#work was good too- busy and stressful at times but my coworkers were nice and i got off early enough for my bus

[yrbutchgf]

who else is up feeling the ache

[ficsbylexi]

Turbulence of the Heart — One Shot

Leah Williamson x OFC

Shot warnings: cardiopulmonary resuscitation, use of AED, vomiting, mention and mild description of a panic attack, mention of broken bones, mention of physical child abuse and past trauma, cursing, Beth and Jen being little shits

Author’s note(s): yes, a self insert, I told you all I needed this💀. I don’t remember where the fuck are the toilets in STN airport but let’s pretend they’re directly in front of Pret. Why are these very well-payed women flying Ryanair? Because I said so. Can you guess who do I work for? Btw whatever is written in italics is in another language. Also if any of you works as cabin crew, let’s pretend Crew Control are nice, okay? I wanna be delulu for a bit.

Word count: 10.392

Summary: A coffee thrown on a flight attendant leads Leah to spend an entire flight blushing and being teased by her friends with a surprisingly good ending. Set in summer 2024.

Pret was the closest thing to quietness that Leah could find at the always bustling Stansted Airport. There were a couple families, some teenagers on a school trip and the occasional business traveler typing away on a laptop. Leah Williamson, however, stood out in the crowd, tall and striking, but entirely distracted. Her morning just hadn’t gone as planned. She was supposed to wake up early to finish packing for her trip with the girls, have breakfast and be able to take the train to Stansted with plenty of time.

Well she overslept her alarm, so she had to rush through everything and now was waiting to pay for an airport-priced-sandwich and a smoothie. Beth, Viv and Jen were already at the gate but texted her saying that boarding hadn’t even started.

“Next, please”.

She was checking her phone when she stepped forward, too stressed about possibly missing her flight even if Beth had already told her to relax and get breakfast. But the app wasn’t working now and her boarding pass wasn’t loading.

That was when disaster struck.

In her peripheral vision, Leah vaguely noticed someone in front of her—a small woman dressed navy-blue pants and a perfectly ironed white shirt, complete with a signature yellow scarf tucked smartly around her neck. The woman turned around at the same moment Leah took a step forward and shook her phone in frustration.

CRASH.

The iced coffee slipped out of the woman’s grasp, tumbling in slow motion before colliding with her uniform. The cup’s contents—an unholy amount of caramel-drizzled iced coffee—splattered all over the pristine uniform, leaving sticky stains streaked across the yellow and navy fabric.

“Oh my God!” Leah exclaimed, immediately realizing what she’d done. “I am so sorry, I wasn’t looking where I was going!” Her hands flailed awkwardly as she searched for napkins, her panicked expression only amplifying the mess of the situation. The people around stopped in their tracks to stare at the tall panicking girl and the flight attendant.

The flight attendant —Gaia, according to the nametag on the blazer that was folded on top of her suitcase— stood frozen for a second, staring down at her now ruined uniform. Her jaw tightened as she slowly looked up at Leah with a piercing glare that made the footballer feel about three inches tall.

“I— I can buy you another one!” Leah stammered. “Or, or pay for dry cleaning? Anything! I’m so sorry—”

Gaia cut her off with a sharp wave of her hand, her lips pressed into a thin line. Without a word, Gaia stormed off, coffee still dripping from her blouse.

The waitress, wide-eyed from the scene, observed the blonde in front of her. Leah, still in full panic mode, stood frozen for a second before glancing helplessly at the waitress. “I’ll… I’ll clean it up,” she muttered, grabbing napkins and dropping to her knees to wipe up the puddle.

In the cramped bathroom, Gaia shoved open the door, muttering furiously under her breath. Her coworker, Francesca, was already inside, fixing her hair in the mirror. Francesca raised an eyebrow at the state of her friend.

“What the hell happened to you?” Francesca asked in Italian, her voice a mix of curiosity and amusement.

“That stupid tall blonde girl spilled my coffee on me!” Gaia hissed, gesturing angrily to her ruined blouse. She yanked open her suitcase to grab her backup uniform, still ranting. “I mean, who just… walks around like that, not paying attention to anything and waving their arms around like they are the only person at the fucking airport?”

Francesca chuckled, leaning against the counter as she watched Gaia aggressively change. “Sounds like your lucky day,” she teased. “Maybe she was distracted because she found you cute.”

Gaia rolled her eyes dramatically. “Francesca, please”. She stuffed her shirt and pants in a plastic bag and into her suitcase and started dressing, still muttering in Italian. “Thank god I have the skirt with me as well. Can you imagine if I had to work today in coffee stained pants? They get sticky and smelly. I definitely wouldn’t be able to handle that for twelve hours”.

Before Francesca could respond, the sound of a toilet flushing interrupted their conversation. One of the stalls opened, and out stepped tall blonde girl, casually making her way to the sink to wash her hands. They barely looked at her, Francesca too busy putting lipstick on and Gaia fitting her shirt under her tights so it doesn’t move.

“Stupid tall blonde girl, huh?” Alessia said in perfect Italian, her tone amused as she dried her hands. She turned toward Gaia and Francesca, who stopped in their tracks and stared at her unamused, her blue eyes twinkling. “That would be my friend, Leah.”

“You can tell your friend Leah that she should be more careful”.

“Well,” Alessia continued, her cheeks a bit red since the girls clearly didn’t care about her listening into their conversation or that the girl they were criticizing was her friend, leaning as casually as possible against the counter, “I’m sure she didn’t mean to spill coffee on you. Leah’s a bit clumsy when she’s distracted and her morning was a bit hectic. I’ll make sure she apologizes properly.”

Francesca snorts while Gaia raises an unimpressed eyebrow. “Sure, whatever”.

Back at the table, Leah was practically vibrating with nerves when Alessia returned. “Less I fucked up, I threw a coffee on a flight attendant, her coffee. And she looked scary. Did you see her in the toilet? Is she planning to kill me?”

Alessia grinned, her amusement barely contained. “Well, she did call you a stupid tall blonde girl in Italian. Her colleague was there so I heard the whole story while she got changed. She does look intimidating, even in just a shirt and tights”.

Leah groaned, burying her face in her hands. “I’m never coming back here again.”

“To the airport? I mean I guess we could just not fly Ryanair. But relax”, Alessia said, patting Leah’s shoulder. “She’s mostly just pissed because her uniform got ruined. Buy her another coffee and something to eat, and she might forgive you. From what I heard it sounds like she’s got a long day today”.

Leah nodded, springing into action. She bought an extra-large iced coffee to replace the one she spilled, along with a pastry. For good measure, she also bought another coffee and snack for Gaia’s coworker. Balancing the coffees carefully on one hand and the paper bag with pastries on the other, Leah made her way to the entrance, where Gaia and Francesca had just returned from the restroom. Leah winced seeing Gaia in a skirt now and a slightly wrinkled shirt.

“Hi,” Leah said, her voice soft and a little awkward. Gaia looked at her, her expression still icy. “I—uh—got these for you. To make up for the coffee… incident.” She showed the coffees and the bag, which Francesca took without second thought, stepping back nervously.

Gaia eyed the offerings, then looked up at Leah, her gaze softening slightly. “Fine,” she said coolly, though there was a hint of a smirk tugging at the corner of her lips. “You’re forgiven… for now.”

Leah let out a relieved laugh, scratching the back of her neck. “Thanks. I really am sorry. I swear, I didn’t mean to”.

As Leah returned to her seat with Alessia, Francesca leaned over to Gaia, whispering in Italian, “You enjoyed that, didn’t you?”

Gaia rolled her eyes, but the small smile on her face said it all. “Well she is pretty”.

The boarding gate was buzzing with excitement as Leah and Alessia joined their friends Beth, Viv, and Jen. Leah was still flustered after the coffee debacle, and Alessia, ever the instigator, couldn’t resist recounting the entire story to the newly arrived group.

“…and then,” Alessia said between laughs, “Leah panicked, bought another coffee and a pastry for the poor girl, and apologized like five different times. Honestly, you should’ve seen her face—pure guilt.”

Beth burst out laughing, practically doubling over. “Leah Williamson, national hero and captain of England, brought down by a flight attendant. I love it.”

“Yeah, I mean, you should probably avoid any sudden movements on the plane,” Jen teased, a mischievous glint in her eye. “Who knows what kind of revenge she might be plotting.”

“Shut up,” Leah muttered, her face a deep shade of crimson. “I’ve already humiliated myself enough for one day. Also there is no way she just happens to be on our flight”.

“Less did say she had a Ryanair uniform”.

“Beth, ninety percent of the flights from Stansted are Ryanair flights, just look at the screens”.

Leah tried her best to stay calm, but her stomach dropped the moment she saw Gaia and Francesca appear in view. The flight crew—two pilots and four flight attendants—walked briskly toward the gate, their uniforms crisp and their demeanor professional. Gaia, with her serious appearance and sharp posture, led the way.

Alessia immediately nudged Beth, who was already snickering. “There she is,” Alessia whispered conspiratorially, nodding toward Gaia. Leah groaned audibly, but there was no escaping the teasing now, she spoke too soon. Of course the flight attendant that she ruined the uniform of had to be on her flight.

“That’s her?” Jen asked, leaning in with interest. “She looks so composed. Are you sure she wasn’t plotting your demise in that bathroom? Maybe she will do the same to you and claim it was turbulence”.

“Jen!” Leah hissed, mortified. “Can we please move on?”

“Oh no, no, no,” Beth said, smirking. “We’re milking this for all it’s worth.”

By the time they were boarding the plane, Leah had resigned herself to her fate. Alessia, Jen and her were in the first row, with Alessia in 1A, Leah in 1B and Jen in 1C, while Beth and Viv had the seats directly behind them.

Leah thought maybe she could pretend to be interested in whatever was outside and look out of the window if she asked Alessia to swap seats or focus on her phone and text her mother.

Fuck.

Standing at the front of the cabin, Gaia greeted each passenger with a polite smile as they entered the plane. Her professionalism never faltered, not even when her eyes landed on Leah and her group. Leah froze, her cheeks heating up, but Gaia’s smile remained perfectly neutral.

“Welcome aboard,” Gaia said, her tone steady, as Leah awkwardly shuffled past her into her seat.

Once everyone was seated and the doors were closed, the captain’s voice came over the intercom: “Cabin crew, arm slides and crosscheck.” The command was brisk and efficient, and the flight attendants moved with practiced precision. She confirmed with the crew at the back over the interphone and then turned around, facing the passengers.

“Once again dear passengers you are all very welcome on board this Ryanair flight to Tenerife,” Gaia’s voice came over the intercom, calm and composed. “Today in the flight deck you have captain Stefan assisted by senior first officer Lukasz, I will be your Cabin Supervisor and along with my lovely colleagues, Francesca at the back, Alina in the middle and Amanda with me at the front will be taking very good care of you. Our flight time today will be approximately four hours. Please pay attention to the safety demonstration while we point out some of the safety features on this Boeing 737-8200 series aircraft as it is a legal requirement”.

Leah slouched lower in her seat, mortification setting in all over again. “She’s the Cabin Supervisor?” Leah whispered to Alessia, her voice a mix of disbelief and dread. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“How would I know? They didn’t mention anything when she was complaining about you in the toilet”. Alessia replied, barely able to contain her laughter. “But this is just too good.”

“She probably hates me,” Leah muttered, running a hand over her face.

“She probably does,” Jen teased, leaning over with a grin. “I mean, you did ruin her uniform. Are you sure you didn’t accidentally spill that coffee on purpose? You know, to get her attention?”

“Shh,” Leah hissed, glancing toward the front of the plane. But Gaia was focused, making sure the safety demonstration was carried out as it should. Leah admired her professionalism—though it only made her feel guiltier about the earlier incident.

As the plane took off, the teasing subsided, Beth almost falling asleep while cuddling her girlfriend. But Leah couldn’t stop herself from sneaking glances at Gaia, who was seating right in front of her, nodding from time to time to what the younger girl seating next to her was talking animatedly about. Despite her embarrassment, she couldn’t help but notice how effortlessly confident and poised Gaia seemed, how she managed the cabin with precision and grace when securing everything for takeoff.

About fifteen minutes of peace passed by until Francesca came from the rear galley, pushing a trolley with sandwiches, croissants and lasagnas. She stopped at the front galley where Gaia was making herself another coffee and began whispering animatedly, recounting the previous events to Amanda. Francesca’s mischievous grin was impossible to miss, and though her voice was low, Leah could catch bits and pieces of what she was saying. “She was drenched in coffee, fuming, cursing… the tall blonde one… mortified… I bet she’s regretting everything…”

Alessia caught the gist as well, and her face turned bright red with laughter. She leaned toward Leah, whispering, “They’re definitely talking about you. I think Francesca finds this hilarious.”

Leah sank further into her seat, her hands covering her face while an embarrassed blush creeped up from her neck. “Why is this happening to me?”

Jen glanced at them with a smirk. “I mean, you did literally drench their Cabin Supervisor in coffee. Did you expect them to just forget about it?”

Beth and Viv leaned forward to join the conversation. “What’s going on up there?” Beth asked, grinning.

“Oh, nothing,” Alessia said, trying to sound casual but failing miserably. “Just Leah being the topic of conversation for the flight attendants.”

Leah groaned, her head falling back against the seat. “This is my nightmare.”

Francesca and Amanda passed through the cabin aisle with the fresh food service and when Amanda came back, Gaia had already set up the drinks and snacks trolley. After the drinks and snacks service concluded, with Gaia having walked the cabin aisle about seven hundred times, Jen said, Gaia and Amanda moved to the front galley to stow the trolley in place and the restock some items. However, Gaia’s focus was briefly interrupted when Amanda approached her with a pained expression.

“Gaia, my shoes are brand new, and they’re absolutely killing me, do you mind if I go to the back already? I’ll do a quick rubbish on my way”. Amanda said softly, wincing as she leaned against the counter.

Gaia’s expression softened immediately. “Don’t you worry, love. Go take a seat at the back for a bit, and I’ll come down in a minute to check on you. Do you have plasters?”

“No, I finished them yesterday, I did four sectors”.

“I’ll bring you some in a minute”.

Amanda gave her a grateful smile and slipped away toward the rear of the aircraft, a small, white, plastic bag on her hands. Gaia’s shift in demeanor didn’t go unnoticed by Leah, who had been stealing glances toward the galley again since they came back. It was striking how Gaia could switch so effortlessly between firm authority and genuine kindness.

Gaia started writing notes and numbers and checking on her work phone when she was interrupted by a very tall, angry male passenger that stormed to the front of the cabin. Leah’s attention was immediately drawn to the man, whose deep voice carried across the rows.

“Excuse me!” he barked, glaring at Gaia. “Why on earth is there no ice onboard? This is unacceptable!”

Gaia turned to face him with calm professionalism. “I’m sorry, sir, but we don’t have any more ice on this flight. If there’s anything else I can assist you with—”

“I don’t care about your excuses,” the man interrupted, his voice growing louder. By this point at least five rows of passengers were looking at them, some whispering. “This is ridiculous! But why would I be surprised? You’re cheap and disgusting, and your colleagues at the back are dismissive and rude!”.

Leah and Jen immediately stiffened in their seats. Leah’s hand gripped the armrest, ready to stand if things escalated further. Jen leaned slightly forward, clearly considering the same.

Before either of them could move, Gaia’s entire demeanor changed. She stood straighter, her presence somehow larger, and fixed the man with a piercing stare. Her voice, though still calm, carried an edge of authority that sent a chill through the front rows.

“Sir,” she said, her tone sharp but controlled, “you will lower your voice immediately. We do not carry ice on this flight because the previous crew had to use all of it, and no amount of shouting will change that. You are disturbing the other passengers and interfering with the crew’s duties. If you continue, I will have no choice but to involve the captain and, if necessary, have the police waiting for you upon arrival. I will not tolerate this kind of behavior, did I make myself clear?”

The man blinked, clearly taken aback. He opened his mouth as if to argue, but Gaia raised her head ever so slightly, her lips pursing and her eyes widening just enough to send a clear message: Don’t even think about it.

Without another word, the man turned on his heel and stomped back to his seat, muttering under his breath. The tension in the cabin eased instantly, and Leah let out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding.

The girls in the front rows were stunned. Alessia whispered, “She’s terrifying in the best way,” and Jen nodded in agreement.

“Just reminded me of Katie when she gets angry at the ref but without the swearing”. Says Beth with a chuckle.

Leah, however, couldn’t take her eyes off Gaia as the Cabin Supervisor returned to her tasks, her composure unshaken. She couldn’t decide if she was more mortified, impressed, or… something else entirely. For the first time all flight, she wished she had another excuse to talk to Gaia—but she doubted she’d be brave enough to try.

As the aircraft began its descent toward Tenerife after three hours and a half, the atmosphere onboard was calm. Leah had finally started to relax a little, distracted by the gorgeous view of the ocean below as the plane lowered altitude. Alessia was reading a book, Viv was organizing the tour they would take the next day and Beth was chatting quietly with Jen. At the front, Gaia was busy closing the bar for the turnaround, efficiently securing all the items for landing. She moved with practiced ease, her focus unshakable even after a long flight.

But then, out of nowhere, the tall, angry passenger from earlier stood up from his seat three rows behind Leah and Alessia. He looked pale, and his movements were unsteady.

“Ma’am, I don’t feel so good,” he mumbled, swaying slightly.

Before Gaia could react, the man collapsed, his body crumpling to the floor with a heavy thud. The cabin erupted into gasps, and a murmur of concern rippled through the passengers. Leah’s stomach dropped as she froze in her seat at the sight.

Gaia was there in an instant. She pressed the call bell above Leah’s seat three times in rapid succession, a signal to alert the other three crew members that weren’t present. Without hesitation, she dropped to her knees beside the man. Leah could see Gaia’s professionalism kick in as she checked for signs of breathing. Her expression, while calm, was intense, and Leah could feel the tension radiating off her.

“Sir? Can you hear me?” Gaia said firmly, pinching his earlobe. “Fuck, not now”. She mumbled while lowering her body until her ear was next to his face and counting to ten quietly. “Oh god”. she muttered to herself before tilting his head back, opening his airway, and immediately starting chest compressions.

That was other three crew members arrived. “Jesus Christ”. Was all Francesca said before running back to the rear galley.

“Male, around fifty, travels by himself. Came to the front saying he didn’t feel good and collapsed on the floor. Not breathing.” Said Gaia, without stopping.

Alina picked up the interphone, her hands shaking but her voice firm: “Attention, please, attention everyone, we are having a medical emergency. If there is a medically qualified person onboard, please come to the front. I repeat we have an emergency, we need a doctor”. Immediately after, she called the captain. “Guys, this is an emergency briefing, are you ready to receive it?”

Amanda approached Jen, Leah and Alessia. “Could you please move back a couple of rows? Just to give us a bit more space to work,” She asked, gently but firmly.

The girls complied without hesitation, grabbing their belongings, Alessia and Jen sliding into empty seats two rows back, Leah sat on the empty seat next to Beth. Leah couldn’t stop glancing over the seatback, her heart pounding as she watched Gaia work. Alessia, equally tense, clutched Jen’s arm tightly, Beth hid her face in Viv’s neck while her girlfriend rubbed her back with her eyes closed. Meanwhile, no passenger stood up for the medical emergency, after talking to the captain, Alina repeated the announcement in english and broken Spanish, but still, nobody stood up. They were alone in this.

Francesca came back running, and started setting up the AED right next to Gaia and preparing the man. She had to cut through his clothes, shave and dry his sweaty chest. The coordination between her and Gaia was impressive, keeping in mind Gaia’s sole focus seemed to be on giving chest compressions. “Ready, clear!”. Francesca placed the pads on the man’s chest and took Gaia’s hands from the man, her breathing was ragged. “Do you want to switch?” Gaia shook her head no, she was biting her tongue to maintain her focus. The device analyzed the rhythm and recommended a shock. Everyone stepped back even further as Francesca pressed the button, delivering the first shock. The man’s body jolted slightly. Gaia immediately resumed CPR, with Francesca and Alina counting the compressions for her.

“Thirty”. Francesca gave her the mask to give the rescue breaths. Alina was close to tears, biting the inside of her cheeks. Amanda stood in the middle of the aisle to try and give more privacy to the man, her body trembling, she was already crying.

“Come on, come on,” Leah whispered, her fingers digging into the armrest.

The cabin was in absolute silence, at least the first ten rows could hear everything. People were stretching their necks to catch a glimpse of what was happening, all eyes were on Gaia and her team.

The AED analyzed again and recommended a second shock. Francesca administered it, and this time, the man’s chest rose shakily as he gasped for air. Gaia quickly rolled him into the recovery position. “We’ve got him,” she said, her voice steady despite the situation. She glanced at Francesca. “Stay here and monitor his breathing. Amanda, Alina, check the cabin is secure for landing and stay at the back, I think it’s almost time.”

Even after the chaos, Gaia remained composed. She stood, brushing off her uniform, breathing deeply before calling the captain again: “Guys, it’s Gaia, he’s stable. Do I have time to check the cabin for landing?”

After hanging, she took her seat and signaled Francesca to do the same. Leah couldn’t take her eyes off her. The confidence, the competence, the control, the fact that after all of that she wanted to make sure everyone else was secure—it was impossible not to be impressed.

“Cabin crew, sit for landing”.

The landing was smooth, with the man stabilized and conscious, though still weak, as the ambulance crew waited on the ramp. As soon as Gaia opened the aircraft door and extended the stairs, she helped the paramedics board, efficiently briefing them on what had happened. Francesca led one of them to where the man had been sitting to get his belongings.

The passenger was taken from the aircraft, and the cabin fell into an almost eerie silence as everyone processed what had just happened. Despite the stress of the situation, Gaia returned to the front of the aircraft to begin the disembarkation process, her voice clear and calm over the intercom as she gave the final instructions.

“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Tenerife. You may now disembark the aircraft using both the front and the rear steps. For passengers traveling with children, please hold their hand as you walk down the stairs and until you are in the terminal building. On behalf of the captain, first officer and specially your onboard crew, we thank you for flying with Ryanair today and hope to see you again soon”.

Leah, Alessia, and the others waited until the very end to disembark, hanging back as the other passengers filtered off the plane. Leah was still shaken, though not from fear. She couldn’t stop thinking about Gaia—how she had taken charge, saved the man’s life, and then carried on as though it were just another day at work.

As they reached the front of the plane, Francesca the captain and Gaia stood near the door, his hand on her shoulder. Her polite yet tense smile firmly in place as she thanked each passenger for flying with them. When Leah approached, Gaia’s gaze flickered to her for the briefest moment.

“Have a nice holiday,” Gaia said evenly, her tone professional and distant.

Leah opened her mouth to say something—anything—but no words came out. She hesitated, her cheeks flushing, before giving Gaia a small nod and stepping off the plane. Alessia, walking just behind her, raised an eyebrow as they stepped onto the ramp.

“You didn’t say anything?” Alessia asked incredulously, nudging Leah in the side. “After all that?”

“I couldn’t,” Leah muttered, rubbing the back of her neck. “What was I supposed to say? ‘Hey, great job saving that guy’s life. Also, sorry about the coffee?’”

Alessia snorted. “Maybe start with ‘thank you.’”

Leah sighed, already regretting her silence. But as they walked toward the terminal, one thought kept running through her mind: That can’t the last time I see her.

The group of footballers didn’t hear it, but the moment Francesca placed the yellow strap across the open door and turned around to talk to Gaia, she was already taking out the trash trolley, opening it and emptying the contents of her stomach in it. Her body shaking as she vomited and coughed, the tips of her fingers turning white with how strongly she was holding onto the trolley. Stefan held her ponytail while rubbing her back. Francesca couldn’t hold it any longer either, and sat down to cry on the jumpseat.

“I’m gonna call Dublin” Lukasz told the captain, stepping out of the aircraft.

At the back, Alina was crying as well, on the phone with her fiancé, while Amanda had hidden inside the toilet during the disembarking process, she had had a panic attack.

Amanda was the youngest in age and in the company, barely four months flying, this was her first medical emergency, while Alina had already been cabin crew for about two years. She had tried to calm Amanda during landing, as she was hyperventilating, holding her hand and telling her about how she met Dimitrij three years before, at twenty-three, and had been engaged for over a year, how she never cared about the decade between both of them and how they had been looking for houses closer to London with big gardens for their dogs. Amanda had just turned nineteen the week before, she had been planning her holidays in Ibiza with her friends from her hometown that morning and texting that guy from Tinder. Sitting in that tiny toilet, all she could think about was that man laying lifeless on the floor and her supervisor performing CPR on him like a robot. She got into the toilet the moment the aircraft left the active runway.

Having been deemed “clearly not fit to fly” by Crew Control, the six of them got their suitcases and left the airport on a taxi to a fancy hotel close to the beach. Their flight back scheduled for late in the evening the next day.

Twenty minutes later they were checking into the hotel. Amanda was still shaking, Alina was taking care of both of their their trolleys, while Francesca kept her arm around the younger girl and Gaia handled everyone’s passports for the check-ins.

The hotel bar was warm and lively, buzzing with the low hum of conversation and clinking glasses. Leah sat at a table with Alessia, Jen, Beth, and Viv, trying her best not to fidget. Alessia had spotted the flight crew as soon as they got out of the van, and Leah’s heart had almost stopped when she realized they were staying in the same hotel.

“This has to be a sign,” Jen had teased, her mischievous grin making Leah groan.

Another thirty minutes passed when the crew came back from their rooms, no longer in uniform, and sat at a nearby table where they ordered drinks and some tapas to share.

Now, sitting across from the crew’s table, Leah couldn’t help but steal glances at Gaia. The cabin supervisor was talking with her colleagues, laughing softly from time to time, her head tilted slightly as she sipped from a glass of red wine. She looked stunning—unfairly so. Her short black dress hugged her figure perfectly, her legs elongated by the same pair of high heels she wore on the flight. Her dark hair, which had been neatly pinned up since that morning, now cascaded down her back in soft waves until her hips.

“Fuck, she looks stunning,” Leah muttered, more to herself than anyone else. But Alessia, ever the meddler, heard her loud and clear and elbowed her in the side.

“Then do something about it,” Alessia hissed, smirking.

Before Leah could protest, the captain at the crew’s table stood up and announced, “Alright, I’ll pay for this and then I’m off to bed. Enjoy yourselves.” He waved off their thanks with a smile and headed toward the elevators after stopping at the bar, leaving the cabin crew and first officer to their own devices.

Not long after, Gaia stood up and made her way to the bar, her empty glass in hand. Leah froze, her eyes following her every step.

“This is your chance,” Jen whispered, nudging Leah. “Go.”

Leah hesitated, her palms suddenly clammy. “What do I even say?”

“Literally anything,” Beth said with a chuckle. “Just don’t spill another drink on her.”

Alessia snorted, and Leah shot her a glare before finally summoning the courage to stand. She made her way to the bar, her heart pounding so loudly she was sure everyone could hear it.

Gaia was leaning against the counter, waiting for the bartender to return with her drink. She noticed Leah approaching in the mirror behind the bar and raised an eyebrow, her lips curving into a sly smile.

“Well, well,” Gaia said as Leah reached her side. “If it isn’t my favorite clumsy blonde.”

Leah winced, rubbing the back of her neck. “Yeah, uh… about that. I’m really sorry. Again.”

Gaia chuckled, turning to face her fully. “Don’t worry, I’ve dealt with worse. But I’ll admit, I wasn’t expecting to see you here. Following me, are you?”

Leah’s cheeks turned pink. “What? No! I mean—definitely not. We’re just, uh, here on holiday.”

“Mm-hmm,” Gaia said, her tone teasing. “Convenient.”

Leah scratched her head, unsure how to respond. She was never this flustered, not even during the most nerve-wracking matches. But there was something about Gaia that completely threw her off balance.

Gaia tilted her head, studying Leah for a moment. “So, are you always this shy, or is it just around me?”

Leah blinked. “I’m not shy.”

Gaia smirked. “Could’ve fooled me.”

The bartender returned with Gaia’s drink—a fresh glass of wine—and Gaia turned to pay. Leah, desperate to regain some semblance of composure, cleared her throat.

“Can I… can I buy you a drink? To, you know, make up for the coffee incident?”

Gaia glanced at her over her shoulder, her smirk softening into something more genuine. “That’s sweet of you, but I think you’ve already done enough.”

Leah frowned. “Oh. Right. Sorry, I didn’t mean to—”

“I’m kidding,” Gaia interrupted, laughing lightly. “Sure, you can buy me a drink. But only if you join me.”

Leah’s heart leapt into her throat. “Yeah. Yeah, okay.”

Gaia picked up her wine and nodded toward a quieter corner of the bar. “Come on, then. Let’s see if you’re as interesting off the pitch as you are on it.”

Leah payed and blinked surprised as she turned towards Gaia. “Wait, you know who I am?”

Gaia arched an eyebrow as she led the way to a small table. “Of course I do. I’m Italian—we love football. But I’ll admit, I didn’t recognize you at first. You looked so… panicked on the plane.”

Leah groaned, burying her face in her hands as they sat down. “Great. That’s the impression I made.”

Gaia laughed again, the sound light and melodic. “Relax. You’re doing better now.”

Leah looked up, meeting Gaia’s gaze. For the first time all evening, she felt herself start to relax. Maybe Jen was right—maybe this was a sign.

“How old are you?” Leah asks.

“Twenty-six”

“I’m twenty-seven”

“So,” Gaia says, swirling her drink in the glass. “You’re a footballer.”

Leah chuckles, nodding. “Yeah. You’re a flight attendant.”

Gaia raises an eyebrow. “Wow. Look at us, uncovering life’s biggest mysteries.”

Leah laughs, shaking her head. “Alright. But how long have you been doing it?”

“Flying? About six years now,” Gaia says, leaning on the bar. “It was supposed to be temporary after I dropped out of uni, but…” She shrugs. “I fell in love with it. The travel, the people, the chaos.”

Leah tilts her head. “Even the difficult passengers?”

Gaia smirks. “Especially the difficult passengers. There’s something very satisfying about shutting down a grown man throwing a tantrum over ice.”

Leah grins, remembering how effortlessly Gaia had handled the situation earlier on the plane. “Yeah, that was—honestly? A little terrifying.”

Gaia laughs, eyes gleaming. “Good. It’s a survival skill.”

Leah watches her for a moment, fascinated. “And what about you?” she asks. “What’s your survival story?”

Gaia’s expression falters just slightly before she covers it with a smirk. “That’s a deep question for someone you just met.”

Leah shrugs, offering a small smile. “I like deep questions.”

Gaia considers her for a second, then exhales, tapping her nails against the glass. “Let’s make it fair then,” she decides. “Have you ever heard of the 36 questions to fall in love?”

Leah raises an eyebrow. “I think so. It’s supposed to be, what—scientific? Like, guaranteed to make people fall for each other?”

Gaia scoffs. “I don’t believe in that part. But I always thought it would be fun to try with a stranger.”

Leah’s heart does a little unexpected flip. She smirks to cover it. “So you’re saying I’m your stranger for the night?”

Gaia holds her gaze, lips curving into something dangerously close to a challenge. “Do you want to be?”

Leah swallows. She doesn’t hesitate. “Yeah,” she says, her voice lower than she expected. “I do.”

Gaia nods, pleased, finishes her wine and stands up. “Alright then, footballer,” she says. “Let’s see if this works.” Gaia chuckled, setting her glass down and offering her hand to the blonde. “It’s still early enough for dinner—by southern European standards, at least. What do you say we go up to my room, order some room service, and keep talking? I don’t want to unveil my deepest darkest secrets in public”.

Leah felt her heart skip a beat. “Yeah,” she blurted out grabbing her hand, a little too quickly. She immediately winced at her own eagerness, mentally slapping herself. Smooth, Williamson. Real smooth.

But Gaia didn’t seem to mind. She just smiled and turned, motioning for Leah to follow. They walked to the elevators together, the air between them charged with an unspoken energy that Leah couldn’t quite put into words.

Gaia’s room was significantly larger than Leah’s. The king-size bed dominated the space, flanked by modern furniture and a small seating area. There was even a balcony with a view of the ocean, the faint sound of waves crashing against the shore audible in the quiet room.

Leah couldn’t help but notice how immaculate everything was, from the neatly folded throw blanket on the couch to the pristine arrangement of toiletries on the bathroom counter. It was clear that the airline took good care of their crew.

“Wow,” Leah said, taking it all in. “This is… a lot nicer than my room.”

Gaia smirked, tossing her bag onto a chair and leaving her shoes in a corner, Leah did her same with hers. “Perks of being a Cabin Supervisor. The company knows how to keep us happy.”

Leah sat on the edge of the bed, feeling a little out of place in such a luxurious space. Gaia, however, moved around with ease, pulling up the room service menu and sitting next to Leah on the bed.

“What do you feel like eating?” Gaia asked, handing her the menu.

Leah scanned the options, her stomach growling softly. “Burgers?” she suggested. “And maybe soft drinks? I, uh… don’t want to risk saying anything stupid if we drink more.”

Gaia laughed, a genuine, melodic sound that made Leah’s chest feel warm. “Good call. Burgers it is.”

They placed their order, and as they waited for the food to arrive, they continued talking, their conversation flowing as easily as it had downstairs. Leah felt like she was being pulled closer and closer to Gaia, like there was some invisible force drawing them together. They sat shoulder to shoulder on the bed, their legs brushing occasionally, and every touch sent a jolt of electricity through Leah.

After a while, Gaia leaned back on her elbows and tilted her head, studying Leah with a mischievous glint in her eyes. “Alright,” she began, “let’s start the game”.

“Sure”.

Gaia’s smile widened, and she grabbed her phone, pulling up the list of questions. “Okay, question one: If you could have dinner with anyone in the world, living or dead, who would it be?”

Leah thought for a moment, tapping her fingers on the bedspread. “Probably my granddad. He passed away when I was young, and I’d love to have a proper conversation with him.”

Gaia’s expression softened. “That’s sweet. I’d pick my great-grandmother. She was apparently a real firecracker”.

They went back and forth, answering each question with increasing honesty and vulnerability. As the questions got deeper, so did their answers. Leah found herself opening up in a way she hadn’t expected, sharing stories about her childhood, her struggles with her injury, and her dreams for the future. Gaia, in turn, revealed bits and pieces of her own life—her love for travel, her complicated relationship with her family, and her secret dream of one day settling down in a quiet little town in southern Italy.

By the time the food arrived, they were on question fifteen: “What is the greatest accomplishment of your life?”

Gaia thought for a moment, then answered: “Probably moving here. I had almost no savings, no plan B, my english was shit, I had no support from my family because they were pissed I dropped out of law school… It was hard but I was so happy once I started working. It helped me toughen up”.

“That’s impressive”. Said Leah with wide eyes. “I can’t imagine how difficult it must’ve been”.

“Yeah but that was ages ago. What about you?”

Leah paused, staring down at her burger. “Honestly? It used to be winning the Euros with England. But now… I think it’s surviving the setbacks. The injuries, the doubts. Just making it through, you know?”

Gaia reached out and lightly touched Leah’s arm, her gaze warm and understanding. “That’s a pretty incredible accomplishment.”

Leah looked up at her, their eyes meeting. For a moment, the world seemed to fade away, leaving just the two of them in the quiet intimacy of the room.

Gaia broke the silence first, her voice soft. “Ready for the next question?”

Leah nodded, her heart racing. “Always.”

They kept going and the atmosphere in the room shifted as Leah glanced down at the phone and asked question eighteen: “What is your most terrible memory?”

Gaia’s playful demeanor softened, her face falling just slightly. She hesitated for a moment, her eyes flicking to the ceiling as if trying to decide how much to share. Finally, she let out a long breath and said quietly, “It used to be my mum beating me up the day of my first communion.”

Leah’s breath caught in her throat, her heart twisting at the pain in Gaia’s voice.

“I was only nine,” Gaia continued, her voice steady but her gaze distant. “She used to do it a lot, but that was the first time I realized… no one in my family thought it was a bad thing. I remember standing there in my long puffy white dress, the one my grandmother made, and thinking… ‘This isn’t normal, is it?’ But no one said anything. It was normal to them”.

Leah’s chest ached, and she opened her mouth to say something—anything—but Gaia wasn’t done.

She looked down at her hands, fidgeting with the edge of the blanket. “But after today…” Her voice wavered slightly, and she swallowed hard before continuing. “I think today might’ve replaced it. It was the first time I’ve done CPR on an actual human. I felt his ribs breaking under my hands.” She shuddered, closing her eyes briefly. “I didn’t even realize what I was doing until it was over, like I was on auto-pilot, I knew what I had to do and I did it but... Once everyone was out…” She let out a shaky breath. “I vomited. It was awful, for all of us. Amanda had a panic attack. We were all crying. Crew Control said it was better for us to stay for the night and calm down than to risk having an episode and making a scene on the way back, even if we didn’t operate the flight”.

The silence that followed was heavy, filled only with the distant sound of the ocean outside the balcony. Leah sat frozen, unsure of how to respond. Words didn’t feel like enough, but she couldn’t just sit there and do nothing.

Slowly, she set the phone down on the bedside table, moved the food around as to not spill anything and shifted closer to Gaia. “Come here,” she murmured, motioning for her to move closer.

Gaia hesitated for only a moment before leaning into Leah’s open arms. Leah pulled her close, wrapping her arms around her and holding her tightly. Gaia rested her head on Leah’s shoulder, and for a long moment, neither of them said anything.

Leah could feel the tension in Gaia’s body slowly begin to ease, her breathing evening out as she relaxed into the embrace. “You’re incredible, you know that?” Leah said softly, her voice steady but full of conviction.

Gaia let out a quiet laugh, though it sounded more like a sigh. “I don’t feel incredible.”

“Well, you are,” Leah replied firmly. “You saved a man’s life today. That’s… not something most people can say. And what you went through as a kid…” She paused, her voice catching. “You didn’t deserve that. None of it.”

Gaia didn’t respond, but Leah could feel her hand clutching gently at the fabric of her shirt, as though anchoring herself to the moment.

After a few minutes, Gaia’s voice broke the silence, quiet but steady. “We still have more questions to get through, you know.”

Leah smiled, pressing her cheek against the top of Gaia’s head. “Do you want to keep going?”

Gaia nodded and sat up slightly, though she didn’t move far from Leah’s side. She reached for a plate with chips, setting it in between them and then took the phone, scrolling to the next question. “Alright… question nineteen: If you knew that in one year you would die suddenly, would you change anything about the way you’re living now? Why?”

Leah thought for a moment, her arms still loosely around Gaia. “Yeah, I think I’d change some things. I’d spend more time with the people I love, stop worrying so much about things that don’t really matter. Maybe take a few more risks.” She glanced down at Gaia, her lips quirking into a small smile. “Like answering the 36 Questions with a beautiful stranger.”

Gaia’s laughter was soft but genuine, and for the first time that evening, Leah felt like she’d managed to lighten the weight in the room.

“I think I’d save as much money as possible and then get unpaid leave for like the last three months and spend them in Bali. Die next to the beach in a cute bikini and a nice drink in my hand”.

They kept going, teasing and joking, having finished their dinner by the time they got to the twenty-fourth question. “How do you feel about your relationship with your mother?” Leah’s voice lowers as she reads the question.

The air between them shifts. Leah watches as Gaia’s little playful smirk fades, her fingers tightening around the stem of her glass. She doesn’t speak right away, and Leah, who has already learned that Gaia is rarely at a loss for words, immediately knows—this isn’t an easy one for her. Gaia exhales through her nose, staring at the question as if she could change it just by looking at it hard enough. “Well,” she says, her voice noticeably quieter, “that’s a loaded one, isn’t it?”

Leah stays silent, waiting. “You don’t have to answer”.

“I proposed the game, it’s okay”.

“But if you don’t want to…”

“I trust you”.

Leah’s breath catches for what seems to be the hundredth time today. She bites the inside of her cheeks while nodding.

Gaia presses her lips together, then tilts her head slightly, as if deciding how much to say. “I used to think,” she starts, voice measured, “that having a bad relationship with your parents was just… normal. Like, I knew not everyone’s mother hit them when they were angry but I did think everyone had to earn affection. That love was given out in tiny doses, only if you behaved exactly right.” She swallows. “It wasn’t until I was older that I realized that wasn’t how it was supposed to be.”

Leah feels a dull ache in her chest. She shifts slightly on the bed, their knees almost touching. “Gaia…”

Gaia shakes her head, waving a hand as if to dismiss any sympathy. “It’s fine. I mean, it’s not, but—I got out. I left home the second I could, and I never looked back.” She laughs, but there’s no humor in it. “And the best part? No one even cared. No one came after me. That just proved it, you know?”

Leah clenches her jaw, resisting the urge to reach for her hand. “I’m sorry.”

Gaia shrugs, as if it doesn’t matter. “I don’t really have a mother anymore. Not in the way that counts.” Silence lingers between them, heavy but not uncomfortable. Then Gaia shakes her head and forces a smirk, attempting to defuse the weight of her own words. “Alright, your turn. How’s your relationship with your mum?”

Leah takes a deep breath, glancing down at her hands. “It’s… good,” she says, almost feeling guilty about it. “She’s always been supportive, always pushed me to be better. I think she worries about me being alone, though.” She lets out a small chuckle. “You know, football takes over everything. Sometimes I forget to call as much as I should.”

Gaia hums, studying her, a small smile tugging at her lips. “She sounds like a good one.”

“She is.” Leah hesitates, then looks at her carefully. “If it means anything… I think it’s really fucking impressive that you got out. That you didn’t let it turn you into someone like her.”

Gaia meets her gaze, something flickering behind her dark eyes. She doesn’t say anything for a moment, then exhales softly, offering a small, genuine smile. “Thanks,” she murmurs.

Leah watches her, feeling a warmth settle in her chest. Slowly, cautiously, she lifts a hand and brushes Gaia’s fingers with her own. She half expects Gaia to pull away, but instead, she turns her hand over and links their fingers together, giving Leah’s a small squeeze.

For a moment, neither of them speaks. They don’t need to.

Then Gaia clears her throat and smirks. “Alright, footballer. Next question.”

And just like that, they move forward. But Leah knows—this moment will stay with her.

They continued the game, by the time they reached the final question, they were lying side by side on the bed, looking at the ceiling, still holding hands as they talked, thumbs brushing the other’s skin.

And when Gaia finally asked the last question—“Share a personal problem and ask for advice on how I might handle it”—Leah didn’t hesitate.

“I’ve been scared,” she admitted, her voice barely above a whisper. “About my future, about… everything. My injury, my career, what comes next. I’m scared I won’t be the same player I was before.”

Gaia looked at her, her dark eyes filled with empathy and understanding. “You don’t have to figure it all out right now,” she said gently. “But you’re more than just a footballer, Leah. You’re strong, and kind, and resilient. Whatever happens, you’ll find your way.”

Leah felt a lump rise in her throat, but for the first time in a long time, it wasn’t fear or anxiety—it was gratitude. Gratitude for the woman beside her, who had somehow managed to make her feel seen and understood in a way she hadn’t expected.

They turned their heads at the same time. Their hearts beating strongly. Noses almost touching. The thought of getting closer crosses Leah’s mind. Gaia’s eyes glance at the blonde’s lips time and time again, wondering what it would feel to close the space between them and kiss the pretty girl in front of her.

They stayed like that for a while, the questions forgotten as they simply enjoyed each other’s presence, the quiet intimacy of the moment stretching long into the night.

Leah shifted slightly on the bed, glancing at the clock on the bedside table. It was late—later than she’d realized—and she sighed softly, knowing she probably shouldn’t overstay her welcome. She sat up, careful not to disturb Gaia. “I should probably go,” she said, her voice quiet but reluctant.

Gaia bit her lip, her eyes fixed on Leah’s face, their hands still linked. There was a playful glint in her gaze, but something else lingered beneath it—something softer, almost vulnerable. “Do you really want to?”

Leah froze, her heart skipping a beat. She opened her mouth to respond but faltered, her hesitation clear. Gaia’s question hung in the air, and Leah found herself unable to look away from those dark, captivating eyes.

Before Leah could overthink it, Gaia leaned in, closing the small gap between them. The kiss was soft, unhurried, and yet it sent a spark of electricity through Leah’s entire body. Gaia’s hand cupped Leah’s cheek, anchoring her in the moment, and Leah found herself leaning into the kiss, her fingers brushing against Gaia’s waist.

When they finally pulled apart, their faces still close, Leah let out a breathless laugh. “Fuck I’ve wanted to do that since I saw you in that dress”.

Gaia smiled, her thumb grazing Leah’s cheek before she whispered, “Do it again, then”.

The next morning, sunlight spilled through the curtains, casting a warm glow over the room. Leah stirred, her body instinctively curling closer to the warmth beside her. It took her a moment to realize where she was, and when she did, she couldn’t help but smile.

Gaia was still asleep, her face relaxed and peaceful, her arm draped over Leah’s waist. They were tangled together under the sheets, their bare skin warm against each other. Leah felt a surge of contentment wash over her as she replayed the events of the night before.

After a few minutes, Gaia’s eyes fluttered open, and she smiled sleepily at Leah. “Good morning.”

“Morning,” Leah replied, her voice soft while caressing Gaia’s cheek. The italian got closer, her face now hidden between Leah’s neck and shoulder, placing a small kiss there.

They stayed like that for a little while, neither of them in any rush to leave the comfort of the bed. Eventually, though, the sound of bustling activity outside the room reminded them that the world hadn’t stopped just because they’d found each other.

“We should probably get some breakfast,” Gaia said, stretching lazily before sitting up, the soft sheet falling from her body.

Leah nodded, though she couldn’t help but feel a pang of disappointment as the moment ended. “Yeah, before Alessia comes knocking on my door looking for me.”

Gaia laughed as she got in the shower, and within twenty minutes, they were making their way downstairs to the hotel restaurant.

As soon as they entered the breakfast area, Leah froze. Across the room, her friends—Alessia, Beth, Viv, and Jen—had pushed their table together with the crew’s, leaving two empty spots in the middle. They were all eating breakfast together, and the moment they spotted Leah and Gaia, every single one of them turned to look.

Alessia was the first to react, her eyes widening in delight before she let out an exaggerated gasp. “Leah! Gaia! What a coincidence!”

Gaia raised an eyebrow, smirking slightly as she glanced at Leah. “Your friends seem… excited.”

“Kill me now,” Leah muttered under her breath, her cheeks already flushing. They went to fill their plates with food from the breakfast buffet before taking their —apparently designated— seats.

The teasing began before they even reached the table. Beth was grinning ear to ear, Viv was trying (and failing) to keep a straight face, and Jen looked far too pleased with herself. Meanwhile, Francesca and Alina were whispering amongst themselves, barely concealing their laughter. Amanda was quiet but had a shy smile on her face. Without makeup and wearing normal clothes, she looked her age more than ever.

“I hope you both slept well,” Francesca said sweetly, though the glint in her eye betrayed her teasing intent.

Gaia took it in stride, her confidence unwavering. “We did, thank you. And you?”

Francesca waved a hand dismissively, clearly unprepared for Gaia’s composure. “Oh, just fine. Nothing interesting to report.”

“Gaia!” Alessia suddenly exclaimed, leaning across the table. “You should’ve seen Leah last night—she was so worried about you after that coffee incident! She wouldn’t shut up about it for hours.”

“Alessia,” Leah hissed, glaring at her best friend.

“What?” Alessia said innocently, her grin widening. “I’m just saying, it’s cute.”

Gaia chuckled, her eyes flicking to Leah. “Is that so?”

Leah groaned, burying her face in her hands. “Can we please change the subject?”

“Absolutely not,” Jen said with a wicked grin.

The teasing had definitely not stopped as they ate. In fact, it intensified after Jen checked TikTok for a moment, only to find someone had recorded the whole incident from the day before. Beth took her phone and started reading aloud the comments: how hot they all are, how professional they remained and a couple of them remarking that flight attendants are actually trained for everything.

Leah couldn’t help but squirm in her seat as Beth read out the comments. Her face was beet red, and she felt all eyes on her, the teasing relentless. She tried to ignore it, but the more they read, the more embarrassed she became.

Amanda wasn’t really paying attention, Francesca flipped her long braids with an exaggeratedly smug expression on her face. Alina asked to be sent the video so she could show it to her husband.

“Actually I want it too, I’ll need it to write the report”. The groans from the other cabin crew didn’t wait. “Don’t be like that, we have to write it anyway. I might also send it to the instructor, it will be good for whomever is doing the anual examination soon”.

“You’re going viral Gaia!” Exclaimed Beth. “The super-hot superhero”.

“I swear, if I hear ‘hot flight attendants’ one more time, I’m going to die,” Leah muttered under her breath, covering her face with her hands.

Jen just smirked at her. “Come on, Leah, you’ve got a real-life hero sitting next to you. You can’t deny that’s pretty cool.”

Leah shot her a glare but couldn’t argue. Jen wasn’t wrong.

Not long after, Captain Stefan stood up from the end of the table and walked over, his usual serious demeanor replaced with a hint of concern. “Gaia, can I have a word? About yesterday’s incident,” he asked, his tone gentle but firm.

Gaia gave a small nod, looking visibly drained for a moment from everything that had happened before regaining her composure. They walked off toward the hotel’s pool area for some privacy, and the girls continued to talk amongst themselves, but curiosity got the better of them. As soon as the rest of the crew left the breakfast area, Beth stood up and left with Jen to spy on what was being said between the captain and the cabin supervisor, watching as the two of them engaged in a serious conversation a few meters away from the main area. Alessia, Viv and Leah followed shortly after.

Stefan and Gaia were deep in conversation, not noticing the little crowd just a few meters from them pretending to sunbathe on the sunbeds .

Leah’s attention was caught by the occasional words drifting over.

“…aircraft was Echo India Delta Yankee Papa…” Stefan’s voice was low and professional.

“…incident occurred about thirty minutes to landing, so 18:45 Zulu…” Gaia replied, her voice sounding tired but still sharp.

Beth leaned over to Jen and whispered, “That sounds like another language. I don’t even understand half of it.”

“Yeah, it’s like they’re talking in codes or something,” Jen chuckled.

But Leah wasn’t listening to them. Her eyes were still on Gaia. She couldn’t stop looking at her, drawn to her strength, her grace, and the vulnerability that was barely masked behind her stoic demeanor.

Suddenly, Gaia’s facade cracked. She buried her face in her hands, her shoulders shaking as the weight of everything she had gone through the day before came crashing down.

Leah’s heart lurched at the sight. She felt a strong urge to go to her, to comfort her, but she didn’t know if it was the right time. She stayed frozen, unsure of what to do.

“It was so fucking scary, Stefan…” Gaia sobbed, her voice shaky with emotion.

Stefan responded by pulling her into a tight, reassuring hug. It was clear that they had known each other for years, a bond forged by countless flights and shared experiences.

Leah kept watching, her heart aching. She wanted to help, but she didn’t want to intrude. Just as she was about to turn away, Stefan caught her eye and gave her a gentle nod, silently encouraging her to approach.

The soft smile on his face made Leah feel a little more at ease.

“Do you want me to call crew control and get you another night here? You look like you could use it,” Stefan offered kindly.

Gaia looked up at him, her eyes red-rimmed, but there was a glimmer of hope in her gaze. “You can do that?” she asked, her voice hoarse.

Stefan chuckled softly. “I’m the base captain. I can do whatever I want. Just let me make the call for you.”

With that, Stefan walked off to make the call, Gaia alone. Leah hesitated for a moment, unsure whether or not to approach, but her heart told her to go.

She sat down beside Gaia, who was still wiping at her eyes, clearly embarrassed by the breakdown. Leah gently pulled her close, wrapping her arms around her, not giving her a chance to protest.

Gaia bit her lip, clearly uncomfortable but also grateful for Leah’s presence. “Sorry about that,” she murmured, her voice still shaky. “I didn’t want to break down in front of everyone. I’ve always thought that crying in public is embarrassing”.

Leah smiled softly, her fingers gently brushing through Gaia’s hair. “You’re allowed to. You’ve been through a lot. I’m just glad you’re okay.”

Gaia nodded, her eyes filled with gratitude, but it was clear she was still processing everything. Leah held her close, and for the first time, she felt like everything else faded into the background.

They stayed like that for a while, letting the sun warm them, enjoying the quiet companionship in the midst of everything that had happened.

As the minutes passed, Leah pulled Gaia by her legs, urging her to cuddle on her lap, feeling her tension slowly ease away. The weight of everything, from the medical emergency to the emotional toll it had taken on Gaia, seemed to melt away in the comfort of their shared space.

They didn’t say much, but there was something about the stillness between them that spoke volumes. It was as if, for a moment, the rest of the world had stopped, and all that mattered was that they were together.

[justhereforsubsevika]

Phone Call

@avonnimimi 's concept !!! Tysm for letting be borrow it , why the FUCK did none of u tell me about her writing its incredible

nsfw (obvs), dom!sevika (jesus i do not live up to my username as of late), public masturbation, phone sex, praise, degradation, spanking, bondage with ribbons, just gay shit, strap sex, referred to as dick/cock, slight anal (thumbing), aftercare, may have accidentally made the reader british sorry about that one lads

You weren't a tease. You were a lot of things, but a tease wasn't one of them. You were good, Sevika told you so daily. She prided herself on how good you were. She'd brag about you at kink parties, how you were the best sub she'd ever come across, how you never misbehaved.

Well. There's always room for change.

Sevika had a stressful job, some business shit you had tried your hardest to listen to but failed miserably each time she'd explained. You know she carries a briefcase and you know she wears a suit, and that's good enough for you. She does not like to mix work and play. At least that's what she'd have you believe.

It's a day like any other. You've sent Sevi to work with her lunch, a kiss and a full waterbottle. You don't quite understand what got you so desperate so quickly. Maybe it's the way her hand lingered on your ass ever so slightly when she walked past you to get to the shower. Maybe it's the way she pushed you up against the counter for your morning snog. Or maybe, just maybe, she's just really fucking fit.

You find yourself sitting and going through your phone, perversely zooming in on pictures of her where her trousers have slid down just enough so you can see her boxers, or her thong, depending on the day. Thighs clenched together, you pull forward your cotton pajama top and take a picture of your cleavage. You send it off and giggle at Sevika's response.

[What the fuck.]

[Nice rack.]

[But what the fuck.]

[Rack? Jeese]

[Baby, what's up with you?]

[Usually so good for me, stop acting like a slut. I'm working.]

It's not crystal clear whether or not she intended for you to get turned on even further by her chastising messages, but either way, you're turned on. You slip off your shirt and start taking videos of you circling your nipples and squeezing your tits, making a real show of whining and squirming under your own touch. Once it's sent, you eagerly await her response.

[Baby, my volume was on full!]

You laugh loud now, knowing that she probably had to shut her office door so quick when she opened the video.

[Fuck, princess. Stop it. I'm trying to focus.]

You pout despite the fact she can't see you. You decide you're too deep in and slip off your shorts. You take a picture of the way your light grey shorts are now much darker on the crotch area and send it over.

[Don't you fucking dare.]

You're not allowed to touch yourself. You knew this from the beginning. But you've been so good all this time, surely you've earnt being a little-

[Pick up the phone.]

She's ringing. You have no clue what she's gonna say when you pick up. You're a little scared, you've misbehaved for the first time in your whole relationship, so of course you're scared.

You pick up. Silence. You turn up your phone a little and start hearing some very shaky breaths.

"Sevi, where are you?" You ask, needing a better picture. Was she really touching herself at work?

"Mmmph, my office, princess." She groans out. Wet, sticky sounds start coming through the phone and your breath hitches. Shit, you really affected her.

"I thought your office was made of windows?" You ask in concern. No way is she fucking herself stupid for all her coworkers to see.

"B-blinds baby, but I have no lock, you know that? Someone could catch me any moment." She chuckles darkly before moaning down the phone. Instinctively, you whine back, subconsciously rocking against the bed. You're laying on your stomach now, stripped bare, trying to visualise Sevika's suit-trousers round her ankles.

"Sevi?"

"Yes princess?" she sighs out, the sounds of her pussy getting much louder. You worry her boss'll hear, her pussy is so loud for you.

"What panties are you wearing today?"

She starts whining down the mic, you hear liquid sloshing onto hardwood floor.

"Shit... um, I just ruined your panties baby." She says quite plainly, the image of her squirting through your panties in her office driving you crazy.

"Don't touch yourself, I'm coming home now." She groans. You hear paper towel ripping and giggle, clearly she didn't anticipate the mess she'd make. She shuts off the call and you decide to get dolled up, pinning up your hair with ribbons and putting on her favourite lingerie.

To ensure her comfortability and ease, you set out 3 choices of dildos for her to strap you with. One is 6 inches, clear and pink. You doubt she'll choose it, but it's cute at least. The second is 7.5 inches, a dark maroon colour. This one is your regular. It stuffs you up just enough to where its still comfortable, so Sevika's pace doesn't ruin you too bad the next day. The third, well, you've only used it twice. On days where Sevika's come home angry, days where she needs to release all her frustration on your pussy, days where she doesn't give a damn if you're screaming for all the neighbours to hear.

You smile at your work and decide to even light some candles, making the room smell woody and perfumed. You barely finish lighting the last candle when you hear the door slam. She must've been going 30mph over the speed limit, how the fuck did she cut her 40 minute journey down to 20?!

"Baby? Where are you?" She calls sweetly. You smile. Maybe she'll be kind and fuck you gentle and lovingly, pleased that you gave her a little treat at work. "I'm in the bedroom!" You shout back, kneeling up on the bed with your hands behind your back.

She leans against the doorframe, tugging at her tie. She smiles. "Hi, my sweet girl." She says soothingly. You smile and bounce a bit on the bed. She's definitely not mad! How could she be. All you did was make her feel good at work, why'd she be mad for that?

"Had a little fun today, right?" She quizzes, walking to the bed and running her hands over your three options. "Made me lose control, didn't you princess?" You nod and she giggles. It's weird. Sevika doesn't giggle.

"Yes Sevi, just wanted to show you I missed you!!" You say back, beaming. She smiles a little too wide back. Her fingers hover over the clear-pink dildo.

"Aw that's very sweet baby. Remind me though," she stops smiling and starts clenching her teeth between sentences, "haven't we spoken about sending me stuff while I'm working?"

She starts untying ribbons from your hair while she waits for her response. "Um... you asked me not to-"

"No sweetheart, I told you not to." She sighs and looks down before coming back up with that terrifying grin. Her eyes are a little too wide, a little too many of her teeth on display.

"I'm sorry Sevi.." you murmur, watching as she wraps the ribbons around her hands and puts tension on them.

"It's okay baby. First time you've been bad. You're allowed one mistake, right?" Somethings ingenuine about her tone, like she's taunting you, like she needs the correct answer or she'll do something fucking awful.

"Y-yeah! Just one mistake is-" you gasp when she wraps the ribbon round your neck, cutting off your air for just a second before she releases slightly.

"No, no you're not allowed a fucking mistake. Do you know how mad I am? Do you know how close I could've been to getting fired? If my boss walked past while you were moaning like a slut down the mic I'd have been told to march. Do you understand?"

You nod and she tightens the ribbon again. "Words, princess." She hisses it out like she's never believed the title less.

"I unders-stand," You splutter, hands coming up to grasp at her forearms. She lets go and your chest heaves, holding your neck as she throws off her blazer, not bothering to take off her trousers as she hoists the harness over her hips. She still reaches for the pink one, and you smile for a second at the knowledge that your sweet sevika's still in there somewhere. But she doesn't attach it, instead decides to shove it into your mouth. Your eyes water at the sudden intrusion, gagging and gripping your thumbs under your fingers. You moan against the cock she's using to fuck your mouth, eyes looking helplessly up at her. Her expression is cold, she's not cooing you or rubbing your cheeks as she usually would. She instead opts to grip the top of your head, slamming you forward with each thrust.

"Cute that you think I'd even consider letting you off this easy," she grumbles when she discards the pretty dick, spit-string snapping when she chucks it carelessly behind her. She turns you round and pushes your face into the bed, binding your arms with the ribbons and tying them in a pretty bow. You tug and realise there's no way you're breaking free.

"Mm, Sevika, I'm sorry," you whine against the duvet, wiggling your ass while you hear her rustling behind you. You turn your head and notice that that particular strap is gone. Oh fuck. You fucked up, you fucked up big time.

She grabs the ribbons between your wrists and massages your ass, pulling you off the bed a little. "I'm gonna need you to count for me. Can you do that?" She says softly, pinching and rubbing at your skin. You groan and push your ass back. You attempt to look back at her with wide eyes, but when she looks at you she pouts mockingly then looks away, eyes fixing onto your ass. "Can you count or what? Or are you already too much of a dumb puppy to speak?"

You whine and drop your head down. "I can count, I'm sorry." She hums in satisfaction and removes her hand.

With a harsh thwack she places a slap on you. You yelp and lurch forward, but she keeps you in place with her hand on your binds. "O-one," you whimper, legs already trembling. She huffs and brings her hand down on the other cheek, the burning sensation stinging you and shooting pain up your spine.

"T-two- three-" the third slap comes down before you can splutter out your numbers, the pain starting to warm your pussy, starting to feel so fucking good that you're upset you've never misbehaved before. You moan and arch your back, wanting more of this sick pleasure. You wish you could see Sevika, her face no-doubt stern, eyes trained on your ass.

"F-four, mmph five, six, s-seven, ah fuck, fuck, eight-"

By the time you're at twenty you're screaming, ass painted in handprints that you're sure must be bruising already. She grunts and you feel her shifting, feel your panties get stretched and pulled over the cheek of your ass, your pussy exposed. You feel so pathetic, your pussy soaked from your punishment. She pushes your lower back, forcing you to arch up, making your ass look even more perked, making your pussy even for open for her. Sevika squirts lube onto her dick and you open your legs where you kneel on the bed, preparing yourself to receive her.

Sevika presses her thumb to your asshole, swiping her tip against your clit. "Is this what you wanted?" She rasps, her thumb dipping a little ways inside you while she pushes her cock into your pussy. "Did you want me to ruin you? To stretch you out?" You moan and shove your hips back onto her dick, her whole thumb slipping into your ass. You groan at the pressure, never having experimented with anal before. "It's what I needed, Sevi, needed a reminder of how to be good for you.." She groans and fucks into your asshole, pushing her thumb down a little to concentrate your pleasure. The sensation sends sparks of pleasure to your pussy, and you whine since she's barely a ways past the tip inside you.

She pulls out her thumb and spits on your asshole, massaging the muscle while she pushes her length inside. Your voice cracks as you moan, the stretch of her cock almost too much to handle. Your hands flex and she takes one in hers, holding it, reminding you that you're safe, that your loving girlfriend is still under her hard exterior. Eyes welling up, you cry out "please, ruin me."

Sevika wastes no time in bottoming out in your pussy before pulling all the way out. She grips your hand tightly as she slams her cock into you, your ass jiggling against the sheer force of her thrusts. She scoops up your head and holds you against her body, hand quickly slipping down to your neck to prop you up. She sucks harshly against your neck, forcing out more strangled moans from your throat. Your ass burns where it slaps against her hips, still raw from your spanking.

Her thumb, at long last, stops toying with your asshole. She shoves it into your mouth, pacifying you, your moans coming out as muffled hums as you suck on her. As tears roll down your cheeks from the overwhelming pleasure, her tongue lolls out from between her scarred, dark lips. She licks up the salty tears from your skin, sucking against your face, nipping at your cheek, soft kisses littering across your face when she fucks into you harder.

Your legs quiver when she picks up her pace, one arm clamping your chest so your body is flush against hers. You can feel her nipple piercings from under her shirt, and you moan at the knowledge she's not wearing a bra.

"I hope you're learning your lesson," she pants, licking and kissing at your ear between heavy breaths. "Ruined those panties so bad I had to throw them away," she chuckles darkly, her hips moving in a way that you know feels good for her too. "You know how wet you made my pussy, baby? Dirty bitch made me so fucking horny.." she whispers it against your neck. You feel her lips quivering, occasionally getting trapped between her teeth, her teeth grazing your skin before her tongue falls out her mouth to soothe the burn the sensation leaves.

"Do you like it when I fuck you like this?" She slaps your pussy as she pounds into you, "when I remind you who owns you?" She slaps you again and you cry out her name, your head lolling back over her shoulder. "Y-yes, yes, all yours, all S-Sevika's," you groan out, her rough fingers making harsh contact one last time before rubbing hard circles against your clit.

"Gonna cum for me baby?" she teases when your hips start to buck, your hands gripping at her shirt behind your back, arms fighting your restraints. "Please, please, I'm sorry I was bad Sevi, please let me cum?" you plead, trying to look up into her eyes. She harshly grabs at your breast to keep you propped up, her fingers swiping at your clit at a brutal pace. Your breath catches in your throat and your chest feels like it's caving in. A glance down at your stomach heaving, her cock sticking through your tummy, reminding you how deep her dick is into your guts, and you cum onto her. She moans softly with you, her fingers pulling at your nipple as your bodies roll in unison. You whine as she bites against your collar bone, fingers slowing down on your clit, her cock slowing inside you.

"So good princess," she whispers as she pulls out. You collapse forward onto the bed, mouth agape, drooling onto the sheets. You're shaking, hands trembling within the binds. "Breathe baby," she mutters, tracing soothing circles on your lower back. You suck in some air, flexing your fingers and curling your wrists once she unties the ribbons from around them. Sevika kisses your wrists, up your arms, massaging your thighs and whispering how good you were, how well you took her. With a flop she drops her harness beside you, walking away to the bathroom. You whine and she comes back for a second: you don't want to be without her right now. "Okay, it's okay baby I'm here." She brushes your hair out of your eyes, guiding you to bundle into her arms. She lifts you, your legs wrapped around her waist as she collects the various things she needs to fix you up. She laughs out her nose when she returns you onto the bed because she can see your mess smeared against her trousers.

She gently cleans you off with soft, warm towels, being careful when touching your beaten-raw ass to clean up where your mess has gathered in your asshole. "You're so beautiful, you know that?" she says softly, running her hands over your back. You hum and sink further into the bed. She squirts aloe vera over your ass, her touches soft and gentle as she massages it over your skin. You sigh at the cooling sensation. "So pretty baby, bruising up so nice," Sevika groans, gripping at your waist. You giggle and wiggle your hips, your ass jiggling. She chuckles down at you, kneeling between your legs to massage your shoulders. "Pussy's so ruined honey, I'm sorry if I hurt you."

You nod, still too shaken to speak, and carefully turn onto your back. Outstretched hands welcome Sevika into your embrace. She rests her head on your breasts and cuddles you until you drift off. Once she's sure you're fast asleep, she gets up to change out of her work clothes. She can't help but admire her angel sleeping peacefully on the bed. She bends down to you, playing with your hair and tucking it behind your ears. "I love you so much princess."

idk how to end it but yes

[mins-fins]

beyond the moon !

"you aren't about to lose such a worthy position to some hunky nepo baby".

synopsis: breaking news: the worst possible person you know is actually more than half decent in bed. of course, it's an easy slam dunk. you will begrudgingly admit that jaemin is pretty nice on the eyes—even if he has the personality of a barbed wire. it's a match made on this soul sucking earth. it's only a little perfect.

pairing: na jaemin x male!reader

genre: alternative universe, main hospital scenery, somewhat grey's anatomy fusion, interns the fic, strangers to rivals to rivals who hookup to friends who hookup to lovers, fluff, some angst, slightly suggestive tones, humor, crazy ass pining that's barely realized until 10k words in, some background relationships that provide other drama

warnings: swearing, explicit language, so many mentions of sex, almost tiptoes into borderline smut like five times, sexual humor, reader and jaemin are both equally emotionally underdeveloped and horny, drinking, the impending stress of the medical field, mentions of death, a bunch of medical jargon you probably don't care about, mentions of surgical procedures, some blood.. i think thats it

word count: 16.7k

notes: hello, merry christmas, happy one year anniversary to my hyuck work which started my whole nct saga on tumblr.. im afraid i am very mentally ill 😓 so!! surgeon jaemin!! originally surgeon jaemin was a serial killer but then i lost wave of that draft over the summer and i tried to do it again 😚 this was half based on early greys anatomy because why the fuck is that show so long and um my own life lowkey?? ofc im not sleeping with my fellow interns but i have seen too much of a hospital i have begun to see the white corridors in my fucking dreams.. save me please life has not treated isa mins-fins well 😭😭 and NO dont listen to user junjiie this is not a self insert i swear!! im still going to the hospital later today soooooooo i lost anyway 🤷‍♂️ lowercase intended as usual and last long work of the year 💖

THE ETHICS OF COWORKER HOOKUPS 1: do ethics matter when the dick is good? (hyperbole.. actually not)

frankly, it began on a mundane tuesday.

well as mundane as a tuesday for you could be, a week following getting dumped would typically be dedicated to mourning but guleum grace hospital is equally as busy each particular day. you did not underestimate the sheer amount of regular patrons at hospitals, your internship was all about that in fact, pouring your blood sweat and tears into some amateur surgery you had about a twenty five percent chance on performing correctly, however, any chance was any chance.

it isn’t as if you were some lunatic brisked with insanity who valued his work in an irregular fashion, you’d surmise that you were a regular workaholic, the epitome of an overworked medical student stereotype, it all sucked the soul out of you, though your scrubs remained spotless and the eye bags stuck in a much acquainted manner.

unfortunately, your heart attack inducing student debt won’t allow for you to simply quit, neither will your pride, your extent of competitiveness, and your bright need to prove your overbearing parents wrong.

getting into a deathly inviting internship program is enough, what’s shit is surviving, and surviving would be easy if not added on by such a nuisance.

what nuisance? you may ask, well the nuisance that so happens to b—

“present the case l/n”.

you somehow retain your sigh, if the distress is displayed through any means of visibility then doyoung merely doesn’t give a shit. “uh— samuel lawson, fifty two, has been in and out of hospitals four times in the last three months with complaints of sporadic, mild to moderate pain in his chest. we picked up on a heart murmur and his echo showed left ventricular hypertrophy with a repolarization abnormality”.

“what would you recommend?”

“the best course of action is to replace his aortic valve with a porcine valve and prescribe anticoagulants to improve the prognosis”.

“good, and why do we want to pay attention to his kidneys in this situation?”

“his kidneys?” you echo, former exhaustion manifesting in the unscathed widening of your eyes. there’s a whistle, lee donghyuck opting to feign forgetfulness to your very presence, as if he even knows the answer.

you aren’t as easily absentminded, you’ve been hard of thinking recently, read all those printed words yet none of them stuck to the confines of your brain. there’s then a sigh, you initially assume from doyoung, but of course it isn’t.

“ah dr na, how kind of you to join us, perhaps you could remind me of the answer?”

arms folded over his chest, jaemin doesn’t miss a beat. “since his heart isn’t functionally effective his kidneys work as a compensatory mechanism, we’ll need to take increased renin and aldosterone secretions into account when considering general anesthesia and how soon he can go into surgery”.

“i see somebody has been doing their homework” you graciously avoid his eyes, glowering in jaemin’s direction as he offers a meager eyebrow raise. “good job na, you’ll definitely be scrubbing in”.

you pray for his early death.

it’s a seamless lesson whilst interning, competition is everything; you love competition, you live for it even, and na jaemin just so happens to be the nuisance which troubles your every week.

it’s something to even survive your first year of interning, let alone in time for when the seven year residency rolls around. only the best become surgeons, a perfectly manufactured system that is definitely not flawed and has most likely not been the cause of many related mental breakdowns.

you’ve had some undisclosed issues out with na jaemin since the beginning of your program, his awareness manifests in his knowing glances, if swiping cases from under your feet and making your life as hellish as possible is equated to diverting entertainment, na jaemin is elated. at least he has the familial connections to ensure the acclaim, the regarded son of na kiwoo, one of the most well revered orthopedic surgeons in the country. now you aren’t petty enough to spew the claim that na jaemin is bad at his job, he isn’t, however, you are petty enough to state the fact that him getting extra time to redo the practical board exam would’ve never been granted to anybody not with the same fucking last name.

and you suppose somebody else could also reign as worthy competition, but you’re conceited, unabashed in the likeness of your own smarts, you didn’t brave the trenches of medical school to lose such a worthy position to some hunky nepo baby.

~

it’s about half past twelve when huang renjun stumbles into the on-call room.

“you drinking on the job?”

he glares, you smile, there’s something concerning his anger which gets a satisfying kick out of you. you were sat at a desk, overloading on coursework you’d give not even a mere glance toward once you got home, the placid diagrams of human arteries burned into your brain. you spent most of your day, resounding to most of your shift, hanging about downstairs in the E.R, handling skimpy stitches from those who couldn’t help but do something idiotic on a saturday morning. who knew? you’re aware dr. kim probably holds a much lowered opinion of you; however, you still preserve hope that he’ll allow you to scrub in on that upcoming LVAD replacement he has scheduled for later in the week.

“can you believe who got to scrub in on that corpus callosotomy?” his undertone indicated irritation, you did not have to take a glance backward, you could distinctly picture the snuggle frown tugging at his lips.

“can i buy a vowel?”

your response earns a hefty scoff, the ghost of a smile lingers as you take in his much visible exasperation. it appears he wants to look intimidating, but his docile like features do not sell such a point home. “kim wonil, can you believe it!?”

“oh really?” you click your tongue, the raise of an eyebrow paired with the raise of a nearby head, it’s lee jeno’s, you make out. “wow, maybe i should start sleeping with mark lee too”.

“well it’s not like anyone knows if they’re sleeping together— he’s basically just his protégé” what a gentleman lee jeno is, feigning unawareness at the whole thing.

“uh huh, me when i’m fucking the only attending neurosurgeon” you seethe. “seriously, you think he’s taking any under the table offers?”

“you’re an asshole”.

you simply blow renjun a kiss.

whilst renjun may be adamant on the whole civilized pursuit, you would say that sleeping with one of your bosses basically equates to getting favored treatment, you suppose your wavelength on that won’t ever change. “is that coursework?”

your eyebrows raise once renjun leans over your shoulder, you don’t make an effort to nod your head. “that’s coursework, what the fuck are you doing?”

“i’m not about to have a splitting headache at home, trying to keep my sanity intact, you know”.

“more like wither your sanity— oh, hey jaemin”.

“hi” jaemin allows renjun the decorum of a smile, because for some reason renjun is the only other intern he has the gall to treat in the manner of a regular human being. he settles in the bed across from you with a look and doesn’t even try a glance in your direction, muttering a small greeting to jeno.

“do you want ibuprofen? i have some in my locker” renjun mutters softly.

you wave a dismissive hand. “no, i’m seriously about to max out on painkillers right now”.

“maybe it’s a tumor” jaemin unexpectedly adds, he doesn’t look up from a book.

“you wish”.

“i do”.

“it could be a caffeine headache” jeno helpfully reckons from where he is across the room, leaning up on his elbows to give you a sympathetic look.

“or the stress” renjun decides. “or your just sleepy because of the stress, i’m getting tired because of the stress” he then makes his way over to the dormant bed and flops right onto it.

“tumor~”.

“why the fuck do you care?”

“i most certainly do not”.

“drop dead asshole”.

“guys..” jeno weakly begins, glancing between you two as if silently picking a side.

“sorry” you feel little remorse towards the tumor hopeful fuckface, simply for everybody else. “the exhaustion is making me mean”.

it appears that a nearby zhong chenle utters the insult of you’re always mean somewhere above you, and then the room grows claustrophobic for you in about five more seconds.

when your chair emits a high pitched screech, renjun’s head rises. “where are you going?”

“gonna find something to do”.

then you shuffle out of the on-call room, feigning ignorance at na jaemin’s continuous stare.

~

later that week, the one person you observe when you walk into the on-call room on wednesday for your mid-shift nap is na jaemin, the current bane of your existence. you’ve been bumping shoulders in the O.R for the past week, and you’re beginning to think that the world is attempting to kill you early, those mystifying forces rambled about in storybooks manifesting whenever his name happens to appear in your mind.

you pause once you step in, meeting his eyes for a charged second before clenching your teeth, they’ll probably begin bleeding soon. you starkly consider backing out, but you can’t surrender your pride to this guy, that would be letting him win, so you sigh and lean your back against the door.

“i’m just here to sleep,” you voice. “waving my white flag”.

“you should be thanking me”.

you’re baffled. “excuse me?”

“i’ve saved your ass like twice this week, god kim would’ve literally eaten you alive if i weren’t around”.

your mouth dries up, jaemin seemingly revels in such a factor, swinging his legs sideways and out of the bed. “you’re terrible under pressure it’s a wonder you even made it through medical school”.

your left eye twitches, the one singular time you try to be civil, he just— he just decides to..?

“you’re so infuriating and arrogant and selfish—“

“oh really? love it when you talk down on me..”

“and you’re so— annoying god why does everyone like you? i hate you, hate you and your stupid privilege and i couldn’t care less what you think because you’re a fucking suck up! stop backing me up if it makes you so mad”.

jaemin then blinks, slow. “finished now?”

“yes” you drop your arms at the side, breathing having gone shallow as pure fury swirled in your ribs. you hate what jaemin does to you, whatever the fuck this is and why is the rooms temperature skyrocketing? that should be impossible in a hospital of all places, but you shouldn’t give it much thought because jaemin will probably begin over analyzing the singular movements of your facial expressions.

you hate feeling like you’re losing, you feel like your losing even if there’s no prevalent competition, it’s just.. jaemin.

that’s really why.

“good” jaemin replies. “i hope you don’t mind”.

and when he pushes you up against the door you think exactly three specific things in the second it takes for him to do that. 1; jesus this guy goes to the gym how the fuck are his forearms so huge? how is he finding time to hit the gym with such a consistent shift? 2; you should’ve gotten more words in cause oh he got the last laugh, and 3; you suddenly remember you never followed up on that post-op for patient 3109– but then all of those thoughts fly out the window when jaemin leads forward to kiss you.

na jaemin is kissing you, full on lips, hands-on-your-waist kissing you, and all you can do is suck in a breath as you then release a soft sound.

jaemin is ridiculously good at this, all soft despite his rough edges, how funny. he pulled off, taking your bottom lip with him before diving back in.

“i meant everything i said” you pant, even as jaemin pressed you further into the door and your arms wrapped around his shoulders in an effort to continue. you exchanged in a similar manner, frenzied and practically leaning half of him backward with your sheer force.

“i know” he grunts, so effortless in all he does, thumb finding the gap in your uniform which he very much decided to exploit. “but you want me anyway..”

“fuck you”.

so smart y/n, you’re getting into heaven with that one—

he chuckles as he mouths against your neck, light open mouthed kisses along your jaw, tugging at your shirt which acted as an obstacle. “that’s the goal”.

“smart ass”.

“well..”

it was the first and only time.

it actually should’ve been the first and only time, but then again, your decision making is particularly fuzzy.

THE ETHICS OF COWORKER HOOKUPS 2: he’s a hotshot, so unfortunately a hotshot..

you’d been skilled enough to pick out your friends at guleum grace hospital on your first day. frankly you had met a good chunk at the intern mixer the hospital had held a week before you were all due to start, but you were the slightest bit nervous with the whole before day apprehension. lee jeno was an easy one, his timidly boyish attitude made for good company, smile replicated by his eyes as he hung around the refreshments table. he laughed at every single one of your jokes, he was sympathetic to your family predicament, much too familiar with such a thing.

lee donghyuck was similarly not a struggle, he seemingly mirrored many of the traits you found stuck to you and carried around throughout your turbulent adulthood. he clung to your side and assigned you the duty as his titular “person”, whatever that meant.

then there was huang renjun.

it isn’t as if he was unapproachable, per say, he was simply perpetual to consistent avoidance. he exchanged regular smiles yet didn’t divulge any further, somewhat unfriendly and argumentative, especially when donghyuck got on his nerves.

trivially, the only true reason you two became friends is because you assisted him in vomiting up his guts after he’d got a lashing for a mistake in the earlier days. your hand remained on the small of his back for the entire fifteen minutes, and when he finished unleashing his true extent of vulnerability upon you, he threatened you to keep your mouth shut, that threat just so happens to be the bow which ties the knot to your relationship.

renjun is able to refer to the patients as the human beings they are, sensitive and overly stubborn sure, but he’s decent under all the sour looks paired with plentiful insults.

zhong chenle? in a completely different league.

“fifty bucks y/n’s little conquest works at this hospital” he opts to enter, sliding into the spot beside you and exchanging a few looks as if he dumped his life savings onto the table for you to gorge on.

“fifty bucks my wha— how’d you even..?”

“aeri likes to gossip” chenle replies, full of cheek. “and a little birdie told me they saw you leaving the on-call room all flustered”.

“a little— who?”

“i can’t tell you my sources”.

“what if i just had a really good nap?”

“thirty bucks it’s an intern” renjun decides to add on, and you blink his way in sheer betrayal. yes they’re right but you didn’t divulge your weeks ago on-call room hookup story time to anybody, you just.. thought about it.

“that’s what yizhuo was saying! you know we have a bet right?” he digs through his pocket before pulling out an unscathed piece of paper. “let’s see we have dr suh from plastics, yeonjun, dejun, and our very own nepo baby na jaemin, pretty good don’t you think?”

“why is jaemin on the list? take jaemin off the list,” though you swipe for the paper, chenle’s got some fast ass hands.

“no no hear me out, okay? he has my vote because the tension is undeniable but i’m on your side and i don’t think you’ll give into his whims”.

“what whims?”

“his seduction tactic including starting petty fights?” renjun recalls, blinking in your direction as if attempting some newly discovered form of communication. “he probably gets off on that..”

“oh he does!”

and then they begin, you simply sigh as you make the effort to finish your lunch, acquainted with the leftovers you again had to heat up because there was little time for you to actually cook something new.

“jaemin’s a freak, wonil said—“

“we can’t trust anything he says, he’s literally fucking dr. dudebro” you steal a fry off chenle’s plate, humming along with your bite.

“i thought they broke it off?” renjun asks in denial, though his gleaming ‘i knew it’ look would completely beg to differ.

“oh come on! everybody knows they’re still fucking, no mystery, no thrill”.

renjun crinkles his nose at the display of crudeness, you don’t forget to recall the thirty bucks he entered into this godforsaken betting pool. “can i kill him?”

your hands raise in mock surrender. “not in front of me, we swore an oath of peace” you rise from your place and keep your plate in your bag. “besides there’s no mystery, no thrill”.

“don’t leave me with him!” renjun squeaks. “where are you going!?”

you do not let up the walking, however, you allow him at least one reassuring smile.

“to see a guy about a thing!”

~

in a rare act of perfect timing, you’re just able to sprint to the elevator as soon as it’s closing. by the power of the universe’s most evil, jaemin is the only one inside, and he blankly stares as you hold your folders out to hold the door before ducking in. you hit the button for the sixth floor and begin panting as you lean against the wall.

jaemin barely spares a glance, but his smile says everything. “back for more already?”

“did you tell anyone about us?”

he opts to chuckle at that one. “us? we sleep together once and you’re already thinking there’s an us baby?”

“shut the fuck up, na, like half our class is in a betting pool for when i’m going to let you into my pants so i swear to god if you told anybody i’m going to ship you to the O.R and harvest all of your fucking organs”.

the threat shines brightly above him, smile shimmering. “i’m sure you’d love to do that”.

his smile is endless and the point by which his stare begins is simply dark, it’s that stupid dead-eyed stare that could murder anyone just by one mere glance. if looks could kill, your insides would’ve been splattered all over this elevator currently.

finally, jaemin rolls his eyes.

“christ, relax, no i didn’t, i definitely don’t know anything about a bet either”.

you let out a much needed breath and again allow yourself to lean against the wall of the elevator. the only worse thing than people thinking your friends with jaemin is people thinking you’re actively sleeping with jaemin. well— okay you suppose there are worse things to be known for but being pegged as the intern banging na jaemin is definitely up there.

“i meant what i said by the way, that was a one time thing”.

“of course”.

“stop fucking smiling like that”.

it appears to be his innate need to ensure your irritation, his smile barely resists the clear urge to grow at the sight of your frown. “god, thought you liked my smile?”

“it’s never happening again” you insist. “no more sex, not with you anyway”.

“great” jaemin replies. he finally does turn to face you. “so when you say never again are you actually making a definite final decision or are you simply playing hard to get?”

“what do you think?” you retort, you’re two floors away from your destination, the lab reports you’re clutching much vicely resulting in sweaty palms.

jaemin licks his lips, all high and mighty. “i’m sure you don’t want to know what i’m thinking”.

you look up to meet his stare in a singular effort to glare equally as hard, it’s futile. jaemin’s got the eyes of a predator, as if he’ll pounce if you attempt a single move out of this elevator, it’s striking, his eyes trail all the way up from your terribly expensive shoes and up your body, stopping at your mouth.

he seems pleased with himself, tipping his head forward when the elevator dings at your floor.

you allow a squint, briskly leaving him behind. it’s only three steps out of the elevator that you realize you left him without an answer, therefore leaving him with the last word, but you conclude you’ve walked too far to shout, yet it seems jaemin has no qualms.

“you know where to find me!” he calls.

THE ETHICS OF COWORKER HOOKUPS 3: good sex is addicting! healthy? eh..

naturally it happens again..

and again,

and once again.

if you were in a better place of mind, perhaps if you didn’t contain loads of work on your shoulder and slumped with courses of continuous caffeine, you’d find the right mind to chide yourself for making such a stupid decision, but you’re simply a selfish and desperate man. this is like— the best sex you’ve had since undergrad, not that there were many good examples to be the judge of that one anyway (with little offense given to shotaro, he’s a sweetheart but you two barely ever got it on as it is).

the thing is, you’re beginning to have a little fun with it. sure, you’d felt as if you were betraying yourself after the second or third time but it’s now become its own little adventure. sneaking around and whispering in the hallways in tandem with disappearing into random storage closests is fun.

jaemin is merely jaemin when it’s all over, barbed wire esqe jaemin with a personality you’d liken to some miserable children’s movie villain.

but it works, it isn’t as if you’re doing this because jaemin has a to die for personality, you’re doing it because you’re stressed, despite the fact that he is probably the main contributor of such stress, he at least helps you relieve that stress.

“somethings up with you,” jeno makes apparent when he walks past the couch, casual, conversational.

droning on the television is some nature documentary you don’t recall turning on, acting as background noise as you observe the surgery dr. kim assigned you. you technically aren’t allowed to bring your work home but you’ve also always enjoyed poking holes into rules, you bring your teeth down on a goldfish cracker that you’ve had between your fingers for about five minutes.

“what?” you finally reply.

“you seem different” jeno rewords graciously. “brighter, less.. porcupine-y”.

“i can be mean if you want,” you decide. “you want that puppy?”

jeno turns red, continuous head shaking as he clears his throat. “i just meant— i don’t know, you seem a little less miserable than before, not all grouchy, i’m happy for you”.

“pfft— thanks, always knew you loved me nono”.

his chagrin at such a nickname manifests in his much particular nose scrunch, his arms folding over his chest stubbornly. “don’t call me that.. so anyway, what changed?”

“hm?”

he leans over the couch, staring you down suspiciously, unnaturally nosy. “you can’t just decide to not be miserable overnight, what happened?”

you tilt your head up at him. “i’m getting to scrub in on proper surgeries, and i’m getting laid!”

jeno appears surprised, though gladdened anyway. “oh really? so who’s the guy then?”

you squint at him. “chenle put you up to this?”

“what?” he seems taken aback, but equally completely caught. “no?”

you open your mouth to rebut that clear lie, yet you’re both interrupted by lee donghyuck barreling into the room, looking too good for a regular saturday night, fancy overcoat draped over his arm that he definitely stole from renjun.

“stop looking at me and help me put this on” he motions towards his empty wrist and a fancy looking bracelet.

jeno simply whistles lowly.

“where are you going dressed up like this?” you inquire in the manner of a scrutinizing parent. “you got a date?” you don’t miss his avoidance of eye contact once you actually fasten the thing around his wrist.

“..yes”,

jeno applauds happily, much too excited, as if he were the one going on a date.

“give us a spin” you chide.

“seriously?”

both you and jeno nod in unison.

donghyuck begrudgingly obliges.

“you look good” jeno states.

“very good” you ruffle his hair irritatingly, and he hisses as he bats your hand away, muttering his small thanks. “have fun!”

you make sure to blow him a kiss on his way out, donghyuck makes sure to slam the door on his way out.

jeno then turns to you. “can i guess your guy’s name?”

“no!”

THE ETHICS OF COWORKER HOOKUPS 4: secrets out eventually!!

you suppose you had to eventually tell your friends at some point, of course that would include admitting zhong chenle is right and that sucks the life out of you for a much identifiable reason. the other three are bound to find out about jaemin soon enough, because whilst you’ve never been a talker, it’s getting annoying to do the constant walk of shame to jaemin’s apartment.

“i’m really trying to understand what your problem with me is” jaemin grins, all teeth, perfectly straight purely white fucking teeth. you’re back in the closet again, you can’t help but surmise that there’s a joke in there somewhere.

“i thought you didn’t care?”

“i don’t, it’s simply so cute how you get angry, kinda turns me on”.

you decide to ignore that one, wiping your mouth over with the back of your hand. you then focus on getting your shirt back to its original, somewhat normal looking form, god you’re so reckless.

“i’m just saying.. if you put effort into actually getting to know me we’d actually be pretty good— fuck ow!” he winces in the manner of a kicked puppy, all because you twisted a piece of skin between your fingers.

“i’m not interested in getting to know you, thought i made that clear” you voice.

“only thing you’ve made clear is that you believe it’s your god given right to hate me since no one else does”.

“oh you make me feel so special, i’m sure there’s someone else in this world who hates you as much as i do”.

“sure y/n” jaemin begins, “i find it hard to believe you actually do hate me” he nips at your ear, you really shouldn’t let jaemin kiss your neck, but you don’t push him off, he’d throw a hissy fit.

just as his hand begins venturing downward the closest door creaks open, and you two jump apart as if you’ve been caught, standing in the doorway is none other than lee donghyuck.

“what the fuck?” he whispers, quickly closing the door behind him. when he steps into the dingy white light, you notice the wet tears against his eyelashes, everything else is erased from your mind.

“hey” you begin, voice soft. “what’s wrong? did something happen?” you smooth over your scrubs.

“nothing” his voice gives it away. “we can’t cry mid shift anymore?”

no, but donghyuck hasn’t cried over a patient in a while, that’s typically your prerogative.

“it’s wonil” he sniffs. “stupid fucking kim wonil,” he sits down on an upturned bucket, once you kneel beside him, he pulls you into a hug to bury his tear streaked face against your neck. “i’m gonna have to change my name and transfer to gwangju instead!”

you look over donghyuck’s trembling shoulder at jaemin, who appears just as clueless as you are. he instead opts to patting the small of his back in support, rubbing soothing strokes. “could i have some elaboration, babe?”

“he used me” he says, holding onto his sobs. “took me on a stupid fucking fancy date and then i caught him with mark lee— oh my god, he.. he lied to me, he said they broke it off months ago but that obviously wasn’t true and he kept scrubbing in on the important surgeries, i thought he— we were going out for months and i just, fuck i feel awful y/n”.

well that’s.. not what you expected to hear at all. your head spins.

“wait— wonil? that’s who?”

“can we not talk about that part right now?” he simply allows for the tears to free fall, you attempt to wipe them as best you can.

sure, it’s nothing.

“did he tell you? how’d you even find this out?”

“no he didn’t i saw them” he covers his face with his own hands, distraught. “and he didn’t even care..”

“then none of it is your fault” you assure, patting the side of his arms. “he’s an asshole”.

it doesn’t quell donghyuck enough, his shoulders continuously quivering. “i had a bad feeling, i really should’ve known better—“

“he’s a cheat, he should know better, don’t beat yourself up over this”.

“i fucking loved him y/n” he rests his head onto your shoulder, something twisted and horrible lodged in his throat, tears endless.

~

it’s raining because of course it’s raining.

“it’s storming pretty bad” jaemin quips, conversationally. “do you not want me to call you a ride?”

you simply allow a small breath to escape your lips, hair tousled as you slip your jacket on through your arms. “nah, the bus works just fine” you say, wiping your hands on your pants despite your much irritation.

“and i’m guessing you don’t want to wait until it’s let up either?”

“i have to get home cause jeno’s working late and— hyuck’s alone, don’t want him to be..” you mutter, glancing down at your watch as you crinkle your nose at the time. “he’s been baking since the whole wonil thing happened, need to make sure he doesn’t burn down the apartment”.

jaemin doesn’t have to put anymore work into convincing you. “alright, have fun”.

you do the typical before leaving checkup, you have your keys, your phone, cash, and a bus pass, good. it’s silent, awkward, not much of a regular conversation when he isn’t bending you over a table.

but there’s something you really need to know.

“hey jaemin?”

“hm?” he doesn’t look up from his phone.

“should we talk about.. this?”

“well talking about it makes it weird”.

you consider your next words very carefully. “i’m lonely, you know”.

jaemin then puts his phone down. “i’m lost”.

you’re unaware of why exactly you feel the need to divulge context about whatever your relationship happens to be, you keep thinking back to donghyuck and you remember the liabilities caused by workplace relationships. you’re afraid you can’t stomach another complicated relationship, situations that wrap around your head in a nauseating fashion. not that jaemin is boyfriend material or anything but—

“the first time we hooked up? in the on-call room? i did it because i just got off a bad breakup and i was stressed and.. you were my first option”.

jaemin remains frozen in his place, gaze pointed, chest perfectly accentuated in his shir— stop looking there y/n. “what i’m trying to say is that i was desperate and it’s important you know that because—“

“get to the point”.

“i don’t want this to.. you know, be more than what it is, like.. domestic and shit”.

“oh jesus, okay y/n” he pinches the bridge of his nose, as if you irritated him. “you’re asking me not to fall in love with you right? you could’ve just said that then”.

“it sounds stupid”.

“and your other option sounded better?”

“whatever, i’m going, good talk”.

“great talk”.

“stop trying to get the last word in”.

“i’m not trying to do anything”.

“goodnight”.

“don’t say things you don’t mean”.

“fine, i hope you have a terrible one, i hope your roof catches on fire and you sleep through it and it all comes crashing onto you so your death is all slow and painful, happy?”

jaemin smiles, waving you off with each of his fingers as you storm out of the door, into the pouring rain, slamming it shut behind you.

you take a short walk and an even shorter bus ride home, yet when you enter your apartment you’re absolutely drenched.

the whole house smells of sugar and semi-baked sweets, it almost reminds you of home, back when you’d fuck shit up with your sisters in the kitchen. the now added on pain is the continuous ringing of the fire alarm, donghyuck standing at the counter fanning smoke with an empty box of brownie mix.

you sigh as you kick off your shoes.

“what the hell did you do?”

“i have it under control” donghyuck whines.

“hyuck—“

“don’t step any closer” he threatens, butter knife in hand.

your hands raise in mock surrender, a flat look sent his way. “you’re being ridiculous”.

“sorry” he puts the knife down, breathing labored. “help me?”

you two sit down on the kitchen floor and have brownies and ice cream for dinner, an ironic feat for a pair of medical professionals, but this is simply one of those things licensed under free will you have as an adult, the kind of thing that makes you think maybe parental supervision is a good need. besides, sugar is good for heartbreak.

“i don’t wanna go to work tomorrow” donghyuck mutters, beginning to consistently tap his head onto the counter, as if attempting to bash his brains out. “this is so stupid”.

“it’ll be fine, i’m sure no one will question you up front”.

he glances upward. “my former sort of boyfriend is fucking the most popular attending neurosurgeon, and people think i was homewrecking whatever the hell they have going, you think people just forget that?”

you lick your spoon clean. “yeah it’s not looking good,” you admit, scratching the back of your head. “but i’m here to help you through it, and samoyed will be there to bark at anyone who looks at you funny”.

donghyuck gives a weak laugh and leans his head onto your shoulder. “yeah yeah, whatever..”

THE ETHICS OF COWORKER HOOKUPS 5: fuck the domestics, fuck na jaemin.

of course because the universe has a really good sense of humor, mark lee and kim wonil are the first people you and donghyuck see when the elevator dings on the first floor. wonil looks at a loss for words, you’d pride him on such amusement if you weren’t looking to cause him bodily harm.

“uh” mark starts.

“we’re taking the stairs” and since you’re a good friend you do not complain when donghyuck drags you up four flights of stairs.

in his valiant efforts to stay away from neuro, donghyuck gets assigned to obstetrics for the day, whilst you end up back with dr. kim in cardio, which is always a simultaneous blessing and curse. the patient you’re seeing—kiara— has been going back and forth on getting the surgery for a while, and doyoung seemed more than relieved when you showed up with those signed consent forms.

you worked your ass off to get onto this case. you stayed up late all night reading into the procedure, designing a diagram which detailed the surgical process despite the fact that you wouldn’t be carrying it out yourself. observing a complex surgery like this is a rarity for interns, so you intend to soak up every bit of knowledge you can.

so, by design, you’re also standing beside the operating table when her pulse dips, her clutched hand falling dormant in your hold. after the frenzy of orders getting called out and defibrillators charging, there’s nothing but the long, insistent beep of a flatline.

dr. kim calls out the time of death.

realistically, nothing could have been done. she’d waited too long to take the surgery, her vascular walls were weak. it was the best surgeons in the room, and if they couldn’t save her then maybe it was just her time.

you break down in the tunnel despite all of that, you’re sitting on one of the beds against the wall, aware of your own ridiculousness, yet allowing for the tears to brim up anyway.

the only reason kiara was terrified of getting that surgery was because she was afraid of dying on that table, she was scared of dying, and you’d held her hand while they put her under, promising she’d be okay.

that was the mistake.

patient outcomes are never promised, and as much as they remind you, as much as you’re aware that this is in your line of work, death just so happens to spring up on you instantaneously, you can never really fully prepare for it.

“she was going to die anyway” you don’t have to glance up to meet the face behind the voice, simply acquainted with the sight of jaemin’s shoes.

“i know”.

“so why are you sitting here feeling sorry for yourself?”

you sigh, massaging a finger to your temple, your head hurts, it all hurts. “go away” another sob pushes itself up out of your chest, another sniffle, more snot.

but would na jaemin ever genuinely listen to an order? absolutely not. he did not go away, he stepped closer, a hand gracing your shoulder.

your own shoulders slump, you’re completely and utterly disappointed in yourself.

“i don’t need you to say anything,” he breathes. “i’m just telling you that it’s okay..”

“it’s not okay” you seethe. “would you have made the same mistake? would you be in my position if it was you?”

you take everything too personal, you need to start thinking like a surgeon, there’s no room for sensitivity in a field like this, dr. kim had said. he made you break the news to her family, have to watch the washed over expressions and the chorus of sobbing as you attempted to contain your own.

“well i wouldn’t have gotten attached..”

and it sounds so condescending, lowly, superiority reigned over your head. you’ve had a terrible day, and all you can do is sob in your own pity as jaemin just stands there.

it’s so easy to get swallowed up in your pride, tout your pigheadedness in front of jaemin on a regular front with spouted curses and illusions high. you suppose jaemin doesn’t have the best standards for you, you didn’t even do anything, but the fashion of your personality you’d displayed was enough of a case.

“y/n” jaemin calls, soft, you almost don’t hear him. the mattress dips with his added pressure, a hand coming to touch the side of your face, fingertips cold as they tuck strands of your hair behind your ear. jaemin’s hands are always cold. “y/n, hey”.

you don’t respond, can’t do anything but let jaemin pull you against his chest. it’s an odd feeling because it’s the thing you needed from the last person you expected to give it to you. you exhale shakily, closing your eyes and reveling in the prospect of being held.

“you suck at this” you sob, on principle of course.

“hush” jaemin murmurs. he rests his chin atop your head, and he says nothing more, doesn’t even pull away either. you cry until you have no more left to give, your shift isn’t quite over yet, you have charts to finish and labs to read over. you push at jaemin to let you go.

“m’fine” you sniffle, posture straightening as you wiped the tears from your cheeks. you feel reckless, embarrassed, like a child. your face is burning hot, but at least you feel better. jaemin is staring, as if he’s experiencing a certain thing for the first time.

you look away.

“i’m fine” you repeat. “don’t look at me like that”.

jaemin clears his throat as if snapping out of an episode. “i know you don’t care for my opinion, but i think you’re doing great”.

“you what..?”

jaemin nods, doesn’t elaborate on any of it, it’s awkward.

your pager beeps, and once you glance down at the location, you silently curse at the location being half across the hospital.

“right, um thank you, i guess i’ll.. uh, see you later?”

“you know where to find me”.

jeno seeks you out first once your shift is over, apprehensive as always.

“you okay? i heard what happened..”

“yeah m’fine” you pause before the doors to allow jeno to catch you, donghyuck and renjun won’t be done for another hour, and it’s once again pouring outside. “i just need to shower and sleep for fifty hours”.

jeno is already looking at you when you glance over. you’ve heard your fair share of stories concerning surgical failures, much too close to one when in your childhood, but experiencing one firsthand just really took it all out of you.

“i’m going to get better at this surgeon thing right? i have to?” you ask.

“you will” jeno replies, silent. he links your fingers together, a warm feeling. he then nudges you, the slightest bit of comfort in the affection laced gesture. “we both will”.

~

there’s a small switch flip after that.

jaemin remains jaemin. perfectly polished jaemin, hardened in the face of death, all precise and unphased, yet you lay your heart bare for it all, fortitude at the forefront of your emotions.

occasionally, you find yourself looking over at jaemin when he’s too engrossed in his work or conversation to notice.

when you observe him, you attempt to figure out where the fortitude of his beating organ lies. it appears jaemin acts in kindness when he thinks no one else is looking. you wonder if that’s a true display or if that’s simply another mask he wears around for the hell of it, getting into the sweet spots of littler kids is a spectacular move. then again, it takes a special kind of evil to be mean to kids. sure, jaemin’s a bit of an asshole, but he isn’t all bloods evil.

that isn’t such a hard concept to grasp.

THE ETHICS OF COWORKER HOOKUPS 6: running out of terrifically timed titles

the tumultuous disarray of your life provides solace, somewhat regular sex escapades with jaemin continue and donghyuck is often too tipsy once you get home from your shifts later in the week. you surmise he’s simply coping with his situation in manners he’s accustomed to, though both you and jeno would love to chide him for the unhealthiness, you two also can’t talk, ever since you found that unlimited espresso machine in the second floor cafeteria, it’s basically become your life source. jeno will scold you for that one when he eventually finds out, though it’s good to know jungwoo doesn’t mind, simply passing you with mild apprehension whenever you go grab another cup.

you guess you can’t talk about anything, but you also can’t help worrying about your friend.

“l/n, did you follow up on those scans i asked for?” dr. kim unabashedly ambushes you whilst you’re in the middle of a good speed powered walk, files almost tumbling out of your bundled arms.

“uh— yes, they redid them so they aren’t blurry, and i also put in that psych eval you requested, i have all of them here”.

“nice work, will you be available to scrub in tomorrow morning?”

you blink at him, baffled. “i— oh my god yes, thank you um..” you honestly didn’t expect that one after the prior incident with kiara. you assumed for sure doyoung would stand between you and the O.R for a couple of months.

“is there a reason you’re still standing in front of me?”

you blush, embarrassed. “i’m sorry i just.. i know you don’t think i’m cut out for this so I’m unsure of why you chose me”.

for a slim moment, there’s genuine in doyoung’s eyes. “well i’ll have you know opinions can change, will you move out of my way now”.

you pause. “of course, sorry, thank you, i appreciate it”.

“you’d better” he beams, placing yet another stack in your arms. “could you drop these off at the nurses station for me?”

you make your way back downstairs, still reeling from the previous words said to your face, when you hear a familiar voice.

“is dr l/n here? well, no— he’s an intern”.

you look up from the nurses station immediately, catching a glimpse of osaki shotaro’s identifiable tuft of hair, golden blonde, still dyed. he hasn’t changed since you last saw him, well you suppose a few months really don’t provide anything substantial in the area of change.

“taro?”

when he glances up, he breaks into one of his bright smiles and he parts (hyperbole) the hallway to get to you. “y/n, hey, hi”.

“what— what are you doing here? is everything okay? is your mom oka—“

“i’m fine, everyone’s fine it’s just.. i mean— i don’t know actually i was just nearby and i wanted to see you? i know i’m the one who broke up with you and all but i was sure there was a high chance you’d be here instead of.. well anywhere else”.

“yeah” you laugh. “yeah that is true”.

“it’s nice to see you” he fiddles with his bracelet, reaching over to tuck a strand of your hair behind your ear, a natural habit, you grab onto his wrist before his fingers can grace your skin. shotaro pauses for a moment, cheeks colored pink in embarrassment as he slips from your hold.

“sorry— i um.. can we just talk actually?”

your face warms rather quickly. “uh..”

“oh hello” jaemin appears—literally out of nowhere—“are you here for a patient?”

“no actually he was just leaving—“

“i’m shotaro” he tilts his head to read jaemin’s id card. “you’re.. dr na?” he extends his hand for a handshake, jaemin ignores it. you almost want to tell him off for such a thing.

“yes, you must be the boyfriend”.

“ex boyfriend” you both say.

jaemin inhales a bated breath, handing you a stack of files. “jungwoo said to give these to you, the chief needs all the records manually inputted before you get off your shift today”.

“but—“

“we’re all splitting work, that’s your stack and this is mine”.

“i’m supposed to be having lunch” you frown.

jaemin shrugs, nothing of helpful. “do them after, i don’t care, i’m just the messenger”.

“it was nice meeting you”.

“sure” jaemin flashes a noncommittal smile, then, as quick as he came, he’s gone.

“is he always like that?” shotaro inquires, you sigh, much loudly.

“yeah, kind of, at first glance..”

“so lunch! can i treat you?”

you chuckle. “well i can’t leave so i hope you don’t mind hospital food”.

it’s (surprisingly) a very enjoyable experience for you.

THE ETHICS OF COWORKER HOOKUPS 7: coupling 1000

on tuesday, lee jeno walks into the locker room looking slightly askew, yet completely elated, brightened in some unusual fashion.

you let out a low whistle. “now what the fuck has you so happy?”

“nothing”.

“is it a guy?”

“no!” jeno refutes, the bright red hue paired with the shrill squeaked ‘no’ do naught for his argument. “it’s not that”.

“you have that after guy glow”.

“you’re insane”.

“he’s right though” jaemin wraps an inviting arm around his shoulder, jeno full on pouts. “you look awfully stunning this morning, jeno”.

“fuck?”

“you’re okay”.

“damn, why’s it feel like every intern in this hospital is getting some but me?” donghyuck grouches, you instantly share a look with renjun.

at the inevitable silence, donghyuck groans again. “don’t answer that”.

“yeah cause you’d only be told the obvio—“

“good morning~” kim jungwoo sings, much too delighted for the time of day. “glad to see all of you interns actually in on time, l/n and na you’ll be helping mark prep his patient, zhong and lee one you’ll be in the pit, and.. huang and lee two on charts, any complaints? wonderful! get going!”

mark lee has the discontented mannerisms of a teenage boy, awkward stutters and all, you often neglect to recall that he’s a revered surgeon prided for performing some of the best brain operations in the country, technically your boss.

you haven’t spent much time around him, you actively avoid kim wonil for the sake of donghyuck’s (and your own) sanity, looking into the eyes of mark lee, he appears bashful, shyly boyish in a manner akin to a formerly stranger lee jeno.

“guess he’s still avoidant”.

you snort, jaemin sucks his teeth, you then sigh with your tongue prodding at the side of your cheek. “well he can’t look at you without thinking about..”

now that you think about it, you’ve never really had a conversation with kim wonil, what’s even with the guy?

“oh” his face drops in that distinct kicked puppy fashion, you merely sigh.

“just give him space, okay? he’ll surely come around”.

“space.. really?”

“space is good” jaemin chimes in. “and either way he’s not your intern, we are, can we go now?”

he’s always been ever so impatient.

~

yang jungwon is a twenty year old college student with a tumor pressing down on his frontal temporal lobe. “it’s affecting his impulse control,” mark warns. “so if he says something a bit forward, that’s why”.

“forward?” you question.

when mark, you and jaemin walk into jungwon’s room, his mother is sitting beside his bed, smoothing over his sheets with her hands. mark bids them good morning and introduces you two as the interns which will be overseeing the surgery, the first thing jungwon says is:

“jesus you all are hot, is that requirement here? why are you all so hot? are there more of you?”

“jungwon” his mother softly chides.

forward, you hum, jaemin only makes an agreeing noise beside you.

“sorry, was that rude? i’m very sorry”.

“he’s usually shy” his mother explains. “he doesn’t mean to be offensive”.

“no offense taken ma’am, that’s probably the nicest thing a patient has said to us in a while” mark replies. “how are you feeling won?”

“my mom’s nervous so now i’m nervous and the food here sucks by the way, i don’t really wanna have brain surgery but i have to be optimistic so yay!”

“that’s the spirit!” mark cheers. “okay, dr. l/n here is gonna run a couple of tests to make sure everything is okay, dr. na will handle all the paperwork, if you still want to proceed i can have you scheduled for O.R two bright and early tomorrow morning, i’ll make sure everything goes smoothly for you okay?”

“can i get snacks from the vending machine to make it go smoother?”

“i’ll do it” his mother offers. “don’t give dr. l/n a hard time, okay?”

mark leaves with jaemin and mrs. yang to grab snacks and necessary consent forms, you begin putting on your gloves to give jungwon a routine examination.

“dr. l/n can i ask you a question?” jungwon asks.

you remove the stethoscope from your ears, giving him a small smile. “go ahead, i’m all ears”.

“well it’s more of a personal question” he twiddles his thumbs, smile stretched widely as he tilts his head towards you. “are you two like.. together?”

“me and who?”

“the other, other hot doctor with all the teeth, the one who was in here just now”.

“me and.. na?”

“yeah, is he your boyfriend? he was looking like he wanted to eat you, i was honestly getting worried by how intense he was staring”.

that shocks a fit of laughter out of you. “no no, he wasn’t—he’s.. he’s not my boyfriend”.

“oh okay, well if nobody’s told you yet then i’m a hundred percent sure he wants to jump your bones, and also be your boyfriend”.

you clear your throat, flustered by jungwon’s sense of earnesty. “we’re not together, just coworkers”.

“do you have a boyfriend?”

you sigh and lean forward, pressing two fingers on either side of his neck to feel for a carotid pulse. “you’ve said the word boyfriend an awful lot in these past few minutes,” you pause. “no i don’t”.

“okay” jungwon says. “this is going to sound a bit presumptuous, but if i survive the surgery, will you go out with me?”

you skillfully sidestep such a question. “that’s not presumptuous, dr. lee is one of the best brain surgeons in the country, he’s going to make sure you come out just fine, your most likely outcome is positive”.

jungwon stops, blinking up at you, galaxies in his pupils. “i think we might be soulmates”.

“yang jungwon”.

“that’s me”.

“you’re cute, and sweet, and funny— but i absolutely cannot go out with you”.

“is it the brain damage thing? i’ve been told that’s a dealbreaker”.

“don’t be cheeky, how old are you again? twenty?”

“twenty going on twenty five”.

you laugh. “you have your whole life ahead of you to find a soulmate, people don’t really have a good time dating me, you’ll be dodging a bullet”.

“what, why not?”

“won—can i call you won?”

“you can call me anything you want..”

“won” you stress, “i spend about eighty hours a week in this hospital, i barely have time to eat or sleep or even think about anything that doesn’t include cutting someone open, my last boyfriend dumped me for that reason, i couldn’t do that again, and i definitely don’t think you want to”.

“ah i see” jungwon says, he’s silent for a while before he asks: “you’re saying it would make sense for you to date someone who works as much as you do, like another doctor, right?”

“well that wasn’t the point but i guess that makes sense then”.

jungwon smiles as if he’s figured out something. “so do you like dr. na then?”

“dr. na is standing right there” jaemin chimes in. you two both turn to see him standing in the doorway, “i have consent forms, i already went over the procedure with your mom, i’m aware mark probably covered it with you, but if it would make you more comfortable i could go over it with you myself”.

both you and jungwon stare at him.

“what?”

“is he always like this?”

you smile in his direction, giggling as you ruffle his hair. “yeah”.

“didn’t peg you as the type to flirt with patients” jaemin utters later in the nurse station whilst you two idle around in feigned ignorance as if you don’t have mountains of work weighing on your shoulders. jungwon had personally asked for you to scrub in on his surgery, and it’s clear jaemin was just the slightest bit envious, you would be too if in his shoes. mark’s surgeries are always the most fun to watch.

“i wasn’t flirting, he was simply asking invasive questions so i entertained him, he’s a nice kid, it’s called having good bedside manners”.

“are you saying i don’t have good bedside manner?”

“your words, not mine”.

“i don’t care, you were definitely flirting back”.

“i thought you didn’t care?”

“i don’t”.

“well there’s your answer”.

jungwon comes out just fine, you and jaemin however, you take a while to recover.

THE ETHICS OF COWORKER HOOKUPS 8: well i guess he’s fine..

at the end of the week you typically only prefer to gorge on the junk food remained tucked in your refrigerator and embrace the warmth of your bed, but everybody knows you don’t always get the things you want, especially you in your kicked rock of a life.

“are you ready?” renjun bounces on his heels, changed out of his scrubs already, breathing down your neck in an effort to fasten your process of changing.

“what are you all doing tonight?” jaemin inquires, suddenly nosy.

“well i wanted to go home to eat ice cream then sleep all night, but since it’s the last wednesday of the month and we have tomorrow off renjun wants to go do karaoke at the local bar”.

“it’s kind of our tradition!” jeno offers, he’s sat down on one of the benches, lacing up his dunks. “you should come with us, drinks are half off until midnight”.

“you should come! it’ll be so fun, y/n has the voice of an angel”.

your cheeks color red in embarrassment. “well actually—“

“stop trying to be humble now, just admit it” renjun then turns to jaemin. “please? you literally never hang out with us”.

you can’t see renjun’s face, but you know he’s using that pleading puppy look to sell his point.

you watch jaemin crumble in real time.

“alright, guess it couldn’t hurt”.

what hurts is your throat after demolishing a flurry of early 2000s hits. now your ears are beginning to pain as renjun, donghyuck and chenle go head to head, they’ve rapped to super bass three times in a row, and donghyuck continuously doubles over in laughter whenever chenle messes up a single lyric. you aren’t complaining though, this is about the happiest you’ve seen donghyuck in the week, it makes you feel all warm seeing him laughing and all full of bashful insults.

jaemin has been nursing the same beer since you’ve arrived, tucked away on the couch in an effort to not participate in such nonsense. it dawns on you that you normally don’t hang out with him outside of the hospital much, and you wonder if he even has friends outside the hospital.

before you stop yourself, you’re wriggling out of jeno’s lap and making your way over to jaemin. he looks over when you get close, eyes traveling from the loose neckline of your shirt to your face.

“hiii”, you greet.

“hello, you’re drunk”.

“just a little” you giggle, hiccuping on nothing. “you look all moody and broody in the shadows, are you not having fun?”

“i am, you guys are just..” jaemin pauses, again glancing back at the scene before seemingly taking back a few words. “i am”.

you hum, whistling in the air. “i need some fresh air, come with me?”

jaemin nods, following behind you in the manner of a shadow out of the establishment. you two end up sitting on the sidewalk, chilling air offering you solace as you attempt to sober up.

it’s chillier than it was before, but you bask in the cold instead, short sleeves acting as nothing of a barrier.

“that was quite the performance back there” jaemin says quietly.

“thank you, yeah i can’t compare to donghyuck but singing is.. you know, just a hobby”.

you shiver offhandedly, jaemin observes for a while before offering you over his jacket, caging it around you in his lingering warmth. you yearn to comment on it, he practically dares you to, so you take it in silence.

“you know what would be amazing? a hot spicy bowl of kimchi jjigae”.

it’s been a while since you’ve been able to cook a genuine meal, the shifts take it all out of you and turning on any kitchen appliances gives you anxiety after a long shift. eating is a whole shove and go sort of a thing, you don’t pay much mind to it anymore. “now why would you put that in my head? i’m hungry” you whine.

“i know a good spot near the hospital, their stuff is like home”.

you ignore the mention of home.

“you’re just making it worse”.

“sorry” jaemin is not sorry. “maybe we can go together after work sometimes”.

“oh, like with the other interns? that’d be nice..”

jaemin looks caught, he swallows down nothing. “no i mean.. just us”.

you freeze. “oh”.

“what? having sex with me is okay but dinner is completely out of the question?”

“no” you reply defensively. “it’s just— us, you know? we can’t even go a few words without arguing, we don’t do dinner, the only thing we have in common is that we’re stuck up surgeons, we don’t do dinner”.

jaemin presses his lips into a flat line, the kind of thing he does when he’s looking for something nice to say. “we’re friends”.

you almost lurch forward, perhaps drinking was not a good idea. you blink, completely knowing of your upcoming decision.

“you know what? yeah, let’s get dinner”.

“right now?”

“no time like the present!” you shout, holding your hand out for jaemin as you rise from the sidewalk. he takes it, intertwining your fingers as you haul him off the ground,

“what about the others?”

“they’ll be fine” you excuse. “come on”.

you realize belatedly that it’s about midnight, which means most, if not all restaurants serving kimchi jjigae are closed. you two end up at the popular twenty four hour ramen spot instead, and you take time to sober up as you two wait in line. hanging off jaemin’s arm, you simply allow your head to lean against his shoulder, the other making no room for little complaints, you’ll regret being all clingy in the morning, but for now, it’s all up in the air. the waitress who seats you eyes you in that knowing way, she thinks you two are a couple, you decide to not correct her, there’s no benefit, she ensures a comment about how cute you two are.

“first thing i want to do after getting my license is..” jaemin begins. “treat the uppers at one of these places, like a celebratory dinner”.

“ramen for surgeons?”

“basically”.

you hum, tongue hot, all warm. “you wanna split this with me?” you inquire, referring to the takoyaki before you on a plate.

“can you even eat all that?” jaemin poses, clicking his tongue as he eyes the spread of appetizers. you aren’t a quitter, especially after a week of subpar meals you didn’t even bother turning on the stove to create. you raise your plate in his direction, offering a takoyaki ball which he takes a stab at.

“have you always wanted to be a surgeon?”

jaemin sighs. “we don’t have to do this”.

“do what?”

“the thing where we ask each other questions and pretend to care about the answers”.

“i do care” you press. “aren’t we friends? answer the question, minjae”.

“is that supposed to be a nickname?” jaemin grumbles. you’ve always had a knack for nicknames, jeno your main victim. “it sucks”.

“answer the question”.

he sighs again, but this time he’s smiling. “i mean, guess i always had the feeling, i was obsessed with that surgeon game when i was younger, i would sneak into my dad’s office and read up on all of his procedures, i read a lot of his stupid textbooks and was hooked forever”.

“oh”.

“yeah”.

“well it probably helped your family’s full of doctors huh?”

he pauses. “not really”.

you stop for a moment. “your dad is na kiwoo, he’s crazy good at his shit, he invented a whole new way to transplant bone marrow! your uncle is literally the chief of surgery at the hospital we intern at!”

you probably appear nerdy, you scratch the back of your ear, somewhat embarrassed. jaemin stares, clearing his throat. “my parents didn’t want me to become a surgeon”.

you are absolutely gobsmacked, jaemin goes through the effort of physically putting your jaw back in its place. “seriously?”

“absolutely, they did everything to make sure i wouldn’t get into the medical field, wanted me to get some bullshit sports scholarship, they refused to pay my tuition and basically said i ruined their dreams of having an olympian son so i went no contact”.

you scoff. “god”.

“right” he grins, though there’s little genuine. “i tried so hard to get into any program that didn’t have to do with guleum but look where i ended up”.

you blink as you attempt to process the influx of information. “but you’re destined for greatness— you’re your parents’ legacy”.

he dismissively waves. “it would be great if they cared, they have their noses buried in their work, can’t believe they thought i wouldn’t take it personal”.

“you’re still mad?”

“what do you think?”

and then he chuckles. you deliver a small smack to his shoulder, along the lines of an affectionate gesture. “they’re dickheads, you’re gonna be one of the best surgeons in the world, besides me”.

jaemin is now the one who’s surprised. “did you just compliment me?”

“hm.. think you’re hearing things”.

“sure” he stops. “so what about you, then? what got you into this program?”

your nose scrunches. “my sister, she always had complications growing up but she had to get a lobectomy when she was young because she had a tumor, after that she couldn’t talk for a while, we spent a lot of time at the hospital so that’s where the interest came from”.

“i didn’t know you had a sister”.

well you didn’t exactly care. “i have three, never a moment of peace”.

“oh i bet”.

your expression falters for a moment. “dad and mom didn’t want me to, get into the medical field that is, they thought i couldn’t do it, said it was a future depicted in failure and that i’d quit at the first loud shout”.

“you? quit?”

he appears genuinely shocked by such a revelation. “are you surprised?”

“kinda” he mutters, opting to glance directly at you. “you’ve always been so persevering, can’t imagine you quitting anything”.

you shrug. “they weren’t around much, i had to kinda fend for myself with three girls running around”.

“well you did it didn’t you?”

“yeah, all those my little pony reruns and sugar cookies” you muse, shaking your head. “i should not know as much as i do about that show”.

jaemin laughs at that one, and you can’t help the pride which swells in your chest. you belatedly realize that you’re enjoying this conversation, you two haven’t had a petty fight in a while, go figure.

“you aren’t that bad”.

“surprise”.

“so why are you so hellbent on proving it then?”

“preconceived notions go a long way, people hear my last name and think seven thousand different things, it gets tiring trying to prove them wrong, i don’t care anymore”.

but if his voice is anything, then he definitely does still care.

“okay so how exactly do you plan on getting home?” he inquires to you, leftover bags swinging in the light wind.

“the night bus”.

“you don’t drive?”

“i would kill myself” you blurt, and jaemin snorts. “don’t laugh, highways are terrifying, besides, the bus is empty at this time”.

“do they really run now?”

you stare flatly. “of course they do, i memorized the running hours”.

he has half a mind to giggle at that one, you then grab onto jaemin’s hand as you drag him towards the nearest bus stop.

your building lights remain blindingly bright once you finally reach your stop, jaemin following behind you in the fashion he always does.

“you really didn’t have to walk me”.

“i needed to make sure you’re in safely” he emphasizes, as if that makes any sense, he opts for an eye roll to sell the stubborn bit.

“aww, what a gentlemen you are minjae”.

he grumbles at the nickname, though his smile threatens to jump up at every glance.

for the first time since you and jaemin eloped, you take a glance at your watch, shocked at it being half past two already. “don’t you have work today? why didn’t you say anything?”

jaemin shrugs, flatly, very jaemin. “you guys were having fun, my shift’s at noon, it’s fine”.

“okay well, goodnight?”

“goodnight,” jaemin replies, and he leans forward for a peck, it’s short and sweet, by the time he’s done, you realize all too late, cheeks gone red as you instead blink.

“uh” you begin, very intelligent y/n, stellar. “that was.. um—“

“you okay?”

“no! i mean— yes i just, that was nice it was nice..” you exhale, “can i have another one?”

jaemin gives in, cupping your cheeks and drawing you in for another kiss. it shouldn’t go on for as long as it does, but you’re much too embarrassing to admit such a thing, instead you let him do it again, and again, and again, all soft against your lips.

“we probably shouldn’t do that again because..” your lips attempt to twitch up, you try to fasten that sincere expression on your features. “well you know—“

“right, no domestic shit” jaemin smiles, all teeth, so cocky.

you refuse to give him the satisfaction of a smile, turning towards the entrance in order to hide it. “goodnight”.

“goodnight” jaemin lingers for a moment, as if he wants to say something more. however, it appears he changes his mind once you glance back at him, he mirrors your turn back and begins walking off.

it’s not until you put the leftovers away and begin undressing for your shower that you realize you forgot to return him his jacket.

THE ETHICS OF COWORKER HOOKUPS 9: the crush-not-crush phase

jaemin does the friend thing exceptionally well, he relays obscure anecdotes that you giggle at and sneaks in slight jabs when doyoung’s in the middle of an important sentence that has you nudging him in the stomach with your arm.

like right now, he’s droning on about a moment when a nanny almost burned down his parents house whilst trying to cook for him and you’re very much interested, sneaking snorts under your breath.

renjun, jeno and donghyuck all arrive, tapping you on your shoulder, you turn to glance with the slightest confusion.

there isn’t an exchange of words, they simply observe jaemin until he smiles, making up a story about having to go check up on a patient.

they all silently watch him leave.

“why’d you scare him off?” you complain, almost tapering off into whining territory.

“i just want to know what’s up with you two” renjun finally says.

you groan, donghyuck pushes as he takes a seat beside you. “we are not having this conversation again”. 

“is he your friend? your boyfriend? an eight month conquest? your shotaro replacement?”

“why does everyone think we’re dating—“

“i ran into him when he was leaving your room this morning” jeno drawls, flat, irritated in that soft way he always is. “i’m about to ask him to start pitching in on the water bill”.

“he’s not over that often”.

your argument falls flat at donghyuck’s eyebrow raise. “he has been this month, do you like him?”

“okay— i hook up with him a few times doesn’t mean i like him”.

“you two keep sneaking off every time we hang out, you basically made him our new pseudo roommate and you were doing that thing you do when you like someone”.

“what thing?”

“you get all giggly and playfully mean—“ donghyuck tucks his hair behind his ear and flutters his eyelashes, squealing in what you suppose is a high pitched imitation of your voice; “oh jaemin you’re sooo funny!”

you land a punch, neither renjun or jeno reach to stop your action despite donghyuck’s extensive complaints.

“i’m not— it doesn’t matter, how could i like jaemin? he’s a fucking shark, do you not remember what he did to me in my our first month?”

renjun glances around, as if searching around for a better excuse you could tout. “your point?”

“i don’t like him, i’m not dating him, it’s all for sex”.

“how long has this been going on again?”

you wrack your mind for an answer. “we started right after i got dumped so.. around late august?”

“oh my god” donghyuck says, his eyes blown out dramatically. “you’ve been sleeping with na jaemin for THREE MONTHS!?”

you decide to assault him again. “can you not be so loud?”

“and you haven’t killed him yet? ew, you do like him”.

“i don’t— what does—“

“oh you totally do! holy shit, is the dick that good!?”

when you take a liberal pause, renjun immediately crinkles his nose. “don’t actually answer that”.

“i wasn’t going to”.

“you were having sex flashbacks!”

“was not, get over yourself” you snark.

donghyuck looks one mouth opening away from speaking when mark lee suddenly shows up, plopping himself at your table. “is this seat taken?”

“yes!” you and renjun yell in unison.

donghyuck clears his throat. “actually, you were just leaving weren’t you?”

“we were?” you ask dumbly, donghyuck nods, tipping his head towards the door.

oh, you realize what he’s trying to do.

“right” you begin slowly. “just leaving, just going”.

“me too” adds renjun.

“i haven’t finished my sandwich yet..” jeno pouts, and renjun sighs as he grabs ahold of his collar, dragging him away from the lunch table where you’ll leave mark and donghyuck alone. “c’mon, they have something to fix”.

~

when you enter the kitchen the following saturday, donghyuck offers you a mere glance from his book before sighing. “jaemin’s?”

“yep” you pop the p, crouching down as you open the fridge, offering a squint as if your aid will magically appear given your gaze. “are we out of grapes?”

“jeno ate em all, why?”

“nothing, guess i’ll just starve”.

“are you gonna sleep over?”

“i don’t know..”

“sounds close to a yes”.

you glare, donghyuck chuckles.

“practice safe sex youngling!”

you flip him off, he offers you a kiss instead. “sure”.

“enjoy your weekend off!”

you pause before the door and turn back to give him a look, itching to ask a question you’re aware doesn’t have a definite enough answer. “so.. is everything good between you and mark now?”

“i’m working on it” he says, “just working on it”.

THE ETHICS OF COWORKER HOOKUPS 10: blurring the line just a bit

you stumble into jaemin’s room and fall into his bed with your legs tangled. you feel warmth encapsulate you instantly. there’s lightheadedness, as if you’re drunk, intoxicated by the familiar scent of simply jaemin. his hair is in his eyes, yet for a long moment he simply stares. you doubt there’s a definitive way your imperfections could be glimpsed at in the vague orange lamplight, a small frown tugs at your lips.

“what?” you whisper, tentative.

“nothing” jaemin replies, equally silent. “it’s just— you’re just.. you look pretty like this”.

you blank for a moment, brightening yet attempting to shove it downward, reddened. “good, thought you were about to change your mind”.

“hush”.

when jaemin leans down to kiss you it’s soft, and your brain does that stupid malfunction thing once again, you sort of don’t know what to do with it. it’s syrup slow, the way jaemin licks into your mouth and his fingers trail up underneath your shirt, like you two have all the time in the world. you take in a long breath, tugging impatiently at his shirt which acts as a hurdle for you. he chuckles, you feel his smile against your own growing one.

you frown, such an expression heartens jaemin to no end. he’s torturing you, pressing slow soft presses against your soft skin, each press marked by his growing smile as he drags his mouth across each particular edge, exponentially leisure, nothing of vigor and more of attention to specific details. you squirm gradually, jaemin digs the pads of his fingers into your hips to hold you still in place, there’s a gentle edge to it that makes your head spin.

“hey” you tug at jaemin’s hair, and when he glances up at you there’s that huge urge to punch him, or maybe kiss him, do a crazy combination with the grin he’s sporting. “could you— fuck speed it up”.

“don’t you rush me y/n” he drawls, blinking up at you through his terribly beautiful eyelashes. “today is special”.

“it can be special when you get to it”.

“so bossy, maybe you should be in control then”.

despite his clear amusement, lingering insults on his tongue, jaemin again leans down to kiss you. it seems he enjoys that aspect, you don’t let go of his hair, hand on the back of his neck pressing him closer. it’s a good kiss, the slightest bit scary to you. you think you could get used to this, get accustomed to the sight of his dirty blonde hair and his hands pressing into the skin of your hip, possibly leaving marks.

it seems a little scary, but it also seems.. well, it makes you have all those mushy feelings you shouldn’t be having, feelings you’d have a heart attack at having three months ago.

you suppose you are blurring the lines a bit here, teeth ground and face buried into his neck, as if you were attempting to crawl into his skin. jaemin holds you and talks you through it like a lover would, it does terrible things to you, terrible terrible thoughts swirling around in your brain.

in the morning, you awake alone. you lie there for a moment, sunlight peeking through the curtains, then you allow your head to fall once more, taking in a deep breath which inadvertently means you’re smelling jaemin’s pillow. you shake your head instantly at such a thought, it’s really all over for you.

you settle for a moment before finally rising from your place, more of rolling off jaemin’s bed and almost breaking your bones with the fall on the floor.

you go through the motions, brushing your teeth and attempting to fix your hair, eventually just leaving it half done. you then venture into jaemin’s closet, grabbing at a random black hoodie and pulling it over your head.

you hear a commotion, head whipping in the direction of the door. you blink, poking your head out of the bedroom door. “jaemin?”

“i’m fine, it’s all fine! nothings burning down”.

you shuffle your way out of his room, feet mute against his bare floor. jaemin has his back to you, in nothing but a practically see through white shirt. “what’s this?”

“breakfast” he muses, eyes seemingly jumping when he catches a glimpse of you.

you lean over his shoulder, nosy as ever, his face is flat. “what?”

jaemin squints. “do you not like pancakes?”

“what kind of question is that? everyone likes pancakes” you reply, breakfast is one of the most foreign meals to you, you haven’t had an actual real breakfast meal in a startling while. “i thought you didn’t like strawberries”.

“they’re not for me” he says, nose scrunched. he uses a fork to cut up the pieces, getting an equal amount of each ingredient before holding it up to your face. “open up”.

“i know how to use a fork myself, you know”.

“open up”.

you drop your mouth open and allow jaemin to feed you, he observes you eat like a hawk. “good?”

you nod enthusiastically.

jaemin smiles, a real, toothless smile that blossoms alluringly over his features. “alright, eat breakfast, then we can go back to sleep”.

you pause, chewing. “i could’ve helped make breakfast”.

“well i didn’t want to wake you” you’re unaware of when he got closer, you opt to not question it, simply allowing his arms to circle around your waist and for him to kiss you once again. his presses are slow, lazy, warm, his sigh in tandem with him pushing you up against the counter.

“can’t i eat?”

“you look good”.

“my hair looks like shit..” you mumble, in response he ruffles it, which earns a grunt as you attempt to escape his hand by leaning backward. “and you just ruined it again”.

“i didn’t do anything” he’s got that smile on again, the one without his teeth, you found you enjoy capturing glimpses of that one much more than you’d ever gloat. “now eat, lord knows how long it’s been since you’ve had breakfast”.

he makes it up to you by helping you wash your hair in the shower, practically putting you to sleep with his ministrations, hand motions paired with a warm stream of water a dealing blow. he lets you do the same for him, sneaking in kisses between rinses to make your time a bit more difficult, water flicked your way resulting in slight squeaks. you spend the afternoon on the couch, bickering over what to watch before eventually settling on a drama you’d been recommended, cuddling closely, though napping quickly overtakes you. jaemin is heavy against your chest, and when you wake up past sunset, there’s a noticeable cramp in your arm, yet it’s the happiest you’ve felt in years.

~

it’s no wonder things change after that.

you see jaemin in the hallways of the hospital, messy hair paired with eye bags and your heart starts beating erratically. it remains in such fastened motions whenever he sends you a smile at lunch, or when you’re around the rest of your friends and can’t help but just.. stare. your chest warms inexplicably whenever he purposely bumps into you in the locker room or leans against you once he’s worn out, in the manner of a mind reader who knows what exactly such things to do your weak heart.

you’re still hooking up, obviously, but it’s become so ridiculously domestic that you’re unaware of when such lines began blurring.

jaemin brings you coffee, placing it atop the nurses station and patiently awaiting your response, smile akin to a cat bringing their owner a dead rodent as a gift.

you blink at it, then up at him, smiles all high. you recognize the doodles on the cup as from the cafe down the street, yet your mind is still the slightest bit woozy from a frankly terrible three hour sleep. “what’s this?”

“a little pick me up” he replies. “can’t just keep throwing back espresso shots, that’s unhealthy”.

how jaemin even figured that out is something you neglect to mention, you presume he’s some sort of alien mind reader, completely inhumane. you would’ve bitten back with a snarky remark a few months ago, yet it appears your mind is full of gray static now. you shake your head and go back to reading over the patient notes.

“i can’t drink that”.

“it’s your order” he drawls, and your eyes again shoot up.

“what.. uh— shit”.

jaemin pokes at your shoulder, sliding the cup over and encouraging you to take a sip. you’d argue with him, if you could with how he’s staring.

he was right, it is.

“how’d you even..?”

“i have my ways,” he brightens.

“thank you” you whisper.

“it’s nothing” he leans in to dart a kiss to your temple. “take it easy, okay?”

and your world successfully tilts on its own axis, you really need a word for that one.

THE ETHICS OF COWORKER HOOKUPS 11: desperate times desperate looking man

“i feel like i haven’t seen you in ages,” renjun whispers. you’re sneaking into the NICU between patients, like you typically do when swallowed with work. the tiny preemie babies are so cute, they’re simply giving it their all to survive, it encourages you to keep going in the slightest bit. also did you mention they’re absolutely adorable?

“are you finally moving out? are you taking jeno with you? am i free?”

“i’m not leaving, stop trying to divorce me” you say, smacking donghyuck’s shoulder in retaliation to such words. “has jaemin been acting any weird around you?”

“you mean like— weirder than normal?” donghyuck raises an eyebrow, renjun distracted by cooing at the sleeping NICU babies. you always wondered the extent of dreams infants have, constantly intrigued by such a thing.

“no not really” he replies, nudging renjun slightly in an effort to get him back on track. the older startles out of his admiring daze, blinking in your direction.

“jaemin? jaemin’s always been weird, why are you asking?”

“i don’t know he’s acting.. different, i’m a little worried”.

“different how?” renjun does his award winning judgmental gaze, amping up your consciousness.

“well you know how i slept over at his place last weekend—“

“and spared me the ear bleeding noises yes”.

“shut up, this morning he got me coffee before rounds started, he kissed me and told me to take it easy, since when has jaemin cared about that?”

renjun and donghyuck exchange one mere glance before the latter speaks up; “you know what that sounds like? i think you sucked and fucked your way into a relationship”.

“don’t swear in front of the babies!”

“and don’t ever say sucked and fucked again” renjun glares, nose crinkling in disgust.

donghyuck sucks his teeth, though ignoring renjun’s distinct complaint. “seriously y/n, if you can’t see with your huge fucking eyes that jaemin has something for you, that might be a huge problem”.

your arms drop at their sides, readying up some terrible rebuttal when your pager goes off, you immediately sigh once jaemin’s name pops up. “speak of the devil” you muse.

when you walk into the E.R you spot him immediately.

“hey, what’s up?”

“just need you to come look at something for me” he immediately says. “i have a theory, but i need a second opinion”.

a smug smile creeps onto your face. “are you asking me for a consultation right now?”

he rolls his eyes. “don’t act coy, there’s a lady with glitter glue in her ears, you seriously have to see this”.

you let him lead the way.

~

it’s eerily quiet in the intern locker when you walk in to grab your phone, one single being in the room, that of na jaemin, lying back on one of the benches, leg propped up. once he catches sight of you, he sits up.

“hey”.

“hi” you reply.

“out or in?”

“out, apparently i hit my eighty hours for the week, jungwoo cut me off”.

“that sucks, i’m on call tonight”.

“that does suck” you hum, shoving your phone in your bag as you eye the suspicious way his leg is propped up. “what’s up with your leg?”

“nothing, it’s just— my knees a little sore, that’s all”.

you frown slightly. “let me see”.

“you know i’m an adult, right? i can take care of myself”.

“hush” you respond, flatly staring as jaemin sits back on the bench, allowing you to poke at the wrap around his knee.

“it’s an old injury” he says. “it’s supposed to be fully healed but it still troubles me sometimes”.

your mouth drops open in a silent ‘ah’, “speed skating, right”.

“yeah, i was just telling choi about it, i don’t know why everyone is so surprised i used to speed skate”.

“you’ve been telling everyone about your secret past? i don’t feel special anymore, na jaemin” you tease. you sit up on the bench, satisfied jaemin wasn’t lying about wrapping it up properly. you’re supposed to go meet your family after this, but you don’t want to leave jaemin’s side just yet, call it obsession.

“relax” jaemin drawls, giving you a salacious wink. “they all know i only have eyes for you”.

you ignore the heat rising in your ears. jaemin has been much more forward with his advances lately, unabashed, little shame, which reminds you—“everyone thinks we’re dating, you know? you’re fueling the fire”.

“you know i don’t care what people think of me”.

liar.

“well i care” you answer. “about us, about.. uh— well, people always talk, you know? makes me anxious”.

“you sure you want me to stop flirting with you? really?”

“yes” you have an airy undertone lacing your voice, eyes sliding towards jaemin’s mouth, you realize lately that all you want to do is kiss him. you’re about fully prepared to when your phone buzzes in your pocket.

“you got somewhere to be?”

you shoot off a text to your younger sister to assure her that you will indeed not be late. you meet jaemin’s eyes and hesitate for a moment, though you’re unsure of why. “yes actually i have a reunion, well— not exactly a reunion but my parents want me to come home for some reason, probably gonna try to set me back up with my ex like they do every single time..”

there’s a small shift in his expression. “oh? didn’t they try to do that last week? or was that something else?”

“shotaro offered last week and i couldn’t turn him down, they’re trying to push me back to another ex”.

“ah”.

you pick up your bag and stand to head out of the door.

“i promised my sisters i wouldn’t be late, can’t leave them alone at home, if they make anything good i’ll bring around leftovers” you look over your shoulder. “text me when you get home?”

jaemin neglects to respond, you squint as you look at him.

“jaemin?”

“what? oh yeah, yeah, i’ll text you”.

~

jaemin does not end up texting.

you’re aware of that because you continuously glance over at your phone whilst your parents mutter on their meticulous jargon, sneaking in less than vague insults pertaining to your character. you keep checking for some sort of ping, a rogue emoji or videos of his cats that he enjoys sending so much. you only get texts from donghyuck asking what kind of pasta noodles he should buy for dinner, nothing else.

“are we boring you?” your youngest sister inquires, her head leaning against her head as she takes liberal glances towards your own phone.

you sheepishly put your phone away, you have no idea what anybody has been droning on about for the past few minutes, and you’re much too embarrassed to ask. “sorry no, please continue”.

later, you get home and crawl into your sheets, swiping the notification bar one last time to see if jaemin sent anything. disappointment. you tossed and turned for a moment, uncomfortable in the air of your room. it’s late, jaemin clearly had a long day and crashed as soon as he got home. he isn’t obligated to text you everyday, especially when you’re both equally busy in your own right. nevertheless, you briefly entertain the idea of showing up at his place just to see how he’ll react.

that would be crazy, you freak, is what your inner conscious speaks. he’s not your boyfriend or anything.

you do wish jaemin were here, though, he warms your presence in just the slightest.

you get up one last time, grabbing a dormant pusheen plushie left on your floor and pressing your face into it, a silent scream escaping your lips. you peer over at your phone one last time, finally deciding to take a leap.

goodnight, you text, pausing. you take a few moments, typing out i miss you a good six times before deleting such an idiotic message, you two saw each other no more than a few hours ago, why would you even send that? your hands are clammy.

maybe he caught something?

in the next minute, you practically jump up on your feet as your message is registered as seen. you sit up on the bed, observing text bubbles pop up and disappear for several minutes. eventually, jaemin settles on simply hearting your message.

he didn’t even say it back, but your heart is racing, and an irreversible warmth encapsulates you. the sides of your mouth curve upward involuntarily as you think of jaemin, his stupid jokes and his wide smile and his messy blonde hair, lying in bed deciding over how to respond to a ‘goodnight’ text. it’s just a text. a mere reaction even, nothing of a true response, yet this is a feeling you haven’t had in a long time.

lovesickness, you realize.

oh lord.

THE ETHICS OF COWORKER HOOKUPS 12: and zhong chenle was right in the end

“fucking finally” chenle’s mouth does that swivel upward and he beckons renjun closer. “pay up”.

“what? no, this doesn’t count, he hasn’t even told jaemin how he feels yet” renjun argues.

donghyuck taps his feet onto the floor, nudging you with his shoulder as he shares a knowing look, you stick out your tongue, though completely anxious about your upcoming circumstances. “told jaemin how i what?”

chenle sighs as if the whole world rests atop his shoulders. “jaemin romances you every single day, cooks for you, buys you cute gifts, asks for free consults and you’re still wondering how he feels for you? you sure you were at the top of your class back in university?”

jaemin walks in then.

“jaemin!”

you internally wince at the extent of your excitement, tone overwhelming. “um.. hi”.

“hey”.

“you never texted”.

“must’ve slipped my mind”.

“cool— uh, listen” over jaemin’s shoulder, chenle gestures you a thumbs up, renjun making a cut throat motion across his neck whilst donghyuck simply observes the whole thing in the manner of daytime entertainment. “uh.. i’m— we’re ordering in tonight, pizza and a movie are you down?”

jaemin opens his locker and doesn’t look at you. “sounds a little boring, sorry..”

“we don’t have to watch the movie” you suggest, screw shame, you’re as desperate as they get.

he blinks over at you, as if attempting to keep himself grounded though looking into your eyes.

“i’ll pass, have fun though” he replies, “see you all tomorrow” then he’s picking up his jacket, rushing out the locker room in an instant, cutting you off quickly. he practically runs into jeno on his way out, startling the other into donghyuck’s personal space.

“what’s up with jaemin? he looks like his cat just died”.

you turn to renjun and chenle. “he just rejected me, right?

“that money is literally mine” chenle grits his teeth.

“you’re all useless”.

by the time you make it to the lobby, jaemin is about finished with his daily wrap up talk with the receptionist, bag over his shoulder and head pointed towards the door. you’re fully aware of how pathetic you must seem currently, but you suppose nothings worse than not getting the truth out of him.

“hey.. hey, jaemin, slow down?”

jaemin blinks again, the irritated furrow of his eyebrows jumping out at you immediately. “what do you want?”

“i want you to talk to me”.

“what’s there to talk about?”

“you— gosh, you’re so confusing, you know? i can’t read minds, can’t you just tell me what i did wrong?”

and how you ended up outside is beyond you, perhaps it was the better decision, after all, arguing in front of the front desk lady is about as embarrassing as it gets.

jaemin scoffs, glancing down at his watch as if he’s unaware of the time, his apple watch lights up and the background is a picture of his cats, the wallpaper is helplessly adorable, it endears you to no end.

“you didn’t do anything”.

“well you don’t exactly make that obvious with how you’ve been avoiding me, you’ve been weird ever since i told you i started hanging out with shotaro again”.

“that— that has nothing to do with it, what you do out of work is none of my business”.

you try not to feel hurt by that one, you’re aware of what jaemin is trying to do. “so what is it?”

jaemin bites into his cheek. “can’t you drop it?”

“no” you refuse, slightly blocking his way though he could probably carry you on a bad day. “you’re going to have to tell me or get through me”.

“are you insane?”

that almost earns a well deserved fit of laughter, you suppose you are at this point. “you’re being immature, we have all night”.

jaemin gives a long hard stare, and you actually think he’s about to push you out of the way, leave you rejected on the cold sidewalk, but then he sighs, picking at the ends of his hair before breaking into a sigh. “i let you down, you know?”

you blank, arms dropping at your sides as you instead give continuous blinks. “what the fuck are you talking about?”

jaemin looks a crossbred of punching you and kissing you. “of course you don’t remember it’s— god you say things and barely even mean them cause you just talk so much, you know? you make me mad cause you do these little things that just piss me off and i just don’t understand you, you care about people so much and you’re so bossy but you’re also so.. cute, and nice, and you’re funny and you always do these things that make me realize i’m stupidly in love with you, there, that’s it”.

your heart resounds like a drum in your ears. “jaemin—“

“i fell in love with you, okay? and i know you told me not to, didn’t want us devolving into any domestic shit but.. i am, present tense, i’m in love with you”.

oh, you suppose there’s always a catch.

“you done now?” you ask.

“am i— yeah” jaemin laughs, dry and all. “i’m done, are you happy? can i go home now?”

“no” you pull him by the front of his jacket to kiss him, it’s cute that jaemin is clearly surprised by it, the broken whimper he allows to escape when you bite into the swell of his bottom lip is even cuter. his hand comes to cradle your jaw, and for a few sweet moments you forget you’re in front of your building of occupancy. you pull away with your cheeks hot as you rest your foreheads together, suddenly amused.

“thought you would’ve let your parents set you up with your ex”.

“and you didn’t think to ask me?”

“i mean— we never talked about.. this”.

“because you said it would be weird!”

“oh so i’m the bad guy now?”

“yes! yes you are!”

“i told you i was in love with you all you had to say was—“

“shut up” you snap, cupping his impossibly perfect face between your hands. “lord i like you so much, love you an excruciating amount and i miss you all the time even though i see you everyday, you’re so annoying and you have that addicting smile and it’s— you piss me off”.

“as you’ve said before”.

“but.. you know, guess it wouldn’t hurt to try”.

he kisses you again and you can’t help how you smile against his own lips.

“you wanna come back with me?”

jaemin pretends to think it over, as if your fingers aren’t entwined and you don’t already have butterflies alive in your stomach. “i’m worried, what happens if my helmet swallows your tiny little head whole”.

“so romantic na, i’ll have to give you an award for that one”.

“aww, really?”

“no”.

jaemin sticks out his tongue, one last peck given to your lips before you two were off.

when you get back to your place, jaemin falls asleep on your lap midway through the movie like an exhausted old man, or maybe just the young surgeon subjected to the torturous work hours at guleum grave hospital just trying his best. you can’t believe how fond you are, gaze brazen in a manner that renders you nauseous. unable to resist, you reached out to tuck strands of his hair behind his ear.

you hate yourself, it’s just the slightest bit terrifying, you’re fearful at the oncoming future and the enigma of na jaemin in his all. you just want to make sure he wants this, the mushy and sticky feelings which come with the whole process. he is a mystery, yes, but he’s also kind, and patient, and so full of boundless devotion that he probably isn’t even sure he retains.

jaemin jerks awake once jeno flicks on the lights of the living room, but he settles down quickly once he realizes he’s in your lap, you run your fingers through his hair, quietly aching.

he blinks up at you slowly. “i missed the movie”.

“you did” you murmur, “wanna go to bed?”

“yeah” jaemin grabs ahold of your hand in his hair, fingers intertwined, beginning to leave light kisses on your wrist, just above your pulse. he’s so cute like this, so soft looking with his delicate feeling lips and soft all around the edges. you might get sick from the absorbent amount of love you happen to be feeling, his eyelashes flutter in your direction, a smile tugging at his lips which you mirror.

it’s a match made on this soul sucking earth. it’s only a little perfect.

[rebelliousstories]

Black Friday

Relationship: Eddie Brock/Venom x Reader

Fandom: Marvel

Request: No

Warnings: Fluff, Mentions of Inappropriate Behavior Towards Women

Word Count: 2,098

Main Masterlist: Here

Marvel Masterlist: Here

Summary: Quite possibly the most stressful day of the entire year is here. Now, they have to really keep a leash on the symbiote.

Consider Donating: Here

“Eddie, wakey, wakey. Wake up, my love.” A soft dulcet voice caused the man to blink his eyes open finally. The sun was just starting to rise outside the window, but inside was simply blinding. His girlfriend’s gorgeous smile was above him, causing her hair to fan out.

“Hey,” he groaned with his voice still thick with sleep, “how’s my girl doin’?”

“Good, but we’ve gotta get up. I’ve got to get to work, and you promised to stay with me so we can go straight from there to shopping. They got that deal on the new tv we wanted.” Eddie rubbed the sleep from his eyes as he sat up. He wrapped his hands around her waist to bring her into his lap. Burying his face into her neck, he pressed a few kisses there, before pulling back to look at her sweet face.

“Alright, pretty girl. What time is it?”

“Five.”

“Well then, we don’t want you to be late. Now do we?”

“No, we don’t.” The deep voice of their favorite symbiote suddenly joined the party. An inky black head with large white eyes materialized upon Eddie’s shoulder, who then sighed an annoyed sigh.

“Morning, V. How are you, sweet thing?” She pressed a kiss to the slimy cheek which made the alien let out a happy rumble.

“Don’t encourage him. It’s too early,” mumbled Eddie once he dropped his head in defeat.

“Eddie, she loves me. Do not get in the way of our love.”

“Okay, boys,” she chimed in before they could start an argument, “let’s go get ready for the day.”

The couple and their unintentional third wheel went about their routine like normal. It was a pleasant morning for what was most definitely going to be a stressful day ahead. Black Friday had hit the American economy. While they did plan on taking advantage of it, they had stuff to do first. So, having the calm of the morning was lovely. Eddie spent his time trying to actually make breakfast and coffee for him and his lover. Venom tried to help in his own special way, leading to a mess that Eddie would, inevitably, have to clean. And she spent her time getting ready for work.

This was the joy of living with her boyfriend, and the symbiote. There was never a dull moment, and yet, they managed to work well together. In recorded time, she was out the door with her boyfriend, and walking down the beautiful street towards his bike. No matter what, she always wore her helmet. Eddie insisted upon it, and since Venom could not inhabit her body, he did too.

All of her coworkers knew that the revving of the bike’s engine meant that she had brought her gorgeous piece of meat with her. It genuinely made her giggle the first few times when the other women, and one of the guys, were hitting on Eddie while he was inside the cafe, with her nearby. Now, everyone just liked watching him work on his laptop in the corner as the pretty man he is.

“I’m gonna go clock in. You hang out in your spot, okay? I’ll bring your first round to you shortly,” and she gave Eddie a kiss once the helmets were gone.

She went into the cafe first, feeling the cozy heat inside, and rounding the corner to start her job. Eddie followed shortly after, even though the cafe was still technically closed for another few minutes. No one minded have him inside. He was always nice to people, and tipped them generously once it came time to pay his tab.

As soon as seven hit, the store was flooded with customers. Some people were looking for their first fix before starting their own Black Friday shifts. While others were trying to stay caffeinated and/or warm for their Black Friday shopping ahead. Either way, their little cafe was busy. She brought over Eddie’s second coffee, with a double chocolate chip cookie for Venom.

“Thanks, angel. And, um,” he leaned in just a bit, making her do the same. “The other guy says thank you too.”

“You guys are welcome.” She replied in the same tone that he had been using. As she walked away to start helping behind the counter again, she heard her lover muttering to himself.

“No, I’m not gonna tell her that. She’s working. Control yourself.”

Never a dull moment with those two. But, thanks to the holiday, there was never a dull moment the entire eight hours behind the counter anyways. Eddie watched as a steady stream of customers kept his darling girl busy. She took on different jobs, like they all did, rotating every couple of hours so no one got into too much of a rut. It was actually really lovely to see them using so much teamwork.

His favorite time was when his angel was on the register. He loved it. Eddie was seated with a perfect line of sight so that he could spend those two hours watching her. And the man was having a great time, even with the commentary from his friend in the back of his head. That was, until, some jerk came along to ruin it.

For some reason, there was a guy who, no matter how many times he got turned down, would continually make passes at Eddie’s girl. Now, she could take care of herself, but each time it was getting harder and harder to restrain the other guy. Today, this prick decided to some early Black Friday shopping it appeared.

“Hello gorgeous. How’s my favorite little barista doing today?” He leered, only to be met with her most deadpan face.

“Welcome in. What can I get started for you?” To anyone else, she sounded like a cheery, customer service worker. But Eddie knew better.

“Well, I just got this new watch,” he flashed the overtly shiny thing in her face. “Wanna know the greatest thing about it?”

“Are you going to get a coffee, or a pastry, sir?”

“It tells me exactly when to pick you up for our date tomorrow night.” Resisting the urge to roll her eyes, she took a deep breath in, and out.

“Are you going to order something? There is a line, sir.” She tried once more, and yet, this guy was just not getting the hint.

“As long as you are on the menu, yes. I’ll be getting something.” This creep leaned across the counter, over the register, and into her personal space. As much as she tried to lean and get out of his way, she did not catch the hand coming up onto her arm until it had made contact. Jumping back as if she had been burned, the shiver that swept through her body could not be suppressed. Thankfully, right as Eddie started making his way over, her male coworker, Leon, had sprung to her aid.

“Hey. Uh, no way honey. You are gonna walk out of here and not come back before I call the cops and have you trespassed. We are gonna keep our hands to ourselves before I come across this counter. Come on, sugar.” Leon ushered his angel to the back to take some deep breaths before coming back out to find the creep still there.

“Go on! Shoo! If I have to come across this counter, you sure as hell not gonna like me. Go!” Finally, the man left in a huff as Eddie saw his angel poke her head out from around the corner of their dry storage. He kept murmuring to himself on the entire trip out, but no one came to his aid. As soon as he was gone, she went back to working the drinks counter while Leon filled for her at the register.

“That pathetic man put his hands on our angel.” Venom growled, letting Eddie feel the rumble deep in his chest.

“Yeah, I don’t like it either, buddy. But she’s safe behind the counter.” Before he could sit back down, the man felt his limbs go rigid as his friend took control over his muscles.

“What are you doing?” They were walking faster towards the front door and past the counter. Eddie’s laptop was still there, so everyone knew he was coming back. But as she saw the shadow of her boyfriend walk past her, a small black tendril emerged from her lover’s back and sent a salute towards her.

“Oh no.” She chuckled and went back to work.

“We are going to teach that thing a lesson about touching what’s ours.”

“What is this ‘our’ stuff you spouting off about, V? She is my girlfriend. Not yours.”

“I know she is not just mine. That is why I say ours, Eddie.” Before said Eddie could retort once again, they rounded the corner to the alleyway right next to the back door of the cafe where they would take out trash. And would you like to guess who they found lurking around?

“Let me eat his head, Eddie. Please. He’s got a Black Friday discount on life.” He had no clue whether or not the symbiote was joking. Knowing Venom, he knew he probably was not.

Inky limb like tendrils shot out from Eddie to grab at the creep that had been targeting their girl, and shoved him against the wall. Venom was not completely taking over Eddie’s body yet, but he was close. Walking up to the pinned man, another tendril slapped over his mouth to silence his screaming. Eddie tried to look as mean as he possibly could.

“Look, guy. Whoever the hell you are. Leave my- ow- our girl alone. She isn’t interested. She will never be interested. Get it through your head. Got it?” Unfortunately, he still could not take a hint.

“Oh, what. Like she’d go out with you, mister disgraced journalist? Listen pal, I’ve got connections. You try to threaten me and you’ll be in a jail faster than you can say ‘merry Christmas’. Now let me go!” He struggled once more, but Eddie just sighed.

“See, that just ain’t gonna happen. See, I’ve got a friend. And right now, he is really itchin’ to hurt you. So let’s just part ways and this all goes away, yeah?” The offer fell on deaf ears as the man struggled to break free.

“You asked for it.” In an instant, Venom’s head popped up from his shoulder like an aggressive cat. The silence that followed was beautiful.

“I would very much like to eat his head now. Human brains always taste best.”

“No, V. We’re just gonna rough him up and then go back inside. No eating heads. Don’t wanna draw attention to m- our girl.”

Their entire dialogue was being witnessed by someone who looked three seconds away from passing out, peeing himself, or screaming. Maybe all three. But as Venom showed all of his teeth and his disturbingly long tongue, turns out it was those three. But in very fast order.

“Well,” the body dropped to the floor, “that was interesting. Let’s go inside. I want some more coffee before we leave.” Eddie turned on his heels and marched back inside. Once he was within view of others, Venom retreated back into his host. “Good boy.”

“I am not a dog, Eddie! But thank you. I would like another cookie for my efforts.” The monster growled, a pleasant purr emitting from him as he saw their angel behind the counter.

“Alright. You can have another cookie.” Once he was at the register, Leon got Eddie’s, and unknowingly Venom’s order, before moving down to where his girl was making delicious treats. But he did turn back at the last moment to send a quick, “thank you,” to the man who just nodded.

“You won’t have to worry about that a-hole again, angel.” He murmured, accepting the cookie she gave him, mostly for his alien friend.

“Did Eddie talk to him or the other guy,” came her tease as she made his coffee just how he liked it.

“A bit of both. Ow, would you quit it? Fine! Mostly the other guy. You happy now, diva?” His monologue that she knew was actually a dialogue sounded hilarious right about now.

“Thank you. Both of you. I’ve got thirty minutes left, so after that we can go get that new tv since our old one is broken.” Even though he was not physically present, Eddie knew that she was staring at Venom when she said that.

“Black Friday makes people do crazy things.”

[moon-alight]

how do you think andteam would react to you being injured? thanks

Of course, Sorry for the wait 😘 (As you can see, I also changed the layout of everything. Hope nobody minds)

General Masterlist

&Team Masterlist

&Team Reaction to their s/o being injured

Warnings: Fluff, bit of angst, mild description of injuries

Word Count: 2042

-K

You were busy inside the kitchen of the dorms, ready to cook something nice for your sweet and hardworking boyfriend. He was out late with the members to prepare for a comeback which you didn't mind, you were used to his strange work hours by now.

With some music in the background, your hips swaying on 'Sorry' from Justin Bieber and an apple in your hand which you were peeling because you would make a small fruit salad as dessert, you felt happy. That is, until a sharp pain in your palm distracted you.

Looking down at the blood your heart dropped, not because you were hurt from accidentally cutting yourself, but because you knew your boyfriend. You went to hold the cut underneath the streaming water from the tap when the door opened and loud noise filled the room.

You heard Harua and Maki laugh about something Taki had said as they were all taking off their shoes before entering. Two strong arms wrapped around you from behind and warmth enveloped you. Kei obviously felt your body tensing against his own and frowned.

"Baby? What have you done?" He asked when he saw the cut in your palm.

"It's nothing, I was just being dumb." He took your hand in his and gently rubbed the back of your hand with his thumb.

"What am I gonna do with you?" He asked more to himself than to you.

"Kiss it better?" You asked to which he laughed and went to kiss your palm better.

-Fuma

Stressing over stupid little things was not unusual for you. Of course you'd be overreacting over something that had absolutely no impact on your life but you also did not want your new coworkers to think you were an idiot.

You had just had your first day at your new job and because you wanted to make a good impression, you might've accidentally knocked against the printer. The machine was okay but you ended up with a sprained ankle due to the fall.

Nobody laughed and instead two very sweet women helped you but you were embarrassed. Of course, nothing beats the fact that you had to somehow explain to your very caring boyfriend what had happened.

When you limped inside the dorms, he immediately could tell something was awfully wrong even though you tried to hide it.

"Honey?" Fuma asked and watched you make your way towards the couch slowly. "How was your first day at your new workplace?"

"Great! Amazing! Couldn't be better." You finally sat down and let out a sigh of relief because your ankle could finally rest.

"Hm." Fuma hummed and sat down next to you. "And now I want the truth, please."

"Alright, I fell, nothing too bad, just a sprained ankle."

"Well, you won't be walking the next few days." You stared at him with a deadpan look in your eyes. "What? You need to give it time to heal."

-Nicholas

He watched you walk towards the garbage can underneath the bookshelf inside his room and he also watched as you bend down to throw away some paper, came up and accidentally knocked your head straight against the wood of said shelf.

His first intention was to laugh it off because truth be told, it did look funny but when he saw the way you were obviously trying to hide how much it hurt you yet the tears bottled up in your eye, he knew it was not funny for you.

"Princess/Prince?" He asked carefully, getting up from his bed and walking over to you. "Are you okay?" You tried to hard not to cry because it would be very pathetic of you, but when the first tear fell, he coed at you and wrapped you up in a hug.

"It's okay." He whispered against your hair as he rubbed your head gently where you had hit the shelf. "My little clumsy duck--"

"Not funny." You muttered against him.

"I'm not laughing, princess/prince." Nicholas stated but couldn't help and smile. "I just need you to be a bit more careful next time." He cupped your cheeks in his hands and kissed your forehead. "Or your pretty little head might fall off one day."

-EJ

Sure when you were asked to help move the couch in the dorm, you agreed in a heart beat, mostly because it was your boyfriend who asked. The boys had a clear vision and it made a lot of sense in your head too.

The couch was too far in the front, they wanted to move it against the wall and had to move both the couch and the closet to do so. You had one hand on the back rest of the couch while the other rested on the armrest. When Yuma gave you the sign, you pushed forward with EJ and Jo.

When the couch hit the wall brutally because of the force you all had, one of your precious fingers got stuck between the couch and the wall which made you help before pulling it back. You looked down at the bleeding nail but were relieved it wasn't much worse.

"Oh my God!" Jo shrieked when he saw the slightest bit of blood. "I am so sorry!"

"You didn't do anything." You told him to which EJ chuckled and walked over to you. He took your hand in his to check the wound.

"Does it hurt a lot?"

"No, it did when it got stuck but it's fine now." You assured him, which was the truth.

"I will still get it desinfected just in case." EJ muttered and dragged you towards the kitchen even though you said you didn't need it.

-Yuma

You were not a big fan of PE, especially when it was running but you decided to keep your own pace and it should be fine. Well, it was fine for about fourty minutes until you had to do sprints. Your friends were all just as annoyed as you were but you had to do it.

So, when you began to run and your foot got stuck underneath a treebranch, since you were outside for your tests, you fell to the ground. For a second you were disoriented, not sure what had happened but then you saw the branch behind you and it made sense.

"Are you okay?" Yuma asked, appearing by your side immediately. He took your hands gently and pulled you up from the ground. Your knees were hurt the most as they had caught your fall and unfortunately, you scraped them open.

"Yuma, how about you bring them to the school nurse?" Your teacher asked your boyfriend who immediately agreed and went to grab your bag. You walked with him inside the school as he held your hand tightly.

"I'm proud you didn't laugh." You commented to which he gasped dramatically.

"Why would I laugh? You are hurt!"

"Remember that time I knocked my head against the glass door because I thought it was open and you ended up wheezing?"

"That was different!" Yuma tried to defend himself. "You were laughing too! I would've never laughed if you were actually hurt. I love you too much for that."

"Can you repeat that, please?"

"Repeat what?"

-Jo

He really did not mean to, but it kind of just happened and he completely knocked himself up because of it. See, you two were just playing basketball -- for as much as you were able to play -- because Jo was obviously much better.

He had scored once more and picked up the ball. He told you it was your turn and thought you were paying attention so he threw it into your direction and accidentally hit your face. Now, it did not hurt too bad but the moment he saw your bleeding nose, he was panicking.

"I'm so, so sorry! I didn't mean to hurt you! I would never do something like that on purpose--"

"Jo!"

"I swear! I am so so sorry! Please, yell if you want but don't leave me--"

"Jo! Listen to me, you dork!" He shut up once you actually raised your voice. You had to, he wouldn't listen otherwise so, you chuckled at him and continued in a softer tone. "My nose was already bleeding before you hit me with that ball."

"What? But, does it hurt? Why would your nose start bleeding?"

"It does that sometimes when the temperature drastically changes. I mean, it has been warm the previous months and today it is surprisingly chilly. Stop worrying."

"I'm still very sorry." Jo said and wrapped his arms around you tightly.

"You have nothing to be sorry for, believe me."

-Harua (I wonder what would happen if I forgot him XD)

The upcoming exams had you completely stressed. You wanted nothing more than to run away from all the trouble and spare yourself even more overthinking but you couldn't.

When you were stressed, you did a bunch of stupid and out-of-the ordinary stuff like accidentally snapping at your boyfriend who only tried to help.

You couldn't help but feel guilty so you arrived at the dorms to make it up to him. It was already dark and it had been raining outside. You quickly took your shoes off and walked down the hallway to the living room where you heard the tv. He sat on the couch alone.

You walked over, your foot accidentally slipped in a small puddle that someone had created and you fell to the ground. Harua was startled and looked over to see you. He frowned to himself in confusion.

"I wanted to apologize for snapping but I guess Karma was quick to punish my actions." You said with a groan. Harua stood up and walked over to you, he squatted down next to you.

"That puddle was Nicholas when he dropped his wet coat earlier." He told you and stroked a hand through your hair. "Apology accepted." He helped you stand up. "Are you hurt?"

"No, I'm fine." You assured him to which he nodded and made you sit next to him on the couch.

-Taki

He was teaching you some dance moves from their new coreography because you wanted him to. Taki had surprisingly much patience when it came to you and even supported you even though you knew you sucked. He was just glad he got to share this with you.

You had a small break and opened your waterbottle to take a sip as you explained something that had happened at school that day. Your free hand was moving along to punctuate your points when you accidentally hit it against the wall.

At first glance it didn't look that painful and Taki had chuckled at your clumsiness but when he saw your scraped knuckles and the blood, he stopped and turned serious immediately.

"Does it hurt?"

"Not much, just a slight sting."

"You have to be more careful." He told you and took your hand in his. "I cannot wrap you in bubblewrap but if I have to I might wrap everything around you."

"Hey! I'm not that bad!"

"Honestly, y/n, I think you might be worse."

-Maki

Maki was always supportive, even when you were going absolutely crazy. He loved dogs more than anything and luckily for him, so did you but when you got close to this beautiful little homeless chihuahua to pet him, he knew it was a bad idea.

You should've known that chihuahuas weren't going to warn you before biting but you were still surprised when he bit your finger. You yelped and stepped away from the dog to which you heard Maki sigh.

"Do not comment on it!" You warned him to which he chuckled. "I know I was stupid, I do not need a lecture."

"You know what? I would tell you 'I told you so' if I didn't love you so much." Maki said to which you smiled. "Regardless of that. . . I told you so." Your smile disappeared to which he laughed.

"Yeah, well, laugh about my misery! I might be in pain!" You complained to which he cooed at you.

"I'm sorry, I'll get you ice cream to cheer you up."

"Sounds good to me!"

[biscuitblinkeu]

Vanessa [4]

Park Chaeyoung x Fem!reader

Word Count: 2546

ToSumUp: Your department gets a gorgeous new coworker who’s oddly affecting everyone. Rosie recalls the deal she made with Ursula.

A/N: Ursula: Now sing! Rosie: Hit chu with that Lamborghini we goin vroom— (Think I said this before but I don’t own Disney’s TLM characters at all, just referencing them😭👍🏽)

“We got a new coworker today,” was the first thing Isa told you when you settled in your cubicle, a silly little grin on her face. 

“Don’t you think it’s weird the way you’re always excited over this? I swear…” you murmured, shaking your head.

“Of course I am!” She protested, rolling her eyes. “It’s always nice to have a fresh face in the office— a pretty face, I’m hearing. The boys and girls are following her around like lovesick puppies.”

“Is that so?” 

Isa groaned. “Would it kill you to be more interested?”

You motioned to the clock. 

“Yeah, yeah, I know it’s early. You always act like a grouch this time of day. Oh, look! There they go— I said look— it's been like that all morning.” 

You see, originally, you never planned to make the effort to turn your head and look, but Isa turned your face towards the scene anyway.

You squinted.

It was a few of your coworkers along with those from other fields, bustling and talking. Honestly, you never thought the tech department and the info department ever got along but there they were. It may be that they finally found something in common. Either way, they were crowded around the coffee machines, engrossed in noisy conversation. What was so interesting about that?

“I guess it’s weird seeing them getting along?” 

“Well, yeah, but that’s not the point I’m getting at.”

“Mm, okay.” You turned back to your monitor. Isa too, realized it was time to actually get to work and begrudgingly left you alone, not after a huff left her mouth.

You were halfway done typing away at the Google Sheets in front of you by the time an unexpected email came in. You opened it up without looking at it, then blinked as four words appeared on your screen. It gave you a shock to your system.

Come to my office.

“What could she possibly want at this time?” You stressed, looking to Isa for answers.

She tried to reassure your nerves. 

“But she never calls me to her office to tell me something, it’s usually over email. And who in their right mind sends an email like that with no context?” 

“I have to agree that it’s weird there’s no explanation, but I’m sure it’s nothing. She wouldn’t fire the best worker in this unit.”

“I wasn’t even thinking about being fired, but now that you put the idea in my head...”

“No, you did that yourself. Like I said: you’ll be fine. Now go, it’s worse if you keep her waiting.”

.

You knocked three times before opening the dark oak door. Your boss, Mel, was very young for such a position, and that could be why you and her got along well. She sat in her chair, filling some papers and putting them in a drawer.

You received a business smile and a hand gesture to the seats. “(Y/n), please sit. Why do you look so tense?”

You let out a puff of air, not so gracefully plopping down in the leather seat. Your legs were shaking the whole way here. “You sent me an email containing only four words.” 

“Right, I did.” She nodded, chuckling to herself. “It didn’t give you a heart attack, did it?”

“I’m surprised I’m not in the hospital,” you said bluntly, causing her to laugh.

“It’s good that you’re not. Believe me, it wasn’t my intention to scare you. I was preoccupied as I wrote it, and the person I was busy with is actually why you’re here.”

You raised a brow.

She folded her hands in front of her. “If you’re not already aware, there’s a new face in your department. To get to the point, I’d like you to show her how things work. I know you're a busy woman, but I trust you the most to do a good job.” She doesn’t mention that you seemed the most clear-headed, not easily swayed by batting eyelashes like your coworkers. Something strange was going on.

You sat up. “Supervise? I can do that. Is she here now?”

Mel shook her head, a rueful smile on her painted lips. “Unfortunately, she’s a slippery, little thing. I don’t know her current location, although, I’m sure you’ll recognize her when you do meet, she’s causing quite the stir and is usually at the center of it.”

When the office door closed behind you, you allowed your shoulders to slump. What were you supposed to do? Find her? Go back to work?

You didn’t really want to get involved with someone described as “slippery” and the cause of all events. This new coworker already seemed like a lot to handle and you haven’t even seen her face yet.

There was a buzz from your pocket, and you pulled out your phone. You smiled at the simple, grammatically incorrect text. 

Rosie: Hi how you are?

You were able to turn your old phone back on and gave it to Rosie. You’ve been teaching her the basics— mostly things she can text you if she needs anything or simply wants to see how you were doing while you were away; how to call or FaceTime. It surely soothed your nerves, having a way for her to contact you. (You were glad she was getting used to texting you, even though it was emojis or gibberish most of the time). It would be easier for her to use the microphone dictation, something your five-year old niece often did, but speaking was out of the question.  

You sent a voice message asking her if she ate, reviving a ‘yes’ and a few fried egg emojis shortly after. You asked her what she’s doing now. 

Rosie: Listen music

You imagined her sitting next to your record player, legs curled up to her chest and phone in hand, and smiled to yourself. Another text appeared.

Rosie: you go now?

You pressed the voice record button and continued walking to the elevator. “Not yet,” you said. “Just a little longer, and I’ll be back.” Once inside the metal box, you acknowledged the woman in there and pressed the button that would take you back to the second floor, patiently waiting for the doors to close. Just as they slowly began to slide shut, a panicked voice reached your ears. 

“Wait! Hold the elevator!” A little ways down the hall was a fancy-dressed man struggling to carry a box containing files and other documents, his glasses nearly falling off his face as he speed walked to the elevator. The woman next to you merely glanced at him before tapping away at her phone again, smacking on her gum like a horse.

You bit your tongue to keep from saying anything. Well, that’s rude.

Giving the woman a side glance, you stuck your hand out, the elevator doors gently bumping the sides before retracting. The man slipped past you and gave you a grateful smile, setting the box on the ground with a huff. The woman looked annoyed, but you ignored her. 

“Thank you for waiting,” he breathed, turning to you.

“It’s nothing,” you said politely, moving back to your corner. 

He straightened his suit, smiling still. “Well, I appreciate it. I’m Chan. You are?”

“(Y/n), nice to meet you,” you murmured. His smile was perfect, too bright, it made you want to cover your eyes. When he fixed his hair through the elevator reflection, you had the muddled thought you knew him from somewhere— probably from Isa. You couldn’t be bothered trying to figure it out though. 

The elevator ride was mentally painful. Once the rude lady got off, it was just you and Chan. He talked so much. He clearly wanted to get to know you, and you couldn’t fathom why. All you did was hold the elevator doors. You were well aware of the looks you were getting as he walked you down the hallway together (turns out you were going to the same floor). The stares burned the back of your head, and you were eager to get rid of Chan since he was most likely the cause. 

“I’ll see you around,” he had said when you finally parted ways. 

You collapsed in your chair with a huff, laying your head on the table. What was Rosie doing now? 

Isa entered your cubicle and patted your back, laughing. “You poor, lucky thing.” 

You lifted your head up. “Lucky?”

“Lucky,” she repeated. You watched the look lighten her face— she was about to gush. Bright eyes, teasing smile, it’s coming. “You knew who that was right?”

You blinked. “Who?”

She shook you. “The guy? Chan? I’ve mentioned him multiple times, woman!”

“Oh,” you said. “What about him?”

“I was so surprised seeing the two of you walk down here, I didn’t know you knew each other.”

“We don’t,” you shook your head. “I just held the elevator door open for him. I don’t know why he walked with me.”

Isa sighed, if she told you he had interest in you, you would deny it flat out, like you’d do with anyone. You had little self awareness, it frustrated her to no end. Didn’t you know you were attractive?  

.

Rosie sat curled up by the window, looking outside. It’s something she always does when you’re not here, or when she’s thinking. 

Something just didn’t feel right today, and that it has to do with what’s happening under the sea. It’s been a little over a week since she left.

She came to the surface to observe the humans, to figure out what’s so bad about them, why her father harbors such animosity towards them. She was aware her mother died by humans, she was there when it happened— she saw. However, she doesn’t think they’re all bad. 

Some of them are compassionate, like the man and his daughter who took her in and gave her clothes the first day she set foot in New York. She probably would’ve stayed with them, they would’ve let her, too, if not for his wife kicking her out. It was all a huge misunderstanding.

But then she wouldn’t have met you. Just thinking about you makes her heart pound in her chest, and she finds herself smiling.  

It faded when she remembered the deal she made with her Aunt to come here. It was suffocating living there, and out of desperation she made the deal to get away from her life in the water. The details of the deal are vague, she doesn’t remember the whole conversation. 

“You have one month. If you fail to… you’ll belong to me,” Ursula told her sternly, her tentacles wrapping tighter around her. “Are you ready to give it up?”

Rosie bit her lip and looked to the side. “If I become human, I’ll never be with my sisters or father again.”

“That’s right, but you’ll have your humanity. You’ll have your...”

“My...?”

“Yes. You’re thinking hard, I can tell. Life’s full of tough choices, isn’t it?” She laughed, then her eyes widened. She let go of Rosie and twirled around, suddenly youthful in expression. Her eels followed her, passing through Rosie’s sides with a snicker. “Oh! And there is one more thing: we haven’t discussed the subject of payment. You can’t get something for nothing, you know.”

Rosie shook her head, she had no money, nothing of real value. “But I don’t have—”

“I’m not asking much, just a little token— you won’t even miss it.”

“What is it?”

“Your voice.”

Every time she tried to remember, the thought disappeared. It was worrying. Then, there was her father; what was he up to? She knew he was enraged. It won’t be long before he sends someone after her— if he didn’t already.

.

“I need coffee,” you stated, making your way to the machines. 

You leaned on the counter, watching the brown liquid drip into your mug with a neutral expression. You added creamer and caramel, deciding you wanted your coffee sweet today. You heard a commotion to the side of you.

“it’s not supposed to be like this; won’t you all just stop following me?” Someone murmured under their breath. They were clearly exasperated, and the voices became more distinct as they walked closer towards you. 

“Vanessa, please let me help you with that.”

“I can show you where to go.”

“Let me take those for you.”

The woman clutched the papers to her chest, effectively wrinkling them as her jaw clenched in irritation. She didn’t sign up for any of this— she was here for one reason. “You’re all…very kind, but can’t you see I don’t want help? I can— umph!”

A body bumped into you just as you turned around, the jerk causing your mug’s contents to splash your chest. The brown, piping hot liquid seeped into your white shirt, and the moment it touched your skin you hissed, immediately pulling the wet fabric away from your skin. You scowled, moving back to the counters.

You heard a gasp, followed by a feminine “I’m so sorry! Here, let me…” although it barely registered when you were too occupied trying to get paper towels out from the roll. You began to messily wipe at it, hoping the quicker it dries, the cooler it’ll get. 

Soft hands pulled your own away from your shirt and began dabbing at the stain with a dry cloth (where’d that come from?), making you stare at the owner. Long, dark brown hair obscured your view, but you saw a flicker of pale, green eyes.

You blinked owlishly, embarrassment heating up your neck and face. “Uh, who are you?”

“Vanessa,” she murmured, glancing up at you. She stood up and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, looking apologetic. “I'm so sorry about that, I should’ve watched where I was going..”

You were a movement away from gaping at this woman— she was beautiful. (If femme fatale was a person, really). When you remembered to respond, you shook your head, grimacing. “No, it's okay, I wasn’t paying attention all that much either.” 

She nodded, and when she spoke again, your heart skipped a beat. Her voice was low, smooth, rich with a hint of an Australian, and when she spoke, you found yourself unable to focus. Her voice was like a lullaby.

What was going on? You pinched yourself. 

Vanessa reached up, playing with her necklace— it had a shell design and seemed to glimmer in the light. “And what is your name?” Her gaze was intense and a smirk played at the corner of her lips as she waited for your response. 

“(Y/n),” you replied, watching as she rubbed her fingers across the shell. Your mind began to feel foggy— 

“(Y/n),” she repeated, smiling. She looked pleased. “I finally—“

“(Y/n/n)! You got a notification; she texted back!” 

You blinked, turning to Isa’s running form. She stopped beside you, side-eyeing Vanessa. “Come on, I’ll give you a new shirt,” Isa began tugging you along. 

“It’ll be nice to work with you!” Vanessa yelled after you.

Isa scoffed under her breath (something you didn’t hear).

“Work with me?” You wondered out loud. Then it came to you that she was who you were supposed to supervise.

Would you like to continue?

[1000-directions]

good stuff 11-13-24

my supervisor told me today that she is still working on my promotion and it won't be affected by my coworker who gave notice, and i am really relieved, i need this really badly like financially but also emotionally and psychologically

i received three different violations in the mail from speed cameras that were taken at 5am on a sunday morning in a city i wasn't driving in, of a car that is not mine but has my license plate number 🙃 and i thought i was gonna have to go to a hearing and produce ??documentation???? of some kind??? and was very stressed about it. but my partner helped me figure out who i could call to contest it and i spoke to a guy who asked me some questions and i sent him some pictures and it sounds like hopefully it will all work out, and i am really relieved about it because i was so so anxious

if that didn't sound like good stuff then this next one is really not gonna sound like good stuff, but two guys in a truck followed me while i was driving to my friend's house tonight. i drove a way i don't normally go and it was dark and i missed the turn to her driveway so i did a bunch of weird turns around a park in order to get back to her street, and i noticed the car behind me did too, so i drove past her house again and took a random turn down a street i didn't know, and they did too, and i just kept taking random turns and retracing my route and they did too so they were clearly following me because i was just going in circles at that point, so i called my friend and she stayed on the phone with me and told me she would beat them up if they came near me, and she told me to drive to a business and she would meet me there, but they followed me there and parked me in so i couldn't leave, and they just paused there for probably only a few seconds but it felt like forever, and they looked at my plate for idk what purpose, and then they drove away, and i went straight to her place, and she stayed on the phone with me the whole time, telling me she would stab them with a knife, she would beat them up with a bat, she would kill them, and it's hard to explain exactly why this feels like good stuff because it was really scary, but i love my friend so much and i felt so safe on the phone with her, and i'm completely fine, and i drove to her place and she was standing right by the door waiting for me, and her dog jumped up to give me a hug, and i am really grateful that she is one of my people.

and then we calmed down and went out to play music video bingo and we didn't win but we had some drinks and apps and it was a nice time

[trivialbob]

This afternoon I used some PTO. Work has been a little stressful lately, so it was nice to start the weekend early. Financially I'm in a position where if I got fired or laid off I could say, "Okay, cool. Nice knowin' ya. No take backs." I don't hate work or my coworkers, but I'm a little weary of all of it at the moment.

Sheila and I started the afternoon playing pickle ball at a newish club in downtown Minneapolis. I like the place. The building used to house a data center. There's a large old photo on one wall, showing people working at terminals in front of large computers. Thanks for making me think of work! But I quickly got over that.

Sheila plays fairly often there; I just go with her on a guest pass from time to time. She said the intermediate leagues have some Karens. Today we played in the rec league. The people were wonderful. I liked the other players enough that I got to know (and even remember!) their names. Sixteen of us took turns rotating through three courts for almost two hours. I'm going to do this more often.

After that we drove over to Hopkins to use a page from our Hop Passport. It's a buy one/get one at a large number of Minnesota Breweries. This little book is a great incentive to try new places.

We were not disappointed in today's brewery. At 2:30 PM on a Friday afternoon the place wasn't yet busy. The manager took some time to chat with us, which we liked. The beer selection (pour your own) was extensive. I tried two small servings and thoroughly enjoyed each. One was a stout made with baker's chocolate, caramel and dried fruits then infused with bourbon infused oak. Would definitely get it again. Sheila had a pear cider she really liked.

The kitchen was (figuratively) on fire. We split a piadina sandwich. Often we share at restaurants, so we don't get overly full. This flatbread sandwich with burrata, pesto, prosciutto, salami, artichoke and olive relish, and arugula was so good I came close to ordering a second one -- just for myself. We watched some pizzas come out of the huge oven. I thought about getting one to go. But I avoided gluttonous tendencies and arrived home not feeling gross from eating too much.

Today it's cold, damp and gray outside. For me this is terrific napping weather. Even better after drinking beer at lunch. Seeing these three lined up confirmed for me that a nap was going to happen. (Only one of them stayed on the bed for the nap.)

[echantedtoon]

Love Doesn't Do Encores Ch46 Epilogue

(Hey everyone. I just wanted to thank everyone who read this far and liked my story enough to read it to it's end. I had a lot of fun writing it and it makes me happy knowing some people loved it enough to read it fully. If you liked this consider checking out my other works. Thanks to everyone for reading this, faving it, or leaving a nice comment. And thank you to Nintendo and Game Freak for creating such wonderful characters and giving me the opportunity to make this wonderful story.)

"What do you mean he went off somewhere again?''

Marnie shrugged in front of you. "He left a good number of days ago. I thought ya already knew that. Didn't my big bro tell ya anythin' 'fore he left?"

You shook your head wide eyed. "No. I didn't even have any idea he was gone! How long has he been missing?"

"'Bout two weeks ago. Said he had ta take a quick trip over somewhere ta pick up somethin' after Sonia told him 'bout it. Not sure what tho. But M' sure he'll be back soon."

"And how do you know that?"

"He called me this mornin'. Said he'll back by tomorrow noon."

"...Oh."

That was strange. You hadn't seen Piers for almost two weeks by now because you both had been so busy lately. The gym was being repainted and renovated for some minor repairs and Piers had been talking to an agent Nessa recommended him to start working on his first ever album to be launched soon. Not to mention he was speeding up things ready to retire from his Gym Leader position to fully hand it over to Marnie and at the same time managing Marnie's homeschooling and gym leader studies. Needless to say he was really, really busy. And so were you. More people had moved to Spikemuth which meant that the cafe had been a LOT busier with more and more customers and managing your home with all your pokemon. Managing to also convince Eclipse to join your crazy family. So you hadn't seen Piers lately but only assumed that was because he was busy with everything he had on his plate. But..he had left without telling you? That was very much unlike him. Where did he go? To see his agent? Why didn't he tell you? Maybe he's been so busy and stressed that he had just forgotten? You'd just stop by to see if he wanted to join you for lunch that day and was hit with the news when Marnie answered the door. Well you'd soon find out what he was doing anyways since he was returning tomorrow. The next day came faster than expected and you were in the middle of work too. Your coworker and yourself were in the front restocking some napkins and condiments to tables when a man of monochrome hair and smile on his face walked in and you paused in your tracks, eyes widened, and the napkins you were holding fell onto the table as none other than Piers himself walked through the door sending the little bell above the door ringing. 

"Piers!?"

"'Ello, Love," he said with a smile on his face turning towards your wide eyed look. "M' home."

"Where have you been!?," you asked turning from the table and frowning at him. "You took off for two weeks without telling me! I thought you said you were done with traveling for a long while."

He held up an empty hand. "I know. I know. But I promise I can explain. Can I talk to ya outside for a sec?"

..You looked to your coworker who nodded. "Go ahead. I'll just tell Ma you're taking your mandatory break time."

Well that settled it. With that being a yes you went ahead and followed Piers back outside just in front of the cafe with the bell dinging away behind you. Once outside he stopped and looked at you silently smiling for a moment however you were still confused. It was only after another second or two you opened your mouth, but was stopped when he held up his other hand. You weren't sure how you didn't notice but the entire time he was holding something, that something happened to be a simple pokeball wrapped in a red ribbon. You stared at him, then at him, then back at the balls, and after a moment of silently staring at it, slowly it from him to which he then lowered his hand back.

"...What's this?"

"It's a pokemon."

"I-..W-Well yeah. Obviously. But why?"

"J-Jus' open it," he stammered hand shakily reaching up to grab his choker and blue eyes looking away. "I w-went through the trouble o' gettin' it for ya."

You still stared at him for a moment before looking back down at it. Piers..got you a pokemon? Well that was an unexpected gift but not a bad one! That's actually really sweet of him to do so! With a smile you immediately pulled off the red ribbon and gave the small red and white ball a toss to summon out whatever it was inside. A bright white light popped out from it and the small critter came forth but the sight of it made you pause. It was a pokemon alright and one you HAD seen before...But by accident. When Gloria accidentally gave it to Hop so long ago. The small pokemon had the small body of an apple with eyes poking out at the top where the stem would be and a small green tail behind it. It blinked before looking around and stopping at you. Giving a curious peep towards yourself. 

...An...Applin???

IT WAS AN APPLIN!! A FREAKING CUTE LITTLE APPLIN!! PIERS HAD GIVEN YOU AN APPLIN!! you continued to stare at the small pokemon for a silent wide eyed moment for a moment before looking at Piers.

"W-What's all this about?"

He gave the shakiest most nervous sounding sigh you had ever heard him say. "Y-Yeah...Look. I jus'-....*ahem* I-I-....*sigh* I didn't know how else ta ask. Alright?" His head rolled to the side as he nervously fiddled with his choker with a shaking hand. "I-...I know we h-haven't really t-talked 'bout being together together or anythin' official or nothin'...So I-...I-I remembered what your mate said 'bout the Isle o' Armor. I talked ta Sunny 'bout it and found out there was a ton of these lil guys living over t-there n' secret. So I just..." He sighed again closing his eyes gesturing to the small apple pokemon who made a peeping sound. "I wanted to get ya one and ask-..W-Well it-it's only natural I'd a-ask an' make it o-official at least. I-I MEAN! Only if ya want to. W-What I'm askin' is....Y-Y/n. W-W-Would y-you m-mind..Being m-my..p-partner-" His body flinched feeling a touch on his hand and he snapped his blue eyes up towards you. 

He got his answer when you wrapped your hand around his own and smiled. "Yes."

[thedeluluverse]

This is my first foray into the world of drabbles but please gimme allll the feedback! 😊 I just couldn’t get this damn chair idea out of my head so hope y’all enjoy, let me know XD

Summary: You normally aren’t the type to go home with a handsome stranger from the club but today is different. Stressed with life and a long day at work, you let loose for once! But what will the morning after bring?

Pairing:  idol!Taehyung x cashier!f!reader.

Rating: PG13 ig lmao

Genre: idol!au, strangers to lovers!au, fluff,

Word Count: 1,787

Warnings: swearing, 2nd hand embarrassment, making out, some hair pulling, mentions of smutty night before, customer service job (yes that’s a warning lmao), sleepy pure bean Tae

You have been living on your own for about a year, and so far, so good until you started your new retail cashier job at a little-bit-of-everything store. It isn't the worst job ever, but it tends to attract all kinds of people in varying shades of odd, so it can be quite mentally draining in addition to all the Karens you encounter. Feeling more tired than usual, you don't even notice the tall, handsome customer walk in and head straight to the back clearance corner where the weird things you might find at a garage sale live.

Until the rest of your coworkers leave for the day, and you are alone because your dumbass manager doesn't know how to make a schedule. So, he has no other option to check out besides you. The sound of approaching shopping cart wheels alerts you to look professional. Still, you almost lose your balance once your eyes focus on this customer. Though his appearance is barely seen with a baggy hoody, baseball cap, and a mask, you can tell this is one handsome dude. The flustered sensation fades slightly once you see him place the only item in his buggy up on the counter to be scanned; a chair with more cake than most people that you threw in the back months ago. Gulping hard at the familiar object, you ask,

Y/N: *turning the chair around to find the tag to scan* “Wi..will this be all for you today, sir?"

CM: *raises an eyebrow with an amused look and chuckles* "Yeah, that's it, but you don't need to be so formal; it looks like I'm not much older than you."

Y/N: *you blush b/c omg he looked at me lmao* "Oh…okay… I didn't mean to offend you; just part of my job. *Bags up the item and places it back in the cart* "Have a nice day…well, what's your name Mr. not old."

CM: *has a fake annoyed look on his face* "Someone is quick-witted, I see… well, sadly for you, I'm not keen on revealing such personal things. Not like this, at least. See you around, Sassy." *Leaves store*

You sit back down on the bench with a hand on your heart beating out of your chest from the mere presence of that man, much less you had playful banter?? And did he just give you a nickname?? Taking a deep breath, you are energized by this interaction and start cleaning up the store so you can leave on time to meet your friends at a new club tonight. One other person comes in before closing, so you can leave work at 8 o'clock on the dot for once! Much as you try not to, you just can't help replaying that mysterious stranger in your head the whole drive home. Once you get home, you blast your upbeat boss bitch vibes playlist as you freshen up and get ready to head to the club.

Entering the club, you spot your friends, and instantly, the stresses of life fade away in the aesthetic lights and boppy music blaring through the stereo. It doesn't hurt that you feel fine as hell, either! After about 2 hours of songs and 2 shots, you sit down at the bar for a breather and some water as you were too busy for dinner, so a couple of shots don't necessarily agree with your stomach despite your attitude feeling fantastic. You close your eyes for a moment as you enjoy the crisp water going down your throat, feeling the cooling sensation all the way down. The relaxation doesn’t last long until you feel a presence beside you. This isn't odd since you are in a public space, but it has the energy of someone waiting to talk to you. Turning to your left and swiftly standing up to show you were stable to whoever was near you didn't work out according to plan. Your legs buckle as soon as you are upright, and you can feel your balance slipping from getting up too quickly as you aren't buzzed enough to be unstable. Thankfully, a solid but gentle pair of arms catch you before you hit the ground and slowly turn you to face him to ensure you are okay. Before any words are said, you recognize him as the customer from earlier today. Your eyes widen suddenly, and you are very nervous about how good you look because most men you've met in clubs have been scum. You start to dart away, but his honey-like voice pulls you back.

CM: "Hey, hey, it's okay; you're safe, alright? I was worried when you came to sit down, so I was on standby to protect you.

Y/N: *is confused* “But wh..why? You don't even know me; why do you care?" *slight pause* "Oohhh, right, you're a guy. I bet you are just trying to play the hero card to get in my pants."

CM: *frowns* “I am a guy, but everything else is wrong. Do you not recognize me from earlier? You are the same cashier, right? Sheesh, that'd be embarrassing if you weren't…."

Y/N: *astounded he recognized you* "Woah… I did, but I didn't think you'd remember me!"

CM: *chuckles and shyly rubs his neck* “I mean.. how could I not? Hard-working, funny, and beautiful, it'd be a crime to not commit you to memory."

Y/N: *bibi di nobody bo you’re a tomato* “I..well.I’m flattered.” *looks down, biting your lip, then head snaps back up with hands on your hips* "Wait… so can I know your name now?? You already know mine because of my stupid uniform name tag, so it's unfair."

CM: *tilts head in, 'You have a point'* "Fair enough, the name is Tae. Nice to formally meet you, y/n."

Y/N: *butterflies a flurry in your stomach, hearing him say your name* "Trust me…the pleasure is all mine. So I have to ask, do you really think I'm beautiful? Like, I know I look hot right now but earlier, different story. "

TAE: "I mean what I say and vice versa, gorgeous. I normally don't do this, but I've been going a little crazy since the store. Sooo, would you be okay if I.. again, it's fine if not, I just wanted to ask because..”

Before he can finish the sentence, your arms are thrown around his neck, engaging in a passionate kiss. You don't break away to breathe until about 10 minutes of your hands roaming all around each other’s bodies and through your hair without a care. Communicating wordlessly, you bolt out of there hand in hand to his car, where the makeout continues for another 5 minutes before you agree to take it to his place. You usually are never the type to have a one-night stand, but something just feels so right with this guy. You feel safe enough to let go of your worries and let something other than your vibrator give you release for once.

*TIME SKIP TO NEXT MORNING*

Waking up in a new place in a baggy Celine t-shirt, the events of last night slowly replay in your head as you goofily grin, feeling elated for the first time in a while. Looking over, you notice Tae is not in bed still. It shouldn't worry you, it's a hookup, after all, but you can tell he's not that type of guy. Curiosity getting the better of you, you wander out of the room, greeted by the cutest little fluffball of a Pomeranian. Squatting and letting it sniff you, it instantly jumps into your arms; walking into the living room, you meet Tae's shocked eyes.

TAE: "He let you pick him up? It normally takes several meetings for him to be comfortable with someone."

Y/N: *shrugs as you release the upper, excitedly panting for his dad* "I've always been good with animals, honestly. What's his name?"

TAE: *picks up the dog and kisses head* "Names Yeontan but I call him Tan for short."

You melt at all the cute you have witnessed in the last few minutes, then you stare off into space, looking shocked about something.

TAE: * waves hand in front of your face* “Hey, y/n, you okay?”

Y/N: *doesn’t blink* “You…you’re…The.. as in motherfucking Kim Taehyung Tae????? I thought you looked familiar, but I wasn't sure about you looking undercover as fuck in the store and then the low lighting at the club. Holy shit… tired brain went away and immediately put the puzzle together, and I… I need to sit..”

He guides you to the couch and rubs your back, making sure you are alright but also thinking your reaction was adorable and is honestly surprised his disguise was that good. Once he feels your breathing stabilize, he kisses your temple and pats your leg as he gets up to make the two of you breakfast. As he turns around to face the stove, he notices you look like you've seen a ghost.

Y/N: “Tha..that wasn’t a gift? You actually wanted that for your own house.. oh my god, what is life...”

TAE: *follows your gaze to the ass chair he bought yesterday and looks confused* "I mean, yeah, why wouldn't I? It's unique, and I liked it so voila! What's so odd about that? Plus, it's Jimin's designated seat when he comes over because, I mean…booty and harder for him to fall out of that one, haha."

Y/N: *shakes head, trying to process* "No, I get it just..ugh, I swore nobody would know this, but here we are… that used to be mine. So the fact that our tastes are this similarly odd and you own something that my ass used to be on is just a little overwhelming since you may or not be my ult bias since I was like 15… “ *blushes and twiddles fingers nervously*

TAE: "Everything you just said made me that much giddier, and I wasn't sure that was possible… I don't mean to weird you out, but I'd like to see you again. Outside of work or the club, maybe go get boba tea and a snack this weekend if you're free?"

Shocked that this is how your life is playing out but not questioning it too long, you agree. That date leads to another and another until 6 months later, you are officially dating and the happiest you've ever been. You do a lot for and with that man, but no way in hell are you ever using that chair again or getting over the fact that he actually bought your ass chair from you and proudly displays it. He's lucky he's adorable, but even still, you wouldn't want him any other way.

[countdown-123]

61 days until my surgery

happy new year!

it's honestly really nice to have something to look forward to in the coming year. it helps with the sort of bummed out new year this has been

I went to a small (3 people) party to celebrate nye. we smoked and drank and played board games. we had a good time for sure, but it was so odd turning on the TV to watch the ball drop. there was no one on the stage performing in New York, and all the shots were just really tired people trying to be energetic because the camera was pointed at them. there was someone who sang imagine right before the ball dropped, then they showed two old people kiss for like a minute straight then a 2 second shot of two guys kiss lmao. weirdest and most depressing ball drop ever honestly

but it was nice to ring in the new year with friends, and I always love a chance to smoke and drink with others.

im celebrating the new year by my self a bit by getting food at my favorite restaurant today. usually it's way less busy here but I should have expected they would be busy since they're one of the few places open on the holidays

I really hope I don't get sick

I've been doing so well, masking at work and in public as much as possible. with everyone else sick from the holidays I have been feeling hopeful that I'll avoid the worst of it but this might be the end of my run

honestly I deserve a few days off work since all my coworkers got sick and left me to do work with less help

whatever it doesn't actually matter

I have a couple of new years resolutions, tho I think the word resolution is a stretch here

the first one is I want to eat something whenever rim hungry. this isn't a new goal but I'm reaffirming it. I've been doing worse in the past few weeks cause I'll just come home from work and sleep until my next shift. falling asleep slightly hungry isn't hard but I'm too used to it and I know it's not healthy. I've always struggled with eating enough, due to both trauma and autism related food avoidance issues. I never knew I had an eating disorder cause I didn't have issues with my body image (related to food at least - dysphoria is a different thing). but I do have very disordered eating. for a long time I didnt feel hunger because I had ignored the feeling so much that it didn't trigger in my brain. it's taken years for me to work from "no hunger feeling - just random headaches and shaking" to today when I said "oh I'm starting to get hungry, I should eat before I actually get hungry". it's been a long journey, and im not done yet, but it was a great feeling today to realize how far I've come. my goal for the new year is to recognize that trigger early, like today, and then act on it. that means I have to keep easy food accessible, so I have to go grocery shopping soon haha

another resolution is im not smoking now that the new year is starting. my surgeon says no smoking a month out, but I want to make my recovery easier, and I think swapping to edibles is better for me anyway (and not much of a hardship, at least I can still get high). that reminds me, I do need to go to the dispensary again and get some other edibles once they open back up. I want to get something low dose I can micro dose on. if I'm being honest I'm gonna miss hitting my pen at work and I wish there was an edible that could give me that little bit of something like a pen. probably not a good thing to want but that doesn't stop the desire. (I love to take a few hits of my pen before I do some cleaning, it's just a nice chill time. not great to do before making food, I can't work as quickly when I'm high and then I get stressed with orders coming in)

lots of people make new years resolutions that are very black and white. they want to stop doing something or start doing something. I think that's the wrong way to do it because if they mess up once many people give up entirely. I prefer resolutions that are intention based. I have the intention of eating more regularly this year, but I'm not going to attach any details to that resolution so I literally can't fail. as long as I eat when I'm hungry once this year (done) I've succeeded (yay!). the resolution acts more as a reminder to myself, and I prefer that over traditional resolutions. honestly Atomic Habits is a great read if small improvements over time is more your style, it helped me a lot with actually doing the things I want to do

well I'm finishing up my meal here (writing when not on my break at work!? wow, this might literally be the first time I'm doing this) and I'll need to drive home soon so I should finish this up.

happy new year, I hope you can find small ways to make your day better each day

[shadowfromthestarlight]

oh yeah so here’s what happened

i ended up getting an offer for a position i interviewed for. i was really surprised because they didn’t get back to me right after they talked to my references. maybe i was their second choice, idk. anyway, i was pleased. i made the unfortunate mistake of telling them i’d get back to them right away, within the next day. but the next day my own firm told me that if i stayed, they’d be supportive of me moving next year to work remotely in another state. they approved my august vacation. they matched the salary offer (which is gonna come to like idk $50 a month after tax it’s nothing lol) and they said they understood they had to do more to incentivize people so they were changing the messaging around remote work to be more flexible, planning on bonuses in september, and bringing on new people to help with our workload as soon as possible. of course, the biggest thing to me was agreeing to let me move next year. i hadn’t thought they’d agree, but i gave them a chance anyway, and they did.

so that made my current job very attractive to me... i could stay with the same team and all the same clients and not have to deal with the stress of a transition in the middle of my field’s busy season, and i’d achieve a long-term goal. it was six of one and half a dozen of the other financially. but i was seriously considering the other job because it offered full-time remote work with all the challenges and rewards that brings, and it was exciting - something new, possibly unforeseen opportunities. the two partners are really interesting, too, and i was intrigued by the chance to become friends with them. i couldn’t choose, i wanted to talk it out, so i made the other unfortunate mistake of telling them that i was still considering the pros and cons of accepting their offer or staying with my firm and needed a little more time. they got mad and rescinded their offer. i said i understood (and to a degree i do, they need someone and can’t wait indefinitely for a candidate to make up their mind), apologized for giving them the wrong impression and offending them, and explained that i had truly taken their offer seriously (we work in the same field so i felt really bad about burning a bridge) and they didn’t reply lol. i was relieved the decision had been made for me but also felt like a major coward for not making it myself but was also excited about the fact that i really can move next year and not worry about jobs but i was also terrified that the other people would be so mad that they’d trash my reputation in the community or even hold it against my firm as a whole or the person who’d served as a reference for me. i told the reference what happened (while sobbing the entire time) and she wasn’t mad, she told me i’d made a rookie mistake and made them think i was just playing games when i really wasn’t, that quite frankly i was probably never going to get some nice email back accepting my apology, but that it probably wasn’t going to haunt me forever and i calmed down a great deal.

also yesterday i was talking to a coworker about it and she said that if these people really do hold a grudge and go around talking badly about me or saying that our firm is shady or s/t it says more about them than it does about me and that’s a fair point and i felt way better. i’m now really glad i didn’t take it and feel really excited to move forward. i’m off the job search, at least for the next few months, because i’m too busy and can’t deal with making a transition now. i even, out of politeness, called off another interview i was going to do on thursday because i knew i couldn’t start this summer. if i do move next year and do my job remotely from oregon, my firm is going to ask me to make a one-year commitment and i would be willing to agree. i’m open to finding something in oregon but also think it would be a good idea to have a stable job when i go and to make a slow transition. i spoke to everyone who practices in my field in oregon and they really need more people so i’ll connect with them again and see if i can make a transition by assisting them with a few cases here and there.

the big thing will really be to just figure out where to go, specifically. the portland area is where a lot of the jobs are and it’s easier transportation-wise, but i want to be somewhere quieter and i want to be closer to california so i can vacation there whenever i want. i talked to someone who’s in bend the other day and she said i should really consider going to central oregon and i really will, i’m just concerned about not being able to find a place to live lol. and i don’t want to be too remote, at least not yet, as i need to be able to visit with family. but it’s still a year away so i’ll look into it and keep thinking about it. my family is now totally supportive of me wanting to move and so are my coworkers and that’s really nice. i genuinely feel really lucky. i’ve been through a lot emotionally over the past week (i’ve cried more than i have in the past 12 months lol) but things are really looking up.

i have so much to tell the 5 of you who care lol

[munchy-munch]

Day One: Wade Wilson

Day One: Face-sitting || Cream-pie || Anonymous sex In this version, you have a dick! CW: Some cursing, smut ;), and that's about it.

Today was another stressful day. Though I should be used to that by now. Every day I deal with the same cases, targets, coworkers run-ins, and so on. I’m tired, very tired. I thought I would be able to move away from some of that, moving across the country, but I suppose not. 

I continued to walk down the street, my destination, my apartment. At times, I would classify it as an apartment, but then again, it’s what I can afford right now. Moving can be expensive and to New York nonetheless. 

I sigh escaped my lips as I passed by an alleyway. There were people walking out of the building, drunk I assume. Perhaps a bar? I could stop in. A couple of drinks wouldn’t be so bad. Might even help me relax before I get home to nothing and no one. So, I decided to stop into the bar. 

It wasn’t too busy. To be expected on a Wednesday night I suppose. People must already be at home sleeping or getting extra work finished before the next day. But not I. Tonight, I will drink away my stress and enjoy a well-earned sleep when I get home. 

I took my seat. A man with curly hair took my order and walked off to prep it. I glanced around the bar. Mary Margret’s Dead Pool? There were a list of players and bets and ages? What kind of bar is…oh, that kind of bar. They work in the same field as me. At least I know a place to make friends now, I thought as the bartender placed a drink in front of me. 

I continued to down my drinks. Over, and over, and over, and over. I didn’t want to stop. I saw the bartender give me a weary glance a couple of times before he finally came over. 

“I think that’s enough for tonight. This isn’t the place you want to get too drunk at,” he said, attempting to pull my half-drunk cup from me. I clenched my hand around it before he could. 

“I know exactly what kind of place this is…”

“Weasel,” he said. I held back a chuckle. 

“I know what kind of place this is Weasel. Anyways, I’m not that drunk,” I said, pulling my drink and hand from his grasp. Weasel gave me a long look before walking off to tend to other people at the bar. 

“You shouldn’t give Weasel too hard of a time yea,” I heard a man say behind me. 

I went to turn but saw no one. I was confused. Wasn’t there someone just here? Maybe I’m drunker than I thought. I turned back to my drink only to see it gone. I looked down the bar to see Weasel talking to another patron, so it wasn’t him. 

“You like this stuff,” the voice said before I saw the glass that once held my drink being placed on the bar in front of me. 

“What do you want,” I asked the unknown person. I was on edge. I don’t like not knowing who’s interacting with me, especially when I can feel that they are in my space. 

“I just wanted to say hi to the new face. We don’t get too many new people here…well new people who last very long. Hopefully, you’ll last longer than most,” the voice said. 

“I’m sure I will,” I told him as I went to stand. I didn’t bother looking for the face to the voice, I just wanted to leave. I didn’t think he followed me, so I just left the bar and walked home to my warm bed. 

A couple of months went by. I started participating in the “dead pool” as they call it. I wouldn’t say I’m the best when it comes to betting, but I tend to have pretty good luck, and it’s nice to have more money in my pockets. Work has been…normal. Not much different than the last place I was from. The biggest difference being the number of contracts coming my way. But that was to be expected. New York is much bigger than h/t. 

I did make a few friends here. And by few, I mean two exactly. Weasel and a man named Wade. Wade doesn’t usually talk to me as much, but he can be pretty nice, aside from his dark humor and misplaced jokes. 

“Nice to see ya y/n,” the voice said behind me. 

And to this day, I still don’t know who this voice belongs to. Every time I try to look behind me or peek a glance in a reflection, he’s not there. So I gave up trying to know. Besides, he doesn’t seem too hostile. He usually just says hi and leaves after a bit. I will say, I am interested, but that interest will have to wait for another time. I packed up my stuff and began to leave the bar. 

I was walking through the alley until I heard his voice behind me again. 

“You’re going home already,” he said. Strange, he’s never followed me outside before, and I’m not too sure what to make of it. 

“It’s been a long day, and I want to go home. Did you need something,” I asked, but he was silent. That was until two large arms wrapped around me from behind. I panicked for a moment. Was he trying to kill me? No, he was hugging me? His arms wrapped around my shoulders and I felt a weight, probably his head, lay on my shoulder as well. 

“This is unexpected,” I said before continuing, “Are you drunk,” I asked, only to receive a husky laugh. 

“Nah…I can’t get drunk,” he said. What a weird answer. 

“Again, is there something you needed,” I asked, but he said nothing. Nothing happened until I felt his body press closer and closer against my own.

“What are you doing,” I asked. 

“I’ve been interested in you for a while, y/n. Don’t you feel the same,” he asked. I felt my face grow warm with embarrassment. I don’t even know who this man is, but I can’t deny I’m interested. 

The man grinded his body against my own. His arms moved from my shoulders down to my hips. Grabbing them with force, and pulling them back, stilling them, as he continued to move. I went to turn my head, but he grasped it with one hand and kept it facing forward. 

“Ah, ah, ah. The mystery is what makes it fun,” he said. 

“Could I at least get a name?” The man went silent for a bit before he started talking again.

“Wa-no. No, I have something better! Poolio!”

“Poolio?”

“Yea! Like coolio-poolio-“

“I’m not calling you that,” I told Poolio. Ugh, even saying that in my head feels awkward. The man laughed some before he went silent. 

“Then what are you going to call out later tonight hmm?” My eyes widened and I turned once more. The man was gone? But I heard him suck his teeth at me. 

“What have we said about turning around y/n?” I groaned. 

“That mystery is what makes it fun Anyways, where did you go,” I asked. 

“Sit down and find out,” he said. 

Sit down…sit down…oh..oh. I took off my pants and underwear and began to crouch down, resisting the urge to look down at his face. 

But in the process, my hips were grabbed from behind and I was yanked down onto his face. I was going to complain, but he interrupted any complaint I had. 

I expected him to be quick and rough, but in actuality, he was slower, more sensual. He placed kisses along my ass and blew on them from time to time, sending cold chills throughout my body. He nipped and sucked until he finally reached his destination. His hands pulled my cheeks apart as his tongue dived in. I jolted in surprise and pleasure. It’s been so long since I’ve been with anyone. He grabbed one of my hands to replace one of his before his hand moved under me. He grabbed onto my cock and began to stroke it up and down, occasionally stopping to rub the tip. I couldn’t leave him out of this. So I bent over and pulled down his pants a bit…his skin…it reminds me of…never mind. He was wearing no underwear, so it wasn’t too long before his cock sprang from his pants. I drew my head near and just as I opened my mouth, pool, I refused to call him Poolio, he probed my hole with his finger. I moaned as I took him into my mouth, my hand stroking what my mouth couldn’t take in. His smell and taste enveloped my senses as his fingers and mouth worked on me from down below. As I continued to take him in, his hips began to rut against my face and his breath against my ass got warmer and warmer. I felt encouraged to take him deeper, but he pushed me off of his face and lab. I was on the cold New York ground on my hands and knees. 

“I wasn’t finished yet,” I said through gritted teeth. 

“You’ll get to finish now, just let me…” he said trailing off. I felt him pushing my shoulders down until I was balancing on my forearms instead of my hands. I could feel his eyes looking over me.

He dragged his hands across my skin, making his way down to my ass. He took hold of me and needed my skin.

“I’ve been waiting for this for some time…” he mumbled. I don’t think he knows I can hear him. I have my own suspicions, but it doesn’t matter right now. 

“You getting cold feet back there,” I called out. 

“Me? No…not getting cold feet. Just working on control. I want to take my time,” the man said. Scare?

His hands pulled him ass apart as he continued to push me forward. He angled himself forward and began to push in. 

“Fucking…fuck” he cursed to no one. 

His body bent over my own and he didn’t move. I was a big grateful for that myself seeing I needed to adjust my body to him some more. 

But just as I was relishing in his stillness, he sprung up before and pulled out of me only to slam himself back in. 

“Pool,” I howled at the surprised force. 

Pool continued to fuck me like some toy of his. Occasionally muttering to…himself or me maybe. He pulled my ass cheeks apart to watch him penetrate me over and over. I felt my body begin to slip from the force and before I could react-

Smack-

“Get your ass up,” he grunted, as he continued to smack my ass until I got up. 

His pace resumed, he pulled my hips back into his hands and continued to drag me up and down on his cock. 

My vision started to grow narrow as my eyes struggled to keep open. I feel as if I could melt right here in this alleyway. 

“Can’t believe I waited…so long…too long,” he muttered to himself. 

I felt my head being yanked back as something grabbed my hair. My back arched.

“Pool, please…”

“Please? I’m afraid you’re going to have to use your words y/n.”

“Fucking-harder!” 

And with that he pushed me down and onto my side. My leg was pulled into the air, and he buried himself inside of me. 

The thought of looking up at him hadn’t even entered my mind as my hand traveled down my body towards my pulsing cock. I stroked it, chasing my own orgasm, over and over as I moaned out Pool’s name. My stomach started growing tighter and tighter until I felt I might orgasm, but my hand was pushed out of the way, only to be replaced by a larger and firmer one. 

His hands were rougher than before. Less precise and caring, but even still the build grew more and more. 

“Pool I’m-”

“Do it-Do it, please do it.” 

And with his words, shockwaves jolted throughout my body. I cried out in ecstasy at the feeling of pleasure Pool brought me. But soon I was whimpering as his fingers continued to stroke my cock and he was still fucking into me, his rhythm gradually worsening. 

“A little more…you can take it can’t you,” he grunted out to me. 

I laid there as he slowed until his body finally stopped. He didn’t leave me, not yet. We just sat there in the silence…well as silent as New York can get in the middle of the night in an alleyway. 

I finally turned my head to meet his gaze.

“Wade?”

“Y/n,” he responded with the same questioning tone despite the goofy grin on his face.  

[froggy-frogz]

HEY HEY HEYY ITS ME, AGAIN. YOU KNOW YOU LOVE ME 🤭

anywayssss, I wanted to request Brent x male!reader? Like the reader loves Brent, but is SUPER scared of kissing and making out. I would love for it to be fluff, but it could be whatever you decide, and how would Brent react to the readers top surgery scars?

A/N: I apologize again for not doing requests! I swear I do a handful and then disappear. I've just gotten a new job as a teacher! So yeah, I've been busy and now just getting to my requests.

---

You had been dating Brent for a while now, and it had finally been a whole year. He had said something at work about how he was planning something special, which made you a bit nervous.

You two hadn't done anything sexual yet, and you knew your coworkers were very interested in your sex life with him, and you were sure they had asked him multiple times about it. [Mostly Andre and Myc, but that was another conversation. Those two loved to hear about your intimate lives]

You were finally off of work, and you had told Brett to meet you at his car, and as you drew nearer to him, the worried pit in your stomach grew when you saw him.

"You ready?" He hums, opening the door to his car for you, "I have a couple of things planned, but it depends on if you're hungry or not."

Pressing a kiss against his cheek, you slip into his car and close the door, watching him get in next to you, "I'm not super hungry, but I could eat something."

"We can order something then, I'm really excited to show you what I did. I kind of when home during my lunch to get it all ready," He says sheepishly, pulling out of the parking lot, and you can see him looking at the corner of his eye.

You were still worried, but you couldn't help but find it cute that he was so excited.

It was kind of a quiet trip to his house, he made some conversation about work, talking about what he was helping Reagan with something she was building, you were only sort of half listening to him, you were honestly trying not to throw up from the only increasing worry in your stomach.

He led you inside when you had finally gotten to his apartment, and when he took your hand, you tried not to squeeze it too hard, and when he finally unlocked the door, and it swung open, you kinda did a double take.

"Wow."

It was dark, but not enough that you couldn't see, but he had pulled all his blankets and pillows out and placed them all around his couch, not like a fort but honestly, it kinda looked like it.

"You've seemed really stressed lately, and when I had something big planned, I figured that maybe something smaller would be better." He says quietly, wrapping his arms around your front, pressing his face into your shoulder.

"Thank you babe," You say quietly, moving your head to kiss him, "What are we going to do? Watch moives or something?"

"It's up to you, I don't mind, and like I said, we can order dinner if you want, I also got a lot of snacks too." He hums, finally letting go, leading you over to the couch.

It took you both a second to get into a spot that was comfortable on the couch, but once you finally got comfy, you laid your head against him, wrapping an arm around him.

"There's a couple of movies that just came out," He says, reaching for a remote, "I think there's a comedy one on there."

"That one sounds good." You say softly.

When the movie started, his hand slipped to your back, and you could feel tense up for a second.

You weren't sure why you were so scared of Brent touching you, well, in certain areas anyway. Past relationships maybe? But still, he was nothing like them but you couldn't help but to still feel that way. It was silly, sure, but the thought of him seeing you naked made you feel so exposed.

The movie was a nice distraction though, it was funny, but you could still feel your mind race back and forth.

About an hour and a half went by, and the credits rolled. You were a bit more hungry now, so when you pulled up away from Brett, you were about to ask what he wanted to order.

"Are you alright?" Brett beats you to talking first, his gaze soft but you could tell he was worried, "Please, tell me babe, I can't do anything to help you if you don't tell me anything."

You sigh, scratching the back of your head, "It's, it's really silly Brett, it's nothing big."

He frowns, obviously not believing you, "Why did you tense up when I touched you earlier? Are you mad at me? Did I do something?"

"Of course not," You massage your temples, "Brett, you did nothing wrong, it's me I promise."

"Then what's wrong." He says softer, taking your hands from your face so that you look at him.

Well. You couldn't say anything now.

"I'm trans."

"I know babe."

You stare at him, sort of dumbfounded.

"You told me when we first started dating, and I told you that I love you just the same, you're my boyfriend and nothing changes that." He searches your face, "Is that what this is all about?"

"I guess." You say quietly, sort of embarrassed now, "I'm just nervous to do anything intimate. I didn't want you to see me in any weird way. Or thinking my body is gross, I guess."

"You don't have to worry about that." He says, "I think you're the most beautiful person I've ever met."

"Brett-"

"I'm serious." He says, leaning to kiss you, before pulling away, "Can I do something? I've… I've never seen your chest."

"Uh," You bite your lip, "Yes, you can."

He tugs you onto his lap, his hands at your hips, and you shudder at the touch. The touch isn't doesn't feel weird like you were anticipating, and it sent shivers down your back.

Your shirt comes off, and Brett is starring at you, his hands slowly moving to your chest, his fingers brushing against your scars and you can't breathe, this entire thing seemed unbelievable, you felt so, light right now, the look Brett was giving you wasn't helping.

"You're so handsome," He hums, his fingers still brushing against your scars, "I don't know how I got so lucky."

You were pretty sure you could pass away right there.

What he did next sure didn't help, as you squeaked when you felt his lips brush against your skin, as he peppered his lips against your scars, kissing you gently.

Warmth blossomed against your skin as you turned red, as you watched him.

"Brett, I love you." You say quietly.

He pulls back a bit, smiling at you, "I love you too."

You wrap your arms around his neck, "Thank you for being patient with me, I don't think I'm ready to do anything else beyond this right now, er, clothing-wise, but I'll get there."

"And I can wait." He says, "But I do think I'm ready to order that food now."

You laugh, and swat at him, "You're a dork."

[imtooscaredforthis]

Entrapment

Chapter Eight: Night Out On The Town

Mentions of: Sexual Assault, Paranoia, Slight NSFW?, Punching, Stalking, etc.

A/N: This chapter is pretty intense…just to let you all know.

Tags: @froegis @dead-bxxxtch-walking @autisticpickle @moonshineinasippycup @darthwhorecrux

“C’mon, ______! It’ll be a great way for you to get to know your amazing coworkers, such as myself. And you look like you could use a break.” For weeks, Rachel has been trying to convince you to go out drinking with her, and you’ve always declined.

It’s not that you don’t want to, more that you’ve been busy. Slammed with work at the office and the restaurant, not to mention how you’ve still been trying to unpack and clean your place up, and the small twinge of paranoia you feel here and there. She was right, you could use a break.

And maybe, you’ll actually take one. You’re at a place where your income is stable enough to afford to buy things that aren’t necessities, so why not treat yourself?

“Okay, okay. I’ll do it.” You gave in, causing Rachel to grin excitedly, practically bouncing off the walls. “Hell yeah, we’re gonna have so much fun together.”

“So it’s just going to be us? Or is anyone else going?” You asked, trying not to seem obvious, but you knew you were. Especially with the lingering glances on Jed’s Cubicle.

“I’ll see if Jed wants to join us.” She replied, calling him over to your desk, where she was already standing.

“Me and _____ are going out tonight. You wanna come with?”

You watched as his lips curved upwards into a smile as he looked from you to Rachel, before letting out a small sigh. “I wish I could, but I have to work late and edit some of my papers.”

“Booo, you’re such a wet blanket.” Rachel rolled her eyes, leaning against your desk. You giggled, trying to hide the small pinch of disappointment in your heart.

It’s not that big of a deal. Just a very attractive co-worker won’t be joining you tonight. You’ll see him at work, where you’re supposed to. Where you’ll keep things professional like you should.

Keep things professional, _______. Eyes on the prize.

You reminded yourself before you continued to listen in on Jed and Rachel’s conversation. “Sorry, but duty calls, you know?”

“Get out of here you party pooper.” She remarked, giving him a soft shove. He chuckled, taking a few steps back, glancing at you one more time before retreating to his desk.

“Meet you at Walleye’s at eight, and wear something nice. Who knows who you’ll meet.” She told you with a wink.

–

You arrive at Walleye’s at Eight fifteen, slightly late due to the walk, but mostly because you were trying to decide what to wear. You wanted to wear something cute and sexy, but not to the point where it made you look like a hussy.

Thankfully, you managed to find something. It was a violet dress with floral patterns adorning it and a slightly low cut around your chest that revealed some cleavage. It went down to your knees and had long, slightly puffy sleeves.

“_____, there you are!” Rachel greeted you, pressing a kiss to your cheek and wrapping an arm around your shoulder. Her lips are wet, and her breath already smells of cheap beer.

When she looked away to order you a drink, you wiped your cheek, hoping she hadn’t smeared any of the makeup you had on. It wasn’t anything too heavy but was noticeable.

After getting a drink into your system, you and Rachel went out and danced together. As it turns out, Rachel is very fun to hang out with. It was relaxing and freeing, dancing with her, and your stress and worries all began to slip away.

“Ugh, this music is horrible, let’s get something good on!” You said with Rachel cheering you on. Walking over to the jukebox, you slipped a coin in, flipping through the songs until you found something you liked.

At first, I was afraid, I was petrified,

Kept thinking I could never live without you by my side,

But then I spent so many nights thinking how you did me wrong,

And I grew strong, I learned how to get along

You and Rachel continued dancing to the music, singing, laughing, and having a good time.

Weren’t you the one who tried to hurt me with goodbye

You think I’d crumble, You think I’d lay down and die?

Oh no not I, I will survive,

I’ve got all my life to live, I’ve got all my love to give, and I’ll survive,

I will survive, hey, hey

When you went to take a breather from all the dancing you were doing, you noticed that Rachel was gone. Your eyes scanned the bar, searching for her, before finding her conversing with a rugged dark-haired man, and things looked to be getting heated.

Not wanting to be a third wheel, you remained seated, going to order, before a drink was given to you. “He ordered for you.”

Looking across the bar, you spotted a handsome blonde-haired man, with light blue eyes. It seemed like Rachel wasn’t the only one who was lucky. Smiling to yourself and feeling your heart pick up, you went over to him.

Fuck it, you only live once, right? Why not talk to some sexy stranger?

“Do you always spend money on random girls you’ve never met before?” You asked, taking a seat beside him with your drink in hand.

“Well, when they’re as beautiful you are, sure.” Shit, that was smooth. It seemed like you made the right choice to approach him.

You continued speaking with him, learning different things about him, his name, which was Aiden, his job as a model, and the stories of his trip. You talked a bit about yourself too, but preferred hearing more about him.

You took sip after sip of your drink as you listened, and you began to get pretty tipsy. And the next thing you knew, you were in the alleyway beside the bar, making out with him.

He had you pinned up against the brick wall, kissing you deeply, and grinding himself against you. You moaned against his lips, feeling blissful, and slightly dizzy.

But then, he slipped his hands up your dress, and it felt like someone had dumped a bucket of freezing water on you, a sudden clarity dawning upon you.

“C’mon, let’s go back to my place. I got a hotel down the road from here.” You were kissing this stranger, and now he wanted you to go home with him? This wasn’t right. You didn’t want this. You felt gross.

“No, thanks. I think I’m tired. I’ll probably just head home from here.” You tried to let him down gently, but he was persistent.

“Aw, don’t be like that, I’ll show you a good time, baby.” He cooed, only further increasing your disgust. “I said no.”

You spoke firmly, causing him to frown. “Don’t be a prude, now, c’mon.”

He grabbed your arm, tugging you along, but you pushed back against him, only causing him to be rougher. Shouting a loud “No!” You smacked him in the face with your purse, kicking him in between his legs.

“You bitch!” He seethed, and as he lunged at you again, you punched him, and sprayed him in the face with mace, swearing at him yourself before you took off into the night.

Once you felt safe enough, you slowed your pace down to a walk. It wasn’t the first time a man had tried to force himself on you like that, and you doubted it would be the last. Luckily, you’ve managed to get the hang of running in heels, sprinting an impressive three blocks with two inches on.

But that didn’t stop the ache you felt in your feet from the shoes, slipping them off and carrying them as you walked the last two blocks to your apartment. You took a shaky breath, trying to forget the previous events of the evening, and focus on the nice hot shower you’re going to take when you finally get to your place.

Unfortunately, you were too stuck in your head to notice the hooded figure following you home.