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vals-fanfiction-blog · 8 months ago

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Jet set radio fanfiction

Beat watched as the water gulped in the sand, like a pool of jewels glittering in the pulsing sun. The crawled back down the beach and up again, washing stones and seaweed back onto the beach. The soft rustle of waves as if it was a soft lullaby.

Today, the beach was empty and he took the most opportunity of it.

He plugged in his headphones and tucked his legs under his chin, gazing on the ocean that rolled into the horizon. He scrolled down his tune list and put on policy of truth by despeche mode.

You had something to hide

Should have hidden it, shouldn't you?

Now you're not satisfied

With what you're being put through

He rocked his head slightly to and fro like the waves lapping. The song reminded him, reminded him on why he moved, away from tab, yoyo, corn and the gang.

It's just time to pay the price

For not listening to advice

And deciding in your youth

On the policy of truth

Things could be so different now

It used to be so civilized

You will always wonder how

It could have been if you'd only lied

It's too late to change events

It's time to face the consequence

For delivering the proof

In the policy of truth

Never again

Is what you swore

The time before

Never again

Is what you swore

The time before

Now you're standing there tongue-tied

You better learn your lesson well

Hide what you have to hide

And tell what you have to tell

You'll see your problems multiplied

If you continually decide

To faithfully pursue

The policy of truth

Never again

Is what you swore

The time before

How he shouldn't of outed himself, never again, he swore it.

It was the truth-yeah he was gay but sometimes he wished it was a lie, that he could be normal.

He wished many things, that he could be with corn and live a peaceful life. He loved the gang but he left for a reason, that love had turned sour a while ago. Now he lived in a beach house just off the coast of miyazaki. The town was pretty quiet and the people were nice enough. It gave him enough time and money so he didn't complain.

Did he miss his old life? Maybe. He founded GG's to be free. Like to be able to explore the city and show who you are, feel the wind blow through your hair and mess about with the people you care about. That's how it started off at least.

After listening to music for a few more hours it eventually began to get dark and beat stood up and cracked his back. Slinging his headphones onto his neck, beat started to wade across the warm sand baked from the sun towards the exit.

He jogged over to his locker and fumbled with the key but finally opened it. He excitedly grabbed his rollerblades. Unlike back in the city, the village folks didn't really seem to give half a shit.

He shoved his blades on and without a second thought set on a pace down the walkway.

The salty sea air ruffling his red hair and moving his green tinted glasses slightly further up his nose. He picked up the speed and screamed loudly "woohoo" and flung his arms out excitedly grinning. "Freedom!!!"

The sky has plunged into an inky blue with the warm orange light dusting along the pavements guiding beat home.

He kicked up the driveway and swiftly removed his boots. "Home sweet home"

He unlocked the door and made his way inside, closing the door with his foot behind him.

"Pots?" he questioned before flicking on the light.

"Boy?"

A patter of paws scurried down the corridor and the small dog hobbled over to his owner.

Beat bent down and picked up his pet dog.

"See look I will put you on the new sofa for a cuddle but I swear if you chomp it up like the last one"

Pots gave a chippy bark in return and let beat drop him on the sofa.

"Yeah wait a second I need to get changed"

He leaped up the stairs, boots in one hand that he then put in his special cupboard as soon as he entered his room.

It held everything from his past and the GG's. His skates were the only things he could really bring himself to use again.

They were his prized possession after all.

He looked at the content of the cuboard for a few moments and shut it without any more intention to think about it any further.

He swiftly chucked his stuff off and slipped into a baggy red T-shirt and boxers.

He folded his green glasses next to his bed and sighed.

The rest of the night he curled up with pots in his lap and fell asleep to some crap romcom he saw on Netflix that didn't look completely boring.

A knock on the door.

Knock

Pots awoke startled, the door- he thought.

He knew it was his masters job to check the door but what if it was someone who wanted to hurt him, like what happened back in the city. He hated seeing his master hurt. Especially if it's his old friends.

Pots carefully bobbed around his masters limbs sprawled out on the coach careful not to wake him. He leaped down and crept into the corridor. The knocking stopped and the stranger tried again to push down on the door handle. Pots bared his teeth and felt a growl forming. Another knock.

He was gonna wake up master!

Pots barked loudly, that should keep them away.

"Is someone there" a man's voice, weary and hoarse.

"Please let me in, I just want to talk"

Pots barked louder and charged for the door scraping it with his paws. Go away my master has been hurt enough, he deserves a sleep he works so hard. He goes to work in the only place that can hire him and works hours in and out. On the weekends he goes to the beach to surf or listen to music. He should be left alone, he ran away from people for a reason.

The knocker was clearly startled by the barking but that didn't deter him.

"Open the door I'm soaking wet"

Pots kept barking and eventually beat stirred awake with a groan. "God pots keep it down, whats the matter"

The voice spoke again "is someone there?!" desperate "please let me in it's cold, is that you beat?"

Beat's eyes flickered in realisation and he stumbled up towards the door.

Pots moved out the way, observing anxiously as beat slowly opened the lock and pulled the door open fully.

A wash of cold rain poured over him jolting the poor half asleep redhead awake.

He took in the sight before him.

It was tab shivering in a drenched yellow coat, hair matted and clinging to the sides of his face and barely able to look beat in the eye. The rain chucked down, banging along the roads and pavements, running along the cracks and filling potholes.

"Jesus it's 2am in the fucking morning what are you doing corn?" beat demanded

"Long story, do you mind if i come in im freezing"

"I don't think I really have a choice if you came all the way from Tokyo"

Corn just meekly nodded in response and shuffled inside.

Chapter 2

Beat fetched a blanket, towels and a spare change of clothes while tab seated himself in the kitchen.

It's so him, this is how he would decorate a kitchen, I could imagine any other way

There was an island in the middle overlooking the ocean below the hill. There were bricks for the walls, covered in different graffiti, depicting scenes from beats favourite anime and video games.

Sora-kingdom hearts, Dante-devil may cry, Tails- sonic, Emperor- Splatoon corioka, Noctis- final fantasy

Corn internally noted from the times beat had talked to him about all his favourite things.

The art was stunning, painted flawlessly and skillfully.

He could only shake his head how is someone that amazing

What was he saying, beat doesn't want anything to do with him anymore or the GG's.

Beat walked up to tab, dumping the supplied on the island counter.

"So-"

"Hey listen" tab interrupted shakily

"I know what you are gonna say and I'm sorry, I just" he needed to come up with a reason, he can't let beat know that he really just wanted to see him again "I wanted to help you?"

It came out more like a question than a statement and tab internally swore at himself.

Beat scoffed harshly "why would you need to help me? You left me remember, why would I need your help"

"Well I know finding jobs are pretty hard around these parts considering your history and I have a friend who has a job that they can apply you for"

Beat tapped his foot

"Listen corn, I have a job, I wouldnt be able to live otherwise. So just butt out. How do I know you really want to help me anyway. Why should I trust you all of a sudden, you really helped me when I needed you most. Sorry I'm not buying it"

Tab didn't want to plead but something in his gut told him to keep fighting.

"What other reasons would I have, you were my friend and I still want to make sure you are financially secure"

Tab already knew beat had a job, gum did a bit of search back at home for him but the one he had to give beat paid in the thousands.

"Okay corn, fine." beat sighed "what job is it"

"You get to be a singer"

A moment of painful silence

Beat burst out laughing

"You’re joking right!?"

Tab looked down, cheeks red "look it's not a joke"

---

"Wait...."

Another moment

"Your being serious right now?"

Tab nodded "yes"

Beat took a step back, clearly shocked. He always loved music and his singing wasn't that bad.

But to chuck away the job he scraped and pleaded for, to take the one out of the palms of the man who hurt him the most.

He should just dismiss corn, that would be easiest and he can just go home in the morning.

But...he always wanted to be a singer and this may be a big chance to prove to the GG's he can he famous and rich without them. The only thing stopping him was- well corn. How did he know that the man didn't have any ulterior motives, or might use this against him. He didn't want to risk it.

It was a choice of believe in the man who crushed his heart with it a high paycheck and fame, or staying alone and pretending the GG's didn't even exist as he had been for the last 8 months.

"Give me time to think"

Tab nodded enthusiastically "great!" he hesitated "I mean er of course yeah"

Beat turned around back to the living room to check on pots and tab did a small victory dance. At least it wasn't a no.

"Go in the bathroom to get changed" beat demanded with pots snuggled in his arms as he re-entered the kitchen. He glanced at the pile of clothes and towels on the counter.

Tab got up and did as beat asked.

It was beats clothes, they smelt of him.

He peeled off the wet clothes and shoved them in a soggy pile. His skin was clammy and numb from the relentless and unmerciful rain but at least he got to see beat.

All of it was for him, for beat.

Why was tab even helping beat, knowing he wanted nothing to do with him.

Well as a repayment of sorts.

For being a complete dick and breaking his best friends trust and heart.

Not his best friend anymore.

The man he knew was drifting away, isolating himself in work and the beach.

He didn't have any friends at all, to tabs knowledge.

He knew beat was suffering, behind those layers of defense was just a person scared and lonely.

He finally came out the bathroom, the T-shirt clinging onto his defined muscles and shorts slightly above the knee where it gave size to the slightly larger toolset that tab had compared to beat.

Oh God...why did I give him that shirt..i should go find a bigger one.

"Thanks beat, it fits like a charm and is very comfortable"

"It's no problem" beat mumbled in response trying to hide his fluster.

Stop acting like a schoolboy, remember who he his, what he did.

Beat cleared his throat "well you can sleep in my bed, I usually just take the coach anyway"

His.. Bed?

Oh God

Moment of awkward silence

"You don't need to make it weird, you can just sleep on the floor if you don't get up those stairs"

Tab nodded "right"

Pots nudged out of beats arms and raced into the living room, curling up onto the sofa waiting for his master to join him.

"Also, the sheets arnt washed I wasn't expecting any visitors, you don't mind right?"

Corn nodded, one foot up the stairs. "I don't really care, I've slept in way worse- I mean we both have when we were you know"

Beat flinched at the mention of the GG's "yeah whatever, get some sleep, I will give my answer about this whole singer thing in the morning"

Chapter 3

Tab slept like a rock till late in the afternoon.

Beat was too nervous to chuck him out plus he had to discuss yesterday and the job situation.

Upstairs tab woke up, his eyes bleary and raw. The room bled into focus and he remembered yesterday. He had fallen asleep soon as his head crashed on the pillow. The smell of beat surrounding him like a hug, then festering into his dreams.

It was dark, no light no people, nothing at all in every direction. A distant spark, then racing past him. Beat- "hey tab!" he shouted as he scooted past on his rollerblades.

Tab waved and grinned as the younger man skated into his arms. Then the scene changed and swirled in a blue of colours.

Beat was snuggled up to him, back in tabs room at the GG's, licking his neck and whispering sweet nothings in his ear.

Tab blushed and knew it was wrong, whatever this weird fantasy was. But it was a dream right? What harm could it do. So he rolled with it.

He played with beat's soft hair and softly lifted his chin to meet his. He leaned in and was inches away from his lips.

Beat forcefully kissed him, lips soft and plush.

Then the scene changed again. A rokakku squad, the building had collapsed, beat had hurt his leg. He clearly wasn't fazed, he got up limping and tried to skate. "Hey!" tab shouted "what the fuck are you doing, your hurt!"

"I'm fine, leave me alone" beat protested through gritted teeth as he dragged himself across the rubble.

Then another scene change, beat screamed as tab had came. He leaned down to the man below him and kissed him passionately, getting hard once more. "I lo-"

He woke up.

Tab rubbed his temples, "Jesus what a dream" he mumbled. It wasn't the first time he had dreamed about beat in such a vulnerable way.

It was wrong and he knew it. He knew beat hated him and he wasn't gonna be able to fix his mistake but maybe if he continues in his plan he can give some kind of closure to him at least.

Tab finally got out of bed and was going to trudge downstairs when he realised that he did have a hard on. For fucks sake.

Should he just leave it, if beat notices it just play it off. Should he sort it out? But he didn't want to do it in his bed and the bathroom was too cramped? Shower? No that was overlonging his stay.

With a sigh and a will corn walked downstairs and greeted beat who was bent over his laptop in the kitchen. "Hey"

"Your late"

"Yeah er sorry" tab rubbed the back of his neck "so about the job-"

"Sit down"

Tab complied

"I thought about it and"

Corn eyed him eagerly

"I think I will try it"

"For real!"

"Don't get too cocky, so what time will I be going for the interview?"

"Today"

"What!"

Beat shook his head in disbelief "okay dude, that's nuts but" he gave a small and rare smile "fuck it". He closed his laptop then followed his crack in demeanor with his usual snappy statements, "I'm gonna get you something that's not so tight to wear, and sort that out"

Beat motioned to tabs visible bump in his shorts.

Corn looked down, cheeks dashed with beet red. "Right....i guess I will go take a shower"

"Don't be too long"

They both sat outside the interview room. Beat wore his best; a beet red silk suit that complimented his hair perfectly. He had removed all his piercings and gelled his hair to the side. He had put in a lot of effort, he was that kind of guy- scruffy clothes to lounge around in always two times larger but when it came to going out he changed into a whole different person. He tapped his hand on his knee as tab scrolled mindelessly through Twitter.

"Mr beat?" a man's gruff voice called from the doorframe.

Beat stood up and gave a slight smirk "watch me corn"

He followed the man into another room and corn gave a wave before standing up. He had time to kill.

He walked round the town, near the coast watching the sea then kicked a rock and watched it skid along the pavement.

what on earth am I even doing anymore.

He leant over the railing and gave a deep sigh. The day was almost coming into a close. Suddenly his phone buzzed, corn fished it out his pocket. It was gum.

"Hey! When are you coming back?"

"I don't really know yet to be honest but I think beats on board, I can make it up to him after all this time"

"Yeah, your a good one tab, but why do you care so much"

"What do you mean?"

"........ Like you were the one who truly hurt him the most and out of the blue you suddenly want to chase after him. Maybe you were always like this and I hadn't noticed"

"I still don't know what you mean?.... Like what exactly"

"Well chasing the dude, pining after him, going out your way in the rain to what? ...Make up"

"Yeah, I want to provide him some closure.."

"Just closure?"

"I was an asshole to him but what other motives do you think I could have exactly?"

"Now your getting it, what other motives indeed... I think you like him"

Tab scoffed

"That's stupid, he wants nothing to do with me... N O T H I N G"

"Yet he agreed to your little plan"

"That doesn't me he likes me?! "

"Yeah sure.. Whatever you say corn"

He grit his teeth

"I'm going now gum I've got to go somewhere"

"Back to your future bf?"

"Shut up"

Then he hung up.

Chapter 4

Beat smiled to himself

His paycheck for this job was mental ,tab was actually kinda useful ,huh.

The tab in question stood outside the building hands in pockets gaping at everything around him like a fish in water.

Beat rolled his eyes and jumped into a slow jog catching up to the man.

"So? How did it go"

"I got it of course"

Tab grinned "oh my God! That's great"

He naturally patted beats shoulder without thinking about it and beat gave a small smile.

"Thanks" he mumbled.

Don't let him get inside your head, he's only here to give you a job... He can't hurt you again.

Tab nodded softly and walked towards the railing "you go to the beach often then?"

"Mhm yeah"

Tab frowned at the sudden distancing.

"What's wrong? You think we are best mates all of a sudden, you need to leave tommorow so don't think of any tricks"

"Beat, im not trying to trick you"

"Jesus Christ corn! Nothing in this world is for free, why are you helping me! You know what I already know the answer. To get some leverage above me, to hurt me again"

Tab opened his mouth to speak then shut it again "beat, please i just want to make up for being such an asshole to you"

Beat shook his head softly "no-"

"Listen" tab interupted harshly "man if anyone has this so called leverage, it would be you, you let me stay in the freezing cold and use your bed. Listened to me and that's got to count for something, I don't want to hurt you beat"

"No.. It's all part of your plan"

"Plan?"

"Yeah you left your phone downstairs yesterday dickhead...a text from gum saying how's the plan going"

Tab was about to reply

"No save it, I trusted you for once... And god I thought to myself he may of changed but you are still the same fucking prick!"

"Beat! Listen please"

"I have listened enough!"

They both rose into shouts

"Beat! I don't really care if you get the job or not. You know what I don't care anymore...i hope you suffer"

Suddenly corn felt the side of his jaw rupture as beats fist flew like a rocket. It tasted of metal and then he fell.

He deserved that

Then everything plunged into darkness as his head touched the deck.

He woke up in a familiar place, Beats bed.

Beat in question was glaring at him as he woke up.

"You passed out"

"...... Ah I see"

Tab winced as he felt his cheek catch on his tooth.

"Shit what happened again"

"I punched you"

The memories slowly drifted in

"Ah I remember.....im sorry beat"

"Yeah..."

"I deserved that"

"...."

"What's the time?"

"Like 10pm"

"Well your out for real tommorow"

"About that.."

Beats eyes flared "now what"

"Well since you are going to be part of a band...you will need a sponsor and director, since you have no experience nobody is going to sponsor you and a personal director are expensive. It's vital however for marketing and organisation"

"What" beat scoffed "so I'm just supposed to let you be a sponsor?"

"Well"

........

"No" he curtly replied with no hesitation

"But nobody else will pay for someone with no experience"

"I'm sure I can find one"

"Beat! Listen to reason"

Beat pinched his nose "your so fucking luckly I'm this patient"

"What do you have to lose? I will help with finance and sponsoring your deals for free, if you don't like it, I can leave"

Beat glanced away in thought

"Hm....fine corn, I will let you stick around for a little longer, just as I get set up with the band but any interfering and your gone"

Corn nodded

His plan was to stick around, what's he planning exactly, that sly fucker is gonna stab me in the back at some point I just know it.

Chapter 5

Warning for smut / sh references in the beginning and smut in the end

😈🙏 I got a little devious

Beat needed anyone.

He found the nearest Japanese man and invited him over.

He would go into relapse circles like this. Scratching his skin with spare bits of glass then needing someone to fuck him till he passed out.

The man groaned in his ear as he picked up the pace. Hand snaking around his bleeding arm. "Jesus" he would mumble before coming right into his ass.

"At least finish me off!"

The man just left after awkwardly putting his clothes on.

From then he was left alone in his bed. Blood soaking the sheets and with a burning hard on.

He grabbed his phone as searched up his usual gay porn and began to slick his hand up and down his length. Breath catching as he imagined the man on the screen was corn.

He would come again and again till he was too tired and would shakily stumble over to the cuboard where he held his weed. Then he would get wasted and pass out on the bed, thinking about corn

Corn

Corns dick

His long dick

His arms

His lips

His voice

The way his eyes lit up

The way he would wrap his mouth around his cock and such him dry. But that would never happen huh

Corn

It was finally time to leave for the band meetup. Tab had purchased some clothes at the local supermarket so he didn't have to wear beats incredibly tight ones. He slung his hands in his pockets and waited for beat at the door.

"Get in" he motioned towards the car door as he locked the door behind them.

"Damn your car is nice" tab noted as he slammed the car door shut

"Not so hard"

"Sorry"

Beat revved up the engine and the car jolted into motion, bobbing over the uneven driveway and out into the road.

"You excited?" tab started attempting to start conversation

"Yeah actually"

"Mhm"

The conversation ended

And tab sighed

The continued portion of the drive was in awkward silence then tab asked to connect to the car for music.

With a few snappy clicks and flicks beat had connected the car.

Again by noah cyrus

You just made the worst mistake

And you'll regret it, darling

'Cause once you give and then you take

You'll only end up wanting

Tab rocked his head side to the beat

was everything hard enough?

(Ooh-ooh-ooh) 'cause one day you'll wake up

And then you'll say

"I wanna be your lover

I don't wanna be your friend"

You don't know what you got 'til it's gone, my dear

So tell me that you love me again (tell me that you love me again)

I-I wanna be your lover

Baby, I'll hold my breath

Was it a confession of sorts? Maybe bur tab could easily play it off as "just a good song"

You don't know what you got 'til it's gone, my dear

So tell me that you love me again (tell me that you love me)

Again, babe, again

You don't know what you got 'til it's gone, my dear

So tell me that you love me again

Ooh-ooh-ooh, she's screaming in my head

Ooh-ooh-ooh, I left her where I slept

Somewhere, I can't escape

I'm running from myself

Somewhere in between in love and broken, I'm in hell

Saying, "I wanna be your lover

I don't wanna be your friend"

You don't know what you got 'til it's gone, my dear

So tell me that you love me again (tell me that you love me again)

I-I wanna be your lover

You're leaving when the clock hits ten

You don't know what you got 'til it's gone, my dear

So tell me that you love me again (tell me that you love me)

Again, babe, again

You don't know what you got 'til it's gone, my dear

So tell me that you love me again (tell me that you love me)

Again, babe, again

You don't know what you got 'til it's gone, my dear

So tell me that you love me again (tell me that you love me again)

The car finally pulled up to an eerie looking parking lot that was cast under shadow of the huge building in front of them.

They both momentarily looked at the car as if to never see it again and got out.

Without any words, they walked to the entrance, beat leading.

He hesitated and with a small inhale pushed open the heavy metal doors.

The hallway was blinding like a place you would find in a hospital, white wall tiles and freezing lights.

There was a desk placed to the left, a stack of paper placed perfectly on top. All in white.

"This isn't creepy at all" beat commented sarcastically.

Tab nodded and made his way over to the desk.

"This paper is stacked perfectly huh"

"Weird"

The door at the end opened and a man with pink hair and baggy clothes came and greeted the pair.

"Ah sorry I'm late" he chuckled in a smooth voice "I didn't check the time"

"Oh it's fine we weren't waiting long" beat replied

"That's good then, right this way.... Mr beat right?"

"Yep, just beat is fine"

The man smiled and led the way, tab and corn in tow.

The room was large but homley, a minibar to the left and couches to the right underneath a tv. There were trinkets and items of all the other famous band members sprawled around here and there.

Tab had explained earlier that it was a boy band of 4 and needed a new back up singer because the main singer's voice had been damaged.

Apparently they were desperate and were taking almost anyone, they needed to make sure their fame and music was up to standard as quickly as possible.

The name of it was Mantis-Daze.

"So what's your name?" beat asked the man

"You can call me snow" he replied and tucked a clump of his pink hair behind his ear.

He then turned on his heel and opened the next door, the two following him into a new corridor.

"This is each of our studios and desk area blah blah blah"

Snow noted indicating with flicks of his hand.

"And these are the stairs as you are perfectly aware of seeing"

Beat folded his arms as he glanced round "nice indeed" beat whistled.

"So what's your role?" he questioned

"Well I am the guitarist of our group"

"That's cool"

Tab was silent just observing the decor before accompanying the other two.

"Well we are gonna go upstairs- I think Ethan is home"

The upstairs rooms where gorgeous adorned with different elements and not only that were polished and lavished in the finest decorations. Each showing the members personalities.

"Since we live far away we stay here sometimes in weekdays for practice but we haven't given you a room since you live so close...i hope you can understand our costs despite being incredibly rich must be maintained" snow explained before knocking on presumably Ethan's door.

"Hey Ethan it's snow"

Silence

He knocked again

"Go away"

"It's our new band member come out bitch"

They could hear the floorboards creak as Ethan opened the door and revealed himself.

He was quite tall and had very loose clothes on that hung off his underweight frame.

"Hello" he mumbled

"Hi" beat replied

"I'm the main singer that you will be backing up" he said nonchalantly

"I see"

"Cool, see you around"

And with that he shut the door.

"Cheerful guy"

Snow shook his head wearily "he doesn't give a shit half the time, he's just there but he does his job and he's a nice guy most of the time"

Beat didn't really reply and looked for tab who had been silently watching the entire time.

"Corn you gonna say anything?"

"Not much to say"

"Whatever sorry I asked"

Snow looked between the two, feeling the ropes of tension that had been thickening since the fight. But he could sense something else as well...sexual tension- it was clear they had a wanting between them. Snow was a very observant man, he could sense their feelings, from just a glance or a movement. He was one of the main souls of the band, taking in the others feelings and helping them talk about it. Like the therapy friend of sorts but for a group.

They made their slow way downstairs, beat commenting on decor occasionally.

"Damon and Atlas should be around so whenever you get to see them try introduce yourself or whatever"

"What's their roles in the band?" beat replied

"Damon is our drummist and occasionally chips in on singing and Atlas isn't around much he works more remote but writes the songs"

"Cool"

"Indeed, we are happy to hire you, our official practice should be on Friday" he looked at tab "and I assume you have a sponsor and manager to keep you on top of promotions, they are very important despite not doing a lot"

Corn smirked to himself and ignored beats glaring. "Yeah I do, this is corn who is rude enough to not introduce himself"

"It's fine...hes only your sponsor after all"

Beat just waved his hand in dismissal "mkay well we need to be off now, I will see you Friday, thanks snow"

Goodbyes and waves were traded as the duo exited the premises. As soon as beat hit the seat he exhaled in relief.

"That went okay" he mentally noted "and they are really nice"

Corn pulled down the mirror and picked at his teeth, like a dog scratching until the bit finally came out.

"Ew"

"Sorry"

The drive again was in awkward silence.

Beat had turned back to being cold, corn on the receiving end.

The car zipped along the cold cobbled roads and finally pulled into the driveway.

Later, they had both snuggled into the fabric of the new sofa, tab was allowed to stay for a duration until beat had settled into the job and when tab was allowed to get room to work as a sponsor remotley at the GG's. It was a hard decision on beat's part but he figured that it wasn't that bad as long as they didn't become close again. Corn was still corn after all.

It was getting to about 9 pm and beat began drifting off, the crackling tv stereo like a lulling drug and the blue light like a blanket washing over him. Corn stood up, stretched and yawned before making his way into the kitchen. He wanted to call gum- but she was probably asleep.

Beat was so hot, he wore nothing but boxers and a baggy shirt to sleep, he removed his glasses and let his hair fall over his eyes. He had let go in the best way possible. When he would stretch the top would lift to show a treasure trail. There was only so much corn could take of it.

He knew what he was doing was not right. Beat didn't like him like that at all...no.

But he needed some sort of release.

He slowly creeped up the creaky stairs, past beat's snoozing body and into his room. The sheets were changed considering the new arrangement, despite tab's protests to be using beat's room. It was beat's room after all and he had to take up the coach, corn was raised to put others first which is ironic considering the stuff that happened between him and beat.

Talking about beat.

Corn slowly shut the door behind him and walked to the bed. Making sure it didn't creak.

He opened his notes app.

#beat jsr

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pies-writes-and-more · 4 years ago

Text

haikyuu boys as expecting fathers

characters: TimeSkip!Tsukishima Kei, Bokuto Kōtarō, & Ushijima Wakatoshi, all with a Fem!Pregnant!Reader

warnings: pregnant reader and mentions of having a baby so pls be mindful if this makes you dysphoric or if you’re not in a good headspace for it. But otherwise, it’s all fluff so I hope it makes you guys smile!

a/n: everyone around me irl is having babies so here is the result of that LOL i love cute stories about expecting families and shit. All of these are obviously with TimeSkip! characters! And none of the following gifs are mine so credits to the original creators! Hope you guys like it :)

haikyuu masterlist

Tsukishima loves to tease the shit out of you, and that hasn’t really changed since you started getting bigger. But now, he’ll hide your cravings in the top shelves of the pantry so you have to make him come get it. He can’t help it, it’s that angry pouty look in your eyes - he’s so in love with you, even when you look like you’re about to murder him.

But despite him hiding everything you could possibly crave, he is an absolute sweetheart. He calls his mom every now and then to update her about you and the baby, probably asks about what she liked when she was pregnant. She tells him stories about liking to read to him and his brother, or how she enjoyed a nice bath if she was particularly sore that day. She even joked that she found it really hard to put her shoes on so typically she just wore slippers or easy to slip on shoes.

Cut to the next day, you wake up to Tsukishima reading a book of dinosaur facts to your belly. He’s not so much reading it as he is disputing and/or explaining further the facts that are written in it. He doesn’t notice you wake up while he waves away the book and states, “It’s fine. When you’re here, I’ll just bring you to my museum and I’ll show you in person. I can sneak you out of daycare, just don’t tell your mom.”

You had hoped to be able to keep your independence for longer than this, but found yourself struggling to properly put on your shoes. You huffed, muttering something to your unborn kid about how you’d hold this over their heads forever, and just waddled about with the backs of your shoes folded under your heel. Tsukishima raised an eyebrow as he noticed, waiting for you to sit down in the car before holding the door open and bending down to properly put your shoes on.

“Kei, what’re you doing?” You laughed, watching him swiftly tie up your laces. “They’re fine, they’re old shoes anyways.”

“If you wear your shoes like that, you’ll fall and hurt yourself,” he shrugged. “I can’t have you hurting the little Tsukishima just because you can’t put your shoes on.”

His expression was the same plain emotionless face as usual, but you smiled anyways because here he was, kneeling in front of you and helping you with what is supposed to be a simple task.

The day went on as usual, but you definitely weren’t prepared for your husband to call you into the bathroom and display the little bath he had drawn you with your favourite candle lit.

“Did you do something?” You asked him with narrow eyes, making him scoff.

He rolled his eyes, helping you out of your clothes gently, “Am I really such a bad husband that you think I’d have to be feeling guilty to be nice to you?”

You thought about it for a moment before nodding playfully, “Yup. So what did you do?” You laugh and he just flicks your forehead before helping you into the tub.

You watch as he smirks a bit, holding your chin for a second and watching your eyes, “Well I’m the reason you got knocked up so I supposed I have to take care of you don’t I?”

He doesn’t hold that sultry teasing look on his face for too long, especially when you splash him with water, drenching every part of him you could reach 😂.

Bokuto is in a PANIC the closer you get to the due date. You once just felt a bit tired after vacuuming and the boy thought you holding your front meant you were going into early labour.

“I’VE GOT THE CAR KEYS BUT I CAN’T FIND MY WALLET!!! BABE HAVE YOU SEEN NY WALLET? I CAN’T REMEMBER WHERE I PUT IT. OMG WHAT IF THEY WONT TAKE US IN. WHAT IF THERE ARE SO MANY BABIES BEING BORN WE CANT GET IN. I KNEW I SHOULD’VE TAKEN A CLASS ON BIRTHING BABIES!”

You let him run around because he honestly is so entertaining to watch while panicking. He pouts about it later, talking shit about you to your belly, “Your mom’s a big meanie. You need to be born quick so we can team up on her okay?”

“Kōtarō! Don’t you dare try to turn my baby against me!” You laughed, swatting at his head.

Man is overly prepared for any sort of situation. He already set up all the safety baby measures, like corner cushions and outlet covers, though now he’s considering locking up all the knives into a cupboard.

“Kōtarō... how am are supposed to cook like this?” You asked, raising an eyebrow at the lack of your sharp cooking knives.. and the butter knives.

The grown man just poured some more, “I gotta keep both my babies safe alright? I’ll cut everything for you so you don’t cut yourself.”

Except for the fact that Bokuto is definitely more accident prone than you are and has a few bandaids on his fingers now.

As an expecting dad, Bokuto found himself getting more and more teary eyed at any situation that involved a family or a baby. Whether that was just seeing kids and families play in the park that the two of you walked past sometimes, or seeing a commercial for diapers with happy bouncy babies, you would turn to see a misty-eyed Bokuto who would then turn to you and wrap you in a tight squeeze.

He was beyond excited at this point to meet your little baby - he wanted to know what they would look like. The perfect mix between the most perfect woman in the world and him, who was pretty cool thank you very much. This baby was going to be the cutest most amazing kid ever, who would definitely play a really great game of volleyball, Bokuto was sure of it.

Let’s be honest though, pregnancy is not an easy journey. Bokuto loved seeing you grow the baby but he knew that it was a difficult process for you. You were always sore and at the beginning you were always sick. And there were some days where you literally didn’t feel attractive or beautiful at all, but Bokuto would praise you as high as he always did regardless.

“You are the most perfect lady I have ever laid eyes on. The most gorgeous being to ever walk this universe!” He told you one day, pressing kisses all over your face as you laid across a couch.

“Thanks,” you tried to give him a smile - you always appreciated his compliments, even if you didn’t necessarily agree.

“What’s wrong?” He asked you with a small frown, noting your forced smile.

“I just… feel bleh. Not at all like how you’re saying I look,” you admitted with a small smile.

Bokuto’s eyes grew wide in shock, jumping over the couch to sit down on the floor next to you. He clasped your hands in his, pressing kissing to them gently as well. “I know you might not feel it… but I hope you know that I still think it. I don’t even have to force it. You’re the most beautiful girl I’ve ever met, and that hasn’t changed even though your body is changing a bit. I don’t need you to wear the most perfect makeup or the best dress for me to think you’re gorgeous. You’re perfect just laying here in my old sweats and I’m happy that I get to come home to see you like this every day,” he grinned, touching your cheek affectionately.

You loved this man. He was so sweet to you in every way possible. But sometimes…. sometimes his sweetness just went a little too overboard. You tried to insist to him that you were pregnant but that didn’t mean you couldn’t do anything. Man refuses to let you do anything for yourself. No lifting boxes, no lifting anything in fear that you might hurt your back.

“Kōtarō, it’s just my purse,” you tried to point out in a laugh, trying to reach it as he held it above your head.

“Nope! Not happening. What if you hurt yourself?”

“... with my purse?”

“Ya!”

“Kōtarō, I have to go shopping for food or we won’t have anything to eat. And baby needs to eat!”

“Well I’ll come with you then!”

“You’ve got practice!”

“It’s fine, I’ll tell them I’ll practice another time! My perfect wife and baby come first,” he’d grin at you and insist on opening all the doors as you two made your way to the car. You fall in love with this man more and more every day, even if he keeps stealing things from your hands.

Ushijima is a really nervous new dad, even if you can’t really tell from his stoic expression. He listens intently to all of the parenting advice people give, bought a few books about newborns, and has hundreds of tabs on his laptop of ranging topics from baby products people insist are necessary, mommy blogs about what is important to do when pregnant, and research that he doesn’t quite understand but feels is important nonetheless.

Ushijima isn’t necessarily a man of words all the time, so you were surprised to find that he started to talk a lot more after finding out that your child could hear him.

“You don’t have to play volleyball if you don’t want to,” he told them quietly one day while the two of you were on the couch. It came so out of the blue that you actually thought he was talking to you.

“Hm?”

“... do you think they’d want to play volleyball?” He asked you sheepishly, glancing at you with a shy expression.

You thought about it for a moment and slowly started to smile, “Well they’ll be attending every single one of your games so I’m sure they’ll be at least interested in learning!”

Ushijima nodded and you watched as a soft smile graced his face. You kept your eyes on him for just a moment longer, seeing a flicker of uncertainty on him.

“Wakatoshi, don’t you dare think for one second you’ll be a bad dad,” you warned him, poking his side and making him jump from surprised.

He stared at you for a moment, blinking, “You know what I’m thinking?”

“I know that you’ve been worried about being a good dad ever since I told you I was pregnant. I know that you’re nervous about being the kind of dad you always wanted to have growing up. I know because I’m terrified of being a good mom too,” you admitted with a nervous sort of smile, interlacing your fingers together. “We’ll be okay together though.”

Ushijima nodded and hummed softly, “We’ll have to take them to France.”

“France??”

“Satori wants to meet them too. He said he would make them chocolate.”

It wouldn’t just be the baby that Satori is constantly trying to spoil, but you as well. He sends over packages of his chocolate for you to try, grinning ear to ear when you call him for a catch-up call.

“Do you like them?” Tendō asked, and you could hear him humming to himself as he moved around a kitchen.

“I love them! But you’re going to make us fat if you keep sending them! They’re much too yummy for me to stop eating!” You laughed, eyes wandering to the kitchen where you knew you still had a few bits of his chocolate left.

“No no no no. I’m just trying to make sure your baby is a cute healthy plump baby! They’ll grow nice and strong!”

It always made you smile, knowing that all these people who loved your husband wanted to love you and the baby as well. Even Ushijima’s new teammates would come by and bring snacks or anything they thought might aid you in your pregnancy. Though, Kageyama wasn’t really sure what pregnant people or babies liked, so he just brought a whole bag of the milk boxes he liked.

“You’ve got to grow big and strong so that I can defeat you in volleyball one day. I can’t defeat your dad right now… cause he’s on my team. But I’ll defeat an Ushijima one day for sure,” he muttered to your belly with a fierce intensity in your eyes that made you laugh, making his ears turn red as he realized that you also heard him (Kageyama, the baby is attached to her, of course she heard you lol).

As it neared your due date, Ushijima prepared himself mentally every passing day. He wanted to be 110% ready so he went over your birthing plan mentally at least 10 times a day and reread over all the articles and information he had gathered over the months. He wanted to be the best father possible, but you insisted to him that you weren’t worried about this at all. After all, he was already the best husband you could ever have asked for.

haikyuu taglist (let me know if you’d like to join!)

@al0ehas @aurumk @neko-chii1 @thisnoodlewritesao3 @satan-ruler-of-hells @trashy-simp @jeppiet @tobi-momo @darkvadeeer @haikyuutothetop @livy384 @babyshoyo @jesssobs @b-bakana

#bokuto x reader #ushijima x reader #haikyuu x reader #tsukishima x reader #haikyuu!!

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missmonsters2 · 4 years ago

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omg I can request a natasha romanoff x fem reader? like nat is very protective, so someone on the team yells at reader and nat gets very angry. love u ❤️❤️❤️

Protective nat makes me so soft. And gay. Love you!! 💘

Count: 1052

⊶⊷⊶⊷⊶⊷⋆⊶⊷⊶⊷⊶⊷

Natasha thinks you're the most precious person to may ever grace this universe.

If she could, she would whisk you away to a place where you'd never have to deal with reality again.

But the closest she gets to that is getting you a job at Avenger Compound’s coffee stand. You had declined at first, not wanting to rely on your girlfriend for a job while you were also trying to get your degree. But Natasha always had a way of convincing you, which usually involved a debate you never win and also her tongue.

You were currently decorating the coffee shop in the compound as it wouldn't be for another couple of hours that your coworker would come, and you wanted to surprise her.

The nice thing about working for Tony was that the compound was relatively quiet since it wasn't a regular coffee shop that anyone could access, but the pay was undoubtedly better.

"It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...damn it," Tony groaned as he stopped by. You've been playing Christmas music since you opened this morning non-stop.

"The songs are getting stuck in my head, isn't there anything else you could play?" Tony was still mumbling under his breath the lyrics.

"Blasphemous! Of course I can't!" You shout dramatically, smiling right after. You place your boss's regular drink on the counter for him to take. "On the house, since it's Christmas and all."

"You say that as if I don't get free coffee every day since it's, you know, my coffee shop," Tony smirks.

"Free coffee? No sir, I've been merely adding it to your tab..." You feign confusion. "But I suppose in the spirit of giving, I'll forgive your enormous coffee debt."

Tony lets out a burst of laughter, shaking his head at you. "I'll be sure to let your boss know that you're costing him money."

"If you could talk me up for a Christmas bonus as well, I would be ever so grateful," you jokingly say with a smile.

Tony laughs again, cheering his coffee to you as he walks off. "I have a feeling he's in the spirit of giving too!"

You shake your head as you get back to decorating. It isn't for another couple of minutes when another person comes up. It seems to be a new agent because you've never recognized him before.

"Hey!" He starts off rudely, and you already want to roll your eyes. "I need a black coffee with two sugars immediately."

"O-kay," you say, running it up on your till. "That'll be $2.78."

The guy rears his face in anger and confusion. "No, I work here. I'm an agent."

"Okay...it'll still be $2.78," you raise your brow at him.

He scoffs at you like you're the dumbest person on this planet currently. "I don't think you understand," he tells you again, speaking slowly as if that will make you understand. "I work here, so the facilities are free. I don't pay for the coffee."

"Yes..." You spoke slowly to him back, annoyed at him. "But this coffee shop is Tony Stark's, not part of the Avenger's property...therefore, it'll be $2.78."

The agent's face grew red in the cheeks as he started screaming at you in anger. "Listen here, do you want me to report you? I could have you replaced if you don't just give me the damn coffee!"

You were about to say something else when a furious blonde came up behind him.

"And who do you think you are that you can get her replaced?"

The agent swiftly turns around, shocked, face still red but now from embarrassment and fear when he sees Natasha Romanoff standing behind him, eyes narrowed dangerously.

"O-Oh, Miss Romanoff," the agent stuttered. "I was just trying to tell this girl that the coffees are free here as part of the orientation earlier."

"Yes, the coffee in the kitchen, not the coffee shop owned by Tony Stark," Natasha grounded out. "I believe the orientation outlined that as I was the one who told you."

"O-Oh, well, I--"

"So, as my girlfriend kindly told you, the coffee will be $2.78," Natasha cut him off. "I expect you're also in a giving mood today with the holidays."

The red disappears from the agent's face as quickly as it turns pale as he looks at you. The mistake and fear alone from the entire thing has the agent pulling out a crisp $100 bill from Natasha's implication.

"K-Keep the change for the trouble I caused. My apologies, I should've paid attention more." The agent hands you the money and grabs the coffee with shaky hands.

"It will do you well to listen in the future and cease being an ass to retail workers," Natasha lifted her thumb to gesture the way back to the training rooms. "Finish running 30 laps by the time I'm back."

The agent nods jerkily and takes off, not even sparing you a second glance.

You stare at the crisp bill in your hand, laughing as you put the remaining change in your tip jar.

"Good morning to you too," you say with a smile as Natasha comes up to the counter.

Natasha grumbles but stops when you put your hand on top of hers.

"I thought you weren't going to be able to see me until lunch," you say, reminded of the conversation you had with Natasha before you both went off to work.

"Yes, but I decided to escape for a few minutes. Steve can handle the training; I'm sure he lives for that shit," Natasha rolls her eyes. "Now, I did come down here for a reason."

"Oh? And what would that be?" You smile.

Natasha reveals her other hand that was behind her back, holding a mistletoe in it.

"'Tis the season and all," Natasha grinned, and you have to hold back your laughter. Natasha holds the mistletoe over your head as she starts to lean in.

"I hope you're in a giving mood," you smirk, and Natasha licks her lips delicately.

"Of course," she starts giving you the bedroom eyes. "I should give that agent enough time to finish his laps."

Natasha leans so closely you can feel the brush of her lips against yours, smelling the scent of gingerbread on her.

"How generous."

#natasha romanoff x reader #natasha romanoff x you #natasha romanoff imagine #black widow imagine #black widow x reader #avengers imagine #marvel imagine #avengers x reader #marvel x reader #anon #mm: answered #mm.drabble.nat

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taecalikook · 5 years ago

Text

The Platinum Rules

summary : Being a true fuckboy he truly is, Taehyung only has three rules when dealing with his one night stands. One, never ever wine and dine someone before sleeping with them. Two, never ever stay the night after one night stands. Last one, is never, never ever meet a girl’s parents under any, any circumstance ever. These are his Platinum Rule, the one never break even once and it conveniently keeps him off the hook for anything. But what magic are you playing to have the fuckboy break all his rules for you in a span of only 24 hours?

{fake relationship! au, fuckboy! au, fratboy! au}

pairing : kim taehyung x reader

word counter : 24.556

A.N = Read (Not) Just Friends here! Please be mindful this is in Lia’s perspective in (Not) Just Friends!

================================

“You did not just… You know what? Fuck you, Jeon Jungkook!”

Jungkook snickers, looking at the panicked face of his best friend, Taehyung when he sees he is not the only one in the table. Taehyung should have guessed, though. Since when did Jungkook ever ask for a dinner together other than McDonald and its peers? He thought Jungkook was being nice, wine and dining him for somehow ignoring their best friendship ever since getting himself a new girlfriend. Not that he is unhappy for Jungkook and he’d rather chop off his finger than to admit this, but he misses partying night in and out with him—he is just that whipped for his new girlfriend and decides to take himself off that routinity.

“I only say she is cute once. Once! And I don’t see any reason why you, your girlfriend and Y/N should be having dinner in this fancy ass place! This is a lowkey double date, do you know that?” Taehyung hisses in agitation.

“It doesn’t have to be! No one saying this is a double date beside you.” Jungkook amusedly chuckles, raising both his palm in defeat. “We are just going to have a nice dinner together, bro. As friends.”

Taehyung throws him an annoyed look. “You really going to fucking act like I don’t know you?! You are setting me up with this girl, I knew it! Jungkook, I told you, I am not interested in dating! I know it’s good for you, but I am not chaining myself to that time bomb, thanks.”

“Yeah, yeah whatever. But we are taking too much time in the toilet for two men and people there gonna think we are fucking. Let’s go.” Jungkook mindlessly put an arm on Taehyung’s shoulder, walking back to the desk in which his girlfriend and you are chatting lively. Taehyung takes a deep breath, then launches an elbow kick square to Jungkook’s rib that throws him to coughing fit to get his arms off him.

“I swear when we are done, I’ll punch you in your fucking annoying handsome face.”

Jungkook launches a flirty wink along with a chuckle. “I don’t mind you hitting on me, but my girlfriend is just right here.”

“Hey, you guys. What is taking so long in there?” Jungkook’s girlfriend cheerfully asks and both of the men shake their heads with an awkward smile. God, Taehyung really wants to snap to his own head right now, how he wishes to be anywhere but here. There is actually a party in the female frat he is greatly acquainted with. Should have just gone there to relieve some tense instead.

“They’re probably fucking.” You instinctively murmur, unknowingly too loud and audible to anywhere in the radius of a meter while calmly sipping on the glass of red wine. Your best friend slash roommate gasps, slapping your shoulder—somehow embarrassed.

“Y/N!”

Taehyung glances at the girl pouting in front of him, somehow finding her ironic jokes entertaining. Well, even though he is greatly opposed to the idea of a double date, but hanging out with this girl is probably not the worst idea. Probably beats hanging out alone with Jungkook while he is playing fucking Overwatch.

Well, it goes back to a month ago when Jungkook finally got his shit together and confessed—ugh, the mutual pining seriously sickens him. Even if Taehyung is glad for Jungkook, he is uncertain how he can even settle down after living his greatest life. Man, Jungkook was on the top of the world—good athletic career, good body, beautiful girls—but now that he is settling down, and it kinda makes him uncool in a way. Probably because now he has a girlfriend, he is not really active in all the jock and frat activities like he used to. Girls are already done chasing him, not with that love-sick puppy eyes he has whenever his girlfriend is near—or even far and even with only a month, Taehyung quite had enough. In conclusion, relationships sucks and it changes people, and Taehyung doesn’t want to let go of the great life he is having right now just for settling for one girl. Why only one when he can have more, right?

Then when both Jungkook and Taehyung were hanging out, one night in their shared room, he mistakenly mentioned that you were cute. And he did not lie—he still doesn’t—but it didn’t mean anything! He mentioned dogs are cute probably even a thousand times, but he doesn’t see Jungkook getting him a dog. What’s the difference with saying you were cute? Jungkook is a literal dumbass for even thinking Taehyung can settle for a relationship.

The night goes on, and Taehyung finds himself counting the awkward jokes that have been thrown by Jungkook and his girlfriend about this being a double date and what a great match he is with you. He is literally keeping a tab of everything—waiting for all to be finished so he can finally get the long-awaited revenge he has been counting seconds for. But not that he will say it with his own tongue, he does think that you are cool—as a person. If these pair of idiot gooses are not here, he somehow thinks both of you might actually hit it off—as a good friend, of course.

“God, this is such a great dinner, right?” Your roommate yells, looking mildly buzzed with alcohol. You side-eye her and sigh, resting your glass of wine back. One thing about your best friend is she favors red wine a little too much, and sipping on the beverage like there is no tomorrow. Jungkook holds her hand across the table, eyes filled with adoration.

“Are you okay, pumpkin? You look drunk.” Jungkook coos with a warm smile, and she smiles back, a wide smile painted on her lips. Taehyung literally feels the urge to puke just listening to the affection lacing in his tone. God, love really changes Jungkook.

“You know what? I love you, Jungkookie!” She suddenly stands up, crashes into Jungkook’s arm, gives him a haste kiss on the lips, right before walking drunkenly outside. Her surprised boyfriend swiftly chases her away, before signaling Taehyung to pay for their dinner. Taehyung is baffled on the side. Jungkook that bastard seriously invited him for this horrendous dinner, yet still asking him to pay? Fucker! But as he notices your eyes prodding his way, he quickly puts on a composed face, giving you a thin smile.

“I think that concludes this very, very confusing but yet pleasant dinner.” Taehyung smiles, while asking for the bill. “I am sorry if you are forced into this dinner. This new couple think they got the right to play immortal on us, right?” He cynically jokes and laughs at it, but your face is too straight to respond so his chuckle is slowing to a complete stop.

“I’m actually the one asking for this double date.” You whisper, an unexplainable emotion rushing on your tone. “I’m the one saying I want her to set us up so we can be together. I like you. I want to be with you, Taehyung. Forever. You—you want this too, right?”

The fear on Taehyung’s chest is instantly risen, seeing the crazy, psychopathic look in your eyes. Well he really thought you are not the type to stick up only after a dinner—but he cannot deny his instinct does disappoint him way too much than he could even be proud of. The instant urge to leave the spot and escape is too much with his feet are already out the table until you break it with a loud, hearty chuckle. “God! Messing with fuckboys is soooo fun! I can’t believe you fall for that!”

Taehyung scrunch his eyebrow, detecting the unexpected jubilant look on your face. He is bewildered.

Seeing that Taehyung still is not getting your very, very obvious joke, you sigh. Dumbass fuckboy. His cocky ass big head does not surprise you even a little. “God, I was kidding! Sorry to break it to you—it may be too hard to understand, but not every girl will be willing to take turns sucking your dick, dude. Sorry, life be like that.” You sarcastically note, setting your napkin on the table and Taehyung feels somehow relaxed and offended at the same time. Weird emotions, really.

“I don’t even know why I am here.” You continue, displaying a friendly smile now, reaching out for your glass of wine. “Should have known. I fell for this fake dinner thing too many times now, gonna reject every dinner invitation from now on.”

Taehyung grins, finally able to breathe easily. Well, he deals with way too many obsessive and stuck up one night stands now that it even terrifies him to be around them, so that’s that. You are too cool to be like one of them, he just knew it.

“Gotta make an exception for me, though.” Taehyung cheekily musters, suddenly surging a confidence on his own skin. You are already dominating the conversation too long now, he just had to take over. “How else can I get to know you better, huh?”

Being a true fuckboy he really is, Taehyung only has three rules when dealing with one night stands. One, never ever wine and dine someone before sleeping with them, as dinner is a very, very intimate thing that involves a lot of real talks—instead of dirty talks in which he is way, way better on. Two, never ever stay the night after one night stands, as sunshine is just a sign that he has spent more than necessary time with her and can only result in any bothersome attachment after. Last one, and probably the rule that has no exception whatsoever, is never, never ever meet a girl’s relatives under any, any circumstance ever. The three rules are all based on his experience learning it the hard way, and ever since, he never broke even a rule and it greatly keeps him off the hook for anything.

But albeit important, he will let himself break his first rule for you. Only because you are hot—and probably is included in the one percent population of girls who doesn’t need to be reminded that he is not looking for anything but a short fun. A lot of girls tend to forget that easily, getting to attached to what a gentleman he is before and during sex, and always become such a bother after. But he’ll trust this one that you’re not that kind of girl. Even with a bruise on his pride, since he is slightly doubtful if you’ll even agree to his proposal for hooking up tonight. At least, teasing you is already a great enough entertainment for him.

“Boy, I don’t want to know who that can actually work with, but I’m not that difficult to get to bed with.” You chuckle at his pathetic attempt to work his way inside your skirt. Taehyung raises his eyebrow, not believing his own hearing. You are glancing down now—probably to the phone on your lap and your face instantly contorts, and a sigh of tiredness escapes your lips. “I’m way too tired now anyway, better just go back home, fuck and get it over with.”

“W-what? You seriously want to fuck, willingly with me just like that?”

You give his shoulder a pity pat, a thin smirk on your lips. “God, Taehyung, do you actually need to work that hard to get laid all these time?”

“B-but, you just said every girl—”

“I changed my mind.” You sigh, getting tired of the constant queries, along with the message you just received. Jackasses, seriously. “Taehyung, I’m tired. Let's go pay and head back to my apartment. I think the cringy couple will not be there, but fuck them, let them hear us fucking so loud they need to follow as well.”

Taehyung cannot even believe the crude answer coming out from such beautiful, innocent lips, yet the intense anticipation of what’s about to come his way is too unbearable he could not wait even a second to get you under him and win his dominance back. At the cashier, Taehyung quickly slaps a card on the table with his foot swiftly tapping on the floor in impatience. You can’t help but to find that strangely adorable, yet disgusting at the same time. You are seriously hooking up with the worst fuckboy in your university. Never thought you'd stoop this low, but that’s life, right? Let’s see if he can put his money where his mouth is.

Seeing that Taehyung does not show any sign of asking your part of the bill, you are quick to remind him. “Taehyung, I will pay you back, okay? I’ll transfer it.”

“What? There’s no need for that, honey.” Taehyung whispers smoothly, putting in his pin with a wink. “It’s just a small thing I can do for a beautiful lady such as you.’

You snort at his cringy remark, greatly bothered by his every word. “Taehyung, seriously, stop. Any effort you have to do just to get laid will make everything worse.” Taehyung smiles to himself, somehow expecting the snarky remarks even before he threw the stupid comment. You are surely one of a kind. “And I’ll pay you back. This is not a date, and I’m not a prostitute, you don’t have to pay for me.”

The unexpected aggression and anger coming from you quite blow him off his edge, as you thomp furiously to exit the restaurant. Are you seriously saying that you are bothered by him willing to pay for dinner? Taehyung is all down for feminism, but he was literally just being nice—and beside, Jungkook is literally going to stab him with a fork if he ever lets you pay, so that’s that.

But one realization comes to his mind—he is not going to deal with you long enough to think about your weird trait again. Tonight, all he needs to do is suck everything—and he means, everything. And when he leaves before midnight, then all will be just fine.

It’s weird.

Taehyung slowly flutters open his eyes, oddly feeling ten times better than he has been recently after waking up. He doesn’t even know why—probably the wonderful scent of vanilla and citrus that is vivid on his smell. But wait—what the fuck? That’s probably the one of the furthest things he will ever wake up to! He should be waking up annoyed by strong scent of sweat and cheap male perfume, not this.

Fuck, fuck! That ceiling—the light blue ceiling with countless translucent fake stars, that’s not his ceiling either. He was supposed to be looking at a cringy, old poster of Metallica on his dorm room ceiling. And this excessively comfortable, dark blue fur blanket hugging his waist, that’s most absolutely not his. And god, who the damn is he holding right now?!

“What the fuck! Why are you still here?!”

Well that is literally the words he had on his mind just a second ago, yet surprisingly it is not him who is yelling. It is a girl he had a nice dinner with yesterday—with red wine and everything. The girl who was too prideful to let him pay, and the girl who strangely manages to throw him off his game with their continuous three rounds of dirty, dirty sex and God, he swears he never cum harder before in his life—and it says a lot because he does lots of sex. Like a lot. Yup, it’s you.

God, he shouldn’t be here, he should just head home right after sex. He broke his second rule, right after breaking his first one last night, even worsewith the same girl—you. What the fuck is wrong with himself?!

“You said you would leave after a ten minutes nap!” You hiss, clearly disliking the fact that you have to wake up seeing his annoyingly handsome face—with bed hair mussed deliciously and all. Is it weird that you are feeling terribly ugly right now with him still looking like a handsome sex god on your bed? And still feeling his arm around your wait, you groan in disgust. “And why the fuck are you holding me?! Seriously, you are the worst one night stand ever.”

Taehyung quickly detaches himself off you like you are a disease, yet no offense taken since you are glad he is finally a distance away. “I was fucking tired after fucking three rounds yesterday, I think I fell asleep longer than I thought.” You roll your eyes since all you hear is bullshit. “And for your information, I always sleep hugging my bolster. And since you are fucking weird and do not have a bolster, I guess I just settle for less.” He reasons, but you respond with a snort.

“And the worst one night stand ever—are you kidding me? Funny I don’t recall you saying that last night when I generously let you cum in my tongue.” Taehyung continues with a smug, and you can’t help but to feel heated at the memory of last night, Taehyung finally used his mouth for a better cause for once—since you despise it when he is talking. Yet there is no use denying that Taehyung is indeed a master with his tongue, but of course you’d rather cut your arm rather than admitting it to his cocky ass face.

“Pssh—like you weren’t begging to have a taste.” You sinisterly defend yourself and Taehyung chuckles, vaguely shrugging as an answer. You involuntarily stare at his smiling face, and you have to admit he does look his best with it. God, are you seriously thinking such domestic thoughts with this fuckboy right now? The alcohol must still have an effect on you.

“Why are you staring at me? Finally realize that you should have just jumped on my bone again instead of doing this strange, pillow talk?” Taehyung impishly grins so you land a strong punch on his bare chest with all your might. He lets out a definite cough, definitely not expecting the strength coming out from such a small frame like yours. “Damn woman, what exactly are you?!”

“A girl that can definitely kick your naked ass out of her apartment if you don’t leave in five.” You solemnly warn. Taehyung let out a light laugh, shuffling out of your blanket with no shame whatsoever with his straight out of womb nakedness to grab his clothes. And you cannot bear to notice how apparent his morning wood is—and it brings pleasant yet unnecessary memories of last night to your mind. You seriously need to get a hold of yourself cause if not, you might have to play with yourself after and you don’t really want to get off with the thought of him for the fourth time now. “For the love of God, Taehyung! Put some clothes on!”

Taehyung is unimpressed, pointing at his clothes like it’s the most obvious thing. “What are you—yes, I’m doing it right now, you idiot. And I’m using your bathroom first, I don’t want to look like a fucking idiot, walking around the campus with a morning hard on.” He pouts, but then a smirk formed on his lips. “Or you want to lend a hand with this?”

You shut him with a pillow thrown to his annoying, smug face. “The fuck no. And what, no you can’t!” You answer in panic, pointing to your door. “We only have a shared bathroom here. Let me check if my roommate is out.”

Taehyung sighs. “Y/N, you literally told me last night to fuck as loud as we can and let them hear so they can follow.” Listening to him quoting you from last night, you internally wince. You literally don’t have any trace of ever saying that in your vague memory. God, you must had been drunker than you thought.

“That’s just the drunk and horny talking.” You hiss, trying to steal a peek through the door. There is no sign of your roommate, so everything should be good to go. Or at least you think so. “The cocky ass new couple will be all over our asses, Tae. They will think something is up, try setting us up like yesterday. Ugh, no thanks. You have to leave without anyone knowing.”

“Hate to say you are kinda correct in that one, buddy.” Taehyung sighs. He literally said he was going to punch Jungkook for arranging the dinner, yet now he was the one taking advantage of it. He would not let Jungkook win on that one—he still desperately needs that one punch chance or that fuckers will never let it slip ever, even until the day he is well rested and buried. “Okay, is she out now? Jungkook is not there, right?”

Like a cue of bad luck, your roommate and Jungkook walk out of her room, hand in hand with each other right to sit on the sofa. Jungkook kisses the tip of her head, caressing the side of her face while scrolling through netflix on the tv. “I can’t believe we are watching Taken for the hundred times already just so you can fulfill your Liam Neeson odd kink.” Jungkook impassively huffs.

“God, Liam Neeson kink? Your roommate is fucking weird.” Taehyung lowly whispers, all of a sudden already squatting beside you. You jump a few steps back due to the shock of seeing his face up close, clutching your chest dramatically.

“Damn, can you stop shocking me?!”

Taehyung greasily winks. “Baby, I don’t think anything should shock you after seeing my dick in all its glory.”

You fold your chest, slightly amused but majorly annoyed by his unending arrogance. “Ugh, don’t baby me. And well, I am still shocked probably because I don’t think your dick is outstanding whatsoever.”

Taehyung ignores your stubborn, obviously a lie remark, and continues peeking from the door crack. “God, a film. Probably take them one or two hours. But I think Jungkook has practice in… one and a half hours, so maybe I can go by then.”

Your frown turns deeper, dreading the imagination of spending another hour with him, locked in your 3x5 meters room. Are you even capable of holding yourself from strangling off his cocky, annoying head? This could probably be the greatest challenge you will ever have to face.

“What should we do for an hour and a half….” Taehyung whispers to himself, sends you a suggestive look while wiggling his eyebrows. You quickly send him your middle finger as an answer, already rejecting whatever idea he has since you are well aware there is no possibility you will like it.

“I am not suggesting to fuck, sorry if you were expecting that.” Taehyung lopsidedly smirks, and you fold your arm in agitation. God, you wish everything can be over so you can go to your parents home and call it a week. And it’s saying a lot since you never look forward to going back home every weekend. “I won’t refuse, but I just want to play now. Do you play animal crossing?”

“Seriously?! You play too?!” You are surprised to say the least, voice unforeseen raising in delight. You really do not expect a fuckboy like Taehyung would play a game like animal crossing—you thought he would hold on to that toxic masculinity and play whatever popular ‘boy’ games right now. It is strangely a nice surprise. “Can I visit your island? Let’s trade too! I have bamboo shoot lamp, log dining table—”

Taehyung chuckles, seeing how passionate you are, scrambling to get your nintendo from your night desk and turning it on while blabbering non stop about your items. He strangely finds it endearing, how drastic you can be when you are not trying to kick him out with a torch and pitchfork and it only takes a freaking animal crossing game. You are tremendously unpredictable, and he finds himself liking the refreshing change of pace. He walks back to your bed, sitting beside you while you animatedly chatter about your island.

Is it too wistful to wish that the current strange yet greatly amusing thing going for the both of you does not have to end now?

After being firsthand kicked out from your apartment when Jungkook went to his practice, Taehyung walks to the basement to get to his car in a strange mood. It’s Saturday, yet he doesn’t know what to do or where to go. There is another frat party that will be held tonight, yet he finds himself less than excited to go. He loves parties, but he is not delusional to think that he will love it forever—he is already in a phase of finding parties are monotonous and boring most times. Yet going home is not really a convenient option since there is no use—it’s empty anyway. Frankly, he doesn’t even know what home to him really is. Is it his dorm? Is it the party? Yet they probably give him a better definition of home rather than his own real house.

So Taehyung decides to drive his car back to his apartment on the other side of the town, far from his parents house. The upside of being a child of divorce is probably being shoved money to his mouth like it's the only thing that matters—yet he doesn’t mind. Or maybe he does, but there is no use in complaining, right? He is 21 now, he is over that complaining, depressed phase of his life. Maybe take a couple of depressants tonight, cry a little to sleep and he should be fine. Or maybe he’ll schedule a session with his psychiatrist—he has been missing lots of sessions and it may or may not has taken a toll on him already.

After arriving his car inside the apartment building, Taehyung sighes on his seat, a great exhaustion painted on his face—and he literally is. Just a few hours ago he was able to momentarily forget every issue in his life, but after he is alone, the anguish of loneliness hits him like a ton of brick. He is alone. He is nobody. Nobody likes him, even his own parents. He is just an emotionless shithead who is not right in the head. Who is he to think that he is worthy? Nothing in his life he achieves with his own hands, and life is just a constant train of problems and disappointment. It will never go the other way, since happiness is not for him.

Taehyung rests his head on the wheels, shutting his eyes tight to handle the tears coercing to rain out. No! He doesn’t want to cry now! Even then the ugly tears won’t stop coming out, and he tries to find purchase by hitting his head on the wheel. He enjoys the pain. The pain he is feeling right now—it never felt so right before.

Right until someone knocks on his window, simultaneously stopping his current emotional breakdown. He looks up—probably looking like an ugly, crying mess, expecting the security with an disapproving look on his face for the nth time. But instead he finds someone that instantly melts his whole being—somehow successfully distracting him from the intrusive thoughts he was having.

“Taehyung, are you okay? Hey come out, you have been there for awhile now.”

Taehyung quickly sweeps his tears with his sleeve, fixing the hairs on his forehead to conceal the bruise that might be formed from hitting it multiple times to the wheel and look down. God, this is embarrassing! He never thought he would meet her again in this situation—it seems like life is playing games on him and he despises it for her to always find him in such a ridiculous situation.

“Mina, hi.” Taehyung stutters nervously, somehow avoiding his neighbor prodding eyes that always sends him to nervous bundles. “I—I don’t know you’re home.”

“What are you saying, I’m always home.” Mina chuckles, pointing at the paper bag filled with groceries. “Just came back from grocery shopping. I am cooking pasta today. You wanna join?”

Taehyung looks at her sincere eyes, silently thankful that she is not going to mention his previous breakdown—not that she ever does. Whenever she witnesses his breakdown; crying in his car, hearing screams when he feels suffocated, things being thrown away, and even that one time he brought his one night stands back to his apartment and the girl runs out crying due to his unpleasant way of shooing her away; Mina never judges. She would come knocking at his door, asking him to join her watching the TV, or eating the less than edible food she cooks herself. It’s always a great time with her, and Taehyung could not lie that he feels greatly comfortable with her presence.

“I would love to. Kinda unsure if I won’t get a digestion issue after eating it, though—but i’ll take my chances.” Taehyung smirk cheekily. The girl scowls, shoves him away with her free hand, and strides inside the apartment lobby without waiting for him. Taehyung warmly smiles, quickly walks to her side to walk to their neighboring apartment. “Here, let me take that for you.” Taehyung instinctively grabs the load off her arm. Mina smiles, pressing the lift button to their apartment level.

“It’s been such a long time since your last visit, Tae.” She is staring intently on the man beside her. It was too much for Taehyung, causing his heart pounding faster than normal. He bit his lips, looking anywhere else but her.

“I missed you.” She whispers.

That is it. The word he longs and needed to hear the most—ironically not only from her, but from everyone. And now Mina is saying it to her, Taehyung feels like he is about to cry from the overwhelming emotion. Oh, how he wishes he could say the reason behind his absence. But no, he has to be strong, at least this once. So he forces a thin smile, and tries to change the topic to anything else.

After five minutes full of small talks and keeping up with each other’s lives, Taehyung and Mina finally arrive in front of her apartment door. She shuffles on her purse. “Wait, I’m grabbing my keys.”

“No shit sherlock.”

Right when she swings open the door, someone is already waiting inside, waiting on the couch while watching Pororo. “Mama!” She squeals in delight, running to Mina’s grasp with her two ponytails waving through the air, then clutching onto her for dear life. “And Taehyung oppa is here too!” She shouts in delight, changing her target now to Taehyung for a hug. Mina instinctively retrieves the paper bag from him so he scoops the little girl and holds her close.

“Oppa, I miss you so much! I haven’t seen you since forever!” The five years old pouts, lightly hitting his chest with her cute, little fist. Taehyung quickly gives her a kiss on the cheek—oh, how he adores the little girl in his arms now.

“Sorry, oppa is busy. But it’s okay since he is here now!” He smiles, trying to lighten up her mood. She is the whole reason that Taehyung is here in the first place—the little gremlin he loves so much, probably even more than himself. She is Yuna, Mina’s daughter.

Mina is two years older than Taehyung, and she was married three years ago to a man with a daughter. The man is away most of the time for his job offshore, and is back every three to six months. When Taehyung bought the apartment they were already living there—the first neighbor that welcomes him warmly regardless of how unwelcoming he was, as he hated socializing with new people. But they never exchange anything beside a short, civil smile until one day.

Everything changed on the day Taehyung was about to head for class, he found an unannounced guest standing by his door—a four-years-old Yuna, unknowingly went out while her stepmother was sleeping. Yuna was lost, crying out loud because she couldn't get back inside. Taehyung was well aware of the identity of the toddler, so he instantly knocked on his neighbor's door while holding Yuna’s petite hand on his side.

After finding the fact that her daughter was put in danger by her own carelessness, Mina cried, feeling totally remorseful for forgetting to lock the door. She mentioned she was so exhausted, finishing all night for her upcoming book and having to clean Yuna and the house after. Later that night she invited Taehyung for a thank you dinner, which did not really go well since she couldn’t cook for shit—but still insisting to. Yet even with an upset stomach, Taehyung never felt as comfortable as when he was having dinner with her. At that time, he was severely lonely and needed a friend. That’s how it began—he would always knock on her door, and she always welcomed him with open arms. He got addicted to hanging around Mina and her beautiful daughter.

Yet it was a very foolish thing to even let himself believe hanging around nearly every single day around a married woman is harmless—because he was and still is an idiot and somehow, against all odds and his own cynical thoughts, he caught feelings. Bad. But how could he not? Mina was probably the kindest, the most beautiful soul he has ever met. She always knows the right thing to say at the right time, and being around her always makes him feel hundred times better. She sees the real him, instead of the dumb, rich and messed up fuckboy everyone sees him nearly everywhere. Like seeing her and talking to her—he could finally breathe after holding it for the longest time.

But it was not long until every illusion Taehyung had fell through. Mina’s husband came back home from his three months offshore work and that's exactly when he faced a cold truth that nothing was ever going to work out anymore. Mina is married to a very kind man as well, and Taehyung would never go against his sanity and ruin it—especially when he knew who would be the most affected by it. It’s Yuna, the most wonderful child who has frankly gone through a lot after her birth mother passed away a few years back from cancer. Taehyung is a child of divorce for god sake, he knew how painful it was for the child like the back of his hand. He would rather die than to be the one doing it to her. That’s the sole reason he has been avoiding Mina and Yuna at all cost. All because he wants to protect the two girls he adores so much.

“Oppa, I am still waiting to play the toy with you! Come play with me!” Yuna cries, promptly running inside her room to grab a few of her new toys. Taehyung easily complies, walking to the living room and detecting a bunch of very Yuna-typical toys—zombies. She always loved playing plants vs zombies on her device, so he bought her zombie and plants toys on her birthday two months ago, but never got to play them before with her. Yet when the large toy on her little grasp is close, Taehyung detects that it is still securely sealed.

“Yuna, you never played this before? Don’t you like it?” Taehyung is saddened at the fact that the girl never played with the toy he gave. But Yuna fervently shakes her head, comfortably sits on Taehyung’s lap like old times and leans on his chest.

“I like it! But I want to play it with oppa first!” Yuna smiles widely, showing her missing front teeth and Taehyung is unable to hold his smile. The girl is literally the cutest girl ever to exist and he is willingly smitten into her cute charms. Taehyung pecks her cheek in fondness before helping her in opening the box of toys.

After a great forty minutes passed, Yuna is already exhausted, sleeping on Taehyung’s chest since she spends too much of her energy screaming, laughing while playing with her plants vs zombie toys and figurines. He leans on the sofa, caressing the top of the five year old head sleeping on his arms, gazing at her serene sleeping face. She looked very content and happy, and seeing her like this is therapeutic for him.

“Taehyung, let me get her to her room. Let’s eat, the pasta is ready.” Mina whispers, and he nods, letting the woman take her child to her bedroom. Taehyung coughs, a strange feeling suddenly runs through his mind at how domestic all of these feels. God, he told himself a million times that this should not happen—he was trying his best to evade getting too attached with them to the point that he next to never comes back to his own apartment anymore—yet one accidental visit and he is now back at one. This is ridiculous!

Finding no other solution than trying to survive another thirty minutes without making a fool, or even derangedly hurting himself in the process, Taehyung takes a seat on the dining table with a decent looking pasta served on it. The hurried steps of Mina are heard and Taehyung quickly clears his throat. This is it, Taehyung. Just one lunch, and that’s all. You can finally go back to your apartment.

“Let’s eat! I actually tried cooking this exact recipe before, and I know it tastes good. I’ve been practicing, you know.” Mina grimaces, remembering the time Taehyung vomited when her so-called scallops were badly cooked and his stomach was greatly upset, causing Taehyung to skip his classes for a full week. Seeing how nervous she is unknowingly brings a smile on his lips. “At least you won’t throw up this time, trust me.”

“I kinda doubt it, but let’s go.” Taehyung teases, while Mina scoops a portion to his plate. He nods gratefully, with the nerves gradually increasing. This annoying voice on his head keeps repeating the thing he is most afraid of, but he pushes it away and musters a thin smile. No. He’ll finish the lunch, run back to his apartment, and never come back for another four months. That’s better.

One habit whenever Taehyung is nervous is he always runs a finger through his hair. The said habit being done is pushing away the strands of hair on his forehead, exposing a palpable bruise which faintly bleeds due to the great force of knocking his forehead on the wheel during his latest breakdown in the car. Seeing how concerning the injury has looked with a smear of blood is evident on his forehead, Mina jumps on her seat in worry. “God—Tae! Your forehead, it bleeds!”

Yup, it is. Taehyung coherently snorts when touching the forehead with his palm, seeing a hint of blood on it. He is instantly aware of the pain. What a fucking idiot he is—god, when will he stop making a fool of himself?

“Wait, I’ll grab some meds, okay?”

Mina walks to one of the cabins, then returns with a box of first-aid kits to his side. She takes a seat beside him, pointing it so she can comfortably access the bleeding bruise on Taehyung’s forehead. One thing that she might be clueless about is how nervous Taehyung is, heart rate abnormally fast just by seeing her face in such close proximity—so close he can even spot the little mole on the side of her nose bridge—while the familiar, refreshing scent of lilac is radiating off her. She is tending his bruise carefully, her left fingers secured on his left jaw to keep him in place, and Taehyung's head literally spins. How can someone be this beautiful?

At one point, everything is too much to handle for Taehyung. He likes Mina, this beautiful, married woman that somehow gets him better than everyone, but he can never be with her. He could not let himself fall even deeper and do something he will most absolutely regret after. “Mina, stop. It’s—it’s enough.” He breathes lowly, abruptly losing his ability to speak, especially when her lips are just a breath away for him to touch. But he knows they were overstepping the boundary and desperately needs to stop. It’s not right.

Then at once, the confusion on Mina’s face turns into remorse and the next thing both of them know that their lips are touching, both eyes closed with Mina’s hands secured on each side of his shoulders. He is now kissing Mina.

Taehyung cannot lie that he did imagine about kissing her before. Yet at that time, the only thing he feels is disgust, ten times worse than he already feels for himself. Not even a second felt right—a flash of his broken family went through his mind. He just stopped to another level of low; he is kissing a married woman.

“Mina, stop! We cannot do this.” Taehyung gruffly pushes her away, quickly standing up with a heavy urge to vomit coming out from his stomach. It’s disgusting, he is disgusting. Not that he is miserable with himself, he just became a cause of someone else’s misery. He is really the bad guy in every story.

“I-i’m sorry. I’m sorry, Taehyung. I-i know it was wrong, I don’t know what has gotten into me—”

Taehyung is irritated beyond words, his face reddening while he furiously scrubs the remnants of the kiss on his lips with no holding back whatsoever. He is disgusted with himself, and frankly he is disgusted with Mina. He never should have come here. There’s literally nothing good will ever come out on meeting the married woman he somehow liked—and a realization is dawned on him. He just sinned Yuna. The innocent, five-years-old girl that deserves happiness more than anyone else in this whole world. It feels like he already hit rock bottom, like he just wanted to throw himself off a cliff.

“It is wrong!” Taehyung aggressively hisses, quickly walking to the living room to grab his belongings, yet finding the toys he just played with Yuna results in him feeling uncomfortably nauseous. This is the worst thing that could ever happen to him.“This, this never happened. It’s better for us to not see each other again.” He runs to the door with great fury, before a whimper of his name is heard. Mina is calling him.

Yet he is unable to walk away without seeing her one last time. Hearing her voice calling his name. Listening to what she is about to say.

“Taehyung, I’m sorry.”

After running away from the encounter with Mina, he called his super that he is selling the apartment right away. He has to close everything—every little chance of seeing Mina, and sadly even Yuna. Taehyung desperately needs some space, and so does her. It’s better not to see each other again.

Hence, now he has nowhere to go. Going back to his dorm is not an option—he is currently at the lowest point of his life and seeing anyone from college is never a convenient option. So that night, Taehyung decides to spend the night in his car, parked on the side of Han River. It’s a place for him whenever he is sad. A place that always reminds him that he is still too scared to die. A place to remind him that somehow, he still yearns his life to go the other way. A better one.

And at one point, after bawling his eyes out, he is desperate to feel the wind slapping his face and knock some sense into him. He exits the car, taking his time to walk to the side of the river, hands secured inside his pocket. He closes his eyes, taking in the cold wind and feels it rushing through his face. The cold was definitely a tid bit much—probably to the point he couldn’t feel his face, but he somehow prefers it.

But he is most absolutely unable to stand another minute clenching at the rail of the river, so he walks to the nearest bench, placed under a tree. It is more convenient—the wind is hundred times kinder and he can finally feel his face. And all of a sudden, his phone rings. He half-heartedly steals a glance, finding an unknown number. He easily rejects the call, before it rings once again. And again, and again until he annoyedly picks up just to shout his agitation to whoever is on the other side of the call.

“Is this—is this Taehyung?”

The familiar yet so strange voice welcomes him, and the anger on the tip of his tongue dissolves. But he is still uncertain of his hypotheses on the identity of the caller on the other side. “Yes. Who is this?”

“Hi, sorry, this is Y/N. I know we just met and I am not even your acquaintance or anything, but can I ask for your help this time? I swear I owe you one after, but please just help me with this one.”

It’s Y/N. It’s seriously you on the other side, yet Taehyung could not believe his ears. Is his hearing deceiving him right now? You made it clear that seeing him again could be the second worst thing to happen to her—after a meteor suddenly falls and crashes on your favorite Mexican restaurant—but now you are calling him, not even a day after your last meeting? There must be something serious, and a bizarre worry immediately fills his head. “Y/N, what is it? What happened? Tell me.”

“I-I’m afraid I can’t tell you. But this is urgent, can you help me with this one? I promise I’ll pay the favor back, I swear.”

Taehyung discards the light insulted feeling on how you mention you’ll pay him back like your life depends on it, and instead focuses on the urgency in your tone. You seem greatly rushed, worried and almost scared, and never would he ever imagine of saying no to that. “Of course, Y/N. What is it, I’ll try helping the best I can.”

“Can I ask where are you right now? I need to go somewhere really urgent, can you take me there?”

Taehyung looks warily around him. There’s only an old lady with her dogs just walking past him. He is quite far from the crowd. “I am in Han River now. Where are you? I can pick you up from there.”

“No need, I’m actually quite near. Can you send me your location?”

And that’s how Taehyung spends another 10 minutes, trying to make out your face amongst the people walking around him. While focusing on the people passing around, suddenly a cold hand slaps his shoulder and sends Taehyung on his toes, startled beyond words. “Fuck, Y/N! You can’t startle me like that!”

“I’m sorry, Taehyung.” You apologetically wince, holding the black duffle bag close to your chest. “I won’t startle you again. That if we ever meet again, which I don’t really hope to. Can we go now?”

Taehyung rolls his eyes at your warm words. “Just a thing everyone expects from the person who is just asking for help, right?”

You smile widely until your eyes turn into mooncreases, and Taehyung feels his throat stricken dry. “Let’s go, Taehyung. I’ll tell you the direction.”

And that’s how you are for the second time seated in Taehyung’s black Audi, with him smoothly driving it in accordance to your directions. You bite your lips in nerve, occasionally stealing a glance at Taehyung who is busy driving, looking around the streets with hesitation. Of course he would be, the direction you are giving must be unfamiliar for nearly everyone sane. “Hey. Can I ask you something?”

You don’t want Taehyung to question where you are heading right now—as he will instantly dump your ass on the street with no second question asked. “Yes?” You whisper faintly, crossing your fingers that it would be anything but that question.

“Can I turn on the music? Are you okay with that?”

The tense on your body crashes down with an exhale. “Of course. It’s your car, Taehyung, you can do anything with it.”

Taehyung snorts. “I am just being nice. I seriously think you might be a grinch for any kind of fun, the type to love creepy, dead silence while driving.”

“You are seriously a child.” You shake your head in disbelief, and Taehyung's lean forefinger taps the music button, connecting to his phone. “And god, you seriously got no other car, Taehyung? A less flashy one, I guess?”

Taehyung smiles proudly, patting the wheel with affection evident in his eyes. “No. Cecil is my baby, and I would never trade her for anything else.”

You groan at the foreign name. “Who the fuck is Cecil? God, don’t tell me you’re that creep who names dead stuff.”

“Hey! You don’t know how long and what kind of things Cecil has gone through with me.” Taehyung literally yells. He is one peculiar pea, but you are in no place to judge anyway. You are literally a nobody. “And you can’t tell me that, Cecil is the one who is helping your ass to wherever we are going right now.”

You decide not to prolong the abnormal debate you had with Taehyung, so you turn silent and point to the direction of your destination. When the car is heading to dark, narrower streets, Taehyung realizes they are already too far outside downtown, in a place where he knows he would never visit in any possible scenarios in his life ever.

“Y/N, I know I am not supposed to ask anything, but this is getting creepy and I just need to know why the fuck are we in this creepy, suspicious place?” Taehyung hisses, noticing that everything is too dreadful to be true. He doesn’t even know this place to ever exist in Seoul—that’s if they are still in town. “Where are you taking me?! God, don’t tell me you are going to murder me, take Cecil with you and sell her away?! Please don’t do it, especially the last one!”

You sigh at his nonsense, frankly tired and majorly nervous since your destination is already near. You glance at the message displayed on your phone. He is already waiting. “God, Taehyung. We are just five minutes away, just drop me off anywhere and you can run off after.”

“What? No! What about you? How are you going home this late, and from this creepy ass place?!” Taehyung stares at you, and you can find a genuine worry in his eyes for your well being. God, you are speaking nonsense, since there is no way Taehyung can even have feelings for you other than lust, and that’s just fact.

“It’s okay, someone will take me home.” You doubtfully answer, wanting Taehyung to swallow your lies even if you are not so sure yourself. Somehow you doubt the man you are meeting now will have the heart to take you home after this. You can just grab a taxi or bus—if they are still available—after anyway, it should not be an issue, right? But even self pep talk does not change a thing, you are still scared beyond words. This neighborhood indeed terrifies you, especially at night.

The car is now settled in front of the dark building that you identify as your destination. “Are you sure, Y/N?” Taehyung mindfully asks one more time with hesitation fills his gaze. At the persistence, you are slightly touched. “I don’t know what you are doing or who you are meeting there, I won’t ask. But I swear, I don’t mind waiting for you.”

You have a hard time believing—when was the last time someone cares for your safety like this? Life has been just a constant repetition of pushing anyone away from nearly half of the things going on with you, and to have someone you clearly is just using and still greatly show his concern is so strange. Maybe it’s time to admit that Taehyung is not just the heartless fuckboy you expect him to be. He may be more than that.

But no, you don’t need to involve him further inside the mess you are in, and he won’t be near long enough to stay so no need to get in such depth with him. And only god knows what would happen to an elegant, once in a lifetime seen black expensive Audi parked in this neighborhood. “Taehyung, no. I’ll get home safe, I swear.”

Taehyung does not want to push his agenda, even if he is still unable to turn off the alarms at the back of his head. “Sure, if that’s what you want. At the very least please let me know when you arrive, or if anything happens, okay?”

You nod, not really sure what to reply to his untypical concern. But then the annoying Taehyung is back as he mutters the next reply. “Or don’t. I just realized I left my charge somewhere and my battery is dying, probably not gonna see them till the next two days.”

“You are fucking annoying.” You spit with a sarcastic smile and Taehyung chuckles lightly, lightening up the mood. “See you, Tae. And thank you for taking me, I owe you one.”

You walk inside, finding Taehyung’s Audi is still parked there. Seeing how he vaguely gets caught inside your mess, and you feel apologetic. You huff, braving youself to knock on the door, then find a man that has been blowing up your message for a while now. He holds you close, taking you inside the house with odd affection. “Baby, who is that with a black, expensive car? Is that your new boyfriend?”

You look at him, trying to keep your composure straight. You really do not want this despicable man in front of you to get any strange idea whatsoever about Taehyung. “He is not.” You adamantly hiss, pretending nonchalance. “He is here because you, somehow cannot pick me the fuck up. There is no uber or taxi that wants to get me here at this time of the night, and I swear to god you better get me home.”

That man pulls you closer, his lips closing on your side jaw and his arms circling your waist. All of a sudden, your resolve crumbles at his familiar touches. “I miss you, baby. And don’t worry about going home, you can stay the night here.”

His lips are swiftly grazing your sweet spot, right at your collarbone and you instinctively let out a moan of pleasure when he sucks on it like there is no tomorrow—to the point it will surely leave evident hickeys. God, he really knows you like the back of his hand and you have no idea whatsoever to do about it. Three years together is very evident now—he can read you effortlessly.

“Stop it.. You know I’m staying at my parent’s tonight, I have to go home.” You let out a hushed whisper, a moan escapes your lips when his hands slowly stray from your shoulder, down to your waist and to the area that leaves you breathless. God, you are out of your mind for him.

“Fuck them. You know I really miss you, baby… I seriously need to be inside you right now. Don’t you miss me? Stay tonight.”

At his discourteous words at the mention of your parents, any illusion and lust at wanting to have in any way he wants dissolve into thin air. He is still the same old, disrespectful man that will never give a shit about you, especially your parents. But what exactly was the expectation you have for him? You are foolish to even think he will magically has understanding and common sense, since he is a monster.

But you are the one responsible for creating this monster…

The familiar guilt instantly fills your chest all at once, and it vividly constricts in pain. You push the black bag to his chest in a rush. “Here’s what you asked. I just did the best I can—don’t call me again. I have to go home.”

As you run to exit the building, you half-expect him to hold you back, apologize, or do anything that somehow might stop you from leaving into the unwelcoming, shady neighborhood, at nearly midnight, but nothing. The frustration that suffocates your chest is too much, and it is extremely hard to breathe. Your head spins with countless voices running inside your head, screaming incoherent words that somehow sends you into a great panic.

And you take a deep breath. Then the second. Then the third, trying to empty your mind from any intrusive thoughts that are doing you no good whatsoever. Right until you can finally close everything off, trying to pick your phone and get an uber—if it’s even possible. The reason you needed to get Taehyung help in the first place is that no uber or taxi would like to even come close to this place, and there’s thin to none chance you’ll ever get one.

And you are correct, since it’s already five minutes in and there is no sign of your request ever finding a ride home tonight. You are in deep frustration for there is no hope whatsoever in getting back home. Your parents are away, but your grandma is home—you left your responsibility of taking care of her to meet that man. Your parents are going to kill you if they ever find out you are escaping home, especially to meet the man they hate the most in this whole world—the man who is greatly a bad influence on you, the man who made you hospitalized for months, the man who they recognize as your ex.

But even with how far he is from ideal, he is still the same man who fought for you. The man who taught you love and sacrificed himself for you in no way anyone would. You don’t want to let him go—you are aware that he has strayed far, but he’ll come back soon. You held onto that for a long time, even with the faith you have on him is slightly dwindling. It’s been nearly three years since that accident, and you found that he is still the same, obnoxious man he was and even worse, yet you cannot let him go. Your conscience would never let you.

Feeling the remorse that is starting to overwhelm your senses, you notice there is literally waste in vain to think about that. You have to think for the present, how the fuck can you do to get home? Your parents might be home any time now, and they will never let the matter go until you are forced to confess that you are indeed, meeting your ex—the one person they loathe the most.

So you decide to run for your life to the nearest stop to take a bus or any available transportation, away from the shady neighborhood. You start with a fast stride, but you hear a sound of an engine booming behind you, slowly creeping on your side of the street. The red alarm on your head is loudly screaming. Someone is following you, and at once the worst memories of your life hits you like a truck.

You abruptly fasten your pace, keep on running. But due to the nerves, your leg is close to giving up. You are exhausted beyond words, and the intrusive breakdown inside your head is not helping either. Just in five minutes you have no strength left and fall down on the pavements, your body trembling, tears crashing loudly as you hide your body inside your arms.

You never should have come to this place. You never should have come back to him. That time he loved you and cared so much about you was years ago, and he changed. He will no longer be there to rescue you. He doesn’t even give any shit about your safety. When will you ever be strong and stop whatever nonsense you are having for him?

“Hey, hey what happened, Y/N? Why are you crying?!”

You are still bawling your eyes out like there is no tomorrow, your whole body trembling hard with both your legs secured on your chest. Someone is touching your arms, but you are too frightened by the imagination inside your head so you can do anything but to hold your legs even closer. “Please.. Please don’t hurt me..”

“Y/N, what are you—This is Taehyung. I have been calling you since you walked out, but you are not responding. Y/N, you are shaking so hard.. God, you’re scaring me. Please say something.”

After listening to the words that send you to a haze for having a hard time believing whatever it is, that man holds you close, his strong arms around your shoulder, his wide palm caressing your upper back slowly. “Take a breath, Y/N. You are panicking, but it’s okay. Take a deep breath. Everything is okay. I am here.”

At the constant calming ministration from Taehyung, along with his warm hug around your trembling, drenched with cold sweat body, you find the tense on your body is progressively decreasing to the point you can finally think and speak clearly without any more tears falling on the side of your cheek. You look up, finding Taehyung’s worried gaze seeking into yours.

“Why are you here, Tae? I thought you went back.”

Noticing how much you already get better from the panic attack, Taehyung can finally let go the breath he has been holding for quite a long time now. “I was about to, but—hey, I’ll tell you everything in the car. For now let’s go, you have been sitting on a pavement, who knows what germs you can catch from there.” Taehyung whispers with a vivid disgust on his tone. At that, you can finally smile. Albeit thin, Taehyung feels like he has achieved something remarkable. He quickly holds you up, arms secured around your waist to help you walk inside his car.

Taehyung opens the door for you, yet you are still hesitating to enter. “Get in, Y/N. I’ll take you home.”

“But.. your seat. What if my germs polluted your seat?” You are innocently concerned, and Taehyung can’t help but to chuckle. He did not expect such polite questions coming from you who just had a literal breakdown, yet he finds it endearing.

“It’s okay, Y/N. I’ll be taking Cecil to car service tomorrow as well, so it’s no issue. Get in.”

Dubiously you step your left foot inside, before you gasp in surprise that shocks Taehyung as well. “I have a scarf! Let me sit on that.”

Taehyung follows your vigor on going through the small bag hanging on your shoulder with his eyes. “Not really necessary, but whatever. I’d prefer your shirt though. Can you sit on it instead?”

You snort. “Pervert.” He responds with a smirk, skipping to the driver side.

After a good ten minute driving in silence, you open your voice, your fingers nervously fondling on the button of your purse. “Thank you for waiting. You are such a lifesaver, I-I seriously don’t know what I will do if you are not there.”

Taehyung nods, his right hand brushing through the expanse of his jaw and you intensely follow the swear-to-god attractive gesture. God, you cannot believe how someone can be that charming while driving, it’s seriously making no sense. You continue after clearing your throat. “What happened? Why didn’t you leave?”

He glances at you with tranquility, shrugging his shoulder. “I was about to leave, but I don’t know. The song I was listening to was good so I just decided to stay for a while, and then you walk out so I follow you. The end.”

Your eyes narrowed, staring at him intently. “That is a lie.”

“Maybe.”

“Then tell me what happened!”

He shrugs. “Nah.”

You look at him in obvious exasperation. “Taehyung, for god sake tell me what happened! What can possibly make you stay in this hellish neighborhood?”

Taehyung grins. “I don’t ask what happened with the hickey on your collarbone either, sweetheart. And It’s nothing, seriously. Nothing out of the ordinary.”

Your fingers instinctively land on your clavicle, feeling the strange pain emerging when so. Shamefully ducks your head in embarrassment, you throw your face to your side of the window. “You're annoying.”

“I’ve been called that a lot. By you, actually.”

“Then maybe you should stop being annoying.” You sarcastically grin.

He jokingly wriggles his sharp eyebrows. “That’s kind of my trademark, so I’m sorry I cannot fulfill the request, sweetheart.” You huff and decided not to continue the endless debate.

Another ten minutes filled with silence, until you break it with your still irritated tone. “Can we play my song now? The song you played before sucks.”

Taehyung murmurs an agreement, a thin smile finding his lips. You connect your phone, then finding the one song you always tune into. The song that reminds you of the good times when life is less than complicated.

“Is this Bee Gees?” Taehyung asks with an amused tone, nothing ever crosses his mind that you would be the type to tune to oldies songs for drive songs.

“Yup. This is More Than a Woman.” You nod, then send a judgmental stare at him. “What? You think I am lame for listening to old songs? Yeah, no surprise there.”

He smiles heartily, finding this new side of you that is unforeseen yet very delightful. “No, I actually like this song too. My father used to sing this song when I was a kid. The whole album, actually. I even have the vinyl cd in my room.”

Seeing that Taehyung is indeed earnest, opening up a little about his life, you find yourself smiling at your own great memory as well. “Me too. My grandfather used to sing this song to my grandmother, uhm.. before he passed away.. a few years ago. I would always listen to this song and then I would always be reminded about how much love they have for me.”

You don’t even know why you are explaining such an intimate story of your life to a fuckboy whom you barely know. But now, it’s hard to even think Taehyung is the jackass everyone and even himself proclaimed. He is just a man—a friend, who helps you when you need him the most, who doesn’t pry and understand the space you need better than anyone else. You are grateful he is there, and to say these personal things to him.

Taehyung smiles at you and you can’t help but to reciprocate. His fingers tapping rhythmically on the wheel along to the beat, humming along with you to the wonderful music inside his car.

Here in your arms I found my paradise

My only chance for happiness

And if I lose you now I think I would die

Oh say you'll always be my baby, we can make it shine

We can take forever, just a minute at a time

“I don’t know where my keys are!”

Yup, you are a certified, sloppy idiot. You have been standing on your house gate for exactly fifteen minutes, trying to find where the fuck did you place your keys. You are trying to search your short lived memory where you placed them, but the only thing you remember before going to Han River to meet Taehyung is how rushed and panicked you are, trying to find excuses for your grandmother.

And Taehyung stood besides you, helping you to hold the flashlight so you can make anything inside your ransacked purse. “I can’t find it!” You hiss worriedly, glancing at your watch. “I don’t think my parents are home yet, and my grandmother should be asleep by now. I will just sneak in.”

“This is dangerous! Someone might catch you and think we are thieves, Y/N, I don’t think it's a good idea, especially at this time.” Taehyung advises, his tone full of worry. You look to him scornfully, accepting that he is indeed right. There are cctvs being installed on every corner of the street, and you don’t think it would be pretty to be caught and perceived as a thief while climbing your own house. Your parents will figure out either way, and to be told by your neighborhood security that their daughter is climbing inside with a ‘help’ of a man would be the last thing you want to happen.

“I do not know what I have to do.” You mutter, hiding your face inside your palms, cursing your forgetful self internally. Now you have to wait for your parents, confessing that you indeed get out at nearly midnight. And they will chastise you to know where you have been, immediately accusing you for meeting your ex—which in fact is indeed the truth. You are screwed.

“Hey, we can wait for your parents then. We’ll think of a way, no worry, Y/N.” Taehyung said carefully, noticing your forlorn gesture with hands resting on your shoulder. You look at him with a frown and reddened face.

“It’s okay if you have to leave. You have been a great help, Taehyung. I seriously do not know what would happen if it weren’t for you.” You mutter in regret, then he answers by sternly shaking his head, clicking his tongue.

“Hey, I might be a dick but I am certainly not to that extent to leave a girl on the street nearing dawn.”

“I can protect myself, if that’s what you are worried about.”

Taehyung chuckles, keeping his hands inside his pocket. “I am well aware that you can kick my ass to ditch, Y/N. But my conscience just won’t let me.”

Before you can persuade him again to go back home, the familiar creaking sound of your front door is heard and you throw your head back inside, detecting your grandmother, peering outside to the sound of her granddaughter.

“Grandma! You are not asleep?!” You nearly yell, but then realize that it is already so late for any loud noises and manage to lower your volume. “It’s past midnight, you should be asleep! I told you to sleep first and not wait for me.”

“Huh, this girl! How can I sleep when I know you are still wandering out there, at this late of night.” Your grandma hisses, walking with her cane to the gate. “Why didn't you come in? Where are your keys?”

The frown on your lips deepen. “I lost them, grandma…”

Your grandma hiss in distaste, before realizing that his granddaughter is not alone. While opening the gate, her tone changes as she questions the man beside you “Who is this? Is this your friend?”

You just remembered that Taehyung is still present, now both his hands politely joined and a civil, yet timid smile on his lips. You look back at your grandma, strongly warning you with her intimidating gaze to introduce him right away. “Y-yes! Grandma, This is Taehyung. Tae, this is my grandma.”

“Good evening, grandma. I’m sorry we arrived so late tonight, I can assure you it will not happen again.” Taehyung apologizes with heavy sincerity and a bow. You are mildly confused by his never-seen-before politeness, especially to your family. Of course it will not happen again, Taehyung would easily walk out of your life after the constant problem you put him in. But still, it brings such a strange emotion to your heart on how good-mannered he is to your grandmother—and you kind of have a slight hint of why.

“Kids these days, seriously.” Your grandma shakes her head, but still motions both of you to enter the house. “Come in, then. You two.”

“Taehyung can’t stay, grandma! He has to go back, it’s been a long night.” You try to reason in panic, but your grandmother’s slap on your shoulder to enter the house quickly resonates that she is not open for negotiation. There is no other way than to follow her order, so you begrudgingly leave the scene, with an apologetic smile on your face to Taehyung’s way. You seriously owe him nearly everything—you swear you will do anything to repay him.

“You really have to go back, Taehyung? I want to talk to you, though. I promise it won’t take long.” Your grandmother intimidatingly offers, and Taehyung gulps in overwhelming nerves. It is probably the first time for a while since he met someone’s close relative—he even hardly met his own—and your grandma is too intimidating; he doesn’t even remember the word no.

“Let’s talk, then.” Your grandma smiles, waving off the cold persona right after taking in his acceptance. She rests her hand on Taehyung's arm to lead him inside the house. “Have you eaten? We have some extra food. I also made Darjeeling tea, it’s good for you young people. I know you will like it.” Taehyung smiles with a nod, his head slightly spins and an aloof thought invades his head, all regarding his precious platinum rule.

Never ever meet a girl’s relatives under any, any circumstance ever.

God, this is not good.

It’s already past 1am, and an hour after you safely arrived inside your house. Upstairs, you wanted to help Taehyung dealing with your pesky grandmother, but she refused you to come down and mentioned that she wanted to talk to him only. You know what that means—another drama coming your way. You seriously cannot stress how much you owe Taehyung, he has been nothing but kind and helpful today. You wanted to eavesdrop on their conversation, but your body is too tired to even deal with even more drama. You just need to set your grandmother straight that Taehyung is just a friend, right in the morning. Your parents don’t have to know as well, and everything can go as well as before.

But even with your nearly numb body, your consciousness is wide awake and you cannot sleep. So after a short while and hearing the soft engine of Taehyung’s car far in the distance, you dial his number. Hopefully it still has power—you remember Taehyung mentioned how near dead it was.

Right after two beeps he thankfully picks up. “Hi, Taehyung. You went home already?”

“Yup.” He emphasizes on the p.

You wince at his distant answer. “Are you mad at me? I apologize, I am nothing but a hassle today, you must regret helping me.”

Then his lighthearted chuckle is heard, and the tense on your body instinctively loosen up. “It’s okay. Not gonna lie, today is quite overwhelming. But I think in a weird, twisted way I needed that. A distraction, I mean.”

“Well, at least you are entertained by my lackluster life.” You joke, and both of you cackle. You cannot fathom your feeling right now, hearing his breathy voice on the other side of the call. You know you have been through a lot today, but somehow finally closing it with Taehyung, you feel somewhat relieved. “Did grandma say anything weird?”

“No, we just drank her god-sent Darjeeling tea. I seriously think I need to order it myself. Gonna search for it online after this. Ah, she also said I am handsome.”

You smile heartily, flipping to the other side of your bed. What a lie. “I sure can vouch for that. You are indeed handsome.”

Taehyung loudly gasps, cheeks tingling upon your unpredictable sincere compliment. “What—did you injure your head or what? Are you finally admitting that, Y/N? Never thought I’d hear it from you.”

You catch yourself slipping, slapping your mouth. “Yup, I think I injured my head. But no worry, pretty boys like you are dime a dozen. I’ll find you anywhere.” You nervously snort, internally disagreeing to your own words. There is something about Taehyung’s charming ways that always keep you on the edge, and you have never found it in anyone else.

“That’s more like you.” He hums. “Go to sleep, Y/N. It’s been a long night, you deserve it.”

You hum lowly while closing your eyes, feeling the sudden sleepiness embraces you. “Okay. Thank you so much for today, Taehyung. I owe you one, okay? See you soon.”

Taehyung finally closes the call, a thin smile reaching his lips. Seriously, he doesn’t know how he can go through everything in the span of 24 hours, the thing with Mina, meeting you and breaking all his platinum rules for a girl he thought he wouldn’t see a second time. A statement from your grandmother suddenly passes through his head and Taehyung shifts uncomfortably in his seat.

She is a strong girl, but she is fragile right now, and in need for someone to believe in.

Someone to believe in? That's most absolutely not him. Frankly, he is the absolute far on the other side from someone to believe in. He doesn’t even believe in himself, how could your grandmother say that to him? Does he seriously look like someone to believe?

But when Taehyung rewinds what your grandmother explained, along with the panic attack you had just a few hours ago—he finds it peculiarly identical to himself. In a way, both of you are scarred. Life takes a huge toll on you, and he can understand what you were feeling. Living with a deep scar itself is scary, but now that he knows that he is not alone—there is someone, deeply affected about something alike, he doesn’t feel so alone anymore. All these times he always feels like he needs someone, that he is a burden to someone, but it feels reassuring to be the one lending a hand for someone else’s misery.

Among the silence and his busy thoughts, the phone rings. Taehyung is quick to answer and the call resonates on his car. “Yes. I need car service. Some idiot bastards just scratched Cecil, it’s pretty bad. They scratched it with knives I think—i don’t really know. You can pick her up on my usual. Thanks.”

It has been a week since you last saw Taehyung that eventful night, and even with how desperate you are to text him again, you find yourself hesitating while typing the words. What if he thought you are looking deeper into everything? You are just a mere girl he fucked before, and it is as clear as a day that Taehyung dislikes and avoids any form of attachment—and even though you are not even offering anything other than trying to pay all his kindness back, you are still unsure.

Since that night, one thing that you know is your grandmother loves Taehyung—she can’t stop talking about him and asking where he is ever since that night. Both of your parents are aware as well, they are a bit hysterical at first at the unannounced appearance of a boy close to you—you know how wary they are ever since your last boyfriend, but after hearing how great he is from your grandmother slash the best personality judge to ever exist, your parents easily approve. Could also be to the fact that they are quite amazed by such a young man using a luxury Audi car—yes, your parents are primitives like that.

But another thing you notice is how over-jubilant they are at the sudden appearance of Taehyung, more than you expect. You know how much they have been stressing over the fact that you might still be in contact with your ex—which you still are, but they are better off not knowing—but you didn’t know it would go to that extent. They can finally joke about you finally being in ‘young’ love, which is also total nonsense.

The worst thing is that your mother even called you and cried one night, telling that she is relieved that you finally can find someone else instead of coming back to your previous toxic relationship with your ex—oh, how can you let her know? At that time, you feel guilty beyond words. There is literally nothing going on between you and Taehyung—you even doubt if you can label whatever going on between you as friendship, it all could be just a charity work on his part, but you don’t have the heart to say so to her. Hence you just nod, promising that you would try asking him the dinner your mother asked for.

And now it’s all more confusing since you don’t know how to approach the matter. There is no way in hell Taehyung would ever agree meeting your parents—and the case itself is helpless. But your parents are very happy now, and to have it knocked away for a lie would greatly affect them in a bad way. Especially starting today, you moved out from your shared apartment back to your parents home. You love your independence, but you desperately need the money, especially since the extra side job of writing columns pays now needs to be shared with your parents as well due to your father's condition that enforces him to do his routine dialysis. The insurance helps, but it still costs massive on the pocket so you are more than willing to help them.

So you are seated now, waiting for your class to start. Your fingers tapping on the keyboard to draft a message that will be sent to Taehyung. It has been twenty agonizing minutes, and by every word typed and erased, you feel jittery. To the point you are finally too tired and give up, slamming your phone on the table and running your fingers through your hair in distress.

The sudden ring of your phone comes into your senses, and you are expecting nothing but then seeing the message, it effectively fastens the pound in your chest and you literally think you will cry. It's literally godsend, actually—how can he come through at the time you need him the most is beyond you.

From : Taehyung

Hi, just wanna ask if that ‘thank you so much for today, Taehyung. I owe you one, okay? See you soon’ thing is true or just bogus since i did not get any message since last week

You smile wholeheartedly, right from ear to ear at his witty message. So you swiftly type in another response, which may or may not contain a bit of a lie but Taehyung is better off not knowing how much you think of him in the past week.

To : Taehyung

Hi, sorry the bitch you are contacting is busy with packing her things to move back home. Can she meet you later this afternoon for lunch?

You don’t even have to wait for another long minute as his reply came almost immediately.

From : Taehyung

Sure! But she better be paying cause Taehyung is sloppy and forgot to bring his wallet! 😉

You chuckle lightly, typing the cafe name located near college, following another message.

To : Taehyung

Such slop. But no worries, she would gladly pay! Since she should finish the class quite early, she's going to wait for you in the near park, so find her there, okay?

From : Taehyung

Don’t know until when we are going to address ourselves in third perspective but I am all for it. See you soon, beautiful! xx

You roll your eyes at his flirty text. Fuckboys and their annoying suave talks, yet inside, you are unable to hold your lips from smiling—to the point that your ex-roommate had to question how suspiciously vibrant you are today, especially during the worst class to date. You respond with a shake on your head, still with the same foolish smile plastered on your lips that is too eerie to be true for her.

Right after it’s finished, you run to exit the class—more because you need to avoid the question from your best friend on where you are heading, since you are meeting her boyfriend’s best friend you said you hated. It also seems like Taehyung is also inconvenient to let Jungkook know about your rendezvous, so you decide to keep this for yourselves first.

The weather on your way to the cafe is amazing, the afternoon breeze is lukewarm, the sun is adequately shining, conveniently settling on the skin. When you arrive, you take a seat on the nearest bench, heaving a deep breath and close your eyes. You clearly feel happy, contributed due to the weight from thinking about Taehyung and your parents slightly lifted off your shoulder. At least now you are on a talking basis with him. That’s a progress.

But as it always has been, something just had to ruin your temporary happiness. He is there, seated right beside you. Noticing the weight press on the other side of the bench, you look up, and finding your past lover, Jisung.

“Jisung!” You gasp in shock, your heart nearly falls out of your chest. He is here, in your college, right beside you. “What are you doing here?!”

He smiles, his fingers raised to your ear, settling a few stranded hairs behind your ears. The affectionate gesture suddenly throws you off your horse, as the sudden confusion does bring unwanted memories of your past with him. “I just wanted to see you baby. How you are doing, right now. I see you went home safely that midnight, quite shocking I would say.”

At his unpleasant words, you swat his hands away, facing him with a cold, hardened stare. “You are a jerk, you know that? You let me go home all by myself, in your own dangerous neighborhood when I went there to give you what you need. You are seriously the worst.” Muttering your sentence, you feel a tidal wave of anger and sadness crushes you in.

“Hey, I don’t mean it like that, babe. You also get to go home with your hotshot fling as well, so you can thank me, right?” He sarcastically responds, and you feel repulsed at his words mentioning Taehyung—who in high chance must have brushed his annoying male ego. Jisung scoots to your side, his arms holding you close. But you felt nothing but disgust.

“Don’t be like that, baby. You know I miss you. No matter how far you are searching for someone better, or richer, I will be the only one who understands you and your body, babe.”

You are silent, neither accepting or rejecting his advances. You feel numb, you feel used, yet you don’t do anything to push him away. It’s like whenever he is near, you feel the urge to fix him. He was the victim—and so were you. Yet he was the one that was and still is greatly affected by the wrongdoings of other people. So you still believe that the good Jisung you love is there, somewhere inside this man you barely even know.

Jisung was your boyfriend, two years ago in high school. He was a humble, smart scholarship boy that loved to play soccer. You were just a simple girl who loved to write about everything on your blog, especially lenient towards politics and policy. One simple day after a busy semester—due to your social science project team that always sends you on heated debate with him, Jisung somehow confessed. He told you he always liked you, the way your eyes crinkle while writing, the way you scoff during debate, and especially the way you smile for everyone but him—it was a surprising yet sweet confession, but against all odds you accepted it since you did adore him, even with the debates and nonsensical statements coming out of his mouth. That’s how you started a blooming, new relationship with him.

Six month passed, and you could proudly say that you were indeed in love with him. He was sweet, albeit dumb sometimes, he is the kindest person to ever exist and you loved it for him. Everything was great, but as most things, it all finally went downhill—when a transfer student is registered at your class. His father was the right hand of the president at that time. Few weeks in, you realize that he put too much attention on you. You tried to ignore it, but the contact was getting intense so you set him straight that you did not like him and you had a boyfriend. But being a golden spoon kid since he was born, he never learned rejection.

One Friday evening, when you had just finished your assignment in the library and were about to meet your boyfriend to head home together, that transfer kid pulled you away and kidnapped you to the back of the school. He was angry at your rejection, and forced you to do the things you never wanted to do with anyone, and you loudly screamed for help. The enormous school was nearing empty due to the weekend, and no one could hear you. You were nearly losing hope, too weak to do anything but cry, then your boyfriend found you. He was going to check up on you since you already took a long time, but seeing the unbelievable scene, he instantly sent a hard punch to the bastard, right on the face. But not even a punch or two suffice, Jisung punched him to pulp until he passed out, with you shivering and crying loudly on the side.

Then a few days later, everyone finds out about the issue, and somehow the media caught it as well, the president’s right hand son is hospitalized due to a school fight. But one thing that did not sit right was that everything in the story is twisted to transfer kids' benefit. He was hospitalized, so the school and media immediately sided on him, telling that he was injured by a rebellious kid in school and disregarding the real cause of the matter. You tried hard to explain to your headmaster, everyone that might believe you, but there was no evidence and you were the girlfriend—you were trusted not to be objective. So Jisung was expelled from school, and his scholarship was taken away from him. His strict parents did not believe him even a bit and kicked him out of the house. Jisung’s life hit rock bottom.

You were heartbroken and guilty beyond words. Jisung had his life crumbling down in a moment, all because of you, because he helped you and defended your honor. You owed him everything, and you knew how hard it was for him. Jisung refused to see you, and when you tried talking to him about it, he harshly broke up with you, crying and shouting while implicitly blaming you for how his life turned out. You also cried that evening, and you begged him not to and promised you would do everything in your power to help him.

But no matter how hard you begged him to stay, he still went missing for a few months and you cried nearly everyday. It was killing you, to the point you didn’t even want to go to school anymore. You hated everyone—you hated how unfair life was for him, someone you loved so much. And frankly, you missed Jisung, you miss your ex-boyfriend and would do anything to have him back. There’s never a day you forget sending him a message, apologizing and begging him to come back.

And he did come back to see you, exactly four months after. But at that time, he already changed. He was no longer the sweet, affectionate Jisung you loved and remembered—he was someone else. He joined and lived with a rebellious gang downtown. As predicted, he did not continue his studies, and god knows what conniving things he was doing to get money on a daily basis. When he came back and professed his love for you, you were hesitant. He was no longer your Jisung, but the complete opposite. But the next day he called you, crying about how life was becoming too hard and wanted to take his own life. That was also the time you’d do anything for him to stop, and agreed to get back with him. And thus began the most horrifying part of your life, one you never even want to remember.

“Baby, don’t you miss me?” He whispers to your ear, noticing your distant stare and silence. But you pushed him away, realizing how improper that you are still in the university area. “I missed you so much. No one can ever suffice your beautiful body against mine, babe.”

“Stop it, Jisung. I am not your sex slave, the one you can do anything against my will.” You hiss, pushing him away with a hardened stare filled with hatred and disgust. “I gave you the money you want. What do you want more from me?”

“I need more, of course.” He grinned, running his fingers on your lips. “Money is hard nowadays, babe. I notice that you got yourself a new, rich fling now. Get some of that hard cash and give it to me, will you?”

You stand up, peering against in disgust, but you were saddened beyond words—tears pooling on the side of your eyes. “You are the worst human being. I am not giving you anything more, especially when you are going to spend it on gambling and sluts.”

He pulled you back down, nails stabbing your skin until you are sure it will bleed. Your heart pounds too loud until it echoes in your ear. “Listen here, you bitch. Do you know who caused me like this? It’s you. You ruined my life, and you have to take responsibility for it.”

He lets go of your hand and leaves you trembling and your breath irregular. Dizziness suddenly enters your head, and you never feel alone to that extent you want to puke to the exhausting feeling. You hold your legs closer to your chest, hiding your face inside to shout all the frustration bubbling up in your chest, as loud as you can.

“Y/N, why are you— What did he do?!”

It’s Taehyung, you are well aware it is him. A sudden recognition of the promised lunch you have with him passed through your head and you take a few deep breaths and try to shove the matter far away from your mind. You look up to him with a forced smile, wiping away your tears with the back of your sleeve. “Taehyung, how long have you been here? Sorry, I didn’t—”

“I was here before you even came. I was on the other side of the park, and noticed you were talking to some guy. I did not want to interrupt and left for a while, and I came and you are already crying. What the fuck happened, Y/N?” Taehyung asks in deep frustration on his eyes, his palm cupping your face to look up to him. “Who was he? Was he—the one you were meeting a week ago?”

You are not answering, still looking faraway to nothingness and Taehyung hiss in agitation. “Y/N, I am no longer taking this lightly. This—this is bad. Please, tell me about this.” When you are still silent, Taehyung looks at you somberly, pleading for you to look back at him. “Y/N. I am your friend. Please, please let me help you.”

And then you break down into loud sobs, finding purchase in his arms around you. You never felt so sad before—all the bad memories from your past coming back to you, throwing you back into a state of panic. But as Taehyung soothes your back in a calming manner, listening to your incoherent words, you can gradually breathe. “I am sorry. I am such a mess.” You whisper to him, and let go of the hug. “I don’t think I can tell you without you being disgusted at who I really am. I am not the girl you thought I was, Tae. I am way worse.”

Taehyung looks up at you with a serene smile, wiping the tears away from your cheek. “Y/N, I am telling this because I know you will not prematurely judge, but I kissed a married woman last week. There’s no way you can top that.”

Your eyes are wide in shock at that, and Taehyung smiles at your reaction. Regardless of being scared that you will assume anything without him getting to explain, he is just glad he can be truthful to someone, especially when it is you. “I don’t know if you would really listen to my boring story. But it has been bothering my mind for quite sometimes now. Can I drop that on you?”

You nod and smile at his effort trying to take your minds off things and feel better. Not that you dislike it—it does succeed. “Of course. But not if we have to sit here, starving. Do you want to get in?”

He smiles, squeezing your shoulder and lead you inside the cafe. “If you are paying, then yes. If not, let’s go back to my frat and ask that shithead Jungkook to pay instead.”

After approximately four hours talking about each other and dirty looks thrown by the waitress at your prolonged stay inside, you moved places from the cafe to Han River, the exact spot you met him before—Taehyung said this was a place for him whenever he is sad and needs some time to think. Did you understand him better. He was a child of divorce, he is living with his father in Seoul and his mother is remarried and staying in London. The last time he met his father was six months ago. At that time he said that he missed his grandmother a lot, he lived with her all through childhood but after she passed away, he was mostly taken care of by nannies. That’s why meeting your grandmother was a remedy or it’s kind—he was reminded of the fond memories with his own grandmother.

Taehyung also told you about the married woman he mentioned previously, and you felt sad for him. It must not have been easy, someone who does not really believe in love to have feelings for someone he can never have. But in a way, he believe there is a silver lining to meeting her—and in a way, you are amazed by how mature he was throughout everything. Yes, Taehyung may have scarred himself and the people around him, and done many things wrong as well, but to be able to live and act the way he did really brings him to a whole new light.

So when you told him with bright, tearful eyes about how much you are proud of what he did, it could be one of the moments Taehyung never thought he would cry in front of someone else but did. It was hard, like always feeling like he did everything wrong—but you are here, right in front of him, giving him the word he needed the most. He is glad that he was able to talk it out to someone, and that someone being you.

And when you are seated inside his car, looking out to the beautiful light posts alongside the Han River, you know it was your turn to open up and you did. You told him about everything, leaving no details about your past with Jisung. Even when you are just two sentences in, you are already crying, but it was inevitable. Taehyung holds your hands, his eyes filled with understanding. “Hey, hey. You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.”

But you shake your head, smiling up to him and squeezing his hand back. “No-I need to tell you this. I want to tell you this. I think one of the main problems is that I always keep this from everyone—especially my friends. I would love it for you to know.”

Then you continue about your past experience. About how Jisung helped you against a bastard who was able to turn everyone to his side in the end. How Jisung left and put the blame on you. And in the end, you find yourself not being able to continue, but Taehyung kept you close, hugging you as he pecked the top of your head. “I loved him—I really did. I thought I did. It was all my fault—”

“Y/N, It’s not your fault. At the beginning, you both are just victims but after that, he was nothing but a manipulative asshole who used you for his own benefits.” Taehyung feels his heart clenched at the thoughts of your past with him—how you were held captive and forced to keep up to whatever vile activities he was doing with his gang. “Y/N, you got to stop going out with this guy. He did not even love you anymore—he is just using you…”

You know it, your sanity always told you that, but the moment Taehyung said it, it’s just.. disheartening. “I know, Tae. But—what if? What if the accident did not happen? What if we were not together? He could be living the best life right now, attending the best university in the country, meeting someone else better, helping his family's economy…”

Taehyung caresses your head, his low whispers awakening your senses. “Y/N, we cannot include what if scenario in this, you know it. Yes, there is a possibility that it should have gone better, but there is also a worse scenario too, right? And to be frank, all of the choices were on him. He could have done something better with his life, yet he was the one who chose hanging out with those bad guys, not you. So please stop hurting and blaming yourself now.”

You nod, resting your head inside his chest, crying every suffocating tears to your limit. “I wanted to. I wanted to stop, Tae. But I can’t, he will always come back.”

“Y/N, it might hurt but I think you should go to the police.” He advises, and you let go, looking up to him in shock. “It is just a suggestion, don’t hate me. I do think it is for the better. Your parents even forbid you to do so, and you were even hospitalized and depressed because of him. Now he always wants something from you, blackmailing you.. He does nothing but damage to you.”

Inside, this delusional part of you wanted to defend Jisung and all your own past doings, but you know you are not making any sense and Taehyung is right. But throwing Jisung inside jail? The thought even scares you. “I don’t know. I’ll think about it.”

Taehyung scoff in disbelief at your clear disdain of his suggestion. “Wait.. Do you—do you possibly still have feelings for this bastard?”

At that statement, you look away from his proding eyes. Do you? You are not even sure about that. Yes, Jisung could be the worst, most toxic people that caused nothing good to you, but you cannot lie that you always find yourself finding the goodness inside him, always reacting to his touches and sweet talks—it’s involuntary. You are an idiot that somehow still likes him… “I.. I don't know.”

“This is crazy.” Taehyung whispers, more to himself. He doesn’t even know how you haven’t thrown this bastard inside jail—and it is somehow because you still have feelings for him. “This is overly altruistic and borderline masochist, Y/N.”

“I… I know. Can we please drop it? I-I don’t want to talk about it for now.”

Taehyung realizes that he has been insensitively judgmental of you, and he winces and reaches out for your hand. “I am sorry. You are one of the strongest, greatest women I have ever known, and... And I guess it’s sad to know that you have been through this and.. It’s nothing. I apologize.”

You look up to him and nod, looking up to him with a warm smile. “That’s okay, I can see where you are coming from. It’s a surprise as well, as I never thought you would be the great listener type and give kickass advice too, Tae. You are a very great friend, do you know it?”

He cheekily smiles, shooting you a wink. “I’ve been told so. By myself, I mean.”

“I think we should drop the depressing, real talk.” You chuckle, and so does he. “I am glad we did it, but let's refrain from it for the time being. I am fucking drained now, and hungry.”

“Me too! I am starving. Do you want to grab something on the way home?” Taehyung looks around in vision, trying to move his car. You did not even realize the disappointment in the pit of your stomach at the mention of going home—your parents and grandma are the reason, but majorly due to the thought of the day is about to come to an end. It’s just ten pm, and you really, really had a pleasant time with Taehyung. “We can grab takeouts too, if you have to go home now. Or even we can go directly home and—”

He was nervous, and you cannot help but to smile of reassurance. “It’s okay. I’m thinking of McDonald’s. You in?”

He coos loudly with fake tears. “You know what, Y/N? You just get me.”

The way to McDonald’s, your mind is suddenly caught on the fact that your family is assuming Taehyung as your boyfriend. “Hi, Tae. Can I ask you something?”

“Sure, sweetheart.” He responds lightly, without noticing what the nickname does to you, focusing on the street in front of him, and you cannot hold the blush blooming on your cheek. You were thankful that it was already dark, or you would have let him catch you slipping for the nth time today. “Anything you want to know?”

“Yes. So…. get this.” You start with vivid nerves, looking down to your lap timidly. “My grandma really, really likes you. I don’t know what happened, or how can you hypnotist her since all she can talk about now is you. I think she even forgot I am the granddaughter sometimes.” Taehyung chuckles widely, showing the creases on the corner of his eyes and it is so infectious you can’t hold a smile either, the tense on your shoulder slightly loosening. “And since she could not shut up about you, my parents are aware too. About you, I mean.”

Taehyung looks at you, a hint of surprise on his face. “Uhm, really? Wow, never thought it would be that big of a deal.”

“It is. I didn’t tell you this, but I have never introduced any friends, especially male ones to family ever since Jisung happened…” You mutter, volume getting smaller by each word. “So, it was a big deal for them. And my family can be presumptuous sometimes.. And…” You hold your breath, your mind conflicted whether you should tell him or not because you are sure Taehyung would reject you straight away and harshly. You know it well, but your heart is pained at the imagination of Taehyung telling you to fuck off with your silly proposition. So you take a drastic turn and hold back your request. “I...No. It’s nothing.”

Taehyung looks at you in worry. “Hey, you can tell me anything. It’s okay.”

You look up to him with a pout. “Can you promise me you won’t be mean?”

“What are you—of course I won’t, Y/N.” He giggles, giving your hand a light squeeze that nearly takes your breath away. “You can tell me everything.”

“Okay, here goes.” You whisper, trying to muster the leftover courage. “So, my parents and grandma kinda can’t stop talking about you... thinking you are my boyfriend. I never brought anyone after Jisung and… they just thought it was a big deal.” You look straight ahead, still afraid to find whether there is disgust on Taehyung’s face.

“So?” Taehyung asks neutrally. “It’s fine. You can just tell them the truth.. that we’re not dating?” There was an edge on his response, and you are certain he is not getting anything out of your desperate sentence.

“But I don't think I want to drop that on them.” You continue breathily, biting your lower lips in hesitation. “They are going through some tough times right now, with my father's sickness and all—the news about me dating an averagely decent man with no crime history list could probably be the only good thing going for them. They’d be disappointed to learn that we are just friends.”

“Well, they don’t know who I am yet—what if I am a mafia man with a kick ass car that I bought with money from bank robbery?”

You look up to him, rolling your eyes but trying to display your best puppy face to date. “You left a great impression on them… Can we at least pretend we are dating? For just a few weeks, and it’s nothing big, I swear. You still can do your hookups, whatever okay to you. I could just tell we broke up in the next month or whenever convenient.”

Taehyung looks at you in hesitation, a little bit unsure. “I know—but are you sure? All rom-coms never ended well for that fake relationship bullshit.”

“Surprise on you watching lots of rom coms aside, I know we’ll be fine. All those cliche bullshit always ends in anyone falling in love, but that’s not us, right…?” The second you say those things, a literal large, blazing red exclamation point on the side of the street. You are hoping it is not a bad omen. “Please say yes. I know this is a big thing and I owe you a lot already, Taehyung. But I swear this is the last time. I would do anything for you to say yes.”

Fake dating you? He did not know how to do that, especially since he has to talk to your parents whatsoever—even the thought scares him as he never got along with his own either. What if he messes up and everything goes down in ashes? Taehyung literally was about to reject, when your last sentence caught his attention, shown by his raised left eyebrows. “Anything?”

You scorn, sending a look at him in disgust. “Are you seriously asking sex out of the deal right now, Taehyung?”

“No! Of course not. That is unnecessary. You know I can have sex with you with your greatest consent and you’d be begging for it.” The cocky jackass dares to wink, and you hate how partly right he is with that. Well, maybe not just partly. “So, not that. Okay, I will agree to your proposition. I have something in mind.”

You nod, rubbing your palms together. “Okay. Lay it on me.”

“I want you to stop seeing that guy—Jisung, I mean..” You were expecting a lot of things, but not that. Especially not that. Hence the look of disbelief displayed in your face, eyes open like saucers. “ It’s for your own good, Y/N. There is no good coming out of hanging out with that guy. I know it’s not easy—I won’t force you all at once. So by the end of our fake relationship, I want you to completely stop everything. If he still insists on seeing you, or anything harmful to you, you put a 50 meters restriction on him, throw him into a jail or anything. You have to stop seeing this guy.”

You look at his challenging gaze, and seeing his expression you know his mind is already made. There are no other options besides take it or leave it. “But you are doing it for me. Don’t you want to ask anything? Other than that?”

He firmly shakes his head. “Nope. That alone would be a very great satisfaction on my part.”

“Serious? You don’t want anything else?” You ask one more time. “Just making sure you are getting the best out of this deal, since it won’t happen ever again.”

“Yup. And maybe if you insist, you can bring me breakfast or lunch too. That would be convenient since I tend to forget them.” He is joking, but you nod in all sincerity. You know how much you really need to do this, your parents have been struggling a lot—more or less you take a huge role in that, so at least you want to repay them even with a smooth, hopefully foolproof lie. “Your grandma must be a good cook; I tasted it a bit before and it’s heavenly. Maybe you can pack some of her dishes for me too.”

You nod. “She is. So… This means you in?”

Taehyung nods, with evident doubt still painted across his face. “Maybe. What does this exactly entail?”

“The regular, 1980 primitive relationships? No ass grabbing, no any mention of sexual things, no funny business. This needs to be very, very likable to my parents. You need to show you are the committed type that can only love one person and one person only, fall in love hard or that type of romcom bullshit.”

“Wow, so you are asking me to be the exact opposite of me, then. Did you just roast me, Y/N?” You giggle and nod—Taehyung might be a jerk but he is not a fool. Seeing your mischievous expression, he pinches your cheek with a scrunched lips. “I see. So no ass grabbing, no mention of sexual things and funny business—it’s only when your parents are around, right?”

It’s now your turn to glare. “I’m kidding. I’ll wait until you ask it yourself.” He winks, and you roll your eyes. Same old, fuckboy Taehyung. Will he be able to pull the act off is beyond you. “Anything else? Should I take you from home everyday, or domestic bullshit like that too?”

“Not really, but maybe once or twice per week? We can grab food on the way home if you want to. And Friday or Saturday nights too—but only if you don’t have any party to attend. If you have no worries, i’ll just make up some lies.”

“It’s okay. I’ll take you out on those days.” He nonchalantly nods, like he just did not imply about giving up his parties and fuckboy activities for you. It is quite a surprise—you expect him to immediately refuse everything involving those holy days, and it sends an anonymous feeling right through your heart.

“Beside, it will be just a month right? I’ll be okay missing a party or two.”

You clear your throat, looking down in faint disappointment. What were you thinking, seriously? Did you somehow expect him to sacrifice that much to mere, old you? He is a saint to even want to spend his friday night eating junk food with you rather than partying with those porcelain pretty girls on his side. “Sure.”

Another ten minutes spent just enjoying the silence with other Bee Gees songs playing in the background, and Taehyung breaks the silence. “So, if in case I refuse this. What would you do then?”

You purse your lips in contemplation since you haven’t even thought that far. What if Taehyung refuses? “I don’t know, haven’t thought that far. Ask Hoseok, maybe? He is polite, nice, cute too. My parents would be impressed.”

Taehyung snorts, a hint of dislike palpable across his beautiful features at your mention of his frat buddy, the one you acquainted to. “Wow. Just a few minutes into this fake relationship and you are already comparing your fake boyfriend to someone else. What a nice fake girlfriend you are.”

You fold your arms in front of your chest in irritation. “Hey, I just say what I think is right! You cannot lie that Hoseok indeed looks fine and cute, he is well-mannered too. And the fuck, why are you so self-centered? I am not saying it to make you jealous, you—”

At your last sentence words, Taehyung suddenly hits break, abruptly stopping his Cecil from moving; your head almost strikes the dashboard if it weren’t for his arms holding you still. You are about to curse him, right before you can see the dangerous, cocky smirk formed on his lips, then the alarm inside your head goes off, all words are dead on your tongue.

“A little bit you should know about your fake boyfriend, Y/N. I am very, very territorial. A word of advice? Never test it for yourself.”

So come the first day your plan of faking your relationship in front of your family. It is Monday morning, both you and Taehyung have an 8am class. Regardless of the inconvenient of waking up, it is simultaneously the perfect time to fake those lovey dovey teeth-rotting routines in front of your parents and quickly excuse yourself with attending an early class as a reason. So that’s how you force yourself up a half an hour earlier than usual—since you always woke up at 7.30 for an 8 am class—put an effort to present yourself better. You know your mother wakes up early every morning, so you purposefully blow your hair with your loud ass hair dryer to invite her in and ask why the hell are slobs like you doing up so loud at 6am in the morning.

“Nothing, Taehyung is actually picking me up this morning, so I just.. I just want to prepare early.” You fake a shy smile, and that’s how your irritated mother goes 180 degree changes and help you decide on what you should wear—a blue sundress that sits on your knees, along with a matching navy dress shoes, which is kinda unlike you—who the fuck masochist enough to wear makeup and dress for an 8am Monday class?

And you are fidgeting on your dining room seat now, counting the seconds for Taehyung to appear and finally take you out from this hell hole called your house—your mother can’t stop gushing about you being picked up by your handsome new boyfriend. He should be here anytime now, is it possible that he bails on you the second he really needs to execute the plan?

Few minutes go by and you are this close to leaving by yourself, and the familiar car engine sound is heard and you instinctively look out the window. It’s Cecil—god, you are even addressing Taehyung’s dead stuff with names too now—parked in front of your lawn, you can hardly believe it really is him. You swiftly stand up, hearts pounding a bit with your mind turning hazy. You are seriously going to do this—you are faking a relationship with Taehyung. The Kim Taehyung. You are seriously fucked.

“It’s your boyfriend! Invite him in for breakfast, Y/N!” Your mother giggles, and you answer with a wholehearted shake of head, internally cringing of the image. You are a genius for thinking every possible risk beforehand.

“No, mom. We have an 8am. I packed lunch too, we are going to eat it later, it’s okay.” You answer her hastily, securing your bag on your shoulder before walking out to open the gate for him. You can feel the cold sweat perspiring—there is no doubt your relatives are now scrutinizing every movement of your being. At the thought of being caught, you can’t even breathe normally, too wasteful of the air around you.

Yet when you open the gate and see Taehyung on the other side, smiling warmly at you, your heart literally skips a beat. You cannot believe it is really him, wearing a flannel shirt and black jeans, a bucket of purple rose on his hand. His black gleaming hair is neatly styled sideways, displaying a hint of his forehead. He simply looks… breathtaking. Is it really him, standing in front of you right now? Are you hallucinating?

“Good morning. You look beautiful today.” He greets with a compliment you never thought you will ever hear coming from him—or anyone the first thing in the morning, along with a charming smile that somehow brighten your vision.

“Thank.. you? And good morning to you too..” You whisper breathlessly, still in haze of the fact that he is here, standing in front of you.

“I brought you flowers.” He says, handing over the flowers to you. You receive it with vivid hesitation, looking down in shock while he continues, still with the same smile. “Should I hug you now?”

“W-what?”

But before you can even respond, Taehyung quickly holds you by the waist, pulling you close inside his arm, resting his chin on your shoulder. Your head is literally spinning—the warmth radiating from his body resulting in a strange emotion, but it was gone before you can even realize. “Let’s greet your parents, and then we can go? Are you okay with that?”

Still in a daze, you are only able to muster a nod as an answer. Taehyung just now, this is not the Taehyung you remember—the despicable fuckboy that doesn’t give a shit about anything and anyone, and is always looking only for short fun and severely allergic to any sort of attachment. And those eyes looking out for you and those acts he put up, you don’t know it’s just you or there is literally something so deep about it. Like he is not doing this just for charity and help you—but because somehow he really wants to. Are you that delusional?

So after saying goodbye to your parents still with not much words coming out from you—Taehyung mostly does the small talks and excuses for the both of you, you are now seated inside his car. “Hey. Are you okay? Did I do something wrong?” He suddenly asks, gazing intently at you with mild concern on his face. “I mean.. you are kinda silent. Is there—“

You are quick to rebut. “Nothing! Nothing’s wrong, I am just.. shocked. That’s all.”

He raised his left eyebrow. “Why?”

“I mean—I mostly did not expect you’d be this dedicated. You wear flannels, jeans, style your hair nicely when I know the most decent thing you wore could be your celine overpriced shirt and loose trousers. You even bought flowers! How can I not be shocked?” You nearly yell in defense, and Taehyung smiles at your amusing reaction.

“What can I say? I am a very, very dedicated person in whatever I do.” He cockily responds, and you scoff.

“Pssh—Tell that to your studies.”

He gasps in shock at your insult. “I get results! And I don’t wanna brag, but I literally watched three rom coms yesterday just to get into character. You have to applaud me for my effort.”

You peer at him—like all the changes he did isn’t weird enough. “Why?”

“Just because. This is the stepping stone of my acting gigs, I might offer fake boyfriend service after this. I really need to buy those McDonalds nuggets again.” You sigh, remembering a few days ago when Taehyung tasted your nuggets—not an euphemism—for the first time and literally ordered another five portions just for himself. Well, not like he can’t easily buy shares of McDonalds if he wants to.

Five minutes in silence, before Taehyung carefully brushes your arm with his own, somehow affectionately. “Regardless of this being faked whatsoever, I really do think you look beautiful today. You always look beautiful—but that dress outstandingly looks good on you.” He breathily compliments with a shy smile. You literally were expecting that flirty, mischievous eyes glint your way, so you can disregard it easily with Taehyung being a horny dog, but all you can detect from him is sincerity and you are silenced. It was like he wasn’t complimenting you just because of anything, other than his own will. And you do not know how to reply—you are not mentally prepared for that kind of sincere reaction coming from that renowned fuckboy.

“All jokes aside—I really think we pulled it off.” He giggles in delight. “You got nothing to worry about, sweetheart. I positively think they are charmed.”

A little voice inside you tells you that your parents are not the only one charmed, but you forcefully bury the thoughts away, throwing your gaze outside the window.

Few days passed without a hitch, and you can proudly proclaim everything went smoothly. Taehyung did offer to pick you up every morning, but it did not even make sense with your different schedules and the fact that he literally lives inside the university area with his frat. During those five days, you could easily reason with your parents about Taehyung’s whereabouts, saying he is busy but you explain that you meet him everyday for lunch. You are not fully lying though—you always deliver the food you promised, but whenever you do, you give it in a secluded area, and quickly leave as not to be catched by anyone.

It’s not that Taehyung really asks to keep it under the table—but you just assume that it would be really awkward for the both of you if you were to be caught by someone. You know how fast the news would travel, saying that your college resident's most favorite fuckboy—especially after Jeon Jungkook's retirement—has a complicated relationship with a very plain girl such as you. It would be a shame for him, and you don’t really need another reminder about how undeserving you are to par with him.

Friday night it is, and you have been held hostage since afternoon until now, exactly 11pm by the team task paper you will be submitting Monday, along with Jinyoung who is your teammate and shares the class with you. Library closes at 6pm, so both of you continue on it, working alongside on the desk outside the library. Regardless of the short time knowing each other, you are glad to be partnered up with him—he is very thoughtful, smart, kind and easy to talk to. You are most definitely not complaining.

“We did it. I can’t believe we did it.” You whispers, faking sobs about how glad you are while typing soundly the last paragraph on your paper. Jinyoung chuckles, having a deep breath of gladness that everything has finally come to an end. It was clear that he has something on his mind—could probably due to the fact that his phone has been blowing up for the hundredth time already just in a span of an hour. You are surprised he even stayed this long—his part is already completed two hours ago yet he still insists that the call is nothing important, and he’d be okay helping you with the part you completely need help on, no matter how many times you ask him you’d be doing fine on your own.

Your phone suddenly rings, signaling an incoming message, so you check it with a quick glance. It was from Taehyung—but then you roll your eyes and continue whatever you were doing with no further thoughts whatsoever.

From : Taehyung

Hey, where are you? Come to the frat house, we are having a party babe xx

“So, where are you heading to? It’s Friday night, are you going out? Or to a party?” You nonchalantly ask, closing your laptop while gathering your things. He nods, typing something on his phone and gives you a short smile.

“Yup. My girlfriend has been asking for awhile.” He says like it’s nothing, and your jaw nearly drops. It’s his girlfriend, calling him like there’s no tomorrow? And he just ignored her for the sake of doing a task with you? Talk about dedication to education—but you suddenly feel the overwhelming guilt. It’s not like you can’t do it tomorrow, but you are a perfectionist and just prefer anything to be completed asap before your over-glorified weekend.

“You should’ve told me! I would be totally okay if you left first, there is no biggie. Besides, there is still time tomorrow to do it.” You desperately explain where you are coming. Jinyoung is kind, but it was unnecessary. “Now I feel guilty.”

“It’s no biggies! I do agree with you, I don’t want to hold it until yesterday. I also have something important I have to do.” Jinyoung assures, but you still feel not good about taking his Friday night out with the girlfriend for your silly ambition. “I.. I kinda have something in my mind. I know we just met—but do you wanna hear me out?”

You easily agree, and Jinyoung vigorously reaches out for something inside his pocket, and shows a red velveteen, small rectangular box. The gasp was inevitable—never in a million years would you ever guess it would be that. “Is.. is this an engagement ring?”

“Yes! Yes. I am going to propose to my girlfriend tomorrow.” He says, eyes sparkling with excitement and nerves. Seeing how sincere he is brought a lump in your throat. “I know it is early—everyone tells me I’m too young and whatever. But I’ve been with her since we were in middle school, and I just don’t think I want to be with anyone else. I am not usually that naive, courageous person to begin with, but I have never been more sure about anything like this.” He whispers, an evident edge is heard on his last word. “I.. I just want you to give me another perspective. Or not—if you are uncomfortable, but I just.. I am just curious. What do you think?”

“Wow. That’s a lot to process.” You whisper with a nervous chuckle. You don’t even know what you are thinking—too much is happening inside your mind and you have a hard time to process and make out something of it. “I think it’s amazing. And you know this girl for a longtime now, it’s a very beautiful thing and… I think you should go for it.”

“Really? You think so?” Jinyoung asks, kind of not believing his own hearing. “You are actually the first one to support me. Not even my parents do.”

“I think the world has been too skeptical of love.” You whisper, the lump is getting evident and it is hard to even speak. “I know that there may be a hundred case of failed relationships out there—and people tend to assume everything will follow those majority cases. Even those pessimistic minds could even lead to more failure, you know? There’s nothing good that comes out with anyone tends to overthink so many things.”

“But anyone still cannot deny the fact that there are two happy relationships that go against those hundreds. The chance might be small, but there still is. And if those years together makes you willing to put everything on the line and take the chance, I think you should propose..” One thing that you are sure of is that each word said you are no longer talking to Jinyoung, but yourself. It is to address your recent trait, about how sceptical you have been about having a real, sincere relationship with someone and always settle for less or good enough.

Well it's true. You heard and experienced these people around you, all the struggles, ruined relationships, especially the obnoxious men you had relationships with, have made you greatly cryptic of ever finding a love that lasts. You never thought it would be that hard to face one cold truth—maybe it’s you that really needs to start finding it with the ones that have the chance to have that with you. Instead of spending it for someone that only is looking for short fun, using you only for your body and leaving the moment he’s had enough.

“Thank you for that.” He mutters, the eyes filled with emotions yet his face lightens after hearing your encouraging words. “Exactly what I need to hear.”

Both of you are now standing on the busy street. “You wanna go home? Let me take you back.” Jinyoung kindly offers, and you couldn’t even hold back the snicker.

“It’s okay. Your soon-to-be wife is waiting.” You mum with a wide smile, even with a hint of sadness that you cannot suppress. You reach out to squeeze him in a short hug. “Good luck, Jinyoung. Wishing the best for you and her.”

After saying goodbye, you walk in the opposite directions of him, wandering with no exact destination. You don’t know what exactly happened to your lively mood, now completely blue and somber. What is it that makes you feel like you are now at the lowest point of your life? Is it possible that you just realized how far you have strayed from the person you wish to be, and now you are desperate to do something and rearrange your life back to the way it should be?

It’s quite depressing to know that there is the ideal life you have been planning and craving for a long time now, but one day you wake up and find you are heading the complete opposite direction and already strayed too far.

Your phone is ringing again, and you can just know it is Taehyung on the other side. He could be the last person you want to see now, but you are desperate to just answer and make him stop. You are most definitely not in the mood to talk with his annoying, pesky ass.

“Taehyung—”

“Y/N, where are you?! I asked your mother since you are not replying and she told me you haven’t come back home.” He shouts in discernible concern and worry with a faint music beat heard in the background—he must be still at the party, since 12am is still too early for these people to head back home, on the way of bad drunken state to the point of throwing up on the streets. If that so, why would he still be contacting you now ever since hours ago? If you are an idiot, you would let yourself believe he really is worried about you. And since when is he on talking basis with your mother? “Why are you not answering, Y/N?! Are you—”

“No, I am not.” You answer tiredly, knowing precisely that he is referring to Jisung’s place. You don’t want to debate him, all you want at the moment to be is alone and cry to your heart content. “I am just.. here. I am going home now, no worries.”

A good minute of silence. “Ah, you’re going home. Okay, good.” He still hesitates. “Text me when you are home.”

“I will. Bye, Taehyung.”

You are about to press the red button on your phone when the booming voice of him is heard. “No! Wait. This party is boring, I wanna leave. Let me take you home.”

“Taehyung, I am in no way in the mood of dealing with your shit right now.” You curtly sigh, massaging your temple in distress. This persistent boy is surely a pain in the ass. “Talk to me tomorrow.”

Taehyung suddenly lowers his voice to the point of whispering, could probably detect how out of the character you are right now. “Hey, are you okay, sweetheart? You sound sad.”

You are about to say you’re okay, but your head is too heavy with emotions and even lying about being okay stress you out. “I am not. I am not fucking okay. I could arguably be at the worst point of my life. So can you leave me alone?”

“I know where you are. Stay there, I am coming.”

You don’t even know why, or how, or when Taehyung is coming, yet you obliged to his request. Because you don’t know what else to do, or where to go, and even believing in his almost unbelievable request seems appealing to you right now. All because you want to know if he’ll come through or not. That’s how you settle on sitting in front of a closed ice cream shop, holding your legs closer to your chest, your mind wandering to the things you can’t even point out.

Yet against all odds, in just ten minutes of waiting you can detect the black Audi stopping on the side of the street, with Taehyung walking out of it and on your way. You quickly stand up, erasing the remnants of tears on both your sticky cheeks before Taehyung crushes to you, engulfing you inside his arms. His palms caressing the top of your hair, nose buried in your hair, all for you can somehow feel better.

“Why are you sad, Y/N? Something bad happened?” He questions slowly and carefully.

“Yup. Life happened.” You nod, your finger hesitantly intending to reciprocate his hug but you refrain to doing so. There is no good in doing that anymore, especially now. “Everything just.. sucks.”

Taehyung giggles breathily at your sentence, ironically finding mirth in your words. His two thumbs at the either side of your eyes, wiping the leftover tears. “Isn’t that my daily thoughts. Let me take you home, and we can talk on the way?”

On the way to his car, Taehyung securely places his arm around you, squeezing you close to his side before opening the door for you. And before the car is about to move, he ensures your seat belt is strapped and secured well, while all you can do is to stare at him, wondering what the hell is he thinking for doing all these way-over-affectionate acts to you with no surveillance of your parents.

The words that are directed to ask about the fuck did he mean with all these things are already in the tip of your tongue, but you decide against it. It would be very awkward and presumptuous for you to assume that someone who is literally allergic to relationships is doing that because he has certain feelings for you. Or maybe because you are too scared to find out and get hurt in the end.

“How did you know I’m here?” You question aloofly and he smile.

“Besides being a genius with such great sense? Yup, I heard the ice cream shop advertisement songs when I called you.” He proudly sing-songs like it’s his proudest achievement. You snort, realizing that you indeed a dumb.

“So, what did you do before? I thought you had something to work on.” He casually asks while stealing glances at you, noting your deep silence. “Did you finish your paper?”

“Yeah.” You simply nod, trying to focus on anything else other than looking sideways, to him. “You? Got bored at the party? No girls interesting enough to fuck tonight?”

Taehyung hums in grief, and the coldness washing over your heart is greatly detectable. “Yup. The drink is so-so, the music is boring, the people are boring. You’d start thinking that this party is just too repetitive, you know?” You think you sincerely wished the bitterness on your tone were undetectable, but the fact that Taehyung is utterly insensitive by your sarcastic question bothers you a lot. God, you are such a mess. “So, now that your paper is done, are you busy? We can talk. Or go somewhere else you’d like?”

You look at him, finding the flirty, mischievous smile plastered on his face, but it only adds the feeling of nausea inside your chest. “Do you know Jinyoung? I think he is from engineering too.”

Taehyung nods, a tad bit surprised at your sudden change of topic, yet you continue. “He is my task mate for this paper. And wow… I am really amazed at him.”

“Amazed? Why?”

“So he told me he will propose to his girlfriend tomorrow.” You explain, trying to sound nonchalant. “It’s just amazing, I think. How can someone be sure to marry someone else at such an early age, that he will stay true to just one person and one person only for the rest of his life?”

“What—Seriously? There is still people as naive as that?” Taehyung snickers, and you could feel your heart drop at his vivid disdain at the mention of serious relationship. “Come on, it's the 21st century. People really think anyone can be chained into a monogamous relationship for the rest of their lives? Grow up.”

“He has been in a relationship with her since middle school.”

Taehyung’s eyes are wide as saucers. “And still wanna go through with that? I can see why you said it’s amazing, Y/N.”

“I think alike too.” You curtly sneer, folding your arm on your chest. “He asked me what I thought about it and I encouraged him to go ahead and propose. And do you wanna know why I am sad? Because I’m jealous, Taehyung. Along the way, I have turned too skeptical of love and started losing faith that I’ll have someone like that too. Too tired of actually thinking about who I should date and instead settle for undeserving men. I hate it.”

“Y/N, trust me. I know how men think, especially all these boys. It’s easy to think you can tie them up into a relationship, but it’s like.. a timer, waiting to blow off.” Taehyung stubbornly explains like love is a disease—just the way you expect him to. “It’s like you are waiting for the heartbreak. Please don’t be naive like that.”

“So what if I try and I fail?” The frustration is clear in your tone, irritated that Taehyung exactly sounds like a parent telling their kid Santa doesn’t exist. “That doesn’t mean I’m naive. At least I’m a step closer to finding sincere love, not like you fuckboys that are allergic to have a mutual love and respectful relationship.”

“Y/N, when you are a child of divorce, it is hard to believe that love does exist.” Taehyung intently stares at you, before letting go the breath he has been holding. “It’s not entirely impossible, I know there are some happy marriages too. But how can you guarantee you’re that lucky 1% with the compassionate, dreamy, lovey dovey monogamous relationship you have been worshipping about? It’s unrealistic—and doesn’t make sense.”

“But how can I know if I don’t try?!” You ruffle your hair in frustration, face reddening in anger. “I’d rather try and fail rather than not do anything at all. But you know what? I have no one to blame but myself. I am the one thinking that I might find love in college, filled with pubescent fuckboys. You are right, Taehyung. I should have known in the first place. I have to avoid you—exactly boys like you.”

Taehyung reaches out to you with his right hand, sadness and panic coloring his face. “Hey—hey. I am sorry, Y/N. Please, please don’t be like this. I overstepped it, I know. I—you’ll find it. You’ll love someone that truly loves you too. Don’t be like this, okay? I am sorry.”

Realizing that you have not replied since the fight occurred few minutes ago, Taehyung stops his car on the side of the street, just a few metres from your house. He is now facing you, holding your hand while brushing it against his thumb in regret.

“I am sorry. I was wrong, it... it wasn’t my place to be judgmental about your life choices.” Taehyung is quick to apologize, his large eyes showing nothing but genuineness. “I am just.. Sad. I am sad. You know why Y/N?”

You still are not looking at him, but he continues, even with constricted throat. He is too desperate. “Because I care about you. Seeing you cry, it’s like seeing myself too. I feel awful whenever I see you cry, I think even worse than my own. And the thought of someone breaking your heart? I don’t want to imagine that.” Taehyung whispers, shifting you to face him, eyes locking with a splash of anguish while your heart pounds fast until you can hear it echoes in your ear.

“I have opened myself to you more than anyone else, and I’d like to think you do likewise. I am comfortable talking to you, and for you to talk to me as well. And to imagine that you have someone else that you will go to whenever you are happy, or sad, or in need of a mere hug—it’s just… it’s making me feel lonely and sad.” The smile on his lips is now painted with a hint of sadness, eyes looking down to his lap.

“These few weeks with you.. I feel good. I finally, finally feel good about myself, like I’m not alone again. You make me kind of want to protect myself instead of hurting it. That’s a first.” Taehyung shyly chuckles, scratching his nape. Your eyebrows crinkled. What does he mean by that? He likes you, but only as a friend? Do you even want to find out and voluntarily get hurt?

“I just… Can I be selfish, Y/N? At least until you find someone deserving of all your love and attention?”

Instead of answering, you shut him with softly embracing his lips with your own. It doesn’t even need a mere second for Taehyung to respond, his arms are swift in supporting you by the waist, both your arms are secured around his neck. His lips are warm, fluff, and taste just the way you remember—like honey or great whiskey. The kiss is slow paced, nothing like your previous sexual encounters when both of you are just desperate to reach the ultimate peak, but now? You feel how much he savors every second, trying to make you as comfortable as ever with his gesture. As few seconds go by, his tongue has softly embraces yours, until you are left breathless. You softly tug his hair as he moans to the kiss, drunk with the taste of you.

At that time, you despise thinking. You despise the fact that you feel likewise. Too desperate to have him against you, to hold him close, to feel his lips, and you despise hearing the alarm screaming at the back of your head at how dangerous it is—you simply don’t want to stop. Yes, it is as easy as flipping over a hand to know that against every odd, you like him. You like Taehyung, the renowned fuckboy. And you don’t know when, or why. Maybe that one time he waited for you with no certainty and hugged you when you were having a breakdown. Or that time he listened to your story attentively and gave you an encouraging pat on the back. Or that time he picked you up, held you close, gave you flowers and kindly interacted with your parents. Or maybe all of it. You don’t know.

But then a scary realization enters you. You are just about to do it again—the thing you swear you will avoid with all you might. You settle for less. You are about to settle for Taehyung, this amazing, wonderful man who cares about you more deeply than anyone else, but will never go down that road with you. He doesn’t believe in relationships, he will never settle down and label himself for anyone. And this kiss you are sharing with him? Or the hook-ups you might just be this close of doing? That is literally driving you further inside this anonymous yet strong feeling you have for him. It’s doing you harm, and you desperately need to stop

That’s how you forcefully detach yourself for him, giving a thin, forced smile and mutter your goodbye whilst exiting his car. You quickly run to your house without even once looking back, closing the gate behind you while desperately looking up to avoid the tears from raining down on your cheek.

Yes, at least you tried, and now you know. It’s not Taehyung—it will never be him.

===================

You are correct, there is a second part to this that i’ll hopefully post soon! I really hope you like it, and please leave a message in comment and ask box, it would help a lot! thank you for reading, lovelies~

UPDATED : The Platinum Rules (Finale) : Click Here!

#taehyung #taehyung au #taehyung angst #taehyung fluff #bts au #bts fluff #bts angst #bts fuckboy #taehyung fuckboy #bts fake relationship

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riasei · 5 years ago

Text

Forever

pairing: takami keigo x fem! reader

warnings: slight angst, cursing

word count: 6,015

note: It has been one (1) day, and I am already back. however, I apologize to my sinners, but there is nothing nsfw about this. I am the biggest simp for keigo and when this idea popped in my head I just had to write it out. Fun fact: my psych class got a peek of this because I accidentally closed tabs while sharing my screen during a zoom conference :) I’ve never wanted to die more.

summary: keigo begins acting weird after the two of you attend a friend’s wedding.

°✩❇✩°

The aroma of soft citrus fills the air as you carefully spray some of your perfume at the juncture of your neck. With a delicate whiff, you take in the scent, enjoying the smell of fresh lemon and the tiniest hint of vanilla. Strong arms come up behind you, wrapping around your waist, pressing your back flush against a lean chest.

With a giggle, you paw at the arms. “Keigo, you’re going to wrinkle my dress!” You shout, attempting to pry his figure away from you.

Your stubborn lover nuzzles his face into your neck, his scruff slightly tickling you. “But you smell so fucking good,” He groans. You can feel his teasing grin against your soft skin, his hot breath fanning against you.

“If you keep this up, we’re going to be late.” You warn, a pout etching its way onto your face.

The man breathes in your scent deeply before pulling away from you, his arms giving you one last squeeze to your waist. In the vanity mirror, you can see Keigo smiling at you with complete adoration, his brilliant eyes drinking you in. Your formal dress is your favorite color, and it complements your skin tone beautifully. The outfit doesn’t necessarily hug your figure, but it accentuates you in the best way possible. To Keigo, you look absolutely ethereal.

“Take a picture, it’ll last longer.” You hum, picking up a tube of lip gloss and looking into the mirror as you carefully apply the product.

The blonde chuckles, his playful expression never faltering. “Trust me, I have enough pictures of you to last a lifetime. But, no picture could ever do you justice.” He murmurs.

Delicate pink blossoms on your cheeks, rivaling the blush you applied earlier. “You have the audacity to say that to me while you’re standing there looking like that?”

Keigo tilts his head, bringing his hand up to adjust his suffocating tie, the fabric the same bright vermillion as his wings. His earrings glint in the fluorescents lights of your vanity. “I’m glad you like it, Doll, but this shit is so uncomfortable.” He groans, meeting your gaze in the mirror.

You smile sympathetically, pressing you’re your lips together to blend the gloss on your lips. “It’s only for a few hours, after that, I promise you won’t be in that suit for much longer.” You suggest, raising a brow.

The hero hums, placing a sweet kiss to your temple. “Remind me why we can’t just not show up and instead skip to the good part?”

“Because our friends are getting married and they want us to be there, that’s why.” You deadpan, flicking your boyfriend’s forehead.

He yelps dramatically, pulling away from you and covering his forehead. “Seriously,” You roll your eyes, clicking your tongue. “You call yourself a Pro-Hero?”

Keigo begins to pout, preparing to launch into one of his tangents. However, before he’s able to talk your ear off, his phone begins to ring. He fishes it out of his pocket, staring in surprise at the screen. “Oh! It’s the groom himself.”

The blonde answers the phone cheerily. “Kamui, having second thoughts? If you feel like bolting, I can totally drive the getaway car.”

You nearly facepalm at Keigo’s idiotic greeting but resist the urge in fear of smudging the makeup that took you hours to perfect. Silently, you work on touching-up your hair while your boyfriend speaks on the phone, his tone swiftly changing.

“Alright, calm down. Just talk to me, what’s going on?” He reassures, wings ruffling slightly as he begins to pace around the room.

The room is silent on Keigo’s end for a few moments before Keigo begins yelling into his phone. “Listen, I’m getting pissed off listening to your doubts. You’re really acting like this on the day of your fucking wedding? You should’ve thought of this shit before proposing, dumbass.” He snarls, eyes narrowing.

You immediately turn around, shooting your boyfriend a menacing glare. Being nervous is perfectly normal, especially on such an important day like this. Only when Keigo catches your downcast eyes does he seem to shrink into himself, barely noticing just how harsh his words were.

“Ah, Kamui, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that, don’t listen to a word I just said.” The blonde frantically apologizes, eyes darting around the room.

More silence passes before Keigo speaks once more. “Listen, being anxious is normal, I’m sorry for dismissing you. But I don’t think you have to worry. You’ve told me countless times just how much you love this woman. She’s the one for you.” He soothes, voice starkly different from just moments before.

After several moments, Keigo bids a goodbye before hanging up his phone. He avoids your eyes as you make your way across the room, stalking over to his timid form. “What the hell was that about?” You wonder, poking a finger into his chest.

Keigo shifts uncomfortably under your piercing gaze. “I don’t really know,” He mutters, ashamed. “I guess his doubts just didn’t make much sense to me.”

Your mouth twists into an unfriendly scowl. “I would be just as nervous as him on my wedding day!” You declare confidently. The way Keigo stiffens at the mention of marriage doesn’t go unnoticed by your watchful eye. “He has every right to be anxious. He’s promising his life to someone else today. That’s a huge deal. Cut him some slack, okay?”

You reach a hand up, cupping your lover’s cheek in your hand. He instantly leans into your touch, eyes fluttering shut at the contact. He nods his head meagerly at your request, eyes opening when you press a small kiss to his cheek. Keigo gazes down at you with conflicted eyes, a tsunami of emotions washing over him all at once.

“Is everything alright, Kei?” You question, snapping the man’s attention to you.

His first instinct is to muster up a toothy smile and say some corny joke before musing your hair, confirming that everything is fine. But he doesn’t. You know him too damn well to fall victim to such a lie. Instead, the blonde hangs his head, exhaling slowly. “I don’t know…” He trails off.

Eyes softening, you wrap your arms around his waist, enveloping the man in a comforting embrace. The thought of wrinkling your dress doesn’t even cross your mind. “Do you want to talk about it?” You ask, stroking calming circles at the base of his wings.

“Not right now, Birdie.” He sighs, savoring your touch.

The way you’re so patient with him, never forcing him to talk. The way you are so quickly able to make him feel comforted and loved. The two of you have been together for years, and yet your affection and love never ceases to surprise him. How could someone as perfect as you love a bastard such as himself?

Keigo is the first to pull away, helping you straighten your dress as he separates from you. “Well, if you ever feel like talking about it, I’ll be right here, okay?”

The blonde presses an affectionate kiss at the top of your head. “Okay.”

~~~

Loud cheers erupt through the reception as Keigo makes his way up to Endeavor, asking him for a dance. You desperately wish you had pulled out your phone in time to capture the No. 1 hero’s expression when your boyfriend so seriously extended his hand to him. The poor fiery man looked absolutely horrified and disgusted all at once.

In the end, the two men ended up sharing a very awkward and hilarious dance due to the immense pressure the crowd was putting on Endeavor to accept. As soon as Endeavor took Keigo’s hand, Present Mic, the resident DJ, immediately switched the song to something intimate and slow, which only added to the mortification of the Todoroki.

The two men sway together, awkwardly stepping on one another’s feet. Your boyfriend does his absolute best to annoy the living hell out of his fellow hero, and you have a feeling that the media is going to have a field day with this. Towards the end of the song, Keigo being Keigo, has to go out with a bang. He uses his feathers to lift up Endeavor into the sky before dropping the man, sending him plummeting down to the floor only to be caught in your boyfriend’s arms.

Laughter explodes, no guest is able to contain themselves at the sight of the No. 1 hero being carried bridal style in the arms of the winged-hero Hawks. You have no doubt that someone managed to take a video of the moment, which will most definitely end up on tomorrow’s news.

Endeavor is seething, escaping your boyfriend’s clutches as fast as possible. He gives a loud roar, screaming at Keigo, who dons a shit-eating grin. The red-haired man storms away, heading towards the bar for a much-needed drink.

You can’t contain your giggles as Keigo walks back over to you, slinging an arm around your waist. “Do I have anything to worry about?” You laugh, eyeing the blonde through your peripheral.

His smile widens. “I don’t know… Enji does have quite the ass.”

Playfully, you slap the hero’s arm before leaning up to kiss him. The two of you break away laughing, eyes gleaming under the twinkle lights decorating the venue.

Someone clears their throat, and you look towards the front of the area to see Present Mic speaking into the microphone. “After that beautiful display… it is now time for the bouquet toss! Unmarried ladies, gather round to see just who is going to be getting hitched next!”

You turn, pressing a sweet kiss to Keigo’s jaw before slithering out of his grasp. “That’s my cue,”

The blonde gulps, and his eyes drift to lock onto anything but you. He shifts in his spot a takes his bottom lip in between his teeth, nibbling slightly. You quirk your head and begin to walk back to him, preparing to ask what’s wrong. But, before you have the chance, you’re being whisked away by an eager Mt. Lady.

A small crowd of women gathers together in the middle of the dancefloor, all ready to participate in the bouquet toss. Kamui’s newlywed wife smiles at everyone before turning around, her dress swishing behind her gracefully. With a small count off, the woman throws the bundle of flowers behind her, several poorly wrapped daises flying onto the floor.

Several women dive for the flowers, some going as far as to even push others around. You halfheartedly walk forward, hands outstretched. Just as you’re about to retract your hands, the soaring flowers begin their descent right into your grasp. The sharp thorn of a rose pricks your thumb, but the shock of catching the flowers outweighs the pulsating pain.

A few people gasp, and others cheer when they see you’ve got the bouquet. Some of the women who ended up diving desperately for the flowers groan, offering meaningless congratulations. You giggle at the flowers, searching the crowd for Keigo’s expression.

You find him in the same spot where you left him, expect, his expression isn’t much of what you thought it would be. His eyes are wide, and his crimson wings twitch slightly. From that place you stand, you can see the blonde gulp, his eyes trained on his polished dress shoes. All eyes are trained on the two of you, considering it is widely known that you two have been together for quite some time.

Numerous men go up to your boyfriend and clap him on the shoulder, teasing him by saying he needs to start preparing to propose, alluding to the superstitions behind the bouquet toss. It is widely thought by many that the woman who catches the bride’s bouquet will be the next one to get married. While you don’t necessarily believe this, you can’t help but feel hurt by Keigo’s obvious discomfort. Is the thought of marrying you that repulsive?

Gingerly, you walk over to the blonde, hiding the bouquet at your side. He does his best to smile at you, the corner of his mouth twitching with visible effort. His mouth opens to make a smart comment, but all he can do is stare at you, eyes drifting to the flowers being held tightly in your grasp.

Kamui, the groom from today, walks up to the two of you, not picking up on the palpable tension. He swings an arm around Keigo’s neck and brings the man into a headlock, rubbing a fist against his head. “Look at you! Am I going to need to yell at you like you did to me on your wedding day, Hawks?” He chuckles, eyes glinting with mischief.

Keigo pales. “Uh, I don’t think there will be a need for that.” The blonde manages to choke out.

“Are you sure? Because believe me, I have a lot to say to you.” The groom teases, finally releasing your lover.

The winged man takes a moment to compose himself, readjusting his tie and straightening out his suit jacket. With one final punch to the shoulder, Kamui leaves to mingle with his new in-laws.

You toss the bouquet on the table you and Keigo had been assigned to sit. “Can you believe that?” You wryly laugh. “Some people actually believe we’re gonna get married soon just because I caught those flowers.”

Keigo quirks a brow at you, noticing how off your tone seems. He takes a breath, exhaling deeply before reaching for your hand. Your finger interlace with his, your smooth and delicate hands molding perfectly against his worn and rough ones. Keigo squeezes his hand around yours, instantly providing you with the comfort you didn’t know you needed.

He murmurs your name softly. “I love you so much.”

“I love you too, Keigo.”

~~~

Drops of water trail down from your hair, wetting your shirt and causing the cotton fabric to stick to you uncomfortably. With a groan, you get up and head towards your shared bedroom with Keigo in search of something dry to change into. You’d neglected to dry your hair after showering, and you are now very much regretting that decision.

In the corner of the room lies a stack of laundry that neither of you has worked up the motivation to put away. Languidly, you throw off your shirt and look for another one. In the pile of clothes, there are none of your items, and with one quick glance in the hamper, you realize that you have exhausted your usual sleepwear.

Shrugging, you reach for one of Keigo’s casual shirts and throw it over your form. It’s a plain black tee with a small white design near the breast. It hangs lowly on you, the sleeves slightly too big for your form.

You walk over lazily to flop onto the bed, snuggling under the plush duvet. You whip out your phone and begin to scroll randomly through social media. Meanwhile, your boyfriend is still showering. Typically, the two of you would shower together, but for some odd reason, this time Keigo decided he would conveniently be busy while you were washing up.

An article pops up on your feed, its title relating to Kamui’s wedding. The media sure does work fast, considering the wedding only ended a few hours ago.

Bored, you tap the article with your thumb. As the webpage buffers, the water shuts off in the bathroom, signaling that your boyfriend should be done.

Skimming through the article, you find that it is quite detailed. There must have been someone from the news there, despite the fact that Kamui and his wife were adamant only close friends and family attend.

The article talks about the beautiful ceremony, noting how the groom ended up sobbing while reading his vows. It, of course, also mentions Keigo’s dance with Endeavor, including a video of it taken from someone’s social media. You giggle at the sight, the memory fresh in your mind.

Behind you, Keigo drops into bed, snuggling up to your back. He rests his head in the crook of your shoulder and rests his hands on your waist, looking at your phone with you. Pressing a soft kiss to your bare shoulder where his big t-shirt had fallen from your form, the hero laughs. He sees the video of him and Endeavor playing and sighs contentedly.

As you keep reading through the editorial, now with Keigo reading with you, your breath nearly hitches when you come up to the next section of the article. A huge picture of you holding a bundle of flowers fills the screen. Behind you, Keigo shifts lightly.

Thumb swiping along the screen, you read the text under the unnecessarily huge photo.

UPCOMING HERO WEDDING?

This evening, at the wedding of Pro-Hero Kamui Woods, talks of another upcoming hero wedding have begun. Number 2 Hero Hawks has been in a longtime relationship with his girlfriend for several years, and tonight she was pictured catching the bride’s bouquet, which according to popular superstitions, means the couple will soon be married.

According to inside sources, the couple seemed ecstatic. While there are no videos available, some guests report that our beloved winged-hero expressed great joy at the sight of seeing his partner catching the flowers.

The couple has been together publicly for nearly 4 years now, but some suspect they were together for much longer before actually announcing their relationship. These two love birds have been dating even longer than Kamui and his own bride, which makes some think that a wedding is long overdue. An anonymous source we interviewed after the wedding said Hawks definitely agrees! According to them, Hawks has been on the hunt for a ring for a few months.

Stay tuned and consider subscribing to our newsletter for the best Pro-Hero news.

You snort unattractively after finishing the article. “What the fuck is this supposed to be?”

Keigo doesn’t respond, his grip on your waist faltering. You shut off your phone, placing it on the bed. Turning around, you face the blonde. “Is everything all right?”

He grits his teeth before choking back a grimace. “Yeah, of course. I just hate seeing the media make up shit about us.” He explains, rubbing the back of his neck.

Despite not fully believing the response, you accept it. “Me too,” You roll your eyes. “I can’t imagine how it must be for you, always being in the media’s eyes. I swear, I’d go insane.”

The blonde huffs, his face relaxing, grateful that you aren’t pushing him. “Yeah, it fucking sucks, but I think I’ve gotten used to it over the years. But trust me, I did want to go insane at first.”

You nod your head, stifling a yawn. Keigo smiles at you and reaches out a hand to stroke your hair. “You should go to sleep, Doll.”

You sigh at the soothing feeling of Keigo’s fingers massaging into your scalp. “So should you,”

Pursing his lips, the hero turns his head away. “I would love to, but I have a report I need to finish.” He explains, sitting up in bed.

With a groan, you take the corner of his shirt in your weak fist. “Don’t you always have someone at your agency do that for you? Just come to bed with me.” You whine.

“What are you talking about,” He teases. “I’m an independent man. I always do my own work.”

You hum, eyelids drooping. “Yeah, sure you do.”

Keigo gets up from the bed and comes around to your side, leaning down to press a kiss to your temple. “Goodnight, Birdie.”

Moments later, you slip into a dreamless sleep. Before Keigo can even exit the room, he turns around to look you over, seeing your lips parted with soft breaths and eyes closed shut. He smiles down at you softly before heading into the living room to work on his report.

When you awake the next morning, your boyfriend is already gone at work. There’s a dent in the bed next to you, so you have the comfort of knowing that he didn’t stay up all night, but it makes you uneasy that he left so early. Typically, Keigo will wait for you to wake up before heading into work, and if he’s forced to go in early, he will always send you an explanatory text message.

Except, this morning, you wake up and he’s gone with no message. You don’t want to feel paranoid, especially since this is the first time Keigo has done this, but you can’t help the sinking feeling in your stomach.

Around his break, you shoot your boyfriend a simple message, asking if he’s doing alright. For a few minutes, he simply just reads your text message. It takes a while before he responds with a confirmation that he’s doing just fine, along with a simple apology for not be able to greet you in the morning.

Quickly, you send back a message telling him it’s no problem. Feelings of guilt start to creep up on you as you wonder why you’d been so worried. It’s not like you don’t trust Keigo, but he was acting quite strangely yesterday. Was he mad at you? Is that why he left early?

You shake your head, ridding yourself of your anxious thoughts. No, your boyfriend wouldn’t do that. At the beginning of your relationship, maybe he would’ve, but over the years, you two have learned to communicate seamlessly with each other. If he was upset, he would tell you, He always does, and this time is no different.

Later in the day, you order some food and wait for Keigo to come home. He’s usually a latecomer, considering his job is more demanding than most. At first, you aren’t worried when your boyfriend isn’t home by 7:00. Although that is when he usually arrives, you remain unfazed. It’s quite likely that he just got stuck at the agency.

However, when it reaches 11:00, you start to twitch. Every few minutes, you open your phone to check for new messages, and your leg begins to bounce with anxiety as time continues to pass. Out of genuine concern, you send Keigo another message asking if he’s okay.

Your phone shows that he never even reads it. You then leave a phone call, followed by a very worried voicemail. Did something happen to him? Did he have an encounter with a particularly nasty villain? Just as you’re about to call the front desk of Keigo’s agency, the lock on your front door clicks.

In the blonde walks, his hair in disarray, no doubt from flying. You breathe a sigh of relief at the sight of him. Upon seeing you up, Keigo’s eyes fly open. It is nearly midnight, and you’re usually asleep by now. He rushes towards you.

“Doll, what are you still doing up?” He asks, pressing a hand to your cheek.

“I was worried, you never stay this late without texting me. I thought, I thought that something had happened.” You explain, words slurring together with the overwhelming need for sleep.

Keigo curses himself. “Fuck, I’m sorry. I’m fine, baby, I swear.”

You smile, eyes drooping. “Good, I don’t know what I’d do if something happened.” You managed to mumble, barely comprehensible.

The hero picks you up in his arms and holds you close to his chest as he walks to the bedroom. Carefully he places you in bed, tucking you snuggly under the covers and kissing you goodnight.

When you wake up the next morning, Keigo is gone once more. Although, this time, he’s texted you like he usually does.

This time, when he isn’t home by 10:00, you opt to go to bed without him. Faintly, you remember waking up to him coming home in the early morning, only for him to lull you back to sleep with his soothing voice.

For weeks, it’s the same thing all over again.

Keigo leaves to work before you wake up, stays late at work, and comes home after you’ve gone to sleep. The cycle is brutal, and every time you try to confront your lover about it, he skillfully avoids the question.

Unpleasant thoughts soon invade your mind, plaguing you every second of the day. Is he actually mad at you? Are you not enough anymore? Did Keigo find someone else? At night, you can’t help the tears that leak onto the mattress as you sob, wondering just what you did wrong. There must be a reason for his obscure behavior, and the only connection your brain can make is that you are somehow at fault.

You endure several weeks of avoidance before you work up the courage to confront Keigo.

Instead of going to sleep at your regular time, you stay up, waiting for him in the lounge. A blanket is wrapped tightly around you, comforting you as you wait for your boyfriend.

However, you can’t help but fall asleep as it becomes late. You spent so much energy worrying and stressing over confronting Keigo that you wore yourself out mentally.

Hours later, you awake in bed. It isn’t the time you usually wake up, far from it. The bright light of your phone nearly blinds you as you pick it up to check the time. 3:00am.

Looking next to you, Keigo isn’t in bed. There isn’t even a sign that he tried to rest, the sheets still undisturbed.

Tears threaten to fall from your watering eyes, but before you can begin to cry, you hear a noise coming from the kitchen. Gingerly, you walk out of the bedroom, rubbing sleep away from your bloodshot eyes. Sitting at the kitchen island is Keigo, in his hand an empty glass. Next to him sits a bottle of whiskey.

Immediately, Keigo looks up, having heard your light footsteps. His eyes widen at the sight of you awake at such an ungodly hour.

You sigh at him, taking the seat next to him. You snatch the glass from his hand and pour yourself a drink, downing it in one go. If you’re going to talk to him right now, you’re going to need the liquid courage.

“What’re you doing up?” He croaks out, watching as you gulp down the alcohol.

You laugh dryly. “I could ask you the same thing.”

Uncomfortable silence envelops the two of you.

It’s been weeks since the two of you have seen each other properly and had a decent conversation. Most of your interactions, as of late, have been dull and forced.

Next to you, the blonde shifts in his seat, his wings shuddering slightly. You purse your lips. Is he really that uncomfortable just being around you? The thought makes you want to scream. What the hell happened to the two of you? Where did everything go so unbelievably wrong?

Choking on a sob, you lay the glass down on the table and abruptly rise from your seat. You exit the kitchen and head to the lounge, plopping down onto the couch and burying your hands in your face.

The legs of Keigo’s stool scrape the ground as he pushes back his seat, rising to chase after you. Instantly, he’s at your side, placing a hand on your shoulder, thumb rubbing soothing circle into your exposed skin. You hate how much you nearly tremble at his touch after being denied of it for so long.

Tears stream down your face, rolling down to your chin and staining your nightshirt.

The blonde whispers your name softly. “Hey, what’s wrong,”

You look at him miserably, and immediately Keigo feels bad for asking. He absolutely knows what’s wrong, and he clenches the fist that rests at his side. Of course, he fucking knows why you’re crying. He knows because he’s the reason why.

“Keigo, I-“ You sob, taking a moment to wipe away your tears. “Did I do something wrong?”

Keigo’s heart drops, his own eyes beginning to water. Before he can even begin to express how wrong you are, you continue to talk.

“Do I not make you happy anymore?” You weep, voice breaking. “Is there someone else?”

The hero’s eyes immediately widen, and he grabs your hands, clasping them between his own. “No!” He nearly shouts.

The volume of Keigo’s voice stuns you. “I would never do something like that to you, please, believe me.” He begs, desperation lacing his voice.

You swallow heavily. “Then what is going on, Keigo? You can’t keep me in the dark anymore! I’m sorry, but I need to fucking know.”

Instantly, the blonde’s heart shatters to pieces. For a moment, he can’t even respond to you. The only thing he can manage to squeeze out is a broken, “I love you, so much.”

“You certainly have a way of showing it, then.” You snap back, eyes sharp.

“You’re the love of my life. I love you so much that sometimes it fucking hurts,” He cries, hot tears beginning to well up in his eyes.

The pure desperation and despair lining his voice is heartbreaking. You meet your boyfriend’s eyes to see that he is now crying just as much as you.

Keigo takes a deep breath, trying his best to compose himself. “You are so amazing that sometimes I can’t even believe you exist. You deserve the world and so much more… and I’m afraid that I can’t give that to you. I’m afraid that I can’t give you what you want.”

You shake your head, peering up at the broken man in front of you. “Keigo, what are you talking about? You, you give me more than I could ever ask for, more than I deserve.”

Biting his lip, Keigo turns his head away. “I want to be with you forever. I want to spend the rest of my damned life with you.” He responds firmly, turning back to look you straight in the eyes.

Color flushes to your face, and your heart skips a beat at his declaration.

“But… I can’t marry you.”

His words hit you like a physical blow. They cut deep into you, tearing you up from the inside out.

“What?” Is all you can manage to ask, eyes searching his for any sort of answer.

Keigo takes a hand to run it through his hair. “It’s not just you, I can’t marry anyone. I just fucking can’t, okay? And I’m so fucking sorry that I made you so miserable by avoiding you, but I just couldn’t bear the thought of you leaving me when you found out that I can’t get married.” He admits.

Your breathing starts to slow, as do your tears. “Keigo, what do you mean you can’t get married?”

A loud sob echoes off the walls as your boyfriend folds in on himself. He trembles against you, and you rush to wrap an arm around him. “I just can’t… there’s too much that can go wrong, and the thought of it is more terrifying than any villain I’ve ever faced.”

Tenderly, you brush a strand of blonde hair behind his hair. Shakily, Keigo continues. “My parents were ruthless drunks. They had the most dysfunctional relationship in the goddamn world, and it messed me the fuck up. As a kid, it was so damn confusing to see two people who claimed they loved each other fight and hurt each other, then to have them team up to hurt me.” He trembles, clutching onto you like a lifeline.

“Then, when my amazing parents basically sold me off to the government, I was often cared for by this other family. They were just as bad as my actual parents, if not worse. They bonded over making me miserable, hurting me helped them grow closer. It was fucking disgusting.”

You’ve heard snippets of these stories before, but Keigo would always stop himself before talking about his parents. Now, you understand why. Tears begin to fall from your eyes once more at the thought of the man you love so much being hurt by the people who were supposed to protect him.

“Not to mention, if we were to ever get married, I could never guarantee your safety. The Hero Commission hates our relationship, remember how they threatened you when we started dating? Imagine what they would do if we were to get married…” He trails off, choking back a lump in his throat.

As Keigo takes a few moments to compose himself, you bring your hand up to wipe away his tears, cupping his cheek and pressing a sweet, lingering kiss to his face. This action only seems to break him even more, as your boyfriend begins to whimper, pulling away from you.

He cries out your name in sorrow. “I’m so sorry I avoided you. I just, I didn’t know what I’d do if you left me when you found out.”

You still at his words. “Keigo, I would never leave you, not over something like this.” You explain, stunned as to why he thought you would do so.

“But, at Kamui’s wedding, you seemed so excited when you caught the bouquet, and you even talked about getting married one day.” He recalls, eyes puffy and cheeks streaked with lines of salt.

You take your lip into your mouth. “Yes, I did all of those things. But they don’t matter anymore. Not to me.”

The blonde jerks away from you. “Don’t do that! Don’t you dare sacrifice your happiness and the things you want just for me.” He stresses.

“That’s not what I’m doing at all,” You try to clarify, reaching out to the man again.

Keigo avoids your touch. “Yes, you are. You just said you’ve thought about marriage and now you’re saying it doesn’t matter? Please, save me the heartache and don’t lie.”

Frustration races through your veins at the thought that Keigo thinks you’re lying. “Okay, yes, I have thought about marriage. When I was younger, I used to imagine my wedding. In middle school, I had a Pinterest board for my dream wedding. I admit it!” You raise your voice slightly.

Keigo shrinks back at your tone and words. He almost begins to prepare for the impending, ‘this isn’t going to work out,’ but it never comes.

Instead, you force the blonde to look at you as you continue to speak. “But, even though I did all of that, it doesn’t matter to me anymore. Do you want to know why?” You ask fervently. Keigo nods slowly in response.

“It doesn’t matter anymore because I am with you. I’d be lying if I said I haven’t imagined us getting married, but now that I know it’s not what you want, I don’t care.”

Confusion flashes over your boyfriend’s face, and you recognize it immediately. “What do you mean?”

You smile softly. “I mean that as long as I’m with you, I don’t care what the hell we are. You are the love of my life, and I also want to spend the rest of my life with you. I don’t care if we spend our relationship together married or not, because as long as we are together, it doesn’t matter.”

The hero stills at your words, slowly drinking them in.

“It’s you that I want, not a wedding. I’m perfectly fine being your girlfriend for the rest of our lives as long as you and I are together.” You continue breathily, eyes searching for Keigo’s for any sort of reaction.

A few moments pass as Keigo fully digests what you’ve said. His silence nearly scares you, but all of your worries are washed away when he frantically grabs your face and pulls you into a passionate kiss full of love and fervor.

When Keigo pulls away, he leans his forehead against your, a single tear rolling down his cheek. “Fuck, I don’t deserve you. I love you so fucking much.”

You breathe out a laugh, closing your eyes. “I want to be yours, Keigo. Forever.”

The blonde chuckles against your lips, going in for a chaste kiss. “Forever doesn’t sound too bad.”

#hawks #pro hero hawks #takami keigo #bnha #mha #keigo #takami keigo x reader #hawks x reader #bnha x reader #mha x reader #reader insert #x reader #my hero academia #boke no hero academia #hawks imagine #angst

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userarchive · 5 years ago

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Unexpected Circumstances Ch 8

Warnings: Language A/N: If this fic was to like, be on screen, Alejandro Martinez would be played by Justin Baldoni, like guy’s a perp, but he’s the King of Manhattan, he’s decked out in suits and drinks classy liquor, he’s a fancy man.

Since you and Sonny had come clean there was a lot less tension between you and Amanda, which meant that you were absolutely crushing it at solving cases, Benson was entirely too impressed with the way you worked together. Amanda thankfully didn’t know that you were well aware of her and Sonny’s will they won’t they relationship so there wasn’t any sense of awkwardness. You were quick to help her out one night when Carisi was supposed to help with the girls and cook dinner, she was surprised with not only how much the girls took to you but that your cooking skills were right up on par with your husband’s. A friendship bloomed throughout your partnership and you were happy to know that you had each other’s backs.

You had been at SVU for just over six months when Rollins mentioned she had a sitter ’til later than normal and asked if you wanted to grab a drink, and you enthusiastically agreed, the case you’d been working on was absolutely draining. You had to take the stand that afternoon, coming straight from court, meeting Amanda at the bar. It was early December, your blazer hung over the back of your chair, leaving you clad in a tank top button up and dress skirt, your shield clipped to your waist as you laughed at one of Amanda’s jokes.

“I still don’t know how you managed to stay under that long, I mean, 7 years?” Amanda shook her head in disbelief,

“Honestly, when I look back on it, it does seem completely insane. It was a lifetime ago I first went under, but it was easier than I thought. We just kept getting busted by the wrong unit, or missing one of the key players,” You rolled your eyes, “The six month breaks were nice at least, kept me grounded.” You took a swig of your cider, “And when it comes to these sex rings, I mean, you have to gain trust, you have to really be deep into it before anyone gives you any information, you give up a lot of your life to do these ops, be happy you never had to.” You stared across the open space of the bar, chugging the last of your drink, signalling to the bartender that you needed another one.

“You ever get caught up in anything bad?” The blonde questioned,

“God no,” You shivered as a gust of wind blew through the room as the door opened. You looked over your shoulder to glance towards the entrance and the goosebumps on your skin were no longer from the cold. “Shit.” You muttered, grabbing your shield, shoving it into Amanda’s hand, “Hide this, and hide yours, please tell me you don’t have your gun.” You eyed your target to her, “Don’t say anything and don’t use my name.” She shoved the shields into her coat pocket, thankful her gun was at home, still having no idea what was going on.

Amanda watched everything about you change, in the span of a few seconds one hand ripped the pins out of your hair so it could cascade over your shoulders while the other swiftly undid two more buttons on your shirt, exposing the curve of your breasts. You shifted slightly, your skirt riding higher up your bare legs, swinging an elbow over the back of your chair, a sly grin present on your lips as you drank in the man approaching you.

Alejandro Martinez, The King of Manhattan. You’d hoped he hadn’t seen you coming out of the courthouse earlier, but you’d managed to keep your cover so far, not to mention at this point he was completely wrapped around your finger. He smiled down at you, stroking the back of his hand over your cheek.

“Chiquita….” He began, “Glad to see you made it out. Didn’t tattle on me I hope.” You laughed, when you spoke your voice was dropped an octave, husking out into the air of the bar.

“Please Papi, you know I can talk my way out of anything. And why would I throw you under the bus when I can flip on anyone of those pervs they arrest?” The man kissed your cheek gently, lingering longer than Amanda would have liked, you smirked up at him. “What’re you doing here? Working?”

“I should ask you the same question Hermosa,” His eyes flicked over to Rollins, you laughed, rolling your eyes.

“I’m having a drink with my friend.”

“You know…I really missed you, Maldives are much more fun when you around,” He signalled the bartender over, asking for a round of tequila shots for the three of you, which you took willingly, “You’re my queen Rosebud, if you don’t want to come back I’ll have to hire O’Rourke.”

“Declan!” You thrust your hands against his chest, Amanda caught your eye, realizing who you were talking about, “Papi, NO, you can’t have him as part of your team!”

“Carino, he took over for Johnny D, are you saying I can’t trust him?” He quirked an eyebrow,

“I’m simply saying that he’s not good to be in business with, that man is bad news.” Your eyes bore up into his, a pout forming on your lips. “You’ll get your Queen back if he’s nowhere near us. I refuse to work with him, he’s violent, he’s an ass, it’s him or me.” Your voice was stern, Amanda was thinking that there was no way she’d be able to handle herself as well as you were, but, you’d been doing UC ops since you were in the academy, it made sense.

“Okay, okay, I’ll get rid of him” He smirked, pulling a card out of his suit pocket to hand to you, “Call me, Chiquita.” Then he motioned to the bartender, calling that he’d cover your tab, “I hope to hear from you soon.” He stroked your cheek gently, “You know where to find me.” Alejandro gave you a cheeky wink before he sauntered his way out of the bar.

Amanda waited until she was certain the door was shut before she turned to you, noticing you were buttoning back up your shirt while your eyes scanned through the rest of the patrons in the bar.

“Wanna explain to me what just happened?” Her voice was hushed, head close to yours as you shot back the rest of your drink.

“Probably exactly what you think just happened.” You’d been a little on edge, looking over your shoulder more the last couple of weeks, you knew he was bound to pop up again and you were damn lucky it hadn’t been while you were on duty.

“Martinez?” You nodded, “So we need to go after him! Arrest the son of a bitch!” You huffed,

“Amanda this is about so much more than just Alejandro! He may be in charge of the ring and hosting the parties but this is about the girls, about the guests, about charging as many people involved as possible while getting the girls to safety! Besides, we don’t have a warrant, we can’t just slap cuffs on him, he’ll end up walking.” You threw on your blazer, grabbing your coat, hand extended out to collect your badge from your partner.

“What’re you doing?”

“Calling Liv, we’ve got to set up an op, and I’ve gotta get prepped, c’mon!” You were halfway across the room before she even realized, jogging to catch up with you. Outside and once you’d hung up the phone, starting to hail a cab, Amanda spoke again,

“Hey..that comment about Declan…that true, or just ‘cause you don’t want another cop around?” When you turned to her she was surprised to see the expression on your face, your eyes softened,

“Manda…it’s true, he’s been under so long he got swept up in it all, he’s no longer under, he’s just fucking dirty.” You gave her a hand a sympathy squeeze, “I’m really sorry..” You gave her another sympathetic look as you pulled the door to your cab open, “If he’s on the certificate I’d highly recommend appealing it…” You were gone before she could even process the information, how in the hell did you know about Jessie’s dad?!

***

The call with Benson had been quick, she knew you knew way more about the situation than she did, and understood that you knew what you were doing. She told you to get ready to go back under in two days time, and bring her everything you had to her the following morning. You knew you needed to get home, but this time, you had a stop to make first… You and Sonny were still in the process of moving in together, he couldn’t exactly bail on his lease without consequences, but he knew you were going out with Rollins that night, and had returned to his place to continue to pack up his things.

Sonny padded over to his apartment door as the knocking grew more insistent, pulling open the door he was surprised to find you on the other side.

“Soph? I thought you were out with Rollins tonight?”

“I was…can I come in?”

“Yeah, course.” He moved back to let you into the entrance, closing the door behind you, “Everythin’ okay?” You sighed,

“Martinez showed up.” Sonny face scrunched,

“Like, on the radar?”

“No. At the bar where Amanda and I were.”

“Did your cover get blown?”

“No, but Sonny, I’m going back under on Thursday…figured I could give you a fair warning this time.” You noticed the way his face fell, “I’m sorry…” His lanky arms reached out to you, tugging you into a tight hug as he kissed your head.

“Doll, don’t be. Timing sucks but ya’ve gotta do your job. We knew this would happen.” He pulled away slightly, looking down at you with the most adorable puppy dog eyes he could muster, “Can you stay?”

“No..” You breathed out, “I’ve got to get a case file ready for Benson and start getting things packed.” You huffed when he pouted in response, rolling your eyes at him, “Grab a change of clothes, you can come to my place.” Sonny was gleeful at that, neither of you had any idea how long you’d end up being undercover, you could never really tell with things like this, and the last thing he wanted was to spend your remaining days on the surface separated.

#law and order #law and order svu #law and order special victims unit #sonny carisi #sonny carisi x reader #sonny carisi series #sonny carisi one shot #sonny carisi drabble #sonny carisi relationship #amanda rollins #amanda rollins x reader #amanda rollins x parter!reader #undercover #undercover op #svu undercover #law and order fanfiction

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chaptersinprogress · 5 years ago

Text

it ain’t a lie if it’s now true

Tew's mouth fell open. Wad stared at Kongpob as if he'd grown another head. Oak promptly fell off his chair while Aim knocked his drink onto his lap.

"What the fucking fuck?" said Wad incredulously.

Rating: T

Warnings: swearing

Pairings: Arthit/Kongpob

Prompt: ‘my new romance-obsessed friend asked me who my last date was with and i was too embarrassed to say i’ve never been on a date so i blurted your name and it turns out they know you’ au - by @mraculous

"Kong, when was the last time you've gone on a date?" asked Oak, after downing a shot.

Aim perked up, head lifting from the glass of alcohol he'd been staring into. Now this was something he wanted to know too. For all the confessions he'd seen his best friend receive since high school, he'd never heard anything about him going out with one of them. Well… from the person himself that was. Plenty of rumors of all the fantastic dates he'd taken girls out on made their way around the campus. As expected from the Campus Moon.

Kongpob, however, didn't seem all too happy about the turn the conversation had taken. "Why, Oak? Are you interested?" he deflected with a teasing smirk. "We just met less than half an hour ago, and you're already making moves."

Oak flushed from a combination of both embarrassment and alcohol. "Hell no! You're good-looking, but I don't swing your way. Come on, you're the Campus Moon. People are falling over themselves to go out with you. Give us the deets. We wanna know which lovely Star has caught the eye of the Moon."

"We have heard a lot about it," said Tew apologetically. "We're all curious, and it's a harmless question."

Kongpob sighed and raised an eyebrow. "And if I happened to swing both ways?" he asked challengingly.

Wad snorted, "So what?"

All the others nodded their heads. Why should the gender of the person Kongpob loved matter? It was his business who he decided to take to bed. They were only interested in finding out so that they knew who to tease the lone economics student about. Or help set him up with.

From the unwavering stares of the engineering students around him, it was clear that Kongpob wasn't going to be able to wiggle out of answering the question. But there was just one problem - he'd never actually gone out on a date with anyone. Those rumors were exactly that: rumors.

Except, if he told them the truth, they'd most likely keep attempting to set him up with someone. And that was the last thing he needed. He received enough propositions on his own already; he didn't need his new friends adding onto that.

Aim prodded him out of his thoughts. "So, who did you last go on a date with?"

Kongpob blanked. "Uh… erm…" How on Earth was he going to get out of this?! His eyes fell on the stack of papers beside him, and he immediately recalled the helpful senior in a crimson workshop jacket.

"P'Arthit!" he almost shouted.

All his friends stiffened immediately, Oak and Aim almost jumping out of their seats, as they hastily searched for the person whose name had been called. When their frantic head-turning failed to reveal him anywhere near them, the freshies let out sighs of relief.

"What the hell, Kong?!" Aim shouted, whacking Kongpob solidly in the side. "Are you trying to give us all heart-attacks?"

Kongpob winced and rubbed his bruised ribs. "What was that for?" he complained. "I just answered your question."

Tew's mouth fell open. Wad stared at Kongpob as if he'd grown another head. Oak promptly fell off his chair while Aim knocked his drink onto his lap.

"What the fucking fuck?" said Wad incredulously.

Kongpob stared at them in confusion. "Why are you guys acting as if the world is ending?"

Oak pointed a trembling finger at him. "That's because you just said that you went on a date with P'Arthit!"

"So?" he asked, still not getting it.

"Kong… Kong, P'Arthit is the head hazer I've been telling you about all this time," said Aim, finally finding his voice.

Kongpob's eyes widened. Shit. 'Abort! Abort!' his mind screamed at him.

"Uh… Y'know what, I gotta go," he stammered. Scrambling to collect his stuff, he threw a couple of bills on the table to cover his share of the tab and raced out of the bar like a bat out of hell. Leaving a couple of shell-shocked engineering freshmen behind him.

And while Kongpob might have nursed the fragile hope that everyone would dismiss his statement as a collective fever dream, he soon found himself sorely disappointed. Because by the next afternoon, the news had spread around the campus like wildfire.

On the bright side, he was no longer being stalked or confessed to. Because no one, absolutely no one, wanted to bring the wrath of the fearsome engineering head hazer on top of them for daring to proposition his supposed boyfriend, ex or otherwise.

On the down-side, Kongpob was now constantly watching his back and sleeping with one eye open. Waiting for the inevitable confrontation. Because while Kongpob's friends might be pretty accepting; from what he'd heard about the engineering hazing so far, the hazers were very, very cishet. And they didn't seem to be the type to take the insinuation that one of them, especially the head hazer, might be "gay" lying down.

All too soon, Karma seemed to catch-up with him. Kongpob stared at the text which remained unchanging on his screen.

A: Kong, found ur bk whr u left it in the lib. It's in my locker, pwd 0097. Ps, mae wants u 2 come 4 dinner nxt wknd.

He bit his lip. After all he'd done to avoid the engineering campus like the plague, he'd still have to walk into the lion's den?

K: U sure u can't just pass it 2 me?

A: Got a grp proj til l8. Can't pass it 2 u anytime soon.

He groaned. No way around it. It was either he enter the gladiator's pit to retrieve his textbook, or fail the quiz tomorrow. There was really only one option. He just hoped that he wouldn't get beaten up. Steeling himself, he strode determinedly into the Engineering campus to get his book.

He let out a sigh of relief when he managed to make his way to Aim's locker unmolested. Step 1 completed. Retrieving his book from inside, he slammed the door shut and locked it. Step 2 completed. If he could make it back without running into any of the seniors, he'd be home free. But he had taken no more than 3 steps down the corridor when his luck finally ran out.

"Hey, isn't that your faen Ai'Arthit?" came a loud voice from behind him. "Oi, Moon, wait up!"

A familiar voice responded. "Ai'Bright, shut the hell up!"

Shit. Kongpob froze for a second before continuing forward as if he had not heard the seniors. Maybe he could get away if he -

"Nong, we know you heard us so turn around and greet your seniors properly!" called a different harsh voice.

'Uh oh… busted…' sang a cheerful little part of his brain. Kongpob squashed it mercilessly and slowly turned around to meet his doom. He fixed a pained smile on his face and gave the approaching seniors a polite wai.

"Oooh, the Campus Moon is as gorgeous in person as he is in pictures! Ai'Arthit, if you hadn't snatched him away, I would've loved to have him for myself!" cooed one of them. "I'm Toota by the way. That annoying loud one there is Bright-"

"Oi!"

"The scary one is Prem and the muscly one is Knot," Toota carried on. "And of course, you know Arthit," he added with a smirk.

"Sawadee khrap P's. I'm Kongpob, Faculty of Economics," he greeted the seniors warily.

They didn't seem inclined to beat him up, certainly not after taking the trouble to identify themselves, so maybe he'd manage to get out of this relatively unscathed. Recalling Aim's complaints about the various punishments the freshman had undergone, he swiftly revised that opinion - at the very least, with his bones still intact.

Knot cocked his head as he studied the junior. "Ai'Toota's right, Ai’Arthit. At least you have good taste in men."

Kongpob choked on his own saliva. Arthit, on the other hand, let out a scream of frustration and threw a punch at Knot, who side-stepped it with a laugh.

"I'm going to kill all you fuckers!" the head hazer snarled. "You have 5 seconds to start running before I come after your heads. 5! 4! 3-"

His friends seemed to get that he'd already been pushed to his breaking point and took the out they'd been given, promptly sprinting down the corridor to save their lives.

"And you!" Arthit snapped, spinning back around to face Kongpob.

Kongpob flinched before smiling awkwardly. "Yes?"

The head hazer seemed ready to tear his throat out with his teeth. Oh god, he didn't want to die young! Where was the nice, caring senior who'd helped him collect all the assignments when the wind decided to snatch them off the table a couple of days ago? The one who blushed oh so prettily when Kongpob moved just a little too close into his personal space. How could the angry dragon in front of him be the same guy?!

Arthit sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I apologise for all the trouble my friends have caused, Nong. They've been teasing me the last few days due to the rumors and you being here was too good of an opportunity for them to miss."

"Um… it's alright, P'Arthit. No harm done," Kongpob replied, shifting his weight. 'Well, for now,' he mentally added.

Arthit's face darkened. "If I catch whoever it was who started those rumors I'm going to-" He paused. "What's with that expression?"

Kongpob stared back guiltily at him like a deer caught in the headlights. Confess or deny? As Arthit's frown deepened, a realisation struck Kongpob: with a bit of digging, the engineering freshies would cave, and his role in the mess would come to light.

If he admitted it now, he could possibly plead for mercy instead of having P'Arthit find out later and then disembowel him for lying. Shit. It was either speak now or forever hold his peace (six feet underground, that was).

He fiddled with his textbook cover. "Um… P'Arthit?"

"Yes?"

Kongpob stared at some point over Arthit's shoulder, not daring to meet his eyes. "I might have a tiny part to play in that."

"What? Speak up."

Kongpob gulped before speaking louder. "I said I might be part of the reason why those rumors exist."

And if Kongpob had thought Arthit looked angry earlier, well, now he had to be downright furious.

"You’re the one behind this mess? Do you think this is funny?" Arthit hissed. "Are you mocking me?!"

"What? No!" the words spilled out. "No, of course not! I… ugh… this had nothing to do with you in the first place!"

"Then explain what it is about!"

"My friends were asking me about the last date I'd gone on, but I've never gone on a date before so I just randomly blurted out the first name that came to mind which was yours 'cause I remembered you helping me earlier that afternoon!"

Arthit stared at him incredulously. "You've never been on a date?"

"That was what you got out of everything I said?!"

Arthit's shoulders began to shake. Kongpob eyed him warily. A chuckle escaped the senior, and then it was as if a dam had broken. Kongpob stared at the head hazer who was almost bent over in half, struggling to stop laughing.

Kongpob’s cheeks burned. Now this was precisely why he had lied to his friends in the first place. At the very least, his complexion helped disguise his shame. He pulled together the last shreds of his dignity.

"If you're done, I'll take my leave first," he said frostily.

"Wait, wait, I'm sorry," gasped Arthit, straightening up. "It's just… I didn't expect that at all."

Kongpob remained silent.

"Oh come on, the most popular guy on campus who gets confessed to left and right has never been on a date? Surely you'd find that fact just a little bit funny."

Kongpob's lips thinned at the continued mockery. Arthit walked over to him, grinning, and slung an arm around his shoulder.

"Ok, ok. I'm sorry na… stop looking like that Nong."

He turned his head stubbornly to the side, refusing to even glance at the senior.

"Tell you what, I'll treat you to dinner as an apology."

Kongpob side-eyed the hazer.

"2 meals?"

He narrowed his eyes.

"Fine! A whole day of whatever you want. Now will you stop sulking and forgive this senior?"

Taking the opportunity to turn the tables, Kongpob twisted in Arthit's hold and leaned in, their noses almost brushing. "Are you asking me out on a date, P'Arthit?" he murmured softly.

He bit down on the smirk that threatened to form as he watched the senior's eyes widen - at both the question and their proximity - as that lovely flush his thoughts always wandered away to appeared in reality. Arthit dropped his arm from Kongpob's shoulders as if he'd been burnt and took 2 giant steps away.

"Kongpob!" he shouted, almost shrilly.

"Don't worry P'Arthit, the whole campus already knows about us. There’s no need to be shy."

Arthit’s jaw dropped. Kongpob snickered and began to walk down the corridor back to his dorm. ‘Ah, revenge is certainly sweet,’ he thought. As the senior sputtered behind him, Kongpob threw a final parting shot.

"Pick me up on Saturday, 11am at the dorm entrance, don't be late!"

"KONGPOB!"

Laughing, Kongpob began running as Arthit spat curses after him. Looks like he’d get to go on that date after all.

#chaptersinprogress #sotus #sotus the series #kongpob x arthit #arthit x kongpob #kongarthit #kongpob #arthit #fanfic #fanfiction #fake exes au #it ain't a lie if it's now true #baby we're meant to be #slightly ooc but it's an au so fk it

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rovvboat · 6 years ago

Text

Painted Flaws - Colossus/Piotr Rasputin x villian!Reader

Part 12

A/N: send an ask if you wanna be added to the taglist! Lmk how you feel about this series!

Summary: You’re a villian with a moral grey area. You meet Piotr at an art exhibit, but both of you are there for completely different reasons. Though the attraction was inevitable, will it be enough? A growing passionate love wrought with secrecy, both of you try to move through this maze. But when the ball drops, what will you choose?

word count: 2k

The X-Jet roars over the Lazarus Headquarters – a large metallic building coasting over the side of a preserved mountain range.

NTW leans forward from her seat next to Colossus – as he pilots the X-Jet – and peers over the front glass panel. But before she can say anything, she feels a Deadpool looming over her shoulder.

‘’Wow. Don’t think they have any parking available,’’ Deadpool quips, leaning with a casual arm draped over the top of her seat.

Cable rolls his eyes from his seat.

‘’Wade, please get back and strap yourself on to seat for your own safety,’’ Colossus calmly instructs, eyes never leaving the sight in front of him.

‘’I’d like a different kind of strap, tinman – but that’s only after you buy me dinner. Also, don’t you for a second think I wouldn’t try to fit a cockpit joke in there, because I just want you to know th– ’’

Deadpool’s sentence was cut off as the cabin jerked to the side from a disturbance, sending him hurtling and falling flat against the side of the cabin.

As he rubs the sore part of his head, he notices Colossus snickering from his seat – ‘’You fucking did that on purpose!’’

‘’It is cloudy day. Turbulence was inevitable, Wade. I told you to wear belt.’’

Cable titters as he looks ahead at Colossus, ‘’Didn’t know you had it in you, Colossus. Good job.’’

NTW laughs heartily at the sight, ‘’That’s some good karma. And anyway, before I was interrupted by doucheface, I think this HQ was probably designed to only be accessible to helicopters. Colossus, you might have to let us off and land somewhere nearby.’’

‘’Yes, very good observation NTW. Soon enough, you too can be Pilot of X-Jet. There was an airbase that I saw not too far from here. I will be there. Please radio me if you need extraction,’’ Colossus directs the team as he adjusts his headset. He flicks the tab on the panel of controls in front of him, releasing the jet’s back door from its’ closed position.

Deadpool cracks his knuckles – and then does the same to his neck – in a showy fashion.

‘’It’s go time, muchachos.’’

‘’Wade! Please wear a para–‘’

And as in Deadpool fashion, he lets himself fall backwards – hurtling down to the Earth without a parachute.

Cable sighs, grabbing an extra parachute from the racks – ‘’I’ll take care of that.’’ – as he makes his jump off the end of the platform.

There was someone waiting to meet them at the landing area, as Cable and Deadpool make their contact to ground. Cable held his face in a disgruntled deadpan look, as Deadpool hung onto his torso with arms and legs wrapped around him.

‘’Are you done?’’

‘’What? I couldn’t get the parachute on.’’

‘’If you don’t get off of me in the next 5 seconds – ‘’ Cable mutters with a low voice, his hand motioning to grab his submachine gun.

‘’Alright! Alright! I’m off now!’’ Deadpool remits as he climbs off of Cable, laboriously slowly.

The person waiting on the landing grounds had been observing the whole tirade, with an incredulous look on their face. Cable ignores the moments of before and gets right to it.

‘’You got what we need?’’

‘’Yeah. I’m sticking my neck out for you. But I don’t give a shit about either the fucking bitch or the boss she works for.’’

A flash of recognition blights Cable’s TO eye.

’’I remember you. You’re the shitface that shot Colossus in the back. The prick from the helicopter.’’

The man chuffs. But Cable’s stare bears into him, cracking his knuckles as he does.

‘’I have some choice words for you, but I won’t count on me using my words.’’ – NTW holds a cautionary arm in front of Cable – and he lets off.

The man remains slack, and holds out the drive between his thumb and index finger.

‘’Everything you need to know is in this thumb drive. Address and real names are encrypted data – but it should be easy enough for you to decode that on your own,’’ the man eyes Cable intensely and before – as Cable reached out to take the drive – in one swift move, flicked the drive and caught it in a fist.

‘’But I need something from you first.’’

NTW walks ahead, just ahead of Cable.

‘’We’re listening.’’

‘’I want out. New name, location, papers. For me and my family. I want to be untraceable within the next 2 days.’’

‘’That should be easy enough. If you aren’t stupid.’’

The man scoffs – ‘’Yeah, and if you aren’t stupid, you wouldn’t antagonize that only lead you’ve had in months. Talk about stupid.’’

NTW rolls her eyes, and Cable steps forward to bring a satisfactory end to the negotiations.

‘’Alright. I’m sure we could arrange for that. Now,’’ he holds his arm out for the drive.

The man seemed to hold back at first, but quickly dropped the drive onto Cable’s open palm.

‘’We will send you your new papers once we’re done. You’re in good hands.’’

The man scoffs again. ‘’I don’t believe in there ever being a good side. You fight only for your own interests. You wouldn’t even be here if not for the information that I got for you.’’

Deadpool yawns and stretches dispassionately, ‘’Yeah, yeah. You’re a hack, we get it. We’ll see you next week, champ.’’

The team turns back, with NTW radioing for Colossus to pick them up.

***

Your phone buzzes with messages from Piotr; asking about your day, if you’ve eaten, if you’re busy. With the amount of time the man sets aside to check up on you, you never would have guessed he was an X-Man.

His replies don’t always come quickly though – sometimes it takes him ages, and he always apologises for it (no matter how much you’ve tried to reassure him that you understood); but it kept in line with his previously claims of being a firefighter.

You grab your phone off the table, hurriedly setting your phone on mute.

You shift your focus back to your computer; eyes still stinging from the hours spent trying to book flights and layovers for D.K.

It would’ve been much easier if you were just booking flights though.

You had hired a few bodyguards (you’ve previously met many of them from working in the field, but few you knew you could absolutely trust) – and they were to help D.K. through his trip and make sure he was safe. Though they all had the condition that they would operate from a distance.

None of them were willing to fend off against your Boss if it meant putting their lives and livelihoods in jeopardy – and you understood that for the most part.

You close your eyes for a minute, letting yourself rest from the demands of the world.

As you lay back against the couch, you envision your sleepy mornings with Piotr – oh how you wished you could be there now; with you starfished on top of him – sometimes clothed, most times not – as his fingers drew slow blissful lines over your back, before running reassuring strokes with slow, long strides of his calloused palms.

Calloused palms which you grew to love, because they were his.

When you looked up at him from your position, he would never fail to give you a smile – with sweet, supple lips that would tell you ‘’I love you’’ a million times if you asked – and would kiss you instead if you didn’t.

Kisses you could never get enough of, because they were his.

The way he would nestle against your neck – strong arms curled up over you – snug and tight and warm against his loving chest

– especially on the nights that were quiet – as if to tell you that he’d hold you close, even if he didn’t need to;

Because he was yours.

You’re jolted back to your empty living room, and into the silent whirring of your laptop.

You push all those thoughts to the back of your mind, as began you typing away on your laptop.

The hours rolled by, uninterrupted – when a sudden urgent knocking sounds at your door.

Your face turned quizzical.

That’s odd… I’m not expecting anyone.

You quickly head over to your room and grab your electric baton.

When you reach your door, you try to put an eye onto the peep hole, but the person on the other end starts knocking aggressively again, making you flinch back. You press your face over the keyhole, and look for who was outside your door so late.

When you realise who it was, you breathe a shaky breath of relief, but your heart rate only picks up from there. Your hands move swiftly to unlock the door and greet your visitor.

‘’Piotr? It’s 3am… What are you doing here so late?’’

‘’I’m sorry, Y/N. You were not responding to your calls… and I grew concerned. I was coming back from work, and thought I could check up on you.’’

Your heart was both elated, and sinking at the same time. You try not to make eye contact with him for too long. Whenever you did, you felt as if he could see right through you.

‘’Yeah, I was just… busy. I was going to call you back.’’

‘’Okay… May I come in?’’

You hesitate, and the uncomfortable look on your face stings at Piotr.

‘’It’s not that I don’t want you here, Piotr – its just that… I’m working on a case right now with a client over the phone. It wouldn’t be professional, and I wouldn’t be able to concentrate.’’

‘’I.. Yes, I understand, myshka…’’ he rubs his neck, trying to hide his embarrassment, ‘’I’m sorry for having interrupted your work… I will wait for when you are free next time.’’

It took all you had to not just pull him closer to you – to show him that he was loved and needed and wanted around.

But the jury doesn’t call for that.

You bite your lip, ‘’okay, get home safely, Piotr.’’

He gives you an awkward nod, before walking away from your door as it shut.

***

The room sits still, waiting for you to make a move as you stand leaning against your bedroom door. Your breathing becomes jagged and heavy as your heart thuds against your chest, and as you do, there's the wetness that escapes your eyes – demanding to burn down your hot cheeks.

You sniff the layers of unease away from your nose, as serious as you can.

Get your priorities straight, Y/N!

There was an ache and an anger and torment brewing in the pit of your stomach, rising and rising as your chest heaved in frustration.

You turn around to bring a closed, fist hard against the door, pounding out your frustrations – hard and unflinching – with gritted teeth as your stinging tears forced your eyes shut.

You wanted to scream. You wanted a release. And you did.

Your groans and sobbing would go unnoticed everyone outside – with the house covered roof to floor with every kind of proofing you could think of;

and in that you found a delinquent sense of security – in the same place you also found the lonely pit sprouting in your chest.

It felt like a daze.

Every person you’ve ever met, taken – lost – killed.

Left.

And those whom you’ve grown to love, were never allowed to be a permanent part of your life.

Your legs grew weak, the hours and thoughts sapping what little energy they had from their muscles – as you lower yourself down, sitting with your back against the door.

There isn’t much left for me. The sooner I let this go, the better for everyone involved.

You head to the bathroom, rinsing your face off – then drying it off with a towel. You face yourself in the mirror; eyes red and swollen.

You abandon the face in the mirror – striding over to your study room, grabbing a pen and paper;

And in that page, you let yourself be free.

You let yourself be seen.

—————————————————————————-

Taglist!

@emma-frxst @chromecutie @fluffymadamina @master-sass-blast@marvelhead17 @onthequill @candle-light-writings @mooleche @starman-thorsus-canos-jock @super-darkcloudstudent

#colossus x reader #colossus imagines #piotr rasputin x reader #Colossus #Piotr Rasputin #deadpool fanfiction #marvel fanfiction #cable imagine #Painted Flaws Part 12

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darkmindsthinktwistedthoughts · 6 years ago

Text

Enter the Kitsune - Prologue pt6

Warnings: Strong language

Masterlist

—

Prologue part 6

Gently encouraged to keep moving through the gate and into the castle proper I felt a little like a small animal being herded. No one was listening to me at all it was frustrating and I really was starting to get angry again.

Back home I managed to maintain two faces easily. I was able to relax and be more myself when I had downtime. Then when I was working, I kept up the very polite, “you say jump I ask how high” customer service attitude not just to survive but because I enjoyed my work and wished to progress further. I had to fit into the unspoken requirements for the job. Which more often than not meant playing the part of matching someone else’s idea on what I was supposed to be

It was a bit pathetic that you still had to fit a general idea of what a female should be in the workplace. You would think that after all the years of achievements to stand as a recognised equal next to a man that we were past acts like this. But in truth even when the laws did change you still got pigeonholed by someone with what is now considered an out of date view of the world where women should stay at home and rear children.

Can’t say any of that ever interested me. I liked my home as much as the next person. Kids were… well, they were ok as long as I didn’t have to be around them. I don’t dislike them per se but in all honesty, I don’t think I ever really got on with them even when I was one. Call it self-preservation and a higher value of my own sanity thing. Actually, my contemporary opinion on what I want to do even in modern times is met with more than a few people calling me weird. Why do you think I’m going to change my mind? Is it really so hard to imagine I’m just not falling over myself with a desire to grow a small human in my body?

---

While I was lamenting my current situation, a young man dressed in red had also arrived at Azuchi town. With his luggage in one hand, he brought the other up to the crown of his head and ran it through his short brown hair as he looked around.

“I didn’t expect this to be such a cheerful place.” He sighed as he looked around at the hustle and bustle of activity as the locals went about their daily business. “Now where has Sasuke gone? I haven’t heard from him since yesterday. Well, he can look after himself so I’m sure he’s fine.” Warm brown eyes shifted to the main structure of Azuchi Castle, turning cold in a flash. “Justice is coming. I hope you’re prepared, Nobunaga.”

---

Inside the castle, Mitsunari had successfully managed to guide me to the room he said had been prepared for me. It was larger than my bedroom back home. It was what I suppose as a westerner you would call traditional Japanese. Not a massive shock given I have found myself in historical Japan.

The paper shade on black lacquered lamp base looked to be the main lighting source for the room. There was a kimono on display hanging up on a stand, like the most beautiful piece of art in a museum. The walls had sliding doors for storage and some shelves for displaying items. There was also a small shrine space, an unopened packet of incense sat on top of it with a packet of candles next to it. There were some fresh flowers and the tatami mats on the floor seemed to be brand new. By the window, there was a painted screen and a writing desk. A small brazier was also in the room with a kettle. Guess I can make my own drinks at least.

“Lady Aerion, this room is yours to use as you like. I hope it’s enough for you.” Mitsunari looked a little nervous as he showed me the room. His sincerity in wishing to make me comfortable was endearing and made me smile.

“Mitsunari. The room is beautiful. I was actually expecting something much smaller, I’m not even sure what I would need such a large space for.” I tried to reassure him.

“It would be wrong to expect a Lady to stay I a room any less than this. I made sure that you were supplied with some basic items but if there is anything else, I would gladly fetch it your you Lady Aerion.” Mitsunari’s fussing was like watching a very adorable puppy wishing to please its master.

“I don’t suppose you can just call me Aerion can you?” It was a long shot and to be honest I had no idea on the proper protocol in these situations. But I didn’t wish to be given an honorific title, something about it made this situation even more unsettling.

“But you’re a lady and Lord Nobunaga’s saviour. I couldn’t possibly.” Mitsunari was protesting and I really hated to put him in a situation that was going to make him uncomfortable as he had been the only truly kind one I had met so far in the group of samurai. I pushed a little more trying to at least get this one thing. I can’t escape and I can’t control anything but I just want this one small thing if I can.

“Please if you could. I’m not used to any of this. People using titles and fussing over me. It’s not a requirement to make me happy. I’d feel more comfortable if you could just call me Aerion and treat me normally.” My imploring words made him pause to consider something. His violet eyes looked away from me for a moment before returning and his bright smile was once more back on his face.

“I understand. Then I agree on the condition that you stay as familiar with me. Will that be all right, Aerion?”

“Perfect, Mitsunari.” Happily nodding I returned his smile and he seemed to relax even more.

“Thank you. Now, please relax here. Someone will come to fetch you soon.” Smiling politely, he left with a small bow and slid the door closed behind him as he left.

Alone in the room, I sighed. It really is a beautiful space but honestly what the hell am I supposed to do now? The feeling I had earlier of being a small animal herded into their room was increasing with each passing second. Feeling a little claustrophobic, I went to the window and opened the screen a little to look out.

A low roof of a small structured building was just a short distance down from my window. Guess it’s some sort of storage or something. The rest of the view was of what looked to be well-maintained paths. Not the most exciting view in the world. With nothing else to do, I sank to the floor and tipped out my backpack.

My useless dead smartphone slipped out along with my smoke damaged clothes. A small tourist’s Japanese phrase book, hair brush, make up bag. The contact book I had with the details of the shoot we did in Kyoto so I could find the places the office had set up and arrange thank you gifts later was also there, post-it notes and tabs sticking out of it looking like a rather flat bird with coloured paper feathers. I also had some fabric samples a friend had asked for but there was nothing that I could even consider to be really helpful here. The rest of my things were all back at the hotel in the future. I wasn’t exactly MacGyver I couldn’t turn any of this into a weapon or tool to aid my escape.

I reached out for my favourite hoodie. It really had taken some damage. One sleeve had a tear on its shoulder where it looked like the stitching had been yanked apart. One ear on the hood had a burn in it that made it look like it had had a bite taken out of it and the other was laying limp against the rest of the sooty fabric. I suppose this could have been a whole lot worse. I let out a long sigh as I ran my hand over the damage when I heard a sound above me that was like a hollow hammer.

-Tock-

Looking up at the sound. I saw part of the ceiling pull back and a familiar head appear out of the hole.

“Excuse me, Aerion. I’m not bothering you, am I?”

“Sasuke? My god, what are you doing up there?” I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw him. I didn’t think I would even see him again, at least if I did it wouldn’t be so soon.

“I hid myself when those men arrived and followed your trail. As to why I’m up here it was the easiest way to get into the castle without being detected.” He was speaking as if just popping out of someone’s bedroom ceiling was a totally normal thing to do.

“Well, I’m happy to see a friendly face. You planning on staying up there playing at being Tom Cruise or you coming down?” I asked stuffing everything swiftly back into my bag and put it to one side.

Sasuke jumped down landing silently. After replacing the ceiling tile, he slipped a couple of fingers into the edge of his face mask and pulled it down revealing his face. I hadn’t exactly taken much time before to notice but he isn’t exactly without his charms. His glasses managed to frame his naturally inquisitive brown eyes which also somehow made him look more attractive. Great now is probably not a time to remember that crush you had back in high school on that one teacher that just made me forget how to breathe every time you had to take their class. Get a grip Aerion!

“In watching you I’ve managed to piece together much of what happened. You’ve gotten yourself into some trouble.” As Sasuke offered his observations he took his glasses off to give them a wipe before replacing them once more.

“The words no shit and sherlock spring to mind, to be honest. But you’ve been here longer than me you’ve probably been through much more.” I gave a dry laugh as I looked around the room for some sort of seat to offer him. Chair… Why is there no chair here?

“I suppose the answer to that would all be relative to the individual. There’s trouble, and then there’s trouble. That said, I forgot to tell you something important.” As if to answer my unspoken question Sasuke gathered up two large cushions from a far corner and placed them on the floor. He sat with crossed legs on one and motioned with his hand at the other for me to copy him. I don’t honestly think sitting crossed legged is going to be easy in this kimono but I could kneel and then lean onto my hip if I get sore or something. Guess this getting used to the past thing is more difficult than I expected. “I told you I was researching a way for us to get back home. Recently, I was able to confirm that the wormhole opens here at fixed periods.”

“Really!? Well, that means that there will be one again at some point that can take us back then.” I replied excitedly as I took my seat.

“I understand your excitement but please keep your voice down. It would be very bad if I were caught here, I’m not supposed to be here after all.” Sasuke was composed as he kindly reminded me of the situation. True it could be a disaster for him and me if that happened. “To be as concise as possible the next wormhole will provide our way home. Leaving the rationale behind its recurrence aside, according to my data… The next traversable wormhole will appear in three months. I’m still calculating its location, but chances are good that if we make contact with it, we’ll return to the present.”

“It’s great news that we can get back. I’m a little worried it’s not a simple as you just made it sound though.” He nods at my assumption.

“We have three months to wait. During that time, it would be safest for you to stay here.” Sasuke had dropped the bombshell that I really didn’t know how to react too.

“You want me to stay here? In a castle owned by, and full of madmen. I think I’d be safer trying to be adopted by a pack of wolves. Why don’t I just leave? I could go with you…” I was aware I was not being rational. I could feel a surge of emotion balling up in the pit of my stomach. It was not a nice feeling in the slightest and made me feel nauseous.

“I mentioned this countries history before but. We’re in the midst of a chaotic civil war. One that by my calculations, is now further away from ending than the one in our original timeline. I would have suggested you leave but Nobunaga and his men seem rather fond of you. I seriously doubt they’d let you go so easily.” Fond of me? What is there to be fond of we just met.

“Given they just tracked me and spent a large part of the night on an Aerion hunt you might be right.” I wasn’t exactly sure that what they did was out of “fondness”, but I couldn’t argue that they would go looking for me if I just left.

“Don’t worry. I’ll come by and check on you. If you run into any trouble, send a smoke signal.”

“Smoke signal? Thought this was feudal Japan not a cowboys and Indians movie. Guess I’ll work something out though.” I giggled as I imagined the men I had met a so far dressed in costumes.

“Oh, and one more thing.” Sasuke’s tone was now deadly serious. I sat up a little straighter preparing myself for some bad or at least earth-shattering news. “Don’t get deeply involved with the people of this time.”

“What is that meant to mean? I’m going to be here for three months. I can’t avoid all contact with them.” His choice of words confused me. To be honest I knew slightly what he was hinting at but I was just a little hopeful that I was mistaken and had jumped to the wrong conclusion.

“I mean to say, don’t fall in love. It might cloud your desire to return to the future.” And there were the words that confirmed I had been right after all. I couldn’t help but laugh.

“Love? What do you think I am a school girl? I’m not about to just develop feelings for some random historical warlord. Have you even spoken to any of the guys here?”

“If you say so. I would also recommend that you keep the fact that you came from the future a secret.” Sasuke shrugged and it was a little difficult to tell if he believed me when I talked about the whole “love” thing or not.

“I can agree with you on that. Not that anyone believes me in the first place. I mean if I was them, I wouldn’t believe me either.” I sighed looking at my backpack, the only thing that kept even me from disbelieving my own story given how unrealistic it all felt.

“I’ll be with my employer in the city. If anything happens, I’ll be able to come to your aid quickly.” Sasuke attempted to reassure me that I was not alone.

“What are you--?” My question was cut short and unanswered as Sasuke shot a look at the door and quickly moved to stand.

“We’ll speak later. Farewell.” With his brief goodbye. He pulled his mask back up with one hand and leapt out of the window like something from a martial arts movie. It’s not even been a full day and I think I might be starting to get used to just seeing that guy disappear.

The door to the room glided open.

“I see you weren’t able to get away from Nobunaga after all.”

---

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imagineproduce101 · 7 years ago

Text

Jung Sewoon Mafia AU

tysm to @ohkaypopthis as usual coming thru with the amazing a1 plot ideas wow what a legend

*the actual fic is under the read more bc it’s long as hell and i’m not tryna spam people on any of the tags yikes

you gasped, trying to catch your breath momentarily before hurtling yourself off of the building’s roof, landing hard in an open garbage dumpster, the bags just barely breaking your fall

“(y/n)-ssi,” jung sewoon, a high-up member of the 101, your own group’s absolute rival, called from the top of the building, staring down at you with cold brown eyes, “i just want to talk with you, i’m not going to hurt you.”

“bullshit,” you muttered, clambering out of the dumpster

you hadn’t trust jung sewoon’s charming voice and easy smiles when he’d first approached you inside the convenience store where you worked part-time, and you still didn’t trust him now

“(y/n), this is your last warning,” sewoon’s velvety voice said, a tinge of something much harsher in it, “stop running away and talk with me. i can get you out of SVT.”

you just groaned and hopped down from the dumpster, wincing in pain

your body already hurt, and so all the physical activity wasn’t really helping matters

“Fine.”

you glanced up in shock at the total 180 sewoon’s voice had taken, hard, steely and calculated

“taehyun, go.”

there was a loud bang, and you let out a scream as something grazed your arm, adrenaline immediately thrumming through your body

“you fucking shot me?” you yelled furiously, feeling your head start to spin

“I told you, that was your last warning.”

the last thing you heard before you blacked out was that voice, gripping your consciousness with a cold iron grasp

the first thing that you noticed when you finally came to was how fuzzy your head and mouth seemed

“how are you feeling?

that familiar velvety voice pierced through the hazy fog in your mind, and your eyes fluttered open

you were in a hospital room, a few men staring at you

one of them was obviously a doctor, and one of them was jung sewoon

“you just can’t leave me alone, can you?” you managed to croak out despite your incredibly dry throat

sewoon just chuckled and handed you a water bottle after opening it swiftly

“we have a proposal for you.”

you eyed sewoon suspiciously after you’d taken a few sips

“who exactly is ‘we’ and what kind of proposal are we talking?”

sewoon sighed, glancing at the doctor, who frowned

“fine, i’ll take the hint,” the doctor grumbled, shuffling out of the room

“thanks, gunhee,” the other guy accompanying sewoon chirped, before bursting out into giggles

sewoon just sighed and grabbed a folder, handing it over to you

“i can’t move my right arm, dumbass,” you snapped, glaring at the reason why your arm was covered in bandages

sewoon just smiled at you and opened the folder, showing you the files inside

it was full of intel on you-- your family, how SVT had blackmailed you into joining and how you struggled to even barely support your family

“(y/n), you need help,” sewoon said firmly, levelling you with a stare

you looked back at him defiantly, not wanting to admit that yes, you did need something, anything, to get out of SVT

“SVT uses you as a pawn, nothing more,” sewoon continued, pulling up a chair next to your bed

you tried to ignore the heat that was taking over your cheeks, glancing down at the papers in sewoon’s hand to avoid his intense stare

“the 101 can help you, (y/n),” sewoon continued, “we’ve seen your abilities so far-- your talents are wasted on these low-level missions that SVT has been assigning you, and they’re far too risky for you.”

“so what are you proposing, mr. confident?” you retorted

sewoon leaned back in his chair, satisfied knowing that he’d already won half the battle

“stay in SVT for now,” he said, “i’ll check in with you frequently, and you’ll inform us about what jobs they are taking on, their focuses and such. when the time is right, we’ll transfer you to a 101 division that keeps you out of the path with SVT. we’ll also have a few members watch your family, keeping tabs and making sure that they’re safe.”

you considered his proposal, flipping through the papers that sewoon had handed you

it was an enticing proposal, but in all honesty, you were scared, not for yourself, but for your family

“(y/n), I’m fairly powerful in the 101,” sewoon’s velvety voice interrupted your musing, “I can arrange for some our best members to watch your family. they’ll be safe.”

you looked up at him sharply, a bit perturbed by how well he was able to tell what you were thinking

“fine,” you nodded, handing the papers back to sewoon, “let’s do this.”

working with sewoon wasn’t as bad as you thought it would be

you were definitely nervous about being caught, but sewoon only checked in with you once every two weeks, and was cautious about it

other than that, you continued on your usual svt tasks, while collecting information about jobs, new recruits and plans to sewoon, who passed it on to the other members of the 101

the check-ins became somewhat of a welcome routine

sewoon would always ask how you were doing, and bring you your favorite ice-cream if he knew you were having a particularly bad week

the two of you developed something akin to a friendship, the two of you sitting at your dining room table, chatting about whatever

it was during those late nights that you started noticing just how charming sewoon’s smile was, and just how soothing his presence was

you didn’t want to admit it, to yourself or to anyone else, but you were slowly falling for sewoon

you knew it was a dangerous path to go down, especially since you weren’t completely free from svt

however, you did your best to ignore your feelings and focus on the job instead

one night, you received a rather cryptic text message, asking you to sneak into seungcheol’s office and to steal a flashdrive

you were able to deduce that it was sewoon, and you quickly mapped out your plan in your mind

as quietly as you could, you snuck into seungcheol’s office, carefully easing the door open

you knew exactly where the flashdrive would be-- in the second drawer of his desk

stealthily, you made your way to the desk, taking extra care to slowly open the drawer

“well, well, well, (y/n).”

you whirled around as the lights flickered on, revealing seungcheol standing in the doorway to his office, a raised handgun pointing at you

“s-seungcheol-ssi,” you managed to stammer out, hand instantly going to where you kept your own gun

“don’t even try,” your boss replied, lip curling up in disdain

he gestured, and two other members of svt appeared behind him, one of them roughly grabbing your wrists and tying them up with a thick piece of rope

you struggled momentarily, panicking at the thought of what might happen, but you were restrained before you were really able to resist

a blindfold was pulled over your eyes, and you felt something-- possibly duck tape-- being wrapped around your ankles

someone picked you up unceremoniously, prompting another wave of muffled screeches and squirming about

“now, now, (y/n), hold still,” you heard seungcheol croon, before someone petted your hair gently, “after all, we have a certain ritual for those who betray us, don’t we?”

you squirmed even more at that, knowing exactly what that ritual entailed, and it wasn’t pretty

you felt yourself being set down on another seat, presumably in a car, if the sounds and smells were any indicator

as you tried to get your hands free, a thought passed through your mind-- what if this was the night that you died?

“head for the pier, mingyu, the pier,” you heard seungcheol growl from next to you

the command made you think of something--your cellphone

in a stroke of laziness, you’d programmed it to respond when you said “hey, phone”, and then you’d be able to ask it to do whatever you wanted

“hey, phone,” you blurted out, smiling when you felt your phone vibrate in your back pocket

“what was that?” seungcheol snapped

“I said, you should call jung sewoon. this is his mess, not mine,” you replied, hoping that your phone picked up the “call jung sewoon”

sure enough, your phone vibrated again, followed by a second vibration to signify that he’d picked up

“like hell I’m calling jung sewoon, what am I, an idiot?” seungcheol growled out

“I dunno, Seungcheol,” you said, thinking quickly, “you said you were taking me to the pier, right? Hasn’t the 101 beat you in a shoot-out there before? It’s like, 101 turf now, so won’t you be starting shit?”

“Shut up, (y/n)’

you fell silent again, hoping that sewoon had gotten the message-- and that he even cared enough to do anything about it

a few minutes passed, and the initial nervousness of the whole situation turned into a weird passive panicking emotion that you were unfamiliar with

when you felt the car stop, you felt your heart race a bit more, knowing what was to come

maybe this really was the end, you thought to yourself

in one swift motion, seungcheol yanked the blindfold off of you, and you blinked your eyes a few times to get accustomed to the bright light

“get out of the car,” seungcheol said roughly, yanking you up

you stumbled to follow him, barely able to walk due to the restraints on your feet

“see this?” seungcheol asked, shoving you forward over the edge of the pier, so that all that was keeping you from falling was his tight grip on your shoulders, “this is where the rats who don’t understand loyalty end up. like you.”

“choi seungcheol,” you heard a cold, steely, familiar voice

both you and seungcheol turned around at the same time, and you gasped, meeting the gaze of those familiar cold brown eyes

sewoon stood at the beginning of the pier, a few others from the 101 flanking him

“give (y/n) up, and we can settle a deal,” sewoon said sternly, eyes darting from you to seungcheol and back

seungcheol smirked at sewoon and the others from the 101, tilting his head back slightly

you felt your heart race even faster, recognizing the sinister, pure evil expression on his face

“jung sewoon, did you really think that you would get the best of me?”

“let (y/n) go, you bastard,” sewoon growled, lunging forward

in one swift motion, seungcheol shoved you over the side of the pier, and you screamed in horror as the icy cold water hit you

I’m going to die, I’m going to die, I’m going to die, was all that you could think as you thrashed around in the cold water, feeling your lungs burn from the lack of oxygen

then suddenly, there was warmth against your neck, your back as you were yanked upwards, and oxygen flooded your lungs again as you gasped for breath

“(y/n)!” sewoon’s rough voice entered your ear, harried and panicked. “are you okay?”

his hands quickly went to undo your gag before undoing your hands and feet, allowing you to tread water

you were exhausted, and it took all your energy just to cling to sewoon as he began swimming towards the shore

the exhaustion from the night made you hazy as sewoon helped you stumble onto shore, weighed down by your wet clothes

“they ran off when they saw we had backups, boss,” another member of the 101 ran up to you and sewoon, panting heavily

sewoon nodded, accepting the large jacket from him and draping it over your shoulders

you were trembling, your teeth chattering from the cold of the frigid water

“(y/n), are you okay?” he asked quietly, voice now a warm, soothing tone

his eyes pierced into yours, a much softer coffee now

you nodded mutely, tears pricking at your eyes as the memories of the night rushed back to you

sewoon stared at you for a moment before pulling you into a hug, wrapping his arms tightly around you

you rested your head on his chest, tears streaming down your cheeks, and he rubbed your back comfortingly

“(y/n), i’m so, so sorry about tonight,” he said quietly, his voice a quiet rumble, “i didn’t think about the implications of that flashdrive, and if i could go back in time and change my decision, i would. i care about you so much, and i’m sorry to have put you in harms’ way.”

you felt him press a tentative kiss to the top of your head, drawing the dry jacket closer around your shoulders

you pulled away from him, hastily wiping your tears before looking up at the taller man

you’d always been one for impulsive decisions, and this certainly wasn’t an exception, you thought to yourself as you leaned up to kiss sewoon on the lips

he gently brought a hand to your waist, holding you closely, as though he was afraid of breaking you

and as the two of you stood there, freezing cold from the icy water, you felt a new kind of warmth spreading to the tips of your fingers and toes

if this wasn’t cohesive/didn’t flow well, it’s because it didn’t; i wrote it in like three different chunks over a four month period yiiiikes

#produce 101 #produce 101 imagine #produce 101 scenario #produce 101 fanfiction #produce 101 oneshot #jung sewoon #jung sewoon imagine #jung sewoon scenario #jung sewoon oneshot #jung sewoon fanfiction

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butsomeofusarelookingatthestars · 7 years ago

Note

omg I have a perfect one shot idea. How about where reader x luke just got newly engaged and the team took them both out to celebrate since they both work in the bau together and of course they got shit faced, and the next day Luke's parents find out and surprise them both at luke' s place and his parents kind of low-key pick on then as they both look hungover af and his mother notices a hickey on readers neck from late night activities and makes a comment about it. 😂😂😂😂😂😂

Late-Night Celebrations

Fandom: Criminal MindsPairing: Luke Alvez x ReaderPrompt: Request

Description: The only way to celebrate your engagement was by drinking far too much and stumbling into bed with your fiancé. What you hadn’t planned on was a surprise visit from his parents…

Thank you so much for the genius that was this prompt! Enjoy <3

A loud bang echoed around the apartment as you and Luke came bursting through the front the door, giggling stupidly at your own drunken foolishness. You had both definitely had too much to drink, the room spinning slightly as you stumbled towards the living room.

You should have known better because the last time you had drank this much, the following morning had been one of the worst of your life. Alcohol wasn’t worth the painful hangover. Sadly, the rational truth of that statement had been lost entirely as Garcia pushed shot after shot into your eager hands.

In your defence, it wasn’t every day you got engaged to the love of your life.

It had been an unexpected proposal, Luke ending up blurting out his confession in the middle of dinner. He insisted that he had a big gesture planned, but he had been too nervous to wait to pop the question. You found it incredibly sweet that he couldn’t wait to ask, touched that he was too excited about spending the rest of his life with you to wait until after desert.

After all, who really cared about cake sparklers?

Following your acceptance, there had only been one thing left to do – celebrate with the rest of your team. It seemed as if your fellow profilers knew about Luke’s plan all along, already waiting at the bar to delightedly toast your engagement.

The knowing smiles they had exchanged all day suddenly made sense as they explained that your fiancé had confided his secret in them last month.

Having them share in your happiness was the most incredible thing. They were some of the most important people in both of your lives and it meant a lot to have their blessings. Therefore, it only seemed right to commemorate the occasion with plenty of drinks.

Rossi had insisted on paying the bar tab as an early engagement present, meaning that the alcohol supply never ran dry all night. Perhaps you would curse his generosity in the morning, but it had guaranteed a fabulous night for everyone – especially you and Luke.

Neither of you could even remember a time when you had laughed so loudly or smiled so brightly. Just being able to celebrate with everyone meant a lot. The BAU had been through a lot and it was incredible to be able to build joyful moments together. It felt as if, despite the darkness of the past, there was hope for the future.

Everyone felt overjoyed that the two of you had found happiness together. They had always known that you were meant to be, or so they claimed. Having been there since the start of your relationship, they knew that you both deserved one another entirely.

Although, they still managed to lower the tone of the evening - wolf whistling and cheering loudly every time you and Luke held hands or kissed. They might have had a point given that you had a tendency to be quite affectionate after a few drinks.

But, you still felt slightly embarrassed as they caught Luke’s hand wandering up your leg under the table.

Their suggestive comments had forced the two of you to finally disappear home in the early hours of the morning. There was only so much teasing you could take, especially with Rossi chipping in with inappropriate comments about how you should ‘celebrate the night properly’.

You wouldn’t be telling him that you had decided to take his advice.

A loud crash made you jump. You burst out laughing as you turned around to see Luke having tripped over one of Roxy’s toys. Drunk Luke was one of your favourite sights because it was in such contrast to his usual calm and composed self.

It was hard to believe that a former ranger could trip over a squeaky mouse.

“Don’t laugh.” He told you jokingly, chuckling warmly himself as he wrapped his arms around your waist.

You smiled softly as he nuzzled your neck affectionately, his fingers lacing through yours as he gently traced the beautiful metal band he had placed there earlier. A flutter of excitement stirred in your heart as you proudly admired the sight of the ring sat on your finger.

It was the sentimentality behind it that made it even more special, with Luke having received it from his own parents. He had been overjoyed to tell you that they were both thrilled by his decision, exclaiming their delight at his choice in bride.

Apparently, his mother had seen it coming since the first time he had brought you home.

Your thoughts were distracted as you felt Luke’s hot breath against your neck, a soft moan escaping your lips as he peppered your skin with urgent kisses. Encouraged by your reaction, his hands quickly dropped to hungrily roam your body.

“Luke!” You squealed in surprise as a hand suddenly delved beneath your dress, tracing the expanse of your inner thigh.

He let out a stifled chuckle against your neck. “What? My fiancé’s irresistible.”

The sound of the word on his lips made your heart burst with pride, providing him with the perfect distraction to intensify his ministrations.

A loud gasp of pleasure escaped your lips as his teeth grazed against your neck. It would probably leave bruises, but as Luke guided you into the bedroom you didn’t care.

All you wanted to do was enjoy some late-night celebrations with your new fiancé.

It was as the sun shone brightly through the window the next morning that you knew you had made a terrible mistake. A loud groan falling from your lips as the pain shot through your head.

You were hungover.

Luke shuffled slightly next to you at the disturbance, prompting you to try to squirm free of his tight grasp around your waist. You loved being close to him, but his warmth was only making you feel queasier as the alcohol began to take its toll.

Shots were always a bad idea.

Your movement stirred Luke awake. A soft grunt echoing around the room as he rubbed his face in confusion. All it took was once glance at his pained expression to realise that he too was suffering from a hangover.

“I don’t think I’ve ever felt this bad before.” He groaned quietly, throwing his head back into the plump pillows as he gazed at your pathetic form.

He might had felt rough, but you definitely seemed to be suffering the worst as you lay curled up motionless in the sheets. It was as if the entire room was filled with regret as the two of you tried to make sense of your stupid decision to accept another bottle of champagne from Rossi.

You could only moan in agreement at his words, prompting Luke to outstretch a hand to lightly trace soothing circles on your exposed hip – with the intention of helping you feel a little bit better. The gesture was sweet considering he too wasn’t feeling great.

Fortunately for him, he would be fine after a greasy breakfast. The thought of which was causing you to feel increasingly nauseous. You deeply envied Luke’s ability to be able to even fathom the idea of food during a hangover because you physically couldn’t move from your spot in bed.

A loud knock echoed through the apartment, causing Roxy to bark deafeningly.

A whine of pain fell from your lips as you buried your head in the pillows, hoping to ease the pounding. Your arm flew out to hit Luke’s chest lightly as you gestured for him to make the noise stop.

He only chuckled softly. “I see how it is. The rest of my life will just be you ordering me around.” He joked teasingly, clearly amused by the state you were in.

Your mumble of agreement was muffled by the pillows as you continued to cradle your head protectively.

“Only for you.” He sighed softly, pressing a tender kiss on top of your head as you heard him reach towards the end of the bed for the pants you had hastily torn off him last night.

If you weren’t in such a poor state, you probably would have admired the sight of your fiancé’s impressive physique as he pulled on his sweats. But, even the temptation of his sculpted chest couldn’t entice you to move from your position.

A moment of blissful peace followed as you heard him shuffle towards the door. However, your joy was abruptly stolen as you heard the familiar sound of his mother’s voice.

Terror flooded through you as you realised the situation you were in. His parents were lovely, but it was too embarrassing for them to find you grossly hungover and lying in bed.

Despite your body screaming in protest, you leapt up from bed to grab your dressing gown – fighting off the dizziness as you swiftly pulled your hair back from your face. There wasn’t much you could do about your awful appearance, but you could at least try to look a tad presentable.

The apartment was still spinning as you stumbled into the hallway, trying to subtly use the walls as support as you approached them. You had to bite back the pained groan that threatened to escape as they both engulfed you in a warm embrace, kissing your cheek as they congratulated you on the happy news.

The knowing grin on Luke’s face told you that he knew exactly how much you were suffering.

You smiled brightly and nodded politely as they gushed excitedly, but the entire time you were solely focused on not throwing up in front of your future in-laws.

It would definitely not the best start to an engagement.

“I can’t believe my little boy is going to be married.” His mom cooed, pinching Luke’s cheek affectionately.

The responding scowl on his face caused all of you to laugh at his expense.

It was clear that his parents knew you were both completely hungover because there was a playful glint in their eyes as they examined the two of you.

Luke’s dad reached out to clap him on the back sympathetically.

“Look at the state of you, Luke.” He complained, gesturing to his scruffy curls and appalling attire. “You still haven’t learnt your lesson when it comes to drinking son.”

Despite fighting off your own queasiness, a smug grin spread across your face as his parents began to lecture him on the dangers of excessive alcohol consumption. Mistakenly, you decided to join in the teasing.

“Yeah, listen to your parents Luke.” You told him, smirking as he glowered at you in mock anger.

However, the smile soon faded from your face as you noticed both his parents gazing at you in shock.

Confusion filled your face as you took in their surprised, yet bemused expressions. There was a knowing grin on his mom’s face and you could tell that his dad was desperately trying to hold in his laughter.

“Well, we can tell that the two of you enjoyed your celebrations.” His mom murmured softly, gesturing towards your neck.

Horror swept through you as your fingers traced the bruise on your neck. In your haste to greet them, you had completely forgotten about the marks Luke had left all over your body last night.

His dad couldn’t contain himself anymore, letting out a bark of laughter as he hit Luke playfully on his arm.

“Late night, son?”

Your fiancé at least at the decency to look slightly embarrassed at the situation, a blush creeping across his cheeks as he coughed nervously. However, as he glanced over at you mortified expression, he couldn’t hold back the laughter.

You were going to kill him.

#criminal minds #luke alvez #criminal minds imagine #luke alvez x reader #luke alvez imagine #requests #this was the best prompt ever 😍👏🏻

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rantingfangirl · 8 years ago

Text

Cross Life Chapter Nine

Summary: Moving across the pond was supposed to signify new beginnings for the Kirkland family. Arthur’s parents seemed to take that a bit too literally for his liking.

Chapter Index

This was moved from my old account

Arthur tapped his foot as he scanned through the Sea of Fools, looking for a particularly obnoxious one. Of course, Alfred would be late. It was just like him, and Arthur was annoyed with himself for thinking that he would bother to be on time.

Mr. Wang had given an ending time- and a vague one, at that- but he had failed to give a start time. Hell, Alfred would probably show up at fifteen minutes til four, only to check over Arthur's work and leave. He would still collect his extra credit that way, and it's not as if Mr. Wang would believe Arthur if he were to complain. Teachers like him never did, especially if said complaint was concerning a favorite student of theirs.

Arthur decided that he would give Alfred one more minute to arrive before he would leave maybe if he missed multiple sessions, time after time, then Arthur would be able to request a different tutor. That would surely be ideal.

And it wasn't as if Mr. Wang was lacking good students in his class. Earlier that week, when he had been assigned this god-awful torture, Mr. Wang had claimed that Alfred was one of the top performers in the class. One of them. Arthur could always trade him in for another, more cooperative and reliable tutor, and he could use the complaint as extra ammo for his cause.

Maybe he would even get someone who arrives on time.

Sighing, Arthur checked his watch, scowling when he discovered that another two minutes had passed. Two minutes that he could've spent walking home, swimming in his thoughts and solitude. "Speaking with the fairies", as his mother- that vile woman- called it.

Arthur could be mentally writing a story or fantasizing about winning an argument or violently killing his enemies, but no. He had to wait for Alfred F. Jones, who couldn't be bothered to show up to a tutoring session on time. It made Arthur's blood boil, made him want to just say, "Screw it," to everything and just walk away.

But then again, throwing down the towel wouldn't get him back up to an A.

And so Arthur stood there, waiting and waiting. He leaned against the wall to the library, watching and judging people, which, considering that he spent seven precious hours of his day with them, he figured he should be able to do. It was amusing, actually, being able to snort at their obnoxiously colored hair and their wrinkled clothing. He wondered if any of them even bothered to look in the mirror before leaving their houses.

Sure, he knew it wasn't the nicest thing, but it was something to pass the time, which seemed to go slower each time he checked his watch.

Eventually, the hallway cleared out, leaving Arthur alone. It was quiet, to the extent where you could hear a pin drop. Perfect conditions for reading.

Slinging his backpack over his shoulder and onto the tile floor, Arthur sat down, crisscrossing his legs. He cringed, thinking of all the dirt and dust that would be sticking to his pants. He would have to give himself a good pat down when he stood.

Unzipping his backpack, Arthur pulled out his current read, tabbing through the thick pages to where he'd last left off. Vlad had recommended it to him, which meant that it was riddled with vampires and other supernatural creatures, and while that would normally be a turn-off, he was hooked. The story was captivating, the plot unique, and the characters relatable. And though the romance was a bit cheesy, with dramatic love declarations and mush and gush, that was exactly how he liked it. In fiction, anyways.

Arthur reread the previous two paragraphs before moving on to his current one, refreshing his memory. He tapped his feet against the tile, his fingers tightening around the edges of his book and face leaning in as he sped through page after page.

Arthur paid no attention to his surroundings and didn't hear the footsteps as they approached, nor when they stopped. "Hey, Arthur! Sorry for keepin' ya waitin', we were afraid that ya would've left already." Arthur jumped as he was ripped out of his trance, squeaking in surprise. His finger slipped out from the crease, forcing him to scramble to save his spot. It would be a pain in the ass to find again.

After saving his reading experience from doom, Arthur looked up to see who could've begun a conversation so carelessly and haphazardly. He had to admit to himself, as he found Alfred- along with Kiku, damn him- standing in front of him, Arthur couldn't say he was surprised. Of course, it would be them.

Alfred took a step back, his eyes wide, raising his hands in surrender. "Woah... sorry 'bout that. Didn't think I would scare ya that badly."

Tsking, Arthur shook his head with disdain. So he knew that talking to Arthur would frighten him, but chose to go along with it anyway. The nerve of that boy.

With a groan, Arthur stood, pulling his backpack along with him. Making sure his bookmark was in its proper place, Arthur snapped his book shut, returning it to the pocket from whence it came. He flicked his wrist up, checking his watch, before looking up at Alfred. He scowled. "You're twenty minutes late."

Alfred winced, taking in a sharp breath. Kiku stayed silent, just staring at Arthur, and the latter couldn't help but wonder what he was thinking. "Eh~, sorry, man. As I was about halfway home- Kiku and I were gonna go over to my house and play video games or somethin' like that- I thought, 'Oh shit, I'm tutorin' Arthur today!' I had completely forgotten! I couldn't just leave ya standin' here, and it's not like I've got yer phone number or anythin', so here we are! Man, ya should've seen it, though. I made such a sharp turn into the school parkin' lot that Kiku went face-first into the window. It was hilarious."

Alfred lifted his hand to touch a slightly red part of Kiku's cheek, but the latter shied away from before Alfred could make contact. Alfred pouted, but for some strange reason, it didn't look genuine. Interesting. Arthur pocketed that little exchange, saving it for later.

Arthur nodded, forcing a lazy smile on his face as he did so. "That must've been a sight to see."

Alfred smiled, his teeth so white Arthur doubted that they were even real. Perhaps they were crowns.

The hallway was silent as Alfred's smile faded, the three waiting for someone to speak. After about a minute, Arthur decided he was done waiting, turning around and walking towards the glass double doors. "Let's try and find a nice table in the corner to sit at."

Alfred snorted as he and Kiku followed, a thump sounded each time his foot hit the carpet. "Why would ya wanna sit in the corner, we're probably gonna be the only ones in-" Arthur glared at him, swiftly cutting Alfred off. Kiku's eyes narrowed at that, his lips pursed into a fine line, but he stayed silent. Good. "Or, y'know, a corner table's fine, too. Perfect, actually."

Yanking open door, Arthur shivered as he stepped into the library. Though it was quickly growing towards the end of September, and many people were now trading in t-shirts for long sleeves and jackets, the school's librarian insisted that the air conditioner be kept on at full blast. while it had been much appreciated at the beginning of the year, when Arthur regularly melted onto the concrete sidewalk, now it was just plain mental.

"Brr! It's hella cold!"

Arthur stopped, turning around. Alfred skittered to a stop against the floor, just barely keeping from running into him. He ran his hands up and down his upper arms, grimacing. Arthur supposed he was regretting his sleeveless shirt and short shorts at that moment.

Giving Alfred a deadpan glare, ignoring Kiku when he took a step closer to the former, he raised an eyebrow. "Hella?"

Alfred stopped, cocking his head to the side and frowning. Arthur thought he looked cute, if only a little bit, but would largely deny it should anyone confront him about it. "Hella."

"Hella."

"What does that even mean?"

"Ya don't know?" Alfred crunched his eyebrows together.

"No, I don't."

Alfred looked shocked at that, his eyes wide. He took a step back, slowly shaking his head as if he couldn't believe what Arthur was saying. He looked almost comical, and Arthur fought to keep a small smirk from cracking on his face.

Arthur made a quick glance towards Kiku. He had yet to say anything, and probably wouldn't the entire tutoring session. Not that it bothered Arthur. He could certainly go without hearing the fool's voice.

Unfortunately, he still had to hear Alfred's.

"Do ya not have an Instagram?"

"Oh, I do." He hadn't had one for long, though. Before, he had never found it necessary, but Vlad thought it quite the opposite. They made him an account during lunch one day, making sure that he followed Vlad and Lukas. Arthur promised the latter that he would follow Mathias when he got to know him better.

"Then how have ya not seen it before! Literally, everyone says it!"

Arthur snorted at that. Ridiculous. "Not everyone. I don't say it. My friends don't say it. My family doesn't say it."

Pouting, Alfred crossed his arms. As he spoke, his voice sounded whiny. Childish. "I don't mean everyone~. It was just an exaggeration! Stop being so serious."

How Alfred managed to go from snarling days before to pouting like a toddler denied a nap would forever be a mystery. Maybe it was because he was with Kiku, and wanted to look good- not that he was at this current moment. Or perhaps Alfred seriously didn't want to lose those extra credit points and college recommendation. Either way, his behavior was odd, almost fake, and it made Arthur curious. If only a little bit.

Moving his hand onto Alfred's shoulder, Kiku pulled him down to his height. Alfred narrowed his eyes, blinking rapidly as Kiku whispered into his ear. He nodded his head, smiling, rubbing and patting the latter's shoulders. "Yeah, okay. I'll come get ya when we're done."

Kiku smiled, glancing at Arthur with a look of subtle distaste. As he walked away, into the maze of the library, Arthur watched him go. "He's quite the character."

Alfred sniffled, a funny look on his face. "Yeah. I guess."

Arthur raised an eyebrow. That was an interesting reaction. He almost wanted to ask what was wrong, but didn't, knowing full well that he wouldn't get the answer that he wanted. If anything, Alfred would tell him to mind his own business, complete with a one-finger salute.

Turning around, he continued his walk to the corner of the library. It was large, shelves and shelves arranged in rows and rows. Much bigger than the ones at his old schools, which Arthur found fantastic. Libraries were wonderful, peaceful places where he could do his two favorite things: read thick hardbacks and stay away from his basket-case family. The bigger, the better. And the fact that he had to spend an hour and a half with someone like Alfred in such a sacred place...

He would rather swallow his teeth.

They found an empty table that was far away from the air conditioner, Arthur thanking any powerful deity for it. He dropped his backpack onto the dark, dirty carpet, not caring what got on it. Alfred slid his own on the table, scooting it towards the edge.

Unzipping his very back pocket, Alfred pulled out a notebook, textbook, and a folder. He looked up at Arthur, his smile looking forced. "Okay~, where do ya wanna start?"

Sitting down in one of the chairs- plastic and uncomfortable, like all the ones in this school- Arthur took out his own supplies. He didn't know where to start, didn't even want to, but he would be damned if he was going to spend his precious free-time alone with Alfred doing nothing productive.

"Mr. Wang wants me to redo that homework assignment I failed." The man was merciful enough to offer him a second chance, even if that chance came with this.

Alfred winced, his nose and the skin around his eyes scrunching up. "Oh, yeah. Ya did fail that." Narrowing his eyes, he cocked his head to the side, lightly clicking his tongue. "How did ya manage to do that, by the way? To get every single question wrong? I got a hundred percent on that test."

Alfred must've thought that to be an innocent question, simple small talk, because he couldn't possibly be that cruel. To rub Arthur's failure in his face while showing off his own success. Or maybe he was. Maybe he's been aching to mock him since Tuesday morning, or last Friday at the café, or maybe since their confrontation in the parking lot. Perhaps it was Kiku who had put him up to this, as revenge for the scuffle they had on their first meeting. It would just be like that snake to do so.

Gritting his teeth, Arthur clenched his fists. He smiled as best he could, not bothering to hide the venom that dripped from each word as he spoke. "Well, Alfred. Not everyone can have a magical calculator and a protractor swimming around in their thick skulls."

The confusion on his face was infuriating. "I don't have-" He paused, his eyes widening. Leaning back in his chair, Alfred raised his hands in surrender, giving Arthur a shaky smile. "Hey, hey. Sorry 'bout that. I didn't mean it that way."

Yes, he didn't mean it that way. Of course, he didn't. Arthur pulled out his test, scowling at that awful red ink. It stood out so much against the white of the paper, like blood splashed on snow. "Sure, you definitely didn't mean it."

"Yeah, I didn't." Alfred nodded, smiling, obviously not catching the sarcasm that lined Arthur's words. it was an American thing, he had noticed this past couple of months. It made for an amusing game, to see how far he could get without them noticing that he was mocking them.

He usually got pretty far.

Scooting his chair to the side to touch the edge of the table, Arthur flipped the paper horizontally, so that they could both see it. Grabbing two mechanical pencils, he tossed one to Alfred, who caught it with one hand. Alfred looked up, surprised, before breaking into a beaming smile. "Hey! That was a nice throw! Kudos to ya."

Arthur bit his bottom lip, slightly cocking his head to the side. Either Alfred was trying desperately to get in his good graces, to make up for something, or he was genuinely like this. When he wasn't pissed off or being a hair-pulling level of irritating, of course.

He narrowed his eyes, looking Alfred up and down. At his superhero t-shirt, his tanned skin, his glasses- they were new, bright blue plastic instead of the plain wire ones, hair that still reminded Arthur of caramel sweets. His smile, his laugh, the way his skin crinkled as he did both, the dimples that would show. How fake and tired he looked.

It was so obvious, to the point where Arthur couldn't figure out how he didn't notice it before. He knew he couldn't say anything, couldn't ask, unless he wanted to explain. To throw random, half-assed accusations that stemmed from half-assed theories made on the spot. That would only lead to further disaster.

Alfred looked up at him, his eyes wide. In a bout of impulse, Arthur looked away, clicking lead into his pencil. He could feel Alfred staring at him, and spoke without even a simple glance in his direction. "Is there something wrong?"

There was a sharp intake of breath, and Alfred set his hand on the table. From the corner of his eye, Arthur could see Alfred shake his head, his hair going into disarray. "Uh... it's nothin', don't worry 'bout it. Ya wanna start?"

As Arthur nodded, Alfred flipped his pencil between his fingers, letting the grip rest on the bump on his index finger. "Let's get started, eh? Um... uh, how 'bout ya show me yer process for each question and we can see where ya went wrong."

Arthur nodded, staring at the paper. As they worked, Alfred finding every single mistake in every single one of Arthur's problems, the gap between their abilities grew even more apparent. The situation with Mr. Vargas earlier this week was nothing compared to Alfred having to explain five times how he got the answer for one problem.

They were barely a quarter way through the paper when Alfred began to grow irritated. His voice was slower, the twang in his accent thicker. Alfred kept smiling though, kept on laughing at his jokes and nodding his head each time Arthur asked him to explain again.

Arthur knew that his bottom lip would be raw by the time they were finished. He had reverted back to his old habit, which, now that he thought about it, never really went away. His hair was smooth and without a single tangle from carding through it, and the thought of how greasy it would be by this evening bothered him.

Sighing, Alfred slammed his pencil against the table. If it cracked, Arthur told himself that he was going to kill him.

"God... why don't ya get this? Even a freshman could learn how to do it, with how much I'm tellin' ya."

Arthur leaned back in his chair, narrowing his eyes. "Excuse me?"

Alfred sighed, shaking his head. He sat up, rolling his neck back along with his shoulders. Looking up with a particularly pitiful gleam in his eye, he put a hand to his forehead. "I'm- it's just-" He paused, deflating. "I'm sorry."

"Sure you are."

"I am. But this- I just-"

Arthur groaned. Couldn't the idiot just get it out? He crossed his arms, his mood going sour as he watched Alfred try to "save" his ego. He found it a little insulting, actually, that Alfred couldn't be straight and just say that he was awful.

He raised an eyebrow. "If I need to go to Mr. Wang and see if I can get someone else to tutor me-"

"No! Don't, that ain't necessary!"

He looked shocked, fearful, his eyes wide and panicked, his jaw tight and tense. Either the boy really, really wanted that college recommendation, or something else was afoot.

Arthur desperately hoped it was the former. He didn't want to deal with Alfred's angsty drama. Not now, nor in the future.

Which brought Arthur to a mistake of Alfred's that he had just noticed. One that he had to fix at that very second. He cleared his throat before he spoke. "That isn't." Alfred furrowed his brow, cocking his head to the side, waiting for Arthur to clarify. "That isn't necessary. 'Ain't' isn't a word."

Alfred scoffed, rolling his eyes. "It is, too. They've got it in the Oxford Dictionary."

Arthur deadpanned. "I sincerely doubt that."

"Welp. It's true. Google it, why don'tcha?"

"I don't think I will. Rather, I suggest you go back to year two and learn proper grammar-"

"Year two? What in the hell is that?"

Arthur snorted. "Obviously, you can't-"

"Ah, Kiku, you're still here."

Arthur stopped, looking in the direction the voice came from. From the corner of his eye, he could see Alfred tense, muttering something under his breath.

Kiku was sitting at a table adjacent to them, a stack of think books next to him. Arthur hadn't noticed Kiku was there, most likely because he was too busy dealing with his fool of a boyfriend.

As he thought about it, he could see how Alfred and Kiku were such a good couple, as much as he didn't want to admit it. Both were general pains in his ass, hell-bent on making his life as hard as possible. They made him want to pull his hair out, bit by bit, and seemed to make it a hobby to do so.

Standing in front of Kiku, his brown hair was messy, as if he had just woken up and rolled out of bed. He was tall, his tight white t-shirt going barely past his hips and his olive green cargo shorts ending just above his knee. Whoever he was, Kiku was happy- no, elated to see him.

Closing his current book, Kiku set it to the side, a small, warm smile spreading across his face. "Heracles! How are you?" He leaned against the table, his hands folded on top of the veneer.

"Fine, you?" He pulled out the chair across from Kiku, slumping as he slid into it. Heracles had no backpack with him, and Arthur hoped- for the former's sake- that he hadn't been stupid enough to leave it in his locker for the evening. Even Alfred was smart enough to take his home with him every night.

Kiku nodded, offering the same response his friend had. He picked up his stack of books, moving them away to the side, clearing up the space between the two of them. "Do you have time to talk? I'm just waiting for Alfred to finish up what he's doing."

Arthur couldn't help but snort at his subtle diss, biting his bottom lip and ignoring Alfred as he gave him an odd look. He looked confused, which was highly amusing, considering that his boyfriend was the subject.

Heracles soured at the mention of Alfred's name, but Kiku didn't seem to notice. He smiled, and when he spoke, his voice was lazy. Lethargic. "Actually, I was just about to ask you the same thing."

Kiku laughed. Arthur sat back, rapidly blinking. It was the first time he had heard it, and while it was quiet and breathy, it didn't seem to fit him.

Though, if Arthur was being real with himself, it was probably just that he didn't want such an unpleasant person as Kiku to be happy.

Hearing Alfred sigh, Arthur turned back around in his chair, his attention away from Kiku. Cocking his head to the side, he let his curiosity get the best of him. "Heracles?"

Alfred huffed, carding his fingers through his hair. Arthur couldn't tell if it was out of frustration, jealousy, or both. "Heracles Karpusi. He's Kiku's best friend. Well, besides me, of course." He added the last part quickly, his words too fast to be anything casual. Jealousy it was, then.

"And does that bother you, him being so close to your boyfriend?" He rested his cheek against the palm of his hand, raising his eyebrows. Arthur knew he was being nosy, but didn't really care. There was good gossip on the line, gossip that would do great at the lunch table.

Alfred sneered, lightly shaking his head. "What're ya, my therapist?"

He snorted. Even if he was, Arthur would raise his prices through the roof to deal with someone like Alfred. Which, he thought bitterly, he was doing twice a week these days for free, anyways. "No. God, no." He laughed breathlessly. "Just making conversation."

Deflating, Alfred shook his head, a defeated expression on his face. He turned his attention back to Arthur's failed homework, picking up his pencil and swinging it between his pointer and middle fingers. "'Course you were."

Arthur watched as Alfred fixed his hair and surroundings- clearing his calculator, stacking the numerous scratch sheets, etc.- the latter all the while sending glances of various distaste in Heracles' direction.

He looked up at Arthur, and, noticing him staring, stuck his tongue out. Arthur snorted, shaking his head and clicking his tongue at Alfred's childishness.

Picking up his pencil, Alfred bounced his leg, annoyingly causing the table to shake. He had been doing it the entirety of their session, and while Alfred claimed it made him concentrate, it got on Arthur's nerves. "What question were we on again?"

Arthur scowled, deadpanning. They had come away from their task for not even five minutes, and he had already forgotten. Alfred offered a sheepish smile and laugh as a way of an apology, but he ignored it.

"We're on twenty."

He nodded, smiling as if he knew it all along. "Twenty. Right~."

Arthur rolled his eyes, huffing. As they started back up again, he found himself constantly turning around and checking the time on the nearby clock, counting down the minutes until he could finally return to his house.

"Jesus Christ, where is he?" Vlad huffed in frustration, pouting and crossing his arms.

They were sitting at what had quickly become their usual table in the courtyard, their lunch laying on the metal top. The space across from them was empty, Lukas not having yet arrived, to Vlad's ever growing irritation.

And Arthur's, as well.

"I'm sure he's on his way. Lukas is rarely late."

Vlad rolled his eyes, drumming his fingers against the table. He had grown unusually snappy these past few minutes, which could be blamed on the circumstances of today's lunch break. "Yeah. Which is why it's so weird." Vlad froze, his eyes widening to the size of saucers, his mouth gaping. "Wait. Do you think they could be having-"

"And here they are." True, Lukas and his guest had finally walked into the courtyard, but they were far enough away to be out of ear shot. The severe unwant of hearing Vlad finish his sentence was enough for Arthur to point it out, even if it was a pet peeve of his.

As he got closer and closer, Lukas' smile grew wider and wider. Mathias was smiling as well, though it was smaller. Shaky.

Arthur snorted, shaking his head. He was nervous. How cute.

"Guys, this is Mathias." Lukas nodded to him, Mathias smiling and saying his greetings. Arthur watched as the two sat down, grinning at each other as they did so.

Vlad watched as well, a smug smirk spread across his face. He rested his cheek on the palm of his hand, slowly nodding his head. "Oh, we know who Mathias is." Vlad put extra emphasis on his name, his smirk growing into a smile.

Lukas rolled his eyes, tsking. "Stop." He turned to Mathias, who was playing with the holes in the table. The smile Lukas had on his face was nauseating. "Mathias-" he looked up from his fiddling, turning his attention to Vlad and Arthur as Lukas motioned to them. "This is Vladimir Popescu-" Vlad nodded, his smile unwavering, giving his usual introduction spiel. "And this is Arthur Kirkland."

Mathias' smile faded, and Arthur mentally cursed. He had forgotten the vendetta against him since his situation with Alfred- and Antonio for that matter. It was stupid of him to assume that they had done the same.

"Arthur Kirkland? You're Arthur Kirkland?" Mathias' eyes were wide, his eyebrows shot up in surprise. Lukas furrowed his brow in confusion, Vlad doing the same, also cocking his head to the side in addition.

"Why're ya lookin' like Arthur like he's the man who savagely murdered yer mother?" Vlad leaned in, hunching over the table.

Mathias perked up, shaking his head and blinking rapidly. He gave the three a bright, reassuring smile, or at least that's what Arthur figured it was supposed to be. "Oh, sorry, it's nothin'." Glancing at Arthur, his smile faded a bit, but was quickly back at full force. "Arthur just has a bit of a reputation at our table."

Arthur nodded, his suspicions having been confirmed. So they knew his name, maybe a general description, -but not his face. Surprising, but, at the same time, not so much. He had made sure to avoid Alfred's friends- especially Antonio, after that cake incident- and rarely saw them outside of lunch, and even that was from afar.

Vlad relaxed, leaning back, a small but wary smile on his face. It was weird, Arthur thought with a tinge of bitterness, that Vlad and Lukas were worried about him, even in such a trivial situation such as this one, when his old friends never were. They never really cared, Arthur just being another person to buy them alcohol and cover for them when a teacher came around the corner. Hell, when he told them that he was moving to America, they didn't care, didn't say so much as a goodbye.

And here he was, two months later, with Vlad looking as if he were prepared to rip a throat out over him. It felt... nice, to have someone feel that way about him.

Lukas smiled, giving Mathias a small laugh and a nod of his head. "I'm pretty sure that Arthur has a reputation everywhere. All of various qualities."

Arthur laughed, tipping his head back, not bothering to confirm how true Lukas was. He looked down, reaching for their lunch- apples and whipped peanut butter- as he listened to the others' reactions. From the corner of his eye, he could see Mathias smiling, hearing him chuckling, though they both seemed forced. As if it was a struggle not to reveal the truth.

As the laughter died down, the smiles beginning to fade, Vlad pounced. "So, Mathias." He grabbed an apple slice, dipping it into the peanut butter and biting into it with a crunch. "What did ya think of yer date? With Lukas? Last Friday?"

Mathias smiled, looking off to the side. His eyes glazed over a little bit, his shoulders relaxing as he most likely relived the memory. Vlad watched, growing impatient, drumming his fingers against his cheekbone. Arthur could hear him tap his foot under the table.

Leaning forward and scooting in, the hard table cut into his stomach. He folded his arms and hunched over the table. Arthur gave Mathias a honeyed smile, one that was nice and sweet. "Oh, yeah. We've only heard Lukas and his gushing."

Lukas tsked, Vlad laughing and clapping his hands. Mathias chuckled, looking slightly uncomfortable, but trying his hardest not to show it.

Looking down, Mathias scratched the back of his neck. He raised his head and smiled, a cocky little grin filled with pearly-white teeth. One of his canines was slightly crooked. From the corner of his eye, Arthur could see Lukas double take at his smile, but the former ignored him.

"It was fun. Really fun." His smile grew wider, and he nodded, sure of his answer.

Vlad blinked in a quick succession, leaning back. He laid his hands flat on the table, giving Mathias a surprised smile. "Fun? It was fun. That's all you have to say."

Mathias took in a sharp breath, his face falling. He looked like a kicked puppy, living up to his nickname, his lips pursed into a fine line and eyes filled with... something. Rejection, sorrow, or maybe guilt, he supposed.

Arthur tsked. He was losing his touch.

Rolling his eyes, Lukas put a hand on Mathias' shoulder. He gave his boyfriend a reassuring smile, making Arthur want to gag from the sweetness laced in it. "Mathias, ignore them. They're just protective." He turned to Arthur and Vlad, frowning. "Guys. Y'all need to leave 'im alone."

Mathias shook his head, his freckles scrunching up as he smiled. "Nah, it's fine. I know I'd be protective of ya, too. 'Cause you're just so stinkin' cute."

Lukas smiled, laughing and lightly shoving his shoulder. "Stop." Mathias giggled, strands of his hair falling out of place as he did so. The two shared a look. One of those disgusting ones that made you vomit in your mouth a little.

A hand slithered up Arthur's back, stopping at his shoulder, causing him to jump. He turned, relaxing upon realizing that it was Vlad and not a random assailant. The latter leaned towards him, hot breath blowing on his ear as he whispered.

"They haven't even been dating for more than a week and they're already giving each other looks like that. Disgusting." Arthur nodded, agreeing fully and whole heartedly. Next thing they knew, the two would become a "we" couple.

And that would be the exact moment Arthur makes his hasty escape.

Not being able to bear any more of their lovey-dovey mush, Arthur racked his mind for a possible question, saying the first thing that came to mind. "Mathias." He looked up from his conversation with Lukas, a small bit of color draining from his face upon realizing it was Arthur speaking. "What exactly gave you the courage to accept Lukas' proposal? For the date, I mean."

Vlad made a quick glance towards Arthur, smirking, before turning to Mathias. "Oh, yeah. So, did it just pop up, a heat of the moment sort of thing, or was it slow and left to boil over the years?"

The confusion on Mathias' face was almost enough to make Arthur laugh. He stuttered over his words, remaking and remaking his answers, before finally settling on, "What?"

Vlad and Arthur both smiled, Arthur's a bit more sarcastic than the former's. cocking his head to the side, Vlad's smile grew, the seal on his lips breaking to show teeth. "Oh, y'know. Lukas has been wantin' ya for the past- what?- nine, ten years and-"

"Vlad. Stop."

From his tense jaw, hardened eyes, Lukas looked angry- no, murderous would be a better way to describe it. He put his hand on Mathias' shoulder, pulling him to the side to whisper in his ear, not unlike the way Vlad did with Arthur. After a few seconds, Mathias pulled away, smiling and whispering something back. Lukas huffed, the corner of his mouth twitching up.

Arthur raised an eyebrow, reaching for an apple slice. He waited impatiently for them to finish, fidgeting his fingers and biting his lip. They had to stop eventually. Maybe.

When they were first trying to set up Lukas with Mathias, Arthur had no clue that this would happen. The quiet, aloof Lukas Bondevik had turned into a monster, one that giggled and squealed and tickled. Gone was the beloved friend he once knew, replaced by... this.

"Mathias~. Ya never answered my question."

The two jumped, turning to Vlad, who had a sweet, unknowing smile spread across his face. Finally, the interrogation would continue. Finally.

Mathias pouted, looking like a toddler told that he couldn't have his desired toy. Averting his eyes, he blinked- once, twice, three times- letting a fair amount of time between each one. "Well-" he scratched his head, huffing and smiling like he was one of the happiest men in the world. "It's kind of a funny story, actually-"

"Oh, do tell."

Arthur snorted at the way Vlad said it, his tone sounding like he was about to hear some juicy gossip. He himself was excited to hear Mathias' story, only to see if there was some kind of lie wedged in it, just to make sure everything was good and genuine.

To see if this wasn't just some kind of sick game to Mathias.

Mathias looked at Lukas, the expression on his face unsure. Not even a week of dating and he already looked like that. Lukas nodded, smiling, giving him damn permission.

One week. What will a year be like?

"It started around, like, the third grade-"

"Oh, so ya started crushin' on him around the same time he did you."

"Yeah, actually-"

"Wow, what a coincidence." Arthur couldn't help it. He had to say it.

Lukas sent a glare in his direction, Vlad snickering, covering his mouth to hide it. Arthur didn't say anything back, keeping his attention on Mathias.

The latter kept smiling, not showing any sign or anger or annoyance. It made Arthur wonder if he was always like this- him being the Human Golden Retriever, of course- or it someone, such as Alfred and the other fools at the table, prepared him for this. For Arthur.

For some reason, both seemed likely.

"It's- uh, it's kinda weird, I guess, but in the fourth grade, I joined the orchestra because I heard that Lukas was thinkin' about it."

A small noise came out of Vlad's mouth. It was quiet enough that only Arthur could hear it, the couple across from them not showing any signs of doing so. Vlad leaned back a bit, careful not to fall off the bench, crossing his arms. "So, the rumors were true, then?"

Mathias' nose scrunched up, piles and piles of freckles wrinkling along with it. "There were rumors?"

Vlad's smile had turned smug. Like a long time theory of his had been proven true. "Yes, there were."

Mathias turned to Lukas, looking confused. The latter just smiled at him, patting his arm, before moving his attention to Vlad and Arthur. "Guys, I think it's time y'all stopped with the-"

"Why, Lukas? Arthur n' I are just gettin' to know our new friend. Y'all're plannin' on bein' together quite awhile, aren'tcha?"

"Yeah, but-"

"Mathias, what instrument do you play?" Blinking rapidly, Mathias turned his attention to Arthur, cocking his head to the side. His eyes were wide, smile tight. He had definitely been prepared before coming.

"I'm sorry?"

Arthur cleared his throat. "In the orchestra. What instrument do you play?"

Mathias perked up, straightening his shoulders. He seemed to relax a bit, now that he had finally gotten a relatively easy question. "Oh, I play the cello."

Vlad twisted his body around, looking Arthur up and down with a raised eyebrow. "What does that have to do with anything?"

Arthur shrugged. "Just curious." He leaned to the side, looking under the table. The space around Mathias' feet was empty, and so was the bench next to him. No case. Arthur sat upright, smoothing out the wrinkles in his shirt. "You don't have it with you. Did you leave it in the orchestra classroom?"

A sheepish smile. As if the whereabouts of his cello had been a recently discovered secret. "Uh, nah. I keep it in my locker, get it out on my way to class. So I don't haveta lug it around everywhere."

Arthur nodded, satisfied with his answer. He quickly tried to think of something else to say, freezing when an idea popped into his head. "Speaking of your locker-" Lukas perked up, looking back and forth between Arthur and Mathias. The latter kept his smile bright and sunny, just as he had been doing most of their little get-together. "What did you think of our- Lukas' letters?"

Vlad looked at Arthur, staring at him with awe and jealousy. Arthur smirked, happy that he had thought of the question first.

Cocking his head to the side, it took Mathias a few seconds to realize what Arthur was talking about. His eyes widened, his mouth gaping. "Oh! Sorry, sorry, sorry." He chuckled, it being a bit breathless. "Sorry 'bout that. Yeah, I was pretty surprised when I saw the first one. I read it, and was like, 'Who the hell is this?'"

Lukas laughed, that turning into a giggle. Going along, Arthur chuckled, though he didn't really see what was so funny about it.

Mathias continued, though his voice was slower. Unsure. "Actually, I kinda thought it was an accident, until I got the second letter. And the next one and the next one. the flowers were really a surprise, and my mom ate most of the chocolate before I could get to it."

He sent the three a sheepish smile after the last part, an apology for not putting their gift to "proper use".

It didn't matter. They were chocolates, and not even good ones, either. They were made with an American recipe, which, of course, meant a severe lacking of sugar. Arthur spat out his piece when he tried it, gagging his way to the bathroom.

"How did you figure it out? That it was me sending them?" Unlike Vlad and Arthur, Lukas' voice was soft as he spoke, like he was having a simple conversation, and not interrogating him.

Vlad sent Arthur an exasperated look as Mathias turned- actually twisted his body, resting his side against the table- to Lukas. The two smiled at each other, a rosy pink slowly spreading across their cheeks.

Arthur tried his best to suppress the gag, but failed. Vlad sent him a quick glance, sympathy shining in his eyes.

"At first, I had no clue who it was. Hell, I didn't even know who that Frithiof guy was." Mathias laughed, and Arthur had to give him credit for remembering the subject for their first letter. Even he had forgotten, and he was the one who wrote the damn thing.

"Everyone at the table- over there, where I eat lunch with my friends, I mean- was tryin' to figure out who was sendin' 'em." He shook his head, smiling as if he felt stupid for not knowing the answer was right in front of him. In this case, it was literal. "And then, you walked up to the table, lookin' all nervous n' everything and you were clutchin' that book you always carry around with ya, and it was right there! You were there! I felt so embarrassed, not bein' able to figure out that I what I was lookin' for was close enough to slap me in the face."

Lukas tipped his head back and laughed, Mathias doing the same. He grabbed the latter's upper arms, squeezing tight, then rubbing them up and down.

Arthur stared at them with a raised eyebrow, feeling a bit nauseous. He vowed then and there, that if he ever found someone insane enough to be in a serious relationship with him, he would never be as affectionate with them as those two were with each other. At least in public, anyways. He refused to be- no, he couldn't be- that cruel to those around him.

Arthur turned to Vlad, throwing all his desperation into the look he gave him. The latter nodded, thankfully understanding what Arthur wanted him to do.

Reaching for an apple slice, Vlad made his voice loud enough that those at the neighboring tables would be able to hear it. "So~, Arthur." He bit into the apple, glancing to the side to see if the two had stopped there fondling, waiting until they came apart. They did, eventually. "How was your tutoring session with Alfred?"

Arthur groaned. They had moved on from one hellish situation to another. He should've expected Vlad to bring it up, considering that he had ranted and raved so viciously about it earlier that week. It was foolish of him to think that they wouldn't ask about it.

Lukas pulled away from Mathias, who pouted- actually pouted- and returned his attention to his friends. He rested his elbows on the table, cupping his face between his hands. "Oh, yeah I was wonderin' about that. How'd it go?"

Mathias furrowed his brow, cocking his head to the side. "Arthur's tutorin' Alfred?"

Lukas shook his head. "No, the other way around. Arthur's been failin' a lot of his assignments, so Mr. Wang has Alfred help 'im after school on Tuesdays and Thursdays now. Yesterday was their first session."

Mathias slowly nodded, an unreadable expression spreading across his face. Arthur frowned at Lukas, feeling slightly betrayed that he would divulge that much. The latter smiled back, and though it was small, Arthur knew that he had finally gotten his revenge. Arthur gritted his teeth.

That bastard.

Silence fell over the table, and it wasn't until Vlad cleared his throat that Arthur realized he was still waiting for an answer. He scowled, remembering the events of the previous afternoon.

"He showed up twenty minutes late, regularly insulted me, and, worst of all, I had Kiku as a chaperone." More and more anger showed in his voice as he spoke, and by the end of it, he spat out Kiku's name in disgust. Arthur grabbed an apple slice and, not bothering with the peanut butter, popped it into his mouth, chewing violently. It made him feel a little bit better.

Vlad winced, swearing. "That bad, huh?" He shrugged, pursing his lips. "Hey, at least ya didn't have to do it with Kiku."

He snorted. "That would be literal Hell. I would rather fail than spend more than five minutes with him."

The three laughed, Vlad slamming his hand against the table. Mathias stayed silent, his eyes narrowed and his mouth etched into a frown. This was Arthur's first official meeting with the boy and he already thought it didn't fit him.

Lukas, upon seeing Arthur staring at him, whipped his head over to Mathias. He put his hand on the latter's shoulder, only for him to slowly pull away. "Mathias? What's wrong?"

He shook his head, keeping his attention on Arthur. Before he even spoke, Arthur knew exactly what was coming. Exactly. "Alfred insulted ya? As in, Alfred F. Jones, Alfred? He wouldn't do that, he's such a nice guy."

Arthur huffed, deflating. It seemed that every single time Arthur went in a five-foot radius of one of Alfred's friends, they said that line. Every single time.

Vlad shook his head, tsking. "I know y'all constantly say that about him, but Alfred isn't perfect."

Mathias tensed. "Yeah, I know that, but-"

Setting his hand on Mathias' back, Lukas shook his head. "Mathias, yer not gonna win this. Those two are very stubborn."

Mathias huffed, shaking his head. He muttered something too quiet for Arthur to hear, and most likely the same for Vlad, while Lukas gave him an apologetic smile. He only received a tiny one back.

Silence fell over the table, save for the chewing and crunching of apple slices. It was all terribly awkward, in Arthur's opinion, and he racked through his mind to find a new conversation topic.

Alfred was off the table. Mathias had grown defensive of him, and it pained Arthur to have the image of the fool in his mind. He was the only one in choir, and bringing up orchestra again had the risk of starting another mush fest. Arthur wasn't even sure that Vlad played an instrument, so that would leave him out of the conversation altogether, anyway.

He definitely didn't want to talk about grades. That would only succeed in rubbing salt in his open wound, something he sincerely wanted to avoid. Besides, their lunch period was, as they had decided a few weeks ago, "sacred", with no talks of projects or homework allowed. Arthur found the rule to be almost counterproductive, but didn't object to it.

The mood of the table was rapidly deteriorating, the once playful and questioning atmosphere turning to gloom. Arthur didn't know why he cared so much, he could just take out his book and read for the rest of the period, but a conversation, for some strange reason, sounded much more desirable. And less awkward, for that matter.

There was nothing in particular that Arthur was curious about, not anything that anyone at the table would know about, maybe except-

Oh. <i> Oh. <i/>

Arthur perked up, eyes wide, blinking rapidly. How did he not think of him sooner? He had the potential of becoming a major part of his plan, after all.

"Mathias." He, along with Vlad and Lukas looked up from wherever they went during the period of silence. Mathias smiled, still looking angry, making it smaller than usual.

"Yeah?"

Arthur paused for a second, pursing his lips into a fine line. What was that kid's name again? The one who looked like he was a few steps from toppling over and falling asleep?

"Do you know... oh, shit, what's his name?" He ran his fingers through his hair, cringing at how greasy it was. Arthur smacked his forehead, groaning. Vlad chuckled, shaking his head, not bothering to help as he watched Arthur struggle.

It started with a G- no, and H, and it sounded Greek or something-

He had it. "Hercules. Do you know Hercules?"

Vlad and Lukas broke out into a wave of chortles and cackles, clapping their hands as if they were damn seals. Mathias smiled, breathing in sharply, looking as if he was barely keeping the laughter contained.

"Pft. Hercules?" Mathias shook his head, chuckling. He clamped his hand over his mouth, his shoulders shaking as he tried to keep it all in. "Do ya mean Heracles? Heracles Karpusi?"

Rolling his eyes, Arthur tsked, huffing. Vlad and Lukas had yet to stop laughing, and Mathias was close to joining them, if how tense his smile was was any indication. "Shut up, at least I got most of it right."

Vlad's face was growing red, and he wiped his eyes and set his hand on Arthur's shoulder. He had half the mind to brush it away, and almost did, but knew that if he did, they would only carry on.

"Arthur- Arthur." Vlad shook his head, lowering it to the table and folding his arms around it. The shakes of his shoulders and the muffled noise only made Arthur fume.

He gritted his teeth, digging his fingernails into the palm of his hand. Arthur took a deep breath, rolling his neck back, trying his best to calm himself by counting to ten.

It didn't work.

"Shut the bloody hell up and answer my god-damn question." Several people around them turned to Arthur as he snarled, but he ignored every single one of them.

Mathias' eyes widened, his smile growing and becoming laced with... wonder, strangely enough. "Did you just say-"

"Don't." Arthur knew exactly what he was going to say, stopping it before he punched him in the face. That would certainly earn him brownie points in various social groups.

Mathias raised his hands in surrender, Lukas huffing at it. Their laughter slowly died down, causing Arthur to relax- only a little bit, though- and deflate. "Just- just answer my question, will you."

Mathias nodded, giving him what he assumed to be a reassuring grin. "Yeah, man, sure. Ya wanted to know if I knew Heracles, right?" Arthur nodded. Mathias winced, rubbing the back of his neck. "Mn, can't say that I do. I mean, he's sat with us at the table a couple times, yeah, but he mostly just talked to Kiku. Hell, it's almost like he's got a crush."

Vlad furrowed his brow, frowning, glancing back and forth between the two. "Who's Heracles?"

Arthur snorted. So he mocked him without even knowing who Arthur was talking about. Fantastic. He ignored him. "So, you would say that Heracles has a crush on Kiku?"

Mathias shrugged, clicking his tongue. "I dunno, I guess. He's always blushin' around and talkin' to 'im and everytime he looks at Kiku, he's got this funny look in his eye. And he doesn't really seem to like Alfred to much, or vice versa, really, but I'm not really sure."

Arthur nodded, his theory having been confirmed. Somewhat. He would have to do some inner digging.

Vlad cleared his throat, looking peeved. Arthur gave him an apologetic smile for having ignored him, but it was brushed off. "Who's Heracles Karpusi?"

Mathias smiled. "Just a weird guy who sleeps all the time. He's not really too important, and isn't gonna be. Hell, I dunno why Arthur even asked about him."

Vlad and Lukas both shared a look at that, seeming curious and just a bit suspicious.

Arthur himself had to disagree with Mathias' later statement. If he was correct and his theory proved to be completely- and he meant completely, one-hundred percent- true, then Heracles would play a huge part in the plan. If the idea that was slowly forming in Arthur's mind went through, then Heracles could be the person to set it all off.

He tapped his fingers against the table, letting the idea finish laying itself out. He smiled, feeling smug, ignoring his lunchmates' demands at knowing what he was so happy about.

#Aph UsUk #UsUk #Aph America #Aph England #RantingFangirl #The Fanfiction Life of RantingFangirl

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