#2 today 2 tomorrow like i intended from the start
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Far Cry OC Tournament Round 1B: Jason Spero v Jestiny Ellen Rook
Contestant info and voting under the cut!
Jason Spero (@levithestripper)
About: Jason is 28 years old and the newest Junior Deputy. He’s a Hope County native, growing up with Nick and Sharky. He’s known as a big prankster, filling out the trifecta of silly little guys from Bumbfuck Nowhere, Montana Jason’s favorite memory is when after school one day, Nick double dog dared him to microwave a fork. Jason’s hair didn’t lay flat for a week after that.
Does your OC have anything to share?: “Shark said if I win—or at least not lose immediately—he’ll buy me dinner! Which is perfect, ’cause I’m starving!” —Jason
Anything else we should know?: Jason has mostly fluff where his brain should be. He and Sharky share a quarter of a brain cell which they both lost track of a half-mile down the road. Neither he nor Sharky realizes they’re dating until one of them kisses the other good night. Himbo 4 Himbo relationship goals. Jason also likes to call Sharky “Shark”.
Jestiny Ellen Rook (@adelaidedrubman)
About: “the sorriest excuse for a soldier I ever seen.” - description from brother nathan, participant in jestiny’s trials and known gossip. jestiny is a hope county sheriff’s department junior deputy by vocation, clown by nature, fisherman by preferred pastime, dolly parton enthusiast by virtue of good taste, opossum surrogate mother by luck, and — above all else — a cringefail pathetic loser by the grace of god. credit to @starsandskies for the portrait!
Does your OC have anything to share?: jestiny’s presence in the ring is immediately intimidating. she boasts strong, brawny arms and powerful, calloused hands she knows how to use. she also boasts in the literal sense, hurling graphic threats and vicious mockery even before fists begin flying. between the brash attitude and the sturdy, sculpted jawline, it’s also clear she can and has taken a punch in her time. but most terrifying are those wild, fiery eyes with an obvious violent temperament and quick wit behind them. she thinks as fast as she moves. and she moves FAST. she lunges, swift and unyielding. she corners. she squares up. she goes in for the kill. she winds her arm back. she swings towards her opponent with a deadly speed — she misses by a foot, the force causing her to fall face-first onto the floor. it’s thirty seconds in. jestiny is knocked out with a fractured skull. her opponent has not thrown a punch. jessie instantly progresses to the loser’s bracket.
Anything else we should know?: HIIIIIII in case it wasn’t clear i want jestiny to lose all her matches and go to the losers bracket and then lose there first. she is a failure and constantly fumbles the bag when it matters most and my goal and dream is to have her voted Most Pathetic Biggest Flop around. PLEASE PLEASE vote for whoever jestiny is up against to win so she can officially be crowned the ultimate failure.
#far cry oc tournament#oc polls#round 1b#far cry 5#it'd be really funny if it was 100%-0% for jestiny but ik some people will vote her regardless#also not gonna post the whole round all at once like i did by accident again#2 today 2 tomorrow like i intended from the start#unless i get impatient
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i got the nintendo online app working on my phone, so i’ll take advantage of this bit now. shame they don’t tell you how many games you play overall with a given weapon.
by turf inked and by wins, the Undercover Brella, Inkbrush, Octo Shot Replica, the Gold Dynamo Roller, and, not pictured here, the Custom Hydra Splatling are my top five weapons of all time! the Octo Shot and Gold switch places depending which one you’re going by.
also, on the right there, is the Salmon run info card. i mostly included it so that the weapon data photos didn’t make this post massive in its’ own right. i don’t think i hit any major milestones since last time i flaunted, so it’s a bit less interesting in my opinion.
#photos#splat series#splatoon 2#yeah this is a pretty good post for 8500.#i get splat 3 tomorrow(hopefully) but i don't intend to liveblog that experience#any story details are gonna be relegated to the queue so we're good here until like. novemer at the earliest.#aside from that i'm not too sure how else i'll do non-fest stuff for the time being.#i think... i'll make the queue post nine times over two hours? maybe even a solid 10p/2h.#it needs to start getting gone through!#eh i'll trial the two hours idea today at nine posts. see how that goes for a week.
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Cross-Country Christmas
Summary: When Ari is left stranded at the airport on Christmas Eve, you find yourself in need of a little holiday miracle...
Warnings: Light Angst, Mature Themes, Angst, Ari Being A Menace, Holiday Themes, Smut, Arguments, Oral Sex (fem rec), Spanking (mentioned), Pet Names, Cursing, Violent Thoughts, Minors DNI
A/N: Full story! Part of my Sweet Renegades Series. Semi-proofread, not beta'd. All mistakes are my own. Likes, comments, and reblogs are always appreciated. Thanks for reading!
2:00pm, Christmas Eve – Bell’s Creek, Texas
You couldn’t believe this was happening. After spending the last several days out of town with his family, Ari had been due to fly back to Bell’s Creek tonight so that the two of you could spend the holiday together.
Your first Christmas as a couple.
But that was before the surprise arrival of the severe winter storm that was currently sweeping through the Midwest, resulting in numerous canceled flights that had left thousands stranded across the country – including your handsome Bounty Hunter.
“Are they at least trying to get you on another flight, or are you just shit out of luck?” Putting the phone on speaker, you set it on the counter so that you can go back to rolling out more dough for your next pie.
“Well, the airline is being a little evasive.” Ari admits, blowing out a heavy breath. You can practically hear him raking an agitated hand through his chestnut locks. “But with this storm comin’ in, I’m gettin’ the sense that I’m most likely fucked until tomorrow. Maybe a little longer.”
“This is exactly why you should’ve just stayed at your sister’s place.” You sniffle, blinking away tears as you wield your rolling pin with a touch more force than necessary.
“Bird.” You can tell he’s doing his best to keep hold of his patience.
“Oh, don’t “Bird” me.”
“Bird.” This time your name is spoken with a slightly more authoritative note. It’s one that your body recognizes almost immediately. “Please don’t start with me, okay? I’m not in the mood.”
Too bad you weren’t neccessarily in the mood to obey today.
“I’m just saying.” You continue, feeling more pissed at mother nature than anything else. “If you would’ve stayed with Evelyn and the kids at least you would’ve been able to be with your family on Christmas.” You toss the pin in the sink, wincing at the loud clatter it makes. “Now you’ll probably be stuck all alone, sleeping with a bunch of grumpy strangers at the flippin’ airport!”
“That’s enough of the sass, baby.” Ari grunts.
“It’s not sass if it’s the truth, Ari.” You hum, peering over at the apples you’ve got soaking in a bowl filled with 7-Up.
“Sweetheart.” The soft rebuke rolls easily off his tongue. “I made a promise to spend Christmas Day with you – all wrapped up in you – and it’s one I intend to keep. Somehow.” He tacks on the last bit, which unknowingly brings a smile to your lips.
“At this rate, you’re gonna be spending at least part of the holiday sleeping at your gate.”
“Fuck.” He curses under his breath.
“Want me to call the airline, sugar?” You ask as you go to rest your elbows on the counter so you can attempt to stretch the muscles in your lower back. “See if I can fight with ‘em enough so they at least put you up in a nice hotel so that you can get a good night’s rest?”
“Nah, baby. They got me on standby and all that. I’m trying to get away from this shithole as soon as possible.” While you appreciated his determination, not even your big, bad Bounty Hunter could beat a snowstorm.
“Hey! Omaha is not a shithole.” You chuckle, feeling a little defensive on behalf of a city you’d never visited. “I looked ‘em up. They’ve got some amazing museums.” You fish an apple slice out of the bowl and pop it into your mouth, chewing slowly. “I could have a good time in a place like that.”
“Then get your pretty ass down here already and we’ll take every goddamned tour they’ve got.”
“Would if I could, Beast.” You find yourself squeezing your eyes shut to keep the tears at bay. “I’d give anything to have you back in Bell’s Creek with me. I miss you taking up all the space in my tiny kitchen while you help yourself to my treats.”
“I know. I promise I’ll get there. Just do me a favor and don’t start looking for my replacement just yet, okay?”
Your stomach dips when you realize he’s about to say goodbye. Which is fine because you also still had a ton of baking to do. And while you still weren’t quite sure if you were going to follow through with your original Christmas Day dinner plans, the last thing you wanted was for Ari to hear you crying at the unfairness of it all over the phone.
It would only make him feel worse than he already did.
“I’m not sure if anyone could ever replace you, not that I would ever try.” You tell him honestly. “I love you too much.”
“Damn right you do.” Comes your man’s rich, self-assured reply. “No better feeling in the world than being loved by my Duchess.” The warmth in his tone has butterflies stirring in your belly.
They were the good kind of butterflies – the ones only Ari could cause.
“Go get some food and then call me in a bit.” You glance at the clock to check the time. At 2:06pm, there was no way that all hope was lost just yet. “Maybe we’ll get lucky and they’ll be an update.”
“Sure thing, baby. But the same goes for you. And don’t just snack – eat something real for me.” His bossy tone has your pulse kicking up.
“You didn’t say please.” Your hand goes to cover your mouth as you tamp down a playful giggle.
“Mmm.” Ari groans as he moves to stretch out the kinks in his back. At least that was what you imagined he was doing. “Could you please do me a kindness and keep feeding those curves? I reckon I’m gonna need a little taste of something sweet when I walk through that front door. You with me?”
“I–I’m with you.” You stammer slightly, your mouth suddenly dry. Another effect that man seemed to have on you. “And I promise I’ll eat. Now hang up with me and go make some friends or something.”
“Thank you, sweet girl. But we’ve been over this, and I’m pretty sure you’re the only friend I need.” He quips rather smugly, his voice deepening ever so slightly.
“Ari…” This had the makings of one of the older, more ridiculous arguments you’d had written all over it.
“Because the way I see it, we’re best friends.” He continues almost as if you hadn’t spoken. “What with all of the sleepovers, and the hair braiding, and don’t get me started on how many times you’ve kept me up late so you could make sure I’ve had my fill of all that sweetness you’ve got between –”
“Okay, okay, okay!” You cut him off with a hiss, not missing the way he laughs. “Fine, we can be best friends as long as you work on getting your cute butt home to me before Christmas, alright?”
“Yes, Duchess.” He finally replies after taking some time to collect himself. “You have my word I’ll keep working on that too. Just hold tight and I’ll be in touch with an update as soon as I have one.”
“Thank you, Beast. I’ll, uh, talk to you soon.”
“You can count on it.” Is all he says before the line goes dead, leaving you alone with your thoughts once more.
If Ari couldn’t make it back for Christmas, you would be devastated. Here you were, finally feeling safe in a secure and loving relationship, and now there was a strong possibility that you both might be forced to celebrate the holiday hundreds of miles apart from each other.
“God, I can feel a headache coming on.” You mumble as your fingers go to massage your temples.
8:30am, Christmas Day - Bell’s Creek, Texas
“I promise I’ll be fine, Beast.” Drying your tears, you crumble up your tissues in your fist before discarding them in favor of taking a sip of your coffee. “Like you just said, there’ll be other holidays. And certainly other Christmases.”
Ari was still stuck in Omaha. And while you had suspected this call was coming, you hadn’t been prepared for how much the disappointment would affect you.
By all accounts, your Bounty Hunter appeared to be in good spirits, albeit a little tired. He was still on standby, even though all flights were still grounded indefinitely. But you’d at least been happy to hear that he’d somehow managed to catch a few hours of sleep.
Not only that, but he’d also made a new friend in some guy named Clint. They apparently had a number of things in common, with the most important being that they’d both served overseas. Ari had also alluded to his new buddy being in law enforcement as well.
But if you were being honest, you’d been so focused on trying to sound positive that you hadn’t quite been able to focus on his words as much as you would’ve liked. Thankfully, Ari seemed keen on having a conversation – even if it came across a bit one-sided.
“The airline keeps offering to put us up for the night. Anyone who accepts will be guaranteed a spot on one of the first flights out.” Ari coughs softly before continuing. “However, if you’re willing to wait a little bit there’s talk about them sweetening the deal with some sort of voucher or somethin’, plus miles and all that shit.”
“Oh?” Is all you can manage, forcing yourself to take another pull of your now lukewarm coffee.
“Yeah. So, Clint and I were thinking…” He trails off, briefly leaning away from the receiver to comment on something you couldn’t see.
“You two were thinking…what?” Your next sip of coffee tastes surprisingly bitter on your tongue. Maybe you should dump out the pot and brew a fresh one.
“That we should take ‘em up on their offer and just ride this storm out. We take the points, get the voucher, and then maybe in a month or two, we go on a vacation together somewhere nice.”
“You and Clint?!” You screech, accidentally knocking over your mug in the process. “Shit!” You scramble out of your chair to grab a dish towel and hurriedly mop up the mess.
“Hate to break it to ya, baby, but Clint’s not really my type.” The Bounty Hunter chuckles into the phone. “I was talking about me and you, Bird. We can pick a destination and have ourselves a holiday do-over.”
A beat goes by before you respond the only way that makes any real, logical sense. Even though it seems to take every last bit of your resolve.
“Okay.” Your voice comes out small and resigned.
“Aw now, don’t fret. I’ll be home soon.” Ari does his best to reassure you. “And once I’m back, we will spend every waking minute making up for lost time. You have my word.”
Well, when he put it like that…
“I guess we can hold off for a little while longer.” You sniff, wishing you could just go back to bed and sleep until tomorrow. “But you had better keep your promise, Beast. Otherwise I’m gonna have to track down Santa and ask him for a new man.”
Your half-hearted attempt at humor elicits a short bark of laughter from Ari which, in turn, makes you smile as well. Sometimes pushing his buttons a little managed to bring joy to your life.
“Try it, sweet Bird, and I’m telling you right now that I’ll have you in my truck and over my knee before you make it outta the next county.” Comes his gruff response, clearly not enjoying the image of you hanging off another fella’s arm.
You know without asking that he’s probably not kidding – so you decide to leave it alone. If he wanted to thump his chest a little, then you’d let him.
“It was a joke.” You amend when the line falls silent. Standing, you pad towards the fridge on bare feet, stopping once you reach the doors. Yanking one open, you survey the contents, silently wondering if you could even be bothered enough to cook today.
Granted, the spiral cut ham you’d purchased from the butcher wouldn’t take very long in the oven. All you had to do now was throw together the glaze and it would be ready to do its thing. Plus, you’d already baked the pies yesterday, which meant that all that was left for the day was the cake.
“Joking about my replacement isn’t funny.” Ari growls, the sound rumbling from somewhere deep in his chest. “Especially when I can’t be there in person to plead my case.”
You blow out a frustrated breath at the same time as you roll your eyes. Couldn’t he understand that you needed to make yourself laugh now and then in order to keep from crying? What was so wrong about that?
“I just said I was kidding. But if you wanna plead your case to someone, plead it to your new friend, Clint. See what he says.” The words tumble out faster than you can stop them.
Now you could feel your sadness slowly giving way to anger. Not at Ari or his newfound airport buddy, but at the situation as a whole. Which meant it was time to get off the phone before you said something you would later regret.
“And just what’s that supposed to mean, Duchess?”
“It’s – nothing.” You clamp your mouth shut and close the fridge, all the while trying to keep the tears at bay.
“Because if I had my way, I’d be there with you right now so we could have this stupid argument in person. You gotta know that.”
“I know.”
“Do you, sweetness?”
“Yes, I do.” You respond a touch more firmly, scrubbing your eyes with the heel of your palm. “I just hate this. I hate that it’s Christmas, and that you’re stuck all alone in Omaha and I’m here. But I don’t wanna fight with you, Beast. Not really. I just miss you.”
“So then let’s not fight.” His soft plea makes you sniffle. “I’m gonna go figure out how all this hotel bullshit works and get myself settled in. In the meantime, I want you to go take yourself a nice hot shower and just relax. I’ll call you later, okay?”
For a moment, you allow the gentle warmth of his voice to wash over you. If you closed your eyes it was almost like you could pretend he was with you now. As if he was only seconds away from wrapping his brawny arms your waist and hauling you close.
A tear rolls down your cheek as you imagine him burying his face in the crook of your neck, planting tiny kisses along your sensitive flesh until he had you giggling and squirming in his grasp.
“Bird?”
The sound of your nickname jolts you from your reverie, reminding you that it was time to say goodbye. At least for a little while. Good Lord, when had you become so needy for this man? It must’ve happened when you weren’t paying attention.
“Goodbye, Ari.” You whisper before using your thumb to end the call.
Setting your phone on the counte do a quick spin, silently taking stock of everything you still had to do. If you started cooking relatively soon, you’d be able to occupy yourself until mid-afternoon. And then you would take a shower, and while you were busy doing that you would figure out your next move.
You’re sitting in a chair that isn’t yours with your arms propped up on a desk that doesn’t belong to you while your chin rests on your palm. Instead of spending the afternoon moping, you’d decided to bring a little holiday cheer to your local boys in blue in the form of a home cooked Christmas dinner.
“Glad you like everything.” You say for what feels like the umpteenth time as you watch Bell’s Creek’s newest Deputy, Milton Foster, happily devour his second helping of macaroni and cheese.
A few days ago, you would never have imagined that this would be how you would spend your Christmas Day. But, as they say, beggars couldn’t be choosers. So, it was either enjoy a front row seat to watch Milton wolf down his food at an almost alarming speed, or you could go home and maybe watch a Christmas special on TV.
Alone. By yourself. Yeah, no thanks.
“Yep.” Milton grunts once he finally comes up for air. He manages a sip of his drink before diving back in for a slice of glazed ham, stabbing it with his fork and shoveling it into his mouth. “Looks like Levinson’s loss is my gain. Sorry buddy.”
The words are spoken through a mouthful of food, but you understand them just fine. But just because Milton was arguably your favorite member of the town’s police force didn’t mean he was above pricking your temper every now and again.
And today you were feeling mighty prickly.
“Another crack like that and no pie for you.” That stops him cold, his sharp gray eyes immediately zeroing-in on the whole cherry pie you’d decided to bring along as dessert.
“My apologies.” He beats a hasty retreat, using his fist to muffle a burp. “You know I was only kiddin’. I’m just happy I don’t have to subject myself to another year of Ma’s Christmas Tuna Casserole.” He shudders playfully. “I don’t think I coulda’ handled that one.”
“Yikes.” You mutter before pushing away from the desk to stretch your legs.
“Yeah, it’s a hard-knock life.” He offers you a smile before wiping at his face with a napkin. “You sure you’re not hungry? I know the man’s not here, but I doubt he’d like the idea of me sittin’ here stuffin’ my face while you nurse a Diet Coke.”
“Eh,” you shrug. “He knows how I am. After tasting and smelling everything for hours on end, I’m not typically all that hungry.”
Which was one of the reasons your Beast liked to take it upon himself to help you work up an appetite – usually by stripping down and fucking you senseless. But Deputy Milton didn’t need to know all of that.
“Hm. More for me I guess.” He hums, snagging another freshly buttered dinner roll.
“Yep.” The word is spoken like an airy sigh. “More for you. Now if you’ll excuse me, I think I need to go find the ladies room.” You rise to your feet and polish off your beverage before tossing it in the trash. “Be back in a jiff.”
Forty Minutes Later…
The drive from the station back to your place feels surprisingly short. Loneliness weighs on you like a heavy blanket as you pull into the driveway and kill the engine. Groaning, you let your head collide against the steering wheel with a dull thunk.
As much as you didn’t want to go inside, you knew you couldn’t linger out here in your car forever. It was much too cold for an extended outdoor moping session. You’d probably catch frostbite halfway through.
You briefly debate giving Ari a call. Other than exchanging a few text messages here and there, you hadn’t heard from him since this morning. The thought of him being upset with you on Christmas just didn’t sit right.
Maybe you’d call him later, after you’d put the food away and gotten ready for bed. Perhaps you’d even convince him to FaceTime with you so that you could enjoy teasing him while nibbling on a slice of the red velvet cake you’d baked especially for him.
Yes, that was the new plan. But first, you had to get out of the car. Grabbing your purse, you duck out the driver’s side door and make a mad dash up your walkway. It’s so cold that your teeth are already chattering by the time you finally fish your keys out of your bag to let yourself in.
First, you had work to do. And then you would check-in with your man just to make sure that all was right with your world.
8:30pm, Christmas Day – Bell’s Creek, Texas
Glass of wine in hand, you plop down on your living room couch with a defeated huff. You’d just tried Ari a few minutes ago while standing in the kitchen, wearing nothing but your new lacy, red chemise and matching thong you’d purchased just for tonight.
Because you’d known how much Ari would like it.
Except your Bounty Hunter hadn’t answered. Instead, it had gone straight to voicemail both times. Even if he was still pissed at you, you were confident that he would’ve answered. The only reason he would’ve ignored you was if–
Just then your phone dings, alerting you of a new text message. Reaching into the pocket of your robe, you’re elated when you see Ari’s name flash across the screen. But your hopes are soon dashed the moment you read the words written on the screen.
“Hey. Out with Clint. We’ll talk in a bit.”
For a second you’re almost too stunned to speak. Were you really playing second fiddle to a man he’d just met? And all because you’d been a little snippy with him this morning? No. That couldn’t be right.
Your bottom lip begins to tremble as you hastily type out the words: “I miss you.” And it only gets worse when he responds with a simple thumbs up emoji. That fucking bastard!
“Oh fuck you, Ari Levinson. And you too, Clint!” You snarl, snagging your wine and angrily gulping it down. “I’m sure you both will be very happy in Omaha. Where you can fucking stay. Forever!”
Now thoroughly pissed, you stomp your way back into the kitchen to fetch the bottle you’d left behind before returning determined to find something on television. So you could ignore the fact that your heart was breaking.
On fucking Christmas Day.
After a few minutes, you settle on the live action version of A Muppet Christmas Carol. And then you grab a blanket and snuggle up. You’d deal with all of this later. Preferably after your second glass of wine.
Hell, you might even need a third to convince yourself that murder was not the acceptable way to handle these kinds of problems in a relationship. Perhaps you’d simply pour a little sugar in the tank of his truck and see how that made you feel.
Sure, you were probably being petty. But seeing as you’d been on an emotional roller coaster for the better part of two days, you were more than ready to hop the hell off this ride. Ari could stay put for all you cared.
Anger aside, there was no denying the fact that you were absolutely crushed. With that in mind, you decide that you’re not answering whenever Ari finally found the time and inclination to call you back. If he was busy, then you would be too.
You finish off your vino before snuggling even deeper under your blanket. It was officially time for you to go to bed. And when you woke up tomorrow, hopefully all of this would be nothing more than a bad dream.
And if it wasn’t, then you might find yourself asking the Lord for forgiveness after you let the air out of one of your man’s precious tires.
10:45pm, Christmas Day – Bell’s Creek, Texas
“Wake up, little Bird.”
A faint brush of lips along your cheek has your eyes slowly fluttering open as your body fights through the last vestiges of sleep. You weren’t sure what had woken you up. Hell, you didn’t even know what time it was.
You take a moment to stretch before sitting up to reach for your phone. Squinting, you scroll through the handful of last minute messages you’d received from a couple of friends during your nap. But unfortunately there’s still nothing from the one person you’d been hoping to hear from the most.
Ari.
Your eyes stray to the TV and you’re confused when you see the black screen staring back at you. Now that was strange. Maybe you drank a little more wine than you thought.
You curiously examine the still half-full bottle sitting on your coffee table with so much focus that you almost miss the notes of Nat King Cole’s The Christmas Song filtering into your living room.
It was your favorite song, but the last time you checked, it had not been set to autoplay. Which meant someone was in your house.
“Hello?” You call as you rise to your feet, stepping over your blanket as it falls to the floor. Your hands come up to rub your arms in an effort to ward off the slight chill in the air.
The warm scent of spiced cinnamon apples fills your nostrils and delights your senses as you round the corner and scurry into the kitchen. Your legs don’t stop moving until you’re standing mere feet away from the one man who seemed to rent space in your mind from sunup to sundown.
Ari Levinson.
He’s standing there in your kitchen wearing a pair of dark blue denim jeans and a slate gray thermal, eagerly helping himself to an impressive slice of red velvet cake. He smiles at you through a mouthful of dessert, and it’s impossible to miss the way his sparkling blue eyes darken once he gets a good look at the red silk robe that matched your holiday lingerie.
“I don’t believe it. Y–you’re home.” You breathe as one of your hands flies to your chest, seeking to calm your increasingly erratic heartbeat. “But–but how?” Clearly, forming coherent sentences wasn’t your strong suit right now.
“I made my woman a promise.” Ari shrugs, setting his now empty plate aside. “And like I told you, I aimed to see it through. That cake is fucking fantastic by the way.”
“You managed to catch a flight?” You’re so convinced that he might disappear again that you’re almost afraid to drink.
“Nah. Clint and I decided to rent a truck and brave the elements in favor of a little cross-country road trip.” He leans back against the counter, as if bracing himself for your response. And you sure as shit aren’t the type to disappoint.
“Through a flippin’ blizzard?!” You squeal, gripping your face in your hands. “Jesus H. Christ, Beast! Are you insane?!”
“Clearly.” His grin quickly fades into a grimace when you let out another scream as you flail your arms wide.
“I can’t believe you did this!” You tell him as you feel hot tears wet your cheeks. “I can’t believe you–you…you’re here on Christmas.” The words come tumbling out as the dam breaks.
“Bird…”
Ari reaches for you then, although you’re quick to bat his hands away in favor of throwing your arms around his neck and hauling him close. At a loss for what else to do, one of his heavy palms comes to rest on your lower back, rubbing in small, soothing circles while you busy yourself with sobbing into his broad chest.
“Breathe, baby. There we go.” He coos softly, waiting patiently for you to pull away long enough for him to get a good look at your tear stained face.
“I’m so happy you’re home.” You hiccup, using his thermal to dry your eyes. “But I’m also really mad at you for putting yourself in danger like that. You and Clint.” You quickly amend, offering him a watery smile. “You could’ve died, and then I would’ve had to kill you.”
You weren’t joking. You’d been experiencing a variety of violent thoughts lately.
“Is that right?” Ari wraps your arms around his neck again as you two begin to sway to the beat of the music playing in the background. “Well, I’ll make sure to pass that on.”
“Please do.” You murmur as you rest your ear on his chest, content to listen to the sound of his heartbeat. “Was it a long drive?” You allow your eyes to fall closed as you wait for him to respond. Regardless of his answer, you’re determined to keep your calm.
“Eh, about ten hours or so.” He hums, dipping your bodies in time with the song. “Give or take. But the weather got much better around the middle of Kansas. We took our time. We were careful. In fact, Clint’s still out there.”
“Oh God, why?”
“He’s headed to Louisiana. Something about needing to track down an old friend named Nat.” He presses a sweet kiss to your forehead before pushing you away so that he can twirl you around. “But enough about him. I missed you, Bird.” He briefly pauses your dance before bringing your knuckles to his mouth, making you melt.
“Yeah?” You purr, rising on your toes to nip at his jaw. “I missed you too. That’s why I’m wearing one of your Christmas presents. I was gonna show it to you on FaceTime, but you didn’t answer.”
Apparently because he’d been too busy driving across the country at the time. Who would’ve thought?
“This all for me?” His hands go to the belt of your robe, deftly undoing the knot. Once free, you give a little shimmy, content to let the robe pool on the floor at your bare feet. “Oh, yes the fuck it is.” The silky timbre of his voice has you soaking your panties.
As if they weren’t already ruined.
“Merry Christmas.” Planting your hands on either side of his bearded jaw, you draw him down until your lips meet his. Groaning, your Bounty Hunter wastes almost no time deepening the kiss, his expert tongue sweeping past your defenses to duel with your own.
God, he tasted so good. Like spearmint and coffee on a cold winter’s night. You honestly had no idea just how much you'd truly needed this man.
“Next time your sexy ass is comin’ with me.” Ari snarls, breaking the kiss to lightly tug at your bottom lip with his teeth. “Was gonna lose my mind if I had to go another day without this.”
“Okay, Beast.” You whimper when he sharply smacks your ass. “Whatever you say.” Right now, this man had no idea just how close you were to giving him whatever he wanted. All he had to do was ask. “Oooh!” You jolt when he delivers another blow. “Yes, baby. More!”
You’re rewarded with yet another delicious spank, which goes straight to your already aching clit. It was taking everything in you not to reach between your thighs and touch your dripping pussy.
But you refuse to give in, knowing that your man would want that privilege all for himself.
“Mine.” He rasps, his tone taking on an almost feral quality as his calloused palms go to cup your heavy breasts through the thin fabric of your teddy. “Missed these perfect fuckin’ tits.” That’s your only warning before he grips the front of your garment and tearing it in two like it was nothing.
“Ari!” You gasp, arching your back when your man leans down to capture a pouting nipple into his warm, wet mouth. He sucks hard, using his tongue to tease the sensitive flesh. “Ungh!” You squirm in his grasp as long fingers dig into your hips to hold you in place for his sensual assault.
Eventually, he releases you with a slight pop, just as his hands fall away from your hips. “Hope you’re ready, baby. Cuz’ I ain’t lettin’ you outta bed until New Year’s.” His roguish grin has a fresh tendril of heat unfurling in your belly. “Maybe later.”
“You’re all talk.” You giggle, slowly backing away as Ari continues to stalk towards you, using his muscular body to his advantage.
“Nah.” He shrugs, his grin growing impossibly wider when your ass connects with your dining room table. “I can’t wait to lose myself between those thick thighs. Want you to fuckin’ suffocate me, baby.”
Your Bounty Hunter drops to his knees in front you before burying his nose in your panty covered pussy and inhaling deeply. You feel your legs begin to quiver when he does it again, a soft cry escapes your lips when you feel his sharp teeth graze over the outline of your swollen clit.
“Need you to fuckin’ drown me while eat this pretty cunt.” Ari growls, delicately nipping at your inner thigh. “Swear I fuckin' see God every time I get you to sit on my face. That's how divine you taste.”
“Oh!” You whine as he nuzzles his nose against the swollen bundle of nerves, making your core spasm.
“But first, I’m gonna fuck you.” He places one last open-mouthed kiss on your mound before standing up and spinning you around in one blended motion. You cry out when your hands slap against the cool wooden surface. “Teach you a lesson for all the sass you fed me earlier today.”
On a growl, Ari makes quick work of his jeans, shoving them down his hair covered thighs along with his boxers almost faster than you can blink.
“I’m so sorry, Beast…” You moan, offering up your stinging rump for another smack. Thankfully, Ari is more than happy to oblige. “Please…please...” Next thing you know, your thong has joined the rest of your ruined lingerie, putting your weeping cunt on display.
You let out a harsh gasp when you feel his hard, fat cock enter you in one swift thrust. Not wanting to wake the entire neighborhood with your screams, you find yourself biting down on your fist to keep yourself quiet.
Ari takes a moment to readjust his position, spreading his legs so that he can go deeper, get a better angle. He loves the way you sob for him, the needy little sounds you make while he fucks the shit out of your greedy little pussy.
His hips snap in time with the music as your sweat-slick flesh connects again and again – driving you both closer to the brink. Your passion-filled cries fill the room as Ari somehow finds a way to go even deeper, giving it to you so good you know you’re gonna feel him inside you for days.
Just the way you liked it.
“Best Christmas ever, Duchess.” Your man grips the front of your throat, holding you in place while he uses you the way he needs to. God, he made you feel so good. Even when he had you ready to pull your hair out, he still had this way about him that made almost everything feel infinitely better.
“Best-oh God! More!” You cry out, your eyes rolling in the back of your head when he spanks your pussy with a measured flick of his wrist. This man wanted you to see stars, and he was more than up to the challenge. “Oh Jesus - f–fuck yeah!”
“There we go, sweetheart.” Ari purrs as his thrusts become a little more erratic. “Now how ‘bout we see how many times I can fill you up before the clock strikes midnight?”
“I–ooh!” You open your mouth to respond, only to let out a small shriek when he administers another wet smack.
“Huh.” He chuckles, leaving a trail of kisses along the curve of your throat. “Guess I’ll just have to take that as a yes.”
END
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Don't Tell The Boss — CEO Jeon Wonwoo
✧ The First Chapter — Part of the SEVENTEEN World Series
You were off limits. Seungcheol had made that absolutely clear from the very start. Wonwoo knew that, the other CEOs did and even you were aware of that fact. But when Wonwoo is tasked to fill in for Seungcheol during his monthly legal consult, he certainly didn’t think that you’d be there, his best friend’s sister, the one person he wasn’t allowed to get close to. Then why did he suddenly find himself asking you out? And why did you say yes?
✧ Genre: CEO au; SMUT [18+]**, fluff, angst, slow-burn, best friend’s sister, family drama
**I've decided to post the smut as a separate post - you can find it here or at the end of the chapter – can be read as a stand alone, but it will make more sense if you read the chapter first!!
♥ Pairing: lawyer!reader x CEO!Jeon Wonwoo
✧ Word count: 29k+ (AND 2.1k smut)
✦ Warnings: mentions of alcohol, swearing, slightly suggestive, a very angry Cheol, one physical altercation, arguments arguments arguments, reader shares the same last name as Cheol, extremely overprotective brother, heartbreak, time skips (let me know if I missed any!)
✎ Notes:
1) I recommend to read the prologue before you read this chapter – you might miss some crucial info otherwise
2) the story is written from the perspective of Wonwoo AND reader
3) the chapter contains some snippets that will likely come back in the other CEOs chapters
♕ Shout out: thank you to @fugaciousserendipity for your input and proofreading :D and thanks @outromoni for the banner!
“Sir? Managing CEO Choi is on line two,” Wonwoo’s secretary, Park Hajoon, called from the door to his office. Almost immediately, a puzzling frown made its way onto Wonwoo’s face. As far as he knew, Sungcheol was on a business trip in Japan and he always let his secretary manage his business while he was away. This included any form of social interactions with the other 12 CEOs. According to him, he “needed to focus and didn’t want anything to distract him”, so it would have to be important if he decided to call during a trip. What could be so urgent that he had to break his own rule?
“Thanks, Hajoon. Close the door please.” Wonwoo watched as his secretary nodded and shut the door per his request, followed by him lazily running a hand through his dark brown locks. It took him a few seconds to move from his position, mainly because he needed to mentally prepare himself for what was about to come. Though he didn’t really want to admit it, this phone call made Wonwoo a little nervous. What could Seungcheol want from him specifically? Did he forget something? Did he do something to damage the company name? What the hell was it?
Deciding that keeping his friend waiting would probably only make things worse, he eventually forced himself to reach for the phone. “Hyung?” his deep voice sounded through the large office.
“Wonwoo, glad that I could reach you! I don’t have a lot of time, but I was hoping that you could do me a favor,” Seungcheol spoke up, his voice void of any anger or disappointment. Wonwoo released a small sigh of relief at that, already feeling the nerves that had crept into his body start to settle down. Literally no one – but really no one, wanted to be on the receiving end of Seungcheol’s wrath. Luckily for Wonwoo, today was not the day and he intended on keeping it that way.
“Uh, sure? What is it that you need?” He seriously hoped that it wasn’t anything that involved him having to sacrifice a lot of his precious time, because as CEO of SEVENTEEN Gaming, he already had more than enough things to worry about, especially now that the new game he’d been working on was close to being released. But, that ship sailed as soon as he heard the words come out of the managing CEO’s mouth.
“I need you to take over my monthly legal consultation meeting with the Kang Group tomorrow.” With some effort, Wonwoo suppressed a groan that threatened to come out and tried to play it off by clearing his throat rather loudly.
Seungcheol, who knew Wonwoo pretty much like the back of his hand, was quick to add a bit more information to his request. “I know you don’t like this official stuff, but I wouldn’t have asked if it wasn’t absolutely necessary. I need a few more days in Japan to secure this business deal and we could really benefit from taking on this new client. I promise, it won’t be too much work. Haewon will set everything up and send you a checklist with things you’ll need to discuss, so you won’t have to worry about a single thing.”
Song Haewon had been Seungcheol’s executive secretary for many years and Wonwoo had no doubt that she would arrange the whole thing from start to finish. That wasn’t the problem. No, Wonwoo just didn’t want to bother with all this legal crap and waste two hours of his time on something he wasn’t an expert in. Wasn’t that what a legal team was for anyway?
“But why me, Hyung? You could have literally asked anyone else. What about Seungkwan? He’s great at these types of meetings. Or what about Chan, Mingyu or Jeonghan Hyung?” he suggested as he took off his black-rimmed glasses with one hand, the other reaching up to pinch the bridge of his nose in frustration.
These were the CEOs that knew quite a bit about legislation and did not shy away from dressing up into a suit and arguing with a bunch of officials, so Wonwoo just didn’t understand why Seungcheol was so adamant about it being him who would take over this meeting for him.
“Because I trust you the most with this, so I need you to be there, not anyone else. Just do this for me, please? I’ll owe you one.” Seungcheol was nearly begging by now. It wasn’t often that Seungcheol was this desperate, and if Wonwoo didn’t feel so pressured at that moment, he probably would have laughed at the absurdity of this whole situation.
“Fine, I’ll do it. Just send Hajoon the info and make sure that I don’t make a fool out of myself. But seriously, you owe me one, Hyung,” Wonwoo sighed, not in the mood to drag this on any longer than necessary. Besides, the fact that Seungcheol would be indebted to him after this didn’t sound too bad.
“Thank you, thank you. I’ll definitely owe you one. You’ll get all the relevant info within the next ten minutes. Just contact Haewon if you need any further info. I need to leave for another meeting now. You’re the best, Wonwoo!”
Before Wonwoo even had a chance to respond, Seungcheol had already ended the call, leaving a stunned Wonwoo sitting there in his comfy office chair. What had he just agreed to? And who was he even meeting? Seungcheol never let anyone take over these meetings, so it had to be some very important people.
The thing that probably stuck with Wonwoo the most was the fact that Seungcheol apparently trusted him the most with this. While it was nice to know that his friend valued him so much, it also confused him. It wasn’t like any of the other CEOs would try to purposely mess up the meeting. What did Wonwoo have that they didn’t? No matter how long and hard he thought about it, he couldn’t seem to understand the logic behind Seungcheol’s reasoning.
“Ah whatever, forget it,” he mumbled as he once again reached for the phone, pressing down on a button that he used way too often. “Hajoon, what’s next on my agenda?”
True to his words, Seungcheol had Haewon send over the necessary documents for tomorrow morning’s meeting. Wonwoo nearly wanted to call Seungcheol to back out last-minute when he was finally in the comfort of his own home, going over the meeting notes. So, to prevent him from disturbing Seungcheol on his trip and risking pissing him off by canceling, he called Mingyu instead, Flavor Factory SEVENTEEN’s CEO and also his closest friend.
Whenever Wonwoo was in doubt or about to take a big risk, he would search out Mingyu to ask for his opinion, and the younger CEO was always more than happy to help out his friend. The two of them had been in the same business for many years and even before that, they had already been extremely close, so Wonwoo was pretty confident to say that he trusted Mingyu with his life. Today was no different.
“Just do it, Hyung. I’m sure it won’t be that bad. Everything has already been laid out, so all you need to do is recite everything. And even if it is bad, Seungcheol Hyung will owe you one anyway, which is a big thing! Oh, and I’ll treat you to drinks. How does that sound?” As expected, Mingyu successfully managed to erase any doubts from Wonwoo’s mind and reminded him that he would get something out of it too.
“I guess that doesn’t sound too bad. I just don’t wanna mess it up, that’s all” Wonwoo groaned, throwing his head back to look at the high, white ceiling of his home office. “Thanks, dude…for the support, you know?”
“Anytime! Just let me know how it goes, yeah? I’m heading back into the kitchen. Dessert is about to be served,” the chef chuckled and only now, Wonwoo actually noticed the noise coming from the background, the sound of pots and pans clanging suddenly very audible. He’d no doubt been in the middle of cooking for guests and had taken some time to talk to his friend. Wonwoo could only smile at that. No matter how busy Mingyu was, he would always try to make time for the people he cared about.
“I will. Good luck with those desserts,” he managed to get in right before Mingyu started yelling at someone. This was followed by a quick goodbye to Wonwoo and then the call ended, leaving him alone with his thoughts once again. “Well, let’s do this,” he whispered to himself and grabbed the sheets of paper he’d need tomorrow.
Wonwoo wasn’t really a fan of wearing suits. Although he was a CEO, he usually chose casual clothes over chic. Jeonghan, being the fashion icon that he was, had already offered his services on numerous occasions in an attempt to get Wonwoo to dress up, but to no avail. Unless it was for a meeting or an important social event, Wonwoo liked to stick to his casual attire. Similarly, at SEVENTEEN Gaming, he encouraged people to work in their most comfortable outfit, even if that meant showing up to work in a track suit or pajamas. Wonwoo didn’t really care, as long as everyone did what was expected of them.
Well, he did have to implement some restrictions. One of the company’s now-previous interns apparently thought that it was funny to show up in nothing except for his swimming shorts, which had resulted in a number of complaints from his staff, so from then on, he allowed his employees to be comfortable, but not in a way that would make others uncomfortable (i.e., being naked or nearly naked). So far, it had worked out great, because his employees appreciated the lack of a strict dress code and it made sure that the work environment was pleasant and rather informal.
For this reason, Wonwoo felt a little uncomfortable as he entered headquarters. It was an enormous building and the difference between SEVENTEEN Gaming and SEVENTEEN World’s HQ was huge. There were numerous bodyguards spread around the lobby, nearly everyone was dressed in a suit or something equivalent and the vibe was way more official and formal than at his HQ. Wonwoo was happy that he never really had a reason to visit the main building, apart from the yearly shareholder’s meeting that always took place there, but that was pretty much it. Everything else was usually done through Zoom meetings and he liked it that way.
“Mr. Jeon!” Haewon, who’d been waiting for him in the lobby, immediately approached Wonwoo when she caught sight of him entering the busy lobby. The four bodyguards that were guarding the main entrance, politely bowed to him as he made his way towards the chirpy secretary.
“Haewon,” he nodded, after which he slightly adjusted the tie that suddenly felt uncomfortably tight around his neck. He was definitely going to swap this outfit for a more comfortable one as soon as that meeting was over.
“Please follow me, Sir. The meeting will start in fifteen minutes,” she told him while motioning for him to follow her. Despite her being rather short and in heels, she sure knew how to walk fast. He nearly even tripped over his own feet as he tried to match her pace, but was luckily able to catch himself just before he could hit the ground. After he quickly confirmed that no one had seen his near mishap (because that would have been embarrassing), he picked up the pace and joined Haewon at the elevators, where several SEVENTEEN World employees politely bowed to him.
Although Wonwoo had been a CEO for many years, the way people treated him still felt odd to him. Sure, he ran a successful business, but he was only human. There was no need for them to bow to him and there was certainly no need to take the next elevator just because he was in their presence. Obviously, he knew that this was a common way to show respect, but he deemed it unnecessary, which is why he always made sure to let every new employee at SEVENTEEN Gaming know that they didn’t need to be so formal with him. He was their boss, but he was also part of the team, just like everyone else.
“I already set everything up for you, Sir. There’s water over here, but if you’d like to request some other refreshments, just press the button to your right,” Haewon explained as she pointed one of the white buttons on the panel right from Wonwoo.
“Thank you, Haewon. I think I’ll be fine,” Wonwoo nodded and watched as Seungcheol’s secretary left the room before shifting his eyes to the checklist that he’d placed in front of him. Now, it was officially time for the nerves to settle back into his body. He was currently in a large fancy meeting room on the 30th floor with a large rectangular table in the middle and chairs placed around it, and a set of large windows functioning as walls. The layout of it all made the whole thing even more official in Wonwoo’s opinion.
As he was going over Seungcheol’s notes and stressing out about what could possibly go wrong, he barely even registered the sound of the door opening, completely in his own world. At least, that was until he heard the sound of an all-too-familiar voice.
“Wonwoo?”
—
You watched with an amused smile as the CEO came back to reality and shot up from his chair at the sound of your voice. The shock was evident on his face and you had an inkling that Seungcheol had left out some crucial information.
“Y/N? What are you doing here? You’re the one I’m meeting from the Kang Group?” He was clearly confused, his eyes going over your form and taking you all in, as if he needed to confirm that it was actually you.
“Yes, but I guess my brother wasn’t very specific, huh? I want to say that I’m surprised, but I’m really not,” you chuckled, not being able to stop yourself from admiring the man standing in front of you.
It had been a good three years since you last saw each other, at SEVENTEEN World’s 5-year anniversary party, which was probably one of the only few occasions where you got to interact with your brother’s friends. And even then, Seungcheol had tried to whisk you away any time you were getting a little too close for his liking. You’d told him many times that you were a grown ass woman and that you could make your own decisions, but he was stubborn.
As far as you could tell, Wonwoo hadn’t changed much at all. His hair had grown a bit longer and he looked more mature, but he was still the tall and handsome man with a smile that always made you feel some type of way. Okay, you might have always had a little crush on him, but it wasn’t like you had ever dared to act on it anyway. Seungcheol would have nipped that in the butt before it could have even taken off.
“No, he was pretty vague about it, and now I know why. You look good,” he blurted out, his eyes slightly widening at the realization of what he’d just said.
“Thank you. I-uh…” You felt your cheeks heat up as you stumbled over your words. Who knew that a simple compliment could affect you that much? “So do you,” you mumbled shyly. And since when were you ever shy around men? It was like you’d lost all your ability to function within the span of five minutes.
You had to eventually remind yourself that you were here to represent your company, not to flirt with your brother’s best friend. Right, your brother, the one who’d set this whole thing up because he trusted you and Wonwoo to handle his business with him being away for a few days. You couldn't afford to let yourself get distracted.
To break the awkward silence, you carefully cleared your throat before daring to speak up again. “Um, let’s start, shall we? We have a lot of things to go over.”
Wonwoo was quick to agree, holding out a seat for you so that you could sit down before taking a seat himself. Luckily, after the initial awkwardness, the two of you quickly switched to business mode and went over the list of points that needed to be discussed. And much to your surprise, you discovered that Wonwoo was a natural at it.
Though Seungcheol had told you that his friend wasn’t too fond of these types of meetings and didn't know a whole lot about legal matters, he was attentively listening to your every word. At first, you thought that he was simply feigning interest, but when he started to pitch some rather good ideas about halfway through the meeting, you were convinced that he was somewhat enjoying it.
You found yourself more drawn to him the further the meeting went on, sneaking the occasional glance at him when he was busy noting something down or adjusting his glasses to read something. It went completely against your moral code, but you couldn’t stop yourself. The man was already attractive, but to see him in action as CEO made him ten times more charming, especially with the little pout that appeared on his lips whenever he was focusing. And the dark blue suit, which fit him just right, didn’t leave much to the imagination either. You just prayed that you weren’t too obvious about it, because you didn’t want to seem like a love-struck high-school girl who couldn’t keep her emotions under control in front of a good-looking guy.
Little did you know that Wonwoo was going through his own internal struggles. The moment he laid his eyes on you, he knew that he was officially fucked. He’d always kept his distance because he respected Seungcheol enough not to get involved with his sister, but now that he got to be alone with you, he couldn’t resist taking full advantage of the situation. He knew that it was wrong and he probably should have listened to the voice in his head that was telling him to get his shit together, but how could he not when you looked so good?
It all made sense that Seungcheol had been so vague about the whole thing, and why he never let anyone else be involved in these meetings. Everyone knew that you worked for the Kang Group, but none of the CEOs were aware that you were the one managing Seungcheol’s legal consultations. But as the meeting progressed, he started to understand why you’d been put in charge. You weren’t just a pretty face, but you were smart, confident in your skills and not afraid to point out any deficiencies.
He found himself clinging onto your every word. It was probably the most time he’d ever spent with you, and though he was scared to admit it, he loved every second of it. Being with you, albeit in an official setting, made him feel something that he hadn’t experienced in a long time. He couldn’t pinpoint what it was exactly, but he knew that he didn’t want it to end with this.
That’s how the two of you ended up where you were right now, with Wonwoo confidently blocking your way to the exit after you’d given him your business card and prepared to take your leave. Giving him your business card had been your attempt to give him a way to contact you. If you’d given him your personal number, that would have been anything but professional, but this was appropriate in your eyes – and you hoped that he would actually use it, even if it was only for business purposes. You didn’t really care. All you knew is that you wanted to see Wonwoo again, regardless of the consequences. And you hoped that this was his attempt to do the same.
Though you appeared calm as your eyebrows raised in confusion, your heart was actually beating a hundred miles per hour while you waited for Wonwoo to explain himself. What if it was all in your head and he just wanted to ask you a business-related question? After all, that’s what you’d come here for in the first place.
You were convinced that was the case up until the moment he uttered the words Do you want to go on a date with me?. For just a moment, your body froze on the spot, your brain short circuiting as you tried to figure out that what you’d heard was not actually a figment of your imagination.
The man standing in front of you, who’d been so determined just a few seconds ago, suddenly became aware of what he’d done and his cheeks flushed a bright pink, something which you found quite endearing despite your state of shock. Your bet was that anyone walking past the see-through office would definitely wonder about what had caused the CEO to blush like that.
Realizing that you’d probably stayed silent much longer than socially accepted when being asked out, you managed to overcome the initial shock and blinked furiously as you tried to form an answer. But before you could even open your mouth, Wonwoo had already beat you to it.
“Shit, I’m sorry. That was so unprofessional. I’m sorry, ugh,” he frowned, slapping his right hand against his forehead.
“No, don’t be sorry. I was…uh, just a little surprised?” you squeaked, mentally cursing yourself for sounding so insecure.
“I should be sorry. You’re my best friend’s sister and here I am, trying to take advantage of that during a professional meeting.” Wonwoo then began pacing up and down, your eyes following his every move.
“Forget about this meeting or my brother for now. Please.” You stepped forward and placed your hand on his arm to stop him from moving, your eyes meeting once again. “Do you want to take me on a date or not?”
It took him a few seconds to respond, so you could only assume that he was having an internal conflict with himself with the way his expression hardened. You could only hold your breath as you awaited his response.
“Yes, I do,” he finally answered, his expression softening as he slowly nodded.
“Good, then we’re on the same page. You know how to contact me.“ You pointed to the business card that was still in his hand. “Until next time then, Mr. Jeon,” you grinned, suddenly having found your confidence again. That was the moment you decided that it was time to go, leaving a stunned Wonwoo behind.
Oh yeah, he was definitely screwed.
Mingyu nearly choked on his drink as soon as the words had left his best friend’s mouth. “Hyung, you did what now?!” Wonwoo, who wasn’t trying to attract any attention, quickly shushed the boisterous man beside him.
“Yah! Can you be any louder? I’m not trying to become a headline.” Wonwoo adjusted the black cap that covered some of his face, hoping that no one was paying much attention to the two of them. The bar they were at was nearly empty, so it was pretty unlikely that anyone would be able to overhear what they were talking about. But then again, he didn’t want to take any risks. “I don’t know what came over me, okay? Fuck, I just couldn’t let her leave without shooting my shot.”
“Damn, I can’t believe you actually had the guts to ask her out. And she said yes?! If Seungcheol Hyung ever finds out about this, all hell is going to break loose.” Mingyu shook his head before taking another swig of his whiskey.
“Don’t remind me please. The plan is for him to never find out. I might as well sign my own death certificate if that happens,” Wonwoo sighed, his fingers fumbling with the rim of his own whiskey glass. The thought absolutely terrified him, but still here he was, risking it all for a woman he wasn’t supposed to be involved with.
“You know I won’t tell anyone. Just be careful, yeah? And you better tell me everything. This one is definitely going down in the books,” Mingyu smirked, giving his friend a playful wink. “When is it gonna happen anyway?”
“I know, thanks for having my back as always. It’s happening this Sunday. Shit, I haven’t done this in forever. What if I mess it up?” A frustrated groan left Wonwoo’s mouth, which was followed by him gulping down his drink in an effort to calm his nerves.
It had been years since Wonwoo had last gone on a date. Compared to Mingyu, who was dating on and off here and there, Wonwoo was the total opposite. He’d been so engrossed in his work for the past few years that he’d completely neglected his love life, neither having had the time for it nor interested in it. Well, until you had stepped into that meeting.
“Just show her the real you and it will be fine.” Mingyu watched in amusement at the way his friend was stressing over something as simple as a date. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you this worked up,” he snorted, giving the older man a playful punch in the shoulder, which earned him a scowl in return.
“How can I not be? It’s our best friend’s sister we’re talking about. Seriously, what the fuck was I thinking? I need you to talk some sense into me.” Wonwoo shook his head as his mind went over all the possible worst-case scenarios, in particular the one where Seungcheol would slowly kill him if he were to find out.
“No, what you need is another drink.” Mingyu motioned for the bartender to bring them another order of whiskey. “Now, stop freaking out and tell me your game plan,” he grinned.
“He didn’t try anything weird, did he?” your brother asked as the two of you were having dinner at one of his favorite restaurants. Your mind had been so preoccupied with you and Wonwoo’s upcoming date that you almost forgot about the dinner you were supposed to have with Seungcheol the day before. The thought of having to face your brother was enough to burst your happy bubble.
“Define weird?” you smirked, which earned a sigh from the older man.
“Y/N.”
“I’m just asking,” you shrugged. “But no, Cheol. Nothing weird.” As you took a bite of your food, you could just feel his eyes on your form. This was confirmed when you looked up, only to be met with such an intense stare that made you want to hide under your non-existent covers. “What?” you mumbled, your mouth still full of food.
“Are you sure he didn’t try to flirt with you?” For a second, you thought that he knew about your date with Wonwoo and was just testing to see if you’d actually lie to him. You felt the panic start to rise inside you and your only response at that moment was to nearly choke on the food in your mouth.
In an attempt to save yourself from further embarrassment – because you were sure that you’d already attracted the attention of the other dinner guests with your coughing, you reached for your water to get rid of the itch in your throat. “Y/N, answer the question,” Seungcheol frowned, his tone indicating that he wasn’t playing around.
“Yes, Cheol. I’m sure. He was professional and we handled things just fine as you saw. Now, can we please change the topic? I feel like I’m being interrogated and I don’t appreciate it.” And I will have to keep lying to you if you ask me any more of those questions. You were usually a very bad liar and if this continued any longer, Seungcheol would definitely start suspecting that something was wrong. That’s why you hoped that the topic regarding the other CEO could be dropped.
Besides, the mention of Wonwoo only made you feel giddy at the prospect of your date with him. Wonwoo had texted you on your work phone almost immediately after you’d left SEVENTEEN World HQ, and you’d eagerly shared your personal contact with him so that the two of you could discuss the date in more detail. He didn’t want to let on much, but he said to dress casual (which didn’t surprise you at all with what you’d heard about him), and that he would pick you up.
You absolutely didn’t want these thoughts roaming inside your head with Seungcheol keeping such a close eye on you. Part of you felt guilty doing this behind your brother's back, but then there was also the part of you that wanted to live life to the fullest and take a little risk here and there. And apparently, Wonwoo had similar feelings, or he wouldn’t have asked you out so brazenly.
“Y/N. You’re not even listening to a word I’m saying.” Seungcheol sounded annoyed and you realized you’d let your mind wander a little too far.
“No, I’m listening. Your business trip, dinner with the CEO of Yamazato. Continue,” you motioned, glad that you’d at least managed to catch a few of the things your brother had been rambling about. If this thing with Wonwoo was going to go anywhere, you’d definitely have to work on your poker face in front of your brother.
The day of your date, Wonwoo picked you up just like he said he would. You had to admit that the closer to the date you got, the more you started to doubt the whole thing, especially after the dinner you had with Seungcheol.
What if agreeing to this was a mistake after all? It wasn’t like you could risk going to any of your dear friends for advice either. You trusted them well enough with your secrets, but this one was different. Just one little slip up and the reputations of your brother, Wonwoo, and even you could be at stake if anyone outside your circle got wind of this. And the thought of having to bear the guilt of being the reason for such a scandal was enough to keep your mouth shut and suffer in silence instead.
But surprisingly, all of those fears vanished as soon as you spotted Wonwoo leaning against the passenger door of his black SUV when you exited your apartment building. Just the sight of him was enough to convince you that this was, in fact, not a mistake.
He was in full disguise, with a black cap hiding his hair, a pair of sunglasses covering his eyes and a mask in place to prevent anyone from recognizing him. The rest of his attire consisted of a brown leather jacket with a white t-shirt and a pair of blue jeans, finished with a pair of white sneakers – the casual fit a stark contrast from the dark blue suit he’d worn during your last meeting together.
You had also taken the necessary precaution, with the hood of your oversized beige hoodie and a mask similar to Wonwoo’s covering most of your hair and face. Despite your brother being the celebrity in the family, the public knew your face too, and you had no doubt that reporters would jump at the chance to air your dirty laundry too if they caught you out with a ‘mysterious man’.
“So, this is what you look like when you’re not playing the role of CEO?” you asked as you approached him, a grin plastered onto your face despite Wonwoo not being able to see it.
“To be honest, this is what I look like ninety-nine percent of the time. The suit is only for special occasions, but even then I practically have to force myself to wear it. Not a big fan as you can probably tell,” he chuckled, the vibrations of his deep voice sending shivers through your body.
“Noted. I won’t get too attached to the suit then. Can’t say I’m disappointed with this look anyway,” you teased, earning another chuckle from the man in front of you before he pushed himself away from the passenger door to hold it open for you.
“You ready for this?” he asked, and you guessed that he was giving you the chance to back out while you still could. But there was no way you’d go back now.
“Yeah, let’s go” you breathed, accepting his hand as you climbed into the car.
—
Wonwoo ended up taking you to his favorite arcade, which he’d made sure to reserve ahead of time so that the two of you could enjoy your date in private. When he’d initially suggested it to Mingyu, his friend had immediately approved of the idea and convinced him that it was a perfect date activity. However, on the ride there, with you sitting beside him and still not having a clue about where he was taking you, Wonwoo suddenly wasn’t sure if he’d made the right choice for a first date, especially since he didn’t know if you were into games like that.
He luckily didn’t have to worry for long, because as soon as he led you inside the building, he could see that he’d made the right decision with the way your eyes lit up.
“An arcade? Oh, wow! I haven’t been to one of these in ages. This is amazing. Thank you!” Your automatic response was to wrap one of your arms around Wonwoo’s arm as you looked around in amazement, catching the CEO by surprise – not that he was complaining. He was happy that you already felt this comfortable with him.
That’s what gave him the little bit of courage he needed to reach out and grab your hand with his free one. You froze for a moment, your eyes drifting down to your hand that was now engulfed in Wonwoo’s much warmer one. Fearing that he’d misread your gesture, he slowly started to pull his hand away in an effort to make it less awkward. But you were quick to tighten your grip on his hand and raised your head to look into his eyes.
“It’s okay,” you mumbled softly, causing Wonwoo’s heart to go into overdrive. You were seriously going to be the death of him. “Now please, can we play some games?”
The awkward tension was already forgotten, now replaced by a feeling of excitement at the thought of spending the next few hours together.
“Come on, let me show you my favorite game,” Wonwoo grinned, already in the process of pulling you in the direction of the air hockey tables.
It didn’t take long for the two of you to start fully enjoying your date. Your disguises had been discarded in the process, allowing you to read each other’s facial expressions freely without the threat of being discovered hanging over your heads.
Something Wonwoo discovered as you played the numerous games that were available in the arcade, was that you were just as competitive as he was. Originally, when the two of you started the first game of air hockey, he’d intended to go easy on you and maybe let you win a few times.
That was until he realized that he started to struggle with scoring points, whereas you were very much in the lead. This resulted in you teasing him about what kind of gamer CEO he was if he couldn’t even win from an amateur. So, for the next few games, Wonwoo decided to just throw the chivalry aside and treated you as he would any other opponent, which, in all honesty, made it that much more fun for the both of you.
You spent a good few hours trying out the large variety of games, while occasionally taking a break for snacks and drinks. And it also gave the two of you the opportunity to get to know each other better. You found out about Wonwoo’s love for cats, and how he adopted two of them through Vernon’s cat rescue center about three years ago: Shiro and Saja. He also shared the fact that he couldn’t cook to save his life. You nearly couldn’t stop laughing when he told you about the time he’d almost burned down the kitchen while trying to make a simple sandwich with the help of Mingyu.
Many times, Mingyu had tried to teach him, but Wonwoo somehow still managed to either ruin or burn something every single time, much to his best friend’s dismay. It was safe to say that he’d been banned from any of Mingyu’s kitchens, both for his own sake and that of others. So, Wonwoo had come to terms with the fact that he was just not made for cooking and he was totally fine with that.
In return, you shared some of your own stories and things that kept you busy. Among other things, Wonwoo learned that you were very passionate about your job (which he had sort of guessed already), had a cat of your own – Bom, and that you had a fear of deep and open waters. This was the result of a near-drowning experience you had as a child, where you’d fallen out of a moving boat and had to be rescued by your parents. Wonwoo made a mental note to never mention the idea of a cruise to you.
Neither of you wanted the date to end, but Wonwoo also knew that he had a bunch of work waiting back home. Hajoon had made sure that he’d have enough to fill a whole evening, and he couldn’t afford to ignore it since he had an important meeting tomorrow – one where he and his team were supposed to go over the finances for the new game they had been working on for months.
But, it was pretty obvious that this date would not just be a one-time thing. After he’d dropped you off at home, Wonwoo promised that he’d text or call you for a follow-up date as soon as his schedule would allow it.
When he’d made sure that you’d safely entered your building, a smile started to form behind his mask as he drove further and further away from your home, still not quite believing that the date had gone so well. And though it should have concerned him, the fact that you were his best friend’s sister did not even cross his mind once.
It took about a week of you anxiously waiting for Wonwoo to ask you out on another date. Ever since your first date had come to an end, you hadn’t heard from him again. Not a text, not a call, nothing. At first, you assumed it was because he was busy. He was a CEO after all. But then your mind started to wonder after about three days of radio silence. Had he suddenly changed his mind about dating you? And even if he had – which you could have totally understood, he could have at least let you know instead of leaving you in the dark. Not knowing was driving you absolutely insane and you hated yourself for being so affected by a man you’d only had one date with.
On Sunday night, exactly one week after your date, he finally called you while you were cuddling on the couch with Bom. You hadn’t been expecting it, so you assumed it was either your brother or work who’d be calling so late.
“Wonwoo?” You quickly sat yourself up, much to your cat’s annoyance, who was quick to leap from your lap onto the ground to find another one of his cozy spots.
“Y/N. I’m so sorry I didn’t call sooner. I know it’s not a good excuse, but this week was crazy,” Wonwoo’s apologetic voice sounded through the speaker of your phone.
You shook your head, even though you knew that he couldn’t see you. “It’s okay, Wonwoo. You’re a CEO and CEOs are busy. I get that.”
“Good. I just didn’t want you to think that I was backing out of this,” he sighed, sounding somewhat relieved that you weren’t cussing him out.
“Don’t worry, I wasn’t.” Lie. But he didn’t need to know that. At least your mind was put at ease now that he’d confirmed that he still wanted to continue this with you.
“Okay, so about that date..,” he started, after which the two of you fell into a comfortable conversation about your next meetup.
The next time you saw Wonwoo was only two days after the late-night phone call. The plan was to have a private dinner at a Japanese restaurant. However, per your request, your date started with him giving you a tour of SEVENTEEN Gaming. You were genuinely interested in the work he did and you were trying to understand what it was that his company did exactly. Sure, you’d heard stories from Seungcheol and read some things online here and there, but it was much better to hear it from the actual source.
When you realized that he was going to give you a tour with all his employees still in the building, you started to question whether this was a good idea. Because people meant eyes on the two of you, and eyes on the two of you meant that people were going to talk…to other people, who could potentially tell your brother. Just the thought already made you want to crawl in a hole.
Wonwoo was quick to assure you that his employees knew how to be discreet and were expected to keep whatever or whoever they saw to themselves, which included you apparently. Although he was a pretty laid-back CEO, Wonwoo didn’t like gossip and he wasn’t afraid to use his power as CEO to put his employees in their place if needed. You still had your doubts, but you decided to trust him on this. As long as word didn’t get to your brother, you were fine with almost anything.
“Wow, so you really manage all of those things? That sounds insane,” you gawked, completely in awe as your eyes darted across the chart displayed on the large screen in front of you. Wonwoo could only chuckle at your adorable reaction.
“It’s not like I manage all of those by myself. I have many people helping me. Here.” he pointed at the top of the chart, where his picture was located. “I’m mainly involved in the development of new games, as well as some administrative stuff and marketing. Technically, I’m involved in a little bit of everything and I give my input here and there, but I trust my employees to deliver good results without me having to look over their shoulder the whole time.”
You slowly nodded, taking it all in. Wonwoo then moved his hand to the left part of the chart when he was sure that you’d processed it all. “These people manage the gaming centers that are located in South Korea, but also those abroad.” He moved his hand again, this time to the right side of the chart. “And this group of people manages the eSports tournaments that we organize on a yearly basis. They collaborate a lot with SEVENTEEN TV since we also air them on national TV, but you probably knew that already,” he said, to which you hummed in acknowledgment.
Of course, how could you not know about that? Every year around October, people from all around the country and other parts of the world would flood into the city for SEVENTEEN Gaming’s legendary eSports tournament. The promotion for the event was huge and from what Seungcheol had told you, there were usually hundreds of teams fighting for a spot at the top. In other words, the competition was insane. It totally made sense though, especially when there was a prize of 150 million won on the line.
One of your favorite things about the tour was probably the VR cave, where you got a sneak peek of the game that was set to release next month. You were truly impressed with what Wonwoo had accomplished in such a short span of time. It also made you wonder how the other CEOs were managing their large businesses. Maybe someday you’d be able to get a tour from each of them – that is, if you could convince your brother first.
On your third date, Wonwoo took you stargazing after you’d had a pretty rough day at work. He remembered you sharing with him that you liked looking at the stars because they calmed you down, so he felt that it was the perfect idea for a date night. Mingyu had even offered to provide the food for a little picnic. Now, who in their right mind would refuse that?
Wonwoo also remembered that night as the night that he got to kiss you for the first time.
—
“It’s so pretty. Thank you for remembering and taking me here,” you said, your eyes never faltering from the stars above you. The two of you had filled up your empty stomachs with Mingyu’s delicious food creations and a complimentary champagne that left you with a satisfying buzz.
“How could I forget?” Wonwoo was sitting right beside you on the picnic blanket, your legs and arms touching as you both observed the little balls of light lighting up the dark sky.
He thought you looked so beautiful, even with the dark circles underneath your eyes and the baggy outfit you’d quickly thrown on when Wonwoo showed up at your doorstep without a warning. Everything about you was just so intoxicating, and as the days went on, he found himself thinking of you more and more, always looking forward to the next time he’d get to see you.
Without Wonwoo realizing it, you were no longer looking at the stars. Instead, your eyes were now focused on the CEO sitting beside you, his mind definitely somewhere else.
A nudge to his side eventually snapped him out of his daze, which was followed by the sound of your angelic giggles. His eyes instantly sought out yours to let you know that you had his full attention.
“You’re supposed to look at the stars, you know?” Your voice was soft and Wonwoo hummed in response, a smile playing at the corner of his lips at the fact that you’d caught him zoning out.
“I think I found something better,” he teased. You just rolled your eyes before giving him a playful push, trying to fight the smile that was threatening to appear.
“You're so cheesy, you know that?”
“Maybe, but it's working. Yo-” His breathing hitched as you suddenly reached up to carefully push his glasses, which had slid down a little, back up his nose.
“What?” you asked, looking up at him with big curious eyes. You really had no idea what kind of effect you had on him when you did small things like that.
“Just you. This. I feel lucky to be here with you.” Now it was your turn to feel flustered – your cheeks heating up at the way Wonwoo was looking at you, his eyes not once straying from yours.
“Wonwoo…” His name left your lips in a mumble, which caused his focus to shift to your lips for just a brief moment. But it was enough for him to want to be even closer to you.
“Can I?” Wonwoo's voice had gone down to a whisper, his eyes darting back and forth between your lips and eyes. You quickly nodded, seeming to want it just as much as he did.
That was all the confirmation he needed before leaning forward to touch his lips to your soft ones, covered in a thin layer of lip balm. Your lips met him halfway, just as eager to get close to him. Wonwoo nearly wanted to sigh in relief when your lips finally collided, because it was something he’d been wanting to do ever since he’d gone on that first date with you. He had no idea how he’d managed to control himself for so long, but he was glad he’d held out until now.
Your lips were addicting. That much he knew already from those few seconds he’d been kissing you. But when you turned your body slightly to clutch onto the brown leather jacket that he was wearing, Wonwoo lost every ounce of self-control he had. His right arm slid around your waist and he tugged you into him without a warning, eliciting a little moan from you that had Wonwoo groan into your mouth.
It didn’t take long before he had you situated in his lap, and the next thing he knew, your tongue was licking across his bottom lip – he was all too willing to accept. Wonwoo didn’t care about anything else at this moment. Not even the fear of being caught out in the open could pull him away from you right now. He was completely hooked on the taste of your strawberry lip balm, the brush of your nose against his skin and the way one of your hands had found its way into his hair, giving him goosebumps from the way you were softly tugging on it.
But much too soon for Wonwoo’s liking, you pulled away. His lips quickly chased after yours, not wanting the euphoric high to end. At the sound of your laughter, he was eventually pulled back to reality, his eyes slowly fluttering open.
“I gotta breathe, Wonwoo.“ The man in question almost groaned out loud at the sight of your swollen lips, feeling a sense of pride that he’d been the cause of that. Not anyone else.
“Breathing is overrated,” he huffed, hands coming to a rest on your waist while his fingers played with the hem of your hoodie.
“Not if you want to kiss me again.” A grin formed on Wonwoo’s face at the sound of your words.
“You’re gonna let me do it again?”
“Is that even a question?” you said, a grin of your own now adorning your face before you leaned in to connect your lips once again.
Yeah, Wonwoo could get used to this.
—
On your fourth date, the two of you were nearly caught by your brother, who decided that a Wednesday night was the right time to stop by your apartment…unannounced. You and Wonwoo had just finished the takeout you’d ordered and were in the middle of a movie when the sound of your doorbell startled the two of you. That caused you to nearly knock the popcorn bowl out of Wonwoo’s hands.
—
“Ah, shit, I’m sorry,” you cursed, quickly apologizing to Wonwoo as you scrambled off the couch and sprinted towards your intercom system. Your face paled at the sight that greeted you on the small screen. “Oh fuck! You need to hide, like now!”
“Hide? What are you talking about?” Wonwoo questioned, now coming closer to see what got you so fired up all of a sudden.
“It’s my goddamn brother. I don’t even know why he’s here, but you need to hide if you want the both of us to come out of this alive,” you whined, placing your hands onto Wonwoo’s back and pushing him in the direction of your bedroom.
That seemed to switch the gears in Wonwoo’s head, the confusion immediately replaced with pure fear. All this time he’d been so stuck in this happy bubble with you that he completely forgot about the danger that was your brother, his best friend.
“Wait, shit. My phone!” Wonwoo quickly changed his direction and rushed over to the couch, where he snatched his phone and any other traces of his presence.
Meanwhile, you’d buzzed your brother in just because you couldn’t exactly leave him standing there. He’d already rang the bell twice and you knew that he was going to start calling you to ask about your whereabouts if you didn’t open the door. You couldn’t exactly lie to him and pretend that you weren’t home, especially when you were such a bad liar.
“Why are you still here? Wonwoo, I’m not even kidding, he’s gonna be here any minute!” You felt like you were officially going to lose your mind.
“Are you sure I didn’t leave anything? Just check t-” Wonwoo started, but he was quickly cut off by you as you grabbed a hold of his wrist and started to drag him towards your bedroom. This wasn’t exactly how you wanted to show him your bedroom, but this was an emergency.
“Forget about your things. If my brother catches you here, we’re going to have bigger problems. Just put your phone on silent and hide in my closet. I’ll try to get rid of him,” you said, pushing him into your walk-in closet. That was the exact moment the doorbell rang, indicating that your brother had made it to your front door. “Not a sound.”
After that, you quickly closed the door and rushed out the room, making sure to close your bedroom door too before you made your way towards your front door. Your heart rate was out of control and you hoped that you could at least keep your facial expressions under control while facing your brother.
“Cheol! What are you doing here?” He was still dressed in a suit, so you guessed that he’d just gotten off work and went straight to your place.
“Can’t I just visit my little sister?” he asked, stepping forward to enter your apartment.
“You could have at least called,” you grumbled, even though you were freaking out on the inside. The plan was to get rid of him, not for him to invite himself into your apartment. “Cheol, do you mind? I was in the middle of something.”
“In the middle of what exactly? Do you have a guest?” You noticed his eyes scan the room for a few seconds before something on the floor caught his attention. “Are these men’s shoes? Are you dating someone?” he questioned, his eyes narrowing as they focused back on you.
How could you have forgotten about the damn shoes?
“Yah, that’s none of your business. I’m a grown ass woman. Now, can you please just go?” You were begging, already fed up with the fact that Seungcheol had shown up without notifying you.
“Don’t you think I should meet this guest of yours? Seems pretty serious if you’re even inviting him over.” This man really did not understand boundaries when it came to your personal life.
“No, Cheol. You’re not meeting anyone tonight. You’re my brother, not my babysitter.” You crossed your arms, trying to come off as intimidating as possible. Then again, it was your brother you were talking about. There was no way he’d ever feel intimidated by you.
“Fine, I’ll go. Let me at least meet the guy sometime. I just want to know if he’s good enough for you,” Seungcheol responded, but you’d already had enough and were in the middle of pushing him out your front door.
“Goodnight, Cheol.” As soon as he was out the door, you simply shut the door in his face, not even feeling guilty in the slightest. “That’s what he gets for showing up without a warning,” you mumbled.
Still, you felt a little paranoid, so to make sure that he’d really left, you peeked through the peephole before deeming the coast clear.
“Okay, he’s gone!” you called, taking that moment to lean your back against the wall as you tried to recover from that nerve-wracking moment. You were truly thankful that Seungcheol hadn’t recognized Wonwoo’s shoes and you were glad that the coats were hidden behind a door. Your brother definitely would have made the connection if he’d spotted his best friend’s brown leather jacket. The same goes for his car, which you’d told him to park in your underground garage in case someone would spot it.
Wonwoo appeared a few seconds later and you immediately let yourself collapse into his arms, the severity of the whole situation suddenly weighing down on you all at once.
“That was scary as hell,” Wonwoo sighed, his hands gently rubbing your back to calm you down. “Do you think he knows?”
Leaning back slightly to look up at him, you shook your head. “No, I don’t think so. We were lucky this time, but I don’t ever want to do that again.”
“Fuck no. I’d like to keep my sanity,” he chuckled and despite the situation, you also managed to crack a smile at that.
“Oh, and just so you know,” you started, pointing towards the dreaded shoes that had almost given him away, “you might want to burn your shoes after tonight.”
—
It was about a week after that incident that Wonwoo first saw Seungcheol again. Every three months, each of the CEOs was supposed to submit a quarterly report to ensure total transparency towards the public as well as each other. And as managing CEO of SEVENTEEN World, Seungcheol took this matter very seriously.
Wonwoo was technically supposed to have submitted it a few days ago, but he’d gotten distracted and asked for a few days of extension. Truth was, he’d been spending more time with you and he’d totally forgotten about it. It was only when Hajoon had sent him the usual reminder, he realized that he would never make the deadline in time.
It was unlike Wonwoo to miss a deadline and so it came as no surprise that Seungcheol himself had insisted on coming to pick up the report in person. Wonwoo had no doubt that his friend was curious and wanted to know what was going on with him – that was just the kind of friend Seungcheol was, always checking up on his friends, no matter how busy he was. And really, Wonwoo was happy to have a friend like him. But right now was just not the right time, especially when the reason he missed the deadline was no one other than his dear sister.
“Is everything okay with you?” Seungcheol asked as soon as Wonwoo had closed the front door behind the CEO. The younger man mentally cringed at the question, knowing that it was practically unavoidable with Seungcheol being the nosy person he was.
“I'm fine, Hyung. If it's about the report, it just kinda slipped my mind with everything else I have going on.”
“Are you sure? I'm used to Seungkwan asking for an extension because we all know that he's doing too much for his own good, but this is the first time you've ever asked for one. You can tell me if there's something going on or if there's anything I can do…,” Seungcheol offered as they made their way into the living room.
“It's nothing serious. I've just been busy with other things, nothing to worry about.” Seungcheol nodded, his eyes scanning over Wonwoo's form for a few seconds.
“If you say so. By the way, I never really said it to you personally, but thanks again for stepping in for me the other day. I know it must have come as a surprise to see my sister there, but I didn’t want to scare you off.” Wonwoo could only nod at his friend’s words, too afraid that he would give himself away if he opened his mouth. Luckily for him, Seungcheol wasn’t bothered by Wonwoo’s lack of response and continued.
“But I’m glad everything went well. I knew that I could trust you with this. If I’d sent Mingyu or Jeonghan, who knows what they would have tried with Y/N. We both know that they flirt without even trying. With you, I at least knew that I didn’t have to worry about that.” The older man grabbed onto his shoulder and squeezed down gently before offering Wonwoo a grin.
“R-Right,” Wonwoo stuttered as a sinking feeling settled in the pit of his stomach. Some friend he was. The man trusted him with his sister and what did he do? Go behind his back and date her. And worst of all? Despite the guilt he felt or the consequences that came with dating you, Wonwoo had absolutely no intention of staying away from you.
“Wonwoo? The report?” Seungcheol’s voice snapped him right out of his thoughts.
“The report, yes! I’ll grab it for you. Just make yourself at home, Hyung.”
On the way to his home office, Wonwoo shook his head at himself for nearly losing his shit at the mention of you. If he didn’t want to end up in a coffin, he’d have to find a way to maintain his composure. Because there would come a time when he would have to face you in a setting where Seungcheol, with his hawke-eye vision, would also be present.
As Wonwoo returned with the report, Seungcheol was in the middle of admiring a large glass showcase that was filled with the many prizes Wonwoo had acquired over the years. This included the trophies he’d won himself by participating in gaming tournaments – even before he started his business, as well as the large number of awards he and his team at SEVENTEEN Gaming had managed to collect from prestigious game award shows and conferences such as the Game Developers Conference and The Games Industry Awards. Wonwoo was proud of everything he’d accomplished so far and he wasn’t planning on slowing down anytime soon.
“Hyung? The report,” Wonwoo’s voice echoed through the room, catching the attention of the other CEO. He accepted it without another word and leafed through it for a couple of seconds before nodding.
“Looks good. I have to get going though. Haewon is on my case since I’m already kinda late for a lunch meeting, but I will make sure to read through it before the end of the day.” He patted Wonwoo’s back as the two of them made their way back to the front door. That was until Seungcheol suddenly stopped in his tracks, his gaze pointed at one of the two small tables that decorated the entrance hall.
“Hyung?” Wonwoo’s own eyes shifted to the small table, curious as to what could have caught his friend’s attention. His eyes finally stopped on a piece of jewelry, a silver bracelet – your bracelet to be exact.
—
“Surprise!” your smiling face greeted Wonwoo after he’d opened the front door. Your hands were full of bags and he was quick to take them off you after pressing a soft kiss to your lips.
“What’s the occasion?” While you were busy taking off your coat and shoes, he curiously peeked inside the bags to find a bunch of vegetables, noodles and spices.
“Well, since you released that game you’ve been working on so hard, I thought I’d celebrate with you and let you finally taste my cooking,” you smiled and crouched down to greet the curious cats that had gathered at your feet. “Because we both know that you’ll just eat ramen or end up ordering takeout instead.”
Wonwoo laughed at that, his heart warming at the fact that you already knew him so well. After the release event, the other CEOs had congratulated him with his achievement and Mingyu had even offered to have dinner together, but Wonwoo had refused. Usually, after a big release, he just liked to be in the comfort of his own home with a good book or one of his games, and a simple meal to fill up his stomach. You just happened to be the exception to his rule.
And so you ended up cooking for Wonwoo in the huge-ass kitchen that he never even used. You didn’t let Wonwoo help you at all – which was probably for the best, but he watched in amazement as you prepared all the ingredients while switching your attention between the two cats that had taken a liking to you, and himself. At some point, you’d taken off your bracelet so that you could mix all the ingredients with your hands and Wonwoo had placed it onto a small side table to keep it safe.
Though Wonwoo would never tell Mingyu, your japchae was probably better than the chef’s version of the dish. It was honestly one of the best meals he’d ever had and as a CEO who was often invited to dinner parties, he’d eaten quite a number of delicious meals prepared by some of the world’s top chefs. He made sure to let you know exactly that by kissing you senseless after he’d helped you clean up the dishes, and you were more than happy to accept his offer.
But unfortunately for the two of you, you got called away for work before it could go anywhere and left in a hurry, completely forgetting about the bracelet. That’s why Wonwoo moved it to the table in the entrance hall, with the intention to return it to you as soon as possible.
—
“You know…Y/N has one exactly like this,” Seungcheol pointed at it and Wonwoo could already see his life flash right before his eyes. Was this it? Was this already the end of your story and possibly his life?
“R-Really? That’s such a coincidence!” Wonwoo exclaimed nervously, his mind going over the possible scenarios that would justify the bracelet being at his place without giving away his secret.
“It really is. Only a few of those were made.” The neutral look on Seungcheol’s face was suddenly replaced by a frown. “I gave it to her when she became a lawyer, and had it personalized even.” Fuck, there was no way he could let Seungcheol examine the piece up close.
“Don’t worry, Hyung. I had a…uh, a date the other night and she forgot this.” A date, really? That’s all he could come up with?
The other CEO raised his eyebrows at Wonwoo’s confession. “A date? Didn’t know you were back in the game.”
“Mingyu set it up for me, thought I’d try it for once.” Wonwoo made a mental note to let Mingyu in on his lie, because Seungcheol would definitely want to bring this up at a later point in time.
“Good, because for a second, I thought I might have to kill you,” Seungcheol grinned, even though his eyes were telling a different story. Something about his mood had definitely changed and it sent chills down Wonwoo’s spine. “Anyway, I’ll see you at the next meetup.” After giving Wonwoo another pat on the shoulder, Seungcheol put his shoes back on and left the house after a quick goodbye, leaving behind a relieved but confused Wonwoo.
Later that night, he met up with you at your place to give you back the bracelet you’d forgotten a few nights ago and he made sure to inform you about what had transpired with your brother.
“What do you mean my brother saw this bracelet at your place?” You were on full alert now, the work you were doing on your laptop completely forgotten.
“I forgot that it was there and I didn’t think about it, I’m sorry.” Wonwoo, on the other hand, was distracted by your cat that was now comfortably snuggled in his arms. You bit your lip anxiously, not understanding how he could bring it up so nonchalantly.
“He fucking knows, there’s no other way,” you eventually said, beginning to pace up and down your living room.
“Do you think I’d be standing here if he knew?” You stopped your pacing to look at the man that was petting your cute little ball of fur.
“You have a point, but still. He had this made specifically for me, engravings and all. There’s no way he doesn’t know,” you shook your head, not convinced at all. You knew your brother and he certainly wasn’t a fool.
“He didn’t get to see it up close though. I lied and said that it belonged to a date I had.”
“Really? That was what you decided to go with?” you snorted and Wonwoo cringed at how bad that sounded.
“I know, it’s not good. But…he seemed fine when he left.” He decided that it was best to leave out the mood switch and the part where Seungcheol had basically threatened him. You were already stressed about the whole thing, so Wonwoo didn’t want to be the reason to add to that.
“Are you sure about that?”
“Yes, I’m pretty sure. Let’s just not worry about it and do something fun, hmm?” Wonwoo suggested and let Bom jump out of his arms.
You sighed, throwing your head back briefly as you tried to calm yourself down. “I have more work to do, Wonwoo.” The man apparently didn’t care, because he simply wrapped his arm around your waist and playfully trailed his lips across your jaw before placing a soft kiss onto your cheek.
“There’s always more work to do. Just relax with me. I didn’t come here to see you work,” he teased, his hands moving to squeeze your sides.
“Fine,” you rolled your eyes, not finding it in you to say no to him with the way he was trying to persuade you. “You choose the show. I’ll get the wine.”
“Yes, Ma’am,” the CEO responded, a smile tugging at his lips as he watched you make your way into the kitchen.
In the month that followed, you and Wonwoo continued to go on dates in secret whenever time allowed for it. The more time you spent with the CEO, the more you realized how much you liked the man. No, scratch that, you’d already fallen for him. Hard. And you only hoped that he felt the same. Well, with the way he was spoiling you with gifts and spending nearly all his free moments with you, you guessed that he felt the same way about you.
Despite how well things were going between the two of you, it didn’t take away the fact that dating in secret was tough and exhausting. On top of hiding it from your brother, you also needed to hide it from the public, which meant that the only dates you could truly enjoy in peace were the ones at home or those where the space was rented out for just the two of you.
You were aware that Mingyu knew about you and Wonwoo, which made you slightly envious of their friendship. It would have been nice if you had someone to share your secret with. But every time you thought of finally sharing your dating life with your close friends, that little voice in your head returned and convinced you that it would be catastrophic if anyone in your circle were to accidentally leak something to the press or your brother. It just wasn’t worth it.
That didn’t mean, however, that they didn’t notice a positive change in you. And you may have had to lie and say that it was because you were killing it at work – which wasn’t a lie, but that was beside the point.
Similarly, Wonwoo had told you that his friends had mentioned during the monthly get-together that they noticed a change in him too, though they weren’t sure what it was. Of course, Seungcheol took that opportunity to bring up the ‘date’ that Mingyu had set up for him and naturally, everyone wanted to know about the woman that got Wonwoo to put himself out there again.
And boy, was he glad that he hadn’t forgotten to tell Mingyu about the lie he’d told their older friend. Because the chef was quick to jump to his best friend’s aid and spewed enough bullshit about the mysterious woman to keep the others satisfied for a while.
Speaking of changes in behavior, your brother had been checking in on you way more than you were used to. Normally, you saw him once or twice a month – one of those times being the consultation that had become part of your routine and the other usually dinner at one of your favorite restaurants. However, in the span of just three weeks, Seungcheol had suddenly become much more involved in your life – much to your annoyance.
He now called you at least twice a week to ask if you wanted to meet up for dinner or drinks, and never failed to ask about your plans, in particular who you were meeting with. As if that was any of his business.
When you’d finally gotten sick of his new-found hobby, you asked him what his problem was. His response? He had more freetime and wanted to spend that time on family, meaning you. You immediately called his bullshit, even though you didn’t explicitly tell him that.
Thinking back on it, you were reminded of just a few weeks ago, when he’d suddenly showed up at your place without as much as a warning. At that time, he thought that you were dating someone because of the men’s shoes near your front door, so you assumed that this was his way of ‘investigating’ in the most subtle way. Obviously he wasn’t as slick as he thought he was.
You had also voiced your concerns to Wonwoo, and he admitted that he too had noticed some changes in his friend. For one, Seungcheol had suddenly shown up at the SEVENTEEN Gaming HQ a week after the monthly get-together. Of course, there was nothing wrong with visiting a fellow CEO, but what made it strange was that Seungcheol never stopped by without informing Hajoon or himself about it beforehand.
He’d claimed that he wanted to visit each HQ on a more regular basis to be more involved, which was strange in itself. Seungcheol was already as involved as he could be, and with more than enough work on his plate, Wonwoo couldn’t understand why he would want to add a bunch of random visits to that.
To confirm that he wasn’t going crazy and Seungcheol wasn’t just keeping tabs on him because he suspected something between you and him, Wonwoo checked in with Mingyu and several of the CEOs to inquire whether Seungcheol had paid them a visit too. Much to Wonwoo’s relief, the managing CEO had visited Mingyu and Soonyoung’s HQ the day before, and Jisoo and Minghao’s HQ the day after his visit to SEVENTEEN Gaming – also without so much as a notice.
In Wonwoo’s eyes, that was one less thing to worry about, especially since he had other things that demanded his attention. You didn’t know it yet, but for the past week, he’d been planning a surprise for you with Mingyu’s help.The two of you had been dating for about two months now and he wanted to do something special for you. Though you would probably tell him that he was already doing more than enough for you. It was true, but Wonwoo wanted to do this. He was utterly obsessed with you, in the most positive sense of the word. After all those years he’d spent single and too focused on his work, he now had someone that he could shower with all his pent-up love.
Chic, was the only word that came to mind when you spotted the car that came to pick you up on a balmy Saturday evening. All Wonwoo had told you was that he was taking you out and for you to dress fancy, whatever that meant. If you had to go by Wonwoo’s definition of fancy, it was probably okay to show up in a nice pair of jeans and a simple sweater. But you were glad that you’d gone for a more appropriate choice after seeing the driver, who was dressed in a black suit, exit the car.
Said man quickly rushed over to the other side upon your arrival and held the door open for you after greeting you with a small bow. You returned the gesture and slightly lifted the skirt of your ankle-length dress before you got yourself seated in the expensive vehicle.
During the twenty minute ride, your mind started to go over all the possibilities that would require you to dress up like this – especially seeing as Wonwoo liked to keep things casual. You just didn’t understand why he would force himself into a situation that would potentially make him feel uncomfortable. But it did get you all the more excited and thrilled the closer you got to your final destination.
When you’d reached your stop, the driver, who’s name was James, escorted you out of the car and into the large restaurant that was probably one of the best-rated restaurants in Seoul: Flavory Factory SEVENTEEN. You’d visited a couple of times with your brother and you had to admit that the food was absolutely delicious, so you definitely understood the hype. And you also understood why Wonwoo had asked you to dress up. Showing up to a Michelin star restaurant in a casual outfit would have been inappropriate and would guarantee a bunch of bizarre looks from both employees and other dinner guests.
James left you alone when you’d reached the entrance hall and motioned for you to continue your way to the large set of doors. There, you were greeted by a friendly-looking woman who no doubt worked at the restaurant.
“Right this way, Ms. Choi,” she smiled, opening the two doors that led to the dining area. No matter how many you’d come here, you were still amazed at the layout of the whole place. The ceilings were high and completely made out of glass, offering an incredible view of the sky, both during the day and at night – undoubtedly your favorite part about the restaurant. You were so focused on the stars that were now visible through the see-through ceiling, that you didn’t even notice the man that was observing your every move, completely mesmerized by your beauty.
“Wow, you look so stunning right now,” Wonwoo spoke, his voice slightly breathy at the sight of you. Your eyes settled on him almost immediately at the sound of his smooth but deep voice.
“W-Wonwoo?” you stuttered, eyes slightly widening at the sight that greeted you. The CEO who hated dressing up, had forced himself into a dark gray suit that looked so good on him that it made your heart skip a beat as you took it all in. “What’s all this? Why are you dressed in a suit?”
The man simply chuckled and reached out to grab your hands, pulling you closer to him in the process. “I thought I’d surprise you for once. What do you think?”
“You look handsome, but you always do,” you grinned. “Weren’t you the one who said you hated suits though?”
“Like I said, I can be persuaded for a special occasion or in this case, a special someone,” he mumbled, letting go of one of your hands to cup your cheek, the warmth of his palm causing your entire body to warm up.
“I see,” you hummed, moving your free hand to the black tie that had been neatly tied. “Can’t say that I’m not excited to see you in a suit.”
Wonwoo smirked, inching his face slightly closer so that his lips were nearly touching yours. “Don’t get used to it,” he whispered before stealing a kiss from you.
“A woman can dream,” you pouted, but let him pull you towards the table that had been set up for you anyway. Like the gentleman he was, he pulled out your chair and helped you sit down before taking his own seat. This was immediately followed by a waiter appearing at the table to offer the both of you some refreshments, followed by a short explanation of the menu, after which he left the two of you alone.
“So, how much convincing did it take you to let Mingyu close down his restaurant just for the two of us?”
Wonwoo smiled and shook his head as he reached across the table to grasp your hand gently. “None. It was actually his idea to host us here. He would have thrown a fit if I’d booked any other place.”
“Right, I forgot how much he supports all of this,” you giggled, remembering how the other CEO had once told you that he was you and Wonwoo’s number one fan. At this point, he was literally the only fan since no one else was supposed to know about it. Either way, you were happy that he was so supportive and willing to keep this whole thing a secret from everyone else. “I’m glad he suggested it though. The food is always amazing here.”
Wonwoo nodded in agreement. “And a plus is that his staff are discreet, so we don’t have to worry about toning it down for the sake of the public,” he added.
And that was true. You were able to enjoy the evening without having to think about your image. As the hours passed, the restaurant staff kept bringing delicious foods, up to the point where you'd lost count of how many different courses you'd already eaten. You felt bad for thinking it, but you were glad when they finally brought out the last dish, the dessert. If you continued eating more, you were pretty sure that your stomach would burst with the way your dress was already getting tighter and more uncomfortable against your body.
That said, you made sure to remember to thank Mingyu for putting all of this together at a later time.
“That was so delicious! But if I eat anything more, you're going to have to pick me up from the floor,” you laughed, using your napkin to wipe your mouth.
The man in front of you grinned boldly. “I'd gladly pick you up though.”
“Such a gentleman you are,” you responded, your lips forming into a smile.
“I’d like to think I am,” Wonwoo smirked and took that moment to get up from his seat, holding his hand out for you to take. Wondering what could be next, you accepted his hand and shuffled out of your seat to join him.
The nice thing about the restaurant was that there was a section that had been transformed into a little garden with lots of greenery, flowers and a small pond that housed several species of fish – perfect for a stroll after the dinner you’d just had.
“There is one more thing,” Wonwoo started when you’d stopped in front of the pond. You lifted your head in surprise, wondering what else he could have planned after the amazing night you had.
“What's that?”
“Well…” Wonwoo grabbed your other hand and pulled you closer to him. “I wanted to make tonight special for a reason. We’ve been dating for a while now, and I know that I’m not the best at expressing my feelings in words, but I want you to know that I’m so in love with you. Fuck, you have no idea what you do to me. I can’t stop thinking about you and I can’t wait to see you every time we’re apart.” He then chuckled while shaking his head. “ Hell, I lie to my friends about this whole thing and I don’t even feel bad about it if it means I get to have you just a little longer.”
“Wonwoo,” you whispered, your stomach filling with butterflies at his revelation. How lucky you felt to have this man all for yourself. And to hear him tell you that he felt the same way only amplified the love you felt for him.
“Be mine, please?” He was looking at you expectantly, almost as if he was afraid that you’d say no. Your lips slowly morphed into a big smile.
“I’d love that,” you nodded happily, moving your arms to wrap around his neck instead. Not giving him any time to respond, you pressed yourself flush against him and captured his lips into a kiss. He was more than happy to oblige, his own arms wrapping around your waist to keep you close in his own way – not like you would want to move away from any of this.
You were vaguely aware that you were having a makeout session in the middle of the restaurant, Mingyu’s staff in the front row seat, but you honestly couldn’t care less. It felt so good to know that Wonwoo had done all of this just to ask you to be his girlfriend. That on top of the fact that he’d put on a whole damn suit for you was already enough to score a bunch of brownie points with you.
“You ready to get out of here?” Wonwoo asked when you’d pulled away, his breathing slightly unstable as he tried to recover from the intense kiss you’d shared. Though the way he’d phrased the question was quite harmless, the way his eyes darkened and his hand had lowered to your ass just seconds ago informed you that he had some intentions that were far from innocent.
“Mine or yours?” you responded as your fingers played with the hairs on the back of his neck. That got Wonwoo into gear, one of his hands quickly reaching for yours before you’d even realized that he was no longer hugging your form.
“Whatever is closer,” he answered, already in the process of tugging you back to your table, where you’d left your clutch. A string of giggles escaped from your lips at the way he was rushing, your heel-covered feet trying to catch up with his speed.
The sound of a door slamming open startled the both of you and you turned your head slightly to identify the source of the commotion. What you found instantly sucked all the joy right out of your body. There, in the flesh, was no one other than your brother.
All three of you were frozen in shock, Wonwoo and yourself obviously for different reasons than your brother. The latter seemed to be in pure shock, his eyes scanning over the two of you for a few seconds before his expression morphed into one that could only be described as pure anger.
“What. The. Fuck. is going on here?” Seungcheol seethed, his eyes darting back and forth between you and Wonwoo.
“Hyung.”
“Cheol,” you spoke at the same time, quickly pulling your hand from Wonwoo’s grasp when you realized that you hadn’t let go of each other yet. Your head was spinning and you felt like you wanted to be sick, your stomach twisting uncomfortably at the situation you were currently in. This wasn’t how your brother was supposed to find out. How did he even know to come here?
“I asked. What the fuck is going on here?!”
“Cheol, please calm down. It’s not-”
“Don’t fucking tell me to calm down, Y/N.” He then turned his attention to Wonwoo, his eyes shooting daggers at the man beside you. “You got some nerve,” he snorted, taking a few steps closer to the two of you. “You lied to my face about that bracelet, Wonwoo. I trusted you. I fucking trusted you and you go behind my back to mess with my sister? I can’t believe this.”
“Hyung…Shit, I’m sorry. I never meant for it to be like this,” Wonwoo responded, clenching his fists in frustration.
“Were you ever going to tell me, hmm?”
“Cheol,” you spoke carefully in the hope that he wouldn’t get even more angry. “It just happened okay? And we’re sorry for not telling you. But please, can’t you just let it go?”
“Let it go? My best friend and my own sister betrayed me and you want me to fucking let it go? No. Tell me, how long?”
“It’s not like that, Hyung. I swear. Can’t we just talk it out like adults?“ Wonwoo pleaded, but the older man was not having it.
“How. Long?” Seungcheol was now right in Wonwoo’s face and grabbing onto the blazer that he was wearing. Your brother was pissed and you seriously feared the worst for your boyfriend. The man beside you sighed in defeat, knowing that his friend wasn’t going to drop it before he got an answer.
“Two months,” Wonwoo mumbled softly, but it was loud enough for Seungcheol to hear. Your brother could only scoff, his jaw clenching while you held your breath.
“Cheol, please let go of him,” you finally begged, wanting Seungcheol as far away as possible from Wonwoo before he did something he would regret.
“Still defending him, huh?” Seungcheol laughed, but his laugh was void of joy. Still, he released Wonwoo’s blazer and patted him on the chest before turning his back to his friend. “You know, I think it’s funny because that was right around the time that you were supposed to take over that meeting for me.”
The next thing you know, Seuncheol turned around and delivered a blow straight to Wonwoo’s cheek, his glasses knocked off his face in the process. Your brother had moved so fast that it was already over before you realized what had happened.
“Cheol!” you shrieked, grabbing onto your boyfriend, who staggered a little bit due to the impact of the hit. “What the hell is wrong with you?!” You glared at your brother, who was just standing there with a frown on his face.
“I guess I deserved that,” the younger CEO gasped, holding onto the cheek that had taken the blow.
“No you didn’t. That was so uncalled for,” you grumbled, bending down to retrieve his poor glasses from the floor. “Are you okay?” you asked softly when you carefully placed them back onto his nose, momentarily forgetting about Seungcheol as you examined his cheek.
“I’m fine, don’t worry.” Another door slam is what pulled your attention away from the man in front of you, only to notice that your brother had left the room. Although things between you were bad, you were glad that he’d decided to leave before it could escalate even more. You would deal with him later and just focus on taking care of Wonwoo for now.
“It doesn’t look fine. It’s already bruising. We need to get ice on this.” You quickly called out for one of the staff members, who’d no doubt witnessed the whole thing. How embarrassing.
“I’m sorry. This is not how I wanted this night to end. He’s never going to forgive me for this. I’m fucked.” A desperate sigh left his lips after that, his eyes shifting to the floor in front of him.
You quickly shook your head as you accepted an ice pack from the woman who had escorted you to your table. “Don’t apologize. It’s not your fault, Wonwoo. I don’t know how the hell he knew we were here, but he should have minded his business. Hold this.”
Wonwoo did exactly that and watched as you hurried over to your purse, digging into it until you’d found what you were looking for.
“I’m going to call Mingyu. He should know about this too,” you announced while scrolling through your contacts to look for his phone number. Wonwoo didn’t protest, and even if he would have, you probably would have called Mingyu anyway. The two of you needed all the support you could get right now, and it just so happened that Mingyu was the only one that you could fall back on.
Fortunately, it only took about fifteen minutes before Mingyu burst through the doors. From the looks of it, he’d quickly rushed from home to check on the both of you.
Upon seeing Wonwoo with an ice pack pressed against his cheek, the chef rushed over and demanded an in-detail report of what had gone down.
“Dude, you’re fucked,” was the first thing that came out of the CEOs mouth when you’d finished telling him the full story.
“Yah Mingyu! Not helping?” you scolded the big giant, which earned you a goofy grin in return.
“But it’s true. I ruined it for everyone just because I was being selfish,” Wonwoo agreed.
“Okay, it probably won’t be that bad. Hyung will come around eventually.”
“Did you miss the part where he punched me in the fucking face?”
“No, but you’re still alive! That’s something, right?” You just rolled your eyes, not understanding how he could still joke around at a time like this. Wonwoo, however, seemed to think that it was somewhat funny judging from the laughter that erupted from the man. After that came immediate regret in the form of a groan that got you out of your seat.
“Stop playing around before you hurt yourself even more,” you grimaced, forcing Wonwoo’s ice pack hand back against his cheek. When you were satisfied, you collected your purse and grabbed your phone once again to arrange a ride for yourself.
Wonwoo, who noticed that you’d opened the taxi app, was quick to latch his free hand onto your wrist to prevent you from leaving. “Wait, where are you going?”
“I need to deal with Seungcheol.”
“Just be careful, yeah?”
“Don’t worry. I can handle myself,” you smiled, gently squeezing his hand before turning your attention to the other man. “Mingyu, please m-”
“I’ll take good care of him, don’t worry!” he assured you, that goofy smile adorning his face once again.
After making sure that Wonwoo would be fine in Mingyu’s care, you collected all your things and made your way out of the restaurant and towards the car that had just arrived for you.
Although you wanted to stay with Wonwoo, you felt like you had no choice but to deal with this, because there was no way you were going to let your brother get away with the shit he pulled tonight.
The drive to Seungcheol’s place was way too short for your liking, mainly because you were dreading the whole thing. Every fight the two of you had ever had always ended in the two of you screaming at each other – because you were both stubborn and reactive, so why would it be any different tonight? If anything, you just wanted to make it clear to him that he needed to mind his own damn business and focus on that instead of trying to control your life.
After thanking the driver for his service, you slowly made your way to the main door of the apartment complex.
Going over the list of names, you finally pressed the one that had your brother’s name on it. The sound of the doorbell pierced the silence while you anxiously waited for any sign of your brother.
“Cheol, I know you’re there. Open the door, ” you spoke into the intercom, knowing that your brother would be able to hear you. He had to be there, you were sure of it. When Seungcheol was angry, he usually liked to blow off steam in the comfort of his own home without a bunch of eyes on him. That's how you knew to come here. But it seemed like your brother was being stubborn – so were you though.
You pressed the bell once again, and again and again, until the familiar buzzing sound echoed through the air, which was followed by the door finally opening after a few minutes of trying.
With annoyance running through your system, you made your way up to the top floor, eager to give your brother a piece of your mind.
The front door was slightly open when you arrived, so you took the liberty to let yourself inside the apartment and took off your heels. Your attention was drawn to some commotion coming from the left, so you sensed that your brother was in his home office doing god knows what.
Your thoughts were confirmed when you opened the door just in time to see Seungcheol slam his hands down onto his desk before snatching a glass filled with what you assumed was whiskey off it.
“Yah, Choi Seungcheol! What the hell is wrong with you?” He looked up at the sound of your voice, his frown deepening even more at the sight of you.
After taking a big gulp of his whiskey, he said, “Really? That’s the first thing you say after lying to me?”
“You need to apologize to Wonwoo! I can't believe you actually had the audacity to punch him. And for what?!” you exclaimed, crossing your arms over your chest.
Your brother only shrugged and leaned back against the table as he faced you. “He got what he deserved.” You were in shock at the way he went about this so nonchalantly, as if he hadn't just almost knocked down one of his closest friends.
“He’s your friend! Instead of being immature and resorting to violence, we could have talked it out like adults,” you snapped.
“Then explain to me why I had to find out through a fucking private investigator that the two of you were sneaking around behind my back,” Seungcheol spat, his eyes blazing with fire. You, on the other hand, were in complete disbelief at what you'd just heard. He did what now?
“You hired a private investigator to spy on us?! Are you serious?” You actually hoped that you'd simply misheard, because if what you'd heard was true, you feared that you didn't really know your brother as well as you thought you did.
“You think I wanted to do it like this? Would you have told me if I’d straight up asked you? Hmm?” Your brother looked at you expectantly, but you were completely speechless, your mouth opening and closing, but no words came out.
“That’s what I thought,” he huffed and turned back around to grab the whiskey glass.
“You’re out of your mind if you think that’s an okay thing to do. You went too far this time, Cheol.” You shook your head as you continued. “I have tolerated a lot of your shit over the years, but this…I'm done with you trying to control me.”
“Maybe if you'd told me the truth from the start, it wouldn't have ended like this,” Seungcheol retorted. You could only scoff, refraining yourself from rolling your eyes at his words. He knew god damn well that he would have tried anything in his power to stop you from seeing Wonwoo had he known from the start.
“Oh, please cut the crap. What's so wrong with me and Wonwoo being together? He treats me well and actually cares about me, probably more than anyone I've ever dated. Why can't you accept that?”
“It's not even about that! You two went behind my back and lied to my face for weeks…weeks, Y/N!”
“So what? We only did that because you're a fucking control freak! It doesn't give you the right to violate our privacy. If you can't even acknowledge that what you did was wrong, then how do you expect me to ever forgive you?” Your brother slammed his glass down at the words that left your mouth, the sound of the glass hitting the desk slightly startling you.
“Y/N,” he chuckled bitterly. “You forgiving me? How about you apologize to me first for the shit you pulled?”
“Hell no. I don’t regret anything.” Part of you probably felt a little bit guilty, but with how angry you were at that moment, there was no way you were going to apologize to Seungcheol…not when he was acting like an entitled bastard.
“Fine, whatever. As long as you understand that you and Wonwoo are over.” Your arms dropped to your sides in response, your fists clenching in frustration at your brother’s absurd demand. The fact that he had the guts to say that to you made you want to cry and laugh at the same time, because just who did he think he was to make that decision for you?
“You can't be for real, right? After all this you're still trying to tell me what to do? Get it through your thick skull that I'm not your damn puppet. I'm a grown ass woman and I can manage my own relationships just fine without your controlling ass.”
“Watch it, Y/N. I’m still your brother,” he sneered, obviously not liking the way you were speaking to him. No matter how bad your fights got, there had always been some type of mutual respect between the two of you – not this time though. No, this time, you wanted him to know that he was dead wrong and foul for violating your and Wonwoo’s privacy.
Whatever respect you had for him had vanished the moment he revealed the involvement of that private investigator. It also made you wonder what details of your personal life had been shared with your brother? Just the thought already made you feel sick and uncomfortable.
“Or what, Cheol? You're gonna hit me too? Seriously, go fuck yourself!” You were about ready to leave, knowing that there was no reasoning with him in this state and at this point, you didn’t even want to.
In an attempt to stop you from leaving, Seungcheol reached forward to grab onto your wrist, but you just ripped it away. “Don’t! And don’t contact me either. I can’t fucking stand you right now.”
You were on the verge of a breakdown, but you managed to compose yourself just long enough to give your brother a final glare before storming out of his home office, ignoring the way he was calling after you.
All you wanted after that nightmare was Wonwoo. You needed him, because he was the only person who could truly understand what you were going through right now – you were in this together after all. Mingyu had let you know through a text that he’d dropped his friend off at home, so that’s how you ended up in another taxi, this time on your way to Wonwoo’s place to tell him all about what had gone down with your brother.
“I’m not going tonight.”
“Hyung, come on! Everyone is looking forward to seeing you,” Mingyu pleaded as he stepped inside his best friend’s home.
“I know one person who isn’t,” Wonwoo retorted, not even waiting for the chef to take off his shoes before he started making his way towards the living room.
Mingyu, however, was quick to follow behind him. “So what? Does that mean you have to skip everyone else too?”
“It’s too soon, Mingyu.” He remembered the night that you got back from your conversation with Seungcheol all too well. The moment he’d let you inside his house, you broke down crying in his arms. This was followed by you telling him everything that had been said between the two of you. To say that Wonwoo was shocked would have been an understatement. Never did he think that his best friend would go so far as to hire a PI to find out the truth. He had expected the screaming, the cussing and even the blow to his face, but this is the thing that had caught him off guard. Wonwoo didn’t know how to feel about it, because he understood where Seungcheol was coming from, but then again, the whole revelation made him want to avoid the managing CEO even more.
On top of that, Wonwoo had also been distancing himself from you ever since you left his place that day, mainly because he felt terrible. He couldn’t help but blame himself for the whole argument between you and your brother, and he felt like being in your presence would only make everything worse for everyone.
Of course he hadn’t told you how he felt, because you would definitely reassure him that he shouldn’t feel responsible for anything, which is why Wonwoo did what he thought was best: keep his feelings to himself and distance himself – at least until he figured out what to do.
“You can’t avoid each other forever. We all work together, so you’ll have to face him eventually. Better to just rip that bandaid off.”
Wonwoo sighed at that statement. “I know that, but how the hell am I going to hide this?” He turned around and pointed at his cheek, which was now a blue-greenish color after a week had passed. “And I’m not really looking forward to adding another bruise to the collection.”
“Just wear a mask and play it off as a cold. Or…how about you tell everyone what’s going on?” Mingyu suggested, but Wonwoo was quick to shake his head.
“No way. I’m not involving anyone in this drama when I don’t even know how to deal with it myself.”
“If you don’t show up, the others are definitely going to start asking questions. Do you want that instead?”
A frustrated groan left Wonwoo’s lips at that, the truth of Mingyu’s words sinking in. He had a point. Seungcheol wasn’t the only nosy one out of their group – mainly Seungkwan and Jeonghan, who had a tendency to snoop around for juicy stories. It wasn’t in the way that Seungcheol was in everyone’s business, but it was bad enough for Wonwoo to admit his defeat. Besides, it wasn’t like not showing up was going to make the whole thing go away.
“Fine, I’ll go. Happy?”
“Very,” the other CEO grinned. “ Now go get ready. We leave in ten,” he announced before plopping himself down onto the couch.
“I’m gonna regret this,” Wonwoo mumbled to himself as he made his way towards the stairs.
Forty-five minutes later, the CEO pair found themselves seated around Seungkwan’s large dining table with the rest of their friends, minus the managing CEO. Wonwoo hated to admit it, but he was relieved that Seungcheol was slightly delayed, because it gave him time to mentally prepare himself. The goal was to not create a scene with the other CEOs present, so he counted on Mingyu to help with that. As long as Wonwoo didn’t have to sit next to Seungcheol, there was a chance that he’d make it through this get-together without another fist in his face.
Unfortunately, that worry-free moment was short-lived when he showed up ten minutes later. Wonwoo, who had been joking around with Mingyu, Chan and Jeonghan, felt himself tense up at his sudden presence. It was weird…seeing him in this type of setting when it was only a week ago that Seungcheol had caught him with you. It made Wonwoo wonder if he even wanted to be here, because he sure as hell didn’t.
Without intending to, Wonwoo’s eyes met Seungcheol’s eyes for just a brief moment, but it was long enough for Wonwoo to feel the anger radiating through the CEO’s eyes. The smile that had adorned Seungcheol’s face only seconds ago vanished almost immediately as he spotted the man who’d betrayed his trust.
Wonwoo felt his breath hitch in his throat in response, anxiety slowly seeping into his body as he tried to keep his composure. Mingyu, being the good friend he was, probably sensed his friend’s distress and placed a comforting hand on Wonwoo’s shoulder, as if telling him that it would all be fine.
Wonwoo was glad that dinner was pretty uneventful, apart from the occasional glances that Seungcheol kept throwing his way – which he tried to ignore as best as he could. It did help that the older man was seated far away from Wonwoo, all the way at the end of the large oval table. However, that all changed when Jun and Vernon suggested that they should play some games.
They moved to Seungkwan’s lounge room, where they opted for a game of cards with a couple of drinks. Wonwoo tried to have fun and focus on the game and his friends, but it was hard when the man sitting across from him kept staring right into his soul every few minutes or so. And sadly enough, Wonwoo wasn’t the only one who noticed the tension in the room.
“Okay, something is going on here,” Seungkwan finally stated, peaking everyone’s interest. Wonwoo, however, almost whined in frustration.
“You’re right. Something weird is going on,” Minghao agreed.
“And why does Seungcheol Hyung look like he wants to kill someone?” Chan questioned at the sight of Seungcheol’s murderous facial expression.
“Maybe because I do,” the man in question answered in a low voice, his eyes flashing to Wonwoo. There we go.
“Wow, what the hell is that? What’s going on?” Jisoo asked, no doubt referring to the look Seungcheol had directed at Wonwoo.
“Why don’t you ask the gaming pro over there,” Seungcheol spoke and motioned to Wonwoo, who cringed at all the attention he was suddenly getting. This is exactly what he had been afraid of. If only he hadn’t let Mingyu convince him to come.
“Hyung, let’s not do this here, yeah?” Mingyu interfered in an attempt to defuse the situation.
“You’re not any better, Mingyu. Trying to cover his ass and supporting the whole thing behind my back.”
“Are we being pranked? Because this is not really happening now, is it?” Jihoon asked, looking profoundly confused.
“Oh, I wish it was,” Wonwoo mumbled from behind his mask before he switched his attention to Seungcheol. “Hyung, can we please not do this right now? Let’s not involve everyone.”
The man just laughed and stood up from his seat. “Why not? Afraid that everyone is going to see you in a different light when they hear the truth?”
“Hyung, come on,” Mingyu tried to persuade his Hyung before it was too late. But, Seungcheol was not in the mood to listen to the chef, not when he was all worked up.
“No, Mingyu. Don’t even try to stop me. I think everyone deserves to know that Wonwoo over there,” he pointed at Wonwoo, “went behind my back to date my sister and he thought he could get away with it.”
“Excuse me?! Your sister Y/N?” Seokmin’s eyes were wide open in shock, his eyes shifting to Wonwoo instantly. He wasn’t alone, because very soon, the other ten CEOs were also staring at him, some with their mouths open after hearing that mind-boggling news.
“Nah, that can’t be right. Wonwoo Hyung and Y/N? Never,” Seungkwan shook his head as if he refused to believe that piece of information.
“I’m speechless,” Vernon said after a few seconds of silence. Jeonghan, who was sitting right beside Wonwoo, playfully hit the man’s shoulder and chuckled in an attempt to lighten the mood.
“Yah, Wonwoo. They’re joking, right? You didn’t actually make a move on Y/N?” Wonwoo didn’t have anything to say to that, mainly because it was obviously clear to everyone by now that it was, in fact, not a joke but very much true. He just wanted to disappear and pretend like it had all never happened.
“Wait wait wait! Don’t tell me you and his sister actually…you know…?” Seungkwan asked nervously, his eyes flicking between the two friends that were in the center of the dispute.
“He’s too chicken to open his mouth now with all of you here, but he sure was okay with sneaking around with her for two months. Oh, and mind you, he lied to you too,” Seungcheol butted in.
“Cut him some slack, Hyung. He’s already miserable enough because of the whole thing. You punching him in the face was punishment enough,” Mingyu huffed, coming to Wonwoo’s defense once again.
A gasp sounded from Chan. “What?! Is that why you’re wearing the mask? Because Hyung beat the shit out of you?” That was immediately followed by a smack on the head plus a scolding from Jihoon. “Sorry,” he mumbled.
“Shit, Cheol. You hit him? Are you out of your mind?” Jisoo frowned, obviously not amused with the man’s actions.
“Hell yes I did and he deserved it. My own sister won’t even talk to me because she’d rather defend this backstabber!” At that, Wonwoo stood up from his seat. He was not having it this time, especially because it was you he was talking about now.
“You don’t know what you’re talking about, Hyung. The reason she’s not talking to you is because you hired a fucking PI to dig into our lives instead of coming to us like a normal person would have! Who the hell does that?!”
Silence dominated the room after yet another revelation that left the other CEOs too stunned to speak. No one had expected their monthly night of fun to turn into a reality TV drama.
“I gave you two plenty of chances to tell me, but you left me with no other choice.”
“That’s bullshit, Hyung. There were more than enough alternatives to choose from,” Wonwoo scowled.
“Alright, I think it’s time to put a stop to this. We’re all friends, there’s no need to be getting this worked up,” Soonyoung finally stepped in between the two CEOs, but Seungcheol was quick to go around him and got in Wonwoo’s face before anyone could stop him.
“Hyung, don’t!” Mingyu called out, already making a move to pull the two of them apart.
“No! I need to make this clear first,” Seungcheol snapped, shaking off Mingyu’s hand from his shoulder. Truth was, Wonwoo had no idea what he was getting himself into. For all he knew, he’d be leaving Seungkwan’s house with another bruise.
“I’m telling you Wonwoo, if you want this to work out between us, you better break it off with Y/N. I’m serious, it’s SEVENTEEN World or Y/N, your choice. Choose wisely,” was the final thing that came out of Seungcheol’s mouth before he swiftly turned around and stormed out of the room, leaving behind a room full of CEOs with a bunch of burning questions.
After their managing CEO had left the house, Wonwoo was literally bombarded with questions, up to the point where Mingyu was forced to chair the ‘Q&A’ to prevent total chaos – because what else to expect from a room full of men?
Despite the severity of it all, Wonwoo wanted to be transparent with his friends and explain to them why he’d done what he did. Sure, some were slightly offended that he hadn’t trusted them, but most of them were just shocked that it was Wonwoo, the CEO who didn’t like to date, who had managed to capture your attention.
And of course, once all the serious questions were over and done with, the teasing comments started, initiated by no one other than Yoon Jeonghan and Hong Jisoo, SEVENTEEN World’s infamous instigators. The poor CEO endured it all, but he couldn’t deny that he enjoyed it a little bit.
Yet, all of this didn’t take away the fact that Wonwoo had to make a difficult decision – and he didn’t know if he was going to like the outcome.
Ever since you left Wonwoo’s place that day, you hadn’t heard from him again. That was now two weeks ago. At first, you guessed that he probably needed some time to think things through, which was completely understandable. That’s why you’d kept your attempts to reach him to a minimum, with the occasional call or text message.
But then a week passed, and you still hadn’t heard anything from his side. It was just like the time you’d been waiting for him to initiate a second date and it drove you insane.
In the week that followed, when you felt like you’d given him enough time to sort things out, you probably called him about a dozen times and left him numerous text messages, but all to no avail.
From an outsider’s point of view, it must have seemed excessive and perhaps slightly bordering on stalker behavior, but you were slowly growing more and more restless as the days passed.
You just couldn’t help it. Wonwoo occupied your mind 24/7 and it frustrated you that he’d removed himself from you so easily, especially when he’d made it pretty clear to you that he was in love with you – you couldn’t just forget about that little fact.
All of this had just come at such an unfortunate time. Why did your brother have to show up when he did? He just had to ruin what would have been the best day of your life, because that was what he knew to do best. Thinking about it was enough to get you fired up again.
Speaking of the devil that was your brother, you’d been vehemently ignoring him ever since you’d stormed out of his apartment. In his attempts to contact you, he’d texted and called you, but you’d simply blocked his number in response.
You should have known that he wouldn’t give up that easily, which is why it didn’t come as a surprise when he came knocking at your door one night – for obvious reasons, you refused to open the door and let him ring your doorbell for about fifteen minutes before he gave up and left.
To make sure you could avoid him completely, you’d even gone as far as to arrange a replacement for your monthly legal consultation, because you didn’t think you’d be able to keep it together if you had to face him, not even for the sake of business. Maybe that would finally make your brother realize that he really fucked up this time.
Currently, you were holding your phone to your ear, anxiously waiting for the recipient to pick up.
“Thank you for calling SEVENTEEN Gaming. This is Park Hajoon speaking, what can I do for you?” Wonwoo’s secretary spoke through the phone.
“Hajoon, hi! It’s uh, Y/N. I was wondering if Wonwoo is available.” You felt completely embarrassed that you had actually called his office in the hope of speaking to him during your lunch break, but you were desperate at this point.
“Oh, hello Ms. Choi. I-I’m sorry, but I’m afraid he’s busy right now. I can leave a message for you?” the secretary offered, but you simply sighed in defeat.
“Just let him know that I called. That’s all, thank you,” you thanked her, the disappointment already beginning to settle in.
Of course, because what were you thinking? If he was really avoiding you then he obviously would have told his secretary to tell you that he was busy if you were to call.
While trying to finish your lunch, your eyes fell on your phone once again. What if…
Before your mind could catch up and prevent you from doing anything stupid, you unlocked your phone and searched for that one person in your contact list – possibly the only person who’d know how to help you reach Wonwoo.
“Y/N? I’m kinda busy right now,” Mingyu’s surprised voice sounded, the background noise immediately giving away that he was in a packed kitchen.
You were quick to jump in, afraid that he might hang up before you got the chance to ask him. “Mingyu, please. I need to talk to him. It’s been two weeks!”
“I know, I know. But he won’t even talk to me about it though, so I don’t know if I can help you.” You almost felt like crying at this point. If he didn’t confide in his best friend, then how were you going to get through to him?
“I just need one chance to see him. Isn’t there anywhere he goes often?” It was silent for a moment, and you were afraid that Mingyu had hung up the call. But when you checked the screen, you were relieved to see that he was still there.
“Well, I guess you could try the arcade? You know, the one you went to on your first date? He usually goes there to relieve stress, but I’m not sure he’ll be there, Y/N.” The arcade! How could you have forgotten about that place?
“No, that’s perfect. Thanks, Mingyu!” you thanked the CEO and said your goodbye before ending the call. Tonight, you were going to pay a visit to the arcade and hopefully see Wonwoo there.
With your newfound determination, you made your way to the arcade when your workday had come to an end. As you entered the building for the second time, you immediately noticed the change in vibe from the last time you’d been here.
On your first date, the place had been completely deserted since Wonwoo had reserved the whole space for the two of you, but it was the complete opposite now. The whole hall was filled with people, both young and old, all having fun trying out the various games – it was Friday night, so that was to be expected.
You were starting to lose hope after spending two hours there, still no sign of the SEVENTEEN Gaming CEO. Even after making a few rounds and checking out the individuals wearing face masks and caps, you had to come to the conclusion that Wonwoo wasn’t here…and probably wouldn’t be tonight. After the third hour, you finally disposed of your empty cup and collected your things so that you could make your way home.
—
Wonwoo slammed his car door shut and locked it with the click of a button before he adjusted his disguise. For a second, he thought of going home to play some games instead, but he reminded himself that he’d just finished a tiring day full of meetings with stakeholders and needed something to relax him, something to distract him – mainly from you.
He was painfully aware that you’d been trying to get a hold of him and he felt like a complete dick for going radio silent, but Wonwoo wasn’t good with these types of situations. He had no doubt that you hated him right now. All you wanted was to talk and here he was, ignoring the woman he’d confessed his love to not too long ago.
Wonwoo wanted to work this whole thing out, but he didn’t have the slightest clue where to start. The only scenarios he could come up with ended with both of you in pain and he wasn’t ready to face any of that yet. Distracting himself with games was the only thing that gave him some sort of comfort right now. Not even Mingyu, who’d offered his help already more than once.
The CEO was so lost in his own thoughts that he didn’t notice the figure that was about to exit the building just as he wanted to enter, causing the two to bump into each other.
“I’m sorry,” he mumbled, not even looking at the person that had bumped into him.
“Wonwoo?” Fuck. That voice. “Is it really you?” His eyes were automatically drawn to the woman standing in front of him, which confirmed to him that it was no one other than you he’d bumped into.
“Y/N,” he breathed, his body heating up at the dread that suddenly took over his body upon seeing you so unexpectedly.
“Why have you been avoiding me?” Your tone was stern, but he inferred from your sullen eyes that you were more sad than angry.
“Come with me,” he said, reaching down to take your hand in his to tug you in the direction of his car. If you were going to do this, he didn’t want to be anywhere near the public.
“Where are we going?” you finally asked when Wonwoo motioned for you to buckle up.
“Somewhere private,” was the only thing that Wonwoo said. For the rest of the minutes that Wonwoo spent driving, no words were spoken. He didn’t really know what you were thinking, but in his case, he wasn't sure what to say to you, not after ignoring all your calls.
He finally stopped at the spot where he’d taken you to stargaze before, knowing that you could probably have a conversation there without the risk of anyone catching you.
“So, are you going to tell me what’s been happening these past two weeks?” you asked impatiently, now standing right in front of him and way too close for Wonwoo’s liking. You smelled so good, too good even. Any closer and he’d completely forget about the serious talk you were supposed to have.
“Y/N…”
“Wait! Let me at least see your face while we do this,” you pouted, your hands reaching up to unhook the mask from behind his ears. “There,” you whispered, your hands coming to a rest on his shoulders as you looked at him with expectant eyes. Shit, Wonwoo really didn’t want to do this.
“I’ve been thinking a lot about how to have this conversation with you,” he started, reaching for his shoulders to lower your hands in an attempt to minimize any sort of physical contact with you. “To be honest, I didn’t expect to see you tonight.”
Your hopeful expression dropped and was replaced by a frown at his action. “I don’t like where this is going,” you responded, your eyes narrowing.
“I’m sorry. All I’ve been doing is avoid you because I’m too scared to deal with this situation.” Wonwoo shook his head and ran one of his hands through his hair. “You deserve so much better.”
“I admit, it’s frustrating when you don’t talk to me,” you sighed. “But, I want to be with you. I’m not joking when I saw that I’ve never felt this way about anyone. I lo-”
“Don’t. Don’t say it,” Wonwoo quickly interrupted you, knowing that whatever you were going to say next would make this even harder.
“Why not? Don’t you feel the same?” you asked softly, reaching forward to grab his hand but Wonwoo was quick to prevent it.
“It doesn’t matter how we feel, because this is bigger than us. I have to choose,” he grimaced, feeling a slight tightening of his chest at the words that came out of his mouth.
“And you’re not choosing me? It’s my brother who’s making you choose, right?” you chuckled bitterly, your fists clenched into fists.
“I don’t want this either, but I have to think of my company, my employees and the whole of SEVENTEEN World. If I can’t fix this with your brother, we’re putting other people at risk.”
“I know…I’m just being selfish. It shouldn’t have to be a choice though. Seungcheol is being an ass and he knows it. He’s still trying to control my life even when we’re not on speaking terms.”
You were trying to be strong, but you couldn’t stop the few tears that fell from your eyes, staining your cheeks with the salty liquid. This was followed by the sound of your sniffing and some more tears, until you were full-on sobbing.
Wonwoo absolutely hated being the reason that you were crying. He didn’t mean to upset you, but he had to rip the bandaid off before he chickened out.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry” he mumbled over and over again, not being able to refrain himself from wrapping you in his embrace at the sight of your crying form.
“It’s n-not fair,” you gasped, burying yourself into Wonwoo’s leather jacket while you had him in a tight squeeze.
“I know,” he agreed, making the mistake of looking down at the exact moment you lifted your head to look at him. Even with your eyes all red and your cheeks wet with tears, Wonwoo still thought that you were the most beautiful woman he’d ever laid eyes on. God, how much he would miss this.
“Y/N,” he warned softly when you reached up to bring your face closer to his.
“Just one more kiss,” you begged, pressing your body even further against him. How was he supposed to say no to that?
“Fuck,” he whispered right before cupping your cheek and connecting your lips before he could regret it.
Wonwoo made sure to pour everything into that kiss, wanting you to know just how much he cared about you. It was both messy and hasty, with your tongues clashing together and your hands exploring each other’s bodies as if trying to remember everything about the other within the short time that you had. Because after tonight, you would both have to go back to reality – the one where you were no longer together.
You felt heartbroken. You felt sick. You felt miserable. Following your breakup with Wonwoo, every new day felt like a punishment, with you literally having to force yourself out of bed every morning. And every time you drove to work, you had to mentally prepare yourself for the letters plastered onto the SEVENTEEN Gaming HQ building that would be staring you in the face, mocking you and reminding you that you couldn’t have the one thing you truly wanted.
Even at work, the change in you was noticeable. For the first time in your time at the Kang Group, you were slacking, missing crucial deadlines and mixing up appointments, much to the surprise of your colleagues and your boss. One of your best qualities was your ability to completely separate your personal life from your work life, and you’d thought so too, which is why it frustrated you that this whole situation affected you so much.
It eventually got so bad that your boss had you take the next few weeks off from work, because you weren’t able to focus on anything other than feeling miserable.
You weren’t sure if being away from work was the solution to your problems. It only left you with more time to think and the more you thought about everything, the more you felt yourself begin to spiral down.
Your friends had tried to drag you out of the house on more than one occasion in an effort to cheer you up. They were aware that you’d gone through a breakup – because you’d told them that much, but they didn’t know who it was. You appreciated them for organizing various activities such as a spa day, a movie night and drinks at your favorite bar, but those distractions only lasted for a short time. Each time, after coming home to an empty apartment, you went right back to wallowing in self-pity.
The situation with Seungcheol hadn’t gotten any better either. He was still blocked and knocking at your door from time to time, but you couldn’t care less. Seeing his face would only make you mad and the end result would no doubt be another screaming match. Maybe one day you could forgive him, but not when everything was still so fresh.
You opted to spend most of your time alone, either sleeping or killing time watching shows with the occasional tub of ice cream. But despite trying to remain strong as the days passed, you were constantly reminded of how you and Wonwoo used to watch these types of shows together, which then unleashed another breakdown that resulted in you crying for hours.
You just wanted to stop feeling like this, mainly because it was unfamiliar and so unlike you to have a total meltdown over a man. If this continued any longer, you’d for sure lose your mind.
—
Wonwoo wasn’t doing that much better than you. He felt just as miserable, if not worse. But instead of taking time off from work, he focused all his attention on his business. Every free moment was spent on the next game release, all to keep him distracted from what he was actually feeling.
He was like a machine in the weeks that followed, showing up to work early, working on his to-do list and leaving when everyone had already left the building hours ago. It was clear to everyone that something was going on with the CEO that was normally so passionate about his work.
The enthusiasm with which Wonwoo generally went into meetings – especially the ones revolving around the creation process of new games – had been replaced by an indifferent attitude that his team and in particular, his personal secretary, Park Hajoon, didn’t know how to deal with. They obviously didn’t want to pry, but whatever it was, they hoped that he could deal with it and go back to the old one asap.
The next get-together was also skipped by Wonwoo, simply because he was not in the mood to pretend like everything was fine when it was clearly not. Being the good friends they were, everyone except Seungcheol, made sure to check in on him at least once.
Wonwoo assumed that they knew about what had gone down, especially because he looked like the life had been sucked out of him, but also the fact that Seungcheol was no longer giving the man dirty looks and actually managed to be cordial during their quarterly business meeting.
Mingyu, who’d watched his best friend beat himself up again and again over the past few weeks, finally had enough one day. If anyone was going to get Wonwoo out of his slump, it would be him.
“Hyung, you need to get out of your house tonight,” Mingyu started as soon as Wonwoo had answered the call.
“I think I’m just gonna stay in tonight. It’s late,” Wonwoo sighed, his gaze drifting to the large clock that was hanging on the wall. Technically, 9PM wasn’t that late, but the man couldn’t be bothered.
“You say that literally every time. You haven’t left the house for anything other than work for the past few weeks!”
“Exactly, because there’s no other reason to leave the house.”
“You can’t be this pessimistic for the rest of your life, Hyung. Come to my restaurant and I’ll cook for you. We can have some food and drinks,” the chef suggested.
Wonwoo, who’d only eaten two packs of ramen today, was tempted by the offer. But then again, it also meant that he had to leave the house and deal with Mingyu’s nagging. “I think I’ll pa-”
“No you’re not. I swear to god, Hyung. I know for a fact that you haven’t had a proper meal in days and I’m not having it. Go put on something decent and be here in 30.” This was not how he’d planned to spend the rest of the night.
“Mingyu, what about ‘I think I’m just going to stay in tonight’ don’t you understand?”
“I understood every word, but I just don’t give a shit and I’m not joking this time, Hyung. Get changed, get into your car and be here. If you’re not here in 30 minutes, I’m going to ask Minghao to lend me his bodyguards. I bet they’ll have no issue dragging you out of that house,” Mingyu threatened.
Upon hearing his best friend’s words, Wonwoo decided that it was in his best interest to take his words seriously, because Minghao would for sure have no problem with Mingyu using his bodyguards if it meant getting Wonwoo out the house. On top of that, he’d seen and met Minghao’s intimidating bodyguards – these guys were trained professionals, so he wasn’t about to risk them paying him a visit at home.
“I’ll be there, so you can stop with those threats,” Wonwoo spoke and released a deep sigh. He better not regret this like that one time he had a confrontation with Seungcheol in front of all their other friends.
“Wise choice, Hyung. Just look for Aecha when you get here. She’ll wait for you in the entrance hall and take you to me,” Mingyu explained, referring to the waitress that had also served you and him on your final date. “And don’t even think about ditching! Remember, the bo-”
“Yeah yeah, the bodyguards. Got it, Mingyu. I’m hanging up now,” Wonwoo announced and ended the call, not even bothering to wait for his friend’s response.
Wonwoo felt conflicted as he parked his car in front of Flavor Factory SEVENTEEN – the place wasn’t exactly triggering happy memories for him. The last time he was here, it had ended in a complete disaster. The date that was supposed to have ended with him taking you home and showing you how much he loved you, only left him with a bruised cheek and a broken heart instead.
But despite Wonwoo really not wanting to be here right now, he would try to push his feelings aside for tonight and enjoy spending some quality time with Mingyu. Ever since he’d broken things off with you, he’d been distancing himself from everyone, including Mingyu, the one person that had supported him through it all.
Whereas Wonwoo usually shared all his problems with the chef, he had refrained himself from doing so this time. The man had already been dragged into this whole mess because of Wonwoo’s selfishness, so he wasn’t about to bother Mingyu with his relationship issues, especially not when he was in the middle of preparing the launch of a new food item.
But he also realized that pushing his best friend away wasn’t going to solve anything. That’s why Wonwoo fought the urge to turn around and return home as he made his way inside – and again, the thought of being ambushed by three bodyguards really didn’t sound all that great.
Just as Mingyu had told him over the phone, Aecha was waiting for Wonwoo in the entrance hall.
“Aecha?” Wonwoo approached the waitress, who kindly greeted him and motioned for him to follow her. Instead of going through the restaurant, which was no doubt packed with all the cars outside, she took him through a hallway that was accessible to staff only.
“Make yourself comfortable, Sir. Mr. Kim will be with you shortly,” the woman spoke as she guided him into one of the restaurant’s private dining rooms. It was a little on the smaller side, so Wonwoo guessed that it was normally used for couples or groups up to four people.
“Thank you,” Wonwoo said to the waitress and watched her close the door behind herself. While waiting for the other CEO to show up, he admired some of the art that had been displayed in the room – some paintings and sculptures that probably cost a fortune.
The sound of the door opening just a few minutes later is what pulled Wonwoo’s attention away from the piece of Korean art that he’d been inspecting. And what awaited him was definitely not what he’d been expecting.
“Wonwoo? What are you doing here? I’m supposed to meet Mingyu here,” Seungcheol’s confused voice echoed through the small room after Aecha had closed the door once again, this time leaving him with an unexpected guest.
“Aish, god damn Mingyu,” Wonwoo mumbled, realizing that the two of them had been set up by the younger CEO. “I guess we fell for one of his tricks.”
Seungcheol scoffed at that, seemingly thinking it over before shaking his head and taking a seat at the dining table.
Wonwoo didn’t know how to feel about this situation. Both of them hadn’t had a one-on-one in a long time and they weren’t exactly on the best of terms, so why the hell did Mingyu think that it would be a good idea to put the two of them together…in a small room?
“You look like shit,” Seungcheol stated after observing Wonwoo for a few seconds.
I wonder why. “Thanks, I’m aware,” the man responded as he took a seat on the opposite side of the table.
The silence that followed was deadly, with both of the men not quite knowing what to say. None of them had prepared for this, so it felt awkward to be in such an intimate space together.
Were they going to just stare at each other this whole time? Or were they going to talk? And even if they did, were they going to fight again?
Also, where the hell was Mingyu? Had his plan really been to just drop them in a room and leave them to figure it out themselves?
Wonwoo's thoughts were interrupted by the door opening once again, this time revealing no one other than the culprit himself, Kim Mingyu.
“Hyungs! Glad you could make it. How do you like the surprise?” A smirk was plastered onto his face as he rolled in a cart full of delicious-looking foods.
“Really funny, Mingyu. I don't recall you telling me there would be another person joining us. I thought you wanted to discuss some important business,” Seungcheol responded, already looking quite annoyed.
Mingyu only shrugged as he began to move the food from the cart onto the table. “Sorry, Hyung. I know you wouldn't have shown up otherwise, so I had to think of something.”
“So much for quality time,” Wonwoo mumbled quietly, mentally cursing at himself for having left the house tonight.
“Stop being such a grump.” Mingyu nudged Wonwoo, who could only glare at the man that was now towering over him. That earned him an eye roll from the chef. “The two of you need to stop this act and make up already. It's driving everyone nuts! We don't want to see you fight or be miserable. What happened happened, and there's no turning back, only moving forward from here. That's why I tricked you into coming here tonight. And no, you're not leaving this room before you've eaten some food and made some progress.”
“Do we really not have a say in this?” Wonwoo asked, shifting his gaze from the food to Mingyu, who gave him a pointed look.
“No, you don’t. And this better not end in another fight either. Minghao’s bodyguards are on speed dial,” the chef warned. “Now, enjoy the food and fix this shit.” That was the last they heard from him before he left the room, leaving the two CEOs to deal with their problems.
“Well…” Seungcheol cleared his throat when it was just the two of them again. “I guess we better dig in, huh?”
Wonwoo nodded slowly as it started to sink in that he wouldn't be able to get out of this anytime soon. “I guess so,” he replied, his eyes scanning the various food items on the table.
Mingyu really had gone all out for the two of them – the man never came to play when it came to food. Among the variety of dishes was a rose spaghetti with shrimp, a big bowl of Jajangmyeon, a plate full of beef bulgogi, a bunch of freshly made banchan and many more things that honestly made Wonwoo’s mouth water.
His stomach growled involuntarily, as if his body was indicating that those two packs of ramen had certainly not been enough. He should have eaten more, yes, but in his state, it had been the last thing on his mind.
“Aren’t you going to take it?” Seungcheol asked, his voice cutting through the silence. Only then, Wonwoo noticed that he was holding out a plate with an assortment of the food that was on the table.
“Oh, yeah. Thanks, Hyung.” He was quick to take the plate, feeling a little surprised at the CEO’s gesture.
The two ate in silence for the next few minutes, the sound of chopsticks and spoons hitting the plates and bowls echoing through the room. But different from the uncomfortable silence that had dominated the room before, it was now a pleasant silence. In Wonwoo’s opinion, the arrival of the food was the main reason for that change.
“I’m sorry I punched you.” Seungcheol was the first to speak again, causing Wonwoo to freeze in his spot. Was he actually apologizing? He couldn’t believe that he was actually taking the first step, and he truly sounded like he was sorry.
“It’s…whatever. I would have punched me too,” Wonwoo finally said when he’d gotten over the initial shock.
“I admit, you were wrong for going behind my back, but still, it wasn’t okay of me to do that. I should have gone about it a different way and I guess I let my irrational side take over,” Seungcheol explained.
Wonwoo understood why Seungcheol had punched him when he did, because he couldn’t classify himself as innocent in all of this. He did break his trust and date you while knowing fully well that there would be consequences. So, despite the shit that his friend had pulled, Wonwoo felt like he needed to own up to his mistakes too.
“The same goes for the PI that I hired to spy on you and my sister,” Seungcheol continued. “I never meant to invade your privacy like that, but when I saw that bracelet…I was just so angry at the thought of you two together that I wasn’t thinking clearly and didn’t care what it took to confirm what I’d seen. But after seeing the effect it had on you and Y/N, I now realize that I went a little too far. So, I guess what I’m trying to say is I’m sorry,” the CEO sighed.
“I appreciate that, Hyung. I really do, thank you. And I guess I should also apologize to you for going behind your back. That was…really wrong of me. And I don’t have any good excuse for it either. We just clicked so well during that meeting that I threw all my morals aside at that moment. And then it only escalated from there with no way of going back. I never meant for anyone to get hurt,” Wonwoo shook his head. Just thinking back to the night you’d been crying your eyes out in his arms caused his chest to clench again.
“Oh you were dead wrong. I w-”
“Wait, Hyung. I’m not finished yet. I should have told you the truth from the start…”
“You shouldn’t have asked her out to begin with,” Seungcheol interrupted, a frown making its way onto his face.
Wonwoo slapped a hand against his forehead at that statement. Fair enough. “Right, I shouldn’t have, but I did. And then we got to know each other better and we developed feelings. I can’t lie and say that I’m fine, even after almost a month has passed. Hell, I’m sure neither of us are fine because we were both a mess the night we broke it off. But I just want you to know that I respect you and value you as a business partner, and of course as my friend.”
Seungcheol slowly nodded, taking in everything that Wonwoo had just told him. “So do I, and I never wanted for us to fight. I’m willing to put it behind us if you are too, not only for the sake of the company, but for both of our sakes too.” This was followed by Seungcheol extending his arm across the table.
Wonwoo let out a small laugh before shaking the hand in front of him. “Hell yes. All this awkwardness was killing me.”
“Same here. Man, guess we need to thank Mingyu after all,” the other man grinned before taking another bite from the food on his plate.
“I guess we do,” Wonwoo smiled, feeling somewhat happy that they’d been able to squash their beef.
It was slowly starting to feel like old times again, and although Wonwoo knew that it was going to take some time to move past the whole fiasco, he was glad that the tension between the two of them had settled after that long overdue talk.
Mingyu even came to check in on the two men after an hour or so, and upon discovering that they’d made up, he brought them his number one dessert on the house, just because he couldn’t believe that his plan had actually worked out. The man was so delighted that he even joined them for a couple of drinks before he had to run back to the kitchen to deal with his staff and guests.
When it was about time for the CEOs to start heading home, Wonwoo felt like there was something that he hadn’t yet been able to say, something that had been weighing him down ever since they had their talk. And if he didn’t say it now, he was afraid that he’d never get the chance to do so.
“Wait, before we leave I just want to say one last thing and I hope you’re not going to change your mind about tonight,” Wonwoo said when the two of them had gotten up from the table.
“This doesn’t sound like a good start,” Seungcheol chuckled as he adjusted his blue tie.
“I know, but I need to say this. Look, I know we’re trying to move past this, but I want to say again that I never meant to hurt anyone, especially Y/N.” At the mention of you, Seungcheol was suddenly on high alert, his lips pressing together into a thin line. “Even if we can’t be together, I want you to know that I’ll always have a special place in my heart for her. I never got to tell her because of everything that went down but I love her, Hyung. I love her in a way that I’ve never loved anyone else and I only want the best for her, even if that means it’ll eventually be with someone else.”
Wonwoo wasn’t sure if he’d made the right choice by telling his Hyung, but he did feel a huge sense of relief at getting that off his chest.
“I see,” Seungcheol nodded slowly, his gaze moving to the ground.
“I just needed you to know, that’s all, Hyung. Are we still good?” Wonwoo asked carefully, not knowing what was going on in his friend’s head right now.
“We are. I just need some time, that’s all,” he responded, meeting Wonwoo’s eyes once again. “I’ll see you later, yeah?” The younger man nodded and watched as Seungcheol made his exit.
Some time…Wonwoo could live with that, especially if it meant that he could have his friend back.
You don’t exactly remember how you’d ended up in this situation, but you were currently on your way to meet Mingyu at a cafe for what he called an ‘intervention’. The other night, he’d practically forced himself into your place with a bunch of delicious foods that you couldn’t say no to. And of course, he used your weakness against you and miraculously managed to convince you to join him for coffee at a low-key place to get you out of the house.
Another torturous week had passed without seeing Wonwoo and without talking to your brother – not that you minded the latter. This time, you’d even tried to pull yourself out of your slump on multiple occasions, but you somehow always ended up back on the couch with your tub of ice cream.
It did feel kind of weird to still be in contact with your ex-boyfriend's best friend. You were sure that if your brother knew about it, he’d flip a table – did you actually care about that? Not really. But despite the weirdness of the entire situation, you were truly glad that you had a friend like Mingyu. Aside from Wonwoo, he was the only one who understood what you were going through, so you appreciated his efforts to cheer you up.
Mingyu was waiting for you in front of the cafe, with his hood and mask up as expected. Fortunately, the place was practically empty when you two entered, which you guessed was a good thing since Mingyu was here with you. The last thing you needed was to be harassed by a bunch of paparazzi.
“Where should we sit?” you asked, scanning the cafe for a good spot that wouldn’t be too out in the open.
“How about in the back?” Mingyu suggested, quickly moving past you to lead the way. You were fine with anything, so you nodded, following him after greeting the staff members behind the counter.
“What the hell is he doing here?” you asked, your eyes widening at the figure that came into view when you neared the table in the back.
“Y/N, I know what this looks like, but trust me, there’s a reason for all of this,” Mingyu responded quickly. You should have known that he was up to no good.
“You better have a damn good reason, because I don’t remember this being part of the deal,” you grumbled, a frown making its way onto your face at the sight of your brother sitting at the small round table.
Seungcheol turned his attention to the chef, who was now looking more than a little nervous at the little scene that was unfolding in front of his eyes. “Mingyu! You didn’t tell her I was going to be here?”
Holding up his hands in defense, he said, “Don’t blame me! Do you really think she would have showed up if she knew you’d be there?”
“Yah! I’m right here!” you exclaimed, the frown on your face never faltering as you observed your brother. It had been a little over a month now since you’d last been in the same room with him. Being here confirmed that you had still not forgiven him for what he did. “I’m not talking to him.”
“Y/N, come on. Please, just sit down and listen. You don’t even have to talk if you don’t feel like it. I just need you to hear me first, and if that’s still not enough, you can leave. How does that sound?” Seungcheol pleaded, the desperation showing on his face. You were angry with him – very – but you guessed that it wouldn’t hurt to at least hear him out.
“Fine, I’ll listen. But at least let me get a coffee before we do this,” you sighed, your hands already reaching for the menu that was on the table.
“Already did. I ordered your favorite,” your brother said, to which you put the menu back down.
“Thanks, Cheol,” you mumbled, your eyes drifting over to the man that had orchestrated the whole thing.
“Alright, so then I’ll just let the two of you talk,” Mingyu announced from beside you.
“You’re leaving me with him?”
“Hey!” Seungcheol looked genuinely offended at your question.
“You’ll be fine, Y/N. Just give him a chance,” Mingyu smiled and gave you a thumbs up before leaving you with your brother.
One of the staff members was quick to bring you your drink order, which you were grateful for. It at least gave you something to keep your hands busy while listening to Seungcheol.
As Seungcheol sipped on his own drink, you took the opportunity to ask him the most obvious question. “Why am I here, Cheol? And did you really have to drag Mingyu into this?”
“He owed me, and besides, he was already in this anyway,” Your brother shrugged, causing you to scoff in response. Of course he would find a way. “Regarding you, I felt like we needed to talk about everything. I know I’m blocked, I got the hint.”
“Good,” you stated before bringing your cup of coffee to your lips.
“Look, I know I fucked up, okay? I shouldn’t have invaded your privacy and I definitely shouldn’t have resorted to violence. It was a dick move and I can own that. I’m sorry, Y/N. Truly.”
You put your cup down, looking him straight in the eyes. You needed to know if he was actually sorry and not just putting up an act just for the sake of making things right with you. “Are you actually sorry, Cheol?”
“I am! I really am. Not being able to see you for weeks and hearing that you can’t even stand to see my face really got to me. Especially when your colleague showed up to our usual meetings instead of you, I realized how much I hurt you with my actions. I should have come to you and talked to you about it, but I wasn’t thinking straight,” he shook his head.
“You can’t keep controlling everything in my life, Cheol. I’m not a child anymore and I am perfectly capable of making my own decisions. But you keep breathing down my neck for every little thing, which is, by the way, also one of the reasons I didn’t want you to find out about me dating anyone, friend or not. It can’t keep going on like this or you’ll lose me for good,” you spoke, hoping that the expression on your face was enough indication that you were dead serious about this.
“I know and trust me, I’ll try to be better.” You raised your eyebrows. “I mean, I’ll do better. It was never meant to go to this extent, I swear. Watching you ignore me and suffer on your own isn’t exactly something I’d envisioned. You’re my sister and I just want the best of the best for you. If that means backing off and letting you do your thing, then I’ll have to learn to let you go, he sighed.
A hum left your lips at that, your mind processing his words for a moment before you asked him another obvious follow-up question.
“And what about…Wonwoo?” You nearly choked on his name, the wound still a little too fresh.
“What about him?” your brother asked.
“Well, how are you two? Did you apologize to him?”
“I did, actually. We talked it out about a week ago after Mingyu forced us into a room together. Turns out that he’s pretty good at getting people to resolve conflicts, especially when food is involved,” he chuckled slightly before continuing. “Anyway, we both owned up to our own parts and we’re slowly getting back to what it used to be.”
You weren’t surprised to hear that Mingyu had been the one behind their reconciliation. In fact, you were quite certain that this would have dragged on for much longer had he not forced the two CEOs together. Whereas Seungcheol was stubborn, Wonwoo tended to avoid confrontations, both of which not exactly ideal qualities in times of conflict.
“That’s good, I guess,” you mumbled, feeling somewhat conflicted as you sipped on your coffee. On the one hand, you were glad that the two of them were on good terms again, but on the other hand, you envied your brother for being able to keep his friend while you were left with nothing but heartache.
“There’s actually another reason I asked you to come here.”
You immediately perked up at that, curious as to what else he could have wanted you here for. “Which is?”
What you didn’t expect was for your brother to start waving. Not at you, but at someone…behind you? Confused as to who he was waving, you turned around in your seat, only to nearly drop the coffee cup you were holding.
“W-Wonwoo?” you stuttered as your heart went into overdrive at seeing the man that had captured your heart walk over to your table. There was a cap on his head and a mask covering most of his face, but it was undeniably him – wearing that brown leather jacket that you loved so much.
The man himself seemed surprised at your presence too, his steps slightly faltering. “Hyung? What’s all this?”
“Take a seat.” Seungcheol motioned to the seat beside him. What the hell was the meaning of this? Why would he do this to you when he clearly knew that you were hurting?
Wonwoo hesitantly took a seat in the empty chair opposite from you, his eyes trained on your form. You were no different. No matter how hard you tried, you couldn’t look away from him, especially when he took off the face mask, revealing the pretty face that you’d gotten so used to. You were glad to see that his cheek had healed fine, but the bags under his eyes were pretty evident. Had he felt just as miserable as you this whole time?
The sound of a throat clearing is what finally got you to tear your gaze away from the CEO in front of you. Your brother was fidgeting in his seat, seemingly nervous about something.
“So, you’re probably wondering why the both of you are here.”
“Obviously,” you grumbled, crossing your arms over your chest while trying to push down the butterflies that had formed in your stomach.
“Right. Well, I had some more time to think, specifically about something Wonwoo said to me last week,” Seungcheol started, his eyes switching to the man sitting next to him. “A certain someone made me realize that I should accept the fact that I can’t control everything that happens. You can’t help who you like or love, and I guess that applies to the two of you too.”
Your breath hitched in your throat at his words. “Wait. What are you saying? What do you mean by that, Cheol?”
Your brother sighed in frustration, twisting his body slightly so that he could address the both of you clearly. “What I’m saying is that I’m not as opposed to the two of you being together anymore.”
“Hyung, are you serious? You would accept us dating?” Wonwoo asked, who, just like you, could not believe what he was hearing from his friend’s mouth.
“If what you said to me that night is still the truth, then yes. Like I told Y/N before, I only want the best for her and I guess I was scared that you wouldn’t be good enough for her, especially with lives as busy as ours. If I’m being honest, no one has ever been good enough in my opinion. But in this case, I was overdoing it a little bit because you were supposed to be my good friend.”
“A little?” you huffed, throwing a pointed look in his direction.
“Okay, a lot. Anyway, I will have to get used to the idea and it will probably take a while, but I’ve seen with my own two eyes what being apart did to the two of you. That’s why I’m giving you my blessing. Just, don’t make me regret it,” your brother said, looking between you and Wonwoo.
“So, I take it that kissing in front of you is a no-go then?” Wonwoo asked, a hint of a smirk on his face. You wanted to scream at the absurdity of this scene. Was Wonwoo actually teasing your brother about kissing you in front of him? – you seriously feared for his face again. Then again, the thought of kissing him after all this time also made your heart flutter.
“Don’t push it, Jeon. Remember that hit you took? That was me going easy on you,” Seungcheol joked, but you didn’t find it that funny.
“Cheol,” you warned.
“I know, I know,” he laughed, causing Wonwoo to crack a little smile too. “But I’m serious, if you hurt her, I’ll know where to find you,” Seungcheol threatened, his own smile faltering slightly.
“I wouldn’t dream of it, Hyung,” Wonwoo assured your overprotective brother.
“Okay, enough with the macho stuff. I would like to stay in the peaceful and forgiving bubble we were in up until a few seconds ago,” you begged, not wanting to risk ruining this dream-like moment. What universe had you landed in for your brother to change his mind? Who was this person that had managed to convince your brother? You would kiss them if you could.
Seungcheol looked at you, his own expression softening when he noticed your concerned one. “Don’t worry, Y/N. I’m not going to change my mind. I was just making sure that we’re on the same page.”
“You promise?”
“I promise,” Seungcheol smiled and for the first time this afternoon, you let yourself smile too. “By the way, does this mean I’m forgiven and you’ll finally unblock me?”
That question earned a shrug from you, followed by a smirk. “Hmm, I don’t know. Maybe? Maybe not? Guess you’ll have to find out at the next consultation.”
“I guess I can survive for another two days.”
“You don’t really have a choice, because I don’t think I’ll be available for the next two days anyway,” you stated, after which you dared to peek at Wonwoo, who you found already staring at you with the hint of a mischievous look on his face.
“What do y-aish.” Your brother’s expression morphed into one of disgust as his eyes darted from you to Wonwoo. “Just go. Or I might actually change my mind in the next few seconds.”
He didn’t need to tell you twice. The rest of your coffee now all forgotten, you nearly jumped up from your chair and reached for Wonwoo’s hand. The CEO was quick to put on his mask and tightened his grasp on your hand as he got up from the seat. You barely remembered to say goodbye to Seungcheol as you hurried out of the cafe, Wonwoo hot on your heels.
“Slow down. I’m not going to disappear, you know,” Wonwoo chuckled as you reached the parking lot.
“I already let you go once. You really think I’m going to waste time by taking it easy this time?” you questioned, taking that moment to let your eyes wander over him. Any work he’d been planning to do would have to wait, because there was no way you were going to leave his side for the next few days.
“You have a point. Mine or yours?” he asked, repeating the question you’d asked him too on the night of your last date.
“Yours. My place is a mess,” you replied, grimacing at the thought of having to clean up the aftermath of weeks of laziness.
“Can’t promise mine is much better, but I could care less.” Now, it was Wonwoo who took the lead, tugging on your hand as he led you to his car.
The drive to Wonwoo’s place was agonizing. You couldn’t keep your hands still, mainly because all you wanted was to touch the man sitting next to you. However, you weren’t about to cause an accident. You could wait. You’d been doing that for the past few weeks, so you could manage a few more minutes. Instead, you chose to observe him. He’d luckily taken off his mask, so there was nothing to obstruct your view.
It was crazy to think that up until today, you’d been a total mess. You’d felt completely lost for the last couple of weeks, not knowing if you’d ever go back to your old self. But now you were sitting in the car with the man you were still so in love with. Even after weeks of not seeing each other, he still managed to evoke the same reactions from you – butterflies in your stomach, your heart racing and your mind filled with nothing but him. Only this time, you wanted all of him and there was nothing or no one that would be able to come in between you this time.
You couldn’t help but grin at the way Wonwoo was gripping onto the steering wheel. Though he didn’t voice his thoughts, it was obvious that he was trying to hold himself together. Your mouth opened to tease him about it, but you refrained yourself from doing so. Teasing would undoubtedly lead to flirting and with the sexual tension hanging in the air, you had a feeling that Wonwoo would have no problem making a pit stop to have his way with you in the car. And although it seemed quite tempting, the risk was just too big. A scandal was not how you wanted to start off this second chance you’d been given.
“You coming?” Wonwoo asked, snapping you out of your thoughts. You noticed that he’d parked his car in his garage and had gotten out to open your side. A smile formed onto your face and you nodded, happily accepting the hand that he’d offered.
“I feel like we probably should have stopped at my place to get some clothes though,” you said as you followed behind Wonwoo, the front door closing soon after that.
“I don’t think you’ll be needing any clothes for what I have in mind,” he mumbled, caging you in between himself and the front door.
The sudden proximity caused goosebumps all over your body, your breath caught in your throat for a second as your eyes found his dark brown ones.
Then Wonwoo was suddenly kissing you before you could get a proper response out. His hands were on your sides in seconds, pressing you further against the door as his tongue slipped into your mouth. Your eyes had automatically closed at the feeling of his soft lips against your own, with your hands making their way to the collar of his leather jacket to pull him even closer. If this was what pure bliss felt like, you never wanted it to stop.
“I love you,” you mumbled in between kisses, not being able to keep it to yourself for another second. The last time you’d wanted to say it, he’d stopped you and you’d respected that. But now…it felt so good to finally be able to say it out loud, especially since there were no consequences this time.
Wonwoo detached himself from you at your proclamation, which was met with a whine of protest from your side at the loss of his lips. With a little chuckle leaving said lips, he leaned his forehead against yours.
“I love you too. So fucking much,” he said before leaning in to plant a few more kissing onto your awaiting lips. “I can’t believe that I actually told your brother that before telling you.”
“You what? No actually, I don't care about that right now. I want to get to the part where we won’t need our clothes,” you pouted, growing more and more impatient and needier the longer you spent fully clothed.
The CEO in front of you smirked at your request, his hands moving down to squeeze your ass gently. “If that’s what my baby wants, then I better comply, huh?” God, this man was going to be the death of you.
Read the smut HERE or skip.
“So, how does it feel? Dating the boss’ sister?” Jeonghan teased, taking a seat on the couch next to the SEVENTEEN Gaming CEO.
Chan’s eyes lit up at the question. “Yeah, Hyung. Tell us,” he urged, drawing the attention of several of the others in the room.
Wonwoo wasn’t surprised that the news of you and him getting back together had already reached his friends. If he had to guess, Mingyu was most likely the one that had spilled the beans – there was no way Seungcheol would have told them. Plus, the fact that the chef was currently avoiding his best friend’s eyes was enough confirmation.
“It’s great. She’s everything I could have wanted.” A small smile made its way onto Wonwoo’s face at the thought of you. It had been three weeks since Seungcheol had given his blessing and the two of you had made it official once again – without exaggeration, the best three weeks of his life.
“Aiii, look at him all happy,” Jun exclaimed, which was followed by a bunch of giggles and screams from the men in the room.
Jisoo, who was sitting next to Jeonghan, nudged his friend. “I bet you he was thinking about some dirty stuff.”
Wonwoo immediately released an annoyed sigh at the playful comment. “I wasn’t.”
“It’s okay, Hyung. We don’t blame you,” Mingyu winked at him from the opposite side of the room.
As if it couldn’t get any worse, Seungkwan decided to open his big mouth. “Hyung! Your brother-in-law over here is having dirty thoughts about your sister!” he yelled to the managing CEO, who was currently getting some snacks from his kitchen. The other men in the room burst out laughing while Wonwoo genuinely feared for his life.
“Yah! Do you want to die?” Wonwoo hissed, hitting the man in question with a newspaper that he found on the small table beside the couch. He should have known that he would never live this down.
Fortunately, Seungcheol seemed completely clueless when he re-entered the room. “Did I miss anything?” Thank god for the big apartment.
“Nothing important,” Wonwoo said quickly before anyone else had the chance to tell him the truth.
“We were just talking about how Wonwoo managed to score your sister,” Minghao spoke, ignoring the glare that Wonwoo threw his way.
Jeonghan grinned before adding, “And to think I missed the chance to shoot my shot.”
“In your dreams,” Wonwoo and Seungcheol responded at the same time, the latter throwing a handful of popcorn at the fashionable CEO. That quickly wiped the grin from his face as he started to scold Seungcheol for nearly staining his designer outfit.
Jihoon rolled his eyes at the squabbling couple. “All jokes aside, we’re truly happy for you, man.”
“Hyung’s right. I can’t believe you went through all that shit and ended up getting your happy ending with Y/N,” Seokmin beamed.
“Well, I guess Mingyu deserves most of the credit.” Wonwoo pointed at the man.
“I can confirm. If anyone needs a matchmaker, conflict resolver or wingman, I’m your guy. You can contact my personal assistant for inquiries,” he declared, a smug look taking over his features.
“I think I’ll pass,” Jihoon mumbled.
“Me too,” Soonyoung agreed with a nod. The chef, who was seemingly offended at being flat out rejected, took that as an invitation to start bickering with his two Hyungs.
A buzzing sound in Wonwoo’s pocket got him to pull his phone out. It was a message from you.
A little sneak peek for tomorrow’s date night:
[Image attached]
Don’t we look cute? I got you one too! :D
He couldn’t help but laugh at the sight of you dressed in the Sherlock Holmes attire that you’d thrifted for the movie you were going to watch. Bom, Saja and Shiro were sitting beside you, all of them wearing little matching detective hats and capes. How you’d managed to put that on Saja and Shiro AND gotten them to sit still for a picture was a mystery to Wonwoo. He couldn’t wish for anything better.
“What’s up with that face?” the ever-observant Mingyu asked, quickly spotting the love-struck look on his best friend’s face.
Wonwoo simply shook his head, still not believing that the universe had blessed him with someone like you.
“Nothing. Just happy, that’s all.”
© All right reserved — ourdawnishotterthanourday // Please do not repost or edit any of my works without my permission!! If you see any of my works outside of this Tumblr, pls report it to me asap. Thank you in advance!
AAAND THE END! Hope you all enjoyed the first chapter :D Feedback/comments/reblogs are highly appreciated!
~ stay tuned for the next chapters ^^
☀ if you want to be added to the tag list, leave a comment or send me an ask!
✎ Make sure to enable the MATURE community label if you want to read the SMUT!!!!
☀ Tag list: @multiplums @hipsdofangirl @brrrkdslek @sonybear40 @omyeol @matchahyuck @bumblebreanna @haneulparadx @queentoriasworld @letsimagineyouandme @jadesniall @kimingyuslover @lockburn-castle @celestialkmg @shinetogether17 @i-dont-give-a-fok @minhui896 @miraes-world @bmkgemz @6969lilithcat @hopefulchick @yoonguurt @fantasies-of-a-bookworm @xiaoting999 @yearnoclock @mingyucookies @itswaffleberry @strxbrymilkkuu
#JiJis series#seventeen world#fic: don't tell the boss#jeon wonwoo x reader#wonwoo fic#wonwoo smut#seventeen x reader#seventeen x you#seventeen smut#svt smut#svt x reader#seventeen fics#seventeen imagines#seventeen scenarios#seventeen#svt#jeon wonwoo#wonwoo x reader#wonwoo x you#svt wonwoo#wonwoo fluff#wonwoo angst#seventeen fluff#seventeen angst#seventeen au#svt au
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I got into the void using your challenge: live update
Day 1:
I said isn’t it wonderful once every hour: everytime I felt doubt I reminded myself isn’t it wonderful and the doubt went away. It kept me in very good mood and my desires did feel closer to me more than ever
Day 2:
Like the challenge said I started my day with Isn't it wonderful that I love and accept my godly ability to choose my reality, and I said that once and mediated on my limited beliefs to and tried to question why I should have them when I am god. I felt like a new person
I manifested so many things. Free coffee’, a cute man asking for my number, so many compliments from strangers which rarely happens, and not being late to class even though I’m always late. I was already becoming my dream self I envision after the void
I have a good vision board I was using for my visuals. Everytime something reminded me of my 3D, I stared at it on my phone to remind myself of the life I am living so why am I concerned, and I repeated isn’t it wonderful to remind myself of my wonderful life, it worked like a charm pun intended
It is night time so I am going to listen to the third video you recommended.
Tomorrow I will write about how grateful I am for all my desires that have manifested and meditate on the phrase it is done. My dream life is already here even if not in the 3D yet I have already become my imagination and I’m excited to fulfill my desires on the fourth day and I will message you my success story.
Day 3:
Today is my last day and I am already fulfilled. It really is wonderful. This morning I got up at 3 am (Happy Aïdd) and prayed on all the things I am grateful for. I went to sleep and woke up again. And journaled about all the wonderful things I have. My wealth, my beauty, my kind heart, the wonderful celebration in my beautiful house I am having with my family, my wonderful fiancé, mastery of the void state, the millions dollars of income I have flowing in my bank account yearly, my healthsafety and protection from god, all things that will be fulfilled the next time I close my eyes and open it. Then I wrote all my goals for the rest of the year, business plans, school plans, wedding plans, trip plans etc etc. this is a normal thing for me. All I could think is it is done this is my life MashaAllah
Update:
I was not planning into going to the void until after I went to bed. But I took a nap and woke up in the void thank you so much for this wonderful challenge
I woke up from my nap in a room I did not recognize I feared I had died, but it is here. I am not shocked or surprised, I don’t know how when I cried for this to happen for months but I have been fulfilled since the first day of the challenge so thank you dear 🙏
A shortened version of my desires
Living a luxurious life in Dubai
Living with all my family members in a 12 bedroom mansion in Dubai
Many house help who are treated with love and kindness and paid well
Loyal wealthy loving and god fearing handsome fiancé whom my family approve of
Attending zayned university
Hourglass body, and 36 inches of long healthy hair that never gets matted
Misgyony free household
10/10 beauty
Long natural nails that never break
High IQ that is respected
A white phantom rolls-Royce as my car
And a lot more 🙏 thank you to Loa tumblr and god himself. I pray all of this for you kind dearing souls
Another update
Tomorrow we throw a celebration and none of my family knows I did this, it is like we have always been rich and happy when we were poor and torn apart. I decorate and set up with my sisters, my mother is cooking 30 dishes, and my father for once is helping her clean up. He now worships here rather than abuses her. I am already getting many gifts, purses and jewelry I could only see in my dreams. My closet is very large the size of my old apartment 😂😂 I have hundreds of shoes and even more clothes and purses. I am in awe and greatful 🥰
Happy Aïdd😭😭🎉🎉💕 the fact that you got your desires on this wonderful day makes me so happy !!! You honestly did the challenge in more depth than I gave and it worked out so beautifully I am beyond happy for you beautiful anon 😭🫶🫶
#law of assumption#manifesation#void state#manifesting#reality shifting#law of attraction#void success
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Okay so! I appreciate all of the messages everyone has sent me, thank you for that <3
I just got back and have been looking at my notifications, I also got a lot of questions, some of which were recurring so I figured I can make one post addressing them:
>What happened
I'm fine, my guess is my working circumstances + short daylight hours triggered some kind of prolonged depressive phase. I am type II bipolar (I can't recall if I've ever mentioned that here or not), so I have regular manic and depressive phases, they're just not usually so intense. I'm seeing my psychiatrist in a month so I'm going to ask her for her thoughts on avoiding it reoccuring.
> Have I played fontaine arc
Unfortunately I'm not caught up, due to the aforementioned issues I also neglected hobbies/media consumption and haven't logged in in a while. I intend to get to this soon and then I can answer stuff about it!
> Did I finish HxH/am I going to make HxH content
Yes I did! I had a few eps left when I went into the depressive phase, so I just picked it back up and finished it while I was traveling this weekend.
I really enjoyed it, so I'd love to write content for it (if that's what The People™ want as well? Let me know)
> Have I played HSR
Unfortunately I can't play Star Rail because it's not on PS4 :( I hope to save up for a PS5 so when I can get one, I'll play it.
> What am I working on
There's a few things I'm either actively on or would like to do!
1) proofreading Diluc escape fic I've had sitting around forever (will post today or tomorrow)
2) another Hybrid post I started a while back (almost done)
3) I haven't checked on it in a while, so I was pleasantly surprised to learn Malebolge (the Morax failed escape fic) is by far the most popular thing I've ever written, a lot of people wanted a sequel so I've started the bare bones drafting of a sequel for it.
4) I might go back and finish the scara failed escape fic I mentioned all the way back in late 2022, I eventually got over the heel-turn dislike I developed (read: I have erased everything post 2.1 from my brain), I was already like 10k words into it so it feels like a waste to not do so. But I'm not sure, I'll just have to see how it goes
5) Sifting through old WIPs/drafts to maybe finish some, maybe start making hxh content etc
#I have a lot of 'started and never finished' writing projects#God decided being a bipolar autist wasnt enough to counteract my sins and triple nerfed me by adding ADHD
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Loookkkkkk idk if I hate this entirely or am kinda proud but imma post it either way
Hidden feelings part 2 this was originally a one shot
Just a reference I am having them be aged up in this they are 18/19 and no nothing super nsfw happens just a smidge of spice.
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Months had passed since I was left alone at stone island by Ao’nung’s friends almost a full year actually. So many things have changed since then, we lost Neteyam to the war almost half a year ago. Ao’nung had completed his Iknimaya about four months ago and got his first tattoo his own Marui, the three beads for his songcord and a special garment that ended up being chest harness that was similar to his fathers but still uniquely his. I had bonded with a Tulkun about two months ago which makes Lo’ak and I one step closer to completing our Iknimaya. Kiri and Spider have gotten closer if that’s even possible and we’ve been teaching Spider the way of the Metkayina and he’s learning very well. Tuk has made friends with almost every child in the village. Ronal our Tsahik had her baby a little sister Tsireya was very excited to be an older sister, Watching Ao’nung and his baby sister interact made me realize. I want to start a family with him one day, not any day soon but one day. As the latest eligible male in the clan Ao’nung has had the attention of many of the females especially since he’s the next Olo’eyktan much to my dismay. Tomorrow marks the day a year ago that Ao’nung and I told each other that we cared for eachother it is also the day of my Iknimaya.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A group made up of clan warriors escorted me to an island about an hour away from our home island where the Tsurak or skimwing’s live until we make a bond with them much like the Ikran in the floating mountains. Waiting on the island for me is Tonowari and Ronal the
Olo’eyktan and the Tsahik, only them and the warriors that brought me here are allowed to stay. Family and friends are all back on the island waiting for my return hopefully as a full member of the clan.
Tonowari greets me with a kind smile as Ronal pulls me into a hug, once Ronal releases me we turn to Tonowari and he begins to speak
“Y/N sully this is your last right of Iknimaya when you succeed you’ll be a full member of the Metkayina, you’ll be able to choose a mate and you’ll receive your first tattoo as well as the other traditional gifts. You will be one of our people.”
He gives me a reassuring smile to help with my nerves and speaks once more
“Y/N go into the water and claim your Tsurak”
With a deep breath I turn and walk into the waves.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It takes a little under an hour but I was able to claim my very on skimwing. I glide up to the shore where Ronal claps for me and Tonowari wears the grin of what I can only describe as a proud father. Everyone knows Ao’nung and I care for one another and intend to choose each other as Mates, his parents are extremely supportive of us too. When I dismount and walk to them I’m pulled into a tight hug by both and even once Tonowari releases me Ronal holds tight and whispers in my ear.
“ you will make a wonderful Tsahik one day my dear, Ao’nung is luck to have you welcome to the family.”
I return her hug even tighter now with a large smile gracing my face.
When we release each other everyone gets on to their respective Tsurak and we begin our journey back to our home.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As the island comes into view we can see a large bonfire on the beach the entire clan ready to celebrate on our return which shocks me just a little and I give Tonowari a questioning look.
“ the entire clan was confident you would succeed today “ he says as we reach the shore as we all dismount and walk towards the group I see Ao’nung on the beach and I want nothing more than to run to him but I know I must be introduce by our leader.
“ Metkayina people welcome our newest clan member Y/N” he said in a loud voice cheers and sounds of approval filled the beach
He glances at me and whispers under his breath “ go to him” all while a proud smile graces his face.
Once I have my all clear I sprint to Ao’nung and launch into his arms my legs wrapping around his waist we both laugh as he holds me up by my legs. I can feel his large hands gripping at my thighs just like that day a year ago. I rest my forehead on his and we smile. I sigh and in the lightest breath whisper
“I see you and I love you “
His grip on my thighs tighten and a small gasp escapes me only loud enough for him to hear.
“ and I see you Y/N, my Mate. I love you.” He whispers back.
He releases my legs reluctantly setting me back to the ground and nods towards my approaching family. We greet them together hand in hand. The evening is spent laughing and celebrating, I of course tease Lo,ak just a little seeing as everyone originally thought he’d be the first of us to complete Iknimaya. Throughout the evening many people greet me and welcome me as a full member to the clan through it all Ao’nung never leaves my side until his and my parents walk up to us he leans down to whisper in my ear.
“ I’ll be right back I have to grab something for you I’ll meet you at your new Marui my mate.”
He releases my hand as our mothers reach us and disappears into the crowd.
Ronal and my mother embrace me into a hug, my mom has a few stray tears on her face so I wipe them off and smile at her.
Ronal and my mother both present me with a songcord bead.
The bead from Ronal is a small spiraled shell
“To represent you being one of the Metkayina now” she says.
My mother steps forward to present the next bead it’s a wooden bead that has red paint on the outside.
“I made it out of a piece of my fathers bow it was made from the wood of our home tree from before the war, it’s to represent the Omatikaya where you were born. My mother explains.
Ronal speaks once more.
“You may receive your first tattoo tomorrow for now go find your Marui Ao’nung is there with your piece of clothing and your last bead.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It only took about 10 minutes to find the newest Marui. When I walk in Ao’nung greats me with shy smile and holds out his hands in them is a beautifully crafted top that looks quite similar to the one his mother wore the day we first met. The main difference between the two garments is that Ronal’s is made of brown/ orange leather and orange and yellow beads with a few larger blue pieces at the very edges, but this one was made of black leather with beads as blue as the sea and ones that match the shade of metkayina skin but the part that brings it all together and makes it uniquely me are the green beads scattered throughout the piece. Sitting just on top of the garment is a shell with a single pearl in it.
I move forward and hug Ao’nung so quickly he has to try not to drop the gifts.
“I love them Ao’nung so much, I’m just not sure the top will fit me.” I mutter just loud enough for him to hear
He tilts his head to the side.
“Why wouldn’t it I made it myself ?” He asks
My face turns hot and goes a slightly darker blue color on my cheeks ears and chest “because my chest is bigger” I barely whisper.
Taking a breath I continue.
“I know you’ve noticed. My chess is bigger than regular Na’vi because of the human genes from my father.”
He chuckles and smirks.
“I know they are larger I’ve always liked it . It’s Like when a Na’vi woman is about to have a babe but yours are always like that…… imagine what they’ll be like when we do have a babe.” He says still with a devious look on his face.
I can’t stop the heat from consuming my face entirely it’s warm to the touch. He’s still wearing a lazy smirk and chuckling lightly until I start to talk.
“Can you untie this top the tie is on my neck, I want to wear the one you got me.” Now it’s my turn to smirk as he blushes. Nodding slowly he steps around me and caresses my neck and shoulders softly making me momentarily stop breathing. After only a moment of hesitation I feel the string being pulled and my current top falls to the ground with a thud. I can hear Ao’nung swallow hard, his fingers still running along my neck. Pulling away for only a moment to grab the new top he returns and lays it lightly over my chest. As he does this one of his long fingers brushes the side of my breast, I suck in a quick breath and he holds his.
“Ao’nung….” I whisper his name almost pleadingly.
“Don’t ….. I promised your brother we wouldn’t do anything.” he growls his fingers still barely touching me.
“Eywa give me strength…..” he mutters.
Leaning forward he begins placing light kisses on my neck making me even more breathless the hand resting just above my breast lowers slowly and it fills his whole hand. When he begins to kneed my breast I moan and that makes him growl into my neck. As he kisses where my neck meets my shoulder I shudder and he bites at it making me cry out as soon as I do I feel him groan into the place he just bit his breathing just as shallow as mine. With one hand playing with my boob he reaches around with the other arm and wraps his large hand around my waist pulling me back into him fully. His hands feel so large and strong on my body gripping and pulling at me, He is mine and I am his. We are destined by eywa to be together.
Ao’nung pulls away and turns me around but before I can say anything.
“Jump.” He whispers in my ear.
I don’t hesitate and jump into his arms one large hand gripping my thigh roughly the other grabs my chin and pulls me into a wild kiss, the top he made now forgotten on the floor. We’re barely breathing as we kiss each other he pulls me even closer and in that moment we both feel my nipples rub against his chest he growls as I moan, My one hand is gripping his shoulder the other finds it’s way to his hair and grips it tightly he gasps at this. When he does we both pull away panting. Walking over to a desk of sorts he leans on it almost sitting and with the way he’s holding me I’m now practically straddling his waist my boobs level with his face. With a wicked smile before I can process what he’s about to do he takes one of my nipples into his mouth tongue swirling around it, I’m whimpering and mewling but it’s not until he give my nipple a bite that I loudly moan his name for the first time. At hearing his name roll off my lips like that he freezes completely hands gripping my waist so hard that if I were human they would be broken. I hear a small pop as he releases my nipple from his mouth a small string of saliva following.
“I will not dishonor you and our future mate bond by not having us mate before the spirit tree as tradition says.” He says grinding his teeth slightly trying to reign in his desires. “I.WILL.HAVE.YOU.MATE……” he says each word slowly “but not this night” he finishes speaking setting me down onto the ground. Standing up he goes to retrieve the new top and walks to me, I smile at him and turn around. Placing the top on me he ties it and I turn towards him still grinning like a fool.
“It’s beautiful Ao’nung. I love it and I love you, I can’t wait to start our life together.” I say as I pull him into a hug.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Five years later
“Neteya “ I shout “go meet with your uncle Lo’ak and Aunt Tsireya I’ll meet you all at the beach” I say trying to stand but my growing belly makes it harder. My four year old daughter already running out of our marui and toward her uncles. Sneaking up behind me my mate comes in and helps me stand caressing my belly. When I’m finally up and standing Ao’nung kneels in front of me so that he’s level with my growing baby bump. “ be nice to your mother today little warrior it’s an important day after all your cousin is being welcomed into the clan.” He says and then kisses my belly when he rises he kisses me too and we go meet our family and clan on the beach. We preform the duty’s as Olo’eyktan and Tsahik since Tonowari and Ronal stepped down last year . It was our first time leading a communion with eywa to welcome a new baby into the clan.
Good thing Lo’ak and Tsireya were family.
#aonung#aonung x reader#avatar#avatar: way of the water#neteyam#avatar movie#avatar x reader#lo’ak#pandora#sully family#ao’nung x reader#jake sully#tsireya#ao’nung#neytiri#metkayina#omatikaya
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🌆another day🌆
CW: Panic attack, Sweetheart takes a non-specific form of medication
Sweetheart doesn’t like their job. Everyday they’re left sitting in their car wondering how the hell they wound up like this. Well today wasn’t any different. They’re sitting in their car, reflecting on their day before walking in. They take a deep, exhausted breath before they open their car door and hop out.
They unlock the front door and drop their bag, rolling their shoulder from carrying it all day. “Milo? ‘m home!” they project, expecting an answer. “Milo?” They question before noticing a folded piece of paper with their name on it and a heart next to it. It read:‘Hey sweetheart, I have an overnight shift tonight. David sprung it on me last minute. Sorry! Love you!
Love, Milo’
Oh, okay. Well that’s not ideal but they’ll manage. They look at Aggros empty bowl and picks it up, intending to go fill it up with his food. As they walk to the kitchen, a loud PING PING PING comes from their left pocket. Startled, Sweetheart drops the cats bowl, making a loud clang as it hits the hardwood floor. Sweetheart groans before pulling out their phone, reading “Take your meds.” on the alarm. Sweetheart rubs between their eyes. They pick up Aggro’s bowl before filling it with food, and placing it back. Another PING PING PING erupts from their pocket. “Take your meds No.2”
Jesus. They walk to the bathroom, opening their medicine cabinet. They root around for their medicine, not finding the little blue pills as they search. Fuck, where are they? They took them this morning..maybe they’re in the kitchen. Shit. Ugh, where the fuck are they?! They see a little orange bottle, they reach for them but accidentally knock them off the counter. spilling all the pills, all over the floor. Fuck..! They kneel on the floor, scrambling to scoop up the pills back into the bottle, their breath is getting faster and their chest starts to hurt. Jesus when did it get so hot?! Why is their alarm going off again?! Where is Milo?! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck..! They collapse on the floor, balling up in the corner of their kitchen, their knee bouncing up and down viscously as they bury their head in their hands. mreeoww~
Aggro?
Aggro rubs their head against Sweethearts shaking leg, slowly making it calm down and slow to a stop. “Hey buddy..” They unfold their legs, laying they straight on the ground as they pick Aggro up and place him on their lap. The gentle vibrations of his purring calming them down. Milo, they needed to call Milo. They pick up their phone, that was still going PING PING PING from putting the alarm on snooze earlier. They cancel the alarm, and call Milo. “Hey sweetheart, what’s goin’ on, you okay?” He questions through the phone. “Yeah hon, I just wanted to call and ask when you’ll be home tomorrow?” They ask, trying to hide the shakiness in their voice. “Prolly around 2..why?” Sweetheart hums, sniffs, and continues talking “How was your day?” They ask as they stand up, clicking their tongue for Aggro to follow them. “It was fine- Asher got into a little tussle with an asshole but other than that, it was fine.” Milo groans, flopping down on whatever nearby surface was around, Sweetheart couldn’t tell. “What ‘bout you sweetheart? How was yours?” Sweetheart inhales, “Stressful.” They sigh. “I’m sorry baby, I wish I could help…can I help?” Sweetheart thinks for a second. They lay down on the bed, motioning for Aggro to lay on their chest. “Can you just..talk?” Milo snickers “Yeah of course.”
#redacted asmr#redacted audio#redactedverse#redacted audios#redacted sweetheart#redacted audio sweetheart#redacted asmr sweetheart
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The King's Queen - chapter 5
Javi Gutierrez x female reader
Co-written with @absurdthirst
Prince Javier of the Balearic Islands has always known that one day he would have to follow in his father's footsteps to be the caring and steadfast king that his people deserve. What he did not know is that he would be stepping into the next phase of his life alongside a woman he has never met before - and amidst a rocky sea of unusual circumstances of every kind.
Rating: Mature, but this blog is always 18+
Word Count: 10.1k
Warnings: *Blanket warnings for this series: arranged marriage, age gap, classicism, cursing, food and alcohol, mentions of American politics, deceased parents* Fluff. It's just fluff. Absolute, pure fluff with fluff on top.
Summary: Dinner is a much needed retreat for you and Javi after such a busy and harrying today.
Notes: After the emotional weight of the last chapter, we had to do something a little lighter.
Ch 1 ~ Ch 2 ~ Ch 3 ~ Ch 4
Wearily, Javier rubs his forehead and looks up at Julius. The afternoon had been spent with the council and he had ended up deciding that two of them needed to be replaced due to their obvious loyalty to Lucas. “Julius, will you see if the Princess is free to join me for a later dinner?”
His assistant nods, stepping away to pick up a discreet palace phone that will allow him to dial your suite - or any other room - directly. The line rings twice before it connects and he hears your voice on the other end. The fluid Spanish makes him nod approvingly and he relays the king's request accordingly. After a moment he murmurs a polite goodbye and hangs up, returning to the king's side with a smile. "The Princess has been waiting for your call," he reports with obvious enjoyment of that fact. "She is working in her suite and can meet you at any time, your Majesty."
He hums, a tired smile on his face. “Have the chef prepare the dinner that I had requested this morning, along with a red wine from the cellar. Champagne is perhaps too festive.”
Julius nods again, his go-to reaction for almost anything, but he hesitates slightly. "If I may, your Majesty?"
“Of course.” He has learned over the course of the afternoon that Julius has his finger on the pulse of the country and the palace. Invaluable in his contribution to his father’s reign.
"A case of pink gin found its way into the palace this morning, and I understand it is a favourite of the Princess's?" He tilts his head in amusement, as if the choice is endearingly whimsical. "If you intend to have the very same dinner for the very same purpose as you set down this morning, perhaps a cocktail could be arranged to accompany your dessert? As a treat for her Highness, but not one that would seem inappropriately...boisterous. Given the events of the day."
“That would be much appreciated.” Javier nods and sighs. “It’s been a long day and I think we could all use a drink. Whatever cocktail is created, give one to the staff as well, a toast to King Miguel.”
"Very gracious, your Majesty." The staff will appreciate the gesture, he knows that. The small things do not go unnoticed in a place like this. "And if I may be so bold..." When he receives a nod, Julius returns it with his own. "You did very well today, sire. Allowing yourself to enjoy some personal time is not inappropriate."
“Thank you.” He’s bone tired and sad, but looking forward to seeing you. Something about his father’s death is bothering him and he hasn’t figured out what it is. “Start putting together suitable replacements to Rodriguez and Estrada.” He shakes his head. “Tomorrow. You have also earned some personal time. Once dinner is served, instruct the staff to go home. Dishes can be washed tomorrow. It will not make the palace crumple.”
"Yes, your Majesty." He'll relay the message but has his doubts that it will be followed. The palace staff has a lot of work to do with an engagement, a funeral, a crowning, and plenty of other official events in the near future. "I will have suggestions for replacement cabinet members by morning."
"Thank you." He nods and motions for Julius to leave as he stands, groaning slightly at the ache in his back. "Have a good night." He will have dinner with you and then see if he can sleep. The last moments of his father are haunting him and he hates it.
******
It isn’t difficult to make sure that you’re ready for dinner at the right time and place, considering Javi’s rooms are still directly next door to yours for now. You had even located the door that connects your suites but decided that it might not be appropriate for you to appear in his rooms for dinner that way. Instead you had unlocked it, remembering what he said about the lock being on your side of the door, and gone over to the proper front door of Javi’s suite in the hallway to be announced.
By the time the knock on the door comes, Javi’s changed into something more casual, more him. Trousers and a short-sleeved button up, he feels the weight of the day drain away as he walks to the door to open it himself.
He’s really quite unfairly handsome, to the point that you can feel your cheeks burn when he so much as smiles at you, and tonight you can see the relief in his face when he opens the door to see you standing there. “How was the rest of your day, querido?”
“Margarita, it is good to see you.” He reaches for your hand to draw you into the room and leans in to kiss your cheek. “It was filled with headache inducing meetings. How was yours?”
“Far less stressful than yours, I think. But I will be happy to not be stuck with pins again for a long while.” Being in his arms has such a deep sense of security to it and you sigh without realizing. Whatever cologne he wears smells like the sea and you wonder if he made the choice consciously or not.
“Was it successful though?” He asks with a small chuckle as he leans back. “I heard that designer is good.”
“She was lovely. And very clever. I’ll have a few things quickly and more things over time.” When he laughs he smiles again and it makes you melt more than a little. “The things for the funeral and the state dinner will be done first, of course.”
“You will also have to choose a designer to make your wedding dress.” He reminds you. “As well as coronation gowns.”
With the door shut behind you, you don’t mind taking the moment of intimacy and leaning into his side. “How soon do you want to have the wedding?”
“I was going to ask if you wanted to be crowned as queen when I am crowned king, or if you wanted to wait.” Javi guides you over to the table that has been set for two in his dining area.
"It would be less of a to-do and less of an expense to have us both crowned together." With the responsibility of decision making falling to the two of you now rather than simply following orders, there is more to consider than just how soon you want to be married. "We could be married before the summer is over and have our coronation in fall or winter, if you want them close together?" The English king had waited almost a year for his coronation but you know from reading that Balearic tradition has coronations much more quickly.
“We could do a joint coronation and wedding?” Javi suggests, knowing the expense of either event will be large. “Have the wedding and the next day the coronation? Or would that be too much at once?”
“It would certainly be a big event.” The possibility is one that you had never considered, and you sit down at the table with him with an intense look of concentration. “The honeymoon tradition of touring the islands would be doubly useful, if we did that. It would be an extended celebration. Of course it would be a lot of work to put on the palace staff, but it would save a lot of trouble with planning. Overlapping guest lists and visitors, that sort of thing.”
“And in the end, instead of two separate, costly events, we essentially have one. It would end up saving the people money. We could also declare it a holiday week for them.” Javi suggests.
“We should give ourselves time to plan.” His enthusiasm for the idea is enough to convince you that it is worth pursuing, and you know you’ll be on board for whatever he ends up deciding. “How would you feel about waiting until autumn to have both events together?” While you may not have reservations about marrying him, you’re realistic about the fact that it will take quite a lot of work to get both things done. A few months is practically no time at all.
“That would work.” Javi nods. “There will be several coordinators that would work with you on it.” He promises. “Julius would have that information.”
“I’ll have my own assistant in a few days,” you tell him, sitting back at the table as a footman appears with a silver service cart bearing your dinner. “Julius is wonderful but I don’t want him to be overwhelmed or overworked.”
“Did you have someone in mind?” He smiles and nods at the footman as he bows. “Thank you, Juan.” He picks up the wine bottle and pulls the cork out. “We will not need anything else.”
The footman goes again without a word, and the comfortable quiet of a meal shared just between the two of you sounds perfect for tonight. “My brother,” you tell him honestly, watching as Javi pours you each a glass of wine. “He has been our father’s personal assistant for a few years now and knows me better than anyone. He’s also fluent in Spanish. And has a good eye for fashion, so I trust him with my clothing.” Looking up at Javi, you see the surprise on his face clear as day. “Is that alright?”
“That is perfectly okay, margarita.” He assures you quickly, smiling. “You will have your brother here with you, so I approve.” He is an only child, but from what you had told him, you and your brother get along very well.
“I think you’ll like him.” Sebastian was always the one who watched Nic Cage movies with you and encouraged you to pursue the things that made you happy, so you can’t see someone as kind as Javi not being endeared to him. “So,” you hum softly when he gets up to move to the cart. “What have you requested for our dinner tonight?”
“I requested your favorite meal.” He admits as he lifts the cloches and picks up the plates to bring over to the table. “Based off your social media.”
“Javi.” The china dishes are overflowing with penne coated in luxurious vodka sauce, heaped with piles of stunning shrimp, spinach, basil, and zucchini. Toasted bread lathered in garlic confit is even tucked into the side of the dish like a halo of culinary perfection. It looks even better than when you would get it from the Italian restaurant at the end of your block - and far better than when you tried to make it yourself. “This is absolutely sweet of you. And it smells incredible.”
“Good.” He’s relieved that he got it right and you seem delighted by the prospect of the meal. “Our chefs created this, so hopefully it is exactly what you would experience back home.”
“The company is better,” you venture, knowing that he’s probably far too tired and emotionally wrung out for anything close to flirting, but you are better honest.
You are kind, and lying, because he knows he is not good company for now. He smiles and motions towards the food. “Then let us see how it tastes.”
It’s heavenly. You would never say it to the faces of the family that own your favourite Italian restaurant, but the palace chef has outstripped their own recipe by a mile. The shrimp and zucchini are perfectly grilled and the sauce is like silk over everything. The hum that escapes your lips is as enthusiastic as your smile, and you’re glad to be indulging with him in private. This bowl of comfort food is not going to be eaten in a ladylike manner.
“This is delicious.” Javi moans as he swallows his first bite. Happy he had decided on a red wine to balance it out, it pairs perfectly and he takes a sip, relaxing even more. “We need to make private meals a regular thing.” He decides, looking at you to see what you think.
“Date night.” Is the first thing that comes out of your mouth, and you fluster slightly at how juvenile that sounds. “I—I mean…I agree. Time to ourselves is valued.”
“Date night.” Javi nods, perking up at your approval. “Perhaps I can show you some of my favorite places?” He asks. “It is important to me to show our people that we are interested in their businesses. My father would have me travel and eat local restaurants often.”
“I would love that.” It’s the furthest thing from what you expected from him, and that is sort of a delightful surprise. He wants to go out and be around his people instead of simply staying safe in the palace, which is utterly wonderful. As beautiful as these walls are, you can see already how they might feel like a gilded cage after a while.
“It is always nice to see how people are thriving.” Javi hums. “Or struggling. It is our duty to make sure that they do not struggle because of our decisions, although it is impossible to care for every individual.” They are his father’s words, carefully counseled time and time again. Once Javi had thought him simply not trying hard enough, but he now understands how much pressure he had been under. And this is just his first day as king.
“We will do everything we can.” From the position you’re in, that could be a whole lot. It could be enormous, the difference you could make. “A large or a small difference happens in many different ways.”
“Yes it does.” He’s glad you understand that, knowing that it would be difficult to explain if someone didn’t already know.
"We cannot expect the very beginning of things to be without a few bumps in the road." Whether you're talking about your relationship or his reign is up for debate, but you smile anyway. "But we will do everything we can."
“You are extraordinary.” He stops eating, just staring at you as if you are the most fascinating thing he’s ever seen in his life. “Truly.”
"What?" The comment takes you completely off guard and you look up from your plate to see him giving you every ounce of his concentration and focus. "I—how? Exactly?"
“You have withstood every obstacle that you have faced in such a short time here with grace and wisdom.” He reaches out and takes your hand. “I am lucky that you will be by my side.”
"I feel like I've hardly done anything," you admit, but when you look away from him bashfully you end up watching the way his thumb strokes methodically over the ring that he put on your finger just hours ago. "But I'm here to support you, querido. And if that ends up meaning this...these moments of quiet and encouragement? Then I have the easiest job in the world. Because I truly never want you to doubt yourself for even a moment."
“It has been a difficult day.” He admits quietly, “but being here with you is helping. You are a very calming presence. I appreciate you being there with me today, during the speech.”
"I would never have missed it." You squeeze his hand gently between your fingers and offer him a smile. "You really are much more charming and sweet than you could ever know. It is..." Cheeks burning all over again, your eyes hold on his and you can feel yourself soften even more. "It is impossible not to be drawn to you. I'm sure you won't have any problem winning the people over quickly."
“I am worried about that.” He sighs, looking down at your joined hands. “For a long time, I have been viewed as a wild child or a ‘playboy’.” He huffs. “It is my fault, I tried to ignore my obligations to my future. But I am afraid I have - how you say - ‘shot myself in the foot’?”
"Then I guess it's a good thing that you're about to be married, isn't it?" It will help in calming his image. There is no doubt about that. "A few months of being photographed with a princess who's crazy about you should pretty much do the trick."
“Where do I find such a creature?” His grin is small but he’s smiling. “Can you point me to her?”
This is exactly the charm that you're talking about, and you giggle slightly despite knowing how silly it is. "I have it on good authority that you've already found her."
“I have?” He looks surprised and then very pleased with himself. “Then I must confess that I have a slight crush on the Princess of Mallorca and the future queen.”
"Only slight?" Your lips twist up into a pleased grin and you can't resist the urge to tease him. Although is it teasing if it's the truth? "How disappointing. I have it on good authority that she would have called it love at first sight."
“A king must keep some secrets.” He teases. “Though I do confess that she stole my heart already.”
"I hope someday you feel comfortable letting me be your secret keeper, and that you might want to be mine as well." When privacy is so guarded, having a person to trust above everyone else means more than can be expressed. And you know that for all their problems, your parents were each other's vaults. You had always hoped for love as solid as that.
“I have already decided that you would be that person for me.” Javi admits, biting his lip and looking at you softly. “If that’s okay?”
"Of course it is." The two of you slowly start to eat again, keeping hold of your joined hands on one side of the table. "I, um...I unlocked the door, by the way. That goes between our rooms."
“You did?” His eyes dart towards the door and then back to you. “Do you— I mean— is it okay if—” he shakes his head. “Would you be comfortable if I came into your room tonight?” He asks, his voice low. “I don’t wish to be alone.”
"I didn't think you would," you admit gently. Grief is a remarkably lonesome bedfellow. "You can certainly come join me later if you like. Or...I could simply stay here? Whichever you prefer."
“You would be more comfortable in your room, sí?” He asks, frowning slightly. “Unless you would prefer to be here?”
"We're both so worried about the other person's comfort." It's sweet, actually. And it makes your heart beat just a little faster that his first thought is your comfort and not his own sadness. "I've only slept in my bed once, querido. I would not mind getting used to sharing it, however innocently."
“I fear I am not in the correct headspace to do much more than hold you.” Javi sighs. He would have loved to touch you under any other circumstance, but he can’t tonight.
"And that is in no way a disappointment," you assure him immediately. "I would be a remarkably insensitive kind of partner to expect anything of you today, Javi."
He exhales slowly, relieved that you don’t expect him to perform. “Thank you, margarita.”
"You have had a day from hell, querido." A fact with is surely an understatement, but you feel slightly reassured when he forks up another bite of his dinner. "There is no reason for you to be alone, but there is also no reason for anything to happen between us until we are ready."
“If my father had not collapsed, I would have been eager to touch you.” He admits. “I had hoped you had not wished to wait for marriage.”
"I really don't see the need." It's not as though either of you is going to be seeing anyone else - that idea sort of flew out the window with both the betrothal and the actual engagement. "Under other circumstances I might have come to see you for dinner wearing much more...creative things under my dress. But I have no doubt that time will come."
Javi swallows harshly, imagining you in something creative. He nods. “It does not have to be a race.” He sighs and decides it’s best to bring it up. “You will have to have a doctor’s examination before we can be together now.” He explains. “Since I am king. Just to make sure you are not pregnant.”
"Lovely." You don't roll your eyes despite feeling like you want to. It may be an antiquated tradition, but it does technically make sense. "They can ascertain that information with a blood test or an ultrasound if they want to be truly thorough. There is no reason for a doctor to examine anything else. It's not as if science believes the hymen is prove of virginity anymore."
“That’s what I meant.” He shakes his head quickly. “Just a test to prove you are not carrying another man’s child.”
"In that case, I don't have any objections." If you were marrying anyone beside a king, you probably would object loudly, but this is a fairly unique circumstance. "I'll arrange to see the royal physician soon. To get that obstacle out of our path."
“I am sorry.” He sighs quietly and shakes his head. “I know it is too much to deal with.”
"You're worth a little bit of trouble," you tell him matter-of-factly, putting down your fork so you can pick up your wine glass without letting go of his hand.
“I would not blame you if you ran for the hills.” He pokes at his dinner now, suddenly unhappy with the idea of doing this by himself. If you wished to go, he would not stop you. After all, his father is dead so he could break the betrothal if he wishes.
"But I won't." Putting a tiny bit more pressure on his fingers to get him to look up at you, your head tilts to the side as you take in his pout. "If you had looked at me today and said we needed to go make our vows immediately, I would have done it. I wouldn't have hesitated. This isn't just about the promise our parents made anymore." Your expression softens a little and you end up shrugging, like you have nothing to defend yourself with. "I might have been teasing you before, but...I meant it. It took a matter of hours for me to start falling in love with you. It's...it's as simple as that."
He closes his eyes and his own fingers squeeze yours. “I imagined putting you to bed in my bed.” He confesses with a soft smile. “Waking up with you in my arms and seeing how you like being kissed awake.”
"Next time I fall asleep stargazing, there won't be any reason to hesitate." It had been mildly embarrassing, realizing that you'd fallen asleep on that blanket with him on the cliff, but the way he took such tender care of you last night had wiped away any concern. "Kisses are one of my absolute favourite ways to wake up."
“I will keep that in mind.” He smiles and chuckles before he takes another bite of his meal. You really do seem to calm him and he’s grateful for it.
Conversation becomes idle while you finish your meals. It turns to stories from when you were both younger, small anecdotes to serve as a way to get to know each other better. You're about to migrate out to the balcony to watch the waves and gaze at the stars when he remembers that there is also dessert to be shared.
“There is tiramisu and cheesecake.” Javi murmurs. “It seems you love both of them.”
"I have a sweet tooth," you admit unapologetically. Apparently, it also extends to sweet men.
“Then we will always have a dessert to end the evening.” He smiles and brings the desserts over to the table on the balcony to share in the open air.
"And what is this?" The bottle of something pink in an ice bucket catches your attention on your way past the service cart and you pick it up. "Something special to drink, as well?"
“Your pink gin.” Javi admits, picking up the card that is by the bucket and reads. “It is called the clover club cocktail.” He tells you as he looks up. “It is supposed to be tart and sweet, with raspberries.”
"That sounds both delicious and terribly fancy," you decide, scooping up the two empty glasses on the cart along with the bottle. "Perfect for dessert."
“I wanted tonight to be perfect for you.” He admits, slightly sheepish. “I wanted you to be sure about your answer and I wanted to see how romance would play out between us.”
"This was your original dinner plan, wasn't it?" Remembering that he had said something about it earlier in the day, you set the bottle and the glasses down on the little table on his balcony and take up both of his hands in yours. "It's all been perfect. Just so you know."
“It was.” He flushes slightly and looks proud. “I had hoped that tonight would be far different than it has been, but I am glad I am still here with you.”
"You're a king, Javi, not a god. There are some things even you can't control." Opening your arms a little, you offer him a moment of comfort if he wants it.
Moving into your embrace with a chuckle, he can’t help but tease you. “If this was two hundred years ago, I would have been worshiped as a god.”
"Mm." You hum slightly and half-laugh along with him. "Tell me it's a kink and I'll make sure it still happens for you."
He stares at you for a moment in disbelief before he barks out a laugh. “You are not serious.” He pulls you closer to him and shakes his head.
"Nothing wrong with a worship or a praise kink." Still, you hug him back and don't press. It's enough to hear him laugh after such a long and stressful day.
“I have both.” He presses closer to you, feeling like himself completely now. “I just need to find out your own buttons.”
"They're not so difficult to figure out." Just standing with your arms around each other is infinitely relaxing, and you sigh quietly against his chest. "I've never really tried anything too adventurous."
"We have to make sure that those activities are not leaked." He snorts, halfway amused and slightly mortified at the idea of his sexual proclivities being talked about in great detail even more than they already are. "But we can try to experiment with almost anything you want."
“I’m not asking you to fuck me in public or to collar me or anything.” You promise him with a grin. “We should have no problem whatsoever keeping our private life private.”
"Or sharing." He shakes his head seriously. "I do not like to share. I was an only child."
A small, amused smile plays on your lips and you press a kiss to his cheek before leading him over to the little table to sit down together again. “I don’t like to share, either. And I have two siblings.”
He chuckles quietly and nods. "It must have been exciting, having siblings to share with. I had cousins, but it was not the same."
“I don’t know that I’d call it exciting.” At the table, you pour out two cocktails and set one down beside him. “Seb is the only boy, so he got unconscious favoritism from my dad. And my younger half-sister got the extremely conscious favoritism from my stepmother, since that’s her biological child.” You shrug slightly and take a sip of your drink, humming at the fruity, floral notes. “At least my brother and I have always gotten along.”
"And you have felt like the outcast." Javi guesses, aware of that feeling intimately. He has always felt like he was out of place himself. Born to the wrong parents, the wrong place. He had felt like he wasn't supposed to be a prince or a king one day. He had felt alone, even surrounded by his family.
“They didn’t mean to do it, but…yes.” Your family spent your entire life preparing to send you away. And aside from your brother, it seems like they mostly forgot that you were their family in the first place.
He sighs and picks up his glass to hold it up in a toast. "To feeling like an outcast and finding each other – perhaps because of it."
“Here, here.” Your glass clinks against his with a soft ringing sound and you half-laugh under your breath. “I suppose we’re proof that you can be surrounded by people and feel utterly alone. But…I haven’t felt that way since I met you.”
"I have felt nothing but peace since I have met you." Javi reveals. "Peace and finally a sense that I belong somewhere...with you."
“I’m sorry we couldn’t have known each other before this.” His words wash over you like summer sunrise, making you brighten and hum in his warmth all at once. To know that he feels exactly the same way you do is an unlooked for - though desperately wished for - gift. “I used to imagine I could be brave enough to write you letters. To become…pen pals or something. To know you before the day I was sent for. But clearly I was never brave enough.”
"My father had decided it was best that I not know until now." He understands why he had chosen that path, Javi had been a very defiant prince for a long time. However, once he had met you, he now knows he would have looked forward to the future with you if he had met you earlier. "Perhaps it was for the best, but I am grateful that I know he approves of our match."
“I meant what I said,” you tell him quietly, coaxing him to share the sweet ending of your meal by setting a fork in front of him. “I might not have known him well, but I know he would have been proud of you today.”
"For a long time, I tried to convince myself that his approval did not matter, but it does. I wish to make sure that he will be satisfied with the way I care for his people." Javi confesses.
“Then we will make sure that whatever steps we take, you are satisfied with them for yourself, and your father’s memory.” Being adult enough to admit to wishing for your parents’ approval is not something you’re going to downplay in the slightest, considering you go through nearly every day feeling a semblance of the same thing. “When I have trouble with a decision, I usually ask myself what my mother would have done. Or what I think she would have encouraged. I think it helps. To have that kind of moral compass.”
"I will have to remember that." He smiles at you softly and takes another drink of the cocktail. "This is very good. I see why you like your pink gin."
“It’s a little out of the ordinary. Unexpected.” You smile, taking in the sight of him beside you in the moonlight. “I’m finding that I like things that are a bit unexpected.”
"Is that so?" Javi smiles slightly and shakes his head. "There is a lot that will be unexpected in our lives, margarita."
“Then it will be an adventure.” Reaching across the small table, you squeeze his arm gently and find your smile broadening. “And I’m glad we’ll be doing it together.”
The desserts are shared, each one of you moaning over the taste and the rest of the bottle is split, leaving both of you stuff and slightly buzzed and feeling good. "This is what I needed tonight." Javi admits as he sets down his last glass, empty.
“I’m glad.” The idea that part of what has helping him feel better is bearing near you? It’s a comforting and grounding feeling that rolls through you to make you sigh. “Will you come to bed with me?” It’s an innocent question without sounding like it, and you feels your cheeks heat. “Just to find out what it is to sleep and wake up together?”
Javi smiles and nods. "Would it be alright if I sleep in my boxers?" He asks seriously. "I normally do not like to sleep in much."
“I don’t mind.” In fact, you welcome it. But saying so might seem like pressuring him and you won’t do that. “I don’t think Flores will be too scandalized.”
He nods and then he motions towards the tables. "You go get ready and I will clean this up to put on the cart." He tilts his head. "I dismissed the servants for the night, so it can stay until morning. It has been a trying day for everyone and I thought they could use some more personal time to deal with the loss of my father."
“You’re very sweet.” Standing stretching, you lend him a smile and point toward your shared door. “I’ll go change into my pajamas. Come in whenever you’re ready.”
"I will." He nods and watches you slip out through the door connecting your rooms and hums. He knows that he will be better off with you tonight. It will be better spending the night in your arms than chasing away demons and regrets by himself.
When it comes time to actually get ready for bed, Javi finds himself nervous. He's already changed into sleep attire that is appropriate, but he saves brushing his teeth. Carrying his toothbrush with him like a lost little boy as he knocks on your door to make sure that he does not walk in on you changing.
Instead of anything suggestive or overly decorative, you decided to change into a matching set of navy sleep shorts and short sleeved shirt. You had picked it out ages ago because you liked the little bronze-colored stars printed all over the set and it seemed like a very normal choice to make for tonight. Something ordinary that you might wear on any ordinary night. And not the very first thing you'll wear the very first night you share a bed with your future husband.
You go to the door to let him in, instead of just calling your permission, and you cannot help but smile when you see him standing on the other side with his toothbrush in hand. "Come in, querido." You step back to give him room and shut the hidden door behind him.
“I—” he looks down at his toothbrush and blushes slightly. “Have you brushed your teeth yet?” He asks, feeling slightly foolish. “I was hoping we could have a normal moment of domesticity together and I have watched so many movies where being in the bathroom together is comforting.”
CalamityConnie — 09/01/2023 11:12 PM
"I just finished washing my face, so brushing my teeth in next." Even as you nod toward your bathroom you feel like you could just squeeze him to bits in your arms. He is so unassumingly sweet sometimes.
“Thank you.” He murmurs quietly, following behind you and focusing on the pajamas you are wearing with a small smile. “For this, for being there.”
"Do you have a side of the bed you like to sleep on?" Not wanting to let him sink into worry or sadness, you keep the conversation light and reach for his hand to tuck it into yours.
“Not really.” He admits with a shrug and a small grin.
"Then I guess we'll have to see how comfortable we get. Because I don't have one, either." Your bathroom has been modernized beautifully - and probably many times over the lifetime of this palace - and right now that includes an immense clawfoot bathtub dominating the wall opposite your marble sink and an ornate mirror to complete the feeling of luxury. Your bottle of lotion is sitting on the counter next to your toothbrush and toothpaste - the last three pieces of your nighttime routine.
“Then it will be interesting to find out.” He chuckles quietly. “I think I’m used to having the bed to myself.”
"So am I." You offer him the toothpaste first, feeling surprisingly normal about the small moment of domesticity that he wanted so badly, it feels right. "My bed is almost always just me and a bunch of pillows."
"Do you sometimes line them up beside you so you do not feel alone?" He asks, squirting a pea sized amount on his toothbrush and then picking up your own to coat it for you. In the softer light of the bathroom, the make-up mirror is off, you look so beautiful. Nothing but clear skin and he likes the little silk thing you have on your hair. It must protect it while you sleep. "I do sometimes."
“I…had a body pillow.” You admit sheepishly, although the body pillow is less silly than the large llama stuffed animal you used to sleep with long ago. “I left it back in New York, so…there’s a chance I may end up cuddling you in my sleep instead.” Not that that would be a bad thing. Not by any stretch of the imagination.
"Would you?" Javi asks, looking at your beautiful reflection for a moment before having to look away bashfully. He's too old to ask for a cuddle but he desperately needs it, tonight of all nights. "I mean, I wouldn't mind it and sometimes these big, drafty rooms can get so cold." That’s a lie, the castle is just like the climate of the nation, temperate. It just sounds like a good reason to curl up together shamelessly.
“I’m a cuddly sleeper.” And if today hadn’t been full of so much tragedy and stress, you have no doubt that you would be pulling him into bed for more than cuddles. But as it is, you wouldn’t blame him if that was too much intimacy for tonight. The fact that it seems to be a comfort to him relaxes you a bit. “So I can all but guarantee it.”
“That is good.” If might be considered pathetic how comforting that is, but Javi manages a pleased smile as he brings the toothbrush up to his mouth. Happy that you have been such a comfort to him and have promised to continue to be.
You brush your teeth in silence and pick up your lotion bottle after rinsing, habitually dabbing the silky coconut oil scented cream on the drier parts of your skin. “That’s it…” you acknowledge awkwardly. “Unless you’re not ready to go to bed?” Not that you can think of anything else he would need to do, you’ve just found yourself suddenly nervous.
“I…am exhausted.” Javi confesses quietly. “But I can stay awake if you are not ready for sleep?” He understands your body might still be accustomed to New York time. For you, he would stay awake.
“It’s been an exhausting day.” Nodding back toward your bedroom, you take his hand and give it a gentle squeeze. “Let’s go to bed.”
Walking towards the bed, hand in hand, is oddly innocent and cathartic at the same time. The attraction is there, if it hadn’t been for the events of the day, he would be very interested in peeling off your pajamas, but the tone of the night is perfect. Comfort and a much deeper connection emotionally.
The bed is plenty big enough for two, and you crawl under the plush duvet together into the mountain of pillows with a soft sigh of relief. It has been a long, trying, and exhausting day, but that just makes you glad to offer him a place to burrow into your side. After all — his day was much harder and safer than yours. It is the least you can do to offer him comfort.
The comfort of your arms is quickly accepted, curling against you and his head ends up on your shoulder. “The bed is comfortable.” He offers after a small sigh.
“It is.” You had thought so last night, but you have to admit that your heart is beating a little faster now than it had then. “The company doesn’t hurt, either.”
“Yeah?” He smiles against your shoulder and can’t help but snuggle into you a bit more. “Emotionally vulnerable men are a turn on for you?”
"Maybe." You can't help but laugh at that, and tighten your arms around him a little. "Or maybe it's just men who show any emotion at all."
“I cry during Pretty Woman.” Javi admits softly, as if that might prove his emotions. Hoping to hear you laugh again at his obvious attempt to curry favor.
"Because you're happy they end up together, or because that damn necklace is so pretty?" Smothering a little laugh, you nuzzle your nose into his hair and shrug unapologetically. "I never knew I was the kind of person to cry about jewelry, but it is very pretty."
“We have necklaces that are prettier.” He offers with a smile. “I’ll make sure to snap the box closed on your fingers.”
"I'll wear whatever you want me to, and make sure you catch me in the bath with headphones on at least once." Just to be able to hear him laugh a little, to release some of the tension from the day, is more than you could possibly ask for. The reality of losing his father will hit him slowly, it seems, and that is okay. It just means that you'll be here for the ups and the downs as they come.
“My mother loved baths.” Javi tells you quietly. “The king’s suite - my suite now - has the most magnificent tub.” His fingers start to play with the edge of your shirt as he talks. “They had a picture of me in the tub when I was younger, playing. But father said mother would soak every night after they retired for the evening. No matter how tired she was, she would spend at least twenty minutes in the tub. It was her unwinding.”
"Your mother sounds like an incredibly smart woman." His fingers toying with the fabric of your pajamas is welcome and far too alluring than you want to admit, but you would never presume to suggest that anything should or could happen tonight. You had promised him comfort and you won't betray that just because your body likes the way he touches it. "When I lived with my brother, he would go out on dates every weekend and sometimes I would spend the whole time he was at drinks in the tub. Just me and my candles and bubbles and wine with a good book."
“You should have the same type of tradition.” Javi decides. “There is so much stress and pressure with this role. A bath with wine and a book every evening before you sleep would do wonders.” Even though he has been so frazzled and heartbroken today, he feels safe, warm. If it wasn’t inappropriate, he would ask to kiss you again.
“And what will you do to unwind from your days?” Without realizing it, your fingers have found his curls and are toying with a few strands absently. “I know your days will be more stressful than mine, querido.”
“Perhaps, at times, you would allow me to join you?” He asks, “or I could watch a movie.”
“You may join me whenever you like.” It was what you wanted to suggest, but thought that it might be a little too forward for day two - and especially under the circumstances. But because he asked, you smile. “It sounds like a very sweet way to unwind from our days.”
“I wondered if father joined her.” He admits, wishing he had talked more to his parents when he had them. Learned to look beyond the stern facade.
“Would you like to think that he did?” It isn’t exactly hard to figure out that Javi is a romantic, and if it soothes him to think of his parents in love then you will encourage that fully.
"I think he probably did." Javi admits quietly, "when he wasn't working later or holding a meeting. My mother...she was my father's confidant." He might have told you this already, he couldn't remember, but it was helping the ache in his heart to remember the good things about the sometimes austere people who had tried their best to prepare him for a life of service to the peoples of the Balearic Isles. "He told me to choose one person to confide in. To give them my doubts and fears, to be vulnerable with."
“Do you…really want it to be me?” He had told his father that he did, and so far you know Javi to be an honest man. But to give comfort to a dying man is never a cruel lie even if it isn’t the whole truth. “It’s okay if you don’t, querido. If you have a best friend that already keeps all your secrets or something like that. I would not feel that you think less of me.”
“My entire life, all I have ever wanted was for someone to accept me as I am. To just…love me.” His voice catches slightly as he confesses this to you, the low light of the small bedside lamp not bright enough to chase away the shadows around the room, just illuminating one side of the bed where you both are curled together. “While you don’t love me, you do accept me. If we are lucky, love will come, as it did for my parents.”
“I do love you.” And you will say it as many times as you need to. As many times as he needs to believe it. “I didn’t know it could happen so quickly, but I meant what I said at dinner, querido. It began right away.”
His eyes close slightly. “I hope you stay in love.”
“We have known each other two days, Javi.” Carefully your hand tilts his chin up to make him look at you. “And I already can’t imagine being anywhere else, or with anyone else.”
He smiles softly, nodding as he listens to you. “You are amazing, you know this?” He asks.
“If you say so.” You certainly aren’t going to discourage him from thinking that if he wants to, and there’s a slight burn of warmth in your cheeks from the way he’s looking at you. “I’m just being honest.”
"I will have to tell you that you are good for me." He murmurs softly. "My parents were right."
"Sometimes they do know what is best for us." Although you would never admit it to your own father - there is no way you want to know what what 'I told you so' speech would be like. "And maybe we're both just enough like our mothers. They were best friends, after all."
“I wish that they had allowed us to know each other.” The age difference is the reason, but he would have liked to know what you were like as a younger woman.
"I'll tell you anything you want to know." A small grin cracks your lips and you press a kiss to his hair. "Or you can wait until my older brother gets here and ask him. I'm sure Seb will be more than happy to tell you all of my embarrassing stories."
“Did you have a favorite stuffed animal, when you were a child?” He asks, wanting to keep away from heavy topics, keeping the mood light.
"I did, but it's...a little weird," you admit with a small grin. "I had a stuffed llama that was made out of llama wool." When he quirks his head curiously you laugh and shrug in return. "My parents took us to a petting zoo when Seb and I were little. I think we were maybe five or six? But I could not get over the llamas. They were so big and soft and friendly and they were my favourite thing ever. So my mother bought me a stuffed animal from the gift shop before we left that day."
“Llamas.” He smiles as he imagines it. “That is cute. I used to have a panda bear.” His panda had been with him for year, it was probably still somewhere.
"I can see that." He's snuggly like you always imagined panda bears would be. "Bears are a classic choice, no matter what kind of bear it is. Perfect to cuddle."
“Yes.” He’s making a mental note of your favorite stuffed animal, thinking of it for the future. “I always felt safe holding my panda. His name was Pedro.”
"That's adorable." Now all you can think of is whether or not he still has that panda - or what he would think of having a similar stuffed bear on hand for one of your kids someday. Nope. Far too early for thoughts like that. "My llama was Lily. All the 'l' sounds would make me giggle."
“Lily the Llama.” He hums happily. “That is adorable.”
"Lily the Llama is pretty on par with Pedro the Panda," you point out, relishing the small smile on his face. Anything that makes him smile is exceptionally worthwhile.
“Perhaps.” He chuckles and shakes his head against your shoulder. “I was thinking that perhaps when we have kids we should have a stuffed llama for them.”
"I thought of having a panda for them." The fact that you both thought it independently makes you smile, and you hug him close in your arms. "I suppose we'll have to do both, then."
“I could see that.” Javi smiles. “Our children would have both stuffed animals. Their own petting zoo.”
“If we made them a little zoo, I’m certain they would choose favorites.” The image is sweet, making you wonder how much he’s even thought about his future children beyond the fact that he would have to have some. “I can imagine visiting dignitaries arriving with stuffed versions of their country’s most popular animals.”
"It is customary to give gifts to the prince and princess," he admits. "Especially when younger. The last time I was in London, I brought them some of our blown glass whistles. Very popular."
“I have one,” you admit quietly, rubbing your hand up and down his back in soothing strokes. “It was part of one of the birthday gifts your mother sent when I was little. It’s exceptionally beautiful.”
"That is good." He smiles softly at the idea of his mother sending you gifts. "They are precious to me. The craftsman work that goes into one is amazing. I have toured one of the factories. Did you know that they still handcraft every whistle?"
“Maybe we could include one in the favours for our wedding?” Knowing that a small set of items will be given to every single guest as a favour at your wedding reception, the idea to make them all local and lovingly crafted items sounds beautiful. “We could choose items made by artists rather than larger companies? As a way to celebrate the people.”
“That would be wonderful idea.” Javi thinks that it’s wonderful that you would include something so centric to the economy for his country. “We can find lots of local crafts to include.”
“I think that would be nice. Paying tribute to the people.” The urge to lean down and kiss him is nearly overwhelming, but you resist. The last thing you want to do is make him uncomfortable or feel pressured.
“It will be a wedding for the people.” He muses softly. “We will have to have dignitaries there, but I would like to hire as many of our people as possible to staff the wedding.”
“It will be an expensive day, and all of that money should go right back into our economy.” You could not agree more, and the fact that he is so determined about it makes you smile. “Local foods, local suppliers, local goods. All of it.”
“Yes!” His eyes light up and he beams at the idea. “Show the world what the Balearic Islands can give through trade.” It’s not exactly romantic, but he is king now.
“I think it’s a wonderful idea.” The urge is there again, especially with how he beams at you, but you resist just long enough to get your heartbeat under control and kiss his forehead instead. It’s a small gesture of affection but it does the trick. For now.
He needs to be close to you, he is, but it’s not enough. Turning his head up, Javi shuffles up onto his elbow and looks down at you. “Can I kiss you?” He asks quietly.
“I—of course.” It doesn’t surprise you that he would ask, but it surprises you that he would want to tonight. You won’t question it, though, both from wanting to offer him comfort and desperately wanting to kiss him again. “You don’t have to ask.”
“I don’t— I just want to kiss you.” He promises, leaning in and wanting to find comfort in the way that his emotions are already starting to grow even more. Despite the loss of his father; he isn’t alone.
"We don't have to do anything you're not ready for." You can promise him that wholeheartedly, although you know for damn sure that you'll be falling asleep with an aching cunt tonight. It doesn't matter. This is about his comfort and his feeling secure more than it is necessarily about desire. "But I don't think I'll ever say no to a kiss."
“I just— I didn’t want you to think I was using my father’s death as an— an excuse.” He tells you. “Some men would do that.”
“There is nothing wrong with seeking comfort, or even in giving yourself permission to forget for a few minutes to cope.” Having watched plenty of family and friends lose people closest to them, you have seen how pleasure can numb pain. It isn’t the worst coping mechanism in the world, even if some people look down on it. “I don’t think you’re being sneaky, querido.”
“I just— I wanted you to know.” He doesn’t know why it’s important for him to tell you that, but it is. Making him relax even more as he reaches up and caresses your cheek. “I never want to lose your trust.”
"Then let's keep being honest with each other." Your fingers brush his curls out of his eyes and you soften instantly. He really has the most beautiful eyes...
The kiss is gentle, slow. Nothing to indicate passion, it’s just a melding of your mouths. His hands stay put, not drifting as his mind blanks of everything but kissing you.
Deciding that the most respectful thing you can do is follow his lead, you have to repeatedly remind your hands to stay where they are, and keep the level of passion you're showing in check because what you're feeling is just so much more. There will be more time. This is only your second night together. You have the rest of your lives..
He relaxes into the kiss and sighs softly. Eyes closed and slowly taking the kiss for every small moment and absorbing it. It's natural. Languid and exploratory without pushing at any boundaries. His hand doesn't move from your waist and yours stays on his arm, like as long as you keep to those rules then you can keep yourselves in line. He doesn’t know how long he kisses you. Minutes, hours. It could be days that have passed while he breathes you in and gives you his own breath. Slowly and softly kissing you like nothing else exists.
Everything else has faded. The stress of the day is muted well into the background and the only thought making its way to the front of your mind is how sweet he tastes. How gentle he is. How desperately right it feels to be pulled tight against him in bed together. By the time the two of you separate you feel dizzy, and fuzzy around the edges in the very best way.
“Thank you.” The gratitude is whispered, a smile accompanying it as the first sense of peace really settles into his tired body. “For being here. For standing beside me.” He shuffles to settle down against you again. “With you here, I feel as if we are going to be an unstoppable team.”
******
The king is still wrapped in your arms the next morning, sleeping with his head on your shoulder and his own arm snuggly around your waist when Flores comes into the room to open your curtains and wake you to dress for breakfast. The sight of the king in your bed with you is not one she had expected for some time, but you both look so contented that she cannot help smiling. Quickly and quietly, Flores hustles over to the next room to let the king’s valet know where he spent the night, and to make a gentle suggestion — that perhaps after the trials of yesterday and the comforts of last night, you should be allowed breakfast on trays in bed together.
The door opening softly again this time stirs Javi. He had been dreaming of his father, sitting in the study while looking hale and whole, praising his son for the decisions he was making. Feeling so real that his heart is overjoyed, he opens his eyes to find Flores coming into the room again, a soft smile on her face.
“Good morning, your Majesty.” She curtsies deeply as she directs a small silver service cart into the room and parks it beside your nightstand. “We took the liberty of bringing your meal to you instead of laying it in the breakfast room,” she murmurs, noting the details of the room as she goes. You are still wearing your pajamas and the room has no scent beyond flowers, so she tucks that thought away entirely. “I will return in half an hour to dress the princess and your valet will have your schedule for you in your rooms.”
“Thank you, Flores.” You are still sleeping and he bites his lip before looking at her again. “Make it forty five minutes.” He decides, wanting to wake you up slowly.
“Yes, your Majesty.” With another nod and deep curtsy, Flores backs out of the room to slip off and attend to other business. There is plenty of it, after all.
Once alone again, he turns back towards you, struck again by how sweet you look. Sleep giving you an innocence that could not be described beyond beautiful and yet it takes his breath away. The back of his fingers brush your cheek gently and he caresses your neck. “Princess?” He coos softly, smiling when your mouth twitches slightly in sleep.
“I don’t think I’ll ever get used to that,” you mumble sleepily, the title being still so foreign to you. Sleep has glued your eyes shut but you force them to open just for the view of Javi you know you will get. And when you do, you sigh audibly. “Morning, handsome.”
“Wait until the title is ‘Queen’.” He hums as he leans in to nuzzle his nose against yours. “I have a question to ask you.”
“Anything.” Even still half asleep, you know you’ll grant him anything, and he’s so warm and soft beside you that it still feels like you’re dreaming.
“I have dreamed of a Princess my entire life.” He admits softly. “Imagined the perfect woman to stand by my side and even then, I could never have imagined how perfect you would be.” Your eyes are soft, slightly watery as he speaks. “It is not the romantic dinner I had imagined, but I do not want to wait.” Your full name comes out softly. “Will you marry me and become the next queen of the Balearican Isles?”
“Querido…” Tears are unexpected this morning, but it’s such a sweet and gentle moment that you can’t help the few that escape the corners of your eyes as you nod eagerly and surge forward to kiss him. “I will.” The words swell in your chest and practically have you giggling against his lips. “Yes—I—I love you, Javi.”
“I love you.” He promises, unsure of how this happened so quickly, but it seems right, as if it was meant to be. “We will have a long and happy life together.”
______
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Duty After School Imagine : 04
☆ Jang Younghoon x Reader ☆
- Part 1 -
DUTY AFTER SCHOOL IMAGINE Masterlist
Part 2
◕___________♡♡♡___________◕
"Younghoon!" You grumbled as you watched him keep walking ahead of you with his focus solely on his smartphone.
"Hey, wait for me!" You ran to catch up with his fast pace.
"We're in the same tutoring center, why didn't you wait for me?" You asked in an annoyed tone.
But you only got a flat glance from Younghoon.
"Oh, hi (Name), hi Younghoon!"
Someone greeted, making you and Younghoon look back. It was Kim Chiyeol.
You cheerfully returned his greeting. "Hi, Kimchi!"
"Did ... your exam go well?"
You realized that Chiyeol was asking Younghoon that. But since there was no reply from him, you quickly responded. "I thought the exam was quite difficult, but maybe for Younghoon it was easy, like the practice questions he does everyday. Am I right, Younghoon?" You said as you gently nudged his shoulder.
Younghoon just gave you a flat look.
It wasn't long before the bus to the tutoring center arrived. Younghoon immediately entered the bus without intending to say goodbye first.
You grimaced awkwardly at Chiyeol, "Then I'll go first, see you tomorrow Kimchi!" You said.
"Ah, okay. Take care!"
Once you entered the bus, you looked at Younghoon who was sitting by the window. Then you casually walked over and sat on the empty seat next to him.
You heard a sigh from that man. "Can't you sit somewhere else?" said Younghoon without looking at you.
You smiled and shook your head. "I can't, the other seat is full."
You were obviously lying, because Younghoon had seen some empty seats when he boarded the bus earlier. However, he chose to keep quiet until you all reached the tutoring center.
When the bus stopped, you hurriedly got off the bus. Then stood by the bus door waiting for Younghoon to come out. As soon as he appeared, you smiled and invited him to enter the tutoring center together. But Younghoon just stayed where he was. You looked at him confused.
"Why are you just standing there? Let's go in, the class is starting soon," You said.
"I'm going to get a drink, you go in first."
Younghoon's words in a fairly soft tone managed to keep you frozen. Feeling a little surprised by his intonation that was somewhat different from the usual.
"Okay, hurry up and catch up."
Unbeknownst to you, Younghoon intended to skip class today. He just said he wanted to buy a drink so you wouldn't follow him.
Younghoon walked away from the building and went to an internet cafe.
_________________________________________
DUTY AFTER SCHOOL IMAGINE
_________________________________________
"Can you teach me about this material?" You looked up at Soocheol. He smiled sweetly at you, not forgetting a textbook with math problems in his hand.
"Let me see."
Immediately that boy occupies the empty seat in front of you. Then gave you the book to look at.
You nodded slightly as you read the problem, "The method is, first you multiply this number by this one, then add them up. After that, substitute it into the equation," You explained.
Soocheol was seen nodding his head. "Wow, it was so easy. Thank you!" he said happily.
"No problem."
Too happy to finally understand the question, Soocheol who wanted to go back to his seat took a time to ruffle your hair. You, who were surprised to get such treatment, could only stand stiffly. You hope that no one saw what happened just now.
But, all those things did not escape Younghoon's sight. He had been glancing at you from his seat. Without realizing it, his hand was firmly pressed against the edge of the book he was reading.
___________________________
"Jang Younghoon! Why are you avoiding me?" You stare wearily at this man. At lunchtime, you wanted to invite him to eat together in the cafeteria. But before you could speak, he got up from his seat and left the classroom.
Now you catch up with him walking towards the gym instead of the cafeteria. You shake off your confusion and choose to ask the question that has been on your mind since yesterday.
"Why didn't you have lessons yesterday? Where did you go?" You asked, finally feeling a little relieved to be able to say that.
"None of your business."
"Hey, it's definitely one of my business. What am I going to answer if your mom ask me?" You retorted.
Younghoon give you a disapproving glance. "Stop meddling in other people's business."
"Hey! It's my concern as your friend, you know?" You replied with an annoyed chuckle.
You couldn't help but feel irritated by the snide reply from your mom's best friend's son.
Without warning, Younghoon stepped closer to you with his sharp gaze. "Then stop caring about me, because I never considered you as a friend."
You were frozen on the spot. Never really felt this pain in your chest when Younghoon shot back at you with his cynical words.
"So annoying."
After that, Younghoon walked back out leaving you that still rooted in your spot.
_________________________________________
DUTY AFTER SCHOOL IMAGINE
_________________________________________
Four weeks pass slowly. You stare at the signed parental consent paper in your hand. You sigh before finally getting out of the car and dragging your suitcase into the school area.
Your eyes looked around the school. In front of the entrance gate, there were some soldiers standing guard. Now in the corridor, you see the final year students chatting with their friends or some who just arrived with a big bag or suitcase like you.
"Morning, (Name)! Are you coming too?" Yoojung, the class president, greets you. You smiled back at her and gave a small nod, then walked towards your seat in front of Aeseol.
"Morning, Aeseol," you greeted.
Aeseol smiles at you. "Good morning, (Name)."
While looking around the classroom, your eyes accidentally crossed with Younghoon who was sitting in his seat. You snorted softly and quickly looked away.
Meanwhile, Younghoon, who had been watching you from the start, quietly sighed.
At first, Younghoon was relieved that you were no longer bothering him by pretending to be close. He feels that his day become quieter without anyone to talk to. However, deep down, he felt lonely. Younghoon wants to deny that he misses you from making his day less monotonous.
Younghoon also realized that you've always been kind and friendly to him, even though he always replied flatly or uncaringly. That warm attitude of yours, he really missed it.
Younghoon regretted it.
__________________________
"As soon as you are given a weapon, shout out your name and serial number!"
You, who are in the back row, can only peek while tiptoeing forward. In front of you was the figure of Jangsoo's pole, making it difficult for you to see your friends who were being given weapons in front of the row.
Younghoon, who was right behind you, tried to hide his smile. "Be patient, you'll get one too."
Hearing that voice made you turn your head. You stared in surprise at Younghoon who had just spoken. You had no idea he had been behind you all along.
But you tried to neutralize your facial expressions and faced forward again.
Younghoon looked at your back sadly. He hoped that by talking to you, he might be able to get you to return to your old behavior. But, hope is just hope.
You no longer made any effort to peek ahead, just stood still and took a few steps forward when told to until you finally got your share of the firearms.
"Thank you, sir."
After mentioning your identity and the serial number of the weapon, you instantly turned around and walked out of the line. You walk towards your classmates who are gathered on the sidelines.
"Wow, this is really cool. Just like in the game!" You said after sitting next to Yoojung.
"Have you ever played a game?" asked Jangsoo who was in Yoojung's right side.
You gave Jangsoo an annoyed look, " Of course I have! Don't underestimate me!" you retorted.
"I thought you were just playing a cooking game or a brain teaser quiz." Youngshin, who was sitting behind you commented.
You rolled your eyes lazily. "Never mind, I'm done with you guys."
Both boys laughed as they watched you get up and move away from the crowd of classmates.
Younghoon who wanted to come to you after getting a weapon, immediately sat down next to you. You just glanced at him without interest.
"Why are you here?" he asked.
"None of your business."
Of all your friends, why did it have to be this man who approached you. You're still upset about what he said the other day. But you couldn't shake your worry once you realized that there were cuts in several corners of his face. It must be because of his fight with Ilha yesterday.
"I didn't know you liked fighting."
You silently curse your lips for saying that. But, what's happened is happens. You shook off your pride and looked at Younghoon, waiting for his reply.
Younghoon turned to you. "He's gone too far, he should be taught a lesson once in a while."
You unconsciously chuckled. For some reason, you felt funny about Younghoon's answer. It feels very strange, considering Younghoon who only cares about lessons could say such a thing. It seemed like he was completely fed up with Ilha's attitude.
"Are you laughing?" said Younghoon in surprise.
You cleared your throat and shook your head. You quickly grabbed the bandage you carried in your uniform pocket and handed it to Younghoon.
"For your wound," you said as Younghoon looks at the bandage and your face in turn.
"Thanks."
Your heart raced as you caught the faint smile on his face. It's an expression Younghoon rarely shows.
You feel that since you silenced him a few week ago, he has started to change his attitude towards you. He sometimes invites you to talk first, or when you have trouble answering the questions on the board, he offers to help.
Yeah, you know he probably does that to improve his grades, not to help you. That's why you shouldn't be too confident. But, you also can't deny that you feel good about it. It's as if your struggle to get close to Younghoon is now paying off.
"Can you put it on for me?"
You blinked a few times. Younghoon was still looking at you with his hand thrusting the plaster towards you.
"Ekhm, y-yeah. Let me put it on."
Your heart skipped a beat, especially when you leaned closer to Younghoon to apply the plaster to the wound on his face. "Done."
"(Name),"
You held your breath, surprised by Younghoon that suddenly holding your hand.
"Forgive me, for what I said before."
That man was still focusing his attention on you. You could see the guilty look in his eyes.
Prit!!!!
"HEY! WHAT ARE YOU GUYS DOING?! GET TOGETHER RIGHT NOW!"
You suddenly let go of Younghoon's grip. Then move towards the Platoon Commander who just called out.
Meanwhile, Younghoon stared flatly at Lieutenant Lee. He had yet to receive an apologetic reply from you, even though he had tried his best to remove all his prestige just to apologize to you.
| Part 1 |
[ ✓ ]
<< 03. Ilha
#kdrama imagine#duty after school imagine#fanfiction#kdrama#duty after school#fanfic#kdrama x reader#kim chiyeol#kwon ilha#jo jangsoo#jo youngshin#female reader#younghoon#duty after school x reader#wattpad#kuebandungff#lieutenant lee#do soocheol#jang younghoon
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early in the morning, especially when it rains, and a little before noon. (9)
erwin x fem!reader
chapters: (1) | (2) | (3) | (4) | (5) | (6) | (7) | (8) | (10) | (11) | (12) | (13) | (14) | (15) | (16) | (17) | (18) | (19) | (20) | (21) | (22) | (23) | (24) | (25) | (26) | (27)
summary: I basically took Isayama’s work, forced it into a romance story, and made Erwin the love interest. Commander meets cadet and they fall in love (not instantly though)
notes: very berry canonverse (but some events were modified to fit my narrative), wasn’t intended to be this long, but it all is in the details right?
content warnings: smut where it fits (or where I make it fit. Also, reader is NOT underage, so likewise, MINORS DO NOT INTERACT, please.) slow burn (I really mean it. I’m not olympic diving into any form of smut for the first chapters.) no angst. I dislike angst. I would never. I could never. (Although angst can be somewhat subjective so take it with a grain of salt?)
wc: 1.8k
“It will start snowing soon.” The commander looked up at the darkening sky as if expecting a snowflake to land on his face any moment now. “The first snowfall usually happens around this time.”
“And it will be a heavy one.” You observed, trailing not far behind along the forest path that led back to the headquarters. You had spent the best part of the afternoon at the storage shed, checking the grain, cloth, and hay inventory, as well as the wood stock one last time. It was the final step in the tedious process of preparing for the winter, and judging by the way your fellow soldiers had taken off as soon as the commander had finally dismissed them, it was evident they too were grateful winter only came once a year.
“How do you know?”
“Well, for one, the acorns. Their skin is thick this year.” You explained while looking at the ground, covered in nutshells. “When they fall heavily and the squirrels stash them up high,” you pointed at the treetops, where, earlier, you had spotted their bushy tails between the foliage “the snow will be deep. Also, did you try the apples at breakfast today? Their skin was so tough it could chip a tooth. I think I’ll pass on them tomorrow.”
He let out a chuckle in response. “How reliable are apple skins when it comes to predicting the weather?”
“I don’t know about apples, but onions and corn… they never lie.” He looked back at you and raised an eyebrow. “The onion skins are thicker too, and the corn husks are especially tight this year. However, what has me really worried are the flowers.”
He waited for you to catch up. “The flowers?”
“They had a second bloom this fall. Did you notice? It’s going to be a bad winter, commander.” You shook your head like you were delivering the most ominous of news, but he just threw his head back laughing, and you couldn’t stop a smile from spreading across your face at the sight. There was something childlike in him, even though that was a word that you never thought, not in a million years, could be associated with the commander of the Survey Corps.
“How do you know all this? Assuming you are not making it all up.”
This time it was you the one lifting an eyebrow. “It doesn’t matter. You know about chess and battle tactics, and I know about these things. And all you need to know is that I didn’t make it all up, and that winter is going to be harsh and unforgiving this year.”
“Well, we better make sure to stay warm then.” There was nothing mischievous about the tone or manner of his words, so nothing justified the mental imagery your head started to provide you with; something that had become somewhat of a habit ever since the ball. And you had to admit that images of his warm, muscular body tangled up with yours under soft, warm covers were looking especially enticing in this weather.
Since that night, at your doorstep, you had been looking inside to see if you could find in you an inch of the confidence you had felt then, to see if there was a little bit left of that something you had then, that something that had led your lips so close to his. But maybe it all had been gone once the final leaves fell from the trees, or when the few drinks you had that night wore off.
You glanced at him. He had a pretty nose, of course he did. High, with a prominent bridge and slightly bent at the end. His side profile alone was enough inspiration for later at night, when you were alone in your room, seeking a satisfaction that you knew your fingers couldn’t provide. But you would try regardless, and hopefully this time it would work. It was sad to see something that you usually found relief and comfort in, quickly turn into something frustrating.
It was as if your body was getting back at you for the betrayal of that night, after the ball. It was getting back at you for failing to provide the closure it had been seeking, and now it was punishing you for breaking a promise you had unknowingly made the moment you had let the commander walk you back home on that day. Now, your body was denying you of any form of self-provided pleasure. And it was a tragedy, especially because, ever since that night at your door step, you had been craving a really good orgasm. A life-changing orgasm that you knew could only be provided by one person in particular.
You knew you shouldn’t, but you stole a glance at his pants. How disrespectful of you. But, goodness, they were so tight. How are you different from those men at the party whose eyes made you feel all levels of discomfort? True and you would definitely reflect on that later on a journal entry, but the straps around his muscled thighs were only providing the frame to an already beautiful picture. And the front. Oh, the way his pants bulged at the front.
I bet it is beautiful. Some voice inside your head came in uninvited, and you had to agree with it. Something told you he was the type who would get veiny when excited, and rock-hard when you needed him the most. You were confident he would feel heavy in your hand, and that he would be the perfect amount of thick to fit exactly where you needed him to. And there was not a single doubt in your mind that he came with a custom curve to reach exactly where you wanted him to.
“Are you cold?” His interventions were usually well-timed, but you weren’t sure about this one.
I’m not, commander. But I’d like to be fucking you right now. May I? It was all you wanted to ask. But instead, you just shook your head, feeling a tide of relief wash over you when your eyes spotted something interesting to land on.
“Oh, we don’t stand a chance. Look at these!” You walked to a low shrub that was sprinkled with red dots, and picked some. “When berries are these plentiful, it’s always a bad sign. For people who dislike the winter at least.”
“Let me guess, much like any good old, boring calendar would, it foretells the arrival of a cold and snowy season.” You would have been hurt by his skepticism, but you knew it was just a matter of weeks before nature proved you right.
“Not only that,” you said as you walked up to him “But the thing about berries is that their knowledge is not limited to the near future, they can also tell you a thing or two about the following winter as well; and an abundant crop of these means that next year’s winter will be just as cold.” You explained, holding one berry between your thumb and forefinger. “Open your mouth.”
He obliged and you placed it inside. “What do you think? They’re perfect for a pie, right? Want more?” He nodded and you fed him another. And then another. And another. And sometime by the 7th or 8th berry, you started to get worried you would run out of stock, and that was a problem because, right now, you didn’t want to move, not when his hands were resting on your sides, holding your waist.
You smiled, making mental notes of all the things you wanted to tell your journal later. “What’s your favorite winter crisp?” He looked at you like you were talking in some foreign language “Apple? Cranberry? Pear? I have an aunt who baked pear crips way too often when I was little. Ate so much I don’t really like them now.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever tried it.” He said as you placed the last berry in his mouth.
“Your parents weren’t into baking?” Crisps were very common winter treats, everywhere inside the walls; and, while you understood that his priority as commander of the Survey Corps wasn’t to try every single dessert in existence, there was no way he never had them as a child.
“My father was good at a lot of things, but baking wasn’t one of them.” You chuckled at this confession. Your hands were now resting on his upper arms, while his were still holding your waist. “And my mother, well, she passed before I even started school.”
There wasn’t any nearby, at least not that you knew, but you suddenly felt like you had stepped into an icy pond.
“So if she ever baked it for me, I was too young to remember.” He gave you a gentle smile and you responded by bringing your hand up to his cheek, where your thumb started caressing him just as gently.
The way he talked about his father, in the few occasions he had, gave you the impression that he wasn’t around anymore, but you hadn’t heard anything about his mother. It didn’t look like he had any siblings either, but you really wished he still had some relative out there, someone to write home to. Because the thought of him spending the holidays alone, not having any family left, made your heart feel the same kind of agony lemons must feel when squeezed.
You stroked the rough, bristly skin of his chin, and as you looked into his eyes, realized how much you wanted to cuddle him under a warm blanket on snowy days, to let him fall asleep on your lap in the middle of a stressful afternoon, and to bake him all the treats he didn’t have as a child.
“You need to shave.” You told him softly, while hoping your smile could convey all those thoughts you just had to him. But he only chuckled. “I will bake one for you before the holidays. And a tart too. These berries will make the perfect tangy sauce.”
Your hand was still cupping his face when he spoke. “While I appreciate everything you do, especially the butter biscuits in the afternoon, it is not in your job description to bake for me or to bring me tea twice a day.”
“Fair. But it is not in your job description either to buy sweet treats for your assistant or to walk her home.” You replied, smiling broadly to match the grin on his lips. “Come on, commander. Let’s get warm. It’s getting cold out here.” You gave his chin one last stroke before heading to the castle and the warm lights that could already be seen glowing through its windows, including the one of your shared office, where the fireplace flames would surely be dancing to the crackling of wood.
-
next chapter
taglist: @elnyrae @angelaevangelion @depitaangeline @ynackerman9499 @afatalheat @pumpkin-toffee @velouria17 @gassytritis
#arteastica writes#attack on titan#shingeki no kyojin#erwin smith x reader#erwin smut#commander erwin#aot erwin#shingeki no kyojin erwin#erwin x reader#erwin smith#erwin x y/n#erwin snk#snk erwin#attack on titan erwin#erwin x you#erwin smith x you#erwin smith x y/n#erwin fluff#erwin fanfic#aot x reader#aot x you#aot x y/n#aot fanfiction
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"Back to school"- The kissing booth AU Chapter One
part 2 of 4 || series masterlist || previous part || next part
pairing: modern!Aegon II Targaryen x Reader, side modern!Aemond Targaryen x modern!Floris Baratheon
summary: You get yourself in trouble on your first day back in school, go to a party and it´s time for the fundraiser. But nothing could possibly go wrong there, right?
word count: 3k
warnings: mentions of sexual harrasment, underage partying and drinking
Taglist: @fan-goddess
(If you want to be tagged in this fic or any specif character taglists, send me an ask)
Now that you sat in front of the principal's office, looking down at the fingers that were playing in your barely covered lap, you questioned your whole existence. You were never one to get into trouble and now you had gotten yourself into exactly that by simply refusing to stay home.
Aegon´s sigh beside you as he puts an ice pack to his busted lip pulls you from your thoughts.
“What?” your voice is a sharper than you intended to, but you don´t care. He was part of the reason why you were here now anyway.
“I know you are naïve and all, but I never would have thought you would be naïve enough to come to school dressed like that and think nothing would happen.” He says dismissively.
“I beg your pardon?” You turn to him, glaring daggers into his form that is still not looking at you.
“Your skirt. You were practically asking for something to happen.” He turns to point at your exposed thighs.
You scoff and open your mouth to give a retort, but right in that moment the principal calls you into his office.
“It wasn´t my fault, I swear.” You start to defend yourself, before you even sit down. “My pants ripped and then my backups weren’t there and so I only had this left.”
“Alright, just calm down.” The principal tells you in a slow voice that you assume is supposed to sound soothing, but you are close to tears with fury and embarrassment. Pulling down the short uniform skirt non-stop.
“Calm down? I can´t calm down. A guy just grabbed my lady bum.” You almost whisper the last sentence.
“Calm down? I can´t calm down. A guy just grabbed my lady bum.” You almost whisper the last sentence.
“And he will have to face the consequences for that. Unfortunately, you broke a rule as well. The length of this skirt is a violation of the dress code. That means detention. Tomorrow.”
Detention goes about as well as it could have. With Aegon sulking behind you on one side, rolling his eyes, shaking his head and scoffing ever so often and the guy that had grabbed you on the other side. As it turns out he is kind of cute though. Apologizing to you in earnest, effectively landing him your number and a date.
Which kind of immediately gets temporarily forgotten that same afternoon, as Aemond drags you shopping. You slump in a chair in front of the changing rooms, waiting for him as the two of you brainstorm ideas for the fundraiser. A task that gradually grows to be more difficult than thought. Every new idea turns out to be taken by another club already, your legs bouncing more out of control with every rejected notion. Ending with you rubbing your eyes for what feels like the hundredth time.
“Ugh, this is so stupid…” You groan and let your head hang over the back of the chair.
When the sound of the curtain sounds off and you look at Aemond, it takes you a moment for the world to stop spinning, while he just stands there waiting for your judgement.
“You know I´m not much help with this stuff… Why do you even care that much how you´re gonna look at the party?”
“Because Alys is gonna be there and I really want to kiss her?” He replies in a dry tone. As if it is ridiculous that you even have to ask and honestly, now that you think about it, you probably should´ve known.
“Today was literally the first time the OMGs ever spoke to me. Plus, she is a cheerleader.” It still confused you majorly that they did in the first place.
“So? Baby steps.”
“She probably wouldn´t even make out with you is if you´d pay for it, Aem... Sorry…” When you look into his eye, instead of finding him hurt you see an idea bouncing around in his brain. As if someone out in the universe had silently counted to three you burst out at the same time.
“Kissing booth!” It feels so good to finally not have to worry about that anymore, but with the relief also comes back another sinking feeling. The one you get every time you think about the date.
“What is one even supposed to do on a date?” You ask Aemond as you sit down in a small café.
“I don´t know, like… sit and eat… I guess.” At his answer the two of you look down at the food in front of you. Exploding into laughter momentarily. You ignore the dirty looks the people around you are throwing your way.
“Seven hells, I´m so lost…”
“Come on, stop fidgeting. You´re gonna be great. And if he doesn´t see what a badass you are that´s his loss. Alright?” Aemond takes your hand to stop it from picking at the seam of your dress.
“I just… Okay, I mean I don´t really believe you, but alright.” You sigh and with your hands still restrained by his, all you can do to soothe your nerves is checking your makeup in the mirror one last time. As Aemond drives off you have half a mind to call him back right that moment. But you know what he would say and so you woman up, calm your trembling legs, wipe your sweaty hands on your dress and wait for your date to show up. Fifteen minutes after your agreed time he isn´t there. You take a deep breath and tell yourself to keep calm. He´s just running a bit late. Thirty minutes later you can´t help the second thoughts sinking in. And when you still wait in front of the restaurant an hour later, with no message or calls you finally called Aemond to pick you up again. You thank him countless times for trying to take your mind off the failure that was supposed to be your first date and he is a real friend, letting you bitch about it the entire time. When suddenly you hear someone clear their throat behind you.
Your head whips around, the expression on your face speaks of more than just hurt feelings.
“Hey…” Your `date´ waves awkwardly, the black eye form the fight still sitting prominently on his face. “I came to… to apologize. I-“
“Yeah. One would think an apology is the least you could do.” You snark back.
“I know, but I had my reasons, okay? You gotta believe me. Targaryen has been going around for years, threatening every guy that planned on asking you out. And I won´t catch another black eye or broken nose or possibly worse for a pair of boobs.”
All the words you wanted to tell him before, get stuck in your throat and only come out in a scoff and a shaken head as he leaves. Lips pressed in a tight line and a curt nod.
“What the fuck is wrong with you?” You try to keep calm as you call Aegon that night. Which, much like your date, terribly fails. “Who in the seven hells told you that it was okay to go around keeping guys away from me?”
“I´m just trying to protect you. You´re naïve, but I know how guys really are.“ He argues back, but you can still hear the smile on his face.
“Oh, fuck off. You do not control me any longer. End of discussion.”
“Sure, we´ll see about that.” There it is again. That unmistakably smug smile on his face that can´t be hidden by his voice. With a frustrated yell you hang up on him and throwing your phone onto your bed.
Pitching your idea of the kissing booth doesn´t make you feel all too great either. Student council is more than just doubtful of the whole thing and Aemond isn´t any help at all as well. The only way you are able to convince them, is by lying about Aegon participating. Sadly, persuading student council doesn´t mean everyone else was ready to participate. Not on the manning the booth side at least. Upon asking most of your year, your phone blows up with messages of refusal.
It makes you glad to get a break from all of it in the form of a party. Something you get excited about to early. The problems follow you there as well. Of course they do. First Aemond tries to talk you into talking to his brother and then the OMGs call you over to them. You don´t even finish greeting them, when Talya holds a Jello shot in your face.
“Here, you need to taste this. Tastes green.” Her voice sounds over the loud music.
Your heart beats higher as the alcohol burns down your throat, yet the girls don´t give you a break. Johanna and Alys talk at you to get you to go over to Aegon and ask him to do the booth, who is currently busy making out with some older girl. For the sake of everyone's well-being and to not catch anyone's attention, you ignore the pull at your heart and after another shot from Talya, you get pushed into the elder Targaryen´s direction.
You clear your throat once and then twice before they notice you. You have never seen the girl before, but she is arguably tipsy already and immediately gets mad at you. Shoving you as she tells you to get lost. You go to defend yourself, but Aegon beats you to it. Telling the girl that you are like a sister to him, and she needs to get. There is another stab in your heart. No one wants their crush to put them in the sibling zone after all.
“Sorry, for ruining that for you…” Your voice is barely audible over the music.
“Nah, it´s okay.” He waves your intrusion off with a small smirk that always seems to rest on his lips.
“Now, that you are alone though… I wanted to ask, if you would help with our kissing booth for the fundraiser?” You try to smile and look as cute as possible to hopefully get a yes out of him.
“Never.” He chuckles. Thus, sending you back to your new `friends´.
When the girls ask you what he said, you put on a mask and just tell them “He basically does whatever I ask, but…” You put a finger to your lips.
The rest of the party goes by much easier and with a whole lot more alcohol. Though you would not remember any of it the next day. Not the many games of beer pong or the Jello shots or may the gods know what else you drank. And most importantly you don´t remember how you started to dance on a table, pulling off your shirt for everyone to see or being caught and carried to a bed that isn´t yours right as you begin to fall.
What you think you will remember forever is the all-consuming and mind-numbing hangover the morning after. Looking around once the daylight isn´t so blinding anymore, you recognize it is Aegon’s room you´re in. At that realization you hurriedly check the state of your clothing under the blanket, to find yourself out of the clothes from last night and in Aegon’s football jersey. The gods didn´t mean you well after either. Right as you plan to sneak out of bed and find your clothes before anyone else can see you Aegon enters the room. You try to hide yourself behind the blanket as you bicker with him about the happenings of the previous night and getting to your clothes. So busy, that you don´t even realize your legs had tangled up in the blanket, making you fall on top of him.
Aegon laughs about the whole thing, as always. You on the other hand are utterly humiliated by the time you are dressed and leave the room to join Aemond, who is already up and way too cheery for what happened the night before. On the other hand, he hands you an emergency kit to cure the thundering headache so you can´t be too mad at him overall.
As it seems you have more reason to be mad at yourself anyway. May the seven damn all alcohol for making you tell everyone Aegon, who even now you can´t stop thinking about, would do the booth.
Building the booth with Aemond is a lot more fun than any of the process before was. You are so stressed out with planning everything, so when his brush hits your skin, turning the skin it touched in a stripe of paint, your first reflex is to give him a taste of his own medicine. Through the laughter and fun, things quickly get out of hand. Ending with you covered in paint all over, as he is a much better shot when it comes to flinging the paint at you without seeing much or being hit with it himself. All the while you can´t even really open your eyes anymore, because there is so much paint on your face.
It leads you right into your next… mishap.
In your almost blinded state, you stumble into the closest changing room, thinking it´s the girls one. Your shirt comes off in a swift motion, the color splashes already starting to dry. Over the sound of the running water in the sink you don´t hear the quiet giggles.
It only erupts into full blown laughter and whistles when you turn around. Still covered in paint, but finally able to see again. They don´t even stop when you feel Aegon´s presence behind you. He lays a hand on your shoulder, trying to shield your half naked body from the spectators and pulling you out of the room simultaneously. However, in his own self-assuredness he forgot your promise that he wouldn´t control you anymore. So, you make sure to run an extra round through the full changing room, leaving with a smug smile on your face and your shirt over your shoulder. Reveling in the disappointed look on his.
After that incident preparations come along great and in no time, you are ready for the fundraiser to arrive. You eat cotton candy and check out the other attractions with Aemond, giggling at the irony of some clubs' choices. Aemond leaves you to go and prepare as you approach Aegon one last time. Asking him for help one last time.
“Look who´s come crawling for help…” His tone is so cynical it stings.
“Ugh, forget it. I just thought it would be nice for you to do something for people that care about you… Guess I was wrong.” You hide the frown by turning around and trudging off.
And then it is time to open your own booth. You put on a happy mask and slide the name plates of the first two people in, handing them their blindfolds. Meanwhile Aemond greets the small cluster that has built in front of the makeshift cash register.
“Alright! First off for the ladies: Jason Lannister! And for the guys: Johanna Lannister!”
“Tickets can be bought right here; all sales and smooches are final.” You add and smile as the crowd cheers.
You and Aemond basically get bombarded with money and so the kissing booth starts off as what you would call a great success. Well, one shouldn´t count their chickens before they hatch, or so they say.
After a while there is a rising uproar, commanding for Aegon.
“Targaryen! Targaryen! Targaryen!” You hear the crowd chanting.
Giving Aemond a panicked look he does something you would have never expected of him. He snatches a blindfold and gets out on stage to replace Jason. Your explanation that it was in fact `Targaryen´ up there, still turns away 99% of the girls. First and foremost, Alys. Which makes you feel hurt for your already blindfolded friend. Then, to your surprise, Floris Baratheon steps forward and pulls him into a passionate kiss. You step aside with them. They look so happy you feel like throwing up.
“It sure is okay to let you man the booth alone, right? We just wanted to have some more fun at the fair before the night is over.” Aemond looks half worried for you, but you know the happiness of the moment overweighs that.
“Yeah, of course I am sure. Now go, before I change my mind.” You smile brightly. Aemond and Floris look so cute it is easy for you to abide by rule number 18 of your friendship rules. Always be happy for your besties successes.
When you return to the action you are right on time to stand in Johanna´s way as she storms off stage. “I can´t do this!”
Looking past the curtain you see one of the nerds picking his nose as he is waiting next in line.
“Girl, you said Targaryen would be here. He isn´t. So I guess it´s your turn now.” Alys blindfolds you and shoves you out on stage.
You know lying wasn´t fair, yet still you feel betrayal course through your system. Unbeknownst to you they dug their own grave. With gaping mouths, they have to watch as none other than Aegon Targaryen replaces that nerd.
You however, only feel two hands on your shoulders, alerting you to someone standing in front of you.
“Okay, look. We don´t really have to do this. I know you expected Johanna and… And this is my first kiss. I mean I tried to kiss Cregan when I was younger but we kind of butted our heads together and…” You ramble on and on until a pair of lips shuts you up.
Butterflies rise up in your tummy and you move quicker than you ever have to remove the blindfold, to find your crush of so many years in front of you. In a matter of seconds your lips find his again. Pressing against them, your arms slung tightly around his neck. Your mind feels as blank as ever. It´s like in one of those movies, where the camera spins around the kissing couple as fireworks go off in the background. In this moment everything is more than just perfect.
#aegon targaryen x reader#aegon ii#aegon ii x reader#aegon ii targaryen#aegon ii targaryen x reader#aegon x reader#modern hotd au#modern house of the dragon au#house of the dragon fic#hotd fic#hotd x reader#hotd#house of the dragon
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Tony Stark Has a Heart Fic Recs pt 2
Hello everyone!! I still have plenty of fics with this tag left in my bookmarks, so we're back for a part 2! I hope you enjoy reading them <3
You can find part one here.
xvii. drugged by tempestaurora (2.3k)
“Well,” the doctor said, “it seems you two can only tell the truth. I’ll call the team in to start working on a fix, but I do recommend you don’t leave the tower in case you say something you usually wouldn’t.”
“I’ll be fine,” Peter said.
The doctor raised an eyebrow but didn’t look at him. “Peter, are you Spiderman?”
“Yes.” Peter blinked. “I see your point.”
Peter Parker's Incorrect Quotes Page by EmilyWeaslette (2.5k)
Peter opens an 'incorrect quotes' account for the Avengers on Twitter, without telling them. When the team discovers the account, and Peter is too embarassed to come forward as it's creator, panic and hilarity ensue as the team try to figure out how private conversations are being eavesdropped on. Peter's just trying to avoid being caught.
Besides.
It was all Shuri's idea.
Candy from Strangers by peter_parkr (2.8k)
Peter heard footsteps approaching the bathroom. Tony pushed the door open and hesitantly poked his head in.
"Oh, shit." His eyes were met with the sight of Peter, whiter than a ghost, crumpled on the floor in fetal position. Peter tried to smile up at Tony, but it came out as more of a grimace.
"Hey, ms'r strk. Welcome to my h'me." Peter flopped his arm over on the floor in greeting. Tony sighed... this was going to be a long night.
Where my heart lies by Maicaly (3.5k)
Peter Stark is taken from his school's parking lot, and 46 hours later, Tony receives a message with a location. Steve, Rhodey and Sam follow him to an abandoned building with a unpleasant surprise inside - that will put Tony's nerves at test.
Repeat After Me by battybatzgirl (3.8k)
Tony’s face hardens as he says, “What kid.”
“I don’t know, some twelve year old—”
Below him, the kid coughs out, “Fifteen.”
“—Fifteen year old—”
Tony scrubs a hand across his face. “Don’t tell me he’s wearing a dorky shirt with a chemistry pun on it.”
Rhodey frowns. That was oddly specific. Glancing down, he looks at what little he can see of the kid’s shirt—which isn't much since there’s so much blood now, but what could be once called a cartoon joke is printed on it. “Um, yeah?”
“Son of a bitch.”
Love, hate on by madasthesea (3.9k)
She’d planned for this moment for two years, seven months, and eighteen days: As she’d stood above her daughter’s freshly dug grave, she’d decided that Tony Stark would die by her hand. And now was her moment.
She had only intended to grab Stark, tell him what he’d done that merited the punishment she was going to give, and kill him fast before anyone started looking. But here was this kid, an act of providence.
She didn’t have to tell Stark now, she could show him. She could make him suffer like she’d suffered, make him pay for his crimes. An eye for an eye, a child for a child.
kidnapping by killerqueenwrites (4.6k)
Steve wakes up cuffed to a chair, which is kind of annoying considering he has a meeting today.
He’s just coming to the conclusion that he really might be in trouble when he notices the kid across from him.
or Steve and Peter get some bonding time, and Tony is freaking out.
Um, I'm Invoking Parental Rights by teaandtumblr (5.8k)
5 times Peter calls Tony "dad" to bail him out, and the 1 time he means it.
Perhaps He's Not Missing Out After All. by NotYoCheese (6.6k)
Peter is devastated after he is told that he is not allowed to go on the field trip with the rest of his class tomorrow. Tony steps in and tells him that he can stay at the tower on the day of the field trip. Only, Peter didn't realize that the field trip was to the tower, and guess who the lucky intern who gets to give them a tour is . . .
Featuring a shocked class that finds out that Peter isn't lying, a very angry Flash, and maybe even some IronDad Fluff
Planes, Trains, and the Trauma Response by imgoingtocrash and savvysass (6.9k)
The world around him is solid. It makes sense. Despite the existence of aliens and literal gods in their galaxy—the science of it all makes sense. They just have yet to figure it all out.
Then he’d been thrown into a spiral of falsehoods—one after another, all so fast, all so real—and suddenly he’s in
the Netherlands. It’s too nice compared to the horrors he became used to—a far cry from the real world: a world of dead parents, dead uncles, and half of a universe, dead with the snap of one creature’s fingers.
Where once there was certainty…now there’s fragility.
So, when he sees Tony step out of the plane instead of Happy…he falters.
Mr Stark Enough For You? (another field trip fic bcs we dont have enough) by Livinei (7k)
Peter isn’t worried because he thinks Tony won’t say yes, he’s worried because he’s sure Tony will. And he’s not sure how he feels about having his entire class waltzing around the place where he spends practically more time than in his own home, where he has his own room, and where he regularly eats Lucky Charms with one of the most influential men in the country, in his pajamas. Not that they’d ever know any of that. Tour groups don’t go to the living quarters of the Tower anyways, they hardly ever go past the 50th floor, Peter knows that. And it isn’t fair to his class if he doesn’t ask just because he…spends a lot of time there?
Yeah, Peter sighs, he has to ask. He promised, anyways.
you'll always get there first by crowkag (7k)
Home, home, home home home. It played on loop in Peter’s brain, loud and tumbling and distracting…
But not in a way that would have him miss the silver Audi speeding toward him in the opposite direction, a sight that made him do a double-take for two reasons.
One, because the fancy car was a foreign presence after nothing but rusty, dented Ford pickups for the past hour.
And two, he was pretty sure that was Tony in the driver’s seat.
Peter Parker's Super Secret Snack Stash by coconutknightshade (7k)
"It's D, Peter. We talked about this."
“No it’s not, Ned. Because if it were D then I would be wrong and that would put me at a 65% already on this practice exam and we haven’t even gotten through it all. I can’t fail another history exam, Ned! This last one is worth 60% of our grade! If I fail this final then I’ll fail the class and if I fail the class then I’ll be kicked out of school-”
“You’re top of our year, Peter.” You can almost hear Ned’s eye roll as he talks over Peter.
“- and if I’m kicked out of school then I’ll be forced to live on the streets exchanging sexual favors for money and I can’t do that, Ned! I wouldn’t even know what to charge- I mean, what’s the street value of a blow job, Ned? Do you know? Because I sure as shit don’t.” At this point Ned is outright giggling over Peter’s theatrics.
Pickle Starburst by Bergen (7.5k)
One mundane evening, an awkward, wide-eyed teenager with strange enhanced abilities tumbles into Tony’s office and claims he is from the year 2017, twelve years into the future.
Tony doesn’t really do kids. Or whack jobs. So a combination of the two is a challenge.
But when has Tony ever backed down from a challenge?
for the love of freefall by sagemb (7.9k)
Happy does not, in fact, pick Peter up on Wednesday. Instead, when he and Ned walk out of the school building, there’s a small crowd gathering next to a convertible orange Audi R8 idling in the fire lane. A man with a familiar goatee and rose-colored sunglasses is sitting in the driver’s seat.
Peter’s brain short-circuits for a second.
5 Times Peter Sleepwalked And The 1 Time He Pretended He Did by losingmymindtonight (8.7k)
Peter sleepwalks, Tony stresses.
Man in a Can by JinxQuickfoot (10k)
Peter could hear the voices floating down to him, muffled by the floorboards nailed into place above his head and cemented over with the industrial strength tiles that made up Tony’s workshop floor. The last thing he had remembered was a dark figure appearing over him in bed, then he had woken up here, groggy and exhausted and unable to move.
Unable to move because whoever had grabbed him had covered him in concrete from toes to mouth, repaired Tony’s floor, and left him there.
We Will Foresee Obstacles by blackwatchandromeda (11k)
The war is over. Thanos has been defeated, the population has been restored, and Peter has lost one of the most important people in his life.
After the funeral, Peter meets Harley and Morgan. They're all in the same position, all missing the same person, and it's not long before they come up with a scheme to save him.
That is, if they can pull it off.
When You Assume Wrong by TentativeTreason (14k)
Tony is hiding something.
The Avengers notice the little discrepancies in Tony’s behaviour, and they eventually come to the only conclusion they can think of: Tony is having an affair.
Five Times Peter Parker Pretended to Be Asleep by blondsak (16k)
...and the one time he actually was.
Or: sometimes, faking sleep can work to your advantage. When it comes to trying to fool a certain genius, overprotective, superhero mentor, Peter finds this to be doubly true.
Definitely Worth It by jennylarner (16k)
Peter doesn't want to go on a field trip to Stark Tower. It's a recipe for disaster. His class doesn't believe him, his teacher doesn't believe him. If he makes it through the entire day without being suspended, it'll be a miracle. Unfortunately for Peter, he's never much believed in miracles.
What I Really Need is You by happyaspie (18k)
Five Things Peter Needs From Tony and One Thing He Wants.
@ironman follows you by malyin_roza (27k)
“Eighteen detentions last month alone, disgraceful amount of absent hours – often odd classes mid-day or half a day. I won’t mention the after-class clubs, or nerd groups, or whatever it is you do for ‘fun’ that actually counts in to your records anyway.”
Peter sat frozen on the spot, his face growing hot and red after rapidly paling when Tony began talking.
“I – I – look, I, let me explain – “
“That’s,” Tony pointed at him, silencing with one look, “that’s where we might start.”
“Start?” the teen repeated uneasily.
Sweet Jesus, what did he have on him?
“I solved it all, you’re welcome.”
A beat of silence as Peter blinked at him.
Cloak and Dagger by Velnetta (34k)
After being kidnapped with some of earth’s greatest defenders, Peter is grateful that it appears that their captors aren’t aware that he’s Spider-man.
The problem? To the Avengers, he's just Tony Stark's teenage intern- and Peter intends to keep it that way.
turn back the clock (and I'll try again in the morning) by madasthesea (35k)
Peter gets stuck in a time loop. In it, he lives through some of his worst nightmares, only to wake up that morning and have no one remember. He needs Tony to help him get through.
And if that isn't bad enough, his identity is revealed over and over, every day.
Time to Pretend by Rowan_M (38k)
A villain attacking New York sends an injured Peter back in time to the year 2000. Not knowing how to get home, Peter asks Tony Stark for help and ends up finding out a lot about his and Tony's past.
Peter is given an opportunity to change the future, or leave things be.
In My Dreams by MaryaDmitrievnaLikesSundays (48k)
Red.
Red was quite the color.
The color of love, the color of hate.
The color of glowing cheeks under a streetlight, of smiling lips and sweet rose petals. The color of a sour lollipop in a child’s young hand.
The color of war, of blood, of pain. The color that plagued the nightmares of the bravest men.
Yes, red was quite a few things at once, but right now, it was the color that coated Peter Parker’s hands as he stumbled away from the warm corpses of his aunt and uncle, silhouetted cruelly by the neon store signs, and into the unknown of a quiet, star-dotted night in Queens.
A Hundred Feet Under by thisisnotourlasthunt (59k)
Months after the events in Civil War, a chemical outbreak causes the whole world to fall in a comatose state. The Avengers, who had to reunite when people began to fall, are forced to trap themselves inside a bunker until Bruce Banner and Helen Cho can figure out an antidote. This leads to new friendships to form, and others to heal. All of this a hundred feet underground.
Things go well, until they don't.
While Tony and Steve revisit their actions in Civil War and deal with being a team once again, one of their team members was silently compromised by the chemicals. None of them knew until the effects began to appear. Emotions are shared. The team becomes a family once again and some learn that despite their past actions, there will always be people that will love and care for you. Also, Tony is a stressed dad to a teenager with concerning lack of self preservation skills.
It's a Secret to Everybody by Snapdragon_in_the_Snow (97k)
Peter gets to spend all summer living in Avengers Tower with Tony. When the Rogue Avengers get pardoned and come back to live at the Tower too, they're confused as to who Peter is. However, once they see how Tony acts around Peter, that confusion goes away, as they know for certain who Peter must be - Tony's secret son.
Tony and Peter decide to make the most of the situation, and play along. They hope they can keep up the act all summer. But they soon learn that they barely have to act at all.
built from scraps by peterstank (138k)
“Everybody needs someone. That’s what you said, right?” Pepper meets his eyes and he’s struck by the way she’s almost pleading. “We both lost. We can help each other.”
Her hand, palm up and open, stretches into the space between them.
Peter hesitates.
Then he takes it.
or: the one where tony was dusted instead of peter, so he and pepper try to figure out the whole ‘family’ thing together.
(oh, and it turns out that the man who died in peter’s arms on an alien planet is his biological father. who knew, right?)
Brave as a Noun by edema_ruh (161k)
Some people think that Peter is Tony's son. Why shouldn't they? Peter seems to be orbiting Tony all the time, and it's not like the billionaire tells him off. They have a nice relationship - Peter is glad to have a father figure, and Tony cares for the kid as if he's actually his son.
The first problem regarding this arises when the people who think that Peter is Tony's son kidnap him for ransom.
The second problem regarding this arises when one of the people who kidnaps Peter turns out to be Mac Gargan, the Scorpion, and he's hungry for revenge.
Identity Theft by KitCat992 (267k)
It's been months since the events of Civil War, and the Avengers are doing their best to remain a team, having promised to forgive and forget. Unfortunately for them, Tony Stark's latest invention has been stolen and recovering it causes tension to reappear.
Meanwhile, in Queens, Peter Parker has two main priorities on his plate — complete his midterm finals, and track down a fishbowl wearing criminal that may or may not lead him right into the hands of the Avengers.
Somehow between all of this, Spider-Man's identity is revealed to the Avengers, Steve and Tony's friendship may permanently be damaged due to continued hidden secrets, and Happy struggles to buy a youth-sized casket for Peter's funeral.
Things were a lot easier when they were fighting over Bucky Barnes.
Stab Me in the Back (I'll Catch You From Behind) by Lansfics7 (296k)
"I am going to find Tony," the man hisses in Peter's ear, his gaze cold and cruel. "And when I do, I will kill him, slowly. What do you say to that-" The man stops short because Peter's shoulders are shaking, and before he can curl his lip in victory, he hears a snicker. When he lets go of Peter's hair, the teen's head slumps to his chest, but it's not out of exhaustion or defeat...it's to hide a smile.
The boy lets out a laugh, shaking his head before glancing to the sides admitting apologetically, "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, it's just- it is so fun to mess with you!" He looks around before snorting, "Tony Stark? That's your play? You're not screwing with me, right? You actually thought that would work? Sorry guys." Peter straightens in his chair with a sneer and a cocky wink, "Tony doesn't give a flying crap about me."
And that's it! Happy reading, and if you have any other fics to rec with this tag - whether they be yours or your friend's - please share them with me! And, as always, thank you to all the amazing writers who share their works with us.
#irondad#spideyson#marvel#mcu#peter parker#tony stark#tony stark has a heart#iron man#spider-man#fic recs#ao3#lina lore#long post
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Today in Chontent: February 12th (2018)
Charles gets interviewed by Andrea Noviello of warmup-f1.fr about his upcoming rookie F1 season.
source: warmup-f1.fr
series: f1, 2018
Established by Sauber after his breathtaking 2017 campaign, Charles Leclerc is excited to finally be able to start his first season at the wheel of a Formula 1 car.
His 2017 season was close to perfection. By conquering with disconcerting superiority seven victories, eight pole positions, ten podiums and four fastest laps last year in the antechamber of Formula 1, Charles Leclerc not only positioned himself as one of the greatest hopes of tomorrow, but above all won his ticket to the premier category of motorsport. Recruited by Sauber as part of the partnership between the Swiss team and Alfa Romeo, the figurehead of the Ferrari Driver Academy will have the difficult task of meeting the immense expectations generated by his consecutive double crowning in GP3 and Formula 2. But while waiting to finally be able to demonstrate the full extent of his talent aboard an F1 car, the Monegasque took advantage of these long weeks of break to perfect his physical condition and begin his process of discovering the Hinwil facilities. Delighted to be able to collaborate again with his former boss at ART GP Frédéric Vasseur, the Sauber driver is resolutely confident before tackling his first season at the highest level. Aware of the difficulties that await him, Nicolas Todt's protégé nevertheless wants to be ambitious. Convinced of being able to put his best foot forward if he remains focused on his own work, Leclerc intends to confirm in 2018 all the good things that the paddock thinks of him.
The Formula 1 world championship will resume on March 25 at Albert Park in Australia. How do you feel a little over a month before your big debut in the premier category?
Very good. I've dreamed of it since I was little! To think that I am going to start my first season in Formula 1 is just incredible. But I must not forget to concentrate on the work I will have to do in F1. 2018 will be a pivotal year in my career. So I'm actively preparing physically to be ready the day I get into the new car.
The winter break is generally a rather difficult period for a pilot, because it consists almost exclusively of heavy and intensive physical preparation. How do you manage to fill the lack of management?
It is extremely difficult, if not almost impossible, for a pilot to make up for the lack of running. Of course it has absolutely nothing to do with F1, but I'm still going to try to go and drive a kart a little these days just to get some sensations and have fun. I spend the majority of my time perfecting my physical condition so that I can be in good shape for the first tests in Barcelona. The desire to drive a single-seater, unfortunately, cannot be satisfied for a large part of the winter. Afterwards, everyone is in the same boat. You just have to accept it and prepare as best as possible for the winter tests.
Starting out in Formula 1 is always a crucial step in a driver's life. In addition to arriving in a completely different world from the one you have encountered in the past in promotional formulas, are you aware of reaching the biggest milestone in your career in motorsport?
Completely. F1 is nothing like the minor categories. Going from karting to single-seaters is already a big step. Moving up to Formula 1 undoubtedly represents the second biggest step in a driver's life. The engines were all identical within the promotion formulas I went through. So the goal came down to doing the best job possible in the car. If we met this condition, we knew full well that the results would follow.
In F1, on the other hand, the driver is much more dependent on the performance of his machine...
Yes. It's not quite the same thing in F1, because there is a lot of difference in performance between the cars. The procedures to follow are also much more numerous than in the small categories. F1 is really a big step to take, but above all I have to concentrate on the work I will have to do in the single-seater in order to bring the best possible result home. I will also focus on developing the car as quickly and efficiently as possible throughout the season.
For the first time since you started karting, you will approach a season knowing that you will not have the means to win on a regular basis. How do we mentally prepare ourselves to settle for runners-up when, like you, we have collected titles in the lower categories?
Above all, I will seek to deliver the best possible work in the car. The end result won't matter in the end. The most important thing for me will be to stay focused on my job while trying to make the car progress as quickly as possible. F1 is undoubtedly a completely different world to what I have experienced in the past. So I'm definitely going to have to go through a little period of adaptation. But to be able to do effective work in the premier category, the key will be to concentrate on what I have to do and only on that.
You will team up with Marcus Ericsson in 2018, a driver who certainly did well last year alongside Wehrlein, but who does not necessarily enjoy a very big reputation inside the paddock. To hope to impress F1, won't you somehow be obliged to "crush it" like you outclassed Formula 2 last year?
Marcus has a lot of experience in F1. So I'm already going to try to learn alongside him. However, as I mentioned previously, my main goal is to produce the best job possible while remaining focused solely on myself. This is something I learned from my previous seasons in single-seaters. If I focus on my work and do it well, then I should be able to demonstrate what I'm worth. I prefer not to distract myself by looking at others. I just make sure I give my best. We will then see what results I will be able to obtain this season.
Sauber remains in four very difficult seasons in Formula 1. In addition to its recurring financial problems, the Swiss team has also suffered greatly on a sporting level since three times out of four it finished the championship in tenth place. Did these chronic difficulties scare you when joining the Swiss team?
No, on the contrary I am very confident. With “Fred” (Vasseur) at the helm, the team is truly in good hands. I know him very well and I love the way he works. A team manager must work in this way to help the team progress. We should also not neglect the impact of the return of Alfa Romeo. So yes, until we put the car on the ground, it will be difficult to predict anything. Our main mission will be to develop the car as quickly as possible throughout the year.
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We received some beautiful "star-studded" entries today. Tomorrow is a new day with new themes, and we're also almost midway through our appreciation week!
We have three themes you can choose from today, and you can choose either just one or a combination. Our first theme is Throwback! Send us any pieces you may have made of Sloane in the past, and if you feel like it, definitely do take us through your process of creating that piece!!
Our second theme is Character Appreciation. You're free to interpret this any way you like... just think of what you love most about Sloane's character, and anything that perfectly depicts/illustrates that!
Our final theme for today is Friendship! We all know that Sloane starts out in this series a little under confident about her ability to make friends. And yet, her charm, kindness and unique ways of showing affection win over even the people who started out mistrusting her. This day will also be dedicated to exploring Sloane's friendships!!
As always, any form of appreciation is welcome! Fanfic, fanart, meta, edits, moodboards, playlists, headcanons, interactive media, even screenshots of favourite scenes or simple posts about your love for her!! Our only requirement is that you center Sloane in your work, and that the depiction is positive!
We also accept WIPs - we know irl can be hard and you may not always get the time to finish off stuff, so do show us a WIP of what you're working on if you're comfortable! We keep our event open even after the deadline (the deadline is mostly for our thank you video!) so you can send in your work anytime as well.
A friendly reminder that these are merely themes for you to use. It isn't completely necessary for your content for a particular day to be posted on that day only. You can post something you intended for Day 2 when Day 5 is on, as long as you tag the post for the day you meant it for.
Be sure to follow these rules when you make your posts:
1. Use the tags #sloanewashingtonappreciationweek and #SWAW so we can find your posts on the tags, along with the day you intend the post for (#SWAW Day 1, #SWAW Day 2).
2. Tag @sloanewashingtonappreciationweek, as well as hosts @sazanes and @lizzybeth1986 in your work!
Fan content blogs have been a great resource in terms of showcasing fan content, so we'd definitely like to explore some of them and see if you'd like to send your content to any of them. A number of them are also running some amazing Valentine's Day events, which I urge you to take a look at:
@choicesficwriterscreations - Both fic and art welcome! Check out their rules and weekly roster here!
@choicesmonthlychallenge and @choicesfebruary2024 - All types of creative stuff welcome. This month, they're doing an awesome event with the Seven Types of Love in Greek mythology as prompts!
@choicespride - All content related to LGBTQ+ characters and/or themes welcome! Check out their awesome Valentine's Day event here!
@choicesflashfics - Fics under 2500 words welcome! Find this week's prompt list here!!
@choicesholidays - Both fic and art welcome!! Check out their Valentine's Day event!!
@choicesprompts - Mostly fic-centric!! Currently they're running a round robin, for which the deadline to enter is Feb 15th!
Can't wait to see what you all have in store for us! 😁
Happy Sloane Washington Appreciation Week, everyone!!
#sloane washington#perfect match#sloanewashingtonappreciationweek#SWAW#SWAW 2024#SWAW Day 3#SWAW Day 3: Throwback#SWAW Day 3: Character Appreciation#SWAW Day 3: Friendship
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Kicho's Main Story Ch. 12 Part 2 Romantic
These translations are not intended as a replacement for the game. Please support Cybird by buying their stories. Spoilers under the cut. Expect grammatical errors.
Sorry, the lines are all over the place.
Mai: "The wind feels nice today."
Kicho: "You're right. The sky is clear too."
He nodded as he rowed the small boat.
After our reunion, we came to the lake to avoid being seen.
Mai: "I never thought a boat rental service was available in this era."
Mai: "Did you know? There are boats shaped like swans you can row with your feet back in the future."
Kicho: "I've never been on one, but I've seen it. I think they are called swan boats."
Kicho: "Putting a large bird afloat on a lake is a playful idea."
Mai: "True."
Chatting casually, we turned our gaze to the scenery.
The beautiful sparkling water was like it had been sprinkled with diamonds, reflecting the magnificent mountain range backed by large clouds.
(I feel like it's been a long time since we've spent time together.)
(I've been constantly trying to keep myself busy ever since we got separated.)
I met his eyes as I turned my gaze back to him.
Mai: "..........."
Kicho: ".........."
Neither of us managed to say a word as we stared at each other.
(I want to ask him a lot of questions right now, but I can't.)
(I'm afraid that if I start talking, our time here will be over.)
Kicho: "Let's go over there."
Mai: "Okay, I'll row this time."
Kicho: "No, it's fine. Let's talk more about the future instead."
Mai: "The future?"
Kicho: "Even if we knew the same world, we've seen and felt different things."
Kicho: "The stores you liked, the songs you liked, etc."
Mai: "I understand. I have lots to tell you then."
He started rowing again, and the boat glided along.
As if to bid our time, we continued to talk about other things, swallowing what we wanted to hear from each other.
Mai: "I had an experience like that, and after that, I got hooked."
Kicho: "I see. Liking more stuff is a good thing."
After getting off the small boat, we continued to walk side by side along the lake.
(What else?)
(Right. I should tell him that the teacup he has looked like the one in the coffee shop near my house.)
I turned to him as the next topic popped into my head.
Mai: "Oh..."
I stopped dead in my tracks when something caught my eye.
Mai: "Look over there."
Kicho: "Hmm? Yeah, it's beautiful."
The setting sun, descending over the mountains, cast a dazzling light.
The lake, the shore, and the spot where we were standing now were all tinted with gold.
Mai: "Time flies so fast."
Mai: “It’s natural to have fun times, but I think it’s the same when you’re in pain.”
Mai: “It may seem like the moment felt long, but when you look back on it, it all flew by so fast.”
Kicho: “You’re right. There’s the present. Next thing you know, the present has turned into the past.”
Mai: “That’s why I want to stay close to the people I love.”
Kicho: “Mai…”
I clenched my fingertips, unable to take the hand close to mine.
(I know because I've spent years living it.)
Moments like this are fleeting.
Soon night will come, and then, if I close my eyes, the morning will come.
No matter how much I treasure these moments and wish to keep them forever, time moves on so easily and cruelly.
Mai: "Kicho, I..."
Mai: "I don't want us to be apart."
Mai: "I want to talk about these things tomorrow and the day after."
Kicho: "..........."
Mai: "I want to be by your side like it's natural.”
Kicho: "Mai."
He hugged me, and though the distance between us disappeared, my heart ached as I heard his low voice.
Mai: "Don't you feel the same way?"
Kicho: "I can't tell you. Anything I say will just hurt you."
He pulled away from me and gently took my hand in his.
Kicho: “Sorry.”
Mai: “Why are you apologizing?”
Kicho: “Because I’ve come to a point of no return.”
It looked like he was carrying all the shadows alone as he stood against the setting sun, smiling gently.
Kicho: “I’m glad to hear your stories. I know there’s still a place for you outside of this place.”
Kicho: “Be sure to return to your original time, Mai.”
Mai: “You know that a wormhole is going to appear?”
Kicho: “Yeah. I was able to observe it a while ago.”
Kicho: “I checked on you today, and you don’t seem to have those symptoms, either.”
Mai: “Yes.”
Mai: “Does this mean the future is coming back?”
Kicho: “That’s right.”
Mai: “Kicho, what on earth did you do?”
Mai: ��I heard at the castle that you and Motonari attacked the trading post and took it back.”
Mai: “You’re putting yourself in danger by doing that.”
Kicho: “Does that mean the Oda forces are going to invade Sakai?”
Mai: “...........”
Realizing my slip-up, I quickly covered my mouth, but it was too late.
(He doesn’t seem surprised.)
(He was working intentionally for this.)
Mai: “If that were the case, what would you do?”
Mai: “I know you’re not my enemy, and you’re not a liar. But I don’t know what you’re doing and your purpose.”
Kicho: “There are things you don’t need to know.”
Mai: “I already know. I know you’re going to start a war, even though we’re supposed to have the same goal.”
Mai: “If you do that, more lives will be lost again.”
Kicho: “...........”
Kicho: “It’s a necessary sacrifice.”
Mai: “Kicho...”
(I think we’ve had this exchange before.)
Desperately trying to reel in the memory, he slowly released my hand and whistled, and a white horse came running from somewhere.
Mai: “W-Wait! Let’s talk more properly.”
Kicho: “Neither I nor you have the time.”
He mounted his white horse and gripped the reins.
Kicho: “Thank you for keeping the past me alive until this day.”
Kicho: “Please be yourself, even in the future.”
Mai: “Kicho!”
I tried to stop him, but he turned his back to me and galloped away on his horse.
Eventually, his back became smaller and soon got swallowed up by the sunset.
(Why did you say that one last time?)
(I’m not yet ready to say goodbye to you in this life.)
Sitting there helplessly and with no strength, I carefully clutched my still-warm hands and tried to wipe my teary eyes roughly with my sleeve.
???: "Don't do that."
Someone suddenly grabbed my wrist to stop me.
Mitsuhide: "Doing that will cause extra swelling around your eyes."
Mai: "Mitsuhide..."
Mitsuhide: "Did something happen?"
Mai: "That's..."
I couldn't say anything and only stared into the setting sun with my mouth slightly open.
Even though I knew it was impossible, I couldn't help but look for Kicho in it.
Mai: "No, nothing."
Mitsuhide: "I see. Then I won't ask any more questions."
Mitsuhide let go of my hand and sat down right next to me.
Mitsuhide: "By the way, why are you here? Taking a walk?"
Mai: "Something like that. Why are you here?"
Mai: "I heard you're tracking down Motonari and Kicho."
Mitsuhide: "Then, you also heard about the attack on the trading post."
Mai: "Yes."
Mitsuhide: "I've received some information on the matter, so we need to get back quickly."
(I wonder what information Mitsuhide prefers to say in person instead of writing it down in a letter.)
Mai: "Um, can I ask you one thing?"
Mitsuhide: "Of course. I've actually been looking for you."
Mitsuhide: "You are, after all, an important person in this scheme."
After saying that, Mitsuhide stood up and looked down at me.
Mitsuhide: "It'll get dark soon. I'll tell you about it as we return to the castle."
Just as he said, the sun quickly set, and the area grew dimmer as we walked the less crowded street toward the castle.
Mitsuhide: "First, the rebels' movement is slowly changing, probably due to the rumor."
Mai: "Rumor?"
Mitsuhide: "Yeah. They call it a rumor, but it's actually true."
Mitsuhide: "They say the rebellion was caused entirely by Kicho."
Mitsuhide: "Those people who got robbed by the rebellion and the rebels are now directing their anger toward him."
Mai: "I see."
(Ranmaru was talking about this.)
(As I thought, it had something to do with Kicho.)
Mai: "So, where did this rumor come from?"
Mitsuhide: "I have no idea, but merchants, traveling entertainers, and civilians know this rumor."
Mitsuhide: "It's spreading at a frightening pace."
Mitsuhide: "As expected. He was doing the job perfectly.”
Mai: "I thought you had no idea."
Mitsuhide: "It's just speculation."
Mitsuhide: "But you probably know who could do something like this without me telling you."
Mai: "I do."
I didn't want to nod, but one face popped into my head.
Mai: "Why does he always put himself in danger like that?"
Mai: "Why is he directing their negative emotions at himself and then trying to sway the Oda forces?"
Mitsuhide: "You heard it too. You heard the cry of one of the people before he left."
(Is that...)
------------Flashback------------
Old woman: "Ha! That's ridiculous. You're going to control this place?"
Old woman: "It's useless. Just look around you. It's never going to end, no matter what anyone does."
Old woman: "All these people are killing each other without knowing who their enemies are and their purpose."
---------Flashback Ends---------
Mitsuhide: “This conflict he has sown in Japan is already out of control.”
Mitsuhide: “Sometimes, justice is necessary for peace, and to achieve justice, the existence of a common enemy is essential.”
Mai: “Is Kicho trying to do that?”
Mitsuhide: “I’m just speculating here.”
Mai: “You’re right. This speculation is as close to the truth as you can get.”
Kicho knows about the future, and he also knows what this turbulent world looks like.
(On that day, the turbulent world was shaken by a single bombardment of Azuchi because the opponent was Nobunaga, a man of great influence.)
(Then, if Nobunaga defeated everyone's enemies who are shaking Japan…)
Mitsuhide: "In every generation, sacrifices need to be made to change something."
Mitsuhide: "That man is probably planning to die."
Mai: “………..”
I felt dizzy upon hearing it.
Mai: "Kicho's going to die? Why would he throw his life away for nothing?"
Mitsuhide: "It wouldn't be in vain if it's the only way to achieve his goal."
Mitsuhide: "I said that, but I don't know what will actually happen. He might just end up imprisoned."
Mitsuhide: "But I'm sure he's already made up his mind."
Mai: "Oh no..."
I was so shocked that I couldn't speak, and the tears, threatening to spill earlier, were gone before I knew it.
Mitsuhide: "Mai. Kicho told me that you're from the future."
Mitsuhide: "Is there any way for you to return there?"
Mai: "Yes, there is."
Mai: "I need to decide tonight what I'm gonna do, but I don't plan on leaving."
Mitsuhide: "That won't sit well with that guy."
Mitsuhide: "To save your life, that man chose to continue being a demon and sacrifice himself."
Mitsuhide: "Don't let his feelings go to waste."
(For my sake?)
(Is Kicho going to give up his life for me?)
I shook my head again and again like a kid upon realizing that the choice he had kept from me for so long was a cruel one.
Mai: "But because of me, the life of the person I care about most is in danger."
Mai: "I won't accept that, ever."
Mitsuhide: "..........."
Mitsuhide didn't say anything and just quietly lowered his eyes.
Mitsuhide: "The rest is for you to decide."
Mitsuhide: "I'll leave for Sakai as a member of the Oda army, no matter what happens."
Mai: "Okay. I understand."
(Right. Even Mitsuhide has something he has to go through.)
Mai: "Sorry for getting emotional. Anyway, let's go back to the castle quickly."
Mitsuhide: "Yeah."
Feeling awkward, we returned to the castle, and I stayed in my room.
(I guess I never really understood Kicho.)
(Even after spending so much time with him today.)
------------Flashback------------
Kicho: “There are things you don’t need to know.”
Mai: “I already know. I know you’re going to start a war, even though we’re supposed to have the same goal.”
Mai: “If you do that, more lives will be lost again.”
Kicho: “...........”
Kicho: “It’s a necessary sacrifice.”
---------Flashback Ends---------
(I finally remember.)
(The first day we met, when I tried to stop him from getting the weapons, he had the same look and said the same thing to me.)
(I said something awful to him.)
Alone in the quiet room, impatience slowly grew in my heart as the clock continued ticking.
(What's the right thing for me to do?)
Mai: "Oh..."
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