#well technically anyway! since this is a glimpse into Life Behind the Screen

[improbable-implosions]

Man, my desk sure is a mess. Makes it a bit of trouble to look For a Space to get streaming done! Guess you'll have to tune in next Friday (the 19th) to find out what we'll be reading for the paper cuts finale!

[get-shiggy-with-it]

Book Drop Boy (Twice x Reader)

✧ pairing: library student worker!Twice x afab!student!Reader

✧ word count: 9.9k

✧ ao3 mirror

✧ warnings: college au/no quirks, maladaptive daydreaming (twice), twice is chaotic af, commits library related crimes, use of the term sweetheart a few times, smut, vaginal fingering/sex, doggy style, afab terms, no pronouns for reader, gratuitous swearing this is potentially the softest thing I've ever written, like she's pretty tame idk what Twice does to me

✧ summary: In which Twice learns that sometimes dreams do come true, except those dreams are just the maladaptive fantasies of a broke library receptionist and, while sexy, also involve more fraud than he expected.

✧ a/n: Hey y'all, this is set in the same universe as my shiggy college piece, but you don't need to have read that. There are some fun little easter eggs though if you have tho. This is like the most tame thing I've ever written and it's way longer than it was meant to be but oh well. Anyway, Twice deserves some love. Enjoy <3

Logically, Jin was aware you probably had no idea who the fuck he was.

But that really didn’t have any effect on the wildly intricate fantasy life he had created for the two of you during his long shifts behind the library reception desk. That, in fact, was the only reason he hadn’t up and quit just to save himself the embarrassment of another loud outburst in the middle of the most silent place on campus.

What was truly more shocking was the fact that none of those said outburst had gotten his ass kicked straight out the door.

But he held out.

If only for you.

Late nights or lazy afternoons you were always in the campus library—studying he assumed or…

'Studying,' because a lot of the time he noticed you’d show up with a drink from the cafe a few blocks down, set out a line of colored pens and not touch a single one of them for hours, content to stare blankly at the chipped desktop. And even that Jin was more than happy to watch.

He did a lot of watching.

Mostly because he wasn’t permitted to leave the desk unattended unless there were piling up returned books which needed to be replaced quickly.

So instead, he pretended to be busy scrolling through something on his old as hell monitor—which was conveniently set up directly across from the comfy chair/desk combo you always managed to grab—and he indulged in day dreams where you’d bring him a coffee from the cafe when you came in and set it on his desk, maybe kiss him on the cheek, maybe loiter by his workstation and play with his hair and—

Yeah.

It was a lot.

But you were always in that chair, always working or pretending to work and you never seemed to notice the uninterrupted hours of staring Jin did, so what was the harm?

If you never knew, you’d never get creeped out—cause it was creepy, he knew that, oh fuckin' boy did he know it was real goddamn weird.

He just couldn’t seem to give it up. Especially when the conditions presented perfectly for some good uninterrupted, totally not stalker-y at all, fantasizing.

Sometimes he thought you might have some mundane superpower that let you always snatch that perfect seat right across from his computer, and made it so the library was just cool enough that he’d get to watch you shrug on that cute extra sweatshirt you always brought. So he could catch a glimpse of some skin—in a totally normal and not invasive way—when your arms went over your head. So he could imagine it was his ratty old sweaters you were wearing just so you could smell him on you and god he really wanted to get close enough to smell you—was that too weird? No. Yes? No.

Not at all.

But the best part, the part that really convinced him on those awful days when he really just could not be bothered to drag himself out of bed and walk the couple blocks to campus just to sit in awful silence alone, in his head alone with the fucking thoughts that made him want to rip his hair out—

What made it worth it was those times every few weeks when your classes would get new assigned readings. Because then you’d have to check out new textbooks, since you were one of those geniuses that had figured out the library kept a ton of those books in stock. Of course you were, cause you were fucking perfect.

And when you had to check out new books, you had to come to reception.

Jin got to watch as your lovely figure moved through the stacks like you were ballroom dancing along the halls of faded, sea-green shelves, almost floating over the linoleum trying to find just the right volume in the right addition before anyone else beat you to it.

It was one of the most gorgeous things he’d ever seen.

Spinner would call him a fucking simp if he ever dared to uttered any of that out loud, but it didn’t matter.

If it was you, he’d simp for fucking life.

And then, you’d walk that fucking glorious ass over to his desk and plop the books down, smiling—cause you were polite like that, so fucking perfect he couldn’t hardly believe it sometimes—and asking how his day was while he checked you out in every sense of the phrase.

In a completely platonic and not freaky way.

So Jin kept coming to work, to that god awful job he really hated and which hated him just as vehemently. He clocked in every day and waited patiently like a fucking puppy counting the hours till its workaholic owner arrived home, ears perking up when you walked through the door and flashed your ID to the attendant.

If only for that.

He’d put up with his boss’ complaints and the weird stares he got when the thoughts just wouldn’t stay in his head anymore and he had to start talking to himself to fill the silence.

If only for that.

Those few hours when he could lose himself in the fake inner life where you were waiting for him when his shift let out, waiting to gather him, tired and understimulated, into your arms. Where you’d sneak into the back room with him just to chat and lace your fingers with his and maybe sit that fucking wonderful ass up on the tables so he could stand in between your thighs and you’d pull him down to—

Yeah.

That was enough.

***

It wasn’t until Tuesday when he had to come in again that week, and he already knew it was gonna suck balls.

Friday he’d gotten another round of complaints from some stuck up fucking business students—it was always the fucking business majors with those silver spoons so far up their asses—snitching to his boss that he’s been ‘disruptive’ and ‘disturbing’ during his last shift.

“Not my fucking fault,” he muttered under his breath, kicking a rock along the side walk he’d picked up two blocks before. “Yes it is. No it’s not!”

Jin groaned and tugged at his hair, wishing he’d brought a Tylenol or something to curb the headache that was already sticking it’s ugly ass claws into his temples. He really, really heavily contemplated just ditching, calling in sick or some shit. Technically he was a student worker, so they had to work with his DRS accommodation and he was actually having a bad fucking time.

But one of his friends had already texted to ask if he’d try and reserve them that sweet ass study room on the third floor and Jin wasn’t really looking to disappoint anyone else this week. Besides, it was fun to abuse his minuscule power. Fun to go corrupt for once. Fight the system and all that.

He liked to think you’d be proud of him for it, based on the kinds of texts you checked out at least.

So, he dragged his sad ass back to the looming library looking far too much like a prison than was necessary and clocked in. Actually, the first thing he did was check the chair—your chair and nobody else’s chair, he might actually make a fucking scene if somebody ever did steal it—and his face visibly fell when you were not occupying it.

It was a bit early, Jin supposed as he paused briefly when he noticed the can of Monster and rando vending machine chips sitting next to it by the reception computer. The sticky note slapped to the top read 'For your troubles' in familiar handwriting and that pulled a bit of a smile from him as he quickly rearranged the scheduling of study room sign ups so the fancy third floor room would be free for the rest of the night.

Then Jin sat, staring at the study room schedules for a moment, feeling his eyes softly glaze over until a hand slapped down on the raised lip of the reception desk.

“Hey bro,” Spinner greeted him with a wild smile and a flurry of bright pink hair.

Jin had to blink a few extra times to get his vision to clear. When it did he saw, horrifyingly, that he’d been staring at the fucking blank screen for two hours without moving.

Why was it that his head was either deadly quiet, devoid of even a single errant thought or so loud as fucking shit at all times that he couldn’t physically keep the thoughts in?

“Hey, dude, what’s up?” Jin asked, running a hand through his unruly hair.

“Aren’t you supposed to like shush me or something?”

Spinner chuckled a bit at his own god awful joke and Jin couldn’t find it in himself to be annoyed, too glad for the company.

“I mean,” he shrugged, popping the can of Monster and ignoring the dirty looks he got for the sound. “I would if I was, uh, good at my job.”

“Which I’ve heard you definitely are not,” Spinner wrapped his fingers over the lip of the desk and leaned back on his heels, swaying side to side idly.

“You’re just figuring that out now?”

Jin didn’t bother watching while Spinner nearly tripped over himself fidgeting as he spun to stand at the little gate that corralled Jin inside like livestock. He was too busy glancing over to check you hadn’t slipped in while his brain had taken a trip to the astral plane without him.

“No, I been knew, but my sources tell me you’ve gone off the rails my friend,” long legs stepped over the wooden partition until the only friend he had who was quite possibly more annoying than Jin himself was sat on the counter next to his computer. “Finally been radicalized have you?”

Jin huffed and sipped his Monster, “Guess it fuckin’ took me long enough.”

“Yeah, no kidding,” Spinner was messing about with the stacks of multicolored sticky notes littered across the desk before glancing up to wink at Jin. “So what can I get you to do for me in exchange for free food?”

“Now I really am gonna fucking shush you,” Jin smashed his finger against Spinners grin only to get a hand covered in spit for his trouble.

“Right, right,” Spinner held his hands up in defeat, “can’t have you cheating on your sweetheart.”

“Not my—yes I’m in a committed fictional relationship thank you very much—ugh!”

Jin could feel the heads shooting up from laptop screens and textbooks to stick daggers in his back with their angry stares. Spinner at least had the good sense to look a little fucking guilty for egging him on.

“Sorry bro, I had to shoot my shot ya know?” a hand disappeared into the mop of bubblegum locks in apology.

“It’s fine…” Jin trailed off, mumbling and blushing more than a little profusely as he turned to check the book drop box. “Not like I’m ever gonna fuckin’ shoot mine anyway.”

“Oh we are not gonna have that kinda of shit discussion,” Spinner’s hand shot out and grabbed him firmly by the shoulders, spinning Jin in his chair. “On god bro, we’re gonna get you a date one of these days.”

Jin didn’t dignify that kind of lie with a response.

Spinner once again, had the good sense to not push the envelope any farther.

“And in the meantime, you can come to the League meeting tonight!”

“Your gaming club thing?”

“Yeah, it’s Smash night and we need to fill a space sooooo…”

Jin knew Spinner and his roommate—the same friend who he’d gone study room rogue for—had started a gaming club their freshman year. Spinner had been trying to strong arm him into attending ever since. To, as he put it, ‘socialize,’ and ‘make new friends.’ All things which Jin was patently horrible at and avoided like the plague.

Needless to say, he’d refused every time.

It wasn’t just the whole being alone with like two people he kinda knew in a room full of strangers. Games themselves were just a lot for him. The flashing colors and the loud noises made his head—which was already so fucking full all the time and he really needed to keep any extra scrap of space for extra random facts he picked up about you and your future married life together—get a bit misaligned.

They just weren’t his jam most of the time.

“I’m good, thanks for the offer though,” Jin twisted out of Spinner’s grasp and craned his head to check your seat again.

Still empty.

He sighed.

Spinner continued to ramble and Jin continued to only half listen. It wasn’t as pleasant to day dream when you weren’t there for the added visual aesthetic. And he was trying to not be a dick and ignore the one friend he had managed to keep around over the years. But it was hard when his mind had a mind of its own.

Wow.

Meta.

“Jin?”

The voice—deep and dark in such a dramatically ominous way it might have been funny if it didn’t belong to his permanently disgruntled supervisor—interrupted his already derailing train of thought.

“Oh, uh, hello sir,” Jin stuttered, turning to find Kurogiri leaning against the reception desk with one arm, turning only slightly to accommodate Spinner’s form bolting over the gate and out the library doors.

He did manage to throw a fading, “See ya later, bro” over his shoulder before he disappeared around the corner.

Yeah thanks for the warning, bro.

“Aren’t you supposed to be reshelving the books from the drop box?” Kurogiri sighed, perpetually disappointed in a way that had Jin’s face burning and shame bubbling up in his throat.

He hated this job. He was objectively terrible at it, and so usually he wouldn’t give that much of a shit at not doing it well. Kurogiri just had some type of vibe—like daddy but not in the sexy way Spinner always joked about—that made it really, really upsetting to let him down.

Father figure? Yeah that's what it was called.

“Right, yeah um, sorry,” Jin nodded quickly and leapt from his chair, only mildly bruising his knee on the desk as he reached to empty the book drop.

Another incorporeal sigh was the only acknowledgement he received as he loaded the cart with wheels louder than Jin on a particularly bad day and rolled the pile of books back to the stacks. He paused once more, just before the sea green shelving units swallowed him up, to sneak another futile peak at your chair. But it still sat empty—empty and lonely with no you and cold without your body pressed against the worn upholstery.

Jin felt a chill too, a slow tingling thing that worked its way up from the base of his spine. It drove him deeper into the walls of books, away from the empty spaces.

It was harder to look.

Harder to be reminded of what he did not have.

Of what he’d never have cause he was too much of a goddamn pussy to ever just fucking talk to you—

But then what if he did? What if he did talk to you? What would happen then?

Those were the types of questions he tried to avoid when crafting your intricate, fictional lives together. Precisely because they were the easiest to answer.

You’d realize within the first five minutes or so of conversation—if Jin could even make it that far without embarrassing himself—that he was just a generic brand weirdo that all your pretty, normal, aesthetically pleasing friends would warn you to stay away from and because you were also pretty and normal and not a fucking idiot, you’d have the common sense to listen.

He’d lose you in the blink of an eye.

Your chair would sit cold and empty forever and the imaginary garden he’d been planting for you to come imaginarily home too would wilt and die like all the other happy thoughts in his head.

It was quite the conundrum and one Jin was not keen to solve soon.

Not that things ever really went his way. Cause problems could only be avoided for so long before all that time spent ignoring them came back to bite him full on the ass.

Which, apparently, came this time in the form of what had to be quiet, muffled sobbing drifting in between the shelves from the back hallway.

It was dark here in this section of the building—free of most windows so as not to cause any sunning damage to the books—and Jin had seen more than enough horror movies to know that it was a horrendous idea to follow the ominous crying sounds coming from the bowls of this old as fuck building. But even as he made up his mind to ignore it, the hand currently working one of the returns back into its proper place dropped the book to his cart as his feet slowly turned to face the corridor.

He looked around skeptically for a second, not entirely certain his poor brain hadn’t simply malfunctioned again, as it was wont to do, and fabricated the sound entirely. But as he peaked out from between the stacks, and down the dimly lit hall, he heard it again.

Echoey and soft in the wide, empty space it—was definitely coming from the hall and it was definitely a person.

Jin caught himself moving without ever meaning too, the books laying forgotten as he crept towards the source of the noise and paused just before leaving the stacks entirely. This hall was full of small alcoves built into the centuries old walls and led to the lesser used storage portions of the library that only the janitorial staff and the university librarians ever entered. He really didn’t want to stumble across someone from the special collections department bawling over a damaged or lost manuscript.

But his wayward feet pushed him forward, too sympathetic for his own good. He found himself shuffling down the abandoned hall, peering into each small dip in the walls to find the source of his distraction.

And when he did, Jin was—for once in his life—thankful for his lack of self-preservation instincts.

And cursed his blatant lack in interpersonal skills.

Because it was you.

You curled with your knees to your chest and your head in your hands, shoulders shaking, as you cried into your palms.

The universe had handed him maybe the only golden opportunity he would ever get on right on a platter.

But Jin didn’t have a fucking clue what do with it.

And there certainly wasn’t much time to formulate a game plan as his nervous breathing and sudden intake of breath upon discovering his imaginary lover sniffling right in front of him, had certainly alerted you to his presence.

Your head shot up in an instant, knocking dully against the stone wall with a thud.

“Shit,” you cursed and hands flying up to cover the area as Jin jumped on the spot at your outburst.

“Are you okay?” he asked lamely as you glanced over at him, eyes red and wet and so fucking sad oh fucking god, widening as you realized you’d been caught.

“Huh? Ye—oh uh, yes,” your words came out jumbled, legs unfolding quickly to push yourself off the bench and hands wiping furiously at your eyes. “I’m fine, sorry.”

“You sure about that?”

Jin cringed visibly and frowned at the way you deflated under his stare. God the first fucking time he actually talks to you and he already made an ass of himself.

Spinner’s roommate was such a liar, it really fucking sucked to be right sometimes.

“I mean,” you crumpled back down onto the ledge and Jin took a careful step closer, “no, but yes. Like I’m definitely having a breakdown in the back of the fucking library but I don’t wanna, uh, bother you with that. So, yeah I’m good.”

“You can bother me,” he replied way too fucking quickly.

But he couldn’t really be embarrassed about it. Your voice was just so captivating, and you weren’t talking to him in that raised pitch anymore like you usually did—the way everyone does when they’re trying to be surface level and polite. No this was your voice how you sounded when you were relaxing with your friends or making breakfast in the morning or talking to yourself in the shower (he liked to think you did that, or sang maybe as you worked the soap into your skin, one of the two but he always imagined you filled silences with how fucking pretty you were).

“No, really. That would be weird, right?”

Jin grimaced as you fixed him with a watery yet suspicious stare.

Yeah it was weird.

Everything he did concerning you was weird, objectively. He was definitely being over-familiar and too eager, especially considering you didn’t fucking know him.

But he knew you.

Jin felt like he’d known you for all months he’d spent pretending to be by your side.

And you were crying and he had to do something.

“I mean, yeah I guess,” he mumbled, taking a risk and plopped down on the opposite end of the alcove and resting his head on the wall. “But not any weirder than having a breakdown in the employees only section of the library building on a Tuesday.”

You kept staring blankly for a few moments before the most miraculous thing happened.

Jin had to physically stop his jaw from hitting the floor when the quiet giggle bubbled up from your chest and spilled out into the hall, warm enough to melt even the freezing linoleum floor.

“Yeah, you’ve got a point,” your voice cracked a bit as a few more tears slid like pearls down your cheeks.

“My name’s Jin,” he said, shocked stupid both by your laugh and the apparent success of his comforting methods.

“Oh, hi, well I guess I don’t have to call you book drop boy anymore,” you rubbed at your face again and tucked your legs back into your chest, though it looked a bit more relaxed this time.

Not so trying-desperately-to-fade-out-of-existence.

“You called me that?” Jin asked, brain still functioning at half capacity, only shocked at the fact that he existed as a concept in your head enough to have a name and realizing a bit too late how accusatory he must have sounded. “Shit, I mean it’s totally fine I just didn’t think you, uh, well I mean, like, knew about me I guess?”

You finally smiled and his brain power cut out another fourth at being personally graced by the expression this close up.

“Yeah, you always check me out—fuck sorry not that you check me out, just you scan my books and I just called you ‘book drop boy’ in my head cause I never got a chance to ask for your name but I have it now so that’s cool….”

Your head dropped back down to your knees as you groaned and Jin suddenly felt a lot less nervous than he had a few seconds ago.

You were weird too.

For so long you’d existed on this pedestal thousands of feet in the air, and now you were stepping down from the heavens and onto earth. Not in a bad way! Just, Jin had never really stopped to think that you might be a person too.

Well.

No, he knew you were a person, just he never thought you might get flustered and ramble and be nervous in front of him.

Cause he was a fucking train wreck—the bar was so goddamn low.

It was almost as comforting as your smile.

“Oh, yeah sorry I’m not the best at customer service if you couldn’t tell,” he sighed and ran a hand through his wild hair.

You looked back up with a wry grin, “I don’t know, I’d say you’re going above and beyond right now.”

And you were funny.

He was gonna fucking combust.

“Ha, yeah, I try,” he trailed off for a moment before glancing back at your curled in your corner, fuck he could just imagine sitting behind you, your head on his chest while you—”So uh, did you wanna talk about it or…?”

“Uh, yeah,” you picked idly at the grouting of the stone and mumbled, “I guess it’s not so weird if we’re on a first-name basis.

And that was how Jin discovered that you’d been hiding in the back of the library bawling your eyes out for hours—since even before his shift started. Apparently you’d gotten here extra early, even skipped a class, to snag some super specific required text for your final thesis and right before you got to the shelf some jackass swooped in, effectively hit and running with the only copy of that book on campus.

The book in questions was one of the newer additions that had special added footnotes you needed for your paper and was a whopping 500 fucking dollars to rent from every other place online. You couldn’t afford it, and honestly what fucking student could? But you needed it to complete the paper or you’d fail and Jin very much understood the need for a good breakdown after a catastrophe like that.

“Damn, that’s uh, fucking awful,” he frowned on your behalf as your head hit the wall a second time in frustration.

“Yeah so, I’m like royally fucked either way. Now I just gotta decide which hole I’m taking it in I guess,” you groaned.

Jin’s eyebrows raised at your choice of words but they were apt, he supposed. People really do get comfortable with each other pretty quick when bonding over shared institutional rage.

“Well,” he began, wringing his hands nervously at what he was about to suggest. “You might be in luck cause I’ve recently decided to abuse my library powers for good and I maybe, possibly, could try and see if there’s some strings I can pull?”

You perked up a bit, looking at him incredulously.

Jin felt comfortably full under your stare.

“Seriously?”

The word was soft and it bounced off the walls just as much as it did the inside of his skull.

Swapping study rooms to help a friend out was one thing. But falsifying checkout dates for someone he barely knew—had essentially married in his maladaptive fantasies—could get him fired.

He hated this job but he needed it.

Were you worth the risk?

Of course, he found himself thinking without hesitation.

You were everything.

“Yeah, sure,” he nodded, any lingering uncertainty washing away at the way you looked at him through your lashes. “I wouldn’t have offered if I didn’t mean it.”

“Are you always this nice?”

Jin didn’t answer right away. He was too caught up in how you’d leaned forward on your hands across the bench, peering like he was some exotic animal or a stray cat in the parking lot—all soft wonderment with fingers curling like they ached to grab hold and rescue him from this parchment scented monotony.

“Not always…”

“Should I feel special then?”

If his face wasn’t red before, it was now. Red and blistering under the summer campfire heat that radiated off you—woodsy and warm and so painfully familiar like an old friend’s hand.

“...I guess you—fucking definitely, ” he quite nearly shouted the last bit, startled by his own volume and already mortified at the outburst but then you chuckled again from beside him.

He turned to see you standing and offering a hand which he gladly too if only to feel the weight of your palm against his.

“Well, you’ll have to let me pay you back then.”

“Oh, no you don’t actually—”

You held a hand up and the words turned to ash on his tongue in an instant, mouth glued shut by your gesture.

“Coffee on me or something, there’s a nice cafe a few blocks from here,” you dropped your hand and your eyes were clear now, no sign of the previous afternoon sobbing alone in the hallway. Jin felt a surge in his chest knowing he was the one who did that. “You gotta pass off the contraband anyway, and I don’t think it would be that great of an idea to do it here.”

God you were fucking perfect.

“Can’t argue with that.”

***

Jin was sweating profusely as he snuck past the library attendant, totally inconspicuous and not not all looking like he was doing a single thing wrong in the slightest.

Yeah they definitely didn’t suspect a thing.

The process of fraud was actually a lot less complicated of an undertaking that Jin had expected. All he had to do was search up the book, find the student that had stolen the success of his sweetheart’s educational career and flag his account. They’d get an automated message about the flag, instructing them to return any borrowed items or they’d be forced to pay fines while the account was examined.

Technically he needed administrator credentials to report student accounts, but luckily Kurogiri had his login info written on a sticky note hidden on the back of the monitor. All in all it was a pretty easy job.

The whole thing had taken only a matter of days, in which time you had returned to the library only twice—the first to get confirmation on the success of Jin’s newest descent into low level crime which had set his heart thundering in his chest as you bent conspiratorially over his desk, your face just inches from his.

The second time, Jin had horrifically been absent from his desk, however he was met with possibly the most wonderful sight of his life upon returning from the labyrinth of shelves.

On one of the hundreds of post-it note pads that littered the library reception area, there were scribbles that he was sure hadn’t been there before. He almost tossed it, but upon closer inspection, you’d written your number there and signed just below it. In the cutest fucking handwriting he’d ever seen—cute not for any stylistic reason, but it simply felt that way just by virtue of it being yours—was written the digits and “-for book drop boy”

The noise he made reading that turned more than a dozen heads and almost got him fired there on the spot before any of his indiscretions were even discovered, but he couldn’t find it in himself to regret it.

So, nerve wrackingly, Jin texted you as he nearly sprinted home from his shift after that piece of shit asshole who made you cry had trudged angrily in and dropped off his ‘stolen’ book.

— HEY IT’S JIN!

— from the library

— shit sorry that wasn’t meant to be in caps

— n e way….

— I’ve intercepted the ~package~ so whenever you’re ready for the hand off, I’m good

Most perfect fucking human being to…

Oh my god thank you so much!!!—

Is tomorrow at like 5ish good for you?—

Also send me your order—

so we don’t have to do that awkward waiting in line for drinks bit—

Holy fuck you multi-texted too! Spinner would roll over in his fucking grave, he hated when Jin did that. But there was always so much to say and he could never think of it all at the same time. Plus, you wanted to save him from that god awful silence where you both stand in line next but he can’t talk cause he has keep repeating his order in his head over and over or he’ll blank when he gets to the register so it’s just this painful weird glancing back and forth—

Ugh, maybe all the shit about manifestation that girl who always loaned him exacto knives in his sculpting class always talked about was real.

Cause there was no way you weren’t just heaven-sent, handcrafted especially for him and all his general brand of weird.

The hours which usually flew by without Jin’s notice dragged all that night. He was so full of excess energy that made his hand shake and his thoughts race, not sure what to do with themselves now that they didn’t need to fantasize about you.

He decided to use all that extra motivation to vacuum the kitchen at 4:30 in the morning, much to his roommates' chagrin. She liked to get a nice solid eight hours every night and constantly reminded Jin of this, trying to sell him on that sleepy time tea before bed, though he really hated the smell of camomile.

Magne may lose out on some of her beauty sleep—not that she needed it and Jin would tell her that constantly, even if he did have some patently horrible judgment most of the time so he wasn’t really the best at offering reassurance—but the kitchen would be clean when she woke up so win-win really.

When she did wake up—wandering out of her room looking effortlessly put together in a way Jin could never hope to emulate—she sat at the table, sipping her tea and appraising him worriedly.

Jin was still in his jeans from the day before, hair spiking in every direction but down, and chewing his nails nervously despite losing most of them to the hour or two of early morning floor scrubbing.

“Babe,” she shook her head slowly, “take a breath.”

“Yeah okay,” he sighed and inhaled deeply, letting himself slide off the couch cushions and to the newly sparkling floors on the exhale.

“There, now wanna share what the hell is going on?”

He glanced up at her from the hardwood and groaned as she looked back down, brows furrowed over her glasses.

“Huhh, okay. So that absolute work of art from the library is meeting me for coffee later cause I have trade over this book I sort of stole, it’s a long story, and I don’t know if it’s a date—it sounds like a date, cause that’s where people go for dates and shit—but it might just be to pay me back for stealing the book. And if it is I’ve only ever been on that one date before which was with fucking Spinner like two years ago so—”

Magne held up a hand to quiet Jin before the speed of his words tied his tongue in physical knots. She looked contemplative, taking another soft sip of tea and nodding her head for a moment getting up to crouch on the floor by his head.

“You think too much for your own good, but never about the right things,” she mumbled, smoothing some of the hair from his face. “Does it really matter if this is a date or not?”

Jin blinked. “What do you mean?”

“Well,” she chuckled in that way people do when kids ask them obvious questions—kindly, appreciative of the curiosity, “either way you cut it, you’ll be spending time with this person you like, yeah?”

“Mhm,” he hummed and sat up to face her as she stood.

“A date is just hanging out with a special name anyway,” Magne’s hands were firm but gentle as she hoisted Jin off the floor and onto his feet. “You’ll be fine.”

His shoulders slumped both in mild relief and dejection that he’d waisted so much precious time he could have been preparing possible topics of conversation or strategies to ask you out for real date on worrying over how this first time would go.

How did Magne always fucking know all this stuff?

Other people were such a mystery to him.

To be fair, though, Jin was a mystery to himself most of the time as well.

“Thanks, sorry for not saying anything about it earlier,” he sniffed as she smiled and pinched his cheek way fucking harder than necessary.

“It’s alright, I’m only a little insulted you waited until now to tell me about this massive crush you’ve developed.”

“Yeah it’s got its own gravitational pull at this point.”

Magne laughed at that and Jin felt the room lighten.

“I do expect details when you get back though,” she said pointedly, finishing her tea wandering back to her room to grab her bag. “Spinner asked me, very begrudgingly might I add, to fill in at another of his club tournament things tonight so I’ll be out late.”

“Really? I didn’t think you liked that stuff.”

Jin shuffled over to her doorway and peaked into the neat little space. Magne was rummaging through the meticulously organized closet and frowning as she answered.

“I do, Spinner just doesn’t agree with my battle strategies,” she huffed. “My alignment is far too ‘chaotic’ and ‘recklessly violent’ for his tastes apparently.”

“Oh, yeah that makes sense,” Jin laughed this time just envisioning the two of them stuck on a team. “Well have fun with that.”

“Yeah well,” she brushed by him into the hall, keys jangling as she went and calling over her shoulder. “Text me how it goes, and wear that new button up you got last week, it looks good on you!”

***

Much to Jin’s surprise and delight, Magne was right.

He was fine.

He was fine.

Fine was a bit subjective—as he was most certainly still highkey panicking on main as he got out of his last class and walked the short few blocks to the cafe on campus—but regardless he was perfectly okay.

Of course that all went right out the fucking window in the split second between him walking in and you already staring at the door as he entered. Your eyes widened just a bit and this smile broke out slowly across your cheeks when you waved him over and it was like suddenly every single creepy as hell day dream had just become reality.

It was a little overwhelming to say the least.

His heart may have actually stopped in his chest for a bit and he did contemplate the possibility that Kurogiri might have actually discovered his little plot, murdered him in cold blood and stuffed his body in the records room. This might all just be the afterlife, but that would mean that Jin had gone to some kind of heaven which didn’t really add up with his current tract record.

But it was fine.

Because you were really fucking easy to talk to.

Like, really fucking easy.

It was sorta strange actually, how you seemed to know all this shit he was into before he even really mentioned it.

After you traded off the goods, you both sat in the big comfy couches upstairs in the loft and you listened to him info dump, inevitably getting lost down innumerable unrelated tangents. You managed to keep up well enough though and not question the winding conversation.

“Damn,” he said, sipping at the last dregs left behind in his cup. “How do you know about all this stuff?”

“Uh,” you paused then, looking maybe just a bit sheepishly into your own drink. “I may or may not have spent a considerable amount of time eavesdropping into your conversations while you’re on shift.”

He saw flashes at that moment—dial up sounds going off between his ears.

Jin.exe has stopped working.

“...What?”

You grimaced and hid your face in your hands for a moment, “I know it sounds really creepy, my friends just sorta made a, um, game out of it? They tease me a lot about going to study at the library just cause of the cute guy that works there, so we all kinda stalk you a little bit just—wow this is sounding exponentially worse and worse every second.”

He gaped a bit despite himself as you cringed visibly and Jin tried to discreetly pinch his thigh to make sure this really wasn’t some sort of cruel, cruel fever dream.

“You think I’m cute…?”

He blinked once and your eyes shot up to meet his, a pained, half smile caught between your teeth. “I mean, yeah. I kinda thought I was being a bit obvious, sorry.”

“What no, holy fuck,” he spluttered, face on fire and legs bouncing restlessly against the couch across from you. “Don’t apologize, I have a, uh, staring habit too I guess.”

“I know,” you rubbed at the back of your neck and Jin didn’t think it was possible for you to be anymore endearing. “I’ve noticed, that’s like the whole reason I insisted on buying you a drink.”

“So wait is this a date?”

Jin wished almost immediately that he hadn’t asked, because Magne was right, it super didn’t matter but fucking shit on a stick he really wanted it to be a date!!!!

“Yeah,” you nodded. “If you’d like that.”

“Yes!—ah, I mean, uh yeah mhm,” Jin choked on his spit with enthusiasm, but it did earn him a concerned shoulder pat so he’d take the win.

It also afforded him the opportunity to walk you home after hours chatting until the streets were lit by burnt orange lamps and the cafe was closing. You didn’t live all that far from him actually and when you stopped to point out your door, the two of you were overcome by that telltale, charged silence.

Filled with potential.

Like a gas stove waiting for a spark to go up in flames.

It was you that struck the match.

“So, um, I promise I don’t just, uh, do this with everyone but, do you wanna maybe come inside,” you let your hand trail down his arm and slip into his palm, “I don’t feel like you’ve been properly compensated for saving my ass.”

Jin’s mouth was watering at the thought. He nodded slowly, eyes like saucers as you pulled him up your steps and through the door which shut promptly behind him.

Your place was nice in the sense that it fit you. He wasn’t really paying all that much attention to his surroundings as you locked the door and squeezed his hand in yours, leading him towards the end of the entrance hall.

When he stepped through to your bedroom, you toed off your shoes and he did the same, staring nervously and waiting for you to show him what exactly you meant by ‘further compensation.’

It was exactly what he’d hoped.

You approached him, still in the doorway, and stepped close so your chests brushed together. It was soft, the way you looked at him, sort of fuzzy around the edges while your hands trailed down his arms to place his palms at your waist.

It wasn’t like Jin hadn’t done this before—he totally had and definitely remembered all of it and wasn’t shit faced at all nope—but it hadn’t really mattered before. He knew in theory that he should take the lead, be a gentleman and make the first move and holy fucking god he was dying over there with the desire to finally live out his months and months of fantasies

But what if he did it wrong?

What if he ruined it now when he was so close to the finish line?

He’d never fucking forgive himself for it, and he could goddamn hear Magne in his head.

“You think too much for your own good.”

And he did, and he was right now, cause the room was only dimly lit by the street light streaming in through the window and you were reaching out to loop your arms behind his neck.

Should he lean down now?

Tilt left or right?

What if he clacked your teeth together?

What if—

Your lips were soft and hot against his, rubbing at the stubble on his chin before pressing close in that precious, puzzle-piece way human bodies fit together. He didn’t do much thinking after that.

His hands were too busy digging into the flesh of your hips separated by way to many fucking layers of fabric, and he couldn’t quite stop himself from indulging just a bit. Jin sucked gently at your lower lip, knees going weak at the glorious fucking sound you made in the back of your throat as he licked over the taught skin and tugged it between his teeth.

He could feel you smiling into his mouth, sharing breath and raking your fingers through the hair at the base of his neck. Jin groaned and you—fucking cheeky little bastard—slipped your tongue right past his lips and licked at the back of his fucking teeth like a popsicle in July.

Your hands in his hair hard tugged and his breath was coming faster, lips gliding against yours as the room turned to steam around him.

Through the haze he clung to the few remaining seconds of clarity.

Jin pulled away for one painful second to mumble against your lips.“You meant have sex, right?”

“Yeah,” your voice was barely more than a whisper, but you nodded frantically and rolled your hips against his.

“Ohh fuck, ‘kay good, thank god.”

For once Jin had nothing more to add.

And you weren't exactly willing to give him back his tongue long enough for any interruptions anyway.

***

“Holy fucking shit, look at you,” Jin gasped into your ear.

Both of your clothes had been discarded long ago, and he had your bare back to his chest while he sat propped against the headboard with your legs hooked on either side of his knees. It didn’t afford him the best view, but he got your head resting on his shoulder and pretty moans spilling right into his ear.

He didn’t need to see your pussy anyway.

The slick pouring out of your pretty fucking hole and coating his fingers as he pumped two of them into you was more than enough. His other hand wandered in the lovely expanse of space between your chest and your waist, running softly over the skin and pausing to pinch and roll your nipples just to hear you whine.

His cock was so fucking hard, trapped between your ass and his stomach, twitching every time you thrust your hips to meet the movement of his wrist.

“Jin, fuck please-”

You used his name every time you begged him for more and it was really going to his head.

“You’re so goddamn perfect, I’m gonna fucking ruin you,” he groaned and sunk his fingers deeper into your soaking cunt while his mouth dropped to your neck and sucked hard to mark you lovely skin.

He licked at the indents of his teeth, tasting your sweat on his tongue that tangled with yours again as your hand reached for his cheek and pulled him in. It was less of a kiss and more of a sloppy forming of your mouths that left you connected by a silvery string of spit that flashed in the low light. Jin sighed at the sight, rutting his hips against the cleft of your ass.

Your thighs twitched where they were spread and your hips lifted off the mattress to meet the languid thrusts of his fingers that curled up on every push in to hear the hitch in your breath.

He took pity on you and brought his other hand down to rub circles on your clit, listening for the telltale whimpers and the way your nails dug into his arm to find the perfect rhythm.

“I don’t really—mm, there fuck—feel like I’m paying you back right now,” you mumbled nipping your own trail of stepping stone bruises onto his throat as he picked up the pace and held steady on that sweet bundle of nerves.

“Are you fucking serious?”

He didn’t really mean to full on growl at you then, but just the thought that you’d really believe he wasn’t about to fucking drown in ecstasy just from watching you get off—just from touching, speaking, being in anyway acknowledged by you at all. Jin nudged your head to the side and bit down harshly into the crook of your neck, shuddering as you moaned and arched against his chest.

In any other scenario, he could never really find the right balance between too many words and not enough. The sheer volume of thoughts and interjections that raced like cars reaching the end of rush hour traffic made the formulation of any coherent conversation impossible, but now—

Now with your body so pliant in his hands, so willing and sweet and wanting him.

Wanting him.

What a concept.

He needed you to understand, to know how fucking over the moon, sunshine bright you had him burning.

And for once, he finally had the words to do it.

After all, he’d had months to prepare.

It was surprisingly easy to change your positions, to pull away from you for just a moment so he could roll and cage you on your hands and knees under him, ass in the air nestled against his cock.

“You really don’t think I’m getting anything out of this?” he groaned into you ear, rocking his length against you both for emphasis and because it felt so fucking good.

“Ah, well ya know,” your voice was so wrecked he was desperate to find out how much it would take for you to lose it entirely. “When you put it like that—mmh—I just feel bad you’re doing all the work. ”

You had this cheeky fucking grin on your face when you rocked forward so back so his cock slipped down to your dripping lips. The heat of your cunt was mesmerizing and it took a fuck ton of self control Jin was unaware he possessed to not ram straight into you right then.

“Yeah cause I’ve wanted to for fucking months goddamn it’s driving me insane.”

“What?”

Now that he’d started, Jin couldn’t find it in himself to stop. His hands dug hard into your hips, rocking so the tip of his dick caught your clit and you shivered below him, hot skin sliding with the motion of your bodies.

“It’s all I think about whenever I see you,” he was shaking when his hand reached down to grip himself, spreading your folds and soaking his length in your slick. “When you come in to work I just fucking lose myself thinking about how bad I want you to be mine, my pretty fucking thing to bring me coffee while I work and let me fuck you in the backroom.”

You whimpered under him, face pressed into the mattress as he draped himself over you, chest to back with his breath ghosting over your ear.

“Literal hours I just sit there at that awful fucking job and I only keep coming cause of you, cause I can watch you sit all cute in your chair and watch the way your cheeks squish up when you put your face in your hands and imagine they’re my hands and I’m about to spit in your fucking mouth so you remember who you belong too.”

“I—” you were nearly choking on the drool that soaked through your sheets as Jin lined himself up with your pretty little hole, pressing just the tip into your heat. “I didn’t think you ever—nggh, shit—noticed much about me.”

The corners of his eyes burned as sweat dripped down his forehead, he had to hold back a sob as he sheathed another inch into those perfect walls.

“Notice you? You’re all I fucking think about,” he pressed his lips softly against your shoulder, hands running from your chest to your sides as you took his cock and every word that slipped from his lips without complaint. “I could take such good care of you. I just fucking know it, just please, let me take care of you?”

“Fuck Jin,” your voice was closer to a sob than anything else but he needs you screaming. “You don’t really have to convince me—”

His patience had run out long ago, not even willing to let you finish before he’d sunk in to the hilt, spearing you on his cock with one final thrust. You ass was flush with his hips and his balls hung heavy and tight against the back of your thighs. The strangled little cry that worked its way out of your throat had gooseflesh erupting across his arms where he held you to him.

Jin couldn’t really be sure—it wasn’t like his brain was all that functional on a day to day basis and it most certainly was not now—but your walls clenching around him and that addictive warm, wet feeling milking his cock was on a whole other level than any fuck he’d ever had before.

There was something about the curve of your back against his chest, and the way you seemed to suck him in, drawing his length back in just seconds after he’d pulled out. Some about the feeling of your chest in his hands, of the sweat on your skin that he licked off in a long strip up your spine. Like you really were made for him. As though all those months spent in dream land, concocting your pretend lives together had spilled over into reality, molding you into the perfect shape to take him deep and hard and cry while you came on his cock just like he knew you were meant to.

“Oh, fuck yeah, gonna make you feel so good, I promise,” he mumbled, forehead pressed to the nape of your neck as his hips drew back and he sunk into you over and over again.

He needed you to moan louder, needed your neighbors on the other side of every wall to hear what he did to you, how he fucked you dumb on his cock and made you drunk with the pleasure of it—slutty and perfect and better than any fantasy he could ever concoct.

The room was filled completely with the wet slap of your bodies—his balls tightening up just at the squelch of you taking him—leaving only enough space for your cries and his grunting, no room left for any bitter doubt to creep in and ruin the sweetness in the air.

He could feel the surge growing in his stomach, the tensing in his thighs as his hips stuttered, but he needed you to cum first. Wanted to tip over the edge to the feeling of you spasming around him, so he let a hand slip from your hip to your folds. Jin only paused for a moment to run a finger around your stretched hole, feeling himself plunging into you, before drifting back up to your swollen clit and working the sensitive bud.

The mattress creaked and rocked along as Jin increased his pace, shifting his hips until his tip knocked against something that had your hands fisting in the sheets and your tongue lolling out in between cries of his name.

You didn’t give him much a warning, not that he minded really. Just a muffled shout with your head smashed into the pillows and the tightening of your walls surrounding him before he felt your whole body wracked with tremors so hard he had to wrap both arms around your middle and hold you while he rammed into you.

Jin wasn’t really keeping track of the filth that was pouring from his lips as he brought himself closer to release. A lot of encouragement, that you were taking him so well, cumming so pretty for him, mixed with a lot of thanks—for letting him have this, have you, for not casting him aside like everyone else always inevitably did.

He did have the clarity to drag one arm up and link your fingers together, pressing hard into the bed while blood pounded in his ears and his hips stuttered in their relentless rhythm. When Jin did finally cum, it was a strangely silent affair, all the words and sound that usually roared inside him dying on his lips as his cock spilled milky release deep inside you and your walls fluttered at the fullness.

And then it was as though every muscle in his body changed physical states.

Boneless, he collapsed onto you with a little huff. You didn’t even complain, just squeezed his hand tighter in yours and hummed at the weight of him.

“Well I think that was a, um,” you panted while he nuzzled his face deeper into your neck, “pretty equivalent exchange yeah?”

“I don’t know,” Jin kissed and nipped at the sweet skin of your shoulder, “I think you might have over paid a bit.”

You laughed, the joyous movement of your chest jostled him from your back and had his soft cock slipping from you in a gush of combined release. “I doubt that very much, I didn’t know I’d be getting to take your fucking load as part of the deal.”

“Shit,” he felt his heart seize in his chest, raising up on his elbows to look down as you turned to him. “I’m sorry, I should have asked.”

Your hand came up to stroke his cheek, clammy but welcome. He sat up enough so you could lay on your back and pull him back down to your chest amidst the sweat and cum slicked sheets.

“Don’t worry about it, I would have asked you to anyway,” you kissed the baby frizz at his hairline and if Jin hadn’t already melted into a puddle, then he certainly was now. “If I’d been able to talk at all.”

“Ha, yeah….”

A short silence descended in your dark bedroom. The noise of cars and the occasional shout filtered in through the window, but there was no other sound than your evening breaths. Jin tried not to ruin the peace while he had it.

It was such a rare commodity.

But he couldn’t say he mourned the quiet when you finally spoke.

“Did you wanna stay the night?” you asked in that soft way he always envisioned you would.

Soft so he’d know it was just a courtesy.

That you didn’t want him to leave.

“Uh, yeah, yes I would,” he stumbled over the words a bit, trying not to sound too eager but wanting you to know he would work a thousands shifts at the reception desk if it meant you held him for just a second longer.

“Good,” you sighed.

He felt you scoot down the bed and flopped onto his back so you could settle your head on his chest and drape an arm across his stomach. After another few minutes he felt you go limp at his side, soft and relaxed as you slipped away into dreams.

But though his muscles ached and his eyes felt heavy, Jin resisted the call to sleep.

He didn’t need to now.

You were here, in the flesh, and he could study you intently while his eyes were open.

No need for his brain to conjure up scattered images of you.

Because he had you now, tucked safely under his arm for him to keep and hold and fuck and love the way he wanted.

So there was no more need for sleep.

And no need for dreams.

[bump1nthen1ght]

Sick Day (Demon x Reader)

Pairing: Gender Neutral Reader/ Non-Binary Demon

Genre: Urban fantasy, Domesticity, Established relationship

Warnings: Mentions of sickness (fevers, body chills, headaches), but nothing graphic

Word Count: 2008 words

Summary: Your demon partner isn’t sure how to play doctor

A/N: Based of this prompt by @monsterkinkmeme

“It’s the first time you’ve dated a demon and it’s also the first time you’ve gotten sick since you’ve been together. A fever paired with a throbbing headache has you hiding in bed for most of the day, trying to sleep whatever bug you caught, off. Your demon lover, on the other hand, is beside themselves and has turned to Google and WebMD on how best to take care of you. They now think you are dying because of your symptoms and are devising a way to save you.”

The minute I saw this prompt I was immediately awash with PINING for a large demon partner to cuddle with and I knew I had to write it.

A week after finals, 7 months into your relationship with Motholg, your immune system gives up.

You had been leaving work, thinking the heat in your cheeks and the ache in your bones was a product of a 6 hour shift, walking to Motholg’s apartment for date night. The past two week had you cooped up, anxious and studying, meaning you barely were able to make time for your partner.

You probably should have expected it, it’s happened every finals week since high school; A couple days into break you get a high fever and are stuck in your bed for a solid 48 hours. But you thought that, perhaps, this year was the exception. After nearly passing out when handing Motholg their fresh-made lasagna, you knew you weren’t so lucky.

“Darling?”

You groan from your blanket burrito, eyes and sweaty forehead barely peeking into the dim light of Motholg’s bedroom. The thought of forming a coherent thought makes your brain pound, so you don’t even try.

“I’ve made you some...uh…”

The door creaks open, Motholg automatically ducking their head so their long horns don’t hit the frame. Their red, slitted eyes narrow at something steaming in a teacup. “Yas-mine? Jasmeen? Uh-some herbal remedy I ordered from your virtual shopkeep. It was touted by several women named “Brenda” to  be the best thing for human illnesses.” Motholg’s hooves tap against the floor, just below the line of “too loud” for your migraine. You give another non-committal hum as they sit down on the bed. Despite being custom-made for their 7-foot stature, the bedframe still creaks under their weight. The top of your blanket sarcophagus is pulled back, revealing your disgruntled face.

Motholg helps you prop yourself up and hands you the teacup. You take a sip, quickly realizing it’s still quite hot, but power through anyway. The scalding water melts from your mouth down to your toes, abating your shivers, if only temporarily.

As you drink, Motholg’s fingers card through your messy hair, massaging your skull before resting their palm on your cheek. Their hand covers almost the entire side of your head, spotting a glimpse of a frown between their fingers.

“You’re even hotter than before and still quite sweaty. Would you like me to take the blankets?”

You shake your head, setting down your cup of tea.

“No, it’s probably just my fever breaking. It’s actually a good sign, despite how shitty I feel.” The warmth of your cocoon is beckoning you, your exposed chest and arms already shivering. “The blankets are good for my chills, but a big glass of ice water would be nice.”

Motholg raises an eyebrow, clearly perturbed by your backwards human symptoms. But they pat your head once more before sitting up.

“Of course, dear.” Motholg leans down to kiss your forehead, but is intercepted by the palm of your hand.

“Uh-uh, I don’t need you getting sick too.” Motholg scrunches up their face, then blows a raspberry into your skin. You retaliate by pushing away their face feebly.

“As if your human illness could fell me darling.” The sigh dramatically, pushing your hand away. “Though you are very sweet to think it could.”

You stick out your tongue and shove them. Motholg relents, blowing a kiss as they back out of the bedroom.

Your brain is beginning to drift into sleep when a glass clinks on the nightstand. Not bothering to open your eyes, far too tired, you mutter a “Thank you.” Motholg whispers a “You’re welcome,” as they lay on the bed once more. Their warm fur tickles your neck as they cuddle up behind you, arm thrown around your side and nuzzling their face into your hair. A hot breath and a slight nip of their extended canines only wills you to dreamland faster.

Motholg won’t go to sleep, only needing a full 8 hours every 4 days, but are rather content to lay beside you. They lovingly stroke your arm and sidle farther down under the comforter, whispering occasional sweet nothings and rocking you into unconsciousness.

--------

The dull red of the bedside clock pries open your eyes, a stark contrast compared to the pitchblack of the bedroom. Your brain is still in a fog, but given then the 3 AM flashing nearby, you’ve been asleep for about 9 hours.

And I’m about to sleep 9 more.

Motholg had left the bed at some point, but their warmth still lingers on the blankets. You close your eyes and snuggle in.

Slam!

But then the door slams open.

On a normal night, the noise might’ve jerked you upright , but your eyes simply roll over to the doorway. Your brain already misses unconsciousness.

Motholg stands, their new smartphone in hand as they breathe heavily.

“Darling, what did you say your body temperature was?”

You prop yourself up on your elbows, slowly giving up on those peaceful 9 hours.

“99.7 last time I checked.” You tap your forehead with the back of your hand. “Probably less now. The sleep has been helping a lot. Good night.”

In an instant, Motholg is over to the bed, placing their hand on your forehead. You let out a disappointed sigh and try to go back to sleep anyways. The click of their hooves on hardwood, Motholg’s jittering shakes of your shoulder, and the strong smell of iron quickly eliminates that as a possibility.

You turn towards your partner, now noticing the sheen of liquid covering their hands. Red streaks follow their fingertips on their smartphone.

“Babe, why are your hands soaked in blood?”

“Goat’s blood, technically.”

Before you can even respond to that baffling answer, Motholg grabs your shoulder. The blood sticks to the short sleeves of your pajamas.

Damn, now I’ll have to wash this tomorrow.

“Here, it says the ritual-”

“The what?”

“-needs to be completed at 3:30 AM on a new moon.” Motholg pauses, checks their phone, then continues, “Yes, a new moon.”

Motholg begins to walk away, your arm still in their grip, but your resistance stalls them.

“Okay, Motholg, you’re scaring me. What’s going on? How the hell did you get goat’s blood at this hour?”

Motholg sighs and rolls their eyes, “Unimportant-”

You give Motholg a dissatisfied look, finally making them relent in heir tirade. They turn towards you.

“I fear for your life. I’ve consulted your online physician and your symptoms fall in line with many fatal illnesses.”

Now accepting that this is officially a conversation, you throw back your blankets and sit up.

“Do you mean WebMD?”

Motholg nods furiously and shows you their phone screen, tapping the glass with a long claw.

“See here? Full body chills are associated with pneumonia, so is a high fever. There’s also the possibility something is wrong with one of your organs. Not surprising, considering how squishy they are.” Motholg flicks their screen upward, a myriad of diagrams flips across it.

“Now, I know a couple of ceremonies my father used to perform to curse others with these illnesses, so I thought if I reversed the procedure-” Motholg pauses again, flipping to a new tab on their phone, “-So, I did some googling-”

Motholg pauses when your hand rests against their cheek. Their red eyes, which glow just slightly in the dark, look to you. You brush your thumb across their face, just barely grazing against the fur which starts at the base of their neck.

“Darling, I appreciate the concern really, I do. But these websites…” you pause, slowly pushing Motholg’s phone down and out of eyesight, “They really only show worst case scenarios. Honestly, they kind of just scare you into going to a doctor in person.”

Motholg’s eyes dart between your face and their phone, now pressed face down on their bed. They give off an aura of anxiety and stress, their hands fidgety and their hooves lightly tapping against the floor. “Here,” You pull up the covers, opening up the spot next to you. “Do you want to lie down with me for a while?”

“Oh, I don’t need to rest.”

“Just because your body doesn’t require it doesn't mean it won’t feel good. C’mon.” You pat the bed. “I think it will give you some peace of mind, keeping an eye on me.”

Motholg’s eyes shifted back to their phone, their brow furrowed. You pout your lips and slide your fingers up their chest. Their fur sticks and tussles under your touch.

“Babe, I would feel better if you relax, seriously.” You reach down to the bedside drawer, pulling out your sleep mask. “You can even bring your computer and get some work done.”

Hesitantly, they nod. You sigh in relief. Their hand unconsciously twirls your hair.

“I suppose….You would know about these things.”

“Yes, thank you.”

Motholg leaves to get their things, while you slip back under the covers. Before you put your sleep mask on, you shout to them.

“Make sure to wash that blood off!” You look down at your damp sleeve. “And could you get me a wet wipe as well?”

Motholg makes an affirmative noise, and you finally lay back and close your eyes.

Their body heat lingers above your as they sweetly wipe away the blood on your arm. You mutter a thank you. The bed dips as they down next to you, mattress bending as they adjust their laptop and fluff the pillows.

“Darling?”

“Hmmm?” You murmur, face still stuffed in your pillow.

“I just wanted to apologize for waking you. I feel very foolish for acting so paranoid.”

You flip your head to their side, keeping your mask on.

“No need to apologize, I get it.”

“Thank you for your understanding, but still, I feel so silly. To think a tiny sickness would force my emotions to overcome me.”

You slowly push up your mask, eyes peeking out from under the duvet. Motholg sheepishly picks at their keyboard, avoiding your eyes,

As disgruntled as it made you at first, Motholg’s droopy gaze stirred guilt in your gut. You wonder how many scenarios had run through their head while they googled, how helpless they must’ve felt. There might be a hole paced into the floor of the living room, given how flustered they were when they barged in.

You reach out to Motholg’s wrist, brushing your thumb over the back of their palm. Their red irises look over, and you think you see the tinies remnants of tear tracks at the corner of their eyes.

“Emotions aren’t a bad thing, they’re natural.” Grabbing the top of the blanket, you roll over to Motholg’s side. Their large body dwarfs yours and when you curl up against them, the tips of your feet barely meet the top of their calves. Their black fur is soft against your face, like a  mixture of a plush carpet and a goosefeather pillow.

Oh good, they used the Tea Tree soap.

“I’d probably do the same if you got sick.” You reach your hand up to their chest, cording through their thick fur. “We’re just gonna have to trust the other’s okay, huh?”

With your chin tucked into their ribs, Motholg smiles down at you. A claw runs up the back of your neck, stirring up goosebumps but relaxing your muscles.

“I believe so, darling.” Their fangs jut out from their lips as they continue to rub your neck. It’s quite goofy looking, for a demon, and gets a chuckle out of you.

You crane your neck and Motholg meets you halfway for a kiss, consequences be damned.

“Good night, I love you.”

“I love you too, sweetling.”

You fall asleep with Motholg’s fingers curled in your hair, the slight tap of their claws on the keys, a simmering contentment in your heart.

--------

A week later, when  you’re back to full health, you and Motholg are making dinner when-

“Ah-choo!”

You stop stirring the pasta and furrow your brows at Motholg. They’ve stilled, mid-movement while setting out the plates. Their face burns with embarrassment.

“A silly human sickness, huh?”

[jincherie]

fox rain | five

• ☽ — pairing: bts x reader • ☽ — genre: crack, fluff, angst, college/uni au • ☽ — words: 9.9k+ • ☽ — rating: sfw • ☽ — warnings: stop two on the angst train express!!! not as blatant, more reading between the lines here...... have fun! • ☽ — notes: bros... it’s only downhill from here. cowa-fucking-BUNGA amirite cowboys???????!?!?

— posted; 18.09.2020

When the love letter you wrote and submitted as an assignment is leaked to the entirety of your university, it becomes a race against time to dispel rumours and convince the seven suspected muses of the poem that they aren’t the subject before anyone realises that you are the author. Easy, right? Well… maybe not as easy as you think.

— • masterpost | prev. | five | next • —

You lay in a sort of placid, bewildered shock, the kind that is sourced from confusion as opposed to an unpleasant surprise. After waking to blearily turn off your alarm before it blasted through the entirety of Dancing Lasha Tumbai, you’d unlocked your phone to find this curious set of messages from a number you haven’t saved. You’ve been lying in place for several minutes as your tired, wired brain slowly kicks into gear and attempts to debunk the mystery. After another unsuccessful few minutes of staring blankly at the screen, you’re saved from impending cranial combustion when your phone lets out a delightful little tinkle and another message hastily joins the others.  

Ah, that makes so much sense now! Except it doesn’t. Actually, it kind of adds to your bewilderment. Taehyung… is texting you? You don’t think you’ve ever in your life had any correspondence with him that didn’t either take place in the presence of Jimin or under the influence of alcohol… also in the presence of Jimin, now that you think of it. You haven’t really interacted with Taehyung outside of Jimin. So it is particularly odd to wake up to a series of messages that are from him, and pertaining to such an odd topic. You’re still so tired you can’t even fathom what would warrant a text from him. Maybe you dropped something at one of your tutoring sessions and Jimin asked him to give it back to you? It would make sense, since after the rollercoaster of a ride the last week has been for him (in particular, the questionable events that took place at the hands of one Kim Seokjin but somehow ended up with Jimin and Hoseok making up? You don’t really understand it but you’re not even going to bother to try to at this point) he has ended up a little preoccupied.

Tapping the screen when your inactivity leads it to go dark, you take a moment to scrounge a response from the empty barrel bottom that is your brain. Once satisfied, you drop your phone onto your bed and flop yourself back to the position you’d been in before your own alarm woke you so rudely. Technically, you don’t have to be up and about for another hour…

With faith that your additional hour of sleep will revive your ability to think, you allow yourself to slip somewhat self-indulgently back into sleep and pass the fuck out like a woman who has spent the night trying to forget.

(Which you are, and did do, except with maybe a little less alcohol than what that sentence implied.)

X     X     X     X

 It has been almost a week since the unfortunate end to that tutoring session on Monday, and while you’ve managed to stay off social media enough that you haven’t triggered yourself by accident in the entirety of that duration, every time you come on campus it’s like for however many steps forward you took, you take double the amount backwards. University students are such gossips! Well, the jobless ones are, anyway. The students that work and study are too busy dragging themselves around campus in a stunning rendition of the undead from various media to be bothered with the latest plot twist in the resident school drama. Which is to say, there has been no twist. The population is still shamelessly up Sera’s ass in the belief that she is the author of the poem, and as has become the norm you find yourself resisting the urge to hunt the bitch down and go in for round two on her face. Surely, your self-control has earnt you the title of a saint by now.

You’re blasting some angsty shit on the way to your music history class and pretending you’re in a music video for some indie band (it’s cathartic, and you will argue that fact to your grave), when you make it a few steps past the entrance to the food court and have the absolute living daylights scared out of you. Thudding footsteps reach you through your earphones and two hands clamp on your shoulders to halt you in place and spin you around like Barbie Ballerina.

“You’re a disgrace!” It’s Seokjin who has halted you in the middle of the hallway, every bit as dramatic as you’d come to expect. “You skipped drama class? And you call yourself an acting major, PSH!”

Yanking your earphones out, you nail the tall, pink-haired idiot with a glare. Very bold of him to be approaching you after you nearly chopped off Lil’ Jinnie barely a few days ago for his bastardous antics. Perhaps he’s getting a bit big for his glittery pink rainboots.

“First of all, will you please listen to me when I tell you I’m not an acting major?” Unfortunately, when you speak your voice comes out more exasperated and less threatening than you intended. “Second of all—very bold of you to be approaching me right now. You’re lucky you escaped with your life, you meddling bastard. You want me to bite the rest of your dick off?”

“You should know by now that I take that as a compliment,” Seokjin sniffs, haughtily, ignoring the latter part of your threat. “And do you know how boring it is for me to crash your class when you’re not even there? No one threatens me like you! It’s getting harder and harder to get it up these days, you know. I need a hit of the good stuff.”

For a moment you’re simply stunned into silence, staring at him and wondering just how and why he seems to have been sent here with the sole mission of making you want to kill him and then yourself. Nothing you could think to say really is enough, so you settle on simply turning and walking away.

Of course, you forgot that no one turns their back on Kim Seokjin and gets away with it.

“YAH!”

You wince—you think he actually just broke a sound barrier, or maybe your eardrums— or both. Seokjin quickly scrambles to place himself in front of you, arms out. His eyes are wide in something you suspect he thinks is a puppy-eyed look, but actually comes across more like he’s trying not to shit himself.

“Promise me you won’t skip drama again!” Seokjin says, pointing a finger at you in borderline accusation. When he doesn’t see your expression budge, he quickly changes tactics. “If not for me, the most charming prince in the story of your life, then at least for Jungkook, that poor virgin—”

You blink, distracted for a moment by what he said. “Wait, Jungkook is in my drama class?”

“’Wait, Jungkook is in my drama class?’” Seokjin repeats in a voice a few octaves higher than your own. “Listen to you, not even knowing who is in your own class. For shame! But have no fear, since you clearly skip so much I will happily extend my generosity and take you under my wing. Tutelage fee starts at $55 with an extra $5 for every question you ask that I don’t know—”

“Do you ever actually hear yourself talk?” you ask, feeling your will to live draining out your ears. “Like, the shit that comes out of your mouth? Do you hear it? Because—wait, are you saying you would charge me for questions that you don’t know the answer to?!”

Seokjin shrugs, “It’s a little unorthodox, I know. But—”

“I would literally be bankrupt! Thousands—no, millions of dollars in debt!” You exclaim, grabbing him by his stupid big shoulders and shaking him about. “Do I look crazy to you?!”

“Oh, what, you think you can do better?!” Seokjin demands, voice wobbling from your shaking. “What’s 2x2?”

“Fucking four!” you wail, releasing him in your despair. You can’t do this, your day only just started and you are not exhausted enough to micronap while he talks like usual. “I’m leaving, don’t follow me. DELETE MY NUMBER.”

“Haha jokes on you!” you hear Seokjin holler from behind you, voice rapidly growing quieter from the speed that you’re powerwalking away. “You never gave me your number!”

You make it to class barely on time due to Seokjin acting as one of the biggest inconveniences in your life, and while you manage to push him from your brain for the duration of it, you wish you could say that is the last time you see him,

It’s probably the fact that you busted his ass being a weirdo with Jimin and Hoseok last week that has him so…. attached this week, you suspect. You’re at your third Seokjin encounter for the day and you’re honestly considering whether you should trip to the campus pharmacy and look for some pepper spray, or maybe an umbrella. Pepper spray would be more effective, but the umbrella…. You can’t argue against the satisfaction it would provide.

You’re trying to sneak your way into a library on the Arts side of campus, one you don’t usually go to, so you can study without worrying about going absolutely batshit insane in the presence of Seokjin. It was hard, but you think that you’ve finally managed to shake him. What on earth had him so determined to tail you today? Was it seriously because you skipped your own class? Nutcase.

You peek your head around the corner looking not only for Seokjin, but for another thing you had happened to notice every time you were ambushed. You have yet to determine whether the glimpse of phenomenally bright floral print right before Seokjin pounces you is causation or correlation, and it makes you a bit nervous. Cautiously, like timid forest animal, you creep around the corner and begin to make your way into the building, eyes flicking from the library door right at the end to the rest of your surroundings. The café coming up on your right tempts you greatly, but you know it is too great of a risk. Out in the open, you’d definitely be seen.

This area is almost like a courtyard, an undercover area between three separate buildings. With a looming cement and glass ceiling, though, it feels like a building of its own. The library sits nestled in the corner of the largest building, and although it isn’t very wide, it spans several floors. You plan on going to the highest one and hiding in a corner near a window.

You’re close, so close to reaching the library in fact that you’ve fallen into a false sense of security. By the time you register the sound of pounding footsteps approaching behind you, for the second time today, it’s too late.

“Ah, y/n! Wait!”

Instinctively you prepare to burst into a sprint to get away, but at the last second stop yourself. That doesn’t sound like Seokjin… that sounds like—

“Taehyung?” you ask, turning in surprise as the boy comes to a screeching halt in front of you, bending with his hands on his knees as he attempts to catch his breath.

“I’ve… been trying….” he huffs, “To talk to you…. all day….. hah…Why are you so….. good at running away?”

He looks absolutely wiped out, cheeks red and sweat beginning to bead on his forehead. You’re just beginning to feel guilty when you notice his shirt, the bright floral print that you literally don’t know anyone else bold enough to wear, and you realise he’s really not lying. Poor Taehyung, just like you he has fallen victim to—

“That Seokjin bastard,” you say, completing a quick scan of the area to make sure the mention of his name didn’t somehow summon him. “He’s been harassing me all day. I’ve had to really up my game. By the way… are you okay? Please breathe… also what did you want to talk to me about?”

Taehyung straightens, eyes closed as he attempts to control his breathing. One of his hands comes to sweep the ashy hair from his face, the ends slightly damp with sweat.

“I’m fine,” he says, sounding slightly like he’s about to pass out. You prepare to take a step forward and catch him if he does, but he opens his eyes in the next second and shoots you a dopey smile. “I’m fine! Apparently just… whoo… really out of shape.”

“Your sacrifice is not in vain,” you say, smiling when he lets out a sudden laugh. Another shaky breath rakes past his lips before he straightens, eyes blinking a little wider. “Ah, right. I was looking for you because, um… you didn’t respond to my text… and I needed to ask you something that’s a little time-sensitive…”

“Your text…” you wrack your brain, sure that you remembered responding to it this morning in bed. Your mouth shifts into a wince, though, when you can recall writing a response, but not actually sending it. “Oh. I am so sorry, I’m an idiot. I was kind of half asleep when you texted, and I swear to god I typed a response but I think I fell asleep again before sending it…”

There is not a shred of accusation on Taehyung’s pleasant features, lips instead slightly curled in a smile. “That’s fine,” he chirps, rocking on the balls of his feet for a moment. “I do it all the time too. I’m just glad I caught you.”

You return his smile, before a thought that had been nagging you earlier returned and you acted on the urge to voice it. “By the way…. How did you get my number?”

Your question seems to be unexpected and, for some reason, flusters him slightly. He reaches to scratch the back of his neck, averting his gaze for a moment. “Uh, Jimin gave it to me. It was for something stupid a while ago but I never needed to use it.”

You raise your brows at what he said, but get the feeling he’s not going to elaborate. Instead, you remain quiet and wait for him to continue his thought from earlier. He shuffles on his feet, returning his gaze to your own. “Anyway, the reason I was trying to catch you all day was because I wanted to ask you something…”

“I know it’s not really any of my business, but I kind of noticed, and Jimin mentioned lightly that things haven’t been, uh…. great for you lately.” He doesn’t even give you time for that statement to sink in amongst your shock, continuing without pause despite the way his cheeks begin to flush, “And, uh, my exhibition is this Friday, and I was gonna go with Jimin but he double-booked himself with Hobi, so now I have no plus-one and I was wondering… if you wanted to go?”

When you simply stand there, dumbfounded, he clears his throat awkwardly, fiddling with the cuffs of his button-down. “To um, you know, take your mind off things… maybe… you don’t have to, of course, but I just thought I would—”

Snapping out of your stupor before he can take back the invitation, you hastily step forward and outstretch your hands. “Oh, no I would love to go! This is really—” you clear your throat, trying to ignore the light sting of your eyes “—sweet of you. I’d like to go, if it’s ok. You’re sure Jimin doesn’t mind…?”

Taehyung seems shocked, and you suspect he might have thought you would turn down the invitation from the way his eyes seem to light up. Have you really been walking around campus looking like that much of a gloomy bitch? You need to check your facial expressions when you get home this afternoon.

“He won’t mind,” he says, waving his hand excitedly. “Great, perfect—um, here is the little info sheet. I’d stay to tell you more but my class actually started a few minutes ago, so…”

“Oh!” you exclaim, taking the sheet from his hand before waving him away. “Go! Go to class! I’m sorry I made you late! Thank you for this, by the way!”

He seems slightly dazed at your enthusiastic thanks and farewell, but he shakes himself out of it and before he goes he sends you a smile that you can’t think of any other way to describe except dazzling. “It’s no problem, y/n. See you then.”

And then he’s off and you’re left standing alone in the pseudo-courtyard, clutching the exhibition pamphlet in your grip. Your eyes sting ever so slightly, and you can’t help but think how kind of sad it is that one person goes out of their way to think of you in the midst of everything you’re dealing with and you’re so touched you’re nearly driven to tears.

Hormones suck and you want a refund.

 X     X     X     X

 Taehyung was right when he said that what he had to ask you was time-sensitive. 

You hadn’t realised it at the time, but Friday was only a few days away— and in the midst of classes, schoolwork, and everything else, those days went fast.  Before you know it, it’s Friday morning and a panicked glance at the pamphlet Taehyung had given you reveals that the exhibition opens officially around 4:30PM. That works out surprisingly well for you, considering your last class ends at three o’clock and you can easily reschedule your session with Hoseok and Jimin. 

There’s a lot about the invitation you haven’t gotten to really dwell on, and that continues to be the case as the day flies before your very eyes. By the time your music theory class comes to an end and you finish scribbling down the last few lines of note from your teacher, the event is even closer than you anticipated. From your recent examination of the pamphlet, you’d found earlier that Taehyung’s exhibition is being held at a small university-sponsored gallery downtown. It shouldn’t take you too long to get there from your house, and on the way home after packing your things, you plot out the route you’re going to take. It’s about a twenty minute trip, as you discover, since there is by some stroke of luck a bus that goes straight there from a street just around the corner from your own. Taking that into account, you should have around forty minutes or so to get ready. 

Considering you’re one of many poor university students populating the area, it’s not often you actually put the effort in to get dressed up. Around these parts, there is a distinct culture of sweat pants and comfortable tops and more often than not a socks-and-slides combo, something you take part in more often than you’d like to admit. Still, you feel that considering the nature of the event you’ve been invited to and what you know of Taehyung’s works, you should probably be putting in much more effort than usual. 

While you might act like a slob sometimes, this isn’t actually a problem— even goblins like you can have a stash of decent clothes somewhere in their cave. Yours happen to be pushed to the back of your closet on hangers that haven’t seen the light of day in months. What can you say? University takes its toll in mysterious ways. 

Standing before your closet, eyes boring into the portion that’s been held in its depths for longer than you can remember, you wonder which way you should go with your outfit. Exhibitions are fancy right? Should you dress it up? Logic says you should, but on the other hand what if you are the only one dressed up? That would be humiliating. You pause for a moment to think about the type of garb you usually see Taehyung in— you have a feeling that he will probably dress the same way tonight. Recalling his bold, avante-garde taste in fashion is about as helpful as one might imagine, but it does comfort you to know that no matter what you choose, most eyes will likely be on him anyway. 

Comforted by that fact, you make up your mind and pull out a set that isn’t too over the top, and won’t make you look like a rat. Once you’ve slipped into those, you freshen up and wash your face, trying to make yourself seem a little bit more alive afterwards and not like you had an 8AM class today. You’re successful, to a degree, but you’re a little tight on time so you can’t really dwell on it. Feeling your stomach rumble as you grab your bag and key, you can only hope that this exhibition has free food.

x — x — x

“Ah, y/n! You’re here! You… you look nice.”

You were so busy staring at the large, shiny building before you that when Taehyung’s voice rings out in greeting, it startles the hell out of you. You don’t even register what he says before you’re pointing with eyes and mouth wide open, “Your exhibition is in there?!”

His expression of surprise melts into one of amusement, a laugh tumbling from deep in his throat. You don’t even notice the way his cheeks are flushed ever so slightly as he meets your gaze.

“Fancy, right?” he says, wagging his brows. “Some loaded alumnus who actually enjoyed his university experience practically donated it to them. So now they use it for, uh… for most exhibitions.”

“For the best ones, you mean,” you say, your grin widening when he scratches the back of his neck, bashful and blushing. “But yeah, damn. I was expecting it to be nice but I wasn’t expecting it to be this nice.”

Taehyung laughed again, clearing his throat. As he takes a moment to collect himself, you let your eyes scan over his form. The second you do so, you feel a foreign flutter in your stomach, heat flushing to your face. There is truly no other way to describe his choice of outfit for today except for painfully boyfriend. Perhaps on anyone else it would look a little less than presentable, but on Taehyung’s model-esque form the loose chestnut pants and an oversized leather jacket over a boldly patterned shirt work wonders. How does he look so effortless yet so…?

If you’d attempted to wear something like that you’d end up looking like the local court jester. Perhaps you should just make peace with the fact that God has favourites and Kim Taehyung is clearly one of them. 

“It, um. It started a few minutes ago, shall we head in?”

Taehyung offers you his arm, a gentlemanly move that completely contrasts the boyish grin on his face. Ignoring the sudden sensations in your abdomen, you make a show of curtsey-ing before you take it, eliciting a laugh from your company as the two of you head to the entrance and the full exhibition experience begins. 

As soon as you enter there is someone by the door, who seems to be at the very least taking note of how many people enter, a table with flyers and booklets beside him. Taehyung parts from you only to move over and grab a few, brandishing them as he returns with a bright grin.

“Here is all the information about the event, madame,” he says, with an extremely exaggerated air of grandeur, presenting one of the flyers with a flourish. You take it, unable to help your soft snort.

“I would have thought I had something better, what with the very artist behind the event accompanying me,” you say, grinning when you see his cheeks turn an endearing pink as he flashes a bright, boxy smile. 

“True,” he returns, folding the other flyer and slipping it into the pocket of his jacket. “You can’t ask a flyer questions in real time. Anything that crosses your mind, you can ask straight to the source.”

“Oh? Then, may I enquire as to what the theme of this exhibition is?” You’re enjoying the playful air that drifts between you now, unable to rid your face of the smile currently displayed on it even if you wanted to.

Taehyung’s eyes flick to you, a lopsided smile tugging his lips to accompany the sly accent to his gaze. “Ah, a tough one right off the bat. I think telling you straight-up would be too easy. Let’s see if you can try to guess it as we walk through.”

You turn to him with an affronted look, having expected him to easily supply you with the answer. Taehyung is a little cheekier than you remember. You snap your mouth shut, cheeks heating when you notice he has offered his arm to you once more. Taking note of the other people in the room walking around in a similar manner, you slip your arm through his and try to ignore the way you feel your ears light on fire.

“Okay, you’re on,” you respond, if a few moments too late. He doesn’t comment on the delay, simply sending you a smile that you can’t quite decipher the emotion behind. You don’t get to dwell before the two of you are off, beginning on your journey through the building and starting on your tour of the exhibition. 

You’d kind of always known that Taehyung was talented, considering he managed to make such a name for himself on campus in such little time with such ease. Hell, he’s well-known enough to have made it onto the list of suspects for the muse of your poem. Still, this knowledge is only compounded the further into the building you go and the more of the exhibition you see. Taehyung is truly talented, the images blown up and displayed on the wall each capturing a certain emotion that you don’t have a name for, yet is so familiar that each time you see a new one it gives you pause. Viewing his works, seeing into this part of him and witnessing this bit of his soul he has bared, you can’t help but feel a slight sense of kinship. 

It’s something that rests in the space between your lungs and diaphragm, something that tickles but also something that aches. You do know this feeling, so familiar yet so out of touch and far from the tip of your mind’s tongue. You do try to guess the theme of the exhibition as you go, throwing out the occasional dumb guess to elicit a laugh— he always laughs, and it always makes you smile— but you don’t quite manage to pin it. 

“The five senses,” you shoot into the dark, standing before an image that has made you stop and stare for a good five minutes now. It’s not quite black and white, and it’s not a particularly unique image— but something about the composition, something about the movement in the two hands that are so close yet so far from actually touching, speaks to that hidden part of you. The way one of the hands simply hangs, unbothered and neutral, but the other, the one slightly closer to the foreground, has fingers ever so slightly outstretched, reaching but never quite committing to the movement and the unspoken consequence of the hinted action. 

Of course, you know the answer even before Taehyung says it. He laughs, hands in his pockets, “Nope, ddaeng.”

“This is hard,” you whine, without much heart behind it. The smile stays on Taehyung’s face.

“Whatever. You’re smart, I know you can guess it. It should be easy, for you.”

The compliment catches you off guard, and you have to turn away so that he doesn’t see your cheeks warm. The two of you had parted when you caught sight of the snacks table; you’d been prepared to abandon him and make a beeline over, but Taehyung had surprised you by marching over himself and coming back with a loaded plate. He’d confessed with a sheepish smile that he hadn’t had lunch, and really you were in no place to judge since you hadn’t either. By this point in your journey, though, the plate is almost empty. There’s only two tiny cupcakes left and you’re letting the rest of the things you scarfed down settle before you go in for more. 

Perhaps it was a little dangerous, coming here with Taehyung. He looks so fine, even while shoving sweets in his mouth, that you spend about the same amount of time looking at him as you do at his artworks. It takes all of your willpower to tear your eyes away every time you catch yourself looking at him and admiring the truly boyfriend fit he has donned for this occasion. Every so often he will simply stand before one of his works, scrutinising it with a fresh perspective and ever-criticising eyes, and the sight of it will make something nameless and foreign well within you. You don’t quite know what to do with it, so you ignore it. Or at least, you try to. 

It feels a little too similar to what you know of yearning. It leaves you confused.

You stop not long after in front of another piece, this time a combination of three images that act as separate snapshots of smaller parts of a larger image. You admire the way he has set it out, revealing not too much but just enough that the viewer gets a sense, a feeling, but isn’t confronted with the message. It allows everyone to take their own sensation from it. You like that a lot about his works— he doesn’t tell people what to feel as they view his images, but merely hints, prompts and nudges. He sets the stage and allows people to take what they need, see whichever bits draw their eye most and spell meaning from elements of their choosing. He’s talented, you find yourself marveling again, so incredibly talented.

But still, you can’t put a finger on what the theme is.

By the time you make your way completely though the exhibition, having doubled back at a few points to look again at a select few of the pictures, you’re still no closer to guessing. It has you deep in your thoughts as you stand outside, waiting for Taehyung to return from thanking one of the guests who had recognised him for coming. 

“Guessed it, yet?”

You turn, pinning him with a look that you hoped didn’t look as dumb as it felt. “Leave it with me,” you say. “I’ll figure it out eventually.”

At your words, Taehyung laughs— it’s one of the full-bodied ones you’ve come to enjoy, where he throws his head back a little and shakes his hair back into place after. You have to snap yourself out of it before he catches you staring. 

“I’m sure,” he says, unable to keep the cheeky grin off his face. It does slip ever so slightly though, just for a moment, as you watch a thought cross his features. “By the way…”

You tilt your head, waiting for him to continue. You feel an odd combination of at-peace, and unsettled. Holistically, this is the most at-peace and relaxed you’ve been in weeks. However, when you take a moment to tune into the inner machinations that make up your being… something in this exhibition has reached into your insides and fiddled around, moving things where they shouldn’t be and touching things that aren’t meant to be touched. It’s odd, and you acknowledge that it gives you quite a bit of cognitive dissonance. Even so, you’re calm enough that you have no trouble being patient while you wait for Taehyung to continue and say what he seems so nervous to say. 

“Um, I know I initially only asked you about coming here, to the exhibition…” he begins, reaching to rub the back of his neck in what you recognise to be one of his nervous ticks. “But, I actually have these vouchers I won in a competition a while ago for a paint-and-sip session that are about to expire, and I was wondering… would you like to go? Now, I mean. Since they actually kind of expire tomorrow. Unless you’re busy, because if you are that’s—”

You decide to put him out of his flustered misery, reaching to nudge his arm. “Of course, that sounds fun! Plus, you were right the other day; I could really do with the chance to relax. Thank you, for all this. I really appreciate it.”

It takes a second for your words to register, but when they do the most blindingly bright smile spreads across his face; he’s practically beaming at you. 

“Of course,” he says, with barely a moment’s hesitation. “I’m really happy you agreed to come— I’m glad you said yes to the paint-and-sip, too, because it’s one of my favourite places. Come on, let’s get going. If we get there at just the right time, we can get a really good seat, hopefully by the window.”

The journey continues, Taehyung leading you through the city while chatting easily all the while, a stunning twilight cityscape backdrop and the gentle glimmering surface of the river meandering through buildings providing the perfect scenery. If you had a little more faith in your artistic ability, you might try and paint the image you see now; Taehyung in the colours of dusk, soft and natural against the bright lights and harsh lines of the metropolitan landscape. But alas, you aren’t as talented as the man besides you, and you don’t even want to think of how it would turn out if you attempted to paint such a thing. You quickly throw the thought from your mind before it can linger and get up to more trouble than it’s worth. 

“Here we are!” Taehyung’s cheer breaks you out of your stupor, bright smile directed your way once more as he stops in front of a large establishment with long strips of window and a colourfully sewn awning. 

‘Brush & Bar’, the cursive, neon sign reads above the door, flickering between soft pink and peach orange. It’s an interesting aesthetic the place has going on, but when you look over and catch sight of Taehyung once more it suddenly makes sense why he likes it so much. The style of this place is very similar to some of the more outlandish things he tends to model around campus. Before your reverie lets you remain abandoned outside, you hurry to follow after the ashy-haired boy, grabbing the back of his jacket when you almost trip over the door frame. He spares a look over his shoulder to make sure you’re okay before he continues, moving towards the counter and smiling with more charm than you can personally handle at the staff member there. 

It’s a woman, who you suspect is in her mid-thirties, and she is pretty enough that it takes you by surprise when she rolls her eyes heavily at Taehyung’s approach. 

“You again, boy?” she asks, though it sounds more rhetorical than anything and you catch the slightest tinge of humour accenting her words and it soothes your hackles. “Don’t you ever get sick of hanging around here?”

“Nope!” 

She cracks a smile, lines appearing at the edges of her eyes. “Well, I suppose that’s a good thing. We’d miss you an awful lot if you ever stopped showing up here.” Her eyes flick ever so slyly to you, and then back. “Say, is today the day you’re finally gonna make good on those vouchers you won? I know you said you were waiting for the right chance to ask that g—”

“Yes!” Taehyung cuts in loudly, eyes wide and cheeks flushing darkly. “Yes, yep! I brought the vouchers! They do expire tomorrow after all!”

The woman, Bora as you now see from her nametag, simply smiles, something sly about the action intriguing you. Taehyung clears his throat, reaching to scratch the back of his neck sheepishly. “So, um… I will use them now. Is the window seat free…?”

Bora nods, a fond curve to her lips now as she rummages around behind the counter and takes the offered vouchers from Taehyung to punch holes in them. “Your favourite spot? Of course. I had a feeling you were coming, too, so I’ve already gone and set it up with some canvases and acrylics.”

She hands the vouchers back, and Taehyung slips them into the pocket of his jacket.  “Paintbrushes and jars are in their usual place, and I know you don’t normally drink while you’re here but if you’d like some tonight just take your order up to Kyungsoo. Oh! And tonight’s special for snacks is tea cakes, so definitely make the most of that. There are some good ones in the display.”

At the mention of food and alcohol, your gaze had already started to wander on its own— you catch sight of the display of cakes and other sweets and feel your mouth water. Ridiculous, since you were kind of full before, but what can you say, you’re a complicated woman. Lots of layers, not unlike an onion. The thought almost makes you snort.

With a gentle nudge to your arm, Taehyung is bringing you back to the present moment and leading you over to the window, where a medium-sized table has been set up with two square canvases and a basket of paint bottles, palettes leaning to the side. Taehyung instructs you to take a seat, informing you with a smile that he’ll grab some paintbrushes and water for the two of you to use. At his suggestion, while he is gone you open up your phone and search for something to paint. Something that’s not too hard and not too easy. Because your skills are… well, they’re not nonexistent but you’re not about to go around tooting your horn in front of someone with actual art skills and talent. Apparently there is usually an image supplied for each night, but Taehyung says it’s not strict and that tonight is one of the nights where all the patrons just have free reign. 

You sort of get distracted part way through the activity, eyes subconsciously seeking Taehyung’s leather jacket amongst the decently filled establishment. It’s really quite nice inside, actually; the walls and general decor are soft and neutral, with pops of colour everywhere that bring each corner and table to life. A lot of the furniture is wooden, natural and polished underneath specks of paint that decorate in layers that tell of time spent well. The lighting is soft with the exception of the bulbs stationed above each table, which are brighter and angled towards where the canvas would be. On one of the walls, the one near the bar, it is completely covered by greenery— vines that, as far as you can tell, aren’t actually fake. A soft, almost jazzy tune filters lightly through the room, complemented by the low hum of chatter and paintbrushes hitting glass. You’re incredibly impressed and, admittedly, you like this place a lot. It has the kind of vibe that just… makes you content. 

“Here we go!” 

You startle at the sound of Taehyung’s low register, looking over to see him placing a bundle of paintbrushes in between the two of you and a jar beside each of your canvases. He takes his seat across from you, smiling brightly. “Did you decide what you want to paint?”

You hum, turning your gaze out the window for a moment to see if it grants you any inspiration— it’s a gorgeous sight, the twilight sky broken by the outline of buildings with glimmering insides, but it doesn’t help much. You don’t know what you want to paint. Of course, there is this big, expanding feeling inside you, the urge to express it somehow filling you to your fingertips, but what do you do with it? You don’t even know its name.

“No,” you answer, reaching for one of the palettes propped up to the side. “But I’ll be okay. Maybe I’ll just see where the vibe takes me.”

The smile Taehyung gives you at that is softer than most, and he eagerly follows suit in grabbing a palette and beginning to set it up; he squirts a big dollop of white, blinking at it for a moment as though he hadn’t intended to put that much. “There are some pencils and erasers to the side there, too. I prefer the moldable one.”

You thank him for his advice, before realising as he puts his own pencil ever so lightly to canvas that he hadn’t told you the subject of his painting. “What are you going to paint?”

“A secret,” he says, leaning around the canvas to grin at you. “Since I don’t know what you’re painting. Let’s swap paintings after, though. I do want to see eventually.”

That makes you laugh, but you don’t bother pushing further. A surprise is nice every now and then, you know. So long as it’s not the kind that ruins your life as you know it indefinitely.

But you’re here to have fun and relax, so you’re not going to get into that. You’re not even going to think about it. 

Taehyung clears his throat, catching your attention immediately. “Right, before we start we should probably order. Did you—”

“No need, my boy!”

Two new figures appear at the side of the table, one a youthful man on the shorter side, the other older and plumper with grey beginning to speckle through his hair. The shorter one places two drinks onto the table, colourful cocktails in a generous glass, and the older laughs before placing down two plates, each with a different kind of cake slice situated neatly in the middle.

“On the house,” the man continues, chuckling at the shocked and somewhat flustered look on Taehyung’s face. “You’ve given us a lot of business so don’t even worry about it. Plus, we heard you were finally making the most of those vouchers so… here’s a little something to start the night off well!”

“...Thanks, Mr Kang,” Taehyung finally manages, shooting them a smile that could honestly give Hoseok’s own a run for its money. “You too, Kyungsoo. Do…. do I wanna know what’s in this?”

He’s gesturing to the drinks, a somewhat fearful look on his face. The shorter man shakes his head, thick brows curved in mirth as his lips twitch into a lopsided smile. “Nope. Tastes good though, so you got nothing to worry about.”

You can’t tell whether Taehyung is relieved or concerned, and so step in to save him a moment of reprieve. “Thank you so much— this all looks amazing!”

Happily, the two men soak in your praise. “I assure you,” Mr Kang says, patting his chest proudly. “It tastes as good as it looks.”

Kyungsoo snorts, but doesn’t disagree. He gives the two of you a small smile. “Right, we should be on our way. You two enjoy yourselves, and if you want refills just come let me know.”

Taehyung nods, thanking them again, and then it’s just the two of you once more.

“Well,” he says, licking his lips and reminding you of a puppy as he stares intently at the slice of strawberry crepe cake, decorated with a generous drizzle of syrup and two fresh, sliced strawberries in a dollop of cream beside it. The other one, a coffee-caramel blend you presume from the heavenly aroma reaching your nose, looks just as good but is nowhere near as successful at capturing his attention. “I guess… let’s begin!”

Whether he meant painting or devouring the food, you end up doing a bit of both. Each mouthful of cake that enters your mouth is announced with an explosion of flavour so rich it lingers long after you’ve swallowed the mouthful down. The drinks, too, are delicious. Fruity but not too syrupy or sugary, you suspect Kyungsoo had used spirits and tempered the fruity flavour with a bit of lemon or lime.

You still aren’t really sold on what to paint, but in the meantime you end up sketching out the flowers that sit on the windowsill a little behind Taehyung. They don’t seem too complicated, and if they end up looking terrible you can just smear the canvas with paint and call it abstract. Of course, part of Taehyung’s shoulder cuts the vase off from view so he’s probably going to end up making an unwitting appearance in whatever mess turns up on your canvas. 

Even though neither of you have any idea what Kyungsoo put into those drinks, you’re sure its something strong. Before long the two of you are already giggly, conversation flowing easily as you put paint to canvas and attempt to make something decent. It’s around the time the two of you are almost finishing your drinks that the conversation takes a delightful turn, which consists of Taehyung telling you about his little fluffball, Yeontan.

“Oh my god,” you say, fingers gripping the paintbrush tight as you try to pet the urge to pet a dog that isn’t even here. “He’s so cute! Look at his grumpy little eyebrows!”

Taehyung laughs, having taken a break from painting to show you his dog like a proud parent. He takes his phone back and slips it into his pocket, paint-flecked hand returning to the brush he’d abandoned. “He’s such a smart dog, but he’s also super dumb. Runs into shit all the time. And there was one time that a friend came over and brought a new camera that he hadn’t seen before—”

Taehyung has to pause recounting the story, he starts giggling so hard. It makes you erupt into laughter as well simply because of how contagious the sound is. “He got so mad, he ran in front of me with his little legs and started barking at it like he was trying to protect me. I love that little dog.”

“I love him too and I haven’t even met him,” you giggle, using your pinky (the only finger you’re sure you haven’t gotten paint on yet) to wipe under your eyes. You don’t think you let a tear slip but you’ve been laughing so much you can’t be sure. 

Taehyung beams at you from around his canvas, brush held midair.  “That’s exactly what Jiminie says.”

That gives you pause. “Wait— Jimin hasn’t seen your dog? But you’ve been friends for ages!”

You catch the photographer smiling as he delivers a few soft strokes to his painting, affection hidden in his tone as he responds, “Yeah, a few years. Since… the last? Second last year of high school? Maybe? It was a wild start to the friendship.”

“Wild?” you echo, intrigued. 

“Yeah. What really kick-started our friendship was this one time I came over while Jimin was really upset about something. I can’t remember exactly how it happened but we ended up at some wack university event nearby. It was boring as hell, and somehow we figured the best way to be entertained would be to commit a mild crime and get away with it.”

Once more, the ashy-haired male has to pause his story to get the giggles out of his system, taking the opportunity to sip a little more of his cocktail. You do the same, not one to pass up much of any drink these days. 

“Long story short, he ended up streaking across the field and earning himself a title at the university as ‘mooncheeks’ or something equally dumb and funny, earnt himself a bit of a nude legacy.”

You pause, the alcohol beginning to slow your mind just enough that it takes a little longer for you to connect the dot between his story and something you’d shoved so deep in the back of your mind years ago that you’d almost forgotten it.

“Wait—” you smack your paintbrush down, eyes wide as an accusing finger is thrown his way. “That was— he ran into me on the way back! Oh my god I almost forgot, that was you two?!”

Taehyung erupts into laughter that is an octave or two shy of being too loud, having to place a hand over his chest to brace himself. He’s nodding wordlessly, eyes pinched shut, and it’s probably the alcohol making your eyes blur but for a moment you could almost swear he’s glowing.

“Yeah,” he finally manages to articulate, wiping a stray tear or two from his eyes, sniffling. “It cheered him up, though, so I think it’s worth the potential trauma.”

That makes you laugh, another sip of your drink going down. A lot of the spirits must have settled at the bottom, because this one had a little warmth as it went down. 

The night goes so easily it’s like a dream, the atmosphere and alcohol in combination with Taehyung’s company making you feel much like you did before this whole shitshow, back when it wasn’t so hard to release the tension in your shoulders or to muster a genuine smile. Taehyung happily gets you a few refills, refusing to let you pull out your card— which is probably for the best because you’re not sure where your wallet is and you’re not coordinated enough to look right now.

You’re on the further side of tipsy, teetering on the edge of pleasantly drunk where nothing makes sense but you’re still somewhat coherent, and everything is funny. Taehyung has almost dipped his paintbrushes in his drink instead of the jar a few times, resulting in a long round of laughter and sore stomachs each time. Eventually, you’d moved his drink to the other side of the canvas and he’d offered you a sheepish smile. 

Surprisingly, your painting doesn’t look too bad, either. Currently it has a bit of a blurry, undefined quality to it, but in your current opinion it kind of works for it. Taehyung’s shoulder did end up making a feature and as the two of you talk you find yourself distractedly painting patterns in the ‘leather’, swirls and hearts and hell, even a few triangles. Eventually, you reach the point where you think that you really can’t do anything more to make the painting better in the time you have, so with a contented sigh you place your brush down and instead turn your attention to Taehyung.

Even as he talks to you and wobbles a little in place, he’s still so incredibly focused in his work, in every detail that meets canvas at the direction of his nimple finngertips, that you don’t think you even see his hand shaking while he paints. Which, your hand was— a lot. It’s the main factor responsible for this one squiggly flower stem in particular you can see in your painting.

As you sit there, happily listening and laughing at each anecdote Taehyung offers you about his life, you find your mind wandering a little bit. Back to the exhibition, and the works and even the way you caught him regarding them. You recognise the critical lens that he viewed them through, because it’s one you adopt yourself for your own creations. Something wells in you, an urge to reassure him in case he ever had any doubts about his own talent; you’re far too many drinks in to be in a place where you can stop yourself.

“Taehyung,” you begin softly but seriously, with minimal slur. He doesn’t stop his motions, but you see him pause for the briefest moment before humming in acknowledgement. “Taehyung, I have to tell you…”

You’re figuring out how to best word your impression of his works and his talent, but you must take longer than you thought because Taehyung lets out a soft huff, giving you a smile that you can’t quite decipher.

“Don’t worry,” he says, flicking the paintbrush back to rest the wooden stem on his knuckles. “I already know I’m not the muse. You don’t have to worry about convincing me.”

For a second, all you’re able to do is blink. Taehyung simply goes back to his painting, expression neutral and his soft hum brushing your ears beneath the soft melody floating from the speakers. You realise quickly that you don’t know what to say to that, and that the full implications of his words haven’t really sunk in yet. He must have noticed that you’d been trying to go around and convince all the suspected subjects that they aren’t the muse of the poem… you feel oddly ashamed, for some reason. Your cheeks feel hot, and not just from the alcohol flush.

“Done!”

Taehyung’s voice breaks you from your reverie, his cheery smile greeting you once more. “All finished?”

You nod, offering a smile of your own and taking the opportunity to say what you wanted to earlier. “Yep. I’m excited to see yours, you’re so incredibly talented, Tae.”

His smile turns shy at that, a bashful laugh tumbling from his lips as he does his best to clean up his area. You do the same, standing up for the first time in a while and having to reach out and stabilise yourself on the table so you don’t fall. The drinks hit you a little harder than you first thought!

“Thank you,” he finally mumbles a few moments later, collecting the brushes. “I’m excited to see yours, too.”

You let out a short laugh at that, knowing that whatever you threw onto that canvas isn’t going to be able to hold a candle to what he made.

Quicker than you can keep track of, the two of you finish tidying and then before you know it you’re saying your goodbyes to the staff and stepping outside. You shiver at the unexpected breeze that greets you, people along the other side of the street huddling together. It’s a windy night and the breeze carries a bit of a bite.

“Oh, right,” Taehyung starts in place, offering his canvas to you. “Careful, it might still be a bit wet…”

Somewhat mindlessly, you swap paintings with him, smiling brightly before your gaze is drawn to the side. By nothing but absolute chance, it passes over the line in front of a bar popular with students at your university, and you almost blink and move on before your eyes halt in familiarity. At the hands of nothing but stupid luck, there is someone you recognise over there. Yoongi stands, face indicating a loud complaint before it even leaves his mouth, and there are a few others around him that he seems to be with who are laughing as they wait in line.

Your head feels so messy, like the wind has managed to get inside your skull and fling everything about like leaves on the autumn breeze. You’re so distracted in the moment that you don’t see it as Taehyung follows the direction of your gaze, and his expression drops. When you jerk out of your reverie, it’s just in time to see his eyes flicking from your painting, to his, and then back to you.

You’re about to peek at his painting and fill the silence with a compliment, but he beats you to it. Something is different about his expression, and not just because he’s no longer under the warm light of the paint bar. The glow you’d noticed so easily earlier seems to have dimmed a bit.

“Did you figure out the theme of the exhibition?”

At his question you startle, gaze flicking to the side as you try and figure it out on instinct on the spot. You’d completely forgotten to think about it, and considering you spent about as much time looking at him as you did his works while at the exhibition, you can safely determine you’re still nowhere closer to the answer. “Ah… no.”

As though drawn like a magnet, your gaze ends up over in the direction of Yoongi for the briefest second. You struggle to tear it away.

“It’s anaxiphilia.”

Even through the inebriation slowing your thoughts, his words reach you immediately. It’s as though your heart has turned to stone and dropped straight through your chest. That unspeakable, unknown emotion wells and bubbles within you, swelling to twice, thrice its size and blocking words before they can even reach your throat. Your eyes are on Taehyung again, but his are still centred where yours had been— had he also noticed Yoongi? You didn’t know they knew each other...

“Oh,” you finally manage, swallowing down that nameless sensation. Taehyung’s gaze slowly slides back to you, dark eyes full of so much… something, you think it would take you years to unpack and familiarise yourself with it all. 

For a second, the two of you stand with your gazes locked, both of you too deep in your own thoughts to do anything about it. Taehyung is the one that breaks the spell. 

“Well, it’s getting late, I shouldn’t keep you out any longer… There is a bus stop here, and tons of ubers in the area…” His eyes flick away as he talks but return as he murmurs this last bit, “Thank you for coming today. I hope you had fun.”

“Of course I did,” you rush, finally finding your voice amongst the shambles in your head. “Thank you for inviting me, Tae. I really… I really needed this. Thank you.”

He nods, smiling at you, but you notice it doesn’t quite reach his eyes. 

“Please get home safe,” he says, and you nod immediately, making his gaze soften. “See you later.”

“Bye! Thank you again!” you wave, Taehyung turning quick and already a decent way down the street after his farewell. He offers a wave over his shoulder and you catch it just in time before you turn back, gaze unconsciously seeking out the familiar figure across the road. Distantly, you observe that Yoongi is no longer in line for the bar and has switched to the bubble tea place a few stores down.

Taehyung’s exhibition and it’s theme swim through your mind, a sudden impulse welling within you in response that spurs your legs into a motion. You’re about to go across the road in a sudden spurt of something like bravery, but for some indecipherable reason, you stop before you can get more than a few feet. You turn your head, gaze thrown over your shoulder, eyes seeking without an explicit goal in mind.

You catch sight of him just before he rounds the corner and disappears from view— even from the back Taehyung presents a handsome figure, but in the split-second you manage to view him, the most notable things about his retreating form is the slumped curve of his shoulders and the lowered angle of his head. He’s gone before you can blink leaving you for good this time with nothing but your messy head and the one thought that swims to the surface that says after seeing him glow in happiness for the better part of the evening, sadness doesn’t suit him much at all. 

Clutching the painting, your turn back to the front and try and focus on the present for just a minute or two, like whether you’re going to catch a bus or uber it home, but each time you start a new thought it always brings you back to the odd mix of guilt swirling deep in your gut. There’s something else there, the familiar hollow pit of yearning, but for once… you can’t quite tell who it’s for. 

a/n: thank u so much for reading! i really hope it was worth the wait and that you look forward the future parts as fox rain begins to slowly draw to a close!! pls let us know u liked it w a like and rb and screaming in our inboxes is always ALWAYS welcome!! thank u !! love u !! <3

[jiminrings]

insufferable

pairing: jimin x y/n

glimpse: rich kid!jimin is a cuddly spoiled brat, personal assistant!y/n is his constant in everything, bodyguard!jungkook keeps making pLAUSIBLE excuses to wear dark clothes, and chef!jin’s dishes are as heavenly as his looks but nO he’s not gonna make u homemade cookie dough at 2 in the morning just bECAUSE u asked nicely :((( he’s gonna do it at 4 am bc you pouted

wordcount: 31k so if u have difficulty with this fic then pls open it in ur desktop or open it in tumblr safari/browser instead of the app :D

notes: this piece is a favorite of mine!! this consumed nine pages in my notebook when i was just getting started to write the fLOW and this whole thing is the longest i’ve ever written // and aLSO the gif isn’t mine!! :D

(*･ω･)ﾉ

if there’s one thing that jimin hates

absolutely hates

besides not having limited edition luxury items because it sold out so qUICKLY that he didn’t get to (slightly) pull some strings to snatch it

besides not having the satisfactory unboxing from the hundreds of PR packages he gets everyday because the packaging’s either tOO simple or too difficult

is you, his personal assistant, not giving in to his wishes

technically your job description’s the opposite since it meant to comply to jimin’s beck and call and NOT interfere with his decisions

at first you were scared to death to even rAISE a brow at jimin’s decisions

“y/n, if u were to buy a limited edition audemars piguet watch — which variant would you choose?? silver, gold, oR black leather??”

“AP??? mr. park — sir i-...”

“sir. three letters. y/n.,.,.. ur a genius. thanks i’m gonna buy all three now :D”

but that was two years ago!!

you grew balls and learned to shut up only when necessary!!

you may be jimin’s personal assistant but you turned into a best friend now who jUST so happens to be with him almost 24/7 while still being his PA

he got you to drop mr. park early on because it AGED him

jimin remembers being in his breakfast nook at the time with his phone turned off and as he’s holding it he could see his reflection on the black screen and he almost fLIPS to see this wrinkle at the corner of his eye

and at the same moment he hears your voice going mR. PARK as you go on to say something completely irrelevant to the battle in his mind of oh my god do i hAVE a wrinkle

“jimin. not mr. park pls that’s my father. jimin. jimin. y’know what??? call me bABY JIMIN-“

he was freaking out

lol it wasn’t a wrinkle

just a little sleep mark he obtained because he was snoozing off for hours with his face squished into his pillow persistently

being close was inevitable, really

you were close in age and you’re his first ever assistant!!!

sure jimin has had his fair share of nannies growing up but now he’s an adult and he’s mvoed out

but his parents still look out for him :))

so yeah he gets a personal assistant, a bodyguard that could also be the driver (jimin’s desperate to mASTER driving okay), and a chef!!

it’s said that a person is not more than six connections away from another

you are a fIRM believer of that now because of a cousin who has a friend whose-

mr. and mrs. park were genuinely :O and :D to know that jimin didn’t resent you and you were going along well!!! money isn’t an issue but jimin’s bills this month wasn’t as high as it used to be because he let this season’s designer pieces because honestly they were a bit ugly hehe :D

he’s learned from you that he dOESN’T have to buy apparel from each season because he does that for all the previous,,, he should buy it because he genuinely likes it and u know what

you’re right

you get that jimin has the freedom to buy what he wants because it is his money after all and he’s still technically your boss even if mr. and mrs. park (ok maybe their assistant) are the ones that transfer your salary to your bank account

and you only step in (first as a friend, second as a PA) when he’s being ULTIMATELY irrational and shallow

jimin’s looking at you with a full pout, fists balled up as another whine escapes from his throat

“why won’t you just let me buy another sweater???”

the gray sweater in question was clearly expensive and you don’t even have to take a look at the label to confirm your thoughts

it was just a tiny splotch of chocolate from the french toast jin made for breakfast!!!

jimin was particularly giddy to have it for breakfast because “jIN-HYUNG i didn’t know u would cook this for breakfast omg i loVE U”

the chef made extra portions of course because he knows the younger one goes WEAK for his french toast

aha and not to flex but basically everything else he cooks because he’s that good :D

didn’t even notice on how eager he was eating until you strolled in to get your own plate and just booped at the damp spot of his sweater

:((((

“because i could wash it off, jimin”

his clothes were dry-cleaned to the surprise of no one

and yes u kinda feel sorry because he has a pout on his face and you know this is one of his favorite sweaters aND all he has to do is press some buttons and god it would probably be delivered to him in less than an hour

he has a new shirt on and jimin’s tugging at the hem of yours as if to plead, watching you work under his curious gaze

u know u have a wash basin here somewhere in this laundry room

that almost isn’t used at all :))

anything that has to do with chores in jimin’s massive place is for decor purposes only :))))

two top-notch washing machines that you could only sEE through pinterest before working here and they just collect DUST

if you were hypothetically a robber can you like.,.,., steal this from jimin.,.,.,. without him noticing,.,...

actually yeah you can

anyways

jimin’s just sitting himself on top of said washing machine as your there beside him with a basin that’s filled with water

and then there’s some detergent??? and-

“wHY ARE yOU STRETCHING OUT THE FABRIC”

“jimin iM NOT”

you’re scrubbing out the stain as gentle yet as efficient as possible without having the fabric stretched too much

he’s whining and clawing at you to sTOP and he shuts himself up every ten seconds because

you’re rinsing it off again???

and you’re squeezing it out???

basic hand washing is a relatively new concept that’s mind-boggling to jimin apparently :D

within a second are you raising up his sweater to him and he’s skeptical so he’s feeling it out and-

tHE STAIN

THE STAIN DISAPPEARED

omg

jimin is so clueless at times especially since your standard of normal is different from his so as much as you wanna take credit for it

like that time he went to the snow for a goddamn photoshoot and u were in a cabin and he pointed to a gas stove and was like :O

god if seokjin was included in that trip he would laugh endlessly bc jimin was too familiar with an electric stove and nOT a gas one

“isn’t this unsafe??”

poor baby was too nervous when you turned the gas range on and you’re like “yA a bit but only when you forget to turn it off obviously”

so he was turning the knob and it won’t turn on and he was so frustrated!!! he wasn’t even gonna cook anything!!! he just wanted to turn the stove on!!!!

then jimin sees you fishing out a lighter you carry on with you because he likes bringing these artisan candles with him whenever he’s going out for a shoot

you’re rotating the knob?? there still isn’t fire bUT now there’s one now that you put the flame from the lighter near it???

he was NEARLY scared as he’s hiding behind your back

“aha look at that!!! a flame!!! from a gas stove!! :D”

now’s not the time to have your fun at poking on his cluelessness because you have things to do and stuff to pack and jimin really needs to learn basic skills at life to survive on his own but that’s for another time

“now toss it to the washing machine and wash it regularly while i send you your schedule for today.”

:)

you’re skipping off to fetch your phone by the breakfast nook and jimin’s... kinda just... standing there

he’s stoic with a sheepish smile

:)

“you.... you don’t know how to work the washing machine.,.,.,.?”

aha jimin definitely does not know how to

feels a bit embarrassed because he seems daunted by this task and his personal assistant has question marks all over her face

but nonetheless you still come over to him and jimin’s heart went wOOSH

he is an adult who is almost fully dependent on you and that bit he is entirely sure of :))

“what do you think is step one?”

oh no iS THIS A TRICK QUESTION

jimin can blame it on his grogginess because he just woke up but he knows that you know he is vERY much awake right now

“... plug?? it’s not battery-operated, right?? plug it in!! yeah, plug it in :D”

he’s proud of that one for knowing because he’s already finding himself the plug and boop just plug it in to that socket right there!! it makes perfect sense

you’re there trying to stifle your laughter at the image of jimin probably having the image of a washing machine with those little 9V batteries you use in a diy series circuit in class :(((

you are not gonna laugh THAT loudly

“that’s good, jimin!! okay now what do you think is the next step?”

okay he’s intimidated now

“do you put in the shirt first or do you put in the detergent?? wHY is there no water?? is he supposed to fill it up?? these buttons look helpful but they’re just too many-“

he finds you putting your hand on top of his to release his grip on the sweater :(((

“you put it in.”

“your washing machine’s on the fancier side so it calibrates how heavy you put in first and then after it does that, it figures out what type of washing needs to be done!! how much water and how much detergent!! and then-”

oh

he didn’t know that

the door to the laundry room bursts open and a jokingly-frantic jungkook pops in

jimin thought it was a serious situation for a second because kook was putting him behind himself and he’s even cROUCHING and his stance is of a basketball player in a defense stance and he’s like WHAT WHAT JUNGKOOK???

“from what do i need to protect jimin from?? is the washing machine being tOO bizarre from him???”

“yA!!!”

jimin’s pouting at that and even punches kook in the shoulder and that just makes him laugh even more

even jungkook pokes fun at his job

he takes being a bodyguard vERY seriously okay!!!

yes he may be younger than jimin and he’s actually the first-ever bodyguard he’s ever had that’s close to his age bUT that doesn’t mean his skillset is far from those middle-aged men that went out with jimin when he was still in his teens

kook’s took up various martial arts and at one point even took boxing!! he likes to think that he is more than certified for this job ok

jimin doesn’t actually need that much protecting (thankfully there aren’t any death threats or something grave),, it just so happened that he’s a bit of a prominent figure and there are times that when he steps out in public, he almost immediately gets mobbed

or there are times when jimin just needs someone to be with him to give him a sense of security because he is highly vulnerable to being mugged

that’s what jungkook is for!!

originally he was supposed to have a uniform and jimin protested that to his parents because aish it looked too official and he dOESN’T want that

doesn’t stop kook from intentionally buying tracksuits and matching sets because it makes him feel official and they’re just really comfortable :D

you, jungkook and jin are jimin’s first-evers (as he’d like to call it) and quite frankly he’s thankful because the three of you were eASY to be along with!!

it’s always been a running joke to how you work for jimin and how even jin who was older than him hAD to call him mr. park at first

“yA think of my pride when i used to call you mr. park!!”

he got everyone to drop it and jin was so relieved and resorted to calling him random food because he cares for the kid and this mochi he ate the other day resembled jimin

he sometimes sees jimin’s face in those jiggly cakes he makes as a dessert for when he’s done with a shoot and has been texting him nonstop because he was craving :((

jungkook was laid off calling jimin as mr. park in a rather different way

he accidentally called jimin as jimin-hyung

pretty eARLY ON 

and god he just froze because fuck did he rEALLY just call his job jimin-hyung???

and jimin was :O

he was freaking out excitedly!!

oMG this is the first time someone called him hyung!!!

he isn’t counting the times he got called in honorifics by those snotty little kids that were the children of his parents’ friends

and he froze too and he was about to squeal!!!

jungkook was about to bury himself 

like seriously

should he pretend it was a ghost or something?? that it wasn’t him?? maybe jimin’s just getting old and he’s hearing things??

“mr. park i-”

“no no nOOO!! omg it’s okay don’t call me mr. park!! just call me jimin!! jimin-hyung!! i like that better pls jungkook pls :D”

it was comfortable between the four of you and you are so glad that jimin is only SELDOM an uptight rich brat and you know what,,, maybe he’s even picking up some personality traits from the three of you

it was basically impossible to not absorb traits from each other

basically the living situation is pretty direct!!

jimin’s property has a huge backyard

and in that backyard, there’s this separate guesthouse that has three rooms and has its own bathroom to each one!!

THE THREE OF YOU DON’T RESIDE THERE THO :D

the three of you used to but just on this particularly lonely night, jimin was ??? because there are more than enough rooms for the four of you in the main house

ᵃⁿᵈ ʰᵉ ᵈᵒᵉˢⁿ'ᵗ ʷᵃⁿᵗ ᵗᵒ ᵇᵉ ᵃˡᵒⁿᵉ ᵒᵏ ʰᵉ ʳᵉᵃˡˡʸ ᵉⁿʲᵒʸˢ ᵗʰᵉ ᶜᵒᵐᵖᵃⁿʸ ᵗʰᵉ ᵗʰʳᵉᵉ ᵒᶠ ʸᵒᵘ ᵇʳᶦⁿᵍ

so on that night where the three of you are cramped into jin’s room because he has the biggest and you all wanted to watch this movie that they said is too ridiculous that it became good, there was a kNOCK

jungkook was immediately pushed to open the door because he was the bodyguard and he was sCARED

normally jimin doesn’t even go to the backyard

and it ended up with you opening the door with jin and kook crouched behind you and they were wAIT IS THAT MR. PARK

the three of you were in your pajamas and are like aha :D

jimin is as surprised as you are and he does a double-take on kook because he was so used to seeing him in these non-obligatory but much appreciated tracksuits and nOT matching pink pajamas with uh an angry bunny???

he snapped out quickly when you asked him what’s wrong and you’re already in PA mode asking him what he needs

“o-oh!! uhm no no everything’s fine!! aHa you see i was just wondering if you uhm -- if the three of you wanna come in?? h-hang out..,.,?? i have this cake that was given to me awhile ago a-and i can’t eat it alone and i-...”

god he was so cute

fumbling with his words as he tries to ask out the three of you to spend time with him and not for work

once he was done he looks up to three grinning faces bc he was sO adorable being beyond nervous

and the three of you agreed instantly like sURE as long as we don’t disrupt you or anything!! :D

needless to say instant friendship was born that night hehe

he asked the three of you to move to the main house and not stay in the guest one because he was very insistent that it was isolating to think of and you’re not even guests!!!!

so yeah the very next day the three of you moved in and you’re all still :D

as per rest days, you have them!! 

those two free days adjust to jimin’s schedule so they were being rotated constantly

jimin can have all three of you in some days, but most of the time, one’s out to have their off!! it basically adjusts to what jimin has in his plate for the day

you all have your own places but jimin insists that you can have ur off-days here!!! the three of you could stay and he’s not gonna bother the one who has said off-day for the whole time

if he’s going out for a shoot, you and jungkook are the most essential so jin could take his off for that one

if jimin’s free and he’s just lazing around, then jin stays and it could jungkook’s off

it’s under rules that atleast one stays with jimin!!! it was easy to hang around with but the three of you needed to learn the others’ job

jungkook’s given the both of you an intensive course on how to drive jimin’s cars and nOT be intimidated to how any damage that would be done is gonna be more expensive than anything you’ve ever bought in your whole life!! 

teached how to sweep away people would sometimes get too close and the trick was to keep one arm on jimin and the other fURIOUSLY waving away while you keep his head down and have the most stoic face ever

he also gave you and jin a swiss army knife to keep on you because u never know amirite

jin taught you and jungkook how to not burn the kitchen down

made a list to what jimin doesn’t exactly like on his food and to how there’s a formula to what meals he prepares for him in the exact needs before a shoot or summat; such as being filled and not looking bloated!!

also taught to how you should keep your cool when jimin shoves his phone to your face excitedly about this recipe for a dessert too early in the morning

jin and jungkook still can’t get the hang of your job

it was busy and all over the place

you were in your own flat and kook and jin were left with jimin

it was just a quick shoot and the brand had it all taken care of the last time so you cashed in your break and just let them handle it

jin was very confused??? like do you just stand here the whole time????

jimin was filling him in to what you usually did

“this is the part where y/n-”

“oHHHH okay okay that’s easy!!”

no

it was not easy

jungkook was not helping

“hYUNG i’m doing something!! i’m a bodyguard!! my job is to protect jimin!!”

“wHAT ARE YOU DOING NOW?? are you protecting jimin from the hairdryer?? or are you protecting him from the straightener?? eXACTLY now help me do y/n’s job!!!”

at the next day you came back, they never underestimated your job eVER

“it was the equivalent of gordon ramsay calling that chef an idiot sandwich :((((”

“i would rather take another intense yoga class than to take your job :((”

same as jimin’s job descriptions, yours were also all over the place

you become what he needs you to be

although that sounds really cheesy :D

jimin is already famous enough as it is for being jimin

he’s known for being his parents’ only child 

and it just so happened that his parents are insanely famous and rich too

his first shot at fame was when his parents were like “ok!!! let’s put in our baby for this baby commercial he’s the perfect fit for it uWU”

all he did was become baby jimin and all he did back then was babble and crawl and drool over himself and then suddenly it was the first peak to mr. and mrs. park’s son and he already has evERYONE wrapped around his tiny pinky

no one ever wants to live that baby commercial down

he wants everyone to collectively forget that it even happened

he’s made the three of you pinky-promise to not eVER watch it nor search nor even breathe in the direction of that course

curiosity ate the three of you because now more than ever you all wANTED to watch it

you and jin and kook pretend to never have watched it :)

jungkook has to resist a squeal every time he sees jimin’s hand reaching out for him 

jin keeps himself from cooing because sometimes he wants to put a spoon to jimin’s mouth just to recreate that baby food scene

anyways 

jimin’s jobs are all over the place!!

most times he’s a model for various luxury brands

he sometimes has minor roles in shows and movies and boom views iMMEDIATELY spike up and his scene would be the most talked-about scene in said media

you remember that he did this cameo once and he appeared for like five seconds

the amount of money he got for it was insane!!!!

jimin just down-played it bc you’re to one who accepted the envelope because he was over in another set talking to the director and while you’re kind of rigid he’s become :D “aHa ignore that pls do u want ice cream”

he has these collaborations too both in fashion and jewelry that he takes really seriously

the only fields he hasn’t dabbled in yet was music and dance

god you really want to see that

you’re sure that he’s probably gonna hit home-run with it too because jimin was just naturally great and gifted at things :(((

he was so effortless

like the way he’s moving right now with this silk shirt on him and these embroidered and fit golden pants and even has the photographer sWOONING 

jungkook’s nodding earnestly with his arms crossed as the both of you watch jimin by the sidelines

“can u believe that we work for a multi-millionaire”

that part never sinks in either

there’s much respect and awe in between your respective work relationships with jimin!!!

he’s kind and sweet aND he could be a brat sometimes but he can get told off :D

“a multi-millionaire who i argued with this morning about to whether the cHICKEN OR THE EGG CAME FIRST”

these banters between the two,,, christ

“are u gonna have that argument every time jin cooks eggs for breakfast”

...

one of them can spot a single thing and have an argument ensued in the next second

jimin once saw a yellow gummy bear and said “look!! it’s a lemon one!!” and kook was like “lmao nO how much you wanna bet it’s banana”

???? jungkook was a dummy for that one

passing the time while jimin’s on his shoots are quite entertaining

apparently being linked to park jimin has its perks and advantages

a crew member saw the both of you standing so of cOURSE you’re immediately being offered seats :D

to be entirely honest, ever since you received the jimin’s crew treatment, you and kook wordlessly tried to dress better when accompanying him to things like these

jungkook must’ve been looking extra broody and extra fashionable today with his all-black outfit once again but this time he was wearing something more figure-forming

even added some silver hoops for a nice touch and he’s eternally thankful that jimin allowed having multiple piercings in for the job because what’s it gonna do?? slow down jungkook when he needs to throw a punch?? aHA he doesn’t think so

must’ve been looking so f i n e that someone approaches to where the both of you are sitting

“are you the new model?? why are you sTILL here go to hair and makeup right now!!!”

jungkook has logged off and you swear you could hear a microsoft xp shutting down

thankfully you step in and speak for a speechless gguk who’s buring his face in your neck before he gets whisked away by the now sheepish crew member

he is BLUSHING

he’s placing himself to be as tiny as possible as he squishes himself to your figure

jungkook’s speaking in tiny text rn

he is giggling and squealing and he is practically burning in flattery

the chair he’s sitting on looks like it was gonna collapse with how he’s moving like a worm sprinkled in salt

“yAAAaA what’s happening???”

jimin just finished that portion of the shoot and the first thing that greets him is a withering jungkook cuddling (???) to you puts a bad taste to his mouth

he’s holding jungkook’s face up in genuine concern but also to keep his face out from your thighs :((((

“he got mistakened for a model”

at your answer he immediately sQUEALS again in the fresh memory as he’s giggling away from jungkook’s grasp and back again to your neck as he’s trying to calm himself down

the situation is amusing and even more-so jungkook’s reaction

jimin doesn’t find it amusing as much though

why are you letting kook nuzzle to you :((((

not that he cares or anything :D

not that it affects him in a way or something :D

you finally get kook to calm down because there are now inquiring stares at the both of you and u need to put a straight face on

you are the PA of the well-respected park jimin you nEED to keep your composure

jimin needs to keep his cool on the other hand :)

he’s gonna ignore his feelings for now because putting things aside until it bit him in the ass is his specialty!!

that’s why he has you as his personal assistant for!!

“y/n can u pls put in putting aside my feelings for you in next year’s schedule?”

“putting aside my feelings for you; next year!! sure thing wAIT WHAT”

he hates confrontation so much 

jimin doesn’t care if everyone else is basically scared if they’re confronted by him because hE’S afraid of them too

again, that’s why he has you!! for confrontation!! one whisper to what he feels about a particular thing and you’re immediately voicing out “mr. park doesn’t-...”

he’s okay now

already once again subdued these confusing and blooming feelings of his

:D

one of the great things that came with this job is that the amount of PR packages jimin receives is bottomless

jimin’s used to having all things to himself because he was an only child and hehe he normally isn’t used to sharing

but he is now!!!

unboxing all the packages he gets is now a bonding task for the four of you

jimin however gets first dibs to pick the packages that catch his eye and those that invoke no enthusiasm at all is left for the three of you

“your turn!!” was basically signal for you and jin and kook to elbow at each other to grasp boxes all of you have been eyeing for quite some time now

quite aware that you all look unicivilized but that’s been normalized at this point when jimin asked the three of u to open his packages with him; something he’s nEVER done before

he’s generous too

most times he gets sent the same stuff twice and sometimes even more

you particularly remember that time when jimin opened a box from gucci and meh it was the same shirt he had

“here u can have this kookie!! we have the same size i think :D”

“m-me???? you’re giving this to mE????”

needless to say there were tears and some hugs shared and that’s become a regular thing now for all these things jimin gets for free

jimin’s done a favor for this cooking show that was good but was declining on ratings and ever since his appearance, the show was basically saved

ever since then, he gets sent atleast twice a week of cooking and baking equipment 

seokjin was so near to tears when jimin said that he should get everything he gets sent cooking-wise and then some because he’d benefit more from it

“jimin u little brat i LOVE YOU :’‘‘)”

a whole-ass grill was sent one time and it was expensive as frick as what jin explained

he was too excited that he set up the grill at 10 in the evening

everyone narrates what they’ve opened up

“jimin-hyung u hAVE THE MATCHING JACKET TO THIS omg it’s gonna look so good”

“more snacks!!! omg i can pack them for u in these nEW lunchboxes!!”

and this is what jimin likes because he can clearly tell that you aren’t taking advantage of him nor opportunities like these

there’s no hidden agenda, no bluffs, no half-assed compliments to get him 

his heart feels especially content god he goes soft for things like these

if it’s a duplicate of what he already has or if he isn’t much of a fan, you can have it!!

if no one wants it, you could just wrap it up and he can give it as a gift to the people he works with!!

if it’s makeup, you’re all gonna sHARE and if it isn’t in your shade then you’re out the table as a contender to who gets it!!

if it’s jimin opening up the red compact cartier box to see this beautiful thing for a necklace

the necklace that’s a part of the cartier caresse d'orchidées line and ithe box is just sitting snugly on his hands and it literally makes him gasp and makes his heart awe at the sight

so much so that you stop trying to get to open this complicated parcel that can’t be opened with a cutter, and jin and jungkook stopping in trying to pry it open do the same as they stop

“what is it??”

jimin smiles brightly that his eyes disappear and you visibly grin at the sight of him :(((

wordlessly he’s standing up from his own pile

jungkook’s sweeping away the japanese paper and the dustbags and everything else in the way because jimin’s a bit clumsy and he doesn’t want him to slip ok

he’s walking himself to you wearing the sweetest smile on his face!!!

you are not falling

spoiler alert because you have already fallen

jimin’s crouching at your position on the floor and is already in a squat and before you get more confused, he tips the box to your eyesight, a slight gasp escaping your lips

“that’s so pretty!!”

jin and kook are internally screaming because they’re not blind to the mutual pining you have for each other ok

they’re not blind but it seems like the bOTH of you are

they don’t wanna intrude at this new moment in front of them but they’re also very curious to what’s happening judging by the way their necks are outstretched and how kook’s punching at jin’s shoulders in anticipation

jimin merely hums as agreement

hehe is it just you or does it feel like it’s only the two of you in this room right now or is like the airconditioning busted??? there’s this sudden piercing gaze he has on you???? and-

you feel your hair being swept to the side carefully and following almost immediately was the cool feeling of this thin chain on your neck

wait

wait what

“jimin!!!”

“y/n.”

he’s just calmly replying to the confused and almost worried calls to his name

you don’t know how you’re going to register this

the chain went a bit low and jimin’s wordlessly adjusting the pendant to sit at the center of your chest 

his fingers just bARELY glides to the exposed bit of your skin because you aren’t exactly wearing a turtleneck for bed

“thought of you when i saw this :D”

and it’s true

he really did think of you the moment he opened the box

it’s dawning into you now and the fact that oh my god this was a cARTIER necklace and it’s expensive and it’s sitting on your neck and jimin just did tHAT

“jimin i-i can’t accept this, y’know?? it was sent to you and it’s not for me, really!! also it’s too expensive and i really don’t-...”

he gets to pull a reverse uno card for you on that one

“technically, it’s free right? just got sent to me.”

:))))))

he sees you speechless

you only used that line for the snacks and the gummies he got in the packages that you most definitely could buy out from your own pocket

NOT FOR A CARTIER NECKLACE

jimin’s grinning at you and you look at a lost and defeated puppy who’s about to blubber

he shrugs like no big deal and before he goes back to his pile, he ruffles your hair for good measure and eVEN pinches your cheek

“keep it, jagi.”

did he just like mumble that line

did he just

did jimin just call you jagi

jagi

did your soul just ascend to heaven or-

ok that is most definitely jungkook pushing you and jin choking you but gently,, because the necklace madame,,, over what they just saw

jimin’s just smiling to himself like none of that didn’t happen

and the only thing keeping you sane (and the same time delirious) that all of this is happening is the bit of expensive proof hanging by your neck and at the though you instinctively run your thumb over the pendant

you will really d-word right now tho

the things is

it was hard not to fall for jimin

you really fought now to view him in the way the general media did because that can’t be to all he is, right?? :((

and god you’re so glad that you didn’t let your thoughts precede the way you viewed him

jimin may be materialistic and bratty at times

could be real inconsiderate sometimes too

but he was actively and consciously trying!! he may not admit it now but the way that you didn’t tolerate his bullshit and that someone actually says no to him was almost empowering and eye-opening

he has an actual personality!!! he is genuine and he cares!!! 

jimin is so much more and it just so happened that he was born into a pedestal with a golden spoon on his mouth

he didn’t choose to be born into this more than privileged lifestyle and he recognizes that!! makes him somehow guilty and he’s always trying to give whenever he can 

sucks because some people think that he’s being this way to gain him some publicity

he means every single thought he has for these things he advocates for!!!

he has this charisma and star factor with him and it was undeniable in everything he does

he’s intelligent and not air-headed!!! 

ok he may not know basic chores or how to work a washing machine until now but he’s trying his best!! 

and you love him for that

love

who said that

aha :D

maybe this is the same ghost that said jimin-hyung

that couldn’t be you :D

it was hard not to get consumed by your thoughts and feelings when you’re practically with jimin around the clock

can’t help thinking that this is probably you’re closest shot at domestic life because god if you were an official couple then this means you’re living in tOGETHER

you’re just a personal assistant!!

you need to get that into your head 

also you need to get into your head that there’s urgent knocking on your door and it got you so nervous that your heart probably fell to your ass as you were jolted awake

“jimin?”

a sweaty-looking jimin jolts as soon as you open the door and he’s sQUEEZING himself in to fit in the gap between you and the door

“aHAAA hi y/n!!” :D

he immediately sits himself by the end of your bed and god he looks so relieved the moment he set his hands down your comforter

too relieved that he didn’t notice that this was almost intimate

too relieved that he didn’t even see you snatching a random hoodie so quick because you for sure weren’t wearing a bra aha

he’s smiling up back at you as he’s still catching his breath

“.,..,.,. jimin this is the part where u explain why you’re here”

...

...

“...,,.,. there was a spider in my room,.,.,.”

he was sO terrified because it was intimidatingly huge

huge is relative but god it must’ve been the size of his palm and that is tOO big for a spider

goddamn it he was just about to apply his toner that he left by his bedside table and the spider just HAD to exist by the wall behind it

he ran out so fucking fast it was like he totally didn’t yelp at all

that must’ve been the sound of how quick his feet moved 

you thought it would be more of a life-threatening emergency that isn’t caused by a spider

you’re just gonna be relaxed and comfortable as if you and jimin aren’t in your bedroom :D

“can u kill it for me pls”

“lol no”

even the thought of a household spider and their obscenely long legs and the way they moved is enough to make you shudder

“want me to wake up kook to take it out for you?”

jungkook the bodyguard is mighty scared too but he has nO choice because after all his job is to protect jimin

even if it’s from a paper cut or a spider

that’s actually a good idea

an even better idea pops into jimin’s head though :D

“aish i don’t wanna wake him up :(((”

is jimin stretching right now

is he-

is he yawning on cue 

and is jimin swiftly getting under your covers right now

god he’s so smart but in the same time so nERVOUS

are you seeing right now the way he’s trembling nervously at his nonchalant attitude??

he even pOINTS to the light switch that needs to be turned off

“good night, y/n!!!”

he doesn’t mind the way your bed’s smaller than his

doesn’t mind the way that the comforter he has over his body isn’t as weighted or isn’t as luxurious as the one he has on his room

doesn’t mind that he can’t spritz that line spray that helps make him sleep because this isn’t exactly his room

it doesn’t matter at all because the only thing his mind is on is the fact that you’ve climbed into bed too

that you didn’t say anything else and yielded to the fact that he wanted to sleep here because there was a spider in his room

god you’d do anything for him

you’re whipped

even more whipped than the dalgona jin makes as breakfast coffee and he has that mastered to the T

good thing the lights are already turned off or else you’d be outed for having your cheeks heating up

jimin doesn’t need a light to know that

and there aren’t any words needed either to know that sharing a bed with you is something that fills jimin to the brim with contentment 

it’s not even dirty thoughts it’s wARM FUZZY THOUGHTS

the prior is something he’s shoving to the back of his head because now is not the time to have a hard-on when he’s sharing a bed with you oKAY

his thoughts are so noisy

why cant he just be !! no thoughts, head empty !! right now like every other time he is genuinely about to fREAK out

feels you shift and he immediately freezes because oh god was he moving too much?? y’know what he’s not gonna move at all like he’s sleeping in your bed he’s the guest he should be bEHAVED!! matter of fact he shouldn’t even breathe who tf does jimin think he is for causing you trouble i mean-

“night, jagi :)”

oh huh

oMG DID YOU JUST CALL HIM JAGI

jimin swears he can evaporate happily right now 

he even giggles at it!!!

here u were thinking you were being  𝖇𝖔𝖑𝖉  for calling him jagi and all he had to do was giggle and nOW you’re outbested once again

needless to say that that was the soundest and most fulfilling sleep jimin’s ever had in a long time

he wakes up and uhm you weren’t there????

he wasn’t cuddling to you, was he??

spoiler alert: he was indeed cuddling you unconsciously

you’ve been jimin’s PA for so long now that your body clock adjusts to whatever schedule he has for the next day

and today was a free day for him!! and you wanted to sleep in!!

even burrowing deeper to hug that particularly fluffy and good pillow you have

aha that is most definitely not your pillow :D

you were in-between the state of still being sleepy and being aware of the things that are happening around you 

you aren’t a big fan of spiders

and the fact that you just remembered jimin slept in your room and on your bed because of the fact that there was a spider in his room and he didn’t want to bother anyone at that time of the evening to take it out

and just decided to take residency in your bed for the night

the same jimin who has his head propped up on your pillow higher than yours did, with his whole leg weighing your lower body down and his arm loose yet snugly fit on your waist

with his eyes closed and pillowy lips plump 

and this urge to wake him up intentionally because his morning voice,,.,..,, his morning voice

aha but maybe that spider knew what it was doing :D

you are not falling, and you most definitely have self-control!!!

those are lies

it physically pained you to count to three before trying to untangle yourself from jimin because you wanted to EMBRACE him like what he’s doing right now but with you being awake

he goes down the stairs with much more purpose

only jin is downstairs and you’re still not here?? :(

jin was about to finish making these obscenely fluffy pancakes that take so long to cook but eh he’s like whatever since he woke up early this morning

and also he needs to up is breakfast game because jungkook intimidated him when he won you over with the breakfast burrito he made on a whim as a competition between the two of them

jin wants everyone to know that he is the best cook in this house and he’s still huffy about it if he’s being honest

he’s gonna forgive you and your horrible taste and poor decision-making skills but he swears :) one more time that you pick jungkook’s cooking over his :) whether you’re being genuine or just wanting to get a rise out of him :) he’s gonna cook you stale noodles for every meal for the rest of your days that he cooks as you work for jimin :)

where are you though :((

aha he’s hearing your steps on the stairs right now and he’s certain that they belonged to you!! he’s trying to look as nonchalant as possible with his back turned on the staircase

“JIMIN-HYUNG!!”

ok he’s looking for you and not for an oversized buff bunny bounding at him

“i got kook to take out the spider from your room!!”

oh that’s your voice alright

he’s just humming as you and kook take your seats in these barstools he specifically bought since you all take genuine enthusiasm in watching jin cook and in annoying him

he’s hearing you and kook take turns in droning off about the spider and wait

does this mean he doesn’t have anymore reason to sleep in your room anymore??

:(((

how about if he just uses the excuse that the spider jungkook took out actually left a family behind

and now there’s just a family of spiders in his room and jimin being the generous man that he is, gave up the room for them and with that, your room is now his room!! :D

will you buy that though

will anybody

absolutely: no one

he’s still a bit pouty because he still doesn’t know if he was cuddling to you last night

aha and you feel awkward in letting him know that he did

what jimin doesn’t know won’t hurt him, right?? :D

jungkook has his free day today and he’s gonna spend the entirety of it shopping!! he’s gonna come home here later on since it’s been ages when he came home to his own place and lol no he isn’t ready to clean up that place

and also since jimin’s sweetly emphasized that his home is your home too and you would always be welcome!!!

“i’m bored :((”

jimin says for the tenth time in the past half-hour

the only thing he’s been doing is laying his head on your shoulder as you do your work

he’s never really gotten your whole scheduling process even after this whole time but he’s gotten more aware and more confused at the past ten minutes

you’re copying and writing down past and future schedules in your planner from your phone so you could have both a physical and digital copy

“i don’t get why you’re still writing down my schedules. i bought you an ipad for work. you have your work phone too. i mean -- oh my god you don’t have a smartwatch!! oh god why didn’t i think of that??”

he’s launching himself into a rant of how he hasn’t bought you a smartwatch and that he owes you that much since he puts a lot on your plate and that would help ease your work

even before he pulls out his phone to order one asap, he hears you just barely mumble while you’re still nose-deep into what you’re doing

“because you bought me this notebook.”

oh

uhm

is that adoration in his eyes

jimin even forgot that he bought you this planner in the first place

you remember him giving it to you when he came home from his friends’ trip abroad with taehyung and hoseok!!

you never really got to know them properly since whenever they go out, jimin insists that you stay at home since they don’t have their PAs with them either

and from what you know, taehyung and hoseok are also insanely rich :D

as from what jin knows too, their parents are all friends and they’re like a part of this compact wealthy and well-known group of families and that the three of them have been childhood friends ever since

you were kinda confused when he gave you a paper bag with multiple notebooks and planners

because sir?? i already have a work phone and a work ipad?? wHO has the time to write in planners when you work for park jimin???

his very simple answer that got through your heart was:

“i don’t know either. just remembered you when i saw these so i bought them.”

and you wanted to melt on the spot

you got around to using them!! and as you realized physical copies could also be really helpful since what if your devices died or were hacked or maybe something wrong just happened!! you still have a physical copy

and besides you want to keep track of them so one day you could give them to jimin like

“here are years worth of planners and the things you did like wOW you just get more fully-booked each day and you’ve accomplished so many things pls jimin pls take these”

“cool cool cool cool”

jimin tries not to grin over that one but it’s hard not to combust over your sentiment 

he’s distracting himself by peering at what you’re writing

“i’m going grocery shopping today????”

lol the confusion in his voice is enough to break you out of your focused spell

“no i’m going grocery shopping. i combine my schedule with your schedule sometimes. this is our planner jimin.,.,., the one that’s purely for yours is on that other notebook”

our planner

goddamn it is seokjin cutting onions extremely close to jimin’s eyes right now

tries his best to ignore these fluttering feelings because it’s like you’re nOT EVEN TRYING TO MAKE HIM FLUSTERED

and if you were, you’re so effortless and he’s over here about to bust a lung because he’s trying not to breathe and therefore not giggle

“then let’s go grocery shopping.”

your eyes widen

is jimin

is park jimin going to go grocery shopping

"take me with you in your errand!! :D”

he repeats again because he sees the sheer confusion in your face

i mean what could go wrong!!!

uh yeah you’re pretty sure he hasn’t been in an actual grocery store like probably ever and he wouldn’t know what to get

“... are you sure about that jimin.,.,,”

“yeah it’s gonna be fun oMG i’m gonna take a shower now bye!!!”

this chore is mostly split to you and jin; him with everything food-related and you with the necessities!! it was fun because honestly? doing it was fun

maybe the fact that the two of you are given bottomless cards to do so since this was done for the sake of jimin anyway but besides that, it doesn’t feel like a chore at all

jimin has an array of cars and less driving skills if you were being honest 

yes he can drive but he’s not very good at it :D

and jimin lends any of you his cars whenever you need them for personal use -- always insists that any of you don’t take public transport when you’re gonna go home (which is rare) or basically go anywhere even outside when you’re not working for him when you could perfectly be at ease and in safety in the comfort of his cars

he fully convinced you when he said the fact that “yA uhm you do know that you’re all kinda known now for being associated with me right,.,, safety reasons, right,...,.,” and he gets worried ok

since kook is off and he was the bodyguard slash driver, you’re in charge for that now 

you’re dropping off jin in this supreme grocery store that has pretty much everything

everything except processed comfort food like mozzarella sticks and cheap god-tier ramyeon so you’re the one who buys those in your grocery store

one that’s ordinary compared to jin’s

and has ordinary people shopping in it 

and has a counter or seven that isn’t working

and has a tub of yogurt probably somewhere in the toiletries aisle 

because this was an ordinary grocery store and it doesn’t have each and every employee kind nor immediately putting back yogurt from the toiletries aisle back to the fridge 

because this is an ordinary grocery store :)

jimin’s in the back waving jin off enthusiastically and he’s kind of lingering looking at the rearview mirror because you’re not stepping on the pedal just yet

...

“you don’t wanna sit in the front?”

“nO I ABSOLUTELY WANT TO THANK U FOR ASKING I WAS WAITING FOR YOU TO ASK ME HEHE ANYWAYS”

can jimin just say

that he is in very much deep thought

he’s looking at you every few minutes just to let it sink in

that oh my god y/n is driving my car right now

my PA y/n is driving my mercedes s-class cabriolet 

my y/n is driving my mercedes s-class cabriolet and i’m so here for it

lol woah there who said that in jimin’s subconscious

who said that he can’t help imagining you driving it and the both of you doing groceries but this time you’re not his PA and he’s not your boss, but instead an actual couple that-

this goddamn ghost

damn ghost who called him jimin-hyung and then jagi can now invade his mind and plant these thoughts that’s making him yearn uncharacteristically smh

“wear your mask, jimin”

you’re prodding at him to wear it already before you leave the car and even make him wear the bucket hat for good measure just so he wouldn’t attract unnecessary attention

the car isn’t exactly the best car for you to be lowkey with hehe

jimin’s probably gonna get recognized anyway :(

you’re internally preparing yourself to kinda hover around jimin and look stoic and say “important business” whilst doing groceries

aha did jimin just immediately take his mask off the moment you step foot 

“.,.,,, it’s not like -- is it just me or is the air here a bit thinner than the grocery store jin shops at?”

:D

“nope. it’s really just like this :)”

“oh oh i wanna do it!!”

he says as soon as you take a cart and he’s waving grabby hands at you before he just pauses because uh 

is it just him?? or is like the handle supposed to be this color but it looks foggy and it’s not supposed to look like that color in the first place??

oh you’re already wiping down the handle of the pushcart before you take it

“no it’s ok it’s clean now hehe let me take this one y/n!!”

well then

you have a list and you’re at the end of the cart pulling at it to direct jimin where to go because it’s very clear that this is his first time

he keeps gasping every ten seconds while being very distracted

“are you sure we don’t need anymore sponges?? because that ten-pack seems very tempting. they’re in dIFFERENT colors too omg!!! we don’t need more?? aha u know what i’m paying this from my own wallet aha we need them”

“i didn’t know red cups were sold this many and this cheap let’s buy like five of these packs :D”

“yOOOOOO buy five take five of these sodas!! jungkook likes these right??? LET’S GET IT”

“this is such a big pack of ziplocks omg omg i can like use them when we go to these shoots!! we have these already?? but do we have them in this dINOSAUR edition tho???? no? that’s right”

“this is the biggest bottle of body wash i have ever seen in my life!! and it’s like so cheap!! wait i’m searching and yA it’s loved by 93 out of 100 people!!! i’m gonna be the 94th”

you didn’t expect this reaction

didn’t expect this completely perplexed yet amazed jimin who is amazed at mundane and ordinary things and honestly???? your heart tugs at the sight even when jimin’s holding up a three-pack of baby wipes saying “this is the bEST deal ever” before excitedly putting it in the cart

even at the bagging process he was very excited to see how things stacked up

at one point he even asks if he could pack some of the groceries down into the paper bags and when the cashier agreed and the bagger was confused yet agreed at the same time, jimin smiled so hARD

“you should take me with you every time you go get groceries :)”

“we’re not gonna get in front of the line every time because not every cashier would recognize you though”

“yeah bUT STILL”

there’s fondness just seeing jimin load up the trunk with groceries that he himself wanted to pick out

you needed to aid him a bit because he’s getting the unusual brand or forgetting something completely essential

and you just can’t help it!!!

“you did good today, jimin.”

aha aw really?? :)))))

you are killing him more and more as the day passes by and he hates it because you’re completely slick and effortless and god what does he have to do to make you fLUSTERED about pulling moves on him

“where do we go now though?”

“if it’s after my grocery run or if it’s after my grocery run but with you???”

“lol just pretend i’m not here this is yOUR day anyway”

there is this one place

that ramen place

that ramen place that’s a little restaurant and is located into the outskirts of the city and eating there for the first time was one of the days in your life that you felt the luckiest

you were getting a little bit lost going back to your dorm one night because the building was new and you just moved in then and you were hUNGRY from not having eaten lunch and it’s gonna be like 7 in the evening soon enough

and u know what you were ready to settle in to this only slightly sketchy looking place that has neon lights for a sign but the inside is bRIGHTLY-LIT but in the same time the inside has some faint lighting of pink and

ok there’s some customers by the corner aha you’re convinced that this is is an actual resstaurant and not a cover-up for some underground sketchy business :)

you could also ask for directions!! a double whammy you’ll take :D

and god

that was easily the best ramen you’ve ever had for such a reasonable price and you get so mUCH

didn’t skimp on the amount of noodles and the broth isn’t annoyingly salty!! the egg remained intact without it being tOO hard and it was in the perfect state!! the pork was tender without being irritatingly too chewy and was cooked to 𝓹𝓮𝓻𝓯𝓮𝓬𝓽𝓲𝓸𝓷

it was so good you may have had shed a tear or some

you literally did it was so gOOD

not only were you given directions to your dorm, but you were also given directions to the best ramen place to ever exist :D

that ramen place is literally the name of the ramen place lol

and then you met jin and jungkook

and then kook accompanied you in a grocery run early enough into your new jobs and you all still kinda haven’t had the hang of it

and god u know what

u trusted jungkook.,,.,

trusted him enough to give him the directions for that ramen place and he’s like??? y/n ur not planning to ditch me in the side of the road are you????

and he’s just mhmm-ing his way as he let you order for him since this was his first time and you clearly knew it better

when jungkook says that he went to heaven at his first slurp

he means it

jungkook means that with his whole heart

in the same time he wants to clear his bowl so quick because he just can’t get enough but in the sAME time he wants to take his time because good things shouldn’t be rushed

after the meal like not only is his stomach full but so is his heart

it was official

“y/n i want u to know that i eNTRUST you with my whole life like pls i don’t mind if u call the shots until the day i die i don’t care u hAVE my whole heart”

and then it was when you and jungkook came home and kook can’t stop talking about the ramen

seokjin was so annoyed and offended like wtf did u just cheat on me with this damn ramen place i am the CHEF here

“jin-hyung please you hAVE to try it”

���aha i would never :D”

but then the inevitable happens

you pick up jin from his grocery store after you were done with yours and successfully set him up for the both of you to eat in that ramen place

and it was too late when he realized

and he’s figured it out since every description jungkook has ever given about the food matched up perfectly

he was at a total loss for words

:O

“i want what they have :’’’’)”

and the moment the both of you came home he iMMEDIATELY got to work in trying to recreate it but he never came to the exact recipe :((

a bit bummed but he’s in peace that he doesn’t know the recipe (even if it irks him sometimes)

aha jin knows that he would be too powerful if he knew the recipe anyway :D 

he’d be probably immortal at that point so this was for the sake of everyone else’s pride and sanity at this point

you’re oddly protective of that ramen place and u can’t help ity

OU’VE EVEN MADE FRIENDS WITH THE OWNER

park seojoon is an incredibly sweet man and restaurateur and you would easily lay down your life for him no doubt

he striked up conversation with you after u came in there for like one week straight because you were just going through it and he’s getting concerned now because he’s never seen someone eat tempura with so much sad eagerness

and he only knew you as a regular customer but he kNEW that you were normally happier and not looking so gloomy and intimidating????

turns out that his business is relatively new and not many people would come in because it looked sketchy and he doesn’t have enough profit yet to make the place look so divine

so he thanked u for giving that ramen place a chance

aND BECAUSE u dragging in jungkook and jin and that people would pass by seeing that oh wait these people are eating and they look vERY pleased that turned into the point that he’s been getting more customers!!!!

in short you’re very selective of the people you decide to introduce to that ramen place and seojoon finds that endearing and amusing at the same time

and bringing in jimin to this place is something that means a lot to you and it’s just sO exciting that you get to bring him in this part of your life

the part that entails to you being y/n and not his PA that’s with him almost 24/7 tending to his needs!!!

seojoon’s whipping his head at the chiming bell and oMG IT’S YOU!!! IT’S BEEN A WHILE!!!!

“y/NNNNNNNN!!!! :D”

“sEOJOOOOOON!!!! :D”

there’s a very eager hug and it catches the attention of some patrons but they’re like oh wAIT isn’t that the y/n from the multiple polaroids on the wall

kinda takes jimin aback for a sec

uhm he thought that you were gonna take him to lunch because as per your words of “probably my most favorite meals in my life ever besides jin’s?? i eAT THEM HERE”??????

meals???

not unless.,.,..

nOT UNLESS YOUR MEALS AREN’T ACTUALLY-

“i just got done getting groceries for my boss and he’s here with me!! jimin-“ you’re grabbing him by the arm to get closer to you and seojoon because he clearly backed off when the both of you hugged, “this is park seojoon!! he’s the owner of this place!! seojoon, this is-...”

“park jimin, i know!! it’s an honor to meet you, mr. park :D”

seojoon very much knows who he is even before you told him out of the blue that you worked for him as a personal assistant

he promised you extra portions of cheesy tonkatsu as long as you tell him how jimin’s like because he’s a bit of a fan of his work and all :)

he has his hand outreached and god you don’t know why but jimin’s suddenly buffering

kinda just gazes at the hand and you had to nudge him discreetly with your shoe tapping his

...

“.... nice to meet you too, mr. park.”

:)

:)

“oKAY let’s sit down in the booth!!!”

“yES good idea y/n!! you and jimin should get seated like right now aha!! good thing because i always put a reserved sign in there in case you and jin and kook decide to pop in all of a sudden :)”

jimin’s sitting across you and there’s this look on his face

oh god you know that face

maybe you’re just overthinking it

you already know what you’re ordering but you pretend to still look at the menu just to disguise the fact that you’re trying to distinguish jimin’s expression

he looks a bit-

“do they uhm, do they serve anything else besides these?”

oh

seojoon’s expanded the menu generously compared to the first time you went here

you’re trying to understand because the menu doesn’t exactly have the gourmet fish fingers jimin orders as an appetizer that contained two skimpy ones with sauce swiped haphazardly on the plate

there isn’t exactly luxuriously roasted lamb skewers in the menu

nor does it serve vin chaud as a refreshment while you wait for your order

but it doesn’t make the place any less good because good is subjective

and in normal circumstances and unlike standard of people like jimin, this place was genuinely good

“the water they have here... does it uhm... does it come from the tap?”

...

“no.”

you’re gonna try and keep a positive outlook on this because you know what?? maybe jimin’s just a bit tired to enjoy this new experience :)

“but don’t worry anyways! i brought with me your water! both the water and the iced coffee”

you’re already fishing through the tote bag you carry around when you’re out with jimin (your initials are embroidered with one strap and his in the other!!)

actually these are all your ideas

it was in your first month of working for him that you noticed jimin just like drinking in general

whether it’s water or orange juice or iced coffee and maybe even those fruity sugary drinks that has coconut jelly in them and of course beer

jimin atleast makes you fetch water for him about five times within a day and you have to hold onto plastic bottles until you see a recycling bin

then u had this genius idea

how about you gift jimin one of those hydroflasks because not only is it more eco-friendly but aLSO you don’t have to run to the nearest catering table or convenience store!!!

was it in the more expensive spectrum for water bottles? yes

but gODDAMN the pride you felt was insurmountable when you gave it to jimin

“y/n? water please.”

“aha sure mr. park here you go :D”

wait lol that’s relatively quick

then jimin’s eyes (and hands) land on this 21 oz army green hydroflask filled with cold water and if u wiggle it you could sTILL hear the ice clonking because it was still intact

he’s kind of perplexed

did this water bottle come with the water or????

“don’t worry sir!! i bought that for you!! it’s clean and new!! it’s yours, mr. park :D”

that touched his HEART

he may have dropped it once so lol you’re that whipped for him so you bought the rubberized sleeve, that it u may add is also tOO expensive for rubber that covered only a quarter of the bottle

it’s ok it’s for jimin

you’re bringing said hydroflask out now!!

even bringing out the tiny baby hydroflask (you bought him one the very next month because he liked it so much and he’s so happy with the original one) with iced coffee in case jimin wants variety

you could pull out a thousand more things from your bag to appease jimin

his expensive hand lotion that smelled of vanilla and coffee beans

his nintendo switch you carry around that he barely plays with but seeing it makes him happy

your work phone that contained emails from brand representatives and that they would have something sent over

you have more materials but none of it could shake off this noticeable frown in jimin’s face you’re so willing to try and ignore

one that looked like disgust

“i’m just gonna go to the counter to pay for our orders.”

jimin’s eyes narrow at that

don’t the waiters here come to your table and list down your orders so you don’t have to move a single inch because after all, this was a dine-in???

he feels so out of touch now that you’re over the counter

he’s definitrly feeling more glances from like the four people eating here that are starting to recognize him

the booths aren’t that spacious and the foam in the cushions isn’t heavenly comfortable to sink into

the table is a bit sticky and there’s a faint residual smell of lemon-scented multi-purpose cleaner

these pendant lights are too plain like why even bother with a pendant light if it’s just like every other boring light fixture

no ambient music in the background either

jimin is so out of it if you can’t tell by now

you’re coming back to your booth with your table number and he snorts to himself at that

there isn’t else who’s ordering wHY would you even need a table number

you heard that

clearly heard that

“... y’okay, jimin?”

“i’m fine.”

he’s not even gonna rest his forearms on the table

he should lean back and oh wait no he can’t :D

there’s this uncomfortable silence that’s so sudden and you don’t wanna partake in it because what happened to the jimin in the grocery store??

“why are we here?”

you were clearly not expecting that question

didn’t he tell you that you call the shots today and he’s just gonna tag along?

“you’re given a limitless credit card to attend to my needs and — does this place even take credit cards?”

you don’t like how soft-spoken yet condescending jimin’s tone is right now

nor his choice of words

and to how you feel so ridiculed with just the way he’s starting

seojoon arrives with your food and was about to crack a joke but uh your face is hung low and your fists are clenching and unclenching?? ok maybe next time

keeping this in is very hard

you’re gonna ignore that :)

you’re fishing for the metal case of jimin’s premium wooden chopsticks without a word

ok

you’re gonna keep your emotions together, sat your food, go home, and try to be understanding of jimin all throughout

it’s actually going along very well

pretending that jimin isn’t even here and instead savoring in the ramen you haven’t eaten for more or less a month because of jimin’s busy schedule and therefore your busy schedule

you missed this so much

omg seojoon definitely put more noodles in there he is a national treasure

you’re keeping your cool actually and-

“are you playing a prank on me, y/n? it’s not funny anymore.”

he’s half-whining and half-pissed

still hasn’t had one taste of his ramen

“i agreed to let you pick because i thought we were going to a real restaurant.”

christ

you are most certain now that trying to looking unfazed is what you’re failing miserably at as of the moment

“not a hole-in-the-wall type of ramen joint that’s cramped and has laminated hand-written numbers for table number.”

god you so badly want to explode

beyond offended and hurt because even seojoon and his place he worked tirelessly on is being slandered for a completely selfish reason

and that this whole thing is being twisted to you as if you didn’t ask him a million times is he was sURE of this

“and y/n, you know i don’t go to these types of places! i don’t-...”

“then we’re leaving.”

you’re not even halfway done eating

the excitement you harbored for wanting to be in this place in the first place has long been displaced

jimin’s sitting there in shock because he really didn’t expect that

he didn’t know what end result he was looking for

but you being actually mad at him and standing up and leaving so quickly through the door that you didn’t even wait for him was the eventual result

he’s sputtering to himself and he’s walking outside the restaurant with his head hung low

are you mad at him??

in his defense he was just speaking the truth

but that doesn’t mean shit now does it

he’s wordlessly climbing into the front seat of his car that you’ve already started because fUCK are you so mad and sad at the same time

jimin’s kinda worrying that he might’ve took that far

he’s sneaking looks at you and you’re stone-cold and he doesn’t even get a side-eye in response

he should be as stubborn as you were being now but he thinks that he might not be in the right position for that

you’re so silent and he’s fiddling with his rings and eVEN in stoplights you just keep your gaze trained to the road and nothing else

jimin realizes that oh

you’ve pulled up to his usual restaurant

his usual restaurant that had valet service and staff that would let him in even without a prior reservation

oh

he’s kind of hovering by the main door and you’re not beside him but rather behind, your position stiff and guarded with your arms crossed across your chest

you’re being jungkook right now instead of y/n

god you’re still boiling

you’ve never had this much determination to drive to this high-end ramen place that jimin earnestly likes and as you’ve figured his only standard that he’s compared seojoon’s place to

he doesn’t know how to react to how you reacted either

he didn’t expect to be eating lunch right now in one of his favorite restaurants with you sat across him but in guilt-tripping circumstances

jimin doesn’t know what to do with himself :(

he knows what to order and he knows what your order would be from here since this isn’t the first time you’ve accompanied him

even tried asking you if what you want to order in a timid voice but you didn’t even meet his gaze

still said your order to the waiter and he sneaks a look to see on how you would’ve reacted to it but again

there’s still none

guilt is practically eating jimin from the inside out at this point

he’s eating in front of you and he still feels guilty to do so because in the other hand

you refuse to even look at the meal in front of you that’s going cold

knows for a fact that you LOVE the red iced tea here even if he tells you repeatedly that it’s too sweet and the fact that it’s always served cold won’t help with it bUT NOW you’re not even casting a single glance to it

you don’t budge not even until he settles the bill and his eyes aren’t on you

gets your food wrapped up for take-out and normally drinks can’t be but they always make an exception for jimin

he’s holding it himself and you’re just trailing behind him again

even until you get handed the keys and drive jimin home

there’s no interaction whatsoever

even the radio he’s turned on doesn’t help because you’re not uttering a single word to him

you get home and jimin’s lingering by the driveway as he sees you lugging the groceries in your hands without making it obvious that you’re dYING to leave again so you could pick up jin

“i’m -- i’ll help.”

he says as input and he thought that would atleast get a small smile from you

aha there is none

he’s taking out paper bags from your hands and you let him

just turn your back on him and go back to the trunk and get some more

he’s purposely slowing his pace getting into the door so you’d trail behind him and maybe atleast nudge at him to fasten his pace because what you’re carrying is particularly heavy

yOU’RE STILL SILENT

and then there are no more groceries left and jimin’s frowning at that because wHAT he was just about to actually speak to you 

you’re starting the car again and????

you’re leaving???

oh

he uhm

he thought he was going with you to pick up jin

:(

jin immediately knew something was wrong when you picked him up and helped him put in his groceries in the very limited trunk so you had to put some of them in the actual backseats wITHOUT ANY COMPLAINTS

he even bought cacao nibs to snack on and you just give a gentle smile to when he’s offered you one because normally you and him would’ve bickered now on who should hold the bag for safekeeping

“y/n baby are u like,,,, ok”

“yeah i’m all ok :D”

“oh ok :D”

he smiles at that

might he remind you that he is nOT booboo the fool :(((

he doesn’t wanna prod in just yet and he doesn’t wanna invade ur bubble by asking you what’s wrong upfront

he’s just gonna invade it every once and then when he shoves a nib to your mouth to munch on to atleast believe that he fell for your blatant lie and aha he’s just being goofy :)))

there is something definitely up

jimin greeted him wAY too enthusiastically

“JIN-HYUUUUUUNG!!! hi”

“hi brat :)”

there’s a look that falters in jimin’s face for a sec because oh god maybe you told jin

and the teasing nickname of brat is actually meant for real this time

he’s really panicked right now

he’s helping jin get out the food he’s bought and jin’s ????

this is the first time you’re helping me out fill in the pantries and the fridge???? i’m a chef not a nurse are you like rUNNING A FEVER RIGHT NOW???????

he keeps his mouth shut

jin isn’t oblivious to how jimin purposely kept messing up in organizing food because you’re also included in this organization thing as you always were

and the closest jimin’s ever got to an interaction was you wordlessly picking things up that he was messing over

he literally put frozen baby carrots into a cabinet full of pasta just to invoke a reaction and jin’s just inwardly laughing and cringing at his attempts lmao he’s going too far in making a fool out of himself

and to see you just picking up the baby carrots and putting them in the freezer made him frown

aTLEAST laugh at him for goddness’ sake

please

pls

say something

make fun of me

raise your voice at me for putting yogurt in the spice rack y/n just please

and tHEN there’s no food left

it’s a free day after all and jimin can’t materialize shit about things he needs you to do with or for him just so he could squeeze out a word or two

but then you coop yourself up in your room and jimin’s kinda lost being by himself when you normally hung out around him like second nature

it’s time for dinner and jungkook’s already come home by then with his arms full and his first question was “where’s y/n???”

then jin answers him and kook was like cool.,.,.., if u need me i’ll be in y/n’s room

maybe jimin is truly indeed losing his mind with this silent treatment

why is jungkook in your bedroom and why is it so easy for him to go to you while he’s here chickening out

probably because jungkook isn’t the one who’s made a mistake towards you and may have caused a slight scene awhile ago

maybe it’s because jungkook was being down-to-earth and isn’t a fucking brat like he realized he was being one awhile ago

:(((

it’s dinner time now and only jungkook was the one who came down the staircase and joined them in the dining table

which felt weird because you’re not sat beside him :(((

jin isn’t surprised that you didn’t come down but kook’s fazed so hard rn

“she was just bundled in her comforter.,.,., not even bundled up while watching netflix or something.,.,.,. just bundled.,,.,., half-asleep and half-scrolling through her phone and then i pEAKED at her phone and her feed wasn’t bland and then there was this really funny tiktok but y/n didn’t giggle :(((“

“y/n didn’t pester me to do a try-on clothing haul of the things i bought :(((( i mean before if she asked me to do it i would say nO but now that she’s not asking i wANNA DO IT :((( where’s y/n?? who’s that girl upstairs?? what’s going on?? i miss her :((”

jungkook doesn’t know jack either but he does know that it may have something to with jimin and his mind, really.,.,,.,. jin and him are straight-up vibing rn if that’s the case

“yO are u being honest but in the same time guilt-tripping jimin or something because you fEEL like it’s his fault too?”

“THAT’S WHAT I’VE BEEN DOING!”

they’re communicating telepathically

they’re not psychic but the point is that they will surely talk about this the moment jimin leaves them and say their hunches about what probably happened on your grocery run

jimin meanwhile is absolutely being roasted in guilt because he atleast thought that you would open up the situation to jungkook because you were friends

and after all he came to your room alone and he’s not there to deny whatever you tell

but you’re closed off even to them and jimin just wants so badly to fix thishe sees the tray jin’s fixing up and he figures that it’s for you so he immediately jumps to his feet and grounds jin by the shoulders

“no nO i’ll take them to y/n, hyung.”

jin is more than happy to give the tray to jimin but somehow bummed ?? at the same time because this just confirms that something indeed happen

there’s a soft knock to your door and you don’t even answer because it’s never been locked this whole time

you wanna pop your head out from your comforter too since binge-watching how things are made but without boring commentary is really starting to make your eyes hurt

“koo?”wait you know those footsteps

they’re lighter and delicate even with house slippers on and-

“hi.”

jimin isn’t surprised that you thought he was jungkook but his pride is hurt though

not just because he isn’t the first person you’re looking for when someone comes into your roombut because you still refuse to meet his gaze

:((

he’s setting up the tray that doubled as an actual mini table on your bed and he’s trying to divert his thoughts as he did, opting to be silent instead

he made the conscious decision to not have the food you didn’t eat at lunch to be reheated for your dinner because he knows that there are unresolved issues still — and it happened to be over his pride and ramen

safe to say that you’re eating your dinner

even if he’s standing by the corner looking like a kid who’s put in time-out while he remains silent

nobody’s forced him to take your dinner up nor even stay in your room while you’re adamant on eating your dinner and not making any conversation with himbut he’s willing though

jimin is more than willing to try and make up for what he did

“i’m sorry.”

the thing is

jimin barely apologizes

even when he’s in the wrong most of the times and it’s a trait of him that he’s not exactly proud ofhe just feels so shy whenever he apologizes verbally and it’s almost humiliating

but sir that is the point because you’re in remorse which is why you’re apologizing sIR

but he does things in his own way and he incorporates apologies into his actions and rarely into words

which is also good

but this blatant display of him apologizing using his words and letting you know that he knows what he’s done

jimin doesn’t want you to applaud him for it (and you’re not going to) because apologizing is a thing he really should be doing in the first place!!!

“i knew i was — i knew i was being stubborn. a-and it’s totally unjustifiable because i judged seojoon’s place so quick and i didn’t even know what i was talking about!! i didn’t even give the ramen a chance!! i’m sorry too since i uhm, i let you pick the place and then i made you feel bad for picking it. which is just wrong, i know. w-well uh i’m also sorry since i was just being-...”

god he really hates this word

hates this word to a degree

but he knows it’s very much true as he proved awhile ago and he has to face it head-to-head

“a brat.”

he frowns over what he just said and he doesn’t see you raising a brow at him as you’ve been trying to pre-occupy yourself by eating the whole time

“and an asshole.”

he’s fiddling with his rings in worry because oh god he may be a little bIT scared to look back up at you

maybe you already dozed off??? maybe you’re still mad and you’re gonna kick him out of your room???? maybe you’re gonna qUIT???

he should accept his fate, really

he will never have an assistant as good as you because you’re the bEST and he means it

also jimin isn’t wearing contacts and this is not the same mistake of him wearing them in the plane so whY are his eyes dry to the point that they’re gonna dampen any second

actually it’s just emotion

“okay :)”

that’s the only things you say after fully digesting his apology and it makes him falter in the corner for a second

“oH so like okay we’re gonna be nORMAL again and you don’t hate me??? oR okay as in you agree that i’m an asshole??? i’m fine with either two i just need to clarify for sURE so i could apologize again, y’know?? if it’s the second part? actually what if-...”

you gotta admit

your heart’s thawing at the moment and it’s still a progress but seeing jimin so flustered and uncomposed is very unlike himself

he knows his standing and what he’s capable of and he acts like it

he’s professional when it comes to work and dedicates his entirety of himself to it

he knows his social cues (well uh most of the time) and reads the room every time just so he could adjust along with it

it’s not his intention every time to stand out but even without trying to, he is and always will because he’s jimin

the jimin you see in shoots who requests for another shot to be taken when he feels like he hasn’t done enough for a pose and shakes people’s hands that already leaves a good lasting impression on them, isn’t the one who’s in front of you right now

it’s jimin who’s timid and rambling and is actually being very humble as of the moment -- devoid of any makeup and in his pajamas and the one who took up the dinner for his personal assistant who was mad at him

“we have a long day tomorrow, jimin. get your hours in, hm?”

oh 

okay that means you’re okay

he really can’t help blushing jUST because of a certain pronoun

god he is a mess and a half 

but he is a mess and a half that hAS your forgiveness 

jimin’s shuffling out the door and says his good night in tiny caps!!!

since he’s very obedient and u know what,, this has been a tiring day for him so he’s just gonna take a shower and then fall asleep to the thought of you :))

lol jin and kook have jimin memorized by now so they’re just waiting for that particular click of the door aND THEY’RE ALREADY DASHING UP THE STAIRS AND INTO YOUR ROOM

....

“sooooo.,.,.,.”

??????

“this is the part where you tELL us what happened oh my gOD y/n”

they’re plopping down to your bed on either side and then you’re in this sandwich you can’t get out of

seokjin is very good at pressuring and jungkook is very good at nudging you repeatedly to the point that you have no choice but to tell what happened

they were so :D when you told them about the grocery part

“he is sO clueless it’s so adorable”

“jin-hyung i’m telling you we NEED to get jimin-hyung to the flea market please :((”

there can never be too much side comments

they’re treating you as a pay-per-view boxing match and you best believe that they are gonna be NOISY

“hOW DARE YOU GO TO THAT RAMEN PLACE WITHOUT US :((”

“lol hyung the two of us went there when y/n was in her day-off bUT HOW DARE YOU Y/N :(((”

but in the same time it was okay for them because jimin feels like family at this point and he’s kinda within your circle if you just crossed out the fact that he’s your multi-millionaire boss and the three of u are his employees

then you get to that part where you felt jimin was being too quiet

jin’s already shaking his head at that point because he knew one way or another to where this was going

kook has some hope that nO jimin-hyung isn’t gonna do that so he has his mouth hung open as he waits for you to continue on

“yAAAAA why do you have to be so sTUPID jimin????”

“why didn’t you tell us earlier?? we could’ve been mad at jimin wITH YOU!! you didn’t need to be alone at being mad!! i’m mad!!”

they totally get your standpoint and how it must’ve felt to be in your position awhile ago

“i would really fight with jimin right then and there-”

“hyung that’s because you’re old”

“i’m old aND i have ramen to eat and jimin’s being a hypocrite tHAT’S WHAT”

the two of them are really making it clear that they’re not gonna stop on talking and have probably forgotten that this is your room

they’re so fired up to notice that it’s your bed they’re messing up by tossing and turning

“well for me.,,.,, i think i would just eat my food because aha i paid for it aND for jimin’s order too. gonna ask here and there to what standard of good does he have and how different it actually is from that ramen place. especially if you take out the external and materialistic factors”

“real mature of you, jungkook. i’m-”

“but that’s just a front and i’m gonna cHEW HIM OUT IN THE CAR AND FIGHT WITH JIMIN BECAUSE HE WAS DISRESPECTING ME!! AND SEOJOON!! AND THE FOOD!! AND-

lol jin spoke too soon

there’s this inevitable question that’s hanging

of how any professional and unattached personal assistant wouldn’t be too hung-up over this and just call it a day

and to how they wouldn’t dwell over that and coop up in their room as they re-evaluate the fact that they’re probably falling for their boss and said boss has hurt their feelings

jin and kook choose not to delve in it

especially jin who’s concerned about you in the first place because he caught onto the fact early on that you and jimin have this sort of tension and ease of comfort at the same time

not to mention that jimin smelled of the linen spray he gifted you on your birthday

and he could never mistaken that scent for anything else besides your bed

not unless someone else sleeps in your bed

he kNEW

knew this whole time that jimin shared your bed that night and he connected it to the spider thing and then suddenly, it just wasn’t a theory that he concocted

he could’ve easily slept in one of the many guest rooms here

could’ve bunked with jungkook because his room was the closest to jimin’s

could’ve bunked with him because jimin knows jin has a diffuser that’s same as his in his room and it would make him asleep faster

but no :D

jimin still chose to knock on your door and stay in your room

because in jimin’s fight or flight response over a spider invading his room, it’s to go to you

:D

he is one step away from making one of those boards you can see in tv shows that connected you and jimin with pushpins and yarn just to let you both know thAT THE FEELINGS ARE MUTUAL

THEY ARE VERY MUCH MUTUAL

AND YOU’RE NOT ACTING ON IT AND HE ISN’T EITHER BECAUSE THE BOTH OF YOU ARE SCARED

the three of you probably must have been carried away talking for so long that you’ve all fallen asleep squished into your bed with you still in the middle

kook is fully latched to you and he’s hEAVY and jin has his back turned to you but with his legs resting on top of yours???? and you’re all knocked out to the point, especially you, that you didn’t even notice that whilst being in the middle, your comforter warmed eVERYTHING and everyone but you 

but it felt tOO lax

too lax that in your groggy half-asleep mind that you think you’re missing something ????

that all three of you are half-awake now and are just rolling around in the slightest and something jUST doesn’t feel right

wait

is that the door to your room opening

that is mOST definitely a phone clicking

was that a giggle

“yAAAA have some respect dhshhd wAIT JIMIN OH MY GOD OH MY GOD JIMIN WAKE UP WAKE UP WE SLEPT IN”

jin is flailing around like a fish out of water

he is moving more than the he caught within like eight seconds when he decided to try out fishing

you’re jostled awake because you’re laying closest to him and you sWEAR your soul must have been jostled too

kook was having it rough

he was.,.., in a defense position???? he’s,.,..,., taking cover??? 

lol alright jimin thinks that’s IT

“hush the three of u just kinda overslept”

jimin says sweetly while in the same time he’s kinda prying jungkook off of you hehehe and he could just disguise it as getting him to wake up

he has to admit that he was really endeared when he saw this sight of the three of you passed out asleep

he was very confused when he woke up and there still wasn’t breakfast or you explaining today’s flow and jungkook listening in behind the two of you

that’s weird,,,,,

then he peaked into each of your rooms expecting for it to be locked but to his surprise it wASN’T

he opened kook’s first and then it was empty and he completely blanked at that

j-jin????

he opened your room last and when the doorknob budged so easily he was about to pass out because wHY IS IT OPEN

and then he peaked and oH OMG UR ALL STILL ASLEEP

that’s no worries!! :D

jimin can handle all of this for the morning and he can even surprise the lot of you

ready-mix pancake batter?

aha easy but no :D he is looking to impress, not to burn

cereals?

aha no :D he is limited but his skills go far beyond than just adding milk ok

cup noodles bUT with mozzarella sticks that he can pop in the oven while he makes iced tea perhaps if water is too bland???

AHA YES :D

it’s beyond simple but he’s proud of himself ok

and it’s the thought that matters!!!

he’s even assured you that it’s all okay and no one’s gonna get fired!! not even close!!

you keep apologizing to him because you know today is supposed to be a busy one and you’re just gonna hOP into the shower and you’ll be out in five minutes and ur gonna be professional

“y/n jagi trust me!! i checked!! my call-time isn’t for another two hours!! you’re fINE. just go join jin-hyung and ggukie because i made breakfast :D”

“okay fine but jUST because you made breakfast :D”

[ and also u called me jagi and i am too soft for you and you can comfort me and my thought very endearingly so yes i wILL go down ]

jimin is so happy to see the three of you being genuinely excited ok

the two boys are SLIGHTLY taking a piss out of him but apart from that they are so so proud and are being absolutely candid

“jimin-hyung you didn’t forget to stir the iced tea this time oMG :((((

““you aCTUALLY closed the lid this time when you put in the hot water”

“bUT I’M SO PROUD OF YOU JIMIN OMG!!!!! you killed it with the mozzarella sticks”

“you EVEN sprinkled some uncooked noodles for that extra crunch omg i will hug u right now”

he’s actually blushing from all the praise

it doesn’t help either that you’re sitting beside him and are agreeing and even adding in your own quips!!

“it’s no big deal :D”

it is, in fact, a big deal

and jimin wants to stress that no matter how all of you are impressed with him right now, he wants to show that this should be a normal occurence too!!!the three of you are literally paid to make his life easier by doing tasks he can do himself and for that he is beyond grateful

but he wants to return his gratitude from time to time!!!he thinks letting you keep some from the PR packages is not enough

it’s jimin’s baby steps and the three of you are aware and you’re rooting for him

even if sometimes he might fall face-first but you’re always there

:)

you don’t want to be overly too cheesy

but you mean it

you really do

as much as jimin depended on you, you’ve probably also learned how to always look for and after him in everything that you do

he’s ultimately housed into your heart and god it’s too hard to try and pick him out of it

you could be in your day-off and trying to do an activity by yourself and your first thought would be “lol jimin would get so impatient with this”

you see a relatively luxury item? that’s jimin

u see a billboard of a brand in fashion week that he most definitely sat front row at? jimin

a dog you pass by on the street that looks like it most definitely something he would coo and try to pet?? PARK JIMIN

you don’t wanna take advantage of your position to enact your feelings

even if that is most certainly a vantage point

but you most definitely would do it if you were just sure that jimin liked you back

that he thought of you in the same way and you’re not only a mere PA he could always replace whenever he wanted to

distancing yourself is practically impossible

especially when you can’t distinguish the concept of mixed signals anymore from the actual fact that maybe

just maybe that he liked you too :(((

jimin’s kNOCKING on your door again at an ungodly hour and you’re opening it up

again

“is it another-“

you’re about to fully open your door because you’re highly sure that this is another spider and he’s not gonna put himself up with that situation EVER again

about to rub off the sleep in your eyes only to succumb back later again when he’s gonna lie beside you in your bed

but it was different this time

there’s sniffling and heavy tears

there’s jimin whose chest is heaving right now as he’s trying to compose himself

his heart feels ultimately heavy and even more so because it’s about to sink in that he just woke you up to hear out his problems he doesn’t think is too shallow to even be a problem; his whole mind foggy

“if my parents weren’t rich and i wasn’t the park jimin — do you think i’d still get to my level of success?”

he looks absolutely wretched and his voice sounds so pained

he’s about to turn on his heel because he feels so selfish for having you wake up for him but it’s not something-

“yes.”

you say without skipping a beat and you swear your heart clenches when jimin does a double-take over what you just said

your heart is absolutely hurting for him :((

you don’t even think when you pull him to you for an embrace and he’s completely breaking down by then, his face buried to the crook of your neck with his hands still in fists

jimin might have searched his name for the fun of it

but then one thing led to another and then he ended up reading threads in reddit and twitter and basically in any portal of social media

some are good and wholesome

but god there’s just some that were criticizing him and his wealthy background

some were too below the belt

and there’s this guttural feeling in his chest because what if he really is everything that these people point him out to be

he didn’t want for himself to be born into a well-off family and that’s out of his control

jimin so badly misses the time that he was still pretty fucking young and naive to the fact that he’s already had millions to his name even before he could speak his first words and crawl for the first time

and it’s the guilt that he carries with him

it’s how he tries to rid himself off the image that he’s nothing but wealth

he’s spiraled so hard into thought during the past hour that it hasn’t sinked into him that he’s been crying to you for almost equally as long

“i see you for you, jimin — i mean it.”

you’re rubbing circles in his back and it’s helping him calm down especially you talking to him because it grounds his mind

he’s kind of blubbering still but he’s listening to you intently and he’s resorted to staying still in your embrace

“you’re one of the greatest people i ever know and it’s not because you’re your parents’ son, okay? i see you for you.”

he’s all puffy from crying and you’re wiping at the extra tears that’s coming out with how he’s digesting your words and that earns him another kiss to his hairline because it truly calms him

you have one hand on his palm and jimin’s mindlessly playing with it as it distracts him from the heaviness on his chest and besides

you’re a really calming figure

you’d do anything right now to just ground jimin :((((

whatever it takes

“you can take off your makeup and your jewelry, jimin — i’d still love you the same.”

you mean it

you mean it vERY much

if the circumstances were different and they were lighter

you’d notice that you might have slipped up and basically confessed your love for himi

f the circumstances weren’t jimin crying to you at 2 in the morning from reading up to what some people think of him

he’d say the same to you

but it’s this

and jimin nods to your words and he’s tired and so are you

he lets you tuck him and squeeze his hand and listens to when you tell him that if he needs anything, he could just shake you awake and you’re gonna be there for him

and maybe even in the dark

jimin turns to face you at one point and you’re fast asleep and he’s getting to finally succumb to the rest that’s tugging on his veins

maybe even in the dark, he may have slotted his hand to fit yours

jimin’s holding your hand in the dark as he falls asleep

:D

he feels secure and goes to sleep secure and he wakes up secure

growing up, his security without a doubt was always ensured considering his background and well practically who he is

but that was a different type of security

it’s surface-level security such as what jungkook’s hired to do!!!!!

but you

you probably can’t tell but you are literally a walking safe place for jimin to which he feels immediately at home at

home is a broad term because it’s more of a feeling of belonging rather than a set location

and u know what

:D

home feels oddly specific to jimin nowadays

especially when he got two of his impacted wisdom teeth out under general anesthesia :D

he doesn’t hate going to the dentist’s office actually

who wouldn’t when the dentist he goes at is too pristine and there’s a flat-screen tv and the receptionist is actually nice!!!! and the doors were cool!!!! and the seats were spacious and loungy!!!!!

jimin only went like “.....cool” when the dentist said that he has four impacted wisdom teeth after seeing his x-ray

in fact he was a bit excited because omg i’ve never had an operation in my life ever wHAT must this feel like????

but then

u see

lmao dr. baekhyun kinda has a knack for joking and he nudges jimin at one point when he was explaining the operation

“yeah you’re gonna be under local anesthetic :D”

“that’s cool doc :D”

you’re catching on to what dr. baekhyun is saying because you’ve got your wisdom teeth taken out before aND HIS TONE IS JOKING

AND JIMIN DOESN’T KNOW IT YET

does jimin think that there’s an imported anesthetic and he’s being oh wow cool support local rn.,.,.,,.

and not realizing that-

“that means you’re gonna be awake for your operation :D”

“oh that’s — wAIT WHAT????”

dr. baekhyun is really taking a piss out of him omg he’s trying to keep a straight face right now and so are you

“what do you mEAN i’m gonna be awake for it doc????? that’s nOT what the movies say!!!”

“it’s almost gonna be pain-free, jimin. don’t-...”

“b-but aLMOST?? why do i need to be awake for it??? oh my gOD i watched that video of how they extract and i’m gonna be AWAKE when you drill into my jaw??? dr. baekhyun-“

jimin is blubbering

he is so near to tears

he’s turning into a big baby and his voice is wavering and oh my god that’s when dr. baekhyun and you cut it out

he is tEARING UP to the crook of your neck as you simultaneously try to stifle your laughter and run your hands through his hair

he’s pouting the whole moment you and dr. baekhyun take turns explaining

“aish, those movies. actually, most wisdom teeth extractions happen under local anesthetic. it’s most recommended if you’re just gonna have one to two wisdom teeth taken out at a time-“

“or generally if your wisdom teeth are not buried in too deep!!”

“what happens is — ok the dentist applies some lidocaine to the spot, and then it numbs, and then they’re gonna inject some stuff with a bIG-ASS SYRINGE!!!!”

“lmao y/n don’t scare jimin but aLSO!!! THAT’S TRUE!! but sometimes local anesthetic could be intravenous instead :D”

jimin is so conflicted wHY are you still explaining this to him and why did u play with him like that:(((

“but don’t worry!! point is, you’re not gonna be awake for it since your situation is a bit more difficult for local anesthesia :)”

.....that really made him sigh out of relief

but also he’s still a bit mad because wHY did you let dr. baekhyun joke with him like that and why did you join

if that was truly the case then yeet he will never get his wisdom teeth taken out

throughout the week you remind him to take the prescription meds that would have him prepped for his surgery

he is both excited and nervous

he’s bringing it up at every chance he gets

“carbonara..... ugh :(( oh well this is my last taste at carbonara before i get operated on and have my mouth bloody and my cheeks puffy for like a week or something :(((“

“chicken :(( oh yeah i can’t eat chicken and other oily things after my operation :(((“

“oh right :(( y/n can you put a toothbrush for toddlers in your grocery list? y’know,,, since i’m gonna have stitches and all :((“

jungkook was very nervous and concerned with jimin’s hype for this because omg he doesn’t know yet if his own wisdom teeth are impacted

and jimin did a word-per-word explanation of the procedure as per dr. baekhyun and boy is he so scared and nervous at the same time

jin on the other hand is very amused as to how he’s so pumped for a damn operation

“lol watch him mope for five days when all he could eat is soup and you and jungkook get to eat solids beside him”

but then the actual day of his operation came

and he is nervous ok

beyond nervous than he could ever admit

jimin is excited and nervous at the same time because he knows exactly what’s gonna happen to him but at the same time he wOULDN’T know that it’s happening to him

that’s terrifying

he’s so nervous about going alone into the room and the three of you are sending him eager waves as moral support ok yEET he’s coming back in for another hug

he may or may not be stalling

jimin hugs seokjin longer this time

jungkook hugs jimin tighter because omg he has all his respect like king u are gonna have your jaw basically cracked i’m rOOTING FOR YOU

he seems that he has no intention at letting you go so u have to move the both of yourselves to the room step by step while still keeping his embrace

dr. baekhyun is assuring him that it would be literally over before he knows it!!

jin is putting in his bet that it would be an irritable post-op jimin the moment he comes out of the operating room

jungkook bets that jimin would be v clingy and cuddly 

u are siding with neither bet because you know that jimin would be a handful either way

some hours passed and dr. baekhyun is going to the waiting area eagerly!!

“yAAA follow me!! most especially y/n!! jimin is thrashing looking around for you!!”

jin never walked with this much purpose

kook is so nervous because omg is jimin okay whY is he thrashing :((

ok maybe thrashing is a bit of an exaggeration

but there’s some truth to it actually

jimin’s cheeks are mad swollen!!!

there’s a nurse standing some distance away from him and the tag reads kai and kai looks so amused looking at the patient he’s had some trouble with the moment he woke up

by trouble he means jimin whining and flopping around like a goldfish and wON’T listen to sehun’s explanations nor get his assistance

jimin’s still sat on his chair with his arms crossed across his chest and it’s clear that he has a frown on even with his gauze-filled cheeks 

his ears perk up the moment the door slides open!!

“mMMMPFHH!!!”

in any other situation you would giggle with how he excalimed with so much ferocity but you just become concerned because his arms are outstretched for you

yes you’re now hugging a hazy post-op jimin

“the nurfse!!! kai!! he waFf trying to choke me :(((”

kook would jump at any second now but lmao everybody knows he’s not actually serious

kai was actually just trying to take off the bib around his neck but jimin fLIPPED omg he thought kai was gonna choke him :((

“my cheekTh :(( am i touching my cheekFs??”

jimin is very adamant in patting his cheeks aggressively and you have to catch his hands because that cAN’T be good for him

“yes jimin u are”

he’s panicking now because wHY can he not feel them??

he resorts to patting and smushing your own cheeks instead

:O

he is wooing out loud

dr. baekhyun is giving u a lil baggie of jimin’s wisdom teeth and u hAD to hide them real quick because jimin thought that he saw some food and that’s something he’s not exactly entitled to indulge in right now

kai is giving jin reminders besides the bond paper he’s already given

dietary reminders too and he’s practically chuckling because omg jimin’s gonna HATE this 

“he was out like a light during the whole thing but the moment he woke up?? he was crying because you weren’t in the room with him”

dr. baekhyun says as if jimin isn’t there beside u,,, clinging onto you,.,.,

you’re sure he is completely out of it and is totally not listening :D

“if jimin’s still bleeding by the second day, or if something’s just not right with his healing or if there’s too much pain, just give me a call, m’kay?”

ok wait actually

he’s listening

jimin’s tUGGING you by the collar of your shirt and u literally almost plank to the ground because a post-op jimin is stronger than necessary

“nOoOo!! don’tfh call him!! y/n wHY are u gonna call docfor baekhyun :(((”

“in case anything goes wrong with your hEALING,, jimin”

“wHAFtf no :(( just call mE!! ME!!! me notfd him :((”

dr. baekhyun really seems to be enjoying and at this point he kinda has to kick the lot of u out because the room needs to be disinfected and the next appointment he has is in an hour

“lol your boyfriend’s really the jealous type hUh”

“lmao nO dr. baekhyun jimin’s not my boyfriend!!”

he looks like a seal pursing his lips right now but he just absentmindedly hums as he gives u another baggie but this time with some gauze and cotton and the medicine he needs to take

jimin isn’t opposed to being carried right now and jungkook is most certainly not against carrying his hyung

in fact he is gLAD

he doesn’t mind at all carrying jimin who’s cOMPLAINING that he feels so light with how fast kook is walking so he’s slowing down to like five steps within five seconds

omg he hopes he isn’t making him dizzy :(((

he’s just gonna take long strides ok 

that way, jimin isn’t gonna notice!!!

also 

jimin is adamant that u hold his hand and jin with his other hand the wHOLE time jungkook is carrying him

u pull your hand out one time because it was getting clammy and u had to wipe it off and jimin almost threw a fit :(((

kook is driving and jin is in the front seat and you’re left at the back with jimin

he is still pouting and u can’t tell actually with how his cheeks are at the moment but there’s this crease in his brow you so badly want to kiss off

he feels fuzzy

ultimately fuzzy and soft at the same time 

he is in: pain

jimin softly places his head on your shoulder with an accompanying sound effect from his own mouth of course :)

“are you gonna take care of me?”

he is definitely less wild than he was back in the clinic but that doesn’t take away the same confusion and persistence in his voice though

you are convinced he is speaking in tiny text and that just adds up to the fact that he looks so mushy right now :((

“of course i am :)”

jimin kinda blanks at that

nods slowly even

he’s looking at your lap wistfully and just juts outs his bottom lip while sTILL tugging at your heartstrings with how he is now

“ok thank u :(((”

his scalp is getting scratched at gently and both normal and post-op jimin like that

the whole drive is smooth actually

with the music playing and jin and kook arguing in the background about whose bet won and in your humble opinion it’s a 50/50 bc he is Snarky with a capital S to the two of them but he is completely soft and pliable to you

just when u thought that jimin’s asleep with how quiet he is, once again is he shifting in his seat and upfront grabbing your arm to lace around him while he’s still laid on your shoulder :((

“loaf u”

you’re humming as you’re a bit lost to what jimin just said

“i loaf u”

????

jimin knocks out after he repeats loaf to you for like ten times and he’s basically lulled himself to sleep just by saying that

oh

OH

“i love you.”

you are not gonna squeak

u are nOT gonna cry

what you’re gonna do is TRY to keep your composure even if u know your cheeks are outrageously heated and your lip’s about to bust with how hard you’re biting down

jus gotta pretend that jimin isn’t lying down on you or that you’re never gonna hear the end of it if jin and kook just knew what happened right now

or that night when jimin slept beside you in your own bed

or that night before when jimin slept beside you in your own bed :)

he is in pain

in iMMENSE PAIN

jungkook carried him up to his room and even tucked him in!!

he got so worried bc jimin sometimes drools but instead of drool what if he just drools bLOOD???

right in these silk pillowcases? not in his watch

he’s putting his own dark-colored face towels on either side of jimin’s face because someone needs to take one for the team

he woke up all groggy and he was about to yawn bUT CHRIST NO

FUCK

THAT HURTS

JIMIN FORGOT THAT HE HAS STITCHES

he’s gonna appreciate it that it was a blue thread used and the stitches are dissolvable

but it’s hard to appreciate when even opening your mouth hURTS

he’s groaning and whining so bad

he is dialling your number in an instant because he can’t exactly call out for you, can he :D

he is so fatigued oh my god he’s gonna lay this one out

“hiiiii sleepyhead :D”

“hurts :(((”

right off the bat, you know

you already know that you’re gonna need to baby jimin perhaps this whole week 

foods that require sipping and sucking are absolutely not allowed

ramen is off the menu

anything spicy or served hot is a no-go

anything oily such as chicken and pork aren’t allowed either

leafy things such as kimchi is a no!!!

basically!!!

none

jin is trying his best to cheer up jimin with his cooking ok 

you and kook empathized with him by also eating room-temperature mushroom soup :D

that will be the only time though aha 

there’s two heating pads almost always on jimin’s face 

he is moping around in his pajamas and indulging in his button up silk pajama tops because slipping on shirts hurts ok

his schedule is basically free so that means the three of you are too!!

non-stop movie marathons

jimin is so bitter seeing the three of you eATING snacks and popcorn and everything else

the three of you made a rule after that if you’re gonna eat, just eat at the couch bEHIND jimin

accidentally the three of you came together to eat at the couch and jimin was ???????

“oh ok i see what happened there,.,,.”

a new rule was you can eat oNE AT A TIME

and if ur gonna eat something noisy such as chips, you gRAB ANOTHER CHAIR AND THEN SIT FAR BEHIND

he’s also learned to say the word please more

it’s not that he didn’t say it before

but now every sentence that he says has pls and thank u in it

“kook can you pls lift this box for me? y/n still won’t allow me to lift heavy things because dr. baekhyun said so-”

“not a problem jimin-hyung!!!”

“aha thank you :D”

“jin-hyung can u pls make me one of those yogurt smoothies? please? i’m not gonna try to use a straw i swear :(( please??”

“oh my god don’t worry u don’t even need to ask!! hOW many do you want??? two? three? thIRTY?? u know what i’m gonna send kook out to buy those baby biscuits that u could dissolve really easily you deserve a

snack :((”

“y/n my hand is really heavy right now can you hold it??”

:D

if jimin was affectionate then, he is mUCH more affectionate now

all these lingering touches and all these pet names :((

makes you think more and more if jimin remembered what he was saying when he was in that post-op haze

and honestly you don’t know which option was better

u are in panic whenever you think about the whole loaf thing

in the same time you’re excited and nervous because what if he didn’t mean what he was saying!! or what if he did know what he was saying but now that he’s okay, he regrets it and thinks it’s a mistake

kinda like u who’s sat on his bed because he asked if u could stay with him and play with his hair until he fell asleep 

:((

u absolutely don’t know what to do

YOU CAN’T SLEEP

all you’ve been doing is watching video after video doing thrift store hauls

u want that pan

that small polar bear-shaped pan meant for pancakes

it’s dysfunctional and it will be impossible to flip in theory

but you WANT it 

you ended up on tiktok watching eAsY recipes they’ve crammed to 15 seconds :D

you’ve lost track in how many links you’ve been texting jin :D

maybe u should tire yourself to fall asleep!!!!

how about u make dalgona right now

i mean it is mainly milk but it still has coffee so it’s a 60/40 chance that it’s gonna help you fall asleep????

u are gonna beat with your arm until it falls off :D

...

....

“..,.,, jin??”

“..,.., y/n??”

“why are yOU awake??”

“no why are YOU awake??”

the two of u could bicker for hours but it ended when it finally dawned on

jin that you’re awake and he is too and he’s holding his phone

oh god he’s been avoiding your messages

“so :D aha edible cookie dough?? :D”

jin is squinting his eyes at the microwave and he almost flips at you as he thinks this should be the answer to your request

“y/n it is two in the morning”

“ok what’s your point though :)”

he’s gonna stay silent because oh shit u did have a point there

there is no direct correlation with the time and giving in to making you your cravings and honestly? edible cookie dough sounds nice

he’ll probably have to make his own recipe because jin will NOT follow a 15-second tutorial in tiktok :D aha over his dead body :D

turned out that jin was only here because he got hungry from gaming straight for five hours and he’s in a bit of a loss streak so he just wanted to eat some comfort food

you blanked out when he asked why were you here

oh my god

yOU UNPACKED A LOT

jin is sitting in the bar stool next to you as you keep rambling on over what you’ve been feeling and the things that have been happening the past few weeks

he is really killing it with his expressions

:O

he is shocked but at the same time not

but hearing this from you himself and confirming some theories he had here and there rEALLY MAKES HIM :O

“oh baby :(((“

you’re crying at this point and yOU DON’T KNOW WHY EITHER

you’re just so confused and conflicted at the same time ok and u don’t know what to do

jin’s hugging you for moral support and he really does feel sorry for you

“ok ok just cry it out i’m gonna make the cookie dough now oKAY WAIT NO DON’T SQUEAL”

apparently your squeals can summon someone with the name of jeon jungkook :D

he explains quickly to nOT do that because he says that there’s literally a pattern

you squeal and jungkook must pop out at any second even if you’re out of reach

jungkook says huwah :O and then yOU literally drop everything that you’re doing just to see what’s happened and be a part of it

“thank god he’s asleep though”

seokjin mutters more to himself in relief because lol the edible cookie dough he’s gonna make in now four in the morning 

having to share it with u who could inhale comfort food in a second is enough

having another one who could inhale twice as much and twice as fast is nOT welcome

also he is doing really good with this recipe he just improvised

it smells so good that you lit rally stopped crying

why is a door opening

and why are there eager footsteps descending on the stairs

“hYUNG what is it why did y/n squeal? oH y/n omg you’re here too”

he is still groggy from sleep and his voice is really raspy and not to mention the fact that he was woken up by your squeal alone

jin is adamant in shielding the mixer with his body because no way is he going to add in to the batch

u didn’t get the note that the two of u are supposed to hide the cookie dough though so you pipe in at the very last second before kook notices your state that yes u indeed cried!!

“cookie dough!! edible cookie dough!! jin agreed to make it for me :D”

he is caught red-handed and kook has never felt this betrayed 

and he’s gonna take this betrayal as a silver lining now that the sleep is wearing off of him!!!

“woah omg i can’t wait to taste it :D”

seokjin has already lost this game even before it started so u know what he’s just gonna cook more flour and make a bigger batch for the tHREE of you

the barstools jimin has put here are honestly a hit because that way kook could probe you gently on why were you crying

judging by the way jin freezed too when he mentioned jimin’s name, kook even got more curious

and u trust him enough just like you do with jin

you’re gonna retell the story again with some interjections here and there from jin who you told this to like two hours ago and it’s more exciting that way because as you said, he is rEALLY killing it with the expressions

jungkook cannot stop gasping and at one point you had to hold his hand bc he is in a state of shock ok

all his side comments and reactions gave jin more leeway to rapidly freeze the cookie dough a bit since he’s still a bit offended that you said he could just follow the tiktok recipe and it wouldn’t make a difference!!

not true

jin puts the D in difference 

you’re just about to wrap up your whole story and jin’s taking out the dough and kook is half-distracted because he can clearly see the bag of chocolate chips that isn’t empty

DON’T BE SHY PUT SOME MORE

kook nods in earnest when you finish up and he’s gonna say what he thinks

but not before stating to you the fact that jimin is clearly in love with you!!!!

“do you want me to make you a cake that says we should get married so you could give it to jimin? i make-...”

“piss off jungkook wE ARE NOT THE SAME!! i’m gonna make that cake!! me!! not you u little-”

lol jin is really touchy with his job 

he is dearly protective and he will be the ONE and the ONLY

the cookie dough is heavenly

so heavenly

jungkook swears he has never ate something so divine and he has never wanted to contract salmonella before since he so badly wants to recreathe this for himself

he’s just gonna be good to jin and won’t get on his nerves so he could request another portion of this and not contract salmonella :))

time passed by so quickly and there were so many snacks made that u didn’t notice that the sun already rose and jimin’s going down the stairs with question marks floating around in his head

the two are QUICK to lie with the reasons to why you’re all up and deflect that you have been even before the sun peaked and it is surely connected to jimin

“hi hyung!! oh y/n just couldn’t sleep so that’s why she grabbed milk from the fridge!”

“and i heard the little ruckus so i came downstairs and then jungkook came down because he hear my door opening!”

“yeah and we all couldn’t sleep so we were just talking about things!!”

“global warming!! uH the new kitchen-aid jin wants!! normal things :D”

that is more information that jimin asked for

he literally just remarked “oOoH you’re all up early!!”

he is much better now since it’s been a little over a week and he’s recovering steadily

he’s on a solo errand today actually!! and jimin said that he wanted to go and meet up with his friends

you don’t have a clue to what him and taehyung and hoseok do in their time-off

probably rich people things like ordering a big bowl of caviar??

or maybe they just drive in convertibles all day and wear cool expensive shades 24/7

you’ve been jimin’s PA for like two years now and not once have you ever seen those two

it’s cool

you know almost everyone in jimin’s circle by now!!

even more-so now because you’re gonna school jin in this very party jimin’s throwing right now

you and kook have memorized his circle by now and it’s jin’s opportunity now since his job description doesn’t exactly entail that he’s gonna be glued to the hip to him to everywhere

this party is both intimidatingly high-end but in the same time actually entertaining

that’s rare nowadays hehe

it’s a party that’s been a long time coming now!! 

after all, jimin has bagged every award he possibly could in the back-to-back award shows that’s happened in this month alone

quite an awesome feat since the nature and fields of all award shows were different!! from being in countless lists in magazines as one of the most successful people to having the greatest selling power

to being hailed as the most influential endorser to being the most promising future leaders

he’s got it all

jimin literally got them all

he wasn’t even present to every award show he was nominated for and later won at

he was kinda unfazed

and that is boss shit as jungkook said in disbelief 

it explains this extravagant party and it’s also a celebration that aHA i’ve also got over this wisdom teeth scenario and u bet he’s gonna retell the details to the guests

it’s in a nightclub within a hotel

a lavish nightclub with in an even more lavish hotel and it was huge

so huge that there was a sWIMMING POOL!!!

a swimming pool!!! in a nightclub!!! in a hotel!!!

there was something for everybody in this party 

jimin got this idea when he was lying it bed after being so groggy after his surgery and was like wAIt what if i threw a party ya know

so he started planning!!!

he didn’t have to leave his bed when he hired an event planner over the phone nor laid out his course one by one

you only knew of this party a couple days later and you were a bit confused because??? wait at your past parties i dID the planning and u came to me first right?? :(((

ok you knew what jin was getting at

and he’s just :D aha it’s bc i want it to be a suprise for u and everyone ya know???

there is alcohol!! there is booze!! everything!! it ranges from cheap canned beer to expensive aged whiskey!!

also: there are meals in this party???

lasagna!!! chicken fingers!! hors d’ouevres!! dESSERT!!!

it’s a fusion of everything you could ever look for without being or looking overwhelming at all!! sure the lights are out and it’s a mixture of neon lights that are lighting up the whole room and there’s default party music playing bUT you could eat ice cream and it’s gonna look perfectly casual!!

jimin really did a great job doing this (mostly) by himself

you are so stunned :D

just yesterday jimin literally sent out the three of you with his credit card and he said nO QUESTIONS ASKED

everything that he did raised questions

“jimin wHY are you kicking us out and wHY are you giving us your credit card and yOUr car keys, without you???”

“yA calm down jagi-”

jin and kook try not to freeze in their spot

are they gonna pretend to be surprised or casual because uhhhhh jimin just called u jagi right in front of them and they think that he hasn’t realized it yet :)

“treat yourselves!! pick up what you wanna wear for the party tomorrow!! don’t skimp out this time pls because i’m gonna receive a notification for it and i wILL march down there if u do skimp :((( ok treat yourselves bYE :D”

you’re all confused and are very ʷʰᵃᵗ ʲᵘˢᵗ ʰᵃᵖᵖᵉⁿᵉᵈ

jin is talking to jimin on the phone while kook is driving and you can hear whining through the other line and jin’s very persistent sputters

ok u all had no choice

and it all landed to the three of you looking so divine in this party!!! surely they knew that oh my god yes u are indeed jimin’s entourage and u don’t need any introductions at this point

man all these compliments and gasps are really going straight to your ego :D

jin and kook were really persistent in interfering with the outfit u were gonna pick out and u had little say because they were so excited but u know what.,.,.,. they did an eXCELLENT job

you’re wearing a black lacy bodysuit!!! you were skeptical at first because whAT does this have to do with ur outfit??? it wasn’t see-through but it fit sOOOO nicely and jin was in the store with u to help because as he explained

there are different laces and he swears that he will strangle you if you pick a tacky one because it would ruin the whole outfit he and kook planned out

and then pants!! high-waisted fITTED BLACK SILK PANTS 

and then bOOM A VERY NICE BLACK SUIT JACKET 

and it wasn’t plain because tHERE’S GOLD EMBROIDERY ON THE BACK

really nice golden embroideries of flowers and some dragons and jungkook iMMEDIATELY screeched when he saw that there was a tiger flowers and was :O

“get it. get it. immediately. right now. get it. if you’re not gonna use jimin’s credit card. use mine. you want cash? here. after the party you hAVE to let me borrow this. please. pls.”

he even let you borrow his earrings and gOD WOW

YOU’RE ALSO WEARING THE NECKLACE JIMIN GAVE YOU!!

safe to say that you have stunned everyone :D

lit rally everyone and you felt so good wearing it too!!

jimin’s reaction was very heartwarming omg

he was frozen for five seconds and then after he was squealing and shrieking 

“jAGIIIIIIII you are so beautiful omg do you know that :(((”

he is really pushing the term of endearment and ur not complaining

the way that he’s so giddy about seeing you in your outfit and how he even tWIRLED you around!!!!

you’re positive that you’re gonna cry

jin looks dashing and people are literally swooning over him

some people were arguing about u know what how about u become my chef???

a blue button-up with a dash of gold on the side and there’s some jewels on the collar and there’s embellishments and then bOOM HE SUDDENLY HAS A DIAMOND CHOKER

it wasn’t really expensive tbh but god it could be a $3 chain and he’s still gonna make it look like it’s a thousand dollars!!!

jungkook had on a silky black inside shirt and a thread-like glittery combo for a suit and he sERVED!!!! he most certainly didn’t disappoint and people were turning their heads and were :O jimin are you sURE this is your bodyguard

you were enjoying yourself!!! so much!!!

you’re by yourself since jin explored by himself to get some lasagna because he is getting hungry ok

kook is near jimin but not so much because he wants him to enjoy himself but in the same time be safe but aLSO not feel like he’s kinda invading his fun personal bubble at the moment

jimin’s with taehyung and hoseok in their own booth and it’s very clear that they are catching attention because they are quite the attention-grabbing trio

so much beauty and not to mention so much money

you’ve barely talked to him the whole party because people keep whisking him away though :((

sometimes you forget that jimin is beyond famous because right at this moment, it’s sinking in again that everyone invited here has something to do with every field jimin’s ever been in

and that is a lot :D

half are personalities and celebrities and the other half are people behind the scenes and it’s just a mesh of basically everyone in the media and such

there’s a lot of really pretty people

so much so that ur a lil bit insecure :D

some female co-stars that jimin’s worked with left and right :D

sPEAKING OF

chaeyoung.,.,.,

chaeyoung who jimin had a massive crush on like two years ago from a luxury shoot and back then you didn’t used to mind because yOU HAVEN’T FALLEN FOR HIM YET 

however when u did start,,,

and she’s mentioned out of the blue or she’s in the same shoot coincidentially, you swear

you sWEAR your stomach does flips and there’s a monster in the name of jealousy that pops up :((

u can’t help it :(((

chaeyoung belonged to the same circle of elites jimin belonged to

not to mention that she’s famous and closer to jimin’s level than you ever could!!!

you’re not sure if jimin knows that she’s indeed here and most certainly you don’t know if he STILL has a crush on her

apparently you’re about to know now because you let your eyes linger around you again to see cHAEYOUNG!!! WALKING TO YOU!!! AT FULL SPEED!!!

aha :D

why :D

pls no why :D

u feel so intimidated you’re not gonna lie at aLL

she looks stern and looks so put-together and u are pretty sure she has no pores at all and her dress is more expensive than your paycheck for like six months could ever be :(((

“you’re his personal assistant, right? can you ask him to come meet me here?”

oh

you weren’t expecting that

you weren’t sure on what you were expecting in the first place at all but you are hecking sure that this was not it!!!

and by his you know it’s jimin 

and why

why :(((( 

you wanna play dumb so bad or atleast just do something,, ANYTHING,, that u don’t have to do what chaeyoung wants you to and is practically obliging u to because after all you aRE jimin’s PA

“sure.”

:)

oh god why are you doing this :((

you’re walking over to where jimin’s sat at and you are having second thoughts about this 

chaeyoung could walk to jimin herself like damn :/

maybe u could still back out

you peek behind you over your shoulder and she’s actually looking at you with a small smile taunting you as if what u think you’re doing miss gO do what i told you to do!!

jimin’s all snug in his booth and he looks a bit tipsy by now judging by the slight flush on his cheeks and how from here you can hear his giggles and they’re even more infectious when he’s drunk

you are just gonna pOp right there in the booth and the security that’s kinda sprawled around them lets you pass through easily because jungkook waved them off and he’s throwing you in a confused and a giddy smile

“jimin, chaeyoung wants you to go to her by the bar.”

say no baby

please

“chaeyoung?!!”

ok fuckie no

sAY SIKE 

jimin looks excited??? shocked even??? and you don’t know how to react either 

but you’re sure that there’s this monster again because he looks interested and it’s clearly piqued his attention :((

“jimin....???”

wait

oh right that is kIM TAEHYUNG

you hear him trail out with his eyes narrowed and you’re a bit dumbfounded because he’s uh injecting himself to the conversation 

also this was his your first ever interaction with him

hoseok pops in his head to your line of sight to make his being known

“hmmmmm,,.,.,, jimin???”

what is happening right now

the both of them are throwing looks to jimin and you’re genuinely confused as to why

they’re communicating with their eyes and it literally looks like it

jimin’s throwing you a skeptical look and he clears his throat and you’re fully giving in your attention!!! there’s just something that-

“mr. park, y/n. mr. park.”

...

oh

that’s,,,

that feels bad in your gut

it’s been years ever since you called jimin as mr. park

and it puts a bad taste on your mouth with the context that’s given because basically

taehyung and hoseok are so iffy about you and the idea of you, a personal assistant, call jimin by his first name

felt as if they were so repulsed with what you just called him and how you’re treating him so casually????

and to how, if you put it, jimin immediately switched from being a tipsy gentle being to a stern and authorative boss

“i don’t know why she called me jimin, actually. she could be a bit-...”

not to mention that jimin goes ahead and tattles of to how you’ve been lacking

right in front of you as he chats on to taehyung and hoseok while simultaneously getting up from his seat as he detaches little by little

you tuned out at that

your heart’s dropping from your chest and it does not feel good at all :((

jimin’s catching up to you because actually you’re leading him to chaeyoung since he didn’t know where she was and this was what you were supposed to do

you didn’t know you could walk this fast in heels but now you do

there’s a slight tug on your wrist and u had to snatch it real quick before it could ever tighten

“listen i just-...”

you suddenly feel so out of place and the fact that this certain scenario is happening doesn’t help at all

before jimin could ever finish though, chaeyoung’s already greeting him perkily and oh yeah she’s hugging him now

:)

just what you needed

someone literally whisks you away and when you look up it turned out that it was just jin

you could not be more thankful enough

there are definitely some tears pricking in your eyes aha

“there you are!! do you have your eyedrops with you? my contacts are getting dRY and-”

jin didn’t know who he was whisking you away from but he is sure that it was you who he’s grabbing by the arm and taking outside because of his eyedrop hunt

he’s a bit perplexed to see you all red-eyed and he has no words...???

maybe you’re the one who needs eyedrops??

“y/n are you-”

“nO NO NO i’m not crying :D”

nice save you got there

jin’s thoughts did a complete 180 and he’s frowning a bit in wondering what happened

“aww baby what happened??”

he gets lost even more because the moment he asked out loud, mORE tears come out and now he’s taking you in for a hug and his shirt’s getting all wet

the doors right behind the two of you burst open and it’s a confused-looking jungkook strolling behind it

he left because in the first place, the booth jimin was sitting at had enough security alone because hoseok and taehyung’s alone were already too much and nobody would really notice if he left

also he saw the whole chaeyoung approaching you thing unfold

not to mention that he heard every word of nonsense jimin was spewing and berating you right in front of his friends and he swears that his inner cheek is a bit bloodied from biting down so he wouldn’t explode on the older boy

“hey hEy how about we go to the rooftop, hm?? where there aren’t any people???”

jungkook is quick to suggest and jin immediately gets his point because anyone would get the wrong idea of why park jimin’s personal assistant is crying and is detached from him so yEAH why not!!!!

although there’s a hurdle because you’re still crying to jin’s shirt and it’s not really efficient to drag you to the elevator while you’re still face down right

“ok my turn!!!”

kook is really the problem-solver he loves that for him

he’s holding you upright by the arms and immediately presses you to his neck instead because you won’t stop!!!! and in this position not only would u not that tear up much to his very expensive suit jacket, but also!!! he gets to carry you efficiently to the elevator without breaking into a sweat because aha!!! your position is optimal for a snug carry!!!!

jin is rushing him and he’s looking to the elevator and behind the both of you to see if there’s anyone and if there were, there would surely be headlines to jimin’s name the very next day

the coast was clear!!

throughout the whole elevator ride, jin’s trying to coax out what happened from you and he’s just answered with sniffles :((

so tHEN he turns to kook and kook is trying his best to whisper out the summary of what happened, wITHOUT letting you hear what he was saying

and that’s hard because not only can you hear him, but also you can see his reflection right in the walls of the elevators

“later later shhh i’ll tell you laTER, hyung!!”

okay he may have said that a little too loudly and you kinda whimper

because you knew what jungkook was gonna tell jin and it’s a fresh dig at what happened all over again :(((

“i’m sorry i’m sorry dON’t cry y/n please :(((“ he’s bouncing you up and down like if you were to burp a baby and jin smacks him upright in the head

he may not be helping at carrying you right now but he dID make you stop crying and giggle instead for a bit so yes jin is essential like that

he even helps via adding the mMmph when kook’s plopping you down on one of the fluffy sofas by the pool

jin was gonna step in and try to get some more pillows from stealing the pillows from those individual chairs but he didn’t need that since you’re already contorting ur body to a lil ball of sadness

oh

“sO?????” kook throws a blank look to when jin left you and deemed that u weren’t gonna do anything in your position so he could go ask

“what do you mEAN so??? wHAT HAPPENED IDIOT”

“oH!!!! :O”

jungkook proceeds to tell what he’s witnessed in detail he even memorized the dialogue almost word per word and that jimin really painted you as a fool right in front of taehyung and hoseok

“this assistant — sometimes can’t realize that i’m her boss and not my equal.”

that was a low blow

that was sUCH a low blow that even jin winced and kook flailed with him as he reacted to the retelling of the story

“no way!! jimin said THAT?! i can’t-“

“THAT WASN’T THE END OF IT EITHER!!”

“i don’t know with this one, taehyung. this one’s probably in love with me so she’s chasing me around everywhere.”

????

no

no fucking way

so that’s why you can’t stop crying :((

you felt so ridiculed and belittled

embarrassed is too light of a word by now

you aren’t aware of how much time has passed that the three of you were hanging around in this deck for a balcony, one that you’ve been let into with no question because they knew you three and who you worked for, that both jin and jungkook are coaxing you into bringing you to your respective rooms

four rooms were booked for each of you and as jimin explained prior, it was because you’re all gonna be knackered from this party to the point no one would be in the capacity to drive home

yeah that came in handy now jungkook accepts your hand that’s holding on to his arm and you know that the both of them are looking at you in pity

u see this roofdeck is one of the many roofdecks in this whole hotel one that belonged to the floor you all were staying at

jin was just about to push one of the many doors and-

it was too quick

almost too quick but not too slow that you see a giggling jimin and chaeyoung jogging down the hallway that was adjacent to the glass that enclosed this deck

felt as if the whole scene was playing in your head in slow motion you hATED it

they stopped at one point when chaeyoung was tripping over her heels and jimin did a natural thing:

to swoop her from her feet and carry her bridal-style as they disappeared from your point of view

…

…..

“maybe they’re just gonna play scrabble!! uh ya let’s not jUMp into conclusions!!”

jungkook breaks the tensioned silence and instead of scolding him, jin just looks up at u to gauge your reaction

you look even more concerning now

because you have no reaction at all

the two of them absolutely don’t know what to say or how they’re gonna cope up with this whole thing and-

“i’m sleepy.”

kook almost jumps up at your voice because that’s the first time he’s heard you speak

jin tries to be as nonchalant as possible as he appeases your desire to completely pretend as if none of this happened and he has his hand on your back as he fishes for the keycards for the three of your rooms in his pocket

“here’s eyedrops, by the way. i have your brand in my other bag, though. do you want it? i could get it for you. hold on let me just-“

he forgot the eyedrops at this point

he’s a lil bit speechless because despite all of that

how come did you manage to still remember his eyedrops and worry about him instead of you who’s had atleast five different mental breakdowns from the last hour alone

you’re still putting other people before you regardless if they’re jimin or not kinda kills seokjin as you hurriedly go into your room and he can hear u rummage through bags just to give him his preferred brand of eyedrops :((

“are you guys hungry? i brought some snacks so we don’t have to buy it expensively from the minibar. do you-“

ok even this sight is tugging at jungkook’s heartstrings so he basically almost pounces and clamp his hand on your wrist

“no, no. no need, okay? j-just rest, y/n. don’t worry about us.”

so you did

you did rest

and then the day after that

kook was driving all of you home later into the noon when everyone was feeling less of their hangovers

you were only light with that part since there were more happenings into that night that made you sink

the drive back home was off

jin let you sit in the front seat so he could be stuck with jimin in the back because he’s figured that you’ve been through eNOUGH ok

uh jimin didn’t find that weird

what he found weird however was that everyone was a bit silent

yeah jin and kook were still talking to him and trying to keep up conversation but you weren’t

you just had your hands glued to your lap and that was it

he kept looking at the rear view mirror every five seconds to catch your gaze and uH jungkook was ???? what jimin what do u want

did he do something?

because he felt like he did something

u weren’t lingering around him when you all came down to eat at the breakfast buffet

you didn’t even fight him when he stole a waffle from your plate and he was almost ready to give it back because that should be your cue to fight him, right???

he has this particular order of coffee from the hotel you were staying at and now that he thinks about it, it was JIN !!! it was jin who gave it to him and not you!!

you know what

you may just be a bit spaced out because you’re still having a hang-over

:D it’s ok :D

jimin understands :D

even when you all come into the door and the event organizer rings the bell and delivers all the presents that he’s got for the night

and you don’t come down to open it with them

or when tomorrow is an off-day for all of you since he doesn’t have any gig and you come home to your flat and not stay at his house instead

jimin was a bit perplexed at that because you rarely ever came home during your off-days

he doesn’t know what to do with himself now that you came home and

he’s just loitering around the house

what is he supposed to do

:((

the next day? you called in sick

he became more worried then!!! you barely did that and sURE you do get sick a couple of times but with how selfless and dedicated you were, you still worked!!! you put a mask on it and drink your medicine and work!!!

and not that jimin was being selfish because he expected you to still do that

actually he’s all :) because your wellbeing should come first before him and he’s happy that you’re prioritizing that more now and allowing yourself to take a sick leave!!

but he can’t help thinking that you know.,.,.,

what if you weren’t sick and you were just avoiding him :((

he feels it in his GUT

he fends for himself for the day and it’s kinda overwhelming because things without you.,.,,. whew,.,. they r a mess

he realizes more than ever that you do so much and all he does is sit around in comfortable chairs and sip on some juice while doing his job and tHAT WAS IT

fuck jimin and his yearning for u so he just decided to text you the whole day

he gave updates about his day!!

[ i miss my seatmate in this breakfast nook :(( ]

[ hiii!! did you wake up already? jk’s driving me to set now ]

[ do you have a fever btw?? pls text me if you need anything ]

[ y/n!! they have your favorite snacks on the catering table!! hehe i’m bringing home some for you :D ]

[ not unless you have a sore throat then i will totally not feed u them ]

[ just wrapped up my shoot. it was quick ]

[ i saw a labrador in the street today!! ]

[ hi it’s time for dinner and u haven’t replied yet. are you okay?? are you over at the doctor’s?? ]

[ are we okay? ]

jimin went to sleep sad and uneasy that night

he felt really empty and hollow and his first thought was to get up and go to your room and knock on your door and-

oh

that’s right

you aren’t there

.... you aren’t there

he hastily rises from bed and just takes his phone with him and walks the way to your door

it’s exactly how you left it

without any second thoughts, jimin tucks himself to your bed

this eases him wordlessly and lessens the noise in his head 

because even if you aren’t here, this does remind him of you because after all this is your room 

and he sleeps

then sleeps

and he almost wishes that he should’ve done it continiously because he woke up to kook eating breakfast and when he asked for you, jungkook was just pouting

“oh. y/n didn’t come in yet.”

he didn’t receive a text from you saying that you were about to take another sick leave though

he is seriously deciding to come to your house at this very moment

jimin wants to bury himself in his pillows

but tHEN he hears a car pull up on his driveway and then the front door open and !!! 

IT’S YOU!! :D

he is too slow with his reactions because jungkook automatically leaps from his seat and attack you with a hug and jimin’s just standing by the breakfast nook still in shock

://// shouldn’t i be the one doing that :////

“oohMpHgHF hi to you too, koo”

he is still in the background about to intervene because jungkook is giving you too many kisses on the cheek but he already scrambles since he said that he was gonna go fetch jin from the backyard because he’s trying out planting some potatoes and gingers

he finally has you to himself!! 

although you walk over to him first than him doing the same so he just smiles and was about to-

“can i talk to you upstairs?”

:O

oh?

oHHHHHH????

jimin may be a tad bit confused but he doesn’t mind and immediately agrees

he thinks it’s because you wanna do something that you don’t want jin and kook seeing??? oh??

he hugs you the moment you lift your foot from the last step and he doesn’t remember the last time he hugged you!! he’s gonna squeeze you to oblivion and-

oh

your fists are in between your bodies while he’s hugging you tightly and that’s when jimin freezes in realization that something really was wrong as he pulled off from you slowly

he least expected that your hands aren’t around him but rather holding a piece of paper for him to take

your letter of resignation

a copy of it, rather

he takes it from your grasp and jimin outright gets chills in his body because this format is oddly familiar to him and god the moment he has his eyes glaze over to the confirming words to what he thought the paper was about in the first place

“what do you mean?”

he skims the paper again and back to your face and you’re not breaking into a smile and

“what do you mean you’re resigning?”

at this point he can’t bring himself to read the paper all over again because jimin can’t wrap his head around it

and most definitely, jimin refuses to accept it

you’ve thought long and hard about this throughout the free hours you had

you didn’t want to be drastic but god did you feel that you had no way out of this whole dilemma

it’s hard to keep up with the troubles in your heart and consciousness if you see the cause for it every single day

jimin completely trampled over you that day :((

every single thing and thought you did and had came back to you in the form of embarrassment and remorse 

you are completely willing to quit your job 

it wouldn’t be that bad, ya know?? you’re pretty known anyway being park jimin’s PA and job opportunities are probably gonna be bombarding you left and right!! right??

or maybe it would be the complete opposite and you just quit the greatest job you could ever have in your whole lifetime

you took this up to mr. and mrs. park’s personal assistant because after all, they were the ones who hired you and are paying you, not jimin

“greener pastures, mr. park.”

by now is jimin completely panicking

completely losing his mind and he’s starting to sputter and pace around little by little

“is this about the pay?? i-i can double what my parents give you monthly.”

did he-

did he just-

he’s striking point after point in the notepad in your mind and fuck u might actually cry with how you’re in so much disbelief

it’s not about the money at all!!!

it’s to what he did and how insensitive he became and how he doesn’t even think it’s worth apologizing for because at the moment, jimin thinks it’s about money!!!

money and material and not emotions and feelings!!

“jimin you are fucking insufferable.”

his mouth goes dry at that 

you’re looking at him with so much evident hurt that he felt like crumbling on the spot and he so badly wants to know what he’s done 

“why are you like this, jimin?? i don’t get to how you could be attached to me and sLEEP beside me in my bed and the moment you’re in your own rICH bubble with your rich as hell friends you’re immediately repulsed!!! it’s like you don’t even know me!!”

“a-and hOW you still didn’t stop berating me in front of taehyung and hoseok!! you completely made me a fool out of me just to appease them and you think that’s normal?? you tHINK it shouldn’t be worth apologizing for!!”

“y/n, you don’t get it, okay? i had to-”

“jimin you just can’t say you loaf -- you can’t say that you LOVE me after you get your damn wisdom teeth pulled! i don’t even know if you remember saying that but gOD i can’t stand it anymore! i can’t stand the fact that i love you and i think you love me and the next second that i feel we’re gonna be something more, you go with chaeyoung!! you take her to your hotel room and you cARRY her in your arms as if you don’t come to me crying when you’re sad! o-or as if you didn’t say that you love me and i-”

you are so heated

sO beyond heated :((

you had no parking words in mind and god you’re pretty sure you’re already tearing up by now aND fuck jungkook and jin could never be more confused to have you hurriedly bumping to them in your dash out the door

jimin has never felt this way

he never did

he probably never will with any other person

:((

you’ve found a new job!! :D

you gave yourself a week of doing absolutely nothing and also since you were avoiding the fact that what if you can’t find any other job that came close this

you landed on the first try though hehe

it was to be a personal assistant to min yoongi!!

yoongi who’s this top-notch model and renowned aLLLL over the fashion industry and has broken the internet many times with how powerful he is aha

he has a secret 

one that he’s made you sign a non-disclosure agreement for 

he’s actually producer suga and has been behind cOUNTLESS bops and no one even knew who he really is and that made the hype for him even tenfold

although he may have another secret you jUST can’t place it yet

“u know what mr. min i think u may have been a rapper in your past life”

“....... what makes you..... w-what makes you say that”

that was one of the first ever things you’ve said to him upon hiring you and he instantly knew that you were gonna click with him

he lets you call him yoongi!! or whatever nickname you could think of as long as it doesn’t sUCK

yoongi only has you, a PA, as secondary help

anything else, he does it himself

his schedule’s less damnding than j*min’s and he was generally more lax even if aha he is one of the most in-demand people as min yoongi the model and suga the producer and [ insert name ] for [ field u think he dabbles in but aren’t sure of ]

you aren’t a live-in PA for him

most days he calls you over at 8 am and a little early than what his calltime is

if he doesn’t need u, he just sends you home because he’s cool like that :D

you answer some e-mails and forward him the most important ones!!

you come with him mostly whenever he shops for groceries and yeah he likes having u around because u dO know your stuff

and u make some suggestions on what he should cook for dinner because he’s running out of ideas and when u recommend something you thought of at the top of your head (even tho it might be a lil stoopid), yoongi goes.,,.,,

“.. hmm. i didn’t think of that....”

meanwhile

jin and jungkook have been texting you updates about jimin

they were very :(( about your decision but ok,,, it’s cool they guess,,, this would be better for you,,, probably,,,,,

they miss you so much :((

you’ve agreed to allot about 98% of your time with them aS LONG AS you spend them outside and not within the threshold of jimin’s property 

they instantly agreed to that aha :D

[ day two: no one is allowed to sit on your seat and jin-hyung almost sat on it and jimin almost bawled to his cereal ]

[ day four: everything is a mess and i sWEAR i saw u as jimin’s lockscreen ]

[ day five: the new PA is here and idk whether jimin’s gonna choke him or not i rlly can’t tell ]

kim namjoon!!

he’s the new PA as to what jin and kook gossip to you

namjoon feels so foreign to jimin he actually can’t take it

the systems aren’t the same!!

namjoon is organized to the point that he just pops out exactly ten minutes before a certain doing and isn’t hanging around with jimin that much 

although when he does linger around jimin, jimin gets iRRITATED

he is so composed!! prim and proper and he hates it ok

namjoon doesn’t joke with him 

one time jimin accidentally tripped on his feet and he would’ve giggled too if namjoon did but this guy.,.,,. this guy literally just deadpanned

“you should probably double-tie your shoelaces, mr. park.”

inhal exhale inhALE eXHALE IN-

this guy!!! tHIS guy!!! yA he is getting on his nerves 

he’s too great at his job and it’s not that you aren’t great at it too

in fact u were excellent

but this namjoon guy is just tOO namjoon for his own sake that jimin’s making his name an adjective and a verb at this point

he’s probably gonna come around to him at some point

maybe so much so that he’ll let him drop off the mr. park title

it’s been a little over three weeks ever since you left

and that bit of time has been the saddest and emptiest he’s been in record time of his life

he’s never faltered in trying to reach out :((

he still texts you daily and tries out calling you once every night when he knows you’re about to sleep

he hasn’t heard from you in awhile and whenever he asks either jin or kook, they just shrug as if they’re clueless

news has come out that basically speculated you not being his PA anymore after he was spotted out several times that you weren’t there with him

he was pouting when he read those rumors that APPARENTLY you were seen out and about with this min yoongi and ur being linked as a girlfriend

he refuses to believe that

no jimin will never believe that :D

rumors are just rumors and besides maybe you were just being a social butterfly and u suddenly bUMPED to world-renowned min yoongi in the street and you were just walking beside each other at the same pace while coincidentially looking at him and making it seem that you were talking but actually not :)

park jimin refuses to be replaced by min yoongi :((

although it doesn’t help, really

doesn’t help when he learns that wait

hold on he needs to emphasize

MIN YOONGI IS INCLUDED IN THIS JOINT MODEL SHOOT HE’S ALSO IN

aha fate surely isn’t in his side

the most he’s cared about is that taehyung and hoseok were included in this shoot and although he’s not exactly too keen with them ever since the mr. park incident, he’s albeit a little thankful that there’s some sense of familiarity in this whole shoot

the shoot was for a very high-class watch brand and it’s to be done in both solos and some pairs and groups to stress enough that this is high-class ok

sure he still has his cool knowing that this yoongi is here although he can’t help but to feel a little bit intimidated

jungkook and namjoon are here with him so yeah it’s like cool 

jimin’s in one of the chairs in the massive communal prep room to get his hair and make-up done and oNE chair away from him is yoongi

god look at how he looks so lax scrolling on his phone while jimin keeps looking at him slyly every ten seconds

“mr. min and mr. park? the both of you are up.”

gr8 the two of them are paired up!!

yoongi catches jimin’s gaze and sends him a lil smile as he hops down from his chair

ok this yoongi guy is really polite it’s actually annoying because that gives him more reason to unlike him

yoongi stops by his chair and it’s oHHHHHH he’s waiting for jimin to hop out of his too so the both of them could go to set together

“hey man nice to meet you! i’m yoongi :]”

“aHA oHhHh so you’re yoongi! i’m jimin. nice to meet you too.”

oh damn he feels like crying

they shake hands for a bit and even pulls him in for a side bro hug and wait yoongi smells like cologne? damn

you see

yoongi knows about jimin too :))

you don’t know what it is with yoongi but you swear he’s immediately crawled himself to your heart just by a couple questions that weren’t invasive at all and then you’re suddenly opening up to him about the whole thing with jimin!!

this was at the fifth day mark when he decided to ask you and then suddenly it’s your boss who’s patting your back and saying words of enlightenment to you

and he brought you into this shoot :D

yoongi hasn’t made it known to you yet that uh jimin is here tho

all you know is that yoongi has his shoot here and that’s enough information for you to know as a PA

look at him!! all dressed-up snazzily with a watch more expensive than your life 

you found it adorable that yoongi can sometimes just be so stoic but when it comes to shoots like these he gets very in the zone 

if the director needs yoongi to be giggly and bubbly? he will be on with it

if the director needs yoongi to look both intimidating yet somehow a lil bit approachable like right now?? he will SERVE

yoongi was put on first for a solo and jimin was just called to prepare because they’re gonna do the pair shoot right after

jimin’s sitting down on a chair yet again as he watches yoongi work that watch :((

he’s not wearing his yet because it’s really expensive and although insured and it’s for a shoot and they’re gonna get some goodies from the brand anyway and it may be the watch they’re modelling, nobody wants him to trip and have it scratched

“yoongs can i have that?”

yoongi’s sat down on the nearest makeup chair for a touch-up and you can clearly see the key makeup artist that’s set on a hUUUUGE bag that’s opened midway and omg those are really good ones :((

he bows slightly at that and waits for her to leave so he could open the bag without seeming rude hehe

that is the SAME foundation you’ve been eyeing for awhile and have been seeing rave reviews about and u r pretty sure that is your shade

you sQUEAK 

“yoongs can i have that?”

“lemme borrow your powerbank and it’s a deal.”

you love this 

you are really loving this deal to the point u are already scrambling to go back to your tote bag on that stool that was provided for you

“yoongs can i have that?”

jimin freezes at that the moment his ears picked those words up it’s too familiar and it’s something he’s missed so dearly and- that’s you!!

jimin’s already scrambling to his feet and his own chair almost breaks at that but he doesn’t care because this is you!! this is you that he’s talking about and he’s not gonna waste any more chances that he has left

“okay! right on cue, mr. park! it’s time for your shoot with mr. min.”

he gets scurried over to the actual set and he keeps wriggling out because you’ll always be more important than any other thing

“no no you don’t understand!! it’s just that-”

“yOONGIIIIII here’s the powerbank i-”

oh

you didn’t expect that at all

that’s jimin standing next to yoongi who is equally as frozen as you

and even yoongi has his mouth parted open slightly as he watches this interaction unfold

that’s cool

that’s nice

that’s fire

neither of you move and it’s the shutter of the camera that brings everyone out of the trance

you are just gonna.,.,,, stand at your place

jimin is just gonna.,.,.,. model this watch

yoongi is just gonna.,.,, stay as a rock throughout this whole ordeal as he’s gonna feel out whether he should tease you about this later on or not now that he’s seeing you in the flesh, he doesn’t know what to do at all 

he’s thought of this for so long that now the opportunity is present, he doesn’t know at all on how to enact

he has a lot of things in his mind ok

first of all, he settles that he doesn’t have any pride and he doesn’t mind at this point because again, it is you

second, you don’t even need to ask him if you can have something like what you’re doing with yoongi now!!!

third, he is trembling

jimin’s doing this “pretending to unbutton my cuffs and therefore highlight my watch” pose to try and stable his hand for one bit

yoongi leans one elbow to jimin’s shoulder and they both do this smoulder thing

he is talking through his teeth in desperation because the director said for them to try out some smiles ya know

“yoongi please tell me you’re not dating y/n and if you are i respect that but pls know that i will nOT stop at anything to take her away from you”

:D

“lol i enjoy her company and we aren’t dating but she, however, is mY personal assistant”

:D

that’s a big thorn out of his chest but it’s still somehow a dilemma because although you’re still a PA, it’s just not for him :((

and finally the shoot wraps and jimin is scurrying the moment it was called out that they’re done 

the first thing u do is scurry behind yoongi and hand him his tissues from behind and god he is the one adjusting

yoongi is getting caught in the middle of the two of you and he doesn’t know if he’s happy being in the literal center of attention or annoyed because you’re using him as a human shield without even being sly about it

“y/n, please. just give me-”

he is getting jostled in the middle and he’s even more intimidating than

jimin when he gets all shaken around 

“yA YA YA STOP IT!!”

he has only met jimin once and he already knows enough that he’s a handful

he’s eVEN playing mediator at this one

yoongi sighs as he reaches his verdict and pulls you by your arm because you’re behind him and just carefully, he leans down to whisper by your ear and makes sURE to look at jimin because lmao he deserved that

“five minutes. i’m giving you five minutes that you can spend before you go out to the garage and it’s up to yOU on how and with whom you’re gonna spend those five minutes with.”

damn 

yoongi’s already leaving you with no choice and he even yanks out the tote bag in your shoulder but not before fishing out his hydroflask that you bought him as he takes a hefty sip and even gets to wave at you and wink at jimin

jimin is in disbelief goddamn how dARE this yoongi :O

why does he have his own hydroflask

why does he 

that’s a y/n and jimin thing!! not a y/n and yoongi thing!!

the most you do is let jimin guide you to atleast a private place because

you don’t want to be dragged in to rumors by staff members who could tattle on what they see

you’re so antsy with this and jimin is beyond nervous

fuck ok how does he do this

“y/n, i-...”

“jimin, i can’t talk to you.”

oh okay he gets shot down before he could get a sentence in his eyes immediately bulge as he tries to appeal but not before you interrupt him again

“.. right now.”

he may or may not have hope here

you can’t avoid jimin forever and as much as you want to hear his voice, you really can’t because not only are you not ready, but also because-

“yoongi has another shoot today, and i have to go.”jimin’s eyes gloss at 

that and a whine bubbles in his throat because who knows when and where he’s gonna see you again and if you’d even let him to

he’s trying to paw at you and take a step closer but you’re already walking away

:((

jimin knows more than better now the gravity of what he’s done to you and how stupid and how much of an asshole he was on his part

knows more than better that he indeed loves you and that he shouldn’t give up no matter how much you turn him down

he misses you so much these days

he projects your face to namjoon’s body in his mind and that’s good

enough for him to not be irked he’s unknowingly picked up all your mannerisms and he hasn’t even noticed 

god does he miss you so much :((

misses you so much that he’s found himself driving to that ramen place with the intention of eating what he should’ve eaten when you took him there

yes he’s gonna wallow in self-loathing later on because he’s gonna reminisce about what he did and what happened here the last time but it’s worth it he thinks :D

what he didn’t expect however was to see it more packed than usual and isn’t that -- 

jungkook?? and jin?? 

seokjin is outright choking on his dumplings and jungkook is giggling with the boiled egg in his mouth as he repeatedly pUNCHES his back and truthfully he doesn’t know if it would help but eh it’s the thought that counts 

jin is on his break which is why he doesn’t feel pressured at all, but what he does have pressure for is elbowing jungkook to look up at jimin and this time he chokes on his boiled egg

“jungkook.,.,., you said that you were gonna take a leave,.,,,. because you had an important family business to attend to.,.,.”

“ʸᵉˢ ʲᶦᵐᶦⁿ⁻ʰʸᵘⁿᵍ.,.,,. this is an important family business.,.,,.,”

...

this guy

god tHIS guy he swears..,.,,

before he could even wack jungkook in the head, he gets interrupted once more and this time it’s a welcome interruption and not just the sounds of jungkook choking on iced tea this time

“i got more dumplings!!! seojoon gave us more soup!!! oKAY OKAY make some room-”

“jimin?”

you might as well get bonked in the head now 

seojoon’s place is closing down and this is the last time you’d ever get to eat meals here :((

it’s the reason to why you and jin and kook decided to assemble as quICK as seojoon made a groupchat for the four of you to deliver the news :(((

he’s moving to another place to open a bigger and better that ramen place there but he can’t keep up two of them at the moment so he’s decided to let go :((

it’s the reason to why you certainly aren’t gonna leave, noah fence, just because of jimin 

this closing is just on par with his presence 

jin and kook are just now realizing the dilemma and they swear they’re gonna choke on tempura with how they’re both in anticipation and curiosity as to what would happen

jin’s letting you sit beside him now but later he’s gonna push you to jimin at full-speed if the both of you don’t talk it out now

“as long as your food isn’t finished — i-i get to talk and hopefully you listen.”

:(

...

“okay.”

the booth...

the booth isn’t all that spacious

jin and jungkook are clearly not reading the room and if they were, they’re pretending not to because they aren’t gonna sacrifice seojoon’s last dishes that they’re gonna taste for the time being just so the both of you could make up lol

ok think think tHINK

that’s it!!

jimin’s pulling out his phone and is calling you and he’s throwing you a thumbs-up before he scrambles outside

it’s really cold outside and his hoodie just isn’t cutting it but it’s whatever :)) it’s you

“i didn’t remember saying that i loved you.”

ok that is qUITE the intro and now you’re the one who’s choking on your ramen

“and i hate that i don’t remember it because of the anesthesia; but believe me when i say that i do love you -- under anesthesia or not.”

“i’m truly truly sorry that i treated you so badly in front of taehyung and hoseok. i, uh, i was too prideful when i was with them and i felt like i always need to prove myself to them and y’know what?? i don’t need to prove myself to them!! a-and y’know what? i told them off! and i told them about how we are and how one’s disposition shouldn’t be the determining factor on how they treat people!!”

jimin kinda looks like a madman with how there’s so much passion in his voice and how he even has accompanying gestures even if you aren’t outside to witness it personally

“they apologized and i told them that they need to apologize to you a-and just give me a date and a time if you’re ready to hear them out bUT you know??? this isn’t about them for the meantime it’s about me apologizing!!”

“i want you to know a-and y/n please i swear on everything, chaeyoung and i -- nothing happened. she was drunk and she wanted me and i politely told her no!! countless of times!! she was starting to make a scene so i just agreed to take her upstairs to my room bUT it’s to lock her there!! oKAY i know that doesn’t sound very nice but-”

“i kept telling her about you and how i do love you but she kept clinging on and forcing herself on me!! a-and i was about to call kook but i didn’t see him so i called hotel security and i didn’t see you too and thEN right after i completely cut ties with her!!”

“i get it if -- i get it if you don’t want to forgive me though because i’ve hurt you so badly and i have to suck it up nonetheless but i need you to know that i love you a-and i’ve never loved someone eVER this much before and i’ve never been so sure.”

...

...

“come inside, jimin. eat dinner with me.”

:D

there’s a learning curve that both of you have to go through you’ve made it very clear that you aren’t gonna quit as yoongi’s PA with much frowns from jimin but aight ok he’s gonna try and understand because you do love working with yoongi and with his schedule, you aren’t chained to work almost 24/7

namjoon and jimin are slowly but surely warming up to each other as you dropped by briefly when it was your off-day and you instantly hit it off with him

jimin’s huffy because you are really something else and he doesn’t come close

he really kills it with apologizing and changing for the better!! likes to spoil you with gifts all of a sudden and you always point out to him that they r very unnecessary and he kNOWS that but he just wants to shower you with things and his love that’s all :)

he makes it up beyond words and beyond actions and for a fact he is also proud of himself like you are with him because it’s rare!! that someone of his status would strip his pride just to have someone’s full forgiveness

jimin however never stops being whiny and needy aha

like to how he has his hands covering your eyes and you keep asking him on wHAT he’s doing and where he’s taking you and at one point, he keeps one hand on both your eyes and one covering your mouth and that earns him a lick and he isn’t even bOTHERED

“okay okAY calm down jagi we’re here!!!!”

“one.”

“jimin if this is a horror movie i will really replace you with yoongi”

“nO and two.”

“fuck this is really making me nervous omg i think i need to pee oh my g od jimin pls i-“

“three.”

wait

this is-

“that ramen place. this is now your ramen place. our ramen place, if you want.”

oh my god

oH MY GOD

you see

jimin’s been talking back and forth with seojoon unbeknownst to you, he’s been helping with all this process of seojoon opening up his new ramen place in the city proper and it’s all expensive and kinda tricky

without even doubting, jimin’s paid for most of his requirements and needs overnight and seojoon was like yOU BARELY EVEN KNOW ME

and jimin explained that it was because easily the best meal he’s ever had in his life and even better than those restaurants he goes to and seojoon was aha :D really :D

and then jimin casually slid in the conversation about that ramen place that seojoon decided to close down and one thing led to another and here it is

again :D

seojoon’s entrusted that place to jimin and he’s his first official shareholder (and probably the only one he’s ever gonna have bc he trusts no one else besides jimin because no one else is probably as genuine as him) and this could be considered as a franchise!!!

the permits are all taken care of and the head chef seojoon’s gonna be trusting and jimin’s thinking of? seokjin :D although he’s gonna propose the offer later (spoiler alert: jin cried and said yES)

the spot is all empty and it’s nothing that some furniture and flooring and jimin’s wallet can’t fix

but it is this

jimin’s too busy explaining the process that he doesn’t notice you being absolutely awed and even cRYING :(((

before he knows it, you are actively leaping at him and he easily catches you as he hooks his hands under your bum to secure you into place jimin’s on the receiving end of a rather desperate deep kiss and he giggles to how you even won’t let go of him and how your grip tightens even more

“i love you.”

he is all so loved up right now that he feels like he’s gonna cry and moan at the same time as he returns the favor of nipping at your bottom lip

“i love you too.”

your fingers are most definitely getting tangled in his hair and when you and jimin practically shudders when you give it a little tug

“if buying restaurants is what it takes for me to taste your kisses and then pOSSIBLY get laid then fucking hell i’m gonna buy you one everyday

bELIEVE ME”

“you’re insufferable”

hehe

“i know :))”

jimin’s letting you catch your breath for the meantime, his hands still securing you against him as he peppers kisses to your cheek very eagerly 

“especially spoiled for you though.”

[starburnedfarrago]

of songbirds & vultures

starter for @welcome-to-the-sin-zone

"Geany."  A gruff voice at the edge of his cell. "Visitor." 

Neil sat up abruptly, his back a knot from the stiff, threadbare mattress. He thought that after four months (two days, fourteen hours) he would have acclimated to the hard surfaces and sharp edges of this place. But perhaps some people just weren't cut out for prison. He sure as hell wasn't. For all of his desperate grasps at recognition, he was more than happy to take on notoriety from behind the safety of an alias. However, even in that regard, he let his pride get the better of him. Someone with a lot less to prove would have disseminated their attacks, planting viruses and trojans with enough tact that they weren't noticed until long after the damage had been done. But Neil was not this sort of someone. Neil liked the limelight, even if it was by proxy. And he had all but trademarked his particular brand of digital scourge, the most terminal of which was known for how completely and thoroughly bricked it left the systems it infiltrated. The phenomenon had come to co-opt the infamy of the Blue Screen of Death, the cyber-terrorist (or terrorists, as some conspiracy-leaning techie sites alleged) becoming known as the blunted Blue Screen. 

It was a bit lazy. A bit cartoon villain-y. But Neil relished it. He reveled in the idea that he was being spoken about-- directly or in-- in a manner more flattering than water cooler chats about 'that weird skinny guy in IT.' He was Blue Screen;  a force to be reckoned with, a harbinger of indiscriminate destruction (for an OS, anyway). His persona was feared, awed; people in the know, knew the damage of which he was capable, and they knew that he deserved their respect. Oh, he covered his tracks well, but should he be caught, he could have found himself neatly boxed away with a lifetime sentence and a glowing reputation as one of the most notorious criminals to ever maraud the world wide web. 

So it came as something of a slap in the face when some throwaway malware came back to bite him in the ass.

It was something he had cooked up in a matter of hours. A generally benign little black hat program he had dispatched once the freelance requests began to dry up. It had been sloppily done, he realized that in retrospect. He had gotten too cocky, too greedy. He had done this sort of thing before, and practically operated on rote memory as he dusted off the code and unleashed his little binary monster into cyberspace. 

But, fuck, it's not like he was stealing and ransoming off data (again), it was just a little... safety net. A couple of dollars here and there to brace him against the intrusions of real life-- bills, car payments, rent, rent, rent, rent, so much fucking rent. Not to mention that miserable little "preening" kick he had gone on, racking up something to the tune of three grand in suits and "grooming supplies" that he had yet to fully grasp the use of. Little, subtle ways to peacock for the new girl; the pretty bottle-blonde that seemed to have dropped from the sky, right into his drab little corner of the office. The infatuation had been instant. She had introduced herself as Luna, politely offering her hand, and Neil all but choked on his own tongue as he tried to remember what he had been calling himself for the past twenty-eight years. The nerve to strike up a conversation notwithstanding (he had never been great at smalltalk, or regular talk for that matter), he strung together some feeble hope that he could woo her in a well-dressed silence. At least the suits had some use in court. 

Two years. Two fucking years for an innocuous little probe. Facebook was pulling shit like this everyday, why the hell was the gavel coming down on him? What a joke. He was almost mortified enough to come clean about the rest; at least give a little more flare to his conviction. Give them something interesting to talk about besides a little petty larceny. But upon meeting him, his lawyer had made the immediate decision that Neil's part in all of this was to shut the fuck up and look apologetic, and he wasn't about to break his vow of silence for something as meritless as his dignity.  He hoisted himself from his cot, instinctively avoiding eye contact with the guard as he allowed himself to be shuffled from his cell and down the narrow, stark-white hallway. 

A visitor. He hadn't had any visitors-- y'know, barring that initial holding period, in which he entertained a small rotation of reporters and, of course, his lawyer, who seemed to have always been on the brink of a caffeine-induced heart attack.  But that cavalcade had long since lost interest in him, especially once they realized they wouldn't get anything more salacious than some technical jargon about advanced methods of coding. Hacking apparently wasn't as high-octane and sexy as every fucking heist movie would have the public believe. Whatever. Their loss.

He racked his brain, going up and down his shortlist of-- well, friends was probably a bit generous a nomination-- acquaintances, wondering who the hell would be bothering with him at this stage. 

His lawyer, coming to harangue him about a bounced check perhaps? Unlikely. He knew he had squirreled away enough (ahem) ill-gotten funds to deal with those unprecedented fees. 

Definitely not his parents. They had mutually written each other off the second his internal clock ticked 18. 

Who did that leave--? 

And in a moment of baseless optimism, his mind kicked up the name Luna.  His back straightened instinctively, and his eyes pried at the far door, as though trying to scout ahead and catch a glimpse of her.

Luna. It must've been. They hadn't been "close," per se, but-- but there was something there, something she must have sensed, surely? Yes. Yes, she must have been going back and forth all of these months, fighting herself on whether or not to see him. It made perfect sense. His heart fluttered, and he tried to push aside the vague regret that he hadn't done a little more byway of push-ups. Perhaps impress her by how prison had hardened him. Whatever, whatever. It didn't matter. Especially if she was here now, of her own volition. 

Neil practically swaggered as he was escorted through the reinforced door, his eyes scanning each plate-glass window, silently willing his delusion into reality. 

[vannahfanfics]

Happy Birthday, Izuku!

Category: Friendship Fluff, Family Fluff

Fandom: My Hero Academia

Characters: Class 1-A, Inko Midoriya, Toshinori Yagi, Shouta Aizawa

Hey, everybody! This story is a submission for two of @bnhabookclub’s events; I’m incorporating the prompt “Gifts” from the Bingo Event as well as the prompt “Happy Birthday!” from the Celebrating Deku event! I hope you enjoy it! Let’s give a little love to our favorite adorkable hero-in-training! :)

“Wake up! Wake up! For I am here!”

Izuku groaned loudly and rolled on his side to blindly fumble for the button on his alarm clock. He uselessly slapped the nightstand a few times, making the various items situated atop it jump and jostle. Still, after a few unsuccessful tries, he managed to bang the bright red button that turned off the alarm. The slightly grainy, robotic voice of All Might faded into silence, and Izuku laid in his bed for a few minutes, blissfully trapped in the twilight of half-sleep. However, a dull ache soon began to throb in his left arm. The pain stubbornly drove him into consciousness, and so with a sigh, he opened his emerald eyes to stare uninterestedly up at his white bedroom ceiling.

He reached around with his right hand to ghost his fingertips over the blotchy red scar tissue that marred his upper left arm. It had been a month since the incident at the Forest Training Camp, but the injuries he had sustained in the fight with Muscular were still very much healing. In another two or three weeks, the U.A. students would be returning to the campus- living in dormitories thanks to the relentless villain attacks- and Izuku wondered how his mangled arm would fare. It doesn’t matter, he thought obstinately. I’ll make myself stronger and stronger, because I have to!

“Izukuuuu!” The green-haired boy sat up in bed as his mother’s voice floated down the hallway. “Are you awake, dear?”

“Yeah! I’m just getting up,” he responded in an equally loud call. When he threw the covers off himself and swung around to get off the bed, he caught a glimpse of the date glowing in bright red numbers in the black screen of his alarm clock. June 15th… Oh! It’s my sixteenth birthday! He remembered with a gleeful smile. Now that he had sufficient motivation to get up, Izuku jumped out of bed to wrestle himself into some slippers. When he opened his door, his mother was waiting in the hallway, twiddling her fingers.

“Oh! Good morning, sweetie. Happy birthday!” she smiled broadly and shuffled forward to envelop him in a hug. Izuku hummed contentedly and wrapped his arms around her middle to embrace her with equal enthusiasm. “Ah! My little boy is sixteen… Oh, dear, I’m getting old,” Inko moaned forlornly and began to sniffle. Izuku laughed and pulled back to blot at his mother’s tears with the hem of his tee-shirt.

“Aw, Mom, it’s okay,” he chuckled.

“Yes, yes,” she tutted and wiped harshly at her face. “Today is your day! I’ve already prepared breakfast for you!” Izuku exclaimed in delight and scuttled into the kitchen, with his mother tottering behind him and laughing good-naturedly. He was greeted with a scrumptious array of fried eggs over buttered toast, seared beef, and white rice. He scarfed it down and chased it with sweet black tea his mother had also prepared, bleating compliments and gratuitous remarks to his mother all the while. Afterward, he helped her clean all the dishes, although she kept dithering around him and insisting that he shouldn’t have to do any chores today.

“Mom, just because I’m sixteen today doesn’t mean I have to lump all the work on you!” he snickered while putting the pots and pans in the cabinets. He blinked when the chime of the doorbell rang through the small apartment. “Oh? Who could that be?” he wondered aloud, abandoning the dish he had been drying to trot up to the front door. He opened it and nearly jumped out of his skin when a big, broad, muscular body shoved its way into the room, which now rang with bawdy laughter.

“I am here, young Midoriya, to wish you a happy birthday!” All Might crowed, his button-up shirt straining to keep from snapping into threads as he flexed his massive biceps. Izuku let out a sound somewhere between a scream and a warble at his mentor’s sudden appearance.

“Ah! All Might!” he cried. His mother called greeting from the other room, peering around the wall with a shy wave, to which the number-one pro hero laughed audaciously and responded accordingly. Izuku’s cheeks turned pink, and he hurriedly bundled the large man into a room where his mother couldn’t see him. “All Might, are you sure this is wise? How long can you hold your muscle form?”

“Not long,” he admitted with a slight frown. “However, that doesn’t matter, for I am here to take you on a super-duper special outing, my young Midoriya!” he crowed with another loud laugh. He then peeked his head around the crown molding to smile dazzlingly at Inko, who squeaked and straightened up. “Of course, if your dear mother doesn’t mind me stealing you for a few hours. I wouldn’t want to ruin a mother’s wonderful day with her son!”

“Oh no! Please, go ahead! I have to go shopping for dinner anyway,” Inko laughed amiably with a dismissive wave of her hand. Izuku yelped as All Might then grabbed him to bundle him back to his bedroom.

“Excellent, excellent! Now then, young Midoriya, get dressed!” As the door slammed shut behind him, Izuku exhaled deeply and fiddled with his fingers.

I never would’ve dreamed that I would be spending my birthday with All Might, he thought. The notion brought a giddy smile to his lips, and he hastily began rifling through his closet to find something suitable to wear.

~~~~~~~~~~

As soon as the apartment was out of eyeshot, All Might released his muscle form. He collapsed against the brick wall of a nearby building with an exaggerated sigh, wiping blood from his lips with a pink-stained rag. Izuku fluttered nervously around him, arms flapping.

“All Might, are you sure about this?! You’re not in the greatest of health! I mean, you really ought to be in bed being tended to by a doctor or two or three, not spending the day with me! I’m certainly not worth it; it’s only my sixteenth birthday, after all! I can’t smoke or drink or vote or drive- wait, no, I can technically drive now. I wonder when Mom will take me to get my driver’s license. Wait, are you taking me to get my driver’s license? I’m not nearly prepared! I need to practice a little first!” He continued to babble, nervously fiddling his fingers, until Toshinori slapped both his hands down onto his slim shoulders. He clamped his mouth shut with a squeak.

“Young Midoriya. Focus.”

“Yes, sir.”

“I’m taking you out today because I wanted to be here for you on your birthday.”

“Thank you, sir!” Izuku smiled gratefully at him. The fact that his beloved teacher and mentor desired to spend such quality time with him outside of training made a warm feeling bubble up inside his body. “If I may ask, what are we doing today?” he inquired as the thin man began a leisurely pace down the sidewalk. Toshinori chuckled amiably and patted him on the head.

“Patience, young Midoriya. Some of life’s great joys come by surprise!” Izuku gasped in awe and mentally committed the sage advice to memory to hopefully quote later. Together, they plodded merrily through the subdivision to soon transition into the business district. It was a lovely day for a jaunt to town; it was pleasurably warm with just a faint breeze to keep things cool, and the sun shone in a cloudless blue sky. Izuku found himself in high spirits, considering the lovely weather and the fact he was strolling around with his cherished teacher. I wonder what he has planned! Oh, I’m so excited! He thought, unable to contain and eager wiggle. Toshinori chuckled warmly beside him.

After about a twenty-minute walk, they arrived at a nice restaurant in the center of town. An iron-wrought fence enclosed a garden eating area with elegant stone paths and a cloth veranda to protect restaurant-goers from the elements. Izuku recognized it as one of the ritziest venues in town- and therefore the most expensive. When Toshinori stopped walking to smile at him expectantly, Izuku’s jaw nearly struck the floor.

“What? N-n-n-n-no way, All Might! I can’t-! You can’t-!” The taller man snorted with laughter and unceremoniously bundled him inside despite his sputtering protests. Izuku’s back straightened like a rod when the usher regarded him with a critical look. “Why are you doing this?” he hissed under his breath as Toshinori whispered something to the attendant, who nodded curtly and whirled around. Izuku and his mentor followed the tuxedoed man to the back of the restaurant, where they were escorted into a spacious room with a long table set for over twenty people. Izuku’s emerald eyes were as wide as green moons as he beheld the setup. “Um… All Might, are we expecting others…?”

“Dekuuuuuu!”

“OHMYGOSH!” Izuku screamed as someone abruptly hugged him from behind. He glanced over his shoulder to see Ochako’s round smiling face blinking up at him.

“Happy birthday!” she giggled happily. Pink-faced and thoroughly flustered, Izuku could only release a high-pitched whine as she scuttled around him. In her moment of distraction, All Might had assumed his muscular form. “Hello, All Might, sir!” she chirped jovially as she bounced over to him. The hero chortled good-naturedly and patted her shoulder.

“Hello there, Uraraka! Good to have you.”

“Umm, All Might? What is happening?” Izuku whispered as Ochako procured a small wrapped package and set it at the center of the table.

“Isn’t it obvious?” Ochako laughed and hopped into a seat. “We’re here to celebrate your birthday, Deku!” Izuku’s face turned the color of a tomato. When he looked wide-eyed at his mentor, he just grinned broadly and shrugged. At this point, Tenya game bundling in.

“Midoriya! Happy birthday!” he cried with exaggerated waves of his arms. Izuku squirmed uncomfortably as the tall boy plopped a large wrapped present atop the table right beside Ochako’s. He took the seat beside the bubbly girl, and they devolved into avid conversation; Izuku took the opportunity to scamper over to the muscle-bound hero.

“All Might! Did you arrange this?” he whispered fervently.

“Why, of course, young Midoriya! I imagined that you wanted to spend your birthday with your friends,” the pro hero answered. A bright haze of pink blazed over his cheeks, and that bubbly happy feeling rose inside of him again.

“My friends…” he echoed in wonder. Izuku jumped when someone kicked the door open.

“Oi! Are we late?!”

“Ka-Kacchan!” Izuku stammered in shock as the explosive blond boy charged in through the door. Frankly, the green-haired boy was shocked to see Katsuki attending his birthday celebration. When Eijirou poked his head over his shoulder to grin toothily at him, Izuku reasoned that perhaps Katsuki had been persuaded to attend. Izuku jumped and squeaked when Katsuki tromped over to slam a crudely-wrapped package into his chest.

“Here, loser, for your stupid birthday. Now, where’s the food?! I’m starvin’!” Katsuki complained loudly and stomped over to Ochako. “Oi, Cheeks, you got any food?” Eijirou chuckled and set a present down by the others before also wishing Izuku a happy birthday. Izuku was basically short-circuiting, because his poor brain couldn’t handle all the information being thrown at him at once.

“Looks like I’m right on time,” droned a gravelly voice from the door. Izuku’s jaw flopped open when his teacher, Mr. Aizawa, sauntered in bearing a small package for a gift card. He casually tossed it beside the others before striding over, hands stuffed in his jumpsuit pants pockets. Izuku was amazed that the underground hero would have the gall to stroll into such an upscale place wearing such casual clothing. Props to Mr. Aizawa… “Happy birthday, Midoriya.”

“Th-thank you, sir! I’m very grateful to everybody for planning this,” Izuku smiled sheepishly. Aizawa gave him a charming smile before walking over to keep Katsuki from clambering on the table to punch Tenya in the jaw over some silliness or another.

It wasn’t long before the rest of Izuku’s classmates showed up, and they were soon embroiled in a fun and raucous lunch. Izuku tried not to think about the terrible mess that the staff would have to clean up, nor the enormity of the bill that All Might would have to foot as a result of their avid celebration. Instead, he tore into the filet mignon and grilled asparagus before him. He purred happily at the excellent flavors bursting over his tongue, squeezing his eyes shut as he savored the spices and marinade. After enjoying the delicious food, they piled up all the plates, glassware, and silverware on the edge of the table so that Izuku could have ample room to open his gifts.

“You guys didn’t have to do all this,” Izuku laughed sheepishly as Mina shoved the sizeable pile of gifts over to him.

“Oh, hush! Now open mine first!” the pink girl insisted while shoving a glittery pink bag over to him. The sparkly confetti rained from the tissue paper as he tugged it free from the confines of the plastic container. His face turned nearly as pink as the solid plastic when he peered down into the bottom. “I’m funny, right? Right?” Mina cackled as Izuku pulled a container of calcium gummies and a bottle of milk from the bag. “’Cuz you break your bones all the time!” she howled as she doubled over and held her belly.

“Very funny, Mina,” he muttered blankly, not sure whether to be offended or amused.

“Aha, I know, I’m a genius,” she sighed as her laughs faded down into giggles. “Here’s your real gift, though,” she said and held out something to him. Izuku flushed when he realized that it was a pair of All Might-patterned socks. He spluttered a simple thanks and tried to suppress the urge to rip off his shoes and slide the socks onto his feet. He elected just to push the item aside and go on to the next gift. Katsuki eyed him intensely as he grabbed the roughly-wrapped package and tore away the gift paper. His eyes nearly bugged out of his head when he beheld the limited-edition All Might hoodie, holding it with trembling hands.

“Ka-Kacchan,” he breathed in amazement and looked at his childhood friend and rival. Katsuki snorted derisively and looked down at his feet.

“Don’t gimme that dumb stare, loser,” the blond huffed. “What, did you think I was gonna turn up empty-handed? I’m not an asshole.”

“Uh… That’s exactly what you are, Bakugo,” Denki snickered. He then yelped when Katsuki boxed him over the head.

“Mind your own damn business, Pikachu! Gah!” Katsuki growled and shot Izuku an intimidating stare. “Anyway, happy birthday, or whatever…”

“Aw. Bakugo, you can be sweet when you put your mind to it!” Ochako praised. A pink tinge came to Katsuki’s cheeks, and he muttered something under his breath. Izuku looked down to admire the soft fabric of the exclusive hoodie and smiled.

“Thanks, Kacchan…”

~~~~~~~~~~

Izuku’s friends were very generous. He scored a multitude of fun gifts, including a quaint mug and some tea bags from Momo, a new videogame from Denki, and some cool new laces for his signature red tennis shoes from Ochako. Mineta even managed to give him something halfway-decent, a gift card to the local bookstore. However, the small purple-haired boy naturally began salivating and talking about the very indecent things that Izuku could spend it on. By some feat of acrobat-like ingenuity, Tsuyu flipped him head-first into the busboy’s dirty dishwater.

The sky was dyed red, and the sun was sinking towards the horizon by the time Izuku bid his friends and Mr. Aizawa adieu and set out for home. As soon as the last student vanished from sight, All Might released his muscle form and collapsed against the alleyway wall.

“Ugh, that was rough. I didn’t know if I was going to make it,” Toshinori lamented as he wiped the blood dripping from his mouth with the back of his hand. Izuku smiled gratefully at him.

“I really appreciate you for putting this on for me, All Might… I can honestly say this has been one of my best birthdays ever!” Izuku chirped. Toshinori chuckled lightheartedly and stepped forward to pat him a few times on the back. All the gifts bundled in Izuku’s arms bounced slightly with the jostling of his body.

“Of course. I’m glad I could be there for you. Oh! I almost forgot,” he said and began fishing in his back pocket. As much as he could with his arms laden with presents, Izuku waved a hand in refusal.

“What? No, All Might, I can’t accept anything more than you’ve already given me!” he protested. “You spent so much on that dinner, and all this effort into inviting everyone over and straining yourself to keep up that form- I can’t! I refuse! No!” All Might ignored him and procured a Polaroid camera. Izuku blinked, very confused, and the tall, lanky man held the camera above their heads and jerked him by the arm to pull him into the camera frame.

“Cheese, young Midoriya!” he grinned before the bright white of the camera flash nearly blinded the shocked boy. He just managed to squeeze in an uneven, shaky smile before Toshinori’s thumb tapped the button to take the picture. Immediately, the camera spat out a black photo rimmed in white. Toshinori plucked it from the printer and shook it vigorously until the color finally developed. The blond man inspected the photograph before smiling in satisfaction, and then pulled out a marker. He plucked the cap off with his teeth and scrawled something across the bottom of the photo. Izuku blinked as Toshinori plopped the camera down atop the mountain of gifts, then showed him the picture.

Happy birthday, young Midoriya. Smiling, his teacher tucked the photo between some boxes. Their happy faces grinned at Izuku, and he felt his eyes watering. It was such a simple gesture, yet it meant more to him than the most expensive gift in the world.

“Thank you, All Might. This is the best birthday ever,” he repeated in a soft voice, and the tears dripped down his cheeks. All Might chortled and ruffled his green hair.

“Always with the waterworks. That’s all right. Sensitive people make great heroes because they’re very empathetic,” he mused. Izuku sniffed and nodded, but he didn’t want to cry all day, so he struggled to wipe his face with his upper arms. Somehow, he didn’t knock any of his gifts out of his hands. “All right then!” All Might announced and clapped his hands together. “Your mother is probably hard at work on dinner for you. Let’s not keep her waiting, eh, young Midoriya?”

“All Might! Please stay for dinner.”

“Oh, no, I couldn’t-“

“Please! I insist! Plus, knowing Mom, she probably already has the table set for three.” All Might grimaced and rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

“Well… If she’s already burdened herself…” Izuku didn’t let him finish the thought and hurriedly bustled out of the alleyway. “Ah! Wait, young Midoriya!”

Izuku ignored him, trotting down the sidewalk towards his home. The fruits of his friendship bobbled in his arms, and a big bright smile graced his face. Maybe he couldn’t do much with turning sixteen, but if the day led to him spending time with the most important people in his life, he would argue that’s a pretty momentous occasion indeed.

Enjoy this oneshot? Feel free to peruse my Table of Contents!

Tag List: @deliathedork​  @simplybakugou​ @sadistiks​ @wesparklebitch​

[choupichoups]

Collect the stars each time I think of you [ 1 // 2 ]

Eliott 23:27 How far away are you?

Lucas 23:27 Like 2 mins

Eliott 23:28 Okay  Door’s unlocked!!  Just head straight in

Lucas jogs up the stairs, steps rapid as a wind up toy, giddy at the prospect of seeing his boyfriend after a long day apart. 

Or, well, technically, it’s only been half a day since they’d gone out for breakfast together but who’s counting anyway? He’s long accepted the fact that he misses Eliott for every minute they spend separately, seconds dragging slower than sand in an hourglass. Yes, he’s that kind of whipped bastard in love, so sue him. 

He trips over an uprooted part of the carpet on the top stair and only just manages to catch himself on the dirty flooring. Slowly, he regains his breathing and brushes a hand through his hair so as to not be too obvious about rushing up the door— Eliott would probably tease him about it right up til midnight.

Speaking of which. 

Lucas settles his hands over the doorknob, pressing his ear against the door to check if he can make out any sounds coming from the other side. It’s his birthday tomorrow and he’s not stupid. He’s dating Eliott ‘Romance the shit out of you’ Demaury, he knows his boyfriend’s got plans, okay. Not like he’d be disappointed if there aren’t any surprises in store for him, he’d honestly be content with just a kiss (or two), but his chest still flutters in anticipation as he turns the knob. 

Eliott’s invited him over for an impromptu ‘movie night’ and has been oddly quiet on the topic of Lucas’ birthday. Something’s up. He can feel it in his jellies.  

Pulling his bottom lip under his teeth, Lucas nudges the door open and promptly freezes, greeting at the tip of his tongue gone unspoken as his eyes try their best to adjust in the dark. He vaguely hears the door swing shut behind him when his hands go slack by his sides, helplessly struck by the glowing speckles of light scattered all over the walls and ceiling. He squints at them, shaking his head as his eyes grow slightly tired from staring into the white light too much. It looks impeccably like Eliott had somehow managed to bring all the stars in the sky and trap them all in this very room. A sight only for them to selfishly enjoy. 

He huffs out an incredulous laugh. “Eliott?” 

There’s a shuffling from somewhere low on his right and Lucas glances down, belatedly registering the tangled loops of fairy lights by his feet. They lead a path straight to the living room where Eliott sits on the floor, bathed in soft pinks and oranges and greys. Under the crafted stars and stringed fireflies, Eliott looks ethereal. 

“Hey,” Eliott says softly, voice matching the lovely atmosphere he’s created. “Welcome to movie night.”  

Lucas has to laugh again, this time a little louder but no less stunned. “I don’t recall movie night ever being this, um, beautiful.” 

Even in the dark, he can point out the exact moment Eliott perks up. “You think it’s beautiful?” 

“Of course,” Lucas responds, quiet, almost whispered, as he takes in the furniture pushed far along the wall, almost invisible if you weren’t looking, and in the large vacant space in the middle of the living room stands the coziest looking blanket fort Lucas’ eyes have ever been subjected to. “Wow.”

It’s Eliott’s turn to laugh. “You coming?” he asks, like Lucas has ever learned to refuse that question. 

The fairy lights gather thick around the wide perimeter of the fort Eliott’s built and then pour out artfully along the sides and the top. Lucas toes his shoes off and ducks into the mass of sheets and pillows, immediately sinking into the comfort of them as he settles down. The interior of the fort is lit up by small glowing jars of what looks like more tiny stars trapped inside and Jesus, how exactly did Eliott manage to— “How in the fuck did you do all of this? How did you even make these?”

He takes one of the jars, stares skeptically at the lights floating inside, and shakes it vigorously. 

Eliott snatches it away. “A magician never reveals his secrets.”

“Okay, Mr. Etsy Demaury, sorcerer of DIY himself.” Lucas relents, scooting over to examine the jars some more but resisting the urge to play with them this time around. “Do we have snacks?”

“In the kitchen.”  

“Okay… why?”

“What do you mean, ‘why’?”

“Eliott, you honestly expect me to get up and get them myself?”

“Why not?”  

“Look at me.” Lucas turns over, forcing himself to sit up so he can look Eliott square in the eye. “Look at me and tell me that this is the face of someone who will willingly leave this pillow heaven for some gummy worms.” 

Eliott, asshole that he is, actually looks like he’s considering Lucas seriously. “I don’t know, Lucas, they’re the sour neon ones you love so much.” 

Okay, that’s a dirty trick. Lucas takes back all the nice, sappy thoughts he’d had pertaining to Eliott up to this point. “Ugh, fuck, what’s your use?” 

“Hey!”

“No snacks for either of us if you’re not getting up.”

“Fuck.” 

“Yeah, anyway, what are we watching?”

“Pride and Prejudice.”

Lucas pretends to moan and groan about it as Eliott sets up the projector (because of course he’s using a projector), nitpicking until it’s angled straight onto the dark starlit wall. When Eliott actually crawls over to lay down beside him, though, Lucas forgets what he’s been complaining about, choosing instead to curl up close by Eliott’s side.

As the opening scene flashes on the screen, Lucas lets himself look away, cheek pressed soft against Eliott’s shoulder first, and then snuggling closer until he falls comfortably aligned onto Eliott’s chest. He feels the arm around him tighten, rubbing along his back in warm, gentle circles that lull him half into sleep. But he stubbornly stays awake, wanting to indulge in every second of this moment, not quite ready to face the thought of closing his eyes and opening them to the break of sunlight, their stars awashed along with the night. 

He’s conveniently angled to look up at Eliott without much effort, so he does it as much as he wants, glimpsing random bits of movie plot before his eyes inevitably slide back to his boyfriend’s slightly furrowed brows, down to the perfect slope of his nose, and lower to where his lips are pursed. It’s endearing how concentrated Eliott is considering he’s seen the same film more than once. 

“You’re missing the entire thing,” Eliott says eventually and Lucas smothers a giggle into his shirt. 

“I’d rather not miss what I’m seeing,” Lucas says, unfiltered in his sleepy daze. He realizes how cheesy that must sound but it doesn’t matter, he’s struck slightly dumb— only one coherent thought keeps running through his mind, a solemn echo of the same words he’d already spoken once, seemingly a lifetime ago. No one’s ever done this for me before. 

He’s quickly realizing that Eliott will be his first for many things. 

Eliott peels his eyes from the movie, snorting out a chuckle. “Stop being cute,” he says, running a hand through Lucas’ hair, fingers gentle as he pets along the front before gliding back down to tap at Lucas’ nose. Lucas vaguely registers that as something one would do to appease a little puppy and he doesn’t even care. “I’m trying to watch the movie.” 

“You’ve seen this a thousand times.”

“And you see me everyday.”

“So?” 

The next time Eliott looks at him, his eyes are immeasurably fond. “Happy birthday, baby.” And oh, it must’ve hit midnight while Lucas was busy admiring him. He should be excited, what with it officially being his special day, but a distant voice inside his head helpfully reminds him that there are only about four more hours left before the sun comes out to play. Before the spell they’ve put themselves under breaks. “I love you,” Eliott sighs, effectively knocking Lucas back into the present. 

Four hours carry a load of minutes. 

When put that way, it feels like they’ve got all the time in the world.

There’s a smile fighting through his fatigue and Lucas has no problem letting it win. “Thank you.” He places a kiss on Eliott’s chest over his shirt, closing his eyes to bask in the rest of their night. “I love you.”

It seems like that isn’t enough for Eliott though, and Lucas is pulled up, one hand around his arm and one firm around his waist. He accidentally breathes a huff of laughter into the kiss, not expecting to be dragged along like that. But he’s not going to complain, not even when he loses the perfect spot he’d been nestled into just seconds prior. 

“I love you so much,” Eliott repeats, voice full of emotion. Lucas’ heart flutters like it’s the first time all over. 

“Me too,” he says, their lips close, brushing at every word. “Me too,” he says, again, because once doesn’t feel adequate enough. 

They sink back into the cushions, limbs tangled and skin flush against the other as Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth fall into the background. The lights gleam a spectrum of colours around them, and Lucas watches pale shadows form over the smooth of Eliott’s skin. His fingers spider along broad shoulders, smiling as goosebumps rise in the wake of his touch. It’s bound to get really fucking hot any minute now, what with Eliott hovering over him like this, Lucas’ entire form covered under his, but Lucas wouldn’t mind the heat— not as long as Eliott’s unruly nest of hair keeps ticking at his chin like that, not when lightly stubbled cheeks keeps brushing along his skin like that, not when warm lips trail soft little kisses down his neck like that. 

And suddenly he’s not so afraid of the night ending anymore, not when Eliott’s presence is a static promise come the next day. He knows, without a seed of doubt in his mind, that he’s about to experience the absolute best birthday he’s ever had in his short life.

It’s already starting off that way. 

[carlyraejepstein]

Little Computer Quest Part 1

Pre-history

Perhaps you will already be familiar with the ThinkPad X230. Built around the same chassis as the X220 with the addition of the then-new AccuType island keyboard, the X230 represents a bridge between the classic IBM lineage and the present day ThinkPad built around the Ultrabook philosophy, in the same way as the T430. The laptops are so similar that the X220's keyboard, while more typo prone and less rigid but with a far more familiar and sensible layout, can fit into the X230 either with a donated palmrest or by sanding the nubs from the X220's keyboard down.

Importantly, the X230 is perhaps the last 12.5 inch subnotebook produced with 35 watt low voltage CPUs, rather than the 15 watt ultra low voltage chips in the X240 and the T440. It's what gives the X230 the edge in performance against up to three generations of later X-series laptops and makes it such a favourite amongst technical users. Furthermore the X230, like the X220, has an IPS display option, which compared to the TN screens standard in most ThinkPads of the era that are horrible to look at from any angle, is very much welcomed.

However, such performance in such a constrained space comes with challenges. Typically the i5-3520M inside my fully specced out X230 idles at around 45°C, perhaps 15° over what one might consider a typical idle temperature. ThinkPads' embedded controllers and the fan modules consider fan speed of 7 levels, zero being off and 7 being full speed. Level 1 is very often tripped as its lower trigger is 48°, resulting in the fan distractingly being turned on and off every few seconds while doing particularly bursty tasks; in my case, browsing Twitter. The RPM of each level depends on the fan inside the heatsink fan module, which on my Delta fan is 3000 RPM, and unfortunately cannot be changed. The X220's fans have lower RPMs at lower levels but they often suffer from a problem where they develop a very high pitched whine.

As well, the X230 in my experience isn't really that great as a portable machine, as I tend to hunch over it using it out and about. The less durable parts of the machine also become obvious such as the part of the palmrest over the ExpressCard expansion slot where my original palmrest actually cracked, prompting me to replace it with the one from my X220. The back of the display lid has seen better days too, and the display bezel has been replaced with the X220 bezel as well.

I've been using the X230 as my around-the-house laptop for a couple of years; for one of those it was my primary computer; but often recently I have wished for something closer to the silent bliss of doing things on my phone, for browsing Twitter, watching videos and films, writing, perhaps even to read books or comics on.

The Problem

My search began for a portable machine that would be silent on all occasions, had an IPS screen, and was smaller and lighter than the X230. However I demanded that any prospective model also had a keyboard option, and furthermore culled any device that employed an Atom CPU, since those kinds of machines have been nothing but painful to use in my experience.

An iPad was once in the running but I swore these off for a few reasons. One was simply of cost, for any iPad compatible with Apple's also expensive keyboard cover options would run me far more than I have to spend. Longevity was also a concern; I am reluctant to touch any iOS device after the swift and brutal abandonment of my iPod touch 3rd gen, which was left behind at iOS 5 just three years after its introduction and despite the similarly specced iPhone 3GS receiving an update to iOS 6 anyway. As for Android tablets, I could always extend their lifespan with custom ROMs, but in 2020 that scene is even more of a wild west than before, and at the very least everyone knows that Android has not had a focus on tablets since the end of the Nexus programme; Samsung seems to have been the only manufacturer picking up the metaphorical tab, perhaps thanks to the huge collapse in demand for the kind of tablet Android shone on: affordable (or cheap, depending on how you looked at it) 7 inch slates like the Nexus 7 and the, suprisingly still going on, Amazon Fire.

In any case, neither would allow me to fulfil another desire in the prospective device: the ability to use the programs I already know how to use such as Glimpse or the GNU IMP and would want to use on the go, as well as play 2D games like VA11 Hall-A as an example.

The Lenovo IdeaPad Chromebook Duet stood out as an option. It, of course, runs Chrome OS but I considered whether Crostini and Android compatibility would be suitable for my needs. However once I learned about Google's "expiry date" pencilled in for every Chromebook, my obvious aversion to being locked into using Chrome, and ultimately the lackluster keyboard attachment with its short backspace, I decided against it, despite its very impressive battery life in the face of its reportedly underpowered MediaTek Helios SoC.

A note must be made here for the tragic case of the Pine64 PineTab. I would really have loved to have been able to choose this device, open and community developed with a keyboard option; sadly it just fell outside the performance requirements I desired. As another reviewer has already noted, if Pine64 developed a tablet based on the platform of the PineTab Pro they could have a real winner on their hands. It's just unfortunate that it does not exist at the time of writing.

The conclusion I ended up with through elimination is that the device would probably end up from the category of Intel-based tablets running Windows. The benefits seemed obvious: a platform familiar to me, with total choice over what operating system is running and driver updates that aren't held under ransom by device manufacturers.

The Results

In the end, three options came to the fore; the Surface Go 2, the ThinkPad Helix 2 and either generation, Haswell or Broadwell, of Dell's Venue 11 Pro. The Surface Go 2 is a very enticing device, made from the same blueprint as the rest of the Surface line, which I've been interested in since reading about the ill-fated Surface RT in the months leading up to Windows 8's release. Its keyboard and trackpad are well reviewed despite the short backspace, as was the PixelSense-branded display. However the Surface Go 2's starting model priced at £399 uses an Atom-based Pentium-in-disguise 4425Y and the upgrade to an Amber Lake-Y Core m3-8100Y sets you back another couple hundred quid, as does the keyboard cover. Used listings didn't do much to reduce the cost.

The ThinkPad Helix 2, being another ThinkPad, was perhaps an obvious choice, but I've used a Helix 1 before and it didn't really impress me, and actually it isn't really a detachable laptop but more like a tablet with a keyboard dock since the dock has no hinge, but is rather a rigid channel for the tablet to sit inside.

The Venue stole the show by having both a hinge on its dock but most outstandingly, unlike the soldered down memory in the Helix, the ability to pop the back off and reveal socketed memory Edit: the memory is soldered unfortunately, a removable battery and a 2.5" drive slot that provides the freedom to install whatever kind of storage I want, even if, say I were sick and twisted and wanted to invalidate one of the fundamental reasons for me choosing such a device, to put a spinning hard drive in it Edit: it's not a 2.5" drive bay but it has an M.2 SATA slot instead. As well it allegedly is lighter and a tad bit smaller than the Helix. I've chosen to splurge on the Broadwell Core M variant for the promise of better low power performance, as well as HEVC and VP8 hardware acceleration, which always comes in super useful for making joke videos with ffmpeg.

Thus ends Part 1 of this series; I will be sure to return with Part 2 once I have been hands on with the Dell and used it for a little while!

[elisaphoenix13]

Spiderman And Rescue

Peter smacks against the side of the tower and groans from the excruciating pain in his side before reaching up and starting his slow trek up toward the family floor. It was a long way up and he wasn't even sure if he would make it, he barely managed to swing back to the tower after all. Normally in a situation when he was as wounded as he was, he would ask Karen to call one of his parents and wait for them to come help, but after being impaled and knocked around, his suit went offline. Which meant Karen was offline. Peter knew he couldn't sit still and hope that help would come, he already lost too much blood. So he applied a compression web and swung home. It hurt like hell and he almost passed out from the shots of pain that coursed through his body, but he managed. Now he just needed to finish climbing the tower.

Easier said then done. Not only was his blood making it hard to keep a grip on the glass, but the sky decided that it was the opportune moment to take a royal piss. The small silver lining the rain provided was that it would wash away the blood trail that Peter was leaving behind. He climbed little by little, his vision slowly filling with black spots as he made his way to the balcony, but as he reached up to finally grab the railing, his body gave out on him. As the rest of his vision darkened, he felt himself fall away from the tower and free fall toward the ground. The last thing he saw before falling unconscious was a blue and silver suit diving for him.

________________________

Harley barely caught Peter in time. He was further down the tower when he caught a glimpse of his brother climbing the side of the tower through the windows, and he raced upstairs to the floor with the balcony when he caught sight of red. Of blood. He made it to the railing just as Peter did and reached down for the younger's questing hand, but then Peter fell back before Harley could grab his hand.

"PETER!" He screams through the downpour.

His next reaction was to dive over the railing after he activated his nanotech bracelet, the Rescue suit covering his body. The moment he caught Peter, he flew back up to the balcony as quickly but carefully as possible. Peter's blood was already spreading across his armor, the rain washing it away as quickly as it appears.

"SARA! FRIDAY! Somebody, I don't care! Get Mom and Bruce up here! It's really fucking bad!"

He drags Peter inside and out of the rain, and when he reaches over to disengage Peter's Spiderman suit, Harley's AI stops him.

"Don't! It's his only chance of surviving at this point!" She says just as a gateway fizzles next to them and Stephen steps through with Bruce.

Harley was pretty sure he would have been shoved aside if he didn't back away by himself with the way Stephen and Bruce knelt next to his dying brother. Bruce checked his pulse and then Stephen used his magic to carry Peter through the gateway that led back to the med-bay. It closed directly behind the two doctors before Harley could follow, so the teen had to race down on the elevator and arrive just in time to watch them place Peter in the Cradle.

It was worse than Harley thought and he already knew it was bad. The Cradle was only used strictly for regeneration purposes. Peter had his healing factor, but his injury must have been bad enough to need extra help. Harley watches as Stephen raises the palm of his hand to his forehead as Bruce says something he can't hear, and the sorcerer responds with a single sob. It was enough to have Harley leave the med-bay and take the elevator down to the lab.

"SARA, bring up the video feed of Peter's last fight." He demands and a video starts playing on one of the screens. He watches from Peter's point of view as he jumps around some guy in a large rhino looking suit until the Rhino chucks something at him. Peter was obviously stunned long enough for the Rhino to charge at him and impale his horn into his side and then the screen blacks out. "Where's the rest of it?"

"That attack shut down Spiderman's suit. Karen is still offline."

"Upload any data on that guy to my suit. I'm going after this asshole."

"You will do no such thing." Stephen says from the door and Harley whips around to stare at him incredulously.

"WHAT?! I won't just sit around-"

"Harley, please!" The sorcerer snaps. "I already have one child in intensive care...please don't make yourself a second." He says quietly.

Stephen walks over to the couch and sits on it heavily as he leans forward to place his head in trembling hands. They were shaking more so than usual and that only meant that the sorcerer was scared. Harley clenches his fists in frustration and inhales deeply before releasing both his breath and his hands.

"Will Peter be okay?"

"...we don't know." Stephen admits quietly.

"Is anyone going to do something about the guy that did this?"

"Show me the video."

Stephen stands up and joins Harley at the screens as the teen asks SARA to replay the recording, and cringes the moment Peter gets impaled. When the screen blacks out again, the sorcerer sighs and rubs his eyes. It was then that he declared that he would send Steve, Bucky, and Quill out to track down the Rhino to take care of. Harley didn't care who as long as the job was done.

And boy was it done. Quill could have easily taken care of Rhino himself, but Steve and Bucky were there to try and keep him from going berserk. After Rhino was taken care of, the Avengers took shifts sitting in the med-bay with Peter. Tony shut himself in the lab when he wasn't with Peter to repair his suit and Stephen had to be forced out of the med bay on multiple occasions and be told to rest. Harley was between helping Tony, sitting with Peter as he recovered in the Cradle, and keeping Diana busy when Cassie spent some time of her own in the med-bay. Diana wanted to visit as well, but Stephen didn't want her to see Peter the way he was now.

It took three days for the Cradle to repair Peter's body enough for him to be safely taken out of it, and that was when everyone sighed with a little bit of relief. The teen wasn't quite out of the woods yet, but he definitely had better chances now. He wasn't breathing by himself yet, but at least he didnt have a gaping hole in his abdomen. His healing factor could take care of the rest.

Diana was finally allowed to see Peter when he was taken out of the Cradle and placed in a bed. She of course cried a little bit when she saw them, but then she wiped her eyes and sat on the bed with a book and read to him. She was convinced Peter could hear them and didn't want him to be bored. Everyone else followed her lead and either talked directly to him, or to each other if anyone shared a shift just so he didn't feel alone. Assuming Dia was right and he could hear them.

Peter woke up three days after they took him off the machines that had been helping him breathe, and it was during Bucky's shift. Harley was with him keeping him company while they watched a movie, and since it was a movie they had both seen before, they were pointing out unrealistic things and other nonsense. They didn't even notice when Peter woke up at first since he didn't make a single sound, but Bucky happened to look back at him a couple minutes later and jumped up when he found the boy's eyes open and a little glazed over.

"Bambi!"

He and Harley rush to separate sides of the bed and Peter barely manages a grunt when Harley grabs a glass of water with a straw and holds it up for Peter. The younger teen drinks slowly until he weakly pushes his brother's arm away, and Harley puts the cup back down on the nearby table as Bucky asks FRIDAY to tell Bruce, Stephen, and Tony that Peter woke up. It didn't take more than a couple of minutes for all three of them to rush into the room and for Bruce to check his vitals and his injury while Tony and Stephen asked him simple questions. Did he know where he was? What was two plus two?

What was the last thing he remembered?

Peter furrows his brows. "The Rescue suit." He clears his throat when his voice comes out raspy and Stephen grabs the cup of water to hold out for the teen to drink.

"Yeah, well, your brother was in the Rescue suit. He technically saved your life twice. Once from becoming a stain on my doorstep, and the second time being the general fact that he saw you and called for help." Tony says. "Mom said he was about ready to go after Rhino."

Harley sniffs with disdain. "Thanks for talking about me like I'm not here...and no I didn't confront him." The teen says when Peter releases the straw from his mouth and opens it to say something. "I didn't even make it out of the lab. Mom sent Quill, Steve, and Bucky."

"He gave us a bit of trouble." Bucky says from the wall he settled against when the parents first came in. "Let me just say that Quill is a lot stronger than I thought. As in, he grabbed the guy, and threw him over his shoulder and down the street."

Peter's eyes widen and a long moment of silence passes. Everyone in the room had either fought the guy or at least saw the video of Peter's fight, so it was a well known fact that the Rhino was not something one threw around. The only other person who could probably do what Quill did was Thor.

Tony then asked the question that some of the team had been wondering. "How is Thumbelina not dead?"

"Self control." Both Stephen and Bucky answer.

"He has that?" Tony asks dramatically and Bucky laughs.

"Anyway, do you feel up to seeing Diana?" Stephen asks Peter.

"...sure. For a little bit."

"Before I forget, I'm fixing your suit. The guy somehow managed to damage the part that sends a distress signal to either FRIDAY or Victor. Mom and I never got pinged when Karen went offline." Tony says with a frown.

"I guess it's a good thing I didn't sit still then." Peter says quietly.

"The one time I'm glad you didn't."

Bruce finishes looking Peter over while Stephen leaves to gather Diana, and Bucky leaves to make dinner for everyone. Then Tony leaves to go grab some fresh clothes for Peter when the teen complains about feeling gross, and when Harley turns to follow, Peter calls out for him to wait. Harley turns and walks back over to his brother's bedside and Peter holds up a fist.

"Thanks."

Harley smirks and the two do their special handshake. Thankfully this one not as elaborate as the one Peter and Ned had. "It's like I said, someone's gotta look after you."

Peter returns the smiles albeit weakly. "That's what parents are for."

"And older brothers."

"You know, I vaguely recall this conversation."

"Well that's a good sign." Bruce says from across the room.

[spiderman-homecomeme]

Something New

Part 2 of “And a Silver Sixpence in Her Shoe”

AN: Here we are with chapter two!! hope you guys like this one. Here, things get a little, shall we say..... steamy ;))) so let me know what you think! 

This one’s a little bit longer than the first, but still has all the fluff, humor, and allllll the cheese. <3

Read here or on AO3!

-

“Red, black, or white?”

MJ's voice cuts through the comfortable silence of the living room. Peter looks over to her, blinking in confusion at the way she’s watching him expectantly from behind her laptop screen.

“Huh?” He asks, a brow raising in question.

“Pick a color.”

“Like… any color?”

“No, like the ones I said.” Her eyes dart right and left. “So… Red, black, or white?”

“Uh….” He pauses, for almost too long, as if his answer could have some sort of lasting consequence. He tilts his head from side to side, chewing at the inside of his lip in thought when he finally settles on one.

“Red?”

A smirk tugs at MJ’s lips as she looks back down at her screen, clicking away. “Good choice.”

“Why’d you ask?”

Her eyes flit up to his for a fraction of a second. “Buying something.”

“What is it?” He asks, sitting forward as if trying to get a small glimpse over her laptop, curiosity piqued.

She pulls the lid closer to her, almost shutting the computer. “None of your business,” she says, narrowing her eyes as she fixes him with a steely glare, though it’s not very convincing with the near minuscule upward twitch at the corner of her mouth in an attempt to conceal the amused grin threatening to form.

(Technically it was his business, or it certainly would be, but he didn’t need to know that.)

But actually telling him that he’d just inadvertently helped her pick out the lingerie she was going to wear on their wedding night would take all the fun out of it.

Well, maybe not all of it.

Still, it was going to be a nice surprise.

At least she had hoped.

In all of their eight years together, with all of their experience—and there was experience—lingerie, the whole get-up, was never really something they did, something they cared about. While MJ’s definitely had her share of nicer, fancier undergarments, they’ve never ventured out into a full on set. To them, it didn’t really make too much sense, especially seeing as the damn thing would just end up forgotten on the floor within a matter of seconds anyway. That wasn’t to say that they were a “wham, bam, thank you ma’am,” kind of couple (though, don’t get them wrong, they weren’t above the occasional, much needed quickie); it wasn’t just a one and done thing with them.

They just didn’t really see the point.

It wasn’t something they needed, both of them more than happy with the current state and direction of their sex life.

But even then, it’s not like that door was completely shut.

She figures it might be something nice to do for their wedding night. A special occasion, and she has a funny feeling that Peter’s not gonna be one to complain; not in the slightest.

It’s new. It’s fun. They’re open.

“Is it for me?” Peter asks, his mouth stretching in a sly grin.

She pauses for a moment’s contemplation before giving a single nod and one-shoulder shrug. “I mean, yeah? Technically it’s for me? But I’m pretty sure you’ll appreciate it.”

An image flashes through her mind, one that makes her subtly shift in her seat on the couch as her stomach, one that shows just how much he’ll appreciate it.

She shakes her head, careful not to let her mind wander too far ahead.

“Can I have a hint?” Peter’s head falls back against the couch, whipping out his best puppy-dog eyes and pout. “Pleeeease?”

Honestly, it was like dealing with a child sometimes.

A grown-ass, twenty-four-year-old child.

MJ doesn’t even glance up from her screen, smirking quietly to herself. “Nope,” she says simply, audibly popping the ‘p,’ just for emphasis.

He deflates, groaning in petulant frustration, though he’s unable to hide that faint hint of amusement to his tone.

For once, she actually takes pity on him, chuckling quietly to herself as she shakes her head. “Hey.” She nudges him gently with her foot, and he looks up at her with that same pleading, overly-dramatic, hopeless expression.

It’s funny; she doesn’t remember buying the tickets for this guilt trip.

God, he was too good at this.

“I can’t ruin the surprise,” she relents, only just.

“Ugh, fine.” His eyes move to her again, though he doesn’t turn completely. “A good surprise?”

And finally, the smirk wins, and she bites her lip in an effort to hide it from behind her computer screen.

“A really good one.”

-

Surprisingly, Peter hasn’t asked about the mysterious online purchase since that night, even when he finds the suspicious package sitting just outside their door. She’d fully expected him to be more annoying about it, given that he was just a naturally curious person, especially when it was something that involved himself.

The one time he’d said something was a quiet, shady little remark about how secrets didn’t make friends.

MJ had quickly shut that down, reminding him that one, he hides that fact that he’s Spider-Man (or tries to) from literally everyone he meets, and two, on a related note, she had to figure it out on her own. He only told her after the fact.

He shut up after that.

It was truly a thrill, keeping something like this from him, knowing that the suspense was surely driving him absolutely crazy.

And she does well, for the most part, not giving away the surprise.

Even when she takes the UPS box from him, ignoring the way he’s eyeing her carefully, his gaze calculating as she darts to their shared bedroom and shuts the door. Honestly, at this point, he probably has a vague idea as to what this could be, but she doesn’t care.

There’s a smaller, much fancier white box, complete with a delicate little bow when she opens the first one, and she’s almost too careful as she pulls the lid free. The deep red fabric is a stark contrast against the white tissue paper, a simple, yet seemingly complicated number. Her thumb runs over the soft lace, eyes inspecting every inch of the garment, just taking it all in.

Her mouth twitches into a satisfied frown, head nodding in approval.

Not bad.

Not bad at all.

The distant sounds of pots and pans from the kitchen reminds her that she’s not exactly home alone. Peter is still very much here. If he really wanted to, he could just burst through the door like the fucking kool-aid man and see the surprise for himself.

She’d have to try it on later.

Preferably when her darling fiancé isn’t home.

(And when she has time to actually figure this thing out.)

Though, if she’s being honest, she does feel the tiniest bit guilty for keeping him in the dark, especially since he’s only made one, frankly pitiful, attempt at getting an answer out of her. Again, she hadn’t expected him to be as patient as he was; perhaps it telling him—or hell, putting it on and showing him—wouldn’t ruin the surprise all that much.

It wasn’t that big of a deal.

But she shakes that thought immediately, instead deciding to just hide the fancy white box in the depths of their closet.

Out of sight, out of mind right?

Wrong. Very wrong.

Less than three hours later and she’s already caved.

Because she can’t stop thinking about the box hiding in the back of their walk-in closet, filled with lace and satin, even as they eat dinner together; even as they watch (or rather, don’t watch, both of them too distracted by the other) movies, cuddled on the couch; even as she feels one of Peter’s hands slowly, slowly trailing up her thigh; even as she’s pinned to the mattress after a night of flirting and teasing; even as his hands hitch one of her legs around his waist, feeling him pressing against her inner thigh, and even as his lips leave hers, leaving languid, hungry kisses along the column of her throat.

The distraction is too much.

She can’t take it.

She’s too excited.

Michelle Jones might have been good—no, scratch that, excellent—at keeping secrets, but this was definitely the exception.

“Wait wait wait wait—” She stops him right as his hand dips under the waistband of her (his) sweatpants, placing her own hand on his chest, gently pushing him back despite the way her body is silently screaming in protest.

Immediately, he pulls away, looking down at her with all the worry and concern in the world, brows pinched together. “What? What is it? Are you okay?”

“Yeah. Yeah yeah. I’m fine,” She reassures him, trying to catch her breath as they both sit up. “Just got something to show you.”

Relief floods him, and he relaxes, an easy grin pulling at his lips. “Is it the surprise?” He guesses, his hand coming to rest on her thigh, casually smoothing over the fabric of her sweats.

“Maybe,” she shrugs.

He doesn’t miss the flicker or mischief in her eyes as she jumps from the bed and into the closet, his mouth twisting in amusement and anticipation. The implications were there, about a million ideas—all amazing—running through his head as to what this long-awaited surprise could have been. Biting his lip, he leans back, tucking an arm behind his head, waiting patiently as he listens to her shuffle about.

Finally, after what feels like an eternity, she steps back out, still fully clothed, a fancy box in her outstretched hands.

He fixes her with a bemused smile, tilting his head a fraction as she places the surprise on the bed in front of him.

“What?” She asks when he’s silent for a second too long.

He shrugs. “I thought you were doing that whole, ‘lemme slip into something more comfortable,’ thing… The surprise?”

“Oh,” she remembers herself, barely taking a second before she kicks off her sweatpants, leaving her in the just the thin t-shirt. She quirks an amused brow at him. “There. I know it’s not much, but—”

“—it really changes the look,” Peter finishes for her, nodding seriously as his eyes travel the length of her now bare legs, though the corners of his lips twitch upward as he fights back a grin.

“Exactly.”

“I like it.”

“Okay, but me not wearing pants isn’t the surprise, so…” She gestures vaguely to the box next to him.

He chuckles, shaking his head as he grabs for the fancy box, not taking his eyes off her as he pulls the ribbon free and removes the lid. Her stomach flutters as she watches him, unconsciously holding her breath as he finally looks down.

“Oh,” he breathes, the right corner of his mouth quirking up into an impressed half-smirk as he carefully holds the straps of the red lace in his hands. He turns it around, eyes raking over every inch—though, there’s not a whole lot—of the soft fabric. “What’s this?”

MJ gives a half-hearted, innocent shrug. “Not much. Just something new for the wedding night.”

Realization floods Peter’s features, and somehow, his grin widens. “This is gonna be under your dress?”

“Well, kinda. I’ll wear the underwear… but not the whole set,” she says, eyes shifting from side to side. “That shit’s for later. And I’m pretty sure you’d be able to see it through the dress.”

Peter smirks playfully. “I mean, I don’t see what’s wrong with that.”

Her face scrunches. “Gross.” She pauses, biting her lip as she watches him inspect the near-burgundy lace. “Do you like it?”

His expression grows serious, calculating, lips twisting in concentration. “I don’t know…” He tilts his head, raising a brow as he looks over at her, then back to the lingerie in his hands, then back to her.

“I think I need to see it on. Just to really form a solid opinion on it.”

He’s entirely too proud of that, she thinks.

“Yeah, no. Not gonna happen.”

His bottom lip juts out slightly into a pout that MJ has to repeatedly tell herself isn’t cute; at least not enough for her to change her mind. “You’re not gonna put it on?”

“No, you dork,” she huffs, trying to seem annoyed. “It’s for our first night of wedded bliss, or whatever. Plus, that’s just more effort on my part.”

Peter chuckles, tossing the lingerie back in the box, reaching out to take her hand and pull her closer, his thumb tracing soft lines into her skin. “Am I not worth it?”

She squints, tilting her head in mock contemplation, her voice more than an octave higher as she pretends to struggle with an answer. “Well…”

A genuine belly laugh escapes him as he lets go of her hand, only to snake both arms around her hips, bringing her even closer. “I love you.” His voice is muffled against her side as he gives her an affectionate squeeze.

Her heart soars at how impossibly soft the gesture is, that fuzzy feeling that always brings a certain comfort with it radiating throughout her body. It’s been years since she’s actually been nervous around Peter. When they got out of that initial honeymoon, 24/7 butterflies-in-your-stomach phase, she’d been worried, wondering if it meant that something was wrong. But, as they grew, both as a couple and as individuals, she’d realized that the new feeling when they were together was a million times better.

It was warm.

It was safe.

It was pure, unadulterated happiness.  

“I love you, too.” MJ’s cheeks hurt from all the smiling she’s been doing, a light laugh bubbling out of her as she cards a gentle hand through his curls.

Peter pulls his head back, beaming up at her, though his dopey smile and loving brown eyes do nothing to distract her from the way one of his hands at the small of her back lowers, completely by accident.

She opens her mouth, snarky comment at the ready, to call him out on being so damn handsy, before her world is flipped—literally—and she’s on her back, Peter hovering above her with this dumb grin on his dumb face.

She’d like to say that the sound that had come out of her mouth was a very dainty, cute squeal.

But it’s more of a surprised, if not a little undignified squawk.

He picks up where they left off, bringing a hand to her knee, prising her legs apart and settling in the open space before continuing his earlier assault on her neck.

Desperately fighting off a surrendering smile, she smacks his chest. “I hate you.”

“Damn.” He pulls back, snickering to himself, tongue between his teeth, his wandering hands ghosting over her hips before pinching her sides. “Guess we better call off the wedding then?”

Jolting at the touch, her alarmed laugh brings another big dumb smirk to his face, now inches away from hers. Her skin alights as his hand trails up her bare thigh, breath hitching when his fingers brush against the lace trim of her underwear.

“I guess so,” she jokes with him, tugging at the hem of his shirt, trying to maintain some sense of composure as he pulls it off and throws it somewhere across the room; though, to be honest, she’s finding it to be increasingly difficult to concentrate on anything other than his hands on her body, his lips on her neck.

She also finds that they’re still wearing too many clothes.

“What a shame.” His laugh dissolves into a breathy, soft groan when she rolls her hips in retaliation.

Capturing her lips into a searing kiss, he rolls them over, leaning back against the headboard, unable to contain his smug grin at the sigh that leaves her body when she settles fully onto his lap and mindlessly grinds down.

It all starts to happen so quickly, her shirt haphazardly thrown behind her. It's dizzying; the heat of his skin under her hands, the new feeling of his hardness now completely pressing against her. And it’s intoxicating; seeing the way his muscles twitch and flex at even the lightest of touches, his mouth hot as he kisses her.

He intertwines his hand with her own, and she feels him smile against her lips before he suddenly pulls away.

“Hey, since we’re not getting married anymore,” he starts, still teasing, and she has to stop herself from smacking him again as she blinks slowly, staring at the wall just above his head.

Her silence (obviously) doesn't stop him.

"And since there's no wedding night to wait for…” He actually fucking winks at her, the audacity of it all. “Maybe, I dunno… you could…" He trails off, voice dropping as his hands come down to rest on her hips, giving them a playful squeeze. "Put that red thing on? For me?"

Of fucking course he would.

The urge to roll her eyes into another dimension is the strongest it's ever been. She'd say that she can't believe him, but then she'd be a liar. Though, her pointed glare isn't very convincing, the faint upward twitch of the corners of her mouth impossible to miss.

"Nah."

Peter quirks a brow at her. "Why not?"

"Because," she deadpans, giving a weak shrug.

"Because why?"

She shakes her head at his persistence, closing the distance between them, hoping that a sound kiss will shut him up.

And it seems to work at first, until she pulls back and he's still looking at her expectantly, the teasing glint still in his eyes.

The exasperated laugh that bubbles out of her comes without warning; maintaining that stern, steely, assertive glare becoming harder and harder every second he’s looking at her with those big dumb eyes, his dumb teeth biting his dumb tongue.

"Because you're being a little shit!"

"I have no idea what you're talking about." His cheeky smirk just barely disappears as he pulls her in for another kiss, abandoning all attempts at subtly as he lets his hands fall even lower on her body.

“Also—” This time, she's the one who stops, her expression almost completely blank, save for the faint beginnings of another grin playing on her lips.

Peter looks up at her, waiting patiently for whatever she has to say as his thumbs rub soothing circles into her skin.

“I can’t figure out how to put it on."

[ayankun]

real quick before I get into season 6

So this is my second time watching Season 6 and I’m p. excited.  This last week or so I’ve been dredging up bits and pieces, but most of it is a blur.  It seems the memories that lasted this whole year were mostly of the huge armored truck and the nonbinary character who works at *spoilers*’s tech startup.

I’m curious to see if the second time through it’ll settle in like it belongs.  I remember Season 5 really didn’t make any sense to me until I saw it again.

But really I’m just excited that in 11 hours I can watch the new stuff?!

But first, before I forget, here’s my last thoughts on Season 5.

So remember how I was surprised at Season 1′s structure, that it folded up nicely down the middle with some pretty tidy symmetry?

None of the other seasons do that.

Instead, I remember particularly strongly how jarring the end of the Ghost Rider arc was in the middle of Season 4.  And then again when the (what I’m calling) Kasius arc also wrapped up mid-season.

I’m not sure when I read about it, but it probably was circa Ghost Rider, that they’d intentionally decided on what I’m pretty sure they called “pods” of episodes, these seasons-within-a-season sort of narratives.

Season 2 sort of kicks it off, what with the race to Terragenesis taking eps 1-10 and the Afterlife/splinter SHIELD stories filling 11-22.  Then Season 3 has the monolith/Maveth mystery to start, followed by Hive & the Inhumans for the second half.  S4 is super poddy, obviously branded as Ghost Rider/Agents of Hydra, and S5 also splits neatly into future!Lighthouse and present day!Lighthouse.

Two points to make on this:

Kasius is such a rockstar villain that I feel really bad for Hale/Ruby/Talbot.  They’re so apples and oranges but having the highlight come first allows for unfavorable comparisons to be made.  It’s like asking any well-to-do Kree to compare Xandarian snail to oops all berries.

Good thing they’d had all this practice writing complete stories in 12 eps, since I’m hoping Season 6 (and obvs Season 7) will still feel as fully formed as their longer antecedents.

Anyway, that first point is my major point for S5.

S3 already feels like the second half of S2, and its internal halves are the most similar to each other as any of the other “pods,” so it’s not like people have a reason to go around saying “I liked the first half of the season waaay better than the second.”

(although I might.  I might say that, actually.  but not because the halves were branded separately from one another)

And S4, though the two halves are barely identifiable as coming from the same show much less the same season, they’re both good.  Robbie Reyes is perfect.  The effort to incorporate new MCU topics/aesthetic from Doctor Strange is great.  Robots who just want to be a real girl is my JAM.  All the Framework cameos really make my day!  And then Robbie Reyes comes back all deus ex machina (ironic) and saves the day, and

it makes sense that he does because the function and nature of the Darkhold was well established in part 1 and

it’s GREAT that he does because he’s perfect and we miss him.

Then here comes S5.  I really really respect so much about the creative decisions that took the story where it went (ie, outside Papa MCU’s sphere of interference), and getting to reuse the same set in a different context while minimizing “on-location” shoots is just technical and financial genius, okay. 

But there’s so much about the first half, in the future, that compels me waaaaaaay more than the gritty anger of the second half. 

Kasius, WOW what a villain.  Dominic Rains, everyone.  I have nothing unkind to say about the performance, the character, anything.  Impeccable.  Spectacular.  Perfection.

The mystery of the season opener!  We had the tag scene where Coulson’s “in space” and plenty of time to ruminate on the how and why, especially with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 coming out right as S4 ended and Thor: Ragnarok literally sizzling in the theaters at the same time as this season started.  They answer the question by the end of the episode, but not before several characters come up with and pursue several different theories, and that’s fun.

What a way to capitalize on the Inhuman storyline your show’s been about for years now, without forcing Papa MCU to contend with all this good work you’ve been doing.  Just go somewhere he can’t reach you (the future), and then un-write all of it anyway.  V. tidy.  Extra style points will be awarded.

LEITMOTIFS.  If y’all’ve seen BSG, then you know Bear McCreary is a master of the art.  But this season has so many good themes, my friends.  The Daisy/Quake theme that’s been knocking around for a season is here in full force, and Sinara’s is the best bad guy theme you could have wanted, and dearest sweetest Flint has the best great guy theme you ever heard.

Just, while we’re here.  Sinara.  She says nothing for episodes (it feels like, I wasn’t counting) and her first line is a scornfully growled “compassion.”  Give it up for Florence Faivre !!!  She hardly has any lines but you always know exactly what she’s thinking and what she’s about.  Sinara and Kasius have the richest on-screen chemistry of anybody on any show from any era fight me on this I dare you.

Mack’s coming down from his second life in the Framework, and that suuuuucks that these folks never have a moment to rest before barreling into their next story.  But he gets to be a father to Flint!  And Yo-Yo gets to be a mother!!!  UGH why couldn’t they have brought Flint instead of Deke lololol oh well.

I think I know another reason why Lincoln seems overhyped to me.  That other Inhuman, Ben I think his name is?  He’s in like two episodes, serves a narrative purpose, and is disposed.  I know Lincoln’s in like 18 times as many episodes but they have the same exact overall impact on my brain-hole.  Imagine if it was Ben that came back with them instead of Deke.  That’s how I feel about Lincoln.  Like, how did this obviously disposable character make it this far?

Then you have Deke.  You love to hate him.  He’s a very well-fashioned character who is flawless in making you feel the way the showrunners want you to feel.  That’s the kind of character that gets killed off twice and still comes back, and it doesn’t surprise you.

So, Enoch.  Enoch is everyone’s favorite character, right?  Right.  Give me genderless robots with a soft spot for humanity ANY DAY.  PLEASE where are they I need them.  (I’m un-repressing memories of S6 and I feel like somehow I should be careful what I wish for)  Man I remember with 1000% clarity the absolute glee I felt sitting down for the opening montage of S5 the first time, how ballsy weird it was, just watching this freaky bald alien of a man go swimming with some fun electro pop number playing in the background.  100/10 please make more television like this

 More monoliths!!  The time one is so pretty!

(remember when there were more monoliths and no one knew where they came from or what they did but then it didn’t matter because they got instantly exploded?)

The low-key obvious answers to the season’s questions, what with the Inhumans running all over the shop, Quake there to tear everything down and Flint there to put the pieces back together I’m not crying you’re crying

Oh man, and Simmons getting to mentor not one but two Inhuman youths to be confident and trust in themselves and their powers.  What a ways from the fear-panic response to Daisy when she turned.

Also, yeah, it has to be said, this show’s blatant “you’re different and that’s okay” agenda sits very well with me.  Agents of SHIELD says LGBTQ+ rights!

So anyway, part 2 falls a little flat for me because its strength is its themes, but I’m not really compelled by the stakes and definitely not by the villains and not really even by the intra-team drama.

Obviously S2 touched on parenthood, but it was pretty specific.  S5 digs in and brings us a lot more on the topic.

Kasius desperately desires his father’s approval but very deeply despises the methods and the people who earn it.

Hale was indoctrinated by Hydra and was very earnest in wanting to uphold the values of the organization, until the organization (and Whitehall) shared with her their narrow appreciation of the gift of her loyalty.  Even then, she struggles to make sense of this loyalty, only realizing too late that being a good Hydra pawn and a good parent are categorically mutually exclusive.

Ruby, obviously, is like a mini-Kasius, the brave-faced rebel who wears her mother’s disappointment on her sleeve like a badge of honor to pretend that it isn’t crippling her.

The Von Strucker kid, boy is he messed up (and his Hydra dad had something to do with it)

((echos of Ward are still heard even this far after his demise, and we know what his father figures were like))

Poor Talbot, got some brain damage and some Hydra conditioning on top of that, cracked that noggin wide open.  He just wanted to do good by his family.  Just wanted his son to know he loves him.

Polly and Robin.  The daughter who needs constant special care because she’s stuck inside her own mind and the mother who’s been through hell and back and still manages to do her best.  Even when she knows she won’t always be there for her daughter.  Even when she knows she’ll be replaced.

May getting a glimpse at the life she and Andrew once talked about.  Getting a chance to do right by that little girl.

Mack recovering from getting that same glimpse, from the echoing memories of a life time spent with his greatest regret erased.  Being roped into being a thug and threatening that dad without knowing the meaning behind his threat -- being told that people like him don’t deserve the privilege of parenthood.  But then getting to know Flint, and having Yo-Yo at his side while they fast track this kid through all the things he’s gonna need to know in order to be the Big Damn Hero the world needs him to be.

The timey-wimey promise that FitzSimmons will one day be parents to a brilliant daughter who will unfortunately give birth to a Deke.

Coulson and Daisy.  Another parent placing enormous expectations on his daughter, desperate that she be ready for his responsibilities because his time is running out.  A daughter who mishandles these expectations and refuses to stop fighting a losing battle, not because she’s not ready to step up, but because she doesn’t want to face the fact that she’s losing the man who raised her.

Anyway, aside from all this good Theme work, part 2 wades perfunctorily through musty remnants of the previous season, from The Doctor to The Russian.  Which makes sense, because that season ended in a way that left so many loose threads -- but then this season comes along and summarily ties them up, all cute little bows, the lot of them.  Dusts its hands.  Nothing to see here.  Move along now.  Time’s up.

[make-it-mavis]

Fire Flower

Sequel to Sunflower

WiR fic (INTERNET AU) 3904 words Characters: Make-it Mavis, Red (friendly Turbo duplicate) Content warnings: Self-harm mention

Premise: Following their awkward encounter at the dance, Mavis bucks up the nerve to call Red and explain things, but ends up explaining more than she had planned to, and gives the boy just a shred of truth about her past.

_______________________________________

It had been three days since the dance.

Mavis had spent that time restless, looking for any idle distraction that still left enough room in her brain for her to come up with a reasonable excuse for her behavior. She crept around the social media district, wandered aimlessly in the towering Google fortress, and hunkered down in Buzzztube, puzzling over some of the things gamers and admins found entertaining, but sometimes still finding a good chuckle or two.

And the whole time, she did not receive a single call from Red, thankfully. His brothers texted her now and then, asking where she was, if she was okay, and saying how she should contact Red, because he was worried. As bad as that made her feel, she had to take her time until she was ready.

On that third night, she decided that she was about as ready as she was going to get. So she sat down on her hotel bed, sitting next to the lamp on her bedside table, the only light source in the room at the time. Holding her weird little rectangle ‘phone’ against her bent legs, she stared at her contact list, eyes locked on Red’s name (with a little sunflower ‘emoji’ next to it). Heart squirming in her chest, she took a deep breath and tapped the icon for a video call.

It started ringing. At first, all she saw was her own tired face, the yellow light of the lamp casting half her face in shadow. She stared into her own eyes, a warning to not screw this up, until her face shrunk into the corner, and she saw Turbo’s face -- well, a Turbo’s face. Red appeared to be sitting mostly in the dark himself, but she could tell he had a window open somewhere, because just enough sunlight glowed off-screen to illuminate his face. His eyes were bright against the darkness, and they were cautious, concerned, and… guilty, she noted unhappily.

For a minute, neither of them spoke. It seemed that they had frozen up at the sight of each other.

Mavis managed to speak first. “Hey, Red,” she said quietly.

The corner of his mouth twitched. “Mavis,” he muttered. “Hi.”

“Uh…”

“So…”

“I’m…”

They paused.

Mavis sighed, willing to get it over with. “Red, listen. About the other night, I’m… really sorry. And I can explain--”

“No,” Red interrupted gently. “No, don’t do that. Don’t apologize. I’m the one who should be sorry, and I am. I really am. I should have asked you first. I don’t blame you for running off.”

“Well, I don’t blame you for trying,” she objected sadly. “It’s not like I tried to stop you. I should’ve said something, I just, I dunno, I just got--”

He said along with her, “--caught up in the moment.”

That threw her off track, and she stared at him. He was smiling kind of ruefully. “I guess we both oughtta take care not to lose our heads, huh?”

She chuckled, just once. “My head’s been gone for years.”

“Really?” he smiled. “Then whose beautiful face am I looking at?”

That threw her even further off track. Her insides protested at the tiny hint of adrenaline. He was just too sweet. So much so, that he was almost intimidating to talk to. Mavis had never been known for handling sweetness gracefully, but she wanted to try.

At her pause, Red’s smile faded, and he combed a hand back through his hair. “Gnah,” he grunted. “Sorry. You’re not interested. I’ll back off now, I promise.”

Perfect, she thought, this is perfect. You can let him down easy, and then the friendship can turn awkward and fizzle, and that will be the cleanest way out you could possibly ask for. This is perfect.

On impulse, she said, “That’s not it.”

Dammit, Mavis.

Red perked up a bit, his eyes cautiously hopeful. “...Really? So-- so you mean…?”

Ignoring the voice of reason in her head, she avoided his gaze and told him what was technically not a lie.

“It’s just that I… Well, I haven’t told you this before, but… I’ve got some, uh, baggage when it comes to these things.”

Red was silent for a moment, in thought. Just then, he looked horrified. “Oh, no,” he breathed, “Did I trigger something awful?”

“Uh,” she shifted, feeling put on the spot. “I-- I guess you could call it that. Yeah. But it’s not so much that you tried to kiss me, it’s that, um… I kinda… haven’t wanted that kind of thing in a long time. I didn’t think I could anymore, and, um…”

Mavis held her words for just a moment, debating what to reveal. She wanted him to know the truth, but the truth was too much. But if she spoke just right, she did not have to lie to him at all. 

Red just listened, his horrified face slipping slowly into soft sympathy, almost like he knew what he was hearing.

“My… last relationship,” she forced out, “ended… really badly. And I, uh, never wanted to even give myself a chance to go through that again. So, when I almost let you, uh… I just saw this… inevitable pain. And I panicked.”

Red’s glowing eyes fell downcast, and she saw the ghost of a sad smile. “I’m sorry. That’s an awful thing to go through. I’ve been through it myself.”

She tilted her head. 

Seeing her expectant look, he explained, “Uh… well, listen… I used to date a lot. Often casually, nothing too serious. Not that I was exactly afraid of commitment, I just… I’ve always had a lot of love to give, y’know? And everything always seemed to end just fine. ‘Til I met the first person I wanted a serious relationship with. And we had one, for a couple years. I really did love that guy. He was--” he breathed a short laugh, “--he was pretty great. But… then…”

His smile disappeared, and his eyes suddenly seemed so distant, and Mavis thought to herself, there it is. Right in front of her was a glimpse into the pain she knew he had been hiding. She listened intently, motionless.

Until the fog in Red’s eyes cleared, and he smiled at her again. “Well, anyway… Point is, you’re the first person I’ve had any interest in since that relationship. You’re the first in… almost five years, by now.”

Mavis blinked, unsure whether to be flattered or guilty. Probably a bit of both. “...Huh.”

His smile grew, and that adoration showed in his eyes again. “There’s just somethin’ about you. You just-- You… wandered in from another world, and you… got this spark that just-- it makes me feel so…”

“Alive?” she suggested.

Red looked a little surprised for a second, but then he grinned just enough to show his teeth. “Yeah,” he breathed. “Exactly.”

Mavis could not fight a genuine smile. “Yeah, well. Right back at’cha, Sunflower.”

A small glow shone through the hot, black ache in Mavis’ heart, but it was not enough. It was all sweet, and in another life, it could have made her very happy. But for this one, it was just too late.

After a heartfelt pause, Mavis’ smile disappeared, and she spoke mournfully. “But, Red… you know that fire and flowers don’t mix.”

“What…?” he asked. “What about fire flowers? Just ask Mario.”

She might have smiled at that, if she felt better. “Don’t step on my analogies,” she told him.

“Sorry.”

“But seriously, Red,” she insisted, “you shouldn’t like me.”

“I don’t think that’s true,” he said, “and I can’t really help it.”

“You don’t even know me.”

“I like what I know,” he told her. “I’d like to know more.”

“No,” she shook her head, “no, you really wouldn’t. It’s too much. You deserve better than me. That’s not self-loathing, that’s fact.”

“I deserve better than you?” he asked incredulously. “Are you kidding? Y’know what scares me about liking you? The fact that you deserve better than me!”

Mavis froze. “What? Seriously? How could you possibly think that?”

Red turned his gaze away from the screen, looking like he had backed himself into a corner. He was silent for a minute, only managing to utter, “I… just…”

Mavis took a deep breath. She could feel her insides quivering with emotion. Red could not be allowed to think that he was beneath her. He had to understand just what sort of rotting garbage he would be stepping down into if he messed around with her. She could hardly hold it in.

“No,” she began, her voice shaking. “No, you don’t understand. I don’t deserve someone like you -- I’ve never deserved someone like you, and you know why? I hurt people like you. I hurt everybody. That’s what I do. I hurt, and I steal, and I lie. That’s been my entire life. Thirty-seven years of hurting, stealing, and lying. You can’t even begin to imagine what I’ve done. If you get too close to me, I could take your heart in my hands and crush it into mush, do you understand that? I will hurt you, I will take what I want from you, and I will lie to you! And I don’t want--”

A lump in her throat choked her, and she trembled with the effort of suppressing the surprise flood of tears waiting behind her eyes. “I don’t-- want-- to do that!”

Before Red could respond, she threw the phone to the middle of the bed and tossed some of the blanket over it. Frustrated and sort of disgusted by her own emotions, she leaned back against the pillows and turned her face to the ceiling, gritting her teeth and pushing the heels of her palms against her forehead. The whole situation felt even more overwhelming than ever. She had sworn to herself over and over again that she would not let anything romantic take root. It would have been the worst thing she could possibly do. But then he tried to kiss her, and he confessed his feelings, and she sort of, maybe, confessed hers. Like an idiot. 

All this time, she had her guard up. But she had been guarding against the wrong things. She knew that him being a Turbo might have made her weak to developing some level of feelings for him. She never expected to develop feelings for him because he was Red.

That just made things a thousand times more complicated.

From under the blanket, she heard, “Uh… Mavis? Hello? You okay?”

She sighed. “I’m fine.”

He was quiet for a second. “Mavis… you really think you’re a horrible person, huh? I mean, I know we’ve talked about before, but… that really is a problem for you, isn’t it?”

“I am a horrible person,” she corrected him. “By conventional standards. I’m nothing that a sweet ray of sunshine like you oughtta be messing around with.”

There was one small, modest scoff. “I’m no ray of sunshine.”

“You’re the nicest person I’ve ever met,” she told him plainly. “And I’ve lived nearly four times as long as you.”

“Wow, um,” he breathed, “thank you for saying that. It means a lot.”

She shrugged. “It’s just true.”

“But I’m not sunshine,” he told her. “I’d rather be called ‘Sunflower.’ Sunshine is always clean and perfect. I love flowers, but they are dirty. Hell, they grow out of dirt. They’re full of bugs. That’s a bit more like me. I’m not perfect, Mav. You only think I am because you don’t know the dirt yet.”

Mavis was absolutely burning with curiosity, but she left it. It was not the time to press him on it. “Okay, maybe not perfect. But you’re a good person. You oughtta be interested in good people.”

“Mav, I think I’ve told you this before, but it bears repeating. I don’t believe anyone’s innately good or bad. You think I’m good because that’s how I decided I want to be. Anyone can decide to do better. No matter how horrible they think they are. It’s never too late to start.”

That spiel was familiar. It was one she had mulled over several times already, leading to imaginings of what her new life could be like if she changed the set of rules she lived by. But always, it seemed impossible. He said it was never too late, but it sure felt that way. 

Murderers did not suddenly become good people by smiling at strangers more.

“Ain’t enough good deeds in the world to tip my scales,” she said tiredly. “Honestly, it’s never bothered me before, and the only reason it bothers me now is ‘cause I--” she sighed. “‘Cause I know I’m just gonna hurt you. And lie to you. I actually give a shit about you, and I’m not used to that anymore. But I don’t think anyone can change enough to undo decades of bad.”

“Well… you don’t have to.”

“What?”

“Leave the past alone. All that matters is right now, and the future. And right now, and moving on, you can make choices you feel good about. Like, you don’t want to lie to me? Then don’t. Choose to be honest. Only you can make that decision for yourself.”

Mavis hugged her knees tightly. “...You want me to tell you the truth about something?”

“It’s not about me. Is there something you want to tell me?”

“What if I…” she spoke slowly, her heart pounding, “...told you that I’ve lied to you already? To hide ugly things?”

He paused. “Well… it’s not like we’ve known each other that long. It would be fair of you to not feel ready to share with a stranger.”

“We’re not strangers anymore.”

“That’s true.”

There was a pregnant pause as Mavis wrestled with herself. She felt steam swirling in her brain. Honesty was so dangerous. It could ruin absolutely everything, and traumatize the poor boy, and even herself. But the lies were growing heavy, and she was weary. If only she could have shed some weight, even just a bit… She searched and searched inside herself for something she could bear to reveal. Some honesty that still functioned in a carefully cut fragment.

She found it. It was risky, but she found it.

“Okay,” she said to him, feeling her heartbeat in her throat. “Do you want to know the truth about something?”

“Only if you’re ready.”

“I am.”

Mavis reached over the bed to uncover the phone and pick it up. She settled back in by the lamp, and looked at Red’s attentive, but tired face. After a pause, she showed him her left hand, specifically her stump of a ring finger. 

“My finger was not amputated due to an incurable viral infection.”

She began running a finger down her rows of neat scars that ran sparse on her fingers, closer on her hand, and crowded down her forearm. “These were not self-inflicted,” she told him, before pointing to the scar on her cheek. “This one was.”

Red just watched, listening with a growing look of concern. She could see the questions piling up behind his eyes.

“What, uh… actually happened to my arm…” she told him slowly, “was… well, back in my arcade, there was this game called Hero’s Duty.”

“Okay.”

“And this game had-- It’s main enemy was this huge, mechanical bug thing. And there were thousands of them at a time, ‘cause they were constantly laying eggs, and, uh… Well, point being, around seven-ish years ago, someone accidentally brought one of those bugs into my game, and they multiplied, and multiplied, and just-- just ate everything.”

She could feel her heart beating faster and faster as the story went on. It was harder to recount than she thought.

“And-- and just before a beacon was put up to draw them away, well…” she looked at her striped arm. “One of ‘em kinda… bit me.”

Red waited. “Bit you?”

“Yeah,” she nodded. “Yeah. All this is one bite. Inside their mouths was nothin’ but rows n’ rows of spinning saw blades. So, you see here…” she pointed out a set of thicker, angrier scars just past her elbow. “Teeth.”

She swept her finger down the rest of the scars. “Saw blades.”

And she pointed to her stump finger. “Casualty.”

Red seemed at a loss for words. He just stared at the scars he could see, his eyes far away as he obviously pictured the attack. “God,” he breathed, “I’m so sorry you went through that. That’s horrifying.”

“Yeah, it was pretty wicked,” she mumbled. “I’m sorry I lied to you. I lie to everyone who asks. Normally I love a gory story, but, ah, this one’s a bit hard to talk about. That was… not a good day.”

“No kidding,” he said gently. “I don’t blame you for not wanting to tell me. That’s gotta be a tough thing to remember.”

“Yep.”

His expression softened. “But… thank you for telling me. Seriously.”

Mavis scoffed the tiniest bit, her heart beat slowly beginning to calm down. “Ch’yeah. Almost like I trust you, or somethin’. Think a’ that.”

He smiled. “That makes me happy. I trust you, too.”

“Does that mean you’re gonna tell me some painful truth about your dark past, too?” she asked with a smirk.

Red’s brows raised. “Uh-- Well, I--”

She laughed, and it came out easy. “I’m kidding. Whatever. We’ve heard enough tragedy tonight, right?”

“Uh,” he chuckled nervously, “sure. Listen, I… I will tell you, someday. Just not yet. I don’t think I’m ready. Not-- not that I don’t trust you or anything, no, it’s just, um…” his gaze fell for a moment, “it really is tough to talk about.”

“Hey, it’s cool,” Mavis said quietly. “You know I get it. Whenever you’re ready, right?”

He smiled warmly, sighing through his nose. “Exactly.”

For a minute, they just looked at each other. Mavis was admittedly not sure what to say. She had already said a whole damn lot.

“So…” Red said carefully, “how do you feel? After getting all that out?”

Mavis considered that. She was shivering, and her heart still burned behind her ribs, but even though all she wanted to do was pace briskly around the room to burn off the adrenaline, she really did feel like some weight was taken off the massive load on her shoulders. She was not free of the mountains of secrets she had to keep, but she was more free in that moment than she had been ten minutes prior. It was a good feeling. 

And, whether it was a good thing or not, she felt a bit closer to Red.

“I feel… lighter,” she told him.

“Yeah,” he sighed, almost in relief. “Feels good to get stuff off your chest.”

“Feels better when the memory’s less of a bitch to touch upon,” she smiled awkwardly.

His face perked up with concern. “Oh no,” he said sadly, “I’m sorry. You gonna be okay over there?”

“Yeah, yeah,” she waved him off. “I’m like, a billion years old. I’ve done this song and dance before. I’ll be fine.”

“If you say so,” he relaxed on the outside, but she was not so sure about the inside. “But you’re gonna take care of yourself, right? Order a sundae and watch videos of cars slipping on ice-- or-- what have you been watching lately?”

“No, yeah, I’m still into that.”

Red chuckled.

She added with a smirk, “And I was gonna do all that anyway, for your information.”

“Good. Sounds like a good night.”

They fell quiet. She looked at him there, all alone in the dark, probably super warm, probably smelled really good, as usual-- Ahem, she thought, mentally clearing her throat and getting back on track. She wanted to keep talking, but felt like she ran out of things to say. He seemed to be in the same boat. But neither of them made any move to hang up, either. Eventually, Red was the one to break the silence in a low, sincere voice.

“Wish I was there with you.”

Mavis felt her brain stutter. “Um… yeah, I, uh, kinda do, too.”

“Really?” he asked. “‘Cause I can be there in--”

“Not-- not tonight, though. But we should hang out again soon. I’ve had enough of this weird hiatus we’re on.”

He grinned. “Amen to that.”

“Tomorrow?” she proposed. “We haven’t toured obscure Tumblr tags in a while. Probably new stuff up.”

“That-- Yeah, that sounds great. I can’t wait.”

“Meet outside the site at midnight?”

“Uh,” he squinted. “I dunno if I can make midnight. Our admin’s been putting a lot of notes in Google Docs, so I think we’re in for a history paper tomorrow night. Three in the morning is usually their cut off, but I can give you a call if they turn off the computer sooner. That sound okay?”

“Sure,” she shrugged. “I got nowhere to be.”

“Awesome,” he grinned, and paused. “Okay. Yes. Great.”

Mavis smirked. “You excited?”

“To see you?” he laughed a bit. “Now, why would I be excited about that?”

“I bet I could guess,” Mavis snickered. “Lookin’ forward to seein’ you too.”

“Good!”

“Good.”

“Okay.”

“Okay!”

“Um--” Red stammered through a smile, “So, if you say you’re okay, I’m gonna go, ‘cause, ah, I think the bros wanted to go for a run--”

“S’all good,” Mavis interrupted. “Go, go do your nerdy exercise.”

“Okay, Mav. Um-- look-- thank you for calling me. I was getting kinda worried.”

“Yeah, of course.”

“And, and thank you for being so open and honest with me. I really, really appreciate that.”

Mavis felt a small dart pierce her chest. “And thank you for listening,” she said, smiling uneasily.

“Any time,” he said. “Any time at all.”

She just held her smile as long as she could.

“Okay, I’m gonna go,” he said, sitting all the way up. “I’ll see you tomorrow, yeah?”

“Yeah,” she nodded. “And a bunch of times after that.”

“Can’t wait,” he grinned, combing a hand through his hair. “Okay, I’m gonna let you go. Goodnight, Mav -- take care of yourself, okay?”

“Yeah, okay. G’night, Red,” she paused for just a second. “Oh, and Red?”

He perked up. “Yeah?”

“How ‘bout…” she squinted through a sheepish smile. “Maybe next time… You let me make the first move. Yeah?”

Red’s eyes seemed to cloud over in this eager, love-struck sort of way at that. She had to think he got caught up in the images that request produced. Although he looked almost unbearably cute, her heart was already pounding from what a stupid decision it was to say that.

“‘Next time’, huh?” he asked dreamily. “You got it.”

“Cool,” she breathed. “Okay. Alright. G’night, for real, Sunflower.”

“See you soon, Superstar.”

She hung up.

For a few minutes, she merely stared at the black screen, glaring daggers at her own reflection. Dammit, dammit, dammit Mavis, she thought, thirty-seven years and you’re still the most monumental dumbass that’s ever lived.

“Ugh,” she groaned, tossing the phone into a nearby chair and flopping to mash her face into a pillow. It was definitely time to order that stupid sundae, even if she definitely did not deserve it. That usually made food taste better, anyway, in her experience.

At the very least, the ball was in her court now.

But knowing her luck, she would just fall in love with it.

[vagrantblvrd]

(not!)Fic prompt: FAHC!Michael has seen *some important person from pre-criminal days* in LS and, even more unfortunately, they saw him and were glad to reconnect. How's the electrician business these days?

Wherein the important person is his BFF he met when they were kids.

This Kerry kid. (Because I love the early AH videos with him in them.)

He was smaller than Michael and quiet enough that bullies zeroed in on him every damn time. And Michael learned early on he had no fucking tolerance for those kind of assholes.

It wasn’t like Kerry couldn’t take care of himself just fine on his own. Could come up with these wonderful little schemes that had the bullies landing themselves in trouble, but that wouldn’t stop the assholes from picking on him in the moment. (Didn’t stop them from stealing his lunch money or shoving him down when they were little, getting meaner the older they got and realized Kerry was A Problem to them.)

And Michael, okay.

He’s got a great scowl, a better glare, and an amazing right hook.

Taught the bullies that sure, Kerry was trouble on his own. Would find a way to make them sorry sooner or later, but Michael? Bet your ass he’d make you sorry right fucking now if he caught them hassling Kerry.

It was always this joke between them, because Kerry wasn’t helpless, twisty little mind aside. Took some martial arts lessons once, got real interested in parkour after seeing some videos or whatever.

Michael knows he can take care of himself, so it turns into this joke that Michael’s his White Knight and all that, and it’s great. (Embarrassing at times when their other friends lay it on thick, but whatever.)

But then they get older and Michael starts getting involved in sketchy shit. Starts out with this job working for a friend of the family who happens to be an electrician. Does a lot of shit that – technically speaking – he shouldn’t because he doesn’t have the right certifications/whatevers for it, but his boss and coworkers teach him on the side.

Gets paid under the table because it’s a favor, right?

But then his boss asks him for another favor, running messages and making side deliveries and it doesn’t take a genius to figure out what’s going on after a while.

Still, the money’s good and he keeps his mouth shut.

But Kerry’s getting curious/suspicious because Michael starts to shut him out. Doesn’t want Kerry getting involved because Kerry’s one of those people who’s Going Somewhere, okay? Michael can tell.

He’s got a talent for writing. Wants to work in film or television, maybe both one day.

Michael gets sucked deeper into things of questionable legality and pushes Kerry away at the same time until he gets caught up in something big. No chance to back out because he knows too much and there are ~subtle threats made against his family if he tries to go to the cops, so he goes along with it and it’s the most terrifying thing he’s ever been involved in.

(He doesn’t kill anyone – not then, but he sees the aftermath of what the assholes he’s tangled up with have done and knows he’s fucked his life up but good this time.

Works with that gang – he’s in a fucking gang - until some rival gang comes through and kills the lot of them. Just miss him because he was out running an errand or leaving a message for someone and came back to fine the place up in flame.

And then he fucking runs for it.

Makes up some bullshit reason for his family – and runs. Takes what money has has saved up, raids a few stashes/caches his gang had around town and gets the hell out.

Bounces around from gang to gang, crew to crew until he hits Los Santos and the Fakes eventually pick him up.

He’s more cynical, jaded now. Done a  lot of shit he never thought he would – could – do and worse, and at first he thinks the Fakes are going to be more of the same. (They’ve got the goddamned Vagabond with them, of fucking course they’re going to be more of the same, if not worse.)

But then there’s Jack, and Jeremy. Gavin when he comes back from a job for Burnie, favor for an old friend. Lindsay and Trevor and Matt. The rest of B-Team and Alfredo just showing up one day. All these idiots that make him realize they’re different from everything he’s used to.

Stops expecting the worst from them – notices how careful they are about things when it comes to him. Not coddling him, but careful, like they give a fuck about him as anything other than an attack dog or weapon to point at their enemies.

Sees the way the damn Vagabond is so at ease with them, this guy he’s heard stories about for fucking ever who will bicker good-naturedly with everyone, let Gavin pull him into the stupidest arguments. Get excited about the dumbest shit with Jeremy. (Fucking calls them the Battle Buddies, what the fuck???)

And then!

He’s casing an art gallery for a future heist when he bumps into this guy.

Short, mouse-quiet, and so polite -

“Michael?”

His heart fucking stops in his chest for a moment because it’s fucking Kerry.

This little idiot who used to give Michael shit just because, sly little smile and glint in his eyes and that dumb laugh of his.

Best friend since they were little, and what are the fucking odds???

But Michael can’t make a scene, come off as suspicious when the crew’s been planning this heist for ages and if he blows it they’re not going to be happy.

So he plays the game, right.

Doesn’t have to pretend to be shocked to see Kerry because he is, but everything after that is an outright lie of not heavily edited.

Tells him he’s got his life together now (he does), has a great job (he does), and good friends and the whatnot out here. (He does, even if they’re all assholes.)

Kerry gets this wistful little smile because he’s honestly glad for Michael, but the whole Michael being an asshole to him and his family for their own fucking good way back when.

Tells Michael he’s in Los Santos to meet with studio executives and the whatnot about some scripts he’s been shopping around, isn’t that great, Michael???

It so totally is, but Michael is kind of panicking because Kerry’s also telling him he’s been looking for a place to live in Los Santos because he can’t keep flying back and forth the way he’s been.

Because wow, all of the lies Michael’s just given to Kerry will unravel the next time the Fakes make the news and Michael’s old mugshot hits the screen. (Surveillance videos and the whatnot as well. Whatever footage the have of him from the latest clusterfuck of a heist.)

Is trying to find a way out of the conversation when one of the others calls him to ask how it’s going and he uses it to escape.

Thinks that’s the end of things with Kerry, that he’s going to find out about Michael’s shitty lying ass on the news like everyone else, but then!

They keep running into one another and Kerry guilts Michael into meeting him for lunch one day and Michael can’t weasel his way out of no matter how he tries.

Dresses ~incognito with a hoodie and big stupid sunglasses he borrowed off Gavin. (Not the gold-framed monstrosities he’s so fond of but something almost as terrible and ungodly expensive.)

Pretty obvious he’s trying NOT to be noticed, and Kerry invited him to the kind of place various movie stars and the whatnot go to sometimes, paparazzi lurking outside like vultures hoping to catch a glimpse of some of them.

Michael gets looks, everyone trying to figure out if they know him from something – he looks familiar, don’t you think? - when he pull the hood down and takes the sunglasses off because the lighting inside is too dim to keep them on.

Kerry keeps shooting him these little looks but he doesn’t ask about it and Michael doesn’t offer any explanations.

They have a lovely lunch wherein Michael realizes Kerry knows more about what happened with Michael than he expected, but before he can ask Kerry what the fuck he thinks he’s doing his phone rings.

It’s some minor crew crisis they need his help with, and he makes his escape yet again.

REALLY doesn’t expect to see Kerry again after that, but a week or so later Gavin and Jeremy go out to grab this super specific car they need for the heist.

Problem is, the driver refuses to budge (and also name drops Michael). Bewildered and slightly alarmed by this turn of events they bring the guy back to the warehouse/wherever the crew is working out of at the time and -

“Hey, Michael!”

It’s Kerry.

It’s fucking Kerry.

Kerry who seems completely unfazed by being abducted (carjacked???) by the Fakes or seeing Michael (voluntarily) working with them.

“Uh, yeah,” Jeremy says, all awkward like. “There was a situation???”

Everyone looks at Michael who is just OH SHIT and having flashbacks t the times when he worked with assholes who threatened his family and loved ones. Threatened Kerry, this idiot who’s one of the stupidest smart people he knows. (Michael knows a lot of people like that really. Just look at his crew for God’s sake.)

“So anyway,” Kerry says, after introducing himself to the others. “We were interrupted at lunch the other day? I didn’t get to tell you about this script I’ve been working on for years now.”

Since high school even, and the moment he starts talking everyone else is like OH SHIT because look, okay.

Kerry script is about these two dumb kids who were BFFs until one of them got into trouble – got in over their head.

And this idiot, okay, this idiot thought the only thing he could do to protect his family and loved ones was to push them away even as he got deeper and deeper into trouble.

Michael’s told the crew enough about his past to realize Kerry is nowhere in the neighborhood of being subtle about this, is in fact really fucking mad, so they clear the hell out to let Michael handle things.

Michael watches the cowards run (doesn’t blame them, but fucking hell they could have taken him too, okay) and then looks back at Kerry who’s run out of steam.

Got to the bit where the friend left behind starts to piece things together just as they graduate from college. Thanks to the passage of time and whatnot he’s got the right perspective to look back and realize something Wasn’t Right with his BFF. That he’s been looking for answers for a long fucking time, managed to alienate people who thought Michael just turned into an asshole, showed his true colors at last. Finally got a solid lead, and wouldn’t you know it, his career path after college leads him right where he needs to be. Gives him the perfect cover – everyone knows Los Santos is crime-ridden, that people like him are looking for that next big script studios will fight over. Love a good crime-suspense-whatever thriller, so him poking into things won’t seem too out of character or draw too much suspicion.

“I, uh. Haven’t figured out the ending?” Kerry says, because it all depends on Michael who is just -

“What.”

Kerry acts like he has no idea what Michael’s on about and rambles about changing names and locations, fudging some details but everyone who knows them even a little bit will know it’s about them.

“You fucking idiot,” Michael says, because Kerry -

He’s not horrified at what Michael’s become, or maybe he’s ignoring the ugly parts – maybe he he just doesn’t know.

Whichever it is, he shouldn’t be here. Shouldn’t have tried to look for Michael (because look at him and tries to get him to leave, scare him off but Kerry knows him too well. Trusts that Michael would never knowingly hurt him (when he’s not being a complete idiot) and that he sure as  won’t kill him.

“Yeah, so,” Kerry says, and squints up at Michael. “What do you think about it?”

Michael thinks Kerry’s a goddamned idiot, and he tries to convince him to leave, forget he ever saw Michael -

“Uh, that’s not going to work?”

Because word got back to some studio heads that Kerry was seen with this guy who bears an uncanny resemblance to Mogar, and does Kerry know if he’d be interested in this move about the Fakes? (They’ve searched everywhere but no one comes close to the kind for the kind of presence they want, and people say that guy had it, you know? They’re willing to offer Kerry a job working on the script or whatever if he can.)

“What.”

Kerry just laughs because yeah, no, he shut that down real fast, but!

He did get an offer to work on a script for a made for TV movie about the Fakes (WHAT) and did Michael know there are other projects about them in the works? Amazing, really.

Michael has no idea what’s going on anymore, and that’s when the others come back and Kerry tells them all about the various film and tv projects about them and they’re all weirdly interested.

Fucking Ryan perks up because hey, theater background and does Kerry know when the casting calls for these projects go out???

It devolves into the weirdest fucking day of Michael’s life – which, you know, is saying a lot since he got suckered into joining the Fakes – and Kerry totally laughing at him.

(Michael doesn’t miss the way the tension Kerry’s been holding the whole damn time starts to ease up as he gets to know the others, realizes there’s a reason Michael’s been with them as long as he has. One that doesn’t have a damn thing about being scared of them or for his family and loved ones being used against him by them.)

Eventually he manages to convince Kerry to go back to his hotel under the promise of meeting with him again. (As long as Kerry keeps his trap shut about the heist and so forth, which he does.)

When the heist is over Michael goes to meet with Kerry, has lunch at some posh little cafe and this time he notices the attention they get.

Since the initial reunion months back Kerry’s gotten something of a name around town. Has a show in the works and studios are fighting over that script of his – this shit-eating smirk on his face when he tells Michael about it. (Also tells him if he wants to know how it ends he might be able to get him into an early screening before it comes out??? >:DDDDDDDD)

Michael is so Annoyed at Kerry, but the little idiot’s successful the way he knew he would be and try as Michael does, he can’t stop him from popping up around the penthouse or wherever else the crew is hanging out.

Proves to Michael he knows damn well “what Michael’s become” and doesn’t give a damn about any of it because he’s still Michael, isn’t he.

Is so fucking sorry he wasn’t there to help when Michael needed him the way Michael was always there for him before, but he wants to make up for it now if Michael will let him.

Michael’s like NO, but Kerry’s insistent and hard to say no to and eventually he just gives up trying to keep him out of shit because Kerry’s just not having it this time around.

Gets to know the others and may or may not pull strings to get Ryan a role on his show – recurring – or an audition for one of the Fake AH crew projects.

Ironically, the casting director and whoever else don’t think he has that je ne sais quoi the Vagabond has? But he’s perfect for the role of Beardo or the Golden Boy depending on the projects. Either way he’ll have to cut his hair for the part(s) if he signs on.

Everyone loses it over that, and the whole Team Same Voice thing gets way out of control for a while, because idiots.

Kerry is for how realistic/dark and gritty his scripts and the whatnot are and never ever lets on that’s because they’re all based on stories the crew tells him.

And then!

When the main idiots decide to retire, let B-Team take up the mantle from them, Kerry ends up working on this documentary project about the Fakes. Funded by the Fakes themselves through a shell company or whatever and all the segments of interviews where the interviewees fae is blurred out and voice is modulated to hide their identity?

The actual Fakes, from the main six on down to B-Team, and it’s like those moments in reality shows where the cast tears into one another like they think no one’s going to find out what they said.

It’s glorious and chaotic and gets mixed reviews because people think Kerry made everything up – that it’s an experiment, and is just a bunch of paid actors going off-script or working with a terrible one?Kerry and the Fakes are freaking dying over all of it because it’s basically a confession to every fucking crime they ever pulled in Los Santos and half the world thinks it’s a joke.

And then, idk, shenanigans?

Someone realizing years and years after the fact that that one mystery actor who was seen with Kerry was actually the real Mogar. That Kerry had close ties with the Fakes for years and the “actors” in that documentary of his was actually the whole fucking crew pulling one last joke on the world.

Meanwhile, everyone’s living up on some tropical island they bought years ago and safe from the cops of FIB or whoever.

~ The End ~

[kewltie]

Kasumi's Saturday is unusually quiet and void of Papa this week. It's an incredibly rare thing for her especially when she is used to spending her Saturday's night with Papa, cuddling up to him in front of their TV as they flip between nature shows for Kasumi and the evening news for Papa so he can get a glimpse of Daddy again.

Now though, Papa doesn't have to look for Daddy on their TV or in the news anymore because Daddy won't leave them alone. Ugh. He would visit their apartment two to three times a week, sometimes five times even, like he doesn't have an entire country to run and other people to harass. But, she grits her teeth, thinking how Papa looks much brighter and happier these days because Daddy's here and is part of their life now even if Kasumi had never given him any permission for it in the first place.

He even had the nerve to want to take Papa out on dates! Kasumi initially rejected the idea, because like she’s going to let Daddy spend any time with her Papa, but Papa had looked so hopeful that she reluctantly agreed to it, letting them go on dates under her careful watchful eyes.

Technically, tonight will be their fifth date so far but it's their first real date they'll have all to themselves because this time Kasumi won't be their third wheel.

Papa was hesitance at first about it but Kasumi had waved his worries off because she's old enough to be left alone without him for one night. And also, because Daddy, trying to curry favor with Kasumi had given her twenty thousand yen to order any fancy takeout dinner that she could ever want. Kasumi may be stubborn but she knows an opportunity when she sees it. She is definitely not going to use all of the money just for dinner because that's dumb and wasteful but maybe an upper limit a thousand yen for her favorite food and the rest she'll put in her piggy bank, the savings would eventually go toward Papa's Christmas present.

And Taro, one of Daddy's people, has the special privilege to be her babysitter for the night but she's not stupid to think he's the only one. Since Daddy had first forced his way into their peaceful life, there are always more than two people watching over Kasumi closely at any time like they're afraid she's going to be kidnapped or something if they’re not looking. Well, she isn't the boss of the lower grades at her school just for show and her pretty face!

But she humors the adults anyway and pretends she doesn't know of the group of people from the palace standing guard outside her apartment, while she slowly grinds Taro's professionalism down and quickly have him bribe her with food so he can finally watch his dumb dance competition show. Kasumi forgoes her animal shows for the night in lieu of the snacks and treats that Taro had bought for her from the convenient store down the block. She didn't even have to use Daddy's money for it so now she can save even more for Papa's gift later and Papa may be mad that's she spoiling her dinner with junk foods tonight but sometimes a little indulgence is okay, right? Kasumi deserves it after all for putting up with Daddy’s horrible attempt at trying to woo her and Papa.

So with a pile of snacks on the table in front of her and her TV tunes into the most mediocre dance competition there ever was, where the audience's votes had already narrowed the contestants down to the top 10 spots and Kasumi, who put more effort into watching the mating habits of frogs honestly, tries not to look too bored.

"Papa used to dance like that," Kasumi says idly, her hand rummaging around the bag of chips in her lap. The girl on her TV screen bends and twists to the beat of the music in a way that is eerily familiar to her, reminding her of Papa's past employment as the girl tries to wow the judge’s panel.

Taro makes a vague noise of acknowledgment next to her even as his eyes are glued on the screen the entire time.

"—but on a pole and for money," she finishes, and pops a chip into her mouth.

"What?!" Taro makes a choked up noise and his eyes finally break free from the TV to stares at her with abject horror. "Um, Kasumi-chan, I don't think that's something you should easily share with people like that." His eyes dart around the apartment like he's afraid someone else is listening in on them.

Kasumi abruptly casts her chip to the side and pushes up on the couch, feet planted on the seat cushion so it gives her height as she glares down at Taro with the full force of her rage. "And why is that?" she demands, hands on her hips and lips thinning out in one unhappy line. Taro should be careful of his next few words because she's about to demote him from the second favorite to her least favorite guard very soon.

Taro’s face goes red and he looks down at his hands like it's suddenly the most interesting in the world. "It's not a, well, a kind of job you want to brag to people," he carefully explains like she’s dumb and wouldn’t get it, "and-and if the media ever caught wind of his, uh, past employment then Midoriya-san will never survive the public execution since he's dating the emperor."

Her eyes narrow her eyes and the ugly feelings that always stirred in defense of her Papa claw its way into Kasumi's chest, digging its nails into her heart. "So what if Papa used danced on a pole for money. He’d worked very hard for it and never complains about it once," she yells, unable to contain her voice anymore. She hates how screechy her voice gets when she is so riled up like this but the thought of anyone dare to put down her Papa’s hard work inflames her like nothing else. "And he did it for me, he did it all for me so I can have a roof over my head, food on my table, and pretty dresses to wear! Papa did his very best to keep us from starving so why is that wrong?!”

Taro’s eyes go hauntingly wide as he scoots away from Kasumi like he’s afraid she’s going to snap off his head at any second and she probably would have too.

Unfortunately, this isn't Kasumi's first fight about this or will it be likely her last. She remembers the time when the other parents had found out what Papa did nightly while Kasumi slept on and how they had looked at her with pitiful eyes and warned their children about her. Kasumi hadn't cared about it one bit because they had meant nothing to her anyway but when Papa had learned how the other kids had avoided her and her one too many fights that landed her in the principal’s office was started because of him, he quitted his job.

Papa had gently held her hands as he apologized profusely to Kasumi for troubling her with his job and for making her life’s harder. He was embarrassed for her sake as though the pole dancing hadn’t allow him to put only four nights per week and still earned him enough money to spend more time with her was something to be ashamed of, which made Kasumi very angry because his current job made far less despite working six days a week but it was better than his old one because it was 'respectable', whatever that even means. She doesn’t care if people whisper behind her back, talking about how she’s such a daddy’s little girl and is so creepily obsessed with her Papa when she knows all the things he’d ever done was for her and how Kasumi has never, not even once, felt lacking in wealth or love. So she’ll fight for Papa even if Papa doesn’t even need it because Papa has always put Kasumi first so this time it’s Kasumi turn.

Kasumi always tries her best to be more like Papa, kind in heart and strong in willpower, but it’s time like this she realizes how much she's like Daddy after all. Because like him, she fiercely fights for what she believes in, not caring for the consequences around her and the way her temper flares up is all his as she rises up to every fight like it's a battle she can't afford lose. After all only cowards give up on the things they love and Kasumi is no coward.

Taro’s lower his head and clasps both hands together in a desperate plead.  “I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, Kasumi-chan! Forgive me, please, I was just being a dumbassss-as," he quickly tries to recover from that slip-up as she rolls her eyes, "uh, donkey. I shouldn’t have said that about Midoriya-san at all so could you please, pretty please, not stand on the couch because if you fall and break a pinkie or something under my watch, His Majesty is going to throw me in the compactor.”

Kasumi cocks her head thoughtfully, trying to decide if Taro’s hide is worth saving from Daddy’s wrath as the earlier anger slowly recedes. Taro does appear to be sincere and apologetic about it and Papa always said forgiveness takes strength and Kasumi got a whole lot of strength if nothing else. Plus, she does like him enough to let it go even if he can be quite dumb at times.

She plops back down onto her seat and plasters on a smile that she had perfected over the years. “So, who do you think it’s going to win?” Kasumi asks a touch too sweet, but Taro looks so relieved with the change of subject that he might as well be crying in joy.

See? Kasumi can be nice too. Maybe not in the way of Papa yet but, hey, she’s trying.

[high-voltage-conjunx]

And the Whole Galaxy

I know I should be making more progress on my IBB thing, but this sad piece really wanted out of my huge stash of Vader/Piett fics (unfinished or untranslated). I think it’s all because of @laivaaja‘s amazing art! I take one look at it and it’s Writemoar time *sighs blissfully*

(1 BBY, Piett and his sister, AU, everything is bad, retrograde&anterograde amnesia, alcohol abuse)

The documentary about the life of forest nexus is excruciatingly boring. It seems like he’s been watching it for an eternity. Piett checks the progress bar - looks like it’s been an hour since he started.

Should he turn it off? Or should he keep watching and hoping for it to get more interesting? What if he spent the whole hour like this, waiting for the movie to get better, and wasted all this time?

However, it’s not like he can do anything productive with his life.

The nexu on the screen is gulping down chunks of an arboreal octopus, tearing off its twitching tentacles with forceful jerks of her head. Who told him to watch this? Most likely his sister. All of her favorite movies have graphic depictions of violence.

Where is she? Time is approaching midnight.

His datapad - the file named “Today” (Piett never remembers the current date, so the file is synchonized with his calendar) - the required section. Sorel, on a date, ETA - early morning. The comlink frequency of her partner. A note – If I’m not back by nine, then I’m dead and you must avenge me – contact Leia, she knows you. He doesn’t remember anyone called Leia, but there is only one contact under this name in his comlink’s memory.

The octopus on the screen stops moving, and the nexu is roaring for her cubs. Piett switches the screen off and goes to bed.

He dreams about rehearsing a love confession.

***

Sorel returns at seven, scowling and irritated. Without saying a single word, she stumbles past Piett, pulls a bottle of ale from her stash behind the couch and contemplates it.

“Drinking already? Was it that bad?”

“The worst.”

“Another silly romantic?”

Piett takes notes of her dates with a persistency worthy of a much better application. He feels like there’s a significant pattern to his sister’s dating habits, but fails to establish it.

“Oh no. A healthy human acts like his tongue’s been cut off and all his fingers are frozen in carbonite. And what does this leave? Complete disappointment, that’s what.”

She touches the cap, but then shakes her head and puts the bottle on the table.

“Well, what did I expect? Should have guessed from the start. Do we have any food?”

“Of course.”

He doesn’t even need to check. They always have food since Piett is in charge of feeding them, and that is because his sister can never be trusted with essential recurrent tasks.

“Then I’ll just…”

Her comlink beeps. Taking a glimpse at the caller’s ID, she swears. This happens so often that even Piett remembers - this is some mysterious acquaintance of his sister’s, listed in her comlink’s memory as "L.V.”, and their calls are never welcome.

“Seven in the morning!” Sorel snarls. “I could be sleeping for all they know! Is this for real?”

With another vile curse, she rushes to her bedroom and locks the door. She only talks to “L.V.” in private.

***

The empty ale bottle is joined by a half-full (“Half-empty, Fir, I never have enough of this when I need it the most!”) bottle of liqueur (from behind the table) and a can of some cheap cocktail that Sorel rummaged out from a cluttered drawer.

“I hate this,” she mutters, looking at Piett with completely sober eyes. “Why don’t people get simple things? Like… like that everyone hates them?”

He nods - without a single clue on what the problem is.

“You mean that person, right? “L.V.”?”

“Yeah, who else. It’s always them.”

“And you’re absolutely sure there is nothing you can do?”

Sorel turns the bottle upside down and gives its bottom a few knocks, catching the last drops with her tongue.

“Nah. We have this,” she gestures with the empty bottle, “this shared project, a really important one. And anyway,” she waves the bottle again, “you know how some people are, you can’t just say you despise them and hope they’ll take the hint and go away. Well, I guess you can, but that’s not gonna help.”

Sorel contemplates him just as she did her bottle (not too long ago, because he still remembers). She must feel sorry for Piett and his confusion, because she starts explaining. Calmly and steadily, like it’s the thousandth time she does this. Perhaps it is.

“I’ve known them for a while now. They had that messed-up affair with someone else I knew. Then did something terrible, and I’ll never forgive that. Can’t get rid of them either. So I’m stuck. Hope they feel as shitty as I do, at the very least,” she shrugs.

“Get some food with that, or you’re going to feel even worse.”

“Nah, I got this. Nothing’s gonna happen to me.” She stands up and sways on her feet. “It’s like the fucking Force keeps me safe or something. Screw the Force. Screw everything.”

She takes the empty bottles away and spends the rest of the day at her computer, not touching any food at all (he checks).

It’s about midnight when Piett managed to get her to eat, and with a great sense of accomplishment, he goes to bed.

He dreams of something like a romantic dinner. For some obscure reason, he’s the only one who’s actually eating. His partner’s face and figure are blurred, and there is no way to find out who that is.

***

It’s Empire Day. Piett still hardly believes that they have a new emperor. Even though it’s been - how many years?

He’s put many reminders around their home, because the Empire Day means the emperor’s speeches. It won’t do to mindlessly switch a screen on, get his share of Vader and a subsequent panic attack. No matter what Sorel says, he wants to trust the pieces of his memories that still remain.

Piett remembers the last scene from his former life clearly: he’s choking, scratching his throat, his legs are not touching the floor, and Vader’s mask is right before him. Everything else is a blur, but Vader is clearly present. Someone lets out an unnatural, raspy laugh, Piett is thrown back, and everything disappears.

He opens an old message from his sister.

“It wasn’t Vader who tried to off you,” her hologram says. “He was just… there. Yeah, that sucks too, but I won’t lie - you have nothing to fear now.”

Piett wants to start arguing right away. Perhaps he tried to, many times - arguing, insisting that he remembers everything, that nobody else could have strangled him from the distance and then thrown him across the whole room with some invisible force. This isn’t a false memory, the scar on his face is proof enough. But where is the other scar from, the weird-shaped one on his arm? His datapad states: Sorel cannot explain, mentions electricity and lightning.

How many times did he try to find out?

***

"How about tonight?”

It looks like his sister forgot to close the door - she always makes her date arrangements in private, but now the door is open and he can hear everything. But the woman on the other end who just suggested the time doesn’t sound like Sorel’s potential date.

“So he sent you to check up on us, right?” Sorel chuckles. “Fine. Tonight is fine.”

“I don’t take orders from him,” the woman snaps.

“Well, technically…” Sorel trails off. “Stars, kid, you’re a mess. Even worse than I am, and that’s saying something.”

A drinking buddy? Not likely.

“If you mean that my presence reminds you of…”

“Damn, Leia, that’s not it! Look, forget what I just said, alright? I’m… guess I’m just projecting like mad, you know? Of course I’m glad to meet you!” She chuckles again. “Let’s… let’s forget about everyone else, kid. We’re the only sane people in this galaxy anyway, so tell me how you’ve been, and then I’ll say you’re doing great, and…”

Sane. It shouldn’t hurt, not after all this time. Piett goes away - he doesn’t want to keep listening after all, but it’s only a couple of minutes before Sorel claps him on his shoulder from behind, scaring him to death.

“It’s Leia’s birthday today!” 

At least she seems to be genuinely happy now. 

“She’s all grown up now, and…“ She frowns. "You remember her, right? Well, you kind of do?”

He nods.

His datapad - the file named “Acquaintances” - “Leia”. Sorel’s friend, age unknown (over 17), they like to discuss politics. The note goes on, but that’s sufficient.

“Alright, I should really put myself together.” She looks at her reflection in a datapad and shakes her head. “Oh no, this won’t do. This won’t do at all.”

She never puts any effort into her appearance.

“It’s a date then?”

Sorel visibly deflates.

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Well, how do I explain this…” She shakes her head. “How do I even begin to explain this? Let’s just say “age gap” and leave it at that.”

Age gap. Leia is of age, that is all his note says. And his sister is… how many years old now?

Why does she hide this information?

“Is that "L.V.”?“

"What?”

“Leia. Is she that "L.V.” person?“

Sorel stops and carefully puts the datapad away.

"No. She really, really isn’t. What brought this on?”

Their conversation wasn’t exactly private, but he’s not going to mention listening to it.

“Her initial.”

“Nah. Leia’s my friend. I’d never let someone like that get so close to me.”

Sorel fixes him with a significant look, and he doesn’t even try to understand what that is supposed to imply.

“And what does "V” stand for?“

Sorel laughs - a hollow, empty sound.

"Vader”.

“What?”

“"V” stands for “Vader”. Our emperor just can’t get enough of me. He wants to keep up with us and tells me to stop drinking so much.“

Piett shudders.

"Sorel, this is a horrible joke.”

“Oh yes. The absolute worst.” Her gaze hardens. “You don’t nag a grown person about her drinking habits. It’s her business.”

“And that is your problem? That’s why you hate them?”

He makes a grab for her comlink, but she steps away, just out of his reach, as if they did it many times before.

“Give me that. I’m sick of hearing about them. This time I’ll…”

“This time?”

He stops, his hand still stretched out.

“It won’t work. Not this time. Not any other. You call him, you start taking notes, nothing makes sense and you give up. And I have to get more booze, and you say it’s bad for me, and…” She grinds her teeth. “Just leave it, alright? You think I’d lie to you? You shouldn’t call him. You really, really shouldn’t. And every time you do, moon angels kill a baby nexu.”

Him. As least he got some information out of this. Piett manages to copy the frequency from Sorel’s comlink before she leaves.

***

Sorel, a meeting (not a date?) with Leia (see Contacts), ETA - tomorrow morning (or not). Forget about contacting her. Don’t forget about calling L.V.

"Forget”, “Don’t forget”. Of course.

Not even waiting for the sun to set, Piett goes to bed.

He dreams of someone offering him love and the whole galaxy with it.