#anyways yeah bonus points if the people on the street are his coworkers | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

asthmark · 4 years

Text

❝ among the stars ❞ l.mk

synopsis → “Would you be willing to give me the amulet, my prince? Or will I have to rip it off you?”

word count → 6.9k

a/n → when i say i cannot believe i did this i MEAN THAT like i started this in FEBRUARY and here we are, wow! ok on a real note i’m not proofreading because, like always, it is 4 in the morning and i want to get 3 hours of sleep at the very least D: anyway i��ll rest well knowing this is done so plz enjoy!

“Do you ever get tired of looking for a treasure that could be fake for all we know? ‘Cause I sure do.”

“Quiet.”

You slouch down in your seat. “So mean, captain.”

Taeyong turns to glare at you, hoping it’ll get rid of the smirk on your face. “This mission is hard enough on its own, your commentary doesn’t make it any easier.”

You roll your eyes. “Would you rather we just sit here in complete silence ‘til we find the… gem or jewel or whatever it is?”

“It’s an amulet,” Taeyong corrects. “And yes, definitely.”

“Would you two knock it off?” says Jaehyun from the passenger’s seat.

“I say let them go at it,” Yuta murmurs, staring out the window, into the vast galaxy.

Jaehyun raises a brow. “Is watching your teammates argue amusing to you?”

Yuta shrugs. ‘We’re in the middle of space, what else is going to entertain me?”

You see Taeyong's grip on the steering wheel tighten. He was serious about this mission. His team? Not so much. The only person who seemed to back him up on everything was Jaehyun but that was given seeing how he was his second in command.

“Yuta.” Jaehyun's tone could rival a disappointed mother’s. “Could you at least try and be a little professional?”

The redhead scoffs. “There's nothing professional about this team. We’re a bunch of criminals.”

That was true. You all had bounties over your heads, a consequence for having committed countless crimes all over the galaxy. Taeyong was probably the one that was most serious about what he did, always doing things with vigor and determination, no matter how illegal it was. Jaehyun was the same way although he was a little more detail-oriented, focusing on little things rather than the big picture. He always polished Taeyong’s plans to perfection. They made a great duo and, in fact, for a while it had just been the two of them. Then they realized they needed a team to be able to execute their ambitious plans.

That’s where the rest of you came in.

They had told you they found Johnny first. That was no surprise. He was tall and muscular, impossible to miss. If Taeyong and Jaehyun were the brains, he was definitely the brawn. When they had first met, Johnny was doing nothing but getting in fights. He was always the bigger man, he always won. It seemed to give him a rush, defeating his opponent with ease. Taeyong and Jaehyun stroked his ego to no end, telling him he would be a perfect addition to the team they were forming. The praise was enough to convince him to join.

They found Yuta second but you were never told the full story. From what you had gathered, he had attempted to pickpocket Taeyong. You had no idea how that would've led to him joining the team but you found it incredibly hilarious. You assumed your relentless teasing was the reason why Taeyong wouldn’t tell you about it but it didn’t matter to you; everytime Yuta references it, you still laugh.

Lastly, there was you.

Meeting the boys was probably the most memorable thing that had happened to you. You still remember how Taeyong had wordlessly walked into the gas station—where you were working at the time—and held you at gunpoint with his face shielded only by a black ski mask. Before he could even demand you give him all the cash in the register, a dark blue haired male had rushed in. You can still remember the sequence of events like it was yesterday.

“Taeyong, what do you think you’re doing?”

“I thought I told you to stay on the ship, Jaehyun! And where’s your mask?”

Jaehyun ignores the second question. “I thought we had agreed to always form a plan before we steal something!”

Their argument is cut short by the bell on the door ringing as a tall, brunette male and a shorter bleach-blonde enter. You catch the way Taeyong sighs, “you have got to be kidding me” under his breath.

“Hey, Taeyong? Yuta and I were wondering if you could buy us some snacks.”

“Johnny and I have been on our best behavior so you owe us.”

“Jesus Christ.” Taeyong pinches the bridge of his nose over the fabric of the mask. “This is you on your best behavior? Interrupting my robbery for some snacks? The plan was I come in here, get the money, and you all thank me for being a good leader!”

“No wonder you need my help making plans, they're so unrealistic,” Jaehyun mutters.

Taeyong shoots him a glare. “Look, we’re running low on fuel, we barely even made it here. I thought if I acted fast I could just get the money and we'd be on our way.”

“Let’s just try that corner store a couple galaxies over. The guy behind the cash register is young. You think that kid will really say no to us?”

“That’s low.”

“Hasn't stopped us before.”

“I’m with Johnny. It'll be hilarious to see him pissing his pants the second Taeyong aims a gun at his head. Easy money.”

“You guys need serious help.”

“And yet you still hired us.”

“I’ll give you the money.”

Your statement ends the bickering between the four males. They stare at you in bewilderment and they’re stunned into silence as if they’re certain you’re pulling their legs. To prove yourself, you spin around and grab a brown paper bag that you usually used to put the customer’s liquor in and begin stuffing it full with all that was in the register.

You hear them whispering and mumbling but you just continue bagging the money as calmly as you would groceries. It takes only a couple seconds before the brown bag is overflowing with the pink bills that were only valid currency on the planet you were on. You wordlessly hand it to Taeyong.

He grabs it, holding it close to his chest and peering down at it, his eyes seeming to widen the longer it was in his arms. Jaehyun’s eyes darted between you and the bag like he was waiting for some sort of catch. Yuta and Johnny both cracked a smile, as if the unforeseen chain of events was comical to them.

“Happy?” you ask.

They all turn to you, the look in their eyes still skeptical but Taeyong, ever the leader, speaks for the team and gives you a nod.

“Good. Now I get to come with you.”

Johnny is the first to react, erupting into long and hard laughter. “Is that seriously what you want in return? To join a group of outlaws and run from the police?”

You give him a firm nod.

His laughter dies down. “Whatever you say. It’s your life, babe.”

You all watch as he walks out of the gas station, putting his shades on (despite it being pitch dark outside) and you’re sure he must feel like a million bucks knowing that you actually wanted to stick around them.

You turn back to the three others. Yuta grabs a handful of snacks from the shelf behind him, cradling the assortment of sweets, chips, and more. “Can I take these?”

You shrug. “Go for it.”

He smiles and you can't help but notice it’s healing aura. “Good to have you on the team.” He also makes way for the door.

You’re almost positive that his willingness to have you join their group came solely from you granting him permission to take the food.

Taeyong is the next to leave and he does it silently, offering you nothing but a small smile as he held the bag of money as tightly as he could and used the side of his arm to push the door open.

“Why do you want to come with us?”

You turn to Jaehyun. It was just you and him. By staying back he had once again proved to be the only one who truly thought things through.

“Believe it or not, robbing gas stations seems better than picking up another late shift for a lazy coworker on this dull planet. The thrill is a bonus.”

You catch a pair of dimples appearing on his cheeks. “Yeah, well with that thrill comes three idiots, myself excluded.”

“I’ll manage.”

“In that case, welcome to the crew.”

“It doesn’t matter that we’re criminals!” Jaehyun shouts, bringing your attention back to reality. “That doesn't mean you get to be a pain in my—”

“Hey!” All of a sudden, the door that leads into the cockpit slides open and Johnny’s head pops in. “I need a new toothbrush. Can we stop by a gas station or something?”

“Just use hers.” Yuta jabs his thumb in your direction. “Work’s for me.”

“Wait, what?” you ask, mouth agape. “You better be joking.”

He just shoots you a smile, displaying his pearly whites, as if to tease you. You whine and make a face that expresses all your disgust.

“Relax, I rinse it off when I’m done like, almost every time.”

“Almost?”

Taeyong speaks up before you can go off on Yuta. “Alright! Next stop, gas station!”

Your ship lands on a nearby planet and when you land, you can’t help but gaze out the window in awe, the luxurious ships and opulent buildings catching you off guard. Even the people that cruise down the streets—that practically shone and didn’t have a trace of litter—are draped in flashy clothing.

”We’re gonna look so out of place,” you grumble to yourself but Yuta’s ears pick up on the comment.

“Cheer up.” He points to the civilians below you. “Just think about how easy they’re gonna be to pickpocket.”

“No pickpocketing.”

A chorus of displeased groans fill the ship. You notice that even Jaehyun seems a little bummed out by Taeyong’s reprimand.

“We’re only here to get what we need. The amulet is our top priority, remember?”

Yuta unbuckles his seatbelt. “The amulet is your top priority. Mine is stealing some filthy rich dude’s fancy watch.”

“Well, just think about how much the amulet is worth. You’ll be able to have all the stupid watches in the world.”

“Yeah, once we find it.”

Johnny’s comment reminds each and every one of you of your current struggle—actually locating the amulet. It was undeniable that finding the treasure’s whereabouts had been your biggest obstacle so far. In fact, the idea of it being nonexistent had been tossed around, much to your captain’s displeasure. In fact, the only reason any of you had heard about this item was because of Taeyong.

According to his grandfather’s tales, it was so valuable that it could turn someone from rags to riches but the mystery of where it was prevented him from finding it himself. It was clear the amulet was something special to Taeyong and his dedication to attaining it was probably sparked by his grandfather’s own desire to do so and only fueled by his death.

He was always on the hunt for it, resulting in the rest of you doing the same, even if you didn’t match his vigor. You scoured the galaxies in pursuit of it but Taeyong’s determination never once faltered.

“Just get in and get out,” Jaehyun commands, siding with Taeyong, as per usual. “We’ll stay here with the ship.”

“Are you afraid someone’s gonna steal it?” Johnny teases, standing from his seat. “Because I wouldn’t worry about it.”

You snicker. “What a polite way to say it’s a hunk of junk.”

“Might I remind you that someone begged to be on this,” Taeyong makes sure to make in-air quotes, “hunk of junk.”

“She was so innocent and naive back then,” sighs Jaehyun, hand placed dramatically over his chest. “What happened?”

“You guys did. Practically drove me into insanity.”

“I’m sure you would’ve gotten there yourself,” counters Johnny.

You can’t seem to argue with that so you simply shrug. “Probably.”

“Get a move on, you guys.” Taeyong stretches his limbs out as far as they can go and then comfortably places his hands behind his head with a yawn. You had never thought about how tiring piloting the ship was for him. “We’ll be waiting.”

With that, you, Johnny, and Yuta exit the ship, receiving some of the nastiest looks you’ve ever had the displeasure of seeing as soon as you step foot on the planet.

“What’s with all the staring?” you mutter as you make eye contact with a seemingly disgusted woman dressed in gold from head to toe. “You would think that with all that money they could pay for some good manners.”

Johnny agrees only mumbling, “If looks could kill.”

Yuta lets out a frustrated sigh. “All I want is something expensive. I’ll even take a ring at this point, I don’t care. How am I even supposed to get my hands on anything when everyone is too scared to get within five feet of us?”

“Guess we don’t meet their standards.”

“Having that amulet would come in handy right about now,” you comment.

Johnny snorts. “Oh. Right. The prized amulet.”

“You mean the one that only exists in grandpa’s head?”

“Say that Taeyong’s face, Yuta, I dare you.”

“No thanks. I might be stupid but I’m not an idiot. I know he’d knock me out cold.”

Johnny shakes his head. “He’s so set on finding it. I still remember the day he finally brought it up to all of us. There was this fire in his eyes. He seemed so determined that I would’ve followed him across galaxies to get the stupid thing.”

Yuta chuckles. “We all did. But it’s been, what? A year now? Seems kind of impossible at this point.”

“I wish we’d just go back to doing all the fun crimes that he and Jae would come up with when we first met. Remember those?”

You can’t help but smile at the memories, remembering the feeling of adrenaline racing through your veins as you continue listening to Johnny and Yuta talk.

“Yeah. Those were the good days. Now our lives are just a huge wild goose chase.”

“We’re here,” you announce, steering the conversation away from your misfortunes.

The three of you peer at the building before you, its windows are shiny and from the glimpse you catch of the inside, everything is stocked up and organized. The sign above it reads ‘Purveyor’ in bold letters.

“This is the closest thing they have to a gas station?” Yuta asks, mouth agape.

You nod. “I think so.”

“I don't wanna go in. Nice things scare me.”

You ignore Johnny and take the first step forward. The cashier glances up from counting money when the bell on the door rings, alerting him of your presence. He almost drops the currency when he gets a good look at you. Although, he doesn’t seem judgy. In fact, he seems more in awe with you than anything else.

You stuff your hands into your cargo pants as you awkwardly walk past him and roam the store. You hear the door open and soon enough Yuta joins you as you skim the shelves, grabbing the necessary items.

“Pick your toothbrush,” you tell him as you grab one for yourself. You had immediately gotten rid of the one you two had shared. “And please stick to it this time.”

He cracks a smile as he eyes his options. “Do they have those ones that light up? And play the songs so you know how long to brush?”

“You mean the kid ones?” You’re ready to laugh at Yuta’s joke but he seems serious enough as he nods his head, vigorously.

“Uh, well, they’re probably around here somewhere. Keep looking.” You hold back a chuckle when he goes back to searching intensely. “Which one does Johnny want?”

“Not sure, he stayed outside.”

“Oh god, he was serious about being scared?”

“Probably just wants us to do all the shopping.”

“Well, go tell him that if he doesn’t come in here and pick a toothbrush, I’ll be taking the liberty of getting him this one.” You hold up a fuschia pink one with a cute princess character on it. You assumed it was from some cartoon that was popular with the children of the planet.

Yuta obeys and seconds later, Johnny magically appears to grab a solid blue toothbrush off the shelf and give you a glare. After grabbing a couple more items, you check out. Johnny fishes into his pocket for money, mumbling about how he knew it was in there somewhere. After much digging, he pulls out a crumpled wad of cash that you’re pretty sure isn’t even valid on the planet you’re on. He smiles proudly at you and Yuta then the cashier but the expression quickly falters.

“Wong Yukhei?”

You glance between him and the man behind the register—Yukhei, according to Johnny.

“Johnny Suh!” Yukhei’s voice is loud but filled with excitement. “I thought I recognized you! But I told myself there was no way!”

Johnny laughs, breathlessly. “I could say the same thing! What are you doing here, man?”

He casts his eyes downwards. “As soon as you left with those two guys, I realized I didn’t wanna street fight for the rest of my life either. I wanted to start over and I thought, what better place than here? So, I picked up a job at the palace—”

“Woah, woah, woah!” Johnny interrupts. “You? In a palace? Never would've seen that coming.”

Yukhei grins so wide it seems like second nature. “Don’t get ahead of yourself, I just worked as a guard.”

“That’s still something!”

“If you don’t mind me asking, what happened?”

Your question seems to bring his spirits down once again. “I quit. They kept telling me to ‘work harder’. But it was just about impossible, I was already running around like crazy for the royal family. They’re so demanding, I swear. Only person who didn’t drive me crazy was the prince.” He sighs. “I didn’t have what it took, I guess.”

“Sorry to hear that, Yukhei,” Johnny sympathizes. “You still made an effort, though.”

He nods. “Yeah. But it doesn’t always work out. So, here I am.” He forces a weak smile. “What about you?”

“I turned things around—not for the better, though.”

Yukhei raises a brow, offering you and Yuta a glance. “I’m guessing your new friends have something to do with that.”

Yuta chuckles. “Hey, he joined the team before me or her.”

“Team?” Yukhei echoes.

Johnny nods, half heartedly. “Yeah. Long story short I basically live on a ship with four fools, commit crimes, and look for imaginary treasure.”

Yukhei looks dumbfounded but his lips curve upwards in amusement. “Sounds… fun?”

This produces a laugh from Johnny. “Sometimes.”

He leans forward on the countertop, curiously. “And what’s this treasure we’re talking about?”

“Some amulet. Our guy in charge—you’ve seen him, he’s got pink hair—is wild about finding it. We’re just along for the ride.”

Yukhei nods in understanding. “I see… and this amulet, could you describe it for me?”

Johnny shares an uncertain look with you and Yuta, obviously expecting one of you to come forward. You both return his stare.

Yukhei chuckles. “Okay, lemme ask again. Could you bring me someone who can describe it?”

Not even a minute later, Taeyong has been forcibly dragged out of the ship joined by Jaehyun who insists on filling his duty of backing up the older male.

“Yukhei, this is Taeyong. Taeyong, Yukhei. Okay, now that you’re no longer strangers, can you give our friend here a quick description of your beloved amulet?”

Taeyong is taken aback by Johnny’s strange request but does so anyway. When it came to the amulet, you all knew he would do anything. “Well, it can fit inside the palm of your hand. I’ve heard it’s gorgeous, too. So gorgeous it could be mistaken for a piece of fine jewelry.”

The five of you stay silent as Taeyong continues reciting what he had heard from his grandfather so many times. Once he’s finished, you notice that there’s a satisfied expression on Yukhei’s face.

“I think I know what you’re talking about.”

Taeyong smiles at the declaration, teeth making a bright appearance. He had never met someone other than his relative that knew of this treasure. “Are you serious?”

Yukhei nods, positively sure. “Oh yeah.”

“Do you happen to know where it is?” You can hear the hope and fear in your captain’s voice. You could even feel it. The cruciality of this moment weighs in on you; this could be a turning point in your hunt or another dead end.

“It’s on this planet.”

Your entire crew stays silent, too stunned by this new piece of information to say a word so Yukhei decides to continue.

“In the palace. Around the prince’s neck.”

This is followed by another moment of silence. Each of you celebrate internally, happy to finally have found a location. All that was left was a plan. How were you going to get it in your hands? As if he’s reading your minds, Yukhei speaks up.

“I know how to get it for you, too.”

“How?” Taeyong nearly pleads.

“Johnny?” He directs his attention to the older male. “How do you feel about becoming a palace guard?”

Johnny’s face gives away his answer before his mouth has the chance—his nose scrunches up and his eyes widen ever so slightly. Taeyong stares up at him, filled with a newly found ambition. That seems to pressure Johnny into agreeing to whatever Yukhei was scheming and Taeyong must surely know it.

“I… guess I could.”

“Alright then, go to the palace immediately. They must be desperate to find a replacement for me but they’re always open to more defense. They believe in power in numbers over there, they don’t care where you’re from or who you are. They’ll settle for anyone as long as they look like they can take and give a good punch. And, you know what Johnny? You’re the strongest guy I’ve ever met. It’s impossible that they won’t hire you.”

Johnny smiles at the compliment before asking, “What do I do once I’m inside?”

“You wait. Complete the tasks they give you. Don’t make yourself stand out. Just… don’t be suspicious.” Yukhei seems pleased with the nod of understanding Johnny gives him. “Once night falls, Johnny will wait by one of the backdoors and let somebody in using the keys they’ll give him along with his armor and sword. This will make sneaking inside the palace way easier. Once that person is in, they’ll have to steer clear of any other guards and head to the prince’s room. The amulet will be wherever he is.”

Taeyong purses his lips as he thinks of a candidate to do the sneaking. “Can’t be Yuta—”

“Why not?”

“Because you’ll end up stealing stuff instead of staying focused.”

Yuta can’t seem to argue with this statement so he simply nods and keeps quiet.

“Can’t be me, I’m the getaway driver. Jae?”

Jaehyun shakes his head. “I stay with you. If we get found out, you’ll need defense.”

Five pairs of eyes end up on you and you sigh. “You don’t even have to say it. I got it.”

Taeyong places a hand on your shoulder. “Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it.” You give him a genuine smile. “What are we waiting for? Let’s get this amulet… finally.”

You file into the ship and Yukhei joins you to serve as a guide. He tells you the ins and outs of the castle and informs you of important details as you take off. You can’t help but feel your heart thump as you listen to him. You certainly did not think you would be getting anywhere near the amulet today and yet here you were—about to break into a castle for it.

When you land nearby the palace, that anxious feeling only intensifies. You know you won’t have to do anything risky until later that night but seeing Johnny getting ready to leave makes you realize that it was really happening. You were finally going after what you had spent the last year of your lives seeking. You couldn’t afford to slip up despite all the things that could go wrong.

“Nervous?” you ask, approaching the brunette.

He runs a hand through his hair and gives you an honest shrug. “Kind of. But then I think about how good life’s gonna be once we get that amulet.”

You admire his positive outlook. You decide that you’ll match his mindset instead of bringing him down with your worries. “True. We’ve been waiting for this. It’s kind of exciting when you think about it.”

He nods. “We can do it.”

You’re sure his certainty is supposed to boost your confidence as well so you reply, “I know.”

With that, he leaves the ship, walking into the bustling streets, towards the palace Lucas has described to him. Although, he assured him it’d be impossible to miss. You watch his figure become increasingly harder to track before he disappears completely, becoming just another someone in the crowd. You back away from the window with a sigh.

All that was left to do was play the waiting game. But you had been playing it for the last year, right? What would another couple hours do?

It was true what they said about sunsets being more beautiful on certain planets. You decide that this specific planet is one of them. Everyone onboard the ship takes a pause from worrying to gaze at the sky, painted with warm oranges and yellows before setting into a cool purple and blue hue. Stars begin to appear and you see the outline of three moons in the distance. Night time was near and you would be needed on the field soon. You prayed that Johnny had successfully made it inside the palace or else your mission would be over before it even started.

“You ready to go?” asks Taeyong as you retie your laces.

You glance up at him and nod, tightening a knot. “I hope so.”

He doesn’t say another word but continues to stand above you, even when you begin to work on your other boot. You suspect he’s trying to find the proper words to tell you not to ruin this for him and simultaneously boost your morale so you stay silent. When you stand from your kneeling position, Taeyong still doesn’t say a thing. Instead, he pulls you into a tight hug.

“Please be careful.”

This is a command you certainly didn’t expect but you’re not disappointed at all. You carefully wrap your arms around him. “I will.”

“I want you back in one piece, got it, young lady?”

You feel your heart tighten along with the knot in your stomach but you only chuckle. “Yes, captain.”

The three others who sit in the cockpit yell encouragement your way and wave you off before you slip out of the ship, engulfed by the darkness. You had never been afraid of it. It was always more of an ally to you than something to fear. You were grateful—it shielded you away from everyone and everything else whenever you found yourself doing unsavory things which, for the record, was often.

You follow the path Yukhei instructed you to take. You had been ordered to go around the castle, through the nearby woods that would hide you away from any guards patrolling the perimeter. As you tried your best to dodge prickly shrubs and low hanging branches you can’t help but envy Johnny who simply had to knock at the front gates to be let in.

The prospect of seeing your friend again motivates you to keep walking. You might have secretly cursed the castle for being so large as you trudged along, your legs already starting to feel slightly sore and a thin layer of sweat forming on your forehead but you didn’t let yourself feel too discouraged. You remind yourself that Johnny is waiting for you on the fourth door behind the castle, as Yukhei had ordered. You had to make it to him.

For Taeyong.

For your team.

For you.

After what seems like an eternity, you reach the door. Just to be sure you scan it up and down. Wooden? Yes. Scratches on the bottom? Many. Rusty doorknob? Definitely. It seemed to match Yukhei’s description perfectly and if everything was going according to plan, Johnny should be right behind it as well. Without any further hesitation you knock as softly as possible. You don’t expect it to be audible but to your surprise, it opens almost immediately. His figure is poorly illuminated but you can still see the shine of Johnny’s metal armor and the reflection of a moon in his sword.

You give him a quick once over. “Looking good, John.”

He shushes you but you still manage to catch his smile. “Just get in here.”

You obey and he closes the door behind you as soon and quickly as possible. You barely get a chance to look around what you’re sure to be the nicest place you’ve ever been before Johnny’s ushering you towards a large set of stairs. You both rush up them and upon reaching the second floor he grabs you by the shoulders, forcing you to stare directly at him.

“Go left, right, down the hall, and through the door. It’ll be the last door to your right.”

He’s referring to the location of the amulet and you nod, hoping he can’t see just how nervous you are. These directions are sacred. They were what you had been looking for.

“There’s no guards up there so just worry about getting the amulet and getting out. I’ll be here in case anyone decides to come by.”

Without further ado you dart up the stairs, the carpet on each step preventing you from making a noise. You glance down at Johnny who is posted at the bottom of the staircase. He smiles warmly over his shoulder and gives you a subtle thumbs up just as a pair of guards pass him by.

You move fast and without hesitation, your friend's words still clear in your mind. When you finally arrive in front of the door that holds the amulet you take a shaky deep breath. Your trembling hand twists the doorknob completely before pushing it open enough for you to take a peek inside.

A boy, around your age, sits cross legged on a king sized bed with satin sheets, acoustic guitar in hand. His fingers fiddle with the strings and he pushes a pair of specks farther up the bridge of his nose as he examines sheet music sprawled all over his mattress, attentively. You hear him hum to himself, tongue poking out of his lips as he concentrates on the melody. He sighs in frustration before leaning back on his headboard. He briskly runs a hand through his black locks before his fingers land on something on his neck. Your eyes widen as you catch a glint of green.

He was still wearing the amulet.

You refrain from groaning. You thought it would be on his dresser or bedside table and that finding it would only take a little rummaging. Then again, you also thought he was going to be asleep. It seemed like this guy just wanted to make things difficult for you.

You find yourself to be at a loss. You ask yourself what Taeyong would do before concluding that pondering it was useless. Obviously, Jaehyun would be right by his side as backup. You had no one but Johnny at the bottom of the stairs and you couldn’t call for him. What about Yuta? He would probably charge in, gun cocked and loaded. You couldn’t do that either.

You decide that all you can do is your best.

So, you knock. The humming ceases and you hear the bed creak. You press yourself against the wall, holding your breath as his footsteps near and the door flies further open.

“Donghyuck, I know you’re a servant but I already told you that you don’t have to knoc—”

The prince isn’t given a chance to finish before your hand is clamped firmly against his mouth. Your other hand grips his shoulder with such force that he wails in pain. You feel him struggle to escape your grip and his cries come out muffled. You push him against the door, eyes boring into his caramel brown orbs.

“Would you be willing to give me the amulet, my prince? Or will I have to rip it off you?”

Your every word is laced with venom and if anything, he should feel more threatened but you can’t help but notice that his screams have stopped. He mumbles something that you can’t understand so you part your fingers so he can get a couple words in.

“You’re a girl?”

You shut your hand over his mouth again, rolling your eyes. “Yes, I’m a girl. Problem?”

He shakes his head, furiously.

“Great. Amulet, please?”

He raises a hand to grip the string that binds the precious emerald green stone to his neck. He removes it and places it in your outstretched hand. You refuse to let the sheer excitement that blooms in you show. You needed to maintain the upper hand.

“Very good. You’re a smart thing, huh? Glad to see they taught someone around here some common sense.”

You inspect the amulet and allow yourself a smile. Just a small one. You tuck it into your pocket before turning your attention back to the prince.

“What’s your name?”

“Mark. Mark Lee.”

“Alright, Mark Lee. You’ve been very cooperative with me tonight, surprisingly so. I want you to keep it up, can you do that for me?”

He nods and you drag him towards his bed, forcing him to sit down on the edge. He gazes up at you, eyes slightly watery. You feel a pang of guilt at his fearful look but then you remember the gem in your pocket and suddenly a couple tears from Mark don’t seem like such a bad price to pay for it.

“Sit here. Don’t move until I’m gone. No screaming or calling for help either, got it?”

He nods once more. You back away from him, watching to make sure he stays still in his place. He does, eyes still following your every move.

“Okay, Mark, um. Have a good night?”

With that you all but fling yourself at the door. You run back the same way you came, containing any celebratory laughter or dances. You had the amulet. You were set for life. Your friends were, too. You’re convinced that nothing can bring you down.

“Hey! Burglar girl!”

Scratch that.

You spin on your heel and there stands Mark, charging towards you. You debate whether or not to keep running. You were so, so close. The stairs were right there. But then you catch sight of an object in his hand, one that shines even in the dark of the hallway. It’s green and hangs by a string. You pat your pocket, making sure if you really even had the amulet. You feel it, it’s with you. Then what was it that Mark had?

Against your better judgment, you wait right where you stand, allowing the boy to catch up to you. He wordlessly holds the second amulet up for you to take. You grab it, Mark having seemingly no problem with that.

“That’s… a decoy,” he pants, pointing to your pocket, doubled over as he inhales air.

You feel yourself become even more confused than before and this time you have no control over your facial expressions. Your eyebrows furrow and you hold the real amulet close to your face, staring at it carefully with uncertainty. All you can ask is, “why are you doing this?”

By this point Mark’s caught his breath and he stands up straight. “I wanted you to have the real one. I mean, you went through all this effort, right?”

“I don’t buy that. What are you gonna do? Turn me in? Is this a trap?”

Before you can speculate any further, Mark entraps your wrist with his hand. You kick yourself for even stopping in the first place. If you had made a run for it, at least you could go back to Johnny and Taeyong and the rest of your friends even if the amulet you held was fake. Now you were going to get consequences, for sure. You prepare for him to call out for someone but he never does.

“I want to go with you.”

You’re sure your ears are deceiving you so you don’t even bother responding and for a moment there’s just silence. He clears his throat.

“Did you hear me?”

“Oh, so you really did say that, huh?”

“Um, yes, I did.”

You shake your head. “Sorry, I’m just in a shock, I’m sure you can understand.”

He nods and releases his grip on you. “Yeah, this must be pretty confusing but I promise I’m being serious. Royal life is not something I’m cut out for and running away with a pretty stranger seems like my best bet right now.”

You blink a couple times. “Wow. So, this is how Jaehyun felt that one time.”

Mark tilts his head. “What?”

“Nothing. Let’s just go. But only if you’re sure about this.”

“I’m positive.”

“Alright then.” You begin to go down the stairs before you pause and look back at Mark and the amulet in his hand. “That is real, right?”

He can’t help but give you a lopsided smile. “Yes, it is.”

“Just making sure.”

BONUS:

Taeyong is a loss for words as his eyes dart between you and the dark haired boy besides you. Jaehyun matches his confusion, arms crossed over his chest. Yukhei seems equally amused and worried, glancing at Mark, tentatively. Yuta smiles wickedly, interested with how things have gone and surely excited to see you attempt to explain yourself.

“Um, Johnny?” Taeyong says, hoping the oldest one onboard will have some kind of explanation.

He shrugs, a tired expression on his face. “I have no idea. The kid was set on coming, I wasn’t gonna say no. I just wanted to get out of there.”

Taeyong nods, staring at Mark, intensely. “Uh-huh. And you’re here because?” He leaves the question open-ended and Mark rubs the back of his neck, giving you a lingering look.

“Well, she kind of just appeared in my room and started bossing me around and like, I freaked but it was also the most exciting thing that’s happened to me in years so I didn’t want to lose her so I gave her the amulet—the real one, by the way—and told her I wanted to come along. Now I’m here in front of you all and I’m kind of uncomfortable, I won’t lie—”

“You got the amulet?”

You’re grateful for Taeyong’s interruption; you’re sure that without it, Mark would rant the entire night.

You shake your head. “He has it, actually.”

Mark steps forward and places it around Taeyong’s neck without a second thought. On the way back, you had briefly explained to him how long he had been looking for it and how much it meant to him. Mark found his dedication incredible and seemed even excited to give Taeyong his long-awaited prize.

Taeyong’s hands delicately trace the outline of the accessory and you swear he tears up.

“I’m glad it’s yours now,” Mark comments. “Even if you do sell it. It just sat around back at the palace, another ridiculously expensive thing nobody really cared about.”

Taeyong nods with a sniffle, overcome with emotion. Jaehyun reaches over to rub his back. Yuta begins to clap slowly but you nudge him and he knocks it off. You hear Johnny thank Yukhei for his help, to which he only shakes his head, humbly.

You lock eyes with Mark and he glances around the ship, looking suddenly nervous. You smile at his antics, motioning for him to come closer. He slowly obeys and you extend your hand towards him. He stares down at it, hesitantly.

“I don’t bite,” you promise. “I just want to start over. I don’t think I made the best first impression.”

He grips your hand back with a chuckle. “I beg to differ. I know you were trying to rob me and everything but you still seemed nice enough. That’s stupid to say about the person who had me pressed against a wall like, half an hour ago but to be honest, I was fine with it. It was kinda hot—”

A chorus of too loud to be real coughs fill the ship and the culprits are none other than your crewmates. They all eye Mark, as if to give him a warning. Even Yukhei gives him a nasty look.

“Um, so, anyway, thanks. For getting me out of there. Might not seem like it but it really sucked.”

You understand him completely, having been in a similar situation yourself. “No problem. Glad to have you around.”

The sudden sound of sirens prevent you from saying anything else. They’re incredibly loud and you press your hands over your ears to try and shield yourself from the horrendous noise. To add to the commotion, a couple cop ships speed by in the near distance.

“The sirens are from the palace!” Mark exclaims. “They’re probably looking for me!”

“So are the cops!” you respond.

You laugh at the way his face drops with worry. Being on the cops’ bad side was still foreign to him. You place a reassuring hand on his back.

“Don’t worry! You’ll get used to it!”

238 notes · View notes

three-drink-amy · 5 years

Text

Sweet Creature

Bonus chapter for the week! I’m finished writing the story, so I MAY change posting to twice a week if people were interested. I hope you enjoy this chapter!

master list - AO3

Chapter Thirteen

No one ever said that being in a long distance relationship was easy. It made it even less easy when said relationship is less than a month old. Jamie realized that it helped that they’d known each other for ten years. If they were a new couple, and completely new to each other, they’d be a mess trying to attempt long distance for an undetermined amount of time. But having their friendship to fall back on certainly had its perks.

They’d been doing well so far. It was only a couple of weeks in and they’d talked nearly every night. Claire had a lot to tell about the progress on the new store and Jamie was always eager to hear it. He may not be an official investor anymore, but he’d always been emotionally invested. There had been plenty of nights in the last two weeks that he’d skipped out on plans with other people because he thought there was a chance Claire would call him. And most nights, that’s what happened.

But even getting to talk to her that often, he couldn’t deny that he still missed her. It had only been a bit over a month that they’d been talking again. Even though they’d talked things out and now were onto a different phase of life together, he couldn’t help but worry that one day she’d just stop calling. Because of that, he probably always sounded too eager for her calls. He’d text her each evening when he was back from the office to let her know when he was free to talk. Maybe he was making himself too available, but he didn’t care. He needed Claire in his life. And that was just the way it had to work at the moment.

He was sitting in his office, counting down the minutes until he could leave and call Claire. It had been a rough day and he just needed to hear her voice. He texted her before he even left, trying to get a feel for how busy she was that day.

I’ll be working late. Sorry! I’ll call you when I’m walking back to my hotel. Chin up!

Jamie sighed, leaning back in his chair. He should be trying to look like he was busy, but he didn’t care enough to do so. John walked in and threw himself down in one of his chairs. “So I think everyone’s planning to go get drinks after this. You in?”

He looked down at his phone and reread the text from Claire. “Yeah,” he said with a grimace. “A stiff drink sounds good after today.”

John shook his head with a dark look. “I was thinking we could all get drunk and plan on how to properly assassinate St. Germain. Thoughts?”

Jamie grinned. “I canna see how that could go wrong.” John laughed, standing up to go back to his desk. “I’ll see ye in a few.”

There was a rather large group of his coworkers that ended up going out for drinks that evening. The raucous group sat at a small bar downing whisky like it was water. They were commiserating their shared terrible day before they went around each picking a different aspect of their boss to drag through the mud. It was just one of those days. But each drink somehow made Jamie miss Claire more. John sat next to him and caught on to how many times Jamie had been checking his phone.

“Waiting to hear from Claire?” John asked. He’d not so secretly been excited for Jamie’s new relationship. Jamie nodded, taking another drink. “I’m sure she’ll call. You said she always does.”

“She does. I just miss her,” Jamie groaned as he ran a hand down his face.

“That’s so cute,” John said. He flashed his friend a teasing look. “You’re just head over heels for her, aren’t you?” Jamie rolled his eyes. “I’m going to take that as a yes.” John leaned in closer. “And between you and me, I have to say that she’s the best one you’ve ever dated.”

Jamie smiled, nodding in agreement. “Ye dinna have to tell me that.”

They carried on drinking and eventually, it was John’s turn to get the next round. He vacated his spot next to Jamie. It was quickly filled by the last person Jamie wanted to talk to. He glanced over to see Annalise sitting next to him. Angling himself away, he turned to talk to the person on the other side of him. He hoped John would come and reclaim his seat. How the woman had never gotten the hint was beyond him. She tapped him on the shoulder and he rolled his eyes as he looked over at her.

“What’s the matter?” she asked, batting her eyelashes. He wondered how on earth he ever found her alluring. That had evaporated so fast.

“Just felt like chatting wi’ Marcus,” Jamie said with a gesture to the man on his left. He turned back but she tapped his shoulder again.

“You seem more down than everyone else here,” she pointed out.

“Aye, perhaps so,” he agreed. “I was just wishing my girlfriend could be here.”

Anger flashed in her eyes before she covered it up with a smile. “Well that’s her loss,” she said, her hand resting on his shoulder.

He scowled at her, shrugging off her hand before he walked over to the bar where John was standing. John grinned as he watched him approach. “I canna stand her,” Jamie said with a sigh.

“Sure, none of us can,” John agreed. “But to be fair, you did make that mess yourself.” Jamie glared at him. “I wanted to tell you she’d be nothing but trouble.”

“I wish ye had.”

“Are you telling me that no one tried to tell you that you were going down the wrong path?” John asked, one eyebrow raised.

“No, one person did,” Jamie admitted.

“Claire?”

“Yep.”

John burst out laughing. “Leave it to her to tell it to you straight only to have you make a pretty terrible mistake and have it ruin your work life.” He glanced back at Annalise. “I could have told you she’d be nothing but boring once you took the chase away.”

“I should ha’ known it on my own. She was just distracting in a way I hadna been in a while, so I thought that was something bigger,” Jamie confessed. “Twas wrong of me.”

“We all make mistakes, mate.”

Jamie sighed. “Ye dinna have to tell me that. Somehow I still feel like I’m paying for my last and biggest mistake.”

“What, the thing with Claire?” John asked. “Why do you think that? The two of you are literally dating now.”

“I dinna ken. I canna explain it,” Jamie replied, his face a bit crumpled.

“Have you talked to her about it?”

“Of course no’. We’re living in different cities presently. Tis hard to talk about those types of things over the phone. It’s probably just all in my head anyway. I think I’m just scared to lose her again. It was hard to be wi’out her before I confessed how I was feeling. Now...well I dinna think I could handle that,” Jamie said in a small voice.

John stared at him for a moment. “That kind of sounds like something you should talk about with your girlfriend. Don’t you think?”

“Maybe. I was thinking of going to Edinburgh and surprising her soon. I just dinna ken how busy she’d be on a weekend.”

“Well it’s not like you’re completely unhelpful,” John replied with a grin. “I’m sure you could help out if she had things to do.”

Jamie nodded thoughtfully. “That’s a fair point. I could.”

“Yeah, and then you could talk to your girlfriend about how much you love her and need her in your life.” Jamie shot him a look. “Communication is healthy, James.”

“Ye sound like my sister.”

“Can I ask you something?” Jamie raised a brow, encouraging him to continue. “When did you realize you loved her that way? Was it when you two weren’t speaking?”

Jamie took a drink of his whisky. He’d never even really told Claire about that. “I suppose I realized what it all meant when she wouldna talk to me. I always felt this odd possessiveness of her and was verra critical of anyone interested in her. She was always the standard that I judged the lasses I dated by, but I never took the time to think about why that might be. I dinna ken, but I’m sure if I sat down and really thought about it, I’d find that it has been a lot longer than just the last couple of months. I wish I’d slowed down and tried to think through what I was really feeling. Maybe then we wouldna be mere weeks into a relationship when she had to go to Edinburgh.” Jamie sighed, staring down at his glass. “I just truly had no idea that she felt that way for me.”

“You didn’t?”

Jamie glanced over at his friend. “Did ye think she did?”

John shook his head. “No, but I met her after years of you two being friends. I always just thought you were really close.”

“I guess I just never thought she’d want me,” Jamie admitted. “And so I never allowed myself to think about it. Just looked to other women instead of the one right next to me the whole time. I suppose I should have known by the fact that I was willing to bankroll her business.”

“That’s not really something you do for just a friend,” John agreed. “But you’re together now, right?”

Jamie nodded, still feeling a bit on edge. “Aye. We are.”

He felt his pocket vibrate and his face lit up as he pulled his phone out. Claire’s picture smiled up at him and he fumbled to answer. “Sassenach!”

“Hi, there! Not too late is it?”

“No’ at all!” He looked over at John, pointing to his phone. “I’ll see ye later, mate.”

“Bye,” John whispered.

“It sounds like you’re somewhere loud,” Claire said. “Where are you?”

Jamie paid his tab quickly. “Rough day at the office today, so a large group of us took over a pub nearby to drink our sorrows away,” Jamie explained as he finished paying.

“Well, I can just talk to you tomorrow,” Claire offered.

“No!” Jamie replied. “No, I’d much rather talk to ye. I just paid my tab and everything.” He walked out onto the quieter street, hoping he could hear her better. “So, how is the bakery going?”

On the other end, Claire was smiling at his quick dismissal of her offer to hang up. “It’s going well. Things are all coming together in a pretty way. It’s been a while since I did this part, you know.”

“Aye. But this is yer third time. Ye’re basically a pro by now,” Jamie insisted.

Claire laughed. “Well I don’t know about that.” She took a drink of water as she laid on the couch in her hotel room. “So, what was so bad about work today?”

Jamie groaned. “St. Germain was on one. He...hold on,” he cut himself off. Claire could hear something in the background. She narrowed her eyes as she tried to listen in closer.

Jamie heard his name being called and turned around on the sidewalk to see Annalise tearing after him. “You forgot your jacket!” she said as she caught up to him.

He grabbed it from her quickly. “Thanks.” Turning back to the way he was walking, he started talking to Claire again. A hand on his arm made him turn around again. Annalise was looking at him expectantly. “Can I help ye?”

“You just left so quickly. You didn’t even say goodbye,” she said, a flirtatious look on her face.

He pointed at his phone. “I’m on a call.”

“What’s going on?” Claire asked in one ear.

“You could always hang up and call back later,” Annalise suggested, trying to pull him back to the bar.

“Claire, hold on,” Jamie said into the phone. He held it to his shoulder as he turned to Annalise. “Just go on back to the bar. Or go home. But leave me alone, woman. I thought I’d made it perfectly clear that I’m no’ interested.”

Despite Jamie’s attempts to muffle his side of the call, Claire could still hear it.

“Twas one date, months ago. I think ye should realize that I’ve moved on. Perhaps ye should as well. Find someone else to play yer games because it willna be me anymore. Aye?”

He walked away before Annalise could reply. Putting the phone back to his ear, he sighed. “Sorry about that, what were we talking about?”

“Your work,” Claire reminded him.

“Ah, that’s right. St. Germain spent most of the afternoon tearing all of us to bits. So, some drinking was required after the evening,” Jamie explained. “I only agreed to go since ye said ye were working late.”

He continued on but Claire had spaced out a bit. She chimed in here and there when necessary, but wasn’t entirely present for the conversation. Long distance was hard for her, especially when all she wanted was the reassurance of Jamie’s arms around her. But right now, he was closer to the woman who was still trying to sink her claws into him. They talked for a while before Claire begged off, saying she had to get up early in the morning. Jamie understood and bid her goodnight, saying he hoped they’d have a chance to talk tomorrow. She muttered an agreement before hanging up the call. It wasn’t a total lie; she did have to get up in the morning. But sleep didn’t come easily to her. She couldn’t help but continuously picture her worst nightmare over and over.

The next day when Jamie texted to see if she was free, she lied.

* * *

Nine days and a lot of missed opportunities to talk to Claire later, Jamie was sitting at a bar with Joe. “I’m glad ye could meet me,” Jamie said, raising his glass slightly. “Been a bit lonely,” he added with a laugh. “So, how’s wedding planning going?”

Joe shook his head with a sigh. “You mean when Gayle actually asks me what I want for my wedding?”

Jamie laughed. “Have ye fought her on anything?”

“Not a damn thing,” Joe confessed. “Honestly, I haven’t cared. I just want her to want to include me. But things are slowing down significantly now.”

Jamie’s brow furrowed. “Why’s that?”

“Well we set a date,” Joe told him. Jamie looked excited for them. “It’s in nineteen months.”

“I’m sorry, what?”

Joe nodded, his lips forming a tight line. “Gayle found this castle and absolutely had to have the wedding there. I want her to have the wedding she wants, so I said sure. But the earliest they had, which was already a cancellation, was nineteen months from now.”

“That’s almost two years,” Jamie pointed out.

“Yeah, I know. I wish I had a better “Castle Guy.” But I didn’t look into one of those when I moved here,” Joe joked.

“Are ye okay wi’ that long an engagement?” Jamie asked hesitantly.

“Sure. I mean, in a lot of different ways, it already feels like we’re married. We’ve lived together since I moved to Scotland for medical school. We just decided a while back that we wouldn’t look at getting married until we were both established in our careers,” Joe said with a shrug. “So I feel pretty good about it. And if Gayle gets her dream venue, then that’s all the better. I know she can’t wait to invite people from the States to her wedding in a damn castle.”

Jamie laughed, taking a drink of his beer. “Canna beat that.”

“I guess I can tell Claire that she can slow down on her plans for my Stag Party,” Joe mused with an amused shake of his head. “Girl was saying just last night how she had such great ideas for it, no matter how many times I told her she doesn’t have to plan it.”

Joe was laughing but Jamie was fixated on what Joe had said. He cleared his throat. “Ye talked to Claire last night?”

The other man froze as he was about to put a pretzel in his mouth. “Yes.”

“Gotcha,” Jamie replied shortly. He picked up his beer and took a long drink. “If she talked to ye, I wonder why she texted me and said she was going to bed early and wouldna have any time to talk.”

Joe closed his eyes in a grimace. “So, how are you guys doing?”

Jamie shook his head. “I thought we were doing fine. Claire’s been plenty busy, but apparently, no’ as busy as she’s let on.” He rubbed a hand over his face. “I just miss her and long distance is terrible. And there’s no definitive time that it’ll be over. But I thought we were good. I guess no’ if she’s dodging my calls.”

Joe sighed. “I’m sorry I said anything. I didn’t realize.”

“Dinna worry about it. I was thinking about going to Edinburgh to surprise her,” Jamie mentioned.

An odd look came over Joe’s face. “You might want to do that. I think that would be a good idea.”

Jamie picked up on his tone and narrowed his eyes at the other man. “What do ye ken that I dinna?”

“Nothing!” Joe exclaimed with an unconvincing shrug. Jamie stared at him until he caved. “Look, she just said something to me yesterday.”

“What did she say?” Jamie asked, leaning across the table.

“Just that she...had some doubts,” Joe explained, clearly feeling uncomfortable.

“Doubts?” Jamie cried. “What doubts? About our relationship?”

“I don’t know. She didn’t explain. It was said one time and when I tried to press her on it, she clammed up and said that she shouldn’t have mentioned it,” Joe told him. “But whatever it is, that might be why she’s been weird about taking your calls.”

Jamie sighed, his head hanging in his hands. “I’m racking my brain right now trying to figure out what I’ve done wrong.”

“There’s no guarantee it’s you,” Joe reminded him. “She didn’t say what it was.”

“But it was about our relationship?”

Joe’s face scrunched as he nodded. “I guess. Maybe.”

Jamie shook his head, feeling helpless. “If I go to Edinburgh, am I going to be broken up with?”

“No!” Joe said emphatically. “No, that would be silly.” He looked at Jamie with a pointed expression. “I think you should go and spend some time together. I think it would be good for the both of you.”

Jamie released a large sigh. “Maybe so.”

* * *

Friday night came and Claire was relieved to have the weekend to relax. She walked into her hotel room and threw her bag down on the floor before laying down on the couch. It felt good to just stop moving for a bit. Feeling her phone in her back pocket, Claire dug it out and looked at it. Her lockscreen was a picture of her and Jamie. She stared at his face for a long time, pressing the button again each time it went dark. Finally, she felt the urge to return all his missed calls from the last week or so. Even though she felt guilty, she didn’t know how to call him when she was as nervous about their relationship as she was. Given how well he knew her, she knew he’d pick up on her hesitance. So, instead, she just didn’t call him. She’d texted him a few times throughout the days, though they were mostly replies to his messages.

But this time, her need to hear his voice drowned out her fears. She called him, getting antsy as the line started ringing.

“Hello?”

“Jamie!” she cried. “God, it’s good to hear your voice.”

“Sassenach, how are ye?” he asked. Something seemed off about his voice, but she thought maybe he’d just had a long day.

“Doing alright. I just got home from the bakery. Well, not home home. I got back to my hotel,” she said. A horn honked on his end of the call. “Where are you?”

“Walking home from work,” he said. “How’s the bakery coming?”

“It’s good. I miss you, though.” She wished she could see his face.

“Aye, I do too,” he agreed, a sad tone to his voice. “Out of curiosity, if I were to send ye something, what is yer room number?”

Claire smiled to herself. “What are you sending me?”

“Room number, woman!” he repeated, his voice a bit lighter.

She laughed. “It’s 743.”

“Aye, thank ye. Tell me more about how everything’s coming,” he pressed.

“Going well. We’ve hired a staff though they won’t officially start for a bit yet. We’re still in the construction stage. But I’m trying to work ahead and have everything that we need ready for when I need to start with the staff training.” She continued on, only stopping when there was a knock at her door. “Hold on. Someone’s at the door.”

Claire jumped up, surprised beyond belief when it was Jamie on the other side of the door. “Oh my god, you’re here?” He grinned as he nodded in reply. She threw herself forward, wrapping her arms around him. Drawing him in over the threshold, she hugged him tightly. A thump against the floor drew her back as he tossed his bag just inside the door. “God, I’ve missed you,” she said, cupping his cheeks. “It’s so bloody good to see you.”

Jamie nodded, quieter than usual. “Aye, and ye.”

“What made you decide to come?”

An odd look crossed his face. “Well, I’d been thinking of it for a bit. I missed ye. But I ken ye’ve been verra busy, so I wasna sure when the right time would be.” He walked further into the room. “I had drinks wi’ Joe the other night and he seemed to think it was a good idea. Especially after something you’d said to him the night before.” He turned and looked at her, a strained expression coloring his face. “Which I believe was one of the nights ye told me ye couldna talk because ye were going to bed so early. Which was actually just one time in a string of instances where ye couldna call. But apparently, ye can talk to Joe.”

Claire closed her eyes, grimacing. “Jamie,” she started.

He kept going. “Joe seemed to think ye were having doubts,” he added, staring her down, daring her to agree. She opened and closed her mouth, no sound coming out. “I thought it was odd to hear it from him. Ye see, I figured when ye and I got together, it would be perfect because we already tell each other everything. But I suppose that’s no’ true.”

Her arms came around her torso, trying to hold in her emotions. “Jamie, it’s nothing, really.”

“Joe didna seem to think so.” He took a small step closer to her. “What is it? Is it me?”

Claire had really hoped she’d get over her doubts on her own before she ever had to talk to Jamie about them. And as she stared at the pain plain on his face, she wished she’d never said anything to Joe. “No, it’s just…I don’t know how to explain it.” In reality, she didn’t know how to articulate it to him.

“I’d think ye’d be able to talk to me. We’ve been friends for ten years, Claire,” Jamie reminded her.

“Yeah, that’s the problem!” she cried.

Jamie recoiled, looking stunned. “What?”

She shook her head, wishing she’d gone about this differently. “Yes, we have been friends for ten years which means that I have watched a number of your relationships from the sidelines. And all I could think about was how each of them ended so quickly. Then, I just...I couldn’t help but wonder when our expiration date would be.”

“Wow,” Jamie breathed. He seemed a bit deflated. “What, ye seriously thought I’d just ditch ye? Call it quits? And then what, just walk away from ye?”

“I don’t know,” she answered timidly. “I just couldn’t see how I was any different from any of them.”

Jamie gaped at her. “Of course ye’re different!”

“How?”

“Because I love ye!” he yelled. He took a step back, running a hand down his face. Claire stared at him, shocked by his admission. He seemed almost as surprised. “Do ye really think I’d just leave? It’s you, Claire. Ye’re my best friend.”

“Jamie, I -”

“I spent the last couple of days trying to imagine what it was that was giving ye doubts. I didn’t realize I’d be answering for my past,” he said, looking anywhere but at her. “I mean, is that what ye really think of me?”

She could feel tears stinging her eyes as she shook her head.

“But it is though, isn’t it? I mean, ye believed me to be the type of man who would bring ye to a party solely to make another woman jealous. Ye thought I only wanted to bring ye breakfast the morning after our first date to — how did ye put it — rack up enough dates to reach a proper number to get in yer pants. And now this. Ye really think I’m just going to give up and leave after a certain amount of time?” Jamie stared at her, his hurt showing. “If that’s the man ye truly think I am, how have we even been friends all this time?” He ran a hand through his hair. “Those relationships were short because I could tell soon enough into them that they werena right for me. Would it no’ have been worse to string them along and lead them on?”

Claire stood there silently, tears starting to fall.

Jamie shook his head and took a step toward the door. “I should go.”

She jumped in front of the door before he could make it there. “No!” she said, standing her ground. “Look, Jamie, I’m sorry. I handled this the wrong way. I should have talked to you. But I just —” she took a deep breath “— I just got scared. Okay? After ten years we’re at this new phase of our relationship and it’s exciting. But I didn’t know how you really felt. And I’ve been sitting with these feelings a lot longer than you have.”

Jamie let out a breath. “That’s no’ fair. Ye canna put that on me. Ye never told me how ye felt.”

Claire scoffed. “Yeah, like it would have made any difference.”

He shook his head, throwing his arms out. “Of course it would have! It would have made all the difference in the world!” He gaped at her. “Do ye really think I would have been wi’ any of them if I knew I could have been wi’ ye?” he asked, his voice dramatically lower.

She had no response. They were on opposite sides of the room, with more than just space standing between them. Tears were falling down her face in earnest. They were glistening in his eyes as well. She hated the way she’d hurt him with her own avoidance.

Eventually, it was as if he lost all energy. He collapsed on the couch, a sigh escaping him. “What can I do?”

“What?”

He looked up at her. “What can I do to prove to ye that I’m no’ going anywhere?”

Her heart broke at the vulnerable look on his face. He was terrified and she could see it. She shook her head vehemently. “Jamie, there’s nothing.”

“So, ye’re telling me that ye’re having doubts about me but there’s no’ a thing I can do to fix it?”

Claire bridged the gap between them, sitting down next to him on the couch. “Jamie, I mean there’s nothing you have to do. This is my issue.”

“Tis no’ just yers, Claire,” he reminded her. “Ye stopped talking to me because of this. That’s no’ just yers anymore.”

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, reaching up to wipe away her tears. “Believe me, I am.”

He wasn’t looking at her. “Aye, I ken ye are.” They sat in a heavy silence for a long moment. His head turned slightly toward her, still not meeting her gaze. “I meant it though, what can I do?”

“There’s nothing you have to do,” she repeated. He looked over, an almost angry expression on his face. “Being here — coming to see me because you missed me — that’s enough. I promise.”

He nodded, looking down at his clasped hands. “How long have ye felt this way?” He finally glanced over at her, making eye contact. “It was before ye came here, wasn’t it?”

Claire cleared her throat. “Just a bit. It got worse with separation.”

“It was that night in my flat, wasn’t it?” he asked.

She shook her head in disbelief. “How did you -”

“Ye panicked. Ye froze,” he recalled. “And then ye asked to take things slower. And trust me, I was more than fine wi’ that. I could tell something bothered ye, but ye wouldna say what it was. I was terrified that I did something to upset ye.”

Claire bridged the final gap between them, reaching out and putting her hand on his arm. “Jamie, you did nothing. I got up in my head at the exact wrong time. I just knew that if...if we crossed that final line, and then you left, I wouldn’t be able to handle it.”

His hand moved to cover hers as he nodded. A long silence filled the room. Claire gripped his arm before she started to speak again. “I love you,” she whispered. He turned to her, a soft and vulnerable look on his face. “That’s why I got so scared. Because I love you. And I’ve felt this way for a long time, but this is only the first time I’ve actually said it out loud.” She laughed to herself. “Well, technically second, but you were unconscious the first time after your accident.”

Claire took a deep breath. “I’m sorry for hurting you so much. It kills me. I guess I got used to talking about my feelings with Joe and keeping it all a secret from you.” Jamie chuckled before she reached out and laid her hand on his cheek. “But I promise you that I won’t do that again. I mean, I may talk to Joe, but no more secret feelings. I promise you that if I start to get nervous again, you’ll be the person I go to.”

Jamie leaned his forehead against hers. “I would appreciate that. But just know, I’m no’ going anywhere.” His fingers tapped against her hand that still rested on his arm. “I love ye, too,” he whispered. He pulled back a bit to look her in the eye. “I’m sorry for yelling it at ye the first time I ever said it.”

Claire laughed, despite all that had happened. She leaned closer, letting him close the distance between them. Much to her relief, he did so quickly, pressing his lips to hers. Her hands moved to wrap around his neck as she scooted closer to him. His hand held her cheek, keeping her there. Weeks of long distance woes and the fight they’d had weighed into the kiss, making both of them a bit desperate. He parted his lips, granting her access which she happily accepted. Her fingers wove through his hair. They moved closer and closer together til her legs were draped over his.

She broke away from him with a look as she reached for the hem of her shirt. To her surprise, Jamie reached out to stop her. “Claire, no.” Before she could feel embarrassed, he continued. “No’ like this,” he whispered. “No’ because ye feel guilty.”

“What if that’s not why?” she asked. “What if I’m just ready?”

“I’m no’ ready right now,” he told her, flashing her pleading eyes. “I feel I’d always second guess it. Whether ye were actually ready or whether ye felt it was the best way to apologize for what happened. And that’s no’ how I want it to be for us.”

She let go of her shirt, leaning back into him and giving him a quick kiss. “I suppose that makes a lot of sense. Damn you.” He grinned, kissing her again quickly. “So, what do you propose we do instead? Dinner?”

He nodded thoughtfully. “That sounds good. Or perhaps — if ye wanted to, of course — ye could show me the bakery.”

One of her hands came to rest on his cheek. “You really want to see it?”

His hand held hers. “Of course I do.”

She smiled broadly, giving him one last kiss. “Well then, let’s go.”

Her hand held his the entire journey to the bakery site. He didn’t mind at all. It had been too long since he’d been afforded such a luxury. She chattered away about what to expect and what stage of development the store was in. Their pace slowed as they got closer to the store. Claire dug out her keys and let them into the dark building.

She walked around and turned on the construction lamps that were scattered throughout the store. As more and more lights turned on, Jamie stood in awe of the store before him. Familiar colors greeted him as he turned to look around. “How does this look so much like the original shop?”

Claire smiled, walking back over and tucking herself back into his side. “You caught that, did you?”

“Would be hard not to.”

She nodded thoughtfully, looking around. “Well, I found the original plans for the store and gave them to the people in charge here. They seemed to think it was doable. So, here we are. It’s still got a long way to go, but -”

“It looks great,” Jamie said on a breath. “Truly.”

Claire looked up at him. “You think so?”

Jamie kissed her temple. “I really do. It’s like I’m standing back in Glasgow.” He laughed to himself. “Actually, it feels like it’s six years ago. Like ye’re showing me the shop for the first time.”

She smiled to herself. “You were the only one I’d let see it.”

“Well, that was surely just because of the money.”

Claire shook her head, leaving a kiss at his jaw. “No, it wasn’t.”

Jamie curled her in closer, kissing her head. “It looks great. All yer hard work has really been paying off.”

“Thank you,” she sighed. “I mean the hardest part is really the training, so we’ll see.”

“It’ll work. Ye’re too brilliant for it no’ to,” Jamie assured her.

“You’re biased.”

He laughed, turning to face her. Taking her face in his hands, he kissed her hard on the mouth. “I’m no such thing.”

She showed him around the bakery as much as they could with minimal lighting. Soon, they shut off all the lights and went to find a place to eat. Neither of them felt very picky so they found a place quickly. A couple of hours were spent enjoying drinks, dinner, and the other’s company. Jamie’s hand rarely left Claire’s. They sat as close to each other as their table allowed, both just glad to be together.

It was a beautiful evening as they walked back to Claire’s hotel, his arm around her shoulders, her arm around his waist. As they entered the lobby of the hotel, they immediately walked toward the elevator. Jamie stopped, turning back toward the desk. Claire gave him a confused look. “I need to check into my room.”

Her brow furrowed. “You got a room?”

Jamie took a step closer to her. “Well, I didna want to be presumptuous.”

She smiled, leaning up to kiss him quickly. “It wouldn’t be that presumptuous. You were coming to visit your girlfriend.”

“Still.”

Claire rolled her eyes with a grin. “You don’t need that room. Wait here.” She ignored him as he asked her what she was going to do. Claire walked up to the front desk and plastered on her best smile. “Hi,” she said, grabbing the woman’s attention. “I had a friend that was coming to visit me, but at the last minute it fell through. He asked if I could cancel his room for him.”

“Of course, ma’am. What was the name?”

“James Fraser.”

The woman typed away at the computer before looking up to Claire with a smile. “All taken care of. Anything else I can help ye wi’?”

“Not a thing. Thank you!” Claire replied, matching the woman’s smile. As Claire walked back to Jamie, her smile became more smug. “All taken care of,” she parroted. Jamie rolled his eyes at her as he draped his arm back around her. “Got a second room,” she muttered to herself, elbowing him in the side. “We’ve shared a room before.”

“That was verra different, Sassenach,” Jamie defended.

Claire curled into Jamie’s side, scoffing. “We’re two mature adults. I think we can share a bed.”

Next chapter

#outlander #outlander fanfiction #outlander fanfic #my writing #sweet creature

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quirkydahlias · 5 years

Note

O for Aizawa, Bakugou, and Hawks?

Have a bonus Minty bc I’m inspired~

On Cloud Nine - What are they like when they are in love? Is it obvious for others? How do they express their feelings?

Hawks

Hawks is a changed man when he falls in love

Mainly because he isn’t the type to fall in love too often if at all, being as aloof as he is in his day to day

So when he does find someone that sparks some interest for him

He’s hooked.

It’s not noticeable to most people who run into this pro hero, Hawks being as lively and fun-loving as ever when in love

However, his sidekicks, who are with him everyday catch on and can figure that something is up, although what exactly remains a mystery

When they see their boss slow down to the point where they can actually catch up with him and god forbid, actually fight, the sidekicks assume its because he’s under the weather

Then they see him fly into a shiny glass window pane and then the small hunch becomes cemented

This is pretty good in Hawks’ eyes since he can have his head in the clouds without sacrificing his fans, believing that if word was out about him falling for you that his popularity would diminish as a hero

And to him, popularity is the most important metric to measure a hero’s worth with

Aside from how obvious he is and how in denial the world seems to be, as falling in love just isn’t a part of the Hawks persona, he changes his behavior when around you as well

He’s more annoying if anything, constantly bothering you when he gets the free time to do so and gifting you small presents

The same way a bird would do

“Heyyyyyyyy”

“…”

“I know you can hear me, (Y/N)~. I think I even see a blush on those cute cheeks of yours~.”

“What do you want, Hawks? Shouldn’t you be out on patrol?”

“Yep. But those sidekicks of mine seemed really pumped to get some action patrolling so I can take a small break.”

“That’s good…I suppose. Um, is there something behind your back?”

“Oh yeah, here~! It’s a nice watch.”

“I can’t accept this!! It looks so expensive, when did you even-…”

“Hmm? Weren’t you about to sing my praises~?”

“Hawks.”

“Yes~?”

“Is this blood?”

“Oh shoot. I didn’t clean it well enough, did I?”

“Did you steal this!? Why is there blood on it?”

“I got it from some villain robbing a bank. I swear it doesn’t belong to anyone else! Scout’s honor.”

“Okay, one. That’s stealing regardless. And secondly, scouts are an American thing.”

“Don’t worry too much about it! Not like the dude needs it where he’s goin’…”

“Did you say something?”

“Nothing!”

Katsuki Bakugou

He gets angrier when in love believe it or not

Most people in his position would be over the moon, all smiles and aglow with the effects of having someone they fancy all over them

But not Katsuki Bakugou

No siree

Instead, he’s more restless and irritable, snapping at anyone who might get too close

It makes the fact that he’s in love a little more obvious to anyone who have ever been around him for an extended period of time

Especially his closest friends.

“Dude, what’s up with you?”

“What the fuck are you talking about, shitty hair?”

“See? You’re calling me ‘shitty hair’ again!”

“Because your hair is fucking shit.”

“Something is definitely up with you today…”

“Fuck off!”

“Hey. Is this because of (Y/N)?”

“What the fuck makes you think it’s because of that extra!?”

“Oh ho ho, so it is them! You know, keeping your feelings all bottled up isn’t really manly. You’ve got to own up to-.”

“Get. Out.”

When it comes to you, he expresses his feelings by being a little pushy, always egging you on with insults as a way of encouraging you

If you fall behind, he’ll be there to light the fire under you and push you back up- in the same way, he’d help out Kirishima with his grades or with training.

And if you even catch a whiff of his attachment to you, he’ll back away with a huff, angrily and vehemently denying anything he could have for you

Tough love, all the way with this guy

However, he’s not about to make any moves anytime soon, so he’s able to tone it down quite a bit as his main goal has always and will always be to become a hero

The love life can wait.

Shouta Aizawa

Aizawa Shouta is a reserved man in all accounts.

He hates the media and he hates people digging their noses into his private life.

Therefore, his personal life remains as separated from his work life

And with that, his budding love for you

While it isn’t overtly obvious to the outside eye that he’s fallen for someone, an observant person can detect the changes this usually stoic and serious man takes.

While he’s critical on others, being in love makes him more…relaxed, as if love gives him the energy to take on and deal with more bullshit than usual.

“Heyyy, Eraserhead~!”

“Hmm?”

“I was wondering if you wanted to grab some drinks after work is over, you know, with your best friend~?”

“Sure.”

“Darn it, I’ll just ask you again to- WAIT!? Did you really say yes?”

“…yes?”

“Whoa, you never say yes to me!”

“Because you’re always asking me every single day!”

“What’s gotten into, dude?”

“You’re reading too much into it. I just need a drink.”

“If you say so…anyway, that aside. Drinks are on me!”

“As if. You’ll pass out before the fourth drink anyway.”

Being a bit of a tsundere, he isn’t the type of person to show his interest in someone so easily

At least in the conventional sense

He won’t blush or redden around you, even if you invade his comfort zone and practically throw yourself onto him

He won’t fluster and flirt either, keeping himself rather silent around you unless you initiate a conversation with him

In all honesty, you might never know that he has the hots for you if these are the signs you’re looking for

The only way you or anyone would be able to see him expressing his feelings is when he doesn’t believe that anyone is watching

For example, when walking along an empty street with you, he’ll unconsciously find his eyes drawing over to you, observing you

It’s not in a creepy way, no sir

He just finds you … interesting

Whether it’s whatever you’re currently babbling about or how you walk

Finding idle amusement in watching you go.

Akira Shiryoku

Akira values his private life, it’s just the type of person he is, as odd as it may seem when compared to how outgoing he is.

He’ll go on and on about the weird cat he swears was meowing and following him on his way to school or the nice flowers smelled on his way home from work.

However, when confronted with questions about his private life, most likely by Midnight in the workplace, he’ll change the subject or outright shut down the conversation.

“Sooooo, Minty. Baby, you have to have someone, right?”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“You know, that person that makes your heart soar~. The lovely being that you want to spend the rest of your life with~”

“Oh, I definitely have someone like that! Haw haw haw!”

“Really? Tell. Me. Everything!”

“They have the loveliest, softest hair I’ve ever felt! They smell like vanilla cookies~. They also go with me almost everywhere… I don’t think I could live without them.”

“How romantic! My heart is beating just hearing you gush about them~!”

“…They should be here if you want to meet them~.”

“Oh my god, really? Who?! I have to meet them.”

“They’re right outside, hey~! Over here, Wan!”

“Woof!”

Only his closest friends would be able to tell without asking that this guidance counselor is in love.

The first sign is in how he treats the one he cares for, always seeming to take everything they say into account whenever he happens to bump into them, most likely monitoring their well being in his own way.

And like many childish children, he tends to tease the one he likes the most a tad bit more than how he’d tease any other friend or coworker. It’s just a small way to get their eyes on him.

Just harmless fun~.

In private, when he’s certain that there’s no one to overhear or see the two of them, he’ll be a bit bolder

Adding a tiny, flirtatious flair to his behavior and what he does around his crush, just to test the waters and see if they’re interested in him

Overall, a surprisingly subtle man when it comes to falling in love.

#bnha #mha #boku no hero academia #my hero academia #katsuki bakugou #aizawa shouta #akira shiryoku #canon x reader #canon x reader hc

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luucarii · 6 years

Text

With a Dash of Gin - Ch9

Ehh, its not too late to post a chapter... right??

Read on Ao3

Finals week came in full swing and despite how stressful Shuichi was making it out to be, Kokichi wasn’t worried. Sure, the study session from last night helped but he was confident enough without it. What Kokichi was, at both the mornings and afternoons of each day of the week, was flustered. It was becoming a regular occurrence and he hated it. It wasn’t like him at all.

Damn that Rantaro.

Kokichi woke every morning of that week greeted to an encouraging text message from the curly haired smug boy. They all had the slight teasing Rantaro was known for yet also the sort of “big brother” feel which made sense considering he was the older brother in his family.

“Good morning! Hope you slept well. Time for your first exam, are you ready? I’m sure you’ll do great. You’ve got this sort of smart—albeit a little arrogant—sort of look to you. I can’t really explain it but I like it a lot. Good luck, text me when you get out!”

Waking up to a message from Rantaro was sure to put a smile on Kokichi’s face no doubt, but when it was both making him smile and flustered enough to have Shuichi asking what was wrong, that’s when Kokichi drew the line. It made his heart do cartwheels in his chest and the unfamiliar feeling left his head spinning.

If anything, Rantaro’s messages made focusing on finals difficult. Kokichi couldn’t stop thinking about them and he made sure to loudly voice his opinions to Rantaro after he got out of class through a loud phone call with a few snarky comments and fake annoyances.

Rantaro would respond with a chuckle and say he would make it up to him once finals were over.

(“Yeah, you owe me a whoooole bunch of drinks for distracting me during testing!”)

It was strange to Kokichi, having someone as supportive as he was. If not for him, Kokichi would’ve ended up hanging out with Rantaro to ignore the group’s study session that Sunday. Granted they were still getting to know each other so Kokichi figured for the first few weeks Rantaro would just try to be overly nice. The sweet messages were just an added bonus it seemed.

Rantaro caught Kokichi’s attention much longer than his previous crushes, no doubt about it.

By the time Saturday rolled around, Kokichi was mentally exhausted and he really hoped Rantaro would actually consider buying him a few drinks. Not only as an excuse for another date but just to taste it again and maybe get tipsy (not drunk, oh hell no after last time) enough to just have Rantaro take him home and sleep it off. When Rantaro texted him that night, asking him to come after the crowd was thinning out, unfortunately at two in the morning, Kokichi couldn’t say no.

Shuichi had drowsily questioned Kokichi for going out so late but Kokichi reassured him with a chuckle. Shuichi was too tired to argue with him and Kokichi could swear he passed out after a half-assed mumble.

The summer air was cool against Kokichi’s skin as he made his way down the sidewalk. The streets were somewhat empty save for the few cars passing by every once and a while and each house seemed to have their lights off for the night.

One thing he liked about Rantaro’s job was that the bar he tended was close to a ten (fifteen if he was feeling particularly slow with the nice weather) minute walk from campus. Although there was a curfew in place, Kokichi had already made mental notes of the cameras and security officers around the school. Getting out was virtually no problem for him and he always had Shuichi, god forbid anything happened. Most of the security guards took a quick liking to Shuichi after learning of his major in criminology (and how he’d commonly talk to a few of them for random tidbits and tips for his future as a detective) so they typically turned a blind eye to anything bad he happened to involve him in, which was rare in it of itself. Kokichi found it downright hilarious how the guards would talk of upholding honor and bunch of other stupid shit and yet they’d let some nerdy kid and his friends get away with petty things that would usually earn them a warning at best.

It was just one of those perks Shuichi had that Kokichi would sometimes leech onto. He knew he shouldn’t but at the point where Kokichi was at the moment he really didn’t have much of a choice. The dorm room they shared was because of Shuichi, the small part-time job Kokichi typically had during the autumn and winter months was because of Shuichi, half the things Kokichi owned and cherished were because of Shuichi. Shuichi provided basically everything Kokichi needed to survive somewhat on his own after what happened with his mom and sister.

Although Kokichi always said it jokingly around him, Shuichi was his savior.

It was always annoying for Kokichi’s mind to grace the subject, especially when he was in the midst of walking to meet with Rantaro. It left him with the guilt of his debt to Shuichi settled in his stomach and he didn’t want to start off a date with a sour attitude. With a quick exhale and stretch of his back, Kokichi turned the corner to stop in front of the bar.

Through the windows he could see it was beginning to clean out. The tables were empty and only less than a dozen people sat at the bar finishing up whatever they were drinking. From the inside, Kokichi saw Rantaro and the same white haired tender from last time writing off checks before they began to slowly clean up the place.

Kokichi stepped inside and was greeted with a smile from Rantaro while the white haired bartender raised his eyebrows and seemed to remember him from last week. Kokichi took an empty seat and tapped lightly at the table with his fingers. He watched Rantaro work, skillfully taking empty glasses off the table and leaving them in the sink to wash while also managing to finish scribbling down bills and collecting payments from tipsy customers. The white haired tender, which Kokichi wasn’t bothered to pay too much attention to listen in for his name, was somewhat clumsy but he served his customers with the friendliest of smiles.

It didn’t take long for the few stragglers to finally pay for their drinks, stumble out of the bar and Kokichi was left alone in the bar with the two boys. The white haired boy was working on wiping down the tables and chairs while Rantaro was washing the dishes and making small conversation with Kokichi.

“Sorry for calling you so late. I hope I didn’t wake you.” Rantaro turned his head eyeing Kokichi’s expression. He was trying to find any hint of drowsiness, Kokichi could tell. Maybe it was just his default as the older brother but Kokichi noticed Rantaro would always try looking for the little cues to see if something was off.

That was a problem, but nothing Kokichi couldn’t handle.

Kokichi shook his head and grinned, “nah, it’s fine. I was wiiide awake. And I can’t say no to someone who owes me!”

“I didn’t think my messages would affect you that much.” Rantaro grabbed a nearby rag to wipe his hands dry and turned around. He chuckled, “I was just being honest.”

Kokichi pouted and stretched out his arms, “no what you were being was an insufferable tease. Praising me like I’m some little kid.”

“But you did do good on your exams, right?”

“Grades don’t come out until after the semester ends. Get off my back Ranty.” Kokichi rolled his eyes and sighed.

“I’m used to ‘Taro’ but ‘Ranty’s’ a new one. Since when did you have a nickname for me anyway?” Rantaro snickered and heard his coworker chuckle in the background.

“Whaat? You don’t have one for me? Aww, I thought you liked me Ranty!” Kokichi dragged out his sentence with a whine.

Rantaro smiled but couldn’t bring himself to argue with him. Kokichi giggled to himself in satisfaction seeing as he won the conversation. Rantaro walked to the back room and came out a few seconds later with a broom and dustpan. The chairs were raised up onto the tables leaving the floor open for a cleaning. The white haired worker seemed to be distracted as he stared aimlessly out the window until Rantaro called out to him.

“No need to stay in longer than you have to. Go home, I’ll clean up.”

He turned back and his eyes lit up a bit, “are you sure, Rantaro?”

Rantaro reassured him with a smile and the boy nodded before rushing to the back room to grab his stuff. He thanked Rantaro once more before stepping out of the bar, the lingering jingle of the bell being the last trace of him. He turned the corner and Kokichi lost sight of him.

“Oh I see your plan.” Kokichi hummed to himself and narrowed his eyes, “you just wanted to be alone with little ‘ol me.”

“Can you blame me? We haven’t had a one on one date yet. With no one around I mean.” Rantaro shrugged his shoulders but could tell Kokichi was already thinking of a million different endings to tonight.

As Kokichi leaned forward hands forming a bridge under his chin, his voice dropped low and laughed teasingly. “So what’s Rantaro planning on doing with me?”

#aarisfics #With a Dash of Gin #oumami #danganronpa v3 #kokichi ouma #amami rantarou

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agentxthirteen · 6 years

Text

I just feel like utter shit and nothing is making me happy and I feel so unloved by people who I know love me that I feel wretched. Mom and I used to go to lunch once a week, and then she got busy and I got busy. When I figured out I might have depression, I didn’t tell her for ages because I couldn’t talk to her one on one, and that’s not really a conversation you want to have with a bunch of your mom’s coworkers or mutual friends.

And I’m better now. Not depressed. Mood swings are under wraps, I think. But this has been a kind of shit yeah when it concerns my relationship with my mom. My birthday was HORRIBLE. I like to think I’ve handled my birthdays with aplomb since I was a kid and other kids complained that we had to come to school on my birthday or got their grades back on my birthday. When I had to go to work on my birthday. When I went to high school and my parents didn’t have time to make me a cake and Mom would ask me to make it and pretend she’d made it. When almost EVERY YEAR the weather would be freezing cold but I’d go to a birthday dinner anyway because I had hope that it would be good. But this birthday was the end of that. It was freezing. My favorite burger place closed and I selected my new favorite, but it was down the street from where my non-ex works. Oh, and they changed the recipe. And Mom complained about how expensive it was. And told me that they hadn’t made me a cake again. And then wanted to go to the bar where my non-ex works and only agreed not to go because it was my birthday. My gifts were a comic book (that I already had, but showed some thought and consideration at least), a Christmas present that didn’t arrive in time (a slicer for the kitchen), and a Christmas decoration for my kitchen drain that Mom obviously got from the Christmas clearance section at TJ Maxx. And an IOU for an SD card (which was kind of nice?) and a camera lens (which would have been VERY nice, except my parents started looking at them and decided they were too expensive - not for nothing, but they’re planning a trip to Europe later this year). And then I went home. Like, I know I got more for my birthday than a lot of people, but none of the gifts were wrapped, most of them were so cheap (the SD card was the only thing that cost more than $10), and it was just... so obvious that they hadn’t really put any effort into it. And when, weeks later, I finally told Mom how much it had hurt me that she’d complained about the cost of the restaurant that she went to for celebrations for herself so often, and that they had put so little effort into the birthday, period, she just... brushed it off and said she and Dad had already talked about it and she was sorry if I was upset. @dynamic-asteroids - this is why I never responded to your birthday text (I think I never responded?) because by the time I saw it I was just so DONE with everything and thought I might bite someone’s head off/alienate them if I said anything.

In the couple months since, I’ve been surprised when she’s thought to include me in things. I never used to be surprised when my parents thought to include me in things. And of course, some of those things are just... things she doesn’t want to do where she wants me to take her place, but there’s a chance I might go to Europe? She also suggested Dad get me concerts to a musical festival he goes to every year that has some artists I like, but it doesn’t sound like that’s going to pan out (I’m not sure he wants me there, tbh, because that’s “his” thing).

At this point, we can go over a week without even talking to each other, despite how they live a six-minute drive away. We used to meet for lunch once a week, now we can go for weeks without seeing each other. And when we DO see each other, she always talks about how she and Dad are worried about me, about how lonely I am (I’m not), how I have so few friends (eh, have you met these people), and how I need to wear more makeup because I look so pretty when I wear makeup. I’ve asked her repeatedly not to and told her that it upsets me, but I also had to tell her multiple times not to hang up on me when I’m trying to tell her that she’s done something to hurt me. Which... she never treated me like that before I told her I thought I had depression?

So Tuesday, she invited me to lunch on Wednesday. Some mutual friends would be there. She wanted me to wear makeup and look nice, though, because some of these friends would be her work friends (her boss’s wife is a family friend of sorts, and she has an “other daughter” who was coming in from out of town). My boss heard and, of course, made comments (he’s generally the only person who sees me most days, so he doesn’t care if I wear makeup or not). On Wednesday, I ask when we’re having lunch, but she’s waiting to hear from the others. 12:30, she finally gets in touch to say that they couldn’t make it so lunch is off. Which... upset me. Because I’d worn makeup - I actually went to Ulta the night before and scoured the place for over an hour to find some new foundation that worked, and even wore lipstick) - and I’d even worn a really nice outfit and tried to do my hair kind of nice. And all of that effort on my part meant so little to her that she just... cancelled lunch. Her friends couldn’t make it, so she bailed on me. We could have gotten lunch together, and I could have told her about my raise, and we could have talked, but since it was just me, she didn’t want to? I tried to tell her I was upset over text, and she just texted back, “sorry”. I told her that I’d be willing to go to lunch just the two of us, and she didn’t respond. Instead, she went to another event that she’d invited me to (invited me on Tuesday) that I backed out of, and texted me that my non-ex was there. And that’s it.

Like, I know she loves me. She seems to enjoy my company for the most part when we’re together, but there have been times I’ve asked her for help around the house and such and she’s said “Oh, I’m so tired, I have so much to do, eh, I don’t want to.” She did end up helping me when she thought I was on the verge of having a suicidal breakdown or something (I wasn’t). But it’s like she doesn’t want to show she supports me unless she thinks I’m about to kill myself. Which... I’m not suicidal. I haven’t been in years.

I know this could just be a mood swing, but I think I might also have valid reasons to be upset. It isn’t the first time I’ve wondered if I should just... stop reaching out to my mom because it might hurt less if I don’t have hope. I’ll send her articles or funny pictures I think she’ll like, and she’ll respond sometimes. But she very rarely initiates a conversation unless there’s business at hand (how I need to do my taxes, do I want to go to this play she doesn’t want to go to).

Elsewhere, it’s hard to feel appreciated. In some circles I feel completely invisible/overlooked. At work, I got a raise - so I get $4 more a week after everything’s taken out. The executive committee approved me for a bigger raise, but the rest of the board decided to cut back on that and give my boss a bonus he didn’t ask for instead. So... that’s great.

It’s also frustrating that all of my “nice” shoes are falling apart? Like, that and finding some of my clothes have holes or are too small now doesn’t help. Just... insult to injury. l o l along with my youngest cat waking me up by having stupid 6 am adventures.

And of course, since I’m feeling down, it’s taking longer to do things. And I don’t want to talk to some people because I might end up alienating them.

So yeah. That’s my week. Feeling down and unappreciated and knowing-i’m-loved-but-not-feeling-it and invisible and a bit “fuck people.” But not in a sexual way. So... there’s that.

#not a positive post #don't reblog because who else would care lol #tw suicide mention #knew i forgot something

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talented-headache · 7 years

Note

Novahd prompt! Maybe what happened after James' diss to Aleks that he was single? Either they recently broke up or they're together but James doesn't want to be out about it. Major bonus for fluff and making out with James' hair down!

Title: Just How Single

NovaHD

Summary: Jamesusually doesn’t know why they were fighting. He thought it was a joke but Aleksseems to have taken it seriously.

[LINK][AO3]

James watched Aleks from the corner of his eye while he tried to type away on his keyboard. The other man had always been a distraction to him. Aleks was slowly packing up for the day while James still had a few emails to send out before he could start his personal work week at home. It had been like this for a week now, Aleks was always packing up and leaving as quickly and quietly as possible before James could even say goodbye. The one time James tried to stop the sort-of-blonde all he got in return was a frosty glare for his troubles.

Still Aleks was good at retaining his anger so for all James knew this one-sided fight could be about anything. He just couldn’t figure out what started it and Aleks wouldn’t sit still long enough around him so James could get a concrete answer out of him.

Not that he saw much of his boyfriend anyway. Between James’s only half a week work schedule and Aleks’ new constant need to be at the office while Brett was traveling it was hard to find time for them. It didn’t help that they lived two completely different lifestyles outside of work. Usually it worked for them. They saw each other so often at work every day that they needed their own downtime. Their relationship was more about the little moments and the days without any interruptions. The days where nothing mattered: not their channel, not their past, not even their friends.

Still, if Aleks could be professional where their fight hadn’t affected videos then so could James. It seemed as though the second they stopped filming Aleks locked himself away. Either hiding in Brett’s office or plugging into his computer until it was time to leave. When the next day came it would start all over again. It broke his heart that Aleks wouldn’t talk to him.

James looked around quickly. The only other people there were Jakob and Trevor. Both of them deep into their edits, so they wouldn’t notice if he tried to talk to Aleks. All he’d have to do is keep his distance, while hard to do, James could manage it. He was used to not getting close to the other man when they were around people. It was one of the rules James insisted on when they started dating. “Aleks, wait up man.” James said and grabbed Aleks by the elbow. He smiled when Aleks turned to face him. The blank look on his pale face was way better than the glare he gotten all week.

“What?” Aleks’s voice was low and tired.

“I was wondering if you wanted to either hang or something. You know talk about some plans for the channel. I have this idea I wanted to run by you.” It was almost as if with every word James said the further his foot entered his mouth because Aleks just turned grumpier with each one.

“Look, man, I just want to go home. I have a busy day tomorrow. Brett’s still gone until Monday and Suptic wants to try to figure out something for a video.” Aleks replied and it almost felt like an excuse, but James didn’t call him out on it. “And the stuff for Brett’s office should be showing up either tomorrow or Friday.”

“Man, come on.” James all but whined at him, a pout James would deny on his face.

“Dude, I told you I’m busy. Maybe we can set something up for this weekend or next week?” Even after turning James down there was a hopeful look in Aleks’s eyes. It was small, but there.

“Yeah, man, I’ll see you then.” James offered and released his elbow. He hadn’t even noticed he was still holding on to it or how gentle the hold had become. Aleks’s smile dimmed and something James couldn’t quite catch crossed his face. It felt like that wasn’t the right answer. Aleks mumbled something James couldn’t hear before he threw his backpack over his shoulder and stomped out of the room through Brett’s door.

“Dude, what did you do to fuck up that badly?” Trevor asked and James turned to glare at him. Anything to take his eyes off the sight of his boyfriend leaving. Trevor only had one headphone on and a stupidly curious look on his face.

“Shut the fuck up and get back to work, Trevor.”

James was a tad bit late to work the next week. It had been a long weekend without any contact from Aleks. Outside the few short texts to let James know he had been with Brett at some party because his plane landed earlier than expected. Usually James would have rolled his eyes and smiled at his boyfriend’s antics and ideas of fun, and make fun of him for them later. But now he couldn’t help but feel a little bitter. He stayed up that night worrying about how to approach Aleks and make amends. Or at least find out the problem.

“I’m thinking of bleaching my hair again.” Aleks said as James passed by. James raised an eyebrow at him before he took a seat at his desk. He didn’t put his headphones on so he could listen in to the conversation he walked in on.

“Why?” Anna asked and Aleks shrugged back at her. James liked the blonde look on Aleks. It actually seemed to reflect his happier mood since their move to LA. He let it grow back out recently and while it still looked good, James wondered if it reflected his recent mood.

“I’m thinking of getting back on Tinder. You know since I’m single, right?” James could almost feel the weighted look Aleks sent him and James sent an alarmed one back at him. But Aleks turned his head away to look at Anna before James could catch his eye.

What the fuck? James thought. Even though they kept their relationship a secret from everybody they never hinted at any sort of commitment or lack thereof with anyone else. They just didn’t talk about it. They preferred to either lead the conversation to other topics or pushed it onto their coworkers avoiding relationship talks all together.

“I was starting to wonder about that. You took a break for a while.” Joe piped up from his desk and James glared at the back of his head.

“Yeah, I did.” It sounded almost like a sigh but honestly James couldn’t hear the intent behind it. He was close to standing up so he could stop the conversation. Instead he tried to think of a plan when it continued.

“Weren’t you seeing someone recently?” Brett asked and everybody turned to look at him. James hadn’t even noticed him; Brett had a way of sneaking around the office. James thought he was meant to take a few days off. No wonder Aleks had been in a hurry to finish the last minute work to the office.

“Wait, you were seeing someone and didn’t say anything about it?” Anna asked. Aleks remained silent while James stared at him. Aleks looked down at his lap a deep frown on his face while he tried to think of the right vague answer.

“Not really, it wasn’t really going anywhere. It felt like being fuck buddies and I guess I got tired of it.” There it was. James flinched hard, like he had been slapped.

James stared hard at Aleks. Every part of his body wanted Aleks to look back at him but the blond wouldn’t look at anybody. Just his knees. One part of him wanted to run out of the building, the other wanted to grab Aleks and take him away. He did neither though rooted in his seat at everything Aleks had confessed in front of their friends.

He honestly wanted to know how Aleks got to that point. He not only confessed his feelings to their coworkers but he also thought James didn’t love him. That James wouldn’t give this all up for him. He’s told that to his boyfriend a thousand times since their drunken night a few months ago. It may be a little quick but James had been sure of his feelings for years. He didn’t want to lose Aleks but here he was, watching it happen.

Fuck.

“You sound like a fucking sissy, but sorry to hear that.” Brett laughed with the slightest hint of sympathy in his voice.

Aleks just shrugged. He didn’t show any emotion on his face as he moved back to his desk and started up his computers. Everybody took the hint and moved to start their own editing. James thought about texting Aleks, to try and convince him to leave so they could talk. But James knew that he would just be ignored. Instead he followed suit and started his own work before filming started for the day.

It took him an hour to think about what to say to Aleks as they waited for everyone to show up. He wondered if his nerves would show up on camera. If Aleks could act like nothing happened then so could he. After spending the past hour avoiding each other’s eyes, James stared at the back of Aleks’s head.

“You know it was a joke right?” He probably should have tried to beat around the bush more but honestly if he waited to have this conversation it would literally kill James. He had to force himself to focus as he waited for the right opportunity to start it. That happened to be right after filming as they cleaned up their mess. Their camera people were already headed towards their desks to transfer files over.

“What was?” Aleks’ dull voice asked in return. By the way his jaw set and his eye twitched he knew exactly what James was talking about.

“Aleks, come on. Just talk to me.”

“No, you come on man.” Aleks glared at him before he started to mov the props back onto their growing pile. “I’m sick of talking and you not getting it.”

“This isn’t a one way street, Aleksandr. You know how I feel about you, about all of this. Why can’t we just-” James tried to explain as he moved closer to the other man but was stopped when Aleks interrupted him.

“Do I, James? Do I know that? Because you sure as hell don’t act like it.”

“What are you talking about? Of course, I act like it.” James was truly confused when it came to Aleks’ need to be more public with his life. Mostly because James chose to be private, he liked to have things just for himself. It made them special to him; the blonde had to know that.

“Really? Because if you did want to be in a relationship with me I don’t think all our conversations would be secrets and whispers behind everyone’s backs.” Aleks snapped. He tried to stomp off in typical Aleks fashion but James stopped him by blocking his path towards the computers.

“Christ, man. Calm down.” He grabbed Aleks by his slightly shaking shoulders. He was glad to be hidden by the rack of clothes that separated the set from the rest of the warehouse. Aleks just shrugged his hands off and it stung a little as James slowly moved them back down to his sides.

“It hurts James.” Aleks wasn’t one for showing his emotions, neither of them were. He didn’t look away, didn’t hide his gaze from James. He just stared to let James know how much it took for Aleks to say that. Their staring contest didn’t last long because it was James’s turn to walk away from the conversation.

James wanted to end this once and for all. That probably sounded a little more aggressive than just putting an end their stupid fight. He was way too nervous to just walk up to Aleks and kiss him until he understood.

It was past dark by the time James worked himself up to go to Aleks’s house. Not that it was any help because the other man wasn’t even home. James chose to wait in his car for the first hour before he decided it would start to look creepy to anyone who might see him.

He had a key to the house. Got it when they first moved to LA, just like Aleks has a copy to James’s. So he let himself in. James was immediately met with Mishka’s happy dog face. He moved slowly to turn on the kitchen lights so he could feed the animals. He almost wished he’d brought Ein with him. While she could have calmed him down it would have been useless after he put the animals in Aleks’s room. That way he could finish he wait for Aleks in silence.

The silence and darkness of the living room allowed James to think. It didn’t last long, thank god. The sounds of keys jingling on the other side of the door broke through James’s mind and the silence surrounding him. James felt nervousness and fear course through his body as he watched Aleks walk into the room. But as Aleks turned to look at him it all went away with a single glance of his brown eyes. Aleks looked stuck between wanting to smile and glare at the man on his couch.

“What are you doing here James?” Aleks questioned as he moved to stand in front of him on the other side of the coffee table. “And where are my girls?”

“In your room.” James shrugged at him. They both knew the answer to the first question so he didn’t bother with it. He watched calmly as Aleks started to unload his stuff onto the table. He drank in Aleks like he was a dying man.

When the fuck did I get so fucking sappy?

Aleks sighed heavily before he flopped down onto the couch next to him. James fell into his lap, head nestled on his thighs. This way he could pin Aleks down and he could also feel the comforting warmth of his boyfriend. Aleks’s hand immediately came down and caught a strand of his hair and James smirked up at him. At least he wasn’t the only sappy one.

Aleks just scoffed quietly back at him but didn’t stop. There was quiet after that, neither of them wanted to start. They just took a second to bask in each other’s company. Aleks’s fingers dug deeper into his hair as time moved on.

“I know it was a joke.” Aleks was the one to break the silence. “I also know I’m probably taking it too seriously. But James, dude, it really does feel like we aren’t even dating. We never do anything, never go out, nothing.”

“Yeah, I kind of got that feeling from you.” James smirked and put a little humor in his voice. Aleks huffed, it was that adorable noise he made when startled to laugh, and pushed his head slightly. “Bit of a bitch move.”

“Yeah.” It was silent again and James almost let himself fall asleep on Aleks’s lap. The feeling of his fingers in his hair and Aleks’s steady breathing didn’t help.

“We’ll have to keep all the fucking coupley things out of the warehouse and no work talk outside of it.” James muttered and his nerves came back full force. He didn’t even offer much but it still left him vulnerable.

Aleks hummed at first, and sounded like he was on the verge of sleep as well. There was a pause in his movements and James almost let out a whine when he felt the fingers stop.

“What?”

“I said if we want to start telling people we’re dating then we have to have a few more boundaries while at work.” James said, his voice much stronger then he actually felt. “I don’t like mixing business with pleasure.”

“So what? No more hand jobs in the bathroom?” Aleks asked his voice soft and disbelieving. His body was completely frozen and James wondered if he stopped breathing after his stupid joke.

“Aleksandr.”

Aleks lent down, bent so he could basically curl around James’s head. He couldn’t see much of his boyfriend’s face as it loomed above him. The darkness hid it but he could feel the piercing stare behind the shadows. Whatever Aleks had been looking for he found it because before James could ask him about it Aleks’s chapped lips crashed down onto his.

It was awkward but that was just because the angle of the kiss. The second James felt Aleks start to pull away he reached up to run his hand through Aleks’s hair and pull him back down. Even if it was awkward it had been close to two weeks since he really kissed his boyfriend and James missed him.

James sat up slightly so Aleks could uncurl around him and lay back against the couch. There were a few hits, thumps, and pushes until they were comfortable. Probably because James didn’t let Aleks get very far away. Even a second away felt too long.

When he opened his eyes he could barely see Aleks’s face. Still slightly shadowed but his eyes shined bright. The street lights outside shone through the small gap in the curtains at the best angle to see him. He looked exhausted and on the verge of sleep but the small content smile on his face said everything. He pecked Aleks’s slightly bruised lips again.

“Obviously this can’t get out to the fans.” James muttered against his lips. Their legs tangled together and Aleks’s hands still buried in his hair. He heard a startled laugh from the other man and James raised an eyebrow that Aleks probably couldn’t see at him.

“Obviously. Dude, it doesn’t even have to leave the warehouse if you’re not ready.” Aleks said back and James tightened his legs to let Aleks know he heard him.

Aleks let out a sudden yawn and James flinched away from the warm breath against his face. He felt himself yawn back but managed to cut it off the best he could. Aleks closed his eyes and nuzzled into his arm that acted like a pillow and his whole body started to relax.

“We’re going to regret this in the morning?” James said slowly as he let sleep take a hold of him.

“Nah.” Aleks’s slurred voice replied back. James wondered if Aleks knew he was talking about sleeping on the couch. He didn’t get very far in his thoughts before he fell asleep head tucked into Aleks neck slightly and one arm wrapped around his waist.

They eventually did regret it a few hours later when Aleks rushed to get up. He pushed James off the couch and ran off towards his room as he yelled something about his pets. James smiled after him, and stretched his back out before he slowly started to follow him up with his sore back.

#NovaHD #prompt #cow chop #my fic #sorry it took so long my editor was busy #hope you like #Anonymous

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cookiecrumblesuniverse-blog · 7 years

Text

FALLEN LEAVES

REQUEST:

Ship: Yoonseok Prompt: yoongi is a slowly rising professional photographer, and he bumps into this cute boy (hoseok) on a trip and wow hes cute lets ask him to be my model ?? bonus points if they end up dating and they travel around together and hoseok is yoongi's main muse / model (bonus points x2 if namjin are boyfys that are yoongi's friends and every time yoongi mentions hoseok they tell him to shut up and ask him out already)

TITLE: Fallen Leaves PAIRING: │ Min Yoongi ♡ Jung Hoseok │ Kim Namjoon ♡ Kim Seokjin GENRE: Fluff, Photographer AU, Model AU, Traveller-Meets-Lover RATING: PG17 WARNING: This is pretty much 10K of how much Yoongi loves Jung Hoseok :) WORDS: 10,596 Summary: Rising photographer, Min Yoongi, totally didn’t go to Canada because he watched Goblin and thought it looked absolutely stunning. OK--maybe he did. But it wasn’t exactly the scenery that he fell in love with through his camera lens.

Yoongi’s desire to gouge out his own eyes was at an all-time high; his fingers had even tightened around his spoon all while glaring at the adorable vomit-inducing couple that sat across from him.

More often than not, Yoongi did not mind couples. He often photographed them while taking strolls around Jamsil or Dongdaemun whenever he went on walks. There was something sweet and innocent about catching young couples in such scenic environment, such as the pond in Jamsil that was surrounded by cherry blossom trees that bloomed in spring; or holding hands as they walked along the LED flowers at the Dongdaemun Historical and Cultural Museum.

Perhaps it was because Yoongi admired the innocence and sweetness from afar and through his camera lens; never actually participating, and never really looking beyond the surface.

It had been unfortunate for him that his best friend had to date one of the most popular models in Korea. Of course, Namjoon didn’t think that it was such a terrible thing; meanwhile Yoongi mourned over his bachelor life with his best friend and wingman. No longer could they go out and fool around at clubs or at bars. Now Namjoon had somewhere to be (which nine times out of ten, was with Seokjin) and most definitely could not fool around.

Yoongi, as a result, had calmed down on the nightlife himself and began focusing more on photography. His social life had shrunk to just a small circle of close friends and coworkers in the industry—and that naturally included his best friend and his handsome as fuck boyfriend.

“Hyung, can you stop looking like you’re going to murder us with that spoon.”

“Sure…I’ll likely die from a sugar comatose before I make it across the table to one of you anyway.”

Although Namjoon frowned and rolled his eyes, Seokjin burst into laughter. The model had always been fond of Yoongi despite his stand-off personality at times. Seokjin managed to bring out a softer side in Yoongi that wasn’t so cynical—Namjoon believes it’s because Seokjin is older and would scold Yoongi if he made too many rude comments.

“Maybe you should find someone, Yoongi-ah,” Seokjin suggested as he shamelessly poked at Namjoon’s plate and put his boyfriend’s food in his mouth.

“Then you might…I dunno, be less crabby.”

Yoongi snorted and leaned back in his seat, “doubt it.”

“Yeah, that’d take a miracle,” Namjoon agreed as he eyed Seokjin who kept stealing his food. He sighed in defeat, there was no winning against Seokjin’s stomach. Not that he would complain since Seokjin was actually eating—he was bulking for a more ‘mature’ magazine shoot next month.

Seokjin hummed as he chewed his food. “Mmm…but since I know you love work so much, I got you a gig for the November issue with Dazed. It’s not the front page, but it’ll be some shots in the magazine.”

All hostile feelings towards the model had been wiped clean from Yoongi’s mind; his eyes widened and tightened his jaw to keep it from dropping. Just last year Yoongi had graduated from college in photography at the top of his year; he had done a few photo shoots for smaller magazines, and had done the cover of The Star once because of Seokjin. Now once again his model friend was getting him on the scene but for a larger magazine—Dazed.

Wow.

“Hyung…”

“It gets better,” Seokjin smirked as he reached for his water. “You even get to pick your model.”

There was no controlling Yoongi’s slack jaw this time. It was rare for up-and-coming photographers like himself to pick models for major magazines. Usually only established photographers were allowed to pick and choose who they wanted. This time Yoongi had the choice.

“Based on your euphoric expression, I’m going to assume you’ll take it.”

“Wow…Hyung…” Yoongi licked his dry lips as he slowly sat up straighter in his seat. “I don’t know what to say.”

“Just say you’ll do it?” Seokjin laughed as if Yoongi were truly the dumbest person in the world. “And thank you would be nice too.”

Yoongi rolled his eyes, “Thanks.”

“I thought you were going on a trip to Canada next month, Hyung?” Namjoon then interrupted as he started to take eating his food a little more seriously before Seokjin ate all of it on him. Yoongi reached for his beer and took a sip as he shrugged.

“It’s just for a month, I’ll be back at the beginning of October—“

“Wait, you’re going to Canada?” Seokjin questioned.

Yoongi nodded, “Mmm.”

Namjoon smirked into his beer mug and took a sip, then he told his boyfriend. “You know how in Goblin they went to Quebec and it was all beautiful?”

Seokjin nearly spat his drink everywhere. “Seriously!?”

Yoongi rolled his eyes, “Yes. It looks nice and I want to take pictures there, okay? It’ll be really nice in the fall…”

“Wow…you’re somethin’ else Min Yoongi,” Seokjin hummed as he leaned his elbow on the table and cradled his head in his hand. “Maybe you’ll meet someone nice there?”

“When are you going to stop nagging me to date?”

“Never,” Namjoon chuckled. “Seokjin Hyung’s dream is to go on double dates.”

“He or she better be gorgeous,” Seokjin grinned. “Then you can take pictures of them all the time.”

“I’m over this…can I go home now?” Yoongi groaned as he covered his flushing face. It was already bad enough for Yoongi to deal with the sugar-coated couple before him, he did not need their nagging or pushing into a relationship that Yoongi was not even sure he wanted.

“Sure, sure” Namjoon chuckled. “Have a nice trip, Hyung.”

“Mmm. Keep us updated!”

“Maybe. We’ll see…”

Yoongi had initially wanted to go to Quebec to take photos of the similar locations of Goblin; however, he voted against it while booking tickets to Canada. It had never been really Yoongi’s thing to follow the crowd or follow particular trends to a T, he liked putting his own twists on things. So instead of going to Vancouver or Quebec, he decided he would go to the largest city in the country—Toronto.

He had read that there were many trees in the city, and even little Islands on one of the many large fresh-water lakes. Niagara Falls wasn’t terribly far, just a bus ride away—thus he would spend some time in Toronto and then would make his way to the boarder to take photos of the famous falls. It would be very refreshing in comparison to the regular Seoul scene that he has photographed for the past four years.

Although the infrastructure of the city nor the night-life compare to Seoul, the city had not disappointed Yoongi. He found himself particularly captivated by the diversity of the city and all of the different communities like China Town, Little Italy, Little Greece, Russia and even two Korea towns. Even more so, there were so many different people that he could capture on the unique streets of Toronto taking busses, streetcars and simply walking.

It was a beautiful city indeed, especially with the trees that scattered throughout the city, bringing warm colours of red, orange and yellow to the concrete buildings.

His first few days had simply been exploring and taking in the atmosphere instead of taking photos. Getting to know the city was key to Yoongi to ensure he could plan the perfect photos at the right time.

On his fourth day he found himself attempting to fight off jetlag at the harbour front, which was crowded with couples, families and friends that were enjoying the crisp autumn air by the water. Yoongi found himself capturing photos of boats that passed, couples that walked along the doc holding hands, and families that sat on the grass while watching a performance on a large stage.

As he stood at the water’s edge he found himself in awe of how the water sparkled from the warm autumn sun in contrast to the black and white lampposts dispersed along the edge of the doc. He held his camera steady as he lined along the lampposts, ready to take a photo until he noticed someone leaning against one of the lampposts.

Yoongi’s finger paused over the shutter; he could not move a muscle.

He wondered for a brief moment if what he saw through the lens was real or if his camera was just playing games on him.

Min Yoongi was struck dumbfounded by the young man he peered at through his camera lens. Leaned against the lamppost, staring down at his phone; he looked ethereal. He wasn’t wearing anything special; a white graphic T, black tight jeans with rips in the knees, a black bomber and sneakers. Perhaps it was the structure of his face; a sharp jawline, sun-kissed skin, heart-shaped lips and a high straight nose. Or was it his grapefruit-coloured hair that stood out to Yoongi?

Perhaps it was that all together he shone brighter than the sun that was high in the sky and smiling down upon this incredible being?

Yoongi wasn’t sure just what about the young man that made Yoongi’s entire body tense and heat pool in the pit of his stomach. It had not been too cold in September in Canada; however, Yoongi felt like he had suddenly stepped into summer.

He felt his face burned when the young man smiled at his own phone as he took a selfie with the boats in the background. His eyes disappeared into crescent moons, confirming the young photographer that this young man was brighter than both the sun and the moon.

He was celestial.

Yoongi felt his tongue slide out of his mouth to lick at his dry lips before gulping down the heavy lump in his throat. He snapped a photo.

Maybe two.

Perhaps three.

Never in Yoongi’s life would he admit to following anyone for photos. Unlike most photographers, he did not even have a particular model that he loved and wished to photograph.

Not until that moment.

It had been an accident—Yoongi firmly would argue—that he followed the young grapefruit-haired man as he walked aimlessly along the dock. Of course, Yoongi was not following him, and thus took photos of other things such as the CN Tower that stood tall behind them, the Toronto Islands that were before them in the water and other passing Canadians and tourists alike. It was just some strange coincidence that somehow his lens would find its way back to the handsome man, catching him doing something new.

It had also been an accident in how Yoongi watched a rather uncomfortable encounter between the young man and what looked to be a homeless man asking for money. Yoongi couldn’t hear well since he had very tactfully (at least in his mind) kept his distance from the handsome young man despite the artistic voice in his head (and the pounding drum that was his heart) screamed at him to get closer and capture more of his facial expressions. However, despite not hearing well, Yoongi could see by the way the rather rugged old man held his hand out that he was asking for money.

Yoongi watched as the grapefruit haired man retreated back into himself as the homeless man neared him and shook his head vigorously as he sputtered out words nervously in English.

Normally Yoongi would have turned a blind eye in situations like these; he wasn’t one to dabble in confrontation that was not directed to him, he already had a hard time with confrontation as it was. Min Yoongi even began to turn his body and would have begun walking the other way if it had not been for the incessant pounding in his chest that spun him back around. His legs carried him towards the rugged man whose voice had raised louder.

“Common! Just a few cents! That’s all I need!”

“I…I don’t have…” The young man repeated likely for the fifth time. He had even tried to walk away with long strides, but the man caught up to him and cut him off. Yoongi had to practically skid to a stop behind the young man as he stepped back from the homeless man’s advancement. Yoongi’s hands braced for him as he nearly fell right backwards; Yoongi caught his shoulders and kept him upright.

“What the…?” Yoongi heard the young man gasp in Korean as Yoongi’s hands tightened around his surprisingly (and Yoongi would only internally admit as pleasantly) solid shoulders.

“How much do you need?” Yoongi managed to choke out in English.

The homeless man held his hand out and exclaimed, “Just a dollar or two to eat!”

Yoongi took his hands from the stranger’s shoulders and dug in his pocket for a two dollar coin. He handed it to the man.

“Here. Leave him alone.”

“Thanks man.”

The homeless man was gone before Yoongi could gather what he had just done or feel his anxiety spike over interfering in a random person’s business. Yoongi turned to the young man who was straightening his jacket; even up close he was just as incredibly handsome and awe inspiring. The anxiousness from the confrontation was miniscule in comparison to the sudden surge of fluster that consumed Min Yoongi.

“A-are you okay?” Yoongi choked in Korean.

The grapefruit haired boy blinked in shock at Yoongi before he bowed softly and nodded. “Ah…yes…thank you so much…for all of that.”

Yoongi shook his head and laughed nervously all while bowing shallowly. “It’s okay…it looked like he kept…bothering you…”

“Well, thank you very much.”

His voice was friendly; light and free.

Yoongi noticed the grapefruit-haired man’s eyes flickered down to Yoongi’s camera before he flushed a colour similar to his hair. His eyes then scaled up to meet Yoongi’s cat-like eyes and chuckled softly.

“Ah…you taking pictures around here?”

Fear and embarrassment in its purest form came over Yoongi like a wave. The way that Hoseok stared at Yoongi’s camera and at him gave it all away—or rather, gave Yoongi away. Had he known all this time that Yoongi had been taking secret shots of him?

Out of a nervous habit Yoongi took his camera in his hands, as he always felt much more comfortable while holding a camera regardless of the situation. He nodded eagerly, quickly and almost desperately.

“Ah…yeah, I’m actually a photographer in Korea…”

“Oh. Like…what…kind of photography?”

“I really enjoy landscapes or more…capturing places and people in natural environments but…I’ve done some fashion shoots in Korea for some magazines…”

The man’s jaw dropped and he gasped. “Wow! That’s really incredible!”

Yoongi could not control the corners of his lips that tugged into a bashful smile, nor the rose colour that dusted his warm cheeks. This man’s smile was truly brighter than the sun.

“Nah…it’s not that great…”

“I think it’s pretty cool,” the man chuckled, it was as soft as the breeze that pushed the waves next to them. “Anyway, thank you so much for helping me. How about I take you to a coffee shop? Call it even?”

Sirens wailed in Yoongi’s mind. Going anywhere with this man was a terrible idea; he had already interfered enough and had already been exposed as some creep photographer that had been following him for God knows how long. But the roaring voice of Kim Seokjin overcame the sirens, commanding him to grab this opportunity and get coffee with this unrealistically handsome person that Yoongi just happened to stumble upon.

“It’s fate!” He could hear Seokjin lecture him. “I swear to God, Min Yoongi, if you don’t go with him then I will remind you of your dumb-ass decision for the rest of your existence!”

It was startling to Yoongi that he could hear Seokjin’s voice so clearly despite his hyung knowing nothing of yet.

Yoongi was pulled back down to Earth when Hoseok slightly bent down to get into Yoongi’s line of vision. The photographer hadn’t realized that he was staring down with wide eyes, chewing hard on his bottom lip. His eyes flickered to meet with Hoseok’s, that of course were freaking sparkling even more than the fresh water next to them.

“What do you say?”

“I…I really couldn’t—“

“Nonsense!” The man beamed. Yoongi’s eyes followed the man’s hand as it reached out to touch Yoongi’s shoulder. Time had slowed down and all of a sudden Yoongi was in sensory overload; noticing every single vein on the man’s hand, in complete awe over the shape of his slender fingers and the few plain rings on his fingers.

God, even his fingers were beautiful?

“I insist!” His lively voice brought Yoongi back again. Yoongi couldn’t remember how to formulate a sentence for half a minute as his eyes kept flickering between the man’s hand on his shoulder and his glowing face.

Min Yoongi was fucked.

“Sure.”

“Great! I think there is a Starbucks just up the street!”

Together they ventured up the street. Yoongi quickly learned that his name was Jung Hoseok and that he was in Canada for the summer to study dance at a particular workshop that was being held in the city. He only had one month left before he would return to Korea to continue his final semester in dance.

“I’ve been here for three months,” Hoseok chuckled as he looked down to his coffee; Yoongi also looked there, but mainly to gaze at Hoseok’s hands that wrapped around the mug for warmth. It had cooled down quite a bit as the sun fell. “But I still can’t speak English…”

Yoongi shrugged, “English is tough.”

“You seem to speak it well.”

There was no controlling the eye roll that nearly sent Yoongi back into his seat. It had not been directed at Hoseok, but rather his best friend that was thousands of miles away.

“No…my best friend is really good at English and likes to show off, so if I wanted to understand what he was saying…I had to improve my English skill.”

Hoseok’s laughter was truly heavenly; bubbly and so radiant. It made Yoongi’s fingers drum nervously against his own cup, just so he could ignore the butterflies that danced in his stomach.

“So how long are you here for?” Asked Hoseok. “Are you here for school?”

Yoongi shook his head, “No. I’m just…here on vacation—well, more like a business trip? I don’t know, I came here to take photos.”

“Ah…well, Canada is really pretty,” Hoseok agreed. Yoongi couldn’t miss how Hoseok’s high cheeks became rosy, or how his eyes gazed out the window as he was clearly deep in thought. “You…took a lot of photos earlier?”

Someone kill me was Yoongi’s initial thought. He questioned whether or not he should run across the road and jump into the dock so he could sink to the bottom of a foreign lake where he would never be found. If Namjoon ever wondered where he was, he would have to wait for global news to break out that some crazy photographer jumped to his death over his overwhelming embarrassment.

“Y-yeah…” Yoongi agreed. Finally he sighed in defeat and fell back into his chair. “Look…I didn’t mean to be a creep but…you have something that is just…really interesting and just…looks really good on camera.”

Yoongi wasn’t quite sure how to read the shock on the other’s face. He was blushing profusely, and his eyes blinked hard as he stared at Yoongi as if he were truly strange. Hoseok shook his head as nervous laughter spilled from his lips.

“No way…there’s no way—“

“You’re really charismatic…even when you aren’t interacting with others,” Yoongi sputtered out, hoping to maybe salvage this—or make it worse? He wasn’t sure. All he knew was that Seokjin was still screaming in his ear to save this, which was just as horrifying as the odd skip of his heart.

“And you have…nice proportions—I mean, from an artistic perspective…and I don’t know…just really refreshing?”

Yoongi finally cringed at himself and forced his lips shut. There was no saving this moment; Yoongi should just change his flight back to Korea to tomorrow so he wouldn’t risk running into Jung Hoseok again. That way he would at least die by the hand of his best friends and not his own pitiful attempt.

A part of Yoongi had expected Hoseok to call him a creep and march out after cursing him out. Another part of him thought that Hoseok would just remain silent and polite before they part ways and never meet again.

Neither came to slap him in the face; in fact, he heard that same laughter from earlier. Yoongi opened his eyes, almost painfully so. He was gifted with Hoseok’s glowing expression as his laughter filled the air.

“Wow, that’s the first time I’ve ever heard anything like that!” He exclaimed. He playfully leaned forward on the table on his elbows, cradling his head in his hands as he tilted his head to the side.

“Am I really that handsome, Yoongi-ssi?”

A part of Min Yoongi wished that one of the prior situations had taken place, just so he wouldn’t have to deal with the internal combustion that was taking place within his being. It took every ounce of Yoongi to keep himself from bursting into flames and melting into nothingness.

How was this young man so perfect?

Yoongi wasn’t sure. Bute despite the miscalculated fireworks shooting off from within Yoongi and practically setting his insides on fire, Kim Seokjin and Kim Namjoon did not raise Yoongi to be a quitter—and more importantly, Min Yoongi had never been an open book. He was cool, chic and carried himself well. Naturally Yoongi could not allow the sudden confidence of this radiant sun to blind Yoongi.

No, he needed to put on his sunglasses and act cool.

“Yeah,” Yoongi confessed in a tone that was rather flat and simple. “You are.”

Just as Yoongi had hoped, his bluntness had flustered Hoseok. His bright smile had subdued to a straight line and his eyes wide. Pride swelled in Yoongi as he reeled back the control in his conversation and had even shocked this rather boisterous sunflower before him.

“Ah…” Hoseok chuckled, his eyes flickered down to his drink. “Th-thanks…”

“Well, now that awkward confession is out in the open,” Yoongi straightened himself up in his seat and took his coffee into his hands, pretending that they weren’t trembling as he reached out for the warm cup. “Would you be interested in modeling for me while I’m in the country?”

Yoongi tried not to focus on the wideness of Hoseok’s eyes, even though staring at his lips probably wasn’t much better. He had a mole on his top lip—cute, thought Yoongi.

Really cute.

“R-really?”

“Mmm…I’m here for the month…so it wouldn’t be every day,” Yoongi brought his attention back to Hoseok’s eyes. “But…every once in a while…I’d like it if you modeled for me.”

A breathy laughter left Hoseok’s mouth, leaving Yoongi with an impression that the dancer really wasn’t sure. “I’m…I’m not a model.”

“No,” Yoongi agreed. “But you have charisma, and you’re handsome—that’s enough for me.”

Hoseok’s Adams apple bobbed, and his fingers drummed against his cup. His eyes searched everywhere in the room before meeting Yoongi’s. It was an endearing gesture, thought Yoongi, as if Hoseok were questioning whether or not this was reality or not. Yoongi himself had been asking himself the same thing the entire time.

“I…I guess it could be fun.”

“So you’ll do it?”

“Sure. I can’t today because I have dance class tonight…but is tomorrow okay to start?”

Yoongi really couldn’t comprehend the fact that this was happening. He was not sure when he had started smiling, but his cheeks were already hurting from how widely he was smiling. Yoongi nodded.

“That sounds great—“

If it were not the curse of Kim Seokjin in the back of his mind screaming at him, Min Yoongi would have just left right then without setting a time or a place to meet. This was all already too much. But Kim Seokjin’s mouth was at his ear, screaming far too loud.

“GET HIS KAKAO*. SET A TIME AND PLACE. NOW. MIN. YOON. GI.”

“Can I get your Kakao ID?” Yoongi asked as he took his phone from his pocket. “Then we can figure out a place?”

Hoseok smiled softly and nodded, “Sure.”

With that they exchange contact information and final smiles. Yoongi bowed and thanked Hoseok for the coffee (purposefully keeping out the part of thanking Hoseok for being so fucking radiant and beautiful); Hoseok had bowed and thanked Yoongi for saving him and giving him a fun opportunity.

Then they left.

* MARRIED FUCKS *

MYG Is anyone awake? KSJ LOOK WHO FINALLY DECIDES TO MESSAGE!

SO UR ALIVE HUH?

KMJ How’s Canada? Cold? MYG It’s kind of chilly but nice

But that’s not y I’m messagin

Uh…

KSJ

Well…u gonna spit it out?

KNJ What? Did u fall in luv after like…a week?

MYG Not…in luv… KSJ

HOLY FUCK

SEND PICS

OR HE AIN’T REAL

AND DON’T SAY U DON’T GOT ANY

KMJ

Ye…we kno u hyung…give us the goods…

MYG I hate both of u

*sends 5 files*

KSJ Wow…he cute. A+ would fuck.

KNJ ….

KSJ If I didn’t have u joonie~<3

MYG Fuck u both

KSJ Sorry Yoonie, we exclusive

KSJ Kkkkkkkk MYG TT TT TT TT … nvm abt this

KSJ So u got his # right? Or do I gotta call u and scream at u?

KNJ Nah, hyung…he probs just stalked from afar like usual…kkkkkk

MYG I saved him from a hobo & asked him to b my model

KNJ

????!?????? KKKKKKKKKKK REALLY?

KSJ I have a hard time believing this but…go on MYG I’m serious?? We r gonna meet tomorrow…

KSJ Joonie, our Yoonie is growin’ up and hookin’ up on the other side of the world!

KNJ I’m so proud

MYG I hate both of u. y are u even awake at this hour?

KSJ Wouldn’t u like 2 kno >;P

U want some tips for when u get in that cutie?

KNJ

KKKK HYUNG

MYG bye SKJ Don’t forget lube~ Use protection! Joon-ah, is lube in English just lube?

MYG Bye

+ +

Yoongi was running late.

Of course he was running late in meeting Jung Hoseok for their first photo shoot together, and not only that, his second meeting with the handsome dancer. They had messaged briefly last night about meeting at Dundas station, as Yoongi wanted to get some more street-style shots in Dundas square. It was very similar to Central Square in New York City—but it had its own flare to it.

He found Hoseok in Dundas square, leaning against a post as Yonge Street stretched out behind him, lights of restaurants and shops flashing behind him. Yoongi couldn’t help but snap a picture before approaching the dancer.

Hoseok didn’t notice, thankfully. Yoongi then came to Hoseok with a shy smile.

“Hey, sorry I’m late.”

“Oh!” Hoseok jumped just a tad, before bowing softly to Yoongi and smiling that same radiant smile. “That’s okay! I just got here myself.”

What a liar. I’ve been staring at you for ten minutes.

But Yoongi would never admit that.

“You look great.” Yoongi really did enjoy Hoseok’s street-style; it catered to the atmosphere of the shoot that he had in his mind.

Hoseok chuckled as he scratched at the hairs on the nape of his neck, “Ah…I’m glad—I wasn’t sure what to wear but…my roommate kind of helped out…”

“Your roommate seems fashionable,” Yoongi teased as he looked down at his camera to fix the settings. He wanted everything to be just right.

“Well…both of them are pretty much fashionistas in their own right…”

“Do all the handsome men in Korea go abroad then?” Yoongi wanted to joke around for his own sake. He did not want to come across as too cold as he maybe had yesterday, and it was very blatantly obvious that Hoseok was nervous by the way he tugged on the cuffs of his jacket sleeves and how he couldn’t quite stand still.

Hoseok’s laughter was louder than any other voice around Yoongi; maybe it was really loud or Yoongi had tuned himself to Hoseok’s contagious laughter.

“Seems to be that way.”

Yoongi’s eyes flickered up to Hoseok; although his eyes read of confusion, he could feel his heart throbbing in his chest from the persistent pounding. He could not help the heat that swallowed his face as Hoseok smirked at him with the same playful expression as yesterday.

“Right, Yoongi-ssi?”

“Hyung is fine.” Yoongi cleared his throat as he finally took steps back from Hoseok to catch him amongst the lively surroundings.

“Oh…uh what should I do…Hyung?”

Yoongi shrugged and chuckled, “Just be natural.”

It was a tall order, Yoongi knew. Jung Hoseok was not a model by any professional standards; he was not trained, nor did he have even the slightest experience. At the beginning it showed as Hoseok was indeed quite awkward and confused on what to do.

“Hoseok-ssi,” Yoongi called out, still peering at Hoseok through his lense.

“Yes?”

The startled, confused expression on Hoseok’s face was priceless—Yoongi pressed the button.

“You’re a dancer right?”

Hoseok nodded as he buried his hands into the pockets of his jacket. “Yes.”

“You’ve done performances before, right?” Yoongi questioned. “You’ve been on stage?”

Yoongi had not meant to sound demeaning or challenging to the dancer; it was likely just Yoongi’s ‘working’ voice coming out, which Kim Seokjin and one of Yoongi’s classmates Jeon Jungkook always expressed their distaste towards.

“You sound like you hate me, Hyung…” Jeon Jungkook would whine. “Just explain how this works, don’t make me feel like shit.”

Initially Hoseok looked taken back by the question; his body stiffened awkwardly and his eyebrows narrowed down. There was not enough time for Yoongi’s heart to sink down to his middle in guilt, as Hoseok puffed his chest and took a step forward in confidence.

“Of course I have!” He exclaimed. “I’m one of the top in Korea.”

“Then show me.”

Yoongi took his camera from his eye so he could meet with Hoseok’s eyes. The loud bustling streets of Toronto were forgotten; the protesters, performers, shoppers and tourists were all forgotten for just one single person that stood before them.

“Show me the side that performs on stage.”

The atmosphere shifted and confidence had begun to overflow from Hoseok. His expressions captivated Yoongi each time; with each raise of Hoseok’s eyebrow, tilt of his sharp chin or turn of his head to reveal his incredible side profile. He crouched in front of old buildings and leaned against graffitied walls. Yoongi wished he could just have his finger perpetually down on the shutter to capture every single moment that was Jung Hoseok.

“How does it look, Hyung?”

They had been at it for a few hours; between each location downtown Yoongi would pause to show Hoseok how the photos turned out. Even Hoseok seemed a little startled with the composition of some of the photos.

“What do yo’ think?” Yoongi smirked as he clicked through the photos, “facebook profile worthy?”

Hoseok’s laughter was soft next to him. Yoongi turned and had hardly noticed that Hoseok had been standing so close, his shoulder practically pressed into Yoongi’s and his head next to Yoongi’s as he stared down at the photos.

“I think so,” Hoseok agreed. “At least a few of them.”

“You’re welcome,” Yoongi teased.

“Thanks, Hyung.”

Yoongi took Hoseok out for dinner downtown following their session. It had not been anything particularly special—just some Korean barbeque restaurant since both of them were feeling a little homesick. Conversation had flowed a lot better than Yoongi had anticipated; he had predicted Hoseok to be as exhausted as he was. But Hoseok proved to be a bundle of energy as he asked Yoongi questions about his career in Korea and why he decided to come to Canada. In turn Yoongi asked Hoseok about his life here and learned about Hoseok’s rather eccentric roommates Jimin and Taehyung—they had come together from Korea to go to the workshop.

They set another date for a photo shoot a few days later.

KSJ ur so whipped…these photos r incredible KNJ u textin’ him?

MYG fuck u, thnx and kind of… I send him photos when I finish editing and then I ask if I can put them on my site…

KNJ Shit. Ur getting good responses for the photos hyung congrats!

MYG - . –

KSJ … … So have u hooked up yet?

MYG Fuck off

They texted between photo shoot days, which turned out to be about three times a week for a few hours. Sometimes Yoongi wouldn’t just take photos of Hoseok but of other things while Hoseok rested, and Hoseok would watch Yoongi in great curiosity and awe. Yoongi often treated Hoseok for lunch or dinner after a session as payment for Hoseok’s hard work. They had been to nearly every part of the city except for High Park, which was their next location.

Yoongi had anticipated High Park more than anything; a large park on the West end of the city full of varying trees. Although it wouldn’t be Quebec, Yoongi could still admire the changing colours of the leaves that coloured the blue sky above them.

Even with the beauty of the trees, Yoongi had a hard time deciding whether or not the trees were prettier than Hoseok or not.

After just a few photos, Yoongi had made his decision.

“It’s really beautiful today,” Hoseok hummed as stretched his arms up to embrace the crisp fall air. Yoongi pressed the shutter button.

“Mmm…” Yoongi hummed in agreement.

“The leaves are starting to fall!” Hoseok exclaimed excitedly as he reached for the falling maple leaves. Yoongi couldn’t help but chuckle at Hoseok and his feeble attempts to catch a leaf. Even if Hoseok was graceful as the leaves that fell, he still couldn’t reach one.

Yoongi was close as he captured Hoseok reaching for a leaf and grabbing it by its stem. Hoseok’s gasp and cheer in delight made Yoongi laugh. Capturing that smile was worth more than any other artistic photo he had taken previously.

Just like the changing colour of the leaves, the atmosphere between the two changed. It was not a sudden realization, but rather a dawning one that spanned over a minute or two. Hoseok’s eyes gazed down at the red maple leaf that he had caught, Yoongi capturing the depth of his expression; thoughtful and innocent.

Hoseok then looked into the camera lens with flushed cheeks and a startled expression that Yoongi really hadn’t seen before. This time, Yoongi realized, Hoseok wasn’t looking at the camera lens—but instead he was staring right at Yoongi.

Arguably, every single Korean had watched Goblin. The famous Drama starring the handsome Gong Yoo and the beautiful Kim Go-Eun—the very scene of the two main characters walking through Quebec during the fall had made Canada such a hot spot for Koreans. Together they walk through the park littered with yellow, orange and red leaves. The heroine tries to catch a leaf as it is said that one who catches a falling leaf on its way down, your love with the person you’re walking with will come true.

Every Korean knew that. It was practically law now.

And now Jung Hoseok was staring at Min Yoongi, the very person next to him after catching a leaf on its way down.

“Nice catch…” was Yoongi’s only response as he stood up straight, unable to meet Hoseok’s eye again. Hoseok cleared his throat as he let the leaf fall from his hands and to the ground.

“Thanks.”

“I think that’s enough for today,” Yoongi yawned as he stretched his back. It had been a few hours they had spent in the park. He really wanted to take a nap since he has spent too many nights editing photos and skyping with Namjoon, Seokjin (Jungkook joining occasionally) to talk about Hoseok as well as other things.

Together they walked without talking much towards the subway. It was until they were just a few stops away from Yoongi’s stop until Hoseok asked.

“Ah…Hyung…I was wondering if you wanted to…maybe go to the club tomorrow night with me and my roommates?”

Yoongi’s eyes widened as he turned to Hoseok, his finger pointed towards himself. “Me?”

“Of course,” Hoseok chuckled. “I’ve told my roommates lots about you, and they want to meet you…what do you say?”

“I don’t know…” Yoongi fiddled with the strap of his camera bag.

Hoseok bumped Yoongi playfully with his shoulder, “Common, do ever step out from behind your camera?”

Yoongi sincerely hoped that his flush wasn’t as apparent as it felt.

“Fine.”

“Great!” Hoseok grinned as Yoongi stood to get off. “I’ll text you the location. We’ll supply drinks for predrinnking.”

“Alright. See you tomorrow.”

“See you, Hyung!”

Min Yoongi was so fucked.

Well, that was more what Seokjin and Namjoon hoped for their friend. They had been mildly disappointed that Yoongi hadn’t made much progress with Hoseok (of course he completely omitted what happened in the park since he knew he would never live it down). All hope had not been lost when Yoongi said he was going to go clubbing with Hoseok and his roommates.

“You better get it, Min Yoongi!” Seokjin barked. Namjoon chimed in, “Yeah, you’re not allowed to come back until you get with him!”

Yoongi still had no plans of the sort. Jung Hoseok was beautiful and as radiant as the sun, inside and out. There was a deep admiration and inspiration that Yoongi felt about the dancer and how passionate he was about dance. They shared similar music tastes, as well, Yoongi was quick to realize after Hoseok had seen what Yoongi was listening to when they met up one afternoon. Hoseok, to Min Yoongi, was perfect.

But Yoongi didn’t think Hoseok felt the same for him.

So he kept quiet—besides, it has only been two and a half weeks and he only has two weeks left before he returns to Korea…maybe never to see Jung Hoseok again.

Of course, that didn’t mean Yoongi couldn’t have fun. So that was his plan; meet Hoseok’s roommates and have some fun.

Hoseok had not been lying when he said that his roommates were fashionable and extroverted people. Yoongi could hardly stand to look at Jung Hoseok, Park Jimin and Kim Taehyung all at once; they were all very bright in their own ways. Seokjin likely would have dubbed them as ‘sunshine line’ while he, Namjoon and Yoongi were the moody hyungs—Jungkook could file in either category to be honest.

Yoongi suddenly like the idea of all of them being together at once.

“Wah…Yoongi Hyung is really as handsome as Hobi Hyung said!” Taehyung had teased a little too openly as he examined Yoongi, circling him like prey. Yoongi did his best to seem nonchalant about it all, but he couldn’t help the twitch of his eyebrow that Hoseok quickly recognized as annoyance or uncomfortableness.

“Ya!” Hoseok swatted Taehyung on the back of the head. “You’re so noisy and rude!”

“Well, Tae isn’t wrong,” Jimin grinned as he took a sip of his drink. Park Jimin was an interesting person, thought Yoongi. Jungkook would have liked him—the young man seemed innocent with a pretty eye smile and plump lips, but there was something in the way that he carried himself with confidence and spoke so suavely. He didn’t seem as innocent as he looked, at least, not in comparison to Taehyung.

“Can we hurry up and drink so we can get to the club?” Hoseok whined as he handed Yoongi a beer. Their fingers brushed.

But of course Yoongi tried not to think about it.

He also tried not to think of how he sat next to Hoseok so unnecessarily on the couch—it wasn’t by choice. Hoseok had pulled him to sit next to him to avoid Taehyung and Jimin’s antics. Mostly dancing ridiculously while dancing.

“Common, Yoongi Hyung, aren’t we handsome enough to take photos?” Taehyung posed dramatically with Park Jimin. Laughter burst from Yoongi’s lips, the alcohol pulled Yoongi to lean against Hoseok almost shyly.

“Yeah. Wouldn’t you say, Hoseokie Hyung?”

Hoseok’s face scrunched up and he slung his arm around Yoongi’s neck. “No way! I’m Hyung’s model!”

Yoongi couldn’t stop laughing, allowing himself to press into Hoseok’s side; they were really interesting kids.

After a few more drinks they were buzzed enough to leave together. Yoongi walked alongside Jimin as Hoseok and Taehyung were walking (dancing?) in front of them. It was at that moment that Yoongi really drunk in Hoseok’s outfit; mainly his jeans that clung to his muscled legs.

“He’s got a nice ass, I know,” Jimin teased from next to Yoongi.

“I wasn’t…”

“No of course not!” Jimin exclaimed. “You’re a photographer that’s admiring art, right?”

Yoongi smirked. He liked Jimin.

“Yeah. Exactly.”

“Exactly. Hopefully you’ll get to see that art up close in personal tonight—Hyung really knows how to move.”

Park Jimin was not joking, and Jung Hoseok was no joke. Yoongi had mostly confided himself to the bar, nursing a beer as the other three danced. An intense anatomy study of Jung Hoseok was going on Min Yoongi’s mind, at least, that was what he told himself. He tried to figure how Hoseok’s limbs and muscles popped to the beat, or how his chest rolled and his hips swayed.

He was really curious.

Just curious.

“Common, Hyung!” Hoseok wiggled his eyebrows as he came to seduce Yoongi onto the dance floor with him. The raven-haired man shook his head; his body was already hot enough from the amount of bodies in the room and Hoseok’s dancing. He didn’t need to have sweat rolling down his back.

“I’m not a dancer,” Yoongi confessed. “I’d rather watch you dance…you’re incredible, you know? I wish I had my camera—“

Air hitched in Yoongi’s throat as Hoseok’s hand came to wrap around Yoongi’s wrist. “Common Hyung, you should live a little outside of your camera lens and dance with me.”

There was no arguing against Hoseok; no arguing the way he pulled Yoongi onto the dance floor with him amongst the pressed bodies. There was no arguing how Hoseok turned Yoongi around and pressed his back into Yoongi’s chest.

Yoongi was losing it now.

He moved to the beat the best way he knew how; Hoseok very helpful with his hands on Yoongi’s hips. It had been a while since Yoongi had gone dancing like this, pressed against another man.

Yoongi knew that this could be much better if Hoseok was dancing against him and he could see it. So he turned, eyes hooded and hungry as he met with Hoseok’s. The dancer read the message very easily and spun at the request of Yoongi’s pressing fingers. Yoongi’s anatomy study continued as he observed Hoseok’s strong hips that moved in his hands, the body rolls that pressed back against Yoongi’s chest.

It was getting far too hot.

Way too fast.

Jimin and Taehyung come back with more shots. They drink more.

And more.

They dance more.

Yoongi hadn’t realized how possessive he had become of Hoseok as they danced; pulling him closer whenever anyone else neared.

Hoseok had done the same.

It had almost been perfect if it hadn’t been for a drunken Kim Taehyung.

“He’s throwing up everywhere, we gotta go!” Jimin had pulled Hoseok and Yoongi out of the crowd. Kim Taehyung was outside of the club throwing up his entire life to the curb. If Yoongi hadn’t been entirely drunken himself, he would’ve maybe laughed or maybe been annoyed—but he himself tried to fight the urge to throw up at the sight.

“H-hyung…you’re d-drunk…you sh-should just come with us,” Hoseok kept hiccupping between words as he reached out for Yoongi’s hand. God was it endearing how his cheeks were flushed, hair array from Yoongi’s hands running through it on the dance floor—he looked incredibly hot except for the precious hiccups that escaped his heart-shaped lips.

“Sure,” Yoongi shrugged. “Looks like you could use a hand.”

The cab ride to the apartment would have been perfect if it had just been Yoongi and Hoseok. He could imagine pulling Hoseok close, allowing the younger to nuzzle his face into the crook of Yoongi’s neck while the held hands with intertwined fingers. Then they would stumble into Hoseok’s apartment and accidentally stumble into his bed.

No—instead Yoongi was holding a bag for a sick Kim Taehyung as he continued to throw up. Meanwhile Hoseok’s arms were snaked around Yoongi’s waist, his face pressed against Yoongi’s shoulder as he whined about being tired.

This was not how he had hoped this evening would turn out.

Jimin took Taehyung when they arrived at the apartment. Yoongi wasn’t sure what was happening besides the fact that Jimin dragged Taehyung to the bathroom and locked themselves in. Hoseok stumbled as he slipped his shoes off, his hand clutching to Yoongi’s shirt for balance.

“S’okay…they do this every weekend…”

“Charming,” Yoongi snorted as he slipped his shoes off.

“You…can stay in my room…if you’re okay with it…” Hoseok yawned to hide his flustered expression, his hand wrapping around Yoongi’s wrist again. He nodded and slipped his hand into Hoseok’s to support him on their way to the bedroom.

Hoseok was definitely too drunk for anything, which was fine since Yoongi was starting to sober up and his head was beginning to ache.

“I’ve got…clothes…somewhere…” Hoseok slipped his hand away from Yoongi’s upon entering his bedroom to stumble towards his dresser. Yoongi caught Hoseok in his arms, allowing the dancer to melt into his arms and nuzzle into Yoongi’s neck.

“S’okay…I’ll just sleep in my t-shirt…common, let’s get you to bed.”

“Hyung…I’m so embarrassed…” Hoseok laughed as he fell back onto his bed. Yoongi sighed as he scratched the back of his neck. How was it that even while completely wasted with messy hair and arrayed clothes, Jung Hoseok was still the most beautiful person Yoongi had ever seen.

“Are you sleeping in that?”

Hoseok pouted—Yoongi wanted to cringe at how his heart hurt.

“Too tired…to drunk…” Hoseok whined as he slung his arm over his forehead dramatically.

Yoongi rolled his eyes and sighed, “Common…I’ll help you…”

He helped Hoseok out of his jeans, choosing to completely ignore Hoseok’s toned thighs and whatever was going on in his boxers. He then unbuttoned Hoseok’s shirt and pulled it off so he was just in a plain white T.

“Into bed,” Yoongi grunted as he rolled Hoseok onto bed and covered him up. Yoongi then stripped down to just boxers and a t-shirt before he turned off the light and crawled in next to Hoseok. It was strange to just lie in bed with Hoseok; however, he was exhausted and really didn’t want to sleep on the couch with only God knows what on it.

“Hyung…”

Hoseok’s voice was the softest Yoongi had ever heard it.

“Mmmm?”

“Do you really…thing I’m good looking?”

Yoongi’s eyebrows narrowed and he turned on his side to face Hoseok. The dancer turned his head to look to Yoongi while lying on his back. His expression was soft, truly curious. The fact that he seemed so unsure of himself made Yoongi’s heart ache.

“I really do,” Yoongi confessed to Hoseok quietly. “So handsome that I just have to take photos of you…you’re really beautiful Jung Hoseok…”

Hoseok flushed and his hands came over his face as he whined. “I don’t get it…”

Yoongi chuckled, completely enamoured by the younger. He reached for Hoseok and pulled him into his arms, finally allowing himself to nuzzle his face into the grapefruit-coloured hair. The initially stiff Jung Hoseok relaxed into Yoongi’s arms and allowed their legs to tangle and his arm to sling over Yoongi’s waist.

“You’re really beautiful, Jung Hoseok…” Yoongi confesses once more to Hoseok into his ear. “Inside and out.”

The morning arrived and Yoongi was cold.

He had expected a grapefruit haired boy’s head on his chest, an arm slung over his torso and legs tied with his own. He had expected the warmth of the sun to greet him that morning; but instead he was alone. It left a little bitter taste in his mouth for all but two minutes until he could hear water running.

Hoseok was likely having a shower.

Yoongi felt gross from the previous night’s endeavours, so he really could not complain or blame the dancer.

He took his phone out and noticed that he had received texts from his most hated married couple on the other end of the world.

KSJ So…did you get it? You go it right? KNJ Clubbing went well? He’s not answering hyung… I think it went well. MYG I did stay over I did sleep in his bed But I didn’t get it. KSJ WHY??

KNJ Hyung…I trusted you… MYG Everyone got super drunk So we just went home And slept KSJ So no progress? MYG We danced… Closely… And…. I kind of…confessed

KMJ KEEPIN’ IT CLASSY HYUNG

“Oh, Hyung, you’re awake!”

Yoongi abandoned his phone immediately to give his attention to the sun that greeted him with a warm smile. Even with damp hair Hoseok looked fresh and beautiful.

“Yeah…”

“Do you want a shower? You smell.”

Laughter always came so easy when with Hoseok, Yoongi thinks. Even with a hangover and an exhausted body from dancing, he still couldn’t help but laugh. He holds his hands out for Hoseok to help him, which he does and holds Yoongi’s hands a little longer than he should have.

Yoongi wanted to kiss his shy smile.

But he didn’t and instead showered.

He rejoined Hoseok on the couch in the living room in clothes that Yoongi let him borrow. Their breakfast is light, just fruit and bread since neither could stomach much. Neither of them speak much either but just take in each other’s company. It’s nice, Yoongi had thought.

Being with Hoseok was so easy.

Especially since they sat so close on a couch that was large enough to sit four people. Their thighs pressed together and their arms practically overlapping the other. Yoongi was tempted to take Hoseok’s hand to bring into his lap.

But he didn’t.

“Hyung…”

Yoongi turned his head and Hoseok was looking at Yoongi tiredly, his head leaned back against the back of the couch. Yoongi’s fingers twitched, he wanted to brush the stray hairs in Hoseok’s eyes that he didn’t bother to move.

“Mmm?”

“Did you really mean what you said last night?”

The sudden urge to throw up hadn’t been so real to Yoongi as it had in that moment. He thought he had control of his body despite the hangover, but the butterflies that suddenly were set free from within him tickled at his insides and made him feel so incredibly wiggly.

Yoongi wanted to die.

But Hoseok wouldn’t let him—not with such a gentle gaze and soothing voice.

“Mmm…I meant it,” Yoongi’s voice was low, just above a hum. He didn’t ignore the blush that swallowed Hoseok’s apple cheeks, all the way up to the tips of his little ears.

“Thank you,” Hoseok’s smile eases the anxiousness in Yoongi. “That’s the nicest thing anyone has said to me.”

Yoongi wanted to be able to meet with Hoseok every single day of the year and let it be known to the dancer that he was beautiful inside and out. He longed to take photos of Hoseok every day to show him just how handsome he was.

“Well…I really meant it…” Yoongi told Hoseok as he finally pulled enough courage to brush the hairs from Hoseok’s eyes away; his heart fluttered again the same way Hoseok’s eyelashes fluttered at the touch. Yoongi’s hand dropped over Hoseok’s hand in his lap, his thumb stroked the soft skin of the hand that was just a little smaller than his.

“I wish you could just stay here…” Hoseok hummed as he turned his hand over, his fingers slotted between Yoongi’s. “I’d let you take pictures of me every day if that would make you stay.”

He laughed when he said those words, but Yoongi took it very literally. He couldn’t change the date of his flight, but something else had come to mind. His fingers tightened around Hoseok’s as he pressed in closer to the dancer.

“I would if I could,” Yoongi’s chuckle was quiet. “I actually have to go back to Korea to do a shoot for Dazed and…I…”

There was a long pause as Yoongi took in every single feature of Jung Hoseok’s face. The more he stared at him the more he fell in love with every aspect of his face, each feature—perfect or imperfect. Yoongi loved it all so much.

“Was wondering if you’d be my model.”

Hoseok’s eyes grew larger than Yoongi had ever seen them; his hand trembled in Yoongi’s as he choked out.

“W-what? Aren’t…aren’t there professional models that do that!?”

Yoongi patted their hands with his other hand as he laughed at how cute Hoseok’s exclamation was.

“There are. But I get to choose the model, and I really…really want it to be you.”

“I…I can’t…”

“WHY NOT!”

It hadn’t been Yoongi’s voice that boomed throughout the apartment, but instead Hoseok’s two roommates. Both were only in their boxers, exhausted and almost a little insane looking. Jimin’s bulging arms were crossed at his broad chest with Taehyung was pulling at his hair.

“Hyung! This is a great opportunity! You should do it!”

“I…” Hoseok gulped. Yoongi turned to Hoseok and stroked his hand softly, “Just think about it. You don’t have to…but if you’re in Korea…I’d love you to do it.”

“I’ll…think about it.”

They met again a few days later for another shoot. It had not been long, as Yoongi was more interested in spending time with Hoseok than actually doing the shoot. Hoseok had become aware of that in how Yoongi did not direct Hoseok as much and spent more time observing and talking to Hoseok outside of his camera lens that behind it.

Even so, Yoongi insisted on taking Hoseok out for dinner. Reality was setting in for Min Yoongi; he didn’t have much time left in Canada, and soon he would have to leave the diverse city full of colourful leaves. He would return to his regular life as a rising photographer, searching for someone or something that would make him burn passionately as Hoseok had.

He wasn’t very confident that he would ever find such a person or come across such a thing—he sincerely hoped Hoseok would accept his request.

“Hyung, you’ve hardly talked since we got here.”

Yoongi had not intended to be so quiet; but he couldn’t help it. He had asked Hoseok about his dance workshop, to which Hoseok exclaimed how fun it was with such grand gestures and a smile that lit the room. Yoongi could not help but gaze at Hoseok, drinking in his face while absorbing every single passionate word that left the dancer’s mouth.

“Sorry,” Yoongi hummed before taking a sip of his beer. “I just really enjoy hearing you talk about dance.”

Hoseok’s eyebrows raised, he cradled his head in his hand as his elbow leaned forward on the table.

“Really? But you don’t like dancing.”

“No,” Yoongi agreed with a soft chuckle. “But anything can sound exciting when someone is speaking about it so passionately.”

Pride swelled in Yoongi yet again as he knew he was the reason behind Hoseok’s flush. He loved the many sides of Jung Hoseok; confident and excitable, but then suddenly shy and humble. It amazed him how someone could change so quickly—Yoongi longed to continue to capture those moments.

“What are you talking about?” Hoseok tried to laugh it off, his voice breathy and unstable.

There isn’t a lot of time left, Min Yoongi. What are you waiting for!?

He reached across the table to cover Hoseok’s hand. He loved how smooth his hands were despite how strong they were; he loved how easily Hoseok’s fingers slipped between his, like they were made for him.

“I’ve never met someone so hardworking, pure and just…so beautiful while they’re talking about their passion. It’s inspiring.”

This time Hoseok didn’t laugh at him, nor did he swat Yoongi away in attempt to be bashful. No, this time his fingers tightened around Yoongi’s and his voice became just as thoughtful.

“You just flew to another country to take photos, Hyung…I’ve never seen any photographer spend more time behind their camera than you…you’re really passionate and special too, you know.”

It was Yoongi’s turn to blush, but this time he welcomed it. He welcomed the quick icy cool liquid down his throat that eased his blush for only a moment, then allowed the buzz to warm him again. Min Yoongi welcomed the tug of Hoseok’s hand that led them outside of the bar and down a side street. He welcomed the taste of alcohol on Hoseok’s tongue, and the content sigh into his mouth.

Yoongi was more than accepting now, holding nothing back. He pulled Hoseok in as the dancer pressed him against the wall. He allowed his hands to press against Hoseok’s back as lips trailed down his neck and bruised his collarbones.

Most of all, he was welcoming of the bed sheets that he fell against and the warmth that overcame him as Hoseok crawled atop of him. Yoongi’s gaze from Hoseok would only break to pull the dancer down to his lips, drinking in every moan and every sigh. He rolled atop of Hoseok, his heart pounding as he felt blinded by Hoseok below him; his grapefruit-hair fanned out on the pillow like a halo.

He really was an angel.

“You’re so beautiful…” Yoongi breathed.

“Hyung…”

Holding nothing back Yoongi made love to Hoseok. Infinite words of praise left his lips and the lips of his new lover. The night had come and gone so quickly, but Yoongi would have never known as he was constantly staring at his sun.

The morning came and Yoongi woke first. His face was pressed against a warm chest, his hand also warm from Hoseok’s hand over his. The soft ache of his body reminded him of a good night, one that he knew he would never forget.

He sat up slowly, Hoseok’s hand fell from Yoongi’s hip and onto the bed. The dancer was still fast asleep, his expression peaceful. Yoongi brushed Hoseok’s hair from his forehead, still slightly damp from the heat of last night.

A soft moan escaped Hoseok’s lips as he stretched in his sleep; his strong muscles tensed and showed off to Yoongi with fine definition. Yoongi smirked and continued to brush Hoseok’s hair as his eyes fluttered open.

“Hyung?”

“Mornin’, sunshine.”

Hoseok’s lazy smile set off a warm buzz in the pit of Yoongi’s stomach. He couldn’t help but smile at Hoseok and lean down to press a kiss to his forehead.

“Mornin’…”

“Sleep well?” Yoongi asked as Hoseok dragged Yoongi back down into his arms. The dancer hummed lightly as an answer, his face buried into Yoongi’s raven hair. Yoongi chuckled into Hoseok’s neck, his arms curled around the strong body.

“I’mma assume yes?”

“Mhmmm…”

They lied there a little longer, Yoongi’s fingers trailed up and down Hoseok’s bare spine. He would shiver and nudge Yoongi with his foot, but the photographer didn’t stop. His lips pressed against Hoseok’s shoulder and he would sigh.

“Can I take a photo of you?”

Hoseok chuckled into Yoongi’s hair, “So we’ve reached nude shoot, huh?”

“No,” Yoongi purred into Hoseok’s ear. “That’s only for me.”

Hoseok’s laughter gave Yoongi the same effect he was sure his purring gave to Hoseok. Hoseok kissed Yoongi’s forehead and nodded, “Sure.”

Everything Hoseok did was beautiful in the eyes of Min Yoongi. Even looking at the camera sleepily with only a sheet over his body was stunning to Min Yoongi. He took pride in the little bruises littered across the dancer’s skin, or how messy his hair was against the pillow. Yoongi sucked in his breath at Hoseok sat up, sheets pooled around his waist while his muscles tensed at the position.

Hoseok had expected more photos, but Yoongi set his camera aside to wrap Hoseok into his arms.

“No more?” Hoseok asked as his forehead nuzzled with Yoongi’s. The photographer shook his head as his nose bumped with Hoseok’s.

“No.”

“How come?”

“Because I just want to be with you…” Yoongi’s voice was quiet before he kissed Hoseok again and again and again.

It had been a hard last few days together. Yoongi would pick up Hoseok every night after practice just to spend time with him. He no longer too photos of Hoseok and even left his camera at home to show his respect to the dancer.

“You’re more than a pretty face and a hot body.”

That was what Yoongi told him repeatedly whenever they kissed or made love. Hoseok took it all in, took all of Yoongi and his heart away. Each moment they spent together was like a dream, one that they might have had to wake up to.

Hoseok had taken Yoongi to the airport, unable to let go of his hand while they stood waiting outside of security. Yoongi had checked in his bag and ticket, gone to the washroom, and just about everything else one needed to do before flying. He looked to Hoseok, whose eyes looked a little darker and his lips curved into a frown.

“Ya…sunshine, don’t be like that,” Yoongi smiled as he poked at Hoseok’s cheek. “I’ll see you in a month?”

“You really want to see me ain a month?” Hoseok questioned softly. “You’ll wait?”

“Will you wait for me?” Yoongi counter questioned him. Hoseok punched Yoongi softly (in his mind softly, not quite so for the fragile photographer) in the gut, and growled.

“Of course!”

Yoongi chuckled as he rubbed his stomach, “Then why don’t you think I’d wait for you?”

They gazed deep into each other’s eyes. There were so many words unspoken, so many questions unanswered that pertained to whatever relationship they had going on. Neither had discussed being official boyfriends or being exclusive to one another; but they had held hands, kissed and made love just like any other couple would had.

“You know, Hyung…about the magazine—“

“You don’t have to if you don’t want to,” Yoongi quickly interjected. “I’ll come find you…even if you don’t want to do it.”

Hoseok’s flush was deep, Yoongi wanted to press his fingers against the heat but he didn’t. The time for him to leave was nearing, and it was harder to touch Hoseok knowing he wouldn’t for at least a month.

“I want to do it.”

“Really?”

The smile returned and Yoongi no longer felt anxious. Hoseok’s fingers intertwined with Yoongi’s as he nodded quietly.

“Yeah.”

It was time for Yoongi to go through. They hugged for what felt like hours, tight and longing. They kissed one last time, both withheld the tears that threatened their eyes. With a final wave Yoongi called to Hoseok that he would call him when he returned to Korea.

And he did.

#btsboundmarch #btswriters #bts fanfic #yoonseok #sobi #sope #yoongi #hoseok #bts #bangtan #photographer au #model au #canada #lovers #namjin

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