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jo-harrington · 5 months

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Promotion (Eddie Munson x Store Manager!Reader)

Pairing: Eddie Munson x Fem!Reader

Summary: You take a Tuesday night off to surprise Eddie at a Corroded Coffin show and you both get more than you bargained for.

Previous Part: Team Building

Warnings/Themes: AU where the Upside Down doesn't terrorize Hawkins. Reader works at the Claire's at StarCourt. Eddie works at TapeWorld. (Do I need to say this anymore?) Fluffy, a little angsty, culmination of a lot of big feelings on both Eddie and Readers parts.

Note: I have been working on this part. Since January 15th. This has always been (and if you've read Peak Sales Hours you know) the way they finally reveal their feelings for one another. DAMN TOOK THEM AND ME A REALLY LONG TIME. The idea has evolved a little, but I hope the wait has been worth it. (Really gonna suck when we go back to the 2 parts of the story where they...aren't together yet but I promise both of those parts will be worth it and it's gonna make a few things towards the end of this part make sense...) We're almost at the end.

You can find my masterlist here for more featuring our resident Store Manager and all of my other Eddie stories and writing.

Please do not interact if you are not 18+.

Enjoy!

---

“Nice fake, kid,” the gruff bartender scoffed, taking a quick glance over your ID. “Illinois huh?”

“Yeah, Illinois,” you insisted. “And it’s not a fake.”

“Whatever,” he sighed. “Enough of you kids home from college, I can’t keep up. In for a penny, in for a pound. What can I getcha?”

You ordered then turned to survey the ambience of The Hideout.

Bars weren't typically your scene.

You really didn't have a scene, if you were honest. Work and school had been your life for the longest time. If you had a social life, it was garage beers with your friends back home, or going out with coworkers after a really difficult holiday season or something. Your old Store Manager had certainly forced you to join her at dive bars and parties now and again. And now, you guessed...outings with Eddie and his friends.

When he had first told you about Corroded Coffin and their gigs, he said that the Hideout wasn't typically busy.

"It's like...like Cheers, you know? A place where everyone knows your name," he explained that first night you two had hung out. "Off the highway, used to be the local watering hole for everyone at the plant to wet their whistle after quitting time, according to Wayne. Lately, not as much.

"But the owner lets us play every Tuesday and it's good if we want to make it big someday. Even though right now it's really just...you know, a few regulars who tolerate us and clap if they're sober enough."

This, though, was most certainly not a few regulars.

Just like the bartender had said, there were a lot of kids home from college for Thanksgiving week, looking to get away from their families for a night. They'd already been milling about StarCourt; you'd seen a lot of unfamiliar faces. You wondered if this was just a convenient place to get a drink with friends now that they were back; it wasn't like the bartender was really taking anyone's ID seriously, real or fake.

Everyone was here for a good time, regardless. An old house-turned-bar with a few tables, mostly occupied, and a pool table that a group of guys were crowded around. Only a few open spots at the bar, one of which you had claimed for yourself.

It wasn't a club, it wasn't really even a bar.

It was just...kind of a shithole.

But if you were to remove all the people who were here tonight who didn't seem to fit in anyway, you felt it was the perfect venue for Corroded Coffin.

The stage was small and makeshift and illuminated by the many neon signs on the adjacent walls touting Coors and Old Style and PBR, and even though you were a little ways back you could easily enjoy the show.

You were actually planning to hang back anyhow. You usually closed on Tuesdays so you wanted to surprise Eddie.

He had mentioned, way back during your first Sunday night hangout, that you should come and see the band if you were ever free. You had brought up your schedule to him then, and immediately felt bad when he looked a little disappointed. And even more so the dozen or more times you tried to bring up the topic again, especially as you spent more time with him and his friends. Music was something you two had quickly bonded over, so you were hoping you could come and support him. But he never took the cue and never extended the invitation again.

It took a lot of bribery to get Mindy to take the Tuesday shift, and thankfully with the impending holidays, she had some time-off needs of her own. So a little quid pro quo and you had your night off.

Not to mention a covert trip to Tape World to grab one of the flyers for the show, disguised as a run to the bathroom, when you had lunch together a few weeks ago. Eddie's manager Kyle always let him have his homemade flyers on the counter when he was Manager on Duty, but they always went home with Eddie after his shift was over.

"I just have this bad feeling," he admitted to you once. "That someone would come in just to fuck with them, you know. At least while I'm there, I can...I don't know. Protect them." You understood, having been witness to how shitty some of the people in Hawkins were to him. You had dealt with bullies before, and it had gotten better for Eddie in the past few months but...he was still cautious and you didn't blame him.

So now, sitting here in this crowded bar, sipping kind of bad beer, wearing one of your brother's band tees that must have gotten mixed up with your shit from your last visit home, and waiting for the boys to appear "on stage," you felt happy that you'd be able to show Eddie just how much you cared for him. How much you wanted to be there for him the way he'd been there for you the past 6 months.

How worth...all of it he was.

And the other boys. Of course.

Eddie was the only one you wanted to kiss though.

He was the only one you wanted to do any of those sweet, sickening...ahem...sexy...things with. You really had wanted it all since you met him, and you'd gotten your taste and that was enough to smolder and turn your craving into an actual thirst.

Unfortunately, what you'd hoped was mutual attraction...never went anywhere, so friendship it had stayed.

You could always indulge in your little crush-fueled fantasies after you hung out. As pathetic as that was. Especially when you realized he was a touchy kind of guy. Hugs at the ready whenever you wanted them and even sometimes when you didn't. Hands always grabbing your shoulders to shake you when he was trying to make a point. He'd popped the arm rest up when you went to the movies so you could put your head on his shoulder. And then he would cover your eyes with his hand whenever there was something especially gorey or steamy on the screen.

"Otherwise, I’ll have to wash your eyes out young lady," he mocked with a very stern voice to mock your overprotective father, who Eddie had met once.

And on one of the toughest days of your life when his attention had fully been on you so how he remembered your dad enough to get his voice down like that...

You shook your head to release you from your thoughts as you noticed Gareth and Jeff haul in Gareth's drum kit from some back hallway and onto the ramshackle stage.

It wouldn't do to get lost in your daydreams when they were about to perform. Because yeah, Eddie was always doing things like that-- remembering things you said off-handedly, surprising you with things he thought would make you laugh or smile--and you tried to do the same for him, but coming to see one of his performances was gonna be different.

It meant more than quoting his favorite movie or getting him that snack he liked at the gas station.

This was his dream.

And you wanted to be fully present for it.

A couple people clapped kindly as all four boys took the stage and Eddie said a quick, slightly shy "hey" into the microphone, clearly unused to the crowd. You let out a tenuous whoop, and Eddie squinted in your direction and waved, but with the haze of cigarette smoke lingering in the air and the bustle of bodies that swarmed the bar to refresh their drinks, you doubted he could see who it actually came from.

So maybe you would need to worm your way up eventually. Maybe.

Once they started playing, though, you knew you would have to.

They were...

Well...

Ok they were not the best, but they were certainly getting there. They could be something great if they took the time, and you knew that was a high priority for the boys.

You didn't know what you expected though.

Certainly not like something professionally recorded or the one or two concerts you'd been to with friends over the years. Surely something closer to the bands that played during street fairs or the local venues back home.

Corroded Coffin was something in-between. Eddie's proficiency at the guitar and his overly confident stage presence once he got going, paired with Jeff and Dave who matched his energy with their endless strumming and head banging and enthusiastic vocals. And of course Gareth on the drums, who kept them in line as though he was simply amplifying the beating of his heart.

They were...one-of-a-kind.

It was a sight to behold and had you enraptured by their entire performance.

And you were surely not alone, as there was a good bit of applause after every song--none louder than you, you hoped--that caused the boys to preen with the attention. Especially Eddie, who would showboat if more than 5 people clapped.

"And now," he rumbled into the microphone, voice a little croaky, as the others set up a thrum of drumbeats and repetitive notes on their respective instruments. "Lend me your ear as I weave a tale of adventure and destruction."

You shifted on your stool with a grin, excited to see this. He'd explained it to you, how he and Jeff had been working on these little attention grabbers...stage patter...in tandem with his campaigns for Hellfire Club.

"Being a frontman is more than just singing, it's about...captivating the audience."

He told you it would make more sense once they had some more original songs and not just covers. But they were still working on it.

Thus, Eddie began talking about Lord of the Rings, of all things. Of a great journey with perilous consequences if the Fellowship were to fail, of the jaunts through Rivendell and encounters in Khazad-dûm and finally the terrible task on Mount Doom.

"And none of it would be possible without..." he started plucking at his own guitar strings, running his fingers up and down the frets, creating a haunting sound in place of a harmonica. "The Wizard."

You jumped from the stool and let out a whoop, beer sloshing over the rim of your glass and onto your hand. But it didn't matter, because when Eddie's eyes zeroed in on you, he beamed brightly and it was magical.

The moment would be burned into your brain forever, the way his big, void-like eyes got all round and soft and those lips stretched over his teeth to grin, lines carving deeper into his face in a look of sheer joy. And then glanced back down at his Sweetheart as he began to play his best performance of the night.

Or so you thought, but you were a little biased.

You were torn away from the performance as someone took the glass out of your hand and pressed some napkins over your beer-soaked skin.

"Here, watch out, you spilled some on the floor too," a deep, teasing voice said. "Jules, can you grab some more napkins?"

"Yeah. For sure."

"You Corroded Coffin's number one fan or something?" the guy asked as you kept trying to look back at the stage. You looked at him and felt uneasy. He was tall but unremarkable and had a plaid shirt under a denim jacket, a few patches similar to ones you'd seen adorned on Eddie's battle vest. He seemed like someone who might enjoy the music but there was a glint in his eyes and a smirk on his mouth that seemed...off to you.

"First time hearing them," you tried to dismiss. "Thanks for the help."

His friend or...maybe date returned with a stack of napkins and she handed them to you with her own tight smile, latching herself to his side.

"I thought it was music time, not story time," she joked snidely as you dropped the napkins on the floor to clean up the spill. "Are we gonna get out of here soon Mick?"

"Yeah don't worry," he patted her shoulder and then looked back at you. "So, not number their one fan. You dating Munson or something then?"

Jules let out a laugh.

"None of your business, who are you again?" You put on the hard city exterior you grew up with--the one that often clashed with your tight-knit community and customer service exteriors, each an interchangeable mask—and turned away from him, glad to put some distance between you.

You asked the bartender for another beer but there was already a bitter taste in your mouth and you knew you wouldn't enjoy the drink.

Mick and Jules…

---

You were happy when everyone gave them an outstanding applause at the end of the set, but the boys were quick to dismantle the stage after a stern look from the bartender.

Eddie had tried his best to have an encore performance.

"Come on Phil." He batted his eyelashes enticingly. "You know you love us."

"This isn't Madison Square Garden," Phil ran a finger over his throat. "You'll run up my electric bill."

"Make sure you tip your bartender everyone," Eddie quickly announced with a mock salute, then pulled the plug on their equipment and dashed offstage.

Dave, Jeff, and Gareth made their way back in sometime after they broke down their equipment, as some the crowd started to dissipate, and were ecstatic to find you at the bar.

"It's seriously so busy in here," Gareth exclaimed after he chugged his Coke and belched obnoxiously. "I don't think we've played a crowd like this ever."

"I don't think we've seen this many people in the Hideout ever," Dave gave you a hopeful grin and pressed his hands together in prayer. "You sure you don't want to buy us a round of beers to celebrate?" You pushed his shoulder good-naturedly but got them a round of the cheap, watered down stuff nonetheless.

"Ok and listen, I was supposed to do the intro to The Wizard," Jeff started, hand on your shoulder as though he was telling you a secret. "But I chickened out. I don't think I would have been able to do it with all of these people here."

"You would have crushed it," you reassured him. "Next time."

"No, because Eddie destroyed it up there," Jeff hollered. "I almost forgot the chords, he was so good. You seriously need to come to Hellfire one time...or Eddie can have a special session over Christmas break. That was on par with a Munson Death Monologue, if I ever heard one. Right guys?"

"Where is he anyway?" you asked.

Instantly, all three boys got nervous and it had you on edge.

"The bathroom."

"Just having a smoke."

"Had to restring his guitar."

They fumbled over each other with their excuses.

"Don't make me pull the mom card," you crossed your arms over your chest and glared at them. "You know I hate that shit."

"Only the freshman call you mom," Dave attempted to deflect.

You rolled your eyes and simply turned on your heel and exited the bar. You heard the three of them bicker as you walked away.

"Nice cover shithead."

"Me? What about you? Restring his guitar?"

"Fuck off."

When you got out to the parking lot, you heard talking. Bickering, much like the boys had been inside.

"...I'm trying to give you a compliment."

"A backhanded compliment isn't a compliment."

Eddie's voice. And another one.

You didn't want to interfere, but you were from the midwest and as a result, you were nosy.

And Eddie was your friend, if he needed help, you'd be there for him.

You rounded the corner of the building and saw Eddie sitting in the open side door of the van, cigarette smoldering between his fingers as he gestured wildly while talking.

"I don't know why you think you can just show your face here," he told the other guy.

Mick...the guy who'd helped you out inside.

"Come on Ed," he scoffed. "This doesn't have to be painful for either of us. I moved on, so can you."

"That's right Mickey, you moved on," Eddie argued. He dropped his cigarette to the ground and stomped on it aggressively. "You decided it wasn't worth it to be my friend anymore and you and Jack moved on."

Mickey and Jack. Eddie's old friends, the former members of Corroded Coffin.

He'd told you about them...in passing. You never really got the full story from him, you never wanted to pry. But seeing this guy...now...

"You decided not to be friends anymore, when we wouldn't throw our futures away for a stupid garage band! And look, two years later and you're still here? Heard my mom say you're still at Hawkins High too. Look at you, Ed. A waste of fucking space."

Well you didn't know whether to walk away or butt in and give the guy a piece of your mind.

It was a good thing that Eddie got to his feet and got right into Mickey's smug face.

"Go fuck yourself Mick." His hands planted on Mickey's shoulders and he shoved his old friend a few feet. Not to knock him down, enough to disrupt his balance though.

The aggression left Mickey then, and even from where you stood you could see his eyes go wide.

"Come on Eddie," he whined. "I didn't come out here for this. I've got friends in there and I told them I could get weed. Julie's in there."

"Julie fucking Williams," Eddie rolled his head back and let out a sardonic laugh.

You vaguely realized why Jules had sounded familiar. Jason Carver had mentioned her way back when, when he tried to play the macho protector act.

"He was sniffing around this girl Julie Williams a few years ago too..."

"She still got her claws in you?" Eddie continued. "You here to rub it in my face that you're still with her too? High School Sweethearts and all of that?"

"Stop being an asshole. I made them all come and sit through your stupid show, Eddie. You should be thanking me."

"Thanking you?" he scoffed. "You...you're just rubbing salt in the wound now Mick. Throwing me a bone thinking I’m hard up for cash. Bringing people along cuz no one would come to our shows way back when, so now I gotta know that the only way they would, is if you bribed them with weed? And Julie? Julie only fooled around with me, dated me, so she could get closer to you and you fell for her like an idiot."

"I don't know why you care Eddie, I saw your girlfriend in there. Besides, you two were never dating. So if anyone is the idiot here, it's you."

"Fuck off, Michael," Eddie muttered, turning his back to his former friend. "If you want weed, go to Rick."

There was a beat and you watched Eddie's still back and Mickey shuffling on the gravel drive, looking simultaneously like he wanted to say something, and regretting that he even said anything in the first place.

Finally, he stalked off, hands shoved in his pockets.

You ducked against the side of the building to avoid being noticed as he passed and headed back into the Hideout.

You didn't know what to do. You didn't...yeah you were nosy, but you knew you should have probably walked away when Eddie told him to go fuck himself the first time.

Still...then no one would have been out here for Eddie now. Even after all these months of getting closer to him, months of friendship and learning more and more about him, all it took was an overheard conversation to make the pieces click. You needed to make sure he was alright because that...that hadn't been good.

He'd already been in some kind of state of constant self-deprecation when you first met him, you didn't want him to fall back into it because of some asshole. You understood now why Jeff had been so protective of him at the start. You were that way now. You wanted your friend to be happy.

To see how much he mattered. That's why you came tonight in the first place.

At the sound of something crashing in the back of the van, you shuffled back around the corner and got closer.

"Fuck," he muttered pathetically. "Fuck, fuck, fuck."

There was the twang of a string on one of the guitars snapping, and then Eddie's heaving breath.

"FUCK!" He turned around and kicked at the gravel, and it sprayed across the lot before landing at your feet. He ran his hands through his hair and stopped at the sight of you.

You froze too, unable to stomach the sight of his red, tear-filled eyes and the wetness of his cheeks illuminated by the streetlamp overhead.

"So uh," he sniffed and quickly ran the cuff of his sleeve across his nose. “Dunno if you heard but that was my old friend. Who's dating...well I guess she wasn’t my girlfriend. So she’s not an ex either.”

He rolled his eyes and hung his head pathetically.

“I’m sorry,” you muttered and took a few steps closer. “I’m sorry that they did that to you. Both of them. All of them. You deserve so much more than that.”

“Do I?” He scoffed. “I’m a freak, a loser. Too stupid to finish high school or get out of this town.”

“Stop it!”

"No, Mickey's right. My stupid band, my stupid friends."

"I'm your friend, am I stupid?" you asked. You knew it was a little shifty, trying to turn this onto you, but you needed him to see that he was being...well...

Stupid.

"Maybe," he shrugged.

"And Jeff? And Dave? And Gareth?"

"Maybe."

"Fine," you pointed back at the Hideout. "But those people in there...they couldn't have all been Mickey's friends. They clapped for your stupid band. Are they all idiots too? Freaks. Losers."

"Maybe."

"That was a really good crowd, you were great up there. I was so surprised. So impressed."

"Well you shouldn't be."

"Eddie," you said in a chastising tone.

He mimicked you in a childlike fashion, said your name in the same tone, and then ran his hands over his face and groaned.

"I don't want to let him get to me like that," he shouted into the sky. "I don't...want my stupid, dumb, shithead old best friend to get to me like that. To act like it's some favor he's doing me by rolling back into town and bringing some people to my show. When it still should have been our show. Together.

"I had to very nearly give up on all of my fucking dreams because our friendship wasn't worth it to him. Because he pretended to grow up. He...he barely got accepted into a college. He was going to take classes at Tri County and keep working at Bradley's forever and we were gonna have this band and make it big one day and now..."

He trailed off and heaved.

"And now?" You pressed after a few minutes of silence.

"And now..." He waved his hand dismissively. "I don't know...nothing I guess."

You put your hands on your hips and scowled at him.

"And now you have friends in there that actually support your dream, who actually believe you've got a chance as a band. Jeff's a better best friend than Mickey. And you've got a job at TapeWorld and have Kyle and the guys there. They all believe in you. What did you tell me a couple weeks ago? Kyle wants to see if he can make you an ASM after you graduate?"

"Yeah."

"You've got...a future...and new dreams...just like Mickey does," you tried again. "Losing old friends is hard. It's a hole in your heart that doesn't ever go away.

"My high school best friend moved away and I don't talk to her anymore. We had...maybe one phone call after she went off to some out-of-state school. It hurt when I tried to call her and she never made time for me. But...then I made other friends. It's not the same as her, but sometimes it's better. Because I have Jen, and the girls at the old store and now this store and now I have...now I have you too.

"You're better than my high school best friend ever was. Tell me I'm not a better friend than Mickey...whatever his last name is."

Eddie's face went gaunt then, his eyes evaded yours and immediately went down to his feet, hands wrapped around his stomach defensively, like you wounded him.

You breathed heavily for a few moments and then softened.

Maybe you went a little too hard.

"Eddie, I'm sorry, I..." You backtracked a little. "I know I don't know the whole story. I just...I want you to know how much I value you as my friend."

"Stop saying that!" He shut his eyes and scrunched his face.

"What? You need to hear it! I know it's hard to hear how good you are--"

"No," he opened his eyes and took a step back, holding his hands out beside him, as though he was offering himself up for the slaughter. "Stop saying that you're my friend."

"But I am your friend!"

"But I don't...I don't want you to be."

Your eyes went wide this time and your mind raced.

At first you just...you thought this was him saying he didn't want to be friends anymore. Maybe you'd overstepped boundaries and had gone too far. The little insidious self-conscious voice inside of your head told you that you were dumb and too stupid to realize all the signs of him pushing you away. Overanalyzing every interaction for some indication that he didn't want you there.

But then he kept talking and you realized you were dumb just not dumb in that way.

"I...I have...kind of always thought you were pretty," he let out a dry laugh. "Well...actually I thought you were awful...way, way back...at the beginning before I even knew your name. I thought...wow it's another mean popular pretty girl coming to tease me and make my life hell. Only...you didn’t. You’re not mean and you're not a popular girl."

"And I'm not pretty," you joked.

"But you are," he disagreed. "And you didn’t make my life hell. You're everything I...well...I know this is gonna ruin everything. So fuck it. But I have the biggest, stupidest crush on you and everyone fucking knows about it and won't stop teasing me about it and I thought...after that night at the trailer that maybe...you know, you felt the same way. That we were just two dummies. I got my hopes up. I was coming to ask you out that Friday. I even skipped school."

Your heart skipped a beat, thinking about that night.

About that kiss and about...

"And then your grandpa..." he trailed off. "And how could I bring anything up after that? I just needed to be a good friend. Be there for you, like you're always there for me. Just like you're here for me tonight.

"Sweetheart, do you know how fucking happy I was to see you back there?" he asked, eyes big and round and wet with tears. "Shit you took a Tuesday night off?"

"Of course I did," you laughed. "I told you way back at the beginning I could move things around."

"Yeah but..."

"I get it," you nodded and then felt your heart ache with longing. "Eddie..."

"So no," he continued sadly. "I don't want to be your friend anymore because I just...want you."

He backed away a little, on weak legs as though he had been wounded. Especially when you took too long to process all of your thoughts and he probably took it as rejection. He turned back to the van to try and finish packing everything up.

And your mind finally caught up to your body.

Eddie liked you and he wanted to...not be your friend anymore because he wanted more than friendship.

Right? Was that it?

Fuck, why had you been so...

You walked right up to him and grabbed him by the sleeve and turned him around.

"If you're an idiot," you told him, vulnerably. "Then so am I."

You surged forward and captured his lips with yours.

It was...admittedly not like a John Hughes movie. It was sweet for a second and your heart was soaring and then his nose bonked into yours and you both broke into a little bit of laughter.

"You're not that good at kissing," Eddie teased.

"Me?" you guffawed. "It was your nose."

"Maybe we're just both out of practice," he suggested.

"Yeah." You reached out and shook him by his vest. "One uh...maybe extra high kiss on your couch two months ago is not the warmup we needed."

He smiled at you.

"Hi."

"Are we both just...stupid?"

"Yeah I think so."

"How long has Mindy been mocking you?" he asked.

"Pretty much since Day 1. Kyle?"

"Before Day 1," he ran a hand through his hair and blew a frustrated breath through pursed lips. "He was the one who told me I should go up and ask you out."

"No he didn't!" You slapped a hand against his chest and stared at him incredulously.

"Scouts honor." He crossed over his heart. "So uh...you wanna try again?"

Eddie waited for your little nod before he pressed a kiss to your lips. His hands sought your waist and pulled you closer to him, body flush with his as your hands became trapped on his chest. You grabbed him by the vest and held him to you.

It was sweet exploration at first, lips tentative and pliant. Then tongues got involved, painting your tastes sweetly to the seams of each other's mouth, taking turns until they gained the courage to dance together.

Before long though...you both got a little impatient and you were pressed up against the side of his van, one hand in his hair as he kissed down the side of your throat, fingers plucking at the neckline of your t-shirt to gain more access to skin.

"Didn't know you liked Pantera," he muttered and licked back up the length of your throat then lightly bit the softness of your jaw. "S'this Jimmy's shirt?"

"Please don't say my brother's name right now."

You gently pulled him by the hair and led him right back to your lips to shut him up.

Sweetness turned into impatience, where 6 months of friendship and unrequited feelings were released--for real this time. Eddie's body slotted between your legs, hands roamed, giggles turned into moans, and just as he was about to scoot you into the van for some private time away from the elements of the Hideout Parking lot--

"Whooo..."

"Mom and Dad, sitting in a tree..."

"K-I-S-S-I-N-G."

--the guys exited the bar and found you in your...compromising position.

Eddie, ever the gentleman, made sure your shirt was on the right way and your hair not...too disheveled before turning to shoot his friends with the most scathing glare.

"Alright you fucking pervs," he shouted. "Nothing to see here."

"Are you kidding?" Dave exclaimed. "This is like...Christmas."

"Yeah, about time Eddie," Jeff clapped a hand on Gareth and Dave's shoulders. "We were about to start a bet to see if it was even gonna happen."

"It was Wheeler's idea," Gareth confessed.

"Of course it was," Eddie rolled his eyes. "Little rat."

"Mike's nice," you poked Eddie in the side and he jumped. "Stop picking on him so much."

The guys all started their whooping and hollering again until you sent your own dead stare their way to shut them up.

Eddie shouted for them all to pile into the van, and once they were all inside he turned to you and awkwardly stuck his hands in his pockets.

"So," he ran his tongue over his lips nervously. "Uh...I mean...that was nice."

"It was," you beamed. "Changed your mind about if I'm a bad kisser?"

"Yeah, oh," he nodded vigorously. "I...yes...I mean, no. You're a really...good kisser."

"Not so bad yourself Casanova."

"So we gonna...do that more often?"

You both burst out laughing and then jumped as someone inside the van honked the horn.

"You wanna come to Benny's with us?" Eddie thumbed over his shoulder. "Post-show patty melts? Kind of a tradition."

"Yeah. I'd love to."

"Kay, we'll see you there then."

"Sure."

He was about to back away and head towards the driver side of the van, and you back to the front lot to get into your car, when he swept in and cupped your face with his hands. Thumbs running gently over cheekbones, lips gently ghosting over yours.

And you couldn't help but think as you covered his hands with yours, this was definitely a perk you were going to take advantage of in this...

Relationship?

...promotion from friend to something more.

---

Next Part: Peak Sales Hours

#eddie munson #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson fluff #Eddie munson angst #Eddie munson fic #Eddie munson headcanon #stranger things fic #stranger things fluff #store manager verse

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tigertale · 3 months

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A/N: Not me remembering halfway through the writing that Deuce is really shy around girls uuh And as usual, I got stuck halfway through it because I'm dumb and rushed the smut because I had enough of struggling with it >:(

A/N2: So many words *crying*

• F!Reader; Deuce; Ace

• 〔　！〕Smut; Virgin (Deuce); Creampie; Shower Sex; Grammatical errors; Not proofread

17.5k words

Ace was mindlessly grumbling with acknowledgement at each of his current potionology partner's criticism, not caring one bit of the way Deuce was condemning him fooling around with the prefect with a shaky and awkward tone —if he had taken the time to look at him, he would've seen the blush painting his whole face red as he tried to keep up the persona of a model student. It was out of character coming from the red-haired, him, who was already known throughout his dorm, despite the year having just started, for teasing the poor Spade whom he always hung out with for one reason or another.

Across the room, switching her attention over to the teacher quite regularly to see if he ever approached as to warn her own partner who was lazing on their shared desk, the prefect of the Ramshackle dorm was stirring the ingredients of the potion with great care, the color slowly switching from a dark and desaturated blue to a beautiful pastel green. She seemed to be pretty focused as she didn't appear to feel the eyes of her friend burning holes inside her back. Was he even a friend? What was he to her? What should she call him? There was nothing official between them, no feelings for them to be dating and, yeah they had sex the day before and a few hours back, first thing in the morning at that, but could she really call him her sex friend? She didn't know if they were even friends! He was kind of overbearing, especially when mocking her. She couldn't forget the many comments he would make, which would always hit bullseye, directly stirring up her insecurities. He was also intimidating in more ways than one, and she didn't see herself constantly seeking sex with someone she was kind of scared of in the near future.

Anyhow, she seemed to lack some basic and common instincts as she was blissfully unaware of the boy that was looking at her up and down, watching the small trail of cum dripping along her leg, which made her softly squirm as she discreetly moved to wipe it off with the hem of her skirt. He eventually sighed as he pushed himself off his desk before turning around on his chair, finally facing Deuce who was still going on and on about how his and the prefect's actions were not to be done on school ground, especially not in a prestigious school like the one they were attending, and that they should at least hide it and learn not to mix their school life with their private one.

"Why you' so obsessed with me and the prefect? You're jealous?" It was meant to be a playful teasing, just a tiny little one meant to stop him from uselessly blabbering his mouth off to him over an irrelevant scolding. But the sight of the blushing boy, only now seeing the horrible flushing on his face, made Ace stop dead in his tracks, his boyish smile fading away too quickly for it to be casual. Hey, that's not how it was supposed to go, Loosey-Deucey was meant to be pissed, to defend himself from the baseless accusation he had made out of boredom, not caught in the middle of an awkward truth. "Wait you seriously are?" And Deuce turned a shade darker as he immediately forgot about the potion at hand to, instead, shake his head from side to side as a denial. But Ace was no fool.

The blue haired boy immediately went back to his cauldron as he saw it turning to the wrong shade, the stream of red coming in the clear indicator that something bad was building up. "N-No, why would I want to do… t-that with the prefect?" He was now hyper focused on the greenish gooey liquid as it gained its color back. Ace raised an eyebrow at the fragile tone Deuce had taken. He didn't know who he was trying to convince (the red-haired or himself), but no one would have been with this voice.

So instead, he turned back towards his desk, resting his head on his forearm once again as he looked over the girl who was still doing all the group's work. She was pitiful, getting bullied so easily despite Crewel's warning towards her classmates that they should not even think about doing it, and he felt his heart acting up which made him bury his face in his crossed arms. Somehow, it annoyed him. The prefect had opened up to him first. Why would Deuce be interested in her? And what if all those bullies would, one day, also come to see the person hidden behind her title as the "magicless student who entered NRC out of pity when they had to work their asses off"? Even if it was an unrealistic outcome in his agenda, the simple thought somehow irritated him even more. "Fuck, it's annoying." He mumbled under his breath, his voice being drowned out by the students around him who rushed to finish their work as the end of the class was nearing.

His mind turned off as the tiredness from fooling around so early in the morning and not getting a wink of sleep finally hit him like a truck, and unfortunately for him, closing his eyes brought his downfall. What he felt was a few seconds had turned out to have been minutes. He didn't even managed to get a restful sleep as the only thing playing in his mind was a fuzzy memory of the girl's lips wrapped around his cock, before the sound of the teaching pointer hitting the desk standing right before the black board smeared with white chalk that were now embed in it (and would be clean clear overnight by a ghost) made him jump awake.

A small smirk was on Crewel's carefully painted face, which was the sign that a great disaster was incoming. "Good. Some of you puppies have a nice training coming along. Although for the rest..." His tone, satisfied at first, dropped low. A frown replaced the smile across his lips as his stick was waved in the air, a small trail of a gold-like powder following the shapes he was making before sending it slamming against the chalkboard, the powder crashing and turning to dust in an eye-catching show. As it disappeared, the lines he had made were now stuck on the board, and it turned out to be the names of quite a few students in the class. "The dogs whose names are here, stay. The other may run around." And Ace knew he was in deep trouble when he saw his name among the list.

Not so surprisingly though, neither Deuce's nor the prefect's name were there, which quickly made him guess what he did wrong as he complained to his partner who was already packing his stuff. But Deuce had none of it and he made sure to quickly tell him off. What did he want him to do? Advocate Ace by telling the teacher that he wasn't actually sleeping when the entire class saw him doing so? No, it was his long awaited lunch break and he wanted to eat. It wasn't his problem anyway, Ace could deal with the consequences, he had learnt, after the chandelier incident, that he should probably leave some people to handle their own problems. Especially if it was Ace Trappola. And that was also retribution for the shameless statement he made, implying that he, the model student that he was, wanted to do the deed with the Prefect.

And the red-haired dropped his head, going back to crossing his arms and resting on them, watching everyone but the selected students leave while loudly commenting about the menu of the day. Quite fast, his attention went back to the prefect, and a mocking huff from the back of his throat left his closed mouth. Just like Deuce, she was putting her notebooks away, diligently standing up and going towards the door without sparing a glance to her partner. He wasn't one to believe in superstition, but karma was truly doing its job. Her partner who had dumped all the group's work on her was also forced to stay and he looked absolutely devastated. He didn't know which dorm held this purple and red arm band he had, but it seemed like he would be in for a nice scolding by his dorm head (not like he didn't share the same fate). It wasn't a victory for her per say, but at least some of the students in the class would learn not to bring down the magicless student so openly if it meant being punished by the scary alchemy teacher.

She stopped in her tracks at one point, her head dropping to the side as she looked at Ace questionably. He was surprised when he saw her patiently waiting as if waiting for an answer. Did she… want to eat with him? It wasn't the implicit question that threw him off guard, but the fact that she had somehow found the courage to ask him about something, which he realized she hadn't done ever since they had met. And by the way she was fidgeting, it seemed that she was very much stressed about asking him this. So he put on the one smile he knew would get her not to worry about him rejecting her offer, the one that popular guys usually sported and would make girls squeal like those in a stereotyped teenage show, as he waved her off.

She immediately smiled back and nodded, turning around and walking towards Deuce. The two of them talked a bit —it was more of a one-sided conversation where she uttered a word or two and he answered awkwardly with a nod, but Ace was too paranoid at this point— as the last few students exited and Ace could see her smiling sheepishly at the blue haired boy before they left together. And oh was he pissed. She and the idiot who can't even put two and two together hanging out for lunch? His face morphed to greet yet another frown as he almost started to regret napping during his class, but he was Ace, the troublemaker who had never felt bad about any troublemaking before. Still, he at least hoped for the teacher to start whatever he wanted to say so that he could crash the little "date" the two were having.

And thankfully his wish was heard as Crewel immediately slammed the pointer in his hand once the last student had left. "Now, it seems like I should teach you puppies about discipline all over again. You may think I didn't see you, but that's taking me for a fool." Each of the people present were carefully scanned by his slitted eyes. He made sure to look at them personally, one after one squeaking under his gaze, before eventually pointing the closest to him. "You first. Stealing a potion, how idiotic of you."

And Ace knew that he was in for a looong ride if he was scolding and humiliating them one at the time. He probably wouldn't even have the time to eat at this rate. At least now he knew which teacher he shouldn't mess with.

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She started to eat her main dish, softly blowing on the hot potato stuck on her fork to cool it down before plopping it in her mouth. She tried to play off her mouth burning up (she didn't blow enough-) and breathed out in hopes of reducing the heat, but she could still hear the snickers of the students around as some of them were making comments about her eating like a starved dog or whatever dehumanizing and shameful thing their imagination could muster.

Eating at the cafeteria was a nightmare. She knew that upon setting foot there, she would have been assaulted by cold glares, a lot of mocking and teasing, but she didn't think it would be this bad. Not only that, but Deuce had also disappeared somewhere while she was filling up her own tray full of food, the ghosts serving her were grinning to the point that she could make out their gums as they handed her more than a normal portion. Was it out of sympathy, she didn't know, but it made her heart beat faster as she clumsily tried to bow down gratefully. She could feel the tears welling up as she received one of the very few kind gestures she had ever received since she ended up here. It was overwhelming, even if no-one could understand why her eyes had turned glossy. The ghosts were quick to make her straighten her back up as some students waiting for their turn behind were yelling at her to move out the way already.

She had rushed off to a table in one the corners of the room after a last grateful thank, starting to eat as she came to realize that no-one was sitting around her. They had all kept a distance big enough to fit at least two to three persons on the bench. At least she wouldn't have to worry about the noise… or that was what she thought until more students flocked in, still keeping the 3 seats distance improvised rule, and loudly made comments about her. So she tried to drown them out by eating the plates before her, which wasn't all that successful, but was the only thing she could do. Sure she had a phone she had snuck inside her skirt's pocket as Crowel had demanded for her to only use it for emergencies, but not only was it off-limits in a place that people could ell on her, but she had also forgotten to charge it and didn't want to use whatever left she had of her battery. And it's not like she could just barge next to them, demanding that they would stop spreading meaningless rumors or else… or else what? She was weak. She didn't know how to talk, was insecure, and the thought of one of them standing up, red with anger as they would scream their head off back at her, or even physically take it upon themselves to reprimand her, was enough to make tears prick her eyes. If she was at least half as confident as Ace or Deuce, none of this would have ever happened.

As she was still struggling to chew the hot potato in her mouth, the sound of a tray being put next to hers made her jump slightly, the sound of the metal cutlery clinging suddenly bringing her out of her thoughts. She looked over to see who it was, and low and behold, it was Deuce, wearing an apologetic look as he sat next to her. "I-It's not taken, right?" Taken? The seat? She shook her head, pointing out that all those around her were all free to be used. A relieved sigh left his lips before he straightened his neck with an unnatural and almost unheard laugh and jumped on the food. "I'm sorry for taking so long… I didn't know what to pick between carbonara and sautéed chicken…" She looked over at his plate to see that he had gone for the chicken.

She hummed in acknowledgement, "it looks tasty" she said before continuing with her own dish. Much like what she had done, he looked at what she had taken, curious by the fact that she had taken such a warm dish when the summer heat was still there. And trying to bring up some kind of conversation, and to maybe try and fight the way he would just freeze up in front of a girl, he repeated what he said out loud. "Why did I choose a potato gratin? It just… feels home for some reason." And it just reminded Deuce that the prefect was not only magicless, but also pretty much suffered from memory loss.

His curiosity growing, Deuce asked against any good judgment about her world. "Did you… forget everything about your homeland? His question was clumsy, and most certainly could have triggered someone, but the girl was pretty much okay with it. While it did feel weird to be asked that, it also made her all giddy to be able to exteriorise all these pent up feelings and the confusion about this entire situation.

"I remember nearly everything about my world, but when it comes to the memories about my own life and my family, except for general information, it's all blank." As if it was nothing, she picked another potato as Deuce had frozen at what she had said. Her circumstances were peculiar, and most importantly, he couldn't help but pity her. Remembering nearly everything except your own life? It sounded like something that someone could go mad about. "I have a mom, siblings, I'm one of the middle children, and I didn't have many relatives to interact with so it was mostly us."

"I-I'm sorry, I can't even imagine myself forgetting my mom…" He sighed as he looked at the food on his plate with a contemplative look. Yeah, he truly felt bad for her, maybe that it was his model student persona acting up, but he knew that he would have never felt this emotion before, not during his delinquent day. When he felt a hand grazing his blazer, he stiffened up, stopping dead in the act of munching his food as he started losing all the colors on his face.

He could see it from the corner of his eyes, her fingers tentatively flexing against his arm as she smiled at him. "Thank you for asking, although it's hard to miss something you can't even remember." He slowly turned his face to meet the girl's eyes, but she had already gone back to her plate. Her hand still on his arm. "Still, the nostalgia feels good, so I wanted to indulge it as much as I could. Thank you for asking."

Although she looked cool on the outside, a small smile clinging to her lips as potatoes after potatoes were stuffed in her mouth, she was internally confused. She had never spoken so much since she'd left this godforsaken coffin and it felt weird, and it's not like she had even gone on a tirade or any long monologue. She knew that it was because of Deuce who was acting much more shyly than her at the moment —her sisterly instincts taking over her despite how the boy was intimidating her, which forced her to take the role of the most extroverted and the leader of the conversation.

But the moment was cut short when she heard someone laughing, their voice breaking the atmosphere as she quickly removed her hands from Deuce's arm, much to his sadness. And the question that has been sitting at the corner of her mind suddenly sprung back. "Also I really wanted to ask," He nodded like a broken robot would, the movement unnatural and in short motion. "Do you not mind sitting with me?" He blinked once, twice, before his eyes eventually met hers.

She looked meek, fragile even, just like how he had found her when he had finally gotten his food. Not only was he strangely attracted to her, but she had also looked sick, with her dropping eyes and pale skin. His mind was racing with different ideas before he had cooly sat down next to her in the most casual way he could. Despite the way his heart was acting around her, he wasn't one to let a friend down, especially not when they looked down. "Uh, I should?" They both stared at each other, confused by his answer. Answering a question with a question? He coughed a bit as his cheeks were once again dusted with a light pinkish tone. "You looked sick, I don't know if it's because the classes were hard this morning, so of course I came. And you asked me to eat with you." More like she asked if they could eat together, but the phrasing didn't faze her one bit. If anything, something else caught her attention.

So he didn't see how everyone was sending her daggers with their eyes and how much it affected her. It turned out that he was more clueless than what she had previously thought, and it sparked off a giggle, one that she tried really hard to keep at bay so as to not offend Deuce. But he saw how her shoulders were staggering, the unnatural movement causing him to worry once again. "Are you okay?" It was the last straw for her who was trying so hard to keep it together. She bursted out laughing, tears building up at the corner of her eyes from how hard her stomach hurt. She didn't care about how she could see pairs of eyes staring at her incredulously through her blurry vision, the only thing that mattered was the blue haired one whose surprised face sent her into yet another fit of laughter before she could control it. Ah, she had missed this feeling! How ecstatic, how elated she was right now! Even as he tried to calm her down tentatively, which she tried to help by focusing on her breathing and less on the ridiculous fact that he was as oblivious as a kid (maybe even more at that point), she could only rejoice that such feeling would come in such a situation.

And right as she successfully calmed down, a grin stretched on her face as she, against her better judgment, playfully pushed her shoulders against his, yet another tray was put before her. Or more like middely slammed, as Ace sat down with pursed lips and eyebrows almost grinding. "What got y'all laughing?" He immediately went to pick a fork full of food, not waiting for her, or Deuce, to answer him before he started eating.

"It's not your business, is it?" Deuce's words made the two others stop, mouths still open as they turned to look at him. He was diligently swallowing each piece of chicken as unbothered as ever which made the red-haired's frown more noticeable. While Ace was offended, she on the other hand was more confused than anything, surprised by how the two immediately went into a passive-agressive behavior. Ooh, the tension could be cut by how thick it was, and she tried to descale it despite having up to no experience in this field.

"Nothing really. But you finally got here, what did professor Crewel say?" And thankfully for her, the boy was willing to let go of his grudge at the mention of the infamous teacher. She could see him rolling his eyes as he cringed, making her even more curious about what happened.

"Just like ya, nothing really." He smirked as he cheekily rested his head on his propped up hand, eyes meeting hers playfully. After his little show-off session that indeed managed to fluster her, he eventually straightened his back again to eat the rest of his meal. "He told me to come back after my last class." He said while cutting a piece of bread in two.

Her mouth fell open at that. She was expecting some kind of punishment since the teacher was quite literally glaring at him with a look that screamed "You're a dead man" and everyone who wasn't lazing off was practically offering prayers for Ace, but she was still surprised. "That's why you shouldn't nap during a class." She scolded him lightly, knowing that he wasn't entirely at fault there.

But he didn't seem to grasp that as he retorted back with a pout. "Yeah yeah, I'm surprised that you didn't either. You were wilder than me." She felt her cheeks getting hot at the innuendo behind his word. Of course she would be embarrassed if he said something like that, and she was lucky that no-one heard what he had just said as some kind of commotion was building up in the background. And right after, Deuce got up catching both of their attention. He looked serious as he arranged his tray before taking it. "Where you going?" The boy had not uttered a word ever since Ace had joined and it was weird for him to just leave out of nowhere.

"Classes start in less than 15 minutes." Or not, he was a model student after all. Kinda. As he walked away, the girl followed suit, quickly moving away from the bench so she could walk woth him to their next class.

She was stopped by Ace who was complaining about just joining in which got her to roll her eyes and tell him to eat fast or he'd be late. "At least wait in my room after school, I've got something to tell you." She stopped dead in her tracks, turning around to question him, but her words died in her throat as he had already moved onto something else, taking a look at whatever was trending right now on social media as he gulped down his food. She sighed as she continued on her way, wondering and dreading what he could possibly want to speak with her.

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When she arrived right before Heartslabyul, she was tempted to just walk back and tell Ace that something had unfortunately came up and had sadly prevented her from honoring what he had asked for. What would he do? Call her an idiot? It wouldn't be the first time, she knew she could withstand (or not) whatever insult he would tell her out of pettiness. But as she was thinking that she had a good excuse, a hand suddenly grabbed her shoulder and pushed her in someone's chest.

She looked up to grasp a view of this stranger who was so intimately touching her, his warmth spreading to her body in a way that was too disagreeable for someone like her who wasn't... especially touchy feely in her daily life, even less with someone she had just met. She only met a pair of green emerald iris shining as bright as the perfectly white lips aligning behind his stretched lips. The only thing she could make apart from his eyes and the beautiful orangish color strands of hair framing his face, was the diamond shape under his eyes —it matched the ones Deuce and Ace wore, albeit this stranger's drawing was more discreet and properly drawn than theirs— before his phone was trusted before her, a photo being taken during her confusion.

He pressed her tighter against his chest as he looked at it with pursed lips before sighing. "Tss, you're not photogenic, ya know?" Ouch, she didn't know who this person was, but his words were definitely unwanted. And also fueled the anxiety in her as she tried to back away from his touch by awkwardly trying to move her shoulder far from him. He had none of it, as his hand moved lower, reaching at the crook on her back to bring her closer. He tsked playfully as he flexed his hands against her school uniform. "Sooo you're the new student yuh? The one Ace got to screw up?"

W-What was even happening at this point? She took a deep breath, relaxing her stressed mind as she pulled away from his touch more forcefully. "Oop, I forgot to present myself!" She tried to look calm as she faced him, but this unwell look came back on her face. Eyebrows pulled together, a sickly complexion and the corner of her lips unwillingly sinking lower and lower with each passing second. "I'm Cater! Can call me Cay Cay tho☆ Now that we know each other you're not offended anymore, mmh?" She didn't know who this eccentric person was but she was pressured by his mere presence. Not only was he speaking and insulting her so naturally, but the people-pleasing tone he put forward was less than attractive, the fakeness of it making her inch further away.

Panic settled in his voice as he finally stopped to instead call her, he could see it, clear as day, that she was quite visibly tried to run away, almost as if she wasn't even trying to hide it —but she was, trying to be discreet because despite how this stranger was scaring her, she couldn't bring herself to potentially hurt his feelings. "W-Wait! You're here for Ace, no?" She nodded carefully, eyeing the door before switching her attention back to him. He put a hand on his hips as he sighed before playing with one of the hair strands falling on each side of his face, a tight smile gracing his thin lips. "Geez~ I was anxious that you would dump me for a moment there. Anyway, let me show you to his room." He switched back to his merry facade as he grabbed her hands, leading her through the labyrinth-like manor accommodating the Heartslabyul students.

She could barely pipe a word in, too focused on following the man and not tripping on her own feet to properly ask what was going on. She could see stairs slaloming under her, their checkered pattern paired with the messy show of cards and tea sets hanging from both walls and ceiling adding to her confusion and the dizziness from Cater's fast tempo. Where was he even walking her to? And how the hell did he know that she even wanted to see Ace? Perhaps he had assumed that they had indeed engaged in a physical relationship, which was a risky bet considering that they've only met like a few days ago and she was extremely shy, and that she wanted to go back to Ace to talk about it. But she didn't know if it would be a stretch to assume that this man, Cater, had done the same mental gymnastics she had had while he was pulling her here and there in the dorm. Although it all came to a stop when they arrived before one of the various doors in the vast corridor, this one was just as identical as the others, from the dark oak color of the wood, down to the card pattern engraved in it. She wanted to ask the ginger if they had arrived, but he was already by the stairs when she looked back at him, waving his arms, telling her something around the lines of "You should give me your magicam acc so I can tag you!" before leaving just as fast. Welp, here went her guide.

She turned to the door, taking in a deep breath, before knocking three times, waiting for a response. But when she heard no answer after a good five minutes, anxiously enduring the sly and mocking looks she would receive, she took it upon herself to open the door.

She quietly excused herself for entering without permission, her last attempt to see if someone was in the room. But when she peeked through the entrance, it was silent, and most importantly, no-one was there so she quietly stepped inside, the door closing behind with a soft "click" as she started to wander around a bit. It came to he that she knew nothing about Ace, not that it was surprising considering that they've only met a day or two ago, but it truly make her question how close they were and how she would be able to find his side of the room as it seemed like he was living with three other students in the small room. Walking along the impromptu lane leading to the window at the other side of the room, she was surprised to see, behind the curtains of the canopy beds, just how tidy and perfectly made the blankets were. It was the kind of effort that she lacked early in the morning and wouldn't put her energy into, she even cringed slightly as she could see the poor state she and Ace had left her bed in. As in covers haphazardly thrown on the bed and half of the cushions at the corners of the mattress with the rest on the ground.

When she arrived at the back of the room, looking carefully at each of the desks to see which side was Ace's, she stopped at the card-like furniture, placed against the far end wall, where a basketball was resting on. She carefully looked at the jacket hanging above on the wall, the one that she had seen a few students wearing in the dorm and making her wonder if it was some sort of uniform made specifically for the Heartslabyul resident, before inspecting the books nuzzled on whatever place was left on the cupboard. "Important figures of Basketball history" she read under her breath, huffing when she finished the sentence and switching to the book next to it. This one was about magic tricks… and this time she giggled, wondering why people here needed childish magic tricks when they had real magic. Surely a rabbit coming out of a magic hat was far less impressive than summoning one out of thin air. And the last book turned out to be the very reference book teacher Trein had given them a few hours before. Had Ace managed to drop his things before going to his club activity (and detention hour right after)? She wasn't sure, but to confirm her suspicions, she walked to the desk which she assumed had the same basketball and magic enthusiast owner, and it only took for her to peek at the notebook messily thrown on it to see the name tag "Ace".

She was relieved to say the least, that she didn't have to invade the privacy of someone else. So, gathering some courage, she slid the curtains of his bed to the side, enough to let her sneak in after kicking her shoes off, and let her body fall on it as she gradually started to relax. The bed was surprisingly comfortable, and she truly questioned how he had managed to sleep on hers because she surely wouldn't have been able to get a wink of sleep after trying such a cozy mattress.

After a few minutes, letting in sink that she had successfully come to Ace's room and relishing into the silence surrounding her, she eventually pulled out of her skirt's pocket the phone Crowley had given her the night he had handed her the ramshackle building. The first thing she did was opening the app store to download whatever this magicam social media was, although the name sounded vaguely familiar to what she had back home and gave her an idea of what it was. It took no time for it to be downloaded, and she thanked whatever God they had here, rejoicing in the fact that Crowley might have been an ass and the most irresponsible figure of authority in her life in the few days they've met, but at least he gave her a phone with a proper cell phone plan. Which was weird, but he probably expected her to use the phone outside of its original use (which was only emergencies).Opening the app, she immediately went to create her account, working through the shroud her memory was to remember just what was the name of her account back in her world, and going smoothly through the creation of her account until she came across the part where they asked her if she wanted to add a profile picture.

Oh, what was she supposed to do now? She could skip it, no problem, just go on through the rest of the process and scroll along the Night Raven student's posts to see what was trending in this world. Yet, somehow, and perhaps was it due to what she had done with Ace the day before —gosh she was blushing, her cheeks definitely hotter than they should, at the mere thought of it— but she couldn't bring herself to pass this step. She wanted… to take a picture of herself? Knowing that someone was willing to have sex with her truly made her feel better about her body and she wanted to try something "new." So she angled the camera above her, hair sprawled on the bed, framing her face and pursed lips as she tried to find the right photo. After a few seconds where she looked intensely at the camera, she abandoned the idea, letting her arm fold against her chest as she took in just how cringe she must have looked. What the hell made her think this was a good idea? She immediately went to her gallery and picked a random picture she had taken of the cute purple-ish flowers growing inside the moldy room with the water heater.

Right when she completed her profile, she heard the door clicking open which made her perked up as she put her phone to the side and moved to crawl on the bed. The curtains of the canopy bed were blocking her from seeing who had entered, and as to not surprise whoever entered, she made sure to make some sound behind her as she moved closer to the edge. She crawled all the way to the curtains where she pulled it to the side, enough for her head to peek out. Much to her surprise —yes she had been hoping to see Ace— she was welcomed by Deuce's face who reciprocated her surprised look. "Uh? Perfect, what are you doing here?" She should be the one asking him this, she never expected the two of them to be roommates.

She sat on the back of her knees after pulling the curtain farther away from her, an awkward smile hanging loosely on her lips while she lightly scratched the back of her ear. "A-Ah, I came here on Ace's demand. I'm sorry for entering without permission, no-one was there so I took the liberty to come in." He shook his head with wide eyes, his own way to tell her that it was no problem and she shouldn't be bothered by it. Her smile became brighter as she was relieved, which made him switch his attention to the bottle he had in hand, the one she only came to realize he was pulling out of his sport bag after she saw him diverting his eyes. He looked back at her, softly excusing himself, before once again distracting himself by looking at the floor as he moved across the room.

He walked to the bed next to Ace, which she assumed must be his as he had haphazardly dumped his all his sport stuffs on it, before he straightened his back, staring at the equipments peeking through the opening of the bag's zipper that he hadn't bothered to fasten close after he had taken his bottle out. A short silence stretched, one she was tempted to avoid by looking at some videos on magicam, and was almost about to do so, before his voice, unsure by the tone, resonated. "I-I'm not used to being around girls." She was definitely caught off guard by his words, but she didn't dare to pipe a word in as he let his head fall forward, a blush spreading on his face hidden by his blue bangs, while his fists clenched. "None of them ever approached me, or even looked me in the eyes actually, I was more rough back then and pretty scary so it became like that naturally I guess… T-That's why I sometimes freeze up, I guess that I'm kinda… c-caught off guards?" Deuce was definitely trying to express himself as clearly as he could. She had felt it already, how he would sometimes stumble over his own words and stop responding which forced her to talk instead, although she had unconsciously assumed it was because he was forcing himself to be friendly with her. Ah, it turned out it was just because he was somewhat "inexperienced". She definitely felt the same, not that she was scared of the opposite gender, she just felt overwhelmed by being solely surrounded by them, boys, men whatever she was supposed to call them with the attitude she had seen from some. Which would probably pressure and most certainly distress a lot of people if they were put in the same situation (let's not add that she was also magicless in a magic specialized school and seemingly hated by the entire student body for a reason that she wasn't even exactly sure about.)

She was about to comfort him, telling him that she couldn't care less about the stuttering or freezing up, but he pulled his head up right after which surprised her as she immediately forgot about talking. He walked his way to her after taking a long breath in and stopped before her as stiff as a wooden plank, eyes moving from hers then above her head when he made eye contact. "A-And I wanted to talk to you about something. Uh, important?" He said the last part quite unsure, not knowing if it actually was or not. She nodded slowly, her mind working hard not to let her imagination get caught in any unpleasant thought although it was quite hard for her who was used to it, but came to realize that she was still sitting on Ace's bed. It may not be much, but she thought that switching to Deuce's bed would be way better if they were to talk about something important, it might take a while after all.

And she was quick to voice out her idea, pointing to the bed where he had come from and raising herself off the one she was sitting on at the same time. "How about we move to your bed? It'll be way more comforta-"

"Wait!" He cut her off, his voice surprisingly loud which was unfit for his character, or at least for the character he had tried so hard to put up ever since they've met, and was surprised by his own voice as he started falling forwards. She jumped at the sudden movement and rolled back on Ace's bed right after losing her balance, his arms following along and falling on each side of her head as he moved above her, and both his legs caging her waist as he was now on all four above her. The two of them immediately fell into a trance as they gazed at each other's face. He was seeing details that he had failed to see before, since he wasn't one to care about appearance, like the black dot resting under her right eye, or the one below her pinkish lips which was tempting him into doing something he had never even thought about before. And when his eyes trailed lower on her neck and down to her collarbone that was free for him to see due to the few buttons she had opened from when she was quietly complaining about being hot earlier during their history class, he gulped down, the sight of yet another beauty mark hiding right below the fabric and near one of her breasts making his body ache as his mind started whispering incoherent thing to him. Like how he needed to trail a hand down along her chest, pass a finger or two under her shirt as he should press a kiss against her plump lips and taste her. It felt… overwhelming, and with the heat growing in him, his cheeks followed suit and darkened from the accumulation of blood.

And as for her, she was admiring his turquoise eyes, marveling at how bright and… lively they were, or his forehead, glistening due to the sweat building up and, and the small strand of wet blueish hair stuck to it. She saw how messy the Spade on his face was drawn upon closer inspections, the lines shaky and bumps decorating it, which made her remember that he was still pretty much clumsy despite how intimidating he may appear to her. But when she felt how insistent his eyes were, as she could see them glued to her chest, it made embarrassment bloom inside her in the most sickly way as she felt it blocking her trachea. She immediately looked to the side, instead focusing on his gloved hand and how his fingers were flexing against the fabric of the blanket as he was still contemplating her body. But was there even anything to see? Bile was creeping its way up from how nauseous she was becoming at the mere thought. Ace had managed to keep such ludicrous idea at bay by fucking her until she even forgot about her name, but now it was all coming back, and even stronger at the accumulation that kept building up.

He came back to himself once he saw that she had turned her face to the side, and immediately after his face turned livid as he bit his lips, he too, now facing the other side. He quickly got back up, moving to her left as he apologized for putting her in an awkward position, but still refusing to look at her. She used this chance to straighten her back, crossing her legs so that she would be more comfortable. "A-As I've said, it's pretty important…" Dread washed over her as if she had been hit straight in the face by those huge and aggressive waves that lifeguards would usually warn you about by blowing in their whistle, making her forget that the two of them were still on Ace's bed.

She wanted to nod like she had done before, not trusting her voice to not actually break down and willing to listen to what he had to say, although she feared it, she couldn't not face the situation now that this discussion of his was starting to impose itself as the elephant in the room. And all those anxious thoughts eventually overcame whatever defense mechanism she was supposed to have. Did he finally have enough of having to deal with her and her anxiousness? Of how she lacked a proper self-esteem, and how it could have made him avoid stepping up against a bunch of hot-blooded students if she had the same confidence he had? Did he… finally understand how boring and uninteresting she was? But he was facing the other way, which forced her to let out a soft and almost inaudible hum for him to finally look at her with an uneasy face.

He opened his mouth, and her mind went into a frenzy in those few milliseconds before his voice resonated in the empty room. He would finally say it, that hanging out with her (although the circumstances forced him to) was a pain, that he wanted her to never approach him ever again, and what if he said that she was annoying to deal with? She had tried so hard to put up a facade that would've helped her, faking being hurt, but in this situation she couldn't take it anymore, she didn't know if she could take one more insult, especially coming from him who she had slightly gotten closer to. "I'm sorry.." And silence reigned after that. He was sorry… what for she didn't know. And when she expressed out loud her confusion with a small and confused "Uh?" he awkwardly coughed in his fist before continuing. "I- I mean , how should I say this, I uuh just…"

"I– I've been thinking about i-ina—... i-inappropriate s-stuff about you– ou?" His stuttering became stronger with each word, his face once again cultivating this reddish color she was ironically starting to get accustomed to. And as for her… He had exceeded all her expectations, never would she have ever thought that someone would say that, to her of all persons! And by the look of it, he was just as surprised by what he had said. "I- I mean, after I saw you and Ace this morning I just— I'm not even sure if it's actually that? But seeing you just made me….?" He was tempted to bury his face in his hands, to hide any of his embarrassment, but instead gripped his pants.

She was surprised, her eyes widening as she thought back to what he could have seen, and to say that she felt stupid would be an understatement. Yes, she had quite literally forgotten about any decency this very morning as she had pulled her skirt up to remove Ace's cum from her leg, her mind still basking in all the sex she had had, and she only came back to her normal and awkward self after she had been brought back to reality by her potionology partner. She didn't know how she didn't feel any shame before that, and as of now, something else had quite ridiculously caught her attention. "Y-You mean I turn you on?" GAH! How could she say it like that?! The wording was so wrong, so vulgar, something that a model student shouldn't hear! And yet, the entire situation itself was something he shouldn't have ever found himself in in the first place. And the wording was pretty much true.

Instead of denying, like what his mind was screaming at him to do, he instead, against his better judgment, nodded slowly as if scared of her reaction, which was the case. And she was left speechless. Her fingers were flexing against her thighs as a way to chase after any type of support she could have at the moment, sweat building up along her palm. What was she supposed to do? Should she welcome him, invite him in her bed like Ace did, although Ace more of like jumped onto her and she went along with it. Deuce wasn't ugly by any means, and if anything, she wasn't against the idea of being intimate with him, but him wanting to do it with her? Of all people? She doubted already with Ace, but this just made her question herself again. Was she simply an easy target or did she enter some kind of beauty standards here? "I mean… I'm not against it, you know."

"E-Eh?" He was taken aback at her words, his mind not taking into account her meek and unsure voice but only the approval. She was… Okay with going through his damn twisted needs?

She shifted on the bed awkwardly, moving her legs so that her heels were now digging into her butt from how she had placed them. "Doing it, pleasing you… I wouldn't mind pleasing you." She didn't know how she had managed to say it without stuttering, the benediction of always keeping her tone cool when stress arose, definitely taunting her at this very moment. And he was taken off guard.

"A-Are you sure?" He was impatient but tried to keep some manners, and anyone could clearly see it from the way he was staring at her with wide eyes. She nodded quietly as she shyly brushed a few hair strands out of her face, trying not to look into his eyes and make it more awkward for her.

She moved so that her legs could hang above the floor. "Of course. I don't really like lying or giving false hope." Because I would like you not to do so, was the unsaid part, the one she left hanging hoping that he would catch on. Which he didn't, but he was a man with values. If she had expressed her ideas that clearly, it'd have been hypocrisy not to respect and reciprocate her own moral codes and him… He was a model student, yes one that indulged himself into the carnal desire making his body heat up like a fever, but mainly one that is supposed to respect others.

He nodded, not trusting his voice, to show that he was listening and agreeing with her. And he was right not to voice out his thoughts as he would have let out an ungracious noise when he felt her hand touching his. While he was as stiff as a stick, wondering what she was planning, she had already laid out her plan inside her mind. She didn't have much experience, the only one she had was Ace, and she didn't want to count in those educational videos and porn she had watched out of boredom, so she naturally planned on redoing what she had done with the red-haired. So sucking him off came first.

"Umm, so you've got any condoms? I heard you guys were given some the other day." He was taken out of his reveries as he mentally thanked Cater for delivering him the bag of condoms the prior day instead throwing it straight to the trash. Indeed he had kept it because he could never discard something his senior would give him, no matter what it was, but this detail could be put aside for now. He nodded vigorously, leaping out of Ace's bed and leaving her confused on it as he went to his side of the room. He opened the lowest drawer of his desk, pulling out the same bag the ginger brought to her, rummaging through it to find something his size. He never had sex with anyone, far from it, if anything he was feared by everyone and it never came to him just how sexually frustrated he could be. Still… He may have participated in a few "manly" games with his friends, dumb things boys would do like running around naked in the locker room instead of washing the sweat off their body after their PE class, and of course, comparing their size was the event he had to go through.

When he felt her shoulder brushing his arm, his soul almost left his body as he almost jumped, immediately turning to look at her although her eyes were locked on the condoms he was rummaging through. She hummed slightly, almost too low for him to hear, before she faced him. "So you know your size?"

Deuce blinked a few times before a reddish hue went back to his cheeks as his lips were slightly pursed. He took a small plastic package while nodding. "Y-Yeah." She turned back to him with a small smile on her lips as she hummed acknowledging what he said. It was out of instincts, but she unconsciously compared him to Ace. How much kinder and calm he was. How straight to the point he would act sometimes. How adorable the red tint on his neck was. How much stronger he looked compared to his roommate. It wasn't right, and she knew the two would be offended if she ever voiced out this thought, but she couldn't help it. They were the only ones she had had a positive interaction with so far and seeing how different the two were was just inevitable.

She took the condom out of his hands as he eyed her, not daring to do anything as he waited for her to say something. "Go sit on the bed, I'll do it don't worry." She gave him yet another smile that managed to make him crumble as he pitifully nodded before doing what she asked, placing himself on the edge of his bed. She didn't wait for him to make himself comfortable that she was already on her knees before him, hands playing with the squarish plastic she was holding and ripping it open carefully. Not wanting for her to do everything, he immediately moved to his trousers, fumbling with his fly as he was suddenly hyper-aware of what he was about to do. Not that he wasn't before, but only now did it come to him that he was about to lose his virginity. He wasn't stressed per say at the idea, he had just never thought about the importance of it before as he never had the chance to. Feared as he was, his mates nor the world around found use in explaining it to him.

She lightly tapped his leg, soft enough for it to catch her attention. "Are you scared?" She could see that his mind was somewhere else as he had stopped undoing his slacks, his hands holding the side of his pants as he looked before him with an absent look. She chuckled softly before rubbing his thigh with a smile. "Don't worry! If something displeases you, be sure to tell me about it, and I'll immediately stop."

He blinked a few times at her before trying to give her a small smile, although it came out more as a grimace than anything else. He was clearly uncomfortable and she didn't know if it was because he was stressed or because he wanted to stop but felt like he was forced to do it, and she would hate the latter to be the on-going scenario. So she decided to test the water as she asked him in a soft tone to get up enough so she could finish what he had started. And he eagerly did so as he pushed his hands in the blankets and raised his hips for her to help him lower his pants. She was surprised by the speed with which he did so, but it also proved that he wanted it, right? And assuming that, she took the edges of the pants of his school uniform and slid them lower together with his underwear.

She was surprised to see him almost rock hard, his erection already well formed as it stood upright, and the only thing she could note was that he seemed to have more girth compared to Ace, the veins along his cock running all the way up to the slightly red tip. It was circumcised. She said the last one playfully in her head as she brought her hands to his length, not aware of the way her lips were unconsciously brought upwards. "I- Is there a problem?" She took her eyes away to look at him at his question, his face just as red as before. Why was she smiling? Was it not what she was expecting? Perhaps was he not big enough?

A groan resonated in the room when he felt her fingers on either side of the base of his cock, and he clasped his hands on his mouth the next second, definitely taken by surprise by what she had done. And right after his back straightened up, her warm breath now ghosted over his tip. Shit, he could never go back to lonely pleasuring if those two things alone managed to push him closer to his climax, his hands could never compare to her.

"Deuce. Are you sure that you want it?" He was taken aback by her sudden question.

He looked down to finally meet her eyes, and he tried real' hard not to look aside when he saw just how lewd she looked right now, kneeled on the ground and ready to please him. "Of course, if not I'd have said so…" His voice hitched before he released a shaky breath as she smiled at him with half-lidded, trying to dispel any left-over doubts he may have had but instead conveying a sultry look as she pressed her cheek against his cock. Did he say lewd before? Because she looked absolutely depraved now, his dick squished tight between his abdomen and her face.

One last smile was thrown his way before she focused back on the situation at hand. "Then I'll start, you can stop me whenever you want." She pushed a few hair strands out of her face before getting to work, and he took this chance to tear his gaze away from her. No, he didn't dare to look down, his eyes pretty much analyzing Ace's side of the room which happened to be the only thing in his field of view, but he could sense it, feel it, as her hands wrapped around his cock carefully. A tight squeeze, then slow pumps, her breath ghosting above his tip, her tongue flicking over the pinkish top of his dick, the walls of her mouth warm and welcoming, the sound she would make every time he met the back of her throat, the build up was happening faster than his mind would have liked, he couldn't come now… Wouldn't it be embarrassing?

She carefully cradled his cock, her fingers and tongue flexing against it as she tried to make him more comfortable. Or at least comfortable enough that he would stop glaring a hole inside the wall and let his tense muscles finally relax. She could feel his legs, trapping her on each side, and how they were subtly trembling from the knee up to his waist as if he was keeping himself from thrusting inside her mouth. But that was the idea, that's what he was supposed to do. She agreed to please him, he could at least let himself go. So she sighed as she took him out of her mouth, the remnants of the lubricant the condom was coated with making her mouth heavy as she gulped down the excess of saliva. "... Is there a problem?" He was once again taken aback and he slightly jumped when he heard her voice. He was so focused on not coming that he had not even seen when she had stopped sucking him off, much to his embarrassment as he felt shame blooming and forming a ball in his throat. He shook his head from side to side, a way to tell her that no, there were no problems but she still frowned. "Are you sure? You seem quite tense." And as to emphasize her words, she pressed her fingers on his toned thigh, the muscles proving to have hardened under the tension and making her action almost unnoticeable.

Well… she was right, he did feel troubled, but what was he supposed to do? Assume that he was scared of coming too fast? Tell her about it? "Oh, actually, your mouth feels amazing but I'll cum soon so I'm trying not to focus on it so we can go longer!" He may actually be dense, but he had a self-esteem and an ego to keep up with. And seeing how reluctant he was to speak, she merely sighed and flexed her fingers around the base of his cock before looking him straight in the eyes. She may be shy and not think highly of herself, but she was a people pleaser before anything else, and if he was unsatisfied by her then she just had to try a bit harder. Without overstepping any barrier that would make him too uncomfortable of course. "Deuce." A shiver ran along his spine at the way his name left her lips. "I'll go back to it, but please do not overthink anything. If you're cuming faster than you would have liked it's okay, I do not expect you to have the stamina of a porn star on the so few times you could have had sex — without mentioning that most men in the industry drug themselves to be able to keep up for at least 30 minutes. So please…" Why the hell was she suddenly giving him a serious talk in-between sex? She didn't know, nor did he, but it just felt right and she had started to talk before she knew it, because it seemed, in a certain way, nice, when she said those words in her head.

"Trust me, I won't judge you."

He gulped down audibly, the bump of his Adam's apple bobbing at the same time. Should he trust her as she had said? It's true that she had not judged him in the short time they had been together, but could he really thrust his entire reputation and self-esteem in her hands? He certainly felt uncertain about it, but the way her eyes looked up at him hopefully, not knowing that she had actually defiled him and thought he just felt uneasy with her, he somehow… couldn't resist.

"Okay… Okay let's try again." She brightened up, her lips stretching in a warm smile as she nodded vigorously before looking back at his cock, still in her hands. She had the affirmation that she could start again! She felt more than happy about it, glad that he had not only decided to indulge her requests, but that she now also had the chance to please him.

Seeing that he was still sensible due to her previous touches, she only pumped his length a few times before she lowered her head once again. She made sure to go slowly, still delicate with her touch and attentive of how he would react, as she pressed the tip between her lips slowly enough as to not scare him. A spark ran along his spine, his knee jumping in reaction to it and almost hitting her in the head. She looked up to see what was happening but was only left with her mouth agape as she saw his head thrown backward, his fist pressed against his lips to conceal any noise that threatened to leave his mouth. He couldn't break now, she had barely even touched him! It was embarrassing for him to fall apart so easily when they had just begun, as if he had never been touched before. Which was the case, but he had hoped that he would have lasted longer than that, that he didn't have to strain his trachea to keep any hiss from leaving his lips. And fuck, he did say that he was willing to trust her, but maybe that he had overestimated his strength.

Although his efforts were for naught as when he felt her lips circling his length, the moist and damp walls of her mouth warming and cuddling him, he let out a small whimper, her action catching him off guard and breaking down those walls he half-heartedly tried to build. She hummed at the delicious sound he let, the bottom part of her underwear growing moist the more he started to thrust inside her mouth, gaining confidence with each and every move. Somehow, hearing him panting, groaning, being rough with her, it made her want for him to come faster. And she pumped him faster, working her tongue to hug the underparts of his cock where she could feel a vein throbbing, pushing him closer to the edge.

And it didn't take long for him to tip and fall head first into it, the warmth in his lower stomach aching and his voice reaching deeper notes as he felt himself coming close, only a few thrusts left for him to come undone. So he made sure to do so, the last few movements harsher than any before and making her wonder if he was trying to choke her down on his cock, which was probably the case although he'd have never admitted it. Right after, his pace stuttered and she felt the condom growing, now heavy in her mouth, which prompted her to finally take him out of her mouth.

She immediately moved to carefully remove the condom, trying not to let any of his cum drip out of, humming with a satisfied tone all the while. He was trembling, his head still thrown aback as he took in just how intense was his climax, and to say that he was on cloud nine would be an euphemism with how light he felt at the moment. She was good at it, and by "it" he meant her sucking his dick off, and he wondered for a while if he could… perhaps, go down on her. But he had already asked enough, he couldn't possibly demand that she would give herself to him. And while he was going through his own dilemma and mindlessly put himself back in his pants, she tied the condom, marveling at the amount inside it, before throwing it inside the trash bin between his bed and Ace's desk.

Squatting back up, she walked to him and made herself comfortable on the bed as she looked at him expectantly. "I— Is there anything you need?" He didn't know how to react to her eyes, why was she so suddenly coming head on on him with those bright eyes staring back at him? But at his words she deflated. The corner of her lips dropped before she put a smile back on, this time more shy and almost disappointed.

"No… No. I think it's okay." By her tone, it wasn't clear whether or not she was trying to convince him or herself. But the way her face looked less alive than before didn't go unnoticed by him. And he thought maybe, just maybe, if he was to ask to see her body, would it take her mind off whatever she was thinking about? It was a flawed way to think things through, he would have offended more than one person, and yet, despite being aware of this, he still took the risk of asking.

His calloused fingers went to put a strand of hair behind her ear, startling her as she jumped slightly before relaxing at the warm touch. She leaned in his hand and he hesitated for a while about what he was about to say. But… "Can I—" He whispered as he leaned forward, his lips hanging above hers as her eyelids fluttered close with a hum. "Touch you?" And her breath was taken away as she opened her eyes wide with surprise.

Did he just ask what she was hoping for? Did he… volunteer to do it on his own after she had lost hope for it?

She looked to the side with a blush, which almost sent him into panic before she eventually nodded shyly, giving him the signal that he needed. He wasn't expecting her to agree so easily to it, and he was glad to see that she was ready to go with whatever he wanted at the moment. And trying to see how far it could go, he asked yet another question. "C-Can you move further into the bed?" He asked quietly and she agreed with a small voice before doing so, much to his relief. His bed was close to the door, and if anyone were to barge in, if he couldn't hide the sounds they would make, he could at least do so for their naked body. So when she finally settled back on the bed, kneeled in the middle of the blanket as she made herself comfortable, he made quick work of closing the curtains of his canopy bed, the heavy material shielding them from the outside world. There was no coming back, he told himself as he swallowed heavily before turning back to her. She was still playing with the hem of her skirt, as always, when he approached her. "Do we need to undress…?" And undress they should indeed, but the idea was taunting her.

Undressing before Ace had been done in the heat of the moment, when her clouded mind couldn't hear the small voices at the back, dying for her to just put on some clothes again to cover her hideous body from him as quickly as possible. Now that she was fully conscious of the situation, not yet fully aroused, it was bugging her. But she still agreed with a small voice before taking the button at the very top of her waist coat and popping it open, doing so with each of them before the piece of clothing was discarded to the side and she moved onto the next one. Deuce's eyes were glued to her shaky hands, watching as she unraveled her naked body for him to see, which further turned him on. He… really wanted to see how she'd look all flustered, back arching and voice singing his name under his touch.

"Uh Deuce? You're not undressing?" She had stopped moving when she saw him staring, her shirt still around her wrists as she had yet to remove it. He felt himself blushing, ashamed that he had been caught red handed, and he only grew twice as red when he saw her naked chest, realizing that she did not wear a bra in the first place. She was going around school with nothing under her shirt? Just… What has she been thinking? He could barely wrap his mind around this fact, suddenly growing aware of how vulnerable she could have been if someone other than him had discovered, but also of the many times she had pressed herself against him out of fear during the mine incident —or was it because she was intimidated by Ace? Because she seemed to scurry over to him whenever she saw that the ginger's gaze was on her. That was until the monster came, and she was the first one to take actions, cooly calling for them to team up which they did without arguing seeing how level-headed she had been.

He gulped down before looking to the side, immediately working on removing his own uniform as fast as he could. "I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to stare." The words were coming out faster than his mind could process, further embarrassing the two of them as the situation had yet to settle in them. To take his mind off the silent settling back in the room, he started taking his shirt off, the white fabric thrown to a corner before he switched to the belt loosely hanging around his waist. His pair of slacks joined the rest of his clothes as he now kneeled on the bed with only his underwear on him. It was embarrassing… She couldn't look him in the eyes, her gaze only managing to go no higher than his sculpted legs. But fighting off the feelings bubbling inside her, she moved to her skirt, removing it and leaving her in a pair of plain white panties she had somehow managed to get thanks to Crowley's "kindness."

Now they were both in their most vulnerable apparel, and the sight did not fail to bring them both further down inside their shyness. She was pretty, Deuce wondered in his mind as his eyes went back to her chest almost too shamelessly for his own taste, but he couldn't help himself. Seeing how insistent he was, she tried to call out his name, but he beat her to it, leaning forward with red tinted cheeks as he fought off the stuttering. "Can I?" He asked as his hands hung right above her cheek, not yet touching it as he waited for her approval. Her lips parted, a small whispered "yes" leaving her mouth, and right after he cradled her face, leaning towards her as he pressed a chaste kiss on her mouth.

She hummed, about to pass a hand behind his neck to pull him closer, but he broke the kiss before she could. The disappointment she felt could clearly be seen on her face, although she was unaware of it and seemed just as clueless, but he quickly dived back in, repeating a process of pressing short kisses before pulling away, which quickly frustrated her. So when he closed in again, she took the chance to put two hands on his shoulders to pull him closer, closing the distance half-way through and parting her lips to deepen the kiss. He was surprised, not managing to do much other than take in the way her fingers played with his hair, fingers scratching the back of his head, or her tongue finding its way to meet with his in a messy kiss. A-Ah— She took his first kiss so easily, switching his tentative experiments to something much more sensual, as drool started to drip on both their chin and her wet muscle finding its way inside his mouth. It was overwhelming, and to compensate for this feeling, he put his hands on her waist, moving so he could press his body against hers, her breast modeling against his chest and making him painfully aware of the perk buds squeezed against him.

Deuce once again broke the kiss to carefully wrap his arms around her back, his skin grazing hers right above the plain band of her underwear before pressing a kiss on her lips. But this time, instead of going back to her lips, he moved against her cheeks, slowly moving his kisses lower and lower. She closed her eyes, rolling her head backwards and taking in the ticklish sensation of his lips on her throat as he took the time to explore around her clavicle before diving even lower. Her hand unconsciously flew to the top of his head where she cradled him closer, her body shuddering at each of his slow and languid kisses, making her wonder if the arm she had moved and was propped behind her would be enough to keep them two upright with how much it was shaking. Not only was he weakening her body, but he was also leaning and putting more of his weight on her the more he explored her chest.

A surprised squeak left her when she felt his lips tugging the very tip of her nipples, the flash of pleasure shooting along her spine enough to startle her. It felt weird. She thought for a moment whether she could come undone just by it, but one thing she could testify for sure was that it felt incredibly good. Too good, actually, and she instinctively started playing with his short strands of hair mindlessly. He hummed when he felt the warmth of her hand, the throbbing sensation stealing yet another sound out from her.

Her eyes started to water, the heat taking over her face, making her thoughts foggy the more he played with her nipples, the tip of his tongue teasing her over and over. And a pitiful moan left her lips the moment he switched from one breast to another, the new one much more sensitive than the previous, and instead of freezing up like he would have certainly done a few moments before, knowing that he was doing right he sucked her skin much more vigorously, not even stopping when the obscene noise of slurping resonated inside the room. Teeth and moist were the only things she could register as she started to lose touch with her mind. The only things that brought her pleasure at this moment.

But he let go after a while, earning a pitiful and annoyed huff from her that he didn't register as he was panting, restless and impatient about what was about to come. His lips, flushed and plump, were still connected to her nipple by one thin bridge of spit that didn't take long to break in half. And right when it did, his gaze that had been fixated on her clavicle that rose with each short and shallow breath —as if she was doing this not to fill her lungs with oxygen, but to find support in a casual and familiar action— switched to her lower half, his attention now focused on the last pair of garments on her body that was hiding what he coveted the most. Gently, as if fearing that it would take her out the delight she seemed to be indulging, Deuce's hot breath slid along where her diaphragm is, slowly reaching lower and lower, hands barely trailing down the side if her thighs, until he finally reached the band of her panties.

A shallow kiss was pressed under her navel, bringing her mind back to the current situation, but just enough so that she could once again gently play with his hair as she watched him peel off the fabric that cladded her skin oh so dreadfully away from his lust. His fingers worked steadily, nails leisurely grazing her skin as he no longer cared about the aching pain between his legs, now fully focused on unveiling her most private part. Although the impatience he felt before quickly came back once he realized that removing the piece of clothing would be hard of he stayed between her legs, and he almost huffed as he got up, some of the old manners, from his previous delinquent year he had tried hard to forget, threatening to come back.

Clueless to what he was planning, her heart easily jumped into a sudden frenzy and panicked tempo when he pushed her body backwards, her back hitting the mattress before her mind even properly registered the fall. The small gasp that left her lips was not taken into account as he went back to what had caught his attention just a moment before, as in the panties that were still clinging to her hips and teasing him endlessly the more the time passed. So trying not to be too rough, although he did want to go harder on her, he carefully peeled the plain textile down to her knees, never once taking his eyes off the apex of her legs as he did so. She felt heat warming her face up with embarrassment, his eyes clearly focused on the one part that she felt the most insecure and impossibly driving her further down the shame eating her inside out. For Pete's sake! He was so slow with it! She knew that he tended to be clueless, right this moment she could only think about Ace who had not wasted a second to go down on her. Her thoughts quickly shifted back to Deuce who had, during a moment of inattention from her, decided that pulling both her legs up would help him, taking her ankles with one hand and pulling them up to his shoulders for them to rest on.

Focused on the piece of undergarment, he failed to notice the way she had subtly moved her fingers to hide her face away from him, but it also allowed him to work faster, making quick work of the fabric as he threw it somewhere with the rest of the clothes they had removed. When he eventually turned back to her, he thought nothing of her now closed legs, most likely unaware and oblivious about her current shame, and passed two hands on each side of her thighs, parting them apart easily, the tip of his fingers delighted by the simple touch of her supple soft skin that he was tempted to lavish with kisses. Her embarrassment only tenfolded at that, draining every last bit of confidence she had had as she tried to hide by burying her back further into the bed.

The first thing he did was pass a finger between her folds, spellbound as he spread her glistening juice along. And she twitched slightly as he grazed her clit. Then twitched yet again as he passed over it a second time, then a third time, fourth, doing so every time he would repeat his clueless action out of wonder, and up until she eventually let out a small noise that finally managed to take him out of this trance. Seeing her panting, he curiously repeated what he had done so for the past minutes, this time watching closely what provoked her odd reactions. And when his fingers spotted the place, the small bump against his finger, he tentatively played with it before stopping once she started to writhe under his administration. He definitely learnt it at school, during those anatomy classes he made the effort to attend because his friends told him it would be fun — they were the epitome of kids finding entertainment and getting restless by just hearing the word “sex” — and seeing her reacting that way only confirmed that he had indeed found what he had been taught was a clitoris.

So without much thought he bent down, placing his head further between her thighs, until he was face to face with the small bud of flesh. His breath ghosted over her clit, her legs tightening behind his head as her hand weakly grasped the sheets under her writhing body. At the, what he assumed was (and it was a correct assumption from his behalf), a positive response to his actions, he tentatively pressed his lips against the perked out bud sitting between his fingers, this time sucking on it. A loud gasp came out of her mouth before she immediately sucked on her lower lip, stopping herself from making too much noise out of fear of being heard. But he continued, passing his tongue over it in hopes of seeing just how much she could take in, even sneaking a finger inside her hole to further test her. And she was what one would say, “on cloud nine.” She could feel the heat taking over her lower stomach before it bloomed on her cheeks, slowly losing touch with the feeling in her legs as she felt tears welling up by the corner of her eyes, even the distant feeling of a tear falling by the side of her face was vaguely registered. And he continued to suck on it, his fingers moving faster inside her hole, probing with more confidence as the time passes until he was just fucking her. All until she felt a familiar feeling coming back, her walls clenching painfully as she felt the tell-tale signs of her upcoming release. And as he refused to get slower, it was only a matter of time before he felt her juice drenching his face, tainting his face in the best way he could have dreamt of.

He made sure to lick along her slit, gathering up whatever was left of her semence, before kneeling down, towering her trembling body in such a debauched scene. Her breath stuttering and his cock twitching along as he looked at her intensely, wondering what position he should tame for her to feel comfortable for the next step. He eventually settled on something simple, opting to lay on his forearms on each side of her face, one hand making a quick way down so he could adjust his shaft to press between her folds. She opened her eyes to see his face right above hers, his tongue wetting his skin before he looked into her eyes, asking for permission. At the look he sported, she shyly nodded. And “I'll go…” Was all he said before he started pressing the tip of his cock to her walls, the arm steadying his body upright trembling the further he went inside her. The warmth, the dampness, the clenched walls hugging him and coaxing him to go deeper was all too much for him, and he wondered for a moment if he should just pull out. But when he felt fingers cradling the back of his neck, he opened his clenched eyes previously closed out of instinct when he slid inside her, and he lost touch with the feeling burning his lower stomach inside out, suddenly more focused with the woman under him. Once again, he was taken aback by her beauty, focusing on as many details as he could while he rested inside her as he waited for her to get used to his length. The entry had been easy, with how wet she was as she had cum all over his fingers it would be surprising if she wasn’t properly prepped, but waiting for her still came as a necessity, or so screamed his instincts at him.

“Y-You… You can continue.” She whispered sheepishly, her lips pursed as she tried not to look at him directly in the eyes. The words she used were too familiar, they were almost an exact copy to those she had read in the many smuts she would find online when boredom would hit, creating this feeling that what she said was just so… cringe? And now she could only wait for Deuce to act, not daring to say anything anymore as she would surely further embarrass herself if she were to utter anything more.

It didn't take long for him to pull out, only the tip wet with both his and her cum left inside her, before he thrusted back in with one harsh motion that made her gasp before she immediately clamped a hand to her mouth. The pace set was almost unforgiving, his cock constantly hitting the spot next to her cervix as if to punish her for shielding away her voice. The more her mind got muddier, the looser her hold became until he saw the chance to take her fingers in his, intertwining them and using the grip as a way to stay stable above her while listening to her voice. Small puffs left her open mouth as her eyes were tight shut, and soon enough the sound of chocked whines escaped her clamped teeth, coming out through the sound of small hiss, replacing them.

His other hand, more playful than the other, moved between their bodies all the way to her perked clit where two fingers rubbed small circles. She felt hot, her lower region burning intensely as the heat took over her numb legs all the way to her face where tears started to well up. And when she stuck her tongue out, ventilating herself, he dived to her, pressing his lips to hers and stuck his own muscle inside, the kiss messy and drool sullying both of their faces.

The mix of her drowned cries, their vibrations traveling along his very being down to his twitching cock, and the pleasure messing with any rational thoughts made his mind almost shut off. And as his mind began to numb out, he grabbed the back of her legs, right under her ass, pounding into her more harshly. He could feel her walls closing around him, sucking him in more and more each time he pressed a finger with more strength than necessary on her clit. His body felt hot, a feverish warmth making him lose all kinds of worries he may have had before. Shit, he was close, awfully close, as he thrusted faster under her cries of pleasure that she tried to swallow in quite the useless attempt as she was way too fucked to even care about properly covering them up at this point. The tip of his cock hitting the same spot repeatedly, if not almost desperately and definitely without any regards of her feeling — she could see through her tears the way he gritted his teeth as he looked down to where the two were connected with a determined look, and she could only kiss his cheeks over and over, as if drunk, to evacuate some of the pain and the fever clouding her mind. Was he close? He surely was, and she encouraged him, her lips moving closer and closer to his with each of the thrusts tipping her closer to the edge as she imagined the two of them sharing yet another steamy kiss.

It didn't take long for her to come, her walls closing around him to the point that it almost restricted any of his movements, and the tightness didn't fail to make him follow her. The feeling of him milking her, his seed warmer than expected, made her lose up. They were both sensitive, the aftermath still fresh and teasing them both as their breath synchronized, and when he pulled out, his semence not wasting a second to drip out, he fell next to her with a hiss.

After a few minutes, just taking in each other's presence without any care in the world, she eventually spoke up. "Aah, I need to wash, I'm so sweaty." She complained with a pout that could be heard in her voice. But instead of receiving an awkward and stuttered answer like she was expecting, she felt him freezing up next to her. Curious as to what caused him such a reaction, she turned to the side, her body drawing a pronounced curve from her hips, brushing a wet strand out of his eyes as he tried to avoid her gaze. "Is there a problem?"

He suddenly stood up, his back now facing her as he tried to think of what to say. "N-No it's just that…" he looked back at her with a frown, eyes trying not to look below her face as she was still pretty much naked and sprawled on his bed. "First years have to use the… communal shower room." And by the way she lost all the colors on her face he knew that she understood the implications of such things.

She took a nearby pillow and pushed it on her face as she was preparing for the possible insults that were tempted to leave her lips, the fabric of the pillow the security she needed if she wanted to keep Deuce away from her dirty language. Why were communal bathrooms a thing here too?! Especially in a school that was supposedly "high-class" as this was the latest thing that could be called classy! How was she supposed to clean herself up and remove the smell of sex clinging to her body if a student could come at any time and see her naked… And seeing her distress, Deuce quickly thought about something to help her with the current bathroom problem. He may be oblivious but coming up with solutions to problems was easy for him, although the solutions weren't always the brightest or the best ones (most often than not they only brought him more problema). He cleared the back of his throat to catch her attention, which he immediately got as she removed the cushion from her face and slightly raised her back so she could lean on her forearms from behind.

He muttered something incoherent under his breath, and she wondered just how red he could become, because he kept breaking records ever since he had entered the room. She leaned forward, putting on a kind smile that was supposed to help him calm down as she gently asked him to repeat, but it only made him fumble even more. "W-We can ba-bath to—… together?" And her mouth literally fell open at that. Did he really suggest what she thought he did when he couldn't even look her straight in the eyes because of how shy he was? It was…

"A good idea actually." She stated matter-of-factly as she looked at the ceiling with a pensive look on her face. So far he had only managed to come up with weird and destructive ideas — yes she's thinking about the chandelier incident — and for him to suggest something that would actually work was a pleasant surprise. He could surely hide her if they were to bath together. So she looked down at his face with a shy smile on her lips. “Should we go now then?” And as he nodded, he set the plan in stones.

So they switched to their clothes quickly, the stickiness of their sweat making her squirm as she remembered that she’d have to use them again to go back to her dorm, and made their way to the communal bathroom in the most discreet way possible. Lucky them, out of all the stalls, only one was free and they rushed to it, hiding behind the door before anyone could spot them. They removed their clothes just as quick, moving as fast as they could under the shower head so they could get done with it as soon as possible, but for some reason, now that they were both under the shower head, water, fog and heat surrounding them, they had reverted back to their shy selves, as if he hadn't been balls deep inside her not even half an hour ago. She feared being confronted again to her unsightly body, not only that, but he also had a good view of it from where he was standing. Would he finally see her imperfections? How some of her fat crease in the wrong way? What if didn't like the dips along her hips– Yet coincidentally so, his worry was exactly what she was dreading. He could indeed see her in all her glory, and he was ashamed to say it was arousing him once again. He was trying hard to keep his boner at bay, they were here to take a bath after all, and he didn't know if he could keep it any longer.

Because when she had started to wash her hair, arching her back forward to get as much water as possible, she accidentally moved back and her ass bumped into his hard-on, making the two of them freeze. He looked down to see the tip peaking against both of their bodies, her lower back still pushed against his waist as she tried to assess the situation. He was getting hard again! Just how much energy did he have for him to get aroused after less than ten minutes?! But no matter how much she acted surprised, her teeth playing her bottom lips shyly, she, too, was starting to ache down there. So in the most out of character idea she could have ever followed, she put her hands on the stall's wall, arching her back as she bent forward in a leisure motion, for him to properly understand what was going on and not freak out, and for her to get the motivation she needed. "That's awkward… But I kinda want to go back at it. What about you?" Grinding her hips against his, she turned her head to the side, watching from the corner of her eyes how he would react. And she felt yet another wave of arousal weakening her legs at the way he had moved a hand to carefully cradle her hips, a fond look overcoming his flushed face, before reciprocating her actions. It took any words away from her as she let her head roll back in front of her.

The grinding! The way she felt every bit of him, scorching hot and so defined, rubbing against her clit, the pure euphoria coursing through her body, the shrouded thrill of being heard, or worst even, caught red-handed by one of the student who would have decided that today was the day to jump over the stalls to peek and possibly mock someone over their dick size. Did he also feel it? Was he just as lost down all the pleasure building up in their cramped stall? When he tentatively pressed his tip against her entrance, still open and wet from their previous round not much earlier, was he anticipating the upcoming gratification just like her, waiting with so much eagerness that she felt her body shuddering? Whether he felt it or not didn't matter as soon as he pushed his dick inside her.

She bit her bottom lips hard, her throat hurting as she kept all the sounds in, and he finally slid inside her with one swift movement. She shut her eyes closed, her head falling forward as he drilled inside her cunt with a concentrated look overtaking his features. This view was better than the one before, seeing his shaft disappearing before his very eyes as her ass bounced against his lower stomach, even the arch of her back was teasing him, and he would have never thought that looking at someone from behind could be so fucking hot. He pressed a hand along her spine, caressing the skin still wet from the water gushing out of the shower head, and he could swear it made her clench around him for a moment there, which encouraged him to shift the angle to reach deeper inside her. And against his better judgment, a stupid idea came to his mind when he felt her walls even tighter around him.

Despite how hard she was trying, a whine left her when she felt his hands moving to hers and wrapping her fingers with his in such a delicate motion… She knew it, even if her mind felt muddy with how he was assaulting every last bit of her sanity each time he dived deeper, that it was a romantic gesture, something that didn't fit them as she didn't have any feelings for him, and she knew that he didn't sport any for her either. But unbeknownst to her, a dark curtain covered his face as his very presence loomed over her most humble one. His imagination was running through every possible scenario, slowly moving from most childish innocent ones to darker and unfit for him at first glance. What if he knocked her up right now? It would just be an accident… He could try and convince her to keep it so they could have a family together… Who would've known that his very first week at the school of his dream, the gathering of every villain, the Night Raven College, would be this rich in terms of new emotions.

But he quickly shook the idea away when he felt her walls fluttering around him, a hiss being taken out of him, but one that was covered up by the sound of the water cooling down both of their bodies. With much more force, he drilled inside her, the tip of his cock ruthlessly finding its way back to that one spongy spot that he was bullying so shamelessly in hopes of making her contract her muscles around him. He had already grown fond of this feeling, and he knew how to force her body to reproduce the action over and over, his greedy needs forcing her to bend to his wishes. The haze in her mind just made her go along with him, choking when he would aim higher, crying when he would thrusts harder, drooling when his fingers would torment her clit. But all too soon for his liking, he felt the tell-tale signs of his climax coming, his thighs rigid as warmth spread to his balls which clenched painfully. So with one last thrust, burying himself as deep as he could, he finally came, painting her walls white for the second time.

She shuddered, cuming not long after and feeling impossibly weak, forcing Deuce to maintain her body up to avoid any possible accident as she had started to tilt sideways. His cock was still inside her which almost made him follow her suit down their fall, but thankfully he put a hand on the wall before anything could happen, trying hard not to think about the clenching around it. The two stayed under the shower head, water still warm as it fell on their skin, but all too soon someone slammed their hand against the door, making the two of them jump out of surprise. "Yo dude! Whoever's in there, move already! The water's been running for fucking ages man!" The voice was rough, thankfully not owned by anyone she had met yet, and Deuce made sure to shout back that he would be fast. He removed himself from her, the fluids on his limp member were quickly washed off by the warm water, and worked on cleaning her right after. It was clumsy, fitting a nervous person like him, trying to scout anything he could out of her but refusing to touch her too much in fear of reigniting the heat inside him. So out of compassion for him who was struggling, she pushed him back, whispering into his ear that she would take care of herself and that he should wash himself. He nodded quietly and got to work. In less than five minutes the two of them had washed, dressed up, and were now peaking through the door to exit the communal bathroom without being seen.

Thankfully, the stalls were all being used, covering the sound the two made as they tried to escape the situation they were in, and no-one was in sight which prompted Deuce to leave first to scout the surroundings and make sure that she could follow. He made her a hand sign, prompting her to come, and not before long, the two of them left the bathroom with a fast pace, almost running to his room which made passers-by wonder just what in the world they were doing. And thankfully they didn't cross paths with Riddle who would've definitely questioned them about their whereabouts.

What was unexpected though, was for Ace to be waiting for the two of them, sitting on his bed with a pissed look. She didn't know what he wanted to talk about before, but now she had some kind of idea. How would she not… when the used condom Deuce had supposedly thrown inside the trash bin that just happened to be on the floor next to the basket, open and its content dripping out. By the look on Ace's she knew one thing for sure;

She was in for a shit show.

#twisted wonderland #twst #twst smut #smut #twisted wonderland deuce spade #twst deuce #deuce spade #twisted wonderland deuce #deuce spade x reader #deuce x reader #deuce spade smut #twst deuce smut

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famwhy · 10 months

Text

Right Way Up (02)

Stranger Things

Yandere! Steve Harrington X F!Reader, Yandere! Eddie Munson X F!Reader, Yandere! Billy Hargrove X F!Reader

Synopsis: You always hated when your favourite characters died in shows or movies; always longed to have the opportunity to save them. So when you're transported into one of your favourite shows of all time, what else are you supposed to do besides save your beloved characters?

Warnings: Threat/violence, Gore, Mentions of sexual content (implicit), Death, Manipulation, Depictions of toxic relationships, Drugs and alcohol abuse

Note: Sorry for the wait, my loves, but here's Eddie, Steve, and Billy to make it up to you 💕

prev part. masterlist. next part.

02. bring unto me vanity

enter: billy hargrove

YOU stood there, expression blank as you stared mindlessly into the Eddie Munson. It almost felt as though all your thoughts had left you the moment you bumped into him—flooding out in an endless, blank stream of nothingness you couldn't even begin to comprehend.

Then—not even seconds later—it all came rushing back.

Scenes of him lying in a pool of his own crimson, straining as he told Dustin about how he didn't run away—how he wasn't a coward for once. Scenes of the town believing he was some sort of satanic worshipper—vandalising his missing posters with pentagrams after he had just died protecting them. Scenes of Dustin informing Eddie's uncle of his noble death with tears streaming down his face; unrelenting in their cruel pace.

Scenes that always shot straight through your heart no matter how many times you rewatched them.

"Woah, hey, are you o—?"

You couldn't help it—the way you flew into his chest, arms wrapping around his back in a hug so tight—so inextricably emotional—that even the most affectionate of lovers, the most intimate of partners, would envy your outpour of emotions in that one embrace.

You couldn't help it because—because he was here. And he was okay. And he was alive—oh god, he was alive.

"Wha—?"

And apparently, he was also confused.

Get it together, Y/N. What kind of weirdo randomly throws themselves onto a stranger like that?

But he wasn't a stranger though, he was a character you had watched and grown attached to on screen; a beloved character you had witnessed die over and over again without being able to do a single thing about it.

But, a small voice prodded in the back of your mind, maybe you could do something now?

"Are you... okay?"

You blinked, further scattering a wet substance across your eyelashes. "Oh, yeah, um... it's just that—"

You didn't deserve to die, Eddie.

"—well, everyone is always so mean to you and— they're always like, calling you a freak just because you like playing a fantasy, role-playing game and it's just— it's so unfair because you seem like such a nice guy who doesn't deserve any of the shit that you get and I'm just— I'm so sorry!"

Ah, maybe you let out a little too much there, judging by the way he reacted.

His mouth had hung open, brown eyes wide in what you could only describe as disbelief, bewilderment and utter, utter shock.

For a moment, you were worried that you had accidentally made him malfunction or something; maybe said some type of dialogue that he couldn't compute and, therefore, couldn't respond to—like some sort of unaware NPC being told that they weren't real—which, in a way, is quite similar to his actual circumstance anyhow.

But then, to your utter surprise, he spoke again; in a tone that seemed light, almost—playful, even—"woah, uh, you always psychoanalyse people when you first meet?"—but... there was a waver in his voice, a vulnerability breaking through.

And you knew; you knew he was trying so hard not to let it break through.

Oh Eddie...

"No, sorry, uh—" you cut yourself off, pulling away to rest your arms against your sides, to really look him in the eyes as you offered, "—do you want to be friends?"

"Woah, hold up, Y/N L/N, the Y/N L/N—the Queen of Hawkins High herself—"

Queen of Hawkins High? You knew you were popular but—Queen? Damn.

"—is asking me, Eddie 'The Freak' Munson, if I want to be her friend?"

His words ushered the corners of your lips down and you felt that familiar constricting feeling in your heart again. "Don't call yourself a freak, Eddie. You're not. Please don't ever refer to yourself that way."

Cue the look of absolute astonishment making its way back onto his face.

"I uh—"

"Please, Eddie." Your fingers intertwined, eyes widening in what you hoped—prayed—was a look that resembled irresistible puppy dog eyes—

"Well, how the hell am I meant to deny you when you give me that look, sweetheart?"

—and resemble them it did.

"So, does that mean—?"

He smirked. "Yes, Queenie, I'll be your friend."

The voice at the back of your mind was louder now, hope swirling together with mere hypothetical scenarios to grant you a vision—a world in which Eddie survived the bat attack he was subjected to in season 4; a world in which you saved him.

And hey, if you were lucky, maybe you'd be able to protect him from all the awful bullying he was a victim of as well. Lord knew he didn't deserve it.

"So, would you mind me sitting in on one of your DnD campaigns?"

He blinked, looking confused for what was probably the nth time. "You know what DnD is?"

"Oh, uh, yeah. I, uh, know someone who plays it. I mentioned it just now, remember? Definitely not a game that encourages satanism."

A bubble of laughter left his lips—and you swore you felt a swirl of warmth gather in your chest—his pretty eyes crinkling up as he said, "yeah, it definitely isn't." Then, his hand rose up to the back of his neck before he continued, albeit awkwardly, "I uh, actually have one today after school, if you wanna..?"

He trailed off but you knew what he was about to ask—and so—smiled at him as you confirmed, "I would love to."

"Great!" He beamed—rather cutely, if you did say so yourself—before immediately faltering, and soon, his hand was back on his neck. "We should probably head to English, huh?"

So you shared your next lesson together? Sweet. Saved you the hassle of running around like a headless chicken trying to find your class.

You let Eddie lead the way, following behind him with a pep in your step as you passed by doors upon doors, each looking just as beat-up as the last—but you were too over-the-moon to criticise their condition.

Perhaps the reason you were so happy was because you genuinely befriended a super nice, super fun guy that you always wanted to talk to when watching the show. Perhaps it was because you knew you had a shot at saving him; at giving him another chance to live in this fictional world. Either way, your mood had definitely lifted and for that, you were grateful—

"Munson, L/N, you two are late."

—until, of course, you weren't.

Having arrived at class, you were met with a chorus of gasps sent your way, almost every single jaw dropping to the floor as soon as their eyes landed on you and your companion.

The lady in front of you had her arms crossed over her busty chest, eyes narrowed specifically at one of the two of you and said person seemed to be very aware of it.

Eddie parted his lips, a grin manifesting on his face as he seemed to gear himself up for some sort of speech; one that would never get to leave his lips—at least, not on your watch.

"Sorry, miss, I held him up a little." Your lips stretched into a sheepish smile as you shrugged.

Not bothering to hear what she had to say—because why would you?—you made your way over to one of the empty seats at the back. There was another one in the middle of the room—one surrounded by broad-shouldered kids all adorning the same, bright varsity jackets—but, you would much rather be taking the seat away from them.

Besides, the back seat had an empty one right next to it.

As soon as your thighs landed on the smooth—yet highly uncomfortable—surface of the wooden chair, you tilted your head up, eyes meeting with the sweet character you were just walking with, before one of your hands rose up and gestured towards the other empty seat right next to you.

Another gawk. Another chorus of dramatic gasps.

Oh my God, it's not that big a deal.

"Well, Mister Munson? Will you be taking your seat or will you keep holding the whole class up?"

Snickers; mocking and malevolent in their nature—all bouncing off the walls of the room and into your ears, edging your lips down.

It didn't seem to bother Eddie though, who only let out his own sheepish chuckle before making his way down the row of beaten desks to the empty one beside you.

Your lips twitched back up, then he opened his mouth—"you weren't kidding about wanting to be my friend, huh?"—and you found them twitching down once again.

"Of course not, Eddie. I'm not that—"

A new voice abruptly cut you off. "Ahem. Now where was I?"

You couldn't speak for the remainder of the class, but that didn't stop you from communicating with Eddie regardless. All you had to do was rip out a page from your notepad, write a quick 'I meant what I said', scrunch it up and throw it his way.

You had then propped your head up on your hand, elbow resting on the bumpy table as you leaned forward to really gauge his reaction. The goofy way his lips had tugged up was very much infectious and you smiled as he furiously scribbled back a response before sneaking a quick glance at you—one that resulted in him freezing up, eyes widening and pink rushing to his cheeks in a way that was so cute, you couldn't help but widen your smile.

His blush grew deeper.

He was quick to pull himself back together though, and soon, the rest of the lesson was filled with the two of you tossing that same, crinkled sheet of paper back and forth—each time filling it with more and more ink as small giggles bubbled out of your mouths; childish and carefree with a hint of awe. You felt like a middle schooler all over again—it was nice, it was fun—

—so fun, in fact, that time passed by like a flash of lightning and, before you even knew it, a 'brrring!' rang through the air; one that had you rushing over to Eddie's side, ready to accompany him out the door. Were you being a little clingy? Maybe. But it was the Eddie Munson, who wouldn't be clingy?

"Oh wow, being waited on by a queen, boy do I feel special," his words were accompanied by a light tone you'd heard many a time over the TV, one you absolutely adored.

"You should feel special. You're awesome, Eddie. I'll stop at nothing until you realise that."

He paused again, that pink colour from earlier returning to reign terror on his cheeks once more.

What a cutie.

You watched as he continued packing the remainder of his stuff in his bag, eyes trained on the glint of his solid-metal rings that would disappear and reappear from behind the rough cotton. Damn, how did they make him look so much more attractive?

Eddie was really attractive, you had no idea how no one in the school seemed to notice. The way his bouncy, brown curls framed his face—perfectly complimenting that pretty pair of eyes he was so lucky to have; the way he would exaggerate his hand gestures like a true drama queen—playfully joking about with a charm that seemed signature to him; the way he always seemed to—

"Uh, ready to go?"

You blinked. "Huh? Oh yeah."

How long had he been standing there with his bag slung over his shoulder?

"So, sweetheart, I was thinking... for DnD later, do you wanna join in or, uh, just sit and watch?"

"Oh, well, I'm not too—"

A pang; shot straight through your arm like a bullet—and all of a sudden, your whole body jerked to the side, eyes landing on a pair of brown ones; different to the ones you were just staring into.

The very pair of brown eyes that had been the first ones to greet you in this world.

"Ack! Steve!"

He was frowning, brows furrowed and eyes filled with so much dejection, you found yourself wanting to do nothing more than wrap him up in a loving hug and tell him he was worth the whole world.

"N/N," his voice came out soft, afraid, "what was that earlier? Did I... do something? Whatever it was, I'm sorry, please don't avoid me."

Dear lord, was he whimpering?

"No! Steve! No, no, no, no," you frantically shook your head from side-to-side, mentally beating yourself up for making him upset, "I just— I overreacted because of my arm."

One more cute, inquisitive stare from him and you finally broke. Damn his puppy dog eyes, was this how Eddie felt when you used them on him?

With a light sigh, your fingers found their way down the sleeve of your jacket, slowly bunching the material up to reveal the graying gauze underneath—yikes, looked like it was due for a change.

"Gah!"

Another tug—on your wrist this time—had you tumbling forward, almost smacking straight into Steve's chest had you not planted your feet and caught yourself in time.

He was so close—you could feel his breath on the bare skin of your arm, feel the warmth that radiated off his form. The proximity was almost causing you to lose focus in your vision, colours blending in to create blobs of indecipherable objects.

It didn't seem to bother him though, judging by the way his eyes stayed trained onto your bandages—not straying from them for even a second. Ever the caring one.

"What happened?"

"Oh, uh, just a wolf attack. It's nothing really."

"It's not nothing—" he finally looked up, gazing straight into your eyes with that familiar sense of concern given to you at the start of the day, and the day you arrived—you know? the one that never failed to give you a plethora of butterflies in your stomach? "—you're hurt. That could never be nothing."

Your breath was stolen from you for a few moments—unfairly and unlawfully—but soon, with a shake of your head, it (along with your vision) was seized once more. "Steve. I'm okay, really."

"At least let me take you to each class, please."

Well, when he put it like that—

But, in all seriousness, this was the perfect temporary solution to your problem and you were being handed it on a silver platter thanks to Steve. If you two really were as close as everyone claimed you to be, then Steve would definitely have your timetable memorised, meaning you wouldn't have to arise further suspicion by asking for a physical copy.

And have it memorised, he did. The rest of the day, he accompanied you to every class, looming behind you like a bodyguard and flat-out refusing to let you carry your stuff. Even when lunch came around and another pair of pompoms came to grab you, Steve was there to shut her down, not even giving you a chance to consider going to practice. Not that you would—you weren't stupid.

Soon, the end of the day rolled around and Steve was stood at the doorframe of your class, muscled arms crossed over his chest as he leaned against the wood with one foot crossed over the other.

"Let me drive you home."

You paused, hand frozen mid-air with a book slotted between your fingers. "It's okay, Cain's picking me—"

Just then, a thought occurred to you, and your mind dragged you back to your conversation in the early morning.

("I uh, actually have one today after school, if you wanna..?")

"—up..."

Oh shit, Eddie.

The book in your hand was inside your bag within milliseconds and you were right out the door in even less time than that, Steve's body having been slightly pushed aside in your haste.

"Woah, what's going—?"

You turned back around abruptly, almost causing him to bump into you had he not halted in time. "Do you know where Hellfire is?"

"Hellfire? That cult club?"

Your eye twitched. "It's not a cult—and I need to speak to Eddie."

His brows furrowed and his lips tugged down, expression shifting with an emotion you didn't have the time to decipher. "Eddie as in Eddie Munson? Super Senior Eddie Munson? Eddie 'The Freak' Munson?"

"He's not a freak, don't call him that." You narrowed your eyes before continuing, "and yeah, I mean Eddie Munson. So do you know where he is?"

"Why do you wanna know where Munson is?"

"I need to talk to him, Steve, now can you tell me where Hellfire is or not?"

"Are you sure? I mean, that kid sells some real serious shit and I don't want you—"

"Steve." Your arms folded over one another and you gave him the best stern look you could muster.

Luckily, it seemed to do the trick, and soon, he let out a large breath before briskly walking forward.

You blinked, watching as his back shrank with each step.

"You coming or what?"

Then, your lips stretched into a grin. "Coming! Thanks, Stevie!"

He didn't respond—and you could have been imagining it—but, your ears seemed to have picked up on a hitch in his throat.

Cute.

Steve led the way and you passed by a multitude of bland, white lockers—or well, meant to be white, they were obviously going grey with age though—before you found yourself standing in front of yet another tall, wooden door.

You rose a fist... and lightly knocked on it three times.

A muffled shout greeted you; a sign to open the door, probably.

Palm rested against the cold surface of the knob, you twisted your wrist and gently pushed against the weight of the wood.

A multitude of chairs, each one seating a wide-eyed member of the rejected club, with one specific throne placed at the head of a rather long table—Eddie's seat.

Speaking of the club leader, his arms stretched out the moment you peeked through the gap. "Miss Queen Bee! How nice of you to join us!"

You didn't even pay mind to the many gawks sent your way, practically used to it all by now.

"Hey Eddie!" You beamed and he smiled with just as much enthusiasm—though you swore you heard a growl coming from behind you. "I'm so sorry! I know I said I'd join you guys for this campaign but I completely forgot about my brother coming to pick me up! I'm so so so so sorry! I promise I'll join you next time!"

His shoulders sagged and he practically deflated, smile faltering as his eyes dimmed in lighting. It was only for a few seconds though, not even that long honestly, and soon, he was sending a gentle smile full of so much understanding your way—you almost flew over to give him another huge hug of utmost gratitude.

"It's okay, I get it. See you tomorrow?" His brows rose up and his eyes swirled with a sense of hopefulness you could never bring yourself to shut down.

"Of course," you spoke softer, eyes losing any hint of a sharp edge as you addressed him, "see you tomorrow!"

His smile was back, bright and blinding as ever—but before you could enjoy it any longer, your arm was tugged on and another pang shot through.

"Ack! Steve, seriously?!" You looked his way just in time to catch his furrowed brows and heavy frown, but his expression quickly shifted from one of fury to one of panic.

Wait... fury?

"Shit. Sorry, I completely forgot." He quickly took his hand off your arm in lieu of placing it on your shoulder, any hints of that previous expression now completely gone.

Did you just... imagine it?

"We should go, your brother's probably waiting for you."

"Yeah, uh—" you placed your hand over his own, brows furrowed and expression not all there, "—let's go."

Well that was confusing.

It wasn't long after your puzzling interaction that you found the grey, beat-down truck belonging to your eldest brother—parked up near the front of the school building with few vehicles nearby.

He was sat behind the wheel, elbow rested against the open window and used cig between his two fingers—still leaking the toxic gas youth in the 80s seemed to be so obsessed with.

"I'm guessing you wanna take her to school again, huh Harrington?"

Not wasting a second, your best friend nodded.

"Well, you never failed me before so I guess it's fine. If she's okay with it, of course."

Steve, once again, gave you those big, pleading eyes and—c'mon—how the hell do you refuse that?

"'Course it's fine with me, Stevie."

His lips quirked up and his eyes brightened much like Eddie's had earlier—though, unlike Eddie, Steve opted to go farther when expressing his delight.

How far? Well, his arms had wrapped themselves around your waist and you found yourself being pulled into a warm, sturdy chest—so, that far, you guessed.

You weren't quite... used to receiving affection so frequently—especially by a male friend. Though, judging by how naturally it seemed to come to Steve, he was normally quite touchy with you.

Now, you didn't particularly mind it, it was just... foreign to you—but, with time, you would definitely grow used to it. Besides, it was Steve 'The Hair' Harrington, who wouldn't want a daily hug from him?

"Alright, you two, break it up." Cain narrowed his eyes. "Don't think I don't see those wandering hands, Harrington. Don't you have a girlfriend?"

A particularly loud noise—that sounded like someone clearing their throat—came from beside you. It was followed by a sudden breeze against your waist and the following words—"they, uh, they weren't wandering."

"Sure." Then, with a flick of a finger, Cain's cigarette was sent flying through the air. "C'mon sis, time to go home."

"They weren't wandering, N/N—"

"I know they weren't, Stevie." You chuckled. "He was just teasing you."

You didn't let him respond—opting, instead, to ghost your fingers over his arm and wiggle them in one last goodbye before making your way around the truck, kicking a pebble or two while you were at it.

Your hand slotted between the handle and the knob, and with a pull—accompanied by a step up—you were off, leaving the dazed form of Harrington in the dust.

Houses, one after the other—zooming by in a blur of colours; of people and cars that still seemed so surreal to you. Being in the 80s was so... weird. There was one thing you hated for sure though—the lack of mobile phones.

Like, seriously?! What did a girl have to do in order to get some entertainment around here?! The TV shows weren't good and the VFX in films was enough to make you empty your stomach contents in a gross assortment of sickly green vomit. Maybe you were being spoiled but damn, living without the Internet to entertain you sucked.

"We've got new neighbours," Cain's voice pierced through your thoughts, "just moved in a bit ago."

New neighbours? Could it be...?

"When'd they move in?"

"A day or two ago." He shrugged.

"How did I not notice?" That question was more for yourself than him.

"We didn't particularly let you." But he answered anyway.

"Right. Did you see who they were?"

"They have a son, 'bout your age. Why? Do you wanna hook up with him or something?"

You slowly turned his way, expression scrunching up. "No, ew, you're gross."

"What? You're a teenager, it's only natural."

"True—but also, dude!"

His shoulders bounced up and down as he chuckled at your misery. Big brothers sure sucked sometimes.

"Alright, we're home. Get out, shithead."

You playfully rolled your eyes but obliged, jumping out of the elevated truck with a big swing of your arms before landing on the ground—a light 'thud' following after. Thank god you were on the sidewalk and not sinking into mud right now.

Well, now was as good a time as ever to test your little theory of who, exactly, had moved in to the previously-empty house next to yours.

Your eyes flickered to the side, scanning the house and frowning at the empty driveway that greeted you.

No blue camaro.

Maybe he was out on a drive? Cooling off some steam by recklessly going over the speed limit?

"What are you doing standing around? Get."

Guess it'd have to wait until tomorrow.

You twisted open the door to your house and were immediately greeted with the sound of grunts and plastic harshly smacking against plastic coming straight from the opening closest to you.

"What d'you wanna eat?" Cain's voice calls from behind you.

"You can cook?"

He sent you a weird look and you found yourself wanting to rip off a piece of duck tape, coat it in the most sticky glue you could find, and slap it bang in the middle of your lips.

"I've always cooked for the three of us."

"Right. Yes. You have always done that. Silly me." With a tiny giggle, you looked off to the side to eye the suddenly-very-interesting wall.

"Oookay, what do you want then?"

What did you want? You weren't particularly in the mood for anything—your mind was way too occupied for choices right now. How could you worry about food when your brain constantly replayed the events of the demodog attack and scenes that happened in Stranger Things as a whole?

"Alright—" you blinked, tossing your gaze forward again to see Cain heading to the kitchen, raising one rough arm to wave dismissively in your direction, "—I'll just make lasagne."

Then, you jumped as you heard a yell from the other room. "Fine by me!"

Maybe you could ask Curt if he had anymore info on the family next door. You were fairly certain it was who you thought it was but better safe than sorry, huh?

"Currtt."

You appeared from behind a pillar, slowly walking over to your second eldest brother with the most artificial smile you'd ever worn on your face.

"What?" His fist continued colliding with the bag.

"Do you know anything about our new neighbours?"

"Why the hell would I give a damn?"

Immediately, your smile fell. "Useless."

"What was that, you little shit?"

So much for getting info from him.

Well, you had time to spare so you might as well spend it gathering your thoughts some more.

First things first, you had no idea how to get back to your world—and to be entirely honest—you weren't sure if that was your top priority as much as surviving was. This was Stranger Things, a world that contained a hidden dimension filled to the brim with bloodthirsty, plant monsters that could, quite literally, rip you limb from limb.

There was also one glaring question that really stood out to you; one that prodded the back of your mind earlier today; that had you leaping into Eddie's arms in the first place. Could—

"Alright, shitbirds, dinner's ready!"

"Fucking finally."

Well, guess you had to wait for some other time to contemplate that question.

All three of you gathered at the table to eat and, as your fork prodded against the pasta sheets on your plate, you found yourself eyeing the two extra seats—empty and unoccupied. Were they for guests? Or perhaps... your parents?

Did you even have parents in this world? Curt and Cain never spoke about it—you never really saw anyone in the house other than them so... were you parent-less? It made sense seeing as Cain was the one who cooked for you three—a fact you weren't privy to before because of... wait, why didn't he cook before? You had been in this world for a few days now and you hadn't been cooked a single meal since arriving.

"Hey, Cain?" You turned to the eldest, keen on finding an answer to your question.

"Hm?"

"How come you never cooked before?"

"I have cooked before, what are you talking about?" He rose a brow.

Shit. Careful with phrasing.

"I meant like, when I was on house-arrest."

"Well, I don't know if you noticed but I was busy fixing a car commissioned to me by the Wheelers."

Ah, that made much more sense.

"Are you okay, Y/N? You haven't been acting yourself lately."

Well shit.

Before you could stutter out a response, he had already beat you to talking.

"Is it... 'cause of the attack?"

"Oh!" You saw the opportunity given to you and seized it. "Uh, yeah! I'm just... still shaken up by that wolf attack."

His lips tugged down and concern creased his brow, sending your heart into that constricting feeling for the nth time. You were starting to grow sick of it.

"You know what? I think I'm done."

"You barely touched your—"

"It was great, thanks, goodnight!"

"It's not even—"

You tuned out the rest of what he was trying to say, rushing up the stairs with loud 'thud's echoing after each step; hand barely resting on the rail as you zoomed by.

Did you have a valid reason for running away this time? Not really—at least, nothing as justified as when you ran from Steve before. Your only reason right now was... well, you didn't even know what it was.

All you knew was that your bed looked mighty comfy right now.

And comfy it was, you passed out as soon as you hit the mattress in fact, entering the land of slumber with nothing but the vast expanse of darkness to greet you when you arrived.

It seemed like only seconds passed before you felt your shoulders start to shake gently, long fingers wrapped around the exposed curves; long fingers you were now quite familiar with.

You eyes fluttered open and you were met with the soft, brown eyes of your best friend hovering over you.

"Steve? What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to pick you up, Nance is waiting in the car."

His words brought your attention to behind him, seeing the shine of the sun's rays making its way through the clear glass of your window to light up your room and coat it in a warm, yellow glow. Unfortunately, you couldn't bask in the beauty of the scene for long.

"Oh shit! It's morning?!"

"Yeah—did you... sleep in your cheerleading outfit?"

"Yes, yes I did, Steve. Now get out so I can get ready!" You sprang up, placing both of your hands on his shoulders this time before you spun him around and pressed your palms against his back, lightly ushering him out of the room.

"You already look ready to me." He snickered.

"Oh shut up."

With that, you slammed the door shut in his face and quickly got to fixing your bedhead.

Luckily, you didn't have to change, but you definitely had to reapply your makeup which took quite a few minutes. That plus the time it took for you to refresh yourself in the toilet and you were looking at just narrowly avoiding being late to school.

Your feet carried you down the steps swiftly as your eyes locked in on the door, passing by a very flabbergasted Cain on your way there.

"Wait, you forgot to—!"

His words were cut off once you slammed the door shut, rushing down the front yard to stumble into the back seat of Steve's BMW, where both he and Nancy sat awaiting your arrival.

Your chest heaved up and down. "What are you waiting for?! Go!"

"We aren't late." Nancy replied, raising a brow at you.

"We... aren't?" You paused to catch your breath.

"No, we aren't."

You slowly turned your gaze to the left, meeting the ridiculous facial expression of your best friend; cheeks sucked in and eyes looking off to the side.

"Steve."

Then, a huge bout of laughter tumbled out of his mouth and you found your eyes scanning the interior of his car before landing on a half-full water bottle. Perfect.

Within seconds, you snatched it up and sent it hurdling towards the back of his head.

"Ow!"

"Not funny, asshole!"

"Liiittle funny."

"Just drive, Steve," sighed Nancy, fingers kneading through her temples.

"Thank you, Nancy," you huffed, "at least someone here isn't a dick."

Cue another snicker coming from the driver's seat.

You rolled your eyes as the car started up, bouncing you up and down against the smooth, leather seats. It was kinda bizarre how this was a car from back in the 80s but was still the most expensive car you had ever found yourself sitting in.

Okay, maybe the 80s didn't suck that much.

You still missed your phone though.

Now, you would've happily continued reminiscing all of your memories with your beloved device, but—just then—your ears picked up on a sound; one you were awfully familiar with, the roar of an engine you couldn't bring yourself to ignore even if you wanted to.

Your hand moved on its own, wrapping itself around the handle of the door before pushing it open as you placed one foot out, your other following straight after. Now leaning on top of the door of Steve's car, you gazed straight forward.

Metallic blue; shiny and glinting in the sun's rays. At the bottom, a yellow number plate stared you right in the eyes: PCE 235.

The left door clicked open and out came black boots paired with light blue jeans. Adorning them was a guy rocking a denim-on-denim look—blonde mullet rested comfortably on his head and striking, electric blue eyes scanning the parking lot with little emotion swirling inside.

Then, he made eye-contact with you, holding it for one, two, three seconds before breaking away, flicking his cigarette, and sauntering off in a way that exuded pure confidence.

There was no doubt about it, that guy was Billy Hargrove. And if he was Billy Hargrove, then that meant—

—the events of Season 2 had officially started.

@bdudette, @tanyaherondale, @killerqueenfan, @l3xiluve, @thedoubleexposurephotography, @xxqueenofdemonsxx, @briarsheart

524 notes · View notes

reirrei · 5 months

Text

you smell good..

SHU YAMINO X FEM! READER (HIGHSCHOOL AU)

info: pure fluff <3 ~ during a tiring pe class, a certain purple male came up to you..

warnings: none!

A/N: okay so LITEERALLY i had the BEST fucking dream ever tge day before yesterday. I was so sad when the dream didnt have a part 2 yesterday 😔 anywho i had a dream with my crush and it was the most romantic shit every i shit you not.

To ALWASY. be reminded of this i wrote a fic >< enjoy pooksters

𝐒𝐇𝐔 𝐘𝐀𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐎 ✦ !

You had a crush on Shu. If that wasn't obvious enough by the way you act. Anyhow, you two were in the same PE class, usually he's amazing at PE, with those hands you know he's athletic. But today in particular, Shu felt tired. He didn't feel much like participating, which led him into a dilemma since his teammates were yelling at him to run faster and what not. Leading Shu into a conflicting state, he barely talked during the games and he felt.. down.

You wanted to check up on him on multiple occasions, but were scared. Scared to disturb him, what if he doesn't want to talk to anyone right now? What if he doesn't even wanna talk to you?

To respect his personal boundaries, you decided to leave him me until he feels better. Shu was never really an outgoing person all the time, but he always had a calm smile on his face that made you feel better when you look at him. His smile, his voice, his laugh, everything. It hurts to see him so down but there really isn't much of a choice anyways.

As the round came to an end, and the teacher gave everyone a break. You took several glances at Shu, and every time, he looked awfully dark. He was avoiding everyone's gaze and went outside to refill is water. As you took a seat within your group for the round, you saw that your whole group went outside for whatever reason.

Seeing that there was no one in particular around to talk to, you just sat down on the chairs (idk why there were chairs in pe class, dreams are weird) with your head hung low, you were left with your own thoughts and daydreams.

Until someone came up behind you.

Suddenly, you felt a breath near your neck, looking behind you in an instant, your eyes widened when Shu buried his face onto your neck, hugging you waist from the back as you stared at him in confusion.

"S-Shu?? What's wro-"

" 'm tired.." he whispered onto your neck, you could feel his hot breath against the skin of your neck as your face flushed red.

Speechless, you both stood their in silence as Shu keeps his face buried onto your neck, both your faces nearly touching.

"(name)..?" he whispered again, feeling his breath tingle on your skin was a.. new sensation, to say the least. This was unexpected, coming from the one and only, SHU YAMINO?? But you can't say it's an unpleasant experience either. In fact, you actually kind of enjoyed it.

"yes?"

"I feel like a burden on my group.." he said, his voice low and tired as his face is buried onto your neck deeper. Your flushed face glowing red.

"you're no-"

"do you wanna switch class with me?" He spoke in a hushed tone, looking up staring directly into your eyes as you both made eye contact. His eyes were gorgeous.

"are you okay shu?"

"has anyone ever told you that you looked pretty today?"

"...uh.. no?"

"better luck next time" Shu giggled as his face is still nuzzled onto your neck, you stared at him with a big blush on your face.

"oh fuck you.."

"you smell good.. it's different from the smell yesterday."

"what" you stared at him blankly, he chuckled in a low tone.

"Okay okay I'll make it up to you.. is it fine if I.." He spoke softly staring at your lips, your eyes widened and you gave him a quick and swift nod.

"yes."

...

BEEP BEEP BEEP !!

"it's morning..?"

teehee ><

#nijisanji #nijisanji en #shu #shu yamino #shu yamino x reader #shu x reader #luxiem x reader

166 notes · View notes

quizzicalwriter · 5 months

Note

can you please do a johnny cade x fem!reader smut where they decide to use toys (and there's a lot of squ!rt!ng involved?) ty!

Sunny

Pairing: Johnny Cade x Fem!Reader

Summary: A searing heat wave leaves Johnny with new ideas on how to beat the heat.

Warnings: Smut. MDNI. Temperature-play, fingering, oral, all that good stuff.

A/N: Thank you for the request! (Also I know it’s not technically toys, but I figured this would work! If you want a full-on toy fic with Johnny just shoot me an ask and I’ll write it!)

Word Count: 3.4k

“It’s 12:05, this is Lee Bayley on Tulsa’s KAKC with the sounds of sunshine!”

Sunshine your ass, whatever hung heavy in the midday sky felt more like a blazing inferno rather than the dainty sun you’d painted in the corner of your childhood drawings. You couldn’t bring yourself to be too peeved at the radio host, the man was likely indoors under heavy air conditioning.

At least he was a damn good DJ, nobody else seemed to be playing a mix of Santana and Van Morrison, not so early in the day anyhow. The hum of bass and methodical drums filled your one-bedroom apartment, the rare wind gust blowing your window blinds against the siding of your wall.

Johnny had hardly given you a moment to beg for a cold shower together before he’d pressed a kiss to your temple that morning, whispering words you didn’t quite catch - all you’d truly caught in your overly hot and tired state that morning had been his promise of something cold when he got back.

You rolled yourself off the muggy bed, kicking your feet in frustration as the top sheet tangled itself around your ankle, as if silently begging you not to leave it under the prying eye of the sun. You were in no mood, so with a grunt you rolled onto the floor, body emitting a soft thud as you came in contact with the shag carpet below.

In nothing but your underwear and an old beaten shirt of Johnny’s you trudged your way into the kitchen, opening up all the windows on your way through the apartment. Your radio softly hummed from your bedroom, some song you didn’t entirely recognize, but found yourself swaying your hips to nonetheless as you bent over to seek something cool in your fridge.

Surprise, surprise. There was nothing. Unless you counted the half-eaten clementine on the right side of the fridge, sitting all pitiful against a half-gallon of milk. As anyone would in their right mind when faced with overbearing summer heat, you closed your refrigerator and opened your freezer, crossing your arms against the frigid plastic before resting your cheek against your propped arms.

The freezer motor buzzed to life, adding to the already abundant noise of the city below pouring through your open windows. You continued humming to the faraway music sounding from your bedroom, losing yourself in the abundance of cool air as you shut your eyes. You’d likely have fallen asleep standing up if it hadn’t been for the slam of the front door, followed by a sing-song whistle, one you knew by heart.

“In here!” You called, not daring to move from your self-created frozen heaven.

“Freezing yourself?” Johnny asked through a gentle laugh, placing down two armfuls of paper bags. You only hummed in reply, tilting your head to the other side to give him a brief smile, one he returned in earnest despite the subtle redness against his cheeks.

“Got you somethin’.” He murmured, tone playful as he moved over to you. Your eyebrows lifted in intrigue, curiosity getting the better of you as you moved from the freezer, the door slamming shut behind you as you leaned against the kitchen counter.

“And what’s that?” You asked with a smile.

“A treat.” He responded, rifling through the paper bags before handing you a cup that he’d so diligently wrapped in another paper bag. “Told you I’d get you somethin’ this mornin’, treat to beat the heat - or whatever the hell they say on those commercials.”

You would’ve groaned at his poor imitation of the commercial that plagued your television set, but you couldn’t focus on anything other than the ice-cold treat in your grasp. With a giddy laugh, you flipped the top off, an audible, and admittedly dramatic moan leaving you as you spooned a hefty amount of the Icee into your mouth.

“Good right?” He asked, hand gently pushing your hip from the drawer behind you to fetch himself a spoon, digging in alongside you as you nodded. Icee’s were certainly a good way to cool your body down, and you definitely didn’t mind watching as Johnny moved beside you, tilting his head back in cold-induced euphoria.

“Very good.” You murmured around your plastic spoon, eyes watching him intently as he scooped another spoonful of the slushy into his mouth. Maybe it was the heat, maybe it was the way his face looked when flushed - either way, you were burning up and the Icee was doing little to quell the heat pooling in your stomach.

Oblivious to your plight, Johnny’s eyebrows lifted, metal spoon still in his mouth as he turned around to free a hefty bag of ice from one of the paper bags. You hummed in thanks around your spoon, earning you a quick nod as he pushed the bag toward the back corner of the freezer.

You placed the half-empty cup down behind you, hands slick and wet with condensation. You took your chance, slinking yourself behind Johnny, giving him no time to duck away before reaching your hands up and underneath his shirt, splaying your cold hands against his warm muscles.

“Jesus-“ He cried out, back arching away from your hands as he reached behind himself, pained words turning into pleading laughter as he turned himself around. “Quit it!”

He had more than enough strength to wrestle your arms snug against himself, ensuring you wouldn’t be able to torture him with your overly cold fingertips. But he loved the way your smile would crinkle the skin beside your eyes, how your nose would scrunch. It was precious to him, worth the goosebumps that raced across his skin, the droplets of cool water that raced down to the hem of his jeans - all of it.

In a bid to have you more pliant, he grabbed your forearms, pulling them around himself. You continued laughing, head falling back as you smiled up at him through your laughter-induced tears. He returned your smile, eyes focused on yours as you steadied your breaths. His hands dropped from your arms, instead moving to cup your jaw as he leaned down to press his lips to yours.

The taste of artificial cherry soared across your tastebuds, along with a sudden chill at the coldness of his tongue. You lifted your arms, draping them around his neck as your tongue moved with his, goosebumps spreading up your forearms at both the fading chill of his tongue paired with the burning lust settling heavily in your lower stomach.

His hands moved from your jaw, tracing along the curve of your waist before resting against the swell of your ass. He gave the plush flesh a harsh squeeze, pulling a surprised squeal from you, one that made him smile into your kiss before resuming his movements.

The bedroom wasn’t far away, but he had no patience, not when you were standing half-dressed in front of him - in his shirt, no less. His fingers toyed with the hem of your underwear, brushing his fingertips along your mound as he nipped at your bottom lip.

“Couch?” He asked, pulling away a fraction to gauge your reaction. When you nodded he backed away, watching with an amused smile as you ran toward the living room. Rather than follow behind you, he turned toward the freezer.

You sunk into the warm fabric of your couch, shallow breaths leaving you in droves as anticipation wore you thin, causing you to soak the thin fabric of your underwear. He reappeared with a glass filled to the brim with ice, condensation already fogging the bottom where his hand rested.

“Gotta cool you down, right?”

You nodded as he moved to sit beside you, placing the glass down on the adjacent coffee table. He then dipped his fingers into the glass, curling the digits around two cubes of ice. Two fingers kept one held firmly against his palm as he held the other between his thumb and index finger, maneuvering himself between your legs, free hand helping your legs to drape over his lap.

“Trust me?” He asked as cool water dropped onto your bare thigh from his palm. You nodded, breath catching in your throat at the plethora of ideas that soared through your mind. He caught your excitement with a smile, his free hand moving to cup the underside of your jaw, tilting your head back to meet his gaze.

“Open your mouth.” He ordered, words careening on the edge of inaudible as he trailed an ice cube around the fullness of your bottom lip. You obeyed, eyes fluttering as you parted your lips. He smiled down at you, finding himself proud of how quickly you listened to him. “Good girl.”

You tilted your head back, allowing him to push the ice farther into your mouth, watching as his eyes focused on how quickly the ice melted against the heat of your tongue.

The sight of your tongue twitching underneath the ice, cold water dripping from the corner of your lips, Johnny couldn’t help himself as he leaned down to connect your lips to his. His hand grasped your jaw, fingers threading through your hair as his tongue met yours.

The steady drip of cool water against your waist pulled you away, goosebumps chasing the droplets in earnest. Johnny murmured an apology against your lips, hardly backing away an inch before his hand smoothed underneath your shirt, lifting the fabric up and over your head.

He took the half-melted ice cube between his fingers, placing it in his mouth as he situated himself between your thighs. He looked up at you through his eyelashes, ice perched between his lips. You could only watch as he lowered himself, bitter cold making contact with the hollow of your stomach. He trailed his lips downward, goosebumps rising along your skin. Cool droplets of water headed down the side of your stomach, leaving you involuntarily arching from the couch as his hands kept your hips steady.

“Johnny-“ You whined, feeling your arousal coat the thin fabric of your underwear. He ignored your plea, instead hooking his fingers into the hem of your underwear, slowly pulling them down in tandem with his movements. You could feel him inching closer to your aching cunt, his right hand pushing your thighs apart, pinning your knee to the backrest of the couch.

You’d expected him to give in, to give you the pleasure you’d so desperately sought after. Instead, he sunk lower onto the couch, trailing the ice onto your inner thighs. You shivered, soft moans falling from you as droplets of water glided down to your cunt. Every so often his gaze would meet yours, the desperation hidden beneath his eyes becoming more ravenous with each passing second.

He propped himself up on his arm, plucking the ice from between his lips. It dripped down his forearm, accidentally causing water to smear against your inner thighs. In a makeshift apology for having teased you for so long he leaned down, right hand held away from your body as he pressed featherlight kisses against your damp inner thighs. You hadn’t the mind to be frustrated, only wanting his lips, fingers, or anything he’d give you.

“Been so patient.” He murmured after placing another open-mouthed kiss on your inner thigh. “So proud of you.”

Before you could conjure a response he shifted between your legs, brushing the edge of the ice against your clit. You gasped, hips bucking down against the couch. His free hand moved back to your hip, holding you steady as he continued swirling the ice against your aching clit. You were left writhing under his hold, mind muddled by the pleasure and lack of release.

In an act of mercy, he tossed the ice to the floor, hands splaying against the underside of your thighs, fingertips freezing against your skin. You rested into his hold, shifting your hips to bring yourself closer to him. He responded to the movement with a smile and a kiss to your thigh, trailing his lips downward until he reached your cunt. The heat from his lips burned, the shift in temperature drastic enough for your hips to buck up into his touch.

His tongue delved between your folds, your arousal coating his tastebuds, the taste pulling a groan from deep within his chest as he swirled his tongue around your clit. The feeling of his tongue against you paired with the obscene sounds of him sucking your clit into his mouth left you whining, hardly able to manage a measly breath as he flicked his tongue against your clit.

Your fingers threaded through his thick hair, the placement of your hands giving you enough balance against the couch cushions to rut up against his tongue. He never backed away, letting you use his mouth as he tried his damndest to keep up with the desperation-fueled bucks of your hips. His middle and ring fingers spread your folds, allowing him to lick a stripe up your cunt before he focused his attention back on your clit, swirling his tongue around it as he pushed his fingers into your cunt, curling them upward to brush against your g-spot.

“Fu-uck.” Was all you managed at the combination, word breathless as he thrusted his fingers into you, syncing his movements with his tongue. Your hips rocked down against the digits, pushing them deeper into your cunt, the depth causing your cunt to squeeze around his fingers. He groaned at the feeling, the vibration of his voice centered around your clit. You could feel your lower stomach tensing, thighs trembling in his hold as he lapped at your cunt.

He could feel your orgasm building before you’d even registered it, too blinded by the onslaught of pleasure to recognize your cunt fluttering around his fingers, how your breaths had become short gasps of his name, your grasp on his hair tightening to an almost painful degree. His free hand moved to your lower stomach, pressing down against the plush skin as he continued pumping his fingers into you, massaging that spot within you that left you trembling.

“C’mon, baby,” he whispered, begging you to come undone against his tongue and around his fingers. You gave him his wish with a broken cry of his name, back arching from the cushion of the couch, your hips jerking as he continued his ministrations. His pace sped up, the pleasure almost brutal as he helped you through your orgasm. You could feel your juices dripping down the cusp of your ass, soaking the fabric beneath you.

His lips and chin glistened underneath the overhead light, the sight making you flush as he wiped his skin dry with the hem of his shirt, pulling the fabric off of himself afterward. You leaned up, thighs shaking with the movement as your hands found the front of his jeans. He looked down at you, lips parted as his breaths came in shuddering gasps. You kept his gaze as you unzipped his jeans, fingers sliding against the worn denim. You could feel his cock straining against the material, his chest heaving with each touch of your fingers against his shaft, no matter how featherlight.

You slunk your hand into the fly of his jeans, flattening your palm against the shaft of his cock, fingertips settling at the base as you leaned up onto your knees, pressing your lips to his in a searing kiss as you swallowed the moans that left him at the feeling of your hand slowly moving along his aching cock. You’d hardly been able to wrap your fingers around him before he’d pushed you back onto the couch, right hand moving to cup the underside of your thigh, hiking it up to rest against his lower back.

“Please-“ You whined against his lips, hands eagerly pushing his jeans down his hips.

He leaned down onto his left arm, propping himself up as he wrapped his hand around his cock, pumping himself languidly as he swiped his tip along your soaked folds, finding himself unable to stop the groan that reverberated in his chest at the warmth of your cunt against him.

Your eyes met his in a silent plea for him to fuck you, to extinguish the fire burning heavy in your lower stomach, the very feeling that left you dripping, clenching around nothing as he teased you with the tip of his cock.

“Johnny-“ You panted impatiently.

With a roll of his hips, he bottomed out inside of you, stretching you out blissfully. The tip of his cock brushed against your cervix, causing your hips to twitch as you grew accustomed to his size. You two fucked often, yet every time you had to give yourself a moment to readjust to his size, not that he minded - if anything he seemed to love the sight of you squirming beneath him, lips parted as you took in shaken gasps while your cunt squeezed around him.

“Alright?” He asked as he pressed a kiss to your forehead, leaning back to level his eye-line with yours. You nodded, giving him the reassurance he needed to pull his hips back, dragging his cock out of you before pushing back in, the lewd sound of your cum coating his shaft filling the shared silence between you.

Your legs tightened around his hips, the heels of your feet digging into his lower back, pushing him deeper into you in tandem with each thrust of his hips. Your eyes stayed locked with his, pupils blown, irises sharing every emotion you couldn’t put to words while overcome with such intense pleasure.

His pace was slow, methodical, ensuring he brushed against each spot inside of you that left you rolling your hips with his, wordlessly begging for more. With a kiss to your temple, he slunk his hand down between your damp bodies, circling his middle and ring finger around your clit.

A gasp rasped from your lungs as your head fell back against the cushion of the couch, the combination of his cock and fingers leaving you a mess of whimpers and heavy breaths. He watched you, face flushed a reddish hue from both the heat and the feeling of your cunt squeezing his cock each time he bottomed out inside of you.

You could feel your juices dripping down the cusp of your ass, warm and wet, stark in comparison to the remnants of water that lingered against your chest and stomach. His fingers picked up in their pace, the change pulling a drawn-out moan from you as your eyes squeezed shut, feeling your lower stomach tense.

“Johnny-“ You whined, words trembling.

“I know.” He replied, closing the distance between you with a chaste kiss to your lips before he trailed his lips down to your jaw. His cock twitched as his hips rocked forward, pace hastening as he felt your cunt fluttering around him. “I know, baby.”

With a sharp cry of his name, you were cumming around his cock. He trailed open-mouthed kisses along the curve of your throat, each one interrupted by a choked-back grunt as he fucked you through your orgasm.

Your arms wrapped around his neck, pulling him down against you as he rutted into you, tiny breaths and whines of your name tumbling past his lips. He tried to muffle the noises by burying his face in the crook of your neck, but you heard them all the same, each noise causing your cunt to squeeze around him.

“Fuck, I-“ He breathed, eyebrows screwed together as he pushed himself up onto his left arm. He abruptly pulled out of you, the feeling of being empty leaving you whimpering as he pumped himself through his orgasm, spilling himself onto your lower stomach with a grunt of your name.

He collapsed onto you, placing light kisses against your throat in between whispered praises, his right hand smoothing up the side of your waist, fingers tracing delicate patterns against your skin as you both caught your breath.

“Definitely didn’t help us cool down.” You laughed out, looking over to him before pressing a kiss to his forehead. He hummed in response, a lazy smile evident on his face, absolutely glowing in post-coital bliss.

“Can always take a shower.” He murmured against your skin, eyes flickering up to meet yours. You knew by his glance that neither of you would be getting clean in that shower, but who were you to turn an opportunity like that down?

“Deal.”

A/N: Did I listen to a radio track just to get a line from an old Tulsa station? Yes, yes I did. It’s a shame radio ain’t as popular as it used to be, and it’s a damn shame rock stations don’t play classic rock half as much as they used to. Anyhow, I hope you all enjoyed this! It ain’t hot outside where I am, but I certainly miss southern summers enough to write about ‘em! Thank you all for the countless love and support you show me and my work, I appreciate you all so much!

#anon ask #my work #the outsiders #the outsiders fanfic #the outsiders fanfiction #the outsiders writing #request #johnny cade #johnny cade x y/n #johnny cade x reader #johnny cade smut #the outsiders johnny

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2knightt · 5 months

Text

「 be our guest! 」

IN WHICH—dallas winston is the beast while readers the beauty!♡ ໋֢👒✧

🍵ヾFT. DALLAS WINSTON࿐ྀུ ♡

⌗ 👒 notes !𖥔༌ ᰷ ﹅i am NAWT making him an actual beast. he’s just shaggy guys☺️.

“well, maybe dallas winston got ‘em. sounds right up his alley, y/n.”

cherry shrugs, saying everything in a nonchalant voice. she crossed her arms, blinking as she waits for a response instead of this over-exaggerated look on your face.

you never got why she hung around you. she was able to fit into any crowd, she wasn’t called weird or different, and she wasn’t just liked for her beauty.

you had the right side of your top lip raised, your eyebrows were furrowed and you—ever so slightly—squinted.

you were about to respond with some snappy remark before you felt a hand grip your shoulder, snaking their arm around your waist.

“‘m terribly sorry to hear about your father, y/n. but—going after him would be a fools game.”

you couldn’t stand bob! he goes after every girl in the village, then gets his sights set on you for not liking him like how the brainwashed girls do!

first he calls your dad crazy to his face, then he makes you feel dumb for reading books beyond his comprehension, and now he’s mocking your father for chasing his dreams!

you scoff, pushing yourself away to get as far away from him as possible. bob gets this weird look of hurt on his face, a mixture of shock, hurt, and amusement.

“you pig! what makes you think—in any universe—you can even think that he won’t come back?!”

you shout, waving your arm around. you walk, as quickly as you can to stand beside cherry. she had her chest puffed out, her face contorted into a look of anger.

randy now stood behind him, trying to seem tuff now. he never was one that struck you as tuff anyhow. bob got a fake sympathetic look.

“c’mon, hun. you know that’s not what i meant. all you need is me with you.”

he smirked, pointing to his chest with his hands. randy mumbles a fast ‘yeah,’ trying to fit into the conversation somehow.

you opened your mouth to call him some not-so nice words before huffing off, turning on your heel. you started marching your way towards your house.

cherry was right behind you, complaining about bob. saying he was no good, that he’s just the same as before. those complaints fell to deaf ears, though.

you were too busy thinking on how you were gonna help your father. how scared he must be, how you were gonna save him from anything and everything.

you tossed on the closet thing you can find to be a jacket, wrapping the strings loosely around your neck.

cherry was leaning onto the door frame, calling bob a, ‘no good two timing looney.’ whatever that means. she turns her head, seeing this jacket wrapped around your shoulders as you flick your hood up.

“no way you’re actually going, y/n.”

you scrunch your face, confused on what she meant. sure, you understood her words but why didn’t she think you weren’t gonna go?

“you got an issue with that?”

you ask, blinking. you had furrowed your eyebrows, eyes shifting around. you sigh, not wanting to hear an answer. she was jus’ gonna bring up dallas winston. dallas winston was all you heard when someone talked to you about your father.

‘dallas winston’s gonna gut ‘em.’ ‘dallas winston’s never gonna let your dad go, y’know.’

you huff, walking out the door past cherry. she quickly places a gentle hand on your shoulder, trying her best to give a reassuring smile.

“don’t die. i need someone to, uh, talk too.”

you smile, nodding your head. you seen that she was visibly worried, her eyebrows upturned. she lost the rosy hue to her cheeks, the sparkle in her eyes was a little more shiny, her lips were shaking ever so slightly.

you grasped her hand in yours, holding it like she was gonna break at any moment. you mumble a fast, ‘it’s alright,’ before rushing your way towards the barn.

your fathers horse stood there, looking worried herself. you gently pet the nape of her neck, unhitching her. you sigh, tightening your lips.

“please, just take me to him.”

you mumble quietly, hoping that celine would understand you. you hopped onto the saddle, gripping the reins. you thwack the leather, telling the horse to get going.

she rode and rode, leading you to once a beautiful, bright, with blooming flowers turn into a dark, frightening, gloomy forest.

you felt your breath hitch as you fled deeper into the woods, hearing owls hoot, the twigs under celine snapping.

you reach this huge gate, the metal rusting. you look up, your eyes trailing up the cracks in the cement border. the dead trees growing up the walls, the roots sticking out of the ground. the black iron gate looking heavier than anything you’ve ever seen.

you jump off the horse, figuring it’s worth a shot to at least try to open the gate. you push it open, the bottom of the gate dragging the dirt along with it. your eyes shift around, locking onto your fathers hat. you gasp, looking forwards, seeing the door to the huge castle.

it had towers upon towers, the door looking just as huge as the gate, if not bigger. you inhaled, trying to find courage to rush through the door. you grip your fathers hat, finding an odd comfort in a way.

“oh, you just had to invite him!”

ponyboy groans, throwing his head back. he walks towards two-bit, pointing at him as he furthers with his complaining.

“sit in dally’s chair, of course! take a look at this vase! stay, stay, i insist!”

ponyboy mocks him, copying two-bits movements in an over exaggerated way. he quickly rolls his eyes, kissing his teeth as he crosses his arms.

“well, excuse me for trying to be orderly!”

two-bit replys, sarcasm laced in his voice as he snarls. he huffs, turning his head away from ponyboy. he opened his mouth, ready to say something snide back before hearing the door creak open.

“hello? is anyone here? hello?”

you yell out into the empty halls, rushing up the stairs. the bright red carpet helping you stay balanced as you were calling for your dad in this castle. god, how scared was he?

“dare! there’s a girl in the castle!”

johnny whisper-shouts, stumbling his way towards darry who was washing the dishes. darry quickly glances towards johnny, sighing as he scrubs the plate faster.

“now, johnny, let’s not start makin’ up these elaborate stories.”

“honest, darry! i saw ‘er!”

darry sighs, frustrated. he tossed johnny a wet rag, shaking his head.

“enough with that nonsense. start helpin’ me with the dishes, johnny.”

sodapop comes skidding into the kitchen, almost missing the room entirely. he trips onto the checkered tile, rushing to get up. soda shoots up beside darry, his elbows propping him up as he leans onto the counter.

“i saw a girl in the castle, darry! a girl!”

johnny throws the dish rag into the sink, staring at darry with an, ‘are you kidding me?’ look.

“told you.”

two-bit cracks a grin, seeing ponyboy get more furious the more he toys with him.

“you irresponsible, wax for ears, sassy littl-“

“papa?”

ponyboy gets cut off, hearing your voice echo through the walls of the castle. two-bit and ponyboy rush towards the door, peaking out from the side to see you cautiously step down the hall.

“did you see that? a girl, pony!”

“i know it’s a girl.”

two-bit grins, practically skipping around.

“she’s the girl we’ve been searchin’ for! she’s the one that’s gonna help dally!”

“wai-wait!”

ponyboy shouts, chasing after two-bit who’s currently following you carefully.

you stumble past a door, looking forward before hearing it creak behind you. you rush inside the room, looking left and right.

“hello?”

unknown to you, two-bit and ponyboy had just entered the same room. sure, the two of them knew you’d hear but two-bit was hoping you’d go in.

two-bit drags ponyboy into the closet, hiding inside it. two-bit cracks the doors open slightly, seeing you walk up the stairs.

“dad?”

“y/n?”

you hear your dad groan from this door, a small part at the bottom having bars. you rush towards the wooden door, grabbing a torch on your way there. you crouch down, holding your dads hand gently. it was so much colder than you remember.

“wh-what are you doing here? how did you find me?”

“i need to get you out of here.”

“no! you can’t! get out, far away as possible!”

you felt a hand grip your shoulder tightly before tossing you up, causing you to stumble back slightly. in the process, you dropped the torch. it was pitch black, you were unable to see three feet ahead of you.

“wha—who are you?!”

you shout to this dark figure, the moonlight being the only thing shining through the towers window. he fled to a darker part of the chamber, as if trying to hide from you.

“who are you?”

he snarled, looking down at you like you were just some…bug. you were unable to see anything but the scowl on his face.

“let my father go! he’s sick, he could die! please, i-l’ll do anything!”

the man turns on his heel, looking away from you. he huffs quietly, getting annoyed by the second.

“there’s nothing you can do. he’s my prisoner—what aren’t you gettin’ lady?”

he kisses his teeth, walking past you. when he stomped away. he looked down at you once more. you looked closer at him, seeing slight fangs when he snarls.

“there must be some way….there must be some way.”

you ramble to yourself, your eyes darting around the floor. you notice cracks that are leading towards the door keeping you away from your father.

“wait!”

you shout without thinking, extending a hand out. dallas stops walking, looking over his shoulder. he had an eyebrow raised, looking down at you with curiosity.

“take me instead.”

you sigh, gripping the hem of your little cape. your just now noticing your hoodie fell, a cold breeze hitting the back of your neck.

dallas blinks in shock, turning around. his lips were slightly parted as his eyes trail from you to the ground. his eyebrows were furrowed, confusion painted on his face.

“you would…take his place?”

“no! you don’t know what you’re doing, please!”

your father shouts, his voice shaking. you sigh, trying to recollect your thoughts. why did you say that? why are you getting nervous? why are you acting like you wouldn’t take his place over and over again?

“if i did, would you let him go?”

dallas takes a step forwards, crossing his arms. he looks you up and down, licking the inside of his cheek. he clenches his jaw before nodding his head slowly.

“yea. only if you stay forever.”

you sigh, your mind running at a million miles per second. you bite the skin off your lip, trying to make out how this guy looks.

“come into the light.”

you demand, squinting your eyes. you try to seem as tough as possible, tilting your head. sure, you weren’t the most intimidating—but you can try.

you hear an audible sigh and you’re willing to bet he rolled his eyes. he took a step forward, not trying to hide his angry expression.

the first thing you see being a scowl. he had rugged black hair, thick eyebrows, and dark brown eyes that felt has if he was staring past you whilst looking directly at you. he had noticeable fangs when he licks his teeth, raising his chin.

he had a stubble, his side burns quite shaggy. he was unkept, looking as if he hadn’t had a good haircut in months, years even if you wanna push it.

you gulp, as cartoony as that sounds. he intimidated you by just standing there. his eyes didn’t shine under the moonlight, his expression showed something you couldn’t read.

you bump into the wooden door, your father gently touching your shoulder. you find it comforting, but it wasn’t enough for you to change your mind.

“y/n, please. i cannot let you do this!”

you walk forward, your head hung low. you look up at him as you stand infront of him, standing up straight.

“you have my word.”

“deal.”

he growls, stomping towards the chamber your father was in. he opens the door, creaking loudly as it echos. you hide your face in your palms, trying to calm yourself.

your father rushes towards you, holding your shoulders. he stutters before finally saying a coherent sentence.

“listen to me, y/n! i’ve lived my life, i’m old!”

he gets cut off when dallas drags him away, not bothering to look at you or the ground in shame. he just looks forward, not an emotion present on his face.

your dad shouts out for you as he gets pulled away, extending out his arms. you shout another, ‘wait,’ but it falls to deaf ears.

“no, please! spare my daughter, i’m begging!”

“she’s not somethin’ you should be worryin’ about, man.”

dally mumbles, a sly grin on his face as he shoves your father into this carriage. the thing got up on four legs and started moving, ignoring the shouts of protest. dallas ignores him like he had before, the complaining getting easier to block out.

you watched as the man that can go head to toe with the devil threw your father into a carriage, throwing your face in your palms. a whine escaped your throat, a sound that can only be described as agony.

dallas was about to climb up the stairs once more before hearing a small, ‘psst!’

“dally!”

two-bit shouted from the closet, taking a step out from it. ponyboy wasn’t that far behind, a worried look on his face.

“what?”

dallas snarled, his voice filled with anger. two-bits eyes widened, eyes darting around before nervously chuckling.

“we-well, since the girl’s stayin’ for longer…how ‘bout we give ‘er a nicer room?”

dally raised his lip, angered at the question. before two-bit could add onto his sentence, dallas was already halfway up the stairs.

you sat in the dungeon, keeping your word. you were scared to not keep your word. dallas cautiously entered the room, hearing your cries. he almost felt a drop of pity for you.

the fear you felt trickled into anger as you turned on your heel, jaw clenched with your face scrunched.

“you didn’t even let me say goodbye! i’ll never see him again! …i didn’t get to say goodbye…”

a sob left your lips, palms back on your face. dallas’ lips were slightly parted, eyebrows twitching. he tightened his lips, crossing his arms before sighing.

“follow me to your room.”

#2knightt #the outsiders #the outsiders x reader #dallas winston x reader #dally winston x reader #guys i’ve finally done it #part 2 is like 3/4 done☺️

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just-come-baek · 2 years

Text

ghosting you

Pairing: real estate agent Na Jaemin x entrepreneur female!reader ft. nct various nct cameos

Word count: 27.1k

Summary: You met Jaemin about a year ago. After a night full of adventures, he promised to give you a call. He did not. Sometimes universe gifts second chances, but you didn’t really expect to meet again with him. Especially not when you decided to go to the countryside to flip the haunted house that you recently inherited.

A/N those who get it, get it; those who don’t, don’t 😇😇 you know what to do ✨ heart, comment, reblog, anon, or/and support me

Jaemin groaned for the hundredth time when the engine again in his recently downgraded car died. “What a piece of shit,” he cursed as he hit the steering wheel in frustration, praying for the vehicle to start again. He was in the middle of nowhere, and according to the navigation system on his phone, he was about fifteen minutes away from his destination.

After a few attempts, the engine roared back to life, and Jaemin maneuvered through the dirt road. His phone started to ring when Jaemin reached a crossroads. Quickly, Jaemin looked at the device before he slid his finger across the screen to pick up the incoming call from Jeno.

“What do you want? I’m kinda busy right now,” Jaemin barked as soon as he switched to the speaker mode and changed the tab back to the navigation app.

“Just checking up on you,” Jeno softly spoke, unable to mask concern for his best friend. “How are you holding up?” he asked, and Jaemin bit his bottom lip in deep thought.

How was he holding up?

Not good.

Was he going to have a heart-to-heart talk with Jeno about it, though? Absolutely not.

“I’m fine,” Jaemin said, trying to brush his friend off. Focusing on the road, Jaemin lighted up the blinker and turned left, ignoring Jeno’s perturbed sigh. “I mean it. I’m the best estate agent at the firm. I’ll sell this hideous house and be back in no time.”

“Of course, you will. You’d sell a comb to a bald man,” Jeno stated, and Jaemin hummed, having no doubts in his marketing skills. Everybody knew Jaemin was the best. It wasn’t fair that one tiny mishap cost him the title of employee-of-the-month, which he managed to preserve for six consecutive months.

Anyhow, Jaemin knew he could bounce right back to the top.

As punishment for his foolish mistake, Jaemin was given a special assignment. If he ever wanted to return to working on the high-end apartment market, he had to sell what other estate agents called the unsellable house.

The estate was on the market for over ten years, yet no one had even rung the agency to check it out. The mansion was in the middle of nowhere, and frankly, the terrible location was the least of Jaemin’s worries. It was enormous, ugly, expensive to maintain, difficult to commute, and supposedly haunted. It was every real estate agent’s nightmare, but now, because of one reckless decision, it became Jaemin’s reality.

His situation was all around bad. There was no way in hell he would be able to sell it. Jaemin had talent, but it wasn’t enough to persuade someone to actually purchase it. If anything, he needed a miracle.

“I gotta go. I’ll talk to you later,” Jaemin hung up as soon as he pulled up on the driveway in front of the mansion. His jaw was ajar when he leaned forward to look through the windshield. The pictures didn’t do it justice – it was way worse.

With a sigh, Jaemin got out of the vehicle, leaving all of his belongings in the backseat. At first, he’d look around the house for any silver linings. His new work situation couldn’t be as bad as other agents were making it out to be.

Tentatively, Jaemin strutted toward the house, hoping it looked the same as in the advertisement on the agency website. The last thing he wished to discover was some mold or any other type of water damage. Nobody was interested in the residence as of now, and another obstacle was going to give him a migraine.

The moment Jaemin set foot on the porch, the wood creaked under his weight, and the doors slightly opened, startling him. “Shit,” he cursed, taking a cautious step back. It was strange, but there’s got to be a logical explanation.

Jaemin craned his head, trying to peek inside.

The building was old and a bit run-down, but it definitely wasn’t haunted. Even if Jaemin thought he saw something paranormal, it must’ve been his mind projecting weird stuff. He definitely watched too many horror films.

“Get a grip,” Jaemin muttered, readjusting his suit jacket before he approached the front door again, pushing the doors open. Not a single malevolent spirit jumped out on him, so it was safe to assume the place wasn’t haunted as other estate agents liked to joke around.

It was dark inside, and it reeked of dust. Jaemin couldn’t smell nor see any mold, which was a good sign. Immediately, he sighed in relief, glad there was a silver lining to his predicament.

Jaemin did a quick tour around the ground floor. The rooms were of a decent size. It was a shame there wasn’t an open floor plan, but the building was almost one hundred years old – he didn’t have high expectations about it. At least the ceilings were high. Regardless of how much clutter was around, it didn’t feel cramped.

Traditional houses were getting more and more popular. With proper marketing and a little bit of renovating, Jaemin could get people to bid for it. The building, despite its ominous reputation, had potential. Jaemin was confident he could find a buyer who would appreciate it.

The second Jaemin left the kitchen and entered the dining room, he heard a bizarre noise. It sounded as if someone had dropped something onto the floor in the basement.

“Not this,” Jaemin groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose in irritation. Quickly, he concluded that there must’ve been some kind of trespassing. It was a common practice for homeless people to inhabit seemingly abandoned buildings. “Can this day get any worse?” Jaemin muttered as he whipped out his phone, turning on the flashlight.

With a calculated strength, Jaemin kicked the basement doors open.

“Whoever is down there, come out! It’s private property! You have five minutes, or I’m calling the police!” Jaemin hollered, staring at the stairs, seeing only thick dust flying into the stream of light. When his voice echoed against basement walls, Jaemin heard a loud noise of a chair being dragged across the concrete floor.

Although Jaemin didn’t feel particularly scared, the screeching gave him goosebumps.

He had no idea how many people were hiding in the basement. The upcoming confrontation with them made him a bit anxious, so he quickly typed the police number, ready to dial if the intruders were to be aggressive or uncooperative.

A few moments later, a person emerged from the shadows. Jaemin squinted his eyes, trying to make out the trespasser’s face – unfortunately, in vain. The person was blocking their eyes with their arm from the blinding light.

“What the fuck?” You cursed, trying to peek through your fingers at the moron at the top of the staircase. You swore you’d smack the flashlight out of his hands if he didn’t turn it off.

He wanted to call the police on you???

The audacity of this dude, really.

You were just minding your business in your house. You were well aware it was private property because it was YOURS. He was the one trespassing.

“Turn off the flashlight, idiot,” you shouted, but the man didn’t immediately react as you expected him to. The dazzling beam was still aimed at you, so you decided to fight fire with fire. It was petty, but you had to get the message across somehow.

You turned the flashlight on before you climbed up the stairs, staring at your feet in an attempt to protect your retinas from the throbbing brightness.

“Who are you? And what are you doing in my house?” You yelled as you switched off your flashlight simultaneously with the rude trespasser.

“Your house?” He asked in confusion, and you nodded your head. The man was just as confused as you were at this point. “I’m Na Jaemin. I work at the Dream real estate agency that handles the sale of this property,” he introduced himself, and you narrowed your eyes at the man in front of you. He looked oddly familiar. Even his name seemed to ring a bell.

“Do I know you?” You tilted your head slightly to the side as you stared at his features, trying to remember when and where you had seen him. Prompted by your staring, Jaemin studied your visage, pondering over your questions.

For a while, you stared at each other in complete silence.

“Oh,” You chimed in as realization washed through you, making you giggle.

“Oh?” Jaemin asked in confusion, cocking his eyebrow up.

“You’re Jaemin,” you said, and Jaemin waited for your explanation since epiphany had yet to come to him. “You’ve changed your hair. It looks good on you,” you noted as the memories were coming back to you. In your opinion, dark hair suited him better, but Jaemin still looked handsome regardless of his hair dye. “You really don’t remember me, huh? We spent one hell of a night together about a year ago,” you hinted, hoping for Jaemin to get the clue.

Now he realized why your name sounded familiar when he had flipped through the house files.

“Ah, it’s you?” Jaemin asked, unable to comprehend the situation.

“Yeah, I am the girl you ghosted,” you added, and Jaemin twisted his mouth in embarrassment, scratching the back of his head, searching for words to explain his actions.

A little over a year ago, you met Jaemin at a convenience store where you had a heated argument over a bottle of wine and a box of condoms. A few hours later, you bumped into him again. You were both drunk and brokenhearted. That eventful night, Jaemin caught his girlfriend cheating, and you got dumped via a text message on your first anniversary. Without any doubt, you spent one of the wildest nights of your life with him.

He was a memorable one-night stand to you, and it hurt your ego a little bit to know he couldn’t recall the events as vividly as you. You had plenty of fun bar-hopping, driving bumper cars, kissing in the rain, watching trash TV, and fucking.

Even though neither of you was ready to date again, you still hoped you could stay friends until you’d sort your shit out. Unfortunately, it didn’t seem to be an option, either.

“You said you’d call me, yet you never did,” you stated, and Jaemin cringed at his past douche antics. When he got up today, he had no idea he would have so much shit thrown his way. At first, it was job complications, and now he ran into you.

“I’m sorry. It was really shitty of me,” Jaemin apologized, and you shrugged, giggling.

“Don’t worry, I don’t hold a grudge,” you said, and Jaemin sighed, hoping that the awkward atmosphere would dissolve soon. “I was a little bummed out at first, but then we barely knew each other, so yeah, no hard feelings,” you added with a genuine smile.

“Why do I keep meeting you during my turning points in life?” Jaemin pondered, and you creased your forehead, trying to remember what he was referring to. Back then, you had witnessed him at his lowest; was he in trouble now?

“Hey, if your girlfriend broke up with you again, that’s entirely on you,” you jested, and Jaemin shook his head, trying to avoid miscommunication. You weren’t particularly good at comforting people. The best you could do was to crack a joke to loosen up the atmosphere. “Don’t put the blame on me,” you added, emphasizing there was no correlation.

“Ha-ha, very funny. I meant work,” Jaemin clarified, and you sighed in relief. “Also, turning points aren’t necessarily bad. I chose this house as my next project. From this moment onward, selling this house is my top priority,” he lied, trying his best to convince you it was why he was here right now.

As of now, Jaemin was too prideful to admit to his faults and own the truth.

“What?” You asked in confusion, seeing right through him. For the sake of his sanity, you decided to play along. “Why would you do that? Are you out of your mind?”

“What do you mean?”

“Have you seen this house? It’s in a rough shape… to put it nicely,” you trailed off as you looked around your property. “Also, it’s pretty haunted,” you added matter-of-factly, knowing it was what usually put people off.

“I don’t believe in paranormal,” Jaemin retorted with a proud smirk. You rolled your eyes at him, expecting this kind of response. He hadn’t spent as much time here as you had, so you figured you could excuse his skepticism. “There’s no such a thing as ghosts, demons, or tooth fairies.”

“You must’ve been a grumpy child,” you interjected, giggling at your remark.

“That’s not true. As a matter of fact, I was the sweetest child ever,” he confirmed with a proud smile. “Anyway, haunted or not, I can sell it. Don’t worry about it. You’ve got the best agent working on it.”

“Nice,” you said, your lips stretched out in an awkward smile as you were unsure how to react.

“So… are you living here? Not to sound rude, but the house doesn’t look like inhabited.”

“Well…” you started, unsure how to explain your current living situation. It was a bit complicated. “My best friend suggested I take a break from work, so I decided to come here and renovate my great grandma’s house. I just started cleaning up the basement yesterday.”

“Ah, I see,” Jaemin replied, nodding his head as he registered the new pieces of information.

“It’s funny how I have a renovation company, yet I only helped others. It’s the first time I’m using my skills to do something for myself,” you added, sensing it was appropriate to mention your profession now. You wouldn’t want to piss off the estate agent assigned to sell the property. It was a good thing he showed up – he should’ve been notified of all renovations that were going on.

Jaemin gulped as he now realized how your presence complicated his situation.

At this point, Jaemin was royally fucked.

***

The next day at down, Jaemin was already in front of your house with two cups of coffee in his hands. He was to make an offer. (It was kind of shameless.) However, if you agreed to hear him out, this arrangement could be beneficial for you both. Jaemin would have a roof under his head and eventually return to his old scope of estate market, and you would get rid of the house, selling it for a hefty sum.

A win-win situation.

Jaemin confidently knocked on the door, hoping you were awake. Waiting for you to answer the door, Jaemin turned around and looked at the trees’ crowns where the sun was ascending. It was a warm morning – ideal even for profitable cooperation propositions.

Jaemin had been thinking all night. He was in a lot of trouble, and everything that could go wrong, went wrong; out of the frying pan, into the fire.

Although he came up with an impromptu damage control protocol, it was useless without your consent. His career depended on this conversation with you, so he needed to do well. He’d use all of his charisma to pitch this idea to you. He’d use every trick to pull you on his side.

Jaemin was dressed to the nines. He looked professional, expensive, and handsome in his best purple suit, a no-collar white shirt, and a pair of shiny leather shoes. He even paid extra attention to his hair and musky cologne.

It was all or nothing at this point. Jaemin had nothing to lose, so he might as well put all his eggs in one basket. Worst case scenario, he’d live on Jeno’s couch and find a no-skill entry job.

“What are you doing here so early in the morning?” You asked as you pushed the doors open, yawning. You didn’t expect any visitors. Not at the asscrack of dawn, anyway.

“Can we talk?” Jaemin softly asked, staring into your eyes. “We could help each other out,” he mused, and you cocked your eyebrow, folding your arms across your chest. “I’m bringing gifts,” he added, flashing the cup of coffee and croissants in front of your eyes.

“You should’ve said so!” You exclaimed, eager to hear him out. You didn’t have breakfast yet. And you had been hungry since the evening. “Should we take it outside? The weather is nice. Why don’t we sit down in the garden? Follow me.”

You led him to the back of the house where the cozy gazebo was. It offered a fine open view of the overgrown rose garden. You hadn’t had time to do any gardening yet, but it still felt enjoyable to sit there.

“Here,” Jaemin said, sliding one coffee cup across the table in your direction.

“So… what did you want to talk about?” You started as you wrapped your fingers around the paper cup, giving it a stir before drinking. “What is this?!” You asked as you spit out the suspicious liquid on the ground, coughing for your life. “It tastes like dirt juice,” you complained, pushing the cup away.

“I must’ve mixed our drinks, sorry,” Jaemin apologized, quickly offering you his cup. “Dirt juice should be mine. I got you a regular latte. I hope that’s okay. The local café didn’t have many options to choose from.”

“That’s lovely. Thank you,” you smiled, taking a cautious sip of the other coffee, sighing in contentment, and enjoying your hot beverage. “So… what did you want to talk about? I’m all ears.”

Jaemin explained everything as if his life depended on it. In some sense, it did, but he was going to leave that part out. You didn’t need to know that. With passion, he presented all perks of his proposition, gesticulating frantically with his hands to get the point across.

“So, in conclusion, you want us to join forces to sell the house?” You summarized his presentation, pondering over every detail he disclosed.

It would be practical to have an extra pair of hands if you needed help. Jaemin also knew a lot about the estate market trends – probably even more than you. In times of doubt, you could ask him for a second opinion.

However, did you really want to sell the house? It was always in your family. Maybe it was haunted, but it was yours.

“It sounds way too good to be true,” you admitted, taking a sip of your coffee.

Did you have anything to lose? No. Jaemin offered himself to help you with anything. He’d be by your side throughout the whole renovation process. You could let him stay in one of many guest rooms for, as he eloquently put, 24/7 professional renovation help.

“What can I say? I’m really devoted to my job, and I like a good challenge,” Jaemin answered with a smirk, showing off his confidence in this project. “I realize the estate market isn’t in the best shape, but despite its creepy aura, we can fix it and have buyers fight for this house.”

At this point, you couldn’t tell if Jaemin was overly confident or just foolish. However, all risk factors were on Jaemin’s side – even if it was a scam, Jaemin would be the only one to suffer the consequences.

Narrowing your eyes at him, you tried to read him to detect any time of deceit. If there was a façade, your smoldering gaze didn’t crumble it. For all you could tell, Jaemin was telling the truth.

“It’s a deal,” you said, stretching your arm to shake on it. There was no tangible document for you to sign to formalize this agreement, so a solemn handshake would have to do the trick.

“Great,” Jaemin said with excitement in his tone, rubbing his hands together, ready for his first assignment. “What’s the plan for today?”

“Well… I don’t have a set schedule,” you admitted, scratching the back of your head as you tried to collect all of your thoughts. “I arranged garbage pick-up for Friday, so I have to go through all the stuff in the basement and color-code what is trash and what is a precious antique. Do you mind helping me with that?”

“Not at all,” Jaemin beamed, ready to work his ass off for his success.

***

“Are you sure you don’t want to change?” You asked Jaemin after you finished your breakfast. His suit looked expensive, and you didn’t want him to damage it. “It’s quite dusty in there.”

“I’m fine, thank you,” Jaemin answered, brushing your suggestion off. “So once again, I put the red sticker if something is junk, and the green one if something is valuable,” he added, and you nodded. It wasn’t that hard, but you appreciated that Jaemin wanted to double-check with you.

“Yep, and if you’re unsure, just ask,” you replied with a polite smile, stamping Jaemin’s forehead with a sticker. With Jaemin’s help, you could finish the deep cleaning phase twice as fast.

“Am I a red sticker or a green one?” Jaemin asked, twisting his face as if he could see what was on his forehead with his peripheral. “Please tell me I’m a green one,” he added as he pulled the sticker off his skin, rubbing off the glue residue. “You gotta be kidding me,” he whined upon seeing red.

“Honestly, you’d be yellow. I don’t have that type of sticker, though, so it’s red for the time being. I may change my mind later,” you teased, sending him a smug smirk. “Anyway… Let’s go,” you said, pushing the basement doors open. “Oh, and if you hear any chilling noises, just ignore them. It’s no big deal.”

“Old rusty pipes. Got it.”

“Actually, pipes are in surprisingly good shape. I checked them yesterday,” you proudly admitted. Though the house looked rough, the plumbing was in excellent condition. “The ghost is the problem here, but I learned it eventually stops bothering you if you don’t give them attention.”

“Huh?” Jaemin asked, alarmed. Urban legends were one thing, but having a person admit it to his face was an entirely different story. He didn’t peg you to be into supernatural stuff, yet there you were, warning him of the ghost residing on the premises.

“Whether you believe me or not, just ignore them,” you added before you turned around to walk downstairs to the basement. “Watch out on the third step. It needs extra support, and I haven’t had a chance to work on it yet.”

“Let’s get to work then,” Jaemin hollered in excitement as he joined you downstairs. A light bulb was hanging off the ceiling, but it wasn’t nearly enough to illuminate the entire space, so you used your phone’s flashlights to see more clearly.

You worked diligently on your side of the basement. Jaemin, on the other hand, had a lot of questions regarding every single item he picked up to inspect. First, he’d ask you which sticker he should use, followed by additional questions regarding the item’s history. Was it your childhood toy? Were your grandparents really using it? How did it get here? Does it have any family value to you? Is it authentic? Doesn’t look authentic to me. We could sell it on Ebay.

You appreciated the effort Jaemin was putting in, but overall, you didn’t work any faster.

“You know what. I think we should change things up. I’ll be putting stickers on stuff. You’ll be taking the junk outside. How does that sound?” You offered, trying your best to sound nice. The way you were working together wasn’t efficient at all, so you hoped this little changed improved your productivity. Besides, Jaemin could make use of his muscles.

“Sure thing, boss,” Jaemin replied, glad he was given a different task. You were calling the shots, and both parties were content with that work dynamic.

***

“How do you feel after your first day of work here?” You asked Jaemin as you both plopped on the couch in the living room after hard labor.

“Sore.”

“You’ll get used to it. I’m hungry. Do you want some pizza?” You offered as you pulled out your phone to check all delivery options. You knew there was one pizza place not that far away from here. Besides, you and Jaemin deserved a greasy treat after the busy day at work.

“I’d kill for a slice,” he admitted as he rubbed his thighs, hoping it would ease the pain. He couldn’t even remember how many times he went up and down the stairs at this point – his typical workout wasn’t nearly as intense as today’s labor. He felt sore in places he thought it was impossible to feel sore in, so ordering a pizza seemed like a highlight of the day.

You showed Jaemin the menu, and after a heated debate, you decided on toppings you both liked.

“It should be here in about 40 minutes,” you announced the news as you put your phone back into the back pocket of your sweats. “Do you want to go choose your room and freshen up before dinner?” You asked, staring at his suit, which was covered in dust, cobwebs, and whatnot. You had warned him – it was his fault he had brushed it off.

“Would be great. Just give me a minute to go and grab my stuff from the car,” Jaemin said, rushing through the front doors to return with a leather travel bag within a minute.

“This room is mine, so you can choose any except for this one,” you said as you stopped in the corridor upstairs. At first, the house looks spacious, but once you step inside, you can get overwhelmed by the number of rooms. The second floor alone accommodated seven bedrooms, a bathroom, and a study.

“Any is fine,” Jaemin said with a polite smile as he chose the room across from yours. “Thank you, you know… for letting me stay here,” he added, scratching the back of his head awkwardly as you gave him a pat on the shoulder.

“No problem. It’s more convenient this way,” you beamed, following behind him. “I know it’s pretty dusty here, but let’s clean after dinner. The bathroom is down the hall, ready to use. Clean towels are in the cabinet next to the sink,” you explained before you walked out, giving him some privacy.

Jaemin walked downstairs a moment after the pizza arrived. By that time, you managed to clean the coffee table, grab some beer, and put on some random reality show on your computer, which would provide you two with some background noise during dinner. Hopefully, Jaemin’s taste in trashy television didn’t change because you’d hate to look for something else when everything was ready.

��Come and sit,” you chimed in, patting the space on the couch next to you. “I heard beer is good for muscles after a workout. I hope you don’t mind that I assumed you’d like some.”

“No, no. Of course, not. I could definitely use some,” Jaemin smiled as he sat down and cracked the can open, gulping down the drink. “It never tasted so good,” he added, trying to remember the last time he enjoyed the bitter taste of alcohol this much. “Should we dig in?” Jaemin rubbed his hands, opening the pizza box, and since Jaemin was a guest, he waited for you to take the first slice before he’d do that himself.

Greasy pizza, cold beer, and stupid TV show after a day of hard work – was there anything more one could wish for? It felt awfully domestic, but none of you dared to give it a second thought. After all, there was nothing really domestic about your current arrangement, so you chose to ignore it.

“We should get someone to check the electricity at some point. It can be dangerous,” Jaemin commented as he reached for the second slide. The lights were flickering from time to time, and it bothered him.

“I checked the power circuit when I first came here earlier this week,” you answered, chewing on your greasy meal. “Everything’s fine with electricity. The lights are flickering because of the ghost. It’s such an attention seeker, I swear to God,” you added, and Jaemin looked at you funny. He didn’t appreciate the ghost talk, especially after he had explicitly told you paranormal beings didn’t exist.

“Not funny,” he chuckled dryly, reaching for his can of beer.

“You don’t believe me right now, but you’ll change your mind eventually,” you warned him, hoping he wouldn’t disrespect the ghosts with his obliviousness. “When I was a kid, I didn’t believe in ghosts either, but one summer, my parents left my brother and me here for the holidays. It really opened my eyes.”

“I bet there’s a logical explanation, like rusty installation or a damaged roof. We just have to figure it out and fix it,” Jaemin added, and you giggled, enjoying this kind of optimism laced with narrow-mindedness.

“Can you stop?!” You hollered at the top of your voice, staring at the flickering light bulb. You were ignoring the ghost, but enough was enough. “If you don’t stop flickering this light, I’m gonna need you to chip in! If you wanna keep playing with the light switch, contribute to the bills!”

The second you spoke your final words, the light bulb exploded, casting broken glass all over your food on the coffee table.

“What the fuck was that?” Jaemin asked as he jumped onto the couch and tried to cover his frame with a cushion as if it was to shield him from anything. Although Jaemin was still hesitant to believe in the supernatural, the timing between the end of your speech and the incident seemed way too off to be ruled out as a mere coincidence. If earlier he had been bothered, now he was terrified.

“Do you believe me now?” You asked and looked at Jaemin, who was too stunned to speak. It would be for the better if you let Jaemin rest for now. He saw more than enough today, and you figured he needed time to collect his thoughts and process what happened. “Just go and get some sleep; I need you well rested tomorrow.”

Although Jaemin would love to help you clean up after dinner, he chose to go to his room. In his current state of mind, he wouldn’t be much of a help anyway. Instead, he decided to make it up to you tomorrow.

Once Jaemin was in his room, he exhaled. What the fuck was that? How could he explain it with logic? Blaming it on ghosts was too easy. He needed to figure out the truth to discover and fix the problem about the house. How could he sell the property if there was a chance of light bulbs randomly exploding?

Get your shit together, Jaemin told himself as he looked at the clean set of sheets. It wasn’t his favorite house chore, but he didn’t want to sleep in a pile of dust. He had no other choice but to change them.

So many thoughts were running in his mind, and all of them seemed like white noise to him. Jaemin tried to focus on one thing and gave it some pondering but in vain. The gears in his brain were working so loud that he almost missed the strange scratching noise coming from behind the wall.

Having thrown the changed duvet on the mattress, Jaemin walked over the wall, gliding his hand across it as he tried to locate where exactly the noise was coming from.

“Very funny,” he chuckled, knocking on the wall with his fist, thinking you were just teasing him. He was rattled, and he didn’t find your relentless pranks funny.

The scratching got louder and creepier, and it was the last straw.

Having lost his patience, Jaemin threw the pillow onto the bed before storming out of his room. Without much thought, he grabbed the knob and tried to yank the doors open, but they wouldn’t budge. Cursing under his breath, he tried twisting, pulling, and pushing, but nothing seemed to work.

“Is there a problem?” You asked as you looked at Jaemin in worry. “Has something happened?”

Jaemin couldn’t voice his surprise. You were climbing up the stairs reading something on your phone. You couldn’t be on the other side of the doors, scratching the walls to give him the spook of his life.

“I heard weird scratching, and I thought it was you, but it obviously wasn’t,” Jaemin tried to explain, but judging by your worried expression, you must’ve thought he was crazy. “The doors are locked. Do you have a key? Someone must be there. Should I call the police?”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” you said as you approached him. Without hesitation, you put your hand on the knob and opened the doors. “I’d say it’s just the ghost, but you wouldn’t believe me, so I won’t say anything.”

“I don’t understand,” Jaemin whispered as he scanned the room and didn’t see anything worth reporting to the police. Was he going crazy? Was it just his mind playing tricks on him? Or was it just exhaustion from stress and today’s labor? “I’m sleeping in your room tonight,” Jaemin announced, but before you could react and protest, he was already dragging the mattress on the floor over to your room.

With Jaemin’s mattress in your room, it was a tight squeeze. You had to jump around to make it to your bed.

“Are you happy now?” You asked, giggling. You found this situation hilarious. However, if Jaemin was too afraid to sleep in his room, you’d let him stay at yours until he got used to ghosts’ shenanigans.

The reason why you were so calm about that supernatural parasite, it’s because you had your childhood experience and trauma. You were a veteran, and Jaemin, the new guy on the premises, was the ghost’s victim of choice.

After Jaemin calmed down enough to get under the covers and try to fall asleep, another series of strange noises erupted downstairs. Instantly, he sat up and shook your arm. Jaemin needed you to confirm that the noise was real and prove that he wasn’t just hearing things.

“Is that a ghost too?” Jaemin asked, challenging you. There must’ve been something wrong with the way the house was constructed. Or some kind of malfunctioning features. Someone had to find it and get rid of it.

Unfortunately, it didn’t seem like a ghost to you. You could differentiate several sounds the spirits produced to annoy you, and it wasn’t any of them. It was something much more dangerous – it must’ve been a human intruder.

“Jaemin, don’t panic. But I think it’s not a ghost, but trespassers,” you started, and Jaemin threw the duvet off his legs, doing the exact thing you told him not to do. “I’m gonna go downstairs and check who’s there,” you instructed as you walked over to the chest of drawers and grabbed an antique shotgun. (It was a broken replica, but it looked legit, so you hoped it was enough to scare off whoever decided to disturb your sleep and wander around the property.)

“Are you out of your mind? I’m coming with you,” Jaemin said as he mustered enough courage. He was a man, and he could be helpful. Even if he knew nothing about a hand-to-hand battle, he could dial an emergency number really fast.

“Fine with me,” you whispered, making your way to the doors, opening them as quietly as possible. “Turn on the flashlight on your phone,” you ordered Jaemin as he followed right behind you, practically breathing down at your neck.

With no sign of protest, Jaemin did as he was told, casting throbbing light on the stairs.

“Who are you? What are you doing in my house?” You yelled the same exact words which you had shouted at Jaemin yesterday. Could people stop trespassing here? It was the second time in two days, and it began to seriously upset you. “Or else I’m gonna call the police!” You carried on, hoping your stern tone would intimidate whoever was roaming around the ground floor. (Despite your honest efforts, it would not intimidate anyone.)

In haste, you ran down the stairs. Jaemin was right behind you, ready to intervene in case of danger.

No one was in the foyer, but you still heard noises in the living room area. Quickly, you moved around, taking the intruders by surprise.

“Don’t move,” you shouted, raising the piece of rusty metal that a taken aback person might’ve mistaken for a legitimate weapon.

The pair who trespassed was shocked – they must’ve heard stories of the building being inhabited and taken a chance to sightsee at night. Too bad you and Jaemin ruined their plans.

“What are you doing here?” Jaemin asked, blinding them with the flashlight like a professional cop.

Despite current high fashion trends, they didn’t seem to be homeless. You doubted they were looking for shelter. If anything, they were giving you a we-eloped-and-now-we-have-nowhere-to-go kind of vibe. Or maybe they were some type of amateur ghost hunters?

“He asked you a question,” you urged them, waving your gun in the air. The intruders seemed hesitant to give you answers, though. “Do as he says, or we’re calling the cops.”

For a short while, they started at each other in silence. The couple knew they were in trouble. Hopefully, the boy gave in. “I’m Felix, and this is my girlfriend, Gidae. We just wanted to see if it’s really haunted. We mean no harm,” he explained, but it wasn’t a valid excuse for trespassing.

You and Jaemin looked at each other as if you were wondering what to do about the situation. They broke the law, but nothing really happened; well… maybe, except for giving Jaemin a little scare. And that wasn’t something you’d take legal action against.

“The doors were opened, so we walked inside to see if there were any ghosts here. We’ve heard a story that ten years ago someone got so spooked their hair turned white,” the girl added, trying to justify their actions. You didn’t really care about their motive. The mention of unlocked doors alarmed you, though – especially when you remembered you had double-checked the locks before you went upstairs.

The silence filled the space as everyone one waited for your verdict. They did the wrong thing, and judging by their expressions, they learned their lesson not to trespass ever again.

“Get out,” you flatly said, lowering your weapon, pointing at the front doors as if they might’ve forgotten where the exit was.

The couple didn’t need to be told twice. As soon the last syllable rolled off your tongue, they bolted out of the house as if they were participating in a race.

“Well… that was an eventful day,” you said the second the doors shut behind them with a loud thud.

“Eventful is one way to put it,” Jaemin remarked as he exhaled, releasing the deep breath he didn’t realize he was holding.

“Come on, let’s go back to sleep. Tomorrow is a busy day,” you said as you locked the doors and made sure they stayed closed. “If you open the doors one more time, I’m calling ghostbusters on you,” you yelled at the ceiling, hoping the ghost got the message.

***

Jaemin’s a heavy sleeper, but under his current conditions, he stirred awake every time you moved in your sheets. Although he was still tired, he gave up on the idea of another nap. Maybe four hours of sleep in total and a few cups of coffee would be enough to get him through the day.

The house seemed quiet and peaceful. Actually, your calm breathing was the only thing he could hear. There was nothing to be afraid of. Though he didn’t have an explanation for yesterday’s events, they survived the night, so there was no grave danger he could stumble upon on the premises.

You, on the other hand, slept like a baby. The moment your head landed on the soft pillow, you were gone. It was about 9 o’clock (about two hours after Jaemin) when you got up. When you didn’t see him, your first thought was that he had fled. You couldn’t blame him if he did.

You found him downstairs, though. Jaemin was dressed in another fancy suit, taking pictures of the house with a fancy camera. “Look at you, you busy bee,” you chipped in, stretching your limbs. “Any plans for today?”

“As a matter of fact, I do,” Jaemin answered with a genuine smile, snapping a quick picture of you in your pajamas. “I had a revelation, actually,” he added, and you hummed, prompting him to reveal his plan. “I checked the listing on the agency website and figured it deserves an update. I can take some candid photos and upload them. And later, once the renovation is done, we can post some before and after photos. People love these.”

“That’s a great idea,” you were quick to say, praising him. Finally, after years of stasis, the renovation and proper sale steps were taken to get it in motion. “But it doesn’t explain your outfit,” you pinpointed, blatantly checking him out again.

“Oh, I am going to the city to finish some old paperwork at the office,” he simply said, following you to the kitchen, snapping some more photos, this time making sure you were out of the frame. “Plus, I need to take my stuff out of the apartment I used to rent.”

“When will you be back?” You asked, sensing that Jaemin wasn’t about to go into great details. You figured you didn’t need to know everything. After all, you weren’t friends. Business partners at best.

“Around dinner, I think,” Jaemin answered, smiling at you. “Should I pick up food on my way back? You got us pizza yesterday. What do you feel like having today, huh? It’s my treat.”

“Anything spicy should be fine,” you casually replied, not craving anything in particular.

“Duly noted,” Jaemin smiled, making a mental note to get you something delicious. After all, you were practically his savior. “And what exactly do you have planned for today, hm? I’m ready to get my hands dirty when I come back.”

“I wouldn’t call it plans, more like a loose idea, but I was thinking I could deep clean and check kitchen appliances. It would be nice to have options other than takeout,” you said with a shrug of your shoulders. “Other than that, I’ll probably finish sorting stuff in the basement and change the light bulb in the living room. Nothing too crazy for today.”

“If you need anything, just call or text me; I’ll get it on my way back,” he added before he turned around to take his leave.

“Jaemin,” you hollered his name, and Jaemin spun around and looked at you again with a quiet hum. “I don’t have your phone number.”

“Oh. Yeah, sorry, my mistake,” Jaemin sheepishly smiled, reaching into the pocket of his suit jacket to fish out his business card. “But seriously, tell me if you need anything.”

“I will, and now go. The sooner you leave, the sooner you’ll return.”

***

“You know what, I have another great idea,” Jaemin started as he set his half-eaten burrito on the plate. “We should make videos of the renovation and post them online on TikTok or Instagram. We need good publicity, and people love flipping houses and progress videos. The shape of the estate market is not ideal, and it’s a cheap way to do some marketing. And if any of the videos goes viral, we can sell the house in no time.”

“It’s worth a shot,” you replied in between bites. “We can do that. I hope you have some specific ideas for the content. I suppose it’s not that easy to blow up.”

“Worst case scenario – we can turn this house into a tourist attraction, and you can charge them a fee for some ghost time,” Jaemin jested, and you giggled. Actually, it’s not that bad of a plan B.

“Ghosts aren’t real. I’m not a fraud,” you played along, rolling your eyes at Jaemin. It didn’t take him a lot of time to find a way to monetize a concept he didn’t believe in. “Anyway, finish up. We still have to take out trash from the basement and load the groceries into the fridge.”

After the delicious dinner, Jaemin washed the dishes before changing into more comfortable clothes to help you around the house. It was almost scary how quickly you and Jaemin worked out the most efficient routine to get things done.

“I ordered trash pickup for tomorrow morning. We need to take everything outside,” you announced, wondering if that would make Jaemin work harder.

“Don’t sweat it. I got this,” Jaemin proudly announced, getting strangely energized. He had a good feeling about this house. His motivation was through the roof. Nothing gave him a spook today, and it could be an indication that everything seemingly supernatural that had happened yesterday was just a figment of his stress-fueled imagination.

Before sunset, everything was ready for pickup. Groceries were put away, too. Jaemin even managed to record some videos to review later and decide if they’re social media-worthy. You still needed some sort of introduction video to summarize your renovation purpose. Nonetheless, it was good to record in advance.

“Is there anything I can help you with?” Jaemin asked, ready for another task. “Or maybe we can do something that you planned for tomorrow? We could be ahead of schedule since day two. Wouldn’t that be amazing?”

“I need to change the light bulb, but I can do that myself.”

“Nonsense, let me handle that,” Jaemin excitedly offered, looking for the small box with the light bulb he bought at the supermarket.

“Actually, you need a permit to do that,” you pinpointed as you snatched the light bulb out of his hand. As a certified electrician, you just couldn’t let Jaemin climb the ladder and do that without proper training. “If you want to feel useful, hold the ladder. Who knows when the ghost decides to strike back?” You questioned, and Jaemin let out a few grumpy noises under his breath.

“I’ve been demoted to a ladder holder,” Jaemin said, carefully recording you. “Unbelievable.”

“Don’t worry. One day, I’ll promote you to a professional flashlight holder or even a screwdriver handler. There’s a lot of job prospects in this line of work,” you deadpanned, turning your head around to flash a polite smile at the camera. “Mark my words. You’ll make it big one day.”

“I don’t really appreciate your tone, but thank you nonetheless.”

***

A lot of things happened in a span of a week.

Jaemin uploaded a few videos, which didn’t blow up instantly. The clips got a decent amount of views considering it was a new account, but interaction with the content was scarce. And when people commented, they didn’t say anything about the house but rather about the banter you and Jaemin typically had going on. (Also, it wasn’t a surprise that the video of you changing the light bulb was the most watched one. All thanks to Jaemin’s great filmmaking skills. Your butt was taking at least half of a frame after all.)

As per renovation, you decided to do the mundane job of redecorating the bedrooms upstairs. One room at a time, you removed the furniture and deep-cleaned the space before proceeding with proper renovation. You had a heated debate with Jaemin about paints and wallpapers. Each option had pros and cons, and you ultimately decided to combine resources to create fascinating patterns and designs.

The ghost made its presence known pretty often, too. Since you were unbothered most of the time, Jaemin was on the receiving end of the ghost’s playful shenanigans. On several occasions, he heard a male voice calling his name from upstairs. Once or twice he saw a full-body apparition behind him in the fogged mirror. The temperature suddenly dropped a couple of times when he was showering. However, what scared him the most was the Ouija board – the same one he found in the basement after he had personally thrown it out.

Whether he believed in the supernatural or not, Jaemin had to do something because it wasn’t something he could deal with on a daily basis. Everyone had a tolerance limit, and Jaemin reached his. It was about time Jaemin got a second opinion on that matter.

“Who is this dude?” You leaned to the side to whisper into Jaemin’s ear, hoping he could tell you who that eccentric person on the threshold of your house was. Despite summer’s heat, your guest was wearing all black, including combat shoes and a leather knee-long coat. And he reeked of weed!

“Let me introduce myself,” he started off as put down his hefty suitcase on the floor and took off his hat, pressing it against his chest. “Nakamoto Yuta, the best medium in the country. Not my words, ‘Talking with ghosts’ issue 2, June 2016.” he bragged, taking a step forward to finish his introduction with a firm handshake.

“To what do I owe the pleasure?” You asked with a forced polite smile, having a nagging suspicion it was Jaemin who had invited him over for a house call. Not to be rude to a guest within his earshot, but you’d much appreciate it if Jaemin had run it through you first.

“My presence here was requested by this young gentleman, I presume,” Yuta explained, pointing at Jaemin. “Unlike the supernatural being that haunts this place. I feel something evil here. Has the entity displayed any violent tendencies?”

Naturally, you wanted to say no. Despite many ghost shenanigans happening inside the house, you never felt threatened. These B-class horror movie jump scares didn’t terrify you. After some time, they got repetitive even. However, you were planning to sell the house – the chances of the new owners being as unbothered and tolerant as you were slim. In the long run, getting rid of the ghost would be beneficial.

That being said, Yuta didn’t seem like a legitimate ghost buster. The only thing you expected to be gone after his visit was a few bills out of Jaemin’s pocket.

Yuta strolled around the house with his arms stretched out as he tried to pick up strange vibes. The strong smell of cannabis wafted into your nostrils when he walked past you.

“I think I made a connection,” Yuta announced, and you fought the urge to roll your eyes at him. “I don’t think it’s a ghost. It’s something more powerful. I suspect a demonic entity. Are there any records of supernatural occurrences in this house?”

You needed no more evidence to know you were dealing with a fraud. However, instead of calling Yuta out on his bullshit, you decided to humor him and play along with this bizarre charade.

“It may not be easy to get rid of it as they often feed off negative energy,” Yuta explained, looking at you as if the demon was feasting on your skeptical attitude only. “Don’t worry, though. I’ve dealt with demons before. You’ve called the right guy for the job.”

“No doubt,” you sarcastically replied, and Jaemin pinched your shoulder. Funny how tables have turned – suddenly, you were the cynical one. “I mean… let the cleansing ritual begin,” you corrected yourself and beamed innocently at Jaemin in hopes he wouldn’t try to pinch you again.

You were no expert in exorcisms, but you’ve seen enough horror movies to know that Yuta was fucking with the two of you. He burned some sage, mumbled random noises, and danced around the house as if that was going to send this demon back to hell.

“Where the hell did you find him?” You leaned in to whisper into Jaemin’s ear, hoping you weren’t loud enough to disturb Yuta’s Oscar-worthy performance.

“Maybe I should’ve carefully read the reviews before I called him,” Jaemin admitted, questioning his choices. If Jaemin knew Yuta was a lunatic, he would’ve never contacted him.

“Don’t bring people like him here again, please,” you said, giggling under your breath. When you woke up in the morning, you didn’t expect to be put in such a hilarious situation.

“Be gone, you devil spawn,” Yuta hollered at the ceiling, his body shaking as if he got a seizure. Yuta continued his theatrics, and you decided not to interrupt. “This house has been cleansed,” Yuta said as he returned to his senses and started acting like a normal person.

“You’re incredible. I can already feel a difference,” you started off, your voice laced with sarcasm. If it wasn’t for Jaemin, who elbowed you to remind you to be nice, you’d start clapping in celebration.

“It’s my job. I just love helping people,” Yuta humbly said before he turned to Jaemin to announce how much he’s charging him for his peculiar services. The final sum Yuta requested made your and Jaemin’s jaws drop.

“You heard him,” you nudged Jaemin’s side, so he would pull out his wallet and pay up. “You can’t put a price tag on safety,” you added, batting your eyelashes innocently. Jaemin was mad at himself for getting so blatantly scammed. Your unnecessary comments were just adding oil to the fire.

“That’s what I always tell my customers. Better be safe than sorry, am I right?”

“Absolutely,” you nodded, smiling at your guest. “We’re really thankful for your help,” you added, turning to Jaemin, who was counting bills, ready to hand over a fortune to the con man.

“Yeah, I have no idea what we would’ve done without you, dude,” Jaemin added, stretching his arm to pay for the service. Jaemin’s grip on the bills was tight as Yuta reached out to take them. You could see regret and reluctance in Jaemin’s demeanor.

“It was lovely doing business with you,” Yuta said with a playful smile as he pocketed his money. “I’ll take my leave now. I have to make it to the city to meet another client. As we say in this line of work – evil never sleeps. If you know what I mean.”

“Naturally,” you beamed at Yuta, hoping to never cross paths with him again.

“Oh, I would’ve forgotten,” Yuta interjected as he stopped at the threshold. “You seem like a cute couple. I also do mating rituals. You know… to help solidify passion and keep the flame burning.”

“Seriously?” You gasped in excitement as if you were actually considering it.

“Yeah, you have my number. Just give me a call when you make up your mind, so we can schedule an appointment,” Yuta carried on, foolishly thinking he just made regular customers to his peculiar services.

“Of course,” you added before Yuta sent you a goodbye smirk and left.

“Don’t utter a word,” Jaemin spat through gritted teeth when Yuta drove off. As per Jaemin’s request, you didn’t say anything. Instead, you started to laugh hysterically. “This guy was high, wasn’t he?” Jaemin inquired, laughing as it finally dawned on him how ridiculous this house call was.

“As high as a kite,” you confirmed, unable to stop cackling.

“You’re never going to let this go, are you?”

“I wouldn’t be myself if I did, would I?”

“I hate you.”

“Don’t be absurd. No one hates me.”

***

Thankfully, you were merciful and didn’t mention the Yuta fiasco that often. It wasn’t Jaemin’s proudest moment, and he was glad that you decided not to bring it up, so he could pretend it never happened.

Today, it was time to renovate the very last bedroom upstairs.

While you were already there, rummaging through all the things in the bedroom, Jaemin was still in the bathroom, brushing his teeth. He’d join you in a minute.

Or five.

Jaemin’s phone went off as Jeno’s name flashed on the screen, notifying him about the incoming call. It’s been a while since they talked, so Jaemin figured it wouldn’t to be a short chit-chat.

Spitting into the sink, Jaemin answered the call, casually greeting his friend.

“Hello? Is that all I’m gonna get?” Jeno scoffed, acting offended. After Jaemin’s accident at work, they barely talked. It was really unlike Jaemin to neglect his best friend like that, so Jeno grew worried. “It’s really difficult to get hold of you these days. You don’t call. You don’t text. Damn it, Jaemin. You don’t even read messages in our group chat. We’ve all been worried. How are you?”

Jaemin felt terrible. He was busting his ass off to help you renovate the house, and at the end of the day, he was usually too spent to even check his phone. His friends deserved much more, so he made a mental note to update him every few days.

“Sorry, I’ve been busy,” Jaemin simply answered, not knowing how to brief Jeno on his current whereabouts.

“That’s it? Come on, Jaem. You can do better than that,” Jeno egged on, stomping his foot, waiting for a proper explanation. “What’s going on?”

Jaemin sighed, wiping the condensation off the mirror with his hand. Although he didn’t pay full attention, he saw a ghostly figure in the reflection. “Fuck,” Jaemin cursed as he turned around only to see the apparition was gone.

Typical ghost behavior.

As crazy as it may sound, Jaemin was already used to these unfunny shenanigans. An inexperienced person might’ve got a heart attack, but Jaemin only gasped and muttered a few curses.

“What’s going on?” Jeno repeated, growing more and more concerned.

“That? Oh, it’s nothing. Don’t worry about it,” Jaemin quickly replied, hoping his words could calm down Jeno. Unfortunately, Jeno was still upset with Jaemin. “You’re not gonna believe what happened,” Jaemin chuckled dryly, knowing Jeno wouldn’t let go unless provided with the full story.

“Try me.”

While Jeno knew why Jaemin moved out to the countryside, he had no idea what happened next.

“It’s a funny story actually,” Jaemin started, scratching his temple, trying to sound anxious. “It may sound crazy, but I found her. She’s here.”

“Who?” Jeno asked, having no clue what Jaemin was getting at.

“Her,” Jaemin stressed, looking over his shoulders, making sure you were out of earshot. “You know… her. The one who got away.”

“Oh… You mean, the one you let go,” he corrected him. Jeno vaguely remembered Jaemin’s story about the girl he had met a year ago – you. There was something so unreal about the way Jaemin was talking about you, his friends assumed Jaemin must’ve dreamt you. After all, he was drunk as a skunk most of that night.

“Semantics,” Jaemin remarked, shrugging. “Anyway, this house… is hers. What a coincidence, right?”

“One might call it destiny,” Jeno suggested, and Jaemin snorted as he didn’t want Jeno’s words to get into his head. “So that’s what you’ve been doing all this time, huh. Your friends are worried sick about you, but all you’ve been doing is playing house with your old time crush. Good job, Jaemin.”

“You sound like Hyuck,” Jaemin pointed out, rolling his eyes. Jeno was exaggerating. “And I’m not playing house with her,” he admitted, though Jeno faultlessly identified Jaemin’s saddened tone.

Jaemin wished it was the case.

Jeno sensed it was a sensitive subject for Jaemin to talk about, so he decided not to twist the knife in his wound. Jaemin knew what he was doing, and if he ever needed love advice, he would call Jeno in a heartbeat.

“Anyway…” Jaemin cleared his throat, hating the awkward silence that took over the conversation. “I gotta go, but I’ll try to be more active. Sorry for making you guys so worried.”

“Sure, we’re there for you, Jaem.”

***

The unoccupied upstairs bedroom had been renovated, so it was finally time to start working on the kitchen. You were looking forward to this one as it’s undoubtedly the core of every house. However, when a stabbing pain in your stomach jolted you awake at dawn, you knew you wouldn’t get any job done. On the first day of your period, you often preferred to take things slow and easy.

Despite having more than half a dozen freshly renovated bedrooms to choose from, Jaemin didn’t move his mattress out of yours. The ghost was still very much present despite Yuta’s cleansing ritual, and Jaemin wasn’t mentally ready to sleep alone. Whenever you asked him if he’d like to switch rooms, he gave you an unamused glare followed by dramatic questions such as “do you really want to find me dead in the morning? I am not taking that risk.”.

Carefully, you slipped out of your bed, making sure not to wake him up.

You had a sudden craving for watermelon lemonade, so after washing up, you took a stroll to the farmer market. Thankfully, you had no problem finding the fruit.

On your way back, you stepped into a local coffee shop where you picked up a scoop of watermelon sorbet for you and a cup of extra strong earth juice for Jaemin.

“You should’ve left me a note that you’re leaving or given me a text. I started to worry. I thought the ghost evaporated you into thin air,” Jaemin hollered as he bolted out of the house on the patio when he saw your figure nearing the estate. “Or even worse, it could’ve taken the chance and zapped me!”

Jaemin was a mess when he was left alone with the ghost, especially before his morning coffee. With a genuine smile, you handed him the cup as a token of apology.

“So… what are we going to do today?” Jaemin asked after a few sips of his drink.

“Have some watermelon lemonade, and chill,” you casually said, walking inside. At first, you would rest in the living room for a while then prepare your delicious drink. “I don’t feel like doing anything today.”

You acted out of your character, and Jaemin instantly picked up on it. However, regardless of the reason behind your odd behavior, he decided not to question it. After all, you had been busting your asses off, so it wasn’t that bad of an idea to laze around.

So you did.

Having put on a crime TV show to play in the background, you were slouched in the armchair. At first, you didn’t pay much attention to it as you replied to multiple group chats you were a part of. However, you got sucked into the plotline of that murder mystery, trying to connect the dots and figure out who the murderer is before the police.

Jaemin was lying on the couch beside you, reading a newspaper, sporting that look of a middle-aged dad on a Sunday morning in the 1950s.

“We’ve been working so hard it feels strange to sit around and do nothing,” Jaemin commented after he finished reading and tossed the newspaper on the coffee table. “I almost feel guilty.”

“We deserve it. We’ve done so much good work,” you replied with a sigh. You and Jaemin had already done about fifty percent of the needed work. If you could keep up the tempo and not stumble upon any hindrance, you’d finish before the end of summer.

“Speaking of which, we get more and more recognition on social media,” Jaemin announced, and you hummed, glad people were interested in the property. “Your butt is still the star of the show, but we got some suggestions and advice. It’s a good sign that people engage in the renovation process.”

“I mean… I don’t blame them. My ass is amazing.”

Knock! Knock!

“Do you expect any guests?” Jaemin asked as the both of you turned your heads, staring at the front doors. Puzzled, you shook your head. “Me neither.”

“I wonder who that is. Maybe it’s Yuta to perform the other part of the ritual.”

“Very funny,” Jaemin said dryly, jumping to his feet. “I’ll get that,” he volunteered, and you propped on your elbows, watching the front door from your armchair.

Jaemin unlocked the doors and pulled them open, revealing Kun on the other side. To say your jaw dropped when you saw him was an understatement. Maybe he wasn’t the last person you expected to see, but he was definitely the least welcomed one on your property.

Having been cheated on by Lucas and ghosted by Jaemin, you put a halt to dating. But you still a whole lot of condoms at your apartment and plenty of sexual frustration to let go of, so you worked out an agreement with Kun to become exclusive fuck buddies.

You were content with that type of relationship. However, it came to an abrupt stop when you found out Kun failed to disclose one crucial detail about his relationship status. Thankfully, you didn’t catch any romantic feelings for him, or else it could’ve taken a serious toll on you. Your relationship with him was strictly physical, so when you discovered how much of a scumbag Kun actually was, you just cut ties with him.

Needless to say, Kun didn’t take it well. And once in a while, he’d bug you to reconcile.

Although you didn’t speak to your guest yet, Jaemin could sense the tension between you and Kun. He didn’t know the context, but he had no trouble reading your body language – you wanted the man gone.

“Can I talk to her?” Kun asked, tilting his head in your direction. Jaemin turned his head, too, trying to tell if you were comfortable enough to fulfill the male’s request. “Alone,” he added, giving Jaemin a quick once-over.

“No, you cannot,” you answered, offering him a fake beam. “We have nothing to talk about,” you carried on, trying your best to sound firm. You almost forgot that you ever hooked up with him. You didn’t miss him nor feel a need for him to come back.

Your life’s good without him in it.

Unfortunately, Kun didn’t come all the way here to let you reject him.

“Come on, don’t be childish. Let’s talk. I saw an Italian restaurant on the way here. Let’s talk there.”

“She said no,” Jaemin interjected, reminding Kun that you had no intention to comply with his request. “She doesn’t want to talk to you, so why don’t you take your leave.”

“I’m not talking to you, am I?” Kun said, glaring at Jaemin, not appreciating his input into the conversation. “Just let me talk to her alone. Come on, baby, don’t make me wait,” Kun demanded, and Jaemin clenched his fists, visibly annoyed. Jaemin got the ick upon hearing the pet name Kun used to refer to you. He wasn’t sure why he felt particularly provoked now, but he decided not to give it a second thought.

Enough was enough.

“Beat it, Kun,” you hissed, wishing for him to evaporate. You concluded that if you manifested it hard enough, it could happen. “I called it quits months ago,” you added, but you could tell it wasn’t enough to stop Kun. “Besides, I’m dating Jaemin now. We’re crazy in love, and we even live together now. And, as a matter of fact, we were about to fuck like rabbits on this very couch before you decided to cockblock us.”

Jaemin’s eyes were out of their sockets as much as Kun’s when he heard you. The men were too stunned to speak.

“That being said, I think you should leave,” you added as you approached Jaemin and grabbed his hand, leaning against his shoulder. “We don’t feel like being watched today.”

Jaemin was holding his breath, thinking Kun could call your bluff if he said anything. You wanted Kun to leave, and your bold statements seemed to be working in your favor, so Jaemin decided to stand by your side, ready to step in if you needed him to. However, you were doing great by yourself.

Kun wanted to say something. His lips were pressed in a thin line as he thought of the right thing to say to convince him to go with him. You belonged to a different man, and it complicated your situation. Though unwillingly, Kun realized he had lost. He was too late.

Without a proper goodbye, Kun turned around and stormed out. Smirking in victory, you left Jaemin’s side to close the doors behind the uninvited guest.

“What just happened?” Jaemin asked, still standing in the same place as if his feet were glued to the floor. When you didn’t reply, Jaemin carried on. “So… that’s who you dated before. He seems nice.”

“Have you noticed how he didn’t want to let go just because I said no? He only stepped back after I told him I was dating you. Isn’t it terrible?” You wondered out loud, ignoring Jaemin’s question. “I need that lemonade now,” you added, marching off to the kitchen.

Quickly, you picked up a knife, ready to chop the fruit into little cubes. Anyone with a pair of eyes could tell you were angry and frustrated. In this state of mind, it was for the better to supervise you in the kitchen, so Jaemin followed behind you.

“Take it easy on that watermelon,” Jaemin commented, letting you know he was watching. “Maybe I’ll operate the knife,” he suggested as he placed his hand over yours. “I don’t need certification for that now, do I?” He teased, bumping his hip into yours, pushing you away from the counter. “Hand it over. I’d rather do it myself than have to drive you to the ER. You need a complete set of fingers to finish the renovation. There’s still so much stuff to do…”

“You’re right,” you gave in, handing him the knife. “Thank you, Jaemin.”

Skillfully, Jaemin cut the watermelon into pieces and put them into a blender. “You know… if you want to talk about it, I’m all ears,” Jaemin offered as he reached for a colander and a pitcher. Expertly, Jaemin transferred the liquid into the pitcher and moved around to squeeze some lemon juice.

You remembered the first time you confided in Jaemin. It was over a year ago, and it was so easy to talk to him. He was a complete stranger, and you just dumped your relationship trauma on him, not expecting to see him again. And he did the same thing.

Now, you were friends. You felt comfortable talking to Jaemin. He was a good listener and was always invested in whatever you were complaining about. He even volunteered. (As if he had a choice… you were living together, and there was not a corner in the house where Jaemin could escape from the vicinity of your voice.)

“You forgot about the most important ingredient,” you remarked as you walked to the cabinet and pulled out a half-full bottle of vodka. Drinking wasn’t on your to-do list for today, but given the circumstances, a little bit of alcohol was justified. After all, it was your day off.

“I don’t think I did, but you do you,” Jaemin said as he stepped to the side, letting you spike the lemonade. Carefully, you tipped the bottle, pouring vodka into a pitcher, giving it a quick stir.

“Let’s enjoy our drink outside. What do you think?” You asked, and Jaemin hummed with a smile. You didn’t spend much time in the gazebo during the renovation, but it was a perfect spot for relaxation. No doubt the lemonade would taste extra refreshing there in current weather conditions.

You poured the drink into the cups. The watermelon lemon combo tasted incredible laced with vodka. It was a beautiful day to enjoy an alcohol-induced drink and spill the tea on your so-called relationship with Kun. Although you had already processed the end of it, Kun’s presence angered you, and now you hoped that venting would calm you down.

So you did.

You told Jaemin everything, and he listened attentively. He was really glad you decided to share that part of your past with him. After all, Jaemin had caught himself thinking about you a couple of times in the past, wondering what you were up to after he ghosted you. It goes without saying, but his thoughts were quite regretful.

“Are you kidding me? I don’t mean to be rude, but he’s a dick,” Jaemin interjected, getting a little bit agitated after hearing you out. “I mean… what was he thinking? He’s just so… despicable,” he carried on, trying to grasp the entire situation. Kun’s a pilot. He’s often out of town, but it doesn’t make it right for him to cheat on his fiancée. He’s got no regard for the one he’s about to wed nor you. It was really shitty of him to treat you like that, and Jaemin had none of that.

“I don’t have much luck with guys,” you sighed. Lucas was first – he broke up with you on your one year anniversary over a mere text message. Then, it was Jaemin who ghosted you after an adventurous escapade. And lastly, there was Kun, who cheated on his fiancée with you.

“No luck here, either,” Jaemin shrugged, pouring you another round of spiked lemonade. Whether it was your honesty or the vodka, Jaemin felt prompted to share his past too.

After the night with you, Jaemin really wanted to call you and meet again. Though it was too soon to start dating, he knew you could start off as friends and easily transition into a real romantic relationship when the time was right. Too bad he chickened out back then. It was a turning point for him – his love life after the encounter with your went downhill.

Jaemin dipped his toe back into the dating pool a couple of times, but it was never anything serious. Despite his earnest efforts, his flings eventually ended after a few dates. His latest conquest got him in a lot of trouble, though.

They never discussed labels yet, but it was the closest thing to a relationship Jaemin had in over a year. She was hot and so into him, he didn’t think straight when he was with her. And that made him do plenty of stupid things – like having sex in one of the high-end for-sale condos, for example. Too bad his boss walked on them with one of the biggest clients.

“You did what?” You asked, bursting out laughing. “I mean, I am sorry that happened to you,” you corrected yourself, still giggling under your breath. “That’s terrible but hilarious at the same time.”

“Yeah, please, go ahead, laugh at my misery,” Jaemin sighed, pouring lemonade down his throat. “Anyway, it didn’t get me fired. My boss assigned me to sell this house. As long as this estate is on the market, he doesn’t want to see me in the office.”

“Oof.”

“Yes, oof.”

“I’m aware how difficult it can be, but don’t worry. We’ll figure something out. Together.”

“Thank you.” Jaemin sent a contagious smile your way, and you instantly mirrored his action. There was certain softness to the way he was looking at you, and it made you all giddy inside.

***

When you walked down the stairs that Saturday morning, Jaemin was blown away. His jaw dropped as he shamelessly stared at you in admiration. Your beauty captured his attention. It was proper to compliment you, but his mind went completely blank.

Jaemin got instant flashbacks. It was the second time he saw you all dressed up to the nines, and he liked the view in front of him. In fact, he liked it a lot. Though he thought you were beautiful in your casual outfits and a ponytail, you looked absolutely show-stopping now in your tight dress. Jaemin could tell you took your sweet time styling your hair and applying make-up.

Who did you doll up for?

Jaemin wondered as he felt bitter, knowing it wasn’t for him. Unfortunately, he knew all he ever was to you was a roommate. Maybe a friend on a good day. Despite a few playful bickers, a handful of suggestive remarks, and a couple of sexual innuendos, there was nothing substantial between you.

He just stood there in black Adidas slacks and a matching T-shirt, ready to start working on the living room. Though he never discussed it with you, it was the last room that needed an upgrade, and it was safe to assume you’d get it done today.

His assumption was incorrect, though.

“Someone’s looking fancy today,” Jaemin cleared his throat, giving you a feeble compliment, cursing at himself for such a poor choice of words. He should’ve said you looked breathtaking. Or, at least, hot. “I’m guessing you’re taking a day off.”

“I wouldn’t call it that,” you replied with a polite smile. “I’ve got a few errands to run. And meet up with my friends later. I’ll be home late. Like 3 a.m. type of late.”

“What?” Jaemin asked, mortified. You couldn’t be serious. Although he got used to living with you and the ghost, he would never there stay alone. Jaemin witnessed cold spots and following shadows, but he wasn’t ready to face them on his own. You were Jaemin’s intermediary between supernatural and sanity, and he refused to spend a second in the house without you around.

“Don’t be dramatic. You’ll survive,” you smiled, giving Jaemin’s shoulder a supportive squeeze. Jaemin paid little to no attention to the ghost these days – he should be fine for a few hours.

“Just give me a few minutes,” he said, bolting upstairs 3 steps at a time. He’d rather stroll aimlessly around the city than spend a minute in the haunted house without you.

In record time, Jaemin changed into a semi-formal suit set and combed his hair.

“What? It’s the weekend. I have friends, too,” Jaemin defensively spoke as you checked him out.

“I don’t doubt that. They probably missed you. It’s nice to catch up,” you nodded, walking out of the house. “I’ll be drinking tonight, so I’ll take the train. You can take your car if you want,” you warned Jaemin as you didn’t want to inconvenience him.

At first, Jaemin wanted to offer himself to give you a ride. You wouldn’t even need to ask him to drive you back here – he’d gladly wait until ungodly morning hours for you if that meant you made home safely. However, if he was planning to meet up with Jeno, he would meet the other guys, too. The more, the merrier – as Jeno liked to quote. And if Donghyuck came, there was no way Jaemin would leave Jeno’s place sober.

“I think I’ll be drinking, too. We can both take the train,” Jaemin smiled, joining you by your side. “Just text me what time you want to return, so we can come back together.”

The train station was about a thirty-minute walk away. It was nice, but Jaemin felt… incomplete. Would his attitude change if he got to held your hand? No, he was getting ahead of himself. It didn’t matter because he didn’t want to incommode you.

“The last nighttime train leaves at 3:17 a.m..”

***

Jaemin was already waiting for you on the platform when you arrived. He was sat on a public bench, anxiously stomping his foot against the concrete. Although you still had almost fifteen minutes before train departure, Jaemin was worried that something had happened to you. Thankfully, the second you took a seat beside him, he could let out his breath.

“I’m honestly surprised. I didn’t expect you to be here,” you said, lacing your arm around Jaemin’s, resting your head against his shoulder. The alcohol must’ve put you in a really good mood.

“Why is that?” Jaemin asked, turning to look at you.

“I figured you’d return tomorrow morning,” you added with a shrug, not giving it much thought.

“Nonsense. You may be comfortable letting me stay there alone, but I am not. I’d never leave you there alone. Over my dead body,” Jaemin confessed. Jaemin’s care for your safety was truly touching. “I mean it.”

“You’re so sweet,” you cooed, squeezing his shoulder tighter. “Speaking of which, I got you something,” you added, showing him a see-through plastic container. “It’s a lactose-free peaches and cream cupcake. I know how much you like desserts, so when I saw it, I just had to get it for you. It looked nicer when I bought it, though.”

Brightly smiling at him, you handed him the container. The cream was slightly flat and smeared across the box, but Jaemin appreciated the gesture. You were thinking about him, and it made him quite giddy.

Wasting no time, Jaemin opened the box and took a bite. It was delicious – the peaches were sweet, the dough was spongy, and the cream was incredibly smooth.

“You want some? We can share,” Jaemin asked as he caught you licking your lips, your eyes fixated on the cupcake in his hands.

“Eat up; I already had two earlier today,” you kindly refused, letting him enjoy the sweet treat.

When Jaemin finished the cupcake and disposed of the container, the train arrived. You were about an hour away from your comfortable bed. You couldn’t wait to make it home.

“So… what did you do today?” You asked Jaemin as you two sat down in an empty compartment.

“Nothing special. I played games on a console with Jeno. When the other guys came, we ordered food and had some drinks. What about you? Did you have fun?”

“Plenty,” you quickly said, genuinely smiling. “At first, I met a few friends for brunch. I had an amazing panini. I have to recreate it at some point. You’re gonna love it.”

“I can’t wait.”

“Then I went to the office. My best friend, Renjun, has been supervising all of the ongoing projects, and I had to check up on him to see how he’s doing. If you ever see him, don’t tell him that, but I wouldn’t have done it as well as he did.”

“I will humble him down if I need to,” Jaemin replied, chuckling at you. Your friendship with Renjun seemed unique, and Jaemin would love to see your and Renjun’s interaction live.

“Heh, thanks,” you beamed at him, staring into Jaemin’s beautiful eyes. “Then I had dinner with my other friends. The main dish was okay, but the dessert was incredible, and it means a lot coming from me. I’m not big on desserts. But it was so good I needed to take something to go for you.”

“Should we order a cake from that place to celebrate when we sell the house?”

“We totally should!” You exclaimed, loving Jaemin’s idea. “Later, we went to a few fancy bars where the rest of my friends joined us. I’ve had so many drinks.”

“I can tell,” Jaemin playfully remarked, and you pouted.

“It was nice to catch up with my friends. You have no idea how much gossip I learnt tonight.”

Unprompted, you reported all of the newfound gossip to Jaemin, and as usual, he gave you his full attention. Although he didn’t know people you were talking about it, and your reportage was chaotic and had many plot holes, Jaemin still had a lot of fun listening to you. Your stories definitely made the time fly faster – a thirty-minute long train ride seemed to last no more than ten minutes.

“I am so tired,” you complained, trying to ignore the pulsating pain in your heels. You should’ve chosen a more comfortable pair of shoes. “Sorry to disappoint, but I don’t think I’ll be able to get anything done tomorrow. My feet are killing me.”

“You could never disappoint me,” Jaemin declared as the two of you began your walk to the house. “Besides, we’re almost done. The living room is going to take us a day tops. I had some calls from potential clients. I may start scheduling house tours sometime next week.”

“Are you sure they’re real clients and not some random people who just want to take a closer look at my amazing ass?” You challenged, turning your head around to look at your asset in question.

“Don’t worry, your ass is safe,” Jaemin assured, winking at you, sneaking a peek at your butt. “I always do a brief background check on potential clients. I’ll keep all the weirdoes away from you.”

“Thank you, Jaemin. Your help here is unmatched. I really appreciate it.”

“You’re saying it like that as if that’s not literally my job,” Jaemin jested, gently poking your side.

“Anyway, I was thinking… it would be nice to take care of the garden before we invite people for house tours. Maybe it’s not as important as inside, but it’s still the first thing the client sees. I don’t really have expertise in gardening, but I’d like to try it.”

Renovating the house was fun, and you didn’t want it to end. The garden was in a pretty rough shape as of now, so it wasn’t that much of a lame excuse to keep Jaemin around. You were friends now, but you feared that once the house got sold, you could eventually drift apart.

“It does need a little touch-up,” Jaemin agreed, nodding his head. “I mean… everybody knows it’s the kitchen that sells the house, but it’s the garden that leaves the first impression.”

“We still need to do something about the ghost. Not everybody is as open-minded as we are,” you wondered, knowing it would be a difficult obstacle to overcome. No one, in the right state of mind, would willingly purchase an estate with a ghostly squatter.

“Oh no, don’t include me here. I don’t accept its presence. I suffer through it because of your stubbornness,” Jaemin was quick to interject, providing you with his point of view. “But I strongly agree the ghost needs to be evicted. I admit, Yuta’s house call was a screwup.”

“Maybe an exorcist could help. Like… a legitimate one. I wonder how long their waiting line is. And how much they’re charging for their services,” you wondered out loud, trying to find a way to get rid of the issue. “Or maybe we can get a new Ouija board and try to make contact. If we appease the ghost, its soul may find peace.”

“I’d rather die and bring the ghost to hell by myself,” Jaemin threw in, strongly disapproving your proposition. “Even if all the other ways fail, we will not be using the Ouija board.”

“I can do it myself,” you offered, ready to risk it and proceed solo.

“Maybe there’s no ghost at all. I’ve read this article about infrasounds. Basically, it means there are sounds that the human ear can’t pick up. Although we can’t hear them, they still may affect us. They can cause goosebumps, intolerable sensations, and many other things we may confuse as being rattled. If we find the source, we could turn them off.”

“That’s a cool theory, but I doubt infrasounds could blow up a light bulb,” you said, quick to deny his thesis. “Oh, it’s raining,” you quickly lost your thought as you felt droplets of rain fall on your head.

It was a warm night. There was barely any wind, and now summer rain began pelting down.

“Let’s hurry. We don’t want to get sick, do we?” You stated, grabbing Jaemin by his shoulder. “We’re like ten minutes away. Let’s get home before this drizzle turns into a downpour.”

“You know what I always think about when it rains?” Jaemin asked as he pulled away from you, making you stop and turn around to look at him.

“Why do your ankles and knees ache so bad?” You took a wild guess, bursting out laughing. “I’ve read that we may feel pain because of barometric pressure,” you explained, but Jaemin shook his head, quick to dismiss your hypothesis.

“That was a very good guess, but that’s not what I think about,” Jaemin beamed before he looked into your eyes. Typically, you’d feel bashful and try to avoid Jaemin’s gaze, but the remains of the alcohol in your system made you bold. “Whenever it rains, I think about one crazy spontaneous woman. She told me she had never kissed in the rain, so we did,” Jaemin elaborated. You opened your mouth in shock, not expecting this conversation to take such an abrupt turn.

“She seems great,” you replied, tutting your own horn.

“She is great,” Jaemin corrected you, making you grin. “Too bad I fucked it up.”

“If she is as great as you claim, maybe she believes in second chances, too,” you said as you took a cautious step toward Jaemin, smiling at him fondly. “Besides, you’re not giving yourself enough credit. You’re great too. I can bet she can see that.”

“What do you suggest I do?” Jaemin asked, nearing you. Your faces were only inches apart – if you leaned in ever so slightly, you could taste his lips. “Sometimes, when I look at her, I want to kiss her breath away. Do you think she would mind?”

“You never know until you grow a pair to try,” you teased, raising your arms to play with the collar of his shirt. Now, you two were breathing the same air. “Nevermind,” you added, rolling your eyes before you surged forward to press your lips against his.

Jaemin wasn’t shocked by your boldness. If anything, he was a bit pouty that he wasn’t the one to make the final move. His reflexes were just too slow.

Anyway, back to the point, you were kissing him.

At fucking last.

Jaemin instantly responded, melting into the kiss. His hands squeezed your sides, shoving you against his frame. You felt dizzy, willing to get lost in the sensation. Being held in Jaemin’s arms and kissing him just made sense, and the dripping rain only exalted the romantic atmosphere.

Your mouths moved in sync as if you were fighting for the last bubble of air. Eyes shut closed, impatient moans swallowed, bodies pressed tightly against each other, leaving no space between.

“You feel more bulky than I remember,” you commented, giving his bicep a playful squeeze as you pulled away for a second to catch a breath. (You were sure not enough air was reaching your brain.)

“Because I was the one carrying all that crap from the basement,” Jaemin jested, leaning forward. His hands held your face gently before he pressed a series of quick pecks, savoring the innocent affection.

“No need to thank me,” you smugly replied, pulling him against you into yet another heated make-out session.

“I wasn’t gonna,” he interjected before you slipped your tongue into his mouth, shutting him up. His hands ran through your hair as he deepened the kiss. His feelings for you were all over the place right now, and he hoped you could faultlessly identify them. (But if you didn’t, Jaemin would love to spell them out for you at any given moment.) However, the way your body was reacting, he was pretty sure you not only were aware of his emotions, but you also felt the same way about him.

“I’m so wet.”

“Of course you are,” Jaemin smirked, suggestively wiggling his eyebrow. Nibbling your bottom lip, Jaemin kissed you again in hopes the snog would blow you away and make you forget all about his lame innuendo.

“You’re such a pig,” you breathed out, playfully hitting him in the chest, giggling. Despite the brief nature of your touch, you could tell Jaemin’s heart was racing. Either he was really excited about the kiss, or he was about to go into cardiac arrest. “I mean… yeah, that too, but I meant literally. The rain is getting worse. We should hurry up home.”

“Let’s go,” Jaemin said as he grabbed your hand and pulled you with him. You were about ten minutes away from the house, but it would take only six minutes if you jogged. Although you didn’t expect to do cardio after a long night out, you had no other choice. You had already pushed it kissing Jaemin in the rain – now, you hoped neither of you would get sick.

You and Jaemin reached the house in record time, and the moment you found shelter on the patio, Jaemin kissed you again. Though you barely dove into sensual pleasures, Jaemin was already starved for you. He barely had a taste, and his yearning could not be satiated.

“We haven’t even made it home yet,” you pointed out, but Jaemin interpreted it more as a fact rather than a suggestion, so instead of giving you space to unlock the doors, he pressed you against them. He was impatient and a bit rough, but you enjoyed it. A lot.

You were both short on breath, but it didn’t matter. Jaemin could have you squished between his firm frame and the doors, yet he still wasn’t close enough to your liking. Each kiss Jaemin gave you cost you a big chunk of sanity. You didn’t think about your actions – you acted solely on instinct.

Jaemin’s hands were all over you, exploring your curves. Shamelessly, you were rubbing against him. Due to your lewd ministrations, you could feel the erection grow in his pants.

Suddenly, the outside sconce lightning on both sides of the entrance started to flicker. It didn’t make him jolt away. Instead, Jaemin froze mid-kiss in his spot to look up at the malfunctioning light.

“For a second, I forgot we live in a haunted house,” Jaemin groaned, hiding his face in the crook of your neck. To say he was fed up was an understatement.

“It could’ve been worse,” you said as you cupped Jaemin’s face and gave him a comforting peck. It worked like magic – Jaemin knew he was safe with you despite the circumstances, and it calmed him down. “Don’t worry, baby. We’ll get rid of the ghost. Even if I have to get an exorcist license myself,” you assured him, sending him a soft smile.

“Did you just call me baby?” Jaemin asked, and admittedly – his selective hearing did not fail to surprise you.

“Shut up, you loved it,” you deadpanned, playfully shoving him away.

“I did,” Jaemin grinned at you, stealing another peck from you. “Not the pet name of my choice, but you’re right, I did,” he added, staring into your eyes. “Anyway… where were we?”

“We were trying to open the doors and get inside.”

“Are you trying to gaslight me right now?” Jaemin asked, and you rolled your eyes at him before you turned around to fight with the lock. “I could swear it’s not what was happening,” he carried on, wrapping his arms around your frame and giving you a tight back hug.

“Well… that’s what would’ve happened if you hadn’t distracted me,” you argued back, trying to make a point, but you had trouble collecting your thoughts as Jaemin pressed a series of sloppy kisses down your neck. “Now, step back, can you? We’re gonna freeze to death here.”

“I’m trying to keep you warm, can’t you see?” Jaemin said, snuggling even closer to you.

Although you leaned into Jaemin’s chest, letting him crash your bones, you still managed to fish a bunch of keys out of your purse. It was tricky to insert due to darkness and Jaemin’s cuddly shenanigans, but, at last, you succeeded and pushed the doors open.

“Come on,” you urged, pulling Jaemin inside.

Jaemin quickly kicked the doors shut and locked them from the inside. Grinning, you wrapped your arms around his neck and stole yet another kiss. Paying no attention to your surroundings, you waltzed around the foyer and the kitchen, knocking down an umbrella stand and a few spatulas before he picked you up and sat on the kitchen island.

“We should take off our drenched clothes,” you pointed out, pushing Jaemin’s jacket off his shoulders, letting it drop around his feet.

“We definitely should,” Jaemin agreed, reaching to unclip the straps of your shoes. “We didn’t run all the way here to get sick inside,” he added, and you shook your legs side to side, letting your shoes drop onto the floor.

“I don’t think I can reach the zipper. Can you help me?” You coyly asked, batting your eyelashes at Jaemin. He found it suspicious that you had put it on without much trouble, and now you couldn’t take it off, but he decided not to ponder it. He’d gladly help you out of your predicament.

Jaemin leaned in and carefully pulled the zipper down. His touch was delicate, and it made your blood flow faster in excitement. It was shocking how responsive your body was to him. Giggling, you played with Jaemin’s hair, kissing and marking the skin of his neck with love bites.

“Let’s take it off before you catch a cold,” Jaemin urged as he grabbed the hem of your dress, waiting for you to raise your hand so he could undress you. Jaemin bit his bottom lip, looking at you. Though there was barely any light in the room, he could still make out your sexy features. The way he looked at you filled you with pride and confidence.

You were in only your nude lingerie set, and Jaemin most definitely could make out your hardened nipples through the soaked bralette. Jaemin, on the other hand, was way too overdressed for your liking, so when he was busy staring at you, you took your chance and undid the button of his pants. In no time, his zipper was down too.

“What? I need to make sure you stay healthy, too,” you smirked, shamelessly looking at his erection. The flimsy piece of fabric of his boxers didn’t leave much to the imagination, so you could admire and salivate at his impressive bulge.

Smiling at you, Jaemin kicked off the pants that pooled around his ankles. Quickly, he also took off his wet socks and undid a few buttons of his shirt. You could see his muscles as the material was sticking to his skin, but it still excited you when Jaemin stripped. His excruciatingly slow pace worked magic on your imagination, turning you on more.

Though Jaemin didn’t properly touch you yet, you were already wet.

“I need you, Jaemin,” you breathed out as you pushed his shirt off his shoulders and pulled him against you, smashing your lips against him. Desperately, you wrapped your legs around him and locked them around his lean waist. His kisses, although incredible, weren’t enough, and you were starting to lose your mind.

“I can’t believe I finally have you like that all to myself,” Jaemin commented as he rubbed his clothed cock against your folds, teasing your clit. “What should I do with you, huh?” Jaemin wondered, smirking before he leaned in to shower your neck and collarbones with rough kisses, which were most definitely to leave marks on your skin.

“Fuck my brains out, preferably,” you confessed, grinding against him a bit harder as current stimulation wasn’t enough to get you anywhere. “How can you have so much self-restraint? How come your cock is still in your boxers and not inside of me,” you blabbered out in hopes your words would urge him to wreck you.

“Patience, princess,” Jaemin chuckled as his lips traveled down to your breasts. “I want you to come on my tongue first,” he added, pushing the strong of your bra down your shoulder to reveal your breast and the hardened nipple.

Jaemin sucked and nibbled your left nipple, kneading your right breast. It felt nice; Jaemin’s sloppy kisses were keeping you lightheaded while the gentle clit stimulation was making your toes curl.

Carefully, Jaemin made you lie down on the countertop. The surface felt cold under your skin, and it made you hiss. Thankfully, the sensation was short-lived as your mind was hardwired. You weren’t in the right state of mind when Jaemin’s lips pressed against your clit.

His tongue was teasing your entrance mercilessly, making you squirm under his feather-like touch. Your juices mixed with his saliva, letting his long fingers just slide right in.

“Jaemin,” you breathed out his name with words of encouragement. Although his movements were playful, you felt pleasure slowly but steadily build up. Rather than focusing on making you come as fast as he could, Jaemin explored and learnt your body. It was more than enjoyable for you, so you were in no place to neither complain nor rush him.

Jaemin stroke the right nerve a few times. In response, you hoisted your hips and shamelessly rubbed your sex against his face. You couldn’t see his reaction in the dark, but your impatient movements made Jaemin smirk in contentment.

You needed something to hold on to. “I need more,” you panted, shutting your eyes close, letting the pleasure take over you.

“Look at you, squirming under my tongue,” Jaemin spoke up in a mocking tone as he pulled away. His face was glistening with your delicious juices. Jaemin could eat you out for days. “What do you want? My cock? Or will my fingers be enough?” He asked, but you didn’t care. You wanted both, no matter the order. “Good girls respond when asked a question,” Jaemin tutted, waiting for your reply.

“Anything, just make me come,” you desperately admitted, missing the way Jaemin’s mouth twitched into a playful smirk. He didn’t need to hear anything else. The anguish in your tone was no joke, and your well-deserved orgasm wasn’t a subject to fool around with.

“Anything for you, princess,” Jaemin whispered before he spat on your folds, mixing his saliva with your juices. There was something unexplainably erotic about it, and you gasped for air when he slid his long fingers inside of you.

You were squirming under his touch, moaning in the rhythm of Jaemin’s thrusts. Jaemin quickly learnt your body – as soon as he found a sweet spot that made you squeeze around his fingers, he kept stroking it with the same intensity.

When you were seconds away from your release, Jaemin smirked and took your clit in his mouth, knowing you had no other choice but to come around his fingers.

“Fuck, Jaemin,” you hollered, giving in to the mind-blowing pleasure that erupted within you. It’s been a while since you came that hard. Whether it was Jaemin’s fingers, your deeply hidden feelings for him, or a mix of both, you felt light in the head.

“I hope you’re ready for more,” Jaemin whispered, smugly staring at you. Unreasonable pride filled him when he could see you blessed like that. “You can take much more than that,” he egged you on, placing delicate kisses all over your bare skin.

“Of course, I can,” you added before you sat up. It was almost morning at this point, but a little bit of exhaustion wasn’t going to make you tap out. Besides, Jaemin gifted you a bone-shattering orgasm, the least you could do was return the favor.

Jaemin’s briefs were stained with precum. His cock was fully erect and it made you drool. You wanted to feel him in your mouth, to push him down your throat. However, the prospect of him fucking you excited you just as much.

You stared at Jaemin fondly, and he quickly leaned in and kissed you. While your lips were smashing against each other with lust, you reached down and slid your hand under the hem of his briefs, wrapping your hand against his erection.

Despite your dazed state, you could make out each vein across his hard length. You were wicked enough to wonder how it would feel inside of you, throbbing.

“Do you have a condom?” You innocently asked as you rested your forehead against his. You’d suck him off on a different occasion. Right now, you needed him to fill you up.

“I – I don’t,” Jaemin revealed, looking away.

You didn’t know if you were disappointed or embarrassed, so you chose to laugh. You didn’t have a condom, either. Your luck was simply absurd at this point.

You and Jaemin were standing there, staring at each other awkwardly. You had to say something and save the atmosphere. You couldn’t let such a minor inconvenience ruin the mood.

“Are you on birth control?” Jaemin asked, biting on his lip in anticipation, and you shook your head.

“I didn’t like how the pills made me feel,” you confessed, and Jaemin smiled, not needing more explanation. “It doesn’t mean we can’t do it. I mean… I’m clean.”

“Me too.”

“You could pull out,” you offered with a shrug. It was risky, but you trusted Jaemin. And if by any chance, he would fail to do so, you could always unalive him. (At least, in theory.)

“You mean it?” Jaemin asked making sure you were comfortable with it. Although you were the one to propose it, Jaemin wouldn’t insist if you needed a moment to reconsider your decision.

Jaemin’s tone was serious, and it made you shy under his considerate gaze.

“I trust you,” you proclaimed, genuinely smiling at him.

Jaemin couldn’t believe his ears. You were literally the woman of his dreams. Not only he had eaten you out, but now, you were willing to let him fuck you raw. Even in his boldest fantasies, he didn’t expect this night to take such a turn. (Or maybe he did. Jaemin was lonely, and dirty perverted fantasies were the only thing he had left.)

Right here, right now Jaemin could tell you how much you mean to him.

“I need you,” you whispered as you pressed your forehead against his and closed your eyes. Impatiently, you once again reached down, giving Jaemin’s cock a few cautious strokes.

Eagerly, you shuffled to the edge of the countertop, spreading your legs apart.

Jaemin felt stressed. He assumed you’d feel the same, but when he looked into your eyes, he only saw excitement and fondness. When you said you trusted him, you really meant it, and it made Jaemin’s heart skip a beat.

His hands rested on your ass, holding you in place. Carefully, you guided his length to your entrance, letting the tip of his cock smear your juices all over the folds.

“We’re really doing it,” Jaemin murmured rather to himself, still unable to process he was going to fuck you raw. His enthusiasm was through the roof.

“Fuck me,” you whispered, mischievously nibbling his earlobe. His cock was brushing across your soaked folds; he just needed to thrust to completely feel you. “Please,” you begged, and Jaemin lost his cool, pushing all the way in with a loud moan – it was insane of him to let out such a guttural animalistic sound.

“Fuck,” he panted, feeling a bit overwhelmed with how warm and tight you felt. It’s safe to say Jaemin started to lose his mind. He remained still, letting you adjust to his size.

“Yes,” you breathed out against his skin, peppering his neck and jaw with featherlike pecks. You could feel him throbbing inside, and your pleas for him to move left your mouth like a chant.

At first, Jaemin’s thrusts were slow and precise. The way you were moaning his name drove him crazy, making him pick up his pace, testing out how loud you could go. Your kisses were sloppy, teeth clashing, bit biting. Rather than focus, Jaemin gave into the sensations, quickly falling out of his steady rhythm.

“Just like that, Jaemin, please, keep going,” you hollered, feeling another orgasm approach.

Upon hearing you, Jaemin tried his best to maintain his tempo. Beads of sweat rolled down his forehead as he pounded inside of you.

“Fuck,” Jaemin huffed under his breath as he felt your walls tighten around his erection. He was close too, but he needed to take you to your release first. It would be too easy to come inside you right now, but he had made a promise and he intended to keep it.

Your moans mixed with his and the lewd sounds of skin slapping resonated in your ears like a sinful song. All of your senses were overloaded. One more powerful push later you were coming around Jaemin’s cock. At the top of your voice, you moaned his name as pleasure crushed you.

“That’s right, princess, fuck–” Jaemin cooed as he pulled away, his hand instantly reaching his erection, rubbing it ferociously until completion. Uncontrollably, ropes of cum spurted all over your stomach and breasts and his hands. It was a mess, but neither of you cared.

You were spent.

Jaemin fucked you so well you could just drop onto the countertop and fall asleep right there. The lazy part of you felt tempted to do that. However, a quick shower and warm sheets sounded heavenly right now, especially if Jaemin decided to join you.

“We made quite a mess,” you laughed, looking down at your stomach all covered in Jaemin’s cum.

“We certainly did,” Jaemin agreed, swift to match your energy, unable to resist your contagious chuckles. “Let’s get you cleaned up,” he added as he took your hands in his, assisting you when you jumped off the countertop.

Rather than going rough, you and Jaemin had given in to raw passion, so when you landed on your feet and wobbled a bit, you were taken aback. Jaemin, on the other hand, seemed pleased. It was evidence, proving how incredibly he fucked you, and he was unreasonably smug about it.

“Let’s go,” you said, pulling Jaemin along with you. Your grip on his wrist wasn’t strong, so Jaemin managed to wiggle his hand out with a simple jerk. Quickly, you looked at his hand, wondering if you completely misread the situation. Thankfully, before you got to get ahead of yourself and overthink, Jaemin smirked, throwing you over his shoulder, and carrying you to the bathroom.

***

As much tempting as it was to go another round in the bathtub, you and Jaemin kept your hands to themselves. (Or at least, in a sexual type of way.) Water splashed all over the bathroom floor as you both tried to fit inside the tub, but you couldn’t care less. It’d dry up in no time.

Quickly, you put on clean panties and threw a loose soft T-shirt over your head. You were so tired you had no idea how you managed to get to your bed. You nearly tripped over Jaemin’s mattress that was still lying on the floor next to your bed frame.

“Finally,” you huffed as you plopped onto the bed, crawling under the sheets. Your eyes were closed, and Jaemin tried to be as quiet as a mouse, trying not to wake you up. Thankfully, you weren’t fully asleep yet, so when you heard him shuffle around his mattress, you were quick to scold him and invite him to lie next to you.

“Are you sure? We don’t have to,” Jaemin whispered, but you only yanked him down, making him ungraciously fall on the bed.

“Shut up and cuddle me,” you ordered, wrapping his arms around your frame. Your back was pressed against his chest as you snuggled closer. “It’s after dawn already, let’s go to sleep.”

***

You woke up about three hours later fully energized, ready to seize the day. You had no idea why, but your body always reacted like that after a night out. Though at first, you considered it a curse, now it felt more like a blessing.

Carefully, you turned around to see Jaemin sleeping soundly right next to you. All things you had done last night weren’t a feverish dream – you still very much could feel his lingering touch.

Despite your newfound energy, you decided to stay in bed. It was warm and comfortable, and there was nothing urgent that required your participation.

Rays of sunshine poured into the room, yet it wasn’t enough to wake Jaemin up.

“Good morning,” Jaemin whispered in a raspy tone as he stretched his limbs.

“You’re awake?” You asked in shock as you didn’t expect him to get up before noon.

“You’re not as quiet as you think you are,” Jaemin teased, his hand searching for your butt, pulling you closer to him. “What are you thinking about? My eyes are closed but I still can hear the gears in your brain shift.”

“Us,” you vaguely stated, biting your lips. Though you felt in your guts there wasn’t a one-time thing, the possibility of you misreading the circumstances existed. You were sure Jaemin reciprocated your feelings, but it was better to openly talk about it instead of avoiding the subject.

“Oh boy,” Jaemin started, giggling quietly. Although he seemed cool and collected, he was panicking on the inside. “I want you so so bad,” he confessed, staring into your eyes with honesty and softness. Quickly, his hands found yours under the duvet, giving them a reassuring squeeze.

“I want you too,” you admitted. Your lips were curved in a wide smile as you couldn’t hide your elation. Thankfully, you and Jaemin were on the same wavelength.

“Should we go on a date today?” Jaemin wondered, already thinking where he could take you out. There wasn’t much to do around here, and he didn’t feel like going all the way to the city two days in a row. Besides, on Sundays, the trains didn’t take off as often as on weekdays.

“I’d really like that,” you replied, planting a chaste kiss on the tip of his nose. “Let’s do that.”

***

“I have a strange déjà vu moment right now,” you said as you and Jaemin stopped in front of a shelf with condoms. You remembered that day vividly. Back then, you had spited him, throwing all condoms in your shopping basket, leaving him empty-handed. Now, the scene looked completely different.

First of all, you came together to do grocery shopping. (There wasn’t much to do on a Sunday afternoon in this provincial countryside, so you and Jaemin decided to rain-check your official date.)

Usually, either one of you would take care of groceries on the way back from somewhere, so it felt genuinely nice to shop together.

You were awfully domestic – holding hands, throwing each other’s favorite snacks to the basket.

“Don’t remind me,” Jaemin shook at the memory. “It’s both the best and worst day of my life,” he admitted, cringing at his memory. He was devastated after catching his girlfriend cheat on him. By chance, he met you, and you dragged him to a night full of unexpected adventures. Unfortunately, he messed up big time by ghosting you later.

“So that’s where the bar is,” you wondered, naughty scenarios clouding your mind. Smirking at him, you picked up a few condom packages and threw them into the basket. “We can easily top that.”

“I never doubted that,” he added, pressing a quick peck, hoping he didn’t make anyone uncomfortable with his impulsive public display of affection. “Today has a lot of potential,” he teased before adding a few extra condom packages to the basket.

You could feel warmth creep up to your cheeks as your mind came up with a few lewd scenarios. There were so many of them, you knew you could only perform a fraction of them tonight.

“Is that all?” You asked, tilting your head towards the basket, peeking inside to see if you found all items on your mental shopping list. Apparently, your list consisted only of condoms, carbonated drinks, and many other types of comfort food.

“I think we’ve run out of mouthwash. Let me go get it real quick,” Jaemin volunteered, marching away to the alley with oral hygiene. “Meet me at the cash register in two,” he hollered before he completely disappeared out of your sight.

“Idiot,” you muttered under your breath, giggling. The oral hygiene section was two alleys to the left, and Jaemin just turned to the right. “Adorable.”

***

It was definitely the laziest day yet. Except for a short trip to the supermarket, you didn’t do much. However, you still loved every second spent in Jaemin’s presence.

Currently, all types of unhealthy snacks were laid out on the coffee table in case either of you felt a sudden craving for something sweet, sour, spicy, or salty. You were chilling on the couch, your bodies entwined together. A crime show was on TV, but neither of you paid much attention to what was being aired. Mindless cuddles with Jaemin seemed much more fun. His large hands traveled all over your body. His fingers were drawing various shapes on your exposed skin. Except for a few times when Jaemin slid his arm under your shirt to grope your breast, his ministrations were rather virtuous.

“I’m gonna make myself some tea. Would you like some?” You announced as you wriggled out of Jaemin’s hold. All the sugar and salt you had consumed made you thirsty for something healthy.

“I’d love some coffee if it’s not a problem,” Jaemin said, and you smiled, shaking your head. Although you wondered what he might’ve needed caffeine for this late, you decided to fulfill his request as it didn’t really make that much of a difference.

“Of course not; I’ll be right back,” you smiled before you quickly shuffled to the kitchen.

You were gone for maybe five minutes, but it was enough for Jaemin to get completely sucked into the plot. Carefully, you placed the mugs on the coffee table, trying not to walk into Jaemin’s line of vision. After all, Jaemin looked really handsome when he was focused on something.

With a sigh, you sat down on the floor, resting your back against the couch. A fuzzy carpet felt comfortable, and it was easier for you to reach the mug with your tea.

“It’s so fun to do nothing with you,” you commented as you leaned to the side, resting your head against his knee. Jaemin only hummed, reciprocating the feeling.

Dolce far niente.

You tried watching television, but you were unable to focus as much as Jaemin. While he barely blinked, trying not to miss a single frame, you were sighing, waiting for something to pull you in.

Unfortunately, it didn’t.

Jaemin was more interesting, so that’s where you fixated your eyes at. His hair was messy. He was wearing a pair of black tracksuit pants and a white T-shirt. He looked like any other dude, but in your eyes, he was just radiating attractiveness. Maybe it was a bit pathetic, but Jaemin didn’t even try to make you drool.

“Jaemin,” you cooed in a suspiciously sweet tone, and Jaemin looked at you softly, furrowing his eyebrows as he tried to guess what you were up to.

Thankfully, Jaemin couldn’t read your mind. Your thoughts consisted only of his cock and your mouth, and you could swear some of them were so obscene, Jaemin would shy away.

“What are you think about, princess?” Jaemin asked, and you absentmindedly touched his thigh, running your hand up and down his tensed muscles.

“I’d rather show you instead,” you eagerly said as you fumbled to sit comfortably between his legs. Your chin was nested in your hands as your elbows dug into the couch right next to Jaemin’s crotch. Smirking, you looked into Jaemin’s eyes. Whatever you wanted to imply, he was into it.

Jaemin was too stunned to speak; staring at you, Jaemin gulped, waiting for your move.

You placed your hands on his knees, slowly rubbing his muscles upwards as you wondered if it was enough to make him squirm. Audaciously, you cupped his cock through the fabric until you could feel him harden under your touch.

Jaemin’s breaths were short and shallow. His eyes were focused on your lips, which glistened in the faint light after you seductively licked them. Though you barely started working him up, Jaemin already wondered how deep you were to take him.

Smirking, you hooked your fingers under the hem of his sweatpants and boxers. Jaemin quietly hissed as he didn’t expect your digits to feel so cold against his skin.

“I want you in my mouth so bad I can’t bring myself to tease you. It’s crazy,” you admitted before you freed Jaemin’s cock with one fluid yank. His sweatpants and boxers pooled around his ankles, but your full attention was on his cock that sprung out of Jaemin’s undergarments, almost fully ready for action.

Impatiently, you wrapped your left hand around the base of his cock, giving it a few circular strokes before you leaned forward and placed a few gentle pecks on the tip. You could feel faint throbbing under your touch as you slowly trailed wet kisses down his length.

“It looks like teasing to me, though,” Jaemin commented as he dug his fingers in his thigh, trying his best not to move, giving you a chance to please him the way you wanted to. He could thrust his hips upwards and force himself into your mouth, but what’s the fun in that?

Ignoring his comment, you ran your tongue along the veins of his cock, leaving as much saliva as you could to help you get rid of friction.

Jaemin puffed under his breath as he watched you gently pump his shaft. You used your hands while your tongue messaged the tip, spreading the precum around.

“Oh baby,” Jaemin gasped, slowing losing his mind. Gently, Jaemin ran his hand through your hair, keeping it out of your face, so he could have a clear sight on your lips that were wrapped around his rock hard length. “You’re killing me,” Jaemin quietly moaned as he thought it wasn’t a terrible way to go. “Spit on it,” he ordered, biting his lips, trying to guess if you’d actually do it.

You didn’t need to be told twice. Smirking, you spat on his length, coating it with your saliva to allow smooth movement. Eagerly, you rubbed his cock, applying enough force to get him writhe.

His muscles were tense, his cock was throbbing. Your eyes focused on its red tip as you leaned and enveloped your lips around it, giving it a few cautious sucks.

You bobbed your head up and down his cock, taking more and more of him. Your hands cupped his balls, gently squeezing and tugging them – just enough to get Jaemin to moan your name like a mantra.

Jaemin tried to control himself, but you still could feel his perfunctory thrusts. You didn’t really mind them. You enjoyed sucking him off and how responsive he was to your touch – there was a high chance you’d like it a bit more if he lost his cool and became a little rough.

“You take me so well,” Jaemin breathed out when you lowered your head and hollowed your cheeks. “Fuck,” he cursed, unable to stay still. He was so close he couldn’t think straight. As selfish as it sounded, right now, the only thing on his mind was his release. “Shit, I’m so sorry,” he apologized when his hips involuntarily jolted upwards, pushing his cock down your throat until your nose brushed against his pubic bone.

If it wasn’t for the dick in your mouth, you’d tell him there’s nothing to worry about. You couldn’t blame him for giving in to the pleasure. Tears prickled in your eyes after the sudden shove, but you still relished it.

Your throat was relaxed as you took all of him in, your tongue pressed against his prominent vein. Your hands played with his balls. His orgasm was near, and you wanted him to come in your mouth.

Jaemin’s breaths were shallow and uneven. His eyes were shut close as he hoisted his hips a couple of times before reaching his peak. At the top of his voice, Jaemin shouted your name along with a dozen swear words as he shot his load, white ropes of his release stained your tongue, lips, and chin.

Staring at his fucked out face, you swallowed his cum. With the tip of your tongue, you licked your lips clean. The remaining evidence of his release, you wiped with the back of your hand.

“I don’t deserve you,” Jaemin confessed as he stared down at you, looking for your hand to entwine with his. “Come here,” he cooed, helping you climb on his thighs.

You wanted to communicate so many things. However, all your mind could come up with was confessions, and you figured the timing wasn’t ideal. You didn’t want to profess your love for him when you could still feel the lingering salty taste of his cum on your tongue, so you settled on comfortable silence.

Jaemin placed his hands on your butt as he yanked you against his chest, pressing kisses all over your neck and jaw. You tried to wriggle out of his hug as you felt ticklish, but Jaemin only tightened his arms around you. Although Jaemin was a bit mean, you both were happy, laughing until your stomachs began to hurt.

“I can’t wait to be inside of you again,” Jaemin admitted as you smugly smiled, mentally counting time for Jaemin’s cock to get hard again.

“Me too,” you added as you wrapped your hands around Jaemin’s neck, playing with his fluffy hair. Jaemin’s cock was under you – you were rubbing yourself against it, and even though your clothes were in the way, you could feel it grow due to your impatient movements.

“Aren’t you desperate?” Jaemin sneered, watching your hips repetitively brush against his length. You were horny for him, and it made his ego skyrocket.

“Only for you,” you added, fueling his fervor.

Jaemin’s had enough of your teasing. Right now, he needed you as much as you needed him. Heaving a deep sigh, Jaemin grabbed your butt and picked you up, tossing your frame on the couch. You were taken aback – you expected another love making session. You assumed it’d take a while for him to unleash the inner beast and manhandle you like a lustful caveman.

You were wrong, and this time, you didn’t mind.

Gasping in shock, you lay on your back and watched Jaemin situate himself between your spread legs. Impatiently, he got rid of your clothes. In a matter of seconds, you were bare in front of him, looking beautiful as ever.

“Your panties are so wet as if you came when sucking me off? Were you that turned on?” Jaemin asked as he inspected your undergarment, feeling the soaked fabric in his hands. Smirking at you, he ran his hand over your folds and slid his fingers inside you. “Princess…”

You were as ready as you were physically able to be.

“Fuck me,” you breathed out when Jaemin pulled the T-shirt over his head, revealing his muscular chest. His fingers stroked his hardened length as he stared at you lying under him. “I need your cock, please,” you pouted, knowing he didn’t have the guts to turn you down.

“Hand me the condoms, okay?” Jaemin ordered, and you obediently craned your neck before you reached for the packaging. “Good girl,” he tutted, “do you want to roll it down for me?”

You nodded, too prideful to speak.

In haste, you tore the box apart and took a condom out of its foil. Biting on your bottom lip in concentration, you tried to put the protection on Jaemin’s erection.

“Thank you, baby,” Jaemin whispered with a suggestive smirk as he peeled your hands off his cock and put them over your head. “Can you keep your hands to yourself?” He challenged you as he aligned his length to your soaking entrance.

“We both know I can’t,” you honestly answered, not even trying to hide that you could be a brat in that matter. Even if Jaemin was on top of you, you didn’t want to be passive.

“Fair enough,” Jaemin admitted as he pushed the tip of his cock inside you, making you gasp. “I’d need to cuff you to make you listen to me, wouldn’t I?”

“You never know until you try,” you challenged as you tried to relax and get used to his size. You could feel every vein of his cock as it was buried deep inside of you. “Add handcuffs to the shopping list. We gotta try it soon,” you added eagerly, arching your back as the pleasure started to build up.

Jaemin loved your eagerness and curiosity. It meant the world to him that you wanted to experience all of it with him. He really couldn’t ask for more.

“Maybe that way, we’ll finally end up in bed,” he concluded as he thought of taking his time with you in the confines of your bed.

“Jaemin,” you loudly moaned as he bottomed out with a low grunt. Although you were basically dripping with excitement, you still felt tight around him.

Your walls were squeezed around his cock tightly as Jaemin pounded into you at a ferocious pace. Although he barely started fucking you, droplets of sweat formed on his forehead.

“Fuck,” you whined when his cock was sheathed deep inside you.

Despite your loud moans and lewd skin-slapping sounds, you both could hear a loud thud. Instantly, Jaemin stilled, taken aback by the noise.

It sounded as if a hefty object got knocked off onto the attic floor. Strangely enough, you knew it was impossible as you had thrown everything out two weeks ago.

“What was that?” Jaemin asked –it was definitely louder than any other ghost shenanigans.

“The ghost, obviously,” you deadpanned with a roll of your eyes. It wasn’t the first time the ghost tried to put Jaemin out of the right mood and cockblock you. Enough was enough, you wondered as you wrapped your arms around Jaemin’s neck and pulled him for a passionate kiss. “Ignore it, and it shall stop,” you added, brushing your nose against his in hopes you could seduce him and make him forget about that incident.

Jaemin reciprocated the kiss, slowly rolling his hips as you raked your fingers across his back. You were feeling hot all over, but when his cock found that sensitive bud, you accidentally dug into his skin, leaving shallow scratching marks down his spine.

Thud!

“We should check it out,” Jaemin jerked his head upwards when another noise rang in his ears.

“Go ahead,” you said with disappointment in your voice.

“Me? Alone?” Jaemin exclaimed but then cleared his throat, trying to save his image. “I mean… I’m not leaving you here all by yourself. It’s too dangerous.”

“Do you want me to go and check?” You challenged, sending Jaemin an unamused look.

“Let you go there without backup? No way,” he argued. It was more likely for hell to freeze over than for Jaemin to let you go to the attic alone.

“I’ll get someone to check it in the morning, okay?” You said, pressing an innocent peck against Jaemin’s lips. “Now, that being said, fuck me. If you don’t start pounding that cock, I’m gonna ride you and –

You didn’t even get to finish as Jaemin captured your lips, sucking the air out of your lips with his lustful kiss. Jaemin snapped his hips powerfully, making you whine. His moves were so fast and precise that he basically forced pleasure onto you. Your breasts were bouncing in his rhythm.

“Jaem – I’m coming,” you shouted, arching your back as utter bliss washed through you. “Fuck,” you carried on as waves of pleasure hit you one by one.

Jaemin came seconds after you. It was impossible for him to keep going, not when your walls clenched around him, caging him inside when he shot his load into the condom.

Completely drained, Jaemin fell on the couch next to you, burying his face into the crook of your neck as he tried to catch a breath.

Panting, Jaemin sneaked his arm around you and pulled you against his chest.

You felt comfortable in his arms. As long as you wanted him, he’d never let you go.

“I still want to eat you out,” Jaemin whispered into your ear as he closed his eyes and cuddled to your side. “Just give me a few minutes to rest.”

***

The interior was done. Every single room got deep cleaned, upgraded, and elevated. Unlike your other projects, you did it up to your personal taste, and you loved the final outcome. Now when the product was almost ready for sale, you had doubts.

The mansion belonged to your family for many generations. Though your relatives considered it a burden, you could see its full potential. To say you were anxious about selling it was an understatement. Thankfully, you still had about a week and a half to make up your mind – courtesy of Jaemin, who put a hold on arranging a house tour.

However, now it was time to focus on the exterior and the land around the house. The constriction crew you hired was already setting up the scaffolding around the mansion. Their foreman assured you it wouldn’t take more than four days to repaint the elevation and replace the old roof tiles. That being said, you and Jaemin had more than enough time to map out every inch of the garden.

That’s why you and Jaemin strolled around the property, hand in hand, brainstorming.

“What do you think about fruit trees over there? How about cherry trees? Or maybe peach trees? They’re both low maintenance, so they wouldn’t be much of a burden to the future owners,” you said as you pulled your hand out of Jaemin’s gentle grip. You needed both hands to make a frame with your fingers to see it from an accurate perspective.

“According to Google, everybody can grow them,” Jaemin replied, fact-checking your statement.

“I think you’re reading the same article I did,” you giggled, giving Jaemin a quick kiss. “Hmm… the house is blocking most of the sunlight here.”

“That’s what I was thinking. How about we plant them slightly to the left?” Jaemin proposed, and you hummed, agreeing it was definitely a better place. “Let me see how quick we can have them delivered.”

“There’s no rush,” you casually added, shrugging. The longer the renovation was going, the longer you could stay in that countryside piece of heaven with Jaemin. “Who thought that landscaping is so difficult?” You asked before you walked away to explore the rest of the area, wishing for your inspiration to come.

“Wait up for me, princess,” Jaemin hollered, quickly interlocking his hand in yours.

You and Jaemin circled around the house about ten times before you had an idea of how to landscape most of the area.

“I feel like something’s missing,” you spoke up, looking at Jaemin’s profile. He was right beside you, his arm slouched over your shoulders, ready to support you every step of the way – like he always did ever since you started working together on the house.

“Whatever it is, you’ll figure it out. You always do,” Jaemin said, pressing a chaste kiss against your temple. “Let’s look at the sketch one more time, shall we?” He added, reaching out for a paper with your silly depiction. Admittedly, it looked like something a four-year-old would draw if given a pencil. You knew how to work with it, though. After all, you sketched it.

“The gazebo feels empty despite the rose bushes. Don’t you think?” You wondered, looking around. Although the bushes needed some serious trimming, you could tell something was lacking.

Jaemin hummed, thinking about how to solve this problem. Unfortunately, his brain was blank. He knew why he felt as if something was missing, but he just couldn’t provide you with a solution. High-end apartments were in the range of his expertise – he did not possess any landscaping skills that you could use.

“How about a stone fire pit?”

“Let me visualize it,” Jaemin sighed, closing his eyes. “Nighttime. A couple sits here, blankets over their laps, keeping them warm. The wood softly crackles in the background. One prepares food, and the other pours the wine. It feels nice.”

You liked Jaemin’s impromptu scenario. You’d love to experience that with Jaemin, but you really needed to remind yourself you were making it for future residents.

“I really like that,” you answered with a sigh, flashing Jaemin a fond smile. “I am not 100% convinced, though. How about a swimming pool? People who can afford such a big house like fancy stuff.”

“I don’t think it really fits the vibe,” Jaemin remarked, and you cursed under your breath, knowing he was right. “Besides, swimming pools are out of fashion, and people barely put them on their priority lists. They unreasonably inflate real estate prices too. It’s not worth the hassle,” he lectured, and you huffed, grasping at straws right now.

Then it hit you.

“I know!” You exclaimed, jumping to your feet, bumping your thighs against the side of the table. “We need a pond! Nothing too big. Wouldn’t that look fantastic here? We could get some Koi fish and plants that would clean and filter pond water. And if we want to splurge, we could install a mini fountain. What do you think?”

Jaemin exhaled, giving your idea a genuine thought, weighing all the pros and cons. Both projects were similar price-wise. The fire pit was more practical, but the pond would fit right in, enhancing the landscape aesthetic.

“I think it’ll look amazing,” Jaemin honestly replied, making you beam. You trusted his judgment. If your idea sucked, Jaemin would tell you or suggest something else.

“In that case, I’ll get the shovels,” you announced, giving Jaemin a series of quick pecks before you strode inside the house. The gardening tools were stored in the basement. Unfortunately, there was only one spade, so if you and Jaemin wanted to dig up the hole together, you needed to take turns.

“You start around the edges. I’ll change you when you get tired,” Jaemin said, sending you a playful wink. You were used to dirty work, so you didn’t complain about the hard labor you were to experience. It would be your first attempt at making such a thing, so you knew you’d have lots of fun trying it out.

“Do you think it’s big enough?” You asked him after you had been digging for about thirty minutes. You were going for a kidney shape of the pond, and you needed a second opinion. You read that Koi fish grow rather quickly, and you wondered if it was enough.

“Depends how much fish we want to get,” Jaemin stated as he circled the pit, wondering. “If we plants bushes and flowers around it, it’ll look cramped. Let’s make it a bit bigger on the bottom side. What do you think?”

For another half an hour, you kept digging, asking Jaemin every five minutes if the pond’s shape seemed intact. You’d get frustrated if, instead of a kidney, the pit would look like a liver or a large intestine.

“Let’s switch. I’m spent,” you said, handing Jaemin a spade. You worked on the shape, but it was Jaemin’s turn to put his muscles to good use and handle the pit’s depth.

Jaemin was digging diligently, and you used your break to catch a breath. You were sitting on the bench, watching him work. His muscles were tensed as he swung the spade. Small droplets of sweat formed on his forehead and dampened his fringe, and when he wiped it off with his forearm, you were shamelessly drooling.

“Do you want to make it one level deep? Personally, I think it’d look better with at least three levels,” Jaemin started, but he didn’t get a reply from you. “Hey! Stop checking me out and pay attention to what I’m saying,” he exclaimed, snapping his fingers, hoping it would pull you out of your horny train of thought.

“You were saying…?” You sheepishly smiled, batting your eyelashes at him. “Oh, the levels, right… I think it’s better to have some variety. Besides, you can see the fish better if they swim in the shallow part of the pond. Let’s do that.”

Jaemin smirked at you before he returned to his work. For another hour or so, you and Jaemin were talking about the best plant choices. Typing away on your computer, you made notes, compared prices, and added a few stuff to the shopping cart.

“There’s something here,” Jaemin said as he stumbled upon something hard in the ground. Not giving it much thought, Jaemin inspected the soil with the blade of his spade, trying to find the object and dig it out.

“It’s probably a rock or something,” you casually said as you approached the hole and craned your neck to see what Jaemin was referring to.

“I don’t think it’s a rock. It’s long and narrow,” Jaemin replied, bending down to swipe the loam off of the unidentified object with his hand. “Oh fuck, it looks like a bone,” he cursed, jumping to the back in shock. “It doesn’t look animal.”

Jaemin quickly hopped out of the pit. The fact that he touched it with his bare hand made him twist in disgust. Frantically, he tried to swipe invisible bugs.

“It looks like a tibia,” you commented as you took a closer look.

“You said what?” Jaemin hollered, trying to stop his gag reflex. He needed to get out of here and take a hot shower.

“I think we need to call the police,” you said, already dialing the emergency number. If human remains were there, the police would know what to do about them. “Just go and take a shower, Jaemin. I can handle them.”

“Thank you so much, I lo-” Jaemin said, biting his tongue just in time before it could slip. That was not the confession you deserved – not over a pit in the ground with possibly a human skeleton in it. “I’ll try to be as quick as possible,” he sheepishly added, marching toward the house.

The police arrived about twenty minutes later. It wasn’t a matter of life or death, so they took their precious time to show up.

“Ma’am, step away, please,” a young police officer said as he approached the pit with his partner. “The coroner is on his way. He should be here anytime soon.”

“What did they say?” Jaemin whispered into your ear as he stopped by your side, entwining his fingers with yours.

“Nothing much yet. The coroner said it’s most definitely human. They’ll take the corpse to the morgue and give it a proper examination,” you explained, cuddling up against Jaemin. “Approximately, the corpse has been in the ground for over 80 years.”

“The body has almost fully decomposed. There’s not much left from the clothing, but I found some sort of emblems. I believe our John Doe was a soldier,” the coroner said, looking up at the police. “If my suspicion is correct, the archaeologist might want to have a look at it.”

“Fantastic.”

***

As you had been told, a crew of archaeologists showed up the very next day to check the rest of the area. They brought a lot of gear to scan the ground. Thankfully, they didn’t find anything excavation-worthy.

Thankfully, you managed to ask them about the corpse before they took off. The person was a military pilot who died approximately shortly after the war started, being only 22 years of age. Unfortunately, they were unable to identify the remains. The soldier’s emblems and insignias found will be displayed in the national museum, and his body will rest in peace in the local cemetery.

“That’s so unfortunate they weren’t able to identify him,” Jaemin commented when he learned the news. “His descendants deserve to know.”

“They took his DNA sample, so maybe one day they figure it out.”

“I hope they do,” Jaemin added, stretching his arms. “So… are you ready to get dirty?”

“Are you serious right now? I swear it’s the only thing on your mind,” you deadpanned, rolling your eyes at him. “Fine, but let’s be quick.”

“I meant gardening,” Jaemin yelled, laughing. Although you thought he was the horndog, in reality, you matched his energy just fine. His statement was innocent, but you chose to interpret it as an invitation for something entirely else. “The plants were dispatched yesterday, but you were too invested supervising the archaeologists to notice it. If we don’t plant them soon, they may wither, so get that sexy brain out of the gutter and put on your gardening gloves.”

“Yes, sir,” you saluted, jumping off the couch to put on your working shoes.

***

You and Jaemin did a lot of great work. Although you had no high expectations, the garden turned out great. (Or at least, the parts where you could plant the bushes and trees as the constriction crew was still working on the roofing. You couldn’t do anything in close proximity to the building.)

Having showered, you walked into your bedroom and joined Jaemin on the bed, cuddling to his side. It was a busy day, and you craved his intimacy. Instinctively, Jaemin snaked his hand around your frame, pulling you closer.

For a while, none of you said anything. Instead, you basked in the comfortable silence that surrounded you.

“Is it me, or it feels different,” Jaemin whispered, breaking the silence. Confused, you looked at him, but he just smiled and cradled your head in his arm. “The ghost, I mean. Ever since the archaeologists took the corpse, it has felt different. Quiet.”

To be frank, you didn’t care about the ghost that much. You didn’t pay much attention to it when it was actively haunting the place, so when the shenanigans stopped, you didn’t even notice. Jaemin, however, instantly picked up on the shift in the atmosphere.

“Do you think the ghost could leave after it’s been properly buried?” Jaemin wondered, and you hummed. “I’m relieved. I’d feel bad if we sold the house with the ghost still being here.”

Why did you feel bitter? It’s a good thing you got rid of the ghost. It did leave on its own conditions. You didn’t need to use force to evict it.

Now, you had no excuse to prolong the inevitable. In two, maybe three days, the renovation would be finished. The turnkey house will be officially on the market.

“Yeah,” you murmured, not even trying to disguise your disappointment.

“What’s the matter?” Jaemin asked, looking at you with concern. You just weren’t the type to be brooding, so your current mood worried him. “Come on, you can tell me.”

“I just – I like how things are right now,” you admitted, hiding your face in Jaemin’s chest. “I like living here with you. It’s fun and convenient. I don’t want change.”

“It’s natural to feel anxious, princess,” Jaemin started, caressing your side, drawing circular shapes on your skin. “Regardless of the place, I will be just as crazy for you. We’ll both move to the city. Big deal! Commuting will take us way less time, but everything else will stay the same,” Jaemin added, and you smiled, trusting him.

“Don’t forget I’ll be crazy rich,” you noticed, giggling.

Jaemin assured you that his feelings weren’t going to change, and you had no reason not to trust him. He showed it every chance he got.

“I will get my commission too,” Jaemin pointed out, smugly smiling. “But if you want me to become your sugar baby, we can talk about it.”

“I thought you wanted to return to the high-end apartments market.”

“I do, but I can treat it more like a non-demanding hobby. My sexy girlfriend will be putting all the bread we need on the table, so why should I bother?” Jaemin jested, attacking your neck with some kisses.

“You would make a hot housewife,” you remarked, making Jaemin playfully pinch your sides.

“Take that back!” Jaemin yelled, mercilessly tickling you. Although Jaemin acted offended, he didn’t mean that. Jaemin was hot, and he knew he would make a great housewife.

***

The moment you dreaded the most – the open house – finally approached. Jaemin put information on the estate agency and its website, on plenty of online groups for house hunters, and even uploaded short invitations video on TikTok.

Unexpectedly, the promotion managed to gather quite a crowd.

You were on the porch, greeting all potential customers with a bright smile. Once inside, Jaemin was waiting for them to give them a proper tour.

Jaemin shone.

You could tell he was in his element. It was the first time you saw his work performance, and you instantly realized how good at it he actually was. He was kind and charismatic. He provided potential customers with precise answers, showcasing his professionalism. Sometimes, he’d crack a joke even. There was no doubt he’d find a buyer by the end of the day.

“Long time no see,” you heard a familiar voice. Instantly, you smiled. “I know we’re only best friends, but I expected to get an invitation for the open house. I can’t believe I had to watch your TikTok to find out you’re giving away free cookies,” Renjun blabbered, but you only rolled your eyes before you turned around and gave him a bone-crashing hug.

“It must’ve slipped my mind,” you defended, squeezing your arms even tighter around his frame. “You’re here anyway. Do you want me to steal the cookie bowl? We could sit somewhere quiet and catch up.”

“You know me too well. That’s what I came here for – cookies and some good tea.”

“Give me a second,” you quickly said before you ran inside. Jaemin was busy giving a tour to a lovely couple in their mid-forties. He didn’t need your help, so you grabbed the cookies and marched outside without being noticed.

You offered Renjun to sit down at the gazebo. Now, the flowers and bushes around it were nicely trimmed, and the small fountain in the pond produced a calming pitter-patter. The atmosphere couldn’t get any better for some good ol’ gossip.

“Do you know when you’re coming back to the city?” Renjun asked, reaching for a cookie and stuffing his mouth with it.

“Probably at the end of the week,” you shrugged, not giving it much thought. There was no reason for you to stay here any longer, and besides, you got a business to co-run with Renjun. Although he had been doing great without your help, it wasn’t fair to dump all of the responsibilities on him. “Why? Did you miss me that much?”

“Not really,” Renjun said, lying through his teeth, trying to keep up appearances. “I’m just wondering when it’s my turn to leave everything in your hands to have a honeymoon in this magical countryside mansion.”

“I’ve never – It’s not like – What do you even –“ you stuttered, your mind short-circuiting, unable to deliver a good comeback to Renjun’s accusations. You didn’t plan on meeting Jaemin nor falling for him when you arrived. It just happened. Naturally. And you did not appreciate the smug smirk Renjun used to tease you about it. “You know what? It doesn’t even deserve a comment. And you don’t deserve any time off.”

“No need to get defensive. I’m just messing with you,” Renjun laughed, munching on another sweet treat. “Anyway… he’s cute. And you look happy. Is it finally the end of your terrible luck? I don’t have any more patience to deal with the assholes you choose to date.”

It was adorable of Renjun to care so much about you. He was ready to fight anyone who’d dare to hurt you, and it warmed your heart. He really set the bar really high – as every best friend should.

“Funny story actually… you’re not gonna believe that,” you started, unsure how to rip that band-aid off. Renjun knew everything about that night Jaemin spent with you and how he ghosted you afterward. “That’s Jaemin.”

Renjun froze at the mention of Jaemin’s name. He knew where he had heard that name, but he needed a second for the information to click.

“No,” Renjun said, almost dropping his cookie that cracked in half when he squeezed it a little too hard. “You gotta be kidding me. Jaemin? That Jaemin?” He asked, and you nodded, sheepishly smiling.

“I mean… we cleared the air,” you started explaining, hoping Renjun would understand. “When you think about it, it’s never been that deep. We were basically strangers. Jaemin said he would call, but he didn’t. We talked about it, and he apologized. We moved on.”

“I trust your judgment,” Renjun proclaimed, and you smiled. Maybe it wasn’t a formal approval, but you were happy that Renjun didn’t openly oppose. You valued Renjun’s opinion. You had no idea what you would’ve done if he condemned your relationship with Jaemin. “I’m gonna kick his ass if he even thinks about hurting you.”

“I didn’t expect any less from you,” you teased, giving him a slight jab with your elbow. “Anyway… enough about Jaemin. How are you? How’s our company?”

“It’s difficult to run it by myself, but you’re coming back soon, so I should survive,” Renjun answered with a shrug. “New customers keep coming, but we can’t accept all of them with the resources we have. When you’re back in the office, we need to prioritize.”

“It’s crazy how much our company grew this year, isn’t it?” You said with a soft smile, reminiscing. Though it didn’t blow up, it solidified its position on the market, and now, it was a bit tricky to manage it by the two of you. “Actually, I was thinking.”

“Oh boy, now, I am scared,” Renjun snickered, and you jabbed his side. “Ouch.”

“Flipping that house reminded me how fun it is to get my hands dirty,” you started, taking a deep nostalgic sigh. “I love how much profit we make and how many people we help, but managing the company from the office is not nearly as fun as working on the site.”

“I hate how right you are,” Renjun admitted, having no other choice but to agree with you.

“I think it’s time we hire someone to help us with the paperwork.”

“I second that,” Renjun quickly agreed, loving your idea. Now, when you voiced your thoughts, he realized how tiring it was to oversee every part of the company. “We should look for a project manager or something. Let’s do that first thing you come to the office.”

“That’s exactly why you’re my best friend, Renjun,” you said, stuffing your mouth with a cookie. “We are on the same wavelength.”

“So… when are you going to give me a tour? After all, that’s what I came here for,” Renjun said, turning around, staring at the people coming in and out of the estate.

“Why don’t you come tomorrow? I’ll give you a private tour, hmm? As you can see, it’s still quite crowded now. I would hate if the people ruined the full experience for you.”

“You know I’m a sucker for special treatment.”

“Of course I do. We’re best friends.”

***

People kept coming until the late evening hours. Jaemin wasn’t tired at all. If anything, he seemed more and more energized after an encounter with another potential client. You tried your best to help and support him. He didn’t need it, but you were still on standby.

When Jaemin was touring the last couple, you mouthed that you would wait for him in the gazebo. Jaemin nodded his head and winked at you.

Smiling, you sneaked into the basement where you had installed a small pantry. Quickly, you grabbed the ice bucket and put a bottle of champagne in it. As it was the first open house, you and Jaemin wanted to celebrate a little.

Though it was a bit tricky to carry everything at once, you were a woman of many talents, so a bucket of ice, a bottle of champagne, two flute glasses, a pair of cake forks, and a lemon meringue cake were safe in your hands.

Carefully, you placed everything on the table under the gazebo roof. It was already dark, but when you switched on the outside lights, the scenery looked magical. The only thing that was missing was Jaemin, but you were sure he’d join you in no time.

“I don’t remember the last time I had such a crowd at an open house,” Jaemin started, startling you as he sneaked on the free space on the bench beside you. “My social battery is running low,” he added as he dropped his file on the table before he cuddled to your side, burying his face in the crook of your neck.

“I’m so proud of you, Jaemin,” you confessed, gently rubbing his scalp.

“You haven’t even heard the best part,” Jaemin started, and you frowned in confusion, having no clue what he was getting at. “I got a call from my boss. Apparently, three couples already made offers. Neither of them lowballed, so I’ll be negotiating the best price for you. Also, if everything goes well, I will not only return but also be promoted to a partner. I can’t believe what’s going on right now. All the hardships paid off.”

“That’s fantastic news,” you cheered, wrapping your arms around him in a tight hug. You didn’t care that much about money (as the asking price was more than enough for you), but knowing how much success Jaemin earned filled your heart with pride.

“Let’s pop that bottle,” Jaemin said after a while as the proper celebration was due. Impatiently, he grabbed the champagne and twisted it open, careful enough not to spill.

“To us,” you whispered as you gently clinked your glass against his. “I’m gonna miss this,” you added with a sigh, gazing into the distance. “We’ve made quite the memories here.”

“What do you even mean?” Jaemin asked in fake anger. “I’ll be with you at all times. And we’ll make new memories. Better ones!”

“I still kinda like the ones we already made,” you said matter-of-factly, resting your head on Jaemin’s shoulder, basking in the casual intimacy. You and Jaemin had lots of fun, and the fact that something romantic blossomed – it was just a great bonus. “So… what happens now?”

“My dad always liked to say that every man should plant a tree, build a house, and raise a son,” Jaemin started, and you glared at him, suspecting you weren’t going to like the turn the conversation was about to take. “Well… we planted multiple trees, check. Then, maybe not necessarily built, but we flipped it, kinda check, too. So the only thing left for us is to –

“I can’t believe I’m two-third of a man,” you interjected, hoping it would distract and/or stupefy Jaemin from continuing this topic. It was way too early to be thinking about kids.

“I’m just kidding,” Jaemin giggled as he snaked his arm around your frame and pulled you closer. “Let’s come back to that topic in a few years.”

“The best thing I can do right now is a pet,” you answered, letting a lighthearted titter.

“Even better,” Jaemin agreed, puckering his lips, waiting for you to give him a kiss. “Should we adopt a kitty? Or a puppy? Or both?”

“Eat your cake first,” you nagged as you reached for forks and handed him one. It was meringue, so you didn’t even bother cutting it into pieces. You weren’t a big dessert fan, unlike Jaemin, so you pushed the plate toward his side. Jaemin was stuffing his mouth with the sugary cake, you playing with his hair, admiring his handsome features.

“Why aren’t you eating?” Jaemin asked with his mouth full, turning to look at you. “Come here,” he urged as he stuck a piece of the cake on his fork and held it in front of your mouth, ready to feed you. You opened your mouth to tell him that you had already had some cookies, but before you got to say anything, Jaemin shut you up. “Good girl.”

“I hate you,” you said, chewing on the cake. You didn’t hate Jaemin. You just hated the way such casual flattery got you flustered.

“You don’t mean that,” Jaemin casually replied as he leaned in to kiss you, licking off the excess cream that stained the corner of your lips.

“You’re right. I don’t,” you agreed, heaving a sigh. “I’m pretty much in love with you,” you confessed with a goofy grin, feeling relieved. It was the first time any of you dropped the L-bomb, but it didn’t feel awkward, rushed or forced. You were truthful to your feelings. It just rolled off your tongue with ease. Naturally. Maybe Jaemin didn’t say it back yet, but his actions spoke louder than words – he felt the same way about you.

“I love you, too,” Jaemin professed, not missing a beat. Jaemin couldn’t keep his feelings to himself any longer. He felt that way for quite a while, and it blew his mind it took him so much time to openly say it out loud. He almost blurted it a few times before, but now, it was just a perfect moment for it.

You were grinning like an idiot, unable to contain your happiness. Your facial muscles started to hurt, but you just couldn’t stop yourself.

Slowly, you leaned to, capturing his lips in a soft kiss.

“So… what do you wanna do tonight?” You asked, licking up your lips after you pulled away.

“It’s probably our last night here. We should do something fun,” Jaemin said in a pout, thinking of any propositions. “There are still some places I haven’t got to fuck you yet.”

“Really? I thought we defiled every inch of the house,” you added, genuinely surprised, especially when you weren’t one to overestimate.

“By the end of the night, we will,” Jaemin reassured you, offering you a smug wink. “This gazebo, for instance. It’s such an obvious place, yet you’re always overdressed when we’re here,” he boldly added, and you laughed loudly at your striking oversight.

“You’re so right,” you replied, mentally facepalming yourself. Swiftly, you downed your champagne flute, letting the bubbles tickle your throat. “We have no time to waste. Let’s go!”

“God, I love you so much.”

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