#i really started making stupid text posts again huh

[blackbirdie1234]

Hey!! I love your fic's so much!

Can I request a Jacob x Fem!reader where they are friends but reader has a crush on Jacob. When he shifts he leaves and does what he did to Bella like ignoring her and Billy won't answer the door.

Mutual pinning but neither knows. He imprints on reader.

Thank you so much keep up the great writing :)

Also, I was wondering if you are going to be doing the vampires as well?

Hi!, Thank you so much for the request! I appreciate the kind words <3

I will be doing fanfics for the vampires as well! As of right now I only have the wolves, but I am planning on making a master list for the vamps and Bella. If you want to make a request for them I can definitely do that! I am planning on making a fic for Jasper soon!

A/N: Not proofread! I aged Jacob up a bit, you both are seventeen here. I didn't know exactly how to end this but I think I might do a spin-off series off of this fic so if you are interested in that let me know. Also, sorry for the late posting I am currently sick and going through it lmao. Hope you enjoy <3

Warnings: Jacob being an ass, cursing, angst, Y/N with a backbone.

Wolf’s Out Of The Bag

Jacob Black x Fem!reader

You were staring blankly down at your phone. Ten phone calls, ten phone calls sent to voicemail. Ten desperate, pleading voicemails. No callback, no text, nothing received. You snapped your phone closed and threw it down on the bed.

It had been two weeks since Jacob stormed off from your house after getting into a small disagreement, at least it started off that way.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"It's nothing you need to worry about, Jacob," You grumbled with a slight roll of your eyes. Hoping he would drop the subject.

He was giving you an irritated look. You lightly pushed him with your shoulder giving him a small smile.

"I didn't think you'd care that much, it was one date and it's never happening again," you noted with a light-hearted laugh to ease the tension.

He turned to face you, irritation turning to anger. You could actually feel the heat radiating off of his body next to yours.

"Wow you must be really dumb, I mean how could you even think about going on a date with that pig. He's not good enough for you, but then again if you were desperate enough to give him a chance maybe I'm wrong" He barked getting more bitter with each word.

You look at him in shock.

"Why would you say that to me" You said not believing what you were hearing. "It's really none of your business who I go out with, you aren't my bodyguard, you don't have to 'protect' me. When did you get the right to decide who is 'good enough' for me? Huh? You're being a dick and I don't know why but it better change right now." You say sternly. He has never acted like this before and this sudden behavior change is not sitting well with you.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jacob left shortly after that. He had gotten so angry he was shaking, you can't even remember the words that were thrown after that. Now, he wasn't answering the phone. Billy said he came down with mono, you didn't know how much you believed it but decided to trust that Billy wouldn't lie to you.

Jacob was your best friend, you loved him a lot. You had never had such an intense fight, you never thought he would react the way he did. You only went on the stupid date to get Jacob out of your head, you thought that maybe you would get over Jacob if you found someone else to pay attention to. You were wrong, no one made you feel the way that Jacob did. Jacob made you feel at home, you couldn't explain why but it was like he was the person you were meant to be with. He was the one who understood you fully and would never judge you for anything you said or did. Until now......

You were deeply hurt by what Jacob said to you, and if he thought that you would get over it he was surely mistaken. He had never said anything more hurtful to you in your entire friendship. You had thought about just letting it go, letting life run its course even if it meant Jacob being out of your life, but you couldn't just sit and let him speak to you that way. You wanted answers. Sitting in your room waiting for him to call and explain was becoming too stressful. You sat there for hours overthinking and no matter what you were doing you were replaying the moment in your mind.

You must be going crazy. At least that's what you were trying to convince yourself after seeing Jacob cliff-jumping with Sam Uley and his gang. You had decided that you would go to La Push, and relax your body and mind on one of the only partly cloudy days in Forks. The skies were pretty clear but there was a storm coming soon, so you decided to do it now. Never in your life did you think you would see what you were seeing now. Are you fucking serious? was all you could think as you drove your car straight to Billy Black's house. You wanted to make sure it was really Jacob, so you went to the man who had told you how 'serious' his condition was in the first place.

As you pulled into the driveway the clouds began covering the sky in a dark grey mass. You hopped out of the car and began walking to the front door, Billy had opened the door as soon as you stepped onto the wood. His face had a mix of concern and confusion as he noticed your agitated expression and the way your chest was slightly heaving from anger.

"Where is he" you say with a grumble.

"He's not here, he went out," He says seriously but looking down a bit not wanting to make eye contact. Billy didn't like lying to you and to your face it was even worse.

Just as you were about to speak you looked to the side and saw that far away down the hill, Jacob stood playfully nudging another man as a few more came out of the woods.

"Don't Y/N" Billy said in warning.

You started stomping down the hill, ignoring Billy's yells. Billy calling your name caught the attention of Jacob, as his face shifted from laughing to completely still. You continued to walk towards Jacob as the rain started, it quickly went from a drizzle to full pouring as you finally reached him.

To say you were fuming would be an understatement.

"What the actual fuck Jacob!" you say basically screaming at the shirtless man, who was now staring directly into your eyes with what looked like pure amazement but you ignored it the best you could, whatever love for him you felt in that moment may have been strong but you were too angry to care so you continued.

"So we have one fight and you ignore me for two weeks?! I called you ten times, ten times Jacob. You couldn't bother picking up the phone at least once, you could've told me you didn't want to be friends but no! You had your daddy lie to me" You say with an angry laugh.

"I thought you were sick Jacob! Too sick to pick up the damn phone and text me! Come to find out you were just having too much fun cliff jumping with the guys we used to make fun of! You know what you can have them, If you want to throw away seventeen years of friendship then be my guest." You say finally taking a breath.

The weight off of your chest feels amazing, but as you finish Jacob falls to his knees. The boys behind him look between you two with pure shock on their faces before they start laughing and smiling. You look up at them shocked and confused thinking they were making fun of you. They start walking away but not before patting Jake on the back. Sam leans down and whispers something to him as he sits there still on his knees staring at you.

"Do you even care about a word I just said to you? You know what never mind if you think this is a joke I might as well leave," You say turning around and starting to walk away.

Jacob suddenly found his voice as he quickly got to his feet and stumbled trying to reach you.

"WAIT! Wait, wait, Y/N please hold on!" He spoke hurriedly. Grasping for your hand and pulling you around. Hand now resting on your waist.

"I am so, so sorry. Please let me explain everything, I promise I won't lie to you anymore. I can explain everything now, just come inside and dry off." He said pleadingly, trying his best to get you to listen to him.

You thought for a moment, you didn't trust him at all but the way he was speaking you knew he was telling the truth to some extent. It was hard for him to lie to you, you know how Jacob works, you know the subtle mannerisms he has when he's not telling the truth. Considering all of this you finally speak.

"Fine, but if things don't add up or I find out you are still lying, I am gone," You say sternly, pulling his hands away from you and walking up the hill.

When you get to the house, Jacob gives you warm tea and a blanket which you take from him without a word. He comes over and sits across from you. He almost reaches for your hand but stops himself.

"The day that I left your house, something changed, I changed...." He claimed, looking at your reaction with a hint of fear but continued "This is going to sound crazy, but you have to believe me on this..... I am a werewolf"

You stared at him for a moment before throwing the blanket off and standing up, Jacob followed suit immediately. You threw him a glare before starting to walk out.

"No, No, Y/N wait!" he shouted after you, reaching out and grabbing your hand. "I am telling the truth let me show you" He spoke as he continued outside your hand still in his.

" I swear Jacob if this is a pra....."

You went dead silent as he began taking his boots, and then his shorts off. Now standing in just his underwear. He gave you a curt nod and then started bending and shaking profusely. You could barely blink before your best friend stood in front of you only he wasn't human anymore, he was a massive wolf.

You jumped back a bit as the wolf started coming towards you, noticing your fear he slowly laid down on the ground and gave out a small whine to signal he would not hurt you. You were in complete shock, how was this possible? Everything you ever heard about the stories of the Quileute tribe growing up was true, and your best friend was living proof. A thousand thoughts ran through your mind, but they were silenced by the wolf standing up and trotting to the back of the house. Jacob then emerged in different clothes than before.

"I'm sorry, but I couldn't tell you Y/N" Jacob expressed, grabbing your hands hesitantly until you leaned into the touch slightly.

"Why couldn't you tell me, you know I would never judge you, nor would I ever tell anyone " You pressed before giving him a confused stare "Wait why are you telling me now?"

He looked at you a gave you a crooked smile.

"It's one of the rules that came with the gig" He laughs a bit before pulling you a bit closer. "The reason I can tell you now is because you are my soulmate," He says beaming down at you.

You stare up at him with a bewildered expression.

"I'm your what?" you say breathing out.

"You are my imprint, Y/N. It's a wolf's soulmate, it is the reason for their existence, you feel like it isn't gravity holding you to the ground anymore, it's them. You can be anything the imprint wants you to be, a friend, a protector, a lover, all that matters is that the two are connected. Like vines on trees overlapping each other both on the same path, interlocked." He pauses, putting his hand on your face and caressing your cheek gently.

"I know this might be overwhelming and a lot to handle. I really want you to know how deeply sorry I am for everything that I said. I'm not going to sit here and blame it all on the wolf because it wasn't, I was jealous. I was jealous that you went on that date with someone that wasn't me and I didn't mean a word that I said about you. I'm going to be fully honest with you from now on, starting with the fact that I have been in love with you since the second grade. I know that trusting me will take time, but I am willing to do whatever it takes to earn it back. I understand that I have hurt you, so it might take a very long time but I will always be there for you. Everything is up to you, I understand if you want to reject the connection. The connection can be anything you want it to be, but I really truly do not want to lose you and the past two weeks without you have been hell on earth for me. I'm just really sorry Y/N." He pleads letting go of your hands and allowing you to process.

"I... I love you too Jacob. I have for a while now. I'm not going to forgive you easily but I am glad you understand how much you have hurt me. I am willing to give this a shot, mainly because I can feel the connection and would be an idiot if I said that I didn't." You laugh a bit as he looks at you with the biggest smile on his face.

"But if you ever say or do that to me again I will put you in a dog house and leave you there," You say with an evil smile laughing at the way his face drops before he joins in.

You two get out of the rain and drive separately to Emily's house where you meet the pack and they explain in much more detail what being a wolf really entails. You and Emily become quick friends, and as the days go on you slowly fall into a routine that is pure chaos but you wouldn't have it any other way. You and Jacob work on your relationship, slowly building back trust and falling deeper and deeper into love with each other. You have fully accepted your place in a world filled with wolves and life seems to be going great, that is until they tell you exactly why they turn into the big ferocious beasts....... there are vampires in Forks.

#jacob black #twilight saga #the twilight saga #twilight #twilight imagine #new moon #jacob x reader #jacob black x reader #jacob black x female reader #jacob black imagine #jacob black x you #twilight werewolves #twilight wolves #twilight wolfpack #forks washington

[daytaker]

The Gang's Tumblr Pages

Inspired by this and my own reaction to it.

Lucifer

Perfectly curated, perfectly formatted, and whenever there's a major change to the tumblr format, he simply leaves the website altogether in a huff of peacock feathers.

Lots of HD photography of nature getting reblogged.

Has an extremely complicated and specific list of tags he uses for every single post.

He only reblogs text posts that are sufficiently visually appealing. Very few meet his high standards.

You could look through his entire blog and not learn one single thing about him except that he's a perfectionist to the point of neurosis.

He has a lot of professional art blogs following him.

Mammon

Oversharing oversharing oversharing!!!!

He regularly gets himself in trouble by shouting about the shit he's done into the void of the internet.

Tried to have a tagging system but forgets about 7/10 times.

Reblogs himself all the time to say "AND ANOTHER THING!!!"

He hates looking at the actual blog pages. The text is always so tiny and some of them start playing music and changing his mouse into a weird shape? No thank you.

He has very few followers and he doesn't really care. Who goes on tumblr for the social element? Weirdos, that's who.

He's insanely easy to troll with anonymous asks. Everyone has done it. Even Lucifer, though he wouldn't admit it.

Some of his best asks:

"did u just post that you're okay with the idea of ponies and unicorns breeding. like no shade on that conceptually but why."

"If you reblog another 'reblog this for good luck' post, I will personally break down your door and steal your skin."

"ur ugly" "yeah-huh" "ugly" "no i won't 'come off anon and fight u' whhy don't you come ON anon and fight me?" "'i don't know how' sounds like something a chicken would say"

Leviathan

He just makes a blog like one of us. Fandom stuff.

Except he's multifandom to the extreme. It's impossible to keep track of his interests because he always has so many simultaneously.

He has the most followers of the brothers just because he gets so deep into so many fandoms that they come rolling in.

He has blocked all of his brothers except for the twins. They're okay.

His blog is a chaotic mess but there is order within the madness. He has a masterpost of tags that explains everything if you care to look at it. (I don't recommend it.)

Satan

It feels stupid to even put this in writing but...cat pics. Endless cat pics. That's like 90% of his blog.

The other 10% is a mixture of book recommendations and analysis, Lucifer shade, and a comprehensive, ever-expanding list of shit Lucifer has done to make Satan angry. It's a very long list. It's organized by theme.

"Lucifer inflicts unjust punishments." "Lucifer makes unnecessary snide remarks." "Lucifer simping for Diavolo and MC (pathetic)."

His blog itself is very minimalist and clean.

He's another fastidious tagger. He tags the cat pics by color, breed, age, number of cats, setting...

Asmodeus

He's not very into tumblr. It's like Devilgram but more complicated and less popular.

Sometimes he'll post or reblog 'aesthetic' things. Moodboards and the like.

In general though, he doesn't really 'get' tumblr.

People don't post selfies very often. Weird.

Beelzebub

Food blog.

Just food.

Reblogging hot dogs.

Reblogging nachos.

Reblogging ice cream.

Nothing else. Ever.

Belphegor

"This minimalist Tumblr has no posts."

No posts.

Default profile picture.

Sometimes he'll like something.

Usually he just looks at it.

Diavolo

There is no order. Only chaos.

He hardly ever uses it, then he'll come online and reblog a million things that have nothing to do with each other. Then he'll go silent again.

He has no tagging system.

He has no custom theme.

He is very friendly to all anonymous askers though.

Barbatos

Barbatos would never have a tumblr. Don't be ridiculous.

Solomon

He only posts very rarely. He prefers to lurk.

When he does post, it's something weird as fuck, like reblogging statistics about owl pellet contents.

He likes to keep people on their toes.

Simeon

Reblogging inspirational quotes, pictures of nature, and general positivity.

That is, once he figures out how the website works.

That takes a really long time.

What is a queue? What are tags? Why is it called a "reblog"? How does he track activity? How does he navigate the homepage? Why does it post things in such a strange order? What is a "Blaze"? What is a draft? Custom URL? Custom Theme? Sideblogs? Mass Post Editor?

Someone please help him.

Solomon probably does that.

Luke

Baking.

He uses tumblr for recipes and images of baked goods.

But tumblr isn't even the best place to go for that, so he isn't on very often.

He sometimes likes Simeon's posts, just as a show of support since he knows how hard Simeon works to post anything anywhere.

#tgr #the gang react #ensemble #text post #lucifer #mammon #levi #satan #asmo #belphie #beel #diavolo #barbatos #solomon #simeon #luke #obey me #obey me! #obey me hcs #dthc #obey me hc #obey me lucifer #obey me mammon #obey me levi #obey me asmo #obey me satan #obey me beel #obey me belphie #obey me diavolo #obey me barbatos

[maireyart]

Good Memories, Yours and Mine

A little illustrated drabble for @kakashiweek Rating: G Day 4: Any AU. Post-war. Obito could tell getting used to this version of him wasn’t an easy task for Kakashi, but their awkward attempts at being friendly seemed like a good start. Twice they’d found common ground, and twice it had ended in parting soon after; if not for the Sage’s mercy and jutsu mastery, they wouldn’t be strolling the streets of Suna now, during a small break between court sessions. Getting in sync had felt natural in the midst of battle, but getting along in the thick mire of post-war stagnation turned out to be way more difficult.

Frankly, Obito still barely recognized himself; self-restoration was a work in progress. He hadn’t associated what he saw in the mirror with “Uchiha Obito” for a good deal of years, but now he sometimes absently wondered if his real self could still be seen through the battle-weary shell of his body or the grim lines on his face. Only the eyes seemed the same – dark, restless, and brooding, the Sharingan sealed away.

But apparently grannies could sense something regardless. They’d always clung to the lively boy he’d been, and when an old lady tugged at his sleeve and asked if he could carry her enormous suitcase up a flight of stairs (which were abundant in Suna), Obito got lost in the feeling of déjà-vu. It took him a few moments to process her words, and then he silently fulfilled the request under Kakashi’s amused stare. He knew one thing for sure: grannies’ intuition never lies. If that Suna lady approached him, then perhaps he did have something of the former Obito in his aura again; a tiny flicker of warmth only a perceptive person could notice.

“There was a time when I couldn’t stand your granny-related excuses. But now they’re good memories,” Kakashi commented with a lilt in his voice when Obito returned. “But I… I didn’t leave you any good memories, did I? If I did, it might have…”

Obito sighed. “You probably did,” he admitted quietly, “but they were few. Very few. And poisoned by what – what followed later…” It was a precipice they’d been hovering on for quite a while but couldn’t jump into just yet, so he made a mental step back and clutched onto a tiny vision that twinkled like a firefly in the dark mess of his mind. “Oh! Remember the day when you helped me with granny Hiroko’s errand? You were so nervous we’d be late for some stupid team training with some stupid invited specialists that you sank to my level just to make sure I’d be on time.”

“Uhuh. We ended up being late together anyway, only appearing after they’d left. An unforgettable event,” came the light-hearted response, and then Kakashi giggled. It was the strangest sound in the universe.

“‘Criminally negligent irresponsibility in time of war,’” Obito quoted Sandaime’s words mockingly. “For once I wasn’t the only one being scolded. And you actually enjoyed running that errand with me – don’t tell me you didn’t. You didn’t even chastise me after. And maybe you even snickered under that mask of yours when Sensei, pale and fidgety, tried his best to explain your ‘degradation’ and my bad influence on you to his superiors.”

“True, I was smiling,” Kakashi let out slowly, lost in the memory. “Their faces were funny.”

“Took you a long time to admit it.”

“Took me a long time to change.” He hummed and closed his eyes in delight. “Besides, granny Hiroko’s eggplants were tasty.”

Obito couldn’t help but chuckle. “Oh, really?” They had been ninja, and fighters, and soldiers, but sometimes they had been just kids.

***

(They were late for the court session; Tsunade was outraged by the irresponsibility (something familiar, huh) and gave them an earful, but both of them were only smiling...) _____________________ Huge thanks to @professor-of-naruto for proofreading, but I've changed 1/3 of the text since then, so I might have "enriched" it with new mistakes 😁 And huge thanks to @cool-thymus for the title idea and all the fun we had discussing this AU!

#kakashi week 2023 #narutoart #drabble #uchiha obito #hatake kakashi #team minato #obkk #kkob #kakaobi #obikaka #kakashi #obito #namikaze minato #white-haired obito #obito in red #obito lives au #post-war #kakashi needs this friendship #obito too #fyi: english is my second language #bear with me :3

[kimbapisnotsushi]

here have a medley of miscellaneous timeskip pro team headcanons bc WOW i haven't posted in a while and this is my only stress outlet other than binging new series <3333

starting off strong with ejp raijin LET'S GOOOOOO

washio 🫱🏼‍🫲🏼suna 🫱🏼‍🫲🏼komori: being EXHAUSTED from carrying the pro team world on their backs

no no i'm kidding. mostly

they keep a tally of other pro team matches in which their former teammates go up against each other and are REALLY smug if their respective teammate wins. which means you get shit like this

komori, cheerfully: "so how about that hornets v falcons game last night, huh?" suna: "oh shut UP tell iizuna tsukasa that aran-san could kick his ass any day of the week you little SHIT - "

they ARE united on the jackals front tho. all three of them want the adlers to go down HARD.

is suna nursing a grudge against ushijima from high school? yeah. is he ever going to get over it? probably not.

only komori feels bad bc he is fond of kageyama, but, hey, family's family

they ask washio why he hates the adlers and he looks them dead in the eyes and goes "hoshiumi kourai . . . he is a man that requires constant vigilance"

actually wait i know we all saw everyone watching and talking about the game (which makes me wanna cry SO bad) but god. how fucking funny would it be if players from monster gen convinced everyone else on their very professional and very mature teams to take sides

ejp raijin captain, who's been friends with hirugami fukurou for like ten years: "okay so explain to me again why we need to blow our entire team budget on jackals merch when we're not even going to the goddamn game?" komori: "well, it started on a cloudy but beautifully crisp spring day in 2012 - "

SPEAKING OF TACHIBANA RED FALCONS

hakuba joins the team, sees aran, and IMMEDIATELY starts texting the old kamomedai group chat

altho tbh i don't think there's no way that the "who-from-where-made-WHAT-pro-team" news never breaches the high school circuit. like come ON you know everyone's keeping up with the third year stars when they graduate

by the time the first years are third years they've got everyone pinned down on a fucking MAP. they have a shared file where they update each other on EVERYTHING. it's way less creepy than it sounds they're just a really passionate bunch okay!!!!

well that AND they can't help but brag about their amazing upperclassmen

okay sorry back to it. so it really goes more like

hakuba: "HOLY SHIT OJIRO ARAN FROM INARIZAKI IS HERE" suwa: "hakuba, we already knew that. i linked the article when it first dropped, remember?" hakuba: "yeah but it's still so WEIRD like it's OJIRO ARAN from INARIZAKI" hoshiumi: "lol atsumu told me he talks in his sleep, go find out if it's true"

aran actually does recognize hakuba mostly because gin paid him a compliment ONE (1) time and then aran had to listen to atsumu complain incessantly about the "stupid wall of muscle with stupid hair and his stupid height and stupid arms" ever since

ALSO. i think people get hakuba and hyakuzawa mixed up a lot. they've both got a similar height and build and hairstyle and play the same position

(not to mention the similar backstories)

it becomes a running joke throughout the pro leagues and makes for a fun time with falcons v warriors matches

in the event of a hyakuhina hookup (which i feel like actually could happen) they somehow get onto the topic of "haha it'd be even harder to tell them apart with your eyes closed!" and hinata, without thinking, goes "well, i probably could" and everyone is like "WHAT"

he digs himself an even deeper hole by saying "no, i just meant - i know hyakuzawa's body really well!!!" and everyone immediately starts screaming

poor hyakuzawa is dying on the inside

i think shibayama (MY BELOVED) kind of occasionally forgets that he also has his own fanbase and is sort of semi-famous as the libero of tokai heavy industries esperanza bc. he knows kenma and yaku and lev and komi and yamamoto and fukunaga and, in general, a bunch of people that he believes are much more well-known than he is

he's always so flattered whenever someone stops him in the street to ask for a pic or when he sees posts online gushing about him

this is extra funny bc he never talks about his friends like they're famous so all of his teammates don't really know that shibayama is friends with all these other famous people

and then one of them, an avid kodzuken fan, spams their group chat when kodzuken's newest video is released and shibayama shows up in it

they're like "SHIBAYAMA!! HOW COME YOU NEVER TOLD US THAT YOU'RE FRIENDS WITH KODZUKEN??" and shibayama is like "i have?? i talk about kenma-san all the time??" and they're like "YOU'RE TELLING ME KODZUKEN IS THE SAME KENMA-SAN WHO RIPPED HIS HIGH SCHOOL JERSEY TRYING TO JUMP OVER A FENCE???"

(shibayama's second year. they'd been dealing with things. it worked out, in the end. even if they had to lie to nekomata and naoki about why all their jerseys ended up with holes in them.)

i love the pro teams you guys they're so fucking funny

#anyways recently i read go with the cloud north by northwest and holy SHIT #are there some things i could do without??? yeah absolutely #but the art is gorgeous and there are some BANGER lines to quote i am incredibly invested #as always thanks for reading! stay safe and keep doing the best you can #suna rintarou #washio tatsuki #komori motoya #hakuba gao #ojiro aran #hyakuzawa yuudai #hinata shouyou #shibayama yuuki #miya atsumu #ushijima wakatoshi #hirugami fukurou #hoshiumi kourai #suwa aikichi #iizuna tsukasa #kozume kenma #haikyuu #haikyuu hcs #haikyuu!! #sou says stuff

[winchesterandpie]

Done waiting

Pairing: Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw x fem!reader

Word Count: 1621

Warnings: Very self-indulgent, major insecurities, lots of fluff/comfort

A/N: I really appreciate the support on the other Rooster fics I've been posting--you guys are making it fun to post! This is based on a post that tumblr won't let me link, though I think it was originally intended to have a more goofy tone, so my apologies. Nonetheless, I enjoyed writing it! Without further ado, here you go!

You had been best friends with Rooster since you met in the Top Gun program. Somewhere along the line, you’d fallen in love with him. If you were someone else, you might have told him. However, you were well aware that he couldn’t feel the same, so you never said anything.

It was easier to ignore after Top Gun, when you were both on distant assignments and only able to text or call occasionally. Now, summoned back to Top Gun, for a mission they wouldn’t tell you about until you arrived, you were terrified. For yourself, sure, but also for Rooster. The fear for him was what had your feelings threatening to bubble over.

You needed to get it under control tonight, before the training started. Unfortunately, Rooster was making that difficult.

“Hey, are you okay, Hawk?” The man himself nudged your shoulder, snapping you back to awareness

“Yeah, sorry. Just thinking.” You flashed a tight smile before taking a swig of your drink.

“‘Bout what?”

“They’ve called us all back here. It’s gotta be something serious, I just can’t figure out what.”

“I’m sure they’ll tell us tomorrow. No sense in worrying just yet.”

“Who said I was worried, Roose?”

“Please, I know you. Your eyebrows draw together here,” he said, lifting his hand to touch the spot between them, “and they lift just a little.”

“It’s that obvious, huh?” you chuckled.

“Just to me.” Rooster’s half-smile matched yours. “C’mon, let’s go for a walk. We can catch up.”

“So, how was overseas? Meet anyone special?” you asked once you were out of the Hard Deck.

He laughed, leaning into you to stay upright. “No, no, nothing like that.”

“Oh, I find that hard to believe, big guy. They weren’t swooning over your every flex?” you teased.

“I’ll have you know I don’t just go around flexing.”

“Mmhmm, whatever you say.”

“What about you, then?” Rooster grinned, raising an eyebrow at you.

“What about me?”

“Meet anybody lately?”

“Nah, that was never my thing.” You brushed it off, dropping your gaze. You hadn’t had anyone interested in you before, and you weren’t going to start moping about it now. Certainly you weren’t planning to tell Bradley anything about it. Instead, you turned it back to him once again. “Really? No crushes, no dates, nothing?”

“Well, I…” It was his time to duck his head, catching your attention. “Not--”

“Uh uh, what was that?”

“What was what?” He turned toward you, stopping in the sand.

“You hesitated! There’s definitely someone.” Despite your teasing, his clear interest in someone hit you like a punch in the gut.

“Who said there was someone?” he deflected.

“Please, I know you,” you parroted his words from earlier.

“Fine, alright,” he admitted with a sigh. “There is someone I like.”

“Ooh, and the whole Navy is full of broken hearts for it.” Your heart was among them. “When did that start? Have you said anything to them?”

“I’ve been dropping the most insanely obvious hints for a few years now.” He started walking again, his shoulders drooping ever so slightly before he spoke again. “No response from her.”

“Ok, but what you think is obvious isn’t always actually obvious. You’re sure she would pick up on it?” Quietly, you told yourself that Rooster was your best friend. If this was how he would be happy, you resigned yourself to helping him win over his mystery crush.

“Phoenix said she could see it from a mile away.”

“You told Phoenix before me?” That stung.

“No, she saw it happen. Came up to me to tease me afterward.” It stung less, but the ache in your chest didn’t lessen with it.

“She sounds a little stupid, no offense.”

He chuckled, shaking his head. “No, not stupid. She’s quite smart, actually. Just a bit dense.” 

The undeniable fondness in his voice hurt. You had never been under any illusion that he would be interested in you. Bradley was so far out of your league in every way that mattered. Given time, you knew you would get better at acting. Perhaps you would even get past your feelings for him.

“Maybe you just need to be more obvious?” you suggested.

“How would I do that?”

“I don’t know, maybe just say it to her. Maybe ‘Hey, I love you,’ or something like that.”

“Not a bad idea,” he acknowledged before turning to address you by your name. Your real name, not your callsign. “Hey, I love you.”

“Exactly like that.” You swallowed the hurt of knowing he wouldn’t ever mean that about you no matter how much you wished he would. “Now just tell it to her. And let me know how it goes.” You bumped his shoulder with yours.

“Wow.”

“And y’know, if she still doesn’t get it, she’s too dumb for you, Roose.”

He said your name again.

You wished he would stop. Stop making you melt with just his voice. Stop making you feel things you knew better than to feel. Stop making you wonder if he might just reciprocate. Stop making you wish for what might be.

“What?”

“Do you really not know?” he asked, his face scrunching in confusion.

“Know what? You’re not making any sense.”

“Hawk, it’s you. I love you.”

You laughed incredulously and something like anger grew in his face. Still, you shook your head as you started off down the beach again. “No, no you don’t.”

He stood there for a second, stunned, before jogging after you. “What the hell do you mean I don’t?”

“I mean you don’t love me. You can’t…” You cut yourself off, trying not to cry. “You can’t love me.” 

The anger in his face creased into concern when he heard the sob you choked off. His arms opened, reaching for you. You went to him without hesitation, wrapping your arms around him as you tried to force your shoulders not to shake. His hand held the back of your head, keeping you secure against him. Bradley’s breathing was deep and even, something you used to slow your own gasping breaths. He held you for a long minute, even after you calmed.

“Why can’t I love you?” he asked quietly.

“Why would anyone?” you returned his question with another. “Especially you. You’re… everything--brilliant, talented, funny, gorgeous, kind, everything--and I… I’m just me. You could have anyone you wanted and I just don’t see how you could want me.”

He squeezed you tighter for a minute before he pulled back to look at you. You avoided his gaze, still sniffling a little. His hand moved to your chin, gently encouraging you to lift your head. After a moment, you did, bringing your eyes to his briefly.

“Sweetheart, I--”

You cut him off with a hand over his mouth. “If you’re going to keep talking, I want you to be sure you mean it. I had a guy ask me out as a joke once and I don’t think I could handle it if you did that to me too.”

Bradley took hold of your wrist, moving your hand so it rested over his heart. “I promise you, I would never do that.” He waited for you to nod before he continued. “I do love you. I have since you gave me that old record.”

“Really? That was all the way back when we were in Top Gun.” When you chuckled weakly, his lips tilted up into a half-smile.

“Yeah. I’ve been trying to work up to asking you out since then. Better late than never, I guess.”

“Technically, you still haven’t.” You might have winked at him if you didn’t still feel raw. As it was, you managed a teasing tone that broadened his grin.

“You’re absolutely right. Allow me to rectify that mistake.” Bradley tucked a loose piece of hair behind your ear. This time when he said your name, delicious shivers ran down your spine. “Let me take you on a date?”

“I’d like that. I’d like that a lot.”  You felt warm as he looked at you in the moonlight. Perhaps it was the reflection of that light that seemed to glow in his eyes that made you braver. “I love you too, Bradley.”

“Yeah?” Shyness colored his tone--a rarity for him.

“Since you found me that time on the beach. You know which one.” You smiled, watching his hazel eyes. “I… I’m sorry for earlier. I shouldn’t have laughed.”

“Hey, no, it’s okay. I understand,” he reassured immediately. “I wish you knew how amazing you are, but until then, can you trust me to believe it for both of us?”

“There’s no one on this earth I trust more than you,” you said, your gaze turning a little uncertain after a moment. “You might have to remind me once in a while, though.”

He pulled you back into his chest, pressing a kiss to the top of your head before leaning his cheek there. “I’ll remind you as often as you need for as long as you let me.”

You were fighting tears again, this time wondering how you had possibly gotten so lucky. Bradley didn’t say anything, just held you close. He let you be the one to pull back, and you tucked yourself into his side for the walk back to his car.

“So, about that date,” you started, grinning up at him. “What are you thinking?”

“Well, I was thinking we could make dinner, get ice cream, the whole nine yards.”

“When are you gonna pick me up, sunshine?”

“Same as always, sweetheart,” he squeezed you closer by the shoulders, kissing your forehead. “6 sharp from the locker room after whatever their training is tomorrow.”

“I can’t wait.”

“Me neither.”

#bradley bradshaw x reader #bradley bradshaw #bradley rooster bradshaw x reader #bradley rooster bradshaw #rooster x reader #rooster bradshaw #top gun #top gun maverick

[1moreff-creator]

DRDT - Milgram AU: T1 "Voice Reveal" Lines

Hey there! Back at it with this AU. I figured if I'm going to commit to the bit, I might as well commit fully. At the start of every Trial, Milgram gives a sneak peak at some of the lines which will appear in the VDs, combined with "glitchy" lines which relate to their murder. So I'm doing that too! Keep in mind this is not professional in the slightest, so exact wording might change between now and when I actually post the VDs. Especially since it's been a while since I rewatched DRDT so the wording could feel a bit off. Anyways, here we go!

Implied DRDT spoilers and heavy themes. Again not affiliated with either of the series

Btw I'm using crossed out text for aesthetics but there will be a transcript at the bottom if you have trouble reading that.

01- "Levi Fontana, a pleasure"

"Yes, I am a murderer"

"I can't bring myself to pretend to be sorry for what I did"

"I suppose I should watch the other prisoners to learn how normal murderers should handle themselves"

...

I know you didn't want this, but it had to be done

02- "Arturo Giles"

"Ugh. Do I really have to be judged by someone this ugly?"

"I'll have you know, I've never murdered anyone"

[Whispering] "I mean, there is... no, no, that wasn't my fault"

...

How was I meant to know?! Even if she's dead because of what I did, it's not my fault!

03- "My name is David Chiem"

"It seems there's been a mistake. But don't worry! I won't hold it against you"

"Mistakes can be corrected. It's not difficult to change, as long as you're willing to!"

"I try to be as positive as I can, since I know there's a lot of people that don't get the privilege"

...

AGH! CAN YOU DO ANYTHING RIGHT, YOU PIECE OF HUMAN GARBAGE?!

04- "Yo! Whit Young, nice to meet you!

"Are you really sure everyone here is a murderer?"

"That's wack"

"I don't remember doing anything suspicious! Yesterday was normal, the day before that was normal, the day before that... the day before that..."

...

My mom's really amazing! I love her a lot. I would do anything for her

05- "Tch. Ace Markey"

"You wanna fight?! Wait, fuck, you probably have weapons, don't you?! Shit, don't get any closer!"

"You think I'm a murderer?! Horseshit!"

"Get off your fucking high horse!"

...

Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, shit, shit shit shit, FUCK!

06- "Uhm... Nico... Hakobyan"

"I'm- I'm really sorry!"

"You're pretty weird"

"Ah! I'm sorry! Don't get mad at me!"

...

Why should I own up for the mistakes that someone else made?!

07- "J Moreno"

"What do you people really want? Ransom money? There's no way you're doing this just because you want to 'judge our sins' or whatever bullshit you're saying"

"Don't make me laugh. Find evidence I killed anyone, and then we can talk about murder"

"Do you really think you're going to understand everything I've been through, just with a silly little song? How arrogant are you?!"

...

What happened to her was nothing short of a tragedy. Sorry, but I will make no further comment

08- "Mmmm... Rose Lacroix"

"zzzzz"

"Ah, yeah. I killed someone"

"This really isn't that bad. At least I can paint here"

...

I wonder if I can be happy now

09- "H-Hu Jing"

"I know what I did was unforgivable..."

"I really am selfish... I'm scared of receiving the punishment I deserve"

"Please Forgive me!"

...

Wake up! Please! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!

10- "My name is Veronika Grebenshchikova!"

"If you don't mind, can you choose not to Forgive me?"

"Death sounds boring. I'd rather stay alive if you don't mind!"

"To Forgive what I did... it would be denying everything I believe about my life..."

...

[Cackling laughter, which trails off with a wheeze] I really am a monster...

11- "Arei Naegishi!"

"Pfft! God, you're pathetic!"

"Why the hell are we even here? How could anyone be stupid enough to do anything but Forgive me?"

"Are you really that much of an idiot?!"

...

WHO'S THE WEAK ONE NOW, HUH?!

12- "Uhm... Eden Tobisa..."

"Even when things are looking down, we just have to try our best, and trust each other!"

"I... I never wanted anyone to die!"

"Es... why are you doing this?"

...

Wh- What have you done?!

13- "Min Jeung"

"This is ludicrous. How are we meant to expect a fair judgement when your 'justice' is determind by one person's whims and biases?"

"When an institution is non-functional, it is highly illogical to indiscriminately tear it down. Improving the basis already in place is by far the most constructive way to conduct progress"

"There is no country in the world where I would be judged a murderer. To say one single prison has the authority to decide that I am is a flagrant display of vanity"

...

The condition has been met. There is no need for further intervention

14- "Alexander Matthews. Just call me Xander"

"Don't you see how broken this entire system is?! What makes you think you hold a monopoly over morality, huh?! What gives you the right to Forgive or Not Forgive?!"

"When something is rotten, you throw it away. It's the same with this twisted place!"

"...Warden?"

...

Ah... haha... I did it... You all can finally rest

15- "Charles Cuevas"

"I was hoping the Warden would be competent, at least, but clearly I was a fool to think that could ever be the case"

"Are you stupid?!"

"Warden... Es... I have a request"

...

Hgk...- Ack! ... Kch[sharp inhale]

16- "Teruko Tawaki"

"Are you okay?"

"You don't need to know anything about my crimes. I'm unforgivable. That's all you need, right?"

"If you can find a way to do it... Just kill me"

...

... [sigh] Why did I ever get my hopes up?

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

And there we go! Hope they weren't too ooc! Keep in mind different backstories could lead to slightly different personalities; this AU is canon-adjacent, not really canon-compliant. Levi's first trial is coming soon! Hope you enjoyed!

Huh? Secret message? Whatever are you talking about?

Here's the transcript of the glitchy lines:

01 - Levi: I know you didn't want this, but it had to be done

02 - Arturo: How was I meant to know?! Even if she's dead because of what I did, it's not my fault!

03 - David: AGH! CAN YOU DO ANYTHING RIGHT, YOU PIECE OF HUMAN GARBAGE?!

04 - Whit: My mom's really amazing! I love her a lot. I would do anything for her

05 - Ace: Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, shit, shit shit shit, FUCK!

06 - Nico: Why should I own up for the mistakes that someone else made?!

(Yes it's just the secret quote on their page sue me it's a cool line)

07 - J: What happened to her was nothing short of a tragedy. Sorry, but I will make no further comment

08 - Rose: I wonder if I can be happy now

09 - Hu: Wake up! Please! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!

10 - Veronika: [Cackling laughter, which trails off with a wheeze] I really am a monster...

11 - Arei: WHO'S THE WEAK ONE NOW, HUH?!

12 - Eden: Wh- What have you done?!

13 - Min: The condition has been met. There is no need for further intervention

14 - Xander: Ah... haha... I did it... You all can finally rest...

15 - Charles: Hgk... Ack! ... Kch[sharp inhale]

16 - Teruko: ... [sigh] Why did I ever get my hopes up?

#drdt #milgram #drdt milgram crossover au #oh god i have to tag them all again #levi fontana #arturo giles #david chiem #whit young #ace markey #nico hakobyan #j moreno #j rosales #rose lacroix #drdt spoilers #hu jing #veronika grebenshchikova #arei nageishi #eden tobisa #min jeung #xander matthews #charles cuevas #teruko tawaki

[player1064]

Loved your Jamie Carragher character thesis statement post! It actually made me think of a prompt or short story if you are still doing them. A 5+1 story of Gary making Jamie contradict how he acts/personality. Maybe from the viewpoints of others and the +1 can be Gary defending Jamie personality/character. Again love your drabbles and stories!

im ngl i DID set out to do this as a 5+1 but I. ran out of steam a bit (bitches when their meds are out of stock etc). so instead have a 4+0 😅

---

Philip.

Phil has abandoned the boardroom and is wandering around Hotel Football in search of snacks when he comes upon a small kitchenette where Jamie is busy swearing at a kettle.

He hadn't realised Jamie was here too, he and the other lads have been stuck in a meeting with Gary for hours now and there'd been no mention of it, but it's not that surprising when he thinks about it.

"Alright, Carra?" he greets, and Jamie turns to him with a muttered fuck.

"Hi, Phil," he says with an exasperated sigh. "Your twat of a brother asked me to fetch him some tea, and –”

He gestures hopelessly at the counter behind him, which is in such a state it looks as though a small bomb has gone off.

"Oh," says Phil. "Tea is really difficult, to be fair. Can't you find one of the staff members to help you?"

"No, I –” Jamie runs a hand through his hair, frustrated. "He asked me."  

Redders.

Jamie sees it moments before it happens, in excruciating slow motion – like when a gun goes off in films. Gary’s hovering around Carra, trying unsuccessfully to get his attention, and when he gives up and reaches to jostle Carra’s shoulder Jamie waits for the inevitable snap.

Except, Carra doesn’t snap. He doesn’t jerk away, he looks at Gary and he beams. If it was any other person Jamie could’ve sworn he was leaning in to the touch, because Gary’s hand stays in place even while they talk.

When they’re setting up to film, Gary shifts his chair closer to Carra’s so that their knees are touching, and Carra doesn’t roll his eyes or move away. When Carra tells a joke that’s got Gary doubled over with laughter, Gary spreads a hand between Carra’s shoulder blades and nothing happens.

The whole day is full of things like that, tiny casual touches which should be normal, which are normal for anyone other than Carra. Jamie, worried that he’s gone mad and misremembered a fundamental fact about Carra, even tries an experiment once or twice: he claps a hand on Carra’s back, or he throws an arm around his shoulders in a friendly side hug. Carra twitches at the contact every single time, a miniscule reaction honed out of years of needing to be polite, and he carefully shifts away from Jamie’s touch with a suspicious side-eye.

When they’re leaving the studio that evening to go to the pub, Gary slaps Carra’s bum as he walks through the doorway and all Carra does is grin.

Stevie.

“Who the fuck are you texting?”

“Huh?” Jamie blinks, looks up at Stevie over his glasses like he’d forgotten he was there. “Oh, just Gary.”

“Didn’t yous see ‘im earlier today?”

“Yeah, why?”

Stevie is lucky if he gets one text a month from Jamie, even luckier if he sees him in person more than twice a year. It’s never bothered him much, he knows what Jamie’s like, knows that anyone not sat directly in front of him is prone to being dismissed as a distraction. There aren’t really friends in Jamie’s world, just allies and enemies.

So he’s not really sure what to do with this version of Jamie, the one who leaves Gary Neville’s company (and Gary Neville, really?) only to immediately open his phone and start texting Gary Neville.

Every time his phone pings he opens it up and does a stupid little snicker at whatever Gary’s sent him, never mind that he’s meant to be mid-conversation with Stevie. Every bloody anecdote seems to start with ‘so me and Gary were –’, or ‘Gary was saying –’. Even the stories that aren’t about work – as far as Stevie can figure out, there’s rarely a moment that Jamie’s not with Gary, or talking to Gary, or thinking about Gary.

It's weird. It’s almost like how he used to be about football.

Micah.

Micah can’t believe what he’s seeing. It’s time for Sky’s yearly ‘film Neville and Carragher making fools of themselves racing each other in a thinly-veiled attempt to rack up more views’, and Jamie is losing.

Jamie’s a runner, he runs. Gary does fuck all cardio beyond the occasional group fitness class, he should not be a full pace ahead of Jamie at the halfway point, and yet. Gary can’t seem to believe it either, because when he glances back at Jamie he grins and picks up his pace with a gleeful little laugh.

Jamie rolls his eyes for the sake of the cameras, but there’s a moment where Micah could’ve sworn he saw him skip, like he was deliberately trying to slow himself down. Which is impossible, because Jamie would happily out-sprint a child if someone told him it was a competition.

And yet.

When Gary wins he grabs onto Jamie’s arm to support himself while his whole body shakes with laughter, squawking out insults every time he’s able to catch his breath. Jamie laughs along, makes up some poor excuse about his hamstring going, but when he catches Micah’s eye he winks as if they’re both in on the same joke.

#i was gonna do a michael owen section where he says something stupid and jamie destroys him over it #and then gary says the same thing and jamie's like. that's so real you're so special and funny #but again. ran out of steam #thanks for the prompts guys i LOVE reminding everyone how insane jamie actually is #carraville #drabbles

[racerchix21]

Maybe Second Chances

Warnings: None

A/N: There’s a sequel that will be posted tomorrow!

Relationship: Seth Rollins/Reader

Work Text:

Going out to dinner with my best friend seemed like a good idea until Finn spotted Seth attempting to hide behind a potted plant and the whole damn thing blew up in my face. See Finn and I are brother and sister but ever since I decided to follow him into the pro wrestling world, we’ve kept it a secret so no one could scream that I was only getting the opportunities I was because of who my brother was.

Once I saw him too it was only a matter of time before one of us did something stupid and well stupid is my middle name. We aren’t gonna talk about the fact I can see a mop of dirty blonde hair or that I can see a tribal tattoo that can only belong to one person. I’ve been half in love with Seth Rollins since our Ring of Honor days and the longer I’m around him the more i seem to fall in love with him. Which is all well and good if it wasn’t for the fact that Seth treats me like a little sister and sure we did have one drunken night together right after he signed with FCW but I don’t think he remembers and I have no plans on telling him. I do know that the things I still wanna do to him are definitely not sisterly in the slightest. I’m only 7 months younger than him but the way he acts it might as well be 70 years.

Finn tries to draw my attention back to conversation we were having before the merry band of idiots gave themselves away peeking through the potted plants, “Sis, this is ridiculous will you just tell him how you feel,” my brother asks raising his voice enough that I can see Seth duck down with a sheepish look on his face and hear Roman and Dean giving him shit for getting caught spying.

“Finn, you know for a fact that Seth is never gonna see that way so I’ve given up besides I heard that McIntyre was single again and you know how much I love a tall, dark and terrifying man,” I tell my brother at the same voice level as I hear Roman and Dean laughing about Seth storming towards our table even as they follow him.

He looks angry but then again when doesn’t Rollins look pissed at the world? The answer is never and I really shouldn’t be laughing since I know it’s only liable to piss him off more. But I live to rile Sethie up and he knows it and still falls for it every single time.

Pulling up a chair at the table we’re sitting at Seth leans into my space and demands to know, “What the hell do you think you’re doing out to dinner with him,” gesturing to my brother and the smirk currently adorning his face. “Of all the people you could go out with you pick Bàlor to date?!”

Glancing at Finn I mouth, I’m sorry before looking back at Seth, “first of all dipshit, ewww he’s brother. Second of all it’s not exactly like there’s a line of guys just dying to date me, especially in our business when they see the women I’m friends with. I don’t have Becky’s pretty accent, or Nat’s boobs*, or Alexa’s personality. I’m just a plain flat chested girl that can’t even get her best friend to tell her she’s pretty let alone get a guy to pay attention to her. The one guy I do have a crush on doesn’t return my feelings so…” I trail off as I watch a million different emotions flit across Seth’s face.

“Well you aren’t plain or flat chested. I’m personally glad you don’t have any issues of those things to be honest. You have the perfect accent that drives me absolutely crazy and don’t get me started on the fact that everything you do in the ring and in the gym makes me crazy. I love your sarcastic smart ass personality even when you’re using it to make fun of me. Yeah Nat’s boobs are nice but they’re not all that great given that I’ve already met someone who’s got the perfect ones. Do I need to go on, baby girl?”

“Baby girl, huh? Well Rollins as charming as that little speech was you can stop trying to suck up now. I already know how you feel abou-.”

“About you? Yeah princess I don’t think you do. You think I don’t remember that night back in 2010 when I somehow managed to kind of tell you how I felt? Because I wasn’t that drunk that night and it was the best night of my life. I just can’t seem to figure out why when I woke up you were gone with no note, no text, nothing and then you show up in NXT a few years later and act like you didn’t break my heart.”

*I love Natalya and her boobs and I have nothing against them*

#Seth Rollins x Reader #Seth Rollins fic

[matcha-meow]

oh HEY, my first bajifuyu fic got 100 kudos on a03 so I've de-anon myself and posted it here as well~ enjoy!! TITLE: Your Latest Confession Is My Newest Obsession

PROMPT: Love Letter

SUMMARY: His friend doesn’t even spare him a glance as he keeps walking, “I’m his right hand man and his first line of defense. Nothing gets to Baji-san unless it goes through me first.”

OR

There’s something going on between Baji and Chifuyu - but Takemichi is just a simple bystander and he really doesn’t get it. Is this really how Captains and Vice-Captains are supposed to act?

---

The most confusing day of Takemichi’s life starts out completely normal - really. 

He gets a text message from Chifuyu, saying he’s waiting at the school entrance like usual. The only difference so far is that he’s being kept behind because of an overdue assignment and then after a stern lecture, he’s forced to leave his class later than anticipated. 

It’s only been a few minutes, but now Takemichi has to sprint through the hallways to keep his friend from waiting. Dodging other students left and right, Takemichi picks up the pace when he sees the gates within running distance. He then absolutelyjolts to a stop, nearly hitting the ground face down, when Takemichi realizes that it’s notjust Chifuyu waiting for him there. 

Chifuyu is talking to a girl in front of their school. She’s blushing, she’s nervous, she’s looking at anywhere but Chifuyu - then suddenly she’s pushing an envelope into the blond’s hands. 

The girl says something, shyly making eye contact again beneath her lashes and they are just so long and distracting. She’s fixing her curly hair and then messing them up again by twirling the locks with a pink manicured nail. She isso pretty, thinks Takemichi.

He feels a bit like a voyeur, watching this cute little thing pout her lips at Chifuyu as she's waiting for his response. A moment later she gets one.

Chifuyu smiles, gives her a thumbs up, and then tucks the letter into his school blazer. 

The girl covers her face in embarrassment, running back to her giggling group of friends encouraging her from the side.  

Takemichi isn’t stupid, he knows what he just witnessed - and congratulations are in order! He jogs the rest of the way, clamps a heavy hand on Chifuyu’s shoulder, and says

“ Dude ! She was so hot! Nice going, man!” 

“Um,” says Chifuyu, “...What? Why are you fist-bumping me?”

“C’mon, I saw the whole thing,” says Takemichi with a proud grin, “That girl gave you a love letter, right? And you said yes, didn’t you? So when’s the first date, huh?”

They’ve been moving along the sidewalk, with Takemichi’s arm wrapped around Chifuyu’s shoulder like they’re both in on a conspiracy - but Takemichi’s voice would have given them away with how loud he’s being.

“I can give you some pointers you know, Hina and I have been dating for a while now an-”

Takemichi gets thrown off balance when Chifuyu starts flailing, “You’ve got it all wrong!”

His friend scratches the back of his head sheepishly, looking off to the side.

“That confession letter wasn’t for me,” he says with an amused grin, “That was for Baji-san. Obviously. She just asked me if I could deliver it to him ‘cause Baji-san’s been skipping school lately and she’s been carrying that letter around for a while now.” 

Takemichi definitely doesn’t get it, “What do you mean, ‘obviously?’ Does this happen a lot or something?” 

Chifuyu shrugs, “Well, not a lot.” He contemplates the matter for a few seconds, “Maybe just twice this week, and a couple times this month.” He waves a hand in the air, as if brushing the whole issue aside, “It’s no problem to me, I live in the same building as Baji-san. It’s just a couple extra steps to drop it off for him.”

Takemichireally doesn’t get it now.

“And uh, you’ve just been playing messenger boy for him all this time?”

Chifuyu looks at Takemichi in wild disbelief, like he’s just announced to everyone that he’s a time-traveler. He also looks a little exasperated and maybe even disappointed. 

“I’m his Vice-Captain,” he says, like the title is already self explanatory, “Taking care of things like this is my duty. I’m not some messenger or mail carrier - I’m way more important than that.”

He then promptly takes out notone envelope - BUTTHREE envelopes from his school blazer and then systematically opens each one up, skimming the pages, making various sounds of disapproval, and then putting them back into the envelopes.

Takemichi watches this with no small amount of confusion.

“What,” he swallows and tries again, “What are you doing? I thought you said these were for Baji-kun.”

His friend doesn’t even spare him a glance as he keeps walking, “I’m his right hand man and his first line of defense. Nothing gets to Baji-san unless it goes through me first.”  

As they pass by a trash can, Chifuyu dumps the first two letters into the bin.

“Those girls weren’t any good,” he says by way of explanation, “They wouldn’t add any value to Baji-san’s life.”

Takemichi has no choice but to keep up - both with the conversation and with the stride. He’s walking a little faster now so he can turn towards Chifuyu and see his expression as they’re talking. He needs some more context here.

“Ok, but how would you know that? And does Baji-kun know you’re doing that? Did he ask you to go through all his fan mail, too? Are you vetting all his future girlfriends for him - is that what Vice-Captains do now?”

Chifuyu laughs, “The future of Toman is directly affected by Baji-san’s happiness. He doesn’t need to ask me to do this.” 

Takemichi just says what’s on his mind, “I really don’t get it. You’ve completely lost me.”

They aren’t able to continue the conversation, which might be for better or for worse, because they've reached their headquarters and other members are joining them in the park. The two of them make their rounds together, high-fiving comrades and exchanging pleasantries. 

At one point, Baji Keisuke joins them.

“Ah, Baji-san!” Chifuyu brightens up immediately, “This is for you,” he offers the envelope with both hands and looks for a sign of approval. “There were some others this week, but I don’t think they were worth reading.”

Maybe it’s his imagination, but Takemichi thinks Baji’s expression is a little strained.

“Chifuyu, you need to stop letting these girls run you over.” He smirks, “Are you any different from a personal messenger now?”

“Haha, that’s what I said!” shouts Takemichi, with a fist pump in the air, at last finding his validation.

Baji still takes the letter, doesn’t read it, folds it up twice, and then deposits it somewhere in his clothes. They don’t talk about it for the rest of the meeting. Chifuyu might grumble a bit under his breath, “If I don’t do this, Baji-san wouldn’t have any free time. He just getsso much mail.” 

Takemichi definitely pretends he doesn’t hear the blond justify the rest of the chores he’s taken upon himself for the sake of Baji’s quality of life. He’s also not really paying attention to the meeting and then suddenly it’s over before he realizes.

The upper heads are done discussing the upcoming changes, warning everyone to not pick fights with other gangs right now while tensions are high and the police are cracking down on criminal activity. There’s nothing planned for after this, so Takemichi is content to just say bye to his friends and head out - putting his weird interactions with Chifuyu aside. 

He gets as far as the park exit before someone pulls him back, none too roughly, but the grip is firm and tells him that his companion is stronger than him. Takemichi definitely doesn’t let out a yelp when he’s turned faced-to-face with Baji suddenly. 

“Hey,” says the First Division Captain, staring down at him with a menacing smile. 

 “B-Baji-kun?” 

“What did that girl look like?”

“Um,” he’s not sure he’s following this conversation - but the intimidation radiating out of the other boy has his brain working on overdrive and he's thinking fast. “You mean, the girl…that gave Chifuyu that confession letter?”

“Yeah.”

“Well,” says Takemichi, “She was really pretty.” 

“Pretty?”

“Yeah like super pretty, don’t tell Hina, but like -” and then Takemichi launches into an explanation that is probably going into too much detail, but it’s been a really confusing day. That girl was so smokin’ hot and Chifuyu didn’t look twice at her. He didn’t even try to get her number for himself, he just handed her over to Baji like she was some errand, who does that?

And at first he thought Baji didn’t care too, but maybe he does. 

“...and like her skirt wassoooo short, I could totally see her-”

The hand on his shoulder pats him very roughly twice, almost awkwardly, signaling that it’s enough. The impact is so strong it almost sends him tumbling.

“Ah, I see,” says Baji with a quick glance over his shoulder and then, “And this is the girl that Chifuyu said was the best? This is the type of girl that Chifuyu likes?”

“Uhhhhhh,” Takemichi actually thinks about it all over again, “Actually he said it’s what you would like best?”  

There’s a moment of silence.

“Did he look interested in her or not?”

“...Yes?”

Baji looks at him in a similar way that Chifuyu had - like they were both very done and very disappointed in him. Perhaps Chifuyu had actually learned this look from Baji.

Takemichi isn’t sure what he’s done wrong, but he’s released from the grip with a tired sigh. 

“Don’t tell Chifuyu I asked about her, ok?”

Oh,

“Don’t worry, I won’t let him know you second guessed his opinion! She really was pretty - I didn’t get to see the other girls, but I think-”

“That’s not,” starts Baji, narrowing his eyes at something in the distance. “That’s not what I meant. Actually, nevermind.”

He watches as the other Toman member heads back to the group, most likely to finish up a Captains meeting. Baji throws him a quick wave over his shoulder to thank him for his time. As confusing as a time that it was. But at least Takemichi thinks he might get it now.

It starts to become a little more clear, the hesitancy in which Baji approaches his Vice-Captain, telling him to go home first. Takemichi is too far to hear their exact conversation, but he thinks he hears Chifuyu saying he doesn’t mind staying until the post-meeting is over. 

They’re walking further now, so he sees rather than hears Baji shake his head and invite Chifuyu to might as well come to the meeting then. If he’s just going to stick around, he can at least be useful or something.

As they pass by the park area trash receptacles, Baji dumps the contents of the last letter inside. It happens so quickly, so smoothly that it’s impossible for the boy beside him to have noticed the fate of Baji’s latest suitor’s confession. And maybe Chifuyu also hasn’t noticed what’s been developing between the two of them as well. 

Takemichi’s confusing day finally comes to an end, when he realizes

Baji hasn’t stopped looking at Chifuyu the entire meeting.

#bajifuyu #chifuyu matsuno #matsuno chifuyu #baji keisuke #keisuke baji #tokyo revengers #tokrev #tokrev fanfic #tokyo revengers fanfiction #bajifuyu fanfic #matcha writes bjfy

[satans-left-asscheeky]

Maccready

How could you not have been the one?

Short drabble based off the predictive text from this post

This came out far more angsty than I had anticipated. All hurt no comfort unfortunately, because apparently we enjoy pain in this household. :'(

Tw: Upsetting content, mentions of abusive relationships

"How could you not have been the one for me when I was so happy?" Mac hissed. The first few months they were together had been been great, but something had changed. It was a subtle change at first, one that had crept up on him. He hadn't realized how bad it was getting until it reached a breaking point, one where he couldn't deny it anyore. Maybe he could've seen it sooner, but they'd saved his kid and made him feel like he was king of the fucking world so he pushed it all under the rug. Hell he thought he'd never love again after Lucy, and then came along his knight in shinning armour. What a crock of crap that turned out to be. He really had thought the sun rose and set in them at first, but his luck always did turn sour in the end didnt it? They had been good work partners, and he wishes that things would've just stayed that way, but no they had to tell him all the things he thought he'd never hear again, and his stupid heart had to flutter and make him act a fool. At least he hadn't ever brought Duncan to the commonwealth like he had planned.... least he could do was save his little boy from the all to familiar pain currently settling in his chest.

"Guess you really can't see the forest through the trees." He finished while violently tearing his things from their once shared dresser drawer. He'd been stupid then. Love was blind and maybe so was he, maybe he'd been too infatuated to see the truth, or maybe he just didn't want to see Sole's dark side. Maybe they had just hidden it from him for as long as possible. Either way he'd seen the real them, and there was not a chance in hell he was gonna stick around now.

"Mac..." They started their voice cold and devoid of emotions. He looked to their face half expecting to find tears in their eyes. Maybe even a sick twisted part of him wanted to see it, wanted them to hurt as much as he was, but his gaze was met with an emotionless stare from his past lover. Their features were like a statute, unchanging, cold as stone, and mimicking the form of a person. He hadn't been scared of them before, even after all they had done, because something in the back of his mind had told him they didn't mean to do that to him, or didnt want to, but now he wasn't so sure.

"Say your peace sole... I don't want to stay here any longer than I have to." He forced himself to utter copying their coldness in his own empty tone. He couldn’t let them see what they were doing to him, how they'd gutted him entirely. How messed up he really was about all this.

"You won't tell anyone?" they whispered barely audible, but still the quiet question only pushed Mac over the edge. All he could see was red and he seethed as the weeks of repressed rage all but consumed him

"That's what you want to know!? Do you not care? I'm leaving you sole." He stated tapping his chest violently to punctuate his point. He gathered his things faster now, throwing them into his pack with a reckless abandon, objects hitting the inside of his bag in a frenzied rush.

"This isn't a break. This isn't temporary. once I have my shit I'm gone! You'll never see me again and all you care about is your reputation?" He looked at them only to find the same nothingness he had seen before. They were empty, hollow, the shell of a person he used to care for, but it would seem they didn't care for him... at least not anymore assuming they ever did.

"No, I won't tell anyone you're a psycho. Wanna know why? Because I loved you! How would that make me look huh?" he asked as tears filled his eyes and blurred his vision, despite his best efforts they still fell down his cheeks as he spoke. Dammit.

"You think I wanna be know as the guy who fell for you?! No, you know what fuck you. Yeah that's right. Fuck. You." His hand touched something small and ceramic in the drawer. He shoved it in his duster pocket before turning on his heels and leaving sole behind. Leaving the life he had built with them behind. Leaving a piece of himself behind.

He didn't look back. He couldn't look back. He slung his gun around his back and made his way out of the house. out of their house. He ignored the settlers and scavvers as he made his way out of the settlement, and out of the commonwealth. He moved quickly not stopping to eat or sleep just moving and shooting whatever was stupid enough to challenge him.

It hadn't even been a full three days when he collapsed. He'd just been walking and suddenly his knees buckled sending him falling down to the dirt below. He rubbed his eyes suprised to find that his hand came back wet. He was crying. Sobbing actually. He hadn't wanted to cry over them, they didn't deserve it, but here he was lying in the fetal position crying his heart out in the middle of the wastes. His sobs thankfully were mostly silent, and when they weren't he bit down on his hand so that he didn't make as much noise.

When he finally was to exhausted to cry anymore he noticed something in his front pocket poking into his chest. He had a brief memory of stuffing something into the pocket of his duster before he left for good. He pulled the mysterious object from his pocket and pulled it to his face blinking a few times until his tear blurred vision would coparate with him. He noticed it right a way. It was the toy soldier Lucy had made for him all those years ago. It felt like a life time ago from where he was laying. There was a noticeable crack down the center of it now, most likely from his frantic rush to leave, but he was just glad to have it. He brought it to his lips and kissed it gently before the exhaustion finally took hold of him and he passed out against the cold earth below him.

#fallout #maccready #fallout 4 #fo4 maccready #maccready fallout 4 #rj maccready #fallout 4 maccready

[khodorkovskaya]

From now on.... men can go their own way.

Fuck men, we can all have better times with our friends anyway.

If a man sends a half arsed message or a shitty one, then shame on him for being an absolute dick head. He can fuck off. Honestly it only shows their own worth so they might feel hard done to or like theyve done nothing wrong at the end of the day, but in all honesty it's just a true reflection if them and their morals and standards. It says a lot more about them than it ever will about any of us hurt girlies.

It takes nothing to be kind, kindness is free

Friends are forever and always

yess let's gooooo

speaking of messages and how it reflects guys' morals, i wanna tell you something else really frustrating about my ex. so you know how i said that he was really bad at replying to messages, didn't care about my social media and stuff?

side note just to explain why him being on social media was so important to me: i have a food reviews account and it's a hobby of mine, it's v silly and i used to make little videos of me trying different foods. it was a whole thing and i always got a lot of comments from my friends about it. but my ex never cared! and i get it, not everyone has instagram. but i was really passionate about this food blog and put a lot of effort into the silly little videos i used to make. and id often be like "did you see my new video?" and he would sigh and roll his eyes. and then sometimes id show him my videos and he would be so annoyed. he literally had no respect! and yeah, it was all very silly and stupid, i never claimed that this food reviews blog was like deep and artistic or whatever. but it was important to me!!! he could've at least pretended that he cares, you know what i mean?

another side note: i grew up on social media so im very used to chatting to my friends all the time and posting instagram stories as i go along my day and stuff. and a part of social media culture is sending memes and funny/cute photos to people to show affection, right? like we always send things to each other like "haha this made me think of you". again, it's stupid, but it's a thing people do. and i would sometimes send him cute photos of kittens or bunnies or whatever like "hey, this is us <3" and again, he didn't care. and he never made an effort to maybe think like "huh, this is important to her, this is how she shows affection, maybe i should be a little more considerate instead of dismissing her stupid cat pictures". like it's the bare minimum!

anyway, whatever.

so back to what i wanted to say. when i left him, he suddenly started being active on social media and he would reply to my messages instantly. all of a sudden he started sending me cute photos of animals and even photos of foods to try like "hey, this would be neat for your food reviews blog". like he immediately did a 180!!! turns out showing basic human decency and basic respect towards my hobbies and communication style wasn't that hard after all, huh?

so naive little me was like "ohh maybe we could get back together". so i invite him to the cinema to test the waters, yknow. and after the movie we had a talk. and he was like "yeah, look at how much effort i put into trying to get you back these past couple of weeks". and that's when it hit me. showing interest in my hobbies is an "effort"? enjoying talking to me is an "effort"? and the way he showed that "effort" was by simply liking my instagram posts and replying to my messages in less than 24 hours. the tremendous "effort" he was talking about would take him 2 seconds of his time. and that was already more than enough and too much for him???

so yeah, the amount of effort a guy is willing to put into communicating with you really says a lot. replying to your text is too hard? double-tapping a meme you sent him is too hard? sitting through a minute long video of you is too hard? well fuck that! as you said, kindness is free. respect is free. caring for your significant other and making an effort is free! and if that's too hard? well fuck that!

[bemylord]

ꜱ/ᴏ ʙᴇɪɴɢ ᴄʟɪɴɢʏ

characters: satoru, itadori, megumi, toji, nanamin, sukuna.

warnings: it's not an angst, but it has triggers because they screamed at you :( [toji and sukuna parts bc yall know those man] + grammar issues. [aged up?]

butler's remark: it was hard to write yuuji, megumi and gojou parts bc they are good and sweet boys and i practically cry. i also had decided to do as a hdc not in the fake text. i did a reader with a strong character.

apologies part.

ɪᴛᴀᴅᴏʀɪ ʏᴜᴜᴊɪ:

pls no. i can't even imagine that yuuji would scream to you or say you're bothering him.

but, okay, that's why you're reading this.

you just wanted a piece, a little bit, some, of yuuji's attention while he was training.

you came to him from behind, wrapping hands around his neck.

you were happy to finally see and hug your boyfriend, planning to spend an evening watching some tv-shows.

suddenly, yuuji turned to you, and instead of the usual: 'sweetie, i'm so happy to see you let's watch the tv or eat ramen!'

he answered: 'i'm busy, y/n, let's talk later.'

being busy by doing something is totally normal.

but he could at least said you not cold as that. he turned around his body, continuing to do the same thing.

'but i missed you, yuuujiii~' you stretched out [?] his name in a smile, clinging to his shoulders again.

'can you not being clingy y/n, i'm trying to train. give me some space, you're starting to annoy me!'

you were standing there with doe eyes - he had never screamed at you.

'yeah? whatever, itadori. i'm gonna cuddle with megumi-kun, good training.'

you left the room with tears in the corner of your eyes. you'll give the space that yuuji had mentioned - you won't be talking with him for some days or weeks, therefore he'll know he should watch his mouth. [to follow what he says]

ꜰᴜꜱʜɪɢᴜʀᴏ ᴍᴇɢᴜᴍɪ:

he came back to the dorm late after training with satoru.

you, being the lovely girlfriend ever, wanted to help megumi: you filled the bathtub with water, made delicious dinner, and find a good movie to watch after bath. maybe, it isn't a romantic thing, but it'll help him to release the tension in the muscle.

'megumi, you finally here!' you had green your boyfriend with a warm hug, as you always do, cupped his face to kiss him.

you were about to give a kiss, when 'gumi intercepted your hands, looking at you tiredly.

'how was the train? you must be tired, that's why i made for you bath and dinner.'

you walked into the living room as you heard him muttering.

'you always being so annoying and so mommy [i mean, hyper custody], i am not a child, y/n, i can help myself.'

'gomen-gomen, megumi, i just wanted to help you relax.'

'stop being like that! that's annoying, i'll take a bath alone, without you.'

you saw bruises and abrasions on his face - he must be angry about that. you have known how megumi hates to be beaten gojou or todou.

you decided not to answer, only waiting till his fury will calm down and he will apologize.

ꜰᴜꜱʜɪɢᴜʀᴏ ᴛᴏᴊɪ:

i want to confess right away - i'm already afraid of him.

toji should be about to return home from a mission any minute now.

you had baked apple pie and made dinner, anticipating for your husband to arrive.

you only overheard heavy footsteps in the living room, immediately run to see him.

'my love, you back home.' you were about to kiss him, when he turned his head, pronouncing:

'don't touch me.'

his obnoxious nature. over the years of living with him you have taught him to be more gentle with you.

'use better words, toji.'

'i will talk to you as i want, woman. the fact you are my wife doesn't mean i'll be docile.'

'don't talk to me like that, i'm yo-'

'shut up, you're just a wife who comes when i need her. don't exalt yourself. don't be clingy.'

notwithstanding your strong character, tears start to roll down on cheeks.

'i have no intention of being your servant, toji. find another 'wife', i'm leaving.'

ɢᴏᴊᴏ ꜱᴀᴛᴏʀᴜ:

as you know, gojou satoru is a playful guy, who wants to tease you like 24/7.

you never thought that gojou would scream at you due to you being clingy. it happened, tho.

you are basically just like him, naughty and agile, waiting for him after work so you could take gojou in your arms and kiss him.

when you heard as the door opened, you ran to hug him. however, when you were anticipating to him to do the same, he uttered: 'let go of me.'

you thought he wanted to hug you first, so you've wrapped your arms around your neck tighter.

'did i not make myself clear? get off me. you being so clingy and intrusive.'

'i missed you, 'toru.'

'we see each other every single day, let me spend a few days alone, don't act like a child, stop being sticky'

when you heard the last word, you get off your boyfriend, watching as he slowly walking into the living room, not look at you.

'a few days alone? fine, gojo, whatever. all you want, i'm leaving.'

you grabbed your phone, leaving the house.

ɴᴀɴᴀᴍɪ ᴋᴇɴᴛᴏ:

you had mentioned that you might be clingy or sticky, demanding a lot of attention, when you on the period.

he agreed, laughed at your words. 'i always be with you anywhen, angel.'

as silly as it may sound, you wrapped your arms on a pillow, which was smelling like him, imagining it was kento.

you heard as a door opened, cheerfully coming down to greet your boyfriend.

'welcome home, darling, i was waiting for you to have some.. cuddles!' you straighten arms on him, expecting kento hugs you.

'it seems as you need me only for that, y/n.'

'no, darling, of course not. how was your day? tell me while we're gonna have a bath.'

'that's what i'm talking about. can it be only one day when you stop being sticky like that? i'm tired from work i want to be alone.'

you were speechless. you mumbled something illegible, step backward.

'y-yeah, s-sure..'

you walk in the bathroom, hiding your tears from him. as soon as you found yourself in the room, you sob.

'he just tired. i-i won't cry.'

you let your boyfriend spend an evening on his own, trying not to cry.

ꜱᴜᴋᴜɴᴀ ʀʏᴏᴍᴇɴ:

disclaimer: the king was really mad today, exactly today when you wanted to cuddle him.

you came to his domain, happy and shine like the sun - you've moved up in the ranks, isn't that a success?

you baked muffins, the kind that the king likes - with chocolate, and garnished with nuts on top. [it's only my opinion]

so, when you stood in front of a pile of skulls, sukuna unexpectedly said: 'you should leave. now.'

'huh?' you turned your head on the left, in a curious gesture, waiting for him to explain.

you did a step forward, thought you misunderstood him.

he didn't even look at you, sitting on the throne like you ain't here like you're sort of a slave, not a girlfriend.

'i've got so good news, sukuna. the first i had baked muff-'

before you could've finished the sentence, he used cursed energy to stop you, knocking the treats out of your hands.

'i fucking said you to leave my domain, woman. are you that stupid? and stop being clingy, it's irritating me.'

you knew his nature, you knew he might indicate something offensive, but, that one - above hurtful.

'what's wrong, the king?' you said his position mockingly, going down the skulls, looking at his back. 'go to hell, i'll tell it itadori. be here alone, sukuna.'

well, shall i do a part two with apologies? also sorry for kinda sad post.

[?] - pls corrent me if i used the wrong word.

↳ back to the main master list.

#jjk satoru #jjk itadori #jjk megumi #jjk x reader #jjk headcanons #jujutsu kaisen x reader #jujutsu kaisen headcanons #itadori yuuji headcanons #itadori yuuji x reader #itadori yuji x reader #satoru gojo x reader #satoru x reader #sukuna x reader #sukuna ryoumen x reader #nanami kento x reader #kento x reader #megumi fushiguro x reader #megumi x reader #toji x reader #toji fushiguro x reader

[shina913]

Gradation, Part 4 | JJK

Gradation, Part 4

gra·​da·​tion | \ grā-ˈdā-shən , grə- \

Definition: 1a: a series forming successive stages 1b: a step or place in an ordered scale 2: an advance by regular degrees 3: a gradual passing from one tint or shade to another –Source: Merriam-Webster

✮ ✮ ✮ Gradation Masterlist ✮ ✮ ✮

Pairing: JJK x Fem!reader

Rating: M (🔞); NSFW

Genre: BF2L; slow burn; fluff; angst; smut

Word count: 9.4K+ words

Warnings: FWB; making out; breast play; fingering; clit play; protected sex; riding; cuddling; psychotherapy session; fluff; excessive angst; pining; thirsty thots; secret hookups; JK and OC nearly get caught; excessive cussing; some alcohol consumption

Summary: On your wedding day, your fiancé leaves you at the altar. While reeling from the embarrassment and heartbreak, your best friend, Jungkook, wants to do everything that he can to help you heal.

A/N: Thank you for all the love you’ve shown for Gradation!

Some time jumps occur--Just trying to move the plot along as I'm anxious to get to the next few parts LOL!

I also highlighted most of the predominant themes/warnings on this chapter so please proceed with caution.

It was the middle of the afternoon and Jungkook fell asleep on the hammock after another surf session. You sat on one of the lounge chairs texting back and forth with Taehyung, as he commented and liked every photo and video that you’ve posted to your social media page.

[Tae]: I’m so jealous! 😩 I wished I could ditch this stupid project! Promise me you’ll let me know when you plan on going again because I want to come with youuuuu!!!

As you type your response to him, an incoming video call from Hobi comes through.

“Hey, Hobi!”

“What’s uuuupp!” He says in a sing-song tone.

“I hope it’s not too late over there.”

“Nah, you know me. I’ve always been a night owl. How’s paradise?”

You turn your phone camera to show him the view.

“Wow…that is amazing.”

You turn the camera back to you. “Did you get my pictures from the summit?”

“I did. It never disappoints! Looks like Jungkookie had a good time there.”

“Yeah, he did. He’s passed out right now and asked me to wake him up before dinner,” you look back at him still fast asleep, snoring on the hammock--his hammock, he says. Your hike and other afternoon activities tired him out.

Hobi chuckles.“Always good to get a nap in. And how are you?”

“I’m fine.”

“Uh huh,” he responds skeptically.

“No, really. I’m having fun. Jungkook has been great company.”

“Glad to hear it. You both deserve a break.”

“Thanks. We didn’t realize how much we needed it.”

“Since you’re on a high, I have more news for you. Good news--that is. The last place that we checked out? It took a little hardball on my end but…they’ve accepted your offer,” he finishes with a big grin on his face.

You clasp your hand over your mouth in genuine surprise. “Oh my gosh, Hobi! You are a miracle worker,” you exclaimed.

“Yeah, it’s great! You’re coming back to a fresh start and Stella is still my friend so, it’s a win-win,” he chuckles, as he pours himself a glass of white wine.

“You’re the best,” you say as you clutch your chest.

“And don’t you forget it. The bank should get all the paperwork done in a couple days so all you need to do is sign on the dotted line and we’ll go into escrow when you get your butt back here.”

“Thank you. Thank you...I--,” you start getting choked up. “You don’t know how much this means to me.”

“I’m just happy to do something for you. I know that the last few months have been rough...”

“Hobi…”

“No, YN…let me finish. Now, I know that you and I don’t have the same relationship that you and Jungkook have and it looks like he’s already doing a great job of taking care of your needs--”

You inwardly cringe at that last part.

“But you know I would do everything that I could to see you happy again. And shit, if it’s making a million calls or taking care of some of your business out here, I’m more than happy to do that for you.”

You sniff and nod in agreement.

What he’s not telling you is that he refused the commission on this sale. You were his sister so he decided to use his own percentage as a bargaining chip to secure this property for you. And his gamble paid off.

Hobi made a profitable living in his line of work and just on principle, he could not and would not take your money.

His eyes start to get misty as well and he quickly dabs the corners with his fingers. “Ok, truthfully, I did not mean for this to be a sob-fest…I really just wanted to deliver some good news to you.” He raises his glass to the camera and toasts to you and takes a sip of his wine.

You choke out a soft chuckle. “Yes, yes you did. I feel like it’s not enough that I say thank you for everything that you’ve done for me but--”

“Seeing you smile again makes my heart full. That’s more than a million thank you’s worth to me.”

“I love you, oppa.”

“I love you, YN.”

***

Your days in paradise wane as your flight back home approaches.

Today, you spent most of the day packing your things and to avoid excess baggage fees, decided to send (mostly Jungkook’s and the soulmates’) Hawaiian snacks and souvenirs by overnight parcel.

No Dole whip for Jimin, sadly. However, you promised him that you’d look up the recipe and figure out how to make it at home since one of the items that they managed to grab after moving your things from your old house was a soft-serve ice cream maker.

It was one of the few items that Taehyung suggested you add to your wedding registry as a joke to find out if anybody would actually buy it for you.

Since you’ve been preoccupied most of your final day in Hawaii, you were fully aware that neither of you hadn’t had any sexual contact at all as opposed to the last couple days--which, to say the least, you spent more time with your bodies pressed against each other than not.

And the kissing? Oh, you couldn’t get enough of it. It brought your desire to heights you never thought possible. It felt just as good, if not better than when his mouth was between your legs, though you also didn’t mind the latter’s payoff.

It was good that the villa that you stayed in was a detached structure. Otherwise, you blushed at the thought of what the neighboring guests would think had you shared a wall. Not that you and Jungkook cared since nobody around here knew you anyway.

After ensuring that most rooms were emptied of your belongings, with the exception of some basic necessities, you walk by to see Jungkook laying outside on the hammock, a familiar scene through this whole trip, listening to the ocean waves crash into the shore.

You step out towards him to let him know that you did a final sweep and that you just need to roll your suitcases out in the morning.

After giving you a satisfied nod, he reaches out his arm towards you. “Lay with me?”

“Is this sturdy enough for both of us?”

“Eh, who cares? Just hop on.”

You carefully put your weight on the hammock as he scoots over to make room for you. He lifts his arm slightly to allow you to snuggle up to that nook, as you’ve done more times than you can count in the last few months.

This time, you weren’t feeling sad or anxious. You were content. And not just because you were laying in his arms but there was a certain calmness in your mind that you hadn’t experienced in a while unless you were medicated.

“What are you thinking?” He says as he lazily stroked your arm.

You took a deep sigh. “I’m thinking that…the last few days have been the happiest I’ve had in a while.”

“That’s really good. I’m glad.”

“What about you? What are you thinking?”

“I’m thinking that I’m happy that you’re happy.”

“No,” you chuckle, “For real, what are you thinking,” you coax.

“That is what I’m thinking, for real. I’m glad that we went on this trip together and that you’re slowly feeling better again.”

Yes, you suspected that all the sex may have altered your levels of serotonin and dopamine causing your mood to shift but you weren’t going to get into complexities and just wanted to enjoy this moment in time where nothing could possiby ruin it.

“I’m kind of excited to get back. I’m starting to feel good about looking forward to things again. And Hobi called me to say that I got the place.”

“Wow! That’s really good news, YN! I’m happy for you,” he says as he squeezes you closer to him.

“Thank you. It’s a new beginning. I’m not gonna lie, I’m really anxious but more excited about it.”

“I think that’s valid. You’re kind of starting over in a way but the good thing is that you have people who love and support you and will help you with whatever you need so you won’t feel completely lost.”

“Thank you, Kook. That means a lot.”

“Of course,” he says, continuing to stroke your arm and burying his nose in your hair.

“I’m going to miss this,” you say wistfully.

“Which part,” he asks with a devilish lilt to his voice.

You chuckle. “The view. The food. Spending all of this time with you,” you say as you start fidgeting with the hem of his shirt.

“M-hm,” he says.

“What?”

“Miss I-kissed-you-because-I-wanted-to,” he teases.

You pinch him on his pectoral. “What? You said the same thing!”

His chest booms with a hearty laugh. “Fine, fine. So…does this all just stay here?”

You exhale deeply and think about it for a minute. “I mean…I don’t think we should bring this back with us. Wouldn’t it be weird,” you ask as you look up at him to gauge his reaction.

“Yeah…these things usually don’t end well,” he says regretfully.

You groan in agreement. “Ugh. Yeah, you’re right. Why did we even do this?”

“I blame it on Hawaii,” he jokes.

“We probably shouldn’t come back here, ever again,” you respond sarcastically.

“You make it sound like it was all bad,” he mutters, slightly sounding affronted.

“No, of course not! I guess, it might be more fitting to say that it was good while it lasted,” you look back up at him again.

He doesn’t answer but returns your gaze instead and urges you closer to his lips. This kiss was slow...leisurely. You were in no hurry to come up for air.

You relish this kiss, as if you took your time to memorize each curve, each crease of his lips. And his tongue…the way it licked and explored your mouth, it’s as if he starved to taste you every time.

This time was going to be the last…and you both had to accept that.

******

You laid in bed, tossing and turning. You and Jungkook agreed to sleep in your separate rooms, after that makeout session on the hammock. You both decided that you had to cut off all sort of sexual contact beginning tonight, before heading back home in the morning.

You contemplated taking a pill to help you sleep but then you remembered that you had already packed it away in your suitcase. You begrudgingly get up from your bed to retrieve it so you could at least get a few hours of sleep on a bed. You never slept well on planes--at least not without a little alcoholic assistance.

As soon as you step out of your room, you see Jungkook doing the same.

You both stood in the middle of the room and instantly felt that familiar, magnetic pull that you’ve been trying to fight most of the night.

“I was just gonna get something from my suitcase,” you try to explain unnecessarily.

“Can’t sleep?”

You shake your head. “Not a wink.”

You were dressed in some cotton boxers and a tank top while all he had on was a pair of basketball shorts—and you could tell that he wasn’t wearing anything else underneath because you’ve spent enough time in the last couple of days familiarizing yourself with his dick print.

“Why are you up and about,” you ask him, trying to distract yourself.

“I was thinking about watching some TV out here for a bit,” he says, scratching his head.

“Oh, ok,” you say, noncommittal.

“You want to join me?”

You thought about it and the best decision would have been to take your pill, knock out, and not sit out here with shirtless, commando, Jungkook watching TV.

“Yeah, why not,” you shrug your shoulder.

He makes his way to the sofa and props his feet up on the ottoman while you stop by the mini fridge to grab yourself a drink of water. You know...because you were thirsty.

“Anything in particular you want to watch?”

“Doesn’t matter to me,” you say as you make your way to the couch and sit about a foot away from him, also propping your feet up.

He silently chuckles at the space that you put between you two.

“What?”

“Nothing,” he says as he tongues his lip ring.

He continues to flip through channels and settles on a documentary about African penguins. The narrator was droning on about how they were mostly monogamous creatures unless breeding failed, in which case they would go off and find a new partner to mate with.

“I’m hungry. Gonna get a snack,” he says as he gets up to return to his room.

You knew that he packed a few treats in his carry-on just in case the snack package that you shipped out this afternoon was going to be delayed. After a few minutes of scrounging around his room, he re-emerges empty-handed.

“Changed your mind,” you ask, briefly looking away from the TV.

“Yeah. I didn’t really want to look puffy in the morning,” he responds as he lazily plops back on the couch, now sitting close enough to you where your thigh touches the silky, soft material of his shorts.

As he props his feet back up on the ottoman, his body shifts ever-so-slightly towards you so your shoulders touch--making you squirm in arousal.

Geez, it was just his shoulder!

In an effort to try to stay focused on this penguin documentary, you reach over to take another sip of your water. The bottle was ice-cold when you took it from the fridge but now large beads of condensation have built up on the outside while it sat on the coffee table. As you tilt it back to take a swig, drops start to fall on your bare thigh.

Suddenly, you flinch when you feel him swiping the stray water droplets with his finger across your skin towards your knee.

It made you moan and in an instant you were moving to straddle his hips to kiss him. He nipped at your lower lip, then thrust his tongue into your mouth, holding you where he wanted you with his hand cupping the back of your neck.

Hunger coursed through your body, something you hoped to control but clearly couldn’t.

His hand reaches between your legs and palms you. Your body jerks in reaction to the sudden aggression. He continued to massage your aching heat, deciding to slip his fingers up your shorts, that provided him easy access.

You whimper as you felt him slide your panties to the side and rub his skilled fingers against your dripping flesh.

“Fuck, you’re this wet already?”

“Just shut up and grab a condom,” you spit out.

“So bossy, aah—“ he groans, as he feels you grind onto his erection.

“C’mon, Jungkook…please,” you whine petulantly.

“I already did,” as he produces a foil packet from his pocket.

It turns out that you were the snack that he actually had in mind when he came up empty-handed from his room.

He gives you a smirk as he sees the realization set in your eyes.

“Fiend,” you tease.

“I only learned from the best.”

You get up off him to shed your bottoms as he pulls down on his waistband to put the condom on. And you were right, he wasn’t wearing any underwear.

You mount him again but before lowering your hips on him, he slides two fingers into you to stretch you out for him further.

After several agonizing pumps of his fingers, he pulls them out and guides your entrance over the tip of his cock.

Your jaw slackened as you felt him enter you, inch by inch. His face, also strained, biting his lip as he felt your walls squeezing him.

As you start to roll your hips towards him, you bend your neck down to kiss him again, deeply, as if your life depended on it. He breaks the kiss, moving his arm to arch your back while the other lifts the hem of your top to bring up a nipple to his mouth.

“Fuuuuck,” you drag the words out as your arousal courses through your body like electricity.

He lifted his head and watched you with eyes darkened with lust as you rode him.

“You feel so good, YN. So fucking good,” he drawls.

He gripped your hips and urged you to lean backward, making you open up more and take him in deeper, pushing you closer to your orgasm.

“Oh my god,” you breathe out as he hits your core with each thrust.

He pressed his palm flat below your belly, touching your throbbing clit with the pad of his thumb, rubbing slow, calculated circles on it. Your whole body clenched and sucked him in deeper.

You open your eyes and look at him with heavy eyelids. He looked so delicious beneath you with his neck leaned back on the couch cushion, sweat beading on his forehead as your hips met every thrust of his.

“Shit, YN,” he bit out, his teeth grinding, “I’m gonna cum so hard.”

“I’m right there with you,” you choke out as sweat broke through your skin. He was so deep, you couldn’t stand it. Your body didn’t care as your walls started trembling around him as you edged closer and closer to your climax.

You leaned forward, resting your forehead against his as you continued to ride him. Both of you, lost in each other. It was the ending of something that had just begun. For reasons that you had both agreed on, you decided not to complicate things for both of you when you returned from your trip. Your friendship was important to both of you and the thought of going into a secret fuck-buddy situation was not appealing to you…no matter how good the sex was.

And my god, was it good! Every inch of your body was dripping with moisture. It was as if it was in mourning, knowing that this was a final farewell-fuck of sorts before things went back to normal.

“Oooh, fuckkk,” you scream as your body goes into spasms while your orgasm rips through you, gasping his name. He watched you fall apart and held your gaze as his final thrusts pushed him to the edge of his own climax. “Fuck, fuck, fuck...” he came as you did, hard and ferocious.

He pulls out of you gingerly and discards the condom, grabbing a tissue that was on a corner table next to the couch and pulls his pants back up while you put your own clothes back on.

He sits back down and urges you to sit on his lap again, and you oblige. He curls up to you and pulls you into an embrace. For a moment, you just held each other, waiting for your heart rates to calm down.

As you come off his chest, your eyes lock after you brush off sweat-moistened strands off his forehead. You kiss him tenderly then graze the tip of your nose to his. No further words were exchanged. They weren’t necessary.

******

Hobi called you the morning of your flight informing you that the home sale paperwork is ready for you to sign and the bank was hoping to get everything processed before the weekend. Since you were flying back in the middle of the week, time was of the essence. He suggested that he pick you and Jungkook up from the airport instead of Jimin so you could head straight to his office.

Jungkook didn’t mind tagging along. This was a huge milestone for you and a few extra minutes signing paperwork was worth the wait.

After several signatures authorizing the release of multiple thousands of dollars, Hobi finally drops you both off back at Jungkook’s place.

Jimin and Taehyung were already waiting there as Jungkook handed them his keys in case of emergencies.

“Heeeyyy,” they both yell as you walk through the door.

“We brought some dinner for you guys,” Taehyung says as he sets some dumplings on plates.

“Tae, you didn’t have to do all of this fancy plating. They’re all going in the same place,” you joke.

“Oh, c’mon. It’s the least we could do to thank you for all the snacks that you brought back with you,” he says with a laugh.

“The tracking information says it should be arriving in a couple hours,” Jungkook says as he drags his suitcase into his room.

“Good, because I saved my dessert stomach for this,” Jimin says.

“Well, let’s dig in then. I have some beer chilling in the fridge. YN, I know it’s not as good as the mai tais there but here you go,” Taehyung hands you a glass of wine.

“Mm, thank you Tae,” you hum as you take a sip of that crisp rosé.

As you dine on the dumplings that they brought over for dinner, the courier arrives delivering the snack box that you mailed the day before.

Tae excitedly opens a box of his chocolate-covered macadamia nuts while Jimin starts snacking on Hurricane popcorn.

While they snacked, you regaled them with stories from your vacation, glossing over certain details. Neither you or Jungkook, missed a beat. It was just like one of your regular hangouts--jokes, snacks, drinks, and more snacks. You all agreed that you all had to schedule a vacation together soon.

The topic of your move also came up and the soulmates were thrilled for you. You suggested hosting the holidays at your new place, to which all of your friends looked forward to.

At the end of the evening, Jungkook offered up his couch for your friends to crash on but they ultimately declined as they figured you wanted to recover from your vacation before you got back to work. Not to mention that you had to start packing up your things and sort through your storage rental in preparation for your impending move to your new home.

“Tired?” Jungkook asks as he shuts the door after saying your final goodbyes to Jimin and Tae

“Yeah, but the good kind of tired. I feel recharged, ironically.” You took a seat at one of the barstools on the kitchen counter.

“That’s good. Are you going back to the office tomorrow,” he walks over to the kitchen and leans his back against the sink, facing you.

“Not quite. I didn’t have any meetings scheduled so I asked Yoongi if I could work from home the rest of the week and he said it was fine. Are you going in?”

“Yeah, I have to stop by tomorrow and check on how that new startup campaign is going. We also just started planning for the new exhibit for the City Museum and I’m supposed to meet the curator on Friday. Lots of things rolling in--but it’s all good though. It’s exciting work and my team’s been working really hard,” he momentarily checks his phone for any incoming messages then promptly puts it away.

“I hope the vacation hasn’t backed up your work,” you ask with a hint of guilt.

“Nah, are you kidding? Whether or not I take a vacation, the work will never go away. At least I had a great time,” as he stared at you.

Heat rises to your cheeks.

“Yes…it’s definitely the best—” you stopped yourself right before you said best sex you ever had and instead settled on: “One of the best memories that I will hold on to.”

“Mm-hm…It’s definitely something that I’ll never forget either.”

You stare at each other in awkward silence. You decide to break it first.

“Well, I’m glad we had this talk. I’m gonna go and unpack.” You quickly hopped off the stool and walked to your room.

“Right. Uhm…I’m going to go take a shower.”

***

Jungkook closes his eyes, bows his head, and sighs as the water pressure hits his shoulders…in an attempt to clear his head. It’s short-lived because he starts to replay your last conversation. Flashbacks from the night before enter his thoughts. His cock twitches at the memory of his veiny hands caressing your skin. The sounds of your moans and ragged breaths as he brought you to the brink of your climax…he feels the blood start to rush to his cock as he thinks about your lips wrapping around--

“Geez, get a grip,” he mutters to himself as his eyes fly open and mentally smacks himself back to reality. “That’s all over now,” as he addressed his dick directly.

As he turns around to reach for the soap, he is startled by the shower door opening. As the shower steam clears, he sees your naked figure standing in front of him.

“I don’t know about you but my body still feels like I’m on Hawaiian time.”

His eyes rake you from top to bottom. As he stares back at your eyes, he looks to be having some sort of internal debate with himself. As you’re about to lose your nerve, he surprises you as he bites his lower lip.

“C’mere then.”

***

Jungkook was in his room checking emails while you decided to cook a late-night snack. All this sexual activity has caused you to become ravenous afterwards.

After searching through the fridge, you decided on some stir-fried noodles since you still had some leftover frozen vegetable mix, bacon, and kimchi.

It’s been a few minutes while you stand in front of the stove, waiting for the bacon to render when you feel the tip of his nose touch the base of your neck, which catches you by surprise.

“Mm…smells good,”

“The bacon?”

“Sure, that too,” he says as he gently caresses your elbow with his fingertips, causing you to feel wet and needy in an instant.

“Need help with anything,” you feel his warm breath on your ear.

“Mm, I think I can manage,” you say with as much self-control as possible when you pick up the bowl of vegetables to put saute in the pan while he still stands behind you.

“You sure? Because I can be very helpful,” he teases as he kisses the exposed skin at the base of your neck. You gasp while tingle runs down your spine.

At this point, you have the presence of mind to turn the burner off and move the pan aside and finally turn around to face him. His mouth, an inch away from yours while he cages you around the kitchen counter.

“Jungkook, I think we need to have another conversation.”

“Okay.”

“We should probably sit down,” as you motion him over to the couch.

He raises his eyebrows and walks over to the living room and sat down facing each other. As you both get comfortable, you grab a pillow and put it on your lap to try and calm your nerves.

“So, I know that we talked about just leaving things back in Hawaii...but--“

Now it was your turn to rub the back of your neck in anxiousness.

“But what are we doing?” Jungkook interrupts. “I mean, what happened in the shower was…woooh,” he says, while raising his eyebrows and puffs air out of his cheeks.

‘Woooh’ was right. You close your eyes momentarily and drag out a sigh so as not to get distracted by the memory of him pounding on you against the shower wall…Why couldn’t you just say it?

“We’re friends…having sex,” you pause. “Good sex, I would think?”

“You’re asking me,” he looks incredulous as he points to himself.

You groan in discomfort. “Ugh, please don’t make this any more uncomfortable for me than it is,” you say as you attempt to use the pillow to hide your embarrassment.

“Okay, okay, sorry,” he says as he pulls the pillow down from your face.

“Yes, I agree—that it’s good.”

“I guess the question is, if this is something that we would like to keep doing?”

“I’m not opposed to it,” he says without missing a beat.

His answer catches you off-guard. “Well that didn’t take you long to consider.”

“Are you opposed to it?” He immediately counters.

“No,” you say simply while you feel that familiar flutter in your belly.

He cocks his pierced eyebrow, trying to stifle a smile but nods instead. “Good.”

“Now that we’re in agreement on that, I think that we probably should set some ground rules of sorts. Would you be okay with that?”

“Yeah, I agree,” as he leans on his elbow against the couch.

It was clear that you couldn’t keep your hands off each other, try as you might. But you thought it might be prudent to set some rules or limits since you were no longer in a place where you could just slip in and out discreetly whenever you had the urge.

“First--kissing.” you begin.

“I like kissing you,” he says matter-of-factly.

“I do too,” you respond as heat pools between your thighs, thankful for the pillow that covered your legs.

“So we agree that kissing is fine but maybe we should not do that in public,” you added.

He nods in agreement. “Fair enough.”

“That also means, no other forms of PDA.”

“Fine,” he shrugs his shoulders.

“Chim and Tae?” You ask, tentatively. “You think they sense anything?”

“I don’t think so. I don’t think we gave them any hint earlier to cause any suspicions,” he says as he fidgets with his lip ring.

You purse your lips then nod your head.

“In any case, I don’t think that we should, you know, say anything. I think it might just complicate things…” he trails off.

“Yeah, I totally agree with that. Keep things simple, right,” you look at him reassuringly.

He shifts in his seat, continuing to chew on his lower lip. “What about… if and when we start dating other people,” he says, gazing at you.

The question floors you. You hadn’t really thought about that since technically, you were supposed to already be married at this point in time. The concept of dating was a pipe dream to you up until this point.

You come up with the most practical solution that you could think of. “Well then, it would make the most sense to just stop, right?”

He stares at you, unmoving.

Now it was your turn to shift in your seat. “I mean...we use protection all the time, and we should keep doing that. And when one of us starts seeing other people, we need to be upfront about it so there’s no mixed signals.”

He nods. “Right. And speaking of no mixed signals, if one of us is uncomfortable or not in the mood, we should say that outright, too.”

You immediately respond. “Totally! Consent is important and comfort level is as well. We should be good about communicating that. And no lies,” you added.

“No lies—ever,” he raises his eyebrows, trying to drive the point home.

“Good,” you look down for a moment, trying to let this conversation sink in.

“What about ‘us’,” he asks quietly.

“What about us,” you repeat as your head pops back up to look at him.

“I mean…are we still—‘us’,” he looks at you earnestly.

Nodding you say, “Jungkook, you’re still my person. Nothing’s changed the way I feel for you. And honestly, if one of us is having second thoughts at this point, we should stop this right now. No lies, right?”

“No lies. I just wanted to make sure that we don’t lose this,” he gestures between you two.

“I don’t want to ruin our friendship either, which is why I think it’s important for us to establish that this is something that we both want. And if not, well…we’ve had our fun. We can just move on.”

Move on. Move on from kissing him, touching him, feeling him all over you. Was it really that easy?

“Okay...” he sounded tentative.

“Okay--what?,” you ask him, trying to get some clarity.

“I meant, ‘okay,’ I’m in if you’re in,” he responds.

You nod, dazed at the thought that you were really doing this...with Jungkook, no less.

“I need to hear you say it,” he utters…in the same manner when wants to know where you want to be touched, what makes you feel good, or if you were going to cum for him.

You swallow the lump in your throat. “Yes,” you say a little too breathily. After a beat, you clear your throat. “Should we shake on it,” as you hold your hand out to him, suddenly all business-like.

He takes your hand and grips it gently to shake it. Suddenly, he yanks your hand which makes your body jerk towards him, which makes your breath hitch. Your face now within an inch from him, he leans forward, giving you a light peck on your lips. But he doesn’t pull too far away, so you kiss him again—ardently. You cup his neck to pull him in closer as his hand moves to the small of your back. The contact was electric and sent heat coursing through your body.

“Bed?” He asks.

“No.” Your answer catches him by surprise. “Here’s fine,” you say matter-of-factly as you shrug your sweater off.

“Alright then. Sit tight,” he excuses himself to grab some condoms from his wallet.

***

You tapped on the keypad nervously as you stared into a dark screen with block text that read, The host will let you in shortly.

Your therapist usually started promptly but today, she was running six minutes behind. No big deal. Finally, the screen flickers and the little swirly icon comes up signalling you that your doctor was in the process of entering the virtual room.

“Hi, YN. I’m so sorry for running behind. We had a bit of a connection issue not long ago,” she says apologetically.

“Oh, that’s alright. It’s my work-from-home day and I wasn’t really waiting long.”

“Well, regardless. I appreciate your patience. So, how was your trip,” she jumps right into it.

“It was really good. I kept repeating this to anybody who would listen but I didn’t know how much I needed it until I got there and experienced it.”

“That’s wonderful to hear. Sometimes a change of scenery helps boost your mood.”

“It did, it really did.”

“Good. So, since we last spoke, have there been other changes to your status,” she asks as she clicks her pen, preparing to jot down any therapy notes.

“Uhm…” you hesitate and grip the sides of your laptop’s keyboard as you sort through your thoughts. And yes, many, many things have changed since you last spoke. But you weren’t comfortable divulging that information to her just yet.

“I’m moving soon.” That was major enough information for you that you were comfortable sharing.

“Oh? That’s good,” as she starts jotting notes down on her notepad. “You previously mentioned that your brother was helping you find a new home.”

“Yes, he has--I mean, I have--found a new home. I just signed the documents the other day and…yeah, moving soon once that designated waiting period is done.”

“How do you feel about that?”

“I’m nervous but excited about it as well. I’ve been living with my friend for the last three months so I’m really looking forward to finally getting my own space. Something that’s mine again.”

“Were you feeling uncomfortable there?”

“No, no. That’s not what I meant by my last comment. I was thinking more along the lines of—I’m getting back on my feet, I’ll have my own space. This is actually the first time that I’ll be living on my own.”

“Really,” she raises her eyebrows.

“Yeah. After graduation, my job was local so I stayed with my parents. My ex—I didn’t move in with him until we got engaged. I spent many nights at his place and left a few things there while we dated but I never really moved in full-time even though he asked me.”

“And why is that?”

“I think, subconsciously, I thought about what my parents would think—moving in with somebody whom I wasn’t married to or at least engaged to be married to. Or maybe I was worried about what the rest of my relatives would say to them. I was afraid of scrutiny, I guess.”

“Hmm,” she jotted more notes down. “Was Derek your first serious relationship?”

“I’ve dated in high school and some in college. I even introduced a boyfriend to my family back then but—yeah, I guess you could say that he was my first serious relationship.”

“And when he asked to marry you, what made you agree to move in with him then?”

“Precisely that. We were getting married—he,” your fingers gesture air quotations “Sealed the deal, so to speak. I felt some assurance in that aspect.”

“Had you not before that,” she rested her chin on her hand.

“It’s not that I didn’t. I loved him and would like to think that I put a lot of effort into the relationship. We were both really into each other but we had both just graduated and getting a headstart on our careers. I didn’t want to hold him back especially since he was feeling some pressure from his family—they wanted him to run the company one day and I fully supported him in that.

I guess I was thinking more like—I’m probably not number one priority right now given his family circumstance so I didn’t want him to feel like he had to get sidetracked because of me.”

“Did his family dislike you?”

“No, no. I never felt any animosity while I was around them. I’ve always had a good relationship with each of them.”

It was the truth. It wasn’t just in your head. Yes, his family had money but they didn’t look at you like a piece of shit. You pushed Derek into the same direction that his family wanted him to take. You were great at family functions. You mingled with the right people, told the right jokes. You were the perfect girlfriend.

“Had they tried to reach out to you after the wedding?”

“Well, first of all—there was no wedding,” you caught yourself right before going on the offense and immediately dialed down the growing hostility in your tone.

“And secondly, they tried to but I wasn’t really up to it. I was in no condition, I was told. I think my brother fielded those calls, I’m not sure. At some point, I decided that it wasn’t necessary to maintain contact since I hadn’t heard from Derek anyway--but we had discussed this before.”

“Right, I have that in my notes,” as she lifted a page that was folded back. “I was only hoping to get some additional context. So, going back to your relationship with Derek—were you alright with not being his first priority?”

“I wouldn’t say that. Of course there were times when I wanted him to spend time with me but he couldn't. We started off intensely and it sort of waned not long after we graduated. Actually—I even suggested that we take a break since I felt that he was feeling really pressured at his job but he begged me not to. He said that he needed me.”

“Hmm. How did that make you feel,” she cocks her head to the side.

“At the time, it felt good to be needed. To be chosen. So, I stayed.”

“Why?”

“I loved him,” you said simply. “I wanted him to succeed…and if he thought that I could help him get there, in whatever capacity, then I would.”

“And what about your career? You said before that he was pretty influential. Had he helped you in any way?”

“No. And although his family was influential, I never really saw Derek as somebody who pulled strings like that. But, to answer your question, he made some suggestions and offered but I told him that it was unnecessary. For instance, I love my job and I was very lucky and happy to come across it when I did. I wanted to earn it and not get it because Derek’s dad had a hand in it.”

“Do you think that Derek resented his family’s influence?”

“I mean, I don’t know whether he did. And if he did, he didn’t tell me outright. I didn’t love him because of that.”

“And why did you love him?”

“I loved him because he told me that he wanted to take care of me. I spend most of my energy caring for my family and my friends. And just to iterate—I love my family very much and that’s my love language—but hearing him say those words…I guess in a way, I was looking for a person who would take the reins from me.”

“But you say that you felt that he didn’t put you first?”

“I thought that, yes. Before he started working, he did put me first. And when he asked me to marry him, I thought that was him putting me first.”

“Did you still think that you needed to keep one foot out the door even after the engagement?”

“I don’t know if I did. I mean, we moved in together. He bought us a house...I tried to make it into a home. That seems like something that a good wife would do.”

“But he was gone a lot?”

“A fair amount. He was finally moving up the ranks and not due to nepotism but he felt that he was finally earning the respect that he deserved. So I stepped back a little and let him enjoy the fruits of his labor.”

“Did you feel excluded in a way?”

“No, I don’t think so.”

“Did you ever verbalize that you needed him the way he did to you?”

You paused to think for what seemed like ages. “No, I guess I didn’t. Maybe I should have.”

“Did you actually need him? Or did you just think that because you felt that whatever he was feeling at the time needed reciprocation?”

“To a certain degree, I needed him. But I wasn’t about to bust through the doors and tell him to drop everything and pick me.”

“And why not, if he loved you, like he said he did?”

“That job was practically waiting for him since he’d been born. I just felt like, it wasn’t my place to try and usurp that. Besides, my friends and my family filled those gaps so it wasn’t like I needed his 100% all to myself. If he gave me 50, 30 percent that day, then others made up for the difference. I never felt that my life was lacking.”

“But why wouldn’t you demand 100% from a romantic partner? Especially one whom you were to spend the rest of your life with?”

The question dumbfounded you. “I…don’t really know how to answer that.”

“Can you try,” she probed gently.

You inhaled sharply. “Derek had a life before me and I had a life before he came along. I just…didn’t feel the need to turn his whole world upside-down to accommodate me. I’m one person--that’s my perspective.

For instance, my best friend of about 20 years—he’s been around most of my life. Then Derek comes along and says that I shouldn’t be so close to a man while I’m romantically involved with another. He’s my friend then all of a sudden just because my boyfriend says it, I’m suddenly not supposed to speak to him anymore? It was not gonna happen.”

“But relationships are about compromise, no?”

“Right,” you acquiesced. “And—because I loved Derek, I did compromise. I didn’t see my friend as much and by some happy coincidence, he had his own job and a girlfriend at the time that preoccupied him. I didn’t feel like I was abandoning him in a way and he seemed to understand because he saw that I was in a committed relationship.

So that placated Derek during the early stages of our relationship. Eventually, he grew used to him and my other friends’ presence. It wasn’t much of an issue from that point on.”

“And your friend--it’s Jungkook, correct?”

“Yes.”

“You say you’ve been friends for 20 years. That’s quite a long time, especially for a male-female dynamic.”

“Yes, it is.”

“And within that whole time, was there ever a hint of any connection beyond friendship,” as she rubbed her chin.

Suddenly, the room’s temperature felt like it increased ten-fold. You are now regretting the oversized fleece-lined sweatshirt that you wore to this video appointment.

“I didn’t think so. I can’t obviously speak for him but he didn’t really give me any signal or inclination that he wanted something beyond friendship.”

“How is your relationship now?”

You swallow the giant lump that had formed in your throat. Focus, YN.

Either the room temperature had reached a boiling point or this computer just started overheating on your lap. You decided to shift positions and set it down on the coffee table in front of you instead.

Still leaning forward after setting the computer down, your elbows resting on your knees, “I’d say that he’s probably been my rock throughout this whole ordeal.”

“That’s a pretty bold statement.”

“I disagree. I think it’s actually an understatement.”

“Oh? How so,” she briefly takes her glasses off to wipe some condensation off.

You took a deep breath to keep your composure as you tried to rattle off every single selfless act that your best friend has done for you.

“There...aren’t enough words to describe how much he’s come through for me. I definitely felt like I hit bottom months ago and I settled at the bottom of that hole. Everybody kept trying to coax me out of it. And he was--certainly the most persistent,” you nodded and caught your bottom lip with your teeth as a teardrop rolled down your cheek.

“He just--would not leave me there,” you let out a humorless laugh.

You sniffled and wiped the tears away. “He kept his grip on me and dragged me out of there. I was dead weight and he still dragged me out.”

You wrapped your arms around yourself--suddenly feeling a cool rush of air.

“I don’t know if I could ever repay him.”

“Mm,” she writes more notes down.

“I’m not trying to stray away from Jungkook and I will broach that topic with this. Do you have any close girlfriends?”

“Not really. I did back when I was growing up but ultimately, I never really took to them like I did Jungkook.”

“And why is that?”

“Well…the thing with some girls—the ones I’ve dealt with—is that when you approach them, they instantly try and analyze where you fit in their little world. Are you the sweet one? Are you cool? Are you the smart one? Are you the type that boys go after? They try to figure out how they compare to you.”

“That’s a lot to unpack there. Can you expand on that?”

“Like--subtle things. They look at the way you dress, the way you act, or talk--how you wore your hair…and when they’re done with that assessment, they treat you accordingly. I always felt like there was a catch beneath all of the smiles and hugs. For a while, I played that game but I just grew tired of it.”

“But Jungkook was not like that?”

“Jungkook...he never looked at me the way those girls did. He just saw me for me. No false pretenses whatsoever. He wanted to be around me because he simply wanted to and not because he thought that he could get something out of me. And I felt the same towards him--he was just that--a friend. A friend that I didn’t need to impress or try to mold myself into whatever cutout of...of life that he had in mind.

It felt good. And to be honest, I don’t even know why I had thought to deviate from him and tried to be some quote, normal girl, who needed a pack of girlfriends to get through life. It turns out that it was completely unnecessary for me.”

“He sounds like the perfect friend,” she looked up at you from her notes.

“He would probably beg to differ,” you chuckle. “He’s always so hard on himself. And--he’s been through a lot as well. It wasn’t always a smooth ride for him but he’s worked very hard to get to where he’s at now and I’m very happy for him--genuinely. For him to continue to include me in that...I think it’s fair that I also include him in my happiness--whenever I get there again.”

“You shouldn’t be too hard on yourself either. You’re here and you’re working at it. It’s all part of the journey. Some journeys are like quick trips, some take a little longer and could include many detours. It’s a whole process. Alright?”

You nod at this.

“So, we’ve come up on time. Let’s pick this back up again next session, okay? I think at this point, it might be good to taper these meetings. Do you agree?”

“Yes, I agree,” you say confidently. You were feeling a lot better and have come a long way in over two months. Your medication was helping, you were on the right track.

“Good. I’ll have my assistant call you for my next availability sometime tomorrow.”

“Thanks, doc.”

“You’re welcome. Have a good rest of your afternoon, YN,” as she ends the virtual meeting.

***

At the City Museum offices, Jungkook walks into a conference room 10 minutes early to prepare for his meeting with the curator and his team. He checked in with one of his staff to make sure that all materials were ready for the pitch and that his presentation was plugged into the screens. This was a standing contract so the meeting was more to iterate on visuals for the new exhibit that was to be unveiled in two months.

A few minutes later, the museum staff walk through along with their curator. Jungkook approaches him with a handshake and brief hug.

“Jungkook-ssi, good to see you,” he greets him, his left dimple visible as he flashes a smile.

“Namjoon-ssi, how have you been?”

“Busy time for us, as you can see,” as he throws his hands up.

“Oh, I bet,” Jungkook commiserates.

Kim Namjoon has been the City Museum’s curator for the past three years. He and Jungkook met during one of the launches for an exhibit. Jungkook had only been a junior staff then and the museum account was one of his first client-facing meetings. Namjoon had been very impressed with Jungkook’s innovation and modern approach to each campaign.

Now that Jungkook has risen up the ranks, Namjoon personally requested that Jungkook primarily handle the promotions for all of the museum’s new and limited-time exhibits as the museum benefactors had also been equally impressed by his work.

Needless to say, they also struck a friendship since that first meeting and hung out occasionally, when time permitted.

“How was your vacation?”

“It was--really good.”

“And you went on that hike, as I suggested?”

“Yes, I did. Wow--you weren’t kidding about the view.”

“Right? It’s priceless.”

“I agree,” he nods.

“Listen, we should catch up over drinks soon. Hit me up later?

“Yeah, for sure!” He gives him a smile and a bro-handshake as Namjoon takes a seat next to his colleagues.

Jungkook scans the room, making sure that everyone is settled. As soon as the assistant closes the door and switches the lights off, he takes a deep breath to begin his presentation.

“Good afternoon, everyone! Thank you all for coming to this meeting.”

***

Two weeks later

At your new condo, Jungkook, Taehyung, and Jimin are helping move your things. It was a short escrow, one of the best things that Hobi negotiated so you didn’t have to wait long to actually move in. Money has been transferred from your bank to the previous owners’ bank the week prior. Everything was cleared and now, here you were, in a space of your own, with your best people helping you settle.

It was a bit of a whirlwind but you were at least able to purchase a new bed and a new couch and had them delivered within a short period of time. Your dining furniture was a tad delayed but luckily, the previous owners had left a couple of barstools that were still in good condition by the breakfast counter so you wouldn’t have to eat all of your meals on the sofa.

You were in the kitchen rearranging your cupboards, retrieving some mugs and silverware that you kept in storage.

Repositioning the couch a few feet away are Jungkook and Taehyung--whose back is to you.

Taehyung abruptly stops to stare at Jungkook.

Jungkook, feeling the balance of weight tip over more to his side, he starts to complain. “Taehyung, what the fuck? This shit is heavy.”

Taehyung continues to eye him suspiciously.

Finally, Jungkook releases the couch with a huff and throws his hands in the air. “What? What are you looking at?”

“You had sex,” Taehyung blurts out.

You freeze which causes you to drop a fork.

“What?!” He coughs out as the color drains from his face.

Taehyung keeps his attention on Jungkook so you hurriedly crouch down to pick up the utensil.

You stay crouched on the floor behind the counter for a bit as you inwardly cringe, thankful that it was serving as some sort of shield for you as you try to compose yourself.

“Wh-what do you mean,” Jungkook tries to play dumb.

You slowly get up peeking from behind the sink and see that Taehyung still has his back to you. You and Jungkook make brief eye contact. It doesn’t seem like Taehyung noticed so you proceed (more like pretend) to continue organizing your utensil drawer while you discreetly listen to their exchange.

“Don’t play dumb. You heard me,” he says in a hushed tone. “You met somebody while you were in Hawaii.”

“Uhh--” His eyes subtly dart towards your direction again but he’s careful not to make it too obvious.

You widen your eyes and shake your head furiously at him, noting that you were trying to communicate from behind Taehyung’s head.

“What’s going on? Why do you have that look on your face?” Jimin remarks to Jungkook as he walks through the door with another box of your stuff.

“JK got a little action in the islands,” Taehyung says.

Jimin puts the box down on the floor, straightens up to look at Jungkook then slowly gives him a devilish grin but it quickly fades.

“Wait a minute…wasn’t this supposed to be a healing trip for YN? When did you sneak out to hook up,” he says in an equally hushed tone.

Jungkook tries to play it off.

“It’s not really a big deal guys,” as he bends over to try and nudge the couch again to straighten it out.

“Is she hot? Are you going to keep seeing her,” Taehyung asks excitedly.

Jungkook stops, straightens his back to look at Jimin and Tae who are anticipating his response. You chew at your bottom lip as he tries to come up with some believable excuse. Jimin also has his back to you—both he and Tae seemingly oblivious to your silent panic. You have an internal debate as to whether you should interrupt now and try to distract them.

“Uh… you know what,” Jungkook finally says after glancing at you. “We had our fun but she and I ultimately agreed that--it wouldn’t work out--realistically since I live and work in the mainland and all. And you know I don’t do long-distance.”

“Been there, done that,” he quickly adds with a nervous chuckle, hoping he has thrown off their scent.

Your heart feels like it’s about to beat out of your chest in suspense.

“Yeah, that makes sense,” Jimin finally says while Taehyung nods.

You quietly release your breath that you realized you have been holding this whole time as relief washes over you and Jungkook’s face.You then clear your throat, jumping at the opportunity to distract them further.

“Anybody hungry? The rice is almost done and I can fry some spam and eggs?”

“Yeeahhh,” they say in unison.

Mission accomplished…for now. When in doubt, food is always a perfect distraction for these two. You felt bad lying to your friends and you weren’t sure if they would understand why you and Jungkook had entered into this “agreement.” That would be one conversation you hoped to delay for as long as you could.

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[kaitsawamura]

would you like to stay forever?

SUMMARY⎮   Sparring with Pro Hero Kirishima Eijiro in his private gym at his home doesn't seem like a bad idea if you don't count the fact that you really, really like him.

STATS⎮ minors do not interact, 18+ ⎮  Rating: M (for mature)  ⎮  WC: 5525  ⎮   Pairing: Pro Hero Kirishima Eijiro x Fem!Reader  ⎮   Tags: Aged Up Character(s), Friends to Lovers, Sparring, Smut, Fluff, Age/Experience Gap (if you really squint)  ⎮  AO3

NOTES⎮  Thanks to @spacelabrathor​ for listening to me scream about this and to @some-kindofgnome​ for fueling my Kiri fever dreams.  Yes, that title is based on a Mulan quote. This whole fic was based on THIS POST and Kirishima seemed like the perfect character for this pwp.  Hope y'all enjoy!  (Also please for the love of God, click on the banner to see in HD if you’re on mobile, it looks so much better lol)

It was Saturday and even though you’re on your way to becoming a Pro Hero, you can think of several things you’d rather be doing with your one day off than going to Kirishima Eijiro’s house to spar.  But here you are pulling into his driveway, going over combat moves in your head as if your life depended on it.  They weren’t really serving their purpose which was to distract yourself.  Kiri had offered up his personal gym, encouraged you to stop by with one hand in his pocket and the other rubbing the back of his neck as if he was nervous.  

A couple of his friends had already taken him up on the offer.  You were the only one he’d offered who hadn’t come over yet.  He had texted you a couple of weeks later saying he was starting to take it personally…  and then immediately texted with a laughing emoji just to clarify he was only giving you a hard time.  It brings a smile to your face now as you remember it.  Yesterday he had also clarified it would just be the two of you if you were self-conscious sparring in front of other people.  You’d have the whole place to yourselves.  Like that should mean something.  Which it did.  It does , you realize with butterflies growing in your stomach.  Kiri doesn’t need to know that though.

The two of you had been toeing around something since you had been hired at Fatgum’s Agency a year ago.  Neither of you had made a move.  Kirishima, the Red Riot, was a big Pro Hero and while you took pride in your quirk, it didn’t hold a coin to some of the others you’d come in contact with.  It had surprised you when Toyomitsu had brought you on.  But he had mumbled something about “liking your spunk” and that he thought a teleportation quirk would be a useful one to add to his agency.  The first day you had shown up, Kiri had immediately caught your eye.  Not for the obvious reasons.  Obvious reasons being the fact that he was climbing the Pro Hero charts or the fact that he had a dynamically interesting quirk or that at twenty-five he was already built like a brickhouse. 

Those were all valid reasons, yes, but what had pulled you in was his smile and his genuine interest in you outside of your quirk.  But he was just like that you had quickly discovered.  He knew everyone’s coffee order and what they liked for lunch.  He knew when to push and when to back off.  He knew when to talk and when to listen , knew when he still had a lesson to learn.  The kids flocked to him.  Even now you’re still entirely convinced that’s actually his quirk, getting people to like him.  It’s not a difficult thing to do though.

Your brain stutters back to the present when a text notification pings from your cell phone as you sit in Kiri’s driveway, picking at non-existent lint on your gym shorts.  The cute ones you’re still convincing yourself were your only clean pair and that’s the only reason you wore them.

KIRI : i saw u pull up, u gonna come in or what 😂

Had he been waiting for you to get there?  You tapped out a quick response, one that hid the little flip in your stomach at the thought: creeper, you were watching for me lmao

Response bubbles immediately flash on your phone screen but you’re angling out of your car and shutting the door before he can reply.

Somehow, this house fits Kiri perfectly.  It isn’t big.  You had seen pictures of other top-ranking Pros’ houses.  Enji Todoroki’s house, for example, was fucking ridiculous.  But even without a massive floor plan, Kiri’s house is nicer than any you’d been in for some time.  Clean, straight lines and lots of windows.  In fact, you can see straight through the floor-to-ceiling windows out to his backyard when you reach the front door.  Is that a pool ?  Kiri had tons of fun showing pictures at the agency; it was a well-deserved investment for his already multiple years of service as a Pro.  The pictures hadn’t done the place justice though.

Kiri comes to the door, throwing it wide open with a huge grin that shows off his sharp teeth.  You ignore the way your mouth goes dry as he drags you in, babbling on like an excited little kid at you actually coming.

“I really thought you were gonna back out!  I mean, that would have been fine, of course.  I just can’t see the point of having the whole place to myself all the time.”  He’s irresistibly cute, walking around showing you the living room and the kitchen and pointing out to the backyard where, yes, there is indeed a pool.  “You can come over any time and use that too if you want!”  You thank him, warmth pooling in your stomach at how incredibly nice he is.

“Uh, we should probably get in the gym.  I have… stuff to do later,” you finish lamely.  You don’t have anything to do later but very quickly you’re realizing how far out of your depth you are here.  The familiar beginnings of the head over heels fall is washing over you in steady waves.  But you’re coworkers and the thought of coming to work every day and having to see his adorable face and not doing anything about it is almost making you nauseous.

“Oh, yeah, it’s just down the hallway,” he rumbles, leading the way and you follow trying and failing miserably to calm the nerves flashing through your veins.  You’re here alone with Kiri , the man you’ve been crushing on since you’d started working with him a year ago.  And now your stupid brain isn’t just thinking about what it would feel like to run your tongue along his teeth or how his hands would feel between your legs.  No, your stupid brain is thinking about what Kiri looks like when he first opens his eyes in the morning.

Your one-track mind is not getting any help, especially when Kiri walks through the doorway of the gym addition and immediately proceeds to pull his shirt up and over his shoulders and tosses it to the side.  Shit.  His back muscles ripple with the movement and when he turns to face you, it’s heart-wrenchingly obvious that he has no idea the effect he’s having on you.  He has to know .  Doesn’t he?  From your end, it seems wildly obvious that someone as good-looking as him should know .  

You glance around, eternally grateful for the fact that the gym is also attractive.  Floor to ceiling windows span two of the walls here as well and there’s a large set of French doors leading out to the yard.  You find yourself actually in awe when you get a better look at the landscaping.  It’s so green .  There’s a small patch of lawn but the rest is just artfully arranged native flora and fauna.  Violets, tulips.  Huge hosta plants.  And cherry trees heavy with their signature sakura blossoms.  

“Kiri, it’s beautiful!”  He comes to stand beside you, looking out the French doors as well.

“You like it?  I guess it is pretty nice, huh?”  You glance up at him, your chest expanding on a lurch looking at his smile.  You’d never noticed before but he has a light dusting of freckles across his nose.

“Yeah, really nice.”  You look out again, letting the silence grow until it feels like the most comfortable thing in the world.  After what seems like an eternity Kiri clears his throat, rocking back on the balls of his feet.  “What are you thinking for today?”  The question leaves your lips and you’re immediately regretting it; your stomach flips again when Kiri looks at you like you’re prey.

“Close combat, hand-to-hand combat.  You did mention a while ago you wanted to strengthen that, right?”  You throw your head back, rolling your eyes, and groan.  The two of you make your way to the center of the mat.

“Yeah, I mean, I’d be scared to take me on too,” Kiri says, large hands on even larger hips.   He isn’t as tall as some of the other heroes at six foot three inches but he’s wide , thick.  You know for a fact you couldn’t wrap your arms around his waist and have your hands meet.  He’s wearing the biggest shit-eating grin you’ve ever seen.  The sharpened points of his canines are out and on prominent display.   Famous last words you think as a snarl erupts on your face.

“I’m not scared , Kiri.  I just don’t want to wear you out .  You’re a Pro Hero.  You’re on the job a lot more than I am.  Plus, you’re getting kind of old.  Is that a little gray I see coming in?”  Kiri bares his teeth even more but it’s not lost on you that he quickly reaches up to rake his fingers through his hair.  There isn’t any gray, obviously , but the thought has Red Riot distracted.  Distracted enough that when you plant your feet and your fist connects with his face, your knuckles hit skin and not the reinforced rock of his quirk.

“ Shit.”  Kiri takes a step back, reaching up to cradle his jaw.  His tongue swipes out to lick at the blood on his bottom lip.  His vermillion eyes find yours and if you didn’t work with him on a regular basis, you would have felt fear at this moment.  You know he wouldn’t hurt you but even now, a thrill races through your veins like electricity.  He looks as if he’s going to devour you.  You take your own step back, readying your quirk, reaching out to it as your fists hold their position in front of your body.  A dark chuckle spills from his chest as Kiri calls on his own quirk.

Now it was your turn to be distracted; you had always been fascinated by Kiri’s quirk, the way his body looked when it hardened up.  The ripples of muscle still visible under the toughened skin.  The divots and ridges and how they mapped their way across his shoulders and chest and abdomen.  You knew how it felt to the touch in fake combat.  The Fatgum heroes all took pride in maintaining a healthy routine; sparring was a common workout that was previously done at a local public gym.  You wonder absently what it would feel like to touch him slow and at the moment.  When you could give extra attention with extra time. 

Kiri closes the space between the two of you at the moment your mind strays and you barely are able to teleport out of the way to avoid him crashing into you.  You try to take a swipe at him as you materialize from in front of him to behind but this time he’s ready for you and he’s using his quirk.  Instead of moving out of the way, he plants his feet and allows your punch to hit.  Pain radiates up through your fingers and wrist.  It always irritated you that you had to prepare yourself to strike Kiri when he was using his quirk.  Otherwise, you’d be in for a whole lot of hurt every time you landed a punch.

Teleportation is a pretty handy quirk.  It gives you a pretty good advantage the more you work on your close combat skills.  The trick with Kiri was to keep going at him until he ran out of energy.  You hadn’t gotten to that point yet; your quirk had its limits as well.  You were only two years out of UA, Kiri was out by seven.  His strength was already fairly unmatched; sparring with him was always good practice.  You relish the thought of the day you can win a sparring session without tapping out.  It surges through you like pure energy.  

You teleport to stand in front of him again, shifting your weight into your hips and up through your right hook.  This time your fist connects with Kiri’s side and he lets out a small grunt.  Your fingers don’t hurt so bad this time and by the time Kiri is retaliating, you jump back a few feet.  He hmms, a sound that reverberates from his chest.

“That’s all well and good but how do you expect to do anything if you jump that far away?”  He lunges forward at a running start, leaping at the last second, sending his gloved fist into your stomach.  You were fast, but still not always fast enough.  You double over, the air rushing from your lungs and your pre-workout protein smoothie threatening to exit back the way it went in.  Sweat is already beading on your brow and sliding under your tank top.  You take a few breaths through your nose when an idea pops into your head; you stay bent over.  “Hey, I didn’t hit you that hard.  You good?”  

Kiri comes to stand in front of you, leaving him vulnerable.  He can’t see your smirk until it’s too late.  You wail on him, using some of the basic combos he’s taught you before today.  Satisfaction rolls through you when he actually takes a step back.  But then he puts his arms up in front of him, clenching his abdomen and bending inward to protect his core.  He drops just a fraction and before you realize what’s happening, he’s swiping his leg out to push through yours.  You watch in slow motion as you see his laughing face then the ceiling of the gym as you flip and land on your back.

If you thought you were out of breath before…  “Fuuu-.”  It’s a wheeze that feels like it’s ripping your chest open.  You’re seeing stars.  Kiri stands over you, hands on his hips again.  You stare at his face; the hero has his hair pulled back into a bun.  You snort, rolling your eyes.  Why does he still look so fucking good?  The sweat has caused some of the pieces falling out of his hair tie to curl.  His hair has curl to it?  You’ve never noticed before, considering he always gels it into spikes.  You like the curl.  “Are you--are you gonna help me up, or what?”  It was still painful to talk.

Kiri tilts his head to the side, just slightly, and crosses his arms.  “I’m thinking not.  Last time I let down my guard you got those good combos in.”  You stare in stunned silence, sitting up so you’re supported by your elbows.  Kiri shifts slightly and if you didn’t know better, you’d say he’s backing up to… get a better view.   

“Is that any way to treat your student,  Red Riot?”  You know you get under his skin when he clicks his tongue against his teeth and holds out a hand with a begrudging eye roll.  He pulls you up with ease, quickly enough that you almost lose your balance, swaying into his space.  You look up, eyes moving back and forth between his.  

He draws in a breath and drags his bottom lip between his teeth.  “First of all,” he says as he places his hands on your upper arms, “I’m not your teacher.  I’m not that much older than you.  Secondly,” he mutters as he tucks a stray lock of hair behind your ear, “our relationship isn’t that formal is it?”  He’s so fucking close.  This is getting dangerous.  Dangerous because Kiri is within kissing distance.  Dangerous because this gentle side of him is making you lose more breath than falling on your ass.  Dangerous because the thought of Kiri taking you on the floor right now is almost too much to bear.  

So you fall back on what you’re here to do.  Fight.  You flash him a wicked smile before rallying your quirk and teleporting a few feet away.  His hand is still raised in mid-air and when his head whips to look in your direction, his crimson eyes are narrowed and his nostrils are flared.  He laughs and rolls his neck, dancing on his toes.

“Okay.  I see.  I’m not gonna go easy on you, you know?”  You snort and put your fists up in front of you again.

“As if you were going easy on me before, Kiri.  Bring it on.”  He smiles, the sharp points of his teeth enough to make your thoughts swerve again before you bring them under control.  “Bring it on,” you whisper more to yourself as you brace for the fight.

Two hours later, you feel the strain in your muscles.  Your quirk is running low on reserves and you know you won’t be able to use it much more.  Kiri looks like he hasn’t wasted a breath but you can see he’s getting tired in the way his feet don’t move as sharply.  And if the length of time he’s using his quirk is any indication to his state of mind, you know the two of you will be calling it a day soon.  But you’re also both stubborn.  And you’re dying to get one more good move in on him.

The cockiness the two of you had at the beginning of the sparring session hasn’t gone away but has burned hot into determination.  No more smiles, only clear-headed concentration.  The two of you are an arm's length from each other, throwing various punches and switching quickly between using your quirks and not.  You’re breathing hard, sweat gathering at your brow as you throw another right hook that Kiri easily blocks.

“Get out of your head.  You can be too predictable sometimes.”  He doesn’t mean for it to come across as rude but the words strike a match to a guttering fire.  You bare your own teeth at Kiri even though they aren’t sharp and probably don’t look nearly as threatening but it helps you feel powerful nonetheless.  You drop without a second thought, lowering to your palms and sweeping your leg out in front of you in a wide arc.  A grin spreads across your face when your calf meets Kiri’s ankle.  He’s too physically dense for this move to work if he had seen it coming.  But he doesn’t.  And his solid 220 pounds of muscle falls hard.  

You allow yourself the satisfaction of the moment for only a split second; Kiri’s recovery time is much shorter than yours so it isn’t long before he’s scrambling forward.  He goes straight for your wrists to subdue you but with a smirk, you realize in his haste he’s put himself in the perfect position for you to possibly gain the upper hand.  You scoot up away from him just enough to drag his arm forward and swing your legs around his neck.  Then you elevate your hips and lock your core.

It’s over from there as you squeeze with every last ounce of strength left in your body.  It doesn’t take long for him to tap out.  You release as soon as you feel his loose hand tap your arm; he collapses over you and you’re too tired to move away or push him off.  Now his breathing is rough and you feel a surge of pride.  You reach up and place your hand on his head where his bun has come undone; he’s so heavy but it doesn’t feel bad.  In fact, the feel of Kirishima resting his head and upper chest on your stomach is feeling nothing short of good .  He’s still between your legs and suddenly the air is crackling with a new kind of energy when you gently comb your fingers through his hair.

He rises up, his hands on either side of you.  His hips rest between your legs; the mingled heat radiating from both of you is almost more than you can take but there is no way you’re going to move anywhere.  He leans forward, so close you can see the flecks of burnt orange in his eyes.  If you moved forward just a little, you could close that space between you.  He leans down more, his mouth right next to the shell of your ear.

“Maybe not always predictable.  You did good today.  Probably some of the best fighting I’ve seen from you so far.  Keep it up.”  He grunts, a shift of his hips allowing the curve of his cock to brush against your clothed sex through his gym shorts.  He stiffens in what you think might be embarrassment.  “Shit, sorry, let me just, uh--”  The stuttering mess he becomes right before your eyes makes something lurch in your chest; you reach for his face without thinking.

“Kiri,” you whisper, rolling your own hips against his.  His cheeks are burning a shade of red almost as vibrant as his hair.  You bring up your other hand, holding his face between them and bringing him down to settle over you once more.  Your lips meet his; he seems to war with himself for just a moment.  A suspended second in time.  But then he gives in, slipping his tongue against yours in a delicious sliding vision of what’s coming.

He reaches between you to slip his hand under your tank top; his hand is big and nearly encompasses your side.  But it’s warm and gentle.  Gentle.  Who would have guessed that Red Riot could be so fucking gentle?  But he is and when his hand moves lower to slide below the hem of your shorts, you give yourself to him with no reservations.  His middle finger passes through the mess of your sex; a hissed breath rattles through his chest as your back arches on a ragged groan.

“ Shit.  You’re so wet .”  He slides his finger back and forth, gathering your slick on the thick digit.  He takes his hand away and you mewl.  “Can I?”  He asks breathlessly as he hooks his hands on the hem of your shorts.  You nod, eyes half-lidded.  He pulls them down along with your underwear and the way he looks at you, at what’s between your legs, you don’t even have the wherewithal to feel self-conscious.  Adoration.  It’s the only word you can think of and it makes you wonder if you’d made a mistake waiting so long.

He’s on his knees when he takes your legs and drapes them on either side of his hips; this time he doesn’t hesitate in slipping his finger into your cunt.  You nearly see stars just from that and if one finger is any indication, you’re in for it.  Slowly, he adds another, his hand pumping into you in a steady rhythm.  You’re grabbing for the ground, grabbing for him as a strangled noise pushes from your throat.  He reaches out with his other hand to splay it across your sternum and it’s the only thing anchoring you as he adds the third finger before scooting down to put his mouth on your clit.

“ Kiri,” you keen, shoving your hips into his touch, frantically scrabbling for his wrist that’s on your chest just to have something to hold on to.  He’s done this before, he’s had to.  He’s too good.  Too fucking good.  Already there’s coiling in your gut as incomprehensible words tumble from your mouth.  “Shit.  Shit.  Kiri I’m--I’m gonna--”  He rumbles approvingly against your clit; the vibrations send you closer and closer to the edge and when it crests, your back arches near pain as you cry out, your voice echoing in the gym.  It’s deep, roaring through all of your limbs but  Kiri keeps going, fingers still pumping, tongue still swirling around your sensitive nub.

Another orgasm breaks over you sharp and quick and the overstimulation has your legs quaking as your arousal gushes over Kiri’s hand and tongue.  But then he’s moving again, and you’re blearily aware that he’s shoving his own shorts and boxers past his hips to free his cock.  You stare as it bounces back to sit near the planes of his stomach; it’s already leaking steadily with precum.  Kiri looks back at you and when your eyes meet, you dart your tongue out between your lips to wet them.  Another time, maybe.  

Kiri leans forward to lift you up and the closer you get you can barely see any red in his eyes; his pupils are blown, his nostrils flared as he lifts you like you weigh nothing .  He could snap you like a twig.  But he won’t.  You know without a doubt this is the safest you’ve ever felt, even as he lowers you slowly over his cock and it does feel like you’re being split .

“ Fuuuck…”  You wrap your legs around him, your mouth dropped open, your hands gripping his shoulders.  You try not to dig your nails in but it’s almost impossible with how you’re being filled.  You knew Kiri was big but this was almost too much.  His forehead drops to yours as he pants.  But he’s not moving, won’t move until you tell him to.  It makes your heart ache and your cunt floods, drunk on the affection thrumming through your veins.  You roll your hips experimentally and the friction is bliss.  “Oh fuck, ohfuck.”  You move again, pushing yourself up and back down, listening to the hitch in his breathing.  “ Kiri, please, ” you whisper.  Those words… they’re enough.

Kirishima grips you by the hips, his fingers splayed and digging into the flesh; it’ll leave bruises and the knowledge cracks through you like electricity.  Let him leave marks.  Let him leave them everywhere.  He’s moving you up and down his cock, grunting, mumbling.  “Tell me, Kiri, tell me.”  His eyes meet yours again and his own mouth drops open.

“Fuck, you’re so good.  S’ tight.  Jesus, I-- ” Kiri moves his hands from your hips to support you as he lays you down on the floor of the gym.  The idea should be questionable but it’s not, it’s fucking not and you can’t concentrate on any other thoughts when Kiri grabs your wrists and pins them gently above your head with one hand while the other comes back to your hip.  He thrusts into you at a brutal pace but… it feels like home and you think in that moment as your cunt begins to seize around his cock that you would give up forever to continue touching him.

“Yes, Kiri, yes.  Right there, right--shit yesyes yes. ”  He pistons up, the veins of his cock rubbing just right and when he releases the grip on your hands, they’re moving to wrap around him on instinct.  He’s planting kisses along your jaw, mouthing up to your lips and back down to graze his teeth over your pulse point.  “Do it, fuckin’ do it, let them know ‘m yours, ” you slur and when he bites down you crash over the edge on a groan that’s really more of a scream.  Everything goes black but you're cradling him to you as his movements become more erratic.  The snapping of his hips is getting sloppier by the second and a steady growl punches from his lungs with each breath.  “Cum, Kirishima, cum inside me.”

He’s never heard those words before and it lights a fire in his veins.  His head is buzzing and then he can’t hear anything as his cock releases and he’s spurting searing hot ropes of cum into your cunt.  He goes until you’ve milked every last drop from him and he’d be lying if he said his world didn't suddenly feel whole.  Finally, his body settles and his chest drops to yours.  Everything slowly bleeds back into focus and somehow, everything seems more colorful than it did moments before.  You’re still clinging to him.

“Kiri.  Kiri, babe, I can’t breathe,” you say and he slowly rises, taking in your blissed-out expression.  Your eyes can barely stay open, your cheeks are flushed.  He backs up to see his handiwork on display, hyper-focused on the trail of the mingling cum dripping from the mess of your sex.  But you’re smiling.  Lazy and tired, completely at ease.  “Wanna take a shower?”  When you nod he doesn’t hesitate in standing to kick his underwear and shorts the rest of the way off his legs and then he’s grabbing you, scooping you into his arms and against his chest.  He pads out of the gym and across the hall to his bathroom where he deposits you on your feet, only after he’s sure you can stand and only long enough to turn the shower head-on.

He puts his hand under the water, waiting for it to get warm.  Steam billows from behind the glass door when he’s turning back to you to remove your tank top and your sports bra.  Thank god you chose the front-closure one today; you didn’t think either one of you wanted to struggle to get one up over your head right now.  When your breasts spill out of the high-impact fabric, you notice with tender amusement that his cock is half-hard again.  His eyes go dark again and he leans in for a kiss.  But it's slow and sweet. 

"You're so fuckin' beautiful," he whispers.  He ignores his arousal, ushering you into the stream of water.  Your care is the only thing that matters to him right now.  The heat slides across your body, and when Kirishima steps up behind you and begins soaping up your shoulders, it feels like heaven .

You take turns washing each other until you’re both blissed out in a different kind of way and the only thing either one of you can think about is sleep.  But the afterglow is fading and doubt is creeping in.  When you step out of the water, you stand awkwardly as Kiri hands you a towel.  “You okay?”  He’s actually concerned and you can’t put your finger on why you’re so fucking grateful for it.

“Yea, just tired.  I should, uh, probably get going.”  Kiri freezes and you think you’ve said something wrong, already crossed a line.  Your brain is like a broken record as the stomach-curdling image of having to see him at the agency flashes across your eyes in vivid detail.  But then he’s stepping into your space and pulling you in for a hug.  A hug.

“Don’t go,” he whispers into the crown of your head and it has you smiling like an idiot against his chest.  His skin smells clean and warm with a hint of spice.  You bury your face further in as you nod against him.  Then he’s leading you to his room, to the king-sized bed.  He peels back the comforter and the white sheets and pulls you in beside him.  Your back is against him and he hooks his foot around your ankles, bringing you even closer.  

He doesn’t say anything more, just lets out a huge sigh as he wraps his arm around you.  The last thing you notice before your eyes flutter shut is how your heartbeats are thumping at the same steady rhythm.  

Late afternoon sunlight slants in Kirishima’s bedroom window, creating interesting patterns across his blanket.  It’s pushed towards the end of the bed, your legs intertwined and tangled in the sheets.  He’s still dozing, his breathing not quite that of someone sleeping but not of a person fully awake.  You reach out to cup his cheek, stroke above his eyebrows, caress his lips with your thumb.  A contented sigh leaves his chest as he grabs your hand and kisses your wrist.  His eyes are open now and he watches you.  You smile at him, snuggling closer, not wanting the moment to end.

“Hey,” he says quietly, suddenly serious.  “I just want you to know, I don’t do this all the time.  I mean, I’ve been with other people before but I don’t…  I don’t really hook up .”  Things start clicking into place as you realize what he’s trying to get across.  He just fucked you stupid in his personal gym and somehow he looks bashful.  And because you love it, you’re not going to help him along.  You just watch, biting your lip to keep from giggling.  “I just.  I guess what I’m trying to say is I like you.  I’ve liked you for a long time.  And normally I would have wined and dined you first but...  Well.  Here we are.  Would you like to stay for dinner?”

That’s the last straw; your laughter comes bubbling out of you and Kiri is leaning back to look at you with a quizzical expression on his face.  “Is something funny?”  That just makes you laugh a little harder but the confused look he’s wearing has you leaning in to press your lips against his.

“I’ve liked you from the first day I met you, Kiri.  I’ll one-up your offer and tell you that I might like to stay forever.”  A grin rips across his face and your heart blooms with warmth and affection.  The world seems full of possibilities but none of them matter except for the possibility laying right in front of you.

#kirishima x reader #kirishima eijiro x reader #kirishima eijirou x reader #kirishima eijiro #kirishima eijirou #pro hero kirishima #red riot #kirishima smut #bnha #mha #boku no hero academia #my hero academia #kaitsuki writes #oh my god i had such brain block #writing this one #because i get too in my head writing smut #BUT i hope everyone still enjoys #we stan kiri in this house

[crystalcow]

𝑆𝑎𝑝𝑛𝑎𝑝𝑠 𝐶ℎ𝑖𝑙𝑑//𝑆𝑎𝑝𝑛𝑎𝑝 𝑝𝑡 4

Masterlist // child reader ML //

Sapnap x reader !p !child reader

Pronouns used: none specified!

Warnings: swearing, mentions of death, casinos

➳➳➳➳➳┄┄※┄┄➳➳➳➳➳

𝐊𝐢𝐧𝗼𝐤𝗼 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐧𝗼𝐰??

Quackity was telling you all of his plans

He rambled on for hours of his ideas for casinos and how he was going to marry Karl and sapnap

It sounded great

He had his whole plan set up! He even had Sam helping him with the building

But then he left

Just like everyone else

But that was fine! You were just with sapnap

Before Karl came running over rambling on about needed to move his library

He had a library?

“[Redacted] you need to stay close, please”

You looked at him weirdly

Who the fuck was [redacted]

“Karl my names Y/n you idiot” “flame..” “sorry”

He didn’t even notice it and then you had to spend the next couple days hauling over 100 books

“Oo hey what are these! The covers look really weird”

You had found his time travel books

Woops

That man raced over and in the kindest way possible, snatched it from your hands

“Don’t touch those, they are my special books”

You just shrugged and let him be, he freaks you out enough

So you all traveled to this area in the spruce forest and built a really ugly mushroom hut

But hey it’s fine! Foolish thankfully came around later that day and made everything better

So you stuck around

Maybe you needed this, this new start

Oh but prime knows that wouldnt last long

Karl started forgetting

At first it was simple things as just forgetting where he was or little stumbles with names

But eventually he was going away longer and longer

He started calling you by these strange names, some that sound Victorian and western and others that are unlike you

One day he didn’t call you by your name at all

You were hanging around the Sakura trees and the big yin Yang pond waiting for sapnap to come back with George

Then you saw Karl exit the library, running up to him for a hug

It’s been two months since you’ve seen him

You fucking hated it but you couldn’t help but consider him another parental figure

He loved it

But he just stood there as you wrapped your arms around him

Expecting the usual “[reda]- Y/n, I’ve missed you so much my sweet flame!”

But there was nothing just a sad one sided hug

“Hello? I’m sorry but do I know you?”

You were ready to cry

“I’m sorry, I uh must’ve mistaken you for the wrong person” “No that’s fine! Hugs are nice?”

So you left and ran into the library

Scouring throughout all of the books until you found them

The same 8 books you shrugged away

You read through all of them along with Karl’s other journals

You didn’t like going through his stuff especially, a whole invasion of privacy

The more you read the worse it got

What were you gonna tell Sapnap?

Who the hell is James, and [redacted]?

And why couldn’t he stop

It’s no use anymore

You were simply just forgotten

𝐋𝗼𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐬

The closer you got to the large building, the sicker you got

Kinoko Kingdom was supposed to be your free pass

But somehow you always end up here

You called for Sam on the comms waiting for the beep

The inside looked great to say the least

“What are your past relationships with the prisoner?” “No answer.”

“Where are you currently resided?” “No answer”

“Do you believe the prisoner deserves his sentence?” “Maybe”

You put all your shit in the locker and followed him through all the safety checks

“I’m glad you didn’t bring anything with you”

You stood on the platform heart racing as the lava went down

It was like a ticking time bomb

The small squeaks and scratches of the hovering bridge

He just stared at you

That sick stupid mask was broken by tommy that day in the black stone room

So you had to look into his face

Lets just say he looks good in Orange

“Barrier up or down?” “Down”

He backed up into the corner as you stepped in

Smiling

Once the lava cascaded down your smile turned into a sick frown

“Hello” is that all he had to fucking say?

“Screw you. Fuck you. Damn you”

He just looked you a small chuckle escaping from his lips

“Those all mean the same thing.” “Well I’ve been living in cinnamon town for the past couple months, and I’m ready to fucking burn some buns”

Yeah he just laughed

“I’ve missed you Hot shot”

“You ruined our damn life!”

Someone went quiet

“If you didn’t have to have a petty little war, or criminalize children we could’ve been fine! It could’ve just been you, dad, me, and George.”

You were pissed, everyone just kept leaving you.

Tommy and Tubbo, Quackity, Karl, Dream, and hell even Wilbur

“You come and visit me, after not having seen me for months and you just yell? Not a hello or ‘how are you dream?’ ‘How’s prison dream’ ‘how can I help you get out of this damn place’ “

You just sat down ready to just walk out into the lava

“I’ve been stuck here for months! None of you even cared enough to visit me, hell even Tommy came around.”

You might have felt a little bad after leaving him

The prison was cold even tho lava was flowing right there

“Why would you leave the discs alone..” “Because I had to end it.”

What were you doing here

What were you planning on saying?

“So, what do you do in prison”

“I have a clock.”

You got up to go look at the pretty clock

Then threw it at his face

“Ow” “deal with it bitch”

The longer you stayed the worse the feeling in your stomach got

so you buzzed for Sam waving goodbye

“Wait.. Do they miss me?” “Can’t say, but I think this may be for the best.”

He wanted his best friends

But he just got the annoying teenager

Oh but that wouldn’t be the last

𝐋𝐚𝐬 𝐍𝐚𝐯𝐚𝐝𝐚𝐬

You got a letter in the mail one day

Who the hell uses letters??

You were shocked to see the address and the small post card

“Come around some time”-Quackity

Ans on the back it had the cords

Oh well what did you have to loose? Sapnap was focused on Karl

and well Karl didn’t even know you

So you set off

It took you a couple hours travel by horse to get to the desert area

The large sign blaring in the red text

You gotta admit the place looked beautiful

There was a giant dick and different shops

You were shocked to see this random un human like guy

“Hello, I am Charlie a totally human guy!”

Yeah totally not slime

“I’m uh, Y/n?” He reached out for a handshake sort of thing

“Dap me up!” “Another time Charlie”

Maybe when you had hand sanitizer

“Ohh so your Y/n! Mister Quackity talks about you all the time, come on in!”

You were skeptical but followed anyways

Stopping in your tracks when you saw Fundy

“Furry?” “Fire shit?”

You went over to give him a side hug, ruffling his fur

“What the hell are you doing here ginger boy!” “Oh you know, just escaping nightmares”

You were confused then just let him be

You walked to the entry way of the place

A beautiful pond with flowers and an arch

“Did what the place where Mr. Quackity was going to propose!”

Going to?

You shrugged it off following inside

You hated to admit it, but you were excited to see him

Yeah you really needed a parental figure in your life at the moment

So when you saw him, he immediately pick you up in a hug

You didn’t fail to notice his change in appearance

That beanie stayed the same tho

Thank god

“Hey hey! Let me show you around the place, we can also go for lunch and talk.”

The casino looked great to say the least

Loud music booming from the speakers, along with the live jazz band on the side

Slot machines were going off every minute

“Have a chip, something to remember this by”

He handed you a red poker chip

It was a cool one tho, in the middle has a blocky sort of smile

Creepy and dopey.. sick!

So you put it around a spare silver chain

“So how have you been kid? ‘Ts been a while hasn’t it.” “Could be better..”

You both walked around the city in silence, offering to go in the super model shop

“No” “why not” “keep walking”

On your way to lunch you had to squint at what you were seeing

“Oh my goodness you’re still alive?!” “You’re alive!?”

You and revivebur just stared at one another

“Yeah he came back after I died!” “you what now-“

You just stared at Tommy and back to Wilbur

Oh god those shrooms were messing with your head

You should’ve gotten out of there a while ago

Quackity came over placing his hands on your shoulders

“Do I have to execute you both? Get off my damn property”

“Sorry Q. Say, Y/n wanna join Lmanburg 2.0?”

You back away holding your hands up

“I denied that offer once, and I’ll do it again. Fucking zombie freaks”

You obviously muttered the last part

Why the fuck did dream revive those two shits??

When did Tommy even die??

Your visit here has just gotten weirder and weirder

𝐌𝗼𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬

Quackity got you away from the brits as quick as he could

So he brought you over to his office

“So kid, how’s your dad..”

Ah you expected this question

“How the fuck am I supposed to know. He’s living his life, Karl’s time traveling! Oh yeah did I mention he doesn’t even remember me.”

He looked at you with wide eyes

“So I’m not the only one they forgot..”

You slammed you hands on the fable dramatizing the situation

“How would you feel about moving here? I mean you could work for me in the casino!”

You thought about it for a second

You have two options

1. Live in shroom town with bubbles

2. Move to las Nevada’s with Quackity

You were sure Sapnap wouldn’t mind

I mean would he even care?

He hasn’t for the past couple months!

“You feel abandoned there, over here there are hundreds of people. You’ll have the time of your life”

You thought about it for a sec

“Alright hand me a contract”

So you signed

Making deals with the devil huh

Little did you know it would cost you your life

Devils little soul

➳➳➳➳➳┄┄※┄┄➳➳➳➳➳

and this is the finale! I will take requests for sapnaps child, and I’ll do some shit with Quackity and the casino and go in more depth if wanted!

As always request and ask anything! And ask if you want to be on a taglist (child reader or general)

For those on the taglist I don’t know if you wanted to be tagged for all child reader shit or just dreams child.. so please tell me :)

@creatorofstars @georgenctfound @samistheidiot @smolbox-png @ghostlysenses @stellarinstigator @bobaducky

#sapnaps child #sapnap x reader #sapnap #sapnap x y/n #karl jacobs x y/n #karl jacobs x reader #quackity x reader #quackity x you #dsmp #mcyt #mcyt x reader #dream smp x reader #wilbur soot #tommy innit #kinoko kingdom #dream smp prison #las navadas #child reader

[stutterfly]

Swipe Right 04 | Patch Notes | JJK (M)

Rating: M (Explicit 18+)

Pairings: Jungkook x Reader, brot7 x friendship

Genre: E2L, fluff, angst, humor, [eventual] smut, PersonalTrainer!Jungkook, fuckboy!Jungkook, Nerd!Jungkook, Nerd/IT!Reader

Word Count: 15.1K

Last time on SR03: You joined a gym to increase your confidence and things progressed the way you want with your tinder match. You ended up in an unlikely competition with your friends when you went new bar together, leading to some unexpected conversations and shenanigans.

CW & Other Tags: Drinking, anxiety/panic attack mentions, muscle tearing injury mention, fuckboy Jungkook, pining, flirting, pick-up lines, sexual tension, Joonie is still Y/N’s best boi, soft Jungkook

Series: Activate your SIMCard

Fic: Swipe Right (4/?- Ongoing)

Do not repost.

⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰

When’s the last time you felt as good as you do right now? Jungkook has pretty much stopped bothering you since that night at Seesaw, your date with Jason went well, and you’ve been sticking to your early morning workouts. You definitely don’t push yourself as much as trainer Hwasa, and you know you should really take advantage of the free trial, but it was overwhelming to take in so much at once and the session made you sore all over for days.

At least your stamina seems to be improving and you’ve discovered post-workout endorphins are real. Tonight is your second date with Jason, a date you’ve uncharacteristically elected to host at your apartment. You can place some blame on those endorphins for your boldness, with pining and disappointment composing the rest of it.

While your first date ended without a kiss, there was enough flirting to keep you hopeful. Neither of you were brave enough to do anything about it then, but you’ve mentally coached yourself into pretending like you have an unbreakable spine with nerves of steel. Meeting him only solidified your attraction, and you’ve resolved to take the lead, even though you feel like you have no idea what you’re doing.

It’s not like you often make the first move, but your confidence in him to do so has waned. You’ve been talking and playing games together online for months without any physical touch. Despite how he’s said he likes you and wants to see you again, you’d still be waiting if you didn’t suggest today.

You’re determined to show him what he’s missing by being a recluse. That’s why you’ve picked out the sluttiest clothes and the strappiest heels you own, decorated your face with expensive makeup, and even styled your hair instead of just letting it do whatever it wants for the day. You check yourself out in the full-length mirror on your bedroom door for the millionth time and pull down on the hem of your dress like it will somehow magically grow longer.

You don’t need the heels; no part of the night calls for them. You’re going to be sitting on the couch with him. If you’re lucky you’ll even move it to the bedroom you spent so much time cleaning. But they’re cute and they make you feel sexy, so you’re going to keep them on until he’s peeling you out of your dress.

Nerves bubble in your stomach, but you have to pretend like they’re not there or you’ll fixate on how hard you’re trying to be confident and cool. You’ll fall apart when it’s obvious to Jason how hard you’re pretending to be everything you aren’t. Checking your phone doesn’t help; it’s almost time.

Taking a deep breath, you pace through the confines of your apartment as you wait, and answer group texts from Jennie and Namjoon. You offer up a selfie, hoping any compliments will build your confidence enough to stave off the anxiety in your gut. A few devil emojis later, some keysmashing, and more than a couple hamfisted compliments from Namjoon, your ego is adequately inflated but you can always use more hyping. Maybe you should send it to Jimin to fish for more compliments? He’d indulge you for sure.

Instead you flop on the couch and open Tinder. According to Jennie, Jason is stringing you along; it’s been months, but you hate to admit that she has a point. So you don’t. She’s been telling you for a while now that she thinks you should pursue other suitors. While you object to her assumptions, she has more experience with this kind of stuff. It’s not exactly something you want to believe, not when you’ve put in so much effort for literal months.

You want to believe in Jason being awkward and dorky and that’s why it’s taken so long for the two of you to hook up. He’s shy and super introverted, but so are you. So why are you the only one trying to make things happen? You want to believe, but at this point you’re uncertain enough to heed Jennie’s advice and keep swiping any time you find yourself in a situation where you’re waiting on him. Like now.

You have your reservations about swiping while you wait for your date to begin, but you can practically hear Jennie cheering you on. He’s late anyway, and it will keep you busy until he arrives. You open the discovery tab and swipe left on a couple incomplete profiles. Most of the guys on here don’t put in any effort. How are you supposed to want to give any of them a chance when you don’t even get a tiny snapshot of who they are?

When you pass on yet another fish pic profile, a blue frame appears around the next guy in line. It takes a moment for your brain to register the name along with the duck-faced photo as someone familiar.

[Jungkook said: Your legs remind me of oreos 🥴 wanna know why?]

How fucking dare he? You match with the intent to ream him out and leave.

You: I told you not to fucking find me on here

It takes only a few seconds before you see the dots move on his end, like he was waiting for the moment you would answer, and it keeps you tethered to the conversation.

Jungkook: Princess!! I couldn’t help myself how are you

Jungkook: Surprised you didn’t block me

You: Don’t worry I’m gonna

Jungkook: it’s bc you wanna know huh

You: ???

Jungkook: Your legs

Jungkook: Like oreos

Jungkook: I wanna split them n lick the cream from the center 😜

Electricity rumbles in your gut, carrying heat and a surge of excitement to your cunt that threatens to flood your panties. You swallow hard and squeeze your thighs together as you stare at the screen. Embarrassed by the response his antics elicit, you scramble to formulate a coherent thought.

You: I wish I could unread 🤢

Jungkook: Aw but that’s one of my favorites

Jungkook: Just like you 😘

You: 🙄

You: I hate you so much

Jungkook: So much that you matched with me?

You stare at the message like a clever response will come to you and when it doesn’t you bite your lip. He’s got a point. Haven’t you learned your lesson not to encourage him? Your eyes scan the top of your phone for any notifications from Jason. Nothing. At least this is keeping you distracted. That’s what you tell yourself.

Jungkook: You’re still here which means 👀

You: It means I’m tired

Jungkook: Of?

You pause for a moment. Namjoon and Jennie can’t know how anxious you are about Jason. It’s the guy’s last strike with them and he hasn’t even met them yet. Jungkook, an impartial third party, might be able to lend an ear. As much as you don’t care what he thinks, you need an outlet for the anxiety in your chest. You start to draft a word-vomit. Jason has been so hesitant to see you in person again and now he’s late. Maybe if you just put it out there to someone you’ll feel better.

Jungkook: If you need to sleep how about a massage?

Jungkook: I’m good with my fingers 🥴

Stupid. In what universe could you confide in Jungkook? Deleting your word-vomit before you can send it, you start to type something else, but your thumb accidentally taps enter at the exact wrong moment.

You: You know what? I want you

FUCK. Goddamn you, sausage fingers.

You scramble to rewrite the sentence but Jungkook is quicker. He has to know it was an accident, but you’re still fucking mortified.

Jungkook: 😈

Jungkook: My place

Jungkook: Ten minutes

You: *to stay off my profile

Jungkook: 👉👌?

You: YOU KNOW I DIDN’T MEAN THAT

You: 🤢🤢🤢

Jungkook: 😩

Jungkook: Now you’re just playing games with me princess

Jungkook: Can’t say I mind just fuck me up 🥴

You: Don’t you have a princess to fuck in another castle? Maybe she can stroke your tiny ego

Jungkook: Ouch felt that from here

He goes quiet and you close the conversation out. Setting the phone down on the cushion beside you lasts all of two seconds. When your phone buzzes twice, you know better than to answer, yet you feel compelled to look.

Jungkook: Hey quick question

Jungkook: Is this the most you’ve used the app to talk with someone you like? 👻

Just like that you unmatch with him and take a moment to seethe. Distraction or no, he’s not worth the mental energy. He always seems to draw you in like a pretty little thirst trap and drain you of your sanity. Not engaging is the safest option so why do you always end up doing so? Maybe it’s that shitty little part of you that gets excited any time he shows you attention.

There’s a gullible girl within you; she sets your pulse on fire when he feigns even the slightest interest, fills your head with wind when he brushes against you, and floods your eyes with tears when he walks away. Still, she wants him to look at you, even if it means he’s really looking through you. You hate her. Why can’t she learn that you deserve better?

You check the time again and wince. Jason is really late now. Not even a text. Or a phone call. Maybe it’s traffic?

Try to relax. Nothing bad is going to happen. You’re going to have fun tonight.

You start up a game to take your mind off the options available to explain his absence. When you’re invested in a game you often lose track of time, but tonight you’re hyper-aware of every minute that passes. You bite at your freshly painted nails during loading screens, chipping the red from their edges. Sounding casual is difficult when you’re worried, but you attempt it anyway via text. It’s ten more agonizing minutes of waiting before your phone buzzes with an answer.

The controller drops to your lap and immediately tears begin to sprinkle your thighs with the manifestation of your heartache.

He forgot.

⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰

An earthy scent fills Namjoon’s apartment as he carefully transfers the last of his plants to a bigger pot, filling in the edges of its roots with fresh soil and patting the edges down with care. His plants have needed this, maybe even more than he needs the mini hangout that will soon follow. The kitchen table is covered in dirt, but at least he’s almost done.

It’s not his fault Jungkook showed up earlier than expected. At least he’s quiet now. It’s been a while, but he’s finally stopped asking about how much longer it will take, so he must either be invested in the show he put on or asleep on the couch.

“Almost done,” Namjoon loudly announces. “Can you text Tae?”

“Kay.” Jungkook yawns as he stands and heads towards the bathroom. “Jin was already cooking when I left so it should be ready soon.”

“Good. I’m hungry,” Namjoon says, carefully transporting the plant to the desk in his bedroom.

As he’s on his way to clean up the mess on the table there’s a soft rapid knock at the front door. The moment he opens it and finds you standing before him, he knows something is wrong. Even the ratty hoodie covering your shoulders can’t hide the effort you’ve obviously put into your appearance tonight. While your makeup seems to have fared rather well, your eyes are red and your cheeks are puffy. His mind automatically assumes the worst about your second date and his jaw tightens.

“What happened? Did he hurt you?”

“He never showed.” You throw your arms around him and openly sob.

“Oh, Y/N…” His arms are around you in an instant, hugging you close while keeping his dirty fingers at bay.

You press your cheek against his chest, letting the tears fall freely. “I’m sorry. I know you probably have plans tonight, but I wanted to stop here—” You choke out a loud sob and wipe your nose with your sleeve as you look down at the floor. “I didn’t want to drive upset but you weren’t answering and I just—”

“Shit. Exam today. I left it on silent.” He pats his pocket to make sure it’s still there, wiping as much dirt as he can on his jeans before placing his hands on your shoulders. “Hey, it’s okay. Deep breaths.”

Jungkook emerges from the bathroom quietly with a furrowed brow and pursed lips. Did he hear your voice or is it his imagination? Unsure if you’re some wishful remnant of earlier texts, he peeks around the corner.

Heels: black, strappy heels with a velvety smooth red undersole. Has he ever seen you in heels? If he has, it’s never been something as flashy as these. His gaze travels up the smooth, exposed skin of your legs until it hits the hem of a skirt. The dark fabric seems a little short; it clings to your thighs, riding up as you embrace his friend. It’s hard not to notice how well it accents the curve of your hips and more importantly: your ass. He’s definitely never seen you in something so revealing, not even on nights where you’ve joined them for dancing.

He pauses for a fraction of a second, eyes trained on the swell of your ass before moving up to find the disappointing sight of your favorite hoodie barring much else from view. Namjoon’s arms outline your shape, but the places his hands rest are far too respectable to glean much else other than simple blueprints.

With his dick leading his steps, Jungkook opens his mouth to announce his presence with a joke. He means to selfishly steal a glimpse of your entire ensemble with some snarky comment but you choke out a sob and his stomach lurches to form a whirlpool of apprehension. His mouth remains open, but his words are swallowed back into the dark swirling pit that now wrenches his gut in circles.

Namjoon looks up just in time to read the confusion and shock on his features. He shakes his head and cups yours against his chest, wordlessly signaling Jungkook to keep quiet.

“Is there anything I can do? Do you wanna talk about it?” Namjoon asks, hoping you don’t see the man behind you slowly backing away like he’s just approached a rabid animal.

You’re sobbing. Why are you sobbing? What happened? Was it what he said before you unmatched? Jungkook tiptoes back into the kitchen without a word. He leans against the counter and shoves his hands in his coat pockets, trying to piece everything together. Did he cause this?

You screw your eyes shut to try to keep the tears inside. It’s no use. They always seem to find a way out. “He didn’t show up and when I texted him, he… he said he forgot."

“What?"

“I thought it would be good after the arcade date, you know? Like, good chemistry. He’s weird. I like him! He seemed interested and we made these plans and he just—” you choke out another loud sob. “God. Am I really so fucking forgettable?”

You wanted your friends to be wrong so badly that you ignored the fact that it’s been like pulling teeth trying to get Jason to meet up again. For him to forget completely is like a kick to the face that leaves all the teeth intact, maybe a little bloody, but stubbornly intact.

“Y/N, no. It’s not your fault. You deserve better than this fucking guy.”

Jungkook swallows hard. This definitely doesn’t feel like a conversation he should be hearing, but it’s loud enough to carry through the entire apartment. Kitchen, bedroom, or bathroom: his options are limited, but he knows there’s nowhere to go to pretend like he can’t hear it. It’s not like he can just walk out the front door now.

“Do I? It’s seems like a fucking pattern, Joon. I fall for people so easily and they always make me feel like an idiot for trying. Donghyun. Seojun. Jason. Jungkook… It doesn’t matter. No one fucking wants me.”

Jungkook tenses. He may not know all the names on your list, but his is among them all the same. Has he really hurt you so much?

“Hey… Don’t think like that,” Namjoon says, his voice soft as he rubs your back. “You know your worth, and it’s not measured by how well someone else can see it.”

Every time you think you’re done crying, fresh tears begin to roll down your cheeks. “I’m tired, Joonie.”

“I know. I’m sorry. We'll get you home."

As you step back to look at him your ankle rolls, and you begin to fall. Hearing the scuffle, Jungkook winces and peeks around the corner. Namjoon has a good enough grip to stop you from fully tumbling to the floor, but you’re definitely not stable by any means.

Although you now face Jungkook, you’re too distracted by your ankle to notice the extra pair of eyes on you. He allows himself to stupidly linger within your line of sight, raking his gaze across your form to take in the details of your attire, right down to your choice of earrings. Even with a red nose and puffy, smudged eyes, the time you’ve spent on your appearance remains evident.

You did all that for some guy who didn’t even show? If that’s how you dress for your dates then his innocent perception of you is completely wrong. What kind of moron would pass up the opportunity to peel you out of that dress and dive into your cunt? You look incredible. What the fuck.

"God. Shit. Fuck! Fucking stupid heels!” You huff out your exasperation and let a small pitiful laugh pass your lips as you right your stance with Namjoon’s help. “You know, I spent hours getting ready and now I just look stupid. I feel stupid.”

“You don’t. You’re not,” Namjoon insists, his palm squeezing your shoulder.

“Namjoon, I shaved my entire body. Do you know how long that took?”

Jungkook forces himself to withdraw into the kitchen. If you see him now you might murder him. He purses his lips into a thin line and tightens his grip around his arms. In an instant he imagines hiking your dress above your hips and parting your legs so he might brush his cheek against the smooth expanse of your thigh all the way to your core. Are your panties as slutty as your dress? Are they cute? Lacy? Plain?

“Geeksquad…” Namjoon sighs loudly. “I really don’t need to know— Hold up. Wasn’t this the second date?”

“Are you slutshaming me?” The tired laugh that follows sounds more like you, but it still hurts his heart. “I’m stepping up my game.”

“Nah. You do you,” he says, a soft smile on his lips that’s obviously full of pity. “You want to stay and get some food? I think I have some sweats you can change into.”

Tires screech in Jungkook’s mind. Is he going to be trapped here for the night? Without dinner? What kind of karmic torture is the universe putting him through?

“No, I’m sorry,” you sniffle, wiping your face with the sleeves of your sweater. “Jennie wants me to come over but I—I didn’t think I could make it with having a full meltdown. You were on the way.”

“No need to apologize.” He pulls you into another tight hug. “Do you want me to walk you back to your car?”

“No, no it’s fine. I’m right in front. Thanks, Joonie.” Your phone begins to buzz in your hoodie pocket. You pull back and wave it at him, already on your way to the door. “It’s like she knew. I’ll talk to her on the way. Thank you for listening to me cry for the millionth time.”

“Always. Text me when you get there, okay?”

“Will do, mom,” you tease with a soft laugh.

“Zip up your hoodie.”

You grimace at him with narrowed eyes but heed his advice on your way out. You also pull your skirt down as far down your thighs as it will reach. Men are gross and you trust virtually none of them.

Jungkook waits until he hears the click of the lock on the door to breathe a loud sigh of relief. Namjoon rubs the back of his neck and stares at the door. He worries about you.

“Yikes. That Jason guy is a dick huh?”

Namjoon swivels on his heels and rounds on his friend. “Like you were so much better to her?”

Jungkook casts his gaze to the floor. “I didn’t stand her up.”

Even he knows that argument is flimsy.

“Guk.”

“It was always just a joke.”

“It’s not though. She really liked you, man. I asked you not to mess with her.”

Memories have warped Jungkook into a jaded man: untrusting although not uncaring. Guilt is the only thing churning in his stomach as he thinks of you. He never expected to genuinely hurt you. Somehow things twisted into a gnarled mess that never really felt like more than a playful game of tug-of-war. But these kinds of games only work when the people involved know that they’re playing. It’s shitty when one pulls another into the mud when they’ve never agreed to participate.

Faced with the reality of how you consider him now, it dawns on him that he’s dragged you into the mud face-first without even the slightest resistance. You’ve stood up and you’ve even yanked the rope in retaliation, but you never should’ve been in the mud in the first place. Regardless of his own emotional ineptitude, he knows you never deserved that humiliation. No one does. The weight of his actions sits heavy in his gut.

Still he tries to justify himself. “All I do now is make pass after pass and she’s the one who turns me down.”

“You said it earlier yourself,” Namjoon sneers, irritated by his friend’s immaturity. “It’s always a joke. You’re never serious and she knows it. Look, you don’t have to like her back. She’s my friend and so are you. Just don’t lead her on and stop with the mind games. Be honest with her. The least you can do is apologize for being a dick.”

“That’s— I feel like… I don’t know how.”

Jungkook can’t bring himself to tell him of your conversation earlier tonight. It just adds to the guilt piling on his conscience. Namjoon used his own words against him and the worst part is it makes sense. It’s so much easier when it’s a stranger at a bar or a random encounter at a club, but you’re neither of those things. He lumped you into that category all the same.

Namjoon clicks his tongue and puts an arm around Jungkook’s back. “Starting with ‘I’m sorry’ can go a long way. She’s a good person and I know you guys can get along. Things were going well until you made that bet, right?”

Jungkook opens his mouth to speak and then closes it. “Mmm.”

“Not every girl is a Jiseo, Jungkook.”

“Yeah.”

“I think…” Namjoon sighs and shakes his head. “I don’t know. Can you try to just... tone it down? Maybe try to patch things up?”

“Okay.” Jungkook’s brow furrows and he chews his lip as he mulls over Namjoon’s words. He reaches into his coat pocket and pulls out his keys. “You ready?”

⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰

Your head dips forward as your fingers glide across the keys. It's hard to concentrate on your task when you're this distracted by your own thoughts. You stare at the monitor with furrowed brows. Namjoon grabs the back of your chair and leans forward to tower over you.

"Went that well, huh? Did he blow the second chance he didn’t deserve?"

The motion jerks you backwards and you grip the armrests of the chair to steady yourself. Despite your best attempt to curb the irritation in your expression, your frustration remains apparent. You sit back and tilt your head up to look at him, trying to think of something to say, some excuse to not reinforce the "told you so" waiting in your future, not after you showed up at his apartment sounding like a dying whale a few days before. When no ideas come to your immediate aid, you click your tongue and let out a heavy sigh as you turn your attention back to the screen.

"Geeksquad," he presses. "Talk to me."

You exhale through your nose and briefly purse your lips before obliging his plea. The words are quick and quiet so you don't run the risk of bawling your eyes out again. "He canceled.”

Namjoon steps back and the pressure on your seat is gone. He places a large palm on your shoulder. "I'm sorry. Do you want to talk about it?"

Despite wanting to give the opposite answer, you shake your head. You don't trust yourself to speak, but you'd like to tell him. He's clever and you know he'll likely find a way to get it out of you with minimal effort anyway. Still, you don’t think you can manage the words without crying like a baby and you don’t want to do that when the morning has only just begun. Silence falls between the two of you as he gives you time to decide if you want to open up.

After a moment of tapping away you finally give in. You know you’ll feel better after you cry.

"He said he had to stay behind and help do clean-up for the party he was at. And that’s nice and all, but we had plans. I feel crazy. I should be glad that he’s so kind, right? Like that shows he’s a good person, right?” Your voice has cracked but it hasn’t quite broken.

He sighs and flops in the chair on the other side of his desk. “Y/N… I think you’re asking me for answers you already know.”

“But tell me anyway,” you press, tears welling in your eyes. “Our first date went so well. So why-y-” Your voice breaks.

“Hey.” He reaches across the desk and brushes his fingers against your arm. “I know you want me to help you make excuses for him... But you deserve someone who values your time. Clearly he’s just looking to waste it.”

“But—”

“Y/N, you don’t need someone like that. If this is what he’s like before you’re even together, then what kind of effort is he really going to put into a potential relationship? Not enough. There are so many people out there, people that would trip over themselves just to have the chance to be with you. I know you don’t want to hear it, but I think it’s a mistake that you even gave him another shot. He blew it. Twice. Delete his number. Forget him.”

“I know,” you croak. Tears fall from your eyes and you quickly swipe them away, focusing on the task at hand.

Namjoon is right and you know it, but you’re kind of irritated about it. You know it’s not really him you’re mad at, but Namjoon is a good enough placeholder while you try to sort through your hurt feelings.

You muster your most monotone voice as you stand. “I updated your drivers and deleted any cached files that might have been causing issues. Is that all?”

“Don’t be mad at me,” he pleads, rising to block your path as you step towards the door. “You have a big heart and I hate seeing it stepped on.”

In a matter of seconds you melt into his embrace and bury your face into his shirt. “I hate how fast I like people.”

“I know.” He pets the back of your head softly and squishes you against his chest. “It’s gonna be okay. How about udon later? My treat?”

“With beef?” you ask with a sniffle.

“With beef,” he agrees.

“Gyoza?”

“Mhm.”

“And takoyaki?”

“...You’re pushing it.”

⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰

You slide the appetizer tray across the table towards Namjoon. “Here.”

He shovels a dumping into his mouth right before he speaks. “I could eat this every day for the rest of my life.”

“Could you afford it though?” you tease, taking a sip from the bottle of saké and crinkling your nose at it before passing it to him.

“Not if you’re joining me,” he snorts. “You’re supposed to pour it.”

“No, thanks.” You push the tiny glass full of liquid back towards him.

"Wow. Are you guys on a date?"

You know the source of the voice before you even crane your neck to see Jungkook.

"Pfft." Namjoon waves the question off with a deep laugh.

Despite finding the scenario of ever dating Namjoon absolutely absurd, you can’t help but feel a little insulted by the volume of his laughter. Namjoon’s hangout night was supposed to take your mind off of how unwanted Jason made you feel. Instead, the pit of insecurity within your stomach grows into a thick, tangled brush of hostility. Is being seen with you really so laughable?

“Why would we be?” you snap, turning your attention back to your bowl.

Heat settles in your face and you purse your lips, not daring to look at either of them. You try to wrangle some noodles to shovel in your mouth before you can say something stupid. Their eyes are on you. Jungkook is definitely confused but not alarmed by your hostility. It’s something he’s grown accustomed to. But Namjoon knows when he hurts your feelings, every time, and it’s easy enough to disarm your irritability.

“She’s way too good for a mess like me,” Namjoon says with a light laugh.

“Why are you here?” you ask, tone already softer than before.

"Post-work snackie," he answers, all too cheery for your sour mood. “Came for the noods. Mind if I join?”

He looks to the rosy-cheeked Namjoon for his answer, as you set your hoodie and purse down in the space beside you to give him yours. Namjoon betrays you by scooting over to make room on his side of the booth. You’d mentioned to him before that you’d eventually like to fix things with Jungkook, to somehow make steps for peace. But you only have so much mental energy left to give today.

“Not tonight, Jungkook,” you plead with a sigh.

The frustration in that puff of breath is enough to make Jungkook hesitate. He blinks a few times, wide-eyed. “What?”

“I just… can’t handle your bullshit tonight.”

Jungkook tries to break the uncomfortable tension with a grin. “No bullshit tonight. Promise.”

“No.” Your answer is firm and somehow so fragile that it makes both men worry their brows in the same fashion. “Please, just go away.”

He shoves his hands in the pockets of his leather jacket and takes a few steps back. He doesn’t know what to make of your demeanor, but he can put enough together to know the basics. You’re upset, maybe not at him for once. However unlikely, that’d be a blessing. Maybe you’re still upset about that guy that stood you up a few days ago. If that’s the case, he probably shouldn’t stick around and risk letting on how much he knows about that.

He tongues the side of his cheek and nods, forcing a smile to his face. “Alright. I’ll just order it to go. Planned on that anyway. Catch you later.”

Guilt wracks your nerves as he walks away. The moment you look back at Namjoon, you’re faced with a wall of disappointment that threatens to topple the scale of decision-making in Jungkook’s favor.

“You’re judging me for that,” you mumble. The noodles between your chopsticks slip back into the broth.

“Little bit,” Namjoon admits, watching his friend sulk over to the entrance waitstaff. “You know he told me he’s trying to be nicer to you.”

“What? When?”

“The other day. We hung out.”

He keeps his answers short and ambiguous, hoping your curiosity has been piqued. Maybe this is the golden opportunity he’s been hoping for to patch your friendship.

“Was this before or after he harassed me on Tinder?”

Namjoon’s heart sinks into his butt. Of course Jungkook would make reconciliation harder than it needs to be. “When did he do that?”

“That night I showed up at your apartment like a big crybaby.”

“I went over his place for dinner after you left. Jin wanted to try a new recipe out on us.” That seems to at least make you pause.

“You guys talked about me?”

“Yup.” He goes back to chewing his food, knowing he’s got you hooked.

Your incredulous stare does nothing to pull information past his lips. “Joonie. What did you say about me? What did he say?”

“Mmm?” He slurps up a long noodle. “A lot of things. But they’re not really my words to tell.”

“No one likes clickbait, Joon.”

“Look, all I’m saying is that he told me that he wants to fix things. If you want specifics, maybe we can invite him to come eat with us. It might be easier for the both of you to talk about it over good food.”

You sigh, seriously considering his words even as you shake your head. “Joon, I’m already emotionally compromised. I really don’t want to cry in front of Jungkook tonight.”

“Why would you cry? This is a night for good things only. Namjoon-approved and protected. You don’t have to talk about anything you don’t want to... I just thought it might be nice to make some good memories with good friends.”

You roll your eyes but hold your pinky out for him. “Fine. But this is Joonie-Y/N time. You’re cutting into that allotted time slot, you know that right?”

Namjoon rests his elbow on the table, preparing to pinky swear to whatever you’re about to suggest. “Conditions?”

“He sits next to you, he doesn’t make fun of me if I cry, and…. he doesn’t get to talk.”

“Y/N.”

“Fiiiiine. He can talk. But he better be as nice as you say he’s trying to be.”

“We allowed to talk about Jason?”

“If it comes up…” you sigh. “You know, if he’s mean to me and I cry then you have to deal with it.”

He clasps his long pinky around yours. “Deal. But with how all that just went down, you gotta go tell him to come back. He won’t believe me if I do it.”

“Don’t let him be mean to me,” you plead, tightening your grip on his pinky and locking eyes with him. “Good vibes only.”

“He won’t be mean. Good vibes only.” Namjoon nods with a soft smile. “He really is a good person where it counts, Y/N.”

You push your things aside and force yourself to find Jungkook. He’s leaning against a wall near the entrance, scrolling through his phone while he waits for his order. You quietly request to your waitress that you’d like his food brought to your table. She’s nice enough about it, but your stomach churns regardless. It’s the anxiety.

You gingerly poke a finger against his shoulder as you approach. “Um. Hey.”

He seems startled at first, but smiles when he realizes it’s you. “Hmm?”

You take a deep quiet inhale, trying your best not to get lost in the butterflies his charming smile conjures in your gut. You try to tell yourself it’s anxiety and nothing more. Apologies are hard and scary. That’s all.

“I’m… sorry for being rude. I’ve had a rough week but I shouldn’t take it out on you. Come eat with us, please. Namjoon’s buying anyway.”

His eyes seem to light up with surprise and a warm smile deepens the creases around his eyes and mouth. The hope that these feelings of attraction would evaporate with time is a flame swiftly snuffed out and replaced with a burning heartache that deems denial useless. Even now, pangs of infatuation lurk below your feelings of disdain, breaking the tension of its surface with each beat of your heart.

“It’s okay,” he reassures you. “I shouldn’t have invited myself when I saw you guys. I should really get home and shower anyway.”

He looks so clean that you’d assumed he’d already showered. It’s not like you can smell him from where you stand. Maybe he’s lying, but at least you get the sense it’s coming from a place of politeness.

“Jungkook, I want you to come eat with us. Besides Namjoon wants someone to drink saké with him and I cannot keep doing it.”

“I see.” He offers a small laugh and rubs the back of his neck. “Are you sure? You seemed pretty against it before. What changed?”

“Namjoon told me you’re trying to be less of an asshole to me.”

“Did he?” he licks his lips and tries to hide his pleased smile. “I’m surprised you believe him.”

“He also promised me I could punch you in the dick if you make me cry,” you lie, completely stone-faced.

If he knows that’s a falsified statement, he doesn’t say anything. He looks past your shoulder to quirk a brow at Namjoon, who appears to be furiously texting at the table. Jungkook’s phone buzzes a few times against his palm and he’s fairly sure he already knows who it is.

“Come on. I already asked them to bring your food to the table.”

He reads Namjoon’s messages as he trails behind you.

NAMJOON: If you seriously want to apologize stick around, make her laugh, just listen when you need to

JUNGKOOK: Don’t worry

JUNGKOOK: I got u

Before Namjoon can send a text saying that Jungkook's response has the opposite effect, you’re peeking across the table, trying to get a glance at the screen.

“Who’s that?” you wonder. Namjoon’s not usually one to be so secretive with his texts.

“Hmm?” he raises his eyebrows at you and pours you a shot. “Stupid. Don’t worry about it.”

“Ha. Haha. Ha.” You gesture at your face. “You say to the girl with anxiety.”

Crinkling your nose at the glass he offers, you slide it across to Jungkook as he settles in next to Namjoon. “Here. I’m done drinking that stuff tonight.”

He regards it with a quirked brow. Something about your demeanor really has changed, but looking between you and Namjoon does nothing to answer the question of what that may be.

“Okay, so on reddit this guy was reaching. He’s going on about the symbolism in the red scarf—”

Your eyes gloss over the moment he mentions reddit. Is there anything you care less about than Joon’s favorite modern literary discussion threads?

“Got it. Not worrying about it,” you interrupt, bringing your bowl to your lips to slurp some of the broth.

Jungkook hides his smirk by throwing his head back to drink his shot. Namjoon is a genius. It might be scary if he ever decided to use his intellect for nefarious purposes. Lucky for the universe he uses it to protect others, like a real superhero would.

As the three of you dine together, you’re surprised to find that Jungkook isn’t being as annoying as he usually is. In fact, it seems the more he drinks outside of any competitive setting, the more affable he becomes. Maybe there’s something to Namjoon’s clickbaity words. He’s almost the person you remember meeting before the Halloween Party, maybe even more pleasant.

You’re grateful when the two of them start telling embarrassing stories so you can listen and laugh at the way they slur their words and interrupt each other. Laughter makes your heart feel light and full, and brave enough to take the last step to prove to yourself you’re done chasing Jason. As the two men fight over the last piece of gyoza and distract themselves over dessert, you quietly decide to clear your text messages from Jason. Your finger hovers over the delete icon for a second before purging his contact information from your device entirely.

It’s freeing to not have to worry about what you should send him. It’s frustrating to have tried so hard for so long and have nothing to show for it, but at least there will be no conversation history to pick apart anymore. It should feel perfect. That will definitely show him, right? You don’t have to reflect for more than a couple seconds to reinforce the memory of how little he actually reached out on his own.

He still has your number. The only time he ever called was on your first date. He never texted you unless you spoke first. He probably won’t even notice you’re gone. He’s probably relieved he won’t have to answer you anymore. He probably thinks you’re desperate for trying for so long. You don’t realize how well you wear your anxiety.

When you look up Jungkook is watching you while he chews with his mouth wide open. “Hey, why do-” He hiccups and swallows. “Why do you look so sad? You should have some ice cream.”

He scans the table for something to offer you, but he can’t seem to find what he’s looking for in his drunken stupor. After a few seconds his eyes finally land on his own plate where the other half of his red-bean cake sits.

“Do you want my taiyaki?” He holds the tail end of the fish-shaped cake out to you. “It’s really good!”

You can’t help but laugh at the unexpected sweet absurdity of the night. “Jungkook, I don’t want your half-eaten cake.”

He frowns and looks at the pastry. “Is it because I bit it? I’ll break off that part for you if you don’t want your mouth to touch that.”

Although Jungkook definitely is more drunk than Namjoon right now, the older man can’t help but be amazed by how well this is going. He loads up on green tea ice cream and digs his spoon in it. He shouldn’t have been so worried. Jungkook can put away the act when he wants to, especially once alcohol is involved and there’s nothing to prove. You guys are actually getting along. What a relief.

“No, really it’s okay.” You laugh.

Jungkook is already breaking the pastry apart in his hand, watching as it crumbles to pieces on his plate. He blinks a couple times and closes his mouth in a frown.

“I thought that would work.” He sounds utterly defeated.

The waitress walks over just in time to watch Namjoon stick a heaping spoonful of wasabi in his mouth. You're too busy laughing at Jungkook's forlorn expression to notice the way Namjoon's eyes water. His eyes drop to the ice cream he thought he shoveled into his mouth. Right next to the pristine, untouched scoop of green tea ice cream, he finds his spoon resting in the hunk of wasabi adjacent to it. He should really pay attention more. He pushes against Jungkook's side and motions that he needs to get up. The younger man spares a glance his way but Namjoon waves him off while mumbling something about the bathroom.

The waitress tries to keep her composure and looks between the pair of you. "How is everything?"

"Great! Could you please bring us some water?" you ask in your sweetest voice, realizing the two men with you should at least try to start sobering up.

You expected to have Namjoon crashing on your couch on a Friday night, or at least be dropping him off down the hall at Hobi’s place. Jungkook was not part of the plan, but you can’t exactly let him drive home inebriated. You know he’s not your responsibility but you’d feel guilty making him call for a ride home when you’re perfectly capable.

Although you hate to admit it, you’ve had fun tonight. If you’re being honest with yourself you’d like to see what he’s like without Namjoon nearby to police his moves. He’s been nice enough, but you want to know for sure this isn’t an act. You want to ask him if he’s made another bet, or playing some game since he hasn’t hit on you all night. Before you can get your line of questions in order, Jungkook turns to the server with large, pleading eyes.

"Oh! Can you bring some more dessert, please?"

He may be a grown ass man capable of charming the pants off of women everywhere, but right now he is little more than a child begging for seconds. Regardless of everything he's done, your heart softens, endeared and embarrassed by his drunken request to your server.

The waitress nods. "Sure, what would you like?"

His eyes fall to you for an answer. "What do you like?"

You blink at him. "Me? I thought this was for you."

He nods. "Mm. We can split it."

"Um, how about... tempura?"

"Banana?"

Jungkook’s voice is full of anticipation and his upturned eyebrows seem to bargain for agreement. It’s so hard to believe this is the same man who has been so cold to you for so long when he seems so open and warm now. You remind yourself it’s probably the alcohol. It’s probably some secret promise to Namjoon. Some bet with Hobi. Some game he’s playing. It’s probably anything other than what your dumb crush-stupefied heart wants it to be.

The waitress looks to you for approval and you give a nod. "Sure. Banana tempura."

The waitress awkwardly smiles as she gathers the empty platters and gives you a chance to break away from his endearingly drunken face. He smiles across the table at you and wrings his hands while you pick up your phone to check on those nonexistent messages. Maybe if you distract yourself enough you can ignore the feelings that are catching up to you tonight.

“Thank you for inviting me back over,” he says, reaching to the nearly empty bottle of saké to pour himself another shot. “I’ve... been wanting to talk to you."

"I’m surprised you didn’t blow up my phone.” It’s supposed to be a joke, but there’s a harshness in your tone that exposes a venomous bite beneath it.

He downs the shot and plants his elbows on the table, leaning forward on them. "I wanted to say it to your face."

“Oh, really?”

You don’t allow yourself to entertain the idea that he’s about to say anything groundbreaking, but you look away from your phone to meet those dark, twinkling eyes. Suddenly there’s hope in your gut. You’re desperate to put some distance between the feelings jumping to the surface.

“I’ve been a dick.”

“No shit.”

Though the fog of alcohol consumes his apology, his eyes focus on you with clarity. “I’m sorry.”

How long have you waited to hear those words? You never really thought about what you might say in response. His apology sits in the air between you for a moment before he speaks again.

“I’m really sorry. Namjoon is right. I am trying to be less of an asshole to you. We don’t…” he catches himself, “I don’t have a lot of close friends who are women.”

“You don’t say.”

That seems to cut through the fog. He hangs his head and focuses his gaze on the table.

“I never wanted to hurt your feelings.”

“Well, you did,” you mumble.

“I know... I’m sorry.” It’s like now that he’s said it once, he can’t stop saying it. He’s not sure how to make you understand. Maybe you do understand and you just won’t forgive him. Can he really blame you for that?

“Why?” you question; it’s the last barrier protecting your heart, the only thing keeping you from caving. “Why do you care now?”

Jungkook’s head lolls to one side as he sits back against his seat and stares at the nearly empty bottle of saké. “I don’t know. I guess I was thinking… I wish I had a save to reload. Before I messed up.”

It seems that’s the best you’re going to get out of him right now. The waitress sets down a beautiful platter of banana tempura meticulously arranged around a simple mound of ice cream, topped with a single cherry and drizzled with decorative chocolate. She places three waters on the table and you both take a moment to politely force smiles and pause your conversation.

He licks his lips and stares down at the plate and then back up at you. “Can we start over?”

“Depends. Are you gonna go back to being a dick when you’re not drunk anymore?”

“No, no. I mean it. I wanna try to be friends.”

“For real?” You swipe the cherry, pop it in your mouth and tilt your head to regard him. You can’t let yourself fully believe him. You want to. The earnestness in his drunken features charms you, but you hold onto a shred of disbelief as a crutch. You’ll wait for the moment he reverts. Hopefully this time you’ll be prepared for the whiplash that comes along with it.

“For real.”

You reflect on his apology as the pair of you dig into the dessert. “Maybe. Prove it.”

He perks up. He’ll take a maybe. Maybe means the damage he’s done might not be irreparable. The guilt weighing on his conscience feels lighter. It’s a start.

“I will. I’ll find some way to make it up to you.”

You roll your eyes, unwilling to put stock in his words. “Is this another bet with Hobi? About how quickly you can make me forgive you?”

Jungkook shakes his head furiously, wisps of wild black hair whipping his cheeks. “No, I mean it. I promise.”

You drag your lip through your teeth as you teeter on the line of acceptance. “What is a promise from a liar worth?”

He drops the flat of his palm to the table and he pouts. “Hey. I mean it…. Hm. If I break my promise…” His eyes scan the table for anything he can use to change your mind. He looks at his arm pressed against the table and then back at you. “You can choose my next tattoo.”

Your eyebrows rise into your hairline. “Really.”

He eagerly nods. “I’ll get whatever you want wherever you want. Just. Not my face.”

“I want that in writing,” you snort.

Jungkook glances around the table and pulls a napkin from under the plate of tempura. “Do you have a pen?”

“Jungkook, you don’t have to—”

“I’m serious.” He’s not taking no for an answer.

You shake your head and rummage through your purse to supply him with a pen. He smooths out the napkin he’s chosen to use as a conduit for his promise. When he’s finished writing he slides it towards you.

Princess

I’m sorry. I can make it right.

I promise. Please give me another chance.

If I blow it you can choose what & where my next tattoo goes.

As long as it’s not my face. Let’s be friends? #promise.com ♡ Jungkook

Of course he signed it with a heart. Despite his inebriation, his handwriting is still neat. Well, that’s one hell of a promise.

“Okay.” You fold the note and drop it into your purse. “We can try.”

His face lights up as he stuffs a piece of tempura into his mouth, happily chomping with his mouth wide open. He reaches for the saké but you slide a water in front of him instead.

“Friends don’t let friends get totally shitfaced at Hajime.”

He frowns at you but seems to accept your answer with a pout.

“Speaking of which… Where is Namjoon?” You crane your neck to look around the restaurant.

“Friday noodle nights common for you guys?” Jungkook asks, digging into the dessert between massive gulps of water.

“No, not really. We’re usually watching movies at my place or hanging with Hobi. But Namjoon wanted to take me out because I was sad,” you say, finally catching sight of your friend on the other side of the bar.

Jungkook’s chewing slows and he regards you with furrowed brows. “Sad?”

Before you can decide how you want to answer, Namjoon is scooting into the booth next to Jungkook and reaching for a piece of tempura. “Mmmm. What did I miss?”

“Y/N was telling me why she’s sad.”

Namjoon nods like he understands exactly what you’ve been talking about. “He’s a dick, right? Like how do you even stand someone up, not once, but twice? Makes no sense.”

“Joonie—”

“And I know what you’re gonna say, but I disagree. It has nothing to do with you or how you look, Y/N. You don’t need to workout like a maniac to try to change anything. Especially not for someone like Jason. I can’t even imagine—”

“Joon.” You click your tongue and slide a glass of water in front of him. “Please, shut the fuck up.”

As you glare at him, he looks at you with raised brows and wide eyes. Unsure what to do now that he’s obviously fubared the conversation, he casts his guilty gaze to his cup and brings it to his lips.

Jungkook stares at you with furrowed brows, trying to wait to let you fill in the blanks even though he’s itching to ask about everything. He picks another piece of tempura and stuffs it into his mouth, but when you remain silent the impulse to pry takes over. “Jason?”

“He stood me up…” you start, but you close your mouth when you realize you’re going to try to defend him. Your throat feels full, like you can’t get enough air through with a giant knot in it like this. You have to whisper so your voice doesn’t crack. “Twice.”

The couple drinking at the table nearby becomes a much more interesting place to rest your eyes than the two men across from you. Tightening your jaw doesn’t prevent the gloss from coating your eyes. Thinking about it makes you feel so stupid and desperate. Bending over backwards a thousand different ways to accommodate him couldn’t convince him to put in even a minimal amount of effort one time.

Jungkook’s eyebrows shoot up in genuine surprise. “Twice?”

The hurt you feel in your chest scorches your cheeks until anger is filling your head like a teakettle ready to release an unhealthy amount of steam right in Jungkook’s face.

“That’s what I get for giving people second chances,” you snap as you focus back on him.

Joon says your name like it’s a warning but you don’t need it. You feel guilty enough for projecting your anger onto Jungkook with a petty one-liner.

“Sorry. It’s not your fault. I just…” Your throat closes around the rest of the words.

Before an uncomfortable silence can settle over the table, Namjoon inches the bottle of saké with his fingertips until it’s in front of him. “Dating is tricky. Jason sucks. It sucks that he hurt you. But you don’t have to twist yourself into whatever you think he wants anymore. And that…” He pours the pitiful remainder of alcohol into a shot glass and slides it towards you.“...is worth celebrating.”

Jungkook silently nods his head in agreement. It’s obvious you’re on the verge of tears and he doesn���t want to be the thing that pushes you over the edge.

A soft smile curls the corners of your mouth. “That’s true, but…” you slide the glass back towards him and steal the last of the banana tempura. “I can celebrate back at my apartment. Finish your water so you’ll be awake enough to join me. Both of you.”

Jungkook perks up and happily reaches for his water while Namjoon gives you a proud, yet confused look. It seems like a new start to something. What that is remains to be seen.

⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰

Jungkook watches intently as the colors of the city shine through the windows. He runs his fingers over the soft blanket you keep in the backseat, mouthing the words to the song softly playing from your dashboard. Namjoon has been talking nonstop from the passenger seat, which is fine with Jungkook since he’s feeling a little tired. The last session of the day was a bit more intense than intended, but the client left happy and covered in sweat. A success. But Jungkook is sore and exhausted. Physically and socially.

A sense of relief floods him at the memory of his conversation with you. Things may actually be okay from here. Who would have thought crashing your noodle night with Namjoon could have yielded such results?

His head bobs to the music as his eyes wander across the scenery outside until he grows bored and they drift to the interior of your car. A graduation tassel swings from your rearview mirror as you turn. He follows the movement of the tassel when it swings towards you and his eyes land on your face, or at least what he can see of it from this angle.

You look focused and calm while conversing with Namjoon but your posture is a bit rigid and your hands remain planted on the steering wheel in complete control. There’s something about this candid snapshot of your persona that puts him at ease. Your voice is a soft contrast to Namjoon’s, but equally enthusiastic.

He tilts his head as he leans back in his seat, pulling the blanket over his lap and twisting the fabric around his palm. Your eyes flicker in the rearview mirror, catching his. He gives a tiny wave and rests his head against the cushion, fighting the temptation to close his eyelids for longer than a second. The more he listens to you laugh, the more he finds himself smiling. It’s goofy.

It’s also kind of cute.

⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰

Jungkook is surprised when Yoongi answers your knock; he thought he would be asleep. He’s even more surprised when you make yourself at home on his couch and guilt him with a puppy dog pout to make you a drink, and he complies. When Jungkook asks the same, Yoongi tells him there’s beer in the fridge while measuring out the ingredients for your cocktail. The suspicious sour ache of jealousy stabs his gut as he moseys to the fridge but he quickly shakes it off, settling on the floor in front of the tv with a beer in hand.

After a couple hours of drinking, laughing, and playing Jackbox games with the three men, you’re feeling much better about everything. Life is good. Friends are good. Alcohol is very good.

It doesn’t take much to get you drunk. You’re about as much of a lightweight as Hobi and for better or worse everyone has come to know that fact. What’s nice about drinking in Yoongi’s apartment is that you don’t have to walk very far to get home. Things don’t get awkward with the three of them together; it’s actually kind of nice, like a mini Saturday night pregame.

Soon Namjoon and Yoongi are snoring on the couch with a movie playing in the background while you stand in the kitchen with Jungkook. He pours another drink for himself, though he knows it will mostly likely remain unfinished. Tomorrow may bring a massive hangover, but tonight has been surprisingly pleasant. He feels like he’s finally on okay footing with you, maybe even on the road to serious repair. Amazing how well you get along when inhibitions are replaced by inebriation. If that’s what it takes, he’s determined to keep it up.

As he turns his back to place the liquor bottle in the cabinet by the fridge, you swipe a sip of the drink he’s concocted. He spins around in time to see you wrinkle your nose and stick your tongue out.

“Hey, that’s mine!” he pouts.

“Blegh. You can have it. Yuck!” Your face screws up again at the aftertaste.

He drunkenly giggles as he slides the drink closer to him. “What, don’t like sour?”

“Too sour!” You reach for the water bottle Yoongi gave you hours ago and attempt to rinse the puckering sensation from your mouth.

Amused, he tilts his head and watches you take gulp after gulp. He purses his lips and holds back the comment itching to escape, deciding to enjoy a sip of his drink instead. You shimmy out of your hoodie and tie it around your waist and his eyes lazily follow the motion of your arms, noting a slight difference in their musculature. Some errant thought about their shape leads him back to an earlier unaddressed comment that he’s finally comfortable enough to prod you about.

“What kind of workouts are you doing?” he blurts.

Suddenly you feel very exposed. You straighten in your seat and suck in your gut, hyper aware of every imperfection of your body on display to someone so in shape. You immediately begin to fidget with the sleeves of the hoodie you just tied around your waist.

“You don’t have to tell me. I just—” he pauses, exhaling a small breath and looking down at his drink as though he’s wary of continuing the thought.

“No, no it’s fine,” you assure him, too curious to say otherwise. “What is it?”

“When Namjoon said…” he sighs and takes a sip, smacking his lips and licking them before looking back to you. “I thought maybe I can prove myself to you by helping you come up with a plan.”

“You don’t have to do that.” You plant an elbow on the counter and lean on it.

“I want to,” he insists, reaching out for your arm.

His hand is like fire engulfing your skin and your eyelids flutter at the sensation. Instinctively you place a hand over his and rub your thumb anxiously over it. He looks down to where your thumb grazes his knuckles and then back up to your face with a surprised smile.

“Um… Everything,” you say, trying to sound as vague and nonchalant as possible so he doesn’t judge you for your lack of knowledge.

“Like, full body?”

“Uh...” You’ve managed to make a habit of going to his gym a few days a week while successfully avoiding him, but it seems that time is coming to an end. “I… machine.”

“Oh. Like at a gym? Did you join one?” He seems genuinely curious.

“Um, yeah.” Suddenly you pull your hand back when you realize the speed at which your thumb is moving.

“Which one?”

The more you say, the more suspicious you seem, but is saying less any better? Jungkook rests his elbow on the counter and simply looks at you but you don’t look back. A slow smile spreads his lips as the possibility dawns on him.

“Princess… Did you join Iron Kingdom?”

You puff your cheeks and force the air through the tiny opening of your mouth. You don’t offer any sort of confirmation and continue to avoid his gaze.

“And you didn’t tell me?” he playfully prods, drumming his fingers against your forearm.

“I… Yeah,” you admit, your voice small as you stare at the counter. “I didn’t want you to know.

“Why?”

“Because.”

“Because?”

“I don’t want to give you another thing to make fun of me for.”

“I’m not gonna make fun of you.” When you don’t respond he tugs on your arm. The motion is enough to angle you towards him. “Hey. Hey. Hey. Hey.”

“What?” you grumble, staring at your lap even as you face him.

He takes your hands in his and drunkenly waves them around. “Heeeeeeeey. Look at me.”

He pouts until you reluctantly drag your eyes to meet his. “What?”

“Everyone starts somewhere,” he says softly. “Even me.”

The shift in his demeanor catches you off guard and you subconsciously lean forward as you relax. “Well I started with Hwasa, but I was too sore to ask for another session with her.”

He nods sympathetically, clapping his hand over yours. “You should try again.”

You shake your head. “I don’t know. I feel like…”

“Like?” he prods when you let the silence trail for a bit too long.

“I don’t know what I’m doing,” you sigh. “I feel like I don’t belong there. I look so stupid reading the instructions on the machines. I don’t even think I’m doing it right.”

“What?” He makes a sound between a laugh and a grunt. “There’s nothing wrong with making sure you don’t hurt yourself. Nobody knows how to instantly do things. If they tell you they do, they’re lying.”

“Or they’re Namjoon,” you say with a roll of your eyes, glancing over at your snoring friend.

He smiles and clicks his tongue against his teeth in thought. “I didn’t know what I was doing when I started.”

“Really.”

You’re skeptical. It’s always seemed like he was born in a gym. Or maybe hatched. He’s kind of inhumanly gorgeous. Maybe he sprouted from a flower like a mythical god.

“For real. First time doing squats. I think it was gym class? Yeah, I was like twelve or thirteen. I was… not very athletic. Didn’t play sports or anything. Kind of shy. Didn’t really have a lot of friends either…”

The way he trails off makes your heart hurt. Puberty isn’t nice to most people. It’s hard to imagine a world where someone like Jungkook isn’t instantly popular and naturally fit. While you’re not exactly the same person you were at twelve, a lot of your interests and personality quirks have remained the same. You’re still painfully awkward at times. How did he manage to overcome something like that? Is it not ingrained in him like it is you?

“Just a big dork, you know?” He laughs. “I see this girl I had a crush on, Amber. She’s looking at me. I think I have to impress her. So I’m stacking up weight and I think I’m hot shit and go too fast. Know what happened?”

“Please don’t tell me you dropped it on your foot or something,” you plead, squeezing his palms at the way he’s building up the story. The secondhand embarrassment is too real.

“I hear a pop.”

“No!” you gasp, bringing your hands to your face as if you can stop the past from happening.

“And pain. So much pain. I don’t remember putting the weights down but I remember ending up on my back, staring up at the ceiling.”

“Oh no. Knees?”

“Worse.” He points down to his crotch. “Pulled a muscle in my groin. Had to sit the rest of the day with an ice pack on my junk. Was not fun. My point is: don’t give up. You learn more as you go. Give Hwasa another shot.”

His anecdote gives you pause but you’re desperate to cling to the comfort of your anxiety. “My free trial with her is almost up and I don’t think I’ll be able to afford to keep at it.”

“More excuses,” he teases, taking a sip of his drink. “At this point I should just—” His eyes widen, a lightbulb practically forming above his head as he puts his cup down. “I’ll be your personal trainer!”

“Uhh…”

“No, no. It’s perfect. We’re friends now.” He smiles, proud of himself for finding a way to prove himself to you. “I can teach you everything you need to know about working out. I can set up a plan for you and figure out the best way to help you achieve your goals. Oh, man we’re gonna have to figure out your goals. What do you—”

“Hold on. Hold on,” you interrupt with a nervous laugh. “You’re missing the part where I still can’t afford it.”

He rolls his eyes and grabs your glass, holding it under the sink to refill it. “Don’t worry about that. I’ll cover it.”

You’re stunned into silence as you observe the expanse of his back, searching the black fabric of his t-shirt for the definition of his muscles. He sets the cup in front of you, waiting for your agreement. When it doesn’t come, he second guesses himself. Did he overstep?

“I mean if you’re okay with that. Would-would you want to do that?”

The innocent drunken sparkle in his eyes makes your stomach do a flip. When you woke up this morning you hardly thought the day would include getting sloshed with Jungkook and having him offer to take you on as a fitness trainee. It’s like he’s opened himself up just enough for you to see the soft mess beneath. You like it. You like it a lot and you kind of hate yourself for it. While you don’t know if you can trust him past the evening, you find yourself hoping you can.

“You won’t make fun of me?” you ask timidly before bringing the cup of water to your lips.

“It’s my job not to make fun of you. We start where you’re at and go from there. And like I said, I’ll cover the fees for as long as you want. No pressure.” He smiles at you. “What do you think?”

“...Okay,” you murmur with a nod of your head. “If you’re serious, then I’m… I’m in!”

His lips part to expose his teeth as his grin spreads. “Yes!”

As he brings his hand up in a sign of victory, his knuckles knock against his glass. You reach for the cup with impaired reflexes, hands fumbling over the slippery surface in conjunction with his. The sour contents spill across the counter as the pair of you struggle to right the glass. While he’s quicker at getting the glass upright, your brain is faster at processing what to do next and you already have a paper towel in hand, wiping up the liquid as fast as possible.

Your eyes follow the spill to the edge of the counter where it’s flooded over the side. Acting on instinct rather than rational thought, you quickly press down where the liquid has begun to pool in his lap. As you fold the paper towel over, you rub frantically as if the action will keep the stain from setting into the fabric. He shifts in his seat and squeaks out a sound so small that you can���t actually tell whether it came from him or the chair.

It only dawns on you how inappropriate your actions are when you glance towards his face and find his wide eyes gazing back at you. His cheeks, already flushed from inebriation, seem twice as vivid and his mouth is parted slightly as though he means to speak, but he doesn’t. Maybe he doesn’t want to embarrass you, but it’s too late for that.

Your palm stills against his crotch as the shape beneath becomes clear in your mind. For a second you’re frozen, but your lips work quickly to mumble an apology. It feels like an eternity before you will your drunken fingers to release the paper towel. The clearing of Jungkook’s throat is followed by a tiny giggle, then a full on snort. A grin spreads across your lips and you soon follow him into a fit of laughter. You thank the universe for the small mercy of being drunk enough to push your embarrassment to the side for the time being.

“I wasn’t thinking!” you wheeze, tears in your eyes from laughing so hard. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. It’ll dry.” He laughs, dabbing his pants and shirt in the absence of your hand. As he stands he pulls the hem of his shirt away from his torso and looks down at it. “Really. It’s my fault I’m so…”

“Sticky?” You quirk an eyebrow at him, a blatant flirtatious action thinly disguised as a joke as you eye the blot of liquor staining the lower half of his shirt.

Both of his eyebrows raise and a mischievous smile curls the corner of his lips. “...Wet.”

You consider his answer with a pleased hum and turn back to the counter to polish off the last of your water. You’re friends now, right? It can’t be that easy. But it kind of is. So what’s wrong with a little harmless flirting between friends?

Drunk brain, who happens to be a notorious hoe, assures you it’s great. Rational brain might disagree, but she’s taking a well-deserved nap. You’ve at least had a good night. You’re not sure it matters at this point who is giving you the attention you crave. It feels good. So good, in fact, you’re sure you can indulge drunk brain a little more.

You’re drawn to the inky shapes swirling around Jungkook’s bicep as he wipes the counter down. Every time your eyes begin to focus on an object marking his skin with some kind of meaning, he moves and you lose it. It’s brush strokes, isn’t it? You’ve definitely seen a paintbrush and mountains and a knife surrounded by roses. A swathe of grey and purple connects to each one you’ve seen, but you know there are more.

Before you can blurt that you’re dying to know how many he has and how bad it hurt to get them, he turns toward the sink and begins to work his t-shirt up his torso. You watch in awe as the toned muscles of his back are exposed. The image of the bright phoenix does little to hide their definition.

Trying to will yourself to look away is of no use; he’s hot and you’re drunk enough to acknowledge that fact. Of course he peeks at you just as the shirt slips over his head to find you open-mouthed and dazed, ogling him as though there isn’t any shame in the world that could pull your gaze from him. He turns to the fridge to give you a moment to compose yourself, nabbing a water bottle from the shelf in the process. You’re clearly not ready for the way he quickly spins on the balls of his feet to face you.

Y/N.exe has stopped working.

Your fingers hang in the air suspiciously until you lazily drop them. But Jungkook dons a toothy grin and has the audacity to look shy. He mockingly shields his chest from you with the shirt clutched in his hands.

“Princess! Are you… checking me out?”

Somehow you don’t let the fire in your face turn your brain to ash.“Pfft, no.”

“What’re you doing, then?” he teases with a laugh as he sits, scooting his chair closer to yours.

“Counting,” you reply simply, brow furrowed in concentration. To drive the point home, you poke at his flesh everywhere you can make out an object drawn into its surface.

“How many?” he wonders, watching with cloudy, amused eyes.

“Mmm…” You trail your finger down his arm and back up, following the curve of the brushstroke around his shoulder. “Can’t tell if this counts as one.”

He shrugs and rests his head on his palm as he leans against the counter. “What do you think?”

You hesitate when he quickly quirks a brow.

“I think… A lot.”

“Definitely accurate,” he says with a grin.

Awkward laughter steers the pair of you towards your waters. The TV in the background provides enough noise to steal your focus; you’re grateful for the distraction from the attractive man beside you. Drunk brain is telling you to touch him again, to grab his hand, to feel the touch of someone just for the night, to ruin every good thing this night has started to rebuild between you. Anything to stave off the emptiness of your bed, the 2AM thoughts of failure, and the drunken desperation to find someone, anyone, who will fall in love with whatever image you happen to project on your dating profile.

Heart pounding wildly in your chest and blood rushing through your ears, your fingertips tap against the countertop as they inch closer to where his arm rests. Luckily your futile attempts at nonchalance go unnoticed. Jungkook anxiously turns his water bottle over in his hands, trying to gather words in his brain before freeing them from his mouth.

“So…” he begins.

You jump at the sudden sound and retract your hand while he’s not paying you any mind.

“I was thinking. About that guy…”

You wish you could at least pretend you don’t know who he’s talking about. You’ve vented plenty tonight, but still your heart sinks. Deleting Jason’s digital footprint from your life was simple and quick, but the feelings of rejection and disappointment that swirl in the back of your mind spill forward the longer his pause continues.

“I know this probably means nothing coming from me. But I just— I know you liked him, but you can do better.“

Your posture stiffens at his reassurance and you find yourself grateful he’s not looking at you. Do you deserve better?

“You deserve better,” he affirms, as if somehow aware of your internal struggle.

“Thanks,” you murmur with a distinct lack of enthusiasm as you stare down your glass.

It's cry hours, isn’t it?

Realizing you don’t believe him, he takes a deep breath and nudges you with his elbow. “Hey.”

“What.” You refuse to look up because you know you’re on the verge of an irrational stream of tears over some guy you hardly knew. It’s stupid and you know it. But the wet warmth coating your eyes tells you it’s coming regardless.

“I’m... sorry that you don’t feel like you do. Some people can’t get over the weight of their own shit. But that doesn’t mean it’s on you to pick it up for them. If they can’t even bother to carry themselves to meet you halfway, then they’re not worth the effort.”

It’s a perfect time for your heart to seize up and it takes the opportunity to do so. The advice he offers doesn’t stave off the tears, but it resonates deep within you. Namjoon said something similar. It makes you ache to hear it again from someone else. It just leads you back to the same questions you keep asking yourself. What’s so wrong with you that people don’t even want to try? Is it your personality? Physicality? Is it a lack of confidence? What is it?

‘I can’t even get a shitty guy to like me. Maybe I’m the one not worth the effort.’ You don’t dare say those words out loud. Pity isn’t something you’re looking for. A warm body to fill your bed maybe, but not pity.

“Sounds easy when you say it like that,” you murmur, trying in vain to will the tears not to fall. You’re quick to swipe at them and force a smile. “I guess I have trouble giving up on people. It’s not that I’m naive. I try to be realistic. But no matter how many times I get fucked over I just... hope for the best in people. I can’t help it.”

He pats your arm reassuringly. “That’s why you deserve better.”

If only it was as simple as hearing those words and magically being able to believe it. A big chunk of your confidence has crumbled away and there’s no clear path to restoration. As the warmth of his palm comes to rest against your arm, you place your hand over his and squeeze.

“I don’t know if I believe it,” you pause and thoughtfully add, “but thanks for saying it.”

His eyebrows raise in surprise and he offers a tiny, “You’re welcome.”

A shaky chuckle passes your lips. All of his features seem to soften the more you look at them. Maybe it’s the drunken gloss coating his big brown eyes or the way his lips slightly part as he looks back at you. The tightly coiled nerves in your belly urge you to unravel.

Although it's a subtle gesture, he licks his lips as he smiles and it practically seals your fate. If you don't leave now you're bound to do something you'll regret.

"It's late. I should sleep."

Or masturbate.

The speed at which you launch yourself from the seat is unpleasant. You're not sure what's worse: the dizzying vertigo or waves nausea sloshing in your gut. Jungkook's reflexes may be delayed but he's a steady mass of muscle the moment you reach out to steady yourself.

"Whoa. You okay?"

"Maybe," you mumble, finding yourself drawn to the heat radiating from his skin. Instead of walking away, slump down to rest your cheek against his shoulder and sling an arm around him. You might be drunker than you thought. "I don't know."

"Hmm. What do you need, princess?"

"Just wanna stop spinning."

His stance shifts to better accommodate the additional weight you press against him.

"How about you take over Yoongi's bed tonight," he suggests softly. "He's passed out anyway."

"No, I should go home." You peel your cheek from the warmth of his skin.

“You gonna make it there?”

“Yes,” you say indignantly. The world may be a bit wobbly right now, but you’re certain you can handle the short stroll down the hall.

"Okay.” He smiles, loosening his hold. As you step back your foot catches on the leg of the chair and it drags loudly against the floor.

Despite Jungkook’s attempt to keep you standing by grabbing at your arms, he loses his balance and he drops to his knees. The chair clatters to the floor before your ass does. Luckily his grip keeps your back and head far from impact, but you’re too cramped to be comfortable.

“Are you okay?” he asks. Those big, dark doe eyes of his are frozen in fear and a frown adorns his face. He looks so serious it’s ridiculous.

You can’t help but laugh, wiggling backwards to make space between his body and the heat steadily building between your legs. “I’m fine. Stop making that face.”

“Huh? What do you mean?” He sits back on his feet and tilts his head to the side in confusion.

He breaks into a fit of giggles when you dramatically mimic his expression. You roll back onto your elbows, making another ridiculous face to further mock him.

“No, no. It’s more like…” Jungkook takes the opportunity to lean over you, reaching with one hand to squeeze your cheeks to pucker your lips. You blow a disjointed raspberry at him before pulling his hand off to the side.

While the clamor of the fallen chair did nothing to rouse the men on the couch, the sound of Jungkook’s hearty laughter is loud enough to disturb the rhythmic snores of Namjoon.

Jungkook sits back on his heels and peeks over the countertop. He seems miles away, even as you sit up and scoot in to bring yourself closer. Laughter fades into a quiet hum as Namjoon’s snoring resumes.

You're lost in the abyss of his gaze as he turns his head to look back at you. All that remains in your brain at this point is a foggy desire to tug on the silky spirals of his ebony hair until he presses himself against you one more time.

Your hand settles for following the curves of his bicep instead, wondering how it might feel to be wrapped within his embrace. Some might say liquor makes you bold and stupid, and they're right. They should say it. But it also makes you feel invincible, like a goddamn glowing Mario star power-up.

"Princess?"

Enraptured, his eyes follow the motion of your hand as it slithers around his arm and squeezes. Unable to ignore the prompt, he answers with a flex against your palm. His ego swells when you shiver and noticeably hold your breath.

You know it's a mistake. You know it goes against all of your sober judgement, but you find yourself doing it anyway. It doesn't matter that you still harbor a grudge that holds your heart hostage. Drunk hoe vibes are taking the wheel. You’re tired, drunk as hell, and just want to feel wanted. And he's here.

Every fiber of your inebriated being is singing in unison: Why the fuck not?

Heartbeat pounding against your eardrums, you attempt to gauge his reaction as you lean towards him. It's hard to tell from beneath half-lidded eyes, but you think he's leaning towards you too. If he isn't you suppose you can always play it off like you're just a mess. It's not far from the truth. Focusing on the tiny freckle below his lip, you allow yourself to finally close your eyes and go for it.

But the universe isn’t here for your dumb boozy bitch mistakes.

The front door swings open with the sound of jingling keys dropping to the floor. It snaps you back to reality and you freeze, realizing there's no defense that will save you. Jungkook is quick to disengage, poking his head above the counter to acknowledge Hoseok’s presence with a wave. But his friend is completely enamored with the company he’s ushering towards his bedroom.

“Yeah, baby? How bad?” Hoseok whispers to the giggling girl wrapped around his arm.

He pins the stranger against the door to drag his tongue across her neck. Their bodies move rhythmically in a slow grind, a precursor for what’s likely to come. Jungkook purses his lips. How long until one of them notices him watching? It’s not until the girl moans Hoseok’s name softly that Jungkook spares a panicked look towards you.

Oh shit.

You gesture for him to get down before he draws their attention. The last thing you want to explain is why you’re on your knees in Hoseok’s kitchen with a very shirtless Jungkook standing close by. He obliges your silent request, squatting down beside you.

“Feel how hard you made me?” Hobi chuckles quietly.

The girl giggles, her voice growing closer. “You gonna fuck me right here or what?”

“You’d like that, wouldn’t you? Naughty girl. What if my roommate wakes up? Looks like he has a friend over too. You really want them to see what a dirty slut you are?”

You can hear her giggle as he directs her where to go, failing to keep his voice down so you hear every filthy thing he says after. Your hands fly to cover your mouth. Is your skin made of lava? You want to blame it on the close proximity to Jungkook, but the only thing you can imagine is Hoseok’s dick and the eager mystery woman about to be impaled by it. Can you scrub your brain of this memory? How are you supposed to look at him after this?

Jungkook watches your face carefully, trying his hardest not to laugh. Your eyes look so big he’s pretty sure they could roll out of your skull any second. Are you really so innocent? The way you cover your mouth says you are, but maybe it’s just the shock. Maybe you’re just trying to not laugh. Or scream. Or breathe? It kind of looks like you might pass out.

Are you gonna make it, princess? he wonders.

Once you hear Hoseok's bedroom door close, you fuss your hands over your hair and scramble to your feet, releasing a big exhale. The hushed words fall from your lips while you scurry away like a timid mouse. "I should go."

Despite being too far to make contact, he reaches out as you round the counter. "Wait—"

As soon as the word leaves his mouth he struggles to come up with the rest of his statement. There’s no reason to keep you here, except to maybe laugh a little about what just happened to smooth over any second-hand embarrassment. So why doesn’t he want you to go?

He swallows down the blank space caught in his throat and searches every last crevice of his brain for something of import to say. Guilt weighs his gut down, though there isn’t a clear cause. He’s probably screwed something up again without realizing it.

“Thanks for giving me another shot,” he says softly.

You breathe a sigh of relief and offer a tiny smile as you half turn, your hand already on the door handle. “Don’t blow it.”

He nods with a smile. “I won’t. Goodnight.”

“‘Night,” you mumble.

As soon as the door is closed you practically sprint down the hall to lock yourself within your apartment. Maybe it will also lock out all the mistakes your brain has made tonight.

The world feels colder now that you’re not pressed against the human-shaped heater that is Jeon Jungkook. Thinking about him makes your heart swell and ache at the same time. Regardless of how badly you wish you'd asked him to bed, you know loneliness is fleeting and guilt would be a far worse feeling to be saddled with.

⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰

Jungkook picks up the fallen chair, finding your soft, worn hoodie draped over it. Rubbing a thumb over the material, he considers running it back to you, but he can't remember which door is yours. It's not like he's been here often enough to know. Instead he slips his arms through the sleeves before flipping the hood over his head.

He settles on the floor in the space he previously claimed for the night, pulling a blanket out from under Yoongi's ass. Yoongi rolls his head up, a scowl on his features though his eyes remain closed. He grumbles but lies down, facing the couch.

Jungkook regards his friend for a moment before deciding to drape the blanket over him instead of claiming it for himself. Jungkook rolls onto his side and fluffs the throw pillow under his head. As he watches the credits roll on the TV, he nuzzles into your sweater.

He closes his eyes, thinking of you. He knows he shouldn't linger on the little occurrences of the night, especially with how foggy his brain is. He can't trust anything about his memory.

Still he thinks of the way your fingers trailed along his arm and curled tightly around his bicep. He lets himself dwell on the tiny sound you made, the involuntary tremble of your body, and the subsequent hitch in your breath.

He smiles and inhales the subtle scent you've left behind. A new spark of adrenaline fans flames that inflate his ego, spreading warmth from his stomach up into his chest. The world may wobble around him right now, but the little magical warmth within his gut helps him comfortably drift off to dreamland like he's the world's most immovable object.

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