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parkersroses · 1 day
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insecure — kim mingyu | 2,146 words | fluff, hurt/comfort
milm (man i love mingyu). short haired mingyu is so fucking hot. also, i will gladly spread the mingyu passenger princess agenda.
gender neutral reader. warnings: alcohol.
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mingyu doesn't know what exactly he's feeling at the moment. his emotions range from tiredness due to how late in the night it is, to amusement as he half-registers the movie playing on the television, to his heart feeling like it's being crushed and released over and over again.
vernon, in his drunken state, made a quip about you and wonwoo making out years ago.
that has to be a joke, right? you've always said said you've never liked wonwoo that way, and mingyu knows you'd never lie to him. so why does it feel like he's waiting for something bad when he sees your text informing him you're on your way to pick him up from his place to spend a night at yours?
he himself had asked for it earlier in the day, happy when you said you'd love to have him over for the night. but given the stuff that's come up hardly an hour ago, he doesn't know if he wants to see you.
of course he does. but he's worried that he's going to say something stupid to you.
the doorbell ringing shakes him out of his thoughts. wonwoo beats him to opening the door. you're standing in one of mingyu's own hoodies, spinning your car keys in your hand, and the thought warms him up a bit. he's still not used to seeing you in his clothes.
you greet wonwoo and he moves aside to let you in. your eyes light up immediately when you spot mingyu. he raises his arms up to let you hug him from behind.
"feeling cold?" you ask, kissing his head, which is covered with a beanie. he kind of wishes you'd kissed his forehead instead.
"a bit, yeah," he says, not untruthfully. but the cold is not the only reason he has a beanie on. he brings your hand to his mouth to press a quick kiss. as much as he loves you, he's had enough of being teased by the boys for a day. he'd much rather save the real kisses for when you get out of here.
"no greetings for us?" seungcheol asks, taking a sip of his drink.
you smile and say hi to him and vernon. "sorry, guys. i've spent all day away from gyu. you have no idea how terrible it is."
"we've spent all day with him, and we kind of have an idea of how terrible it is," vernon says with a cheeky smile.
"hey," mingyu says, no real annoyance in his voice. you laugh, your hand resting on mingyu's shoulder.
"i'll be more than glad to take him off your hands. let's go, gyu?" you ask.
mingyu nods and pushes himself off the sofa, bidding the other guys goodnight.
you shiver when you step out of the building and walk towards your car. mingyu notices and takes your hand in his, putting it in the pocket of his own hoodie. he knows it doesn't help much, especially when your other hand must also be freezing, but the smile you give him is worth it. he lets go of your hand when you get to the car so you can settle down in your respective seats.
"so, how was your day?" you ask, putting the key in its slot. he can smell takeout from the backseat and his heart does a little flip. just a few years ago, he wouldn't have imagined he'd be sharing a life with someone like this, treasuring late night dinners with someone in a car. and he'd never imagined that someone would be you.
he's glad you're here, even though he knows you're always there for him. it's been an uphill journey getting himself to believe that you really do love him, because there are days like this when he doubts half of everything he knows.
"fine," he says, unzipping his hoodie. the inside of your car is warm enough for him to feel a bit better.
"that's not how you speak if your day went well," you say, reaching over to lay a hand on his thigh.
of course you know him too well. "the shoot began at seven in the morning," he says, leaning back against his seat to relax himself. "and then woozi wanted us to give some input on some lyrics he'd written before we wrapped up for the day. then wonwoo invited everyone home for a dinner party, but the only guys who stuck around were us four, because seungcheol had some ideas for the new choreography."
"aw," you say. "you wanted to leave earlier?"
"yeah. it's better with you here."
when you don't say anything, he looks at you, only to find you looking at him...sadly? confusedly? "not that i'm looking for trouble," you say, taking your hand back from his thigh, "but did i do something?"
of course not. you haven't done anything. even if you did, it's in the past. but the mere possibility that you did it...
"you hooked up with wonwoo."
you blink once. then twice. "what?"
that's an insane accusation to make out of context. so what if vernon said what he said? he was pretty drunk already. "um. i...vernon..."
you sigh. "did he say wonwoo wouldn't shut up about it for a while?"
so it did happen. mingyu nods, a bit numb. time and again his friends have teased you with wonwoo because his roommate is your boyfriend and his best friend, and time and again you've shown that you've only ever wanted mingyu. so why—
"did you...settle for me?" the words sound pathetic, even to himself. but it doesn't make sense otherwise. why would you give up a relationship with wonwoo? his standards for dating are so high, and mingyu often conspires with his friends to get his roommate to go on dates, only to no avail. wonwoo's quite content, being by himself.
you turn in your seat however much you can and look at him. your lips are pressed together in an unhappy line and mingyu hates that he's the reason you look this way.
"is that what you think i did?" you ask, folding your hands in your lap. "that i settled for you?"
"no," mingyu says, and knows he means it entirely. he knows you love him. a lot. but some days the question creeps up out of nowhere and doesn't let go for hours on end.
"then why would you think i did that?"
mingyu shrugs. what was the deal with wonwoo, he wants to ask.
you sigh and reach forward to hold his thigh again. this time, he doesn't let your hand escape, trapping your colder hand in place with his warm one.
"it's true," you say slowly. "i hooked up with wonwoo."
mingyu lets out a shaky breath. "why didn't you ever tell me that?"
"does it change anything between us?"
like hell it would. mingyu would kick himself if that ever happened. he stares at his hand on yours. "no," he says reluctantly. "unless you have feelings for him— i know you don't, baby. but still."
you reach for his hand with your other one, trapping it like a sandwich. an idiot sandwich, he thinks, the thought bringing a small smile to his face.
"when i say we hooked up, we just kissed. a whole lot. but it was only ever that."
mingyu looks up at that. you're serious, he realizes. "just...kissing?"
"yeah. we knew it'd go nowhere. it was a mistake."
a mistake? "when...did this happen?"
"remember that party your friend baekho threw? wonwoo invited me to it."
mingyu doesn't remember the specifics, but he knows you'd been invited by wonwoo because he'd wanted the whole group to meet his old friend from college. mingyu had taken one look at you and realized he really liked you. it wasn't like wonwoo to have a ton of friends that weren't from the band, so he'd immediately taken a shine to you.
you take your hands away from his and he immediately misses them, even though they're cold. "it was supposed to be you," you say, voice small.
"what?"
"the person i kissed. it was supposed to be you."
"what?" he knows he sounds like a broken record.
you let out a small, embarrassed noise. "wonwoo said he'd try to get you alone in a room so i could confess and see what happened. but because we both ended up being drunk by the end of the night, he mistook me for some girl and i mistook him for you and we kissed."
mingyu gapes at you. you're a very graceful drunk, leagues ahead of him, but kissing someone thinking they're someone else?
"shut up," you murmur. "if i'd known it was wonwoo i'd have backed off right away."
mingyu lets out a laugh, his heart feeling so much lighter. to think you'd been kissing wonwoo thinking it was mingyu makes him feel giddy. he likes knowing you've probably been into him longer than he's been into you.
"then what was that thing about wonwoo not being able to shut up?"
you sigh. "he found it pretty funny and always brought it up to the guys, but i wasn't amused."
mingyu can't get it out of his head now. it's more funny than it's sad. maybe it's funny in a sad way. but he can't stop thinking about how awkward it must have been for you to hang out with wonwoo after that little mishap.
"stop laughing," you scold him lightheartedly, smacking his arm.
"i'm sorry," he says, hands reaching out for you. the weight on his chest has almost gone entirely.
it's a bit difficult, but you manage to move to his side and sit on his lap. your car's a bit small for such fancy maneuvers but mingyu always loves being close to you, no matter how.
"hi," you say, finally kissing him. he's missed you all day long, and all he wants to do now is go to your place and hold you in his arms all night long.
"hi," he says, looking up at you. he can't keep the stupid smile off his face.
"still feeling cold?" you ask, lightly tugging at his beanie. "i can turn on the heat, if you want."
the hesitation comes back. he shakes his head, but if you're sitting this close to him, surely you're not going to make fun of him?
"we had the shoot today."
"so you said, gyu."
"they...made me..."
"do a hundred push-ups?"
mingyu's eyes widen. "you think i can do a hundred push-ups?"
"i don't know, maybe?"
mingyu inhales sharply. "then i'll train to do them for you."
you shake your head and kiss him again. "you can do ten and i'll still be happy. what happened then?"
mingyu deflates. he doesn't look bad, not to himself, but it's just... new. he's not used to having such short hair.
"i got a haircut," he says, tugging off his beanie and closing his eyes, scared of your reaction.
your voice is low when you say, "oh, my god."
mingyu doesn't dare open his eyes. "is that a good thing, or..."
"gyu, sweetheart, do you have any idea how hot you look?"
he opens his eyes to see yours trained on his face, flitting between his lips and his hair. he feels the slightest bit self-conscious. "i kind of feel like an egg."
"then you're the hottest egg i've ever seen. seriously, what made you go for it?"
mingyu shrugs. "it wasn't really my idea."
you frown at him. "what do you mean?"
"they thought it'd suit the comeback theme if i had short hair."
you take his face in your hands. "oh, gyu. i'm sorry. i wish you had a say in it."
he nods. he does wish he had a say in it, but as long as you find it hot, he's fine.
you run a hand through his hair, or what is left of it after the trim, your fingers scratching against his scalp much more clearly than they usually do. it feels good.
"i hate you," you say softly.
mingyu's suddenly worried. "what? why?"
"because i'm going to have to change my lockscreen again. do you have any idea how much time it took me to narrow down a perfect choice from all the 1,082 pictures i have of you?"
mingyu groans. "don't scare me like that, baby. also, you have that many pictures of me?"
"i'd have more if you didn't tour so much."
mingyu can't help the laugh he lets out. you really can cure his day with your words, no matter where you are. he pulls you down for a kiss. "let's have takeout and go home, okay?"
you grin brightly at him. "did you just call my place home?"
he supposes he did. but it's true, isn't it? "of course i did."
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parkersroses · 1 day
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love at tenth sight — kim mingyu | 903 words | fluff
i thought about weddings again (living the rest of your life with that person? holy shit) and i thought about the worm question again (it just means so much to me). hence this was born.
gender neutral reader. warnings: none.
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mingyu's comfortable being the more talkative one between you both, but he's awed by just how large your family is.
you've been talking to your relatives for almost an hour now, greeting them with a smile on your face and an ease he would be floored by if he wasn't an idol himself, used to meeting tons of fans at a time. not to say that he isn't floored by you every other day.
nevertheless, he's grateful that all he has to do is tag along and get himself introduced as your boyfriend. most of your relatives ask his name and what he does for a living, and he likes the way your eyes light up when you follow up his introduction by saying he's the kim mingyu from seventeen.
he's pulled out of his thoughts when you press a kiss to his jaw, the highest part of him you can properly reach on your tiptoes. "just a while more," you say apologetically.
truth be told, he doesn't even mind being dragged around to greet and be showed off to your family. it's your brother's wedding reception, but it seems like you're meeting more people than him and his wife are.
"can we get milkshakes on the way back?" mingyu asks. there's very little that you refuse him, but he likes hearing it from you anyway.
"anything you want," you promise, squeezing his hand that's in yours.
both of you turn around at the sound of your name. it's an elderly couple making their way to you, the older man holding hands with the older woman walking with a cane. they're almost mirroring you. mingyu has a sudden wish — to be able to see you with white hair twenty years, fifty years, a hundred years from now. he doesn't think he needs to ask you who they are.
he bows in greeting and simply listens to the three of you talk, rubbing your back when you get choked up about not expecting to see your grandparents here. he blushes when your grandmother mentions how much you've talked about him, but you seem perfectly poised with him knowing that.
he thinks he loves you just a little more than he did yesterday.
"would you say it was love at first sight?" your grandfather asks.
for mingyu, it's not a question — it's the truth. it's been love at first sight for him as long as he's known you. both of you had been drawn to each other since the moment you met.
"it was," he says, standing up a bit straighter.
but you seem to hesitate. "sort of," you say, shuffling your feet, not meeting anyone's eyes. the air is slightly tense till your grandfather considers your words and nods. "just keep him around, yes?"
you frown at him, hand coming to wrap around mingyu's arm. "of course i will."
the moment passes, but mingyu's still left thinking about what you said. he knows you love him, but he'd always assumed it had been love at first sight for you, too.
you pull him aside the moment there's an ebb in the number of guests, most of them beginning to make a beeline for where your brother is.
"i love you," you say, tipping his face to meet your eyes.
"want to try again?" he asks, tucking some of your hair behind your ear. "that didn't sound very convincing."
you huff and catch his hand when he's about to remove it. "was it...was it really love at first sight for you?"
"i didn't have a doubt."
"isn't that scary? what if you were wrong?"
he shrugs. "i wasn't, and that's what's important."
you sigh. he curls his hand around your neck, letting his warm palm heat up your skin. "what about you?"
"i think...it was love at tenth sight for me."
"tenth?"
you laugh. "i'm exaggerating. the point it, it was more than one. when i first saw you, i thought you were the most handsome guy i'd ever seen. that's still true."
mingyu feels a boyish grin split his face. no one makes him smile the way you do. "so you had a crush on me back then?"
you give him a pointed stare. "i did, but for superficial reasons. then the more time i spent with you, the more i realized i loved you. rather, i was in love with you. regardless of how you looked." your hands come to rest on his waist. "your looks are just a bonus. i fell in love with you, kim mingyu. nothing's changing that."
mingyu can't speak. coherently, at least. "not even if...i'm a ball of slime in a jar?"
"ew. but even then."
"a single pickled cucumber lying under the sun?"
"...even then."
"an old, wrinkly—"
"why are your thoughts so gruesome? why can't you just be my gyu?"
"okay. but what if i was a worm?"
you press your hand to his chest, palm flat against his heart. "you'd be my most favourite worm."
he huffs. "you'd know other worms?"
you roll your eyes. "i shouldn't have said anything to that."
mingyu takes your hand off his chest and kisses it. "you know i'm going to marry you one day, right?"
"not here," you faux scold him, a smile on your face. "and that's supposed to be my line."
if mingyu closes his eyes, it's just you and him. it's always you and him.
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parkersroses · 1 day
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crescendo — chwe hansol | 1,042 words | fluff
boinon! chwe! hansol! back on my marriage agenda because it's ME. song taken from vernon's playlist from weverse magazine. also i'm a firm believer that vernon is the kind of guy who looks at two of anything and just goes "us." please enjoy me simping for him.
gender neutral reader. warnings: none.
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you notice vernon's not sleeping anymore.
he's looking up at you from where his head is resting on your chest. he always does this thing where his gaze is focused on you till you acknowledge it, whether it's by asking him what's up, or blushing at how intense it is.
this time, though, you don't do anything to shake the moment. so it's just you looking down into his eyes that are looking back at you, and it's not the first time you've paused to admire his eyes.
before vernon, you didn't really understand how you could be lost in someone's eyes. but his eyes? hazel brown, shining when they catch the light just right, a hundred thoughts running through them. streaks of light you wish you could decode.
there's a soft love song playing in your ears while your hands rest on his chest, tracing the shapes of the stars on his shirt. he manages to look good even when he's upside down, somehow.
soft. vernon would shake his head if you said that to him out loud, but he wouldn't deny it. not anymore. he likes when you call him nicknames. he likes when you call him, even. content to listen to your self-professed rambling about whatever's on your mind.
just like you're content to listen to him ask you ridiculous questions out of the blue. ridiculous to anyone who doesn't know him.
"do you believe we're made of the same stuff stars are made of?"
you'd blinked out of the show you'd been watching. "i...yeah? technically? hydrogen and all."
"does that mean we found each other all those years ago? and not just now?"
vernon has a way with words, really. he doesn't downplay it, but that's because you don't let him know how much it affects you in the first place. you could be talking about two seeds in a segment of tangerine and he'd say it was the both of you. two moths flying around a lamp? you.
and then there's times you think his humour couldn't get any worse.
"hey, you dropped something."
you'd looked around to find nothing out of place. "what?"
"my jaw."
suffice to say, vernon didn't get a single kiss from you for the next few hours.
(of course, you'd had to make it up to him with a ton of kisses and cuddles later on.)
right now, he's still looking at you, and the song has changed. you don't know the name of it, having picked it from the playlist vernon made for you, that he keeps adding to.
i hope you like this, he'd said shyly, when he'd sent you the link to it.
it's not surprising that you've liked almost every song you've heard so far. of course, there's a few that don't match your vibe, but when you close your eyes and think of vernon enjoying the song, lost in his own world, it makes you like them a little more.
back to the present. your fingers are tapping along to the rhythm of the song, something about love and self-doubt, upbeat yet heart-wrenching with a guitar riff that's so painfully vernon that you have to lean down and kiss his head.
vernon grabs your fingers where they're dancing on his chest and presses a kiss to your thumb. then your index finger. then the rest of your fingers. and then your palm.
you stop the song, amused at how affectionate he's being.
"what's up?" you ask, taking off your earphones.
he shakes his head. you push at his shoulder lightly.
"keep listening to your song."
you frown. "am i ignoring you?"
vernon sighs. "not at all. it's just...you'll stop doing it if i point it out."
"stop doing what?"
he takes your hand and places it on his chest, trapping it in place with his own. "you do this...thing. you tap out a song on me when we're not listening to it together. and then i try to guess what you're listening to. and i almost always get it wrong. it's...silly."
your heart feels too big for your chest. "vern? have i ever told you how much i love you?"
he shuts his eyes, a smile on his face. "yeah. 'course you have. love you, too."
squeezing his hand that's holding yours, you resume playing the song. he lets go of your hand so you can continue tapping out the beats.
"can you guess what it was?" you ask, once the song ends.
"hm. kinda fast paced, and there's only a few of those on there. breaking the law?"
"nope."
"rock with you?"
you shake your head. "did you really add one of your own songs on there?"
"hey, we make good music, too."
"never denied that."
vernon shrugs. "i don't know."
"marry me."
vernon freezes noticeably under your hand, before pushing it away and sitting up, staring at you.
it's just you and him and the silence in the room. his eyes have you trapped in place, unable to look elsewhere.
"by ellegarden!" you blurt out, suddenly realizing how your words could be misconstrued. "it's..." you scroll through the playlist. "the first song you ever put in there."
"oh," is all he says, but he's blushing. he's blushing. you made your famously stoic boyfriend blush.
"vernon? did you think i..."
"...maybe?"
you let out a small laugh at that. "do you really think...have you ever thought about getting...y'know?
"married?" he asks, smirking. "you shouldn't ask me about it if you're so shy."
"i didn't—!" it's a losing battle. of course you've thought about it, and of course you're shy about it. spending the rest of your life with the person who means the most to you sounds like a dream, and you're living in it right now. halfway there.
"if it's any consolation," vernon says, slotting his fingers with yours, "i've thought about it."
"and?"
"i like it."
it's nearing six in the evening. vernon has his head on your chest again, listening to a song with you this time. you're going to have to listen to it again, the way your brain is clouded by thoughts of him and you.
it can't get better than this.
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taglist: @bookyeom @wootify @strnsvt @cloudycaramel @thepoopdokyeomtouched @minnieminshi
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parkersroses · 2 days
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Guardian Angel - Jeon Wonwoo
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Synopsis: Wonwoo is a mysterious individual. Not that he tried to be, but he always had his guard up. He didn't want to fall casualty to a world that could turn so cold. Can you be the one person that finds the secret passage into his world?
Pairing: College Student!Jeon Wonwoo x fem. reader
Genre: "I'm here for you" girl meets "I'm not good at opening up" boy
Inspired by @aaniag - thanks for tagging me in this post ♡ cannot wait to bring all of these into reality First Encounters Mini Series: #1: #2: #3: #4: Wonwoo #5: Jeonghan #6: #7: #8: Dino
Warnings: mentions alcohol consumption
Word Count: 3.7k
Being friends with Kim Mingyu came with a lot of perks. You always had an invite to the biggest parties on campus, knew someone who could walk you home when you had a bit too much to drink, and a constant study partner who would bring coffee to the study sessions.
On the outside, it is easy to assume you and Mingyu were a couple. And you knew one day, Mingyu would make a woman very happy. I mean, he was the poster child of what it means to be a Golden Retriever Boyfriend.
Yet, you have never been attracted to Mingyu like that. Of course, he treated you like royalty, but in some ways, he was showing you the way you deserved to be treated. Mingyu was always the one to give you dating and relationship advice, which was extremely helpful given he was able to give the male perspective. And vice versa, you were always there to hype up and encourage Mingyu to go after women he found attractive. Despite the confidence he exudes, he was a rather shy individual.
Your friendship with Mingyu was a prized possession in your life, and you never wanted to do something to risk. Even though you had a crush on his best friend, Jeon Wonwoo.
Unlike Mingyu, you knew next to nothing about Wonwoo. You often saw him every now and then when he was out with Mingyu, but the two of you never seemed to exchange words. There was just something about him that lured you in.
And you were hoping tonight would be the opportunity to change that.
For the past few weeks, you have been trying to gather intel on Wonwoo. Most of the time when you hung out with Mingyu, you asked about his best friend. It didn't take long for the giant man to put the puzzle pieces together. Instantly, Mingyu devised a plan to try to get his two favorite people together.
Midterms would be coming to an end on Friday, and he knew everyone would want to come out and celebrate. Rather than going to the bars, Mingyu suggested he hosted a house party filled with his closest friends. Both so everyone could be comfortable and enjoy themselves, but also so Wonwoo might open up more during the party. He wasn't the type of guy who preferred going out on the weekends. Often, his weekends were filled with either studying or playing video games. Mingyu was almost certain that a house party could get his introverted best friend to come out of his room.
After sending different outfit options to Mingyu, and each text was responded with "looks good," you decided on a black jeans and a black, long-sleeved crop top. You wore gold jewelry for the comparison, but also decided to wear your hair down for now. You did keep a white scrunchie around your wrist, in case you or someone else might need it throughout the night.
Your goal was to look presentable, but not too over the top. It was a house party, after all. Tonight would be a great opportuntiy not just to hang out with friends you haven't seen in a while, but also maybe know Wonwoo on a deeper level. While yes, you did like him, you were unsure of where his mind was at. Even Mingyu was clueless on Wonwoo's love life as it was a topic rarely they engaged in. Being friends with Wonwoo could always be the start.
With a bottle of vodka and a bottle of Berry Lemonade held by your hip, your free hand knocked on the door. You could already hear music and chatter coming from inside. Growing out of hopping from frat house to frat house, house parties were becoming more of your comfort zone. Maybe that's what it meant to be an upperclassman?
"Hi Barbie!" "Hi Ken!"
Mingyu quickly retrieved one of the bottles from you, making your load lighter. You could have managed carrying both, but that was Mingyu just being himself. He wrapped his free arm around you to pull you into a hug. "Woah, you're wearing perfume tonight? Must really want to impress someone."
Quickly, you pulled back from the embrace and slapped his chest. Your eyes narrowed on him before he broke out into a fit of laughter. Yeah, Mingyu definitely was not your boyfriend.
"You do look great though, y/n!" "Not half bad yourself, Gyu," you laughed.
The two of you ventured into the kitchen after closing the door. Mingyu's parties never got too crazy. He always knew who was invited, and it was always known nobody else unless an invite was extended by Mingyu himself or you asked if you could bring someone along with you. He just never liked the unpredictability of strangers entering his home. Wonwoo and him also despised the clean-up afterwards too when people didn't respect their home. That was one way to never get invited again.
Upon entering the kitchen, you were greeted with cheers. Both from the guys invested in the game of Flip Cup but also by the ones that noticed you. Seungkwan, Dino, and Hoshi were all grinning at you. Currently, it seemed like Seungcheol and Joshua were going head-to-head in a match with Dokyeom and Jeonghan waiting there turn. Vernon, Minghao, Jun, and Woozi were all spectating. All that was missing was Wonwoo.
Noticing you take a headcount, Mingyu grinned. He's gotten to know you all too well over the course of your friendship. "He's out back on the patio," he whispered into his ear.
He must have been able to escape with the guys distracted, and the bodies that filled the first floor of their college townhouse apartment.
"Y/n! Wanna take a shot?" Hoshi shouted to you. "Hell yeah."
A little liquid courage never hurt. Mingyu chuckled as he got to work preparing your mixed drinks for the two of you. Hoshi was eagerly pouring out shots for the 14 people. He must still think Wonwoo is in the room.
"Hey, where's Wonwoo?" DK finally asked once he finished his turn with flip cup. "Oh, I think he must have slipped outside," Mingyu quickly responded. "I can go check on him after," you offered.
It was not unusual for you to take on almost a 'mother' role. Like Mingyu, you liked being there for people. You liked when people felt uncomfortable around you or that you could help someone out, no matter how big the task might be.
"That's our eomma," Dino shouted.
You rolled your eyes playfully but couldn't wipe the smile off your face. It did really feel good to be seen in positive light.
Mingyu placed your red solo cups in front of you. You smiled at the sight of your mixed drink, knowing that it would help the liquor slid down your throat. You weren't the biggest fan of vodka, but if you had something to chase? You were golden. Plus, you were now able to take your drink and able to slip away to find Wonwoo.
"Alright fuckers, some of us are seniors. Top dogs, but we always have our pack to support us. " Hoshi began. Oh boy.
Promptly, DK started barking which encouraged the rest of the boys to join in. Sometimes you question why you are friends with them, but you knew they were all irreplaceable.
"I just love you guys so much." Uh oh. Looks like Hoshi has already had a bit more to drink than the rest of the group. "Here's the last few months before we become boring."
The shot glasses dropped down to the table before meeting all of your lips. You cringed a bit at the feeling of straight vodka hitting your mouth but quickly swallowed. With your free hand, you were able to rid of the taste with the mixed drink which made you immediately relax. You sighed as you could already feel how warm your stomach felt from the liquor entering your system.
"Go get your boy," Mingyu teased you in a hushed tone. "HEY! Secrets makes frenemies and I want us all to be besties," Hoshi shouted as he caught you and Mingyu talking. "Relax, tiger. I'm just telling her where I think Wonwoo ran off to."
Hoshi seemed to relax before instantly distracted by the next game Jun proposed. Mingyu sighed, knowing he was going to be on Hoshi duty tonight. Again. You patted his shoulder comfortingly before slipping away to the porch.
Keeping your drink above your head, so you wouldn't accidentally spill or drop it on anyone or anything, you navigated through the crowd of people. For someone who liked to keep parties small, there was always a large turn out for Mr. Popular. You offered friendly smiles at familiar faces, as you kept your eyes locked on the back patio.
As the people around you began to dissipate, you saw a figure sitting on the steps of the back porch. It wasn't much of a porch really. Just a set of wooden steps with a deck, but it was like luxury to any college student. It also is why people favorited Mingyu's spot for partying on the weekends.
You were able to easily identify the person outside just based off the broad shoulders. It has been quite a few weeks since you last saw Mingyu, but you liked seeing how long his hair has gotten since then. You always thought he looked better with a bit of length to his haircut.
Gently, you slid the back patio door hoping not to startle him. He did, however, whip his head around to see who was responsible but then immediately relaxed when he saw it was you. While you two were not close yet, he recognized you. Wonwoo also knew just how important you were to Mingyu, so you were never seen as a threat. Quite frankly, he just didn't know how to approach you since the two of you had not had a proper conversation one-on-one.
"Oh hi, y/n," he called out gently. His voice was always calm in his deep tone. It was oe of the things you adored about Wonwoo. His voice was calm to you like the ocean, and you always seemed to cling onto every word he spoke.
"Hey Wonwoo," you said in your usual tone, not wanting to be perceived as a threat. "Mind if I join you?"
His eyes slightly widened as he heard you. Only the guys ever really approached Wonwoo, so it was a bit surprising that someone would want to accompany him.
"Oh um sure."
Wonwoo scooted over from where he was sitting, offering his spot for you. You smiled appreciatively before fully stepping into the patio. You closed the door behind you, both to respect Wonwoo's privacy and to keep the house warm. It was apparent that Wonwoo had wondered out here for a reason, so you wanted to respectful and show through your actions you were someone he could trust. You also were not wanting to hear Mingyu nagging at you for causing the electricity bill to rise in the month of March.
Slowly, you made your way over until you sat down next to him. You set your drink but the edge, so if you accidentally spilled, it could go into the grass rather than the cute boy beside you.
"Enjoying the party?" Wonwoo asked in a soft tone.
It wasn't monotone. It was his usual deep tone. But as he spoke, you noticed that his gaze was seemed to be locked on the moon above the two of you. It was still a bit chilly when the sun was hidden, but you were comfortable. The alcohol definitely aiding.
"Yeah, actually. Much better than being coped up studying," you joked.
"Yeah, I feel you," he sighed. You watched the way he pushed his glasses up on the bridge of his nose. It was such a little thing, something he probably doesn't even think about it. Yet, you found it to be the most adorable thing. "You're in the political science program, right?"
Your heart undeniably did a little flip knowing that he remembered that detail to you. Maybe Mingyu has held up his promise and talked to Wonwoo about you, not just saying he had to make you feel more at ease. You nodded your head as you looked over at hi. It was just a habit of yours. You didn't expect him to look over at you, but you wanted to show him that you were present in the moment and ready to listen to whatever he wanted to say. Or even if you two just sat here in silence for a little. There was just something screaming within you that you he needed you tonight.
You just had no idea that he knew anything about you given that you only were on first name basis.
"Yeah," you spoke softly, unable to wipe the gentle smile on your face. "And you're in the computer science program?"
Wonwoo nodded, smiling a bit as well. Wonwoo never was the guy he thought people took interest in. Honestly, every day, he feels just blessed to say he has some of the best friends who want to drag him out of his bedroom. Most people might not even notice his absence. And Wonwoo did that subconsciously, just as a defense mechanism. He has been on the receiving end of bullying and life's unfortunate events. He just found himself isolating more as a way to cope.
"If you don't mind me asking," you began, biting your lip. "Why are you out here by yourself? Is everything ok?" "I think?"
You couldn't help but frown at Wonwoo's response. You were too familiar with the uncertain feeling and knew how troubling it can be. While everyone faces their own difficulties in life, you never liked hearing that other people are struggling.
"I just," he began to open it up.
Now you were the surprised on. Never before would you expect to be Wonwoo's confidant, but you knew it was a job title of upmost importance. You just hoped your surprised expression was not portrayed on your face. If Wonwoo needed someone to vent to, you'd gladly step up.
He glanced at you to see if you were listening. Satisfied to see your eyes on him with a soft gaze, he let out a shaky breath. For the first time in a while, he felt like he was able to confide in someone. He knew the guys were always in his corner, but he ever wished to worry them too much. To some extent, Wonwoo prided himself in his own ability to take care of himself.
It was just that he's been struggling for some time.
"Everything is changing," he chuckled almost out of self-pity. "It's just been hitting me that all of this," he motioned to the party behind him. "Will not be here in a few months. Hell, not even in a few weeks since we all graduate soon. I know I should be in there partying it up, living in the present but I cannot help but think of how we all won't be together like this and it makes me sad."
It was almost like looking into the future as Wonwoo described his inner turmoil. You and Mingyu, and a few of the other guys, were still had another year or two left in college. However, Wonwoo and the other guys would be graduating this upcoming May.
"Do you know where the other guys have decided to go?" You asked in a quite tone. You hope you weren't upsetting him by your questions.
Wonwoo slowly nodded. "Yeah, I think Seungcheol and Jeonghan are moving to the city. Seungkwan has talked about moving in with them once he graduates next year. Joshua and Jun have jobs lined up in their hometowns, so they'll be moving out probably at the end of May. Hoshi? I have no clue. He hasn't even applied to any jobs yet. And Woozi and I have been applying to graduate schools. He's leaning towards business and I think I want to go in a more software engineering route."
"Have you heard back from any schools yet?"
Wonwoo couldn't fight the smile creeping on his face. He knew you cared deeply about Mingyu's friends, but he never thought he would be looped into that circle. He always kept his distance just because it was just convenient, it's what he knew. It also kept him safe in a world filled with chaos and unpredictability.
"Yeah, I actually heard from two schools, so I'm trying to decide. One of the schools is here."
He whispered the last part. It spoke volumes to you. The thought of Wonwoo staying here meant that you might be able to make things work with Wonwoo. That is, if he was opened to the idea of you dating.
"Like part of me wants to run away from here," he explained.
While you weren't quite at the same stage as life, you understood the need. It was part of the reason why you chose to go away for university whereas all your high school classmates chose more local programs. You wanted a change of scenery, a new beginning.
"So much has changed since freshman year. I'm definitely not the same person I was. I've had my challenges like losing my mom a year and a half ago," he explained. "And all those hard times happened while I was here, so I almost have a need to move and leave the pain behind.
His casual mentioning of his mother's passing brought back memories. You remember how all the guys rallied behind Wonwoo. Some of them even skipped final presentations and exams in order to be there for Wonwoo at the funeral. You knew it wasn't in your place to attend the funeral, but you cooked a warm cooked meal for all of them. It was Wonwoo's favorite dish. It at least wanted to do a nice gesture, so Wonwoo knew he wasn't alone. You still remember dropping the dish off with Mingyu with re-heating instructions.
To this day, he has no idea how that dish arrived. He just figured one of the guys ordered DoorDash.
While Mingyu begged you to stay, so you could give it to Wonwoo himself, you didn't want to overstep. You knew grief takes all shapes and forms, os you thought the best thing you could do was give the space for Wonwoo to feel his emotions.
Little did you know he's been harboring those emotions this whole time, almost two years later.
'But then part of me worries about the younger guys. I don't want them to feel abandoned. I don't want the group to fall apart once we all move, and it feels like if I stay here then I can keep us together even while the other guys go off."
"Almost like you are the glue that keeps them all together?" "Yeah, I guess that's the best way to explain it." "But Wonwoo, what keeps you together?"
He furrowed his eyebrows as he fully looked at you. What an odd question. And based on his reaction, you felt the need to elaborate.
"I mean, it's great that you always look out for everyone. You're a real nurturer," you explained.
Wonwoo has never been described in such light before. He bit the inside of his cheek to keep the blush from overtaking his cheeks. He shrugged though as if it was no big deal.
"But what are you doing to take care of yourself? I'm not asking you to make a decision now to either stay or go because going to grad school is a big decision. Congratulations, by the way. That's incredible!"
How could you always see the positive side of things? How hasn't life damaged your spirit like it has for him? How could you see good in him when he often failed to see it in himself?
"I know it's easy to feel like you need to harbor your own emotions because it's easy. But Wonwoo, that shit can break you."
Woah. Who would have thought y/n could swear.
"I'm always going to be here if you need me, you know. I'm not just Mingyu's friend, but I could like to consider us friends too, if that is something you'd like. I'm always here if you need a place to vent, especially if it's away from the guys. I know they can be
" you trailed off.
You didn't want to offend Wonwoo as that was his core group of friends. You were just a side character brought in every now and then.
"A lot," Wonwoo finished for you.
You both shared a laugh as you nodded, confirming to Wonwoo that was the word you were looking for. Silence fell over the two of you for a moment. All that could be heard was the sound of people laughing from within the house and the crickets chirping in the backyard. It was peaceful.
"You know, I've always wanted to say more than hello to you, y/n. Thank you for letting me vent. I wasn't expecting for it all to just spew out like that," he confessed.
Looking at him, you nodded a blush had fully taken over his cheeks but a wide smile remained on his lips. He looked too adorable. The moonlight was highlight his facial features which left you starstruck. He truly was built like a God.
You scooted closer so you could wrap your arms around Wonwoo. He tried his best not to let his body go tense. Wonwoo just wasn't accustomed to someone showing him affection in such a physical way. To be honest, he couldn't remember the last time he actually had a hug.
Slowly, his arms wrapped around you to pull you in closer. You didn't mind his hold on you was a bit tight. He clearly needed it. Your head rested on his shoulder, which allowed you to get a whiff of his cologne. Teakwood and oak. It made your heart fluttered.
But what really sealed the deal was feeling Wonwoo's head rest on top of yours gently.
"Always here for you, Wonwoo." "Promise?" He whispered. "I promise."
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parkersroses · 2 days
Text
Pretty Boy Rock - Yoon Jeonghan
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Synopsis: Every girl in your office swooned over Yoon Jeonghan besides you. Yet, Jeonghan always liked a challenge.
Pairing: Colleague!Yoon Jeonghan x fem. reader
Genre: "I won't fall for you because everyone else does" girl meets the "I get whoever I want" boy
Inspired by @aaniag - thanks for tagging me in this post ♡ this is only the second one so we still have a long way to go!
First Encounters Mini Series: #1: #2: #3: #4: Wonwoo #5: Jeonghan #6: #7: #8: Dino
Word Count: 2k
Friday afternoon, 12:25pm
"Did you see what Jeonghan is wearing today?" "Girl, how could I not notice? My attention was all over his slacks." "The front or the back?"
Oh god. Give me a fucking break.
If there was one thing you hated, it was gossip around the office. Especially when it came in the form of girls basically drooling over one of your colleagues, Yoon Jeonghan. And of all places, they decided to take their little thirst fest into the break room.
"You know, there is something that I noticed," you said, popping into the conversation.
Immediately, heads snapped towards your direction. You were a bit taken back by the abrupt movement, fearing that their own heads would fall off. Either because they didn't realize you were in the room or they were interested in what you out of all people had to say. You were one of the few survivors of the trance Jeonghan seemed to place over your female colleagues. And if you had something to say regarding the matter, they surely were interested.
You couldn't help but smile slightly as you set down your silverware. The element of surprise had to be on your side here. You just had come in to enjoy your salad, but why not enjoy a show?
All the women leaned in, anticipating for what you might have to say. Your eyes glanced from side to side, as if you were scooping the scene to make sure there were no unwanted listeners. Getting the hint, the women leaned further in to hear the secret you were about to spill.
Time to go in the for the kill. In the loudest voice you could possible muster, you said the following:
"The way you talk about Jeonghan is quite disgusting. You hate when the men in the office talk about your skirts or how tight your blouses, but here you are drooling over Jeonghan in just a pair of pants? Pathetic. Close your mouths, ladies, or you might flood the office."
The small group gasped at you, eyes glaring at you but also glancing around to make sure nobody had looked in their direction. Their faces red in embarrassment as you smirked triumphantly.
Being the polite person you are, you bowed your head gently to pardon yourself. Gathering all the trash from your lunch, you threw it away and was about to make your exit.
"You're just upset that you're not Jeonghan's type," one of the woman muttered.
You couldn't help but laugh at their claim. You turned towards the group who seemed to be mustering all the courage they could to stand up to you. At the same time, you raised an eyebrow and had your hands on your hips. Do they really think their words will hurt you?
"Oh no! What will I ever do?" You said dramatically. "At least I don't live in some delusion where me and my friends are all after the same guy? I mean, he can only pick one of you. Or worse, he picks none of you."
Their eyes widened and mouths dropped at your words. Don't mess with the bull or you might get the horns. They seemed to be trying to come up with another comeback, but all you could do was walk away. Not worth wasting your breath on them.
You began to make your way back to your cubicle. You still had a few reports you needed to get done with before you could close out for the weekend. It wasn't that you hated your job. If anything, you kind of liked the routine it put you in. You even were beginning to be handed more responsibilities like leading presentations and joining brainstorming sessions for different marketing campaigns.
You definitely didn't have the time to be oogling over the looks of Yoon Jeonghan.
As you settled back at your dress, you let out a sigh. As invested as you were in the work you were doing, you couldn't help but feel as if time was dragging now that it was towards the later part of the day. Just 3 more hours.
"Well look who it is," a voice called out.
The hairs on the back of your neck rose a bit. You recognized that voice anywhere. Your attention was locked on the computer monitor in front of you, thinking that if you ignore the interruption it would just go away naturally. That was until you felt like something was looming over.
With a narrow gaze, you looked up to see the devil himself - Yoon Jeonghan. His arms rested against the top of your cubicle wall. You realy thought you had been silent enough to get back to work without alerting the beast. But by judging by the smirk curled on his lips, you knew he had been waiting for you. The black tie was loose around his neck with the sleeves of his white button up were rolled up to his forearms.
"Missed you, darling." "What can I do to help you, Mr. Yoon?" You did your best to keep a montone voice.
You didn't want to give any sort of impression you could be into what is happening.
"Mr. Yoon? What is with the formalies, y/n?" He gasped. "Well, I'm here to do my job and not entertain whatever this is," you explained.
"Is it actually that harmful for a man to be friendly?" "But what's the catch?" "Go out with me."
Your eyes widened and you nearly laughed. He frowned at your reaction but still stood his ground. There was no need to give any indicator that his ego had deflated a bit. He was not used to someone being so upfront with their rejection, normally accustomed to a shy "I don't know." But you were different. There was a reason he did this little waltz with you.
You and Jeonghan have been working together since you joined the company last year. He was technically someone in your department that could have been a mentor, but you were quickly swayed away by his flirtatious manner. Seeing that you were not dropping on your knees, begging for his attention, Jeonghan saw the challenge and knew he could beat it. There was a way to get into your heart, no matter how icy and impenetrable you wanted to come across.
He would crack the code, one way or another.
"I don't think it's a joke, doll. We're two attractive people. Come on. One meal couldn't hurt you." "Jeonghan, being in the same room as you is sometimes insufferable. How do I even know you don't want to go out with me because someone else was busy, hmm? I mean, weren't you just coupled up with the receptionist?" "Couldn't be fit into her Google Calendar."
You rolled your eyes at his response before dropping your gaze back down to your computer. You pretended to be typing away at one of the numerous documents you had pulled open, hoping it was enough for Jeonghan to get the hint.
However, he could tell you weren't budging quite yet. He also picked up on your little act as your screen was completely black. The brightness from the screen wasn't reflecting onto your face whatsoever. Still, he found you absolutely adorable.
"Okay, okay, I'm sorry. This is unprofessional of me, y/n. I'll leave you be."
Fucking finally.
Monday morning, 8:59am
Ding
Your heels clicked along the tile flooring of your office. It poured during your commute into work, which caused you to be stuck behind more traffic than usual. You didn't always mind, but it just put you in a foul mood. Especially since you had to sacrifice your Monday morning coffee run. It was ritual for you, and now the whole week felt like it was just off balance.
"Woah y/n. Your bad mood seems to have brought the bad weather," a voice called out to you.
Your gaze narrowed in the direction the voice came from. Your hair was slightly damped as you had to run into the front of the building from your parking spot because of course you didn't think it was going to run and didn't bring an umbrella with you.
Looking over, you noticed it was one of the girls from the break room on Friday. You rolled your eyes to refrain yourself from sticking up your middle finger. You just offered a polite smile before marching to your desk. As you moved, you heard her and her friends giggling at you. This is why you despised any sort of office relationship.
"Hey, y/n. You okay?" Jeonghan called out.
You were about to enter your cubicle when you saw Jeonghan overlooking your cubicle again. Your jacket rested on the back of your chair. it would be a miracle if it dried at all before the end of the day. You were also grateful you had a pair of flats you could change into in attempt to save your soaked shoes too. Plus, it as a good excuse to slip out of heels. You didn't mind wearing them but always valued comfort over appearance.
"Yeah," you murmured.
Usually, you would expect a snide comment from Jeonghan. Or a flirty attempt in righting the situation. But there was nothing. It cause you to freeze and look up to see what was going on. Jeonghan was only staring at you with almost a friendly smile on his face. Not a smirk but a smile.
You wanted to question it, but as you were calming down from your hectic morning, something else caught your attention. An iced coffee was sitting on your desk with a winky face on it. What the fuck?
You opened your mouth to question it but looked at Jeonghan instead. In response, he winked at you before slipping behind the wall that divided the two of you.
Standing there, you felt something unusual throughout your body. You felt warm and tingly, especially in your stomach. Your heart was doing somersaults. It was comparable to in cartoons when the heart leaps out of the character's chest. You stared at the coffee, specifically at the marker drawn winky face staring back at you.
Jeonghan did this? For me?
Your eyes couldn't help but wonder to see if this was a prank or if there was a hidden camera. Jeonghan still wasn't lurking in his usual spot. You also noticed that nobody else had an iced coffee on their desk awaiting for them. A blush overtook your cheeks, but you quickly sat down before anyone noticed.
Reaching forward, you moved the plastic container towards you to see it was from the local coffee shop you frequent. It was the place you went every Monday morning, the place you had to skip out on today or else you would be late. But what struck you was that he got your exact order.
Your blush intensified. You kept your head ducked as you took a sip out of the delicious drink. There was no denying the smile on your face wasn't just because of the coffee but because of Yoon Jeonghan.
And on the other side of the wall, Jeonghan was smirking to himself. He got his computer turned on before going to make himself a cup of coffee from the break room. He didn't often frequent coffee shops as they often didn't have decaf coffee. When he walked into the place around the corner from your office building, he asked the woman behind the corner if you had been in yet. Saying no and noting how odd it was, Jeonghan seized the opportuntiy. He asked for your usual order and requested a winky face drawn on it.
"Are you her boyfriend? She's mentioned there's a guy she's interested in at her place of work."
That's all the encouragement Jeonghan needed to go through with his plan. He shook his head but smiled at the barista. "No, not yet. I'm hoping this catches her attention."
And by the looks of your blushing face, he was close to winning you over. He always gets what he wants, and he certainly had his eyes locked on you.
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parkersroses · 2 days
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on second thought | jww
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(where your roommate, wonwoo, has an interesting solution to all your bad dates. nothing can go wrong with two friends crossing a line, can it?)
pairing: wonwoo x f.reader genre: roommates/friends to fwb to?? | smut, tiny bit of angst if you squint rating: explicit, 18+ minors dni word count: 6.5k warnings: there's some plot here but it's mostly smut, multiple sex scenes (some quickly referenced), roommates who enter a fwb agreement, kissing, fingering, oral (f. receiving), protected sex, multiple orgasms, use of actual lube, some scratching, after care, mentions: masturbation, kitchen sex, teasing, overstimulation, edging, i think that's it.
authors note: happy birthday to my bby @wongyuseokie! i'm thankful to have met you through nets. i hope you like some wonwoo to celebrate. thank you to @wonwussy for helping me with a title, you're a savior. this is unedited because i only started it yesterday so sorry in advance. also tagging: @aaniag @gyuminusone
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Another disappointing date. Another man who couldn’t even seem to let you finish a sentence. Was so intent on proving how well he could provide for you that he forgot to treat you like a person. So intent on establishing his dominance that he tried to order for you at the overpriced restaurant with too-small portions. So irritated that he paid for your dinner and drinks only for you to leave separately from him and refuse his offer to drive you home. There was no way you were letting that man know where you lived. Is it really asking too much just to have a decent date? You aren’t going to let anyone try to tell you that your standards are too high. You’re really just asking for the bare minimum. 
That’s why you’re sitting on the counter in the kitchen of your shared apartment, spilling your guts to your sympathetic roommate. His hair is messy, sticking up at odd angles in some places because he’s been playing video games for hours. Probably streaming at some point. You admire that he’s able to do something he loves to fill up most of his days. He pushes his glasses up the bridge of his nose and you try not to find it so endearing. But, you fail at that. He really is impossibly cute sometimes.
“Do you want a bite of this?” you ask instead, holding out the instant ramen you made as soon as you got home. 
“No, I ate earlier,” he answers. 
“An actual meal or a Wonwoo meal?” you challenge and he rolls his eyes.
“I ate real food. Go back to bitching about your date,” Wonwoo says. 
“I don’t know, maybe I was being too harsh,” you say. 
“He sounds like a fucking nightmare,” he disagrees. 
“Ugh, maybe I just need to redownload one of those apps,” you whine. Wonwoo raises an eyebrow at you. “Don’t look at me like that. I hate fucking on the first date, but I’m so pent up that I need to release it somehow. I’m going insane.” 
This makes him laugh, at least. It releases a little bit of the tension, too. You’ve lived with Wonwoo nearly three years and were friends for years before that. Nothing is secret between the two of you. Not anymore. The first time you realized he caught you getting off in your room because you didn’t think he was home was mortifying. Even if he didn’t seem to think it was a big deal. After you got over it, things settled. And in the time since, you’ve both heard the other doing a lot of things. Some of your friends think it’s weird, but you just chalk it up to the comfort of living with someone. After all, you would tell your female friends all about your sex life. Why was that weird to share with Wonwoo? 
“Toys not doing it for you?” he throws out. You only fix him with a glare. It’s more proof that you’re entirely too comfortable.
“Our walls are thin, what do you think?” you answer. 
Wonwoo snorts a little before seeming to consider something. “Why don’t we just fuck? Get it out of your system.” 
The sip of water you’re taking when he suggests that comes bursting out of your mouth. A real life spit take. Thankfully, he’s out of the blast zone. He looks unamused at water coming out of your mouth, but he doesn’t look like he was kidding. It can be so hard to tell with him. You think that you know his face well after all these years. But, you never thought you’d hear that coming out of his mouth, so you’re not sure. 
“Please give me some indication if that was a joke or not,” you say.
“It wasn’t a joke,” he says.
“Pretty clear indicator,” you mumble. 
“Is it that crazy? You think I’m hot
” Wonwoo starts. If you were still drinking, you’d spit out your water again.
“Uh, what?” you ask.
“You think I’m hot. Hao told me,” he says as if it’s no big deal. You’re mentally running through what the appropriate payback is for this breach of trust. “It’s fine. He told me because I was saying I also think you’re hot.” 
“I mean, thanks,” you laugh, still considering how you’re going to torture Minghao. “But, we can’t have sex.” 
“Why not?” Wonwoo presses. 
“Because we’re roommates?” you ask like it’s obvious. 
“So I can hear you fuck yourself with a toy or hear you fake an orgasm with another bad date, but us fucking each other is the line?” Wonwoo asks. 
“I don’t fake that many orgasms,” you scoff to buy time.
“Yes, you do,” he argues. “I can hear the difference. And I’m pretty sure you wouldn’t be faking it with me.” 
There’s a little bit of cockiness in the statement that shouldn’t be doing anything for you. But, it is. There’s also the very real possibility that Wonwoo does know the difference in the sounds you make. It’s not like you’ve bothered being that quiet since the first conversation where he heard you. What’s the point? The walls are pretty thin and you’re both adults. It’s not like you’re going to kick him out every time you bring a date home. And you’re definitely not going to only get off in the shower because it drives up the water bill. 
Beyond any of it, there’s also a little curiosity. Wonwoo is insanely attractive. Someone would have to be blind to miss that. He’s got that whole nerdy thing going on for him on initial inspection with the glasses and gaming. Or there’s the fact that he’s content to just hang out around the house, even with company over, wearing his pimple patches. But then, there’s this whole other side to him. It comes out when you’re both out with friends and he leaves the glasses behind. Swapping out graphic tees or hoodies for form fitting clothing and leather jackets. Casually leaning against a bar and whispering honey into some nameless, faceless stranger’s ear. 
And that leads you to the reason you’re actually curious. Sure, he’s heard you having sex with people you’ve been dating or just someone you brought home for the night. But, you’ve heard him too. If any of your orgasms sound faked, the ones he coaxes from the pretty girls in his bed sound anything but. There’s nearly always an incoherent string of praises. That thought alone has you considering his proposition. It has you shifting a little on the counter.
“Let’s pretend for a second that I’m considering this,” you start and he smiles. 
“Pretend, sure,” he echoes. 
“We’d need ground rules, right? Like we don’t want this to get awkward,” you say.
“It’s not gonna be awkward. But, we can set whatever makes you feel comfortable,” he says nonchalantly. 
A very strong, very hard to ignore voice in the back of your head argues against setting rules at all. Actually urges you to just drag him into your bedroom. Or his bedroom? Maybe you do need some ground rules. 
So, you talk. You don’t say that it’s only going to happen once because you never know what needs might pop up. The most important thing that you agree to is that nothing can change between the two of you. If either of you feels like it’s going to, then you have to talk about it because preserving the friendship is most important. It doesn’t matter what bed you have sex in as long as the other helps clean anything up. You’re not planning on this being a regular thing, so you don’t need to negotiate any kinks or anything like that. If it does become more of a thing, then you can revisit the kinks. There won’t be any weirdness about dating or talking to other people. This is just a solution between two friends that are both going through dating dry spells. 
Once the rules are set out, Wonwoo brings you into his room. Even though you’ve been in here more times than you could ever count, it feels different now. He tells you to make yourself comfortable on his bed. When he turns around to take his shirt off and toss it aside, your eyes map out his back. And, yeah, you’ve seen Wonwoo shirtless before, but never given yourself permission to so openly appreciate his body. His shoulders are impossibly wide and he’s in deceptively good shape for someone that hides under baggier clothes. 
“Should I take a picture for you?” he asks. It’s only then that you realize that he’s facing you. 
“Funny,” you say with an eye roll. 
Wonwoo crosses the space to his bed and settles next to you. The way he reaches out to pull your face into his own is so smooth. His lips are on yours before your brain has a chance to catch up. You gasp a little and pull back.
“What are you doing?” you ask.
“Uh, didn’t we just go over this?” he asks.
“No, I mean, we’re kissing?” you ask.
“What am I supposed to do, sweetheart, just get right down to fucking you without foreplay?” he asks.
You feel a little stupid for asking that because of course you don’t want to skip the foreplay. It’s just that you don’t want to force it, either. 
“Just let me take care of you,” Wonwoo says to keep you from overthinking anything. 
It’s not something that you expected to be doing. Giving up control to Wonwoo. But, it’s surprisingly easy when he starts kissing you again. Any thoughts that this might be weird fly right out of your head as soon as he deepens the kiss. Instead, your focus is on what a good kisser he is. The way his lips mold effortlessly to yours. The way his tongue licks into your mouth. The way his hands roam your body as if they’re trying to memorize every curve. 
You’re breathless by the time Wonwoo pulls back from you to pull your shirt over your head. When you changed after the date from hell, you hadn’t considered putting anything nice on. Hadn’t bothered to keep your bra on. What was the point when you were just going to be going to bed after having something to eat? Now, you’re wondering about that decision. Because your very hot roommate is drinking in the sight of you. It’s making you a little self-conscious, the way his eyes move over your body.
“Fuck, you’re beautiful,” he utters. 
It’s a little too intimate for you to respond to. It doesn’t seem to matter, anyway. Wonwoo starts kissing down your neck and working his way to your breasts. He spreads his kisses between them, rolling your nipple between his fingers when his mouth is on your other breast. There’s something so consuming about the way he kisses your body, like he’s worshiping you. Like this is a lot more than roommates helping each other out. 
He works his way further down your body, kissing along your stomach, stopping at the waist band to your shorts. Thankfully, he doesn’t give you the chance to overthink here either before he pulls the shorts and underwear down your legs. Tosses them off to the side for good measure. You’re totally naked in front of someone you find you do actually trust. And someone that, yeah, maybe you’ve thought about fucking before. There was no reality where you thought it would happen, though. Even if it does make a lot of sense. Every part of you truly does feel safe with him. He knows you better than most people in your life. Which clearly translates to this part of you. 
Since you’re so comfortable, you’re finding it easier to not be embarrassed at the way he’s got you squirming under the barest touch. The way he ghosts his breath across your center makes you let out a whine. It’s unfair, the way that he wants to take his time like this. It’s also unfair that he’s the first person to ever make your mind go this blank during sex. Nothing exists to you outside of this moment and this man.
Wonwoo moves back to where you need him the most, blows gently against your center. The sensation sends a shiver down your body. You barely hear him mumble out a “so pretty” before he flattens his tongue and licks a stripe up your core. There’s just enough time to think this slow pace might actually be the death of you before he goes back in. Using his fingers to spread you apart, he starts tonguing your pussy. A mix of slow and deliberate movements with faster ones. His thumb circles your clit before his mouth moves up there to give it the attention it needs. 
With his mouth on your clit, he presses one finger into your pussy. You’ve never really thought much about his hands and now you’re wondering how you missed them. His long finger pumps in and out of you quickly. It seems that he’s reading your body and can tell that you don’t want something too slow. There’s so much pent up in you.
“Fuck, please, Wonwoo. I need another finger,” you whine. 
“Anything you want,” he mumbles into your pussy. 
He slides another finger inside of you and it makes you clench around him. That only seems to make him move faster. His mouth continues to work along with his fingers and your hands grip whatever they can reach. You’re a babbling mess and you suddenly understand what you overheard from Wonwoo’s room. There’s something so hot about knowing he’s this good with his mouth and his hands. It’s got you coming hard on his face. Harder than you can remember coming before. 
“That’s my girl,” he praises as soon as you’re coming down from your high. Your hazy brain doesn’t latch onto it the way it clearly should.
He presses a gentle kiss to your inner thing and then pulls himself up to lie next to you. His fingers trace patterns into your skin while he’s waiting for your breathing to come back to normal. 
“Jesus, I guess I know why I always heard so much praise through the wall,” you mutter. 
“None as pretty as the sounds you just made,” he says quietly. It’s so gentle, so intimate. There’s a lot of love between you and one of your closest friends, so you don’t dwell too much on it.
You turn your head to face him. His eyes are still dark with desire, fingers still keeping contact with your body. There’s like some kind of bubble around the two of you where nothing else exists. It’s a comfortable feeling, even in the quiet. Something pulls you in closer to him and you can feel his erection brush against your leg.
“Oh,” you say quietly. “You know, I’m still a bit pent up
”
“Are you sure?” he asks. 
“What? I’m gonna come on your face but we can’t actually fuck like we meant to?” you joke, a little braver than you feel. 
“This was about you, not about me,” he says simply. 
“It can be about both of us,” you say, hand running down his stomach. He tenses a bit under your touch and it’s unfair. He’s got perfect abs and you kind of hate it. Kind of hate that it’s so hot to you, too. 
You run your hand over the outline of his dick threw his shorts, enjoy the sharp intake of breath at the contact. It feels like a sign for you to keep going. But, he grabs your hand and pins it above your head. Kisses you hard and desperate. All of his restraint from before seems to be gone now. 
“Don’t play with me, sweetheart,” he warns. 
“Then show me how good you can fuck me. You were so sure earlier,” you press back. 
Wonwoo rolls over and pulls his shorts and boxers off. Casts them off to the side with your clothing. He reaches into his nightstand and pulls a condom out. He rolls back over to position himself between your legs. 
“One final time, are you sure?” he asks. It’s the first time since you came into his room that you’ve seen him look unsure.
“As long as you’re sure too, yes. I need this Nu, please,” you say, a little breathy with desire. 
“I love it when you call me that,” he admits. 
With your go ahead, he slides his tip along your entrance. You know you’re still wet from his hard work, but he still reaches into the dresser again. He pulls out some lube and runs it along his cock. Once he’s done that, he puts the cap back on and tosses it aside. He presses his tip against you again and this time slides in, slowly. Gives you a chance to adjust. 
You’re completely at Wonwoo’s mercy like this, with his arms on either side of you like he’s caging you in. Instead of wanting to get out, you can only think that you wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. Your hands find their way to his arms, gripping him tightly as he bottoms out in you. 
“Fuck, you feel so good,” he hisses. 
“Nu, fuck, please move,” you beg. 
“Give me a second, sweetheart, I’m trying to adjust so it doesn’t end too fast,” he says, voice so impossibly deep. 
“Please,” you beg again. 
“Fuck,” he whispers. 
It finally does get him to move though, barely pulling out at all and fucking slowly into you, so deep. He’s filling you up in the most perfect way. Your nails dig into his arms, but you can’t help it. He doesn’t seem to mind. If anything, it spurs him on. Makes him pull nearly all the way out of you before snapping hard into you again. He repositions one of your legs so that he can reach a different angle. With each hard thrust, his dick hits exactly where you need him to be. The rhythm is fast, which is really everything you need for how stressed you’ve been feeling. Each thrust uncoils more of the tension in your body. Each moan seems to spur him on more. 
When he leans down to kiss you, it’s messy. A clash of tongues and lips and teeth and need, so much need. Your hands find purchase anywhere on his body they can, even as his own arms seem to be a little shaky. So, you pull him down on top of you, bodies pressed tight as he continues fucking you. You’re still so sensitive from the first orgasm that you’re building up entirely too quickly. Even though you wanted it fast like this, you’re a little sorry to think it might be almost over. 
Wonwoo must feel that you’re close by the way you’re clenching around him and begging for him to give you everything. He pushes himself up a little, just creates the tiniest amount of space between your bodies, and you miss it a little. Miss the feeling of skin on skin. But, he’s only doing it so that he can circle your clit. He just wants to take care of all that tension. You give control over to him completely. Let him set the pace. An embarrassingly short time later, you’re coming for the second time. He removes his hand but still fucks you through the high. 
When your body stops shaking, you realize that he’s stilled inside you. He’s barely even moving as he looks down at you.
“It’s okay, Nu, I’m not that sensitive yet,”  you assure him
“Thank fuck,” he whispers. 
His pace is fast and you reach up to run your nails down his back. That seems to get him like nothing else does. When you do it a second time, he hisses out and you know he likes it. Each time your nails find a new part of his skin, his thrusts stutter. You clench your pussy around his cock and that’s all he can handle. He’s coming undone. 
You return the favor through his high, lightly keeping the rhythm going and helping him settle his weight on top of you. His breathing is still heavy when he meets your eyes and gives you the gentlest kiss. Slowly, he slides out of you and rolls over. The next second, he’s up to dispose of the condom. He disappears into the bathroom and returns with a wet washcloth a few moments later, sitting on the edge of the bed to help you.
“Well, I guess I learned one thing,” you say when he gets up to take the washcloth back to the bathroom.
“What’s that?” he calls over his shoulder.
“All that confidence was definitely warranted,” you say through a light laugh. 
You can just feel him rolling his eyes. “And here I thought you’d have less to say after a good fuck.” 
“Nope, chatty as ever. No more tension, though,” you say. 
“I’m glad,” he says, but it looks like he actually means it.
You move to get out of the bed and look at the sheets. Probably in need of a change. “Hey, do you wanna throw these in the hamper and just sleep in my bed tonight?” 
“Are you sure that doesn’t break any rules?” he asks.
“No, we’ve done it
are you teasing me?” Your question morphs in the middle when you catch sight of his face. He can be such a shit for someone who acts like he’s chill all the time. 
“I would never tease you,” he says, faux seriousness lacing his voice.
“That’s a shame, I like being teased,” you toss back.
“I’ll remember that for next time,” he shrugs.
“Next time?” you wonder.
“Just go get in your bed, I’ll be there in a minute,” he says. 
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It wasn’t like you agreed for sex with Wonwoo to be a one time thing. That felt like putting too many rules in place. Still, you’re not expecting it to happen again quite so quickly. You also genuinely didn’t realize he was home when you pulled out your vibrator. But, he was home and he barged into your room without knocking, pulled you to the edge of your bed, and fucked you hard. Made you wonder why you’d ever even consider using your vibe in the first place. 
The next time comes after another failed date. It kind of seemed like that was the recipe. Something goes wrong or you’re pent up and he’s there to let you use him. Although, he’s really using you just as much. You like to let him be a little rough with you. There’s something satisfying in the way he doesn’t treat you like he’s going to break you. It’s unquestionably the best sex you’ve ever had, but that’s your business. You don’t need to share that with the class. You do figure that it might be time to talk about some kinks and boundaries, though. It would be good to be on the same page. 
That seems to be how it goes for a while, at least. It’s mostly you needing something, Wonwoo being able to sense that, and helping you out. It doesn’t seem to ever start from him being the one to need something. He doesn’t even seem to be going out and bringing people home so much anymore. Not that you’re keeping track, you just can’t remember the last time he did. Or maybe he’s trying to only bring someone home when you’re not around. 
He definitely holds true to his promise to tease you. One night, after a really long week at work with a lot of little things going wrong, he asks if he can take his time with you. In hindsight, you should have known it meant that it was going to mean teasing. But, you agreed anyway, and let him set the pace. Instead of hard and fast, he takes everything slow. He brings you right to the edge over and over again without letting you have your release. It’s insane how well he seems to read your signs. It seems like he can tell you’re close before you can. That night, it feels like it goes on for hours before he finally lets you come. It’s the biggest mess you’ve ever made. A fact that you would be embarrassed about if Wonwoo hadn’t looked so proud. Still, it feels like you’re the one always working something out.
Until it doesn’t.
One night, you come back from a night out with friends and are rummaging through the cabinets looking for a snack. This is the thing you hate about living with Wonwoo. He’s taller than you and doesn’t think twice about using the higher cabinets. You, on the other hand, can’t reach them so easily. You’re on your tiptoes trying to reach something when you feel him press into your back. His hand comes up and grabs the box you were reaching for with ease. You press further back into him when your heels hit the floor again.
“Fuck, you’re driving me crazy,” he mumbles into your hair. His hands find a place on your hips, holding you against him. This feels different from how every other time has started. 
“What do you mean?” you ask quietly into the silence of the apartment. 
He lets one hand slide down, quickly meeting the bare skin of your thigh. You know your skirt is a little shorter than normal, but the night seemed to call for it. “This. Did you go out hoping to bring someone home?” 
“Maybe,” you say, shivering a little at the way his breath tickles your ear. 
“Are you trying to tease me?” he asks. It comes across almost like a demand. 
You wiggle your ass against him a little before you answer. “I would never.” 
“Of course not,” he says. 
Everything that happens after that feels different. It’s never started like this. It’s been passionate, but it’s never been driven by so much raw desire. It’s never been the kind of sex where Wonwoo pushes your skirt up around your hips and pulls your underwear down to your ankles. Never been the kind of sex where he buries his face in your pussy while you grip the counter for support. Never been so desperate and needy and rushed. 
He makes you come twice on his tongue with your knees going so weak that you can barely stand before he even moves onto actually fucking you. You’re so weak by the time you finish that he has to help you to the bathroom to clean up before he tucks you into your bed. You’re so tired that you don’t even realize how intimate it is when you ask him to get into bed with you. 
The disappointment that sets in when you wake up to get some water in the early hours of the morning hits you hard. Entirely too hard for something that’s supposed to be free of feelings. Your bed feels a little empty without him taking up space. Which is really stupid because it’s not like that’s been something you’ve been doing all of the time. It’s not something you’re used to. But, there’s an unexpected comfort in him. Something that catches you completely off guard. As you drift back off to sleep, you resolve to deal with your feelings in the morning. 
That’s how you find yourself sitting on Minghao’s couch as he makes you both a cup of tea. He hasn’t asked about your roommate yet, but you know that it’s coming. He just wants to have everything he thinks you’ll need first. A few minutes later, he sets two cups of tea down next to the plate of snacks he threw together. If you weren’t in such a crisis, you’d have time to be envious over how pretty the presentation looked. 
“So things with Wonwoo have gotten awkward?” he asks without preamble. 
“Jesus, Hao, let me take a sip first, at least,” you groan. 
“I don’t want to say that I told you this was a bad idea
” he starts.
“You were the one who spilled the beans that I thought he was hot. This is your fault too,” you point out. 
“I told him that he wasn’t alone in thinking his roommate was hot. I didn’t tell you both to start fucking without realizing it was bound to blow up,” he says. 
“I know,” you sigh. 
“So, what’s going on?” he asks. 
Minghao is a lot of things. He can be a bit of an art snob. He’s that kind of impeccably dressed where he looks like he just stepped off a runway. He can appear a bit detached. But, he’s also one of the most thoughtful people you know. He’s complex and he cares for his friends more than he cares for himself most times. Both you and Wonwoo are among those he counts as his closest friends. So, he just listens as you lay out everything that’s happened since the first time you had sex. He doesn’t judge or interrupt. Patiently, he just waits as you get it all off your chest, including how you felt after last night. 
None of that really comes as a surprise. You know that he’s going to give you shit and be there for you at the same time. What does come as a surprise is what he says when you’re done laying out your issues.
“I haven’t wanted to set you up because I wasn’t sure you were in the right place for it, but I actually have a friend that I think you might hit it off with,” he says. “He’d definitely get you out of this whole Wonwoo funk you’re in so things can go back to normal.” 
“You wanna set me up?” you ask, surprised. 
“Yeah, I think it’d be good for you,” he says. 
“Okay, tell me about him,” you agree.
“He’s really kind. Kind of talks in a permanent pout, but it’s endearing somehow. He’s a giant softie at heart and he’s so incredibly loyal. He’s been talking about how he’s looking for something a little more serious. I think you’d like him,” Minghao says. 
“What’s his name, Hao?” you ask skeptically.
“Mingyu,” he answers and your eyes go wide.
“Mingyu? As in that hot model you’re friends with?” you ask.
“Yeah,” Minghao says evenly.
“Okay, you can see if he’s interested,” you agree.
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It’s been a couple days since Minghao threw out the suggestion of setting you up with Mingyu. The two of you have exchanged a few messages and he does actually seem really nice. He’s also funnier than you expected him to be. When he asks if you want to get dinner the upcoming weekend, you find you’re a little bit excited. 
There’s only one issue. You feel like you need to tell Wonwoo. You know that he’s not going to care, but it still feels weird when you’ve been fucking around. Maybe Minghao was right and the whole thing was a terrible idea after all. It’s hard for you to tell him when you seem to keep missing each other, though. Lately, he’s been playing video games over at Vernon’s place more than normal. Even if they’re streaming, something feels weird. 
“Hey,” he calls out from the front door, snapping you from your thoughts. 
“Oh hey,” you answer, looking up at him. He doesn’t meet your eyes as he moves to head back to his room. “Everything okay?” 
He stops to look at you when you ask that question and his eyes still look a bit distant. “Yeah, fine. Why?” 
“I don’t know, you’re being short with me,” you say. 
He just shrugs. “I don’t have anything to say.” 
“Okay,” you say, drawing out the first syllable. “Well, I just wanted to tell you that Minghao set me up with his friend Mingyu and I was thinking I’d go out with him.” 
“You don’t have to tell me about your dates,” he says evenly.
“I just thought
” you start.
“We agreed,” he interjects. “Enjoy your date whenever you go.”
“Thanks,” you say quietly to his retreating figure. 
The whole point of agreeing to go out with Mingyu was to get things back to normal with Wonwoo. It was clear that you had gotten in over your head. Now, you’re wondering if things are going to be able to go back to normal at all. This isn’t your normal dynamic. You always shared stories about dates, hook-ups, anything and everything under the sun. Your other friends always said it was weird for the two of you and you just ignored them. Now, you feel like you’re in it alone. Maybe they’re right and it is weird.
Since it’s a little on the later side anyway, you decide to grab something from the kitchen and just head into your room. You can go to bed early and forget that whole conversation even happened. That’s probably for the best. It’ll be easier to get back to normal once you’re going on dates again. Once you stop fucking your roommate like you could have ever done that without forming some kind of feelings. 
It’s the middle of the night when you feel someone slide into bed around you. A familiar scent slips into your consciousness as an arm slides around your center. You nestle back into the chest and know for sure that it’s your roommate. The same man you’re trying hard to get over.
“What are you doing, Wonwoo?” you mumble in sleepiness. 
“Don’t go on the date with Mingyu,” he says. He sounds completely awake. 
“What?” you ask. Your brain is still foggy from sleep. 
“Don’t go out with anyone else,” he says. 
That makes you open your eyes as the words bounce around in your brain. You turn over to your other side so that you’re facing him. His hair is messy and all he’s wearing is a plain white t-shirt, but your heart still constricts a bit at the sight of him. 
“What do you want, Wonwoo?” you ask, voice thick with mental exhaustion.
“Exactly what I told you. I want you to turn Mingyu down,” he says.
“Why should I?” you challenge. 
“Because, well, we’ve got this
” he starts and fumbles over his words.
“We haven’t got anything. You’ve been avoiding me for days,” you point out. “Hell, I asked you to stay in bed with me after you fucked me in the kitchen and you couldn’t even make it til morning.” 
“I know, but I was scared that night because I realized I was starting to feel something,” he says. “And then Hao texted me to tell me he’d finally given your number to Mingyu
”
“Finally? What do you mean?” you asked.
“He’s been asking for your number for months,” Wonwoo says through somewhat gritted teeth. “So Minghao told me you’d agreed to be set up and I don’t know, I guess I just decided
”
“To avoid me?” you supply. 
“I didn’t know what to do. And I didn’t know how to process you not telling me,” he admits. 
“You weren’t around for me to tell you,” you point out. “We’ve been fucking. I wasn’t just gonna be like oh by the way, I’m going on a date.” 
“Please don’t go on a date with him,” Wonwoo asks again.
“I will consider not going if you can actually talk to me,” you say. 
“About what?” he asks. 
“Everything you’re feeling and why this whole let’s just be roommates that fuck was stupid,” you say. 
“Whatever you want, sweetheart,” he says immediately. 
You sigh, realizing that you’re not going to be able to go back to sleep, and send Wonwoo to the kitchen to get you something to drink. By the time he’s back, you’re sitting up in bed and ready to have an actual conversation. 
You stay up entirely too late talking about everything between the two of you. It’s a little hard to believe Wonwoo is so open with admitting how he feels. It’s harder to believe that Wonwoo knew he felt something for you before the very first time you had sex. In his mind, it was clear that he wasn’t just offering because the two of you were friends. He offered it as a way to gauge your own feelings. But, after that first time, he kind of figured it was just sex and tried to detach himself from it. That was when you started to feel something for him. 
When he’s done admitting his own mistakes and feelings, you figure that it’s time for you to own up to your own. It was really silly to just make up his side of the conversation about why he didn’t stay in bed with you that night. After all, the one thing you both stressed before sleeping together the first time was that you had to be honest in your communication. That’s what friends did and you were friends before anything else. As it turns out, you’re both way more on the same page than either of you realized. 
“You’re wrong about one thing, though,” you admit. 
“What’s that?” he asks.
“It was never just sex for me. I was totally done the first time you kissed me,” you share, picking at a thread on your comforter to avoid looking at him.
“I kissed you before we even had sex,” he points out, incredulous. 
“Yeah, turns out I’m not so good at the just friends who fuck thing,” you say with a shrug. 
“If I’d have known that was all it took, I’d have kissed you months ago,” Wonwoo grumbles.
That brings you up short. “Nu, just how long have you liked me?” 
“I don’t know, a while,” he says. 
You just shake your head at him before pressing a gentle kiss to his lips. “Just talk to me next time.” 
“Can we go back to having sex now? I miss the feel of you,” he whines out. “And the taste.” 
“We literally fucked less than a week ago,” you point out to try and avoid the way it makes heat pool. 
“I could taste you every day and never get sick of it,” he says without any embarrassment. 
“Are we really giving this a try?” you ask.
“Unless you don’t want to,” Wonwoo says.
“I do, I’m just scared. What if we try a relationship and it doesn’t work?” you ask. “You’re one of my best friends. I don’t wanna lose that.” 
Wonwoo reaches out to tilt your head up. “We’ll just promise to be honest with each other. We can figure this out together.”
“Okay,” you agree.
“So, we’re doing this?” he confirms.
“Yeah, we’re doing this.” 
Just like that, you agree to take a leap with the only person that you’ve always trusted to catch you every time you fall. It feels scary, but also completely natural. 
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i hope you enjoyed it! 💕
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parkersroses · 2 days
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Polaroid Love | KMG
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Summary: The prospect of meeting Mingyu’s family has you feeling a new emotion that you’ve never felt with anyone else. 
Pairing: Kim Mingyu x GN!Reader
Genres & AUs: Fluff, slice of life, established relationship au, college au
Rating: PG15
Warnings: Profanity, a make-out scene, mention of something suggestive but otherwise just fluffy
Words: 4.8k
Note: This was supposed to be posted on Mingyu’s birthday, but life happened so here it is now! Thank you to my wonderful beta @playmetheclassics​​ ily Indi mwah! 😘 This banner took me like an hour to make in canva and I’m very proud of it thank you very much. Anyway I love Mingyu 🙂
Net tag: @kflixnet​​
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parkersroses · 2 days
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this is the most disgusting thing minghao has seen.
he can't even fight the grimace on his face, and it's sending seokmin into giggles next to him. but who can blame him? he's been watching you and mingyu flirt with each other for months without realizing that it's a real, mutual thing. and now mingyu has his palm pressed against your own, comparing your hand sizes with this stupid twinkle in his eyes. what the hell is he watching? why the hell is he forced to see this? why him? the two of you are completely oblivious right now--meaning he has a moment to recover--but he can't stop staring at this.
"stop!" seokmin whispers, still snickering as he elbows him. "he's going to notice."
he hides his grimace with a long sip of his tea, turning away to look at seokmin again. "they're so oblivious." he's beyond disbelief. this long? this long and neither of you have actually done something?
mingyu reaches for the smoothie that's sitting next to you, and seokmin's already smacking minghao's arm to look, look, he's gonna do it--he's gonna drink it by accident--and minghao rolls his eyes.
"mingyu," he says as mingyu grabs the smoothie, already going to take a sip. "that's not yours."
mingyu raises his brows, already closing his lips around it. "hm?"
minghao's head drops back for a minute as he sighs in frustration. "that's their drink."
neither of you seem bothered by the fact, and the gears are turning. your palm is still pressed against mingyu's, and you flex your fingers, his following with ease. "it's fine. besides..." your fingers intertwine with mingyu's all too easily, and minghao fully realizes he's the dumbass when he sees the tender look in mingyu's eyes. "we're not the oblivious ones here."
seokmin gasps, and again, he's slapping minghao's arm. "when did you--"
"months ago," mingyu says, reaching over to steal a cookie from you. he chuckles, glancing away from you for a moment. "it took you two long enough." he looks at you, smiling softly. "i told you they wouldn't figure it out."
you giggle, "yes, yes, i know. you're the super smart one and i'm the hot, silly one--"
correction: this, mingyu in love, is the most disgusting(ly cute, kinda) thing he's ever seen.
672 notes · View notes
parkersroses · 2 days
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Interlude No. 4 | kmg x reader
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Interlude No. 4: Twice, Mingyu has tried to go home and the third time, he actually makes it out of the door. So why has he come back?
Rating: M (18+) | WC: ~2.7k | Pairing: kmg x reader | Genre: smut, fluff
Warnings: shower sex, oral m. rec., fingering, tiny flash of masochism, piv sex, creampie
Reader Notes: has a vagina
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The first time Mingyu tries to leave, you’re the one who stops him. 
Not by force, that probably wouldn’t be possible, but you know your pouty face is just as powerful as his muscles are, especially when you use it against him. 
So when he starts pulling his arm out from behind your back and lets out that big sigh, you turn it on and gaze at him, begging him not to go with everything but words. He takes one look at your face and wilts, gathering your body up against his and settling deeper into the couch before reaching for the remote to tell Netflix you’re still watching. 
With your head tucked up under his chin and his arms around you, he doesn’t see the wicked little grin that quirks the corners of your mouth, or how pleased you are at having easily convinced him to stay at least another hour. 
.
The second time Mingyu tries to leave, he’s the one who stops himself. 
He’s halfway to the door with you just a few steps behind him, his hoodie already tugged over his head and one arm, before he realizes something and turns around. 
“I can’t see you tomorrow, can I?” He asks, dejection clear in his voice. 
You scrunch your mouth to the side and shake your head regretfully, “I have to work late and then I have drinks with the girls.”
“And you’re sure you can’t come over after? Even just to sleep?” He sounds so small, trying to negotiate time with you like this. 
“You know we stay out pretty late, and I’m expected at the office early the next day for that project.”
“Right
 Right,” he sighs, pouting slightly and looking around before shrugging the hoodie off and striding back over to the couch, catching your hand on the way and pulling you behind him. 
“I’ll stay a bit longer then,” he smiles up at you as he sinks onto the cushion, taking hold of your hips and guiding you into his lap. 
This time, you don’t watch a show, you just sit with your ear pressed against his chest and your legs curled up, his big arms warm around you and his heartbeat nearly lulling you to sleep. You chat for a while before you both fall silent, content to breathe together and soak in the time you still have. 
. 
The third time Mingyu tries to leave, he’s successful. 
You wish you could keep him, especially with the rain pelting the windows, the drops falling so quickly they glide down the glass in streaks, but you think that might count as abduction and you’re not about to catch a charge for a man. 
But the man is Mingyu

No. You have to let him leave this time, even though you kind of want him to stay and move in and be with you forever. That’s a scary thought when it’s only been a few months and you’re not sure where Mingyu stands, but you have to be honest with yourself. 
You think you love him. 
It only gets clearer with every interaction, every hug, every kiss, every caring little thing he does for you. He’s grown to know you so quickly in the short time you’ve shared together, grown to understand you and appreciate you, and you’ve done the same for him. 
You know how he likes his coffee, you know not to expect him for at least an hour when he tells you he’s working out, you know what each of his hugs, each of his kisses mean. 
You know that the hug he’s giving you now means he doesn’t want to go, his whole body curved around you as he sways lightly from side to side, his arms holding you tight and his eyes squeezed shut. 
Fuck, of course, you love him. 
When he finally pulls back enough to kiss you, it’s one you don’t recognize. 
It’s slow, and deep, and full of feeling, his lips moving against yours and his hand cupping your cheek so gently, you wonder if he thinks you’re made of glass. He’s barely broken the kiss before he’s leaning in to press his mouth to yours again, as if the first wasn’t enough, as if it could never be enough. 
When he kisses you a third time, just as sweetly, just as softly, you feel the words on the tip of your tongue. It would be so easy to let them slip, to breathe them into his lips, to sigh them out as he pulls away. 
But when your mouth is finally free to speak, you find you can’t tell him yet. 
So you let him go with just a goodnight, watch him as he walks towards the stairs, his steps large and quick but hesitant too, like he’s forcing himself to keep going. When he disappears into the stairwell, you glumly return to your apartment, locking the door and heading over to the window to watch him leave. 
He bursts out of your building, hood up, and you’re convinced you can hear his swearing as he darts across the road to his car, his keys already out and his hand reaching for the door. He doesn’t open it though, doesn’t get in, even as rain soaks into his clothes and lightning paints the sky. 
Instead, he turns, his eyes finding you in your window as he pulls the hood down. 
There’s a look in them that’s familiar to you, though you haven’t categorized it yet. 
It’s the same look he gives you when you wake up together, when you reach out and fix his hair, when you surprise him at the gym with his favorite protein smoothie. 
Water is trailing down his face now, his hair dripping and sticking to his forehead, his light gray sweatsuit darkening the longer he stands still. You almost jump when he nods to himself and races back across the street, your breathing stalled for a tense thirty seconds before you hear a knock on your door. 
You dart over, unlocking it and swiftly pulling it open to find him, panting and drenched and grinning brighter than you’ve ever seen. 
“Mingyu, what-”
“I love you,” he gasps with wide eyes, reaching for your hands. You give them to him numbly, his words ringing in your mind. 
I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. 
“You
 love me?” You repeat, shocked at his words, though you probably shouldn’t be. 
“Yes, I love you. I couldn’t leave without saying it,” his smile begins to wane, his earlier excitement fading. “Is it too soon? It’s okay if you don’t-”
“Mingyu, I love you,” the words spill out of your mouth, your earlier hesitation all but forgotten in the wake of his confession. 
He’s beaming now, bringing both cold, wet hands up to cup your face and leaning in to kiss all over. You can’t help but giggle in enamored exhilaration, wrapping your fingers around his wrists and pulling him even closer. Finally, he stops smiling long enough to press his lips to yours, the kiss you didn’t recognize earlier now obviously being one of true, undeniable love. 
It grows heated quickly, and you thank your neighbors for being homebodies like you because it means you can drag him into your apartment by the hair without any disapproving looks. 
He’s dripping all over your hardwoods but you can’t find it in yourself to care, until he shivers so hard, his lips fall from yours. 
“I’m fucking freezing, can we do it in the shower?” He asks, teeth chattering and lips pale where they should be red and juicy from your kisses. 
“Yeah, Gyu, c’mon,” you steer him toward the bathroom, though you know he knows where it is, and skip ahead of him to start the water, hoping it’ll be warm by the time he gets his sodden clothes off. 
He struggles out of the hoodie, white tank rising with it, and squeezes out as much moisture as he can before laying it out on your sink, doing the same with his sweats. Even his boxers are wet, and when you reach out to hold his hips, you find his skin is ice cold. 
“Babe, you warm up in the shower and I’ll put these in the dryer, okay?” You offer, concerned and more than a little endeared. 
“Okay,” he whispers, turning around and pressing his quivering lips to yours before sweeping back your shower curtain and climbing into the tub, hissing at the stark difference in temperature. 
Gathering up his clothes in your arms, you jog over to your closet, throwing his things in the dryer and starting it up on low, knowing that if they shrink, there’s no hope of them fitting him again. 
He’s singing when you get back, a song you don’t know but one that’s obviously about love, and as you undress, you call out, “Gyu, I’m back,” so you don’t startle him into falling (like you have before). 
“Yay,” he pulls open the curtain and grips your wrist, pulling until you laugh and get into the shower with him. He looks just about back to normal, his skin flushed with heat and his lips bright and plump, and when you lean in to kiss him, he’s no longer trembling. 
Content with his recovery, you let him press you up against the shower wall, gasping at the chilly tiles before his arms wrap around your back to act as a barrier. Your fingers sink into his hair, tugging at the short strands, your tongue slipping into his mouth when it opens on a sharp gasp. 
He pulls you into his chest, his slowly hardening cock brushing against your thigh, making you reach down and take hold of it. He lets out a little moan, his arms flexing around your body as your hand starts to glide up and down, stroking him to full thickness and then stroking him some more. 
You can’t stop kissing him, you feel like you need his air to breathe, like you’ll perish if his lips part from yours for even a second, but soon enough, there’s something you want even more. 
You want his cock in your mouth, want to feel its heavy weight on your tongue, so you pull away and sink to your knees, grateful for your rainfall showerhead and the fact that it means there’s no water falling into your eyes. You have a perfectly clear view as you stare up at him, your lips aching to wrap around the weeping head of his dick. 
“Baby, I don’t wanna cum like this,” Mingyu gasps, his palm on your cheek and his gaze caught on your mouth. 
“Then don’t,” you instruct unhelpfully, before licking up the gathered precum and sliding his cock between your lips. 
He bites out a swear, his head tipping forward as he braces a hand on the shower wall, the other shifting from your cheek to grip your hair, though he doesn’t pull or guide you at all. He just watches and takes it as you bob on his dick, your watering eyes locked with his and your knees starting to smart from the hard ceramic of the tub. 
It isn’t long at all before he’s gasping out your name and twitching in your mouth, his hand clenching in your hair as he whines, “Baby, baby, stop, I’m gonna cum.” 
You know he can cum twice but thanks to your earlier delays in him leaving, it’s already pretty late and you both have work in the morning. So instead of pushing, you pull back instead, letting his cock fall from your mouth before attempting to stand. 
Mingyu’s hands hook beneath your arms and help bring you up, holding you close to his body as he leans in and sucks his taste off your tongue. When he pulls back, you begin to turn in his arms, getting into your usual position for shower sex. 
“No, not like that, I wanna see you, please,” he sounds so needy, so weak for you, and you don’t have the strength to tease him, not when he’s vulnerable like this. You just turn back around, wrap your arms around his neck, and hitch a leg up on his waist to open yourself up for him. 
His fingers find the heat between your thighs and start to prepare you, dipping into your cunt and stretching you out, curling inside you to grind into your sweet spot and get you even wetter. Even with his fingers, you still feel empty, and you don’t think that will change until it’s his cock instead. 
“Mingyu, I’m- that’s enough, just-,” you can barely even find the words to tell him what you want, desperately needing him to fill you up, make you whole again. 
He doesn’t respond beyond a short nod and the withdrawal of his fingers, his dick notching in your entrance before he starts to push in. He’s slow about it, gentle, knowing that it’s been a few days since you last fucked and that you didn’t get nearly enough foreplay for him to just bully his way inside. 
You almost wish he would, your greed for him is that dire, but when he’s finally fully seated in you, he fits so perfectly it’s almost as if you’re one person instead of two. He sobs out a swear, just barely pulling back before taking hold of the leg you’ve got propped on his waist and hitching it up higher. 
His hips roll into yours in short, deep thrusts, the angle allowing him to drag the head of his cock over your g-spot every so often, making your head spin and your nails dig into his shoulders. You know he likes the pain, likes the lingering marks, so you don’t try to stop, instead holding on for dear life as he pulls back further and fucks into you like he means it. 
Normally, you’d speak to each other, tease each other, but this time, it’s different. 
You already said what you needed to say and you’re doing the rest of the talking with your bodies, every push and pull an affirmation of the words you exchanged barely twenty minutes ago. They echo in your mind, mixing with your syrupy sweet thoughts and desires and wishes until your head is a tangled, beautiful mess. 
You give up on trying to make sense of anything when he starts kissing you again, all of your brain power focused on kissing him back as he makes a home inside of you. You’re prepared to throw up some flower boxes and roll out a welcoming mat for him, prepared to give him the key to your lock and the secrets buried under your floorboards. 
You have a feeling he’d treasure them all, just like he treasures you, cherishes you, loves you. 
He loves you, and you love him, and suddenly, your heart is so swollen with it, you almost can’t breathe. 
“I love you,” you gasp into his mouth. “I love you, I love you, I love you.”
You’re wholly unprepared for the flood of cum that fills you, and the rush of oxytocin and adoration that overtakes you as you break together, spurred by your words and his twitching, leaking cock. His whimpers vibrate against your lips, his arms wrapping around you and pulling you in so close you can feel his pounding heart. 
“I love you,” he whispers over and over again, as he pulls out, as he cleans you up, as he washes your face with your cleanser, as he wipes himself and you down with a towel, as he pulls his boxers back on. 
He whispers it again as he settles into bed with you, and you muster up enough energy to say it back before dropping into sleep, content in his arms and in the knowledge that he’ll be there when you wake up.
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AN: in existence bc of my love @bbychocolat, thank you for always fueling me with your beautiful mind and love for mingyu
My Masterlist
the song mingyu was singing
672 notes · View notes
parkersroses · 2 days
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FIRST DATE (VERNON'S VERSION)
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genre: fluff, headcanon warnings: first date nerves, kiss(cheek) wc: 400 a/n: thank you anon! please reblog if you enjoyed, feedback is always appreciated
first of all, he was nervous about asking you out. it was probably months of pining over you, planning things out, and just waiting for the perfect opportunity to ask
when he finally did, it was more like, "Hey...would...date...with...me"
picks you up from your house, with flowers, and opens the door for you so politely that you almost get the impression that he's acting strange
the two of you would probably go and see a movie for your first date and grab some popcorn before the movie starts
after finishing your popcorn before the movie even starts, you'll have to run back to buy some more
vernon doesn't pay you much attention he is way too absorbed in the movie for his own good
if you go to the bathroom during the interval, he buys you more snacks, so you can't argue or try to split the bill.
has a lot of thoughts about the movie so far so, tells you everything he's come up with
you've come to the conclusion, that this guy is a complete nerd and writes half of his reviews during intervals so he doesn't miss anything
his ears turn so red when your hands brush against his while reaching for the popcorn
suggests grabbing a bite to eat at a nearby diner
he excitedly discusses the movie's themes, character development, and any easter eggs he noticed
is very interested in your thoughts about the movie
is so flustered when you compliment him that he accidentally spills your drink, apologizing profusely and offering to pay for a replacement
the conversations with him are really deep
he prefers to really get to know you, the real you, and answers all your questions very seriously
the conversations flow so effortlessly that you don’t even realize how much time has passed until the sun starts to set 
internally takes notes of everything
what you're wearing, what he's wearing, the way you almost fall out of your seat laughing
'accidentally' links his pinky with you while walking back to the car
mhmm sounds right
he's driving you back home, almost pops out a ring when you play his favorite underground artist
tells you that he had so much fun and is down for another date
doesn't expect any kisses or anything
but if you kiss him on the cheek while leaving
oh boy, he’s going to think about it all night
@kflixnet @k-films@k-labels taglist-˚₊‧ à­šà­§ ‧₊˚ ⋅: @bangchansbae @haecien @aaniag @aaasia111 @weird-bookworm @gigification @bewoyewo if you want to be added just send me an ask ♡⾝⾝
pls reblog if you liked !!
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parkersroses · 2 days
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HIGH FIDELITY, PT 2. -c.hs
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getting back on the horse is hard, and failing to hit it off with the cute gamer guy you went for a drink with last night has the potential to be your love life’s last straw. but when up and coming rockstar VERNON unexpectedly canters into your life, you find yourself asking one very important question: do you have it in you to saddle up, one more time?
( PART ONE )
pair ; vernon x fem!reader.  content ; strangers to lovers.  up-and-coming musician!vernon x record store owner!reader.   fluff, angst, smut. (MINORS DNI). warnings ; drinking + alcohol is a big theme pretty much throughout. mentions of past relationship breakdowns. reader experiences a lot of stress, anxiety and feelings of doubt, reflected in self sabotage. mentions of sickness (acute). wc ; 12.2k ( ~38k total. ) disclaimer ; this fic was inspired by rob + liam in the series high fidelity and is therefore pretty influenced by the show. if you’ve watched it, you’ll probably see a lot of similarities! i just felt so drawn to vernon in this kind of role that i really wanted to try and put a spin on it. i do not claim that every idea behind this is original. notes ; been working on this one for a while. hope you enjoy it.<3
smut tags : making out. some groping. some 'first time together' shenanigans. oral (m rec) & ball sucking hehe. he has a big cock because i have an agenda to push. implied f rec oral. implied multiple rounds. PLEASE let me know if i’ve forgotten anything.
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The clock on your bedside table reads somewhere between 4:00 and 5:00 in the morning when you resign from trying to fall asleep and force yourself to sit upright, fed up of tossing and turning between your now too-creased sheets, brain stuck in a foggy, hellish limbo. Your mind won’t shut down. Your body won’t rest. Birds are starting to chirp outside and you can hear them clear as whistles through the cheap window that doesn’t quite seal shut to your left. Your eyes squint in preparation as you reach for your lamp and flood the room in yellowish light, drawing your knees up to your chest. 
You’ve spent so much time in your own thoughts that you’ve begun to feel systemically unwell. Your stomach twists and aches, your eyes are so dry it hurts to even blink and there’s an ache behind them that started as an annoying throb, but has grown over the hours into a roaring flame. From the hairs on your head all the way down to your toes, you feel like you could burst. 
You wish you had it in you to cry. To let it out. Keeping this pent up is no doubt making you feel a hundred times worse, and you think it would be nice to feel something other than the endless swooping of the spiral you’re well and truly making your way down. Your alarms are going to go off in a few hours. I can’t let anyone see me like this, you think. I can’t work in this state. 
You throw ideas around in your head for a little while, thumbs tweaking over your phone as messages get typed, edited, deleted, and repeat. Part of you thinks maybe you could manage. Just tough it out and put on a brave face, because actually, what right do you have to be hiding away when you’re the one who ran out one of the nicest guys you’ve ever met? But you just know something will go wrong, even if you tell the boys that you need to camp out in the office for the day. When you need peace and quiet, you can never find it behind that creaky old door. When was the last time you got a full admin day without being called through to help with a problem or deal with a drama? And truly, the idea of facing the world right now makes you feel like you could be sick. 
Sick

Could you—?
You’ve never enjoyed taking sick days, even on occasions where you’ve really needed them, when you’ve woken up feeling like you’re knocking at death’s door. Sometimes, you swear the guilt that it brings ends up making you feel ten times worse than whatever your ailment is doing to you in the first place. But your exhaustion lets impulse take hold and you’re already sending a message into your group chat with the boys before you can talk yourself out of it, biting the inside of your cheek as the little indicator pops up on your screen. Delivered. 
Well. You’re committed now, whether you like it or not. 
Not feeling so hot. I won’t be in today. Take it easy, I’ll see you guys tomorrow. Sorry. 
You pick your comforter up off the bed and wrap it around your shoulders like an extravagant, well-padded cape, trudging your way through the apartment until you’re stood, barefoot and cold, staring into the bright light of your refrigerator. Somehow in the seconds between pulling the handle and now, you’ve managed to forget what is what that you were hoping to find. More out of spite for how the bulbs are currently bleaching your retinas than because you want it, you pull the milk from its home in the cradle of the door and fix yourself a glass to take with you and put it on the coffee table back in your living room.
Without an ounce of grace, you throw yourself onto your couch: your head rests against the arm of the seat like you’re in the apartment of a sketchy therapist, and you’re wrapped up in your duvet as if it’s a sleeping bag, treating yourself to the luxury of a slightly different ceiling pattern to stare up at. And it could be the change of the room that finally manages to drag you under, or it could be the total fatigue of the emotional rollercoaster that has been your last twenty four hours

But your glass of milk goes completely untouched as you eventually drift off, either way. 
Of course, it’s not for nearly long enough. Barely an hour after finally managing to fall asleep, your phone starts to vibrate harshly against your chest. You tap at the screen blindly, hoping to shut off what you assume is your alarm; when it’s still buzzing a few seconds later, you reluctantly open your eyes, fighting back a sob. It’s not your alarm – it’s an incoming call. Why would it be anything else?
“Hello?” You grumble, putting the phone on speaker and resting it on the couch cushion next to your head. The energy expenditure of holding the device up to your ear feels mammoth.
“Ohh, you sound terrible.” Seungkwan’s voice sounds more taunting than it does concerned, but you pin that down to a symptom of his over-familiarity. “You’re sick?”
“Yeah,” you sigh. “I’m sorry.”
“I heard there was something going around,” Seungkwan tells you. Great, you think. Good to know. Now go away. “Yeah – one of my cousins
 ah, what did she say
”
“Hey, man, I really-...”
“That’s it. She said she was love sick.”
You sigh so hard you think it’s a miracle you don’t pass out.  
“Don’t–”
“You better make sure Vernon gives you plenty of Vitamin D, today,” he harps on. “It’s quite the disease. I heard it can really–”
“Seungkwan!” You snap, finally, grabbing your phone and barking straight into the microphone. He doesn’t need to know that you’re stretching the truth to its absolute limit, but you certainly won’t let him keep believing that you’re calling out just to get laid. “Knock it off, okay? I’ve been awake all night.” 
(You suppose you should be glad that that much really is true.)
He falls silent, and you don’t know if he totally believes you, but a few breaths later, you hear his voice through the speaker again. He’s softer, this time. Quieter.
“I’m sorry,” he starts, hesitating a moment before he goes on. “Try to get some rest, all right? I’ll swing by after work and check in with some food, and
 if you need anything, just text me?”
You’re immediately overcome with guilt at the sharp change in his demeanour, and it does nothing to settle the way your insides are writhing inside you. You clear your throat and pull your duvet up to cover your face, squeezing your eyes tightly shut. 
“I will,” you mumble. “I’m sorry – thank you.”
“Don’t mention it,” he says. You can hear the front door to his own apartment slam shut and his breaths pick up as he starts to rush down the stairwell of his building. “I’ll see you later.”
“Okay.”
“Hey–” he rushes, before you can hang up the call. “Rest up. Run a bath, drink plenty. Love you.”
You cringe a little, but not enough to stop you from saying it back. Sort of. 
“Yeah. You too.”
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Nobody could ever accuse Seungkwan of not being a man of his word. As irritating as he can sometimes be, as determined as he is to get on your every last nerve, you’ve never known him fail to come through on a promise. 
Not long after 6:30pm, you hear a series of knocks at the front door of your apartment. You’ve managed to squeeze in odd shifts of sleep throughout the day and though your head is still in a mess, you feel significantly less irritable than you were this morning. Cleaner, as well. One of your (several) naps took place in the bath, where you laid there and let the hot water draw some of the anxieties clean out of you to float towards the ceiling amongst the lavender-scented steam. 
In the knowledge that Seungkwan’s expectations of you are quite literally zero, you don’t bother to fix the one leg of your sweatpants that’s rolled up before you heave yourself off the couch and go to let him inside. He stands in the doorway with a bag of takeout food in each hand, all wind-flushed cheeks and that brilliant smile, and you feel like your stomach settles almost straight away when you see him.
“How are you feeling?” he asks, toeing off his shoes as he comes inside and lets the door close behind him. He sets the bags down on top of the small table by your front door and cups your face in both of his hands, squeezing your cheeks and frowning down at you. “You look awful.”
“Wow, thanks,” you huff, squirming to get out of his grip. “I was going to say I feel a little better, but
”
“You look exhausted,” Seungkwan clarifies, picking up the bags once more and following you through to your living room as you start to walk away from him. “I’m sorry about earlier, I didn’t realise you were actually
 this bad
”
“This is doing wonders for my ego,” you grumble. “Keep it coming. Really.”
“Oh, you know what I mean.”
“No, no. By all means, continue to kick a girl while she’s down. Super classy.”
Your best friend flops down onto your couch with an exaggerated huff at your petulance. You curl up in the armchair instead, bringing your knees up beneath you. 
“Do you think it was something you ate?” He asks, refusing to give into your bickering and changing the subject matter instead. 
You shrug your shoulders at him. “I don’t-... I mean, it was more of a head
 thing?” 
He sucks his front teeth. “What, like a migraine?”
“Sort of?” 
“What do you mean, ‘sort of’?” He asks. “You’ve had a migraine before. Was it that or not?”
“Well, it’s difficult to-... It wasn’t exactly
”
“Okay.” 
Seungkwan interrupts you as you hesitate again, swinging his legs off the couch and resting his elbows on his thighs, leaning as far towards you as he can while still remaining seated. He wrings his hands, plays with his fingers, lips drawn forward in a stern-looking pout. 
“I thought something was up this morning on the phone, but I didn’t wanna push it because you sounded mad. Now I know something’s wrong with you. What’s going on?”
You swallow hard and cross your arms over your chest, dropping your gaze away from Seungkwan’s very intense one. 
“Nothing,” you lie. 
“Bullshit.”
“Seungkwan!” 
“I’m sorry,” he sighs, tipping his head forward and running his hands through his hair. He’s never been a coddler, always one to prefer the tough-love approach: it’s no surprise that he doesn’t appear any softer when he looks back at you. “But we both know that’s crap.”
You can feel your pulse starting to quicken the longer he stares you down. It’s as if he’s burning two great big holes into your head, laser-beams where his pupils ought to be. He’s the master of the hard stare, and you know he won’t move until he hears the truth. 
Maybe I should just tell him. Maybe it’ll help

“Look, I don’t care how famous he thinks he’s gonna be, if Vernon upset you last night, I’ll kick his ass myself.”
And there are the alarm bells. In hindsight, maybe you should’ve seen this coming; it’s not that far of a reach, and given the few facts that he actually knows, you can’t blame Seungkwan for jumping to this conclusion. It’s quite effective in triggering you to speak up, too. (You think that maybe, this was on purpose. Attack where you’re likely to defend. He knows you like the back of his hand.) In an instant you’re sitting upright with your feet firmly on the floor and you’re shaking your head at him like a dog trying to get itself dry. 
“No, no, no, back it up,” you rush. “It’s nothing like that. He hasn’t done anyth-... God, it’s not him.”
“It better not be,” Seungkwan tells you. His voice still has that dark edge to it, and you’re not sure how exactly to stamp it out. “I’m serious. If he’s done anything-...”
“He hasn’t,” you say more firmly. After a couple slow breaths, you clasp your hands together, swallowing your pride. “The food’s gonna go cold. Go grab a couple glasses and-... whatever else from the kitchen—”
“Only if you tell me what’s happening,” he says, slowly pushing himself up to stand. 
You don’t assent with words, but you don’t have to. You look up at him and nod a couple of times and that’s all he needs. Seungkwan strides off through the doorway, leaving you to shakily exhale away the stress that is once again squeezing at your lungs.
Once the containers are laid out on the table, food is divided up, utensils are handed over and he’s poured you each out a glass of soda, Seungkwan sits back on the couch. He doesn’t prod you, or ask you again – he doesn’t need to. You know what he’s waiting for. Even so, he allows you a few mouthfuls of your dinner first: seeing as this is the first substantial thing you’ve eaten all day, you silently thank him for the generosity.
“All right,” you say, gulping down a few mouthfuls of your drink to re-lubricate your throat. “Okay. Fuck – you’re gonna wanna make yourself comfy for this.”
The only way he moves is to pick up one of the food cartons and settle it on his thigh. Oh, how you wish you were joking. But if he really doesn’t want to heed your warning

“You know I went on that date the other week?” You ask, biting the inside of your cheek. Seungkwan nods at you, lifting a helping of noodles out of the carton.
“With the hitter and quitter,” he confirms. “I remember.”
“Right,” you say. “Well – okay, wait, no. That’s a bad start. He didn’t do anything either.”
“I mean
”
“Not the time.”
He lifts his free hand up in surrender and gestures for you to continue as he slurps his food into his mouth. You clear your throat, bouncing one leg so rapidly that the decorative candle holder on your mantelpiece starts to rattle. 
“So
 it was before the date. I was on my way to the bar, walking down past-... that convenient store. You know the one Chan keeps going into ‘cause he’s got the hots for the person who works there on a Friday night? Yeah, I was walking down that way. Actually running on time for once, and-...” 
You falter, sucking a breath deep into your lungs. It causes your next words to come out more strained than they ought to. 
“I ran into Jaehyun...”
Seungkwan swallows just in time to prevent himself from choking on his mouthful of food, but his eyes still shoot wide and you think his chest convulses a little bit anyway. His is a name you haven’t mentioned in a while, but he clearly hasn’t forgotten who it belongs to.
Because, well
 how could he ever forget? 
Your ex-partner. Jaehyun.
The ex-love-of-your-life, Jaehyun.
The man who asked you to marry him after three and a half years of dating only to leave you, heartbroken and alone, six months later because he wanted to travel the world and there was too much that you couldn’t bring yourself to leave behind, Jaehyun. 
How could Seungkwan forget when he had been one of the people who helped drag you through what was not only the worst break-up, but one of the worst times of your entire life? 
Aside from the other week, it’s been
 nearly eighteen months since you saw him last. Almost a year since you let yourself talk about him. Even sitting in your own apartment with a box full of your favourite food in your hands, a sense of dread chills you from head to toe just going so far as to say his name. But you’ve started, now, so you might as well finish.
“
right outside that stupid fucking store.”
Your voice cracks when you say it and you hurry to set your dinner down on the floor to free up your shaking hands. You cup them over your mouth, closing your eyes and taking a couple of deep breaths. It helps enough for you to be able to continue, even if you still feel a bit like you’re drowning.
“I thought he
” Seungkwan starts, putting his own food down and slipping off the couch. He comes to sit on the arm of your chair and puts a hand around your shoulders, pulling you into his side. “When did-...?”
“Yeah, uh
 apparently he moved back a couple weeks ago,” you swallow, leaning into your friend’s embrace. 
Seungkwan looks down at you and you look up at him, all misty-eyed and drained. There’s more. He knows there is, but now he waits for you patiently, giving you all the time in the world to get through this and to let it out and to lean on him. He doesn’t butt in. The quiet feels worse than the talking. 
“He’s with someone now. They, uh— they met in Paris. Just over a year ago.”
Seungkwan finally dares to make a noise and breathes out heavily, so loud that it’s almost a groan. 
“Y/n,” he sighs, tightening his hold around you. “Shit – I’m so sorry,”
You shrug, staring across the room to where your record player sits on top of a low cabinet, lid open, table collecting dust. 
“For months, I sat here feeling
 fucking, sorry for myself,” you say, barely above a whisper. You swallow around the lump in your throat and shake your head. “This whole time, refusing to get back on the horse ‘cause I thought maybe-... but he was-
”
The room goes quiet again as you lose the words you want to say and Seungkwan just rubs small circles against your arm. The problem is that you know this doesn’t explain why you called out of work today. It doesn’t explain what happened last night, and you’re not sure where to begin with that either. Especially seeing as the last time your best friends saw you and Vernon, the sparks flying between you were nigh-on visible. 
“I thought I was handling it, you know?” You sigh, leaning harder into Seungkwan’s soft sweatshirt. “Like
 yeah — it hurt
 but I was okay? I guess. And then Vernon fucking
 kissed me last night—“
“He— what?”
“Hang on — no, he
 I wanted him to.” You fumble with a thread hanging off the sleeve of your t-shirt as you talk. Why is this all so difficult? At the same time, why does it feel so juvenile to say out loud? “I just
 I don’t know
”
Your wall clock tick, tick, ticks away in yet another painful fall of silence. 
“How bad was he?” Seungkwan asks when you struggle to elaborate. 
You assume this is an attempt to shatter the gloomy atmosphere and lighten your mood a tiny bit; it works, you suppose, because despite yourself, you laugh drily. Not without nudging your shoulder into his ribs, though. He deserves it, and you won’t give him the satisfaction of knowing that it does make you feel a little better.
“He wasn’t,” you groan. “Don’t—
 you’re such an ass.” 
He pulls himself away from you at the sound of your laughter and moves to sit on the edge of your coffee table instead, careful not to disrupt any of your food while keeping himself close enough to you that he can hold both of your hands in his and soothe his thumbs over your palms.
“You freaked out on him, didn’t you?” 
He sees straight through you and truthfully, no part of you is surprised. No part of you tries to fight it, or reject his assumption, or even question why that’s the first explanation he leapt to. You just nod, looking to where your best friend’s fingers are currently the only things holding you together. 
“Ran out his apartment like the building was gonna burn down,” you sigh, still laughing but harshly now. He squeezes your hands gently, urging you to look up at him. You do, slowly. “It’s ruined everything.”
“I don’t think that’s true,” Seungkwan tries, narrowing his eyes at you when you scoff your obvious disagreement. “No, seriously. Anyone can see the poor guy’s got it bad for you.”
“Even if that’s right, you didn’t see his face,” you say. “God, he isn’t gonna wanna look at me ever again.”
“Have you spoken to him today?”
“Why would I do that?”
“Maybe if you explain what happened–”
“Oh, sure,” you snort. “‘Hey, Vernon. Sorry for running out on you like a lunatic yesterday. I ran into my ex recently and when you kissed me, it reminded me of being with him and I got freaked out and had to dash. Hope you don’t mind.’ God.” 
You try to draw your hands back but Seungkwan just holds onto you tighter. “We’ll workshop it,” he says firmly. “Do you like him, or not?”
“Seungkwan–”
“That wasn’t an option.”
You scowl at him. “It’s not that easy.”
“It’s a yes or no question.”
“Yes,” you stress finally, groaning through it. “Yes – I do.”
Seungkwan’s face lights up for a second, his eyes sparkling, lips lifting. You’re half expecting him to say ‘I knew it’. Half expecting him to try and be all deep and philosophical and a little bit motherly, as he sometimes does, especially when you’re upset. He’s always been a sucker for a happy ending. But this isn’t a happy ending, you remind yourself, squaring your jaw. It’s past that, already. It isn’t going to happen, you just know it. 
“Stop being so fucking hard on yourself,” he tells you, squeezing your hands one last time before he lets go and moves back over to the couch so he can finish eating before his food goes cold. “If anyone can pull this off, it’s you.”
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You’re not sure what’s in the air right now, but this has been one of the busiest weekends that you can remember. Both yesterday and today, almost as soon as the store opened, your first handful of customers came through. Apart from about an hour around lunchtime, you don’t think there have been any periods of time where you’ve not had someone milling around the shelves. It makes a nice change, really, from some of your weekend shifts – hours at a time where the dust starts to settle and hardly anyone disturbs the bell above the front door. But this means you’ve been in full customer-service mode basically all day, and you’re starting to feel exhausted from keeping up the persona.
Still. There’s only an hour or so left — you can push through, and when you get home, there’ll be a nice, hot bubble bath with your name written all over it.
The bell chimes again just as you finish serving a group of teenage girls. You watch them scurry away, excitedly giggling about their new albums and you look towards the door with a smile already plastered on, all ready to greet the new customer until your eyes lock with theirs.
A ‘hey, how’s it going?’ stops somewhere midway up your throat, a pathetic little ‘huh?’ sound escaping you in its place. You’re frozen all of a sudden; you and the man who just came in both stand perfectly still, staring at each other like a pair of bunnies in headlights. It takes you forever to register the strap wrapped around his fist, the purse that hangs just below his grip. My bag, you think to yourself, but the voice that narrates your thoughts is hushed for the first time ever, too. Everything in your head gets sucked away into a little vacuum. The only thing left is him.
“I-
 thought you might want this back.” Vernon breaks the quiet first. Your throat runs dry. In a flash, the noise in your brain is as loud as it’s ever been and in amongst all the chaos of thoughts and questions and apologies, you can’t pick out the words you actually want to say. 
He slowly unravels the strap from around his hand and takes a few steps closer to you, inching towards the counter. 
“You don’t have to say anything,” he hurries to assure you. Your heart aches for how reserved and nervous he looks. It doesn’t suit him. You hate it. “It’s okay. I’m
 really sorry, about the other night. I didn’t mean to—” A deep breath. “I’ll see you around.”
Vernon lays your bag so delicately on the wooden surface that you could be forgiven for thinking he was handling an explosive. Then, he takes one, two, three steps back, before turning and heading to the exit.  
“Wait—” you call out to him, finding your voice at the most critical time, right as his fingers curl around the door handle. “Wait—, please.”
He spins back around to face you as you slip out from behind the desk. His left brow lifts higher than the right but otherwise, he gives nothing away. He doesn’t even say anything as he stands there, pushing his hands deep into his pockets. 
You swallow around the golf ball sized lump taking residence in your throat and clasp your hands together in front of you, wringing and twisting and accidentally popping one of your knuckles in the process. “I shouldn’t have run out on you like that. It wasn’t fair.”
Vernon chews this over in his mind but ultimately just shrugs his shoulders at you. What is there to say? He surely agrees, but he seems so adamant to ensure you don’t feel bad about it happening that he just
 says nothing. Again. It’s kind of maddening, even if you fully get why. 
“No, I mean it,” you try again. “It wasn’t you. It’s nothing you did.”
“We really donïżœïżœïżœt have to do the whole ‘it’s not you, it’s me’ thing,” Vernon offers, his cardboard-like posture softening. There’s even a little bit of a smile on his face, you think — but it’s not the kind of smile you’ve grown used to seeing on him. It doesn’t reach his eyes; he looks kind of like someone who has read their cards and accepted their fate. “Seriously. It’s okay.” 
“It’s not,” you stress, stepping closer to him again. You sigh deeply. There’s something almost relieving about the position you find yourself in. You suppose this really is crunch time; it’s now or never. “Can we
 talk? About everything?”
“What? Here?” Vernon asks. 
You glance around the store, at the few people doing a very poor job of pretending to be minding their own business, and frown. He’s right. This isn’t the time, or the place. The problem is, you have a feeling that if you send him away, he may not decide to come back and listen to you. In his defence, why should he? He’s already done more than the decent thing and brought you back that which you abandoned in his apartment; several of your previous conquests would have shoved the bag and its contents either in the trash or the back of a closet somewhere. This is more than you could have hoped for. 
You hold a finger up to him and ask him to stay where he is, and though he looks a little bewildered at the gesture, he ultimately doesn’t move. You rush off out the back to the storeroom where you banished Chan an hour ago, on account of his raging hangover and your low tolerance for his whining about it; you’re genuinely surprised to find him working, and actually alphabetising the records you got in a few days ago like you asked him to.
“Hey. Can you do me a huge favour?” You ask, not announcing your arrival and subsequently scaring Chan out of his skin. He jolts as he hears your voice and claps a hand to his chest, exhaling hard. You don’t entertain his dramatics, though. There’s no time. “I need you to close today.”
“Huh?” He asks, still acting as if he’s trying to catch his breath. “I thought–”
“Please.” You wave him off, knowing he’s about to ask about the task you gave him. “We can look at this together tomorrow. You did great. It’s just an hour – is that okay?”
He chews the inside of his lip, almost looking disappointed. To be fair to him, he did look like he was in a groove when you appeared, but he doesn’t argue with you as he puts down the record in his hand and picks his phone up off the table to his right, silencing the catchy tune that was playing while he organised. 
“Of course it is,” he says, holding his hand out for your keys and starting to walk towards you. “Everything okay?”
“It-...” you start, faltering as you place the store keys in his waiting palm. Your default response was about to be ‘it’s fine’, but you’re trying harder these days to stop pretending, especially around him. So you swallow, nodding your head, flashing him a tight lipped smile. “I’m about to find out.”
“Oh? Is it
?”
A brief pause later, not before cringing at how predictable you’ve apparently become, you say, “yeah.”
Chan claps you on the shoulder as he skirts his way around you, leaning in to give you a sort of side-along hug on his way. You stretch your arm across his waist and pull him closer for a moment, trying to drive home how much you appreciate this. He doesn’t comment on the uncharacteristic display of affection, and you want to find out why, but Vernon isn’t going to wait around for you forever. 
“Go get him, tiger,” Chan whispers.
“I owe you, big time,” you promise. 
He winks at you before he disappears through the door and you follow him briefly, but as he does a round of checking in with your customers and making sure they don’t need any help, you hurry off to grab your jacket from the office.
Vernon is exactly where you left him when you come back out into the storefront, hands unmoved from where he stuffed them into his pockets earlier, rocking back and forth on his toes and looking around from wall to wall. You think perhaps he took your request slightly too literally and the fact that even his feet are in the same position as before you left is reminiscent of a puppy commanded to stay, but if anyone here is at liberty to start poking fun, you think that it certainly isn’t you. Instead of trying your luck, you lock the office door and walk up to him, returning his polite, yet slightly awkward smile.
“You’re not, like, super busy right now or anything, are you?” You ask him. 
His brows crease and his eyes shift side-to-side before they land back at you. He shakes his head.
“Did you maybe wanna
 take a walk?” 
Vernon nods this time, still not moving or even pulling his hands out of his jeans. His elbows are locked out and the length of his arms means his shoulders are raised quite some way. He could not be more uncomfortable looking if he tried, but he doesn’t say no and nothing on his face gives away that he wants to reject your proposition, either, so you’re the one to take that tentative first step towards the door. When you do, he follows. 
You left the store at least ninety seconds ago and still, neither of you have said anything yet. Honestly, it’s taking all you’ve got not to just burst and let it all out; it’s building and building and your stomach feels tight, but it’s less of a knot and more like a tightly-coiled spring. His eyes are dipped to the ground, incredibly aware of every step he takes, in what you realise now are a gorgeous pair of platform boots tucked up beneath his baggy jeans. He’s at least an inch and a half taller than the last time you saw him. 
“Your friend,” Vernon starts finally, pausing before he continues.  “Is he always so
 you know?”
“What did he say?” You ask, peeking over to him. Trust Chan to start getting 
He hurries to shake his head. “Nothing. He just
 kept looking at me. In a weird way, like
”
“Like he knows something you don’t, and he’s not gonna tell you, but he wants you to know that he knows it anyway?” You supply.
“Yeah— exactly like that.”
“Mm. That’s just
 Chan.”
“Huh.”
“It’s worse when they’re together,” you say. He breathes out a chuckle and you feel his elbow bump into your upper arm. The distance he put between you when you fell into step outside the store has reduced, you realise now; you’re not sure when, or if it was on purpose. Did he move closer once you started speaking? Was it just so he could hear you better? Or

Either way, despite being side-by-side, he still feels a hundred miles away from you. This isn’t enough.
“You get used to them, though,” you add, trying to stay on track. “I swear.”
“I’ll take your word for it.”
Jokes aside, he still won’t look at you for longer than a few seconds, which tugs at something deep in your chest. Discomfort clings to you, and even if it does seem like you’re making some progress, you can still feel unease radiating off him. A cheap laugh at the expense of your friends who aren’t here to defend themselves won’t fix that which you took a wrecking ball to a few nights ago. This needs to be heartfelt and genuine, and more importantly it needs to come out right. 
But when you open your mouth to speak, still searching your brain for the right way to explain why you acted the way you did, there’s nothing. 
How wonderful would it be for the perfect explanation to just tumble from your lips calmly and evenly, and for it to make everything okay? But the reality is that your throat runs dry as petrol fumes make their way through your parted lips. You hold your tongue again just a second later, sighing quietly. 
You’re starting to feel like a lost cause when Vernon breaks the silence for you, again. He slows his steps to a halt when he eventually says, “so.”
“So,” you repeat, freezing mid-stride as you go completely tense. It’s like you’re staring into oblivion’s wide open mouth. “I-
 don’t really know where to start. I’m sorry.”
“The beginning’s usually pretty good?” He offers.
You nod. “How much did you want to know?”
“Whatever you’re comfortable with telling me.”
If anyone on this Earth deserves a medal for their patience, it’s Vernon. You still haven’t turned to face him yet, your eyes fixated on the traffic signal some fifty yards away from you and you’re pretty sure if someone poked you too hard, you’d shatter into a million tiny pieces. But, as impossible as it seems all the while you try to get your thoughts in a reasonable order, you manage to swallow your nerves. 
It’s crunch time. It’s now or never.
The explanation you give him is messy. Disjointed. But once you start, it becomes difficult to stop: you end up sparing very little detail and circle back on yourself no less than three times. You tell him about how you were engaged and about the breakup, the run-in, your shitty date, gesturing with your hands to emphasise the most important parts. When you start to move again, Vernon makes his steps bigger until he’s walking alongside you. He never interrupts you. He acknowledges every sentence when you pause for breath. Encourages you to keep going when you fall over your words. 
“
 and—... I guess I just lost my head. But it wasn’t your fault.” You swallow hard before you continue, “I’m
 really sorry.”
He nods slowly, taking his time to digest everything.
“Don’t be,” he says, lightly bumping into your side. It’s a very small reassurance that he’s not going to walk away, but it means much more to you than you’re sure he meant it to. “I get it.”
“I—”
“No, like. I get it.” 
“Yeah?” You ask, only understanding when you catch the very pointed look in his eyes. 
“For sure.”
Of course, it makes sense. Vernon’s young. Attractive. Nice. Talented. He must have been with people before. Hell, you think he surely leaves a trail of broken hearts everywhere he goes. He gets it. 
“We dated for like
 five? Years. Her name was Nari,” he tells you. 
A few seconds later, you watch him start to shrug off his jacket on one side and expose one of his toned arms to you. You’re about to tell him he doesn’t need to air his dirty laundry out if he doesn’t want to when he twists at his elbow; you catch sight of a tattoo you remember having seen the night he wore that black singlet on stage. Two lily flowers blooming up the inside of his bicep. 
It’s so pretty. Intricate. The line work is beautiful, the petals shaded with hundreds of little dots. You wanted to ask about it that night, but you never found the right chance, and now—
Lily?
It takes you longer than you’re willing to admit to join the dots, but when the penny finally drops, so does your jaw. Vernon slides back into his sleeve with a big, entertained smile and a little shrug. 
“Mhm.”
“Oh my God?”
“I know.”
It’s not that you’re laughing, per se. This isn’t your baggage to laugh at, no matter how unbothered Vernon seems to be by what he’s just revealed. But you do rub your hand over your face and cover your lips, shaking your head in disbelief as a breath that contains the edges of a bemused chuckle escapes you. Thankfully, he doesn’t seem to mind; if anything, it appears to give him a boost to keep talking.
“I got that on our third anniversary,” he goes on to explain. “A couple years later
 She called it quits. Turns out there was another guy. I thought about lasering it, but
 apparently that hurts worse than getting the tattoo in the first place, so
”
“That’s
”
“It’s whatever,” Vernon says, shaking his head. “They’re my mom’s favourite flowers too. That’s what almost everyone else thinks it’s for.”
You haven’t looked back up at his face since the unveiling, not until now. When your eyes meet again, Vernon tilts his head in the direction you’re walking and continues down the street, spinning now so he’s walking backwards but still facing you. “I just mean... It’s okay. I get it.”
The moment you’ve caught up to him and you’re back by his side, he turns to face front, just in time to avoid a collision with a streetlamp. The lingering awkwardness starts to fade to nothing; you can see it in the way he holds himself, and you can feel it in the way you do, too. Everything relaxes. Your neck, your shoulders, your fists. It all ebbs away. 
“It really wasn’t anything you did,” you clarify once more. 
“So you keep telling me,” Vernon quips, tips of his ears turning pinker by the moment. “It’s okay, I swear. Do you want me to walk you home?”
You accept his offer and lead him down a side-street, picking up a completely unrelated conversation now to purify the air. Before you really know it (what was that everyone always said about time flying?), you come to a stop outside your building. Vernon’s sentence fades away when you stop moving; instead he stills, glancing sideways, and you nod confirmation at him with a lopsided smile. 
“This is me,” you say, reaching into your back pocket for your keys. “So
”
“So,” Vernon echoes, glancing around again. “Can I like, lay my cards out, real quick?”
You nod. 
“I like you.” He shrugs, now toying with the leather bracelet around his wrist. “Like, a lot. But
”
But. You feel like you should have seen this coming. But. But. Of course there’s a— 
“I’ve got some shows coming up out of town and I need to see some family, I’m not gonna be here from tomorrow for like, three weeks...”
Oh. 
Well. On one hand, it’s not what you thought. It’s not a flat-out rejection. It’s not a shut down. On the other? You bite the inside of your cheek and look at your hands, playing with your keys to keep them busy. Under any other lens, three weeks isn’t really a very long time at all. You’re pretty sure that the milk you bought yesterday is going to last longer than that. But three weeks
 this early into things? 
That’s longer than you’ve even known him.  
“
 and I thought, if you wanted — I could
 take you out. When I get back. For real. Maybe.”
Oh.
“Like
?”
“Like
 on a date,” he confirms, rubbing the back of his neck. “One where I’m not like
 fresh off stage and all gross and shit.”
Relief replaces anxiety on both his face and yours when you let out a quiet laugh. 
“I’d really like that,” you say, twitching fingers suddenly still. “Yeah.”
“I’m not asking you to like, wait around, or anything,” he says as he pulls his phone out of his pocket, fumbles with it, and just barely manages to soften the fall with the toe of his boot before it lands screen-up on the concrete. “We’ll just see how it goes. And it gives you some time to
 deal with things. Whatever you’ve gotta do.”
You nod, crossing your arms over your chest as he bends low to pick his phone back up, smoothing his thumb over the small scuff on the protective case. It seems remarkably undamaged otherwise. 
“And if you’re still interested, then
”
“Interested?” You ask with a small grin. 
“Aren’t you?” Vernon asks.
“I—...” You think about playing coy, but when he’s been so open with you about where his head’s at, it feels so silly and childish to bother pretending. That playful ‘I might be’ gets swallowed back. Instead – “Yeah. I am.”
“Cool. Then we’ll figure it out. At your pace, okay?” 
“Okay.”
He grabs his earphones out of his other pocket, slides one in, and is about to step back away from you when you do something you don’t really expect yourself to. Something you’ve never done to a man you can barely even say you’re ‘seeing’. You close the space between you and, as if to lock in your words, push forward onto your toes to press a kiss to his cheek. 
“Thank you,” you say when you fall back down to your heels. If he wasn’t so dumbstruck, you feel like he’d be about to ask what you were thanking him for; as it stands though, he’s frozen, blushing, and the only reason you can tell he’s still alive is because he can’t stop blinking at you. “For
 giving me another chance.”
He still can’t quite find his voice, so Vernon just shakes his head, clearing his throat. (No need, he wants to say.) Alas, his lips just open and close soundlessly.
“I’ll see you in a few weeks,” you supply for him. He takes in a deep, mind-clearing breath and nods his head.
“I’ll see you in a few weeks.”
You see the apples of his cheeks lift as he presses his thumb against his phone screen and restarts whatever song he was listening to when he walked into your store. A brilliant smile consumes his face. It only grows as he turns away from you and walks off down the street. 
For a second, you think it’s all very smooth. Movie-like, even.
Then, he stumbles over a crack in the pavement. When he glances back to pray you didn’t watch it happen, he catches you snickering into your fist. He shakes his head and continues on, leaving you to fumble with your key in the lock before you finally let yourself inside.
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You overslept. 
Sort of. You heard your alarm go off straight away but you might have snoozed it, and when you heard it sound for a second time, you turned it off completely, telling yourself that you just needed one more minute. You just wanted to rest your eyes for a few more seconds. There wasn’t any danger of you going back to sleep.
Twenty minutes later, you practically fell off your mattress in a panic when you realised that there had, in fact, been a big fucking danger. 
You were still able to wash up well and make it to work on time, but you had to sacrifice your morning coffee stop after seeing that the queue at the register was going to take too long. For years, you’ve refused to consider yourself to be the kind of person who relies heavily on a caffeine kick first thing in the morning, but today? It’s barely ten thirty and you’re seriously flagging: like you’ve never known what energy is, like you’ll never feel it again. 
(You blame the fact that when you first looked at your phone today before rolling back over, there was no ‘good morning :)’ text to entice you out of bed. But you’re trying really hard not to think about why that is, nor why it was such a deciding factor.)
So, when the bell above your shop door jingles and you’re forced to stand upright (a change your back doesn’t thank you for when it has to readjust from the previous hunched position you had adopted over the countertop), you groan quietly. Nonetheless, your tired eyes crease at the corners as you smile at whoever it is that’s come across the threshold.
After a second, your eyes refocus; when you can finally make out their features, it’s as if someone gives you a shot of adrenaline.
“Oh my God,” You say breathlessly, brushing your hair back and moving to stand up fully unsupported. “I thought you weren’t back until Friday?”
“Change of plans,” Vernon grins, scratching the back of his neck. “We drove through the night. I got home like
 an hour ago.”
This is the first time you’ve ever seen him dressed down, and hell, does he look incredible. Gone are the ripped jeans, scuffed boots, the leather jackets and chunky rings. Grey sweatpants and an oversized white hoodie (alternatively: the brightest outfit you’ve witnessed him in thus far) drown him, blurring out his usually so distinct frame. You pin both of these things as the reasons you hardly recognised him when your eyes were refusing to cooperate. Paired with what Seungkwan would call ‘dad-sneakers’ and completed by messy hair and tired, soft eyes?
If you could jump his bones right here, right now
 God, you would. 
“But hey, it’s nice to see you, too,” he adds facetiously.
“Quiet down,” you groan, fighting the urge to run over and envelop him in a hug. You’re not sure that he’d mind if you did, but you also don’t quite know if you’re ‘there’, yet. “Obviously it’s good to-...”
His arms, both of which have been stuck behind his back since he arrived, now move around to the front, revealing to you a takeout cup and a little brown box from the coffee shop down the street. 
“Oh, shit. It is so good to see you.”
Vernon laughs, coming closer until he can set them both down on the counter. “If it’s wrong, Seungkwan gave me your order, so.”
You start to wonder how on Earth your employee and your
 Vernon managed to have this conversation without you knowing. Does Seungkwan have his number? Did they happen across each other on one of their socials? Did Vernon call into the store while you were out in the bathroom a little while ago and ask? But whatever happened, you quickly stop caring to find out: popping the lid off your cup, the aroma of your favourite coffee immediately fills your senses. It’s so overwhelming that you think you might start to cry.
“Oh my God. You’re the best,” you sigh, wrapping your fingers around the cup and taking a long sip, eyes rolling back into your head. “Thank you.”
“Don’t mention it,” Vernon laughs, rolling up his sleeves before folding his toned forearms over his chest. “I got you a-... okay, they only had those gluten free brownies in, and I’ll be honest, I don’t know if they taste the same as the normal ones but
 like, he said you hadn’t eaten today and I know you said you liked brownies before, — if you don’t like those ones, it’s okay! I can go back, it’s–”
He trails off, cheeks turning pink when you tilt your head to one side and feel your brow go soft. He asks, “why
 are you looking at me like that?”
“You’re so cute,” you say, putting the cup down gently so as not to splash your drink all over the counter. 
“Huh?”
“You really didn’t have to
”
“I wanted to,” Vernon says, shaking his head. 
You almost definitely hear a floorboard creak and quiet shushing sound from just around the corner towards the back room. You don’t call out your eavesdropping friends for trying to listen in on your conversation, though: it barely even crosses your mind. Besides... you can’t take your eyes off Vernon, even if you wanted to. He looks so soft. Like he needs to sleep for a whole twenty four hours, and he must feel like it too, but he came here first. 
“So,” he starts, tapping his right thumb against the inside of his left elbow. (The reason why he came so quickly starts to become evident. He just couldn’t wait to ask.) “You don’t have to commit to anything right now
” The silver of one of his rings glints with every tiny movement. “
but, I was just wondering–”
Smiling at him over the top of your coffee cup, it feels like your heart could burst.
“I was just
 wondering
 if you’d thought any more about letting me take you out?”
You’ve been texting him almost every day since he left. He’s sent you a hundred and one pictures of statues and cool buildings and nice looking food and the sky, and far more animals than you think you’ve ever actually seen in real life. You’ve spoken to him about your strange customers. What’s going on with your friends. Sent him recommendations for songs that you discovered on obscure albums that you pulled out to play over the speakers. 
One night after one of his shows, he called you. He was a little bit drunk at the time, chilling in his hotel room with a pizza as he informed you that he’d snuck out of an after-party super early but couldn’t get to sleep. With an audible pout, he went on to confess that he was feeling kind of lonely, that he just wanted to hear your voice: one thing led to another and you stayed up talking to him until he passed out at nearly 4 o’clock in the morning.
To put it simply
 
“I’d still really like that,” you say. It’s incredible to you that you can see every one of his features brighten up. 
“Okay,” he breathes, unwinding his arms and pushing his hands into the pockets of his sweatpants now instead. “Okay, cool. I’ll
 text you later? We’ll figure something out?”
“All right,” you agree. “Now go rest up, okay?”
He laughs as he swears that he’ll go back home and get some sleep, and with that, Vernon takes his leave. You’re once again alone, but this time you have a drink that could only hope to make you feel as energised as he does, and a treat nowhere near as sweet as him. 
You aren’t complaining, though, and neither are the two men that miraculously reappear the moment the door closes again. 
The smile Vernon leaves on your face doesn’t falter for the rest of your day.
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You suppose a big part of the reason you haven’t dated anyone in a while is because you can’t stand the ‘talking stage’. That weird little limbo where you’re never sure if it’s too early to make certain jokes, where you’re checking and second-guessing all your texts, where you can’t figure out if someone’s really into you or if they’re just blowing up your phone to pass the time. The awkward small talk. The ‘getting to know each other’ part. The ‘why haven’t they replied yet — was it something I said?’ anxiety. 
Thankfully, with Vernon, that’s not really something you have to worry about. 
While he was away, you learned that he’s the kind of guy who just spews random facts at you in the middle of his day and then forgets to check his messages for three hours. Sometimes those facts are interesting things about himself. Other times, you’ve known him to shoot you a text just to announce [ just found out tigers have striped skin as well as fur. wild ].
(On one such occasion, Chan caught you giggling at your phone in the middle of a quiet Thursday afternoon, zooming in on a picture of Vernon’s heart shaped birthmark. This put a swift end to checking your messages while you’re at work.)
[ btw, im allergic to peanuts ], he told you one evening. Completely unprompted, just after dinner time. You spilled half of your glass of juice down your front in panic when you put two and two together and scrambled to ask him if he was okay. [ near miss, dw about it! just felt important haha ], he replied, and your response was just a picture of your newly stained t-shirt and a request for him to never do that to you again. 
He can drive — at least, he has his licence — but he doesn’t have a car. He chooses public transport, and he tells you that it’s because he likes not having to worry about fuel prices and it’s ‘healing’ to zone out of reality on the train until he reaches his stop. He tells you that he came up with the melody and two verses of one of his favourite original songs on the bus to his parents house, and one time, he dropped a giant cockroach on a class field trip to the zoo because it tickled when it crawled over his palm and he didn’t like it. 
(You later discovered that this piece of information was triggered by the appearance of a large bug in his shower.)
Last night, as you settled into bed after a whole evening of back and forth, he told you that he has all five of the top scores at the piano game in the arcade downtown, and that he has an approximate 75% success rate on claw machines. When you replied saying you hadn’t been to an arcade in about two years, he was horrified. Enough to send 7 broken heart emojis back to back, as individual messages. [ shakespeare himself couldnt write a tragedy that sad ], he said. 
But, harrowed as he was by your admission, it did give him an idea. 
That idea is exactly how you end up standing side-by-side at a basketball shootout game on Friday night. It’s how he ends up winning one of those cute reversible octopuses — true enough, on a claw machine — which he gives to you immediately. It’s how you watch him hunch over a pinball machine for twenty five minutes before he loses his ball, how you end up tied after four games of air hockey, at which point he calls it quits while citing a ‘cramping hand’.
It’s also how you deliver his ass to him in not one, but two rounds of bowling.
“All right — all right,” Vernon laughs, holding both his hands up in defeat as your final ball takes out all ten pins at the end of the alley. “You made your point. Damn.”
You shrug your shoulders as you walk back in his direction, picking up your glass from the table and sipping your soda through your straw. 
(Though the arcade has an entire menu of cocktails, some of which you’ve never even heard of, the thought of navigating an evening alone with him under the influence of alcohol was totally unappealing after last time. Thankfully, Vernon agreed. You quietly think that being stone cold sober has made tonight even more enjoyable.)
“I told you,” you say when you finally sit down. He puts an arm around your shoulders straight away. Naturally, like it’s instinct. Like it’s a position he’s adopted a few hundred times before. “I’m undefeated.”
“We’ll see,” he says, tapping out a rhythm on the ball of your shoulder. “I still think you just got lucky.”
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“So,” Vernon says once your leisurely stroll back lands you outside his place, kicking the toe of his left sneaker into the concrete. “What
 are the chances that I get a do-over?”
You blink at him a few times, tilting your head. “What do you mean, a do-over?” 
Does he not think this went well? Gods, it’s probably the best first date you’ve ever had, but what on Earth else could he mean by that? Did you say something earlier, and not realise? Has he not had fun? What does he m–
“I got these new coffee beans,” he says. “While I was away — and I figured something out with the-
 the machine? So— ”
Ah. There he is.
You smirk at him, patting the outside of his bicep and rolling your eyes. When you glance down, Vernon is pulling out his key, thumbing over the ridges down the one side. He reaches for the door, happy to take your teasing as confirmation that yes, you’ll come up. Yes, he gets his ‘do-over’...

but leave it to you to fall for the world’s dorkiest rockstar. 
As he slips the key into his apartment door, there’s a steady pressure against the small of your back: the same one that’s been there ever since he gestured for you to step out of the elevator before him. One of his palms rests over the fabric of your t-shirt and you feel weirdly tingly because of it. He gently guides you inside once the door falls open and doesn’t move away when it’s locked again behind him. 
With an anticipatory shiver, you turn around to face him. You make a point to leave just a matter of inches between your chests. To have your eyes soft, patiently waiting.
Vernon’s hands are - for the first time ever - cold when his fingers hesitantly come up to either side of your face, tilting your head up so that he can see you better, unobstructed by any shadows. You gasp at the contrast between them and your flushed, warm cheeks. He swallows thickly at the sound.
“Is this
 okay?” he asks, gaze darting between the space separating your eyes from your lips. “We can slow it down, if you want. I just—...”
Your own hands find home against his chest in response, fingers curling into the muscle beneath them. Not harshly, definitely not so much that it could hurt — just enough that it makes him puff himself up a little bigger. Enough to make him square his shoulders as he drags a thumb over the corner of your mouth. 
“Vernon,” you say quietly, pressing him backwards. Balling his t-shirt into your fists, you send him stumbling over his own feet before his shoulders find the wood of the front door. A quiet grunt escapes him on impact, but he just holds you closer. “Shut up ‘n’ kiss me. Please.”
Clumsiness aside, the moment he obediently ducks his head and presses his smiling mouth to yours, you feel weightless. Even when you tilt forward onto your toes to meet him halfway, it’s as if you’re not even touching the ground anymore: clouds beneath your feet have you floating. Everything about it is so very different from the last time.
It’s so much easier. Not just for you, either – you can feel it from him as well. Your collective baggage has been left out in the hall, barricading the door, shutting out the hesitation and nervousness and leaving you together, wholly alone, to just
 be.
Vernon gets increasingly more brave as the seconds tick by. When you separate for air, his head tilts the other way, lips a little parted, hot breaths fanning over your skin as he meets you again, and again, and again. It’s the perfect give and take. Firm one second, waiting for you to chase him the next. The soft sounds he starts to make are amplified as his tongue presses against your bottom lip: he tests the waters, groaning into the heat of your mouth when you so happily invite him into it. He drinks you up for all you’re worth. 
One of your hands uncurls from his chest and moves up to his head instead, threading into his hair at the top of his neck. It feels just as soft as it’s always looked, sliding through your fingers. A gentle pull makes him whine. He draws away from you. His lips are pink and shine with the gloss you touched up in the elevator’s mirror, his lids are heavy, his pupils blown, and looking up at him feels like staring into the sun; you physically can’t keep your eyes open, but it’s so hard to look away. 
You tuck yourself into his neck as a compromise, laying gentle pecks everywhere you can reach. His aftershave leaves a bitter taste on your tongue as you touch the tip to a stretch of skin just beneath the harsh cut of his jawline, but the way he shudders and drops his hold down to your waist makes the sting in the back of your mouth all worth it. You only stop when one of his hands sinks lower still and he squeezes at your ass, making your eyes roll back.
He mistakes your surprise for hesitation, though.
“Is this
 okay?” he asks, tipping his head back and pressing his crown into the door. Though he doesn’t withdraw his palm from your backside, he also doesn’t pinch at you again. You press your hips backwards, pushing into his touch to encourage him, with this green light he starts to knead at your cheek over the top of your skirt.
“You have no idea how hard it is to keep my hands to myself around you, do you?” You say, slipping one up the hem of his t-shirt as if to prove your point, splaying your fingers out over his stomach. 
He takes a shallow breath, hovering with it in his lungs, holding back from saying something. You get there before he can.
“I want you,” you say certainly, pulling back from where you’ve been nestled into his shoulder so that you can look him in the eyes again. He releases that breath and his face flushes when his eyes find yours, moving both of his hands back up to your waist, tightly gripping at you as if his life depends on it as he nods. 
“I just
 I really don’t wanna mess this up,” he adds quietly. “I—”
When you kiss him again, hoping to further assure that you’re just as into this as he is, he reciprocates, sure. You can tell straight away that there’s a little less bite though — a stiffness to him. He doesn’t relax into you the same way he did a few minutes ago. 
“What’s wrong?” you ask, falling back onto your heels. Is this because of the way things went last time, or are you going too fast for him? Selfishly, you hadn’t considered that could be a barrier. “We don’t have to do anything you don’t want, you know that right? It’s okay.”
You make to step away from Vernon, unwinding your arms from around him to give him some space but he refuses to let you go too far. His hold on you is just as firm as ever.
“Trust me, I want to,” he says. “It’s just–...”
You stay silent, waiting for him to finish. He chews at his bottom lip, his blush deepening right in front of your eyes. To try and steady him, you lay one of your palms over each of his biceps, saying, “Whatever it is – it’s all right.”
“I just
 haven’t been with anyone since
”
And when you laugh, it’s not at him (at least, not for the reason a fly on the wall might initially assume). You drop your forehead down onto the muscle of his chest, feeling his heart’s erratic rhythm underneath his clothes as you loop one arm back up around his neck.
“I thought you were about to tell me something awful,” you chide him through your giggles, lightly swatting at his shoulder. He starts to loosen up beneath you, his own body beginning to shake with laughter too. Those strong arms pull you flush against him, the gentle shift of his weight from one foot to another rocking you both side-to-side. “Like– like you were secretly married or you realised you didn’t actually like me, or something. Jesus.”
He stays quiet for another few seconds, but even without speaking, you can feel how he shakes his head above you. You look back up at his face and brush his hair out of his eyes, fingers lingering on his brow when you’re done.
“It’s okay,” you tell him for the third time. The last wisps of anxiety start to fade from his eyes, replaced with the same look he’s been wearing since he showed up at your apartment door earlier this evening. “I don’t care — I promise, I’ll go easy on you.”
The kiss that follows lands hard and with it, Vernon succeeds in wiping your brain empty. You can barely remember what you were even giggling about a few seconds later. 
“Don’t want you to go easy,” he insists against your lips. Then, he’s wallowing up your breathy sighs as he licks into your mouth again, pressing your tongue with his own, reminding you that he’s absolutely not incompetent, just rusty. 
When you make it into his bedroom, confessions and various articles of your clothing forgotten out in the hallway, you separate from each other long enough for you to be able to to lay one hand on his bare chest and push him down onto the mattress. He bounces on the foam and pushes up on one elbow, watching as you sink down to your knees and press kisses down his stomach while your hands deftly take care of the button on his jeans. 
“Tell me if you want me to stop, okay?” You say to him as he lifts his hips up and lets you pull both his jeans and his boxers down in one sharp movement. 
“M’not gonna want you to,” he laughs breathlessly, pushing a hand through his hair as he kicks the remainder of his clothes all the way off and nudges them away to the side. “But yeah. Okay.”
He looks so pretty like this and you can’t help but think he’s even prettier when the first time you curl your fingers around his length, his jaw falls slack and his fingers curl into the bedding underneath him. You drink him in and he watches you do it; your mouth is watering, desperate to feel him press down on your tongue, and you feel a pull towards him that you’ve never felt towards anyone before. 
“God,” you whisper, shuffling on your knees to get a little closer. 
“Okay?” Vernon asks. He tilts his head to the side and you nod up at him.
“Just
 had a feeling you’d be
” you trail off, tugging a few times to feel its thickness in your fingers. Why are you mesmerised by it, a little? What the hell has gotten into you? “But it’s actually bigger, and—”
He laughs quietly and falls back onto the bed, crossing an arm over his eyes. “Shut up,” he groans. 
“Yes, sir.”
You lean towards him and gather saliva on your tongue, dragging it from base to tip before closing your lips around the head. He gasps softly and holds onto his next breath, angling his head back further; you give a satisfied hum and slide a little further down. 
The glide is made smoother by the spit your tongue left behind and that which mixes with his pre-cum in your mouth. As you start to bob up and down, some dribbles out past your lips so you start to move your hand, too, smearing the mess all over his cock. When it bumps the back of your throat — and on assessment, you realise there’s daylight between your lips and your fist — you squeeze your eyes closed and whimper softly, holding him in place while you adjust before you can take him deeper. 
“Fuck— just like that,” he gasps out in a shattered groan when you start to move a little more fluidly, no longer too intimidated by your gag reflex preventing him from slipping down your throat. Your hand and your mouth work in tandem to get him riled. Every sound he makes feels like someone injects lust straight into your veins. When you look up at him from between your dewy lashes, you ponder that you’d watch him fall apart from this angle a hundred times a night forever and still not get bored. 
Your jaw starts to ache from the thickness of having him in your mouth and the way he’s restraining himself from fucking his hips up to meet you tells you that he’s too polite to ask you for more. You suck harshly one last time before pulling away with a ‘pop’, using only your hand to pump his length as you shift down to gently suck one of his balls into your mouth. 
The sound he makes is so fucking melodic. You think he’s made a similar one before when he lifts into a falsetto, and you’ve never felt more powerful than you do right now. Knowing you have someone with such a commanding presence eating out of your palm could really do something dangerous to your ego. It’s a bit of a miracle, therefore, that you recognise his desperate tapping at your shoulder, but the second you feel it you settle back from him, looking up at his impossibly tense abs and his blissed-out face.
You catch on quickly and feel your features split into a grin at the realisation. When it takes him a second, you know it’s because he’s still trying to remember the mechanisms it takes to breathe. Bless his heart. 
“I’m sorry,” he says, pushing himself to sit upright and running a hand through his hair. “It-
 fuck, that was so
”
“What happened to ‘I don’t want you to go easy’ huh?” you tease, resting your chin on the top of his left thigh, grinning up at him. 
“I’m gonna come if you keep going like that,” he chuckles, shaking his head in disbelief at himself. “And trust me — I want to, but
” He swallows hard. “Not yet.”
You nod slowly up at him, starting to get up off the floor. You stop in your tracks when he says, “I’ve gotta taste you first. Please.”
Maybe it speaks too much to the quality of some of your previous lovers, but his desperation takes you a bit by surprise. You blink at him, ignoring how your thighs burn with the position you’ve frozen in. 
“If— that’s okay?” He adds. “I’ve
 been thinking about it? A lot. Especially since-”
“Shut up,” you breathe, finally standing all the way up. He shuffles back further onto the bed and you quickly move to straddle across his hips, one hand coming up to hold his jaw in place when you’re in place. “Of course it’s okay.”
You lean in for an impossibly needy kiss, only breaking away when you physically can’t breathe anymore. Vernon’s eyes flutter open at the same time as yours do and as you reach behind yourself with one hand to unclasp your bra, he looks at you like you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to him.  
(He tells you that you are no fewer than three times before you fall asleep a few hours later.)
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thank u so much for reading, i hope you enjoyed it! as always, likes, reblogs, comments & feedback are so so appreciated. there's approx a scene and a half left for part 3 and then we're all done with this baby! stay tuned for that, coming soon.<3 p.s. no i will not apologise to jaehyun, this is what he gets for making me feel insane. thanks !
75 notes · View notes
parkersroses · 2 days
Note
for the ask game !! <3
may I request prompt #1, #16, and #32 for dialogue, and #6, #8, and #31 for action? đŸ€©
and finally for the member 😭 fuck I need to decide uHM whodoesthisfit-
vernon from svt? :D
mepickingoneofmybiaseshowpredictable-
anyway lmao, I hope you have a lot of fun with this! I think these prompts go rly well together so I'm excited to see what you come up with! love you lots 💗
and finallyyyyyyy
CONGRATS ON 2K OMG!!! That's such an exciting number to reach :D you deserve it sm <3 I'm glad I could be here for it ❀
small accident
a/n. AAAH FIRST OF ALL THANK YOU SM FOR SUCH KINDS WORDS!!! IM GLAD YOU ARE A PART OF MY SMALL BUT GROWING TUMBLR JOURNEY AS WELL!!!! :') i hope you enjoy what ive written - i have to admit, i got excited for the propmts you requested but then i had a problem how to put it together LMAO also hooray first ask gone!! FEELING GREAT B)
warnings. cursing, blood, mention of punching someone and death (?)
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"i swear, my knees will fall off. no, my legs as a whole actually"
vernon smiled softly upon hearing your voice from behind the wall and put down the book he was reading.
"thank you for walking me home, guys but i'll get going. i'm exhausted and sore" your laugh made vernon smile and he stood up, getting ready to greet you.
"understandable. sorry again fot the-" seokmin wanted to apologise but you must have cut him off somehow (probably shaking your head, vernon thought, just like you always do when someone is overreacting in your opinion)
"and thank you for going out with us!" mingyu added.
"yeah! we should do it again soon!" hoshi announced energetically "wait, let me help you with the door..."
"we definitely should. good night, guys!" the door opened and your voice was loud and clear now. vernon saw a glimpse of hosi doing the horanghae pose instead of waving, which caused you in giggling.
you closed the door and faced vernon with a warm smile. he frowned upon noticing how pale you were but ignored it and closed you in a bear hug, placing a soft kiss on top of your head.
"how was the trip?" he hummed, leaning away. you blinked slowly and nodded, letting go just to take off your shoes. your boyfriend turned around and walked up to the teapot, with intention of boiling the water to make you tea.
"i thought i'm gonna die from laughter-" you scoffed, shaking your head. suddenly you felt silent, voice dying in your throat. vernon turned back and his eyes widened upon seeing the blood on your hands.
you frowned and stood in place, completely frozen.
"shit, wait
 i’ll patch you up" vernon spoke up, making you snap back to reality "what happened?"
you let him guide you to the sink and wash off the blood while he looked at you concerned. you sighed, shaking your head.
"the wounds must have opened. it was just some scratches so i guess when i was taking off my shoes, they opened" you explained. vernon dried your hands gently with a paper towel and realised that the inner side of your hands were covered in several, small cuts.
"i see. but it doesn't explain how you hot them in the first place, love" he chuckled and placed you on top of the countertop, then moved to grab bandages.
when you didn't answer, vernon looked up at you with a soft smile. and yet, he managed to sound quite threatening:
"who do i need to punch?"
you scoffed and focused on his own hands as he tenderly started putting the bandages on your cuts.
"no one... it was a small accident! mingyu may or may have not tripped and fell onto me... and i fell onto the ground. but it was stupid of me to you know, put my hands in front. so i just fell onto asphalt with my bare hands" you mumbled.
vernon just put his lips into a tight line, nodding his head. the whole day of walking up the mountains and parks was starting to set in as you fought a yawn. but watching him, his concerned and focused face, made your heart skip a bit.
in a blink of an eye he was done with your hands and his own, gentle and big, moved onto your face, cupping it. the action took you aback and certainly washed away the tiredness for a moment.
"what?" you whispered. vernon's chocolate irises scanned your face slowly but carefully.
"i'm just checking if you don't have any other... cuts" he hummed, looking up into your eyes. you grinned, letting out a small scoff.
your eyes fell down to look at his plush, soft lips and...
"you're staring again" vernon spoke up suddenly, making you frown. your face was still trapped between his gentle hands and you swore you could feel yourself heating up from the comment.
"again?" you asked and he hummed, playful smile appearing across his face.
"i could feel your gaze burning through my skull earlier, dumbass" he said and rose his eyebrows "oh?"
you wanted too ask what is it but his thumb gently brushed against the corner of your lips, wiping something.
"i had something there?" you asked, genuinely confused.
vernon leaned in, placing a tender kiss on your lips. blood rushed to your face, still cupped in his hands, and you decided to place your bandaged hands on his arms. you barely managed to kiss him back when he leaned away with a sly smile.
"oh, it was just a small accident" he hummed, taking off his hands from your face to admire the blush that formed on your cheeks (caused by him, of course) "no but for real, your lips just looked empty"
"choi hansol i swear you will be the death of mine" you laughed, shaking your head. he just shrugged nonchalantly and helped you leave the countertop.
"i know. now let's get you to bed, you must be tired" vernon placed another, gentle kiss on your temple.
[ masterlist <3 ]
taglist. @geniejunn ,, @luvhyun3 ,, @starlostseungmin ,, @elviransworld ,, @jnks6r ,, @sieunsgf ,, @lhsng ,, @ethereallino ,, @laylasbunbunny ,, @duolingofanaccount
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parkersroses · 3 days
Text
Seventeen with an s/o who is book smart but not street smart
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Synopsis: What seventeen would be like with an academically overachieving, book smart s/o who is not the most street smart person in the world.  Svt x academic overachiever gn! reader | fluff, comfort | 1.78k words | warnings: lack of sleep, neglect of self-care, stress, food, minor injury, bullies, robbery | requested by anon and @nonononranghaee A/n: i feel like this is literally me
 idk if this is good because i didn’t really know how to write this well
 also yes i am aware jun's face is cut off in the photo but i'm too lazy to change the image rn...
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Preamble: When your boyfriend first met you, he was taken in by your determination and your drive to succeed academically. He admired that about you. Your voice held so much conviction when you spoke about what you wanted to achieve in your chosen field. You had high aspirations and you told him straight up that you would stop at nothing to make your dreams come true. You would always be busy. You took extra classes, did extra research, and worked incredibly hard on all your assignments. You would pour over all your research for hours on end to make sure you had done everything perfectly. No detail would be overlooked. Your efforts always allowed you to have an edge over others, and you excelled. Your boyfriend was so proud of you for always pushing yourself to make sure your dreams came true. The only thing is, as time goes on, he starts to realise that your efforts and ability to excel academically came at a cost
 
✎ᝰ How are you still alive? 
Seungcheol, Joshua, Wonwoo, Dokyeom, Mingyu
𖠋 No offense to you, but uhm this is how you’ve been surviving? He’s actually in shock. Let’s start with the fact that your working environment is a mess. Papers and books are scattered all over your desk, there’s a million cups lying around with each one being filled with different types of caffeinated drinks. There’s snack wrappers everywhere. You haven’t eaten a proper meal in forever, and you’re running on 2 hours of sleep. 
𖠋 Then there’s the fact that you lack situational awareness. You’re often engrossed in pouring over your notes when you’re walking which means that there is more than once when you’ve bumped into other people/ things/ walls because you don’t notice what is in front of you. You have bruises and bandages littered on your fingers because you’re constantly dropping books and hot beverages on yourself. There’s been multiple occasions when your wallet or your phone has “gone missing” because you’re too busy looking at your work and you forget to keep your valuables that were left on the table. And if you do encounter unknown situations if you’ve gotten lost, you freeze not knowing what to do (like if your car breaks down or you’ve gotten lost).
𖠋 So, his question is just how are you still alive? You’re academically successful, and you can recite all the theories you need to know in your chosen field. But at what cost? Your health? Your safety? Your wellbeing? He’ll definitely need to teach you to be more aware of your surroundings. Like look up when you’re walking, be mindful of the people around you. If you get lost, look at a map or call him. In the meantime, he’ll have to be extra careful and take on the role of being your protector. He’ll make sure you don’t bump into anything, and he’ll scare off anyone who wants to take your things. 
𖠋 Besides that, his first priority is your wellbeing. He will pry you away from your desk and lock you out of the room while he helps you to clear up the litter from your desk. He’ll force you to take a break by bringing you out or forcing you to rest with him. He’ll also make sure that you’re well fed with food that he has cooked/ ordered. You need to be able to have a wholesome, warm meal instead of surviving off snacks. Of course, he’s also making sure that you’re going to rest so he’ll tuck you next to him either on the bed or at the couch for a nap or just a cuddle session. It’s to give your mind and body a break. 
𖠋 While he can’t help you with your work, you can be sure that he’ll take care of you and ensure your safety. Just please! Be more mindful of your surroundings
 he’s had so many scares because of the number of walls you’ve almost walked into. 
✎ᝰ Why are you like this
 
Jeonghan, Junhui, Minghao, Seungkwan
𖠋 He’s just in disbelief. Sorry did you trade your common sense for being academically smart? Just how, and why are you so muddle headed? How can you be so smart, and yet so dumb (for lack of a better word)? He’s seen you read thick academic books about all sorts of theories in a day, but you can’t read a map? You can’t even find your way properly despite there being signs all around you? He’s seen you find a small minor flaw in someone’s research that could upset their whole argument, but you can’t find you keys? You have a key holder by the door, why have you misplaced your keys again? Also, did you just ask him if you should bring a jacket to the library even though you know you get cold whenever you go there? He’s just speechless. But this problem of your muddle headedness is easy enough to manage and resolve. 
𖠋 The bigger problem is that you’re too naive. You trust others too easily and are often taken advantage of. People in your course know how smart you are, and they want to know what you know. They see getting close to you and asking you about your research/ the previous days’ lectures, as a shortcut to getting an A in class. Because you’re more than happy to share, thinking of it as a way to gain new insights, you’re usually so open to sharing your notes with them. It’s just that they often don’t reciprocate your kindness and they make copies of your notes to be their study guide. During group work, everyone wants to be in your group, and you’re usually left doing all the work because you need it to be perfect. Regardless of how stressed you are, or how little work everyone else has done, you’ll take the extra effort to perfect your project. In the end, others who took advantage of you get their As at the expense of your wellbeing and effort. When your boyfriend sees this, he can’t stand it. 
𖠋 He teaches you that you can’t always be kind to them. Even though academics is about teamwork and collaboration, it is also competition. You don’t always have to share your work with others. Keep the good parts of your research to yourself. And when it comes to group work, everyone should do their fair share. Why should you have to put in the extra effort just to pull up the other weaklings in the group. He starts to keep a closer eye on you when you do your work. When you start to get too engrossed, he’ll break you out of that by giving you tea or snacks. He’ll make sure you take frequent breaks, and he’ll make sure that your research stays yours. He’s intuitive and because you usually tell him everything about your work, he will know if someone tries to take advantage of your work. In those situations, he’ll caution you to be careful, and to not let them get their way. But if they are too pushy and you find yourself in a bit of a pickle not being able to say no, he’ll step in. Whoever tries to take advantage of your intellect and work will have hell to pay. 
✎ᝰ You know what? He can’t say anything because he’s exactly like you.
Hoshi, Woozi, Vernon, Dino
𖠋 He sighs in exasperation, but doesn’t feel that he has the right to lecture you because he recognises your need to excel at whatever cost. Whatever you’re doing to succeed, the all nighters, the caffeine intake, the need to push yourself physically to complete whatever it is you’re working on, he’s done all that before. He recognises the bags that exist under your eyes, and it’s the same ones that appear under his eyes when he’s working on something. It’s a mark of your efforts, and the mark that you’re pushing yourself too far and too hard. He definitely feels bad, he doesn’t like seeing you so stressed and running on so little sleep. He feels helpless. He can’t help you to ease the burden you’ve placed on yourself, and he knows there’s no way of breaking you out of this self-destructive cycle until you’ve decided that you’ve done enough. Is this how the rest of his members/ family feels when they see him pushing himself? 
𖠋 He also admits that it is like you both lack common sense sometimes despite you both excelling in your chosen fields. Things that should come naturally to you don’t. If you feel unwell, you should rest, but no, you think it’s just one of those phases when you’ve hit a roadblock in your work and you continue to push on. If it’s raining, you should bring an umbrella, but no, you both usually decide to just hug your bag to yourself and run in the rain. If there is a puddle avoid it?? But no, you usually don’t even look where you’re going because your mind is racing from everything you need to do and you end up with wet shoes and socks. 
𖠋 You both end up laughing and bonding over your shared experiences. Still, because you both admit that this type of behaviour is self-destructive, you make an agreement to constantly keep an eye out for one another. Walks in the park, going out for dates, it’s all pre-arranged as a way to get both of you out from the house/ office. You both constantly remind each other that if you are unwell and stressed, there’s no way that you’ll be able to do anything because your body is fighting against being pushed too far. You both have to remember that it is better for you to take frequent breaks rather than to be out of commission for a long time because your mind and body have crashed. Only then will you both be able to do your best at all times. There’s also no rush since you’ve been putting in so much effort until this point. There’s nothing wrong with being kind to yourselves and taking a little break. You both do feel like broken records sometimes, but it’s necessary to make sure that you both don’t push yourselves too far. 
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taglist: @weird-bookworm @wonijinjin @babyleostuff @wishing-fieshes @kwanienies @mayashu @megseungmin @porridgesblog @haecien @mirxzii @scoupsofcherries @eightlightstar @brownsugarbaybee @zaggprincess2 @nonononranghaee @hrts4hanniehae @treehouse-mouse
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parkersroses · 5 days
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between the fading moonlight | yoon jeonghan
ミ★ synopsis: you never intended to find love. arranged to marry your childhood friend, there were one too many words left unsaid to the person you truly loved. if only you weren’t from two different worlds. [ jeonghan’s backstory in: i will go to you like the first snow ]
ミ★ genre: forbidden love!au, royalty!au, strangers to lovers!au, royal!reader, thief!jeonghan, angst, some fluff, some humor
ミ★ warnings: major character death, depictions of violence
ミ★ word count: 10,202
ミ★ pairings: jeonghan x gender neutral reader
ミ★ notes: hi guys ! here’s jeonghan’s backstory to my recent hoshi series ! you don’t need to read the series to understand this story, as it can be read by itself. however, i do recommend i will go to you like the first snow if you are interested in reading it :3 the reader in this oneshot is not the same as the reader in the hoshi series !! anyways, as always, make sure to give jeonghan lots of love !​​
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parkersroses · 6 days
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love and warmth | kim mingyu
ミ★ synopsis: in which you blackmail your employee, mingyu, to marry you in order not to get deported back to canada due to your expired visa. [based on the proposal]
ミ★ genre: fake relationship!au, editor-in-chief!reader, assistant!mingyu, humor, fluff, some angst
ミ★ warnings: suggestive at times
ミ★ word count: 14,868
ミ★ pairings: mingyu x female reader
ミ★ notes: hi guys ! this is my longest oneshot to date oh god i wanna projectile vomit. it’s literally 4:44 am i’m gonna HURL this took me like a week to write i’m fucking crying it shouldn’t have ended up this long aaaAAAAA but i hope you guys still enjoy !! make sure to give mingyu lots of love !! and to remember that this is not realistically accurate, but i tried my best and did a lot of research on immigrant visas badabing badaboom. 
UPDATE: i just edited/deleted some parts of this oneshot because they were taken directly from the movie and i didn’t wanna make it seem like i was taking credit for them !
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parkersroses · 7 days
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svt on your birthday | ot13
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❄ seungcheol 
i’m sure a lot of us would say that cheol would plan an expensive restaurant date, book a table at one of the more extravagant restaurants in town (he’d probably buy you a dress, and some jewellery to match it too), and treat you like a princess for the whole day. and as much as i agree with that, he’d also try to make it a bit more
 nostalgic? like, at the end of your night he’d bring you to a place that means a lot to the both of you, and whip out a framed, old photo of you from one of your first dates, or pull out from god knows where your favourite flowers - you get the gist. he’s a lil big romantic at heart.
❄ jeonghan 
would plan something very low-key - not because he doesn’t care about your special day, but at the same time hannie doesn’t feel the need to be as extravagant as cheol to show you how deeply he cares about you. his sweet touches, gentle gazes, and a gift that he prepared a couple of months in advance would be more than enough. to be honest, except for the gift, he wouldn’t plan anything in particular. you’d wake up together, eat breakfast that he made, and then he’d ask you what you want to do. the end of your day would end up with lots of cuddles, and sweet kisses.
❄ joshua 
if there is one thing joshua doesn’t mind spending his money on it’s you. he’d probably prepare two gifts - one handmade by him, and one quite an expensive one, because you need to be spoiled on your birthday (and any other day). as for the plans for the day, i think it’d be pretty similar to jeonghan’s - as long as you spend it together it’s all good. he’d maybe take you out on a nice walk, and buy you street food, or take you to some sort of faire or market if it was in town. something very chill, so you could spend some quality time together.
❄ jun 
i feel like jun would try to surprise you with something, whether it be a gift or an activity. nothing too big, but meaningful to you. why do i have a feeling that the surprise wouldn’t really work, though, - either he’d spoil it, or you’d find about it by accident, but nonetheless, your birthday would be perfect. you’d spend the whole day together, maybe you’d go out with a couple of your closest friends, do some fun activities, eat and drink a lot, and at the end of the day jun would either take you to like a “special place” for you, or if you were too tired he’d take you home, and give you his gift with tons of shy kisses and hugs.
❄ hoshi 
he’d definetly plan something crazy, you’d not be bored - that’s for sure. he’d wake you up at dawn by jumping on the bed or playing loud music, and singing into your ear. his energy would be impossible that day, even more so than usual (he’d be that excited to celebrate your birthday). after rudely waking you up (with love), hoshi would drag you to the kitchen and make you eat the breakfast that he had prepared (he almost burned the house down), and then take you out on your super duper fun birthday excursion. the end of the day, though, would be very calm, and filled with sweet touches and hushed words of  “i love you’s” and “happy birthday”.
❄ wonwoo 
unlike hoshi, wonwoo would let you sleep in, and while usually he is the first one out of bed, he’d stay with you until you woke up (your first gift would be a bare-faced, and naked wonwoo cuddled into your side) (do i have to mention his adorable bed hair). he’d try his best to make you a nice breakfast, and that in itself would feel like the greatest present you could ever get. other than that, he’s the next member of the “chill squad”, because wonwoo wouldn’t have anything specific planned. he’d take you out on a nice meal, or maybe to a park to take some photos of you, so you’d have a nice memory of the day (the best one would be the one taken by a stranger, with wonwoo having his arms tightly wrapped around you, and you nuzzled into his side). of course the gift would be very well thought out, and he’d blush furiously while giving it to you.
❄ woozi 
okay, so bear with me - i know he’s usually locked up in his studio, and rarely leaves the place (thank you nana tour for changing that) (not that i have anything against him spending time in his studio), but why do i feel like he’d take you out of the city for a trip. nothing too big, it's not like you’d fly to another country, but like a 2-3 hour road trip. woozi would really try to make this day as special as he could, and going on a short getaway trip would be perfect. you’d walk around, eat, take a lot of pictures, and most importantly - spend some quality time together. at some point, like the most random one, he’d whip out his gift for you, and it’d be just as special as the trip.
❄ dk 
dk to me is such a romantic soul, and because of that i think he’d stress a lot (in a good way) about your birthday, to make it as special and memorable as possible. there would definitely be a lot of flowers involved, and multiple gifts, big and small, whether they’d be made by him or bought. he’d plan some nice activities - you’d go places that you wanted to visit before, but didn’t have the time too, get ice cream if your birthday was in the spring/ summer time, or go sledding if it’s in the winter time. at the end of the day you’d go to a nice restaurant, not as extravagant as cheol, but still more on the expensive side, because he has to spoil you. also, you’d definitely take some photo booth pictures that you’d hang on your fridge later.
❄ mingyu 
first gift? waking up to his cuddles, endless kisses, hugs, “i love you’s”, and migoo giggles. you’d probably spend the first of the day eating take out, watching bad movies, and talking about the most absurd topics there could be. the whole time, you’d be nuzzled into his naked chest, while he’d have his arm around your shoulder tightly holding you close to his body. you’d get up (with a lot of complaints from you, because what better way to spend your birthday than cuddled up with mingyu?) when the sun would start to set, and that’s when the real “party” would start. mingyu would take you out to some fun activities, like mini golf, or a bar where you could play pool and darts. then you’d go around the city, when most of the people would already be in their homes getting ready for bed, with mingyu's jacket draped around your shoulders.
❄ minghao 
i just know the gift you’d get from him would be perfect. it’d be so well thought out, and it’d definitely be something that’d mean a lot to you. minghao would give it to you right after you woke up, still drowsy from sleep. he’d probably coo at you, and kiss your forehead, while placing the gift on the bed with a lovesick smile. he’d incorporate anything that has to do with your hobbies throughout the day, because what’s better than making the love of your life smile and watch doing what they love. minghao would also be a lot more affectionate, in like the “physical touch” way, you wouldn’t be able to peel him off you, AND you can expect a call from the xu family, because his mom and dad loves you more than they love him. at the end of the day, you’d end up on the couch on facetime talking to his family, and eating your favourite take out. 
❄ seungkwan 
i feel like, similarly to mingyu, you’d spend the morning and afternoon in bed, cuddling, kissing, eating, and probably gossiping about everyone you know. it’d be so nice to just spend some time together, without having to worry about your work, or school. later, he’d take you out to a nice restaurant that he had booked in advance, and give you a bouquet of your favourite flowers. after - neither one of you would know how, you’d end up in the most random place in the city, probably getting lost (but it’s all right, as long as you are together it doesn't matter where you end up). after finally getting back home, you’d turn on a movie, and you’d cuddle under a blanket, where you’d fall asleep together.
❄ vernon 
he wouldn’t have anything planned. now, not because he doesn't care (of course he does), but because he wants to spend your day in the way that you want. you want to stay in bed? great, now you can cuddle for the whole day. you want to have a movie marathon? he’s on his way to the kitchen to make popcorn. you want to go out? vernon is already putting his shoes on. all that matters to him is that you’re together, and you get to spend the day as a lil lovesick couple that doesn’t care about anything except for each other. the only thing he has planned is the gift he has for you, which he’d be actually so nervous to give to you. because what if you don’t like it? what if you think it’s too sappy? but of course his gift would be perfect, just like the whole day.
❄ chan 
another one that i think is very romantic, so he’d stress about planning your birthday as well, because hello? there are so many things that could go wrong, and your special day has to be absolutely perfect. dino would wake you up with kisses on your cheeks, and forehead, while wishing you a happy birthday (he could be saying anything, you’d be too tired to understand what he’d be saying at that point). he’d give you your gift to unwrap while he’d be making breakfast (he’d be panicking so much, because one - what if you hate the gift, and two - what if he messes the food up? so you’d have to reassure him lots that you love the gift, and that the breakfast was delicious). same as dk, i think he’d love to take photobooth pictures with you, so you could put it behind your cases, and after your little photoshoot he’d take you out on a picking in the park (if the weather was be bad you’d have a picking in your living room).
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taglist (if you want to be added, check my masterlist): @jeonghansshitester @soul-is-a-strange-kid @weird-bookworm @sea-moon-star @hanniehaee @wonwooz1 @byprettymar @edgaralienpoe @staranghae @itza-meee @eightlightstar @immabecreepin @whatsgyud @hyneyedfiz @honestlydopetree @vicehectic @dkswife @uniq-tastic @marisblogg @aaniag @daegutowns @carlesscat-thinklogic23 @embrace-themagic @ohmyhuenings @nidda13 @hrts4hanniehae @k-drama-adict @isabellah29 @f4iryjjosh @bangantokchy @mrswonwooo @bangtancultsposts @lllucere @athanasiasakura @chillseo @onlyyjeonghan @haecien @caramyisabitchforsvtandbts @hannahhbahng @valgracia @ohmygodwhyareallusernamestaken @mirxzii @hhusbuds @wonranghaeee @rosiesauriostuff @gyuguys @aaasia111 @tomodachiii @veryfabday @lilmochiandsuga @asasilentreader @mrsnervous @bewoyewo @sharonxdevi @wondipity @gyuguys @raginghellfire @treehouse-mouse @waldau @wonootnoot @hellodefthings
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parkersroses · 8 days
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- ̗̀ đ°đšđ«đ€ 𝐡𝐼𝐬𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐝 ˎˊ-
✏ pairing: teacher!vernon x teacher!yn (gn)
✏ synopsis: falling for the young and flirty high school history teacher is inevitable especially when he pays for your groceries and calls himself your work husband
✏ genre: fluff, romance, comedy
✏ warnings: food/drinks, innuendos, insecurities, language, mutual pining (you know that feeling you get when you really like somebody but you can't bring yourself to tell them so all you can do is enjoy the moment that you're spending with them? it's that), skinship, spirit week/rallies should be a warning itself imo, everything that happens in the last chapter
✏ wc: 8.8k
✏ a/n: the full vernon work husband fic is finally here ahh!! this one is dedicated to those with secret crushes and those who are too shy to confess. I hope this au can give you a bit of comfort, joy, and happiness. please let me know if I missed any warnings! + comments and reviews are always appreciated. I finished editing this A LOT faster than I imagined so pls enjoy my bbs &lt;3
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“I need you to go on a double date with me.”
Your friend’s question appears out of nowhere and catches you off-guard. Some of the latte you drink dribbles out of your mouth, runs down your chin, and splatters on your slacks. Your friend quickly leans over the table and takes your cup out of your hand, handing you some napkins. You wipe your chin and dab away at your slacks, groaning at the thought of returning to class and standing in front of your science class with prominently stained pants – cinnamon oat milk flavored if it honestly matters.
“Absolutely not,” you put the soaked napkins on the table and grab a wet wipe from Jeonghan’s stretched hand. He learned to always be prepared when it comes to you – it’s not very often he doesn’t see you with some weird stain on your clothes; after all, you are an Environmental Science teacher. 
“Come on, Yn,” he whines while you rub furiously at the stain with the wipe. “I didn’t even tell you when or where the date is going to take place. How could you reject me so quickly?”
“Jeonghan, I really don’t have time right now,” you sigh and drop the wipe next to the wet napkins. He stares at you with pleading eyes, his hands in prayer. “You know how busy I get whenever Spring Break is almost here. We have midterms this week, there’s the spirit rally, and not to mention my errands
” you trail.
“But what if the person I’m meeting is sketchy?” he sulks.
“Then they should be the one afraid because you’re the sketchiest person I know,” you exclaim. “Where did you even meet them in the first place?”
“Tinder,” he takes a sip of his Iced Americano and places the glass cup back down on the beige cafĂ© table.
“You know what
” you let the thought marinate in your head for a brief moment. “You’re right. They actually might be sketchier than you are.”
He quickly nods his head in agreement. To him, this is a more than good enough reason for you to go on the double date with him.
“But I’m not going on a double date with you. People already get the wrong idea about us.”
.
In the middle of the same cafĂ©, Seungkwan thanks the barista at the cash register and walks over to the side of the counter to wait for his coffee. While stuffing his wallet into his back pocket, Seungkwan’s eyes gloss over the several artisanal coffee bean bags and teas on display along the white cafĂ© walls before his eyes wander to the several people sitting in the cafĂ©. His head gently bops to the music playing in the background while he people watches. There are a few college students hunched over their laptops and a couple of people near the windows having lunch. Sitting in the corner of the room is a familiar face he’s seen on social media and sometimes in passing when he drops by Vernon’s classroom for lunch.
You seem to be bantering with the guy sitting across from you, but Seungkwan can’t hear anything from where he’s standing. From the looks of it, his friend’s earlier apprehensions about your lunch plans seem to be confirmed. His cellphone vibrates in his hand, and he flips it open to look at the text from the same friend who stayed up worrying last night:
[text from: nonie]
nonie: wyd? i'm bored rn bc yn isn't here
kwan: apparently looking at yn on a date
nonie: should I be concerned?
kwan: yeah you should be bc he's pretty handsome
kwan: should be you tho
nonie: see? I told you it was a date bc they styled their hair differently
kwan: but don’t people normally dress differently for dates?
nonie: but yn always dresses nicely bc they spend too much time deciding what they're going to wear for the day. like they even take into consideration the weather changes throughout the day.
nonie: so nice hair = extra effort
kwan: I’m begging you to go get a life
nonie: bro call me
kwan: i'm picking up my coffee now. byeee
.
“You see my wallet?” Jeonghan opens his black wallet in front of him like a picture book for you to see. He tips it forward and opens it slightly so you can see the bills stacked neatly against each other. “I will literally pay you to go on this double date with me. If anything, maybe the friend will be hot and Vernon will get jealous and actually ask you out.”
You roll your eyes at him and motion for him to put his wallet away. You can’t believe he came prepared with his monetary bribe. “But Vernon doesn’t seem like the type to get jealous.”
Your phone pings and three consecutive messages wake your screen:
[text from: work husband]
work husband: I miss you. my lunch sucks today :P
work husband: I’m eating in my classroom today bc I’m avoiding Carl
work husband: fucking Carl
Jeonghan’s eyebrow arches while you try your best to avoid replying to Vernon. Not the type to get jealous my ass, Jeonghan thinks while reluctantly putting his wallet away. Telling you to do your hair differently was his idea. So, if his plan worked, Vernon probably sent you messages because he thinks you’re on a date with somebody. 
“How about you ask out Vernon yourself?” Jeonghan takes his provided fork to prod at his forgotten slice of cake in the middle of the table. He knocks off the strawberry at the top of the cake and plunges his metal fork into the tip of the cake. The fluffy spongey matcha cake that sandwiches diced strawberries and fresh crùme fraiche? A perfect mouthful. 
His question doesn't mean anything in particular. Jeonghan usually asks you whatever he thinks, but you’re glad you aren't drinking anything this time. If you did, your latte was absolutely going to end up anywhere but in your mouth. So while Jeonghan enjoys his dessert, you’re faced with another problem:
“How? I don’t even know if he flirts with me because it’s a part of his work husband act or if it’s because he actually likes me.”
“You bring him lunches every day and he pays for your groceries. I’ve tasted your cooking before,” he says in between bites. “There’s no way that man isn’t in love with you.” He places his fork down and reaches over, taking a sip of his Iced Americano to cancel a bit of the cake’s sweetness. He nods in delight. Going to this cafĂ© for afternoon tea was honestly such a good idea. 
“You know I only bring lunches for him because I always end up cooking extra,” you grumble while thinking about whether or not you should answer his texts.
Your phone pings again. Jeonghan props his elbow on the table and lazily rests his cheek against his knuckle. He notices you itching to pick up your phone and sighs to himself. He’s now halfway through his cake while your apple pie sits in front of you, idle and long forgotten. He thinks that maybe if he feeds you some of his cake you would forgive him for eating your slice.
“I’m literally your best friend. Shouldn’t I be the one you’re cooking for?” he huffs.
Your phone is in your hand. You’ve managed to go a few minutes without replying back to Vernon. Jeonghan is secretly proud of you.
He waves his fork in front of your lip to offer you a bite of the cake. When you notice, you open your mouth to accept his offer.
Fuck yes, he thinks after he sees you close your mouth and chew. He immediately reaches over to swap his half-eaten plate for yours.
[text from: work husband]
work husband: oh I signed us up for crowd control for this Friday’s spirit rally because I know you don’t want to participate in the spirit rally games.
work bb: oh thank god. I completely forgot signups were today.
work bb: if I knew I was going to have to attend spirit rallies again I would’ve never become a high school teacher
work husband: but you wouldn’t have met me :c
Jeonghan leaves his seat to walk to your side while you quickly reply back to Vernon. He tries to look over your shoulder while you shrug him off, turning your body toward the window. Jeonghan is positive that there is no way Vernon isn’t in love with you.
“Anyway,” Jeonghan gives up and returns back to his seat. “I already told my date you agreed to the double date. See you this Saturday.”
“What?” you look up at your best friend and he shrugs while picking up the half-eaten slices of cake and pie.
“Our lunch break is almost over. I’m going to go get these wrapped so you can take them with you to work. Can you throw away our trash? I’ll come back for the drinks.”
[text from: work husband]
work husband: I think some students are filming tiktoks outside my room. I’m going to go scare them.
You tell Jeonghan to order you another cake while he’s getting yours boxed at the counter.
chapter two: gymnasium; spirit rally
It honestly did not make sense at all that Friday’s Spirit Week theme would be called “Tie-Dye Friday,” when Tuesday or Thursday are arguably days that better suit the theme. Nevertheless, you’re standing with Vernon at the side of the school gymnasium wearing the sweatshirt he lent you during the few minutes before your second period class started. Your little interaction certainly caught the attention of some students, and it has been the subject of a majority of their conversations. Because when you have two young and hot teachers at your school who seem to be really close friends, word spreads, and ships sail.
The two of you were hired at the same time two years ago, both fresh out of college with a teaching certificate in hand. It is a pretty distinguished school district, a district that receives awards every year for its rigorous pedagogy. In all honesty, you and Vernon landed your jobs by an extreme stroke of luck. This school district? Hiring not one but two new teachers with little to no teaching experience? There were a few positions open because some teachers were retiring. The teacher who was hired before you had to leave the job for personal reasons, and the teacher hired after that one never showed up for training. It kept going on. You were their last option. Putting pride aside, you were just happy someone decided to hire you. But maybe it was the same stroke of luck that brought the two of you together.
You met Vernon during the summer orientation and quickly became friends, realizing that the two of you had to stick together to try to make it through your first year of teaching. Your classrooms are close together, and he would stop by for a quick chat during breaks, coming over to tease you or disrupt your class. You don’t know what he is doing half the time, but he’s a good teacher. His class is relatively easy as long as you do the studying, and the tests are hard enough that you can’t bullshit your way through and expect an A – they’re in essay question formats after all. Despite his easygoing personality and calm demeanor, rumor says that he’s the strictest person when it comes to testing season. (Mafia boss the students call it.) 
But here you are, standing next to your crush wearing one of his most cherished sweatshirts while a bunch of high schoolers sit on the bleachers and on the wooden floors. A student walks up to the two of you and asks if they could use the restroom. Vernon nods, and the student leaves. Vernon tells you that when a student directly asks you if they could leave the assembly, he would answer for you. He knows you’re the shyer one between the two of you.   
When you have a crush, a big and stinky larger than the sunflowers growing in the garden in front of your classroom type of crush, you cherish any moment spent with them because you never know when the next moment will come. 
“Don’t you have to go get your driver’s license changed?” Jeonghan asked you one night while the two of you were eating dinner at your apartment.
You scrunched your eyebrows together deep in thought, “I don’t think it’s expiring soon.”
“Your address doesn’t match the one on your license though,” Jeonghan pointed at your wallet on counter above the sink.
You got up from the couch and walked over to grab your wallet. You were pretty sure you had at least two years until your license expired, but it didn’t hurt to check. You opened your wallet and looked through the transparent slot in which you put your wallet.
“But my address is correct,” you walked back to the living room and pulled out your license for your best friend to see.
The crowd cheers as students are called from each year to participate in the next activity. It’s cacophonous, but you don’t mind. You join their rambunctiousness – laughing and cheering with those around you.
Vernon leans in and gently nudges your left arm, “You look nice.” He compliments loudly enough so only you can hear.
You grin and raise your left arm in front of you to admire the mix of blue, white, and grey. The fabric smells fresh and feels soft against your skin. It was probably treated with the fabric softener he bought the last time the two of you ran errands together. “I’ll return this to you after I wash it,” you promise him.
“Keep it,” his hands automatically reach to adjust the hood on your sweater so it lays nice and even against your back. “It looks good on you,” he murmurs when he stands in front of you while adjusting and pulling the strings in front of your neck so they’re even.
More cheers erupt from the crowd in front of you, but you are too busy trying to keep yourself from blushing to even care about what is happening in front of you. A few students could’ve exited the building without asking, and you still wouldn’t care.
“No, it’s definitely wrong,” he took the license from your hand and tapped his finger on the printed country.
You leaned in to look at the error on your card.
“It should say Simp Nation right here,” he snickers.
You snatched your license from his hand, “I’m kicking you out of my apartment.”
Over the course of the next few minutes, they make the teachers participate in an obstacle course, show a video about Spring Break safety, and have the school band perform. Vernon somehow procured two seats so the two of you could sit instead of stand the whole time. In the middle of talking to your co-worker about grading midterms, you hear the entire student body shouting for the both of you.
You look up to see some participants making their way to the center of the gymnasium for some game they were nominated to participate in. The two of you shake your heads and politely deny their request. They groan in response, but it can’t be helped. Everybody knew that the two of you rarely participated in assemblies, especially when it came to doing anything remotely physical. Although the two of you are the high school’s youngest staff members, the two of you are also some of the most unmotivated and uncompetitive people to ever exist. Everybody already knew that the two of you were going to reject their request, but it never hurt to try. The most the two of you have done during a spirit rally was walk across the gymnasium while holding a banner the students made. There was also that other time the two of you volunteered to participate in the spicy noodle challenge because the two of you were starving, but that was honestly about it.
When the assembly ends the two of you direct the students out of the gymnasium and stay behind to pick up forgotten belongings to bring to the lost and found.
“Let me take those for you,” he takes the sweaters out of your arms for you. “Do you have any lunch plans today?”
“Yeah I do,” you reply. You look at his face to see if he is at all disappointed. His expression remains blank and he purses his lips.
“It’s your loss,” he makes his way to the gym doors while you walk over to stack the chairs the two of you sat in. “My Rubiks Cube club is having a crazy pizza party,” he calls on his way out.
.
If you count a bunch of students lounging around a history classroom with a bunch of Star Wars and other pop culture memorabilia trying to solve their different types of collectible cubes a party, then this one is a banger. A rager even.
Mr. Chwe sits at his desk, right leg anxiously bouncing up and down while he holds his second slice of pizza in his hand. He thought that he managed to play it cool when you told him you had plans, but in reality, the thought of you having lunch plans for the second time this week is making him mentally scream on top of his imaginary mountain into the empty abyss below.
In the background, Dokyeom screams when he solves another side of his Megaminx and proudly holds it up for his club members to see.
[text from: nonie]
nonie: seungkwannn
nonie: help me
kwan: see, you wouldn’t be freaking out if you just asked yn on a date
kwan: you’re constantly flirting with them. I don’t see how you never accidentally asked them out
nonie: I have a bunch of times but they never take me seriously
nonie: yn told me they have plans for lunch
nonie: do you think they’re on a date again?
kwan: oh speaking of dates I have a double date this Saturday
nonie: wait keep talking about that so I stop thinking about yn
kwan: when do you not think about yn?
nonie: never
nonie: they’re actually wearing my sweatshirt today. can you believe it?
kwan: my best friend is a SIMP!
kwan: a shy one who won’t properly confess his feelings! but still!! a simp!!!
kwan: one of my friends from work needed someone to tag along because they’re meeting someone they met on Tinder. I only agreed because they said they would cover one of my overtime shifts for me
nonie: oh that’s scary. the tinder part. not the overtime part.
kwan: right?
nonie: but the idea of yn going on a date that’s not with me is scarier.  
kwan: no wonder you’re a history teacher
nonie: because the humanities is for hot people?
kwan: because you’re a loser
kwan: like I bet you’re actually enjoying the pizza party with your lame rubiks club rn
nonie: oh my god I’m a loser
kwan: a hot one tho!
kwan: wait yn’s classroom is literally under yours. can’t you just go downstairs and check if they’re there?
kwan: did you not do that before you started overthinking?
kwan: Vernon?
.
You adjust your sunhat to shield your face from the brazen afternoon sun. You’re in your gardening overalls, Vernon’s sweatshirt folded neatly and tucked away in your classroom for the time being. It’s finally Spring and you’re tending to the nursery pots in the small garden located outside of your classroom. Around you, your agriculture club works and chats amongst themselves.
Intrusive thoughts are distracting you from what would usually be a lovely day in your garden. Maybe you should’ve told Vernon that you were going to be in the garden with your club today. Vernon probably isn’t overthinking it like how you are, right? But still, was saying you had plans a little too much? Does it sound like you had something important to tend to?
You sigh and stand to stretch your knees. Behind you, your little garden is beautiful, lush, and thriving. The flowers are in bloom and provide shade for the vegetables in the dirt. Everything seems to be thriving and buzzing with life. It makes you happy to see how far the little seedlings have grown.
A student arrives with refreshments that they picked up for everybody. You tell your club to take a break under the shade. It would be a shame if one of them has heatstroke. You take off your gloves and shove them in your side pockets. Your phone pings in the front pocket of your overalls while you make your way into your cool classroom.
[text from: work husband]
work husband: hi love. you took the bus to work today, right?
work husband: let’s pick up some groceries after work and I’ll drop you off at your place
work bb: even when I smell like dirt?
work husband: you’re an envisci teacher. I’d be concerned if you didn’t smell like dirt
work bb: you don’t have anything to do tonight right?
work husband: did you just assume I have no plans on a Friday night
work bb: omg sorry it’s because we always hang after work on Fridays
work husband: no you’re actually right. I have no plans.
work bb: then I’ll cook dinner for us
work husband: I know I’m already work-married to you, but I’m going to marry you one day
work husband: lol
work bb: haha silly
“Teacher Yn,” a couple students approach you while you set your phone face down on your desk.
“Hmm?” you up at them while taking off your sunhat.
“Can we send you a list of ideas we came up for our club education trip? We know we have to fulfill the requirement before the end of the semester, but we wanted to get it out of the way.”
You nod at them, “Sounds fine by me.” You pull up a website on your desktop and show it to your students, “Did you guys include the city garden? It’s pretty close by and it’s pretty this time of year.”
“Did you choose that place so Mr. Chwe can tag along? I heard he likes running there.”
You look at your students in disbelief. How did they even find out things like that?
Just then, someone knocks loudly on your open door. All eyes turn to see Vernon standing at the opening with his gaggle of students behind him, Rubiks Cubes, pizza boxes, and packs of sodas in their hands.
“I brought nerds and pizza.”
One of your students leans in and whispers to you, “Looks like your boyfriend is here.”
You don’t know if you should be happy or if you should consider this to be one of the most horribly timed entrances of all time. You decide you’re going to be happy – it’s Vernon after all.
chapter three: grocery store; dinner
People are definitely staring at the two of you while you grocery shop together. It’s not because the two of you are wearing your tie-dye outfits from earlier today, but because of the fact that Vernon is handsome. At least that’s what you believe. It’s enough to make the other shoppers stare for at least a brief second before they return to their usual routes.
You think your shoes covered in dirt are a direct juxtaposition to his pristine white sneakers. There’s a part of you that will always be insecure whenever you’re in public with your crush, but your hand in his reassures you otherwise.
“Do you think people don’t approach you at grocery stores because I’m next to you?” you ask him while the two of you are hunched over the leafy green section. A handwritten sign states the organic kale is finally on sale.
“Why would you think that?” Vernon curiously asks you. His tone is a bit upset, but he still peruses through a few bundles of kale before choosing the one he like most. He drops it in the plastic bag you opened for him.
“I don’t know,” you shrug while placing the bagged kale into the shopping cart. “You’re handsome and people stare, but nobody is making a move.”
“I don’t care about other people,” he muses. He reaches for the baby carrots on the top shelf and passes the bag to you. “You know I only have eyes for you.”
You push the shopping cart to the fruit section and he follows closely behind you, happy his comment made your ears turn red. He knows you’re embarrassed and is purposely moving onto the fruit section when the two of you still have a few more greens to buy.
But it’s true, he only has eyes on you. Only you don’t seem to realize that he does. He constantly tells you his feelings, but you never seem to take him seriously. He clings onto you and holds your hand in public because he also sees people looking at you. Was it wrong of him to be jealous? Was it wrong to want to hold your hand at all times? Maybe it’s his fault you never do, yet he can only wish for you to take him seriously.
“Hey babe,” Vernon calls to you from the mountain of potatoes in front of him. He sees your figure shoot up like a meerkat standing among pyramids of fruit, looking side-to-side to try to locate the familiar voice. “Right here,” he calls to you again, this time holding a bag of potatoes above his head. He laughs when he sees you cover your face in mortification while you cart your way over to him. You’re cute, he thinks. His little meerkat.
.
The two of you pose while he takes a picture of the two of you in the black and white monitoring screen above the self-checkout machine. He scans his loyalty card and begins to scan the items in the cart.
“Hey Vern,” you pass him a box of pasta for him to scan.
“Yes, baby?” he winks while taking the box from you.
“Why do you call yourself my work husband even when we’re off work?” you ask him while passing him a bag of bagels.
“You’re right. If we’re off work then that just means I’m your husband,” he takes the bag from your hand and scans it. “Because the adjective describes the fact that we’re at work, but we’re not at work. So just call me husband.”
“Smartass,” you grumble to yourself. He’s constantly embarrassing you, but you somehow like it.
“What is that?” he pokes at the touchscreen. He clearly heard you grumble to yourself.
Checkout. Beep. No Bags. Beep. Credit/Debit. Beep.
“Are you filing for a divorce just because we’re not at work?” he purposely makes his voice louder than usual and brings his phone to the screen to pay for the groceries. “Do I mean nothing to you?” his tone clearly implies he’s poking fun at you, but it’s enough to let the workers around you two eavesdrop.
“Vernon, oh my god,” you quickly shuffle to his left to put the items in the reusable tote bags in the cart behind the two of you. “People are staring.” You pull your hood over your head and he gently pulls it back down, quickly running his fingers through your hair to minimize the mess.
The workers point and giggle at you two before going back to work, telling those in line to move to an open self-checkout machine.
“Just like how I stare at you at work?” he takes the receipt and consecutive coupons from the mouth of the machine and folds it before putting it in his back pocket. He moves the shopping cart behind the two of you and separates the cold items from the fresh and boxed items.
“Babe, I’m going to file for divorce,” you grab the bag of baby carrots and wave it in front of his face. “And I’m taking the children with me.”
“Aww you called me babe.”
.
You wish you could be as open as Vernon when it comes to flirting, but at the same time, the jokes and the act that the two of you put on around each other often times sound and feel a little too real. Your feelings for him are real, but you struggle to understand whether or not he’s joking with you. You know you could just ask him, but there’s a ninety percent chance he would joke with you and a ten percent chance he would tell you the truth. However, because of how the two of you normalized flirting with each other, you know you wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between his truth and his jokes. You’re afraid of telling him the truth, but you’re also afraid of letting go of this false reality the two of you created.
Where is the thin line between flirting romantically and flirting jokingly? How do you find it? How do you cross to the romantic side?
The two of you are currently in you apartment. His shoes are placed in the usually open spot next to yours on the shoe rack, and his car keys are in the ceramic tray next to yours. You are prepping the ingredients for dinner while he sorts the groceries he bought into their rightful places in your tiny kitchen.
“You know my student, Chan, right? The one who I swear is out to get me?” your co-worker asks you nonchalantly while reaching above your head to open your white kitchen cabinet. “Right when I was about to play a video for the class, Chan raises his hand and has the audacity to ask me if I’m ever going to teach them.”
“How did you respond?” you lean over the kitchen counter to shut the microwave door and start the timer. You’re used to his daily post-class lunchtime rants, but he somehow forgot to tell you until he saw the picture of the two at orientation stuck on your refrigerator with a magnetic turtle.
Vernon sighs while looking through the cabinet contents, “I called him lame and told him to watch the damn Crash Course video.”
He gently places his palm on top of your head to shield your head from getting hit when he swings the cabinet door close, a colander in his other hand. He places the colander in the sink behind the two of you and turns back to you. He is interested in what is in the microwave and mimics your position, bending over to stare through the translucent screen. It’s hard to make out what is spinning slowly through the glass so he leans in, accidentally brushing his shoulder against yours for a brief moment. It is brief, but it is enough to make you question what you have done in your past life to deserve this moment.
“Wait,” you turn your head to look at your co-worker beside you, curiously asking, “students actually get annoyed when we show videos in class?”
“I don’t know,” he stands upright and scratches his head, his expression clearly showing that he was dumbfounded that a student would be against watching videos. He leans against the back counter and crosses his arms. He frowns. “I mean, am I ever going to tell them that watching videos stimulates different modes of cognitive learning? Of course not,” he answers his own question. “I’m the cool teacher.”
Spoken like a mantra.
“I’m just defrosting the garlic bread so I can pop it into the oven so you can snack while I cook.” You notice he is looking around your kitchen. You think it’s because he doesn’t have space to exit with the tote bags on the floor and the lack of mobile space in your kitchen. “Did you want to exit? Let me move out of the way so you can go chill or grade in the living room.”
It’s exactly the opposite of what you think.
Vernon loves your place despite how much you hate its small size. To him, your tiny apartment feels like home. You’ve told him several times how much you want to move out. You hate how you don’t have a desk to do your work on. You hate how your bed is literally pushed in the corner of your bedroom against the wall and window. You even hate how there’s no closet in your bedroom so you have to use the hallway closet as your closet.
He wishes you know just how much he loves it when he can hear the soft hum of the in-unit washer and dryer in the background while he lounges on your plush sofa. Because of the size of your apartment, the smell of your baking sometimes lingers for hours. Because of the lack of space, you’re forced to display many of your things for your guests to see instead of tucking them away in some storage bin or cabinet. There are postcards your friends sent from around the world, pictures on the fridge, awards hung on walls, and small trinkets placed all around your apartment. The sticky notes the two of you exchanged during orientation are pinned to your corkboard. Not to mention, the sectional sofa with the chaise you bought with your first paycheck proudly lines your living room. It’s one of the most comfortable things he’s fallen asleep on. Although the apartment may seem suffocating at times, this apartment is you personified.
Of course, it wasn’t like he never offered you to move into his place multiple times in the past. You slapped his arm in response every time he suggested.
.
Earlier, the two of you decided to power through grading midterm papers for your respective classes so the two of you could freely enjoy Spring Break without any worries. It is now nearing midnight when you blindly reach into the popcorn bowl on the side table beside you only to feel nothing. You are out of movie snacks. Your legs are stretched out on your chaise and Vernon’s head is still in your lap, pointed toward the second movie the two of you are watching that night. You decide to not get up to make more popcorn just in case he is sleeping.
Next to the empty popcorn bowl, your cellphone pings and Vernon stirs.
Damn you, cellphone.
There is another notification sound, and Vernon pushes himself off your lap to sit up. You look over at your phone. It’s fucking Yoon Jeonghan.
[text from: devil’s incarnate]
devil’s incarnate: don’t fowget about ouw double date t-tomowwow (//â–œ//)
devil’s incarnate: the reservation is at noon at the bistro opposite of the cafĂ© we went for lunch
headache personified: WHY MUST YOU RUIN EVERYTHING FOR ME
Vernon somehow manages to quietly squeeze himself behind you while you lift yourself to text  Jeonghan. When you put your phone down he tugs your body closer to his, his legs stretched out and sandwiching yours. He points to the blanket at the foot of the chaise and he lets go of his arms around you so you can lean forward to grab the blanket.
You open the blanket so it covers both of you and his arms sneak around your stomach, pulling you into his chest. He puts his chin on your shoulder to see the screen in front of you. He emanates warmth like a human-sized hand warmer, like the warm summer sun on your skin the first day you met him.
About halfway into the movie your body naturally turned to lay against his. You’re not watching the movie anymore because he knows you’re tired. It’s not the first time the two of you have cuddled this closely before, but he only hopes you mistake his uncontrollable fast heartbeat as his reaction to the movie.
You’re fiddling with the strings on his clean hoodie and he takes your hand in his and puts it on his chest.
“The plot is really good,” he hopes you can feel his chest vibrate.
You do. You’re on cloud nine.
“You can stay over if you’re not comfortable driving back at this hour,” you suggest to him. Your hand goes back to playing with the aglet on his hoodie string.
“Mmm,” the thought of leaving makes him groan. “I’ll stay until the movie ends.”
In the closet toward the entrance, your dryer hums. The air smells like rose petals and warm vanilla. In his heart he knows the two of you are way past the simple “work spouse” phase. He hugs you tighter and wishes the movie never ends.
[text from: devil’s incarnate]
devil’s incarnate: btw I’m picking you up so you have no way of escaping (o¬‿¬o )
devil’s incarnate: see you soon baby <33 -xoxo
chapter four: bistro; double date
The loud knocking on your front door causes you to jolt awake and fling the blanket covering you onto the living room floor. You can recognize that impatient knock anywhere. However, what you’re afraid of is not the knocking sound, but the person currently knocking.
“Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit,” you repeat while you sit up and look around the living room. You realize it’s Saturday morning. The television is turned off, and you can still see the stacked pile of midterms pushed to the side of your coffee table. Is Vernon still in your apartment?
Your phone is ringing on the side table next to you. You look over your pillow from your bedroom. I don’t remember bringing one from my bedroom. You see the Caller ID. It’s Jeonghan trying to reach you from outside your door.
Then you see it, a light blue sticky note stuck in the empty popcorn bowl next to your phone. It’s his handwriting, tiny and scrawled. He says he took your laundry out of the dryer and took out the trash on his way out. He’s sorry he couldn’t lock the door. There’s a tiny heart next to his initials. He doesn’t tell you when he left.
The note is in your hand when Jeonghan barges into your apartment and shuts the door behind him. He stands in the doorway and stares at you, his hands on his waist. He’s annoyed.
Your apartment is silent. Even leaky faucet decides to rest for a while. You swear you can hear your best friend’s heavy breathing.
“I’m sorry,” you squeak while you stand up to face him, hiding the note behind your back.
“I. Sent. You. So. Many. Texts,” he roughly kicks off his shoes and storms into your living room.
You scream when you realize he is making his way over to you. When he reaches your sofa, the two of you circle around your coffee table.
“I’ve been outside your door knocking like a man trying to win back his ex. Do you know how embarrassing that was for me?” He wants to strangle you at this point, but he can’t because he needs you to go on the double date with him. “And I couldn’t even park in your second parking spot because guess who I saw get into his car in your second parking spot in the morning?”
Does that mean Vernon slept over last night? And Jeonghan now knows about it?
He lunges. You scream again.
.
Seungkwan sits on Vernon’s barstool and faces the door, ready to read his friend to filth the moment he walks into the door. His legs are crossed and he’s counting the number of cardboard boxes stacked near Vernon’s front door. It’s Saturday morning and Vernon isn’t in his own apartment. He’s a loser who can’t even properly confess his feelings to his crush – where the hell was he last night?
Seungkwan has a double-date to attend in about an hour. For him, lecturing Vernon would take at least 15 minutes and asking for opinions for his outfits would take around 5 minutes. Driving would take at least 10 minutes if it was all green lights. However, if there is a stop light or two-
Vernon calmly unlocks his door and opens the door to see his friend sitting at his counter. It’s totally normal to have Seungkwan invite himself into his apartment – he gave him a spare key for a reason. However, when Vernon is halfway through the doorframe, he realizes he’s wearing his extra set of clothes he sometimes leaves at your place. He is also holding his work bag from yesterday. Seungkwan seems to have already noticed as his legs uncross and his eyes widen at the sight of his friend. Vernon slowly backs out and closes his front door ready to leave and never come back. Start a new life maybe.
“Get your ass back here,” he hears Seungkwan’s menacingly sweet voice from the other side of the door.
He audibly sighs. He has no choice but to open the door.
.
You’re folding your laundry in the backseat of Jeonghan’s car while he drives the two of you to the double date. You can tell he’s still angry – his sleeves are rolled up. He already undid his collar to let off some steam and pent up anger when you told him you didn’t want to go on the date. You can see the gorilla grip he has on his steering wheel. His arm veins protrude prominently, and you swear you can see them throb. Jeonghan glares at you through his rearview mirror every chance he can get, so you sulk in his backseat and quietly fold your clothes. You probably also lost your aux privileges. For the next week or month maybe.
He purposely makes a hard break at a stop sign when nobody is around, and some of your folded clothes launch themselves to his car floor. You look at your t-shirt crumple to the floor and bite your lower lip. You nod to yourself. You deserve this. You were on a winning streak last night so karma (Jeonghan) has to show up to make sure everything is set at equilibrium. There must be balance to this world.
“Did you shower last night?” Jeonghan softly asks you when he notices you’re a lot quieter than usual. He turns on his right blinker, ready to make a right.
“Of course I did,” you pouted when you realized your favorite pair of socks rolled under the front seat. “I smelled like dirt.”
“So you showered while a man was over?” he snickers. There’s a glimmer in his eye. “Naughty.”
“He was grading in my living room,” you protest while looking out the window. Your clothes are folded and placed back in the laundry basket.
You can tell Jeonghan’s anger is subsiding. He rolls his shoulder backwards and stretches his neck left and right. The gorilla grip is gone. You know he cares for you. That you are certain of.
The two of you are still relatively early when Jeonghan parks. He rolls down his windows and turns of the engine and then his car. He drops his car keys in his cupholder and turns back to look at you. He smiles.
“Spill.”
.
Seungkwan is holding onto the car handle above his seat for dear life.
“So I woke up with Yn in my arms, but their phone was going off like crazy because someone was spam texting them. I reach over to switch their phone to silent because I’m a good husband who cares about Yn getting a good sleep, but I see the same person texting them and calling them. Bro this person was using all the pet names that I use. So, already, in my mind I was like ‘oh my god am I a home wrecker?’ And then I looked at their phone again even though I shouldn’t have been looking through their notifications, but it was just right there and I saw that he said he was going to come over soon because they have a date. So I tidied up a bit and packed my bags and zoomed out of there. Because what if they’re really dating? What if he’s the same guy you saw at the cafĂ©? Dude my mind was racing so much. But Yn looked so peaceful and serene. I was going to melt then and there and then reality hit me: I may have just been a homewrecker. But it all doesn’t make sense because their lock screen photo is the photo I took of us at the grocery story yesterday. Wouldn’t it make more sense if your lock screen photo was your boyfriend instead? So I was freaking out and I’m still freaking out. My non-existent love life is in shambles bro.”
“Is this car ride over?” Seungkwan’s eyes are closed and his knuckles are turning white. “Am I alive? Is the car in one piece?”
Vernon unbuckles his seatbelt and then Seungkwan’s, “Yeah dude. I parked a few minutes ago. Were you listening to me rant at all?”
“I’m going to step out and take a breather,” Seungkwan nods to himself. It was his fault for making Vernon drive. He knows how fast Vernon can drive, but he didn’t take into consideration that he would be sitting in the passenger seat. Was it worth it in the end to arrive early to a date he wasn’t even going to enjoy?
He opens the car door and stretches his legs. “Do you see that cafĂ© across the street?” he points at the cafĂ© he visited earlier this week. “Please stay in there and clear your head. Drink some tea. Coffee will make you even more jittery.”
Seungkwan exits the car and shuts the door. Before he starts walking towards the front entrance, he turns around and points at Vernon who looks like he is on the brink of a mental breakdown, “But stay in there in case I need an escape plan.”
.
Vernon recognizes this café as the same café printed on the tiny cake roll box you left on his desk earlier this week. The sticky note you attached to the underside of the box is tucked away in his wallet as are some of the other ones you wrote for him in the past. He keeps them all and occasionally switches them depending on his mood.  
Did you miss me? the note reads. I’m sorry you had to eat lunch alone. This roll reminded me of you because it’s round like your hair when it’s flat. HA! Did you think I was going to write “sweet?” -yn ;-)
He’s been staring at the chalkboard menu for the past few minutes, his eyes squinted and his head deep in thought. The baristas think he’s having a hard time looking at the menu up above and offer him a physical menu in larger print. It takes a few tries to get his attention, but he bashfully takes the menu from them and moves to the side so the incoming customers can order their drinks and other menu items.
He regrets not asking you out sooner. He’s sulking and mentally beating himself up in a cafĂ© in which his crush had a date a few days ago. How lame is that? While you’re out enjoying your date and probably having the time of your life, he’s regretting all of the chances he didn’t take in the past. But the angel on his shoulder reassures him – he was still by your side despite not taking the chances in the past. It comforts him a bit. Maybe is all just a big misunderstanding. Maybe you don’t have a boyfriend. Vernon promises himself while walking up to the counter to order his drink: if the universe sends him a sign anytime soon, he is going to take it. No questions asked.
[text from: kwan]
kwan: sos
nonie: do you think I should go for a fruit tea today?
kwan: I s2g if you don’t get your ass over here
nonie: how bad can your date be?
nonie: did the food come out already?
kwan: my coworker is meeting yn’s bf
kwan: MY COWORKER IS MEETING YN’S BF FOR OUR DOUBLE DATE
kwan: YN’S BOYFRIEND IS A CHEATER
nonie: YOU FR?
nonie: WHO TF WOULD HAVE THE AUDACITY TO DO THAT TO YN?
kwan: YOU’RE A TEACHER. COME TEACH HIM A LESSON.  
nonie: I’M COMING
kwan: not the face tho. it’s a money maker
nonie: WHOSE SIDE ARE YOU ON?
Vernon practically sprints out of the café. Thank you universe!
.
[text from: devil’s incarnate]
devil’s incarnate: did u grab my wallet?
devil’s incarnate: save me. my date came and I was totally catfished (╬`益®)
devil’s incarnate: and your date is sending me death glares for some reason O.o
headache personified: when we go home we’re signing you up for bumble
headache personified: I’m almost at the front entrance. you want me to act like you’re my bf?
devil’s incarnate: oh we haven’t used that tactic in a long time
headache personified: wait is that you three under the umbrella at the porch?
headache personified: is my date vernon’s seungkwan?  
devil’s incarnate: bro how should I know how vernon’s seungkwan looks like
devil’s incarnate: ahh fuck it I’ll just be mean and call my date out for catfishing me.
devil’s incarnate: can you record for me <3 -xoxo
You’re already outside the front entrance when you think about ways to try to avoid Seungkwan while you're inside the bistro. You think if you walk along the bistro’s perimeter instead of heading inside the bistro, you can get a better video angle of Jeonghan without having to show your face to Seungkwan. However, someone gently grabs onto your arm and tugs on it.
You turn around and you're surprised to see Vernon looking back at you. He looks frazzled and out of breath. You wonder if he really goes jogging in the city garden like what your students said.
“Hear me out. I have to tell you something,” he pleads.
Your heart is screaming Omg it’s Vernon! Vernon! but you’re worried Jeonghan might get mad at you if you don’t record him while he’s lecturing the catfish. You can probably email the bistro for a video recording tomorrow. If Jeonghan draws enough attention, you can probably have one of the bistro patrons text you a recording of the interaction.
“I had so many chances to tell you how I really feel, but I keep beating myself up for not telling you my feelings. I really like you. I really do,” he takes both of your hands in his hand. “And I don’t want you to go in and end up with someone who is on a date with another person.”
Fuck Jeonghan’s video. Vernon is actually confessing to you. Yet at the same time, something about his confession doesn’t really make sense. How did he find out about your double date?
“What do you mean you catfished me because you thought I was a catfish? Have you seen me?” you can hear Jeonghan’s shrill voice screeching from where you’re standing. You imagine he’s standing up and gesturing at his own face. “Why would I need to catfish as someone else?” You swear you can also hear Seungkwan laughing.
Vernon also seems to recognize Seungkwan’s laughter. His mouth hangs slightly agape and he looks at you and back at the patio in horror.
In that moment, everything made sense. Seungkwan probably texted Vernon that Jeonghan showed up to the date while believing you were dating Jeonghan. It’s honestly not the first time the confusion happened. You smile and pull him in a hug.
“The person I like thinks my best friend is cheating on me when in reality I was forced to go on a double date. So if anything, you just stopped me from going on a date with Seungkwan before I even went on a date with you,” you laugh into his chest. “Did you really run to try stop me from seeing my best friend cheat on me?”
He hugs you back and you can hear his heart beat slow down. He’s relieved.
“Baby,” he hums into your hair.
“Hmm?” you look up at him.
“Do you still want to call me your work husband at work even if I become your boyfriend?”
You groan in embarrassment while he laughs at you. He separates from you and starts walking backwards with his hand stretched out.
“Let’s go on a date. I heard the cafĂ© across the street has really good cake rolls.”
He’s waiting for you to come hold his hand.  
You can still hear Jeonghan yelling in the background. You think Seungkwan is also yelling with him. Considering the fact that they haven’t been kicked out already, the two of you know they’ll be fine without the two of you.
“The ones that look like your hair when it’s flat?” you catch up to him and interlock your hand with his.
“Exactly.”
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