#while her coworkers ask why she's eating snacks without them

[clonerightsagenda]

The gag where the kids don't understand what Flo means when she references a guy's sexy tattoos is funny but also I'm deeply concerned about what if any puberty education the feral children of haunted child soldier Britain are receiving.

[itsahotminuteinbetween]

Chapter 8

GUESS WHO'S BACK WITH ANOTHER CHAPTER That's right, after being out of commission for a couple months, chapter 8 is FINALLY finished.

AND I HAVE SOME GOOD NEWS FOR THE PEOPLE WHO'VE BEEN ASKING FOR IT:

Where the Stars Don't Shine is finally posted on ao3! The new chapter is here!

I am so so so sorry about the wait, so I made it extra long just for you guys! As always, @itsberrydreemurstuff, @bibooby, @laegume and @andyssilly, welcome back to the slumber party, I saved yall some front row seats! (If anyone else wants to be tagged just lemme know and I'll put ya in the next one!) Anyways, hope yall enjoy this, and without further ado-

On with the show!

Word Count: 4,962

-------

All your excitement during your encounter with Sun vanishes when it becomes clear just what sort of day it’s going to be.

You had a bit of a mixed bag in attendance today. All your regulars, plus a couple new faces here and there. It started out okay, really.

And then one new kid in particular showed his hand and cemented his legacy as one of the most spoiled children you have ever had the dishonor of meeting.

You try not to dwell on it and just move on, but this kid…this kid is awful . Pushing other kids around, turning his nose up at snacks and eating off other kids’ plates, ripping the heads off toys…

(You really have to remember to bring your sewing kit next time.)

You know it’s not the kid’s fault for his behavior, more of the people who raised him, and you try not to hold it against him, you really do. By the looks of it, Sun is trying, too, but both of your patience is drawing thin.

You draw the line when he tears out a page of your books that one of the other boys was reading.

You remind yourself repeatedly that you are not allowed to punch a child. 

You do put him in time-out, though. And you can guess by this kid’s behavior that their parents are going to raise hell about it.

You discover some hours later that your assumption is completely correct when said parent comes in later to pick up their child and you confront them about the brat’s behavior, to which their response is an offended gasp and a rant about how awful your work ethic is and you’re not providing enough care this is why people like you are in jobs like this you’re lucky you’re even employed that makes the brick walls behind security desk that you have the strong urge to slam your head into all the more appealing. You stand there with a polite customer service smile and take it like the valued employee you are while trying to remember what temperature human flesh burns at before chastising yourself, until you’re thrown back into reality and catch the tail end of what she says. 

“-and are you even listening to me right now? Ugh, you’re even denser than the robot, at least it can do its job right. You’re supposed to be the competent worker and you’re being beaten by a walking junkyard pile-”

Yeah, nope, not this again.

You bristle at her words, gritting your teeth slightly and forcing your smile to maintain itself. If it looks slightly more manic than intended, that can’t be helped, but you had always been good at playing the part of someone weaker than you. “I’m so sorry you feel that way, ma’am. I’m sure you can leave a review regarding our services on our website if you’d like. However, Fazbear does not tolerate abuse and slander of any of its staff. Thanks for stopping by and have a Faz-er- iffic day!”

You slam the door in her face just as she opens her mouth (likely to respond with another offensive remark) and dust your hands off in satisfaction. It’s not the first time someone’s come to complain about you and your coworkers. In truth, the company probably couldn’t care less how the clients treated their workers and their ‘property’ as long as they got paid. Slander against you, you could understand; you signed a contract and sold your soul away. One of the agreements was to deal with annoying clients. But the other two? They had been built for this, any complaint against them was the fault of the company itself, and besides, you couldn’t see them as anything other than people since the moment you’d spoken to them. After all, a company probably wouldn’t leave a prerecorded message expressing immediate hostility towards its employees on their first day of work, now would it?

They had to have some level of sentience to make that decision.

You mark off the last child with a pleased grin. At least with the way she’d reacted you could guarantee that neither the harpy woman nor her little satan spawn son ever set foot in the Daycare ever again.

You do unfortunately still have to clean up the carnage left behind, though. You grab a broom and a dustpan, ready to sweep up the crumbled play-doh and ripped stuffing from earlier, back straightening with a sharp inhale when the lights cut off. Not terribly uncommon, but it still left you uneasy. Moon didn’t get to do his little song and dance during naptime because you were preoccupied punishing a rulebreaker, and you’re pretty sure he’s fixing to dish out his skewed idea of justice one way or another.

Lo and behold, the tell-tale click of a wire descending directly behind you gives away his intentions. 

“ Aww , thank you for defending our honor so nobly , little knight,” he croons mockingly. You don’t even have to turn in his direction to know he’s fanning his faceplate and fake swooning in a ‘my fair maiden’ pose. You say nothing, just sweeping stiffly under his suspended shadow and inspecting the floor. You’d have to bring out the vacuum for the carpet, plus a mop.

You miss his frown at your evident disinterest. 

“So brave, to come to our aid when we were utterly defenseless ,” he continues, picking a small bit of clay off your shoulder and flicking it aside. “But you know, you seemed to have forgotten what I told you earlier…”

He pauses, seemingly waiting for some response of probing to continue. If he is, he’ll be sorely disappointed. Though you’re usually the one after them for conversation, you’re in no mood for it after the day-no, the week, the whole damn month , really- you’ve had. You just want to go home, take a shower, and sleep for an eternity. 

His frown grows further in distaste, and he decides to grab your attention by gripping your shoulders tightly and lifting you a few inches off the ground. Your previously unfocused gaze now snaps to him, alert and on guard.

Wuh-oh.

That’s more like it.

“We do not need your help ,” he sneers, shaking you by the front of your shirt. You blink and gulp nervously, unsure as to where this is coming from. You feel the worst of your nausea as he starts to raise you towards the ceiling with you hanging onto his wrists tightly.

“Moon…” you speak warningly, a shot of nervousness streaking through you as the ground grows further away. His only response is a sadistic chuckle, and the delicately crafted facade over your sickness accumulating from over the past few weeks worsens exponentially. Your stomach lurches and you hazard a quick glance down. You’re hanging a good thirty feet above the ballpit and still steadily climbing, and judging by the glint in your captor’s eyes, you’re not going to like where this is headed.

It’s safe to panic now.

“Moon, stop it, that’s enough,” you tell him, voice wavering. After no response, you try again. “Moon, that’s enough, put me down.” Silence. “That’s enough , drop it!”

He stops for a second, grin falling a little before returning full force. “Well, if you insist ,” he laughs darkly. 

Your eyes widen and for a moment, nothing happens. Then he yanks your hands off him and lets go, watching you plummet to the ground with sinister glee.

Then, you’re falling.

You think you scream, you can’t tell. You crash into the ballpit right after, but it doesn’t cushion your fall. You hiss immediately on impact, clenching your fists and curling in on yourself. The plastic balls dig into your spine, sending waves of pain throughout your body. Your eyes are squeezed shut and you don’t dare open them lest you see that face looming over you. You do a quick check-over, wiggling your toes and bending your joints weakly. Somehow, nothing is broken, but you can’t tell over the searing pain in your side. You thought it was bad before, but that was nothing compared to now. The dull ache is burning, setting your nerves on fire with as much as a twitch. Your back is in a similar shape, as are your legs. 

You don’t know how long you stay like that before Moon’s shadow looms over you from the side of the pit. He makes some stab at you that you don’t really process over the ringing in your ears. Existing hasn’t taken such a toll on you before. His voice still carries into the white noise. You manage to get your mouth moving again and whisper, voice crackling, “Knock it off, Moon.”

Unsurprisingly, he doesn’t let up on his teasing, and you vaguely register his response. “Oh, poor little worker can’t take a tumble. Too weak to pick yourself back up again? Not that I see much of a difference. You’ve always got your head down, ballpit or that desk you laze at. Best to let the ‘bucket of bolts’ do the work, hm ?”

You say nothing, not finding the idea of lifting your head and entertaining his little act worth it in your state. You remain limp in the ballpit, knees hugged to your chest in fetal position.

You hear him step closer to you, and jerk slightly when blue digits dig into your shoulders to pull you up. A cry of pain erupts from you at the fingers embedding themselves in your shoulder blades. They retract quickly as if burned by a pot sitting too long on the stove, as if this was the first time they’ve ever felt such heat before. Your severe pain and slightly depressive state dissipates momentarily and is instead replaced with white-hot anger that threatens to bubble over.

You slap his hand away and shout, “It’s not funny, Moon, knock it off! ”

He freezes, hands twitching in the air. His optics flicker, narrowing as he reaches back out to capture you once out. You smack his wrist again and ignore the added pain of striking metal. 

You stagger out of the ballpit, standing on shaky legs. You don’t give him a chance to speak before you start up again. 

“What the hell is wrong with you, man? You dropped me from 50 feet up, I could’ve died ! What did I even do to you?”

His faceplate turns in a silent half-rotation before he shrugs.

Oh no he did not . 

You explode, gesturing wildly as his simple movement spurs you on. “So what, you just don’t like me and decided to fucking throw me off the balcony like some- some doll for you to mess around with?! Pfft, yeah sure, that makes sense! Let’s just drop someone from 40 feet ‘because we don’t like them’! Wow, Moon, I can see how you guys got your position with that logic !”

“Oh wait! ” you spin around sharply, a manic grin on your face that seems to twist every meek and modest feature on your face as you continue on. “That’s why I’m here! Because for all your hard work, Management still decided to shove me into this hellhole! And it doesn’t mean much, it’s Management, they don’t mean anything, but hey , guess what? I never wanted to be here, but surprise-surprise, no one wants to hire a nobody who didn’t push through their degree except a shady company with a world record in OSHA violations and an even bigger death toll! So here I am, getting paid 30 dollars an hour to deal with your ungrateful asses for five hours a day, not to mention the ridiculous amount of unpaid overtime of three to five EXTRA hours I dedicate to this sorry place, all without a single day off in the past six months that I have worked here, each of which have been filled with your non-stop harassment and shitty attitude, which for some bizarre reason I haven’t reported yet! So why, pray tell, have you been dead set on punishing me for a crime I have yet to commit? What did I even do to you?” 

It’s a trap. Moon knows it’s a trap, but he refuses to let you get away with such slander on his turf. He rolls his eyes and huffs, “ Oh, please , you aren’t nearly as victimized as you make yourself out to be. You slack off during playtime while Sun handles everything, you’re constantly snoozing away at your desk unless you oh-so graciously decide to grace us with a moment of your time, and sometimes you don’t even show up at all. I think we have much more of a right to type up a report than you ever will.”

Alright, that’s it- “Oh, really ? Alright, buster, don’t give me that shit, I know damn well what I’m worth. For the record, I do play with the kids - which, if I may remind you, is not in my job description- until sweet lil Sunny starts giving me a death stare for daring to intrude on his precious playtime. And I do pitch in around here, just as much if not MORE than you do! Guess what, cheesehead? I clean the ballpit. I order the food, I buy the supplies, bring the books, put the kids toys back together, organize a monthly schedule AND deal with your sorry asses,  so don’t be telling me how to do my job, got it ? And don’t start up about my breaks, cuz, huh , I wasn’t aware that a two minute break in the place of an hour’s worth of free time was against my contract! I take time off when I know I’m not needed so that I don’t keel over and leave you to deal with over 40 kids! And even with that, I’ve still never taken an actual sick day off the entire time I’ve worked here because I know this is how you’ll react! When was the last time I didn’t show up to work, huh?”

Moon is swift with his reply, almost anticipating the question. “Last month, you took nearly two weeks off without telling your supervisors,” he states triumphantly, as if this had somehow won him the argument.

Oh, this absolute idiot . 

His victorious grin falls slightly at your disbelieving laughter. “Two weeks?! I’ve been working here for six months and you’re hung up on two weeks ?! I’ll have you know that I did tell my supervisors-which you are not , by the way- that I would be out on unpaid sick leave. And I know they didn’t tell you about it because I knew exactly what would happen, and it did! I thought you could respect it and let it go , but apparently not, cuz  you can’t handle not sticking your obnoxiously pointed nose up someone’s business! And now I’m the nosy one!” Your voice grows louder, and you throw your arms out with a wide, dangerous gleam in your eyes. 

“You wanna know where I was? Why I was gone? Well guess what, Craterhead, I was in the hospital making sure my brother didn’t drop dead ! I had to make sure he didn’t flat line halfway through a surgery !”

Oh.

Oh no.

Moon’s eyes widen, regret flickering across his face for a second. He takes a small step back, retreating as you advance. A jab to the chest pulls him back to the present, and his optics narrow.

“But you don’t care about any of that, do you? All you care about is your stupid reputation and oh no, Sunny and Moony can’t have a human ruining everything, because that’s all this meatbag knows how to do! Oh no, poor Sunny and Moony!”

You watch his expression drop like a thermometer exposed to subzero temperatures, red optics pinpricks in a sea of black that threaten to overtake them, contracted pupils tensed like a rubber band about to snap. A spark of something, perhaps vindication, ignites within you, overshadowing the voice in the back of your mind that quietly warns you of what to come, to back down before it’s too late.

A pity your brother isn’t here to hold you back. 

Your voice drops dangerously low for a moment, a deathly whisper that somehow seeps fear into Moon’s systems more than your uncontrolled rage.“I bet you tried to break me, didn’t you, wanted to see me all battered and bruised with my tail tucked between my legs as I ran out of this godforsaken place. Oh, don’t act so surprised, we both knew you never liked me. You never liked me or the idea of someone coming along to jeopardize your position, your life’s purpose, the only thing you have ever been good for, and so you pushed, even when I went along with all your orders, all your demands and your stupid checkpoints and your stupid, stupid rules, pushed and pushed and pushed until I couldn’t take it anymore, and here we are. Well, no more ! You knew there was a breaking point, you both did. Well, here it is, the final straw! Your hard work finally paid off, you’ve made me even more miserable than before, and for what? Is this what you wanted, Moon, Sun? Are you finally satisfied? ”

Moon is still in front of you, hands drawn to his chest, pupils watching fat drops roll down your cheeks and leave stained rivers on your skin as you smile that angry, heartbreaking, defeated smile that cuts through their wires like glass shards, words stabbing through his central processors and sending a jolt through them both. He wants to respond, wants to say something clever and leave you sputtering and defeated, but nothing comes to mind. He always has a retort, a comeback, a witty remark or a snarky comment to make you bend to their will, and yet this time he’s the one left grasping for straws. He’s speechless, voicebox pushing out low static as he struggles to formulate a reply. You don’t give him the time to, resuming with a steady confidence they’ve never seen in you before. This is a side of you that is unfamiliar to them. They don’t quite know what to make of it, and so they stay unwillingly silent as you answer your own question with an air of finality. 

“No, you’re not. And I’ll tell you why. This perfection that you’ve tried so hard to pin down? Hate to break it to you, buddy, but perfect is something even machines can’t accomplish, no matter how advanced or well-built they think they are. It never will be. You and Sun both think you’re oh-so-great and so far above lil ol’ me and my stupid human brain, but I think you forget that you’re just as bad as I am. I’ve seen the daycare reviews, boys, and trust me, they are not pretty. Our sweet little ball of Sunshine scared kids so bad with his pushiness that a good deal of them just didn’t come back, and you? Oh, you scared the shit out of kids, didn’t you? You left them shivering in their sleeping bags in fear of the very thing that swore to protect them. 

“So tell me”- you tilt your head, smile growing sickeningly sweet as your eyes squint upwards, hands poised together as you punctuate every syllable that leaves your lips - “What exactly do you think gives you any authority over me? How do you think you can protect anyone from me when you can’t even protect them from yourself?”

You let the words hang in the air for a moment, the manic grin not leaving your face as you turn around to sweep over the daycare after the prolonged eye contact with burning red optics begins to sting your eyes. 

 “But hey!” you call out behind you with a laugh like shattered glass left on cold tile. “Don’t take my word for it. I’m just the dumb worker you had to boot cuz you didn’t want someone to steal the spotlight.”

You whip back around to give a final comment before catching a glimpse of Moon. His pupils are near non-existent, eyes dark and empty. His static grin is too wide, fingers too sharp, curling and uncurling. You freeze, words cutting to a halt, and you swear his grin grows wider.

“ R̶̻̘̃͂̈́͋́ ̶̢̛͇̠͔̤̥͉̜̖̫̰̬̬̝̓͛̾̅̓̑̌́͆̅̇̿̎͂̈́͘̕͠Ǘ̸̡̻͖̅̄̄̚ ̵͖̱͕̫̋̈́̀́͊̇̐̀̒̒̋͑̅̀͗̊́́̚̕͝N̵̘̰͓̹̖̘̦̪͂̓̎̅̊̀͘̕͜ ̶̡͕̙͖̟͍̼͙̠̺̹̦̘̙̘̠̏̾̿̏̂͜ͅ," he growls. 

It sends a chill up your spine, dousing your anger in fear. You don’t waste time waiting for him to start chasing. You’re already booking it across the Daycare and to the exit. 

You’re maybe 10 paces in when you hear him behind you, wire clicking and shooting him to the ceiling. You know it’s a losing battle, he could easily take you if he wanted to. He doesn’t though, not yet. It’s the chase he’s after.

You dare not turn to check behind you, instead running blindly in hopes of somehow managing to hide. Your logical reason tells you to just leave, but it’s drowned out by pure instinct to run, get away, danger-

Moon has a severe advantage and you both know it. He knows the area. Still, you foolishly blunder on, making a hard right that almost makes you trip before you stumble back up again. You’re lucky he doesn’t do this more often because man you are out of shape. He hasn’t chased you since the first two months, you’d thought these games were behind you.

You wheeze as you bump into a wall, barely managing to dodge a wet floor bot. You can’t keep this up much longer. Your heart’s been kicked into overdrive, beating at a rate you know isn’t normal. Distantly, pain tingles in your elbow, muffled by the adrenaline pulsing through you. You’re surprised you haven’t bumped into any of the GlamRocks. They may not like you, but it’s better than this. 

Maybe they’re patrolling different floors? They could be charging.

All at the same time.

Yeah…

You skid to a sudden stop. You were just here, weren’t you? Ugh, these hallways all looked the same. Your eyes dart around wildly, spotting the familiar Daycare entrance. The faces of golden statues are smiling down at you.

You can’t recall a time where that’s happened to you before. 

Your eyes dart around for some place to hide, landing on a closet. You hear jingling bells in the distance.

You silently pray there aren’t any spiders before shutting yourself inside, leaving the door open just a crack for a sliver of light. 

It’s not a terribly big closet. There’s maybe enough room for you to stand upright. You sit with your knees tucked under your chin, eyes never leaving the door. Just in time. The wire descends and detaches, two feet coming into view. They pad softly on the cold tile, making no noise as he prowls for his prey. 

A shadow in front of the door.

You hold your breath, freezing and throwing a hand over your mouth.

A pause.

His attention is shifted elsewhere. He grumbles and stalks off, leaving you in  the dark. 

You wait maybe thirty seconds for the footsteps to grow silent before exhaling softly and taking stock of your situation. You’re stuck in a broom closet at work and the only other worker here tonight just left. 

Not that Moon would be of any help , you thought bitterly. He just wants you out of the way.

You can’t really blame him for that , though, can you ?

The thought almost sets you off the edge, but you reign yourself in, letting go of a self-deprecating laugh and wiping the tears that form in the corners of your eyes. It doesn’t help. New ones replace them and you let your hands fall back into your lap.

No. No, you couldn’t blame them for it. You invaded their space and made a mess of things. You have a habit of doing that.

That’s why you left, after all. You couldn’t handle messing that up , either.

A shaky sob escapes you, and you press your palms to your eyes to stop the flow of tears trickling down your face. You need this job, you can’t lose it. If you lost it, you’d have no other options. You’d be out of house and home, and then what? Go back with your tail tucked between your legs?

No. You couldn’t go back.

What other choices did you have?

It didn’t matter, anyway. At the end of the day, nothing would change. You were still you, and something always goes wrong no matter what you do. Didn’t matter how hard you tried or how fair it was, it’s always the same.

Sometimes you wonder if everyone would’ve been better off had your brother been an only child.

A soft buzzing in your pocket snaps you out of your episode. You fish your phone out in surprise. That’s right, you’d put it there after this morning.  It vibrates in your hand, the caller ID flashing across the screen. It’s your mother. You stare at it dumbly, making no move to answer it. You’re half tempted to just let it ring till she gives up and drops it as always, but…

You need something to keep the quiet at bay right now.

Swiping to start the call, you hear shuffling over the static and put the speaker close to your ear. A short “hello?” is heard and repeated as she tries to figure out how to use the brick in her hand.

The act is familiar and you manage a watery smile. “Hi, mom.”

“Can you hear m-oh, good, you’re there. Your brother said you messaged him this morning and we just wanted to check in.” Her tone shifts. “You okay there?”

You don’t think you can pull off pretending that you’re fine at the moment. You sniffle into the receiver, curling further in on yourself. “I’m okay, I just…I just had a bad day at work.”

“Oh, sweetheart…”she sighs, and you wince slightly, not really feeling up to whatever questions she has to ask. “You wanna talk about it?”

You shake your head before remembering that you’re on the phone, instead muttering a quiet ‘no’ into the speaker. She stays uncharacteristically silent on the other side of the line, her subtle shifting of the phone the only indicator that she’s still on the call. You know she wants to pry further, force an answer out of you. Sometimes, you almost wish she did, wish she pushed just a bit harder so you could finally break and let it all out.

She doesn’t this time though, puttering out a soft sigh. “Well…alright. Just remember, we’re always here if you need us. Your brother’ll probably check on you anyway, you know how he gets. Just don’t let him burn the building down for your sake.”

A wet snort slips past you before you catch it, imagining your anarchist brother expressing his rage against the machine and corporate capitalism by burning down a rip-off Chuck-E-Cheese. You didn’t think your mother was capable of creating an image like that, either. She hadn’t exactly been very invested in either of your interests. You wonder if she’s been taking pointers from your brother. 

You wave the thoughts aside, realizing you’ve let the conversation taper off and…

You suppose you can let this phone call end on a higher note. You both sort of need it anyway.

“Thanks, mom,” you whisper coarsely, leaning against the stacked boxes and letting your head fall back.

“Of course, dear. You just call us back when you’re ready. Oh, and try to tag along with your brother sometime, it gets lonely without you there. You were much better at listening to his mechanical jargle than we are.”

You exchange a few more quiet answers before wishing her a good night and hanging up, squinting at your brightly lit phone in the dark space. The time reads a little past 10. Moon’s first round of patrols is likely finished, which means it’s finally safe to leave this cramped compartment. 

The door remains shut when you turn the knob.

You try for the handle again, rattling it with greater and greater intensity as your panic begins to build up to no avail. Your hands form fists, soon beginning to bang on the door, eyes wide and breathing erratic. Try as you might, it’s sealed like a tomb, effectively locked inside. 

No, no, no , this can’t be happening, not here, not now. You don’t want to be here, don’t want to be in this dark, cramped closet at the end of some forgotten corridor, stashed with all the boxes and cleaning supplies. 

Your brother had locked you into a closet once. Flipped the switch on the outside and left you alone to battle the demons you couldn’t see. It had been funny, back then, until you started screaming and begging to be let out.

It wasn’t funny now.

You drop to the floor, hands sliding down the wood to lay limply beside you. You can feel yourself shaking, bones rattling as you tremble. Your lungs burn with the force of the rapid inhale-exhale pattern you struggle to keep stable, your heartbeat pounding at the front of your head. Inhale, exhale, thump, thump, inhale, thump -oh, weren’t you supposed to exhale first- thump -and your heart’s not pumping, you can’t breathe, you need to breathe -

You gasp, head reeling, nails digging into your palms and leaving red marks. You struggle to ground yourself, forcing your eyes to focus on the sliver of light from under the doorframe. You inch back, still trembling lightly, staring blankly at the floor as the cold reality dawns on you.

You’re trapped.

No one is here to save you now.

Aaaaand that's a wrap! Hope yall enjoyed that lil chapter, seems like our y/n's gotten into quite a pickle! It's okay, though, they needed some time to process anyways. Speaking of which, Sun and Moon have a LOT to think about... Not sure when I'll post chapter 9, sorry! I have a couple of short snippets planned out already, but typing and connecting them is a whole other matter, so I dunno when I'll get back to this. Until then, however, I hope this is enough, and unfortunately...

The theater is closed...

[that-gt-and-vore-stuffs]

fire the thoughts at us. We hunger for gb.

Yeaaaaahhhhhh baby, that’s what I’m talking about. Love to see fellow nerds interested in the bullshit lmao

Anyway here’s what I’ve got since last time

Peter will and has eaten the others before just because he’s bored. Bored or too lazy to go and get an actual snack

Insists the others can’t get mad at him cause they were right there and they would’ve done the same thing (he’s pretty much right, a fact which at least Egon playfully hates but that probably extends to all three others at one point or another)

Winston tries to keep the whole Pred lean thing under wraps his first few weeks with the guys due to past experiences with prey coworkers getting nervous and whatnot. Then, between watching Peter be randomly snatched up as a snack and having the same happen to himself on two separate occasions, that went out the window

He still didn’t outwardly speak about it, but he did relax a good deal

Then Ray spotted his teeth and in a matter of minutes the entire firehouse knew. Janine, who had known from the start, told him he had a good run

The guys (mostly Peter) ask her why the hell she never told them she knew. Her reasoning? Because they’d react like this. Plus, not her info to share

Egon can, will, and has kept someone in his mouth while working in the lab. It’s mostly Peter or Ray, but Winston is by no means safe. All three have ended up as a lab snack at some point

Come his later career with the boys, Winston has been found with someone in his mouth while working on the Ecto-1.

Winston and Egon get teased about the shared habit, especially when they accidentally swallow said team member out of shock when they get caught/distracted/dragged away mid concentration

Ray and Winston tie for the nicest of the crew to be eaten by, with Egon in third, and Peter in last

This ranking, mutually decided on by them, is purely because Peter is the most likely to grab you without warning if you’re clearly doing nothing. Egon remembers to ask at least half the time so he gets a step above his old friend. Ray and Winston aren’t perfect but they are the best out of all four and they all admit that

Janine says she’ll let the boys eat her one day, but said boys are not convinced of this fact.

The boys made s’mores after G/B 1 from the marshmallow fluff they were covered in. You know, for science and stuff. See if paranormal marshmallow tastes different or has any weird effects

It is not uncommon for all four to leave on a bust and see only three or two step out of the Ecto-1 when they get back. Given the remaining members of the team are calm, the missing ones are always “nearby.” Janine has learned not to worry and just to pretend nothing is strange (although her bosses eating each other is far from the strangest thing she’s encountered at this job)

Still working on finding a way to successfully eat a ghost. Egon and Ray insist it’s because it’d be convenient but Peter and Winston are starting to wonder if their determination has to do with the jokes they all make about haunting each other if they die first

(And yes, I’ve seen Afterlife and am FINALLY getting around to seeing Frozen Empire tomorrow. But for now I’m sticking to the classic two films, TR/G cartoon, and such time periods)

On a similar note, the guys are all silently curious about if you can be eaten by a ghost. They’re not about to try it out, but the idea of one of them haunting the others makes them wonder if that’s still something they’d have to watch out for

Overall, it’s very common for at least one of the core four to be “missing” from the firehouse on slow days.

Janine has started keeping track of how often each of them “vanishes” and last a list hidden in her desk. Occasionally she wonders if she could start a betting ring on who was next, only to remember that the whole eating your coworkers thing is a lot less common in pretty much every other aspect of society.

Too bad, really. She finds it hilarious when one of the guys runs past her telling her that she never saw them and to not tell the others where he went

And that’s what I’ve got so far. Seriously, if yall have any ideas you’d ever wanna run by me please send that stuff in the ask box. I love hearing y’all’s thoughts just as much as you seem to like hearing mine. Until next time! Enjoy!

[stillwaitingforus]

This is the first time I’ve ever written anything to post. 

Genre: fluff, friends-to-lovers

There are many things that you can’t control and recently you’ve noticed a certain feeling. Specifically the feeling of love that you have for your best friend Minho. Lately you’ve noticed that you don’t just see him as your friend but you want to be more. You guys already act like a couple but that doesn’t mean he feels the same. You and Minho have been friends for many years, meeting during high school. Seeing each high and low they each of you have experienced thus creating an inseparable bond. It’s always been a tradition between you two to watch a movie while eating tons of snacks of friday nights and saturday mornings were spent making breakfast. It was always a fight for who would wake first in order to have everything ready before the other. This particular Friday night Minho called to let you know he would be a bit late but when you asked why he told you he was finishing up with a friend. You didn’t think too much about this assuming he was with Jisung. As you continued gathering the snack, blankets, and pillows you realize he said, “a friend” which made you think which friend and why wouldn’t he have just said their name, but the thoughts were cut short by the sound of the front door opening. When you looked over to him he looked disheveled. He walked over to give you a hug and apologize about being late but he smelled different, almost floral, which is different from his normal vanilla and was acting a bit strange too. Before you could ask about the friend he was with or mention the different scent he quickly told you he was going to change before the movie. He dashed off to the bathroom leaving you confused. When he came out he quickly joined you on the couch leaving no personal space while he practically laid on you. While you let him choose the movie you managed to find a comfortable position with the little space that was left. Halfway through the movie you had no idea as to what was happening. All you could do was look down at your best friend while thinking about how to ask where he was. Minho couldn’t focus on the movie because he could feel your burning stare. “Take a photo it will last longer” was what brought you out of your thoughts. You quickly tried to make up an excuse but came up with nothing. He sat up once he noticed the look on your face. “What’s going on in that pretty head of yours” but you didn’t know how to express your thoughts so without really thinking you blurted out, “Who was the friend you were with and why didn’t you just say their name rather than referring to them as a friend.” He was taken back by your outburst but he also wasn’t sure what to say. He was with a friend but she didn’t think of him as a friend. “I was with Lisa, you know, my coworker. She had invited me out to dinner.” That made sense to you but why didn’t he just say that and why do you feel jealous. The dinner just ran a bit longer than expected but that doesn’t explain why he smelled so strongly of her perfume. 

“Oh I see.”

“You see what? What else is bothering you?”

“Nothing's bothering me, I was just curious.”

“Y/N, I’ve known you for long enough to know something is still bothering you.”

“If it was dinner then why did you smell so strongly of her perfume?”

Once again he was surprised. He had hoped that her perfume didn’t transfer to him so intensely. He wanted to tell you about the dinner from the time he got the invite but he didn’t feel good about it. You see he’s been in love with you for so long and has been wanting to tell you but how could he. He was so worried about losing you, so he agreed to the dinner thinking that maybe this could help him realize there’s someone else out there for him, but that didn’t happen the whole time all he could think about was you and how he wished it was you sitting across the table not some coworker that he didn’t know and didn’t want to know. Once the dinner was finally over he tried to leave quickly but before he could he walked Lisa to her car. The whole way to her car she was bumping into him and holding him close. Her perfume was very strong and he hoped that it wouldn't linger on him but he just hoped that he would be able to slide past you without you taking notice of it. He might have been able to avoid having you smell it but he needed to hug you. It was how he always greeted you. 

“She was clinging to me while I walked her to her car.”

You looked skeptical, “Why were you so jittery and short when you first arrived? Was I not supposed to know about the date?”

“Date? I promise you it wasn’t a date. Maybe she thought it was but I assure you It wasn’t a date.”

You visibly relaxed after hearing this. You were so relieved to find out that it wasn't a date but why did he reassure you so much could it be that maybe he has similar feelings. Minho had noticed your change in body language making him question why it mattered to you to the point that you were visibly bothered. This made him wonder if maybe you felt the same way he did. 

“Oh… if it wasn’t a date did you at least have a good time?”

“Honestly, no. I couldn’t pay attention to her. All I could think about was… you.”

“Me? What do you mean me?”

Both of you are blushing messes. Both trying to figure out how and if you should tell each other about your feelings. Minho was thinking that he should just tell you he thinks that by the way you reacted might be a good sign. You on the other hand were so unsure clearly it wasn’t a date and he wanted you to understand that, but how do you tell your best friend that you’re in love with him. You can’t just say like because it’s an understatement you’re madly in love with Minho.

“Min, I have to tell you something and I hope that it doesn’t change anything between us because I can’t lose you but I can’t continue living this way.”

“Nothing can change or hurt what we have, you're my best friend. You matter so much to me we will work through whatever it is.”

“Min, I love you. I love you so much it hurts. You’re the best thing to happen to me.”

Once again you’ve surprised Minho so much that he’s frozen. He can’t believe that you like him no you love him. You said “love”. His silence made you freak out of course he doesn’t like you this way. Why didn’t you just continue keeping the secret?

“Shit Min it’s okay if you don’t feel the same I’m so sorry.”

“No Y/N I love you too. I was just surprised that you beat me to the confession.”

You guys finally have confessed to each other and the air around you feels different. You couldn’t help but laugh at how much better you feel now. Minho also began laughing too you guys naturally falling into each other. As you guys calmed down y'all were cuddled up together it was so natural and felt so much better than how you were previously sat across from each other. 

“Min, I really do love you. I’ve loved you for so long I can’t even remember when I first realized it.”

“I love you too Y/N, I really do. I realized that very first time you came to meet my cats.”

The movie has long been finished but now that the confessions have happened you’ve continued to cuddle on the couch and reminisce about all the times y’all almost confessed but backed out. You slowly began to fall asleep so Minho carried you to bed and once comfortable you were out. He climbed in bed but now that he’s there he can’t fall to sleep. He’s so happy, just couldn’t believe that you’ve both confessed to being in love. How dumb were the both of you to never notice. He was trying to figure out just how to ask you to be his. Yeah you’ve confessed but that doesn’t fully make you his. He finally managed to sleep and when he woke up he was first thankfully. You both always fight as to who makes breakfast for the other. The only way to be the “winner” is to wake up earlier. He slowly climbed out of bed trying extra hard to not wake you up. He went and made breakfast just as he was finishing up he felt you wrap your arms around his waist.

“Why did you leave me?” 

“I needed to make you breakfast.”

“We could've cooked together, you know. Now that we aren’t trying to win each other over.”

“I would love to cook with you but I had to do it this way.”

He ushered you to go sit at the table so he could bring it to you. Once you finally did as he was bringing the dishes he had you close your eyes, which you tried to argue about but Minho got the last word and had your eyes shut. He set down the dish and lastly he set down a folded piece of paper. He gave you the okay to open your eyes and the letter was the first thing noticed. He looked happy but also a bit nervous. Once you opened the note and read it you began to tear up but also bursted into laughter. He used the note as his way of asking you to be his. 

“Of course I’m yours. We just confessed our undying love to each other last night.”

“Yes I know but I still needed to ask you out properly.”

After eating and enjoying the amazing breakfast. You went to do the dishes which he helped you with, saying he didn’t want to be too far from you. Once finished you went over to hug him thanking him once again. As he was looking at you, you quickly reached up and kissed him. As you pulled away you couldn't get very far before he pulled you in for another sweet kiss.

“I love you so much Y/N”

“I love you too Min”

[fruit-salad-ship]

Ok ok ok: venom au, plum needs to sneak into somewhere really fancy really quick and doesn’t have time to go anywhere else first (maybe they’re chasing someone who decides to social stealth at a party, I don’t know brain go brrr), peach comes out and makes herself into an amazing (and probably slinky) dress, they get into the party fine, they’re looking around or whatever and peach gets bored and starts bothering plum 👀

Losing my mind over the hypotheticals here.

Nothing I could draw or write would be SFW at all, in any way.

So it’s a company do, it’s why she could get in, but having an alien living inside you is a bit new to her, as it would be to anyone, so she totally spaces about it. She turns up to sneak information off the company servers, but realises the party was that night, checks her now cracked phone and yep, Callander alert never went off. Of course. So without a disguise, she’s in tatty looking sweat pants and a hoody, not good enough she’d stand out like a sore thumb. Peach whispers in her ear that she’s got a plan to help her, and turns into this floor length met gala looking number, shoes and all, you’d assume it’s maybe silk or velvet, reflects the light like an oil slick and hugs in all the right places. Peach takes a glass and chews it up, forming some shiny looking jewellery to match, and voila, disguise. Plum fusses with her hair, and in they go, turning heads for sure. Plum looks a little crazy, she’s talking to herself under her breath to keep her companion in check, peach is looking at the other party goers like they’re actual snacks, she’s hungry and very soon bored while plum networks, she’s caught plenty of eyes, often known for the dowdy lab gear and simple outfits. Not usually a stand out sort.

During one of these conversations, peach decides to toy with her, literally. Poor plum can’t focus, has to excuse herself, ‘going to get a drink’ or so she says, trying to casually walk out until no one’s around, locking herself in a supply closet she sometimes goes and hides in while at work to stress eat sour candy. The conversation between the two gets angry, she’s trying to get to the labs, trying to get data to find out what she’s dealing with, ie. Peach. And hopefully how to get rid of her, and this nightmare symbiote is just making everything difficult, wildly entertained with the plaything she’s inhabiting currently. Starts small sure, a flick, a pinch, a squeeze, but damn does it escalate.

Poor plums left a panting shaking mess, unable to get back on her feet, peach takes over, gets them where they need to go, admittedly still toying with this fun little creature, giving her a chance too try and focus up enough to get whatever it was she came to the labs for, before escaping the party. Not before being cornered by a coworker of course, who’s obviously hitting on her, despite knowing she’s got grey at home. Peach asks if she can eat this one. She says no. So peach just pushes her further, forcing her to make a fool of herself in front of this random guy from work.

The “can you just keep it in your pants for ONE night?” Sentence from plum, and peach just laughs, it’s a loud echo in her head, “no. but I’ll keep it in yours.” Regrettable decision.

I am going to go draw some things… because. Reasons.

[miekasa]

Mie, I’m begging for some Jean college au bf hcs - im literally so down bad for this man and the way you write men is just 🤌🏻🤌🏻🤌🏻

Absolutely, not a problem 😌 I saved this ask as a draft a while ago when you sent it, sorry for just now getting to it. Anyway, I love Jean with my whole heart, best boy, best boyfriend <33

King of forehead kisses, and not even just because of his height in comparison to yours; he just likes it. He likes the feeling of pressing his lips against your skin, and making you feel safe.

Brings you tea or coffee however you like it every day without fail. If he can get it to you in the morning before work/school then he’ll do that, if not he’ll meet you some time in the middle of the day to drop it off. Your own personal courier just for drinks.

He… has a thing for long(er) nails. He loves the feeling of them against his skin, even if you’re not scratching to apply pressure—just you holding his hand them grazing his skin is enough for him.

That being said, he will pay for you to get your nails done. Actually, he’ll pay for… almost anything you want, but the nails benefit him as much as they do you so feel free to ball out.

He never blowdries his hair because he doesn’t... know how to do the back of it. You did it for him once and he hasn’t stopped thinking about it since, but he’s also too embarrassed to ask you to do/style it again.

On the subject of hair, he does do his best to style it and take care of it, but he’s a sucker whenever you play with it. Sometimes he feigns like you’re messing up all his hard work, but he’ll literally crane his head into your touch. He loves it. 

The first time he lays on top of you and you run your hands through his hair... top 10 most euphoric moments of his life. He tries to fight off the sleep threatening to take over him, but it’s futile. Give it 15 minutes at most before he’s knocked out like a baby. 

Dogs love him. Anytime you’re in a park or just taking a walk and there’s a dog around, it’ll come up to him and he looks adorable leaning down to pet it. He loves dogs, too! So he’s always happy to stop and pet them. He’d be a 10/10 dog dad. 

Has your name saved in his phone with two hearts at the end. Do not point it out.

Loves taking pictures together and if you guys are on a date, he’ll ask someone to get a picture for him. He just likes having them to look back on (and to send to his mom, later).

He doesn’t mind painting classes or videos or tutorials, but he hates paint by numbers kits. He claims that they have no sense of color theory and that it takes the originality and fun out of painting. Not to mention the quality of the paints isn’t great to begin with; all of which he takes very seriously.

It’s pretty cute actually, to see him get worked up over the paint kits. He claims that painting and drawing isn’t even something he takes “that seriously,” it’s just a hobby for him (one he’s insanely good at); but in moments like these, you can tell that he’s way more into art and art theory and history than he lets on. 

Huge movie guy, from animated movies to martial arts movies, Jean is usually willingly to give anything a watch at least once. When he’s high, he can go on about his favorite directors and art styles and movie details for hours if you don’t stop him. It’s super cute. Just don’t bring up Moana, because he’ll start crying. 

Arm around the shoulder kind of boyfriend for sure. It’s a casual way of keeping you near him and letting everyone know that you guys are together. Plus it allows for him to easily pull you into him for a quick forehead kiss when needed.

Listen. If you hug his arm, he’s on cloud nine. He tries to be nonchalant about it but he’s about three seconds away from his eyes rolling back in his head it feels that good to him. Bonus if you lean your head on his bicep a little—then he’s a goner.

He takes his bagels very seriously and believes that both you and him deserve nothing but the best quality bagels. He’ll grumble if a bakery gives you guys a less than favorable one and make a note that taking the long route to get to his favorite place is much more worth it.

Always makes you walk on the side furthest from the cars. If he notices you’re not, he’ll just shuffle behind you until he’s shouldering the street and you’re on the inside. 

He grew up on a kind of modern ranch situation; not exactly all the way in the countryside, but not isolate from the city, either. Because of this, he knows how to ride horses, take care of smaller farm animals, tend to plants, and yes he knows how to use a lasso. You wouldn’t know any of that though, because he never ever talks about it. The only way you find out is when he takes you to visit his mom’s house for the first time, and she asks him for a hand around the place. 

(He’s got a cowboy hat, too, but refuses to put it on. He got it when he was, like, nine, okay, leave him alone). 

When he thinks you look tired, he’ll wrap his arms around your shoulders to hug you. It’s usually followed up with a kiss to your head, and a promise that you guys will go home soon and get food on the way. 

He’s a really good cook. He just understands and flavors and pairings really well, so he doesn’t need a recipe to make something that tastes good; he just kind of knows what to add to get the balance he’s looking for. 

Naturally, he’ll cook for you. Especially if he finds out that you haven’t eaten all day/in a long time. He doesn’t care if it’s 11pm and it might seem excessive to make steak and potatoes with a side salad at this hour, he’s gonna do it to make sure you eat, and you are going to sit there and watch. 

He also bakes pretty well, though he isn’t as experimental with his baking as he is with his cooking. He usually sticks to what he knows, and it’s not cupcakes and brownies and cakes; he’s better at croissants, and cheesecakes, and canelés. 

Dating Jean means getting along with his friends. If you guys didn’t know each other before you started dating, be prepared to be ambushed by Connie and Sasha (after Jean stops hiding you away and gives them the green light lmfao). Neither of them waste time with the small talk and formalities; straight into mini golfing and beer pong. They make you feel welcome right away.

Sasha always teases that you’re too good for Jean, and that she might just steal you away for herself some day. Sasha is also Jean’s main confidant, so she really knows just how much he loves you, and yeah, she teases him for being lovesick, but really she’s happy for Jean. And proud of him for facing his feelings like this. 

Connie adores you, and you know he trusts you when he starts going to you for advice/help. Could be anything from schoolwork, to what color he should get his new shoes in. He’s also the one who, surprisingly, you have the sentimental talks with about your relationship with Jean. It’s easy to overlook, but Connie loves Jean, and he’s come to love you too; he just wants you both to be happy, so he’s there to listen when you need it. 

Jean waits outside of your classroom after you’ve had a test or presentation, usually with a drink or a snack, or the promise of taking you out as a treat. Always tells you he’s proud of you, and is there to comfort you if you think you didn’t do too well. 

He does not shut up about whatever major you’re in. It could be the same as his; it could be the complete opposite as his. He thinks it’s so sick that you’re doing it, you make it look cooler, you make it look better, and he’s certain you’re the smartest person in your program. 

He’s pretty serious about his studies, too, so he’s always down to study with you in the library whenever you’re both free. More often than not, he shows up after you, usually with food or extra chargers. He greets you with a kiss on the forehead, and asks you how you are while massaging your shoulders gently. If it’s been a while since you took a break, that’s the first item on the list, after that, he gets to work and stays with you until you’re ready to go, even if he doesn’t have as much work to do. 

He always sits across from you. This goes for when you’re in the library, or out to eat at a restaurant; Jean loves sitting across from you. He gets to see your face the best that way, and he adores looking into your eyes when you talk. 

He’s not... not a morning person. He’s not up at 6am ready to grind, but he wakes up before noon; let’s say 10am is his happy medium. That being said, if you wake up before him, regardless of the time, there’s a 9/10 chance he’ll lay on your back and tell you to hush so you guys can sleep for 10 more minutes. 

If you’re (close) friends with Eren, Mikasa, and Armin, Jean is... happy you’ve got people to rely on, but, “Of all people on the planet, you put your trust in Jaeger?” He acts so bitter (because he is), but deep down inside, he’s glad you have Eren to rely on if you need to. 

(Also, you have to humble him and remind him that he and Eren aren’t all that different. If you like him, why wouldn’t you get along with Eren, bye). 

Turns out though, that it’s not Eren who threatens to beat him up if he breaks your heart. It’s not even Mikasa, although, her threat goes without saying; it’s Armin he’s terrified of.

The last time Armin hated someone, it was this guy in your program, who happened to share a few mutual classes with him, too. Jean never knew the full story, just that he’s pretty sure that kid dropped out the following semester. 

If you have a job on campus, Jean usually doesn’t show up while you’re working (knowing how embarrassed he would be if you did that to him), unless you work the night shift and it’s dead. Connie, however, does show up; usually in some kind of crisis (“Please help me, I don’t know what the fuck APA formatting is and this is due tonight, please, please, please!!”). Your coworkers actually thought Connie was your boyfriend for a minute. That’s when Jean starts showing up more lmfao.

He makes it a point to go on a scheduled, night out, kind of date at least twice a month. He knows life gets busy with school and work and midterms, but he always makes sure you both set side a time to take a well-deserved break and be with each other. 

He’s the romantic type, so these dates are pretty swoon worthy, too. Drive-in movies, nice dinners, classy art exhibits, Jean plans it all. On that note, he really likes planning dates; he just doesn’t like talking about them with his friends beforehand. 

All in all, very romantic, very precious boyfriend. He’s always thinking about you, what you need, and how he can help you out. You’re one of his main priorities, and he just wants to treat you right. 

[ppersonna]

out of my league - knj | 01

you were out of my league. got my heartbeat racing. if i die, don't wake me, cause you are more than just a dream - out of my league, fitz and the tantrums

✹ summary- Kim Namjoon was never supposed to find out about your years-long hopeless crush on him. And he most definitely was not supposed to find out about it in front of all your coworkers in a company-wide meeting.

✹ rating- explicit/18+/nsfw

✹ pairing- kim namjoon x reader

✹ word count- 6.6k

✹ genre- angst, smut, comedy

✹ chapter warnings- swearing, descriptions of sex, sexual content, namjoon being a sexy flirt, jungkook being a himbo, awkward conversations, jimin being a protective bff

✹ a/n- hello and welcome to this fic thats lived in my google docs for almost a year now. without @ladyartemesia @xjoonchildx @untaemedqueen and @chimoona, i would never have posted it. i truly owe so much of my brainstorming and creativity to their incredible brains and thoughts and ideas. i love them very much! i hope you enjoy this first chapter! please feel free to message me, talk to me abt anything!! im always here to chat. ILY!

MASTERLIST

Kim Namjoon was never supposed to find out this way.

You planned to confess your undying, unerring love for your coworker at a better time, a classier place. You would wear a dress that highlighted your features, hair cascading down your back, makeup done to perfection and spritzed with expensive perfume. You’d confess, he’d confess right back, and you’d live happily ever after.

You’d also dreamt that Kim Namjoon would have the slightest inkling of who you are before he finds out about your year long crush. He might know you as the mousy girl in the office who doesn’t talk and doesn’t contribute much other than some crunched numbers and apparently the best coffee brewer in the office. But you’d prefer he knows you well—your favorite colors and movies and foods, what makes you happy and sad; things future husbands should know.

You very much did not think it would happen in a company wide conference, full of over five hundred suit-wearing executives. You did not think it would be done by the office bully, Chungha, who carefully takes over the mic and speaks the words clearly as she presents awards of recognition.

“Congratulations to Kim Namjoon for 5 years with the company, over $4 million in revenue, and the object of ____’s lust and affection. I’m sure you two will have the happy life she’s written in her journal about. Make sure you celebrate with her today!”

The room is silent, so silent you could have heard a pin drop from a mile away. Your face is cherry red and you wish the earth would open up and swallow you whole. Your heart feels like someone has ripped it in half and you stare in horror at the girl smirking at the front. Is this what it feels like to be backstabbed? Namjoon looks perplexed—confusion written on his face as he gestures around to no one in particular like he’s saying ‘what the fuck was that?’

Awkward coughing and clapping begins and Namjoon stands to receive his award, a fine wooden fountain pen, and chances a glance around the room. He easily spots you, with your wide, frightened face. His look remains passive, not hinting what he’s thinking behind those stormy eyes, before he turns and sits back down at the table with his buddies from his department.

You seriously contemplate quitting your job. You could find a new one easily, right? Just stand up and tell your boss you quit and you’re out of there before Namjoon ever sees you again and you’ll never have to face the mean girl who’s ratting you out.

As much as the idea rolls through your head, you know you won’t do it. You love your job, love the security and finances it provides you, and you love to look at Kim Namjoon, all day every day.

You don’t understand where things went wrong.

( one month ago )

It’s 9:03 am. You finish brewing the coffee in the small staff kitchen and sigh at the aroma of the freshly ground beans. Coffee is your favorite meal, favorite time of day, favorite snack, and preferred beverage. You drink it constantly. You’re known as “coffee girl” at work, mostly because no one really bothers to get to know you beyond that. You drink coffee like it’s a devoted religion. You could drink a cup right before bed and still sleep like a baby. It was, put simply, your drink.

The office workers deem you to be the one to make the pots of coffee every morning, claiming you were the ‘best’. You didn’t mind—you preferred to make your own coffee regardless—but you believe your coworkers are trying to pass off the twenty-minute job to someone lower in the office hierarchy. And you were one step above the interns.

The coffee machine chimes to let you know it’s hot, and it’s ready for you. You eagerly pour a mug, a large one, and smile as the waft of freshly ground beans (by you, of course) fills your senses.

You nearly knock the cup out of your hand as Kim Namjoon strolls into the office, eyes set on the coffee.

You feel your throat swell up, like he’s an allergen and you’re caught without an epi-pen. Butterflies swirl in your stomach and you can’t stop staring at him. He pays you no mind, tired yet determined to pour a cup of coffee and get back to his office.

You stand in the small kitchen, clutching your coffee like a lifeline, and pray to god you don’t do something stupid.

Namjoon pours his mug, and you watch his muscular hands grip the coffee pot. He pours a hefty amount of cream and sugar into his cup—it appears even perfect male specimens have their faults. 

Your eyes dance on his face before they tango down his body. You wonder what he looks like in the morning, crawling out of bed with mussed hair and a sleepy smile painted on his face. He’d look at you and tell you you’re the most beautiful girl and kiss you deeply despite morning breath. Maybe he’d take you to the shower to press you against the tile as he fuc-

“Oh!” it startles Namjoon to see you, and the coffee in his hand swishes violently. “Didn’t see you there. Sorry!”

Your heart melts. He’s the picture of kindness and politeness. You recognize it’s been a few seconds and you still haven’t replied.

“It’s fine!”

“Great coffee, by the way,” he smiles. His teeth nearly knock you out cold with their brilliance. “Have a good day.”

He turns and exits the room without so much as a glance back at you. Your knees feel weak.

Kim Namjoon talked to you. He complimented you. He told you to have a good day. It’s the best and most significant conversation you’ve had with your secret crush.

You definitely file that away for another day when you need to reminisce on his compliment, and you scurry out of the kitchen towards your desk.

Park Jimin is waiting dutifully at your desk when you arrive, a smug smile still slapped over your features as you sip at your coffee. Namjoon spoke to you today—how lovely.

Jimin quirks an eyebrow. 

“What’s got you so perky this morning?” 

You’re normally quiet and passive, avoiding eye contact or any semblance of emotion on your face.

You look up at the blonde bespectacled boy. Park Jimin is the closest thing to a best friend in the company. He’s who you spend time with at lunch, see on weekends, and text often. You suppose he’s the closest thing to a best friend you have in your entire life.

You send him a smirk and lean in close to whisper. “Namjoon said hi to me today!”

Jimin sends you a pitiful look and pats your shoulder. Your best friend is well aware of your secret crush and while he thinks Namjoon is a nice guy, he thinks your crush is a little hopeless. He’s the most popular guy in the office, often has dates lined up every weekend. Jimin hears the way he and his friends talk in the break room. The man is definitely not hurting for female attention.

“Oh, honey,” he sighs, unenthusiastically. “That’s great.” He can’t help but feel a twinge of sadness over how excited you’re getting from a simple ‘hello’ from a coworker.

“I know, right? Anyway, lunch today?” You ask as you settle down into your cubicle.

Jimin pushes his glasses up his face and nods. “Of course! That’s why I came by this morning. I wanted to let you know that Jungkook from marketing will join us.”

You make a face, disgust etched in the lines creasing your forehead. 

“Why?”

Jungkook is well known in the company. He’s a loudmouth, a player, a clown, and everyone’s favorite comedian. He’s just not your favorite.

“Don’t be rude,” Jimin admonishes at your grimace. “He asked to join and well—he’s cute. I can’t say no to him.”

“Oh Christ, Jimin,” you groan. “Not you too! Don’t tell me you have the hots for the serial fuckboy?”

He blushes lightly and shrugs. “Maybe I do! Be nice to him today or I’ll eat all your chocolate ice cream I know you have at home.”

You stick your tongue out, petulantly. “Fine, now let me get to work or else Seokjin will be up my ass.”

Jimin smiles and kisses your cheek before he scurries away, back to human resources.

It feels as if barely any time has passed. You’re working hard, running calculations and updating spreadsheets. You have an eye for numbers, and losing yourself in an equation is just another day for you. You’re shaken from your cheerful place by a vibration from your phone, and a text alert popping on the lit screen.

jimin 12:01 pm- it’s lunchtime!! you better get your butt out here!

You smile and text back an affirmative reply, then move to grab your lunch from the company fridge. Gliding down the steps leading to the fresh outdoors, you meet Jimin at the lunch tables in the grass.

Jimin is sitting with Jungkook. You can recognize your best friend by his hair and glasses, and Jungkook by his obnoxious laughter.

“Hi,” you murmur as you sit down and open up the brown bag lunch you’ve brought.

“Hi!” Jimin is excited to see you, and just a pinch over eager to be sitting next to Jungkook.

“You know Jungkook, right?” Jimin asks, a harsh look in his eyes that reminds you to be on your best behavior.

You nod as you pull out a bag of grapes. “Oh, yeah, hey,” you smile. “I’ve seen you around.”

Jungkook delivers you a signature smirk and you feel yourself roll your eyes internally. “Yeah, you’re Coffee Girl, right?”

You pout and glare down at your brown bag lunch. Will you ever become more than just Coffee Girl?

“Yeah, I suppose that’s me.”

Jimin clears his throat to dismiss any awkwardness. 

“So, Jungkook, I hear you like working out? ___ likes to work out too. She drags me to the gym sometimes. Maybe we could all meet up sometime?” You don’t miss the hopeful lilt in his voice. Jungkook does.

“Oh, yeah?” He narrows a sexy look at you, rather—a look he thinks is sexy that you find off-putting. “What do you do at the gym? Little cardio sets with 5 pound weights?”

What an asshole.

“Sometimes,” you state as you take a bite of the homemade salad you handcrafted last night. “Most of the time I’m lifting heavy. I can bench 275 and deadlift 300.”

Jungkook looks taken back. “What, really?��� He sounds breathless. “You lift more than Namjoon-hyung.”

At the sound of the love of your life’s name, you pause. Your face heats quickly and Jungkook smirks. Of course, he recognizes this and not Jimin’s obvious flirting.

“Why are you blushing?” He asks. “Did I say something?”

You’re quick to dismiss things. “Um--no. I just um,” you’re grasping at straws. “I’m hot.”

Jimin is trying not to laugh, hiding his mouth behind a petite hand.

Jungkook tilts his head. “It’s not even sunny today.”

You gulp. “Yeah, I must be hot. With a fever. M-malaria… probably.”

Jungkook snorts. 

“You have malaria? Bummer.” He picks at his nails. “I thought for a moment you had a thing for Namjoon.”

“No!” The retort is quick, too quick for normal conversation, and it gives you away.

“Aha!” Jungkook points an accusing finger at you. “You have the hots for him, don’t you?”

Your features melt, and Jimin tries to assuage the situation. “Jungkook, please don’t tell anyone,” he pleads.

Jungkook smiles at you. “That’s so cute. It’s like a little nerdy freshman crushing on the senior class president.”

You bury your head in your hands, suddenly unable to stomach any food.

“Jungkook,” Jimin’s tone becomes more firm, authoritative. “I’m asking you this as a friend. Please, don’t say anything.”

Jungkook holds his hands up to prove his innocence and waves his proverbial white flag. 

“Secret is safe with me,” he promises. “But it’s cute. I know him really well, you know. I could try to hook you two up.”

You blanch, unsure if you want Jungkook saying anything about you to the man of your dreams. 

“I’m good, but thanks,” you offer meekly. “I’m not feeling well. I’m going to head back to work, okay?”

Jimin frowns, knowing you’re feeling like a cornered animal, and nods. “Feel better, babe,” he sighs.

Jungkook watches as you leave and turns to Jimin. “Man, he’s way out of her league.”

Jimin slaps the boy in the chest. “Be nice, asshole, that’s my best friend.”

Jungkook promises to be nice, and Jimin is blissfully unaware that others are listening and that the man beside him is easy to persuade.

( present day )

The company-wide meeting adjourns soon after what is likely to be the most embarrassing moment you’ve ever lived through.

You’re grabbing at your things and trying to run out of the room, desperate to get out before anyone sees you or talks to you or laughs at you.

A hand grabs at the coattails of your suit jacket and you’re pulled backwards with a yelp. You turn to seek your captor and find the concerned face of your best friend, Jimin.

“Are you okay? What the fuck just happened?”

Jimin’s concern makes it all real. Until now you could pretend you were in a fugue state, totally dissociated from reality. Now, you realize that everyone in the entire company is aware of your crush on Kim Namjoon.

You can feel your bottom lip wobble, tears threatening to spill. Jimin murmurs an ‘oh shit’ and drags you out of the large room and into the nearest bathroom. He pushes you to sit against the sink and passes you toilet paper to dab at your eyes.

“I don’t know how she found out!” you cry. “God, I feel so stupid and embarrassed.”

It incenses Jimin. He’s holding it back to ensure you’re okay, but in reality, it’s an HR nightmare waiting to happen. He’ll find who did it and punish them accordingly.

They will suffer. 

“It’s okay, babe,” he pulls you into a hug. “Everyone will forget about it soon. They’ll think it’s just a lame office joke, okay?”

You nod, feeling the slightest bit comforted by his words. 

“How could she find out, Jiminie?” You ask with a sniffle. “You’re the only person who knows.”

Jimin sighs and shakes his head.

“I don’t know, but they’re dead. I haven’t told any-... oh, my god,” Jimin stops suddenly. You look up at him to catch what he’s thinking.

He growls and balls his fists. 

“Jungkook knew.”

You let out a sob and bawl your eyes out into the tissue you’re holding. Jimin holds you tighter while he conjures up a hundred different ways to hurt someone and make it look like an accident.

“Don’t worry,” Jimin sighs, trying to comfort both you and himself. “I’m HR. I have to handle this. I’ll make sure they get what they deserve.”

You feel a sting of pain for Jimin. He’s been hopelessly doting on the man who spilled the beans for a few months now, even got to take him on a few dates. It was still nothing serious, but Jimin was clearly smitten.

“I’m sorry you have to do that, Chim,” you whisper. “I know how you feel about him.”

“Yeah, well,” he swallows thickly. “You’re more important than any asshole.”

Jimin holds you tight for a few minutes longer, before you clean yourself up and steel yourself. Ignore everyone, Jimin encourages. Just get to work, he says. Then you can go home and we’ll drink wine and forget about it all, he promises.

You replay his words in his head like a prayer as you walk down the corridors and towards your office. Everyone in the hallways stops to stare at you. They lean towards their friends and whisper. You hear snippets of their gossip, like “Namjoon” and “out of her league”. It drives the sharp blade lodged in your chest even further. It threatens to collapse your lungs and break your ribs.

You make it to your desk safe and sound and bury yourself in work and forcibly ignore the gawking and the stares. 

Just make it home. Just get through the day. You’re almost there.

You could do this.

You nearly make it the entire day before running into the one person you didn’t want to see, Kim Namjoon.

At the end of the day, you’re taking the stairs down to the parking garage instead of the elevator. The elevator is too busy, too many people, and you’re trying to avoid the stares and giggles at your expense. The stairs are always deserted and you figure it’s your safest bet.

You can nearly hear the wine calling your name at home. A delicate glass of Sauvignon Blanc and some chocolate ice cream and a good cry—it sounds like the best and only way to unwind after the worst day you’ve ever had in your life.

The chanting of your name gets louder and you wonder if you’ve finally lost your mind—if you’re actually hearing your wine bottles all the way at home talking to you.

No, wait. The voice is real, and coming from behind you. You turn around to face who’s calling you and nearly faint at the sight.

Kim Namjoon stands on the landing above you, one strip of stairs between you.

“Hey!” He seems glad he’s caught you. “I’ve been calling your name for a minute.”

You swallow and search for an answer. 

“Sorry, I’m-.. I guess I’m just a little out of it today.”

Namjoon grimaces. 

“Yeah, about that…” he begins as he takes the steps down to be on equal ground as you. Your heart is spinning wildly. He’s so close to you. He’s talking to you. On any other day you’d be erupting towards the sky like a firework. But today isn’t any other day.

“I feel like I should apologize,” he states. “I don’t know what happened. I didn’t plan it or anything.”

Damn him and his kindness. Damn him and his cute, awkward smile.

“No, no,” you assure. “I know you didn’t. You don’t have to apologize.”

It’s hard to make eye contact with the man. You want to, know it’s important in intense conversations like this, but the thought of him seeing you—really seeing you makes you ache inside.

“It was a really shitty prank,” he begins. “I’m sure you don’t even know who I am, let alone have a crush on me.”

For the millionth time that day, your face heats to a near boil. You stammer and you’re sure you’ve blown any chance at even thinking about a date with Namjoon.

“Oh, uh, right,” you seek an answer, beg your brain to pick something to say that doesn’t make you sound stupid. “I do.”

“You do what?” He’s confused and you widen your eyes at what just left your mouth.

“I do know you! I mean, I do have a crush on you! Oh, fuck,” you shove your face into your hands. “Please, ignore that. I need to go. Sorry!” You don’t give him a chance to reply, you book it out of the stairway as fast as your heels will take you.

Today was the worst day you’ve suffered through in your life.

The next few days aren’t much better.

Not only are you “coffee girl”, you’re now also sarcastically called “Namjoon’s girl”. As much as you hate your initial title, you’d prefer it to the new one they throw at you as you walk by.

Jimin rats out Jungkook and Chungha to the bosses. They get two weeks probation and they have to write you apology letters if they wish to keep their permanent files clean of any reprimands. It’s a slap on the wrist, and everyone involved knows it. Jimin is furious and wants the boss to reconsider. You tell him not to push it. You’d rather this be over and everyone to forget it even happened. Jimin unwillingly agrees.

You’re working at your desk, earphones shoved in your ears to diffuse the gossip in the room, when you feel a tap on your shoulder. You turn and are greeted with the face of Judas Iscariot himself, Jeon Jungkook.

“Hi,” he sounds sheepish, cheeks reddening.

You narrow your eyes at him, sharper than steel. “What the fuck do you want?”

He winces, knowing he deserved that. “Well, I just wanted to apologize. I know they told me to write you a letter, but it seems too impersonal…”. 

You can’t believe Jungkook is sucking his ego up and actually coming to you to apologize. You thought he’d for sure be the one to cop out and send a shitty letter.

He continues. 

“I just wanted to let you know that I’m sorry that all went down. I didn’t mean to tell her. She got me drunk and said she saw me eating lunch with you and Jimin. I think she was jealous or something and it slipped out. I know that’s not an excuse. I fucked up your trust and Jimin’s trust. But I just wanted you to know I didn’t do it to be an asshole. She sort of duped me.”

You pause as you take in the man’s apology. He didn’t have to come to you in person. He could have easily taken the shitty route and half-assed a letter to you. But he didn't, and he owned up to his mistake. God dammit.

“I appreciate your apology, Jungkook,” you sigh and you see his body visibly relax. “I’m still mad, but I guess the anger is at her for doing it in the first place. I’m sorry she tricked you.”

He breathes a sigh of relief and kneels down beside you. “I’m really happy you believe me. I was worried you were going to kick me in the nuts.

“I won’t lie, I thought about it.”

He smiles with you, and you feel like this is the restart of a friendship. “I definitely deserved it.”

You shrug and smile. “Jimin would kill me for hurting you. He might even kill me for thinking about hurting you.”

Jungkook’s smile drops at the name of your best friend. Yikes. Looks like there’s still trouble in paradise.

“I think you’d be in similar company with Jimin right now. He’s not speaking to me.”

You let out a breath through your nose. “Yeah, he’s a little protective of me.”

“For good reason,” he admits. “You’re like a cute little flower. A cute nerdy flower.”

“Jungkook,” you warn. “I just forgave you after I was humiliated in front of the entire company. I’d be careful with calling me nerdy right now.”

“Fuck, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it in a bad way.”

It’s hard to stay mad at the boy, no matter how much you dislike his reputation around the office. The fact that he humbled himself enough to seek you out and apologize is proof enough to you of his character.

“It’s okay, Jungkook. I forgive you,” you smile. “Thank you for apologizing.”

He rubs the back of his neck anxiously as his cheeks flare red.

“Yeah, it felt pretty shitty to just… do anything else. Plus, you seem really cool.”

“You seem great, too, Jungkook.”

He smiles and pulls you in for a hug, catching you off guard. For the fuckboy type, he’s surprisingly sensitive and soft. You like that about him.

“I’ll see you around, okay?” He says as he pulls away from you.

“Maybe you should apologize to Jimin, too?” 

His smile drops, but he nods anyway. “Yeah, maybe I’ll go find him now.”

“Good luck,” you offer with a pat on his shoulder.

With a sad smile, he turns and heads down the hallway towards the HR department. You pray Jimin shows mercy to the handsome boy.

A few weeks go by, and you’re sure that everyone has forgotten about you and your most embarrassing moment to date. You make the coffee, you calculate the numbers, everyone ignores you. Things return to relative normalcy.

Until it doesn't. The moment you think you're safe is the moment your guard comes down and everything falls apart around you.

It's when you're in the staff kitchen, grinding fresh beans to brew a second pot of coffee, that it happens.

The kitchen is fuller than usual. You normally try to wait until the lunchtime crowd dwindles and leaves to make your second pot, but you're so desperate for the caffeine that you can't find it in you to care.

You trudge into the kitchen with your handy coffee mug clutched in your tired hands and head towards the cupboards to grind up the beans.

There's a few groups of coworkers lingering in the room, and as your grinder whirs the beans around into a powder, you chance a look around to see who's among the crowd.

Your eyes flick immediately to where a hearty laugh erupts. It makes your heart still in your throat. Namjoon sits with his usual crowd of friends, hand gripping a homemade sandwich while the other assists him in telling his story to his friends. He pays you no mind—why would he?—and you can't help but stare at the way his dark brown hair lays perfectly against his forehead, and his eyes crinkle so cutely at the edges when he smiles.

You nearly forget about the coffee grounds—you're snapped out of your Namjoon-induced trance when suddenly a woman's laugh echoes around the room.

"Look at her," the voice states.

You peer up and see a girl you vaguely recognize. Is she from Marketing? Or perhaps Sales? You’re not sure, but she’s staring at you with a sneer.

“She’s so weirdly obsessed with Namjoon. It’s so creepy.”

Your face turns cherry red and you’re sure your lungs stop functioning. The air your body needs to breathe freezes and your chest aches. 

Namjoon turns to look at the girl before he looks and sees you grasping your coffee grounds tightly.

“Chungha was right—it’s so weird. Namjoon, you should talk to HR about this!”

Namjoon turns back to the gossiping coworker and frowns. “Can you leave it alone? She wasn’t even doing anything.”

The girl huffs and crosses her arms over her chest and looks back at Namjoon.

“How can you stand to be in the same room as her? She clearly thinks she has a chance with you.”

Her words come out like a bite. She punctuates her point with a harsh laugh and the group around her mumbles and chuckles in agreement.

You’re desperately grabbing at anything you can, wanting to leave as quickly as possible before you’re embarrassed further.

“Well, she does!” Namjoon replies loudly, annoyance written in his features. “I was actually going to ask her to dinner this weekend in private, but since everyone is so fucking interested in my love life, I have to do it publicly.”

The room falls silent, and your favorite mug falls out from your hands and shatters on the floor. All sets of eyes stare at you while yours widen with disbelief—you don't even care that you’re standing in a pool of old coffee and shattered ceramic. 

Namjoon stands and heads over to you, bending down to pick up the shards of your coffee mug. You take a few stunted breaths to kneel and help. 

His eyes peer into yours. They’re warm—a chocolate brown color that makes you feel safe.  

“What do you say?” He asks with a smile so gentle it nearly breaks your heart. “Will you let me take you out this weekend?” 

You’re gaping like a fish and the surrounding room is silent—bated breath waiting for your reply. 

“Yes, I would l-love that.” 

His smile turns even brighter, and he stands to throw the broken mug away. 

“I’ll email you the details, okay?”

Your head nods dumbly without thinking. His eyes sparkle as he smiles at you, and he extends his hand down to you to assist you off the floor. As your hand slips into his, you can’t help but feel how soft and strong he feels. You wonder what his hand would feel like caressing your face, smoothing down the expanse of your bare back, running down the length of your body.

The thoughts shake out of you as he winks and kisses your hand gently, causing the gossiping coworker to grunt her disapproval and for murmurs of shock to echo around the room.

“I’ll talk to you later, doll.” Namjoon winks at you before he grabs his sandwich and leaves the room, gesturing to his crew to follow along.

The place on your hand felt warm where his lips once lingered. You no longer cared about the angry glares from the rest of your coworkers. Your heart beats wildly in your chest, and you leave the kitchen nearly floating on cloud nine.

Email from: Kim Namjoon

Sent: 3:06 pm

Subject: Hey good lookin ;)

Hey! 

Just wanted to see how you are! I’m sorry about what happened at lunchtime. That was super petty and uncalled for. I really wanted to ask you out, and I hope I didn’t embarrass you too much by doing it in front of everyone.

I was wondering if you’d like to go out this Friday night after work? Say around 7? If you send me your address, I’ll pick you up.

Let me know!

Xoxo, Joon

You’re sure if you weren’t sitting in your tiny cubicle, you’d be screaming your lungs out.

The second the notification of the email came through, direct from the man of your desires himself, your body froze.

You re-read the message, over and over and over.  

The winky emoji, the xoxo, the nickname ‘joon’. It’s all so much and makes the grin on your face threaten to split your lips in half.

Your fingers press the “FWD” button and you quickly send the message to Jimin, before you stand demurely, attempting to give off an air of professional confidence. You need to talk to Jimin, now.

As soon as you’re out of the eyesight of suspicious coworkers, you bolt down the hallway towards Human Resources. Your high heels click loudly on the tiled floor, but the sound doesn’t even register in your mind. All you can think about is Namjoon, the email, the press of his lips on your hand, the way his smile made you feel as if you could fly.  

The door to HR swings open with your tight grip around the doorknob, and you open your mouth to call to Jimin, the lone employee, when you’re startled by the sight ahead of you.

Jimin sits on the edge of his expansive desk with his arms thrown around Jungkook’s neck and is clearly engaged in a deep, sensual kiss. At the sound of the door opening, they quickly break apart, with matching cherry red blushes on their cheeks and mused hair.

“Oh, shit,” you gasp. 

The men are silent and you can’t help but giggle after a moment passes. “I’ll take it you two made up?”

Jungkook flashes you a dopey grin, one that gives you an answer, while Jimin smirks haughtily.

“Jungkook and I were just discussing, umm… his 401k.”

Jungkook looks at the blonde boy for a moment, confused, before he gets it. “Yeah! Totally. Retirement. Love to t-talk about it?”

You laugh out loud and walk towards the couple.

“I’m sure it was a titillating discussion,” you tease. “I have good news though, if it’s okay to interrupt this retirement planning session.”

Jimin nods and Jungkook rubs at the back of his neck awkwardly. “I guess I should leave?”

“It’s okay,” you smile. “I trust you.”

Jungkook smiles as if he’s just won the lottery. He looks between you and Jimin, face pure and excited like a puppy.

“What’s up?” Jimin asks as he moves to sit down at his desk.

“I forwarded you an email. Read it.”

Jimin nods and logs on to his posh computer, scrolling and clicking before narrowing his eyes and reading.

“Oh, my god.” Jimin’s face is shocked—it's written all over his features. “Namjoon asked you out?!”

Jungkook’s child-like grin turns into one of shock himself. He runs around to stand behind Jimin, eyes seeking over the words of the email.

“Well, hot damn,” Jungkook whistles. “He asked her out.”

Jimin exchanges a look with Jungkook, one that you’re not sure you can read. It quickly slips your mind, however, as you’re more focused on the task at hand.

“Can you come over tonight after work and help me pick out something to wear?” You ask excitedly.

Jimin smiles at you, a touch of sadness in his eyes, before he nods.

“Of course, babe,” he assures. “We’ll make sure you look nice and hot for the date with Mr. Kim.”

“Thank you!” You squeal as you wrap your arms around your best friend. He hugs you back before you scurry out of the office and back to your cubicle, itching to reply to the message.

Jimin sighs as the door to his office closes behind you.

“Kook, please don’t tell me he’s going to break her heart. He’s asking her out to make himself feel better about this, isn’t he?” 

Jungkook slips his hand into Jimin’s and squeezes. 

“I’ll find out, baby.”

Jimin smiles and nods appreciatively at the boy, before leaning up and kissing him.

Jungkook smiles against his lips, and is determined to ensure the young HR specialist never hates him again, even if he has to go behind his hyung’s back to ensure his new boyfriend’s happiness.

Jungkook has one mission now, and that’s ensuring Namjoon takes you on the greatest date known to man.

He grills Jimin with questions about what you like over dinner one night. Jimin finds it endearing that Jungkook is so eager to rectify his mistakes, but he still can’t help but worry that Namjoon is doing this to save face—not because he actually likes you.

“So, what does she like doing?” Jungkook asks as he spins his pasta around his chopsticks idly.

Jimin smiles as he takes a bite of the ramen Jungkook has thoughtfully prepared for their stay-at-home date.  

“I’ve told you already! She’s easy to figure out.” Jimin pats Jungkook’s hand gently. “She loves cooking and baking, working out, daydreaming about Namjoon.” 

“Cooking, hm,” Jungkook looks thoughtful as he takes a bite. “I think Namjoon can work with that. I’ll let him know!”

Jimin tries to hide the anxiety brewing in his stomach. He’s had to plaster on a fake smile for you while you tried on different outfits, wondering which will be the one to finally convince Namjoon he is the one for you. It’s hard to fake it around his boyfriend, too—but something tugs in his stomach that flares the cynical side of him.

Namjoon went from not knowing of your existence, to watching you get publicly embarrassed in a matter of minutes. While Namjoon isn’t a terrible guy, Jimin knows he doesn’t like anything to tarnish the gentleman reputation he’s built in the office. And as much as Jimin likes him, and surely likes his friend Jungkook, he can’t help but feel skeptical.

Jungkook hurriedly pulls out his phone and types away, letting his elder friend know of what he’s found out. Jimin swallows his food, and his pride, and hopes to god his growing cynicism is wrong.

Friday comes slower than you’d like. You wake up every day during the week, one day closer, and your eagerness hits peak levels. Namjoon sees you in the hallways during the week and winks at you, hands shoved in his tight slacks that make you salivate.  

He emails you again Thursday afternoon, confirming things and getting your address. You reply in nanoseconds, uncaring how overeager you come off. 

By the time your alarm clock rings on Friday morning, you’ve already been awake for 4 hours.

All you can do is daydream about the date, the way his hand fits into yours, the warmth of his eyes when he smiles at you.

It’s what fuels you through work.

You hope to god the numbers you’re attempting to work during the day come out right, because your mind is elsewhere for more than most of the day. There isn’t enough coffee in the world, but also your body feels as if you’ve overdosed on caffeine already.

The clock eeks towards 5:00 pm and you’re bolting out the door at 4:56 to head home and get ready for your date.

Jimin attempts to meet you before you leave, but your desk is cold and empty by the time he gets there.  

He sighs and heads back towards his office to gather his things, waving bye to various coworkers as they file out of the corporate building.

He turns the corner towards his office but stops in his tracks as he sees Namjoon’s back to him, phone pressed to his ear.

“Baby, I’ll come over later tonight, okay?” Namjoon speaks into the phone.

Jimin feels his heart fall into the pit of his stomach. He retreats and hides behind a wall, ear carefully peeled to listen to the tall man’s conversation.

“I’m going on this date with that chick from work,” he sighs. “It won’t last more than a few hours. Poor girl has a crush on me and you know the usual assholes won’t leave her alone.”

Jimin bites his lip and clenches his fist. Namjoon thinks he means well, but he knows his suspicions have been confirmed, and he’s torn inside. He wants to tell you, to warn you not to get too invested in the man, but he also has no interest in popping the bubble you’ve been in since the day he asked you out.

Jimin lets it simmer for now. He decides he’ll monitor Namjoon and cut things off if it appears the man strings you along for fun.

Namjoon finishes his phone call with a promise to see whoever is on the other end of the phone later that night, and Jimin quickly pulls out his phone and fakes a conversation with no one when he hears the man approach.

“Oh, Kookie,” Jimin giggles, leaning against the wall casually. “I can’t wait to see you tonight, either, babe.”

Namjoon walks towards Jimin and makes eye contact with the HR specialist.

“Bye, Kook! See you tonight, baby.” Jimin finishes up the fake phone call as Namjoon arrives next to him, and he plasters on his best fake smile.

“Congrats on you and Jungkook,” he speaks sincerely.

Jimin hates how nice he is, hates that he’s a nice guy who gets too wrapped up in his own good looks and reputation.

“Thanks, Namjoon,” Jimin smiles uneasily. “You too! Have fun on your date tonight.”

Namjoon’s face lights up and Jimin desperately wishes he could go back in time to 30 seconds ago, before he heard the conversation, and believe that Namjoon truly wanted to date you.

“Thanks, should be fun, huh?” He winks and nudges Jimin, before he waves a goodbye and continues out the door.

Jimin pulls his phone out of his pocket and dials the number of his boyfriend.

“Hey, baby. We’ve got a problem.”

tag list! - @jimidol @aretha170 @dearbambideer​ 

[stardusttkachuk]

The Present

Pairing: Mat Barzal x Reader

Word Count: 1.3k

Warnings: fluff, mentions of vomiting, swearing, little bit of angst

Summary: Since arriving at Mat’s family home for Christmas, you’ve been incredibly sick. Mat blows up on you, not knowing the real reason why.

A/N: This is day 8 of starduststarkey’s 12 days of christmas! check out other fics in my masterlist.

“You sure you’re okay?” Mat asked as he brushed your hair back. 

You had been quite sick since arriving at his family home. Mat suspected you were motion sick from the flight and figured it would pass by the next morning, but here you were two days later, still hardly able to keep meals down.

“I must’ve caught something,” you lied. “Jen was sick last week, I wonder if I got what she had.” You felt partially bad for throwing your coworker under the bus, but you knew she would understand, if she ever found out.

“Should I call someone? Do you think you need to see a doctor?” Mat asked.

“No. I’m sure it’ll go away. I just need to let it run its course.”

You knew the course would take several more weeks, if not more. You just had to last until Christmas and then at least things would make sense to him.

Mat helped you into bed, being careful not to jostle you too much. The truth was, the nausea was gone now. It only ever plagued you after big meals. You tried to keep your portions small or eat small snacks throughout the day, but that was harder to do with his family than it was at home. 

After getting you into bed, Mat disappeared for a minute. He returned with a water bottle and a cup.

“My mom said ginger ale might help settle your stomach, if you want to try it,” he said, passing you the cup. You took small sips before setting it on the bedside table.

“I hope this passes quickly. I don’t want you to miss out on Christmas,” he pouted, climbing into bed beside you.

“You’re not worried about getting sick, are you?” you asked, continuing to play up your lie.

“Eh. I’ve already been around you and been exposed.”

 Mat kissed your head as you laid in his arms. Sleep came easily as you were quite exhausted these days. You cherished it while you still could.

—

Mat was up long before you were. In fact he was up and dressed, had had breakfast and had already gotten in a workout before you were awake.

“Feelin’ any better?”

You nodded. You didn’t feel nauseous so that was good. But you had a feeling that would change by the time you had eaten breakfast. 

“We’re on our own today for food. Hungry?”

“Mhm!” You said. 

Not wanting to overwhelm your stomach, you settled on some toast.

“That’s all you want?” Mat asked.

You nodded, buttering up the toast when it popped up from the toaster.

“I’m going to make myself some eggs. I can make you some too if you want.”

“Nope,” you said, sticking the corner of one piece in your mouth. “This is good.”

“Are you sure you’re feeling better?”

You nodded. “Yeah. I feel great. I just don’t want to mess my stomach up if what I had hasn’t passed yet.” You mentally high fived yourself for coming up with that on the spot. 

“Good point,” Mat said. “But if you want anything else, let me know.”

—

You had almost made it the full day without vomiting once. You were incredibly nauseous after lunch, but hid it well. Except when dinner came around you barely touched the plate you had filled and spent the majority of dinner in silence, trying to will yourself to keep everything in your stomach.

“Still not feeling good?” His mom asked, giving you a sympathetic look.

You shook your head. You felt horrible for not eating the meal that was made, not wanting to make them feel like it was inedible or you didn’t like it. 

“You sure you don’t want to go to the doctor?” Mat asked as he cleared your plate off the table.

“I don’t actually know if there's anything they can do besides send me home with some anti nausea medication.”

“Well they could figure out if somethings making you sick or if it’s just a stomach bug. What if you have, like, appendicitis or something?”

“I don’t think I have appendicitis,” you said.

“How do you know? You’ve been so sick and you don’t even seem the least bit worried.”

“Mat,” you sighed, a little frustrated with how much he cared. You loved the gentle, loving nature of him, most of the time. But sometimes he was overbearing.

“What?” He snapped unintentionally. “Are you going to yell at me for caring?”

“Mathew,” His mom scolded. 

“Sorry. I didn’t know being worried was a crime.”

Mathew placed the dishes in the sink and headed to the basement to cool off for a second, leaving you at the dining room table.

You wiped the tears from your face, trying not to break down in front of his entire family. 

“Thank you for dinner. I’m sorry I couldn’t eat much of it,” you said, getting up from the table.

“That’s alright,” Mat’s mom said. “Hopefully this passes soon.” She gave you a knowing wink which made you smile. Of course she knew, she had two kids of her own and likely went through some similar. “Let me know if you need anything.”

“I will. Thank you,” you said, making your way to the bedroom.

—

“Knock knock,” Mat’s voice came from the other side of the door, followed by two soft raps against the wood. He then opened the bedroom door, giving you a sad smile. “I’m sorry I snapped.”

You looked over at him from your place curled up on his childhood bed. “I know you are.”

“I’m worried. You’ve never been this sick. I’ve never seen anyone this sick before and I just want to be sure you’re okay.”

You sat up, reaching over the side of the bed and into your bag for the gift you were planning on giving him on Christmas. 

“What’s this?” He asked, sitting down on the bed.

“Just open it,” you urged.

Mat tore the paper off carefully, raising his eyebrow at the box that was under it. He pulled the lid off, his breath hitching in his throat at what was inside.

He pulled out an infant’s islanders jersey with his number and the name “Daddy” on the back.

He knew instantly what it meant. “Really?” he asked, his voice sounded weepy already.

You nodded. “Eight weeks.”

“Fuck. Oh my god,” he said, running his hand through his hair. “I’m gonna be a dad.”

“I wanted to wait and tell you on Christmas but you had to just be so concerned about my well being,” you teased.

Mat laughed, “I’m sorry I ruined the surprise. The next time you’re extremely sick, I’ll be less worried.”

You rolled your eyes, laughing along with him.

“At least now we both can surprise my family.”

“I think your mom figured it out earlier,” you said. “But we can definitely try to surprise them.”

“Are you excited?” Mat asked.

“Yeah. I’ll be more excited once I start feeling better.”

Mat set the present on the side of the bed before kneeling in front of you, placing both hands under your shirt and on your stomach. “Hey you. Quit making your mom so sick,” he spoke in a gentle voice.

You giggled, tugging up your t-shirt to expose your stomach. You had the tiniest bump, not one that anyone would notice though.

He leaned forward and pressed a kiss to your belly, smiling against your skin. “I can’t wait to meet you,” he whispered. Mat looked up at you, removing one hand from your stomach to wrap around the back of your neck, bringing you down for a kiss.

“Just think, by next Christmas we’ll have a baby.”

“I know,” you grinned. “Think we can handle it?”

“Oh yeah. We’re gonna be awesome parents.” 

[biderboy]

THE MARAUDERS RAISING THE WEASLEYS PART 3

in the last part i mentioned the “kisses heal everyting” and i wanna imagine ron always kissing remus scars after a full moon in hopes he’ll feel better

i did not get hugged as a child so i am 100% sure the marauders gave cuddles SO much. it’s not unlikely for bill to wake up late and immediately make his way over to remus for a morning hug, or for george to demand atleast 3 hugs from james before he goes to work

lily teaches them that emotions are healthy, and makes sure they know it does not make them weak, and gentle tells them how to express what they’re feeling without hurting themselves or others. HEALTHY EMOTIONAL GUIDANCE!!!

remus and percy play a lot of card games, now percy sucks at real card games but he’s a MASTER at go fish and always beats remus in every. game.

one day peter brought the girl he was seeing home, and while she knew he had kids, she full on did not expect 7 small redheads to rush up to them screaming “PA YOURE HOME!!” and engulfing peter into a giant doggy pile

bill starts hogwarts and so they all go with to drop him off at the train, sirius tries sneaking on board with him and james cries seeing his oldest son off, remus gives him a good 3 minute long hug, and peter has to hold the twins as they cry. lily is the only reason bill doesn’t miss the train

speaking of such, bill was super nervous about leaving and remus was going to let him just keep going to muggle school so he’d be home every night, but after many, many, long talks, they convinced bill hogwarts wasn’t bad, and that they’d find a way to visit him (they did)

charlie brought home a cat one day and didn’t tell anyone, and james only noticed it when he woke up to it sitting on his face on morning. seeking out the culprit, he immediately knew it was charlie, as the boy was a horrible liar, and they ended up keeping “kitty” the cat. (ron named him)

peter had a home office type thing and percy spent a lot of his free time with him there, he’d sit at his desk and pretend to work like peter does, and peter often let him look over some of his ministry work, the marauders started calling him “mini pete”

george decided he wanted hair like sirius’ one day and nobody knows how he got black hair dye or why, but lily came home to a mess but george was smiling so brightly and so she let it be.

ron has a keen liking to salsa and nobody knows why, but for his snacks he demands salsa and so they have to stay stocked or he’ll get grumpy

the whole family has matching necklaces and i take no criticism, it was sirius’ idea and everytime fred sees someone without their necklace he calls them out

THE WHOLE FAMILY GOING TO WATCH JAMES QUIDDITCH GAMES! harry is on sirius’ shoulders and remus has ron and ginny, all of them have face paint and are screaming so loud they can’t talk the next day. james always plays his best when his whole family is there, and he totally shouts out each of his kids when they win

the marauders make valentine’s day a HUGE deal, they get each kid their own box of chocolates and a stuffed animal for the younger ones (bill and percy get books they wanted), they gets a bunch of balloons and flowers and make a whole day saying how much they love them

of all things, charlie likes bird watching. he’ll sit in the yard for hours watching the birds fly by, sometimes remus comes out and joins him, other times james came out and fell asleep next to him. charlie was just happy to sit there with his dads

percy was always nervous to ask sirius things but sirius always answered with patience and caring and made sure it never sounded like percy was stupid for asking such things, and sirius quickly became someone percy went to for everything

when charlie finally understood what an animagus was, he desperately wanted to be one, he was fully convinced he could turn into a dragon if given the chance.

ginny was teething and would out literally EVERYTHING in her mouth, including padfoots tail, which sirius complains about.

fred most definitely started a food fight more than once, successfully getting flour, egg, syrup, mac and cheese, AND half a burger in james hair

during christmas, the marauders let percy decide how to hang the lights outside because they love seeing his bright eyes as they enthusiastically compliment his decisions and maybe sometimes the lights are a mess but they’re all happy anyways

u know those macaroni necklaces? yea charlie made sirius one and sirius never takes it off, stating it’s “the best piece of jewelry he owns” and when his coworkers ask, he proudly says that his son made it for him

the first time one of the kids got seriously hurt, all hell broke loose. it was george, and they were at some muggle playground when james first heard the loud cry of “daddy!” , all 4 of them were up and running before they could blink. sirius and peter were the ones to get there first, and also were the ones to apperate george to the hospital. remus went on a frenzy, yelling at the parents around them to demand who pushed his baby off the swings. james was scared shitless, but had to be the one to calm remus down and get the rest of the kids back home. george was fine, a sprained ankle, but james wouldn’t leave his side at all for like 2 weeks

one time a teacher said charlie had a bad temper and was not a good student, so sirius went to said teacher himself and demanded to know why she thought he was “bad.” apparently he just had problems paying attention and she was just a dumb teacher so is sad of yelling at her (he totally wanted to) he simply got charlie moved to a more understanding classroom

harry and ron share a room, and apparently had been hoarding muffins for 2 weeks and lily found them while she was cleaning and coudlnt help but laugh because they both are so much like remus

most days peter was in change of lunch and had the worst time because all of the kids were as indecisive as it gets and half of them wanted sandwiches and the other half wnated mac and cheese and charlie wouldn’t sit down long enough to even say what he wanted and when he did all he said was “fruit snacks”

percy had to get glasses and was super neevous about how they looked, but james was in his “super dad” glory and constantly told him he looked smart and like he could beat sirius in a fight, percy didn’t mind wearing his glasses all the much after that

sometimes it was hard to keep track of which kid liked which thing, so the had “snack boxes” for each of them filled with the different things they liked because charlie hates veggie sticks but ron loved them, and harry could eat apples for days but fred didn’t like the skin.

bill extremely misses his family at hogwarts and so he constantly talks about them. the professors had a bit of a shock when he talked about all 4 of his dads, and some had a run for their money when they heard who his dads were. they’re only saving grace was that bill took after lily in wanting to study and actually do well.

CHARLIE AND GEORGE LEARN TO MAKE FLOWER CROWNS AND REMUS NEVER TAKES HIS OFF !!!

while they are normally a very rowdy and loud family, there are plenty quiet nights where all the kids pile onto blankets and pillows on the living room floor and sirius and james join them while remus, lily and peter make hot chocolate and those times they just bask in the love and contentment of the family

[ptersparkers]

affection

summary: the two times jj maybank had rejected the affections of others and the one time he welcomed it.

warnings: hints at abuse (it’s not mentioned at all but it’s canon with jj’s relationship with is dad) and typos, probably.

(not my gif, i’m having trouble finding the editor)

add yourself to my taglist!

“You probably shouldn’t do that,” Pope warned the blonde tourist when she said she was going to say hello to him. By her posture, attitude, and everything about her, he knew she was going to try to get his attention in a promiscuous fashion. 

“C’mon,” she said, jutting her bottom lip out. He fought the urge to roll his eyes. JJ had engaged in small talk with her at last night’s party, but it didn’t go beyond speaking casually. You had arrived only to give John B. the towel that you had borrowed and left but JJ tried to catch up with you.

“He doesn’t like to be touched or hugged,” he said casually, leaning against a tree that hid him under the hot North Carolinian sun. 

“That’s not what I saw last night,” the blonde said, smirking as if she knew him better than his best friend since childhood. 

“Delusional,” Pope muttered as she began to walk away. John B. had come back outside with two water bottles in his hand and gave Pope one when he saw a stranger attempt, and failed, to get JJ’s attention by caressing his shoulder. 

He jumped back and knocked over the cleaning supplied for the surfboard he was working on. The girl gasped at his sudden expression and apologized over and over again before stumbling out of the space, not daring to look at Pope who hadn’t bothered to hold in a laugh. 

“Jesus,” JJ cursed. 

***

“Maybe my boredom will be cured if I walked into the ocean,” JJ said casually. Kiara had been scrolling on her phone for the past twenty minutes, waiting for John B. to set up the party in the boneyard. 

“That’s dangerous,” Kiara said, not looking up from her screen. 

“I’m so bored,” he said. “The sun’s not even down and the tourists are gonna be the same oblivious shits they always are.”

“That’s why you get drunk, JJ,” she said. “Tourists suck but it’s nice to escape for a little while.”

“Do you know when Y/N’s gonna be back from her shift?” 

“I think at nine,” she said. “She’s gonna swing by for a little bit and play it by ear.” 

“Okay,” he said, not wanting to press any further. 

When the sun eventually set and the air became a little cooler, three bond fires were lit and the place was scattered with teenage tourists who were looking for a good time and to party with the locals. It was no secret that JJ had previously enjoyed his trysts and used to have no attached feelings with people who would be leaving within a week or two. It seemed that the girls who came to the parties knew he would be there and it was almost like they had a secret game of who could catch his attention and who would last long enough flirting and, eventually, being led away from the party. 

It wasn’t like that every night. But sometimes, buzzed girls get brave when it comes to seeing someone they want to spend the night with. 

“Wow,” one girl said, laughing at whatever nonsense JJ had said. “It sounds like you and your friends get into a lot of trouble around here.”

He laughed and took a swig of his beer. “I wouldn’t call it trouble.”

“What would you call it?” 

“I’d say we’re adventurous,” he replied. John B. could see a few girls hanging around JJ’s every word in hopes that they were going to get lucky that night but he had to laugh at the futile attempts to seem like they were more worthy than anyone else at the party. 

“How long do you think they’ll last?” you asked, approaching John B. and standing next to him, leaning on a wooden fence. 

“Not even ten minutes,” he said. “They’ve been eyeing him like the last piece of meat.” 

“Don’t they always?” 

“What’s up with you nowadays?” John B. asked. “You’ve been working a lot more these past two weeks.” 

“One of my coworkers got food poisoning and I offered to cover her shifts,” you said, sighing. “I’m kind of exhausted but this ends tomorrow because she’s coming back to work and I’m ecstatic to relax and hang out with you guys.”  John B. nudged your shoulder and you two shared a laugh. The sibling-like bond strengthened with every heart-to-heart conversation you two had. 

“I think we’re all starting to go insane when you’re not here,” he confessed. “Kie’s getting annoyed with us. Pope keeps forgetting to bring snacks. JJ’s complaining that he has no one to talk shit about us with.” 

You laughed. “And you?”

“I have no one to annoy, duh,” he said matter-of-factly. 

“I think I need to sleep for a month straight before I do anything else,” you said. “Or at least have some time to take a decent nap without it being too hot to sleep.”

The conversation died down when you watched ahead and saw that JJ had tried his best to avoid the advances of the raven-haired girl when she tried to put her hand on his cheek. You had to admit, you felt bad for the girl when you saw the others she was surrounded by snicker, but you all knew they’d eventually try their hand at getting JJ alone for the night. 

JJ made up some excuse to leave them sitting by the branches and approached the two of you. 

“I’m gonna head back,” JJ said. “Too tired for this shit.” 

“Get some sleep,” you said in concern, handing JJ his jacket that was resting beside John B. 

“It’s really good to see you,” JJ said, backing away. “I’m sorry, those girls kinda freaked me out so I’m gonna go. I’ll see you guys tomorrow?”

You and John B. nodded and waved goodbye, watching him disappear into the dark. 

***

“You busy?” a redhead asked, sauntering to where JJ and John B. were sitting. The Wreck wasn’t as busy in the late mornings before the lunch rush on Tuesdays and the two were sitting by the bar, enjoying complementary smoothies that Kie had given out. A group of girls were sitting not too far behind, seemingly encouraging her to behavior. 

“Kind of,” he said, averting his gaze. 

“I saw you at the party last night,” she began. “I wanted to say hi but you left before I could.” 

“Just had a lot of things on my mind,” he said nonchalantly as John B. desperately resisted telling this girl to leave them alone. 

“Well, would you want to come walk by the beach with me?” The redhead looked back briefly at her friends, who were giving her a thumbs up.

“No thanks,” he said with a fake grin. “But thanks for the offer.” 

The redhead, defeated, walked back to her friends without another word. 

You walked into The Wreck with a bikini top and jean shorts that were nearly soaked, Sarah trailing behind you. You had just come from a surfing session and convinced her to come out with you that morning before deciding to meet up with JJ and John B. at the restaurant for lunch. 

“I’m starved,” you said as Sarah left the room to go and use the restroom. JJ turned his head at your voice and grinned as you walked over to him, your arms stretched out to give him a loving embrace. He nuzzled his face into the crook of your neck and peppered it with loving kisses. 

“I missed you. I think you should quit your job and only hang out with me.” 

You laughed and pulled him from your body, moving wisps of hair from his eyes before stroking his cheek with your thumb. His eyes were trained on yours and you kissed the tip of his nose, which left JJ a blushing mess. 

“Oh, come on!” you heard someone yell from behind you. You turned around to see four girls frowning towards you. 

“Did I do something wrong?” you asked. 

“Other than be JJ’s girlfriend, I don’t think so,” John B. said, amused. 

“Whatever,” you said, turning back around and planting a kiss on his lips for all to see. 

“That’s my girl,” JJ said when you two parted, squeezing your hip. 

“Anyway,” Sarah said, clapping her hands, “I’m starved and the food Kie’s making is not going to eat itself.” 

You had to admit, while it was amusing to watch girls try to get on JJ’s good side, it was increasingly annoying when you noticed just how much people took notice of him. Was he good looking? Absolutely. Was his body sculpted by the gods? Of course. Was he your boyfriend and not some one night stand a tourist could enjoy? Why, yes.

There wasn’t a doubt in your mind that JJ would reject any advances that came his way nor would he ever entertain the idea of doing something that would end up with both of your hearts broken. JJ wasn’t stupid; he had spend so long pining after you and finding the right time to tell you how he felt to even think about dating anyone else, much less a tourist who didn’t mean anything to him. 

He was yours and you were his. Simple as that.

[enigma-im]

Nineth day of Christmas...

Trope: Royal/Servant (NSFW) Relationship: Naga x Human Word Count: 5,137

I walk through the overly ornate halls with a breakfast tray in my hands. I pass a few coworkers on the way, nodding to them all with a polite greeting. The morning is peaceful and quiet. Nothing hectic is planned for the week and the thought makes me giddy. With a pep in my step, I turn down another hall. I catch sight of a slithering tail sneaking into a room. As I pass the door I see the prince heading to his office. Our eyes meet before he starts to close the door. He passes me a kind smile and a flirty wink. I snap my head away, staring down at the carpeted floor with a blush.

The prince is a handsome man, some even say more handsome than his other siblings. His scales a mottled red and blue that is an envy to all. He takes after his father on that front, only taking after his mother with his soft features. The prince is a kind man, a great pick for a king. Though he is not considered The prince, that would his eldest brother, Calcifer, he has been brought up to be respectable and wise as a king should. We all adore the royal family, from their eldest to their smallest babe of a few years, they all rule with honor.

I set the tray down in My Queen's room. Hearing her off in her closest I arrange her morning meal in a presentable fashion. Fish, insects, and water, a simple meal for her majesty.

"Cora, that smells delicious. Did Helen make it this morning," the queen asks as she slithers from the closet.

"Why yes, you have quite the nose for her cooking," I grab the unloaded tray off the table.

"She has a very particular style that I like and it's a smell that always has me salivating," she looks at me with an easy smile," good morning, Cora."

I bow," Good morning, queen Malika."

With breakfast served and pleasantries exchanged I make my way towards the kitchens to help prepare for lunch. With a household so big and busy it's best to do prep work now than later. The family doesn't make it so easy as to all eat at once in the dining hall. No, no, no. they all have their afternoon responsibilities that must be dealt with separately, thus beginning the great hunt of finding them all to deliver their meals.

Pleasant conversation is exchanged as we all rush around the kitchen. Mary tells of her firstborn speaking their first words, a joyous event for the first time mother. Helen educates us younger staff on and ins and outs of toddlers. Stephanie steals the attention away from the children to share the hot gossip of the palace. The king's preparations for visiting a neighboring kingdom to speak diplomatically. The eldest prince's date with his betrothed. Even how littlest Amare's first day of schooling.

With lunch in hand, I redo my walk through the ornate halls, passing others with similar trays to mine. I'm filled with giddy as I turn into an office, shutting the door behind me with my feet. The middle prince looks up from his work, giving that heartwarming smile.

"Afternoon, Cora," my name rolls off his tongue like a purr.

"Afternoon, my prince," I curtsey. I shuffle in to set the tray down near his reading chair.

"You know I do not care for such formalities," he scolds facetiously. I bite my cheek to stop the smile curling my lips. Taking the plate off the tray I twist towards him.

"Apologies, Keita," I say. He watches me walk around his desk, setting his dish on the edge. I bow, ready to depart to finish other chores. Before I'm out of reach he snatches my wrist, tugging me softly towards him.

"May I be so bold as to make a request from you, sweetest Cora," he pets the back of my hand.

"A prince does not have to ask for permission from someone like me," I answer. He smiles with a tilt of his head, his dark eyes catching the light.

"But what sort of prince would I be to not treat all my people with the utmost respect," he clarifies," I wish to see you tonight, in my chambers for a bedtime snack."

"a bedtime snack," I playfully mock," now what sort of treat are you hoping I'd bring?"

He grins salaciously," a creamy tart or perhaps a stuffed pastry?" I giggle, heating up at such words.

"a dessert before bed, have you not heard of sugar giving one nightmares," I ask.

"Then good thing you will be there," his tail curls around my ankle," with a beauty such as yours surely you can ward off any and all treacherous dreams."

I playfully swat his hand away," too many sweet words from such a sweet prince. Shouldn't let me get any ideas."

His tail twines up my calf," may I ask what sort of ideas is coming forth in that head of yours?"

"oh, Keita, a woman shouldn't say such immodest things," I take a step back, feeling his scales glide across my skin as I make my exit. His eyes follow me as I grab the tray and make my way to the door. With a final look back I smile at his affectionate gaze.

"Till tonight, Cora," he says.

"Can't wait," I answer.

With the moon high in the sky, I make my way through the ornate halls for the third time. The way is dimly lit with gas lights. It feels scandalous to walk through these halls like a stranger in the night. I nearly giggle at these events waiting for me. Stopping before a door I right myself, adjust my hair and clothes. With a huff, I knock and twist the knob.

Walking into the poorly illuminated room I don't see signs of anyone here. Am I early? I take a timid step in, looking around cautiously. Opening my mouth to call out for him I feel a familiar touch to my ankles. Quickly I twist around, tugging into a comforting embrace. Lips slat against my own with a rewarding glide of pointing teeth against my skin.

"Evening, Cora," he greets as he peppers sweet kisses down my face.

"Evening, Keita," I pet at his hair," rather eager tonight, aren't we?" he suckles on my clavicle, stretching my collar to reach more of me.

"It's been weeks since I've got to have you, forgive me for being more excitable than usual," he answers in a rush. His cold tail curls around me, squeezing me in a comforting embrace.

"it's been merely days, Keita, no need to be so dramatic," I try to scoff. He steals my thoughts with a well-placed tail peaking up my skirt. The strong tip pets at my clothed heat with practiced ease. I nearly melt at the contact.

He perks up away from my neck with a smug face," a day without seeing your beautiful body is like a hundred to my weary self."

Keita drags me away from the door, laying me upon the bed before attacking me like the beast he is. Love bite where one would not see, touches that set my body aflame, and kisses that make even the soberest feel drunk. He discards me of my clothes quickly, attending to himself after a thorough examination of my bared chest. His cocks stand proud, both weeping just for me. It's an intoxicating sight that can make any woman feel like a queen.

I take him like I've done many nights before. Taking the pleasure he gives and giving the pleasure he demands. Silent cries echo just for us, gentle praises were spoken specially to one another. For tonight his body is mine, to please and worship. The reds and purples are like a painting that God has graced him with. The design was made to be admired by all and cherished by me. I adore this prince of mine, will adore him till my last breath.

We lay together, I curled up in his long tail. His head rests against my bosom, pressing lazy kisses to me. One of his cocks still nestles against me, taking it's sweet time to shrink after decorating my stomach. I pet at his hair with a content hum.

"I must be leaving soon, it would be bad to fall asleep here," I mumble. He groans in answer, squeezing me tighter to himself.

"Just a moment longer," he kisses my breast," let me know this peace for another second." I nod, just as reluctant as him to let go.

I sneak through the halls once again, thinking back on the night with a girlish smile. The prince and I have been nursing this affair for a while. Perhaps nearly a year, since the last snowfall. I look out the window, the next winter is soon. We never planned for it, never truly needed one another as we do now. Keita isn't a prince in line to become a king, he is but a son who was born after one wasn't needed. He doesn't care though. He enjoys his life, enjoys his luxuries. Enjoys me.

My room is quiet when I enter, too cold without someone to lighten the space. I fall into bed with a lonely sigh. We didn't think it would get so far. It was just an agreement to warm one another without risk. Now it's more. I agreed with Keita to keep things a secret, that stress of being in the spotlight nearly too much for me. I'm not a royal or someone of great importance and I'm keen on keeping it that way. For now, we are allowed this, to have fun without problems. That's the way I like it.

At the end of the week, the king returns from his trip with gifts for the family. All it bright in the castle with everyone accounted for. As I walk the halls delivering the queen her afternoon meal I see the king take Keita to his office. Keita passes me a quick sweet smile, nearly distracting me from my task.

I drop the tray off for her majesty, exchanging pleasant conversations. She raves on and on about little Amare. It's sweet to hear a mother speak so excitedly of their child. I've heard terrible things of sister kingdoms who don't have this familiar love for one another. It's heartbreaking to think these other royals can't have such a pleasant dynamic.

Dinner comes around with me tasked to feed prince Keita. With a pep in my step, I make my way to his office. When I enter he seems distracted, staring off into nothing with a contemplative look.

"Are you alright, sir," I ask as I set his plate down. He jumps from his thoughts, finally acknowledging me.

"Oh, sorry," he straightens himself," a bit busy today." I nod, watching him either way. With the conversation seemingly done with I bow before making my way back to the kitchens.

The week is lonely without Keita. He hasn't extended any invitations this week, keeping to himself in his office for most of the day. His mother even tries to express concern for him, asking a favor of me to check on him after lunch. I agree, my motives syncing with hers.

With a treat in hand, I rush off to Keita's office. The dessert is but an excuse, it being rather rude to come into a royal's room uninvited. I look at the chocolate pastry on the small plate, hoping that even something as simple as this could boost his mood. Entering his office I see him staring off into space again.

"Afternoon, sir," I bow," I have come with desserts." he snaps from his focus to look at me.

"Hello, Cora," he glances at the plate," my favorite? Have I done something good I don't know about?"

I smile," not that I'm aware of, but we all deserve a treat once in a while just because." I take the plate to him, setting it on the table as the silence begins to get awkward. He looks at the dessert for a moment too long.

"I'm sorry for being strange this week, I have a lot on my mind," he answers, all formality gone. I relax a bit.

"Your mother is worried about you," I say," and I'm starting to get a bit concerned as well."

He nods," Sorry."

We stand in silence again. I think about making my retreat, report back to his mother on the strange behavior.

"Alright, sir, I should be on my way now," I bow. As I step away he snatches my wrist.

"Can I see you tonight," he asks. I look at him, trying to pick any emotions off his features.

"yes, I'll see you in your room tonight," I nod. He lets me go, watching me as I leave his office.

I sneak into his room to be greeted with the familiar rendezvous. We tangle in the sheets once again, no words being exchanged. Tonight feels different though, slower and more intimate. It's an odd pace that warms my heart and twists my stomach. He is attentive with his affections, prying as many whimpers and cries from me as he can. Even as we lay in post bliss he just watches me, studying all of me. I meet his contemplative gaze.

"You are burdened," I reach out and pat his cheek. He cups my hand.

"I am burdened," he answers. I twist on my side, nearly touching foreheads with our nearness.

"Will you tell me," I ask. His body sags, his eyes dropping with a sigh.

"I rather not," he mumbles," but it will hurt us both if you heard it elsewhere." I sit up, brow furrowed in worry.

"What do you wish to tell me," I look between his beautiful dark eyes. He looks glum, dejected. Sitting up with me he watches for a moment longer.

"My father has given me news that brings sorrow more than joy," he says cryptically," I want you to know it's not my idea, I would have never agreed to this if I had a choice."

"Keita, you're worrying me," I recoil a bit. He reaches for my hands, tugging me closer to him.

"I know, dearest Cora, I just don't want you to be angry with me," he says," I couldn't bear to see your face twisted up in disgust when you look at me."

He speaks nonsense. How could I look to my sweet prince with hate? Only admiration can cross these features when I look at him.

"please tell me, Keita," I squeeze his hands," I can take it." he sighs, dropping his head.

"Father has promised me to another," he finally says," The eldest princess of Stezia. He arranged it on his visit."

I still at his words, feeling my heartbeat like a waterlogged drum. Promised to another? I hiccup as a sound tries to escape my throat. He is to marry? He squeezes my hands and tries to tug me closer, I twist away. I stare off into the room feeling dejected as he looked.

"Please, dearest Cora, I did not choose this," he tries to convince. I wither away at that moment. I'm to lose my sweet prince to another kingdom. How do I collect myself from this? Surely this pain will be my undoing.

Keita shakes me," say something, Cora, please." I look at him emptily.

"Princess Lilian is a fine woman and I think you would be a proper king to her," I answer formally," now if I may be excused, it is getting late." like an empty vessel I grab my clothes and redress myself. Keita tries to reason, saying words that I cannot hear. Without a word, I escape out the door, walk the halls, go to my room, and fall into my bed.

As my head hits the pillow all his words come rushing past my ears. I hiccup, a tear rolling down to my ear. With the first drop to lead the way, the dam is released. I curl into myself, crying like a woman who lost her love. I guess I am that woman. I wail into my pillow for the ignorance I've kept with me during this affair. I'm no princess, how could I ever pretend to be with a prince?

It's my turn to be distant and strange. Keita tries to catch my attention, tries to bait me with his words. I remain formal and proper through every exchange. He is a prince, how can I try to be unprofessional around him? My coworker takes notice of the hollow interactions. They too try to bait me into a conversation, even inviting me out for drinks. I decline with a curt smile, though they never meet my eyes.

I deliver the queen's dinner, sorting the plates onto her bedroom table. She sits in the chair by the balcony, gazing off to the setting sun.

"You have been withdrawn lately, Cora," queen Malika says casually.

"Don't mind me, Ma'am, I'm just a bit lost in thought as of late," I answer. She hums in answer, slowly turning her gaze to me. Malika watches me sort her meal, watches me pretend to have life in my bones. She hums again.

Standing from her chair she walks over, sitting at the table," would your suffering be because of some boneheaded decision my husband made?" I stiffen, gritting my teeth before plastering a smile back to my face.

"What ever choices my king makes is no worry of mine," I answer kindly. Her stare is heavy.

"You know the responsibility of a king is to protect his people," she asks. I nod," do you know the responsibility of the queen?"

"To be a guiding hand for the king," I answer.

"That is one," she eats a roasted insect from the bowl," the biggest responsibility is making sure their people are happy. I know everyone who works here, I've spoken to them all like treasured friends. Many royals have told me that is pointless but I believe to lead the people is to know them. So I ask you this, Cora. Do you love my son?"

I choke on my words, feeling cornered at this moment. I hurriedly grab the tray, ready to make an excuse to leave. She holds her hand up, pausing my attempt at a rushed departure.

"I just wish to know your intentions before I do anything," she clarifies," if you do not hold my son as dear as he holds you then I suggest you make your peace now."

I stumble on anything to say, floundering like a fish. The corner of her lip twitches towards a smile.

"I see," she look towards the window," then I suggest you meet Keita by the gardens tomorrow. He has much to say to you."

I gulp, nodding my head. She smiles, waving me off so she can enjoy her meal in peace. I shakily walk to the halls, nearly falling to my knees with nerves. How the hell does she know about Keita and me?

The next day is a rush of frazzled actions. I can't think straight, can't work, can't walk. Did Keita tell his mother? Did he plan this meeting in the gardens? I Malika the one who is orchestrating it all? What is to be said, what is to be done?

The time clicks away till sunset. My body is eager but my mind won't let me get ahead of myself. Surely this will all go terribly, who am I to wish for something pleasant with the prince? Surely this will all go well, the queen pulling strings and getting Keita out of this marriage. My brain won't rest.

I walk out to the gardens, admiring the flower wilting with the coming winter. The path is littered with petals, all varying shades of decay. Though dour, it's a lovely sight. I sit near the fountain, a chill going up my spine. Should have brought a jacket.

"You're here," a voice calls from behind me. Twisting around I see Keita slithering his way towards me. As he nears I stand from the bench, taking a step back. He freezes before the stone seat, shoulders dropping.

"as a suggestion from your mother do I sneak here to meet with an engaged man," I swallow hard," speak your peace, and I will mine."

"I-I'm sorry, Cora, I had to see you," he tries to get closer but I step back," my mother has spoken with me a lot as of late. It seems she is right when she says she knows all that goes on in her castle." he chuckles, half-heartedly.

"She is a good queen, was foolish of us to assume she wouldn't find out," I say, looking to the side. I can't bring myself to look at him, to allow myself a moment to adore his beauty again.

"Well, she has offered me much to think on," he slides around the bench," she doesn't give me direct instructions on how to war this battlefield but she guided me to do as my heart wishes." he continues ever closer, forcing me back against the fountain. As my calf knocks the edge and I nearly fall back he grabs me. Stealing me closer he presses his sweet lips to mine. In a moment of weakness, I allow him, missing his caresses like a removed limb.

I push him away," You are betrothed, please show some decency."

He grabs me again," Screw the marriage. I haven't asked for much as the middle child, I think I deserve to have this one thing I want." he kisses me again, forceful and rough. I wiggle in his hold, ripping myself from his grip.

"No," I shout," I will not be a mistress to you any longer! This game we play is not without rules, I will not be the one to suffer while you get what you want. I can't stand by and let you marry someone else while you string me along!"

"But, Cora," he reaches for me," I don't have to get married, we can run away together. We can go somewhere else and start a new life for us without the rules and restraints of here." I want to scoff at his suggestion, truly seeing his age now. He is a prince but he still has much to learn in the ways of being an adult. Twenty years of life in a castle hasn't shown him the harsh reality of life outside the walls.

"Keita," I sigh," that won't work."

He finally grabs me," Why not? I can provide for you, take care of you. We can start a family out there where I don't have to be part of arranged marriages and foolish things like that."

I shake my head," you don't know the first thing of being outside pampered living. I won't let you even if you did."

"Won't let me," he scoffs," Cora, you are being stubborn."

"And you're being daft," I chuckle bitterly," we have to end this. I can't be strung along and you can't be forced into this situation. I want you to continue living this life with your family. To have connections to them because they would be distraught without you." I pet at his cheek.

"Don't," he clenches his eyes shut," don't, please."

I stroke his scales," I will treasure our time together but we can't be. I'm not what you need."

"Yes you are," he barks," stop saying that."

I bite back tears," It's true. Your father would never allow such a thing. You are part of a proud family that is adored by all in this kingdom. I'm not worthy of standing beside you and being a princess."

"no," he shakes his head," no! you are worthy and I will do whatever I can to prove that. Mark my words, Cora, we are not done till I've exhausted every option."

I try to argue with him, try to get him to see reason but he fights back. Reluctantly I give. I let him believe there is a chance, let him believe we can actually be together. We depart with another forced kiss that has our teeth nearly clanking against each other.

I lay in my bed that night feeling worse than before. A seed of hope settles in my chest, the smallest rotted seed. Maybe he can figure it out. I try not to nurture that thought.

The week I try to forget about Keita and work as usual. I barely see him in passing, perhaps once or twice as he storms out of sight at the end of the hall. The queen is kind, more so than usual. Her request is improper for a maiden like myself. She asks to eat lunch with me, telling me to fetch my own food and bring it to her room. I have to reluctantly agree, enjoying some lively conversation.

I'm doing my best. It's all I can do at this point in time. The man I love is fighting tooth and nail for me in a battle I'm almost positive he can't win. Too many rules forbid such a thing, too many traditions and promises stop us. I sigh as I walk down the halls. Ornate and beautiful like always.

"You," someone snaps at me. Twisting around I find Keita slithering up to me. I take a step back in surprise as he snatches my arm and makes his way down the halls.

"What are you doing," I try to jerk my arm out of his grip," where are we going?"

"We are going to my father," he sneers. I turn cold.

"T-The king?"

"Don't have any other fathers beside him," he snaps. If I wasn't so afraid I would be scolding him.

Keita drags me towards the main hall, shoving the doors open unceremoniously. We both walk to the king who stands near a window surrounded by couches and tables. The main room hosts lots of meetings. The king looks to us both, quirking a brow at his son.

"I'm tired of all this sly bullshit," Keita starts," I'm not a subtle person, and trying to be has gotten me nowhere. So I speak plainly to you now, father, I do not want to marry princess Lilian. I want to marry maiden Cora."

The room is heavy with silence as the king turns his attention from Keita to me. His eyes study me, making me want to curl up and die. It a feeling I never wish to have again. I've worked with the family for a while now but the king has remained an intimidating man. His wife is the only one known to speak with him as an equal, even his children pay his respect in all regards. Except now, clearly.

"Do you bring this woman here as an alternative to Lilian or as the original interest," the king asks.

"I love her," Keita growls," she would never be a substitute." I would fluster at his validation if the king was watching me with those piercing eyes.

"In love? That's a heavy declaration," the king nearly smiles," You plan to ruin a relationship with Stezia with some childish crush?"

"Some childish-," Keita scoffs," I mean what I say. I love Cora more than any man can love a woman. More than any man can love anything. She is what brings me the most joy and I cannot bear to let that be taken away."

The king nods, looking out the window," Heavy declaration with passionate claims. I hope you are prepared to deal with whatever consequence may arise from this breaking of union with Stezia."

"I'll take whatever comes, as long as Cora is by my side," Keita says proudly. I'm left to gawk at the two, hopeful and fearful all at once. Is the king suggesting what I think he is?

"Then you get to be the one to tell king Dagda," the king looks back to us," if you agree then my next visit you are coming along to apologize to Lilian and her father. If that is all then you are dismissed."

"May it be my punishment for keeping quiet for so long, father," Keita bows," I speak truthfully when I say, thank you."

I get to see the king smile as he approaches Keita," I want my sons to be happy, there are no reasons to thank me for that." he presses a kiss to Keita's head before slithering out the room. I watch them both in awe.

With the king gone and me left flabbergasted Keita turns to me and lifts me in his arms. I yelp, holding his shoulders as I'm spun around. Keita litters my face with kisses, utterly engulfed in joy.

"Grow a backbone and take what you want, my mother said," he laughs," she tried to tell me and I took it the completely wrong way."

"She told you to confront your dad," I ask.

"Not exactly. I thought she meant to be determined with you, not my dad," he answers," either way, I'm ecstatic and I cannot be without you another moment."

Before I can ask he is whisking me away to his bedroom, laying me upon his sheets with the widest grin. He leans in, kissing me all over as he begins the task of removing my clothes.

"You know, I never said I agreed to any of this," I tease. He freezes, lifting off me with a quirk of his brow.

"Do you," he asks," agree to this?"

I scoff," Is this how you plan to propose to me?"

Realization strikes him as the smile comes back to his face. "Of course it's not. I will plan something grander than a romp in the sheets. For now, I need you, later we can share our love with the rest of the castle."

Keita rids my clothes and his own. His beautiful twin cocks stand to attention for me, sliding down my stomach before prodding at my entrance. I look up to him, reaching up and cupping his face. His gaze is filled with devotion and affection, it's almost alarming. He fills me, the second one resting on my stomach. We sit there, at peace finally being together.

I pet his cheek," I love you, Keita."

He kisses my palm," I love you, too, Cora."

We make love through the day, laying together exhausted that night. I let myself finally drift off in his arms, feeling full and delighted. Tomorrow will hold its own challenges but tonight, I'm happy.

[hieludoboi]

Okay okay hear me out,,, Todoroki x a nb!reader,,, He finally actually confessed to them and the reader is just like cannot accept that Todoroki Shouto actually likes them. They're in total disbelief

A/n- Reader’s just standing there like “Me? Oh. That’s right, who else here is named Y/n” and Shouto’s kinda just standing there like ‘....’

A/n- Also! Just the thought of Pro Hero Todo getting like a scone or something sweet every morning before a patrol (I headcanon Shouto liking sweets, just idk, something about it just works for me) and slowly falling for the baker at his favorite bakery

A/n- I did a little research for how to write non-binary readers and such, and I feel like it’s kinda difficult to write for them unless specifics are given! Some non-binary individuals are masculine, other’s are feminine, some go by they/them, some by she/her or sometimes by zie/zim. I didn’t feel like it was right for me to write for these individuals specifically until I do a bit more research and learn to properly write for them!

A/n- Non-binary is a blanket term encompassing a whole list of genders/identities that don’t exactly follow societal gender norms! Sometimes non-binary individuals have gendered pronouns, sometimes they don’t! Since you didn’t specify I’m going to label this as a more gender neutral thing! 

A/n- Update, I researched like two hours and I still don’t understand. My brain very fried no work from online classes brainrot but not by bokuto by staring at screen all dy. Someone pls give my pigeon brain examples on how to properly write for nb! readers rn or I’ll pull out the glock >:(

Pairing- Pro Hero! Shouto / Gn! Reader

Summary- So he was serious? 

Warnings- not really?

It was a mundane Tuesday morning. The sun had yet to rise, slowly peaking over the city’s skyline, yet somehow getting lost among all the trees and towers. As with every morning, Y/n started off their day by preparing for their day. A quick shower, followed by washing their face and brushing their teeth. Before they knew it, they were trudging out of the house and making their way to the bakery to prepare for the morning rush.

Y/n was quirkless in a society plagued by quirks, an average day to day citizen if you will. They didn’t mind, in fact, life even seemed a bit easier when they didn’t have to worry about controlling some strange and odd power. The rest of the world, however, couldn’t begin to fathom how they even managed to lead a life without a quirk. 

Stifling a yawn, they made their way to the front door, unlocking it before closing it and locking it behind them. If the day went as planned, which normally it didn’t, they’d have scones, muffins, and croissants all out and freshly baked by six. Bear claws, donuts, and danish pastries would be out by eight, all the rolls and loafs would be done by ten and by eleven they could hopefully get started on the sugary sweets that their younger costumers seemed to enjoy so much. 

Their morning dragged on as usual. One by one the rest of the employees pooled into the back kitchen, kneading dough and making batters to pour in to tins or mold into shape. Grunting, Y/n picked up a tray chocked full of scones and made their way towards the display cases, setting the tray atop the display and carefully arranging the scones inside. Looking up at the pretty light blue clock, Y/n hummed. Their day rarely went as planned, but they could always count on Shouto coming in once the clock hit six-thirty. 

“Waiting on Mr. Pro-Hero?” Y/n turned around, feeling the heat begin to seize the apples of their cheeks. Sputtering, Y/n turned around, ignoring their coworker and instead focusing on arranging the last of the scones.

“Come onnnnnn! How are you so oblivious!” Y/n huffed, quickly standing up before thrusting the empty tray into Hina, their coworker’s, hands. “Y/n. He likes you!!” Hina groaned, following a wordless Y/n back into the kitchen. 

“Hina. No he doesn’t!!” Y/n mocked Hina as they slid a tray of muffins into the oven. Hina grunted, pulling out a giant bowl of risen dough before letting it fall onto a flowered counter top. “Besides, he’s rumored to be dating Creati,” Y/n pointed out, dusting their hands off on their apron.

“They’re just ru-” Hina rubbed her temples, watching as Y/n made their way towards the front at the sound of the little bell ringing. When would they stop being so oblivious?

--------------------------------

Nothing seemed to go right that morning. While on his usual morning patrols, Shouto had run into Momo. While it was a welcome surprise, the situation was not. They had run into each other while battling a lowlife villain with a disastrous quirk. Damages were not kept to a minimum, and all Shouto wanted to do after being chewed out by local authorities was to go bite into a delicious scone at his favorite bakery. 

“This could have gone better,” Momo sighed, rubbing her temples as they both surveyed the damage they had done to the small plaza. Shouto nodded, he couldn’t agree more. “We should probably go out west, right? If there were robberies here, there’s bound to be some in the shopping centre,” Shouto nodded, Momo had some nice ideas. 

“We can stop by a bakery there too, I know a place that makes some nice scones,” Shouto explained as they walked, a subtle smile on his face at the thought of the baker that awaited him every morning. “What time is it?” SHouto asked, turning to look at Momo. 

“Oh, it’s around seven-thirty, why?” This morning could not have gone any worse for Shouto. First, he has to stop villains at the crack of dawn, and now he’s going to miss out on scones? Admittedly, they didn’t sell fast, but the bakery didn’t make a lot of them either. 

“No reason,” Shouto shrugged. He hoped he wouldn’t miss Y/n.

-------------------------------------

Y/n sighed, watching as the seconds ticked by on the clock overhead. It was eight already. Shouto was never late, ever. The man had a thing for punctuality, and even when everything was going wrong, Y/n could always count on seeing their favorite customer before the sun fully rose.

“Pretty boy ain’t here yet?” Y/n stood up, turning to look at the smug grin on their co-worker’s face. Curling their lip and rolling their eyes, Y/n went back to slouching over the counter, resting their chin on their palm as they zoned in on the glass door ahead of them. “C’mon boss! Cheer up, we’ll never make any sales with a grumpy face up front!” Y/n frowned seemed to become deeper, rooting itself in their brows and lips. 

“And I suppose having a super buff woman who looks like she can pop your head off with a squeeze of her biceps at the counter will allure customers like nothing ever could?” Y/n teased, grinning as Hina flexed her biceps. 

“Children adore me. They see me and are amazed by the ‘big muscle woman’,” Hina gloated, wiggling her eyebrows while continuing to pose behind the counter.

“Yeah yeah, go help Kohaku before he breaks an arm trying to knead the dough,” Y/n grumbled, pushing Hina into the kitchen so they could focus on the sales upfront. Kohaku liked decorating cakes, but every once in a while he’d have to knead dough while Hina helped Y/n arrange things up front.

Picking at their nails for a minute or so with boredom, Y/n’s head instantly popped up as soon as the bell on the glass door chirped. Their eyes instantly attatched themselves to the blue suit before them, almost completely ignoring the red latex that stood beside it. 

“Shou! I was starting to think you’d... never get here,” Y/n’s voice was filled with excitement at first, immediately dying off at the sight of Creati, who stood right next to him. Offering the pro hero a pleasant smile, Y/n grabbed their gloves and tray, their tongs hanging off a little hook on the display case.

“What can I get for you two?” Y/n asked, the bright smile that usually reached their eyes seeming to drown before it could fully rise. Shouto frowned a bit to himself, wondering where the usually happy and bright baker he had grown so used to had gone. Was he maybe reading too into it? 

“Oh! I’ll a pumpkin walnut muffin! They look so good!” Momo praised, delicately pointing to her preferred muffin through the glass case. 

“Thank you, made the recipe myse-”

“And we baked them!” Y/n winced at Hina’s booming voice, opening their eyes as soon as it died out. 

“Sorry about that, you’ll come to find that this bakery comes alive after a certain hour,” Y/n explained with a giggle, placing the muffin on the tray they held. “And you, Shouto?” Y/n asked, tilting their head a bit as they awaited his answer. 

“The usual,” Shouto made sure to offer them a grin, shoving his hands into the pockets of his suit as he watched Y/n set the tray on the counter. 

“Lucky you, I made sure to save one just for you!” Y/n hummed happily, reaching for the last scone before placing it on the tray. Shouto could feel the shy smile subtly spreading on his face, did they really save on just for him? 

“I’ll pay, it’s the least I can do after you helped me out earlier today,” Momo said, turning to give Shouto a smile. 

“Right, thank you, Momo,” Shouto gratefully accepted his scone, waving goodbye to Momo as she left the shop. Shouto preferred to eat his scones at the shop anyway.

“Are you not joining me today?” Shouto looked up, a confused look on his face as he watched Y/n fidget behind the counter. They would always snack on a danish pastry and sit with Shouto before he had to leave again. It was routine at this point. 

“Oh! Right, sorry,” Y/n muttered sheepishly, snagging a pastry from the display case before heading over to Shouto’s usual spot by the window. For the umpteenth time that day, Shouto could feel himself frowning. He wondered what was wrong. 

“S-so you and Creati?” Y/n asked, taking a small bite from the sweet bread that sat in their hands. Shouto looked up, eyes widened in surprise, midway through a bite of his scone. Was that what this was about?

“She helped me stop some villains this morning, that was all,” Shouto explained. Y/n hummed, nodding their head as they started to pick at the jam filled sweet in front of them. “Oh, uhm...” Shouto mumbled, his brow furrowed as he began to search his pockets. Where had he left it?

“You okay, Shou?” Y/n giggled, amused by the way his face had contorted when he began to search for his little mystery item. 

“Yeah, fine... Oh! Found it,” Shouto muttered, pulling out the small box that had resided in his pocket since the day prior. “Here, for you,” Shouto mumbled bashfully, sliding the velvet box across the table to Y/n.

“For me? Shou... That’s sweet, but you didn’t have to,” Y/n explained, gently sliding the box back to Shouto. Accepting gifts felt odd, especially if they were from Shouto. They could already imagine what ridiculously expensive gift sat inside.

“Please, open it?” Shouto asked, sliding the box back across and making sure to set it in Y/n’s hands this time. Y/n gasped, eyes wide as they felt the heat rush to their face. Open and closing their mouth in a flustered fit, Y/n finally decided to delicately pry open the box, eyes tripling in size at the sight of the gold chain anklet studded in pearls that sat in the box. 

“Shouto... No, I can’t accept this,” Y/n insisted, shaking their head profusely, shutting the box and trying to put it back in Shouto’s hands.

“You can, and you will. Can we go out sometime?” Y/n could feel their jaw drop to the floor. First the anklet and now he’s just asking for a date like it’s a regular Tuesday?

“M-me?” Y/n asked, looking around the shop, the confusion settling in their eyes, locking their mind in some sort of fuzzy haze. 

“Yes, so, will you?” Shouto asked once more, amused by their cute little reaction.

“Uh, sure... Sure...”

“Cool. I’ll pick you up at seven,”

“But we don’t close untill-”

“THEY’LL BE READY BY 4!”

“Hina-”

“I SAID YOU’LL BE READY BY FOUR DAMNIT!”

“I’ll be ready by four!”

[love-dreams]

build a rocket with me

pairing: joshua/reader

genre: angst, fluff

content: angst, break-up, long distance!au, idol!au emotional cheating, seunghee from clc!, angst ending

wc: 5k

note: omg 5k, i’m gonna be writing a part two for this too! thank you so much to @secndlife​ for helping me edit.. you’re amazing and i appreciate it so much. inspo: 《rocket》by seventeen (joshua and vernon), a continuation of my own long distance au blurbs: blurb1 blurb 2, netflix original: love alarm, @tonicandjins​ lie to me

It’s early in the morning when Joshua arouses you from your slumber, with a gentle shake and a soft, husky whisper, laced with drowsiness. The curtains are strewn shut in the dark room, the only source of light was the thin crack between the door and the wall of your bedroom. After another lackadaisical attempt to pull you out of your reverie, you opened your eyes, glancing sleepily up at your boyfriend through half-lidded eyes, a yawn already beginning to lodge itself in your throat. Groggily, you try to force your body upright with your forearms but your body is heavy from sleep and your limbs are limp without energy in the early morning.

“Josh, what time is it?” you mumbled, with an arm stretching out and fingers pawing at the bedside table for your glasses. 

You yawned mid-sentence, causing Joshua to chuckle, bending his body slightly over yours to impel you gently back to your original position. You gave in without resistance, arm limply hanging off the side of the bed and messy curls of hair framing your face on the pillow. 

He gazed into your sleepy orbs lovingly, caressing the side of your face with smooth strokes of his thumb. “I didn’t want to wake you, but I have to leave now. For tour. The guys and manager-hyung are waiting for me.”

In your sleep induced haze, you don’t fully comprehend Joshua’s words, lips mouthing an automatic, “Bye bye,” and your body already relaxing into the cushions.

Joshua couldn’t hold back the smile tugging at his lips, his heart feeling a little heavier as he gently pulled the door shut until it clicked, leaving you shroud in darkness once more. The last memory you have of that encounter was the warmth of your blankets embracing you.

“You should have woken me up!” you complained over the phone after you woke up. With a bloated face and oily skin, tangled strands of hair floating over your sight, Joshua almost chuckled at the fact that, even after just waking up, you were thinking about him. “I wanted to see you one last time before you left.”

Joshua smiled through the screen, a sleepy, exhausted smile, slight circles discoloring the skin under his eyes. “I didn’t want to, it was super early and I knew you had plans for the next day too.”

You pouted slightly, disappointed at the fact that you couldn’t send Joshua off to the airport, where he would soon be leaving for SEVENTEEN’s Asia tour. For three whole months. Just thinking about the time spent away from him made your heart hurt and your head swim. 

As you pulled out a chair from the countertop, you faintly noticed the white styrofoam box empty of its contents on top of a table behind Joshua.

“You already ate?” you questioned through a mouthful your breakfast ensemble.

Joshua nodded his head, a tired sigh escaping from his lips. He grabbed the phone off from where it was resting against a tissue box and collapsed onto the hotel bed, holding up his phone high above him, vertically, allowing you to see the crisp white sheets contrasting Joshua’s dark-colored hair; you could see the planes and slopes of his face and the slight dark circles rimming his beautiful chocolate brown orbs. Even then, sleep-deprived and bare-faced, he looked beautiful. 

He heaved another sigh, eyelids fluttering shut momentarily. “I miss you, Y/N.”

You purse your lips, trying to formulate an answer that will satisfy Joshua. “I do too, Shua. Work hard but don’t push yourself too hard, got it? Tell the other guys that as well,” you managed.

Joshua opened his eyes to stare at you through the screen. For a moment, there was a flicker of unease in his blank stare, causing your heart to stutter for a beat, but then, like a flick of a switch, his lips morphed back into a melancholy smile. “Okay, I will. Take care of yourself as well.”

You nodded, mirroring his smile, “I always do, Joshua.”

🟊 🟊 🟊 🟊 🟊

You really hoped that you could hold down the fort on your own without your boyfriend’s presence, but by the second week, it became apparent that you were heartbroken. Each passing day of living your life in absence of your boyfriend chipped at your heart; coming home to an empty home, eating dinner by yourself with two containers of takeout, routinely checking your phone for calls or texts. Your head was constantly plagued by worries of your boyfriend, if Joshua was eating well, if Joshua was tired from rehearsal, what Joshua saw that day; it became near-suffocating. 

The daily phone calls dwindled to once every few days to once or twice each week. Every evening you would make dinner for yourself, shower and sit, alone, under the covers of your bed, waiting beside your phone to see if he would call; sometimes he did and sometimes he didn’t. Either way, you had developed an unhealthy habit of staying up late at night until the sky was jet black and the city was silent, waiting in the dim, silent bedroom until you fell asleep.

“Hey baby, how are you? I’m sorry for not calling yesterday.”

A month had passed and Joshua was still touring with the other SEVENTEEN members. At this point you had developed a steady rhythm to your life and, although the yearning for your boyfriend was still present in your heart, you had started to feel a little happier and less lonely.  

In the background you could faintly make out other echoes of voices, informing you that your boyfriend wasn’t alone in the room. It looked like a new hotel room as well; the sheets were crisply tucked into the mattress with thick cream-colored blankets laying neatly on top. 

“It’s fine, we were performing anyway and didn’t get back until way late. Have you been eating well?” 

You smiled half-heartedly, a little bloom of warmth nestling in your chest from his concern. You uncrossed your hands from your lap, poking your chopsticks at the little untouched grains of white rice in your bowl. “Yeah, and you? I hope you’re eating proper meals.”

“Shua! The kimchi fried rice is here!”

Joshua’s lips broke out in a grin and yours cracked into a small smile as well at Jeonghan’s voice. 

“Okay, wait a sec,” Joshua whispered. “I’m talking to Y/N right now!” he called back. Dropping his gaze back to you, Joshua frowned apologetically, “Baby, can-”

“Go get your food, Shua,” you interrupted reassuringly, “Make sure to take care of yourself okay? And I promise to do the same.”

Joshua nodded and tilted his head endearingly, “I will and I love you, Y/N.”

Then he hung up.

On one fateful Saturday morning, your friend and coworker, Seunghee, decided to take you out to a cafe as a cure for your loneliness. It was a small cafe nestled in the city landscape, with large windows letting the rays of morning glow dance across the polished wooden floor. The two of you seated yourselves by one of the glass windows and ordered coffee with some snacks.

“So,” she leaned in, interlacing her fingers and resting on her elbows, with her weight over the table. “Tell me what’s going on with you and Joshua.”

Your eyebrows rose in surprise of the sudden question, choking on the green plastic straw of your iced americano. You coughed slightly, reaching for a napkin to dab at your moist lips. “I’m not sure what you mean. Josh and I are fine. We even called… just the other day,” you trailed off, voice growing weaker at the end. 

Seunghee rolled her eyes disbelievingly, retracting her arms to reach for her drink, taking a sip as well. “Oh yeah? Then tell me why you’ve been arriving to work looking like you’ve stayed up all night crying to rom coms.” You chortled in disagreement but didn’t refute what she said. “C’mon Y/N, you obviously have something up. Are you two fighting or something?”

“No, no,” you shook your head. You pushed your drink aside, folding your hands neatly on top of your skirt in an effort to look organized, brushing stray strands of hair out of your frame of vision, tucking them neatly behind your ears. Averting your gaze to the large windows of sunlight, you spoke softly, “We’re not fighting or anything. It’s just a little hard to explain.”

Seunghee nodded, backing off and scrunching her nose in discontent. “Well, that’s okay. You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to, just lemme know when you’re comfortable, okay? I’m worried about you.”

You smiled and gratefully thanked her for asking about you, settling into a prickly, awkward silence between the two of you. That serious atmosphere was finally lifted after a waitress delivered your orders; the two of you thanked her profusely and continued on with another light-hearted conversation. In the middle of drinking your coffees and taking small bites out of your sandwiches, Seunghee left for the restroom, grabbing her purse and phone to retouch on her makeup, all the while leaving you alone with your plates of food all by yourself.

You could hear the background cafe sounds of a coffee maker grinding and the rush of cars in the street; the city was just starting to wake up for the day ahead. It was a peaceful, and calm atmosphere, with a few more customers trickling in, it was like you were surrounded by a bubble of tranquility-

“Hey.”

Your head whipped around in surprise, heart jumping two beats. Your head turned side to side frantically as your eyes scanned the desert of vacant tables and chairs for the sudden voice. 

“Oh, sorry for surprising you! I’m over here, haha,” he laughed shyly, scratching his head awkwardly.

Turning a whole 180 degree rotation, behind you, you were met with the smiling face of a stranger. He was sitting backwards on his chair, head resting across his arms hanging over the back of it. 

You let out a breath of relief, head falling forward slightly. 

“Um, hi, do I know you?”

He grinned wider, a line of straight white teeth and full, pink lips. You refused to note the way that your heart skipped a beat and your cheeks became warm.

“No, but you can now! I’m Leo, and you must be Y/N?” He spoke in an optimistic, cheerful manner adorned with a cute eye smile. He radiated a type of innocence like the morning sun that was, at this time, turning into a blazing, burning heat outside of the air-conditioned building.

You narrowed your eyes at him, feeling apprehensive and suspicious. “Yes, my name is Y/N, and how do you know that?”

Leo chuckled and leaned back a little, sheepishly saying, “I may or may not have overheard your conversation with your friend... Seunghee, right?”

You parted your lips to respond but before you could, Seunghee was back from her trip to the restroom. Her lips were painted bold, apple red lipstick, and a new coat of mascara was applied onto her eyelashes. 

She halted in front of the table, confusedly glancing between you and Leo. “Sorry, am I interrupting something here?”

You reeled back, turning away from Leo to face Seunghee. Plastering a smile on your face, you shook your head, “Ah, no. We were just making small talk while I was waiting for you.” Seunghee raised an eyebrow disbelievingly, but slid into her seat anyway, a little smirk present on her face as she daintily bit into her sandwich. By the time the two of you had finished your meals and drinks, it was already a little past noon and the city was full in motion. Cars were whizzing by on the streets, accompanied by a steady rush of footsteps on the sidewalk. 

As you got up from your seat, grabbing your things along with you, you noticed that the stranger hadn’t left yet, head buried in a book and a forgotten cup of coffee on the table.

You felt a nudge to your side, glancing behind you in annoyance. “Go!” Seunghee whispered encouragingly, pushing you toward the male and walking briskly away to pay for your food.

Leo looked up, just as you stumbled toward him, unsteady footsteps drawing his attention away from the book.

“Wait- I-. Hi. Um, sorry, my friend-” you stammered, sweat already beginning to build up at the uncomfortable situation your friend had just pushed you into.

His face broke into a smile, taking off his round-rimmed glasses and closing his book softly. “Hi Y/N.”

You turned your head to scan for Seunghee, but she was already vacant from the cafe, leaving you by yourself in the most awkward situation you would have imagined. You sighed in slight annoyance, fingers pinching at your nose in habit. 

“I’m sorry, my friend… Seunghee pushed me, I didn’t mean to bother you or anything. She thinks I might be interested in you or something, I’m really sorry.”

Leo maintained his eye smile, gesturing dramatically at the chair opposite to him for you to sit down. Cautiously, you slid into the seat, tucking your skirt underneath you clumsily. Your eyes darted from Leo to the counter, then to the windows on your left. 

He took a sip of his coffee, unbothered by the nervous tension radiating from you. Scrunching his nose from the bitterness, Leo set down the cup and folded his hands in his lap. “It’s okay, we can’t control our attraction, not that I’m saying you like me or anything. We can’t control a lot of our feelings,” he paused tracing the lettering on the cover of the book. “We feel what we feel, loneliness, love, anger, that’s all natural and you shouldn’t feel apologetic.”

You nodded, fingers twisting the fabric of your skirt into wrinkles. “I guess you’re right, but don’t we have to be understanding sometimes? I just think that always conveying our emotions is sometimes selfish.”

Leo tilted his head, lips pursing, “I heard that you and your boyfriend are going through something? Do you want to talk about it?”

You averted your gaze to pick at the sleeve of your dress. “Yeah, he’s on tour at the moment, so I guess I decided to go out for once.”

“You sound a little unhappy about that.”

You scrunch your eyebrows together, trying to choose your next words carefully with consideration. “Well, it does get a little lonely, but he’s pursuing his dream, and that’s all that matters. I wanna support him on this.”

“And you? Do you have any life goals?”

You paused again, leaning back into the chair. “I’m aspiring to be a writer, so yeah, I suppose.”

“Wow, aren’t you two an artsy couple, huh.”

You smiled in slight embarrassment, cheeks rising in temperature. “I guess we are. How about you? Any life goals?” 

He broke into another breathtaking grin, hopes and aspirations pouring out of his mouth like a waterfall. As you sat with him, you felt so refreshed and energized with a new bout of motivation. Your heart swelled in happiness for the first time in weeks and you couldn’t help the broad smile tugging on your lips.

When he finally paused, you voiced your thoughts, “Thanks for chatting with me, Leo, I hope I didn’t take up too much of your time.”

Leo grinned, choosing to ignore your statement. He rose his cup to gulp down the last droplets of his now cold coffee. Letting out a discontent sigh, he gazed forlornly at the empty cup. “Unfortunately, by talking to you all this time I neglected my poor cup of coffee. As payment, you could, I don’t know, give me your number?”

You held his gaze with a warm smile, a shy blush creeping onto your cheeks and a faster tempo playing in your heart. It was endearing, his attentiveness to you. A therapeutic sense of calm washed over you and you couldn’t help but feel grateful and indebted.

You agreed on impulse, without an inkling of hesitation in your voice. 

After paying (Leo insisted on doing so, for the both of you), the two of you exited the cafe together and parted ways good-naturedly. Standing in the middle of the sidewalk, you pulled out your phone, you saw multiple text messages from Seunghee and a couple missed calls. 

Dialing her number, you raised your phone to your ear hesitantly, glancing at the people strolling past you. 

“Hello?”

“Jesus Y/N, do you know how long you spent there? It’s been almost two hours already! You have a boyfriend, you know?”

You laughed her comment off, twirling a strand of hair around your index finger and kicking at the loose gravel pieces. “I’m sorry for worrying you, Seunghee, and don’t worry, it wasn’t like that. We talked a little and, it’s fine, he already knows that I have a boyfriend.”

Seunghee huffed, “Fine, but I can’t believe you ditched me like that, I thought we were friends.”

“Technically, you ditched me first.”

She mockingly sighed, “For the good of your sorry relationship! Anyway, stay safe on the way home and text me later.”

You called for a cab, sitting in the leather backseat quietly with your phone in hand. Pulling up Leo’s contact evoked a smile on your face; the two of you had exchanged numbers in the midst of having more-than-one cup of coffee together, and also having more conversation than you had had with Joshua for months. You held your phone up to your chest, heart beating rapidly and eyelids shut in imagination. Your thoughts drifted to Leo’s smile, his brushed, brown locks of hair, his plush, peach lips-

Joshua. 

A truck of guilt smashed you out of your reverie, sending tremors of stress and anxiety to vibrate through your body. It was a crushing type of guilt that squeezed at your heart and collapsed your lungs. Adrenaline rushed through your veins, and you clenched your fists out of reflex. You were just romanticizing about another man when you were in a perfectly content, perfect relationship with your boyfriend. In your head, you could only imagine what Joshua’s face would look like if you told him what you had happened or the feelings that you had felt. 

The second the taxi pulled up to your street you pushed the car door open wide, swaying slightly on your feet, feeling distraught and shameful, knowing that it would only be downhill from that point onward.

🟊 🟊 🟊 🟊 🟊

“If you’re not happy with Josh then you should break up with him.”

You leaned back in your reclining chair, head tilting backwards and eyes squeezing shut from the bright light. You rubbed at your temples, trying to fend off the impending migraine creeping into your skull. “It’s not that easy, Seunghee, and I am happy with Josh.”

Seunghee spun you around, throwing herself into the empty chair beside you. “Is this about that guy we met in the cafe the other day?”

You opened your eyes in surprise, a sudden bout of stress striking your stomach. “Wh-what? What about him?”

Seunghee leaned on your desk, rolling her eyes, “It’s obvious. You clearly like him, and maybe that’s a good thing.”

“No, it’s not,” you adamantly denied, fingers digging into your computer keyboard as you pounded the backspace key. “I’m dating Joshua, and I barely know Leo, we saw each other for one day and that’s it.”

She raised an eyebrow, “Well maybe you should get to know this Leo guy better.”

You turned around, eyes narrowing into a withering glare. “Seunghee, stop it. I’m trying to figure out how to talk to Josh, not destroy our relationship.”

Seunghee backed off, reluctantly standing up and holding her hands out in defeat. “Okay, okay, I’m just saying that, it’s not fair for you to be ignored either.”

You stayed silent that time, fingers pausing slightly over the keys as you pondered her statement. You readjusted your glasses, tucking another strand of hair behind your ear. 

“Like, when was the last time the two of you even called?”

When was the last time you heard Joshua’s voice? Or held each other? You were even beginning to forget the features of his face: the curve of his nose, the plush of his lips were all fading away. 

Your heart sunk in your chest, “I’m not even sure anymore.”

🟊 🟊 🟊 🟊 🟊

You started to prepare dinner, taking out your ingredients out of the refrigerator meticulously in an organized fashion, a complete contrast to your actual state of mind. Your head was too wrapped up in your own thoughts to even concentrate on the vegetables being laid out in front of you. Scenarios upon scenarios filled your brain to the brim, until the stress and anxiety bubbled over; your hands shook while holding the knife when thinking about how to explain to Joshua about Leo and your stomach cramped at the mere thought of Joshua’s facial expression. Bringing down the knife onto the cutting board, you rapidly finished preparing your ingredients.

The dial tone of your phone rang through the sound of the kitchen machinery, the sound echoing through the empty apartment. You quickly scooped up some of the fried rice into a porcelain white bowl, setting it down on the countertop along with your eating utensils. 

Shakily, you pressed “accept” on the screen, Joshua’s face popping up within seconds adorning a wide smile and shiny crescent eyes full of happiness.

Your heart dropped to your stomach and suddenly you felt a rush of light-headedness.

“Y/N! I’ve missed you so much, it’s so good to see your face again,” he said softly, fond adoration present in his voice.

You nodded shallowly, poking at the rice grains with your chopsticks absentmindedly. “I’ve missed you too,” you mumbled in a lackadaisical manner, your eyes refusing to meet him.

“Y/N?” Joshua trailed off, a confused look on his face with flashes of hurt present in his eyes. “Is there something bothering you?”

You swallowed roughly, fingers roughly gripping onto your chopsticks. 

Just spit it out, do it, do it, do it now-

“I-I don’t think I can do this anymore.”

Silence. Dead, immovable silence. Your heart stopped beating and it felt like your ears were on fire, taking in every movement of sound. 

Taking a deep breath, you looked up briefly to assess the damage, but it was like the screen was frozen: Joshua’s facial expression was frozen, but his eyes were devoid of the smile from before. For a moment, you were scared that the connection had timed out and that you wouldn’t have the courage to repeat your statement. Then you noticed the slight trembling of his pink lips, frail and shy like blush flower petals.

“You don’t mean that,” he managed out in a spluttering breath, a fake smile plastered onto his face. 

You shook your head, voice a little louder this time, “I want to break up, Joshua.” 

Your veins were on fire and your vision was constricted to just the phone screen. It was like a tsunami of pent up emotions, sadness, anger, loneliness, were rushing to shore, spilling out of your mouth in a single sentence. 

Joshua repeated your gesture, shaking his head rapidly. His head tipped down in a mess of hair so you couldn’t see his face. “You said that the distance didn’t matter, that you were still mine! I thought-I thought we were fine together.” 

Joshua’s voice broke at the end. You noticed the slight heaving of his shoulders and chest and the quiet sniffles of his tears.

Taking a deep breath to control your nerves, you firmly rebuffed him, “I thought differently back then. We’re both reaching our peaks in our careers, I don’t want us to get in the way of both of our dreams.”

You could see Joshua trying to calm down his rapid breathing, a hand coming up to wipe the shimmering droplets off his cheeks. 

“Did-did I do something wrong?” he stammered. “I don’t want to give up on us, Y/N. Can you just explain yourself a little bit? Just a little. Whatever it is, I’m sure we can figure it out, together.”

You took another deep breath in, letting your eyelids fall shut for a moment. After a couple beats of silence, you brusquely answered him, “I’m sorry, Josh. I’m really tired, I don’t want to come home to a silent house, or go to bed by myself waiting for you. I’m tired and I’m also lonely. These once a week phone calls just aren’t enough for me, and I know that you’re busy, I understand that. I just don’t think I can wait for you anymore. The group is doing super well overseas, and I would never want you to have to choose between your career and me.” 

You stopped for a moment to contemplate your next words. Joshua was silent and unmoving except for the slight shudders of sobs and fluttering of his eyelashes. When he didn’t respond, you continued, driving your next words deep into Joshua’s flesh and skull. “I’m choosing for you, for us. I’m choosing to let you go.” 

Your words rung in the silence between the two of you, in the background of your side of the screen, you could hear the slight hum of the lights and the city bustle on loop outside. Contrary to you, Joshua heard nothing but your words replaying in his mind in his empty hotel room. He had asked the other members to leave since he wanted the call to be private and more meaningful. Now, alone, his mind had tuned out from reality, feeling slightly dizzy from the sudden rush of emotions: sadness, despair, hopelessness. He swallowed, his dry throat protesting from the harshness, but refused to take a sip of water from the bottle in front of him. 

“Josh? Are you still there?” you asked gently, worry creeping into your voice.

“Yeah,” he mumbled. He grabbed a tissue to dry his tears. “I’m tired, Y/N. I’m going to hang up now and go to sleep.”

“Okay…” you hesitantly agreed, “Sleep well, Joshua.”

“I will.”

And then he hung up, collapsing into the armchair in wracking, heartbreaking sobs.

🟊 🟊 🟊 🟊 🟊

“Wait, what? What do you mean Y/N broke up with you?”

Joshua groaned at Jeonghan’s incredulous tone, covering his face with the hotel pillow, the white covering crinkled and stained from his tears. Digging his face deeper, Joshua didn’t even know where to begin. It was as if the more he tried to understand you, the more he grew entangled in his never-ending web of questions. 

“She said she was doing it for me,” he mumbled into the pillow. Joshua turned so he was facing Jeonghan, arms gripping the cushion to his chest. “And the worst part is that I don’t even know this was coming.” He sat up, legs crossed, to look at Jeonghan through puffy, red eyes. “Y/N was probably thinking about this for weeks and I didn’t even know. And I didn’t even call her for two weeks.” A tear slipped off the bridge of his nose, little droplets darkening the sheets. “I was hurting her all this time and I didn’t even know,” he sniffled.

Jeonghan sighed and slung an arm around his best friend, hugging him close to his body as Joshua cried his eyes out, another wave of sobs wracking his frame.

Jeonghan patted Joshua’s back while listening to the sobs of the other male, letting his arm hang limp around him. “I don’t understand either. Y/N seemed fine when you guys were calling each other, something must’ve happened for her to make this decision so abruptly.”

His sobs died down as Joshua tried to catch his breath. He looked up, “What do you mean?”

Jeonghan exhaled, bringing up one hand to ruffle through his hair. “I don’t know man, I think you two have to talk though. Face to face. It’s not fair for her to break up with you through a call, you know, closure and stuff.”

Joshua nodded along, slowly drying his tears. He reached over for a tissue, blowing hard and throwing it into the trash bin. He stared at the blank sheets before saying determinedly, “Yeah, you’re right. I need to talk to her face to face.”

🟊 🟊 🟊 🟊 🟊

The second the members left the airplane, stepping out into the airport lobby, Joshua pulled out his phone, fingers flying over the keys in a text message. “Hey Y/N, I’m home...” He paused, thoughts whirling in his head, thumb hovering over the send button.

“Shua!”

Joshua glanced up to see the members standing a few steps before him, all of them adorning confused, exhausted expressions, some annoyed, some indifferent to his aloofness.

He quickly tucked his phone back into his back pocket, taking quick strides to reach the other boys.

“Hey man, you okay?” Mingyu muttered under his breath as Joshua caught up to him.

“I’m fine,” he responded nonchalantly, walking closer to Jeonghan in an attempt to distance himself from the other members. Jeonghan slung an arm around Joshua, trying to comfort him in any way possible. “I’m fine,” Joshua repeated firmly.

The car ride to the dorms was silent, only the softness of snores and intakes of breath could be heard in the van. Most of the members were either sleeping or keeping to themselves after the long and exhausting Asia SEVENTEEN tour. Joshua felt immense guilt and blame for the breakup; he blamed himself, essentially, for abandoning you and for choosing his career over you. 

Now, as he looked out of the rain splattered window, Joshua understood the suffocation you felt when he was gone. The guilt gripped at his heart, making it harder for him to breathe. 

By the time they had all arrived back in the dorms it was already evening, the sky turning a beautiful swirl of pink cotton candy clouds and blue gray.

Pink represented his love for you, ever so light and present, fluffy wisps drifting into nothingness. 

Gray represented his sadness, his anger for you. He could never bring himself to hate you though, Joshua knew that you must have had a reason.

So he waits. Waits for you to come back to him, to explain to him.

[kanene-yaaay-o-retorno]

The boy on the farthest table

Kanene’s Notes:

So, I’ve been reading all the fluff content with Dadzawa I could find and I am very surprised I didn’t manage to stumble in a Dadzawa running a Cat Café so I thought ‘h e y’ why don’t I make it??? SO here we are!!

Warnings, fun facts, random things and stuff:

* That fanfic has Dadzawa and Yamadad and their relatonship can be seen as romantic, if you wish.

* This happens in the same universe as This Fanfic Here and you can also find it on AO3.

* No warnings this time!! Only fluff and a bit of hurt/comfort.

* This characters do not belongs to me. They all belongs to the amazing the manga/anime Boku no Hero.

* Something around 2.500 words. -w-)b.

* Sorry for any spelling, pontuation and grammar mistakes! Any advice is very very welcome!

* Tô com preguiça de postar a versão em português brasileiro aaaa! Thankys for reading, my lollipops! Eat a delicious snack, sleep a bit, take care and drink water and sleep well! Byeioo!~

                         [~*~]

Aizawa doesn’t really care about his clients more than the strictly necessary amount. He arrived where he is because of the cats and the coffee. If people paid more because he decided to mix both together and open a business with that premise than better for him.

 So, yes. Aizawa doesn’t care at all about his clients. Neither held any favorites above the others, don’t matter what Yamada tried to imply with his ‘discrete’ smug eyes and knowing grin as, for the second time today, the black haired worker narrowed his eyes at the boy sitting on the farthest table, lost in his deep thoughts as he stared intently at his notebook just like he has been doing for the past two hours, lazy scribbles fulfilling the lines in a tired, yet determined attempt to keep going.

 The owner of the Cat Café didn’t really care about what his clients did as long it didn’t annoy his cats or him.

 However, that doesn’t mean he kept himself completely oblivious of what happened at his establishment nor the persons who attended there.

Perhaps he wasn’t the most enthusiastic worker there – that is why him and Hizashi had an unspoken agreement that he would stay firm on his place making drinks and serving pastries, sometimes scaring some insufferable clients away, while the louder, social friend would focus in talking and getting the orders, – but he knew enough to not be a bad one.

 He knew that the girl with yellow bright eyes and nuts and bolts shining in between her curls liked strawberry muffins, tended to not be able to stand still for much time, and visited on Fridays, so he always kept one baked sweet hidden for her on these days.

 Just like he always recognized that tall, skeleton-like adult as soon as his form crossed the door. A client who came especially for the cats and the Jasmin tea, although always sneaked a couple and more glares to the cat-themed cookies, so he made sure to “accidentally” drop one with the donuts he always asked to go for “- a friend! He loves them but is often very busied with work… So, I thought I could try and treat him a bit after everything he already did to me!” And also, who, in the next day, came back to attempt to pay for the free cookie but was, day after day, defeat by Hizashi’s stubbornness and convincing abilities, leading the loyal client to make sure to put a generous tip on the Tip Jar as a revenge, making sure to stare intently at the pouting worker during the whole process.

 Or the young girl with red eyes full of curiosity and a tongue full of questions which him and Yamada took turns to answer, eliciting shy smiles, bright excitement and a glare full of gratitude from her older brother, who used the free time to study while she ate and played with the kittens, sometimes even falling asleep when his two friends – an extremely quiet boy with a gigantic sweet tooth and an electric smiley girl who always convinced the younger one to help her to gather the biggest amount of sleepy cats to nap on the blond teen before he wakes up in the middle of purrs and laughter - accompanied them.

 That being said, Aizawa liked to be informed and, above everything else, was good at getting the information he needed. He mastered the skill of analyzing details and understanding situations others used to ignore, making connections and arriving to conclusions that seemed foreign to others, that is why he continued to cast quick frowns and glances to the boy, doesn’t liking at all how his brain continued to run and turn, seeking for any answer or hints of what happened to him, only to get at nowhere. He was, obviously, just trying to assert the situation, which had nothing to do with the fact that the boy – always shining, always with such a bright smile every time he ordered anything – was alone on this Saturday. A not so rare occasion, since even though the café was a common place for him and his friends to meet – an occurrence impossible to ignore due how full of energy and joy and chaos and energy they all were, - he also seemed very keen to spend hours writing and studying on his own.

 However, there was something different today. Something to do with how quiet, concentrated, calm, lethargic the teenager was acting the whole time, which worrie- no, intrigued him.

 Because Aizawa wasn’t worried. Of course not. That would be illogical and preposterous. He wasn’t anything to the child, not his family, not a friend, not a relative, just the guy who grunted a one-word answer every time the younger tried to make small talk and pretend to not notice him and Hizashi trading cute cat videos and pics during the blonde’s breaks.

 Hell, he didn’t even share more words than the necessary with the green haired boy. The longest interaction they ever had was when the younger one came to him on his first time visiting the place and asked for more cat toys, since all the available ones were already being used. Which maybe or maybe not led to Aizawa leaving his friend to deal alone with the orders while he took his time to show and explain the favorite toys of every cat the green boy pointed.

 Which was, sure, only a revenge on his boisterous coworker since the aforementioned interrupted his morning nap by tripping on him on his way to the kitchen (and yes, it was Yamada’s fault for not looking at where he’s going and obviously not Shouta’s because he decided to ‘JUST FREAKING PASS OUT ON THE FLOOR. HOW WAS I SUPPOSED TO SEE IT?’) and, not content with his actions, decided to lock the other out of his own establishment,  only letting him come back after lunch and, consequently, at least five hours of sleep, leaving him on the care of Nemuri, who proceeded to tease him unmercifully for the whole length of yesterday.

 Consequently, it was only a payback, of course. The gleam on the smaller’s eyes as he took notes on a well worn out notebook and the fact that, on the next Saturday, the boy distributed all the correct toys between his friends and their favorite cats were two completely ignorable things and therefore unrelated with the quick, barely visible smile appearing on the corner of his mouth on the respective day and every time he remembered that occurrence.

 But, when a quiet sniff reached his ears, Aizawa almost felt his neck crack with how quickly he turned on the other’s direction, just in time to see the ending of the teenager’s action of wiping a few tears away. The one who definitely didn’t get enough sleep on his entire life to deal with it sensed his left eye twitch.

 That. Is. It.

 “Shouta…” Hizashi whispered behind the usual smile he plastered for the customer in front of him, nodding while writing down what she said and chipping excitedly for her to just wait a little bit to get her order, deviating his attention to his friend when she moved away to sit in one of the unoccupied tables, both taking the opportunity of having no more customers in the line to held some private words. “Do you want me to go there?” his voice was bathed in worry, because his coworker was emotional like that.

 “No.” And Aizawa didn’t know why he was so fast to answer, however he was already washing his hands, mind running, seeking to remember how other people - besides his friends, who were barely humans, - worked. “You know I hate being the cashier.”

 “Riight.” His way-too-smug-grin was fast to become a snicker when his friend aimed a kick on his shin, which he promptly dodged. “Hey! I didn’t even say anything!”

 “Your thoughts are loud. I will be right back.”

 His eyes were focused on the kid, who now was curled on his chair, chin resting on his knees as his arms firmly hugged his legs, making him look even smaller.

 Aizawa grunted, part of him feeling inclined to just drop an entire gallon of water on his head to successfully wash all his problems way, or maybe shake all the bad, lying thoughts taking over his mind and resulting in a few tears to escape what, on its turn, made a strong feeling of protectiveness, which was immediately ignored, shines on him. But Shouta knew he couldn’t act on any of those two options because it wasn’t “socially acceptable” – nor very useful, but he ignored that part, - and “problems” and “people” tended to be more complicated to help than that.

 The older sighed, kneeling on the spot before the front door where the sun passed through the window and made a perfect warm piece of floor for the big, - extremely big - messy pile of purple fluff lay and nap without a single worry in the world, not even stirring as the customers had to tiptoe around him to get in and out of the establishment.

 Shinsou hissed when Shouta first petted him, although was fast to purr louder than a machine as the human began to scratch behind his ears, going back to his peaceful sleep. He was the most calm, chill and snarky cat he has ever seen. His hobbies consisting on getting on the highest shelves to watch the entire place with a judging, tired glare and napping on people’s laps, especially when they were about to head out, which made his customers to order something else and stay for at least more fifteen minutes, not having the heart to interrupt the purple’s sleep.

 Needless to say, he and Aizawa got along just fine. Even with the animal’s habit of climbing him to nap on his shoulders and teaching the younger kittens to do the same thing, knowing very well the one with dark hair would never have the heart to put them away, the human knew he sustained a soft spot for him.

 Nemuri and Yamada liked to tease him, affirming that Shinsou was his cat form and Shouta would never admit he agreed with them.

 He also ignored the implications of that when he remembered Shinsou was one of the green haired bag of energy favorites.

 “I have a mission for you.” It was the only mumbled warning the cat had before being carefully scoped on the human’s arms, melting on the embrace, hissing, yawning and then proceeding to melt even further. Shouta huffed, amused.

 ‘Brat.’

 Another signal that the teenager was much more trapped in his mind than the normal was the fact he didn’t realize the adult coming closer, nearly jumping three feet in the air as Aizawa’s command hit him.

 “Sit correctly.”

 The teenager yelped, looking at him, at himself and then at him again, a strong shade of an ashamed red taking over his features. “O-o-of course, sir! I am sorry!” He bowed, putting his feet on the ground and straightening his back, a slight tremble on his movements making the adult frown.

 “Don’t think too much about this.” And before any protest could come out of the other’s mouth, Aizawa laid Shinsou on his legs, leading the boy to freeze completely, eyes locked on the cat, who just blinked lazily at him and started to knead his thighs, low, rumbling purrs escaping, demanding the new human as worthy.

 A barely suppressed squeal flew from the younger, who already seemed ready to cry again, although for different reasons.

 The cat café’s owner hid his amused smile by catching a kitten who approached with curiosity, petting him and proceeding to flop him on the soft, green curls. Ojiro meowed, purring and immediately attempting to eat his new environment.

 “I…” His wide, wobbly smile increased further as Shinsou butted his head on the teenager’s palm, his voice, a whisper, lapsing for a beat. “I love them.”

 There was no way for the adult to hide his snort at his words, but the Problem Child seemed unfazed with his reaction, turning to him with shiny eyes and smile.

 “Thank you so much, sir!”

 After a nod, Aizawa turned away and came back to his spot behind the counter. And if talking and taking orders when Hizashi uses part of his break to “discreetly” take a few pictures of a beaming boy smiling to the camera and pointing the cats on him to send to him later, is much more bearable than before? It has absolutely nothing to do with the young figure on the farthest table sporadically giggling as he plays with an Ojiro who is fiercely convinced he can win the battle against the red laser.

 […]

 “Excuse me, Yamada-san. I’m sorry, but my order was 476 yens and you only charged me 200.” Aizawa knew the boy was going to lose the fight the moment Hizashi only grinned and locked the cashier, completely ignoring the two pieces of paper on the other’s hand.

 “Don’t worry about it, little listener! Don’t worry! Take this as a thank you for letting Shinsou and Ojiro sleep on you for one hour, okay?”

 “B-but sir! It was no problem at all!” The way he moved to prove his point made Aizawa picture a small, energetic bunny. “I really like them and I was going to stay here longer anyway!”

 “Now, now, young boy.” Hizashi pointed a finger at him, trying and failing miserably to see or sound at least a tad chastising. “Refusing a ‘thank you’ is a serious offense, I wonder if I will need to give you a free blueberry muffin to go because of that…”

 “No!” Aizawa huffed, turning away from them and heading to the tables, taking the opportunity of how low the business was to clean and prepare them for the next customers, stopping right on his tracks, mid step as a wide, pleading glare found his. “Aizawa-san,” he shook the 276 yens at his direction, puppy eyes staring right on his soul, “please.”

 The dark-haired one scoffed, looking away from the powerful graze. “Don’t bring me into this. Fight your own battles, problem child.”

 Hizashi laughed at the pout he received in response, having pity on the loyal customer. “Okay, okay. I give. You can pay for this.” Aizawa glared at him, one eyebrow up in a non convinced expression. His friend winked, big grins as the younger turned to him, much more smiley. “With a hug.”

 Problem child seemed surprised, especially when the flamboyant employee jumped across the counter and stopped in front of him, arms open in an invitation. “Only if you’re comfortable, of course.” His voice was softer. “I can always accept 100 yens if you really want me to, little listener.”

 He didn’t understand the magic thing his friend always managed to do. The way he succeeded to dance around someone’s barriers, finding openings and walking through them, asking no permission to get closer yet always attentive when to stop and retreat or to talk about every or anything. The same magic he showed when they were teenagers.

 Tsuyu meowed and Aizawa kneeled down to give her attention for as long as the embrace lasted, pretending to not notice the two hugging behind him, the taller lightly swaying them while the younger relaxed, melting on the touch.

 A few seconds later the anxious bunny was bowing, thanking them and getting out with a gleam on his face, hugging happily the notebook next to his chest and petting Cloud before going away. Shouta came back to his spot, Yamada followed and the green hair disappeared on the corner.

 “We’re not adopting the Problem Child.”

 “But he already even has a nickname! Shoutaaa, it’s meant to be! And you’re already soft for him as well, don’t deny it.”

 He scoffed. “Shut up. You try to say no to those fucking puppy eyes next time.”

 “You fought well,” Hizashi patted his shoulder, his own gaze getting a dangerous, gleaming light. “Dadzawa.”

 The rarefied clients distributed across the café jumped when, between laughter and dramatics cries of pain, the blonde fell on the ground, a half pleased, half evil smile presenting itself on the shorter’s face in a flash before his impassive expression took over and he calmly continued with his usual chores, pointedly ignoring the ‘It was so worthy it’ snickered by his friend, still laid on the floor.

[apenapaperandadoofus]

Hey idk if I've already sent this but how would V, jumin and zen react when mc is on her period and gets angry very very easily (you accidentally bump into her? Well now you're dead) and then mc gets very sad because she got angry at them and starts crying (I'm like this when I'm on my period and no one comes near me lol it sucks) it's fine it you don't want to do it but if you decide to do it then thank you so much 😊😊😊

OOF GIRL SAME I-

Also imma try a new format hope y’all like it

Zen, Jumin and V reacting to an MC who gets super emotional on her period:

Zen:

So this poor fella has no idea that you’re on your period, and that day, when he came come, he found some delicious candies on the table. He thought, oh well, why not eat one? They look absolutely delicious. Biggest mistake of his life. You came in the kitchen, just in time to find your boyfriend munching on your delicious candies.

THE AUDACITY OF THIS MAN.

You glared at him and Zen immediately froze, midway through the candy. Before Zen could defend himself you very angrily asked him WHY did he eat YOUR candy??? Did he buy it? No??? Then WHY WAS HE EATING IT!

You had been saving that candy since the morning, and after a stressful day decided to eat it while you watched your comfort movies and series that you always binged when you were in your period. It made you so mad that he had taken a bit of candy, and he realized. Zen tried to apologize, over and over but you wouldn’t hear it.

You huffed and quickly ran to your room, banging closed the door.

And that’s when Zen realized, he fucked up.

After a few minutes Zen gently knocked on the door, and you replied with a sort of rude “what.”

“Y/N...I’m sorry I ate your candy without permission. I know how much you love them and to eat them without asking was terrible for me to do. Would you forgive me if I went and bought you some more? And how about I add a snuggle session for later hm? Would that make you happy babe?”

It went quiet. Slowly, you opened the bedroom door and tackled Zen in a big hug. “IM SORRY!” You cried. “I’m just on my period and I’m so emotional today and I just got really mad for no reason, Zenny you’re allowed to eat how many candies you want I’m sorry!”

Zen chuckled and held you tight, telling you it was alright. The rest of the afternoon, the two of you watched TV and ate some of your favorite food, cuddling and giving each other kisses.

Jumin:

He was so busy with work!!!!

You knew that you shouldn’t get mad about something like that, but you couldn’t help but feel neglected! That afternoon you and Jumin were supposed to eat together and watch some movies, Jumin had taken the day off just for that, because you told him he needed to rest. Yet...there he was, locked in his office, on the phone with his coworkers and documents piled up in his desk.

For about the fifth time that day, you gently knocked on Jumin’s door and brought him some food. You were both supposed to be eating together, but that was two hours and a half ago. He must’ve been hungry and you weren’t in the mood for a romantic dinner anymore. Jumin looked up as you placed the plate on his desk, and he grabbed your hand and kissed it, as a thank you.

“I will be done soon, my love.” He whispered, but you knew that he would probably be busy the rest of the day. You shook your head and tried to smile, telling him it was fine.

It also didn’t help that you were in your period. You tried to leave as quick as possible because you didn’t want to be mad at this perfection of a man. It wasn’t his fault and he was doing his best! Yet you still felt way too emotional and you couldn’t help but...feel a bit angry. It was mostly because you knew he was overworking himself, and you felt like he was ignoring your concerns for him...

You went to your bed and laid there, under the mattresses and didn’t come out until you hear a silent knock on the door. “My love..?” Jumin asked, as he went into the room. Slowly you sat up on the bed and Jumin looked at you with guilt all over his face. “I’m so sorry.” He said, after a few minutes of silence. You slowly opened your mouth to tell him that it was alright. You were just worried. But all that came out of your mouth was a pound sob and before you could realize it, tears were streaming down your face. Jumin quickly walked over to you and gave you a hug, and you tightened your grip on him while you sobbed.

“I’m, I’m sorry” you cried. “I just- why are they such assholes, I- you never get to r-rest, and I want to spent t-time with you, but they just w-want you all for themselves, and today w-was supposed to be OUR day, but y-you had to work again, and you al-always d-do you beeeeest”

“Love-”

“AND I, dont w-want to be ungrateful or anything b-because you’re doing so m-much but I don’t want you t-to suddenly collapse because of overworking y-yourself and you d-don’t listen to me, Jumin I don’t want to end up a widow because y-you die from overwork you know?! And I-it’s not fair you ignore me g-getting worried, WAHHHHH I LOVE YOU SO MUCH.”

After a few minutes of sobbing, you finally calmed down and wiped your eyes. “I’m sorry Jumin. I know this is not the best way to express myself...but in my defense my hormones are going a bit crazy right now because of my period...”

“You’re on your period?” He asked, and you nodded. Say no more. Jumin immediatly took a whole week off and spent the rest of the time cooking for you, buying you crazy amounts of chocolates, hugging you and kissing you. He knew you were just worried for him and he got why you would be a bit mad because he’s not taking care of himself, after all, he’s the same with you.

The rest of the time you both cuddled and kissed each other, watching your favorite movies and laying in bed till noon.

V:

It had all happened in a flash. But V accidentally threw your chocolate cake on the floor. Your chocolate cake.

YOUR CHOCOLATE CAKE

You immediately gave a yelp and cried, and maybe also yelling at V a bit.

You were in your period, and right now the only thing that could make you feel better was a slice of chocolate cake. But V didn’t make that possible. As soon as you screamed at V “HEY V WHAT THE HELL” and he flinched you immediately feel bad.

V knelt on the floor beside you and tried to pick up the pieces of chocolate cake that he thought maybe you could save.

“I’m sorry Y/N.” He said, guiltily. You shook your head and tried not to cry.

“No V don’t apologize...gravity isn’t your fault, and I wasn’t watching my step. Sorry for getting mad.”

“But..I still bumped into you. Sorry.”

“V nO - I JUST SAID IT WASNT YOUR FAULT

“IM SORRYYY”

I’m just kidding lmao

After a thousand apologies, you hugged V and told him that he could make it up by helping you cook some more chocolate cake. That immediatly brightened both of your moods, and you spent the afternoon baking some delicious cake, and cookies, and cupcakes, and more cookies, and making tons and tons of sweet snacks (like torta chilena UFFF ITS DELICIOUS)

V was immediatly pardoned, and honestly who could stay mad at him for that long? You gave him a little peck on the nose and told him that everything was fine and that you were happy. Then you both went out to your little patio and ate your food while watching a beautiful sunset.

[jaehotbuns]

do you love me

rating: pg

word count: 4864

characters: you x renjun

genre: waiter!renjun, pure fluff (´｡• ᵕ •｡`) ♡

song recommendation: do you love me - stephanie poetri

summary: you pick petals off of a flower to try and figure out if the cute waiter at the sushi restaurant next door feels the same way that you feel about him. you stop when he comes to see you on break at the boba shop, answering the question for you.

“What is that?” Your coworker Taeil asked while washing the dishes that piled up from the afternoon rush that you two just cleared. What better refresher was there than a sugary cup of iced bubble tea on a hot midsummer day? He was referring to the daisy in your hand. It had a large green stem until you cut it close to the bud so that you could sit and pick off its petals.

“Trying to answer a question,” you said, plucking off another spongy white petal and letting it dramatically fall down onto the glass table that was in front of the tea bar. Every petal that you picked, you would say in your head like a middle schooler, “he loves me… He loves me not.”

Taeil laughed as he continued to thoroughly wash the measuring cups and drink shakers like the responsible employee that he was. His eyes occasionally looked up from rinsing the dish bubbles off the utensils to see you sigh every now and then as the number of petals decreased. “Are you trying to figure out if Renjun likes you?”

Your head shot up from your lethargy and mopping, which was half attributed to your mind being dominated with thoughts of the waiter that worked at the sushi bar next to your bubble tea shop and half because you kept messing up drinks during the rush because you could only think about him. Your neck twisted in the direction of Taeil, and you scowled at the smug expression on his face. You knew that expression all too well, it screamed “see, I know I’m right.” To rub it in your face he actually said it although your lack of response already gave him the answer, “I know you too well huh?”

You dropped the flower onto the table and collapsed dramatically against the bright orange sofa that you were sitting on. “There’s approximately 30 to 54 petals on a daisy but I didn’t bother counting the one that I picked,” you sighed. “Do you think there’s a chance that he likes me?”

Without looking at him as your head was rested on the top of the sofa and you were staring straight at the hanging lights which was intended to resemble tapioca pearls but actually ended up looking like fish eggs since they were orange to match the store’s signature colour, you knew he was finished washing the dishes when you heard the squeak of the faucet turning. You could already tell he was drying his hands to walk over from behind the bar to sit next to you.

The store was empty after the rush, leaving only you and Taeil. The bright orange and teal decor, bright lights, and repetitive top 100 pop hits were a deterrent to most customers which made your workplace a takeout shop essentially so you didn’t understand why Huang Renjun always stayed here for an hour with only his phone and a jasmine green tea, 50% sugar, and grass jelly. He recently started to order the roasted hojicha blended iced latte because you recommended it but that’s besides the point, why would he come to this dump?

“Of course he likes you,” Taeil said in a reassuring voice as he plopped down on the sofa next to you. He groaned as his leg got caught in the hanging wire decoration that kids always liked to play in and tangle that you’d always have to ask them nicely not to because their parents didn’t bother. “I wouldn’t even drink the tea here, so why would he?”

“Bad taste buds?” You replied to his rhetorical question which was met by him rolling his eyes.

“No,” Taeil said while pointing his index finger at you once you sat up from your odd position to match his posture. “He usually comes in when you’re working anyways,” he stretched his back and his limbs until he looked like a starfish. “I don’t really see him whenever you’re not around.”

You leaned onto the glass table in front of you two to begin questioning Taeil to clear your doubts. “But I’m the newest employee and he was already a regular before I started here.” He must’ve come for the tea and he was already well-liked by the other employees at the boba shop for being bubbly and polite, and ridiculously cute.

Taeil placed his hands onto the back of his head and curled his back into the fold of the two sofa cushions. “Yeah but he always came in like once a week and would drink while scrolling through his phone,” he nodded and was satisfied with his reasoning. “Now he orders some for his coworkers because he wants another reason to talk to you, cash girl.”

You were still not convinced, but little did you know that Taeil was right.

Another petal was plucked from the daisy as you started the ritual again while reminiscing the first time you met him. “He loves me…”

To commemorate a new employee aboard the “boba crew” your manager called it, which made you cringe although you kept it to yourself because you wanted to keep your job, the owners decided to treat all of the employees to a nice company dinner. And by a nice company dinner they meant eating with the owner, manager, and eight old employees at the next door cheap all you can eat sushi place. You’ve been there before and it was good sushi, but they were definitely making it more grandiose than it actually was.

They said to meet in front of the shop at 5pm, which was too early for dinner but the 5-6 window was cheaper than 6pm onwards because that was usually when people came for dinner. As you were the first person there despite being the purpose of the dinner, they asked you through the group chat to get a nice table by the window even though 5pm was when they opened for dinner and no customer was there yet.

You already knew how bad, unprofessional, and disorganized the management was but you sucked it up because your friend Jeno referred you after he quit to go abroad and you were already mutual friends with some of the staff. So you sucked it up and decided to get a table and sit in the empty sushi restaurant until the other employees came.

As soon as you opened the door to the familiar Japanese restaurant with green and blue decor, you were greeted with shouting from a young boy that was hurriedly setting out dishes on freshly wiped wooden tables. “Chenle, you were supposed to be here ten minutes ago. How long does it take to buy us two chocolate croissants!” He must’ve been anticipating another employee as he was shouting at you with his back turned.

Of course Renjun didn’t expect you to be there, looking pretty with a plain black turtleneck, a light beige houndstooth print blazer, black jeans, and simple accessories and light makeup. No one ever came right at the opening and the restaurant’s seats only started to fill up at the 5:30 minute mark.

Having worked there ever since he was 15 as it was his family’s business, Renjun knew when the French bakery across the street started putting their pastries on sale so they didn’t waste it before closing. So he sent Chenle to fetch their favourite, chocolate nutella croissants, before they opened so they could enjoy it on their break. He usually ate sushi at the back of the kitchen while watching whatever Chinese soap opera Chenle played but he’d occasionally grab a drink at the bubble tea shop next door for a lighter meal.

You tried to suppress your laughter and stood there awkwardly as he still didn’t turn around to acknowledge you, “sorry are you not open yet?”

Renjun froze midway from placing the last pair of chopsticks on the table he had to set as he heard your sweet voice. He didn’t know how he could face a customer after yelling at them for taking too long to buy chocolate croissants. When he turned around, face and ears flushed red with embarrassment, he was saved by Chenle who came in with a white paper bag which was overflowing with French pastries. “Oh welcome, why don’t you have a seat. Wherever’s fine,” Chenle said after setting down the pastries on a nearby table and giving you a set of menus after you told him your reservation.

Although Renjun was cursing at Chenle in his head for being late and making him yell at you, he was also thanking him because he would’ve been a bumbling mess when he saw the pretty customer smiling at his dumb mistake. Once Chenle went to the back to put away the snacks and you were scanning the menu, Renjun rushed to the back and slapped Chenle’s shoulder which caused the poor boy to jump. “Hey! What was that for?” Chenle pouted while rubbing the spot where Renjun smacked him. “I got us some macarons too because the lady said they didn’t sell much today,” he grinned.

On a normal day Renjun would be high-fiving him and saying, “nice!” But today, he was horrified and too shy to talk to you although he really wanted to serve you. He could’ve let Chenle serve your table but he was curious about you. “I just yelled at her because I thought she was you!”

As Chenle tied a knot behind his back to secure his apron he tilted his head to the side, “what did you say to her?”

Renjun paraphrased quickly as too many thoughts were rushing through his head, “something like ‘why are you taking so long with my chocolate croissants Chenle?!” He was gesticulating wildly.

Unbeknownst to you as you texted your coworkers on how long they were going to take to arrive, you heard the sharp noise of high pitched laughter behind the curtain that separated the sushi bar and serving area. You suppress a laugh with your hand as Chenle’s laugh was contagious and very loud.

Knowing how loud and identifiable Chenle’s laugh was, Renjun placed his index finger on his lips and shushed him aggressively. “You want me to take care of her table then?” Chenle asked, as both of them were now ready to serve as the sushi chefs and hostess began to take their positions.

“No!” Renjun whisper-shouted.

Chenle giggled and elbowed Renjun’s side to further make fun of him, “why? Is it because she’s pretty?” Renjun’s face scrunched up, refusing to admit it and not wanting to deny it either because he knew Chenle was tease back saying, “oh so you’re saying she’s not pretty,” if he did.

“I’m taking her drink order,” Renjun huffed as he grabbed a pen and a notepad from a nearby desk and stomped out from behind the curtain. When he walked out into the dining area, satisfaction spread as he saw who you were sitting with. Everyone at the boba shop had arrived and was also looking at the menu, deciding how much sushi they wanted to order just in case they ordered too much and had to hide it in their bags to avoid paying the leftovers fee. If you were a worker, he could see you often and you weren’t just another customer who comes and goes.

Taking a deep breath to prepare him mentally to not mess up and stammer in front of you, he walked over to the only table that was full in the restaurant and held his pen and paper in position. “Hello, my name is Renjun and I’ll be your server today. Can I get you started with some drinks?” His breath caught in his throat when your eyes looked directly into his and smiled. He averted his eyes, pretending to listen to Taeil order drinks and writing down what he wanted to avoid your gaze.

Everyone was ordering cocktails until your manager suggested that they get you a bottle of sake to share as a new employee. Really they were just being nice to reel you in considering how many bad employee reviews there were and how many people quit on them. “Sure,” you nodded and Renjun instantly took it down. When the manager said your name he smiled, another thing I know about her he thought.

Once Renjun went to the back to prepare the drinks, you smiled to yourself as your other employees were talking about how to increase their bad sales compared to the bubble tea chain directly across the street. You liked the way he held his head down and silently moved his lips to himself as he walked to the back, the way he looked up in surprise and froze when he first looked at you, and when his adam’s apple moved slightly when you made eye contact with him.

When all of the employees finished eating their fill to the point of popping the buttons and zippers on their pants because they wanted to take advantage of the all you can eat system and stuff themselves with sashimi, you called Renjun over to get the bill. The manager drunkenly took it out of Renjun’s hands and handed it to the owner to pay. You looked around all of your coworkers and realized they drank more than you did although it was to welcome the new employee. They all had at least 3 shots of sake and 3 cocktails while you had a shot and one very fruity and light cocktail.

Renjun came over one last time to give back the customer’s receipt and little complementary guava candies before waiting to apologize to you. While the other employees stumbled out of the restaurant, which Renjun tried to ignore although he found it odd that they were already shit-faced at barely 7pm, you were the last one to get out of your seat to leave.

“Hey,” he said softly which caused you to turn around before you could make it out. “I’m sorry for yelling at you earlier, I thought you were someone else,” he apologized while scratching the back of his neck with one hand and another fiddling with the apron’s knot at his back.

You shook your head gently and waved both of your hands in front of you to reassure him, “no it’s okay.” Before you left you jokingly told him one last thing, “if you still feel bad about it how about a chocolate croissant? I work next door at Bobabee.”

Renjun was overjoyed because now he has an excuse to come and see you without being creepy. He also liked the fact that you were unaware that he was already a regular. Throughout his shift that night, he was excited for your blooming relationship.

“He loves me not,” you sighed again for who knows how many times before plucking off another couple of petals. There was only a quarter of petals left now that Taeil was back behind the bar and making drinks as it was time for your break and you were to cover him after your 30 minutes was up. You hoped that the customers weren’t weirded out by an employee ruining a perfectly beautiful white daisy but if their poor quality and cheap drinks didn’t deter them then nothing would.

In your heart, you had a feeling that Renjun liked you. Taeil did list the reasons that you also thought to yourself that he liked you; he always came in on your shifts, he talked to you the most even if it was simple small talk and getting to know each other, and whenever you came to eat at the sushi place he served your table. But for all that you knew he could’ve been looking for a platonic friend around his age.

Much to your surprise, there he was. When you looked up you saw Renjun still in his employee uniform, a black shirt with a blue short-sleeved kimono on top, black sweats, but missing his apron. He looked hesitant to join the line that was forming once he saw Taeil taking orders and making drinks but his face lit up when he saw you scrambling to shove something into your jean pocket. He walked over to you while you tried to be nonchalant despite thinking about him throughout the duration of your break.

“Hey!” He smiled brightly as he took a seat on the sofa next to you. “On break?” He asked, jutting his head towards Taeil who was calming checking out each customer.

“Yeah,” you said, still flustered at his unprecedented visit. “You are too?” You glanced at your phone’s time and saw that it was 4:45pm and silently cursed at yourself because the restaurant was closed to prepare for dinner service so he didn’t even go on shift yet.

Renjun shook his head, “just thought I should grab a drink before work.” He never did that, you thought. He always came on his break or to bring a drink home after work but you shook it off. In actuality, he wanted to ask you out before work on a date so that during his shift he would be too busy to be excited about your acceptance or sad from your rejection.

You placed your hand on your cheek and used your elbow to support your head as it pressed against the smooth glass surface of the table. “I could go for some sushi right now,” you sighed as you had to close by yourself tonight as another coworker called in sick.

“Why don’t you go after your shift?” Renjun asked. You told him that you would only go to the restaurant occasionally whenever you were finished shopping with your friends or family since it was located downtown but once you two were more acquainted with each other, you both went to your workplaces more often. Your more frequent visits gave him hope that you also had feelings for him. “I sneak you some free tempura, I know that’s your favourite,” he nudged you lightly to try and convince you to come.

You pouted at how you had to reject such a cute proposal from Renjun and on top of that free food too, “I have to close by myself tonight.” Your bubble tea shop closed at 11, which was way too late in your opinion because who in their right mind wants boba at 11, and his sushi shop closed at the same time. Both of you would also have to spend at least 30 minutes washing dishes and cleaning the tables and floors.

Renjun’s shoulders sank slightly. You were his favourite customer because you always came with your friends and both of your exchanges were always overly polite like too many thank you’s and no problem’s and when he turned around your friends would tease you about it. He also liked the ego boost when your friends would try and whisper their acknowledgement of your taste in men by saying, “oh you’re right he is cute.” But his favourite comment that he heard from your table was, “hey you’d make a good couple.”

He still remembers the first time you came to the restaurant with your friends.

“There’s a cute regular that works here,” you told your friends before entering the door and waiting for the hostess to finish with the guests in front of you.

“Is that why you wanted to go here?” Sooyoung asked while smiling up to her cheeks and elbowing the side of your arm as she was excited to see her friend’s love life bloom after being dead for who knows how long.

There were at least 3 all you can eat sushi restaurants that you could think of that were suggested in your group chat of where to go before you went shopping but you turned those done with excuses like, “let’s go to the cheapest.” Your friends all agreed with no idea of your intentions to see Renjun until you told them at the door. For all you knew he could’ve come in for the night shift or was taking a break today.

When you were seated by the hostess, you all sat down with you closest to the inside of the booth. The first waiter that took your drink order was aloof and walked quickly away to get your waters. “Is that him?” Yeji asked after he left.

You shook your head after he came back and set the clear cups of water onto your table. When it came time to order the food, there he was. Huang Renjun with his typical posture when taking orders, pen already in one hand pressed to the notepad in the other. When he looked up to see who was talking his face instantly brightened up at seeing your appearance.

You were dressed more casual compared to the dinner and you obviously looked more like yourself out of your uniform, although the black t-shirt with the mascot patch on your arm also made you look cute. “Oh, it’s you,” he smiled and gave a little wave before continuing to take your friend’s orders.

He turned around to send the ticket to the sushi bar while trying to suppress the large smile on his face. “Ohhh, she’s got herself a cute,” your friends teased as you leaned against the booth embarrassed yet happy that he acknowledged you. “He’s not bad,” Yuna laughed, all of you were excited to watch the cute waiter bring out your food with a unchanging smile on his face.

“Thank you,” you were the only one to say it whenever he came around to serve your food.

“No problem,” he’d reply back, look into your eyes, and then return to the back.

“Oh you too are flirting!” Yeji exclaimed while squeezing her hands into fists at how cute she found the two of you.

“We’re just being polite!” You tried to defend yourself although it was heart fluttering that he only replied to you.

To your disappointment, another waiter brought out the bill when you all finished eating. When you all finished paying and were about to head on with your day, he made sure to catch you before you left as he was checking himself out in the washroom’s mirror to make sure he didn’t look bad from running around the restaurant all morning. He barely caught you out the door but luckily you were sitting inside the booth and had to drag your bag out of the corner. “Are you working today?” He asked which made you turn around like the first time you met.

“No, I have a day off,” you smiled at how he made sure to say one last thing to you before you left. He was disappointed, that meant he couldn’t see you on your break.

“Oh, have fun on your day off!” He waved so that you could catch up to your friends who were already at the door but watching you as you weren’t with them but with the cute regular.

“Have fun at work,” you laughed and he laughed back. That was what he said to you when you first served him.

After you left, even without hearing it, Renjun could see that your friends were squealing at your interaction and he smiled to himself. He must’ve known that you felt the same way too.

“Should I order a drink though?” Renjun asked as despite Taeil being a pro at working by himself at a steady pace, he didn’t want to add to the orders he had.

You knew he was referring to the line of three customers in front of the till while Taeil was mixing drinks for those who already ordered. “You could wait until I’m off break,” you said as it would take that amount of time for Taeil to clear the line and for the customers to die down.

Renjun nodded at your proposal as now he could talk to you even longer as he could order and have a conversation while you made his drink. “You always make the best drinks,” he said. He didn’t say that just because he liked you, for some reason your drinks had the right amount of sweetness despite everyone using the same recipe.

“Is that the only reason why you keep coming on my shifts?” You asked to tease him but also to find out if he came to see you or if you really just made drinks to his preference. Everyone makes the drinks according to the same recipe but when you asked for your usual order of matcha with 50% sugar, tapioca, grass jelly, light ice, on your day off Taeil made it taste completely different than how you did.

Renjun suppressed the blush as if he could control the blood rush to his cheeks, but he tried to shrug it off. “No, to see my favourite employee too.” He looked at your reaction and was satisfied when your lips curled into a small smile.

Both of you reminisce about the time when he first came in after the chocolate croissant fiasco.

“Hello!” You greeted the customer when the door opened to see the cute boy from the sushi restaurant that yelled at you because he mistook you for his coworker who came in with a big bag of pastries. “Oh you actually came!” You were happy to see him. At that time you simply thought he was attractive and cute because of his mistake, so you didn’t know that one day you’d fall in love with him.

He was in a simple dark grey t-shirt which he tucked into his light beige capri pants that was secured by a sleek black belt with gold detailing. He must’ve been going to work for the night shift again as it was nearing 5pm. “Here for an apology,” he said as he handed you a single box. You checked the contents and saw a dainty strawberry cake. You visited the French bakery before and this cake was 3x the price of the infamous chocolate croissant.

“I can’t take this!” You said, trying to give it back to him but he shook his head and moved his hands to behind his back so you couldn’t shove it in his hands.

“How about a discount?” He joked. You agreed which was against company policy but the cake was worth it. You could only give the discount to yourself, immediate family members, or significant others which is funny because you both didn’t know that you were going to be that one day.

“Your name for the order?” You asked after taking his order and payment.

“Renjun,” he said. You smiled, now both of you knew each other's names.

When your break was over, Taeil plopped onto the coach you were on and began reading the daily news on his phone like the quarter aged grandpa that he was. Luckily, the customers took their drinks for takeout and no one else came in. “Are you going to order watermelon or hojicha this time?” You asked once you were behind the bar and at the till with Renjun facing you.

“I don’t know...  How about a special drink?” He asked, mustering the courage to ask you on a date now that Taeil had his earphones in and the store was empty.

“Oh! I made a drink a while ago that kinda tasted like the tofu desserts you find in a packet at the grocery store. Do you like those?” He nodded and smiled at your excitement over your very own secret drink creation. Once you asked for the size, toppings, and his payments, you were excited to make the drink while Renjun was shaking in his clothes.

“Hey I was closing tonight too,” he began and you nodded while putting milk and tea into a shaker. “So did you want to grab dinner after work?”

You nearly dropped the shaker while you were mixing the liquids together at the sudden request. You stopped what you were doing and looked up at him with wide eyes. “Like a…” You didn’t have the courage to say date.

“A date… Will you go on a date with me?” He asked, looking into your eyes sincerely. He couldn’t take you to a fancy restaurant since he was working for his family and saving up for tuition. He didn’t have enough time to take you for a long date either because he was either studying or working but he wanted to be more than friends with you and this was the only way he could do that. To take you out to a 24 hour diner down the street.

“Sure,” you smiled and looked down out of embarrassment.

You both didn’t care that you weren’t dressed nicely or prepared beforehand. You were just happy that your feelings were reciprocated.

“I’ll wait in front of the store when you’re done,” he said.

You remembered the daisy scrunched up in your pocket. You picked it up on the way before work and felt apologetic for plucking it when you didn’t have to.

You didn’t need to pluck the last petal to know that; he loves me.