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#and i was standing on a stool because im too short to reach the big cups :(
adamparrishdyke · 1 year
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i am such a pathetic fag whenever the barnyard dyke who works next door comes in Today i knocked over a cup of spoons off the top of the espresso machine and all over the counter and it made such a loud noise
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my-darling-boy · 3 years
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how do you do your photo sessions? is it just you and your camera or is someone else taking photos ? theyre all so cool and im rlly curious as to how you do it !!!!!!
I’m so glad someone finally asked this, I was just talking about this with someone and honestly it is SO funny.
The trick is: as long as you’ve got a camera, luck, and at least one tripod—along with understanding of some basic photography and a good imagination—you can do a LOT. I’m known for having whacky set ups! My sister helps me with them when I can’t do them all myself and let me tell you, we’ve come up with some weird things. I’ve been teaching my sister what I know about photography and film over the years, so she’s been a big help getting my own photos done, and in return I do ones for her.
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In most of my photos, I’m in the bathroom. I don’t care what you think you see, I’m probably in the bathroom. Bathrooms have great lighting most of the time, and our bathroom has a skylight which is great natural lighting. If you don’t have access to a lot of professional lighting, setting up rigs in front of windows is great. I love using everyday objects and making them look ambiguous to suit my needs for a different object. My “halo” is literally a paper plate. I’m wearing a pillowcase. I set up the camera, my sister just had to check my positioning and lighting and click the button since I don’t have a remote.
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Again, I am in the bathroom. I’m still sitting on top of a counter. This one, we stacked some boxes haphazardly and put our lighting on top, which is usually this really bright survivalist lantern. I also taped a clip lamp to a tripod. My sister was standing on the opposite bathroom counter. It was so hot in there so I was in shorts and thigh highs, but you wouldn’t know that just by the photo
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I was in my bedroom for this one! A couple of tripods, an edited background, and a suggestive expression was all I needed to make this look like the Lieutenant and I were having a Good Time in his trench lodgings. If you don’t have an actual historical object like a swagger stick, a wooden spoon with a thimble on the end works too (as I found out). If you get creative enough, there are tons of objects and clothing you can fake. And yes my phone mount for the tripod is literally a macaron box I fashioned to hold my phone
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This is a great example of knowing how to frame your subject. We loved the treeline in the back garden because it resembled being out in nature, but we have a rather unattractive space out there surrounding it. To solve this, I got up on a high stool and my sister knelt down below and shot the photo from the nearer the ground. You would never know just out of frame was a garage, a trash heap, a shed, a truck, and other suburban houses.
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I’ll let you take a guess as to where I’m at for this one.... yes it’s the bathroom again. This time I’m by this awkward corner on the floor near the tub. We stacked a hamper on top of the tub and rolled some foam into a cone to direct lighting from a phone and lantern at my face. There was no angle to take the photo without running into the tub or shower so my sister had to take it in the tub. My knees and abs were killing me cos I had to half-kneel for the position, and strain my eyes to look up. There was also a low tripod behind me to drape my “mantle” over to keep it from falling flat against my back.
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I don’t even know how to explain this one and I couldn’t even fit it all in the drawing. We got in front of the downstairs window, hung the same white bedsheet I use so much from the ceiling, I knelt on a chair, and I set up the tripod just out of frame in that drawing. We basically gathered every lamp we could reasonably put in the window sill and took the shades off two tall lamps or optimal lighting. I taped bee magnets to my skin. The “clouds” are actually just pulled apart cotton balls taped to a straw and held in various positions in front of the lens. Perfect perspective play.
An honourable mention was my audio set up for my October ghost video.
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I don’t have professional audio equipment aside from a Yeti mic, so we had to get creative with how we would get the mic close enough to the subject. Yes, that is a tripod duct taped to another tripod and counter weighted by a bag of books. My mic is literally screwed into a socket it’s not supposed to even be in on the end of the tripod and the cord for it wouldn’t reach the couch to my laptop so I had to stack a stool on a chair next to this incredible contraption with the laptop on top so it could reach. How this entire thing did not collapse at any point is beyond me. (Can you tell I love tape and lamps?)
For photo editing programs, I hate editing on the computer and I will eat my own shoes before I give Adobe any of my money, so I use Enlight and Afterlight 2 from the App Store on my phone, and also FaceTune for certain face corrections. Afterlight 2 has a filter called “Himalaya” which is VERY similar to how 1880s-1920s photos looked and the app has plenty of dust overlays to make your photo look old. Enlight I use for broader ranges of image correction and background editing. Some examples of old photos I’ve done with a combination of those apps:
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My sister and I are very resourceful and creative whenever we do these things. I don’t have any formal training in photography, I just have a vision of what I want and I try to do what I can to achieve it. I’ve had photographers with masters degrees in photography tell me it’s astounding I’ve been able to achieve photo results that rival their own with what limited resources I had while they had access to everything under the sun at their uni.
In short, all I really do is pull out my camera and some tripods and other makeshift items with a photoset in my mind, and sometimes I burst into my sister’s room standing like “hi welcome to chili’s” if I need some assistance
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nikrangdan · 3 years
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enhypen x short!reader
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pairing: enhypen x short!reader
genre: fluff, comedy
description: how enhypen would react to a short reader!!! this was requested btw i hope u guys like 😁 ive written separate headcanons for sunghoon and jay before but i wrote more here anyways 😏 THERES A COUPLE CUSS WORDS IN HERE
———————
HEESEUNG:
okay lets get this straight
hes literally the tallest member in enha
and then ur the shortest in ur friend group
POWER COUPLE ⁉️⁉️⁉️
im literally crying bc when u guys are standing facing each other heeseung is just looking straight over ur head LIKE UR NOT EVEN IN HIS LINE OF SIGHT
and THIS is why he always has his arm around ur shoulder or he makes sure ur holding onto his arm or smthn
HE WANTS U TO BE WITH HIM AT ALL TIMES BC SOMETIMES HE CANT SEE U☹️☹️☹️
and when hes practicing he likes to bring u up to dance with him
like he holds ur hands and u just try to 💃🏻🕺🏻💃🏻 with justin bieber playing in the background
“i cant dance heeseung u know this” u stare up at him
“i know just vibe to the music~”
he finds it hilarious so hes giggling the whole time u two do a little jiggy
AND THEN HE GETS ALL SOFT AND TURNS U AROUND TO BACKHUG U AND FACE THE MIRRORS and he watches u guys sway back and forth slowly to the music
he loves the height difference and hes always looking at it in mirrors
JAY:
*takes a deep breath* ... JAYYYYYY‼️‼️
he probably mentioned how short u are a couple times when you first met but i dont think he would be the type to constantly point out ur height and tease u or smthn
BUT!!!!! he loves it
alot of clothes you like are often too big for you and hes like
I Am Here To Rescue You From Distress, My Love
Ur so thankful for him!!!
he loves finding clothes for you
shirts arent a big problem its mostly the pants
AND HE LIKES BUYING U PLATFORM SHOES
he says “u look so good”
Jay ur superman 🔥
idk he just thinks ur so cute
he likes to stare at u like 🥰🥰☺️☺️
❤️_❤️
Jay has such big heart eyes for u AAAAAA
when u two are in the kitchen u arent able to reach the high cupboards
SO HE BOUGHT U A HELLO KITTY STOOL
one time he stood on it and was like “y/n look”
you literally almost broke your neck trying to see him because HE WAS SO HIGH IN THE AIR
so high u were like “u got enough oxygen up there⁉️⁉️”
and then he said “u look like an ant” and he started dying at his own joke
But he never pulled that stool stunt again bc u attacked him viciously🤗🤗🤗
JAKE:
Wait im crying already
everytime i write about jake i have to take a break
hes literally too much for my heart
Okay
HE GIGGLE.....
he GIGGLE!!!!!!!
HE GIGGLES AT EVERYTHING U DO
Hes so obsessed with u its not even funny
he probably loves u more than u love him AND HOW IS THAT EVEN POSSIBLE BC HES JAKE SIM
His favorite thing ever is when sit in between his legs and ur back against his chest yknow
when u guys watch movies he feeds u popcorn like that
IM GONNA SAY THIS FOR ALOT OF THEM BUT
Head Pats!!!!!
He pats ur head alot or ruffles ur hair alot
and hes just so gentle with u
Ur like his little baby >_<
HIS BIG JACKETS WAIT
Jakes big fluffy bulky jackets
he wants u to wear them
and he
he zips them up all the way and puts the hoodie over ur head
and he just dies of laughter
Ur standing there like 🧍🏻‍♂️
“its getting hot in here jake”
you tried to flick the hood off but the chunky sleeve mixed with ur short arm was not a good combination so you couldnt even raise your arm
That made jake lose it and he just fell to the floor in tears😭
but seeing him so happy made u 🥰☺️ kinda so its okay
SUNGHOON:
Hello hand holder
i say this whenever write for hoon
but this guy🤝🤝🤝
Get those hands ready yall
mmm okay
he probably calls u shorty whenever he teases u
Rude ass 🙄
ur like “😐” and hes like
“im sorry” *attacks u in a very messy and unmannered hug to the point where u fall back onto the couch and almost break ur leg*
i bet he holds stuff up in the air so u have to jump up and attempt to get it😭 so evil
but he doesnt like seeing u suffer for too long so he gives it to u after like 5 seconds 😁
he teases u alot but when ur out in public hes like Bodyguard Hoon
Hes not letting anything happen to u!!!!
once again HES HOLDING UR HAND AT ALL TIMES
one thing he says he doesnt like but we all know hes lying is when u like to jump on his back and force him to give u a piggyback ride
he just accepts it
one time u fell asleep on his back and he was like
“uh y/n”
silence
yeah he eventually plopped u on the couch which woke u up
SUNOO:
Sunoo thinks ur so adorable 💧_💧
like u two could just be sitting next to eachother watching something
and u have ur legs pulled up to ur chest and ur arms wrapped around them with ur chin on ur knees
you hear him giggling to himself
u look over like ......🤨 “what”
“nothing y/n *giggles again* ur just so cute”
ur like Staaaaawwp and u push his shoulder
and then he pushes u back
AND THEN U START FIGHTING
Play fighting ****
u guys laugh so much 😭😭
sunoo likes to talk about you alot
to everyone
literally everyone
to the boys: “omg y/n fell trying to reach the garlic LMAO”
to his mom: “y/n went up to this guy thinking it was me and pushed him it was so funny”
to his instagram: “how did y/n fit through my neighbors doggy door and why”
PLEASE when u two have arguments for fun
u go jump on the couch so u can be taller than him
and u just stare at eachother before bursting out into laughter
he loves to show u off aaaa “heres y/n” ☺️☺️☺️☺️
JUNGWON:
EXPECT TEASING AT LEAST ONCE A DAY
Please i think id cry if i was friends with jungwon (AND NI-KI)
he play too much 😫 he actually has no chill
“can u reach this y/n? or should i carry you *evil laugh*”
but besides from the teasing he adores u so much
and theres some things you arent able to do
But hes so happy to do it for you!!! he loves feeling like hes doing smthn for u
He always has this proud dad look on his face whenever u literally do ANYTHING
u could literally pick a twig off the ground and jungwon would go 😊 thats my y/n
he likes to massage ur legs when ur just chilling on ur bed or smthn
hes got one hand massaging ur legs and his other hand massaging his own legs
“i’ll make us grow taller y/n!”
“what??? you don’t need to be taller jungwon, i do!!” u snatch the hand hes using to massage his own leg and plant it right back on ur own legs
he starts laughing really hard and u think ur the president of comedy now 🔥🔥
he likes feeling tall when hes with u
but he also likes being babied ����🙁
Plz give him head kisses and cheek pinches
NI-KI:
This kid is literally a titan
and hes crazy
picks u up BRIDAL STYLE and starts running around the room like an animal
like WHAT ???????
he says its because you’re the only THING around and he needs the exercise
and this kid is a teaser too😫😫
“y/n can you hand me the cereal up there? oh wait you cant”
you turn around like What the hell did u just say...
yeah he got a smacking that day
NO BUT SOMETIMES HE BE TAKING THE JOKES TOO FAR AND RIGHT AFTER HE SAYS IT HES LIKE
“im just kidding i didnt mean it”
Anyways
ni-ki is also very sweet
he offers piggyback rides and makes u little gifts
one time u got a cramp from being on ur tippy toes too long
he was laughing at first but then he saw ur eyes welling up with tears and he ran to u really fast 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺
ALSO WHEN U HOLD HANDS you both always stare bc THE SIZE DIFFERENCE PLLLZZZSSMMMNXX
heres an analogy
ni-ki hands : whale :: y/n hands : seahorse
LITERALLY U CANT EVEN SEE UR HANDS ANYMORE
they just vanish into thin air and u guys think its peak comedy
“whered ur hand go y/n 💀”
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eternalmx · 3 years
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god damn. | im changkyun
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genre: smut;; angst
warnings : public sex. unprotected sex;; please be safe <3
wc | 1713
{2:02𝓪𝓶} All the bodies on the dance floor as she watched him from the bar. The green light illuminating his facial features. The smoke escaping his lips as his eyes finally met hers. He made his way over to her standing by the bar. Her black dress glowing green from the lights.
"I'm surprised to see you here" he said, sitting on a bar stool and putting his legs on either sided of her legs. She looked down at his legs as she leaned against the bar waiting for her drink.
"Why is that?" she asked, rolling her eyes at him.
"Because when we were together you never liked this type of atmosphere." Changkyun said, raising an eyebrow at you when the bartender gave her her drink.
"Thank you!" she said happily. Sending the bartender warm friendly smile.
"Get a room" he said, annoyed. Hip lips touching the tip of his beer bottle as he took a big gulp.
"What wrong with you?" she asked, looking at him after downing her drink.
"You're flirting with the bartender to get me mad? Pretty low of you" he said, hands touching her skin softly. Her breath hitched at the sudden contact but refusing to give him the pleasure.
"Are you jealous?" she asked, moving in closer to him.
"Jealous of what? Him? Ha. Not a chance" he said, taking another sip of his drink. His fingers softly grazing the exposed skin of her thigh, the result of her dress being short.
"I think he's kinda hot actually" she said, clearing her throat to distract herself from his hand softly playing with the hem of her dress.
"We both know he wouldn't compare. He can't take care of you like I can" he said, scooting closer to the edge of the stool so her thigh was pressed against his growing erection.
"You're bluffing. You're jealous. " she said, body frozen as his hand squeezed at her thigh. She was thankful everyone was too busy getting wasted and dancing to pay attention to them. she was also thankfully the bar was high enough so his wandering hands were hidden from view to anyone.
"Mmmhh..." he took another sip of his drink, licking his lips he said, "I am jealous. I can't take you right here , right now. I know you'd love that wouldn't you?" he asked. His hand pushing under her dress to trace the outline of her lace underwear.
"K-kyun" she moaned softly, hips pushing into the bar counter as his fingers softly rubbed circles against her clit.
"Look at you, so wet for me. In a room full of people and only I can get you like this. Do you want me to stop?" Changkyun asked, hands switching between slow and fast motions. Her eyes fluttering shut as soft moans escaped her lips. She shook her head no as she felt a familiar knot tighten in her stomach.
"Don't stop" she said, hips moving slowly to increase the pressure of his fingers rubbing against her.
"You're so eager for me to make you cum, should I let you?" he asked, his fingers teasing her folds and pushing thrusting a finger into her. A low groan escaping her lips as her hand grabbed at his wrist softly holding his hand so she can get herself off.
"P-please" she said through whimpers, as the bartender made his rounds back to their side of the bar.
"Another round?" he asked, flashing his pearly whites at her.
"Uhhh... y-yes please" she moaned through her words as changkyun slipped another digit into her. His fingers pumping slowly but deeply enough to hit all her sweet spots.
"Do you think he can make you feel this good" Changkyun asked, his lips pressing against her neck. Hot breath running along her neck. The smell of alcohol and his musky rose perfume smelt like heaven to her. Her hand trailing down his chest to his hard bulge pressing against his leather pants.
"I'm close" she moaned, as his fingers thrusted in and out of her occasionally rubbing her clit. She let out a loud moan as she felt her high come crashing over her. Her legs shaking as his arms wrapped around her waist to help her stay on her feet.
He turned her around to face him. His thighs on either side of her legs as he grabbed her face roughly. He pressed his lips into her. Tongues fighting for dominance as his hands grabbed her hips tightly. Pulling her body flat against his he bit her lip softly earning a moan from her.
"Dance for me" he said, pulling away from the kiss and pushing her hair back. Her appearance was completely unreal. She looked beautiful. Hair a little messy, her dress resting dangerously high on her thighs. He was tempted to pull it down a bit but decided against it because he knew that is why she broke up with him His possessiveness got out of hand.
He watched her as she walked to the dance floor only a few inches away. Her hands fixing her hair shyly. She looked around and took a deep breath. Her hands running up her body as her hips began to sway to the music. He winked at her as he took the last few sips of his beer and leaned against the bar with his elbows propped up against the bar.
The green lights, the dance floor filled with smoke. His eyes never leaving hers. Watching her hands run up and down her body and hips moving slowly to the music. the curves of her body in her dress making his erection more prominent through his leather pants. He motioned for her to come back to the bar but by the time she reached him he spun her around so her back side was pressed against him.
"God damn it, you make me so hard" he said, his hands on her waist motioning for her to start swaying to the music again. She obeyed. A soft gasp escaped her lips as she felt the fabric on his pants against her still sensitive bud.
"C'mon baby, keep moving just like that" he said, lowly in her ear. Licking and nipping at all her weak spots. His lips running along her neck leaving marks up and down her neck. Her back side pressing up against his cock through his pants creating the friction he wanted. He groaned in her ear causing her to grow more confident in herself. His hand wrapped around her waist as her hips pressed harder against him as he sat on the bar stool.
"F-fuck" Changkyun moaned in her ear. He softly bit at the skin on her neck as she moaned softly from the pleasure.
"K-kyun" she moaned lowly, as his grip on her waisted grew tighter. He hummed on her neck sending shivers through her body.
"Me too" he moaned, clenching his thigh underneath her as he felt his cock twitch in his pants. She cried out his name lowly as she reached her high from the second time tonight. The sounds escaping her lips sending him over the edge as he felt the wet spot grow on his underwear.
"You're unreal" he whispered in her ear as they both caught their breaths as he stood up grabbing her hand and pulling her towards the bathroom.
"Let's get you cleaned up" Changkyun said, kissing her swollen lips roughly as she looked at him through hooded eyes.
In the bathroom she took in her appearance as changkyun wet a piece of tissue and kneeled down as he softly placed it against her thighs to clean her off. He placed soft kisses along her thigh. His red jacket open and his tattoos were showing. Her hand softly grazed over them as his tattooed hands held her legs in place. He looked up at her running his tongue against her inner thigh. Her hand grabbing a fist full of his hair and soft whimpers leaving her mouth.
"Please" she asked, hip moving forward as he let out a low laugh. His hands a beautiful contrast against her unmarked skin. He pushed her black dress up and it bunched at her hips. He placed kisses against her clothed clit making her breath hitch. The echo of the music still being played in the club filling the bathroom as he pulled her panties down and licked her folds teasingly. Her back pressed against the cold tile wall of the bathroom. Back arching as his tongue worked it's magic against her. Her high approaching faster than before. She softly reached down and pulled Changkyun up off his knees.
"Please fuck me" she said, his lips glistening from her wetness. He kissed her roughly as her hands unbuckled his pants. Pushing them down so they bunched at his ankles. Her hands slipping past his boxers and taking his length in her hand. Her thumb smearing the pre cum against his tip causing him to bite down on her lip roughly. His hand making it's way to her throat slowly applying pressure as his finger rubbed her clit harshly.
Changkyun's hands wrapped against her as he lifter her up and positioned himself against her entrance. her legs wrapping around his waist. The room filling with their moans as he pushed himself into her. He gave her a second to adjust to his size before pulling back out completely and thrusting into her. His thrust getting deepers and longer as her hips movies against his to create more friction.
"Fuck, you feel so good around me baby" he said. His lips attaching to her neck for what felt like the 100th time that night. The lewd noises of his thrust against her wetness barely audible due to the music.
"I-im so close" She moaned as her hips stilled and her muscles contracted. His dick twitched in her as her wall clenched around him making him moan out her name from pleasure. a few more thrust and they both reached their highs together. She pulled him in for a kiss swallow each other moans as their movements stilled. They stayed there for a second. Breaths in sync as he pressed his forehead to hers.
"I've missed you so much" he said.
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wienerbarnes · 3 years
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A Certain Romance (3/6)
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Pairing: Bucky x Reader
Word Count: 1,188
Warnings: none!
A/N: this ones a little short but things will get juicy soon😃
MAIN MASTERLIST | A CERTAIN ROMANCE MASTERLIST
Mind if I come over? Im w/ Sam, we’re in the area and he insists that I should have breakfast with my boyfriend
Bucky receives the text from you as he sets out the carton eggs on the counter. Sam went on a run this morning, meeting up with you on your own morning run, coincidentally, he’s sure, and he can only imagine the poking and prodding you’re experiencing.
How do u like ur eggs? Is his response.
As he cracks egg after egg into the pan, he realizes that this is the first time the two of you will be in front of Sam together as a couple.
His appetite dissipates for a minute as he’s taken back to grade school. He feels as though he’s about to present a project he’s not prepared for or about to be given a pop quiz. He feels a similar pit in his stomach; like having to face the elderly nuns of his old Protestant church.
What the hell are you so nervous for? You’re not even dating this girl and it’s just Sam.
He supposes it’s that involuntary urge to impress, the feeling that he has to try harder to keep this secret, that in hindsight, isn’t as big of a deal as it feels like. He’s kept worse secrets in his life, he knows.
He glances around at his small apartment, blankets still muddled together on the floor in front of the television from when he woke up. He lowers the heat on the stove and goes to fold up the blankets and make it look as though he wasn’t sleeping on the floor all night.
It’s sooner than Bucky would’ve hoped that there’s a knock on the door. He opens it to reveal two very sweaty individuals, one in basketball shorts and a sweatshirt and the other in dangerously short workout shorts and a sports bra. Luckily for him, you’re the one in the bra and not Sam.
“Hi, babe.” You coo, still panting a bit, as you reach on your toes to plant a kiss on his cheek.
Sam follows after you as Bucky rests a hand on your sweaty lower back, politely leading you over towards his kitchen counter where he pulls the stool out for you.
He ignores Sam’s question of if he’ll pull out his seat for him as well and moves back over to the stove to finish making everyone's eggs.
You wordlessly get up and move to his fridge, though never having been to his apartment before, you grab the package of bacon and some spinach to help him finish up breakfast. The two of you dance around each other similarly to how you did when he was at your apartment last time about a week and a half ago, working together seamlessly to make breakfast.
Neither of you notice when Sam sneaks away to the bathroom, seemingly uncomfortable and feeling third-wheel-ish at the sight of his coupled up friends. You glance over your shoulder to see the empty room and step a little closer to Bucky.
“You okay?”
“Yeah. Are you?”
“Yeah. Nice place.”
“Thanks.”
It’s a tad awkward, but he can tell it’s not because of him. You seem to have the same problem as he does; not knowing exactly what is and isn’t allowed between the two of you but having to suddenly put on this performance in front of Sam.
“Sorry, if kissing you like that caught you off guard.” You tell him timidly.
Is she being shy? “You’re fine. I certainly won’t complain about a pretty girl kissing me. On-on the cheek, I mean.” He corrects himself, blush forming on his cheeks.
“I’ll keep that in mind.” You giggle and Sam reenters the room, a light sheen on his hands and face from the bathroom sink.
“Don’t be mackin’ on each other just cause I left the room.”
“Why, wanna watch?” You wink at him, and Bucky feels the blush travel down his neck.
“No. Where do y’all sleep here anyway -”
“We sleep at hers, Sam.” Bucky answers pointedly.
You keep quiet, unaware of the silent implications of Sam’s question.
Eggs, bacon, and cooked spinach are devoured quickly by the group, wanting to replenish the energy lost on the run, and for Bucky, needing the energy for whatever the day may bring him, such as surprise visits from his girlfriend.
“I’m gonna stretch outside for the run back.” Sam says before clapping Bucky’s hand in goodbye, obviously his attempt to give them privacy as a couple.
Alone again, you ask, “So… we sleep at mine?”
“I, uh, don’t have a bed. Or, I have a bed in the back room, but I… sleep on the floor. Don’t sleep well on mattresses. Too soft.”
He waits for a reaction. Perhaps confusion, annoyance, pity. But it doesn’t come. No, all that comes from you is a casual shrug of your shoulders and, “Oh. Okay, that makes sense.”
That makes sense. You think it makes sense. Even if it didn’t make sense to you, you wouldn’t make him feel odd about his reasoning; what effect would it have on you if he sleeps on a single blanket on the floor or not? It’s nice.
Alpine emerges from the cocoon of blankets in her small bed and you let out an exaggerated gasp, the kind a child does when entering a pet store for the first time.
“Oh my goodness, and who is this little guy?” You coo out, baby-voice in full effect. Bucky smiles as you crouch down to the floor, reaching a finger out to not scare Alpine as the cat arches her back and gives a biggggg stretchhhhh.
“Girl.” He corrects you.
“Girl. Obviously.” Alpine finishes her groggy stretch and wobbles over to you, rubbing her head around your stretched out finger, urging you to pet her completely.
“That’s Alpine.”
“Hi, Alpine. Wow. Maybe I should date you for real if you have a cat this cute.” You talk again to the cat, Alpine loving every bit of attention.
“Alright. Time to go,” Bucky chuckles, putting a hand on your shoulder to get you to stand up, “Don’t want to leave Sam waiting for your run back.”
“He’s crazy if he thinks I’m running all that back on a full stomach; I’ll walk.” He pushes you towards the door and opens it for you, revealing Sam leaning against the wall of the hallway on his phone.
“Bout time.” He comments.
“Be safe.” Bucky tells you, unsure of whatever else to say to a fresh girlfriend in front of friends.
“Thanks. I’ll see you later.” You smile cheekily at him before reaching on your tip-toes and planting a soft peck on his lips.
Nothing crazy, but Bucky wasn’t expecting it, so the blush is back as he smiles shyly at you, a smirk growing on your own face at seeing the former deadliest assassin blush at a tiny kiss on the lips.
“Let’s go before I get a toothache.” Sam chimes in again, but Bucky doesn’t look away from you until you walk off with his friend, lips still tingling.
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beigehearts · 3 years
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Yandere adult trio: college AU These are drabbles for when they lose their mind and kill the people around you... and kidnaps you
These are going to be a little longer than usual but I hope y'all enjoy it as much as I did when writing it (also im trying out the beta version of the new posting system so lemme know if anything is weird)
Sorry this took me forever bro
CW: murder, blood, physical abuse, alcohol
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Hisoka
It's getting quite annoying to be completely honest. He just won't leave you alone, constantly flirting and making passes at you. And yet at the same time he makes fun of you and is actually very mean. It wasn't so bad in the beginning but this is just getting out of hand. You made sure he was aware of this. ---- He's looming over you as he corners you against the wall. You refuse to look up at him, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of a reaction.
While you aren't looking at him, you can feel him looking at you. You already know he has that annoying grin on his face that makes you want to punch him square in the nose.
He brushes his long fingers against your face, making a quiet humming noise. "Are you ready to give up my pet?"
You ignore his words and slap his hand away from your face. "I need to get to class, move Hisoka."
He frowns though you aren't looking at his face. He opens his mouth to say something when someone from behind him calls out to you. "Hey y/n! Are you okay?"
She walks towards you but before she can get involved you shove the man away and huff. What a nuisance. You turn towards him once you're standing next to your friend and glare at him.
"Leave me alone. It's annoying and it's scaring people. Got it?" Before he can respond you turn on your heels and drag your friend down the hall by her wrist just hoping to put distance between the two of you. ---- You're pretty sure you made it clear that you don't want him near you anymore. But by now you know he doesn't give up so easily. One can only hope that he gets bored of you and finds someone else to bother.
You and your friends went out for brunch earlier, and all was well until Chelsea handed you something. She said that she found it in her bag but it was addressed to you, so you put it in your own bag.
You pour yourself a rum and coke and make yourself comfortable on the couch of your shared apartment. All of your roommates went out for drinks but you were too tired to go out.
After taking a sip of the sweet liquid in your glass, you examine the letter you were given earlier. It's a typical white envelope with your name written in pen. There's no address on it or return address so you assume it was just supposed to be handed to you.
You rip open the letter with your finger and pull out the singular loose leaf paper. It's folded in three sections so you pull it open. The handwriting is messy but in an aesthetic sort of way.
Dear y/n, I strongly suggest that you go to class 406B in the technical building tonight. Don't be late or you'll miss the whole party. 10:45 pm - see you then. I almost forgot, if you don't come I have some revealing pictures of you that I can share with anyone I wish to. XOXO
This is the strangest letter you've ever received. It's probably a prank by one of your roommates or friends. You've never sent nudes to anyone so obviously they're bluffing.
Though perhaps you should entertain your friends and go. Who knows, maybe there will be drinks. But you are tired... Maybe you'll just go to bed. You peek over to the time on your phone, it's 9:12 pm. Yeah, you'll just go to bed after you finish your drink.
'bzz' 'bzzz'
Who is texting you so late at night? You sit up and realize you fell asleep on the couch. You wipe the drool off of your face and grab your phone with distain for whoever woke you up.
It's a blocked number.
ur late
Late? Late for what? Your phone displays the time, 11:27 pm. Are your friends really this committed to their prank? They must be trying to get Tik Tok famous or some shit. Well you're awake now, you might as well head over there.
----
The moment you step into the building something seems off. If all of the lights including the emergency lights wasn't enough, the ground seems sticky. Though you can't bring yourself to use your phone flash light to see what it is.
Eventually you find the room 406B in the darkness. The door is closed and no lights are on in the room. It seems as if no one is inside. As you reach for the handle of the door, you notice something on the window of the door. You can barely make it out, but there's what looks like a hand print. You chuckle, this must be a prank.
Now feeling a little better, you open the door and step inside. It's too dark to see anything but you can make out some figures in the dark. It must be your friends thinking they're being sneaky.
You roll your eyes and look for the light switch, finding it and switching it on. You squint at the sudden light, and your eyes begin to focus. Which you wish they never did.
There is blood everywhere, on the ceiling, the windows, the floor, the tables... But that's not the most jarring part. Your friends are sitting in chairs, one of them sitting on the ground against the wall.
There is your friend Chelsea, sitting in a chair with her head tipped down. You can't even tell what color her clothes originally were, they're covered in red, a dark dark red. Next to her is Derick, he's sitting the same way except his head is tipped backwards. His eyes are wide and his face is left in permanent horror- expressing the brutality of his end. You can't bare to look anymore, you drop to your knees and cover your face with your hands.
You scream and scream until your voice is hoarse and throat is raw. You're left coughing while you are drowned by your own tears.
"Are you ready to give up yet?" A deep voice asks from in front of you.
You can't stop the flow of tears as you look up at this monster. He's also covered in blood, and some is splattered on his face. He wipes a thumb across his face in the blood, and brings it to his lips. Sobs rack your body, you can't even make sense of this.
Hisoka squats down so you're face to face and grips your jaw bone tightly in his hand. You can feel the now cold substance being rubbed against your jaw by his fingers and it makes you want to puke.
"I got tired of waiting for you." His grin is nauseating, forcing you to stop yourself from puking.
His nails dig into your skin, mixing your own blood with that of your friend's. He brings his face close to yours and in a gentle but menacing tone he croaks, "Let's stop this childish game, alright y/n?"
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Illumi
It's easy to miss things when you're caught up with the rush of classes and friends and love. All of the parties and hangovers are enough to satisfy your needs for entertainment and drama in this boring life. If you didn't fill up your daily life with these acts, you would probably sleep every day away until you fell into a coma.
To put it short, you're a busy body. And busy bodies don't have time to stop and look around at what is happening. For example, how were you to notice the key under your doormat was missing, or how your dresser drawers were left slightly open when you know you closed them before leaving. Noticing these small things are definitely not on your agenda.
It's 10 am, Saturday, and you don't have any classes or work today. You're sitting at the kitchen bar, drinking coffee and chatting with your roommate. It isn't often that you have a free day, and sometimes it is nice to have even if you want to get moving. The sun is peeking through the curtains and the aroma of espresso beans is a delight. It's a bit chilly so you have a blanket wrapped around your shoulders. What a peaceful morn-
'BANG BANG'
Your roommate eyes you when someone bangs on the front door, already knowing the events that are about to take place. She rolls her eyes and stomps up the stairs to her room, not wanting to get involved. You always feel bad that your roommates have to listen to this but you're really not sure how to end it.
You take your last peaceful sip of coffee and call out, "Come in!"
Before you can even finish your sentence, he storms inside and slams the door behind him. Your boyfriend of course is mad about something you've done. He trudges towards you and moves the stool next to you out of the way, and leans towards you so his face is next to yours.
"Are you kidding me y/n?!" He yells in your ear, but you don't flinch because you're used to this.
He rips his phone from his pocket and shoves it in your face after pulling up a screenshot. It's a conversation between you and his friend.
"Can't you learn to shut your damn mouth? This is our business and you have no right to tell anyone about it!" He's practically seething with rage.
You take a last sip of coffee and set your mug down on the counter. You continue facing forward and not facing him. "It's not our business, it's yours. And I asked him if it was true that you were cheating on me." You turn your head towards him while grimacing and mutter, "Again."
Ah but you've just lighted a bomb with your words.
His face has gone red and he looks like he's about to explode. You begin wondering why you were ever attracted to him.
"Maybe if you weren't such a prude! I can't even kiss my girlfriend whenever I want, it's ridiculous. You know full well that you're so... so... Ugh! You know what? Fuck you!"
As quickly as he came, he runs out of the house, slamming the door once again.
You whisper to yourself, "Fuck you too."
God he's such a child, you don't even want to be with him anymore. But every time you decide to break up with him he suddenly becomes Mr.Perfect. "I'm so sorry." "I love you." "Let me make it up to you." And then he does make it up to you only to tear down all of his hard work.
----
It's been a few days since your big fight with your boyfriend. He hasn't talked to you at all but this isn't uncommon for him. You promised your roommates that you would break up with him, not just for yourself but for the sake of their peace and quiet.
You texted him a few times while you were at work but he left you on read. He's so petty. So you text him one last time.
Come 2 my place at 8 tonight, We need to talk
He answers immediately which surprises you.
Can't, flat tire Come to my place
It doesn't make a difference to you where it is so that's fine. You wonder if maybe he's come to terms with the fact this needs to end. Hopefully so. If there's one thing you want him to be mature about, it's this.
Your shift ends at 6:30pm. You drive home, shower, get dressed, eat something and get ready to leave.
You send one last text,
OMW
It's read immediately but there's no response. Well, it's not like you expected much from him anyway. You drive to his house at 7:45 pm, and arrive around 7:58 pm. All of the lights in his town house are on. He's a few years older than you so he has his own house due to somehow being able to hold down a job. With his anger issues it's hard to believe that he can hold onto anything. Damn, he really is an unattractive person isn't he?
You step out of your car and lock it. Now that you're out of the car you realize that it's very quiet. This is unusual for when you go to his house, normally you can hear music or the sound affects of a shitty video game. But it's silent. Maybe he's waiting for you? He must be taking this well.
You step up the creaky stairs of the house, and knock on the equally as creaky door. No response. Maybe he's sleeping? You peek into the mail box and take out the extra key for the house from it. But when you go to unlock the door, it's already unlocked. This is becoming very strange.
You push open the door and peer into the dark living room. It's not too dark that you can't make out the furniture in the darkness. You step inside and shut the door behind you, it's still quiet. Not quiet, absolutely and undeniably silent. You flick the light on and look around again, nothing seems out of place. It's messy, with empty beer cans and bottles on the ground per usual. The stains on his carpet remain untouched, including the vomit stain in the corner.
"Jay?" You call out into the still atmosphere. Nothing. Is he not home? That can't be, his car is in the driveway.
The sound of his old floor boards being stepped on echoes through the house. What the hell is he trying to pull? You look up the stairs, but it's only darker up there than it was down here. He must be drunk.
Each step you take up the stairs, your heart begins to pound faster. Something feels off, this doesn't feel right. This isn't like your boyfriend, he's simple, he wouldn't try scaring you like this. On the top step, you feel your shoe touch something soft. You lean down and pick it up, and raise it up to your face. A pair of thongs that definitely aren't yours. So that's what's happening. He couldn't even pull himself together for one night.
Your pounding heart is no longer caused by fear but anger. He's cheated too many times to count on your hands, but this time makes you angrier than you've ever been. He's never been in bed with another woman knowing that you were coming over. This is fucking ridiculous.
You stomp towards his room and kick the door open. It's dark but you can tell that there are two people in bed. Your vision has gone red, you've never been this angry in your life.
You don't bother turning the lights on, you storm over to his side of the bed and rip the covers off. Just barely you can make out a woman sleeping next to him. You grab his shoulder tightly and shake him violently to wake him up.
"Get the fuck up Jay! Get! Up!" He doesn't respond, you lean down and yell in his ear like he always does to you. "You're such a childish piece of shit!"
He still doesn't move or speak, for fuck's sake. You stomp back to the entrance of the room and flick on the light. You turn around and begin walking back towards the bed, when you're stopped in your tracks.
Everything is red, but it's not your vision anymore. The bed has been dyed red, and his naked body is covered in it. Your mouths falls open but no screams come out. The woman next to him is splayed out on the bed, naked as well. Covered in red. You look down at the hands that touched your boyfriend, they're also red.
You rush over to the bed and shake your boyfriend again.
"Jay? Jay! Can you hear me?" You put your ear to his chest but you don't hear anything. You put your finger under his nose but don't feel anything.
"Hey! Hey! Wake up! This isn't funny!" Tears stream down your face as you pull him to your chest, cradling him.
Your sobs make it hard to speak and your chest begins to hurt. "J-... Jay... This- isn't-" You gasp between each word, "Funny..."
It's only when you hear a noise coming from behind you that you stop to think about what's going on. It doesn't matter to you though, they could kill you too if they wished.
"People are strange." You turn your head to see where the voice is coming from.
It's someone you don't recognize, he's tall, pale, has long hair, and hypnotizing eyes. Your sobs cease for a moment and you hug your boyfriend tighter to you.
"All of that fighting... You were even coming here to break up with him and yet... You're sad that he's gone?" He makes his way towards you slowly, "I've done you a favor, haven't I?"
He looms over you but all you can do is stand there, frozen by fear.
The man grabs the back of your shirt and pulls you violently from Jay. You try to run back to him, but the man pulls you to him, hugging you tightly. No matter how much you flail in his grasp you can't get away from him. You're left sobbing into his shirt, your body limp in his arms.
"Why?" You manage to whisper.
He holds you to him with one arm and pets your hair with his other hand. "You were miserable. He was making you miserable."
He sighs and kisses the top of your head. What is going on?
"Come on, don't waste your energy on human garbage. I'm here, so it's fine." He states it so 'matter of fact'.
"Who?" Is all you can ask, unable to finish your question.
"I guess I haven't introduced myself yet. Illumi is my name." With ease, he grabs you by your shoulders and lifts your face up to his. "Your future husband."
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Chrollo
What more could you ask for? You already have easy college classes, fun parties, a good part time job, great friends, and an amazing best friend. Tonight you're going to hang out with a bunch of friends and have drinks at one of their apartments. It's a pretty normal Thursday night, nothing odd about it.
You're waiting for your best friend to pick you up, he's always there to pick you up on the dot. If he doesn't come early that is. You shove all the essentials into your bag and hear a honk outside. Must be him.
But of course you're always tardy. You lace up your shoes and run out of the dorm room, tripping out of the building. He's watching as you stumble towards the car since one of your shoes is already unlaced. When you finally flop down in the passenger seat he shakes his head with a knowing smile.
"Oh y/n, will you ever be organized?" He asks with amusement.
You click your tongue and straighten out your clothes, "Don't ask such stupid questions."
He turns his body towards you as much as possible and pats his lap. You instinctively know what that means. You hike your foot up above the console and put your foot on his lap. He begins tying your shoe, his smile is unmoving. He's always smiling.
"Chrollo, you don't need to baby me." You roll your eyes and groan.
He laughs and pats your leg, signaling that he's done. "If not me then who?"
You swing your leg back over to your side and buckle up. The two of you hang out a lot. Since you're both going to the hangout tonight, you decided to car pool. But first you're going to go get the alcohol. Everyone has to bring something for everyone, that way you guys can get wasted with no qualms.
You plug your phone into the aux and play your shared playlist. The first song that comes on is "The Cult of Dionysus" by The Orion Experience. Something that he added.
Finally you feel like you can relax, it always feels that way around Chrollo. His presence is just, comforting, in every way. You feel like you can do anything, say anything, ask for anything. He's always there for you with no exceptions and honestly you think you may have feelings for him. But it's a question of are you confusing comfort and friendly affection for romanticism. It's just that he's so perfect, he doesn't have a single flaw. Not one that you've ever seen at least. You probably never will see one of his flaws.
You sink into the seat and sigh.
He looks at you out of the corner of his eye, but quickly looks back at the road. "What's the matter?"
"Oh nothing... Just, everything is good."
He knows you better than anyone, so it's an obvious lie when you say this. "But what?"
Anytime he calls you out, you surrender and tell him everything. "Everything is so great you know." He nods with your statement. "I go to a good school, have good friends, have a good job." This has been on your mind for quite some time.
"Something is missing, you know? The excitement, the... the..." You chuckle and turn towards him and put up jazz hands, "The pizzazz!"
He doesn't turn to look at you but you know he saw you when his smile widens. "I get that. Maybe you just need to step outside of your comfort zone. Do something different."
Do something different? Yeah, maybe that is what you need.
----
All eleven of you are sitting in a circle on the ground, drinking and playing never have I ever. You take a long drink of your Mike's hard lemonade, which is just something to get the night going.
Dina wipes hair from her face and smiles, "Okay okay my turn. So never have I ever.... Uhh." She pops up when she thinks of something, "Never have I ever jumped out of a window."
DJ leans forward and raises an eyebrow, "Okay what kind of window we talking? High up? First floor?"
Dina answers, "Any kind, any kind of window." The majority of you put a finger down which makes the group burst out in laughter.
Your friend Zoey finishes off her bottle and slams it down on the floor. "Let's play something else."
"Like what?" One of your friends ask.
Zoey thinks for a moment, "Like... Truth or dare, spin the bottle. Or maybe eleven minutes in heaven."
Dj interjects, "I think it's seven minutes in heaven, not eleven."
"Oh whatever DJ, they rhyme." Zoey spits back.
Lex answers, "Let's play seven minutes in heaven!"
Of course DJ huffs and rolls his eyes, "What are we? Middle schoolers?"
Guac (which is his nickname) speaks up, "Oh come on, are you shy DJ?"
Finally the quiet Chrollo sitting next to you says something, "I'm not really interested. Right y/n?" He looks at you to back him up.
The group coos at the two of you and someone says, "We get it, you got something going on. The game is just for fun, don't be so serious Chrollo."
Chrollo opens his mouth to say something but you cut him off, "Hey, you told me to do something different. Maybe this is the first step."
His face shows betrayal and you feel a squeeze in your heart.
He stands up and glares at the group, "Whatever." He storms out of the apartment, and everyone mumbles to each other. Chrollo has never acted like this so this is quite a shock to everyone.
In order not to kill the mood you speak up, "Alright, let's pull names out of a hat!"
All of you write down your names on a small piece of paper and put it in a baseball cap. Dina pulls two names out of the hat and of course makes it a dramatic event.
"Alright so first we have the most lovely of people..." She looks at the group like a teacher waiting for an answer from her class. "Gracie!" Everyone claps and she stands up in front of all of you, taking a bow.
Dina pats her thighs rapidly, "Drum roll please!" Everyone obeys her, "The next hot piece of ass is y/n!"
You stand up and curtsey, taking Gracie's hand and leading her to the closet. Dina stands in front of the closet once both of you are inside and grins, "Timer starts now kids." She shuts the door on you two and all of your friends cheer from outside.
Here comes the awkward part. It's too dark to see her expression but you already know she's blushing.
You lean towards her and in a low voice so no one else can hear say, "We don't have to do this if you don't want to."
She shakes her head, and you brush a hand through her dark coils. The both of you giggle when your finger gets stuck in her hair. She leans in for a kiss, but before your lips meet you're interrupted.
The front door is opened and slammed shut, you hear the lock click as well.
"Hey Chrollo, you feeling better?" "What are you doing?" "Holy shit, please, what are you doing?!" "Are you fucking crazy? This isn't funny!"
Something slams against the closet door and Gracie yelps.
"Whoa whoa, we can work something out." They sound desperate "Back up!" You hear a loud thump and then screams. "Grab him guys!" It sounds like people are running around, but soon the screams become not those of only fear but of pain. There are gargled pleas and pathetic whimpers for mercy.
You and Gracie hold each other, gripping onto one another for dear life.
Soon the screams, pleas, thuds, gurgling, all of it ends. The apartment goes quiet and you try to silence your heavy breathing.
There's a loud thud right in front of the closet and then the doors are opened abruptly. There Chrollo is, covered in blood, and you can see the bodies of your friends behind him. Before you can react, he pulls Gracie away from you, slams the doors closed and there's another thud.
Gracie's screams are blood curdling, screeches and cries for help. You try to open the doors but something is blocking it, keeping them closed. As her screams get louder you throw yourself against the doors, trying to push whatever is there out of the way.
Before you can even imagine of getting out, the screams fade out into whimpers, and into nothing.
Holy shit holy shit holy shit.
You're given no time to think when the doors fly open and you're face to face with Chrollo. He's blocking out the light and his usually neat clothes are crumpled and bloody. You look down to his hands, a sledge hammer hangs from his fingers, dripping with your friend's blood.
"Ch-Chrollo... Please don't." You whisper.
The sledge hammer drops to the ground and he wraps his arms around you gently. "Oh y/n. I would never hurt you."
He's so gentle with you, so gentle. It almost makes you forget what just happened, because he feels like home. "Why? Why did you do this?"
He steps back and grabs your shoulders, he leans down so he's eye to eye with you. "They crossed a line, a line that should not be crossed."
You begin to speak but he grabs your cheeks with one hand and dawns his usual smile, "You don't need them. You have me." He kisses your squished lips as if it were normal. "Right y/n?"
Slowly you nod, you don't need them. If Chrollo says it, it must be true.
"Good girl."
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simpsiren · 3 years
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The love potion;
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lee jeno x reader
inspired by: Call me— Rainlord, Keshi
description. I got to find out one day that a group of students from my college owned a café nearby campus. And it just so happened that Jaehyun and I were able to get a special invite to be the first few to come before they officially open. One boy caught my eye, Lee Jeno. He only ever grasped my attention. But how was I able to be completely deep in love with him after just a few visits? And that is when the name of this story comes into play.
genre. fluff, angst, love potion type of thing
word count. 24.6k~
warnings. cursing i guess and dreamies almost being sent to jail and VERY brief mention of rape im sorry cnwsdnif
a/n. this is part of the playlist series! click here to check out ffs written by the other authors part of the playlist series <3
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“You really think I got time for that?” I said yet again. “It won’t be long! You don’t seem to have a lot of workload today!” Jaehyun protested for the millionth time. It felt like we have been exchanging the same sentences for a whole hour now. I didn’t know why Jaehyun wanted to go to this new café so much. All I knew was the fact that it was owned by a group of students from our college. I would have barely knew them. Better yet, complete strangers. But I guess Jaehyun had a connection, seeing as how he’s been pestering me about this for a week now.
“What are they to you that you’re so desperate to visit?” I questioned, taking a bite of my sandwich as I looked away from Jaehyun to see the clear bright sky painted with blue and white. “Firstly, I know all of them since I did take care of them during their freshmen year.” When Jaehyun explained his first point, I instantly remembered the time I was in freshmen year. And Jaehyun indeed took a few students under his wing for a few months. And though I was assigned to another senior, Jaehyun was always around to check up on me. That’s what got me to be his friend today. “And secondly, they gave me a special invite for me to head there before they officially open.”
I quirked an eyebrow in a questioning manner. “So we get free food and drinks?” Jaehyun’s frown turned into a wide smirk almost instantly. He knew me. “Of course we do.” Jaehyun said with a sly tone. I was already settled on accepting his offer right then and there. I mean, who wouldn’t accept free food? Jaehyun knew I was the type to take up any offer than was free of charge, no money required. He knew I was a cheapskate. “You’re tempted now, aren’t you?” Jaehyun whispered, bringing his face close to mine to examine my every feature. The wary look in my eyes, the smile that unconsciously formed on my lips, the slight blush at the thought of free food.
“I hate you.” I finished my last bite of sandwich and stood up from the bench, grabbing my bag and slinging it onto one shoulder and stomping away in exasperation. “See you tomorrow!” Jaehyun shouted, a loud chuckle following after with it slowly drowned out to nothing as I made my way back to my dorms. When I got back, I threw my bag onto my study table and plopped onto my bed. For some reason, today felt exhausting. And I didn’t know what made it like that. I guess I could blame my lecturer, his monotonous voice was sending the class to sleep. But I was then reminded of the other reason when my stomach grumbled. I glanced down to my stomach and placed a hand there, feeling it tighten as its need for food and replenishment grew.
I groaned as I pushed myself out of bed and went for the kitchen. I frowned deeply at the remembrance that I had no food in my kitchen. I wasn’t big of a cook, and I was honestly too lazy to even do so. There weren’t any snacks I could eat for the time being either. “Am I this broke?” I asked myself, leaning against the kitchen counter and resting my chin on the palm of my hand. I took out my phone and placed it on the table. It was then that I remembered about Jaehyun’s request to the café. “When even is it?” I whispered, eyebrows knitting together as I went ahead to text Jaehyun for the details. He replied me in a matter of seconds, saying that it’s tomorrow but we were able to go whenever we liked for this whole week.
I pressed the call button on Jaehyun’s contact, his voice going into a monotonous “What?” the moment he picked up. “You’re free right now, right?” I asked. Jaehyun hummed. “Meet me at the main building in an hour.” Before Jaehyun could even give a response, I ended the call, knowing he would be there waiting for me regardless. I absentmindedly had a smile on my face with the thought of outdoor food. But my expression went to a quizzical one when I went to the college’s Twitter to see if there were any updates on this café situation. “Seven students from different departments... opening a café in a month’s time.” The tweet gave basic details, but they didn’t even state who exactly were the seven.
Either way, I skipped my way to my room. I didn’t know what kind of food or drinks they’d sell. But at this point, all I really cared about was the food to satisfy my desperate stomach. And hey, if it tastes good, I guess there wouldn’t be any harm to get myself out of the drowning piles of assignments to enjoy an hour or so outdoors. A new scenery to admire. That I hoped wouldn’t be a wasted of time. I got there just slightly over an hour, seeing as how my shower time increased when I had to wash and dry my hair from sweating all day in the burning heat.
Jaehyun was there and he already began walking when I have yet to even reach. I took bigger steps and eventually had to run a little to catch up to his fast pace. “Can you slow down?” I breathed, panting ever so slightly as I continued to match Jaehyun’s long strides down the pathway out of campus. “Well they just texted me saying to hurry because they miss me.” Jaehyun said, a soft smile appearing on his lips and he glanced down to check his phone. I bobbed my shoulders and nodded my head in understanding. “I never knew you were so close to them. You never told me.” Jaehyun reciprocated my shrug, a blasé, god-could-care sort of way. “We just seemingly grew closer I guess.” He answered noncommittally.
Jaehyun simply continued walking when we were out of campus, and I simply followed. And to my surprise, the café wasn’t far at all. In fact, it took us merely ten minutes to reach. However, the place was seemingly hidden. It was in a line of other shops that made the café look invisible. You had to go through two shops and take a staircase up to the second floor. Anyone would have passed it if they didn’t see the café’s sign right beside the staircase. The logo looked simple— the words Café 7 Dream written in caps in a circle, with an animated character in between. The colours were vibrant yet it would be shadowed by the other shops.
I followed Jaehyun up the short flight of stairs. Once he was at the top, he turned to the right and pushed open a glass door. I followed suit. I couldn’t help but have my eyes wide opened when I entered. I initially wanted to refrain myself from looking too surprised, but you could say mine was covered when Jaehyun gasped loudly and had his jaw drop to the floor, his mouth hanging open. I only had Jaehyun’s attention when he shouted, “Yo this looks awesome!” I turned my head from the wall length window that gave the perfect view of the beautiful neighbourhood. In truth, I was glad to go to a college with this much beauty surrounding it. I wasn’t met with old rotting buildings and the sights of your average neighbourhood. Mine was, you could say upgraded. Urbanised. Everything was polished and new. And the huge window second floor café gave just the view to oversee it all. It was certainly a breath of fresh air.
As for the aesthetics of the café, it was simply all white. Not a lot to offer, but I liked the simplicity. The tables and stools were lower than what I’d expected. But there were proper tables and chairs right at the corner of the café, with the counter and workspace just a few feet beside it. It was Jaehyun’s voice that had my attention on him for a split second before I immediately adverted my gaze to the seven men lined up behind the counter. I widened my eyes further to the point where I was afraid that they could fall out of my eye sockets.
They were gorgeous, beautiful. I have seen them before. Only in freshmen year. It looked like they were now in their glow up game. Their hairs were dyed in a wide variety of colours, but it somehow looks unified. It captured all the sunlight that came through the window, as if wanting to keep it for themselves and have it shine its light only on them. I could tell all their features from where I was standing, which was quite far since I was standing by the window. Their features were prominent and their faces were perfectly structured. I seriously wondered why I’ve never noticed them till now. Part of reason could have been that I’ve never seen them since freshmen year when they’ve never caught my eye. But the other reason could have been that I’ve never heard any rumours about them anywhere.
Usually people would talk about such things, boys. But I guess I was never around to hear them, or they never spread to begin with. Maybe they had their identities hidden for some reason. Because I was really questioning why I’ve never seen such beauty and good looking people all in one room for so long. It must have slipped my mind that I had my head turned to them when one of them shouted, “Hey there!” I blinked my eyes and shook my head quickly to clear slate of their attractiveness. My mouth remained agape still as I lifted up a hand and waved back at the light brown haired guy who had a cute baby face, still good looking.
I quickly rushed to stand beside Jaehyun, forcing myself to smile as if I had not been staring at them for a whole minute. “Hey.” I waved back. Jaehyun took a step forward and faced me, a hand gesturing out to the guy standing at the end of the line. “So this is Renjun, Mark, Haechan, Jisung, Chenle, Jeno, and Jaemin.” In their single file, I trailed my eyes along each of them, our eyes meeting very briefly and I felt my breath catching in my throat for a second each time as I wished to look at them longer but refrained myself from doing so. I forced out a short laugh and brought a hand up to rub the back of my neck, which was now sweaty against my palm. Was I this nervous to see men? I guess I was. I never seen them in way too long of a time. Jaehyun was the only ever man I admired for his looks and brains.
They all smiled and I felt like wanting to swoon and have Jaehyun catch me right then and there. Unfortunately, that could only stay in my imagination. I kept my posture straight, nothing more than a kind smile and attentive eyes on them. Jaehyun now looked at me after introducing all seven of them. “Let’s sit down.” Jaehyun glanced back at them and grinned widely, with them reciprocating it immediately with a downshift of their heads while a few bowed and went back to do their separate duties. We decided to sit at the corner where the tables and chairs were. I rushed for my seat and sat down, eagerly waiting for Jaehyun do to the same. And the moment he did so, I leaned in with shoulders up high and eyes full of intent. “You never told me all your juniors are attractive.” I whispered in an angry tone.
“Why didn’t you introduce me to any of them?” My emphasis on the word or the whole question itself had Jaehyun raising both his eyebrows and scoffing with much amusement. “Who was it that said they wouldn’t want a lover to distract her from doing college and concentrate fully on herself for individual growth?” Jaehyun taunted, batting his eyelids at me as I vividly remembered myself making that promise at the very start and was able to uphold it. Well, until now. “Get one of them to marry me.” I fired back, smacking Jaehyun’s arm so hard that it made him wince. But I knew he was exaggerating it only the tiniest bit. I couldn’t help myself from stealing glances at them every second.
Jaehyun jerked his elbow against mine to get hmy attention, which he only received after a long moment. “Seriously?” Jaehyun muttered. I grinned till my eyes formed a thin line and I nodded. “Seriously.” The two of us instantly grew quiet when one of them, which I could remembered to be Haechan came to us through the swinging door of the workplace with a what I assumed to be a menu in hand. “Glad to be at you service. I’m Haechan, and here’s the menu.” He placed a big card on the table and slide it to the center. Jaehyun had his eyes on Haechan the whole time till he travelled down and made eye contact with the paper on a small clipboard in his hand. “Do we fill that up?” He asked.
Haechan furiously shook his head. “Oh no don’t worry I’ll have it filled up for you guys.” Haechan looked to each of us and gave a smile. His extremely amicable tone and expression could already make me tell that he was a bright person indeed. Like sunshine. “I’ll have a Fullsun Ade. And a random mini cake.” Haechan was quick to take it down and adverted his attention to me, which made my heart skip a beat. “Um I guess I’ll take the Jeno Latte and random cookie sand?” My voice accidentally let it out as a question but Haechan simply took it down and nodded his head with affirmation. “Alright please wait awhile and we’ll have it ready.”
“You don’t have to be this formal with me, Haechan.” Jaehyun pointed just when Haechan spun around. He turned back and blinked his eyes twice. “But I’m putting on a good impression for our actual first customer.” Haehan jerked his head in my direction and my eyes widened just a fraction as he flashed me a smile yet again. He hummed and downshifted his head before sliding himself out and heading back to the workplace and telling the rest to get to work. I pursed my lips and raised both my eyebrows as I watched his back, my eyes travelling from one guy to the other. “God stop you look weird.” Jaehyun said with an annoyed tone, a feign exasperated huff leaving his lips. I giggled and placed my pointer finger to my lips. “Sh.” I whispered ever so softly and gave a playful wink to which Jaehyun responded with a grimace and looked out to the scenery.
Meanwhile, I had my eyes on them. Each of them were doing their jobs, but at the same time being playful like kids. Never ending silent giggles and bickering could be heard the whole time. My attention would go off them briefly to take a glance at the window’s view, and then I was back to admire a different kind. However, one stood out to me. The one in the deepest end of the workplace. Basically the corner. If I remembered correctly, he’s Jeno. He seemed to be the only one that was concentrated on making the drink, his drink. He occasionally responded to the chaos of his friends, but he was mostly focused with the help of the guy Jaemin beside him and having small talks.
His bright blonde hair really stood out to me. And his side profile was nevertheless breathtaking. Don’t get me wrong, all of them were good looking and any girl would have their breath taken away if any of them were even miles away. But something about him... hit different. His hands worked gracefully and he seemed to have a delicate touch. He kept smiling to himself, which I found to be adorable. He was probably reacting when overhearing his friends but didn’t want to take his attention fully off the task at hand. For some reason, he was the one that stood out to me the most. “Jaehyun’s order is here!” Haechan shouted, waving an arm up in the air with no specific direction as to who he was waving at.
“Oi Canada deliver it.” Haechan jerked his head to the counter where it had Jaehyun’s drink. But I saw that the mini cake was still on the cake stand. Mark frowned and turned to him. “I’m not even done with the cake!” Mark retorted, proceeding to quickly add final touches of sweets and other small goods as decoration before sliding it off the cake stand and making its way into a plate that Renjun prepared. Mark hustled out of the workplace and held the plate on one hand and drink on the other. In all honesty, the distance between the workplace and the table were so short, I could take a few steps and take it myself. But I guess they wanted to provide their hest service possible, so I decided to stay put.
Mark had dark blue hair, which suited him really well. His face was immensely stunning and had the face of a foreigner. He did come from Canada after all, I assumed. “Thank for coming again, Jaehyun. We really appreciate it.” Jaehyun pulled the plate and drink that Mark placed down, glancing at it before looking up to Mark with happy eyes and a bright smile. “Of course.” He simply said and Mark left us to be while they made my order. Out of habit, I pulled the drink in front of me, begging to examine it. It looked very cute. It had a sticker of a sun which I guess was Haechan’s character. The drink was a beautiful gradient of yellow to semi translucent and it had leaves and a slide of lemon. What I found most appealing was the finishing touch of a heart shaped pink straw.
Jaehyun didn’t mind me taking his drink. It had been something I’ve always done, taking his food whenever mine has yet to come. He grew to get used to it, so he didn’t even bother. I took a sip and hummed in delight the moment the liquid hit my tongue and my tastebuds were satisfied with a wave of deliciousness. It was refreshing as the drink went down my throat. My couldn’t help but have my eyes widen ever so slightly. “Holy shit.” I muttered, leaning in to take another sip. Just while I had my eyes closed and humming again dreamily, Jaehyun slides the drinks out of my reach and instantly dipped down to have his taste. Jaehyun nodded in approval within seconds. “This is actually good.” I chuckled and nodded my head as well in agreement.
My attention then turned to the cake. With eyes that could replicate the ones with big stars in anime shows, I brought close to me and giggled at the decoration on top of the cake. It looked good, but it seemed like a five year old was the one that decorated it. I could tell Mark was trying to make it ass appealing as possible, but the few slips of mistake made me smile to myself just a little at his clumsiness. I grabbed a fork and dig in, the pitch of my hum going high as I chewed as let myself sink into the taste like a bath. Jaehyun snatched the fork out of my hand and took a bite for himself. He did a one on one replication of my reaction. “It’s been so long since I’ve tasted something this good.”
“Tell me about it.” I moaned out after finishing my bite and swallowing it down. I smacked my lips and turned my attention to the guys. My eyes absentmindedly made its way to Jeno, again silently preparing the Jeno Latte while admiring the noises from his friends. I licked my lips, turning to Jaehyun’s drink to steal another sip. I only ordered latte for the sole purpose of hoping it’ll help me stay up late tonight to study. The random cookies was just something I picked out for the fun of it. The wait wasn’t long at all and now Jisung was the one that came to serve me my food. “Thanks.” I muttered, flashing a kind smile. His giggled softly and shyly went away. He really seemed like the kid and youngest among all of them, seeing how he keeps getting targetted by the rest but is showered with love the next moment.
The Jeno Latte and cookies I got was just as appetising as the food that Jaehyun got so I went in for a taste instantly. I wasn’t surprise to find out that it tasted good as well. Jaehyun and I ate silently for awhile, talking about how college is going. I never understood how Jaehyun could be so smart and yet be able to have tons of fun off campus. I thought being a law major would take up hours of your free time. “Time management.” Jaehyun always reminded me. But that was something I just could never grasp. I’d either get too lazy, or be too uptight that I solely focus on my studies that I lose track of everything else in the world. I’m currently in the phase of the latter, until now.
Jaehyun was talking to me when my eyes slowly trailed off his attention and to the guys, who seemed to be sitting on the tables and stools not far away from where we were. I guess it was their break time. They were talking loudly and laughter spread its noise around the café in no time. A soft smile left my lips as I somehow felt that they liven up the atmosphere so much. Even if it wasn’t for me. It’s nice to hear it. I was left with finishing my drink, and with every sip I’d think about how Jeno made it. I shocked myself whenever Jeno popped into my mind. What was it about him that had my mind so wrapped up about?
“Earth to _____? You there?” I came zinging back to reality when I heard Jaehyun talking. “Huh?” I asked, shaking my head to shake the thoughts away. “You know... I could help you ask them for their numbers.” I widened my eyes and shook my head even more furiously than before. “What? No, it’s fine.” I leaned forward and rest my chin on the palm of my hand, my head slowly turning back to the direction of the guys. They were in their own little world, a carefree atmosphere that give zero notice for the world. I smiled softly again.
“Seems like suddenly I have a much better view in this neighbourhood that I thought was getting boring.”
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—I wanna see her again. Maybe I'll just be a friend. Or a lover to lean on.
Jeno couldn’t help but finally try to breathe normally the moment she and Jaehyun left the café. It’s as if her presence held his breath for the longest time. But for some reason, he wasn’t suffering for one second the whole way. “Jeno, are you okay?” Haechan’s words suddenly rang through his ears and he shot his head to him. It was then that he realised he was probably showing too much, to the point where it seemed like he was panting. “I’m fine.”
Renjun chuckled beside him, resting his arm on his shoulder and leaning in close to Jeno’s face. He grimaced at the sight and back his body away a few inches. “The fuck is wrong with you?” Jeno asked as the wide smirk on Renjun’s face creepily appeared. “It’s so obvious you were shaken up by that girl. You know she’s been staring at us. I think specifically you.” As much as Jeno wanted to deny it, it was indeed true. From the moment she stepped in, Jeno already had his eyes on her. And he could tell she felt them drilling into her back, seeing how she was staring at him as well. Jeno frowned a little. “Maybe not.” He thought. She seemed to be head over heels for all seven of them.
Jeno liked the way she smiled. The way she loved looking at the view the café had through the window. The way she took time to register their names and faces while Jaehyun introduced them. She stared at all of us, examining their features and what made them unique. He liked how she carelessly took Jaehyun’s food the moment it arrived first, as if she didn’t care about how Jaehyun react. She was extremely pretty too. Jeno was instantly drawn into her looks and it seemed like all the light from the world had dimmed itself down just to give focus onto her, and her only. You could say Jeno experienced love at first sight.
“I swear I could see him trying not to look at her every second.” Jisung added on, only making Jeno roll his eyes. “So?” Jeno lashed out, twirling his body around on the stool to stand up and fold his arms, walking where? He himself didn’t know, so he simply stood there awkwardly and turned around to face them. “So you should talk to her the next time she comes.” Jaemin, Jeno’s closest friend among all of them lets out, crossing one leg over the other with relaxation. Jeno huffed silently and glanced down to his feet, slowly shaking his head. “I don’t want to.” He said. “Don’t tell me it’s because of what happened last year, Jeno...” Mark looked up to Jeno with worried eyes. Of course it’s because of that.
It’s been long since Jeno fell in love. He never had his eyes on anyone after that one incident of the girl he liked for so long turning against him and pouring him with humiliation for a whole year during high school. That incident left a permanent scar on Jeno’s heart, one that he knew he could never mend. Everything was still vividly etched into his memory. And no matter how deep Jeno buried them, some nights it’ll resurface, and send him down the rabbit hole of the darkest period of his life. But that was when he met his friends. This group of friends. And as if fate had fallen on him, they all went to the same college. His happiness and light was solely on them, and he’d give his all for the six. And it’s because of his love for their friendship that he was able to forget about wanting a significant other, he felt that he didn’t need one.
Until he saw her.
“If she comes back.” Jeno emphasised the first one with quick speed and exaggeration. He could only hope that fate would shine some light on him again. Jeno smacked his lips and looked up from the floor, forcing a tapped-up smile as if the thought of not being able to see her again filled up in his chest but he needed to press it down. “Oh come on, she will. Didn’t you see how she kept staring at us? She’ll come just to look at our faces.” Renjun commented. “I wish it was just me.” Jeno replied in his mind mentally, but all he was able to let out was, “Sure, I guess.” With a careless shrug. “Hm but why haven’t we seen on campus before?” Jisung asked in a hushed tone, his hand scratching his head unconsciously.
Jisung was right though. Jeno had never seen her. Indeed there were a lot students on campus. But he felt that he was familiar with almost everyone that walked down the hallways. Stranger, acquaintances, classmates. He’d at least recognise their faces. But why hasn’t she come to mind at all? It’s as if she was invisible his entire college life, and she caught Jeno’s attention only now. “Different majors. Different lecture times. Isn’t it obvious?” Renjun replied. The room fell silent, allowing Jeno to sink deeper into his thoughts. He repeated what Renjun said in his head. It could’ve been true. But most students would hang out on campus before or after lectures for hours on end, simply lounging around and doing nothing but just having their presence there. Was she the type to go straight back to the dorms after lecture?
More thinking resulted in more questions about her. Questions that Jeno wished he’d know the answers to. But then again, he couldn’t expect to know much. It was the first time they met, the first time they laid their eyes on each other. Nothing was certain, and everything felt unknown. One thing’s for sure. Jeno certainly want to see her again soon.
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—I'm catching the pieces again. Of a heart that would like to pretend. That it isn't bleeding.
I just came out of lecture. My feet was dragging against the rough stone floor with my back hunched over and my face bored. I was barely able to get any sleep last night, doing draft after draft after draft for my architecture assignment. Although I liked being in the major, sometimes I do contemplate my decisions. Today was no different. My eyes were half open and my mind was solely focus on going back to the dorms, to my bed, wanting to wraps myself up in my fluffy blanket and sleep for ten hours straight.
“Hey, _____?” I heard a voice. It took awhile for my brain to register it, with me groaning softly and humming in question. I lifted my head up to force it to sit right in my neck. I adjusted my vision. And I almost stumbled back. “Taeyong?” This can’t be happening. I’m not dreaming. Lee Taeyong, my ex boyfriend. “Get away from me.” My instincts were at its peak. I was too tired, and I knew my feelings of suppressed anger would begin bubbling up the more I stayed in his presence. I distanced myself away from him slowly and quickly walked forward. I knew him too well. He already had his fingers wrapped around my thin wrist. “I just want a moment.” I heaved a soft sight and forced myself to turn. I was expressionless. I didn’t care about anything he would say next.
“I just... um well...” I could tell he was trying to form up a sentence, but the constant stuttering made it difficult for me to make sense of anything. I huffed and shook my head. Suddenly I was getting a headache and I felt like dropping on the floor to sleep right then and there. “If you don’t have anything to say-” “I miss you, okay? That’s what I wanted to say.” My breathing hitched in my chest. His words longed itself into me, making me freeze in my spot. No, this can’t be happening now. Not right now, when I’m in this state, when my mind is too vulnerable and my whole being was not in its right place. “Taeyong...” I whispered, my voice giving him the reaction to soften his grip on my wrist.
“You know I can’t do this. We can’t do this. And I seriously don’t have the time anymore.” I quickly slid my wrist out of Taeyong’s reach when given the chance. Taeyong’s hand reached out just a fraction, but he pulled it back and rubbed his palm awkwardly on his jeans, glancing away before shakily meeting my eyes. “Why? I’m sorry. You can tell I mean it, right?” I hated how his voice sound so sweet, so sincere. When none of these feelings were even true in the first place. I loved Taeyong, I really did. But he was nothing like how he’s being now. Arrogant, careless, cold. Since when was he this... vulnerable? “No. I’m tired. I can’t do this right now, Taeyong.”
Anger was starting to bubble up in me just as I expected. I ran a hand through my hair in frustration, adjusting my bag that was slung on one shoulder and making an attempt to straighten my body. “Don’t come back to me. Just don’t.” I walked past Taeyong. And luckily, he didn’t try to chase after me. I glanced back for a brief moment, and all I saw was him standing there, motionless like all of life has been sucked out of him. “As you should.” I muttered. He’s getting what he deserved. I won’t put up with him any longer. While I walked down the hall, my body grew more heavy than it was before. The headache was getting unbearable and now I was staring to feel the need to eat.
I took in a deep breath and closed my eyes. One place popped up. The café. I quicken my pace to get there as fast as possible. And by the time I reached the staircase, it was already evening. I climbed up the stairs which little to no energy, my bag bringing the weight of my body down so much I felt like collapsing. I finally made it to the door, pushing it open. My head was hung low, and I made my way to the first seat I saw. I pressed my hands to my head as I leaned into the table to try and suppress my headache. But it was only getting worse with each dreadful second passing by. “Hey, are you okay?” I groaned and lifted my head up with all energy I had, meeting my eyes with the one and only Jeno.
“No I’m not. I feel like dying.” My voice began breaking and I shocked myself with just how weak I was. Did college really made me this bad? Made me stoop this low? “Oh um- hold on. I’ll get you some water.” Jeno went away and I could hear his feet shuffling quickly, coming back with a glass full of water and placing it on the table, my eyes following as he slide it in front of me. “There. Please drink. You look terrible.” Jeno commented, proceeding to take a seat next to me with his hands on his knees and leaning in to examine my current state. I scoffed softly, bringing the cup to my lips and downing half of it and slammed it back down on the table, which surprisingly made Jeno flinch beside me.
“I’d rather get drunk or die.” I mumbled under my breath, but if was loud enough for him to hear. “It’s kind of early to get drunk.” Jeno replied softly, as if not knowing whether my statement was expecting a reply or not. I furrowed my eyebrows and lifted my eyes off the cup of water, seeing how the whole café was coloured in a hue of orange. I turned to the window, my eyes meeting with the sunset sky that was painted with various colours and shades of orange to yellow with spots of pink and red. “Wow.” I let out, the silence of the café got my voice to echo through. Jeno hummed in reply and I turned my attention onto him.
I took time to look at Jeno. His blonde hair was just a tad bit messy. Being up close made me realise that he was ten times more good looking than when I last saw him. His skin was as clear as day with features so perfect you’d hardly find anyone that looked even close to him. His lips where a soft shade of pink and smooth. He was wearing a white shirt underneath the dark blue apron just like last time. But it was only now that I could see the muscles of his arms peeking through his sleeves ever so slightly. “We picked this place specifically just to get that view.” Jeno said, his voice just a whisper as he leaned in closer. Not too close till it was uncomfortable, but I could certainly feel my face about to heat up. “Thoughtful indeed. That’s nice.” I breathed out.
“What are you doing here, if I may ask?” Jeno tilted his head as he asked, and I placed the cup down after finishing the last sip of water. “I just... need something to eat. My body hates me right now and so does my mind if I keep thinking about-” I thought for a second before resuming, not wanting to mention Taeyong’s name out loud or I’d go on a mad rampage. “Well... yeah.” I awkwardly ended. There was no reaction in Jeno’s expression for a moment. But a soft smile began to crack on his lips, which I couldn’t lie, sent butterflies fluttering down in my stomach. “So of all places where you could have a proper meal, you chose here.” Jeno nodded his head like his assumption was correct. And indeed it was. I had to see a prettier and kinder face than Taeyong’s right now. And Jeno was definitely serving it.
“Question though...” I began. Jeno raised his eyebrows in response. “Where’s the rest of your friends?” It’s as if the question lodged right into him because he sat there frozen for a long while, simply staring into my eyes and only blinking twice. I began to wonder that went through his mind that my question had such an impact on him. “They went out to see some baseball game. Which isn’t really my thing.” Jeno exhaled sharply as he rose up from the stool, making his way to the workplace. “Then what is your thing?” I asked, raising my voice slightly higher for him to hear. Jeno turned around, already standing behind the counter. He cupped his hands on the edge and leaned in, his shoulders raising up a little.
“Ice hockey. The guys and I would play on very special occasions.” Jeno clicked his tongue, wanting to move but stopped mid motion to turn back to me. “What can I get you, by the way? I forgot to ask for your order.” I sucked in my lips and sighed, shaking my head and shrugging. “Anything that’ll make me feel better than I do now?” I wasn’t even sure what I wanted. I’d kill to eat anything right now. Jeno chuckled, his low voice shocking me as to how attractive it was. “Coming right up.” He simply said, his attention going off of me and getting to work.
Again I had my eyes on him the whole time, my mind was still fixated on what got me to be drawn into him this much, as if nothing could break my eyes off him. I sighed and let my head drop on the table, wrapping my arms below to serve as a pillow while I shut my eyes to allow them to rest. My headache got a little better, and my thoughts on Taeyong were slowly drifting away as it made space for me to think of Jeno. I might not know him well, but something in me wanted to know him more. His quiet and minimalist aura gave off a mysterious hue, felt as if he’d be hiding something when there actually isn’t. A simple man, is what I got describe him based on my first impressions.
A knock on the table was suddenly heard, but my senses were not shocked by it and I slowly fluttered my eyes open and lifted my head up, my eyes meeting Jeno’s. “Hope this will do.” He whispered, like his voice could disrupt me from my current state of peace. I gulped and sat my straight, stretching my back and cracking my neck. My eyes trailed from his face and to the food that he proceeded to place in front of me. “I honestly didn’t know what you’d like so I got what you ordered last time. I just gave more cookies.” Jeno shrugged, but something underlying in his voice told me there was more thought being put into it than it should be. I couldn’t help but smile, seeing a whole lot more cookies on the plate than before, and the Jeno Latte seemed as appealing. “Thanks.”
I picked the latte off the table and took a sip, relaxation and calmness hitting me the moment the liquid went down my throat. I licked my bottom lip and looked down at the cookies. Placing the cup down, I grabbed a cookie and held it out to him. “Take one.” I said. Jeno stared at me, and I felt like it went on for the longest time. His eyes constantly flickered from me to the cookie, and when I wasn’t getting an answer, I shoved it closer to him, jerking my head. This time, he made no hesitation to reach for the cookie and shove it whole into his mouth. I giggle at the sudden reaction, watching his cheeks puff up like a squirrel’s.
Jeno smiled sheepishly as he ate silently and so did I, switching from the cookies to the drink. The silence wasn’t at all jarring or awkward, rather peaceful and nice. The silence I shared with Jeno was something I have not experienced in a long time. It wasn’t lonely. That was something both of us must’ve felt. “When are you guys officially opening?” I asked as the sudden question popped up in my head. Jeno hummed, glancing up thoughtfully before looking at me. “If I’m being honest, I don’t have an answer. The guys and I are taking it slow. And we only just had one round of stock coming in to try out the menu.” Jeno grew silent for a moment, his eyes narrowed to the table for a second. “Perhaps a month?” Jeno raised his shoulders with question. I nodded, accepting any answer just to hear him talk.
“So I can come here for a month?” I questioned again. This time my question got him to raise an eyebrow just a fraction. “You aren’t coming after we open?” Jeno threw a question back at me and I breathed out a short laugh, smacking my lips. “From the looks of it, you would be getting a ton of customers. I hate places that are crowded and suffocating.” Jeno folded his arms on the table and leaned in, so much so that his elbow was touching mine. “What makes you think we’ll have a lot of customers?” I scoffed, the side of my lips lifting up a little from doing so. I glanced a way for a moment. “A bunch of handsome guys running a café. Who wouldn’t come?” I tilted my head, raising both eyebrows.
“You’re basing the popularity of our café on our looks and not our abilities in making drinks and snacks? I’m hurt indeed.” Jeno nodded his head in feigned affirmation, making me gasp out a laugh and shaking my head vigorously. “No! No! I mean... well.” I bobbed my shoulders. “That’s exactly what you’re implying.” Jeno doted and I rolled my eyes, chuckling. “You can’t deny that. I bet you know it yourself.” Jeno moved his lips to one side, again he was nodding and this time he had his eyes on the window. The sun had already fully set and just welcomed the ink black dark sky. “I’m on the humble side of my group of friends. But sure, I’ll believe you.” The fact that he could be in denial of his looks made something stir in my stomach. “What’s your major?” I wondered if that was too quick of a topic change, because I saw Jeno leaning back ever so slightly from the sudden question.
“English major. Why’d you ask?” My mouth formed the shape of an ‘O’. But that was all my face did. Instead I had an expressionless look, boring my eyes into Jeno. “What?” “You talk like an English major.” I said, picking up the last piece of cookie and plopping it into my mouth, downing it with the last sip of latte. “And it’s no wonder I’ve never seen you before.” My voice grew softer with each word, my eyes traling along his face, unintentionally going to his lips. I looked back up instantly, locking my gaze onto him. Jeno was frozen in his spot, seemed like he didn’t know what to do, or say. But after a long pause, he finally let’s out, “Your classes are at night.” I hummed in reply. “And I usually don’t have time to venture around campus like Jaehyun.” The two of us let out faint chuckles. Till my phone rang.
The two of us turned our heads to where my phone was placed, just at the edge of the table. Taeyong’s name was shown on screen, clear and intimidating. “What the fuck?” I got scared to the point I couldn’t pick up my phone. I didn’t lean in to check if my eyes were working right, instead I leaned back. I took in a breath and swallowed the mix of feelings that began bubbling in my throat. “You good? Hey...” Jeno reached his body out to me, his hand placed on my elbow, concerned eyes searching mine. “I-I can’t pick that up.” I shook my head furiously, the vivid memories coming back then and there. My nerves were shocked with a wave of intimidation. My eyes blinked rapidly and even my body was shaking. I felt like collapsing.
“Hey, hey. Calm down.” Jeno held me with both his hands on my arms, in an attempt to get me to face him. I looked at his face, then stared at his eyes, but the ringing of the phone kept going into my brain. “Sh.” I was breathing heavily but I slowly got lost in Jeno’s soft eyes, and I slowed my pacing. Jeno lets go of one arm and picked up my phone, his eyes still on me. “I’ll answer.” He whispered, like he was careful and gentle with his words, wary of how I’d react. But I nodded. Jeno pressed the answer button, jerking his head to adjust his hair and placing the phone to his hear. “Hey, sorry but may I know why you’re calling?”
I couldn’t make out what Taeyong was saying over the phone, it was faint and indistinguishable. “She’s with me. And she didn’t look good the moment she saw your name on her phone.” Jeno raised an eyebrow, eyes breaking away from mine for a brief moment to the phone but quickly placed it back to his ear. “I don’t think you’ll be hearing from her any longer. Have a nice day.” Jeno ran flicked some strands off his forehead and held the phone in front of him with mo hesitation to end the call. He placed my phone hard on the table, screen faced down. I was scared that the protection screen would have cracked from the impact.
“It’s okay. You’re okay now. Calm down, please.” Please. Why was he saying please? It’s not his fault I was reacting like this. He placed his hand back on my arm and it felt like his fingertips sent an electric shock through my veins and to my whole body. It was quick and light, I flinched from his touch. He must’ve gotten the wrong impression, because he was searching my eyes again, wondering if what he did just now was wrong in any way. I wish I could talk, tell him that I was okay. But I was still in a phase of trauma and pain. I shut my eyes and placed a hand to my forehead, wincing. “You need to do back. I’ll send you home.” “No.” Jeno was about to stand up but I quickly grasped his arm, his eyes trailed to it before looking at me. “What?”
I sighed. “You’re friends should be coming back and expecting you here.” I voice was weak. Jeno dipped down till his eyes level with mine. With a seemingly calm raspy tone he muttered, “How does that matter when you’re in this state?” I had no answer. I mean of course I did, but I wasn’t able to say any of them. U was still at a loss of words. My mind was messed up with so many thing, so many thoughts. My negative feelings were put onto overdrive in that short span of time and I was still feeling burnt out. Jeno lets out a sound and pulled me up to my feet. “Let me get you back to your dorms.” I shook my head vigorously.
“No. I’ll go myself.” Why was I acting like this? Why was I acting so... defensive? Perhaps it was due to the embarrassment of having a mere stranger see me in this state, in a state even I was not able to fully overcome. Or maybe it was due to how Jeno would think of me after watching me go through that. Being crazed over a phone call. I didn’t know what to think. But in the end, all I wanted to do was to shut myself from the world. Wanting to block everyone. “Stop it. You aren’t okay. I’ll take you back. Like it or not.” Jeno’s stand got me frightened by a mere bit. His tone was sharp and it sounded almost like an order, the way the words rolled off his tongue quick and firm. I yield immediately with reluctance. “Fine.”
Jeno had his grip on my arm, immediately taking my bag and slinging it on his other shoulder while we walked out. At this point, the night has already settled in, and the cold air gave my skin a light pinch. It was cold, but bearable. We were silent yet again. I wasn’t sure if it was due to us not having anything to talk about, or maybe Jeno didn’t want to bother or worsen my state any further by making a conversation. I would be thankful if he actually meant it like that. Nothing seemed to ring my ears other than the leaves that rustled underneath our feet with each step and the breeze floating by. The pathway back to the dorms was lit with an orange hue from the street lamps paving the way. I had my eyes closed for half the time. It’s as if I didn’t need to walk with them open, because I felt the want to trust Jeno.
It wasn’t long before we finally made it to my dorm’s room. “Are you okay from here? Need me to help you get settled?” I was surprised at how kind he was being. I didn’t expect anyone of our level of relationship to be this helpful, but I guess he was just that type of person. And I genuinely adored it. “I’m not a baby.” I said, a soft smile forming on my lips. “Go on. Thanks for shutting Taeyong away from me.” I continued. I reached into my bag that was still on his shoulder for my keys. I unlocked the door and gestured him to pass me my bag. “Delete his number. You still have him in your contacts.” Jeno advised. I took one last look at him before nodding and said, “Goodnight.” I shut the door.
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The door closed, and Jeno still stood there. He wanted to go in. He wanted to hang out with her just a bit longer. What he encountered about her at the café was weird indeed. But he saw it as a need to help her. Something about that Taeyong guy made her past so bad to the point where she reacted that badly. It made her look... vulnerable. Jeno felt the need to protect her in that very moment. Yet, she was defensive when Jeno wanted to help. She wanted to stand her ground with independence, no matter what shame she felt from showing that side of her. Jeno was quickly spiralling down the rabbit hole of love. Was it admiration? Simple affection? Or was he genuinely liking this girl? He didn’t know the answer, but she certainly had him feeling things he had longed forgotten.
Jeno took his time to walk back to the café. He assumed his friends would be there already. But no one seemed to be ringing his phone so he guessed not. He wanted to prolong the time he was alone, with him trying to define what exactly he felt for her. But disappointment fell on him when he already reached the café. And all he could think about was her beautiful face. “Where the hell were you?” Renjun called out from the tables the moment Jeno placed his foot into the café. “I went for a walk.” Jeno lied. He had to. If he didn’t, he’d be bombarded with questions by all of them and he wasn’t sure if he could handle that right now. “That’s a shame. The games was so fun!” Jisung exclaimed. It’s as if Jeno could see the games flashing through Jisung’s eyes as he dreamily stared into space.
“I want to play ice hockey.” Jeno said with a frown. They have yet to play this year. And with the making of the café, that time seemed to be long in coming. “We’ll play soon, Jeno. Chill.” Chenle replied. They brought home takeout and Jeno did not hesitate to drop himself in the empty seat between Mark and Jaemin to have himself a bite of a half eaten burger. “You guys seemed to have fun.” Jeno commented, his eyes trailing to each and every one of them at the table as they all nodded and hummed. “Obviously! The team I bet on won!” Haechan threw his hands in the air and laughed triumphantly. Haechan gave a high five to Jaemin and Chenle as the two of them laughed along.
“That wasn’t fair!” Jisung huffed out. The rest were silently wallowing in the disappointment. “Free ice cream tomorrow.” Chenle chuckled. “We’ll close up at ten?” Renjun questioned. Jeno looked up to the clock on the wall, just above the counter and nodded. The group went on talking for hours. It was mostly them explaining to Jeno about the games that he wasn’t interested in. But for the sake of his friends, he listened. The longer they went on, the longer Jeno noticed the time was way past ten. It was almost twelve. At least they didn’t have classes the next day so that was a good thing. “Um guys...?” Jeno suddenly let out. The whole group went from laughing hysterically to silence and all attention was on him. “Yeah?” Jaemin asked.
“Is it bad to say that I want us to bring back Hot Sauce?” Jeno already expected their expressions. Some showed their shock outwardly, while the rest were simply silent. But their eyes were filled with uncertainty and wary. “You can’t be serious, right?” Mark turned his eyes from the table and to Jeno. Jeno had a second of doubt in his train of thought, but he has fallen too deep, too quick. “Yes.” Haechan instantly stood up and went around the table to Jeno. He turned Jeno to have him. And he placed firm hands on Jeno’s shoulders. “Do you not remember what happened? What we did? The fact we almost got caught?”
Jeno remembered it clearly. It was a regular day for the guys. Everyone was meeting at Mark’s dorm room for a game night. Jeno was about to roll the dice when Jisung came bursting through the door open. “Guys! I need help! I’m freaking out!” Jisung had his feet moving as if the floor was lava and he couldn’t stop jumping. Chenle had to hold him still to get an answer out of him. “I think I made something.” Everyone looked at each other with skepticism painted on their faces, eyes scrutinising Jisung. They didn’t know if they could trust Jisung’s words. To them he was just the youngest, the most innocent. But what he made certainly wasn’t.
“What do you mean?” Mark asked, tilting his head. Jisung panted and tried to steady his breathing for him to answer. “Follow me to the dorm kitchen.” Jisung brisked walked down the hall, Jeno could hesr his feet shuffling but he quickly stopped in his track, turning back to peek his head out of the doorframe. “Come on!” Jisung urged with his hand gesturing to follow him. Everyone was still exchanging unsure glances, but Haechan was the first one to groan as he stood up to his feet from the floor, jerking his head towards the door. “Let’s just entertain whatever he’s up to.” With the room filled with heaves of sigh and hisses, one by one they stood up and left the dorm to visit the dorm kitchen.
By the time all of them were down to the kitchen, Jisung was already standing there with some equipment in front of him. Laboratory equipment. Jeno narrowed his eyes as everyone gathered around the kitchen counter and leaning towards Jisung, most probably to see what was inside that glass flask. What seemed surprising to Jeno was the fact that it didn’t even look like a solution. It was hot sauce. “Jisung if you’re making some prank on us-” “I’m not!” Jisung protested, grabbing the flask firmly in his hand and bringing up in front of him. “I think I made a love potion. With hot sauce.” Yet again, everyone had a look of disbelief. Looks that said “This is ridiculous. How is this even real?”
“You know we won’t believe you unless you prove it.” Renjun said, leaning back with his arms folded and having both brows raised as a sign for a challenge. Prove that the love potion was real, or they’d win this side of the challenge. “Alright, fine. Tell me someone you want to have fall for you. Any one of you.” Jisung slammed the flask on the table, the loud sound making Jeno flinch since he expected the flask to break from the sound of impact. Luckily it didn’t. “I want to try it on one of the girls in my major.” Chenle said, intentionally making it sound like a joke and laughing out loud afterwards. Jisung frowned deeply and had his eyebrows furrowed and eyes darting onto Chenle. “Come on don’t joke around. I actually think this might work.”
“Jeez okay, okay.” Chenle exhaled for a long moment. He placed his hands on the edge of the kitchen counter and leaned forward, shoulder raised. “So are there any rules I need to follow? Because if this is like those love arrows, a wrong move would result in chaos.” Chenle added on. No one responded. Because no one knew how. Everyone was uncertain about this, deeply skeptical and scrutinising of the whole idea. Jisung unfortunately has yet been able to gain even an ounce of credibility from them. “Well, once they taste the hot sauce, you must be in their line of vision. If my theory is correct, the first person they make eye contact with will the one they’ll fall for.” Jisung sounded like he was some advanced chemist. And to some extend, he was. He is taking a chemistry major after all.
“Have you tried this on... I don’t know, a test subject or something? Rats?” Mark questioned, and it sounded like a genuine one. Jeno simply folded his arms and kept himself quiet while he tried to let all the information sink in. It was hard to believe, and what were the chances of it actually working? The unknown answers to Jeno’s never ending questions, which he’s certain that it was on everyone’s mind as well, got him to let out an unintentional huff through thin lips. “Well... no. But that is why I’m asking you guys to try it. Tomorrow.” Jisung sounded determined. And Jeno couldn’t help but have his heart soften at the sight of his poor friend. “Is there anything else we should know about this ‘love potion’?” The words felt weird rolling off his tongue, it just didn’t set right with him just yet.
“I honestly have no idea what happens after. How deeply they’ll love you, how to break it. I can’t be certain on any of that.” Chenle, Haechan and Renjun gaped their mouths open and let out a breath. “Then shouldn’t we use it on other people and not ourselves?!” Renjun exclaimed. Jisung rolled his eyes with exasperation and slammed his hands palm down on the counter. “I- of course! Why would I put you guys in danger? What I meant was that any of you could ask anybody to try it. I didn’t mean to use it for it to work on you!” Jisung shouted, a groan following after. The kitchen fell silent and an unfamiliarly tense air surged through the gaps of the seven friends.
“Fine. Chenle, take the hot sauce. We’ll meet at the café for Chenle to report what happens. Alright?” The silence continued for a short moment before everyone hummed softly and nodded their heads. Jisung picked up the cork and placed it on the flask, pushing it to Chenle. Everyone watched as Chenle picked it up and took time to examine the flask and its content. He sucked in his lips and nodded as well. With that, everyone exited the kitchen and decided to go back to their own dorms. The thoughts of Jisung and the potential love potion lingering on through the night.
After the spam of a week or so, Jeno was deeply anticipating for the results as he rushed his way to the café at evening. When he entered, everyone was already surrounding the tables, again they were silent. He knew Chenle have yet to tell them the results since everyone gestured for Jeno to come join them, and he took long sprints to get to the table and settle down. Chenle was rubbing his knees anxiously, some followed, while the rest, including Jeno, were dead silent and simply wanted the answer out. Chenle finally took in a deep breath. “It worked. It fucking worked.”
Everyone was speechless, motionless. Everyone’s eyes trailed to each and every one of them, eventually staring down at Chenle and occasionally Jisung. Jisung was the first the move, his mouth hanged open and his eyes widened till it looked like his eyeballs could have fallen out of their eye sockets. Jisung snatched the flask that still had some hot sauce left and raised it in the air. Jeno could see the victorious feelings surging through his friends’s veins. Jisung jumped up from his seat and went in small circles from all the excitement. “Dude! I honestly can’t believe it.” Chenle said. And this time, everyone had an expression of disbelief, but the different kind. The positive kind.
“We need every detail on what happened.” Jeno eagerly asked. Chenle’s story was long winded, but in Jeno’s head, he summarised it as the moment the girl tasted the hot sauce, she suddenly changed. And when she met the eyes of the random guy, she was nothing but head over heels. And it went on for the whole day. “I did some experimenting myself to help you. And I found out how to break the effects of the potion.” Chenle said that the one that tasted the potion had to taste something sweet to settle the taste of heat from the hot sauce. Jisung instantly offered his hand to help make a heartbreak potion in relation to the love potion.
“Do you guys know what this means for us?” Jisung said. Everyone had their brows raised quizzically. “Don’t you see that everyone our age is looking for love? We make it easy for them, and we get paid. We can make a whole business out of this!” Jisung shoved the flask of love potion into everyone’s faces, causing them to lean back, but laughter and happy chuckles spread through the group fast. “Ah yes!” With that, approval was gained. Slowly and surely, they let the news about their secret love potion spread through the campus, and people began buying, with them earning a fortune in no time. It was a successful underground business the guys had, and Jeno was glad he was doing it with his friends.
Until that one day. The day Jaemin used the love potion on himself, and things got extremely rocky. They made a rule to themselves to not use it for their own benefits, but Jaemin was too naive, and wanted to make his crush fall in love with him. But instead, Jeno was one that was loved, not Jaemin. And that almost set the group of friends to crumble with constant distrust. On top of that, being an underground business, they were almost caught by the police. It was an exciting, but also dark time for the guys. Which was why they ended up not making the love potion for good after a few months of easy money, promised to never be brought up again. But it was Jeno that had to do it.
“I remember what happened. But I know what to be careful of now. Please, let me use it.” Jeno was practically pleading at this point. This girl, whoever she was, got him to be this desperate, got him thinking to go to such lengths for her to look his way, and only his. Jaemin placed a hand on Jeno’s shoulders, and his eyes trailed from his hand and to his face. “Please know what you’re doing. I don’t want us being like that again.” Jaemin’s voice was soft and caring, with worry wishing through his words. Jeno blinked one at him, eyes blaring with truth and determination. “I’ll be careful.”
That night, Jeno went back with Jisung to the lab to make the potion, Jaemin following along. Once Jisung was done, and that alone took long hours into the night, Jisung passed it in a small bottle this time, the cork blocking the view of the hot sauce from the top view. Jisung tapped Jeno’s shoulder and walked out of the kitchen, leaving with him and Jaemin in the quiet of the dead night. “I hope it works.” Jeno whispered, eyes on the bottle. He felt Jaemin’s eues on him. “I hope so too.” The words were heavy, and Jeno knew what he was implying. “It’s fine that we went through that. But please don’t let it happen again.”
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I was at my study table. The papers were scattered all over in a huge mess. If I were to look at that all that any longer, I might just faint. I turned to around on my chair, letting my body sink into it as I threw my head back in stress and despair. I’ve been sitting here for hours now, and the amount of work I was able to get done was definitely not up to my satisfaction. On top of the stress of having a lot of assignments, I was now stressed on the fact that I wasn’t able to complete any of them. I guess it’s just one of those days when your brain refuses to function. And I seriously hate those days.
I called Jaehyun, asking him to video call me to serve as my mental support and encouragement to do my assignment. But instead he brought up the suggestion of studying at the café. And to that I immediately said yes. “Only if you pay for the food.” I said with a happy laugh as I jumped off my chair to get ready. “i’m sure they’re kind enough to make it free.” I smiled wider. It was late at night and I’m surprised at the fact that they’re still open. Just what time did they close?
Jaehyun and I went in, but we were greeted with only three of them present. Haechan, Mark, and Jeno. “Oh hey guys!” Haechan got up from his seat when he heard the door open and his eyes met ours. The other two turned around and waved at us. I responded back. Jeno’s eyes were locked on mine for what felt like an eternity, and my heart couldn’t help but skip a beat. Luckily it wasn’t enough to have me heat up. That is, until he smiled. The butterflies were quick to flutter in my stomach and heat was raised up to my cheeks. I could only hope that it wasn’t obvious. Jeno’s smile was brief but bright. If he didn’t smile, it’ll seem like he’s someone unapproachable, closed off. That smile changed everything about his aura.
“We just came here to study.” I let out, holding up the stack of papers i had in my hand before bringing it back to my chest. Jaehyun hummed right after and they all nodded, their smiles still plastered on their faces. “We’re hoping to get free drinks?” Jaehyun grinned back, almost in a mischievous way as he raised both his eyebrows up in anticipation. I laughed sheepishly. “We don’t mind.” Jeno said as he rolled his shoulders and slid his hands into his pockets. “What can we get you?” Jeno slowly walked up to where we seat. His eyes were taking small glances to me, and I tried my best to look away to seem natural. “There’s a watermelon drink, right?” Jeno nodded his head. “I’ll just get that.”
“And you?” Jeno gestured to Jaehyun. He offered to allow Jeno choose the drink that was easiest for him to make. I turned my head to the window, afraid that I might explode from the way Jeno kept looking at me. Once he went away, I immediately turned back to face Jaehyun and gasped for air. I can never breathe properly when Jeno’s around. “You don’t look okay.” Jaehyun let out with a raised brow. “Do you think I should be like those girls that don’t think they need anybody to make the guy like them more?” I questioned as the sudden thought popped up in my head. “You mean play hard to get.” Jaehyun gave me an unimpressed look, to which I responded with a roll of my eyes.
“Why would you do that?” Jaehyun asked, purely out of curiosity. “Mm, because it seems like Jeno’s likes me or something.” I shrugged and slumped my back into the chair. Jaehyun turned his head to the threes guys, specifically eyeing Jeno and snapping his head back to me with a laugh of amusement. “I wouldn’t be surprised.” Jaehyun raised his shoulders and folded his arms on the table, leaning in slightly. “But why play hard to get?” I laughed, and Jaehyun was shocked at my response. “Just think it’ll be fun. I’ve never experienced love in awhile now. Nothing wrong in playing a little.” I tilted my head to the side as I watched Jaehyun gape his mouth open and scrunching his face. “There’s so many things wrong with that, _____!” I frowned.
“My life, my rules.” I simply said with a light giggle. Mark came back and served our drinks. He was quick to shuffle back to his friends, not wanting to make a small talk. Jaehyun and I took out our materials for studying, or in my case assignments and began to get to work after I took a sip of my drink and set it aside by the window. The café was entirely silent for the whole time, merely small chatters and bickering from the three that sat at the other table. But after awhile, the murmurs died out. But I didn’t bother to look away from my work since watching Jaehyun actually gave me an encouragement boost, seeing how he’s hardworking and fully in the zone.
I decided to take a five minute break after burning through most of my assignments in a few hours. I didn’t even know what time it was. All I knew was that the sun had set and the night had made itself comfortable in the sky. When I looked up to grab my drink from the window, I saw myself in the reflection, but I also saw Jeno, plainly having his back faced away from me. He’s the only one there, Mark and Haechan were gone and out of sight. I turned around to him. “Hey, Jeno?” I called out, loud enough for him to hopefully hear. He lifted his head up instantly and shot his eyes to me quick. “Yes?” He replied, dropping his phone onto his lap. “Where did Mark and Haechan go?”
Jeno’s mouth formed an ‘O’ as he stood up and idled his way up to our table. He clasped his hands behind his back. “They went out to eat.” Jeno replied with a soft smile. That simple movement would be running laps in my mind. “Why didn’t you go?” Jaehyun questioned as he set his pen down and lifted his arms to stretch them out as well as his back. “He has to take care of the café, Jae.” I replied bluntly since the answer was obvious, but I guess Jaehyun was still zinging back from all the work he had done. Jeno nodded his head upon hearing my response. “I can’t leave the cafe unattended.” There was a long pause of silence for a moment, as Jaehyun and I watched Jeno standing upright awkwardly. “Actually, I might join them.”
I creased my forehead as my mouth gaped open slightly the moment Jaehyun said that. I saw the look in his eyes. I knew what he was doing. I narrowed my eyes down on him and he winked back with glee. I took a moment to take a quick glance at Jeno, and although it was fully visible, a look of shock could be seem for a brief second before disappearing and plastering on a neutral expression. “I’m starving so.” Jaehyun left the unfinished sentence hanging in the air as he rose form his chair and begin to pack up, grabbing all his belongings from the table and placing it into his bag quickly. I knew he was in a rush to get Jeno and I alone. I all but wanted to smack him in the head. “Text me when you get back to the dorms, okay!” Jaehyun shouted from the door as he happily waved at me and ran out of the café.
I absentmindedly let out a sigh as a reaction of Jaehyun’s intention for going out. I lifted my head to Jeno, who was staring at the table so intensely. “You can sit, you know.” I gestured my chin to the table in front of me and with a nervous laughter, he slowly sat down, placing his phone faced down on the table and sliding the chair in. “How was studying?” Jeno asked. I could feel him tense up already, as if I could read his mind while he bit his lower lip. “Why ask such a question?” Was what Jeno could be thinking in his head. “I was actually able to get my shit done. Well, almost.” I chuckled, beginning to gather up my papers and stacking them neatly. While doing so, I felt his eyes on me, as if watching my every move. As a tease, I shot my eyes up to him like a slingshot, a mischievous smile forming on my lips.
Jeno widened his eyes when I did, and I couldn’t help but laugh softly. “You look tensed up with me, calm down.” I finished stacking up my papers and shove it to the side, realising that my cup was already empty to mere drops gathered at the bottom. “I’m not tensed, please.” Jeno cracked a smile and ran a hand through his hair, and oh God I’d want to reply that in my head for hours on. Boy was I falling for this boy fast. But I’d want to classify my feelings as pure infatuation. Although I would want to fall in love, I wanted to be more careful this time, not to fall head over heels on the first glance. “How did you guys come up with the idea of opening up the café?”
That question set our long time of conversation going. I didn’t know how, but our topics quickly changed and as the night grew darker, the topic began to grow more deep, more personal. I got to know a few things about him. Like how he liked to bike, and has a thing for cats. He told me that the possibility of the fact that I didn’t know him was because he was only popular in his major as well as the connections of his friends. And I’d agree. I never did anything else other than going for lectures and going to the dorm straight after. I wasn’t the most social out there, but neither was Jeno. His only friend circle were his six friends, and that’s that.
“You seem to have the perfect life.” I muttered, at this point, I had my body faced to the window, looking at the ink black sky that was painted with splatters of white as stars. What’s even better was that the moon was shining, and that gave the darkened café a glow above the white aesthetic of the café. “I just never been in love for a long time.” I blinked my eyes, turning to Jeno. Jeno’s eyes flickered with uncertainty for a moment, but he slowly shook his head to get rid of them. “That’s a story for another time.” I didn’t know how, but I guess the ambiance of the café got our voices to get soft and gentle, exchanging our words with whispers and mutters. It was so calming and peaceful. My night talk with Jeno was something I wished I could do every night. The quietness of the atmosphere, and everything about this moment. I wanted it to last.
“You should go home. I’m worried I’m keeping you up.” Jeno must’ve noticed how my eyes kept fluttering open each time I talked, with them falling back to close right after. I weakly hummed and moved my body to face him. “Yeah, I guess.” With that, Jeno helped me to pack my things and send me to the door. “You are okay to go back yourself, right?” I hummed again. “How’s that Taeyong guy, he’s not texting you or anything?” I smacked my lips and heaved a long sigh. “He’s far into my past for me to give a fuck anymore. Well, except for that one night. But yes, I am well capable of going myself.” I flashed a reassuring smile. He placed a hand on my shoulder, sending a bolt of lighting through my whole body, but I tried to not make myself flinch at the touch and left the café.
—Say you'll call me baby.
The moment Jeno closed the door, he couldn’t help but frown. He slowly took the small bottle of love potion out of his apron, playing it around his palm as he thought of whether he should use it or not. It seemed like she genuinely liked him. But it also felt like she didn’t want to be anything more. But how could Jeno assume her feelings towards Jeno this quickly. All Jeno is right now is blinded by her everything. And he wanted her to be his. I wrapped his fingers around the bottle tightly, squeezing it hard as he thought over it one last time. Was it the right thing to do? No. But was Jeno desperate? Yes. He wanted her desperately, and if the love potion’s not going to let someone like her slip out of his grasp, he’ll gladly do it. It sounded selfish if he were to say it out loud, but he couldn’t help it.
“I want her to call me baby.”
“You haven’t used it on her yet?” Jeno jumped at the familiar voice, shooting his head up so fast it almost gave him whiplash. Jaemin was standing right in front of him, posture laid back and relaxed with his hands sliding in his pockets. His eyes flickered to the bottle for a moment and back to him. Jeno was too deep in his thoughts that he didn’t even notice his friend making an entrance. Jeno noticed the shift of his eyes and looked down to the bottle as well, quickly pulling it out of their sight by placing it behind hum. “Um- well no. Not yet.” Jeno said, his voice just slightly shaky after he cleared his throat. “Why?” Jaemin swerved around Jeno to get past him and Jeno turned around.
To get his mind to settle after going far with this thoughts, he decided to ask another question. “Why’re you here?” Jaemin clicked his tongue, his back still facing Jeno as he walked around the café. Jaemin inhaled sharply, his chest lifting up before it went back down in a flash. “They told me to come check on you. Don’t know why because I know you’re responsible enough to close the café yourself.” Jaemin didn’t look at him when he replied as he slowly walked to the window. “You didn’t answer me.” Jaemin muttered. “It’s too quick to use it now.” Jeno let out in a mere whisper, he knew his friend would hear him. Jeno took slow strides to stand next to Jaemin who was by the window, noticing just how deep into the night they were.  
Jaemin turned his head slightly to Jeno, but not entirely. HIs eyes were still on the scenery.  “I thought you were so eager to use it. You seem to really like her.” Jaemin added on. Jeno could hear his gentle breathing. Jeno sucked in a breath to prolong the time he needed to answer. To be very honest, he didn’t exactly have one. But after a long pause, he let out, “I just wanted to see if it’s even needed to use the love potion.” Jeno frowned ever so slightly, looking at Jaemin in the reflection of the window, seeing a slightly surprised expression on his face but he was quick to ice it over. “Did you not think of the factors that come with this?” Jaemin slid his hands out of his pockets and folded his arms, placing his weight on one leg. 
Jeno raised an eyebrow. “As if I didn’t.” Jeno muttered, his words accidentally rolling off his tongue with a sharp tone which earned an expected scoff from Jaemin. “I’m just saying. Jisung didn’t make that potion in months, almost a hear.” Jaemin gulped, his upper body slowly turned to face Jeno. “What if something bad happens?” At this point, reckless Jeno from the long day was starting to take effect, and he was beginning to get tired of Jaemin sending constant hint, though at the back of his mind he knew Jaemin was saying all the those for his safety, for the safety of his heart. 
“If you don’t want me to use the love potion just say it.” Jeno rubbed his temples and let out a huff. Jaemin was so surprised by Jeno’s reply that he leaned back. Jaemin had never seen this defensive side of his friend in a long time. “I just...” Jeno waited for Jaemin to finish his sentence, but it was left hanging in the tensed air that was between them. “I’m sorry.” Jeno breathed out, glancing down to his feet before lifting his head back up and straightening his back. “It’s fine. It’s your life. Whatever happens, I’ll be here for you.” Jeno turned to him, a small sincere smile was on his face, and it warmed Jeno’s heart enough to reciprocate it. “Let’s pack up. And I’m sleeping at your dorm tonight.” Jaemin’s smile quickly turned to a cheeky one as he hopped to get to the entrance. Jeno chuckled, shaking his head. “Why’s that?”
Jaemin had a hand on the cafe door. Jaemin snapped his head to Jeno’s direction. “I didn’t do that for quite some time now, don’t you think?” Jeno widened his smile till a grin appeared, dashing to turn off all the lights and quickly exiting  the cafe. But before he did, he took one last glance at the table where she seated, almost seeing her figure made his heart thump in a matter of seconds but he shook his head to clear slate of her and ran after Jaemin. 
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“Anyone who hasn’t finished their assignments, please get them ready the next time I see you. Don’t ask me for extra credits on this one.” The lecture hall was filled with long groans and whines. I wished I could get out right now so I didn’t have to deal with this any longer. It’s stupid how students beg for extra credits but are yet able to submit their assignment on time. I didn’t see the point to it. My professors rolled his eyes and huffed in exasperation. “Quit the whining you’re all too old for that. Class dismissed.” Everyone instantly stood up from their seats and wasted no time to exit the hall. Everyone was so eager to leave. And wanting to avoid the commotion at the door, I waited behind and took my time to pack up.
Once the exit was completely empty, which only took about five minutes since everyone was pushing each other to get out, I finally slung my bag over my shoulders and carried my laptop in my hand before walking down the stairs to get to the exit. And when I stepped out and turned to the right, I was instantly met and a figure laying their back against the brick wall, legs out while they casually scrolled through their phone. Though I couldn’t see their face due to them wearing a black cap, the bright blonde hair that stood out below was blinding and I immediately knew who it was at the very first glance. “Jeno...?” I called out, walking towards him slowly. He instantly lifted his eyes off his phone, meeting mine and a small smile grew on his lips. “Hey.”
I glanced about our surroundings. There were certainly people staring. Whispers and murmurs floated in the air and came to reach me so fast that I wish I could melt into the floor and disappear from the face of the earth. I sucked in my lips and breathed out, shaking my head. “What exactly are you doing here?” I asked in a hushed tone. I was suddenly feeling cautious as the eyes of whoever’s were drilling down my back. It felt wrong to have Jeno right in front of me right now. It’s as if he was too good for me to be around with. But not going to lie, that is true. Students were giving me disgusted glances and glares. I washed away such thoughts and brought my attention back to Jeno, who had his eyes on the people around us before pushing himself away from the floor and sighing purposefully loud for them to hear.
“I genuinely didn’t know what time you ended lecture so I waited.” Jeno said with the most casual tone ever. I squinted my eyes at him and tilted my head a mere fraction. I took this time to look him up and down. His fit was the most casual thing ever. Black shirt tucked loosely in black jeans ripped at the knees and black sneakers. The black cap made him look mysterious, cold. He’d honestly seem like someone I would never dare to approach with an outfit this dark. But it accentuated his perfect body proportions along with having his biceps just slightly showing under his sleeves. The look was simple, but he made it a hundred time more attractive. “And why were you waiting?”
Jeno lifted his cap off and ran his free hand through his hair. That action alone got my heart to speed up its pace and began to feel unsteady under my skin. “I actually wanted you to come to the café to try something new I made.” Jeno smiled widely till his eyes formed a thin line. The cap overshadowed his face, but I could clearly see the features of his face. And right now, he looked like those cute dogs. However, the low chatters, stares, scrutinising glances were beginning to take over my mind. And for some reason, I wished that I wasn’t standing with Jeno in public right now. “Can you text me and I’ll go some other time?” I whispered, brushing a strand behind my ear as I shot back annoyed eyes to the people walking by, to no one specific. But I knew a lot of people were talking about me. As if I wasn’t made to be In Jeno’s line of vision.
Jeno gave me a weirded out look and blinked his eyes rapidly. “Why? I waited so I could take you there right now.” He said, shifting his weight from one leg to the other. I could tell he was taking quick glances at where I kept looking and he bit his lower lip. “We’ll get out of here.” Jeno reached out to hold my wrist, but I quickly pulled back, shaking my head. “No, please. Just... now’s not the right time. Text me later, I guess.” I gulped and squinted my eyes shut before turning around sharply and walking away in a quick pace. I stared down at the floor, too annoyed to look up as the whispers trailed along behind me but drowned out the further I went. If being around Jeno would earn me such hate, I wouldn’t even dare to be seen with him like just now ever again. I didn’t want to deal with that. Jeno’s too good for me. That I could already tell. And this just confirmed that he was.
—Tell me you'll be okay. If I leave you alone today
Jeno stood there, completely stunned and frozen as he watched her back grew smaller and she went further and eventually disappearing when she turned a corner. Jeno let out a frustrated groan and took his cap off to ruffle his hair, shutting his eyes. He opened them back up with a sharp motion, turning around to walk the other way and a shake of his head. Jeno wondered what was with her sudden defensive aura. He knew it was because of the never ending drills of eyes on them. But he could’ve quickly drew them out of there and headed for the café. Jeno guessed that he was too late. Jeno planned to use the potion on her that day, too bad disappeared the moment he took a step forward for her.
That night, Jeno was restless. He was pacing to and fro of his dorm, throwing his phone up in the air and catching, continuing with that motion through the hours he’d been pacing. Jeno wanted to see her again. Jeno wanted to use the potion. But it seemed like he was losing every given time to do so. And he felt like he was at a loss. Giving up and finding no point in wasting his physical energy walking, he dropped himself onto his bed and laid down, eyes staring into the ceiling as if picturing Jeno and her together, something that would be a gamble to happen. He sighed quietly. “Tell me you’re okay. Even if you don’t want me there.” Jeno whispered to himself as he prayed that she’ll be okay even if he wasn’t there for her.
Jeno hasn’t seen her for the next few days. She didn’t come to the café anymore. And when Jaehyun came occasionally, she wasn’t there with him. Even at the official opening of the café and the time after, she wasn’t there. Jeno was getting worried. She wasn’t even seem on campus whenever Jeno went for lectures. It’s as if she disappeared entirely, just like how it was before. He wondered day after day where she could’ve gone. He would’ve asked Jaehyun, but he said no for the sake of her privacy.
“She’s been through things, Jeno.” Jaehyun muttered, his voice a low rasp as he began explaining about her situation. They were sitting on the benches on campus, and Jeno hoped she’d somehow appear, but of course he couldn’t deny the reality. “What has she been through?” Jeno asked in desperation. He saw the hesitation flicker in Jaehyun’s eyes for a clear moment. He heaved a sigh and ran a hand down his face. “Taeyong. He raped her.” There were no filters to his words, no sugarcoating, nothing. It was out there in the open, hard and tense off his tongue. Jeno could tell Jaehyun’s heart felt heavy in an instant, and so was his. He shouldn’t have asked. Now he was feeling bad.
Later that night he was up again, just like any night. Clearly he had her on his mind. But this time, it was just a little different. Jeno was laying out all he knew in his mind, mapping it all out in hopes to sort out his feelings that he has still yet to unravel and identify. The longer he stared up the ceiling and ponder, he might have just came to a conclusion.
“I’ll use it on you, so you wouldn’t have to go through it again.” That was what Jeno planned to do. He could’ve just made it work like how regular relationships have their buildup. But what if it doesn’t work? What if she’s too scared of Jeno? That’s what he feared. And he wanted to show her that she didn’t need to suffer. He wanted to make sure she knew. He has now shifted his focus on the potion. Clearly he wanted to use it for her to fall in love with him, but he also wanted to make her feel better. To know that Jeno was there for her. He turned to his side with a grunt, staring into blank space before finally shutting his eyes.
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I flinched when I was tapped on the shoulder hard and I instantly swing my head behind on instinct. “Jaehyun!” I shouted, punching his arm lightly as he laughed and moved to walk beside me. I folded my arms and feigned a sigh. “Let’s go to the café.” Jaehyun suggested, and my heart suddenly felt its weight. I sucked in my lips, my feelings and mind unsure on making a decision. “I don’t feel like it...” I whispered, glancing down to the floor before looking up to have my face meet the sunlight. I shut my eyes and kept walking with my head lifted up. I heard Jaehyun sigh quietly and he hummed, somewhat finding a way to sort out his words in his head.
“I know you don’t want to go because of Jeno. But just try... No one will get to you like how Taeyong did. I’ll make sure of it.” Jaehyun said, his tone gentle with a sheer underlying persuasion. I groaned and adverted my eyes to Jaehyun. “Even if he likes me, he’s too good for me. People stared at me like it was a crime for someone as perfect as Jeno to be waiting outside the lecture hall for me. It’s ridiculously annoying and I don’t think I can put up with it 24/7.” I ran a frustrated hand through my hair before continuing. “There are plenty of other reasons why he’s too good for me too.” I ended the sentence with a voice almost inaudible.
I could tell Jaehyun was just as frustrated as I am, because he fired back. “He may be too good. But he sees something in you that has never caught his attention like any other girls here. Give him a chance. Get out of your “closed off” phase. I hate how what happened with Taeyong is keeping you from being fully happy.” I hate to admit it, but Jaehyun was right. I’ve never been entirely happy. Of course I had Jaehyun, but he had a life for himself to live. He couldn’t be with me always. And without him, my life hasn’t seen that much joy. And Jeno was seen as a possible opening to that joy for me, maybe.
Jaehyun wrapped an arm around my shoulders and I gave him a death glare. “Don’t give me that look. You know I’m right anyways. So let’s go to the café.” With his strong hold, I knew I couldn’t get out of it and I was about to be dragged to the café just like Jaehyun wanted. I closed my eyes for a moment to mentally prepare myself and we went.
At the café, not all the guys were there. It seemed like they were taking turns to take shifts each day. And today was none other than Jeno. As if fate wanted him to be here, and wanted me to come on this very day. The sunlight was blaring into the café and brought full light on the white of the café. Jeno lifted his head up from the sound of the door opening and smiled. I wished I wasn’t so easily swayed by such a simple movement. But it was Jeno. “The usual?” I had on a confused look till Jaehyun hummed and I realised Jeno was referring to him. I guess he saw my expression, because he turned to me and asked, “Do you want what you ordered last time?” I simply nodded my head, no words coming out of my mouth.
Jaehyun and I took a seat as the two of us watched Jeno preparing our drinks with speed and profession. I exhaled deeply. “I like him. But I’m too scared.” I finally admitted, keeping my voice so low for only one pair of ears to hear.
On the other hand, Jeno was taking quick glances at her, seeing if she was looking. And indeed she was, along with Jaehyun. Jeno kept his eyes on the drinks, but kept peaking down to his apron pocket where the small glass bottle of hot sauce glistened. Jeno wet his lips and slowly took it out as he brought the drinks to the machine. And in one quick swift motion, he made sure he eyed the correct drink and dumped in just three drops of the hot sauce. He gulped deeply and threw it back into the pocket of his apron. He proceeded to quickly make a drink of his own and bringing it to them in a flash. He made sure to not mix up the drink and sat down beside Jaehyun.
I smiled the moment Jeno placed my drink in front of me and sat down. I licked my lips, looking down at the drink and thought about how long it had been since I last drank it. “I actually added something new to that drink. Was wondering if you could tell me what you think.” Jeno leaned in. For some reason, he leaned in quite a lot, as if he only wanted himself to be in my line of sight. I chuckled and nodded my head, dipping down to place my lips on the heart shaped straw. I sucked in a sip, my eyes unconsciously locking onto Jeno’s as he stared at me with such intent and attention.
I swallowed it. I couldn’t help but cough at the taste. It felt the same, but there was something... spicy underlying the refreshing flavours. I scrunched my face up and leaned back, shaking my head. “Jeno... what did you-” My mind went blank.
Jeno was observing her every move. Every twitch on her face. She was blinking her eyes rapidly, and when she opened them back, she had her eyes darting on Jeno, and Jeno only. She gulped, and her eyes were filled something light, a look of uplift. “Jeno...” She whispered softly. She gaped her mouth open and leaned in, their faces merely inches away from each other and Jeno’s heart began to pick up its pace at the small sparks that were bursting between. Even if they weren’t real. “What the fuck?” Jeno turned to Jaehyun when he sounded. He raised an eyebrow and leaned back in his sear with folded arms. “I mean I knew she liked you but she’s never shows it until-” Jaehyun paused, a scoff escaping his lips. “Now.”
Jaehyun didn’t notice her sudden change? Was it not obvious that he used something on her? It looked natural? Jeno’s mind was spiralling with questions and he refrained himself from looking to shocked at Jaehyun’s casual reaction. Jeno slowly adverted his attention back to her. She had her palms on her cheeks. It looked so real. Her eyes were sparkling with Jeno in her sight. Butterflies began to flutter in his stomach, a feeling he’s never felt in so long. It felt new. “I want to be alone with you, Jeno.” Jeno’s eyes widened so much, and he couldn’t help but lean back from the sudden statement. Jaehyun scoffed again, this time louder. “I’ll go.” Jaehyun rose up from his seat. With a sly look, he pat Jeno’s arm firmly and finish whatever’s left of his drink and dashed out.
Jeno watched Jaehyun the whole way till the door closed and he disappeared. Jeno sucked in his lips, hearing her hum softly. “H-How are you feeling?” Jeno was still in bewilderment by how it was actually working. He was indeed fascinated to see the potion working its magic on the person he wanted. “I feel normal. But so in love...” Her giggles echoed through the lone café and Jeno gulped in nervousness the moment she lifted her hand and grazed her fingers his, tracing them slowly and eventually interlocking her fingers with his. Jeno felt the heat rushing up his cheeks. It was clearly obvious that he’s blushing seeing how she used her free hand to brush her thumb on his cheek. “Why are you so cute, hm?” She asked, tilting her head and smiling widely till her eyes formed thin lines.
Jeno chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his neck that was how sweaty from the sudden overwhelming heat he was feeling. He looked into her eyes. It looked beautiful, shining so bright with so much love and happiness. He’d never seen her like this, and it was like she glowed up like the sun was made to shine only on her. But at the same time, the longer he looked, the longer he began to wonder just how much of the love in her eyes were even real. Maybe a tiny bit, or none at all.
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With my eyes shut, I squinted them tight as the sunlight hit my face and glared at me. Struggling to flutter them open, I sat up, pressing my hands into the mattress. And that’s when it hit me. A sharp pain in my head as a migraine began to take place. It was so bad that I pressed my hand to my head, wincing in pain as if a needle was poking into my skull. I groaned and tried to move, but to no avail. I dropped back into bed. I rolled over to cover my eyes from the burning sun. But that was when I tried to search for my phone, frantically tapping the sheets to find it. Once I did, I turned it on, and realised it was twelve in the afternoon.
I sprang out of bed. I took a second look at my phone. How was I unaware of what day it was today? And what happened yesterday? I barely remembered anything. “I didn’t drink, did it?” I questioned myself softly as I lost my balance from the migraine and leaned my hand on the study table as I took wary steps out of my room. I thought it over again. I couldn’t have drank. I didn’t drink in a long time. So how was it that I didn’t remember anything from yesterday? I was able to take slow steps to the living room, dropping myself into the couch and running a hand through my hair. I turned on my phone yet again to call Jaehyun. And as I typed in the first two letters, another name besides Jaehyun’s came up.
“Jeno?” I lifted a hand to scratch my head. I never added Jeno to my contacts list before. When did I do that? I squint my eyes shut, trying my best to recall whatever that I did yesterday, or to know if I was even awake. And the only I last remembered was being at the café with Jaehyun. In an attempt to use some logical thinking, I could deduce that I possibly got Jeno’s number because he was at the café with me yesterday. But why would I ask for it. At the moment, my thumbs moved on its own, too late for my train of thoughts to aline and I already realised that I was calling Jeno. He picked up in a matter of seconds and I brought my phone up to my ear. “Hey baby.”
At the sound of Jeno’s voice and words, I was instantly put in a trance. I didn’t know how, but it was as if I got transported in my subconscious. I knew what was happening, what I was doing. And that was what’s making me have the strong urge to jump out of my skin shock. “Jeno! I missed you, baby!” I cried out, a smile cracking on my lips. I tried to shake my head, but I couldn’t. I was stuck. I didn’t have the intention to say those words. I also didn’t know I was going to do that. What was happening to me? “I have a lecture today. You want meet me and we could possibly go somewhere?” My eyes lit up with much joy and glee. I couldn’t believe my consciousness was acting like this. It’s not me at all.
“Mm sure! What time does it end?” The smile never felt my face. It was plastered there I knew it wouldn’t come off. My mind began picturing Jeno, with us going out to the city at night. Is that what I was envisioning? Even my heart was beating at a rapid speed when I didn’t want it to. It’s like all my actions were being controlled by something. It had my body react in a way that I couldn’t possibly tell at the moment. What’s scaring me the most was that I couldn’t do anything to stop it. And I could only let my consciousness take over the moment I sprang up at the mention that Jeno’s lecture would end at four in the evening. “Alright I’ll see you then. Love you!” I chuckled softly and ended the call, throwing my phone on the couch and running to my room to get dressed.
But ‘Love you’? Why would I say that? I was so confused as to what’s going on. My migraine disappeared too the moment this happened. I was getting ready, frantically picking out an outfit. At least my conscious knew what kind of clothes I would wear. Once I was done I turned to my full length mirror. I took a step forward to get a good look at my face, and when I stared into my eyes, there was a brief moment of darkness. I was still looking at my figure. I blinked my eyes. I did that. I glanced down to my fingers and moved them. I did that too. I slapped both my hands to my cheeks and I felt the sting that came from the impact. I’m suddenly back to my usual self.
I sucked in a breath and took a step back, looking up and down my whole outfit. Not going to lie, I did look good. I would’ve admired myself if I wasn’t so taken aback by the mysterious occurrence I just went through. I could hear my phone ringing suddenly from the living room. I walked slow, peeking my head forward and seeing it was Jeno who’s calling. I picked up, wanting him to say something first. “Hey, you ready? I’m already going out.” Jeno said, a happy tone shined through his words. I gulped and laughed softly, wanting to cover my awkwardness. “Y-Yeah I’m coming.” That stutter was not meant to be let out. Jeno hummed and ended the call. I grabbed my necessities and shoved them into the bag that matched my outfit and walked out the door.
As I went down the hallway and out of my dorm building, I kept shaking my head, trying to map everything out. What I just went through was certainly not normal. It’s like I was out of my body, yet trapped by the decisions made by whatever is doing this to me. I had my eyes on the floor for so long as if the answer would just magically appear, but of course to no avail, and I was left in the darkness to the actual thing that happened. My mind was all over the place, jumping here and there, making conclusions that I knew right off the bat was not possible. Or at least, scientifically possible.
I was way too deep in my thoughts that I bumped into someone. Hard. So hard that I stumbled back. And just when I thought I was going to fall, I was saved by a hand wrapping around my waist. With a firm and strong grip, it pulled me to stand back on my feet. But the hand stayed there. I slowly trailed my eyes up from where I was looking. A loose white button up that was ever so slightly see through and at the short gap between us, I could see just a hint of his abs shining through. It wasn’t buttoned up all the way, one or two unbuttoned. I was met with his collarbone and jawline, sharp and precise like it could cut steel. And finally his face. It was Jeno. His bright puppy smile blinding my vision.
“You seem to have your mind caught up in something.” Jeno said in a hushed tone, lifting his free hand and placing both his hands on my hips. His hold softened itself and his fingers hovered over my skin. I leaned back, biting my lower lip. I didn’t know how to respond. My heart thumping so hard it could possibly rip through my ribcage. I feel my cheeks heating up and I’m pretty sure they were now painted with a light shade of pink. I gaped my mouth open, fascinated at just how perfect Jeno looked. That I was even able to see him this close. His touch and deep eyes had my mind go blank and he had to lean in closer to check if I was okay. That wasn’t making it any better.
“You good, love? You’re blushing again.” Jeno chuckled, his low raspy voice that I never knew he could have till now send a cold shiver down my spine. I didn’t know what was happening. But if I wanted to get to the bottom of this, it looks like I’ll have to act. “Am I?” I pressed my palms to my cheeks, it was certainly burning hot. His hand slide up my curved, never lifting his hand off my body and trailed it to my hand. With the most lightest touch ever, he leaned down to kiss my knuckles. I blinked my eyes rapidly. I couldn’t keep a natural face. This was all an overwhelming amount of attractiveness at one go. I felt like collapsing right then and there.
“You look pretty.” Jeno finally steps back, finally giving me space for me to breath and let my lungs begin to function again as he eyed me up and down. He giggled and nodded his head. “You really do.” He reinforced, his hand now touching mine to interlock our fingers together. “You look good too.” Jeno seemed to make it possible for someone to look stunning just by wearing a mere button up and black jeans. Adding on was his blinding blonde hair that never failed to bring the look together. “Where are we going though?” I let out the question I’ve had on my mind this whole time.
Jeno began walking and it took me awhile to walk as well as I felt the tug of his hand, urging me to follow. “I’m offering to spend the whole day with you doing whatever we like. It’s our first time out, so I wanted to do what you like.” Jeno said with a carefree sigh leaving his lips as he looked up to the sky with a soft smile. It’s like he was genuinely happy to be hanging out with me and that made my heart miss a beat. “But I don’t want to make it all about me.” I replied, wanting to sound as engaged as possible. But if I’m being honest, I really was interested in finding out what he liked to do. Jeno breathed out a chuckle and downshifted his head. “How about the arcade?” Jeno tilted his head with a cheeky smile and I really couldn’t say no.
There wasn’t a word that could describe the day I had with Jeno. Even if there was, I’d never be able to describe it. It felt... magical. I never experienced something like this in a long time. The feeling of warmth, care for every move I make, Jeno’s gentleness treating me like I was a fragile human. We did things like from going to the arcade, to ice cream shop hopping, window shopping. He never showed any sign of boredom throughout. We ate and we talked, somehow the conversation was able to flow with ease. My heart fluttered each time he looked at me, each time he smiled, each time he got close and sent fireworks bursting in me with just the lightest touch. Jeno’s... perfect.
The night I spent with Jeno really buried whatever happened in the afternoon deep, but it was still at thr back of my mind. I’d figure it out when I get back. But right now, all I wanted to focus on were the stars that look like white paint splattering on an ink black canvas, twinkling above while I huddled close to Jeno with our legs hanging over the edge of the rooftop. My body was already pressed up against his, but he urged me to get closer with a squeeze of his hand on my waist. “I like this.” I whispered softly. This could’ve been a dream. It all felt too unreal. But it’s a dream I’ll never want to wake up from. The cold breeze winded by and a ton of hair got on my face. Jeno giggled and used his free hand to swipe away the strands in bits.
Jeno’s eyes were admiring every inch of her face as he went. The look in her eyes was beautiful. He longed to stay like this for hours. The love potion made this possible. And he somewhat felt glad he used it, despite having guilt anchored at the bottom of his heart.
“Can we make this an every week thing?” I whispered, thinking of the idea of wanting to escape, that he was my escape. I knew I’d have a great day well spent with him, and I’d like to have more days with him like these in the future. Jeno’s large hand held the back if my head and shifted me to rest my head on his chest while he placed his chin on the crown of my head. He hugged me, his hold just righr, his embrace subtle but perfect. “Anytime you need it, love.” His voice could send me floating up to the bright moon that had its light shining subtly on us.
But it was also this time that I began to wonder if it was my “possessed” self that needed to be on this date and not me. Then how was I suppose to feel? Would I have felt this feeling even if it wasn’t me in my skin? The questions slowly began to spiral as the silence of the night went on, but before it could give me a headache, “I think we should go. It’s late.” I muttered. A small cute frown appeared on his face but he slowly nodded his head. “Let’s go then.”
Later that night, Jeno spent hours having memories of their night running laps in his minds. He kept resonating it, and he never seemed to get bored of it. In fact, it made him more light and happier. Jeno was head over heels with this girl, and the didn’t mind falling this deep. Because he already knew that she was his. “So did the potion work?” Jeno flinched intensely as Jaemin’s voice entered the dorm and he sauntered towards him. Jeno grinned widely and furiously nodded his head. “I went out with her and it was so... magical a-and perfect.” Jeno gestured his hands around, outwardly trying to express himself.
“I’m glad.” Jaemin cracked a sincere smile, punching Jeno’s chest lightly with his first. “Just don’t forget to break the potion, okay?” Jeno smiled sheepishly to the floor and nodded, though Jaemin’s words didn’t fully submerge into his mind. All he could think about was the works of the love potion, and now it only made him fall for her a hundred folds.
I was on campus one day, just getting out of a lecture that really killed my braincells for the day. I was so worn out. That lecture somehow felt years longer than it should. And the boredom I got from it drained all the energy out of me. I was practically a lifeless walking corpse with my hunched over back and sliding footsteps. I didn’t have my eyes in front for the while I was walking, my eyes barely half opened. “_____.” On instinct I turned my head to the direction of the call. As if on cue, all life has suddenly come back into my body. And as my eyes met Jeno’s, I was taken over again. It’s like I wasn’t even tired in the first place. Against my will, I ran up to Jeno with the brightest smile ever.
“Hey baby.” I said, wrapping my arms around his torso while his unconsciously meets my waist. Reciprocating my smile, he said “Rare for us to meet on campus.” I freed one hand and teasingly placed it on his chest, playing with the fabric of his shirt. I didn’t like how whatever’s controlling me was making me so flirty and girly. I’m hating it. “Mm that’s true.” I replied, lowering my voice. “Are you free today?” I asked, a small frown appearing on my face. Jeno freed his hands from my waist and placed his index fingers on the corner of my mouth, rising my lips to turn my frown upside down. I giggled at the motion. “I’m actually going to the library to study. You can accompany me if you’d like.”
I eagerly nodded, releasing myself from Jeno and going to stand beside him with my hand lacing its fingers with his. I looked up at him with an overly bright smile. “Let’s go.” At the library, I was still in my subconscious. This spell thing or whatever is getting me to behave much more differently than I usually am. Does Jeno not see this? Does he not realise that I’m not me right now? Jeno had his eyes on his textbook. But he still kept giving me sidelong glances each second while I stared at him dreamily against my will. Just what was making me do all this?
“Why aren’t you studying, hm?” I felt a pull from my chest and I was instantly back to myself. To check if indeed I was, I began to pat my shoulders, arms and cheeks. Jeno chuckled softly in response. “Did you hear me, love?” Jeno leaned in close to my face with a whisper, and I leaned back slightly in shock, mouth agape and blinking eyes. Once I fully got to my senses, I shook my head vigorously. “I did.” I adjusted my upper body, straightening my back and pulling myself closer to the table. “I do that things to study.” I turned around to grab my book from my bag that was sitting on the chair next to me. And suddenly I felt a heavy weight on my chest, slowly arms snaking around my waist and I was instantly enveloped with warmth. I looked from my bag and tilted my head down, seeing Jeno resting his head on me with a firm grip on me. “You do that, and I’ll sleep on you.” Jeno smiled with his eyes closed. And honestly, that was the most adorable thing I’ve seen him do yet.
I raised a brow and shook my head, the chuckle leaving my lips. “Okay, okay.” I said, the small, almost invisible smile was still on me while I began to study. But it was hard to, with Jeno’s peaceful sleeping figure on me. Slowly and surely, as if my hand had a mind of its own, I placed my pen down and reached for Jeno’s hair. My fingers were hesitant for a moment, but they soon made contact with his hair. As expected, it was soft, silky and smooth. There was a light shine to his hair that the light reflected off. The bright blonde of his hair really got me to wonder how he kept his hair healthy after dying his hair such a colour. Jeno flinched at my action but relaxed himself in no time and got back to sleep.
Since I wasn’t able to concentrate studying, my mind trailed off from Jeno to my weird situation. I was going in and out of my conscious and it’s as if I was put under a spell of some sort to be someone I’m not. There’s obviously the possibility of some witchcraft being used on me since although the trend of making potions had died long ago, the existence of it still remains. And it shouldn’t be a surprise that there are people that still make it. But what potion was used on me? And when did I even eat it? If it’s making me act this lovey dovey towards Jeno then... was a love potion used on me? I gimaced at the thoughts. There’s no way someone like Jeno used a love potion on me. If I developed any feelings for him, it’s genuine and not forced and faked by a potion. Right?
“What’s wrong?” My lips formed an ‘O’ and I snapped my head down to Jeno who was looking at me with half opened and still sleepy eyes. I ran my hand through his soft hair again, combing through them in a slow pace. “If you’re this sleepy then you should sleep in your dorm and not here.” Jeno hummed and shook his head slowly, digging deeper into my chest and making me giggle from the tickled feeling I got from it. “I want to be with you.” Jeno’s voice was muffled against my shirt but it was clear as day through my eyes. And to hear Jeno say something like that had my heart feelings many different things at once.
For the next few days which lengthened itself into months, my relationship with Jeno slowly became from friends to lovers. Jeno was considerate with everything we did, asking if if was okay for us to kiss, or to take things to the next level. It’s as if he wouldn’t do anything without the decision being made by me. But in the process, I was still switching in and out. It came at random times, but those random times were while I hung out with Jeno. Whether it’d be seeing him on campus or hearing his voice through our calls, there was no telling when I’d switch and it frustrated me for so long now.
One day late at night I went to the library in hopes of fiinding a book that would explain whatever it is that was happening to me. And to my surprise, there was. It’s located in the History section of the library. I was surprised that such books on potion still existed and put on shelves for education. I doubt anyone touched this is years. The book had caught dust in the surface of the pages as well as any crevice and smallest nook it could get itself into. I slowly opened it up and tried my best to not get dust on my self as I brushed them away, reaching my hand out as far as possible to distance my face from the book. Once most of the dust was gone, I began to flip the page where it said “Love Potion” as the topic.
I began reading. And my eyes widened with each paragraph I read going down. The effects of the potion, it’s what I’m experiencing now. It said that it could be put into anything. So anything that I ate that day could’ve had the presence of the potion and I digested it into my body without me knowing. And the only way to break it was with a “Heartbreak Potion.” But it doesn’t say how to make it. Even if there was, it’d be impossible for me to find the ingredients for it. I balled fists into my hair as I silently groan in frustration. Great, I’m under a love spell that got me to like Jeno, the first person I looked at the moment the potion took effect. And then it hit me.
“Wait... If Jeno was the one that used the potion on me?” My body froze for a moment and my breathing stopped, lungs clenching but my mind continued to turn its gears. Why would he do that in the first place? As much as I wanted to think it wasn’t true, I had to ask him for the answer myself. And so the next day, I called Jeno, and prayed that the potion would not work on me while I asked him.
“Do you know about the love potion?” I asked Jeno. We were sitting on the bench on campus as the sun was setting. Streaks of pink and orange filled the sky with hints of purple. The weather wasn’t bad, too. It was cooling and just right. I hate how I had to make the air around us tense by asking this question. Jeno lifted his head up from my shoulder and rest his chin, looking up at me and shrugging. “Yeah, I guess. It used to be popular.” I gulped deeply and tightened my grip on my knees. “Have you ever tried it on someone before...?” Jeno slowly sat up right, he was looking at me, specifically right into my eyes as if searching for something in them. A long moment of silence went by, and it was a long moment of not being able to breathe in anticipation.
“So you knew.” I froze. My face remained expressionless. Knew? So I was right? He used the potion me. Jeno sighed and nodded his head in a defeating manner, sucking in his lips before saying “I could already tell something was wrong with the potion when your behaviour changed ever now and then.” He let out, scratching his eyes. I was still in a freezing moment, and it took awhile for the anger to settle in. And once it did when I came to my sense, my heart was burning and my eyes flared. With protuberant eyes I stood up from the bench, running my hand through my hair in anger and scoffing loudly. “Why the fuck would you do that to me? Why make me go against my will to love you?” I scowled.
Jeno jerked back at the sudden raise of my voice. He seemed like he didn’t have any words to fight back. He had his head hung low after taking one glance at me, and I knew he didn’t want to meet my eyes out of embarrassment and shame. “So were any of your feelings for me true?” I let out a sound to fireback but I quickly held it back the moment I registered the question. I balled my fist beside me, my eyes beginning to form its well of tears that my pride simply wouldn’t let them fall. “They were, Jeno. Were. But now I can’t tell.” My shuddering voice came out and my words were barely understandable. I turned around sharply to walk away, and instantly the first tear made its way down my cheek. I can’t believe I grew this weak for Jeno.
But after a second thought, I turned back. “You give me the potion to break this one by tomorrow night. That will be the last time I see you.” I wiped off my tear, straightened my back and walked off. Although it seemed like I went away with no regrets nor care for Jeno, my heart was feeling too heavy for my body to bear and the tears were streaming down with no care for the world. I like Jeno, and I still do. But to find out he used a potion on me for his own benefits, I wondered if I was being used. I wondered if I was simply something to fill his void of loneliness. If I was only loving towards him for the sake of it. I had to distance myself from Jeno to sort all this out.
— I’m better than this.
Jeno watched with despair as her figure grew smaller and more out of his reach and disappeared. He knew it would come to this. He knew this exact situation was inevitable the moment he saw the change in her. The falter of her behaviour, the flaws of the love potion. He was thinking about why he never bothered to tell her about the love potion, why he didn’t want to explain it to her in the first place. It wouldn’t be breaking his heart this badly if he told her sooner, right? But then again, with the type of person she was, he knew it would have an impact on him. He wanted to give her an explanation before she walked off, but Jeno’s body and mouth didn’t let him do it for some reason, like it was best for her to leave while he stood rooted to the ground out of his will. “I’ll ask Jisung for the potion breaker...” Jeno whispered to himself. And for the first time in a long time, he broke down in tears, it rushed down his face and he wasn’t sure if his body and heart could even hold up any longer that evening.
That night he asked Jisung to make him the potion breaker. They stayed up till three while Jeno watched him make it. The silence in the dorm kitchen was killing the soul out of Jisung and he hated how Jeno had been piercing his eyes into his back and scrutinising every move he made. Jisung turned around with an angered huff, his forehead creased as lines formed in between his eyebrows. “Can you quit staring at me like that?” Jeno honestly didn’t mean to be this infuriated towards Jisung, especially since Jisung was his favourite youngster amongst the group. He guessed he needed someone to blame for his own actions, to ignore his true feelings And in truth, Jisung was the one that made the love potion which ended up not working effectively. 
Jeno let out a sad sigh and covered his eyes with his palm for a moment before meeting his eyes back to Jisung. “I’m sorry. I just really hate myself right now.” Jeno said, his voice soft and almost weak in a sense. Jisung frowned at the hearing of Jeno’s voice. He knew he was hurting bad, and now he felt bad for lashing out at Jeno. “You’re better than what you did, Jeno.” Jisung whispered softly, turning his attention back to the making of his potion while having his back faced Jeno yet again. Jeno shifted his lips to one side, lifting his body up from the counter behind and walking up to stand beside Jisung with folded arms. “In all honestly...” Jisung began, he took in a deep breath, his chest rising up before exhaling sharply and shaking his head. “I didn’t want to make the love potion because I didn’t remember exactly how to make it in the first place.” Jisung gulped, loud enough for Jeno hear and infer that Jisung was afraid to tell him this, like Jeno would lash out. Instead, Jeno kept silent so Jisung continued. 
“But I felt bad for you. I saw the way you looked at her. I didn’t want you to lose the chance. I’m sorry, Jeno.” Jisung was finally mixing the potion with a glass rod, slowly with a solemn expression. Jeno lets out a breath and snaked his arms around Jisung’s shoulder pulling him closer and patting his chest with his free hand. “It’s fine. You did it out of kindness. I’m the one at fault here for even thinking of using it in the first place.” Jeno said, and his heart was sincere. Jisung hummed and gave him the breaking potion. “Once she drinks it, fix things with her, alright? Give this damn story a happy ending.” Jeno chuckled. “You say as if it’s a novel.” Jisung shurgged. “Kinda is.”
I couldn’t sleep a wink that night. All I thought about was Jeno. When in actuality I planned to forget about him while going home. Funny how I wasn’t able to do something I needed to do. But clearly it’s because I was still in love with Jeno. My mind flashbacked to the times I spent with him, times I wasn’t under the spell of a love potion. My smile, my laughter at his lame but amusing humour. They were real, with or without the potion. Would I look pathetic to went back to him even though he used a love potion on me? Would I look low? Those questions began my spiral down the deep dark hole of my thoughts, and they were travelling to the saddest and worst outcomes I could ever formulate. I really do hate how our minds work sometimes, how we overthink to the farthest end just from one thought. 
Out of pure frustration and inability to sleep, I threw on my hoodie and sweatpants, ready to head for the convenience store to buy cans of beer and drink my thoughts and feelings away. Just when I put my hoodie on the way to the door and placed my hand on the cold doorhandle, the bell rang and I flinced back from the sudden loud ringing. I tiredly let out a sigh and looked through the peephole. My mood didn’t know how to change. Was I relieved to see Jeno standing there nervously with the potion in hand, or angered that I now would not be able to not think of Jeno till I get my can of beer? I pulled down my hoodie more, obscuring my eyes in hopes that I wouldn’t look Jeno in the eye and have myself falling much deeper than I wanted to. I pushed the door handle open and puled the door, Jeno’s figure coming into view. I kept my head down and scratched my tired eyes. “I’m here to give you the potion.” Jeno muttered, hlding it out just slightly away from his body. “I see that.” I snatched it away from him. Just when I wanted to close the dor and end my interaction with him there, his voice made my heart break. 
“Is this really the last time you’ll talk to me?” Jeno’s voice cracked, and I wasn’t sure how the reply. I was feeling a lot of things at once and I hated how I still have yet to untangle the huge ball of it that blocked air into my lungs. “If you know me well enough, I’m a petty person and I’ll give them the silent treatment till I get better.” I slid the potion into the pocket of my hoodie and shoved my hands in there as well. I exhaled with a shrug. “In this case, I don’t know when I’ll feel better. Or I don’t know, trust you again.” I was valid to say that, I thought to myself. I had the right to say it. So why was I feeling something negative spurring in my chest as I let out those words?
“I-” Jeno’s sentence fell sort. He tilted his head up to face the ceiling as if tryign to formulate and answer to say. But in the end he could only drop his head back down and a defeated sigh left his lips. “I’ll wait for you.” Jeno said, as if unable to come up with any better answer in the tense cold air of the night. “Wait? There’s no point in waiting if you don’t earn back my trust.” I replied, and amused tone glinting my words. Jeno gave a sidelong glance before meeting my eyes. God were they soft, pitiful, gentle and loving. “I’ll wait till you get better and sort it out with you. Please just...” Jeno sighed. “I don’t want to let you go, okay?” As much as I hated going back on my own words ad thoughts of defence against Jeno, I bit my lower lip nodded my head. “We’ll see.” 
A long time had passed since I last saw Jeno, or actually talked to him. I did see him very briefly on campus, but I made sure to not serve him even one glance and continued walking though I felt his eyes on me the whole way till I turn a corner. With the bunch of workload I was suddenly given that month, and with the help of coffee, I was able to get myself back on track and focus on my work, slowly going back to who I was-- a hustler with no care for the world other than to get work done. Clearly, Jeno still lingered at the back of my mind, seconds before I want to shut my eyes to sleep. He never left, and I don’t think he ever will. I had nights staying up, just drawing mindless circles while my mind trailed to thinking about Jeno and how he was doing, how he was coping with my loss. Whether he was hurting. I didn’t rule out the possibility that he might not feel anything at all and was putting on a sad front for me. Who knows? I still have yet to trust his feelings for me were real when he used a damn love potion. 
Weeks turned into months and in no time the cold season came, with snow falling in small bits and bringing the freeze into play. One other thing I realised when December came was that my birthday was coming in just few days. One faithful morning I woke up to the doorbell ringing annoyingly loud and repetitively for a couple of cycles while I try to fully wake myself up and lazily walking up to the door. I swung it open and Jaehyun was there to greet me a happy good morning with a small cake in his hand. I laughed and and rubbed my eyes to clear my vision. “Red velvet cheesecake!” I screamed, snatching the cake away from him and running back into my dorm. I placed it on the coffee table and grabbed two spoons from the kichen while I heard Jaehyun walking in and closing the door behind him. Jaehyun sat down on the couch and I sat next to him, handing hi the spoon. 
“Not much. I’m not working so I hope this will do. Can I count this as a Christmas present as well?” Jaehyun said in a joking tone, but it seemed like it was agenuine question. I grinned widely and ruffled his hair. “I don’t need presents at this age for a good Christmas. I just need an outing with you and I’m good.” My smiled widely till my eyes formed thin lines and instantly dig into the cheesecake. I didn’t care to notice thid at first, but the flavours that instantly hit my tongue made me moan in satisfaction. “You got this from my favourite cake shop.” I said, dreamily humming. Jaehyun chuckled and nodded his head, scooping a bite for himself. “We always went there and pretended to be a couple to get free food samples please.” I laughed loudly, the memories of when we first began being friends came to mind. “Ah good times indeed.” 
Jaehyun hummed as if he wanted to say something, so I turned my head to look at him from the cake. “You need to get ready by the way. I’m taking you somewhere for another birthday surprise.” I widened my eyes in anticipation, a smirk forming on my lips while a sly smile formned on his. “Alright. Do i need to dress up to look my best?” Jaehyun shrugged with pursed lips after glancing to the side fo a moment. “Well, yeah. He’s like to see you in your prettiest state.” I raised an eyebrow in suspicion. “He? Who’s he?” Jaehyun raised in shoulders. “I don’t know.” He waved his hand carelessly, as if dismissing my words. “Now go get ready.” I hissed in annoyance but nodded my head excitedly and went to get ready. I wore the cutest outfit I had, proud of how good I looked when I stood in front of my full length mirror. I went out to the living room, seeing Jaehyun already gathering his things to go. He gave me no time as he was already walking on the door and I had to fastened my pace to meet him at his car outside the building. 
Not surprisingly enough, he had me wearing a blindfold in the car. I guess he wanted the location to be a surprise as well. Fear overwhelmed me when the car stopped and I heard Jaehyun leaving the car to open the door on my side for me. I held tight onto his arm and he gently placed his arm around my shoulders to try his best to lead me to the location without having my lose my step or tripping. Together, I took small wary steps and I was completely clueless as to where we were. It’s as if sight has blocked all my other sense from working and my sense of smell wasn’t working either as all I could smell was the freezing cold and nothing else.
Jaehyun places both his hands firmly on my shoulder and abruptly stopping me. I didn’t know where I was and all I could do was stay frozen at where I stood. Jaehyun slowly lets go of me and I heard his footsteps walking away. I turned around frantically, not even caring if I was facing the right direction. “Do I take the damn blindfold off?!” I shouted loudly, hopefully Jaehyun was able to hear. But there was no reply, instead, I almost fall when I tripped behind my foot at the sudden noise of a very familiar chuckle very close to me. I instantly felt the presence of the person right in front of me. He didn’t need to touch me for me to already feel his warmth. He was quick to wrap an arm around my waist expertly. I wasn’t able to move an inch I was that stunned.
— We're better than this.
I felt the fingers of his free hand touch the blindfold, trailing them to the back of my head to pull the tie and release my eyes from the darkness. It took awhile for my eyes to adjust, but once they did, the first thing I saw were Jeno’s eyes. “You’re still as clumsy as I remembered.” Jeno said in a lowered voice. I couldn’t believe he was standing here. For a moment I forgot that I’d be seeing him again. That we’d eventually forget what we had and move on with our lives. I was enveloped into his warmth with my body pressed up against mine. He slid the blindfold into his pocket and placed his palm on my cheek. They were greeted with warmth instantly as well and I forgot the feeling of the cold biting at my skin.
“And you’re still as pretty as the moment I laid my eyes on you when you walked into that café.” Jeno continued. My mouth was frozen and my tongue could not move. Words that I wanted to say remained in my throat as I have yet to fully process his presence right here. “You’re here, on my birthday?” Jeno smiled softly, ever so soft and small. With a downshift of his head he answered, “You told me you’d wish to spend your birthday with me since you only ever had Jaehyun.” I remembered my words very clearly. I didn’t know he’d even take that into account since I myself didn’t exactly found that as an important information at the time.
“If you haven’t noticed, we’re at our place too.” I adverted my attention to my surroundings. Indeed it was. It was my most favourite place that I visited with Jeno. I’ve never seen the park during winter, and it made my heart burst with a longing feeling as I saw just how beautiful the park had become when it welcomed the snow. “Well um I just wanted to say.” Jeno began, and I turned to look at him. I searched his gaze. They never changed. They looked the same the last time I got up close to him. Nothing about him had changed, I now realised. He was still Jeno.
“My birthday present for you is that I’m about to say the three magic words that I have never said in too long of a time because I never believed love was real. And although I still did that last time, it made me realise that these words are worth for someone who decided to stay with me even though they suspected and knew I used it on them.” Jeno brought his face closer, his warm breath breathing against my skin, particularly my lips. He glanced down at it before staring right into my eyes, as if I was the only person in his vision and everything else around us disappeared. I was the only important thing at that moment, and he was as well. His lips brushed him and he whispered, “I love you.” And we shared a kiss.
It was overwhelming, but in the greatest way possible. His lips were soft and slick even in the freezing cold. I wanted the moment to last longer but he pulled away and quickly said, “Was it okay for me to kiss you?” Jeno had a worrying tone. He was still as cautious as ever. I nodded my head. “I missed you. But you have a lot to make up for.” I replied, pulling him closer by gripping his shirt with both my hands. Jeno gave his puppy smile and nodded. “I’ll make it up to you, I promise.” And I knew for a fact that he’d never break any promises.
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shhh-no-ones-home · 3 years
Text
rodeo clown jack daniels x reader
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happy late valentines day! sorry ive been absent for a while ive been writing headcanons on my wattpad rather than new oneshots. if anyone would like to check them out they can be found here :)
Prompt:
"Right now i dont know if i want to kiss you or shove you off a bridge." "can i pick?"
song: shes too tough by def leppard
tag list: @cynic-spirit
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I sat at the one end of the bar and watched whiskey on the other as he looked out the window from his spot in the booth. we had been assigned a new mission together, something small since i was still training. we just had to tag some guy and get out, nothing too serious. i was supposed to be doing all the work but if worst came to worst whiskey was here to pickup the slack. but its really just because he didnt think i could do it and expressed those feelings to champ. He said I was too young, and that he didn't wanna have to babysit me when they started assigning us more missions together. more strenuous missions.
i frowned at the thought and sipped from my glass, haphazardly pulling at the hem of my short black dress. it was already past ten and the target still hadnt arrived. our informant said he would be here. i was starting to lose hope, looking from the bartender as she topped me off  and back to jack again. he nodded at me once, his eyes shifting behind me. i drew my brows before turning, the man stepping up to the bar beside me and ordering.
"ill have what she's having."
he said slyly, looking to me with a smirk. i faked a blushy moment, looking down with a small smile.
"to what do i owe the pleasure?"
i asked, looking back to him as the bartender set his drink down. he offered his hand for me to shake.
"im matt, and im celebrating."
"oh?"
i asked as he downed the whole glass. he nodded quickly, standing closer to my side and placing his hand at my back. i just watched him with a knowing smile as he motioned for another.
"can you keep a secret?"
i nodded slowly, leaning in as he got closer.
"i just closed a very big deal. one that will push my company higher than we've ever been before."
i raised a brow, looking to jack for a split second. he was staring at us intently, his hand on his hip like he was ready to attack at any moment.
"and what does that mean exactly?"
i asked and the man just stared at me until i let out a nervous laugh, one he quickly copied with an enthusiastic boast. he draped his arm over my shoulder and downed another glass.
"it means that if tonight goes well, and im hoping that it does, you could be one very lucky girl."
he said and i drew my brows, sipping my own drink as me moved to sit on the stool beside me, scooting it closer to me.
"is that so?"
i said and he nodded.
"you ever consider being a sugar baby? cause i could take care of you for just a little bit of company."
he said with a wink and my eyes went wide.
"go with me to big branding parties, let me love on you a little bit here and there,"
his voice dropped at the last bit, his hand making its way to my thigh as i crossed one leg over the other.
"keep conversations with me over text, and you could be living very comfortably."
i laughed a little to myself as he began to sway back and forth. fuckin lightweight. i nodded.
"how about we start with a trial run?"
i asked and he wiggled his brows at me, downing a fourth glass.
"is that an invitation to get out of here?"
he asked and i stood.
"you tip that nice woman behind the bar very well and it sure as hell is."
i said and he stood too, stumbling a little into me as he reached for his wallet. i steadied him as he dug into it and slapped two hundred dollar bills on the lacquered wood separating us from her.
"you have a great night."
he told her boldly, wrapping his arm around my waist and turning us around. i nodded to jack quickly before he pulled us closer to the door. i could hear jacks boots against the floor a few feet behind us as we made it outside.
"is it hot out here or is it just you?"
matt asked and i half snorted.
"oh its definitely her."
jack said from behind us, making the guy turn around confused.
"hey man, can i help you?"
he asked and i sent jack a testing look.
"just worried for her safety is all."
jack said and the man laughed.
"shes the one taking me home, you have nothing to worry about cowboy, so just head on back inside."
he instructed, turning back around and trying to walk away with me. then jack grabbed his shoulder harshly, spinning him around and colliding his fist with matts face. i gasped as he hit the ground, seemingly out cold.
"what the hell?!"
i said, kneeling down beside him and turning his face towards me. he just groaned, his eyes still closed as his nose started bleeding.
"i dont like the way he was touching you."
whiskey said and i sent him a stern look.
"this was my mission whiskey, it wasnt up to you."
i said angrily, reaching into my pocket and pulling out the tracker.
"youre bleeding matt, im gonna touch your face."
he groaned again, rocking his head back and forth as he tried to blink his eyes open. it only sort of worked. i touched his nose gently and he hissed, closing them again. i just shook my head, placing the tracker at the tip of the napkin jack handed me, shoving it into the side of his nose that was gushing red. when my phone beeped i knew it was now in the wound and working. i stood up and pressed my finger into jacks chest.
"i cant believe you. in had this."
he sent me a look.
"but now the hard parts over."
he said and i seethed.
"yes i get that on one hand i dont have to go home with him but im mad at you."
i said half annoyed and jack smirked.
"Right now i dont know if i want to kiss you or shove you off a bridge."
"can i pick?"
he asked and i rolled my eyes, looking back down to matt on the ground, eyes closed and hand holding the napkin to his face.
"no."
i said sternly looking back to him and pushing him to the side of the building.
"seriously jack why did you do that? i had this under control."
i whispered and he just stared at matt on the ground.
"i told you, he was creeping me out. and the way he was groping you was just downright disrespectful."
i laughed, taking his attention.
"and what about it?! i would've gotten back to his hotel without you if we'd gone any further anyways, so what does it matter?"
i asked harshly and he looked a little mad.
"unless you're jealous? is that why you told champ you didn't want me here alone?"
i accused and he gripped my arms, turning me and pushing me into the wall.
"i don't get jealous."
he said lowly and i raised a brow.
"then why is the target on the ground and youre all hot and bothered?"
i challenged. his grip on me tightened. we just stared at each other for a moment. he was still fuming but with the silence hung in the air like a noose i could tell he didnt have a valid answer to my question.
"so how long have you had a crush agent?"
i taunted and he let out a long, deep breath.
"im a grown man, i dont have a crush."
he said and i snorted, pressing my knee in-between his legs.
"then whats this jack?"
i said lowly and his gaze darkened.
"that darlin, is desire."
i raised a brow.
"so should i be going home with you instead?"
i asked innocently and he smirked at me.
"think you could tame this horse?"
he said smoothly and i leaned forward, close to his ear as he still had me pinned to the wall.
"why dont you take me to the rodeo and find out."
i bit his earlobe lightly and he pulled away.
"this job is done right?"
he asked and i laughed, looking over his shoulder at matt still on the ground, rolling to his side and pulling the napkin out of his nose.
"i think so."
i said, looking back to jack and he let me go, taking my hand in his.
"sorry about that!"
i yelled, matt looking to me as jack dragged me down the sidewalk.
"so is that a no on the offer?"
he yelled back and i giggled, looking to jack who had a wide smile on his face.
"guess so."
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taexual · 4 years
Text
HOLIC - 50 | jb x reader
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pairing: Im Jaebum x Reader
genre: enemies to lovers au | roommate au
warnings: fluff
words: 3.1k
disclaimer: i do not own the gif, please let me know if it belongs to you, so i can give proper credit
the final chapter is up, let’s get it!
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To say that it was raining cats and dogs would have been akin to saying nothing at all because the precipitation that night resembled a whole downpour of whales much more accurately. You have, of course, experienced rain before and you never really appreciated it much, but as you exited the car outside of the building, you welcomed every drop with a smile on your face. It seemed as though there used to be so many things in life that you’d hated, but tonight, as you texted Jaebum, announcing your arrival at the party, each of those silent moments of hatred seemed to lose all meaning.
The waiter took your coat after you entered the empty loft that you and Jackson had picked out for tonight’s event. Giving him a grateful nod and brushing the wet hair away from your face, you grabbed a glass of champagne by the door and headed for the party. With each step that you took inside of the packed venue – full of people, waiting to hear and to congratulate Jaebum on his debut EP – you watched the white walls of the building come alive with the pictures you’ve taken of Jaebum in Jackson’s studio that very first time you were there.
You wanted to take partial credit for the planning of this event, but really, it had been Jackson’s idea. As soon as you and him started to work together, he didn’t see a point to host your exhibition on a separate night from Jaebum’s release party because the two instances were connected so closely to one another. Jaebum had used you for inspiration when he worked on the songs he’ll be putting out for the world to hear and, similarly, the only pictures you wanted to exhibit for all to see were the ones that featured Jaebum.
Now, smiling as your eyes searched for the live-version of the man in the pictures on the walls, you welcomed the warm memories of all the days leading up to this moment. All the fights and the make-ups. All the kisses and inside jokes. All your shared friends – who were all here, eager to congratulate you and Jaebum both – and all of your shared nights.
The title piece for both, your exhibition and Jaebum’s EP, greeted you in the center of the room, reading in bold letters, “HOLIC. indicating a person’s abnormal desire for something.” Another memory sparked in your mind – you’ve only settled on the title a few nights ago, lying awake next to Jaebum who was tracing symbols on the sensitive skin of your neck—symbols, that were only visible to him—with the tip of his finger.
“I’ve never needed anyone this much before,” he had whispered to you then, “so much that it feels like an illness without a cure.”
You had responded to him with endless confessions of love, lasting all throughout the night and well into the morning, and all was decided.
Admittedly, out of all the memories that the pictures on the walls brought back, the memories of the last few nights before this party were your most favorite ones. Even if thinking about them made you much dizzier – and hotter – than the champagne that was being served here.
“Hey!” Jackson’s shrill voice distracted you and you turned your head to see him and a group of executives you thought you’ve seen around his studio a few times before. “Where’s the boyfriend? We should get some pictures taken of you two together.”
“Oh,” you looked around again. “I thought you were with him. Isn’t he in the back?”
“I don’t know,” Jackson glanced towards the hallway at the end of the room – it lead to a storage room that Jaebum had planned to use to rehearse, “he was waiting for you to arrive.”
“I’ll go find him,” you said and, with a quick nod at the people in Jackson’s entourage, excused yourself.
You didn’t even reach the hallway before you saw the door open at the far end as Jaebum stepped out of the storage room, his shoulders hunched and chest heavy with anxiety. He closed the door, stopping short as soon as he saw you.
“You’re here,” he said and, even though it was too dark to see him, you could hear the smile in his voice. “You look beautiful. Maybe you shouldn’t come closer or else we might miss the entire event.”
You laughed, crossing the hallway anyway, because you haven’t seen him today yet – he’d left early for a soundcheck and refused to bring you along with him, not wanting you to hear his songs early – and that was too long of a time. Jaebum, feeling exactly the same way, had his arms wrapped around you as soon as you stopped close enough for him to reach.
Every kiss you’ve shared since reuniting that night in the lounge room felt so important and special that you both refused to pull away first as if this was the last kiss you’d ever share and neither of you wanted to be responsible for its ending. You didn’t mind losing yourself in him completely whenever your lips touched but, this time, you two were about to start the biggest night of your lives to date and, despite everything, you had to pull away.
“Jackson is looking for us,” you said, reluctantly breaking the kiss—and then regretting it right away because of how alluring he looked from up close. “He said something about getting our picture taken.”
“Ah, that’s right,” Jaebum groaned. He’d already talked about how little wish he had to participate in the promotional aspect of making music – he just wanted to create and to sing – but he knew he wouldn’t get out of it. “Let’s go.”
“Don’t look so sad,” you said, taking his hand into yours as the two of you headed towards the party. “It’s your big night.”
“It’s our big night,” he corrected, pressing a quick, chaste kiss to your cheek just as the two of you emerged from the hallway. The few photographers Jackson had hired for tonight immediately found the two of you, their flashes going off so suddenly and with such vehemence that nearly everyone at the party turned to look. “God, I feel awkward.”
Smiling, you turned to look at him and – not daring to kiss him now that there were cameras on you – chose to fix his tie for him instead. “Don’t. You look great.”
Jaebum watched you as you tightened his tie, his eyes providing the much-needed warmth on this rainy day – the photographers were having a field day and they didn’t even have to try – and then leaned in to whisper into your ear, “I’m so grateful to have you next to me tonight.”
“I love you,” you replied, his hand clutching yours tighter. “I never thought we’d make it this far.”
“I love you,” he echoed, “I never had doubts about this.”
Thankfully, Jackson proved to be not just a great friend and a talented artist – or perhaps a producer? A photographer? A model? The man clearly hated labels – but also a fantastic party host. Another few moments later, when you and Jaebum were already risking permanent eye damage from the camera flashes, Jackson shuffled closer to you, waving his hand around in a manner so authoritative, the photographers ceased their rapid flash fire immediately.
“Let’s get started, yeah?” Jackson asked and, after getting affirmative nods from both of you, he proceeded to walk Jaebum to the platform in the far corner of the room.
A microphone and a stool was already prepared for Jaebum on the platform, the audio engineers giving him a thumbs-up from across the room. Slowly, the background music that had played through the speakers since the party started faded out, and the room prepared to finally hear what they’d come here to hear.
“Thank you for coming,” Jaebum said into the microphone as soon as he climbed on the platform. His voice sounded so sheepish, you could tell that the few elderly ladies behind you had started to giggle because they were falling in love with him, too. “It’s a very special night tonight and I’m happy to get to share it with all of you.”
You wished for nothing more than to stand silently in the opposite corner of the room where you could hear Jaebum’s clear voice but, as soon as he finished his thank-you speech and introduced the first song, you learned that that was absolutely not going to happen.
Your friends were the first ones who approached you, trying to keep their excitement to a minimum but still distracting you from Jaebum’s music. You didn’t mind – it felt so touching to hear their words of support – and you didn’t really mind the people from Jaebum’s agency who approached you next, either, because, for one, you felt like you had to leave a good impression on them, but also, they were unexpectedly supportive as well. Apparently, this was the first acoustic-showcase-turned-photography-exhibition for any artist signed with their label and that was, according to them, a great start for any career.
You got to hear Jaebum finish the first song – and saw how lost in the music he seemed to be on that platform; he looked like he was exploring a different world, far away from the party and the people here – and applauded as loud as every other person in the room before, just as he started to introduce the next song, you were forced to return to the position of co-host and carry on with your own performance.
Apparently, the people who had come tonight weren’t just friends and acquaintances, but complete strangers as well. They had simply gotten curious about an event in their neighborhood and decided to show up. You learned of this when Jaebum’s second song of the night unleashed a chain of people you’ve never met – all of them were curious about purchasing the artwork. Your artwork.
Truthfully, you hadn’t even planned on selling any of your pictures, so, flushed and disheveled, you left them waiting while you scanned the party for Jackson.
“I got this,” he reassured you as soon as you found him – he was chatting up the three elderly ladies from before – and explained the situation. “You go to the front, yeah? He needs to see you.”
“Y-yeah,” you nodded, overwhelmed by so many things happening at the same time. “Thank you!”
Jackson nodded and headed in the direction you had pointed in, while you made your way closer to Jaebum’s platform. For the first few moments, you couldn’t concentrate on the sound of his voice for too long. You kept turning around to check on Jackson who was showing your pictures and bargaining with anyone who was interested. But, before long, Jaebum’s songs ended up captivating you after all. It was simply impossible not to feel yourself wander into the realms he’d created with his soulful music.
Watching him was an all-consuming experience. Jaebum kept his eyes closed for most of the songs but whenever he did allow himself to look at the audience, his eyes always found you by default. That alone was enough to make your heart race but every time he smiled when he looked at you – as if he wasn’t expecting to see you standing at the front, completely transfixed by him – sent you right into a dizzy spell and you were worried you’d conclude this night by passing out before hearing his entire set.
“The last song,” Jaebum announced right when your cheeks were starting to hurt from smiling so much, “is easily the most meaningful one in the EP. It’s about someone who’s really important to me. The most important, actually. Uh, we met under unusual circumstances, to be honest. I caused a lot of damage in this person’s life – I broke furniture, even,” he had to pause until the audience stopped laughing, “I was generally a very big asshole. But this person and I went through a lot a-and I hope we go through a lot more together.”
When Jaebum looked at you before the first chords started to play, you were afraid you looked like a deer caught in the headlights. Your heart was struggling to keep beating as the time around you seemed to come to a stop.
“You and I, who met by accident,” he started the song, the richness of his voice so much more prominent when he was singing live than it was on the record, “you never even thought about us, but my head is completely filled with thoughts of you. I think about you every moment of the day.”
You tried to focus on your breathing because focusing on the words he was singing – the words he might have written about you – was making your hands shake and your eyes water. This could have been the very song Jackson had mentioned when he confronted you at the exhibition you’d attended with Jiho.
“Without missing a single day, no matter where I am, I want to be with you,” he sang and you perked up, recognizing the last line. This was the same song—the same melody, the similar lyrics!—that you’d overheard Jaebum sing to himself in the shower at the motel all of those weeks ago. “I don’t want to be apart, not for one moment. Let’s make a promise, the two of us.”
You’d have promised him anything in that moment—and any moment that followed—as you listened to him sing, your entire body coming alive with each chord. You could feel your pulse throb in your veins, your temples, and your throat all at the same time.
“Each gesture of yours is picturesque. Even when you wake up in the morning, you sparkle,” Jaebum’s voice continued, his eyes catching yours in a loving—and absolutely unyielding—gaze. “It wouldn’t matter if you were shabby, you’re already inside of my heart. Even if someone else comes along, no one compares to you.”
Your throat was dry but your eyes were the complete opposite. You felt the first tears slip out of your control and slide down your cheeks -- just like the raindrops had, outside of the loft -- as soon as Jaebum gripped the mic stand tighter, starting the chorus of the song.
“I can’t stop thinking ‘bout you,” he harmonised, his eyes closing but his heart remaining open as words spilled out from the deepest cavities of his chest, “I am spiraling out of control. All I wanna do is love you, the spot next to me naturally belongs to you.”
You flinched, startled by an unexpected hand that had landed on your shoulder just as the chorus drew to a close. Tearing your eyes away from Jaebum, you saw Jackson next to you – a proud, almost fatherly, smile on his face. He didn’t say anything but the nod of his head confirmed what little doubts you may have had left – this was the song for you. The song about you.
“When I think about it now, it still makes no sense,” Jaebum continued, the feeling of you finally hearing these words so relieving, he couldn’t help the small smile that had crept up to his lips as he asked, “how did I fall for you in such a short time? Even when I close my eyes, I’m thinking about you. I can’t fall asleep, what’s the matter?”
You knew you were going through the most powerful whirlpool of emotions of your life as you felt the tears on your cheeks but couldn’t resist mirroring Jaebum’s smile.
“I don’t know if I’m me, sometimes I get surprised. My image, even if it’s the same, is a little awkward,” he sang, each and every word full of the feelings he’d grasped and pulled out of his heart to put them into the song. “But I think it’s okay – this isn’t so bad, either. As long as I’m next to you, whoever I am, it’s all good.”
You felt so much love for him, you thought you were going to explode. And, in spite of finding the song simply mesmerizing and utterly unforgettable, you suddenly couldn’t wait for it to end because even though he was singing it on a platform a mere few feet away from you, he still felt too far.
“I can’t stop thinking ‘bout you,” he admitted again in the second chorus. When asked later, you’d never be able to tell if he was singing this song at his release party in front of dozens of people, or if he had pulled you away from the crowd to sing to you about all the things he’d insisted he was so bad at saying out loud.
Bowing to deafening applause when the song ended, Jaebum thanked everyone once again, his speech directed at those who came and those who didn’t. He thanked his friends individually. He thanked his label and everyone involved in the creation process. He thanked his family. And he thanked you – but you were already crying too much to make sense of anything he was saying.
As soon as he was finished, he wasted no time before climbing off the platform and, with a smile brighter than the brightest star in the night sky, he made his way towards you. The people were still applauding him when he reached you but he was now focused on something else entirely.
“You didn’t like the song?” he asked with a smile as his hands carefully wiped the tears away from your face.
You laughed at the absurd question, wrapping your arms around him and leaning your head against his shoulder as you whispered, “I loved it. I love you.”
“I love you, too,” he said and the room erupted into a yet another round of applause as he hugged you back, laughing in the same ethereal way that made your heart dance and the rain outside stop, so the whole world could listen.
With the people around you still on a high brought on by Jaebum’s music and with the applause still ringing in your ears, Jaebum took you back into the world he’d created for you and him only -- a world that seemed to be miles away from anyone else and lightyears away from real life. No one wanted to approach you and interrupt. No one dared.
Kissing your temple, Jaebum pulled away slightly to push a stray strand of your hair away from your face and ask, “do you still have doubts if we’ll make it?”
“No,” you answered, your eyes glittering with life and with love. “I think we’ve already made it.”
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472 notes · View notes
unicyclehippo · 4 years
Note
prompt: beau is *brilliant* but is flippant and hesitant to show it. sometimes the nein forget until they're reminded of this. aka beau is more than an athletic prodigy & it shows (i absolutely adore your writing btw & im so so grateful you share it with us)
human feat: prodigy—you have a knack for learning new things
//
it’s blazing hot, the blue sky burned nearly white, and the whole world smells like sulphur and iron and grass. it smells hot, like the world is one careless spark away from bursting into flame.
beau is eight and follows behind the new carpenter from the main house down to the woodshed, where she definitely isn’t supposed to be, and certainly not in the pretty dress she’s been dragged into. she flits from tree to tree, crawls on hands and knees behind the low brick wall that leads down to fields left and the stables and sheds to the right.
‘afternoon, miss beauregard,’ odwin calls to her as she contemplates how to sneak to the next portion of the wall. ‘you feel like standing upright or d’you prefer to wander with a new perspective?’
beau sighs. stands, brushing dust off her hands onto her dress. she frowns over at odwin. ‘how did you know i was there? i thought i hid really well.’
‘aye, you did. didn’t see you once.’
‘then,’
‘my deaf mum would’ve heard you coming, though.’
‘oh.’ beau crinkles her nose. ‘alright. i’ll work on that. what are you doing today?’
‘taking you back up to the house, i imagine.’
‘don’t bother, i’ll just leave again.’
‘i have t’take you back, miss beauregard...’
‘no you don’t. i’ll tell them i made you entertain me. if they even ask, which they won’t. are you doing anything fun?’
‘fun? aye, i suppose so. i’m using the oak wood we got in the last shipment to put together more casks. to put your fathers wine in, see.’
‘i thought the wine was bottled.’
‘it is. eventually. first though, well, after the brewing and fermenting, however that’s all figured, the wine sits nice and tight in the casks for, oh, at least a year. down in the cellars, nice and cool and dark. then he bottles ‘em and sends ‘em out.’
‘huh. and you make the barrels?’
‘aye, some of them.’
‘can i help?’
odwin sucks thoughtfully on his teeth, eyeing the girl for a moment. her dress—pretty as it once was—is already ruined from crawling in the dirt, a tear or two where she’s snagged it in the fence. it isn’t his place to say it but the girl isn’t suited to the indoors. it certainly isn’t his place to say it, but the girl isn’t suited to the parents she has.
he should say no.
‘you’ll be careful,’ he tells her, fuzzy brows settling sternly over dark eyes. ‘my tools aren’t play things, you realise.’ she nods quickly. ‘and you’ll stay put and just watch. i’m not having you lose a finger because of me.’
‘is that likely?’ she asks, intrigued.
such a strange child, he thinks, not for the first time.
‘well, no, not with what i’m doing today,’ he admits.
she steps up right beside him, eight years old and already nearly taller than him. she seemed to grow like a weed—tall and haphazard, all knees and elbows, and all of a sudden. he could’ve sworn she had been a half foot shorter only last week.
‘it’ll be fine then,’ she tells him, and smiles wide enough to show off the gap in her teeth, off to the right where she’d lost the last of her baby teeth.
odwin sighs. hopes this won’t lose him his position. so long as no one sees, it should be fine, right?
the woodshed is large, made for the human who had held the position before him. half-finished barrels, lids, and piles of the untreated wood have been placed around the outskirts of the room. to one side is a table and shelves with his tools and aprons; he ties his around his waist and points to a low stool.
‘you can sit there. don’t—‘ he pulls a bullhead hammer from her hands. ‘don’t touch anything.’
beau sighs. sits.
he endeavours to ignore her, working slowly at the task at hand, but it proves rather difficult. the girl has a pair of eyes on her like nothing else, crystal clear blue and intent on everything around her. for the first few minutes, she had scoured the inside of the shed, noting everything and its place, and then her attention had settled on him and never shifted.
‘how come you’re not bending the planks?’
‘staves.’
‘what?’
‘they’re called staves,’ odwin tells her. pauses a moment to wipe his brow. glancing over at his bare furnace, he can see it’s almost ready for him to begin softening one of the more complete barrels. ‘if i set ‘em in a second hoop, they’d crack. or splinter, and we don’t want that, no miss.’
beau just hums. adjusts her position—seated now upon a small barrel instead of the top-low foot stool—and settles still once more.
it goes on for some time, her asking the occasional question and him answering as best he can—sometimes with little more than a simple, this is how i was taught to do it, and she seems satisfied with that.
finally, when he rolls his shoulders out from their hunch, hammering the staves into alignment, he casts a look over at the girl. pretty layered dress all a mess, a healing scratch on her cheek from an old adventure, scuffed boots and loose laces peeking out from beneath the hem of her skirts. he reverses his hold on the hammer, holds it out to her.
‘care to give it a go?’
blue eyes light up, lightning in a bottle. she doesn’t take a moment to leap up, doesn’t question it for a second.
before too long, with surprisingly few corrections, beau has helped him to put together the first half of a functional barrel. they set it over the low fire, allowing it to soak and soften and eventually to toast, and he draws her back, offers her a cup of water. the jug is warm, almost hot from having sat on his work table all afternoon, and he thinks to apologise for it but the girl doesn’t seem to mind.
strange, curious girl.
‘you did very well today,’ he tells her. ‘you’ve a knack.’
‘what’s a knack?’ she asks, eyes narrowed and lips all a scowl like she expects it to be bad.
‘natural skill. my wife calls it a quickness. somethin’ you pick up real fast. maybe,’ he says, corners of his eyes crinkling with a smile, ‘you were a cooper in a past life.’
beau smiles, a mightily awkward expression on her face. ‘i like making stuff,’ she tells him, and odwin watches her relax into a real smile, big and unrestrained, when he simply nods.
//
‘learning a language is something that will require your full attention, miss lionette. tardiness will not be permitted, and a reluctance to practice will not earn you a reprieve—just more work. am i understood?’
her teacher is a strict woman and reminds beau of a spider. short sleek black bair clings tight to her scalp, and her dowdy grey school marm attire is made of some material that seems fuzzy and sharp all at once. a pair of glass lenses sit at the end of a barely there nose and she looks down at beau through them.
‘am i understood, miss lionette?’
‘huh? oh, yeah.’
‘you will speak in proper sentences in my classroom,’ the spider tells her, before launching into her first lesson.
beauregard is ten and school-bound. it had taken a full decade, apparently, for her dad to reluctantly agree that yup, she’s the one he’s got, and he should make the most of it by actually letting her learn things he would’ve taught the son of his dreams. bookkeeping, mathematics, finances, whatever. all beau takes from it is that the wood shed, the lake, the stables are now all well outside of her reach , locked as she is under the spider’s attention, and so she has to resort actually learning things to keep herself occupied.
the days pass in piles of paper and scratched tally marks on the lid of her desk.
she holds up a hand, ink splattered as usual. she can’t seem to get the grip right, an ache building in the fleshy bit of her palm after only a short while.
‘miss lionette,’ the spider says after a moment, making her wait. ‘you have a question?’
‘i’m done. can i leave?’
‘done?’ the spider coughs a laugh. ‘you had twenty problems, miss lio—‘
‘i’ve done ‘em. can i go now? please?’ she tacks on, remembering that sometimes helps.
the spider’s brows tug high on her forehead. she waves a hand. ‘bring them here.’
beau pushes back. her chair scrapes on the stone floor and the spider winces, an admonishment on her lips that beau ignores in favour of the hopeful flutter in her belly that she’ll actually get to go outside today. maybe even make it to the lake before the sun sets! catch that toad she saw in the reeds last time. she hands the papers over, watches the spider’s mouth pinch in distaste, examining the ink splotched pages. then, little by little, the distaste fades, and her brows crawl even higher.
beau fidgets with the tight collar of this stupid dress she’s in and flicks her eyes to the window.
‘these are well done, miss lionette,’ she hears the spider say.
darts a look up into magnified eyes, a yellow green the same colour of the lake reeds. ‘so i can go?’
‘do you enjoy learning halfling?’
beau huffs a sigh. ‘it’s fine.’ she bites her tongue so she doesn’t ask again. she never gets things when she asks for them too many times; it’s rude, or whatever.
‘you have grasped the basics of it very quickly.’
she shrugs. ‘it’s easy. there’s only four more letters than in common, and they always go with the same other letters. and the grammar is basically the same, except for questions.’
‘ah—yes. that’s very true.’ the spider taps beau’s pages of work into something more regular and sets them aside. then, folding her hands on the desk in front of her, she smiles. ‘you may go play. but i will see you here again promptly, miss lionette,’
‘after lunch tomorrow, i know,’ beau agrees, already breathless with excitement, and she ignores the spider’s reprimand as she tears from the room to her bedroom, struggling out of her dress and into better clothes, things no one minds if she gets them muddied or torn.
//
the monastery is grim and too much like the prison she was just bought out of for beau’s liking. the only thing it has going for it is the whole learning how to punch people thing, and that beau is fine with throwing her whole self into.
she stands rigid as a statue on the borders of the training room, which echoes with shouts of exertion and pain from the other monks. trainees, all with new crisp vestments like the ones she’s wearing, all with their heads shaved too. beau’s eyes are the only part of her that aren’t still, swivelling nearly out of her head as she sees the monks aren’t all human or elven—she sees halflings, half orcs, tieflings even among the intake.
‘here.’ a rough hand shoves a staff into her hands. smooth wood, about six feet. there’s a sudden stabbing pain as she holds it—the wood is white and all too familiar: oak. her trainer doesn’t notice or doesn’t care and she sweeps her own staff down to crack painfully against beau’s ankle, making her jump to the left.
‘hey, watch it,’
‘you watch it, greenstick,’ she retorts, face wide and stoic as a fucking brick. ‘guard.’
she doesn’t tell beau how to do that, but beau has never needed anyone to tell her how to do anything.
for that first day, beau earns bruises and smarting fingers. the day after that, she earns perhaps one less. on the third day, she realises that she can hit them back. a moment after she thinks it finds her trainer reeling back, catching beau’s staff in one hand. she rubs at her sore jaw with the other.
her trainer grins. tosses beau her staff back. ‘usually takes greensticks longer ‘n that. good work. guard.’
//
‘what are you working on?’
‘ah.’ caleb slips a hand over the spines of the books he clutches to his chest. beau doesn’t read too much into it, especially not when he immediately then offers them to her to look at. it’s a protective thing. she gets it.
‘algorithum’s of natural entropy and evolution, transmutation theorem’s, grades three and four, the power of herbalism in ritual—this is for nott’s thing?’
‘ah,’ caleb says again. she obviously had interrupted a train of thought, bursting in on his wandering through the stacks like this. ‘y-yes, yes in a way. and research, always.’
‘cool.’
he takes back his books. blinks owlishly at her.
fuck. she misses owl frumpkin.
‘need any help?’
‘certainly,’ he agrees, more readily now that he has the precious books back where they belong—in his hands, that is, not in their home on the shelves—and he waves to the place at his side for her to join him.
‘wanna tell me what you’re thinking about? maybe i just happen to know some shit about it. at least i can keep an eye out later.’
‘hmm? oh. well, there is—there is a spell, i believe, that halas has... ah... redesigned? it is an advanced form of polymorph—‘
‘polymorph two.’
caleb chuckles. ‘true polymorph, it is called. in some circles. i do not - i am not capable of casting it, but i can recognise it’s...equation. in what i have seen.’
‘mhm.’
‘i believe that if i am able to - to blend it in some way with another spell, perhaps an illusion or...’ caleb trails off, drags a finger over his chin thoughtfully. the scratch, scratch, scratch of his nail over stubble is the only accompaniment to their journey, other than their quiet steps. the library is not busy so late in the evening. not tonight.
‘what about a clerics spell?’ beau suggests. ‘it’d be crossed, ah, spell work—i dunno what you call that—but if you found a way to mix a revivify maybe? or resurrection?’
she stops when she realises caleb has stopped. his eyes—blue, like her own, but so often cool, glacial almost, are nearly white with the fire sparked in them.
‘beauregard,’
‘is that stupid?’
‘it’s brilliant! i don’t know if it will work, it would be mixing magics in a way i have never attempted, but if - the ritual could be prayer, or i have seen - for scrying and communing and the like, certainly rituals are not foreign to clerics,’ he mutters, accent thick as he grows more and more excited about the potential as he says several times. he shifts the stack of books into the crook of one arm and wraps the other around beau’s neck, pulling her in to plant a whiskery kiss to her forehead. ‘brilliant!’
‘ew.’
//
‘dorok! the undercommon is unfamiliar but the word is recognisable—halt!
the nein freeze, ice dripping down their spines as they consider being caught here in the shadow glade, far too close to the beacons for any deception to get them out of. turning, they take in the sight of the guards in their dark, jagged armour. the obvious mistrust on their faces. seeming holds over the nein’s forms, keeping them in their drow appearances, but it hadn’t hit until precisely this moment the drawback of not understanding the fucking language.
‘akarish iv’viosk na-doth rakki ishnau,’ beau calls back to them. her form is bulkier, typical of a drow warrior, and with proud angular features. her tone, though they cannot understand her words, drips with importance.
‘what the fuck is she doing?’
‘shh, shut up,’ jester hisses. ‘just nod when she nods.’
beau nods. the nein nod as well.
the guards narrow their eyes. speak quickly to beau, tone a little less strident, more conversational. she responds in kind and after a long, tense moment, the guards lift their spears and, with a nod, step away.
‘hey!’ drow fjord whispers when they’re gone. ‘what was that! that was fucking sick!’
‘very impressive,’ caleb agrees. ‘but let us keep moving.’
‘definitely. they won’t be gone forever,’ beau agrees. ‘thanks for the seeming, caleb, they can’t see that i’m fucking dripping with sweat. dude—‘ drow beau slaps a hand against fjord’s chest, her eyes wide with only slightly exaggerated fear, ‘they would’ve killed us. like, straight up.’
‘i know! that’s what we thought would happen!’
‘it would have! but you know undercommon now?’ jester says, and asks.
‘yeah, i picked up a couple books and talked to some people while we were in rex - uh - the capital,’ she says carefully, in case the name of the city might set off an alarm.
‘you learned undercommon?’ yasha interjects softly. ‘just like that?’ she clicks her fingers.
‘kinda? i’m a bit rusty,’
‘you’re obviously fine if you tricked those guards,’
‘i think i used the past tense for gardening—oh yeah, i told them we are gardeners so cad, you’d better tell me all you know about, i dunno, tubers.’
‘i’d love to!’
‘sweet. let’s move, people!’
207 notes · View notes
wolferals · 4 years
Text
🍁JEALOUS PARTY🍁
arón piper preference
*
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*
partying with arón includes:
-its usually him basically forcing you to go to a party/a club with him
-you hate people, uncomfortable clothes like tight dresses and heels
-but he convinces you by saying things like „ill buy you icecream tomorrow“ or „alright then ill hook up with a girl tonight“
-you guys were only friends but you hated it when he brought girls to you shared apartment when you were there
-it hasnt happened often though since he‘s not a one night stand guy
-so after you put on some comfortable clothes like jeans and a top paired with sneakers, not heels! he takes you to local parties
-he usually wears stuff like flannels and jeans or basic shirts and some shorts
-one thing you‘ve noticed was that he always smelled amazing when he went to parties
-parties mostly start with him and you having a drink and talking until he leaves to meet some people
-you hated that part
-you were too shy to talk to anyone so you just sat at the bar, had some drinks and looked through your phone
-no guy has ever talked to you, mostly because entire Madrid knows Arón and they notice you with him and probably assume he‘s your boyfriend
-so you were pretty lonely while your best friend was having the time of his life, some flirting, some dancing, some laughing
-until one day
-you guys were at a birthday party held at aròns favorite club
-and you were sitting on a stool sipping on your cocktail
-when suddenly someone tapped on your shoulder and you turned around
-„hey!“
-a very very handsome guy smiled at you
-„hi.“ you smiled back while he sat down next to you
-„what are you doing here all alone?“ he asked you and then ordered himself a scotch
-„my friend left. He‘s somewhere over there.“
-he turned around and then looked back at you
-„that sucks! Why would someone leave a pretty girl at the bar?“
-he was cheesy
-but maybe that was exactly what you needed
-„well i dont know.“
-he laughed and replied:“so whats your name? I‘m Nick.“
-you shook his hand and kept talking to this attractive stranger
-at some point he gave you his number
-you were laughing all the time because he was this guy that was just naturally funny
-and he was sweet
-and seemed really interesting in you
-like no guy ever before
-„you wanna dance with me?“ he then asked
-you agreed happily and he took you to the dance floor
-there you started swaying your hips and didnt even think about anything
-he made you feel alive,
-forget about arón
-yes that way
-you had a lot of fun with Nick
-he made you laugh
-and was good looking as fuck
-you really started to like him
-even tho you didnt know him too well
-when a slower song came on, you decided to get a little closer
-eventually your head was on his chest since he was super tall
-and his arms were around you
-but of course your life wasnt a fairytale
-and someone had to destroy it
-arón
-„hey dude. Fuck off.“
-you looked at aron and couldn’t believe he just did that
-„arón stop it.“ you had to yell due to the loud music
-But arón somehow made nick leave, leaving you sad and angry at the same time
-„what the fuck?!“ you screamed at him
-„y/n you dont know this guy!“
-„i wanted to know him! He was super nice to me.“
-arón grabbed your arm and pulled you away from all the staring people
-„what the fuck is wrong with you? Every time a guy talks to me you have to destroy everything!“
-he grabs your arm a little harder
-„stop youre hurting me! You‘re fucking annoying.“
-he let go of you and just started at you
-you took your chance and made your way out of the club
-and decided to look for Nick to apologize
-but you couldnt find his piercing blue eyes anywhere
-so you stormed out of the club
-aron close behind you
-„y/n come on!“ he yelled
-„no leave me alone.“
-you were crying by now
-not because you loved nick so much or anything
-just because you‘ve had a crush on arón for too long and every time you met a guy who made you forget about him, arón pushed him away from you
-„im sorry!“ he spoke loudly, getting closer
-you then turned around, making him see your tears
-„oh y/n im sorry.“ he said and had reached you by now
-„no stop it! You always do that! You dont know how hard it is to find a boyfriend if you keep me away from everyone. How could I be happy like this? You dont even give me a chance to meet someone.“
-you were crying heavily
-and screaming
-arón was looking at you with big eyes
-„i dont want you to get hurt!“ he screamed back at you
-„but maybe i need that experience! Let me live my own life and stop deciding about who i can meet or not.“
-he grabbed you by the hand and wanted to pull you closer but you slapped him away and said:“just fuck off arón.“ before walking away
-back to your place to lock you in your room and turn on some music so you didnt have to hear his voice anymore
-an hour later you did as you had planned
-you were sitting on your bed, crying, listening to music
-aron had kept knocking on your door for 10 minutes straight but you hesitated to open up
-„im sorry! I dont know why i always do that. I just cant deal with you being sad, it hurts me too. Seeing you cry is shit. And maybe i just cant stand seeing you with guys. Like i dont care if its my friends but i care if its a guy i dont know. Especially if he‘s handsome and you like him. Yes i have issues and im sorry. But please dont hate me, if you like this guy ill help you find him. Even thought it hurts me. But i only want you to be happy. Thats all i care about. And im sorry i hurt you. And im also sorry for not having the courage to tell you this face to face but you‘re an amazing girl and no guy out there deserves you. They dont know you. They dont know what you need. Im the only guy that can read you, i know whats going on in your pretty mind. And im the fucking guy for you do you hear me? One day you‘ll see that i promise, ill show you how good i am for you. Por favor y/n.“
-the second he said your name you faced him, staring into his eyes
-„yo...“ he started
-but was cut off by you smashing your lips onto his
-just by this one kiss you knew how much he meant what he just said
-and internally you were screaming
-your tears were still flowing down your face
-but this time out of happiness
-he loved you
-and you loved him
-and even though he can be a lot, he‘s still pretty fucking amazing
28 notes · View notes
datleggy · 4 years
Note
A hazing you say, to you say, do tell us more please.
oh839ruef it is 6am and im still drunk from the nite before so forgive this mess but u asked for it >:]
TK hasn’t been sleeping well at all; just a bunch of restless nights in a row, all of these thoughts keeping him awake.
Thoughts of his ex boyfriend—almost fiance’—thoughts of his father’s diagnosis—what would he do without him in his life?—and of course, those pesky little thoughts called addiction, which never really leave his subconscious, not even on the good days…
He ends up falling asleep in one of the trucks when he’s supposed to be cleaning, but God, he can’t help himself, he’s exhausted and the cushions are so warm and inviting.
Only minutes later Judd and Marjan come across TK, who’s sleeping soundly, (for the first time in over a week, though they wouldn’t know that) instead of doing his work, and the conniving begins!
They call Paul and the probie over.
“This is team building,” Judd tells Paul, when he asks, not for the first time, if they really think this is the best idea. “A little hazing never hurt nobody.”
Marjan, who’s grinning from ear to ear, agrees wholeheartedly. “Yeah, c’mon! Hurry up with the hose probie!” 
One moment TKs resting peacefully and the next he’s being forcibly dragged out of the rig, giant arms wrapped around him so tight it’s impossible for a half awake TK to wiggle his way out of them.
“Wakey wakey sleepy head!”
He barely has time to react when he’s suddenly being hosed, the water pressure enough to fully wake him. Coughing now and struggling against whoever is holding him still, TK only manages to break free when another set of strong hands grab hold of his shoulders and pull him away from the harsh spray of water hitting his face and chest.
“That’s enough, you guys tryna’ drown him?” Paul shakes his head, grimacing as he looks down at the kid in his arms. TK is soaked through and through.
TK coughs into the crook of his arm, gasping for air. When he finally looks up at the rest of the crew, Judd is expecting some kind of animosity, but what they get instead, is a mischievous grin, “You guys know payback’s a bitch, right?”
Matteo instantly drops the dripping hose like it’s on fire and tries to defend his actions. “They made me do it!”
Marjan huffs, putting away the phone she’d been using to record the whole thing up until now, glaring at the probie. “Scaredy cat.” then she turns around and points the finger at Judd, grinning. “Anyway, it was all his idea.”
Judd raises a brow at her, acting betrayed. “No loyalty, huh?”
Paul pats TKs wet shoulder and sighs, “I tried to stop them, if that’s any consolation.”
TK coughs again, rubbing at his chest, “I mean, a little warning woulda’ been nice.”
Paul raises his hands, “Hey man, you might be canoodling with a cop, but I’m no snitch.”
TK is less than thrilled by all the teasing ‘Oooh’s’ and ‘Aaah’s’ that follow Paul’s comment. “Yeah yeah,” TK’s cut off by another cough. And then another, and another. And after a few more coughs TK realizes he can’t stop, his chest tight, and fuck.
He remembers being six and suffering from asthma up until the age of ten, maybe.
But it’s been over a decade now since his last attack, this can’t be that, can it?
“Hey man, you alright?” Judd reaches for TK, a hand on his shoulder, brows knitted in concern.
TK continues his coughing fit, but manages to shake his head no. The air around him feels thin and his chest is starting to hurt.
Judd blinks, “Shit, you’re not pullin’ my leg, are ya’?” He looks to Matteo, who’s standing there looking about as petrified as he feels at the moment, “Something’s wrong, get Captain Blake, quick!” he orders.
Probie wastes no time, practically tripping over his own two feet in his haste.
Paul helps Judd get TK into a sitting position on the floor, guiding him with gentle but firm hands. “TK, look at me, just shake your head yes or no, do you have asthma?”
TK gasps for air between his bouts of coughing, he shakes his head no but realizes that’s not completely true, “When,” he pauses to cough, wincing and clutching at his chest, “When I was little.” he admits.
Marjan curses. “I’m gonna’ get Cap.” She’s not sure what that’s gonna’ do—she doubts Owen has a spare inhaler from when his kid had asthma over ten years ago, handy on him—but she’s seen the way the two interact, if nothing else, the older mans’ presence will help TK feel a bit less panicked.
Both Captains get there at almost the same time, one after the other, both bending at the knee to get face to face with the young firefighter.
Owen doesn’t have to ask what’s wrong, when he sees his son, because the scene is all too familiar, though it’s been years since the last time it happened. “It’s an asthma attack.” he tells Blake, “He hasn’t had one since he was ten.”
Blake nods, already digging into her kit for a rescue inhaler. “TK, open up, I need you to take two puffs, breathe in slowly for five seconds and try to hold your breath for ten, it’ll help the medicine get into your lungs, can you do that for me?”
TK nods anxiously, letting her press down on the inhaler. He tries to do as he’s told but ends up coughing up the puffs before they can be fully absorbed. “S-sorry.” he can’t catch his breath and the wheezing is only getting worse.
“It’s ok, you’re gonna’ be ok, let’s try it again.” Blake helps him a second time, with Captain Strand now behind TK, rubbing up and down his back encouragingly. “Ready? Slow breath TK, slow breath, c’mon.”
This time TK is able to hold his breath long enough that he can feel the albuterol taking effect on his lungs. Dizzy with relief and beyond exhausted by the exertion, TK nearly falls backwards.
Thankfully Owen is there to catch him, wrapping his arms around the kid carefully and breathing out his own sigh of relief. “Jesus TK.” That’s another gray hair for the books.
TK pats the arm around him, “I’m good.” he assures his dad, though it comes out breathy and short. But he is fine now, just tired, and frankly, embarrassed about having an asthma attack of all things, in front of the entire crew. He tries to get up on his own two feet but the moment he’s standing upright another dizzy spell hits him and if not for Judd who steps in to support him, he’d have ended up right back down on the floor again. “Thanks.”
Judd looks down at him, guilt etched onto his features. “Don’t thank me, Christ kid, I’m the reason all this happened. Shit.”
“What did happen?” Owen asks, looking like a disappointed dad as he stares at his team, all of whom are looking down in shame.
TK rolls his eyes, though it’s hard to act like it was no big deal when he’s still holding onto Judd like a day old calf who just can’t seem to get his legs under him yet. “Dad, it was nothing, it’s not their fault, I—” he doesn’t want to admit the truth. That it’s all the nights of little to no sleep for over a week now that exasperated his asthma, and that the hazing thing only helped push it that little bit over the edge.
“It was my fault.” Judd cuts in, seeing the look of conflict on TK’s face. “I thought a little hazing wouldn’t hurt, but it was stupid as hell and childish and it nearly got TK killed.” he turns to the younger man in his arms. “I’m so sorry man, that was reckless—”
Marjan interrupts, squeezing TK’s shoulder from the side. “It wasn’t just Judd, I ran with it too, I’m sorry TK.”
Paul and Matteo take responsibility too, gathering around TK to apologize.
Though the Captain is grateful that the crew are seemingly handling this among themselves, he still feels the need to say something. “Hazing is for college fraternities and has no place in the work place, and I hope this is the first and last time we need to have this conversation, do I make myself clear?”
This is followed by a chorus of guilty little “Yes Captain”’s.
Hours later, when everything has calmed down and most everyone is in their own bunk, getting ready for bed, TK finds himself in the kitchen, making himself a pot of coffee.
Paul joins him as he’s about to take his first sip. “Nuh uh.” Paul snatches the cup away and pours it down the drain. “That is not what you need.”
TK would be offended if he had the energy, but as it is, he’s just too tired. All that comes out is a faint, “Hey, that was mine.” and it comes out whiny.
“I’m making you some tea.”
TK huffs. “I wanted coffee.”
Paul clears his throat, already boiling the water. “You know…if you ever need to talk, we’re all here for you.”
TK looks away, biting his bottom lip. “I’m fine.”
“If you say so. I just think you need reminding that it’s ok not to be fine sometimes, and it’s even more ok to talk to someone about it, even if all the other person can offer is an ear to listen.” he goes about preparing the tea, throwing in a spoonful of honey for good measure.
TK takes the warm mug, grumbling about his coffee all the while. After a few sips he looks up at Paul, who’s sitting on the stool with his own cup of tea. “I um, it’s not a big thing, I just haven’t really been sleeping. It’s just…” he knows his dad hasn’t told too many people about his cancer yet, and he doesn’t want to go spilling the beans. “It’s a lot on my mind lately, that’s all. And then last week my ex sent me this stupid text telling me I still had some clothes at his place, if I wanted to go pick them up—what the hell am I supposed to say to that? It’s been over three months, why now?”
Paul shakes his head, sipping his tea. “That asshole.”
TK lets out a surprised laugh at the amount of righteous anger in Paul’s voice on his behalf. “Right?!”
They spend a good hour just talking—mostly shit about his ex, and then shit about some of Paul’s exes, and then about life in general—and before he knows it, TK’s downed his entire cup of tea and his head is laying on his arms on the countertop, and his eyelids are so heavy he can barely keep them open.
He hears voices above him, but they’re quiet voices, “Hey big guy, wanna’ help me get him to bed?”
“Yeah, I got sleepin’ beauty.” he can’t mistake that Texan drawl for anyone else but Judd, and soon he feels himself being lifted into a pair of strong arms, and he knows he should be embarrassed to be carried off like this, but he’s too tired to really care and Judd’s surprisingly gentle.
He’s laid to bed and for the first time in a long time, he sleeps soundly throughout the night.
61 notes · View notes
kirishwima · 4 years
Note
Male Mc headcanons,, please,, And mc could be like the same height as female mc just because it would be funny.
a short male MC it is! idk why but i imagine him to be v feisty and will break someone’s kneecaps if they mention anything about his height.....maybe that’s just because im also short tho lmao
ZEN:
* He’d probably have the hardest time out of all of them accepting that MC’s a guy
* The potential there’d be if MC was a cute girl.....woe is he.........
* It’s not that he can’t appreciate a good looking guy; it’s more that he’s probably never felt attracted to another man and this dude stirring up all sorts of trouble with his big and cheery personality in the messenger, and the sweet way he cares for Zen makes him feel Some Sorta Way he can’t really name
* When MC comes to Zen’s apartment and he opens the door for him he looks straight ahead....only to see nothing and have to look a little further down instead, only to meet MC’s grumpy face as MC realises just how much taller than him Zen is
* If Zen even tries to mention their height difference he will get a kick in the shins and a ‘it’s you that’s freakishly tall okay! Have fun knocking your forehead onto door frames and stuff’ along with a huff that okay, why is Zen finding another dude’s huff to be this freaking cute?!
* He’ll eventually come around to the idea of liking another guy, and he’ll probably be just as posessive as he’d be with an MC of any other gender; if anyone even looks at his MC funny they’ll be met with Zen’s Death GlareTM
* Will brag about his boyfriend to the press, which would probably make the entirety of his fandom on tumblr scream tbh 
JUMIN:
* He....literally doesn’t care? Lmao
* This dude is completely indifferent to gender, he’d never think twice about wether MC’s a man or any other gender.
* When MC comes to his penthouse, he’s shocked and delighted to find this short man on his doorstep. He’s like a little cat!
* He wouldn’t mention their height difference, careful as to not offend MC, but he’d point it out in subtle ways, be it helping MC grab something from a higher shelf, or hugging them from behind and resting his chin on the top of their head
* There’s only one, very very significant difference to the fact that MC’s a man...
* We now have an answer to Does Jumin Han is Gay
JAEHEE:
* ??? Doesn’t care???? 
* Pretty much same as Jumin more or less
* It took quite a while for her to even start to look at MC from a romantic perspective, so  she didn’t really care about neither their gender nor appearance
* It might’ve been really hard for MC at first when he was falling for Jaehee-seeing her constantly mention how beautiful Zen is with his tall frame and long legs was a big hit to MC’s ego, as he looks to his own height
* When he and Jaehee get together though, she assures him she couldn’t care less about how tall he is-she doesn’t love him for his appearance, she loves him for who he is and for the inner beauty he’s shown her
* Besides, she finds it endearing almost how they’re pretty much the same height. They’re the cutest couple around!!
* He’ll try and do the ‘grab-that-thing-that’s-too-high-up-for-you’ thing only to fail miserably, which would probably lead to a fit of giggles from Jaehee as she leaves to bring one of the stools they keep around the coffee shop to help them reach high-up items
YOOSUNG:
* Like Zen, he’s also really shocked to realise he’s falling for a guy
* It’s not that he cares about gender much; he’s had crushes on both men and women before, but this would be the first time he’s actually dating a guy well, daitng anyone really
* He’s also a short guy so it’s perfect!!
* If he’s even a little taller than MC he’ll never shut up about it-even if it pisses MC off, he’ll just be happy to tease him and call him his pint-sized boyfriend, much to MC’s dismay
* He’ll brag about MC to his online friends, and if anyone even dares to make the smallest negative comment, they’ll be immediatly and magically (*cough* Seven *cough*) expelled from any and all interaction with Yoosung, as well as have their social media accounts suddenly full of NarutoxSasuke fanfiction links
SEVEN:
* He’s a raging bisexual, so his flirting and memey way of talking would be the exact same as if MC were any other gender!
* He’ll definitely try and get MC to crossplay with him; if MC agrees he’ll make them into the prettiest looking pair of maid cosplayers and send a bunch of photos to the RFA group! If not well, Seven will be happy to crossplay just for MC *wink wonk*
* Loves his short boyfriend so much!! He’ll make short jokes all the time, even if he gets an elbow to the ribs each time he does so within MC’s vicinity
* He’ll absoloutely crouch down when talking with MC to ‘hear them better’
* MC keeps promising Seven he’ll protect him from anything and anyone that ever dares try to harm him, puffing his chest and standing tall across Seven which...barely brings him to the height of Seven’s shoulder, and who’s he trying to kid, he has the cutest little protector in the whole wide world!
* LOVES to pick MC up like a sack of potatoes and just take him with him around the house. He’ll be certain to use MC’s short frame to his full advantage~
V:
* Oh
* Oh nO
* This boy is t a l l, he’s a mini-giant, and he has bad eyesight....which is a big issue when he and MC meet face to face....
* ....mainly because he absoloutely failed to notice MC right in front of him and stumbled straight into him, throwing them both down to the floor
* Like Jumin, attraction has nothing to do with gender for V, so he doesn’t care at all wether MC’s a man or any other gender. He also genially doesn’t care about appearances at all, this sweet boy is all about the soul and inner beauty.
* He never means to insult MC about his height, but it often accidentantly comes acrosss that way, be it by his constant offering to help with things that are out of reach for MC, or by the fact that he often leans his elbows onto MC’s shoulders, using him as his own little restpost.
* MC can’t even be really mad though....V loves him so much for who he is, tall or short and MC just loves his freakish giant boyfriend just as much
* Although he’d have to ask V to lean way way down everytime he wants to kiss him, which’d be embarassing as heck for MC lmao
This was harder than I thought orz, im not used to writing for MC as a specific gender ;u; hope you like it nontheless~
-Send me a mystic messenger scenario/headcanon for character(s) reactions!-
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benhardyisdaddy · 5 years
Text
Check Up
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MASTERLIST 
(here it is babies :’) that request yall have been wanting and i hope u like it, im sorry if its not as good. i literally don’t know any doctor terms so yeah i guessed LOL ily all sm BYEEE)
Word Count: 2,675
The bell on the door jingles as you open it up. Cool air washes over you as a slight chill creates tiny goosebumps all over. You walk inside the building and look around. There are two old women in the waiting room and they’re both reading magazines. You looked towards the front desk and slowly walk up. A young, pretty brunette greets you with a wide smile.
“Hi, do you have an appointment?” she asks cheerfully.
You can’t help but smile back. Hers was so contagious.
“Um, yeah. I have an appointment with Doctor Taylor.” you say.
You were at your six month checkup at the gynecologist. You hadn’t been going like you were supposed to, so you are starting to change that. This was a brand new doctor you chose and you were slightly nervous. You were sure that this man was old and had been in this line of practice for a while.
“Oh, perfect. Miss (Y/L/N)?” she asks, confirming you.
“That’s me.” you reply back, smiling.
The lady nods and types for a moment on the computer. You glance around and take in everything. Everything was marble and almost beautiful. It was clean and you were comfortable with your decision on choosing this place. The lady looks back to you.
“Alright, Miss (Y/L/N), you’re all checked in. We have everything we need so just take a seat and you’ll be called back shortly.”
You thank the lady and find a seat facing the door. You sit down and fidget with your hands. You were use to a women being your doctor, so having a man do it was almost nerve wracking to you. You shake your leg and space out deep in thought, not even noticing the door open up and a women looking around.
“(Y/N)?” she calls out.
You look up quickly and stand. She smiles to you as you walk towards her.
“Hi, (Y/N). Just gonna take you back to your room and get you all settled in.”
You walk down a narrow hallway and pass by a closed door. A man was speaking on the inside and you couldn’t help but catch his voice. It was smooth and attractive and you caught yourself wishing you could see the face behind it. The nurse leads you to a room all the way in the back and you step in. A table is sat in the middle of the room and a hospital type gown is folded neatly on top of it.
“Alright, so if you wouldn’t mind taking off your jeans and underwear and putting the gown on. When you’re done, just sit on the table and the doctor will be in here with you shortly. He’s just finishing up with a patient.”
You nod and sit your purse down on a table in the corner.
“You’re in here for just a check up, correct?” she asks.
“Oh, yeah. Just a check up.”
The nurse writes something down on her clipboard and looks up to smile.
“Alright, perfect. So just change your clothes and you’re all set.”
You thank the woman as she exits the room and closes the door behind her. You hurriedly slide your pants and panties off and sit them next to your purse on the tiny table. You rush to the bed and slide onto it. The paper under you crinkles as you situate yourself. You look around and stare at the giant posters on the wall that describe the female anatomy and get lost in the very descriptive illustrations. You’re brought back to reality when there’s a slight knock on your door. You sit up straight and make sure you’re covered properly.
“Come in!” you call out.
The door slowly opens up and a head peeks in.
“Just making sure you’re decent, love.” says a familiar voice.
“Oh, I’m-”
Your words are cut short when the man fully enters into the room. Your eyes open wide as a handsome, young blonde man enters. The complete opposite of what you were expecting. He was so good looking and now, even worse, you were self conscious. Why didn’t I shave my legs today, you harshly think to yourself. The man looks at you and stares almost a second too long. You watch him shake his head as he tries to clear his mind.
“Um, hi, Miss (Y/L/N). I’m Doctor Taylor. I see here that you’re in for a check up?” he asks, not able to look up at you.
That voice. That was the voice you had heard earlier and wanted to see the face behind it. Now you did and you were not disappointed. This man so gorgeous that it made your cheeks burn and you know that he noticed.
“Um,” you clear your throat, causing him to look up. “Yeah. My check up. Yes.”
He looks at you with those big blue eyes and you can’t look away. How in the world was this man a gynecologist and not a full time model? Why are you so flustered right now? Stop thinking about this! Doctor Taylor nods his head and places your chart on the counter. He grabs a few latex gloves and slides them on. He walks back over to you and licks his lips.
“If you can just lay back and place your feet onto the sternums.” he half whispers.
You stare at him as you lean back and spread your legs. He glances over at you and tenses his jaw as you spread them. You take in a breath as you place your feet in the sternums.
“So, Miss (Y/L/N),” he starts.
“You can call me (Y/N).” you say, looking at him.
Roger freezes and smirks to you.
“So, (Y/N), you seem nervous.”
Your eyes open slightly at his bluntness.
“Oh, um. I don’t know…” you say fast.
Roger smiles and sits down on a stool.
“Guess I’ve never had a gynecologist so hot before.” you say before you can catch yourself.
You freeze and can’t believe you actually just said that out loud. Roger smirks once again and looks up to you, watching your cheeks turn red.
“Well,” he starts. “Guess I haven’t had a patient as beautiful as you.” he says quickly, suddenly realizing the words falling from his lips.
Now it’s his turn for his cheeks to burn red. You bite your lip and feel a sudden burst of confidence hit you.
“Bet you say that to all your patients.” you joke.
Roger takes in a breath and half laughs.
“Only the ones I put my fingers in.” he says with a quick wink.
Fuck. That one made something dark in your stomach rise. Oh no. You felt your heat starting to get wet. No, no, no! Not right now! Not here! You squeeze your legs together and Roger notices. He clears his throat and scoots closer to you on the stool. He brings himself in front of your legs and watches you closely.
“Well,” you start. “Now I know why you have so many good reviews online.” you tease.
Roger suddenly feels his cock twitch in his pants as he catches sight of your panties on the table in the corner. He couldn’t get horny right now. That was so inappropriate. He attempts to clear his head, but that doesn’t help.
“Good thing you read them.” he says back, another wink. “Alright, I’m just gonna have you, um, spread your legs for me, doll.” he says quietly.
You bite your lip and open them up, feeling cool air hit you. Roger’s hand reaches towards you and he pauses.
“Just gonna check you now. Gonna insert a finger in you.”
You bite your lip and stare up at the ceiling, awaiting for it. Suddenly there’s a brush against your heat and a finger lingers at your entrance. You hold your breath as he slowly pushes it into you. You hold back a moan, but a heavy breath escapes you and it doesn’t go unnoticed by Roger. You were so wet and slick around his covered fingers. He knew what arousal was, and this was definitely it. He was so attracted to you, he couldn’t help his next actions. He could tell you liked him too.
“I’m gonna add a second finger, alright?” he asks, his pants extremely tight.
You nod fast and squeeze your eyes shut. Roger suddenly slides in a second finger and this time you moan. You don’t mean to, but it happens. Roger pauses his movements and your eyes fly open. Okay, you think to yourself. He definitely heard that. Your heart is beating fast as you lie there motionless. Suddenly, Roger slides his fingers even deeper into you and slightly curls them. You don’t hold back your moan this time and bite your lip.
“Doctor Taylor,” you gasp out.
“Call me Roger.” he whispers.
You grip the paper beside you as it crinkles up.
“Roger… I, um…”
“Do you want me to stop?” he asks, almost disappointed.
But his disappointment subsides when you breathe out a fast no. He smiles and curls his fingers once again. Your hospital gown had risen up and he could see your heat. It was glistening with your juices. Juices that were now dripping onto the paper under you. His crotch ached as you try to catch your breath. Just then, Roger adds another finger. This time you buck your hips forward and pause. Roger quickly slides them out of you and you take in a deep calm breath.
“(Y/N)-” he goes to apologize to you.
“Do you by chance want to fuck me as bad as I want to fuck you?” you ask, sitting up on your elbows to look at him.
Your face had suddenly turned very serious as you look him up and down. Roger gulps and a smile slowly forms on his face.
“You’re a blunt girl, aren’t ya?” he asks.
You smirk and shrug.
“Not every day my gyno is a super hot guy. I’m also really good at knowing what I want.” you say. “And right now, I really, really want you. As bad as that sounds.”
You look down at the huge bulge in his pants and smile.
“I’m so fucking happy you said that.” he says, walking closer. “Been thinking it this whole bloody time.”
You smirk and watch as his eyes look at your now very exposed lower half.
“On your back. Spread your legs.”
You listen to what he says. Roger sits back down on his stool and peels off his gloves, tossing them to the floor. He runs his hand over your thighs slowly as he stares at your heat.
“I never do this.” he says low. “Never.”
“Good, because neither do I.”
Rog smirks up to you then lowers his head, attaching his lips directly to your swollen clit. You moan and place your hand over your mouth. The feeling of his tongue swirl around your overly sensitive nub was amazing. You wanted this man from the moment you heard his bloody voice, and now his head was between your legs. Some kind of doctor appointment this is. You grab his hair with your free hand and pull harshly. Roger moans against you and you gasp at the vibrations.
“You taste so fucking good.” he whispers against you.
“Feels so fucking good.” you reply back.
You feel your legs begin to shake and you didn’t want to cum just yet.
“Wait! Not yet!” you cry out, but not too loudly.
The fact anyone could walk through that door was almost exciting to you. Roger backs away and wipes his mouth off.
“I just really wanna know how you feel.” he confesses.
You feel your heart beat fast as you grin at him. He suddenly stands up and looks down at you.
“On your feet. We only have five minutes left.”
You sit up and slide off of the bed. Roger cups your face and begins kissing you harshly. You can taste yourself on his tongue. You moan into him as he trails his hands on your lower back and squeezes your bare butt.
“Turn around and bend over.” he whispers.
You spin around quickly and lean yourself over the edge of the bed. Roger’s behind you as he rubs his fingers up your folds.
“I never do this.” he repeats himself as he pulls down his pants, freeing his hard cock.
“I know,” you laugh. “You said that.”
Roger spreads your legs even more and begins rubbing himself up and down on your wet heat, coating himself.
“I know. Just making sure you know.”
He continues rubbing and then pauses.
“I’m gonna fuck you hard and quick, got it?” he whispers.
You lean forward even more and wiggle your butt at him. He lets out a low growl and without warning, slams himself into you. You go to yell out, but his hand is brought to your mouth and covers it. Roger wasn’t joking. He was fucking you hard and fast. Giving you no time to adjust to him. He slams into you and doesn’t stop. He angles his hips and thrusts once more, hitting your sweet spot each time. Your eyes roll in the back of your head as he repeatedly hits it.
“Oh, fuck. Oh, fuck.” you mumble into his hand.
“I’m gonna cum.” he whispers, his voice shaky.
You feel him twitch inside of you. His other hand grips your hip to help roll yourself onto him. Roger leans his chest into your back and his heavy breathing turns you on even more. What were you doing? You come in to get a check up, and now you’re fucking your doctor. Guess you can cross this one off your bucket list.
“You feel so fucking good.” he moans out. “Who made you this wet again?” he teasingly asks.
“Y-You.” you mumble in his hand.
He smirks and continues ramming into you.
“I’m… I’m gonna cum. Where do you want me to cum?” he asks quickly, removing his hand.
“On my- Ah, shit! On my face!” you say fast.
Just then you orgasm hits you out of nowhere and hard. Roger replaces his hand over your mouth as you bite it. Your legs shake fast and your whole body convulses underneath him.
“Good girl. Good girl.” he praises you.
You come down from your high as Roger still slams into you. His thrusts become sloppier.
“I’m about… I’m about to cum! Fuck! Here I go!” he whispers out.
He pulls out of you and you drop to your knees. You look up to him and open your mouth wide, your tongue darting out. He looks down at you and watching you on your knees, ready for his cum to fill your mouth, is what pushed him over the edge. Roger jerked himself off a few more times and suddenly his seed spurts out of him and all over your mouth and tongue. You close your eyes and allow the warm liquid to run down your throat. Roger’s body shakes as his eyes roll back. He jerks once more and it’s done. You close your mouth and swallow all of him. Roger catches his breath and his eyes are hooded. He watches you stand back up and wipe your mouth off.
“Shit…” he whispers as he zips his pants back up.
“Best doctor appointment ever. Now I know why you have so many good reviews.” you say with a wink, causing Roger to laugh loudly.
He walks up to you and smiles.
“That was amazing. Thank you.” he says, moving a piece of hair out of your face. “Will I see you in another six months, or?” he asks, looking a bit sad.
“I was thinking about making my appointments weekly.” you say causing him to smile. “Or... You could just take me out to dinner.”
Roger smirks and leans his face awfully close to yours.
“As long as I get to do that again.”
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red-pill-blue-pill · 5 years
Text
Don’t fear the reaper. John Wick.
Okay hear me out. This is the first thing I’ve written in like 5 or 6 years. My first language isn’t even english so if I made any mistakes (which im pretty sure I did) please tell me so I can improve and learn. I’m kinda nervous cause I’m new to this world so feedback is appreciated.
Inspired by Don’t Fear The Reaper by Blue Öyster Cult (spoiler: no one dies)   
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Warnings: swearing???, injured character, maybe a little angst.
Word Count: 2970 (i didn’t count the lyrics).
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All our times have come Here but now they're gone Seasons don't fear the reaper Nor do the wind, the sun or the rain, we can be like they are
John and her had known each other since they both entered the bussiness. He was a very difficult man emotionally speaking. His past and not-so-past life had been a mess and it had caused him to put up the highest walls she’d ever seen. The first couple of months their relationship had been almost non existent: everytime she tried to nudge at those huge brick walls they would get higher and higher, making almost impossible the development of their friendship. 
However, time passed and John let part of his walls come down with a loud clump that only she was able to hear. She started noticing the little things such as how he would ask her to call everytime she ended a job just to know she was safe and sound, how he would make an effort to spend some time together, learning a bit about eachother’s life... It was nice having someone to come back to, something that kept their will to live on the surface as long as it was possible. 
As months passed by, she started seeing him in a new light. Maybe it was because of how he smiled when he saw her entering the room, the way she felt his hand linger those extra seconds on her waist when he had to walk past her, or maybe because of the way his brown sparkly eyes looked intently at her everytime she told one of her childhood stories. Maybe it was the fact that he was the most beautiful man she had ever seen and she couldn’t believe it had taken her this long to notice. How could she miss that perfectly trimmed beard that framed his lips in the most sinful way? That fluffy lock of hair that fell on his face everytime he shook his head with laughter? And do not get her started on those big hands that could shoot guns and throw knifes in the most precise way she’d ever seen.
In the end, it all added up. 
But it was impossible. For starters there was no way he would like her back. She had always seen herself as a beautiful and powerful woman capable of getting whoever she wanted but John was way too special. She had always been able to read people, and she took pride in that, but he was like a closed book. Of course he had finally let his guard down when they were together, but she still couldn’t see past those half demolished walls. He was careful around her as if not to show more affection that he was supposed to, always marking his distance and, although they were already friends, he kept things rather professional between them. 
Come on baby, don't fear the reaper Baby take my hand, don't fear the reaper We'll be able to fly, don't fear the reaper Baby I'm your man
She had just finished a job. She got into her room, kicked off her boots and sat on her bed to take off her pants. A loud sigh left her lips as she did, realizing she was more tired than she thought. She got into her oversized t-shirt and her pijama shorts and got into the bathroom. She looked at the mirror and saw her tired face, the black circles under her eyes were combined with some fresh cuts across her forehead and cheeks. Her hair was all ruffled up and she groaned. The last thing she wanted to do in that moment was combing her stupid hair, she’d rather shave it off. 
After a few seconds she finally gave in, her hands working to untangle the knots that had formed in her hair as the result of a little fight she had got herself into. Someone knocked at the door and she invited whoever it was to come in. John leaned against the door frame and stood there, a grin spreding across his face as he watched her fight her hair.
-I don’t think it’s funny.-  She said as she turned to look at him, hand pulling at the biggest knot.  -Now that you’re here you could actually help me.-
He chuckled and got into the bathroom, pushing her a little bit forward so he could fit behind her. She looked into the mirror and saw John silently get to work with her hair. His hands carefully pulling as he untangled the few knots left. 
-You didn’t call.-  he stated as he looked at her through the mirror, voice low and calm.
-What?-  she asked confused. 
-When you finished the job. You didn’t call me. I was worried.-  he couldn’t hide the nervousness that lingered after that hour of incertainty waiting for her call. He reached for the cotton pads and the disinfectant that rested on the shelf next to the mirror. 
-I’m sorry. I totally forgot. I was so tired I just wanted to lay in bed and fall asleep.-  she said, voice quivering a bit at the thought of making him worry. 
John motioned her to sit on the toilet and he got on his knees, damping a cotton pad with the disinfectant and lightly tapping on the cuts that covered her face. She hissed and he placed his large hand on her thigh to reassure her. -I guess sometimes I worry too much.- 
She looked at him, his brows knitted in concetration as he finished with the cuts in her forehead. She put her hand above his on her leg and he looked her in the eyes. He studied her face not letting a single detail escape his gaze. Even though the black circles under her eyes were more visible than ever she still looked like an angel, a very tired one, but an angel nontheless. She ran her fingers through his hair, putting back a few strands that fell across his face. He instinctively closed his eyes and relaxed under her touch. -Can you stay the night? Please?- 
John’s eyes shot open and he looked at her, surprised by her question. Not that they hadn’t slept in the same bed before but it was never properly asked, it kind of just happend. Her eyes were watering and she blinked fast, standing up as fast as lightning, her hand leaving his soft hair. -I mean you don’t really have to, that was a stupid question, just ignore i-
-I’ll stay.- he cut her off as he stood up too and placed the cotton pads and disinfectant back in the shelf. She stopped in her tracks just by the bathroom door and turned to look at him, a look of hope in her eyes. He smiled shyly at her. -I want to.- Of course he wanted to. He was head over heels for her, he would’ve stayed even if it meant sleeping in a bed of nails. 
They got under the covers, both laying next to the edge of the bed, a sea of unspoken words between them. She turned around facing him and he turned his head at the sudden movement. They stared at eachother for what felt minutes, the dim moonlight that filtered through the window shining agains their skin, until she spoke, voice barely above a whisper. 
-Do you mind if I hug you?-  Silence flooded the room and she regretted saying anything, feeling her cheeks burn with embarrassment. He chuckled into the dark -Come here.-  he replied as he opened his arms, inviting her to come closer. She slithered into his chest and he engulfed her in a big hug, his chin resting on her head. She felt his heartbeat pulsing against her ear and she smiled to herself, his breathing lulling her to sleep. 
After a few minutes of silence, John dared to speak not knowing if she would listen or not. -If something ever happened to you I... I just don’t know what I would do. I love you so much.-  he tightened softly his embrace, getting her closer to him, if that was even possible. 
Valentine is done. Here but now they're gone. Romeo and Juliet. Are together in eternity, Romeo and Juliet.
He left. 
He had abandoned her. She had tried to contact him but there was no use, he wouldn’t return her calls and he didn’t stop by the Continental anymore. Her heart was shattered to pieces. She couldn’t understand why he had left her without even saying goodbye, hell, there wasn’t even a note. 
Months passed by and the rumour of his retirement got to her. What hurted her the most was the fact that he had left because of a woman. Of course he did, what was she thinking. She had gotten her stupid hopes up thinking that maybe there was a teeny tiny possibility that he saw her as something more but it was clear that she had misunderstood his intentions, he was only being a good friend.
With her heart still broken she got on with her life. She took the most difficult jobs as a way to keep her mind focused on something else than her pain, maybe deep down, wanting those jobs to be her last ones. She had nothing or no one to turn to when she finished them, no one to call, no one to talk to, she had put a chain and lock around her feelings, she didn’t want to get hurt again, her heart wouldn’t take another blow. 
Come on baby, don't fear the reaper. Baby take my hand, don't fear the reaper. We'll be able to fly, don't fear the reaper. Baby I'm your man.
She arrived at the Continental one night, holding her side, hands and shirt soaked with blood. She asked Charon to call the doctor to patch her up since the wound was too bad to take care of it herself. She leaned on the counter to rest a little bit while she waited. Her feet were killing her and a gash in her right thigh made it difficult to stand up straight for more than a few minutes. She chuckled to herself thinking what she might look like from the outside. Thank god it was too late for the hall to be flooded with people, everyone was at the bar and she planned to join them once she was all patched up. 
She came down to the bar and took a seat in one of the bar stools. She didn’t bother to change her clothes, her white shirt was bloody and had a gash on the side but her black leather jacked covered it just perfect.
-A beer, please.-  she screamed over the music that blasted though the speakers. The bartender nodded and opened a bottle, placing it in front of her. She took a big gulp of the beverage, letting out a small moan when she felt the cold liquid sliding down her throat. Turning in her stool she scanned the room checking who was drowning their frustrations in alcohol and who was just having a good time. She turned again facing the bar counter and taking another sip of her beer. 
-Bourbon, please.-  a tall man said as he approached the bar. She could recognize that voice anywhere. Her heart stopped and she choked on her beer, coughing and spilling what was still in her mouth. He turned to look at her and his breathing got caught in his throat. She was as beautiful as always. The few strands that escaped her bun fell framing her delicate face and he resisted the urge to reach out and tuck them behind her ears.
They stood there for a few seconds, just taking in eachother, she asked herself if she was dreaming and he looked at her with pure adoration and regret, all of his feeling for her came rushing back like a punch straight into his face. He shouldn’t have left and he knew it now. Of course he had loved Helen with all his heart, and he still did, but he realized he had also been pushing aside the storm of feelings he had for her. 
She opened her mouth to say something but nothing came out. Her eyes were filled up with tears and she struggled to hold them back. Her heart was racing in her chest and she was sure he could hear it above the sound of the music. 
-Hi.-  he whispered as he waved with his hand, curving his mouth in a little smile that made her stomach churn. -John, I...-  she didn’t know what to say. He couldn’t do that. He couldn’t just leave like that and then appear five years later as if nothing had happened.
He leaned close to her, her breath hitched as he did so -Can we go somewhere else? I want to talk to you.-  he said, his breath tickling her ear. 
She stood up grabbed his arm and walked towards the door of the bar. She took him up to her room. The elevator ride was silent, she didn’t know what to say, her feelings were a mess and she feared she would say something inappropiate. 
She closed the door behind them and took a seat on the bed, John following close, pulling a chair to sit in front of her. -What do you want to talk about? About how you left without a trace, without a note? For weeks I thought you were dead.-  she spat, unable to hold it in any longer. 
He looked down, eyes filled with sorrow, hating himself for hurting her. 
-I’m so sorry. I just-
-John, this past years had been some of the worst and your excuses won’t make up for that.-  she cut him off. He looked at her and scanned her face. She was holding her tears back. He reached out to touch her cheek but she stood up.  -I can’t.-  she turned her back to him. -I think it’s better if you leave.-   she opened the door and the corridor lights turned on. He stood up but didn’t move.
-I couldn’t say goodbye. Not to you. The thought of hurting you made it impossible.-  he stated. She slammed the door close and turned to him, tears streaming down her face and eyes wide with rage.  -Really? That’s funny cause you did anyways. You were the only person I had, the only one I trusted.-  she screamed, almost choking on her own words. Silence filled the room until she spoke again  -the only one I loved.-  her voice barely above a whisper now. 
His heart started thumping in his chest, his mouth dry and palms suddenly sweaty. The words struggled to get out as he watched her tear stained face. Her puffy eyes and her red nose made him feel like the biggest asshole ever. He came closer reaching to her face and wiping with her thumb some of the tears that were still falling. She relaxed under his touch. Her hands grabbed his wrists in an attempt to push him away but he didn’t give in, his arms strong as rocks. 
-Listen to me.-  he said, his eyes full of love. She closed her eyes, unable to look at his face. She felt like her chest was going to explode while feeling his intense gaze scan her face intently.  -Look at me.-  he commanded. She slowly opened her eyes only to find him even closer, almost chest to chest, the heat of their bodies mingling together in an infinite flow that felt like a magnetic force holding them in place. 
-I left because I had to, to protect her.-  he kept his eyes fixed on hers. -You were the only good thing in my life and I fucked up big time, I know. There wasn’t a day I didn’t think about you, about calling you. It killed me not knowing anything about you. - 
-But you never called, John.-  she sighed as he finally let go of her face, his arms falling to his sides.  -I get it, you were in love with her, word got around. It’s...-  she wiped her tears with her hand, sniffling a little. -I don’t know, I guess I thought you loved me. God, I sound like a teen.-  she chuckled covering her face with her hands.
-I did.-  he said matter of factly.
-What?-
-I did love you. I just didn’t think it was a good idea to mix bussiness with heart affairs, it never goes well. Besides I didn’t know if you liked me back, didn’t want to risk it. But then I saw you at the bar and i thought ‘fuck it, she deserves to know’.- he laughed a little bit, making her smile in return but it quickly faded. 
-Then why did you marry her?-  that was it, that was the question that had been torturing her for five years. 
-Because I loved her too. I still do and I always will. But you were my first love, you can’t just get rid of those feelings, can you?-  he got closer to her again. - I love you. I always have.- 
Her look softened as she took his hand in hers. He lightly squeezed it. -Do you still love me?-  he asked, his voice laced with insecurity.
-John, I’ve loved you every single day.-  she smiled softly as she reached out to cup his face with her other hand, looking up to him. He slowly leaned down, their breaths mixing together, a delicious prelude of what was about to happen.  -Good.- he whispered before colliding his lips with hers. It was soft and sweet, their mouths slowly moving in sync. His beard rough on her face making her moan into his mouth. He moved his hands to the sides of her face as the kiss got more heated. 
She placed her hands on his chest as she pulled away. Their eyes fluttered open, a smile plastered on their faces. She giggled and covered her face with her hands.  -What?-  he asked as he smiled amused at her childish ways. -I just can’t believe I got to kiss the John Wick.- 
He sneaked an arm around her waist and pulled her closer.  -Well, get used to it ‘cause you’re going to do that a lot.-
Love of two is one.
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zanesgirlfriend · 5 years
Text
Strangers Don't Have Secrets | Jeff Wittek
Description: The reader gets into trouble at a club and Jeff saves the day.
Warnings: Intense language and a really gross slimey dude
Requested?: Yes, im going to combine a couple of requests here, if yall want different/more imagines with similar themes just lmk!
@simplespectres : Protective jeff maybe? Or drunk jeff confessing his feelings for you
@puppershnups : can I request just a super angsty Jeff imagine? Like go ahead and make me sob I love it.
@suzobawuzo : In love with your Jeff posts! How about something where he is jealous ab your friendship with someone (you might or might not be together yet) but it turns into a whole lot of fluff in the end?? THANKS <3
A/N: I know thats a lot of requests in one story but I figured i could make them fit pretty well. i also kinda based "the reader's" actions in this after effy from skins so if yall have seen that youll probably like this lol. Thank yall for requesting stuff, it means a lot :)
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Back again, at a club, on a Saturday night. The gang was all there, dancing and drinking as much as they could. Of course there was David, camera in hand, floating from group to group. There was also Y/N sitting at a bar, attempting to make the night go faster by talking to slimey men. Next there was what she considered to be "fuck-boy" territory. They stayed near the center of club, grinding and taking body shots off of eachother. Generally just trying to get as wasted as they could. Todd, Zane, Scott, and Jeff were generally part of this group. Most of them seemed to find a girl to dance near, except for Scott, as he was actually commited to a relationship. Y/N admired that about him.
She wanted to know if the boys ever wondered why she always went out with them, but never seemed to do anything. There were two reasons. One being that she could always be an extra Designated Driver, God-forbid something happen to David. The second reason being that she loved to watch. She wanted to study behavior, and know her friends more intimately than they thought she did.
She noticed how when nobody was talking to David, he became incredibly awkward. The way his smile fell off of his face, and how he curved his body to avoid touching people as he moved through the groups. She also noticed Jeff, and how he didn't like to dance. Counting all the times he would catch her eye, and then pretend he was looking at something else.
Recently she spent most of her time watching Jeff. Something about him being new to the group, and having a questionable past intrigued her.
"Is this seat taken?" A handsome stranger asked her.
"No, go ahead." She smiled. Out of all the men that usually talked to her, this one seemed the most sober. He sat in the chair next to hers, turning around to face away from the bar like she was.
"So are you here with anybody?" His breath tickled the side of her face as he leaned in. She noticed the very full beer in his hand, as if he'd just gotten there.
"Nope, just me." She lied, enjoying the mystery she created for this man to solve. She could tell the fact that she was alone got his attention by way of him immediately scooting closer to her.
"Well, let me keep you company." The man smiled, but something about his smile was off. It was as if he was too perfect. As if he was here to distract her from something bigger. She noticed this and immediately turned back towards the club, spotting all of her friends and checking to make sure they were okay.
"Sure." She tried to keep her answers short, not knowing what this man really wanted from her.
"Why don't I get you a drink?" He offered. This was a big red flag for her, but she wanted to really see what this man was after.
"Sure." She checked her phone for a second while the man talked to the bartender.
Hey can u make out with zane for a bit this dance floor is kinda dead
David had sent that text less than five minutes earlier. She decided that she wanted this mysterious man to get confused about her character, so she replied to David with
Sure, I'll be there in a min
"Here you go." The man handed her a martini. She hated martinis.
"I'll be right back. Keep an eye on me." She placed the drink on the bar and walked over to fuck-boy territory. David attempted to explain to her what he wanted her to do, but she looked over her shoulder at the man and decided to wing it.
She grabbed Zane's face, bringing their lips together, and slipping her tongue in his mouth. She could tell he was enjoying it. Everyone else in the group around them was yelling, shocked by the intense kiss. She pulled away, immediately looking back towards the man at the bar, a smirk on her face as he smiled.
"I'll see you guys later." She walked away. On the way out of the group, though, she noticed Jeff's face. He looked sadder than usual. She wish she'd known him well enough to be able to tell what he was thinking.
"Did you know those guys?" The man asked her as she returned to her seat at the bar, this time facing towards the bartender instead of the boys.
"No." She lied again.
"He looked like he enjoyed it." The man was very focused on her lips.
"Probably." She knew what the man would say next, hearing it verbatem in her head as he said it.
"Maybe I would enjoy it, too." He was very close to her now. Uncomfortably close.
"I don't think so." His hand landed on her thigh, a little too close to the hem of her skirt. Her sixth sense was tingling again, and she attempted to spin the bar stool to check on her friends. The man grabbed it though, stopping her from changing direction. "Where do you think you're going?" His breath was hot and sticky this time. His hand creeped closer to her skirt. She used the hand on her free side to reach for the small can of pepper spray in her bag, just in case things went wrong.
"Bro, back the fuck off of her." Jeff's voice immediately brought out a sigh of relief from y/n.
"And who the fuck are you?" The man spun around, keeping a grip on the girl.
"I'm her friend, now back the fuck off, she's obviously uncomfortable." Jeff's accent seemed intimidating, but not intimidating enough to scare the man away.
"I thought you came here alone?" The man was now angry with y/n.
"Strangers wouldn't be strangers without secrets." She spun her stool towards Jeff, admiring his firm stature for the first time.
"You gonna leave her alone now?" Jeff stepped closer to the two, sizing up the creepy man.
"You can't just come in here and ruin our moment, dude." The man stood up now. He had a few inches on Jeff.
"You didn't have a fucking moment, asshole. She wants nothing to do with you, fucking creep." The boys were really going at it now, so y/n texted David.
Bar. Now. Jeffs about to fight someone.
David gathered the rest of the boys and hurried to the bar as soon as he recieved the text. His camera was on, but he also didn't wanna escalate the situation even further.
The man was now really mad that Y/n had lied to him. "You fucking lied to me, you cunt!" He lunged towards her. Jeff jumped in front of him, protecting her, as the other boys tried to hold the man back.
She had dropped her mysterious persona at this point, genuinely terrified that someone would get hurt. She grabbed on to Jeff's arm, feeling him flex as adrenaline ran through his veins.
The boys underestimated this man's strength, for he managed to free his right arm, and land a right hook to Jeff's jaw. Blood dripped out of his mouth. Jeff was fuming now, not wanting anybody to take advantage of him, or embarass him in front of the girl he thought so highly of. Jeff slipped out of y/n's grip, punching the man in the nose.
Before things could escalate any more, security had arrived and helped separate the two bloody men. They also kicked the entire group out of the club. The man sat against a wall outside, trying to get the blood to stop pouring out of his nostrils. The gang walked back towards David's Tesla.
"What happened? Why were you fighting?" David asked as he pointed the camera towards y/n and Jeff. She was too embarassed to say anything, knowing it was all her fault.
"He was feeling her up, and she wasn't feelin' it. I wasn't gonna watch her go through that." Jeff spit blood onto the sidewalk as y/n linked her hand in his. She had a new affinity for him. Something about him protecting her just really turned her on.
"Jeff, stop being so nice, you make the rest of us look like dicks." Todd joked, causing everyone to laugh. Even y/n cracked a smile.
David dropped Jeff off at his apartment, and everyone "ooooooh'ed" as y/n got out with him. She thanked David for the ride and went inside with Jeff.
"You didn't have to do that for me, but thank you." She smiled.
"I couldn't stand seeing you with anybody else anymore. Especially after you made out with Zane." Jeff unlocked his door and held it open for her.
"Why do you care that I made out with Zane? It was just a bit." She questioned him as she looked around Jeff's apartment. She had never been here before.
"I gotta take Nerf for a walk, I'll be right back." Jeff ignored her question as a cute french bulldog ran out into the entryway.
"Answer my question." She demanded, watching Jeff hook up the dog on a leash.
"Be right back." He shut the door behind him as he left with the dog.
She spent most of her time alone thinking about how little she actually knows Jeff, and how what he did for her was a huge character development in her mind. The door opened, and Jeff entered with his dog.
"I care because I was supposed to be the one to make out with you." He said, pretending to be more focused on the dog than the girl. She looked at him quizzically.
"Then why did David tell me to make out with Zane?" She was very confused now.
"Well, that was just to get you to come near us, considering you always come to the club just to sit and watch us, which I don't understand at all." Jeff sat on the couch, y/n followed. She smiled at the fact that he really did wonder why she came. "But if you woulda listened to David, he was gonna tell you to make out with both of us." Jeff ran his hand through his hair, and leaned his elbow on the top of the couch.
"I'll tell you why I just sit and watch you later, but why did you wanna kiss me so bad?" She just wanted to understand him.
"Because, y/n, I fucking like you, okay?" He grabbed her hand. "I've been trying to show you that, but you always seem like you want nothing to do with me. Now I'm sittin' here like an asshole, pouring my heart out to you, when you probably don't even like me." He was talking faster now, his accent thickening as he spoke.
"If I wanted nothing to do with you I would've just gone home." She reasoned with him. Before he could speak again she closed the distance between them. Their lips locked together instantly, feeling like they were made to be together. His hands found her waist as she climbed into his lap.
"Tell me all of your secrets." She said to him as she pulled away.
"What?" He brushed a hair out of her face. Her eye contact was very intense as she looked at Jeff with a new lust in her eyes.
"Strangers wouldn't be strangers without secrets, and I don't wanna be strangers anymore."
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