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corroded-hellfire · 1 year

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Jack & Coke - Eddie Munson x Reader

Collaboration with my darling @munson-blurbs

Summary: When your best friend Eddie betrays you, you head to The Hideout for a drink—and maybe something more.

Note: This is what comes from late night conversations and texts that say “I had another angsty eddie thought.”

Warnings: angst, family issues, smut, p in v, age gap but both parties are well over 18, oral, m receiving

Words: 4.8k

“And then you put your middle finger riiiiight here,” Eddie explains patiently, tongue slightly poking out of his mouth as he adjusts your grip on the guitar neck. “Perfect. Now, give a little strum.”

The A-chord doesn’t sound as good as when he plays it, but it’s an improvement since you’d started this impromptu lesson half an hour ago.The fact that butterflies flapped their wings in your stomach every time he touched you didn’t help your concentration, either.

“I still like it better when you play,” you tell him shyly, lifting the guitar and handing it back to him. “You’re, like, a natural-born rockstar.”

Eddie grins, leaning back against your bed. “Yeah, well, you can’t teach this kind of bad-assery,” he teases, booping you on the nose playfully and inadvertently sending a shockwave of shivers down your spine.

You’re about to muster up the courage to nudge him back when you hear the front door open.

“I’m home!” Andrea shouts obnoxiously, making you roll your eyes. You miss the initial flash of fear that washes over your best friend’s face, mistaking his grimace for a mutual dislike of your older sister.

You know that everyone has issues with their siblings; even ones that are close-knit still have their share of rivalries. But your relationship with Andrea goes beyond the usual bickering. Since you were very young, Andrea has bullied and tormented you incessantly. As kids, Andrea would break her old toys and tell your parents that you did it, that way they would buy her newer and better toys. From the moment that Andrea hit puberty, she was the “hot one.” Never mind not being the “pretty sister,” you had to deal with being invisible because all eyes were glued to Andrea. Then you practically were invisible when you started high school and Andrea pretended she didn’t even know you. It didn’t matter that you’d never ratted her out for all the times she snuck out of the house after your parents went to sleep. But any little thing you did wrong, Andrea went straight to your parents and snitched. It probably wouldn’t have mattered if you squealed on your sister anyway since she was quite obviously your parents’ favorite.

When boys did talk to you, it was because they wanted to get to your sister. Some of them thought treating the little sister as a charity case would get them into Andrea’s pants. The only time it was ever different was when Eddie Munson started talking to you your freshman year. He plopped down next to you at your lunch table and started talking to you about the copy of The Hobbit you had been reading. At first you thought this was another ploy to get to Andrea through you, but the longer he talked about things far nerdier than the book in your hands, you figured this guy might actually just want to talk to you. It was an odd and gratifying feeling. The first time you’d mentioned that you were Andrea’s sister, Eddie actually seemed surprised. “You two share blood?” he said. “She’s a goddamn tornado that destroys everything in its path. And you…you’re like a rainbow.” It’s the greatest compliment you’ve ever gotten.

As your friendship with Eddie grew, you began to tell him more about how Andrea treated you. How she’d hurl the meanest, most vile words your way with no provocation. You didn’t need to provoke Andrea, she was constantly on the offensive. “Why does she treat me like shit all the time?” you’d ask, and Eddie would reply, “She doesn’t need a reason. There’s just venom in her blood.”

Andrea was the walking embodiment of those luminescent fish that were so beautiful and shiny on the outside, only to lure the smaller, weaker fish in so that it could crush them. Her jet black hair was always shiny and never a strand was out of place. No blemish ever dared to appear on her skin, leaving her with the smoothest, most glowing complexion. Her curves seemed to be perfectly sculpted, defying anyone to not look at her and either want to be her or want to be with her. Obviously, it was impossible for you to keep up with her current flavor of the week.

“Are you going to play for me?” you ask as Eddie just sits with the guitar in his lap. You scoot until your thigh is pressed up against his. It would be so easy to tilt your head and rest it on his shoulder. The comforting scent of cigarettes, Old Spice deodorant, and a hint of weed floods your senses as you try to be as close to him as you can—without being creepy about it, you remind yourself.

“I, um,” Eddie mumbles, his eyes watching your bedroom door intently. “I thought you said your sister wasn’t going to be home?”

“I didn’t think she was,” you say with a shrug. “But you know Andrea, she does whatever the hell she wants. Maybe she met her quota for making children cry today and decided to come home early.”

Eddie nods and looks back down to the guitar in his lap. He swallows so loud that you’re able to hear it, which has you raising your eyebrows.

“Look, I know she’s demonic,” you say. “But she probably doesn’t even know we’re in here. Besides, if she was going to torture someone, it would be me, not you.”

“I don’t want her to hurt you. I’d rather she hurt me, actually,” Eddie says, still looking down at the guitar in his lap. More words rest on the tip of his tongue, but the bedroom door flying open stops him.

“I said, I’m—oh, hi, Eddie,” she trills, giving a tiny wave. “Come back for round two?”

Round two? You glance over at Eddie, waiting for an explanation, but he just turns beet red and sheepishly drops his gaze.

Andrea takes in the puzzled look on your face and laughs harshly. “Aw, did your best friend not tell you?” There’s nothing but malice in her tone, and you feel like a rock landed in your lower abdomen. “Well, let me fill you in.”

“N-No, I should…” Eddie starts, rubbing his eyes with his thumb and forefinger. “I swung by yesterday…I forgot you’d picked up that extra shift…”

Andrea rolls her eyes impatiently. “Write a goddamn novel, why don’t you?” she snaps. “I’ll summarize: you weren’t home, I was, and Eddie and I hooked up.”

“H-Hooked up?” The butterflies now have lead wings, and you feel the bile rising in your throat.

“We slept together,” Eddie clarifies softly at the same time that Andrea quips, “we fucked.”

You try to blink back the tears that mist over your eyes. Your sister knows how you feel about Eddie; you weren’t naïve enough to tell her, she snooped through your diary and has been teasing you about it ever since. And while Eddie has no idea about the massive crush you’ve been harboring, he certainly is aware of how awful your sister is. His betrayal stings one thousand times worse.

“Your bed is really great for sex,” Andrea sneers as you stumble to your feet. “Not that you’d know.”

This has to be a nightmare. You’re going to wake up at any moment, and the idea of Eddie and Andrea sleeping together will be a figment of your overactive imagination. It has to be, there’s no other explanation. But when you glance down at Eddie and see the shame that fills his face, you know. It’s real. Your best friend betrayed you in possibly the worst way he could have done so. All to get his dick wet.

“What the fuck?” It’s all that you can get out of your mouth. You suddenly feel like you’ve run ten miles. You’re lightheaded, your pulse is racing, and sweat is beginning to break out along your hairline. Eddie sets the guitar down and stands up. He reaches for you and you flinch away and pull back from him. The look of hurt that flashes in his eyes would normally make you want to wrap him up in your arms. But now? Now that you know that he fucked your sister in your bed, you don’t want him to ever touch you again.

“Sweetheart, I’m—”

“Don’t you fucking call me that,” you snap. Looking past him, you can see your sister’s face is full of glee as a self-satisfied smirk settles on her lips. “What was in it for you, huh? Just to hurt me?”

Andrea scoffs and brings a hand up to her chest, reminding you of a southern belle clutching her pearls. “Are you insinuating that I don’t have feelings for dear Edward?”

Eddie rolls his eyes and pinches the bridge of his nose. Yeah, Eddie, you want to say, that’s the girl you slept with.

“I would never insinuate that you have any feelings at all. Pretty sure you were born with a lump of coal in your chest instead of a heart. Come here, I’ll stab you with my letter opener and we’ll see the black blood come fucking rushing out,” you seethe.

“Always so dramatic,” Andrea says with a sigh. “That must be why Eddie doesn’t reciprocate the silly little crush you have on him.”

Eddie’s eyes snap to you, and at any other time, you would’ve said him finding out is the worst possible thing to happen to you. But that’s been usurped now, so you really don’t care how he’s going to react.

“Must be,” you retort, “or maybe he’s only into psycho bitches.” Clenching your fists, you turn to face Eddie. “I hope her pussy was worth it.” You storm over to your bedroom door, pushing past the both of them. Before you leave, you spin around to face the traitors. “I never want to see either of you again.” You don’t wait for either to respond; you just grab your bag and rush out to your car.

You’re not sure why you drive to the Hideout; maybe it’s because you still want the comfort of Eddie, but you tell yourself it’s because the drinks are cheap and payday isn’t until next week.

“I’ll take a Jack & Coke, please,” you tell Lou. The bartender nods, and you add, “you can put it on Eddie’s tab.” He is the reason you’re drinking, after all.

The thought of their bodies melded into one, him holding her the way you’d only dreamed he’d hold you—it’s too much to bear. And now, like an idiot, you’d left them alone to do it again.

Lou slides your drink over with a small smile, the most affection you’ve ever seen from the usually stoic man. You down the drink, and then another, frowning when you get the urge to break the seal.

“Be right back,” you mutter to no one in particular, hoisting yourself off of the barstool and traipsing towards the restroom. You get a decent glimpse of yourself in the mirror: eyes still slightly puffy from when you’d been crying in the car, mascara smudged and smeared. A flick of the makeup wand has you looking a bit perkier already, and you practice your smile a few times before walking back out.

Lou has another drink ready for you, cocking his head towards the other side of the bar. “Paid for by that gentleman over there,” he informs you, raising his eyebrows.

You look to where he’s motioning and see a gorgeous older man giving you a little wave. His black t-shirt clings to his muscular frame, and you can’t help but notice the way his biceps ripple with each small movement. He looks to be in his mid- to late-forties, but his hair doesn’t show any signs of thinning. Short brown curls cover his scalp, cropped closely at the base of his neck. His upper body is covered in tattoos, and you immediately wonder where else he has ink.

You saunter over to him, batting your eyelashes flirtatiously, just as you’d watched Andrea do countless times before. “I guess I should be thanking you for this drink,” you say, giggling and taking a sip.

“Pleasure’s mine,” he offers, grabbing his green Heineken bottle and taking a swig. “Looked kinda sad, and pretty girls should always have a smile on their face.”

“It worked.” You rest your hand on his bicep, surprising yourself with your own brazenness. Or maybe it’s just tipsiness?

“You gotta name, pretty girl?” the mystery man asks, and you tell him. “Pretty name, too. Damn,” he muses. “I’m Jack. Just, uh, moved back to Hawkins a coupla days ago.”

“Moved back? So you don’t need the welcome tour?” you pout, earning a chuckle from him.

“Pretty girl, I’ll take you up on anything you offer.”

You consider his proposition. “Let me finish this drink and we’ll see.”

His hand rests on your thigh as he tells you that he’s got a job lined up at the local power plant—immediately reminding you of Wayne, but you push the feeling down. You allow yourself to get lost in his sky blue eyes, somehow both haunting and comforting.

You kill out your third drink, contemplating ordering one more. Either Jack was paying, or Eddie was, so all you had to worry about was how drunk you wanted to get.

“What had you all upset earlier, hm?” Jack asks, running his thumb along the denim above your knee. “Don’t tell me it’s some stupid boy.”

“Fine, I won’t tell you then.” You giggle again—you can’t seem to stop giggling around him. “He’s not worth the time.”

Jack shakes his head. “He’s not. You don’t need to play his games. What you need,” he says seriously, “is a real man.”

“And where can I find one?”

His lips crash against yours hungrily, gently parting them with his tongue. He tastes like the hoppiness of beer and stale cigarettes, but you don’t mind.

“That tour you mentioned earlier,” he murmurs in your ear, “can the first stop be my place?”

You give him a pout, leaning forward into his space, just enough for him to get a peek down your shirt. “I don’t know if I can wait that long.”

Jack looks around the bar, doing a doubletake when he sees the bathrooms in the back corner. He slides from his seat and takes one of your hands in his. There’s a smirk on his face as he walks backwards towards the bathrooms, tugging you along.

“Just as impatient as I am,” he says. “We shouldn’t wait any longer then.”

Without taking notice of if it’s the men or women’s room, you follow Jack in as he nudges a bathroom door open with his elbow. He’s quick to lock it behind you and his hands are instantly on you, grabbing at your waist as his mouth finds yours again. The kisses are urgent and sloppy, no teasing, just devouring one another. Your hands move down to his beltbuckle, making quick work of it and working on the button of his jeans. Strong, large hands grope over your chest as you shove his pants down, but just as you break from the kiss to get down on your knees, there’s a loud banging on the bathroom door. You’re startled and grab onto Jack’s arm, and he’s quick to wrap it around you reassuringly.

“Not in my bar!” Lou shouts through the door.

Well, you think, can’t show my face at The Hideout again. Your face is burning in embarrassment as Jack huffs an awkward chuckle and resituates his belt.

“I guess my place is the first stop on the tour then. That is, if you still want to?” Jack’s eyes meet yours, obviously wanting to convey that if you’re no longer interested, that’s fine. But a little embarrassment was nothing compared to how you felt earlier in the day.

“I want to,” you say. For emphasis, you grab the back of his neck and give him a kiss that proves how much you want him. When you pull away, there’s a dazed smile on his face that may be the most endearing thing you’ve seen all day. He takes your hand in his and slowly opens the bathroom door. Luckily, Lou isn’t standing on the other side of it, but you’re sure he’s not far off, watching to make sure the two of you leave.

You force yourself not to look over at the bar as you and Jack head towards the door. It’s not like you think the bartender will tell anyone, but you can’t bring yourself to meet his eye at the moment. Jack’s car isn’t the nicest, but that’s not something you ever cared about anyway. If it gets you from point A to point B, that’s all that matters. The gentleman that he is, he holds the passenger’s side door open for you and you slip inside. He practically runs around to the driver’s side and it makes you let out a soft giggle. When’s the last time someone seemed this eager to spend time with you? And seem to be genuinely enjoying it?

The ride to his place is only about five minutes, and Jack makes sure you stay in the car until he can come around and open the door for you again. The apartment complex isn’t the nicest either, but what was in Hawkins? His place is on the first floor and you watch his hands as he fumbles with his keys. They’re large, calloused, from what you can only assume is years of work. Staring at them just makes you want to have them all over your body even more.

As soon as he swings the door open, he’s all over you again. Frantic kisses keep his lips connected to yours as the two of you clumsily make your way to his couch. The material is worn, but not dirty, and you find yourself once again fumbling with his belt as he sits on the cushions.

“Picking up where we left off?” Jack teases, throwing his head back in ecstasy as you get back on your knees and take him into your mouth. The saltiness of sweat and pre-cum hits your tongue, his cock edging towards your throat when he brings his hands to the back of your head and helping you find the perfect rhythm.

“J-Jesus Christ,” he hisses, bucking his hips slightly and watching the tears involuntarily pooling along your lash line. “First time back in that dive bar in years, and I managed to find the girl who gives the best head in Hawkins.”

As if to prove his point further, you cup his heavy balls as you lick up and down his shaft. You keep at it for a few minutes, swirling your tongue around his overly sensitive tip before he pulls away.

“You’re good–too good; but ‘m not gonna lie to you,” he admits when you stare up at him with a puzzled expression, “I don’t bounce back as fast as those college guys you’re probably used to, and I gotta be inside your pussy tonight.”

You nod, tugging your shirt above your head as he helps you shimmy out of your jeans. “Like what you see?”

Jack doesn’t answer right away; just unhooks your bra and watches it fall to the floor. His gaze immediately snaps back to your bare breasts, beckoning you over to straddle his waist. His hard length presses against your lace panties, and the two of you moan in tandem.

“I don’t think you need these,” he mumbles, running his thumb over the lace before tearing them off completely. His middle finger easily finds your clit as he makes slow, deliberate circles.

You can’t help the way you grind against his touch, begging him to stretch you so good. The finger drags through your folds before he slips it inside you.

“So wet already, hmm? Pretty girl must need another finger.” You cry out in pleasure as his forefinger breaches your hole, pumping faster until you feel the familiar tension building in your core.

“N-Need your cock inside me,” you manage, barely able to formulate a thought, let alone a coherent sentence.

He reaches into the pockets of the pants he discarded and fishes out his wallet to grab the foil-wrapped condom tucked away. Your eyes watch hungrily as he slips it over his cock, fucking his fist a few times to make sure he’s ready for you. His other hand grabs your waist and helps guide you until you’re hovering over his cock. Slowly, you begin to slide down, both of you letting out a groan as he first enters you. The stretch feels so good and from the way Jack’s squeezing his eyes closed and biting at his lower lip, you’d say it feels good for him as well.

“Shit,” he mumbles. “Gives the best head and has the tightest pussy.”

Your only response is a whimper as you lower yourself even further, letting more of his cock fill you up. Once you no longer need your arms to steady yourself, you brace your hands on Jack’s chest. When your hands meet the fabric of his shirt though, you frown. Unable to form words as he finally bottoms out inside you, you tug at the dark material of his shirt, hoping he gets the hint. Reluctantly taking his hands off of you, he maneuvers out of his shirt and tosses it on the floor with his jeans. Most of his chest is covered in ink and you find your eyes trailing the different designs as you rock your hips back and forth. You slide your hands down to rest on his abdomen, since there’s no tattoos there, and you can get a better view of the artwork above. A snake is curled near his right collarbone and a little beneath that there are some sort of wings, but you’re not sure if it’s meant to be an angel, a bird, or something else. On the left side of his chest there is a bird, and it looks like a crow. There’s also a small “E” down near his heart that you can only assume is for an old girlfriend.

Jack starts rocking his hips up to meet yours and it has your mind completely forgetting about the tattoos as you close your eyes in pleasure. His hands feel rough where they rest on the skin of your waist, but it feels so good when he slides them around to the front and grabs your breasts. You give a particularly hard thrust of your hips when his thumb grazes over your right nipple. There’s a breathy chuckle below you as he sees how sensitive you are to his touch.

“Feel good, huh?” Jack asks. Breaths becoming more shallow, you nod your head. That’s not good enough for him, though. He gently pinches your nipple, just enough to get your attention, not enough to hurt. “Use your words for me, pretty girl.”

“It’s good,” you say. “So fucking good.”

“Tell me how it feels.”

“So deep,” you say through a moan. “You’re so big. I feel you everywhere.” It’s true. He’s definitely the largest you’ve ever been with, and in your position, it feels like he’s splitting you open. His arm wraps around your middle as he adjusts himself so he’s sitting up more, your faces closer together this way. As your eyes slip closed again, his lips settle on yours, licking into your mouth hungrily. His teeth graze your bottom lip and it causes you to moan into his mouth.

“You’re close,” he says. It’s not a question, but a bonafide statement; he already knows your body all too well. “Cream my cock, pretty girl. Just let go f’me.”

The coil snaps as he thrusts into you harder and faster than before. He spills into the condom with a groan of your name but doesn’t pull out right away. You keep him inside you as the two of you catch your breath, coming down from your highs.

“I should go,” you murmur, realizing that there is no way in hell that Andrea won’t rat you out for coming in late and smelling of sex. “Could you give me a lift back to the Hideout so I can get my car?”

Jack nods, discarding the used rubber in a nearby waste bin as you get dressed. You start to look for your underwear before remembering how he destroyed it, and it has you getting wet all over again.

He kisses you one last time in the bar parking lot. “Sorry I couldn’t stick around for round two,” you tease, “but maybe I’ll catch you here another time?”

“I sure fuckin’ hope so.”

You’re in your bedroom a few days later, frantically searching through your cassette collection for your favorite AC/DC tape. It’s not in the “As” section, where it would normally be, and you realize with a sinking feeling in your stomach that you’d left it at Eddie’s a few weeks ago.

“Shit, shit, shit,” you mutter. He was the only one allowed to borrow it–you’d gotten it signed by Angus Young when you saw the band in concert, and it meant everything to you. You needed it back.

The drive to Eddie’s trailer seems to fly by, now that you’re dreading facing him. You knock on the door once to no answer, but his van is parked in front, so you knock again, louder this time.

“I need my AC/DC tape,” you snarl as soon as he opens the door.

He rubs his face, combing his fingers through his hair. “Can I drop it off later? And then maybe we can talk?” he asks meekly.

“No.” You shake your head and put out your hand. “Go get the tape and give it to me now.”

Eddie glances around the trailer nervously, shoving his hands in his pockets. “Look,” he starts, “now’s really not a good time…”

You scoff. “Why? Are you fucking another one of my family members? A cousin or something?”

A brief look of hurt flashes across Eddie’s face. He shakes his head and looks down at his feet before meeting your eyes again. “No. No, I wouldn’t…” he trails off with a sigh, sensing it’s useless—and he’s right. “My dad’s here.”

That’s one of the last things you expected to come out of his mouth. Your eyebrows raise in shock as you stare at him. Eddie hadn’t seen his father in years. Didn’t want to, according to him, no matter how many times his dad reached out. The relationship was tumultuous to say the least, but you felt you never had the right to offer any advice since you couldn’t relate to his situation. And Eddie never asked, so you weren’t going to say anything.

“Your dad?” you ask, just wanting to clarify.

“Yeah,” Eddie says. He keeps speaking, but movement in the trailer behind him catches your eye. You blink a few times to make sure you’re seeing what you think you are. An airy giggle bursts out of you, drawing both the attention of Eddie and the man in the living room—Eddie’s father, apparently.

“What?” Eddie asks, brow furrowing in confusion. He looks behind him to see his dad, then back to you, unsure of what is making you laugh. “What’s so funny?”

Eddie’s dad stares at you, eyes widening as he comes forward to stand next to his son at the door. The shit-eating grin on your face must be confusing both of them, but it’s wholly impossible for you not to find this whole situation highly amusing.

“Eddie?” his dad asks. “How do you know the pretty girl from the bar?”

Your ex-best friend’s gaze shoots to his father, head moving so fast that the curls whip around his head. Seeing them next to one another, you can see the resemblance. About the same height and build, same nose, and both covered in ink. Their curls are roughly the same color even if one has brown eyes and one has blue.

“W-What?” Eddie asks, looking from his dad back to you.

“Hi, Jack,” you say, giving the older man a wink.

“Wait, what the fuck?” Eddie asks, the color draining from his face. You wait a beat while the realization sets in. “She’s…he’s…” He turns back to you. “You fucked my dad?”

You laugh, shrugging as you reply, “Guess so.” You waltz past your bewildered friend–ex-friend– grabbing Jack’s hand as you lead him back to Eddie's bedroom.

“Wanna help me look for my tape?” you ask, hooking a finger through his belt loop and you bring your lips to whisper in his ear, “and maybe we can see about that round two?”

Jack grins, grabbing a handful of your ass as he follows you. “Looks like we found the next stop on our tour.”

#eddie munson #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson x you #eddie munson x y/n #eddie munson imagine #eddie munson fan fiction #eddie munson fic #eddie munson fanfic

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sidekick-hero · 2 months

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"I don't know, Robbie. I mean, it's been years! Even if there ever was a 'spark' between us, it's probably long gone."

He doesn't look over at Robin as he says this, pretending to be engrossed in grading papers. They both know that he hasn't made a single mark on the paper in front of him since Robin burst into his house with her spare key and announced, "Eddie's coming to the wedding."

"Inside voice," he had chided her, even though April was at her friend's house doing a school project. Old habits die hard.

Plopping down next to him at the kitchen table, Robin had happily ignored him as she continued, "Lucas just called me, it's going to be a surprise for Dustin. Eddie's finishing the tour two days early, so he's coming straight from the airport. But he will be there, Steve!"

Trying his best not to show how his heart had started beating faster as soon as Robin had mentioned Eddie's name, Steve had shrugged nonchalantly. "That's nice, Robbie. Dustin will be over the moon."

"That's nice, Robbie." She repeated in a surprisingly good imitation of his tone. They definitely spent too much time together. "You can act indifferent all you want, Steve. I was there when you refused to leave the house for a whole week when Eddie went to LA, remember? I held your hair when you puked your guts out after drowning your sorrows when Eddie brought what's-his-face to Max and Lucas' wedding. You two belong together, Steve! You just had bad timing. You've never both been single at the same time - until now. That must mean something. Maybe he's not just coming for Dustin, that's all I'm saying."

Which had actually led them to discuss whether Steve should put them all out of their misery by finally growing a pair (Robin's words) or decide that whatever had been between them that summer, when Eddie had recovered from almost being eaten alive by demobats, was long gone (Steve's words).

"I beg to differ, Dingus. I saw the way he looked at you at our little 'Fuck Off Upside Down' anniversary party. He spilled his beer when you walked in the room, Steve. No one else did."

"He's clumsy. You know that. I'm surprised he never fell off the stage," Steve jokes. He's not sure who he's trying to convince, Robin or himself.

Robin's expression changes to something more serious as she puts her hand on top of his, still holding his red grading pen in a white-knuckled grip. "Steve, listen. I'm not saying you have to do anything. You and Eddie have been friends for almost twenty years. We've all been. You're not going to lose him no matter what you decide. But," and here she takes a deep breath, "I just want you to be happy, Steve. You deserve to be happy. And I know that you're not unhappy, I know that. You've got April and you've got me and you've got the kids, even though they're scattered all over the country. But I also know that you've never stopped imagining a future with him, have you?"

"He kissed me," Steve blurts out, and to Robin's credit, she doesn't react except for her hand on his to twitch in surprise. She makes a questioning sound in her throat, clearly waiting for more.

"The night before he left. We had this big going-away bash, remember?" She nods. "We all got pretty drunk after the kids left and you and Vicky had gone to sleep in the guest room and I had offered to sleep on the couch so Eddie could have my bed. His back was still bothering him and he had a long drive ahead of him the next day. But he insisted on sharing and I was too drunk and tired to argue. The next morning he got up very early, probably thinking I was still asleep when he got dressed and left. Only he didn't leave. At least not right away. He came over to the bed and kissed me. On the mouth. And he said, 'You'll always be my almost, Stevie.'"

Robin looks at him with wide eyes, and Steve thinks that maybe he should have told her sooner, that maybe he violated some code between them because they tell each other everything. But something about this morning had felt, well, almost sacred in a way. As if putting it into words would make it less so.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner, Robbie. I just..."

"You had to keep it to yourself so it would always be the one dream you could turn to?" Robin suggests in a soft voice, and Steve wouldn't have said it like that, but she's right. Every date that didn't feel right, every relationship that went down the drain, hell, even when his marriage imploded on him, he thought of that one kiss and dreamed of a life where Eddie would have stayed. Or where Steve had followed him.

"Oh Dingus." Suddenly, Robin's arms wrapped around him in a hug, and it wasn't until he saw the wetness on her shirt that he realized he was crying. "I can't promise you it'll work, but I really think you should talk to him. Your life doesn't end at 40, Steve. You can still have the future you've always dreamed of."

Steve nods against her shoulder, tightening his grip on the best thing that has ever happened to him besides April.

Dustin and El's wedding is a small affair, just family and close friends, which is basically the same in their group.

Steve tries his best not to show his inner turmoil and mostly succeeds. There are handshakes that turn into tight hugs, hellos that turn into stories about kids and grandkids, neighbors, vacations, jobs, life. It's great to see everyone. It also helps distract him from the butterflies that have taken up permanent residence in his stomach for over a week now.

It works until everyone is about to take their seats and Eddie still hasn't shown up. He's supposed to be one of Dustin's groomsmen, along with Lucas and Mike and Will, while Steve is actually Dustin's best man. He only cried a little when Dustin asked him to.

Just as the officiant is ready to start without him, the heavy double doors open and Eddie walks in like Aragorn into Helm's Deep (Dustin insisted that Steve watch the movies if he didn't want to read the books, and Steve may have thought of Eddie more than once while watching Aragorn, sue him).

He rushes to his spot next to the other groomsmen, ruffles Dustin's hair as he passes him, and mumbles, "Sorry, shrimp, the airport lost my luggage." Then his eyes fall on Steve and he freezes for a moment before giving him a bright, dimpled smile. "Hey, Stevie," he whispers before stepping to the end of the line of groomsmen.

Steve is glad that Hopper is recording the whole ceremony, because he doesn't hear a thing that's being said.

Later, everyone gathers in the dining room and Hopper and Claudia each give a heartfelt speech before it's Steve's turn. He has everyone toast to Dustin and El's future, because while the past may have brought them together, it's the future that belongs to them and their love. He forces himself not to look at Eddie as he says this, knowing that his face would give away his thoughts.

And then Eddie stands up to say a few words as well, something no one expected him to do.

"I've known Dustin for 20 years now, and the only time I ever doubted that he was a genius was when he let El go without a fight. But you know what? I was wrong. Dustin and El may have taken the scenic route to get here," Eddie tells the guests, "but sometimes that's the best way to get somewhere. If you're willing to take the long and winding road, the road less traveled, as Frost would say, you know that whatever's at the other end is worth it."

Steve desperately wants to believe that Eddie is not just talking about Dustin and El, but he doesn't even look at Steve when he says that. He just sits down again next to Robin at the table right next to the one where Steve is sitting with Dustin and El and their parents, because Steve is part of the family, too, as Claudia had pointed out.

The rest of the evening is kind of a blur until everyone gets up to go to the ballroom where the dance floor has been set up. Dustin and El open with their first dance, "You and Me" by Lifehouse, and Steve has never been prouder of his little brother as he watches him lead El across the dance floor with the biggest, toothiest smile on his face.

"They've come a long way, huh?" says a voice next to him and Steve doesn't have to turn around to know it's Eddie.

"Yeah. I'm glad they made it." Steve agrees, his eyes never leaving the dancing couple. More and more people are joining them now, and Steve can feel the fond smile on his face grow.

Eddie's hand rests on his arm as he steps around Steve to face him. He extends his other hand to Steve, palm up, and asks, "May I have the pleasure of this dance with you?"

As if Steve could ever say no to Eddie.

Just as they step onto the dance floor, "You and Me" fades out and the next song begins. It's "Unchained Melody" and Steve suspects that Robin had a hand in it. It's the song Steve listened to a lot after Eddie left and she once complained that he ruined the song for her. Apparently not enough to put it on the playlist when he and Eddie hit the dance floor.

"I always kind of liked that song," Eddie tells him, and Steve snorts. "No, really! It's not really metal, but I don't know. I just feel it, you know? It's real." Eddie explains, veering close to rambling territory.

"Is that so?" Steve has to ask as he slowly sways, his hand in Eddie's and his arm wrapped around Eddie's waist.

Eddie hums quietly in agreement. "Back in '86, when I was trying to settle down in LA, I used to listen to it for hours." Eddie admits quietly and Steve's heart is suddenly in his throat. "I felt every single word and every single word made me think about what I was leaving behind."

"Eddie," Steve begins, only to be gently silenced by Eddie's finger against his lips.

"Please, Stevie, I have to say this now or I never will. So please, just listen, yeah?"

Steve crosses his eyes to look pointedly at Eddie's finger against his lips before looking back up at Eddie, who snorts at the gesture. "Brat," he teases, taking his finger away.

"Okay, I'm listening," Steve tells him, and mimics zipping his lips.

Eddie's eyes sparkle with amusement and affection, and something deeper. Something that makes the seeds of hope in Steve's chest tentatively open and reach for their sun.

"Stevie, sweetheart, you certainly know... I mean, you must know that I..." Eddie rambles and Steve has never seen him so lost for words. He doesn't say anything, but he brings their joined hands to his mouth and kisses Eddie's in silent reassurance.

Eddie's eyes find his and the expression in them is so unbearably soft that Steve almost has to look away. No one has ever looked at him like that before. "You were always the one who got away, Steve. My almost. Even when I was with other people, you were there. On every stage, in every hotel room, on every stretch of highway, you were there. And I almost told myself it just wasn't meant to be. I had you as a friend and that was a gift I never thought I would have, I shouldn't be greedy and ask for more."

He takes a deep breath, like he's steeling himself, gathering every ounce of that incredible courage Steve has seen time and time again, even as Eddie keeps insisting he's a coward. Steve knows better, and Eddie's next words prove him right once again.

"But the funny thing is, it never stopped me from hoping for a future with you."

They stop dancing, if you can call what they were doing dancing, and look at each other, eyes searching for answers. For reasons to hope.

Steve is the first to break the silence, a soft grin on his face. "May I speak now?"

That makes Eddie laugh softly and he nods.

"Is this what you want? A future with me? Because that means a future with a middle school teacher with a little pet tornado who's currently staying with her mom. You have to mean it for her as much as you mean it for me. This means being all in, Eddie."

Steve hates that he has to say this, that he can't just fall into Eddie's arms and kiss him senseless. But Eddie needs to know what a future with Steve means. If he wasn't sure he wanted that kind of future, then they couldn't have one together. At least not the way they both wanted it.

Eddie cupped Steve's cheek in his hand, his smile growing with every blink of his chocolate eyes. "Steve, I know who you are. I know what it would mean to be with you, and I want it so much that I can barely stand another day without it. I love your little pet Tornado, she's adorable and funny and she has great taste in music. No idea where she got that from, though," Eddie teases before sobering up. "I want to be a family. This tour was our last for at least two years. The guys need a break and so do I. And after that, we don't know yet, but whatever it is, it will be something we agree on together. You and me and April."

Maybe Steve should ask more questions, be more cautious. But he's waited twenty years for this, and he can't wait another second to finally kiss the man he's always been in love with.

He's ready for his future to begin.

#steddie #steddie fanfiction #steve harrington #eddie munson #stranger things #stranger things fanfiction #steddielovemonth #day 12 #love is the hope for a future together #my writing

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lu-vin-it · 3 months

Text

Luck

── ⋅⋅⋅ ────꒰ ୨ ♡ ୧ ꒱───────

Part 2

Summary: You'd always been close to the Snow's, especially Tigris. You lived beside them, starved with them during the war, and helped feed them after. You've also had a crush on Coriolanus for forever.

Pairings: Coriolanus Snow x Reader

Pronouns Used: None Mentioned

Word Count: 10,962

Warnings: A LOT of murder, y/n is a tad evil!, poison, drug use (morphling), they drink some champagne too, typical Hunger Games stuff, somewhat consistent with the actual movie timeline, somewhat consistent with the book, most of the dialogue is pulled directly from a transcript of the movie

A/N: My first Hunger Games fic, Yay! It's a man, Boo! This is also a two parter unfortunately so get ready for the cliffhanger!! This is the longest fic I've ever written! I am embarrassed. Thanks to @lemkay-luminary , @lunatiqez , and @mictodii for proofreading, ilysm bffs!!!

Your family, the Rose’s, had a similar standing to the Snows. Maybe that’s why you got along with Tigris so well. You knew what she was going through, you understood her day to day struggle.

Tigris and you were pushed to be friends by your parents, before the dark days. You were two years younger than her, but still, the two of you became inseparable, especially after your parents gained back their fortune and moved into the penthouse beside theirs. Sometimes you thought you spent more time in their home than your own, after your money came trickling back.

Most of the time you spent your allowance on the Snow family. Your parents pretended to not know. You constantly bought Tigris new thread, buttons, or fabric. She refused to let you buy anything expensive; so you would go to a shop, buy the cheapest things you could find, and give those to her. Then, the two of you would sew together, usually giving the pieces to the Grandma’am or to Tigris’s cousin, Coriolanus.

Coryo was in your year at the academy, so you spent a great deal of time with him as well. You were pretty close with him too, though you wished you were closer.

The night before the Reaping and the Plinth Prize, you got home late. You had to lug dinner, your school books, and buttons all the way across town by foot.

When you arrive home, you open your bedroom door to find Tigris sitting by your bed.

She gets up and gives you a hug. “Is that bread?” She asks, glancing into your bag.

“And stew! Come, sit.” You walk into the room and over to your table. Tigris follows suit, adjusting her robe slightly. “Is everyone asleep?” You start pouring the stew from the canister into bowls.

“Yes, your sister was already asleep when I got here and your parents stopped by thirty minutes ago to say goodnight.” You nod and hand her a bowl. “Thank you! You’re my favorite.”

“You’re welcome! I have the buttons we needed too. Where is the shirt?”

“Oh, it’s in my bag.” She nods to the purse sitting by your bed. She stands up and gets the shirt swiftly. You take it from her and unfold it, it looks nearly perfect. The buttons are just the missing piece.

“This is perfect! Beautifully done, T.”

She blushes. “Stop! It’s really your doing. That is the thread you gifted me. And these buttons are going to outshine everything else.” The way she said it made you instantly believe it.

The rest of the night, you and Tigris slowly sew on each button. Trying different stitches in order to find the perfect one. Once you did, you lay the shirt down on your couch, and nod off to sleep, your last thoughts were of Coryo. What would he think of you helping with it? Would he smile in that one way he does sometimes? You couldn’t help but grin at the thought.

The next morning, you woke up earlier than usual with Tigris. You had to look your best today, even though you weren’t in line for a Plinth Prize, you knew there’d be plenty of pictures taken if Coryo wins it, and he will. You took the rest of the bread with you as you went to the Snow’s penthouse, just two houses down.

“Have you seen Tigris with my Father’s shirt?” You hear Coryo ask as you walk through the door.

“No.” The Grandma’am replies.

“Coryo?” Tigris calls out as she walks through the foyer. You trail behind her.

“Tigris?” Your classmate finally comes into view, shirtless. You look away.

“I’m sorry we’re late.” Tigris apologizes.

“It was my fault, my first alarm didn’t ring.” You say with a frown. “But! We did it!” You gesture for Tigris to get the shirt, she does.

“Well, we did something.” She hands it over. Coryo starts putting it on.

“I think it’s gorgeous.”

Tigris looks at you, clearly thankful for the compliment. “It’s beautiful.”

“Best cousin ever, and best friend ever.” Butterflies erupt in your stomach, you don’t let them show. “Tell me everything.”

“Where do I start? I told Fabricia, at work, that she needed to bleach her white curtains and I slipped in the shirt while she did it. And of course we have Y/N to thank for the buttons.”

“How much were they?” He asks, furrowing his brows.

“Don’t worry about it. Think of it as an early graduation present.” You brush him off.

“Oh. Did you find the potatoes? I boiled them for starch and you should really eat something today.”

He shakes his head. “Save them for Grandma’am.” He buttons the last button.

Tigris grins, and fixes his collar. “You look so handsome! Grandma’am! Come see!”

“Coriolanus Snow, future president of Panem,” Tigris joins. “We salute you.” You and Tigris both salute Coryo.

Later, you and Coriolanus walk into the academy shoulder to shoulder. Clemensia, Coriolanus’s class partner and a classmate of yours, comes up to you two.

“Why, Coriolanus Snow, Y/N Rose.”

“Clemmie.” Your friend replies.

“Are you two sweating?”

“It’s reaping day, we gave our drivers a day off.” You reply.

“Ugh! Those ingrates should be begging to chauffeur you around today.” Clemensia replies, not looking at you once. “Just don’t forget I was your class partner while you’re gloating over the Plinth Prize.”

“Prize? Please.” Coryo shakes his head. “I just want to serve Panem.”

She hums. “Hungry?”

“Cook served steak for breakfast, we had to throw half out.” She seemed to believe his lies.

“Shame on you, Coryo. Don’t you know that they’re starving out there in the districts?” The three of you walk in. A friend of yours, Juno Phipps, calls you over.

“I’ll see you soon, Coryo. You’ve got this.” You squeeze his shoulder before walking over to Juno .

A moment passes before the bell rings and you have to rush into the veiwing room. You run over to where Coriolanus is standing with Sejanus.

“…There’s no plinth prize today.” You overhear. Sejanus walks away. You go up to the blonde.

“What just happened?”

Coryo’s jaw tightens. “He said there was no prize today.” Your heart shatters for him.

“Come on, the reaping is starting.” You place your hand on his arm. “Today, Coryo. There’s no prize today.” You emphasize. He glances at you and nods. You drop your hand and walk in, Coryo following.

You sit down right as Dr. Gual starts speaking.

“How tantalizing to see all your shining young faces on this auspicious day.” She starts. “I am Dr. Volumnia Gaul, your humble gamemaker, in charge of the War Department and all its affiliated concerns. I’ve broken free of my laboratory today, to examine you, the leaders of the next generation. I won’t be around forever, after all.” She laughs. “And now to that end, I am honored to introduce you to the creator of the Hunger Games themselves, Dean Casca Highbottom.” Your dean steps up, clearly high on morphling, but then again when is he not?

He clears his throat. “Select students, faculty, and of course, Dr. Gaul, I have summoned you all here today for the 10th annual Reaping Ceremony in which we choose two children from each district to throw into the Capitol Arena to fight to the death in the Hunger Games.”

He gestures to the top students, sitting in front of the room. “And here sit.. our own twenty-four top prospects all waiting to hear the results of hard study in this prestigious institution.”

He pauses. “Eager to learn who’s won that Plinth Prize, no doubt. And a golden future. However, I am here to tell you that there’s been a change this year. One final assignment to prove your worth. Because… the esteemed citizens of the Capitol have grown bored of the Games and simply aren’t watching anymore. And if the games are to continue there must be an audience. So, Head Gamemaker Dr. Gaul has stepped in to… incentivize patriotic values with her own unique flair, starting with you. The Plinth Prize will no longer be determined by who has the best grades.”

The top students burst into a mixture of confusion and anger. “But by who is the best mentor in the Hunger Games. This is a brand new role. As the reaping progresses live, I will allocate each district tribute a capitol mentor behind the scenes, one who must just persuade them to perform for the cameras.”

Someone calls out. “Obviously, the best mentor will be the one who’s tribute wins the game.”

Arachne, an insufferable blonde girl, replies; “What if I get a pathetic runt girl from one of the poor districts, like 8 or 12? They’re just going to die in two minutes like they did last year and the year before.”

“Your role is to turn these children into spectacles, Ms. Crane. Not survivors. Victory in the games is only one of our considerations. Your entire future rests on this last project. Oh, and I must tell you that anyone caught cheating to give their tributes an unfair advantage,” He laughs. “Will just not have any future at all.” The reaping music starts. “Oh! Here we go. Let the reaping begin.”

Dean Highbottom grabs cards and starts reading off the mentor to each tribute as the tributes are chosen. You zone out until you hear Coryo’s name. District 12, girl. Lucy Gray Baird, to be exact. The tribute walked to the stage, stuffing a snake into a girl’s dress on the way there— you wished you could’ve seen it, but the cameras panned away. When Lucy Gray got to the stage, she stood in front of the mic, and started singing.

“You can’t take my past. You can’t take my history.” The room erupted in noises of confusion. “You could take my Pa, but his name’s a mystery. Nothing you can take from me was ever worth keepin’. Nothing you can take was ever worth keeping.”

“Singing? Is she out of her mind?” Arachne yells. Your eyes don’t stray from the screen.

“Can’t take my charm. Can’t take my humor. You can take my wealth, cause it’s just a rumor. Nothing you can take, was ever worth keeping.” Lucy grabs the mic. “You can’t take my sass. You can’t take my talkin’. You can kiss my ass!” She lets go of the mic, making it thud, as she turns around to the peacekeepers. The room laughs at her.

“Well, she’s mentally ill.” The blonde remarks. You all get up, you decide to wait a couple steps behind Coryo as Dean Highbottom speaks to him.

“At least.. since the assignment is to turn them into spectacles.. at least Lucy Gray already is one.” You offer to your friend as the dean walks away.

“Let’s go home.” He says instead. You frown, but start walking with him anyway.

Once your at the Snow residence, Coryo tells Tigris everything, you chime in from time to time to add on.

“He’s sabotaging us.” He looks at Tigris, and then to you. “That girl’s not going to win these games. You saw her. She’s underfed, unstable.”

“The dean said it’s not just about winning.” You say.

“Everything is about winning. If not the Games now, then the crowd. Lucy Gray won’t survive a minute in that arena.”

“So that means we have to make every second before then count.” Tigris says.

The blonde nods. “I’ll get her to sing again.”

You snort. “I wouldn’t sing a note for you, if I were her. I wouldn’t do anything at all, unless I could trust you.” Tigris nods.

“She’s district, Y/N.” He sighs. “She knows we hate her, and she wants us dead. How am I supposed to get her to trust me?”

“Imagine it was your name that they pulled, and you had just been ripped out of your home. I’d just want to know that someone still cared about me out here.” Tigris says, softly. “Don’t discount her just because she’s district, Coryo. You might just have more in common with her than you think.” That is the difference between you and your best friend. She is so kind.. and you are.. you.

Coryo nods and stands up. “I think I know what I need to do.” He walks into his room with a short farewell.

“What do you think he’s going to do?” Tigris asks.

You furrow your brows. “If anyone knows, it’d be you.” Your best friend shakes her head.

“I may know him the best, but you two are basically the same people. What would you do if you were him?” You think for a moment. What would you do?

“Meet her at the train station.” You say with a nod. “Get her to trust me, and sing. Her singing is probably the only way he’s got a chance of winning.”

“You’re right.”

You sigh. “I just hope he is too.” With that, you stand up. “Well, I better get home. Love you, Tigris.” Your best friend stands up and hugs you.

“I love you too, N/N. Have a good night.”

You grab your bag which was on your chair and put it on your shoulder. “You too.”

The next morning, you wait for Coryo outside like you usually do, but when there was no sign of him five minutes before class started, you sprint to class.

You sat down next to Sejanus like usual. His face is full of confusion when Coriolanus doesn’t follow you.

“Where’s Coryo?”

“I don’t know, but I’ll be giving him an earful for not telling me I didn’t have to wait outside.” You whisper in response. You didn’t want all your classmates hearing the anger in your voice, but Sejanus knew you well, and besides, it wasn’t the first time Coryo made you mad.

He laughs. “Sure you will. I’ve never seen you actually yell at him. He gives you one look and you melt.”

You gape at him in offense. “I do not!” Sejanus goes to reply, but Dean Highbottom walks in, stealing all attention. He turns on the TV at the front of the room. It flicks on revealing Coriolanus and Lucy Gray Baird standing in a cage, holding hands. You are suddenly even angrier than before.

“…But this dress was my Mama’s, so it’s extra special to me.” Lucy says, showing off the skirt with her free hand.

“Mhm, and she’s in District 12?” Lucky, the reporter asks.

“Well only her bones, darlin’, only her bones.” Everything about her infuriates you. Her voice, her smile, her hair. “Do you know my mentor? Say’s his name’s Coriolanus Snow and clearly, I got the cake with the cream, ‘cause nobody else has even bothered to show up.” You curl your fists in your lap.

“Did the gamemakers tell you to jump in the cage with them?”

“They didn’t tell me not to.” You put your tongue in your cheek. ‘Didn’t tell you to hold her hand, either.’ You think to yourself. “They just said it was a mentor’s job to introduce our tributes to the citizens of Panem. And I thought, well, if Lucy Gray is brave enough to be here, then why shouldn’t I be, too?” Lucky hums.

“For the record, I didn’t have a choice.” Lucy Gray adds.

“For the record,” Lucky looks at a couple of Peacekeepers making their way to the cage. “I think you’re about to be whisked away, young man.” Before you could see anymore, the camera pans away, following Lucky as he signs off.

Thirty minutes later, Coryo waltzes into the classroom, he gives you a smile and you barely hold back a scowl.

“Your little excursion was in violation of about five different Academy rules, Mr. Snow.” Dean Highbottom says. “Chief among them, endangering a Capitol student.” Coryo stops in his tracks, about to sit down in his seat beside you.

“What, who?”

“You. I’m moving for the Gamemakers to disqualify you immediately.”

Coryo sits down. “You said we had to get our tributes to perform, not that we had to stay away.”

“I’ll add insubordination onto the list.”

“Holding her hand, Coryo, introducing her to people, you make it look as if we’re one and the same as those people.” Clemensia spits. Although you agree with her, you stay quiet.

Sejanus scoffs. “Coriolanus didn’t show those people anything that they didn’t already know—“

“I don’t need your help, Sejanus.”

“—That the tributes are human beings. Just like us. That’s why nobody wants to watch the games. It’s because people know deep down that winning a war 10 years ago doesn’t justify starving people’s children, taking away their freedom, their rights.”

“Snow fell down in the cage. It fell in the cage, but landed..” You look over to see Dr. Gaul in the doorway. She wears the same smug smile she always wears.

“On stage.” Coryo finishes her riddle.

“You’re good at games. Maybe one day you’ll be a gamemaker like me.”

“If the games continue at all.” Sejanus mumbles.

“Oh they’ll continue with performances like young Mr. Snow’s in that zoo. And I came here to ask your star mentor a question.” We all wait in anticipation. “What are the Hunger Games for?” Instead of waiting for Coryo to reply, you turn to the book on the table and read, blocking out the sounds of Sejanus and Dr. Gaul arguing.

After class, you leave as quickly as possible, ignoring Coryo as he tries to stop you. When he stops, you glance back to see him frowning at you. A pang of guilt racks you, but you continue walking away. You knew it’d be bad to confront him now, you were more angry that Lucy Gray got his attention so quickly than anything. And you knew Coryo would see that.

You are able to avoid him until you are on your way to lunch, and he pulls you into a classroom.

“Why have you been avoiding me?”

You sigh. “I’m hungry, Coriolanus. I know you are too, let’s go to lunch, please?” You move to open the door but he moves in front of it.

“What is your problem?”

“What’s yours?”

“My problem is that you’re ignoring me! And you didn’t defend me to Highbottom!”

You roll your eyes. “You told Sejanus not to.”

“You’re not Sejanus.”

You scoff. “Yeah well you were treating me like him.”

Coryo scrunches his face up. “What?”

“No warning this morning? I waited outside for you for thirty minutes.” You start. “And imagine my surprise, when I finally do go to class, that you blew me off for some district scum!” You spit. Coriolanus stares at you in shock. A second passes before you realize what you said. “I didn’t.. they aren’t scum, I didn’t mean that.” You rush out.

“You did mean it.” It’s like a switch is flipped, and you can’t help but feel drawn to this side of him. A smirk slowly appears on his face. He takes a step towards you. “You know how much I need the prize, Y/N. Forgive me for not telling you?” He takes another step, and you back up, crossing your arms. “You know I’d never purposely blow you off for Lucy Gray.” He reaches his hand up to your face. A foreign gesture. Butterflies erupt in your stomach. “Why don’t you come to the zoo with me later?” He gives you his signature smile and you melt.

With a sigh, you nod. “Fine, whatever.”

“Come on, wouldn’t want anyone catching us here alone, rumors may start.” You squint your eyes at your friend, was he flirting with you? “Lunch?” He offers you his arm, and you loop your own through it.

In the cafeteria, you and Coryo sit at a table across from one another. You eat in silence, while Coryo tries to put food in his pocket.

“Trying to fatten that girl up so you can finally start taking bets?” Sejanus asks, sitting in the other chair at the table.

“You think they’ll give those kids a scrap if we don’t give them a reason to do it? How do you think your tribute will have a chance if he can’t eat?” You reply, defending Coryo.

Sejanus looks at the blonde boy. “I see you’ve already gotten back into Y/N’s good graces.” You roll your eyes, Coryo smiles slightly. Sejanus turns back to you. “He was my classmate, back in 2.”

“It’s not your fault it’s him.”

“See, I know. I’m so blameless, I’m choking on it.” He looks at his tray. “My Father bought him for me, you know, at the Reaping, just so he could show me that I could never go back..But being Capitol is going to change me.” He admits quietly.

“So do something about it.” You say.

“Quite the rebel.” Sejanus jokes.

“Oh yeah, N/N’s bad news.” Coryo says with a nod. You laugh.

Later, you and the boys go to the zoo. Sejanus immediately tries to talk to Marcus, while you and Coryo look for Lucy Gray.

“Lucy Gray!” The blonde calls out as you approach the cage. “This is Y/N Rose, a good friend of mine.”

“Well hello there, Y/N.” It takes everything in you to smile.

“Hi, quite a show you put on at the Reaping. Beautiful voice.”

She tilts her head to the side with a smile. “Oh stop, you’ll make me blush.” Coryo pulls the food out of his pocket. “That for us? Jessup!” You furrow your brows. What was she doing?

“I’m not hungry.” A boy, the other tribute from 12, replies.

“Do you think I can’t hear your stomach growling, Jessup Diggs? Come on.” Jessup gets up and takes half of the food, and then sits back down.

You wince, seeing a nasty bite on his neck. “What happened to his neck?” You ask.

“A bat bite. The first night on the train, he didn’t sleep a wink the whole journey ‘cause he was keeping the bats off me so I would get some rest.” Noble. ‘Is he not aware of the whole fighting to the death thing?’ You wonder.

“Can you take it?” You look over to see Arachne taunting a tribute. “Come on, try harder than that.”

“One thing I learned in twelve, is that hunger is a weapon.” She gestures to Arachne. “Your friend over there sure knows it.”

“She isn’t our friend.” Coryo says quickly.

“She’s poison with perfect teeth.” You roll your eyes.

“Are you going to share everything that I give you with Jessup?”

“Why? You think I ought to build up my strength so I can strangle him in the arena?” She laughs. “Not exactly my forte.”

“I might have a chance to help you, make some suggestions to the gamemakers. I might even be able to get the audience to send you gifts in the arena. Food and water to keep you going.” He pauses. “You just have to try singing again to win people over.”

Lucy Gray crosses her arms. “I don’t sing when I’m told, I sing when I’ve got something to say. Besides, I’ve seen your arena, there’s no place to hide.”

“What’s your point?”

“The guards say you get money if you get more people to watch and you say you wanna help me, so which one is it?” You look at Coryo, wanting to hear his answer. Knowing he would say he wants to help her, but hoping that he’d crush her instead.

“Both.” You look down to conceal your smile.

“One more time!” Arachne yells.

“I’m not playing this game.” The tribute replies.

“Come on!”

“You shut up.” She growls.

“Uh.. No, thank you. I saw you staring.”

“Please.”

“Give me something. I’ve been sitting here for 15 minutes!”

“Always thought there was plenty of food in the Capitol.” Lucy Gray says, staring at Arachne and the tribute.

“You know, one time, during the war, I ate a whole jar of paste just to take away the ache.” You look at Coryo sadly. You remembered that day,

“How was it?”

“Pasty.” You smile.

“That little one, she’s so sweet. So young.” Lucy Gray points at a young girl sitting on a rock. “Something about her reminds me of my cousin Maude Ivory. I can’t stand to think of them without me.”

“I’m sorry.” Coryo replies.

She gives you both a pained smile. “You two seem like a good match.”

You shake your head. “Oh— Well—“

“Thank you.” Coryo interrupts you. You glance at him, but his face gives nothing away. You aren’t sure what was happening with Coriolanus, was he trying to hint at something?

“Come on, just take it.” Arachne taunts again. This time, the tribute takes the bottle, and breaks it. She then uses the broken bottle to slit Arachne’s throat.

You gasp. “Oh my—“ You grab onto Coryo, He pushes you behind some peacekeepers as he runs for Arachne. “Coryo! Stop— What are you doing!?” Fear racks your body, and your eyes fill with tears as the peacekeepers start firing without a target. The tribute that slit Arachne’s throat fell, being shot at least twice. Peacekeepers forcefully remove Coriolanus from Arachne while others grab her body. You run over to Coryo and hug him tightly. “A-Are you okay? Were you shot?” You pull away and scan him.

“I’m fine, were you hurt?” You shake your head and hug him again.

That night, you sat on the Snow’s couch, Tigris’s arms around you, completely silent.

“It’s starting again. This is how it begins, the war.” The Grandma’am says.

“It was my fault.” Coriolanus replies quietly. “I suggested that we meet the tributes.”

“You’re just lucky that your songbird didn’t peck out your eyes, too.”

“She’s not a rebel, Grandma’am. She’s just a girl.” Tigris argues.

The old woman laughs. “Trust me, that one hasn’t been a girl in a long time. Outside this Capitol, they’re savages, one and all. However they may smile, she will use you. You must use her too, or you’ll end up dead in the trees like your Father.” You reach out and put a hand on Coryo’s shoulder. He doesn’t react, and the four of you sit in silence for a moment.

“I should go home, see my parents.” You give a pained smile. “Can’t spend my whole life here.” Tigris smiles at you. “I’ll stop by tomorrow with dinner.” You stand up, giving Tigris a quick hug, and then giving the Grandma’am a kiss on the cheek.

The next day was even worse. All of the mentors went to the arena with their tributes, and after five minutes, the arena was bombed by rebels. You didn't even know until Sejanus came knocking on your door hours later to tell you that Coriolanus was injured. You ran to the hospital.

“Tigris!” You whisper-shout when you walk in. She quickly stands up and rushes over to you. “How is he?”

She engulfs you in a hug. “Okay. Nothing is broken.” You let out a breath of relief. You let go of her and walk to the side of his bed where two chairs were. You sit in one of them, Tigris going to sit in the other. You look at him sleeping soundly, he looked fine.

A tear falls down your face, but you quickly wipe it away. “How long has he been asleep?”

“Couple of hours, he passed out after Lucy Gray saved him.” Your neck snaps to Tigris.

“She saved him?”

Your best friend nods. “Something collapsed on his leg, she lifted it for him, got him out.”

You furrow your brows. “I’ll be back.” You kiss Tigris’s cheek. “There’s food in my bag, eat some?” She nods. You rush out, heading straight for the zoo.

“Lucy Gray!” You yell when you get there. It was starting to get dark, so there were more peacekeepers than usual. “Lucy Gray Baird!” You call out again. Finally, the girl pops her head up from behind a rock, her face morphs into confusion when she sees you, but she stands and walks towards you.

“Y/N? What are you doing here?”

“You saved him.” She nods slowly. Tears pool in your eyes again. “They said he may not wake up until tomorrow.” The tribute deflates.

“Well.. I appreciate you telli—“

“Do you need anything?” You interrupt, swallowing your pride.

“Well.. Coriolanus said he’d get me a guitar for the interview tomorrow night.” You nod.

“I’ll get it for you, and if he doesn’t make it to the interview I’ll have Sejanus, he’s the boy from 2’s mentor, give it to you.”

“I appreciate that, but, aren’t I competition? Why would he help me out?”

“Sejanus doesn’t see things like we do. Plus, his tribute escaped, he’s already lost the prize.”

“Okay then. I appreciate you, Y/N Rose.” You nod.

“Sleep as well as you can.. I know it’s hard on the ground, but..” You pause. “Coryo needs this prize.” Lucy Gray cocks her head to the side.

“Don’t you mean I need to win the games?”

You shrug. “They go hand in hand.”

“Hm.” She nods. “You have a good night, Rose.” You turn around with a wave, and head back to the hospital.

“Where’d you go?” Tigris asks as you sit beside her.

“Zoo. Needed to make sure Lucy Gray was taken care of.” She nods. “Has he woken up yet?”

Tigris smiles. “For a minute. He asked about you.”

You glance at Tigris, trying to not sound so eager. “What did he say?”

“He wanted to make sure someone had told you, and then he wanted to know where you were. I told him you ran home to change.”

You nod. “Thanks.” You look at the clock on the wall. It was already eight. “If you want to go home, you can. I know you have work tomorrow. I’ll stay here.”

“Are you sure?”

You nod. “I told my Mom I would be at yours all night.”

“You’re an angel.” She hugs you. “Get some rest, N/N.”

“You too.”

Tigris came back a few hours later so you could actually go home and change, but then she had work. You sit with Coryo all day. Your Mother stops by around three to drop off some food.

“Are you coming home tonight?” She asks.

You glance up from the food. “Probably not, doc said Coriolanus would be up soon, so I’ll probably help Tigris look after him tonight. She does work, so she’ll need to rest.”

“The Games are tomorrow, Y/N. You need to get some rest too.”

“Oh! Speaking of, Lucy Gray needs a guitar for an interview. It’d be a shame to buy a new one since.. Well, since she won’t be around to enjoy it. Would you mind getting Tessa’s and giving it to Sejanus when he goes?”

She tilts her head to the side. “Does your sister know about this?”

“She will when you tell her?” You scrunch your shoulders up and give her a smile.

Your Mom huffs. “Fine. What time will Sejanus be at the house?”

“In an hour.”

“Okay. I love you.”

“Yeah, you too.” She leans down and kisses your cheek, you return the gesture, she then leaves.

Two hours later, Sejanus walks in.

“Y/N? Hey.” You glance up from the pants you’re sewing.

“Oh, hello, Sejanus.” You place the pants on the table beside you, carefully placing the needle on top. “Why aren’t you at the interview?”

He shrugs and sits down beside you. “Wanted to watch it with him, I guess. And you. You guys are my best friends.” ‘What? He barely knows me.’ You think to yourself. You smile.

“Oh, alright then.” You grab the remote and turn on the TV. The interviews were about to start.

“Has he woken up yet?”

“Once last night. I was at the zoo, but Tigris was here.”

“Speaking of, where is she?”

“Work. Did you get the guitar?”

He nods. “Yes! Lucy Gray is ready.”

You give him a small smile. “Good. Thank you.”

He shrugs. “I want him to win the prize. I dunno how I’d survive University without you both.” You nod and turn to the TV, the girl from district 3 was being interviewed. She was the first, since all of the tributes from 1 and 2 were dead or, in the boy from 2’s case, on the run.

You and Sejanus watched in silence until the girl from 11 came on stage, and Coryo started stirring.

“Coryo?” You stand up and stand at the edge of his bed. He slowly opens his eyes.

“Y/N?”

You grin. “Coryo! Right on time, Lucy Gray is almost up.” You nod to the TV.

“How’re you feeling?” Sejanus asks, standing.

“Fine, really. So, they’re actually going on with the Games?” Sejanus nods. “Wow.”

“I first met this young lady in the zoo not too long ago,” You glance at the TV, Lucky was about to introduce Lucy Gray.

“She’s coming on.” You tell them, sitting down on the edge of the bed.

“From District 12, Lucy Gray Baird! Get over here with that guitar, you songbird!” Lucy Gray walks on wearing your sister’s guitar.

“Did you get her that?” Coriolanus asks. You glance back and smile.

“I went to thank her for saving you, she mentioned you were going to get her one.” He smiles back at you, searching your eyes. “You’re very welcome.” You wink and turn back to the TV.

“…We fell on hard times, and we lost our bright colours, you went to the dogs and I lived by my charms.” Lucy Gray sings. The donations start going up.

You reach back and place a hand on Coryo’s forearm. A moment passes, as you watch the donations pile up, Coryo slowly moves his arm and slots your fingers together. Butterflies erupt in your stomach.

“…So who will you turn to tomorrow, I wonder? For when the bell rings, lover, you’re on your own.”

“It’s working.” Coryo says, breathing a laugh.

“Of course it is.” You look back at your friend with a grin. “Snow lands on top.”

He smirks. “Snow lands on top.”

The interview ends and Sejanus leaves soon after, leaving you alone with Coryo.

“I brought you food, it’s cold now, but I can get it heated up for you.” You tell your friend as you turn to him.

“Y/N, thank you… For everything you’ve done to help me.”

You smile and squeeze his hand. “You and Tigris are my best friends.”

“You’re my best friend too.” He hesitantly sits up. “Will you help me get home?”

“Sure, you need to get some rest, big day tomorrow.” You stand up. “I’ll go tell a nurse.”

The next day was the start of The Hunger Games. You got up especially early so that you could have breakfast at the Snow’s and then go with Coriolanus to watch the games.

“Tigris? Coryo?” You call out, entering the penthouse.

“Hello, Y/N.” The Grandma’am says from the table.

You walk over with a smile. “Good Morning! How did you sleep?”

She shakes her head. “I barely slept. Whispers of another rebellion keep me up.”

You give her a sympathetic look. “I’ll keep you safe if there is one. You can come with me to my family’s bunker.” The Grandma’am gives you a wary look as if you couldn’t be trusted. She did that with everyone these days, although she had yet to do it to you too.

“Good morning!” You hear Tigris say as she leaves her room.

“Morning. I brought food.” You open your bag and pull out containers.

“Of course you did.” She sits down beside you. “How did you sleep?”

“Fine, I’m nervous for today.” Tigris frowns, as if she’d forgotten what today is. Coryo steps out of his room a second later.

“Good Morning.” He sits down beside The Grandma’am, giving her a kiss on the cheek. There are circles under his eyes.

You give each of them a portion of the food you brought. “Someone didn’t sleep.” You tease.

“I went to see Lucy Gray last night.”

You furrow your brows. “After I left?” He nods. Why would he do that? “Too bad you didn’t tell me. I would’ve loved to see her one more time.” Tigris’s eyes flicker between you two.

“You don’t think she’ll win?” No.

You smile sweetly. “Of course I do, Coryo. But when she does she’ll be shipped back to 12. We’ll probably never see her again.” Coryo seems to believe you, and sinks into his seat. Your stomach aches from jealousy.

A few minutes pass, and once all of you are done eating, you stand. “Well, I think we ought to be on our way.” Coryo nods, and stands up as well. “See you soon, T.”

“Have a good day, I’ll be watching from work!” Tigris stands up and gives you and Coryo each a kiss on the cheek.

When you walk downstairs there’s a car waiting for you like usual. You slide into the backseat and Coriolanus follows. Once you’re both buckled, you close the privacy screen between you and the driver.

“Why did you go alone last night?” You ask suddenly.

Coryo raises his eyebrows. “I felt like I needed to tell her thank you, like you did.”

“All alone at night?” You chastise. “Did you learn nothing from Arachne? You could have been killed!”

He scoffs. “They’re in a cage.”

“The Peacekeepers aren’t.”

“The Peacekeepers aren’t going to shoot me.”

“Not purposely but they’re awful shots! You saw what they did when Arachne was attacked, why did you put yourself in that position?”

He sighs. “I was giving her something.” He admits. “She isn’t going to win on her own, so I gave her something, is that what you wanted to hear?”

You blink at him in surprise. “What did you give her?”

“It’s best if you don’t know. If Highbottom finds out I don’t want you dragged into it.”

“But I want to be dragged into it. Coryo, do you know what they’ll do to you if they find this out?”

Your friend scowls. “Of course I know. But this is the only way I have a chance at winning.”

“Coryo, you’ve already completed the assignment. Lucy Gray is a spectacle.”

“You and I both know he won’t give it to me unless she wins so just forget about it.” You frown and scoot closer to him, laying your head down on his shoulder.

“Maybe I should just save up my allowance for a while and I could give it to you–”

“No, Y/N–”

“It wouldn’t cover the whole thing but it’d make a dent in the tuition at least.”

“No. I’m not letting you do that.”

You can feel tears filling your eyes. “Then Lucy Gray has to win. I won’t survive The University without you.”

He grabs one of your hands. “She will.”

You walked into The Academy hand in hand with Coryo, you tried to let go before you got out of the car, thinking he wouldn’t want people to see, but he just picked it back up.

When you walked into the room the games were being viewed in, Dean Highbottom walked up to you. “That friend of yours, Plinth,” He starts, nodding to Sejanus who was talking to another classmate of yours. “You might want to find him a seat near the door.” He grimaces before walking away.

“Weird.” You mumble.

“Coryo, Y/N!” Sejanus calls. He walks up to you both.

“Hey.” Coryo replies, his face stone.

“How’re you doing? You alright?”

The blonde nods. “Better.”

Sejanus grimaces. “Tell me this will be over quickly.” The screen in front of the room turns on revealing some tributes.

“We should take our seats.” You say. You turn to Coryo with a smile. “Good luck.” You squeeze his hand and then walk over to the viewing stands.

“Everyone, as you know, we’re about to go live.” Lucky starts. “Just because you’re not hosting doesn’t mean you're off the hook, help me! Don’t get lost behind your screens. No yawning, no gum chewing, keep your chins down, heads up, shoulders back, and smile! It's why we have teeth.” He grins. “Okay, ready? We’re gonna start guys. Five, four, three, two…” An orchestra plays and the cameras turn on. “Good morning, I’m Lucretius “Lucky” Flickerman. A man who needs no introduction. Weatherman, amateur magician, and today, I’m honored to say, first ever host of The Hunger Games!” Everyone breaks into applause, you join in, clapping unenthusiastically. “In my hand, an envelope, sealed. My prediction, the winner, will be opened by me, at the end of the big show’s end.” He brings his hand up to his ear. “We’re getting word… alright, we’re about to start! We’re starting everyone! Happy Hunger Games!” He turns to the students. “Remember, when your tribute dies, get out.”

You can hear the Tributes entering the arena, and reluctantly walking to their marks. Then, you see something else. Marcus was tied up, half dead, in the middle of the Arena. You gasp with the rest of the room.

Sejanus stands up in shock. “Marcus!” He yells.

Lucky grimaces. “Guess we can all sleep better now that we know he’s off the streets!”

“You’re monsters!” Sejanus shouts at the Dean. “All of you!” He runs out. The countdown starts at ten. You sit up straighter.

“Jessup! Jessup!” Lucy Gray shouts. You furrow your brows. Everyone around her started running to the pile of weapons in the middle of the Arena.

“What is she doing?” You mumble. Reaper, the biggest tribute, runs straight at Lucy Gray with a scythe, but she ducks. Then Coral, the girl tribute from 4 runs at her with a trident. She dodges the first and second blows before backing up and dodging the third, causing Coral to impale another tribute through the stomach.

One of your classmates leans down and throws up. You scrunch up your face in disgust.

Two tributes were already dead. Lucy Gray rolls off of the rubble, narrowly missing an axe swung by the boy from 7. She stands up and manages to get away from two more strikes before someone throws a knife, hitting the boy's arm. Another knife is thrown way too close to Lucy Gray.

She looks around, finally finding Jessup across the arena. She screams his name again and climbs on top of the rubble, knocking out one of the other tributes with her elbow once she gets up. She rolls off the other side, making brief eye contact with Coral, who pulls her trident out of someone’s chest.

Lucy Gray reaches Jessup and pulls him up, shouting about how they had to go now. Some of the other tributes already started chasing them, but Lucy Gray manages to run into some of the tunnels, dragging Jessup with her.

“They’ve gone underground quickly, but we’ve prepared for this!” The cameras switch and you can see Lucy Gray again.

They run through the tunnels, checking all the doors that they pass. Every single one is locked.

“What you’re seeing now, is a live feed of security cameras.”

“C’mon..” You grip the bench.

Coral and her group enter the tunnels, and Lucy Gray starts frantically looking for some hiding place. She finally gets through a small entrance on the bottom of a door, then, she pulls Jessup through it.

Two other tributes are found by Coral’s group in the tunnels. They are slaughtered on sight.

“Do you think they’re done?” One of your classmates asks.

“Looks like it.” Lucky turns to the cameras. “To the children watching, that was violent, horrific, and disgusting.” He turns to the girl that threw up. “Ms. Phipps, please, if you’re going to vomit, do it off camera.” He gives her a pitiful smile and then looks at the camera. “Thirteen tributes still remain. Reaper still looming large on top of the charts, while Coral and her pack try to make a play. Six tributes gone in minutes. If they keep it going up at this pace, we’re gonna be outta here in no time!” He then starts giving the weather report.

You stand up and walk over to Coryo’s seat, placing a hand on his shoulder.

“She survived the worst part of the games, who's to say she won’t survive the rest?” You give him a lazy smile which he returns.

“Rose, back to your seat. The rules for spectators are very clear.” Highbottom reprimands. You nod at the dean and squeeze Coryo’s shoulder before walking away.

You stay there until 8, when all viewers are forced to leave. You give Coryo a small wave and a smile before you leave, he only waves in response. He looks exhausted.

At midnight, Dr. Gaul shows up on your doorstep.

“You need to come with me, now.”

You squint your eyes. “Why?”

“It’s about your friend.”

Your brows furrow in concern. “Is it Coryo? Is he okay?” Was he caught? Was Dr. Gaul here to bring you in for questioning?

“Mr. Snow is fine, it’s Sejanus Plinth that’s in trouble. I don’t know how he broke in, or who he bribed, but Sejanus Plinth is currently in The Hunger Games arena and I need you and ‘Coryo’ to get him out.”

You sigh. You always did have a feeling this ‘friendship’ with Sejanus was going to end up costing more than it’s worth. “Fine. Let’s go.”

Dr. Gaul ends up taking you to a car that Coryo was already sitting in. She doesn’t blink twice when you sit next to him, or when he holds your hand, something that’s become a daily thing at this point.

When you arrive at the arena, you and Coryo are ushered through the gate. You both wince at the turnstile as you walk through it, it was loud enough without the voice announcing, “Enjoy the show” for all of the tributes to hear.

Coryo pulls you closer to him and you put up no fight. You walk towards Sejanus as fast and as quiet as you can. You’re incredibly paranoid, frantically looking around you at all times.

“Thought they’d send my Ma.” He murmurs when you get close.

“We wish they had.” You reply, venom lacing your voice. Sejanus didn’t even flinch.

“You guys need to go.”

“We’d like to, we really would. But we promised we’d get you out.”

“Why?”

“Because you're our friend.” Coryo says. You want to say ‘Speak for yourself!’ but you don’t.

“I had to do this. I had to go where the cameras are.” His voice breaks.

“Do you actually think anyone is watching this?” You butt in. “Gaul cut the feed.”

“Tributes kill you in here and she’s just going to say it’s the flu.” Coryo’s tone was startling. It was vicious. You barely had a chance to react when you heard a footstep. “You need to decide right now. Do you wanna fight these tributes, or fight for them? Because if you’re going to make real change, you have to stay alive.”

“How can I make any change from out there?”

“You’re rich, and smart, and you care.” You reply shakily. You need to get out of there. Every bone in your body is screaming at you to run.

Coryo nods. “You’re the only one in that class who stood up to Gaul, right?” You can hear metal scraping, and though you try to convince yourself it wasn’t a knife, you still cling to Coryo’s arm. “We’re dead right now if we don’t leave. Come with us, spend your Father’s money on some good, or just be another dead body in Dr. Gaul’s war.” You can’t open your mouth to voice your desperation to leave, so you continue to look around. “Trust me, please.”

Then you hear it. A boy tribute was shouting at you as he ran towards you with a knife.

“Run!” Sejanus yells. You book it to the exit, but you were the slowest out of the three of you. Coryo’s grip on your hand remained tight as you all ran.

As you get to the turnstiles, the tribute grabs your other hand, causing you to scream. He plunges his knife into your hand making blood spray everywhere, and you barely acknowledge it before Coryo grabs a plank of wood and hits the Tribute over the head. He hits him with all his force four times. You weren’t sure which one was the killing blow. You didn’t think about it for long, either, because as soon as Coryo started to pull you again, you realized that the knife was still in your hand, and blood was still gushing from it.

You lean on Coryo in the car ride to Dr. Gaul’s office. You can barely stay awake, but both your friend and the esteemed Gamemaker insist that you stay conscious. Something about blood loss. You scarcely remember anything leading up to your arrival at Dr. Gaul’s office; Just that you were given some blood in an IV, stitched up, and given some morphling for the pain. Thankfully, you were right as rain once the adrenaline went down. You were exhausted, yes, but back in your right mind.

You walk outside of Dr. Gaul’s office to find Coryo waiting on a couch.

“Are you waiting on me?” You ask. He looks up at you, as if he hadn’t noticed you yet. You tilt your head at him, but he just stands up and walks over to you.

“You’re okay.” The blonde places a hand on your cheek, you lean into it.

“I am. I’m very tired, and my hand hurts, but I’ll be okay in the morning.”

He lets out a breath of relief. “Good. That’s good.”

“Don’t you have to get back to the Academy?”

He nods. “I’m going to walk you home first.”

You shake your head, but a smile tugs at your mouth. “You don’t have to do that.”

“I do. You lost a lot of blood, and I won’t be able to forgive myself if something else happens to you.”

You furrow your brows. “Coryo.. This wasn’t your fault.”

“I should have told her not to send you in.”

“You think she would have listened to you?” You laugh. “You’re charming, Snow, but I don’t think your smile can capture Dr. Gaul.”

He smirks.“What’s this about my smile?”

You roll your eyes to try and seem annoyed, but your smile betrays you. “There’s the Coriolanus I know. Welcome back Mr. President, I missed you.”

“Happy to be back.”

You giggle. “I’m sure you are.” His eyes flicker to your lips. You lean in slightly, begging him to kiss you. He listens to you. It’s three seconds long, you wish it lasted forever. Butterflies flew in your stomach, dancing in joy.

“You have no idea how much I’ve wanted to do that.” He whispers.

You snicker. “Please, I’ve had feelings for you since I was twelve.” You accidentally confess.

Coryo’s smirk grows. “Really?”

Your face drops. “No. I never said that.”

“Which part? That you have feelings for me, or that you’ve had them since you were twelve?” You cringe.

“Yes?”

“Oh well, no going back on it now.”

“I think there is.”

“I’ve had feelings for you since I was sixteen.”

You tilt your head to the side in faux surprise. “Only two years!?” You shake your head. “You have some catching up to do.” Coryo laughs, and leans in to kiss you again. You reciprocate immediately.

You walked back to the penthouses hand in hand, something that Tigris immediately clocked when you stepped into their home. Previously, Coryo waited till you were outside to pick up your hand. She gave you a secretive grin, saying that she needed you to tell her everything, you gave her a nod.

“Why are you back so late?” Tigris asks you.

“Dr. Gaul sent us in the Arena tonight, Tigris.” You let go of Coryo’s hand to take off your coat. You look at him in time to see his face fall at the mention of the arena. How could you have forgotten what he had to do there? You silently curse yourself.

Tigris’ face suddenly gets serious.“What?”

You and Coryo sit across from Tigris. “To get Sejanus out.”

“What happened, are you guys okay?”

Coryo replies this time. “I killed one of the tributes. A boy.” You grab his hand again.

“That must have been awful.” She says, grasping her chest.

“It was.” He pauses. “Then it felt.. powerful.” You don’t respond, but he sees something shimmer in your eyes. Something that tells him you’re not afraid of him.

“Coryo,” Tigris starts, he finds the total opposite response in her eyes. “I know you want to be like your Father, but what I remember most about him, was that in his eyes, the only thing there was hate.” She pauses. “You don’t have to pay the same price to survive. You can be good.” Coryo scoffs. “You are good. Believe that, believe me.”

“I’m going to go back to the Academy.” He stands up, giving you both a kiss on the cheek before leaving.

“What was that? Holding hands, kissing on the cheek? He doesn’t usually do that.”

You smile slightly, looking at your lap. “I dunno. Lately things have been different, he’s been holding my hand a lot.. and today he killed that tribute for me.”

“What?”

You nod and hold up your bandaged hand. “I think his name was Bobbin? He stabbed my hand when we tried to leave.. Then he was on the ground, and Coryo was over him with a plank of wood. Next thing I know I’m walking out of Dr. Gaul’s office.” You leave out the kiss. The timing wasn't right.

“Wow. I’m so glad he was there.” Tigris pulls you in for a hug. “I’m even happier you’re okay. I couldn’t stand to lose you.”

The next morning you were back at the Academy as soon as they let people back into the viewing room. You aren’t allowed to talk to Coryo this time, but he nodded to you when you walked in, and you smiled at him as you sat behind him.

“Wakey, wakey, my Capitol friends! I’m Lucky Flickerman and welcome to day two of The 10th Annual Hunger Games! Now, while most of you were getting your sleep last night, something scintillating happened. Bobbin from District 8, slaughtered. Which one of these beasts killed Bobbin? Well it doesn’t matter. Reaper is still at the top of the boards,”

As Lucky drones on, a classmate of yours Lyssie, pipes up. “Why aren’t they showing us who killed the little boy? It doesn’t make sense, he was killed right there and there are clearly cameras surrounding him.” You tense up as she wonders aloud. She was Bobbin’s tribute.

“They said they were old, Lyssie. Probably just another one of Coral’s gang.” Festus replies, shrugging.

The cameras cut to Lucy Gray and Jessup, still in the same spot they were when you left last night. Jessup gasps, waking up Lucy Gray. He starts frothing at the mouth, and you furrow your brows.

“What did you do to me?” He asks.

“Nothing!” Lucy Gray yells back.

“Lyssie, what is he doing?” Coryo demands.

The girl stares at the screen in confusion. “Something’s wrong. He wouldn’t turn on her like this.” Lucy Gray stands up and starts running, leaving the room she’s in, and the tunnels.

“Go to the stands.. Go to the stands!” Coryo shouts at the screen.

“Stop running! What did you..” Jessup groans. “What did you do to me?” Lucy Gray starts to run across the arena.

“I didn’t do anything!” She reaches a pile of debris and starts climbing one of the collapsed pillars. It flicks to Jessup’s face again, as foam drips out of his mouth, he starts to climb the pillar too.

“The foam! The posters from the war— Rabies!” You yell, barely being able to construct a sentence.

“Y/N is right. Send him water.” Coryo tells Lyssie.

“Wait what?”

“You remember those posters in the war?” She nods. “Rabies makes you afraid of water. Send him a drone.”

“It’ll scare him!” That was true. Yesterday, the only drone that was sent went haywire, dropping the water on the tribute.

“Yes, away from her. Jessup is done, Lyssie, you’re the only one who can get it right to him.” She bites her cheek, but looks down at her computer and selects the water. “Thank you.”

“It’s nothing to be proud of.” The drone flies in.

“What’s wrong with me? What did you do to me?” Jessup gets dangerously close to Lucy Gray, but the drone hits him, breaking the bottle of water, and splashing all over him. He backs up off of the pillar with a scream. Lucy Gray climbs down and leans over him.

“Jessup? I’m not going anywhere, okay? You watched over me, now I’m going to watch over you. Sleep, Jessup, sleep now.” The boy whimpers.

Suddenly, Coral’s group enters the middle, slowly walking towards Lucy Gray. They circle her, spouting taunts.

“Oh look at that, the pack doing what it does best. Packing it in.” Lucky narrates. “Lucy Gray is cornered, Mr. Snow going for his communipad.” You look at Coryo’s screen to see him sending ten waters to Lucy Gray. The drones fly in, hitting the group. A bunch of the waters break, causing dust to stir in the air, and broken glass to be thrown everywhere. Lucy Gray runs over to a fan, maneuvering it open, and then shutting it.

“These drones aren’t very good.” Coryo says, acting innocent. You grin.

“Hey! You can’t attack the tributes!” Festus yells.

“I’m just sending water.”

You look back at the screen. Lucy Gray leaves the air duct, running to the water, and placing down the one she brought with her, dumping out all the rest. She ran back to her hiding place immediately. Coral was killing the girl from District 2, while her group watched. When she was done, she walked over to the water. One of the other Tributes held the last one in his hand, about to take a drink.

“Hey, do you really think you deserve that water, right now, Tanner?” A sound from across the arena interrupts them. Wovey, another tribute, ran into the tunnels. “This should be fun.” Coral says as she runs after her. The group follows her.

Once the door to that tunnel shuts, Dill, the youngest tribute in this Game, limps out from behind some debris.

“Ah, what do we have here? Oh! It’s Ill Dill, tuberculosis on legs.” She goes to the water and takes a sip. A second passes before she starts coughing, a common plague with her. This time, however, she doesn’t stop. She coughs, and coughs, until blood splatters from her mouth, and she falls back onto the ground, dead. You put your hand on your chest, to seem upset.

Reaper jogs up to her, calling out her name. He leans down over her for a moment, shaking her, crying. When he stands up, he brings her body to the center of the arena, he goes around bringing every body over to the center, piling them. He then gets up and walks over to one of the flags hanging, grabs it, and pulls. It falls down with ease, you weren’t even sure how it managed to stay up throughout the bombing.

He lays it over the bodies and falls to his knees. “Are you going to punish me now!?” Reaper screams into the sky. “Are you—“

“Capitol students,” The screen switches to a different broadcast, revealing Dr. Gaul. “I’m afraid I must interrupt our Games to announce a tragic loss, one that affects us all. Felix Ravinstill, the son of our beloved president, has, this morning, succumbed to his injuries sustained in the rebel bombing. Out there in the districts, they will be celebrating this young boy's death as a triumph. I will not allow my Games to give our enemy such a victory. I swear to you, here and now, before the sun goes down tonight, a rainbow of destruction will engulf our arena. Even if it means there's to be no victor in these Games.” You furrow your brows. Coryo stands up, making eye contact with you before he looks at the Dean.

“I need to see Dr. Gaul immediately.” He didn’t say anything else before he left the room. You frown before turning back to the screen.

Thirty minutes later, Tigris arrives. Her hair was nicely curled and she wore a pink pantsuit made of dreams. She must have borrowed fabric from her boss, Fabricia.

“You look beautiful!” You say with a grin as you hug your best friend.

“Oh please, you should look at yourself.” She sits down beside you.

“I don’t hold a candle to you.”

She shakes her head. “Where’s Coryo?”

“He went to see Dr. Gaul, he’ll be back any minute.”

“Why’d he go see her?”

You shrug. “I expect we’ll find out in a few minutes.”

As if on cue, Coryo rushes back in seconds later. “Lucy Gray, is she okay?”

“She won’t be for long.” Festus replies.

“Wait, what’s wrong with Treech?”

You look at the screen, Treech suddenly starts coughing, just like Dill did before she died. You didn’t think anything of Dill’s death, but Treech was fine before. When he coughs up blood and falls to the floor, you know what happened. Coriolanus gave Lucy Gray rat poison. That’s why she left a water bottle. She must have put some in the water. Your mind is swirling with potential scenarios, if you’ve already found this out, Dr. Gaul definitely has.

You hear the wind start blowing, causing you to snap back to reality. Something was being lowered down into the arena, and Lucy Gray was finally out of the air vents. The huge cylinders get set down, and the drones fly off. They start to crack, before both cylinders break, and millions of colorful snakes fall out. You gasp.

Wovey comes out from her hiding spot, curious as to what everyone was so surprised about. “Is it over now? Can we go home?” The snakes went after her immediately.

“Wovey!” Reaper cried. “Wovey, no!” The little girl screams as the snakes wrap around her legs and bite down.

The arena bursts into chaos. Everyone remaining was taken by the snakes, all but Lucy Gray, who sat on the mountain of debris with snakes covering every inch of her body as she sang. They weren’t hostile towards her.

“It’s over! Dr. Gaul! Dr. Gaul you need to get her out of there!” Coryo screamed at the Gamemaker.

You stood, going over to Coryo. “Dr. Gaul, let her out, she won, you have to let her out.”

“It’s over!” The entire room shouts at her.

“Get her out.” The Gamemaker finally says.

“Yes!” The room cheers. You jump into Coryo’s arms, hugging him tightly.

“You did it!” You yell. You pull away and grab his face. “You did it, Coryo! You won!” He laughs.

“I won!” He places his forehead against yours, before backing up and giving Tigris a hug as well.

Later that night, you, Coryo, and Tigris opened a bottle of champagne in their living room.

“To Coriolanus Snow, winner of The 10th Annual Hunger Games!” You toast clinking your glasses together before taking a drink.

Tigris finishes her glass in one drink. “Okay, as much as I’d love to continue celebrating, I have work tomorrow so we’ll have to celebrate this weekend.” She stands up, kissing you both on the cheek. “Goodnight! Congratulations, Coryo.”

“Goodnight, T!”

“Goodnight.”

The second she disappeared behind her bedroom door, you set down your glass, then took Coryo’s to set his down as well.

“What are you doing?” You look at him, and lean in to kiss him. His hands instinctively go to your waist, and yours go to his shoulders. This kiss is longer than your previous ones, you savor each other as you move in sync.

When you break, giddy grins take over both of your faces. “I wasn’t able to do that before.” You say with a small shrug.

“Maybe you should do it again, you know, to make up for it.” You roll your eyes but lean in again.

Two hours later, you and Coryo were laying on the couch, silently looking at one another as you traced his features. “You’re so handsome, Coryo.”

“Thank you.” He cusps your cheek. “I don’t deserve you.” He whispers with a frown. “You’re so good, and I’m so.. awful.”

“If either of us are awful, it’s me.”

“You’re not awful.”

“I am. I didn’t even flinch when you killed that boy in the arena. I was.. happy that you defended me. And that’s only a bit of it.. I am rotten. You and Tigris are so much better than me.” Coryo sits up, causing you to also sit up, basically all the way on his lap.

“Not only did I kill someone, but I felt good while doing it. And I can’t tell myself I wouldn’t do it again. Especially if I’m defending you in the process.” He confesses.

“I think I’d do the same for you.” You reply.

You went home a few hours later, completely exhausted. You slept until twelve the next day, when Tigris barges into your room, yelling that Coryo is to be shipped off to District 12 in the morning. Your heart drops.

── ⋅⋅⋅ ────꒰ ୨ ♡ ୧ ꒱───────

Part 2

#coriolanus snow x reader #coryo x reader #coryo snow x reader #coriolanus x reader #tigris snow x reader #the ballad of songbirds and snakes fanfiction #the ballad of songbirds and snakes x reader #coriolanus snow fanfiction #coryo snow fanfiction #coriolanus fanfiction #coryo fanfiction #lucy gray x reader #sejanus plinth x reader

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bitchinbarzal · 8 months

Text

What you left behind | A Fantilli

based on this ask

You’d heard them talking about you at the Hobey award ceremony.

“I feel bad acting like everything’s ok! Y/N has no idea”

“Adam should’ve told her before she flew all the way out here”

“I can’t believe he’s breaking up with her”

Your heart dropped and you walked away before you heard anymore. You sat throughout the whole ceremony with a wary smile.

By the end of it you had excused yourself on account of not feeling well. You were so ill and knew fine well why but now this was making you feel worse.

When Adam did return to your hotel room that night, bustling around while you faced the wall in the darkness you were deciding if you wanted to address the situation or not.

It wasn’t until he got into bed that you spoke

“I know you want to break up with me”

Adam sighed and turned on the bedside light “Babe it’s not you-“

“Do not say it’s not you, it’s me! God, Adam I thought we were better than this!”

“I don’t want to hold you down while I’m away!”

You were now stood up from the bed “You want to go to Columbus! It’s like four hours from Ann Arbor!”

He groans “I could end up literally anywhere and I don’t, I don’t want to drag this relationship with me while I’m starting off in the NHL!”

You gasp lowly “You think this relationship is a drag? Adam there’s something-“

You were crying now, getting yourself upset thinking about how your entire world was crumbling around you.

“Listen let’s just call it ok? You’re clearly getting upset and-“

You laugh ironically “I am getting upset because my boyfriend is breaking up with me and I’m trying to tell him I’m p-“

“I get it, you’re pissed but I think this is for the best I’m going to stay in Luca’s room for the night” Adam finishes, almost infuriating you as he picks up his hoodie and phone before kissing your forehead and leaving the room.

When the door clicked shut you sat down on the bed and let out a shaky breath and placed your hand over your belly “It’s just me and you kid, eh?”

You were packed up and gone before Adam got back to the room the next morning, leaving him feeling somewhat disappointed.

He had tried to call but you’d blocked his number. Eventually he gave in and stop trying to contact you to apologize for how it all went down.

You on the other hand were too busy in the summer break preparing for the baby’s arrival in november.

It felt weird being home all summer. Typically you’d be spending your time split between vacations, lake houses and this year was supposed to be spent by Adam’s side as he was drafted.

Now you were knee deep in baby sleep suits, stuffed animals and diapers all needing to be organized into boxes.

The summer was hard, you’d been contemplating not going back to college now you would ultimately be single parenting and how difficult that was going to be.

It had taken a lot of thinking but you knew you couldn’t give up on school, not now you were all your daughter had.

The new school year looked a lot different. You’d moved out of dorms with your best friend and into your own apartment, you’d dropped out of your position as social admin of the hockey and lacrosse teams and even changed some of your classes to better align with better paid positions post graduate.

It only took the boys a day to notice your absence from the team.

“Where’s y/n? There’s no way she left us because Adam broke up with her!” Dylan whined as the team got changed after their first practice.

Luca just shrugged “I haven’t seen her, I don’t even know if she’s back this year”

“She wasn’t in our sports management class this morning” Mark adds “And her best friend has a new roommate”

Luca then became a little concerned. He’d gone from seeing you all day, everyday to not even knowing where you were.

That was until that evening at Tony’s, the pizza place you, Adam and Luca would go every Tuesday. It seemed as though you guys were keeping to the tradition as you both stood in line to order your pizza.

“Y/N?” You froze hearing his voice, slowly turning around with a coy smile

“Hey Luca” You reply sweetly, not missing how his eyes were now glued on your now seven month pregnant belly.

“Hey so-“

“You’re pregnant?”

You tut “Yeah it looks like it” you joke “so don’t judge when I tank a whole pizza alone I’m technically eating for two”

He softly laughs before he asks “Is it Adam’s?”

You can’t hide it and you know it so you nod “Yeah, it is”

You expect Luca to yell at you but he doesn’t. Instead he grumbles “and you didn’t tell him?!”

His anger takes you back a little and you sigh sadly “I tried Luca”

“Not very hard!”

The tears started the gather in your eyes as you thought back to that night you and Adam broke up and you tried to tell him about your little baby girl.

“Luca You don’t know anything ok? I tried to tell him but he was too busy breaking up with me! You know what Lu, pretend this interaction never happened!” You scoffed, taking off out of the restaurant.

Only five minutes after you got in your apartment the doorbell rang and you waddled to the front door, very unamused and hungry.

On the other side of the door stood Luca holding your order from Tony’s.

“I’ve got pizza?” He smiled and you gestured him in.

The two of you ate the pizza and garlic knots in silence until Luca asked

“Is It a boy or girl?”

You wiped your hands with a napkin before you said “A little girl”

He smiles “and you’re due?”

“November, middle of November”

He nods before he reaches across the table to squeeze your hand “I’m really sorry you’ve done this alone, but I’m sure Adam would want to know he has a daughter”

You retracted your hand from his and scoffed “He didn’t want to be ‘held down’ Luca! His words! So no, I’m not telling him because when I tried, he shut me down so this is his loss!”

Luca wanted to fight you, to stick up for his little brother but he knew better so he gave in. He knew which battle he wanted to pick

“Can I… can I be in her life? She is my niece after all I want to be in her life”

You softened “Of course you can Luca, you can be as involved with her as you want as long as you don’t tell your brother”

Luca reluctantly agrees and so he begins a part in this secret.

Over the following weeks he spent nights over at your house, helped you set up the nursery and was helping you study in your new classes.

He’d slowly stopped speaking to Adam as the secret was getting harder to keep and Adam had noticed.

When Luca didn’t go to Columbus with the rest of his family for Adam’s birthday, Adam knew something was wrong.

So when I’m November the blue jackets played Detroit, Adam, Nick and Kent took the trip to Ann Arbor to watch their old team play.

You wouldn’t have gone to the game that night had you known he would be there but it was too late. You saw him in the crowd. You’d been sitting in a seat, wearing Luca’s jersey so nobody else on the team could see your bump when you spotted Kent closely followed by Adam.

After that you made a mad dash out of Yost, but not before Adam saw you.

He watched you leave, watched you walk out and never said a thing. He had conflicted feelings about seeing you again. He knew it was a possibility but he didn’t know for sure not after his friends told him you’d basically distanced yourself so far from the team, what caught his eye though was his brothers name and number on the back of your jersey.

After the game Adam found his brother outside the locker room

Luca looked surprised to see him, looking around cautiously for someone else by the looks of it “Adam, what’re you doing here?”

“Dropping by to see the team, what’s wrong? You seem on edge? Looking for someone?” Adam wasn’t sly with his questions.

“No I just-“

“Not my ex girlfriend? Not Y/N? Who left by the way”

Luca looked panicked “you saw her?!”

“Yeah i saw her leaving, wearing your jersey! Dude are you fucking y/n? How could-“

Luca scoffs “I’m not fucking her!”

“Well what’s going on? You haven’t come to visit, we hardly talk, she’s walking around here in your jersey and you seem really agitated about her right now so cmon dude spill it! I’d rather you just told me straight but I’m gonna be mad you know I’m still in love with her!!”

Before Luca can even defend himself and you, his phone starts ringing. It’s you.

As soon as he picks up the phone he can hear you crying “what’s going on? Talk me y/n”

That peaks Adam’s interest.

“I fell Luca! I fell and I need to go to the hospital I’m bleeding-“

“I’m coming, I’m coming just hang in there you guys are gonna be ok is the ambulance there? Ok just go and I’ll meet you at the hospital”

Adam is traipsing behind him still demanding answers when Luca shouts “Just get in the car Adam! I don’t have time to deal with you right now”

Adam can feel Luca’s stress and it’s confusing him, a lot.

When they arrive at the hospital he finally asks “Why are we here? What is going on? Who’s hurt?”

Luca sighs, pinching his nose and just praying you’ll understand why he did it

“Y/N is pregnant” he states as if it was the simplest thing while Adam’s entire world just exploded.

He was still in love with you and you were having a baby.

“Is It yours?” Adam asked “Because if it is I’m gonna let you call mom before I fucking kill-“

Luca holds his hand up to his little brother “The baby is yours”

Adam is going through every emotion possible at the moment, stuttering out “Why didn’t you tell me? She didn’t-“

“She tried Adam, the day you broke up with her”

He feels horrible, he feels heartbroken.

“And Why are we at the hospital? Do we need to go in? Is she ok?”

“She said there’s been bleeding, that she fell after the game. That could be bad Adam so just don’t go in there guns blazing when she could have lost her baby”

Adam’s heart breaks even further for his baby; who’s existence he’s only known of for a minute who might now be dead.

The brothers make their way up to the ward and ask for you to which the nurse smiles sympathetically “It’s family only, sorry boys”

Luca hurries “He’s the babies dad, she’s pregnant-“

“Actually, miss y/l/n had a turn in the ambulance after she was picked up by paramedics and she is no longer pregnant” Adam and Luca both gasped lowly, heartbroken when the nurse continued “She delivered her babygirl in the ambulance on route here. Congratulations dad, head on down its room 103”

The two shared glances before Luca patted his little brother on the back “You’re a dad, man!”

“I’m a dad…” he repeats, almost in disbelief.

When Adam got to your room and walked in you were laying in the hospital bed holding your little girl in your arms mumbling something to her. When you looked up and saw Adam the smile on your face dropped

“What’re you-“

“Is she ok? Are you ok?” He interrupted, walking over to you both.

You looked surprised “Luca told you?”

He nods “the cliff notes, we were in a rush”

You nodded understandingly “She’s perfect, all eight pounds of perfection”

You watch Adam step closer and closer to you both when you say “Adam, do you want to hold her?”

He nods, sitting down in the chair next to your bed and taking her into his arms. You watch them as Adam whispers sweet words to her.

“Hi babygirl, I’m your daddy”

When he finally puts her in her bassinet, Adam turns to you “I’m so sorry you went through this all alone, I’m sorry I didn’t listen to you that night and I’m sorry I just abandoned us… I regret it everyday”

You smile softly “Do you miss me?” It was a lighthearted jab but Adam grabs your hands, seriously and says “So much, everyday I’ve thought about what an idiot I was to let you go. The love of my life”

“Adam you really broke my heart, I’m not sure how I would’ve survived if it wasn’t for her” you say gesturing to the baby asleep next to you.

He squeezes your hands “I know and I can only apologise and beg you to understand I acted on stupid judgement. We could always make long distance work and you have never held me down ever, you make me a better person y/n, I guess now you both do”

Eventually around eleven your nurse manages to sneak Luca into your room. He fully expected you two at each others throats when he entered but instead he found you both sitting on your bed holding your daughter in your hands just adoring her.

“Hey guys, she’s beautiful y/n congratulations”

You smile “thanks uncle Lu”

“So what’s princess called?”

Adam looks at you to tell him and you take pleasure when you say “This is Lucia, her name is inspired by our role model. Both of us”

Luca crouches down by Lucia’s sleeping body and brushes his thumb over her cheek “Hi Lu, I’m your uncle Luca. I love You so much already and I don’t even know you yet”

Your head absentmindedly rested on Adams’s shoulder and he kissed the crown of your head and mumbled “My girls, my whole world”

#adam fantilli x reader #adam fantilli imagine #umich x reader #umich imagine

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jnginlov · 9 months

Text

ateez as romantic tropes

⇀ genre fluff, angst, comedy

⇀ style blurbs

⇀ wc listed per member (between 1.1k and 2.2k)

⇀ warnings all readers are gender neutral, listed per member

⇀ reactions from the gc “Yep mhm would def swoon over him yes mhm yep” “BRUH I give you all of your content for free” “I need Yunho to help me obliterate my kitchen cabinets” “Losing my mf mind over him”

note word count variation does not reflect any preference for specific members, some stories just felt like they needed more backstory or had more action

home for the holidays

⇀ pairing hs crush!seonghwa x hs crush!reader

⇀ wc 1.5k

⇀ warnings mentions of food

“seonghwa! come in!” his mother greeted him at the door of his childhood home, ushering him inside quickly before enveloping him in a warm hug.

she bombarded him with questions about his life in seoul, what he’d been eating, how he’d been sleeping, as he removed his shoes. he tried to keep up with all of her fussing as he dragged his suitcase down the hall and into his bedroom but he could barely get out more than a few words before she was moving onto her next thought.

“anyway, your father went out to pick up some tofu so i could make you sundubu-jjigae,” she explains before she’s cut off by the sound of the doorbell and the kitchen timer going off simultaneously.

“i‘ll get the door,” seonghwa volunteers before his mother can say anything else, and pads back to where he had been only moments prior.

he’s not exactly sure what he expected on the other side of the door, especially so late in the evening, but he thinks he might be able to feel every nerve ending on his body alight when he opens the door to find you.

you look both severely different and exactly the same as when he’d last seen you, minus the lack of your high school’s blue uniform. of course you’ve changed your hair, your style seems to have improved as well, but mostly you just look more mature, more you, if that’s possible.

“oh, seonghwa,” you chirp, your surprise evident on your face, “i didn’t know you were back.”

“i didn’t know you were still in town,” he counters, his expression mirroring your own.

you don’t say anything, simply trying to process that the boy you’d had a crush on in high school had become, well, a man. he was considerably more attractive than he had been years ago, if that was even possible, and he almost seemed to hold himself with more confidence even if he was just standing in the middle of the entryway of his childhood home. you try to urge your mind to stay in the present but it can’t help but dig up your old memories of high school seonghwa and all the reasons you should have told him you liked him back then.

when you don’t say anything, seonghwa speaks up, asking, “is there something i can do for you?”

you suddenly are remembering your mission and the tote bag that’s weighing down your shoulder, housing the reason you’ve been coming to his parents house for the past few months.

“right!” you say, taking one of the containers out of your bag and presenting it to seonghwa. “this is for your mom.”

just as you mention her, seonghwa can hear his mom shuffling down the hall behind him, her slippers slapping against the wood floor to announce her coming.

“y/n is that you?” she says once she’s right behind her son. “well don’t make them stand outside,” she scolds seonghwa, gesturing for him to move so that you can step past the threshold.

“hi mrs park,” you greet his mother with a bow, still holding the container in your hands as you trade your outside shoes for the guest slippers.

“you shouldn’t be walking this late by yourself dear,” she scolds gently before heading back to the kitchen, you pittering after her lightly.

for a moment seonghwa stands in shock, doorknob still clutched in his hand and gears turning in his head. since when had you become friends with his mom? and since when did you start knowing which ones were the guest slippers? and since when had he started to miss you?

“and i wanted to get it to you while it was fresh.”

seonghwa joins you both in the kitchen and catches the tail end of your statement, presumably an explanation as to why you’re walking to his house so late.

“it would have been perfectly fine tomorrow,” his mother only replies, removing the lid from the container you’d given her and revealing a loaf of, what looked to be, homemade bread.

“it’s a cinnamon milk bread,” you say and seonghwa turns to see you looking at him. he doesn’t say anything in response and you simply smile, turning back to his mother after just a moment. his mind is still reeling as he watches you, stood casually in the kitchen as though you belong here. you hold none of the awkwardness that normally is present when someone visits another’s home for the first time and some little voice in the back of his mind tells him that it feels domestic. of course, he tries to push that thought away.

“here,” his mother says after she’s transferred the bread into her own container and returned yours, “you should stay for dinner. i’m making sundubu-jjigae.”

you shake your head, a slight look of hesitation on your face and seonghwa assumes that you’ve probably stayed for dinner plenty when he was gone. “that sounds delicious but i should be getting back. i have another loaf cooling on my counter that i need to pack up,” you explain.

“well at least have seonghwa walk you back,” she suggests, and you’re obviously about to decline, based on your body language, when seonghwa insists.

you agree then, not putting up much of a fight once you know his mother isn’t forcing him for her own satisfaction, making your way back out and beginning a steady trek back to your own house.

“how’s seoul?” you ask after a beat, not wanting to walk in awkward silence the entire way.

“it’s nice,” he says simply before adding, “busy.”

you nod in understanding. “i’m sure.”

“how are you?” he asks.

as you turn to look at him again, your eyes crinkling slightly as you grin, he feels like he’s never left his hometown. he’s still sat in his desk at school watching you laugh with your friends across the room during lunch. you would always notice him staring, turning and presenting him the same warm smile you give him now.

he realizes in this moment that he wishes he’d told you, all those years ago, about what his friends always teased him for, about how much he liked you, because now it’s manifested into a gentle ache that seems to pull him back, to that time and to you. he guesses there’s a reason that people say distance makes the heart grow fonder.

you notice the expression on his face, the same one he wore in high school when he was deep in thought. not one that would appear during a test or when studying but one that would show when he was debating with his friends or talking about his future.

“what are you thinking about?” you ask to break the silence, genuine curiosity sparkling behind your eyes.

“hmmm nothing i guess,” he tries to play it off but you give him a suspicious look. “school,” he tries again, being broad about his approach.

“i guess that is the last time we saw each other,” you say and he wonders if you remember it all as clearly as him.

you toss around the idea of admitting what you never had to anyone before and maybe it’s something in the comfort of the night air or just the way seonghwa’s eyes are so focused on you but you decide that if you never say anything now you’ll surely regret it.

“you know,” you continue after another moment of silence, “i had a crush on you in high school.”

seonghwa feels his heart stop for a moment, his entire body consumed by a warmth that’s surely tinged his skin red as he tries to remember how to breath and walk at the same time.

“really?” he huffs, hoping you don’t notice how wobbly his steps have gotten.

“yeah, i don’t know, you were just really sweet and cute,” you elaborate and seonghwa can’t tell if he wants you to stop talking or continue, your voice starting to overlap with his heartbeat in his ears.

he’s so distracted trying to control himself, he almost doesn’t notice when you’ve stopped in front of your house. he certainly doesn’t notice the sly smile that’s stretched across your face, indicating that you’ve clearly observed his reaction to your news.

“how long are you going to be in town?” you ask, fiddling with the strap of your tote bag and urging your heart to stop beating up against your rib cage.

“just two weeks,” he manages to say in between deep breaths to calm his own pulse, eyes wide and lips parted slightly.

“well, let me know if you’re free at any point,” you say, preparing to take the final leap. “we can get coffee or something.”

he nods as you turn to walk toward your door and seonghwa, for the first time, feels his mouth moving before he can stop it.

“what about dinner? tomorrow?”

you turn back, smile beautifully complimenting the blush on your cheeks, and nod.

“see you then.”

foreigner

⇀ pairing white knight!hongjoong x traveler!reader

⇀ wc 1.1k

⇀ warnings implied panic attack/crying in public, street harassment, creepy middle aged guy

note i always find random hangul in fics annoying but for this you don’t need to understand what he’s saying because the whole point is you don’t

of course you would manage to get lost in the biggest city in korea on your first day of your month long trip. you’d planned for almost everything, except, of course, navigating through the intricate seoul subway system. to be fair, your friend joomi had promised to pick you up from the airport before she’d been called in on a work emergency. you had assured her that you could find your way to her apartment on your own but now, as you stood on the wrong side of the platform, watching yet another train, that would have taken you toward your destination, leave, you’re not so sure anymore.

you huff in frustration, the wheels on your suitcase clicking against the tiles as you try to find an empty bench, hoping that you can maybe collect your thoughts before you start to feel the familiar sting of tears behind your eyes. you try not to think of how you might look right now, stale from your flight, sweaty from running between trains, and slightly pathetic from being overwhelmed by something everyone else seems to have mastered.

you quickly abandon your bench search as your phone tells you how long you would have to wait for the next train and you weigh the worth of spending an hour and a half sitting in the stuffy station or dragging your suitcase around the street above, settling on trying to maybe just find a convenience store or some place to grab a coffee.

luckily the area you’re stranded doesn’t seem too crowded, the streets easy to navigate without having to serpentine between people with your month worth of luggage. you find a semi empty convenience store pretty easy enough, paying for a couple snacks, an ice cup, and a drink with ease, conscious of the way the other people in the shop are doing double takes at you, likely due to your suitcase and the duffle on your shoulder.

you’ve never been more grateful to korean convenience stores and their included seating as right now, able to finally take a breath as you sit with your food.

as you try to mind your business, texting joomi to update her about where you are and the predicament you’re in, you can almost feel a burning gaze coming from one of the tables diagonal your own. you try to ignore it, as you did with the gazes earlier, but it feels different, somehow predatory.

“이봐, 너는 어디서 왔니?”

you look up to see a man, probably in his late 50s, starring intensely at you, confirming your suspicions about his watching you.

when you don’t respond, he says something else in korean, something you can’t understand with your limited knowledge of the language, and you try not to panic, but as he stands, seemingly trying to make his way over to you, you feel your heartbeat skyrocketing.

“i don’t-“ you start, gripping your phone tightly as you flounder for what to do.

the man takes another step toward you, saying something else that you can only assume isn’t nice from the way he seems to snarl it and reaching out to grab the handle of your suitcase that you’d placed behind the chair across from you but before he can take hold of your bag it’s being pulled away by a different man, someone who looks to be around your own age.

he addresses the older man with a forced smile, obviously angered at the situation and you try to interpret what is happening before you. you can’t understand a word either man is saying, trying too hard to just process the situation you’re in, but eventually the older man leaves, your savior watching intently to make sure he’s really gone before turning to you.

“you, uh, speak english?” he asks, finally rolling your suitcase back to where you’d originally placed it, although you assume it’s more of a courtesy question as he’d probably heard your unsettled words when trying to address the other man.

you nod, a gentle “yes” escaping you as you try to parse what this new man wants from you.

“are you okay?” he asks gently.

you try to search his eyes for any sense of danger but all you can see is worry.

“i’m fine,” you say with a little more certainty than before.

“good,” he says with a slight sigh, his shoulders visibly relaxing. he looks between you and your suitcase once before speaking up again. “what are you doing here?”

you take a moment to decide whether to tell him or not but you assume if he had wanted to harm you that he wouldn’t have stepped in to help you before, and so you tell him, “i’m waiting for a train, it doesn’t come for another hour.”

he nods in understanding.

“what’s your name?” you feel yourself ask before you register what you’re actually doing.

“ah, my name is hongjoong,” he replies.

all of his words are slow, deliberate, as he speaks to you, a contrast to how quickly he was talking in korean only moments ago.

you try to slow down your own words as you ask, “how do you know english?”

he seems to almost perk up at that, interested to tell you, “oh, i’m learning right now. sorry if my grammar is bad.”

you shake your head quickly, “no, no. you’re fine. i’m just glad i have someone to talk to.”

he hums in understanding before asking, “what is your name?”

you introduce yourself, even spelling out your name for him, before you notice the plastic bag in his hands.

“oh, would you like to,” you trail off, gesturing to the seat across from you in invitation.

he seems hesitant and you almost want to take back your offer before he says, “you are sure?”

you nod with a gentle smile and he mirrors your expression, helping you move your duffle onto the ground beneath your table and taking a seat across from you.

you talk casually with hongjoong for the rest of your wait, letting him give you a list of things you should try to do with your time in seoul.

“isn’t the han river more of a date spot?” you question as he collects both of your trash into his plastic bag.

“you could take your partner,” he says, glancing at you and you know he’s trying to gauge your reaction as his ears tint pink.

“oh!” you quip, your own face blooming with warmth. “uhm no, i don’t have a boyfriend or anything,” you rush to say, flicking your gaze between the table and the floor.

“then, what if we went?” hongjoong practically whispers and your eyes shoot up to his face, his now as red as yours.

boy next door

⇀ paring mechanic!yunho x house flipper!reader

⇀ wc 1.5k

⇀ warnings mentions of food, eating, suggestive, allusions to sex, recent breakup, mentions of a cheating ex, imagining hitting said cheating ex

maybe you should have listened to your friends that told you flipping a house all by yourself was a bit ambitious, but they should have known telling you that would only make you want to do it more. your family might have called you stubborn but you liked to frame it as strong-willed. so here you sat, covered in streaks of paint as you ate your lunch on the floor of a kitchen that was still wholly unusable while the fresh varnish on the living room walls started to dry.

you had yet to buy any furniture, an air mattress your only comfort at night, after selling everything from your apartment in the city. all of it was stained by memories of your ex, moments you’d shared together before he’d told you he’d been seeing someone else behind your back for months.

it’s fine, you could use a change of scenery anyway.

the suburbs were treating you well so far, the neighbor on your right a little old lady, ms. lee, that housed and cared for the feral cats in the area who had given you the most delicious treats she made herself as a house warming gift. you’d expected your other neighbor to be similar, or maybe a little family like most suburbs attracted, but what you had experienced yesterday was far from family friendly.

you’d come back from the hardware store around noon, buckets of paint weighing you down as you made your way up the driveway. you had spotted your neighbor’s garage door open and a shiny, certainly vintage, black car peaking out from inside. however, what you hadn’t noticed when sat in your own car, but were certainly aware of now that you could see inside perfectly, was a man, clad in a black tank top and track pants, leaning into the open hood of the black car.

you weren’t the type that normally stared at people, preferring to mind your business in most public spaces, but how could you not when a man built like a greek god, skin glowing from his efforts, was grunting in frustration as his arms flexed to adjust something in the depths of the vehicle, muscles defined so clearly as he fixed whatever was wrong. you tried not to think about how long it had been since you’d last gotten intimate with anyone, your ex seemingly uninterested every time you had tried to initiate anything for such a long time that you were surely only projecting your frustrations onto the poor man in front of you.

“hey! you must be the new neighbor.”

oh no, how long had you been staring.

“oh! yeah, i just moved in.”

although he had to have noticed you checking him out, he didn’t say anything about your ogling, a warm smile adorning his handsome face instead of the disgusted snarl you were prepared for.

“you’re fixing her up all by yourself?” he asks with a tick of his chin toward your house and you’re guessing he’d talked to ms. lee after she visited you.

“that’s the plan,” you nod with a chuckle, still feeling awkward from having been caught gawking at your new hot neighbor.

“my name’s yunho,” he introduces, cleaning a spot of grease off his hands with a rag before tossing it over his shoulder gently. “i’m not particularly known for my design skills but, if you ever need someone to hammer a nail or lift something heavy, feel free to ring my bell.”

you tried not to think of the double meaning of that last phrase, begging your mind to climb out of the gutter, and assured him you would before trying not to trip over your own feet on the way up to your front door.

and so your lunch break was spent thinking about the hot guy next door and how you could manage to avoid him for the rest of your life in order to steer clear of embarrassing yourself any further. of course, you could never expect for your life to go as planned.

the next week you’ve moved your focus into the kitchen, starting with the god awful cabinets that were certainly installed without a thought to the house’s time period or even functionality. although it was physically strenuous, taking a hammer to the cheap wood of those horrible cabinets was certainly helping you release some of the anger that had been simmering since the breakup. Maybe you should have printed out a picture of your ex’s face and taped it inside.

you were so focused, and making a pretty loud ruckus, that you almost didn’t hear the sound of your doorbell ringing. trying to think of who could possibly be interested in visiting you at 3 pm on a tuesday, you made your way to your front door, leaving your hammer in the kitchen but keeping your gloves on. you would have looked through the peephole of your door to determine if it was worth opening but of course the last owner of the property felt that a peephole wasn’t necessary. although, as you open the door to your neighbor, the hottie not the lady, you’re not sure a peephole would have changed your mind.

he’s in a simple outfit today, just a white t-shirt and dark jeans, but you still have to resist giving him a full glance up and down. his hair is slightly damp and based on the way you can clearly smell his smoky vanilla shampoo you can guess he’s just had a shower.

“hi,” you greet, trying not to think of the way you’re certainly looking and smelling like you’ve been dunked in a pool of your own sweat, your house currently without air conditioning and it being late spring.

“hey,” he says, the same warm smile making a reappearance as he stands on your porch.

he doesn’t say anything else and you almost wonder if maybe the heat is starting to get to you. could this be a dehydration induced hallucination?

“can i help you?” you ask after feeling like you’ve been making enough awkward eye contact, although yunho’s smile hasn’t budged.

“right!” he chirps, as though remembering what he’s doing. “i just wanted to make sure you weren’t dead or anything. i heard a lot of things breaking and some yelling, so just wanted to make sure you’re alive.” he nods, his hair bouncing slightly and for a moment he really looks like a big puppy, eyes expectant and big as he waits for you to say something.

“oh, sorry,” you apologize, not even aware that you had been yelling but to be fair, you had been really sucked into the vision of getting to hit your ex with a hammer and make him as broken as you’d felt. “i was just taking out some anger on the old kitchen cabinets.”

he cocks his head to the side and again you find your mind drawing up another comparison to a puppy. you wonder if anyone’s ever told him that before.

“you’re taking out the cabinets?” he asks, almost seeming worried and you raise a brow.

“yeah,” you say, trying not to sound defensive and hoping he doesn’t have some sort of secret attachment to the fixtures. “they don’t fit the house and they barely functioned before.”

he shakes his head at your clarification and now it’s your own turn to tilt your head in confusion.

“you’re doing that by yourself? i thought i said you could ask for my help with heavy lifting,” he explains his worry and you don’t get a chance to respond before he’s starting to walk back to his house. “i’m gonna grab some gloves and another hammer,” he calls from your yard as you watch him go. “i’ll be right back.”

so you spent the afternoon destroying your kitchen with the neighbor you had vowed to stay away from only a few days before. to your credit, you did try to refuse his help, insisting that you could do it and telling him about the lack of a/c, but of course he stood firm, pointing out that he’d already made the effort to grab his own gloves and tools. maybe you’d met your match in terms of stubbornness.

“thank you,” you’d said with sincerity as you both sat on the floor of your now bare kitchen, open pizza box between you that you were regretting letting him pay for but, again, he had insisted. “there’s gotta be some way i can pay you back,” you said as you took another bite of your slice, eyes looking at the man across from you expectantly.

“well, i can think of one way,” he says, placing his half eaten slice on his plate and brushing off his hands.

you perk up at this, eager to know what you can do to make sure he knows how appreciative you are.

“let me take you out to dinner,” he suggests and you’re glad that you’re already sitting or your knees might have buckled and forced you to sit anyway.

opposites attract

⇀ paring hydrophobic!yeosang x lifeguard!reader

⇀ wc 2.2k

⇀ warnings slightly suggestive, he’s not literally hydrophobic he’s just a hater, mention of drowning, drinking alcohol (not you)

yeosang has spent every summer since he could remember avoiding the one place his friends had managed to finally persuade him into visiting, the local water park.

now it’s not that he was deathly afraid of being in the water, in fact his parents told him that he used to love swimming as a toddler, but he just didn’t see the appeal of anything that swimming and pools had to offer. the hot ass sun forcing you to reapply sunscreen every few hours, the screaming children that would make your head pound, the gross water that had surely seen every bodily fluid, and, worst of all, the annoying ass lifeguards that yeosang just knew were judging everyone with their hypercritical stares.

“you need some vitamin d,” wooyoung says, rubbing in the sunscreen he’d just put onto his arms until the cream had become sheer. “you can’t just sit in front of your computer every day.”

yeosang scowls as his best friend passes him the sunscreen, hesitantly squeezing some of it onto his legs.

“especially if you’re trying to get back into dating,” san adds as he removes his shirt, tossing it onto the picnic table the group had claimed.

“who’s dating?” yunho asked as he joined the group, setting his bag down and pushing his sunglasses up to sit on top of his head, ready to apply sunscreen onto his face when yeosang passed the bottle to him.

“yeosang,” wooyoung says as he shoves his flip flops off, leaving them where they lay and stretching his arms above his head.

“you’re dating someone?” yunho questions, eyebrows scrunched in confusion.

“not yet,” san answers for him just as yeosang opens his mouth and he gives san an annoyed look.

“hey boys!”

suddenly, all three of yeosang’s friends are lighting up as they turn toward the source of the voice unfamiliar to him. each of them perks up as they return the greeting of the stranger, a lifeguard that was headed in the direction of yeosang and his friends.

“y/n!” san calls your name excitedly as you approach, stopping just outside of the shadow from the umbrella attached to the table.

“i didn’t know you were working today,” yunho says, finishing up his sunscreen application as he smiles brightly at you.

yeosang tries not to let his nerves show on his face as his eyes flick between you and his friends, always a little on edge when meeting new people but especially when that new person is particularly attractive. you’re wearing what he assumes is the typical uniform, a pair of short red swim trunks that show off your legs and a tight white tank top that leaves little to the imagination. he tries to resist the urge to let his eyes roam over the skin that’s exposed by your uniform, glowing from the summer sun, and instead he focuses on your face, shaded by the red visor you wear but expression as bright as though you’re channeling the beams from the sky above you. yeosang is tempted to bask in their warmth as your gaze flicks over to him but instead he looks away, trying to look busy as he rummages through his bag for nothing.

“sua called off today,” you explain, “so here i am.” you shrug as you gesture around yourself.

“oh, this is yeosang,” san speaks up with a harsh slap to his friends shoulder and yeosang flinches away from the touch before shoving san’s hand off.

“yeosang, this is y/n,” wooyoung provides, sliding toward you, “our favorite lifeguard.”

at his statement you reach up to pinch at wooyoung’s cheek, giving it a little shake as you let out a coo, “aw. i would say you’re my favorite patrons but i’m not in the habit of lying.” you chuckle lightly as wooyoung swats your hand away from his face with a pout.

“nice to meet you yeosang,” you greet him easily, nodding slightly and he’s thankful you didn’t reach out to shake his hand.

“you too,” he lies, not at all happy to meet someone who chooses to torture themselves out in the heat as a job.

“okay, well i’ve got to continue making my rounds, just wanted to say hi,” you explain as you back away from the group, headed back on the main path next to the pool you’re all closest to. “if you guys are staying for night swim i’m gonna be stationed at the wave pool so feel free to come chat.”

night swim, the only reason yeosang agreed to come. the local park had an adult only, alcohol provided, swim night that they hosted every other week. they would close down the more dangerous parts of the park, like the deep ends of the pools and the giant water slides, and just let people chill out in things like the wave pool and even go on the kiddie slides.

yeosang had agreed for the alcohol and the offer to be able to sit at the edge of the pool while his friends enjoyed trying not to drown as they wrested in the water. unfortunately he was not aware he would be dragged to the park while the sun was still out or when his friends were going to be chatting up the cute lifeguard the whole time, and he is an adult so he can admit you’re cute.

“you good?” yunho asks, noticing yeosang staring after you. the latter hadn’t even noticed he’d been looking straight at your butt as you retreated until his friend snapped him from his thoughts and he hoped he could blame the redness on his cheeks being the summer heat.

“yeah, yeah,” yeosang nodded finally pulling his arm out of his bag as he tried to anticipate what the group was about to pressure him to do.

he really did try to fight to just stay under the umbrella until the sun set but of course wooyoung needed him to go down the slides with him before they closed for the night and yunho had to show him the lazy river before it would be crowded with other drunk people and san demanded to go off the diving boards together before the deep end was off limits. so, because yeosang is a good friend, and his friends were extremely annoying when they whined, he did all of it. he honestly wasn’t as upset about the situation as he thought he might be, even finding himself sometimes enjoying the whole affair, but he would never admit that, he had a reputation to uphold.

lucky for yeosang and his reputation, the afternoon went by quickly and families with their sticky children trickled out as the sun set behind the horizon, initiating the start of night swim. of course as soon as he and his friends had finished their first drink and started sipping on their second yunho was quick to remind them about you over at the wave pool.

“i think i’m just gonna go back to the lazy river,” yeosang said with a jerk of his thumb toward the stack of intertubes behind himself.

“what why?” san asks, slipping his towel back off his shoulders.

“the lazy river is packed,” yunho adds, eyebrows scrunched as he looks over at it before turning to look at the wave pool that’s comparably more deserted.

wooyoung on the other hand has been paying a little too much attention to his best friend, noticing how yeosang’s eyes would flit over to you whenever you passed them during the day, and his lips curl up into the smile he always wears when he’s messing with someone. “i’m sure y/n would love to get to know you,” wooyoung grins, eyebrows wiggling before he sends yeosang a dramatic wink.

san’s mouth quickly forms an o as he realizes what wooyoung is implying and yunho just rolls his eyes at their antics, however neither are helping as wooyoung wraps his fingers around yeosang’s wrist and starts tugging him in the direction of the wave pool.

he can do nothing as he approaches the pool, not really in the mood to make a scene even if he could feel his heart climbing into his throat with every step that led them closer to you.

once the group is in sight you wave, sat on the edge of the pool with a float tube on your lap and feet dangling in the water. both of the lifeguard chairs are occupied and yeosang assumes that, because of the alcohol involved and the shutting down of half the park, lifeguards are double booked at the open areas, another lifeguard sat opposite you on the other side of the wave pool.

you smile brightly as wooyoung drags yeosang toward the edge of the pool, san and yunho shuffling behind. the latter two boys easily step into the water, not too interested in being involved in whatever scheme wooyoung has cooked up. wooyoung however ignores the pool in favor of sidling up right next to you.

you have to crane your neck to look up at the boys and yeosang moves his head to look at the water, feeling like a little kid as wooyoung still hasn’t let go of his wrist and does the talking for him.

“hey,” wooyoung greets you easily. “yeosang’s not a fan of the wave pool. do you mind if he sits with you while we swim?”

it’s not an entire lie, this spot being yeosang’s least favorite in the whole park, but he’s not too interested in sitting next to you in silence while his friends laugh at him. he knows it will be silent because he’s certainly not confident enough to start conversation, plus you have a whole job to do, and he’s certain his friends will be laughing at him because they’ve already noticed his attraction to you.

“sure,” you agree, to a bit of shock from yeosang, and pat the concrete next to you, shifting the tube on your lap so that it’s not in the way.

“great!” wooyoung declares but yeosang certainly doesn’t agree as he gets shoved to the spot you patted and a harsh push on his shoulder encourages him to take a seat. “have fun,” wooyoung adds before he’s scurrying off to join yunho and san.

there’s barely enough time to process that his best friend has abandoned him before you’re speaking up.

“so, not a fan of the wave pool,” you prompt and yeosang spares a glance at you.

you’re still looking over the pool, scanning for any danger or situations to whistle at people about.

“uh yeah,” he answers plainly, placing the cup he’s surprised didn’t spill during wooyoung’s tugging on the ground between you two. “i mean, don’t really like water parks in general so,” he explains with a shrug, venturing to put one of his legs into the edge of the pool, the other still tucked underneath him.

“really?” you ask like you’re actually surprised, like you’ve never actually met someone that didn’t like a water park, but based on your profession he’s sure you probably don’t often run into people who don’t frequent any pool.

he doesn’t answer, just shrugging once more as he watches the way the water ripples whenever he shifts his foot under the water.

“any particular reason?” you ask and yeosang ventures another glance at you, this time making eye contact with him as you’ve turned your head to face him. “i mean you don’t seem to be scared of water or anything,” you say as you gesture toward his leg that hangs off the ledge.

instead of returning to hold your float tube you place the hand you’d used on the concrete, leaning toward yeosang just slightly and he can smell a hint of the sunscreen you’d been reapplying through the day as well as something that he assumes is a cologne or perfume you must of sprayed on during your break. it makes his brain feel a bit fuzzy as you tilt your head at him, waiting for an answer.

“uh, i don’t know.” he can practically hear wooyoung judging his bland response and tries to rack his brain for anything else to say. “just don’t find it interesting i guess.”

you hum in acknowledgment, nodding slowly as you observe yeosang and even though the hot sun went down over an hour ago he feels like he might melt.

“so there’s nothing specific about it you hate?” you pry, taking another quick glance over the pool to make sure no one drowned when you weren’t looking before you return your gaze to the man beside you.

yeosang reaches out for his drink and realizes a moment too late how close your hand is to the cup, his fingers brushing against your warm skin and causing a tingle to shoot up his arm. you don’t mention the contact but yeosang swears he sees the corner of your mouth tick up as he takes a swig of his beverage, placing the cup on the other side of himself once he’s swallowed.

“no secret hate for lifeguards or anything right?” you continue to interrogate him, a teasing tone seeping into your words.

he could mention how he thinks you’re all overbearing and judgemental but he’s not sure that would work in his favor right now considering you don’t seem to actually be all that bad.

“no,” he says with a shake of his head, eyes not leaving your own.

at that your smile seems to grow, eyes holding a sparkle of something yeosang can’t quite read.

“good,” you respond, “because that would make asking you out a lot harder.”

marriage pact

⇀ paring ex best friend!san x heartbroken!reader

⇀ wc 1.1k

⇀ warnings therapy mentions/appointment, previous heartbreak, reader feels a lot of guilt, reader cries, cursing

you wish, with everything in your power, that you could reverse time, or maybe just knock some sense into your 14 year old self, and maybe you technically could, if you only shoved everything back in the shoebox and put it back on the shelf. then it would sit where it had for years before, except instead of dust, it would collect guilt, your guilt, every time you passed and remembered what was in it. your high school diary, a few birthday cards, notes with ink so faded the words were indecipherable, a paper clipped stack of photo booth strips, and one intact copy of the marriage pact you’d made with your best friend choi san, well, your high school best friend. why did you have to find it now, just as you’re reaching the age which you’d either need to be already married or fulfill your half of the contract by saying “i do”?

you think for a moment that you could simply throw out the entire box, but you’re too sentimental for that, it’s why the box had been with you so long in the first place, but now the memories, that should have been happily contained, have come to seep back into your life and the heartbreak taints every single one.

you could throw away just the pact, but your trash stinks enough already and you can practically hear the voice of your therapist telling you how it’s just an opportunity, an excuse, to reach out and maybe mend something that’s been broken for so long.

damn her for being right all the time.

and so you call, hoping his number is still the same or you’ll have wasted all your worrying for nothing. there’s nothing to indicate it’s his voicemail box, the generic computer voice reading out it’s typical prompt, but you might as well. if it’s a wrong number they’ll simply never call you back and you’ll go on with your life, as best you can.

“hey, i’m not sure if this is the right number. i’m trying to reach choi san. i’m-“ you pause for a moment, trying to figure out how to describe yourself. “i’m an old friend,” you settle on. “so, yeah. if you can give me a call back, i just needed,” you pause again. did you need to? maybe you should’ve written a script just in case. “wanted,” you amend, “to talk.” you pause again, wondering how you should end before the line beeps, signaling it’s been ended for you.

at your appointment the next day, your therapist seems proud, even as you try to change the subject, work around your feelings. she manages, as she always does, to steer you back on track, approach your emotions head on, and as she makes you recount the memories, and sensations, attached to the items in the shoebox, you feel your phone vibrate in your pocket. your first instinct is to silence it and so you do, barely registering the action before you’re sucked back into your session. only after you’ve penciled in your next meeting do you register that you’d sent a call to voicemail.

“hi y/n,” he starts easily and his voice has the hair on the back of your neck rising.

“i’m sorry i missed your call yesterday,” and he sounds genuinely apologetic. “i actually wanted to talk to you too i was just really busy until right now. i’m free for the rest of the day, so if you get a chance call me back. lo-“ your breath hitches at his mistake, forcing you to realize how shallowly you’d been inhaling the entirety of the message. “bye,” he concludes, an emptiness in his tone, before the message ends.

as you sit in your car, still in the parking lot of your therapist’s office, you remember that you had intentionally left out your name when leaving your message and that even after all these years, all this time apart, he can still recognize you by your voice alone, no matter how garbled by phone speaker quality.

you toss around the idea of waiting until you get back to your place to call but you can feel the nerves starting to tangle your stomach and are certain that you’ll have talked yourself out of it by the time you would get there. instead, you call back.

he picks up on the second ring.

“hi.”

he sounds like he’s smiling and you hope that’s a good sign, not an indication that he’s about to laugh at you and tell you to fuck off.

“hi,” you breath in response, probably a little pathetic.

“you wanted to talk?” he supplies and if you could get out of your own head you might pin the statement as sounding a bit teasing, maybe even a hint flirty, but you can barely register anything when everything you’ve wanted to say for the past few years is suddenly all mingling at the front of your consciousness.

“uh yeah,” you confirm plainly, trying to will your mouth to create any other sound.

as if he can sense your distress, just as he always had, san speaks up for you and says the words that had settled on the back of your tongue, “do you remember that pact we made when we were 14?”

in the moment you feel like it’s the right thing to say but as soon as the words are out of your mouth you anticipate the moments you’ll lie awake at night berating yourself for them.

“i love you and i’m sorry i made you hate me.”

you feel like you’re waiting for the storm to finally hit as your words are met with pregnant silence, san’s breath on the other end of the line as clear as if he were sat in your passenger seat, and for a moment you allow yourself to imagine just that.

“i never hated you,” he says with clear exasperation, seemingly surprised. “have you thought i’ve hated you this whole time?”

you nod shakily before remembering that he can’t see you and muttering a broken, “yes.”

“i’m so sorry,” he acknowledges before shushing you gently, and only at the sound of his comfort do you realize that you had started sobbing.

you try to calm yourself, your heavy breaths pacifying into watery hiccups as san eases you back from your sudden emotional release.

“can i tell you something?” san says after a moment and you nod once again before chuckling at yourself and verbally confirming he can.

“i love you too,” he says with an ease that almost makes you jealous. “so can we talk more about that pact?”

love at first sight

⇀ paring clumsy!mingi x er nurse!reader

⇀ wc 1.9k

⇀ warnings lots of eye talk, hospital setting

it was well known in the er that the full moon night shift was bound to be chaotic, something about the energy of the phase making people feel like they’re invincible and leading them to accidents that seemed next to impossible to occur. even if you weren’t superstitious about any of that astrological stuff, you couldn’t ignore the evidence as this night, like every full moon before it, brought you a plethora of patients that each had a problem more severe or strange than the last. you were quickly running out of beds and soon you’d run out of space in the waiting room as you noticed another person entering through the sliding glass doors.

“this is the busiest i’ve ever seen it,” chae, the triage nurse stationed at the front desk says as you move past her to the file folder, ready to grab the next patient to take back. she was new to the emergency department, a sweetheart who’d done all her clinicals in your pediatrics department and therefore had never seen the full moon effect.

“your first full moon,” you note, digging through the file folder to pull out the next one and look at the name. “you’re doing great,” you note with a gentle pat on her shoulder.

she smiles at you appreciatively before turning to address the patient quickly approaching the desk.

you take a glance into the file in your hands. “painful eyes, difficulty seeing. possible hazardous material in eyes,” the intake form reads and you sigh. what does “possible” mean in this situation?

“song mingi,” you call out into the waiting area and a rather tall man, eyes shut tightly, pops up from his seat immediately, another shorter man following suit and reaching out a hand to stabilize the taller as he stumbles. they both make their way to you, the shorter guiding the taller so he doesn’t bump into anyone or anything on his way.

“mingi?” you ask gesturing toward the one who clearly is having eye problems while looking at the other, seemingly fine, man and he only nods.

“i’m his brother, hongjoong,” the shorter one says and they don’t seem to resemble each other very much but you think nothing of it, more interested in treating your patient, who appears to be in quiet a bit of pain, then anything else.

“you can both follow me,” you say, scanning your badge to open the door and moving just slower than you might normally to allow hongjoong to lead mingi.

once you arrive to one of the empty rooms hongjoong guides mingi to sit on the bed, muttering about how stupid he is, before taking a seat himself on one of the plastic chairs off to the side.

you pay no mind to the muffled communication of the men as you place mingi’s folder onto the counter next to the sink and move to start taking his vitals. they both go silent as you wrap the blood pressure cuff around his arm, clipping the pulse oximeter onto his finger as well.

all of his vitals come back normal, only slightly elevated, as expected, because of the stress and pain, and you note them onto his chart.

“so what did you do to your eyes,” you ask as you go to remove the blood pressure cuff.

“uh well,” mingi starts his voice strained with a mix of pain and embarrassment, “i was trying to scare my friend and he was, uh, holding air freshener.”

you resist the urge to roll your eyes as you assume what happened next in his story.

“okay,” you say with a nod, putting the cuff you’d removed back in the basket and taking down notes on his chart. “did you try rinsing your eyes?”

he swallows thickly, his adams apple bobbing, and you let out a silent sigh as you prepare for whatever else must have went wrong.

“we tried,” he says a little shakily, “but the bottle must have had leftover cleaner or something in it.”

of course it did. you hold yourself back from asking how or why and glance at hongjoong who looks as exasperated as you feel, eyes closed and fingers massaging his temples.

“so you don’t know what the cleaner was?” you ask and mingi shakes his head, wincing as he squeezes his eyes tighter.

“can i take a look at your eyes?” you ask as you set down his chart, grabbing the pen light out of your scrub pocket.

“uh sure,” he says but you can hear the hesitation once again.

“okay, i’m going to hold your eye open for a second,” you explain, adjusting the bed so that his eyes are level with your own. “i’m going to shine a light into them just so i can make sure there’s no debris and they’re dilating properly.”

he gulps again and you know that he’s preparing for it to be painful.

“okay,” he says, a little more determined, and you place your fingers on his eyelid, starting with his left eye.

you try to move as quickly as you can, not wanting it to be too painful, but his hurt grunts are still audible as you check both eyes. fortunately, they’re dilating fine and you can’t see any damage or debris.

“they look alright,” you note aloud, slipping the light back in your pocket and writing more on his chart. “let’s just get your eyes properly flushed and some antibiotic drops in there, then we can see how they’re doing.”

mingi’s shoulders relax a little at this and you start to make your way toward the door, heading out to grab the irrigation tubing and kidney dish as well as ask another nurse to prepare the drops you’ll need.

“will he need to stay overnight?” hongjoong asks as you open the door and you turn back to him.

“we’ll want to keep him for at least an hour after we administer the drops to make sure that nothing gets worse but if he’s cleared up by then you’ll be able to go,” you explain and hongjoong nods as you leave.

flushing his eyes takes a moment as he fights to close his eyes a lot during the process, which is understandable, but the eye drops are worse, managing to get his eyes closed right before the solution hits his eyeball no matter how well you manage to hold his eye lids. eventually, with the help of another nurse holding his lids while you administer the drops, you manage to give him the proper dosage and leave him to check on another patient. you promise to return in an hour and instruct both men on how to use the nurse call button in case anything happens before then.

“he’s kind of cute,” chae, now munching on a granola bar as she takes her break behind the nurse’s station, says as you approach. “in like a himbo way,” she elaborates when you raise a brow at her, only shrugging as she take another bite.

you shake your head in slight disappointment. “he’s my patient,” you say. “i’m not really focused on how attractive he is.”

“so you agree he’s attractive,” chae chimes, peeking up for a moment before you roll your eyes.

“i’m not doing this with you again,” is your only response, moving past her to continue with your work.

an hour later you knock gently on the door of mingi’s room before entering to find hongjoong still in the plastic chair, phone in hand as he scrolls, and mingi asleep on the bed, the heartbeat monitor beeping quietly. you take that as a good sign.

“hello,” you greet hongjoong before you move toward the bed, preparing to wake your patient.

hongjoong greets you in return, tucking his phone away so he can pay attention to what you’re doing.

you take a brief glance at the heartbeat and oxygen monitor, noticing that his vitals are normal before taping mingi on the shoulder with enough force to jostle him awake. he grunts slightly before stretching, eyes scrunching up for a moment before they blink open.

“good morning,” you say with a teasing grin and mingi turns to face you.

suddenly the beeping of the monitor that had been steady and slow before is increasing rapidly and your head whips to look at it with surprise.

“you don’t have a heart condition do you?” you ask with concern, brows furrowing as you turn back to look at mingi once again.

his face and ears are bright red and his eyes go wide before he sits up with a start. “uh no, i don’t,” he rushes out, his words shaky as he lowers his gaze to his hands that now sit in his lap, messing with the clip on his pointer finger as though he wants to remove it.

“is everything okay?” you ask with genuine concern. “what’s wrong?”

mingi clears his throat and keeps his gaze firmly focused on his hands as he answers, “nothing. i just- you’re really cute.”

“oh my god,” you hear hongjoong huff in disbelief before his face drops into his hand, eyes covered in what you can only assume is embarrassment.

now it’s your turn to blush, a heat creeping onto your cheeks as you try to calm your own heart.

“oh,” you breathe, trying to collect your thoughts and remain professional. “thank you,” you say quickly before you hurry to take the clip off his finger, ignoring the heat of his skin against your own as your hand brushes his own.

“how are your eyes?” you ask, your own gaze moving about the room sheepishly.

“good,” he chirps, voice cracking slightly.

“good,” you mirror with a sharp nod. “i’m, uh, going to write you a prescription for antibiotic drops and just use those twice a day for the next two weeks,” you say, returning to business. “just come back if they get worse.”

mingi nods, still not looking at you and you clear your throat.

“thank you,” hongjoong says for mingi, and you nod in response.

you leave as quickly as you can, eager to be rid of the weird energy that had been created in the room. luckily your shift is close to over and one of the other nurse practitioners catches the way you’re acting a bit weird as you file the prescription, telling you to go home early and she’ll cover for you. you fight for a moment before finally giving in and deciding to make a quick stop at the 24-hour convenience store on the way home.

“oh!” a familiar voice snaps you out of your thoughts about which late night snack to pick and you turn quickly to see none other than song mingi standing before you, a look of surprise on his face as he looks at you.

“hi,” you squeak, just as surprised.

you feel your blush from earlier returning and turn back to face the shelf you’d been browsing.

“i’m sorry if i made you uncomfortable before,” mingi says, keeping his distance but not looking away from you.

you shake your head and glance at him for a moment. “oh no,” you reassure, “i just wasn’t prepared.” you let out a slightly nervous laugh.

mingi hums thoughtfully and nods slowly, taking an experimental step toward you.

“could i ask you something?” he requests and you turn to face him fully.

“sure,” you reply with a gentle shrug.

“let me know if i’m overstepping,” he begins, eyes flicking from yours to the shelf of snacks and back, “but could i get your number?”

enemies to lovers

⇀ paring chef!wooyoung x host!reader

⇀ wc 2.1k

⇀ warnings wooyoung is mean, discussion of food and eating, mentions of bullying in high school

so maybe your job wasn’t the worst, and most of your coworkers were pretty manageable, but wooyoung, he’s what made it unbearable at times. you’d already asked your manager to be scheduled for when he wasn’t, but he’d explained that you were the best one up front and he was the best in the kitchen, so of course you’re both going to be scheduled during the restaurant’s busiest times. “plus maybe it will force you two to work out whatever’s wrong.”

what your manager didn’t account for was that there was no working out what was wrong, considering it had been nothing that you were aware of. wooyoung had simply looked at you on your first day and decided he hated you. could you have asked why? of course, but you’re not sure he would have told you because to every question you asked him he would simply huff and roll his eyes, telling you to ask someone else.

his little act had quickly gotten on your nerves and so you were fast to return his disdain, deciding that his uncalled for behavior was enough of a reason to hate him.

“you know, if you just talked to him you could make everyone’s lives just a little bit easier,” soonha, you’re favorite waitress, says as she unties her apron and makes sure all her pens are organized in the pockets before placing it in her locker.

she’d been listening to you complain about everything wooyoung had done during your shift that had pissed you off, from as small as walking in a minute late to the way he’d complained about you blocking his path when you were eating a snack in an empty corner of the kitchen, a spot you’d chosen because it was specifically out of the way. of course the worst had been when he’d sided with a patron that was lying about their wait time, almost getting you in trouble with the manager on duty before you actually showed her the patron’s check-in timer.

“he’s the one with the problem,” you scoff, pushing your arms through the sleeves of your jacket. “he should be the one talking to me. you know he didn’t even apologize today.”

soonha only rolls her eyes, shutting her locker before a look of surprise takes over her features and she’s whipping around to you.

“oh my gosh, i totally forgot i told kay that i would restock her citruses,” the waitress says, pulling out what you can assume is a list from the bartender, kay, of the number of lemons, limes, and oranges that needed to be brought up to the bar.

“hey let me do that,” you say, grabbing the slip of paper from her hand.

“are you sure?” she says, although the way she glances at the back door tells you that she’s not too attached to the task.

“of course,” you reassure. “you’ve got the baby at home, go,” you encourage her and she’s basically running out the back door.

“they’re just in cold storage,” she reminds you quickly as the door shuts behind her and you chuckle with a gentle shake of your head in amusement.

the task is easy enough, grabbing a small empty cardboard box from the deserted kitchen as you make your way to the walk-in refrigerator, noticing that the kitchen staff all appear to have left for the night and thanking whatever higher power was watching over you for not making you the last person in the restaurant with wooyoung.

it’s been a while since you’d actually been inside cold storage, your job description not calling for it unless you were being an extra hand for bartending, although that was something that most of your staff asked the waiters for. this mostly meant that you couldn’t remember if it was normal for the door to click like that when it closed behind you. obviously that didn’t matter much anyway and so you just continue with the task at hand, searching for wherever kitchen staff had put citruses when they were rearranging.

as you’re reaching above your head to grab a handful of lemons to place in your trusty cardboard box the door to cold storage is suddenly cracking open, nearly causing you to have a heart attack as you’d believed you were the last person in the building. to your dismay, in walks the last person you’d probably ever want to see, possibly even over some robber interested in making off with your cold stock, wooyoung. he takes a moment before he registers that it’s you and the familiar scowl takes over his features, adjusting the large box in his arms.

you try to appear unaffected by his presence, taking a breath to calm your racing heart at the shock from a moment ago and turning back to counting your lemons. you sigh as you realize he must have been in dry storage when you passed through the kitchen and curse yourself for getting your hopes up about this task being easy.

the door makes that same click as it closes behind him but you don’t hear wooyoung react, moving to the shelf right behind you and standing with his back only inches from your own. the box he’s holding makes a soft thump as it hits the ground and you clearly hear the tape ripping off the top. from what you can tell he seems to be placing whatever was in the box into the crate on the shelf behind you and you’re trying so hard not to pay attention to him as you continue your own job.

soon enough your little box is filled with the correct number of fruits, you even double checked your counting, and you turn to leave the fridge as wooyoung starts to breakdown his now empty box. however, you don’t get very far, the door not budging when you place pressure against the handle.

you let out a huff as you place your box down and grab the handle with both hands. when the door still doesn’t move you lean your shoulder against it, trying to use your body weight to leverage the thing open.

“what are you doing?”

you feel your skin prickle at his voice, obviously annoyed with whatever antics he thinks you’re up to now, and you turn around as slowly as you can manage, face blank.

“the door is stuck,” you explain and wooyoung’s face scrunches up in response before he’s moving toward you.

“move,” he demands and you slide off to the side before he can place his hand on your shoulder to move you himself.

of course he’d taken off his chef coat, leaving him in just his white undershirt and black slacks, and you resist the urge to watch his arms as he gives a harsh push to the door. unfortunately for the both of you, his shoving is just as successful as yours was and you roll your eyes at him.

“what the fuck did you do?” he says, turning to you with anger painting his features.

if you didn’t hate him you might have found him slightly attractive now, gaze dark and sharp as he looked right through you, but he had some vendetta against you and therefore you had one against him.

“me?” you say in disbelief. “why do you think i had something to do with this?”

he scoffs and it’s probably a sound you would be able to identify in your sleep at this point, having heard it so often.

“you always do,” he mutters and you don’t know what to say in response, opting instead to just roll your eyes once more and chalking it up to whatever mystery grudge he’s holding against you.

“whatever, i’ll just call-“ you cut yourself off as you dig your hands into your jacket pockets and realize that your phone is still sat inside of your open locker in the break room. “never mind,” you mumble as you pull your hands from your pockets and decide to just take a seat on the chilly floor.

“right,” wooyoung says looking down at you with one eyebrow raised before he’s pulling his own phone from his pocket.

you’re barely listening as he speaks with whoever he calls, only picking out a few words here and there as you start to realize the predicament you’re in. of all the people to be trapped with.

“mingyu should be here in half an hour or so,” wooyoung tells you before he joins you on the floor, sitting across from you. “he told us not to kill each other in the meantime.”

you just flick your eyes up to him, your expression passive, before you go back to counting the floor tiles.

you’re not sure you’ll survive until help arrives, the first minute going by in a silence that feels like it’s crawling along your skin, threatening to eat you whole. by the second minute you’ve counted all the tiles on the floor that you can see five times and have moved onto counting the crates behind wooyoung. maybe you can go through and count the things in the crates next.

“what are you doing?”

you’re tempted not to answer him but you have a feeling he’ll ask again and the only thing worse than loosing count once is loosing count twice.

“counting,” you say plainly, starting with the crates again, however, you don’t even get close to where you’d left off last time when he speaks again.

“well, stop,” he says and you make sure he sees your look of confusion and annoyance. “you’re making me paranoid,” he elaborates and you just huff, turning you head so that he’s no longer in your line of sight.

“why do you hate me?”

you immediately don’t want to hear the answer and you whip your head back to him, worry on your features as you prepare to take it back.

except you don’t take it back, his face painted with bewilderment causing you to pause. he looks as though he can’t understand why you would ask, as though the answer was written on his forehead and you should simply be able to read it.

“are you trying to tell me you don’t remember?” he asks, and it’s the first time you can recall him being genuine with you.

you shake your head with a similar look of confusion.

“high school,” he supplies as though it will jog your memory.

the only problem is that it doesn’t, you didn’t go to high school with wooyoung, in fact you didn’t go to high school with anyone you work with, because you only moved to the area after graduating.

“wooyoung,” you start as you watch his features begin to soften, “the first time i met you was here, on my first day.”

he shakes his head with force, like he’s trying to convince himself.

“you were in that group, with miri, that always laughed at me,” he continues in disbelief, continuing to ramble about this group of bullies, and you feel your heart sink.

“wooyoung,” you repeat to catch his attention and he silenced himself. “i didn’t go to high school with you.”

you watch as his shoulders, which had lifted with every word that had come out of his mouth only moments ago, drop back down and he pales, eyes wide as he really sees you for the first time.

“i’m sorry,” he says, his eyes filled with regret as he remembers every little thing he’s done to make your life at work a living hell for as long as you’ve worked here. “i’m so, so sorry.”

“honestly,” you begin, processing everything that’s happened within the last few minutes, “if i thought someone i worked with was my high school bully, i would probably do the same things you did,” you say with a chuckle and you can see a blush start to tint wooyoung’s cheeks.

there’s a moment of quiet, one that feels like the polar opposite of the silence you sat in before, and you feel like you can clearly see the gears turning inside of wooyoung’s mind.

“did you eat dinner?” he asks finally, looking at you expectantly.

you just shake your head and watch as a bashful grin makes its way onto his face.

“can we start over?” he suggests. “i can make us something,” he adds, not oblivious to the way the other chefs had bribed you with food in the past. “after mingyu saves us, of course.”

right on cue you can hear someone puttering around in the kitchen, heading your way.

“sure,” you nod gently, a soft grin on your face, as wooyoung stands, offering his hand to you.

brother’s best friend

⇀ paring soccer player!jongho x sports photographer!reader

⇀ wc 1.8k

⇀ warnings cat-calling, jongho punches somebody, cursing, implications of harassment

you’d had a crush on your older brother’s best friend, jongho, for as long as you could remember, a secret that you’d kept to yourself just as long. unfortunately, within the last few years it had gotten much more difficult to hide this little fact, partly due to the fact that you’d managed to become best friends with probably the worst secret keeper on your college campus but, mostly because you were forced by your job to interact with him more than ever.

you were one of the student sports photographers on campus, assigned to photograph the men’s soccer team in the fall, a team which jongho and your brother were apart of. that was how they met in middle school, your brother the school’s goalie while jongho played midfield, and you hadn’t known peace since. of course you loved being able to pursue your passion and get paid for it, but with each game that you had to attend it was becoming more and more difficult to focus on your job.

jongho had grown a lot during the summer before his freshman year, the training for the team intense but rewarding, and suddenly you weren’t the only one with a more than platonic interest in the boy. by sophomore year, he was a star player, attracting the attention of those who weren’t even interested in soccer, or any sport for that matter. people would start to come to games just to see jongho sweaty and focused. now, as you and jongho began your junior years, your brother a senior, your jealousy was starting to peak.

“don’t act like you wouldn’t do the same if it wasn’t your job,” billie, your best friend and roommate, said as you threw another dirty look to the group of girls that had been shouting jongho’s name every five seconds.

you’d been complaining to her about all the attention on jongho, openly admitting your jealousy as she’d managed to pry the information of your crush out of you last year.

“i wouldn’t scream his name and distract him from his game,” you bite, bringing the viewfinder back up to your eye and following the ball as someone on the opposing team threw it back into play.

your job required you to attend every soccer game, and the occasional practice, to get shots for the campus newspaper and website. billie had started to tag along as your assistant at the beginning of this semester, claiming to just be happy to hang out with you even if she wasn’t getting paid, totally not because she had a crush on your brother or anything.

“right,” billie says with a nod, adjusting the strap of your camera bag on her shoulder, “because you can get his attention without all the drama.”

your best friend had gotten some weird idea in her head that jongho was secretly in love with you, an idea that had prompted her to dig into your feelings for jongho in the first place. you tried not to listen, not wanting to let her feed any sort of delusion that you and jongho were somehow possible.

“you know, when you said you would be my assistant, i thought you meant like helping me, not being annoying,” you say sarcastically, snapping a few pictures as your attacking midfielder managed to get control of the ball.

“maybe you’re being annoying,” billie pouts in response. “i’m just saying what i see.”

you resist the urge to roll your eyes, trying to focus on who has the ball and what moments to capture.

“am i not an objective party?” she asks and you have no idea where she’s heading with this argument. “you’ve known him for years and so you’re set that he doesn’t see you that way. i’m a fresh set of eyes to tell you the truth!”

you scoff at her. “you said yourself i’ve known him for years, wouldn’t that mean i know him better? so i know that he’s not interested?” you argue, players surrounding the ball and crowding your lens.

“you’re biased,” she says with a sense of finality and you pull your camera away from your face, deciding to glance through some of the pictures you’d just taken to see if you needed to adjust any of your settings. the lighting had changed a bit since the beginning of the game.

“yeah,” you agree after a moment, “and you’re a hopeless romantic.”

you turn and trek around down the field, looking for a new angle. you hear billie running after you, your camera bag bouncing against her hip gently and you remind yourself to at least buy her dinner after this as thanks for following you around for 90 minutes.

just as you both reach the other side of the field, the referee is blowing a whistle to signal the start of halftime and you sigh, glad to already be on the side of the field where the players benches are. you weren’t required to get pictures of players on the bench or any of the team huddled, but you liked to. they made good shots to advertise the team pride and allowed everyone to have professional pictures, even if they didn’t play in that game.

“hey y/n, hey billie,” you brother says as he passes you both, jogging toward the bench to grab his water and take a rest.

billie lights up and waves as he passes, you only roll your eyes, following after your brother to get closer to the bench.

“make sure you get my left, it’s my best side,” one of the players, hojin, says jokingly as you snap a wide shot of all the players sat on the bench.

you chuckle lightly, enjoying your banter with the players, as you continue to get a few more wide angles.

“what’s your name sexy?” you hear someone call behind you and turn to see one of the players of the opposing team looking right at you.

you don’t say anything for a moment, kind of shocked that anyone on the opposing team was talking to you as that had never happened before. you recognized him as their center midfielder, opposite jongho for a majority of the game.

“none of you business!” billie calls back for you, linking her arm with your own and pulling you closer to your team.

the guy doesn’t seem all that discouraged at first, sending you a wink before his eyes flick to something, or someone, behind you and his face drops.

you turn around just in time to see your brother sitting back on the bench, features sharp, and jongho turning to look at their coach, anger clear on his face.

you try not to think anything of it, knowing that your brother and jongho were naturally very protective, as billie tugs on your arm that’s still linked with hers.

“c’mon,” she says, “don’t forget to get your huddle shot.”

you try to return to business as normal once the game resumes, making sure to get a few key pictures that are always a hit for article features, but you’ve started to let your camera drift centerfield, toward jongho. except unlike other times this has happened it’s not simply because you’re being distracted by how handsome he looks. he’s started getting a bit aggressive with the player opposite him, the one that had called to you during halftime, and you watch through your lens as the player says something to jongho. whatever he said must have really upset jongho because just as you’re pulling away from the viewfinder he reels back and sends his fist right into the other guy’s face.

you feel your blood run cold as you watch the whole interaction unfold, a ref blowing the whistle sharply as he runs to centerfield. your brother, who had been on the bench, bolts for jongho, other players from both teams moving in to break up whatever is happening. somehow the other player manages to remain standing after the hit, stumbling back a bit, and jongho takes a few steps forward with a raised fist before your brother gets to him and pulls him back.

“what the actual fuck is wrong with you?” you hear your brother saying as he drags jongho toward the bench.

you hand billie your camera, telling her you’ve got enough for today and that she can just mess around with it before you stomp toward the bench yourself. your best friend sends you a slightly concerned, if not sympathetic, look as you leave but does as you say.

“are you crazy?” you say once you get to where jongho is sat, your brother popping a disposable ice pack and placing it onto his hand.

“if you’re here to lecture me i don’t need it,” jongho grunts. “i already know it was a bad idea.”

you scoff in disbelief as your eyebrows shoot up. “a bad idea? it was unbelievably stupid! what in the world would posses you to do something like that?”

jongho looks up at you for a moment, eyes blank, before looking at your brother who’s stood next to you, looking at his best friend expectantly.

“well?” you brother says, crossing his arms.

“some people should just keep their mouth shut,” jongho says looking down at his hand that’s covered by the ice pack and you scoff again, crossing your own arms.

“jongho,” you say sternly and he looks up at you again, eyes almost pleading for you not to press further. “i know you. this is not you.”

he shrugs, trying to seem nonchalant, before saying, “maybe it is.”

you sigh, sitting down next to jongho and placing a hand gently on top of his forearm.

“no it’s not,” you insist, much softer as you rub your thumb along his arm soothingly.

your own palm tingles at the sensation of his skin against yours but you can’t bring yourself to pull away.

jongho looks at your hand on him for a moment before glancing up at your face. after a moment he turns to where your brother is still standing and ticks his head in some sort of signal that has your brother patting jongho’s shoulder once before leaving you both.

“you asked if i was crazy,” jongho starts, turning to meet your slightly confused gaze. “i am crazy,” he says with a humorless laugh, “crazy for you.”

your thumb stops it’s movements as you freeze, wondering if you’re hearing him right.

“i couldn’t let him get away with what he was saying about you,” jongho explains. “i just snapped.”

you close your eyes, shaking your head like you’re trying to get rid of the thoughts clouding your judgement, before you ask, “can we go back to the part where you’re crazy?”

he chuckles again and you open your eyes to see a soft smile on his face.

“i’ve had the biggest, most embarrassing crush on you for years y/n,” he says, a blush dusting his cheeks.

your own lips curl into a smile as you reply, “that’s impossible because i’ve had the biggest, most embarrassing crush on you for years jongho.”

↼ ateez masterlist

note hope you enjoyed and these couples may be making a reappearance at some point in the future (also if you genuinely want to know the hangul just translates to “hey, where are you from”)

feedback always appreciated

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desideriumwriter · 7 months

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Anyone But You | Chapter 2 | F.W. x Fem!Reader

Chapter Summary - An introduction to your bestfriend, you're forced to go to a dinner party at the Weasleys over the holiday break, the twins give you a small gift you're absolutely not going to open.

Pairing - Fred Weasley x Fem!Gryffindor!Reader

Category - enemies to lovers, hurt/comfort, angst, fluff, slowburn

Content Warnings -cursing

Word Count - 3.8k

Even though you were seen as rude and snippy in the twins' eyes, you had friends, people you actually enjoyed being around, people who didn’t attempt to get on your nerves every five seconds. Cedric Diggory was one of them. He was your bestfriend.

Despite being put in different houses, you and Cedric became great friends, you’ve gotten along better than anyone else. You met him on the train to Hogwarts your first year, and you two connected like puzzle pieces. He’s definitely someone who isn’t unbearable to be around.

Of course, there was the occasional rumor or gossiping that would spread around annually about you and Cedric secretly being together, or that you two had something going on at least. Those were just rumors though. Cedric feels like a brother to you, he had eyes for other girls and you had no interest in a relationship. You had no interest in each other. You loved him, but only in a sibling way. He was treated like a brother.

You had other friends rather than Cedric, but you were closest to Ced. He was the only friend you would actually keep in contact with and write letters to outside of school.

✦✦✦

You carried your owl's cage and dragged your large leather suitcase down the stairs as Cedric boasted about his most recent win.

“And who did Gryfinndor get their arses whooped by last week?” He brought his hand up behind his ear, waiting for you to admit your house's loss, you simply shook your head in refusal.

“Hufflepuff!” He sang, “Who caught the snitch? Number seven, Cedric Diggory!” He cheered to himself, you rolled your eyes playfully.

“Whatever, Gryffindor only lost because Fred couldn’t keep his eyes off Angelina.”

“Ah yes, Fred is to blame. Always to blame. Another chance for you to hate him!” Cedric teased, he knew all about your hatred for the twins. Of course he has, he’s your bestfriend for Godric's sake. You’ve complained multiple times about them to him, gone on hour-long rants over whatever prank they pulled.

“Yep! Anyways, what do you have planned over the break?” You stopped at the landing of the staircases, setting down your owl and suitcase, leaning back on the stone railing, letting crowds of students pass you.

“Absolutely nothing. My dad might make me help him at work.”

“What? Wouldn’t that be cool? You’ll get to see cool creatures, right?” He scoffed at your upbeat reaction.

“I’ll get to see boring paperwork. I’ll get to organize boring folders. I’ll get to do the boring work.” He said flatly as he shrugged. “I got to see a hippogriff once though.”

“Really? How’d it go?” You

“Nearly bit off my arm.”

“Oh.” The excitement in your voice lowered. “Well, I won’t be doing anything either besides sleeping.” You teased as you grabbed your things and began to walk down the staircases again.

✦✦✦

Winter break had been going nicely. Your friends had sent letters and early Christmas gifts, small and light enough for your owl to carry, you did the same for them. You were able to sleep in, you didn’t have to worry about your things being messed with, you didn’t have to be woken up by loud and annoying voices early in the morning, and you didn’t have to deal with those bloody twins.

You woke up early today, you chose to not sleep in and went into the kitchen for breakfast. While searching the cupboards for your favorite cereal your mother walked in, an empty mug and plate in her hands.

“Good morning, sweetheart!” She said as she placed the dishes in the sink, watching a scrubber begin to float and clean the dishes by itself.

“Morning, mum. Have any letters come today?” You asked as you took the cereal and poured it into your bowl, followed by some milk.

Before your mum could open her mouth, a strong screech came from outside, followed by a loud hit into the open cupboard door next to you, both of you jumped at the sudden entrance.

You knew that old owl from anywhere. It was Errol, one of the Weasley family’s owls. He laid on the kitchen floor for a second, then stood up straight, shaking himself off and fluttering onto a chair near your mother, handing her a nicely sealed envelope. Your mum sent the owl off without giving him anything to deliver back.

“That poor bird is on its last leg.” She muttered under her breath, shaking her head as she opened the envelope. Her unamused face changed into delight as her eyes moved through the letter.

“Oh, would you look at this! The Weasleys invited us over for a dinner party!” She grinned at you, showing you the paper.

“What?” You dropped your spoon into your bowl when you heard the news, droplets of milk hitting your shirt.

“The Weasleys invited us, Molly and Arthur are hosting a dinner party for their anniversary. How sweet is that?” You grabbed the letter from her a bit too aggressively, staring at the invitation intently.

“Very kind! Do I have to go?” You got straight to the point once you asked hesitantly, looking up, you already knew what your mother's answer would be.

“What?- Yes you have to go! Don’t be ridiculous.” Your mother scoffed, slightly shocked at your response to the invitation, taking the letter back from you.

“Please, mum! You know I will not be able to handle being there for more than five minutes.” You pleaded.

“What are you talking about? The Weasleys are very good people, y/n. You know that. You should be appreciative that they invited us.” She said sternly, a slight scowl forming on her face.

“I’m not talking about the Weasley family, I’m talking about Fred and George! The twins! They’re horrible! Please, just let me stay home, mum. You can tell them I’m sick or already on a trip with friends!” There was pure determination in your words, you were not going to spend any amount of time around Fred and George Weasley during your break.

“No, Y/N. They invited us, which means you too. It’ll only be for a single afternoon, you can deal with it.” Your mother shut down your begging, “Make sure you have a dress or…just find some nice clothes to wear, the dinner is tomorrow.” She began to leave the kitchen, turning around to ask you one last thing.

“Also, could you send a letter back? Saying that we will be there? Thanks, darling.” She walked out of the room before you could protest anymore. You groaned, placing your head in your hands.

✦✦✦

This wasn’t the first time you were invited to the Weasley's house. There was one or two times where they invited you, you would’ve gone if Fred and George didn’t live there, so you faked being sick.

Of course, your mother wouldn’t fall for it this time. So, you slipped on a nice pair of jeans and a comfortably warm sweater.

While checking yourself out in the mirror, making sure nothing looked weird on you, an owl flew onto your windowsill, holding a bright purple envelope sealed with orange wax in between its beak. You were hesitant to take the envelope from it. You’ve never seen this bird before.

You nervously took the envelope from the bird and it flew away without any problem. Being more confused than ever, you flipped the envelope to the back, maybe it had been delivered to the wrong person?

However, your address was issued underneath it, it even stated where your bedroom was. Your stomach tensed, this was creepy. A bird you’ve never seen before shows up at your window with a tacky envelope that has direct instructions to your bedroom.

You opened it cautiously, not knowing what would be inside, as soon as it was halfway open, confetti and a few miniature fireworks popped out.

A little birdy (no pun intended) told us you were coming over tonight! Can’t wait to see you, we miss seeing your scowls and hearing your mean voice! - F & G

Of course, the twins. How the hell did they know the exact location of your room? While trying to figure that out, you nearly missed the small writing at the bottom of the card.

p.s. we have a gift for you, hopefully, you’ll like it :)

You furiously crumbled it up, practically slamming it into your trash bin. Stomping back to your mirror, you picked out all the bits of confetti that had got caught in your hair and the few pieces on your sweater and floor until your mum told you it was time to leave.

Merlin, have mercy on me. You thought to yourself.

✦✦✦

The dinner party wasn’t as bad as you thought it would be. The first thing you noticed was how Mrs. and Mr. Weasley were the most welcoming and kindest people you met. You wondered how Mrs. Weasley especially dealt with the twins and their mischief for fifteen years of her life.

When you sat down at the table with everyone else, you were disappointed in Harry and Hermione's absences, you expected at least one of them to be there. However, Hermione was traveling with her parents and Harry wasn’t allowed to leave the Dursleys home.

You kept your distance from the twins, choosing the seat that was farthest from them at the table, sticking by Ginny's side and making conversation with her. Yet, the twins still took any chance they could get to mess with you.

They stole food off your plate when you weren’t looking, taking whatever bowl of food you were reaching for first, even putting whatever potion they made to cause your roasted ham to turn into a green color.

“Hey, it’s like that one muggle book, with the guy who rhymes!” Fred pointed out.

“What was his name? Dr.Sauce?” Fred quipped, Ginny let out a small giggle at the name.

“Dr.Seuss, Fred.” Mr. Weasley corrected, “I’ve actually had to take in a few of his books at work. One bloke was trying to figure out why the drawings weren’t moving.” Their dad chuckled and nudged you playfully with his elbow.

Anyway, you tried to stay as positive and nice as you could at the table, but you had to refrain from rolling your eyes anytime Fred or George opened their mouths. Any slight expression of annoyance would earn you a small kick under the table and a stern stare from your mum, your dad would clear his throat or raise his eyebrows at you, these were their ways of saying “Behave, be nice, I’m warning you.”

You were still upset that you had to deal with the one thing- two things you were glad to stay away from, that you expected to stay away from during your winter break. You only had one unwanted big interaction with them, the others were small.

All the adults were in the front yard drinking and having their “alone time from you kids” as Mr. Weasley jokingly said to you. Ginny and Ron were arguing over the TV remote, constantly stealing it from each other and changing the channel to what one of them wanted.

You made your escape by excusing yourself to the kitchen, going to the sink, and refilling your glass with water.

While taking a drink from your glass, you weren’t paying attention to the sneaky and slow footsteps coming behind you. The next thing you felt was two sets of hands on each of your upper arms and you heard two loud troll-like screams.

You jumped and choked on your water, coughing violently as you put down your glass and turned around, shoving both of the twins away as they chuckled.

“What the hell was that for?” You fumed through hard coughs.

“We missed you! We haven’t been able to tease you in months!” George chuckled.

“It feels like we’ve been going through withdrawals.” Fred dramatically said, putting a hand over his heart.

“It’s not teasing, it’s annoying and rude. Now I'd like for both of you to get away from me.” You shoved yourself through both of them, splitting them apart from each other.

✦✦✦

The biggest sigh of relief left your body when you finally got back home. You traveled by floo powder and while getting ready to throw the dust down, you heard those two annoying voices call your name.

“Y/N! Y/N! We haven’t given you your gift yet!” You smiled mockingly as you said your address out loud, throwing the powder down and letting the green flames engulf you and send you back to the fireplace at your home.

“See, that wasn’t so bad, wasn’t it?” Your father teased as you brushed the floo powder off your clothes. “I know those boys irritate you but you’re going to have to learn how to deal with it unfortunately. I don’t believe that won’t be the only visit we make to the Weasley's burrow. You know your mum will want to invite them over too now.” He patted your shoulder and left the room.

You slipped off your shoes and headed upstairs, by the time you opened your door, there was an owl sitting at your windowsill once again. The same owl from before you left with the same tacky envelope.

You took it and opened it clumsily. You breathed out and began to read the messy handwriting.

It was very nice to see your face again! We missed you!

They didn’t miss you, they missed playing pranks on you.

So sweet for you to come over and see us! Can’t wait until we get back to school, we have a few surprises up our sleeves. Anyways, hope you enjoyed the dinner!

Love, Gred and Forge

p.s. you forgot your gift! :(

You rolled your eyes as you tossed the card into the trash, walking up to the owl, you hadn’t noticed the small box in its claws, the owl dropped it in your hand, and you stared at it intently.

A small purple box, wrapped with an orange ribbon and tie on top. What’s with them and the colors purple and orange?

You noticed the owl was still sitting at your window as if it was waiting for you to give a letter back.

“Go on, shoo! I’m not sending anything back!” You waved the feathery bird off, lying back down on your bed, going back to analyzing the little box. You didn’t open it, you knew there was most likely some trick to it, maybe like a bunch of glitter would shoot out, or a million tiny fireworks. They wouldn’t give you a plain present, there always had to be something mischievous added to it.

You set it down on your nightstand by your bed. Maybe you’d open it. But not now, you’ll deal with whatever happens when you open it later.

✦✦✦

Maybe about two hours later that bloody owl had come back. You snatched the letter and tore it open, there was no more care in you to be neat with the envelopes.

It’s a bit rude to receive our letter and not respond, I thought you’d said before that you were the one with manners, Ms. Y/L/N. How’d you like your gift? Don’t leave us waiting and wondering!

One of them had drawn a stick figure with a sad face, with tiny rows of tears falling from its eyes. You smiled at it, then stopped, going back to a straight face once you remembered who this drawing was from. You did not find the twins funny, you never will.

You stomped over to your desk, grabbing a piece of paper, a bottle of ink, and your quill, writing the only letter you would ever send them willingly.

The dinner was very nice, I’m grateful and appreciative that your mother let us come over. I thank her for that. I’m not trusting that box you gave me. I’m not sending any more letters to you two dimwits. Now, shut up and leave me alone you CREEPS!

You wrote the last word in red ink with multiple underlines, hoping they would get your message and finally leave you alone, you knew they wouldn’t, but you tried anyway. You signed your name off nicely, unbothered to put it in an envelope, you weren’t going to put a single bit of effort into anything that was for Fred and George. You gave your paper to your owl this time instead of theirs, giving her sweet words of appreciation and asking her for one extra favor.

“Bite Fred for me, or whichever twin is closer.” You smiled, sending your owl out your window and off into the air.

Only thirty minutes later your owl had returned with a letter, the same one you had sent to them, the only difference was that it had different writing on the back.

We’ll see about that. You let out an angry sigh, crumpling it up and throwing it into the bin, along with the various other purple envelopes.

You closed and locked your window, putting your owl in her cage and letting her go to bed, covering her cage with a sheet so she wouldn’t be woken up by any light. Then, you decided to go to bed as well, hoping you would sleep through any other attempts of the boys trying to piss you off by sending you letters.

Fortunately, after that it was silent. Unfortunately, your own thoughts were too loud, they were keeping you awake.

There was a small interaction you had with Fred, it lasted probably for only a minute.

You were standing in the corner of the kitchen as everyone was conversing in their own separate groups. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley talking to your parents, Ginny and Hermione both complaining about Ron, Ron and Harry were debating about something Quidditch related with the twins.

All the social interaction had drained you, and you really needed to be alone. You excused yourself once again to the bathroom, which was on the third floor. You stood around for a little while in the bathroom, with how talkative your parents were, you knew you wouldn’t be leaving for the next few hours.

You wondered how long you could be there, how long it would take for anybody to notice that you've been gone for an abnormally large amount of time. You realized you couldn’t hide in the bathroom forever so you left.

You reached the first floor when you realized you weren't ready to go back down where everyone was, you decided to wander down the hallway. Walking slowly and taking small steps, taking a look at each room with an open door. The rooms were a bit small but still nice, at least Ginny’s was still nice.

Her bed was neatly made, there was a wooden desk that had little trinkets lined up across it, a quill and ink sat carefully on top of some papers. Her wall had various Hogwarts and Gryffindor-related things stuck to it.

The next room was above hers, on the second floor. This one was a bit more spacious than the others. Two beds on opposite sides of the room, and another large wooden desk, the same as Ginny’s placed right in front of a window. Except this desk was messy, the whole room was messy.

Beds unmade, socks sprawled across the floor, clothes shoved poorly into their dresser drawer, some popular rock wizard bands posters terribly taped and quidditch medals pinned to the wall. Their desk had multiple crumpled-up balls of paper on it and around it, envelopes, drops, and splatters of black ink staining the glossy wood, candy wrappers, an open textbook nearly about to fall off the edge, and papers with sketches and such bad handwriting it looked like scribbles.

You fully walked into the room and went over to the desk, picking up one of the parchments that had the most eligible writing. It was a list of sweets, apparently. You’ve never heard of these before.

- CANARY CREAM

- SCREAMING YO-YO

- FEVER FUDGE

- PUKING PASTILLE

- GLOW IN THE DARK GUM

- WEATHER IN A BOTTLE

“Hasn’t your mother told you not to snoop around?” A voice asked from behind you. You jumped and turned around quickly, only to see a tall, redheaded, smirking boy leaning against the doorway.

Fred, you could tell it was him. He and George are easy to tell apart, for you at least. The way Fred carries himself, how he stands, how he looks, how he annoys you.

“Hasn’t yours told you not to sneak up on people?” You bit back. He shrugged and pushed himself away from the doorway, slowly walking towards you.

“Ah! You’ve found me and George's great ideas!” He nodded at the paper that was still in your hand. The paper that had their “great” ideas, sure.

“How are these great? Fever fudge? Puking pastille? Who would even want these? It’s sick!” You said disgustedly.

“They are sick. Literally.” He chuckled, only to get a grimace from you. “Anyways, kids who want to get out of class want these. But, we’re still working on them. Some of them haven’t worked out the way we wanted them to.” He trailed off.

“Yeah, like the canary cream.” You let out a small scoff.

“Listen, it was an accident!” Fred cried out, taking the paper from you.

“An accident you thought was hilarious.” You spat. Fred’s eyes wandered until they got stuck on a shiny piece of something in your hair. Confetti.

“Uh, you’ve got some confetti in your hair.” He pointed out. Your eyes grew wide in embarrassment, you’d been here the entire time with confetti still stuck in your hair and no one informed you about it. You took your fingers and immediately started combing through your hair.

“Did I get it?” You asked anxiously, Fred only shook his head from side to side. You repeated your actions and asked again, he repeated his again in response.

“You know what, let me just…” He mumbled, his hand reaching out to your head, plucking out the piece with caution to not pluck out a strand of your hair as well, you didn’t stop him. “There. It’s out.” He gave you a tight-lipped smile.

There was a pause between you two. Time felt like it slowed down as he removed his hand from your hair. There was a twinkle in his eye, his face glowed in the moonlight which was the only source of light in the room.

“Well, no thanks to you. You’re the one who caused it to get stuck there in the first place.” You shoved past him once again. Heading back downstairs.

Tossing, turning, constantly changing your position, removing blankets, flipping your pillows. Nothing seemed to help you get comfortable. You even tried the classic counting sheep. Nothing.

The moonlight peeked through your windows, and a large stripe of light shined on that stupid little box. You couldn’t take your eyes off it.

#fred weasley #fred weasley fic #fred weasley x reader #fred weasley x fem!reader #fred weasley fluff #fred weasley angst #fred weasley fanfic #anyone but you fic #fred weasley series #fred weasley smut #enemies to lovers #anyone but you series

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fanfics-and-love · 1 year

Text

Losing Sense of My Morality

Ghostface!Sam Carpenter x fem!reader

Not my gif

Warning(s): canon typical violence, ghostface!Sam, mentions of death, mentions of blood, mentions of drugs, sexy Sam with a knife

Word count: 4.5K words

Summary: Sam had always known something was wrong with her. When she met you, she knew there's was nothing she wouldn't do to keep you safe, even if it meant truly becoming her father's daughter

masterlist | series masterlist

Sam wasn’t sure when the darkness began to take over, or if it had just been always present and she had never fully noticed, terrified of what acknowledging it would mean.

When she had first read her mother’s diary and had learned about Billy Loomis, she had almost sighed in relief, because it finally explained her erratic thoughts that would sometimes choke her. But it petrified her as well, because she wasn’t sure what was really stopping her from becoming his legacy, if there was really something holding her back or she was just a ticking bomb waiting to explode and take everyone she cared for with her.

She started reading articles about him, and his mother as well— her own grandmother. Every letter, word and phrase would sink her further into her fear.

At first she tried to drown it all with alcohol, petrified of snapping at her little sister or scaring her mother even more. However, it seemed to have the opposite reaction; she began to hallucinate him, in the clothes he wore when he betrayed his friends and made Woodsboro a place of nightmares in years to come. She would see him when she was blinded by anxiety or taken by fear. She sometimes wondered if he was really there, or if she had truly gone crazy.

And one day she couldn’t take it anymore, and packed her bags and left her house and family behind. She moved to a different town, found a job and thought she had finally everything back in control. She almost felt like a little kid who had tricked her way out of being grounded after breaking a vase.

Sam stopped drinking, and doing drugs, and found a nice balanced life that she told herself she enjoyed, even if she went to sleep every night looking at the photo of her sister smiling at the camera, showing off her missing front tooth.

Everything was okay, until she met you and she realized nothing had been okay.

You were a senior in high school, who had gone to the bowling alley to celebrate one of your friend’s eighteenth birthday, and she had taken a look at you and her heart had stopped beating for a moment. Her mouth had opened and closed a few times when you had approached her, asking for bowling shoes your size.

You were beautiful, to put simply. Sam had to lower her head a little to look into your eyes, but she found it adorable. She found everything about you adorable, and after a few weeks of talking on the phone, she asked you out on a date, and you said yes.

You began dating, and you couldn’t be happier. Sam was the perfect girlfriend; attentive, sweet, and loyal. She would sometimes pick you up from school and spend the entire day doing your favorite things when she knew you were feeling stressed out. She would also help you with your homework, and was exceptional in Math, which you were thankful for since you sucked at it.

You didn’t care that she was older than you, or that she was very reluctant to tell you much about her past; you loved her, and she loved you, and that was all that mattered.

Until she got a text message and began to freak out.

“What is it?” You asked when you saw her run off from the bowling alley. You had decided to spend the afternoon with her as she worked, since your parents were out of town and your friends didn’t have any plans for the day, choosing to stay in and study for finals. When you caught up to her, her face was completely white.

“My sister,” she whispered. “She— she’s hurt. In the hospital.”

“Shit,” you said, kneeling down beside her. She gave you a soft smile when you grabbed her face in your hands to look into her eyes. “Is it, like, serious? Is she okay?”

“I’m not sure,” she murmured, grabbing your waist and putting you into her lap. You allowed, knowing she was seeking out comfort.

“Are you going to check on her?” you asked after a moment. Sam put her face out of your neck and sighed.

“I’m not sure.”

“I think you should,” you said, moving a piece of hair out of her face. Her eyes were red.

“She kinda hates me,” Sam said. She wasn’t sure, of course; she hadn’t seen or talked with Tara in years, but if she was anything as she remembered her, she would probably scream at her and give her the cold shoulder. Especially if she told her the reason why she ran away.

“Better not give her a reason to hate you more,” you murmured, trying to make her feel better. She chuckled, but didn’t say anything for a while.

“I’m not sure I’d be welcomed.”

“You won’t know ‘til you try,” you said, smiling softly. “How about this— tomorrow is Friday, and I don’t have classes on Monday; I can go with you this weekend, and we can have a small vacation before I start with finals.”

“You can’t just leave, sweetheart,” Sam said, though she was wishing you would say otherwise. If she was going to face her sister, it would be better with you by her side. Everything was better when she had you close to her.

“I can,” you said. “Listen. I understand if you don’t wanna go, or if you want to do it alone, but if you want me to accompany you, all you have to do is ask.”

“Don’t you think it’d be weird?” Sam asked. “You leaving town with your much older girlfriend right before graduation?”

You rolled your eyes. “You’re like, three years older,” you said, hating how often she used that argument. You sometimes suspected she used it to push you away from her, as if she was trying to punish herself for something. “And I’m turning twenty in a few months. Stop acting like it’s weird.”

You had been held back a year back in middle school after you spent the entire first and second semester sick. Your parents had thought it was the best idea, but you hated that decision since you were basically older than everyone else in your class, which made it hard to really connect with anyone.

“It kinda is,” she said, moving her head to the side.

“Shut up,” you said, punching her shoulder. She laughed, kissing your forehead.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “I want you to come with me. But I think I should tell you about why I even ran away in the first place.”

“You don’t have to if you don’t want to,” you said. Sam smiled; she loved how you never pushed her into doing anything she wasn’t comfortable with.

“I kinda do,” she admitted. “Do you know Woodsboro?”

You thought for a moment. “I don’t think so. Should I?”

Sam looked a little taken aback. “The town with all those serial killers?”

“Oh, shit. Yeah,” you nodded. “Those wanky ass movies. Yeah. It’s close, right? Because I remember my mom freaked out about it when I was young. Almost had us moving out and everything. You lived there?”

“Yes,” Sam said. “Born and raised. I ran away when I was eighteen, and moved around towns until I found a job here.”

“Well, no wonder you left,” you said. “They say that town is cursed.”

“I might be as well,” she said. You looked at her questioningly. “When I was young, I… I discovered something about my father, and… I fucked things up at home, and I started to drink and do other things…” you caressed her arm, where needle scars could be slightly seen. “It was too much, and I just decided to leave one day.”

“Damn,” you said. “That’s a lot. I’m sorry that happened to you.”

“It’s okay,” Sam said, and it was true. Ever since she met you, her mind was too busy thinking about you to allow passage to those thoughts that used to make her wish for a glass of her mother’s best whiskey. “My father, he…” she swallowed. “He was Billy Loomis.”

You stayed quiet for a moment. “I’m guessing with your dramatic pause that name should ring a bell, but I’m not into murder mysteries or scary movies.”

Sam nodded. When she had first discovered you weren’t into horror movies, she had sighed in relief. Of course you wouldn’t know about him; you were too pure to be tainted by his presence. “He was one of the original killers.”

“Shit,” you whispered. “Jesus, Sam… of course you’d want to escape that place. I’m sure your sister will understand.”

“I’m not so sure,” she whispered.

“There’s only one way to find out.”

━━━ • 𖥸 • ━━━

It shouldn’t have happened this way. It was the only thing in Sam’s mind as she sat in the waiting room, killing time as you were getting surgery.

“A punctured lung,” one of the doctors had said. “She’s lucky to be alive. We’ll do everything we can.”

It shouldn’t be you in that cold bed, with sheets as white as your face. It should’ve been me instead.

When you had gotten into town, things had been good. You had met her sister and her friends, and you had stayed with her as she told Tara the truth, and even when she was attacked by ghostface at the hospital (god, you hated that name so much). You defended her when everyone had started to point fingers in her direction, and had held her at night when she finally broke down and had told you about her father, whom she was starting to see in every corner, just like she used to before she met you.

Richie had attacked you. Amber’s weird old nerdy boyfriend, who everyone suspected of. He had thrown you into the ground and stabbed you, laughing as he did so, screaming about how he was going to kill Sam’s little whore.

Sam hadn’t been able to stop nor control herself. When she had seen the blood coming out of your mouth, she had thrown herself against Richie and grabbed his knife, stabbing him over and over in every inch of body she could get. She didn’t even stop when Tara called out her name, petrified at the sight of her sister’s crazened stare, nor when Sidney had tried to take the knife from her hands. The only thing that had made her break out of her thirst for vengeance was your gasps for air, watery from all the blood gathering in your throat and drowning you.

“Baby,” Sam had whispered, moving towards you. She had held you in her arms, hands shaking when she saw all the blood. Richie’s and yours, mixed up in her skin. She hated it. It was all her fault.

Something had snapped inside of her afterwards. She had carried you towards the ambulance that Gale had called, not even bothering to wait until they fully stopped driving before screaming that you were hurt and needed help. Afterwards she had been driven to the hospital by Sidney, with Tara in the backseat staring at her.

Sam didn't care. She couldn’t think of anything but the warmth of your blood as it escaped your body. The mere thought brought tears to her eyes.

That had been a day ago, and Sam couldn’t move from the chair she had sat on when the doctor had told her the news. She had only done so to awkwardly wash herself in the hospital bathroom sink, rubbing at her skin until it was red and raw; she had changed into the clothes Tara had brought with her, and had simply moved back into the chair.

“Sam,” Tara called out, watching as her sister rejected the food she was offering her. “Sam. We need to talk.”

“I’m not in the mood,” Sam whispered, resting her head in her hands. She knew once she opened her eyes again, she would see Billy sitting in front of her, smiling.

You did good, kid. He would say. You protected your girl. Don’t let them tell you it was wrong.

But it was wrong, and Sam knew. Even if she didn’t feel like it, she knew— it was one thing to attack in self defense, another to stab a man’s body until he was unrecognizable. She knew it, because she was not stupid, but still her hand shook with the need to grab a knife and stab that man again, until Billy finally left and you woke up.

“I don’t fucking care,” Tara said. “Sam, what you did—”

“I did what I had to do to protect her,” she said. She wasn’t sure if her tone was too harsh, but given Tara’s flinch she guessed it was. “Just as I’d have done with you.”

“Fifty-eight times,” Tara said.

“I know,” Sam said. There was shame and regret in her voice, and it was not faked. She really felt bad, but not for what she did; she simply regretted making her sister see her in such a state. “I know. I know. God, I fucking know, Tara,” she looked into her sister’s eyes. After she had discovered her mother’s secret, Sam had spent hours looking at Tara’s face to find some similarities between herself and her. She loved that their eyes were the same. “I don’t know what happened.”

“I get it,” Tara said, softly. She was trying to help her, Sam knew, but she was doomed; no one but you could understand her. “But you need to know that’s not normal.”

“Gosh, Tara,” Sam said, looking away from her. “Of course I fucking know. But don’t tell me he didn’t have it coming.”

“He did,” Tara whispered. It almost looked like she was scared of Sam. “But… Sam, it looked like you weren’t there. Like… like you’ve disappeared for a moment. Your eyes…”

“My girlfriend was bleeding out on the floor and the man who harmed her was going to hurt her again. Was going to kiII her,” Sam said. She needed Tara to understand. “I would’ve done anything to make sure she was safe.”

“I know,” Tara said. “But… promise me when she’s okay, you’d consider therapy? Please?”

Sam looked into her eyes again, pleading and desperate. She nodded. “Of course,” She said, and then laughed. “I’m gonna need so much fucking therapy I might need another job.”

“Fuck. Me too,” Tara laughed with her, resting her head on Sam’s shoulder. The older woman had sighed in relief.

“One thing, though,” Sam said after a moment of comforting silence.

“What?”

“Don’t tell Y/N about this,” Sam whispered. “Please. I… I know what I did was wrong, but… It was the adrenaline. And I’m going to get help, alright? I— I just don’t want her to leave me over this.”

“Okay,” Tara nodded. “I won’t.”

“Thanks.”

━━━━ • 𖥸 • ━━━━

And so you woke up, and Tara kept her promise.

You managed to finish your exams while you were still in the hospital, and decided to spend your summer vacation with Sam and her sister in Woodsboro, where you planned on moving into New York with them after the universities acceptance letters began to arrive.

Your parents weren’t too happy about it, but they were glad you were at least going to a good college and that moving in with people you knew instead of strangers, especially after what happened (your mother was honestly just glad you weren’t going to stay in Woodsboro, so when you told her you had gotten into Colombia, she clapped her hands and told you how happy she was through the phone)

And so New York it was. Sam found a nice apartment for the two of you and Tara; it had three bedrooms, so with time, Tara proposed a roommate.

That was when it all began again— that burning feeling in Sam’s chest that screamed at her to keep you safe, to take you away from everyone and ensure you were okay. Every time Tara interviewed someone for the room, Sam stayed in the shadows, looking at the person and imagining them in Richie’s place, stabbing you until you stopped breathing.

She couldn’t stand it. She wanted to— she wanted to kill them.

And then Quinn moved in. Tara liked her, and you as well. She was funny, kinda crazy, easy to talk to and an extrovert. The perfect roommate, Tara had said, since she was barely at home.

Yet Sam hated her. She hated when she would walk into the kitchen and see you laughing with her, close enough for your elbows to touch. Sam hated it, especially because she was being irrational— you loved her, and you would never cheat on her. If she were to talk with her therapist about it, he would tell her that she was feeling intrusive thoughts, and would prescribe her more pills to keep her mind at ease.

But she wasn’t crazy. She knew Quinn liked you. She could feel it in the way her eyes traveled down your body when you were going to the kitchen after dinner to grab a bottle of water, her intense stare on the skin your pyjama shorts didn’t cover.

“She’s trying to take your girl,” Billy would whisper in her ear once you two were in bed. “Are you gonna let her?”

No. No, she wouldn’t. She would die if she saw someone stealing you. She needed you like air, dependent on you like a fish relied on water.

And so in October, when the streets began to fill with Halloween decorations, she saw it. Ghostface’s mask.

With shaky hands, she pulled her wallet and bought it. She hid it in her backpack, and only took it out the next day, when you and Tara were in class. The silence of the house soon filled with Billy’s voice.

“That’s right,” he said, standing over the doorway. “Put it on, kid. Own who you are.”

Sam looked at the mask. It was cheat, made of thin plastic, nothing like the ones the other killers had worn, but once she put it on and looked at herself in the mirror, a thrill went down her back.

Excitement, a rush of adrenaline so addictive Sam almost felt lightheaded. She hadn’t felt like this since she had killed Richie.

“Now go kill that bitch,” Billy said, standing behind her. For the first time since he had irrumpted her sanity, his presence made her feel glad, happy, even.

She couldn’t just kill Quinn, of course. She wasn’t stupid. She had to wait for the perfect time, and once she had it, she would take it and make that woman rue the day she laid eyes on you.

She wasn’t going to be like her father, she was going to be so much worse.

━━━━ • 𖥸 • ━━━━

The time came a few days later. Quinn was going to a party with Tara, and you were going to stay in with Sam, as a small date.

She enjoyed the quiet night together. You made her dinner, and despite the lasagna being a little burnt because you two had been too busy making out on the couch to take it out, she loved it. You watched a movie together, cuddled on the sofa, and then, feeling adventurous, she carried you towards the bedroom as if you were a bride on your wedding day. She made love to you, and pretended to fall asleep beside you, but once she had made sure you were sleeping, she had gotten up and grabbed her backpack.

Sam had left the house then, as quietly as she could, and once she was outside in a place without cameras, she had gotten the mask out, alongside the black robe. She had put on the mask, and the robe, with the backpack underneath out of fear someone might find it and track the crime down to her. She had to be careful— she couldn’t be put into prison. She had to be with you to ensure you were safe.

“Do it, kid,” Billy said when she had grabbed a hunting knife she had stolen in a store. “Go kill her.”

“Shut the fuck up,” she said, turning around. “Leave me alone.”

Her breath was heavy as she blinked and the man left her. Sam shook her head; she couldn’t waste time on this. She needed to be quick; you usually woke up at midnight to go to the bathroom.

Gripping the knife, she made the small walk towards the house. Halloween was still a week away, but college students were already throwing Halloween parties. No one looked twice at the woman in disguise, thinking it was just another party-goer.

She waited on the front door of the apartment, and bid her time until Quinn appeared. The redhead smoke, so it wasn’t too long until she appeared, cigarette in her mouth, probably kicked out by the owner of the apartment. She was wearing a red dress and small wings, in what she had called a slutty demon. Sam hated the way she had particularly asked you if you liked it, even though you were too distracted with preparing dinner to really look at her.

With that memory alone, she was once again taken by anger. Not letting the woman time to light up her cigarette, she walked towards her and stabbed her in the back.

Quinn screamed in pain, her lighter falling to the ground as she tried to run. But Sam was fast, tripping her over and making her fall to the ground face first. Quinn screamed for help, but the few people around were too drunk to understand the girl was in actual danger.

It was almost too good to be true.

Feeling enlightened by her screams, Sam turned her over, slamming the knife into her abdomen over and over. Her arm seemed to have life on its own, swinging back and forth. Sam breathed hard against the mask, laughing when splashes of blood flew out of Quinn’s mouth and into the piece of plastic covering the brunette’s face.

“Please, please,” Quinn was begging. Her entire face was covered in the blood she was choking on, and Sam stopped the stabbing to admire the sight beneath her. It was beautiful, the red mixing in with the dress. Two shades of red coming together so perfectly it almost looked like nothing had happened to her.

But it had. Oh, it had. Sam cleaned the bloody knife in the robe and raised up from Quinn’s body. The girl sighed, thinking the stabbing was over. She was already reaching out for her phone, which she was keeping in the pocket of her dress. When Sam saw it, she slammed her boot against the hand. Quinn screamed again, and Sam stepped on the hand until she heard the bones cracking. Only then did she kneeled beside her.

“This is what happens when you try to take my girl,” she whispered, as close to her ear as the mask allowed it. Sam saw recognition flash over her face, and with a smile, she raised the knife and stabbed her in the face until the girl stopped moving.

The walk back home felt almost like a dream. Sam had to look at her bloody gloves a few times to make sure if she really had done it, or if it was all a fantasy. But the red against the black answered her question every time.

I did it, she thought. I killed that bitch.

She was chuckling when she took off the mask and stared at it, the white tainted with splashes of blood. She liked the sight of it.

Sam could barely remember going back home, or hiding the backpack with the mask, boots and knife underneath one of the loose floorboards of the living room. She wasn’t even aware of her erratic breathing until she got back into bed. She wrapped her arms around you and you turned around, cuddling into her neck. Only then did she finally take a deep breath, smelling the scent of your vanilla shampoo.

Safe, she thought with a sight, pressing you closer into her body. Safe and mine.

Tara woke the two of you up a few minutes later, running into the room and talking about ghostface. Sam rubbed her eyes and complained about being awake even though it wasn’t true, and allowed Bailey to take her into the police station to interrogate her. It was a perfect alibi, just as she had planned; you had told them everything that had happened the night before, recalling how Sam had fallen asleep before you. Tara had also told the blonde how she had been the one who had woken the two of you up after she had talked to the police.

Sam was innocent. They had nothing against her.

The routinary questioning stopped pretty soon, and you waited for her outside the police station as Tara called Mindy and Chad. She caught up with them, and they agreed to meet up in your apartment.

Sam walked away a few minutes later, hugging you tight. She pretended to freak out with Tara as they talked, aware detective Bailey was still watching. She even feigned getting scared when a police officer ran towards her, handing you your phone which you had forgotten in the station. She kept Tara and you close on the way home, pretending to be scared of getting attacked. She held you close to her on the sofa, putting you on her lap when Tara began to tell the others about the night before.

She almost wanted to tell you not to be afraid when you two went up to your room after Mindy and Chad left. She hated seeing you scared. She had done all of this to make sure you were safe.

“Hey,” she said, when you started to really freak out. “Hey, baby,” she grabbed your face, kissing your forehead. “Don’t worry, baby,” she whispered. When she saw tears forming in your eyes, her thumbs whipped them. “I’ll keep you safe, okay? I’ll always protect you.”

Sam hugged you, allowing you to cry into her shoulder. She whispered sweet nothings into your ear, promising nothing would happen to you.

You told her she couldn’t promise something like that when Ghostface had come back, but she just shook her head, kissing you. She knew, but she couldn’t tell you.

So she just held you close, basking in the warmth of your body close to hers. The warmth was sweeter and more innocent than the blood that had splashed from Quinn’s dying body, and she closed her eyes.

Sam didn’t regret it one bit. She would do it again if someone tried to take you away from her. She would do it over and over until it was only the two of you, alone in the world.

#sam carpenter #scream #sam carpenter x reader #scream v #scream 5 #tara carpenter #scream 2022 #samantha carpenter x reader #samantha carpenter #sam carpenter x you #ghostface!sam carpenter #ghostface!sam carpenter x reader #scream imagine #melissa barrera #Losing Sense of My Morality

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srjlvr · 1 year

Text

,, together ‘‘

“smile for the camera!”

bestfriend!jungwon X bestfriend!gnReader

jungwon had enough of keeping his feelings for himself and decides to finally confess, but in a different way. || genre fluff and fluff, bsf2lvrs!au ! || wc 2.9k+ || lowercase intended. || warnings mentions of food, swearing words. || ✎ ᝰ . finally got time to write for jungwon! i think i might like this one better than the smau i have for him-

“if i were you i would’ve wish for us to be together”

“morning ms. yang! is jungwon awake? i called him like million times this morning, we’re gonna be late because of him!” you looked at the woman standing behind the door with full curiosity.

“morning y/n dear! i saw him getting ready, but haven’t seen him leave his room, go up and check on him” she smiled and you did as she said, “if the teachers yell at you then tell them its his fault!! i wouldn’t mind if he gets detention!” she added.

you and jungwon had been best friends ever since you were born. your mothers were best friends in their childhood, and even got pregnant at the same time because they wanted their children to be like them.

you live right next to each other, go to school together every day and even got to be at the same class. you annoy each other nonstop and everyone is surely convinced you’re going to end up together, you two are literally inseparable.

you went up to jungwon’s bedroom, and to your surprise, you saw jungwon with his uniform and bag on him, sleeping.

“yah! wake up you rat! we’re going to be late because of you!” you threw one of his pillows at him to wake him up. he blocked the pillow with his hands and checked the clock.

“why didn’t you call me!” he rubbed his hair. “oh you gotta be kidding me” you rolled your eyes, grabbed his hand and dragged him out of his house.

“i have your mother’s allowance to blame you for being late so if we’re late today just know you’re the one to get detention” you stick out your tongue and he rolled his eyes, “can’t i have to go to the film club today to get my camera” he shrugged.

“i’ll help you get it in the break!” you suggested. “okay” he nodded and smiled.

at the end, you arrived a minute before school started and quickly ran to your class. “that was close” you heavily breathed after running to the class. jungwon put his hands on his knees and breathed heavily as well, “next time just wake me up” he said and dragged you to your table.

class started and you were bored as hell, you looked over to your seatmate, jungwon, who was just as bored as you, and as soon as you made an eye contact you burst out laughing for no reason.

“y/n and jungwon! is anything funny to you?” the teacher angrily glared at you two. “not at all ms.! we apologize” you apologized and as soon as she turned back to the board, you started quietly laughing while trying so hard not to make any sound.

class ended and it was break time. “let’s go get your camera” you reminded him and he nodded. you two walked together to the film club hand in hand, it was something you and jungwon were used to do ever since you were little, holding hands together while having a walk.

you arrived at the film club and grabbed his camera bag with his camera in it. his camera bag was designed in the most beautiful way in your eyes, it had his name written in black and a few cute stickers of cats on it, it had a cute little handwriting of yours saying, “i’ll wait for you to become a famous photographer, always rooting for you<3. — y/n” as well, that’s why you love it so much.

“will i ever be able to take a picture in this camera?” you asked him. “maybe one day” he smiled, “let’s go to eat now” he added and you nodded.

the rest of the day went by real fast and it was already time for you to go home. you waited for jungwon to put his things in his locker and dragged him outside when he finished.

two of your friends joined your walk and interrupted your conversation about today’s dinner. “can you two stop sticking to each other already? i want y/n to myself too!” one of them complain. you just giggled and shrugged it off.

“jungwon! can you take a picture of us?” you asked happily and he nodded.

jungwon loves to take pictures of you, he realized his feelings about you through the camera.

it was a few years ago, when he first got his camera and you asked him to take a picture of you and your friends. “smile for the camera!” he said excitedly. that’s when he realized he was only looking at you and your smile.

out of all the people that stood in front of the camera, you were the one that interested him. he finally understood that time, that he’s slowly falling for you with each day that comes by.

“thank you! i’ll save if to myself” you giggled and set your friends free. “let’s go! we’re eating dinner at ours today! i’ve got to help my mom” you dragged him once again.

you were all sitting at your table at dinner, eating and joking about everything. it was your usual routine, eating dinner, yours and jungwon’s family, together.

“ah right, y/n! your birthday is in two days!” jungwon’s mom excitedly clapped her hands and you nodded. “it won’t be a big event, just a small one with us and you all” your mother replied and she nodded.

“you’re all grown up already! finally jungwon won’t tease you about being older than you by a month” his father said and chuckled.

the rest of the dinner went perfectly fine and jungwon’s family had already left, so you were helping your mother clean everything up. “have you seen jungwon through the whole dinner time?” you mother asked.

“no, why?” you innocently asked. “he was staring at you the whole time! i already told you he likes you” you mother teased you. your cheeks started heating up a bit and a small smile appeared on your face, “don’t lie mom! he wasn’t looking at me at all!”

even though it felt nice for you to hear it, you can’t seem to believe the fact that jungwon likes you. you’ve been liking him ever since you were twelve, and you’re fully convinced he only sees you as his best friend and nothing more. “and even if he did, it’s only because we’re friends, i can look at you all day too but it doesn’t mean i like you, right?”

“something in his eyes was different, like heart eyes, you know what i mean” she smiled. “mom! don’t be like that” you whined. “okay okay but i said what i said” she giggled and continued cleaning up.

next day arrived and as soon as you woke up, you saw maeum in front of you. “morning! i’m awake before you, time to get ready up up up!” you heard jungwon saying as maeum kept licking your face.

“alright alright” you giggled and put maeum down. “your mom made us waffles so you better hurry up before i finish them all” he stick out his tongue and went downstairs before you could hit him.

“we’re going to spend your last day today before you turn my age” he smiled and gave a big bite to the waffle. “we’ll be back a bit late today!” he informed your mother and she nodded. “have fun! just get back home alive please” she chuckled, “i trust you” she winked at him and went off.

“just please don’t embarrass me” you pleaded and drank some water. “maeum is going to stay at yours today since my parents will be back late as well” he ruffled maeum’s hair and smiled as you nodded.

“let’s go, shall we?” he gestured his arm out for you to hold it after you finished putting your shoes on, “lead the way, mr. yang” you giggled and started walking your way to school.

as you arrived school, jungwon decided he wants to buy you some banana-milk from the cafeteria before class starts. “here, take it to have a good day” he smiled widely and you accepted it. “thank you, you’re weirdly kind today” you started suspecting his unusual behavior today.

“i’m just being kind because your birthday is tomorrow” he shrugged and that somehow made your cheeks heat up a bit. “let me take a picture of you and the banana milk” he took out his camera and you posed.

“smile for the camera!” he said and clicked the camera as you put on your happiest smile. what you failed to notice was jungwon’s wide smile that appeared on his face as soon as he saw you smiling.

the whole day went by jungwon being your personal photographer. every second he would take a picture of you, with the excuse of “i need to practice on my filming skills”

it was around 6pm and you were on your way to get some ice cream. without asking you, jungwon took your favorite flavor, that’s what makes you like him more, he knows you too damn well and yet, he’s willing to stay your friend.

“thank you~” you smiled and started licking the ice cream. you were having too much fun and laugh until the ice cream touched your nose. jungwon laughed his ass off and took a picture of you as fast as he could, “you look like a clown” he kept laughing and holding his stomach.

you glared at him in annoyance but soon you quickly shrugged it off and laughed with him, after all, his laugh is one of the things that really makes you happy.

on your way home, you were holding jungwon’s hand and using it as a swing. “thank you for today jungwon, i really had so much fun” you smiled, “can’t wait for tomorrow”

“a lot of surprises awaits for you tomorrow, so you better sleep well today!” he chuckled. as you arrived to your house, he took maeum with him and you sent him off. “be active at 12:00am exactly!!” was the last thing he said before entering his house.

you were doing some studies when you felt your phone buzzing. the alarm you set for 11:59pm turned on and you shut it off.

looking at the phone with every second that passed felt like forever, but soon enough, the clock hit 12:00am and you got a very long text from “wonie<3”

the text was long, really long, it started with “happy birthday my own soulmate<3” and ended with “remember, i love you more than anyone else — yours, jungwon your one and only soulmate”

as soon as you finished reading, you video called him and he answered immediately. “that was the most adorable shit i’ve ever read, look at me crying!” you laughed with the tears in your eyes.

“oh i’m sorry i didn’t intend to make you cry” he laughed it off, “now, we’ve got school tomorrow and a long day after that, we should go sleep, have a good night!” he calmed you down and hanged up as soon as you answered with a “good night”.

needless to say you both barely got any sleep.

you did somehow manage to sleep after what felt like forever, but soon enough, you heard some whispering around the room. “no, jungwon! put it that way!” you heard, “take it to the right…a bit to the left..oh! perfect”

you opened your eyes just a bit and yawned. “y/n? uh oh” you saw you mom standing next to jungwon. “get back to sleep you still have time” your mom shushed you and laid you back to your bed.

you did end up getting back to sleep, but woke up when you felt something on your stomach. “morning, birthday kid” you saw jungwon smiling at you widely, holding some pancakes in front of you.

“eat up and get ready, we need to go to school” he added and went out of your room to which you assumed, the kitchen.

you looked around the room a saw balloons all over the ground and some hanged on the wall, and lots of pictures of you and jungwon together. you giggled to yourself and got ready while eating some of the pancakes.

“put this on” jungwon handed you a flower crown and smiled. you put it on your head and rolled your eyes, “it’s embarrassing” you groaned, “you look even uglier now” he laughed at you and you punched him.

jungwon was obviously lying, you looked so beautiful in his eyes, wearing that flower crown on your head. he chose your favorite flowers one by one and thought about your reaction way before he handed you it.

“we’ll get going now!” you said and shut the door. on your way to school, jungwon gave you a few snacks for the rest of the day, and made sure to tease you lots of times.

at school, almost all the students wished you a happy birthday, you glared at jungwon and rolled your eyes, “did you really have to threat everyone to wish me a happy birthday or they’ll get a punishment because you’re in the student council?” you raised a brow at him.

“yes, indeed i had to” he proudly smiled and you smacked his shoulder. “stop hitting me” he whined but you shrugged, “im having fun doing it”

the rest of the day passed by real fast, jungwon made sure to make you laugh every other minute as well. after school jungwon took you to the mall and demanded you to let him buy you whatever you want, you ended up telling him you want nothing but food so he took you to a restaurant.

“can we get a cake as well?” he asked the waitress and smirked as you rolled your eyes. “stop embarrassing me” you sighed and he shrugged.

after the restaurant, he took you to the beach and you slowly watched the sunset while sitting next to eachother on the hot sand. you rest your head on his shoulder and closed your eyes, “thank you for today, i had so much fun so far” you said and he hummed.

“the view is so pretty in the sunset” you added and he nodded, “so pretty” he added. little did you know, he was talking about you.

after a while you arrived back at your home, hand in hand with jungwon. it was dark so you switched the light on and heard a huge “surprise!!!”

you looked around and saw your family with jungwon’s family, holding a few balloons and your mother holding the cake.

“i’ll let you blow the candles soon! first, sit right here” your mother ordered and sat you on the chair. “it’s presents time!” jungwon’s mother called out and everyone cheered.

jungwon’s mother handed you a cute necklace, with a pendant that had a picture of you and jungwon. you thanked her and hugged her tightly. your parents gave you a new phone and a matching bracelets for you and them. you hugged them and kissed their cheeks.

“it’s my turn now” jungwon smiled and handed you a big book, with the title, “y/n throughout the years” and you assumed it’s going to be a picture album.

you looked through the album and saw your pictures together with jungwon, and each one of them had a cute hand-written note besides them, the first picture was of you and jungwon when you were babies, and on the side was the note of, “ever since we were babies you were annoying, look at you stealing the show”.

you laughed and giggled while looking through all the pictures. when you arrived to the last page, you saw the latest pictures he took of you, from the same day he kept taking pictures of you none stop.

the very last picture was the one he took a few years ago of you and your friends when he first got the camera, and on the side was written, “that was when i realized i like you more than just a friend”

you looked up to him and he smiled. you were about to say something about you feeling the same way about him but your mother cut you off, “blow the candles! make a wish” she smiled and shoved the cake in front of you.

you giggled and closed your eyes, blowing the candles. “what did you wish for?” jungwon asked. “if i say it, it won’t come true” you stick out your tongue.

“right” he giggled, “if i were you i would’ve wish for us to be together” he added and you looked at him, making eye contact.

as you were staring at his eyes, you felt yourself falling deeper and deeper in love with him, “oh i wished something better than that” you added, “but nevertheless, i think my wish has already became true” you chuckled.

jungwon understood it right away, he smiled and hugged you, “may i…?” he asked and you nodded. he kissed you on your lips and you kissed back. the moment was so romantic and sweet, you put your hands around his neck and he held your waist.

you pulled back when you heard some clapping and cheering, you totally forgot that your and his family are standing right behind you. “i knew it!” your mother called out in happiness and you giggled.

“i guess the whole neighborhood is going to know that we’re together now” he said, “you’re quick to label us, but that’s what i like about you” you smiled and pinched his cheeks as he held your hand tightly.

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