#when i first heard of girl's day my understanding was that minah was a big deal in the group or something

[a9saga]

tbt - girl’s day - i’ll be yours // 5 years ago i was jammin to this all the time and 5 years later it still holds up the same

[floralseokjin]

;good2me (m)

Hoseok has been your friend and one of your roommates for over a year. That’s fine by you. In fact, most of the time he’s getting on your last nerve, even though you love him half to death. He’d agree. But soon you both find out there’s a very thin line between friendship and potential lovers... Are you prepared to cross it? 

pairing; jung hoseok x reader (slight kim seokjin x reader)  genre/warnings; friends to lovers (idiots to lovers), roommate au, bartender! hoseok, romance, bearable angst, a small infidelity, some mature content, implied smut  words; 15,351

author’s note; i started watching new girl again and got inspired by jess and nick’s relationship! Late, but for hoseok’s birthday 🥺💖

“Ohhh!” Hoseok hollered as you walked into the living area, looking up from where he was sat on the couch, flicking through the television. “Mama’s looking sexy!”

“Thank you. She is,” you said, trying to put on your best sexy voice. You did a little spin, before squeezing your cleavage up. “Got a little breast on show. A little booty if I bend over at a ninety degree angle.” You didn’t bend over the whole way, but he got the picture. 

He laughed, genuinely amused. “What is the occasion?” 

Trying to keep your bashful smile away, you failed. Big style. “Seokjin’s taking me out on our very first official date.” 

“Where to? Somewhere fancy no doubt.” 

“It’s a surpriseee.” 

You were giddy. Had been all day. You and Seokjin were finally happening, after all this time. Three months ago it seemed impossible. You had met in a quite unsavoury way, as in, you’d been determined to go out that night and have a one night stand. The one night stand had sure happened, but make that a multiple night stand. 

It was just casual sex for a few weeks. You didn’t know much about one another—more detail would mean this thing would just get deeper, and it was supposed to be the most casual of casual. You had come out of a longterm relationship at the start of the year, nearly 30 and very unsure what to do now when it came to dating. You’d met a couple of guys along the way, but you kept making the same mistake. You kept getting into relationships with them. You were sick of being Serious Sue, you wanted to be Fun Fanny. The nickname wasn’t the most desirable and you quickly stopped announcing that to potential hook ups you found at the bar. (Hoseok said you were giving off vibes you really didn’t want to be giving off.) 

Seokjin was a bit of a closed book back then, you didn’t know his story, why he wanted to keep things so casual. The guy was super sweet, really attentive and amazing in bed, but you didn’t pry. He hadn’t asked for your history, so you didn’t ask for his. Until you found out he was a doctor. A kid’s doctor. Or if you wanted to be official, a paediatrician. The dude was actually perfect, and that’s how you started to fall. 

It didn’t end well. When you confessed your feelings and implied you wanted more, he took off. He was sorry about it, apologised profusely, but he still left. You were heartbroken. But not just because of the rejection. It was because you’d fucked up again, wanted something serious, even though you’d sworn this thing with Seokjin was just a hook up. 

You managed to shake your dark mood, but you couldn’t shake the fact it felt like Seokjin was the one that got away. The one who was husband material if the situation had been different. It still felt like that nearly two months later when you ran into him at a Christmas party. However, to your surprise, he came at you with a thousand apologies. He couldn’t stop thinking about you, couldn’t stop thinking about what he’d let go. He couldn’t concentrate the regret was so deep. He’d just come out of a shitty relationship when he’d met you, he’d gotten hurt and the idea of getting into a fresh relationship so soon had half frightened him to death. But the truth was he really liked you and wanted to be with you. He wanted something serious now, but he totally understood if you told him where to go. 

You very nearly did. You’d put your heart on the line once and he’d stomped all over it. Maybe it was just the stubbornness in you, seeing as you’d secretly held out for this. You’d needed time to think and Seokjin understood. It was actually Hoseok in the end who’d encouraged you to give it a shot. He knew you were frightened of getting hurt, but you deserved happiness and Seokjin could give that to you. (The dude’s perfect, were his exact words. And rich. Bag him now, before I do.) 

“Well, have a great time,” Hoseok grinned, taking a moment to get another look at you. “You look stunning. He’s gonna be blown away.” 

Your phone dinged in your hand. It was Seokjin, he’d just pulled up. “That’s him now.” Your voice was an unusual pitch. All high and excited. You were nearly at the door when you stopped, remembering what you wanted to tell Hoseok before you’d gotten distracted. You turned back. “Thank you again, Hobi.” 

He groaned. “Quit thanking me. I just gave you my opinion. You’re the one who made the decision.” 

You nodded, smiling softly. You were a broken record by now. “I don’t think I’ll be coming home tonight so don’t wait up.” 

“Ew.” He wrinkled his nose, feigning disgust. “Get out of here!” 

You laughed and opened the door to leave. Yeah, you were big style getting laid tonight. “Have fun with the guys!” You called, managing to get a grunt in reply. 

Living with three males was interesting, to say the least. Definitely not how you imagined seeing in your thirties. But when life hands you lemons, you make lemonade. Life had dealt you a lot of lemons (Read: blows. Lemons = blows) these past twelve months. The breakdown of your eight year relationship had resulted in you moving out of the home you shared. Living with your best friend Joy had been fine at first, but it was always a temporary thing in your mind. That’s how you found yourself here, in loft 4a, living with three guys. Your mother had always told you not to trust an ad on Craigslist, but she lived 100 miles away. What she didn’t know wouldn’t harm her. 

There was Hoseok, of course, who you were closest with. It didn’t make any sense, most of the time you were like chalk and cheese. He was hard to read, kind of judge-y on a bad day, but somehow he got you the most. Maybe it was because just before you’d moved in he’d gone through his own similar breakup. Another long term relationship with a woman you’d meant once when she was picking up some of the things she’d left at the loft. You hadn’t known him well back then, but now you did, and you’d seen first-hand what the separation had done to him. It made him insecure. In himself, in his capabilities and in his job. He worked in a bar down the road, had for a few years after he dropped out of law school, and even though he’d never said it outright, you think that was the parting dig Minah, the ex, had left him with when she’d walked out. But despite that, Hoseok could be fun and easy to be around. That’s why you liked him the most. Because he’d always made you feel comfortable. Right from the beginning. 

Next, there was Yoongi. A radio host for the local station in your area. You might think he was aloof if you didn’t know him any better, but the guy was very much similar to a cat. Slight in his affection but that just made it all the more sincere. You’d never forget the time he’d kicked out this lame-o you’d thought you were exclusively dating, when in fact it turned out he was seeing three other girls too. Yoongi found you in tears in the living room, jerkface trying to apologise for the misunderstanding. He was out on his ass in under five seconds. From that night on you knew to call him a friend, much to his chagrin. He was a big softy really, and very loyal. That’s why Joy had fallen for him pretty early on. One introduction, a few weeks later and Bam! They were an item. There went her vow to never date a guy shorter than her. Plus, Yoongi was very smug about dating a model. Thought all his Christmas’ had come at once. But yeah, they were very much in love now. Pretty sickening really…

And last but not least, there was Namjoon. He was the brains of the group. The only one with a master’s degree, and the only one with a “proper” job. A high school science teacher. Well, technically you were a teacher too, but it wasn’t particularly the same when you taught a bunch of adults creative writing. Namjoon was the sensible one. The one who kept the lid on everyone’s antics when they were in fear of getting out of control. Although boy could be erratic when he wanted to be. More often now that the woman he’d been dating on and off for six months had finally ended things. Heartbroken Namjoon was not fun. Nor was the depressing music he played at 2am in the morning. But you were there for him because you loved him. You, Hoseok and Yoongi. 

3 guys, one girl. Best friends until the end, living in loft 4a. 

Ew. It could be a sitcom. 

“I don’t understand why you had to meet me outside,” Hoseok said to you. “I work here, it’s not like this place is new to me.” 

You hummed, not really wanting to answer him, but also severely distracted. It was a good few weeks later now, winter was pretty much over, life had long and resumed after  Christmas. In fact, it was the middle of February and today was Hoseok’s birthday. The last but one of you to turn the dreaded three-oh. You were pretty nervous right now, inside the bar a whole bunch of people ready to celebrate. Hoseok thought it was just you, the guys and Joy joining him for a few drinks… There was minor detail you’d left out and ignored: Hoseok hated surprises.  

Walking through the bar entrance first, leading the way for obvious reasons, you were met with darkness. Hoseok stopped dead behind you, and you heard him mutter oh, god, aghast. Your stomach dropped out of your ass but you flicked on the lights, yelling SURPRISE! with the rest of the partygoers filling the dingy room. 

“Happy 30th birthday, Hobi!” You exclaimed, hugging into him slightly. You pulled back, a grin on your face, eyes wide as you tried to gauge his reaction. He wouldn’t make a scene, surely? You watched with slight dread as he tried to stretch one across his face too. His eyes were piercing though. Piercing into you with complete and utter disbelief. You then watched as he turned his head and addressed his guests. “Thanks, guys. What a lovely surprise…”

Frick. He was definitely using his fake voice. 

.

.

“What is this?” Hoseok hissed at you. He’d finally been able to corner you an hour in, and you stood huddled together by the restrooms. “I told you I didn’t want a big deal. You said it was just going to be a few lowkey drinks at the bar!” 

“It is,” you insisted, before muttering that next part. “Just with an added 20 more people…” 

“I don’t even know half of them!” He looked around the room, and you joined him. 

Okay, you had to admit, after the first five people you’d added to the list it was pretty hard to think of more. In the end you’d had to improvise. Invite acquaintances or just even friends of a friend… You wouldn’t admit that though. “Sure you do,” you shrugged. “There’s Yoongi and Joy.” 

“She’s your best friend.” 

“There’s Namjoon.” 

“They don’t count.” He frustrated. “They were supposed to be here! It was just supposed to be them!” 

“There’s Mrs. Choi from our building–”

“You invited a 60 year old lady to my birthday?” 

She had a soft spot for him. Of course she should be here. “There’s Brian, your-your boss…” You admit by now you were struggling. 

“He’s just here because he works every night.” 

“There’s…” You glanced around again, desperate to see a familiar face of Hoseok’s. Finally, you found someone. “THERE’S NARA!” You shouted pretty loudly, excitement taking over. She drunk at the bar a few nights a week. Hoseok had become a little enamoured. 

He jerked his head in her direction. She was sat in a booth with Yoongi, Joy and Namjoon. The latter chatting away with her. “Oh, my god. You invited Nara?!” 

“Of course I did. You like her.” 

“No, I don’t.” He was quick to refute. “I don’t like her. How do you know I like her?” He was also quick to give in. 

“You find a way to bring her into conversation every single time. Ask Yoongi.” 

He sighed dramatically, rubbing his his temples. “Well, that’s just great. Now she knows I’m 30. She knows I’m old!” 

“Shut up,” you scoffed. “She’s close to 30 too.” 

His head shot up. “You know her age?” 

“Yes. I know a lot about her.” You smirked, feeling powerful. “In the five minute conversation we had while I was inviting her, I found out way more than you have in the past three weeks you’ve been into her.” 

“I like to take my time.” He fumed. You were close to bickering, you could feel it. Hoseok said you were a butt-er in-er. You took control of things that weren’t your job. This was probably a classic example. However, this time around he relented. He wanted in on this info. He lowered his voice, leaning in. “What did you find out?” 

You shrugged, pretty nonchalant. If it wasn’t his birthday you’d make him pay you ten bucks for the facts. “Her surname. Her age. Where she was born. She prefers cats over dogs. LOVE that,” you exclaimed. Hoseok rolled his eyes, speeding you up with hand motions. “She’s only had one serious relationship in her life. Kinda like me. Although, who knows now that me and Seokjin are an item.” 

You found yourself easily on a tangent. Your relationship with Seokjin the biggest distraction in your life right now. Things were going amazing. Just over six weeks in and you were finding that domestic bliss you and your ex never had. 

“I don’t care about your life. I care about mine.” Hoseok rudely interrupted. “What else did you find out?” 

You glared at him but replied. “Not a lot after that. Bottom line is I love her. We’re a lot alike actually.” 

“No, you are not,” he insisted, a little bit of nausea in his face. You knew better than to get offended. “Hey, how did you find this all out in five minutes?” 

You tipped your shoulders. “People feel comfortable around me. They can open up, y’know?” 

He grunted in response, before his eyes widened in horror, thinking of something. “You didn’t tell her I like her, did you?”

“No,” you scoffed. “What do you take me for? An idiot?” The look he gave you was a yes. You rolled your eyes and grabbed him by the shoulders. “You’re going to tell her. Tonight. That’s why I invited her.” 

He swallowed, now looking scared. Talking to girls was never his forte. The last “relationship” he’d had since the big breakup had lasted four weeks. He had a lot to learn. You tapped his back encouragingly and he gave you a tight nod. Damn, maybe he really was about to get his flirty flirt on with this woman. You smiled at him and he looked around the bar one last time, shaking his head with a chuckle as he realised something. “God. You threw me a party at the bar I work at.” 

When would you ever win?! 

.

.

An hour later you were making your way back to the apartment. Hoseok in tow. You wanted to convince yourself it was because you could see the party wasn’t his style at all. You mean, you could see that, but the real reason you were in the elevator right now was because you’d been hit with another, even better idea. In fact, you wished you’d just thought of this first. 

“They’ll be fine back there. They won’t miss you,” you tried to reassure Hoseok, stepping out into the hallway. 

“Gee. That makes me feel so amazing on my birthday. Thank you.” Sarcasm all day, everyday. You didn’t deserve it. “Thank you for gathering a bunch of strangers to celebrate that I am one step closer to death.” 

See? It hadn’t been that hard to get him outside and convince him to walk you home because you were feeling a little lightheaded. It was like taking candy from he baby. Hoseok was dumb. 

“What happened to you?” You glared his way. “The guys always tell me you were so full of life before I moved in.” 

He raised an eyebrow. “I think you’ve answered the question yourself there.” 

You tutted, letting it go over his head. “Thirty is not bad, at all. I turned it a few months ago and I’ve just felt amazing ever since.” 

“You cried all day.” 

Goddamnit. “They were happy tears. Now,” you changed the subject, because yes, he was calling you out, but also he was pulling out his key, about to let himself in. You pushed him to the side, grabbing yours from your purse. “Just let me go do it,” you announced loudly. Almost like you wanted someone to hear you. “Just getting my key. Pushing it in the lock.” You continued the description. “Arriving home!” 

“What are you doing? What’s going on?” He was bound to be suspicious. You weren’t exactly being discreet. 

“Nothing.” You shook your head, now pushing the door open. 

“Nothing? I—

“SURPRISE!” 

Hoseok didn’t have a chance to finish his sentence, door swinging open to reveal the guys. Namjoon pushed forward to slip a ’30 Years Old’ banner over his head, and he had the audacity to glare at you. 

“I specifically said don’t make this birthday a big deal and instead you throw me TWO surprise parties in the span of a couple hours.” He was in disbelief. “Don’t you listen to a word I say?!” 

“This is a better one though.” You whined. “The one I originally should’ve planned. It’s just friends.” 

“Hi again,” a little voice sounded from behind Namjoon. 

“And Nara.” You grinned, watching Hoseok’s face light up a little. “See Nara came. I invited Nara.” Success. Namjoon had followed instructions. Get the woman into the apartment. 

Hoseok finally smiled at you, stepping inside the loft. “Nara came! Hi, Nara!”  You’d take that as his seal of approval then. This place was much better for getting to know her. He’d failed miserably at the bar, you wouldn’t allow it here. You were going to play matchmaker tonight. 

“Baby!” 

The sound of Seokjin’s voice in the hall distracted you, and you shrieked a little when you saw him walking towards you, dressed in all black. “Yay, Seokjin! You made it.” He hugged you straight away, landing a kiss on your lips. 

“We managed to get someone else in for the night. I escaped.” He cheered, still holding your waist as he turned his head towards Hoseok. “Happy Birthday, man.” 

“Thanks, Jin,” he smiled, before shooting a misplaced compliment. “You’re looking very handsome. As always.” 

You rolled your eyes, laughing a little as Seokjin pulled a confused face at you. “Ignore him, he’s already a little buzzed.” You still didn’t understand Hoseok’s obsession with your boyfriend’s looks. But the guy wasn’t wrong, Seokjin did indeed look very handsome tonight. As always. 

You glanced around the room, Yoongi and Joy had managed to put up some balloons and a banner in record time after you’d frantically text them the plan half an hour ago. Alcohol stood on the dining table, a few snacks in bowls. Definitely Joy’s doing. You clapped your hands. “Music please! Let’s get this party started!” 

The room erupted into cheers. 

.

.

“Okay, I have an idea,” you yelled into the room. It was over an hour in now. This party was popping, much better than the one happening in bar you bet. You were drunk. Not wasted or anything, but definitely merry. “Let’s play spin the bottle!” 

You’d already played Pass the Balloon, thinking of games from when you were a teenager in desperation as you tried to hook Hoseok and Nara up. The balloon one was going well until Namjoon and her had found themselves in some difficulty. Then it was just a wasted ten minutes as you watched them fail to give in. At least Joon was having fun though, it had been a while since you���d seen him have fun, let alone laugh. 

“We’re not in high school,” Hoseok grumbled from beside you.

Nara piped up from the kitchen. “I think’ll be fun.” 

“Yeah. Yeah. Cool.” Hoseok soon changed his tune. “I think it’ll be fun too. Cool.” 

“Great!” You took the bottle Seokjin had been drinking from and swigged the last bit much to his amusement. You hadn’t told him what you were up to yet, but he was going along with your crazy ideas anyway. He always watched you with fondness, which was sweet considering he also called you the wackiest person he knew. 

“Everyone, get in a circle and sit!” You ordered. They listened. You grabbed Hoseok just before he took off. “You, come here.” Dragging him out into the hall that lead to your bedrooms you tried your best to whisper. “Sit next to Nara.” 

“Huh?” 

God. Was he dumb? “I’m helping you here. Setting you up.” 

“I don’t need you to,” he exasperated. “I got this.” 

You knew for a fact he didn’t “got this”. “It’ll be your turn first, birthday boy n’ all.” You carried on like you hadn’t heard him. “Spin it ever so slightly.” 

“That’s so obvious.” 

“You want to make it obvious.” 

He sighed and crossed his arms over his chest. “Fine.” 

You smiled in triumph, grabbing him by the arm. “Remember: ever so slightly!” And with that you dragged him towards the circle. You were pretty feisty when you needed to be. 

“It’s Hobi’s turn first because he’s the birthday boy,” you told everyone as you pushed him down between Nara and Joy. You sat to Nara’s left; convenient to keep an eye on everything, plus you were next to Seokjin too.   

“It’s so cute how you call him Hobi,” Nara commented, leaning into you with a smile. 

“Oh, really?” You were a little caught off guard. “Everyone calls him that. No big deal.” You tried to think if that was true… You must’ve heard it from somewhere else why would you have started calling him that…?

“Are there rules?” Joy asked. 

“Yes! Rules!” You suddenly realised. You racked your brains. Hoseok and Nara couldn’t kiss in front of everyone. That would just be odd. Hm, maybe this was too obvious. “Whoever the bottle lands on, that’s who you kiss! But there’s a twist. It has to be in my closet.” 

“You got cameras in there or something?” Namjoon piped up, Nara laughed loudly. 

“No,” you said slowly. “Because it’s the biggest. You can’t come out until the deed is done.” 

“Isn’t that like seven minutes in heaven?” Yoongi asked. 

“Yoongi, just shut up and listen.” Why couldn’t people just be excited? You were trying to hook up their friend! “It’s not like that because I don’t want people having sex in my closet.” You nudged Nara and giggled. She slowly laughed back, a little confused. You caught Hoseok shooting you a look but ignored him.

“Kissing only,” you continued. “And we need photographic evidence.”

“What?” Hoseok sounded like he was about to run off any moment. 

“Just a quick pic,” you shrugged. If truth be told, you wanted Hoseok to have the memory of when you set him up with the girl of his dreams forever. That way he could always thank you. 

“Is the guy to girl ratio a little skewed?” Yoongi pointed out. “I’m not kissing Joon.” 

You ignored him. “TONGUES.” You shouted instead, clapping your hands. “Almost forgot to specify: tongues!” 

“I’m not tonguing anyone bar my girlfriend.” Yoongi was adamant. 

“Whatever.” You sighed. Didn’t he realise this wasn’t about him? You didn’t care who he tongued or didn’t tongue. It was about who Hoseok tongued! 

You stretched over and handed the bottle to him. “Hoseok, spin.” You were careful not to use your, no, the, nickname. There was nothing cute about it. 

“Okay. Kinda nervous.” He was practically shouting. If this was his way of trying to sound casual, he was failing. “Don’t want to mess it up.” Thinking about it, this was a very stupid idea. He was about to spin a bottle four inches to the left. You watched feeling a little sick. 

The sick feeling turned to one of horror in a nanosecond. You watched in slow motion as the bottle passed Nara. It wasn’t four inches, it was eight. He’d landed on you. 

“No.” Hoseok spoke into the room. The denial was strong. “No. No. Nope. No.” 

You could hear the room cheering. Yoongi laughing, saying something about how amazing this was. The game had backfired on you. But in truth you weren’t really listening, too busy having a minor breakdown. 

You looked at a Hoseok. “No.” He said it back. You looked around at everyone else, eyes wide. In denial and begging for someone to say you didn’t have to do it. “No. No. HA,” you forced a laugh. “I have a boyfriend. I can’t kiss anyone else.” 

“If you were going to make me kiss Joon, you’re kissing Hoseok.” 

“Baby, it’s just a game,” Seokjin chuckled, hooking his arm around your shoulders. “It’s fine.” 

“No.” You were adamant. “I would call that cheating. Wouldn’t you?” 

“I would.” Hoseok piped up. At least someone was on your side. No one listened to him. 

“Relax.” Seokjin rubbed the back of your neck. “Come here.” He dipped his head, capturing your mouth in a soft kiss before pulling away and winking. “That’s to remember me. Now get on in there!” 

The guy physically hauled you up. You perfect boyfriend had no problem with this. Damn him. Damn him for being so reasonable and laid back. Yoongi made a beeline for Hoseok. The glee on his face was pretty frightening. 

“To the closest! To the closet! To the closet!” The chanting wasn’t necessary, but it happened any way. Frog marched into your bedroom and pushed into the closet. Surrounded in pitch black before you reached for the light switch. 

“You overshot it,” you hissed. 

“I was under pressure!” Yelling in whispers was hard. “You do not know how stressful it was!” 

You groaned, rubbing your hands all over your face. “Don’t do that you look like The Scream.” Hoseok commented.

You shot him a look before stomping your feet and pointing a finger at him. “I can’t believe this. You were supposed to be in here with Nara!” 

“Why the hell did you sit next to her?” 

“I don’t know. To keep an eye on you!” In hindsight it was a very bad idea, but what would have happened if you hadn’t? Hoseok would be in here with Seokjin? That was even more weird! 

“You guys kissing yet?” Yoongi asked through the door. You could almost see his Lenny face. 

“Oh, god,” Hoseok muttered. He sounded faint. 

“Yeah. We did it!” You yelled back. You were getting you both out of here. “Was super wet. Hoseok has a freakishly long tongue. Yuck.” 

“Hey. No, I don’t.” 

“Send the pic. Did you take a pic?” Yoongi sounded way too excited. 

Shit. The stupid picture?! Why did you even come up with that rule… “Oh, would you look at that. I didn’t hit the button. Oh well, doesn’t matter,” you shrugged, moving to turn the door handle. It didn’t budge. Almost like someone was holding it shut. “Hey, let us out!!” You yelled. 

“No evidence, no escaping.” That was Namjoon. He sounded overly amused. 

“Namjoon!” You shrieked in surprise. You twisted and tugged on the handle, hoping you he would relent, give up so you could get the hell out of here. “Let us out. Let us out! I’m claustrophobic!”

“Kiss and take the pic!” Joy shouted. 

Joy?! That was it! Friendship over. Come to think of it, where was Seokjin? Maybe you could appeal to him. He’d give in surely. You were about to open your mouth when fresh chanting started. “KISS! KISS! KISS! KISS! KISS!” It was so loud you swear you’d wake up with a noise compliant. But more importantly, you could hear Seokjin’s voice along with the rest. Goddamnit. You were really going to have to kiss Hoseok. 

You turned back to him, defeat on your face. He’d been oddly quiet since you’d tried escaping. “Let’s just do it,” he shrugged. 

“What?” You mean, you’d been planning on saying the same thing, but you’d thought it would take some cajoling. 

“Get your phone out. Let’s just get it over with,” he told you. “You want to get out of here, right?” 

“Okay.” You nodded, telling yourself it would be fine. “Yeah, we’ll just kiss. It’s no biggie.” 

“Nope, no biggie.” He stepped closer. You were suddenly sweating. It was really hot in here and you swear the floor was shaking because of how rowdy they were being outside. 

“Hey, remember when I saw your boob that one time?” Hoseok laughed. “It popped right out of your towel when you were talking to me as I brushed my teeth.” He made a popping sound to emphasise, his hand flopping from his chest in an unnecessary reenactment

That had actually been particularly mortifying for you. Especially seeing as it was only a month into living with the guys and you’d just flashed a boob accidentally. “What does that have to do with anything?” 

He looked at you, releasing his mistake. “It doesn’t. Just if I’ve seen your boob, I can kiss you.” There was no correlation at all. You wanted to point that out but now he was a few inches from your face. You were going crosseyed trying to look at him. “Okay, let’s do this,” he murmured. 

“Ew. What did you just do?” You startled, stepping back. 

“Huh?” 

“You licked your lips.” He’d licked his lips and moved forward. He was about to put his wet ones on your normal ones. 

“Of course I did. Do you want dry lips?” 

“Yes! I want dry lips,” you insisted. 

He pulled a face, more than puzzled. “These things can get pretty chapped, but ok.” Before you could say anything else he had his hands on your face, lunging closer with his eyes closed. 

“No. No.” You ducked from his grip, darting to the other side of the closet. Had it always been that small in here? You used to think it was massive. 

Hoseok sighed. “What now?” 

“You cupped my face. You did this thing with your eyes.” 

“What, closed them?!” 

“Don’t kiss me with your eyes closed.” 

“So you want to be staring at each other the whole time?” He thought you were crazy. Could tell by the tone of his voice. He exhaled, voice calmer when he spoke again. “You don’t want to kiss me, do you?” 

“Of course I don’t. It’s weird as hell.” You caught the look on his face. “Oh, come on. You cannot be offended. Does the idea of kissing me not gross you out?” 

“No, it doesn’t gross me out. That’s a bit drastic.” 

God, he was not guilt tripping you right now. It worked anyway. “Fine! Let’s kiss.” He looked startled, probably feeling dizzy by your back and forth. “C’mon. Kiss me, Jung.” He didn’t budge. You started chanting. It was the only way. “Kiss me! Kiss me! Kiss me!” 

“Ok, okay.” He yelled over you. “Shut the hell up.” You continued. You always did like pissing him off. 

In a split second he was in front of you. “Come here.” His cupped your face again and you instantly shut up. Your eyes were locked on his, and in this pretty dismal lighting he looked beautiful. It made your insides feel funny. For a moment there you caught yourself puckering. You caught yourself actually wanting to kiss him, and then in the blink of an eye it was gone. Almost like it never happened. He murmured your name and pulled away, shaking his head 

“What?” 

“I can’t do this,” he admitted. “It’s too weird.” 

“Ha! See!” You were triumphant. “It is weird!” 

He shook his head again, chuckling quietly. “No, I mean… This is not how it’s supposed to go.” 

“What?” There was silence. He didn’t try to elaborate. “Supposed to go?” No matter how much you tried to make sense of that, nothing worked. “How’s it supposed to go, Hoseok?” 

“Forget it. I didn’t say anything,” he tried to backtrack. “It came out wrong.” 

“Hoseok.” He didn’t tell you. He just stared at you, unable or unwilling. “Hobi—p”

“You guys win.” You were interrupted as the door burst open, Yoongi grumbling like a giant baby. 

You blinked rapidly, not used to the bright lights. Everything felt a little weird, like you’d been in that closest for years. You walked out first, not looking behind you. You felt a little shaken up. You couldn’t explain why. 

Seokjin wrapped his arms around your shoulders and laughed. “We were sick of waiting.” He smelt of beer and his eyes were unfocused. You hadn’t realised before but he was drunk. Way more than you were. 

“Get back in the circle,” Namjoon ordered, leading the way. God, this game was still going to continue? You’d all be here until tomorrow morning. “You guys are spoilsports.” 

“What’s a little kissing among friends?” Yoongi piped up, which was rich coming from him. “Okay, Nara’s turn,” he said once everyone had gotten back into place. She took the bottle eagerly. “Spin it, girl!” 

You all watched it go. You totally forgot to pray it landed on Hoseok until it was too late. The room erupted into cheers and wolf whistles as it stopped and your heart sunk. 

“NAMJOON!!” Yoongi yelled. “Get it, Kim!” 

You shot Hoseok an apologetic look. 

.

.

“Hey.” You said, stopping by the sofa where Hoseok sat. “I’m sorry about tonight.”

It was a fewhours later, the party was over and you were in your pyjamas ready for bed. Seokjin was already tucked up on his side and you’d just gone to get a glass of water. You didn’t want a headache in the morning. You were surprised to see Hoseok still awake and in the living room. 

He shook his head, laughing a little. “It’s fine. I actually kinda enjoyed it in a strange way.” 

“You did?” 

“Yup. What better way to see 30 in. Trapped in a closet with you.” 

You laughed at his silliness, making your way over to the sink to fill up your glass. You gulped the water down, thinking to yourself. You didn’t care if he was just trying to make you feel better. You were still relieved he hadn’t totally hated it. There were worse people to be stuck in a closet with. You hoped. 

As you placed the now empty glass down a faint banging appeared. Like something hitting against a wall. It got louder and then slowed away. “What’s that?” You asked Hoseok, turning around and genuinely puzzled. 

“Oh, that,” Hoseok chuckled. “That’s Namjoon and Nara. He’s giving it to her good. Real good.” 

Your mouth dropped open, just as the banging re-emerged. Yes, it was definitely coming from his room. His headboard. Then the guilt kicked in. “Oh my god. Hobi, I’m so sorry.” How had this happened? How had you not seen the signs? It was pretty obvious now, thinking back, Nara had been totally into Namjoon. All that hushed talking, giggling and touching. The game of spin the bottle. That girl had rigged her own spin for it to land on him. Only she’d been a good shot. Hoseok on the other hand… 

Hoseok raised his hand, brushing your apologies away. “He asked for permission. He needs this.” Maybe so. This was the first woman Joon had shown an interest in after Sookie. Hoseok was too understanding.  “Besides, I oddly don’t care.” 

Or maybe not. 

“You don’t?” You instantly kicked yourself for prying. Prying and being nosey had been the downfall of this night. Yet here you were itching for more info. 

“Yeah, I just…” He trailed off and shrugged. “Maybe I don’t like Nara that much. It was just a stupid crush. No big deal.” 

You didn’t know what to say. You wanted to ask what made him change his mind so suddenly? Made him realise? But that seemed inappropriate. You nodded instead, letting him know you got it, and turned to leave. “Goodnight.” 

“Wait,” he called. “Hold up.” He jumped up and you turned to face him again, waiting like he’d asked. “I want to say sorry too. I made that weird. The game.”

“Oh.” The closet. The awkwardness had slowly disappeared through the night and now you had a sickly feeling it was about to come back. If the look on his face was anything to go by. 

“What I meant was,” he was talking slow, a little stunted. “If I was ever going to kiss you, it wouldn’t be like that. Because of some stupid game.” 

His words took a moment to process. Perhaps you had another hundred questions to ask but they seemed impossible. You should just take what he said and accept it. The game was over and you’d never play it again. You’d never get in a closet with him again. You felt strange, but you didn’t admit that. Instead you smiled. “Okay.” 

That feeling was creeping back. The one from the closet, when he’d been holding your face and staring into your eyes. The one where he’d looked so good under that weird yellow light. Hoseok was handsome, you’d always thought so, but in a way where you’d never actually thought of it, if that made sense… In that closet, you’d thought it. 

“Come on, I’ll walk with you,” he told you, interrupting the butterflies in your stomach. You walked side by side, down the corridor. Your rooms were directly opposite one another. Had you pointed that out before?  

You stopped when he did, forcing yourself to say something. It was just Hoseok. You talked to him all the time. You yelled at him all the time. And laughed, and fooled around. He was your friend. “I promise I’ll make next year’s birthday better.” 

He smiled gently, head tilted, voice soft. “You don’t have to promise me anything. Night.” 

“Goodnight, Hobi.” 

You made to turn, hand nearly on the door handle, but then he pulled you back. One hand reaching for yours, the other curling around your waist. Your mouths met in such a rush you didn’t realise until you felt the warmth of his tongue. It was passionate and eager. The kind of kiss you see in the movies, where no one comes up for air, where their bodies move on their own accord. 

There were no thoughts, just feelings. The feeling of how good this was, and how much it took your breath away. The feeling of his lips on yours and how you should’ve been feeling them a long time ago. The feeling of his arms wrapped around your waist, clutching you tight, and yours around his shoulders, holding him close. 

When you finally pulled away, no choice but to, you were trembling. Boneless. Hs breath fanned across your face and you were sad. You wanted more. You wanted to kiss him all night. Slowly, more deliberately, you pushed your lips against his, savouring the feel. He kissed you back just as softly before breaking away for good. 

“That’s how it would go,” he murmured. He was breathing heavily. “How I imagined it to be.”

And that he was gone. To his room, door shut. 

You stood there dazed, lips tingling and you brought your fingers out to touch them. There was silence all around you, and slowly, the haze began to lift. In its wake brought panic and guilt. Seokjin. Your boyfriend was asleep just behind the door.

What had you done? 

You got hardly any sleep. Your brain wouldn’t switch off. The guilt twisting your gut, even more so when you kept thinking of the kiss and how good it was, and how short lived it was. Seokjin centimetres away from you, clueless. You rose early. Everyone else was still asleep, the loft silent. Still in your pyjamas you poured yourself some cereal and sat on at the counter, munching away sombrely. 

Hoseok was the first to wake up. Of course. You should’ve just stayed inside your room, but you couldn’t bear to be near Seokjin. He strolled into the living room casually, making his way to the kitchen. You tried to ignore the way your stomach flipped because you didn’t know what it meant. Were you angry, panicked, something else? 

“Good morning.” He greeted casually. 

Angry. You were angry. It rushed up your body. How dare he be so casual. As if nothing had happened. “Seriously? Good morning?” You retorted. He was making himself a coffee. “What’s good about it, Hoseok? You kissed me last night!” 

He gave a little shrug. “I know I did.” 

You were flabbergasted by his gall. Had to force yourself to continue. “Well,” you stared at him. “Aren’t you going to explain yourself?” 

“I already did.” He spoke simply. “I wanted to kiss you. I wanted to show you how I would kiss you.” 

Nope. You weren’t feeling guilty over this any longer. Not when he was acting so unfazed. He was the one who had kissed you. This was his doing. And he didn’t care at all. “To what? Prove a point?” You demanded. 

He scoffed, dropping a teaspoon into the sink. “No, not to prove a point.” He turned to face you, back leaning against the counter. “I wanted to kiss you.” 

Your mind was beginning to reel. “I have a BOYFRIEND,” you said slowly, unable to keep a lid on your anger. “Who I had to sleep next to last night.” 

Right on cue, Seokjin came from around the corner, still half asleep and rubbing his eyes. You froze, feeling instantly sick. You hope he hadn’t heard anything. 

He hadn’t. He smiled when he saw you both, making his way over. “Morning, guys.” 

“Seokjin, hey,” you breathed, feeling a little trembly. You pushed your bowl away, not hungry now. You caught Hoseok’s eyes. 

“Morning,” he nodded, turning to look at Seokjin but averting his gaze. 

Seokjin leant down and kissed your cheek, rubbing your shoulder. “Did you sleep at all last night? You were tossing and turning like crazy.” 

You felt yourself panicking. You needed to cool it. “Ah, I think I was still pumped from the party.” You laughed lightly. 

Seokjin joined in. “You guys sure do know how to have fun. I think I’ve drunk more in these past two months than I have in my entire life.” You heard Hoseok gave the lamest laugh back. It sounded more like a scoff and you shot him a look.  

“Hey, wanna go to the zoo today?” Seokjin suggested. You’d been on about going for weeks now just hadn’t gotten around to it. “I’m not due at the hospital until tonight.” 

You forced yourself to smile. Hoped it seemed natural. “I’d love to.” 

“Perfect,” he grinned, reaching to kiss your lips. They twinged, and you remembered the feeling of Hoseok’s mouth. You were also very aware he was a witness to all this. You pulled back quickly. “Wanna shower first?” Seokjin asked. 

“No, it’s okay. You go.” 

You couldn’t bear them to be alone together. Hoseok was acting weird, you didn’t trust him not to tell Seokjin. As it would have it though, by the time you looked across at the counter, Hoseok was gone, already walking off back to his room. 

.

.

“What’s wrong?” You asked Seokjin as you made your way into your room. You’d showered straight after him. Gotten dressed in the bathroom because you did not fancy bumping into Hoseok wrapped in a towel. Even though you had many a time. 

Seokjin looked a little sad, you could tell by his face straight away something was up, and  delayed, you felt dread begin prick at your spine. What if Hoseok had told him? 

“Bad news. They need me at the hospital.” He sounded guilty that he had to let you down. 

While you felt instant relief. He didn’t know about the kiss and your guilty conscious was happy you wouldn’t have to spend all day together. You felt terrible at the realisation. Maybe you should just tell him what happened. But… not like this. Not today. You were a serial put-er off-er.

“That’s okay, it can’t be helped,” you told him, making your way over to the bed where he sat perched on. You rubbed his shoulder. You both liked doing that to one another. Thinking that made you sad. “I feel bad for you though. You haven’t had a proper day off in weeks.” 

It was true, Seokjin worked harder than any person you’d met before. You didn’t know how he did it. More sadness filled you. You couldn’t explain why. This time it wasn’t the guilt over the kiss, but something else. Everything had changed. 

“You’re cute,” he smiled. “I’ll be fine. Always am.” Those words stuck with you. “I’m sad we can’t go to the zoo. Rain check?” 

“Rain check,” you nodded, smiling slightly. 

“What will you do instead today?” He asked, before chuckling. “Hoseok’s here all day. Keep him company.” 

Your eyes widened. “You’ve been talking to Hob–Hoseok?” Damn that nickname. He didn’t deserve to be called Hobi. 

“Yeah, while you were in the shower.” 

Change the subject. “I think I may hang out with Joy.” It was the weekend after all, and Yoongi had work this afternoon and then he was going out for drinks with some coworkers. Joy would be free. “We can have a girly day. I could stay over maybe.” You were babbling. Trying to make this believable even though it wasn’t a lie. “Face masks, pillow fights, all that sleepover stuff.” 

Seokjin looked at you funny and laughed affectionately. “You’re really trying to relive your high school years, aren’t you? You’re cute,” he repeated. He always called you cute. He wrapped his arms around you waist, pulling you a little closer. “—and weird. That’s why I like you.” 

Yes. Sometimes you did think you were a little bit “too much” for Seokjin, but he always seemed so endeared by you. Usually this kind of talk made you happy, but you felt strange inside. Like everything was slowly dying. Seokjin kissed you, it didn’t bring you back to life.    “I’ll see you tomorrow night. Promise I’ll be free.” 

You forced yourself to smile. Any more and your lips would start aching. “Can’t wait.” 

He rubbed his nose against yours, voice low. “You can come over. Maybe we can play seven minutes in heaven…” 

You giggled, but in your mind you couldn’t stop thinking about your kiss with Hoseok. 

.

.

“Hoseok kissed me last night.” 

It was a few hours later, not even twenty four after the kiss, and you were finally telling someone about it. You weren’t built to keep secrets. Joy knew that. She knew you the best out of anyone. She’d been your best friend for over twenty years. That’s why it was her you told. Curled up on her sofa you blurted it out. No lead up, no ‘Hey, can I tell you something?’ Just straight out with it. 

She turned her attention away from the television, a look of confusion spread all over her face. “During the game or?” 

You breathed out. “After. Once everyone had gone home.” 

Her eyes widened, but she spoke slowly, as if she was trying really hard to understand. “I’m confused. Was it a drunk thing?” 

“I don’t know why he did it,” you admitted. If you had a solid answer maybe you could get your head around it more. “He said he wanted to show me how our first kiss would go.” 

“Hold up.” Now Joy had come to life. Still in shock, but needing explanations. “He imagined a first kiss? Does he like you?” 

“No,” you exclaimed, pulling a disgusted face. “It’s Hoseok. Me and Hoseok.” 

“Do you like him?” 

Was she crazy? “No.” But that sounded too mean. “Yes. I mean, of course I like him, he’s my friend.”

“Christ. He kissed you,” she muttered, shaking her head a little in disbelief. 

“I kissed him back.” Had you left out that minor detail? It was all very well saying Hoseok kissed you, but you’d let him, and you’d kissed him back just as hard. The memory had your insides feeling funny again. 

Joy looked a little in stunned. You didn’t blame her. You and Hoseok kissing? His mouth on yours, his hands on your body, his tongue in your mouth… You needed a cold shower. Where was your guilt now?! 

“What was it like?” She asked hesitantly. Curious. 

“Really good.” You couldn’t lie. And you couldn’t keep the truth in. You just needed to be honest with yourself. “I’m so confused. Joy, I cant stop thinking about it. I’m so mad at him but it was just so… It was just so hot. But out of this world. Like, I saw through time and space, and it was Hoseok doing it!” In what world did that seem realistic? He was your friend! 

“Damn, Hoseok has game.” Joy sounded half impressed. 

You sighed sadly. “I think it was the best kiss of my life but it can’t be because…” There she was. The guilt. She settled in your stomach, heavy and sickly. “Seokjin. I have a boyfriend. One who I’ve liked for the longest time.” 

You remembered how much you wanted to make it work with him while things were still just a hook up and how heartbroken you’d been when he’d told you he couldn’t give you that. How confused and kind of mad you were when he found you again and confessed his feelings and how happy you’d been when you’d given him another chance. When Hoseok had encouraged you to give it a try. Nothing made sense. Everything had changed after one kiss.  

“Are you going to tell him?” Joy asked. 

“I don’t know. I was going to forget the kiss ever happened but I don’t think I can do that,” you admitted. Seokjin deserved the truth, but selfishly, more than that, you couldn’t live like this, so conflicted. It wasn’t black and white. You’d kissed Hoseok back. 

“Just think it through, okay?” She told you gently. “If you tell him it’ll make things awkward. You’re friends with Hoseok. You live with Hoseok.” 

You didn’t think Joy got it. You didn’t think you got it. You couldn’t forget about the kiss. That’s why you had to tell Seokjin. “No, I should tell him.” Your voice was a little shaky. “I kissed Hoseok back. It wouldn’t be fair to blame it all on him. Seokjin needs to know.” 

.

.

You slipped through the door, trying to be as quiet as possible. You turned left, towards your bedroom and began creeping. It was past midnight but you still wanted to go as undetected as possible, praying Namjoon and Hoseok were in their rooms already. 

“Hey.” You winced when you heard Hoseok’s voice, freezing. “I was waiting up for you. Where were you all day?” 

You turned back slowly, trying to make your voice sound as neutral as possible. If truth be told, the last person you wanted to have a conversation with right now was him. “At Joy’s. I was going to stay over but Yoongi got drunk and she had to pick him up.” 

“You were going to stay over because of me?” He asked. You stayed silent and he sighed your name. “Look, I’m really sorry I did this. Made things awkward between us. It’s the last thing I want.” 

Your jaw tightened in anger. Then why the hell had he kissed you? “I don’t feel awkward. Do you feel awkward?” 

“I feel a little awkward.” He admitted, hands in his pockets. You stayed a few feet apart. “You left the house all day to avoid me.” 

“I’m not feeling awkward. I’m feeling…mad.” 

“Mad?” He had the cheek to sound surprised. “At me?” 

“You kissed me when I have a boyfriend.” You explained like you had to. “Did you not think of the consequences?”

He lowered his head, sheepish, yet he still didn’t apologise. “Are you going to tell him?” He asked instead. “Just don’t.” 

“What?” Your voice was low, anger rising. 

Hoseok shrugged. “Just forget it ever happened.” 

“Forget it ever happened?!” You exclaimed. “I can’t.” You shook your head, the memory of the kiss pushing its way back into your head. No. That wasn’t why. “I can’t lie to him. You’re asking me to lie to him?” 

“It’s not lying, it’s just not telling him something happened. He’s oblivious to it anyways.” 

“What the hell?” You couldn’t begin to explain why you felt so frustrated. So offended. “I can’t do this.” You voice shook. You were blowing up. “I was happy before last night. Like really happy, and now everything is ruined because you kissed me!” He stayed silent. You couldn’t read his expression. 

“Like jeez,” you laughed in frustration. “It doesn’t make sense, Hoseok. You were encouraging me to give him another chance and now what, you like me?” You mocked, instantly regretting it by the way his face fell. 

“Is that funny to you?” He scoffed. “Is the possibility I like you so hilarious you feel the need to laugh in my face?” Oh no. “Or are you laughing because it seems so crazy? Impossible?” 

You could feel the dread prickling your skin, but all you could do was watch him in horror. “I like you.” The way he said your name afterwards made something inside of you long. You pushed it away, because otherwise your legs might give way from under you. 

“I like you a lot. Way more than a friend and I don’t know for how long.” 

You couldn’t speak. Just watched him struggle to find the right words himself. “It-It’s just one of those things. You came into my life like a bulldozer and I kept thinking, how had I gone through nearly thirty years of my life not knowing you?” He scoffed. “It sounds stupid, but it’s true. Slowly I just began thinking maybe one day it’ll be our chance. It wasn’t urgent. Just kinda there in my subconscious. Most of the time I didn’t even think about it.” He shrugged. “I was okay with waiting. Okay with watching you date other guys because it wasn’t our turn yet. One day,” he sighed. “One day it would be, and I’d get to kiss you like last night.” 

The kiss was back behind your eyes. The feeling of his lips, the taste of his mouth. The touch of his body. For some reason you were angry. 

“That game messed it all up and I’m sorry for that, but I’m not sorry for kissing you. I won’t apologise for that.” 

“No.” You finally said something. It was final, but your voice shook. “No. You can’t be doing this right now, Hoseok.” You pointed at him, accusing him. “I’m happy. For the first time in a long time I was happy. I like Seokjin. He’s the first guy I’ve really felt something with since Seungwoo. Do you know how important that is?” He should understand that more than anyone, with what happened with Minah. 

“You expect me to throw it all away because one day you see yourself with me? One day?!” You were a goddamn after thought. One of those pacts friends made. If we’re still single at 40 we’ll get married. Was that what you were to him? You blinked away frustrated tears. He was one of your best friends and that’s how he saw you? 

“Oh, please,” he sneered. He sounded hurt, but mad. You’d never seen him angry before. You hated it. You’d bickered many times, but never to this level. “You’re always choosing shitty men.” 

“You’ve known me for a year!” 

“Yeah, and in that time it hasn’t been great,” he scoffed. You thought of the handful of men Hoseok had witnessed you date and cringed. He was judging you. Two could play at that game. Childish or not. 

“Oh, and you have such a great taste in woman. If I remember correctly, one robbed you after you slept with her!” 

“That could’ve happened to anyone!” 

Whatever. “Seokjin is not a shitty man!” He was kind, and sweet, and probably way too good for you. 

“You were his fuck buddy for weeks and when you told him you had feelings for him he ran away only to come back with his tail between his legs. He had his chance and he blew it. You deserve better.” 

“You were the one who told me to go for it!” You exasperated. He wasn’t making sense. He was the one who encouraged you to give Seokjin a second chance. Without Hoseok, you wouldn’t be together right now. 

“I regret that now. What more do you want me to say?” 

Really? You stared at him. “I want you to say you don’t know anything.” 

“I don’t know anything?” 

“Yes, you don’t know anything about anything.” He just said things, did things, without thinking of the consequences. He was thoughtless. “Seokjin might’ve been the one, but now it’s all ruined!” 

“He’s not.” 

Fuck him. He sounded so sure. What did he know? “It’s ruined because of you!” You shouted in frustration. “I don’t know what to think. I don’t know what to feel.” All you could remember was the kiss. “I was happy and now I’m not.” 

“Well I’m sorry for making you unhappy,” he sighed. “That’s what I do.” He threw his hands into the air and laughed bitterly. “I’m sorry for thinking me and you could be something great. I’m sorry for not having my life together. Not being rich, or for not being devilishly handsome—which I may add,” he shot, “is freaky. No man should be that beautiful!” 

For god’s sake. What was he trying to do now? Guilt trip you? “What are you going on about? Those are your insecurities. I don’t care about all that stuff.” Was he trying to say you were shallow? 

“Of course you do,” he insisted. “Seokjin has it all. What do I have? Nothing. I’m 30 and work at a bar. I dropped out of law school and forget to shower some days. I don’t own my own home. I live in a loft with two other guys and you.” 

You? Why did he say it like that? For someone who supposedly liked you he wasn’t doing a good job of showing it. From the seems of things he didn’t like you. 

“Do yourself a favour and just don’t tell him. Forget about me and be happy. Fall in love with him, marry him, have tons of super pretty babies.” 

Jaw tight, you sneered. “This is why we wouldn’t work out.” You told him. “You’re childish.” He wasn’t relationship material. He wasn’t what you were looking for. “You’re selfish. You’re mean.” 

He scoffed. “I’m mean?” 

Your bottom lip wobbled, eyes filling up. “Yeah, you really are.” And then you stormed off. Down the hall and into your room. Just in time to hide the tears that slipped down your cheeks. He couldn’t see you cry. He couldn’t see he’d gotten to you. 

He yelled your name, calling you back, sounding regretful, but you didn’t listen and he didn’t follow you. 

The next morning you didn’t see Hoseok at all. He was either in his room when you finally emerged from yours, or he was already at the bar. You were thankful either way. You didn’t think you could handle facing him. You were still so mad, but more than that you were upset. Confused. 

You showered and got ready with a struggle. Forced yourself to go grocery shopping even though you had no appetite for food, and then you just tried to keep yourself distracted. You caught up with some marking that needed to be done by tomorrow, meal prepped for lunches and tried to seem normal around Namjoon who was milling about the loft too. Then Seokjin messaged your asking if you still wanted to hang out this evening. You replied yes with a heavy heart. 

On your way there you’d convinced yourself that you weren’t going to tell him. Yes, you had kissed Hoseok back, but he was the one that had made the move. You could forget about it with time. You could be happy with Seokjin again. Your guilty conscience would go. 

But sitting with him on the sofa, his arm looped around your shoulders and his soft laugh rumbling in your ears every time something funny happened in the movie you were watching, you realised something. The only reason you didn’t want to tell him was because you wanted to spite Hoseok. You were being selfish. The same thing you’d accused Hoseok of last night. 

Seokjin deserved to now, whatever the outcome. For him, for you, for Hoseok… 

“I kissed Hoseok.” 

It didn’t sound like your voice, but you’d said it. 

You felt Seokjin move and you automatically wriggled out from under his arm. He paused the movie, looking back at you with a bemused expression. “You kissed him?” He laughed slightly. “Why didn’t time say? We would’ve left you out sooner.” 

He’d mistaken what you meant. Just like Joy. You closed your eyes softly, sadness filling you. You wanted to say yes, in the game more than anything, just not to hurt him, but that wasn’t the truth. You’d kissed Hoseok off your own back and you’d enjoyed it. “No,” you said softly. “We kissed after the party. Later on when I went to get some water. He kissed me, but I kissed him back.” You didn’t take a moment to pause, needing it all to be out. 

Seokjin was silent as he absorbed the information. Shocked being a given. Finally he said something. “You kissed him while I was in the loft too? In your bed?” 

When he worded it like that you felt sick. You nodded sadly. “I feel terrible, Seokjin. I do. I just couldn’t not tell you. Hoseok said to forget it ever happened but I… It–We…” You fumbled over your words and took a moment to compose yourself. “We argued last night and I’m just… I’m really confused.” 

Two nights ago everything had changed. You’d been in this perfect new relationship. It had promise, it was going somewhere and you were over the moon. Then the kiss had happened and you hadn’t been able to see a future with Seokjin anymore. No matter how small. 

His face was unreadable as he looked at you. You wanted him to get mad. You wanted him to yell at you and tell you how much of a horrible person you were. You deserved it. But that wasn’t his style. Instead he breathed out some kind of little laugh. “There’s no need to be confused. I get it now. You like Hoseok. Of course you do.” 

You were too surprised to even think about refuting him. Of all the things for him to say, you had not been expecting that. “Seeing you guys together,” he carried on. “You always bicker, get on one another’s nerves, but now I see it.” He chuckled. Sadly amused. “It was chemistry. You two just bounce off one another so well. I don’t know, maybe you’re frustrated too, mad you’re not together.” 

You let his words sink in. Trying to think of every interaction you’d had with Hoseok since you met him. It was pretty much an instant connection. You’d always thought so, but did that really mean… You couldn’t let yourself think here. In front of Seokjin, after you’d just confessed to him. But everything was flooding to the forefront of your brain, and it was hard work trying to stop it. There was no point trying to deny it. Not now. 

“I never wanted to hurt you,” you told him instead. Meaning it sincerely. You hadn’t even realised anything yourself. Not even when it was right in front of you. When Hoseok was telling you he liked you. 

He smiled sadly. “Better for it to happen now, right?” 

“I really care about you, Seokjin. These past few weeks have been amazing. Even before, when we were…” You stopped and shook your head. “You’re the best and I’m really sorry.” You truly did mean that. No matter how lame it sounded. 

“You’re a really great girl, remember that,” he told you. “Maybe if I’d figured out my feelings months ago things would be different, but then again,” he shrugged, “maybe you’re just meant to be with him.” 

Meant to be with him. Hoseok. Were you meant to be with Hoseok? 

Seokjin took you hand and squeezed it gently. “I’m done,” he murmured, his eyes kind but firm. “I don’t want to be second best.” 

.

.

You had déjà vu. You were slipping through the door again. This time you didn’t try to creep into your room though. You made your way into the kitchen, needing a glass of water. Just to take some time for yourself, needing to find some clarity. You found it as soon as your eyes landed on Hoseok walking from the direction of the bathroom. Everything fell into place, began to make sense. 

He stopped dead when he saw you, awkward and probably panicked after last night. “Hey,” you said gently. “Where is everyone?” It was strange for the loft to be so quiet on a Sunday night. 

He cleared his throat. “Namjoon has Nara over, Yoongi‘s still over Joy’s place.” He was already beginning to walk away.  “I’ll be out of your way, just going to bed.” 

You opened your mouth to call him back. You had so much to say, but… But was tonight a good time to start? Your head was still whirring. Sadness and guilt over your breakup with Seokjin but you also felt giddy at the sight of Hoseok. You wanted to say sorry for the argument, for all the things you said, and most of all you wanted to tell him that you—

“Aren’t you supposed be staying with Jin tonight?” Hoseok had stopped, turning back with the afterthought. “Namjoon mentioned it.”  

He didn’t need to explain himself. You didn’t care how he knew. You didn’t care about a lot right now. Only one thing. “He broke up with me,” you replied. “I told him about the kiss and now it’s over.” 

Hoseok’s eyes bulged, visibly shocked. “What? Didn’t you tell him it was my fault?” He walked over to you. There was still a distance but it was a start. “No,” he muttered. “Why would he break up with you? It’s not your fault.”

Sweet, caring Hoseok. You smiled at him, the words that left you almost bubbling into a laugh. “It is.” 

He looked mighty confused. He was probably thinking you’d lost it right now. You hadn’t. You’d only just found it. You took a deep breath. It was now or never. “It’s my fault because I like you too.” 

Silence. He looked stunned. It seemed strange to say it out loud but also sort of invigorating. Nothing made sense in this world, bar one thing. Your feelings for him. You laughed, more words now rushing out. “I really like you. And I don’t know for how long. Maybe from the beginning,” you shrugged, “maybe from the kiss. I don’t know.” 

You’d been trying to pinpoint the exact moment on the ride home. Going through each memory you had with him in an attempt to understand when it happened. There was no real answer. It had snuck up on you, wanted you to be oblivious. And you think that was how it was for him too. Why last night had been so confusing. 

You were mad at him because you liked him too. You were mad at him because you thought he didn’t like you enough. He didn’t like you like he thought he liked you. God, you were a mess. Your thoughts weren’t making sense. What were you trying to say?

“I don’t know,” you repeated. “My head’s a mess and I really have a headache right now.” You rubbed your temples and then remembered something. “I also have a flat tyre. I think I drove over a nail on the way here. I don’t know how I’m going to get to work tomorrow morning.” 

“You could borrow my ca—

“Hobi, I don’t care.” You interrupted, laughing again. You felt funny, like you were floating. It felt good to call him that again. “I don’t care about anything right now, except you.” His eyes flashed at that, something changing on his face. He moved forward, closer to you. The counter was the only thing that separated you now. 

“I don’t understand anything and I’m really confused, but I know one thing,” you insisted, finally giving into the urge that had been raging your body for nearly two days. “I really want to kiss you.” You swallowed, tasting the memory of him. “Again. I can’t stop thinking about the kiss. It was the best kiss of my life.” 

He rounded the counter in the blink of an eye. He’d stayed silent for the majority of your confession, except for offering you his car, the idiot. You almost laughed again; why was he so sweet? Yeah, you would’ve laughed if he didn’t look so irresistible right now. So serious, so desperate, so intense. He was breathing heavily, almost panting, eyes blown black. 

“Can I kiss you now?” His voice was rough, broken with desire. 

You parted your mouth to reply. To say yes, to say please, to almost beg, but his lips were already on yours, hands cupping your face. Hungry, needy, eager. He pushed you against the counter your back was to, and you let out a gasp, maybe more of a moan. He took the opportunity to swipe his tongue against yours. He tasted like toothpaste. You hated spearmint, but now you loved it. 

You grasped him, letting your hands roam over his back. You wanted to touch him, feel him, never let him go. You grabbed the corners of his t-shirt with your fists and pulled him closer. He stumbled forward and your head feel back against one of the overhead cupboards. You didn’t care, clung to his mouth as he tried to pull back and check on you. “Don’t stop,” you whined against his lips. 

He chuckled but it trembled, probably had something to do with the way you were pressing your body into his. He gave up in the end, needing to get his hands on you too. He moved to your waist, hands gripping around the small of your back, holding you tight and pushing just as much into you, because he wanted to feel you against him too. To get as close as possible because there had always been a stupid, unnecessary distance between you. 

You felt hot, a little sweaty and out of breath, unsure how a kiss had got you this wrecked. It was just as good as his birthday—no, better. It was better because now you both knew what you wanted. 

“Hey—I know—this isn’t r-really the–mm–time,” Hoseok was trying to speak but he couldn’t stay away from your lips long enough. Words blurred and getting caught short, but you just kissed him more furiously. “But I really f-feel guilty about—last night. All the–the stuff I said–”

“It’s fine,” you got out, but it was enough to begin distracting you. 

He pulled back successfully, gazing at you, eyes warm and sincere. His breath fanned across your face. “I just feel really bad about all that stuff I said about Seokjin. He’s a good guy, I just—

“Let’s not speak about him now,” you interrupted softly. You took a deep breath, slipping your hands up his sides to rub his back. You were both coming down from that high slowly. 

He sighed weakly. “Yeah, I know, I just,” he paused, struggling, before giving a small shrug. “I was jealous of him.” 

“It’s okay,” you reassured. But now Seokjin was back in your head. The guilt was still there. Of course it wouldn’t go immediately, no matter how understanding he had been. But these emotions were conflicting. Plus, you knew you and Hoseok couldn’t be this simple. There was still so much to talk about. From both of you. 

“We need to talk before anything happens, right?” He read your mind. You smiled and nodded, feeling a little sad. 

And right at that moment a familiar banging appeared again. You caught Hoseok’s eyes and you both burst out laughing. Trust Namjoon to ease the moment.   

Hoseok pulled you upright, wrapping his arms around your waist now in a slight hug. You wrapped yours around his neck and he grinned. “We should go on a date tomorrow. We can talk then.” Your eyes widened. A date? Hoseok didn’t do dates. Not proper ones anyway. 

“I want to to this properly.” Again with the mind reading, you smiled to yourself. “I’ll take you out for dinner and we can, I don’t know, talk about what this means.” 

You grinned, Namjoon’s headboard still hitting the wall. “I’d really love that.” 

You were giddy all day. Couldn’t concentrate in work. You were still replaying last night in your head. After the kiss you’d watched some television together, like you always did on Sunday nights. You sat close, but not entwined, too afraid Namjoon would pop out of his bedroom—hopefully fully clothed. You couldn’t explain why that fear hadn’t been there when Hoseok had your back against the counter, but whatever, you weren’t ready for the weirdness that would unfold, nor the conversations that would need to be had. You hadn’t even talked it out yourselves yet. 

That was for tonight. Hoseok had text you just gone midday to tell you he’d gotten his shift for tonight covered and he’d booked dinner at a restaurant for 8pm. After that it had all felt too real. You were nervous, scared and excited all wrapped up into one. You were going on a date with Hoseok. Your friend Hoseok. The one who you’d bumped into this morning in the kitchen. The one who’d handed you a coffee with a shy good morning because he couldn’t say anything else with Namjoon rummaging around in the fridge next to you, totally oblivious. 

And later on, once you were home, getting ready for the date was a whole new experience all together. You know, living with the guy in question and all. You bumped into one another in the bathroom, brushing your teeth together with awkward giggles. He met you outside of your bedroom once you were dressed, eyes wide, cheeks a little flushed at the sight of you. Maybe the fact you were dressed up for him now turned him speechless. “You look beautiful,” he’d managed to splutter finally. 

He didn’t scrub up too badly himself. He was in a shirt for one. Loose at the neck, no tie, but a shirt nonetheless. And dress pants. Where exactly was he taking you? You didn’t have time to ask because you had to ninja your way out of the loft before you got caught. 

Dinner started off awkwardly at first. Stumbling over words, small talk drying up, lots of nervous laughter, but gradually you both found your groove. How could you not? It was you and Hoseok! All the history and chemistry you had didn’t just disappear because of one date. You were soon giggling together when you noticed a man accidentally walk into the women’s restroom. Childish, yes, but who cared? That’s who you and he were. 

By the main course you were both ready to open up, talk about you guys and what this meant. 

“I’m sorry about yelling the other night,” he apologised, pushing some spinach around his plate absentmindedly. 

You gave a little shrug.  “It’s okay. I’m sorry too. I was mad at myself more than anything.” 

“No,” he shook his head. “You don’t have to do that.” 

“Do what?” 

“Blame yourself.” He looked across at you. “You were mad because I kissed you when you had a boyfriend. I mean, it was a pretty dick-y thing to do and I feel really bad about it.” 

You smiled, that meant a lot to you. It was a complicated situation. The suddenness of it all the sole problem. 

You didn’t want to talk about Seokjin. You didn’t want to compare the two men, even though throughout the day your mind had tried to. In all honestly, both were very different, but both were good men. There was no winner, there was no loser. It just happened that you couldn’t ignore this chance with Hoseok. Not when he had been there first. Maybe looking at it now, you and Seokjin were different kinds of people. Maybe the relationship wasn’t as perfect as you’d thought. Not your perfect anyway. It could’ve worked out yes, but you knew he deserved someone better than you. Someone different to you. 

You realised something at that moment. Seokjin had always found your quirkiness adorable, but Hoseok found it normal. You didn’t know what that meant, but it made sense in your own head. It made you happy. You were here, in front of one another, on a date. Nothing else mattered.  

“If you hadn’t have done it we wouldn’t be here right now.” You told him. It was no good just thinking everything in your head. You needed to tell Hoseok some things. You wanted to tell him how happy you were. “On a dateee.” 

He laughed, relaxing into his chair. “We’re on a date!” 

He couldn’t quite believe it still. You laughed at how cute he was being and looked around. “You chose the fanciest place.” 

“Yeah,” he murmured, looking a little sheepish. “Did I go over the top? Feel like I did.” He stopped and then laughed. “I hope your heels aren’t too high, we gotta run outta here when they fetch the bill.” 

“Hobi,” you whined. He didn’t need to make a joke like that. Then you thought of something else. You hoped he didn’t take you here because he thought you expected it. Any restaurant would’ve done. “Hey,” you said softly. “I hope you don’t still believe all that stuff about you just being a bartender.” He shrugged a little sheepish. “I teach adults how to write fiction and I’m not too hot at it. Half of them are failing.” 

He chuckled at that, picking up his glass of wine. “I think the problem probably lies with them not you.” 

You looked at him, needing him not to laugh this off. You wanted him to see you didn’t care what job he had. “My point is, my job isn’t all that glamorous. It doesn’t have to be.” You thought he liked his job. It should never be used as something to separate you. 

He sighed softly, giving in. “I’m sorry I laid all that stuff on you. They’re my insecurities not yours. It’s just after… Just after the breakup with Minah. The stuff she said to me really stuck.” 

You reached for one of his hands, grasping is fingers. The warmth was all you needed. “I get that.” You still had some insecurities left over from your breakup with Seungwoo, but with Hoseok none of those things mattered. “I’m sorry for calling you childish, and selfish.” 

“And mean. Don’t forget mean,” he joked. 

“And mean.” You looked away sheepishly, before realising you needed to look him in the eyes for this. “I don’t want you to be insecure around me. I like you for you.” 

He chuckled quietly, squeezing your hand. “Thank you.” 

“I think it’s cool that you work at a bar.” You wanted to lighten the moment now, shrugging. “But maybe that’s because of the free drinks you give me.” 

He laughed, both of you pulling your hand back to carry on eating. “I’m actually not allowed to do that, but you’re so pretty how could I not?” 

You felt your cheeks flush at his casual remark. “You think I’m pretty?” 

“Very much so. Plus other things…” 

You smiled shyly. “I find you pretty too. Huh?” You noticed the face he pulled. “Is that not a good thing?” 

“I’m not pretty,” he baffled. 

“Are too.” You insisted. You’d always thought so, especially when he smiled. “I think you’re sexy too. Very sexy.” 

“Oh yeah?” He seemed to like that one better. “What’s so sexy about me?” 

You looked down at his wine. It wasn’t the right alcohol, but it made you remember something. “I like the way you drink beer. You gargle it a little.” 

“I do?” He looked puzzled. 

“Yeah, you do, and I don’t know, it’s kinda hot.” He looked chuffed at that. “What about me?” You added. 

“Hm,” he thought out loud. “It’s not really sexy, maybe a little misogynistic,” he laughed, “but I like when you struggle to open things. Like that bag of chips last week. When you ask for my help, I don’t know, it makes me feel good about myself.” 

It made him feel good when he opened a bag of chips for you? You awed loudly. “That’s so sweet, Hobi.” 

He scoffed, a little embarrassed. “Oh.” He remembered something. “I like when guys mistake me for your boyfriend.” 

You cocked an eyebrow. “Oh yeah? I like that too. And vice versa.” You had never been able to pinpoint why in the past. It was usually gone before you could even try to explain it, but it had still been there. Numerous times. You’d just been clueless. 

“Isn’t this scary?” You asked. It was new and exciting, and you were happy, but it was also weird to be here. Sat opposite your friend, your roommate… the man you had feelings for. The man who up until a few nights ago, had a crush on another woman. No wonder he hadn’t really cared when Namjoon asked if he could bone Nara. And he, well he was sitting opposite you, who up until last night had a boyfriend. Talk about whiplash. This was crazy. 

“It’s the scariest thing I’ve ever done,” he admitted. 

“We’re like best friends, but is it because we’ve always had feelings for one another?” 

Hoseok upturned his shoulders. “I honestly have no clue. It makes sense, but…” 

“But at the same time it doesn’t?” You finished for him. He nodded. If he had never kissed you that night, then this wouldn’t be happening right now. Maybe it would’ve never happened. You would’ve kept missing one another. The moment never there for him and you probably oblivious until it was too late… 

But that wasn’t the case now. You were both here. Suddenly and maybe not in the best of circumstances, but you were here. That’s all that mattered. Was there really such a thin like between friendship and lovers? You tried imagining kissing Namjoon but couldn’t do it. It made you feel weird. Not the same weird you’d felt locked in the closet with Hoseok. 

“I don’t want to ruin what we have already but I can’t ignore these feelings I have for you.” Hoseok explained. “I’ve been repressing them for so long they’re uncontrollable.” He chuckled. 

“Same. I think.” You were beginning to realise that love didn’t have to punch you in the face immediately for it to be the real thing. “If I ignore how I feel about you I’ll spontaneously combust. I know it. I will.” These feelings had hit you full force and now you couldn’t ignore them even if you tried. 

He chuckled at your passion. “I don’t want you to spontaneously combust.” A thought popped into his head. “What will Yoongi say? Namjoon?” He groaned, rubbing his temples.  “What do we even tell them?” 

“Maybe we won’t tell them for a little while?” You suggested. You didn’t want to share this new, uncertain thing with other people just yet. The loft wasn’t the best set up in this situation. “Just until we work out what’s going on between us?” 

“Like keeping it a secret?” 

“I know it’s not ideal but I don’t want to mess this up.” He nodded, agreeing with you. “If we try and fail our friendship could get ruined. That terrifies me, Hobi.” You wanted to be honest here. All cards on the table. “I love you a lot. I don’t want to jeopardise anything.” 

“Hey, hey, nothing will get ruined, I promise you,” he reassured, reaching for your hand with both of his. “We’ll take it as slow as you want. This is new and if we do it properly then everything will be okay in the end.” He gave you a gentle smile. “Whatever the outcome. If we decide to move forward or decide to just stay friends, we’ll be okay.” 

Maybe that’s why you’d never realised your feelings for him. Why he’d never said anything. Your friendship meant too much to one another. If that was ruined somehow it would kill you both. But it didn’t have to be like that. If you both saw the potential danger, you could avoid it best you could. You shouldn’t be thinking of the potential end if it was only just the beginning. 

“You’re right,” you smiled back. 

Letting go of your hand he relaxed back into the chair again. “But for tonight, let’s think of this as a new thing. It’ll take the pressure off us.” 

“How do you mean?” You asked, curious. He had a giant smirk on his face. 

He shrugged. “Maybe we met on Tinder. Decided to go for a drink.” 

Oh. Okay, you saw where he was going. A little bit of make believe. That sounded fun. You and Hoseok always messed around like this. Why would it change? “Yeah,” you nodded, getting into it instantly. “We liked what we saw. I liked the way you dress.” 

He snorted. “You hate my dress sense. You told me I dress like a twenty year old hipster.”  

“I like it!” You insisted. You mean, in your defence you’d only said that because he’d said you dressed like a granny. He’d started it. 

“Thank you.” He was satisfied, you both could commence. “I liked your glasses. Reminded me of the librarian kink I had in high school.” 

“Eww.” You wrinkled your nose. “Weirdo.” You both laughed loudly. 

.

.

“Goodnight, pretty lady. I’ll see you in the morning,” Hoseok murmured. The night was over, the loft was empty, the guys probably already in bed, when you got back and you both walked down the hallway to your rooms, stopping outside to say goodnight. 

“Lame,” you scoffed, but he could tell by your face you loved it. “Night.” 

He leaned in for a kiss. It seemed like he was trying to keep it brief, nothing like last night or two nights before that, but no matter how hard he tried, it lingered. It was painful pulling apart and walking into your bedroom. You knew he was trying to be chivalry, and patient, and whatever else, but there was an itch inside you that screamed to be relieved. 

You pressed the back of your head up against the door, closing your eyes and taking a few breaths. Praying the desire you felt would ebb away. You heard movement from the other side. 

“Slow, we should take this slow.” Hoseok almost whined from outside.  

You opened your eyes immediately and flung the door open. You were on him in an instant, kissing him eagerly. Thankful your rooms were the other side of the loft from Namjoon’s and Yoongi’s. There would he no explaining this, and you didn’t want to share this with anyone else yet. Not to be careful, not just in case, like you’d originally thought, but because you were selfish. You wanted Hoseok for yourself. 

“I really want you. Like so bad,” you panted, hands all over his body. You wanted him out of his shirt. Out of his pants. Thoughts and images jumped into your mind. You were a woman possessed. “I’ve waited too long already. Please.” 

“Don’t beg like that.” His voice was so low, maybe even a growl, and it did things to you. 

You didn’t want to take this slow. Everything was already perfect. No matter what had happened to get here, it was all perfect now. 

You couldn’t wait a moment longer. You needed to be with him. 

“Pleaseee,” you said purposefully. 

He growled this time. For real. “I said don’t–ah, fuck it!” You exclaimed out loud as he picked you up from the middle, legs dangling alongside his as he walked into your room. He let go and cupped your face tight. He was breathing heavily. “I really want this, I really like you. I’m sure of it. Now that this is finally happening. Now I finally had the guts to make a move. This is for real.” 

You blinked. “Forreal for real?” 

“Yeah,” he murmured. “Never been more certain of anything in my entire life.” 

And then he was kissing you again. You never wanted it to stop. With shaky hands you took his and began to lead him backwards towards your bed…

*bonus* 

“Morning,” Hoseok smiled from above you. 

You’d only just woken up, eyes still blurry, but you rubbed them and rolled onto your back. “Good morning,” you smiled back. 

He rubbed his hand over your waist under the covers, now grinning like he couldn’t stop it. “We did that.” 

You were still naked. So was he. What a thought. “We really did that.” 

“Twice.” 

You hummed, reliving last nights antics. It was just so natural. The sex you mean. No awkwardness, no nerves. It was just…perfect. Giggling and messing around, just like you were as friends. Nothing had changed. Only now you were probably going to be bumping uglies on the regular… It was only right to make a new suggestion now. “Wanna make it a third?” 

“Thought you’d never ask,” he laughed, dipping his head to kiss your neck. You let yourself sink, closing your eyes and enjoying the moment until you remembered something. 

“Wait, wait—!” Your eyes flew open. “What’s the time?” 

Hoseok stopped and looked back, craning his neck to catch the time on your alarm clock. “Twenty past 7.” 

You groaned. “I have a class in 2 hours.” 

“Uhh,” he started awkwardly, pecking your lips. “This is new n’ all but I don’t want to get your hopes up so early into this. I will never be able to last two hours. You’ll be fine. You won’t miss class,” he chuckled. 

“Shut up,” you groaned, kissing him just to roll him on his back. The thought of leaving this bed today was depressing. “I’m just going to call in sick anyway.” You told him, pulling away.

He stroked his fingers through your hair, smirking. “Oh, a bad girl, huh?” 

You narrowed your eyes. If he wanted you to be bad, you could be bad. “Get a condom, Jung.” 

[thetokenmuggle]

From First To Last

The Prologue Included : M, Jane, Sungjae,Minah, Daniel, Tyler, Emily, Lucas

‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾ The Beginnings ☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙

“And these are your quarters.” Prince Endymion, more commonly referred to as M by his inner circle lead the Moon Princess and her royal party to the left-wing of the castle. “All the rooms are fully furnished and the staff we will be more than happy to help with any of your needs,” he said. One of the maids scoffed glaring at the interstellar royals, M shook his head not understanding why his people were suddenly so against the treaty between Elysion and the Moon Kingdom. It was a step towards the future, a golden age for their people. “Ah,” he scratched the back of his neck. “I should let you all rest, you have all had a long trip,” he said. “There is a lot planned for tomorrow,” he said nodding awkwardly. “Goodnight,” he said bowing to the Moon Princess, “Ah should i -” he said looking at her royal guard who are also the Princes and Princesses of their respective planets. “No, I’ll just go,” he said with an awkward wave before turning on his heels and speeding away, hoping to get that tragic interaction out of his head.

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。

“.... Not that i think you aren’t pretty, because you are, not that you are just pretty - i mean … ” Daehyung mocked as Eunha fell into a fit of giggles beside him. The two of them were putting acting training to good use and doing a dramatized version of M’s rather tragic interaction with Princess Serenity.

“So the Prince, is he, you know, an idiot,” Mars commented with a snigger. “Do earthlings not know how to form a sentence?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

“I think he was just nervous,” Jupiter responded. “It’s the first time Elysian has interacted with the Moon Kingdom in a century, he has a lot riding on this,” he pointed out.

“Your majesty,” Enzo said, cutting off Eunha and Daehyung. “Do you perhaps need some tips on how to talk to a girl?” he said. M looked up, eyes narrowed, Enzo was known around the kingdom as a bit of a ladies men. “I am sure Eunha can pretend to be a lady for five minutes for you to practice,” he teased as Eunha growled at Enzo.

“Daehyung should play the princess, his blonde and we all know how much he loves the attention,” Eunha said as Daehyung ran a hand through his blonde locks.

“Oh Prince Endymion.” Daehyung teased fluttering his eyelashes before puckering his lips and blowing a kiss to M. “I better stop, I don’t want our dear prince to fall in love with little old me, it would just make things too awkward,” Daehyung grinned.

“That and he was blown away by Serenity’s beauty,” Mercury said. “I think it’s sweet,” she said with a soft smile. “Someone is just being mean because his longest relationship is the one he has with his own right hand,” she teased her brother who threw one of the many, many cushions that littered Serenity's bed, at her head.

“I am not being mean,” Mars huffed. “I am just pointing out that this Endymion is hardly princely, if acted like that Father would have Phobos and Deimos on my back like that,” he said with a click of his fingers. “And please we all know i have the most suitors apart from Venus,” he boasted, Venus looked up from brushing Serenity’s hair rolling her eyes at Mars and his antics.

“But you reject them all because you know your true love is out there, you’ve seen it in one of your premonitions,” Jupiter teased. “Could you imagine if people knew the Prince of Mars was a romantic,” he said with a whistle.

“Sungjae you are on my side right?” M said looking at his most trusted knight and oldest friend. “I wasn’t that obvious right?” he asked hopefully. Sungjae looked at him, a small smile on his face before shaking his head.

“Honestly M it was pretty bad,” he said with a frown. “But perhaps it's better this way, this is already a fragile treaty, we don’t want things to get more complicated,” he said seriously. Eunha and Daehyung booed from their spots.

“Don’t listen to Mr Moody pants over there,” Daehyung said. “Treaty Smchetty you should give the princess your meaty,” he giggled. His innuendo caused several reactions from the other shitennou, Enzo chuckled with a shake of his head, Sungjae looked disgusted and Eunha swiftly smacked across the back of the head.

“You are so lucky you prefer the company of other knights,” she said shaking her head. “M please for the love of Gaia do not take relationship advice from him,” she said rolling her eyes at her cousin. “If you really did like this Princess i suggest you be yourself, even if that does lead to some awkwardness - honestly is the best policy,” she said sincerely. Sungjae nodded in agreement but didn’t comment, not wanting to make anyone think he approved of this potential pursuit of the Moon Kingdom.

“Didn’t being yourself get you dumped by Lord Gideon,” Enzo questioned as both Eunha and Daehyung glared at him. “Okay shutting up now,”

“Min- I mean Venus,” Serenity said softly while the rest of her royal guard bickered amongst themselves. “What do you think of Prince Endymion?” she asked. When it came to opinions there was no one Serenity valued more than Venus, well apart from her mother ofcourse.

“I think he is a good man who wants what is best for his planet,” Venus said, placing the brush down on Serenity’s bed. “He is a little awkward but he has the whole planet's fate in his hands, its alot of responsibility to handle on your own,” she said. Serenity hummed, the death of the former King and his wife was a tragedy to say the least, she could only imagine what Endymion was going through.

“It must be hard,” Serenity said softly. “He seems so sweet,” she commented, a warm welcoming dimpled smile coming to mind as she spoke, her cheeks heating up as she smiled softly.

“ I am sure he is but did you forget about the rumours that Lord Jaehyun is going to start courting you when we arrive back on the moon,” Minah said softly but the warning was in her tone, don’t get too fond. “Let’s just focus on improving relations between our Kingdoms,” she said.

‘Do my ears deceive me or is the Princess of Venus telling someone to think with their brains and not with their hearts?” Mars commented in a sing-song voice. “The same Princess who was caught canoodling with several misters at her Debutante ball,” he asked, teasing.

“Your just jealous you weren’t one of them,” Jupiter laughed. “And shush you know Venus takes her position as leader of the Sailor Senshi very seriously,” he said.

“And she wishes you two would start taking it more seriously,” Venus commented. “Now off to bed you three, I will take tonight’s guard shift,” she commented getting up off Serenity's bed.

“What? Why? Venus you should rest as well,” Serenity said with a frown.

“Your highness, as much as Prince Endymion is trying not everyone else on Elysion shares the same good will,” Venus said softly, not wanting to upset her friend.

“As fun as teasing M is we have a big day tomorrow,” Sungjae commented, “We should let his highness get some rest,” he said seriously. The other Shitennou knew when he used that tone that the fun was over. “I’ll do a quick round on the Lunarian parties wing the rest of you should all go to bed, who knows who these talks will play out,” he said with a frown.

The other three stood up gathering their things and heading towards their respective rooms, not without a few quick jabs at M, Daniel telling him to dream off him before sending him another flying kiss. “M everything will be fine,” Sungjae said softly once they were alone. “You are a good ruler and everyone will see that,” he said with a quick nod before leaving to do his rounds.

M flopped back onto his bed, eyes closing as soon as his head hit the pillow, one single thought on his mind.

Tomorrow.

Tomorrow.

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。

“Good morning your majesty,” Prince Endymion greeted Princess Serenity with bow as they walked into the dinning room“I hope you found the room to your satisfaction,” he said politely. Venus heard Mars snigger beside her muttering about how the prince learned to speak over night. Venus rolled her eyes knowing this wouldn’t last, as soon as the Earth Prince looked up and saw what Serenity was wearing or not wearing for that matter it would be back to mumbled words if they were lucky.

“Give her your jacket,” Venus said through gritted teeth as Mars rolled his eyes handing Serenity his jacket.

“Your highness.” Venus said carefully. “Forgive me if i am wrong but i believe Princess Serenity did not have anything planned for this morning so her attire isn’t exactly proper,” she commented stopping herself from snapping at him. Yes he was a Prince but he still had to follow protocol.

“Huh?” Prince Endymion looked up before quickly looking down, face bright red. “Oh uhm, I was just going to offer you all join us for breakfast,” he muttered.

“Why is there something wrong with the one your staff -” Mars started to speak before Princess Serenity spoke.

  “We’d love to,” Serenity said quickly, “Just give me a moment to get changed into something more appropriate,” she said looking down at her nightgown, sheer and shimmering in the Earth’s sunlight.

“Right of course, Sungjae,” he said, turning to one of his Knight’s. “Would you stay here and show them to the formal dining area,” he asked. The Knight looked between the Prince and their royal party, nodding with a frown. “Okay i’ll see you then,” Prince Endymion said with a huge smile, a huge smile that Serenity seemed to bloom under. Well this was tooth rottingly sweet, Venus knew this was going to be trouble.

“Your majesty shall we?” Venus commented as Serenity nodded turning away from Prince Endymion, a soft smile on her face. Venus and Mars moved to her sides as they made their way back to their quarters, the Prince’s Knight stood a few steps away from that all times but he was a looming figure, the sniggering staff all backed away at the sight. Something Venus appreciated because threatening to kill them in her native tongue just didn’t have the same effect.

“I’ll be right back,” Princess Serenity said to the three mostly to Endymion’s guard. “Mars, would you be able to wake Mercury and Jupiter up,” she said sweetly as Mars nodded stepping past the Elysion guard with a scowl. Venus rolled her eyes, Mars had a tough time believing that Elysian and it’s people truly wanted peace, especially after his father had filled his head with stories of the Solar wars.

Silence had fallen over the hallway, Venus standing inside of a slightly ajar door frame as to keep an on Princess Serenity. “I don’t doubt your Prince wants people but from how the staff is reacting to us i don’t your people do,” Venus said to the Guard who looked up brow cocked.

“It has admittedly been harder to convince some people that this is the best step for our future as a nation,” The guard spoke, his tone steady conveying no hint of emotion. “It has seemed to get worse of late,” he admitted. “The Prince is trying so hard to quell the situation,” he said, Venus noted their was a crack in his armor, one that mirrored her own, her Princess was always number one and she had a feeling that it was the same for this guard and Prince Endymion. With a nod silence fell over the two as they waited for the rest of the royal party to come back out. The other guards returned, Mars resuming his one sided glare off with the guard while Mercury and Jupiter looked over at him curiously.

“Mi-Venus,” The Princess shrieked, causing the four of them to rush towards the door.Only to find the Princess standing there holding up two pieces of jewellery.

“Sorry guys,” Princess Serenity said sheepishly, “I’ll be out in a minute,” she said shutting the door once Venus was in the room.

15 minutes later Princess Serenity walked back out fully dressed. “Uhm, Sungjae was it?” she asked as she stood in the hallway, her guards flanking her side. “Is this … I tried to replicate Elysian’s style,” she said smoothing down her gown. Sungjae looked her over, her outfit while a perfect replicate of an Elysian gown but the fabrics and intricate patterns was far more over the top then what an Earth girl would wear, especially not a breakfast, Sungjae knew better than to point that out.

“It’s a lovely gown your majesty, your dressmakers are very skilled,” he said softly as the younger girl smiled widely, “But please don’t feel obligated change your style to match ours, you are an esteemed guest you should be able to dress however you please,” he said politely. “Now if we are all ready,” Sungjae said ready to lead the party to breakfast. “Prince Endymion has planned a busy day for you, he is quite excited to show you all our humble palace,” he said looking at the Lunarians curiously. Today was going to be interesting.

➤ proceed to the library

➤ proceed to the gym

➤ proceed to the astronomy tower

➤proceed to the kitchen

➤proceed to the garden

[prettywordsyouleft]

The Sex Contract - Chapter 10

Genre: friends to lovers au / friends with benefits / mature content / romance / angst

Characters: Shim Changmin x Kaia Ashton (OC)

A/N: Due to the overwhelming request I have followed your encouragement to bring back one of my older stories. This was back in a time where OCs were everything and writing one chapter in each main’s point of view was the trend. I hope that even though I have edited this drastically, that you can appreciate this story comes from my older style of writing. I definitely still read this often and find it enjoyable so I hope you will too.

Prologue | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 - FINAL

Chapter 10 – Kaia’s POV.

Kaia was officially sick. She missed work for the following two days, feeling as if she had been hit by a truck. After the third day however, Kaia had endured more than enough of being in bed and sleeping it off that she hauled herself off to the nearest pharmacy and bought more cold medicine before heading off to work. She was shivering in her warm clothing despite everyone else on the train being in their summer outfits and by the time she arrived at work, Kaia wondered if she had made such a wise decision.

“Woah, Kaia!” Keith stared at her wide-eyed as she walked into the office, and he rushed to my side. “Should you have come in today? Sungra said when she visited you that you were quite sick but I didn’t realise just how much.”

“I’m fine,” she assured, waving off his concern and heading to her desk. Her eyes had already locked on another person in the room, the girl smiling sympathetically. Kaia smiled back, flashes of the other day returning to her mind. Despite being ill, Abby’s behaviour had stuck out the entire time. Kaia knew she needed answers, and hoped she could get some alone time with the girl during the day.

She turned away from her thoughts as she heard her name and smiled at Sungra who now stood beside her. “I told you to stay at home until you were better!”

“I’m not contagious, so don’t worry. I have plenty of medicine too,” Kaia assured, reaching into her bag and pulling the medicine bag out. Shaking it a little, she smiled again. “Besides, Korean news never stops. I can only imagine the backload already.”

Kaia sat down and settled into her work, her mind now focused on the task at hand. She enjoyed her job so much that she almost forgot she was sick until a cough racked through her chest.

“Not that sick huh?”

“Sung, it’s just a cough, I’m not dying,” Kaia retorted and heard a chuckle come from one of the junior members.

“No, but after what I just found, I believe Changmin is,” Hyurin mentioned and Kaia snapped her focus to the girl. “He apparently is sick over in Japan.”

“Really? Oh no, the poor guy, how untimely!”

Sungra nodded at Minah’s exclamation. “I hope it doesn’t interfere with his promotional work. Where on earth would he get a cold from?”

Kaia could feel her cheeks burning and she swallowed roughly, which caused her to struggle with another loud cough. When she looked up again, Kaia noticed a set of eyes were focused on her.

Abby smirked. “Colds just must be making their way around, right Kai? You must sympathise with Changmin right now.”

“Uh sure,” she managed to squeak out, gulping down some of her water and then cringing at how hard it was to swallow it all. She cleared my throat. “Must be the upcoming season.”

Looking back at her computer screen, Kaia tried to settle herself down and then thought back to the statement Changmin had made regarding his health that night. Smiling, she made a mental note to contact the idol on her next break.

“We really need to stop meeting like this,” a voice said after the toilet flushed behind her and a sense of déjà vu coursed through Kaia’s veins as Abby stepped towards the sink. She smiled brightly at her as Kaia placed her phone back into her pocket. “Are you feeling any better?”

“I am, thanks.”

“Good.” She started to wash her hands. “Funny how Changmin’s sick too right now. He must know your friend Max, right? Or perhaps he’s the same guy?”

“E-excuse me?!” Kaia spluttered out, watching as Abby’s face broke out into a grin.

“I KNEW IT! You know Changmin!” she exclaimed and Kaia placed her hand over Abby’s mouth, darting her eyes around the area. She struggled to remove Kaia’s hand. “Don’t worry; I checked the cubicles before when I followed you in. I can’t believe you’ve kept this from me!”

“Says the girl who is dating Kim Junsu.” It was Abby’s turn to let her features flood with colour, and Kaia smirked as she poked her playfully. “How could you keep that from me?!”

“It’s not like I wanted to, he told me if we wanted this I had to remain silent about it! We work in the business, you know as well as I do if anyone catches wind of this, we’re doomed.” Abby then poked her back. “But you have a lot to answer for, now I know where you disappear off to. Is it friendship or something more?”

Kaia blushed lightly. “I’m an English teacher at SME in my spare time.”

“You devil!” Abby exclaimed and Kaia giggled, the pair both smiling at one another. Kaia could tell Abby felt as relieved as she did now having someone who knew her secret.

They went to step out of the bathroom, still laughing together until they found someone standing in front of them with wide eyes. Keith pointed at them both and tilted his head, unable to bring himself to speak. Exchanging a look with Abby, Kaia lurched towards him, her hand going over his mouth.

“If you tell anyone what you just heard you’re in big trouble, got it?” Abby hissed and he nodded his head, and Kaia loosened her grip.

“Your secrets are safe with me, as long as you tell me everything.”

“Ah, I felt like I was dying to the point I wanted nothing more than to sleep forever! I couldn’t even eat, Kaia! Why did you have to get sick?!” Changmin complained as she came into his room with the bowl of popcorn she had just prepared. Rolling her eyes, Kaia placed it next to the Korean who immediately started shovelling the snack into his mouth.

“It appears your appetite is fine now,” she observed and he shot her a look as she sat down and picked up the controller. “And besides, what happened to you being in top form huh? I told you I’d go home so you didn’t get sick.”

“It was a very powerful strand of illness, clearly,” he stated strongly, and then motioned towards the screen. “Hurry up and choose a car to drive.”

“I just sat down,” Kaia spoke back in the same tone he’d just used, but did his biddings, hitting the x on the controller when she had decided. They started to race and became focused on that for a while before taking a break. Her fingers hurt from not playing videos games in a while, though it was tradition for Changmin and Kaia to have a games night whenever he returned to Seoul from his jet setting schedule. Although he had been back for two days from Japan, this was the first time either of them had enough time to dedicate to the ritual.

“So, did you miss me?” he asked with a smirk as they watched the animation front page to the gameplay across the large television. He shifted closer. “With Oppa gone, you must have been so lonely.”

“Oppa?!” Kaia screeched and grabbed his pillow to beat him with it. “You sickening bastard! I’m only two months younger than you and you use Oppa on me?! Ugh!”

“I thought you liked the whole Oppa talk since you are addicted to them dramas,” he teased and Kaia growled, beating him some more. He fell back on the bedding and she used it to her advantage, climbing over his waist and continuing to beat him with the pillow.

“I am not one of them whiny girls who cry out Oppa at men. Have I ever called either you or Yunho that? I’m not Korean for one!”

Changmin chuckled underneath her, finding the situation amusing. “Like I would ever want to you to call me that. This is me you’re talking to. I get enough Changmin-oppa from my fans, let alone needing it from you.”

“Oh really?” Kaia said and leaned down to his face. “Oppaaa.”

“Quit it. Ugh, why did I start this?”

“Oppaaaa,” she repeated with a giggle and Changmin groaned heavily. “Oppa, this is so much fun. I just love playing games with you.”

“Let’s play a different one then,” he urged, grabbing her wrists and yanking them so her body fell on top of his. Kaia’s eyes widened as his laugh vibrated against her body. “What? Aren’t I playing my role right? You say Oppa and I’m meant to fall for it.”

“Yunho’s home you fool, that’s why I reacted like that.”

“So? Yunho is a man, he understands the carnal desires very well,” he pointed out and Kaia closed her eyes as Changmin’s mouth found the side of her neck. He kissed a trail down to where her shoulder curved into her neck and Kaia let out a deep breath before snapping her eyes open.

“No.”

“No?” he repeated against her skin, his lips spreading into a smile. “Your body is saying yes.”

“I can’t with Yunho in the house Min, it feels wrong!”

He let out an annoyed groan. “Come on Kai, I haven’t had any in well over a week now.”

“Maybe it’s good for you to learn how to pace yourself,” she told him and he thumped the bed in irritation. Propping herself up, Kaia climbed off his waist and picked up her controller. Changmin didn’t move. “Besides, I thought you had the company of a great female whilst gone, Minnie. Or is Kaori Kimura not to your tastes?”

“How did you know?!” He sat up at her piece of information and then shook his head. “That woman is a witch.”

“How so?”

“She might be one of Japan’s leading models at the moment, but she’s very dominant. I tried to escape her attention four times, but she just wouldn’t relent. There’s only so much superficial bantering that I can muster and she wore me out.”

Kaia smirked. “Not what the pictures show.”

“In case you aren’t aware, I’ve been a professional for a very long time Kai, it’s my job to make things appear like magic.”

“Ah, is that what it’s meant to be? Well, couldn’t you magic me up a handsome man that makes me see stars when we kiss, oh great Wizard?” Kaia asked with a laugh and Changmin grabbed her and then leaned down to kiss her.

“I’ll make you see stars once I’m done with you,” he murmured and she knew her previous concern for Yunho was now out the window, though she pouted and hit his shoulder playfully all the same.

“I said someone handsome!”

_________________

Part 11

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[moretinyideas]

Sparkles On The Water [.5] | Do Kyungsoo

[5] Lunar Myths Saga Story Two

genre: wolf!kyungsoo x mermaid!female reader (oc - wang inhui) (ft male oc - wang junhui)

chapter summary: (PART ONE) The events over the past day effects the whole pack, should Euina be allowed to know the truth? hat would happen if she’s not? Kyungsoo has always been more observant than others but then again, he’s always away... visiting you in his dreams.

words: 2055

SO HERE IS THE NEXT INSTALMENT AND IT”S A PART ONE. I decided a long time ago that I would have several stories intertwine into one big one - like a tv show (the reason why it’s called Season One) AND IT’S KYUNGSOO!! I hope it wasn’t too hard to understand, but i’m in one with this y/n (inhui) simply because she’s a mermaid and I love mermaids.

edit: this is a part one, I felt bad for not updating sooner because it was taking me forever to finish so... here? :)

Songs for the chapter? Young by Baekhyun and Loco, Sheep Relift by Yixing and Alan Walker and the entire Daft Punk discography :D edit: and Redbone by Childish Gambino. Also shoutout to the three 45 minute nail art videos I watched at 5am when I got it by inspiration and needed something in the background to sooth my aural mind.

tags; @marshmallow-phd @bri-ne @high-on-food @asslikegilinsky @chanyeolol aand @xingminded is the newest addition to the tag fam :D - let me know if you’d like to be tagged!! although I'm sure Tumblr hates me and never actually sends the motifs to anyone!

[ml] - bc it’s getting a lil confusing I decided to just link the master list | part 2

Hello

KYUNGSOO

It was a strange thing, having an actual child in the house – since Euina was a child and not a hyperactive wolf like Baekhyun or Chanyeol. It had been a few centuries since they themselves were children and, it wasn’t like they didn’t like children, the pack just weren’t particularly used to them anymore. The sisters, Sehun’s mate Yuna and her thirteen-year-old sister Euina, had been at the pack house for a total of four hours. Both girls asleep on one another on one of the couches in the pain room.

Kyungsoo had always been an early riser, even as a young boy he would be awake by eight in the morning at most and had been awake when the members who had gone out, came back. He hadn’t slept yet, but he noticed straight away that Sehun wasn’t with them – also that Baekhyun wasn’t wearing the sweatpants he had left in anymore – and simply assumed something bad had happened.

He was right, as per usual. Although none of them expected it to be another hour before they even heard the sound of a car coming up the driveway. Danbi, especially, had been biting at her nails in worry for their youngest member. When they came through the door, Sehun’s mate entering first – holding two bags of her back and something furry in her hands – while Sehun wandered in not long after her, Kyungsoo’s first thought was: who is he carrying?

And then, is that a cat?

Apparently, the sleeping child Sehun carried on his back was the sister of his mate, whom wouldn’t leave her alone overnight. Kyungsoo admired Yuna’s sense of loyalty, he had to admit, even if the young girl shouldn’t know of the existence of Were’s. Sehun had laid her down of a couch, her small frame unmoving apart from the steady rise and fall of her rhythmic breathing.

“So, you must be Yuna.” Was the first thing Kyungsoo had said to the newest mate. Yuna simply nodded, holding the steel-grey cat to her chest in what Kyungsoo assumed to be a calming tick for her nervousness.

“I don’t know you rules? Or whatever, about telling people about werewolves but we, I, haven’t told her anything yet.” Yuna spoke, before Sehun could open his mouth. “I don’t even know what I’d tell her.”

“Usually it’s only mates, for humans that is.” Junmyeon began, as Yuna took a seat next to her sister.

“Although there are always exceptions.” Sehun chipped in before any other word can be said. Kyungsoo assumed it was to reassure his mate, his wolf having spoken the words for him as a reflex. He watched as Sehun sat next to Yuna; as Euina curled herself into her sister’s side; as Yuna seemed to relax a little when Sehun’s hand landed on her knee. It was what he did. He observed, listened, understood. He had not yet experienced the full pull of the mate bond – for he and his mate had not officially met – but, he understood Sehun’s need to cut their ‘leader’ off.

Junmyeon, unfazed, pulled Danbi closer to his chest and nodded. “Danbi’s mother was an exception, we know that sometimes it’s necessary.” He smiled. “However, she did have to get approved through the voting, and we’ll have to wait until everyone is awake.”

“And when Yixing is back.” Kyungsoo added.

And so, Yuna decided that she would get some sleep, telling Sehun to wake her up later, when more people were awake. Kyungsoo decided to try and sleep as well, departing to his bedroom with a quiet “goodnight.” He faintly heard Junmyeon tell Sehun to sleep as well. That he was injured, and they would wake him up later.

His room wasn’t the biggest, but it also wasn’t the smallest. It was a part of the newest section of the house – one wall had been replaced with a wall of windows. Kyungsoo liked it, he could view the surrounding forest and when the sky was clear he could see the ocean. He had always liked the ocean, the water had always given him a sense of comfort – which had always confused him, given his affinity for earth. When they had moved to the coast line (almost 100 years ago) Kyungsoo designed this room specifically because it faced the ocean. He didn’t give the others a reason. When they had moved, the building they bought (that Junmyeon, Yifan and Minah bought) wasn’t nearly as big as it stood now, with only five bedrooms, a kitchen, two dining rooms and two parlour rooms. So, when they expanded, Kyungsoo and Luhan decided they’d take care of it. Luhan’s gift of telepathy helped the design of each different members room to fit their personalities quicker than it would have been if they asked them – everyone knows that Tao, Sehun and Baekhyun could talk for decades.

Additionally, when they moved Kyungsoo met his mate. Given he thought he was going delirious for a solid year, dreaming of mermaids – or one mermaid in particular. He had never tried to talk to her, or maybe he had and was always woken up, but when she finally turned to look at him – he knew. This mermaid was his mate and he found out during a dream. Only Luhan knows (so consequently so does Minseok and Sehun but they can keep a secret) of his ‘visits’ with her.

He fell asleep quicker than he thought.

He learnt very quickly why he saw you in his dreams. It was the first time the two of you talked. You said “hello”and so did he, and the next sentences were to acknowledge the other as mates and then, you told him one of the secrets of the merfolk.

“Mermaids don’t call them ‘mates’. We call them our ‘fated one’.” You smiled at him, a dimple appearing on your left cheek. In thisdream state you were sat on what looked like a giant jellyfish. Kyungsoo remembered you telling him that while you had control of these dreams, they were normally based on what your actual surroundings were. You told him that you fell asleep on a smack of moon jellies, small translucent and bioluminescent bells that could never sting you (a perk of being a mermaid) but didn’t want to overwhelm him the sheer amount of jellyfish you were around. You told him that Moon Jellies were your favourite, that you loved sleeping on them and that they let you because you were a great conversationalist. That made him smile.

You always made him smile.

“-and mermaids can always visit their fated one during shared dreams.” You explained. “It happens when we’re asleep at the same time. We’ll fall out of it when either of us wakes up.” Kyungsoo believed he could listen to you talk for a millennium and never get jaded.

He was surprised when he saw you, considering it was almost seven in the morning and the two of you usually met in the dreams during the middle of the night. You must not have risen with the change of tides like you normally do. When your form became more visible and Kyungsoo could see your beautiful smile his own face formed a smile too. However, when he took note of your tired eyes and how your smile wasn’t real his expression dropped. The two of you were surrounded by darkness, not having the energy to conjure up a visual.

“Are you okay?” He asked.

“Why are you only just sleeping now?” You asked him back. He noted that you had deflected his question.

“Something happened with the pack when I was about to head to bed. Junmyeon called at around four to say Sehun had been in an altercation. He wanted someone to be awake when they got back, just in case. I was already awake, so I just stayed up.” He explained. You nodded. The two of you fell into a short silence. Looking at you he could tell you were stressing over something. Your tail, long and shimmery fading from a teal blue to a teal green (with pale pink accents in your fins), wasn’t shining as bright as usual and the smaller blue scales that lined your neck were darker than usual.

“Are you okay?” He repeated his earlier question. In this dream state he was able to hold you, to feel you and soon you were in his arms. It was a weird sensation as he never felt like he was submerged in water, but he could quite clearly feel the thinness of your tail fins when they brushed against his legs. He could feel the juxtaposition between the coolness of your tail and the heat you radiated. He hadn’t asked yet, but he often wondered what sensations you felt when wrapped up around him.

You sighed. “Things have…” You paused, laying your head on his shoulder. “Things have become complicated.” There have been many times over the past hundred years where you have explained your situation to Kyungsoo. Your ambition and drive to be a good daughter, your loyalty towards your mother and father always contradicting your own personal wants to get away. You wanted to explore. You wanted to have your legs for more than one day during the Lunar Moon. You wanted to find him, to be with him and love him with your whole being. You told him how it was unheard of to have a fated one be one of the ‘landfolk’(as your father ever-so-lovingly told you) and how you were scared of leaving your family behind and not being accepted back in.

You shared your status as a part of one of the royal lines of your kingdom. How your parents would take over after the current king passed. You told him that while you had no siblings of your own, you thought of JunHui, your mother’s sister’s son, as one. Junhui wasn’t much younger than you and often shared your desire to leave for land.

“My desire to come to you, to land, is higher than ever.” You finally whispered. “My father has betrayed my mother, with her sister.” Your words were slow. “Junhui is my brother. By blood.

“Mother is livid, she and father have been yelling for a day now. Junhui is distraught, it took a few hours to calm him down enough for him to sleep. Our home has been ringing for hours on end – mothers’ affinity for sonar is truly something. She banished my aunt from the castle, told her she wasn’t to set ‘one inch of a fin within the outer boarders of the kelp that lines our plot’ or she’ll curse her. I don’t know how she’d curse her own sister. I’ve never seen my mother so mad.” You finished your small rant. “I’m scared.”

Kyungsoo pulled you closer, your head tucked underneath his. “Then come.” He whispered. Maybe he was being selfish and maybe what you needed to do was stay but, you were scared more than ever before, and it had been one hundred years. He was probably one of, if not the, most patient wolfs of the pack but even his patience could wear thin.

“It’s been on my mind since the news came out. I don’t want to be here anymore.” You mumbled against his collar. “But I can’t leave Junhui, especially not now.”

“Then bring him as well.” Kyungsoo didn’t like how quickly his words spilled from his lips but, he couldn’t come to regret saying them. You pulled away from him slightly, just enough to look into his eyes. A bet of silence surrounded you. You nodded.

“Tell me where on Earth you are. I’ll find you in no time.”

A flare of hope raised in his chest as he told you. Even down to the geological co-ordinates he had memorised for this specific reason. He saw your eyes widen in surprise, mouth drop open to reply but, he was torn away from the dream as he was shaken awake. When he opened his eyes, the face of Jongin stood above him.

“Junmyeon-hyung sent me to wake you.” The younger boy smiled in apology, seeing the glare Kyungsoo had sent his awakener. He wouldn’t know that you were shocked as to how close the two of you really were.

part 2

[lxmxnxscxnt]

orange lights

A/N: OK IM SORRY IT TOOK SO LONG AHHH but here is part 7 ^^ this one is a little long again sorry and sorry for my bad writing...lol I think I will end orange lights soon. Maybe at part 8 or 9 :) tell me what u think ^^

genre: a n g s t 

warnings: language, suicide mentioning, violence 

notes: Y/N = your name 

start the series > here 

The next day you went to school pretty early. Once to finish some homework and you also wanted to avoid everyone else, so nobody could look down at you when you came to school. 

But as you sat at your desk in the classroom writing on your English essay you heard something from the outside. Standing up you went over to the window wondering who could be in the school already at this time. 

Looking out you could see Jisung and Chenle standing in front of two big guys. Behind the two guys you could see Minah saying something but you couldn’t understand because the windows were closed. 

You ran off out of the classroom, down the stairs and outside. Looking left and right to navigate urself you ran to the place under your classroom window standing directly behind Minah. 

“I can’t believe you guys are this dumb. You really want to get beaten up huh? Just to protect this pathetic girl. You don’t even know her really geez.“ 

“But you do or what?“ Jisung hissed back at Minah. “We shouldn’t have done it in the first place. The pathetic one are you Minah so leave us and or friends alone. Especially Y/N.“ 

You could see the anger in Jisung’s eyes, Chenle standing beside him. 

Minah snapped with her fingers giving the two big boys a sign. “Well your decision if you want to get beat up..“ 

“Yah Nam MinAH!“ You said walking over past Minah and her bullies. Standing in front of Jisung and Chenle now you looked at Minah. But you felt Chenle’s hand on your arm. “Y/N we don’t want to do that anymore. Even if they’ll beat us up you are our friend and-“

“No stop I am okay, really…Minah just leave them alone you got what you wanted.“

“Hah you think this is what I wanted Y/L/N? Wahh no this is not enough I want to see you suffer 

Y/N“

“Do whatever you want Minah..just leave them alone.“

“NO! No Noona. We don’t want to do that anymore. We don’t want to keep lying to everyone, to our friends just so..so“ Jisung began. “Just so a bitch like you can have what she wants.“ Chenle ended Jisung’s sentence pulling you behind them. “Fine beat us up go ahead. But in the end you have nothing. We have friends and people who will help us out. Everyone is scared of you or just hangs out with you because of ur money. But we are not scared anymore, we won’t give this to you.“ Chenle was normally such a cute and nice person. Never had you seen him this angry but you could feel his hand shaking so you squeezed it lightly whispering a small ‘thank you’. 

Minah’s smile faded quickly the two boys coming closer two the three of you. 

You didn’t know what to do. How are you supposed to save this situation. 

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you. Or do you guys want to get kicked out of the football team?“ You look up hearing Jaemin’s voice. And there you saw them all of them. You looked at the boys before your gaze stopped on Renjun. Renjun…you missed him so much. 

Renjun slowly walked up to Minah. “You guys know Jaemin is the son of your Coach, right?“ Renjun said his gaze still on Minah. The two guys looking each other in shock They apologized to Jaemin. “Oh god n-no we didn’t know. Minah said she is going to kick us out we should have known we are sorry really…“ You were surprised how fast this big guys were so small. They run of immediately leaving Minah surrounded by all of you. Renjun bend over his face really close to Minah’s he looked directly in her eyes. 

“We heard everything. Every single word. How could you be so dumb and mess with my- with our friends? This is all over. How could I ever believe a word you said.“ Renjun said lightly pushing Minah. “O-Oppaa…I don’t know what you mean really I…I mean they…“

“Fuck you Minah. Fuck off.“ Donghyuck said as everyone walked past her over to you asking you, Jisung and Chenle if you where ok.

Renjun took your hand pulling you past Minah inside the school. Leaving Minah standing there all alone. As everyone talked Renjun pulled you to the side. 

“Y/N.. Im so sorry.. really I “

“Renjun. Everything is okay, okay? This situation was just really fucked up. I would have done the same thing if I where you..“

“No you wouldn’t you would have been at my side just like Jiwoo and Chaewon. And we should’ve done the same thing..I’m- we are really sorry..really“

“Its okay really. I just missed y’all.“ 

“I missed you too, Y/N.“ Renjun said smiling before you joined the others again. 

They day was really strange. Apparently everyone already knew you were innocent because Jeno send an email to the whole school.

Everything changed. Even Sana and Nayeon came to you to apologize. And Minah was all alone. But she couldn’t do anything about it. Because she couldn’t make her father kick everyone of the school. 

After school Renjun asked you if you wanted to hang out with them and oc you said yes. Jiwoo and Chaewon also joined you and y’all went to this new burger place. It was just like in the beginning and you where so happy about it. You sat between Renjun and Donghyuck smiling at Donghyuck. “Im sorry really Y/N. And I believed you, but I couldn’t not believe them you know? I hope your not mad…“ Donghyuck said slightly bowing down to you.

“How can I be mad at my best friend?“  You chuckled pushing him playfully receiving a small smile from him. You hung out at the restaurant until late in the night because it was a Friday. 

At 11 everyone decided to head home. After a while it was only you and Renjun left because you lived relatively close to each other. 

“Isn’t that way shorter for you?“ You said pointing to a street you just passed. 

“I’m good, I’ll bring you home first.“ Renjun said smiling. You normally would have convinced him that you would be okay going home alone but you liked the thought so you just smiled and said thank you. 

“Soooo…we’re here.“ You said turning to Renjun in front of your house. “Thank you for bringing me home tho.“ You said smiling.

“Oh man I thought the way was longer..“ Renjun pouted playfully looking up ur house and then turning his gaze to you looking directly in your eyes. 

“Y/N…“ You looked at Renjun in confusion. “Yeah..?“

“I..also wanted to apologize for how I treated you before….before all this happened. On that day when I was at your cafe with Hyerin and the days before that…I was so mean. And I actually came back to the cafe to apologize but I only found Hyuck there…And then everything with Jisung and Chenle happened…Where were you anyway? I mean didn’t you write Hyuck on that day to meet you at the cafe?“

“I don’t know how but I blacked out and woke up in my apartment. It was really scary…“

“Probably one of Minah’s moves…I bet it was really scary I am so sorry this happened to you..“

“Its okay now so don’t worry about it.“

“But for real I am sorry how I treated you….I was..I was just so scared that everything what happened with Hyerin would repeat itself. I liked you so much and Minah always found a way to hurt the people that I like and…I wanted to come to you to apologize and like….talk you know and…“ Renjun let out a sigh trying to form sentences in his head looking up but turning his gaze immediately back to you. “I like you Y/N, a lot.“

“I like you too, Renjun, a lot..“ You giggled. A big smile forming on Renjun’s lips he pulled you into a tight hug.

And so everything went on. You started dating Renjun and everything was perfect. You had all your friends around you and you where thankful for every single one of them especially for Jiwoo and Donghyuck your two best friends. 

But not only you changed. With the weeks going by Minah became an outsider nobody wanted to hang out with. Chenle said that it was Karma but you still felt a little bad for her. But only a little bit because she was still mean to everyone else, only now nobody cared. 

One day Renjun had an extra art class so he had to stay in school much longer. Even tho you said you where okay with waiting for him he said that you should go home because it would take a really long time, so after discussing a little you gave up and went home already. 

When Renjun was ready it was already dark outside and in the school because he was the last one to leave from the extra art class. On his way home he tried calling you but you didn’t answer. Assuming you would be sleeping he send you a cute text before heading home too. 

About to head inside Renjun heard a scream. Turning around he could see a Person standing at the edge of a tall building. Before he could think about it he was up there now standing behind the Girl…behind you… “Y/N! What…what are you doing..?!?“ Tears rushing down your face you turned around to see your boyfriend standing there in shock. “Renjun…I am so sorry but…I can’t do that anymore…“ Your voice was shaking as the tears continued to flowing down your face.

“Y/N PLeasE…don’t…don’t do that…what..what happened everything was okay…I don’t understand…“

“Minah she is just so mean..and so much prettier than I am….you guys look way better together…I don’t belong in the same timeline as you Renjun…“ Renjun was so confused but then he felt a hand on his arm. Looking to his left Minah was standing there holding onto Renjun. “Go on sweetie jump! You have to die or we wont be happy!“ Minah shouted at you with a small smile receiving a nod from you. Turning around to face the abyss you stepped with one foot over the edge. 

“Y/N NO!“ Renjun ran towards you but he couldn’t grab you anymore seeing you fall into your death, tears rushing down his face….. 

Part ( 7 / 8 ) previous > cont 

[kyaappucino]

Love Me like You Do

Pairing: Hongbin/Wonshik

Words: 4,651

Rating: G

Summary: The last time Hongbin had been up onstage was nearly three years ago, when he was thirteen. The very idea of being able to prove that he was worth more than his face was immense; it seemed like wherever he went that was all people saw. And quite frankly, he was sick of it.

Notes: I joined the chapters to form one big fic. Title is from Ellie Goulding’s song of the same name.

Warnings: classic songfic from the days of ff.net

The Aphrodite cabin was known as the Paris of Camp Halfblood—always fashionable and sweet-smelling. It was enough to drive Lee Hongbin mad with boredom. Not that was the only thing that happened in the Aphrodite cabin, but it was a large part of their culture. At first, Hongbin had found it cool when he could suddenly speak fluent French ever since his mother claimed him—especially since he hadn’t lived anywhere else besides Seoul. Before Hakyeon had arrived at Camp Halfblood it was Hongbin who was constantly hounded with love calls and who hid himself away in Jaehwan’s cabin when things got particularly bad.

It was a sunny afternoon when Hongbin decided to leave his cabin for a while, not having any quests to go on. His training session with his mentor was finished and he’d been praised for a job well done—he had a real knack for his chosen weapon. He’d given fashion advice to Gongchan before he left however; he loved that boy but he really didn’t seem to understand that plaid on plaid just wasn’t happening. When not in chaos, Camp Halfblood was one of the prettiest places he’d ever seen. Somehow, while walking in the afternoon sunshine he found his way towards Dionysus’s strawberry gardens.

“You need anything, Bean?” He looked around and smiled when he saw the Greek god himself, can of diet coke in hand. “Not really, Mr. D. Just looking around.” While Mr. D was usually cold towards demigods, he also appreciated Hongbin helping out with the strawberry gardens and for spending a bit of time with Pollux, Dionysus’s remaining child.

“Well, if you aren’t doing anything—could you tell that boy to stop pinching my strawberries? We need to keep camp afloat, you know.” The curly-haired god pointed with one of his chubby fingers towards a boy with white hair and droopy, sleepy eyes lined with kohl. Perched on his head was a snapback, shielding him from the sun. He was holding a basket and was picking strawberries—and every so often popped a few into his mouth. “It’d be great if he didn’t try to eat his weight in strawberries.”

Hongbin leaps over the fence and nods, trying not to clip the strawberry hedges and he approaches the sleepy-eyed boy, who tucks the strawberry basket under his arm and grins. “Hey.”

“Hey yourself. Mr. D just wants you to quit picking so many strawberries; you’ll bankrupt camp, the way you’re going.”

“Ah, really? Sorry—it’s just that, Mr. D grows the best strawberries I’ve ever tasted. Better than the ones you can buy in the market.” He turns to where the Greek god of wine is standing, drinking from a can of diet coke. “Sorry Mr. D! Dad just suggested I sample the strawberries—great for inspiration!”

“Inspiration?” Hongbin asks, falling into step with the boy as they walk out of the strawberry gardens. “Yeah—I was having a hard time writing a song so I asked my dad what to do, and he said that Dionysus grew strawberries so delicious, I’d write odes and spin rhymes to ‘em!” Apologetically, the white-haired boy hands Dionysus the basket of strawberries, and when Dionysus takes the basket, it completely disappears.

“Tell your dad flattery gets you nowhere, Ravi. Beans, get him out of here before I stuff you both in a bottle of Merlot!” Despite his words, both boys see Mr. D hiding a grin behind his pink cheeks.

“Beans?” the white-haired boy asked, a smile playing on his lips. “Ravi?” Hongbin shot back, giggling. They stopped at a fork in the road, with signs labelled with all the different cabins.

“Gonna go back to my cabin now,” the white-haired boy said, grinning. “I can definitely think of a few things to write.” Hongbin nods, his heart fluttering in his chest. All the signs if he ever knew them—and being a son of Aphrodite, he definitely did. As the boy with the snapback starts to walk away, Hongbin shouts, “What’s your name?”

The boy in the snapback looks back at him, and Hongbin swears he’d never seen a smile brighter than the sun. “You heard Mr. D, Beans! I’m Ravi!”

Hongbin spends the day taking photos with his cellphone’s camera, careful to keep the shutter sounds off. When he looks at his camera roll, they were full of flowers and scenery, but the focal point was always a bit of white in the background. Whether it was daisies, clouds, or even just photos of the various cabins—his thoughts kept straying back to Ravi.

He had to find out what that boy’s real name was.

❣

“Fading in, fading out, on the edge of paradise…” Hongbin had been lying down on a patch of green grass, letting the warm rays of the sun dry his cotton-candy pink hair, his eyes closed. It had been a week after the strawberry incident and one of his favorite things to do was to listen to the Apollo children compose songs and music.

“Every inch of your skin is a holy grail I’ve got to find…only you can set my heart on fire, on fire…“

The music cut off there, and there was a deep voice that said, “Ah, it does sound great like that—thanks a lot. I definitely know where to go from here.” He recognized that voice. Hongbin sat up and turned his head and there he was—Ravi. This time however, the boy was wearing a mustard-yellow sweater with a studded black-leather jacket on top. His legs were in black skinny jeans, but his hair was still white. It stuck out like a sore thumb and before he knew what he was doing, Hongbin was walking over towards him.

Ravi’s back was towards him, and he seemed to be talking to two girls; one of them was holding up a sheet of paper and the other leaned her arm on an electric guitar that was strapped onto her body. “Anytime, Shikkie!” the girl with the guitar said. “Glad to hear you finally found your muse!” There was an embarrassed laugh that came from Ravi, throaty and deep—a genuine belly laugh. “Does it really sound like that?”

Their conversation was cut short, however when they spotted Hongbin and waved to him. “Hongbin-oppa!”

Ravi turned around and there he was, white hair, mustard-yellow sweater and black jacket. What stunned Hongbin though were his eyes—when makeup was properly applied, he looked handsome, especially with…smoky eye shadow? The brown-eyed boy peered closer at Ravi. Yep, softly applied smoky eye shadow, tightlined with black eyeliner.

Hongbin grinned at them. “Good morning, girls. Great practice. I couldn’t resist coming closer to hear it.”

The girl with the sheet of paper nodded, her black hair swishing slightly. “Wonshik-oppa makes the best songs at Apollo Cabin.”

“Ravi? Wonshik-oppa?” Hongbin asked, and he grinned. “Yeah…Mr. D calls me that, but my real name’s Wonshik. Hey. Uh…how much did you hear?” he seemed a little nervous, suddenly.

“Something about paradise and fire. It’s really sweet.” At his words, Wonshik relaxed and placed a hand behind his neck. “Glad you liked it. It isn’t done yet, but I’m really making good progress.”

“There’s just…one thing.” Hongbin said seriously, and Wonshik’s face shifted from relieved to worried. “Y-yeah? Is there something wrong with the music?”

“No. But—girls, can I borrow Wonshik for a second? I just…just can’t stand it anymore.” High-pitched noises left the girls’ lips and they squealed, “You can take him!” with Hongbin shouting back, “Thanks!” as he grabbed Wonshik by the wrist and led him towards the Aphrodite cabin and knocked furiously. The door was opened a crack and a blonde-haired boy asked, “Who’s the—Hongbin-hyung! And who’s…oh. My. God. Get him inside, stat!”

Wonshik felt confused, dizzy and was soon swallowed up in the scent of perfume.

❣

The Aphrodite Cabin was bigger on the inside, and its décor changed depending on the day and mood of the cabin. Right now, it had changed into a stylish salon, and there were half a dozen boys and girls attending to Wonshik, with Hongbin approving or disapproving the changes to be made.

“No, no—have you seen his dress style, Minah? That color just won’t do.” Hongbin rejected a tube of purple hair dye and Minah added it to the growing pile behind her. “Hmm. Well, if all of the radical colors won’t do, then…let’s just dye it black.”

This earned a smile from Hongbin, and Minah nodded. “You heard him—let’s get to work!”

There were few times in his life where Wonshik had felt truly overwhelmed, and this was one of them. The opportunity to change someone’s hairstyle had the entire Aphrodite cabin twittering in excitement. Wonshik received tips on how to make his hair softer, skin brighter and whenever he tried to protest, a sweet was pushed into his mouth. If it wasn’t for the fact that this entire makeover was orchestrated by his muse, he would have squirmed away and bolted.

❣

Muse.

That was what his father had called Hongbin, the moment Wonshik had seen the son of Aphrodite. Wonshik had approached Woozi, another one of Apollo’s children about it. “What’s a muse?”

“Well, hyung,” Woozi said calmly, looking up from his notebook. “That’s the person who you get inspiration from. Especially when we’re making songs to give to dad.” The kids of the Apollo cabin knew what he was talking about. Apollo’s children were the ones in charge of writing and composing music, and it always made their father happiest when their children composed songs that could inspire others.

“To inspire,” Woozi continued, “The artist has to be inspired…don’t you think so, hyung? This is where the ‘Muse’ comes in.”

Wonshik thoughtfully nodded and said, “How do you know who it’s going to be?”

The shorter boy smiled politely. “That…I am not sure of, hyung. I haven’t met my Muse yet. But…I guess you’ll know when you can’t stop writing about them? That kind of feeling…”

He had thanked the younger boy and left him to his work, but felt a little confused about the whole thing. That was when he got a message from his father, and suddenly everything had been clear as day.

❣

Until now, he still can’t believe he met his Muse in the middle of a garden of strawberries. The other boys and girls had said that Wonshik’s hair needed time to set properly, because it was being dyed from white to black. In the time that it had taken to properly relax and get his hair ready for re-dying, Wonshik had almost drifted off, closing his eyes.

“You all right?” Hongbin’s gentle voice was near Wonshik’s ear, and he could feel his heart drumming noisily in his chest. “Yeah…but boy. You guys really know how to treat a guy.” Despite the intoxicating mixture of perfume and hair products in the room, he did feel more relaxed than before.

“Sorry…it’s just that…I think you look better this way. Ah…could you look and see?”

When Wonshik’s eyes fluttered open, his gaze was directed to a full-length mirror in front of him. He stood up and looked at himself, completely surprised.

His hair was sleek and as black as a raven’s wing, combed up and parted to one side. It suited him better than the white, with his clothes. His yellow sweater was brighter, and the studs on his black jacket were shinier than before. His makeup was well-done as well, with a smooth cat-eye complimenting his clothes and overall style.

“I hope you don’t mind. I mean…I know it’s just clothes but if you’re trying to win someone over, it helps.” Hongbin said, chuckling.

Wonshik glanced at his Muse, and replied, “Ah…I really hope so. Thanks. I should…get going now. I need to finish up my song.”

Hongbin tried not to look disappointed when Wonshik seemed a little too eager to leave—but he supposed that was what being in the ‘Pink House’ does to you. “Sure, I’ll show you out.”

It was Hongbin who saw Wonshik out, and at this moment all of the other Aphrodite kids had gone, sensing the overall mood. They weren’t called the kids of love for nothing. Before turning to leave, Wonshik turned to Hongbin and asked, “Ah…you meant what you said earlier? About the song?”

The son of Aphrodite raised an eyebrow. “Yeah. What, you think I’m not sincere or something?”

Wonshik shook his head and flushed a deep red. “….no, no. It’s just that…uh, I heard you had really high standards. So if you say it’s good then…”

Hongbin’s grip on the door tightened and he stomped his foot on the ground. “Yah! D-don’t mention it, really—you’re really good, you know. Whoever you’re writing that for must be very happy.”

It’s for you, Wonshik thought. I wrote it thinking about you.

But his mouth wouldn’t cooperate with his brain. Instead, what he said was, “I hope so too. Would…would you mind if I asked for your opinion with songs next time?”

A surprised Hongbin ends up nodding before he realizes what he’s doing. Damn Apollo’s son.

“Sure…see you.”

❣

Since it wasn’t a glamour spell, Wonshik’s hair and makeup stayed firmly on him for the rest of the day. He was the center of attention wherever he went—and it was a moment he soon came to feel proud of, instead of feeling embarrassed by the attention.

Funny what the right hair color could do for one’s overall look.

As he walked further and further away from the Aphrodite cabin, Wonshik looked up to the sky and chuckled. “Dad, you the real MVP.”

“Don’t mention it, son.” He jumped in surprise and whirled around. There was his father, looking ethereal as ever—only this time, he was riding on a sleek, golden motorcycle with a wicked grin on his face.

“Told you—if you hang around the strawberry gardens long enough, your hot muse would show up.”

Wonshik laughed. “Yeah, and it only took him…two weeks. I thought Mr. D really was going to stuff me in a barrel.”

The sun god’s grin got bigger and he affectionately patted his son on the head. Wonshik felt warmth like never before flood through his entire body, and prayed that his hair would hold up to the heat. When his father’s palms came back clean, he mentally thanked his lucky stars. Or, more accurately, he thanked Lady Luck.

“I’d like to see him try. Anyway—I’ll be expecting some really good songs from you soon, son.”

Wonshik took a deep breath before his father disappeared, leaving a cloud of golden smoke in his wake, and the blinding light of the sun was back in the sky where it belonged.

Talk about pressure. He had to impress his father and his Muse, all in one go.

Surely there were quests tougher than this.

❣

For a son of Aphrodite, Lee Hongbin was entirely unwilling to participate in decorating the stage for the Apollo cabin.

“Binnie-ah,” Minah said softly, as respectful as she could. While she had two beads on her camp necklace and Hongbin had one, she couldn’t forget about the time when Hongbin had been truly annoyed. He had uttered quietly, “You’re not getting back together with your boyfriend,” towards one camper, when he was badgered over and over about his cotton candy pink hair.

And to Minah’s surprise, they hadn’t. Lee Hongbin, the newcomer at camp had broken up a couple just by using charmspeak. Immediately afterwards, Aphrodite herself had approached Hongbin and said fondly, “My sweet autumn baby, this is not what your gift is to be used for.” Hongbin had looked at his mother and smiled, flashing those dimples of his. “But it was good, wasn’t it?”

The goddess of love couldn’t help smiling back and stroking her son’s cheek. “Yes, it was very good. But not what your powers are used for.” In the end though, Aphrodite had cancelled his charm-speak and the couple was reunited once more. But the message that had been sent was very clear:

Kids who pissed him off were sure to feel his wrath.

At that moment, Hongbin was curled up on his favorite window seat by the large bay window, staring outside with glass of iced tea cupped in his hands. He glanced up at Minah and smiled warmly. “Yes, Minah? What’s up?”

“Just wanted to ask for your opinion on the stage decorations…” she said softly, unsure whether to give Hongbin the blueprints that one of the other kids had drawn up.

“Let me see.” The look on Hongbin’s face was hard to identify, but he was smiling brightly, showing off his white teeth. Minah handed the blueprints over and Hongbin took a sip of iced tea and shook his head.

“I think it would be better if gold was the accent, not the main color.” When it came to planning out stages, he had a clear aesthetic vision that most of the Aphrodite kids could agree on–but a slightly golden stage for the sun god’s son? Was she being serious?

Hongbin had placed his iced tea on the window seat and had grabbed one of the pink pens that were strewn all over their cabin. He marked the places where the gold should be and had written a note on top: make it white.

When Minah received the new draft of the stage decorations, her lips curled into a full frown. “Did anything happen with Wonshik-oppa?”

Hongbin’s hands fidgeted with the hem of his t-shirt. “What makes you think that?”

“Well…maybe because you requested blinding white for the stage lights? Nobody will be able to see him like that, Binnie-ah…”

Hongbin looked away from Minah. “He keeps bringing me songs to look over. When is he gonna get it? I don’t want to keep reading those stupid love songs…”

Minah resisted the urge to roll her eyes. “Hongbin-ah, for an Aphrodite kid…you can be kinda dense, you know?”

The only answer to that was a well-aimed throw pillow flying in Minah’s face. “If you understand, quit asking stupid questions and just talk to him.”

“Talk to him? Minah, these songs…they’re so…they’re practically dripping in love.” he spat out the last word as if it was too bitter to remain in his mouth. “He should just compile all of them and hand it over to whoever’s gotten into his head.”

“Maybe you should come and help us decorate.” Minah said while gently flicking Hongbin’s arm, then laughing when Hongbin gave her the finger and an upgraded version of his stink face.

“I’d rather get piss-drunk on diet coke!”

❣

For all intents and purposes, Wonshik was a pretty easy-going guy when it wasn’t about composing songs, or finding the perfect instrumental track for his siblings’ songs. But this time, he was slumped over at his desk, half-buried in papers full of lyrics with edits in red pen.

He’d been bringing over snippets of different songs to his Muse, hoping that he would be as decisive with the songs as he’d been when giving Wonshik’s hair a brand-new dye job.

Unfortunately, all that happened was Hongbin praising him and then sighing, as if nothing would ever be good enough. Their next festival was closing in quickly, and so far nothing had taken his Muse’s breath away, none of his works had Hongbin in tears. (Of course, it never helped that Wonshik’s way of delivering these notes had been through other people.)

“What’s wrong with me?” Wonshik wondered aloud into his stack of papers, breathing a weary sigh. “Maybe you should try…you know…not being a wuss?” The son of Apollo lifted his head and came face-to-face with Hyuk, who motioned for Wonshik to move as the son of Hermes entered the premises through the window.

Hyuk tapped the floor twice with his left foot and the wings on his shoes disappeared. “Shut up,” Wonshik muttered. “have you asked Ken out yet?” The younger boy’s cheeks turned a crispy pink and he replied, “I’m working on it. I just…haven’t found the perfect moment.”

“You’ve known him your whole life, Hyukkie.” Wonshik deadpanned as he walked into the kitchen and gave his visitor a glass full of water. “Thanks, hyung. And yeah, but I only got this crush like…three weeks ago.”

Wonshik leaned against the marble counter and laughed. “Fair enough. All right, tell me what happened.”

❣

While he didn’t want anything to do with actually decorating the stage, he had to admit that it was beautiful. His fellow Aphrodite campers had argued about the final look numerous times, but in the end they went with something different: after getting word from Grover about the change of time, the background for the stage would be a backdrop of stars, forming different constellations.

“So it’ll be from midnight til dawn?” Grover nodded, one of his hooves pawing the ground nervously. “Since we changed the time, there’s an empty slot…” He checked his clipboard for the order of the festival’s performers. “Would you happen to know anyone who could fill in for the 5:00am slot?”

Hongbin stared at the satyr. “I think the Apollo kids would know more than–” he thought back to all the moments when Hyuk had passed him letters from Wonshik, containing song lyrics. “…what time is Wonshik performing?”

The satyr checked his schedule again. “Kim Wonshik? He’s number 17, so possibly…around five thirty? Why?”

“I think I know someone who’d love to perform at the festival.” Before he’d met his godly parent, Hongbin had wanted to be part of the Apollo cabin–especially when he heard the deep voice of a camper who had a penchant for rap.

“There’s certainly no room for cowardice in love, mother.” Hongbin had said one evening, completely forlorn at the thought of Wonshik working so hard to write the perfect song for a nameless person.

Aphrodite had taken her son’s face into her perfumed hands and said softly, “Ah, but isn’t love all about conquering your fears? My sweet child, you know who they’re really for. Just take the plunge. Who knows…you may even like the fall.”

It was one of the few times Hongbin had truly understood why his father had fallen in love with the goddess, and this, he did not mind.

❣

“What do you mean, they changed the time?!” It was breakfast time in the Apollo Cabin and a very surprised Woozi looked up from his bowl of cereal. “I thought you got the memo, hyung–the whole camp’s gonna be partying until sunrise.” He looked as tired as Wonshik, with his dark-brown hair sticking out in awkward angles.

“Jihoon-hyung,” one of the newer campers, DK passed him a towel, smiling brightly. It reminded Wonshik of Hongbin, except his Muse had dimples. “the milk’s going to dry on your chin.” Woozi took the warm towel and rubbed his face, yawning all the while. “Thanks, DK. A-anyway…yeah Wonshik-hyung. Our deadlines have been bumped up.”

Wonshik grabbed a bowl of rice and started eating. It was going to be a really long day, but he was determined to present the best song for his father and his muse at the festival.

Nothing like a deadline to help kick his inspiration into overdrive.

❣

The last time Hongbin had been up onstage was nearly three years ago, when he was thirteen. The very idea of being able to prove that he was worth more than his face was immense; it seemed like wherever he went that was all people saw. And quite frankly, he was sick of it.

So far, the music festival had gone smoothly, with each Apollo kid playing their best songs and instruments. There was even one Apollo camper who’d set up an entire DJ mixing table for his turn, which was a pleasant surprise–Hongbin had assumed that nearly all of them were just trained in classical music.

“Before we go on,” the emcee says into the microphone, “we have an intermission number from one of the other cabins.”

From behind his spot onstage, Hongbin adjusts his hat one last time, gripping his acoustic guitar. Somewhere in the audience, Wonshik was sitting on the grass and waiting. Waiting for some nameless face in the crowd (or so he keeps telling himself. There’s just no way all of those snippets, words praising the pink cherry sunrise and a voice smoother than dark chocolate–those couldn’t have been for him) and well, Hongbin wasn’t the kind of boy to give up without a good fight.

He just prayed that it was good enough for the son of Apollo.

“Lee Hongbin, from the Aphrodite cabin.”

There was a hush amongst the crowd as Hongbin stepped up onto the stage, where a stool had been set up. He checked his guitar, not looking at anyone in particular, determined to push out a good performance. Sitting down on the stool, he smiled at his audience and said softly into the microphone, “Kim Wonshik?”

The audience squealed in delight and there was a slight yelp in the audience before various people surrounding Wonshik made him stand up. There was a chuckle from Hongbin, his dulcet voice amused and clear. Wonshik was glad that the sky was still relatively dark and that the lights chosen were bluish in color–his face was already warm.

In a slightly huskier tone of voice, Hongbin said in French, “I hope you like it.”

He strummed the guitar once and when the instrumental track started, he began to sing.

“I don’t know you But I want you All the more for that Words fall through me…”

There was a resounding “Awwww” from the audience, and still Hongbin went on, undisturbed. There were parts in the song where his voice simply couldn’t take the high notes, so he’d decided to pitch it to fit his vocal range.

He locked eyes with Wonshik, standing there staring at him like he was the only person that mattered.

And in that moment, Hongbin willingly offered the other boy his heart.

❣

Wonshik couldn’t breathe. Up there, on stage was his Muse–breathtaking, even in a long sweater and perfectly distressed jeans. He almost dropped the bottle of water he was holding.

When his Muse started to sing, it was unbelievable. There were parts where his voice couldn’t go any higher, but it didn’t matter. Hongbin was deep in the moment, the only way a lover of music could be.

It felt like Hongbin was singing for him, and him alone. The thought alone was enough to make his heart race, but to see it onstage, performed in front of dozens of campers?

“You have suffered enough

And warred with yourself

It’s time that you won…”

When their eyes met, it was electric. There was nothing Wonshik could do but smile, honestly. He’d only been a camper for a few months, but he hadn’t heard of anyone dedicating a song to one of Apollo’s children. Hongbin’s doe eyes pulled in the audience, and along with it, Wonshik’s heart.

After his intermission number, Hongbin asked, “Did you like it?”

There was a microphone shoved into his hands and without missing a beat, Wonshik said softly, in front of every camper present,

“Yes, Lee Hongbin. Yes.”

The next thing he knew, he was already running towards the stage.

[notsoguiltykpop]

Fish Out of Water pt6

Humans are weird, and when you get the chance to get to know one and understand them better, you take it. But there are rules about interfering with human affairs, and breaking them might come at a higher price than you were willing to pay.

Part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Reader x Yoongi

Mermaid Au

Fluff, humor, maybe some angst? Not much though.

Warning: This chapter contains partial nudity. It isn’t really a big deal, but thought I should warn you.

Had someone warned Yoongi two weeks ago that he would soon fall for a mermaid, he would have laughed for several reasons;

1. Mermaids were fictional.

2. Even if they were real, why would one talk to him?

3. What would he have in common with a mermaid anyway? Probably nothing, so it would never work out.

Even now the thought was preposterous, but there was no doubt in Yoongi’s mind. You were very real, and he was falling head over heals for you.

There was something about the care-free way you walked, the wonder in your eyes, the way you smiled at him, and the way you believed in the goodness in people that made him feel like his heart might just stop.  

He wished he could tell you how he felt and get it over with, then he would know if you felt the same--though, he had no idea what he would do if you did; Could humans and mermaids date? But he felt that telling you would just further complicate your already complicated life, which was something you didn’t need right now. 

“Earth to Yoongi.” Jimins hand waved in front of Yoongi face impatiently. “Hellooo, is anyone there?” 

Yoongi swatted Jimins hand away, frowning at his friend. “Alright, sorry. Stop.” 

Jimin folded his arms. “You’ve been staring into that glass for the last ten minutes. Minah was starting to think you’d gone catatonic.” 

Yoongi had remembered to come into work that day, and while he knew he should be making it up to his coworkers for disappearing the day before, he was having a hard time focusing. His mind kept wondering back to you--did you eat lunch? Jungkook had the day off, was he being nice to you? Were you bored? You told Yoongi that morning that you were going to try to talk to your father today, had you heard back? How would you hear back? He was fairly sure mermaids didn’t have home phones.

“You’re doing it again.” Jimin sighed. “Are you feeling okay?” 

“I’m fine. I just... Need some air. I’m going to take my break early, okay?” 

“You haven’t done anything though!” Minah called after him, but he was already heading for the door. He knew he was being unprofessional, but he needed a moment to clear his mind.

Why humans kept food alive in a tank to save for later, you had no idea. You wondered briefly if perhaps they were hoping for the fish to grow so they would have more to eat, but it still didn’t make any sense.

“His name is Harvey.” Jungkook said as you tapped on the glass experimentally. “Seokjin has had him for years. Like, since he was a kid, which makes that fish ancient.”

Naming food was never a good idea, but you figured it didn’t really matter. Seokjin was nice, and really good at cooking, so you didn’t mind if he was a little odd at times.

“Oh.” You watched the fish swim back and forth, staring at you with its big round eyes.

“Do you like fish?” He asked, and you glanced up at him. He had promised that he’d buy you ice cream if you beat him at the video game he taught you how to play, and you had won five times in a row. You decided that Jungkook owed you much more than ice cream, but weren’t sure what yet.

“Yes.” You said thoughtfully, turning your attention back to Harvey.

“Have you ever been to the aquarium?” Jungkook asked. In all honesty, he didn’t know what to make of you, but he knew he didn’t mind your company. Not to mention, if you were a friend of Yoongi’s, you couldn’t be so bad. Jimin had made it clear that he thought otherwise, but he was known to be a little paranoid. 

“No, what’s that?” You stood, your eyes still fixed on the fish. You were hungry, but figured it wouldn’t be very nice if you ate the snack Seokjin had been saving since he was a kid. 

“It’s where they keep fish for people to look at.” Jungkook explained. “There’re all kinds of sea creatures--even sharks. They have this one glass tunnel you can walk through, surrounded by water and fish... It’s almost like being under water with them.” 

“Huh.” You thought about it for a moment. “Wouldn’t watching them just make you hungry?” 

Jungkook laughed, shaking his head. “You’re a little strange, you know that?” 

“So are you.” You shrugged. You had wasted enough time that day already, you needed to eat and then try to contact your father--though how you were going to do that, you still weren’t sure. 

“Seokjin just texted that he’s picking up food on his way home--do you want anything? I’ll pay.” 

“Soup.” You said thoughtfully. It was something you knew you’d miss once you returned to the ocean, so you wanted to enjoy it as much as you could while you still had the chance. 

“You’re acting like you’ve lost your mind.” Jimin had followed Yoongi under the pier, where the older boy sat in the sand with a sigh.

“Maybe I have.” Yoongi muttered. He didn’t seem to care that his uniform was getting covered in sand, that it would get in his shoes and socks and chafe all day. “Or maybe not. Does it matter?”

“You’re not making sense--you haven’t made sense for two weeks, Yoongi.”

But Yoongi was only half listening, his eyes following something shiny floating in the water. He wasn’t sure why he was sitting there really--maybe he was looking for answers, or maybe he just really liked the ocean. 

“All you’ve talked about, thought about, or cared about is this girl who showed up out of nowhere. Maybe it isn’t my business. But as your friend, I’m asking you to reevaluate your priorities.”

“Priorities...” Yoongi murmured, letting out a small laugh. “There is so much more to this situation than you have any idea, Jimin.”

“You could tell me, then.” Jimin sat next to Yoongi, kicking up sand as he did so. “You could tell me what’s really going on. You could trust me.” 

Yoongi nodded slowly. “How about you try trusting me, first?” 

“Seokjin.” Jungkook yelled up the stairs. There was confusion in his voice, as well as a little panic.

“What?” Seokjin yelled back. “Why do you always wait until I’m in the middle of something to ask me questions?” 

“Just. Come here.” 

Seokjin was not at all happy when he walked down the stairs, a rag in one hand and cleaner in the other. “I was in the middle of cleaning the shower--not that you’d know anything about that--so this better be good.”

Jungkook just pointed to where you sat on the couch reading a book. At first, Seokjin didn’t see the problem. When he did, he shoved Jungkook around to face the other way. “Quit looking, pervert.” 

“I don’t think she minds.” Jungkook said, though his cheeks were bright red. “She spilled soup on Yoongi’s sweatshirt so she just... Took it off.” He shrugged. 

“Okay.” Seokjin said slowly. “Okay. I’ll talk to her. You... Go in the kitchen or something.”

Seokjin walked around the couch, sitting down on the coffee table in front of you. He was very purposefully not looking, and the book you were holding covered most of your top anyway.

“Hey...” He said, and you looked up from your book. 

“Hi.” You blinked. 

“What were you and Jungkook yelling about, you’re so noisy...” Taehyung walked into the living room, a mug of tea in his hand.

“Taehyung--” But Seokjin’s attempt at warning him was too late. He chocked on his tea before quickly trying to compose himself. 

“Did I miss something?” He asked after a second. 

“Out.” Seokjin pointed to the door before standing, pulling the blanket from the back of the couch, and dropping it around your shoulders. 

“What’s wrong?” You asked, your eyes suddenly full of concern. “Did I do something?” 

“No! No.” Seokjing tried to think of how to explain this to you, since you clearly had no idea what was going on. “Where you’re from... Do you not wear tops?” 

You shrugged. “It’s optional. Like wearing jewelry.” 

“Okay.” Seokjin really needed to think of something to say other than just ‘okay’. “Here it’s more of a... Social norm to wear one?” 

“Why?” You asked, your head tilting to the side, and the blanket falling slightly off one of your shoulders. 

“Because... I don’t know.” Seokjin shrugged. “Why don’t you ask Yoongi when he gets home. For now, lets find you a shirt.” 

You followed Seokjin up the stairs, past Yoongi’s and all the other boys rooms, and up a small, narrow fight of stairs to the attic. 

“I don’t know why I didn’t think of it until now.” He said as you followed him, making sure to keep the blanket around your shoulders. Human dress customs were weird, and pointless, but you supposed you should try to fit in as best you could--not to mention, Jungkook looked like he was going to die, and the last thing you wanted was to accidentally kill Yoongi’s friend. “My aunt kept everything my cousin ever wore, and she’s about your height so something in here should fit.” Seokjin pulled out a box, brushing off the dust from the top. 

“I’m sorry.” You said suddenly. “I didn’t mean to make anyone uncomfortable, I just--” 

“Don’t be sorry.” Seokjin cut in quickly. “You didn’t do anything wrong. If anything, it should be Taehyung and Jungkook apologizing for being pervs.” He pulled a light blue cotton dress from the box as he spoke. “This should fit.” He held it out to you. “And you’re welcome to anything else up here--it’s just going to rot sitting there, it might as well be used.” He gave you a smile before heading back to the stairs. 

The beach was practically empty when you finally made your way to it--which was part of the reason you waited so late in the day. You didn’t want people to ask questions about why you were talking to the water.

The dress Seokjin gave you fit nicely you thought, and gave you a lot more freedom to move than Yoongi’s over-sized shorts and sweatshirts--not to mention, it was a lot cooler. 

You half slid down the dunes to the shore, walking out to the waters edge, careful not to get your new shoes wet. 

“All right.” You said, hands on hips. “You’ve had some time to calm down, lets talk.” You knew your father was listening--he had to be. But there was no response, and you sighed. “You made your point. I get it. Now when can I get my tail back?” Still nothing. 

You rolled your eyes. “Right, the silent treatment is sooo mature, dad. Very Sea-King of you.” You tried not to panic. This was fine. He was just taking a while to decide what he wanted to say, that was all. 

Then you saw it. A glass bottle, buried in the sand. “Please be what I think you are...” You said to yourself as you made your way over to it, pulling it out of the sand without too much difficulty. Sure enough, there was a message inside, and you uncorked it quickly. But when you emptied the contents into your hand, you also realized that your mother’s necklace was in it. 

“Not a good sign...” You thought, but tried to stay positive as you unfolded the note.

“Dear cousin,

I can’t tell you how sorry I am. I had no idea he would take your tail--I never would have told him if I thought he’d go that far. I know there is no way for me to make this up to you, but I thought you might want your mother’s necklace. It always used to cheer you up when you were little.

I am so sorry,

--Wonho”

You looked at it for a long time before looking up at the sky. This wasn’t good. Wonho wouldn’t have dared mess with your stuff if he thought you were going to be back in a week, which meant your father was still mad. Slowly, the fact that you really might really be stuck on land for an entire year sunk in, and you gripped your mothers necklace tighter. 

You weren’t alone, you reminded yourself. You had Yoongi.

The restaurant on the pier was packed when you walked in, people pushing and shoving to get inside, and then complaining loudly that there wasn’t a table. 

“Table for one or two?” A girl asked you, holding a pen and paper. “There’s a wait, but I’ll put your name down--”

“I’m not here to eat.” You said quickly. Really, you weren’t sure why you were there. You knew Yoongi was working, and there wasn’t anything he could do to help you right then anyway. But you weren’t quite ready to go back to the house just yet, either. 

“For the bar?” The girl asked, and you shook your head. “Sorry, but why are you here, then?” 

“I uh...” You glanced around, seeing a glimpse of Yoongi behind the bar. “I’m here to see Yoongi, on his break. But don’t tell him I’m here.” 

The girl shrugged. “Alright, but it’s going to be a while until he gets a break at this rate.”

“What do you mean?” You asked, not wanting to hold up the waitress any longer, but asking anyway.

“She means we’re slammed, and we’re all going to be lucky if any of us get a break before close.” Jimin said as he passed by. The hostility that you had noticed the previous day seemed to have dissipated somewhat, though you had no idea why. 

“Is there anything I can do to help?” You asked, but the girl disappeared as you spoke. She walked over to a counter where someone had just put a plate, yelling “TABLE FIVE!” at the top of his lungs. You watched as the servers brought plates to various tables, seeing that Jimin was right--they were packed, and there weren’t nearly enough servers working. 

As you watched, Jimin tripped. It was something that was bound to happen as packed as the whole place was. But food went flying, and customers started yelling.

Figuring you didn’t have anything better to do, you walked over to the counter with the man who was yelling table numbers. “Where does this one go?” You pointed to a plate, and the man gave you a look. 

“Table nine.” He said, turning away once more. 

“Where’s table nine?” You asked the girl from before, nearly running into her as she reached for a plate beside you. You finally noticed her name tag--Minah.

“There.” Minah pointed, looking confused, but also like she wasn’t going to argue. 

“Thanks.” You called over your shoulder as you carried the plate over. 

“I’ve been waiting for my lemonade.” A man complained as you set the plate in front of him. 

“I’ll be right back with it.” You smiled. 

The night carried on like this, with you finding ways to help and before long, Jimin and Minah were both instructing you on what they needed done, and the other three servers were too busy to notice. 

Finally, at twelve thirty in the morning, a half hour after the restaurant was supposed to close, the customers had cleared out enough for everyone to sit down. Jimin collapsed into a booth, waving you over as he counted out money. 

“I know I shouldn’t have gotten involved, but--” You stopped when Jimin held out a stack of green paper. “What’s that for?” You asked. 

“It’s your cut of the tips. Thanks for helping out. It was a little weird, but I’m not going to complain.” 

“Keep it.” You shook your head, pushing his hand away gently. 

“My god my feet hurt.” Yoongi grumbled, walking over to where Jimin sat. He did a double take when he saw you, his eyes widening. “What are you doing here?” He asked in bewilderment. 

“Saving our butts from getting yelled at all night.” Minah said, walking over. “You should give her a job, Min.” 

Yoongi looked from you, to Jimin, and back to you. “I’m confused.” 

“I’ll explain on the way home.” Jimin said as he stood. “I’m exhausted.”

You walked in silence as Jimin explained that you helped, and also pushed for Yoongi to hire you. You didn’t see what the big deal was--under the sea, you helped if someone needed it, but on land, it seemed that wasn’t done very often. 

“Wait, what were you doing there in the first place though?” Yoongi asked you. “And where’d you get the dress?” 

You sighed. “I was avoiding the house. Every time Jungkook looks at me, he goes all red Seokjin scolds him.” 

Yoongi stopped dead in his tracks. “Wait, why?” He asked, and Jimin looked between the two of you briefly before shaking his head. 

“I’m going to walk ahead, you can catch up.” He said, though Yoongi wasn’t really listening. 

“How was I supposed to know humans can’t walk around topless?” You asked, walking past Yoongi down the sidewalk. “It’s not like it makes any sense.”

“Topless?” Yoongi echoed. 

“I spilled stuff on your sweatshirt. And it was too hot anyway.” You explained. Yoongi could only hope that it was just Jungkook who had been in the house at the time, but he had no such luck. “Jungkook and Taehyung kind of freaked out, so Seokjin found this dress in the attic. It’s pretty, right?” 

You did a little spin, and Yoongi suddenly couldn’t help his smile. “Everything looks pretty on you.” He said. He was going to have a very long talk with Taehyung, Jungkook and Seokjin when he got home, but for now, he decided not to worry about it. 

You took his hand in yours, pulling on it to make him walk faster. “Hurry up, Jimin said there was ice cream in the freezer. He’s going to eat it all!” 

A/N Omg it’s been a while! Was this too lame? Probably. But I don’t care, I felt like writing extremely fluffy fluff. Thank you for reading! I should be back soon <3 Let me know what you think! <3 <3 <3