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jamilelucato · 4 years

Note

Hii! Congratulations on 1.5K that's absolutely amazing 💚 can I request a Remus Lupin x Slytherin!reader + soulmate AU? I think enemies to lovers would be the way to go for this and just a lot of fluff? I'll leave the rest to you! Thank you!!

Sun and Moon [R.L.]

Pairing: Remus Lupin x Slytherin!reader

A/N: thank you! Loved your request and I hope you like it as well! Again, I simply can’t write short things, so this might be a bit too big. Anyways, here it is!

Send a request! || Harry Potter Masterlist || Musical Hogwarts Series

“He’s crying,” you said, before turning your head to face the bed and putting the pillow over your head, “again.”

Your friend groans loudly enough for you to hear. She’s pretending to be angry, but truth be told, she’s already used to waking up in the middle of the night to you crying.

“You know, I’m kinda anxious to meet your big cry baby,” she comments, laughing out her discomfort of waking up early.

“Puff,” you let out. You’d be rolling your eyes if you could stop the tears from falling. Whoever your soulmate was, he was feeling incredible pain, because all you could feel was sadness.

It started when you were fourteen — the first time you felt the exact feeling your soulmate was feeling. Just as this night, he was sad. It seemed you got blessed with a depressed person. It bothered you, not because you disliked it, but because you wanted desperately to change it. You wanted your soulmate to be happy, of course, you did.

Sometimes, they were happy. You would start laughing in the middle of classes — Professor McGonagal was never pleased with that — or you would feel a strong feeling of peace as if someone your soulmate was very fond of was hugging them.

That time, when you felt like being hugged, made you wonder if your soulmate could perhaps already have a girlfriend. But that was just your jealousy taking the best of you, and as quickly as the feeling of peace came, it went away. Perhaps your soulmate noticed you were jealous — your sentiment must’ve been pretty strong to pass over to them.

Thankfully, your friends at Hogwarts got used to your mood swings because they were experiencing it themselves. After every friend of yours turned fourteen, they started to feel their soulmate feelings as well, and you all just became a group of teens trying to find who was the soulmate to who.

Somehow, you managed to go back to sleep, but it was not enough. You woke up feeling tired as ever. He probably didn’t sleep, you thought before leaving your dorm.

Classes started boring as ever. Not even Emily’s jokes were enough to keep you with a pleasant face. When it was time for lunch, you wished to find something delicious on the menu, because it was your last hope to get a happy face.

Emily helped you serving. Even though the food was well-prepared, nothing was your favourite. You ate with no excitement, just regretting having still more classes to get through.

“Here they come,” whispered Emily, already presuming your reaction.

Entering the Great Hall, James, Sirius, Peter and Remus laughed with each other, as if retelling something they had just done. You held yourself back, trying very hard not to roll your eyes. They were stupid jerks from Gryffindors, and if you had any of those, they were your mortal enemies.

James was messing with his hair when he sat down at their table, while Sirius looked around with a smirk, unknotting his tie. Peter gaped at James as a child would look a parent, but it was Remus that got your gaze.

He always looked outcasted, even amongst his best friends. He was the only one of the four with a book in hands, and he didn’t have a smile on.

“They came in as if they own the place,” you commented between bites.

“James or Sirius could,” said Emily.

You looked at your friend before laughing.

“The Blacks could, but definitely not Sirius,” you corrected her, smiling lightly.

“Hey! You’re smiling!” Emily was excited to see you like that after a whole morning of your frowned face.

You shrugged, laughing again. It was nice to know that Emily cared about you enough to skip her daily remarks of how stupid it is to you hate the Gryffindors.

From across the Hall, Remus started feeling a bit better, but you left before noticing his growing smile.

***

“Today, I’ll be pairing you all up in two,” announced Professor Slughorn just after the last student walked in. “Let me see...” he reached for a piece of paper where he had already written his perfect duos.

“Evans and Potter,” James friends started to chuckle while the boy blushed and you thought that was the first time you saw him doing so. Lily didn’t seem quite as enthusiastic, though.

“Snape and Black,” continued Slughorn.

“YOU GOTTA BE KIDDING ME!” shouted an angry Sirius Black. All the happiness he was feeling in consideration of his friend James was gone. “Slughorn, come on!”

Severus was sitting next to you, and he didn’t seem excited about his new partner either. Severus liked being your partner — you were good at Potions, but not better than him, and that was all he could ask.

“Shut your mouth, blood traitor,” moaned Severus, just loud enough to you and Sirius to hear.

You didn’t like the term, but you knew better than anyone to not mess with Snape.

“Slughorn, did you hear what he called me?” shouted Sirius, but the Professor ignored and kept calling the names on his list.

Severus had no choice but to get up and sit next to Sirius.

“Lupin and y/L/N,” called Slughorn and you got your attention back at the list. So he wants every Slytherin with a Gryffindor now, only just not his perfect Lily. It made sense.

Remus looked at you and pressed his lips, as if afraid to say something. He got his books and walked towards you, since Severus place as now empty for his use.

“Hi,” he said, ducking himself.

You never thought you had seen a shy Gryffindor, but Remus Lupin was shivering at your presence. Good, you thought, and the smile scaped your lips before you could stop it.

Remus kept staring at you, confused about having being received with a smile.

After announcing all the pairs, Slughorn walked around assigning a single paper that had a potion instruction on it.

“I hope you get it correctly until the end of class,” he said and let the duos free to work.

You stared at the piece of paper and read: Amortentia.

“I’ll get the ingredients,” you said, already getting up. You didn‘t want to leave room for Remus to protest.

You gathered them all and got back to your seat. Remus was the one who started adding the ingredients. You were glad to see he was smart enough to follow the instructions. Sure it didn’t seem like his best friends were doing the same — Severus was arguing with Sirius non-stop, and Lily didn’t seem to happy with James playing with every single component.

Your job was to stir the cauldron while Remus added the ingredients. After a few exchanges of suspicious looks and a few bumps of hands, Remus reread the instructions and concluded that the potion was ready.

“Sniff it — see if it’s good,” asked Remus, looking at you.

You frowned, uncertain if you should be the one to sniff it but agreed to do it anyway. But the regret was immediate. The horrible smell coming from the cauldron made you lean away instantly, and even Remus resembled disgusted with it, which was weird because he was too far from it to have taken a good sniff of the horrible thing.

“I think it’s not ready,” you said, after useless cleaning your nose in your robe. Dreadful attitude for a lady, your mom would have said, but she would do the same if she had smelled the thing.

“Agreed,” muttered Remus who quickly offered you the recipe of the potion so you could take a look at what might have gone wrong.

It took you a while, but you finally saw the mistake.

“Oh, here, Remus,” you said, leaning closer to him so he could read it with you, “we forgot the powdered moonstone.”

Remus almost choked. You stared at his eyes, making sure he was okay.

“Breathed the thing again,” he explained, but it didn’t convince you.

You got the moonstone yourself and tossed it inside the cauldron who immediately started smelling better.

“Now you should sniff it,” you said, shivering just of remembering the horrible smell the potion had a couple of minutes ago.

Remus leaned in, inhaling the potion, uncertain. He kept quiet.

“So?”

He looked back at you. “Might be correct.”

“What do you smell?” you asked, letting your curiosity take the best of you.

“It’s gonna sound weird, but the smell reminds me of the sun,” he said, taking a deep breath from the thing. “It’s nice.”

Soon as he breathed again, a wave of comfort hit you. It definitely didn’t come from you — what was the satisfaction of doing school assignments with a Gryffindor? — but it hit you strong as if it had.

“Let me sniff it,” you requested, and Remus leaned back, resentful. He enjoyed the smell of the potion.

You took a sniff in and felt the same comfort from seconds ago. Weirdly enough, the scent was the total opposite of what Remus claimed — it felt as if you were smelling the moon. And some type of fur animal.

You stared back at Remus who blushed immediately when your eyes met.

“What?” he asked, bothered.

You gulped. “Nothing,” you lied. It was far from nothing. That dog smell, more of a big, large dog... it reminded you of the perfume that the boy sitting next to you was using.

You shrugged, trying to free yourself of such speculation.

Professor Slughorn stopped next to you and requested a sample of the potion. Remus did it for you, and he even labelled it. Slughorn waited and took it directly from Remus, sniffing it himself.

“You two got it wrong the first time, huh?”

You agree with a movement of your head.

“See the colour? It’s how I noticed. You probably inverted the order of powdered moonstone, am I correct?” asked the Professor.

“That’s what happened,” admitted Remus.

“Well, only 5 points for Gryffindor and Slytherin, then.”

“It’s more than enough, Professor,” you stated, glad that your potion got you at least some points.

Remus started gathering his things, and you did the same, noticing there was nothing left to do but leave.

“See you around, Remus,” you said, attempting to sound like you didn’t care before walking away from that place.

***

It was a good hot day at Hogwarts, and since those were unusually rare, you and Emily decided to enjoy the Saturday in a picnic close to the Lake.

You were letting the sun paint you gold, taking advantage of the fact that it was already three in the afternoon, and you didn’t feel any manifestation of your soulmate’s feelings.

Emily was reading a Muggle book about cars, an otherworld object that she was fascinated by. You didn’t care much about these things — they just weren’t part of your life; therefore, they weren’t needed.

The food, stolen from the kitchen, was delicious with the sun keeping it warm.

“Any plans for today?” Emily asked after a while.

“Such as...?” your eyes needed a few seconds to adapt from staring away from the sun.

“Don’t know... Parties at Hufflepuff?”

You tilted your head, thinking of anything. Then you snorted when you remembered where today’s party was.

“Today’s in Gryffindor,” you sighed, rolling your eyes.

Emily chuckled at your reaction. She dropped her book over the tablecloth you had laid in the grass and reached for you, suddenly tickling you.

“What are you— STOP IT!” you cried between laughs.

“Only when you say we’re going to the party!”

You struggled a little more, before giving in.

“Fine! We’re going!”

“Yes!” celebrated Emily with a weird dance, getting up from the spot.

***

It was during the feast that something weird happened. Emily started feeling sad, like incredibly bad.

“Em, what’s wrong? What’s happening?” you reached her hands, afraid to touch her crying face.

“It’s my soulmate. They’re sad. Something bad happened,” she said, getting up from the Slytherin table and walking around.

“Where’re you going?” you asked her, getting up too.

“Where’s Cindy?” she asked, wondering the Hufflepuff table with her eyes. “I think it’s Cindy. Where’s she?”

You stared at your best friend. You had no idea she was that close to finding her soulmate. You didn’t know she already had a guess; she never mentioned before.

She mentioned Cindy, of course. All the time. The sweetest little girl from Hufflepuff who had a heart somehow bigger than her heart.

Oh, you gulped, should have guessed.

A boy from Hufflepuff — probably Cindy’s twin, they looked very much alike — walked in and grabbed Emily’s hand from yours.

“Come, it’s her cat. It’s dying,” the boy stated.

Emily looked from you to the door of the Great Hall.

“Go, she needs you, I can see that,” you whispered, cleaning the last tear in Emily’s face and you watched the boy walk your best friend away, leaving you alone in the middle of the feast.

Faces stared at you, up in the middle of the tables, before you noticed the embarrassment and sat back at Slytherin’s.

***

You weren’t planning on going to the party anymore, but staying in your dorm all alone was pretty tedious. All the other girl had found their soulmates months ago, and it was only you and Emily left.

Well, just you now.

You sighed, deciding to have some fun at the expenses of the Gryffindors. Perhaps your soulmate wouldn’t be found that night, but a cute boy could be in a corner waiting to kiss you. Who knew?

The handmade golden dress you picked looked astonishing on you. Certain it was the one, you headed to the party.

***

“Wow, look at the bold Slytherin walking in,” James whispered to Sirius, but the other two marauders were able to hear with no problem.

Sirius laughed. He thought you wouldn’t have the balls.

“She doesn’t look that bad, tonight,” agreed Sirius, noticing immediately that the alcohol was already affecting him.

Peter and James laughed at Sirius comment, but Remus was too focused on you to say a thing. He had noticed, two weeks ago, in the middle of the Potions class that you scented like his Amortentia, but he was trying to ignore that.

It was kinda hard right now with you dressed like the walking sun.

A hot walking sun.

“What is it? You‘re quiet,” Sirius observed, nudging Remus.

“He’s always quiet,” said Peter, with a sympathizing smile to Remus. He knew sometimes Remus didn’t like the attention.

“Not like this,” disagreed Sirius, “is it the soulmate?”

Remus nodded. He didn’t know if it was better to lie or speak the truth. Maybe lie was best. If Sirius knew Remus was thinking his soulmate was a Slytherin...

“Those things are hard, my dude,” intruded James, serving everyone with a cup. “Yesterday I was laughing hard as I could in my bed just because Marlene told a joke.”

“Marlene? She wasn’t with us,” stated Peter, suddenly confused.

Sirius chuckled, slapping the back of James.

“She was telling a joke to Lily, Wormtail,” explained James and all of the boys laughed, except Peter who was gasping of comprehension.

“Alright. Who’s with me to prank y/N?” asked Sirius, smirking.

Remus frowned. “What are you gonna do?”

“Harmless stuff,” shrugged Sirius. “Hey, Prongs, still have some Veritaserum left?”

“Yep,” James showed the flask hidden in his pocket. He had it because he stole from the Professor Slughorn classes — James knew he held the best because it was Lily who prepared.

“Then let’s go,” Sirius said.

“Wait, what are you—”

“Moony, Moony... No time for your moral compass, okay?” James nudged Remus and the four boys headed to the drinks section, hoping to get a cup for you with a special liquid in.

***

It was weird not having Emily around, but it wasn’t hard to fit in. You weren’t the only Slytherin there, and, even though you avoided all of them on daily bases, you had no problem talking to some Gryffindors.

As long as they weren’t James and his friends, you were okay.

Peter invited you to a truth or dare game with the boys and Lily and Marlene. Although you were tempted to say no, Marlene and Lily had been your company for the night, and without them, you’d be alone, so you said yes.

You sat in the red couch, with Lily in your left and Remus in your right. The others got themselves some types of stools.

“Let’s start with you, Slytherin,” Sirius said, handing you a cup of alcohol.

“Is this my dare?” you ask.

“No — it’s a game-starter. You know, to make yourself susceptible to a challenge or to speak the truth,” you took the cup and analyzed it for a couple o seconds, but they all stared at you expectingly. You decided to drink it. The guys wouldn’t try anything with Marlene and Lily there, having your back.

You decided, however, to accept the challenge exceptionally: you drank it all at once. Sirius and James smirked, exchanging looks. Peter was congratulating you, and you smiled back at him. Remus gulped nervously next to you.

“Okay, I take the truth,” you decided it was easier than accepting a dare that would come from the most famous tricksters of Hogwarts.

Sirius leaned in.

“Is it true that you haven’t found your soulmate yet?” James asked before Sirius, who seemed extremely angry with his best friends attitude.

“Hey, dude!” Sirius said.

James reply came in a whisper that you weren’t able to hear: “We need to see if it’s working before showing the big guns.”

You swallowed about to answer. “I might have found him.”

Everybody stared at you, including Remus. That was not the answer you wanted to give! Might have found? You have no idea who can it be!

Although you felt like your answer could raise questions, nobody took too much time pondering over it. It was very natural to have suspicions already. You all were seventeen — James presumed his soulmate was Lily; Marlene suspected hers was Sirius.

They understood what you meant with “might”.

“Okay, now, why do you hate—”

“Hey! One question at a time!” you shouted, interrupting Sirius question.

Sirius sighed, but he knew you were right.

“I’ll go,” said Lily. “I take the dare.”

Sirius rolled his eyes. “It’s like you ask for it, Evans.”

“What?” she was genuinely confused.

“Kiss James,” sighed Sirius, not even excited to see his best friend get a kiss.

“But...”

“You heard me, Evans.” Sirius was rushing everyone to doing their dares or truths so he could get back to you; he had no idea how long he had left with the potion.

Lily quickly kissed James, hurrying to get over with it as well. Marlene screamed, and even Remus whistled.

Everybody did something in the order of the place they were sitting, and there was only one person left before it was you again.

“Remus, what do you pick?” asked Peter.

“Truth,” said Remus without second thoughts.

“Is it true your friends are Animagus?” you asked. You didn’t know if it was your time to ask questions, but since you hadn’t gone yet, you used the opportunity.

All of the marauders exchanged looks and held in laughs. They knew Remus would lie for them. Sirius just wondered how you came to that question.

“Yes,” replied Remus. His gaping jaw and wide eyes proved that he didn’t mean to say that. Surprisingly, he wasn’t the first to understand what was happening.

Sirius was too occupied being angry at Remus, and Peter was still shocked he spilt the beans.

It was James who understood what Remus speaking the truth to the enemy meant. It meant that, somehow, the Veritaserum did not only affect you but also your soulmate.

And just it happens that your soulmate was Remus J. Lupin.

How was James the sane one f he had just gotten a kiss from the woman he loved? No idea, but it was what happened.

Sirius sighed, noticing there was no point in arguing with Remus because he seemed oblivious to what he had just done and what it meant. So Sirius decided to ask y/N once again since it was her turn.

“Truth or dare, honey? Guess you’re going with truth, right?” Sirius didn‘t even give you enough time, and he was going to ask something to mess with you, but James interrupted.

“Okay, this is over,” he said.

“Prongs, what?” Sirius couldn’t believe his friends that night.

“It’s over, I don’t wanna play anymore,” said James, getting up.

“James, don’t be upset with Remus for saying we’re Animagus. I won’t use this information to anything. I’m not that mean, you know,” you said. James knew you were speaking the truth — after all, you couldn’t lie — but he had to stay pissed.

“Whatever, this game’s boring anyway,” James said before walking away. Sirius walked behind, angry that his best friend ruined what could’ve been the best prank ever and Peter followed.

It was only you, Lily and Remus, with Marlene who was sitting in the couch’s arm.

“That was weird,” said Lily.

“It was better this way, believe me,” said Remus, who laid eyes on you.

You bit your lip, concerned with the attention.

It was not a complaint: Remus’ attention was always welcome.

Some things were making sense as the two of you faced each other.

First, your hatred wasn’t with Remus. He didn’t throw eggs at Slytherin Quidditch team fans, he didn’t cast spells by changing the colours of all your friends’ clothes. Of course, he was consistent, but he always stayed in the background, without laughing, staring at his feet as if he wanted to disappear.

Second, you and Remus seemed to be together almost always if you look closely. Every end of parties, there you were sitting in a corner, watching your drunk friends and thinking you’d have to take care of them. Not to mention the school assignments, in which it seemed that every Professor already knew the obvious: you two work well together.

Third, something in your mind kept repeating that it was the smell of him that your Amortentia overflowed two weeks ago.

And he seemed to be concluding the same things because he was gazing at you with the same obsession that you were looking at him.

“Are you two okay?” Marlene asked suddenly, bringing you back to reality.

“Marlene!” Lily reprehended her best friend, nudging her off of the couch’s arm.

“I gotta go,” you said, getting up in a quick move and walking away as fast as you could without losing class.

Lily stared at Remus, angry.

“What did you do?”

***

James awaited Remus in their dorm. He was worried about his friend, and if that was some kind of intervention James had no idea, but it needed to be done.

The party had died downstairs — the only remains were couples.

Sirius was walking around the room, confused. James had told him what he knew, but Sirius just couldn’t believe it. Remus and a filth Slytherin? What was Remus’ future with that girl? She sure would hate him for being a werewolf.

“Gezz, were you waiting for me?” Remus asked, walking in.

Peter was still downstairs — that was what took Remus so long to go back to bed; he was worried about Wormtail.

“Moony, do you know y/N’s your soulmate?”

Somehow, Remus knew it wasn’t worth denying it. He wasn’t sure — hell, he could never be sure — but everything pointed that to be true.

“Can I ask how you guys...”

“You spoke the real truth on the game today. And that was our biggest secret,” James pointed out.

“The Veritaserum was for y/N, but you stole the show, of course,” said Sirius finally sitting down. “How could you fall for her, Remus?”

“I don’t know,” he answered, sitting down in the middle of the boys. “I am not even sure she’s the one. But that day, in Slughorn’s class... We were brewing Amortentia, you know...”

“Dear God,” groaned Sirius.

Remus ignored his friends and continued. “It smelt like the sun, okay. And I have no idea what smell the sun has— don’t ask me— but tonight... When she walked in that golden dress, I knew that, if anything, she was the sun.”

James looked at Remus like he knew what he meant. Sirius sighed, defeated. He wanted his friends to remain single with him, but now they were both hooked. Peter was worth absolutely nothing at this point because he was in love with a short girl from Ravenclaw too, even though the girl already had a soulmate — and Peter was not it.

“She’s the one, huh,” commented Sirius.

“She’s the one,” agreed Remus, glad that his friends weren‘t making a scene about she being a Slytherin.

***

“Remus, can I talk to you for a second?”

When you called Remus after Potions class one week after the Gryffindor party, you totally got Remus by surprise because for one: he was not expecting it; two: he had been ignoring you; three: he thought he was being efficient at ignoring you.

He gulped and followed you to a dark corner of the corridor. He tossed his bag over his shoulder, trying extra hard to copy Sirius relaxed face when he talked to girls but he was failing at it.

There was a reason why he was avoiding you — more than just teenager angst, that week was the full moon. And well, he didn’t want you around to see that.

But you noticed something was off about him.

First, because of the whole soulmate thing, you hadn’t slept in days. Always waking up to a crushing pain and a feeling of loneliness so powerful; you felt that if your soulmate wasn’t dying, you sure were about to.

And then, every morning, entering the Hall to notice that, although all the marauders had a face of someone who hasn’t slept, Remus was the only one with fresh scars.

It took you just one book to know you were dealing with a werewolf.

Remus was not just your soulmate, but also a werewolf. Dear Merlin, you groaned when you found out.

Then, the Amortentia made much more sense. Why the smell of an animal, why the scent of the moon (if there was no way you could know how moon smelled like).

Emily was no help to be honest, because every free time she had, she was spending it with Cindy. And who were you to blame her? If only was that easy to be around Remus...

“I know your secret,” you said.

Remus clenched his jaw. She is going to say she hates me, he thought.

“And I want to help. I know the boys became Animagus for you and I’d like to do the same,” you continued.

Remus tilted his head in confusion. That was not what he was expecting.

“Y/N, I’m sorry...”

“Don’t deny you are a werewolf,” you said, muttering the last word.

“I’m not — I’m just saying I don’t need you putting yourself in danger. I already have the boys,” he looked away from your eyes.

“Bullocks, you’re not gonna have them forever, you’re graduating soon!” you shouted, angry at him for being such a nice cute boy.

“What’s that suppose to mean?”

You rolled your eyes. “Please, Remus.”

“You won‘t be put in danger for me, no way.” He had a firm decision about that one.

“Can learn on my own, you know,” you simply said, walking away from me. It didn’t matter Remus’ opinion; you were warning him, not asking permission.

“Fine!” he finally agreed after speeding to get to you.

***

You weren’t able to help Remus Lupin right away. You weren’t known to be the most patient person, but for that task, somehow you managed the whole month with the holding the leaf of mandrake in your mouth.

“When are you two gonna talk about it?” asked Emily during the feast.

“Tomorrow night there’s a storm coming, so...”

“No, not about the Animagi thing — about the soulmate thing,” explained Emily, but you shrugged.

Both you and Remus knew at this point that you were soulmates, but neither of you wanted to do something about it. You convinced yourself that everything would be magically fixed after you became Animagus, so you were waiting for it.

When the lightning storm finally came, you and the four marauders met at the top of the Astronomy Tower. Your anxiety was taking the best of you, but it wasn’t just because what it would mean with Remus — you were also excited to see what animal would you become.

“Who’s got the potion?” James asked when Sirius walked in — he was the last one.

James proved to be quite friendly during this period that you spent more time with the marauders. Sirius was the one that didn’t dare to even face you.

“I’ve got it,” said Remus, giving you the flask. “Wanted to make sure it was well-prepared.”

“Well, here I go,” you waited for lightning to strike and when it did, you drank the thing. It tasted horrible. “Now what?”

“You close your eyes,” said Sirius, deciding to help. “And wish to turn. There’s really no secret to it.”

You sighed. It was time.

***

Remus watched with attention when you closed your eyes, and he noticed every little detail of your body changing to a four-legged figure.

Orange.

It was the first colour he noticed, and he chuckled because he could not believe that, of all the animals you could turn to be, you became one that had such sunny colour.

An orange fox.

A much cute orange fox.

Everyone was staring at you — if an animal could blush, that was it.

“A fox, of course,” sighed Sirius, pointing at you. “Suits her Slytherin-self.”

James hit Sirius in the head, “she’s a canine, you idiot.”

“So?”

“Wolves are canine too,” pointed out James, and he and Sirius turned from you to look at Remus, who flushed, ducking.

“That’s enough, y/N,” Remus said to you.

The fox made a sound, a mix of a cry and a groan, like a dog complaining.

“It’s the same process you used to turn,” said Sirius, imagining you were lamenting you didn’t know how to get back to normal.

The fox cried again.

“Do you think...”

“She’ll manage,” Remus interrupted James and James immediately understood what his friend wanted.

“Let’s go, Peter,” called James, heading to the stairs. “You too, Sirius.”

It took you a while, but you finally were able to reverse to you human-self.

“That was something,” you said, enjoying to have your voice again. You noticed the boys left you and Remus alone, but you decided it was best not to mention.

Remus stared at you.

“You were a beautiful fox,” he said.

“Thanks,” you weren’t sure if that was the proper reaction. “So..”

“I’ll go first,” Remus sighed. “It is really nice of you to become an Animagus for me,” he continued quickly, stopping you from interrupting, “don’t worry, we both know why you did this.”

You looked away from his eyes — it was almost unbearable. You weren’t sure if the shame was yours or his; perhaps a mix of both.

“I figured you are my soulmate that night at Gryffindor’s party,” Remus continued, speaking softly. You both stepped closer to the border of the Tower, stargazing. “Remember what I said about the sun that day in Potions?”

You facepalmed before chuckling.

“Merlin, I was a walking sun that night,” you said.

Remus smiled. It was the same thing he thought.

“And then, I was scared because... well, I’m a werewolf, I thought you wouldn’t accept me.”

“Remus!” you exclaimed, turning to face him and seeing a sad expression. “I could never! And will never!”

“I know it can be a burden,” he groaned.

“You are not a burden, Remus,” you said, softly touching his shoulder. “In fact, I’m glad my soulmate is you. I couldn’t have asked for a better gentleman.”

He blushed, but thankfully you couldn’t see it because of the bad lighting.

“When you came to me, wanting to be an Animagus, that’s when I knew you knew,” he continued his speech from where he had stopped. “You said those things about how my friends weren’t gonna be always around after graduation and I wondered what you meant... It took me a couple of seconds to see you suggested you could be always there for me because...”

“Because I’m your soulmate. And be prepared, I’ll stick around, even if Sirius doesn’t like it,” you said, with a small smile.

You two giggled and Remus noticed that your hand was still in his shoulder. Your touch was warm, just like the sun. Not a surprise, he thought to himself.

“You know, I should’ve realized sooner. And for that, I’m sorry,” you continued saying, turning your whole body in his direction, not just your face. “The amount of pain you have been feeling; all those nights crying... I wish I could have done something before.”

“You can do it now.”

His eyes sparkled just for a second, illuminated by the stars. You waited, silently for his request — because, all this month closer to Remus made you realize he was the type of boy who would ask.

“Can I kiss you?”

Your head was shaking positively, but even Remus didn’t take long analyzing it. He grabbed your waist softly as if he was scared that you would melt with his touch — and you felt like you did.

His lips encountered yours like an explosion of fireworks — sure as hell should have been fireworks, so long it took for this to happen. It was you who took the initiative to deepen the kiss.

You hand went from his shoulders to his hair, but he, gentleman as always, kept his hands in your waist. Sometimes, when you bit his lip, he would pull you even closer, and his hands would wander just a little bit further. Learning that response of his instincts, you provoked him a dozen times before he finally understood you wanted the kiss to really deepen.

He leaned in a wall, finally grabbing your ass with one hand and pulling your hair with another. Good Lord, he definitely knew what he was doing. His hands never stopped in just one spot — he wandered your whole body.

You were sure there would be found marks all over your neck and shoulders in the morning, but you sure weren’t caring. In fact, you made sure some marks would be found in him as well.

“We really should go,” he whispered, his phrase taking its moment to finish, so much out of breath was he.

You smirked in the dark.

“When I said you were too much of a gentleman, I really hoped not in this case,” you said.

He kissed you just one last time that night.

“I’m a romantic, darling,” Remus said, smirking.

You rolled your eyes, pulling your clothes back in place while he did the same.

Before stepping in the stairs, he grabbed you one last time to whisper something in your ear — his voice sending chills all over your body.

“I will finish this, I promise, but I rather do it with the sunlight kissing every single part of your beautiful body so I can remember it forever, y/N,” he whispered and then he stepped away as if he hadn’t just said the sexiest thing a man had ever said to you.

“Remus John Lupin!” you cried out, rushing down the steps to get to him.

There was no way to be sure, but something told you that all the joy you were feeling wasn’t just yours — it was Remus’ too. And knowing that he was finally happy, happy as ever before, was all you ever needed.

You were fine being his sun, as long as he was your moon.

You two would manage. You would find a way to keep that man smiling and laughing, even if it meant full moon nights and dinners with Sirius.

Because you loved him. And that was enough.

#remus lupin #remus lupin x reader #remus lupin x slytherin reader #soulmate au #remus lupin soulmate au #remus lupin x y/n #remus lupin x you #remus x reader #remus x slytherin reader #marauders edit #harry potter

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rogershoe · 3 years

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Lights, Camera, Action

Part seven

(Part six)

Summary: You’re a production assistant on the set of Cursed. The night before your first day at work, you opened your laptop to shockingly realise you’d be working with Daniel Sharman (and a plethora of other amazing actors), someone you’d been watching on screen since you were a teenager. You kept your expectations low, the PAs rarely got to interact with the talent…what was your chance?

Word count: 3.1k

Tag list: @sxperncturalimpala67 @mrsaaronkeener @tinygardensoul @disasterday @5am-cigarette @lancelotapricot @demoiselle-en-detresse00 @slytherlight @18somethingpsyche @ceruleanmusings @glxctt @cavillxhenry @lovelyapplessss @hereagainsstuff @linkpk88 @aliceperdida @weeping-redemption @magicalsaladnacho @ineedyourskulls @fandomarstrash @cheythefangirl @pure-ghost @estrielle @tessxblxckthorn @isaac-lahey-is-bae @bubblyanis @proudhufflepuff77 @dollfacev8 @everlastingdreams @thehatredofshiprrick

Warnings: age gap between reader and Daniel, swearing, slow burn, mentions of sex

Notes: So sorry if this chapter is also a bit all over the place! I’ve been very distracted with school and it’s been a bit harder to find the time to write. All that said, here’s chapter seven and I hope you guys enjoy it!! Sorry again in advance for the lack of Daniel content, but I promisee that the next will have a lot more to make up for it. Thanks for reading!

(picture by @archivesharman)

“We’re good then?” he said, tucking a strand of hair behind his ear.

“Ofcourse….yeah….we were always good” you mumbled.

He smiled at you before turning around and walking away.

What had just happened? You didn’t know if this day was the best you had ever had or the worst.

It was probably both.

As you pulled off your headset, your heartbeat thudded in your ears. Too many thoughts rushed through your mind, some good some bad. Why was he apologising to you? Did he really think he was at fault? And had he actually heard the part where Cassandra mentions you getting nervous around him? Had he noticed your uneasy behaviour? Or was he going to start noticing?

You thought you’d hid it oh so well…that no one could tell you had a weird crush on Daniel. Was it even a crush? Or was it feelings? You barely knew him, you’d have to get over it sooner or later…or atleast you hoped you would.

One part of you wished you could be like Siara. She didn’t give a shit if they were actors. She saw them as regular human beings and nothing more. She didn’t get nervous or starstruck. From what you’d seen, those were the type of people actors felt comfortable around to like and be friends with. Not anxious fangirls like you.

You shook your head, shivering. Why did it have to be so cold?

6:06 pm

You walked into your apartment, which was not much warmer than the outside. You took off your sweater and put on a thicker one, also grabbing a warm blanket and settling on your couch. The second you turned on your tv, you saw that Netflix was recommending Medici to you. You had seen from Daniels instagram that he was starring in the second season. Maybe this was a sign that it was time to watch the first. You clicked play and leaned back into your couch, letting the show whisk you away from your own troubles.

Tuesday, January 15th, 2019

3:32 am

You jerked awake when your phone vibrated on your thigh. You were shocked when you looked down at your watch to see it was half past three. You had only gotten through one episode of Medici before falling asleep from your exhaustion. You contemplated falling asleep again but decided against it, you were starving and hadn’t had anything to eat since 12:30.

You felt oddly refreshed, and felt like going out to get something to eat. You usually weren’t the spontaneous type, especially not at 3 am…but for some reason, your body craved fast food and also the cold night air. You though it out in your head and decided that you could get drive thru and eat it in your car, and by the time you were done, it would be time for work anyways.

You got up and got ready. Freshening up and putting on your “work clothes”. You hadn’t slept for eight hours straight in a while and so didn’t even feel the need to drink your usual cup of morning coffee.

You grabbed your jacket and headed out, your keys jingling as you locked your apartment door.

The night breeze was just as you imagined. The cold crisp air felt oddly refreshing against your face, and you could almost taste the coldness when you inhaled. You had kept your car window down, weirdly craving the chillness.

After a few minutes though, you found yourself shivering and rolled up your car window, licking your lips to warm them. You thought over where to get breakfast (or dinner?), and decided that McDonalds was your best bet. You knew they’d be open and also exactly what to get.

It took you five minutes to get to your local McDonalds. You pulled into the drive thru window and ordered a McChicken, a large fries, a coke, and an Oreo mcflurry. You usually never ate a big breakfast, especially before work, but you were starving and felt like you could eat their whole menu. Actually, you were holding back.

You got the food, breathing deeply when the hot smell of salty fries wafted towards your nose. There was a 7/11 a few shops down so you went and parked in front of it. From you seat, you could clearly see the door of the 7/11, and also the inside through the windows. It was one of the few places open at this time and you loved people watching. Especially people at a store at 4 am in the morning.

You pulled out your food and took a bite, your jaw aching with pleasure. When you took a sip of the coke, you could feel the cool liquid travel down your throat and through your chest. You looked up and saw that there was a cashier inside the 7/11, a teenage boy. He was sitting on a chair, his eyes droopy.

You tore your eyes from him when you heard a car pull into a parking spot a few spaces away from you. Your eyes widened in confusion when you saw Bradley step out. You knew your next actions were stupid and immature but you still went ahead.

You quickly (but carefully) put your food down on the seat next to you, and with unnatural swiftness, pushed/jumped yourself onto the back seat, lying flat on your back so he wouldn’t see you. You hoped he hadn’t seen the car move, but you don’t think he did since a second later you saw him walk into the 7/11, unbothered. You took a deep breath looking at your watch, it was 4:12 am. Huey had texted you saying that the crew and actors both would have an early start today. You would have to be at the studio by 5:00, which was 10 minutes from the store.

The position you were in wasn’t uncomfortable, but it was definitely getting slightly hard to breath. What the fuck were you doing? You should just get up and continue eating, he probably wouldn’t see you anyways.

Before you could, you saw him coming out and froze, holding your breath. You saw him look into your car but not at you, just at the empty front seats. There was a small box in his hand but you couldn’t tell what it was. You waited for his car to pull out but after waiting for almost thirty seconds, you got increasingly confused. Suddenly the car started shaking rhythmically and your eyes widened when you realised what he was doing.

He was busy now so you quickly got up and climbed into the front seat.

Seriously? He was really having sex in a car an hour before work? It was odd but you weren’t one to judge. You actually envied his spontaneity.

You started your car and drove away.

4:50 am

You opened the door of your car and got out, locking it behind you. You felt sick from all the food you ate, especially since it was right after you woke up. After you had driven away from the 7/11, you had decided to just eat in the studio’s parking lot and wait until it was time for work. Now.

You walked towards the building, rubbing your hands up and down your arms, your keys jingling in between your fingers. It was freezing this early in the morning.

When you walked into the studio, you were surprised to see all of the PAs except Bradley and Jay standing in a group together, talking to Huey. You walked over and greeted them, standing next to Siara. Huey was looking through the papers and you took the opportunity to ask her what exactly was happening.

“What’re you guys talking about?” you whispered.

She turned to you, also speaking quietly, “Something about how we might have to travel somewhere”

“Us?” you said surprised.

She nodded. You swallowed, trying to lessen your excitement. They would probably want the more experienced PAs anyways.

Huey cleared his throat and you turned to look at him.

“Alright. Please listen carefully since I’m not going to repeat this”

Everyone nodded and he continued, “To make a long story short, we’re going to be moving filming to England in two weeks and we want all of you to come with us. It’s fine if you’re unable to, but it would be extremely convenient for the production if our crew were mostly the same”

He paused and you took a glance at Siara. Her expression was blank. You sighed looking away and at Huey, who was now speaking again.

“All expenses, plane tickets and accommodation are payed for. Along with lunch, breakfast is also included. We’ll be in England for nine months with a two week break every three months”

Distraught spread through you as you realised you would have to be in England for nine fucking months…only if you accepted.

You nodded as Huey handed a folder to each of you, “This has all of the information you’ll need…if you decide to come, sign this and give it to me before the end of this week”. He walked away, leaving you all to discuss what you were to do.

Louis spoke up first, smiling widely, “Please tell me you guys are coming, you have to come”, he sounded like an excited child.

You beamed, “I really want to…but, it’s more than half a year”, you saw a sad expression spread over his face.

“I’m going…I’ve always wanted to visit Europe” you heard Siara say.

“Come on Y/N” Louis said looking at you.

“I’ll decide when I go home and let you both know” you said smiling. You wanted to go so bad, but the thought of nine months away from home terrified you. Even if you could visit.

10:48 pm

You had just gotten out of the shower and settled into your bed after drying off. Your work day had been exciting of course, but definitely not as eventful as yesterday. You hadn’t interacted with Daniel except your usual “hey”. You had talked to Jasmine about the change in shooting and she had told you that her and Cassandra were definitely going. Although you hated Cassandra, Jasmine was one of your closest friends on set and that made the decision much easier.

You pulled out your phone and opened your’s and Louis’ chat.

Y/N Hey, good news! I’ve decided I’m gonna come. I’m gonna miss Talia, but this is a once in a lifetime opportunity and I don’t wanna miss out at all!! I'm so excited [10:29 pm]

Louis What?? That’s great! I honest don’t know what I would’ve done without you [10:32 pm]

Y/N Hahaha We’ll def talk more about it at work tomorrow, I think I should really sleep now lmao [10:33 pm]

Louis Of course of course. Same here...gn! [10:33 pm]

Y/N Gn :) [10:34 pm]

You smiled to yourself before texting Siara as well. She usually took longer to reply so you decided not to wait and turned your phone off.

You were equally nervous, scared, and excited for the trip. You’d get to travel? To another continent? Over a whole ocean? For nine fucking months? And almost for free? You honestly couldn’t believe it. The nine months still scared you but you tried to focus on other things instead. Like the beautiful sights you’d get to see in your time off…and also the places you’d get to shoot scenes. Daniel obviously as well. You wondered for a while if he was happy to go to England too. It was his childhood home.

Friday, January 25th, 2019

5:05 pm

You licked your lips to warm them as you entered Daniel’s trailer and took a deep breath as the warmth inside enveloped you.

It had been two weeks of helping Cassandra and Jasmine and you had finally gotten the hang of it. So far, your first day had still definitely been the most eventful, with you cutting your finger and then Cassandra getting angry at you. The rest of the days had been much better in some ways. You were still very giddy around Daniel, but you had learned how to hide it.

It was also much easier since you were more confident in what you were doing. You had actual jobs, like removing his make up and getting his skin ready…things which Jasmine used to do before you. Now that you did it, it gave Cassandra and Jasmine both more time to focus on his actual make up and hair. Cassandra wasn’t much better. She hadn’t blown up on you again like she had that day, but there was a significant increase in scowls, eyebrow raises, and dissaproving looks in general. If looks could kill, you’d be dead ten times over.

“Hi Y/N” Jasmine said, as you closed the door behind you. You looked around and saw that Cassandra was absent. Thank God.

“Hey” you replied, grinning. You glanced towards Daniel, who offered you a short smile.

You got to work, pulling out a make up wipe and rubbing down his face gently. You had learned that leaving the tears for last was best. That way you could use a separate, stronger wipe on them too.

Although you had done this about ten times now, it always made your flutter to be so near him. It was also odd how accustomed you had gotten with his skin. You noticed whenever he had a new scratch, or a pimple, a tan…any small changes.

For some reason, it made you feel special to be this close to him. It almost didn’t make sense to your brain, how close you were to him everyday, yet how little you actually interacted with and knew about him.

Today you were too busy looking at his eyelashes and didn’t realise you had run your wipe directly over a small cut on his jaw. He hissed slightly, opening his eyes. Jasmine cocked her head towards you both from where she was looking through a make up drawer.

Your mouth hung open in shock as you snatched your hand away from his face. Your eyes fell to where his cut was, and you swallowed. Why did you have to be so distracted and clumsy?

“Oh no, I’m so sorry” you said nervously and rushed over to the sink, wetting the corner of a small towel.

You jogged back over to his chair, being extra gentle as you dabbed the damp corner on the cut, trying to wipe the make up wipe’s liquid away. You then dried it with the dry part of the towel.

“It’s fine really Y/N” he said laughing slightly, “It happened during filming”

Your skipped a beat when you heard him say your name. It was still surreal to you that Daniel Sharman knew you….let alone you name. You smiled slightly before setting the towel down on the counter.

“Is it still stinging?” you said gesturing to his jaw, your hands shaking.

“Oh no, not at all” he said shaking his head. You felt that he wasn’t telling the truth but you let it go. Grabbing the make up wipe, you continued wiping his make up off. It was a much smoother process, and you took the time to ease your racing heart rate.

The flight was tomorrow and you couldn’t help but feel excited every time you thought about it. Louis had informed you that Jay and Bradley had opted out of coming on the trip. You were sad about Jay’s decision, but not so much Bradley’s.

You were happy but also terrified that your work was taking you out of comfort zone. Jasmine had texted you yesterday saying that she’d pick you up so you could both go to the airport together, which made the whole ordeal a whole less nerve wracking.

You had gotten quite used to this trailer, to the studio…..and you hoped that your routine and jobs (that you had finally gotten somewhat good at), wouldn’t change the minute you got to England.

Saturday, January 26th, 2019

2:58 am

You jerked awake and checked your phone, afraid you’d overslept. Nope, there was still a whole two minutes left until your alarm. The flight was at 7:00 am and you had told Jasmine that you wanted to get there atlaeast two and a half hours before. You rather be early and wait in the airport for an hour than be late and miss the flight.

You had thankfully packed everything the night before and it only took you almost forty minutes to get yourself and your bags ready. Just a few minutes after you were done, you phone rang. It was Jasmine.

“Hey, you’re here?” you said, smiling and wheeling your suitcases closer to your apartment’s door. You phone wedged between your cheek and shoulder.

“Yes!” she said sounding excited. You were eager to go too, but you had only slept four hours and were finding it hard to get to her level of excitement.

“Great..I’ll be right down”

It was a struggle, but you managed to get both your suitcases into the elevator and onto the curb outside your apartment building where Jasmine was waiting. The cold night air hit you like a brick, and you felt energy surge through you.

Jasmine got out of her car quickly, “Oh let me help you with those”

You both loaded your suitcases into the trunk of her car. Y

You rubbed you hands together warming them, as you got into the car, you backpack at your feet. Jasmine started the car, beaming.

“You excited?” she said, driving.

“Very” you laughed, turning the heater up. You were tired, but the adrenaline from your excitement kept you wide awake.

4:56 am

It took you guys almost twenty minutes to get the airport, which wasn’t bad. You were now walking through the airport, your luggage hopefully making it’s way onto your plane. You had made it through security smoothly, and there had been no problems with your boarding pass or passport. If there had, Cassandra would’ve probably killed you both.

“What’s the gate number?” you asked Jasmine, who was holding the boarding passes.

“Uhh” she looked at them, “32B”

You nodded, just a little farther. The smell of coffee and food from the various little cafes made your stomach grumble.

You thought your adrenaline would’ve died down by now but it hadn’t. You tried to keep telling yourself that it was because you were travelling to Europe…but inside, you knew the real reason you were so excited.

#daniel sharman #daniel sharman fanfiction #daniel sharman fanfic #daniel sharman fic #isaac lahey #daniel sharman x reader #daniel sharman x oc #daniel sharman x original character #daniel sharman one shot #daniel sharman headcanon #daniel sharman fluff #daniel sharman imagine #cursed #cursed fanfiction #cursed fic #cursed netflix #netflix #cursed x reader #daniel sharman writing

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suffering-and-happy-about-it · 4 years

Text

Dreams that keep you up in the still of the night (Favored Ones, Part 25.)

Series description: Many things were surely fucked up in the year 2038, but no-one ever told anyone how all of it went down. What happened before a group of people left for Seattle to handle personal matters? Why did one girl refuse to leave all of it be? And why there were so many dead in the end?

Quote for the chapter: “All the promises at sundown... I meant them like the rest.” - Pearl Jam

Part summary: For a moment there, it almost seemed that everything is going to be alright again. But as you had the time to think about what you were doing, how many people had you srewed and how many lives you’ve destroyed, you finally understood that your mind won’t be put the rest until you finish what you came to do in Seattle.

A/N: Well, we are here. It almost feels like a dream when I realize we’re almost at the end of the Seattle timeline and I have to say... I enjoyed telling you this story so, so, so much!

Warnings: Gore, blood, murder, infected, guns, shooting, angst, graphic depiction of manslaughter, animal abuse and death, mentions of rough smut.

Word count: 6.7 K

Tagging: @nemodoren @xxgoldenhour @missdictatorme @davnwillcome @pickleriiick @jodiereedus22 @gladiosamicitias @tamkashi @eternallyvenus @avengerssstuff @fangirl-inthe-us @avery-miller @mikah-writes @mad-hatter-98 @sadiaafrin99 @flavorishy

Series master list: H E R E

Joel Miller’s playlist for the bonfire occasions: H E R E

Youtube playlists: JACKSON DAYS | SEATTLE DAYS

Seattle, day two - evening / Seattle, day three - shortly after midnight:

It was the gut feeling you got when you held Ellie which unsettled you, so you let one of your palms travel down to the handle of your knife while your best friend still cried on your shoulder. The touch was almost unnoticeable at the first moment, but when you heard an inhale right behind your back, you turned around aggressively as you took the knife out, going straight for that person's neck. They were strong and quick to react, catching your wrist so tightly it hurt. Just after that, you let your eyes wander on the stranger's body.

You didn't even have to see his face to know it's him who's kneeling in front of you. His smell gave him away at the exact moment when you inhaled it. Slowly, you smiled at the man and looked deep into his dark eyes. He was looking like fucking hell, but didn't you all look like that? He was muddy, bloody, wet, he had a bruise on his cheek and a violet hematoma slowly forming under his right eye. Joel was looking rough. Weirdly rough.

All of you went through hell that day - whether it was a physical hell, just like when you were escaping a whole building of Scars on your own, or when Ellie smashed Nora's body with an iron pipe. It was expected of you to cry, but all you did was that you hugged the man, your palm gently tugging on his hair as you pulled him even closer than before. Slowly, you closed your eyes, thanking every god out there for getting you your man back into your arms, David Bowie especially. - "Oh my Lord." - You hummed into his ear, sighing.

"How did you got out of the building... I... I thought you've died there, Joel." - A whisper left you as the man palmed your jaws with a grateful smile back. - "I will tell you later, 'kay? You both doin' good, are you 'kay?" - Joel stood up from you and went to hug Ellie as well, checking on her as well. Ellie was so surprised she immediately stopped crying. Somehow, the man's presence calmed her down enough for you to set on your journey back to the theatre. The rain seemed to get worse and worse during the duration of your journey. - "Did you reach the hospital?" - Joel asked when you entered the area which was already familiar to you.

"Yea, Nora isn't too happy with how the things turned out." - This answer told Joel everything he needed to know. It didn't matter which one of us have done it - it was clear that the girl isn't walking the world of the living by the time you were speaking. Which was most likely to be the expected result of the operation you were undergoing in Seattle. And honestly, Joel was somehow sure that Nora isn't the last one to die.

To everyone's surprise, Dina wasn't the one to open up the door - it was Jesse. Your black-haired Jesse. The Jackson Jesse. That one Jesse who immediately got a big, familiar hug when you saw him. At the first moment, you almost brought him down to the ground before you realized he's hurt. Something happened to him during his way to you. - "Are you out of your fucking mind? What the hell are you doing here?" - You asked, still hugging him with your eyes closed. It almost all looked like a wicked family gathering of some sort and it didn't even feel right by any means.

"Nice to see you too, geez. You're all looking awful." - Jesse took one good look at Joel, who had his whole face bruised and you were worried about what you'll find under his clothes. Ellie was looking significantly better once she hugged Dina and kissed her temple, but it still could be felt that something isn't quite adding up.

"As always, you're late to the fucking party." - Ellie mumbled on your was to the radio room where you could sit for a while, talking about what went down that day. Jesse still kept his hand over your shoulder in a friendly manner, leaning into you as you led him up the stairs carefully. - "You've missed a lot of fun here."

"Hey, I've been keeping these guys busy up in Hillcrest, you're welcome." - Jesse put his hands above his head when you sat him down on the chair, walking back to lean your head into Joel's shoulder. The man simply put his nose to your hair, taking in your scent with his eyes closed before he planted a careful kiss on your forehead. - "Y'all better start talking, because I've never seen any of you so done." - Jesse grinned and leaned his elbows to his knees, looking mainly at you and Joel. Each of you gave the others their side of the story - Ellie described how she found Jesse and then joined you in the sewers, you talked about losing Joel on the unfinished bridge, Jesse talked about his last two days in the Hillcrest neighborhood and Joel... He didn't say much other than he almost died here and there.

As soon as you gave Dina a report of what happened, everyone started to do their stuff - Jesse and Dina stayed in the radio room while you decided to take the cold shower in a tiny bathroom Ellie and Dina earlier found back in the changing room. Joel was there just a few minutes before you and told you that he hadn't felt as good in a long time.

And after two days of piling blood, dirt, and bruises on your body, even the coldest shower was feeling fucking good. It also was a good tool to wash all the thoughts and bad states of mind you had off of you. There was a small bottle of some gel and shampoo one of your fellow survivors found in the city and brought along, so you could clean yourself at least a bit - or give yourself the feeling of being clean. And because it was time to sleep already, you told your goodnight to everyone before you joined Joel back in your improvised bedroom in the entrance hall.

He was laying down with his elbow over his eyes, resting until you came in. The man knew you, so he knew that you'll ask him about the whole sky bridge incident. - "Hey there, deadman. How are we feeling?" - You asked quietly and put your clothes on the heating of the small room to dry them up before fucking them up again the other day.

"Like a deadman, kiddo." - Joel mumbled back, feeling as your thighs slowly circled his lap as you sat down, running your fingers along his chest for a while before carefully sliding under his t-shirt. It was an obvious sign of care and attention, but you were also looking for another wound or hematoma under his clothes. Although Joel knew what you were doing, he let you do your business. - "I'm just glad I've found you both alive at the tunnel. I was just on my way to the hospital when I saw you in that small loophole beside the main road."

"You wouldn't find much in the hospital, trust me, we took good care of it." - A whisper came out of you as you checked on his upper chest, taking your time with every small move. - "What happened up there? I was running with you and all of a sudden, you left me there." - With that, you climbed down, leaning your back to the wall as you finished the check-up. Joel now put his palms on his chest, looking into the ceiling.

"These Scars ain't that dumb, you see? They knew we'd split up and they realized that I'd be tryin' to save you no matter what. So some went after you and some tried comin' for me. For a moment, I thought I won't get outta there. But they have pretty bad aim." - The man chuckled, turning his head at you. - "And there was another bridge, so I tried walkin' that one because I knew you'll be gone from the other building. I've run into a huge guy on my way, that's this." - Joel pointed the tip of his finger on the small, almost black circle under his eye. - "And ever since then, I was makin' my way to you. No matter what was happenin', I didn't want to stop." - Joel explained and put his palm around your ankle, gently smoothing it with his finger.

"Stop being so cavalierish so much." - A whisper sounded trough the room again as you stretched your leg out again, having his fingers now massaging your thigh. Joel wasn't sure if that was an invitation, but it was all answered when you picked yourself up on your knees and gripped his t-shirt, making him pull up as well. The kiss which you gave him was devastating and brutal in many points of view - but it was the first proper kiss he got since you got to Seattle, so he didn't even think about saying something back.

It was because of Abby and her friends. They were on the back of your head all the fucking time. And now, you were close to finding her. The aquarium. The Seattle aquarium was the place where she was hiding. Each of you was so close to the thing you've come to accomplish in the city. The excitement, the nervosity, and rage made you want only one thing from your man - to fuck it out of you. You didn't care how he's going to do it - if he fucks you on all like a whore, tugging your hair. You didn't care a shitty bit about him slamming you into the floor, choking you with his palm. If Joel would like you to ride him like a horse, you would.

You just wanted all of there things to go away fast and simply - sex was the only thing you saw as the solution. Maybe it would at least make Joel fall asleep while you'd sneak to set on your way again so you'd be sure he'll be safe. Abruptly, you started to undress, tugging on your shirt so violently that you heard at least one of the buttons fly away violently while you felt his palms already palming both your breasts, playing with both your nipples, playfully tugging on them and pulling them out. It looked as if you were on the same page already, which honestly made you go for the kiss even more hastily than before.

When Joel made you lay down onto the space bags, it almost knocked your breath out as you closed your eyes for a second, furrowing at the uneasy feeling in your chest. - "You 'kay?" - The man asked immediately, worried that he had hurt you. - "Just fuck me like a whore, Joel, do it, come on. Please." - And that was all he needed to hear from you. You got exactly what you begged for - no foreplay, harsh, almost bruising touches, hand on your throat, and his pelvis almost crushing yours with the strength of each move he made. There were moments when Joel had to cover your mouth because you forgot how loud could you be at times.

It didn't take too long until he finished, having you aching as he slipped out, putting his sweaty forehead on your chest to listen to your fastened heartbeat. You haven't hit the jackpot, which wasn't even your main intention, so you weren't even disappointed. There was a silence as both of you caught your breath while your fingers brushed his shoulders, dipping into his hair gently as you pulled him even closer. - "I was afraid I won't ever see you again." - You said honestly, so Joel could feel the fear in your voice. In an answer, he snickered, kissing the small spot between your breasts.

"I'm pretty tired, baby girl. Would you, eh..." - The man asked reluctantly, so you nudged his shoulder to make him continue. - "Would you sing me somethin'?" - He breathed out to the skin of your thigh when you pulled your shirt back on, covering him in his sleep bag, letting him snuggle back to you. - "Don't you also wanna make me go for the guitar down there? Do I look like a jukebox to you?" - You hummed back, seemingly denying his request.

It almost looked as if you weren't about to sing for him when you just played with the strands of his hair, putting them from place to place, but suddenly...

"Talking away, and I don't know what I'm to say, but I'll say it anyway," - You started quietly, just humming when there were no words to sing. Joel didn't like it when people didn't sing the right lyrics of the song, but for you, he was willing to make a compromise. Especially when you were singing this song. - "I'll be coming for your love, okay? Take on me, take me on. I'll be gone, in a day or two..." - You sighed and closed your eyes. Your mouth continued with singing the words, but your brain was concentrated on something different. The Seattle aquarium. Abby was in the Seattle aquarium at the very moment you were laying there with Joel against your chest.

You should be empty after your man singlehandedly fucking the living soul out of you - but instead of that, as his breath started to deepen, you were thinking about her. This was a chance you weren't sure that will happen twice in a lifetime. It was just two to three hours from the place of your stay on foot. If you'd catch at least an hour of sleep, you could surprise Abby in the night, maybe hitting her unprepared and vulnerable.

It was pure torture, knowing how close she was now. The more you thought of that, the closer she was. The closer were your hands around her neck, the redemption you came for. During your thinking of Abby, you've managed to fall asleep. And for the first time, you were having a dream that didn't look like a fucking nightmare from the very first moment of its begging. For which, you were very grateful.

Could you be in a place you haven't ever seen? It seemed so because there was the aquarium around you in all its glory. There were fish swimming in the tanks, beautiful underwater plants as far as you could see and the sunlight was shining through the place. Could there even be a place as vibrant as this was? It was serene, almost heavenly unreal.

And Abby was sitting there on a bench, looking into the tanks with a thoughtful look. It seemed that this dream won't even be violent - until the woman got on her feet. It was hard to make out what was she saying. Your brain couldnt recall what her voice sounded like, but it remembered her intonation and the parts when she deepened it. All you could make out was that she was talking about Nora and her other friends. The ones that died by your hand. Abby smashed you to one of the tanks, cracking it open. A small trail of water ran on the glass as you turned back and kicked her knee.

Now you knew that you're not strong enough to go one-on-one with her, but you were also smaller and more agile against this huge, tall woman. Which you had to utilize. It could quite literally save your goddamn life. There was this kind of a dance going on between you for a moment - you tugged her braid, she broke your nose again, you kicked her between her legs and she threw you on your back, almost getting ready to finish you for good. That was until she realized you stole her gun and that you were now pointing at her face.

The woman rose her palms above her hand, backing away from you, pleading you to spare her life. But you shot her nonetheless. Once, twice and then for the final, third time. When you were both laying on the ground, but only one of you was alive, you've expected something to hit you. Something. Anything. A feeling, a thought, a wish, something.

But instead of that, as you walked up to Abby to look at her, there was nothing. You weren't feeling a single thing. Sure, it wasn't a real situation you were in. You had to remember that you're only inside your head while seeing all of it. But no matter what you tried to see on Abby's corpse, no matter what you were digging from the very bottom of yourself, it simply wasn't there. Was this the big victory you've been waiting for? This sure as hell wasn't what you hoped for. This was all you've done for finding Abby coming to the final stop. Were you doing this just to feel empty, almost used, disgusted by everything? What was happening?

Surely, this was your mind trying to send you a message of some kind. But it didn't make any sense to you. The message was surrounded by a mystery that wasn't understandable for you - but it was enough to wake you up. Joel was still dead asleep, laying on your chest and breathing deeply in and out. It couldn't be more than two hours since you've fallen asleep, so it was a perfect time to sneak out of the theatre. But just when you tried to find your way of how to wiggle from under Joel, you realized he maybe wasn't as asleep as you thought he was.

"You can't let it go, can you? Is it so hard to leave it all behind?" - The known, raspy voice asked you and his hand smoothed your hip. Quickly, you gulped and closed your eyes painfully. Why did you have to wake him up? That was a mistake. Now, you had to explain yourself. But he was right, you couldn't let it go even if it most likely meant that Abby will kill you in the aquarium.

If that was to mean that this was your last journey before ending up in the depths of the hell, so be it. If you were about to be killed at the aquarium and if that was meant to be your destiny, so be it. You've deserved whatever was waiting for you inside of there. Death, emptiness, sadness, fear, or hatred, you deserved it for what had you done to the other people. And to ensure you'll get all of it, you made an amend. You were about to kill everyone who would stand in your way to Abby. Whether it was infected, the Scars, or WLF, you didn't care. In the end, the woman will be awaiting you, warned about your arrival long before she'll see you.

"You know the answer, do you have to ask?" - You answered and sat up, smoothing your face. - "I can't sleep at night, Joel. And when I do, she is there to haunt me again and again. Ellie can't put an end to this, neither can Tommy and sure as hell you can't end this. I have to be the one. It has to be me or I'll never find peace, Joel." - With a nod, you assured yourself, feeling cold sweat running down your body as you shifted at the uncomfortable emptiness the dream had brought you. - "No matter what, I'm going to the fucking aquarium. I don't care what you tell me. You can join me if you want, but I don't want you to see any of it. One of us will die inside that building," - You turned your head to Joel, looking him dead in his eyes. - "And whether it will be me or her, you'll just have to accept it."

With that, you picked yourself up to put your clothes on as you thought about your stuff when you saw Joel joining in. - "Are you sure," - "Stop fucking asking me if I'm sure. Stop it already. You cant change a single shit with it." - You hit the wall with your palm, turning your head at the man. - "Are you sure you wanna kill her?" - Joel finished the question no matter how irritated did make you.

"Death doesn't solve anythin', girl. You can kill as many people as you want, but you know who will suffer in the end?" - The man huffed into your face, but he wasn't angry with you. No. He was concerned. - "It will be you. Or her. Or me. Or Ellie. Do you think that if you'd kill her, you'd feel better than how you're feelin' now? Y/N, listen, this ain't how this works, you hear me?" - Joel shook his head as he pulled up his trousers. - "I know that mercy and justice don't live side by side, but you spoke about that cycle of yours. But you know what's this 'bout?" - He asked again, having you shake your head.

"You ain't breakin' the cycle by rushin' to the aquarium in the dark of the nite, listen to me. All this is good for it repeatin' the cycle again. And you know what comes after this? Someone else comes back for revenge. And this time, they won't be lookin' after me, no, they'll be comin' after you. What then? Would you wanna go here again, repeating the same mistake until it would get you killed for real?" - His palms took hold on your shoulders. This was making a lot of sense if you had to be honest. Every word Joel had told you was making sense. But the decision was already made. - "I know what I'm talkin' 'bout, baby girl, listen to me. Let's go back to sleep, wait for the mornin', look for Tommy, and leave home already. This ain't bringin' any good." - Joel begged you. He had a family to protect. You were his family just like Ellie was. And with the situation ruling over Seattle, it was time to just go home - he knew that Abby will get herself killed sooner or later. But when you looked down with that empty gaze and turned away, he had to sigh deeply. How many warning signs did you have to see before turning back?

You were almost done with everything, so you stepped into the hall - just to find Jesse and Ellie already there, both dressed up as well. And you were also the first one to speak. - "Where do you think you're going?" - Your finger pointed at both of them. - "This isn't happening. You're staying here."

"We heard you and Joel arguing..." - Jesse started. - "Again." - Ellie finished for him. - "And honestly, Y/N, he's right. I've had enough of this fuckery. I've seen and done enough bad here. My girlfriend is pregnant with this clown," - She snickered and bumped her elbow into Jesse's side. - "And I have to make sure she's safe. And she ain't safe here at the moment. I have a family to protect." - Ellie sighed and looked Joel into his eyes, finally, even if only partially, understanding what did he mean by that statement.

"It was different when we were on our way here. We didn't know about single thing what is waiting for us here and, look, were honestly lucky to be alive at this point." - "I'm not holding any of you in Seattle." - You answered with a snicker. - "Youre free to pack your things and go home. If you'd like to leave with now, please, go. But I have something to finish here."

"No, Y/N, you're not catching my drift. Let's just... Find Tommy, wrap it up and go home, please." - Your best friend stopped you from your march to the door, catching your elbow in her palm. - "This is going to kill you." - She said honestly, now slowly leaning her forehead to yours as she closed her eyes to take a deep breath in. Slowly, you nodded, putting her palms away. - "I know. But... If you want to find Tommy, you have to go after Abby, that's all I'm saying."

You were the first one to leave the building. It was breaking your heart to hear someone crying inside the theatre before you realized it's Dina. The girl was hugging Ellie, begging her to stay there with her, safe and sound. But Ellie was shaking her eyes, telling her that she can't stay. So Dina made Jesse promise that he'll keep her safe no matter what - even if he'd have to die in the process.

Yet, as soon as you set on your way, you realized there's another obstacle in your way - the entire downtown of Seattle was flooded from the rain which was going on for the last two days. This could complicate a lot, well, that was until you've all heard something, hiding out of the sight of the flashlight. It was a motorboat. Which was as smart as it was unreal - you hadn't seen anything working inside Seattle. No lights, no electricity, no working cars. And suddenly, there was a motorboat. Which could be... - "This is our ticket to the aquarium." - You realized out loud, looking at your friends hiding in the dark.

"And whatcha want to do now? We're going to... Just steal it from them?" - Jesse hissed back at you when you were looking down on the boat which was slowly parking just three floors under you.

"Why would I steal it from them? When they're dead, you can't count it as stealing anymore." - You answered more or less immediately, which had Jesse shook at the words you've said. - "You're about to do what?" - Jesse hissed back again, being horrified by the things that just left your lips. The Y/N he knew would never even joke about this topic of killing someone.

"Jesse, Seattle was hard on each of us." - Ellie answered when she heard your bickering, crawling between you to look down on the boat as well. - "What's the plan of the attack?" - "There isn't any plan of attack! What are you two even talking about? What we are about to do is to tiptoe around these guys and walk to the aquarium." - Jesse tried to intervene, but just when he finished the sentence, a bolt of lightning struck one of the super high skyscrapers and rain which could be described as hell was started, which made you raise your eyebrows.

"You were saying, son?" - You asked, licking your eyebrows when Jesse got out of the hiding, walking back to the shadows. - "This wrong in so many levels, Y/N, I don't wanna do that." - "Then sit here in the shadows and let me and Ellie work it out. We'll do just fine without you." - This wasn't the friend Jesse knew and loved. This person in front of him was someone strange he hadn't met yet.

"Seven-eight? It's three-oh-five, you hear me?" - Each of you shut up when a signal from a walkie talkie hit your ears. At that moment, not even the sharpest eye would spot trespassers at the WLF territory. - "Yeah, I hear you, wassup, Mike?" - A woman answered to the walkie talkie, walking around the small harbor.

"Another trespasser in the harbor... Fuck, I'm sick of this place already. He's shooting our people with a rifle like a maniac. You better move with the loading and head back." - The man answered via the transportable device. Each of you heard the woman's sigh as she tried to straighten the fact inside her head. - "Okay, we'll start loading now. What about the operation, you've heard something 'bout that?" - She asked. The operation was most likely referring to the attack the WLF planned on the Scars, most likely in the cultists' territory.

"It went south in my opinion, dude, I haven't heard from Isaac in hours. We're now stepping to the plan B." - Mike answered quickly and you heard the woman stopped because you could no longer hear her footsteps walking around. - "But, according to plan B, we are to leave Seattle." - The woman answered in a firm voice, not understanding what was going on. And according to the confused looks you gave each other, you didn't understand what was happening either.

"Listen to me. Load the damn crates, we have to regroup in the base - or there will be no more WLF. Over and out, kill." - Mike ended the whole call, leaving the woman in the dark again. But soon, she called out to her friends. - "We need to move it, guys! Isaac has gone MIA." - She clapped her hands and other WLFs, which you could see according to their flashbacks turning around the darkened place, still covered in the night shadows.

"It's Tommy." - Ellie assumed in a quick whisper. - "That Mike guy was talking about Tommy. A trespasser shooting them with a rifle? I mean, come on." - She mumbled. That was great - Tommy was alive, which made you sigh with a small grin. But this wasn't just enough to make you turn around, walking to the harbor. This made Jesse look at you without nothing to say - until he found his words again.

"No, stop. This isn't you. Let's just sneak around and find Tommy. Come on." - Jesse muttered out more like a plea, trying to lead you from the building. To his bad luck, your mind was already set on the boat. And now, after two whole days of your unstopping journey in Abby's steps, there was no way in hell that something like stealing a motorboat from a few guys would stop you. When you shook your head again, Jesse knew that this is a battle that will come in vain. - "You know what? Do what you will, I just don't wanna see this massacre. I'm going after Tommy. Someone going with me?" - Jesse walked from the three of you with his hands above his head. Ellie shook her head as well, getting on her knees to accompany Jesse. - "We'll see each other at the theatre, you hear me?" - Your best friend asked quietly, hugging you with force.

With that, Jesse and Ellie left the building again. Soon, both you and Joel started to do what you were so good at. But this time, it all went downhill - the woman with the walkie talkie noticed you as you were just putting a different body down. Joel walked from behind her, putting his elbow around her neck. - "Not a word, you hear me?" - The man mumbled to her ear, while you seemed to be more or less fascinated with the walkie talkie. Slowly, you came to the woman, who had a fearful expression as she watched every move you made. But the only thing you did was that you turned the walkie talkie on, looking the woman dead in her eyes.

"Three-oh-five? Seven-eight here, you copy?" - You asked, furrowing upon listening to the static. But Mike answered no matter what. - "Emma, I told you not to call me again. Just do what you're told, 'kay? It's already hard enough without you trying to discuss this." - Mike answered shortly after, seemingly starting to be already annoyed. To stop Emma from talking, you put your mouth over her mouth, feeling her wiggling under Joel's arms until she heard the revolver's fuse opening. At that, she stopped again.

"Emma isn't there, Mike. Tell Abby that were on our way." - You finished before tugging the walkie talkie out of her vest, throwing it into the water below. With that, Joel made sure she's unconscious by hitting her temple with the handle of the gun. - "You ready to go?" - A question made Joel come back to you from the trance as you were stepping into the boat. You basically made sure that the WLFs will show up in the building, you invited them over if you had to be honest. So the sooner you'd leave, the bigger chance there was that the won't know who showed up there.

Soon, you were on your way. Joel was driving the boat forward with an expressionless face, feeling the ice-cold rain running on both of you. You, in the meantime, were looking around the whole city center, trying to get your blood off your clothes with a furrow. These days, it was quite quick to have blood spilled all over you, destroying the clothes for good.

Since the sea was raging at the moment, Joel decided not to drive the boat there - instead, you stopped in a small bay just a few yards from the harbor when that aquarium was located. It was less than a ten-minute-lasting walk. Yet the closer you found yourself to the aquarium, the heavier your stomach was feeling. That fucking girl was inside the building, just yards from you. Your whole body felt very excited even if your brain knew how twisted the feeling is. Quickly, you shook your head as you and Joel started to find your way inside.

It didn't take you long to find a big hole in the fence which was delimiting the authorized personnel only area. From that moment, you quickly found a way inside. Soon, you were both kneeling in front of a broken window, from which you could perfectly see inside the empty fish tanks. It was there, right in front of you... So... Why couldn't you move forward? What was holding you back? - "You comin'?" - Joel said, already jumping down inside the building. So you jumped after him into the dark unknown.

Walking through the old, mostly destroyed aquarium was feeling weird. The tanks were emptied out completely without any residents - whether you expect fish, sharks, or lobsters, maybe even jellyfish, none of that was there. You even got a chance to walk through an empty exhibit that still had some water inside of it. There were dead corals on the rocks inside of it and the only thing you could do was to imagine what this aquarium was looking like when it was all good before the outbreak.

After a few minutes of mindless walking around the place, you found an airshaft, which was out of order for a long time. You crawled in first, but before doing that step, you grabbed a pipe laying on the ground. Which, again, reminded you of Abby. You had pipe when you bumped to Abby for the first time. And you were thinking of her every second of crawling through the airshaft full of moose and various other plants which usually grew in a humid environment. But before you could make something out of the thoughts, the construction fell under you. You did your best not to scream, but the mess it made was still loud enough. Slowly, you tried to pick yourself up from the ground when you stopped.

It wasn't even stopping - you just froze when you realized that you're hearing violent growling. Slowly, you rose up eyes, watching a German shepherd slowly walking towards you with its teeth stuck out as it growled at you, watching you with its eyes. Its tail was pulled between its legs. Even someone who had never seen an aggressive dog could tell that this animal was about to attack. When it charged against you, all you did was that you pressed your pipe into its chest, trying to keep the animal at least a bit away from your face.

It was strange - the dog was making all kinds of weird, crazy scary sounds, but it wasn't barking. Sure, you had far worse problems at the moment, but this was actually a good sign. Whether Abby or someone else was there, the dog wasn't about to alert them, because just when it spilled their saliva all over your face, Joel pushed a knife into its neck. His palm turned it around to make sure the animal won't attack you anymore. Then, he pulled the knife out and pushed the dead animal's body laying on the ground.

"Jesus..." - Joel kneeled to the animal, watching its twitching eyes and muscles while he slowly ran his palm in its fur. The man in front of you was an animal lover. Sure, he would choose you over any aggressive animal, but it wasn't making him easy killing one. - "I never knew I will sink so damn low to kill pets." - Joel sighed and pulled back on his legs, while you bowed to the corpse as well.

"This isn't a pet, Joel. WLFs are keeping these animals against trespassers and infected. If you wouldn't be here, this dog would definitely kill me. And this one was... Alice." - You mumbled upon reading the dog tag, kneeling down as well to at least close the dog's eyes. Sure, you and Ellie met some dogs before, but you've never killed any of them since you were too afraid to even get close to them. But it was apparent that Alice is more than a killing machine. This dog was domesticated as well as it was used for the hunt.

"You should see this, baby girl." - Joel told you quietly as soon as you walked into the next room. This was a surgeon room with the metal operating table, presumably used for the sigh and other animals before the outbreak. But the blooded pads and compressing bandages just like the alcohol smelling throughout the whole room told you that the room was used recently. There were needles and thin stitched laying around, but when you looked into the freezer, your stomach kicked so bad that you almost puked, immediately walking away from it.

Joel took one good look as well - and even his stomach had kicked upon seeing a human arm laying between the ice. It wasn't naturally toned - the skin, even if it was already starting to rot, was as red as a tomato. - "Do you think that... When there's the arm... They ate the rest of them?" - A mumble left you while you stilled tried not to throw up. Listen, you've murdered enough people to know that you're a bad person. But never ever would you consider eating a human being. No. That was a taboo.

Just when the man was about to answer, you heard two voices coming from a distance. A man and a woman were arguing in a different part of the building, which made you exchange a quick glance before walking to the sources. With a gulp, you walked through the maze - bumping into the room the people slept in, into their improvised kitchen, dressing room, and bathroom. You walked around the place until you heard the voices clearly even if the people were just talking. Slowly, you stopped Joel from going there first.

"Stay there, okay?" - You whispered and spoke out sooner than Joel answered back. - "We need the benefit of surprise. I'll go first and when they'll be suspecting the least, you will follow, yeah?" - Gently, you put your palm on the man's cheek, nodding at him. It was a smart plan, actually. So Joel watched as you turned on your heels and more or less sneaked towards the door. A beam of light was coming through the small gap and you could see two people talking inside a big hall with a whole model of a whale hanging from the ceiling.

It was so close now you could feel it on your fingerprints. You couldn't tell if the woman figure was Abby - you didn't saw her whole body, you could barely remember her voice, you didn't know if the woman was the one you were searching for. One last time, you made sure that you're holding the pipe tight before you pushed the door open, walking into the hall, having both the people looking at you.

And soon, thanks to Joel, two human lives were spared that night. But at the moment, you just watched the two people looking at you cluelessly.

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gwentoryfics · 5 years

Text

Hot for Teacher, Part 6.

Genre | College Student x College Professor Smut AU

Pairing | Reader x Hongseok x Hyunggu (Kino) x Wooseok

Words | 14k

Summary | You never realized how much one drunken night could color the rest of your college experience until you discover that the handsome stranger from your cousin’s wedding is also the new professor at your university.

Warnings | Mentions of abusive familial relationships. Explicit sexual content. Grinding. Penetrative sex. Swearing. And, as always, poor choices.

Parts | 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 5.5 • 6 • More Coming Soon

Note | Added Wooseok to the official Pairing list because, let’s be real. He’s earned it. Thank you all for your never-ending patience! I love each and every one of you, and I’ll never get over how much love and support you all give me.

The morning brings with it a throbbing headache and a brief moment of surprise when you realize you’ve woken up in an apartment that is not your own. You remember quickly, however, that you ran into Kino last night and ended up crashing at his place, so you’re not alarmed.

You’re sweaty under the blanket that’s draped over you, and your shirt- er, the one you borrowed from Kino- sticks to your back. Vague bits of a dream mix with faded memories of last night, and you have to take a moment to sort everything out.

You went to the club with the seniors from jazz band. The boys were so supportive, and their performance was stellar, and… and they fucking signed you up to play. Right.

And then you ran into Professor Yang, who sent you home. Your whole body had throbbed with want for him, as per usual. But instead…

Wooseok.

You went to Wooseok’s place, and he fingered you on the kitchen counter.

What was that all about? How did you end up making out with him of all people? Not that he was a bad choice or anything, maybe just an unexpected one.

Desperately, you try to piece together what you feel about the whole situation. So you start with the things you know to be true about him:

Wooseok is tall and attractive, especially in a jean jacket.

Wooseok is an incredible kisser.

Wooseok knows how to use his fingers.

And then you think of things that you know to be true about you:

You’re feeling turned on again just by thinking about Wooseok.

You’re blessedly distracted by something that isn’t Professor Yang for once.

You don’t know what you feel towards Wooseok emotionally, but you maybe wouldn’t mind if something like last night happened again. Maybe.

You puff out your cheeks and let the air rush out in a deep sigh. Somehow, you had managed to make a messy semester even messier. Literally all you had to do was just get your shit together. Is that really such a difficult thing for you to accomplish?

Thoughts of Wooseok’s lips, tongue, and fingers swirl in your brain, and it’s weirdly relieving. It feels like there may be hope for you after all - your world doesn’t have to revolve around Professor Yang. You can move on. You can see other people and stop feeling so hung up on him.

Maybe the rest of this semester won’t be so bad.

Grabbing your phone off of the coffee table, you check your notifications. Just a message from Nailah - oops, you forgot to let her know you weren’t coming home last night - and an email in your school account. You send off a quick reply to Nailah letting her know that you’re alive and that you’ll make it up to her, and then you check the email.

“_____,

Because you missed our meeting last week, I would like to reschedule. I have set aside time this Thursday afternoon to meet with you. Please let me know if this time does not work for you.

Thank you,

Professor Hongseok Yang”

The email is so formal, it makes you roll your eyes. You get it - your school email is probably monitored and he doesn’t want to at all hint at any kind of comfortability between the two of you, but it doesn’t have to sound like a fucking dissertation.

You know what? Whatever. You’ll meet with him. It’s not a big deal, anyway, because you’re getting over him.

Without the slightest hint of sass or sarcasm or whatever else, you genuinely write back:

“Professor Yang,

Thursday afternoon works great for me. I’ll see you then.

Thank you!

_____”

Sending the message, you feel relieved. You’re turning over a new leaf. All that’s left for you to do is send a quick text to Wooseok letting him know that you won’t be able to tutor him this week, and once that is on its way to him you feel like you’re ready to start the day.

As you sit up on the couch, about to get up and go to the bathroom, you notice a Kino-sized lump on the floor between the couch and the coffee table. Had he slept there all night?

You reach down, lifting the end of the blanket that covers his head. “Psst.”

He inhales deeply and shifts, eyes opening and squinting at the sunlight pouring in from the windows. Passively, you note that he’s actually really cute when he’s so sleepy.

“Good morning, sunshine,” you coo. You ruffle his hair, and he swats your hand away, emitting a noise that sounds like a cross between a chuckle and a groan.

“Five more minutes.”

“No. I’m up so you should be up, too.”

“Oh, is that how this works?” He peeks up at you, one eye still squinted shut.

“Think so. I am the guest of honor here, so you should probably do what I say.”

“Guest of honor, my ass.”

“I’m not the one sleeping on the floor, so I think that puts me a step above you.”

“Please. I’m only down here because of you.”

You laugh. “Why? Were you worried I might have nightmares out here by myself?”

“No, I thought you’d be fine.” He sits up, stretching his arms and back, which are surely stiff from sleeping on the carpet all night. “You’re the one that asked me to stay with you.”

Your cheeks suddenly warm and your eyes widen. “...I did?”

He nods. “Yeah, I was going to head in because I thought you were asleep, but the second I stood up you asked me to stay. So I stayed.”

“Shit, Kino, I was drunk. You didn’t have to do that for me.” You frown. “You’re probably stiff as hell because of it.”

Kino just shrugs. “Well, now you know what I’m willing to do for you.”

“Would you be willing to make me some eggs?”

With a broad smile, Kino stands. “Anything for you, dear.” And then he pushes you back onto the couch, giggling like a maniac as he runs for the kitchen.

“Shithead!”

***

You’re grateful to find Changgu at the reception desk on Monday. You never actually sent the apology text that you drafted, and at this point it’s probably better to just do it in person - no matter how embarrassing it might be.

“Hey, Changgu.” You approach the desk, greeting him quietly. Shyly.

He looks up from the computer, eyebrows lifting in surprise before a smile settles on his lips. “Quite the weekend, huh?”

Oh, he has no idea. “You’re telling me.”

“How can I help you?”

“I wanted to apologize for everything. You guys could have all had a perfectly good time without me. I shouldn’t have lied to you about my age.”

“Yeah, you probably shouldn’t do that too often. But I’m not going to lecture you.”

“Thanks.” You shift your weight awkwardly, not really sure what else to say. “Anyway, I really appreciate you inviting me to the jazz club, and getting me into the jazz band practice. I really enjoyed it. Both of those things.”

“It’s not a problem.” Changgu smiles warmly. What a gentle ray of sunshine he is. Then he grabs a stack of post-it notes and scribbles something down before handing it over. “I’m supposed to give you this.”

“Oh?” You look at the square of paper to find what looks to be a phone number.

“From Yanan. You don’t have to text him if you don’t want to. He can be a little forward sometimes, but he won’t be weird about it if he doesn’t hear from you. He just always has to try, you know?”

“Oh. Okay.” You slip it into your pocket, not exactly sure what you want to do with it. “Um, I should probably get going. Class and all. You know.”

As you turn to head out, he calls your name. “_____?”

“Yeah?” You look back at him.

If you’re not mistaken, Changgu’s cheeks are the most delicate rose color. “Don’t forget that you have my number, too.”

Is he flirting?

You smile reassuringly. If Bad Choices is becoming your middle name, you may as well embrace it. “I won’t forget.”

***

Thursday afternoon, you find yourself in Professor Yang's office, as he requested. You feel surprisingly level-headed, but you do notice just a hint of nervousness in the back of your mind. After all, you’re getting over him - so you’re not quite over him yet. He’s still beautiful and tempting and damn him for wearing such a delicious cologne all the time.

Professor Yang sits across from you, behind his desk, as always. He’s looking through the two incorrectly-graded assignments you brought in, and he takes the time to correct them.

"I apologize. You were right about my miscalculations." He plugs the updated grades into his computer, and they hardly even affect your total grade. "I assure you that I'll take my time with your midterm and all other assignments from here on out."

"Thank you." You take back your labs and stuff them into your backpack. The midterm you took on Tuesday hadn't been terribly difficult and you're anticipating that you'll get a good grade anyway. But at least you know that he's aware of his mistakes so you won't have to confront him about it again (hopefully).

You stand, ready to leave now that your meeting’s purpose is complete, but he beckons you. "I need to speak with you about something else."

You meet his caramel eyes, and he's just as impossible to read as always. Begrudgingly, you fall back into your chair. "What is it?"

Professor Yang's tongue swipes over his lower lip, but in such a way to indicate that he's thinking, considering where to start. Still, it catches your attention, and you probably look at his lips a hair longer than you should. Damn him.

"About what you said this weekend..." He searches your face. "I don't have a girlfriend."

Why the fuck did he have to say that, of all things?!

"Okay," you spit out, trying to act aloof even though you're fucking mortified that he would even bring that up. You're sure that your furiously warming cheeks give you away. "Good for you."

Professor Yang looks dissatisfied. "Can we perhaps have an adult conversation about this?"

"I don't have to have anything with you." You cross your arms over your chest, defaulting to your usual sass mode that always seems to emerge around him.

His eyes narrow and he scoffs. "See, this is exactly why I said you needed to leave Saturday night. Do you at all notice the childish fit that you're throwing right now?"

With a roll of your eyes (yes, you realize that's still childish), you uncross your arms and take a deep breath. "Fine. Let's talk. What do you want?"

"I want to know what's going on with you. Why did you tell me to say hi to my girlfriend?"

The thing is, you know that he knows exactly why you said it. He just wants you to admit it out loud. "I was heated." That's as much as you'll give him.

"Is that why you left our last appointment? Because you were heated?" Professor Yang recalls the way you stormed off after seeing that woman in his office last week.

"You seemed busy."

"I wasn't. She was leaving."

"Whatever. I didn't feel like talking."

"Did you think she was my girlfriend?"

"I don't care who she is."

"She's my sister."

Somehow, that genuinely catches you off guard. You shift in your seat, curious. "You have a sister?"

Professor Yang nods calmly. "Two. Both younger than me. The sister that you saw was in town for a conference, and she just stopped in to visit. I don't get to see her very often."

Shit. Well that certainly explains why she was so gorgeous, since they share the same gene pool. You try to remain neutral about it all. "I'm glad you got to see her, then."

"The way you've reacted to her is very concerning." His brow furrows. "I knew this would be an issue if we tried to do a class together."

"This has nothing to do with you and me, okay? This..." you gesture between him and yourself, "...is nothing. You can date whoever you want. I literally don't care."

"You want me to believe that after the way you acted?"

"You think I'm jealous or something?" You scoff, laughing, but it's awkward and forced. He notices, and gives you the look of oh-please. Defensively you say, "I'm not jealous!"

Pause. A lull in conversation. You’re both aware that you’re lying, and it’s obvious that you will never admit to it, no matter what he says. You hold each others' gaze, and you wonder which of you will be the first to look away. And then he speaks.

"I wanted to tell you something else. Something honest. But I need you to not read into it, okay? Just take it at face value. Promise me you can do that."

Faintly, you notice the way your heart skips. "Okay. I promise."

"You obviously shouldn't have been at the club over the weekend, but I just thought you should know that you're a really talented pianist. I was very impressed to hear you play like that."

It hadn't even occurred to you that he was in the audience while you were playing. But now that he's acknowledging it, you feel retroactively nervous about your performance. "Thank you... I appreciate that."

He nods once and then turns to his computer, closing out of the grading screen and generally avoiding your gaze.

"I want to say something honestly, too." You get up the nerve to speak, but you have to hold your hands together to keep them from trembling. How could he affect you so much?

His gaze is so intense, full of warning. "Please be careful with whatever it is you want to say."

He doesn't trust you. You can't blame him. You don't really trust him either. You're both tiptoeing around very dangerous territory even allowing yourselves to be in the same room. But this time you want to share with him something genuine, something that has absolutely nothing to do with whatever may have transpired between the two of you in the past.

"I'm truly enjoying your class. And it's not because you're the one teaching it, I swear. The material is really interesting to me and I'm really looking forward to building my dulcimer."

He smiles, and it's almost unguarded. Like he's relieved that you didn't say something else. "That means a lot to me. Thank you."

"You're welcome. I’m not kidding when I say I've been looking forward to this class since I heard about it last year. And I think you're a great teacher, everything else aside."

"Thank you."

"Can I actually ask you a question? About building instruments and stuff."

He sits back a little, as if he's finally able to relax around you, now that you're actually acting like a student speaking with their teacher. "Of course."

"When did you start building instruments? And did you build that guitar?" You gesture to the instrument resting in the corner of the room, with its beautifully stained wood and delicate detailing around the sound hole.

“I did!” He lights up and stands, retrieving the guitar. “I built my first guitar when I was sixteen. Didn’t turn out that great because I was not very skilled. But after honing my craft for a few years, I saw more success in the instruments I built. This little lady came along just two years ago.”

“She’s beautiful,” you praise his handiwork. “Seriously. I’m impressed that it’s actually a handmade guitar.”

Professor Yang looks at you like you just sprouted a second head. “Of course it’s handmade. All of the best instruments are. You expect a machine to produce something that sounds like this?”

He strums the strings gently, an arpeggiated chord ringing sweetly through the room. The warm, buttery sound is enough to raise goosebumps on your arms.

“You’re right. No robot could ever make that.”

“This guitar is my heart and soul.” He smooths his hand over its curves lovingly.

“Can you play that? ‘Heart and Soul’?”

“Why on Earth would I want to play that atrocity on my masterpiece of an instrument? Absolutely not.”

You laugh. “Fair enough. Play something else, then. I want to hear what she can do.”

With no further prompting needed, he dives into a beautiful melody, plucking the strings softly and tapping his nails against the strings to create a beat. The sound is gorgeous, and it’s incredibly special to see him get swept up in the music he’s creating. He’s entirely focused on the movement of his fingers, the swell of each phrase, the gentle groove he’s creating.

Your eyes close so you can hear the music more deeply. It seeps into you, and you can feel him in each note. He is part of the music, giving himself to the melody and turning it into something beyond notes on a page. He breathes life into it.

The song ends, and you wish it never had to. You could listen to him play forever. In the end, all you can manage is a soft wow.

“Nice, right?” Professor Yang grins widely, clearly proud of himself.

“Seriously incredible. And you’re so good at playing it, too.”

“Thank you, thank you.”

You sit up a little more, interested. “The way you were tapping the strings… it reminds me of those people who can, like, play the strings and drum on the guitar body at the same time. Can you do that?”

“I used to. Let’s see…”

He plays something a little more upbeat this time, tapping his fingers, knuckles, and the heel of his palm against the guitar’s body as he strums. It’s not perfect and eventually he stumbles, but it’s still incredibly impressive.

With a short laugh, he gives up. “Like I said, I used to. It has been a while.”

“That’s probably the coolest thing in the world,” you laugh along with him. “I don’t know how you have enough coordination to do that.”

“It’s a skill. Like anything else, you just have to take the time to practice and learn.” Professor Yang drums his fingers against the wood softly. “Clearly I’m a little out of practice.”

“I mean, if you don’t have the time to grade my labs properly, I can’t imagine you have time to sit around drumming on your guitar.”

He cocks his head and purses his lips. “You try teaching a class at a university and we’ll see how easy it is for you to keep up with everything.”

“Hey, I’m not doubting the incredible stress you must be under.” You tease.

It hits you then how incredibly comfortable you feel with him, how easy it is to be with him unguarded. It’s really… nice.

There’s a knock at the door, then, and Professor Yang glances at the clock on his desk. “Ah. Come in!”

The door opens to reveal another student - a boy from your class. “Hi, Professor.” He notices you still sitting in the office. “Am I too early for our meeting?”

Professor Yang reassures him, “Right on time, actually.”

You nod. “I was just getting ready to leave.” Grabbing your bag, you stand and address Professor Yang. “Thank you for meeting with me today. Really.”

“Not a problem. Thank you for making the time to stop in. I’m glad we got everything sorted out.” He nods once to you. “Have a good weekend and I’ll see you in class.”

“You, too.”

The two of you exchange a smile, and it feels delightfully innocent. It feels like it means something different, like an agreement to be okay with each other from now on. An agreement to not be at each others’ throats this semester. It gives you hope that you’ve finally broken through into a more peaceful part of your relationship as student and teacher.

This semester is going to be just fine.

***

“_____.”

Your eyes lift from the keyboard to find that the tallest human you know somehow snuck into the R&B Ensemble rehearsal without you noticing. You forgot that he was allowed to rejoin the group this week. “Oh. Hi.”

“...hi.” Wooseok tries to smile, but it’s small and awkward and he looks kind of concerned.

You haven’t spoken to him at all during the week or so that has passed since you made out with him. The only communication that happened was the text that you sent to let him know you had to cancel tutoring. He hadn’t responded, and now that you think about it, you probably should have reached out to him again at some point.

A smile pulls across your lips, although you’re sure it seems just as ingenuine as his. But if it’s ingenuine, it’s only because you’re actually wildly nervous about being in front of him again. From your seat on the piano bench, he towers over you, tall and handsome and… and he’s wearing that fucking jean jacket. It’s devastating.

The silence between the two of you stretches on for far too long, and he eventually gives up on having a conversation as he retreats to the drumset.

Yikes. You didn’t mean for that to get so weird.

Rehearsal goes much more smoothly now that Wooseok is back, and he drums like he never missed a single practice. Every rhythm and fill is spot on. The whole ensemble falls into a groove that’s just a little bit deeper, a little bit smoother than before. And you can tell that your instructor, Typhanie, is jazzed about it.

After rehearsal, Kino darts over to the keyboard. “_____, your solo was killer tonight!”

“You know I’d say the same to you, but I compliment you every week and eventually you’re going to get a big head about it.”

He pouts. “Nonsense. Compliment me.”

You rise to your feet and pat his head twice. “Well done.”

Kino rolls his eyes, but his smile is bright. He nods his head in the direction of the door, tugging on your sleeve absentmindedly. “Come on, let’s go. I want to ask you something.”

You grab your things and follow him. “Alright. Go on.”

“So, um, two-fold question.” He pushes the door open, and ushers you out of the room. “First, are you free this weekend? Specifically Saturday night?”

“I think so. Are we gonna do something?”

“Yeah, I just wanted-”

“_____! Hold up!” Wooseok’s voice precedes him down the hall as he comes thundering after you. Both you and Kino pause as he approaches. “Sorry, can I talk to you? Please?”

You look over at Kino, who wears a slight frown. As much as you don’t want to do this to Kino, you know you really should talk with Wooseok. “Can I catch up with you later?”

Kino cocks his head, like he’s surprised you would choose Wooseok over him. But you’re not choosing Wooseok over him, you just… you just have to do this. Kino throws on a half-hearted smile and says, “Sure. Later.”

Wooseok pulls you aside as Kino departs, heading down a different hallway to get you away from the other students leaving rehearsal. You don’t protest, but you tell yourself that you will if he tries anything funny.

“What is it?” you ask, knowing full well what this conversation is going to be.

“I was kind of hoping you could tell me.” Wooseok expression is unsettled. “I’ve been dying to talk to you, but I thought you might need space, since you just kind of stormed off and then immediately canceled tutoring.”

Oh shit. You didn’t mean for it to come off that way. You canceled because of Professor Yang, not because things were weird between you and Wooseok. Nevertheless, you had run out of his apartment without any kind of explanation, and that is entirely your fault. “I’m sorry I left like that. And I swear, I didn’t cancel tutoring because of… everything. Something else came up. That’s all.”

The gentle giant takes a deep breath, his eyebrows knitting together in concern. “I’m sorry, too. I didn’t want to make you feel uncomfortable. We were both a little drunk and I shouldn’t have taken it so far. If you don’t ever want to be around me again, I understand. But I just wanted to talk to you about it and let you know that I’m sorry. Honestly.”

Your chest warms. It’s so sweet that he’s worried about you, but it’s also unnecessary. There’s nothing for him to be worried about. “It’s okay. Really. You have nothing to feel bad about. I… I wanted it. And I liked it.” You have to look away from him as you admit it.

It feels like a weight is lifted between you. “I did, too. You’re a good kisser.” He chuckles softly, his hands shyly slipping into his pockets.

“Not so bad yourself,” you chime, still avoiding his gaze. “Um, so even though I enjoyed it, I just felt kind of confused after? I’m…” Go on. You can say it. “I’m getting over someone. So I didn’t know what to feel about all of it. Other than fucking mortified because of your roommate.”

“Don’t worry about him. I promise he doesn’t care.”

Finally, you look up at him. He really is quite handsome, and you fully understand why your drunk self had enjoyed him so much.

“But I totally understand. I didn’t assume that it meant anything, but thanks for letting me know. Oh, by the way…” Wooseok drops his backpack from his shoulder and unzips one of the small side pockets. “I brought something for you.”

You accept the square of tissue, confused about what he could possibly be giving you - until you unwrap it. He had nicely folded your abandoned underwear to return to you, which is simultaneously embarrassing and sweet.

“Oh my God,” you mumble as you recognize the underwear, a stupid little chuckle leaving you. “I… um, thank you.”

“I’ve gotta be honest, I thought about keeping them.”

“W-what?”

Wooseok shrugs nonchalantly, a goofy grin on his face. “I mean, it’s kind of hot to have a girl’s panties. And they’re cute.”

“You really have no filter.” You stuff the panties into your own backpack, flustered.

“Just wanted to see your reaction,” he laughs. “Worth it.”

“Glad you thought so. Can we head out now?”

“Mm.” He nods once, and you both head for the stairs. “So, just to make sure we’re both on the same page, I still want to be your friend and I don’t expect anything else from you.”

“Agreed.” You smile, grateful that he’s so considerate about all of this. But against your better judgment, your words don’t stop there. “But if it happens again…”

Wooseok freezes a few stairs ahead of you, turning to face you exactly at eye level. He peers at you curiously. “If it happens again...?”

You shrug, trying to play it cool. You can’t turn back now, so you may as well embrace it. “Then it happens. But I’m not just a booty call, so don’t even think about treating me that way.”

“So…” He moves up a step towards you, regaining a few inches of height. His voice is low as he asks, “...what exactly are you saying?”

“I’m saying… if it feels right and we’re in the moment, then it is what it is.” You know that you’re still being incredibly vague, but you just can’t bring yourself to say I’m down to fuck if you are. “But no catching feelings because I’m still trying to sort mine out.”

“Right, with the guy you’re getting over and everything.” Wooseok leans in a little, the smallest smirk on his lips. “So I shouldn’t call you up out of the blue. But if we’re both here, and we’re both in the moment…”

He leans in further, and you realize he’s going in for a kiss the second he grabs your hand. But you’re all too aware of the fact that you’re standing on the main staircase of the music building, and anyone could walk past you at any time.

You shake off his hand and put your hand on his chest, holding him back. “Not here, idiot. Someone might see!”

He grins mischievously and shrugs. “Worth a shot.”

After that, Wooseok walks you all the way to your dorm, and he’s a total gentleman. He stands with you in front of your building for a moment, his hands buried in his pockets.

“Just so you know, you’re welcome to come over to my place whenever,” he offers. “Even if you just want to hang out. We could play games or something. We’re friends, after all.”

“That we are. Thanks.” You hold your fist out for him to bump. “See you at tutoring on Thursday, if not before then?”

“Yeah.” He bumps your fist with his own and smiles sweetly. “Catch you later.”

As he walks off, you’re actually really pleased with the way things turned out. Although you didn’t expect to actually bring up the whole maybe-we-could-do-this-again thing, it excites you that he’s at least open to the idea. Who says you can’t have a fling?

You head upstairs and open the door to your room, and you remember that Kino was in the middle of asking you something when he left - and he didn’t seem too pleased by the interruption. So… maybe you should call him to see what’s going on. You do feel kind of bad that he had to leave on his own.

You’re not sure why your impulse is to call and not text, but he answers the phone before you can really question it too much. “Hey, _____.”

“Hey, Kino. Did you make it home?”

“Yeah.”

“Go to your window and look up at my building.”

“...Okay…”

You flicker your bedroom light on and off to catch his attention. “Do you see my room? With the flashing light.”

A quiet chuckle comes across the line. “Yeah, I see it.”

“Now show me where you are.”

A short moment later, you notice one of the windows on the building across the street repeatedly light up and go dark. “Found you!”

“What’s this all about?”

You watch as his silhouette reappears in the window. “You didn’t get to ask me your question. I wanted to know what it was.”

“Oh.” He drags his hand through his hair. “So, I haven’t told you yet, but a piece that I choreographed is going to be performed at the Dance Department Showcase.”

“What? Kino, that’s amazing!” It’s not easy to get work presented at a department-wide showcase, so you know that it’s a huge accomplishment for him. “I’m so proud of you. Oh my gosh, that’s so cool.”

“Thank you! Thank you.” Kino laughs, pleased at your reaction. “So… the showcase is this Saturday night and I’m freaking out. I’m not performing, but I’m still incredibly nervous because it’s like… this project, this baby of mine… it’s being put on display and it’s going to be critically watched by all of my peers and professors. It’s just such a big deal.”

“Can I come?” The question eagerly bursts out of you. You would absolutely love to see what he’s capable of choreographing. If it’s anything like his dancing and singing, you know it’ll be awesome. But then you realize that he’s already freaking out about the people in the audience… maybe you shouldn’t add to that stress. “Actually, would that make it worse? I don’t want to stress you out more by being there.”

“No, no, not at all. That’s actually why I brought it up. I want you to come with me.”

You lean against your window, playing with the hem of your shirt. “I would be honored to go with you.”

He exhales deeply. “I think I’m going to feel much better with you there. Thank you.”

“Of course! What are friends for?”

“Exactly.” Kino’s hand comes to rest on the glass, like he’s reaching out to you. “I’ll see you Saturday, then. Well, and probably before then, too.”

You touch your window, too. “Yeah. I’ll see you soon.”

“Goodnight, _____.”

“Night, Kino.”

***

Your class with Professor Yang has officially moved over to the woodshop, now that your midterms are done. He had gone over standard dress code the week before (no loose, drapey clothing or open-toed shoes), but you hadn’t realized that he would be dressed differently as well.

Up until this point, you’ve only seen him in dress slacks and button-downs. But now that he’s teaching a woodworking class, he’s dressed way more casually than you expected. It makes sense that he would dress down, but it still surprises you to see him in jeans and a fitted t-shirt. His hair is swooped up and back, exposing his forehead and keeping his hair out of his eyes.

It would be great if you could go a day without drooling over him. Seriously.

Professor Yang goes over the basics of the woodshop with everyone, explaining some of the general tools you’ll all use regardless of instrument. You’ve never used any sort of woodworking tools before, and it makes you a little nervous to think that you’ll be responsible for keeping your fingers intact while sawing away at the body of your dulcimer, but you know he’s there to help if you’re struggling (or injured).

If nothing else, you and Shinhye can struggle together.

Beside you, Shinhye observes the slab of wood that is to be the neck of her cigar-box banjo. Her calculations are all finished and she knows exactly how far apart to mark each fret along the neck, but she hesitates. “I don’t know man, I’m going to fuck this up for sure.”

“Look, all you have to do is mark it with pencil, and then Professor Yang will come to check your work. Just don’t make any cuts into the wood without his approval and you’ll be fine.” You start marking up the wood that you’ve been given, confident in your math.

As you measure and make your marks, your ears tune in to the music Professor Yang plays throughout the workshop. He’s playing an old rock station, to be expected, and you perk up when a certain Aerosmith song comes on.

A smile grows on your face as Steven Tyler starts singing, and you remember when you sang “Dream On” in Professor Yang’s office.

You glance up to the front of the room to find Professor Yang looking right at you with a stupid grin on his dumb little face.

Oh, he remembers, too.

You struggle to hide your laughter as he breaks into a huge smile. What a loon you are.

“What are you giggling about?” Shinhye questions, still concentrated way too hard on her little pencil marks.

You’re about to respond with a simple nothing, but then she tucks her short hair behind her ear, revealing a purplish mark just under her jaw. “Oh my God, Shinhye, is that a hickey?”

She looks up at you like a deer in headlights, quickly ruffling her hair out with her fingers. “You didn’t see that.”

“What the hell do you mean? Of course I fucking saw that.” With a shit-eating grin, you lean in close. “Why didn’t you tell me you were hooking up with someone? I need to know these things!”

“It’s not important! I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Dude. Fine. I’ll give you a pass since we’re in class right now but you need to dish later.” Shinhye looks disgruntled at your demand, and you try to make her feel better about the whole situation. “Look, I’m proud of you. I never thought this day would come and I just want to know what happened! This is kind of a big deal.”

“It’s really not.” She rolls her eyes.

A third voice joins the conversation. “How are we doing over here?” Professor Yang stands next to Shinhye, looking over her work.

“Oh, perfect timing. I think I’m just about done. Can you check my marks?” Shinhye hands over her wood, seemingly grateful for the change of topic.

He takes a moment to check her math, but not her measurements. “Your math is good, so as long as you measured according to your numbers you’ll be good to go.”

You don’t even have to ask - he immediately picks up your scrap paper to check your math, too. It astounds you that he doesn’t feel the need to pick up a calculator, as if he could do all of the calculations in his head.

“Your math looks good, too.” He sets your paper down. “Go ahead and put your frets in.”

You cock your head, still surprised that he could be so good at math. “You can do all that math without a calculator?”

“I do have a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree in Mathematics, so believe it or not, I don’t really need a calculator.” His voice is touched with sass, as if to say I’m your teacher and I shouldn’t have to explain myself to you.

But you can’t help the question. This man has not one but two math degrees, and he still fucked up your grades? The probability of that being an accident is practically zero - as you’re sure Mr. Math Wiz would agree.

So it must have been intentional. No matter how much he denies it.

It doesn’t seem like he was doing it to punish you, though. It doesn’t seem to have any purpose besides getting your attention.

Getting you into his office.

Getting you one-on-one.

And he succeeded - you sat in his office with him for a solid half hour as he re-graded your papers and chatted. He hadn’t tried to make a move or anything, so why did he want that alone time with you?

Could it be as innocent as just wanting to spend time together?

It doesn’t matter, you remind yourself. I’m getting over him. He doesn’t want anything from me, and I don’t want anything from him. The past is the past and I’m moving on.

You avoid his gaze for the rest of class.

***

Wooseok sits next to you in the practice room, working diligently on the exercises you’ve given him regarding figured bass. Overall, not at all an important concept for him as a drummer, but it’s definitely going to be on his final and he needs to know it for the sake of his grade.

You don’t know if it’s just because the nature of your relationship has changed, but you’ve felt so distracted through the whole session by how cute he looks. His hair is ruffled and he’s not wearing anything different than what he usually wears, but he just looks so damn attractive.

You know you shouldn’t say anything. You should let him work like the good little tutee he is. But since when do you pay attention to what you should and should not do?

“I think tutoring you is going to become increasingly more difficult.”

He pauses, his pencil still in his hand as he meets your gaze. “Why’s that? Because of the material? I feel like I’m actually doing pretty well.”

“No, idiot. Because, well…” Jesus, you never really know what to say in these situations. “Things are different between us now, you know?”

“It’s not that different.”

You can tell by the face he’s making that he’s teasing you. “It is! Don’t make me feel stupid.”

“You’re the one calling me an idiot!”

“It’s a term of endearment.”

“How sweet.” Wooseok shifts in his seat, turning towards you and placing his arm across the back of your chair. “So you’re flirting with me?”

“That may or may not be true.”

His fingers brush gently over your shoulder as he silently watches you, letting the air between you thicken with the thought that it would be so easy to close the gap.

Really, there’s nothing stopping you anyway.

“Wooseok… Have you done something like this before?” You ask before you convince yourself to cross the threshold. “Being friends with benefits and all of that?”

“No, actually.” Wooseok’s fingers reach your collar bone, delicately tracing the peaks and valleys. “I don’t have much experience with girls. I had a girlfriend in high school, but that’s it.”

“Really?”

He nods. “Dating’s not my priority.”

“Is this something you want, though?”

“Well yeah. I probably said it when I was drunk, but you’re really cool and you’re hot, so of course I’m down. This is totally different from dating.” He tilts his head minutely. “Have you done this before?”

Almost instantly, an image of Professor Yang flashes in your mind. “Not technically a friends with benefits situation, but I have hooked up before.”

“How’d it go? Were you okay with keeping it casual?”

Big fat fucking no, you were not okay with keeping it casual. Well, maybe you would have been if he hadn’t turned out to be your teacher. Things might have been so different. But the fact of the matter is that you’ve been an absolute wreck for the last two months because of your failure to keep it casual.

You’re fully aware of the fact that you should be honest about your hookup history. You should tell Wooseok that you most definitely caught feelings the last time you hooked up. It’s your duty to stop this trainwreck before it happens.

But… that means that you wouldn’t be able to hookup with Wooseok. And you really want to hookup with Wooseok right now.

“Yeah, it was totally fine,” you lie through your teeth. “No problems at all.”

“Cool.” He reaches out to cup your face. “Let’s stop talking about it then.”

As if they have always belonged together, your lips meet his. The kiss is sweet and gentle, and his hand is warm on your cheek. It feels so, so good to give in to your urges, to do what you want instead of overthinking. A friends-with-benefits situation is exactly what you need.

You don’t stay in your chair much longer as you continue to kiss. His lap is a much more appealing seat. Without pulling away from his lips, you get up and straddle him, your hands sliding behind his neck.

Wooseok’s teeth bite down on your lip and his large hands are quick to venture into less innocent territory. His fingers slip down your sides and into the back pockets of your jeans, cupping your ass and giving a gentle squeeze. You roll your hips to show him that you’re pleased, and he lets out the quietest groan.

“Be careful moving your hips like that,” he warns against your lips, “or you’re signing yourself up for a whole lot of trouble.”

You smirk and roll your hips again as you say, “Maybe I want trouble.”

He responds by claiming your lips, his tongue diving deep into the cavern of your mouth as his fingers dig hard into your ass cheeks.

You feel so alive. And so blissful - especially as you feel him start to harden through his jeans. The extra friction provided by rubbing against his thickness is absolutely delicious, and you shamelessly grind against him.

It’s clear that Wooseok is enjoying himself, too. He kisses you deeply as you grind, and his hand sneaks under your shirt, pushing your bra out of the way so that he can pinch and rub your nipple.

You moan for him, careful to stay quiet - the sound proofing in the practice rooms isn’t perfect, after all. But you sigh and groan to let him know that you feel amazing and you love everything he’s doing to you. You would be totally content to just stay like this for the rest of your session, and it doesn’t seem like Wooseok would mind.

Unfortunately, though, you know this can’t last forever - you have to leave soon for your piano lesson. But he’s just such a good kisser…

You’re not sure what causes it, but suddenly the mood changes. His hurried kisses and touches melt into something much softer. Wooseok’s hand migrates to the small of your back, pulling you in close and embracing you as he kisses you.

It’s mind-numbingly sweet, and you hold him tight, too.

With one last kiss, you part, but you rest your forehead on his as you catch your breath and try to process how he could be such a phenomenal kisser.

“What are you doing after this?” Wooseok asks, his voice low - and you know exactly why he’s asking.

“Piano lesson,” you huff quietly.

“Skip it.” Kiss. “Come back to my place.”

“Ugh, I wish. But I can’t. My lessons are important.” Your fingers glide through his soft hair, your gaze connecting with his sweet eyes. “What about tonight?”

Wooseok shakes his head as his fingers drum a rhythm against your spine. “Minho’s having some guys over. Tomorrow?”

“Girl’s night with my roommate.” You sigh. Who knew it would be so difficult to find time to hook up?

“I’m pretty sure Minho said he was going out of town this weekend, so we’d definitely have the place to ourselves.”

That sounds like a blessedly perfect scenario. “I have a thing with Kino on Saturday, but I could come over later that night?”

“Stellar. I’ll make sure Minho is out of the apartment.” Wooseok presses another kiss to your lips before helping you stand up. “You should probably get going though, since you have your lesson. Right?”

You glance at the clock on the wall and realize you have exactly thirty seconds to get downstairs. “Shit. Yeah, I have to run.”

Wooseok helps you gather your things. “I’ll see you Saturday night then?”

You hoist your backpack onto your shoulder and run a finger down Wooseok’s torso. “You bet.”

***

“Remind me why we’re doing this,” you grumble as you follow Nailah and Shinhye through the gym locker room on Saturday morning. Being physically active has never been your favorite thing, yet Nailah has managed to drag you along.

“Cute boy. You love cute boys, don’t you?” Nailah turns, tucking you under her arm and leading you over to the row of lockers. “This is all for you, baby.”

“But whyyyyy…”

“_____, exercising is good for you.” Shinhye tries to boost your morale as you each claim a locker, tossing your gym bags but keeping your water bottles in hand. “I promise it won’t be as bad as you think.”

“Since when have you become such a gym rat? Little Miss I-Live-On-The-Couch.” You tease her. She never seems to be interested in working out, but she looks like a total natural in her mid-calf leggings and moisture-wicking tank top.

She shrugs, touching the outer rim of her glasses to push them further up her nose. “I don’t know, I just go when Nailah invites me. And I think it’s actually pretty fun.”

“Yeah, Shinhye’s a great gym partner. She doesn’t complain.”

You roll your eyes, ignoring Nailah. “So have you seen this cute guy, then? Is it worth the effort?”

Shinhye shakes her head. “We’ve never seen him when I come along.”

“Okay, hold on.” You close your locker, realizing that this mystery cutie hasn’t been spotted in quite some time. “Are you telling me that it has probably been, like, a month and a half since you last saw him? Does he even go to this gym anymore?”

Nailah sighs exasperatedly. “I don’t know, _____. But we’re here now, so we may as well sweat a little.” She lifts her shirt up over her head, so she’s just in her spandex shorts and a sports bra. The shirt gets tossed into her locker and she holds out her hand to you. “Give me your shirt.”

“What?”

“Do it. We’re gonna go out there looking hot so you can seduce cute guy.”

“He’s probably not even out there!”

“Come on. It’s not even a big deal.” She gestures for you to hand her your shirt, and you begrudgingly do as she asks.

“What about you, Shinhye?” You ask as your shirt disappears into Nailah’s locker.

Her face reddens. “Isn’t it weird to just wear a bra?”

“Not at all,” Nailah reassures her, closing her locker and patting Shinhye on the head as she walks away. “But don’t worry, my little Shinhye doesn’t have to do anything she doesn’t want to.”

You notice Shinhye’s eyes grow wide and her blush deepen, and look at her quizzically. What the hell is that reaction all about? She just avoids your gaze and tails after Nailah.

As you follow them into the equipment room, you try not to feel embarrassed about your lack of shirt. It’s not that unusual for a girl to work out in just her bra and shorts, but you don’t feel particularly confident since you are bound to make a fool out of yourself on the machines, anyway.

The three of you head for the stationary bikes on the opposite side of the room, scoping out all of the other gym-goers along the way. When you reach the bikes, Nailah turns on her heel and pulls you and Shinhye in close.

“Don’t make it obvious, but he’s here. He’s at the bench press.”

What are the odds that he would actually be here today? You take a swig from your water bottle before setting it next to one of the bikes and casually turning around to try to spot him.

Shinhye finds him first. “Oh my God. Him?” She bursts into laughter. “Nailah, you don’t know who that is, do you?”

“Should I?”

“He teaches at our school! _____ and I are both in his class!”

“What?!” You and Nailah respond simultaneously, both for different reasons. Is it really him?

Your eyes scan over the weight machines, and just as you spot the row of bench presses, he sits up and wipes the sweat from his brow with a hand towel.

Fucking Professor Yang is sitting halfway across the room, biceps bulging, a delicious V of sweat forming on the chest of his muscle shirt.

God, you wish you could just melt into a puddle and disappear from this world.

“No way.” Nailah chuckles. “He’s a Professor? Oh, this is gold.”

Shinhye starts giggling, too. “Yeah, and _____ totally has a crush on him. You should have seen them in class this week.”

“Well just look at her now.”

You finally snap out of your trance. “I do not!”

“No shame, girl.” Nailah smirks as she settles onto a bike. “We’ve all had an innocent crush on a teacher before.”

Oh, if only she knew how not innocent this was.

“Yeah, no shame.” Shinhye chimes, climbing onto the bike next to Nailah.

“Whatever. Shouldn’t we stretch first?” You quickly change the subject. You’re going to spend the rest of this hour pretending like the world’s most handsome professor isn’t over there keeping up his gorgeous physique with which you are unfortunately quite familiar.

“It’s bad to stretch cold, so we do an easy five-minute ride just to get things warmed up a bit.” Nailah states.

“Alright, then.”

So you bike, stretch, and tackle a few machines - and you’re incredibly aware of the fact that Nailah’s routine is strategically getting you closer and closer to wherever Professor Yang is stationed.

You trail along behind her from machine to machine, and next thing you know you’re headed straight for him.

As the three of you approach, you hope and pray that he doesn’t notice you. And when you look over, you’re blessed. He grabs the bottom of his shirt and lifts it to wipe his face, but you’re too distracted by his abs to be grateful for his blocked view of you.

Professor Yang is absolutely chiseled under his muscle shirt, and you shouldn’t even be surprised. You’ve seen him shirtless before, you’ve felt the ripples of his muscles, but you’re still taken off guard by the body that hides beneath his clothes.

The glimpse of his abs is so distracting that you actually forget how you’re supposed to act around him. He drops his shirt and looks up just as you’re passing him, and you unintentionally flash him a coy smile. When his eyes widen as he recognizes you, you realize that you do not want to try to look cute right now.

Well, you want to, but you shouldn’t.

Somehow that doesn’t stop you.

Professor Yang’s eyes travel down your body, taking in your shirtless state. But you don’t feel shy or nervous - you feel weirdly confident, and you walk with a little extra sass in the swing of your hips. You hope with all of your might that he’s as flustered by the sight of you as you always are by him.

If your appearance gets to him at all, he certainly doesn’t make it known. Without any hint of what he might be feeling, he gets up and moves to a different machine farther down the row, and he doesn’t look back at you again.

Thankfully, it seems that Nailah and Shinhye did not notice anything that just happened, but you feel suddenly embarrassed about strutting past him the way you did. You need to step out for a second and collect yourself.

“I’m going to grab some more water.” You hold up your mostly empty water bottle for the two girls to see and tear off before either one of them can offer to come along.

That was so dumb. Why did you react that way when he saw you? You know better. You should be avoiding him at all costs, because you’re getting over him. You’ve got Wooseok to keep you entertained now, so you can finally let go of Professor Yang.

He just looked so good… and you want the confidence boost of knowing he thinks you look good, too.

But the thing is, though, you know that he thinks you look good. He’s made it kind of obvious throughout the semester that he’s still attracted to you, so you’re positive that he must have felt something when he saw you in your tight leggings and sports bra. He’s just really good at masking it.

You fill up your bottle and take a sip from it as you turn around, and you accidentally bump into a warm, solid body that immediately fills you with dread.

“_____.”

You’re surprised by the face you see when you look up - this is not the human you were expecting. “Yuto?”

He has a black bandana rolled up and tied across his forehead, and honestly it’s a look. Yuto hardly gives you so much as a smile before his hand comes to rest on your shoulder, gently pushing you aside so he can access the water fountain.

“I didn’t know you worked out here.”

He stands upright after taking a leisurely drink, looking you up and down. “I didn’t know you worked out. Wouldn’t have guessed it.”

“Don’t be rude, asshole.” You huff, stalking off towards the weight room. You don’t need to deal with him if he’s going to be a jerk.

“Hey, wait.” Yuto catches up to you, matching your stride. “I just meant that I haven’t seen you here before.”

“Yeah. Roommate dragged me along.”

“Nailah, right?” He points off to the left, and your eyes follow to that part of the room. Nailah’s hands rest on Shinhye’s hips, guiding your friend into the correct form for squats. You frown, worried about what that could mean.

If she’s starting to crush on Shinhye, she really needs to cut it out before she gets herself hurt. Shinhye’s straight - she’s not going to reciprocate any of Nailah’s feelings. And really, Nailah needs to make sure she’s not making Shinhye uncomfortable by being too forward with her flirting.

“That’s her.” You can’t help your frown as you beeline for them.

“Wait, wait.” Yuto grabs your arm. “I need to talk to you.”

Surprised, you pause. “What about?”

“Wooseok.”

Your frown deepens. Does he know about your agreement? “What about Wooseok?”

“Be careful with him. He’s a kid.”

“We’re the same age...? What are you getting at?”

“He’s naive, okay?” Yuto looks frustrated that you don’t understand what he’s trying to say. “Just try not to hurt him. He’s a lot more delicate than he seems. He told me about you two, and I don’t think it’s a good idea.”

“It’s none of your business what we decide to do.” You scoff. “But yeah, okay, I’m the Big Bad Meanie here so I’ll be ‘gentle’ or whatever.”

Yuto’s voice noticeably softens when he realizes you’re upset. “_____…”

“I don’t want to have this conversation with you.” You brush off his hand. “Have a good workout.”

You stomp back over to your friends, and they both watch you quizzically as you approach.

“What was that all about?” Nailah asks.

“It’s nothing.” Your first instinct is to just dismiss all of it, but these are two of your best friends. They deserve to know at least a little bit of the boy drama in your life - but you don’t want to spill the tea in the middle of the gym. “I’ll fill you in later.”

Shinhye chimes in, “Professor Yang left while you were gone. We thought you might run into him out there.”

“No, I didn’t see him. Just Yuto.”

“Who’s Yuto?” She asks. “The guy you were just talking to?”

Nailah responds for you, nodding. “He’s our neighbor, right across the hall.”

“Oh.” Shinhye chews timidly on the inside of her cheek. “He’s kind of cute, too.”

“Shinhye! I didn’t know you liked dark, brooding boys.” Nailah reaches out to smooth Shinhye’s hair, and Shinhye blushes.

“Apparently you really don’t know her type, Nailah.” There’s a slight edge to your voice as you say it. It’s just so weird to see Nailah being so forward with Shinhye, and you feel the need to stop it. Shinhye isn’t particularly vocal, so she probably won’t say anything if she’s feeling uncomfortable.

Seems like you’ll have to have a chat with Nailah later.

***

Kino meets you in your dorm’s lobby at exactly 6:15pm. Doors open for the dance department showcase in fifteen minutes, and you can sense the energy bubbling out of him when he arrives.

“Hi.” He bounces slightly, standing still for a moment before pulling you into a hug.

“Hi,” you echo, a small smile spreading across your lips. “How are you feeling?”

“Nervous. Oh my God, I’m nervous. But let’s not talk about that because I’ll literally die before the show.”

“My CPR skills aren’t exactly stellar, so I guess we should probably do what we can to keep you alive before that becomes necessary.”

“Good call.” He places his hand on the small of your back, guiding you out of the building and into the brisk night air. “You look really nice, by the way.”

“Thank you!” You look down at yourself, taking a second to button up your jacket over the burgundy dress and black tights you’ve chosen for the evening. Your heels click along the sidewalk as you walk, and then you realize how Kino is dressed; his burgundy pants didn’t immediately draw your attention, but you have to laugh at the coincidence now that you’ve noticed. “Oh my God, are we actually matching?”

Kino nods, laughing. “Yeah, we are.”

So this is what it feels like to wear a couple’s outfit... Obviously you’re not a couple, but it’s still kind of cute that you’ve got similar tastes in clothes.

Kino is oddly quiet as you make your way towards the theater, and you know it’s just because of his nerves. You speak up to try to distract him. “Is your family coming tonight?”

He shakes his head. “I didn’t invite them.”

“Oh.” That surprises you. “Why not? This is a big deal. I’m sure they’d love to be here.”

“I don’t really want to talk about that right now.” Kino frowns slightly, clearly bothered by the topic.

Has something happened? He never really talks about his family, so you don’t know what his relationship with them is like.

Wait - he has talked about them before. You remember the first night you talked to him after R&B Ensemble practice, when you both bonded over your unsupportive parents. How could you be careless enough to forget something like that? Are you really that distracted by your own life?

“I’m sorry, Kino. I shouldn’t have brought that up.” You link your arm with his. “I’m here to support you no matter what.”

“Thanks, _____.” He smiles slightly. “And no worries. It’s fine.”

To keep the mood light, you chat with him about your excursion to the gym this morning, leaving out the parts about Professor Yang, of course. Mostly, you just complain about how you have to use the baby weights because everything else is too heavy.

Thankfully you can keep him chuckling until you’re seated in the theater and the lights go down, signaling the start of the show. That’s when the terror sets in - Kino takes a deep, nervous breath, and his leg bounces wildly as the first performers step on stage. His piece isn’t until a little later on in the show, but you know he’s going to feel anxious until then.

Normally it doesn’t bother you when someone else bounces their leg, but his movement shakes your chair and you don’t want to sit through the whole show like that. Without even thinking about it, you place your hand on his thigh, squeezing gently to grab his attention. His movement stalls and he stares at you wide-eyed.

You lean in so he can hear you whisper over the music. “It’s gonna be great, okay? Everyone’s going to love your piece.”

Kino’s gaze flits between your eyes, and it occurs to you just how close your faces are. Then his hand covers yours, and he smiles. “I was right to bring you along.”

His attention returns to the stage and he seems much calmer now, but you struggle to focus on the dancers. Your whole consciousness is alert to the fact that his hand is so warm and secure around yours, and for some reason that makes your heart beat just a little bit faster.

All rational thought goes out the window. When the first performance ends, you don’t want to let his hand go. Kino notices the way you cling to his hand when he tries to let go to clap, and he gives you a funny look - not one of judgment, but one of curiosity.

You’re immediately embarrassed, so you let go and hurriedly clap before the applause ends.

It’s fine. You’re just friends. Friends can hold hands. It’s seriously not a big deal - worst case scenario, Kino’s just going to tease you a little bit after the showcase. You do your best to shake it off.

But then the applause ends, and Kino places his hand on your lap, palm up. It’s an invitation, and his smile makes it so that you cannot refuse. You interlace your fingers with his, your heart beating happily in your chest.

You don’t know what it means, or if it even means anything. But you’ll sort it out later.

That becomes your routine, your hands letting go only to clap between pieces and then quickly returning to each other. It feels foreign yet completely comfortable, exciting yet confusing.

And then he squeezes your hand tightly and leans over, whispering in your ear, “This one is mine.”

For just a brief second you think he’s talking about your hand, but then you realize that he means his piece is next. Your cheeks flush because of the way you misunderstood him, but you pretend that didn’t just happen and whisper back, “I can’t wait.”

A delicate piano melody guides the two male dancers on stage, but it isn’t until the lyrics kick in that you realize just how mournful the performance is going to be.

“Don’t know where I am with you Forgetting time and space with you Oh I wish we had a common view You see my red as blue I don’t belong in your universe For better or for worse…”

The dancers move fluidly across the stage, embodying the story of two people - maybe lovers, maybe friends - who want to be together despite the invisible force that’s keeping them apart.

“I’m the same but I’m bolder You get home, but I’m on my way out now Not the same destinations I will stay when you get off the train…”

No, they don’t want to be together. It’s not mutual - you see that now, how one dancer is caught in the other dancer’s world and he is trying to break free. Is this an abusive relationship?

“You’re safe as a mountain But know that I am dynamite Oh, oh, you’re safe as a mountain But know that I am dynamite…”

The pieces come together, and it suddenly makes sense. Maybe you’re making a huge assumption, but you can’t help but think that this is the story of Kino’s relationship with his family.

It moves you to tears, and you struggle to keep your composure. It feels like you’re watching a little piece of Kino’s soul through these dancers, and it’s devastating to think that someone as sweet and gentle as Kino would ever be caught in such a terrible situation. He deserves so much better than that. He deserves a family that loves him.

When the performance ends the whole audience applauds, but you can only look at Kino as he wipes away his tears, a melancholy smile on his lips.

***

Kino walks you back to your dorm, and you stop just outside the front door. You haven’t said much since the performance because he was immediately bombarded by other students and professors coming up to congratulate him. But now, you finally have his undivided attention.

“Your piece was absolutely beautiful,” you gently praise him. “I think you’re incredibly talented to draw that much emotion out of the audience. Seriously, it was incredible.”

“Thank you.” He looks down, his soft voice accompanied by a shy smile. “I can’t tell you how much it means to me that you came with me tonight. Thank you so much for being there to support me.”

“I wouldn’t have missed it for the world, Kino.” You pull him in for a hug, feeling proud of him and also feeling much closer to him than you were before.

When you pull away, he asks, “Do you want to maybe come over for a little bit? Just to hang out?”

That would be nice, but you remember your plans with Wooseok. For some reason, though, it doesn’t feel right to tell Kino about that. “Ah, I can’t. I told Nailah I’d spend time with her tonight.”

You immediately feel guilty about the lie, but Kino isn’t bothered by your excuse. “Have fun with her, then.”

He reaches out, his hand gliding down your forearm until his fingers interlace with yours. You look down at your intertwined hands, your pulse quickening just as it did in the theater. You’re not sure why you react that way. And then you feel the soft press of lips on your forehead.

Did…? Did Kino just…?

You look up at him, shocked. He had just kissed you. What was that all about?

His eyes scan your face, the sweetest, gentlest smile on his lips. “I’ll see you later, okay?”

You nod, still kind of confused and surprised by what just happened. But he walks off before you can really process it, and you just stand there like an idiot for a minute or two.

Reading into it is probably the worst thing you could do. Kino is a touchy guy, so it shouldn’t seem unusual for him to kiss you on the forehead. It’s just a sweet, friendly gesture, right? He probably doesn’t mean anything by it, so you shouldn’t assume he does.

The last thing you want is to make things weird. He’s a great friend, and you don’t want to lose him. So you’re not going to make a big deal out of this.

Desperate for a distraction, you pull your phone out as you head inside. A few texts from Wooseok are waiting for you, just as you had expected.

Wooseok (8:13pm): Still want to come over?

Wooseok (8:13pm): Minho just left and won’t be back until tomorrow

You respond.

You (9:02pm): Of course. Just got back. Give me 10 to freshen up and I’ll be over.

Wooseok (9:02pm): I’ll give you 5

You (9:03pm): 7?

Wooseok (9:03pm): 6.5 starting now.

Wooseok (9:04pm): see u soon, short stuff 😘

***

You make it to his place in exactly seven minutes because you’re a glutton for punishment, but you think you’ve devised a plan to help you earn back his favor.

“You’re late.” He greets you at the door to his apartment.

“But I brought a gift.” You try your best to look cute as you hide the small ‘present’ behind your back. “Close your eyes and hold out your hands.”

He looks suspicious, but he smiles slightly as he does what you ask. Into his large palms, you place the panties you’ve been wearing all day. If Minseo has taught you anything, it’s that men go crazy for a girl in a dress with nothing on underneath.

“You said you wanted to keep them, so these are for you.”

Wooseok’s eyes shoot open as he realizes it’s silky, lacy fabric puddled in his hands. He looks at them with a sly smile. “Are you wearing any right now?”

You just smile coyly and shake your head. Success.

“Christ, woman, get in here.” He grabs your wrist and pulls you inside, letting the door slam shut behind you. You don’t even have time to kick off your shoes before he picks you up, your legs naturally wrapping around his hips to hold yourself up.

Wooseok’s lips crash into yours like he can’t stand the thought of waiting one more second. He’s way too eager, but you could never complain. You love feeling so wanted.

He presses you against the wall and you lace your fingers into his hair, tugging gently as you bite his lower lip. A deep growl vibrates in his throat, and it immediately shoots pleasure straight to your core.

You let yourself moan as you feverishly return every kiss he offers. You just can’t get enough of him, and it’s making you crazy.

For just a second you pull away, but only because you need more. “Bedroom?” you pant.

Wooseok nods and carries you deeper into the apartment, throwing open the door to the bedroom and dropping you onto the bed.

“Hey! I’m not a doll!” You lecture him, but you can’t help the giggle that escapes you. “Don’t toss me around like that.”

Wooseok just ignores you. “You’re wearing too many clothes.” His long fingers immediately find the buttons of your jacket, fiddling with one after the other until he pulls it off of you.

“It’s freezing outside! What did you expect? That I’d run across the street without a jacket on just so it would be easier for you to strip me? It’s bad enough that I came over without my tights on.”

“I mean… You probably would have gotten here when I asked you to if you hadn’t stopped to put a jacket on.” Wooseok runs his fingers over your bare thighs. “But next time, keep the tights on. They’re hot.”

“You’d like that?”

“Yeah, but you’re hot like this, too.”

You raise an eyebrow. “You’d be hotter with your shirt off, if it counts for anything.”

“Sassy,” he murmurs, pressing a kiss to your neck. Still hovering over you, he grabs the back of his collar and easily pulls the t-shirt over his head.

You’re right - you definitely like him better without the shirt. His torso and arms are nicely toned, and he just looks so good. Even his face is somehow more attractive than it’s ever been, and you know you’ve made the right choice in coming over here tonight.

You touch his cheek, and you can sense the depth behind his irises as his eyes scan your face. He’s fully present, and you just want to live in this moment with him.

“Why do you have to look at me like that?” he asks.

“Like what?”

“Like… I don’t know, you’re just fucking cute.” Wooseok dives in, laying you back onto the bed as his lips connect with yours. His hand starts at your neck and runs down over your arm before transferring to your hip, his kiss overwhelming your senses. Everything about him feels so good, so nice.

As you wrap your limbs around him, you remember what Yuto said to you at the gym this morning.

Be gentle with him.

Try not to hurt him.

Even though it’s none of Yuto’s business, you can’t help but keep his warnings in mind. The last thing you want to do is hurt Wooseok. This is all supposed to be harmless fun, after all.

You press a hand to his chest, silently asking him to stop kissing you.

“You good?” Wooseok asks, concerned.

“Yeah! I just wanted to make sure… You’re totally cool with this, right? Like, with us just being friends and doing this for fun? This isn’t going to make anything weird, right?”

Wooseok shrugs calmly. “Yeah, it’s cool with me. I don’t mind it at all and I promise I won’t get weird around you. You cool?”

You nod. “I’m cool with it. I just needed to know we were still on the same page. I, um, ran into Yuto today…”

“Shit, did he say something?”

“He told me to be careful with you. Like he thought I was going to break your heart or something.” You search his eyes. “Also, not cool that you told him about us. I thought this was going to be a private thing.”

Wooseok closes his eyes, sighing quietly. “I’m sorry. I should have kept my mouth shut. He’s my best friend and I tell him everything. I didn’t even think about it.”

“It’s okay. Just don’t go telling the rest of the school, okay?” You chuckle quietly, not quite realizing how much you sound like a certain Professor asking someone to keep things a secret.

“I won’t breathe a word of it to anybody else. I promise.” He smiles. “And don’t worry, I’m not gonna catch feelings.”

“Okay, I’m going to trust you on that. But if either one of us starts to feel something, we have to be honest and stop. Deal?”

“Deal. But, not gonna happen. You can’t lock me down, woman.”

You roll your eyes. “You can lock me down, tie me up, whatever you’re into…”

Wooseok lowers himself onto you again with a devilish grin. “You’re bad.”

“What are you gonna do about it?”

“Probably just get you naked and plow you into tomorrow.”

Laughter bursts from you and you can’t control yourself. “Did you really just say that?”

He laughs too, never one to take himself too seriously. “Yeah, I think I did. That was pretty awful.”

You slide your fingers into his hair and pull him down to you, crashing your lips together now that your concerns are alleviated. Your body is already aching for release and you’ve hardly even started.

Wooseok’s large hands roam your body, gliding over your curves and massaging your chest. Your fingers trail down his back and the groan he emits is absolutely precious. It feels like it has been ages since you’ve gotten laid and suddenly you’re starving for it.

Every kiss fuels the fire burning deep within you, your core throbbing with want. Your legs are wrapped around his waist and you wiggle your hips in search of some sort of friction.

Wooseok gets the message loud and clear. His hand glides under the skirt of your dress in search of your folds, which are already delightfully wet by the time he reaches them. Even though you’re more than ready, he teases you, taking his time to caress your most sensitive spot.

A quiet moan escapes you, and you reach down between your bodies in search of his length. You just have to know what it feels like, what kind of fun you should expect for the rest of the night.

Your fingers brush over the front of his jeans until you find an unmistakable bulge, and he sighs deeply as you pass over it. The sound is actually really hot, and you know instantly that you need to get him naked.

“Take off your pants,” you murmur against his lips, your fingers already working to unfasten his jeans. You get the button and zipper of his pants undone, and he steps out of his pants and boxers all at once.

Seeing Wooseok naked is both weird and thrilling, and you realize how incredibly sober you are. The last time you were here in his apartment, you were both a little drunk. But this time you’re not inebriated in the least bit.

You definitely don’t need any alcohol to be convinced that you should have sex with this man right the fuck now.

“Condom?” You seriously hope that he has some, because you definitely didn’t think to bring one over.

“Yeah, hold up.” He opens the top drawer of his dresser and pulls out a rubber from his stash.

You pull him back down onto the bed as soon as he’s within reach, and he chuckles at your eagerness. You climb on top of him, kissing him passionately and wrapping your hand around his cock.

“I don’t want to wait,” you whine as you stroke him. He’s already incredibly hard, and he’s just the perfect size for you. Usually you would insist that foreplay is a good idea, but you are way too impatient at the moment. “I want you inside of me.”

“Then stop waiting.”

Wooseok tears open the condom packet and rolls it on, and you lift yourself up, lining him up with your entrance.

You let out a slightly strained breath as you slide down onto him, your walls stretching around his girth as you finally fill yourself with his cock. You unfortunately have to take it easy since you completely skipped the foreplay bit, but you slowly rock your hips, indulging in every bit of pleasure even the smallest movements bring you.

Eventually you’re able to increase your speed, and you lean back, helping his cock hit just the right spot inside of you, the spot that you know will leave you blinded with ecstasy.

You don’t even realize that you’re still in your dress until Wooseok’s hand pushes your skirt back, bunching it at your hip as you ride him. “Lemme see.”

He fixates on the place where your bodies connect, his gaze full of lust. The sight of him beneath you only serves to turn you on more, and it only gets more perfect when his thumb grazes over your clit.

“Oh my God, yes,” you murmur, placing a hand behind you to hold yourself up as you lean back more. Between Wooseok’s touch and the angle of his cock, you felt yourself very quickly becoming unraveled.

Wooseok’s fingers dig into your hip, his cock sliding deliciously in and out of you. Your walls contract tightly around him as you work yourself up, entirely obsessed with the beautiful pleasure pulsing through you.

“I’m… so close…” You moan for him. “Please, keep going. Don’t change a thing.”

He groans softly. “Already, baby?”

“It feels good,” your voice is absolutely blissful. “Count down from five. Slowly.”

It’s something you like to do when you masturbate - you’ve practiced orgasming on demand because there’s something you absolutely love about forcing yourself to hold off right when you’re ready to explode.

Wooseok doesn’t question. He just keeps rubbing circles into your clit, and he counts. “Five.”

Your chest is already growing warm, your abdomen tight.

“Four.”

You force yourself to take deep breaths, but they’re littered with moans.

“Three.”

Your pussy swells with pleasure, hot and electric.

“Two.”

“Fuck!” You can barely keep yourself together. “Please please please…”

“One, baby-”

“Oh!”

You don’t just explode - you burst like a fucking broken dam. Ecstasy overwhelms you as you unintentionally squirt all over Wooseok’s stomach. You’re an absolute gushing mess for him, but you’re too caught up in your pleasure to care. Your whole body feels bathed in sunshine and you’re convinced there is no better feeling than this.

“Are you fucking kidding me?”

You’re brought back to reality when Wooseok finally speaks up. He looks absolutely shocked by what just happened, and you realize that you didn’t give him any sort of warning that you might soak him.

Panicked, you apologize. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to-”

“Shut up, you’re so fucking hot.”

Wooseok sits up and pulls you to him, kissing you more roughly than ever. You eagerly return each kiss, grateful that he’s not upset like you originally thought.

“Wooseok,” you smile against his lips at what you’re about to say. “I think now’s the time to get me naked and plow me into tomorrow.”

He laughs loudly, and his smile is adorable. “Hell yeah.”

In no time, your dress is on the floor and Wooseok has you pinned under him. Per his request you’re lying on your stomach, and he straddles your legs. He nestles his cock between your thighs, pressing into your slit with a pleased groan.

“Shit, you feel good.” He holds himself up on his forearms, and his lips find your shoulder as he thrusts into you. He starts slow but very quickly picks up the pace until you’re both panting.

You lift your hips as much as you can to meet him, your fingers deftly working your clit. A second orgasm is definitely feasible at this rate, but you’re not going to try to force it.

Wooseok leaves a trail of bites and sucks from your shoulder up your neck until he reaches your ear. He sucks your earlobe into his mouth, biting and toying with your earring as he pounds into you. The sensation drives you wild, and very suddenly you crash into another orgasm.

A weird half-squeak, half-moan comes out of you as you dissolve beneath him, and you hear a strange series of noises come from Wooseok, too. He starts to laugh, but it’s strained and broken up by strangled, awkward moans as he finishes - then he collapses on top of you, shaking with laughter.

You know he’s definitely laughing at the sound you made, and you’re definitely laughing at the way he just laughed through his orgasm. It’s just such a drastic change of mood, and it’s absolutely endearing the way he clutches onto you as he laughs.

Wooseok is everything you thought he might be in bed, and it doesn’t even phase you that your hookup ended in a less-than-hot circumstance. How could you be bothered when you’re laughing this hard?

Something about the laughter makes his embrace feel exceptionally warm. And you kind of adore that.

You feel lighter than you have in a while, even though you’re sort of being crushed by him.

“Can’t breathe!” You squeal.

“Sorry,” he chuckles, rolling off of you and onto his back. “Hey, whatever the fuck that noise was, it was super cute.”

“I could say the same about your laughing orgasm,” you retort, scooting closer to him to indulge in his warmth.

Wooseok pushes your hair back, his dark chocolate eyes locking with yours. “It’s your fault I laughed through it. I don’t know how the hell your voice even got that high.”

Just for fun, you try to recreate the noise, reaching as high as you can through your vocal range to pull out the most ridiculous note you’re capable of. You both laugh at your attempt, and then Wooseok gives it a try - and somehow far surpasses whatever pitch you had managed.

His eyes get so wide you think they might just fall out of his head, and you laugh more hysterically than you ever have in your life. It has to be physically impossible for him to screech as high as he just did, but he succeeded!

“Wooseok, what the fuck?” It’s impossible to catch your breath, but you manage to get some words out.

“I don’t even know.” He shakes his head and shrugs, laughing right along with you.

Eventually you’re both able to calm down. Your arm is draped across his chest, and his hand glides up and down your spine in a way that soothes you. The friends-with-benefits line is a little blurred because you’re not sure if cuddling is part of that package, but as per usual you tell yourself that you’ll figure it out later. You’d rather just enjoy yourself.

“_____?” Wooseok gently breathes your name into your hair, and you prop yourself up on your elbow so you can look at him. He’s gorgeous and you don’t know how you didn’t see it before. “I’m glad you came over.”

You don’t think - you just act on instinct. Your fingers glide up to his cheek and you lean down to kiss him. Wooseok’s lips are warm and soft, and the kiss is sensual and provocative and...

And it melts deep into your heart, lighting you up from head to toe.

It stirs up every romantic thought that you know you shouldn’t have about him.

Fuck.

Post Script | Thank you for reading! Please stay tuned for Part 7.

130 notes · View notes

faintblueivy · 5 years

Text

Seasons we’ve seen together - yukimachi fanfiction

A/N: So after slaving over a week for this I've finally completed it! I'm so glad!

Before we start, let me scream - SPOILERS!

Summary - Finding eachother and falling in love was not something they thought was possible for them. But as the seasons passed by, it became easier. Yuki and Machi - and few moments of them being together.

Ao3 link

Didn't think that I'll fall for another OTP, but guess what? I'm here with something new for these two idiots in love. This is my first time writing for Fruits Basket fandom and I desperately hope that I've done them justice. Hope you all enjoy it!

Word Count - 4k

Genre - Fluff, nothing else ;)

Seasons we've seen together

Spring

The first time she meets him, spring is in full bloom.

It was her second day of high school and the beautiful and pink cherry blossoms were raining down. The gentle wift of sweetness lingering in the air was a reminder of the new season. And also for new beginnings like everyone said.

Walking down the unfamiliar hallways with a sheaf of papers in her arms, Machi feels oddly aware of every eye that follows her movement. The halls are bustling with seniors and she wonders why was it a good idea for the staff room to be built on the second year's floor. She didn't want to admit it but a part of her was wishing to catch a glimpse of her idiotic older brother. In a sea of nothing but strangers, Machi longs to find comfort of seeing someone familiar. She sighs inwardly. She had never imagined to see a day where she would want to see Kakeru voluntarily.

"Excuse me?"

Name of the devil- wait, the voice was softer than her brother's upbeat screech.

She whirls around and comes face to face with 'the prince'. The rumoured senior who had been proclaimed as the most beautiful boy of the school. She had seen him first through the windows, surrounded by people smiling gently, as the girls around her talked about how perfect and charming he looked.

The prince with a lonely smile.

But now close up from here, she could see how mussed his hair was and the tie he wore looked crooked. Prince? Was she sure he was one?

"Yes?"

"Ah, I think you dropped this."

He extends a few papers in her direction which might have spiralled down to the floor when she was busy grappling with her thoughts.

She is able to mumble out a 'thank you' as he places the papers on the top. She waits for him to leave but he doesn't. Instead, he gives her that carefully calculated smile that she had seen a day ago directed at someone else and asks, "Do you need some help?"

"Could you please let me know the way to staff room?"

She replies him with another question of her own, her observant eyes noticing how he eyed the large bundle of papers in her arms.

"Sure. Just take right turn the next aisle you see. You'll see the plaque hanging right in front."

"Thank you."

She gives him a small bow, mindful of the stuff she was carrying. He gives her a nod and a genuine smile and weirdly enough, a part of her is relieved to see that he could smile like that. Before they could part appropriately, he is approached by a group of giggling and squealing girls who were gushing about how they were absolutely sure that he would ace the tests. Machi didn't know him that good but even still she could see how uncomfortably overwhelmed he looked at the moment. Giving him one last glance Machi went on her way, sure that he'd forget her in an hour or two. After all, why would the prince surrounded by people remember someone like her.

But she couldn't have been more wrong.

Summer

If he was honest, then Yuki didn't think he was enjoying being the student council president. Apart from the stress that the curse caused, he couldn't hold the energy that the student council exudated together. From Kakeru's unbound enthusiasm to Nao's complaining and Kimi's shallowness - everything would tire him out to the bones at the end of everyday. These people drove him mad with their eccentricness and unrestrained behaviour. Not that he should complain...but still.

Except for the newly appointed school treasurer who, at the moment, has been quietly following him around.

Kuragi Machi.

He tilts his head back slightly to steal a glance at the girl who had never once lifted her head from the papers she was invested in. Even accompanying him on the patrol today was Kimi's job. Not hers. But somehow Kimi had pushed the chore to the younger girl.

"Kuragi-san? Where do we go next?"

He questions, a pathetic attempt to start a conversation once again after countless failures.

"The sports club."

She replies monotonously, eyes never once leaving the list. He nods in acknowledgement, inwardly grimacing at another defeat.

It didn't matter, he had the entire list memorized but he couldn't help but notice how different this girl behaved. She had perfect grades, good records, perfect attendance and was highly efficient in her work. But despite how much rowdy the student council office got, she would still finish her work on time and even have enough energy to make up for the slack of others. Yuki cannot explain it in words but her behaviour unnerved him for some reason. The scene of their first meeting is still fresh in his mind. He still didn't know what had caused her to be on her knees back then, with files, papers and the entire room torn all around her. What was that Kakeru knew but he didn't.

And if he has to admit, he wants to know her better. Something about her empty eyes spoke volumes to him. He wonders why nobody else could see what he did in her. It causes a sense of discomfort in him knowing that this person was hiding her true self behind that perfect doll like persona.

"President, we're here." Her voice stops his train of thoughts, startling him for a second.

"Ah, yes. Of course."

He gives her an apologetic smile realising that he had been so occupied with his thoughts that he might have missed the gate to the outside had she not pointed it out.

The sports club building was situated near the playgrounds and fields, at a distance from the main campus. They had to walk around the football field to reach on the other side.

Yuki inhales a breath of fresh air, the sun shining strongly above their heads. It decides that it feels good. He gives a smile to his companion but she returns the look with a blank face and Yuki inwardly laughs.

It was no surprise that class 1 C was having their sports period at the moment. He had the entire time table in his head. He knew that. What shocked him was the way he was hounded on by the junior girls the second he stepped on the field.

"Yuki Senpai!"

"Senpai!"

"Sohma senpai!"

He jumps away from the girls, careful at dodging any physical affection they fling on him. His anxiousness rises as they push their way through each other, fighting, arguing and calling each other's names.

"Watch out!"

Somebody yells and Yuki feels his senses go on high alert. The first thing he notices is a football hurtling straight at them. Without thinking much, he immediately steps forward, swinging his leg out with enough force to deflect the ball on the other side. Thankfully, everyone is safe and unharmed.

"Yuki Senpai! You're a hero!"

The girls start screaming even before he is sure he had saved them all. The second he puts his foot down, he realises he had sprained it. Badly. He instantly bites his lip to not wince in pain.

"Yuki Senpai, you're really such a good hearted prince!" Someone sings from the crowd, and those words make something twist in his gut.

"I'm not..." Yuki blurts out, softly enough that the girls do not hear.

He watches the chaos for a few more minutes, trying to pacify them but with no luck. The pain in his foot growing much worse with the ticking of the clock.

"Excuse me, President. We must leave. Sports club council is waiting for us."

A familiar voice from his side delivers and he thanks Kuragi-san a million times for saving him inside his head. Apologising and leaving as soon as he could, he feels as if he could finally take a breath again after escaping the gaggle of girls. He is careful to hide his limp, deciding to deal with it only after he had reached home.

They were seated in the sports club council room to talk about the investments and renovation that the club required. But even before they could begin the meeting with the sport council's president, someone rushed in a flurry to report something immediate to the guy.

"Ah, apologies! President! Looks like I'll have to deal with the mess these idiots have made again! Will it be okay if I return back in five minutes?" He asks with a grimacing smile.

"Absolutely. Don't worry about it Nakamura-san. Please go ahead." Yuki returns it with an sympathizing one and giving a nod.

The boy is about to walk out of the room when she, who rarely ever speaks, calls out loudly.

"Nakamura-san. If you don't mind, may I use the first aid kit here?" She gestures to the kit that was kept above one of the cabinets.

"Definitely. Feel free to use it." He nods in agreement before running out of the room. The boy is barely out of the room when she speaks again, this time directed at him.

"President. Please remove your shoes."

Yuki sits their gobsmacked as she is busy rummaging through to kit, pulling out pain relieving spray and creams.

He was so sure that he had hidden his pain well. Nobody else had noticed. Then how did she? Was he that easy to read? But then again, people see him as a perfect prince. Should a perfect prince be injured and feel pain? He was sure that the answer would definitely be a 'No'. He is startled again when she kneels in front of him with the medical supplies.

What she told him next was something nobody had ever said. Something he had desperately needed to told. But he never thought that it would be from her. The person he wanted to help and to save. But nonetheless, it made him feel warm inside. And it was something he could never forget.

"You are not a Prince. You are in pain and you could have said something sooner. President, please remember that."

Rains

The stack of papers seems never ending. His pen glides over the paper fluently, extra care being taken to make sure that no mistakes occur. The door to the room is open, wind wafting in softly, carrying the scent of petrichor with it.

The sound of rain hitting the window panes was overpowering the silence of the room. Yuki is not worried, because most of the noise causing elements of the student council were currently absent.

Kimi was out on a date with one of her new boyfriends. Nao had left earlier to prepare for an upcoming test. And Kakeru, worried about the incoming weather and torrential rains had left to pick up his girlfriend from her school, obviously entrusting his precious sister's well being in Yun-Yun's hands. Though he did not forget to warn Yuki to not do anything perverted to his sister which had unsurprisingly earned him a harsh bonk on the head.

His gaze darts toward the only other occupant of the room. Machi is busy scribbling on a notepad, working with numbers, her diligence for her work being reflected by her immense concentration. Yuki feels a little guilty though. She might have left earlier had he not asked her to calculate and summarise the expenses of the sports club for the last three months. But she never complained. The thing is she never did.

Unable to tear his gaze away from her, he admits how much he adores the way she subtly bites her lip when something doesn't add up. He likes how her brows shoot up when she finds the error in her calculations. He has no idea how long he's been sitting there simply taking her features in. And if he was honest, he is thankful to Kakeru for arranging their seats in a way that allowed him to stare at her without much suspicion.

A part of him feels wrong... watching her like this, when his heart thrums the way it does. She's...so unaware of him and his growing fondness for her but so incredibly conscious of the mess he is and his demons. He had always wondered if there was someone who could see past his lonely smile. And now, the person of his dreams was sitting right in front of him, barely a few feet away.

The sound of the rain becomes louder as the lights flicker off, startling her. The room falls into a colour of grey and darkness as she looks around with slightly visible panic on her face, only for her dark brown eyes to meet his grey ones. He is definitely amused when, even in the dim light, he can see a hint of redness of her cheeks. And she might have noticed it too, he knows when she turns her head to a side, willing her long bangs to hide it. Even though her cuteness is too much for him, her stubborn behaviour is something he has surpassed. So, in the premise of opening the window of the room, on her right, he stalks near her desk, loving how the red of her cheeks grows even brighter. His hands mechanically open the latch of the window, his attention is still directed at her. Of course, that is his fault when a violent spray of water rushes in and makes him sputter like an idiot.

"President?"

He notes how she sounds alarmed and his form tenses when she appears beside him, closer than they normally are. But Machi has never been the one to invade people's personal space and she probably had none of Tohru's natural clumsiness. He swipes the water on his lashes by the sleeve of his shirt when a white handkerchief enters his field of vision.

Machi extends the small article in his direction with wide worried eyes.

"Are you all right?"

He takes the offered cloth with a thankful smile and wipes his face. He's unexpectedly thrown off guard when her scent hits his senses. It was soft, so unlike Kimi's perfume which was strong enough to make them all cringe at it's fruity flavour. He could not put a finger at what this smell feels like though. And he was sure that trying to inhale it with a breath would definitely...freak Machi out. And he wants to believe that he is not a pervert.

"Thank you, Machi."

He expresses his gratitude, eyes brimming with something he can hardly hold. She nods and comes to stand beside him on the window, not minding the stray water droplets that hit her. Yuki notices how her eyes soften.

"Does Machi like rain?"

He questions, his gaze travelling to the cloudy sky above, watching the descent of the drizzle.

She hums in agreement and whispers, "Rain - messes up everything. Causes disorder and troubles in our mundane routine. But yet, it breathes life into everything around us. We can't survive without it, can we? And I think it's beautiful."

The faint smile that graces her lips is something that Yuki might have missed had he not been paying as much attention to her as he did. Machi is the only girl beside Tohru, whose simple upward quirk of lips could make his heart swell with immense affection. Maybe it was how rare this smile seemed that Yuki desperately wished to etch this moment in the back of his mind, to preserve and hold it close forever like a precious gem.

He had known that she was special for a while now, but now, he accepted that he yearned to see that smile for as long as possible.

Autumn

The red leaves dance around her as she trudges through the roads to her apartment. The sun is about to set, the sky painted in hues of red, gold and pink. She jumps when a wildly whirling leaf smacks her right in the face, her fingers immediately latching on it.

The leaf looked...pretty. Red, with more yellow splotches on the left side than the right and a few brown spots of decay. It reminds her of the leaf she still had in her bag, tucked safely in one of her notebooks. Suddenly, a strong wind blows and the leaf escapes her fingers in the direction of the path she had just walked away from. And probably due to her stupid fascination with red coloured maple leaves, she instinctively runs to follow it when a hand snatches it out of air in one swift motion.

She is left dumbfounded. The president of her school is standing right in front of her, her leaf pinched carefully between his long fingers.

"Were you looking for this?"

He steps closer to her, offering the leaf as if he was offering a rose, smiling softly. She grasps the stalk of the leaf and holds it close to her chest.

"What are you doing here?"

"Why? Is there a rule that I am not allowed in this part of the city?" He teases her, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.

Before she can retort, he smiles and says, "Please come with me."

Moving past her he heads for a certain destination and a part of her feels indignant that he's sure she'll follow him. Funnily enough, another part of her conscience chides her, reminding that he wouldn't come all the way just to annoy her. He is not like that. Then again, she shouldn't underestimate him.

He leads them to a nearby park and gestures for her to sit down on a bench, beside him. Machi flushes slightly but settles beside him anyway.

"Actually," he speaks rummaging through his backpack, "I came here to return this back to you." Pulling out a file, he hands it over to her. And she immediately notes it to be her assignment file.

"I thought I dropped it in my bag." She mumbles, quite astonished that she had carelessly left it behind.

Yuki's chuckle pulls her out of her thoughts.

"It wasn't you!" He laughs. "It was Kakeru! That idiot pulled your bag apart when you were out with Kimi for a pencil he couldn't find. And then forgot to rearrange it and put this file back. And I noticed it only after you had left."

"That idiot…" Machi hisses, but then looks at Yuki. "President, why did you-"

"Don't worry about it! I'm glad that I caught up to you."

He gives her such a smile that it knocks the breath out of her lungs. He looks almost a figment of her imagination, smiling like that, with red leaves falling over them. So beautiful. So impossible. But yet, here he was, sitting beside her as if she was someone who should be cherished.

"Has Machi eaten the dango of that shop here?"

His words startle her, she jerks her gaze away from him to the shop across the street he was pointing at.

"No." She answers timidly.

"Come on then! Let's have some!" He stands up, excited, offering her his hand and Machi feels her heart thudding in her ears. The red creeps on her face and she scolds herself for letting him overwhelm her with his exuberance every single time.

A few minutes later, they are on the bench again, biting onto the soft and delicious dango and Machi has to admit that it tastes good. She steals a glance at her companion who is already chewing on his third stick, eyes focused on the scenery around them.

"President?"

"Hmm?"

"You didn't have to come all the way here to deliver that assignment."

He looks at her, a questioning expression on his face as he chews on the last bite.

"Actually, that assignment was already graded."

What continues her statement is a long stretch of silence as Yuki sits there with his mouth hung open.

"You mean-"

"Yes, the assignment was already graded. You...wasted your time by coming here." She says, softly, averting her gaze.

"Machi." He calls out, chiding her gently.

She stares at her shoes unable to meet his eyes because she did occupy his time unnecessarily. She wonders if he was minding it now. She wants to run away and hide in some hole when he leans closer to her, his lips a few inches away from her ear.

"Machi, I did not waste my time. I was here because I wanted to be. In Fact, I'm glad I got to share and eat dango with you."

His genuine but firm words, his fond smile and the transparent look in his eyes was too staggering for her. It was so incredibly hard to accept that he was here out of his own free will. Not because he was forced to. Not because he felt obligated too. But because he wanted to be here. Because he didn't mind spending time with her. A strange warmth pooled inside her chest, spreading through her bones, making her tingle all over.

He simply chuckles and bids her farewell, loving how her face was the brightest red he had ever seen.

Winter

When the morning sun rays penetrate the minute gap between the curtains of his room, Yuki wakes up. He blinks, eyes full of golden light and dark brown hair over his nose and lips. Even his sleep deprived senses are honed enough to detect her presence beside him and it leaves him with a comforting warmth.

He gently swipes her hair off his face, grey eyes coming to rest on soft sleeping face. Her head is resting in the crook of his arm and her arm was draped over his torso. Her leg is over his, bare and soft. She is dressed in a pair of small pajamas and his red shirt. He knows he was leaner in comparison to a lot of other men, but still his clothes were too big for her. Though he loves seeing her in them. The shirt is quite large for her small frame, sliding off on from one shoulder, exposing her soft and pale skin to him.

A sudden cold sensation of chill makes him shiver and he immediately drags the blankets up to cover both of them. His arms slide over her waist, pulling her close to him and nuzzling her neck and side of cheek. Sometimes, having her beside him feels like a dream that he's terrified of waking up from. Both of them have had struggled against their own demons, found love and support in each other and the few kind people around them. As time passes by, things change and people do too.

Like how he loves mornings now.

For as long as he can remember, he has never been a morning person. But having Machi nestled against him, watching the sun rays fall on her eyelashes, illuminating her in a golden ethereal glow filled him with a sense of contentment that nothing else did. That moment of satisfaction, that feeling of his heart beating in his chest in synchrony to hers was something he craved so deeply that any morning he got to witness it made him feel blessed.

But he knows he's not the only one to have started loving something he never had before because of Machi. She had confessed to him as well, how winters - which she dreaded before became something she held close to her heart thanks to the promise he had made years back.

Yuki leans over and gently brushes his lips on her forehead and a small moan escapes her mouth.

"Good morning, sleeping beauty."

He calls her affectionately, knowing that he was going to receive a smack for that later. She blinks, frowning at him and then burying her face into his chest again.

"Machi. Wake up." He pokes his nose on her cheek and she immediately swatts him away. He chuckles and slowly slides away from her, out of the bed. The air is so cold and crisp that he resists the urge to crawl back into the blankets and into Machi's arms again with everything he had. Sauntering over to the window, he pulls the curtains apart and gasps dramatically.

"It's snowing! Machi, wake up!"

He runs to the bed, disheveling the blankets and adoring the angry noises his wife was making. Finally pulling the last blanket off her, he makes a few more attempts to get her out of the bed with no success. He sighs and takes a moment to appreciate her small form and his eyes coming to rest on the milky stretch of white skin of her exposed shoulder, and a devilish idea lights up his brain. He quickly leans over and playfully nips her bare shoulder.

"Yuki!"

Machi squeals, thrashing her arm out to strike him but he's agile enough to dodge it efficiently.

"Try harder Machi. You won't have me like that." He smirks, making sure that she notices the way he's all over her.

Okay, fine. He is a pervert. But only when it comes to her.

The next few minutes are nothing but a scarlet faced Machi chasing him around the house in nothing but pajamas in freezing winters.

Yuki knows, if someone ever asks him to define love, all he would ever say that it's the feeling you get when you witness all the seasons passing, but falling in love and finding something precious to appreciate in each of them because you have that person - the love of your life - by your side.

That is what love is.

A/N: Yuki and Machi through the different seasons. I really wanted to write something special for them. And I'm glad I did! Gooooshhhh I can't wait to see Machi and Kakeru in the new anime! We're slowly edging towards their appearance! AAAAAAAHHHHHHHH! Btw, please do tell me your thoughts for this story! Thank you for reading!

#yukimachi #yuchi #yuki x machi #Yuki Sohma #yuki souma #yuki #machi kuragi #yumachi #machi #Fruits Basket #fruits basket spoilers #fruits basket 2019

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