let him pulsate his pelvis upward, thrusting into your mouth at a languid pace. 

“Baby,” His voice is low and rough, that gravely baritone dominating the atmosphere. “Princess, I’m gonna cum.”

Your happy and almost teasing hum prompts a redness to wash over his ears, but he doesn’t even care. It only turns him on that much more. With both hands, he shoves you down, listening to the wetness of your mouth, the sound of your throat sucking him down. Your mouth is slick and hot and just perfect for his cock, his fingers curling into your hair from the feeling of it. 

“F-Fuck, fuck.” David is gritting his teeth, feeling you gag while on your knees. He loves you like this, bent over his lap, letting him use your pretty face to get himself off. 

This is paradise, the thought floats effortlessly into his brain. It’s fucking paraise with her.

“I’m g-gonna,” Tilting his head down, he’s met with your pretty eyes, lips now stuttering. “Shit.”

With that, he unloads into your mouth, his jaw falling slack from the sensation of it. Thick ropes shoot into your mouth, coating your tongue in the warm substance. As always, it’s salty, gooey, and slides directly down your throat. The best part of this, for him, was feeling you swallow it down. 

“Baby,” You barely have time to take a breath before he’s leaning forward on the bed. Grabbing both of your biceps, he hauls you forward onto his lap, mouth attacking your own. “Get over here.” 

He’s grown to ignore the taste of cum in your mouth, he just focuses on your tongue. It might even turn him on a little that he’s tasing himself. And with his hand on your jaw, that’s exactly what he does, tongue forcing its way past your lips as he holds you in place, just the way he likes. And while he’s stealing your goddamn soul through your throat, his free hand slides up your shirt, pawing at your tits. 

“Hm…” You’re giggling, smiling against him once he gives you the chance to. 

You feel breathless, weightless, like your head is spinning and you can’t come down from the clouds. He’s touching you the exact same way he does back home, the only difference is where and when he can do it. You feel so free here, like you’re on some kind of secret honeymoon.

“This is insane.”

“Why?” Moving down to your neck, he groans against you, kisses heated and heavy. “You’re happy, I’m happy. Let’s just be happy…”

Laughing at his lovesick state, you sigh, tiling your head to the side for him. “We’ve been here less than an hour and you’re already gonna fuck me?”

He’s currently leaving hickies on your neck, and will definitely encourage you to do the same to him during this trip. He’s squeezing you through your bra and massaging you fervently in that broad hand, already growing stiff again. 

“Nah,” David grunts, nipping at your neck. Reaching down, he grabs a fistful of your ass, pulling you further in as he says, “I’m gonna fuck you on a yacht.”

Life just isn’t real, it’s not. There’s no way you’re with Molly’s fucking dad in Spain, on a yacht, in a bikini, feeding him strawberries. What is your fucking life?

“This is so cheesy.” You’re giggling, face burning red-hot from your current act.

He’d ushered you onto his lap while he laid out on the deck, grinning ear to ear with a handful of your backside in each palm. Lovingly, he rubs you, caresse your smooth curves as he coos to you.

“Just keep going, baby.” And then, he lands a light smack, your center tingling from the force of it. “Daddy’s hungry.” Rolling your eyes, you continue on, placing the end of another strawberry into his mouth. 

The boat rocks rhythmically atop the gentle waves, the sun beating down on your angelic body. You’re wearing a bikini Dave had apparently bought for you; a two-piece, bright red set that highlighted your physique quite nicely. But enough about you, you’re staring at him. It’s clear he’s been working out, the definition in his chest and biceps obvious. Even his stomach is firm, flexing a bit as he leans in to take another bite. But this time, you’re putting the rest in your mouth, transferring it to him with your own lips. Jesus, you really are on a secret honeymoon. 

“Mm,” He’s moaning against your mouth, already hard from the very second you climbed onto his lap. His head rolls with your impassioned kiss after he’d been given the fruit, feeling your slender fingers run down his neck.

“How long will you be gone tomorrow, daddy?” You’re pouting slightly; he told you before leaving for the boat that he has a meeting tomorrow afternoon. 

“Only a few hours, baby.” Dave whispers in response, hand lifting to the back of your head to bring you in.

Rolling your hips over his, he releases a pleasurable groan, body feeling hot and not just from the sun. But his passion quickly fuses into frustration when you suddenly decide to hop off of him.

“What are you doing?”

Shrugging, you walk over to your own chair with a shrug, laying the back of it down. Now that it’s folded down, you lay out over it, relaxing with a light sigh. “Tanning.” 

“What about me?” Now, he’s pouting.

Chuckling, you close your eyes, enjoying the heat. “I sat on your lap for almost an entire hour, baby. What about me?”

Frowning, he crosses his arms, shuffling back into his chair. “Fine.”

All you do is roll your eyes in response, folding your hands beneath your head. You’re laying on your stomach, backside entirely available to him. And you’d cover up a bit more if there were anyone else but the two of you on the boat. The only other person here is the captain, and he’s staying inside. 

Dave is just drooling over the way you look in that red bikini. Your back dips beautifully before curving upward, the plumpness of your cheeks drawing him in. All he wants to do is smack and bite them, spread them wide while he disappears inside. 

Peaking out of the corner of your eye, you grin. “Whatcha starin’ at?”

Nibbling on the corner of his lip, he quirks an eyebrow. “The half-naked college girl sitting next to me.” 

“Yeah?” You reply, giggling at his choice of words. It’s flattering, his continuously flirtatious nature. 

“Jesus, you’re so sexy, baby.” He reaches down to adjust himself, eyes not moving an inch away from you. But then you wiggle your ass a bit for him and he’s no longer adjusting but rubbing. “What’re you doing to me?” David breathes out in awe. 

“Stop it.”

“What?” And he’s already cracking that shit-eating grin.

“Enticing me.”

“What’s wrong with that?”

“I wanna enjoy my vacation.” You reply in a teasing tone, “Not just fuck my way through it.” And then beneath your breath, you mumble, “Although I don’t really mind that.”

“I heard that.”

“I wanted you to.” Sitting up with a huff, you stare at him. “Since you want attention so bad, why don’t you come swim with me?” You’re only teasing, and he knows it - he knows how much you love his affection. Besides, your playfulness shines through with that dazzling grin. 

“You’re going swimming?”

“Mhm,” Standing, you prance toward the ladder, hands leaning against the rails on either side. 

“Uh… I’m not much of a swimmer, babe.” 

“Really? Why not?”

“Just not my thing.” He shrugs, looking away.

And then your jaw drops. “David, can you not swim?”

“No, I can swim.” Dave responds with a huff, refusing to meet your eyeline.

“You can’t swim!” 

“Keep it down!”

“Babe,” Laughing, you walk back over to him. “It’s not like anyone can hear us.” Sitting on his lap again, you cup his cute, pouty face. “You really can’t swim?”

“I just… never learned.” 

“Well, would you mind if I went swimming?”

“No,” Shaking his head, he sighs.

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah, baby. That’s totally fine.”

This is a new side to him that you’ve never seen before. For some reason, it’s like you’re unwrapping another layer of vulnerability. 

“Maybe you’ll have fun watching me swim.” Leaning in, you kiss his cheek before standing.

Briefly, he wonders what you mean. But his questions are answered when you walk over to the ladder again, untying your top and letting it drop. Immediately, his eyes widen, watching the swells of your breasts bounce down, released from the confines of your thin straps. 

“Holy shit.” 

His reaction makes you buzz inside, your feet carrying you down the ladder as you hum. You’ve never done something like this before, but honestly, there isn’t much risk. There’s no one around for miles, no other boats or people, just the two of you and the water. 

The water is cold, a pleasant shiver against your warm skin. It’s a crystal-clear blue that you’ve never seen before, not back in the states. The scenery is gorgeous, genuinely entrancing. All you can hear is the sound of wildlife, mainly the surrounding birds that take up home on the cliffs surrounding the shores. Looking away from shore, you’re only able to see water, and nothing more. The ocean extends for miles, but strangely, it’s not an intimidating feeling. It’s comforting. 

Turning your head back toward the boat, you’re greeted by your gawking boyfriend. It makes you bust out into laughter, limbs rotating as you gracefully tread water. He’s hanging onto the railing, leaning against it while he watches you swim.

“I swear,” Shaking his head, he sighs. “You’re the fucking devil.”

Scoffing, your jaw drops. “Thanks.” 

“You know what I mean.” He’d roll his eyes, but he doesn’t want to miss a second of this. “Little fucking seductress.” 

“Oh, yeah?” You return, voice taunting him. Maybe you should show him how seductive you can be. 

Reaching down, your fingers find the strings of your bottoms, easily untying them beneath the delicate waves. And in one swipe, they’re off, too, leaving you completely bare before him. 

Beneath the wobbling outlines and sprinkles of bright light bouncing off the water’s surface, David can see your body. And you look heavenly, like a genuine goddess swimming through some kind of spring. The way your hair flows through the water is angelic, graceful, in the same way your limbs swipe through the sea. 

All Dave can currently think about is how lucky he is. Carol would have never done anything like this, not even when they were dating. And it’s not even about you being more adventurous than her, you’re just more fun than her. More fun and kind, sweeter, more attentive. You’re everything he’s needed in life. He’s thinking about that, and all the ways he could rail you tonight. 

On your end, you’re thinking the exact same things. No man has ever come close to treating you the way that Dave does. It’s like he can’t get enough of you. When you climb back onto the boat, he’s all over you, wrapping you in a towel and pulling you into his lap again, sucking on your tits while palming your ass. 

“Baby,” With your fingers tugging hard at his hair, he groans, teeth grazing your nipple. 

You were in the water all but ten minutes before he nearly jumped in with you. And you didn’t really feel like saving a life today. If only you knew David would be taking multiple tomorrow. 

“You’ll be okay, baby.” He’s kissing your forehead, trying to pry his arm away from you.

With all your might, you’re refusing to let him leave. And he’s not even leaving the suite yet, he just needs to start getting dressed.

“No.”

“Babe, I -”

“No.”

And then he chuckles out a sigh. “C’mon, baby. At least let me get ready for the day.” 

It’s just been too perfect, this entire time has been bliss. Your first night in the suite together was beyond peaceful. You’d kept the balcony doors open, the breeze sweeping through the drapes and into your room. It was warm, the air traveling through, surrounding the two of you in a comfortable blanket of atmosphere. And he was so lovey with you, cuddling you endlessly, kissing your head and refusing to let you go. He just couldn't stop holding you. David’s love language is definitely touch - he needs contact. Caressing your arm, your back, kissing your cheek, stroking your fingers, petting your hair, he always had to be touching you. He’s enamored with you. And with anyone else, you’d consider this kind of love to be smothering. With David, it’s anything but. 

Reluctantly, you let go of him, huffing out an exaggerated breath. Absentmindedly, you wonder if you’ll be able to have breakfast with him. After all, he told you it’d be a busy day.

“So,” He begins, his voice louder as he speaks from the bathroom. “I’m leaving around noon, so I’ve got a little less than an hour to make it there. Should be fine.” Shrugging on his work clothes, he does up his buttons before working on his tie. Then he’ll wash his face, brush his teeth, and do his hair. “I’ll be about a half hour away, but I’m sure you’ll be fine, baby. I’ll give you my card, okay? You can do anything you like, buy whatever you want. Have a… a ‘you’ day.”

He’s trying his damndest to convince you to stay out long enough for him to complete this task and shower before you get back. He needs to clean himself and the suite and any evidence, and he can’t do that if you’re anywhere near here.

“Okay,” You mumble, tracing the patterns on the bedspread. 

“Maybe if you find some cool places, we can visit them together tomorrow.” Walking back into the room, he offers you a sympathetic smile while tightening his tie. “I’m sorry about me leaving, sweetheart. But it won’t be for long. A few hours at most, okay?”

Sighing, you sit up, deciding to ready yourself for the day, too. “Okay.” 

And by the time you brush your teeth, he’s kissing your cheek and leaving. It feels domestically sweet, this departure, and you find yourself hoping for more of these moments in the future. But then sadness hits you again. You’ll have to find a way to busy yourself while he’s gone. 

Your phone offers a wide variety of shops and cafes, all cute and quirky and very much different than the ones in the states. You know enough Spanish to get around, thankfully, and after dressing yourself in a beige midi-dress, you head out. 

When you pictured this trip in your head, you imagined walking down these streets while holding David’s hand, not your handbag. But like he said, he can sight-see with you tomorrow. Maybe you can find some extra cute spaces to bring him to. Maybe you could even take a few pictures together, although they’re just more secrets to keep. 

“Coffee Small Orinx,” Staring up at the sign, you can already smell the beans brewing inside. And even though it’s not the morning, you decide to take a trip in to get a small coffee. 

The cafe is small, the interior decorated in an elegant yet cozy fashion. It feels strange, being out by yourself in a new city, a new country. It’s like you could be an entirely different person and no one would know. 

The only downside to getting a coffee here is the small spill you have when sitting down. “Shit.”

It drips down the rim and onto the table, a few splashes landing on your cream-colored dress. And against the lighter fabric, the coffee appears to be a dark orange-ish red, something fading to a burnt brown. A shade extremely similar to the one covering Dave right now. 

“You said this would be easy.”

“I fucking thought it would be.” 

But dragging two full-grown bodies out of a building while attempting to be discrete wasn’t as easy as Resnik apparently thought it would be. 

“You put us in some deep fucking shit.” David seethes. Barely two hours in and he’s already covered in blood. 

Quick fix my ass. 

“Look, Ari’s coming with the bags, alright?” 

“Bags big enough to fit a body?”

“Yes.”

“Good.”

Turning with a huff, Dave rubs his forehead, accidentally smearing blood across his temple. “Motherfucker.” 

He’ll definitely have to throw this entire outfit away. What was supposed to be a quick “meeting” was a total bust. These two lawyers could fight back, and hard. It didn’t knock him too far off his game, though. They were still the ones to end up dead. But now, he has their blood on his chest and neck, soaked into and soiling his clothes. He’s not even sure how he’s going to get back to the suite like this. 

Pulling out his phone, he chews on the corner of his lip, drawing blood from all the tension. He finds your location, discovering that you’ve returned to one of the nearby cafes. Dave figures if he’s quick, he can clean up before you get back. 

“Alright, look.” Closing his phone, he turns back around, shoving it into his front pocket. “I gotta go. Can you and Ari handle this?”

“Oh yeah, you have that girl with you, don’t you?” Resnik smirks, toying with him.

“Yeah, that girl.” Dave repeats, rolling his eyes. “Don’t be idiots. Take care of it.” 

Usually, he’d snap back at a remark like that, especially considering it was about you. But he’ll let that one go. Right now, he just needs to get back to your temporary home. 

And taking Ari’s jacket helps him do just that. Zipping it up over his bloody clothes, he stomps toward the door, unphased by the assault that just took place. 

He doesn’t risk taking a taxi, he just jogs through a few back alleys. While he told you he’d be further away, it was a lie, a small one, really. He wanted you to feel free to explore by yourself; he didn’t want you to feel like you needed to depend on him. When in reality, he was barely a five minute walk away. He would never let himself be so far from you, especially in a foreign country. 

Whipping out his phone again, he double checks that you’re still out of the suite, and he’s right. You must really like that cafe, because you’ve been there for the past forty-five minutes. He’ll look into that later. Right now, he just needs to clean himself off. 

Frantically, he busts through the front door of the suite, sweaty and out of breath. Quickly, he kicks off his shoes while unzipping Ari’s jacket, not wanting to track any evidence through the room. Chest heaving, he steps forward, turning the corner as he strides toward the bathroom. But just as quick as he does that, he nearly runs right into you. 

“Oh, Dave I… oh my god.” 

His eyes nearly pop out of his goddamn head. Why and how the fuck are you here?! Fuck, fuck. You weren’t supposed to know.

“Baby, what happened?!” Reaching out to touch him, he flinches away, not wanting some random man’s blood to get on your hands. “Baby, please, let me help. Are you, are you okay? What happened?! Oh my gosh!” Your voice is slowly but surely growing shrill and frantic, eyes searching his body with a wild desperation. You’re trying to find out where the blood is coming from. 

Gently, David grabs your wrists, pushing them away from him. “I’m, I’m fine.” But as cool, calm and collected as he usually is, he crumbles. He’s faltering, cracking open on the inside. This has never happened to him before, never. What the fuck is he supposed to do?

“Please, let me help, I - ”

“Just… stop!” He suddenly shouts, and watching you flinch at his change in tone is physically painful for him. 

Instantly, he knows what this reaction is from. It’s from Carol, from all those years of having to defend himself. And he can see this downfall coming as it’s currently unfolding, but he can’t stop it. 

“You don’t have to fix everything, okay?! Just leave me alone!”

“David…” You’re officially bewildered. Why is he reacting this way? Where did all this blood come from? What the hell is going on?! 

“Why are you even here? You’re supposed to be out! You were at a cafe twenty minutes ago!” At this point, he’s flailing his arms all over the place, making wild gestures while he yells. This isn’t the David you know. 

“What, how… how did you even know that?”

Jesus, he’s just letting all sorts of things slip today. “Are you just going to keep berating me with questions?!”

This entire interaction has you genuinely confused, shocked, and even scared. You’re worried for him, and yourself quite frankly. All you’re doing in this strange argument is running in circles, and what hurts more is that it’s your very first fight. 

Shaking the confusion out of your head, you hold up both hands. “David, okay,” Taking in a deep breath, you look up again, locking eyes with him. “What is going on?” 

“No, don’t turn this around on - ” He’s trying his best to avoid this. But his best isn’t nearly good enough.

“David.” You interrupt, your voice stern and loud and finally enough to shut him up. “Where did all that blood come from?”

[vinniehorror]

Chapter 1: The Blackout

Now playing: ADHD-Kendrick Lamar

The city streets were bathed in the soft, amber glow of the streetlights as Samari Diggins made her way to her neighborhood. Her footsteps echoed against the concrete, the rhythm of her stride a familiar comfort in the night. Despite the darkness shrouding half of her vision, Samari navigated the familiar route with practiced ease, her remaining eye sharp and attentive.

It was a random night in August. She was just trying to go home and get her homework done while her Uncle Martin blasted Marvin Gaye on his record player and danced around the house, eventually finding his way to her room to annoyingly sing the lyrics out of key to distract her from her studies. To give her a mini break so she could show him how to sing the song. She wanted to go home and wait for that soft knock on her window so she could open it and meet eyes with Rowan, who hated his home with no love and affection and came to the people who always loved and encouraged him to be better.

It would've been the perfect ending to her night. But sadly a group of drunk teenagers ruined that night. Because on the way to the house, a car smashed into her uncle's Cadillac and rammed it into a nearby brick wall. Samari was lucky to survive, only losing sight in one of her eyes and broken ribs. Her uncle however had no chance. That night, she lost the one person that cared enough to raise her in this cruel world.

It had officially been 3 years since the accident. But the memory still haunted her, an ever-present shadow that occasionally crept into her thoughts. The loss of her uncle, the man who had been a father figure to her, had cut deeply, leaving an ache that time had only partially healed. Every time she thinks about the man, she feels guilt. Constantly thinking about what could've happened if she didn't call him to pick her up and walked home instead.

Would he be at home? Ranting to the tv about how Kyrie should've took the shot when he had the chance. Maybe he would be at Roscoe Gene's home, stealing the poor man's money in a game of poker. Or with Dorthy Mae, the woman he had been chasing for the past 2 decades.

As Samari rounded the corner, her gaze focused on the path ahead, her other eye betraying nothing of the turmoil within. She had grown accustomed to the curious stares and whispered questions, the occasional well-meaning offer of assistance. To them, she was the poor, unfortunate girl - the one who had endured tragedy and emerged scarred. But Samari refused to be defined by her disability, determined to forge her own path, even if it meant navigating the world with a constant reminder of her loss.

Tonight, she had sought solace in the familiar rhythm of her evening walk, hoping to clear her mind before the impending stress of final exams. The past few weeks had been a whirlwind of late-night study sessions and frantic cramming, and Samari yearned for a moment of peace, a chance to breathe and gather her thoughts. To free herself from the thought of a textbook filled with information that probably wouldn't be useful for the exam. To be free of the thought of Rowan, who is most likely off making money doing street racing rather than being at her house like he promised.

As she reached the entrance to the park, Samari paused, gazing up at the inky blackness of the sky. The stars twinkled, their light filtering through the branches of the towering oak trees that lined the path. It was in these quiet moments, when the rest of the world seemed to fade away, that Samari felt a sense of calm wash over her. Steeling herself, she continued on, her stride steady and confident. The familiar scent of blooming jasmine filled the air, mingling with the crisp coolness of the night. Samari savored these small sensations, allowing them to ground her in the present moment, away from the distractions and demands of her daily life.

Samari found a nice spot at a picnic table and wiped the area off before sitting on the table, always finding it comfortable to sit there than sitting on the bench. Every time she sits on the table, she hears her mother words in her head.

"Samari Diggins get off that table!" Her mother would yell. "Ladies do not sit on tables."

"Oh Michelle let that girl sit on the table," Her uncle would yell from the grill, holding a tight grip on his towel as he made his way over to Samari and her mother. "Them seats are far from comfortable and you used to sit the same way."

A small smile made its way to her lips as she could picture her mother's eyes rolling at Uncle Martin's words as he gave her a toothy grin. Samari knew underneath that annoyed look on her mother's face, that she couldn't stay mad at her brother for too long. It was always hard for people to stay mad at Martin, he just had that personality. She couldn't help but let out a sigh as her chocolate eyes looked up at the dark sky. Perhaps they're both upstairs, Michelle rolling her eyes as Martin smiles after successfully getting on her nerves. Maybe they're in heaven arguing about Samari still sitting on the table instead of the bench.

Suddenly, a faint rumbling in the distance caught her attention, and Samari paused, straining to discern the source. The air seemed to crackle with an undercurrent of energy, and she felt a prickling sensation at the back of her neck. Instinctively, she reached up to touch the scar that marred her left eye, a remnant of the accident that had forever altered the course of her life. Before Samari could react, a blinding flash of light erupted in the distance, followed by a deafening boom that reverberated through the park. The force of the explosion sent a shockwave through the air, knocking Samari off balance and sending her tumbling to the ground.

As she lay there, disoriented and struggling to regain her bearings, Samari felt a strange sensation wash over her. It was as if the world had been plunged into a deep, inky darkness, save for the faint, flickering glow of the streetlights.

She blinked, her good eye straining to make sense of her surroundings, but the familiar landscape had been swallowed by the overwhelming blackness. Panic gripped Samari's heart as she realized that the blackout had somehow affected more than just the park. She scrambled to her feet, her hands trembling as she reached out, desperately seeking a lifeline in the oppressive darkness.

"Hello?" she called out, her voice wavering with uncertainty. "Is anyone there?"

The only response was the eerie, deafening silence that hung in the air, punctuated by the distant wail of sirens. Samari felt a chill run down her spine, a premonition of something deeply unsettling about to unfold. As she stood there, surrounded by the all-consuming darkness, Samari couldn't help but wonder if this was just the beginning of a series of events that would forever change the course of her life.

Samari's heart pounded in her chest as she tried to make sense of the bizarre,unsettling situations unfolding around her. The complete blackout had an ominous, foreboding quality to it that sent a shiver down her spine.

Groping blindly in the darkness, samari fumbled for her phone, praying it still had battery life. As the screen flickered to life, casting an eerie blue glow, she was relieved to see she had a signal.

But her relief quickly turned to dread as she saw the flood of frantic messages and missed calls from Rowan.

9:42 pm

Otw to your house Mari. I know you told me to be on time but I got distracted with working on this new car we got in the shop. But I got your favorite meal from Jimmy's to make up for it and a coworker of mine recommended a movie for us to watch if you're down with that

9:47 pm

Mari where are you? Usually you'll be in your room studying or in the living room ready to kill me for being late. But you're late and that's not like my Mari. Hit me back as soon as you can

9:56 pm

Okay now you're scaring me. I called the library and they said you left an hour ago. If I don't get a response in 5 minutes, I'm going out to look for you myself.

10:04 pm

Mari I don't know where you are but I'm praying you found a nearby place to stay at cause there's a blackout and the cops keep telling me to stay indoors but I can't sit here in the dark while you're outside. I don't even know if you're safe or not. Please hit me back or come back home.

"MASS POWER OUTAGE REPORT R ACROSS THE CITY..."

"AUTHORITIES INVESTIGATING SOURCE, URGING CITIZENS TO STAY INDOORS..."

"MULTIPLE EMERGENCY INCIDENTS, POLICE AND FIRE DEPARTMENTS OVERWHELMED..."

Samari's hands shook as she scrolled through the alerts, her mind racing as her eye grasped as much information as it could. This was no ordinary blackout-something catastrophic was unfolding, and she was stranded alone in the pitch black, with no idea what dangers might be lurking in the shadows.

She frantically typed out a message to Rowan, desperately hoping he was safe. A noise of shock fell from her mouth when her phone shut off in front of her face, the blue glow no longer able to protect her from the darkness.

"Fuck." Samari said in a shaky voice, shoving her phone back into her pocket

Samari knew she needed to find shelter, and fast. The streets were no place to be with the city plunged into this unsettling darkness.

Tentatively, she began to make her way forward, her hands outstretched as she navigated the unfamiliar terrain. The air was thick with a palpable sense of unease, and the eerie silence was broken only by the wail of distant sirens.

Samari's mind raced with questions - what had caused this blackout? Was it an accident, or something more sinister? And with the emergency services overwhelmed, who or what might be lurking in the impenetrable darkness?

As she pressed on, a growing sense of dread settled in the pit of her stomach. She couldn't shake the feeling that she was being watched, that unseen eyes were trained on her from the void. Every shadow seemed to hold the potential for danger, and Samari knew she needed to find safety - and answers - as quickly as possible.

Samari's heart raced as she stumbled through the pitch-black streets, the eerie silence punctuated only by the distant wail of sirens. An uneasy feeling had settled in the pit of her stomach, and she couldn't shake the sense that she was being watched, that unseen eyes were trained on her from the void.

Suddenly, a hand emerged from the shadows and grabbed her by the arm. Samari screamed in fear as she jerked back and quickly started to run opposite of where the shadowy figure was. Where was she going? She had no idea but Samari knew that she wasn't alone. Whatever had grabbed her arm was definitely not far behind as she could hear fast footsteps behind her.

Samari's heart pounded in her chest as she bolted through the pitch-black streets, the sound of her own frantic footsteps echoing in the eerie silence. The hand that had reached out from the shadows still burned on her skin, spurring her to run faster, desperate to put as much distance between herself and the lurking danger.

She weaved erratically, crashing through shrubs and nearly tripping over unseen obstacles in her blind flight. Samari's lungs burned, but the adrenaline coursing through her veins pushed her onward, fueled by sheer terror.

The relentless pounding of feet behind her told Samari that her pursuer was gaining ground. She couldn't see them, but the thought of being caught in this impenetrable darkness filled her with dread. Samari couldn't imagine what horrors might befall her if she were to be overtaken.

Suddenly, her foot caught on an uneven patch of ground, and Samari tumbled forward, landing hard on the pavement. She cried out in pain as her palms scraped against the rough surface, but there was no time to dwell on her injuries. Samari scrambled to her feet, her panicked gaze darting around the all-encompassing blackness, searching for any hint of her pursuer.

The sound of footsteps was growing closer, and Samari knew she had to act fast. Spotting the dark woods nearby, she hurled herself towards it, praying it would provide some semblance of cover and safety. Crouching low, Samari held her breath, her whole body trembling as she slowly made her way towards the back of a huge tree and strained to listen for any sign of the person who chased her.

The seconds ticked by agonizingly slow, and Samari could hear the blood pounding in her ears. Silence surrounded the area but she knew better to say anything, she was too paranoid to even think of a noise. After a few minutes, Samari slowly peeked from behind the tree, her eye widening at the sight of a dark figure walking past the entrance of the woods. She dared not even to breathe, her heart racing as she waited, terrified, for the figure to move on. Even though she was down an eye, it didn't stop her from keeping her other one on the figure.

Just as the figure began to recede into the distance, a sudden movement in her peripheral vision made Samari jump. She whirled around, her heart leaping into her throat, only to find...a small woodland creature scurrying across the forest floor.

Samari let out a shaky breath, her nerves frayed from the adrenaline. "Just a squirrel," she murmured to herself, trying to slow her racing pulse.

But as she turned back to peer out from behind the tree, a bone-chilling sight met her gaze. There, mere feet away, stood the dark figure, its unseen face just inches from her own. Samari's breath caught in her throat as she stared, transfixed, into the impenetrable darkness of the entity's visage.

For a heart-pounding moment, time seemed to stand still. Samari's mind raced, desperately searching for some way to escape this nightmarish encounter. But just as she began to take a step back, the figure lurched forward, its shadowy form attaching itself to her.

Samari screamed, her voice piercing the eerie silence of the woods. She thrashed and fought, but the entity's grip was unrelenting, pressing itself deeper into her skin. Samari could feel shadow figure moving inside of her body, bouncing itself around as it explored her insides.

What was this...this thing?

Samari's mind whirled with a thousand unanswered questions as the darkness closed in, her desperate cries echoing hauntingly through the trees as the shadow successfully infiltrated her body.

She fell to her knees as the shadow disappeared, allowing her to be able to move again. Samari grabbed the tree for support as she slowly pulled herself up, her body feeling heavier than usual.

Samari stumbled through the woods, occasionally stopping to hold onto her body in pain as she could feel her body resisting against whatever that shadow figure put inside of her. Samari's body swayed constantly as she walked out of the woods.

Just let it happen

Stop resisting

"No...I'm not letting...whatever you are take my body..." Samari whispered to herself and the voice in her head as she staggered onto the empty road, her vision blurred and her body wracked with agonizing spasms.

Wait something is coming fast

A bright light shined on the side of her face. The woman turned her head and with widen eyes watched as a car was driving in full speed at her.

GET OUT OF THE WAY

Samari brought her hands out, hoping that the car would quickly stop before hitting her. And it seemed a bit of luck was in her favor as the driver slammed on its brakes, the car lurching to the side as they fought to maintain control of it. Tires squealed and gravel flew as the vehicle skidded to a stop, mere inches from where Samari stood.

Samari took heavy breaths as she dropped her arms and leaned herself back, feeling herself lose balance as she fell back on the road. She could hear two car doors open before frantic steps were made towards her.

"Oh shit Mari!" Rowan yelled as he bent down to inspect her, leaning her body against his thigh. He snapped his fingers a couple times in her face, trying to get her attention and letting out a sigh of relief when her eyes moved in his direction.

"That's it, just keep your eyes on me." Rowan said as he gently slid one arm underneath her knees and the other around her back, carefully scooping her up into his arms and making his way to the passenger side of the car, laying her down in the passenger seat before putting her seat buckle on her. He closed the car door before quickly making his way to the driver's side and getting in, putting his seatbelt on first and then driving away from the woods.

Just close your eyes and stop resisting. Your body can't keep fighting me much longer

Samari's eyes throbbed as she struggled to keep her half vision on Rowan who was driving on the road as if he was in a street race. She slowly began to close both of her eyes, almost giving in to the voice but the sound of Rowan snapping his fingers brought her back, her eyes shot open as she jolted from it.

"I need you awake right now. What's the name of my cat?" Rowan asked Samari, a small thing the two have picked up and started doing whenever one or the other is supposed to stay awake.

Samari's brow furrowed as she tried to focus on Rowan's question, but the pounding in her head was making it increasingly difficult to think.

"Your...your cat?" she stammered, her voice weak and strained. "It's...Orion, right?" Even as she spoke the words, Samari felt a twinge of uncertainty. Had that been the cat's name? Her memories were growing hazy, the edges blurring as that oppressive weight continued to bear down on her.

Rowan nodded, his expression a mix of relief and concern. "That's right, good. Just stay with me, Samari. We're almost to the hospital, okay?"

Samari tried to nod, but the simple movement sent a jolt of pain through her skull. She winced, her eyes clenching shut as a wave of dizziness washed over her.

"Rowan..." she breathed, her voice barely above a whisper. "I don't feel right..."

Rowan's grip tightened on the steering wheel, his knuckles turning white. "Hang on, Samari. We're almost there, just stay awake for me, alright?"

But Samari could feel the darkness closing in, her consciousness slipping away. The car seemed to sway and tilt around her, and she struggled to focus on Rowan's voice, to keep her eyes open.

"Rowan..." she murmured again, her words barely coherent. "I...I can't..." And with that, Samari's head fell back against the seat, her body going limp as she succumbed to the overwhelming darkness.

Samari?

Samari, can you hear me?

[green-ville]

Run Boy Run pt 4

Lonely

Sorry for not posting in a while. I had exams last week and promptly became deceased (college = fun). My brain is still fried and I don't know how I've managed to string this sentence together. But, I've passed all my classes after an astounding 3 mental breakdowns in a 30 day time period. That's a 200% increase from last semester. ;) Anyway, enjoy.

__________

            Giavanna felt terrible. It was debatable between whether she should feel terrible or not, because it wasn't everyday five werewolves show their faces in the woods at night. However, assault as a first line of defense was frowned upon in many states.

          That was why she kept apologizing. The issue was she was apologizing to Wednesday, who did not care.

          After Wednesday woke up, the situation was better explained. No, these were not attackers; they were students probably playing a prank on the new girl. Giavanna immediately felt terrible, took away the nets, and started apologizing; only for the Dean to show up with another teacher because reports of at least a dozen students being out of bed.

          It was a party. Giavanna got out of trouble because she said she was doing wards, the Dean looked at Wednesday with a sigh and said 'again?', and the wolves didn't shift back to hide their identities. They tried to postpone their punishment for as long as possible, but their detention was inevitable.

          By the time Giavanna was going back to her room, she was shaking from the cold. Even if she did make her skort longer, it wasn't going to become any thicker, so she didn't see the point in wasting magic. She just hoped it would be warmer.

          It was not warmer in the room, but it would be inaccurate to say she didn't warm up a little when she noticed Xavier was still in the room. Sitting on her bed, long legs crossed, drawing away in a sketchbook. He looked up, hair in a bun but smaller strands falling forward.

          Concern melted his composure. He sat forward, legs sweeping off the bed, casted leg slower. "What happened? Why're you shaking."

          Giavanna went for a reassuring smile. "Oh, uh, I overreacted."

          Wednesday cut in, correcting her. "The wolves attempted a prank and came to realize the error in the ways. Are you finished?"

          "Finished – er, yeah." He realized what she meant after he began, flipping back in his sketchbook. He kept it open, about to show her. Giavanna tried to get a look but Wednesday closed it around his thumb, pulling it away.

          "I'll return it to you tomorrow." She went to the window, opened the small door, and left.

          Xavier waited a beat. "No, please, I didn't need that."

          Giavanna's lips quirked. "She's a little different. Does she always just collapse on the ground?'

          Xavier's brows rose. "Uh, that's how she gets her visions. Well, not how, that's what happens when she gets her visions."

          Giavanna felt even worse. "Well now I feel extra terrible, should I have helped her at all? I just stood there like an idiot!"

          This did not go how Xavier expected. Most people shied away from Wednesday this far in the game. "Er, well, no, just. . .we've always just let it happen, actually. Are you cold still? You're like purple?"

          "I'm so cold, I was not expecting the temperature to drop so much, I do not think it's like this where I'm from." Wherever the hell that is.

          "I've got clothes you can borrow; I'll go grab them from my room –"

          She flushed cherry red. "That is so nice of you, but you're already letting me borrow your jacket, I can't possibly borrow anything else."

          "It's not like I'm going to wear my entire wardrobe tonight," he smiled at her, standing up, leaning on his crutch. "C'mon, you can walk me to my room. One, I'll need help down the stairs. Two, that way you know where to find me if you ever need anything."

          He was right in front of her now. "And anyway, if the jackets any indication, you'll look good in the rest of my clothes too."

          She could not possibly get any redder. How red was she? She wasn't even cold anymore. She was warm as hell (ironic). She was overheating. Self-combusting. Suffering severe heart dysrhythmias that were noticeable without an EKG.

          "I'm only coming to help you down the stairs," she decided, looking down, away from him. "I can't borrow anymore clothes."

          He nodded, opening the door for her. "Of course, yeah." The look in his eyes told her that he knew something she didn't, and quite frankly she didn't want to find out.

          It was a whole ordeal getting Xavier down the stairs. I know what you're thinking, it should be easy to get Xavier down the stairs, just hold onto him. Stop right there, that was the problem. Giavanna was uncomfortable touching him. She hesitated to put her arm around him, he said it was alright, she asked if he was sure he was fine with this, he asked if she was uncomfortable with this, she started stumbling over her words, then he said he could get down by himself. He looked like he was going to end up falling down the staircase so Giavanna swept in, grabbed onto his waist, and helped him down. She kept apologizing for touching him, she was extremely uncomfortable the entire time, and once they were done getting down all the steps, she distanced herself from him.

          Xavier had a much easier and more independent time getting upstairs. He did take note of how she was always half a step behind him on the stairs, however. In case he did fall, she'd be there.  

          She found out the next morning what Xavier knew. She was the tallest girl in the school. Wednesday's offer of borrowing Enid's clothes would've got her charged with public indecency. It was either be cold again or borrow clothes from someone that was taller than her, and therefore, their clothes would fit her.

          Want to know who was taller than her? The options were thin.

          Xavier Thorpe stood two inches taller than her 6'0 frame, his clothing fit similarly on her as how it fit on him, with the exception of a noticeable tightness at her chest and her hips. The joggers were otherwise loose, and she fancied up the long sleeve t-shirt by tucking it in to give herself a waist again.

          She finally got access to a brush and took out all the knots in her hair. Giavanna even got to braid her hair because Xavier had a few ponytails laying around. She smiled, thinking about him with his hair in a bun.

          When she stepped out of the bathroom, she struck a pose. "How do I look?"

          Xavier looked up from packing his bag. He glanced over her slowly, smile pulling up. "I was right. You wear it better than me."

          "Please, with the bags under my eyes and my countless blemishes, I'm struggling for a 4/10." She moved forward, hands behind her back. Her braid swung behind her. "Speaking of bags, you didn't sleep well last night either, did you?"

          The sound of his zipper closing his books in was the only thing that sounded in the room. The room with two perfectly made beds, one as equally as unused as its counterpart, who had lost its host back in the first semester.

          "Do I look that bad?" He asked, keeping his gaze down, checking his front backpack pocket like he was looking for something, and not to avoid her stare.

          She shook her head immediately. "No," for some reason sleep deprived looked good on him. "I think you look great- not like that – not not like that – " He smirked, shaking his head, and she covered her face. "I'm sorry. I meant, your beds made, and I'm taking the guess that you didn't make it this morning already."

          He held his backpack against his crutches, putting them under his arms. "Good eye," he conceded, moving forward, around the bed, to the front door. Giavanna followed, hoping she didn't upset him and ready to apologize for intruding.

          He grabbed a long jacket from the coat stand, but didn't put it on. He passed it back to her, grabbing a second one for himself. "I have trouble sleeping, yeah. I'm fine though, really, nothing to worry about."

          But if he cared enough to remember to give her a jacket, and if he cared enough to offer his clothes, then she would worry.

          They headed down to breakfast together, Giavanna helping him down the stairs with an arm around his waist and his arm around her shoulders. Of course, like the night prior (or really, very early in this morning), as soon as they were on level ground she was off of him and an 1800's era appropriate distance from him.

          At their first step away from the stairs, Xavier paused. "What did you mean, either?"

          Her brows knit. "What?"

          "You said 'you didn't sleep well either'. You didn't sleep well?"

          He remembered that? He was thinking about that? He cared enough to question her about it?

          "Oh, uh, slip of the tongue – "

          "You're still worried, aren't you."

          The accusatory tone accompanied with the pining stare? There was no point in fighting it off.

          This time she walked beside him, keeping slow to stay at his side.

          "It's hard to get it out of my head. I know," without a shadow of a doubt, "that whatever tried to kill me, is going to come back, and here I am, without a single coherent memory. I've got blurry thoughts in my head that when I try to grab on, it's sand that falls to the ground."

          "You've got friends on your side now, though," Xavier responded right away. "Wednesday, I know how she can come off like she wants you to die, but she's just blunt. She's on your side, and that basically means you've got the winning team."

          Giavanna smiled, and this one was just like all the rest. Captivating, beautiful, distracting. The difference? Fake. "It's nice how you speak about your friends."

          He shrugged. "Treat others how you want to be treated."

          Internally she deflated further. A stark contrast to her exterior, which conveyed nothing of the bags of sand that were her emotions.

          It was too taxing to try and keep the conversation going so Giavanna studied the architecture, pretending to admire it, care about it, memorize it. There was nothing of interest in the stone archways, the carvings in doorways, the cobwebs she definitely noticed but made no remark about. They got to the dining hall and as he moved ahead, carefully navigating through the crowd, she swiftly turned around and left. As soon as she was out the doors and out of view, she turned invisible, lips hardly moving for her quick spell.

          Then, despite walking past countless students, she attracted no attention. She was able to make her way outside in the chilly weather, were she wasn't subject to shakes because of the warm jacket she had been given. She found a tree on the grounds, about two hundred yards from the lake, and that's where she sat.

          What wasn't she expecting? To be overwhelmed like that. The fact that someone actually listened to what she said and then questioned her about it? Why would anyone care about if she slept or not? It didn't affect them. And then he had just been so nice, it would be easy to care about him. Too easy. Pietro always warned her about attachments. She couldn't form them. They would only hurt her in the end.

          No. She couldn't do it. They'd only be hurt when she died.

          Her knees came up, her arms wrapped around them, and she stared out, a deep sadness filling her hollow self.

          Even without her memories, she recalled vague concepts. Empty halls. Quiet days. A single set of dinnerware on the table. That felt right. Good. No one would mourn you if there was no one there to mourn.

          She really should just leave now. She was only making it harder on herself by sticking around. But how would she leave? Where would she go? She had no money, no solid memories, no concept of her whereabouts. . .

          Then there was the issue of Wednesday. The girl promised to find her if she ran, and Giavanna didn't doubt her –

          "Not a fan of large crowds?"

          "SHIT!"

          Giavanna flung herself sideways, invisibility spell gone. Her heart pounded as she looked up at Wednesday Addams, and the saying 'speak of the devil' had never been so true.

          The girl was unimpressed, dark lips pressed. "And here I thought you had runaway."

          Not yet.

          "It's good that you stayed. Fighting on familiar ground gives you a leg up, and you'll need the leg."

          Her brows knit.

          "Why is that?"

          "Because, a demon is trying to kill you."

          Wednesday's hands folded behind her back and she turned sideways, facing the lake. Meanwhile Giavanna's heart clenched from a steel fist and she struggled to breathe. From the shock and previous rib issue.

          "I have theories but I need more information – "

          "Why would a demon be trying to kill me?" Giavanna cut in, horrified, and yet knowing, without a shadow of a doubt, that it felt true. And that meant the people around her were in even more danger.

          "At first I thought you sold your soul. But I splashed holy water on you – "

          "What?"

          "And you didn't steam. You also wear a cross around your neck, and such a holy symbol would surely burn the damned."

          Giavanna looked down at her neck, couldn't see it because of the jacket, and looked back up.

          "Therefore, somebody else made a deal with a demon and you were the price they paid. Very stereotypical offering up the first born at the age of 16. Enid asked if your middle name was Aurora."

          "Who?"

          "I don't know. Must be some witch." She pivoted on her platform shoes, which added at least two inches to her short figure. "Why the demon is after you right now is less important. What is important is that you didn't summon this demon, and are therefore no longer a suspect."

          "I was a suspect?!"

          "Of course." Why did Giavanna feel ridiculous for not realizing she was a suspect? Because she was the victim here! Why would she be a suspect?!

          Wednesday nodded. "Now comes phase two. Figuring out where your demon is."

          "Okay Fred Jones, what're you gonna do, set a trap?"

          "I don't know who that is." Neither did Giavanna. "But yes, that's the plan. We, are going to set a trap. Now, how good are you at twin potions?"

~

          The only reason Giavanna was going along with this was because she needed to collect supplies. The twin potion had given her an idea, and she cursed herself for not thinking of this sooner; a memory potion. It was so simple!

          Wednesday had class so she left Giavanna in her room for the meantime. That's why she met Enid, and the girl drained her energy bubble even more.

          "Oh my gosh, hi! It's so nice to officially meet you. Unofficially we met last night – well this morning. I was one of the wolves you kinda netted up. But no hard feelings, I totally get we came on strong! I'm just so new to the whole wolfing out thing and when I picked up on Wednesday's scent I was like why is she out here? And so then I came over and then I saw her on the ground and everything just sorta happened but totally no hard feelings!" Enid had mastered the art of speaking without breathing. She had said everything above without pausing a single time. How she did it was by supernatural means, there was no other explanation.

          "Anyway, hi!" She exclaimed, and threw her arms around Giavanna's middle. She squeezed tight, and Giavanna's eyes bulged. Her ribs had never hurt more and her cheeks puffed out to swallow the hacks.

          "I love your name by the way, do you have a nickname? Like Gia? Or Vanna? Ana?"

          Released from the death trap, she coughed, and answered with a red face and watery eyes. "Oh, uh, Pietro calls me Vanna."

          Enid's blue eyes blew open, and they were already bright from the makeup that complimented it, but now? There weren't even that many stars in the sky. "Is that your boyfriend?"

          "Ew, no, my brother – "

          "Awe, I was gonna say we could totally do a double date thing. I really want to go on one but Wednesday's first crush – "

          Wednesday glared.

          "Actually turned out to be this Hyde and now he's in a mental institute. He was totally brain washed so they're trying to work through his issues."

          A memory struck her and she nodded, losing herself to the memory. The next time she spoke, it was slow, mind running to snatch the foggy memory and settling at watching it from a distance. "I've met a Hyde before. My mom got me one as a pet."

          Enid's mouth closed, whatever she was going to say vanished from sight.

          Wednesday fixated on her, watching her every move.

          Giavanna didn't move, eyes not processing anything, mindlessly staring forward. "I was its master. . .she had mental health issues, which lead to the Hyde coming out. She made me sad. I looked at her and I saw myself. . .neither of us had a future. . .I ordered the Hyde to never appear again. The girl returned home. . ." Giavanna smiled, a tear along her waterline. "She forgot about me. She was uh, put in an institution for a little bit, ended up doing good and now she's a 4.0 student in high school."

          Giavanna ended up sitting down on a black sheeted bed. She didn't remember walking, but that's where she ended up. When she finally came to again, blinking away the coldness from the tears that dried on her face, she was all alone.

          Her movements were sluggish. She found a piece of parchment and a sparkly pen on what was clearly Enid's side of the room. She wrote down a list of ingredients and instructions for the twin potion, only she left out the most important component. There was no way in hell she was allowing anyone to take her face. If she died, she died. She didn't need anyone else on her conscience.

          On the backside of the paper, she cast a spell.

          "I don't want anyone to see, make this writing only for me," she whispered, and then she began to write. This was the memory potion, which she wrote down because she didn't trust her own memory at this point.

          After all, she had no recollection of a brother, and yet she had talked about one. This morning she had no recollection of a Hyde, and yet she had one was a pet. And since when had her mother ever gifted her anything before? When had she ever been around long enough to give her anything?

          It was all so confusing. She needed this memory potion, and she needed it as soon as possible. She needed to make it tonight, and tomorrow?

          Tomorrow was when she would leave. As soon as those first classes started, she'd be gone. That would give her a big enough leg ahead where no matter what Wednesday did, she wouldn't be able to catch up.

          All she had to do was get the supplies.

~

          "You wear a lot of black," Giavanna commented, looking at Wednesday's new outfit. New in the sense that it wasn't what she had dressed in that morning.

          Apparently there was an incident with a Bianca girl and lunch.

          "So Vanna, how are we going to get these supplies? I mean, I hardly think we'll be able to find these things with the normies," Enid commented, staring at the list.

          The four of them (Wednesday, Enid, Xavier, Giavanna) were walking towards the perimeter, the point where her wards stopped and the free world started.

          "Portal," Vanna answered. "It's the quickest way to get anywhere, but tricky. A lot can go wrong."

          "Which is why we shouldn't be doing this," Xavier said for the twelfth time. He was adamantly against this, and since no one came to their senses from his mother henning, he of course had to supervise. "Last time you made a portal you fell four stories."

          "What?" Vanna made a face. "I did not – Oh, that's uh, that was how I hit my head. Yeah." She rubbed the back of her bruised, stitched head. Even now she wore sunglasses because outside was too bright for her, even though it was wracked with clouds. "Forgot, sorry."

          "Does it hurt?" Xavier lowered his voice, keeping the question private.

          Warmth itched up her neck, she lowered her hand from her head. "No, I'm fine, really. How's your leg?"

          He grinned. "My leg is fine. You have a habit of avoiding topics about yourself."

          "So yeah, portals – " Xavier rolled his eyes. "are complicated enough with one person. You have to have a clear image in your head otherwise you'll end up anywhere, like the roof of a school you've never been to. And when you're taking multiple people, that's even worse. So, to avoid all of us going to random places, I printed off the store we're headed to. Just look at the picture, and keep looking at it as we go through the portal, and you'll be good."

          "What if we're looking at the store but thinking of someplace else?"

          "Don't."

          "But what if – "

          "In that case, Wednesday will knock you out and drag you through the portal."

          Enid's eyes widened.

          "I really love your makeup by the way. It's so nicely blended."

          That distracted her easily. "Oh my gosh, we should totally have a sleepover night! We'll do face masks and paint each other's nails, and in the morning we can do each other's makeup! It'll be so much fun!"

          The annoying thing was? That did sound like fun. That sounded like something Vanna would love, and that was why she couldn't do it. It was just another way to form attachments and like people and she couldn't do that. She had to keep her distance.

          So she smiled, heart breaking, and laughed. "That honestly does sound really nice. We'll do it in my room so Wednesday doesn't murder us."

          "I broke out into hives the last time she hosted a sleepover in our room."

          "I said I was sorry! I didn't know you were allergic to – "

          At this point, Xavier whispered 'fun' while Enid said 'face masks!'

          Vanna's smile only grew, her chest tightening making it difficult to take a deep breath. She kept silent for the rest of the walk, until they reached the perimeter. The other three continued to talk, which was actually more Xavier and Enid holding a conversation and Wednesday occasionally interjecting.

          They stopped and she gave a quick rundown. "Okay, I'm going to step out of bounds. I'll make the portal, and then you guys come out. You're safer in here so just wait for me to stick my hand through here, okay? You'll have a hard time seeing me once I'm outside."

          She got three nods, and so she stepped through the wards, exposing herself to the world. At this point, she worked quickly, anxiety raging, hairs on her arms raised.

          4% of her concentration deviated when a figure joined her side. She continued to draw into the ground, whispering her spell as she went. Black fog began to seep out, and it spread, curling up, crawling on Vanna's outstretched hand. She stood, and looked to Xavier.

          "You don't listen well, do you?"

          He shrugged. "Thought you might try to run."

          Was she really that obvious? Damn! She had to play it off. She winked at him, gracing him with a cocky grin as she stuck her free hand back through the portal and waved them forward.

          "Without saying goodbye to you? I'd never forgive myself."

          He turned red just as Enid and Wednesday walked through.

          Enid immediately paled. "Is it supposed to look like that? It's so creepy."

          "It's a portal, and my magic typically has a black manifestation. Although I think I had a purple manifestation once – "

          Enid held up a hand, face turning more serious than Vanna would think possible for her. Her nose started to twitch, and she stepped forward, eyelids lowering into focus. Vanna didn't know if it was consciously or not, but her multicolored nails were elongating, stretching into claws that had none of the delicateness they previously had.

          "What is it?" Xavier asked the sniffing Enid, stepping closer to Vanna.

          "I smell something. . .burning?"

          It was like that was a trigger word. The minute it was out, Vanna's skin started to smolder.

          "AH!" She screamed, grabbing onto her forearm where the black fog tightened like a silk scarf attempting to cut off circulation. Not only that, but it increased in temperature too. Steam poured up, off the jacket as it burned through, and when it got to her skin, she cried for real, the pain forcing a larger inhale than she could afford. With her already there breathing issues, she struggled to cope, falling into a coughing fit as she clawed at her arm.

          "What's happening?!" Xavier exclaimed, grabbing for the magic. He cried out, hands sizzling from his quick hold.

          "It's been hijacked! My portal! I can't –  AH!"

          See, that was another thing about portals that made them kinda sucky. They could be jinxed, just like Giavanna's was. Jinxed could mean a number of things, that she could end up in a terrible location, a pocket dimension, she could end up in the wrong point in time; anything. And she knew right now, that this portal was taking her on a first class trip to hell.

          She was yanked down into the fog; only she wasn't alone as a hand had grabbed onto her arm; condemning them with her.

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*Warning Adult Content*

ON A LIGHT NOTE Chapter 24

Adyen

"Hey, don't ruin that, we just got it." 

I heard people playing catch out in the open parking lot of the abandoned apartment building.

The ball they were using was one of the many items that had been gifted to Naylan's pack as hand me downs from Georgiou's.

They had gotten everything from clothes to motorcycles, kitchenware and tools.   

I remember Naylan being excited as he and a few other wolves he'd entrusted with organizational roles had sorted through the packages.

I smiled and watched the group for a bit before heading into the building.

The resource trading was just the start of the alliance or at least that's what Naylan had said.

He talked about his pack like he was building a civilization from scratch.

Very boyish but endearing.     

When I got to Naylan's room I knocked on the door and listened for him to tell me to go in before wandering into the bedroom.   

Naylan was standing by the window in a loose t-shirt and a pair of blue shorts.

I walked over to him, falling into the space he had created beside him by the window by scooting to the side a bit. 

"How are you?" he asked in a soft voice after a while of both of us staring out into the empty parking lots and leveled ground.     

"I'm doing alright," I muttered, holding on to the windowsill as I hummed to myself.

"I'm done packing," I muttered,and Naylan nodded, not saying anything in reply.   

Exams were around the corner and I was leaving for Nova Scotia right after my last exam to meet my mum.

I had lived through the past few weeks not really thinking about it but now with every passing day, I felt a greater mix of excitement and panic.

My mum had helped to arrange the plane ticket herself, so I hadn't had to worry about costs.   

"You should have fun when you go see her," Naylan said, making me turn to look at him.

He still had his gaze facing forward but his brows had softened.

"I haven't seen her in a while, so take lots of pictures, okay?"   

I smiled at my brother, nodding my head.

"I will."   

"Do you need a ride to the airport when the time comes?" Naylan asked me.     

"No."

I licked my lips.

"Len's going to help me carry my stuff. We'll just take the bus to the airport," I explained and Naylan just grunted, making me raise a brow at him.     

"You know, sometimes I'm not sure if you like or hate Len," I said.

Naylan shrugged.

"It's none of the above."

"You're indifferent?" I asked and he nodded.     

"Yeah."

He leaned off the windowsill.

"I don't really have a reason to be, if I'm being honest, maybe it's just big brother genes," he joked, laughing as he wandered off the sofa.

He took a seat, making the foam sink.

I stared at him for a bit before wandering over to the couch and sitting beside him.     

"Hey," he started, looking over at me.

"What do you like about Len?"   

I blinked, not expecting that question.

"Well, he's very caring," I started, wondering where I was going with this.

I couldn't exactly explain why I liked Len so much, I just know that as days passed, I liked him even more.

He was the first proper boyfriend that I had and his ideas for his future were in line with mine.   

 "He's caring? Is that why he hasn't marked you yet?" Naylan asked, making me instinctively reach for my neck.     

"Well, sort of," I responded, even though I knew Naylan's tone was supposed to be sarcastic.

"He's afraid that he's going to hurt me. I can't heal crazy fast like you guys," I explained, watching as my brother's eyes fell to the floor.

He didn't seem to be buying it.

Instead, he shrugged his shoulders and rested his back on the headrest of the sofa.   

"It just worries me," Naylan said, looking out into the room.

There was shouting coming in fluent French coming from outside.

It was just wolves playing around but I lost my focus for a bit and it took a while to zone back into the conversation. 

"What worries you?" I asked, raising a brow at him.     

He let out a sigh, humming for a bit.

"I don't know, I think it's a 'me' thing. Wolves with proper packs used to look down on rouges and street packs. I don't know... I guess I'm a bit worried Len will reject you or something..."   

"He wouldn't do that," I said, cutting my brother off.

"You're being paranoid," I said, licking my lips.

A lot of my troubles with Len had come from him trying to make sure that I didn't turn him down or run away.

Naylan's analysis of the situation was far off, though I could see where he was coming from.   

"Len is just worried that I might not want to really be part of this wolf business..." I trailed, rubbing the back of my neck.

"And to be honest at some point I was so stressed that I did want a lot of it to stop and just go away for a bit," I admitted.

My brother just looked at me, not saying anything.   

"This whole thing is new to me. Even though I want to be part of it and integrate, Len's not wrong for sensing that I have some hesitations and frustrations," I explained, resting my back on the sofa.     

"You're not going to say anything?" I asked Naylan after we spent a few minutes in silence together.     

"What am I supposed to say? You made a lot of sense, so I think I get it now," he said, staring at the television that was attached to the car battery.

It was off. Naylan's pet rodent was walking around in the cupboard space of the T.V. stand.     

"I get mad at him a lot but it's because I feel that he shouldn't keep things that worry him to himself..." I trailed, somewhat chafing the conversation.

"I'm going to meet his parents in the summer. I wonder what that'll be like... rural wolves." 

My brother's ears perked up.

This was a conversation he was interested in.

I knew how much he wanted to have a 'proper' pack and Len being from one had both fascinated him and made him wary.   

"Will you send me pictures?" he asked. 

I shrugged.

"Sure, if you want."     

He smiled before looking away.

"Maybe I should talk to Len, invite him for a drink or something?"   

I laughed.

"Len's a terrible drunk." 

The thought was amusing to me.

He was a lightweight and I've seen him tipsy a few times... most of the occasions being at his apartment where his roommates would get him to join them.

He just napped, said rubbish and puked.

If it wasn't for all this werewolf stuff I never would have spoken to Len.

He was awkward, not very social and not someone who liked to leisure drink, fuck or party.

Everything that I did as a defense mechanism not to seem like an easy target for bullying and not to seem lonely.

I don't regret that we met.

I clearly had been mismanaging my emotions and social issues and now that I had Len those were things of the past.

"That's too bad," my brother said, shrugging.     

I smiled at Naylan, not saying anything and letting the room fall into a comfortable silence.

It was getting late and I wanted to head to Len's place so that we could study together but I felt a need to spend more time with Naylan.

I don't know, maybe I was subconsciously trying to make up for all the time we couldn't spend together as a family because of our separation.

Also, Naylan moving his pack in summer meant that I wouldn't be able to see him much again.

It was already a log drive on the bus to get here and the bus wouldn't be heading to the outskirts where Naylan's pack planned to move. 

"Hey, Naylan," I started saying, making my brother look over at me.

"When are you moving the pack again?" I asked, not able to remember when exactly he had proposed a move.

I knew some of the pack members had gone to sort of territory markings and started setting up cabins with the help of wolves in Georgiou's pack.   

"Middle of June," he answered.   

"I see..." I trailed, wondering if Naylan had caught the hint of sadness in my voice.

"We won't be seeing each other much when I come back from vacation in Alberta with Len then."     

"Yes," he said as his eyes went wide for a moment.

I wondered if he was just realizing the implications of the move.     

"Though, you can come over for weekends and holidays. I'll set up a cabin for you," he said, thinking fast.     

I smiled at the sentiment, nodding my head as I looked away from him.

I could do that... make time to visit him on weekends.

It would be like camping every other week.

I haven't seen the site for myself but what I heard from the mouths of wolves that helped them out was that it looked like a calm summer camp of some sort.     

"Naylan," I called my brother, thinking of something we had talked about before.

He looked over at me, raising one of his brows.

"What?" 

"You said that you weren't sure if you would ever find your mate because Toronto's a big city," I recalled, and he stared at me for a moment before nodding his head.

"Yeah."     

"Moving off-grid will make it even harder, wouldn't it?" I reasoned, watching a weak smile form on my brother's face before he nodded.   

"Yeah," he responded, pulling on one of his curls.

"But I don't think I mind. It's what I want... the pack that is. Finding my mate will be nice but I've given up on that if I'm being honest," he said and I just sighed.     

We soon started talking about something less heavy... my schoolwork and his pet guinea pig being a pain in the ass by chewing on wires and shredding paper.     

Conversations like those were the highlights I liked to leave Naylan with.

The heavy stuff was important but joking around and bonding was how we fostered good memories that we missed out on because of our separation.

[ali-writes-things]

One Shot - LAWKIT

THREE YEARS, TEN MONTHS, AND TWO WEEKS AGO

December 20th, 2018

Mallory:

Four vodka lemonades on an empty stomach was probably a bad idea. But of course, it's one of those things that didn't feel like a poor choice until after you've already done it.

And I'd already done it.

Oh well, we're this far. Might as well keep going. Tomorrow was going to be rough as it was. What's another drink?

I sidled up to the bar and slid onto one of the many empty bar stools in my favorite dive bar on campus. Of course, because I'm ridiculously graceful when I've had a few, as I adjusted myself on the seat, I slammed into something on my right.

"Oof!"

I hopped off the bar stool and rushed over to the man on the ground. "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry!"

He stood up and brushed his hands on his pants as he turned toward me (I didn't even want to think about what kind of substances he'd just touched from the floor). "No harm, no foul. I probably deserved it."

I laughed a little nervously. "Well, I don't know about that." Something about his face looked vaguely familiar. Which, after going to the same university for 4 years, wasn't saying much. There was just a likely a chance that I knew him from a lecture hall freshman year - that he'd claimed an unofficial assigned seat for the semester somewhat near mine - as it was that I'd been introduced to him before. "Hey, don't I know you? Your blurred figure looks familiar."

He laughed and I thought I could spend my whole life trying to hear that sound again. "We're in the same discussion group for Stinson's Victorian Literature class."

I hit my forehead (and if I'm being completely honest with myself, I hit my forehead way too hard. Like, "that's gonna leave a mark" too hard). "That's right. Joey!"

His smile grew. "Joel."

"Duh, Joel. I knew that." I paused and held out my hand. "I'm Mallory!"

"I know."

I slid back onto my bar stool and Joel did the same. I ordered another vodka lemonade from Tony the bartender (probably not a great sign that I was on a first name basis with the guy) and turned to face my new friend. "So what brings you out tonight?"

"Nothing really. I finished my last exam and came out with some friends for trivia."

I glanced around the room. "We're the only people in here."

"Well, they left after we lost horribly." He laughed. "We're not very good at bar trivia, but we come every week anyway."

"You do? That's weird. So do I!" There's a pretty good chance that I said this louder than I needed to.

"Again, I know. It's not a large bar, Mal."

"On a nickname basis already, are we?"

"Why not? We've only been in 3 of the same classes over the last 2 years and I see you here every week." He paused and sipped his beer. "We're basically best friends."

I laughed. "I can live with that."

The conversation lulled as we both sipped our drinks.

"So," Joel started. "It would seem that your friends left you as well."

"Yeah, they weren't all done with the semester, so they went back to the library." I paused. "I don't live far from here, so they're only kind of assholes for leaving me here on my own."

There's that laugh again. "Well, how about we finish this round and then I'll walk you home?"

I smiled. "That sounds great."

THREE YEARS, EIGHT MONTHS, AND TWO WEEKS AGO

February 22nd, 2019

Joel:

Shit. Shit. Shit.

"Could you, like, say something?"

I took my head out of my hands and looked at Mallory. She was standing in the middle of my living room and wringing her hands like she was trying to pull them off her wrists.

"Are you sure?" I asked, even though I knew she was.

Mal laughed without humor and pointed to the Ziploc bag next to me on the couch. Three tests with two pink lines stared back at me. "Yeah, pretty sure."

"I can't believe this." I ran my hands through my hair.

I really need a haircut...God, NOT NOW, JOEL. Focus.

"You and me both, buddy."

She moved to sit next to me on the couch, tucking her legs under her and grabbing the nearest throw pillow. She hugged the pillow to her chest and looked over at me. I could see the tears building behind her eyes. Her voice broke as she asked me, "What am I going to do?"

I. What am I going to do?

Not we. Not you. Not us.

I.

She was giving me an out. Our one night stand turned awkward acquaintance came to this...and she was giving me an out?

Did I want it? I'm only 22. This isn't exactly what I foresaw giving myself as a graduation present.

Maybe a new set of AirPods. Certainly not a kid.

I'd been quiet too long. I could see out of the corner of my eye that Mallory was starting to squirm and if I left it too much longer, she'd be up and out of here.

In that moment I knew what I had to do.

I grabbed her hand between both of mine and waited until she lifted her gaze to mine. "No, Mal, what are we going to do?"

Well, that did it. The dam broke. Now she was full out sobbing on my couch.

I just hope that Paul doesn't come home right now. "Hey buddy. How was class? By the way, this is Mallory, my baby mama." Nope, nope, nope.

"You don't have to do this," she choked out between sobs. "This isn't your problem if you don't want it to be."

My gut instinct was to say, "It's not a problem." But she and I would both know that was a lie.

"You barely know me," Mallory continued. "We can't raise a baby together. What if we have completely different values!?"

"I'm not sure that's the first thing we should be considering in this moment," I said with a small smile.

It worked. Now instead of crying, she was hysterically laughing.

"Wow. Is this something I have to look forward to for the next 7 months?"

"Only if you want it to be."

THREE YEARS, FIVE MONTHS, AND TWO WEEKS AGO

May 30th, 2019

Joel:

"Honestly, Joel, I don't mind if you want to go out. Like, I don't plan on getting up from this couch for the next 3 days, but you totally can."

"What? And miss the penultimate episode of Hell's Kitchen?" I adjusted myself on the couch next to her and pulled her swollen foot onto my lap. I began to massage slowly and a moan actually escaped her lips. "Will Gordon Ramsey yell at someone? Will anyone cook the risotto right?"

She laughed and I felt like I'd won a little victory.

"But you graduated!"

"So did you," I countered.

"I know, but..." She gestured to the unmistakable baby bump under her t-shirt.

"Mal, if you're not going out, I'm not going out," I dug a little deeper into the sole of her foot and her moan was louder that time. "We can celebrate together after this little one is here."

She hesitated. "But this is just on Hulu! This season aired years ago." Mal grabbed her phone and unlocked it. "Like, I could look up right now who wins."

I shoved her phone back into her lap. "Don't you dare ruin this for me, Locke!"

"Okay, Finley, you win." She paused and settled back into the couch, unconciously placing her hands on her stomach. "We'll stay in."

Point: Joel.

"But can we order Ian's? I have a real hankering for Mac N Cheese pizza."

"We can get whatever you want. You're the one growing a human."

Mallory smiled softly. "I am...aren't I?"

THREE YEARS, ONE MONTH, AND TWO WEEKS AGO

September 7th, 2019

Mallory:

"Mom, mom wake up!"

Okay, that might have been a little aggressive. Let's try that again.

"Mom...mummy...mommy dearest." I shook her a little and suddenly her arms flew up in the air. I had to jump back to avoid being hit in the face. "Whoa!"

My mom's eyes shot open as she slowly woke up and took in her surroundings. "Mallory! What in God's...what are you doing?"

"Joel and I are headed to the hospital..." I paused and grinned at my mom. "It's time."

My mom threw the covers off and jumped from bed. "What? I'll grab my go bag."

Of course my mother had packed her own hospital bag.

I laughed and pushed her back down. "No, mom, it could be hours. I just didn't want you to wake up and be worried. Joel will call you when they're here."

"I want to come," she argued. "It's my grandbaby."

A small smile came over my lips as I remembered my mom's original reaction when I told her I was having a baby with a boy I barely knew...and was due just months after I was going to graduate college.

Let's just say she was not quite as supportive as she seemed this evening.

"That's..." Oh. My God. "Owwwwwww." I bent over and placed my hands on the edge of my mom's bed as I rode through yet another contraction.

You might think that as time went on, they would get easier because you're used to it.

You'd be wrong.

There's JUST enough time between contractions that you forget the pain, and it's like the first time all over again.

"Mallory!" Joel's voice floated up the stairs. "Mal!"

"I'm...fine!" I got out as the contraction ended. I looked back at my mom and gave her a hug. "We'll see you soon." I paused. “All three of us.”

– Several Hours Later --

"I don't know why they always show women screaming and writhing in the movies. Once the drugs kick in this is easy as pie."

Joel laughed as he tucked me into the hospital bed for about the tenth time in just as many minutes. "I'm just glad you stopped squeezing my hand every two minutes. I thought you were going to tear it right off."

"You told me to squeeze it!" I said defensively.

"Well, I didn't realize that you'd take the task so seriously. I still can't feel my pinky."

"I'm sorry," I said sheepishly.

"It's fine. I'll know for next time." His eyes shot wide as what he said sunk in, but just as I was about to respond a doctor came into the room.

"Time to check Mallory again," she said as she rubbed her hands together in a futile attempt to warm them up before pressing them against my skin. The doctor spread my legs and as she came out from under the blanket, she was smiling. "We're ready to push."

[rrxnjun]

your city gave me asthma. lmk

pairing. lee mark x reader

genre. college au | angst

warnings. an accidental cut wound, homesickness

wc. 2.6k

notes. this is just a glimpse of my feelings after moving away for uni. life is hard, school is overwhelming, but most of all, it's lonely. never knew just how much i could miss home before i moved out. this drabble is very personal with pretty much every word i wrote, so please handle it with care <3 :)

where mark doesn't want you to visit him at university.

Dragging his feet along the ground, kicking away the stray leaves that fall down from the tired trees shielding him from above, Mark Lee finds himself walking across the park that leads to his dorm building, sniffling occasionally from the cold. Snuggling his nose deeper into the fabric of his hoodie that he pulled up closer to his neck and tied the drawstring so it keeps him warm, he pulls out his phone from the pocket of his worn-out jeans and makes a few taps on the screen, scrolling through his contact list and hovering for a bit above the one with your name. 

Looking around for a second, as if to see if he’s alone in the park, he clicks on your name and presses the phone against his ear, listening to its ringing and waiting for you to pick up on the other side of the line. The ringing is slow and steady, making the boy go crazy from waiting, and when it gets just a beat too long, he almost pulls it off his ear and declines the call before you even get a chance to pick up. Once the fifth ring settles into his ear, though, the low beeping is cut off and the line is silent for just a second before he hears your voice– you finally pick up.

“Mark!” you gasp into the phone, making the boy smile to himself and slowly start walking through the park again, adjusting the backpack hanging off his right shoulder.

“Hi,” he replies, tone of voice subtly shy after calling you again after days and days of only texting, not used to the way your voice sounds in the phone and that he’s not on Facetime with you like he usually is when he’s in the (dis)comfort of his dorm room after a long day at university. Today, he chose to call you instead– to only hear your voice, because on days like these, even that is enough. The heaviness in his chest won’t let him sleep if he doesn’t talk to you for at least a few minutes, and the fact that you picked up despite your packed schedule makes his heart swell with fondness again.

“How are you?” you ask, your voice still chirpy and so, so excited. Mark wonders how you can do it– how you can always sound so cheerful despite the miles that are between you, despite the empty nothingness that must be in your chest ever since his departure; because if Mark feels it, you must as well, right? He’s not the only one with the hollowing pit inside of his stomach; not the only one that feels like suffocating every passing second that he’s not with you, right? 

He hopes he’s not alone in this. Because in every other aspect of his life right now, he feels like he is. He knows he is. He realizes it in every moment that passes in his life; he realizes it every morning when he wakes up in the cold dorm room he shares with a roommate that barely talks to him because he’s 2 years older and has other things to worry about, he realizes it every lunch break when there are no classmates sitting at his table with obnoxious laughter coming out their throats, he realizes it every afternoon when he walks home after his classes end and he surely realizes it every night when you’re not there cuddling him and providing him warmth. 

There’s no moment in his life when he would be completely alone. When he wakes up in the morning, there’s his roommate getting ready for his classes. At lunch, there’s plenty of people in the cafeteria and there are people sitting next to him in class, when he listens about the state of the current economy and tries to learn something useful for exams. He’s surrounded by people when he walks home through the town center, there’s people talking to him on the bus when they get lost along the way, there’s people bugging him when he shops for groceries and carries them to the dorm by himself, with no help. There’s always someone in his immediate reach, yet, he’s always lonely. It’s a bitter paradox.

He should tell you how he feels. Maybe he’ll find comfort in knowing you feel the same. Maybe he’ll find it easier to get through the semester knowing that you’re out there, yearning for his presence just as much as he is for yours. 

But that’s not the kind of person Mark Lee is at this very moment. And so, to answer your question, he chooses the easier alternative. He lies.

“I’m alright! Just got done with classes for the day. I’m on my way home and I missed you, so I wanted to call and see how you’re doing,” he mumbles, trying to sound the most cheerful he can, not letting you see any sign of discomfort or anxiety from being so far away from home.

“That’s good! I hope the classes were interesting, Markie,” you say, making him chuckle at the clingy nickname you sometimes let slip out of your mouth, “I got home at 2 and then went to hang out with girls from high school. I have plenty of assignments to get done already, but I’ll get to them after we finish our call.”

“I hope I’m not… you know. Interrupting you in work or something,” Mark mumbles, too hesitant to be annoying you when you have important things to do. The truth is, Mark doesn’t think he’s the smarter one in this relationship– he never thought so in the first place, but after he got into a mediocre business school on the other side of the country and you got into a prestigious med school close to home, the fact was only further solidified. No amount of homework Mark could’ve gotten at university could be more difficult than whatever you have going on, and he knows that. His only wish is to not be the reason why you’re distracted and putting off your assignments.

“No! I want to talk to you,” you say, tone of voice sweet as honey, coating all of his wounds with a thick essence of love and tenderness, “how’s life there? We haven’t talked much since you moved out.”

The last sentence cuts him open and leaves him bleeding in the slowly darkening park, making him inhale sharply as he looks around and finds a bench to sit on, not really caring about the coldness of it on his bum.  It’s true– he moved out for university in September, with you hugging him tightly as he set on the train and never looked back in a fear of seeing everything he’s leaving behind waving at him, and now it’s November and he can only remember calling you no more than under 10 times, on occasions when he misses you the most. The reason? 

Again, he doesn’t want to bother you with his clinginess. He also doesn’t want to bother you with his loneliness. He doesn’t want to bother you at all– you have more important things to do than to worry about your boyfriend living on the other side of the country. 

“It’s… it’s good,” Mark lies, choosing to forget about all the parties he’s been to and hated, leaving before midnight, choosing to leave out the closed-off roommate and the kids in his class that only hang out together, leaving him out, “my classmates are… nice… and the course is super interesting as well… What about you, though? How’s life? Exciting?”

Humming, you reply to his burning question. “It’s alright, I guess. I mean… I hang out with Minji and Jisu from high school, so it’s not too lonely. I like the classes and everything and I think I’ll do well on my exams, so that’s comforting. I even made some new friends at the party we went to last week, they study Econ like you do!”

Mark finds himself getting lost in the tone of your voice, something about it picking him up and carrying him into your room, letting him feel the essence of your presence and the warmness of your persona. Humming, he finds himself asking you more about your experiences, for he despises talking about his own, wanting so desperately to hide away back home and find comfort in the known. “Woah, look at you being so social! I’m glad to hear that, baby. Where are they from?”

“Daegu,” you reply shortly. “What about you? Any new friends? Parties?”

“Yeah,” he nods, cutting it short. He doesn’t have much information to give you about the parties he’s been to or the people he’s met, mainly because he hated every moment of those gatherings and the classmates in his circle aren’t really his friends, only keeping the conversations surface-level and not trying to get to know him more. “They’re nice.”

“That’s all? They’re nice?”

“I mean.. we… we haven’t really talked much yet,” he clarifies, hoping this answer is enough for you.

“Mark… you have to get past it and talk to people! I know it’s hard, but I promise you can make friends easily. Just don’t let the fact that they’re reserved at first put you off, everyone’s a little shy sometimes,” you encourage him, making him instantly feel empty, hollowing the pit in his stomach even deeper.

“Yeah, yeah,” he mumbles, “I know.”

You’re silent for a few heartbeats, suddenly running out of things to talk about. Mark feels himself falling deeper and deeper into the hole of self-pity he’s been digging since he moved out across the country, trying hard to find anything to talk about, trying hard to tell you something new or exciting to pick up your interest, but failing. He can’t find anything he wants to share with you.

The truth is, partners should share stuff with each other. The exciting things, the sad things, the lonely things… all things. But as time passes, Mark finds himself sharing less and less with you, in fear of making you worry and judge him for the way he’s living in this very moment, in fear of being nothing more than an embarrassment to such a successful and amazing human as you are. 

As time passes, you know less and less of him, and he knows less and less of you. It feels off. It feels wrong. In all of his life, he always felt that you were the closest to him, no matter how far you were away from him. In this moment, though, he feels as if you were on another planet, in another universe, millions of lightyears away.

“Sometimes I walk down the street of your house and when I see the empty driveway, you know, where you used to park your car, I get so sad… time flies so fast, Mark, it feels like yesterday when we just met in high school and now we’re both adults and you’re living so far away…” 

Sniffling, now not only from the cold but also from the wave of emotion that hits the poor boy, Mark wipes away the stray tear that travels down his cheek. Clearing his throat so he doesn’t let you know that he’s crying, he keeps his answers short, afraid of his voice breaking and trembling, therefore not letting him mask his emotions. “I know.”

“It feels so empty without you here,” you say, only managing to break him more.

He doesn’t know if you realize it– just how much your words impact the way he feels right now. Not only does he feel lonely, but you probably do too. For years, it’s always been you two together, seeing each other every single day, cuddling away the worries and talking about everything. Now, it’s all different and you haven’t seen each other for two months, let alone touched each other and embraced each other’s broken bodies in a healing hug. He feels insanely bad for leaving you alone. It doesn’t matter just how lonely he feels every single day– it doesn’t matter just as much as your feelings do, at least in his eyes.

“It’s… it’s the same here,” he manages to get out, wiping away the tears that uncontrollably roll down his cheeks, feeling his lower lip trembling. Seeing a stranger walking down the park, he tries to hide away from their eyes, afraid of showing any kind of emotion to anyone. He feels embarrassed for crying like this. He should be good at handling it.

It’s always been his dream to move far away from home for university. So why the hell does he feel so lonely all the time? 

He never knew how homesick he could get until he didn’t start missing home. He guesses it’s true that you don’t value what you have until you lose it.

“Maybe… maybe I should come over? So we can talk?” you suggest, your tone of voice so low and broken that he almost feels like walking on shattered glass, the pieces of your relationship prickling him in the bottoms of his feet and leaving him bleeding on the concrete.

Your suggestion should make him happy. He should be excited to see you again, he should be head over heels to invite you to his dorm, to let you sleep over and show you around. He should be excited to show you the dorm he hates, the town he hates, the university he despises, the classmates he finds annoying, the coldness of it all, the roommate that constantly ignores him, the spiderwebs in the corners of his room, the messy handwriting in his notebooks from the lectures he couldn’t keep up with; he should be excited to show you the bus route to the grocery store that always makes him bored, the puddles in the park that never disappear because it rains all the time, the emptiness of his fridge because he can’t cook, the dark circles under his eyes because he can’t sleep, the wounds on his fingers from when he cuts his fruit when he’s distracted thinking of you, the bruises on his knees from when he fell over after tripping on the stairs at university, the dry plant he bought to make himself feel more at home but abandoned it the day after, because he's too tired to even look after himself… he should be excited to see you again, to hold you again, to kiss you again.

But he’s not. He doesn’t want you to come to this place. He doesn’t want you to invade his little, silent bubble. He doesn’t want you to see the sad little space he lives in, the rock hard bed he sleeps in, the cold of his dorms or the mess on the floor. He doesn’t want you to see the mess in his head. He doesn’t want you to see everything he despises, for you might make him have good memories in the places he hates, and he doesn’t think he could handle seeing the glimpses of you everywhere while knowing you’re so far out of his reach.

He doesn’t want you to see him struggle and cry when he knows you’re doing okay back at home, studying for your dream job, chasing your dream. 

He doesn’t want you to see just how lost he is. 

He doesn’t want you to come to him and see the mess he really is when he’s alone, he doesn’t want you to see him so vulnerable, for he knows the true intention of your visit and he doesn’t think he could make it if you really come over just to break up with him in person because you’d feel bad to do it over the phone after such a long time of being together and promising him you can make it long distance, but knowing all too well that that it's too much to handle for the both of you as soon as a few days passed after he left.

Mark Lee doesn’t want you to visit.

[tteokdoroki]

what he lost | k.bakugou.

⇝ pairing: katsuki bakugou x fem!reader.

⇝ word count: 5.4K

⇝ rating: for everyone.

⇝ genre: pro hero!au, exes!au, angst.

⇝ summary: back then; he was young, dumb and a little too prideful, taking your love for granted. now, years down the line he wonders if he’ll ever stand a chance in getting you back or the one in which katsuki bakugou grew up a little too late.

⇝ warning(s): please read ! heavy angst, no happy ending, mentions of toxic relationships, emotional distress, mentions of violence ( explosions, fight scenes, knives, blood ) and cursing all around.

⇝ author’s note(s): greetings everyone!! i hope you’re all doing well, today’s one-shot is a request from @killakatsuki​​, i know you wanted a happy ending but i got a little ahead of myself eee !! anyways thank you all for 400+ followers, i love you all :(

⇝ masterlist | requests

“katsuki bakugou if you leave me right now, please... please don’t come back.”

bakugou had always hated that, he thought, casting his gaze elsewhere in the room. he always hated how you cried when you were angry, red hot tears stinging a pathway down the apples of your usually glowing cheeks.

he couldn’t quite place the reasoning as to why. maybe it was because you rarely ever found yourself angry or perhaps it was how pathetic you looked when your bottom lip wobbled and your harsh words were laced with watery sobs.

or maybe it was because he didn’t want to feel sorry for you, didn’t want to comfort you when he was too prideful to admit that you were right. “whatever, don’t tell me what the fuck to do.” he spits, eyes and voice full of a venom he barely ever uses against you. he watches with a scarlet gaze as you falter, as if a knife has dug deep into your heart and cut you all up but bakugou only scoffs and continues to pack his side kick costume into the duffle bag he’s got on your shared bed.

every fibre of his being is tell him to reach out for you and apologise, he knows that he’s wrong. keeping his late night shifts from you, working extra hours— of course you were going to worry but he needed you to understand that being a hero was his dream above all else. the last thing he needed was a distraction like you.

something in you changed that night, both of you. as the rain hit hard on the roof of your shared apartment, even as you took his things and threw them out into the hall and even as you gave him one last chance on the doorstep. “you can leave now and not comeback or you can stay and we’ll talk this through—“ your eyes spoke to him in a silent plead, asking him if he would really give up the life that you’d built for lies and a better job?

but you knew the answer already.

“like i said,” katsuki rolled his eyes as knowing sobs wracked your body. “i never needed you anyways.”

you slammed the door before he could walk away and forget the tears in your eyes.

six years later and katsuki is pissed.

he’d been irritable since this morning when his interns fucked up the paperwork at his agency— leaving him to clean it up and then when his assistant brought him the wrong coffee and forgot to notify him of the pro hero meeting he was currently attending right at this very minute.

of course heroes of all different calibers were present; including none other than the number two, shoto todoroki, who was in charge of directing this week’s patrol missions but something about that only grinds the explosive pro’s gears even more. although, he could see himself being even more pissed if the number one; deku had shown his face instead of being away on an overseas mission. the schedule for this week’s patrol sits heavily in bakugou’s hand and he almost wants to burn it to pieces just at the thought of working with his future partner.

‘yn ln.’

the sight of your name printed in block capitals next to his has the ash blonde reeling, glancing up to send a blazing scowl towards shoto. he feels set up, as if the half hot, half cold bastard is dangling you right in front of him— its not like todoroki doesn’t know the history that sits between bakugou and yourself, after all,  he had been the friend you’d ran off to during the fight that ended your five year relationship.

it’s like todoroki had a sixth sense because by the time he’d finish announcing the pair ups, he’d tiredly caught wind of katsuki’s heated stare. “bakugou—“

“i wanna fuckin’ switch, icyhot.”

“you can’t.”

bakugou stands from his seat next to kirishima ( who only looks apologetically at his colleagues ), annoyance rippling through his veins as he approaches the taller male. “why the fuck not?” he growls, small explosions sparking in the palms of his sweaty hands ( he was undeniably nervous because of the impending patrol ) the group of heroes simultaneously sigh— having been used to the explosive pro’s usual outbursts.

todoroki sighs, running his cooler hand over his face. “because the pairs have been matched up by quirk and strength, on top of that they were done in advance so if you really have a problem with it then i suggest you take it up with the number one—“ the dual quirked hero falls silent, a triumphant smirk appearing on his lips as red riot pulls his friend away before it’s too late.

“dude, you can’t just go blowing people up!” the red head scolds beneath bakugou’s sailor mouth, wrestling him over to the couch.

katsuki feels defeated, there’s no way to get out of this situation. he’s done his best these last few years to avoid you like the plague. it was somewhat easy, considering you were lower in the ranks compared to him, so there wasn’t much time to interact anyway. but katsuki hated the fact that he had always thought you would fall below him.

nonetheless; he took to switching event time tables around, rejecting hang outs with his old high school friends... all to avoid you, and now that he had to see you face to face, he wasn’t sure how to react. would you still hate him? how did you feel about working with him?

there’s not much time to dwell on the thought for kirishima is already patting his back and guiding him out of the meeting as it ends, the promise of drinks at an ‘heroes only bar’ hanging in the air.

“you’re so handsome, ground zero ! thank you for protecting japan !”

bakugou can feel the bile rising in the back of his throat at the words from the sickly sweet fan, so he gives a nonchalant grunt in response as he finishes up his signature on her notebook before continuing his march to your hero agency. it’s been a few days since the meeting between the pro heroes and all the number three wants is to make it to your agency without being fawned over by more obsessive fans.

he gives the fan a casual wave, ignoring the look of disappointment on her face— either she was expecting his number or for him to grow bashful under her flurry of compliments but katsuki was never one for fan service.

he hated fans that expected something from him, ones who wanted more than a casual chat with their favourite pro hero but he wouldn’t let them in. they didn’t want the intimate, vulnerable sides of katsuki bakugou like you had— maybe that made the ash blonde stuck on you.

yn ln was the only girl in his life who had tried to understand the many layers of the hot headed hero, you saw past his aggressive nature and touched the deepest parts of his soul…parts that you longed to love and keep safe.

you’d loved him for who he was below the surface, not for the money and fame he had come to amass as number three in the ranks.

behind scarlet eyes are the best moments of the hero’s life, each shared with you. katsuki had took for granted the seconds you had been with him, even from the very start— he didn’t care for the way that you held him after he’d been kidnapped, clinging onto him like he’d disappear or would never return to your arms, he should have cherished the tears of worry you shed for him too but katsuki was too prideful at the time.

too full of himself even with his raging nightmares that you had managed to soothe.  

you’d comforted him after he’d failed the licensing exams, promised him he’d still get to be the greatest hero of all time and still, bakugou had cared for none of this. now that he’d thought about it, he hadn’t been good to you, he didn’t know how you’d dealt with they way he undermined your quirk and doubted your ability to protect him when he should have been the one to protect you.

your love was wasted on him, and for that bakugou needed to apologise.

hands in his pockets, katsuki’s mind could have been said to be away with the fairies, haunted by the night he came home with a half hearted apology on his lips to an empty apartment and a note from you. something about staying with the icyhot bastard and not to contact you.

that is until he collided with the back of someone in the crowd. “hey!” he’s quick to growl out to the figure, a slight snarl to the words leaving his mouth. “watch where you’re going, shitty extra—“

“ah, katsuki! nice to see you haven’t changed,” your voice sends shivers down the blonde’s spine, bright red eyes focusing on you and only you. your smile is bright, dazzling under the hot japan sun and even if katsuki hadn’t changed, you certainly had— your pretty eyes he used to get lost in, he used to watch glimmer with tears now hold a different kind of light, they greyish hue that dulled you over your time with him had finally cleared.

you looked healthy, happier and bakugou realises how much your relationship must’ve wore you down.

he feels like he doesn’t deserve the grin that you give him; the one you would save just for him in the early mornings you’d spent together back when you were dating. maybe that makes his heart jumps out of his chest.

“y-yn— “

he hadn’t prepared himself for your sweet, airy giggle that fills the space between you. “ground zero getting shy on me now? don’t tell me you forgot about our shift today, did’ya?”

“n-no, ‘course not, dumbass.” fuck, katsuki’s heart thumps against his ribcage so loud that he’s afraid you might hear it with the little distance between you. since when did you make him nervous? despite the pet name, you still give him a laugh as a flicker of fondness twinges in your bright eyes.

it’s quickly replaced when you blink it away, beckoning ground zero into your hero offices. “nice to see that sailor’s mouth hasn’t changed either ,” you mumble more so to yourself than him. bakugou walks a few paces behind you while you explain to him that you have to finish assigning your sidekicks and interns a few low level missions before you can head off for the day.

the group of young heroes are excitable, seemingly loving the opportunity to work with you— their chatter is loud but it gives katsuki time to drink you in.

crimson eyes travel over your form while you talk— your hero costume has changed a lot since your U.A and sidekick days.

you’d interned under the number two at the time, hawks, thus leading you to have become one of his most trusted sidekicks. no doubt; his skill level had not only  improved your abilities, how you controlled your quirk but your costume as well.

your quirk was known as lullaby, if you could sing a tune in the right pitch to certain groups of people, it allowed you control over the abilities and to put them to sleep. this obviously however meant you were poor at short distance attacks— something bakugou always teased you for, so he was excited to see how you’d improved.

your suit had a visor that allowed you to amplify your quirk, while patterns of the night sky dressed your body— paying homage to your hero name ‘nightsky’.

katsuki felt bad to imprinting the image of your skin tight, midnight blue suit into his mind but back when he had known you like you were his, your costume hadn’t been nearly as advanced as this.

snapping fingers pull him from his thoughts before they can get too hazy.

“eyes are up here, explosion boy.”

katsuki’s gaze snaps up to meet yours, an angry red to rival his gemstone eyes spreading like wildfire across his cheeks. “i wasn’t staring.” he tries his best to defend himself, but your knowing look tells him that you’ve caught him red handed.

“of course you weren’t, sidekicks left about ten minutes ago so we can head out  now—unless you want to keep glaring daggers at my boobs, katsu.” you’re teasing him, voice dripping like honey off of a spoon as you waltz back out onto the streets of japan and leave a bewildered ground zero behind you.

you’ve changed so much since your relationship ended with bakugou, you’re stronger, a vixen and more confident in yourself.

and he hates knowing that he’s the one that kept you down all this time.

patrol remains uneventful even as the afternoon goes on and the stress of japan begin to fill with citizens for the oncoming rush hour.

the lack of action has lead your conversation to die within the wind and leaves katsuki alone with his thoughts for the time being— you only really speak when you catch the blonde staring you down or when he accidentally walks into something ( highly unusual for him ) but he enjoys the seconds where your teasing voice tickles the tips of his ears and you smile so wide his own lips pull into somewhat of a grin.

bakugou doesn’t know why he’s so quiet, not when the storm in his mind brews all the words he should have said to you years ago. the apologies, the grateful thanks that you deserved; none of these could fall from his tongue.

he liked to say he never had the opportunity, which was partly true you were both up and coming herores yes, but you had damn well made sure you’d never have to encounter bakugou unless the situation required it. and it seemed, that years down the line, he was still doing the same.

the thought alone cause nerves to choke him from the inside out, building up in his throat until all he can do is grunt in frustration—  kicking an empty can along the road you’re currently walking down.

“that’s unlike you,” your chuckle cuts through the thick fog of katsuki’s mind, drawing deep red eyes towards your frame. you walk in front of him now, arms folded behind your head while you step backwards— the sight almost comical to anyone passing by. bakugou must look just as shocked because some how he manages to pull the cutest snort from you, even as his face morphs into a snarl and he marches forward to fall into pace with your steps. your eyes dazzle with your next words. “the great katsuki bakugou, quiet? never thought i’d see the day.”

you’ve always been able to read him like an open book, seeing right through the front he puts on. “i haven’t changed.” he grunts through his teeth.

katsuki stops walking when you do, now standing a breaths width away from you. electricity jumps between you both, static forming in the finger tips that just barely brush against bakugou’s arm.

your eyes spell it out for him, clear as day, as you finally reach out to touch him. His own close at the brief gesture, the pain from having lost you blooming across his chest.

“you did.” you breathe out,  the warmth of your soft voice making katsuki’s eyes screw shut.

he could never get a lie past you.

“we both did.”

vermillion eyes open, trying to seek you out in the light of the day as bakugou wills and prays that he can say what he needs to right now, to get you back but he doesn’t have the chance as an explosion cuts through the building on your left.

bakugou manages to wrap his arms around you, shielding you from the blast before you hit the ground. the impulse sends you  both rolling down the street, small grunts escaping you until you roll to a halt and end up on top of katsuki— straddling him.

dust and debris surrounds the pair of you, creating a thick smog in the air as sirens and screams sound off in the distance. the explosive hero groans in pain— no doubt with a litter of bruises forming under his suit but he has no time to register the sting properly before he’s noticing you on top of him, smirk on your face, devilish glint to your eye.

you’ve been waiting for some action all day.

you’re gone in the blink of an eye, so you must have a plan. katsuki remembers from high school that you made up for strategy where you once lacked in strength, so it’s no surprise to him that you’re already on the move. meanwhile; you manage to slide undetected through the smoke, moving fast to take out the low level criminals.

it’s only a robbery, but the explosion could have caused more casualties than you would have liked. you trust that bakugou can take care of the civilians and bring them out of harms way as you do your best o sus out the ringleader.

the grey tinted fog that sweeps over the area allows you both to work quickly; neither of you need to say anything, for one it would give away your position and secondly— there’s an underlying trust in one another that the two of you had built up when you worked together while dating.

bakugou, through his end, tackles down the small group of criminals after clearing the area and making sure no one was hurt. emergency services had been alerted and were already on their way, all there was now, was to predict your next movements and follow your lead. he’d never liked being bossed about, but the look in your eye made him believe you knew what you were doing.

you were right, you’d both changed. you might as well have been a better hero than him.

the ash blonde follows the trail of unconscious wannabe villains to your whereabouts, he only knows that they’re unconscious because of your ability to put people to sleep with your quirk— all you had to do was get close to them, which wouldn’t have been hard as katsuki knew first hand that these guys’ quirks weren’t shit.

“it’s almost funny, how you thought you could pull a stunt like this on a day when all of japan’s biggest heroes are in one place,” bakugou’s ears pick up on you teasing the criminal leader with that smooth chocolate voice and he follows it deeper into the air that’s heavy with debris— glad you were able to find him before the smoke cleared. “even with the number one out of town, tsk, you should have known better…”

the hot headed pro spots you, holding the hooded ringleader in a choke hold with only your thighs as you sit on his shoulders— eyes wide with victory.

he recognises the dip in your voice as you adjust your tone to put the guy to sleep and call it a day. you’re powerful, a great pro and bakugou watches with awe while you get ready to take this guy down once and for all.

“so cocky, nightsky— why do you think we chose attack the street you were on?” the guy spits through clenched teeth, resisting the urge to succumb to your lullaby of a voice.

brows furrowing, you decide not to dwell on the criminal’s words before leaning down to whisper. “sleep...” but katsuki’s body comes alive with fear as the villain wannabe jams a blade into your thigh, causing your grip on him to loosen enough for him to throw you to the floor and put a boot to your throat. “oh miss nightsky, you really rely too much on your quirk and not enough on your senses. hmm, i think it’s time we say goodnight, don’t you?” the guy chuckles while you squirm under his foot— the need for air burning sharply at your lungs.

bakugou, who’s remained hidden this entire time feels himself snap— a heavy explosion loading up behind his gauntlets while he launches himself right into the scene. he won’t let you struggle for your life, not on his watch. “GET YOUR FILTHY FUCKIN’ HANDS OFF OF HER!”

he reaches the criminal just before your eyes roll back into your head, an explosive right hook colliding with their cheek and sending them flying down the street.

the ash blonde reaches down to pull you up into his chest, that very same one heaving with laboured breaths; you’re shaking but it’s nothing you can’t handle even with the red lines at your throat.

“you good?”

“better, thanks to you.”

there’s a look that you wear right now, one that katsuki recognises from years of training and running into fights with you— you want to do the move. he nods at you, vermillion eyes lighting up with a bright fire while you grip onto ground zero’s wrists.

just as the villain stands, you kick your feet off the ground and in the meantime bakugou begins to twirl you in circular motions until you’ve built up enough momentum for him to throw you towards the criminal.

you collide with his back foot first, knocking him to the ground as your eyes glow a bright white. “i said, go the fuck to sleep.”

the criminal drops to sleep and you roll to the ground after taking him out. you smile to yourself at the familiar wail of sirens in the background but don’t bother to make an effort to stand up, letting the exhaustion, pain from the wound in your thigh and bruises at your neck finally flood your body.

sitting beside you, bakugou smirks and holds a fist out to you. “still got it,” he gestures between the pair of you, the same signature move you’ve been doing since high school having worked successfully once again.

“still got it.” you look up to the now clear sky, fist bumping bakugou right back.

he’s going to do it, he thinks, he’s going to apologise.

after everything you and bakugou had been through, something in his chest was relieved to know that you didn’t hate him, something in him is lead to believe that you’re going to give him another chance.

katsuki watches you now, an attendant from the paramedics that you called working on patching up the gash in your thigh while you rub a salve into your neck.

despite the pain you must be in; you’re still glowing, still smiling even when fans ask you for autographs or tell you how brave you were during the fight. you’re so genuine, such a ray of sunshine in the world and bakugou can feel himself falling for you all over again.

“Is that all mr. ground zero, sir?” an officer asks, taking down notes for the report about the incident. the hero nods, waving the kid off after giving them all of the details from today. they thank him and he finds himself marching over to you almost immediately, now that you’re all bandaged up.

“walking already, ln? are you sure it doesn’t hurt?”

you beam up at the ash blonde, hopping out of the back of the ambulance and rubbing at the tear in your hero costume where the cut is. “it’s good, stings a little but i’ve seen worse on you,” you comment to him, beginning your stride back to your agency.

“and who’s fault is that, dumbass?” a genuine laughter bubbles in bakugou’s throat, albeit raspy, its not a foreign sound to your ears and it makes you laugh along with him.

he knows you’re referencing the many times you’d kicked hiss ass when sparring from high school to your side kick days. back then you‘d have traced every scar that littered his pretty body and told him how much you loved him.

katsuki aids you while you head back to the nightsky agency, you insist that you don’t need help to walk but you’re limping and the explosive pro hero is stubborn as hell— he’s not about to let you get hurt again, even if its physically and not mentally like he had done to you before.

with the lighter mood, memories flitter between you both— you mention how katsuki used to love his food so spicy you would cry and he brings up the time you had given him and kirishima a bout of food poisoning when you’d come up with an alternative to the latter’s cooking. the stories don’t seem to end even as you lean into him more; trusting him again.

“about what i said earlier…” you begin after finally coming to a halt outside your agency building, a scarlet gaze full of fondness lands on you. you turn to face him with the softest of smiles, half chewing on your bottom lip— something he knew you did when you were nervous. “you’re different, to how…how you were back then and it’s good, katsuki you’re so good…”

there’s a breath of silence, only filled by the quiet hum of city traffic where people are travelling to and from home. “i’m glad i had time to become good,” bakugou offers, forgoing the words ‘for you’ and pausing instead. “i regret who i was back then, with you… thought it made you hate me and that you wouldn’t fuckin’ work with me today.”

you shake your head, breaking contact with bakugou to paw at the stupid tears preparing to make their way down your cheeks. “i-i did hate you for a while, after everything…but we were young and dumb and—“ you freeze as the ash blonde wipes a stray tear from your cheek, you not having realised that it’d escaped. “and i’m so thankful to have met you, to have shared a love with you, you taught me so much and that i could never hate you for.”

“yn...i—“ i love you. i’m sorry. i should have loved you better. the words are there, the ones that katsuki always told himself he would say to you if he had the chance but he finds himself frozen and unable to speak. why? why now? when the perfect chance sat right in front of him, the perfect time for him to make it up to you.

to start over.

“yes, katsuki?”

to get you back.

“yn i’m sorry—“

“—guess who?”

a sing song voice full of positivity bursts through the moment while a pair of hands clasp their way over your pretty eyes and hide them away from the world.

bakugou instantly recognises the voice as belonging to none other than his childhood rival and number one pro hero, deku. he seems to have changed— grown taller, green hair shaved at the sides for an undercut.

the ash blonde isn’t very sure what else has changed, but then again they hadn’t seen much of each other as sidekicks, working under different agencies with different missions.

it was only as they started competing for the top ranks that they started to run the same circles— but bakugou had no idea how you would’ve come to know deku since the blonde hated him and you were dating each other for most of that time.

katsuki is just about to tell the green haired idiot to ‘fuck the fuck off’ for ruining his moment when you do the unexpected.

you clasp your hands over midoriya’s, cheeky smile gracing your lips as you attempt to pull them away from your face. “let me think, could it be? izuku midoriya?” relenting to your cheery voice— deku pulls away from you, hands falling to grip your waist sweetly. possesively. horror flashes behind bakugou’s raging red eyes. you turn in his rival’s strong arms, smiling so hard that it delves deep into the apples of your cheeks. “izu ! when did you get back? i thought you wouldn’t make it in time for today…”

“flew in this morning doll, i wanted to surprise you—“ the number one beams down at you and bakugou’s world crumbles when you cut him off while pressing a chaste kiss to deku’s lips right in front of his eyes.

this couldn’t be happening...since when were you and the damn nerd a thing? why didn’t he realise? why didn’t he grow up and try and get you back sooner?

he has no choice but to sit and stare, a dark cloud now sitting over his shattered heart.

all the while, you’re giggling into deku’s lips, fumbling over his hands that pinch at your sides just to get you to gasp enough for him to kiss you more.  the painful ( well, only for the explosive pro ) lip lock ends when you both come up for air and your eyes land on your ex boyfriend.

“ah, katsuki ! you remember deku right? wait that’s a dumb question you were literally childhood friends—“ you start to ramble, mind getting away from you and katsuki barely registers anything that leaves your lips. his crimson eyes lock with the emerald ones that stare right back at him and hurt swells in his chest.

to deku, he must look like a kicked puppy. a weakling. a loser.

all the things he had labelled izuku midoriya when they were kids.

when bakugou tunes back into your excited rambling, his heart cracks even more in his chest. “this green giant flew all the way in from overseas to come home for wedding planning ! can you believe it?”  the answer to your question is an obvious no.

he had no idea that you had been seeing the number one, let alone being engaged to him. the hot headed hero freezes in his spot when you reach down the chest of your hero costume to pull out a silver necklace.

on the end of it, an engagement ring with a tiny emerald in it’s centre.

katsuki bakugou feels sick, bile rising up in his throat. he’d really lost you. really. “...pretty thing that is, congratulations.” he mentions blankly, eyes trained on midoriya once again. you don’t notice, but deku does and bakugou hates the sympathetic, apologetic look that the fucking nerd gives him.

“mhm ! izu put it on a necklace for me because, well you know, i’m clumsy and didn’t want to lose the thing,”

you’re so clueless that it hurts, burning katsuki from the inside out. that should be him. it should be his arms around you, his lips on yours, his engagement ring on that fucking necklace. not deku’s, not anyone’s. the green headed hero beside you seems to notice the distress ebbing away at your ex and tilts your head up to look at him. “doll, why don’t you head inside and change into something more comfy real quick? we’ve got cake tasting in an hour…”

the tail end of deku’s words are drowned out by your happily animated squeal and with a quick nod you press a kiss to his freckled cheek and bounce inside— missing the way bakugou winces at your display of affection.

it’s quiet despite the bustling sounds of the city but neither if them know what to say, even as the minutes pass.

bakugou knows that you’d be better off with deku, he would treat you right and give you the love that you deserved all along. but that didn’t make it any less painful.

“kacchan, look...“ the number one says eventually, green eyes swirling with guilt. “i’m sorry—“

the blonde shakes his head, spitting his words out through gritted teeth. “don’t...just,” fuck, it hurts to breathe. “just…take care of her for me, you got that deku?”

“yeah, of course…”

the pair of childhood rivals don’t have much time to speak after that, for you’re already bounding out of your agency wearing a comfortable mint green summer dress and pair of red sneakers to rival deku’s, despite the thick bandage to your thigh.

“ready to go?” you ask your fiancé, face as warm and as bright as it had once been when you used to look at bakugou. izuku nods, delight dancing in his eyes despite the nervous chew to his bottom lip, before letting you turn to your ex lover. “great ! well, see you around kasuki, don’t be a stranger ! we’ve got to catch up again sometime, alright?”

you link arms with izuku midoriya, your fiancé, after that—walking away and  leaving ground zero in the dust.

he doesn’t know how long he stands there for, heart in his hands even while he comes to the realisation that you hadn’t gone to todoroki that night when you’d left. no, you’d only told him that so it hurt a little less when he found out midoriya had been the one to look after you. you’d lied because you’d loved him.

you lie because you love him.

and it was only now that katsuki bakugou had realised what he’d lost.

[angelsxbelle]

how they push you away vs. how they make it up to you.

my first hurt/comfort scenarios let’s go😀

headcanons on how haikyuu boys cause stress on your relationship and how they fix things afterwards ~

note: shirabu’s and hirugami’s take place with them as adults, iwaizumi’s takes place as third years in high school

warnings: angst to fluff, timeskip occupation spoilers, swearing, iwaizumi’s ended up being a little long oops

pairings: shirabu x reader, hirugami x reader, iwaizumi x reader

shirabu, KENJIROU

to put it lightly, shirabu is  s t r e s s e d  af

medical school is already hard enough, but taking care of another person is even harder to do at the same time

he just wants to crawl underneath a blanket and not have to think about anyone else’s feelings for a while while he lets everything out

he appreciates that you want to take care of him, but he doesn’t want you to hover over him and distract him while he’s trying to focus

this one day he’s studying for an exam and when you come home from work you come over to where he’s sitting and ask him how is day was

no response.

you ask again, nudging him a little bit to get a response

his eyes squint the tiniest bit, and what comes out of his mouth next is worse than yelling, screaming, or even just saying something flat out mean

“can you go away? you being here is messing up my concentration and this is more important”. he says, in a cold tone

“this is more important”. so that was it. so that was how he felt about this whole thing. you walk away, dumbfounded at your realization of how he really feels, not hate, not disgust, just nothing. 

nothing.

you go to bed alone that night, an empty space in your bed where he used to sleep when he still cared

later in the week, after the exams are over, you’re sitting at your dining room table, and you look up as you see him coming towards you, gingerly sitting down next you with a soft expression on his face

“i’m sorry” - he says as he hands you a note, folded neatly between his fingers like the ones he used to make for you in high school

as you open the note, your eyes scan down the page

it’s a long letter, one that obviously took him a long time to make

you start reading and you see a list of all the things he loves about you, and how he wishes he could treat you better and how he’s sorry about how he’s been lately and he wishes he could take away the pain he’s given you

tears well up in your eyes and threaten to spill down cheeks, you squeak out “thank you jirou”, and look down

he tilts your chin up to look at his face and you look each other in the eyes

“i love you”, he says

hirugami, SACHIROU

as a a veterinarian, hirugami encounters all sorts of different situations with animals brought into the clinic

some of them not so good ones

one day you get a call from one of the people he works with, saying that that day a dog was brought in that they almost couldn’t save and that hirugami probably wouldn’t be in a great mood when he got home

you sat in the living room for while, a little nervous of the state he would be in when he got home 

when you hear his key click in the lock of your front door, your heart skips a beat and you get up to go greet him, not expecting to see the dead look in his eyes as you looked up at his face

“hey, how’s everything going? are you oka-”

“can you just leave me alone please. i’ve had a long day.”, he interrupts you 

“are you sure? they said something happened at the clinic-”

“i don’t want to talk about it.”

“but-”

“ oh my god can you please stop talking? somebody’s dog almost fucking died because of me, i don’t want to hear you yammer on about whatever right now. just go away.” 

he slams your bedroom door behind him, latching it shut with a click

ouch.

 you walk away to go eat dinner alone, feeling like someone just stomped on your heart, chewed it up, and spat it out

the next day you wake up having slept on the couch, and go get ready in the bathroom and eat breakfast before getting ready to to work

as you’re about to walk out the door, you feel a hand gently grab yours, stopping you from leaving

you whip your head around to see your boyfriend with a remorseful expression on his face, a different hurt in his eyes this time 

he pulls you closer and kisses you forehead, saying how sorry he is for hurting you and how he didn’t mean it, how he let his feelings get the best of him

a little apprehensively, you bury your head into his chest and cling into his shirt so he knows you accept his apology

later that day, he takes you to your favorite restaurant and sits you down at a table close to the big window outlooking the scenery below

as snow drifts past, softly twinkling from the lights illuminating your view outside, but he’s looking at you instead

he knows he never wants to let go of you, maybe he’ll tell you that soon as he slips the ring in his pocket on your finger :)

iwaizumi, HAJIME

iwaizumi had never had any problems with jealousy in your relationship, or even just problems in general mostly

he trusts you, and he knows how much you love him

but recently you and oikawa had gotten paired together for a group project, and you had been spending more and more time together as a result

it wasn’t really a problem at the beginning since iwaizumi knew it was just a class project, but as time went on he couldn’t help but feel his stomach twist every time he walked by the library to see you working away happily, you laughing at something oikawa had said

he didn’t want to admit it, but it hurt seeing you like that with pretty boy oikawa.

pretty boy oikawa that all the girls he had ever liked liked him instead.

pretty boy oikawa that got all the stares as they walked by.

pretty boy oikawa that probably looked better with you than he did.

he walked away, knowing he shouldn’t feel defeated as his eyes droop and he looks down at the ground

he has trouble sleeping that night, his head full of thoughts he shouldn’t be thinking, images he doesn’t want see of you with him

the next day, you’re eating lunch together, and you notice he looks a little off, so you ask him if anything is wrong or if he needs to get something off his chest

“i’m fine”, he says with a flat tone

“are you sure? you don’t look okay, you know you can always talk to me right?”

“nothing’s wrong.”, he says again

you pester him again, as he starts to look more annoyed in the process

“why don’t you just talk to oikawa if you need to bug someone that bad, i’m sure he’ll love the attention from a little whore like you”

both of your eyes widen at what he said, not believing it fully

even iwaizumi knows that was completely out of line, even as someone who likes to tease to show affection

“fuck you hajime” , you say, tears stinging at the corners of your eyes as you walk away from where you were sitting together

hajime feels like crying.

the next day he’s nervous to see you, knowing you’re probably still hurt from what he said, but still searching for you anyway

as he walks sheepishly up to you, you ask what he wants after the painful exchange you had yesterday

“i’m so sorry. nothing i said was true, and you didn’t deserve it at all. i got jealous of oikawa and i know it’s my fault and i want you to please forgive me because i can’t lose you and hate myself for letting it get the best of me.”, he lets out

“it’s okay hajime, i understand and i love you, but please don’t say anything like that ever agiain, it really hurt”

his heart breaks a little bit at hearing that, but he’s happy you still want to see him

“i love you too. more than anything, i promise i’ll never hurt you again.”

he wraps his big arms around you and holds you tight

you know he doesn’t want to let go, even when the bell rings letting you know you’re late for class

he doesn’t want to let go of you ever

the end :)

[gguksgalaxy]

Stranded | JJK | E2L

Jungkook’s offer to help you study for your exam is unwelcome. His entire presence is unwelcome. You don’t want help from the guy who passes all his classes without even trying. It’s annoying — he is annoying. From the way he grins whenever he catches you staring at him, to the way his eyes shine whenever he smiles at you. Oh, and let’s not forget the way his tattoos shift when he stretches or the way his jawline sharpens when he’s focused. Nope, you definitely can’t stand him.

›› AU: Enemies to lovers, fuck/badboy!Jungkook ›› Genre: Fluff / Smut / Angst ›› Rating: NC-17 (explicit sexual content, 18+) ›› Pairing: JJK x Reader ›› Word Count: 13k ›› Jungkook Snuggle Drabbles. Warnings Include: A lot of swearing, heavy themes of miscommunication and strong judgements, Jungkook sleeps around a lot, university related stress, brief mention of past underage drinking, emotional and romantic angst, argument, the desecration of a mug.  Sexual content: Protected sex, blowjob, cunnilingus, face sitting/riding.

A/N: This one's for you @fallinforkoo I hope that you like it!! This is not something I would usually write but the idea popped up when seeing the request so here she is! A little cliché but I hope it's original enough. Let me know what you guys think!

“As your best friend,” Taehyung says sheepishly over the phone, “I really need you to do me a favour.”

You groan, leaning your head over the edge of the bed. “I don’t like where this is going.”

He hums. He doesn’t even laugh. There’s just a brief silence before he asks you the impossible. “I need you to invite Jungkook for the get-together on Friday.”

“Absolutely fucking not,” you spit. “Taehyung, my best friend, the platonic love of my life. I will do anything for you. Literally anything. I would suck your toes if you asked me, but I won’t do that.”

Now he laughs, loud and deep. It only makes you sulk more. Inviting Jeon Jungkook into your humble abode? To have him walk around with that smug—and delectably gorgeous—grin on his face as he finds something to make fun of? Not over your dead body. Not in a million years.

“Please, do it for me.”

You vigorously shake your head. “I don’t see how I would be doing you a favour by inviting him. You don’t even like him!”

“I mean...I really don’t mind him. But I like Jimin, a lot, and I feel bad for excluding his friend all the time, it’s starting to get weird. Can’t you just invite him over? I promise you won’t have to talk to him.”

Oh, but you do. Because Jungkook always manages to weasel under your skin and get you worked up to a point where you just have to say something. It’s not your fault that he’s such an ass. He just rubs you all the wrong ways. “I am in a constant state of wanting to rip his head off. I don’t think it’s a good idea.”

Jungkook is just so...You really cannot stand him. First of all, he doesn’t study. All he does is party and sleep around with random girls. Yet, he still somehow manages to be at the top of the class. Secondly, he’s a dick. He has no respect for both his elders and you. Any chance he gets he will make fun of you or blatantly insult you. And lastly, he looks too good and he knows it. Walking around campus just basking in the attention from all the girls, and guys, who want him despite his reputation.

Taehyung snorts. “If I were you, I would be more worried that you’re in a constant state of wanting to suck his dick.”

“I’d rather snap his dick in half.” Sometimes you wonder why you’re friends with Taehyung. After all, he’s the one who told Jimin to bring along his friend. Now, you’re regularly exposed to Jeon Jungkook’s incessant flirting with anything that breathes, constant whining about just about everything, and complete lack of personal space. Taehyung had been certain that if you got to know Jungkook outside of class, it would make you more amicable towards each other. However, it’s only made it worse.

“You know, sometimes people lie about something so often that they start to feel like it’s the truth.”

You roll your eyes, sitting up on the bed. It’s noon already. You really should be studying for your Psychology of Law exam. Also known as the course from hell. As a law student, you really can’t make sense of the material. All the mumbling about internal thought processes and stressors has your mind logging off. You’re chapters behind. You don’t even know where to start. Because unlike a certain someone, you actually have to study. Even with all-nighters, thorough summaries, and flashcards, you’ve still managed to fail quite a few classes. The future of your law degree literally balances on this one class. If you fail, you lose your scholarship.

“Are you still with me?”  Taehyung asks.

“Yeah, I’m just considering defenestrating myself. Anything better than studying for psych.”

“Even inviting Jungkook?”

“Anything but that.”  It’s not like Taehyung is completely wrong. Jungkook looks like a model when he actually decides to groom himself instead of showing up to class in sweats and uncombed hair. You’re way too aware that he works out five days a week. Or that he’s got tats lining his arm, intricate designs that—No. You’re not falling down this hole today.

Taehyung’s typing something up, probably studying for his own exams. “I will let you study then. Just please, invite him over. I will forever be in your debt. Be the better person.”

The sweet lining to Taehyung’s plea actually manages to work for once. He’s your best friend, after all. He would probably do the same thing for you. It’s just not that fun to be around Jungkook when part of you—as much as you may deny it—feels some type of way about him.

“I will consider it.”

“That’s not a no.”

“Don’t make me change it back to a no, Kim.”

He chuckles. “Someday, you will thank me. That day being the one when you finally come to terms with your feelings.”

“Bye, Taehyung,” you grumble, ending the call and throwing the phone down on the duvet.

So yes, maybe you do have a thing for Jungkook. Doesn’t make him any less annoying. If anything, it makes him even more insufferable. Why did you have to develop a weird crush on a guy you can’t even stand? The world doesn’t have to be cruel like that. But here you are. Not that it matters. Jungkook would sleep with just about any girl but you. Which says more about them.

Reluctantly, you get up and grab your books from your desk. Studying is easier in the living room, away from distractions.

Your peace doesn’t last long. Not even halfway through your first coffee, your doorbell rings.

Groaning, you get up and prepare your best ‘no I don’t want to buy whatever you’re selling’ face. Upon unlocking the door, that face falters.

“What the hell are you doing here?” you spit out the moment you see Jungkook’s big doe eyes. He’s standing on your doorstep like he’s supposed to be here. With his backpack nonchalantly slung over one shoulder.

He looks past you, into your apartment. “Oh, you started studying for psych?”

Your living room is a mess. “Well, I was trying to start, but I’ve been rudely interrupted by someone who has no invitation to be here.”

He rolls his eyes. “I’m here to make sure that you don’t fail another class and have to drop out.” Like he owns the place, he pushes past you and waltzes inside. He drops his backpack and readjusts his baseball cap, showing off his forehead and chocolate brown hair. It’s really starting to get long.

“I don’t need your help.” There’s no way he’s here just to help you study. And even if he was, he’s just going to distract you. You’re not friends. He must have some ulterior motive for being here. Jeon Jungkook doesn’t study, let alone help people study. Not to your knowledge at least. “I can manage just fine on my own.”

He grabs his laptop from his bag. “What part of ‘having to drop out if you fail another class’ did you not understand?” He puts the device down and gets comfortable on your couch. As if he’s done it before.

You cross your arms over your chest. “Who told you about that?”

He shrugs. “Jimin mentioned it, he must have it from Taehyung. Does it really matter?”

“Yes, it matters,” you sneer. “I didn’t ask you to be here. I don’t want you to be here. There’s no way I’m going to get anything done with you around. Get the fuck out.” You point a finger at the door, waiting for him to leave. “Do you not hear me?”

“Oh, I heard you. I’m just waiting for you to get over yourself and realise that you actually need my help.”

“I don’t.”

“Can you tell me the difference between compliance and suggestion in the context of a police hearing?” he questions, leaning back and propping his clunky boot-clad feet onto the table.

You press your lips together in a thin line, thinking about a possible answer.

He grins. “Any idea what the Reid Technique is and why it is or isn’t ethical?”

“No,” you grumble.

“You know what the pros and cons are of an Oslo style eyewitness lineup?”

You shake your head, dropping your arms in defeat. He’s got you. You don’t know anything. Maybe you do need his help. As long as he tries to be nice, you can give him the benefit of the doubt. Another year of your degree is definitely worth it.

Jungkook pats the spot on the couch beside him. “Let’s get started, we’ve got a lot of ground to cover if we want to get you a good grade.”

And so you get to work. Jungkook makes himself a little too comfortable in your home. Aside from pulling out his flashcards, multiple summaries and annotated materials, he actually slips into the kitchen to make tea. He raids your pantry for snacks and pulls out your blanket from under the table.

“What?” He says, mouth stuffed with gummy bears while he unfolds the blanket. “I’m sorry, but your apartment is really fucking cold. Since you’re dressed as if you’re going to the North Pole, I assumed the radiator must be broken.”

“It has been almost a week now. My landlord is being an ass about it. Also, I’m wearing normal clothes that normal people wear when it’s cold outside. Unlike you, with your short-sleeves and thin coat.”

“It’s October.”

“It’s nine degrees outside. You’re insane.”

“No,” he says, sitting back down with the blanket around his shoulders. “I’m just hot.”

A reluctant smile pulls at your lips. Why must you betray yourself?

He leans in close, inspecting your face. “I can’t believe I lived to see the day. You actually smiled at one of my jokes.”

If he’s good at one thing, it’s definitely proving that he’s an annoying shit. “I’m laughing at how pathetic you are.”

“At least I’m not the one who tried to hide her smile.”

“And I’m not the one who forced his way into this apartment. I’d watch out, some people might start to think you actually like being around me.” You turn back towards his laptop, scrolling through the document to the next topic. Police hearings.

Jungkook puts his hand down behind you so he can get closer—too close—and look over your shoulder. “Maybe,” he whispers, “I do like spending time with you.”

You whip your head around so fast you nearly knock heads with him. He doesn’t move. Both your noses basically touching. At this proximity you can see all the fine details in his skin. The flecks of lighter brown in his eyes that really do shine. The moles on his nose, the scar on his cheek.

“Nah.” He pulls away. “I’m just messing with you. I still don’t like you.”

What on earth did you do to make him come over here? If he dislikes you so much, he shouldn’t have bothered. You’re not a charity case. “If you’d just let me fail, you wouldn’t have to put up with me again.”

He tuts. “Where’s the fun in that? I’d honestly miss your bad comebacks and petty remarks.”

“Excuse me, my comebacks are not bad?”

“They’re mediocre at best, ma’am,” he laughs, grin showing the fullness of his cheeks that make him look deceptively cute.

You shiver at the thought. He’s a lot of things, but he’s not cute. Yes, he’s probably a good guy deep down, but he’s not cute. Jeon Jungkook is and always will be an annoying, self-entitled, arrogant brat. Nothing is going to change your mind. Not even the way your heart beats faster from just having him so close.

“Don’t ‘ma’am’ me,” you bite.

“I’m not even going to give you any points for that. You didn’t even try!” He makes an exasperated gesture as he grabs another handful of gummies.

‘Childish’ should be added to the list. “Are you here to help me study or not?”

Jungkook nods, sitting cross-legged. “Just so I get to bother you for another year.”

The two of you get back to work. He takes you through a very detailed and too dramatic explanation of the Reid technique. You find yourself captivated by how passionate he seems. He sure does know a lot about the subject.

Jungkook turns out to be a very active talker. He makes very detailed descriptions and uses his hands to explain things. It’s easy to understand him, but it’s way harder to memorise it. As the material gets more complicated, he gets more serious and you start to lose track. His frown deepens, dimple-like creases appearing in his cheek that make him look sharper and older. You can’t help but stare.

He’s so handsome. The tattoos that circle around his left arm shift as he speaks. The same way that his earrings dangle as he moves. You get caught up in him, the way he talks, the passion that rolls off him in waves.

“Are you gawking at me?”  He says, stopping his movements mid-air.

Cheeks flushed, you try to come up with a smart reply. “I was thinking whether your head has always looked this big.”

His lips pull into a straight line. “I’m here trying to do my best to explain to you what the difference is between an Oslo confrontation and a sequential lineup, and you’re worried about the size of my fucking head?”

“I mean, it’s awfully big, no?”  You poke his forehead.

He grabs your wrist in return, pulling your body towards him. “Can you at least try to appreciate my effort?”

“I’m listening!”

Wetting his lips, he arches an eyebrow. “Explain the difference to me.”

Well, you weren’t listening that intently. “Uh, a sequential lineup has a lower chance of causing false positives.”

“That’s the last sentence I said, you can do better.” He lets go of you so you can lean back. For a second, he actually seems pissed off. Maybe you should try, he’s doing his best after all. It’s just hard when he’s here looking this good.

“Oslo confrontations feature the suspects in a lineup at the same time, whereas a sequential lineup shows them one by one.” That’s all you got.

“Well,” he says, throwing you a gummy from the bag. “You got one point out of five.”

Treat halfway to your mouth, you stop. “One?!”

He nods. “And I’m being generous with you. First of all, you cannot call them suspects, they’re candidates or possible suspects. There’s usually only one suspect and the rest are actors who look like the suspect. You also missed the part where, during the sequential lineup, the witness doesn’t get to see all the suspects. Once they pick the one they think is the perpetrator, they will not get to see the additional candidates.”  Why does this sound so hot when he says it?

God, you’re going insane. “Well, I’ll try to remember that and the seven-hundred other things you said. All the blabbering you do makes it really hard.”  It comes out harsher than you intended. From the way Jungkook stays silent, you know it must’ve hit home.

He gets up, making your heart sink. “I think it’s time for a break. You’re getting frustrated. Do you want to order pizza?”

“I don’t recall asking you to stay over for dinner.”

Jungkook takes a long, deep breath, closing his eyes. You can feel the anger build up. “Listen, I’m here to help you. The least you can do is fucking appreciate it. Be stubborn all you want, but you need this. You want a shot at this degree. I’m here, because as much as I can’t stand you, I won’t enjoy watching you get kicked off the entire program because you’re struggling with the material.”  There’s a heavy pause. You let his words sink in. The level of concern is surprising. It’s sweet. “So do you want to order pizza or not? Because I’m starving.”

You nod. “Pizza sounds good.”

The tension ebs away after that. Jungkook goes into the kitchen and comes back with a mug filled with milk, of all things. You bite your tongue.

“I want pineapple on my pizza,” he says.

Pausing, you raise your eyebrows. “You cannot be serious.”

“Depends. How much do you hate pineapple?” His shit eating grin returned like it was never gone. It gives him away.

Narrowing your eyes at him, you speak; “So, double pineapple for you?”

Suddenly, his face falters. “Whoa, you can’t actually do that to me.”

“You’re the one who said he likes pineapple!”

“It was a joke. No person in their right mind would put fruit on their pizza.”  He sits next to you, taking another sip of his milk. “I’m really not picky though, but the one with the jalapenos is good. Or the chili chicken.”  Jungkook scoots closer so he can scroll through the menu on your phone, hand brushing against yours.

This way, you get a clear view of the rose tattoo on his hand. It’s beautiful, detailed but still in a traditional style. It suits him, as do his other tattoos. Though this one has always stood out to you.

“I’m just going to get pepperoni,” you say after a while.

Jungkook sighs, then turns his head to whisper in your ear; “Boring.”

Startled, you shove him so hard he falls onto his back. “Don’t be such a child. I’m not going to make you eat it.”

When he sits back up, his shirt rises and reveals the edge of a narrow, toned waist. You look away, focusing on actually ordering the pizza. Jungkook really doesn’t have to be so casually attractive. He’s not even trying and you can’t keep your eyes off him, noticing something new every minute. A good reason to not spend any more time with him after this.

“Gimme.” He plucks your phone out of your hands so he can order his own pizza. With the utmost concentration, he scrolls and types in some things. No doubt using your pre-set credit card to pay for it. “Wait,” he says, sitting up straight. “Whoa, you’re friends with Yoongi? As in Min Yoongi? The guy who won this year’s mock court?”

Gasping, you dart over to grab the phone from him. “Don’t go through my messages!” With one hand on your chest, he manages to keep the device out of your reach. “Jungkook!”

His eyes move over the screen, reading your messages with the third year law student. “Why didn’t you just ask him for help, huh? He seems to like you, and that’s something. I don’t think Yoongi likes anybody.”

You try harder to grab your phone from his hands. It must look insane, your body bent over his, him trying to find ways to hold you off and keep the phone out of your reach. Somehow, you end up squashed between his—way too strong—thighs.

“Jungkook give me my phone back!” you whine.

Something on the screen makes him raise his eyebrows. “Are you two like—you know? Cuz I’ve heard some stuff and—”  

You shake your head, getting uneasy with the fact that he’s really reading your personal messages. “I don’t like Yoongi like that.”

Jungkook lifts his leg, using his knee to push you back. He’s got way too much strength in his body. “Okay, but I’m not sure that he knows that. He’s not a nice guy, you should steer clear of him.”

“Oh, and you would know how? It’s not like you’re such a gentleman.” Again, you try to jump for your phone, but he stops you in time by grabbing your wrist.

Face serious, he holds your gaze. “I’m not kidding. We run in the same circles. He’s a total asshole, you don’t want to get involved with him. You can do better.”

That sure is a way to silence you. You frown, settling back into your seat as Jungkook keeps scrolling through the chat. “I’m not into him, but he’s been texting me for a while. I was in his group for mock court.” Finally, you get your phone back, but your stomach feels uneasy looking at it. Perhaps Yoongi’s messages are a bit forward.

“I don’t know Yoongi well enough to be able to say for sure, but I know enough to tell you that he doesn’t talk to girls like you because he wants to be friends,” Jungkook says with a hand lingering on your thigh.

Way to make you feel good about yourself, Jeon. “What does that mean, girls like me?”

His face changes, eyes wide.

“What are you trying to say?” you press.

Pinching the bridge of his nose, he leans forward onto his knees. “All I’m saying is that you don’t deserve to get played by some asshole who’s just trying to get into your pants.”

“Oh.” Is he being for real? He’s looking out for you? This is not how this is supposed to go. Jungkook shouldn’t be nice to you. He shouldn’t be helping you, or care about your wellbeing. He’s a dick and the two of you squabble and yell at each other. Yet, your chest warms at his words. Even if you weren’t looking to get together with Yoongi, it’s good to know he might have alternative motives. “Thank you.”

All he does is nod, before he grabs his laptop to resume where you guys left off. The awkwardness slowly dissipates as he takes you through the entire lineup thing again, just so you’ve got it down. After that you move onto the remaining subjects.

Today sure is strange. You never expected things to be so comfortable with Jungkook. Despite his exasperating personality and your on and off bickering, his presence is pleasant. It doesn’t take long for you to sink into the couch, drinking your third large cup of coffee.

Completely focussed on his monologue, you ask questions very sparingly, enraptured by him. You knew he was smart, he passes his classes with grades of 80% or higher for a reason. However, it’s different to see it in action.

Pizza arrives a little late, much to Jungkook’s dismay. Turns out he’s quite cranky when he gets hungry. He devours his pizza way faster than you can get through half of yours, and he’s quick to inch towards a slice from your box. You smack his hand away, reminding him of how he slandered you for your topping choice. He can have your leftovers from yesterday

“You call this pasta?” he questions in a disgusted tone, crouched down by the fridge

“Take it or starve. Your choice.”

He gets up, nose scrunched. “I’d rather starve, thanks. What exactly do you excel at? Since it’s not school, wit, or cooking.”

“Aim,” you spit, flicking a piece of pepperoni at him. It hits him straight in the cheek and you burst out into a fit of laughter. He stares at you in utter disbelief, removing the greasy piece of meat from his face. Tongue pressed to his cheek, he fights off his own smile—or an insult.

Eventually, he sits back down and goes over the remaining material while you eat. The end comes faster than you expected, his eyes darting to the clock.

“It’s getting late, I should probably go home.”

“What?” You pout. “How can you leave me to my own devices like this?!”

“Because I did what I could. I took you through all the material, now it’s up to you to try and memorise it. I’ve sent you my summaries and I’ll leave my flashcards here.” He grabs his things, meticulously stuffing them back into his backpack. With a heavy heart, you hand him his cap that had fallen to the floor.

Jungkook pushes his hair back, putting his cap on. He looks as nonchalant as he did when he came in. Backpack slung over one shoulder, hand shoved into his pocket. “Good luck. I’ll see you tomorrow morning.”

“Yeah, I guess,” you mumble. “Thanks.”

“I’m glad my presence was enjoyed.”

“Don’t get ahead of yourself, I only endured you because I want to pass.” Part of that is true. Though, he wasn’t as bad to hang out with as you had originally assumed. Maybe it’s because his friends aren’t around to show off to. Or because he genuinely wanted to help. Which is still weird. “Good luck to you too.”

He waves you goodbye, opening up the door, only to be met with a gust of wind. The sound of rain enters your apartment. Water plummets from the sky by the bucket.

“Shit,” Jungkook peers outside, hesitating in the doorway. “If I don’t show up tomorrow morning, please assume that I have drowned.”

You would’ve laughed at the idea of him getting soaking wet any other day. He came here to help you study and now he has to walk home through the rain. No doubt he’s going to catch a cold dressed the way he is. Maybe you should listen to Taehyung and be the better person for once.

Getting up, you pull him back inside by the string of his backpack. “You can’t go out when it’s like that, you’ll get sick.”

He turns with a smile. “As much as I would like to see you squirm a little longer, I need to study too.”

“You study?”

“How else do you think I get good grades? Eat books for breakfast?”

You shrug. “We can study together tonight?”

Stepping closer, Jungkook forces you back inside. Almost nose to nose. Your heart skips a beat when his breath fans over your face. “Is this just a lame excuse from you to spend more time with me?”

“No. But I can only imagine the tragedy that will befall me if you catch a cold because you were out here helping me study.” You poke a finger into his chest. A grave mistake, it’s way firmer than you’d thought. “If I let you stay over, you no longer owe me one.”

“I’m sorry, but it really sounds like you just want me to stay.” Jungkook inches closer, backing you against the couch.

You open your mouth to say something when your phone rings. Looking over to where it lies on the couch, you see Taehyung’s name displayed. He can wait. You glance back up at Jungkook, who’s nearly chest to chest with you, and also has his eyes locked on the phone.

Then, he grins.

You act fast, snatching the phone from the couch and declining the call before he even gets a chance to touch it. Taehyung really doesn’t need to know that Jungkook is here.

Jungkook himself, however, picks up on this. He chuckles lightly, arching his eyebrow. “Are you trying to hide the fact that I’m here?’”

“I wouldn’t say I was trying to hide it, but I really don’t need my friends to think I’m hanging out with you.”

Jungkook drops his bag in the chair again, curious glint in his eyes. “And why is that?”

“Because,” you start, crossing your arms over your chest. “I don’t want to be associated with the likes of you.”

“What am I now? A villain?”

“No, you’re a stuck up fuckboy who does nothing but party and sleep with random girls and yet somehow still manages to pass all his classes. You’re annoying, egotistical, insufferable, pushy, invasive and disrespectful.”  You let out a deep breath. Yeah, maybe Jungkook’s been nice to you today, but he hasn’t changed.

He rolls his eyes. “Well then. I’ll have you know that you are nothing more than an average, boring girl struggling to get by. You’re opinionated, crass, entitled, standoffish, a bad listener, impossibly stubborn and a bit of an airhead.”  The words leave him as if they mean nothing. “It’s not like I’d want to be associated with the likes of you either. But here I am, stranded because of the storm. So you, my dear, are stuck with me tonight. You did offer for me to stay over, after all.”

“Whatever,” you breathe, “let’s just try to study.”

The two of you return to your previous position on the couch, but now, he faces you. With the flashcards in hand, Jungkook reaches into his bag and pulls out a container filled with Maltesers.

The rules are simple. You take turns asking each other questions. If you get it right, you get a chocolate, you get it wrong the person who asked the question gets a chocolate. Easy enough, right? Now that you feel a bit more steady with the material, you should be able to answer some questions correctly. Even if it’s just to rob Jungkook of the satisfaction of eating the entire thing on his own.

Two questions in and the bickering starts. Jungkook’s whining because he’s cold and you can’t turn up the radiator. But since he was the one to leave the door open, it’s his fault that it’s so cold in here to begin with. You’ve long hogged the blanket for yourself and you don’t intend on sharing it. It’s the only barrier that’s keeping you from touching his feet.

“Please,” he pouts. “I’m so cold, you can’t let me freeze to death in this fucking igloo.”

You pull the blanket closer. “No. It’s mine.”

He whines. “Come on, it’s big enough for both of us. It’ll be warmer if we share.”

“No.”

“You do realise I could just take it from you by force.”

“You would not.”

He sits up straighter, putting a hand on the edge of the fabric. “I’m giving you the option now. Either you share, or I’m pulling it from your cold, grabby hands. If you’re just afraid to snuggle with me, you can just say so.”

In order to not admit defeat, you give up half of the blanket so he can shove his legs under it. He extends his legs way past his side of the couch, his feet touching your lower back. You have no choice but to fold one of your legs over his, the other extended by his side. Indeed, it’s warmer this way.

“Now, where were we?” He flips to his next card. “Ah, yes. Weapon focus effect.”

That one you remember clearly. “It’s when a witness’ attention was so focused on the weapon present at the incident that they fail to remember any significant details about the perpetrator. It’s an involuntary process that often leads to inaccurate descriptions of the attackers.” You definitely got that one, no doubt. It’s easy.

Jungkook throws you a chocolate. “Good job, you’re doing well. It seems you listened to what I had to say after all.”

“I mean,” you say, popping the chocolate into your mouth. “I didn’t have that much of a choice but to listen, now did I?”

“You were visually undressing me the entire time. I had assumed your mind was busy with...other things.” He’s doing it on purpose, trying to get some type of reaction from you. Instead, you just bite your lip, not knowing what to say. “Oh, was I right? Tell me, what were you thinking about.”

You let out a sound, throwing a pillow at him. “I wasn’t thinking anything. And I wasn’t undressing you.”

“No, you were thinking of how big my head was, right? Would it,” he pauses, lifting up the blanket to peer underneath, “fit between your thighs?”

“What is wrong with you!” You scream, hands covering your face that quickly turns red.

He laughs in return. “You’re so easily flustered. I’d almost call it cute.”

Peering through your fingers, you frown. “Almost?”

“Yeah, almost. Not quite, because you’re still you.”

In a surge of confidence, you sit up straight and grab the stack of cards again. Not looking at him as you speak. “How about, instead of imagining what I taste like, you tell me what a flashbulb memory is.”

Inches away from choking on his spit, Jungkook doesn’t manage to come up with a smart retort. He just answers your questions with pursed lips and distant eyes. It’s correct though, so you get to throw him a chocolate. Which of course, he catches with his mouth. Show off.

It goes on for another while, storm raging outside. With the winds turned, you can now clearly hear the pattering against your window. You can’t imagine what Jungkook would’ve done had he been walking through this storm. It’s only getting worse.

Time ticks by fast. Soon, Jungkook is left with one last flashcard in his hands. And you are determined to get that last chocolate. He smirks to himself, probably aware that you don’t know the answer to this. But if anything, you are determined to prove him wrong.

“Tell me,” he trails, “what is the difference between compliance and suggestibility?”

You know this. He’s explained it three times. So you’re confident in your next words. “Compliance is when a witness giving a testimony willingly accepts a suggestion but is aware that the suggestion is wrong. Suggestibility is when they believe that the suggestion is right and thus take it for the truth. Both are problematic, but suggestibility is harder to expose.”

Jungkook tuts. “You got them switched around.”

“Huh?! That can’t be right!”

“Sure is, the last chocolate is mine.”

You snatch the bag away before he can grab it. “I don’t think so. Let me see that card.”

“Are you accusing me of lying?”

“For chocolate? I sure am. Let me see.”  You crawl over to his side, squishing yourself between him and the couch. “Jungkook,” you whine when he covers the card with his hand, “let me see. My grade depends on this.”

He chuckles at you. “It does not. I’m confident that you will pass regardless.”

You try to pry the card out of his hand, but it’s no use. The grip he has on the thing is too strong. He manages to hold you down without even breaking a sweat. It’s a few beats before you can realise that you’re now entirely pressed up against him. You can feel the muscles in his thighs shift, the soft skin of his arm against yours

“Let me have the chocolate and I will show you,” he whispers.

Flushed, you stop struggling. “Whatever, I know I’m right.”

Jungkook then reveals the card to you, showing you that you indeed, were right. “I’m glad you’re finally confident in your abilities. That’s the key to passing a test.”

Has he really been testing you this entire time? That’s sure one way to do the trick. Without replying, you sink into his side. Silently enjoying his warmth. It’s comfortable to sit like this, now that it’s night and the apartment continues to get colder. You don’t mind, really. Inhaling slightly, you catch a whiff of his fresh floral scent. It’s mixed with a sharp edge that suits him well.

As Jungkook grabs the stack of cards you got wrong to revise them, you don’t move. The two of you just get comfortable like that. It’s easier to see the cards the way anyhow. You can just look at them together. Plus, you’re starting to feel a little sleepy and don’t want to move. He seems equally as content, just reciting the questions and explaining why you got them wrong.

“Okay so,” you say, pointing at something on the card. “It’s not so much an issue on the witness’ side as it is on the police’s?”

Jungkook nods, looking at you. “They’re the ones leading the witness. It’s not the witness’ fault that they take on their opinion.”

You hum, meeting his gaze. He doesn’t falter, almost as if he’s searching your eyes. “Something wrong?”you ask, voice hushed, goosebumps appearing on the back of your neck. There’s a mole right below his bottom lip which is plump and looks soft. His top lip is more defined, making for a cute pout. The more you look, the more you notice all his moles. On his nostril, his cheek, his ear.

“No,” he answers eventually. Voice strained. “I think you have a pimple growing between your brows.”

“Get lost!” You shove your elbow into his side, pulling a pained groan from him. “You’re so stupid.”

For a moment he’s quiet, just rubbing his side and shifting so he can get more comfortable. One of his legs falls off the couch, the other still between yours. “You really hate me, huh?”

At any other given moment, you would’ve replied with yes. But now, it’s laden. Is he asking you that seriously? It’s one thing to tell Taehyung you can’t stand him, or to yell it in his face when he’s being a brat, but you can’t literally say it to him like this. Why, you don’t really know. The expectant look makes your stomach tighten.

“Why are you saying it like that?”

He shrugs. “No reason in particular. Just because,” he gestures at your bodies, “it doesn’t seem like you mind being around me that much. If anything I’d say that,” he stops, leaning in close to your ear. You can feel the barely-there graze of his lips. “You like being around me.”

You bite your tongue, looking up to find his eyes darker than before. Cocking his head to the side, he awaits your answer. You’re not willing to give him the satisfaction. There’s no need to stroke his already big ego any more. Yes, this is more pleasant than you’d expected. Yes, he’s nice to be around. But... “You’re still a pain in the ass. Sorry.” With that, you had expected him to look away, but he doesn’t. His eyes flicker down to your lips, and back up to your eyes.

“So are you,” he teases, lips stretching into a lopsided grin.

Within a heartbeat, your lips are touching. Jungkook groans. You gasp, pulling him closer. Closed eyes, your heart beats a million miles an hour, revelling in the feeling of his mouth against yours. How soft his lips are. The trailing of his fingertips up your neck so he can crane your head back.

He comes to life, parting with a brief look into your eyes and a deep breath. Then, diving in full force. Jungkook kisses you like he’s been waiting to—like he’s hungry for it. You can barely believe that it’s happening, still trying to register that he’s actually kissing you. That it feels this good.

Your entire body kicks into gear when he bites at your bottom lip. Shifting your body to face his, you wrap a hand around the back of his neck. Returning his fervor, your mouths part and tongues meet in a desperate clash. Jungkook lets out a deep, guttural sound that makes you shiver. He’s skilled, tongue swiping over yours in a way that you can barely keep up with. Deliciously hot, just edging on sloppy. There’s no room for pauses, no time for thoughts.

Gaining purchase against the armrest, you swing a leg over his to sit in his lap. Jungkook’s leaning back still, pawing at your waist now that he’s got full access. You take full advantage of the position, crashing into him and devouring him. Biting at his lips, sucking his tongue into your mouth. The feeling is nearly euphoric paired with the rough, firm touches of his hands all over your body.

He touches anything he can find. Gripping onto your thighs and ass, slipping under your tank top and sweater to graze the skin on your back. Sparks erupt everywhere.

Mid-kiss, he sits up. Twisting so he can firmly plant both his feet on the found. It’s the angle he needs to pull you right against him. Your hips make contact and you moan. He’s not quite hard but he’s certainly getting there and the thought makes your head spin.

“Fuck,” you gasp, breaking away for air while he grids his hips up into yours. “Jungkook—”

“No talking,” he mouths against your jawline. “More kissing,” his voice is so  raspy that it’s barely recognisable. Almost a growl.

You push his cap off. Grabbing his face with both hands and kissing him firmly. Angling his head back the same way he had done to you. Kissing him is way better than you could’ve ever imagined. He’s rougher, stronger, harder against your body. You need more.

Slipping your hands under his shoulder, you lift it. Tracing the hard lines of his chest, feeling how he jumps under your touch. It empowers you, makes you bolder. Your fingers reach a pert nipple, brushing over it only to hear him moan in the back of his throat. God, he keeps on getting better and better. Sensitive it seems, as you roll the bud between your fingers. His hips buck up into yours. Fully hard at this point, he must start to get uncomfortable in those jeans.

Jungkook’s resolve with kissing you slows, needing air. He breaks away with a smirk, cheeks flushed and panting. Holding your gaze steady, he pulls his shirt over his head in one smooth motion. Revealing planes of unmarred skin and tattoos you had yet to discover.

You take no shame in staring, reaching out to trace the dream catcher on his shoulder. Moving along the lines of thread and feathers that reach his elbow.

“Like what you see?” he whispers, pushing you closer with a hand on your lower back just so he can kiss your neck. You shiver, legs spreading. Leaning your head back to give him enough room to mark you up. The thought alone makes you whimper. “What’s that?” he mumbles, licking a hot stripe up your throat.

Fingers digging into his shoulders, you grind down onto him. He moans in response. “Stop being so smug.”

Jungkook throws his head back, looking at you through his lashes as you gyrate your hips more firmly. His body on full display. “I don’t know, it seems like you’re into it.”

“For fucks sake, shut up and kiss me.”

He listens, capturing your mouth with his. Everything moves fast after that. Between tongues and mouths clashing, Jungkook rids you of your sweater. He kisses down your neck and throat, leaving marks and enjoying the way that you quiver for him. You’re soaking through your leggings at this point. Jungkook’s doing no better.

When he pulls away, you take the opportunity to kiss down his neck, collarbones and chest. To get off his lap and kneel between his legs. His eyes widen as you do so. A hand immediately comes up to push your hair aside, tipping your chin upwards. When he traces his thumb over your mouth, you part your lips and swirl your tongue around the digit and bite down, making him hiss.

Spreading his legs to accomodate you, he relaxes against the cushions. Just like little pricks on the edge of your consciousness, you feel the nerves. You question your skills when you undo his jeans and pull them down his legs. Yet, the hazy look in his eyes tells you that he’s going to like this no matter what. He all but arches into you when you palm him through his underwear. Rock hard and leaking through the fabric, you don’t want to wait any longer to finally get your mouth on him. To hear him moan for you.

So you reach past his waistband, foregoing any teasing and pull the fabric down. His cock slaps up against his stomach, making him hiss again. The sight is gorgeous. Jungkook with his head thrown back, hair a mess, chest heaving and flushed even though you’ve barely touched him. It’s satisfying to know you did that to him.

You sit down on your knees, holding him in one hand and go slow. Mouthing at him first, giving him just a taste of what’s to come. He doesn’t hold back for you, reddened lips parting with all the noises he lets out. When you take the tip into your mouth, he jolts—groans and reaches to anchor himself on your shoulder. You have one hand on his thigh, the other around the base. That way, you steady yourself when you sink down on him.

“Don’t—Fuck, keep going.” A gentle hand winds into your hair, guiding you further onto his cock. You’re not usually one to do this but, seeing him feel this good spurs you on. It makes you want to take all of him. You don’t stop when he hits the back of your throat, gag reflex kicking in. He moans at the feeling, so you try to swallow. “Shit, fuck, don’t do that. Your mouth,” he pants, “so good.”

Feeling his grip loosen, you pull up, taking a deep breath when you let him out of your mouth. Spit dribbles from your mouth to the head, tears sting at the corners of your eyes. You look up, giving him the full vision, and you don’t look away when you sink down again.

You’re so wet. Core aching but unable to find any sort of relief. You end up trying to grind your hips without any payoff. Meanwhile, you start a steady rhythm. Hollowing out your cheeks and using your tongue on the underside. It works. You have him moaning out your name in seconds. His hand tightens in your hair again, not to force you, but spurring you on to take him a little deeper each time. Right until your nose hits his stomach. You hold there, to let him feel the flex of your throat one more time. Just so he remembers it. Then you take your rhythm back up, a little faster, a little tighter. Your jaw starts to hurt, but it’s worth it. To feel his thighs start to tremble and his stomach clench. How he tightens his hold on your hair, moans pitching every time you pass your tongue right under the head.

Your lungs are burning, but you can’t help but feel addicted to him. Sucking him harder and feeling him near that edge. You dig your nails into his thigh, breathing in through your nose. Jungkook’s hip start moving just a little, enough to startle you.

“‘M close,” he moans. “Fuck, can I—in your mouth. Shit.” He runs a hand through his hair, browns furrowed deep. When he opens his eyes you shiver. His lids are heavy, pupils blown and cheeks red. Just like his lips—he sinks his teeth into his bottom one when you resume.

He takes it as a yes, unable to stop his hips from pushing up. You let him take control, holding yourself still, hands on his thighs. Jungkook’s breathing picks up, moans mixing into one drawn out sound. You meet his eyes, mouth stuffed with his cock. That’s all he needed. He twitches and cums into your mouth. The taste is bitter and harsh on your tongue. You close your eyes, focused on the feeling of his body trembling. You’re the one who did that to him.

When he lets you go and you pull off him, he gives you a fuck-out yet expectant look. A cocky arch of his eyebrow when he sees your bulged cheeks. Waiting for you to swallow.

Instead, you reach for his mug that sits on the edge of the table and spit into it. Flinching at the leftover taste.

Jungkook nudges you with his knee. “Why are you like this?”

You set his cup down and reach for your own, take a big gulp of now-cold coffee. “I’m not swallowing your jizz.” The thought of doing that alone makes you want to puke.

“Don’t call it that.”

Rolling your eyes, you stand up on wobbly legs. “I just had it in my mouth, so I can call it whatever I want.”

Jungkook mimics your eyeroll. “Fine.” He pats your thigh. “Pants off.”

“What?”

He lies down on the couch. Surely he doesn’t expect you to ride him after you just fucked up your throat for him? What an ass. “You heard me, naked now. Chop chop.” He motions for you to hurry up and you just give him a blank stare. “Ugh, come here.”  Jungkook sits up just slightly again and pulls you closer by your waistband. He gives you a brief look. “Unless you don’t wanna get naked?”

You chuckle, pushing at his hands to get him to slide your leggings off. A hand slips between your thighs to touch you. Rubbing you through the fabric, your knees nearly buckle. He’s nonchalant about it, lying back, eyes focused between your legs. Yet, he’s too accurate, easily finding his target.

“Jungkook,” you whine, grabbing onto the back of the couch.

He smirks. “Let’s take these off too.” The snap of your panties to your hip pulls you back. You shove them down, taken aback by the feeling of a hand grabbing your thigh. You’re about to question him, when he scoots further back on the couch and lifts your leg past his body. “Have a seat.”

Mind absolutely blank, you let him guide you to sit over his face. You’re dripping and he can see it—feel it probably from the way you just grazed his chest. A small moan leaving your lips when he reaches up to kiss your stomach.

“Don’t be shy,” he chuckles. “I’ve got you.”

You shift forward, holding onto the back of the couch. His hands come up to your thighs, pulling you even higher so he can slot his mouth onto your core. You can’t help but moan.

Noisy. Jungkook is so noisy. He sucks your lips into his mouth, teethes at them until you’re shaking. You struggle to hold your hips still, the need to grind into him too strong. And he does nothing to stop you. No, he urges you on. Looking up at you with those big eyes and nodding against you. Jungkook opens his mouth, tongue darting out to tease at your clit just briefly. Then, the reigns are all yours.

He holds you by the hips so you can hesitantly start moving. You shiver. It feels so good; the wet warmth of his mouth against your core. He follows you, hands pawing at your thighs, hips, and ass. With eyes closed, Jungkook eats you out like he’s been dying to do it. There’s no teasing, no playing—he’s straight to the point. You move over his tongue as he sucks on your cunt, nibbling and flicking whenever he gets the chance. Anything else is irrelevant. The sight of his head blissed out between your thighs is all you can focus on.

The pleasure spikes, shooting up your spine and filling you with warmth. It’s embarrassing how fast he gets you on the edge. How good he is. The way he occasionally stops you to take that bundle of nerves between his lips and suck on it until you’re screaming—it’s mind blowing. Your entire body is on fire, sweat drips down your back. His name falls from your lips in cries that echo throughout the room. Louder than the storm raging against the window.

“Jungkook, I’m—” you pant, unable to finish your sentence with the moans that he pulls from you. Incapable of thinking from the second he swirls his tongue around your entrance and presses inside. You halt all your movements. Nails dug deeply into the couch, you reach for his hair with your other hand. He moans when you grip it tightly, his own fingers tightening around your hips. “Don’t stop.”

He alternates between fucking his tongue into you and sucking on your clit. The intensity is almost too much. The irregularity keeps you on your toes and has you nearly teetering over the edge. You just need to—Jungkook reaches behind you and plunges two fingers into your sopping core. The sensation of being filled along with his tongue flicking over you has your eyes rolling back. Everything goes white.

You double over on the couch, unable to keep yourself up and smothering him in the process. Trembling in his hold, he helps you slowly ride out your high. Short, gentle movements against his mouth. The rocking of your hips is as involuntary as the way your body keeps shaking when he lets you go. Breath high in your throat, you chuckle.

“Good god.” You fall down when he slips out from underneath you.

As you twist towards him, Jungkook wipes his mouth with the back of his hand, crawling over you. All your limbs still feel like jelly, your mind swimming. “Yeah, that good?”

You hum, eyes closing. Wanting to lie down, you turn on your back, hearing a sharp thud.

“Shit,” Jungkook gasps. He’s grasping his chin with a laugh.

A few seconds pass before you feel the soreness in your knee. “Ugh, I’m so sorry,” you whine, reaching up to touch him. But he has other plans. Jungkook surges down smiling, pressing your mouths together for the first time in what feels like hours. The stickiness on his face doesn’t go unnoticed. The reminder that he just ate you out, that he’s the one who made you cum that hard. You moan when you taste yourself on his tongue.

He kisses you deeply, smiling against your mouth. You finally get rid of your tank top, now fully naked. He mouths over your chest, twisting your nipples, spreading your legs so that he can fit between them. Pressing himself against you, hard and waiting. “Can you go again?” he asks, pulling away and searching your eyes.

You still feel floaty, but the sensation of his hard cock pressing against your thigh has you quivering. “Yeah.”  You’re aching to feel him inside, so you tilt your hips up towards him. Spreading your legs wider and inviting him.

“Wait,” you blurt, eyes flying open and pressing a hand against his chest. He stops with his hand around his dick, just about ready to slide home. “Condom.”

Jungkook curses, looking around the room. He locates his jeans that lie in a pile with his shirt and boxers. The fact that he’s actually got a condom in there is uncanny.

“You’ve got to be kidding me?”  You joke.

He shrugs. “I wore these jeans while going out last night.”

“You’re disgusting!” You slap his arm lightly, but he just chuckles in return. He knows just as well as you do that you’re waiting for him to fuck you. The clenching of your core attests to that.

No time is wasted, Jungkook puts the condom on and lines himself up. “You good?”  

You nod. “Just go slow.”

The slight oversensitivity just makes it feel even better. He stretches you out so perfectly. You feel every inch, every stutter of his hips as he goes deeper. Way deeper than you’d expected. Until his hips meet yours and he curses, burying his face into your neck.

“You feel good,” he mumbles, kissing your skin.

“You too.” Trailing your fingers up his back, you wait for your body to adjust to him. To feel yourself relax and pull for more. That tell-tale need for movement, friction. Jungkook holds steady, hips barely moving. “Go,” you say when your stomach clenches. “Move. Fuck me like you mean it.”

Jungkook growls, grasping onto the couch. Pulling out and slamming back in full force. You slide up the cushions, so fast you grasp onto him for support. Fingernails digging into his back, legs wrapping around his waist, you keen at the pleasure. Each thrust is better than the last. Harder, more precise.

Your back arches off the couch, mouth agape. Pleasure is constant, like your body is vibrating with it. Jungkook mouths at your neck, sucking, biting—teeth playfully tugging at your ear just to whisper something dirty that you can barely comprehend. Your mind can’t make sense of anything but his dick pumping inside of you. His hips slapping against yours and his mouth against your skin.

Until he kisses you. His mouth messily connecting with yours, movements slowing. With a hand on your ass, he hikes you up the couch, angling your body so that he can press your legs to your chest. Just like that, he picks up. Starting off slow, still kissing you, tongue laving over yours almost sweetly. You shiver, the slow drag of his cock as delicious as the harsh assault. He changes angles, just a hair, but it’s enough for him to graze that part inside of you that makes you see stars.

Throwing your head back, you moan. Fingers sliding through the sweat on his back, up to tangle into his hair, gripping tight. He groans. Head falling onto your shoulder, hips stuttering against yours.

“You like that?” you whisper into his ear, tongue darting out to flick at a pierced lobe.

He nods, teeth sinking into your shoulder as you pull hard. Hips picking up, chasing the pleasure.

Hearing him moan like that. So unabashed and loud, only adds to your pleasure. Toes curling, you close your eyes and let your head fall back. Hips meeting him thrust for thrust, helping him reach even deeper inside of you. To hit that spot every single time. Jungkook has perfected that balance between smooth and hard. Never slamming rough enough to jolt you, yet firm enough to make you capable of sounds you were unaware of. Rhythmic, never stopping or slowing. So constant you can’t do anything but fall into motion with him.

Bodies syncing up. Hands finding places to touch.  Nipples, lips, thighs, waists, hair. He is holding you spread open for him, your thighs starting to ache. But it’s worth it, because soon, you feel the pleasure spike.

Your stomach tightens, tingling at the base of your spine. “Jungkook,” you moan.

He answers by looking up, lips bitten red and parted.

“Can you,” you can’t finish the sentence, moaning and closing your eyes. Tapping his hand on your thigh is enough though. He releases you, instead pulling your legs around his waist. Closer like this, his chest slides over yours. It gives you just enough space to reach between your bodies and touch yourself.

He looks down at the sensation, cursing at the sight of your fingers playing with your clit while his cock slides in and out of you. The angle doesn’t let you do the same, but you can hear the slick slide clearly. You can feel it dripping down your ass.

The added pleasure is enough to put you on the edge, fast. “I’m gonna—Jungkook!” you yelp when he leans down and sucks a nipple into his mouth. “Fuck.” One hand between your bodies, the other holding his hair.

In seconds, your high hits you. Hard. Your entire body locks up, so much that Jungkook lets out a strangled moan. Fluttering around him he joins you in your peak. Thrusts stilling, pressed deep inside of you. He spills into the condom as you rut your hips, still coming down.

Spent bodies collapse onto the couch, Jungkook refusing to pull out immediately. He’s basking in the feeling of your aftershock, walls still clenching ever so slightly. You can’t blame him. It feels good. Having him inside of you as he lies down, pulling your hips against his, kissing you. His mouth is tender, laving over yours without much hurry. A hand combing through your hair, softly humming, smiling.

He finally pulls out, leaving you feeling empty and slightly sore. Grunting, he ties the condom and makes a show of throwing it into the same mug you used earlier. It makes him grin.

“I’m throwing that mug out.”

“You really don’t have to.”

“Oh, I really do. It’s been tainted beyond remedy. I’m not drinking from that, ever again.”

Jungkook presses his nose against your temple, still grinning like a fool. “You’re so weird.”

You snort. “Says the guy who just three-point shot a condom into a mug full of cum.”

No reply follows, only comfortable silence. Jungkook and you just lie like that for a while. Bodies coming down, breaths evening out, enjoying each other. Slightly sticky with sweat, you let him grab the blanket and throw it over you. Your heart swells.

Could it be possible that you’re not the only one who feels something more? Deep down, you’ve always known he’s not just an asshole. You’ve just never seen that side of him before today. All this time you’ve tried to ignore it. To not let yourself fall for that trap. A guy like him isn’t supposed to be good. Yet, maybe you were wrong about him. And maybe, he feels the same way about you.

Taehyung isn’t gonna let you hear the end of this, but you can’t help but wonder if there is an opportunity for more between you and Jungkook?

“You know,” he says after a while, “We should definitely do this again.”

Your heart shatters. That’s it. Reality crashing down on you. Of course Jungkook doesn’t feel anything for you. He’s just out for sex and you should’ve known.

You scramble up from the couch. Jungkook sputters out something you can’t quite catch, trying to grab a hold of you. “Don’t touch me,” you spit. “I can’t believe you.” Grabbing your panties and pulling them on alongside your sweater, you put distance between the two of you. “Is that what I am to you? Just another cunt to fuck?”

Jungkook’s hastily putting on his boxers, standing up, eyes wide. He opens his mouth, but you don’t care to listen.

“That’s why you were really here, right? To get into my pants. That’s why you had the condom on you.” It’s all falling together now. How could you have been so stupid? “All the fucking whining about Yoongi, but you’re no better than him.”

“Stop,” he rushes, shaking his head. “Listen to me—“

“Don’t!” you call when he reaches for you, grabbing you by the wrists and forcing you to look at him. You try to wriggle away, but he’s holding you steady.

“Listen,” he tries again. “I—“

You shove at his chest. “Let me go, Jungkook. Fucking let me go.”

He obeys, arms falling limply beside his body. Expression going soft when he sees you’re crying. “Please hear me out.”

“No, Jungkook. You don’t get it. I have feelings for you. Real, non-sexual feelings. I don’t just want to be another girl on your checklist.” There it is. Out with the truth. Your breaths come out short and ragged. Harshly wiping your tears, you grab your leggings off the floor. Jungkook just stares at you. “I was stupid to fall for this act.” It’s true. He doesn’t date. Sex. That’s it. You should’ve known, you should’ve protected yourself. Should’ve never let him weasel his way into your heart.

Jungkook deflates, head falling, hair shielding his eyes. “I’m sorry that you think of me this way.”

What a pretentious prick. “Forget it Jungkook, I’m not buying it.” You look outside, rain still pouring down the window. “You know where everything is. I want you out before sunrise.” You turn your back on him and storm into your bedroom, slamming the door closed.

The contents of your cabinet click, something falling to the floor. Your tears only get worse. Feeling the cold of your room wrap around your worn out body. To feel the remnants of him still cling to your skin. The marks, the soreness, and the scent. God, you’re so dumb. You want to call Taehyung, to hear his voice and have him comfort you. But it’s two in the morning and his sleep schedule is shaky enough as it is.

So you just opt for a shower, stripping and getting under the hot spray to wash away whatever you can. You douse yourself in your favourite clementine scented body wash. But it does nothing to clean the fresh tears. Nothing can. The realisation that your feelings for Jungkook had gone way past crush hurts. You let your guard down and he drove a knife into your back.

Sleep, you think. You need sleep. You need to rid yourself of these thoughts and feelings. Wake up tomorrow and just pretend like this never happened. Even if you know it’ll be evident. You can pretend.

You dry off and brush your teeth. Three times to be precise. Ending up in bed wrapped in your favourite teddy sweater, warm and cosy. Your chest still aches with tears that no longer fall. Heart heavy. Like you miss him close to you.

There’s not much you can do but close your eyes and will your mind to shut off. You don’t want to think about him anymore.

The creaking of your door opening startles you right as you’re drifting off. He better be joking. You refuse to move, holding tightly onto the blanket, hoping that he’s just checking in on you and will leave. You hear the door click closed, and then the bed dips.

You hold your breath. Jungkook doesn’t speak. He lifts the covers so he can scoot under them and pull you against his chest. It’s not a tight hold, but it’s there. A strong arm draped over your waist, legs grazing yours as you pretend to be asleep. The feather-light gaze of his lips against your neck makes fresh tears appear in your eyes.

“Jungkook,” you croak.

He shushes you. “I know you’re upset with me. I just don’t want you to be alone when you’re feeling like this. We can talk in the morning—if you want. For now, just get some rest.”

It’s true. You shouldn’t be alone, crying yourself to sleep. Even if he’s the one that caused it. You just don’t want to let yourself trust the gesture. He’s probably trying to make you feel less angry. Even if it doesn’t work, it’s appreciated, ill intent or not. Having someone here is calming, letting you fall into an unruly slumber.

The next morning, you wake up in his embrace. Closer, back pressed to his chest. His nose nuzzles into your hair. It’s so nice. Warm. Soothing. He’s a good cuddler.

Then, your entire body stiffens. The previous night coming back to you in flashes. Your bodies entwined on the couch, moans bouncing off the wall. You swallow tightly, lifting his arm.

“Hey,” Jungkook whispers. He must’ve already been awake, reaching for your hand and giving it a small squeeze. “Should I go?”

Yes. “No,” you mumble. You need answers. To make the story whole before you force him out of your life for good.

“Do you want to—”

“Why do you always act like such a dick around me?”

Jungkook takes a deep breath. “Because you won’t give me the time of day otherwise.”

You still, practically holding your breath so that you can hear every word.

“Every time I’m nice to you, you pretend like I don’t exist. When I push your buttons,” he sighs, “that’s when I get your attention.”

Attention? He wants your attention? Your mind’s running circles, afraid to turn around and see the look in his eyes and get swayed. Feel remorse for the pain you hear lined in his voice. That you can feel in the trembling of his hand encasing yours.

“Can you at least say something?” he asks.

“I don’t know what you want me to say.”

He sits up, the mattress shifting and your eyes closing tightly.  “Sit up, please.”  Grabbing your arm, Jungkook gets you to reluctantly sit up and face him. Though you won’t look at him, eyes on your knees that nearly touch his. You notice that he’s still in his boxers, but he’s at least wearing a shirt. He doesn’t force you to look at him when he starts speaking again. “I want to be honest with you.” He toys with the edge of your sheets. “But if you’re not going to listen to the whole story it’s not worth telling you.”

Your heart hammers. Tears threaten to fall. Taking a deep breath gives away your nerves. You want to tell him he can’t ask that of you. That he doesn’t deserve that. But if there’s even a slight chance of a misunderstanding—something your heart hopes for—you have to hear him out. Even if it’ll hurt. “Okay.”

“Thank you,” he mumbles. He’s nervous too. Breath shaky like his body, nearly curled in on himself. You never thought you’d see him this vulnerable. “Honestly, when I first met you, I was intrigued by you because I couldn’t have you. You just held up your nose every time I as much as looked your way. It made me want to know more about you. And the moment I did, it was over for me. I realised that you’re not just opinionated, crass, and entitled. You’re smart, a hard worker, and you’re such a good friend.”

You finally dare to look up. To see the desperate look in his eyes as he pauses. Shocked.

“I admire you,” he whispers.

“What?” you blurt. “You’re the one with the straight A’s, not me.”

He shakes his head in defeat, biting his lip and looking away. “The only reason I’m getting straight A’s is because I’ve taken these classes before. I’m not like you, I don’t work hard. I should be studying like you.”

You frown. “What do you mean, you’ve done them before? Do you already have a law degree?”

Jungkook avoids your eyes. “When I got out of high school at the age of seventeen, I got into a big university with a scholarship. The full ride. But I was stupid,” he croaks. “I wanted to fully enjoy the college ride. So I studied just enough to get by and dedicated the rest of my time to partying.” He says it like he’s disgusted with himself. Muscles in his neck tightening as he swallows impending tears. “I got arrested for underage drinking and lost the entire scholarship. Everything I had worked so hard for, down the drain.”

The words leave him pained, the regret for his past decisions clear in his eyes. Yet, he’s still here, studying this degree you know most students can’t afford. You have a scholarship too.

“So yeah,” he breathes. “I wish I had a little more discipline like you. I admire that you’re able to put school first. As much as I pretend to hate you just to get your attention, I like being around you. You’re a positive influence on people, including me.”

“So it’s my fault? For judging you?”

Jungkook’s eyes widen. “No, not at all. As I said, I was being an ass on purpose because I was curious about you. But when I got to know you,” he cocks his head to the side, “feelings happened. I just couldn't find a way to show you the better sides of myself. Which is partially why I showed up yesterday.”

“Huh,” you frown. So he did have ulterior motives? “How does that change anything? You still showed up here to sleep with me.” He’s talking in circles. You feel remorse for him, but you tell yourself to stay strong. His past doesn’t excuse his actions.

“I really wasn’t planning on sleeping with you. I wouldn’t do that to you. There just was no other way to get you to spend time alone with me. I wanted to show you a better side of me, hoping that you’d realise I’m not all bad and maybe would give me a chance.” A chance to what? “I like you,” he adds when you don’t respond, “a lot.”

What? He can’t be serious. After everything that happened.

“But I also care about you. I like being around you—bickering included. I genuinely wanted to help. I know how hard it is to start again, I didn’t want to see you go through that.”

You go silent. Trying to think over his words and not see the bad. To believe that he means it. He did help you after all. He studied with you for hours, never insinuating anything sexual. He was nice, comforting and believed in you. You never asked for any of that. And after all, you kissed him too. You could’ve stopped it. If he had just wanted sex, he wouldn’t be here.

But he is. “Jungkook, I’m so sorry,” you say, grabbing his hand.

“I’m the one who’s sorry. For making you feel used. I should’ve just been honest with you.” Jungkook laces your fingers together. “I know it was a dick move on my side to sleep with you. I shouldn’t have said what I said.”

“I played as much of a part in it as you did. So let’s just—how about we call it even. Bury the hatchet?” You cock your head to the side, rubbing your thumb over the back of his hand. It won’t be easy, you’ll need to do a lot of thinking, but your heart wants to forgive him. To see more of his gentler side.

He nods, lifting up your hand and pressing his lips against your knuckles. “Sounds good to me.”

The two of you get up after that, even if it’s a little awkward. It’s weird to not be bickering with him. You’re surprised that he actually cleaned the living room last night. There’s not a trace of him left aside from his clothes that are carefully folded on the table. Even that mug is gone.

“What do you want to eat?” you ask, reaching to the top shelve for another mug.

Jungkook comes closer. “Just coffee is okay for now.”

You turn, almost bumping into his chest, blushing heavily. Now that he knows you have feelings for him, he’s enjoying himself just a little too much. Smiling at you while you’re making coffee and some cereal for yourself. You eat in silence, browsing through your phone.

It’s when you get up to clean, that Jungkook speaks again.

“Hey,” he says, grabbing you back by the waist.

“Hi?” You turn around in his grip.

“You know,” he starts, hand coming up to brush your hair behind your ear. “As much as I regret what I said yesterday, I did mean it.”

“What?” You chuckle lightly. “You want to do that again?”

He nods, and you catch a faint redness dusting his cheeks. “I do, a lot of times, if you want.”

You laugh, twisting away from him to put the dishes in the sink. “If that is your way of you asking me to be your girlfriend, Jungkook, then I must say you’re not quite hitting the right angle. Seeing what happened yesterday.” He can’t seriously be thinking you just want him for sex after all that. You start cleaning, even if it’s just to avoid having to look at him and admit that you’re shy. Thinking about what happened last night—the good parts.

Sighing, he turns off the tap that you had just turned on.

“Hey!” You turn it back on, only to have him shut it off again. “What do you want?”

“I’m not saying that I want you to be my girlfriend. I don’t think I’m ready for that just yet.” He leans in, brushing his nose against yours, searching your eyes like he’d done the night before. Like he’s waiting for permission.

You couldn’t resist him even if you tried. So you kiss him, just briefly. “Then what are you ready for, big boy?”

He laughs. “For starters, I would love to take you out for dinner after the exam that’s in,” he looks up at the clock, “six hours.”

You groan, throwing your head back. “Don’t remind me.” It’s probably a wiser decision to take some time to think. See how you feel about this, but dinner won’t hurt. “I will still need some time to think about,” you gesture between you two, “whatever this is.”

“Oh,” his face falls. “Yeah, I get that. I just thought that—since you said you have feelings for me too.” Jungkook pouts. He fucking juts out his bottom lip and you haven’t seen anything more endearing in your entire life. Your heart does a weird little flip, and you know that you’re a goner. Even more so than you had been before last night.

Now you know that he is good. That he is worthy of a chance. So why not give it? Why would you sit around and let your mind think all sorts of negative things about him if you can give him the chance to prove to you that he’s a great guy. As he said, it’s just a date. Not a label. Yet.

When he turns away, you pull him back by his hand, slamming your lips to his. He grunts, both hands coming up to thread through your hair. The kiss isn’t deep. It isn’t anything like the way you kissed last night. It sweeps you off your feet, so tender and warm. When he pulls away, you’re out of breath and you can see the adoration in his eyes. You hope he can see it in yours.

Then, he pinches your butt.

You push at his chest. “Thanks for reminding me that you’re still an annoying brat.”

He chuckles, giving you a peck on the lips. “But you like me that way.”

“Sadly,” you grumble, winding your arms around his neck. “I do.”

Thanks to: @/fallinforkoo @knjkitten​ @yoongs-jeontae​ @wintaejk​ @guksweet​ @rynofpentacles​ @mikroparadise​ @jeonggukkiepabo​ @softlyjiminie​ Requested by: @/fallinforkoo + @hornyjailbonk​ + 3x Anonymous Taglist: @jiminskth​ @teresaisla​​ @yeontanie21​​ @tessanator97​​ @ladyartemesia​ @dayjeons​​ @djasheyash99​​ @the-rise-of-bangtan-boyz​​ @bbangtanlove95​ @zeharilisharaban​ @jungkooksgoodgirl​​ @topanga27​​ @pjmochii​​ @iwanttohitmyself​​ @veryuniquenamegoeshere​​ @bel-abysse​​ @jiminsreads​​ @jungkookspromise​​

© GguksGalaxy 2020 This is a work of fiction and is in no way meant to give an accurate representation of the idols included. Please do not steal, copy, redistribute or take uncredited inspiration from my work. 

[jisungsmochi]

favorite crime - na jaemin

favorite crime - na jaemin 

this is the second installment for my SOUR series! you can read jeno’s one here! 

a little bad boy!jaemin x troubled (?) but still a ‘goodie goodie’ reader // strangers to friends to partner in crime to strangers again :/ 

word count: 7.2k 

summary: “It's bittersweet to think about the damage that we'd do

'Cause I was goin' down, but I was doin' it with you” 

who would have ever thought that, jaemin, the quiet boy you met in detention, would become your first love? getting involved with his shenanigans was probably the worst thing you could have done in your life. you were lucky enough to love someone like him, someone who excited you, scared you, and most of all, loved you back. but what happens when his actions suddenly have consequences? 

a/n: this summary sucks but i liked writing this alot,, explains why it took me so long to write it oops. 

tagging the bestie: @skrtbabe

//

Know that I loved you so bad

I let you treat me like that

I was your willing accomplice, honey

//

as you walked into the near-empty classroom, you made a beeline for the closest seat to the window. if you were going to be stuck in detention for two hours, you might as well have a nice view. you let out a short sigh to yourself, one hour and fifty eight minutes to go. the supervising teacher was lazily marking her class’ essays, completely choosing to ignore the entrance of na jaemin. he gave her a subtle scoff before stumbling past the desk, making his way to sit behind you. you heard him roughly place his bag onto the surface of his desk. you’d be lying if you said you didn’t want to look back and see what he was up to. jaemin was always a mystery to you, and to everyone else in the school. despite keeping himself away from the majority, people had quite a lot to say about the boy. you heard rumours that he got stabbed (which you didn’t believe at all) but your classmate, haechan, insists he had video evidence. if anything, you don’t think you had ever spoken to jaemin in your entire life, but that was all about to change.

thirty minutes into detention and you were beyond bored. everybody was either catching up on school work or trying their best to not be caught on their phones. you opted to staring out the window, eyes following the movements of a particular butterfly. eventually, the butterfly decided it was time to leave your line of sight, causing you to let out a short huff. you heard a soft chuckle, belonging to the previously silent boy behind you. you slowly turned to face him, his eyes immediately latching to meet yours. he had his chin perched on top of his right palm, a cunning grin on his face. you gave him a glare,

“what are you laughing at?” you faintly whisper to him. this caught him off guard, he didn’t expect you to sound so stern.

“an explosion is about to happen” you grew to be more confused, what is he talking about?

“wha-“

“i’ll be right back! s-stay where you are!” your teacher suddenly blurts out, rushing out of her room as fast as she could. the rest of the students all looked over at eachother, some even opting to leave detention entirely.

you turned back to the snickering boy, who clearly had something to do with it.

“what the hell did you do?”

“put laxatives in her coffee” your jaw dropped, how the hell did he manage to do that?

“w-what’s wrong with you?”

“what’s wrong with you? learn to live a little” he suddenly stood up, slinging his bag across his body. his eyes still stayed on you, silently asking for you to follow him. this was one hell of a first impression. you weren’t sure what took over you in that moment, but you found yourself trailing behind na jaemin like a lost puppy as he led you both out of the school gates. he didn’t speak much to you, aimlessly walking to wherever the hell he needed to be.

“so what did you get into detention for?” he suddenly asked you, causing you to stiffen. you weren’t a stranger to getting into trouble, your short temper often being the root of your issues. but you weren’t exactly the most comfortable talking to new people.

“ah you’re a bit shy? i’ll start then, i stole lee haechan’s clothes after gym practice” he smirked to himself, feeling some sense of pride.

“that was you? he was running around school butt naked because of you” you couldn’t help but chuckle at the memory of seeing two full ass cheeks after your history class.

“that’s what he gets for claiming that he has proof i got stabbed? which is ridiculous by the way” jaemin shakes his head before coming to a complete stop. you slightly bump into his right shoulder, quickly stabilising yourself before looking at the quiet cafe infront of you.

“hungry?” you nodded in response, following him into the cafe. he seemed to have known some of the workers, earning you a free croissant and hot chocolate.

“so, i told you why i got into detention, now it’s your turn” he chimed, clearly entertained by having you as company.

“i punched kim yuna in the face” you slightly cringed at your own words. you weren’t the one to be physical in your confrontations, but this girl really struck a nerve.

“sheesh, i saw her earlier, you gave her nose a good bruising, i must say” he couldn’t help but find the entire thing entertaining. this was so odd to you, every person that had witnessed it, thought you went crazy. but here jaemin was, laughing at the situation.

“you think this is funny?” you asked curiously, rather than in a judgemental manner.

“well yeah, i don’t know why you did it, but she probably deserved it” he shrugged, taking a bite of his own pastry. you felt your shoulders begin to relax, infact your entire demeanour had changed. jaemin was the only person that didn’t push you to admit your faults and apologise. he didn’t need to know the whole story, he just took your words for what they were.

the next hour consisted of you and jaemin, sharing stories on some of the mischievous things you had gotten up to in the past. from small things like setting off stink bombs during an exam, to running from the mall cops after stealing a pair of pants from a store. jaemin liked your reactions to his stories, at first your face would be full of shock, then turn into some sort of enlightenment. he found it quite endearing to watch. he wasn’t too bad on the eyes either.

“need me to walk you home?”

“i don’t need you to do anything for me” jaemin just smirked at your response,

“but i wouldn’t mind if you did”

“ah i see how it’s going to be”

“what do you mean?”

“our relationship, it’s going to be very push and pull” what on earth was he on about?

“you got that from just spending a few hours with me?” jaemin nodded, shoving his hands into his jacket pockets.

“i think we’ll be spending a lot of time together” was all he said back. if you had told yourself earlier that day, that you’d become na jaemin’s partner in crime, you’d punch yourself in the face. but this was only the beginning.

//

from that day onwards, you would purposely seek out jaemin’s presence. whether it be you walking to the most isolated parts of school, or simply trying to get into detention in the case he was there again. as a result of the laxative prank, jaemin had earned a two week long suspension. you had caught wind of this information from the school’s chatterbox, haechan. you’d think after being humiliated by jaemin, he’d keep his name out of his mouth.

you decided to visit the same cafe you accompanied jaemin to, incase he was hanging out there. you weren’t sure why you wanted to be around him so much. if anything, you were more at risk of getting another detention, or becoming a social outcast. but you were going to take those chances.

as you entered the cafe, your eyes scanned near and far for any sight of the black haired boy. you were about to give up, when you heard a voice,

“stalking me now?” you immediately froze, too nervous to turn back. you felt jaemin’s hand on your shoulder, slowly turning your around to face him.

“i-i no it’s not what it looks like-“

“it’s fine, you must have missed me, no?” he let a cocky grin land on his face. you just rolled your eyes, ready to walk right back out that door.

“let’s get up to some trouble today” he gripped your wrist gently, dragging you out of the cafe. he didn’t let go of you, once again, you were aimlessly following him. why did you let him do this to you?

jaemin wasn’t too much of a talker, he tended to try and speak with his eyes. you found it interesting, the way he expected you to know exactly what was on his mind. he eventually stopped walking after reaching an abandoned building. you were beginning to feel slightly anxious, noticing that the sun was slowly setting and the breeze was getting cooler. jaemin plopped his carry bag on the concrete floor, you heard clinking sounds erupt from the bag. he moved to pull out a few spray cans.

“ever graffitied?” you shook your head,

“not spray painting, but i’ve drawn some not so pleasant pictures in the bathroom stalls” you shrug as he handed you a can of bright yellow spray paint. he slightly chuckled at your anecdote, which made you look down at the ground.

“well you won’t get in trouble for messing up this place”

“what is this place anyway?” you start to shake the can, watching as jaemin started spraying onto the blank wall.

“somewhere i come when i don’t feel like going home” you weren’t sure if you wanted to press him to elaborate, so you just nodded, beginning to spray a random design of your own.

jaemin found hanging around you quite amusing. you were always up for anything he wanted to do. you seemed so cheerful about the simplest things, and never pushed him to explain the questionable things about himself. you were a lot different than the people he would usually surround himself with. but like many things in na jaemin’s life, they often went sour very quickly.

//

And I watched as you fled the scene

Doe-eyed as you buried me

One heart broke, four hands bloody

//

jaemin had asked you to accompany him to the abandoned building one night. you were half asleep and freezing to death as you approached his car. it was quite beat up, making you worried,

“is this thing even safe to be driving?” you groan as you wrap yourself in your large puffer jacket. jaemin had previously insisted you bring a sleeping bag and pillow. you chose not to question it, too tired to argue back with him.

“don’t disrespect my sweet ride! be grateful i didn’t make you walk in the cold” he scoffed before starting the engine. the car ride was fairly quiet, you were drifting in and out of sleep, in which jaemin noticed. he thought you looked so peaceful, so he tried his best not to make any sharp turns or run over many speed bumps. in a matter of time, he parked the car, gently wiggling your shoulder. you woke up instantly, feeling his cold hand on your cheek. you furrowed your eyebrows before following him out of the car. he led you to the same wall you both had graffitied on before, but this time, it seemed to have become a complete picture.

“i wanted to show you this! isn’t it cool?” he gleamed, pulling you to his side, slightly rubbing your shoulder to warm you up. you quickly ignored his touch, focusing back on the wall. it was a mirage of different doodles and words that must have meant something to jaemin.

“this is amazing, you did this all by yourself?”

“yeah, i really wanted to see your reaction”

“what does it all mean?”

“it’s kind of a representation of what goes on in my mind? i’m not the best with expressing my feelings with words, so i decided to let it out on this wall” jaemin spoke with such ease, his voice filling your ears with warmth. he pulled you closer to him when he saw you shiver,

“care to share?” you slightly joked. jaemin never got too deep with you, so you assumed he would brush the comment off. but he just stares back at you, his eyes piercing into your own. you held your breath as he leaned in closer to you.

“sure thing” he slowly leads you back to the car, turning on the heater as you both wrapped yourselves in sleeping bags. you were huddled up in the back seat, your head leaning on his shoulder as he played with his fingers.

“i never had an outlet for my imagination. my parents weren’t the most warm or loving people in the world. i barely remember anything from my childhood, except for the unpleasant memories. when i started hanging out with some of the older kids, they showed me the ropes of their crew. they taught me how to graffiti, how to carve things with a pocket knife, you know, basic seventh grade stuff” he let out a soft chuckle, but you didn’t laugh. instead you placed your hand over his, feeling the coldness shoot through your body.

“i-i don’t like showing how i feel. because i think it makes me weak, or pitiful. that’s a bad way of thinking, but i can’t help it. so i let out my frustrations here, by either spray painting or smashing random things. it’s nice to get it all out” he stops speaking, his posture suddenly stiffening. you lifted your head from his shoulder, forcing him to look over at you.

“i’m here to listen to you. you don’t have to result to destroying things in order to reveal your feelings. you can just talk to me next time, okay?” you assured him, tightening your grip on his hand. jaemin just nodded, his eyes faltering from yours. why were you so considerate towards him?

“wanna know why i punched yuna in the face?” you saw jaemin crack a smile, nodding frantically.

“she said some things about my family, how they only took me in because they felt sorry for me. see, i’m actually a foster kid, my real parents weren’t in the ‘right state of mind’ to take care of me. well, in the eyes of the law atleast” jaemin didn’t know how to respond, opting to pulling your head back into his shoulder.

“i know she was just trying to rile me up, my foster parents aren’t terrible. but hearing those words just struck a nerve. how can people be so judgmental?”

“that’s just life, love. everyone will always have their own opinions, but it’s up to you, on how to respond. or you can simply choose to ignore them, it’s always worked for me” jaemin started tracing small patterns on the back of your hand, feeling his eyes become drowsy.

“but i don’t want to always ignore my problems. i want to be able to face them, how else will i grow as a person?” you sighed,

“we grow each and every day, most of the time we don’t notice. you’re doing better than you think. sure, you’ll grow up soon enough, you’ll develop your own identity, but for now, enjoy the moment. don’t care too much about what others think, this is your life to lead” jaemin looked down at you, feeling a warm sensation reach his heart.

“for someone who doesn’t like speaking his mind, you sure give some great advice. promise we’ll be there for eachother?” you pull out your pinky finger from his grip, watching as he blinks for a few seconds. you sensed some hesitation, but blamed it on him being tired. eventually, jaemin linked his pink with yours, sealing it with a gentle press of his lips. you couldn’t hide how flustered you had gotten, burying your head in his chest as he started stroking your hair.

“thankyou for being with me tonight” he mumbled as he felt himself fall asleep,

“anytime”

//

sometimes jaemin would leave you hanging for days on end. at first you would get concerned, mainly for his own safety. you were never sure what he got up to in his spare time, and to be honest, you didn’t want to know. but after a certain amount of days, he would pop back into your life that nothing happened, as if no time had passed. today was one of those days. he was sitting on your bedroom floor, flicking through your history notes. you couldn’t pry your eyes away from him, he looked so peaceful.

“you’re so much smarter than me” he huffs, scratching his head as he closed your notebook.

“no way, i’m pretty average. you’re more street smart than i am” jaemin perks up at your words,

“i guess i am huh” he smirks to himself, making you slightly smile.

“i can help you study if you want, you need a pass, right?” you scooted over to him, sitting so that your shoulders brushed against eachother.

“well yes, technically. but passing doesn’t secure i’ll get into college. not that i can even go” he shrugs, eyes focused on his rings, beginning to fiddle with them.

“what do you mean?”

“i don’t have the grades, my parents barely have any money saved for my college fund. i don’t have a job, you see the issue here?” you sensed him stiffen up next to you, this topic clearly striking a nerve within him. you placed a hand on his shoulder, gently squeezing it,

“you know college isn’t for everyone. i’m sure you will be able to live a good life” jaemin knew you were trying your best to cheer him up. but these were constant thoughts and struggles he had been dealing with for what seemed like a lifetime. he knew you would never fully understand, and he couldn’t be mad at you for that.

“y-yeah, i’ll be fine” he sighs, linking is fingers with yours. you worried about jaemin so much, it slowly began to take over your mind. you caught yourself thinking about him more often, how you wanted to be there for him during his dark times. but jaemin always shoved off the idea of getting too deep with his emotions. sure, he trusted you with most things, but there was always a thought in the back of his mind. you were way too good for him.

//

“what is this?” you smiled brightly at the boy standing across from you. he was leant up against your locker, gift bag in his hands, shoving it towards you.

“a token of my appreciation for our growing friendship” you chose to ignore the last word, your feelings towards jaemin still being undecided.

you slowly open the bag, your eyes landing on a small box. you furrowed your eyebrows, before opening it.

“t-this is beautiful, jaemin. how did you afford this?” you gasped, pulling out the shiny necklace from the delicate box. it was a silver chain, that sparkled under the light at just the right angle. there was a small pendent latched onto it, a butterfly.

“don’t worry about that, do you like it?” he grinned at you, taking in your ecstatic reaction,

“of course! i cant thank you enough!”

you pull him into a warm hug, arms tightening around his torso. jaemin chuckled softly, bringing his arms to wrap around your frame, slowly swaying you side to side.

“being there for me is enough, i promise”

//

The things I did

Just so I could call you mine

The things you did

Well, I hope I was your favorite crime

//

the following few days, jaemin went MIA again. you were beginning to become annoyed by his lack of communication. you wanted to believe he was gone for good reason, but something in your gut sensed something worse was happening. that’s when you decided to go to the abandoned building, remembering he often went there when he wanted to be alone. not having a car of your own caused many issues in your life. like right now, you were huffing and puffing once you hopped off your bicycle. you quickly set it aside, making your way to the building. before you turned to the main corridor that you met jaemin in many times before, you heard hushed voices, one belonging to the boy in question.

“we need this deal done asap. no excuses” a deep voice echoes through the building. you couldn’t get a good look at them without being caught, so you remained hidden behind a huge slab of concrete.

“b-but what if they think i’m scamming them because i’m new?” jaemin squeaked. you had never heard him so worried before.

“well you better think of some way to get them to buy, we can’t risk anymore losses. take this as initiation into the big boys club” what the hell was going on?

soon enough, the small group of men had left the building, walking past the concrete slab you were hiding behind. you let out a sigh of relief before rushing to jaemin. his eyes widened at the sight of you, part of him wanting to yell at you for being so stupid.

“what are you doing here?!” he was mad.

“i could ask you the same thing” you scoffed. jaemin suddenly became quiet, eyes avoiding yours.

“what’s going on? and i want the truth. the whole truth” he just sighed, dragging you back to his car. you folded your arms, in disbelief from what you had heard prior.

“i-i’m helping them with some deals okay? it’s just a side hustle to get some cash, i want to get out of this town. this is the only way”

“what are you dealing? drugs?” you gasped, watching as jaemin snapped his neck to face you.

“yes, it’s not as bad as you think-“

“not as bad? they’re literally part of a gang. do you know what happens to people who don’t seal these deals?” you couldn’t believe what you were hearing.

“i know the risks. but i’m desperate. i just need enough to buy an apartment in another city and finally start my life” jaemin doesn’t know why he’s bothering trying to explain this to you. he brushed his fingers through his hair roughly, letting out a groan as he did so.

“when i said there are ways for you to live a good life, i didn’t mean deal drugs. i meant get an apprenticeship or something! literally anything but this”

“there’s nothing you can do to change my mind. i already swore i’d do this deal. i need the money. you wouldn’t understand” jaemin struck back, feeling attacked by your words.

“what the hell is that supposed to mean? i-i can’t do this. come back to me when you’ve come to your senses. this is stupid and you know it” you rush out of his car, causing jaemin to trail behind you as you stumbled to find your bike.

“come with me” you stopped in your tracks.

“pardon?”

“come with me to the deal. i-i don’t want to go alone” he says barely above a whisper,

“you’re crazy if you think i’ll follow you like a lost pup-“ jaemin pressed his lips on yours, hands stuck to your waist, gently rubbing your sides as he deepened the kiss. your words became jumbled as he continued to kiss you. as much as you wanted to argue back with him, feeling his lips on yours was only something you had experienced in your dreams.

“please” he whispered, pulling away from you momentarily.

“o-okay” you whispered back, hands now on his shoulders. jaemin smirked with pride before pulling you in once again. he led you back to his car, dragging you into the backseat. he began trailing kisses down your neck, erupting a pleased sigh from you. and just like that, you were wrapped around his silly little finger.

//

you were now seated in the passenger seat of jaemin’s busted ass car. your nerves were off the charts, and so were his. you had never seen him so anxious before, he was breathing in quick successions and couldn’t stop shaking.

“just get it over and done with...okay? get in and get out” you try your best to ease his nerves but how much could you really say? you were encouraging him to commit to a drug deal, this was not how you expected your friday night to go.

jaemin just nodded, clutching onto something in his jacket pocket. he pressed a soft kiss to your forehead, gently stroking your hair as he did so.

“thankyou for coming with me” he mumbled. you just nodded, trying to ignore your intense gut feeling that something was going to go wrong. he led you by your waist into the noisy bar. you kept your head down, allowing jaemin to gain sight of the clients. he didn’t let you approach the group of men, so you tried to distract yourself with a random fruity cocktail from the bar. it wasn’t enough to push aside your worries.

after what seemed like hours, you caught sight of jaemin, who seemed like he was in a rush. he quickly scooped you away from your seat, swiftly leading you out of the bar. before you could even open your mouth, he interjects,

“no time for questions, get in the car now” he harshly shoved you into the passenger seat. now you were more worried than before.

“what the fuck is going on?!” jaemin didn’t answer you, starting the engine of the car. before you could press him any further, the same group of men rushed out of the bar, eyes scanning for the boy next to you. this wasn’t good.

“may or may not have given them the wrong amount...nothing a little hide and seek can’t fix!” jaemin tried to laugh it off, but you knew he was equally as scared. his dingy car wouldn’t start, adding to the panic in the atmosphere. the group of men were already in their own vehicle, approaching jaemin’s car rather quickly.

“fuck fuck fuck” he began shouting, slamming his foot on the accelerator as the car hurled forward. in a matter of time, he was speeding down the street. he probably ran a couple red lights and a few stop signs, but he wasn’t fazed. you on the other hand, were about to throw up. jaemin kept taking sharp turns to throw off the car chasing you, he barely looked back. you were terrified in this moment. anything could go wrong, one wrong turn, and it could all be over. soon enough, he stopped right outside the all too familiar abandoned building. he was out of breath, the adrenaline still present in his system. you were completely frozen, still in shock at what had occurred.

“wasn’t that riveting?” he smirked. he fucking smirked?

“are you kidding me? that was fucking insane. d-don’t do this again. i don’t want any part of this anymore” you began tearing up, feeling your heart pump out of your chest. jaemin’s face dropped as he tried to hold your hand, in which you pulled away immediately.

“t-take me home. please.” he didn’t say anything back to you. he respected your wishes and took you home safely. you didn’t even want to think about the punishment he would receive from the gang for messing up the deal. the only thought of your mind was your own safety. jaemin risked your safety this time around. you would have done anything for him, but in this moment, you were beginning to regret it. na jaemin was trouble. and you needed to stay away from trouble.

//

staying away from na jaemin was harder than you thought. subtle glances from across the classroom or school courtyard wasn’t doing you any good. so you sought refuge in the library. somehow he managed to find you there too.

“y/n, please, talk to me” you continued to read the novel you weren’t interested in, trying your best to remain angry. he sat across from you, pulling down the book from your face, eyes begging to meet yours.

“there’s nothing left to say” he just sighs, never seeing you be so stubborn.

“i know what i did was wrong, i shouldn’t have put you in that posit-“

“can we please not discuss this here? where anyone can hear us?” you quickly interrupt him, pulling him to the school parking lot. out of habit, jaemin led you to his car, opening the passenger side door for you. you got chills as you sat in the seat once again, the memories flooding back.

“i-i’m sorry. i shouldn’t have brought you into it. i just didn’t want to be alone...you’re the only person who doesn’t make me feel alone.” jaemin could barely look at you, too embarrassed of being vulnerable.

“you know how i’m against what you’re doing. and i know i can’t change your mind. i just can’t keep worrying about your safety. it hurts me knowing that you could get hurt one day” you began sniffling, which made jaemin’s heart ache. he pulled your face to meet his own, staring at your soft features. he slowly guided his fingers to wipe away your tears.

“don’t worry too much about me, love. i’ll be just fine” he pressed a soft kiss to your lips, and just like that, you were dragged right back into his arms.

“be careful” you whispered against his lips,

“always”

//

You used me as an alibi

I crossed my heart as you crossed the line

And I defended you to all my friends

//

jaemin wasn’t careful. not in the slightest. he showed up at your window, hands clutching to his lower torso area as he stumbled into your room. you hushed him to be as quiet as he could but you immediately knew something was wrong. he practically fell to his knees, soft whimpers and sighs leaving his mouth. you quickly moved to turn on your lights, taking a better look at the boy in pain. your eyes travelled along his face, covered in scratches and bruises.

“you good with playing medic tonight?” he joked, trying to relieve the tension. but you were not having any of it. you pulled him into your bed, allowing him to lay on his back. he had an array of cuts over his body, including a large gash on his lower lip. you swiftly rushed to the bathroom, grabbing your not so impressive first aid kit, but it would have to do for now. you tried your best to disinfect what you cold, until you reached his torso. you saw there were specks of blood leaking onto his t shirt, which made you more worried than you were initially. jaemin just sighed, lifting up his shirt slowly. your eyes were glued on the painful wound plastered on the right side of his body.

“d-did someone stab you?!” you felt tears prickle the side of your eyes. how could he be so stupid?

“n-no, its just a cut, it’s not even that deep” he tried to play it off, but the moment you pressed the cleansing wipe onto the wound, he winced.

“stop playing the tough guy. i hate when you play tough guy” you groan, trying your best to tend to his wound. jaemin watched as your expression changed from one of concern, to annoyance.

“hey, don’t be mad at me, okay?” he brought his hand to hover over your thigh, gently stroking his fingers on the surface.

“i’m sorry” he whispered, trying his best to sit up, but you immediately pushed him back down. you moved to lay next to him, allowing yourself to finally look him in the eyes.

“i can’t always be here to take care of you like this, jaemin. as much as i want to, there are going to be times where i just can’t. you have to understand that”

“of course, i didn’t expect you to be my personal nurse or anything. i just don’t want you to leave” his words sank deeply into your thoughts.

“i-i won’t leave”

“thankyou. i promise i will take you out and we will have fun. like old times. we can go on a road trip, or even that stupid homecoming dance you keep talking about. i’ll do anything to make it up to you because i ca-“ he immediately stopped himself, clutching his side.

“just get some rest, we can continue this discussion another day. goodnight jaem” you just sighed, turning on your back to face him. jaemin didn’t know why he couldn’t finish his sentence. he does care about you. more than anyone else in the world. but why couldn’t he just say it?

you on the other hand, were too busy imagining your future with jaemin. would he be there as your partner in crime for life? or was he just someone passing by to teach you a lesson? you weren’t too sure you wanted to find out.

//

“y/n, principal lee wants to see you in his office” your economics teacher informed you during class, eyes of classmates following you as you left the room. you swore you hadn’t done anything remotely mischievous lately, besides snatching a cheat sheet for the upcoming final.

“ah yes y/n, please take a seat” principal lee invited you into his office. you tried your best to stay focused on the stubby man in front of you but you couldn’t ignore the two police officers standing to the side.

“you wanted to see me, sir?”

“yes, these officers are here to ask you some questions. don’t worry, you aren’t in trouble. they just need some information for their investigation” he explains as best he could, shifting the conversation over to the two officers.

“as principal lee mentioned, we just need information. are you comfortable with us asking you a few questions?” you slowly nodded, hands beginning to clam up.

“we have reason to believe your friend, na jaemin, has been involved in an incident that occurred last thursday. he claims he was present with you that night. can you confirm this?” you immediately froze. you swore you didn’t even blink. that was the night he came to your window, all banged up a bruised. but you couldn’t tell them that part. so you went with a variation of the truth,

“yes, he was with me, we often study together and watch movies on thursdays.” you tried your best to maintain eye contact, not wanting to draw any more attention.

“have you noticed anything odd in his behaviour lately?” you knew they were just following protocol, but you weren’t prepared for any of this.

“not really. he is quite reserved naturally, but there hasn’t been anything too alarming, in my opinion” the officers just nodded, scribbling down your words.

“thankyou for your time, if we were to need any more statements from you, would you be okay with that?” you simply nodded, wanting nothing more than to get back to class.

“great, we’ll be heading off now, thankyou principal lee, and y/n” you let out a breath you didn’t know you were holding in. what in god’s name happened that night?

“why were the cops coming out of the office? did you do something?” your friend, jimin asked you as she rushed to your side.

“n-no, they were asking about jaemin” you sighed. you didn’t want to tell her much, knowing she wasn’t his biggest fan.

“y/n, you have to stop hanging out with him so much. he’s bad news. i mean, he’s got the cops questioning you? is that someone you really want to be with?” you knew she had your best interest at heart, but she didn’t know jaemin like you did. no one did.

“don’t talk about him like he’s some pest in my life. he makes me happy, okay? i’d do pretty much anything for him” you huff, beginning to walk away.

“but would he do anything for you?” her words made you stop in your tracks. she was right to question that. god, even you questioned it sometimes. would he?

//

And now every time a siren sounds

I wondеr if you're around

'Cause you know that I'd do it all again

//

jaemin insisted he take you to the homecoming dance — he even pinky promised you.

“jaemin! i’m so excited for tonight, what time are you coming by?” you excitedly squeal into the phone, making jaemin slightly chuckle.

“uh love, i-i don’t think i can make it tonight” you felt your heart drop.

“what? why?”

“i have some business to take care of. i promise you i’ll take you out soo-“

“i think you should stop making promises you can’t keep. hope you have fun doing whatever you’re doing” you immediately hung up, wiping the stray tears from your face. you quickly pulled yourself together. showing up alone to the homecoming dance after you told your friends you were going with jaemin, was probably one of the most embarrassing things you had ever experienced. they all felt pity for you, dragging you to dance, trying to get you to forget about jaemin. but nothing was working. you were beyond disappointed, partially in yourself, for believing he could actually keep his promise.

the moment you got home, you saw someone sitting on the steps just outside your front door. you let out a loud sigh, hoping he heard everything. you wanted to push right past him and go to bed, but jaemin trapped you in his arms. you felt something was off about him. he was stiff as a board, he didn’t say anything to you. you finally got a glimpse of his face, his right eye was swollen and there was a slight gash on his cheek. you immediately gasped, all your anger towards him had fizzled away.

“w-what happened?” you barely whispered, bringing your hand to the side of his face. jaemin winced as he felt the touch, quickly pulling away.

“finally got what was coming” he tried to laugh it off, but he knew you weren’t going to laugh back. instead, you allowed him to follow you to your room, hoping your parents were fast sleep.

jaemin slowly made his way to sit on your bed. you felt like he had something else he was hiding from you, but your main focus was yet again, tending to his wounds.

“i’m getting some real déjà vu right now” you sighed, cleaning his face. jaemin tried his best to not move, but everything stung. he really got it bad this time.

“i’m sorry for breaking my promise. i know how much the dance meant to you” he softly muttered, eyes avoiding yours.

“i-it’s okay”

“no it’s not! you do so much for me, and i couldn’t even do this one thing for you. i feel so shitty. why do you even keep me around? i’m deadweight and that’s trouble for someone with wings” he scoffs, replaying harsh words he had heard from others in the past. you slowly plucked away the medical kit, turning to face him properly. (a/n: not me using a quote from the show ‘panic’)

“you’re not deadweight...you’re a good person, jaem. you’re good to me, that’s what matters” you gently push away the stray strands of hair that covered his forehead. he smiled at your touch, leaning into your palm as you brought it to cup his cheek.

“i love you”

you almost choked on your own saliva...he loves you?

“w-what?”

“yikes, not the response i was hoping for” he yet again, tried to relieve the tension with a joke. but you weren’t having any of it.

“can you be serious for one minute in your life? you can’t just say something like that and not expect me to freak out! i mean, do i love you too? of course i do! i would be stupid not to, but jaemin, you cant just spit that out of nowhere!” you began pacing around your room, which made jaemin smile even wider.

“well i just did. and i mean it” he stood to meet you, standing in the middle of your room as he held your shoulders in place.

“s-so what happens now?” jaemin hesitated for a moment, did he just ruin everything?

“we can’t be together”

“pardon?”

“i-i can’t do that to you. i can’t let you be with someone like me. i’m constant danger. the cops are going to get me one day, and i don’t want you to see it happen” he started rambling, you were barely understanding anything.

“this makes no sense. you’re telling me that you love me but you can’t be with me? why would you do this to me?” you started sobbing,

“i-i don’t expect you to understand. i just needed to tell you before...” he paused, pulling you closer to him. but you pushed yourself away. you didn’t want to hear anymore but forced yourself to listen. you needed answers.

“before what?” you gritted through your teeth,

“before i leave” your eyes widened, tears stopped flowing for a moment. you couldn’t make out any words, allowing jaemin to explain,

“i cant stay here, not in this town. i need to go somewhere else. somewhere they won’t find me. somewhere i can start over” he sighed, sitting back down on your bed.

“take me with you! we can go tonight, i don’t care where i am, as long as you’re with me i’ll be okay!” you begged, pulling out your duffel bag from under your bed. but jaemin quickly gripped your wrists, pulling you to sit with him on the bed.

“y-you can’t come with me. it’s not fair on you, or me. i want you to have a better life, a life with no regrets. you have so many goals, i can’t hold you back from them. i won’t” he insisted, holding your hands in his as he pleaded you with his eyes. you weren’t thinking straight, everything became so overwhelming.

“why are you doing this to me? i cant do this without you! i cant get through all of this without you. please don’t leave” your hands began to shake. jaemin brought them to his lips, placing soft pecks on each knuckle in an attempt to calm you down.

“you can. i know you can. because you’re you. an incredibly loyal, intelligent and courageous person. you don’t need me. if anything, i need you more” he smirked at the last part. you kept shaking your head, not believing anything he was saying.

“just promise me one thing?” he whispered, leaning in closer to you so that your foreheads touched.

“don’t forget me. don’t forget all the things we got up to. i had so much fun with you, more fun than i’ve had in my entire life. i can’t thank you enough for everything you’ve done for me. i love you, okay? i’ll always love you” finally, he kissed you. his hands dragged to your waist, rubbing over the soft skin. you shined into the kiss, partially still upset with his departure.

“can we just have one last night together?” you pulled away, wiping away the rest of your tears. jaemin softly nodded, pulling you down onto the bed, wrapping his arms around you.

“thankyou for being my partner in crime. i’ll miss you” he sighed, gently scribbling random doodles on your arm with his fingers.

“i miss you already. maybe one day, we’ll meet again? i don’t know, am i being silly?” you didn’t want him to answer, afraid he’d break another promise.

“you’re not silly at all. we’ll see what life has planned for us” he responded. that was enough for you. you’ll leave it up to fate. you were just happy you were spending one last night with the boy you loved so dearly.

//

It's bittersweet to think about the damage that we'd do

'Cause I was goin' down, but I was doin' it with you

Yeah, everything we broke and all the trouble that we made

But I say that I hate you with a smile on my face

Oh, look what we became

//

you awoke the very next morning in an empty bed. your heart sunk, knowing jaemin was gone had finally hit you. your eyes drifted to where he once was, landing on a piece of paper.

‘go to the building for one last goodbye. i hope you like it.

- jaem <3 ‘

you quickly got changed and rushed there as fast as you could. would he be there to bid you farewell? you weren’t betting on it, but was still curious as to what he had to show you. you made your way into the building, your eyes cascading over all the graffiti. finally, you saw exactly what he left for you. he painted over the mural you both worked on. it had been replaced with a painting of a butterfly. its wings were all different colours, you could tell he spent ages on it. you finally reached the bottom of the artwork, a small inscription was engraved,

‘for the one with the wings, keep on soaring’

“so cheesy, i hate it” you joke to yourself, smiling at his words. this was his final gift for you. as you admired the painting once again, memories of all your little adventures came rushing back. everything you did together seemed like an eternity ago. although you wished you had confessed to him sooner, or kissed him harder, you knew that he was gone for good. jaemin wasn’t the time to keep many promises, so you’ve learnt. you started to put your faith in the universe. if you were meant to be, then you would meet again. but for now, you were content with everything you had gone through together. you were grateful to have known someone as amazing as jaemin, and you would never take that for granted. you only hoped he would do the same, no matter where you both were in life. you hoped you could both grow wings and soar through life without any regrets.

[azaleavi]

Baby, show me what it's like - Y.B.

Summary: Dancing with a stranger at a party doesn’t seem like a bad idea. That is until it turns out she is the leader of a motorcycle club.

Word count: 3.1k

Warnings: language, alcohol consumption, kissing, dancing with a stranger

Author’s note: I don’t really have anything to say lol please let me know what you think about this!

Feedback is always appreciated and don’t forget to reblog and like if you enjoyed it and want to see more. Thank you!

Masterlist

The music blasting in the small space shook your whole body as you walked through the crowd following your friends. They dragged you out to party because - in their words - you needed to find someone to take the stress out of your body. College has been hard on you in the last couple of weeks as you had exams after assignments. You were stressed at the time, but since everything has been done you felt fine.

But now you are here at a club that is overstuffed with people. You reach the bar where your friends are already waiting for you. They already ordered way too many shots for you and you feel your stomach turn at the thought of all the alcohol they will make you drink. You want to have fun so you grab the shot glass closest to you and drown it in one shot. They all cheer at your action so you raise the now empty glass to the air before slamming it down the countertop. Another full glass is shoved into your hands and you drink it without hesitation. The alcohol burns as it travels through your body, making you shiver and grimace. You are so going to regret this.

After a few minutes of drinking, they grab your hands and lead you to the dance floor. You roll your eyes as they find a space big enough for you all to fit. You feel the beat course through your body making your hips move. The music and the alcohol combined allow you to let loose. You raise your hands to the air above your head as you sway your hips to the beat.

A few songs come and go and you feel yourself get progressively more carefree and you feel a pair of eyes on your body. If you were sober you might find it creepy but right now you just love the attention. You circle your hips harder and more seductively, hoping that the person staring at you takes his chance. You drag your hands down your body as you lean your head back, baring your neck. Slowly spinning around you show them your full body from every angle, your heart beating rapidly. You have never done this before, but you find it exhilarating.

Biting your lip you close your eyes just as a pair of arms wrap around your waist. A smirk makes its way into your lips as you feel the stranger’s body flush against you. Your eyes are still closed and you don’t want to open them. You want to live in this moment without worrying about who is behind you. The hands splay on your stomach as you lean your head back onto his shoulder. The person behind you is around the same height as you, maybe a little taller. Perfect.

One of the hands leaves your front and it sweeps your hair away from your neck that is closer to his face. Your heart beats at the same time as a soft kiss is left on the skin of your neck. The other hand leads your hips along with his, your mouth opening in a silent moan. The kisses keep being placed on your neck and you turn your head to give him more space. They turn open-mouthed and it makes you grab his hands that are on your stomach. His lips travel up to under your ear and he nips at the skin there. Your hands squeeze his and you hear a low chuckle in your ear, his breath hitting the shell of your ear, making you shiver. You push out your behind to his front which makes his hands squeeze your hips. Two fingers tap on your jaw on the other side of your head and they push you to turn your head towards the person's face whom you still haven't seen.

Your eyes stay closed as you feel him lean over to your lips, but before they can press onto yours, you open your eyes. Your whole body freezes as you realize who is in front of you. A woman. You push her away frantically as you stumble backward, colliding with other people who are unaware of what's happening. You mumble out a sorry which you are sure they don't hear, but you don't care. You almost kissed a woman. And not just any woman. The stranger in front of you is Yelena Belova. The Yelena Belova. Everyone in the city knows her and avoids her as much as they can. She is the leader of the Widow Club. One of the most dangerous people in the area. They all carry guns around, ride motorcycles and wear as much leather as they can. Like she is doing now, as she has a black leather jacket on with leather pants and a simple white t-shirt. It's hot. No, you can't think like that. She is dangerous. And she is looking right at you now.

You gulp as she keeps staring with her eyebrows raised expectantly. She takes a step closer to you and you try to stand your ground on shaky legs. She raises her hand and your eyes warily follow all her movements. The music is still blasting around you, but your ears are ringing as she sweeps your hair out of your face. Your mouth opens slightly and her eyes move down to it from your eyes. You close it quickly when you notice where her attention has shifted.

"What's wrong darling?" her accent surprises you and your body doesn't move as she steps even closer. Her face is a few inches from yours and you can't think of anything else but how gorgeous she is "Hmm?" she makes you feel small even though she is only a few inches taller than you.

"I don't- I can't- I'm not-" you stumble over your words making her smile at your cuteness. You are adorable.

"What is it?" she tilts her head to the side. You know she is talking to you like a baby, but somehow you find yourself liking it.

"I like men" the words fall out of your lips messily and your eyes widen at your own confession. Will she be mad?

"Are you sure?" she squints at you, not quite believing your words. Maybe you don't know yet "Because it seemed to me that you enjoyed yourself a few seconds prior" her smile is kind, but you are having a hard time believing she is being sincere.

"I thought you were a man" you avert your eyes and instead look at the people around you.

"Okay" she swiftly steps back with her hands up in surrender. You look at her in confusion "I don't know how badly you think of me" she begins and you look down on the ground in shame "but I won't push you to do anything" she gives you a small smile and then she is out of your sight, the crowd swallowing her. She is gone just like that. You stand there in shock as you try to process what happened. You spoke to one of the most feared people in the city. What is more, you danced with her and almost kissed her. And it was hot. Wait, no. It wasn't. It's just the alcohol in your system that makes you think like this.

You shake your head to clear your head, but it doesn't help much. Looking around you find your friends a few feet away from you, clearly not knowing what just happened. You walk over to them and tell them that you don't feel too good and you want to go home. You say your goodbyes and leave the place to flag down a taxi to finally go home and spend a sleepless night tossing and turning in your bed with a certain woman on your mind.

-

A whole week passes by and you still haven't forgotten about your almost kiss with Yelena. It's been on your mind every day since it happened and you found yourself fantasizing about what would have happened if you didn't stop. It's been annoying you the whole time, but you refused to dwell on it for too long. Until now.

You can't think of anyone else but her, even when a man is right in front of you. You can't kiss anyone without her face being the one that pops up in your mind. You don't understand what she did to you, but something is not right and you know how you can make it go away. You just have to kiss her and you are good. You don't know what it would be like and that's why you can't think about it. That has to be it. It's the only explanation.

Thus you decided to go to the place normal people wouldn't think of going. The Widow Club's place.

As you reach the old building your stomach contracts, your heart beating rapidly. Sweat coats your palms as you walk through the gate and into the yard that stretches in front of the building. Every head turns to you which makes you stop in your tracks, your fake confidence faltering.

"What do you want?" one of the women shouts at you which makes you slightly vince. They all laugh at your reaction.

"I'm looking for Yelena Belova" you speak back loud enough for them to hear. The woman who spoke to you raises her eyebrows and stands up from where she was sitting fixing her bike. She opens her mouth to speak but a door to her right opens and out walks the woman you are looking for. You unconsciously straighten your spine as she looks you up and down and you see recognition in her eyes. She remembers you.

"Come in" she looks into your eyes and you quickly walk toward her. She lets you walk through the open door first and you find yourself in a small office. Shelves line the wall to your right and a table with two chairs on either side of it is in the middle of the room.

Turning around you find Yelena flipping someone off outside the room before turning to you and closing the door behind her.

"So what do you want?" she sits down on her chair and motions for you to do the same across the table. You follow her and sit down. You inhale deeply and the air leaves your lungs in a long sigh.

"What did you do to me?" you look into her striking eyes and you almost lose yourself in it.

"What?" she leans forward to rest her elbows on the table.

"What did you do to me?" you repeat yourself a little slower.

"No I understood what you said, I just don't know what you mean" she shakes her head with a small smile on her lips. The lips you couldn't stop thinking about the past week. You clear your throat and look away from her face.

"Why can't I stop thinking about you and our almost kiss?" you steel yourself as you let the words fall from your lips. Maybe she has the answer to the question that has been burning you. She stares at you for a few seconds without moving at all and you start to feel uncomfortable.

"Are you serious?" she bursts out laughing out of nowhere. She falls back into her chair and now it's your turn to stare at her. Her laugh. Oh god her laugh is the most wonderful sound you have ever heard. When she quiets down a little she stands up and walks around the table to your side. You lean back as she places her hands on either side of you on the chair. Your gulp is visible to her and she tilts her head to the side in wonder.

"Are you scared of me?" she looks into your wide eyes, her voice is soft.

"No" your answer is quick and it comes out without thinking. Without knowing you ease her worries with just that one word.

"Does your heart beat faster when I'm this close?" she leans in closer and you suck in a breath which answers enough for her "You said you keep thinking about me" she grabs your arms to pull you up into a standing position "Well, I keep thinking about you too" she guides you to lean your back against the table and you let her move you however she wants. Her words leave you speechless, your heart drumming against your ribs in anticipation. She places her hands on either side of you on the table, caging you in.

"What do you want me to do about it?" her face comes closer to yours, her eyes not leaving your lips, and all of your resolves disappear.

"Kiss me" these two words are all she needs before her lips crash into yours. Your arms wrap around her neck to pull her closer as her tongue swipes across your bottom lip and your mouth opens to give her access. She explores your mouth making both of you moan into the fervent kiss. You know she is experienced from the way she moves her lips against yours and it only makes you even more frustrated in the best way.

She pulls away from you after a few seconds, eliciting a groan from you. Your eyes stay closed as you relish the feeling of being kissed by her for the first time. She places her thumb on your lips which makes you open your eyes. Her orbs are full of emotions you can't quite grasp yet, but you want to learn all of them. You lean toward her, but stop before you could kiss her again. Your mind is a mess and you can only think about her and her soft lips right now.

"Again?" the cheeky smile on her face leaves you breathless and you can only nod in response. She lets out a small chuckle before pressing her lips to yours again. Your noses bump against each other as her hands grasp your waist. Your fingers tangle in her blonde hair as she shifts her body flush against yours. Her hands find the back of your thighs to help you sit up onto the desk, knocking over everything in your way. Pencils fall on the ground along with their holder amidst loud clangs, but neither of you cares. She stands between your open legs, her lips not leaving yours for a second. You feel her palms brush the skin of your thighs and your mind goes into a frenzy.

A knock sounds from the door and you immediately pull away from her startled by the sudden interruption. Leaning her forehead against your shoulder she groans which makes you giggle. Pressing one last kiss on your lips she walks to the door and opens it.

"This better be important" her voice is authoritative and you are glad she doesn't see you as you bite your lip and clench your thighs together. God, she is so hot.

"Sorry boss we just heard some loud noises and we wanted to check on you to see if you were okay" you can hear the voice of the woman who spoke to you before, now it's laced with a smile as if she can barely hold back from bursting out laughing. They must be close.

"Fuck off" Yelena scoffs at her and she finally lets out the laugh she has been holding back. She slams the door in the woman's face and she turns back to you while shaking her head with a smile on her face. You lean back onto your hands on the table and tilt your head to the side as you watch her mumble under her breath. You catch a few idiots and I should be more strict which makes you smile. Is this the big, feared leader of the Widow Club? People don't know the real her it seems.

Her eyes find yours and she just looks at you for a few seconds. She has stunning eyes. In a few long strides, she is in front of you again, her hands on your legs.

"So how was that pretty girl?" her nose brushes yours which makes a small whine escape the confines of your lips. You avert your eyes bashfully after the sound you make. You seem way too needy.

"Did you like it?" her thumb brushes your cheek and your heartbeat speeds up at the tender touch "Did it answer your question?"

"Yes" the word comes out breathy "to both of them" your answer makes her chuckle.

"And what is the answer?" she pushes you.

"I want more" you confess while closing your eyes. You are too scared to see her reaction and it seems too real now that you said it out loud. You've never thought of any woman like this before.

"More of what?" her thumb keeps stroking your cheek making it hard to think straight.

"You" you keep your eyes closed because you know you would get lost in her orbs if you freed yours.

"Me?" the surprise in her voice is unmistakable and it makes you open your eyes.

"Yes, you" you nod confidently "I want to get to know you" you decide to tell her how you feel, and the smile that lights up her face is worth embarrassing yourself. She slams her lips onto yours making you grab her arm so you don't fall backward. Her kiss is hurried as she pours all her emotions into it and you feel like the whole room is spinning around you.

Pulling away the adorable smile makes its way back to her face and you feel your insides turn into mush at how endearing she is.

"I can't wait to get to know you" you laugh as she holds out her hand for you to shake.

"Yelena Belova" she introduces herself and you tell her your name in return.

"I think we will have a lot of fun together" her smile turns cheeky and you feel your face heat up at the implication of her words.

You can't wait to learn everything about the person most people know by reputation and you are glad you get the opportunity to be close to her. Who needs men when you have a woman like this next to you?

[imagine-this-fandom]

The Rescue: BNHA x Fem! Reader- Red Pitbull

the rescue intro: here

Inko led you through the store, only pausing to put Izuku back into his habitat. You followed her through the aisles of the shop, hearing the barking from the next room growing louder as you neared the door.

Inside was a wide variety of dogs. The shop was deceptively big considering its unassuming exterior. The Large room was a playroom of sorts. Almost a greeting room so people could meet the dogs in a fun and comfortable environment.

Your eyes tracked the movements of the dogs closest to you, searching for your potential new friend. There was a wide variety of dogs from young to old. Each had their own fun personality and you mused that you'd be happy taking any one of the furballs home. That is... Until you saw Enji.

You had never really been afraid of dogs, but this one... He was intimidating.

Pitbulls never really intimidated you. There were too many good ones out there for their reputation to bother you. This one however was scary looking. You didn't want to judge him right away, but he was every scary pitbull stereotype rolled into one. Rusty red fur covered the dog in patterns reminiscent of flames. White patches reinforced the flame look, snaking up his chest and up his paws like little fire boots. What caught your eyes the most was his eyes. Teal was not a color you had ever seen on a dog before, and on him, they were piercing, like the hottest center of a flame. There was an intelligence there that made you wary. Smart dogs were a handful and from the way he was looking at you and Inko, it seemed he had already made up his mind on you. His expression was pinched into as close to a scowl as his facial patterns would allow, white splotches on the ridges of his head forming eyebrows that gave the illusion of a glare.

You hoped against it, but as soon as you saw him, you knew he was the animal for you. Inko's leading grip on your wrist confirmed your suspicion, only loosening once you both stood before the muscular dog.

"(y/n), It's my pleasure to introduce you to Enji. Enji, this is (y/n). She's agreed to talk care of one of our residents here."

You watched the exchange, noting how his eyes fixed on her, his scowl deepening as she spoke. You couldn't help the giggle that slipped free, his expression was just so serious for a dog!

He whipped his head around to look at you, that ridiculous scowl still in place. He was trying his best to look intimidating and powerful, but the effect was ruined by the fact that he wasn't human. Had he been as he was before the quirk cursed him, Enji Todoroki would have been a fierce sight to behold. But now he simply looked like a pouting child throwing a tantrum, the scowl not translating right over the switch of species. His usual cold and intimidating demeanor were overshadowed by the fact that he was now just a little under two feet tall.

He watched you try to stifle your laughter, your form shaking with the effort as his expression got more and more exasperated. This was who he was expected to put up with for the rest of his time in this form? As the former number two hero, he was less than impressed. He gave a disgruntled bark, looking at Inko to ask if she was serious, but the look she gave him halted him in his tracks.

Endeavor had dealt with many villains over his hero career, but few held the kind of authority as a mother figure. She radiated sternness and he quickly understood that in this case, her word was law. She left the decision in your hands rather than his paws.

When he looked back at you, you had composed yourself again, a wide grin in the place of the wary expression you had carried upon seeing him for the first time.

"You really believe he's the one for me, Inko?" You tilted your head, examing the rather put-out-looking dog, surprising yourself with the hope that Inko would say yes. Sure he was intimidating, but that silly scowl made you smile. And pit bulls were hard to place, so it was a toss-up if he would ever get a chance like this again. You resonated with that more than you'd like to admit. Maybe it was your savior complex, but if you could help him, you wanted to. He deserved a chance.

The little fluttering hope in your chest flared happily when Inko nodded.

"I think you two will be good for each other. I trust you with him and think it's for the best."

with these words from Inko, Enji's scowl fell with a resigned huff. This would be a definite change, one he wasn't likely to enjoy. However, you were excited, and perhaps he could work with that.

You smiled softly and reached down to ruffle his ears. He was surprised by the touch but more so by the fact that it was a pleasant sensation. He quickly pulled out of your grip to grumpily sit with his back to you. He wasn't going to let you win him over so easily. He was originally the number two hero after all! His resolve was stronger than that, surely, he thought to himself.

He watched you move away to help Inko gather supplies, eyes following your every movement. You had seemed frightened at first, so he couldn't wrap his head around why you had accepted Inko's proposal. You were baffling to him, and he was determined to untangle the puzzle that was you.

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

Enji was confusing. He was so grumpy and far too much of a snob for a dog. You figured he was a rescue at this point. He refused to eat regular dog food, refused to sleep anywhere but a proper bed, and was intent on getting his way at all times. It was exhausting. There was a point when you almost returned him the first week, but it was also the point where you realized you didn't want him to go.

You had been walking him when a criminal attack happened just across the street. You watched in mute horror as a villain used their quirk to ransack a storefront, likely after the money in the register. You quickly turned your back on the sound of breaking glass only after affirming that someone was calling authorities. This was no place for a civilian to interfere. Enji, did not think the same way. He was tugging ferociously against the walking harness.

"Enji! We need to go, stop this!"

You tried to reign him in, but he just pulled all the harder, the woven material of the leash digging into your hands as your white knuckle grip was tested against the dog. It was a miracle he didn't pull you off your feet.

You fought against his weight to pull him away from the scene all while he barked and fought against you. Finally, you were able to pull him around a corner and away from the violence. Enji was not pleased to say the least.

How dare she, he thought, glaring at you, with as much anger as he could muster. Who were you to keep him from hero work? He growled lowly in his throat at you. He knew that if he were in his human form, his flames would be flickering dangerously.

"Now you stop that right now. We are going home, Enji. Now." You glared back, annoyed and if you were honest, a bit shaken by the event.

He turned around as if to go back, but was stopped by a sharp tug on the lead.

"No, bad dog. Heel. We are going home. You need to listen to me."

You pressed your lips into a firm line, doing your best to be as authoritative as you could, hoping he would see this as a fight not worth having. Oh, how wrong you were. With each insistent tug on the leash, he grew more irritated. It all culminated in one moment where his temper got the best of him. He wasn't used to being ordered around and he lashed out in the only way he could in this form. He bit your hand, aiming to get you to drop the leash so he could go without you.

You yelped sharply in pain, pulling the limb to your chest protectively, the leash forgotten on the ground. Your eyes held him in place, eyes watery with unshed tears as you looked at him in hurt disbelief. He hadn't bitten hard enough to break skin, but that did not mean you were unscathed. Angry red welts were beginning to form where his teeth had dug and scraped.

Enji felt guilt forming in the pit of his stomach, something he was not used to. The look of betrayal you were giving him made him feel off-kilter. However, he wasn't going to dwell on it

You bit your lip to keep the tears at bay before grabbing the leash off the ground with your good hand, keeping your eyes on him the whole time, watching for any sign he would attack again. Your movements were slow, cautious, and untrusting. backing up, you held the leash so the most distance was between you.

"Enji, we are going home. Now." You tried to keep your voice stern, but you winced as you heard the small warble to it from pain. He locked his limbs as the leash went taut once more. Before you could react, he grabbed the leash in his teeth and yanked it out of your hands, and raced back towards the action.

You stumbled after him, his name dying on your tongue as he stopped right in front of the villain, powerful jaws locking around the criminal's leg. It's like the scene was in slow motion for you as Enji faced the villain alone.

He dug his teeth in, determined to defeat the criminal despite his lack of quirk or usual form. His arrogance knew no bounds, but as far as he was concerned, he was just doing his job. Oh, how out of his depth he was.

The villain in question was named deathstalker. Upon one glance it would be easy to guess his quirk. Extending from his back, a tan appendage loomed above him, curled to a dangerous spike. Venom tipped and massive, the scorpion tail was a sight to behold. And right now... it was poised to strike at your dog.

Before you even knew what you were doing, your feet were tearing across the pavement. Your lungs burned with each panicked breath you sucked in, watching as the villain flung Enji away with an angry roar. You changed course to intercept him, flinging yourself over the dazed mutt just as the point of the tail struck, stabbing into your shoulder with a sickening speed.

Deathstalker had the nerve to laugh then, watching as you skidded sideways on the street, shoulder bloody and arms scrapped from your landing, but dog safely clutched to your chest.

"What are you, some kind of idiot?"

Stalking forward, he nudged your shoulder with his foot, eliciting a cry of pain as your shoulder burned.

"Hope you're proud darling, you just died for an exceptionally stupid dog."

He sneered, watching as Enji tried to wiggle free and get at him.

"Looks like he still has a death wish. What do you say, dear, shall I end his life too so he can join his dear old master? After all, he seemed pretty determined in the first place. All you did was buy him time to watch you suffer too."

He smirked and crouched next to you, his golden irises standing out against black sclera as they scanned the wound on your shoulder and shredded sleeves.

"You know sweetheart, he was going to die anyway. The stupid mutt bit me. And here I was having such a good day."

You fought the dizziness as the venom worked its way through your body, the wound radiating uncomfortable heat. You managed to look him right in those unnerving eyes, making eye contact before you took a deep breath. He might have been preparing for you to beg or plead for your life, ask for some reassurance that you weren't going to die. Instead, you inhaled before spitting in his face, eyes narrowed in anger.

Before the Deathstalker could respond, he was suspended in a forcefield as heroes dropped onto the scene. He beat angrily against his new prison as the heroes gathered around and began helping civilians.

You finally released your death grip on Enji, all the adrenaline draining out of you as the villain was moved away. You closed your eyes, not having the energy to do much but lay there.

Enji was instantly in your face as soon as he was free, examining you as best he could as he swore under his breath. All you heard was grumbling and growling from him as you lazily offered him your hand.

"I'm okay, boy. It's okay now..." Your head was fuzzy, but you weren't too concerned about that.

Enji growled at your words, knowing that Deathstalker would not have lied about the deadliness of his quirk. You needed medical attention now! He pressed himself against your side and barked, alerting the heroes to your position. He was furious, both with you and with himself, but mostly at the villain. But the anger boiling up would have to wait. He growled lowly as one of the heroes tried to shoo him away, determined to stay by your side as you were tended to. He had already failed once today, he wanted to be sure you were cared for now. Each moment you weren't seen to was one more moment that you were in danger. A danger that you had been in because of him.

You were put on a stretcher and loaded into an ambulance, Enji right by your side. He didn't usually stay with civilians after a fight, but with you, he didn't want to let you out of his sight. You were a stupid girl, charging in after him. But you had saved his life. And that rattled him.

~~~~~

You groaned as you awoke, hands going to scrub at your eyes after you were blinded by the white of the hospital room. As you sat and got your bearings, the events of before rushed back to you. The villain, your shoulder, and...

"Enji!"

Your eyes widened and you frantically tried to get out of bed, the heart rate monitor going wild behind you. Luckily, a bark stopped you in your tracks. Enji had been resting to the side of your bed, not having left your side if he could help it.

Upon seeing your concern, he jumped up against the bed, front paws resting on the mattress as he scanned you to see if you were truly recovered.

Once you saw the familiar red furry head, you relaxed, a wide smile spreading across your face.

"Hey buddy, you doing okay?"

He snorted. This was coming from the girl in the hospital bed? He was fine. A little bruised from the landing, but no worse for the wear.

"You're alright? Good. Never do that again. I have half a mind to take you back to Inko for that stunt." You frowned at him for a moment before your face softened into fondness. You reached out and cupped the side of his face, thumb gently stroking the side of his head.

"You really scared me, you know? I was so worried I'd lose you."

He let himself lean into your touch, telling himself it was for your comfort, and not because he enjoyed the sensation. He watched your expression carefully, surprised by the concern and relief he found there. You truly did not regret throwing yourself into danger for him. For getting hurt for him.

"That was a stupid thing for you to do too," he said, the voice escaping him a soft bark and whine instead of the words he wished to convey.

"I'm okay Enji, really," You smiled and leaned forward, placing a kiss on his head. "My quirk protected me for the most part. Someone else's quirk can't kill me."

He tilted his head to the side, confused by your statement. The injury had seemed pretty serious to him.

"My quirk neutralizes anything deadly that comes in contact with me. Sharp objects? Those can hurt me. But the venom probably became relatively harmless after he got me. It made me dizzy and uncomfortable, but it wouldn't kill me." You sighed, scrunching your face in displeasure when you remembered the side effects of the venom.

"I'm just glad I was able to keep you safe until heroes got there."

You leaned forward and whispered to him in a conspiratorial voice.

"Ready to get out of here? Because there's no way I'm gonna stick around while doctors lecture me about being careless and compliment my stupid quirk."

You grinned as you pulled back and carefully climbed out of bed, ensuring that you weren't pulling on your IV before petting his head and leading him for the door.

~~~~

It had been a few days since the incident, and Enji was starting to worry you. He was originally very pushy and confident. Determined to get his way. Now though, he was quiet and contemplative around you, no longer pushing for his way all the time. You'd never entertained the thought before, but now desperate times called for desperate measures. You were having an intervention for your dog.

That day, you got home from work, the usual tiredness pushed away by determination. Enji could see the difference and was decidedly curious. What had gotten you so worked up? It can't have been any villains as you seemed no worse for the wear. He mused that perhaps you were finally going to get another job. The one you were working at was clearly taking advantage of your good nature and hard-working spirit. Or perhaps the neighbor had finally asked you out. He snorted at the thought, amused but also a bit annoyed. His thoughts were cut short when you dropped into a sitting position right in front of him.

"Enji, you're a smart boy. I want you to listen to me."

You focused on him intently, watching as he squared his shoulders and focused on you, face all hard lines and serious fire in his eyes.

"You've been different. Ever since the villain attack, you've been treating me like glass. You're quiet, accommodating. It's weird. "

You frowned slightly.

"I want my old Enji back. You were a pain, but you were my pain. You were arrogant, sure of yourself. "

He eyed you carefully, admitting to himself that he had grown cautious around you since the attack. He knew that quirks couldn't cause lasting damage, but he wasn't going to throw your sacrifice back in your face. He respected you now. Still, you were asking for friendship, not reverence.

He was used to power being the only way to get things. Yet here you were asking for something else from him. You didn't want him to submit to you, but rather be himself as your companion. A confusing proposition, but... not one he was opposed to. He had already seen how selfless and strong you were. Perhaps he could enjoy learning more about you without the formalities he was used to.

"Hey, space cadet. Did you hear me?" You narrowed your eyes at Enji as he focused back from his thoughts. "Man, what am I doing?" You rubbed your eyes with the heels of your palms, "I must be crazy at this point."

You brought the appendages down as you heard an amused huff escape from Enji.

"Are you laughing at me now?"

You could have sworn he smirked as he barked an affirmative.

"is that so, furball?" You grinned and lunged forward, raking your fingers through his fur.

The sensation startled him and he jumped away. Oh, so that's how you wanted to play... He could oblige.

Your eyes widened as he turned back and came at you. You quickly curled up to protect yourself, squeaking as his cold nose came in contact with your side. He growled playfully and pawed at you, trying to get past your defenses.

You giggled, squirming as you tried to evade him.

"Wait, stop!"

He grinned. "You started this! Don't make this easy for me now."

You launched a sneak attack, curling your body around his head, laughing as you wrestled him to the ground and attacked him with tickles.

"I got ya! I Win!"

He managed to wriggle free eventually and lay beside you, panting, but content.

"Fine, fine, you win. Little ember. And I'll remember your words. No need to treat you carefully from now on." He rested his head on his paws as you lay beside him, face flushed from laughter as you caught your breath.

Who knew Enji had a playful side to him. Perhaps Inko had been right. You were good for each other.

Now you had your pushy bad-tempered pit bull back, and you were going to enjoy it.

~~~~

Enji proved to be a bit of a jerk, but you had softened him up. He Was constantly pushing your buttons. He was in your space constantly, making sure you knew his opinions on everything. But you fought back. He knew better than to mess with you and knew you wouldn't take his bad behavior. You were determined not to let his bad behavior continue. You simply left the room if he lost his temper, and you didn't tolerate resorting to violence. He learned quickly if he wanted to get anywhere with you, he had to be calm.

He began to look forward to your company, the bickering one-sided on your end, but for him, it was exciting. You refused to back down from him and he realized he wouldn't have it any other way. Still, he did enjoy antagonizing you.

"Enji, move your fluffy butt! I have to go to work!" You struggled uselessly against him as he pinned you to the couch with his bulk. His response to your plea was to grumble and relax even further.

"You big galoot, I have to go make money, or would you rather I not feed you?" He huffed and stretched before leisurely climbing off the couch. You rolled your eyes and ruffled his ears and hopped up, brushing red fur off your uniform.

Despite the playful threat, the money issue was worrying you. Enji was a big dog, and you only wanted the best for him. That meant that he had plenty of toys, good quality food, and all the love and affection you could spare. However, money was starting to run tight. You had started to work extra hours as the weather started to get colder.

You bid Enji farewell and left for work, determined to keep up the cheerful appearance.

Enji was left to his own devices while you left. Something he was growing less and less content with. It was fun messing with you, and you didn't take any of his stubbornness. He patrolled the house, working through a training regimen he had perfected for this form. He missed his human form, but being with you made it easier. He was far too intimidating as a human. As a dog, you joked with him, teased him, coddled him, and weren't afraid to let him know when he messed up. He still cringed to think of those first weeks where he had acted like he was still the number two hero. A hero doesn't hurt innocent people, as you had shown him.

He paused by the window, noting the snowflakes coming down from the sky. It was times like these, he remembered Rei. He had been focused on the power he could gain from a union with her when he had married her. She had given him twins, but he knew that she would have moved on by now. He didn't blame her in the slightest. Still, he knew that if he ever came back to her, he'd be a different man. But he knew that he couldn't love her, not truly. The marriage was one of greed, and she would always resent him for that, and he wouldn't be able to blame her. Still, he regretted not being able to offer her his apologies in person.

Watching the snowflakes, he remembered with sharp discomfort that he had been in this form for almost a year now. How the media explained his absence was a mystery and he had tried not to focus on what he had lost. He shook himself out of his thoughts and continued his routine, making sure the apartment was in order before taking the latch of the window with his teeth and pulling it open.

He eased out the window with practiced ease and began a patrol of the area. While he admitted he couldn't be much help in this form, he still couldn't completely give up his hero work. Keeping the apartment complex safe wasn't much, but he had someone to protect here. He had memorized your schedule and noticed that you had been getting out later, so he knew he'd be able to make another circuit before he returned to greet you for the evening.

He stayed out for a couple of hours but was forced to return early as the weather worsened. The gently floating snowflakes from earlier had turned into a whirling blizzard, the icy wind biting into his small form as he made his way home. Pulling the window closed behind him, he was glad for the minimal warmth the apartment offered. One of the things he noticed in this form was the absence of heat his quirk had provided him. He quickly began to regret his foray into the winter weather as his paws ached with cold from the ice-packed into them from his dash home in the inclement weather. He closed the window as best as he could, frowning to himself as it didn't shut properly. Unfortunately, without thumbs, he couldn't fix it, so he resorted to huddling into your blankets, buried under sheets and your stupid allmight themed comforter. One that he had conveniently chewed the face off of.

In his blanket fortress, he found himself dozing, surrounded by the scent of your body wash and detergent. It was a comforting scent and he quickly fell asleep, unaware of whistling wind pushing the window open where the latch had failed to close when he returned.

~~~

Enji dreamed of being human again. He flexed his fingers experimentally, testing the sensation, one he hadn't felt in a long time. He examined his surroundings carefully, the change in perspective disorienting. It was your apartment, but it looked older, the carpet worn and more decorations faded. He picked up one of the dog toys on the floor, marveling at the difference from just earlier that day when you had encouraged him to play with it. Had that been today? It felt like a lifetime away, as dreams never do seem to keep the passage of time constant.

He set the toy down at the sound of the door, eyes widening as they caught on your form. You were shorter than him now. Considering he was 6'4" in this form, it shouldn't have surprised him. But still, it was strange looking down on you. You rolled your eyes with a playful smile and started to put your things away.

"Enji, darling, close your mouth. You'll catch flies like that." He could hear the laughter in your voice as you teased him. Darling? He hadn't heard you use that word for him before. He found he liked the way it sounded from you. Especially if it was reserved for him.

He cleared his throat and stepped forward, helping you remove your coat. His heart caught in his throat when you looked back at him with fondness. He was usually so sure of himself. But this change was strange and he found himself flustered.

"You're so quiet today, hothead." You raised an eyebrow and placed your hands on your hips eyeing him as if he was a puzzle you had most of the pieces of but were having trouble placing the last ones.

"What's wrong? Did you break something while I was out?" You gasped and pointed a finger at him accusingly. "Did you try to get rid of my Allmight stuff again? I swear Enji, I will kill you if you did."

This was too strange to be real, he told himself, watching you silently as you began muttering to yourself and throwing him confused looks. This scenario was too good to be true. He knew this deep down, but he desperately wanted it to be real. He knew he had begun to grow feelings for you, but to have them returned like this felt too alien. He instinctively knew that something was off, but he wanted to pretend, just for a little longer.

He caught your hand mid gesture and placed a gentle kiss to your fingers, a small smirk forming at your flustered silence.

"Quiet yourself little ember. I haven't done anything to your stupid merchandise."

You huffed and pulled your hand from his grip, cheeks red.

"Well then why were you so quiet, dummy?"

He tilted his head lightly, a smile forming on his lips as he stared at you, enjoying the way you refused to meet his eyes a slight pout turning your lips down.

"I missed you," he murmured, gently tilting your chin up so you were looking at him once more.

You melted against him, leaning into his touch, gently holding pressing his hand against your face with your own. He noticed with a start that your hands were cold against his. Your face too. He frowned as you shivered against his palm, eyes opening to reveal crystals forming on your lashes. The color began to drain from your face, lips going blue as you stepped away from him.

He reached towards you, but your skin stung like frost burn against his touch. He desperately tried to pull you close to him, to heat you with his quirk, but he was no longer warm himself. Your skin grew silver and icy as you tried to push him away. His vocal cords were frozen, a cold lump in his throat that refused to form your name. He was forced to watch in terror as you went see-through, body made of ice. And then you crumbled beneath his touch, ice forming cracks, and your eyes met his one last time before you shattered into glittering crystalline ice shards before him.

He woke with a start, paws flailing in panic as he was roused by a loud noise. But it wasn't ice cracking he heard, but the front door striking the wall. slipping out from the blankets, he made his way through the thin powder of snow on the floor from the open window, hurrying to the living room to meet you and make sure you were okay.

The sight that met his eyes was straight out of his dream turned nightmare. You were shivering with cold, clothes clinging to you with ice forming at the folds. Your eyelashes were dusted with snowflakes, and your face was flushed with cold.

Enji whimpered, rushing forward to examine you. You gently shooed him away, not having the energy to be more strict. The freak blizzard struck on your way home from work. As you journeyed through the snow, you had tripped. You had attempted to steady yourself against a tree, but that only caused an avalanche of the cold snow to our down on you from above, soaking you thoroughly. You had hoped to warm up when you came home, but it was just as cold inside as it was outside. The window Enji had failed to close causing the winter chill to follow you inside.

You cursed and desperately removed your soaked jacket, hanging it up before stumbling to the bathroom. A strangled sound of dispair escaped your lips as the faucets failed to work. It seems the pipes had frozen. To top it all off, the lightbulbs flicked before plunging the room into darkness. The power had been knocked out. You were out of options to warm up. You staggered out of the dark room and worked to close the window. Enji trailed behind you, his fear growing as began to look more and more like the icy girl within his dream.

Peeling your wet clothes from your body was a difficult task while you were shaking. While you struggled with the buttons, Enji rushed to your dresser, dragging out the warmest clothes he could find. He left them by your side before sitting against your legs, offering as much warmth as he could with his body, as there wasn't much else he could do. He could hear your teeth chattering now, the sharp sound deafening to him. You changed as quickly as your cold temperature allowed and crawled into your blankets.

"Enji! Up." You patted the bed urgently, holding the blanket up for him to join you.

He curled up against your side, resting his head against your chest, hoping to provide heat to your vital organs. He whimpered against your cold skin, eyes searching your face with concern. This wasn't good. He hadn't been able to save you in his nightmare, and now he was worried he was going to lose you in real life as well.

You closed your eyes and shushed him, holding him close.

"It'll be okay Enji. Just try to conserve your energy. We'll be okay."

You reassured him, but you weren't so certain. With no heating, freezing temperatures, and an already chilled body, you weren't too sure what would happen next. Still, you had Enji and that meant that you'd give him everything you could. What little body heat you had was his.

You tried to fight off sleep, knowing that you weren't supposed to rest when you were freezing. Or was that with concussions? You didn't remember. You were tired, your body shaking with cold. Enji's whimpers were a near-constant sound now. His distress worried you, but you couldn't do more than try to keep him warm at this point.

You were hovering on the edge of sleep when it happened. A quiet pop sound came from nearby and you were vaguely aware of heat beginning to surround you. The blankets were removed and a heavy weight settled around your waist, warming you with an almost uncomfortable heat. You settled into it, wondering if you were reaching hypothermia. They said that once you got really bad, your mind started tricking you into believing you were hot while you froze. Oh well, so long as Enji was warm too.

Enji Cradled you close to his chest. He hadn't been prepared for the switch from dog to human, but he was beyond grateful for it. He had quickly moved you from the bed so as not to set fire to the covers as he activated his quirk. He cradled you against his chest, tucking your head against his neck, resting his chin on the top of your head as he let his quirk dance across his body at a low level.

"Hold on, little ember, you're going to be okay. Just hold on." Enji stroked his thumb against your arm, holding you close as he carefully upped the temperature slowly. He stayed awake well into the night monitoring your condition. He mentally thanked UA for their first aid and rescue classes, knowing that without them, he might have hurt you more than help.

He gently cared for you well into the night, too concerned about you to enjoy the feeling of you in his arms.

~~~~

You woke to a beam of sunlight cascading from your bedroom window. You didn't open your eyes though, you were too comfortable. You felt warm and content. However, the gentle rise and fall of your bed was enough to stir confusion in your sleep-addled mind.

You blearily opened your eyes, the last remnants of sleep blurring your vision. You stared up at red fur before your brain made the correction for you. That wasn't fur. It was hair. A red beard in fact.

Adrenaline shot through your system. You weren't in bed. You were in the arms of a stranger. A very attractive built stranger, but a stranger nonetheless.

You kept your eyes on his face as you carefully tried to work yourself free, prying his fingers from your hip. You watched for any sign of wakefulness. You were almost free when you slipped up. His grip tightened as he began to rouse, eyes slowly opening to reveal the most striking shade of turquoise you'd ever seen.

Enji looked down at you through tired eyes, pleased to see that your color had returned in the night. However, the deer in the headlights look you wore didn't suit you.

"Are you feeling better?" He asked, voice rough with sleep.

You shuddered as you felt the deep sound against you.

"I feel alright, albeit confused," You spoke slowly and cautiously, eyeing the handsome stranger with apprehension.

"Who are you? Where's Enji? He wouldn't have let you in here."

Enji looked up in thought, considering his response carefully.

"Enji is not far at all, ember. He's safe. I want to assure you that you're safe too."

You couldn't help the incredulous noise that escaped you at that.

"I'm sorry, but this doesn't seem like a situation I would deem 'safe'." You mumbled.

He just smiled and shook his head in response. If he wasn't already holding you, you were concerned your knees would have given out at that smile.

"I'm here because of a quirk malfunction. One that turned me and my team into animals upon contact." He looked at you firmly, fixing you into place with his gaze, offering no chance for interruptions.

"My name is Enji Todoroki, hero name: Endeavor. And I was turned into a pit bull that was entrusted to a frankly obnoxious but kind woman. I shared her home and was quite the jerk if I'm being honest. And then, the woman saved my life after I foolishly went after a villain. She shielded me from what would have been a death blow." He looked ahead, not wanting to see her reaction to his explanation.

"She has my respect, and.... should she accept it, my heart."

He waited in silence for a few moments more before looking back at you. You blinked in shocked silence as you worked to process the information. When he opened his mouth to say more, you firmly held a finger to his lips as you worked through your thoughts.

Finally, you looked back at him and narrowed your eyes, removing your finger.

"Prove it. Prove that you're my Enji and not some creep with an insane story?"

His stomach fluttered when you referred to him as 'your' Enji. But he needed to focus.

"Well..." He shifted his hold, rubbing circles on your hip as he thought. "I bit you right before the scorpion villain fight. It was a mistake on my part, and I've wanted to apologize ever since. When you woke up in the hospital, you told me about your quirk. When you get upset, you brew your favorite hot drink and watch your favorite show, knees tucked underneath yourself on the couch. Sometimes you let me join you, leaning against your side. You always laughed when I grumbled at something the characters did, saying I was too much of a critic."

You stopped his babbling once more with a finger to the lips. He leaned forward and kissed the finger, watching as a blush spread across your face.

"So... you are telling the truth." You pulled the hand back to your chest, shoulders relaxed from their tensed state. You relaxed back against his chest before quickly leaning up and pressing a quick kiss to his lips.

"Thank you Enji, for saving me. I would have frozen." You watched as a self-satisfied smile spread over his face. he leaned down for another kiss before you stopped him with a giggle.

"Alright loverboy, that was all you're getting. First, you need clothes and then we're going to go out on a proper first date where you tell me about the human Enji."

"I'm looking forward to it." He grinned before kissing your forehead and standing, gently setting you on your feet.

The dynamic between you two was in for a change, but you looked forward to dealing with this new Enji and learning how to move forward with him in your life.

[whispersatdawn]

on the rebound | jeong jaehyun social media!au | part 8

↳ In an attempt to finally move on from his ex-girlfriend, basketball star Jeong Jaehyun reaches out to Y/N, who he knows has a crush on him.

prev | next || masterlist

a/n: i wasn’t gonna include a written part, but here we are

word count: ~3k

This... feels strange, you thought mindlessly to yourself, as your gaze fixed on the boy seated next to you. He was busy on his phone taking photos of the fading sunset that he barely noticed you staring, which you were quite thankful for because it allowed you to take a look at him just a little longer.

There was no denying that Jaehyun was attractive. To be honest, his beautiful features slightly intimidated you. When his perfectly shaped brows raised in surprise. Or when his dreamy dark brown eyes looked like he was trying to figure someone out. You especially liked it when Jaehyun smiled or laughed. You were confident Jaehyun’s dimples were the culprits of stealing many people’s hearts; those cheek indentations were truly fatal. However, for you, it was simply the occasional, cute nose scrunch. Unlike the dimples, the latter came and went quickly, but it still had an impact all the same.

Despite having been on few casual dates with Jaehyun in the past week, it was difficult to wrap your head around the time spent together, especially since the past two years consisted of you pining over him, after missing the opportunity to act on your feelings and confess to him.

Two Years Ago (First year of college)

"We should rent an apartment and be roommates next semester!”

Your eyes widened at Sujin���s suggestion. “All four of us?” you asked, swiftly spinning your finger once to point at yourself as well as the group seated around you. It was a clear day, so after class, you had a picnic with your friends at the university quad. “My parents helped me pay for campus room and board this year. I don’t know if my part-time job at the fitness center can afford rent.”

After meeting Sujin at the freshman orientation and running into Ten and Johnny in line at a food stand during the school organizations event, you had never had more fun nor felt more comfortable with anyone than you did with them. You remembered studying for hours often with Sujin since you both were biology majors and shared some courses. There was also the time when you attended the university dance team’s fall show and watched Ten’s first solo performance. Of course, though you almost always refrained from physical altercation, you could never forget the day you confronted Johnny’s ex-girlfriend at a party after she cheated on him and showed no remorse, which resulted in hair-pulling as well as Sujin and Ten dragging you out before further troubles. With what you all had gotten through together, there was no doubt that you considered the three to be your closest friends.

“Aren’t you going to apply for the research position with Dr. Kim? I’m sure it pays more,” Sujin said before taking a bite out of her sandwich.

“That’s the plan, but she hasn’t opened applications yet, so I just have to wait,” you sighed, laying down Johnny’s lap. “I think it’ll be fun to live together though!”

“I’ve actually been thinking about living off campus, too,” Ten said, grinning, “so you’d all be saving me from looking for roommates. I’m in.”

“Johnny?” you asked in a sing-song voice, looking up at the handsome male, waiting for his response. You opened your mouth as Johnny fed you a grape and then he leaned back, probably considering the idea.

“Hm... if I say yes, can I bring people over to spend the night?”

You grimaced at him before sitting back up right away while Johnny let out a laugh due to your reaction. “No thanks for the image,” you deadpanned, “though I guess it’d be cruel to deprive you of sex. We’ll all need to obviously talk more about housing and details later...”

“Y/N, behind you! He’s here.”

You instantly froze after Sujin’s announcement. “He’s here?” you mouthed, heart rate picking up, and Sujin confirmed with an eager nod. Pushing the conversation with your friends to the side, your ears were now focused on the sounds behind you. Multiple shoes against pavement. A ball dribbling. Familiar as well as unfamiliar voices chattering. When you tried to discreetly turn around, you found some members of the basketball team on the open court. You immediately spotted Jeong Jaehyun, casually wearing a black hoodie and maroon basketball shorts, playfully shoving a teammate after a teasing remark.

“Oh my god, how did he get even hotter after Spring Break?!” you muttered before turning back to your friends.

Johnny scoffed jokingly. “Hey, hey, keep it in your pants.”

“Also, aren’t you forgetting something?” Ten asked you, nudging his head back to the basketball court.

Oh. Right.

The actual reason you coincidentally (not) picked this day for a picnic at the same time Jaehyun and his friends played basketball.

You and Jaehyun took a Calculus class together the previous semester, and in a room with a little more than 100 seats, you ended up sitting next to Jaehyun. The two of you barely exchanged much words other than when one of you had questions about assignments, but you could not help but be drawn to him anyway. And although he did not have to talk to you outside of class, you always appreciated his greetings whenever you ran into each other at parties or after his basketball games. You thought your feelings were just a temporary infatuation, but your crush only seemed to grow after months, so you made a vow. After Spring Break, you would ask Jaehyun out.

However, now that you saw Jaehyun standing a few feet across from you, you felt like you were going to throw up. You wanted to back out. Abort. “Oh, look at the time!” you laughed nervously, pointing at your wrist that was definitely not wearing a watch. “I forgot I have to study for an exam tomorrow.”

You started to stand up, but Ten yanked you back down to the ground right away, causing you to land on your butt. “Nuh-uh. Don’t think so. Hey, Yuta!”

You shot a look at Ten, sending a quick telepathic message along the lines of Are you fucking serious? before turning back to everyone on the court. Almost all of the guys faced the direction of your group after hearing Yuta’s name called. You found Yuta who waved once he spotted you and your friends. I guess I’m doing this, you thought to yourself, breathing deeply and then mustering the biggest smile you could in that moment.

“Good luck, babe,” Sujin cheered as soon as you stood up and started to walk towards Yuta. The group had already dispersed to different parts of the court, ready to start a game.

“Is there a reason why you texted me if I would be out at the quad today?” Yuta asked as you ran into his arms for a quick hug.

You pulled away and then playfully punched his arm. “Maybe there’s just something about you playing basketball that makes me swoon,” you said, batting your eyelashes at him.

Yuta rolled his eyes, punching your arm back lightly. “Please. I can assure you that from middle to high school, when your parents worked, you had to wait after my practices so my dad could take us home. You’ve definitely used the word miserable to describe it.”

“Okay, but it’s obvious that my presence at your practices have made you into who you are today, right? This university has to thank me for their best shooting guard.”

Yuta grinned. “Alright, just tell me what you want.”

You hummed, rocking back and forth on your feet as you glanced around for the one who has been on your mind. “I actually wanted to talk to Jaehyun.”

“Jeong Jaehyun?”

You nodded your head. Yuta leaned closer, eyes narrowing as if he was trying to assess you. After a second, your friend straightened back up and called for his teammate. “Jaehyun!”

Jaehyun stopped his conversation with another player and turned his attention to you and Yuta, slightly confused, but he walked over to you both. “What’s up?” Jaehyun questioned, catching a quick glimpse of you.

“Y/N wanted to talk to you, so I’ll leave you two to it,” Yuta explained, ruffling your hair as a goodbye before he left you alone with Jaehyun.

You let out a nervous laugh, fixing your hair. It was now or never. With the close distance between you two, you got a whiff of Jaehyun’s cologne—wood, also kind of spicy. “Hey, Y/N. Sucks we don’t have a class together this semester.”

“Yeah, sucks. How was your break?”

Jaehyun shrugged. “I went to Cabo.”

You paused. “Oh.” The wealthy be different. “Cabo. Must’ve been a hell of a time. I thought Haeun’s pool party was something. Not even close.”

"Yeah, Cabo was a great time. So... what did you need to tell me?”

“What?”

“Um, you said you wanted to talk?”

“Oh!” you exclaimed, feeling shy after remembering why you were there in the first place. Your eyes shifted to your shoes, unable to keep eye contact with the boy in front of you. Nervousness as well as excitement rushed through you, and your body felt like it was tingling. It kind of scared you what his reaction would be, but it was what it was. The worse he could say was no. “About that. I—”

“Jaehyun!”

Suddenly, a feminine voice called out his name. You whipped your head around to find a girl with a black long bob and bangs waving excitedly to Jaehyun and then running straight into his open arms. You took a minute to process what was happening. Your first thought was that she was very pretty. Her makeup suited her, especially the burgundy red lip tint. Her body also fitted well in her white tank top and black skinny jeans.

“Hey, babe. What’re you doing here? I thought you were working on your journalism project,” Jaehyun said, happiness evident through the way his face lit up, smiling in a way you had never seen Jaehyun smile before. Arms still around the girl, Jaehyun leaned down to give her a peck on the lips. You quickly averted your eyes, feeling as if you were intruding on the intimate moment.

“Yeah, but I missed you, so I decided to take a break and hang out with you,” the girl answered in the sweetest tone as she pulled away from Jaehyun. She then looked over at you as if she noticed you for the first time. “Who’s this?”

“This is—”

“I was just leaving,” you interrupted.

Jaehyun brows furrowed. “Wait, I thought—”

“Ah, don’t worry about it,” you said a little too quickly, waving your hand dismissively. “It was nothing important. I had a question, but the answer just popped into my head, haha. I, uh, actually have a thing, so I’m gonna go now. Yeah. Thanks, Jaehyun. And nice meeting you—”

“Hyejin.”

“Hyejin. Nice meeting you, Hyejin. Okay, bye!”

You spun around, and your feet picked up pace as you walked away from the basketball court, out the quad, towards the direction of the dorm. Your phone vibrated in your back pocket, likely a call from one of your friends, but you could not help but feel slightly embarrassed after the incident. The last thing you wanted to do was talk about it.

Babe. Definitely way worse than being rejected.

End of Flashback

When you snapped out of your thoughts, you realized that Jaehyun was now staring back at you, with those captivating eyes that sought for answers. “Y/N?” he called out softly.

You felt your cheeks grow warm, slightly flustered that you zoned out while looking at him. “Y-Yeah?” Shit, you cursed to yourself after you choked on the reply, and you cleared your throat before answering more clearly. “Yeah?”

Jaehyun leaned back and chuckled. “I just wanted to let you know I really appreciate you coming to the basketball games again. It’s nice seeing your face in the crowd.”

You smiled. “Of course. None of my roomies except Ten really enjoy watching basketball, but he’s been busy and it’s been fun attending with Mark and Lucas. Also, don’t tell Yuta but I think I gradually started to like basketball because of him. Watching him for so many years, I can’t help but get into it when I see him find so much delight in the sport. He’s insane on the court.”

When you caught Jaehyun’s pout, you let out a laugh. He wanted his ego fed for sure. “I mean, obviously, he’s nothing compared to you, Captain. Come on now.”

“Obviously,” Jaehyun replied, giving you a smug look. Then for some reason, in a few seconds, you caught his expression when his smirk fell. “You know, my ex,” Jaehyun started, absentmindedly grasping at the sand under his hand and letting them fall through his fingers, “she never really attended my games.”

As the sun was about to fully disappear, you heard the sound of thunder rumble in the sky. Looking up, you noticed that dark clouds started to roll in. Was it supposed to rain today, you wondered. “Hyejin?” you asked, returning your attention to Jaehyun. He nodded. Since he brought her up, you might as well have asked your questions and got them over with now. “If it’s okay, can I ask what happened between you two?”

Silence settled between you and Jaehyun when he did not answer right away, which made you feel bad because you did not want to open those wounds again. Another wave of thunder roared. You two would have to return back home soon. You were about to try and change the topic, but Jaehyun spoke first. “She said that the way I loved her bored her. I don’t know. Something about how I always agreed with her and that I never confronted other guys when I felt jealous. Or when I didn’t argue with her, it felt like I didn’t care at all.”

“Oh. I’m sorry.” You did not know what else to say. Breakups were hard. Before you realized, your hand reached over to Jaehyun’s, and you placed yours over his, squeezing it softly. “It’s not place to say... but she didn’t deserve you.”

Jaehyun turned his hand over so that his palm held yours, squeezing back. His lips stretched into a small smile. “Thank you, Y/N.”

You then felt a droplet of water tap on your leg. Then the top of your head. Then your cheek. Suddenly, the pitter patter of the rain became louder as it hit the sand and water. You and Jaehyun looked at each, mouth opened in awe at such misfortune, before the both of you bursted into a fit of laughter. “Wait, did you not check the weather before planning this?!” you exclaimed to Jaehyun with a huge grin on your face as you jumped up, barely covering yourself with your hands above your head.

“Listen,” Jaehyun explained as he also stood up, grabbing the jacket that he brought with him. “did you not check the weather?”

You were not sure if the rush your body felt was due to the unforeseen weather or the way Jaehyun stared at you like he was waiting for you to make a move. With your adrenaline and curiosity, you stepped closer to him. “Are you seriously trying to blame this on your date right now, Jeong Jaehyun?”

Jaehyun leaned closer to your face. You sucked in a breath, aware of the lack of space between you two. Jaehyun took his jacket and covered the top of your head to protect as best as he could from the rain. You grabbed the outerwear, but Jaehyun’s grasp was also still on the jacket. Despite the rain drenching Jaehyun from head to toe, a smile remained on his face. “I’m sorry. You’re right. This was my bad. How can I make it up to you?” Jaehyun asked as his eyes fell onto your lips before looking up to read your eyes. His lips pressed together, and his next question almost turned you into a puddle. “Can I kiss you?”

“Yes.” It was all Jaehyun needed to hear to release his hold on the jacket and moved his hands to cup your face. Jaehyun’s lips brushed against yours. Soft. His lips were soft. You smelled the familiar scent of his cologne, and it made you even dizzier as you continued to kiss Jaehyun, letting the blossoming warmth consume you. You could not help but smile into the kiss, and when his tongue pressed between your lips, you started to part your lips for him until a loud crack of thunder struck in the sky, prompting you both to pull away from each other.

“As much as I’d like to keep going, I think I should get you home before you catch a cold,” Jaehyun said with a chuckle.

Like a gentleman, Jaehyun walked you all the way to your front door. Though you offered Jaehyun shelter from the rain inside your apartment, he declined, assuring you that his fraternity house was not too far from your place. “Really sorry we couldn’t get that fancy dinner,” Jaehyun apologized. “I knew you were looking forward to that the most.”

You shook your head, reassuring him with a smile. “No worries. I had such an amazing time, Jae.”

He leaned in to give you a quick peck on the lips. “Next time. Now get inside and change into some dry clothes. I’ll text you later.”

“Drive safe,” you told him, and he nodded. As soon as Jaehyun walked away from you, you grabbed your key and unlocked the door to your apartment, calling out to your roommates. “I’m home!”

Sujin was the first one to greet you in the living room. Her eyes widened when she spotted you in your wet clothes, droplets of water dripping from your hair to the tiled floor. “Geez, Y/N! I thought you two were just going to watch the sunset, not get into the water fully clothed.”

You playfully rolled your eyes and passed by Sujin to get to your room. After you closed the door, you ran to your bed and plopped on the mattress, not even bothering to change out of your clothes right away. You unlocked your phone and opened Instagram to view the most recent photos of you and Jaehyun from today, recalling the event that occurred hours ago. Today really happened. Jaehyun kissed me.

taglist: @fluffyjaes @hwangful @seeking-faces @urlocalnctstan @justineasian @127-jaehyun @dearjaehyxn @taesty-jams @jeneyesmile @taeiluv127 @mango-bear @marklexleaf @generantionct @tyxsaturn @247byun @yourchasingsunsetslove @ajhdr @jaeficrecs @bitchenderyy @thorscrown @leaurcitee @erisxczenie @minavenue @phoenixes-and-wizards @renjunf00ls @notminniie @sanisms @sunflowerhae @smileyyuta @ohmy-fandoms @artfulbarnes @anotherfullsun @moons00 @nctlovesme @unmanageable-day @raywishii @thejungjaehyun @venusprada @doyobun @nshitae @andrea-chanel @llamabouquet

[andromedasstarship]

are you free tomorrow?

pairing - spencer reid x gn!reader

warnings - nothing! just a sweet & cliche ‘first meeting’ story  :)

summary - midterms are coming up and all the good cafes on campus are filled, maybe the sweet looking curly haired guy in the back will share his table with you?

a/n - for my valentines day oneshot series! 'every table is full, but i really need to study, is there any way we could share?'

-------

Stressed, was a simple way to explain the current state you were in. The semester had snuck up on you, moving faster than you had ever expected. As the fifth week was coming to a close, you were getting dangerously close to the storm of midterms you had waiting for you in the sixth week. And you desperately needed to study. The only thing stopping you- surprisingly not your own procrastination-, was that it seemed as if the rest of campus was also in the same predicament as you. 

This was the third cafe on campus that you had entered that was absolutely filled. 

Your eyes scanned around the room, hoping to catch someone in the middle of packing their things. Nope. You considered circling back through the other two cafes you’d just been in or maybe even just going off campus. Except you couldn’t justify wasting more time by circling the same few cafes over and over, nor could your college student budget justify paying for coffee when you could just use your allotted campus cash. 

Just as you were about to give up and leave- begrudgingly deciding that studying in your room would have to be good enough-, you spotted a man sitting alone towards the back of the cafe. He sat at a large table with plenty of space; even though he had one of the largest stacks of papers you’d ever seen one individual possess. 

You weighed your options, internally debating if it’d be worth potentially hurting your pride by asking him to share the table and getting rejected. Seeing as the other option was definitely hurting your pride by hovering the same cafes like a hungry park bird, you tightened your grip on your tote bag and started walking towards him.  

Whatever he was reading must’ve been exciting, as his focus didn’t stray even for a moment nor did he notice you at all until you were right up against the chair across from him. You awkwardly cleared your throat to catch his attention, giving him a tiny wave when he looked up at you. 

“Hi!” 

“Hello?” 

“I’m really sorry to bother you, just every table is full and I really need to study and I know it’s not the best, but could I share this table with you?” You asked anxiously, holding your breath as you waited for his answer. 

As he opened his mouth to respond, you quickly added. “I swear it’ll be like I’m not even here!”  

He gave you a ‘please calm down’ look and you felt some of the weight dissolve from your shoulders as he nodded his head. “Take a seat, no worry at all.” He told you, adding a kind smile as he looked back down at his stack of papers and pulled them closer; giving you more room at the table. 

You let your bag fall off your shoulder and hit the ground with a thunk, relieved to no longer be carrying the physical weight around. You clasped the top of the chair in front of you, leaning towards him just so. “Thank you,” you said, giving your best gracious smile, “let me get you a coffee or something?” 

He looked almost shocked- or was he flustered? you weren’t sure-, quickly shaking his head in response. “No! You don’t need to do that at all.” He assured you, but you weren’t so quick to back down. 

“It’s the least I can do, please?” You pressed, giving him a very exaggerated pleaaaase look, “with all those papers you must need some serious caffeine.” 

You thought he was going to continue this little back-and-forth with you, but you watched as his body relaxed ever so slightly, signs of what you hoped was him conceding. “Just a black coffee.” 

"Just black?" You countered, raising your eyebrow, leaving it unsaid that he was just choosing the cheapest drink they had.

"Room for cream? I'll fix it up myself." He replied.

----

From the line, you had your first opportunity to really give this guy a look. The papers in front of him had sucked him back in as soon as you stepped away from the table; meaning you weren’t too worried about him catching you in your little…, creeping moment. The student population was large, but it was still small enough that you found yourself repeatedly seeing the same strangers. Yet, you’d never seen this man before. And you were sure you would’ve remembered this man, had you seen him before. What? He was undeniably attractive. There was something about the way his hair just perfectly curled around his face that made you just want to reach out and ruff- that’s weird. Even his little sweater-tie-button up outfit was doing it for you. Maybe today won’t be so bad. 

The line moved quickly and you found yourself carrying the two drinks back over to the table in under five minutes. You set his cup by him, taking care to put it away from the massive stack of papers. You set your cup down next, sliding in the chair diagonal from him. 

“You know,” you started, hefting your bag up into the chair next to you, “I never got your name?”

“Thank you,” he quickly got out, holding up his coffee as he did so. “I’m Spencer, uh…, Spencer Reid.” He told you, a faint red creeping up from under his collar. 

You gave him your name in return, a bit distracted as you pulled more of your things from your bag. From the corner of your eye, you saw him hold his coffee up again, nodding his head towards the cream and sugar station before walking off to fix his drink up properly. 

In his absence, you pulled out the rest of your books, debating which subject you should tackle first. You were glad you were finally towards the end of your college career, meaning the majority of your classes were specific to your interests rather than a four hundred student gen-ed; not that it made you any more excited to study for this exam. 

When Spencer came back he set his coffee down with a slightly shaky hand. “Did you know coffee is actually classified as a fruit?” He asked, as he slid back into his seat against the wall. 

“I didn’t know that.” You replied, shaking your head. 

“The coffee bean itself grows on a bush and they’re actually the pit of a berry, which is what makes them a fruit. They come in two main varieties, green and red.” He rambled, as if reciting from some magic book stored in his brain. As soon as he was done he clamped his mouth shut, remembering how most people reacted to his ramblings. 

You raised an eyebrow at him, but your face didn’t show any signs of annoyance. “Big coffee fan Spencer?” 

“Big fan of facts.” He corrected, giving you a sheepish smile.

“Oh yeah? Well you seem pretty smart then, which class should I study for first?” You asked, holding up two of your textbooks.

He looked at both books curiously, trying to take a guess at what your major might’ve been. He pointed at the one in your left hand. God’s, Monsters and Mortals. 

“Are you an…, English major?” He guessed, wondering if the book was some supplement for a unit on the Iliad. Not to mention the other book you held up was quite literally called ‘Literature Through The Ages’. 

You shook your head, putting the book he chose down on the table while you returned the other one to your bag. “Close! Classics,” you said, giving him a sheepish grin, “I know, it’s a bit niche, kinda ridiculous, but there’s something about how we immortalized memories of ancient times through literature that are just fascinating. There’s something about the lessons of the past that I think a lot of people are ignoring today, ya know?” You replied, quickly closing your mouth before you’d go on some incredibly long tangent about your interests and studies. Didn’t you say it’d be like you weren’t even here?  

“No, no!” He hurriedly said, shaking his head. “Understanding the lessons and patterns of the past and how they’ve morphed humanity today? That’s cool!” He assured you. 

“Well what about you, Spencer Reid? What’s your major, you must have some horrible professors, if that stack of papers is the norm.” You joked, liking the way the corner of his eyes crinkled as he smiled. 

“I’m uh…, a professor here.” He responded, his face cringing ever so slightly as he watched your mouth drop open simultaneously as your eyes nearly fell out of your head. 

“You’re a…, professor?” You repeated, extremely confused as to how someone who looked only a few years older than you was somehow employed to such a degree. 

“Just a visiting one!” He clarified, clearing his throat. “I’m on a sort of, uh, sabbatical from work.” 

“Isn’t a sabbatical when someone gets away from academia?” You countered, smiling to show you meant no actual aggression. 

“Big fan of facts, remember?” He repeated plainly, but you caught the joke in it and you smiled wider at that. 

“No offense Professor, but you look a bit young to ya know, be one.” You said, hoping he’d give his age in response. 

“I’m 29.” Ah, only four years older than you. 

“29 and already a professor at a university like this? What, do you have like 20 Phds. or something?” You asked jokingly, laughing a bit as you said so. 

“Three actually.” He replied, a mix of shyness and pride across his face.

Your mouth dropped back open again, trying to wrap your mind around the man in front of you. “What are you? A genius then?” 

“By some standards, yes.”  

The two of you fell into a comfortable silence after that. Him paying special attention to each paper he graded- you wished all your professors cared about student work the way he seemed to-, while you were busy deciding which parts of the taught units were the most important. 

After what you imagined was nothing short of four hours you felt your head begin to throb and your eyes were starting to go fuzzy. In that time, the two of you had downed at least five coffees each, going back and forth over who paid for them. You had managed to create an individual study guide for nearly all your upcoming exams and a quick glance told you that Spencer still had a few papers left. Unbeknownst to you he could have finished those papers hours ago, even with the in depth comments he entered into the computer for each one; there was just something about you that drew him in.  

He wasn’t sure whether it was the funny unfiltered comments you’d make sporadically while you worked or the way you actually seemed to be interested in every little tangent he had gone on whenever one of his students brought up a particularly good or amusing point in their papers’. His therapist had recently recommended that he engage in conversations with those not already well acquainted with him and it seemed like the world had lined up perfectly to put you in front of him so soon after. 

You loudly slammed your textbook shut with a groan and let your head fall against the table. “Why does academia have to be so boring?” You asked rhetorically, bringing one hand up to pinch the bridge of your nose. “Is it some requirement to get published? Your work needs to put college kids to sleep?”  

“The works that you’re reading are quite literally ancient, in their defense. The term ‘academia’ itself comes from the school of thought taught by Plato himself in ancient Athens.” Spencer explained, putting down the paper he had been grading. 

“And now, all these years later I have to suffer because Plato was such a bore.” You sighed dramatically, rolling your eyes. 

“You said you were studying the downfall of Icarus weren’t you?” He asked, once again unbeknownst to you, he remembered everything you had said today. “It’s one of my favorites of ancient Greek mythology. The power of the mind of man, yet how quickly that very power could be taken away if man oversteps. Really makes us wonder if we’ve overstepped as humans yet, if we use Icarus’s fall, quite literally from grace, as a lens for other devastations we’ve seen across history then-” 

“Spencer, are you free tomorrow?” You asked, effectively cutting him off. 

He looked a bit like a fish, the way you had stopped him mid sentence and his mouth hadn’t yet closed. His eyebrows turned up, head tilting with them. “Tomorrow? The 14th?” 

“Yeah, are you free tomorrow?” You repeated, holding back your nerves. 

“Oh.” He said, eyes going wide as you assumed he finally connected the dots, “Oh!” 

You were about to speak again, retract your question completely before he could reject you, suddenly wondering why you decided to go out on whim like that at all. But he beat you to it. 

“Yes, yes I am.” 

------

happy valentines day (almost) i love yall!!

tagging a few people who asked + a few mutuals i think might like this (no pressure!!) - @hqtchner @ssahoodrathotchner @kylorendrip @feverdreamreid @homoose 

permanent taglist - @sunflowersandotherthings