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promise-you-doie · 27 days

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Who knew? | L. Sohee

Who knew the love of your life would be the weirdo you met in a coffee shop?

Sohee x afab!reader

Word count: 8k

Warnings: curse words

Genre: fluff, angst

Playlist

“Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed.” Karina snickers, leaving the kitchen so she doesn’t have to be in the same area as you.

Mad isn’t even a strong enough word to describe how you feel right now. You can feel your blood boiling, and every little sound causes you to get more and more frustrated. The reason? You missed all 7 of your alarms because you forgot to charge your phone the night before.

If there was anything you hated more than the male species, it had to be waking up at 11 am.

That means you have only 30 minutes until your first lecture of the day, which by the way isn’t nearly enough time to pick out an outfit, do your skin care, your makeup routine, and your hair, and still get to class on time.

Waking up at 11 on any day, including the weekend, basically meant that your day was already ruined. You’ve already wasted half the day, so it’s best to protect your peace and just stay home. And that’s what you decide to do after attempting to do your hair but quitting after its lack of cooperation.

“I wanna die.” You slur into a pillow after successfully spending 30 minutes getting angry at any and everything.

“Why die when the sky is clear and blue.” Winter chimes happily, a little too happy for your liking.

“Maybe you just need some fresh air and a coffee.” Ningning suggests from the bathroom. “I heard there’s a new cafe down the street, you should go.” She adds

“I don’t wanna go outside. I wanna lay here and die.” You say it as a joke, but some part of you is serious.

Either way, You still end up at the cafe. Even though Siri kept giving you the wrong directions. What should have been a 7-minute walk turned into 2, 15-minute laps. It’s safe to say that by the time you arrived, you had completely lost your appetite for coffee.

But you’re persistent in making the best out of this unlucky Monday. Walking into the cafe with a facial expression that tells everyone around you that it was only 12:01 and you were already having a bad day.

“Hi, could I get an Iced Americano?” You say blandly, forcing a small smile to cover the bad mood you are in

“What size?” The barista asks

“Large.” You needed it.

“Will that be all?” He asks.

You nod “Yes,” while patting your pockets for your wallet. Here's the catch, you left it at home. Before you resort to your last plan; screaming, crying, and sobbing on your knees, you decide to check your purse. Except, you don’t have that either.

“Your total is gonna be 5.05” The barista looks at you distantly as if he couldn’t see the internal war that you were battling right now before his very eyes. “I-” “I got it.” You watch someone stick their arm past you to put their card in the card reader. Thus paying for your much-needed drink.

“You didn’t have to.” You say shyly, without even looking in the stranger's direction.

“Don’t worry about it.”

“I’ll pay you back.” You finally turn to look at him. “Just uh…” You rush to pull out your phone and unlock it. “Give me your number, and I’ll wire it to you as soon as I get home.”

There were lots of things you hated, men being on the top of the list and being indebted to people is fourth down from it, with “Especially to men” written beside it in parenthesis. So anytime a man did anything nice to you, you wanted to make sure you paid them back immediately just so they don’t try to hold it over your head later.

“It’s only five dollars.” the stranger says

“Just let me pay you back, Please.” You beg, still holding your phone out for him to put his information in.

“Well if you really wanna pay me, you could just allow me to take you out on a date.” His response leaves you dumbfounded. A frown grows on your face when he smiles at you.

If someone were to ask why you were adamant about burning all the men alive, this was the exact reason why. “You’re kidding… right?” You laugh, because surely this has to be a joke. When you walked out of your apartment this morning you were hoping to just have a cup of coffee and maybe some exercise. The last thing you were thinking was to have some guy hitting on you after he practically forced you to let him pay for your coffee. (you didn’t ask him to do that, so basically he did it by force.)

“Y/n.” The barista calls out your name, luckily to pull you away from the weirdo that is subliminally asking to get in your pants. During broad daylight, in front of a crowd of people.

“Thank you.” You muster up a smile for the barista and head towards the door. Leaving the stranger behind. Owing him doesn’t even matter anymore. It’s not like you’re ever gonna see him again.

You let out a deep sigh when you hear him yell “You’re welcome.” once you leave the cafe and the door closes behind you.

“Today has to be the worst day ever.” You complain the second you step into your apartment. Catching the attention of your four other roommates.

The apartment was small and probably shitty to most but it didn’t matter to any of you because you were all together and the rent was too high nowadays. So if it took all of you piling over each other just so you wouldn’t be homeless, so be it.

However, being in a small 3-bedroom apartment with 4 other girls meant no secrets. Not because the five of you were nosy, it’s just that the walls were thin and there was absolutely nowhere to go to get any privacy. Best believe there were things about the girls that you wish you didn’t know.

“Couldn’t have been that bad,” Karina says nonchalantly, walking past you towards the living room to plop down on the couch and catch up on the series she’s been binging for a week now.

“Well, first I woke up late..” You’re tailing after Karina but get stopped when Ningning walks in your direction, only to take the coffee out of your hand and begin taking sips out of it. “This is good.” She nods without acknowledging the story you’re trying to tell everyone. Skipping to the couch with your drink still in her hand.

“There’s probably someone in the world dying right now, while you’re crying about sleeping in for a few hours.” Giselle scolds but she doesn’t even take the time to look at you. She just takes a seat next to Ningning and helps the two girls finish what’s left of your coffee.

“No, but listen, I went to go to the cafe as you guys suggested. But the directions were being stupid.”

“Was it the directions or was it you?” Karina asks, shaking around the ice in the coffee.

“It might have been me but that’s not the point.” You dismiss, “After like 30 minutes I finally find the cafe and I go to place my order.”

“But let me guess- You forgot your card.” Giselle interrupts you.

“Well, yeah. And then-"Wait, if you forgot your card, how’d you get this coffee.” Ningning asks instead of letting you finish what you’re so desperately trying to get out.

“The barista obviously thought she was cute and gave it to her for free,” Giselle answers for you.

“No. I-”

“For free? I don’t think so. Y/n’s pretty but she’s not ‘I think you’re so pretty that I’m gonna risk my job and be homeless’ pretty. Some guy probably just found interest in her and paid for her coffee, so she insisted on paying him back because she never knows how to accept when someone’s being nice but he refused cash and asked her to just let him take her on the date instead.” Karina somehow predicts everything perfectly, which is kinda scary.

“Yeah, actually” You confirm, but you’re still at a loss for words.

“So what did you say?” Ningning turns to you.

“No, of course. This is y/n we’re talking about.” Karina sits up to give you the last bit of coffee but winter reaches it before you do. Swiping it right from under you and taking the last swallow.

“Well, at least you got free coffee.” Giselle points out.

“And I'll tell you what I got,” Winter demands everyone's attention. Throwing her arm around your shoulder and turning to you when she says “We’re gonna get you laid tonight.”

“What are you talking about?” Giselle asks before you get the chance.

“Jaemin just invited us to a party and guess who’s gonna be there,” Winter asks, pointing to Ningning who pipes up, slapping her hands together.

“I’m guessing, Jaemin.” You say nonchalantly.

“Sohee.” Ningning chimes. By now she’s jumping up and down.

Sohee is the guy she’s been trying to set you up with for weeks. You never met him and you don’t really wanna meet him. She tells you that she has a feeling that you’ll like him but you don’t think that’s the case because well, he’s a man.

“I’m not going.” You state pushing Winter's arm off of you so you can go to your bedroom. Pretending not to hear all of them yell “Boring.” before you close the door.

Another con with living with four other girls is that everyone is always ganging up against you. There wasn’t much ground for you to hold when it was always 4:1. With that being said, it was no surprise that you still ended up at Jaemin’s party even after making 101 excuses as to why you couldn’t go.

You were a few hours late of course. If the girls were gonna drag you out you had to make sure that you wasted as much time as possible.

“Here, drink this.” Giselle pushes some drink in your face.

“What is it?”

“Doesn’t matter, drink it.” She continues pushing the cup towards you until you take it and down the whole thing. Not caring what it is because you’re sure that she wouldn’t give you anything too dangerous right?

wrong.

“That’s horrible.” You yell over the music, wiping the excess liquid from your lips with the back of your hand.

“Isn’t it? I thought I was the only one.” Giselle laughs while taking the cup from your hand. You didn’t bother to argue with her, since it was something that she had a habit of doing. Instead, you just sit there around the couch watching everyone else have fun and decide that you’d rather be home. Or probably anywhere else.

Some people might say that you’re a prick or a party pooper, that you were stuck up and unfun but you’d say, they were absolutely right. What are you even supposed to do at these kinds of things? All you saw were really bad dance moves, a mess, and a hangover in the morning. What could be so fun about that?

“Woah.” You hear someone say from behind you. You don’t roll your eyes yet but you want to, because you’re almost sure you know who it is before you even see them. “I didn’t think this would be the place that I run into you again.” The boy says when you finally turn around to meet him.

The universe must absolutely hate you, you think. Because there is just no way that you run into the same man again within the same day. “Why not?” You say arms crossed with a frown bigger than the one you had this morning when you ran into him the first time.

“Well…” He looks you up and down.

“What are you trying to say?”

“This just doesn’t look like something that you’d be into, that’s all.” He smiles and leans against the wall beside you. “But I’m glad you’re here.”

This time you roll your eyes and walk away. You don’t have enough time nor do you care enough to try and change his mind about you. Thankfully he doesn’t try and chase after you but he does yell “I hope you enjoyed the coffee.” to which you hold your middle finger up behind you so he can see it.

“Y/n where are you going?” Ningning runs to you, tugging at your arm when you reach Jaemin’s front door.

“Home.”

“Wait! You have to meet Sohee first.”

“I’ll be fine.” You say trying to get out the door."

“Just 30 more minutes please.” She begs, getting down on her knees but not letting go of your hand.

You could argue with her, but one thing about Ningning is that she’s never lost an argument. So you take the easy way out and distract her instead.

“Oh my god, is that Sungchan?” You spur randomly

“You can’t fool me Y/N.” She looks at you unamused, but pipes up from the floor the second she hears a stranger from behind yell “Is that Sungchan.”

You blink once and she’s gone, mixed in with the other crowds of people. And you take your opportunity to run away, grabbing the first taxi you see and heading back to your apartment.

The steam from your shower follows you from the bathroom into your bedroom when you sit on your bed. Drying your hair with a towel, you take a deep breath. This is great, it’s quiet and calm just the way you like it.

That is until your four roommates come crashing into your room, screaming and squealing over each other and you can't even make out what any of them are saying. The only things you’re able to make out are something about fate and the Sohee guy that Ningning’s been telling you about.

“Wait, one at a time.” You stand and hold your hands out. “Giselle first.” You add

“Who’s turn is it to cook tonight? I’m hungry.” She slurs and then walks out of the room before any of you can answer her question.

“Okay… Winter.” You point to her when she holds her hand up.

“HI.” She holds her hand over her mouth when she giggles.

“Hi, Winter.” Her giggle gets louder when you smile back at her.

“Sohee wants to meet you,” Ningning yells, not giving Karina a chance to speak.

“I’m not interested.” You state, sitting on your bed.

“Come on, please. Just once.” She pleads for the second time of the day.

“No.”

“He could be the one.” Ningning begs even more.

“I don’t think so.”

“He’s cute and sweet and probably even romantic.” She adds

“Then you date him.” You mutter, laying down on the bed and closing your eyes.

“He wants you.” She continues even though you’ve turned your lamp off and shifted comfortably under your bed.

“I don’t want him.”

Other than your bedroom the best place on earth is the library. An endless world of books and possibilities. The best part about it? It’s completely quiet and the librarian always gives you one of her home-baked cookies.

Today the library is completely empty which means it’s even quieter than usual. The only noise is the traffic noise and the thunderstorm happening from outside. Which is even better for you because you know your afternoon reading session is going to be better than ever.

Walking down the romance aisle, dragging your index finger down each of the books until you find the very book you’re looking for. The spectator in the painting: volume 7/9.

You had spent the last four months binging the book after your favorite book blog suggested it. A story about a prince who falls in love with a violinist and risks his life to save her when she gets sentenced to death after treading too deep into the king's chambers.

The series was astonishing, just when you thought you knew what was gonna happen next, Boom! A plot twist.

“There it goes.” You whisper to yourself when you find the book on the top shelf out of place from where it’s supposed to be.

Your heart drops when you hear a somewhat familiar voice. The library is dead silent so when the boy walks in with his green sweatshirt and crossbody bag you immediately break out of your world. Leaning over the bookshelf to see if the voice belongs to who you think it belongs to.

“Good evening, Miss Lynn.” The boy greets happily leaning over the counter. You can tell he visits the library often because of how comfortable he is, smiling and making jokes with the librarian. That doesn’t bother you, but what does is Ms. Lynn passing him one of her home-baked cookies and joking with him about how he shouldn’t tell anyone. just like how she does with you.

You take that as a sign to mind your business, not even wanting to know who the boy is anymore. Except when you think to walk away the librarian points in your direction, guiding the boy to the sci-fi genre of books behind you. What’s even worse is the exact second the boy turns around you see that he’s exactly who you thought it was.

“Fuck.” you mutter under your breath and hide behind the shelf. Holding your book to your chest. You clasp your hand over your mouth. You want to stand there and take in the shock that your body just went through but you know the better option is to get out of there as quickly and quietly as possible without him seeing you. Turning on your heels and walking quickly out of the aisle.

You’re almost there when you hear the boy call out for you.

“Y/n?” You know you should just keep walking away but you can’t. You stop dead in your tracks and slowly turn back to him. He strolls closer to you when he’s sure that he called for the right person.

“How do you know my name?” you question, suddenly every crime documentary comes to mind and your heart is racing. He could be a stalker or maybe a murderer.

“It was on your coffee order.” He answers with his usual smile. except this time it’s a lot more reassuring, no one with such an adorable smile could ever harm you. Right?

After a few seconds of silence, he points to the book you’re holding. “you read this too?”

“No, I was just curious about it. But now that I look at it, it seems uninteresting.” You flip the book around as if you’re examining it.

“I thought people usually started with volume 1.”

“Is this not…” You feign ignorance, flipping the book around to see that it says volume 7 as if that wasn’t the one you intended to read. “Oh I don’t have my glasses, I tho…”

You trail off looking back at the boy. “I don’t have to explain myself to you.” you scold him.

“You don’t.” he agrees while reaching for the book in your hand. “I don't think you’ll like it anyway, the main character is so annoying. she’s always so defensive.”

Your first instinct is to defend the woman, even if she is fictional. “She’s not-“ but then you realize you’ve blindly walked into his trap.

“Whatever, just give me the book.” You mutter, pulling the book from his hand and walking out of the library. Not caring that he fondly watches you stomp through the library doors with the book still in hand.

“Why won’t he leave me alone?” You dramatically yell upon entering your apartment.

“Who?” Giselle pops up first

“he?” Karina comes out second

“No! no one can talk to you right now. You’re already taken.”Ningning runs out grabbing by your arm as if this was gonna protect you from the boy, who’s not even in the room.

“taken?” everyone except Ningning calls out at the same time.

“By Sohee.”

Instead of a verbal response, you just roll your eyes, Ningning was very persistent, you’ll give her that.

“Okay wait, who's the guy that won’t leave you alone?” Winter asks

“The guy from the coffee shop. It’s like he’s following me around, first at the cafe, then at the party, and now at the library.”

“The party?” Giselle questions “Is that why you left early.”

“That and I didn’t really wanna see Karina making out with a bunch of different strangers.” You admit, subtly gesturing to her with your hand.

“Fair” Karina nods

“Is he cute?” Winter questions

“The contrary! ” You somewhat shout. You’re very driven and determined to prove that you’re not into this guy even though you know it’s a lie. “What's even worse is that he won’t leave me alone and he knows my name.”

“like a stalker?” Giselle suggests

“Probably, this is why I hate men.” You throw your hands up

“But you’ll love Sohee,” Ningning adds.

Some days go by when you don’t run into him. five to be exact but it wasn’t like you were counting. You didn’t wanna see him, but it was torture for you to walk into places and constantly look over your shoulder because you thought he might be right behind you.

You’re sitting at the kitchen counter, head propped up by the knuckle of your hand. You’ve been up for hours trying to finish this paper for your biochemistry class, but you’re not making any progress. There were only two coherent lines written on the paper and a bunch of random letters that appeared when you slammed your head on the keyboard of your computer.

“I am so fucked.” You mutter, head still stuck into your laptop.

Your head stays there just a moment. You just needed a small break, nothing serious, just a small moment to reboot your brain and give you maximum creativity and intellect.

Except it wasn’t just a moment, you had slept through your first two alarms. Head popping the second your alarm begins to ring, immediately your eyes go to the time. “No~.” you groan frustratedly. throwing your legs over the chair and running into your bedroom to get dressed.

luckily you had just enough time to get some coffee and this time you brought your card. You made sure of it.

You walk into the cafe and stand behind the six people who are already in line getting ready to place their orders. Humming along to the tune that they have playing lowly from the speakers, you pull out your phone to kill time, going back and forth through your social media. Until it’s your turn to place the order.

“Good morning, what can I get for you today?” You notice the barista is different from the last one and much more welcoming as well.

“I’ll just take a small iced americano.” You say, pulling out your wallet to pay for the coffee.

“And can I get your name for the order?”

“Y/n”

“Okay, I’ll call out your name when the order is ready.”

“Perfect thank you.” You nod and find a table to go wait, Although it doesn't take long for the man to call your name. You stand up almost as soon as you sit down, pick up your iced drink, and head to the door.

Just moments before you reach the door another man walks into the small coffee shop. You can tell that he’s already preoccupied with his phone to notice that you’re on your way out. So you take the initiative to get out of his way. However, it still doesn’t stop him from bumping into your shoulder and knocking your (thankfully, iced) coffee all over your clothes.

“Watch where you’re going.” He’s the first to yell, he doesn’t bother helping you clean up the mess he made, and he doesn’t even apologize.

The asshole just walks right past you.

“Do you want me to kill him?” “Ye-” You almost say “yes.” on instinct but ultimately refuse and turn around to face the boy behind you. Letting your shoulders relax when you meet his soft eyes and familiar smile. “No, it’s fine.” No matter how hard you try you can’t stop the smile that grows on your lips. Hurrying and looking down before he could see it too.

“I’ll go see if I can get a mop.” he walks away too soon to hear you say “okay.” and you stand there waiting for him with a stupid smile on your face as if you weren’t just wishing he’d vanish less than a week ago.

You’re only able to pull yourself out of your trance when he finally comes back with the mop. You reach to pull the mop out of his hand so you can clean it up but he stops you. “I go this, you can just wait over there. I’ll buy you a new coffee.” As if you weren’t slowly falling for him already.

“Okay.” You nod sheepishly, walking to where he guided you.

You weren’t one to get flustered, and especially not by man. But here you were kicking your feet, blushing and giggling all because someone offered to buy you a new coffee.

It takes only 9 minutes for him to walk back to you with a fresh cup of iced americano. “You didn’t have-” “I know.” he cuts you off, pushing the coffee towards you until you accept it. You finally do after a few moments of just staring at it.

“Thanks,” you say last, receiving the cup from his hand and getting ready to walk away. He lets you make it all the way to the door before he calls to get your attention.

“Wait.” When you stop and turn around he jogs towards you and wraps his jacket around you to cover up the coffee stain that you have smudged into your shirt. “Here.”

You don't fight with him this time because you’d rather wear his jacket down the street than a huge coffee stain on the front of your shirt. “Thanks.” is all you say, as you smile at him one last time. Turning and walking out the door not forgetting to sneak a few last-minute glances at him through the window.

The walk towards your school was like straight out of a movie. You’re grinning from ear to ear, giggling to yourself, and dancing along the sidewalk. Not caring for the strangers that were oddly staring at you.

You could say the coffee gave you energy but really it was the owner of the green varsity jacket you were wearing.

Then that’s when it hits you. You stop dead in your tracks realizing that you have no way to return the jacket after today since it isn’t promised that you’ll see him again.

Without thinking much you turn around and run back to the cafe, fingers crossed that he’ll still be there when you get there

You end up back in front of the cafe, panting and puffing but you still shuffle into the small shop and begin frantically searching for the boy.

He was already long gone, the cafe had picked up activity since you’d left but he was nowhere to be seen.

You’d encountered him four different times and even managed to get his jacket, but you still had yet to learn his name. The only thing you knew about him was that he read romance and that he likes coffee, parties, and apparently the color green.

“Whose jacket is that?” Winter asks from your bed, watching you cautiously hang up the varsity jacket in your closet. You hurry and close the door to restrict her view of the overgarment.

“I bought it the other day.” You spur

“Oh please, that is not your style.” Winter teases when you continue folding all the rest of your laundry.

“I just needed something really quick.” You miss when Gisselle goes into the closet behind you and pulls out the jacket.

“This is a man’s jacket.” She calls out, “I can still smell his cologne.”

“A man’s jacket?” Karina and Ningning suddenly appear out of thin air.

Squeezing your eyes shut before shoving your face into the palms of your hands, you wish you could disappear right there and then. There’s no point in even trying to explain yourself. You doubt you’d even get through the story without smiling.

“Y/n honey, we need to talk.” Ningning reaches for your hand.

“talk?” You ask but get ignored by all four of your roommates. Karina and Winter both guide you to sit on your bed for whatever it is that Ningning has to say. She holds your hand as she looks at you to say “You’re forbidden from ever seeing him again.”

You cry “Wha- forbidden. you can’t do this.” You look around to the rest of the girls to defend you but they do absolutely nothing.

“We've already set you up on a date with your soulmate.” Ningning leans in front of you so you can turn your attention back to her.

“soulmate?” You question first but then circle back to the bigger problem. “A date?”

“You’ve led us to do this.”

“How is this my fault? I didn’t ask for this.”

“we’re worried for you, if you don’t start dating now then when?” Winter interjects.

“This is absurd, I don’t need to date.” You argue but it’s of no use because you still end up at the diner where the girls told you the date was gonna take place.

You’re not really dressed for a date, just a simple pair of jeans, some sneakers, and the oversized green varsity jacket that you acquired two days ago.

Wearing another guy's jacket on a date wasn’t ideal but neither was going on a date against your will.

It was by force obviously, you weren’t here because you wanted to be but because you had no other choice. Ningning threatened to burn all of your prized possessions if you spent less than 30 minutes with the man she’s been dying to set you up with.

Quite frankly you were starting to grow curious about this Sohee guy.

“Table 4” You murmur under your breath, it’s not hard at all to find the table. You knew this diner like the back of your hand since it’s the place that you and your roommates used as a hangout spot since your first year of university. However, you begin to question yourself when you see a familiar face sitting at the table where your date’s supposed to be.

“What are you doing here?” You stop and question.

The bow stands up when he notices you approach him “I’m here to see you.”

“You can’t be here, I have a date.”

“With Sohee?” He asks, but it sounds more like a statement to you.

You’ve seen this before. (not from personal experience of course.) You’re getting stood up by a man you’ve never even met. The funniest part is you never wanted to go on this date in the first place. “Did he bail at the last minute?”

“I don’t think we’ve ever gotten a chance to properly introduce ourselves.” The boy speaks,

“If he’s not coming we don’t need to waste our time, I completely understand.” You halfway turn to leave before he blurts “I’m Sohee.” He holds his hand out.

This was a twist you didn’t even see coming. Looking at him with his hand held out towards you, all you can think about is Ningning trying to convince you that you and him were “written in the stars.”

“Oh, you’re Sohee.” You repeat followed by a laugh of embarrassment. “Sorry about that, I thought-” You’re getting ready to explain yourself but decided against it.

“Do you wanna sit down?” Sohee asks, only after watching you stare nervously at the chair in front of you.

“Oh yeah, that’d be smart.”

Awkward is when you take ten minutes staring at the menu because you thought that would be better than staring at the boy in front of you. Taking your time to read the food items, ingredients, and even calories (which you couldn’t care less about.) Especially when you already knew what you were gonna order anyway. The same thing you always order, A burger with a side of fries and a lemonade.

“I’ve never seen you this shy before.” Sohee interrupts your thoughts as he pulls the menu from your hands.

“I’m not shy, I’m just trying to figure out what I wanna eat.” You spit, pulling the menu back so you can finish wasting time. 10 minutes down, 20 more to go.

“I’m guessing you don’t go on lots of dates.” He continues. You wanna yell at him for talking too much while you’re trying to read, but you don’t. You don’t get the chance to, as soon as you open your mouth the waitress comes out with food.

“We haven’t ordered yet.” You look up to the kind waitress.

“I ordered for you, I wasn’t sure what you might’ve wanted so I just got you a burger.” As if on cue the server places a burger right in front of you, with a cup of lemonade to match.

You wanted to hate him, but boy was he making it so hard.

“If you already ordered, why did you let me spend so much time looking at the menu?” You ask when the waitress leaves.

“In case I got something you didn’t like.” He says casually, reaching for his fork.

Either you're just very simple or he’s made to be the love of your life. it could be both.

“You didn’t have to walk me home.” You’re looking at the ground, watching how your footsteps are in sync with his. It’s pretty dark outside so naturally it’s colder, but for some reason, it doesn’t bother you.

“I wanted to.” He says simply, and the look in his eyes tells you that he’s being sincere.

It falls silent again, still awkward but this time it’s a comfortable awkwardness. And now that you kinda got to know him you realize that he’s not nearly as bad as you thought he was. So much for first impressions.

“We’re here.” You stop right in front of your apartment building, standing on your tippy toes and landing back on your heels.

He first takes a glance at the semi-tall building and then back down at you, who's trying to look anywhere else but him.

“Thank you for agreeing to see me tonight.”

“yeah of course.” You nod even though you were completely against the idea.

“I had fun.”

“Me too.” You nod again.

“So I guess I'll just see you around?” You can tell he’s just stalling now.

“I’ll definitely see you around.” you giggle.

“I guess it’s time for you to go now.”

“I guess so.” you agree

“Well, goodnight.”

“goodnight Sohee.” you watch him walk away, but he’s taking his sweet time. dragging his feet along the ground the farther he walks away from you. You almost find it amusing how dramatic he’s being.

As you get ready to walk in and you grab the ends of the jacket you're wearing you realize that this is the perfect opportunity to return it.

“oh, Sohee.” You only have to call out once for him to come running back to you as if he never left.

“yeah?”

“Your jacket.” He stops you when you’re halfway through pulling it off.

“Keep it, it looks good on you.”

“Are you sure?”

“goodnight, Y/n,” He says last, walking away and leaving you with his jacket.

“How’d it go? What happened? Isn’t he cute?” Ningning bombards you with questions when you first step foot through your door.

“he’s tolerable” You kick off your shoes and throw them off to the side. Then you reach to pull your jacket off, sliding it down your shoulders and hanging it up once you reach your bedroom.

“That’s great, it’s an improvement.”

“If you say so.”

“Did he say anything about the jacket? I told you not to wear the jacket.” Ningning mumbles

“I bet he smelled the other man’s cologne.” Giselle snickers as she walks by.

“He said it looks good on me.” The room goes quiet and everyone stares at you...” Ningning watches you, jaw slacked and dilated pupils.

“Y/n has a boyfriend, Y/n has a boyfriend.” It takes them not even ten seconds to form a circle around you and begin dancing like school children on the playground.

Your favorite time of day is when the sun begins to set. When the sky is painted in shades of orange and pink the birds fly over the sky. Your bedroom is flooded with the natural lighting of the sky, matching the mood of the jazz you have playing in your headphones.

For a moment you sit and gaze out of your window, observing the people walking the streets below you, watching the cars drive past and the trees that sway in the direction of the wind. All of these things distract and entertain you, yet they still remind you of the boy you're trying so hard to forget.

You stand up and close the blinds of your apartment. Blocking out all light, your room drifts into complete darkness, with only peaks of light shining through the cracks.

That’s how it stays when you walk into the kitchen with the rest of your roommates.

‘Oh, there she is.” Karina dramatically announces your appearance when you shuffle into the crowded space. Taking a seat on the stool next to her.

“How come you don’t talk to us anymore?” Giselle asks

“You are being dramatic, we talked this morning.”

“You only asked me if I knew what you did with that hideous green jacket.” She scoffs

“It’s not hideous, you just have no taste.” You playfully scold.

“Whose jacket is that anyway?” Winter speaks up, digging in the fridge to pull out the orange juice. Wincing when Ningning slaps her arm for drinking out of the carton instead of grabbing a cup like everyone else.

“Mine.” You answer.

“No but actually?” Giselle asks, just as curious as the rest of the girls who are all watching and waiting for you to answer the question honestly.

“Some guy let me borrow it because I spilled coffee on myself.” You leave out quite a few details but you’re sure what they don’t know won’t hurt them.

“Okay so wait? Some random guy gave you his jacket-” Winter starts but Karina finishes “And you accepted it.”

“I didn’t wanna walk around with coffee stains.” You shrug.

“This is great, this is great. You’ll just go downstairs and explain that to Sohee so he won’t get the wrong idea.” Ningning claps as she gradually gets closer and tugs at your arm. Completely missing how blatantly confused you are.

“Downstairs?”

“Yeah, in his apartment” She never stops tugging at your arm.

“Wait, he lives here?”

“Yeah? Unit 411.” Ningning finally registers just how confused you are. “Didn’t he tell you?”

Instead of answering her question you run out, leaving her and the rest of the girls as puzzled as you were a few moments ago.

Without thinking much you knock on the door, just to see if what Ningning said was true. But after you knock you start growing anxious, suddenly you can hear your heartbeat and your hands are frantically moving at your side.

In the span of 10 seconds, you check the unit number 12 times just to make sure that you have the right one, and you’re not knocking on someone else's door. Soon you start to wonder what would happen if someone else answered the door.

Just when you come to the conclusion to bail, you hear the doorknob turn and the door opens to reveal the boy you expected to see.

Unfortunately, now that you see him, you realize you hadn’t planned after this point. So you just stare at him eyes wide, unsure of what to say or do. You’re just as shocked as he is when he stares back at you with a matching expression.

You clear your throat before you take the initiative to speak first. “Why didn’t you tell me that you lived here too?”

He answers, “I didn’t wanna scare you.”

“Oh… that makes sense.” You nod, looking down at your pajama pants and bunny slippers.

“Do you wanna come in?” He holds the door open for you to accept his invitation but you shake your head and back up.

“No, I can't, I have to~” You struggle to come up with an excuse. “Finish my laundry.” You finish, nodding as if that’s gonna make him believe you.

“Okay, well, I’ll see you around then?”

“I guess it’ll be hard not to.”

You were never too fond of men.

While most people had a tragic backstory that led them to hate the things they hate, you didn’t.

You weren’t crossed by a man in your past resulting in your blatant hatred of the entire species. Sure you’d had unfavorable interactions with quite a few men in your life, but that wasn’t what led you to dislike them.

It took many years of observation for you to come to your conclusion on the male race. However it didn’t take long for you to learn a few things about them.

But the most important thing was, they were all the same.

That’s what you thought for years, every man, boy, guy, or male is the same. Yet, you find that your conclusion might not be entirely accurate.

Looking at Sohee you feel that he’s different from all the guys you’ve ever come across. He isn’t selfish, or obnoxious. He isn’t entirely full of himself.

He’s actually sweet and easy to be around.

Which was good for you because, since you found out that he lived within a few hundred feet from you he began to follow you around like a puppy.

Whether it was walking you to and from class, or even showing up to your apartment with breakfast.

It was off-putting at first,

You mindlessly strolled down the hallway of your apartment building. You weren’t thinking of anything other than the leftovers you were gonna eat when you finally got home.

Sohee however had different plans. The second you turned the corner you noticed him standing at your door with what looked like a bag of takeout.

Your body goes into shock before you can even comprehend what you’re doing. You hide behind the corner.

You think maybe that’ll buy you enough time to figure out what to do next. You take a deep breath before slapping your hand over your mouth.

You take a look at all the options you have. You could either sneak out through the stairs or you could take your chances with the elevator and hope that the girls aren’t on their way home.

“Who are we hiding from?” Sohee suddenly appears right beside you. Causing you to jump in horror, luckily you were able to come up with a lie on the spot.

“I was just… looking for my earring, I think I might've dropped it.” You pretend to look around for a nonexistent piece of jewelry.

“What does it look like? I'll help you find it.” Rather than making him help you look for something that you knew was never going to be found you concocted another lie.

“uh no it’s okay, they were getting old anyways.” You say, pressing your lips into a thin line.

“Oh well, do you wanna have lunch together?” He grins, holding up the brown paper bag in front of your face.

But over time you’d gotten used to it, and maybe even came to kind of like his dog-like personality.

“So you’re a man-hater” Sohee starts, despite knowing that you hated when people talked while you were reading.

He’s not necessarily an exception but you don’t get as mad about it when he does it. You continue reading, but you spare a moment to respond to him.

“I guess you can say that.” Your eyes are still glued to the words of the book.

“But you like me.” He continues, you make the mistake of pulling your gaze away from your novel, meeting the annoying smirk he has on his face.

You open your mouth to speak but he beats you to it. “You do know I'm a man right?”

“Yes, I know you’re a man. I have eyes.”

You watch his grin grow wider before you go back to reading your book. “And I don't like you, I just don’t hate you as much as the others.”

You say, even though you're sitting in his bed, your hair pushed up into a bun and your glasses hanging loosely above your nose. It’s a Saturday night, you could be doing skin care with your girls or binging cartoons on Netflix. But you chose to be here, in his room spending time with him.

To him, that said a lot.

“Woah, so you're in love with me.” Sohee jokes partly.

“How did you come up with that?” You laugh, turning on your side to face him better.

Sohee shrugs, “It’s a talent.” He wasn’t too far off. You often denied it whenever someone brought it up but if you were being honest. you were falling for him, faster and harder than you liked to admit.

The more you resisted, the easier he made it. There wasn’t anything you could do, it was inevitable.

Almost as if it was fate.

You laugh to yourself thinking about it, laying your book down and fully relaxing into the fluffy white pillows he has aligned on his bed.

You’re fighting against sleep, trying your hardest to keep your heavy eyelids open. Taking long blinks until you finally give in and let yourself fall asleep.

Sohee finally comes back with the water you asked him for but you’re already well into your slumber. He’s sure of it because when he gently calls your name all he gets in response is a soft snore.

Rather than waking you up, he pulls your glasses off, closes them, and lays them on the bedside table. He leaves for a brief moment to get you another cover, laying it over top of you and turning the lights off so you can rest peacefully. While he took the couch for the night.

“Where were you?” Ningning scolds. Not even letting you walk all the way in the door before she starts bombarding you with questions

“Do you know how long I stayed up waiting for you? I was worried sick.” She continues to yell at you when you finally squeeze past her and walk into the apartment.

“You went to sleep at nine.” Winter exposes her

“I was worried sick.” Ningning repeats, swinging her index finger around.

“I slept at Sohee’s.” You say almost in a whisper but Karina is somehow able to hear you all the way from her room.

“What?” She runs out, “You slept at a man's house? With a man?”

“Yes, and that’s all we did. So don’t get your expectations too high.” You scold, specifically pointing your finger at Ningning who’s bouncing with joy. You can already tell what she’s thinking before she even says it.

“No, we didn’t sleep in the same bed,”

The rain outside sounds more like a hail storm than anything else. You just wait by the entrance of the school and contemplate if you wanna walk home in this weather.

The sound of the heavy wind isn’t so convincing but the boy waving at you with a bright smile might be enough to sway you.

“What are you doing here?” You ask, mindlessly walking into the rainstorm to meet him face to face.

“I came to walk you home.” He responds, his smile unwavering.

“You shouldn’t have, you’re all wet now and it’s cold you’re gonna get sick.” You’re scolding him but he’s still grinning at you like an idiot.

“I wanted to.” Is all he says locking eyes with you.

The rain could be snow, the sky might be purple but his eyes, you’re sure are brown. A brown that can only be seen with the help of the sun. Now that the sun was nowhere to be found they were so dark it could be categorized as black.

You find them the most mesmerizing at this moment. You’re staring at him and he’s staring back at you. That’s when you take the opportunity to see how his lips feel, closing in the space in between you that not even a drop of rain can fit through.

Isn’t it crazy how love can be found in the strangest of places, who would’ve thought you’d fall head over heels for the weirdo you met in a coffee shop?

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snowmist-hashira · 8 months

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[Chapter title: Late-Night Confidants]

(Special) Yuichiro Tokitou x Reader

Wattpad:(One shots) Tokito Twins x Reader Archive:Kimetsu No Yaiba: Tokitou Twins x Reader Details: ♠ Information ♠ Master list: ♠ Yuichirou Tokitou ♠ Word Count: 2,251

Artist: リン子 [ringo780975]

Link: Twitter

So, this is a special comfort fic~ I hope this can offer solace to anyone facing impending crucial exams, specifically made for you, Xae!~ I can understand the stress you must be under at the moment. Just remember not to overwhelm yourself, okay? Also, Slay~ I hope you don't overwork yourself with the juggling of work and studies; Take a breather guys! We're proud of your dedicated efforts! Tags: @aeolia18 / @demonslayeranimex/ @thornrosekaori / @xaeoism / @cascadingleaves / @mistymxxn (Scheduled)

The streets, once crowded with people and the sounds of footsteps, car engines, and distant conversations, were now draped in a serene quietness. The night breeze rustled through the leaves of trees and carried with it a sense of calmness that seemed to spread across the city. Under the silvery moonlight, the architecture of the buildings took on a different character. Shadows stretched long and mysterious, casting intricate patterns across the pavement.

It could have been an ideal opportunity for relaxation and maybe even stargazing, but regrettably, due to Y/n's busy schedule, there was no room for a break.

Y/n sighed as she glanced at the clock on the wall. The gentle tick-tock seemed to echo the passing of time, a constant reminder of the pressing deadline that loomed over her. The tranquil night outside contrasted sharply with the tension that hung in the air within her room. The moonlight, which would have been an invitation to relaxation for anyone else, cast its glow on her face as she poured over the pages of her textbooks.

The opened books and scattered papers before her were a representation of the weight of her responsibilities. Each chapter, each equation, represented a step toward her goals, but they also seemed to magnify the enormity of the challenge ahead. Her pen move, jotting down notes and underlining key concepts, her mind focused on the task at hand.

Her focus began to waver as the hours stretched on, causing her eyes to be weary. It had already been late at night, after all. The once-clear text on the pages now seemed to blur together, and her thoughts began to drift.

The clock's hands seemed to move at an agonizingly slow pace, each tick a reminder that time was slipping away. She knew that on any other night, she would have long retired to her bed, seeking the solace of sleep, but tonight was different. The weight of her impending examination hung over her like a shadow. There were formulas to remember, theories to internalize, and concepts to grasp.

Rubbing her tired eyes, she struggled to stay awake. Eventually, she reached for her bag, rummaging through its contents to locate her phone and earphones. She thought that listening to music might help keep her energized while studying.

She finally found her phone and earphones, plugging in the earphones and opened her music app. The familiar interface greeted her, and she scrolled through her playlists, trying to find the perfect mix of music that would help her stay awake and focused during her late-night study session.

As the clock struck midnight, Y/n remained deeply engrossed in her studies. The music playing through her earphones had been a steadfast companion, pushing away the fatigue and helping her maintain her focus. Her eyes scanned the pages of her textbooks, her pen moving steadily as she jotted down notes and solved problems. The gentle glow of her desk lamp cast a warm light on her determined face, illuminating her dedication in the midst of the night.

Unbeknownst to her, another presence had entered her room. A figure, soft and silent, moved in the shadows. With cautious steps, he approached her side, his intention to get her attention and break the barrier of concentration that the music had inadvertently created.

The figure's eyes, filled with warmth and a touch of amusement, remained fixed on Y/n's profile as he observed her immersed in her studies, with a careful and deliberate motion, he reached out and gently plucked one of the earphones from her ear. The action was slow and deliberate, aiming not to startle her too much.

However, even with his cautious approach, Y/n's body reacted instinctively to the sudden change. She flinched and turned around, her eyes wide with momentary panic.

He watched her reaction with a small empathetic smile, his expression apologetic. His eyes met hers, and he saw her initial surprise give way to recognition. Y/n's tense posture relaxed as she realized who had interrupted her late-night study session.

"Oh… Yui," she exhaled in a mixture of surprise and relief. "You scared me for a moment."

Yuichiro's smile remained as he spoke, his words carrying a genuine concern. "Sorry about that. I didn't mean to startle you." His voice was soothing, a balm to the fleeting moment of panic that had passed between them.

Being together in the same household had become a routine for the two of them. They cherished each other's company, even though their relationship was officially categorized as 'friends'.

Yuichiro leaned slightly, his gaze drifting towards her desk where her books and papers were spread out, his expression softening with admiration. “You’ve been studying a lot, have you eaten yet?”

“Ah…” Y/n's gaze remained fixed on her papers, a mixture of guilt and exhaustion in her eyes. “No, I haven’t. I didn’t have an appetite.”

She felt a weight on her shoulders, not just from the challenging material she was studying, but also from the emotional toll the upcoming examination was taking on her. Her dedication was unquestionable, but the toll it was taking on her well-being was beginning to show.

Yuichiro observed Y/n his gaze soft but perceptive, he recognized the worry and anxiety that lingered in her expressions, the weight of the upcoming examination evident even as she tried to take a break. He understood that pushing her to eat more than she was comfortable with wouldn't be helpful; her well-being was paramount.

Yuichiro then pulled a chair, sitting beside Y/n, his presence was a reassuring constant, a reminder that he was there for her. As his finger pointed to a particular formula on her paper, Y/n's attention shifted from her thoughts to his words.

“There’s a much shorter and simpler formula for this one…” He began explaining the concept of an alternative formula to tackle the problem. His explanations were clear and concise, showing not just his knowledge but also his genuine desire to help her understand. His pen moved swiftly across the paper, illustrating the steps involved in the new approach.

Y/n watched, absorbing his explanations with a mix of surprise and gratitude. She hadn't expected him to delve into the material and offer help, especially in the middle of the night.

In the following days, Yuichiro's presence became a constant in Y/n's study routine. Despite having his own examinations and responsibilities, he made the effort to lend her a helping hand whenever she needed it. Whether it was in the school library, at her house, or any quiet corner they could find, he was there with a willingness to assist.

In the hushed ambiance of the library, Y/n and Yuichiro sat side by side once again, their focus intent on the open textbooks and papers before them. The soft glow of the reading lamps illuminated them, casting a serene light on their shared endeavor.

Yuichiro's finger traced over a complex formula in one of the textbooks, his voice steady as he explained its derivation and application. Y/n followed his explanations attentively, her pen poised to take notes.

"Got it. So, if I substitute that value into the equation, it simplifies to this?" She confirmed, absorbing the knowledge he had shared.

Yuichiro softly smiled, his eyes lighting up with approval. "Exactly. See, it's all about understanding the underlying principles. Once you grasp those, everything falls into place."

Yuichiro's gaze remained fixed on Y/n as she delved into her studies, her brows furrowed slightly and her lips moved silently, mouthing the words she was reading. The soft glow of the reading lamp cast a warm light on her profile, highlighting the intent expression that graced her features.

He watched her with a mixture of admiration and fondness, his gaze unwavering. To him, she was a picture of dedication, finding himself captivated by the scene before him. The way her fingers turned the pages, the subtle shifts of her expressions as she absorbed the material—it all painted a picture of someone fully engaged in the pursuit of knowledge.

Y/n then felt his stares fixated upon her; she turned her head with her eyes meeting Yuichiro's gaze. The soft, questioning tilt of her head was mirrored in her expression, curiosity and a touch of amusement dancing in her eyes.

Caught in the act of observing her, Yuichiro's heart skipped a beat, momentarily taken aback. Yet, he found himself captivated by the way she looked at him, her gaze open and inquisitive. The way her hair fell to the side, framing her face like a delicate halo, only added to her aura.

Before he knew it, his hand moved of its own accord, fingers gently tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. His touch was gentle, his eyes searching hers as if seeking an answer to a question he hadn't even fully formed.

Y/n's widened eyes reflected her surprise at the unexpected touch, her heartbeat quickening in response. It was a moment that had caught her off guard, a small yet intimate gesture that had left its mark on the air between them. She blinked, curiosity dancing in her gaze as she met Yuichiro's momentarily averted eyes.

But as quickly as the moment had begun, it seemed to dissolve. Yuichiro's hasty retreat and the soft blush that adorned his cheeks were enough to convey his own realization of the situation. His attempt to make an excuse only added to the sense of gentle awkwardness that hung in the air.

"T-There was a dust on your hair…" he stammered.

Y/n's surprise transformed into a soft chuckle, her laughter carrying a touch of warmth. She reached up to lightly touch her hair, going along with his excuse, her smile directed at him. "Well, thank you for your timely intervention, then."

‘Maybe… Just maybe, she feels the same.’ He wanted to clarify things, but disrupting their focus was the last thing he wanted to do; he decided to wait for the right moment.

As the days turned into weeks, the anticipation for the scheduled examination reached its peak. The journey of preparation and late-night study sessions had led Y/n to this pivotal moment. Her heart, a mix of nervousness and determination, beat rapidly in her chest.

She felt her anxiety and nervousness began to creep back in. The reality of the importance of the examination and the potential consequences of its outcome loomed over her. The moments of doubt she had experienced before resurfaced with a vengeance.

What if she had made mistakes in her answers? What if she had misinterpreted the questions? What if, despite her best efforts, she still fell short of her own expectations? Such thoughts spiraled in her mind, igniting a sense of panic that she struggled to suppress.

Y/n found herself battling against her own insecurities, the fear of failure and the unknown casting shadows over her confidence. The more she tried to push the thoughts away, the more they seemed to cling to her, making her heart race and her palms feel clammy.

Y/n had been so consumed by her own thoughts and anxiety that she hadn't noticed his approach. Yuichiro grabbed her hand, his warmth wrapped around hers, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

Startled by the contact, she turned her gaze towards him, her eyes wide with surprise. The fear of failing that had been etched in her expression was met with his gentle presence, his understanding gaze cutting through the turmoil in her mind.

He then cupped her cheek, his fingers were gentle against her skin, a gesture of his unwavering support. His gaze held hers, his eyes reflecting a mixture of empathy and encouragement.

"You've got this," he said softly, his voice carrying a depth of sincerity. "I've seen how hard you've worked, how much you've learned. You've put in the effort, and you're more capable than you realize."

Y/n nodded slowly; her brows still furrowed with lingering doubts. Despite Yuichiro's words of encouragement and the reassurance he had provided, the hesitation in her expression was palpable. The fear of failure and the weight of her own expectations seemed to hold her in their grip.

Seeing her lingering uncertainty, Yuichiro's touch on her cheek became a soothing caress. His fingers were gentle against her skin, his touch a physical manifestation of the support he was offering.

As Y/n absorbed the encouragement and support Yuichiro had given her, she was taken by surprise when his touch on her cheek shifted. His hand moved to the back of her head; his fingers gentle as they guided her into a close proximity. Before she knew it, her head was resting on his shoulder, a position that felt both intimate and comforting.

The warmth of his embrace enveloped her, and she could feel the steady rhythm of his heartbeat against her cheek and then, as if sealing their connection with a soft touch, Yuichiro's lips brushed against the top of her head in a tender kiss. The gentle press of his lips was like a whispered promise, a reminder that he was there to support her.

His lips remained gently pressed against the top of her head, his warm breath washed over her, carrying his sincerity and support. The words he spoke were like a soothing balm, a reassurance that went beyond the examination and its outcome.

"No matter what the outcome of your examinations..." His voice was a soft murmur, his words a promise that hung in the air like a comforting melody. "Know that I'm always proud of you."

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gimmethatagustd · 1 year

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cosmic collision (1) | myg + jjk

A responsible weedman, Yoongi always tests out new marijuana strains before selling them to his customers. When his supplier offers him a new strain, Cosmic Collision, Yoongi is eager to try it. What he doesn't expect is the alien that comes with it.

↳ pairing: weedman!yoongi x alien!jungkook

↳ wc/date: 6.8k | april 2023

↳ warnings: marijuana | yoongi blacks out from being too high, but i promise nothing bad happens to him | jungkook is so precious you might not survive | yoongi is TRYING HIS BEST

↳ notes: welcome to this silly lil world of galactic mysteries 👽 i hope you enjoy the journey. pls keep your arms, hands, legs, feet, and head inside the spacecraft at all times

↳ main masterlist // series masterlist

↳ what was jai listening to? know yourself - drake

✨ complete this form to be added to the taglist ✨

“What’s this one called again?” As Namjoon speaks, a thick cloud of white smoke rushes out of his mouth.

Hoseok is quick with a response, answering before Yoongi has a chance. “DJ Short Flo,” he reads the piece of masking tape stuck to the top of the glass jar on their coffee table. The name is scribbled in blue Sharpie.

Namjoon repeats the name to himself in a low and scratchy tone. He clears his throat a few times more than is really necessary. “What the fuck’s that supposed to mean?”

Yoongi’s not sure the names of marijuana strains really need to mean anything, but he’s not part of the conversation. He’s too busy counting a rather fat wad of cash as he stands in the entryway of his apartment.

Suddenly, the chill vibes playlist Namjoon so artfully crafted for the group’s weekly Friday night smoke sesh pauses. He flashes a glare at Taehyung spread out on Yoongi’s bean bag as he passes the blunt off to Hoseok, who is now making grabby hands next to him on the couch.

“This is that nasty flow!” Taehyung belts the Drake lyrics prematurely, using his phone to switch from Namjoon’s playlist to the song that has seemingly popped into his head at the mention of Flo.

Hoseok’s eyes widen as he lifts the blunt to his lips. He takes a drag from it while his head leans over the back of the couch. “Hey, wasn’t that Yoongi’s rapper name in college? Or was it DJ Short Glow?”

“Top boy in this shit, I’m so international!”

Yoongi slams his foot into his dirty red Vans. He has to bend over slightly to hook his finger in the back of the shoe to pull it out from underneath his heel. Life would be much easier if he just untied his shoes and put them on correctly.

“It was Gloss.”

“Reps up is in here, got P Reign and Chubby and TJ and Winnie and whoa!” Taehyung’s voice cracks as he chokes out the lyrics, and smoke simultaneously puffs out of his nose and mouth.

“DJ Short Gloss?” Hoseok asks.

“Yeah, and you know how that should go!”

“Man, shut the fuck up.” Yoongi throws his middle finger up at whoever may be looking. “I’m not even short.” With his shoes on, Yoongi shrugs into a light windbreaker and stuffs the money into one of the pockets. He has to wiggle the pocket’s zipper a few times before it fully zips closed. “I’ma be back in probably two hours, okay?”

Hoseok and Taehyung are now belting an Ariana Grande song, so only Namjoon acknowledges Yoongi’s announcement. He throws his friend a thumbs up as smoke unfurls around the blunt squeezed between his lips.

“Have fun, bro. Tell Jin he better respond to my message on Discord. We got games to play.”

Yoongi gives the front door a sharp kick before he yanks it open. He reminds himself to figure out how to fix it from getting stuck constantly. The paint on the bottom corner is starting to crack from the number of toes that have jammed into it.

“Yeah, yeah. I got you, Joon.”

Seokjin is notoriously difficult to get ahold of. Yoongi can’t text him, which is understandable, even if using other apps like Discord to communicate is annoying. It always goes back to not wanting his real phone number associated with their conversations. Yoongi never feels like pointing out that a Discord account - like literally everything else - can be traced back to Seokjin’s phone. It’s a losing battle, and Yoongi isn’t the type to argue.

So he shoots WWHandsome#7451 a quick “omw” and drives the thirty minutes to Seokjin’s brother’s house. Or was it his cousin? Best friend? Yoongi can’t remember. All he knows is the guy is cute, and that is enough to make Yoongi not want to go to his house.

It’s a small house tucked away in the culs-de-sac of a modest but nice-looking suburb. Yoongi always feels dirty as he parks on the curb in his 2001 Honda Accord. The car has wires sticking out where the spoiler was once connected in the back (accidentally ripped off by Taehyung, who closed the trunk too hard). The metal below his front left headlight is dented and stitched together with black zip ties after Yoongi idiotically let Namjoon drive and his friend hit a mailbox.

The feeling of being out of place typically intensifies as Yoongi trudges up the walkway to the front door. He feels frumpy in his dad hat with a frayed bill, eccentrically-patterned pink button-up shirt over a white graphic tee, and forest-green joggers. He never cared about fashion; throwing on whatever’s clean is enough for him. But when Seokjin’s friend (Yoongi is now remembering they are just friends) flings the door open and lets his eyes roam over Yoongi’s frame, he wishes he’d at least ironed his shirt.

“Hello,” the man purs. He brushes blue-grey hair away from eyes that are sharp and heavy as he looks up at Yoongi through his bangs. Yoongi tries not to pay attention. “Jinnie’s in the basement.”

The basement is really just one giant gaming room with a spot off to the side dedicated to Seokjin’s rather impressive inventory of marijuana. He’s exceptionally organized, which Yoongi appreciates, with each glass jar and drawer stuffed with green buds neatly labeled. It makes the exchange quick and easy. Yoongi would prefer not to linger.

It’s not that Seokjin has ever done anything wrong. In all honesty, Yoongi can’t quite put a name to the feeling he gets in the elder’s presence. He just knows something about Seokjin makes him uneasy.

“Yoongi-ya, good to see you, my friend.” Seokjin’s hand clamps over Yoongi’s shoulder and his fingers dig into his clavicle.

“Good seeing you, too,” Yoongi mumbles. He shrugs off his backpack and holds it against his chest like a shield. However, it doesn’t protect him for long because Seokjin almost immediately pries it from Yoongi’s grasp. He watches as the older man tosses the empty bag onto the coffee table in front of a large TV, making the glass rattle.

“Sit.”

Yoongi plops onto the couch. Halo Infinite is paused on the TV. He knows nothing about video games, but he’s sure Namjoon would squeal over Seokjin’s setup. Yoongi makes a note to never tell him about it.

“Want your usual, right?” Seokjin asks though he’s obviously not in any rush to get Yoongi his supply when he settles beside him on the couch. He tilts his black bucket hat back, pulling the brim away from his eyes to expose dark eyebrows.

Seokjin wears clothes similar to Yoongi’s usual attire: comfortable graphic tees and joggers. He always manages to look better, though. Sleek and expensive, with logos of brands Yoongi doesn’t even know stitched into the fabric, all monochrome rather than the patterned clothing that makes Yoongi look like a rainbow threw up on him.

“Mhm,” Yoongi hums. “Chem Valley Kush, XJ-13, and DJ Short Flo sold really well.”

Seokjin’s eyes crinkle as he grins. In the dim lighting of the room, Yoongi swears his teeth look sharp. “XJ-13 put your ass in gear, didn’t it?”

This Yoongi has to smile at. “The most productive I’ve been in my life,” he laughs. “That tangerine aroma, too? Fuckin’ beautiful.”

Seokjin reaches for the clear glass bong atop the coffee table. He brings it to his lips, pausing momentarily to say, “It’s the Jack Herer in it.”

Yoongi watches the smoke furl through the intricately curled tubing. He’s always been more of a bowl kind of guy, but he doesn’t say no when Seokjin passes him the bong and a lime green lighter.

“I’ve got enough of all three, but try out this one.” Seokjin watches expectantly as Yoongi inhales and doesn’t continue talking until he blows a thick cloud toward the ceiling. “It’s called Cosmic Collision. Totally brand new strain, an experimental hybrid. Nobody’s got this on the street except me.”

“Cosmic Collision?” Yoongi runs his tongue across his teeth, then the inside of his cheeks, like he’s gathering the taste in his mouth. It’s fruity and went down so smooth it almost felt more like vaping or hookah than weed. “Tastes like cereal.”

“Good, right? Shit’ll take you somewhere otherworldly.”

Describing the strain as experimental and otherworldly is relatively accurate, Yoongi muses as he takes a few more hits from the bong. Each pull is smooth and surprisingly kind to his throat as he breathes it down. Weed like this is hard to come by on the streets. Most are harsh, perhaps from being doused in pesticides or growing in shoddy environments. Seokjin has never let Yoongi down, though. Everything he provides is always high quality, to the extent that Yoongi wonders if the man grows it himself or if he’s got the hookup with someone professional.

Before long, Yoongi sinks into the couch and forgets his promise of returning home after two hours. His phone buzzes in his pocket with text messages he can’t seem to find the desire to check. He doesn’t hear the notifications, only feels the vibration against his thigh. The sensation warms him to the point that the way his body tingles is a little embarrassing.

Something else buzzes in his ear, something he can hear as a muffled squeak that pulses against his eardrums. It’s rather annoying. Yoongi’s face twists into a slight grimace that quickly melts away when he feels something poke his cheek.

“Yoongi-ya!”

His head is almost too heavy to turn, but he manages. Seokjin’s image is blurry initially. It takes a few blinks for Yoongi to adjust, and only then does he realize his eyes have been closed for a good while.

“Hm?” Like his head, his tongue feels heavy to lift. His mouth tastes like Froot Loops. A small smile stretches his lips against his teeth. God, he’s so fucking high.

“Jimin and I need to leave; I’m sorry,” Seokjin gives him a sheepish look.

Yoongi blinks a few more times and wills his arms to lift up. He stretches his back with a groan. “Shit, sorry. Didn’t realize how long it’s been.”

His phone tells him it’s been nearly four hours since he arrived. His brain struggles to comprehend this new information, just like it struggles to accept that he has somehow migrated upstairs and is now sitting at the kitchen table with a glass of water in front of him. When the fuck had he moved?

Seokjin gives him a knowing smile. “Drink more water when you get home. And drive safely!”

Nodding his head, Yoongi slings his backpack over his shoulder and follows Seokjin to the front door. The bag is heavy with what Yoongi assumes is weed - the whole reason why he came to the house in the first place. But he has no recollection of Seokjin giving it to him.

“That’s some strong shit,” Yoongi mumbles mostly to himself as he says his final goodbyes.

There’s the knowing smile again, though Yoongi doesn’t know what Seokjin knows that he doesn’t know. “Like I said, otherworldly. Have a good night, my friend. I’ll see you around.”

As he returns to his car, Yoongi decides that Seokjin most definitely gives him the creeps. A twinge of guilt accompanies the thought because Yoongi knows Seokjin hasn’t actually done anything to deserve such judgment, but he can’t help it. Knowing that he completely blacked out for hours with the guy sends a shiver down Yoongi’s spine. Smoking has never affected him like that before.

The car ride home is frigid and quiet. Yoongi leans forward against the steering wheel, grasping it with both hands and straining his eyes to see into the dark. Driving while high is a skill Yoongi has perfected over many years of smoking, but tonight he finds himself struggling to stay focused. His eyes keep flicking up to check the rearview mirror. He knows this means he’s so high that paranoia starts kicking in. He usually cuts himself off before that point, but tonight got away from him. Checking for cops in the rearview mirror is one of those paranoid habits of his. At least the sense of self-preservation isn’t too ridiculous. Driving while under the influence of marijuana is illegal, after all.

To his horror, the next time he looks into the mirror, the empty street isn’t what greets him. Instead, Yoongi stares into two large, bright eyes.

There’s a motherfucking person in his backseat.

“What the fuck?!”

Yoongi stomps on the brakes. The abruptness violently lurches the guy forward, making him smack his face into the back of the passenger’s seat.

The guy groans loudly and cups his hand over his nose. “Owww.” When he meets Yoongi’s eyes through the rearview mirror again, they’re shiny and wet. “You hurt me.”

“Who the fuck are you?!”

It doesn’t matter that he’s stopped in the middle of the street. Yoongi puts the car into park and twists in his seat to see the person behind him better. Any feeling of intoxication has swiftly left his body. He doesn’t think he has sobered up so quickly in his entire life.

The guy appears to be a few years younger than Yoongi. His shaggy black hair falls into his eyes, though most of his face is obscured by the large hood of his mossy-green sweatshirt. Looking down, Yoongi sees that he’s in a pair of black basketball shorts that are inappropriate for the cool autumn weather. Tattoos of strange symbols litter his hands and creep up his arms, from what Yoongi can tell. The thought that his teeth look sharp like Seokjin’s do flashes in Yoongi’s mind, but he’s too freaked out to linger on that. Imagined sharp teeth are nothing compared to how the younger man’s eyes glow with a turquoise ring around his black irises.

Despite the fear those eyes strike in Yoongi’s body, he can’t help but admire how beautiful the man is. Something about him feels… otherworldly, Seokjin’s voice sounds in Yoongi’s head.

“My name is-”

Whatever the man says is lost to Yoongi. His supposed name is nothing Yoongi has ever heard before, sounding more like strange clicks and whistles instead of a real language.

Apparently sensing Yoongi’s confusion by his mouth hanging open, the man gives him a nervous smile. “You may call me Jungkook if that is easier for you to pronounce,” he whispers hardly loud enough for Yoongi to hear. “When I am in this realm, that is the name I go by. Elder Seokjin gave it to me.”

Realm? Elder?

Yoongi shakes his head while his palms press into his eyes. Maybe if he slowly counts backward from ten and focuses on his breathing, the marijuana-induced hallucination will disappear.

Silently, he mouths the numbers until he finishes his ten seconds of attempted meditation. To his chagrin, he opens his eyes to see the strange man sitting on the edge of the backseat with his hands clasped between his thighs. He watches Yoongi in earnest.

“I can tell that you are upset.” He speaks slowly as if he thinks Yoongi may not be able to understand him. “There was nothing else that I could do, sir. Elder Jimin and Elder Seokjin closed the portal when they left after they assumed I had returned home without them. But I was in the garden! I do not like the smell of marijuana. It hurts my head so badly. I needed to get fresh air until you left.”

The man waits rather impatiently for Yoongi to respond. He fidgets in his seat, though he keeps his eyes locked with Yoongi’s. His gaze is so intense that Yoongi has to look away.

It’s too much.

Before any more bullshit can spew from the guy’s mouth, Yoongi flings the door open, snatching the keys before slamming the door shut behind him. His hand shakes as he presses the button to lock the doors, leaving him standing outside and the younger man inside.

He looks up at Yoongi through the back window with confusion. Yoongi could swear that the turquoise rings around his eyes dim.

Turning his back to the car so he doesn’t have to look at the man anymore, Yoongi finally takes out his phone. It takes Namjoon three calls to pick up, but Yoongi can’t be mad; he’s just grateful his friend picked up at all.

“Yoong. It’s three-thirty in the morning. Hobi said you never came home.”

There was a reason why he called Namjoon instead of his roommate. Hoseok is such a heavy sleeper, Yoongi knows it would have been pointless to try.

“I need you to come get me. I don’t really know where I am, but there’s a guy in my car.”

Silence on the other end of the line makes Yoongi grow antsy. He lets out a loud huff, then another to indicate the sense of urgency he needs his friend to share with him.

“What?”

“I’m not kidding, man. There’s some random fucking dude in the backseat of my car.”

Yoongi takes a peek over his shoulder. The guy has crawled halfway into the front seats and is pushing the buttons on Yoongi’s radio. Probably fucking up all his saved stations. Yoongi lets out a hiss.

“Bro, you’re tweaking.”

“Fuck you, I’m serious.”

“Tweeeeeaking,” Namjoon drawls. There’s a giggle in the background, the soft deepness of the sound unmistakable.

“Give Taehyung the phone.”

For a few seconds, Yoongi only hears more giggling and some rustling. He tries to respect his friends’ privacy and not ask why they are still together so late at night.

Eventually, Taehyung murmurs a greeting. “Hey, boss man.”

“Come pick me up right now. This dude is refusing to get out of my car.”

“What if he hotwires it, and when you go back in the morning, it’s gone?” Taehyung raises a valid concern, but Yoongi isn’t in the right mind to think with common sense.

“Then it’s fucking gone! It’s a piece of shit car anyway!”

Taehyung gasps. “Don’t talk about Mary Jane like that!”

Yoongi pinches the bridge of his nose and squeezes his eyes shut. Maybe he is tweaking. The universe must agree since he turns around to see an empty car.

“Yoongi?” Taehyung’s voice is small and distant.

Yoongi holds his phone a few inches away from his ear and stares at his car in disbelief. He slowly approaches it, peering into the windows to inspect the backseat. There’s nothing.

“Uhh… nevermind. I’ll be fine. Make sure Joon drinks some water, okay?” He hangs up before Taehyung has the chance to question him further.

With trembling hands, Yoongi unlocks the car and slides behind the wheel. Another quick look around confirms that he’s again the only person in the car. How was it possible for the other guy to get out? Yoongi knows that he locked the doors when he got out. But perhaps he unlocked them from the inside, and the alarm didn’t go off? Yoongi can’t think straight, but he supposes it doesn’t matter. His car is empty.

It remains empty for the rest of the drive. Yoongi is on edge the entire time, but he has calmed down considerably by the time he parks on the street near his apartment.

However, Yoongi doesn’t feel true security until he’s in bed, after showering away the smell of weed and the tingling feeling of his skin. The marijuana is put away, although he hides Cosmic Collision in his closet. He doesn’t know why, but something tells him to keep the odd strain to himself for now.

With how droopy the weed made him and the stress of the ride home, Yoongi quickly falls asleep to his Pink Noise playlist and tries not to dream of turquoise-ringed eyes.

Yoongi loves autumn Saturday mornings. He loves snuggling into his blankets while the sun gently kisses his skin. He loves tilting his head to see red and gold leaves glowing in the sunlight outside his window. He loves knowing there’s nothing that needs to be done, that he has a day to slowly move through the kitchen in his pajamas with a cup of coffee and a blunt with nowhere he needs to be. He loves gentle days.

Today, he does not have the pleasure of enjoying a gentle day.

Rather than the sun waking him, it’s his roommate. Hoseok squeezes Yoongi’s shoulders a bit too tightly as he shakes the older man awake.

“Yoongi,” he whisper-yells. “Yoongi, you didn’t tell me you had someone over. He’s really fucking hot, I get it, but you have to tell me! I just walked out of my bedroom naked, which I should be able to do since it’s my apartment, and I knew you wouldn’t be up yet, and surprise! Some gorgeous man is sitting on the couch, eating my chocolate chip cookies, by the way, staring at my dick! Do you know how embarrassing that is?!”

With squinted eyes and a scrunched nose, Yoongi stares up at Hoseok. To be perfectly honest, all he heard was hot, naked, cookies, dick. Which… Is not what one expects to talk about before their eyes have even adjusted to the daylight.

“Wha-what, Hoba, what?” Yoongi forces himself into a sitting position.

Hoseok flaps his arms at his side and lets out an exasperated sigh. “Your hookup is still here. And he saw me naked. And he’s eating my food. That is what I’m trying to tell you.”

“My hookup?”

“Yes, fuck. He’s really sexy in an adorable kind of way. I was shocked. Not really your usual type, but an improvement, honestly,” Hoseok rambles.

Ignoring the subtle dig at his taste in men, Yoongi tries to focus on the meaning behind his roommate’s words. He is no stranger to casual sex but seldom brings people over out of respect for Hoseok. It’s a situation precisely like this that he tries to avoid.

“But I came home straight from Jin’s… Didn’t I?” Yoongi wracks his brain, desperately searching for some kind of missing link. “I swear on my life, Hoba. I swear on my life I went to Seokjin’s and came straight home. You can ask Joon and Tae. I called them after I left because-”

Hoseok leaps back as Yoongi rips the blankets off of his body. “Fuck!” He flies out of his bedroom, feet barely touching the ground.

He’s breathing hard when he bursts into the living room.

The man from the night before - Jungkook - is cuddled up on the couch. He’s wearing the same outfit, though his hood is lowered now. Yoongi can see just how disarmingly beautiful the man is without the fabric obstructing his view. His face is round with flawless skin that practically glows in the daylight. His bangs are sticking out in all directions, hair mused in what Yoongi assumes is bedhead. Yoongi can’t help but find him kind of adorable, especially when his cheeks are puffy from stuffing so many chocolate chip cookies in his mouth.

Except he shouldn’t be fucking real! Or in his apartment!

As Yoongi steps closer, he notices the turquoise rings around Jungkook’s irises. Fear that Yoongi can only describe as primal tickles the base of his spine. It’s impossible to stamp down, no matter how many deep breaths he takes.

“You.” He points an accusatory finger. “You.”

Not his most intelligent moment, but his brain doesn’t know how to function anymore. A cookie-covered smile makes Yoongi falter, but he does his best to maintain a stern expression.

“Good morning, Yoongi! Your apartment is kind of dirty, but it feels cozy. I like it.” Jungkook places the now empty container of cookies on the coffee table. The action draws Yoongi’s attention to the stack of other empty food containers, beer bottles, weed residue, and game controllers littering the table’s surface. Maybe he is dirty.

Nah, fuck that. This is not what’s important right now.

Yoongi shakes his head, his shaggy blonde hair falling into his eyes. “Why are you here? How did you get here?”

Hoseok makes an odd sound that Yoongi desperately tries to ignore. But then he feels the press of a warm hand against the nape of his neck, and he can’t brush him off from how tightly Hoseok is digging into his skin.

“Yoongi…” He sounds like he’s about to scold him.

Before he can start, Jungkook hops up from the couch. Both strangely-tattooed hands lift upward, about chest-high, and he twists them to hold his palms out.

“It is my fault, Mr. Hoseok.”

“Just Hobi.”

Jungkook nods. “I did not explain the situation well. Elder Jimin and Elder Seokjin told me never to speak to humans about this, but I don’t know what else to do. No one else from our team is here, and they must wait until the next cosmic collision for the portal to reopen.”

His voice trembles as he speaks, and Yoongi worries the guy is about to start crying. He tugs at the many hoops adorning his earlobe and rocks on the balls of his feet, much like children do to comfort themselves.

Maybe he’s a dick, but Yoongi would prefer not to deal with a stranger crying in the middle of his living room.

“Cosmic collision? Like the weed?” He understands all the individual words Jungkook uses, but none of them in how he has strung them together.

The man bites his lip. His teeth wiggle as they dig into the pink flesh. At night they had appeared sharp, but in the daylight, they are blunt and almost too big for his face.

“Not the weed,” he says without further explanation.

Hoseok’s grip on Yoongi’s neck tightens until he turns to look at him. Human? He mouths not so subtly.

Yoongi shakes his head. Nothing about any of this makes sense. With a sigh, he runs his hands down his face and grimaces at how oily his skin feels.

“Look,” he starts, furrowing his eyebrows in Jungkook’s direction. “I’m gonna take a shower. And then I’m gonna drink a cup of coffee. By that point, I expect you to have called Jin or Jimin, fuck, I don’t care who, to take you home. Okay?”

Jungkook opens his mouth, likely to protest, but Yoongi tuts his tongue against the roof of his mouth. “Nope. I said what I said.”

“Yoongi-ya,” Hoseok protests on behalf of the bewildered man. He follows Yoongi back into his bedroom, awkwardly wringing his hands as he watches him look for clean clothes to wear. “He seems genuine…”

“Genuine?” Yoongi scoffs.

Hoseok shoots him a glare. “Yes.”

“Did you not hear him, Hoba? Humans? Cosmic collisions? Portals? Last night he said he goes by ‘Jungkook’ when he’s in this realm and made some weird ass clicking sounds like The Predator, like that was supposed to be his fucking name.”

“Okay… that is a bit strange… But I think you’re being harsh. Clearly, the guy is confused, and if he’s a friend of Jin, I think you should be nicer to him.”

“Jin gives me the creeps, too.”

“Yoongi!” Hoseok untangles his fingers to wave them around. “Just, just take your shower. I will get all of us coffee, and we will sort this out.”

They do not sort this out.

While Yoongi showered, Hoseok probed Jungkook a bit further. It was all more or less the same, though. Utter nonsense.

He discovered that Jungkook didn’t know what coffee was, didn’t seem to understand why Hoseok had initially been upset that he’d seen him naked because “nudity is the natural state of all humans,” and seemed shocked that Hoseok could “alter” his features - pointing at the deep orange he had recently dyed his hair. As if to explain his thought process about the hair observation, Hoseok watched with thinly-veiled horror as Jungkook’s hair turned a deep purple right before his eyes.

Needless to say, as Yoongi inches his way into the kitchen after a shower that should have been refreshing but only left him feeling cold, he does not expect to see Hoseok leaning across the kitchen table to stare unblinking at their odd guest. Their odd guest whose previously-dark hair is an icy blue.

“Umm?”

Hoseok lifts his eyes to Yoongi. They’re bright and full of wonder, so shiny Yoongi worries he might be on the verge of tears. Out of sadness or something else, he’s not sure.

“He’s magic.”

Jungkook giggles at Hoseok’s declaration. However, one look at Yoongi’s narrowed eyes makes him clap his hand over his mouth.

“Excuse me?”

“He can change his hair color. And his eyes! See, look. Show him, Jungkookie.”

Jungkookie? In the time it took Yoongi to shower, they’d gotten on nickname-level?

Pouring himself a cup of coffee, Yoongi forgets about his previous threat to kick Jungkook out. Instead, he sits at the table, lets the mug warm his hands, and tries to tell himself that the wave of heat burning down his body is from the coffee and not the intensity of Jungkook’s stare.

A stare that glows brighter the longer Yoongi looks at him until he watches the turquoise rings turn a deep pink. When Yoongi finally pulls his gaze from his eyes, he sees that Jungkook’s hair compliments his new eyes.

“What in the actual fuck?”

“I can change other parts of my body, too!” Jungkook beams. He shakes his head, and his hair returns to its original black. His eyes’ turquoise rings replace the pink. “It takes a lot of energy to change big things, like my facial structure. Hair and eyes are the easiest. I made myself taller when I first got to Earth, though. I like being tall.”

Yoongi slumps in his seat. If Hoseok wasn’t here witnessing this, he would assume that the weed Seokjin gave him was fucking with him harder than he could have imagined. But Hoseok is entirely sober and untainted by Cosmic Collision.

That means only one thing.

This shit is real. Whatever the fuck this is.

“Where were you before you came to Earth?” Hoseok is too willing to go along with this. But, on the other hand, Yoongi feels like everyone is playing a game he doesn’t know the rules to.

Jungkook’s nervous lip-biting returns, but he seems to push through his feelings. “Our planet is called Zephipra.” He shoots a quick look at Yoongi. “It is further into the universe than you humans have visited. Your scientists do not know about us.”

“So you’re an alien?” It comes out like a challenge without Yoongi meaning for it to. He feels a tiny bit bad when Jungkook deflates, closing in on himself as he draws his shoulders inward.

“We don’t like that term.”

Hoseok reaches an arm across the table. He flips his palm upward as though offering it to Jungkook to hold.

“What is a better term for you?” he asks softly, and Yoongi envies his roommate’s ability to be unconditionally kind.

It takes a few minutes of silence before Jungkook hesitantly squeezes Hoseok’s hand.

“I suppose extraterrestrial, but my people are called Zephi. That is also the language we speak.”

The gulp of coffee Yoongi takes is scalding. He should have waited for it to cool, knows this means his tastebuds and throat are burnt to shit and nothing will taste good for days. But he needs something to do as Jungkook rambles on about the history of aliens like this is all real.

Hoseok hums along, asking a few follow-up questions when something Jungkook says confuses him. Yoongi finds it all confusing, but he doesn’t say anything.

“So,” Hoseok claps his hands together and startles Yoongi out of his thoughts. “You said you’re stuck here until some kind of space phenomenon happens?”

Jungkook nods.

“And there’s absolutely no other way to get home?”

Another nod.

“Hmm…”

Yoongi accidentally catches Jungkook’s eyes once again. He knows his cheeks burn, but he doesn’t understand why. The heat only dissipates once Jungkook averts his gaze.

“How long does it take, usually?”

Jungkook draws the coffee Hoseok fixed for him closer. He peers down at the dark liquid and gives the light steam radiating off the surface a few sniffs. Yoongi doesn’t want to find how he scrunches his nose adorable, but he can’t stop the thoughts once they start.

“Hmm, usually a few weeks.” He looks at Yoongi again, and Yoongi really wishes he’d stop doing that. “Sometimes a month or two, right?”

Yoongi’s eyebrows shoot up into his bangs. “How would I know?”

“Well, how often do you purchase marijuana from Elder Seokjin?” When Yoongi doesn’t respond, Jungkook sighs. It’s the first time he looks genuinely upset. “I have never been here alone.”

By the time what Jungkook has said clicks in Yoongi’s head, he and Hoseok have migrated back to the living room. Yoongi scrambles after them as he pulls up Discord on his phone. No new messages from WWHandsome#7451.

Scrolling through their history, he finds that there is a pattern to how often Yoongi buys from him. Once he sorts through stoner memes and news articles about the legalization of marijuana at the federal level, he can see that each conversation about picking up a new order occurs around every four to five weeks. Yoongi rarely initiates the conversation; he doesn’t have to. Seokjin will let him know he has a new supply, and Yoongi suddenly realizes that, yeah, he’s almost out. He mentally joked with himself about how astute Seokjin is, that he must have some sort of supernatural sense to know when Yoongi is running low.

Now Yoongi wonders if there’s more to it than that.

“Are you not supposed to be here on your own?” Hoseok drapes a blanket around Jungkook’s shoulders and tucks him into the corner of the couch where the cushions are the comfiest. With Jungkook taken care of, he flops onto the couch beside him, leaving Yoongi room on the opposite end.

Although Yoongi considers himself to be a pretty reliable guy, Hoseok’s ability to take control of an emotionally-charged situation is Yoongi’s saving grace. Unfortunately, he’s not the best when it comes to emotional shit.

Jungkook tugs at his earrings once again. His other hand curls into a fist he repeatedly hits on the top of his thigh. It’s not hard or aggressive, but it’s distracting.

“No. I am an… intern? I believe that is the correct term. Only researchers are allowed on Earth alone. Interns must stay with their research mentor. Mine is Elder Seokjin.”

Hoseok lets out an understanding hum. He peeks at Yoongi out of the corner of his eye, but Yoongi doesn’t think he gives Hoseok much to go off of. Yoongi still has no idea what to think about all this; his brain won’t let him.

The three men are silent for what feels like forever. The air is full of tension, although Yoongi wonders if he’s the only one who notices it. Jungkook simply looks worried, his fist still thumping against his thigh and his fingers playing with his earrings. Hosoek is almost completely relaxed. Yoongi knows his roommate well enough to tell from how his shoulders sag, and that he’s reaching for the pre-rolls and lighter resting on the coffee table.

“Is this the 93 Boyz?”

Yoongi shakes his head, amazed that his friend can casually light up a joint as if this is just a normal day. “Chem Valley Kush.”

“Nice,” Hoseok speaks out of the corner of his mouth before inhaling as he brings the lighter to the tip of the joint.

Jungkook makes a small noise, perhaps a cough, when Hoseok exhales. His cute little nose wrinkles up, and Yoongi remembers that he doesn’t like the smell of weed.

“Want some, kiddo?” Hoseok hands the joint to Jungkook, who hesitantly pinches it between his fingers like a snake ready to lunge at him.

With furrowed eyebrows, he brings the joint to his lips and sucks in the smoke. Yoongi averts his eyes when Jungkook looks up at him through his lashes, cheeks pink and hollowed. There’s something about the guy that makes Yoongi’s skin crawl.

Despite his dislike of the smell of weed, Jungkook takes a few hits of the joint like a champ, only coughing once, and even then, the sound was dainty and soft.

Yoongi accepts the joint from Hoseok when Jungkook passes it over. He tries not to think about how Jungkook’s lips had just wrapped around the end of the joint, the same place Yoongi is about to put his lips. He keeps the hit quick and deep, passing it on to Hoseok before he’s barely inhaled fresh air to push the smoke further into his lungs.

Only after Hoseok starts the second round of the rotation does he say, “Well, you’ll just have to stay here until the collision or whatever happens.”

Yoongi’s heart drops into the pit of his stomach while a blinding smile blooms across Jungkook’s face. “Whoa, wait a second. Why can’t he go back to their house?”

“We can’t leave him alone!” Hoseok chastizes him as though this is the most obvious solution to their dilemma.

“Hoba, where is he going to sleep?”

“Your room.”

Yoongi scoffs. If it’s Hoseok’s bright idea, it should be him giving up his bedroom. “Then where am I sleeping?”

“The couch.” Hoseok shrugs and passes the joint to a still-hesitant Jungkook. “Or with him, if you’re gonna be a little bitch about the couch. Do you care, Jungkookie?”

Jungkook inhales too deeply and sputters a rough “No, of course not” in between coughs that sound painful.

There’s no way in fuck Yoongi’s going to sleep in the same bed as an alien. “Do ali- I mean, Zephi, even need to sleep?”

Smoke rushes out of Jungkook’s nostrils. The rigid set of his jaw makes him look older and more angular. The masculine aggression of it makes Yoongi’s stomach twist - which he ignores.

“Yes,” Jungkook hisses. “We are not freaks.”

“No one said you were, kiddo.” Hoseok lightly flicks Jungkook under the chin before shoving the joint in Yoongi’s face with a grimace. “You, behave.”

With that, Hoseok rises from the couch. He places his hands on his hips and looks between the two men. Yoongi hates when he gets like this, calculating. Usually, whatever that over-imaginative brain cooks up is never good for Yoongi.

“Is there anything at your house you need while you stay with us?” Hoseok asks with his head tilted to the side as he examines Jungkook.

The alien - Zephi - chews on his bottom lip. His cheeks are still pink, as are his eyes. Except this time, it’s from being high rather than being some supernatural oddity.

“They took all my things when they returned home,” Jungkook admits after a long pause. He stares at his hands in his lap, lacing and unlacing his fingers to the point that Yoongi wants to grab his wrists and force them to his sides. “I don’t require much, though. I do not want to be a bother.”

At that, he steals a shy glance at Yoongi. Yoongi feels heat spread over his cheeks, so he opts to look at Hoseok instead. Which is a mistake because his roommate is glowering at him.

“Jungkookie, no matter how much of a dick Yoongi is, I promise you are not a bother,” he speaks to Jungkook but keeps his eyes on Yoongi.

“I’mnotadick,” Yoongi grumbles. He folds his arms against his chest and stares at his reflection in the TV. It’s not a clear reflection, but it’s enough to tell that his hair is, rather unfortunately, sticking straight up on his head.

“Anyway, I’ll let you borrow some of my clothes. I tend to wear them baggy, so they should fit you fine. I have to go to work soon - I’m a hairstylist. Fucked up, working on the weekends, right? Ahh, but anyway, you can stay with Yoongi.”

Jungkook merely nods with bright, round eyes gazing up at Hoseok as though the man is divulging his most remarkable secrets.

“And if he’s mean to you, you can, I don’t know, shoot him with lasers out of your eyes or whatever scary things you’re capable of.”

“Oh, I would never do that,” Jungkook quickly disagrees, turning those beautiful eyes to Yoongi.

“You can do that?”

“Yes, but I promise I wouldn’t do that to you. I promise.”

Yoongi throws his head back against the couch and groans. His body starts to slip down the cushions, but he does nothing to stop himself from falling onto the floor.

“You cannot leave me with him, Hoba.”

“Oh, hush.” Hoseok swats the back of Yoongi’s head as he makes his way to his bedroom to get ready. “You’ll be besties in no time.”

do not copy, repost, modify, or translate any of my work

#yoongi x jungkook #jungkook x yoongi #yoonkook au #min yoongi #bts fanfic #yoongi fanfic #yoongi smut #yoongi fluff #bts fluff #bts smut #jungkook fanfic #jungkook smut #jungkook fluff #cosmic collision #jai writes #gimmethatagustd

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valleydean · 1 year

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Final Chapter: Chapter 13 [Read Here]

HEAVYWEIGHT a deancas boxing au by valleydean (emmbrancsxx0) read from beginning | playlist | ko-fi

SUMMARY: Brooklyn, 1927. The Golden Age of Boxing. Two years ago, light heavyweight champion Dean Winchester and heavyweight champion Castiel Novak had a secret affair. After a scandal tarnished Cas’ name and stripped him of his title, the two parted ways. Now, with a heavyweight tournament on the horizon, Dean aims to up his weight class so he can compete for the title. He finds unexpected competition when Cas comes out of retirement and returns to New York to fix his reputation. Upon their reunion, the two contenders learn that, outside of the ring, some bruises never really heal.

PREVIEW:

He didn’t know how long he’d been asleep when the gentle sound of someone knocking at the front door pulled him languidly back into consciousness. He picked his head up, the now cold washcloth he’d boiled and folded over his forehead sliding off his face in the process. He felt stiffer and more disoriented now than he had when he’d fallen asleep, and a layer of sweat sat atop his skin despite his goosebumps.

The knock came again. Dean moistened his dry lips with his tongue and sat up—and winced when the twisting motion caused a spike of pain in his ribs. He ran his hand down his face, trying to catch his bearings a little, but all it did was exacerbate his wounds.

He hoped someone else would get the door, but the house was quiet, and he remembered that Sam and Jo were both out. It was up to him to tell whoever was knocking to fuck off. He really hoped it wasn’t a reporter looking for a quote.

Yawning and scratching a particularly itchy scab on his chin, he walked to the door, ready to face the music. He ripped the door open to a blast of February’s chill, a colorfully rude demand for the intruder to go away on the tip of his tongue.

He froze when his gaze latched on to Cas instead.

Dean hadn’t remembered having dreams from last night until that very second; but he’d dreamed of Cas in bed with him, running his fingers along every wound until Dean was healed.

Back in reality, Cas looked almost surprised himself, like he hadn’t really expected Dean to answer the door. His face was littered with cuts and contusions, the starkest of which were the angry red strip on the bridge of his nose and the pulsating maroon line on his busted lip. Butterfly stitches were taped to his eyebrow and the bolt of his jaw. A bruise, dark in its center and tapering off to sickly green and yellow, ringed his right eye. A blood vessel had burst in his left eye, staining the white with crimson and muddying the blue of his iris.

Dean’s heart stuttered, knowing he was the one responsible for all of that, knowing Cas was the reason for his pain in return. It was a slap in the face, seeing the evidence of everything they’d ever done to each other in physical form.

Cas’ eyes were big and wet as they took Dean in, but then he blinked, seeming to recover. “Hello, Dean.”

Dean sucked in a breath, filling his hollow chest. It took a while for him to breathe out, for his mind to catch up with what was happening. Cas was there. Dean’s fight or flight instincts kicked in, and he internally debated pushing Cas away or actually hashing this out. After last night, it kind of seemed stupid to maintain the lie that they could ever put each other in the past. It was better to put this to bed once and for all, to face whatever was between them—if anything, even mangled and broken viscera. If it wasn’t too late to save it.

Bracing himself, he opened the door wider and stepped aside. If nothing else, it would get them both out of the cold.

/////

TAGGED: @lovercas @donestiel @wanderingcas @wayward-angels-club @thetiredstuff @skella-bro @casthegrumpy @celestialcastiel @bluefirecas @jiminthestreets-bonesinthesheets @that-one-fandom-chick @haru-park96 @alejandriaiqq @no-aesthetic-all-aethetic @amirosebooks @epple-benene @agus-likes @the-ship-haz-sailed @justkissalreadyforfucksake @madimoo31 @an-angel-in-love-with-a-hunter @gracelesstars @bazghetti @wayward-waffles @theojaxons @jenmishrob @all-or-nothing-baby @auttownblue @leftistdean @sargafust @wannabe-loser @jessalrynn @splicedthoughts @castielss @that-dumbass-on-a-horse @passionfruixts @fabreagab @princesswinchester100 @superduckbatrebel @hopefuldreamers-world@theangelwiththewormstache @casandeans @mylovelydame21 @confusedisaster @superduckbatrebel @destielwentcanonomg @highest-brightness @i-put-the-ayyy-in-asexual @darkacademiagay @imthedoctorlove @freckledean @youcanteverknowenough @chicken-kebabs @myguardianangelisatrickster @hotactiongirlcoded @wingsandimpalas @casandhumanity @tploz @dontsgotalifee389 @on-a-bender @castiel-mybeloved @siriusseverusdeservedbetter @doctorprofessorsong @castielshotgirlsummer @toomuchheartcas @paintdriesfaster @lesbiancowboyy @angelinthefire @transdeantruther @fluffy-alpacaness @rogue-cas-whore @winchester-derangement-syndrome @lizzybennettdarcy @kineticpassion @i-love-books-and-so-do-you @dascean @llamasdumpsterfire @psychicbouquetblaze-stuff @im-some-lionheart @charlie-bradburi @bunnymcbunnister @gothanna @afeelingsosweet @sinnabonka @artsymoth @cassandrablah @sweetpeaalena @goiwantamuffin @rauko-is-a-free-elf @jessalrynn @ungcl @highwarlockofinnsbruck @deancaskiss @caddy-coo @bloodydeanwinchester @hannibalsthembo @proudpigeon @butterscotchdean @this-is-me19 @layofcastiel @claire-drinks-lovely-lemonade @harleycao @jgvfhl @thembo-cowboy @aussie-twat @slit-wrist @ilikemanythingsespeciallyyou

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#destiel #deancas #destiel fic #deancas fic #dean winchester #dean #castiel #cas #destieledit #deancasedit #my post #my writing #heavyweight #boxing au

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miela · 6 months

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Shattered Memories • Chapter XII: Sunflower Love • {Peter Parker x Stark!Reader}

Chapter Genre: FLUFFY (smut mentions) Chapter Warnings: (18+ MDNI) // very time jumpy (its a montage lmao), think of it as a transitional chapter into the next phase. Extra: I will be taking a little break (about a week) to catch up on requests that I have to do, and just to relax my brain a bit. I will be having a Q&A bit though, so stay tuned for that! Word Count: 5.6k

Masterlist | Playlist | Pin Board | Trello

↪ divider by firefly-graphics

For the next six months, life for you and Peter has been nothing but the best days of your lives.

Smooth sailing and life uninterrupted.

The day after your relationship reunion with Peter, you saw that you both were put into a discord server with all your friends in it. Celina had put it together the day after the Gala, but you two were so caught up in each other that you didn't get a chance to check your phones.

Gwen had video-called Peter and he woke up to the sound of his phone going off. When he answered, he hadn't realized it was one in the afternoon. You were knocked out next to him snoring softly and in a deep slumber.

"Hello?" He asked groggily while rubbing one eye and turning to lay on his side away from you to not disturb you.

"Dude???" Gwen asked. "Where have you been?! I know it's only been a day and a half but you haven't accepted the server request-...wait where are you?? That's not your bed. Wait, are you naked???"

Peter looked down at himself to double-check. "No, I have boxers on."

You woke up to the sound of Gwen's voice and rolled over snuggling into Peter and looking towards his phone while yawning and rubbing your eye. "Baby, come back to bed," You kissed his cheek and then laid your head on his while wrapping your arm around his waist. When your eyes adjusted you focused on the screen.

"Oh…!" You smiled tiredly. "G'morning, Gwen."

Gwen's face was a mixture of shock and something else. Peter couldn't tell he was too tired to really analyze. Considering the circumstances, she probably figured out what was happening and what had happened.

"Holy shit!" She exclaimed.

Peter smiled in response.

"You guys are together?! Like for real?!"

"We are. As of yesterday."

"Dude! Let's go!" Gwen cheered happily.

You giggled softly in response.

"Well, I'll let you guys go then, but I am gonna inform everyone. We were all kinda worried about you."

"Sorry about that," Peter said genuinely.

"Hey, kiss each other so I can screenshot it and send it to everyone."

Peter snorted and you kissed his cheek longingly enough for Gwen to catch the snapshot. Blush bloomed across his cheeks as he smiled in reflex.

"Thank you!" Gwen chimed. "Sweet dreams and other things I guess."

"Gwen, please-" Peter groaned as you giggled.

"Byeeee," and with that she hung up.

After that, life has been nothing but a dream for both of you.

Your headaches were gone and you found out with research and testing that when you were made to forget Peter, your senses did not, so whenever you tried to remember him it was a push of the godforsaken spell but and pull of your senses which caused intense pressure in your head because that's where both things affected most.

It was like a constant civil war between what you knew and what you felt. The spell and your senses having an endless wrestling match and your brain was the ring.

So when you both connected again, your senses went into overload, and didn't know what to do because it was stuck behind a spell. When you first kissed it broke the barrier for your senses to not feel trapped behind the spell. Your mind though, still couldn't completely remember him.

You continued having dreams about the faceless Peter, but you didn't mind when most days you woke up to his face next to yours.

Business was good too, especially when you started social media for yourself. You joined mostly because you helped make a social media app by Stark Industries funding an intern. You made your presence on Flutter (mostly), Twitter, and Instagram for business purposes. TikTok was left for Silk, much like how Peter had a YouTube Channel for Spiderman.

You had personal accounts on Flutter, Tumblr, and Discord too and you used the username "jarjarjarvis" or "binksbby" made from the nickname Flash Thompson gave you in high school to bully you (he called you "Jar Jar Jarvis" or "Jarvis Binks" or simply "Binks") but jokes on him, you enjoyed the names because you thought they were hilarious as a Star Wars fan. Your Alias name on those was Luna Jarvis. Luna comes from Laguna, which was your nickname from Morgan when she was five because she wanted matching nicknames with you (and your room had moon and star themes). Everything there worked out because you didn't have to think too hard for an alias name. You really only joined with personal accounts to keep in touch with your friends and connect with others of your interests without the fame of a Stark attached to it.

But what the world doesn't see from you is the gallery on your phone where your most cherished moments are. And many of those moments made their way into a new scrapbook that you started that was titled "Our Story II: Reunited". Inside of it were the many memories made from your phone pictures, Peter's photography camera, and a Polaroid you both brought everywhere to capture memories that you and Peter had been making in those six months.

You learned in those months how much of a romantic Peter could be. Dates were nothing but going all out despite his small budget. He knew ways to utilize his resources without going broke. You loved how intimate those dates were. But Peter wasn't the only one making dates though. You also took him out on dates too. It challenged you to stay within budget and not spoil the hell out of him like you wanted to (he wouldn't let you because, by all means, you tried). You two had a dynamite dynamic.

The seasons passed and you both accommodated them together. The autumn season, when you both reunited as a couple, was filled with red, orange, and gold colored walks in the park during your long lunch breaks and cafe trips after his classes. Hot tea and hot cocoa under heated blankets on the cooler days as you guys binge-watch movies, TV shows, or Celina's YouTube videos. When winter rolled around you went ice skating and built a snowman or had a snowball fight with Morgan in the front yard. Then you would have a hot (and sometimes steamy) shower and then cuddle up on the warm couch. You celebrated the holidays together and on New Year's, Celina and Ned hosted a party at their house with all of your friends.

Some dates included movies. It's one of the easiest ways to spend time together without spending much money. Sometimes it would be going to dinner and then the theater, other times it was a drive-in movie in your beloved convertible but most of the time it was in the comfort of Peter's apartment under blanket forts and surrounded by pizza boxes and other types of food. Sometimes it was Chinese food, Korean barbecue, Italian food, Indian food, or other foods from different cultures but most of the time it was Mexican food due to tacos and burritos fitting well with pizza for reasons you don't understand.

When you felt like hitting the town you guys would go to bookstores where you told Peter about your favorite books and introduced him to your mystery book boyfriend. And then comic stores where you both geeked over your favorite graphic novels, manga, and comic books. Sometimes you would buy something. This usually followed up with going to a music store where you would introduce each other to different bands and artists' music that you listen to. You would buy Vinyls while he would buy CDs (a plan you both put together for when you move in together in the future like you guys talked about doing).

Most notable is when he introduced you to Cigarettes After Sex and it was a life-changing moment.

"It's giving Lana Del Rey's brooding cousin meets The Neighbourhood," you commented which made Peter laugh.

The self-titled album became a common go-to for living room or office ballroom sessions with you two slow dancing in the evenings like the married couple that you hoped to be one day. In turn, you introduced him to Turnover and their album "Peripheral Vision" which he enjoyed a lot more than you thought he would. Afterward, you would go to a cafe to replenish your energy before walking hand in hand down the city's streets or in Central Park.

Other dates would be with your friends too. You once went to a cooking class with Harry and MJ and it ended with both guys stressed and having high blood pressure because you nearly set the place on fire and MJ nearly took her finger off with how aggressively she cut the vegetables. You all agreed to never do that again.

Another time you did a Pottery class with Miles and Gwen. You and Peter decided to make mugs for each other. You had fun for the most part but you didn't enjoy the feeling of clay on your hands and you tried to not show that you were squeamish about it. Peter made you a dark purplish blue mug with pastel purple clouds and silver stars around it and at the very bottom was a heart-shaped spider web which makes you smile every time you see it. You made him a mug with the darkest shade of blue you could find with stars and the millennium falcon, the death star, and a rogue one on it. You both used your mugs religiously.

Another double date was with Celina and Ned to a Botanical Garden. Celina would tell you all different facts about different flowers which made you all happy because of how excited she got to share her knowledge on them. When you got to the butterfly house, you didn't miss how the butterflies were very attracted to you and Peter due to your bug pheromones. Celina graciously took pictures of you two with several butterflies sitting on you.

You went to an arcade with Pavitr and Gayatri. It was a place where you paid one fee per person and you could play any of the games for the entire day and you guys ended up being there for five hours. You had an absolute blast, but you all were starving afterward which meant lots of food. Gayatri showed all of you an Indian restaurant that had food that tasted the most like the food back in India. You were over the moon with how good the food was.

Sometimes there were group dates with your entire friends group. One time you all went to an underground concert for a friend of Pav, Gwen, and Miles who's name is Hobie Brown. He was a guitarist in a band. He had dark skin, a very punk style, and wicks for hairstyle. Despite the stereotypes against punks, he proved that to be wrong because was one of the nicest people you have ever met. Other group dates included museum dates, roller skating at a roller rink, a full spa day, and that one time you bought everyone a weekend trip to Disney World.

On Halloween, there was a party at Harry's frat house and you and Peter dressed up as your hero personas as a joke. It was funny hearing how people spotted the "differences" between you and your hero alternate self. Like how someone said your ass is smaller than Silk's and that Peter is shorter than Spiderman, which you both found more hilarious than insulting.

Mentioning that, you guys even went on Spider Duo Dates as you both called them. Those consisted of patrolling together, volunteering together, and stargazing on the platform of the Avengers Tower. Spidey and Silk was a hot topic on social media because of the sightings of you two patrolling together again.

When money was low on his part but he was feeling rather romantic anyway, he would set up a picnic for you both. Sometimes it was on the beach, sometimes it was at a park, and other times it would be at the lake by your house. You would bring your red guitar on those days and sing to him softly as he rested his head on your lap looking up at you lovingly like you hung the moon and created the stars or something. If it were a later picnic you would cloud gaze that turned into star gazing into the night. If a tent was involved that usually meant you were in for an…extra sweet dessert.

Speaking of, you guys did that a lot in the beginning. It started off as a daily thing you guys did at the end of the day. You both knew it was the Pheromones and that you should slow down but he was insatiable you were insatiable and both of you together were thunderously insatiable.

You were smart about it though. You weren't completely delirious because of your senses bonding after so long of being apart. You took birth control, he wore a condom and you made sure any room (or tent) you were in was soundproof to the point where people would think you weren't in there.

You learned that Peter got off on pleasuring you. He's a giver by far and one of the things he likes to do is come visit you during your lunch hour and eat (you) there in your office (on the couch or the desk) as a way to treat you (and satisfy him).

It happened so much to the point where every time Peter walked into the building (in spider suit), Nika would roll her eyes so hard at him and he would shrug.

"You said it was your job to know things," he stated to her. "It's not my fault that you're so smart."

"Oh, Puh-lease," Nika said with another eye roll. "Don't start with me, Parker. The way you two leave that damn office beaming like idiots it doesn't take a genius to figure out that you two are doing something in there. You're lucky I'm the only one who suspects anything."

"If you weren't you would gaslight them, right?"

She squinted her blue eyes hard at him. "You're lucky I like you."

After a while, once your senses got used to you guys being together, your coupling became less frequent. It was down to three times a week, a healthy amount you think.

You really appreciated how your friend groups came together like a puzzle. Peter and Ned within the first month of reconnecting, instantly became best friends again. You became close with Gwen and MJ became close with Nika. Everyone got along so well and you all hung out whenever you could.

When your 22nd birthday rolled around, no one was surprised that this day was going to be your favorite birthday to celebrate. Peter wholeheartedly expected you to be theatrical that day.

Peter woke up before you and decided to make breakfast for you with Morgan. They had gotten pretty close and she began to see him as an older brother figure which brought you joy. You knew if Morgan approved of the guy you're with, then he's a keeper. She could be an annoying little shit at times, but she did genuinely care about your well-being.

Happy also lightened up on Peter and he almost sees him as a nephew or son now, which also relieved you from your worries there. Pepper liked Peter from the start so you had no issues there.

As to be expected you were a bit dramatic in the morning but not in a bad way, but in an amusing way. You blasted "I Wanna Dance With Somebody" by Whitney Houston which made Peter laugh and Morgan roll her eyes.

"She's awake," Morgan deadpanned.

You danced down the hallway wearing a cream off-white frilly lace silk robe, a red silk bonnet with white polka dots, a green feathery fur scarf thing you found at Party City, and red heart sunglasses on your nose. Your makeup was done and your toenails and fingernails were painted the same shade of red as your lips.

Peter and Morgan watched you the entire time as you danced your way down the first set of stairs and you shimmy your shoulders and pointed at Peter which made him chuckle. You then sat on the railing of the second flight of stairs and slid down. When you reached the bottom of the railing you posed with your leg straight up in the air revealing the black red-bottom strappy heels you were wearing as you stopped yourself before you ended up flying off the staircase railing.

Thank god, for spider powers.

"How vogue," FRIDAY stated and snapped a picture of you from a hologram.

"Thanks, FRIDAY," you replied.

You had a straight face the entire time.

Morgan gave you the most disgusted look. "You're honestly so lame and embarrassing," she said with a grimace. "And you look like a mushroom."

"Omg, thank you!" You smiled genuinely and bent your leg down and then swung your legs over to step off the railing. "I was going for a red and folklore-themed beginning of 'You Need to Calm Down' Taylor look. I think I did a good job, no?"

"You look like a dorkface."

"Listen here, peasant child," you lowered your glasses to look at Morgan. "Today is my birthday, my 22nd birthday, all I ask from you is to let me be my quirky lame ass older sister self for a whopping 24 hours and then you can go back to being a little buttheaded little sister all you want, m'kay?"

Morgan rolled her eyes and turned back to being Peter's little kitchen helper. "You're still lame."

"Thank you," you sang.

"You look adorable, princess," Peter smiled.

"Aww, thank you, princey," you walked over and kissed his cheek and he responded with a kiss on your temple. "Did you make breakfast for me?"

"Mhm," he hummed in a sing-song way. "So, if you would like to sit down, your Highness, so I can serve you your royal meal, that would be greatly appreciated." He took your hand and brought it to his lips as he gazed lovingly into your eyes.

The way your heart did backflips was unreal.

"Okay," you sang lovingly after an embarrassing giggle escaped you and you walked over to the island bar and sat down as Morgan made a noise of disgust.

Peter walked over and set down the plate in front of you as he stood behind you. "A stack of strawberry banana and chocolate chip pancakes, a three cheese omelet, and strawberry jam toast."

"Ooh, are you part of the meal?" You smirked asking lowly and lowered your glasses to meet his gaze.

"Mmm, I'm for later tonight." He smirked and as he leaned in and glanced at your lips with his bottom lip pulled between his teeth.

"Oh? I can't wait," you replied with a smile.

Your lips met for a long moment until you heard a cup being slammed down loudly next to you. You turn and see Maguna with her hand wrapped around said cup with an annoyed look on her face.

"Milk for the big birthday baby," she fake smiled and walked away.

Your eyes follow her with one side of your nose scrunched and a bombastic side-eye.

"Hey Maguna," you started. "Remember a few years ago you were dying to see me kiss someone so you tried to get me and the babysitter to kiss? Now when I'm in a committed relationship you wanna cry about it? Kinda sus, just saying."

Morgan hurried back into the room in a huff. "I was five!"

Peter looked at you with a confused look. "Really?"

"Yeah!" You scoffed in disbelief. "And he actually tried to kiss me!"

Peter did a dramatic scoff-gasp and put his hand on his chest exaggeratingly.

"I know right?!" You matched his energy. "Fired his ass right away."

"Good. I should've been the babysitter. Then it wouldn't be so hard would it?"

"Exactly, I wouldn't hesitate to kiss you," you smirk again.

Morgan walked out again while calling out "Mom! Laguna and Peter are being weird in front of me again!"

You pfffted and began eating your food.

You finished getting dressed as Peter showered.

You wore a white sparkly fringe mini dress with the strappy heels. Peter went for a white tee shirt to match and a pair of black jeans that had you staring at his ass more than you probably should have been, and red Converse shoes. You both wore matching blazers together. You spent the afternoon out with Peter getting lunch and eating at the park as you both made paper promise rings with an origami kit that he got and walked around town before going home and being met with a surprise party with your friends there. It was filled with karaoke, games, and watching your favorite movie. After that, it was time to open your gifts. You didn’t really ask or want much so they all pitched in to help Celina make you a beautiful versatile dress that was very TS folklore-inspired. You were over the moon and you went to put it on. Celina insisted that you had to do the whole look and so she decided to re-do your makeup as well. When she was finished you hurried down the stairs to show everyone who all agreed that it was amazing.

“You look so cute!” Cindy chimed. “Like a magical forest fairy.”

“Thank you, Cin,” You smiled.

“Still look like a dorkface,” Morgan smirked.

“You know what,” You said, crossing your arms and standing in contrapposto. “When your birthday comes around I’m setting your cake on fire and throwing it in the lake.”

She stuck her tongue out and blew a raspberry at you and you responded by doing the same back.

Pepper sighed and rubbed her temple. “I can’t with you two.”

You smiled and looked around for Peter but you didn’t see him.

"Hey, where’s Peter?" You asked.

"I think he went outside," Celina commented, coming in from behind.

"Yeah, through the back," Gwen added with a thin-lipped smile.

All your friends looked at each other and nodded before looking back at you. You squinted at them all acting suspiciously.

“Girl,” Nika started. “Stop mentally investigating and go find your boyfriend.”

“Okay, okay, fine,” you smiled. “Thank you,” you sang before hurrying to the back door as you lifted the dress from the front in fear that you would dirty it.

You overheard your friends whisper and shuffle around with your enhanced hearing but you decided to ignore it. You walked out onto the back porch and looked around for your beloved boyfriend. You could sense him but you couldn’t see him.

"Peter?" You call out softly.

You felt his aura towards the greenhouse fairytale garden that you and Morgan worked on together a couple of years ago while you were still healing mentally. It was a way for you to bond and you guys work on it together every spring. It was meant to be a little escapism for anyone who needed it and you found yourself reading in there most times. Outside of the greenhouse garden was a gazebo that was decorated with fairy and globe lights around it and flowers of various pastel colors along the sides of it. It added a nice touch to it. You built it with your own two hands. You often sat there to play guitar and think.

You followed the flower pathway that led to the garden. You saw that the lights on the gazebo were on and in the center stood Peter wearing a maroon suit with a maroon T-shirt underneath and his stark specs on.

Oh God, you thought. He looks phenomenal.

He was pacing slightly but stopped when he sensed you and looked up at you. He looked at you with wide eyes as his eye traced over the dress and blushed. You could tell he wasn’t expecting you to come out dressed in a fairytale-like dress and it caught him off guard. You smiled big with a giggle and ran over to the gazebo. You walked up onto the wooden platform and walked over by your starstruck boyfriend.

“Hello there, handsome,” you smiled.

“Hey,” he breathed out before blinking rapidly. “You look…I…I promise I’m looking respectfully.”

You snorted. “Well. I’m not looking at you respectfully. That suit is doing wonders for you and even more wonders for me.”

The blush on his face bloomed as he smiled as his composure slowly started creeping back in. “You can take it off of me later.”

“Oh?” you smirked and put your arms on his shoulders. “Is that a promise?”

He put his hands on your waist and pulled you closer. “It is. And I keep my promises.”

“Most of them anyways,” you giggled. “I did have to come find you, no?”

“Okay, fair, but I did tell you everything,” He smiled with raised eyebrows.

“Okay, I’ll give you that,” you replied in a playful defeated tone.

You both chuckled softly and after a moment of silently admiring each other like it was the first time you saw each other, Peter cleared his throat.

“Will you dance with me?” He asked you.

“Always,” you smiled.

"Hey EDITH. Please, play the song."

You smiled as you wrapped your arms around his neck and began dancing silently. He then twirled you and you giggled. You both danced around playfully and romantically around the gazebo before he pulled you back into him with your hands on his shoulders and his hands on your hips.

He smiled. "My barefoot princess.”

You had forgotten that you hurried out of the house before putting on your shoes. You knew if Morgan saw you like this she would have some witty shit to say to you about it.

"You missed your chance to say barefoot Cinderella," you replied with a playful tone.

"I'm not making a Hannah Montana reference," he grimaced with a smile.

You giggled and then you leaned your head on his shoulder and he kissed your head. "I love being your barefoot princess."

Your senses and heart were blooming and fluttering as you both danced and you couldn't help but get lost in your thoughts. You realize that if you were to ever have a wedding, you want it to be just as magical as this moment.

When the song ended, Peter pulled away for a moment.

“Um, I got you something.”

He reached into his pocket and walked behind you. You then felt him put something around your neck. You looked down to see a gold heart-shaped necklace with a sunflower on it. You looked at it with wide eyes as you felt him wrap his arms around your torso and lean his chin on your shoulder. You lift your hands to touch the golden heart and when you do, you open it to see a picture of you and Peter in it.

You pouted and looked at him with glossed-over eyes.

“Do you like it?” He asked. “I got the sunflower one because our senses are like sunflowers. Always facing their sun.”

“Yeah,” you replied softly. “I love it, Peter. So, so much.”

He smiled and kissed your cheek longingly.

About an hour later, Peter carried you inside bridal style so you wouldn’t dirty the floor from being outside in nature. He set you down on the counter of the bathroom, grabbed body-cleaning wipes from the cabinet and cleaned your feet for you. He then planted kisses on them. You watched him endearingly the entire time and he looked up at you with a smile.

“You’re so pretty,” he cooed.

Your face burned and you looked away from him shyly and you pressed your lips together to keep from smiling like an idiot and failing miserably. You both then went back down by your friends who teased both of you playfully. It was then time for everyone to leave and you and Peter ended the night in bliss.

The next day you were met with another gift. It was a heart-shaped box with star name tags with the words "from Peter" on it with a heart.

You opened the box and were met with

adoption papers for a kitten and a love letter from your beloved boyfriend.

Peter had gone and gotten you a rescue fluffy ragdoll kitten who was born on the day you climbed through Peter's window and reconnected.

You teared up and hugged the letter to your chest after reading it.

It was sitting in a room that was made into a cat room by your friends while you were out with Peter. The kitten was presented to you on a cat bed when you walked in.

"Hi little one," you cooed softly as the cat rubbed its head on your hand and began purring.

You spent the rest of the weekend playing with the bundle of fur, sending pictures in Discord, and telling Peter that he's the best boyfriend ever.

All in all, everything was perfect. You didn't feel that giant hole in your chest anymore, you got out more, your relationships were strong and overall you had a clearer mindset about everything. You still missed your dear old dad and you still had days when your mental health would decline, but for the most part, everything in your life was falling into place. It was like you were living in a contemporary age fairytale.

Until the universe decided it had other plans for you.

It was the monday after your birthday when you walked to the back of the Avengers building to go for a coffee run. Really you just needed out from your hovering board members who were bothering you about anything and everything. Your best bet was to escape through the employee parking garage.

Before you could go any further than the parking lot, your senses began tingling. You stopped and looked around before you saw your spider-boyfriend ease down on a web upside down. He was wearing the red and black spider suit you made for him, and it was honestly your favorite.

You smiled at him, "Spidey."

"Miss Stark," he replied.

"Fancy seeing you here in my employee parking lot," you crossed your arms and leaned back on the wall with one leg crossed over the other.

"I was in the neighborhood," he shrugged. "I figured I'd bring you lunch but you weren't in your office so I gave it to Nika to put it there for you. She told me where you'd be."

"Ah," you replied and tilted your head to the side and checked him out in his suit with your bottom lip pulled in between your teeth.

He smirked. "I saw you brought Dutchess Willow to work."

Dutchess Willow, or just Willow, is what you named your new kitten. She was in your office napping on the couch when you walked out.

"She's too cute to leave at home. Plus she keeps me sane."

"I'm glad," you could hear the smile in his voice.

"So what brings you here besides bringing me lunch hm?" You smirked. "I'm sure you didn't sense any danger in Mid-Manhattan all the way from Queens."

"Nah," he leaned his hand on the wall next to your head as if he were leaning you back on the wall. "Just you."

"Oh?" Your smile widened as you let out a giggle. "Am I distracting you from your hero duties, Spidey?"

"Just a bit," you could hear the smirk in his voice. "I have an idea of how that could be fixed."

"Do you now?"

He tapped the area where his lips would be and you laughed softly and bit your lip again. "You're cute."

"In this suit? I think I'm a little more than cute."

"Hot?" You pulled his mask halfway up his face. "Sexy, perhaps?" You moved your face closer to his. "Maybe…fuckable?"

"Ooh," he began with a smirk on his visible lips. "Can't say things like that while I'm in a suit this tight, princess."

"You have a guard there," you replied lowly.

"Yeah, that's part of the problem."

You both giggled and you leaned in and kissed his lips softly and he reciprocated. Your hands cradled his face and it felt strange because he was hanging upside down but the kiss was absolutely electrifying.

You guys pulled back for a moment looking at each other drunk from the kiss before he flipped himself to stand normally and pressed you against the wall while kissing you deeply and you invited his tongue to explore your mouth. Your leg instinctively went around his waist and he held it in his hand while his other arm leaned against the wall next to your head.

He grinded himself against you instinctively. And you moaned softly in response.

"Spidey," you smiled with a flirty tone. "Save that for later."

"Sorry," he apologized. "Can't help it sometimes. Gotta have you thinking about me."

You hummed in amusement and playful doubt as you kissed him again as you wrapped your arms around his neck.

Moments like these were sweet and had you giddy but usually, it was in a more secluded area. So you didn't spot the figure in the distance with a camera out filming the both of you caught up in your little moment, you didn't hear the whispers of an act of sabotage and secret defamation, and didn't expect it to be on blast on the Internet as the number one trending topic in a matter of hours.

Tags:

@chrisevans-realwife @riordanness @peterdarlingg @thecrystalclarity @brckenmemories @paleprincesssxo @blackcanary130 @kindlover @i-have-no-life-charlie @melodicheauxxlovesfood @hufflepuff-n-fluff

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salaapaoo · 10 months

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He's a lil blurb from my fic drafts hehe it'll be written eventually, but : alcale wing fic where flying up high and then spiralling down is part of a courting ritual. Krs wakes up as Cale and doesn't quite understand, but by the end he figures out that he's always been in love w alver !! Like the slow burn understanding where he figures it out and doesn't know when he fell in love because being together feels so natural and stuff

I'll probably start writing it later this year or SMTH? I have other ones that are further along and the ongoing ones to update fkslfkdf

Gonna make a playlist for it too >:)

"C'mon Cale!" The avian prince called out to him, "let's go!"

Cale gazed at Alver's outreached hand, listening to the rushing of air with each flap of the wing.

"Fine…" He began to flap his own wings, moving them in large swooping motions to bring himself up into the air.

Alver's taken him far up high in the sky, high enough that it's only the pastel painted skies surrounding them. Cotton-like clouds with their soft edges reflecting the colors of the sky drift below them as slow as snails.

"Ready?" Cale turns to look at Alver, confused as to what the other boy meant.

His confusion must have been visible because the prince began to laugh, his lips forming a fond smile.

"We'll do a countdown," Alver says, carefully taking Cale's hand into his, "and then we fall."

Was this boy insane? Cales face morphed with disbelief, his brows furrowing deeply, "What do you mean fall?"

"It's just as I said," Alver's eyes match the blue of the vast skies, as honest as ever, "we'll stop moving our wings, and we'll fall."

The magic device was still clamped around his bicep, leaving him in his disguise. It's a beautiful armlet with golden leaves curling around the entire piece. Alver's hand is warm around his, gentle and reassuring as he waits for Cale's reply.

"You're crazy," Cale scowls, not pulling away from the grip.

A bark of laughter comes from the prince, breathy and free, "Maybe I am."

(There's something in Alver's eyes that Cale can't quite understand.

They're honeyed and fond, he comes to learn later on).

To that, Cale gives him a deadpan stare, which pulls another delightful round of laughter from the blond.

"Trust me," Alver's voice is soft as he squeezes Cale's hand lightly, "I'll fall with you, promise I won't let go."

"...Alright," Cale finally gives in. He closes his eyes, cutting his own world off from the blooming colors around him in an attempt to shield himself from the fear.

They're still flying, but he knows what should be coming next. He anticipates the drop, his heart starting to pump faster at the mere thought. Alver never lets go though, instead, he holds Cale's hand tighter as if to remind the red head that he was still there.

"Ready?" The prince asks. A stupid question, really, because Cale doesn't think he would ever be ready.

Before he could give a response, Cale's body begins to tip as he's dragged down by the weight of the other boy. The muscles of his wings strained in their desperate attempt to keep them both in the air.

"WHAT HAPPENED TO THE FUCKING COUNTDOWN, YOU LIAR OF A PRINCE?" Cale cursed him out internally.

"It's okay!" Alver shouts, grabbing Cale's other hand, "I would never let anything happen to you."

And so, Cale stops, allowing gravity to take them both back to Earth. It takes everything in him to hold back the instinct to try to stop the fall, but he manages. Something within him wanted to trust Alver.

His heart floats up to his throat, sending his blood rushing to his ears. He squeezes his eyes shut when he feels the wind shift differently around him. It's loud- the air ripping around them in their descent.

"OPEN YOUR EYES!" Alver calls out to him, warm hands held in a death grip in Cale's.

Hesitantly, Cale cracks open one eye and then the other. All of the anxiety melted away into awe as he took in the world around him. Shades of tangerines, apricots, and corals take over the vast blue that once was. Baby pinks dance along the edge of the remaining blue to create splotches of lilac and lavender. The assortment of colors make the blue of Alver's eyes deeper.

"Ready?" The blond smiles at him.

"Okay."

Cale watches intently as Alver shifts one of his wings, sending them both into a downwards spiral. Only this time, fear isn't what comes with the change. A giddy exhilaration comes instead, filling his lungs until he's breathless.

(Alver wishes he could have recorded this moment because Cale is laughing. With eyes full of wonder and an open mouth smile across his face. Cale's laughter is filled with a contagious joy that has Alver's cheeks hurting from how hard he smiles in return).

Cale falls in love with the triumphant feeling flying brought him, understanding why Icarus had laughed as he plummeted towards the open arms of the ground.

#tcf #trash of the count's family #lcf #lout of the count’s family #cale henituse #salaapaoo fic ideas #lcf alver #alver crossman #alcale

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whoahoney · 2 years

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glassy eyes, hazy afternoons pt. 5

Eddie Munson x anxious!stoner!Reader

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4

Summary: Y/n and Eddie pick up where they left off on Saturday night with another late night rooftop smoke session, complete with stories, shared joints, and mutual pining.

Content Warnings: descriptions/mentions of alcohol/drug abuse, recreational use of drugs, adult language, descriptions/mentions of traumatic childhood memories, fluff, a dashling of angst, mutual pining, descriptions of anxiety and depression, intrusive thoughts, & Eddie’s pervy thoughts

A/N: Thank you all SO much for all the love on my fics this lately, I cannot express to you how every single note makes me feel when I check my phone 🥺 You guys have made me more confident in my writing and I wouldn’t be diving back into this if it weren’t for your uplifting response. 🥹🤍

I hope y’all like a slow burn 😌 I want them to kiss so bad but just you wait 😏 this picks up where part 4 left off! Reader finally remembers to call Chrissy, thank god. Don’t mind me healing my daddy issues through Reader and Johnny, it’s fine.

Also, should I make a playlist for this series? 🧐 let me know!

─── ･｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Y/n and Johnny decided on lasagna for dinner that evening. The pair stood next to each other as they alternated the uncooked pasta with ricotta and meat sauce. Y/n’s stereo played at a louder volume, Led Zeppelin’s Good Times, Bad Times had both of them swaying to the beat.

Johnny’s usually stoic disposition masked his content smile, though it stretched when he noticed they were dancing in sync, swinging their hips side to side. “You’re alright, kiddo.” He said fondly, his heart swelling with pride looking down at her. Johnny felt the same way about both of his children; his love was no different for either one of them despite their differences, but he had always struggled with expression.

‘I love you’ was hard for him when he was small and lived with his parents, it was still uncomfortable when he met their mother, but when he met them both he couldn't help but only think ‘I love you’

He was convinced he’d never experienced real love until he became a father. Sam made him get himself together and Y/n encouraged him to keep going. Now that he had the both of them almost grown, he still found it hard to express it verbally.

But his kids knew exactly what he meant when he covered them up on cold evenings in front of the television, when he brought home the movies they had been talking about, when Y/n faked sick to get out of school and take mental health days, when his son turned into a shell of himself the day he got his heart broken, his efforts didn’t go unnoticed, not once.

Johnny was there for Sam that night, finding him quietly sobbing in the garage with a bottle of whiskey. Instead of scolding him for the alcohol and berating him for the tears, he held his son and took him to bed with a glass of cold water, sitting with him and talking about everything Sam needed to until he fell asleep.

Y/n hadn’t needed Johnny in a moment of crisis, but she knew she could go to him if she needed to, though she fought the constant internal battle of feeling like a burden. Her dad had held her hand every morning at elementary school drop off, until his kids started riding the bus in middle school— that’s when Sam would give her shoulder a reassuring squeeze before they parted ways in the morning.

From time to time her dad will still reach over and give her hand a squeeze, which she’d return as an ‘I love you too’ whenever the affection occurred.

Y/n and Johnny watched the Dukes of Hazzard as they grazed their plates that rested on the TV trays in the living room. They had all of the windows open, the breeze trickling in and tousling the curtains gently.

She noticed the gradient of blue to pink the sky reflected this evening and ached to get outside. After wiping her mouth with her napkin, she stood from her seat and excused herself for a walk outside. Y/n admired the sky in every state it lived in, though sunsets were in her top two.

She observed how the trees in the distances stretched up to scrape the sky, prickling at the satin sweep. Y/n loved to get high and watch the sun disappear and see day fade to night, which is exactly what she did, high up on a branch along the tree line separating Piney Oak and Forest Hills.

She admired the periwinkle clouds that bounced pink reflections across the endless fields of cotton. She wondered for a moment what it’d feel like to lay on a fluffy cloud and decided it’d probably feel like a water bed or a pool floatie.

Johnny stood at the window and looked out onto the porch, watching how his daughter sat on the step with her hands folded under her chin, content with the view in front of her. He smiled and scrubbed harder at the casserole dish.

Y/n wound up back in her room for the evening, the day subsiding to deep blue outside and her room glowing orange with light. She dug around in her backpack for the slip of paper Chrissy gave her Friday.

She grabbed the yellow rotary phone and set it in front of her on the bed with a clank. It’d been a long time since she’d phoned a friend, let alone a new friend.

‘She’s just gonna ask about Eddie, it’s what girls do.’ Y/n thought.

‘What if she makes fun of me? People in her group seem to dislike him, what if she just wants me to tell her things about him she can use to embarrass him?’

‘Chrissy’s too nice, if anything she’d want to help me work up the nerve to do something about these weird feelings.’

Y/n shook her spiralling head and started dialing the number. It wasn’t long before Chrissy picked up, her cheery “Hello” ringing through the receiver. “Hey, it’s Y/n! Is now a good time?” She asked.

“Y/n! Oh, is it ever! We need to talk about you and Eddie, we’ve gotta make it happen.” She gushed. Y/n rolled her eyes playfully, fidgeting with the chord. “You were telling me about how you guys ended up at your house and then fell asleep?! In your bed?!” Chrissy whispered urgently into the mouthpiece of her pink phone knowing her mother would flip if she knew Chrissy had a friend who’s engaged in such activities.

“Yes, but it wasn’t as crazy as it sounds! We looked at the moon and talked on the roof for a while, and— I don’t know, sometimes we stop talking but it doesn’t feel weird, like I don’t feel the need to fill the air space, and he looks at me like… I don’t know,”

“Like he wants you to do something??”

“Ugh, maybe. I just wish I had the guts to.” She said, reaching over beside her and shoving her bedside window open to light a cigarette before she started a joint.

“So you are willing to admit you like him? Ugh, finally! When you get married please don’t forget to let me make a speech about how I got you two together!”

“Oh yeah, so you can tell my closest friends and family the story of how I hit up the head cheerleader to direct me to the nearest drug dealer that just so happens to theoretically turn out to be my groom? Love it.” Y/n scoffed before exhaling a plume of smoke out the window. The glowing blue lense over the outdoors sank into black, the only lights coming from orange glowing windows or street lights.

Chrissy cackled, “It’s the perfect story. Your kids are gonna love it! And if you have a daughter you gotta name her Chrissy!”

Y/n shook her head , “And If it’s a boy?”

“Easy, Christopher.” Chrissy said with a shrug of her shoulder and laughed with her friend on the other end. “You know… I’ve always thought that friend of his was real cute. What’s his name? Garrett? Jareth?”

“Gareth?!”

“Yes! With the fluffy, pretty hair. Ugh. I catch him looking at me like a lovesick puppy in every class I have with him and it takes everything in me not to wink at him.” She swooned.

“Chrissy!” Y/n hissed in a shocked whisper. “What about Jason?” She asked lowly.

Chrissy sighed, “I’ve known Jason for a really, really long time. Like, our parents grew up together, we’ve grown up together, and it’s like we’ve been expected to end up together since we were kids. And for a while it felt right, I had the biggest crush on him for years. But now Jason is just like his dad, you know? He acts so above everything, and he doesn’t even care about half the things I think or say… I think I’m just a part of some checklist, honestly. But I know one thing for sure and it’s that Jason has never looked at me the way Gareth does.” She sighed dreamily.

“Chrissy, if you’re not happy with Jason, then you should break it off. Other people's emotions aren’t your responsibility! So what if Jason gets butthurt? He has it coming! Maybe it’ll humble him.” Y/n suggested and then took a couple more drags on her cigarette before lighting a joint with the lit end of the cancer stick between her lips.

“True, but I’m more worried about my parents. My mother, specifically.” Chrissy said in a slow and careful whisper, which told Y/n Chrissy didn’t feel safe to speak on her own line as freely as she should. “I gotcha, maybe we can elaborate on that some other time?” Y/n asked carefully.

Chrissy sighed in relief, “That sounds nice! Thank you, Y/n/n. It’s nice to have a friend I don’t have to… hide parts of myself from.” She whispered.

“Me too, Chris.” Y/n smiled, her chest warming. “I feel like you’re gonna be a friend I have for a long time, you know what I mean? When the rest fall away after high school.” Chrissy said.

Y/n’s heart leapt, “Aw, thanks, Chris. I-I think our friendship is gonna be a lasting one too,” She nodded though her friend couldn’t see her and took another drag, “But, if you don’t name your kid after me, we’re history.” She joked, laughing when she heard Chrissy’s cackle over the receiver. “Of course I will! I hope Eddie’s ready for me to infiltrate his life as his best friend's girlfriend and his girlfriend's best friend, or whoever your future husband is.” Chrissy jokes, Y/n giving weak laughter in return while a snap resounded from the backyard through her open window.

She decided to shrug it off, not used to all the animals that roam around here at night quite yet. “Hopefully the future husband is on board with Christopher, or else it isn’t gonna work.”

“Who’s Christopher?” A voice asked from outside. Y/n gasped, raising the phone in her hand and poised to strike when she realized it was none other than the lovable figure of Eddie Munson leaning up against the side of her house with a cigarette between his lips.

“Y/n/n? Y/n! Is everything okay?” Chrissy shouted over the receiver, as Y/n collected her breath and burned red in the face with embarrassment. “Uh, yeah, I, uh forgot Eddie was stopping by, I’ll… talk to you tomorrow, kayloveyoubye.” Y/n quietly rushed out before hanging up the phone and turning her attention to Eddie.

He stood leaning up against the windowsill, his chin resting on his hands patiently. “Did I scare you, sweetheart?” He raised his eyebrows and nodded to the joint in her hand, a silent request for her to pass it to him which she obliged and took his cigarette to puff on in return.

Eddie stepped back to keep the smoke away from the interior of her room, shoving his other hand in his jeans pocket for warmth on the crisp night. “Oh me? Haven’t you noticed my nerves of steel yet, Munson?” She asked.

He smirked as he took another hit from the joint, “So, uh, who’s Christopher— Is it Christopher Lacey from the swim team? Who’s your future husband??” He asked in an eager rush, as if he were excited for her, though really he was bursting to get the question out as soon as he overheard her phone conversation. Y/n’s eyes flashed embarrassment, “No, no, I was—Chrissy told me to name my future kid after her and I told her I hoped my future husband was on board with it.” She shrugged, playing it off as no big deal when inside she was experiencing heart palpitations.

“Oh, well who’s your future husband? Not Christopher Lacey I presume?” He nodded to the joint he held out in front of her lips as she leaned her head further out. Y/n rolled her eyes playfully before closing them as she took a drag. Eddie’s stomach twisted when she went for it without hesitation, his shy girl was getting comfortable with him.

He wanted to know what it was like to run his hand down her neck, only stopping to squeeze his hand around her throat just a little, her neck too delicate for unnecessary roughness. He wanted to slip the straps of her tank top down her shoulders and pull the middle apart so she’d be left bare, but then reminded himself she was an ethereal being and not his to touch or objectify, then he felt icky.

‘Stop, you fucking perv. What are you, 12?’ He scolded.

Y/n inhaled and exhaled, smiling and shaking her head. “Uhh, Matt Dillon? I guess?”

Eddie scoffed and shook his head, “Matt Dillon, are you kidding me? That Neanderthal?!”

“Wha- He’s pretty! He’s so pretty, why do you have to dig at him like that??” Y/n defended with her voice raising an octave and embarrassed laughter spilling out in between.

“Is it cause of the Outsiders? Nah, cause if it was, you would’ve picked Rob Lowe… surely..” He trailed off as though he were thinking aloud, biting his thumbnail in contemplation as realization struck, “Of course you picked Matt freakin’ Dillon. You like the bad boy, the one everyone says ‘stay away’ from, huh? Tell me, did you bring home a lot of strays growing up?” He asked, amusement dancing behind his eyes as he watched her sit there and puff on the cigarette he brought and giggle madly, shaking her head in her defense with no words to back it up.

“You must think I’m pretty damn good lookin’, huh?” He smiled, his eyes glittering in the way only his could. Y/n bit her lip and shoved the window all the way open and leaned out on her elbows, her cleavage heavily accentuated as she towered over him the way he typically did her.

“What are you doing here?” She asked quietly, excitement exuding from her eyes in the form of a glint. Eddie’s mouth twitched into a smile when she didn’t deny it.

“Well, I was partaking in my nightly smoke, but sadly my view of the sky wasn’t as satisfactory as yours is. Thought maybe we could hang out and look together.” He shrugged, suddenly nervous.

‘Maybe this was a bad idea.’

Y/n grinned and bit her bottom lip, watching him fidget while he waited for her to answer. “I’d love that.” She said simply and took a drag from the joint, feeling the familiar warmth and buzz from the nicotine and herb.

Eddie’s eyes brightened, his normal goofy smile returning to his face. She ducked her head back inside to pull on a hoodie and grab her stoner bag before threading her legs through the window and hopping out. His eyes stayed on her as she moved and flipped her hair back over from where it had fallen over her face.

She’d insisted he go ahead of her up the tree, watching his careful movements and gingham boxers made her smile. When he stepped onto the shingles, he bowed to her with a cocky grin. “Very nice, I give it a ten out of ten for the graceful dismount.” She commended.

Eddie squatted down, readying his hands to catch the bag she held in her hands. Y/n threw the bag up to him, smiling when he caught it with ease and finding her grasp on the tree. “Y’know with skills like those, you should definitely try out for the basketball team.” She teased on her way up to the limb that acted as their bridge.

Eddie scoffed, “Oh yeah, because my true passion lies on the court, sweetheart.” His eyes never left her as she crawled across the limb and stood with a waiting hand, which she accepted. “There you are.” He whispered, lingering too closely to be considered friendly.

“Here I am.” She confirmed, looking from his shining brown eyes to his lips, and feeling his light breath fan across her face. He smiled and pushed some hair behind her ear before turning carefully to sit where they did previously.

“Y’know if I was a basketball player, you’d have to be a cheerleader?” He asked and looked over his shoulder at her for her reaction, still holding her hand. “W-Why?” She stammered, not understanding. “Cause it’s fair!” He shrugged as if that made sense.

“Pfft, I have no business jumping around or shaking pom poms.” She scoffed and set her now burnt out joint back between her lips to relight. Eddie rolled his eyes, the thought in his head unbearable. How he’d love to see her in that uniform, even if it was just for fun.

‘Maybe someday I can see her in Chrissy’s…’

“If I’m on the basketball team, you’re a cheerleader, it just makes sense!” Eddie reasoned and patted the spot next to him. Y/n sat down scooting closer to Eddie. She held out the joint for him to take, though it was too short for him to grasp. Instead he leaned his head over and took a drag, his lips brushing her fingers in a light kiss as he sucked.

The tingles crawled up her arm as he sat there inhaling slowly, her eyes trained on his profile and feeling his fingers take hold of her wrist under the guise of holding her steady, as always.

Eddie pushed her hand back towards herself to take a hit, though she decided against it and stubbed it out on the shingle. “So, you think my view tops yours? Over at Forest Hills?” She asked, nudging his arm with hers and taking the bag from his lap, which made him jump.

“Oh, absolutely.” He said, his eyes trained on his favorite view; his dream girl under the moon.

‘Rhiannon rings like a bell through the night and wouldn’t you love to love her..’

Stevie ran through his head as he looked at the girl lighting up next to him; shielding the small dancing flame from the breeze with her hand, wind swirling around her tresses and carried them gently to and fro. She ran a careful hand to tuck them behind her ears and handed over the new joint.

“Y’know, sometime I’ll have to show you mine—the top of the trailer, I mean. It isn’t as high up as this but it’s still one of my favorite places.” He shrugged and took a hit.

“What are your other favorite places?” She asked, leaning her head over on the brick to look at him. “There’s this spot out by the quarry that’s really nice in the spring and summer months, there’s flowers all around the water, everything’s green, birds are always talking to each other, and there’s this perfect tree…it’s almost magical looking, really.” His eyes projected excitement and wonder as he talked about his special place.

“It does sound magical… D-Do you ever take anyone out there?” She asked, her eyes on the joint between his lips. Eddie caught her glance and handed it back to her. She reached out to take it from him, but not before he could jerk it out of reach. Y/n looked to him with wide eyes, suddenly feeling the last wave of warmth roll over her, her previous tokes catching up to her.

Eddie smiled playfully and held it back out to her closer to her mouth. Y/n looked to Eddie for confirmation and noticed the hungry look returning to his eye as he nodded for her to lean in.

Y/n obliged him, letting her eyes flutter shut as she took a slow drag. Eddie watched the thick hem of lashes that framed her eyes and then traced his gaze down to her puckered lips. He resisted the urge to yank the joint away and crash his lips upon hers and absolutely wreck her quiet demeanor.

But he didn’t. Instead, he admired the way she looked at him when she opened her eyes, smiling around the filter when she noticed how intensely he was admiring her. “I, uh, I haven’t taken anyone out there before, but I think I will soon… if you’d want to see it.” He mumbled nervously. Y/n gasped in intrigue before she exhaled, the excitement draining from her face as the building, fluttery pressure swelled up in her chest and throat.

Eddie knew exactly what was going to happen and couldn’t help but laugh as he watched her eyes get wider than he’d ever seen. As she leaned over to the other side in a hacking fit, he fondly patted her back giggling innocently. “You got it, let it out.” He cooed, deriving joy from the contours of her back he could feel under his hand as he rested it there.

“My bad,” she squeaked as she recovered and wiped her face with her sleeves. “Can’t get off without the cough, right?” She said watching him take another drag. “I’m sorry, what?” Eddie asked in amused disbelief. “What? You’ve never heard that before?” She asked, looking almost offended. Eddie shrugged and shook his head. “Coughing helps you get high, something about your blood and oxygen circulation, makes it happen faster. I dunno, ‘s somethin’ our parents used to joke about. Sam told me what it meant back when we started smoking together, so it’s kind of like one useful thing we learned from her.” She laughed and rolled her puffy pink eyes.

Eddie gave a weak laugh at her dark humor, something he wasn’t unfamiliar with, something he typically enjoyed, but it was then he remembered where they left off in conversation before their evening was interrupted last Saturday.

“I hear that, my old man taught me how to hotwire a car when I was eleven.” he chuckled, bringing the joint to his lips, the nostalgia playing behind his eyes. “You’re shitting me.” Y/n gaped, accepting the joint when he held it out to her. Eddie laughed at her surprise and shook his head, “If you ever lose car keys, let me know, I’ll get her started for ya.” He winked with a shoulder nudge that sent her smiling for him. Y/n scoffed and thanked him, taking a deep drag, her eyes closing for a second. ‘Like a butterfly closing its wings for a moment or two,’ Eddie noted, allowing himself a sinful glance down at her puckered lips and hollow cheeks.

“Our car died on us during an.. impromptu road trip,” he began before he could slip further into madness at her unknowing hands. “W-We walked to this motel off the highway, an-and found an unlocked door. The old man always had his tool bag, which had a lot more than tools in it by the way, but he showed me the needle nose pliers and cutters I needed, how to pry the paneling off, which wires to cut, which ones to cross, you know, father-son bonding things.” He shrugged nonchalantly, earning a laugh from her as she handed the joint back to him and reached out for his cigarette, which he gladly handed to her.

“It was probably one of the only good stories I have about him. And it’s only good cause—“ he stopped himself, noticing he was sliding into the same comfort he’d been chasing since they parted ways Sunday morning. Y/n looked at him with her eyelids heavy, her slightly raised brows told him she was invested in listening, concern laid on her face bare.

“Cause why?” She asked softly, watching his lips to catch the words in case he didn’t say them loud enough. He took a generous drag and sighed his exhale, “Cause he wasn’t… angry. Felt like we were on the same team for a night, you know? Felt like a real son, just for a minute. You know?” He asked, looking at her finally.

Y/n nodded, her heart swelling. “Yeah, yeah I do.” She chewed the inside of her cheek nervously, her mind drifting back to the story she never finished on Saturday, wondering if he’d remembered or cared. “D-Did you have any moments like that with your mom?” He asked, his eyes gentle and softer than before. His hand on her thigh sent a crawling warmth up her body, flushing her neck under the sweatshirt she wore.

Y/n stared at his hand for a minute, trying to decide if she was just feeling more movement than usual due to her high, but she observed as he rubbed small circles on the inside of her leg and waited patiently without knowing he was driving her wild.

“I—not to my knowledge.” She said quietly, trying to slow her fast paced thoughts, feeling guilty for the way she felt while he wanted to share vulnerabilities. Eddie stopped his movements to both her relief and dismay, “Oh,” he said lowly, his mouth agape and eyes hiding too many thoughts to comprehend, though at the very least she knew he was floundering inside.

“It’s okay, though. Maybe there’s a memory somewhere in here I’m not remembering right now.” She shrugged, trying to reassure him. Eddies face lifted a little, a hint of a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. “Well if you think of any, let me know. I’d love to hear about them.”

Y/n nodded, laying her hand on his, “I will, I promise.”

“Or anything else that you feel like sharing, good or bad, past or present, whatever’s good for you.” He rushed, his nervousness evident by the tremble in his hand. Y/n flashed him a smile, “Does that have anything to do with the story I didn’t finish last time we were up here?” She asked quietly, leaning toward him a bit to hand him his cigarette back, fighting the urge to put it between his lips for him.

Eddie’s facade melted immediately, only leaving a shy smile. “Ah, you got me.” He shrugged, taking a drag as she nodded, “Only if you want to finish it, don’t feel like you have to. But I can’t say I haven’t been thinking about it.” He revealed, her heart leaping in response. He was thinking about her unfinished story for days.

Y/n nodded reassuring him this time, “I can tell you, it’s not a problem, it can just be kind of embarrassing. The way things were, the story itself, so much of my life.” She rolled her eyes, trying to shake the uncomfortable feeling off her back so she could tell him the story of the last time she saw her mother.

“I didn’t get very far, did I?” She forced a laugh, rubbing her hands on her jeans to dry the moisture that started to prickle at her palms. Eddie’s hand found hers again, the stillness of the air allowed the faint sounds of her stereo to filter up to the roof, where they sat under the moon, Tuesday's Gone by Lynyrd Skynyrd played.

“You mentioned a ‘Tina’?” He asked casually, picking her hand up carefully and placing it in his own, thankful to the marijuana gods for this strain that calmed them so. “Oh, yeah. Her.” She chuckled dryly, keeping her focus on their intertwined hands.

Eddie noticed her breath quicken a bit at the act, a satisfied grin threatened to work its way onto his face though he kept it at bay by nodding at her to continue. “Tina was best friends with my mom. She was insufferably loud, by the way,”

“Tinas can be that way.” He shrugged, easing her back into relaxation, hoping he can use this time to show her how willing he is to listen to her life, how eager he is to comfort her if she needs it. Y/n chuckled and scooted closer to Eddie, her anxiety lifted like shrugging a jacket off your shoulders.

“So, my mom and Tina would sit around and get high all day, and Sam and I, we were in the back room with the other kids— back then that felt fun, does that one count? As one of those good memories? Anyway, we got to eat junk and watch whatever we wanted on tv all day as long as we stayed quiet and in the room… I can still smell the ammonia and cigarettes sometimes…” she trailed off with a sigh, looking to Eddie to see if he cared to hear more of the embarrassingly depressing story of her life. He nodded, his eyes soft and his hand stroking the skin of her palm.

“This time in particular, we climbed over the baby gate and tried to sneak to the bathroom because we hadn’t been checked on in forever. But I was so scared. The adults were always so shitty if we left the room, let alone made any other mistakes… Y’know like kids do,” She chuckled bitterly before continuing, “I couldn’t make it to the bathroom,” her laughter continued as tears formed on her waterline, the memory playing behind her eyes, though her voice didn’t waver. If he weren’t looking at her he would have no idea she was on the verge of tears.

“A guy was passed out inside against the door, and while Sam was trying to shove it open… I couldn’t hold it anymore. The floor was soaked, I was soaked, and Sam was so upset. But he never made me feel bad about it, not once.” She sniffled, Her face not visible because of the curtain of hair that now hung between them. “And I can’t tell you how many spankings he took because he ‘wasn’t watching’ me, as if it was his job! Isn’t that wild?” She asked in a faint half sniffling half giggly haze.

“Then our mom found us cause Sam couldn’t get me to stop crying. She was so pissed.. unbelievably pissed—and embarrassed. That’s something she kept telling me over and over was how much of a baby I was and all that shit.” She rolled her eyes and wiped her face. Eddie kept his eyes trained on her carefully, his tongue poised to intervene and tell her to stop.

“Dad ended up catching her when she tried to get us home and clean us up before he was supposed to get off work. But when no one answered the phone all day he came home early, so, that… sucked.”

Eddie felt like he’d been punched in the gut, seeing her so comfortably numb to her hurt, a weeping callous never healed properly.

“She was trying to convince him he was being crazy and irrational, but he insisted he wanted to talk to me and Sam, so when it came my turn, he asked me how many times I got taken to the bathroom that day and I didn’t know what to say cause the answer was none.” She acted annoyed with herself to Eddie’s dismay, his brow knitting together in disapproval.

“Then he asked if anyone ever hit me over there, and I knew the answer to that one, so I said yes, which my mom overheard and freaked out about, calling me a liar, and a lot of.. other things.” She trailed off, taking the joint from Eddie as he put out the cigarette they shared on a shingle, tossing it off the side of the house.

“They had their fight and got their licks in, then Sam took me to our room and turned some Heart on the Walkman before it got out of hand—full blast I might add. Gave me his headphones and told me ‘Just sit here and stay quiet for a little while, I’ll go find a snack.” She smiled at her brother's kindness.

She took a drag, tear tracks kissing her bottom lashes as she closed her eyes to center herself and savor the bitter taste. “She, uh, turned the whole situation on my dad, in the end. Talked about how he didn’t want to help her even though she was sick, yadayadayada..” she rushed, exhaling the toke fully before continuing. “So she claimed she was taking off to go ‘rest’ and ‘get better’ for a few weeks and then never came back.” She giggled bitterly, the story somehow humorous for her to tell, the ripples of her laughter extending into a full blown fit.

“Like, what the hell, right? Can you believe people actually do this shit?” She breathed, Eddie nodded, a small smile on his lips as he watched her, letting her react any way she needed to. “I-I’m sorry, Y/n. I hope already know this but none of it was your fault—the way she treated you guys.” He said softly, bringing her hand closer to his face and playing with her fingers, nodding assuringly as he spoke.

Y/n’s laughter had fizzled, Eddie’s words being the conclusion. “Y-Yeah. Yeah it wasn’t.” She said, though she knew it wasn’t her fault, she’d never had anyone try to make sure she didn’t believe it was. “Thank you for listening.. I didn’t mean to cry, I don’t know what that was.” She brushed it off.

Eddie brought his hands up to trace her tear stained cheeks, feeling braver the longer he sat with her. He angled her face up to his own, looking down at her with shining brown eyes that made her stomach flip.

“Eddie—“

“Don’t ever..” he said lowly and leaned in close—so close his nose touched her nose and her breath hitched, warmth flooding her core. Eddie's breath fanned across her mouth, her lips opened slightly like they were going to chase after his as if it were the only source of oxygen.

He looked into her eyes earnestly, “—ever, EVER, apologize for crying. Not in front of me, okay? I wanna be the last person you have to worry about impressing.” He whispered, trying to discern whether or not she was moving closer or if he was.

“I—okay. I won’t.” She mumbled, too high to figure out anything else to say the didn’t have to do with the burning desire she felt inside. “I think you’re…” his eyes searched the sky for the right word, second guessing whether or not now was the right time to do all of this.

“Everything.” He decided. The word shot right through her chest, the bricked layers of her heart shattering like dropped ceramic. “Everything?” She almost whimpered, looking for his eyes and holding his hand on her cheek. Eddie smiled and nodded, “Absolutely everything, sweetheart. The only person I can pour my soul out to and be unafraid. The only person I like sharing weed with. Hell, you’re the only person I wanna hang out with anymore.” He revealed, trailing his fingers down to her jaw that he traced with his thumb.

“I feel some pretty deep things for you, Y/n, I don’t know if that makes sense right now, but I do.” He said, his hands falling to his sides as his brown eyes bore into her. Y/n’s hand bravely grabbed his, putting it back next to her face. “I think you’re everything too, Eddie.” She managed in a whisper, leaning into his touch as he stroked her cheeks with more purpose, burying the rest of his hands in her hair.

She felt as though they were floating, as if time had stopped and they’d been transported back into their own little world again. Eddie’s breath caught, his lips parting in surprise. He resisted the urge to crash his lips against hers, and instead leaned forward slowly.

Y/n’s heavy lidded eyes watched his lips carefully, finally feeling brave enough to stand her ground as he began to pull her to him. Her body lit ablaze as she let herself melt into him.

“Y/n! Kiddo, you up there?” Her father called from her bedroom window, their eyes shooting open and bodies separating as if Johnny were already on the roof. “Uh, yeah! Just a sec.” She called.

“I-I, I’ll be right back, Sam probably called or something, I’m so sorry—“

“Don’t worry about it, I’ll be right here.” He whispered close to her face and held her wrist gently, giving her a reassuring squeeze as she turned to climb down.

Y/n’s heart hammered in her ears with each step down from the tree trunk, though she knew her old man didn’t suspect anything. “Hey, kid.” Her dad sat with a cigarette burning on the ashtray that rests on her windowsill. “Hey..” She approached the window, leaning against the house like Eddie had been not long ago.

“Just, uh wanted to say goodnight. I know I don’t always do that, so I thought I would tonight. Sooo… goodnight.” He nodded as though he was trying to remember a line and did with success. “Good night.” She nodded back, unsure if that was the end of the conversation or if he expected her to crawl through the window again. Instead Johnny smiled at her and stood up from the bed, taking the cigarette with him.

“Don’t stay out there too long, it’s getting colder at night time. The stars and the pot will still be here tomorrow.” He said before closing her door behind him. Y/n gaped at him, shouting a flustered, “Okay! No problem!” She backed up, noticing a head of curls perched just above her window, a satisfied Eddie smiling with a joint ready to be lit between his lips.

“Looks like we got the answer to our question.” He mumbled around the filter as Y/n laughed, thinking back to their conversation from earlier. “You, uh, wanna burn one more out so I can look at the stars longer or do you need to get to sleep?” Eddie asked as she climbed up the tree to be with him. “Well how could I say no to that?” She sighed contently, walking over to take her previous seat next to him.

When Eddie saw her figure up against the starry night sky he couldn’t help but think about her being his favorite star of them all as if she came from them and not this earthly plane.

She smiled at him, noticing his thousand yard stare and just chalking it up to his high sending him into a daze. “What are you thinking about?” She asked bravely. Eddie’s ears perked at her confidence and smiled. “Jus’ the stars.” He shrugged. Y/n snickered at his blushing cheeks. Eddie sparked the joint up and handed it over to Y/n, letting her have the first real drag.

Y/n took a slow and strong pull, hoping to cough enough she’d feel a tad bit more comfortable. She inhaled it through her nose, the thick cloud slithering out of her mouth and through her nostril, “Damn, okay.” Eddie said with an amused smile as she took a deep breath and broke into her coughing fit while he lit a cigarette. Once again he saw the opportunity to pat her back and comfort her. “You’re very brave, I admire you for that. I throw up if I cough too hard. But here you are, iron stomach and steel nerves and all. Are you a fuckin’ robot? Who are you really?” He rambled, the warm and fuzzy high mixed with love washed over him from head to toe.

Y/n’s coughs were interrupted with laughter, her lungs starved of oxygen, “Oh god..shut up—can’t breathe.” She managed through the laughter and focused on controlling her breath. “If I’m a robot, what are you?” She asked once she regained composure. “Easy, a clumsy hobbit and a raccoon in a trench coat.” He fired back with a smile. “A clumsy hobbit and a raccoon in a trench coat?? You’re not even wearing a trench coat, I’ve never even seen you wearing a trench coat.”

Eddie took a drag and shrugged, “Guess we’re just that good aren’t we?” He high-fived himself as Y/n broke into hysterics, causing him to break with her.

“Ah shit, you’re lookin’ a little blue, babe.” He chuckled, the pet name sending warm and fuzzy feelings to both her heart and her core, which made her shift in her spot uncomfortably as she forced out another chuckle. “Y’know one time—actually the first time Gareth and I smoked together, we were in the woods, behind my trailer, in the summertime, at night, mind you.” He started his hands already moving and eyes animated with the story.

“Basically, we were smoking out of a beer can, and I ask him, ‘This isn’t your first time smoking, right?’ and the kid says to me ‘Oh, no, I smoke all the time.’ and I think nothing about it. After the first hit he’s coughing like crazy, I think nothing about it, everyone coughs. But then we smoke about a gram, and it’s 2 in the morning, we’re drunk, we’re high, it’s still hot as hell outside, and he gets quiet on me right before I say we call it a night and crash in the house, when he looks at me nods, turns his head and—BLEH!” He exclaimed, his hands miming the projectile vomit he was describing from Gareth’s mouth. “Blows chunks everywhere,” he laughs, his eyes on the moon in front of them as he finishes the story as he relives it, “—takes three steps and falls over, knocked out cold.” He shakes his head. “I thought he died. I was terrified. I carried him in the house, got Wayne involved, but Gareth came to before I called the police on myself to get an ambulance out there. He gives me shit about ‘almost killing him’ all the time.” He laughed, settling back in his spot and took a drag of his cigarette before switching her for the joint.

“Holy fucking shit, I have to tell Chrissy about that, she’s gonna—“

“Why Chrissy?—Oh yeah, that’s who you were on the phone with earlier..” He cocked his head in confusion. “Yes! That’s who thought I was being murdered when you showed up at my window,” she chuckled as he made a face that imitated embarrassment and rubbed the back of his neck, “Oops.” He said quietly as she rolled her eyes playfully and nudged his shoulder with hers before continuing, “Anyway, we gotta play Cupid if she dumps Jason, cause Chrissy’s gotta crush on none other than the drummer of Corroded Coffin, himself.” She said with widened eyes for dramatic flair. Eddie gasped, practically shitting a brick, “I KNOW! But you gotta swear you won’t say anything to him or anyone else about it until after she’s ready to ask him out, okay?” She turned to him urgently, holding up her pinky for him to hook.

Eddie nodded without hesitation, wrapping his pinky around hers and kissing it, only thinking afterwards he hoped it went over okay with her. His eyes darted up to hers to gauge her reaction. Y/n smiled at their hands and then met Eddie’s gaze. “You wanna go hang out in my room? Listen to some music before I gotta go to bed?” She shrugged, playing with his rings absentmindedly.

“How can I say no to that?” He asked in response.

They quietly made their way into her bedroom, the blackness of night swallowed up by the closing of her lace curtains. Eddie entered first, standing by the window and helping Y/n through, squeezing her hand once before he let her go.

The look of an idea crossed Y/n’s face, “You wanna snack?” She whispered close to his ear. Eddie couldn’t deny his knees feeling weak as he nodded, “Yeah?” She asked with quiet excitement. “Would you wanna split a bowl of cereal?” She shrugged as she walked to her door and Eddie nodded, knowing he’d be ready to sharing anything with her; a joint, a cigarette, a drink, a meal, a bite, a piece of gum, his last breath if it kept her alive a second longer than him, maybe?

He sat on the end of her bed until she returned with a heaping bowl of Froot Loops, “Here, go ahead. ” She said in a whisper. He smiled, stepping out of his shoes and creeping over to her, his dark clothes contrasting beautifully with the glowing and homey oranges surrounding him as he took the bowl from her so she could lock the door as he took a big bite, sighing softly at the satisfying sweetness of the milk and cereal.

The gold knob on the dark wood door clicked softly. Eddie turned, watching her work at cozying the space and clearing off the nightstand and windowsill around her bed. Eddie smiled as he chewed when she brought out the blanket they took to the roof last, wondering if it still smelled like that night. He knew he wanted to live in the stale smoke and the scent of her perfume and laundry detergent forever.

“You wanna pick some music?” She asked as she spread the blanket across her bed and straightened her pillows. Eddie nodded, setting the bowl down on her nightstand and stepped over to the stereo, narrowing his eyes at the rows of titles in front of him. When she was satisfied with their space she joined him in his search. “I must say, I’m kinda in the mood for some Fleetwood Mac.” He retrieved the tape from its spot and grinned when he met her eyes, all puffy and tired looking behind the pink that contrasted so beautifully with her iris, the colors amplified in the warm light of her lamp.

“I love the way you think, Munson.” She smiled and took the tape from him, loading it into the deck and pressing play and adjusting the volume while Rhiannon trickled in.

“This one’s my favorite.” He sat down toward the end of her bed, more comfortably this time than last time. Y/n joined him, tossing him a couple pillows as she got under the blanket in the very corner opposite him. “Mine too.” She agreed, looking rather comfy, “Will you get the bowl, pretty please?” She asked quietly, contently. Eddie couldn’t help but smile, wondering what domestic bliss would feel like with her as he handed her the bowl.

They passed it back and forth between them for a little bit before finally getting shoulder to shoulder to pass only the spoon until they finished and split the milk. “At the rate we’re going we’re gonna get sick someday.” He joked as he set the empty bowl on the nightstand. “Then we just won’t share when we don’t feel good, simple.” She shrugged, settling in under her blanket, her thick fringe of eyelashes looking awful heavy now.

“You look pretty sleepy, sunshine.” Eddie teased softly as he leaned closer to her. She giggled and shook her head, “I’m not tired, my eyes are just heavy, there’s a difference.”

“Mmm, no, that’s what old people say right before they get in trouble for resting their eyes, you need to get to sleep.” He chuckled and bent over for his shoes. “No, no, stay for a little longer.” She urged in a whisper, one hand reaching for him as he turned around. He couldn’t resist the smile breaking across his face at the sight of her sleepy eyes. “Okay, just a little longer. You mind sparing some of this blanket though?” He nodded at the space next to her.

She smiled and opened up the blanket as an invitation for him to join her. He stealthily dove in, unable to resist pulling her close, his heart lurching when her hands found his shoulders while his arms found her waist. When he had the chance to overthink his decision he began to withdrawal, “Sorry, sweetheart—“

“Oh my god, Eddie, you’re freezing!” She exclaimed while taking his hands in hers and rubbing them and his arms the best she could and held them close to her without even thinking. Eddie thought he could keel over from their proximity and her touch alone, her mouth being close to his hands always did something to him.

“How’s this?” She asked, snatching him from his thoughts. “Th-That’s a lot better, thank you.” He mumbled, his eyes desperate to soak up every moment of her caring for him.

“Anytime.” She said, letting their hands rest between them on the bed, their fingers overlapping just the slightest though no one moved. “I think you might be the best friend I’ve ever had, Eddie.” She said, her eyes fluttering closed as she began to draw small circles on his knuckles with her finger.

Friend? The best of them all? Eddie smiled bitter sweetly at the girl in front of him. “I’m honored, Princess.” He whispered, matching her volume. “I wanna be the best friend you’ve ever had.” He whispered as he watched her breaths deepen, her jaw going slack and lips parting just the smallest bit, falling through the floor of consciousness and into sleep.

Eddie allowed himself a couple more minutes of soaking it all in, tracing the shapes of her face with his eyes, brushing a strand of hair off her face, trailing his fingers down her cheek softly and grinning when a faint smile crossed her face in her dream.

He sat up and retrieved his shoes as he tried to minutes before, slipping on the reeboks without lacing them. Eddie glanced down at her sleeping figure tucked under their blanket and smiled, wishing he could be there to tell her good morning.

He quietly walked over to her desk, spying a notepad and pencil cup to use at his disposal. He picked up the blank notepad and wrote quickly.

“Hope you sleep as soundly as you look like you are. Good night and good morning (: -E”

He nodded approvingly and set it on her nightstand next to her bed and eased across the end of her bed to open the window all the way for his escape. He tried to keep as quiet as possible so as to not wake the sleeping angel he was begrudgingly leaving.

As he stepped out into the unkept flower bed, the cold swarming him like a moth to a flame, he closed the window quietly. Giving her one last look, he pressed a kiss to his finger and stuck it to the glass where her head rested on the pillow. “See you tomorrow, friend.” He smiled half-heartedly and made the chilly trek home.

Part 6

@thincrusttheworks @navs-bhat @afternoonzephyr @bl0ssommanddie @wendyfawcett @vea-vea-vea @munsonsmel0dy @sana-li @drdvlss @certifiedtrashmouth @okaymunson @cestpresqueparfait @astrolockley @lovelyvivii @likedovesinthewnd

#eddie munson x reader #eddie munson x you #eddie munson x y/n #boyfriend!eddie munson #eddie munson #eddie munson fluff #eddie munson drabble #eddie munson fanfiction #eddie munson series #eddie munson imagine #stranger things x reader #stranger things fanfiction #eddie munson lemon

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endless-summer-soldier · 11 months

Text

dr. feelgood - chapter two

pairing: Surgeon!Bucky x SurgicalIntern!Reader

summary: Y/N has a one night stand with a handsome stranger the night before starting her new job as a surgical intern. Little does she know, the handsome stranger also happens to be her new boss

a/n: the response to this fic has been so unexpected and it's honestly amazing! thank you all so much for reading. a lot of this series is based on grey’s anatomy but I’m putting my own spin on it! all the positive feedback is motivating me to write more often so I’m going to try to post new chapters on a somewhat weekly schedule.

warnings: must be 18+, drinking, some surgery descriptions, smut, self-pleasure, praise kink, very minor character death, unprotected sex, rough sex

Word count: 1.5k

series playlist: here

taglist: @sebsgirl71479 @ozwriterchick @notmeddy @drewsuncrustables @lokidokieokie @hextech-bros @nats-whore @m4nulup1n @arcanebabe @tanyaspartak (message me to be added!)

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I had to drag myself out of bed the next morning. I was dreading going to the hospital. Mainly because I was nervous to see the hot doctor I’d accidentally slept with. I didn’t know what to say to him. I wasn’t sure if we should talk about it or just pretend like it never happened. And he was so damn coy it was difficult to tell what he was thinking.

Once we were changed into scrubs, we met with Palmer to go through rounds. As we visited each patient, our knowledge was tested on their diagnoses and treatment plans. Palmer would assign an intern to each of the cases to assist with patient treatment and potential surgeries. Once rounds were finished, I was the last intern left and I eyed Palmer inquisitively.

“Y/L/N, you will be working with Dr. Barnes today.”

I felt nervous butterflies in my stomach, “Oh, I just thought I’d be working with one of these patients,” I said, trying to get out of it.

“Nope, Barnes specifically requested you. He’s down in the pit.”

“Got it,” I replied. I trudged to the elevator that would take me down to the ER, wondering how I was going to handle this.

As soon as the elevator doors opened, nurses were scrambling, prepping beds and trauma rooms.

“There’s my intern!” I heard from across the way. “Good morning Y/L/N,” he said, calling me by my last name. While this was common in the medical field, it felt oddly chummy coming from him.

“Hi Dr. Barnes. What do we have today?” I faked a smile.

“Collision in a bicycle race, multiple injuries, a few pretty serious. The ambulance is on the way. Put on one of those gowns and follow me.” I took a yellow disposable gown and donned it over my scrubs, along with a set of surgical gloves. Then I followed Bucky to the back entrance of the ER where the ambulances would arrive.

The two of us stood there for a moment in silence, listening for the wail of sirens that were sure to arrive any minute. There was a chill in the air which gave me shivers and ultimately put me on edge. I wasn’t good with uncomfortable silence, but I bit my tongue, determined not to give in first.

I lost that imaginary contest.

“Why did you lie to me?” I asked, turning toward him.

“I didn’t lie to you.”

“You told me your name was Bucky.”

“My name is Bucky. It’s what all my friends call me. It’s a nickname from when I was growing up.”

“Then why hasn’t anyone here called you Bucky.”

He sighed, “James is more professional so it's what I use at work. Think about it, who would want a surgeon named Bucky operating on them.”

I considered his point for a moment and realized I believed him. Before I could retort he added, “You weren’t exactly honest with me. You never said you were a doctor.”

I immediately became defensive, “I was just looking for a hookup, not someone to spend the rest of my life with.”

“Oh that was very clear when you hit on me.”

My jaw dropped, “The way I remember it, you hit on me.”

“Mmm…you’re probably right. I do have a thing for gorgeous women drinking tequila by themselves.”

I ran my tongue across my teeth in an attempt to fight the smile that was attempting to spread across my face.

“Okay, you know what, I’m pretending like that night never happened. We are starting fresh today. I am your intern and that’s it. No more flirting with me.”

“Whatever you say, Y/L/N,” he said, flashing me that irresistible smile. I shifted my attention away from his handsome face as the sound of sirens came into earshot.

The gurneys flowed in with injuries ranging from concussions to flesh wounds. I quickly made a move for one of the cases that I guessed to be surgical. The patient was an attractive male in his early thirties. He had three bicycle spokes poking out of his abdomen but was speaking perfectly normally.

“What happened here?” I asked him, inspecting the wounds.

“Just another day in the life,” he replied.

I chuckled, “You make it a habit of ending up in the ER?”

“It’s the best way to meet hot doctors,” he flirted. I stopped my inspection to stare at him, finding myself oddly charmed.

“What’s your name?” I said, pulling out a clipboard to fill out some paperwork.

“Quentin Beck.”

“Well Quentin Beck, I’m going to remove these spokes and stitch up your abdomen. Then I recommend we send you to CT just to ensure there isn’t any additional damage.”

“Ooh I don’t know about that. I’ve gotta get out of here.”

“Leaving so soon?” I joked.

“Can’t miss the big afterparty. I’ll see you there right?”

“You wish,” I applied a numbing agent to his wounds before carefully removing the spokes. I pulled off his shirt and started working on his sutures. Quentin kept trying to talk and I continued to shush him, focusing on tending to his wounds.

“You really should go to CT,” I said as I finished stitching him up and admired my work.

“No can do darling. My presence is expected elsewhere.”

I shook my head in disapproval, “Well I’m going to need you to sign a form that says you’re leaving against medical advice.”

“I will sign anything you ask me to.” I handed him a clipboard and showed him where to sign. He scribbled his signature, handed the clipboard back to me and stood up to leave the room. Then he doubled back and wrapped his arms around my waist, pulled me towards him, and kissed me, taking me completely by surprise.

When he pulled away he said, “That was for good luck.” Then he turned and walked out of the room, leaving for the hospital.

At that moment, I looked through the blinds and saw Bucky standing there, having witnessed the entire exchange. He had a surprised yet smug expression on his face

“Did you just make out with a patient?” he asked, leaning on the door jamb.

I had no words for what had just happened. “He just…kissed me…” I eventually managed.

“So that’s your type, huh?”

“I don’t have a type.”

“No? You don’t like world class doctors with irresistible charm?”

“Are you jealous?” I teased.

“Maybe I am,” he added with a smile. “But I could really use your help with a patient.”

“Of course,” I followed him out of the room and tried to shift my focus back to work. One of the patients was having difficulty breathing and needed to be intubated.

“Have you done this before?” he asked me.

“Not on a real patient,” I replied.

He smiled, “We’re going to change that.” He instructed me to get in position towards the patient's head. He handed me the necessary equipment and talked me through it. I felt my nerves increasing, not sure if I was ready to do this.

He seemed to pick up on this because then he said, “Hey, don’t panic. You can do this. I’ll be right here if you need help.” I nodded and took a deep breath, focusing on what he instructed. I had to make sure I inserted the tube into the trachea and not the esophagus. I angled the device to where Bucky had described and carefully fed the tube downwards. I looked toward him for confirmation I had done it correctly.

“Now place your hand on his chest and see if air is filling the lungs.” I did as he instructed and felt the gentle inflation of the patient’s chest.

“Yeah, I think I can feel it.” He placed his hand next to mine, overlapping ever so slightly to confirm the intubation had been successful.

He nodded and smiled at me, “Yeah you got it. Great job Dr. Y/L/N.” I couldn’t hide the smile spreading across my face and the rush that was hitting me. This was the feeling I’d been chasing for the past few years. This was why I wanted to become a surgeon.

I watched as Bucky continued his examination to determine what the patient needed. He appeared to have a few external injuries but nothing that major.

“His abdomen is swollen, so he might have some internal injuries. Y/L/N, can you take him down to CT.”

“Absolutely,” I replied. And just like that Bucky was gone, off to the next patient. I wheeled down the John Doe we just intubated to get his scans.

Once the CT was complete, I held up his scans to study them. There was severe internal bleeding in the abdomen that would likely require surgery. I paged Bucky, knowing he would need to make the ultimate call.

It didn’t take him long to answer the page. I had the scans displayed against the backlights and was studying them. He walked into the room and said, “What do you see?”

“Internal bleeding.”

“It looks like it’s coming from the kidneys. We need to get in there, stat. Book an OR.”

“Got it,” I replied, leaving the room to complete my task.

“Oh and Y/L/N? Great work today. I’ll see you in the OR.”

“I’m scrubbing in?” I asked, astounded.

He nodded with his signature smile, “You’re scrubbing in.”

next chapter

#bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes fanfic #bucky barnes x y/n #bucky barnes fanfiction #bucky x reader #bucky barnes doctor au #bucky barnes slow burn #bucky barnes x you

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gomapda · 1 year

Text

sidewalks we crossed [side A: you.]

i started writing this over a year ago and never got around to finishing it; it’s meant to be a three-part thing. so maybe if i post the first part, i’ll be inspired to finish the rest. this wasn’t written to be shared with the public, mostly just for myself (which is why some of it can be cringey), but here we are anyway. hehe. happy birthday lee jihoon! 태어나줘서 고마워!

pairing: lee jihoon/woozi (seventeen) x f!reader

genre: romance, fluff

summary: an accidental like, an off-chance comment, a purposeful message. you were in an unrequited love with your childhood best friend and decided to run away from him and your feelings and years later you find yourself in the same city with the same feelings when he stalks your instagram.

rating: 13+

length: 23k (LOL)

tags: idol!jihoon, childhood friend!reader, unrequited love (but not really), reconnection through instagram, this is just different scenes pieced together (including a ton of flashbacks), reader’s nicknames are all bug-themed, reader has depression and it manifests as suicidal ideation sometimes, this is basically real life (aka seventeen exists and debuted 150526), but the years are a little bit off for the trainee period, jihoon left busan later and trained for shorter for the sake of my story hehe, cursing, pining, mamamoo + ateez are the besties of reader, member x member pairings, jihoon and reader are both dumbasses, reader is extremely book smart but has one brain cell when it comes to romantic feelings, jihoon writes music like he’s been divorced 12x, word genius lee jihoon, idk how doctoral degrees work, i only got my masters and it was a non-thesis track lol, also idk how trainee auditions work either, miss communication is a lady we all know too well, super cute soft shit too tho tbh, no beta we die like men, i spent 5 hours trying to format this for tumblr and i’m still unsure

inspired by “drivers license” by olivia rodrigo and “what kind of future?” by woozi

inspo spotify playlist found here!

side A: you.

“Are you insane?”

If it were months ago, you would’ve winced at the harshness in his tone, but you’ve hardened yourself with resolve, almost saddened that this was the most communication you two have had since, well, you couldn’t recall. “I’ve been contemplating this for a while now.”

“But you didn’t talk to anyone else about it!”

No, you thought bitterly. You just didn’t tell him.

“I’ve already talked to my parents,” you spoke coolly.

He scoffed. “As if they’ve ever actually cared about you and your life.”

You felt anger flare up with a cold dousing of shame. “And what—” You spat. “You do?”

“Wha—of course I do! I’ve always looked out for you! I’m your best friend!”

Bile rose in your throat. “Best friends wouldn’t flake on every single hang out to go off and spend time with their favorite noona—!”

“Don’t you dare pin this on me.”

Your eyes shot up to his.

Cold. Piercing.

So unlike the bright crescents you were used to him having around you. He used to shine in your eyes, never too bright, but in a way that demanded your attention as you basked in his almost ethereal glow.

You were reminded that the moon has phases. And maybe that meant it was time to start anew.

Even if it meant disappearing from sight.

A heavy silence passed over the two of you.

You prepared so many answers to the questions you thought he would bombard you with.

What? You were going to a prestigious international academy several thousand miles away.

When? You were leaving in two months.

How? You got a presidential scholarship.

Why? Because you loved him so much it terrified you.

You had all of these answers.

But it didn’t matter.

Because he didn’t care enough to ask.

The tears couldn’t even form in your eyes. You knew it would be selfish and manipulative if you did. He always felt responsible when you cried.

“You can’t leave,” he said.

“I’m sorry,” you said.

A lie.

“You can’t just fucking leave.”

Leaving him, the unspoken message.

“Y/N, you— ”

“Let me go. Please.”

You heard his breath hitch.

You forced yourself to smile softly at him, wanting to ignore the visceral pain in his tensed jawline, widened eyes, and clenched fist. You knew the irreversible wound you were inflicting. Your resolution almost shattered at the prospect.

Almost.

“I’ll keep in touch.”

Another lie.

“Don’t bother.”

You supposed you deserved the door slam that followed his footsteps, not even allowed to watch his retreating form.

You closed in on yourself, finally letting the tears slip down your cheeks quietly.

He would be fine.

He always was without you.

Always will be.

Only a week later, in the comfort of your childhood bedroom nestled in the midst of Busan, did you receive the news from your neighbor a few streets down.

Jihoon decided to go through with moving to Seoul to become a trainee. I hope you can come by to congratulate him! His father and I would love to have you at the party!

Questions ran through your mind.

How long has he been thinking about this? Did he ever mention wanting to become an idol? When did he even apply to become a trainee? When is he leaving? Is he cut out for trainee life? Is he going to make his own music or be forced by his company to make inauthentic music? Is he going to remember to eat his meals? Will he be okay?

You paused for a moment.

Was this because of you?

You realized it didn’t matter.

You weren’t going to get the answers you wanted.

You didn’t deserve to.

You deleted the message.

―――――――――――――――――

Years later.

“Man, fuck this thesis work.”

“Careful, if they hear you say that, they might pull your funding out from under you.”

Hyejin glared at you, her lashes unceremoniously sticking a little too high up her eyelid. You wondered whether she knew there was no point in wearing makeup everyday when her only company was her pipettes and centrifuge. “God, sometimes I wish I was in your major.”

“You would wanna read about things like depression and emotional incompetence?”

“Why not? I see it all the time in my major. God. I was at a drinking party the other day—” You winced in advance. “And I just want you to be aware that if you were to include STEM majors in your sample, your EQ mean would drop so fast.”

You hummed in acknowledgement. “Alright. Fair. To be honest, though, my research focus is mainly on the public and government’s responses to providing resources for group homes and how to make transitioning a little easier. I’m hoping to garner more attention and funding in order to do more activism. So, technically, I don’t actually measure EQ. Although, I can make guesses based on the public forums that are out there.”

“All I heard is that you’re an absolute saint.”

You laughed. “Maybe to you, unnie.”

“D’you wanna get schwasted tonight?”

“I can’t. I have book club.”

“God, you’re such a fucking nerd. Why am I friends with you again?”

“I distinctly remember you saying it was to, quote, ‘ruin me.’”

“Seven years later and I still haven’t.”

“I dunno about that. I started watching that drama you recommended and my sleep schedule—”

“Isn’t it so good?”

You laughed as she started parroting off lines from the drama and you agreed after much coercion that, yes, the second-lead was indeed a better fit.

Your phone pinged beside you and you stole a quick glance. Your breath hitched as Weverse popped up on your screen. Your pulse slowed down to a normal rate when you realized the notification was from “RM 🌟”.

Maybe you should just delete the app.

You turned your attention back to the girl who was your first college roommate back at Yale, where quick introductions were made, and not a second later, began laughing at the prospect that your RAs probably put you both together for being foreign students from South Korea.

She was much more refined back then, having already spent an entire year on her own as a Yale undergraduate, but your burning flame managed to craft something entirely new; just as she, like a river running its course, smoothed out your rough edges over time.

She led you back home.

Back to South Korea.

Back to him.

―――――――――――――――――

“You said you don’t break promises, Y/N.”

You found yourself grimacing. “Jihoon, that’s not fair—”

“Fair? Y/N, I kicked your ass at darts and now you said you wouldn’t keep your promise.”

“I don’t want my first ever tattoo to be whatever that is!”

“You pinky promised, Y/N.”

Your bottom lip jutted out. “I can’t even tell what it is.”

He stared down at the napkin he drew his artistic rendition on and then looked back at you incredulously. “It’s a firefly. Are you blind?”

You blinked. You could see the wings? Maybe? And those are lines that represent glowing? Not some weird excretion? You held your tongue and asked a more appropriate question. “Why a firefly?”

“I dunno. Seemed fitting. We always go see them together in the summer. They remind me of you. You remind me of them. That’s all, I guess.”

“Aw,” A toothy grin spread across your face. "You think I light up the night?”

“Sure, if you want.”

You could tell that Jihoon was getting embarrassed and wanted to immediately stop talking, but you being you, refused to let it happen. You piped up with your typical know-it-all attitude, “I read somewhere that fireflies represent inspiration and guidance. And hope, I think.”

He looked you straight in the eyes.

Your heart leaped into your throat.

“I guess that’s you, firefly.”

―――――――――――――――――

And here you were, in Seoul, a knowing pang in your chest that constantly reminded you of just how close he was. How your relationship always was. Close in proximity, but always left you wanting something more. Something else.

You blinked up at her, a knowing look in her eyes.

“Y/N—”

“I know,” you blurted out.

“You just look like you’re on the brink of a panic attack every time you see a Twitter or Weverse update.”

“It’s not that bad,” you grumbled.

Hyejin’s features softened.

Your chest tightened. You hated that look.

Pity.

“Actually, unnie. I’ll join you tonight. Screw book club.”

A knowing smirk spread across her lips. “Alright, bumblebee. My EQ is high enough to realize you’re running away from your issues, but it’s low enough that I won’t do anything about it.”

“I’ll add that to my data then.”

She flicked your forehead.

―――――――――――――――――

You groaned as you rubbed the sleep out of your eyes, staring down at Hyejin’s bare legs wrapping themselves around your torso.

God. How much did you even drink?

You untangled yourself from her limbs, quickly checking her skin to make sure she didn’t have a repeat of three years ago when she somehow convinced you to let her get a tattoo of the two paper clips emoji on her inner bicep.

“They represent us, bumblebee.”

“How, unnie?”

“We’re like… leaning on each other.”

“That’s... so beautiful, unnie. Thank you.”

You shook your head fondly at the memory, staring at your own addition of two paper clips on the opposite bicep, sans the alcohol in your system. So, who’s to say which one of you is worse than the other?

You tried to unlock your phone but the brightness did too much damage to your eyes to where Face ID couldn’t recognize your look of disapproval. You quickly swiped the brightness all the way down to read the time.

5:43am

That meant you only slept an hour and a half after getting home.

You peeled off the skin-tight clothing your roommate had so lovingly forced you into and grabbed a loose fitting tee and shorts. You knew you had the weekend to recuperate since you’ve completed your work ahead of your deadline.

You poured yourself a glass of water and emptied it in the span of 10 seconds. You could feel your brain recovering from its shriveled state, as if the water seeped into your skull and was being soaked up. You wondered if Wheein, your ridiculously cute neuroscience major friend down the street, would be able to explain why that is.

You hummed to yourself as you grabbed another glass of water and a reusable metal straw before making your way back to your room, where Hyejin was convinced that your bed had healing properties since she never woke up with a hangover when she slept in your space.

“It’s like you just have this homey superpower.”

“Okay, unnie. Please stop eating your hair when I’m trying to feed you toast.”

You set the glass at your bedside table and decided to go through your phone’s notifications before rousing Hyejin awake.

You scrolled through the notifications, mostly people making sure that you both got home okay, Wooyoung sending you a money charge with the caption: I may have ordered you the taxi, but you’re paying for it. Love you noona xoxo

You scrolled until you saw a lone notification from Instagram (why? you haven’t posted in two weeks?) that nearly made you drop your phone in the same way your heart did.

[04:17] wzljh__ liked your post

Your hands shook as you stared at it.

You took a screenshot.

(Just in case.)

You clicked on the notification that took you straight to the post wzljh__ liked.

It was a random post from three years ago when you studied abroad in Japan during your junior year, where you were praying in front of a temple for, according to your caption, “to be able to change the world… and also get into a PhD program.”

You clicked on the usernames that indicated who liked your post. You couldn’t find the familiar handle anywhere. Secondhand embarrassment rushed through your veins and passed as quickly as it came.

You came to three conclusions at once.

1. Lee Jihoon reactivated his Instagram.

B. He didn’t block you.

III. He stalked your profile.

―――――――――――――――――

“Y/N, I really don’t think—”

“Jihoonie, I need to get more likes on my post. Therefore, I am making you this profile. You don’t even have to go on that often. Okay? You can deactivate it once I go viral enough to have the world at my disposal.”

“That’s never going to happen—”

“Believe in me more, would you?”

“Why should I?”

“Because I believe in you.”

―――――――――――――――――

Jihoon immediately reprimanded you, telling you that you didn’t need to appease anyone as a sixteen-year-old (God, he really was too mature for his own good) but your whining had him yielding once you promised that you’d catch up on One Piece over the weekend and that you would make a bento for him.

He only ever posted once (at your request), but he did like every single one of your posts back then, although, no one would know since those were all archived (for the sake of preserving your current social life by preventing the increase in Hyejin’s arsenal of embarrassing photos of you).

Only months later did you have that falling out and his deactivation quickly followed. You believed he wouldn’t ever reactivate his personal account, especially with his woozi_universefactory account set up for Pledis, which, even then, was hardly posted on.

You clicked on his profile to see the anonymous profile picture still there. You saw his followers list and saw only four names.

That once familiar wave of jealousy that plagued you for over a decade never came when you saw her name. It dissipated a few years back after a night of confessions and mascara stained tears, hushed whispers and muffled sobs tucked away in the corner of a Busan bar in the middle of winter.

You checked his following list and saw several musical artists as well as your own handle.

Wait. Where was hers?

You navigated to her page to make sure you weren’t completely delirious and your brain slowly caught up with your eyes.

He wasn’t following her.

You typed in her username to find her profile. Immediately, her beautiful smile shone brighter on the page than the dimly lit screen could do justice.

You never hated her. She was a confidant and a beloved person in your life. Still is. You were all childhood friends (along with your cousin) with deep ties and connections, although the same could not be said for you and Jihoon currently.

But you hated how it all turned out: she didn’t reciprocate feelings towards Jihoon, but didn’t have the courage to properly reject him either.

Because, who would ever want to let him go?

You did, your mind supplied.

You bit your tongue and wondered if Jihoon found out that she was proposed to by your cousin just over a month ago, the one who she spent her childhood years pining after.

Maybe that’s why he’s not following her anymore.

―――――――――――――――――

“Y/N.”

“Shh, Jihoon. I’m concentrating.”

“On what?”

“My wish!”

You felt a tug at your earlobe and your fourteen-year-old self squeaked out, “Why!”

“What’re you wishing for?”

“I can’t tell you! That’s not how wishes work…”

He let out a gruff noise and sat across from you, his bright red shorts and white shirt were definite contrasts against the dirt surrounding your two small bodies.

“I’ll tell you one of my wishes.”

“Wait, really?”

“Yeah. If you tell me one of yours.”

“You first.”

“Ladies first.”

“I asked and it’s only polite if you answer.”

He huffed. “You never make any sense.”

“Yes.”

He rolled his eyes before he cast his gaze down in a boyish way that was just so charming, you too had to look away. “I want the courage to be able to confess my feelings before it’s too late.”

You stared at the river and wondered whether it was deep enough to catch all the tears that wanted to spill themselves from out of you, the image of her coming to the forefront of your mind.

“Firefly?”

“Hm?”

“What about you?”

You forced a smile as your eyes met his.

“I want to be friends forever.”

You knew wishes would never come true if you said them out loud.

―――――――――――――――――

“Jesus Christ! How long have you been standing over me like a fucking creep?”

Your trip down memory lane was interrupted by Hyejin’s screeching. You promptly rolled your eyes. “Get up, Princess. I got some water for you.”

“I’m gonna spill it on my face—”

“I brought a straw too.”

“How about a diamond ring? Because if you popped the question, I’d say yes immediately.”

You resisted the urge to smack the smug grin on her face and pushed the water over to her. “You would want a diamond, wouldn’t you?”

“All-naturally mined. No lab made stuff. Spent enough time there myself. Don’t need a ring to remind me of it.”

“I’ll keep that in mind to tell Wheein—”

“Shut up.”

“You’re right. She probably already knows. Being childhood friends and all.”

“Shall I remind you of your unrequited childhood love?”

“‘S not the same,” you responded automatically. She raised an eyebrow. “Haven’t even seen him.”

“What? We rewatched their Melon performance literally two days ago, what the fuck you mean you haven’t seen—”

“I meant in person, unnie.”

She clicked her tongue. “And we went to the SEVENTEEN concert seven months ago. We would’ve gotten the fan sign too if you weren’t being so damn annoying about it.”

Your flustered response was enough to make Hyejin laugh at your expense. “I-I just wasn’t sure whether he would’ve even wanted to see me!”

She paused at your words.

You blinked owlishly at her. “What?”

“You used to say that you knew he didn’t want to see you. Now you’re not sure? What happened while I was passed out?”

You gulped.

She set her glass down quietly, a soft smile that seemed misplaced surrounded by her strained features.

“Bumblebee, take a seat.”

You promptly fell to your knees, feeling like explaining the situation would be akin to confessing your sins.

You only hoped she wouldn’t damn you to hell.

―――――――――――――――――

“Just slide into his DM’s.”

“Hell no.”

“Don’t talk to your unnie like that.”

You scoffed. “I’m not going to slide into his DM’s like some sad bitch who’s been yearning for over a decade.”

“...but isn’t that exactly what you are?”

You were so close to throwing your mimosa across the table. Too bad the American-inspired restaurant you were at only had half-off drinks during the weekday happy hour. You weren’t going to waste your full-priced flute of champagne and orange juice.

“Give me your phone.”

“No.”

“Bumblebee, I promise I won’t message him. Just give me your phone, I want to see his profile again.”

You took your pinky, made an ‘X’ over your heart with it, pressed the tip against your lips, and held it out for her to do the same.

“God, what are you, 5?”

“Pinky promises cannot be broken. If you break them, you break my trust.”

“You know, for someone who’s studied Psychology, you sure believe in a lot of non-evidence-based practices.”

You emphatically made your point by bringing your pinky closer to her. She sighed and hooked hers around yours. “Satisfied, bumbles?”

“Always, unnie. There’s something beautiful about how the biggest of promises are made with the littlest of fingers.”

The corner of her mouth quirked up at that.

She took your phone and turned it to where you could see her every move. She clicked Jihoon’s profile and went to his first and only post, already liked by your sixteen-year-old self.

She looked as though she were scrutinizing the caption. You expected her to try and formulate an idea of him that was separate from his stage persona.

What you didn’t expect was for her to unlike the post and quickly like it again.

“UNNIE!”

“Oh, bumblebee, I think you would have broken the sound barrier with how loud that was.”

You were too busy having a meltdown to realize the whispering voices around you, giving pointed looks of disdain. Hyejin smiled at everyone and bowed slightly in apology. She tossed your phone at you.

“You said you wouldn’t—”

“I didn’t message him, did I?”

Your mouth went dry while your tears welled up.

Hyejin recognized the consequences of her actions immediately. “Whoa, hey. Y/N, it’s okay. It’s okay. It’s fine.”

“You don’t get to decide if it’s fine or not.”

She flinched back at your harsh tone.

You stared blankly at the phone in front of you, the once red heart, drained white, and filled again with color in the span of a microsecond.

Your watery eyes met Hyejin’s concerned gaze.

You bit your lip. “Can you pull out your phone?”

She froze. “Why...?”

“Because I’m going to eat everything off of this brunch menu and you’re paying for it, so you’re going to have to make a transfer from your savings now.”

“...Yeah, okay. Fair.”

―――――――――――――――――

“They’re both cooked dough with butter and syrup.”

You gasped loudly. “Jihoon! Blasphemous!”

He gave you a deadpanned look. “Y/N, you mean to tell me that it’s really that important whether I decide between pancakes or waffles?”

“Waffles are obviously superior! They have little pockets that cradle the syrup, with crisp edges and fluffy insides!”

“There’s literally no one here that’s arguing against you right now.”

“I need you to agree with me!”

“No, you want me to.”

You plopped back down into the booth, shoulders slumped at a lost cause.

“...would it make you happy?”

“What?”

Jihoon cleared his throat. “I asked if it would make you happy. If I agreed that waffles are superior to pancakes.”

You stammered, a blush creeping up your neck at the question. “Uh, no. It was a dumb debate. I was just trying to be annoying. I—”

“It’s okay to let yourself be happy even over the dumb things, firefly.”

You twiddled with your thumbs and bit back the goofiest grin as you heard Jihoon call the waiter over to order your shared waffle platter, asking for, ‘enough syrup to fill each little pocket’.

You never saw Jihoon eat pancakes after that day, always opting for the obviously superior choice.

―――――――――――――――――

The joy of eating butter and carbs and sugar from that day was not enough to sustain you through the week once you realized you had a paper deadline that was sooner than you remembered.

Your eyes ran over the words again, nearly questioning your sanity when it felt like you spent the last thirty minutes trying to reorganize your paper in a way that was cohesive. You spent so much time unlearning the APA 6th edition format to relearn the APA 7th edition, and then moving back to Korea made you throw all of that out the window. Therefore, your mind was a jumbled mess of DOI numbers and misplaced periods.

This paper was due in less than a week and you still found yourself questioning whether the literature review was comprehensive enough to cover all twenty sources you were required to include. Two pages. A list of twenty sources that took up approximately three-fourths of your second page. A singular paragraph of literature review on peer-reviewed articles studying the risk factors of suicide in Korean adolescents before needing to address implications and future research and potential programs that could address these issues.

“Nothing is real,” you muttered to yourself.

You glanced around the library and noticed a scarcity of other human beings. You groaned to yourself as you realized you hadn’t moved from your seat in over eight hours and the library was due to close in ten minutes.

You wanted to stab yourself in the neck when you remembered you still had the Social Welfare 101 class’s papers to grade. You knew that they needed feedback on their writing and you also knew they saw you as a pushover, so the papers are very likely lackluster, especially since the class was filled with people who were trying to get their Humanities credit for their degree in another field.

“Become a doctor, they said. It will be worth it, they said,” your hushed-tone almost mocking.

One of the other TAs from the Educational Psychology department had offered to take some of the grading from you, knowing that you had several large projects due soon, but you quickly brushed off the offer, saying that you could handle it.

A few stray tears slid down your face as you felt overwhelmed by the entirety of the last four years. You graduated early from Yale and dove straight into a doctoral program you could have easily put off by working for a few years.

You removed your glasses and buried your face into your hands, allowing yourself five minutes of reprieve. Just five. Before you needed to pack up and get back to work.

Why are you trying so hard to prove yourself?

―――――――――――――――――

[tw: suicide mention]

“Social work is a useless field, Y/N.”

You grit your teeth. “Eomeonim, I—”

“Did you think I wouldn’t see your interview in the school newsletter? Saying you want to go to Seoul National University and study social work? No daughter of mine is going to go into a field that has no chance of finding a job that makes money. You think that your Abeonim and I will be supporting you for the rest of your life? What will the neighbors say, huh?”

“Eomma—”

“No, you do not get to call me that, you ungrateful child. I did not work as hard as I did to put you through the additional tutoring and classes I have for you to just betray me like this.”

Bile rose up in your throat and you choked back the tears threatening to spill.

“Oh, and there she goes, being dramatic again. You don’t think I feel like crying too? You want to become a social worker? You want to help people? How can you do that when you��re so selfish?”

Your nails dug themselves into the meat of your palms, but not hard enough to cause pain, not when your nervous habit of biting them whittled them down to stubs.

“Get out. Come back when your head is clear.”

You moved, but not too hastily so as to signal her to your anxiety, for you were just a prey and she was the apex predator. You kept your gaze downcast and zipped up your designer brand backpack before looping your arms through the pristinely kept straps. Your family had a reputation throughout the town to keep. And you were the heir to it all.

All of the glamour.

All of the charisma.

All of the pressure.

All of the pride.

All of the distrust.

All of the insecurity.

All of the underlying self-hatred.

You shut the door behind you softly and wrapped your arms around you, letting your feet carry you to the one place you knew you could find solace.

Once you arrived, picking a fallen leaf off of your skirt, you knocked weakly at the window pane.

Jihoon glanced up from his desk and made his way to open it for you. “Hey, firefly.”

You quietly slipped through the frame.

“Bad day?”

“Do you ever, just, think about stopping?”

Jihoon blinked once. “Stopping what?”

“Life, I guess.”

He remained silent and he uncrossed his arms so you knew, at least physically, he was open to listening to you. This wasn’t the first time you brought up this subject to him.

“I could just end it all, Jihoon. I could just have it all be over. My parents wouldn’t have to worry anymore. They wouldn’t have to be so disgusted by the fact that they birthed such an ungrateful and selfish child.”

Jihoon breathed deeply through his nose. You knew how much it stirred up his insides whenever you talked about this, but he would reiterate that your safety was always more important than his comfort.

“I should just do it, right? That’ll prove something to them. That’ll show them that they’re not the perfect people everyone makes them out to be. They drove their daughter to this. Oh, but. They might just use it as an excuse to garner more attention. Woe is the perfect family in Busan, they struggle with loss, just like us. But… I could just end it all now. It could all be over, Jihoon. I have that power.”

“You do, firefly. You could end it all.”

Your head shot up so fast you nearly got whiplash. You were expecting soft!Jihoon, not whatever this was. You spluttered, “I’m sorry, what?”

“You’re the one who said it.”

“Are you saying I should just do it then?”

“No,” Jihoon said evenly. “I’m just saying that you do have that power. But you also have the power not to. You have the power to continue on.”

“But I don’t want to.”

“But you have to.”

“I don’t have to do anything, Jihoon!”

Jihoon clicked his tongue at your raised tone. “Whoa, hey. You’re the one who always says you have to jump through hoops in order to ‘earn’ love. I’m not the one who taught you that bullshit; go talk to your parents about that.”

“But they’re right!”

“No, they’re not.”

“Shut up! You don’t know me!”

“Y/N, I have spent more time with you than those sorry excuses of parental figures ever have!”

“Those are my parents!”

“Yeah, and they’re assholes!”

“You’re the one who doesn’t know! They’re the ones who see me, who know me best. They raised me. They know how disappointing I am. They know how useless I am. They know! They’re the ones who know just how unworthy I am!”

“God! Why do you care so much?! Why are you trying so hard to prove yourself?!”

You sucked in a sharp breath. Your bottom lip trembled as your voice came out, horribly fragile, a complete contrast to your sharp tone from just moments ago. “I… Because it’s me, Jihoon. I’m either too much for people or I’m never enough. So, I have to do everything perfectly to prove that I’m worthy. I have to be better than anyone else. Because I have to make up for the fact that it’s me.”

You were openly sobbing.

“But… you’re not better than anyone else, firefly.”

You tried to muffle your tears enough to hear Jihoon’s voice over your crying. Your eyes met his and you expected to see pity, but instead, his facial expression remained as neutral, a steadfast look in his eyes amidst all of your wavering.

“Firefly, you suck at Super Smash Bros. You’ve never won a game against me. Not even one. In like, ten whole years. Also, you’re really bad at timing when ramyeon noodles are done. You always overcook them. You cry when you see a fat seagull waddling down the shoreline. You can’t eat spicy food to save your life. You use too many emojis when you type. You can’t even jog 100m without wanting to pass out. You get so angry that you blow up at others and shame them for making you angry, but you hate it when people are mad at you. You refuse to share your food when it’s still warm, but force me to finish it when you’re full. You don’t trust others enough to do their part of the work so you never let anyone else help you. You have a nervous habit of saying stupid random facts when a pretty girl talks to you. You once poured milk before the cereal. You’re full of flaws.”

Your lips were pressed in a thin line, but the tears had ceased approximately halfway through his listing of your traits.

“You are not the best. By any means. Mediocre, even.”

“I’m kind of hurt.”

Jihoon snorted. “You don’t know everything, firefly. You’re not always going to be the smartest in the room. You’re not the best that ever existed. You never will be. But you’re never too much. And you’re always enough. And although your parents and nearly every adult in this town could think otherwise, you will meet people, people like noona, like hyung, like me, who will still care about you even when you’re being a shitty little brat like you are now. People who will still care about you even when you’re not number one.”

“…You don’t know that.”

“Neither do you.”

―――――――――――――――――

“Do you ever think about generational trauma?”

Hyejin gave you a sideways glance. “Do we need to pull out the therapy chair and the rosé for this?”

You swatted the offer away. “I’m serious.”

“What d’you mean then, bumblebee?”

“I just think about my parents and the pressure that was probably put on them from their parents and the parents before. But with each generation, no one decided to try and break the cycle. They just kept taking their hurt and putting it onto the next. It’s just… I don’t know. It’s not just my family. It’s prevalent… everywhere. Did you know that South Korea has one of the highest rates of suicide in all of the OECD countries, second only to Lithuania? Common risk factors among adolescents tend to be academic pressure and family issues. So. I know it’s not just me. The numbers don’t lie.”

“Is this related to the paper you were working on earlier?”

You pondered for a moment. “I think researching adolescents and suicidality might’ve triggered some old memories, yeah.”

“Are you…?”

“Okay,” you finished her question. “The thoughts only come when I’m feeling overwhelmed with stuff. And it being our last semester, it’s just… a lot is being demanded of us. Classes, projects, thesis defense. I’m feeling, I dunno, a little helpless.”

“Hmm, I’m remembering some wise words from my undergraduate roommate at Yale~” Hyejin said, in a sing-song voice. “She said that the best way to stop feeling helpless is…?”

You glared.

“The best way to stop feeling helpless iiiiiis…?”

“...to ask for help.”

“Wow, right on the money.”

You decidedly messaged your fellow TA to ask them to help alleviate some of your workload to which they happily agreed.

Which you only gained the courage to ask for after a straight-winning streak in several online matches of Super Smash Ultimate.

You weren’t mediocre.

You just realized he wasn’t either.

―――――――――――――――――

Just a few days later, on a rare weekend where you managed to pull away from schoolwork, you found yourself in the attic of the group home you worked on-and-off at for the past four years, sorting through boxes of tattered toys, gathering the ones necessary to put through the washer. You laid down on the floor, the rickety boards beneath you groaning at your weight. You passively wondered whether a cartoon moment would happen and the group home inhabitants would find a you-shaped hole in their ceiling.

You reached into your own backpack and pulled out your own toy of sorts. You threw it up in the air only to let gravity do the work to bring it back into your hold. You had to be careful to not give yourself a black eye like you did a few years back.

“Whoa, you played baseball?”

You glanced at the tattered ball in your hand, the stitching almost undone, the yarn beginning to peek through. The color was no longer a pristine white, but that only proved its history of handling. “Choi Sannie, what about me says ‘athlete’?”

“Hey,” your younger coworker put his arms up in defense, fully climbing into the attic space now. “I know all of the things we have here at the home, and that is definitely not one of them. So that means that’s yours. Or you stole it—” He gasped loudly in delight. “You stole—!”

“No, dumbass.”

He deflated. He knelt down on the floor next to you, inspecting the baseball without taking it in his hands, careful to not overstep your boundaries. You taught him all about consent; Choi San was a wild child, but he knew respect. “May I see?”

You tossed it casually over to him.

“Is this handwriting? I can barely read it.”

“Even if it was brand new, I promise that handwriting would be illegible to the average person anyways.”

“You’re not average though.”

“Of course not.”

“So, what does it say?”

“Gwangan-dong, Busan, August 2.”

“Was it a gift?”

“Yeah.”

“From who?”

“An old friend.”

“Why keep it?”

You hummed softly.

“For the days that feel like I’ve lost.”

―――――――――――――――――

Lee Jihoon was a boy who demanded attention. And he always had it. But not because he would go parade and peacock around for the sake of trying to earn it. He naturally caught it, with collected looks and smooth words. Everyone in your town knew him: his ability to work hard and even more, his ability to achieve. He never needed to do anything to garner more attention because all of it was already on him. Even at the perfect attention-craving age of thirteen.

Lee Jihoon would never show off.

You had been to every single one of Jihoon’s baseball games, cheering silently when he made a great call, throwing mental expletives when things were going awry. You knew his mannerisms, his tells. Hell, you even knew the code for when the coach beckoned his players to steal a base.

So, you knew when Jihoon was showing off.

You wanted to gag at the sight of him puffing out his chest while he wore his catcher gear. You often believed him to be beyond this world but the reality quickly slapped you back as you wondered why exactly he was being so obnoxious.

Your unnie turned to you, “It’s almost over, yes?”

You wanted to laugh at the fact it seemed like she aged an additional year for every inning. “Yes, unnie.”

“I don’t understand how there’s no timer.”

“It’s done by the number of outs.”

She nodded, but you knew she didn’t actually take it in, since you repeated that fact three times over the course of the past two hours.

“Our Jihoonie’s doing well, right?”

“Yep, as per usual.”

“I really don’t understand baseball, lovebug.”

You pat her shoulder. “It’s alright. I don’t mind telling you. Although, you might want to ask oppa more about it. He knows more than I do. He messaged me and said he’ll be here in about five minutes so he can take us all out for dinner after.”

She froze. You quirked an eyebrow.

You noticed the redness creeping up her neck.

“Oh my God. Unnie! Do you like my cous—?”

Before she could say anything to defend herself, you felt the bleachers around you shift in tandem and you nearly toppled over until she caught you.

Your eyes found Jihoon, who was holding the ball that sealed their fate: they won. He won.

You saw him and his teammates gather together, his mask coming off to reveal his black hair sticking to his forehead and his ever-so-brilliant smile.

Oh no. You were so smitten.

After several moments of trying to push through the crowd, you finally reach a place where you spot Jihoon animatedly speaking to your unnie, who managed to get ahead of you by several paces.

You immediately froze.

Even from this far away, you could see his eyes clearly. Of course, you could. You were so practiced in searching for them, in times of joy, in mourning, in dancing, in sorrow. In those dark irises, swirled something so raw, your breathing became ragged. You saw the way he looked at her. You knew the look in his eyes.

Because you’d caught glimpses of it in yours in passing mirrors whenever you were with him.

How long did it take you to realize?

Suddenly, you wanted to be anywhere but there.

You rushed backwards, much easier to run away than it was to charge forth. You ran and ran and ran until you reached the back of the bleachers where you crumpled down onto your knees, effectively getting grass stains on your poor clothes.

“Mommy! Mommy! There’s someone crying!”

“Baby, no—let’s go over here.”

“She’s an ugly crier, like you!”

You cursed the fact that children were basically sober drunks and said whatever was on their mind. The fateful “u” word that repeated itself obsessively in your mind.

You thought of your unnie.

Your beautiful, elegant, sweet, soft unnie.

Of course Jihoon would prefer her.

He was pulled into her gravity with no room for resistance. His crescent smiles faced her, never to show his dark side, for she was the earth he orbited: captivating and delicate.

Why would he even care to ever look your way?

You were a given; never a prize to be sought. You were unrefined and blundering in your demeanor. You were on the crux of puberty, an awkward and horrendous time that consisted of your skin deteriorating, hormones running rampant, and just. So. Many. Emotions.

Ugly.

“Whoa, whoa, ladybug, is that you?”

You glanced up, not even bothering to wipe away the dribbling mess that was on your face. Your cousin stared in horror at your tears.

“God, you look horrible.”

A broken sob ripped through your chest and your cousin quickly realized he made a mistake. He scooped you up into his arms and held you as you cried, cried, cried.

If jealousy was the ugliest trait, you must have been downright hideous.

Later, you had your face tucked into your cousin’s chest as he apologized to Jihoon and your unnie, who both reached for you, but your cousin, in his typical knight-in-shining armor fashion, brushed them aside and pulled you closer. He convinced them that you received some off-putting remarks from your parents and didn’t want to talk about it (a regular occurrence), so he would take you back to his place to cheer you up with some Disney movies and freshly squeezed lemonade.

Your unnie offered condolences and a swift pat on your head before she called her dad to come pick her up, all of you waiting until she drove off.

Jihoon spent the time waiting listing off a myriad of your needs (“You have to make sure you have the double Kleenex, okay? The other ones leave weird fuzz on her cheeks. And don’t let her wash the dishes when she’s sad because she doesn’t realize how hot the water actually is and ends up rubbing her skin raw. And make sure you use simple syrup for the lemonade and not just sugar, she hates the crystals.”) while he packed his gear away, preparing to walk back on his own, his home not too far away from the baseball field.

You felt your cousin squirm at the prospect of Jihoon having to carry all of his gear after playing a two-hour game and having no food in his stomach. “Wait—Jihoon, I can give you a ride.”

He looked back at him, glanced at you, probably noticing the way your shoulders still trembled, and shook his head firmly.

“Here, firefly.”

Your body reacted before your mind could catch up to realize what it was doing. You saw a small object in the air, falling within your arms reach.

So, you caught it.

Your eyes trailed up to meet his, momentarily forgetting he was the sole cause of your meltdown.

His jaw clenched so hard, you cowered slightly.

“Why are you giving me this?”

You cringed at the sound of your voice, gruff and raspy.

“It’s your win today.”

You blinked rapidly. “Huh?”

Jihoon sighed and you wondered if he just considered you a petulant child.

“Even when you feel like you’ve lost, even when you feel like you have nothing to gain, just the fact that you’re still here, that’s a win. So. Scream. Cry. You can do what you want. It’s your win.”

Your gaze trailed down to the baseball, too large to wrap your fingers around entirely. It was much denser than you thought it would be, the weight foreign in your hands.

You sniffled, the corner of your mouth upturned.

Before you could say anything, Jihoon immediately turned on his heel and walked away.

You looked up and caught your cousin staring at Jihoon’s retreating form with a bemused look.

“Alright, ladybug, let’s get you home. Your parents are probably preparing dinner right now.”

“You promised Disney and lemonade.”

Your cousin sighed dramatically. “I guess I did,” he ruffled your hair to which you let out a prolonged, annoyed groan. “Which movie?”

You pondered for a moment. “Hercules?”

You thought of Jihoon and his reputation throughout your town: attention-grabbing, diligent, admirable, heroic.

But most of all, kind.

“You got good taste, ladybug.”

―――――――――――――――――

“Does today feel like a lost day?”

You resisted the urge to mess with the singular faded green streak running through San’s hair, a test subject from when Hyejin wanted you to dye her hair, but you didn’t want to try it out on yourself nor buy a synthetic wig. A rebellious eighteen-year-old was the best option at the time. “No. It doesn’t.”

“Then why do you have this?” He inquired again.

“Because I can do what I want, San. It’s my win.”

He pulled a face of indignation at your rare (at least to him) display of childishness. Your phone pinged on top of your thigh, alerting you to its presence.

[12:42] wzljh__ liked your post

You bit back a grin, knowing San would question you endlessly if he caught it. So you tucked it away, for a later time, where you could be alone and smile as widely as you wanted to. He was getting more and more bold. Hyejin’s action, you knew, was what spurred him on. You wanted to laugh in disbelief.

Lee Jihoon was a man who demanded attention.

And he always had it.

―――――――――――――――――

“No, no. Noona, you promised.”

“I did no such thing.”

Wooyoung scoffed at your words. He pulled out his phone and his nimble thumbs quickly found what he was looking for, signified by a soft ‘ah-hah!’. “You said you would help me try and secure BTS tickets. You’re the only other person that I know that has the ARMY Membership.”

You glanced at his screen and saw your drunk state and you resisted the urge to keel over at the sight. You heard your slurred words promising the very thing Wooyoung was asking of you now. “I wasn’t sober enough to realize what I was saying. Also, what kind of person films their drunk friend and coerces them into promising to get BTS tickets?”

“I never said I was a good person, noona.”

“Ask San or Seonghwa.”

“They don’t have the ARMY Membership,” Wooyoung repeated, emphasizing the last two words. “I’m out here trying to secure the front section. It’s close enough to the stage where I can see Jimin-hyung’s sweat without the screen.”

You grimaced. “Weird ass fanboy.”

“You cannot deny that he is a beautiful man,” Wooyoung said pointedly. “Although, I assume your type is like 15cm shorter and a muscle bunny.”

“He’s only 11cm shorter, sir.”

“Okay, okay. Keep defending your boyfriend.”

You spluttered, instinctively responding with what you said for most of your middle and high school days to those around you. “He’s not my boyfriend!”

Wooyoung gave you a ‘duh’ look. “No shit. You’ve never even met him because you refuse to get the fan signing tickets because you’re a weak ass coward.”

Well. He was definitely right about one of those things. You often forget that you’ve kept your history with him private from most except Hyejin.

(And Wheein.)

(Because Hyejin told her.)

(Luckily, Wheein is a lot more considerate than her boisterous and loose-lipped counterpart.)

“Wooyoungie, you’re really not making me want to help you here, you know.”

“Noona, please.”

He looked at you with his wide brown eyes and jutted out his bottom lip. The thick black frames on the bridge of his nose gave off the impression of innocence, something you would never again associate with the young man in front of you.

His eyes lit up once he visibly saw your determination crumble.

You bit your lip. “You’re paying for this pizza. And we get pineapples on it.”

“I love you~ You are a goddess I am unworthy of even perceiving~ I worship the the ground you walk on, O sweet and kind deity~”

Your mouth twitched. “A ‘thank you’ would suffice.”

Wooyoung looked at you, a serious look in his eye, took your hand and squeezed it. He gave you a smile that almost melted away your disdain. “Thank you, noona.”

“Men like you give women trust issues.”

“Yeah, probably.”

―――――――――――――――――

“I couldn’t express my feelings because I was too young. I wanted to be your tomorrow, so I lived today. Ever since the first day I saw you until now, in my heart, it’s only you. These typical words, I’m only saying them now. But I hope these typical words will reach you. Thank you, thank you. That’s all I can say. Even all the waiting, all the longing. And all of our memories. Thank you, thank you.”

You half-hoped they would perform this song, half-hoped they wouldn’t. It rendered your heart weak, almost wringing it through with the lyrics and melody, the implication. There was a deep yearning within you that wished these lyrics could have been for you, once upon a time.

You hid yourself with a black face mask and wore a baseball cap. Hyejin told you that you were making yourself look even more conspicuous by wearing such garb, but you couldn’t risk being noticed. You wanted to see him, but in a way that didn’t require vulnerability. Plus, your tears were easier to hide.

Hyejin held your hand, her fingers intertwined with yours, the two of you uncharacteristically calm and still unlike the other CARATs around you, all of whom were cheering and swinging their lightsticks in tandem.

She gave your hand a tight squeeze.

You thought back to what was seemingly a mundane day, going on one of your grocery shopping trips at a Trader Joe’s while still living in New Haven, Connecticut.

The days leading up to your shopping trip, you were a mess of a human being, weighed down by the amount of work you still had left to complete, hardly able to be present in your own life, instead simply watching it go by. Hyejin took over your chores for the week, bought you sweets, stayed up with you even if she finished her own work, made sure to send kind text messages randomly throughout the day, and was all around the best supporter you could have asked for.

You kept apologizing to her for not being able to reciprocate, the only words that your mouth had the energy to form were, “I’m sorry.” And she would, each time, just pat your head with a soft chuckle and say, “You don’t have to keep saying that, you know. You don’t have to say that you’re sorry.”

But you weren’t sure of what you could say instead, so you said nothing at all.

Your grocery trip was made to be more of an adventurous outing that matched the energy that you were able to procure, as cooping yourself indoors only intensified your feelings of stress. However, you were on the mend from the disastrous week, as you finished up your work the day prior to your little trip to the grocery store.

(You couldn’t help but think your ability to even leave your apartment was because of Hyejin.)

After gathering all of the ingredients to cook carbonara (with extra pancetta!) and loading them up in your car, Hyejin offered to return the shopping cart to its designated location.

You saw her from afar and suddenly something overwhelmed you.

You knew what to say instead of: ‘I’m sorry.’

“Bumblebee?”

“Thank you.”

Hyejin gave you a raised eyebrow. “Yeah? Of course.”

“No, I mean...”

You paused. What did you mean?

Did you even have a right to express yourself? That’s all you seemed to do during the week and it was almost embarrassing trying to say something now. Like, this wasn’t the right time and place. The butter was melting in the car.

“Actually, never mind. Don’t worry about it.”

I couldn’t express my feelings because I was too young.

She gave a pointed look and said, “Uh. Alright.”

But something tugged at you. A gentle reminder from a gentle person with a seemingly rough personality.

These typical words, I’m only saying them now. But I hope these typical words will reach you.

If he could do it, so could you.

Before she could get into the passenger seat, you called out again, “Actually!”

She glanced your way, still visibly confused.

You took a deep breath. “Thank you for returning the cart. But, ah, more than that. Thank you for coming to the store with me. Thank you for spending time with me. Thank you for consoling me. Thank you for living with me. Thank you for being my friend. Thank you for staying by my side. Thank you for loving me.”

You couldn’t hold back your tears, so you didn’t. Your beloved friend did not fare much better.

She was in a state of what seemed like hysteria, laughing with tears streaming down her face. “What the heck, dude? What’s the matter with you? God, I love you so much.”

She took you into her arms and you both cried in the middle of a Trader Joe’s parking lot.

Your heart was filled with gratitude as the thirteen boys on stage interlocked their fingers in a pinky promise to love their fans. You mirrored the action as you took Hyejin’s pinky and interlocked yours with hers. She glanced at you and you gave a smile from behind your mask, trusting she knows what you mean. Trusting that she hears the promise you are making to her, to yourself.

Promising to always be thankful.

Promising to always love.

But if she could not hear the wordless promise echoing in your chest, you knew you would repeat it aloud to her for as long as she needed. To whoever needed it.

Because although those words may be typical, they were still worth saying.

That is a lesson an old friend taught you.

An old friend whose smile now shone as bright as the stage lights that lingered on his form.

―――――――――――――――――

Three weeks later, you were up to your neck in deadlines. You were demanded at every possible place you frequented. In the research labs, in the recruitment office, in your collective TAs room, in the group home you volunteered for.

Hypothetically, there should have been no room in your mind for Lee Jihoon.

Too bad you saw him everywhere.

Not just explicitly, like the way his idol group overtook the internet with selfies here and tweets there and ridiculous fan edit videos everywhere.

But rather, in the crevices of Seoul, in the freshly cooked rice found at your favorite family restaurant, ready to serve piping hot meals with heaping portions of a mother’s love, in the off-key melodies sung unapologetically by a circle of children in the middle of the neighborhood park, not caring who’s there to witness, performing for any and all, in the rhythm of the city thrumming beneath your soles and at your fingertips, ready to sweep you off your feet if you gave it the chance.

You saw him everywhere.

That included your notification center.

[15:32] wzljh__ commented on your post—

Your vision blurred.

Was this what cardiac arrest felt like?

A comment? A comment? You were plenty satisfied with the likes on your post, but a comment meant direct interaction, not mindless scrolling and double tapping.

The ringing in your ears was prevalent and you knew for the sake of your body and soul, you needed to shut it all away.

You pushed aside the thoughts, compartmentalized like they taught you during your clinical therapy program, and shoved your phone far into the depths of your unorganized bag.

You breathed in.

You breathed out.

You had work to do.

―――――――――――――――――

“Hey, so, it’s noona’s birthday on Sunday—”

“I know, Jihoon, you haven’t shut up about it for the past two weeks.”

“Okay, okay. Fine. But I’ve spent so long trying to find a gift for her and I still can’t find anything. Can’t you, just like, come with me to the market for the day? I’ve never spent so much time and effort trying to find a damn gift for a birthday before. I’ll buy us dinner and we can stop by that dessert stand with the black sesame soft serve.”

“I told you. I have college prep exams I have to worry about. You want to woo her? You can. Easily. Lee Jihoon, anyone would be lucky to be loved by you.”

He breathed out a long sigh. “...thanks, firefly.”

You gave a stiff nod before walking away, the singular cardstock invitation (since you only made one for him because he teased you endlessly for your homemade invitations in the fifth-grade and you committed yourself to spite him every year from then on) you scrawled a date on in two week’s time weighing heavily in your bag. You bit your bottom lip to try and prevent the tears from slipping.

Guess your birthday wasn’t worth putting time and effort in.

At least, that’s what you thought until you found a small package in your first-year high school locker on that fateful day, in two week’s time.

Inside a poorly wrapped box, you found a card and a keychain of three tiny medals: simply drawn hands interlocking at their pinkies, the infinity symbol, and a crescent moon.

Tears welled up in your eyes as you opened the card envelope slowly, afraid your shaking hands would accidentally tear apart the paper. The card was homemade and purposefully horrendous (he claims; although, knowing his crafting skills, you weren’t so sure) with his haphazard, yet endearing scrawl.

You read the words once. Twice. Three times.

Moved them away from your eyes so the tears wouldn’t fall and smudge them.

“I saw these charms two months ago and immediately thought of you.

You said anyone would be lucky to be loved by me.

Guess you’re a pretty lucky person.

Happy birthday, firefly.

- Jihoonie

P.S. I have a sun on mine, if you end up wanting to switch.”

And so you skipped the first ten minutes of your last class to fold in on yourself in one of the second-floor girls’ bathroom stalls. You muffled your cries against your sleeve because it’s just so utterly him that you couldn’t even think straight.

When he finds you after school, eyes puffed and disheveled, you half-expected him to comfort you, because it was your birthday and, to most people, that warranted special treatment.

Instead he laughed loudly at your tattered self, pinched your reddened nose with a grip you could say bordered on assault, and said, “Come on, let’s go get some cake and ice cream. I’ll pay.”

You glared at him. “You hate cake and ice cream.”

He merely grinned at you. “Not today, I won’t. You really are lucky to have me, aren’t you?”

Even with the way he teased you relentlessly for all seven blocks to the place you frequented when your pockets were lined with allowance, the dessert shop with the fresh cream green tea cake topped with fruit you knew Jihoon was gonna take when you weren’t looking, even with his eyes filled with mischief and cheeks filled with stolen strawberries, you couldn’t help but agree.

―――――――――――――――――

“He’s been pretty bold lately.”

You cocked your head to the side as you pulled your lunchbox out onto the cafeteria table. You spread the items out in an orderly fashion and Hyejin nearly sneered at the display, but you ignored her. “Hrm? What d’you mean?”

“I mean, he’s been liking more and more of your posts. He also commented today. Isn’t that bold? Considering you haven’t spoken in years? What happens if he’s just, I dunno, playing with you?”

You bit the inside of your cheek. “Is it dumb to say that it’s just a gut instinct that everything is okay?”

“Again, what is the point of your higher education? Gut instincts aren’t exactly evidence-based.”

You unwrapped your sandwich and your eye twitched at the sauce that dribbled down. Damn. You could’ve sworn you had the right ratio this time.

You took a bite, your tongue slipping out to catch the excess sauce. You chewed thoughtfully before swallowing. You mindlessly tapped your fingers against the bread before you spoke.

“I dunno how to explain it, unnie. I know all of my observations have been just… through likely scripted scenes and concerts. And I know it’s dumb to think that he’s still the same kid from way back when, but even seeing him interacting with his members… It just seems like he’s happy. Not just the superficial kinda happy, but the everlasting contentment and joy kinda happy. So. I don’t think he’s going to ruin that by trying to dredge up stuff that could ruin it. Or plot revenge. I just... don’t sense any ill intentions. And I never have, even when all that shit happened.”

“Hm… I honestly don’t know the guy, but it does just sound like he made one choice in an unfortunate circumstance. Big decision in the midst of big emotions,” Hyejin murmured.

“So did I,” you said pointedly.

She smirked at that. “Yeah, but you ended up with me, so I’m okay with your choice. But, also maybe, I just trust your judgment a little too much. But, if you consider him as wonderful as you say he is, then. I believe you. Plus, I feel like his lyrics and videos that I’ve seen are proof that he’s not a complete piece of shit.”

“Ah, yes. Thank you for thinking he’s not the scum of the earth.”

“Yes. Just a rung above that. If I ever meet him, I’ll definitely punch him. For your honor.”

“Hah. Thanks, unnie. I’m sure that your stick arms will do a lot of damage.”

“Of course.”

The two of you laughed.

Hyejin hummed. “Do you ever blame him?”

“For what?”

“Leaving before you.”

You raised a brow as you set your sandwich down to bring your attention to your apple slices, peeled in a way to make them look like bunny rabbits. After dunking it into some peanut butter, you decapitated its head with your teeth. “Blame is a funny thing.”

“What d’you mean by that?”

“I mean, think about it, unnie,” you began. “Do I blame him for leaving when I was the one who decided to leave first?”

Hyejin clicked her tongue. “But he left without even saying ‘goodbye’ or even warning you.”

“Mm, yeah. But... I mean, do I blame him for leaving before me when he could blame me for deciding to leave first? Or do I keep going and blame him for making me fall in love with him or could he turn that around and blame me for having feelings in the first place? Do I go further and blame him for defending me from bullies in first grade or does he blame me by trying to become friends by giving him a seashell? Do I blame him for being born or does he blame me for the same thing? Blame is an endless cycle and trying to pin the entire thing on one person or one event is hard. At least, in this instance, you know? There wasn’t a clear cut perpetrator and victim here.”

Hyejin picked at her nails. “You really have a different kinda brain, don’t you, bumblebee?”

You chuckled. “It’s gotten me this far.”

A silence fell over the two of you as you stared at your bunny apple slices, eventually fed up at the odd number of them and choosing to sacrifice one to your stomach for the sake of your peace of mind.

After a few moments, you spoke again.

“I used to be real angry with him.”

“Yeah, you told me you used to be a fiery little thing. Plus, I heard you blow up at that student athlete who was dishing out homophobic slurs near the Student Center. When you’re angry, whew. I wouldn’t ever wanna be caught in the crossfire.”

You snorted. “Yeah, well, he would often be. I don’t think you can grow up with and know a person for, like, sixteen years and not ever be angry with them. Especially when that person is a prepubescent boy who knows all the little things that grinds your gears.”

“God forbid having feelings for men.”

“Women aren’t that much better,” you reminded Hyejin. She paused for a moment before agreeing to your sentiment. You knew too many of the silly arguments her and Wheein have had over the past two decades.

“Honestly, though. I think he’s one of the only people I ever felt safe enough to even be angry around. So, he usually got the brunt of it all. Honestly, he should’ve left me faster. I was a mess to deal with at the time.”

Hyejin pulled a face at your self-pity. You merely offered a small smile and she rolled her eyes. “So, you were still angry at him when we were at Yale?”

You swallowed another apple bunny. “Absolutely. Remember New York?”

“Which time?”

You snorted. “Specifically the one where we went during the Fourth of July. Where I had hook-ups after hook-ups and had to get a pregnancy test and an STD screening. Where we went bar-hopping literally every night because I wanted to drown in my sorrows. The one that you got on that stranger’s shoulders to shoot off an illegal firecracker.”

“The trip where you got so drunk, you screamed at a man that turned out to be a statue.”

“Hey, in my defense, he looked like an asshole.”

“I’m sure many people would agree with you that Christopher Columbus is indeed an asshole.”

You both laughed.

Your voice lowered to barely above a whisper, Hyejin physically needing to lean in to catch your words.

“I… was angry that he made promises he couldn’t keep. I was angry that he decided to walk out of my life without asking to even try. I was angry that he didn’t even care to ask why I was wanting to leave. That he didn’t care enough to want to know what I was doing. I was angry that he dropped me so fast. I was angry that he moved to Seoul as a last ‘screw you’ because he didn’t want to try and talk it out. I was angry that he was angry. But above all, I was angry at myself that it took me so long to let myself even feel the anger because I blamed myself for everything.”

You let out a shaky breath.

“At the time, I had a sixteen-year-old’s anger and heartbreak and a twenty-one-year-old’s body and ID. So, that anger manifested itself into drunken nights of hedonistic debauchery and cursing out loud for the first time ever, right at a statue of a colonizing murderer.”

You thought she would laugh at your phrasing, but instead, she merely took you in. You wanted to shrink back at her scrutinizing gaze.

“Does it still bother you?”

“...No, not really,” you admitted. “I just woke up one day and realized that I missed him so much more than I was angry at him. At me. Eventually the anger just kind of… faded. I mean, he was hurt when I left. And if he felt like I was leaving him, then it makes sense he would try to do the same in some kind of twisted adolescent retribution. I’m not saying that either of us deserved that kind of treatment, but I mean, we were sixteen and dumb. As a former sixteen-year-old, any kind of change felt like the world ending.”

“As a former sixteen-year-old, I would have to agree,” Hyejin nodded. “Do you ever regret it?”

You shoved another sliced apple into the peanut butter. This time, not picking it up. You stared down at it as you tried to formulate your thoughts. You replied softly after some time, “No.”

“Nothing?”

Your mind trailed back to the time you spent chasing your dream of studying abroad, establishing your place in the world without depending every little decision on him, running after dream after dream and fulfilling them through your own power and accord.

And you thought, as beautiful as the experiences were, you wished you could share the stories with him. He was always your best audience member, applauding your every word and exaggerated action. Sometimes laughing and jeering and heckling, but always, always, always attentive.

You chased your dreams. You always have.

All except one.

But it was okay.

Because he gave you so much more in those fleeting years than the world could ever have supplied in millions.

“No, nothing.”

――――――――――――――――― “Do you still love him?”

Hyejin watched you over the years. You grew and healed, evolved from a bumbling adolescent mess, bright-eyed and terrified, into a full-fledged woman who learned that all most had to offer was a quick fix and prolonged heartbreak. Someone who decided to be kind because she knew first-hand that the world was not. A woman who wanted to be a love letter from the universe. Someone so strong, yet so fragile to the workings of the world because you always allowed your heart to be vulnerable.

She never knew anyone who loved for the sake of loving.

Someone whose living was loving.

Not until she met you.

Your lips pressed into a thin line, but it slowly curved at the ends. “I think I always will.”

Hyejin’s heart felt constricted in her chest; she wanted to scream at you to let go and to move on. Tell you that he wasn’t worth any of the heartbreak and pain and self-doubt.

But she knew. She knew looking into your eyes, that you loved him with a love that transcended the flimsy, insecurity-driven kind portrayed in romantic comedies or Korean television dramas.

Because although she saw your eyes rimmed with unbrittled heartbreak, she also saw the gratitude that overflowed from your irises.

Part of her still wanted to berate and chastise you and tell you to just move on.

But she remembered being on the receiving end of that. How her friends reminded her that to be in an unrequited love was never worth it and that there were plenty of fish in the sea and that she needed to move on because it was just sad.

She remembered how empty that left her, wanting to fill the cracks in her heart with her beloved, because that was always what Wheein would be to her, just as Jihoon would be to you. Hyejin had the privilege to call Wheein at any time, to hear her voice lull her fears and anxieties into soft understandings and warmth, warmth, warmth.

Everyone told her to walk away from all of that.

Not you.

You were the first one to sit with her, hold her hand, smile and remind her what she already knew, a resounding truth in the depths of her soul.

And so, she sat down with you on the edge of your bed, grabbed your hand, smiled, and reminded you of one of your favorite quotes: “What a privilege it is to love.”

A tear slipped past as you beamed. “And to be loved in return.”

“Even for a moment.”

“Even if it is not how we want.”

“Because, still, it is love.”

“And it is the one thing we will never be without.”

―――――――――――――――――

“Two more months,” Wheein muttered before quickly downing her soju shot, not waiting for anyone else at the table. “Two months. And we’re done. No more needing to prepare for a thesis defense. No more needing to sit next to a centrifuge for ten hours at a time. No more needing to read bullshit and selfish opinions on public forums. No more needing to sit next to that weird dude who always smells like he has an open wound that’s infected—”

“Wheein, sweetie, that’s too graphic,” Yongsun responded, bringing her choice of a virgin cocktail up to her lips.

Wheein merely took a swig of the beer next to her.

Byul-yi shot her a glare. “That’s mine.”

“She needs it more, unnie, trust me,” you replied on her behalf. Byul-yi gave you a warning glance that wordlessly said you defended Wheein too much, especially as someone who was younger. “To be honest, I think Hyejin-unnie and I need to catch up to where Wheein-unnie is.”

“No, you need to pace yourself carefully especially with soju because you end up drinking too fast and way past your limit before you even realize.”

“Yongsun-unnie, I know we dated when I was a young and unassuming first-year doctoral student who didn’t understand how to handle her alcohol, but that was the past. Let’s move on, shall we?”

“Hyejin told me you threw up just a few weeks ago.”

“Goddamnit, Hyejin-ssi,” you hissed in mock anger.

She snorted, seeing through your ruse. “Wouldn’t have mattered if she heard from me. Byul-unnie was the one who was holding your hair at the bar, so.”

“Is this how I’m repaid by setting you two up together? The constant risk of potentially being exposed by one or the other? The betrayal. When I introduced the two of you, mere weeks after Yongsun and I broke up, and you two were blatantly flirting in front of me–”

“We were not flirting,” they chimed in unison.

The rest of the table rolled their eyes.

Wheein huffed and whined into her arms, voice muffled against the table. “Y/N, you gotta find me someone.”

“You’ll see them if you just open your eyes. I’m sure of it. They’re right there. Just look in front of you, unnie.”

Hyejin pinched your thigh but you were used to her physical torture.

Wheein groaned loudly, sitting up, but still covering her eyes with her hands. Byul-yi nodded in apology to Hyejin who merely bit her lip.

Yongsun dissipated the tension for Hyejin.

By directing it towards you.

“Y/N, I saw that you posted on Instagram yesterday. The same post from the group home you volunteer for. You were asking for the support of the community, right? And just today, I saw there were a ton of comments on their public page.”

A lump lodged itself into your throat and you stared at her, lips parting but not making any sound.

She cocked her head to the side.

Hyejin rubbed your thigh soothingly with her hand. “Bumblebee didn’t realize that they were going to get that many comments on that post. Plus, uh, I think it was shared by that one singer? Bamsu?”

“Bumzu,” you corrected weakly. Jihoon’s partner-in-crime, or rather, music production.

“Yeah, uh. Him. I guess someone who knows the group home page somehow managed to get it circulated to where he saw it, and… yeah.”

Several other research fellows messaged you privately saying how exciting it was to get the attention your project needed. Your group organizer was saying that tens of calls were coming in at a time, asking how to best provide funding or resources.

You resisted the urge to spiral into oblivion because you knew only one (1) person who would be able to do such a thing.

Bumzu had transitioned from performer to writer/producer and usually had a hand in charity work, at least, over the past couple of years, according to a quick run through his Instagram feed. He wasn’t under the scrutinizing eye of Dispatch, at least, not as much as a certain thirteen-member idol group. His interest in this program didn’t warrant sasaeng fans who would try to track down the people who made the post.

It was the perfect cover up.

It’s not as though Bumzu did anything over the top. He simply reposted the group home’s post on his story, only available for 24 hours, but even then, that was enough time to garner attention.

The group home leader called and cried to you saying that God had really blessed you all.

You wondered whether you should tell her that you didn’t think God was 164cm with moonlit eyes that haunted you in your sleep.

―――――――――――――――――

[15:32] wzljh__ commented on your post: “this is some really cool stuff. do u mind if i share this?”

[19:22] You replied to wzljh__’s comment: “👍🏼 go ahead”

―――――――――――――――――

“Noona~”

“Choi Sannie~”

“I don’t appreciate the mockery~”

“Then get your ass to work~”

San snickered before undoing your haphazardly done ponytail and threading his fingers through your badly tangled hair. “You need to calm down. You have a meeting soon and you look like an absolute mess. So, I’ll at least braid your hair for you, mmkay, noona?”

“San, if you want to reduce my stress, I would appreciate it if you could go and run through the program schedule and let me know what doesn’t work—”

He tugged on your hair and you yelped.

“Noona.”

You leaned back in your chair to see him staring down at you. You grimaced at the fact that, even from this angle, his jawline was inhumanely sharp.

“No one is expecting you to run everything. We have group organizers for a reason. You’re just here to volunteer.”

“But I want to help. I’m responsible for getting the word out there. And I want to be able to make a difference for those in group homes—”

“You did. You helped me. Now I’m in a local college. Working as a barista. Volunteering in the same home I met you in.” Before you could cut him off, San continued, “You can take a break, noona. I’ve never seen you this stressed out before. And I’ve seen you literally down an entire six-pack of banana milk after eating two chocolate croissants.”

“They’re called pain au chocolat. They have to be in the shape of crescents to be called croissants.”

“No one gives a flying shit, noona.”

You gaped at him. “San! Who taught you to speak like that?”

“You did.”

You grumbled to yourself before reaching back for your Apple Pencil. San snuck his hand over your shoulder to pluck it out of your hand. “Hey!”

“Jinwoo wants you to sing him to sleep.”

Your heart ached as you stared at the screen in front of you. There was too much work to do and you couldn’t afford—

“Are you really cost-benefiting the effects of whether you sing a child to sleep right now?”

“...”

“God, what a professional. Where’s the noona that would sneak kids out to go catch dragonflies and then eat bungeo-ppang while washing it down with banana milk?”

“Are all of your memories of me associated with banana milk?”

“I remember what I remember, noona.”

“Why don’t you sing to Jinwoo?”

“Because he’s asking for that song that you sing; the one that only you know.”

You froze.

For some reason, Jinwoo, at the ripe age of eight months, established quite clearly what he liked and disliked, with the latter list nearly double the length of the first.

Every song you sang to him had its expiration date before he would take a metaphorical red Sharpie and cross it off of his likes list.

All except one.

You cursed yourself for singing it so long ago, caught up in exhaustion that you just wanted to quell the baby’s cries as soon as possible.

And so you procured a song that was gathering dust from being long ignored in the recesses of your mind.

You locked your iPad, gathered your stuff together to put away in your bag, slung it over your shoulder and made it up the stairway to where you knew Jinwoo would be.

You found him nestled in several blankets on the floor in the room meant for three-to-six year olds, convinced that the ground would be able to keep him steady unlike the volatile day-to-day he was thrown into since birth. Most of the other kids were out at the local school, but Jinwoo had a lower constitution than them, so would often stay at home. The home did its best to ensure that his schedule was tied with the other kids, including the midday nap.

His chocolate eyes looked up at you expectantly, his arms outstretched for you to envelope him in your embrace. You couldn’t help but smile down at him and scooped him up in one fell swoop. He giggled as you spun the two of you around the room.

You swaddled him as best you could, a three-year-old much larger than the eight-month-old you once knew him to be.

His hand pressed itself against your cheek and you nuzzled your face against its warmth.

“Ready to sleep, Jinwoo?”

“Will you sing to me? The forever song?”

“Yes. Of course.”

And so you did.

You sang to him a song of hopes and dreams and the magic of forever and always. Lyrics of never-ending friendship and pinky promises.

―――――――――――――――――

May 26th.

You thought that date would forever ingrain itself as the day that he forcibly came back into your life by taking you and the rest of the world by storm alongside his group, singing of an awkward and clumsy adoration paired with a point choreography that was, well, pointing.

(At the time, you wondered whether she heard the song, the one you were sure it was written about. You never asked.)

But here you were, six years after his debut into the world as an idol, dressed in your regalia of indigo and black, full bell sleeves, velvet paneling, and a weird puffy hat to top it all off, debuting into the world as a Social Welfare PhD grad.

You were a whole ass doctor.

“WE’RE FUCKING DONE, BITCHES.”

“God, Wheein, can you calm down? We gave you that key for emergencies.”

“It’s an emergency that I don’t have a bottle of soju in my hand right now.”

Byul-yi patted Yongsun in hopes of appeasing her anger. “Remember when you finished your MBA and how that felt?”

Yongsun blinked once before pushing herself off of the couch. “Alright, so how many bottles am I pulling out?”

“Wait! Wait! Wait! We need a picture!” Hyejin chastised her childhood friend for taking off after Yongsun. “Bumblebee, come here. Wheein, you too!”

“Whose phone?” Byul-yi asked.

You all chorused your phone, handing her the latest model of iPhone. She wiggled her brows at you. “Looking for a sugar baby, mama?”

“Bold of you to assume that I’m not paying installments on that sleek piece of overpriced metal and glass.”

“Wouldn’t expect anything less from a broke grad. Alright, alright. Okay, ladies. Now let’s get in formation. Wheein, brush your hair out of your face, you look like a mad scientist. Y/N, stop furrowing your brows like you’re reading those mean comments online. Hyejin, stand up straighter, you’re slouching—probably from bending over all the time—”

“Unnie!”

“Over your centrifuge, okay? Chill. Alright. 1, 2… 2 and a half.”

“How old are you? 50?”

“Alright, for that, you just got a burst. Y/N, I hope you find the ugliest gem in that to post.”

You and Wheein laugh at Hyejin who is now putting on her face of Disapproval and you imagine that Byul-yi is just now taking an endless amount of candids. You reach for the phone, a toothy grin still spread across your lips.

“Oop! Damn, this camera is nice. Don’t get too drunk otherwise you might accidentally drop it into my purse.”

You rolled your eyes and grabbed at your phone. You swiped through the camera roll, finding too many of your face, especially when reaching for the camera, thanks to Byul-yi’s trigger happy thumb. However, you looked genuinely happy, so you couldn’t be too mad.

Maybe that’s because you were done slaving over papers and deadlines, you mused.

You showed Wheein and Hyejin the photos as well, refusing to delete the ones where Hyejin is pulling her signature face. You smiled down at your screen before pulling up Instagram to post a photo of all three of you (looking like baddies and not like the unhinged beings you usually are) on your story.

You figured you would post the professional photos you had done by Myungsoo at a later date.

You typed up a caption:

alexa, play congratulations by post malone ft. quavo 🥳🎓 #PHinisheD

You locked your phone and tucked it away, ready to simply celebrate with your beloved group of girls.

That is, until two hours passed, which included a passed out Wheein cuddling into Hyejin on the couch and a drunk Yongsun and tipsy Byul-yi retiring to their own room and you sneaking into their second bedroom. You finally saw several responses to your story, mostly clapping and fire reactions and messages of well-wishes and pride. There was one handle that immediately caught your attention and you couldn’t help but think you were predictable in where your eyes always go.

[22:06] wzljh__ replied to your story: i figured u would be a day6 or eric nam kind of fan

[22:08] wzljh__ replied to your story: sorry that was dumb of me to assume

[22:08] wzljh__ replied to your story: of course u would like post malone considering u could rap the entirety of eminems album

[22:15] wzljh__: sorry that was stupid

[22:15] wzljh__: ignore me

[22:15] wzljh__: congrats y/n

You checked the time stamps to see that the first three messages came in rapid succession. While the last three came less than ten minutes later, without the “replied to your story,” meaning he actively searched for your conversation in his DMs to send a message.

You wondered whether it was okay to respond. He initiated it, so you figured this was consensual on his end. But… would you be okay?

Lee Jihoon was the one you believed would always know how to crack the code to tear down the walls of your heart. The one for whom your heart would invite in, with offerings of warm tea and resounding laughter and requests to make himself at home in your messy, but safe, space. You were always so utterly bare in front of him that it was almost nauseating with how much trust you put into his hands.

Did he deserve that same trust after what transpired between the two of you?

Regret lives in the past. Anxiety lives in the future. But you lived in the present.

Present (tipsy) you said, “cute human messaged must respond”

You opened up the conversation.

[23:16] You: alexa, play congratulations by day6.

[23:16] You: happy anniversary to svt!! 🥳

[23:16] You: hope you’re having fun with the members!!

Immediately, Seen popped up on your screen.

Your breathing hitched as you saw those damned three dots. You really should ask your old Biology tutor why your chest felt as tight as it did. Or maybe Wheein would know the science as to why it felt like your brain was firing a million and one things but was also completely shut down.

[23:16] wzljh__: oh

[23:16] wzljh__: oh wow

[23:17] wzljh__: i didnt think u would know that

[23:17] wzljh__: thanks you

[23:17] wzljh__: thank uou*

[23:17] wzljh__: you* wow im genius

You giggled softly to yourself.

―――――――――――――――――

“You look like an oversized peach, but, like, not a nice one. One that fell off the kitchen counter and now has bruising forming.”

“You’re fucking rude.”

You tutted. “Jihoon, language.”

“One of these days you’re gonna drop the fuck word too.”

“Mmm. Nope.”

He grabbed at your cheek and pinched it softly. You made a dramatic display of faked annoyance. “You will. I’ll make sure of it. I’ll be the first one to hear it, alright? I’m gonna hear the fuck word from the kid that everyone else is foolish enough to believe is entirely wholesome.”

“Um? But I am? So very wholesome?”

He barked out a laugh. “Sure. You got most people convinced, but I know you. You’re too fiery for your own good.”

“Oh, so you have me all figured out, huh?”

“Of course,” he replied in English, his words laced with his thick Korean accent. “I’m genius.”

You giggled before you corrected him. “‘I’m a genius.’”

He grinned. “We both can be.”

―――――――――――――――――

[23:18] You: the other caratdeul are posting it all over twitter so it’s trending, of course i would know that 😤 i’m in touch with the insiders nowadays

[23:19] wzljh__: the other caratdeul

[23:19] wzljh__: ??

You cursed silently. Did alcohol loosen your thumbs too? Is that possible? Would you remember these questions to ask Wheein later?

[23:19] You: uh, i’m also a carat? duh? have you /seen/ jeonghan-oppa’s visuals? 😍

[23:20] wzljh__: unfortunately every day

You laughed out loud at that.

You saw the three dots come. And then disappear.

You couldn’t help the twinge of sadness that hit, but you figured that he had his own celebration to do.

That is, until a video was sent from his end five minutes later.

You swore Lee Jihoon was going to be the cause of your death one of these days.

You clicked on the video.

“Annyeong, Y/N-ah!!”

You balked at Yoon Jeonghan’s face grinning at the camera. What the frick.

“Jihoon told me that you graduated with your PhD today! Congratulations! Hanniehae!!”

Your heart burst at the sight.

God, Jeonghan was so cute. You so desperately wanted to be his friend when you first discovered SEVENTEEN, almost more jealous of Jihoon for being surrounded by twelve other fantastic human beings rather than the other way around.

[23:28] You: omg i’m gonna cry

[23:28] You: !!!! how!!!! is he!!!! so CUTE!!!!!

[23:28] You: this is the best grad gift ever

[23:29] You: my years of indentured servitude to SNU was worth it to just bear witness to that 🥰 i can die happily now; thank you yoon jeonghan for existing

[23:30] wzljh__: um excuse me who else

[23:30] You: and to lee jihoon for the provision and distribution of content: i shall remember your services

[23:30] wzljh__: i now owe ur “jeonghan-oppa” a new lego set just for that

[23:31] You: he’s cute when he goes on vlive and builds it so just think of it as an additional gift to me, ok

[23:31] wzljh__: no.

[23:31] You: 🙄 rude

[23:31] wzljh__: u owe me too now especially since u said i gave the best grad gift ever

[23:31] You: i’m!!!!!

[23:32] You: ok so technically no one else has given me a gift yet so you were just better than nothing 🤧

[23:32] wzljh__: yes thats always my goal. to be better than nothing

[23:33] You: 😂😂😂

[23:33] You: wait!!

[23:33] You: you can’t distract me!!

[23:33] You: gifts are exchanged for the sake of selflessness and glad tidings!!

[23:34] wzljh__: thats not what u said when u guilted me into buying u the cardcaptor sakura cards because u got me plushies of the straw hat crew

[23:34] You: i didn’t GET you them! i MADE them!! my craftsmanship and time are worth much more than the ccs cards!! equivalent exchange!!

[23:34] wzljh__: god u are such a weeb

[23:34] You: if you recognize my reference you’re not so innocent yourself

[23:34] wzljh__: …

[23:34] wzljh__: damn

[23:35] wzljh__: anyway u think ur craftsmanship is worth more than the $50 i dropped on those cards?

[23:35] wzljh__: u wanna tell that to chopper whose head was too big for his body and now looks as though hes in inexplicable pain??

You stared at the screen. What?

[23:35] You: ???? pics or it didn’t happen

[23:36] wzljh__: at the dorm

[23:36] You: !!!!! you still have them with you???

[23:36] wzljh__: yea? ofc lol

[23:37] wzljh__: they may be dopey but mostly dope

[23:37] You: bihhhhh

―――――――――――――――――

“Always remember this, Y/N.”

You swallowed the handful of popcorn you so elegantly stuffed in your mouth just seconds prior. “You always do this, Jihoon. You always wait until my mouth is full—”

“Good people watch anime.”

You narrowed your eyes at him. “Okay?”

“I’m serious. Don’t trust anyone who says that they don’t like anime, alright?”

“What, so, that’s a requirement for whoever I’m going to be involved with in the future?”

“Yes. How can someone be a bad person when they have Monkey D. Luffy to look up to?”

“Fair, but—”

“And if the person can commit to nearly a thousand manga chapters and over eight-hundred episodes, they can commit to you.”

For some reason, his logic overtook your own. You nodded in slow agreement. “I mean. You’re not wrong.”

“Of course not.”

“So, you’re saying I’d have to find my Luffy?”

He eyed you. “I think you’re more of a Nico Robin than a Nami, honestly.”

Your stomach flipped but you brushed aside the implications of his words.

And even years later, your first-date questions always included, ‘If you were a Straw Hat member, who do you think you would be?’

You had yet to find another Zoro.

―――――――――――――――――

[23:38] wzljh__: anyway u still owe me

[23:38] You: BIHHHHHHH

[23:39] wzljh__: ill let u know by the end of the week

[23:39] You: 🥺 do i not get a choice

[23:41] wzljh__: u always have a choice

[23:42] You: hrmmmmmm then… i shall hear you out… maybe… perhaps… mayhaps

[23:42] wzljh__: always been a poet, since that second grade writing contest, havent u

[23:43] You: me? a poet? how about i quote one of the greatest poets of our generation

[23:43] You: ‘let’s have fun’

[23:43] wzljh__: …?

[23:44] You: ‘everyone stand up and clap’

[23:44] wzljh__: ok

[23:44] You: 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

[23:45] You: wait

[23:45] You: that’s one too many

[23:45] wzljh__: fake fan

[23:46] You: 😢 i come here and get bullied by a member of my favorite k-pop group

[23:46] wzljh__: favorite

[23:46] wzljh__: ?*

[23:46] You: asjdkksncsls yoinks

[23:47] You: i wish i could unsend messages

[23:47] You: or go back 3 seconds in time

[23:48] You: but what if i jump forward 10 seconds..

[23:49] wzljh__: HA

[23:49] wzljh__: alright u are at least a cubic if u watch gose

[23:50] You: 💖💙 it’s what pulled me thru my thesis

[23:50] wzljh__: lololol

[23:50] wzljh__: alright alright

[23:50] wzljh__: i gotta go soon

[23:50] wzljh__: but

[23:51] wzljh__: congratulations y/n

[23:51] wzljh__: seriously

[23:51] wzljh__: u do some amazing things

[23:52] You: 🥺🥺🥺🥺

[23:52] You: thanks jihoon so do u

[23:52] You: oh wait i just remembered

[23:55] wzljh__: ?

[23:56] You: an amazing thing u did

[23:56] You: thanks for sharing the info abt the group home project!!

[23:58] You: i don’t think i can ever explain how grateful i am!! it went so smoothly because of the response from the surrounding communities

[00:00] You: and you didn’t need to share the information

[00:00] You: but you did

[00:00] You: and i just

[00:00] You: idk i’m really grateful

[00:02] You: anyway!!

[00:02] You: sorry

[00:03] You: oh wait i’m supposed to say thank you

[00:03] You: thank you thank you thank you

[00:03] You: thank you lee jihoon

[00:05] wzljh__: is it bad if i just send a 👍🏼

[00:05] You: you’re gonna ok, boomer me? and my authentic and genuine heartfelt words??

[00:06] wzljh__: 👍🏼

[00:07] You: ...i’m unsubscribing

[00:07] wzljh__: lolool

[00:07] You: 😭😭😭

[00:08] wzljh__: still a crybaby

[00:08] You: more like crylady

[00:09] wzljh__: i suggest u never say that ever again

[00:10] You: yep noted i regretted it as soon as i hit send

[00:10] wzljh__: looooollll

[00:11] wzljh__: ill let u know what i expect for my equivalent exchange

[00:12] wzljh__: i need to consult with my lawyers on what exactly i can get away with

[00:12] You: !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[00:12] wzljh__: i can hear that message and i dont get how

[00:13] You: i’m gonna d word 😭

[00:13] wzljh__: not until i get my gift lol anyway ill message u by the end of the week

[00:14] You: ok 😞 fine

[00:14] You: you’ll message me?

[00:14] You: 🤙🏼?

[00:15] wzljh__: lolollllllll thats not a pinky promise emoji

[00:16] You: don’t care!!!

[00:16] wzljh__: lollll still so stubborn

[00:16] wzljh__: okay fine

[00:17] wzljh__: 🤙🏼

[00:18] wzljh__: goodnight y/n sleep well

And so you did.

You dreamt of crescent moons, steady heartbeats, gentle melodies, and open arms.

And falling, falling, falling.

―――――――――――――――――

Five weeks.

Four interviews.

Three community project ideas.

Two job offers.

One major minor meltdown.

Zero Instagram messages.

Not that it particularly mattered when your entire future was splayed out right in front of you.

“So… you either stay in Seoul…” Hyejin began.

“...or I move to New York,” you finished for her.

“...okay, but like, what is even over there?”

“Unnie.”

“I know it’s your favorite city in the world—”

“Strongly so.”

“And they have Broadway—”

“An absolute treat.”

“And you’d be lecturing at Columbia—”

“The first Social Work university in America and most prestigious school in said field.”

“But I’m not there!”

You couldn’t help but laugh at Hyejin’s pout. “Unnie, you and Wheein were already talking about living together next year because you’re both heading over to Jeju!”

“Which is the same time zone as Seoul! AKA, I can call you at any point I want—”

“We both know that’s not true even if we were in the same time zone.”

“...okay, touché. But! Are you really going to move halfway across the world? Again?”

“I enjoyed my time at Yale!”

“Bumblebee, you left Korea because you were running away from something. Someone. Are you sure you’re not leaving Korea for the same reason?”

“...Unnie, I love New York.”

―――――――――――――――――

“Doesn’t this city just reek of anxiety?”

You ignored her and instead took in the hustle and bustle of the streets around you. The neon signs of overpriced bags just begging to be haggled, the misogynistic advertisements of computer-generated women overhead, unassuming hot dog stands and bodegas whose businesses depended entirely on locals, live music found on nearly every street corner, committed to entertain in order to survive.

This city was the physical manifestation of everything right and wrong with humanity.

Bodies close. Minds worlds away.

The perfect place for someone like you.

“So full of life.”

Hyejin looked at you. Her face softened once she caught a glimpse of the glimmer of light she always saw in passing.

She hoped it would return for the long-term.

“Yeah, bumblebee. Full of life.”

She promised herself that she would take you every year from then on.

Your first trip was during the nipping frost of winter, filled with artificial twinkling and overconsumption of goods; the holiday cheer dampened by the cold reality that heartbreak and loneliness were inevitable byproducts of the season.

Your second trip was in the welcoming arms of autumn, decidedly going upstate for one day; the leaves faded into reds and golds, apples ready to be picked to be baked into a sweet pie, accompanied by the warmth of spiced cider and slow healing found in vulnerability wrapped in double crochet blankets and friendship.

Your third trip was during the sweltering heat of the summer, bad decisions and dangerous impulsivity. Late night drives of yells and whoops echoed into the Lincoln Tunnel with the wind rushing through your hair. The invincibility of youth and rekindling of the burning fire you thought was long gone.

Your fourth trip was in the blossoming of springtime, maturation of seeds sown and bountiful harvests. Gentle breezes and flowy dresses. Picnic baskets and overpriced coffees. The unspoken connection of humans collectively sitting in Central Park enjoying the gift of now, thankful to be alive.

As the seasons changed, so did you.

―��―――――――――――――――

“But,” Hyejin started, exasperation already apparent in her tone. “Come on, bumblebee.”

Annoyance flared up. “What?”

“You’re thinking about running away again.”

“What are you talking about?”

Hyejin rolled her eyes at you and you could feel the simmering anger building in the pit of your stomach. You tried to quell it down with breathing, but you still felt the flames lick at your insides. “Jihoon just started messaging you again and you’re off here just thinking about fleeing the country. Again.”

“This has nothing to do with him.”

“I think it has everything to do with him.”

“I’m not some lovesick puppy who can’t make her own decisions, unnie. I applied to Columbia because I thought that it would be an amazing opportunity to be an assistant professor. Do you know how many PhD grads get to score a job like that right out of graduation?”

“Oh, yes, we get it, Y/N. You’re always cream of the crop. Top of your class. Always pursuing something bigger and better than what we mere humans can provide.”

Your jaw dropped. “What the hell?”

“You were offered a full-ride to NYU for your PhD, but you declined it because you didn’t want to, and I’m quoting you here, ‘dirty your healing place.’”

“Things change, unnie.”

“No, you’re just fucking scared.”

Rage filled you. “You don’t know me. You think you have me all figured out, but you’re just projecting onto me because you, for one, are constantly running away from your own feelings for Wheein! You wanna know who’s scared? It’s not me. Because I make my choices and I don’t regret them. Can’t say the same for yourself, huh?”

You grabbed your belongings and stomped out of your shared living space, slamming the door behind you, the beating in your chest ringing in your ears with a resounding thump, thump, thump.

Part of you wondered if the reason you snapped was because she was right.

Maybe partially.

But you also knew that you hated being carved and molded into what people perceived you as.

And she perceived you as something you were not.

Your happiness wasn’t reliant on him. You were a wholly and complete person without him. You knew that. You found that Truth long ago. You proved that through the years of work you put in; years that Hyejin witnessed herself.

So, it felt like a backhanded slap when it felt like she saw the girl you were when she first met you. As though you didn’t put in the effort to take the course of your life into your hands and crafted it to be the way that it is now.

You were a whole person.

She never said you weren’t.

You tried to pull out your car keys from your bag but struggled to find them in the midst of your frustration. You growled before giving up, stomping your way down the now dimly lit streets, the sky never quite achieving a pitch black, with the light pollution of the city. Stars were nowhere in sight, but the moon hung low near the horizon.

You found yourself walking (nearly stomping) for almost an hour as different voices argued in your mind. You were several blocks away from your home now.

She overreacted.

She’s just worried about you.

She didn’t have to be.

She probably doesn’t want you to experience the heartache that she’s seen you go through.

She was treating you like a child.

Because she loves you. And love makes you do crazy things sometimes. Like yelling at your best friend. Or flying halfway across the world.

You groaned inwardly.

God! Why did you have to have a conscience?

You said some pretty shitty things to someone who may have not portrayed her care in the best way, but tried to anyway. She gathered the courage to try and challenge you and you blew her off by rubbing salt into her own wound.

She wasn’t right.

But neither were you.

You felt the wash of shame come over you as you twiddled with your bag’s strap, trying to muster up the determination you needed to trudge back down and apologize.

“Oh, thank God, bumblebee.”

You pivoted your entire body at your unnie’s voice, wanting to shrink back at noticing the redness in her skin and puffiness under her eyes, even in the faint light of the street lamps. She looked so frazzled, her flip-flops nearly hanging off her feet from what looked like running around trying to find you. “Unnie, I—”

“I know you said you don’t like apologies, so I’ll say thank you instead. Thank you for your honesty, even if it was really mean. Thank you for listening to me, at least the beginning. Thank you for getting angry because I know that’s really fucking hard for you to do so and I feel weirdly honored but also still spooked by it. Thank you for not driving, especially this late and on a weekend when you’re upset—”

Your heart sank at the memory of Hyejin recounting her story of losing her friend to a drunk driver, something Hyejin felt immensely (and irrationally) responsible for, having been the person to last send her off.

You had forgotten about that.

Here you were, trying to figure out how you were going to apologize, and here she was, worrying about whether you were going to come back to her at all. You bit your lip before you piped up, “I’m sorry for scaring you like that.”

“Yeah, well, I was right. I learned that I never want to be caught in the crossfire. Your anger is terrifying. You’re not a bumblebee; you’re more like an agitated hornet. With a gun.”

“Unnie—”

“I’m not done. I don’t know how to process my emotions like you do so I didn’t really think before I came running after you. I’m still hurt and mad that you said all of that shit—”

“I was wrong,” you interrupted. She went quiet at that. “I don’t know everything. I hardly know anything. But what I do know is that I was wrong. I said some things that I knew were going to hurt you because that’s what I wanted to do. I was wrong. But... so were you, unnie.”

She remained silent, so you continued.

“I’m not that same, young, dumb teen that you met at Yale. I’m not the brat who was still trying to figure out how to be her own person without being an off-brand version of all of her friends from Busan. I’m… I’m not weak, unnie.”

“I… I never said you were.”

You wondered when you started crying. “Yeah, well. It felt like you didn’t believe in me. That you didn’t trust me. You are the only person in my life who saw all of the changes I went through and you still said I was running away. So, it just made me think that all of my growth was… I don’t know. Fake.”

“What? No. Oh, bumblebee. Never.”

“I’m… I’m my own person. Who can make her own decisions. I don’t need anyone else to complete me. So, there’s no one and nothing that I’m trying to run away from. I’m just trying to figure out where I want to go. Is that so bad?”

“...No. Not at all,” Hyejin answered softly. She slowly stepped towards you and tentatively wrapped her arms around your torso. You leaned in and breathed in her scent, muffling your sniffling against her shoulder. “You were right that I confused the woman you are now with the girl you were then. But I’ve never ever seen you as weak. Or incomplete. Not then, not now.”

“Then why?” You sobbed. “Why do you think my life revolves around him? Anyone else can think I’m some love-struck dumbass, but why you?”

“Oh, bumblebee, I fucked up when I said I thought it had everything to do with him. I definitely… projected. Like you said. As much as I hate to admit it. But... I also want you to know that I don’t see you as some sad girl who’s been pining after some crusty dude. I see a woman who has gone around the world, fallen in love with it and its people, and still knows exactly with whom she feels safest. And I don’t want you to deny yourself of that.”

“I’m not denying myself anything. He doesn’t love me, unnie. So, I have to be the one to do it. Because he won’t. And that’s okay. I’ve learned to love myself and isn’t that good enough?”

Hyejin squeezed you tighter in her embrace. “Call me crazy, but… I think there’s something there. Call it a spark. Call it a string of fate. Call it a grown love. But… ah. I’m not good with words like you, bumblebee. You are good enough. Just as you are. Wonderful, even. I… I’m not saying he’s a missing piece of you or anything like that. But. Agh. Like. He is bread. And you are butter. You’re both complete by nature and can exist without each other, but you’re just… better together,” she tried to hold her tongue, but you knew her resolve was weak, so you braced yourself. “Butter together.”

“...unnie, you really are bad with words.”

You yelped when she grabbed at you to pinch your thigh.

She promptly turned the two of you around back to your apartment, her arm looped around yours. You easily walked past your building, though, caught up in smoothing out the harsh lines said during your earlier conversation. She admitted her fears regarding pursuing her own unrequited love and you confessed you often chased things that were of grandeur rather than that of simplicity. And you both touched on exactly the roots of your insecurities: hers in her fear of being unwanted and yours in the idea that you were incomplete without him.

The two of you found yourselves swinging at a neighborhood park that probably closed several hours ago, but it was a safe space for the two of you, to air out the tension, to have the beginnings of healing and mending, although most of it being left to time and future efforts of rebuilding trust.

Together.

―――――――――――――――――

[19:21] wzljh__: this might be a dumb question but did ur kkt account change

[19:21] wzljh__: i tried messaging u and it said delivered but

[19:21] wzljh__: nvm u dont have to reply sorry

[19:42] You: omg

[19:42] You: jihoon i made a new account bc my username was @narutofanfreak123 and i couldn’t bear to tell people that was my username but i didn’t know how to change it LOLLL

[19:43] You: so i made a new account once i came back to korea!!

[20:01] wzljh__: i

[20:01] wzljh__: i shouldve asked

[20:02] wzljh__: i thought u werent replying because u were busy with job searching since u were posting about it on ur story

[20:02] wzljh__: or maybe u didnt want to talk to me 😣

You rubbed your eyes in disbelief.

Jihoon used an emoji?

[20:05] You: oh no lol i already got offers

[20:05] You: still deciding between two of them

[20:17] wzljh__: before u tell me whats ur username on kkt?

[20:18] You: oh yeah!

[20:18] You: oh

[20:18] You: uhhhhhhhhhhhhh

[20:18] wzljh__: ???

[20:19] You: haha

[20:19] You: ok so

[20:19] You: uh

[20:19] wzljh__: are u ok???

[20:20] You: yeah! haha

[20:20] You: welp

[20:20] You: it’s @madamefirefly

[20:20] You: heh

Lee Jihoon (@wzljh__) added you on KakaoTalk! You accepted Lee Jihoon’s request!

[20:23] Lee Jihoon: nice username

[20:23] You: thanks it was inspired by someone who used to bully me as their pastime

[20:25] Lee Jihoon: sounds like u were a masochist

[20:25] You: 🙄🙄🙄

[20:25] You: nice username

[20:25] You: sounds like it was randomly generated off of a sketchy site on naver that just so happened to have your initials

[20:26] Lee Jihoon: that ‘sketchy site’ somehow managed to predict the initials of my english stage name

[20:27] You: that was easily!!!! within your control to manipulate, woozi-ssi!! it should technically be uji!!

[20:27] Lee Jihoon: no that site knew my future and spoke to me

[20:28] Lee Jihoon: speaking of futures

[20:28] Lee Jihoon: whats coming up on the y/n agenda

[20:29] You: oop sorry hyejin-unnie is back home and i promised we would get dinner together so i might not respond until later

[20:30] You: but i’m deciding between staying here in seoul to continue the work i’ve been doing and being an assistant professor at columbia university in new york city!!

[20:30] You: although i’m def leaning more towards one than the other

[20:30] You: ack she’s yelling at me to hurry sorry i’ll ttyl!!

[Read at 20:30]

―――――――――――――――――

Your phone rang.

You saw the FaceTime ID and never slid the bar faster than you did in that moment.

“Unnie! I—oh God, is that a wedding dress—oh my, oh no, the tears—”

One of the most beautiful laughters of your childhood rang out as she flipped the camera back to her face, stained from salty tears already passed. “Oh, lovebug—” Your lips split into a wide grin at the childhood nickname. “I think this is the one. I needed to show you. What do you think?”

“Hold on, I’m crying so hard that I can’t see—”

337.1km away, your future family member (although, one could argue she always had been) burst into a renewal of joyful tears, so exuberantly over-the-moon to share this moment with you, and you sharing the same exact sentiment to be able to bask in the joy of a promised love.

“Unnie,” you said emphatically. “You are… so beautiful. So stunning. So radiant. So dazzling. My goodness me. You are… just so splendent.”

She hiccuped. “Lovebug, no one uses that word anymore.”

“I had to go back to words of old to explain myself because language oft fails me when I see you.”

“Stop. God, you and Jihoon both with your ability to speak. How do words even come out of you two like that?”

You made a noise.

You don’t think she caught it.

“Y/N, you are sunshine personified, so to hear you say that makes me feel like I’m being blessed by Amaterasu herself.”

“I wouldn’t want to go lock myself in a cave.”

“Then don’t, lovebug,” she said dismissively. “Plus, you can’t. The bachelor and bachelorette party is gonna be in Seoul and you promised you would be there.”

“Yes, yes. To help me get blackmail on everyone else in case they try to turn on you later. You’re using me, you know?”

“You’re a useful person.”

You clicked your tongue. “So I’ve been told.”

A comfortable silence passed between the two of you before she broke it, a slight hesitation in her tone.

“So… turns out that Jihoon’s gonna be at oppa’s bachelor party. Oppa asked him to perform and he said no because of his schedule, but he said he would be at the wedding. And the bachelor party.”

You quirked an eyebrow at that. He was willingly going to the party and the wedding of the man who stole the love of his life away from him? “Really?”

“Yeah…”

“Huh. Weird.”

“I’m sorry, but he’s coming to the wedding. I know you don’t want to see him, but—”

“What? What are you talking about?”

“Uh, you literally went across the world to avoid him—”

“Why does everyone think that? No, don’t worry about me, unnie. It’s fine.”

You didn’t look directly at the screen but you could feel her stare boring into the side of your face through it. She thought you were lying. But you weren’t. It wasn’t about you.

“Lovebug—”

“He texted me.”

Your words stunned her into silence.

That is, until she went rapid-fire.

“Oh my God. What? How? When? Did you reply? Was it an emergency? Did you have a conversation? Was it a casual conversation? How long? Oh, thank goodness—”

“Whoa, whoa, chill out, unnie. Wait. Why do you look happier now than you did when you were showing me your wedding dress? Wait. Aren’t you at a boutique right now? Don’t you have your mom waiting or something—?”

“Shush, I’m asking the questions around here.”

And so, you answer them. You told your future family, your confidant, your safe space. You told her of the accidental like, the off-chance comment, the purposeful messages, and everything caught in between.

337.1km away and you felt right at home.

―――――――――――――――――

“Y/N?”

You knew that voice anywhere.

Of course she was here, of course she was. This was one of your collective dreams, two girls fantasizing about inebriated situations and uninhibited fun by means of burning liquids in a local Busan bar. A dream of spending a night here, sharing a story for every shot.

You learned a year prior that you would really only be able to tell two stories before wanting to quit.

“Oh… hey, unnie.”

“You’re… you’re back.”

You forced out a laugh. “Yeah, I, uh. Graduated.”

“From Yale.”

“Uh… yeah. From Yale.”

“Can… I sit here?”

You glanced up at her before gesturing to the seat in front of you, the corner booth really far too large for your person. You could almost see the thoughts that raced in her mind before she gave a small nod and sunk down into the cushion.

“So, how have you—”

“I heard you—”

“Oh, no, you go—”

“Oh, sorry, I just—”

You both locked eyes.

And promptly burst into a fit of laughter.

“God, what is this?” You managed to get out, holding your stomach.

She was no better, in her signature hiccuping stage. “I just—!”

“We have the communication skills of five-year-olds.”

She wiped away a stray tear. “We’ve become a drama.”

“I call being the second-male lead.”

“Wait, that’s not fair. We all know that the second-male lead is objectively better.”

“That’s exactly why, unnie,” you winked.

She scoffed. “Alright, I’ll give it to you this time, lovebug.”

You saw her freeze, as if she didn’t expect herself to call you by that nickname. She looked like a deer caught in headlights and you quickly gave her a wave of your hand. “You spent more years calling me that than you did my actual name. Let’s not break the trend now, yeah?”

She visibly relaxed and you couldn’t help but smile fondly.

A lull passed over you, but you felt much more comfortable with this silence than the strained one prior. You closed your eyes and simply took in the moment, gratitude filling your lungs.

“I’m sorry.”

Your eyes fluttered open. “What?”

“I’m sorry,” she repeated. “I’m sorry that you had to leave because of me—”

Oh.

That was heart wrenching to hear.

The apology signified a wound, an old one.

A self-inflicted one.

Oh no.

“Unnie,” you began slowly, reaching for her hands. You could see the tears brimming. “Do you… do you blame yourself for my decision? Has guilt been eating at you all of these years?”

“I just… you left. Jihoon left. If I had just said something, then—”

“Unnie.”

She bit her lip at your definitive tone.

“Nothing, nothing, about this was your fault. Don’t get me wrong. It wasn’t mine and it wasn’t his either. We all struggled to ‘just say something’. Unnie, we were young and dumb. We still are young and dumb,” you squeezed her hands for emphasis. “If you say you’re sorry, then okay. I forgive you. But I just want you to know that past me never blamed you. Never.”

She let out a choked sob and you found yourself crossing to the other side of the table, enveloping her in your arms, tucking her head under your chin. She buried her face into your chest and you just rubbed her back soothingly. “I’m so sorry. I’m sorry for never reaching out. I’m sorry I never cleared the air. I’m sorry I was so scared.”

“We needed time and space apart, unnie. To figure ourselves out. And I did. I really did. And I wouldn’t have been able to do that if I kept tying my self-worth into Korea, into Busan, into you, into him. But that doesn’t mean I cut you off in order to do it. I don’t think I ever could,” you squeezed tighter. “Thank you for saying that you’re sorry, but there really is no need, not to me.”

And so she cried into your arms, emptying herself of tears. Later, you filled that space with your stories of adventure, your kind words, and your love. And she did the same for you.

In that moment, Busan never seemed so much more like home.

―――――――――――――――――

“So, New York, huh?”

You glanced up at your boss, the social worker in charge of running the different programs tied to the university, the same one who got you involved with the group home, the same one who offered you a full-time position after graduation in training new recruits, specializing in the Child and Family division, but also providing self-care guidance to the rest of the staff since your specialty in school was around Behavioral and Mental Health.

The pay was good, seeing as it was run by professionals partnered with SKY: Seoul National University, Korea University, and Yonsei University. What most Koreans would consider to be the ‘Ivy League’ of South Korea. Although, being a community leader was definitely a far-cry from a prestigious position as an assistant professor.

“Ah. Yeah, New York.”

“Nice place.”

“It’s… yeah. It’s nice.”

“Is the air better there than here?”

“No fine dust, but there’s a lot of smog.”

She pulled a displeased face. “Is that better?”

“Depends on who you ask.”

There was a pregnant pause between the two of you. You wanted to reduce into a puddle and slip through the vents, dreading this conversation.

“You should go.”

Uh. What?

You parroted those exact words out loud.

“I may have lost some of my mind’s sharpness to age and time, but if I remember correctly, New York City is one of the most popular places in the world. And I hear that it would be a good place for a young, spry lady like you to get your bright mind out there. The world needs a little more of you and if New York City is the best way to do it, so be it.”

“I’m… I’m…”

“A wonderful human being who will make the most of the hand that she’s dealt. I’ve seen you make castles out of cardboard.”

“You… you want me to go to New York?”

“Oh, Heavens no. Not at all. I would love to just keep you here forever,” she sighed, going so far as to lean back in her desk chair. You resisted the urge to laugh at her theatrics. “But you’re not a princess locked up in a tower. You have the power to make your own choice, and I know that whichever path you go down, it will be a flowery one. You’ll make it one. Because that’s just what you do, Y/N.”

“What if… What if I’m not sure?”

She tilted her head back down to meet your eyes and gave you a smile that was slightly off-putting, as though you had fallen into a trap she carefully laid out. “Then, what can I do to convince you to stay here?”

“I think a part of me thinks I’m wanting to stay here because I’ve found my home here. I think I’ve become incredibly comfortable here. In Korea.”

She blinks at you. “Is… that a bad thing?”

“I think... I think that I’m wanting to stay here because I love it here and the work I do and the people I’ve met, but I think I’m wanting to leave because I’m trying to prove that I’m not tied down to a particular person. Because I feel like everyone thinks that I can’t live my life without them, so I want to prove that I can do it. That I will.”

“So… you’re trying to prove that you’re not influenced by said person, by, uh, being influenced by said person?”

“Uh.”

“‘Uh,’ indeed.”

“What if… I’m staying here because I subconsciously think that everyone is right? That I actually can’t live without them? Not actually?”

“Is that person me?”

“No, ma’am.”

“I’m a little hurt you answered that so quickly, but. To prove my point. You are here, in my office, yes?”

“Yes…?”

“Are they?”

“No…?”

“Then. You’re living without them, aren’t you? Right here. In front of me. Heart pumping out blood through your veins and your brain shooting off neurons. You’re alive. Without them.”

“It’s… it’s a little different, Doctor, I—”

“Y/N. You’re dazzling. Almost overwhelmingly so. There is no one. No one who can overshadow you in the way you think they can. No matter what underlying influences, no matter what puppetry you may think is going on, you call the shots. You get to decide what to include in your life moving forward. If this person has as much power as you think they do over you, I’d like to meet them. Because you’re a force to be reckoned with.”

You bit your lip. “Is… Is it okay to be so selfish?”

“You said so yourself, Y/N. You found a home here. Or more like, knowing you, you built a home here. Korea will forever be marked by you. Seoul. Busan. Everywhere you’ve gone. That’s something that the majority of the world cannot say, because everyone feels a little lost, a little out of place. But you? No. You have a place. Right here. And, I mean, even at the end of the day, if you go off somewhere else, you’ll always have a place to return to that will welcome you with open arms.”

“Doctor, I…”

“Yes, Y/N?”

“...I think I wanna stay.”

“Perfect. I’ll have them write up your contract.”

―――――――――――――――――

[04:12] Lee Jihoon: i know its late. rehearsal never ends until 3am and i know that when u get texts you wake up even if ur phone is on silent bc the vibration wakes u up so im trying to type this all in one message so that it doesnt wake u up (hopefully) but i didnt want it to seem like i left u on read because i was upset or something. but i didnt want to message until i had the time to have a full conversation but i dont think thats happening any time soon anyway. when you see this i hope it makes sense im not sure if i am

[4:12] You: i still have the sleep schedule of a doctoral student, you know

[4:12] Lee Jihoon: oho i see

[4:12] Lee Jihoon: and u still owe me a gift, doctor

[4:12] You: 🥴🥴🥴 i thought you forgot

[4:12] Lee Jihoon: never

[4:13] You: ok lee jihoon, what do you want?

[4:13] Lee Jihoon: can i call u

[4:13] You: ? sure?

Before you could even type, ‘is something wrong?’, his name and profile picture (which wasn’t even of him, it was that dumb photo of Hansol) flooded your screen. Your finger slid across before you could even give a second thought.

“Um. Hello?” Silence met your ears. You wondered whether the call actually went through. You pulled the phone away from your cheek and pressed ‘speaker’. “Jihoon…?”

“Ah, sorry. Yes. Wow. Hi.”

You knew speaker was the better option. Hearing his voice that close to your ear would have given you heart palpitations, or at least, worse than what was already happening. “Yes, hello yourself. Did you need something?”

“Huh?”

“You called?”

“Oh. Yeah. No. I just. Wanted to talk.”

“About what?”

“Anything. I think staring at a screen would’ve made me fall asleep faster, but I wanted to talk. To you. If that’s okay.”

“Yeah, yeah. It’s okay.”

You heard him release a sigh of relief (?). “Yeah. Okay. Thank you.”

You hummed, realizing there was a chance he didn’t exactly prepare conversation topics. “I decided to stay in Seoul.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah. My boss here convinced me.”

“Tell them thank you.”

You snorted. “It wasn’t hard to.”

“Columbia is a pretty prestigious place, though.”

“Huh. How’d you know that?”

“Might’ve asked Hansol and Jisoo-hyung.”

You clicked your tongue. “Jihoon, just because they’re American doesn’t mean—”

“Nope. That’s exactly what it means.”

You resisted the urge to roll your eyes. “Okay, okay.”

“I’m proud of you, you know.”

“Uh—what?”

“You got a whole ass PhD. From the best university in Korea. You got offered a job at a super big school in America. One that’s super big in the field that you studied. You graduated from an even bigger school for undergrad, a school that even I know the name of. And just… I know that people expect you to achieve because you’ve always been a genius, always so brilliant, but. You also work really hard. So. I’m proud of you.”

Your throat felt tight. “It’s not that big of a deal—”

“But it is, firefly.”

Oh, that nickname. “I mean, I just—”

“You don’t have to believe me. But that won’t stop me from feeling it.”

“Jihoon, I—”

“I’ve missed you.”

Before you could even make a noise (not that you could), he continued.

“I’ve missed you a stupid amount. Like us stealing your dad’s car to drive to McDonald’s at 3am and then running a red light on the way there. And then somehow almost hitting an entire flock of seagulls. And then going to some random, deserted parking lot. And then realizing we didn’t know the way home, so we drove aimlessly for, like, 45 minutes. And then panicking when we kept seeing the gas needle go down. That kind of stupid.”

You couldn’t form words.

But you tried.

“I… I missed you too.”

You could’ve sworn you heard utter satisfaction in his voice. “I have to sleep now, but. I just. I couldn’t not tell you. That’s all.”

“Okay.”

“Get some sleep, firefly. Or should I call you, Dr. Firefly now?”

“That sounds like a cartoon villain.”

His laughter rang throughout your empty room and your chest tightened.

“Alright, we’ll go with just firefly then.”

Tears formed in your eyes at the ‘we’. You felt like you were fifteen and back in your childhood bedroom, after a long, long hours, ending your night by telling him about your day. The words you denied yourself for years tumbled out of your mouth, “Night, night, Jihoonie.”

A low chuckle met your ears.

“Sleep well, firefly.”

―――――――――――――――――

“He fucking booty called you?”

“Unnie, that’s not—”

“Nuh-uh, bumblebee. Any call past 3am is a fucking booty call.”

“So, when you called me past 3am, it was a booty call? I feel violated.”

“Time zones, Wheein. Doesn’t count,” Hyejin said dismissively.

Wheein puffed out her cheeks and stabbed the salad in front of her, piercing a lettuce leaf. You wanted to laugh at her infantile display, but you knew that would only result in her turning against you. And Hyejin was already a formidable opponent.

“He’s an idol,” you repeated for what seemed like the millionth time. “His rehearsal didn’t end until 3am.”

“He didn’t even tell you what he wanted for a gift,” Wheein interrupted.

“Yeah, what the hell is that about?” You muttered, turning back to your own plate of fries. You chewed on one thoughtfully as you made eye contact with Hyejin who gave you a deadpanned look. “What?”

“God, you two are dense, aren’t you?”

“Um, rude?”

“The phone call was the gift,” Hyejin explained.

“What a shitty gift.”

“Yeah, what? I would’ve asked for, like, Y/N’s homemade japchae.”

“Or my kimchi jjigae.”

“Or her dwaejigogi-bokkeum—wait. Stop distracting me,” Hyejin shook her head. “Regardless, bumblebee. He called you and that was his gift.”

You rolled your eyes at the ridiculous notion. “Sure, Jan.”

“Don’t make Brady Bunch references at me. We’re not American.”

“No, but we do use the internet,” you reminded her. “Anyways, it’s not that big of a deal. I’ve got other things to worry about. Like the fact that my cousin and his fiancée are coming in about a week and they want to get dinner together before they get shit-faced over the weekend. My only task is to gather blackmail material whenever the bachelorette happens with her friends.”

“Sounds like my kind of job.”

“Yes, Wheein-unnie, it really does.”

“Aren’t you gonna see him then?”

“Who? Jihoon?”

“Yeah, like. Aren’t you gonna see him next week? Isn’t he in your cousin’s bachelor party troupe or whatever the hell it’s called?”

You cocked your head to the side. “I don’t think I’ll see him? I shouldn’t see him. I think they’re gonna be in a different part of Seoul.”

“Huh. That would’ve been cool, though.”

“What?”

“You know that scene in dramas, where the main characters meet each other again for the first time in a long time and it’s all fuzzy and slow motion and there’s music playing in the background?”

“That’s—what? No. That doesn’t actually happen in real life, unnie.”

Hyejin pursed her lips. “Sure, Jan.”

―――――――――――――――――

“Ladybug!”

“Move aside, second-rate, that’s my lovebug.”

Your unnie ran into your open arms after she shoved her fiancé aside. You laughed at his crestfallen face but squeezed your future family as tight as you could. She squealed at your strength but nuzzled her face into your neck anyway.

“She’s… she’s my cousin, you know.”

“Yeah, but she chose me, which means that she likes me more. Chosen family is always better.”

“What? No—”

“She’s right, oppa,” you quipped. “Chosen family is always better. Has Lilo and Stitch taught you nothing?”

“I—you two always do this. You two always gang up on me and Jihoon, and—”

“Our table is ready, oppa. Let’s go take a seat.”

“For once, can you two listen to me, please?”

“He’s asked that before, unnie.”

“And we abided at that one time, right, lovebug?”

“Yes. He said to listen for once and we did.”

“Once only means one time, am I wrong?”

“No, unnie, you’re not.”

“God, forget it. Where’s the damn table? I need a drink.”

The two of you laughed at your cousin’s outburst and retreating figure as you both linked arms to follow after.

―――――――――――――――――

One appetizer in, you swirled the lemonade in your hands, appreciating the visible pulp as an indicator of its freshness. Your cousin, on the other hand, was several beers in, face slightly flushed, a permanent lazy grin plastered on his face.

“Wow, I’m surrounded by my two favorite girls—”

“What about your mom?”

“Or your dog?”

“Or Jennie from Blackpink?

“Or Zero Two from Darling in the FRANXX?”

“Oh God. He watched Darling in the FRANXX?”

“Ugh, yes, lovebug, let me tell you—”

“ANYWAY. YEAH. MY TWO FAVORITE GIRLS.”

The two of you snickered at his outburst. Your cousin’s phone pinged and he shielded it from you, squinting like an old man, staring at the screen with a tilted head. “Oh, hey, he’s five minutes away.”

You made an inquisitive sound. “Who?”

The two of them exchanged nervous glances, your cousin visibly swallowing.

Your unnie was the one who decided to speak up.

Because they knew you wouldn’t ever get mad at her.

Oh no.

“I know we didn’t give you the time to prepare, but we thought that you would’ve run away if we told you earlier, but Jihoon is coming here and—”

You could see her mouth move but you only heard a dull ringing.

You tried to speak, but no sound came out.

Wait.

Could you even speak? Where was your mouth again? Did it even move? What was happening? Where were you? Who were you?

“Y/N.”

You thought you felt a hand place itself on your shoulder. You turned to the sound source. “Yes?”

“Are you breathing?” “I think so.”

Your vision focused enough to recognize the looks of concern from the two seated at the booth.

Your heart sank. Oh no. Oh no.

Jihoon was going to see the two of them together, engaged.

He was going to be completely shattered.

“Lovebug, are you crying?”

“I—”

“Jihoon! Hey!” Your cousin’s voice went up several octaves from its regular position. You froze and cast your eyes downward, shrinking back as far into the seat as you could.

“Hey, hyung.”

Even the highest quality of speakers could not do this man’s voice justice, you realized.

“Oh my goodness, it’s our Jihoonie! Hi!”

You prepared yourself to hear the strain in his voice that you knew would tear you up inside.

“Hi, noona.”

Wait. What?

He spoke with such nonchalance, your head shot up in surprise.

Your breath caught in your throat.

Was your vision still fuzzy from earlier?

Did someone turn the playback speed to 0.5x?

Was that music playing?

(Shit. Hyejin was right.)

Your tongue mindlessly ran across your lips.

Oh wow.

He was really built like that, huh? His fair skin was so clear, you could have sworn there was a halo of light emitting from him. Cleanly done undercut, his ebony bangs fell messily just above his eyes, oh God, those crescent eyes, those bright, bright, bright—

Has he always looked at you like that?

“Hey, firefly.”

“Holy fuck.”

The older two gawked for a moment before your cousin began to berate you, going so far as to threaten to wash your mouth out with soap, while your unnie had her jaw dropped in horror. But you couldn’t look away from Jihoon. Surprise flitted across his face, but only for a moment. It settled into an uptilted corner of his lip and amusement dancing in his irises.

The woman before him, he only ever caught fleeting moments of. From social media posts by old friends to grainy photos from news outlets regarding your doctoral work. You were always so hard to pin down, like trying to catch a sunbeam in his hands.

You changed. So much.

You grew more into yourself, a woman you crafted with your own hands. There was a quiet confidence woven into you, so blatantly obvious, even though your current posture would convince everyone else otherwise. But he wasn’t everyone else. He could see the burning flame you’ve had since you were children, but it was more refined, more honed in, more in your control.

That made you more dangerous.

But that flustered look on your face.

Maybe you hadn’t changed too much.

And that gave him hope.

―――――――――――――――――

[side A: you. end]

[side B: him. coming soon]

#lee jihoon x reader #woozi x reader #lee jihoon #woozi #seventeen x reader #kpop fanfiction #kpop fanfic #seventeen #svt #kpop svt #woozi fic #seventeen fic #svt fic #mine

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stormblessed95 · 10 months

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Hiii stormie my dear, how are you? first of all, i wanted to say that i adore your blog and i think u are a breath of fresh air here. Thank you! Because i trust u, I wanted to say some things im thinking about since seven released, i hope u dont mind.

Ok, like jk says: lets get it! Right, I do understand people feeling sad about jimin and face era. It was awful how sabotaged he was, and i still dont get what really happened and i'm mad to whatever or whoever is responsible for it. But i'm seeing so many people doubting the veracity in jungkookie's success with seven and i'm hating it. I dont think the song is getting payola, nor playlists by paying for it and neither ads on youtube. First, the song was sent to radios, but just a few of them r playing it, one of them being a guy who loves to plays "k-pop" songs. If there was payola, it would be playing everywhere all the time already. The playlist thing: just like "like crazy eng. ver", seven entered the Today's Top Hits playlist. But at #23 place. I just saw a tweet by a guy talking about this: https://twitter.com/cantorpedia/status/1680258574688088066?s=20. We know that there's some shady thing happening in this playlist for a while, and if seven have deals to get this high debut numbers, it would had debuted at the top in the playlist, even in the cover (it may go up next week, because there is supposed to be some internal logic that the more a song receives streams IN the playlist, the more it rises). Also, seven had a huge filtering in spotify, just like all BTS' songs, which also shows that they r not making deals. Now, about Youtube ads... i saw a person posting a ss about seeing an ad of the song, but apparently is fake.

Seven is doing AWESOME numbers because: its a english catchy song, with a cute mv, sang by THEE Jeon Jungkook. Im not joking, seven is really a gp success.. yesterday i saw 3 people from my daily life and inner circle talking about loving the song. My sister, who is not an army, said that she listened to the song all day while i was not home. Gp is loving it. So they did with butter (which is a eng song too), but Seven has a differential: the clean and explict version r being counted combined. Plus, seven is doing awesome everywhere, even in korean charts.

If there was something shady going on, i dont think they would make more than 1 version for the song, even on youtube (there is a new perfomance video for the explict ver). They would just send to radios and count on the payola and the deals w spotify, tiktok, youtube, for the charts (thats what most western artists does). But since billboard started filtering the songs so much so that made like crazy drop from 1 to 45 in a week and then stopped counting digital versions from usa based artist stores, BTS had to start making available to fans different versions of the same song because they know they cant count on radio, but can count on the sales and streams. Since Like Crazy, i feel like Hybe is experimenting ways of overcoming the sabotage by the industry.

The thing is, i think we can and should talk and raise questions about how jimin was treated badly, in every chart and streaming platform. For example, views from youtube were not being frozen in Yoongi's songs too, just like jk's. So, its not a privilege that jk is receiving, its just that something was really happening with face promotions, who knows what and why. But that was not jk's or any member fault.

Anyway, i'm happy for jk and i know much more is coming his way. And i cant wait for jimin to make a new comeback soon too. I hope it all goes well yk, Jimin deserves the best in his promotions just like jk and the other members. Lets hope. I'm sorry for hijacking your tumblr for this rant, im hoping u have some thoughts on the subject

Rant shared. I shared my thoughts about most of this a few weeks ago, I'm sure anyone who wants to can still scroll to go find it all, I'm not *really* wanting to open it all back up for discussion again. People are VILE honestly. I enjoy the song, it's fun, it's not much more than that and it's clearly made to be a western audience radio hit. Jungkook deserves and has my full support though! 💜 thanks for sharing

#jungkook seven

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uhlatcha · 1 month

Text

ROCK WITH U - SEVENTEEN 70s AU - CHAPTER ONE: THE BOYS IN THE ROCK BAND

WATTPAD | AO3 | PLAYLIST | ROCK WITH YOU MASTERLIST

SUMMARY: California, 1970's. After being discovered by a major label, Seventeen are rock's newest promise. But before they can get a deal, they need to prove their worth, so the label makes an arrangement with the company's most successful band, for the newcomers to go on tour supporting the veterans. But what begins with the promise of a promising tour ends up taking a tortuous path thanks to the "sex, drugs and rock and roll" philosophy that led the golden years of rock and roll. FANDOMS: SEVENTEEN WORDS: 7454 PAIRING: KMG X OC | CSC X OC | JWW X OC GENRE: FANFIC, ROMCOM, DRAMA, 70s AU, ROCK BAND AU NOTES: ENGLISH IS NOT MY FIRST LANGUAGE, ANY FEEDBACKS ARE WELCOME.

CHAPTER ONE: THE BOYS IN THE ROCK BAND

Spring Of 1979 - A Few Weeks Before "Heaven is Here" Tour.

When Mya and Tea got out of the car on that warm late spring morning and walked towards the doors of the company, they thought that it would be just another normal pre production meeting to finalize some decisions about the world tour that they would start in the summer.

The duo, who already had a few years of career, had already done three tours around the country and some international shows, mostly at festivals or special events and talk shows. They were used to being on the road, but this tour was different. It was their first world tour. They would go to three different countries. It seemed unbelievable that so many different people in so many different places could be interested in the music of two girls who grew up in Los Angeles, but there they were.

Tea, who had been born in England and moved several times before her parents finally settled in Los Angeles, had never imagined that life, not until she met Mya. She was the one who convinced her that music was worth giving up everything for, which was crazy but turned out to work out well in the end.

As soon as they entered the record company building, the girls went to Jihoon's room. Woozi, as he was known in the music world, was a short guy with feline expressions. Most people didn't take him very seriously when they first met him, which was a huge mistake, as he was extremely talented, and slightly aggressive towards those who made fun of his height. Woozi had worked with the top-notch bands. He had been working with Mya and Tea ever since they left the band they were in and became a duo. Woozi had produced all the girls' albums and was largely responsible for their success. And to the girls, he was much more than just a producer, Woozi was part of the family.

Tea knocked at Jihoon's door, but Minghao was the one opening the door. When the girls entered, they greeted Minghao and sat on the couch on the other side of the room while Jihoon finished a call, but it didn't take long before he went to greet them, carrying a folder that he placed on the table.

"Let's get down to business girls." He announced, after greeting them and asking his assistant to bring tea and drinks. "We have one more thing to discuss about the tour."

"I thought everything was already settled." Tea said, stirring her tea.

"Almost everything." Minghao pointed out "But there's one small detail that we have to discuss."

"Then why isn't DK here?" Tea asked. DK was their tour manager; he was the one settling everything when it came to hit the road.

"I thought it would be better to talk with the three of you and him separately." Jihoon explained.

Mya got up and headed towards the bar, sensing that something not very pleasant was about to be announced,

"I think I'll need a drink before you spit it out, Jihoon. "

She poured her drink then came back to her sit.

"What's the problem?"

"It's not a problem." He guaranteed. "The company just decided that it would be more practical, to have just one opening act for the whole tour instead of having an opening act for each city."

Tea directs him a suspicious look. They liked having a different band opening their shows in each city. It was a good opportunity to make new contacts and give opportunities to local bands. It was also great to avoid spending a lot of time with unknown people who could get in trouble along the way on such a long tour.

"So, you called us here to choose the opening band?"

"Not exactly." Jihoon commented, then looked at Minghao. They clearly talked about that before.

"Remember when you joined the label and to test your popularity before signing a real contract, we made you a contract to open for Day6?" Minghao asked.

"Of course," Tea answered, thinking about the days she and Mya were on tour with DAY6 "How could we forget? Everything was so amazing."

"Our first tour as High as Hope, supporting an amazing band." She said, "We couldn't have had a better start."

"And the audience loved you." Jihoon commented "Which yielded a very advantageous partnership for both you and the label."

The two agreed. They had nothing to complain about the label. Thanks to their popularity and good reputation, the two had a lot of creative freedom.

"That said, I think you understand what a good opportunity this type of contract can be and would like others to enjoy the same opportunity." Jihoon asked.

"Of course." Tea said, and Mya nodded.

"Okay, we already understood that you already chose the band." Mya pointed out "Are you going to tell who they are or not?"

"Seventeen. It's a band that's been quite successful on Sunset." Woozi began "I went to see some of their shows, and I think they have potential."

"If you think so they probably have." Tea said. She trusted Jihoon a lot, he had a very good ear for new talents.

"We recorded a demo, and the label is interested... But they don't have the best of reputations, so they want to test their behavior and popularity of the boys, before signing them definitively."

"I knew you hesitating this much wasn't a good thing." Mya commented, pointing from Jihoon to Minghao.

"But don't worry, I've had a lot of talks with them, and I'm putting together a temporary contract that includes a clause that guarantees they don't cause trouble. And they're desperate for a contract, they will behave. And if they don't, they're out of the tour, and lose their contract offer."

Tea and Mya exchanged a suspicious look, wondering if this was even a good idea.

"Here is the contract." Minghao pointed, giving a copy to each girl. "Read and tell us your impressions, if it's okay or if you want to change something."

"Is this a request we can refuse or has the label already decided?" Mya asked after reading the contract.

"You can refuse," Minghao said.

"But they're good people, and they're talented, they're just misfits. But I give you my word that if they cause trouble, you can kick them out of the tour." Jihoon added.

Mya looked at Tea again and could see in the soft-hearted girl's thoughtful look that she wanted to give the boys a chance.

"Can we meet them before giving a concrete answer?" Tea asked.

"I figured you would want this." Jihoon commented "They're playing at Troubadour tomorrow, if you're free..."

"We can go out for lunch, and you can watch the sound check and talk to them." Minghao suggested.

The girls were silent for a few moments, exchanging thoughtful glances.

"So, what do you say?" Jihoon asked.

"I'm up for it if Mya and the boys are up for it too." Tea said, talking about the rest of their band members, looking at her friend, with bright hopeful eyes that begged for a yes.

"I'm in if the boys agree." Mya agreed, still a bit apprehensive "But if I don't like them, forget about it." Mya said, pointing a finger at her friend, who clapped excitedly.

Tea understood Mya. She knew she was apprehensive about letting other people into their bubble. They've had problems before, with their old band and, but they eventually found they had each other and they are not so new band mates, people that they could trust. But it was hard for Mya to say no to Tea, who was soft-hearted and loved to give chances to anyone abandoned dog that appeared in his path. So, she decided to at least give it a try.

******

The phone rang at least five times before Seungcheol gathered the strength to get up and answer it, as none of the other boys dared to do so. He understood that everyone was tired, but so was he. But unlike the others, he couldn't ignore the call, it could be something important, and they couldn't miss important calls. Sometimes being the leader wasn't easy.

"Hello?" he said as he answered the phone in the kitchen, yawning.

"I talked to the girls today." Woozi announced, without even saying hello, and Seungcheol woke up immediately.

"What did they say?" Seungcheol asked, holding the phone tightly.

"They want to meet you before giving a concrete answer, '' Woozi announced, making him even more nervous. "I explained the whole situation, Tea is actually excited to meet you guys, it's not hard to win her heart, Mya it's a bit more suspicious, so she's the one you have to impress. And by that, I mean all of you members must cooperate. They must be the nicest, polite people, do you understand?"

That was the hard part. Seungcheol loved their friends, they were nice and talented people. but they weren't exactly polite and collected. They were crazy and chaotic. Buta that was important. If they behave, they will get a deal with a big company. They needed to make it work, their dreams were at check.

"They will behave." Seungcheol promised.

"I hope so." Woozi commented "The girls are coming to see you at Troubadour." He announced, "I'll take them to soundcheck so they can see you practicing, then we can have lunch together."

"Okay, we'll see you there." he said and Woozi hung up.

He put the phone back in the cradle and sat down at the counter. They were so close to what they always wanted. All they had to do was convince the biggest star from the company that they deserved a chance. It wasn't far that two girls that didn't even know then should decide their future. But it couldn't be that hard to make them like them, right?

He heard footsteps in the backyard then the door hung open as Jeonghan entered, hands full of paper bags with groceries.

"You are already up?" He asked, surprised. "What happened, did you fall from bed?"

"The phone was ringing."

"Was it an important call?" Jeonghan asked, emptying the bags.

"Yes" Seungcheol commented "Woozi."

"What did he say?" Jeonghan asked, excited.

"He said the girls want to meet us. He'll take them to the Troubadour tomorrow to watch our show."

"Good." Jeonghan commented, thoughtfully. "I'll call him later for more details."

"I'll wake the boys up. I have an idea and need to talk to them."

******

All the High as Hope members, accompanied by their manager, arrived at The Troubadour twenty minutes before Woozi's scheduled time and when they arrived, the stage was already set up for the show. Security said the band had gone out to eat at least half an hour ago, after setting up their gear. Which made Mya stressed, thinking they wouldn't be back any time soon.

"Who the fuck goes out to eat when you have a lunch appointment?" Mya, who was at the bar with Minghao and Joshua, and already had at least three drinks, complained. Minghao, who was really stressed that day, agreed, putting some sticks in the fire she was building.

Woozi, as always, arrived just in time to find Tea and Jun by the piano, playing together while Dino was playing with the drums on the stage.

Mya expressed her worries to Woozi, who went out to look for the boys. Tea and Jun had already played at least five songs on the out of tune piano that was in the corner of the stage. They were playing to try to make Mya join them in their distraction, but had no success, until Tea started playing Martha My Dear by The Beatles but changing the name Martha for Mya. What really caught the other girl's attention, making her softer.

Soon she was by the piano, asking Tea to play Abba's songs and singing along to the melody, pulling Joshua to dance around with her. They were having fun playing and singing Dancing Queen when they heard a commotion coming from the backstage door and soon a bunch of guys entered the stage room, laughing and joking around. Woozi was just behind them with an annoyed expression.

They were a group with a lot of presence, Tea noticed that the moment they entered the room, all dressed in black. They were all tall and fit, but one of the guys was so big she couldn't take her eyes off him. Until the thin blonde one ran towards dino with an unhappy expression.

"Hey, don't touch my set."

Mya stopped right where she was dancing with Joshua, staring at the boy who just scolded her brother.

"Sorry man" Dino said, getting up and walking away. "You were late, and we were all bored and the drums were right there so..."

"So, you are used to messing up someone's set like this?" The guy asked, annoyed,

Tea stopped playing and looked at Mya who was just beside Joshua, she could feel her friend were about to go feral, and so did Minghao and Jun, who ran towards the commotion straight to hold Mya down.

"Stop, let him take care of it." Tea heard Joshua whisper to Mya, who took a deep breath. She knew Dino didn't like her intervention on his business, but it was hard for her to see her little brother being looked down by a pretentious stranger.

"Sorry bro, it won't happen again." Dino said, rolling his eyes to the boy who was now checking his set to see if Dino messed something up.

"I'm sorry about Hoshi." One of the guys from the band who saw Mya giving the blonde guy a look that could kill him. "But since we are all musicians, I guess you understand the jealousy we have towards our instruments."

The guy was big and had sort of an intimidating aura but was really trying to look apologetic.

"And you are...?" Mya asked, not happy at all.

"Oh right, we were not introduced yet." He commented and stood his hand to the girl. "My name is Seungcheol, but you can call me Scoups."

At that moment she decided to never call him like that.

"I'm Seventeen's leader." He added.

Mya didn't take his hand, but Joshua who was right beside her did.

"Hi, I'm Joshua." He said as he pointed to the others. "These are Mya, Jun, Dino and the one by the piano is Tea!"

Seungcheol looked at the piano and Tea waved at him with a tiny anxious smile. She then got up and got close to the rest of the group, right between Mya and Joshua, interlocking her arms with theirs.

"It's a pleasure to meet you all." Seungcheol said. "We are really thankful for the opportunity to work with you."

Mya scoffed, crossing her arms.

"Nothing it's officially seated yet." She spoke. "And if you were really grateful you wouldn't be late."

"I'm really sorry about that." Seungcheol said, looking a bit irritated. "We had a long ride to get here, my members were starving."

"It's okay, we understand." Tea said with a comprehensive smile trying to ease all the tension. "Why don't you introduce us to the rest of the band?"

Seungcheol agreed and called the other members who were at the bar. The first to be introduced were Seungkwan, a very excited guy with orange dyed hair. He played the keyboard and we're very excited to talk with Tea about her technique and told them to call him Boo. Vernon, one of the guitarists, had a very odd sense of style and looked a little bit lost but was very polite. Hoshi, the blond guy who fought Dino earlier, looked like a hyperactive child, he wouldn't stop for a second. And then there were the last two ones. Wonwoo, the bassist, looked very collected and kind of intimidating with a distant vibe. His sharp eyes were very cold, and his deep voice only made him look even more intimidating, but he was very polite and didn't leave Mingyu's side for a second.

Mingyu... The guy who caught Tea's attention the second the group entered the stage room. But how couldn't he? The guitarist was the tallest of the group, and everything about him was big. He had broad shoulders, strong arms. Adding the tan skin and the long wavy black hair that framed his beautiful angelic face? He was stunning.

"Hi, I'm Mingyu." He said with a big warm smile and sparkly eyes. giving Tea his hand. She who was very short had to look up to meet his eyes and notice his point canines showing when he took her small hand in his. The fangs would look intimidating in a big guy like him, if he wasn't the brightest person she'd ever meet.

"Hi" she said, smiling timidly at him "I'm Tea, nice to meet you."

"I know who you are, you are incredible." He said "I know all of you. My little sister is a big High as Hope fan, I took her to one of your concerts last year. Jun, you're her favorite."

"She has good taste." Jun commented smiling proudly, messing with Dino who rolled his eyes.

"Jun is everyone's favorite." Tea commented looking fondly at the bassist.

"JUN IS YOUR FAVORITE?" Joshua shouted, being the dramatic person, he was. Tea patted his chest comforting him. "What about me?"

"You are my second favorite."

"Joshua is your second favorite?" Mya asked.

"You are my sun and stars, the reason for my existence." Tea said, hugging Mya who laughed.

"I'm jealous." Joshua said.

"Don't be, love." she said, letting go of Mya, hugging him instead, batting her eyes.

"What about me?" Dino asked.

"You are my son, my baby boy." She said going to pinch his cheek. Dino rolled his eyes, he hated being the youngest and being treated like the youngest, but because it was Tea, who actually respect him besides calling him baby, he just smiled and brushed it away.

Mingyu was watching the whole scene with a curious smile, Wonwoo right beside him didn't look very interested in the conversation. It was clear they were like a big happy family by the way they were messing with each other. Mingyu was good at reading the room, and the people. And that was why Cheol gave him a special mission that day. A mission he was eager to complete.

"High as Hope" Minghao who was back at the bar with Woozi and a long-haired guy called and all the members looked at him. "Can you come here for a second?"

They obeyed. Tea almost ran into the bar, she needed to stay away from mister tall and handsome who was eyeing her a little bit much with that bright smile. She excused herself and received another bright smile.

"Okay band, I Mya introduce you to YoonJeonghan." Minghao said, pointing to the long-haired man. "He is Seventeen's manager."

"Oh, so he's the one we should blame for not arriving on time?" Mya asked and Jeonghan raised an eyebrow at her.

"I'm sorry for the delay, but we had a long ride to get here." He said the exact same thing Seungcheol did. "The members were starving."

"We understand.'' Tea said again, making Mya a little bit annoyed. She always had to be so comprehensive and nice to everyone.

"Yeah, but I did my research." Mya commented. "Your band doesn't have the best of the reputations."

Neither do you. Jeonghan thought, but didn't say a word, just smiled politely. They had to be a little bit more submissive if they wanted to make a good impression after being late. But he also did his research. The band didn't have the shiniest reputation either. He heard the girls were previously in another band that broke up after a series of ugly events involving drugs, jealousy and matters of creative power.

"They will behave, I will do my best to guarantee that." He explained. "We understand the importance of this opportunity."

"I hope so." Mya said, crossing her arms and giving him a yellow smile.

"Can we hear them playing now?" Tea asked, excited.

"Yeah, so we can go out to eat, I'm hungry." Dino commented.

"Yes, sure." Woozi agreed and signed to Jeonghan.

"Cheol." He called and the other looked directly at him "Can you guys play something to our guests?"

"Sure!" He answered and went straight to the stage, followed by his members.

"Let's go to the front row." Tea said, grabbing Mya's hand and dragging her closer to the stage.

While adjusting his guitar, Mingyu gave Tea a wink, making her blush and look away. Mya didn't look very excited about hearing them and the others stayed in their spots by the bar. The first song they played was very energetic and had kind of a sexy vibe. It was a good song, with a catchy chorus and a good instrumental. Mya rolled her eyes to the lyrics sometimes, because that was a song about how cool they were, and she wasn't ready to admit they were right. But by the end of the song, she was humming along, just like Tea, who was really enjoying the song, besides being shocked about who good Boo's vocals were. He could reach some incredible high notes. And on the total opposite was Won's voice, that was even deeper than when he spoke. By the second song, a song that was a lot more energetic and fun, the girls were already clapping on the band commands along the rhythm.

The boys really had a good stage presence and were singing and playing like they were having fun. Tea liked them right away, even more because of how they were enjoying the show as much as her. It was the kind of thing that created a connection between artist and audience. They were good and had a lot of potential. The third and last song was the girls favorite, the song was also very energetic and had a very positive message, and a super catchy rhythm.

By the end, they bowed as everyone in the room clapped. Even Mya, who didn't look very welcoming at first.

"Wow, you guys are really amazing." Tea said, when they came off the stage.

The boys looked very happy with her reaction.

"Your vocal range is absolutely amazing" Tea said, coming closer to Boo "The high notes? splendid."

The red-haired boy looked excited and full of satisfaction with her comments.

"What about me?" Mingyu asked, getting closer to her "Did you like my ranges?"

She blushed and licked her lips, nervously.

"Yes. You have a lot of stage presence." she said, timidly, trying to look composed. He smiled, a big, beautiful smile that made her feel like her heart was about to explode, so she did the rational thing, she turned away and looked at Wonu. "You were also amazing, all of you. But the bass lines really got my attention, I love how your presence is subtle but strong, it's not easy to have this presence as a bassist. Congratulations on that."

"Thank you." he said, blinking surprised, then smirking with her comment.

"I make Tea's words mine." Jun said, "Your bass lines are amazing."

Wonu thanks again.

"The guys are amazing and everything." Mya said. "But what about we talk about this and sit in the restaurant?"

"Let's go then." Woozi said "I'll pay for the lunch."

******

"Come on, spill the tea." Tea instructed, looking at her reflection in the restaurant restroom "What is your honest opinion about them?"

"Their music is good, a bit rough, but they have potential and a good stage presence." Mya admitted now that she was alone with her friend. "And they are not bad to look at., but I think you already know that, since you wouldn't stop blushing to Mr. Tall and Handsome."

Tea blushed again but hurried to change the subject.

"Okay, so we have the yes, what about the nos?"

"I want to punch the drummer in the guts." Mya explained "And that leader of them... I don't like his attitude, I bet he will be a problem. The manager too."

Tea had to agree. Jeonghan looked a bit pretentious and Scoups looked like someone who was used to being in control, someone who doesn't like to share power.

"Your impressions?" Mya asked.

"As you said... They have potential. Boo's vocals got me really impressed, the bass work too. They are good, I think the audience will love them. Besides being late, they don't look that much of a problem."

"So, they are in?" Mya asked.

"If you and Shua agree..." Tea shrugged. Mya bit her nails down. She wasn't totally against the idea, but she would keep an eye on the guy's behavior before trusting them.

"Come sit with us." Boo offered, pointing out the seat next to him when Tea and Mya left the restroom. At one side of the big table were Dino, Jun and Boo, on the other side, Mingyu, Wonu and Hoshi.

"Sorry but I need her at the adults table." Mya apologizes, holding Tea's shoulders.

"The adults table?" Boo asked, confused.

"The table where the big decisions are made." Jun explained, waving to the table where Woozi, Joshua, Seungcheol, Minghao and Jeonghan were sitting, apparently discussing something serious.

"Tea is one of the founding members, so her opinion is important, just like my sisters." Dino added.

"Oh right, Mya is your sister." Mingyu commented. "My sister told me this, but I had forgotten about it."

"Tea, Mya come here." Joshua called.

"We can talk and get to know each other later." Tea said, shrugging and heading to the other table, where she sat beside Joshua, who put his arm around her shoulders, smiling fondly to her.

"Are they a couple?" Mingyu asked. He got that impression earlier when Joshua said he was jealous of her, and she immediately hugged him.

"Tea and Shua?" Jun asked, laughing. "No. They are more like siblings with different parents. They are childhood friends."

"Why did you ask?" Dino asked, suspiciously "Are you interested in her?"

"What? No." Mingyu said with an offended tone Dino didn't like "I'm just trying to understand your dynamics." He was watching the other table trying to figure out what was being said but had no success. All he could see was Tea leaning to whisper something in Joshua's ear.

"Mya said she's okay with Seventeen joining the tour." Tea whispered and Joshua nodded.

He already had figured that she would agree after all, because Seventeen's songs were good and they kind of had a fanbase, which could be good to sell tickets from a different audience.

"Good" he whispered back, smiling at the girl.

Joshua was confident that good things would come from that collaboration he couldn't wait for the tour to start.

******

Mingyu's lips raised in a smirk as he felt the warm lips trailing sloppy kisses up his neck. Tracy... or was it, Trina? He couldn't remember her name at that moment, was running her nails to his chest while kissing his neck and getting close to his body. That was what he called a good morning. He grabbed the girl's waist and put her on top of him, making her sigh in surprise. She smiled at him when she saw him smiling first before kissing her on the lips. He was deepening the kiss at the next moment, making her week with his tongue. He was arching her back and moaning when the knocks on the door started.

He cut the kiss and the girl hissed in protest.

"Get in." he ordered to the one who was outside.

Wonwoo opened the door, peeking cautiously from the doorframe.

"I'm sorry" he apologized. "Cheol asked me to remind you that we have a meeting, everyone else is already up and ready to go, they are waiting for the two of us."

Wonwoo was Mingyu's roommate and couldn't get ready soon because Mingyu was using the room. They were normally okay with that arrangement, the one who had someone over could use the room while the other slept in the living room, alongside Hoshi and Seungkwan. Last night it was Wonwoo's turn to sleep outside. Most of the time it was Wonwoo's turn to sleep outside.

"Fuck...." Mingyu cursed. He had totally forgotten about the meeting. They had to go to the label to meet the tour manager and finish some details from the tour. They were probably going to be late because of his little one-night stand. But that wasn't that big of a deal, right?

"Okay sweetie" Mingyu said to the girl touching her chin "It's time for you to go."

The girl sulked and tried to grab his arm, but he was already getting up from the bed.

"If you can do this quickly it would be good, as you heard, we have an important meeting to go."

She looked at him, annoyed with how rude he was, but collected her clothes from the bed and started to get dressed. Wonwoo was still by the door, arms crossed watching the whole scene.

"Can I see you again?" She asked as she got up. Wonwoo laughed, receiving a killer look from the girl.

"Of course, you can, baby girl." Mingyu said with a bright smile. "Come to our tour and look for me."

He kissed her one last time and she left, not even looking at Wonwoo, who was shaking his head in disapproval by the door.

"You shouldn't give them hope."

"How can I not? Have you seen her bright eyes? I would break her heart." he said, sulking.

"Lying and giving them hope will break their hearts either way." Wonwoo pointed, entering the room and looking for a change of clothes in his drawer.

"Well In my defense, it's not my fault if they believe me" he said with a playful smile, shrugging "I'll take a shower" he she announced going out of the room with a towel in hand.

The rest of the boys were by the table having breakfast, Hoshi was eating cereal straight from the bowl, with no spoon. Seungkwan was eating pizza leftovers from the night before and Cheol was drinking a big cup of black coffee, to deal with the stress that was probably to come. Jeonghan was nowhere to be seen.

"Are you seriously going to take a shower right now?" Seungcheol inquired with an unpleasant face and an annoyed tone.

"Do you want me to go to the meeting smelling of alcohol and sex?" He asked, "Miss nice girl will not find me interesting If I look like a mess."

That was enough to stop Cheol from complaining. Hoshi laughed and Seungkwan side eyed Mingyu, suspiciously as he started to walk to the bathroom, towel in hand while he whistled a melody.

"You have five minutes." Cheol announced before Mingyu closed the door "If you are not ready by then, we are going without you."

Mingyu laughed, it was funny how Seungcheol managed to sound a lot like a father most of the time. He was always scolding the members and saying things that Mingyu was pretty sure he heard before coming from his dad's mouth. And just like a kid who lives to annoy his parents, Mingyu loved to make Seungcheol's life a little bit harder every day. And the mission Cheol gave him was another weapon to use in his personal war.

Before they meet the High as Hope members officially, Cheol asked Mingyu to try to seduce one of the girls, to ease the girls and make them like them, since their futures depend on that. Cheol asked him to take care of Mya, but he knew the moment he saw her, that she wasn't going to fall for him so easily. She was too smart and looked like she already decided not to like them. He knew he could conquer her if he wanted, but he thought it would be easier with the other girl, what was her name again? Tea?

He didn't even do anything yet and she was already on her knees for him, he could see it. So he decided to change the plan a little bit. And watching the band dynamics on the first day, he was right about her being easier to conquer, and that the others had her opinion on high consideration. So, he took what he thought would be the easy road. Cheol didn't protest, he wouldn't, if they got the expected result at the end. And Mingyu was very good at getting what he wanted.

Created with Sketch.

"Considering we have two bands the label agreed to get two buses." Woozi announced. "But in terms of room sharing... You will have to work some miracles."

"The girls need their own room, for the sake of their mental health." Minghao pointed.

"Well... I know they dont mind sharing with each other." DK commented. "So, one room for the two of them and the boys from both bands can share. We can put four or five of them in each room."

"I bet Dino will complain." Minghao commented.

"Well... he can always sleep on the streets if he's not happy with sharing a room." DK announced.

Jeonghan nodded. The arrangement didn't look very fair, but he wasn't able to demand things yet. It was his first encounter with DK, the tour manager. He was tall and thin, he looked kind of dislocated from the other at first, with his bright orange suit, but besides his clothes, he had a very professional attitude. Since he first started talking, he seemed to know everything that needed to be set and done.

"Okay then. I suppose we talked about everything." DK commented on the bunch of papers he spent the meeting writing on.

"Not everything." Jeonghan protested. "The boys haven't signed the contract yet."

"That's on me." Woozi said "Hao and DK, you guys can go, I need to talk to Mr. Yoon alone."

The two men left the room, talking about going to lunch later to discuss some minor details. Jeonghan watched nervously while Woozi looked through his table for the document. The small man took a folder and gave it to Jeonghan, then sat right in front of him.

"I hope you and the boys understand the weight of this document," Woozi said, very seriously, handing him two copies of the contract "And the weight of the experiment this tour represents. You are going to work with our biggest and famous band. If their audience starts to support Seventeen, they are going to be as big as High as Hope is."

Jeonghan's eyes were glistening. They were going to succeed, the boys were charismatic and talented, they were great songwriters and performers. They were not only going to be as big as High as Hope, but they were also going to be bigger, so much bigger. They were going to be the biggest band of all time.

"I need you to read it." Woozi announced "I need all of them to read it. The clauses are normal, but we have a special one right here."

Woozi turned the contract page and pointed to one paragraph by the end of the second page. Jeonghan took a minute to read that specific part. Right, things were going to be good to be true. Basically, the clause said if the boys did anything to cause trouble or anything that affects the girl's success in the tour, the contract was over.

"This is not negotiable." Woozi added "They are the company's most rentable band. THey are our priority."

Jeonghan nodded, he knew that, and he also knew the boys wouldn't like that clause. All of them, including Jeonghan, Myabe especially him, had this thing of hating to follow the rules and living for disobey. But at least for a while, they would have to stay in line. It would be hard, but they had to.

******

"Knock knock" DK said, opening the studio door.

"DOKYEOM!" Tea exclaimed, jumping from her seat by the piano and running towards him. The man grabbed her by the waist, taking her foot from the floor. "I missed you so much."

"I missed you too, darling." he said, laughing.

Jun and Joshua came closer to greet their old friend; Dino just waved from his spot by the drums.

"Where is my lady?" Dokyeom asked, looking around for Mya.

"She's outside taking a drag." Joshua explained, going back to his place on the couch of the rehearsal room. "We are having a break."

"Oh, so you are not going to play me one of the new songs now?" DK asked, pretending he was about to cry, sitting beside Joshua.

"C'mon, you already heard the album." Joshua commented. "We're almost number one by now. And you heard it before everyone else, with Minghao and Jihoon."

"Yeah, but I wanted to hear it live." DK explained.

"You will, at least a hundred times, on tour. In soundcheck, rehearsals, on show nights and tv shows If we are lucky enough to be invited to them." Tea commented, going back to the piano.

"You will." DK guaranteed and Tea smiled at him, rooting for the man to be right. "The new songs are amazing."

"What's your favorite?" Tea asked, her eyes sparkling in anticipation.

"I'm not biting it." he said, shaking his head. "Last time you asked me that you didn't talk to me for two weeks because I didn't choose one of the songs you wrote. I honestly don't understand why you credit the whole band in all the songs if you are going to fight over lyrics credits unofficially either way."

"It's our charm." Joshua said, shrugging.

"Are you talking about me?" Mya asked entering the room with a smirk on her red lips.

"No, actually Joshua was talking about your endless narcissistic struggle for recognition when it comes to lyrics." Jun, who was laying the carpet floor said. He was playing with his own hands, covering the lamp light so it wouldn't burn his eyes.

"Oh, he's right, it's our charm." Mya agreed, getting closer to DK to hug him.

She sat right beside him, holding his hand, playing with his fingers while they talked.

"So... How is the excitement level for hitting the road?" DK asked.

"High as Jun is now." Dino said, DK laughed looking at the boy's situation.

"Have you meet Seventeen yet?" Tea asked, going to sit beside Jun, letting him lay his head on her lap. She started to caress his hair, running her fingers through his soft slightly long hair.

"Not yet." DK admitted "But I just met their manager, we had a meeting to arrange some details about the tour. Minghao will update you later." he explained before Mya could ask what they talked about in the meeting. "But I'm meeting the boys today for lunch."

"LUNCH?" Jun screamed, getting up from Tea's lap "Can we go with you? I'm hungry."

"Of course, you are, all that Molly would start to work sooner or later." Dino commented.

"Yeah, you guys can join us, I think it would be fun since you already know them."

"I don't think is a good idea to take a high Jun to a restaurant" Tea pointed out as Jun looked at her sulking, with pleading bright eyes, begging her to let him go.

"Oh, we are not going to a restaurant, we are having burgers at the good ol' Bib Boy" He said.

"I would love a Big Boy Burger." Dino admitted.

"I don't know if I'm in the mood." Mya said.

"Okay, don't come then." Dino said. "I'm going. "

"Me too." Jun said getting up. "Joshua?"

"I'll stay here working on something new." he explained.

"I don't think I'm in the mood either." Tea admitted "I'm a bit tired, I think I'll go home."

"You should at least come with us and catch something to eat, you don't have to stay," DK suggested.

"What do you think?" Tea asked, looking at Mya.

"I guess some French fries for the road wouldn't kill me." She shrugged.

"I would also love some ice cream." Tati added.

"You got me right there." Mya said, making an amused face, while taking her bag.

They were out in the hallway, next to Woozi's room when Jeonghan showed up.

"Hey dude, are you ready to go?" DK asked.

"Yeah sure, I think the boys are already waiting for us at Big Boy' by now." Jeonghan said, then noticed the girls "Oh, hello."

"Hi." Tea said, waving and smiling. Mya nodded to him.

"Are you coming with us?" Jeonghan asked.

"Not exactly" Tea explained "We are going to Big Boy to get some food, but we are not staying. At least not Mya and I."

"But we are." Dino said, pointing to Jun.

"Nice" Jeonghan said, not looking excited at all. "Let's go then?"

******

Cheol tried to stop the boys from ordering before Jeonghan arrived at Big Boy with DK, but they wouldn't stop complaining about how pizza leftovers and bits of cereal want exactly a good breakfast and how hungry they were, so he let them stuff their mouths, at least they would shut up.

When Jeonghan entered the restaurant accompanied by a tall fit man wearing an orange suit the boys were eating and barely noticed their presence. But Cheol was surprised to see that they were not alone, Jun, Dino and Tea were with them. But unlike Jeonghan and DK, the three of them didn't go towards the table, they went to the counter.

"Hey guys" Jeonghan announced, getting to the table "This is DK, the tour manager. DK these are the boys."

DK smiled, a bright smile, as always, while shaking the boy's hands. While he sat and started to talk with the boys, Cheol nudged Mingyu with his elbow under the table, nodding towards the counter, where Tea was reclining, looking intently at the menu.

A mischievous smile appeared on Mingyu's lips and a twinkle in his eyes as he excused himself from Wonu who was on the edge of the bench.

"I think I need a refill," he said, waving his half-full glass of soda. "And our friend DK must be hungry, I can order for you."

"Oh, don't bother, Jun and Dino came with me, they've already gone to order." DK said and tanked him.

"Oh, they're here? Cool. Good...I still need a refill. Anyone else want anything else?" he said, nodding towards the counter.

"I want a slice of cake." Seungkwan announced.

"Another portion of fries would be nice." Hoshi added.

"Apple juice, please." Wonwoo said.

"I still don't know what I want, you can send the waitress over here." Jeonghan said and Mingyu didn't even think twice before rushing towards the counter.

He walked over to Tea, sitting on the bench next to her. The attendant had just noticed her order.

"Excuse me, can you send a waitress over for month five?" he said, leaning over the counter and smiling prettily at the female lieutenant who looked not much older than he was. "The friends we've been waiting for have arrived."

"Of course," she said, blushing.

"And I also have a few more orders, a slice of chocolate cake, apple juice and another portion of fries." he said, and she started to write it down.

"I'll be there in a jiffy."" she announced smiling at him, Mingyu thanked him, giving her another one of his charming smiles, then she headed towards the kitchen.

Tea was extremely quiet beside him, trying to look busy as she peeked over the menu she already knew by heart.

"Hey" he said, turning to her a charming smile on his lips, the tone of surprise seemed extremely natural, as if he had just noticed the girl's presence at that moment.

"Hey." she said, smiling back at him, but turning back to face the menu shortly thereafter.

"Nice to see you here," he said. "You came with DK, are you staying? Come sit with us."

"Oh no, I don't want to disturb the meeting, Jun and Dino are interrupting enough, but they insisted on coming. I just took advantage of the fact that they were coming over to get some lunch for the trip. Mya is waiting for me in the car." She explained.

"Oh, too bad." he said, pouting "But at least I got to see you for a while and say hi." he said "I figured after that day at Troubadour I'd be seeing you more often on the label, but it seems our schedules don't really match. Which is a shame."

She smiled politely at the young man, then the waitress arrived with the to-go packages.

"It's twenty-five dollars." the woman announced and Tea started rummaging through her purse for her wallet.

"You can put it on the account of table five." Mingyu said.

"Oh no need to do that, I have the money right here." she said, showing her wallet.

"Please" he said "Consider a favor from a new colleague. You can return the favor when the tour starts. Will you?"

She nodded to him as he smiled full of hope, then turned to the waitress, nodding to her too.

"Thank you" she said, and he smiled proudly "It was good to see you, but now I have to go, Mya is waiting for me. See you soon."

"I can't wait for it," he said, then she nodded and waved to him before she left.

"Where is my cake?" Seungkwan asked when Mingyu came back to the table only with Wonwoo's box of juice in hand.

"The waitress will bring it in a minute," he explained. Then he went silent, thinking about the way Tea was visibly blushing when he offered to pay.

Later that day, when the bill landed on the table and Seungcheol was surprised by the extra amount on the bill and was about to complain to the waitress, Mingyu had to explain himself, but Cheol couldn't complain, he had done it for a reason, and in the future, they would reap the fruits of that small act. At least, Mingyu, hoped so.